Chapter Two

Without a Trace

It wasn't long before they came across a building with a sign planted outside reading; 'Records Office'. It too, like all the other buildings between them and the Tardis, looked deserted and ready to come down. Ashley looked up at it, unimpressed.

'Why have we come here? All the files and records are probably soggy or have been eaten by moths and stuff.'

'Everything is kept on the computers.' The Doctor told her. 'These wires are still pumping juice through them so they'll be okay to come on. Anyway, they practically keep everything on computers in your time. What makes you think they'd resort to paper again?'

Ashley shuffled on her feet. 'I didn't think of that.'

The Doctor shook his head. 'Come on.'

He made his way up the steps and Ashley followed, taking a quick glance around. It was weird how there didn't appear to be anyone around…

The door creaked noisily and the Doctor found he had to put all his weight against it to open it. A few overgrown plants snapped and a few leaves fluttered down onto the two of them.

'What are you hoping to find?' Ashley asked, brushing the leaves from her hair.

'Maybe evacuation notices,' the Doctor replied. 'Something that would explain everyone's disappearance.'

Inside was quite dim, taking the plants outside were blocking most of the windows. They had also grown across the floor. Desks and chairs were upturned everywhere. It didn't look like anyone had stepped foot in the room for years.

'I bet it's the plants.' Ashley commented as they moved further inside. 'It'll be like in Jumanji. You know, when the big vines come and out of the forest and grab that guys car. It was the vines that did that, wasn't it? God it's been years since I've seen Jumanji.'

'Well as soon as we're finished up here we'll go and buy it for you.' The Doctor replied. 'But for the time being can you just keep your eyes open for any computers that haven't been broken? Thanks.'

Ashley frowned. 'You've been a bit irritable since we left that farmhouse, Doctor. What is it?'

The Doctor shook his head. 'I'm not irritable.'

'You are. You're getting snappy.'

'I'm not snappy.'

'Yes you are.'

'No I'm not.'

'You are.'

'I'm not!'

'Is it what that Lily woman said? Because I wouldn't take any notice of her. She was a bit crazy.'

The Doctor turned to her with wide eyes. 'I'm fine, okay!' he cried in exasperation. 'Stop being so…' He pulled a face as he searched for the word and wiggled his fingers. 'Niggly!'

'Niggly?' Ashley looked at him in bewilderment. 'What the hell is that?'

'It's you getting on my nerves.' The Doctor replied, as he turned away and continued through the dishevelled room. 'So please stop.'

Ashley snorted. 'Well then.' she grumbled, following him. 'There's no need to be rude. I was only asking.'

The Doctor didn't respond and they moved through a few more rooms, all in the same condition – broken and practically empty. There were no computers anywhere. Ashley pointed this out a couple of times, but the Doctor didn't seem interested.

'So… what's the deal then?' Ashley asked.

'It looks like all the electronic equipment has been taken from here.' The Doctor said, scratching his head. 'It could be looters… but there's things in here that a looter wouldn't leave behind. Unless they specifically wanted the computers…' He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

While he was doing this, Ashley poked around the debris on the floor. Kicking aside a broken desk with her foot, she saw a flat screen monitor. 'Hey,' she called. 'Maybe you can fix this one up with your magnificent pen light.'

The Doctor joined her side and stooped down, picking the monitor up and examining it. 'It seems to be in tact…' he mused, rising to his feet and taking it across the room. He sat down cross-legged with it and plugged one of the black wires into the back of it. He sat there, fiddling with it with his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth and looking a little like a chimp trying to figure out how to get inside. Ashley giggled.

'What's so funny?' the Doctor asked, glancing to her.

She shook her head, still smiling. 'Nothing. Nothing. Carry on.'

He looked at her curiously and then pulled out the sonic screwdriver. He pressed it on the screen and pushed the button.

'Won't it need a keyboard or a tower block or something?' Ashley asked, hunkering down beside him. 'Not that I know the first things about computers.'

'Nope.' The Doctor replied. 'These are all mind controlled. It's a bit like my psychic paper, you just think of what you want to see and the computer will put it on the screen.'

Ashley looked impressed. 'Wow. So… if I just happened to smuggle this under my t-shirt, take it back to 2008 and get it patented…'

The Doctor looked at her disapprovingly.

'Don't tell me you've never been tempted.' Ashley laughed. 'If you never wanted to do that then I feel really sorry for you.'

'Oh I did.' The Doctor said with a small nod. 'I went to the fifties with a roll of bubble wrap.'

Ashley looked at him in amazement. 'You did? Well what happened?'

The Doctor lowered his head. 'Well… I kind of left it. In a café.'

'You left it in a café.'

'It would have been okay if that Al Fielding bloke hadn't been vouching for my seat and went on to nick it.' The Doctor grumbled. 'Just downright rude that was.'

Ashley chuckled, amused by the story. 'Out of all the things you could have chosen to invent, you chose bubble wrap. That's a good choice. I love bubble wrap.'

The Doctor beamed at her. 'Me too.' The monitor in his hands flicked into life. 'Ah-hah! Now we're talking.'

Ashley looked at the screen, but it was just blank. 'It's not on.' She told him.

'Hang on.' The Doctor replied. 'Okay… first up look for any evacuation records…'

The screen went white, and then the words 'Searching for Evacuation Records'popped up on the screen. A moment later, it said, 'No Evacuation Records'.

The Doctor frowned. 'Well there's that theory out of the window.'

'They would have a record of everyone, right?' Ashley asked. 'So they would have something saying how many people lived here.'

The Doctor nodded. 'Searching Population Records' appeared on the screen. Then a fast moving list of names rolled up the screen, seeming to go on forever.

'That's a lot of people.' Ashley nodded.

'At last count, there were 390,023 Citizens'

'So when was the last count?' she asked.

The Doctor frowned. 'That can't be right.' He said. 'According to this, the count was taken right now. Apparently there are 390,023 citizens living here, right now.'

'Well that's impossible. There's no one here.'

The Doctor sighed, drumming his fingers on the sides of the monitor. 'So it seems…' He focused his attention on the monitor again and his awareness of Ashley vanished. Ashley already knew not to disturb him when he was in such deep thought, so she got to her feet and moseyed around the room. Finding nothing of interest on the floor, she moved to the window and peered out between the plants.

Surely if the computer was saying there were over 300,000 people here, it must be broken. It had been lying on the floor underneath a broken desk for god knows how long, so it would be understandable if it were screwing up a bit. But if it wasn't screwing up… Where could everyone be? The Doctor said it seemed like there was a massive power core underground. Could they be underground? Maybe. If they were underground, why would they be underground? Maybe it was simpler than that. The wires were running into the houses, so maybe they were just inside their houses.

Maybe it was a Sunday?

Ashley was snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar sound. She frowned, and looked around outside. The sound of feet on concrete was getting louder. 'Doctor,' she said quickly. 'I think there's someone out there.'

The Doctor got up and moved to her side. 'Where?'

'Can you hear?'

He listened, and nodded. The two of them watched as a young man ran into view, heading up the street with a sack over his shoulder. The Doctor immediately ran for the door, and Ashley quickly followed.

'Hey!' the Doctor yelled after the running figure.

The young man either ignored him or didn't hear him as he continued running. Without hesitation, the Doctor raced after him up the street. Ashley paused in the doorway, mentally cursed the fact she had to run again, and then followed quickly.