Hello Everyone,
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been busy and I didn't want to rush it.
In this chapter Tom finally meets The Doctor, what could go wrong?
Before we start, I'd like to thank GhostLord for there kind review, and I have to agree with you I wish there were more 3rd Doctor stories on here. I'd really like to thank you for your kind thoughts.
So, here we go, please enjoy...
The force of the explosion threw Tom backwards against the wall, swiftly followed by the Brigadier, who landed on top of him. The force of the older man's body crashing into his, forced the Sergeant's head back, making it connect painfully with the brickwork behind him. As the two soldiers collapsed onto the floor, Tom heard a distinct voice approaching, serious and proper yet tinged with annoyance and amusement,
"I told you to stay out." The voice stated from somewhere nearby. At this comment, the Brigadier, who had come off the better of the two, pulled himself to his feet, leaving Tom on the floor, dazed, but now able to see the scene in front of him. Looking down at him was a tall man, perhaps in his mid 50's to 60's, with piercing blue eyes and a swatch of white hair upon his head. His whole being seemed to demand respect, but the oddest thing of all about the man was his clothing. Instead of the normal suit and lab coat you'd expect to see in a laboratory, he was wearing a light blue velvet smoking jacket, which covered a white thrilled shirt, whose sleeves could be seen sticking out at the wrists. It was an odd combination, and almost immediately Tom could say one thing about the man in front of him: eccentric!
"Well Doctor," The Brigadier replied gruffly, looking at the other man, "if you didn't insist on trying to blow up the building every other week, there wouldn't be a problem." At this point the other man, clearly the man they'd com to see; The Doctor, frowned, his voice seeming to become more sharp and defensive,
"I do not try to blow up the building, and there was a clear sign on the door, if you are so stupid as to ignore it, it's your own fault." Here the man stopped, looking back at the bench he had clearly been working at, and at the smouldering pile of metal which may at one time have been scientific equipment, " This is completely ruined," He now looked back at the Brigadier, "Honestly, if you expect me to remain here, at least allow me to conduct my research in peace."
"Doctor," The Brigadier countered again, "this is equipment is to be used for UNIT research, not for your own whims. This is a military headquarters."
Here, Tom decided he had better get up. He must look a total fool sitting there on the floor like a child, what would his superior think of him? Slowly, Tom lifted his head from where it had been resting against the brick wall, and with unsteady arms, tried to push himself up. However, just as he had got himself to a crouching position, the world seemed to spin and dark spots began to flash in front of his eyes, leaving him with no choice but slide back to the floor, where the world seemed to return to order. Resting his head back against wall, Tom eased a deep breath into his lungs, about to attempt to right himself again, when suddenly he found himself looking up at the weathered features of the Doctor.
"Are you alright?" He asked looking down at Tom, his features furrowed in worry, "Come on, let's get you onto your feet old chap." And with that the Doctor held out a hand to the young Sergeant, who automatically grasped it, and hauled the younger man to his feet. For a second the world spun in front of his eyes again, but thankfully it settled almost as soon as it had begun, just leaving him with an ache in the back of his head.
"You'll probably have a bad bump," The Doctor said to him, frowning slightly, "but I don't think you connected hard enough to have a concussion." Here his voice become harsher again, and more defensive, as he spoke,
"Of Course," He started looking at Tom, but clearly aiming it more at the Brigadier, " if you had stayed out like I told you, this wouldn't have happened." From there the Doctor made his way back over to what remained of his work bench, lifting and examining scorched pieces of metal and glass,
"I had the door shut for a reason," He explained, as he continued to examine what was left of his equipment, "I had removed most of the oxygen from the room, and the door was sealed. You opening it let more oxygen into the room and made the substances I was working with react. Thus causing the explosion." Here he looked up at the two soldiers again, his eyes narrowed in annoyance, "So, you see, it wasn't my fault. If you hadn't blundered in here, everything would have been fine."
Tom saw the Brigadier opening his mouth to reply, his face a picture of annoyance. Normally, he would never of dreamt of interrupting someone of his rank, but he could see this ending badly, so quickly he cut in, hoping his superior wouldn't notice why,
"Like oxidising a flame?" He asked, showing interest in the explanation the Doctor had just given, not really having to pretend. Science had always interested him, and now seemed a perfect enough opportunity to use that interest. At his question the Doctor looked up curiously, he'd clearly been expecting an argument with the Brigadier rather than having his brain picked by the young sergeant.
"In some respects, yes." He replied moving back from the work surface towards the younger man on the other side of the room, "The oxygen bonded with the substance, making it unstable, and because it was being heated on a Bunsen when the two bonded, it burned, and from there caused the explosion." By the end of his explanation, the Doctor was only standing about a metre away from Tom, looking at him like a scientist would an interesting specimen under a microscope, and to be frank, it made the younger man feel slightly uncomfortable.
"And who, may I ask, are you?" The Doctor asked calmly, his gaze still seeming to examine the other man, " I don't believe I've seen you at UNIT before." At this statement, the Brigadier finally spoke up, clearly having locked away his annoyance, so that he spoke in a level tone,
"Doctor, this is Sergeant Howlett. Our newest recruit." The Brigadier said steadily, his eyes darting between the two men. At hearing this the Doctor outstretched his hand, and out of human nature, Tom grasped it, shaking firmly.
"Nice to meet you." The Doctor said cheerfully, finally letting go of the other man's hand, "So what's your role here. As far as I recall we haven't had any vacancies recently." Here Tom began to feel slightly apprehensive. From what he'd seen of the Doctor, he clearly didn't know he was being assigned an escort, and he didn't seem like the type of person who would take well to the idea. How was he going to react to the news?
"Doctor," The Brigadier started, seeming to be as apprehensive as he was, "Sergeant Howlett has been assigned as your official UNIT escort." At the last word, the Doctor turned sharply towards the speaking military figure, his eyes hard and cold, and seeming to bore straight through the other man.
"Escort?" He repeated, indignantly, "Brigadier, despite what you may think, I do not need a babysitter!" His voice, seemed to get higher with annoyance, as his hands landed firmly on his hips. He looked an imposing figure, and it took all of Tom's self restraint not to back away slightly. However, it seemed the Brigadier had been on the receiving end of the Doctor's temper before, as he stepped towards the Scientist, his posture equally as authoritative as the man's in front of him,
"Doctor," he said calmly, but sternly, "while you are a part of UNIT it is vital I know where you are at all times. Sergeant Howlett will not be a "Babysitter", as you put it, he will simply keep me informed about your movements and actions. He will also be your protection should anything untoward happen." However, the Doctor didn't seem to be having any of it, in fact he seemed to become more annoyed by the Brigadier's explanation.
"Why can't you military men realise, not everything can be fixed with guns and bullets?" The scientist countered, continuing to glare at the younger man in front of him, " I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. If you wish for me to continue to act as UNIT's scientific advisor, I expect a certain amount of respect and privacy." At this point, he took his gaze from the Brigadier, to the young Sergeant, who had kept silent up until then. Tom met his steady gaze, but still felt intimidated by the older man looking him up and down,
"Besides," the Doctor continued, turning back to the Brigadier, "though I'm sure he's a fine soldier, I need someone who is more than a mindless trigger puller. Why don't you find me an assistant rather than a toy soldier?" Here, Tom began to get slightly annoyed himself, toy solder? He hadn't gone up against the IRA just to be mocked by an arrogant scientist. Just, as the Brigadier was about to respond, Tom found himself stepping forward to address the Doctor,
"In all due respect sir," He stated, as the Doctor turned once more to look at him, "I may not be a qualified scientist, but I have a mind of my own. I like to think I understand quite a bit about science, I don't understand how you can judge me so quickly, and I resent being insulted in such a way." He noticed his voice had begun to get higher as he went along, and now a thick silence lay heavy across the laboratory. The Doctor looked slightly taken aback, and Tom's mind was racing. Great. It was his first day, and he'd just offended one of his superiors, bye-bye UNIT! However, what the Doctor said next, was definitely not what he was expecting,
"I apologise." He said calmly, looking slightly guilty, but he seemed to be smiling as well, "I had no right to judge you like that. However, the point still stands, I need an assistant, not an escort." Here, the Brigadier decided to step back in after calmly watching the young sergeant's outburst. Tom mentally sighed, as the older man decided not to bring it up, instead choosing to address the Doctor once again,
"Doctor," he began, his face impassive, "we are still trying to locate an assistant for you, and I can assure you, measures were taken to make sure Sergeant Howlett was the right man for the job. I must insist that if you don't have an escort, you will not permitted to leave this base." The Doctor seemed furious suddenly, his eyes open wide,
"You have no right, or means to keep me here!" He cried, loudly, "It's bad enough I'm stuck on Earth, I refuse to be held captive in this building!" As he finished, his body seemed to lose some of its rigidity, turning to once again examine the young sergeant who was being forced onto him. Tom could practically see the cogs working in the older man's head as he considered the pros and cons of agreeing to the Brigadier's demands. Finally, it seemed he'd made up his mind, letting out a sigh, he turned back to the older military officer,
"Very well," He huffed, almost sulkily, "I'll allow Sergeant Howlett to go around with me, however you know as well as I do Brigadier, he will not be able to stop me going somewhere I want to." Tom felt a small shiver travel down his spine, what did he mean by that? However, he didn't have much time to contemplate this, as the Brigadier was now addressing him,
"Sergeant," He said sternly, "please come outside with me." Before quickly making his way out of the door, followed by Tom. As the door swung shut behind them, he was certain he heard the Doctor muttering something or another, he hadn't caught the exact words, but he was sure it couldn't be good. The pair took a few steps down the corridor, before the Brigadier finally spoke to him,
"Sergeant," He began, "I want to know the Doctor's whereabouts at all times. If you leave the base, radio into me first, and make sure you stay with him at all times." Here the Brigadier paused, taking the opportunity, to hand Tom a large, bulky radio, which the Sergeant automatically tucked into his back pocket,
"Your to stay with him in the laboratory, whenever necessary," He continued, though here he began to slow, "I will remind you that you are on 1 weeks probation, during which time you are still able to return to the regular army. I know the Doctor is a difficult man to get along with, and it's your decision." The Brigadier then nodded his head, and walked away, leaving Tom to feel slightly apprehensive. From what he'd seen of the man, and from what he'd been told, he wasn't sure how this was going to go. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the doors open, and returned to the laboratory where the Doctor was fiddling with another piece of strange equipment . As Tom entered, the other man looked up,
"Been warning you about me, has he?" The older man asked, as he returned to what he was doing. Not knowing what else to do Tom, began to look around the lab, looking at each individual piece of strange equipment, and the even more bizarre police phone box sitting in the corner of the room, he could hear something faintly coming from it; like singing . However, just has he was approaching it, he suddenly felt and hand fall onto his shoulder,
"So what's your name?" The Doctor asked from beside him, guiding him away from the odd box. It took a moment for Tom to think of what the older man was talking about, then it hit him, he wanted his first name?
"Thomas." he responded automatically, before reconsidering, "Tom." The Doctor smiled slightly at the younger man, still with a firm grip on the man's shoulder,
"Well Tom," He started, finally letting the young sergeant go, to return to his work, "I feel I must warn you. You have no idea what I can do, and I can assure you, you won't be able to stop me doing what I need to do." As he finished his voice had become lower, almost threatening, causing Tom to shiver slightly at its intensity. His mind whirled, trying to work out what may happen, before it suddenly went back to what Benton had told him that morning, how he was going to have his hands full. Then what the Brigadier had said about only moments before, offering him the choice of going back to the regular army, it couldn't be that bad, could it? Turning back to glance at the older man, who was now dismantling God knows what, Tom inwardly sighed. What had he got himself into?
That's Chapter 2, I hope you enjoyed it!
I know it was a bit long, but I like to make the chapters as detailed as possible.
Again, please Alert, Favourite and Review. I like to know people are actually reading my stories, and I really enjoy knowing what people think.
If you have any ideas such as pairings, or any cameos you's like, please write them in a review, and I'll see what I can do.
Til' next time! TTFN (Tah Tah For Now)