The Doctor took her to his home. A small barn-esque place, with a bed with sheets but no mattress. Luggage scattered around. Coat hung up. Designs for a 'TARDIS', whatever that was.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I told you, I'm the Doctor," he said.

"Well come one, where's the rest of it?" she asked. "Christian name, surname…"

"I have neither," he said truthfully. "Merely 'the Doctor'. I know I had a name, but I don't remember it. Just one more thing to thank the Cybermen for."

"So what are those Cybermen things?" she asked him, sensing he had no wish to talk about himself.

"Creatures from another planet," the Doctor said to her. "A world so very like our own. But they grew afraid of that one great constant, Death, and tried to cheat it – only to sell their souls to the devil. Now they are men of steel, their souls gone."

"Sounds terrible," Rosita said. "But what are they doing in London?"

The Doctor looked incredibly thoughtful for a long moment.

"I imagine," he said after a time, "that they are seeking to conquer our world and make it ike their own. A world of metal. Steel cities, steel people. They have already murdered many people. A Mr Jackson Lake. Miss Arietta Longsworth. Mr James Thomson…"

"Jimmy?!" Rosita cried.

"Yes," the Doctor said, looking carefully at her face. "You knew him?"

"Yes," she sobbed. "Oh God, I don't believe it… he was… he was…"

"A friend," he finished. "I am so sorry. But you live on. Take some comfort, in that soon, I will stop them."

"How?" Rosita asked. "How can you stop them?"

"I do not know," the Doctor admitted truthfully. "They are a truly deadly foe, implacable, nigh on unstoppable. No weapon of this age can harm them."

"But… that's terrible!" Rosita exclaimed. "If you can't stop them

The Doctor glared at her.

"I will find a way, as I always do," he said. "But you, my dear, should go home." His expression softened. "Go. Rest. Forget all about Cybermen and monsters of steel. I will keep London safe, I promise."

Rosita looked about to argue, so the Doctor cut her off. "Too many have died. The friend you meant to meet. The man, Jackson Lake. The woman, Arietta Longsworth. Even…"

He stopped, and his eyes filled with tears.

"Even…"

He couldn't say it. But somehow, Rosita could tell that some terrible pain filled his life. Then he looked up, and for one moment, she could tell, some terrible memory was flashing before his eyes.

--

The nightmare, whether within sleep or within his waking hours, was always the same. Violent hatred – Cybermen. Then, a great world, a great city, his home…? Orange sky, silver citadel, and a great war that burnt the night… and always the sense that he had lost something, and that something had been taken from him.

And then, the girl Rosita was talking to him.

"Doctor…? Doctor…?"

He looked up at her, and smiled.

"Just nightmares," he smiled. "I am after all a Time Lord. Life is, for me…"

"A Time Lord?" Rosita asked.

"Well," the Doctor said. "That is the technical term."

"You aren't… human?" Rosita asked.

"In all honesty… no," the Doctor smiled. "Sorry."

Rosita looked at him in amazement. He was so human in appearance, yet obviously he wasn't. Amazing.

"Please sir," she said to him. "Let me help you fight these Cybermen. They killed Jimmy and… well, I want to fight 'em. Stop 'em."

The Doctor looked at her in sympathy. She was so young, too young to shoulder the burdens that were being thrust upon her.

Wasn't that so much like him?

"You work for your keep," he said. "You help me stop the Cybermen."

"That's what I'm here for," she smiled.

--

The next morning, the Doctor took Rosita with him to the scene of a horrendous crime.

"This is the scene of the murder of another person, a Mr Andrew Carrigan," he told her. "Died sometime last night if my contact is to be believed.

"You contact?"

Police Constable Weatherfield," the Doctor said. "Personable chap, but very susceptible to bribery. He provided me with adequate papers – I am Doctor Richard Bowman, consultant of the medical profession."

"And who am I?" Rosita asked.

"My plucky young assistant," the Doctor said, before walking up to the Police Constable in charge of the investigation.

"Constable," he nodded. The man looked up. "I am Doctor Bowman. I trust you have been informed of my presence being requested?"

"Yeah," the Copper said. "Look, it's a weird one, you'll probably not get it anymore than we do."

"Try me," the Doctor smiled. The Copper looked at him, then at Rosita.

"'Oo's she?" the Copper asked.

"Rosita, my plucky young companion," the Doctor explained. The Copper looked her over, then leered.

"Wouldn't mind her company meself," he said, prompting Rosita to glare at him and the Doctor to clear his throat, and indicate the way to the body. The Copper sighed, and led them on.

"'E died sometime in the night, as you've 'eard," the Copper began. "All we found was burns on his shoulder."

"Nothing else?" the Doctor enquired.

"Nope," the Copper confirmed. "We thought 'e'd just dropped down dead, 'til we saw 'is face…"

As they came up to it, the Doctors eyes widened, and he motioned for Rosita to stand back.

"Get my friend away from this," he said. The Copper nodded, all duty again, and moved Rosita back so she couldn't see the face.

Terror had widened his eyes, and his mouth was open in a terrible grimace of pain. The Doctor opened his shirt, and studied the burns. The injuries themselves were unfamiliar, but he recognised the fist mark easily. He stood up and spoke to the Policeman.

"Thank you Constable," he said. "You've been most helpful."

Then without another word, he walked over to Rosita, and led her away.

"Cybermen?" she asked.

"Oh yes," he said. "Yes absolutely."