Doctor Who Series 6
Day of the Moon Part 1
Author's Note: Apologies for the long delay. I will try and get as many chapters up as possible up by mid-June. You should know that I don't like Clara Oswald, either.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I only own my OC, Emilie Brooke.
Crap!
That thought went through my head as I ran from the FBI cars. It was three months since I received the blue letter and we witnessed the Doctor's death. It was three months since the warehouse incident, where we ran from the astronaut.
Canton wasn't really hunting us down – this was part of the Doctor's plan to find out more about this other enemy. River and Rory had come up from the tunnels as though running from something, but none of us could remember what. So the Doctor thought up of this brilliant plan to find out more about the creatures. He also said that if we had an encounter, we would mark our skin, since the creatures seemed to make us forget we'd ever seen them. My arms were covered with tally marks.
Another FBI car came around the corner, blocking my way. I saw more cars coming, so I didn't attempt to try and jump over the car. I had done that in the past before with my Doctor, but that had been under different circumstances.
FBI agents came out and I turned around to see Canton approaching.
"Miss Brooke."
"Hello, Canton."
He pointed a gun at me and I gave him a look.
"I really hope you still remember why you're doing this, Canton."
The gun fired – as I figured, a blank – and I slumped to the ground, pretending to be dead. I was stuffed in a body bag, and then the car started moving, to Area 51.
-X-
My body bag was dragged into a cell. I heard other body bags being dragged as well. I assumed they were Amy and Rory. River probably dove off a rooftop or something like that.
"Is there a reason you're doing this Canton?" The Doctor asked.
"I want you to know where you stand." Canton replied.
"In a cell?"
"In the perfect cell - nothing can penetrate these walls. Not a sound, not a radio wave, not the tiniest particle of anything."
I heard the cell door close.
"In here you are literally cut off from the rest of the universe."
There was a pause.
"So, I guess that means they can't hear us, right?"
"Good work Canton. Door sealed?"
"Yeah!"
Amy, Rory and I sat up gasping. The Doctor unzipped my bag, and then Rory's.
"Oh, finally!" Amy said.
"These things could really do with air holes."
"My thoughts exactly." I agreed with Rory.
"Well, we've never had a complaint before." Canton replied.
"Won't it look strange that you're staying in here with us?" Amy asked.
"Don't worry, they won't suspect anything." I told her.
"It may look strange, but not alarming. They know there's no way out of here." Canton added.
"Exactly – whatever they think we might be doing in here, they know we have no chance of escape." The Doctor said, pulling his braces. He fell back against the invisible TARDIS.
"Did you get it right this time?" I asked him.
"What?"
"Turning the TARDIS Invisible."
I knew River must have helped him – not that he would ever admit it. He likes to think he's better at everything.
"Y-yeah, I managed to do it this time."
He snapped his fingers and the TARDIS door opened.
"Shall we?"
Amy grinned, and we all went in.
"What about Dr Song? She dove off a rooftop." Canton said.
"Don't worry, she does that. Amy, Rory, Emilie, open all the doors to the swimming pool." The Doctor asked us. We all went to do it.
The Doctor parked the TARDIS on the side of the building, and River dove into the swimming pool. Then the Doctor started explaining whilst running around pushing buttons and levers.
"So, we know the creatures are everywhere – not just a landing party, an occupying force. And they've been here a very, very long time. But nobody knows that because no one can remember them."
"So what are they up to?" Canton asked.
"No idea. But the good news is, we've got a secret weapon."
We landed and the Doctor rushed out, the rest of us following him. We had landed at Cape Kennedy, and Apollo 11 was in the distance.
"Apollo 11's your secret weapon?" River asked.
"No, no, it's not Apollo 11. That would be silly. It's Neil Armstrong's foot."
We all shot him a look of bewilderment.
-X-
"OW!"
The Doctor had just inserted something into Canton's hand. We had washed the marks off our arms, and I changed my clothes – three months in the same clothes is no fun.
"So, three months, what have we found out?" the Doctor asked us.
"Well, they're everywhere, in every state in America – OW!"
"It's not just America, it's the entire world." The Doctor added.
"There's a greater concentration here, though." River said.
"OW!" I yelped as the Doctor inserted something into my hand. He did the same to Amy, and then looked at her concernedly. I was standing by them and heard what they said.
"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked her.
"All better?"
"Better?"
"It turns out I was wrong, I'm not pregnant." Amy told him, sounding certain.
"What's going on here?" Rory asked, walking over.
"Nothing. Really, nothing, seriously." Amy insisted.
"So, you've seen them, but you don't remember them." Canton said.
"You've seen them too. That night at the warehouse, remember? Whilst you were pretending to hunt us down, we saw hundreds of those creatures. We still don't know what they look like." River told him.
"It's like they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away. The exact second you're not looking at them, you can't remember anything." Rory added.
"Sometimes, you feel a bit sick though, but not always." Amy piped up.
"So that's why you marked your skin."
"It was the only way we'd know that we had had an encounter."
"So, how long gave they been here?" Canton asked.
"That's what we've spent the last three months trying to find out." Amy replied.
"Yeah, which isn't easy if you can't remember anything you discover." Rory added.
"How long do you think?"
"As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye, or creaking in your house, or breathing under you bed or voices through a wall. They've been running your lives for a very long time now, so keep this straight in your head. We are not fighting an alien invasion, we're leading a revolution. And today, the battle begins." The Doctor explained.
"How?"
The Doctor grinned.
"It starts like this."
He reached back and inserted something into River's hand.
"OW!"
"Ha! This is a nano recorder – it fuses with the cartilage in your hand."
He put one into himself.
"Ow! Then it tunes itself directly into the speech centres of your brain. It'll pick up your voice, no matter what. It's a telepathic connection, so the moment you see one of the creatures, you activate it-!"
The Doctor pressed the nano-recorder and it made a sound.
"-And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing."
He pressed his palm and a recording began.
"And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing."
"Because the moment you break contact, you're going to forget it ever happened. The light will flash if you've left yourself a message. If you've had an encounter, that's the first you'll know about it." The Doctor said.
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Canton asked.
"I did, but even information about these creatures erases itself over time. I couldn't refresh it, because I couldn't talk to you."
Canton glanced over at something and yelped.
"My god, how did it get in here?"
"What's going on?" I asked.
"There's one of the creatures in the TARDIS. Canton – keep eye contact with the creature, and when I say, turn back. When you do, straighten my bow tie."
I chose not to risk a glance over at the creature.
Canton turned back, and straightened the Doctor's bow tie. We all watched him, and he gave us a look.
"What? What are you staring at?"
"Canton, look at your hand." River said.
He glanced at it, and saw that it was flashing.
"Why is it doing that?"
"What does it mean if the light's flashing? What did I just tell you?" The Doctor asked.
"I-I haven't-!"
"Play it."
He pressed it and the recording played back. Then we all glanced over where Canton had stared.
"It's an image taken from Amy's phone. It'll disappear in a few seconds. Take a good look. When it goes, describe it to me."
I blinked and took a sharp intake of breath. It was like that day at the picnic, when I felt the hairs on my neck rising up.
"Canton, describe it to me."
"I can't."
"No, neither can I. You straightened my bow tie because I planted the idea in your head whilst you were looking at the creature." The Doctor explained.
"So, you could be doing stuff without really knowing why you're doing it." Amy realised.
"We've all experienced that. Even I've experienced it." I said.
"It's like post-hypnotic suggestion." Rory said.
"Aliens ruling the world with post-hypnotic suggestion."
"Not a comforting thought, is it?" The Doctor said.
"Neither is the image of you with a beard." I told him.
"Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome."
"I really think we could leave the banter until later." Rory pointed out.
"Right, sorry –now then, a little girl in a space suit. We know they got the suit from NASA, but where did they get the girl?" The Doctor said.
"It could be anywhere."
"Except the creatures probably stayed close to the warehouse, because why bother doing anything else. They would have to take her from somewhere to cause the least amount of attention. But I'm afraid you'll have to find her – I'm off to NASA." The Doctor explained.
"Find her? How?"
The Doctor gave a grin.
"Look in children's homes."
-X-
The black sedan pulled into the drive. There was a thunderstorm, and it was night time. In my honest opinion, I thought it was cliché. The radio was on – it was the only interesting thing about this situation.
"In just a few days, mankind will set foot on the moon for the first time. Today the President reaffirmed America's commitment..."
Canton turned off the radio and glanced at me and Amy.
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
"I'm ready."
We got out of the car and hurried to the front door of the orphanage – Greystark Hall. Amy knocked and a man answered.
"Hello."
Canton held up his ID.
"FBI – you must be Dr Renfrew. Can we come in?"
"The children are asleep."
"We'll be very quiet." Amy assured him.
"Is there a problem?"
"It's about a missing child." Canton told him.
"What are you..."
He broke off suddenly and a strange look came over his eyes.
"Y-yes, of course. Come in."
The orphanage was falling apart – paint was peeling from the walls, and there were signs of damp everywhere. But what stood out was the writing on the walls.
GET OUT
LEAVE NOW
"My office is this way. Please excuse the writing – it keeps happening. I try to clean it up."
"The kids write that?" Amy asked.
"Yes, the kids, it must be. Yes."
He reached out to clean the wall, and we saw a message on his wrist.
GET OUT
"Anyway, my office is this way."
He lead us upstairs, and Canton spoke up.
"You know, we nearly didn't come to this place. I understand Greystark Hall close back in '67."
"Yes, that's the plan."
"Plan?" Amy and I echoed, exchanging knowing glances.
"It's 1969." Canton told him.
"No, we close in '67. That's the plan."
"You misunderstood me, Dr Renfrew. It's 1969, now." Canton said.
"Why are you saying that, of course it isn't."
"July."
That strange look came over Renfrew's eyes again.
"A-Anyway, my office is this way."
He veered off to a smaller staircase.
"Amy and I'll check upstairs." I said to Canton.
"Be careful."
Amy and I went to separate dorm rooms. I hesitantly pushed the door open, not going in, but just having a look in. Normally, I'd go right in there, but something told me I shouldn't. I glanced up and then something caught my eye.
Tally marks over my arm.
My right palm flashing.
I pressed my palm and listened to the recording.
"I can see them – they're on the ceiling. Holy crap – right, just get out slowly and quietly."
With another glance at the room, I left it. I was about to go find Amy when I heard gunshots. Canton must have found one of the creatures.
Well, it looked like finding Amy would have to wait – how convenient.
End of Chapter
Next time – Another Doctor/Emilie talk.