…To reveal the inside of a building. Clean, modern looking with small dark cushy chairs scattered around the main entrance. One wall was all glass giving a clear view to the outside world of buildings, traffic and people as well as all the outer details that make the business end of a city interesting. The fact that an old style London police box had just popped into the area didn't seem to bother anyone, but then the TARDIS did have a funny way of escaping attention, even in the most obvious of places.
"Where do you think we are" Asked Rose.
"Offhand I'd say a city," replied the Doctor
"I picked that one up, but which city?"
"Sydney Australia"
Rose turned to the Doctor surprised "How'd you figure that one out!" she said but he merely grinned and pointed to the banners hanging from the curved streetlights outside. One boldly declared their location, stating "Sydney food festival" with a picture of the harbor bridge and an unusual wavy opera house made out of different vegetables, while the other advertised an unknown exhibit at the Australian Museum.
"That answer your question?" Rose rolled her eyes, he was more obnoxious than usual today, but before she could say this a smartly dressed woman strode briskly up to them. She was pale with large heavily made up eyes and red lipstick, wore a neat black three piece suite and a killer pair of heels Rose really wanted. She would have been beautiful but her expression was hard, almost cold, and her face was so heavily made up it was hard to tell her true age. The overall image was that of a very busy woman with no life outside her office. Carrying a clipboard she briskly handed them both a form.
"The advertisement was perfectly clear. All applicants are to enter through the east entrance off Berkley St. Please make your way there and I will be around shortly.
"Uh yeah, sorry we just got a little lost, I blame it on the buses. Umm, remind us again why you placed the advertisement?" The Doctor had taken on an Australian accent as he boldly asked questions Rose knew would get them in trouble.
"Oh one of those are you? What's your name and I'll see if you're on my list."
"That's important isn't it"
The woman looked over the edge of her clipboard, eyeing him suspiciously "It is if you want the position. I have all the approved inquirers names right here."
"And if we're not on it?"
By now the woman had figured something was wrong "I'm afraid I must ask you and your companion to leave" she said and turned towards a burly looking security guard next to the door.
Rose stepped up next to Killer-heels and gently put her hand on her shoulder "No! Wait. You'll have to excuse my friend; he has the memory span of a goldfish sometimes. Probably forgot what he had for breakfast" she gave a small laugh. Rose, despite many clumsy moments in the past, was a very bright young woman. And from so many 'coincidental' errors in the TARDIS's landings, she had learnt that not everything was an accident. She stuck out her hand to introduce herself. "My names Rose and this is Dr-"
"James Tannen" interrupted the Doctor. While she distracted Killer-heels, the Doctor had come up behind her and snuck a look over her shoulder at the clipboard. Quickly he showed the woman his all purpose ID.
"Yes, Dr. Tannen. Now are either of us on your list?"
The woman scanned her list, and several other pieces of paper beneath it. Soon her eyes stopped moving and she spoke to Rose "Dr. Tannen isn't on my list but I'm not surprised. His papers say he's our new chemist from Adelaide" Looking pleased the Doctor gave a bright smile making the woman blush slightly. "As for you Miss Rose, are you Rose Flinders?
"That's me"
"I have your name here. Please fill out that form and walk around to the east entrance. Interview is at two o' clock. Where is your bag?"
"Mm, lost on the bus. Back at Two" She threw a quick smile at the startled woman and headed out the door, pulling the Doctor behind her.
"A goldfish?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.
"I had to say something, that guard looked mean. And she was seriously creepy, great taste in shoes though. Lets' go see the Bridge I've always wanted to walk across that"
"Excellent idea, circular quay's great fun in summer. Ferries, street performers, ice cream…" He stopped dead.
"What's wrong? I know you like ice crea…" Rose stopped too, she had seen what the Doctor had seen. They had been about to walk away from the giant clear wall of the building when he'd looked back to check on the TARDIS, only to see it being wheeled away on a trolley into an elevator.
"Oh NO!" the Doctor broke away from Rose and sprinted back into the lobby but he was too late. The doors closed and there was no way to tell where it ha gone. The Doctor stared at the shiny stainless steel double doors for a few moments before running to the stairs only to be stopped by a burly security guard asking for ID. He considered showing the psychic papers but decided against it. He didn't know if the TARDIS was up or down, and nobody was likely to tell him, slowly he walked back to Rose. She had followed him in, her face showed the same look of fear and uncertainty he was feeling. Quickly pulling himself together he stuck out his chin and tried to smile. "The bridge will have to wait Rose, We've got some forms to fill out."
After visiting a bank teller they got a table in a neat looking café down the road.
"We have to get in that building. I'm set, chemists are great! Twenty-second century drugs are brilliant, so many breakthroughs in so little time. It's the first century they used Nanobots for evolving diseases, cured most forms of cancer, well, the blood stream ones. Wonder what I'll be working on?"
"You can wonder about it later 'Dr. Tannen', what am I supposed to do with this form?"
"You don't want to fill it out?"
"Of course I'll fill it out, we've got to get in that building, but what do I write? We don't exactly have a home address here do we."
The Doctor was reading over the sheaf of papers still in his hand "Somehow I don't think that matters. Take a look at this."
The form was the strangest one she'd ever seen. It asked for name, birthday, and nationality. That was the end of the personal information. No home address, phone number, work experience or references. After that brief section was a tem page quiz on medical background. Beyond that there was a disclaimer and waiver for Rose to sign. This was so full of legal mumbo-jumbo they both had some difficulty understanding it. The Doctor was an expert on many things including (of course) Austral-Asian legal terms but this made absolutely no sense.
"They made most of these words up I'm sure of it Ever heard the word comgelitazise?"
"Only in Fuchinian and its not very polite"
"How do you pick the best person for a job when you don't know anything about them?"
"Depends on the job, 70% of all jobs available aren't advertised, and 15% of the ones that are already have someone in mind. Maybe they ask all the questions in the interview. But this wouldn't be a hoax, its too obvious."
"I don't know, most of the shady stuff happens right under everyone's noses. Mum told me of this on guy who…" Here she pulled a face. "Well, you don't want to know."
"What's this about compulsory residence? No wonder they don't need an address, you get the job you move in."
"What, in the building?"
"Possibly, she did ask about a bag."
"All this medical info, and they mentioned something about hemoglobin count in that disclaimer. Sounds like a guinea pig job."
"Great, needles."
The DOctor heard her true fear behind the sarcasm. "Hey" He said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll look out for you, I'll make sure they don't stick anything too nasty in you. I'll even hold the needle myself just to make you feel better."
"So the Doctor gets to play doctor? Why am I not reassured." She tried to look nervous but she was grinning as she teased him.
"Hey be nice or that needle might go somewhere more painful" He teased right back enjoying how the banter relieved the tension they were both feeling. "And it not like this is a permanent thing, Soon as we find the TARDIS we're outta' here!" Here he looked her right in the eyes "I swear Rose, I won't let anything happen to you in there."
Rose had been travelling with the Doctor long enough to know when he was serious, and when he made her a promis like that one, she believed him. She knew he would never let her were too many questions about this whole business for either of them to be happy about all that was going on.
"Sure, but.."
"but but but. Your all buts and bottom lines today aren't you, stay calm. I'll help you fill out the form and who knows, if you get this mysterious job we'll still be close together. Remember the TARDIS wouldn't have landed her if it wasn't safe."
Neither of them mentioned the fact it had done so many times before.