Hanging back in the dark of the alleyway, Katie watched as the different men slowly left, one at a time, at varying intervals. She figured she had been standing there about forty minutes when Jak and the Doctor finally came out. Jak turned to the Doctor and gave a nod, as if saying good-bye.

"Sleep well Doctor Ithmus. I have a feeling we will all need rest."

"You won't be getting much though," the Doctor said, pulling out his psychic paper and showing it to Jak. Jak's eyes widened just a touch. "I've heard you've been having problems with a local girl. We need to talk," the Doctor finished, putting away the paper.

Jak nodded silently, his face paler then it had been. The Doctor motioned down the street in the same direction Katie was in. She stayed silent as they walked past, the Doctor somehow being threatening without actually doing anything. Why he would have reason to scare anyone intentionally, or walk them off in private, Katie had no idea. Still, whatever he was doing was working, and she quietly followed, concentrating on keeping her noise down. Things might get messy, and she was certain the Doctor wouldn't be happy when he found out what she had brought with her. Oh well. That was the price of hanging around with a man who hated weapons with a passion.

Still, you can't exactly say the sonic is harmless…she mused, thinking of all the things he had blown up, fused, or just plain destroyed with it. Weaponless man with a weapon. Maybe I'll ask him about it one day.

Katie tore herself away from her inner thoughts as she strained to hear what the two men ahead of her were talking about. The Doctor was using his best "official" voice, and Jak was worried about something, but that was all she could tell. They disappeared around a corner, and she turned after them, coming nose to muzzle with Jak's gun. Sighing lightly, she raised her hands.

"Nice try, kid. I'll admit it took me a few blocks to know you were trailing me, but I'm trained for this sort of thing. It's a pity you aren't on our side." He cocked the revolver, and Katie couldn't help but chuckle at the irony; her favored fire-arm was the revolver as well.

"Hold it Jak. You said she wasn't from around here, and those of us up top are curious as to how a 21st century child was able to find technology still in the prototype stages in the 43rd."

Now Katie really was surprised. The Doctor wasn't in character at all. The condescending tone in his voice was something she didn't recognize in the least. And, now that she was standing closer to him, there was something about him that seemed off. She just wasn't sure what it was.

"Pardon Doctor," Jak said, "I just want this one finished. She hasn't done much yet, but I know she will in the future."

"He's right, you know," Katie said on impulse. "I'm a problem causer. Have been for a while now. Be much easier to just pop me off now. In fact, I could probably be the only person alive with "Trouble" as their middle name. Kinda like that. Kathryn Trouble Moore. Kathryn T. Moore."

"The question still remains," the Doctor said, though Katie was starting to think it wasn't him. His suit was just a little…something, and the way he was acting was far too…human.

The answer fell into place in Katie's mind, and she lowered her eyelids until they were half closed. "That question would be…?" she asked, sighing in a bored manner and crossing her arms. Jak glared at her, but she didn't react. Concentrating on keeping the rest of her body still, she moved her right hand furiously, trying to reach her inside coat pocket. She felt metal on her fingertips, then it moved out of reach.

"How are you able to time travel? Unless you aren't from the 21st century."

"I grew up in the 21st. California, actually. Wonderful little back country, lots of time to yourself, if you have a good system. Those of us who do find lots of time to learn different skills."

The man who looked like the Doctor gave her a cold stare. She knew she was about to do the right thing, odd as it was going to be. If she could just pin-point where it was…

There. she thought, focusing her sights on a slight bulge in the false Doctor's pocket. He's gonna get so squished for this. NO ONE impersonates the Doctor. Katie refused to let herself think about where the Doctor really was, or what might have happened to him. But when I find out, first I'm hitting him, and then I'm killing them. Maybe I'll kill them first. Who knows?

"Did someone go back and ask you to come here?"

"On the contrary, person," Katie said, spitting the word out. "I was brought here. My chauffer was seeking my forgiveness on something, which is exactly what you two will be doing. Where's the Doctor?"

Jak smiled wickedly. Katie stared coolly at him, still struggling to reach her pocket. Her fingernail just caught what was in it. She slowly drew it towards her fingertips.

"I killed him, kid. Shot him right between the eyes. Did you really think I wouldn't see that flashing green light? Or read your side of the conversation? Once I'm done with you, I'll make certain the timeline is completed and set up this brilliant diversion."

"Ten points for noticing a blinking light." Katie's voice was thick with sarcasm. "If you can tell me where I was, you can have an extra shot at a new car." Her outward appearance was very much forced; she would have liked nothing better at that moment than to slit Jak's throat and drain his blood. A familiar, usually hated red mist was beginning to gather at the edge of her vision. She let it come.

"Not in the mood for games. I don't care when you came from or how you got here. I'm still sending you off to join your friend."

The mist took over Katie's sight as she finished grasping her weapon. "You can find him for me." She smacked aside the gun with her left hand and lashed out with her right.

The Doctor ran along the streets, hoping to find Kathryn. Jak had left before the Doctor did, and he had been hoping to find out where he was off to, when he had thought he had seen Kathryn. He had been walking in the complete opposite direction he was now running, following that someone. Then, the girl had finally broken down into tears, shown him her perception filter, and confessed that a man had threatened to kill her earlier if she hadn't distracted the Doctor. She didn't even know what the filter was, and was obviously a local. The Doctor had wasted precious time calming the girl down and sending her home.

I should have noticed something was wrong when she didn't say anything. The Doctor berated himself, still searching. I just saved Kathryn once; didn't think I'd have to do it again so soon. Not that I mind. She always gets so annoyed when someone comes to rescue her, instead of the other way around.

The sound of something smacking hard against a wall made the Doctor turn sharply. Probably whoever distracted Kathryn. Hope he's not dead.

The Doctor turned one last corner. One man, whose appearance was flickering between a copy of himself and the man's real face, was slumped against a wall, blood coming from a cut in his head. Kathryn was standing over Jak, one foot pinning him down, a metal staff in her hands, with blades on either end. She was about to drive one end into Jak's skull.

"Kathryn!" the Doctor shouted. She paused, then lifted the staff again. "Kathryn, don't!"

She looked up at him. Her eyes were completely red. The Doctor groaned, knowing it would might take a while to pull her out of it. The last time her eyes had been so red was when a hospital had been going up in flames, and her hands were around the neck of the woman that had set it ablaze. He'd been able to stop Kathryn, but only just.

"Kathryn, look at me. You know it's me," he said, his voice calm.

She blinked hard, and shook her head, then looked at him, the mist rapidly receding. "Doctor?" Her eyes widened in recognition. "Doctor!" Dropping the staff, she sprang towards him, nearly knocking the wind out of him from the force of her hug. "You're alive!" she said, relief evident in her voice. Kathryn pulled back, glaring, and slugged him. He looked down at her in shock, rubbing his jaw.

"What was that for?"

"You're alive."

"Yes, we've established that. Why did you hit me?"

"I thought you were dead!"

"Well, obviously I'm not, so refrain from hitting me in the future."

"Not apologizing. You know, I'm starting to think you aught to be running tests on me. I'm getting really tired of going berserk whenever someone's threatening me. Or rather, someone other than me." Kathryn's voice trailed off as she started musing. The Doctor left her be; she usually got contemplative -and occasionally philosophical- after a case of 'red-eye'. He strode over to the man unconscious against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief when he found a pulse. After checking the man's head, the Doctor decided that he would have a massive headache, but he'd live.

Checking the man's pockets, the Doctor pulled out his perception filter. The one the girl had used and the one the man had used were identical. They were both different then the sort of filter the TARDIS had to convince strangers she wasn't really there. Rather, they convinced you that you were seeing something completely different from what you really saw. They were both in the early stages of development, but still advanced for the 43rd century.

"Jak," the Doctor said, his voice vaguely coaxing. "Where did you get these?" He turned to look at the man, who was still flat on his face. Jak groaned as he tried rolling over. From the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw Kathryn spin around to focus on Jak, her eyes watchful.

"Advanced research," Jak gasped out. "We've had our best people working for years. Decades, even. All for this mission. And now, you're destroying all that preparation, just to save a nation that failed to use its resources correctly."

"Oh, like you'd have done better," Kathryn spat out at him. Jak looked back at her as if he didn't feel her anger.

"We would have tried. You did nothing. Answer me this, Kathryn T. Moore. If you really are from the 21st century, if you really are an American, tell me why the richest, most powerful nation on earth, is falling apart. Why do you owe yourselves more than you could ever hope to pay back? Why are you in a war because you failed to finish the job the first time? Do the Trade Towers still stand? What about Bin Ladin? He stays missing for ten years. Was he so good at hiding? Or were you so obsessed with fixing things you forgot why you went over there? Or all the natural disasters you've been having, the hurricanes, the oil spills? How many are still suffering from that? Or maybe that hasn't even happened yet. Maybe you don't know what I'm saying just yet, so I'll go back further. The A-bomb is a good spot to start. You-"

"Saved your butts by doing it ourselves rather then forcing you to do it," Kathryn said, her voice low. "And we supplied most of the soldiers at D-Day. And the oil spill? That was from BP, also known as British Petroleum."

The Doctor rubbed his face in exasperation, but didn't try to stop either of them. Two people in love with their countries were arguing over who was best. Nothing would shut up them up now.

Kathryn was still talking, her green eyes snapping. "Where would Britain be if we hadn't finished things off in World War II? I know, the Atom bomb was a horrific event. I'm not proud of it. And yes, America is dying. I get it. I'm not stupid, I know we're going down the drain and pulling the rest of the world with us. I know we've fallen off the pedestal we built up under us. But we've done so much more to change the face of this planet for the better. Even right here, right now, we're doing it. Thirteen measly little colonies, deciding we have a right to be treated like people instead of an investment. So we fight back. And we win, don't we? A collection of barely-trained volunteers and last-minute help from the French, and we defeat the grand British Empire. We start a wave of revolution across the globe because people decide they're sick of royals. We breed minds and presidents and brave men stepping into wars for others. You really want to stop that? Do you realize how much you'll be changing in this world, in your world, if you stop this now?"

Jak was silent for a few moments. Then he gave a nasty smile. "Watch the roads, kid. Revere might end up with a bullet in his back."

Moving faster then his injured state should have let him, he pressed a button on his vortex manipulator and vanished.

The Doctor looked at Kathryn. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing hard. "Are you done?" he asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

She nodded. "Yeah. You know, it wasn't that bad of a speech, considering I just made it up." Her mildly dismissive manner about what had happened only served to annoy the Doctor further.

"I was going to try and ask him about what he was planning to do, or maybe, I don't know, dissuade him from trying to change history?"

"Please Doctor," Kathryn said, rolling her eyes. "Didn't you hear him? He's not backing down. He truly believes everything will be fixed in his present if it changes now. Thing is, so do I. Fixed the wrong way, but definitely fixed." She clicked her teeth together, thinking.

The Doctor decided it would be useless reprimanding her. Sometimes there was no getting through. Later, she might be in a better mind set. "When did you get a middle name?"

"Pardon?"

"Jak called you Kathryn T. Moore. When did you get the T.?"

Kathryn gave him a crooked smile. "About ten minutes ago. Stands for Trouble. Thought it was appropriate."

"Now that I can agree on."

She looked at him sideways, then slid her eyes away. "Thanks for saving me," she said as she went to retrieve the metal pole she had been using.

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "Saving you?"

Kathryn glanced up at him. "Yeah, saving me," she said, pressing a button on the staff. It collapsed in on itself, becoming a simple metal tube about 8 inches long. "I would have killed him. I don't need another dead man on my conscience." She tucked the tube into her coat pocket. "Now, what do you say we get this poor bloke home, then grab a bite to eat? More business awaits us. It's a long road to Lexington."

"How long have you been waiting to use that line?"

"Fifth grade. Wrote a report on General Thomas Gage. Teacher said it would be good for me to write my paper on a British general instead of an American one."

"Smart lady."

"It was a he."

"Smart man."

"It was a she that underwent surgery to become a he."

"Ah."

"Maybe you should quit while you're behind."

"Yeah."

*Constructive critisism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*