"How did you know how to fly the TARDIS and fix it in such a situation?"
Elisabeth smiled briefly. "To be honest, Doctor, I've no idea. It just comes as natural to me. It just seems like instinct. Maybe I could show you, if necessary."
"No problem." The Doctor stepped aside, letting her take the controls. "Maybe I'll give you some ideas of where to go. Hm. How about somewhere on your home planet? Beijing in the 26th century, perhaps." He suggested, flipping a coin.
Elisabeth looked over the controls, pushing buttons and keying in coordinates. She looked up after several seconds, done with the coordinates. The Doctor looked back at her silently, observing how she went about with the procedure. She hit the final lever, and the TARDIS started up. Elisabeth stepped back. "Did I do it right?"
"Well, I guess we're going to have to find out," The Doctor affirmed.
Elisabeth stepped back from the console, unclenching and clenching her stiff hands. "Did I do it right?" She asked, staring nervoursly at the console.
The Doctor was silent for a moment. "You've gotten us in the right place, but how you piloted the ship..."
"Doctor?"
"It's a little, unconventional, you might say. But it gets the job done." The Doctor explained. "How did you know how to pilot the TARDIS?"
Elisabeth shook her head. "There's got to be a reason I know. I just know it." She looked up at the scanner. "Looks like we've landed ourselves in near some big event, or something." Elisabeth squinted at the image on the scanner, pulling on her glasses. "Looks like a stadium."
"It used to be a stadium. For the 2008 Olympic Games. It's been turned into a convention centre since then." The Doctor observed. "Shall we go take a look?"
Elisabeth stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor following right behind her. She wobbled on her feet slightly, cursing the small variety of shoes the TARDIS had for such formal situations. She was lucky to find a suit that fitted her, and that she didn't have to wear a skirt. She'd had enough of skirts, after some problems had arisen from her in that dress when she and the Doctor visited Darrowby. She hated the way the wind blew up her skirt, forcing her to hold down her skirt, shivering at the same time.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked, pulling on his tie, a disgruntled look on his face. He didn't seem quite used to such formal attire, and honestly, Elisabeth would much prefer seeing him in his usual cricket attire, although it seemed a bit...eccentric.
"It's just these shoes." Elisabeth spat, before turning her attention to the TARDIS behind her. "Why hasn't anyone noticed the TARDIS? I mean, shouldn't people be noticing a bright blue box in the middle of the city?"
"Well," the Doctor shrugged. "the TARDIS wasn't always a blue police box. It used to be able to change its shape, but the Chameleon Circuit's broken down. And as for why nobody's noticed it..."
The Doctor sighed. "I'm honestly not sure, either."
"Not sure? I thought you probably know everything there is to know in this wide universe. You're the alien, after all." Elisabeth jested.
"Just because I'm not from this planet doesn't automatically mean I know everything. I'm afraid you might've gotten the wrong idea about me."
"I've got a lot to learn, Doctor." Elisabeth smiled, turning her gaze to the Doctor's attire. "You're looking quite fetching, in that suit. I mean, not that you aren't usually, but-" She stopped, not knowing how to go on. "Sorry."
The Doctor took a breath before changing the subject. "I think we should go and take a look at the convention, shall we?"
Everyone around them was rushing to and fro. Their pace of life was definitely a lot quicker as compared to Darrowby in the 1940s, Elisabeth noted. Honestly, given a choice, she honestly liked the atmosphere of Darrowby, this little town in the countryside. In hindsight, staying back might not have been a bad idea, but perhaps travelling around was better. She liked the adrenaline travelling with the Doctor gave her. It kept her on her toes, and she had learnt to be more alert to her surroundings.
People in the future, Elisabeth observed, were strange. They seemed to have elongated legs, to help them cover a longer distance. It seemed that they had evolved, but that may not have been the case. She knocked into a woman, causing her to spill the contents of her file all over the floor. Elisabeth watched in horror as the woman, instead of bending down, compressed her legs like springs, and her arms extended, like jelly, scooping up all the paper, before returning to her original shape to continue on her way. Was this how humans had evolved, to adapt to their surroundings by changing their shape? A horrible scientific experiment just as the one Elisabeth had gone through, to be able to retain any memory and recall it immediately, just as looking at a photo? Honestly, it was such a foreign concept that Elisabeth couldn't understand it herself. Just like how she didn't understand the TARDIS being smaller on the outside when she first came in.
However, over time, she was able to understand the TARDIS pretty well on her own without the Doctor's guidance, which was strange. She knew most of its functions, and was able to maneuver it on her own. There simply had to be a strange reason she knew all this unworldly technology. The information couldn't just have come from nowhere.
Upon reaching the convention centre, the Doctor produced a piece of paper from his coat pocket, passing it to the security guard at the front door. "Doctor John Smith, and this is my associate, Miss Elisabeth Choo. We're both foreign ambassadors from the branch in Paris." He announced, slipping the paper to the guard. The guard took a moment before passing the paper back to him, and waved the two of them in.
"John Smith? And what's with the blank piece of paper?"
"John Smith is an alias of mine. It's a common name, great for blending in. So much that I could use that name all my lives and nobody would even know all those different faces were me. And as for the psychic paper, I don't like to use it, but at times as this it comes across as rather handy."
Elisabeth sucked in a breath.
"It's a bit complicated." The Doctor claimed, stuffing the paper back into his coat. "Come on, we'll miss the main event."
"What's the main event?" Elisabeth inquired, hurrying along, ignoring the urgent sound of her heeled shoes against the cold floor.
The Doctor picked up an information booklet as they entered the main hall. "I'm sure you won't believe it, but humankind has just made a technological breakthrough - inventing the teleporter, thus changing the way humans commute forever."
"So they've invented it. Did it really change such a big part of the lives of the people?"
"Er, that's a complicated question. I'm afraid I won't be able to answer it here, with everyone around. It's not good to get hints about what happens in the future, which may affect your direct actions."
"Why do I have the right then?"
"I wouldn't think of it as a right, more of an opportunity." The Doctor suggested, turning his attention to the centre of the room, where a huge glass tube was set up. The glass tube looked capable of fitting approximately one and a half people, that is, very spacious for one, but just enough for two. The glass tube was around eight feet tall, and a metal casing encased the bottom and top ends of the tube. One side of the tube opened on hinges for a door. It looked something like an intergalatic sleeping pod (was that how they looked like? Elisabeth always assumed that was what they looked like).
"Would you like some tea, miss?"
Elisabeth jumped at the robotic voice that came next to her. She turned, expecting to see a humanoid figure, but all she saw was this can-like machine. It was painted a bright red, with bumps (which she presumed to have an armor-like quality) all around its bottom half. A whisk and plunger protruded from the middle section, and an eyestalk at the top dome, staring right at her. The lights on its dome blinked as it spoke. Elisabeth knew something was up about this can-creature, and she didn't like it.
"No, no thank you." She replied quickly, turning away.
"What is the matter?" The creature blared. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, and I'd appreciate it if you would just leave me and Doctor Smith alone for some while." Elisabeth spat, and was relieved to see the creature roll off into the crowds.
Elisabeth turned back to the Doctor. "What the hell was that thing?"
The Doctor looked concerned, something Elisabeth didn't like, for something was probably very, very, wrong. "A Dalek. An old enemy of mine." He fiddled with his tie, his nervousness showing. "I don't like it. They've probably tracked me here and are probably waiting to ambush. The whole hall's crawling with them."
Elisabeth watched silently as these Daleks, as the Doctor had called them, slowly slipped their way throughout the crowds, offering the convention-goers drinks and light snacks. An unsettling chill ran down her spine as something forced its way from the back of her memory, a sharp, cold dagger at the back of her mind. She pushed it away, feeling a headache starting to grow.
"Elise, are you alright?" The Doctor prompted, nudging her gently. "You don't look well."
Elisabeth blinked hard, swallowing her fear. "I'm fine, Doctor. You needn't worry."
"Are you sure?" The Doctor asked again, his hand slipping to hers.
Elisabeth pushed the Doctor away, giving him a stern look. "I'm fine, I swear!" She pressed her lips together, her glance drifting to the Doctor's hand, which she had so firmly rejected. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just-"
"It's alright." The Doctor turned his attention to the centre of the hall, where the presentation had started. A bespectacled woman, a mop of curls perched on top of her head, her glance and her voice hypnoptising everyone in the room. Elisabeth couldn't help but turn, enthralled by the content of her speech.
"Here, at the Tianjin research faculty, we go into the unknown, making breakthroughs. We have been successful in our previous projects, such as the Human Genome project, where we were able to alter the genetic structure of a human being, allowing it to change the shape of one's body as one wishes. Now, we no longer need to strain our backs as we bend down to pick up objects on the floor, and getting items from the top shelf is a breeze! Another one of our successful projects are our Faithful Servants, which you can see roaming about the hall. They can serve humans as domestic helpers, or as industrial workers, and even as soldiers. Our friends, these state of the art contraptions change the way humans live." The woman accepted a cocktail from the Dalek next to her. "Oh, thank you very much." She took a gentle sip before continuing. "And now we unveil our next - our prototype transporter! With this, humans, and objects, can be teleported from one of these pods to another. Now, let me demonstrate." The woman stepped into the glass tube, and closed the doors. She nodded to her assistant at the control panel, and the machine started, the circuits whirring up. There was a mighty zap, and a blinding flash as the woman disappeared from sight, leaving the audience in suspense, the whole hall going silent.
A voice arose from the crowd. "Where has she gone?"
"I'm up here." The woman announced, and heads turned towards the upper balcony of the hall, where she stood, leaning against the railing. She smiled, gesturing to the identical glass tube behind her. The hall erupted in murmurs, which escalated to applause and cheer.
"That's pretty nifty, isn't it, Doctor?" Elisabeth said.
"Oh, of course it works for anything else!" The woman shrieked from the balcony, before the Doctor could answer. All attention was on her again. The woman pointed to the glass tube on the main floor, where piped spilled coloured water into the tube. "We've coloured the water for your sake." The water was dark, a churning mix of dark purples and blues. When the tank had filled, the assistant flicked a switch, and there was the zap and the flash, and the water reappeared in the tube on the upper floor, also filling it completely. "We're still working on it, it's a prototype." The woman answered, mobbed by the reporters.
"As I said, pretty clever of them, eh? An actual working teleporter? Back in my day nobody would ever think this would be a reality." Elisabeth rattled.
"Impressive, but I don't trust those Faithful Servants of theirs..." The Doctor lowered his voice, making sure nobody was around. The crowd was starting to thin, going off to look at other events and exhibits. Elisabeth looked at her watch. "It's almost seven thirty . In the evening, I suppose. Shouldn't the sun be setting now?"
"Hm." The Doctor caught a glimpse of a window, where sunlight continued to stray in. "We'll see."
The Doctor and Elisabeth continued to wander around, marvelling at all the technology around them. Suddenly, the window caught the Doctor's attention again. "Look at that." Elisabeth hurried to the window, cursing as she almost tripped again on her shoes. The sun wasn't dimming, but it seemed more like an electronic motion.
"An electronic sun." The Doctor explained. "The humans found it better if everything was in a strict cycle. They didn't think nature was strict enough." The streets darkened, leaving the city around them in darkness.
"Don't you think we should get back to the TARDIS? I mean, if it's too dark, I doubt we'd even be able to find our way back." Elisabeth suggested.
"Good idea." The Doctor started for the exit, but was barred by the 'Faithful Servants' at the door. "Where-do-you-think-you're-going?" The Dalek forced, looking the Doctor up and down.
"We're going out, thank you very much," The Doctor spat, turning to go, but the Dalek cut him off, its dome twisting from left to right in a disapproving manner, as if it was shaking its head.
"The curfew is on. You will be shot if you leave the building." The Dalek said. "You should not leave the building."
The Doctor tried again. "Why is there a curfew?"
"High crime rates has made it necessary for a curfew to take place. Also it is not safe."
"Not safe from what?"
"There is a-" The Dalek stopped. "I cannot say. My master does not permit me to say, although I am programmed to tell the exact truth."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "A what? What is going to happen?"
"There are rooms upstairs, for you and the lady." The Dalek stated, changing the subject.
Elisabeth cleared her throat. "Doctor, I think we'd better do as it says. We can leave first thing tomorrow morning."
The Doctor sighed.
Elisabeth waited at the lobby, slumping in a chair as she watched the Doctor from behind, speaking with the personnel at the counter. Funny androids, they were, Elisabeth observed the metal robots as they negotiated.
A man sat in the seat next to her. "Hello. Staying overnight, huh? The curfew, right? I don't see why its necessary." He spoke in an American accent.
Elisabeth looked at him. His dark hair was smoothed down, and his brown eyes sparkled with mischief. He had quite a charming grin, one that would win over most girls. His attire was what concerned Elisabeth. He had on a navy-blue trenchcoat, and a backpack was slung over his two shoulders.
"You don't look like one who's come from the convention," Elisabeth noted.
"I just arrived." He said, extending his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."
"E-Elisabeth." She returned his handshake, a bit apprehensive.
"So, the convention? Are you a scientist or anything?" Jack smiled, making conversation.
Elisabeth shrugged. "No, just passing by."
"You travelling alone?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm travelling with..." She looked at the figure of the Doctor, still leaning over the counter. Jack followed her gaze, nodding his head. "Him? The tall, blonde one?"
"Yes. John, he's-" Elisabeth's voice trailed off.
"Your boyfriend?" Jack prompted.
"He's not my anything." Elisabeth cut in, lowering her voice. "Say, do you know anything about those 'Faithful Servants'? Something's a bit...off about them."
"I fought them once."
"You're not kidding?" Elisabeth's eyes widened. "They're hostile, just as I thought they were."
"I died fighting the Daleks." Jack paused, amused at Elisabeth's confusion. "Don't worry, I got better."
"Well." Elisabeth leaned in. "What exactly are they, these Daleks? My friend there, he says that they're enemies of his."
"Mutants. From the planet of Skaro. The faculty didn't invent the Daleks. They just thought they did." Jack stated.
Elisabeth furrowed her brow. "Thought? How did they?"
"A perception filter. It's simple, you see. Human minds are easy to manipulate. Everyone thinks they're just creations of the faculty to make their lives easier. But there's a catch."
"What's the catch?"
Jack took a breath. "Something about Professor Myel Astrad, the woman who gave the presentation earlier. She's a foreign ambassador, from the branch overseas. Something's a bit off about her. I might've come across her in the past, but something's just a bit off about her. And the Daleks. They're super soldiers, tougher than any human is, even able to withstand bullets."
"So?"
"A soldier is only useful if he knows which side he's on."
"You think these 'Faithful Servants' as the faculty calls them will turn on the human beings?"
"Yes. And not only that, I reckon they'll do it soon. When that happens," Jack sighed, "You two better get out of here, you and John. I'll stay behind to fight them off."
"Doctor, don't you reckon something dangerous is going to happen?" Elisabeth swung her legs over the edge of her bed, undoing the towel from her head and shaking her hair free. She flinched as the cold water splattered onto the white shirt from her suit - it was way thinner than she thought. She stood, not liking the rough material of her pants, which she would have to sleep in. She had no choice but to sleep in the only set of clothes she had - she didn't want to think of an alternative.
"I'd say something's going to happen," Suggested the Doctor, stepping from the toilet, similarly dressed. He draped his coat over the only chair in the room, and surveyed the little room they had been assigned to, particularly the sole bed. "Aren't you going to sleep?"
"I'll sleep in the chair, you take the bed." Elisabeth crossed the room, sitting down in the chair and crossing her arms.
"You probably need rest more than I do."
"You probably need rest too, Doctor!" Elisabeth protested, wanting to end the argument right there and then.
"I'd rather you take the bed, and I don't mind sharing, if it is absolutely necessary!"
"I'd rather you take the bed, Doctor, and I-" Elisabeth cut herself off, shaking her head, noticing she was repeating everything the Doctor was saying. "Maybe I really am tired. I should've have noticed it earlier." Elisabeth settled in, turning her back towards him. "Good night, Doctor. See you in the morning."
The skies roared with the ships overhead. The sky was not visible from the ground, where the girl stood. The sky was completely blocked out by the smoke, and the ships that omninously hung over the sky. Loud blasts could be heard as the ships fired down at the city, the city where she grew up in and loved.
"Mother?" The red-headed girl cried, running down the street, desperatly searching for her mother within the rubble. Was she dead? No, she couldn't be! The girl didn't know what would happen to her if she had lost her mother - she would be an orphan, for she had no father, or at least that's what her mother said. All she wanted now was to go back to her warm, loving mother...
"Androdosa!" She heard her mother yell, and felt herself being yanked back into a shelter, a shelter made up of the metal rubble that had fallen from the buildings. Oh, those beautiful buildings that once stood in the Capital of the city, now destroyed under the heavy waves of attacks again and again. She heard another blast the enemy took out another building nearby, blasting it to smithereens. She took her mother's hand and ran, tripping over a brick, falling to her knees. Another blast, and the rubble caved in, smashing down on her. She ducked, covering her head with her hands, as her mother scrambled to get her out. She wriggled until she was free, and continued on her way, wincing at her twisted ankle. Her mother led her into the tunnels, into the deep. These tunnels would usually be out of bounds to the citizens of their fine city but the war probably meant certain exceptions were allowed. Reaching a point, where the other citizens were, huddled in this underground community, sheltered from the fighting up on the surface, she sat down, and her mother tended to her ankle. She cried, tears spilling out of her eyes at the immense pain.
"Mother, how long is this going to go on for? The war's been on for years and years, why hasn't it stopped yet?" She asked, her little grey eyes darting from side to side, observing the poor plight of the other citizens.
"Because, Androdosa," Her mother snarled, looking right at her, "This is what he does to us."
"Who, mother," Androdosa's eyes widened, a quiver in her voice. "Who is this man who has brought this upon us?"
"He thinks he's the man who's already won. And you must find him one day, my dear." Her mother's grey eyes were full of determination, of strength.
The tunnel shook, the pillars already giving way. "Come on, Androdosa, we must move," Her mother pulled Androdosa to her feet, running deeper and deeper into the tunnel, the air around her getting colder and colder. She feared this part of the tunnel, for it was dangerous and many horrors were lurking in the shadows.
"Mother?" Androdosa tugged on her mother's jacket sleeve.
"Not now, Androdosa," Her mother chided. Androdosa shivered at the voices - they were getting closer and closer. In the tunnels, the sounds echoed, bouncing off the stone walls. The voices shrieked something intelligible, but Androdosa knew danger was not far. A projectile whizzed from afar, hitting the man to her left, and he fell to the ground with a horrifying shout, dead. That was it. His final breath. Androdosa huddled, close to a pillar, hoping that the enemy would not find her. Her mother tried to pull her away, but to no avail, as she was frozen still with fright.
"Useless child, you," Androdosa heard her mother's footsteps go further and further away, and she was alone in the darkness. Her breath formed white clouds in front of her - it was that cold. She shivered, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her mother had abandoned her and called her - useless? It hurt her heart so badly to hear that she was nothing more than just...just what? Nothing! She was nothing to her mother. All these years of her mother looking after her, caring for her...did that mean nothing to her?
Her breath caught when something caught up with her.
Androdosa saw nothing more than flashing lights. "YOU WILL COME WITH US," Commanded the enemy forcefully, the lights flashing on and off, like eyes blinking.
Androdosa screamed.
Elisabeth felt herself being rolled to her side. She sat up with a start, almost hitting the Doctor squarely in the nose. She clutched the sheets closer to her chest, breathing hard. The Doctor said nothing, but put his arm around her, patting her gently on the shoulder, comforting her.
"Everything is fine. You're safe now," The Doctor assured, pulling her in closer, resting his chin atop her head as she sobbed into the sheets.
"You don't understand!"
"It was just a nightmare, I know."
"Well, it seemed awfully real to me!" Elisabeth cried, feeling the panic rise in her throat.
"What was it then, that startled you? Perhaps talking about it might...take this burden off you."
"It was a war," Elisabeth choked, the images flashing back in her mind. "There was a girl, and she-" Elisabeth couldn't continue, shaking her head. "I don't even know what was going on, but it was terrifying, and so very real, Doctor! As if I were there myself, watching this young girl..."
"Have you been having trouble controlling your memories again? I knew that experiment would have some consequences?" The Doctor whispered, loosening his hold on Elisabeth, letting her shift a bit as she looked up at him.
"It's the first time something like this has happened. I don't remember where this came from. It's definitely not from something we experienced together." Elisabeth noted, pressing her lips into a thin line, her fingers fiddling with the sheets as she tried to rid herself of the terror she had just experienced. She turned, getting herself off the bed, swinging her arms, loosening her muscles. "I don't reckon I can sleep after this." Elisabeth admitted, sinking into the chair, rubbing her weary, puffy eyes. "You go back to bed, Doctor. I'll spend the rest of the night thinking, I guess."