Caroline tried to put that out of her head. She’d forgiven him and they were on their way. Now, however....they were stuck in the wrong place and the wrong time. Again. She was angry with him. She was angrier than she had ever been before. She just wanted to go back to her own time, to her parents, and try and sort this mess out and get some answers about herself.
‘Watch it!’ came a voice, snapping Caroline back to reality.
She looked up. A tall and severe looking face was looking down at her. ‘Sorry,’ she said.
‘You better be,’ he growled, passing her but keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her.
Caroline watched him go. He looked like a right trouble causer. She sighed and kicked at the ground. She’d somehow found herself wander down the main shopping street and down to the indoor market. In 2012 not much had changed apart from a couple of new shops in the street. Sighing again she turned and headed back towards the bus station and the TARDIS. She needed to stick with the Doctor. It was no use moping around in ones own personal history.
Phil was rushing down the pedestrian part of Victoria Street and was trying to push past the mums and their prams and the kids in their little gangs bunking off school. Funny, not so long ago he would have been hanging around with his gang, but now he had “responsibilities”. He’d put on his best shirt and tie and was half-heartedly determined to get this job.
A few days back he had turned up at an interview for the job as a barman and had made a complete mess of it. He had a hangover, hadn’t shaved and his hair was a mess. His mum had given him an earful when he got home. The interviewers had rejected him straight away. So, here he was with his second interview in only a few days. This time it was for a job at WH Smith in the shopping centre. He’d shaved – twice – combed his messy hair and smartened himself up more than he’d ever done before. He was going to get this job – even if he wasn’t too confident about it.
‘Careful!’ said a dark-haired woman as Phil bumped into her.
Phill turned to say sorry, tripped up over his un-done shoe laces and landed in a puddle on the path left over from the previous night’s rain. He landed on his stomach and said ‘Bollocks!’ under his breath. When he turned around and managed to stand up he saw the dark haired woman looking at him. She was pretty in a natural sort of way. She had straight hair down to her shoulders and it was brushed to the side. She had her hands on her hips and was looking at him as if he’d just told a bad joke.
‘That’ll teach you to run like a madman, won’t it?’ said Caroline.
‘Yeah, thanks,’ said Phil glumly as he looked down at his muddied shirt. ‘That’s that job blown then.’
‘Job?’ Realisation dawned on Caroline’s face and her face broke into a look of pity mixed with guilt. ‘Oh, you had an interview? Oh God! I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s nothing. Really,’ said Phil, trying to brush away the mud and only managing to smear it some more.
‘It’s probably partly my fault as well I suppose. I shouldn’t have been daydreaming. Cant you get another shirt from home?’
‘No,’ replied Phil shaking his head, ‘I’m already five minutes late. It’d take me ages to get back home.’
Caroline was lost for words and didn’t know what else to say. ‘Well, can I buy you a coffee then? Just a way of saying sorry.’
‘Yeah, whatever,’ mumbled Phil, clearly put out by this latest accident and worried about what his mum was going to say.
‘Great. We’ll go to the Coffee Club.’
‘Where?’ asked Phil, confused.
‘The Coffee- ’ Caroline looked at the corner where the Coffee Club usually stood. It wasn’t there. Instead was a cake shop. ‘Of course this is 1998,’ she said under her breath.
‘So where’s this place then?’ asked Phil.
‘Lets just go to McDonalds, yeah?’
Phil smiled. ‘Yeah, okay.’
This Keely on Town FM 107.9. That was “Waterfall” by the Stone Roses. Well, it’s a grey morning in the streets of Thornsby, but we hope we’ve got enough music to lighten up your day and bring you-
‘Oh, shut up!’ grumbled Bill as he flicked the station off and returned to the counter. Standing there was a young man with short, slightly untidy hair. He was resting his chin on his hand and looked bored. ‘What can I get you?’
‘A cuppa, please. And a full English.’
‘Coming right up.’ Bill put the kettle on and started to cook the breakfast. ‘I haven’t seen you in here before?’
‘No. I used to drink round here though,’ said Danny, remembering that the Doctor had always told him to try and blend in to avoid confusion and problems. ‘Just visiting a few friends. Lived at the Hart for a while as well back in the 80’s.’
‘That would have been when old Harry was in charge, yeah?’ said Bill as he handed Danny his tea. ‘So aren’t your friends with you now?’
‘No.’
‘Not good friends then, are they?’
Danny frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Well you’re here on your own. They can’t be all that friendly if they’re leaving you here all by yourself.’
The man’s attitude seemed to change suddenly. He frowned and his eyes buried deep into Bill’s. ‘What do you know about my friends?’
Bill frowned back. ‘Nothing, I suppose.’
‘Exactly!’ The radio fizzed and crackled and the mug of hot tea shattered, splattering the pale, brown liquid all over the counter. Danny suddenly came back to his senses. He looked at the shattered mug and then at a shocked looking Bill. Without saying another word he clambered quickly off the stool and hurried towards the door.
In the corner of the room, Gaz sat with his girlfriend, Bethany. Bethany was trying to tell him something important, but Gaz was more interested in his breakfast and what had just occurred at the counter.
The Doctor had barely gotten a few shops down when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned around and standing before him was a very pretty woman. She looked to be in her late twenties and had long brown hair. She wore jeans, an open cardigan and a top underneath. Over her shoulder was a handbag. When the Doctor turned to look at her she seemed to falter slightly and step back, smiling.
‘Can I help you?’ asked the Doctor.
‘Perhaps,’ she said.
The Doctor realised she had an American accent. ‘Do we know each other?’
‘No. Well, what I mean to say is, no you don’t know me, but I know quite a bit about you.’
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. ‘Really?’
‘Yes.’ The woman suddenly remembered her manners and extended her hand. ‘Sophie Hamilton.’
The Doctor took her hand and shook it lightly. ‘Nice to meet you Mrs Hamilton.’
‘It’s Miss Hamilton. I’m not married,’ she said quickly. Then another thought struck her. ‘Actually you can just call me Sophie.’
‘Very well....Sophie.’ The Doctor let go of her hand. ‘Now, what can I do for you?’
‘Well. I’m a journalist. Well, an ex-journalist actually.’
‘For a journalist you seem awfully shy.’
‘Oh,’ Sophie smiled and put a hand to her forehead. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve read and heard so much about you. All this excitement at meeting up with you has just built up inside me. Guess I could have handled it better.’
The Doctor noticed a notepad sticking out of her handbag. ‘If you’re an ex-journalist then why are you still carrying around a notepad?’
Sophie looked down at her handbag and then back up at the Doctor. ‘Well. I used to work for a newspaper in Seattle until just recently. I found some documents about alien invasions in the late 20th century and your name cropped up quite a lot.’
The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and nodded. In the seventies he had been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords. During that period a number of alien menaces had invaded the Earth (mostly in London) and he had become the scientific advisor for a branch of the United Nations called UNIT. Amazingly the government had managed to hush-up most of the incidents. UNIT was, after all, supposed to be a top secret organisation.
‘I hope you don’t mind me stopping you in the street like this?’
‘Oh, not at all, Sophie,’ smiled the Doctor. ‘What I want to know is this: how did you know I’d be here?’
‘I received a tip-off from someone. Back in Seattle I found a letter addressed to me. It didn’t give a name but it simply said that if I really wanted to speak to you, you’d be here, in this town, on this date in 1998.’
The Doctor looked slightly disturbed. He didn’t like the idea of someone predicting his whereabouts. ‘Could I see the letter please?’
‘Of course,’ said Sophie as she rummaged in her handbag.
The Doctor took the letter from her. It wasn‘t dated. He opened it up and read it:
“Dear Sophie,This may seem a bit confusing to you, but it will all make sense in time. I’ve heard that you’ve been trying to write a book about the alien invasions of the late twentieth century, which involved the organisation UNIT and their scientific advisor, the Doctor. I have reason to believe that the Doctor will be in the English East Coastal town of Thornsby on May 8th this year. He will be hanging around the White Hart pub beside a blue police box. This is the best chance you’ll have. Don’t miss out!
All my love.”
The Doctor looked up from the letter, his face a look of puzzlement and confusion.
‘Something wrong?’ asked Sophie. ‘I know it’s a bit odd. It’s as if the person where trying to match-make us. Y’know, set us on a blind date.’ She laughed.
The Doctor didn’t.
‘What’s wrong?’
The Doctor showed the letter to Sophie. ‘This letter is written in my handwriting.’
‘It was bad, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ mumbled Danny as he walked down the street.
‘’Scuse me mate!’ came a voice from behind him.
Danny turned unsteadily and attempted to focus on the man in front of him. ‘Who are you?’
‘The name’s Gaz. Sorry for bothering you, but I was just sat in the cafe with me girlfriend and I saw what happened with the mug of tea.’
‘Oh, that.’
‘Yeah. Well, Bill’s pretty pissed off with you, but I said I’d sort it out.’
‘So you’ve come to make me pay for the mug I broke? Fine.’
‘It’s nothing to do with the mug breaking. To be honest I was a bit concerned about you.’
Danny rolled his eyes. ‘To be honest, Gaz, I’m a bit sick of people showing concern for me.’
‘Let him speak,’ came the voice in Danny’s head
‘No,’ said Danny, looking up at the sky.
Gaz looked around him and noticed people were looking at Danny.
He looked almost drunk, yet he’d not even touched a drop of alcohol.
‘Listen mate, I know what’s up with you.’
‘Do you?’ said Danny snidely. ‘Come on then. I can’t wait for this. Tell me what you think’s wrong.’
‘You’ve got a ghost inside of you.’
Danny felt his whole body go cold. Something in his head lurched and he heard a faint chuckling beyond his normal perceptions.
Gaz put a hand on Danny’s shoulder. ‘I’ve got a friend who can help you. And in turn you can help him.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Danny, still feeling like he’d been smacked in the face with a wet fish.
‘Let me take you to meet my friend, Lee. He can help you.’
‘What on Earth were you trying to order?’ asked Phil with a laugh.
‘A McFlurry,’ said Caroline, looking hurt. ‘Believe it or not they’ll be pretty big in a few years.’
‘I’ll take your word for it,’ laughed Phil again as they sat down with their tray of fries and coke.
‘Look,’ said Caroline, fiddling with her straw, ‘I know we don’t really know each, but I’m sorry for what happened outside.’
‘Partly my fault as well I guess,’ said Phil beginning to eat his fries. ‘I just need to get my life in gear.’
‘I know exactly what you mean.’ Caroline looked at Phil. She had this burning desire to pour out her emotions. She didn’t even know this Phil, but he seemed to have a nice enough face. He looked honest and caring. ‘I’ve just had to leave my fiance the evening before our wedding.’
Phil looked up with a start. He wasn’t expecting that. ‘Oh,’ was all he could manage.
Caroline looked down at her drink and gave out an embarrassed laugh. ‘Look at me,’ she said, blushing, ‘I don’t even know you and I’m on the verge of pouring out all my problems onto your plate.’
‘Well we all need to tell our problems to someone.’
‘Yeah, but come on, I’ve only known you for five minutes. What am I saying? I don’t really know you anyway.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Look, I’m here with a friend and he’s probably out there looking for me now. I better get going.’
Caroline got up to leave and Phil stood up with her. ‘Well it was nice meeting you,’ he said, smiling.
‘Yeah. And I’m sorry about your interview again.’
Phil shrugged and smiled. ‘You win some, you lose some.’
Caroline was about to leave when a scream came from across the restaurant. Caroline and Phil both ran towards a crowd that was gathering in the corner. Lying on the floor with a blank look on her face was a girl of about seventeen. Her fries were scattered on the floor and her coke had spilt over her.
She was also clutching a hand-held radio.
‘I don’t understand,’ said Sophie as she read through the letter again. ‘How could this be from you? Are you sure you didn’t plan this?’
‘Of course not,’ said the Doctor. ‘Up until this moment I’d never met you before.’
‘Maybe in a previous incarnation?’ suggested Sophie.
The Doctor frowned. How could she possibly know that he used to be able to regenerate. ‘How did you-’
‘Doctor, I’ve done a lot of extensive research on you. I know that you’re a Time Lord.’
The Doctor was quite taken aback and began to fidgit on the spot. ‘Who have you been speaking to?’
‘A number of your old friends.’
‘Are you sure you’re human?’ The Doctor realised his mistake about asking that question when Sophie looked hurt. ‘Oh I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that usually when someone’s after all this information about me they usually turn out to be an alien that wants to kill me.’
Sophie smiled at him. ‘Oh no, Doctor, nothing like that. I left my job in Seattle to try and write a book about the invasions and you. This planet has the ability to cover up information that so clearly happened. I remember the Auton invasion of England in the seventies. I was just a little girl, but I remember it.’
‘So why write a book about it?’
‘Because the world needs to know about you. The world needs to know about these invasions. They need the truth.’
The Doctor chewed on his lip, a look of concern on his face. ‘The government - both US and UK - may end up trying to stop your book being printed.’
‘Perhaps, but I have to try.’
‘So where do I come into all of this?’
‘Doctor, you were at the battle lines for all of these invasions. You were there, working with UNIT all the time. Your story has to be told.’
‘I’m not sure about this.’
Sophie took the Doctor’s arm and leant in closer. ‘It’s time this planet woke up to what’s going on around them.’
The Doctor pondered for a moment. He wasn’t exactly one for keeping in the shadows, but he wasn’t sure he wanted the story of his life, of Gallifrey, of his entire race displayed to a planet of humans who aren’t exactly averse to believing this sort of thing.
‘They may not believe you.’
‘There’s a huge possibility in that. I had a hard time believing you were a time traveller from another planet when I first found out about you, but in the end I did believe. Chances are that there’s bound to be a number of people who’ll believe you as well.’
The Doctor looked at her and smiled. ‘I need time to think about this. At the moment I’m trying to get my friend back to her own time.’
‘Well do you mind if I hang around? You know, pick up on how you are in real life?’
The Doctor wasn’t keen on someone following him around and analysing his every move, but this woman seemed genuine. She seemed to really show an interest in him. He broke into a broad smile. ‘Sophie, I’d be glad to have you as company.’
‘Great,’ grinned Sophie. ‘So where do you think your friend’s gotten to?’
‘I don’t know,’ said the Doctor, looking up and down the busy street.
This is Town FM on 107.9. This is Lee, standing in for Tina, who’s away ill. It’s Friday morning and we’re already gearing up for our dance zone for tonight. We’ll be playing you the best tunes from 1998 and also some stuff from 1997. Don’t forget, if you’d like to give us a ring for shout outs, requests or dedications, the number is 0137 233877. Also a reminder that we’ll be going off air between 1pm and 3pm while we switch to our new studios. This is ‘Tubthumping‘ by Chumbawamba.
Lee took off the headphones, lit up a cigarette and then swivelled his chair around. Opening the door was Gaz and a Danny.
‘Whose this?’ he asked, nodding towards the man.
Gaz shut the door and then ushered Danny forward. ‘This is Danny Lennon.’
‘Don’t need anyone else working for us, mate.’
‘Yeah, but I think he might be able to help us with...you know what.’
Lee scrambled out of the chair and eyeballed Gaz. ‘You didn’t tell him, did you!?’
‘N-no. No of course not,’ stuttered Gaz.
‘Tell me what?’ said Danny distantly.
‘Quiet Danny,’ said Gaz. ‘Listen,’ he said, turning back to Lee, ‘we need help, don’t we?’
‘Yeah. We had another attempt a little while ago. No luck again.’
Gaz looked down. ‘After what happened to Lisa I thought-.’
‘Oh, don’t go all mushy on me now, Gaz. We both bought into this. There are going to be casualties.’
‘I bought into the station. I didn’t want to kill anybody.’
‘We’re not killing people. We’re trying to help someone in need. If a few people have to die along the way then so be it.’ Lee looked back to Danny who seemed to be staring distantly at the radio control panel. ‘So, where’d you pick up this loser?’
‘In the Bill’s Cafe. He shattered a mug of tea without touching it. Then I heard him talking to himself down the street.’
‘That doesn’t prove anything,’ said Lee, returning to his seat and picking up his headphones.
‘Then why not just ask him?’
Lee considered for a moment and then put his headphones on. He pressed a button and spoke into the microphone:
That was ‘Tubtumping’. Now for a classic from last year. This is ‘Torn’ by that sexy lass who used to be in Neighbours.
Lee took the headphones off again and looked back at Danny. ‘Come here.’
Danny wobbled forward and then looked down at Lee. ‘Yes?’
‘I’m gonna ask you this once and I want you to answer me honestly.’
‘Okay,’ said Danny blankly.
‘You have one of them inside you, don’t you?’
Danny frowned for a moment and then smiled. His teeth shone white and his eyes seemed to turn to the back of his head and glow white hot. Danny spoke, but not in his normal voice. This time his voice had a cold, rasping sound about it.
‘Yes. I have one of them inside of me. It’s been - I’ve been wanting to escape for a long time.’
Lee nodded and then smiled too. ‘Your wish is my command.’
He laughed, and so did the ghost-possessed Danny.
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