Until We Burn | Dr Who

Chapter Two: The Empty Child

I insist upon accompanying the Doctor in his investigation, the welfare of the child overshadowing any previous motives. We find ourselves outside a shed by the railway lines, watching Nancy stash several tins of food into a gap between some crates.

Getting to her feet, she jumps in surprise when she spots us. "How'd you follow me here?"

"I'm good at following," the Doctor relies cheerfully. "Got the nose for it!"

"People can't usually follow me."

He shrugs. "My nose has special powers."

"Yeah," a grin creeps across her face, "is that why it's so..."

"What?"

She chuckles, avoiding his amused gaze. "Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing." And then after a pause, "Do your ears have special powers too?"

I quickly stifle my chuckles with a forced cough. The man sends me a pointed look before turning back to her. "What are you trying to say?"

She grabs her satchel from the ground with a faint smile. "Goodnight."

"Nancy, there's something chasing you and the other kids. It looks like a boy and it isn't a boy. And it started about a month ago. Right? The thing we're looking for. The thing that fell from the sky. That's when it landed. And you know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

"There was a bomb. A bomb that wasn't a bomb. Fell the other end of Limehouse Green Station."

He nods. "Take us there."

Nancy huffs, shaking her head as her eyes dart anxiously around at the abandoned tracks. "Soldiers guarding it. Barbed wire. You'd never get through."

"I have a couple of soldier friends," I carefully reply. "I'm sure they could be persuaded."

"You sure you wanna know what's going on in there?"

The man digs his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "I really wanna know."

"Then there's someone you need to talk to first."

I take one more step towards her, trying my best not to overbalance as my heels land on a bit of uneven ground. "Who?"

"The doctor."

—

We don't go much further, crossing a bridge before taking shelter in the shadows. The Doctor peers through a pair of binoculars before passing them to me, allowing me a better look. I ignore the flashing lights and symbols around the edge of the image and narrow my eyes to further scrutinise the visuals I have been given.

Nancy hadn't been exaggerating about the security. At least a dozen guards are situated around the crash site, all armed with guns. Rustic barriers of wood and barbed wire encircle them, illuminated by several spotlights.

"The bomb's under the tarpaulin," the girl explains. "They put the fence up overnight. See that building? The hospital?"

"What about it?"

She shrugs and pulls her coat tighter around herself. "That's where the doctor is. You should talk to him."

"For now, I'm more interested in getting in there."

Following his gaze to the bomb, she impatiently repeats herself, "Talk to the Doctor first."

"Why?"

"Because then maybe you won't wanna get inside."

Walking away, the only thing to stop her is a hushed call from him, "Where you going?"