"So, what is it? What's wrong?", Rose stepped out first, into a large, dimly lit room with rows of display cases.
"Don't know", the Doctor shrugged, "Some kind of signal drawing the Tardis off course."
"Where are we?", Winnie asked.
"Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."
"And when are we?", Rose grinned.
"Two thousand and twelve."
"God, that's so close", Rose turned to Winnie, "So, we should be-"
"Twenty six", Winnie nodded, "Maybe. Might be twenty six in two thousand and sixteen if we keep this up."
"Ha", Rose let out an insincere laugh, "What's your anti-aging technique?"
"Time-travel", Winnie put a hand under her chin like a model in a commercial, "And water after I wake up."
"That must be it", Rose laughed.
The Doctor found a light switch, apparently, because the lights were turning on.
"Blimey, it's a great big museum", Rose furrowed her brows at one of the displays.
"An alien museum", the Doctor looked around, "Someone's got a hobby. They must have spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorite, moon dust. That's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship."
"That's the arm of a Raxacoricofallapatorian", Winnie pointed at an arm.
"Wow", Rose stepped back, impressed, "How do you remember that word?"
Winnie shrugged, "I listen."
"Sure", Rose rolled her eyes playfully and followed the Doctor.
"Oh, look at you", the Doctor found a display case with a head of what looked to be a robot.
"What is it?"
"An old friend of mine. Well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares, reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."
"Is that where the signal's coming from?"
"No, it's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out, calling for help", the Doctor stood up straight again and touched the case. An alarm went off and armed guards ran in from all sides, blocking any escape routes.
"If someone's collecting aliens", Rose figured, "That makes you Exhibit A."
"Oh, it was a trap", Winnie said, back to back with the Doctor, "Was it a trap?"
---
As they were rudely pushed into an office there was a young man who was presenting the older, unimpressed man sitting at the desk with some artefacts, "And this is the last. Paid eight hundred thousand dollars for it."
"What does it do?", the man regarded it, intrigued.
"Well, you see the tubes on the side? It must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel."
"I really wouldn't hold it like that", the Doctor intercepted.
"Shut it", the tall, slim woman who had escorted them hissed.
"Really, though, that's wrong", he insisted.
"Is it dangerous?", the young man asked.
"No, it just looks silly", he went to reach for the object and suddenly all the guns in the room were on him again. The older man cautiously handed it to him, "You just need to be-", he stroked the artefact and notes rang from it, "-delicate."
YOU ARE READING
Winnie Is Not Okay
FanfictionWinifred Tyler was doing okay. She was working towards an okay life. She never wanted anything else. But when an alien with a time-and-space-ship comes around and offers you the adventure of a lifetime, could you say no? So Winnie said yes. And now...
