Doctor Who: Two Faced

Hope

A blindfold covered the understandably, curious blue-grey eyes of Hope French whilst the car driving her to UNIT headquarters bumped along the streets of London. Without the help of a mirror, Hope did her best to brush her long dark blonde hair out and tidy herself up a bit before they reached their destination. She didn't see the point of the blindfold, UNIT Headquarters were located in the Tower of London. It wasn't well known to everyone but it was well known to Hope after serving almost five years in the army. Most militia types had heard of UNIT and their work.

When the car came to a stop and she was allowed to remove the blindfold, the first thing she became aware of was all the tourists milling about, taking pictures of the old buildings and their many treasures. Except for one woman, who sat over by the ravens but not paying them any attention.

She had a bob of blonde hair, smart brown trousers and a cream coloured trench coat.

"You must be Kate." Hope said on her approach.

"I am." Kate stood and offered Hope her hand. "Kate Stewart. You must be Miss French."

"Call me Hope." Hope shook Kate's hand. "So why exactly am I here?"

"Follow me." Kate said, leading the way through the throng of tourists.

She turned sharply round one corner and pushed open a small black door that could be easily overlooked and waited for Hope to enter before locking it behind them. As soon as the door was closed, however, they were both thrown into a momentary darkness when an over headlight came on. Then another, and another and another, lighting the way down a set of stone steps to a cellar.

"What do you know of our work here, Hope?" Kate asked as they descended the stairs together.

"About as much as anyone else outside these walls, I suppose."

"But may be a little more due to your military connections." She suggested, not accusingly.

"Perhaps. All I know is that I've been head hunted for a job."

"Yes, true. We recently lost our colleague Osgood during an invasion."

"An alien invasion?" Hope asked curiously.

"Yes, the Cybermen with the help of Missy also known as the Master."

"Strange names."

"Well, they're not human after all."

"Of course. Why am I here then? I have no experience of battling aliens."

"I hear from your Sargent that you're quite skilled in finding lost souls."

"My Sargent isn't so loose lipped, you must have filled him with brandy for any information on his team."

"You'd be surprised by how forthcoming he actually was. He sought us out, actually."

"So he recommended me."

"After he heard of Osgood's passing, he knew we'd be looking for a replacement. You should know this, however," Kate stopped her when they were passing the desks of her co-workers, "if you are to take the job, there will be many dangers. Osgood lost her life, after all."

"I'm no stranger to danger, Kate. You can't scare me off that easily."

"Good. This way."

They carried on in silence for a few minutes whilst they worked their way through the network of underground offices and labs. Kate pointed out a small lab with its own office where Hope would work if she were to take the job and some of the people she'd be working with.