The Time Lord's Apprentice

In London #4

merry christmas, to those who celebrate. here is a gift from your favourite mediocre writer, gallifrey.

When Colonel Harries placed a mission file on her desk yesterday, Peyton had hoped she was being sent somewhere sunny. The dreary winter began early this year, causing Peyton to wish for an assignment across the globe in sunny Australia or anywhere that the sun would dare penetrate beyond the thick grey clouds that filled the sky above the United Kingdom.

They had started sending her to do fieldwork when Kate noticed she was showing up less and less, only making appearances in the Tower of London when important guests came looking for a briefing on any extra-terrestrial problems that might arise. Peyton had expressed her dissatisfaction with office life and Kate promised to find something more suitable to keep her occupied.

These 'missions' basically involved getting Peyton out of the house and investigating possible alien incursions when they showed up, U.N.I.T deciding to take the diplomatic approach rather than an offensive one for once.

Cardiff was not on her list of top destinations.

She digs her hands further into the pockets of her winter coat as a chill runs down her spine. Of all the places a possible alien had to be hanging around, it was Wales in the heart of winter.

Under her hand she feels her phone buzz in her pocket, she pulls it out to see whether it is important or not. It's Clara, asking if she wants to join her to work Christmas party that weekend. Peyton texts back that she'd have to get back to her.

She walks along Roald Dahl Plass, beside the impressive Wales Millenium Centre. There aren't many people about, far too cold for anyone to be casually walking around, Peyton can feel her cheeks and the tip of her nose freeze against the wind. Despite this, Peyton still feels a pull in her gut, she feels on edge, yet at the same time full of energy. That would be the Rift. The Doctor had told her about it, even stopping very briefly in the Tardis for a recharge.

Peyton wasn't even exactly sure of what she was looking for. She thought she'd start by asking some of the locals whether anything strange had been happening around here recently. Some people simply ignored her, while some laughed in her face. An odd reaction she believed, but she pressed onwards.

The file had simply said that U.N.I.T outreach was receiving some strange signals along with turned over bins and dumpsters in alleyways. Peyton's initial thoughts are that some sort of mostly harmless being had gotten themselves lost on earth, damaged their transport and is now dumpster diving for food. Plausible enough, hopefully easy enough to deal with as well.

She spots a sort of water fountain in the middle of the square, except it should be a water fountain, there's no water running from it at all. She frowns.

"It broke a few years back."

Peyton turns around, behind her a man with an American accent gazes sadly toward the fountain. His dark blue trench coat turned up at the collar to buffet the wind and a wine red scarf tied around his neck.

"And no one's fixed it?"

He shrugs.

A distance behind him, Peyton spies a thin woman with jet black hair, buried in her own coat and looking down at a computer-like device. She was walking rather quickly toward them, or rather toward the man. "Jack!" She calls with a thick Welsh accent. "Look at these readings! It's gotta be here, nearby."

"Brilliant," he chuckles. "We can be done before dark then."

"Excuse me," Peyton eyes the device. "What are you looking for?"

"Sorry, ma'am," the man, Jack, nods to Peyton. "That is classified. However, if I could take you out for a drink tonight, we can talk about other things."