This isn’t set in any season but somewhere in mid-July in 2006
This is my idea though the characters featured in Doctor Who and Torchwood are not and some of the plot line is similar to a Doctor Who episode. I haven’t watched Torchwood so if any facts contradict those of the show I apologise in advance, how about we say it’s set before Torchwood.
***
I have a pretty average life; one mum, one dad and an annoying little prat for a brother. I live in Australia, Sydney to be exact, and well there’s not much else to tell. Except for the big question for all kids, what are you going to do with your life? My dad works in markets and shares and all that business stuff. My brother wants to do the same, have I mentioned he’s the world’s biggest nerd, 'cause he is. My mum has by most people’s terms a lame job, she’s a librarian. Yeah, yeah I know but at least it means I get to spend a lot of time in a library. And now since I’ve turned eighteen I need to choose what I’m gonna do.
As for what I want to do in life well that’s easy I've always wanted to go on adventures, solving crimes, quests, defeating the bad guy, saving the world. But what isn’t the problem, it’s how. Of course life isn't like that. So I've turned to the next best thing, writing. As my characters I can go on as many adventures as I like without even leaving my chair. I'm going to England to study, do Uni and such then I'm coming back to Australia.
But that’s enough boring backstoryness 'cause now’s the good part.
~~~
I step out of the taxi, blinking in the glare reflecting from the windows of surrounding buildings. A cloud drifts lazily across the sun and a slight breeze picks up. I shiver involuntarily, wrapping my arms around myself. Although it is well into the second month of summer, it’s a windy day and I am used to the heat of Australian summers.
I look up at the old apartment block, which is in good need of some repairs. It reminds me of an elderly man using their last few years to watch the fancy new sky scrapers emerge and mutter about ‘back in its day’ and ‘real buildings’. It’s completely made from brick, besides the door and windows, with an alleyway down one side. I’m almost disappointed it doesn’t have ivy crawling up the walls. It looks as if-
The clearing of a throat pulls me out of my thoughts and brings my attention back to the cab and, more importantly, it’s driver. “Oh, sorry.” I apologise, scrambling to the trunk and pulling out my bags all the time inwardly cursing my ability to get so easily distracted. I rummage through my wallet, paying the driver what I owe. Without another word he speeds off.
“Rude.” I mutter under my breath. Yeah I got distracted but it’s not like he’s gonna be late for anything, unless he is. If he is then I sincerely apologise but how was I to know. Turning around I make my way over to what is to be my home for the next few years.
“You want some help with those?” A male brunet offers smiling. I nod gratefully, clothes are surprisingly heavy, and smile back. He bends down and picks up one of my bags. I take this opportunity to scrutinize him as often when you try to do so it is considered rude while all you’re trying to do is decide what you think of them.
He’s tall, a lot taller than me but then again most people are. I’d guess him to be six foot one, two? He has messy brown hair and blue eyes. I really like blue eyes, best mutation our body has done yet, I wish my eyes were blue instead of boring brown. I can tell he has and easy smile and is pretty outgoing. He wears both suspenders and a belt, probably as a fashion accessory rather than to keep his pants up. He’s good looking, I reflect, very good looking. In fact to good looking to be wasting any time helping me, so why is he helping me? Maybe he’s just a helpful person. “Like what you see?” he winks, gesturing at himself.
“Um, uh… I, um.” I stutter, blushing. I hadn’t realised that he’d stood up. Knowing me I could have been staring for minutes before he spoke up. The man laughs and sticks out his right hand, which I tentatively take. “My name’s Jack, Jack Harkness. Though I have been called Captain Jack.” He introduces himself.
“Captain of what?” I ask curious. Why would someone call him ‘Captain’ he doesn’t look like a captain of anything to me? Maybe it’s a nickname from some inside joke.
“You know this and that.” Jack answers vaguely, then a though strikes him, “You haven’t told me your name yet, gorgeous.” My blush deepens at his compliment. Hmmm, seems to be the type who flirts with anyone or anything, including me.
“Kat.” I blurt out realising I still haven’t answered, “Well Katherine Roslind but… Kat.” We stand there in an awkward silence for a bit before I remember what I’m supposed to be doing, “So do you live here or?”
“I live here. And I assume you’re moving in?” Jack guesses. I nod. “Well then Kat, let’s get you checked in.” Jack leads the way to the front desk. The girl there shoots me an ugly glare but I shrug it off, she probably likes Jack and doesn’t like that he’s helping me.
“Here we are room twenty-six.” Jack stops outside a bright red door. I look at it, wincing slightly. Noticing, Jack smirks, “Yeah, all the doors are red.” I scan the corridor, he’s right all doors are red… except for one. “It’s an eye sore but we’re not allowed to change it. Them’s the rules.” I nod, unlocking the door and opening it. “I guess I’ll leave you to settle in. If you need me I’m down the hall, room twenty-three.” Jack says, walking off towards his own flat.
“Hey Jack,” I call after him, “Why isn’t your door red?”
“I had a talk with Mrs Walker, if you know what I mean.” Jack winks, “I think I persuade her to let yours be painted too.”
“Thanks.” I say, not only for the offer but for everything he has done for me. Jack nods and enters his own flat, door closing with a click. I close my own door behind me and lean on it wearily. “I got to England, managed to find my apartment. Even made a friend, kinda.” I congratulate myself, “And uni starts in two months, things are looking good.”
~~~
A month has passed since I moved to England. Jack and I have become good friends but though easy go and likeable he is I just sense something off about him. Every few nights or so Jack goes out, coming back in the early hours of the morning. It wouldn’t pipe my interest that much if it weren’t for the fact he would sometimes come back bruised. I swear there was once a bullet hole on his chest, right above the heart. I dismissed it as a tear though; as if he was shot there then he would be dead.
In my spare time I think up theories of what he is doing writing the particularly good ones down. Sometimes Jack was a secret agent or a street fighter or in a gang or maybe even a murderer. I don’t spend much time mulling over the last one since he lives three doors down. Besides there have been no local murders in the past few years, I checked.
Though thinking about it, Mr Jenkins from next door hasn’t been around for the past few days…
Shaking my head to clear away my thoughts, I knock on the door marked twenty-three. I’d lost a bet with Jack meaning I had to go on a ‘date’ with him. I don’t really think of it as a date since we’re only going out to get some ice-cream and hang around at the park. Then again if I ever went on a date ice-cream and a park sound pretty good.
The door opens to reveal Jack. Like always he’s wearing his belt and suspenders but this time he’s wearing a button up shirt underneath. I look down at myself, feeling a little underdressed. I’m wearing jeans and a big, fluffy jumper, albeit my favourite jumper. I’m wearing no makeup or jewellery besides from my littering of woven bracelets on my right arm and my black watch on my left.
I’d come to get him as we were supposed to meet in the lobby at three and it is now three-thirty. Most likely he’s been doing his hair and lost track of time.
“Sorry, I was just doing my hair.” Jack apologises. I do a little, internal, victory dance 'cause I’m fabulous and right. On the outside, however, I put on a persona of annoyance. “You’re the one dragging me into this. I’m the one who should be late, not you.” I scold jokingly.
“Yes ma’am.” Jack salutes, exiting his apartment and closing the door behind him. Just before it clicks shut I catch a glimpse of something in a jar. Something that looks disturbingly like a human hand.
As I sit on the park bench, methodically licking the ice-cream resting in the cone, my thoughts drift back to the hand. Jack’s beside me, enjoying his own cold treat silent for once as we stare in the murky depths of the pond, both wrapped in our own thoughts. At first I try to brush off the hand as some kind of model, an art project but I soon realise that there is no other explanation.
Jack Harkness possesses a human hand that is not one of this own.
Any normal person would get as far away from Jack as they could but I find myself morbidly interested. Maybe solving the mystery of the extra hand would be the closest thing to an adventure I’ll ever have. It might even make a good book, interesting enough to be published if written well.
Then and there I made the decision to follow Jack the next time he goes out at night.
I didn’t have to wait very long. The night after the night of our ‘date’ I hear Jack’s door open and close quietly. I had assembled a ‘spy’ outfit. It is leggings, a shirt, a hoodie tied around my waist, sneakers and hair up in a ponytail. Okay it’s not the best for spying on someone but if Jack sees me then at least I have an alibi, I was out for a jog. Besides the clothes are black and dark grey and if I run into anyone I wouldn’t look like the world’s biggest idiot.
I wait until the fire door closes behind him before leaving my own apartment. I take a deep breath, counting to ten, before opening the fire door the tiniest tiniest bit. I watch as Jack finishes the last flight and exits through the door leading into the alleyway before racing down the steps myself. I open the door a fraction as Jack rounds the corner.
I try steady my jangling nerves. This is my last chance to back out. The second the fire escape door closes behind me there’ll be no turning back. Maybe I shouldn’t go… no! I have not been dreaming of adventure my whole life just to chicken out at the last second. Besides it’s Jack not some random stranger, he’s not gonna hurt me. Yeah but whoever he’s going to meet might a niggling voice at the back of my mind says. I decide to put the police on speed dial just in case. My mind made up, I open the door fully, ready to go.
The crisp night air hits me in a blast. It’s colder than I thought. I pull the hoodie from around my waist and shrug it on. I also pull the hood up, trying to protect my frozen nose which is probably already bright red.
In my few moments of hesitation and hoodifing I have lost sight of Jack. I know, however, that he went left so I turn left. I wrap my arms around myself to ward off the cold as I walk down the deserted street. As I reach the end of the block I realise that he must have turned round the corner as if he had kept on walking straight I would be able to see him. That is unless he went into a building the annoying voice of my pessimistic side says. I round the corner and low and behold there’s Jack at the end of the block.
After ten to twenty minutes of following Jack, we finally arrive at the place. There had been several close encounters but I had managed to duck away just in time, that or Jack knew I was, and still am, following him but chose to ignore it. My heart rate increases as I realise we are outside an abandoned factory.
My imagination goes wild and I come up with the theory that Jack is a crazy murderer who also happens to be very smart. He had been planning my murder since he met me. He faked going out each night and then planted the hand where I could see it to make me follow him. I then would go into the factory and straight into his trap.
While I am in dream, or rather nightmare, land Jack has entered the factory. Images of me dying flash before my eyes and I can’t find the strength to walk forwards. I feel like running back home, booking the first flight to Australia and never looking back. But once again curiosity beats the more sensible and slightly dramatic side of my brain. Everyone knows the saying curiosity killed the cat. And I’m the Kat and I don’t want to die. But I’m curious as hell so screw it, I’m going in.
It has been almost a minute since Jack entered the factory as I walk up to the door. The instant I open the door I realise how much of an idiot I have just been.
The insides are like a maze and I have no idea which way Jack went.
I can turn left, right or go straight. ‘Eeny-meeny-miney-moe’ looks like a really good option at the moment. I land on straight ahead, so straight ahead it is. After throwing one last glance at the door, absolutely, one hundred percent-ely no turning back now, I creep down the hallway. When I reach the end I am met with another three way choice.
A thought strikes me and I pull out my sharpie, what I take one where ever I go you never know when they might come in handy, and draw an arrow on the wall facing towards the door. To get out I only have to follow the direction of the arrow. I draw it discreetly though, small and near to the floor. That settled I walk on, drawing more and more arrows, until I get my first signs of human life.
Footsteps from my right side. I press myself against the wall trying to figure out how many people are coming my way. I count two, three? Only then does something seem… almost wrong, to me. It sounds as if they are wearing big, clunky, metal boots. They pass without a glance in my direction and it was all I could do not to stifle a gasp. These aren’t men, they are… robots?
They look like men but are dressed head to toe in metal. This could just be some kind of nerd convention and these people had really good costumes. Please? Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top? No? Fine, I hate you too universe. So is Jack working with or against these robots?
“You will be upgraded.” a robotic voice says from behind me. Is it possible for someone to jump ten meters high 'cause I just did. I whirl around. Great just my luck. Another robot thing, which is pointing it’s arm at me? Oh, it has a gun on it’s arm. “Um, no thanks.” I back away slightly, towards the opening behind me. I stop in the middle of the cross section, realising only then that it was a bad decision.
Footsteps echo down the left hall – the other robots are coming back.
I probably should be thinking of something heroic to say or an escape plan but the only thing I can think of right now is that if I fie I’m going to haunt Jack, till the day he dies. In fact when he’s an old man sitting in a rocking chair I’ll scare him so badly he has an early death.
“You will be upgraded.” The robot repeats.
“Yeah, not today.” A familiar voice says from my right. My head whips to the owner and I see the unusual but awesome combination of a belt, suspenders and a trench coat. “Jack!” I say. I’m not sure if it was in surprise or happiness. I’m so confused right now I have no idea what to feel at the moment. “You will be deleted.” The robot says.
Great. I’m no longer going to be upgraded, no, now I’m gonna be deleted. “Kat, get behind me.” Jack orders. I walk calmly over – yeah I wish. I run and cower behind him like my life depended on it, which it probably does. Jack pulls out a… gun? Like that would do any good on the robot of doom. Wait, Jack has a gun?
“On my signal, run straight down the hall then turn right.” Jack says in an under-tone to me. I hum in acknowledgment. “Now!” Jack yells shooting at the robot. I take off at the speed of light, nearly crashing into the wall as I skim round the corner. Jack quickly catches up easily. “C’mon, the others will be here soon.” He takes my hand and speeds up. I stumble along behind him, trying to keep up. Yeah, I gotta get out more, I’m so unfit.
“What are those things?” I ask as we lean against the walls, panting. We’d been running non-stop for the past five minutes. I had no time to sharpie-fie the wall so we’re completely lost. Well at least I am, Jack seems to know where we’re going.
“Cybermen.” Jack answers.
“Right. Great, wonderful. And what does upgraded mean?” I put my head in my hands, trying to comprehend everything. Over the whirring of my brain I almost miss Jack’s answer, almost.
“Upgrading means you become one of them.” Jack says, and then quickly continues as he sees my mouth open again, “I’m sure you have loads of questions and I will answer them but not just now.”
“Just one more question,” I give him my best puppy eyes, “Please?”
Jack sighs, “Fine, what is it?”
“What’s that?” I nod towards the gun thing he shot the cyberman with.
“It’s, well – it sends out an electric pulse which temporarily immobilises a cyberman.” Jack explains, holstering it, “Okay, we gotta get to the control room.” I start to open my mouth to ask why but then I remember our deal. I close it and follow Jack, stepping lightly, ears pricked for the stomping walk that precedes the cybermen.
After a few twists and turns we arrive at two, big, sliding, metal doors. Jack walks over to the censor on the wall next to the doors. He hisses in annoyance. “This is the only way in and I don’t have anything to swipe or a way to over-ride the system.”
I scan the walls, trying to feel like I have any use and am not just a dead weight. Above my head on the wall is a vent, a small-human sized vent. Jack wouldn’t fit though, he’s too big but not in a bad way of course. He’s not fat or anything just too… broad shouldered. I could fit, I think. But what would I do? I don’t even know why we need to get in and there are most likely more cybermen in there, I could die. But then again if we don’t stop them, they might ‘upgrade’ or ‘delete’ everyone and that’s, to put it plainly, a very bad thing, I think.
“Not the only way.” I say, gesturing to the vent. “I recon it’s just large enough for me to fit.”
“No, it’s too dangerous.” Jack protests, “I don’t know how many cybermen are in there, too many things could go wrong and I won’t be there to help. You don’t even know what you’re supposed to do, for god’s sake.”
“Yeah well I’m guessing that the cybermen aren’t friendly and want to either ‘upgrade’ or ‘delete’ everyone.” I argue back, “And I’m also guessing if someone gets inside there they can stop that. You can’t fit through the vent but I might. It’s the only way.” Jack paces outside the door, thinking over the options. He stops and looks me straight in the eyes.
“Fine.” he pulls out a USB and his gun, “You need to stick this into the control panel. The gun only immobilises them momentarily however so you’ll have to be quick, and it only does one cyberman at a time.” I take the USB and gun from him with a silent nod. “Try to open the door if you can but getting this USB into the control panel is more important.” We walk over to the wall and he bends down to give me a boost. “And Kat,” he says softly,
“I can’t guarantee you’ll come out of this alive.”
I smile sadly at him, “I know but I have family and friends, for them I have to try.” Taking a deep breath I pull off the grate and squirm my way inside. I move forward so that my head, shoulders and torso are inside before I stop. I have nothing to push off and I barely fit so I can’t wriggle my way along the vent. “Jack, I can’t move forwards.”
I hear Jack sigh, “Come out then.” I try to squirm backwards but once again I have nothing to push off. I flail my legs uselessly, hearing Jack curse as I narrowly miss hitting him.
“I can’t. And stop staring at my butt!” Knowing Jack that’s exactly what he’s doing now.
“It’s the only part of you I can see.” He complains.
“What about my legs?”
“Your legs are dangerous.” We laugh, for a few seconds forgetting the setting and the problems. If only you could always do that, laugh away your problems. But you can’t and I’m still trapped in the vent with my butt sticking out the end and it’s only protection from Jack’s eyes are my legs.
“What do we do now?” I address the problem at hand.
“I don’t know.” Jack admits and I hear him start to pace again. If only I was smaller, like ten years younger. That would be great, if it were possible. I close my eyes trying to think but my mind keeps wandering back to the thought. Soon all I can think off is being ten years younger, of being eight.
An unfamiliar tugging sensation erupts in my gut. And with it the feeling almost as if I were… shrinking. My eyes still shut, I wriggle around again and this time I move. My eyes shoot open and I gasp. I’ve shrunk. No, not shrunk – my breasts are gone and I am much more spindly, like how I was when I was eight! “Jack!” I call out, fear tinting my already much higher pitched voice, “Jack I have no idea how but I’m eight again.”
Jack’s pacing stops, “What, how, why?” he splutters. Okay so it wasn’t his doing with one of his devices, he has a gun that temporarily immobilises a metal man it’s not that weird an idea. Besides this could be a good thing, I can actually move now. And if I magically turned myself younger then surely I can magically turn myself older?
“I don’t know but I can move and now it’ll be easier to sneak over to the controls.” I say optimistically, wow this is a first, moving forwards. Crawling through the vent isn’t comfortable and my massively oversized clothes, I had a really late growth spurt so I was tiny for my age up until about fourteen and still am pretty small, don’t make it any easier. And I keep stepping on my hair, it’s the only part of me that hasn’t shrunk and when I stand would probably reach my butt or lower.
When I reach the end of vent I realise we made a really big mistake, I can’t take the grate of from the inside without kicking it out and that has many flaws as A – I was, and still am, a really weak person and B – it would fall, hit the floor with a crash and everyone will know I’m there. Not to mention that I’m afraid of heights and now that I’m small instead of only just not being able to reach the floor, the floor seems like it’s five hundred storeys away. The familiar feeling of my throat clogging up and my gut twisting into knots begins even though the grate isn’t even off.
I survey the room as best as I can through the criss-cross of metal bars. The controls are on my right, against the wall with humans sitting at them tapping away at buttons. Why are there humans here and helping the robots, I mean cybermen, of doom? Then I spot something in their ears, kinda like an ear plug that’s flashing or something? Like it’s receiving something … like commands! These people are probably being mind controlled.
There are about three cybermen in this room and currently they are in the centre, shielding something from my view. Then one of them moves, leaving a gap, and walks off to god knows where. My eyes immediately zero in on the now visible something or should I say someone. Surrounded by the now two cybermen is an old, greyed man in a wheelchair. I stare at his ears but I can find no sign of any flashing light, he’s not being mind controlled. Actually it looks like he’s doing the controlling, the mastermind of this whole thing.
His eyes snap up and meet mine. Oh fudge. Well I’m screwed. “It seems our guest has finally arrived.” He says, still staring straight at me. The two cybermen still with him turn around to face me and begin their clunky journey towards me. I start to crawl backwards as fast as I can but I’m too late; one pulls off the grate and the other cyberman grabs my forearms and pulls me from the vent.
I squeal in fright in the few terrifying moments that I fly through the air before my feet touch the ground. Due to my much smaller self my shoes come off. They lay forgotten behind me as I am marched towards the old man in the wheelchair. Not only are my feet cold but my leggings are much too long so I trip regularly causing the leggings to fall down. Luckily my already oversized hoodie is like a dress on me, reaching down to nearly my knees.
When we reach him I pull up my leggings and roll them up so that they are shorter. The USB is still clenched in my tiny fist but a cyberman easily takes it from me. The old man examines it curiously for a second before waving his hand. The cyberman closes it’s fists around the USB and crushes it into a million tiny pieces. Oh well, there goes the world as we know it.
The man turns to me with appraising eyes, “So you can change your age at will?” The surprise that I was feeling must show on my face as he laughs and says, “I could hear your whole conversation through the vent.” I felt like face palming, so I did. How could we have been so stupid? Of course he could hear Jack and I’s – hang on a second, Jack!
As if, for the second time in under a minute, the old man had read my thoughts he waves a hand again and the big, metal doors slide open. Jack is roughly hauled into the room by two cybermen, a third motionless in the outside hallway with another paralysing gun discarded at it’s feet. The cybermen let go of Jack’s arms but he continues to walk forward until he reaches my side. The old man nods at the cybermen who were escorting Jack and they walk over to guard the now closed doors.
The man studies me, like a scientist looks at their guinea pig. An irrational fear of him fills me and I find myself pressing myself into Jacks side as much as I can, as if I’m trying to hide. Jack looks down at me, almost as surprised as I am, then wraps an arm around my shoulders protectively. Why am I feeling this scared? Why would Jack ‘wrap an arm around my shoulders protectively’? I’m eighteen not eight for goodness sake's, well technically. Maybe since I’m in the body of me as an eight year old I have little kid hormones in me and that’s why I’m acting strangely? I’ll ask Jack about it once we’re out of here.
If we get out of here.
“There’s no need to be afraid,” the man says, “I’m the good guy. Becoming a cyberman means you can live, strong, forever, never weakened by any human diseases.”
“But you’ll be emotionless and under your command.” Jack buts in, “You’ll no longer be human!” The man ignores him, continuing to stare straight at me. Yep, this guy is officially creeps me out. The next bit happens all too fast.
Jack’s arm disappears from around my shoulders. He sprints towards the consoles. At a command from the old man, a cyberman raises it’s arm and shoots. The laser beam hits Jack square in the back and he falls to the floor, just a meter from the console. A cry is torn from my lips and I run over to his side, dropping to my knees. My fingers press against his neck in some vain hope, no pulse. Without stopping I move to his wrist, in case I missed it, in case I just couldn’t find it. But there is none.
Someone, or rather something, grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet. I let the cyberman lead me back over to the old man. My whole body is numb, including my mind. I’m in autopilot, my body moving without me actually realising I’m doing anything. I can faintly hear the man saying that ‘here was always bound to be causalities’ and that it was ‘unfortunate’.
I feel empty; no I don’t feel at all. Everything is just gone, all emotions, all thoughts. I’m in shock, that’s the only explanation for it. Distantly I can hear the man saying to ‘take the girl to the lab to run some tests’ but I don’t respond. It’s like the world is moving on around me while I just stand here. I am being roughly pulled to the door when I hear two words. Two words that rip me from my shock, the way one is roughly awoken from sleep.
“Not today.” Everyone, that being me and the old man, whirl around to face the controls. Jack’s standing next to them, very much alive. He smiles at me at motions to the controls beside him, where a USB is plugged in. “Not while I’m around.”
“What! How?” the old man voices my exact thoughts. But he’s dead, Jack’s dead. He had no pulse, he has to be dead my brain protests. But here he is, alive and saving the day, my eyes argue back. The grip on my arm disappears. I look up at the cyberman who just a second ago was holding onto me, hands now holding head as it shakes. “What have you done?” the man demands.
“You stole their emotions, their ability to feel and I’m giving it back.” Jack shouts over the cries of the cybermen. The people sitting at the consoles rip at their ear, where the flashing light plug is. The cyberman next to me looks directly at the old man, a tear dripping down it’s face, “What have you done to me?” With a jolt I realise it’s the voice of Mr Jenkins. This is what happened to him.
A hand clasps mine and I look up at Jack. “We need to leave, the place is gonna blow up any second now.” We run out the door, not forgetting to grab my shoes, leaving behind the cybermen and the old man who is shouting incoherently at us. After a few turns it’s clear that neither of us know where the exit is, we’re hopelessly lost. Then I spot something, our mark of freedom. A little black arrow, close to the ground on the wall.
“This way.” I tell Jack, following the direction the arrow points. Quickly we are on our way to the exit. But I’m still in the body of an eight year old, with the stamina of an eight year old. I stumble once, twice, then lean against the wall for support. Without skipping a beat Jack scoops me up and continues running. My whole body bounces as he runs, with every placement of his foot. Makes me wonder why I wanted my dad to carry me when I was younger. Well he never ran so maybe it’s the running that’s uncomfortable.
Luckily the building doesn’t actually blow up until we’re a block and a bit away. We continue to flee as the sound of sirens emerge and zoom in the building’s direction. When we are nearly three blocks from our apartment block Jack puts me down in an alleyway. “You should probably turn back.” He says, checking that there is no one else in the alleyway.
“Okay.” I agree, breathing in a few deep breaths. I’m not exactly sure how I became little me but I’ll give it a shot. It would require a hell of an explanation if I couldn’t change back. I focus on being eighteen, breathing in and out slowly to relax and concentrate. Once again, the only thing I can think of is ten years, though this time older not younger. A tugging sensation erupts in my stomach and I grow. This time I know what’s going on and I can feel it as my legs elongate, my breasts grow, leggings tighten around my waist, my hands emerging from the arms of my hoodie.
“That was kinda creepy in a disgusting way.” Jack remarks as I open my eyes. Even though it didn’t really offend me I glare at him.
~~~
“Jack!” I call out.
“Yeah?” he calls back, sticking his head around the door frame.
“Did,” I bit my lip, “Did the old man in the wheelchair die?” I voice the thought that had been bouncing around in my head the rest of the night, even more so than the fact that I can magically change my age. He sighs slightly, coming fully into the room and sitting down next to me on the couch. After returning to the building I stayed the night at Jack’s place. He had offered to take the couch but I had blatantly refused. It was my irrational fear the cyberman were going to find me and get me, not Jack’s, so I should be the one to take the couch as I am the reason that one of us would have to take the couch.
Actually Jack had suggested that we both share the bed but I had just shook my head and told him to go to sleep. I’m not sure if Jack had slept but I hadn’t. A mixture of left over adrenaline and fear had kept me up all night, not to mention that I still want answers.
“I don’t know.” He answers, “I really don’t know. He probably had enough time to get out, no doubt there was a secret exit. But all cybermen and the information on how to create them is gone and that’ll have to do for now.” I nod in understanding.
“And what about you? You were dead. You were shot square in the back and had no heartbeat. Then a minute later you were alive and running.”
“Well it really all started when I met the doctor.” Jack launches into a story, his story of adventure and heart break. Jack likes to leave out too much details when they’re needed and put in way to much details when they’re not needed so I ended up slapping him lightly a lot more than I thought.
“So you’re immortal?” I try to wrap my head around the idea, though it wasn’t that hard after everything I had seen in the past twelve hours. Jack nods. “And you went time and space travelling with an alien called The Doctor and his human companion Rose Tyler?” Another nod. “And you think The Doctor could figure out how and why I can change my age?” Yet again another nod, I think this is the longest Jack’s ever gone without talking. “But I thought you said you don’t know where The Doctor is, that’s why you’ve got his hand, to track him.”
Jack turns to face the set of drawers at the side of the room. With two quick strides he reaches them and opens a draw. He pulls out a brown, leather watch like thing. “I don’t know where he is but I know where he’s been.” He smiles.
“Huh?” I ask not understanding.
“I know that The Doctor and Rose were in Cardiff in two thousand and five and I know their general whereabouts at that time. The only reason I don’t go back there to join them is they don’t know me yet, to talk to them would create a paradox.” Jack explains, “I can get you back there using this.” Jack dangles the watch thing, “So you can ask The Doctor but you can’t mention me, at least not in great detail so no name, gender, hair colour, eye colour etcetera.”
“But I can’t just leave. I’m starting Uni in a month’s time.” I protest. Really this whole thing in slightly ridiculous. I’m half thinking that I’ll end up on a show and this was all a big prank. But it’s not, it can’t be. There is no way I could have imagined the whole age changing thing and unless they have an age changer and a mind reader this isn’t a show.
“Time doesn’t matter. Go find the Doctor, get him to explain things and get dropped off here an hour or so later than this time.” I nod, giving in and agreeing to go. Jack hands me the watch-thing-time-machine. “I’ve set this to the time and place you need. All you have to do is press that button there.” Jack points to a round, red button in the top right corner.
I want to go, I really do. I want to find out why I can change, maybe even go on a few adventures with this mysterious Doctor and Rose Tyler but still I hesitate. I’m not even sure why. Maybe it is my consciousness warning me that if I go nothing will ever be the same, I would be stepping out into a great, vast world that I am prepared for. A world full of aliens and time travel.
But I will go, because I am me and that’s what I do. I am the one that lets herself be drawn into the unknown and dam the consequences. Because everything after stepping out of that taxi only a mere month ago has been a series of rather fortunate events.
***
So there it is, my first chapter. I hope you liked it. Yeah I know the ending was a bit cheesy but that’s just Kat, it’s how she thinks and the writer side of her coming out. I hope I didn’t stuff up Jack too much and stuck to his character. But yeah, next chapter has Rose and Nine if you haven’t realised already.
I wrote this ages ago and I have't published it yet since I'm now writing something new and haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm not planning on writing anymore but if you liked it and want more I'll try to find some time.
Kirsty