Captain Jack Harkness couldn't help but feel a little uneasy as he balanced driving his black Mazda 3 Sport while maintaining a careful eye on the glass compass that lay on his lap.
"Toronto certainly is a bit more crowded than I remember it," he muttered to himself, turning right at an intersection.
Straight ahead he could see a taxi driving towards him on the opposite side of the road. Quickly getting ready to test his driving ability he shoved the compass into the passenger seat. He couldn't quite make out the driver's face, but the cab number matched the very one he had seen the Doctor in only moments before.
"And who said number thirteen was unlucky!" he shouted, forcing his car into the path of the incoming cab. Immediately the cab braked to a slow, and very noise, halt.
"Now then!" Jack commanded, as he exited from his vehicle and stared at the driver, "you are...." He suddenly stopped as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him as the realization set in. "You are definitely not a man." He concluded as the angry woman exited her taxi and walked briskly towards him. "I swear, I thought you were this guy I saw in a reflection but you don't have his gray hair, well not a lot of it...." Immediately knew what was going to happen next but it was too late as felt the warm human hand impact on his right cheek. He had been slapped.
"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, rubbing his now sore face with his right hand.
"Who are you?" she asked firmly.
The woman staring at him could have been in her late forties. She had dark brown hair that stopped at her neck and her blue eyes felt like piercing daggers on his skin.
"Who are you!?" he countered bravely, sticking his hand back into his cloak.
"I'm not the one who has just stopped traffic," she replied. Her bright red lipstick started to drip down her mouth.
"Fair enough," Jack said feeling a bit repulsed, "you've got lipstick running down..."
The woman quickly pulled out a compact mirror from her back pocket before he could finish speaking. She then reached into her shirt's front pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief to clean the mess.
"Thank you." She finally said, pocketing the handkerchief and mirror.
"That's a nice outfit!" Jack commented awkwardly, "I like the way you have a green dress shirt with...a green skirt."
She slapped him again as the cars behind started to honk.
"Hey lovebirds break it up!" A driver shouted from behind her cab.
"Oh, we're definitely not together!" Jack answered as the woman got back into her taxi.
Jack quickly followed suit and entered his car. There was no need to escalate the situation.
"Just one question? Have you been in this cab all day?"
"No!" She shouted, adding a rude gesture with her left hand.
Jack closed the door and proceeded to exit the lane much to the relief of the traffic ahead. There were not many cars coming from behind but as the cab pulled off the driver who had made the lovebird remark had pulled up beside Jack's vehicle.
"Sorry it didn't work out!" The middle-aged man with a pot-shaped belly remarked playfully.
Jack simply didn't have time to think of something witty as an explosion rippled from above. He frantically tried to see what it was. At that moment a metallic object the size of a large bed fell from the sky. Traffic came to a halt as drivers wanted to see the cause of the loud bang that still left reverberations but this time, there was no honking. The sound of the impact struck the rest of the city a few seconds later. The front of Jack's vehicle had been severely crushed under the weight of the large, burnt, rectangular metallic object that had emerged from the heavens above only to leave a small crater in the heart of Canada.
This is BBC World News. Breaking news now as reports come in of an alleged explosion above the city of Toronto, Canada. Stay tuned for more. Right now here's Aasif Saad in Ottawa where a meeting is being held by the leaders of each province and the Prime Minister. Aasif what is currently going on in Ottawa?
David Manilton quickly turned off the news feed on his mobile. His team of five men and four women had just arrived at an impact site.
"News is spreading, spread out and redirect traffic!" he shouted to some local police that had turned up. They quickly scattered, setting up barriers preventing traffic from entering. Suddenly his phone beeped loudly. Rummaging through his suit's breast pocket he quickly withdrew the flip-phone.
"Yep, what is it? I'm kind of busy right now so you'll have to forgive me for rushing."
A strong male voice began speaking, “this is Sergeant Frederick Wilson, may I speak with your superior please.”
David brushed his short black back, slightly taken aback. “This is the head of CSIS operations speaking, how did you get this number,” he said. A colleague motioned for him to come closer.
“I’ve just been talking to the Mayor, can I….” David walked towards the male agent in front of him as the Sergeant broke off for a second.
“Are you still there?” David asked, crouching down to see what his colleague was pointing at.
The Sergeant closed his eyes before he decided to utter the next set of words. “Can I make my services available to you in any shape or form?” The phone cut off.
“He could have just given an answer!” The Sergeant shouted angrily. He felt useless, unwanted, and undesired. Today was ten years since his wife died because of complications due to diabetes. He stormed off towards his parked car outside.
“Would you like me to get that for you sir?” The man asked, noticing that David had dropped the phone.
“It’s all right Brian,” David muttered, still looking at what appeared to be the remains of a bloodied arm sticking out of the smashed car door. Streaks of bone were visible. He picked up the phone and returned it to his pocket.
“Christ!” he said in amazement. “Do we currently have a crew to lift the debris so that the body can be recovered?”
“Sorry sir, but a crew isn’t scheduled to arrive until three hours from now.” Brian replied. “Sir,” he continued, “I estimate that decomposition has already begun before our arrival.”
“What gives you that idea?” David remarked sarcastically as the smell of escaping gases danced around them in the heat.
“One more thing sir,” Brian asked curiously, “do you think there is a correlation with the lack of snow this year and all that talk of some sort of alien debris being spotted in out atmosphere by amateur astronomers.”
David looked at him gently as Brian continued to explain. “I mean, first it was a hole appearing in Jupiter and now it’s unexplained holes appearing in our sky!”
“Brian, Brian, look at me.” David said, “There are no holes in our sky, what caused that rift in Jupiter was a large object colliding right through it. Now I been told by scientists working at EASA who I trust, that the incidences you describe are caused by something reflecting the light back towards observatories and telescopes in such a manner that the area doing that reflecting is perceived as black. It may not account for much, but it’s all we have to explain what is going on.”
Elizabeth continued walking towards the metal door as the Doctor followed closely behind.
“Right,” she said turning around, “during the three weeks I’ve been working at this place I have only seen this door once.” She then banged her left fist on it once before resuming her stare at the Doctor. “And that was from the other side.” She concluded as he moved closer.
The Doctor examined the metal slab. He then leaned against the door and pulled out his stethoscope, placing it near the center of the door.
“Silence,” he answered noticing Elizabeth staring at him. He pocketed the stethoscope and turned to face her again. “Can you describe what was on the other side?”
Elizabeth thought silently to herself for a second before giving the Doctor a quizzical look. “Well not really,” she finally answered after a minute of silence.
The Doctor could tell by her expression that the metaphorical gears in her head were turning.
“However there was a big red button square in the center, right where you placed that tool-thingy a minute ago!”
“Oooh, I like a big red button!” The Doctor exclaimed with excitement, tilting his head to one side as he shifted the glasses on his face. “Did your superiors, I say superiors presuming you’re a newcomer at this organization since you told me you’ve been working here for three weeks, but feel free to correct me!” He paused for a second but Elizabeth glanced around at the interior of the bunker they were in so he decided it was safe to continue with hurting anyone’s feelings. “…did they tell you why there was no doorknob or lever on this side?”
Elizabeth paused for a second. “I only brought you to this location because I believed that it was still operational and in use.”
“How did you learn about this entrance’s existence in the first place?” The Doctor asked, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. He moved it pass the slab but it remained shut.
“When my superiors, as you put it Doctor, hired me, I was given a tour of the facility under which I would be required to work. Then Sheryl, who told me to come and apply for a job here in the first place, said she personally knew a guard who worked here. Turns out, his father was the person who constructed this bunker! I guess they must have decommissioned it or something privately,” Elizabeth concluded.
“Perhaps,” the Doctor weighed in. “But this was designed with a purpose to establish another entrance into CSIS. Now mind you that a war with another country or entity, as you humans have gotten yourself into in the past, would make such an entrance quite valuable.”
“What if they feel there will be no more wars fought on Canadian soil Doctor”
“That would be a gross assumption, although I applaud you for your hope. But no, look here!” The Doctor ran towards the center of the room and looked up. “Look that elevator was still operational!” He ran back towards Elizabeth, furiously tapping on the metal slab that enclosed them inside the room. “Why maintain power to this room and stop the outside entrance from becoming operational?”
“Why?” Elizabeth asked feeling confused.
“Haven’t gotten to that part yet!” Exclaimed the Doctor, “But I have a feeling we’re not alone.”
In the codenamed security room, Beta York, for it was the second room established in the CSIS Toronto building back when Toronto was known as Old York, one of several computer screens flickered on depicting two individuals on it’s green tinted screen.
“Computer identify.” A guard called out. The voice recognition system triggered the database record of every human legally in Canada to be brought up as it ran extensive searches matching facial expressions, hair colour and anything it had on file.
<Female, Human, Elizabeth Hurtly, Staff Recruit>
<Male, Unknown Species, Unknown Name, Unknown Rank>
The Computer read out with its monotone voice.
It was at that second when a light bulb situated on the phone next to the guard turned bright red. He reached over and pressed the speakerphone button.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Hi,” came a familiar reply.
David led a group of his people to examine the alleyway besides Bertha’s Pet Store.
“You’ve heard of the explosion right?”
The guard nodded and stared at his nine other computer monitors streaming various news channels, each with a focus on the explosion that had happened over Toronto.
“Yeah,” he replied casually. It’s been harder to miss than that pop stars appearance at the music awards.
“Right,” David answered. “Well can you unlock chamber 107-Y1 for me, that’s chamber 1-0-7-Y-1,” He enunciated carefully. “We’ve just discovered various bits of debris and we’re bringing them back to HQ before the media gets close.”
“One more thing sir,” the guard pleaded.
“Go ahead” David replied busily, showing his five co-workers what appeared to be a giant saltshaker with various bulbs sticking out.
“We have two people trying to get into exit-14 that was locked yesterday on your command. Now normally I wouldn’t trouble you with this information but one of them registers as non-human, I repeat, one of them is not human according to system scans.
“Keep them out,” David answered feeling slightly intrigued as he turned of his mobile.
The Doctor continued pacing back and forth along the border of the sealed door.
"Come on brain," he muttered to himself, turning when he came to edge of the door. His fingers moved along the border and onto the brick-like material that formed the bunker they were in.
"No use." He said loudly to Elizabeth, "it'll take weeks for us to dig our way in...."
As he moved away from the dimly lit light bulb hanging from above, a red light caught his attention.
"Are you feeling alright?" Elizabeth asked as she looked up to see a security camera moving to the Doctor's movements.
"Do you have your identification?" The Doctor whispered, keeping his face focused on the camera and its power light.
"Yeah"
"Can you come closer and show it to the camera?"
Elizabeth moved accordingly, removing the card from her breast pocket. She held it above her head for the camera to see.
"What now genius?" She asked, keeping her arm held high.
Back in the security room, the guard on duty was observing the screen that depicted the non-human, very closely. The girl had just pulled out a CSIS I.D. card a few seconds ago followed by the other person showing his.
"David," He said, holding the phone.
"Yes"
"They both have identification from CSIS, including the... non-human one."
"Listen you're a guard," Replied the voice. "Stick to your job and ignore these two, do not let them get in, understand?"
"Yes sir."
"And one more thing." David continued. "Contact that local trucking service we used to haul in that police box again, I have a lot of debris that needs to be returned to HQ immediately."
"Roger that sir." The guard answered as the call ended.
He turned to look at the surveillance screen again. Both the male-looking alien and the female employee were on the ground, still and lifeless. The non-human had a mark over lips and a pool of liquid surrounded the two bodies as they lay side by side.
"Christ," he exclaimed, leaving the office as he headed towards the bunker below.
"Can we stop playing dead now?" Elizabeth moaned angrily. "That perfume you broke is really going to cost me a fortune in dry cleaning.
"Three, two, one." The Doctor counted before raising his head with a burst of energy. "Right then. It was worth a try, if not for the sheer fact that he possibly bought it." He concluded, wiping a lipstick smear, off of his mouth, chin and neck.
"Why do you have so much of this stuff anyways!?" He blurted out. "You practically had enough to coat my TARDIS in red."
"Your what?" She answered, straightening her business uniform.
"Nothing," he replied. "Now, in case he did buy that, we need to get ready the moment he opens that door."
"What if that moment never comes?"
The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and pointed in to the camera above until the red light slowly faded.
"Oh, it will."
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