companionsintimeandspace:
companionsintimeandspace:
“Now then, Charley, England at last!” the Doctor exclaimed. “Not too far from your own time, I believe. The late 1940s, if I’ve not missed my mark.”
“It will be good to be home,” Charley replied. “C’rizz, this is your first trip to Earth, isn’t it?”
C’rizz nodded, eyeing the Doctor. He had gone through the wardrobe at the Doctor’s insistence. Supposedly, it would help him to be less conspicuous if he was dressed as a human. He was a bit skeptical of that idea, but he didn’t say so. “It is. We’ve never quite managed to land here. But I’ve heard stories from the both of you.”
“That’s right!” the Doctor exclaimed, whirling on C’rizz with a wide, excited smile. “Oh, you’ll love it. It’s one of my favorite planets.”
“Then let’s go!” Charley exclaimed. She went to the doors and pushed them open, looking out over the field. It was impossible to tell precisely where and when they were, but it wasn’t London or any of the surrounding area. That was very nearly all she could tell. C’rizz stepped out behind her, taking note of the grass and trees. It was strange. He had seen something similar in the divergent universe. But there was something different, something gentler, about this setting. From what he had heard from Charley and the Doctor, Earth had its share of dangers. But none of them seemed to be present right now. It was merely cold under his feet. Charley hadn’t managed to compel him to put on shoes.
Charley was the first to spot the man and woman at the edge of the field. That was the first sign that something was off. “Um, Doctor,” she said. “I could be wrong, but that doesn’t look like the 1940s.”
“Oh,” the Doctor said, staring out at the figures. “No, Charley. No, it doesn’t. I think I may have been off by a decade or two. Possibly a bit more.”
“Are they dangerous?” C’rizz asked from behind them, ever the pragmatist.
“Only one way to find out,” the Doctor replied. And then he was heading up the hill at a trot, waving and calling out, “Hello! I wonder, could you perhaps tell us where we are?”
“Well, there’s certainly a police box there now, isn’t there?” You’d think she would be unfazed by weird things like an old police box materializing in a barren field by now. But she wasn’t.
“It wasn’t there a moment ago.” A rather obvious statement, but Gwen didn’t have anything else to say. “Looks like it might be … him. And some of those companions Jack mentioned.” And they were heading right for Gwen and Andy; looking a bit more perplexed than Gwen would have assumed from Jack’s vague stories.
“Can’t say I’m impressed, which one do you suppose is the Doctor?” Gwen didn’t have an answer for that, because she wasn’t quite sure herself.
“Maybe it’s the tall one … or frumpy looking one.” Gwen shrugged, ignoring Andy’s words and stepping forward to meet the oncoming party.
“Wales; 2013.” The date was more of a courtesy; she wasn’t sure if the information was needed but it was something she tried to include when meeting time travelers of any sort. “I’m assuming one of you is the Doctor? My name is Gwen Cooper; Torchwood.” Sort of, but that was the best way to quickly explain why she had any inkling of who these people might be. She reached her hand out in the group’s general direction, trying to look less annoyed than she felt about standing in the freezing field before the sun had fully risen.
“Ah, yes, that would be me,” the Doctor said with a smile and a flourish. He held a hand out to Gwen, his other tucked behind his back.
Charley didn’t hesitate to step right up beside him. “Charley Pollard,” she introduced herself. “And this is C’rizz. Hang on, did you say Wales? And 2013?” She turned an annoyed gaze on the Doctor. “It’s not even England, and this is nowhere near my time.”
“Well, I may have miscalculated a bit,” the Doctor admitted. “But that’s the fun of it!”
“I’d hardly call that ‘fun’,” C’rizz groused. His next question was directed to Gwen. “What is Torchwood?” He let his gaze slip over to the man on the hill and then back to Gwen again, evaluating the potential threat they posed. It was the sort of thing he tended to think of.
Gwen had to agree with Andy, she wasn’t impressed either. Still, she took the Doctor’s hand and shook it, her smile a bit more genuine as she noted with amusement the flourish with which the Doctor greeted her. Maybe this wasn’t what she expected to encounter after Jack’s vague stories of the Doctor; but then again she wasn’t sure what she had expected in the first place.
When the girl spoke it pulled Gwen out of her thoughts; her attention suddenly on the Doctor’s companions. The girl looked so young, and Gwen had to assume the girl was human after her following words. Though, looks didn’t mean much when it came to actual age; she had learned that well enough from Jack. C’rizz looked a bit odd as well, but nothing so abnormal that she felt the need to investigate at that very moment.
The Doctor’s response did elicit a small laugh from Gwen; that was something Jack would have said. “You could have landed somewhere less friendly. The most trouble you’ll find out here is an irate sheep.” She had forgotten Andy was with her until he spoke up, suddenly beside her.
“Torchwood is ... was an organization that handled anything strange or extra-terrestrial that would pose a danger to Earth and it’s inhabitants.” The spiel came out of Gwen’s mouth without a second thought. “Though, it’s really just a few of us left; there hasn’t been much of a need lately.” The side of her mouth quirked up; if she could contact Jack he would want to know his Doctor was on Earth. But she was painfully aware of Jack’s warning; trouble followed the Doctor as closely as it followed Jack. So if the Doctor was here on Earth; she would have to keep a careful eye out and hope that nothing apocalyptic occurred.
