Chasing a Glimpse ((A Doctor Who Fanfiction))

1. Physic Translator

You cannot catch me, cannot hold me/ You cannot stop, much less control me

-A Light That Never Comes by Linkin Park

I sat on a bench on the outskirts of the Arcadian marketplace, with the red hood of my cloak pulled forward so that it cast my face in shadow. I say perfectly still, my eyes following and scanning every person who passed. I was waiting for someone to take the seat beside me. I didn't know what I was looking for in the the person, since they had given me no personal information. Not that I had offered any distinguishing features either, but for good reason. If anyone found out about this, the consequences would be harsh.

You see, I was meeting this person to pick up parts for a machine that was illegal. Any machine or parts for it that could enable time or space travel, or access to the space-time vortex itself, was strictly against the law nowadays. But to hell with the law. I'd been stranded here since the end of the Time War, discreetly building plans and acquiring parts to help me make my grand escape. I had become a master of disguise to cover my tracks. I always hid my face when I was in public unless I was openly speaking to someone, and whenever I needed to speak, I took the accent of whatever region I was in at the moment. I had traveled over most of Gallifrey to meet many different people who would give me a part or two. It had taken me decades, but I had slowly accumulated all but two parts for my machine. One of which I would be getting in a little while, and the other I would be traveling to Olyesti to get tomorrow after the setting of the first sun.

As I was pondering the consequences of being discovered, an older woman sat down beside me with a soft grunt. Unlike myself, who was wearing a thick scarlet cloak over a long black dress, this woman was wearing a dark blue dress that was a lot more old fashioned and decorative than my own plain one. She sent me a glance and cleared her throat expectantly, and I carefully lowered my hood, revealing my thin face.

"You're younger than I was expecting." She said after a moment.

"I get that a lot." I replied, being sure to match the soft Arcadian accent she was using.

"I'd assume so. It's usually the older ones who want to get out, because they remember what it was like to travel." She said, and I gave a sly smirk.

"I'm not quite as young as you think. I do remember traveling before the War." I retorted, and she smiled in return.

"Ah. That makes more sense then." After a moment, she added, "So where is my payment?" With a sigh, a reached into one of the many pockets in my cloak and pulled out a small metal wand.

"Your sonic device, as promised. But first, let me see the physic translator." I ordered, holding the sonic just out of reach. She reached into a hidden pocket in her dress and pulled out a small, intricate piece of glittering stone. I held my hand out expectantly, and she dropped it into my open palm. I quickly slid it into the pocket that the sonic had come from, and swiftly deposited the sonic into her outstretched hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you." I said as I pulled my hood back up and rose, turning on my heel to stalk out of the market place. But before I could get even one step away, I felt her hand grab my wrist and force me to turn around.

"Be careful. I don't know what you could possibly need that for, but be aware that the Enforcers are already out looking for dissents. If they find you, you'll never get out of here alive." She warned, and I smiled again, my icy blue eyes meeting hers.

"Don't worry. I'll be gone before they find out I'm going to leave." I promised, and quickly jerked my hand away, melting into the crowd filing out if the market. I stopped by one of the many food carts and grabbed a few fruits for dinner that night, and tossed the proper coin to the cart owner before slipping out of the gates.

As the majority of the crowd headed towards the main part of the city, I veered off, passing through deserted alleys on my way to my home, just at the foot of Mount Cadon. It wasn't a far walk from Arcadia, as long as one didn't mind passing through old battle zones.

They were still working the cleanup effort, even though the War had ended centuries ago. The Daleks had done so much damage that some areas would never lose their battle scars. This was one of those areas.

What used to be tall buildings were now broken skeletons of their former selves. Bricks and other chunks of building were scattered everywhere, and everything was coated in a thick layer of dust. The fires had long since burnt out, but the black marks of soot still remained. And, if one took the time to look, they could see Time Lord shaped shadows scorched into the walls from the extreme weapons some Daleks had employed. Since their normal weapons could leave any Time Lord with a chance to get to their TARDIS to regenerate, they upgraded them to incinerate their target on contact.

I shook off the memories and continued on my way, nimbly working my way through the wreckage. I made quick progress, and soon I was past the worst of the destruction, and could see the snow capped peak of Mount Cadon over a hill. I was almost home.

As I walked the final stretch, I thought about why I was making all these trips. Why I was being so painstakingly careful in collecting these things. It was all for my father. The man who had disappeared the moment he helped save Gallifrey.

Why am I leaving the only place I've ever really known for someone who didn't bother to ever come looking for me? Because I've got nothing left for me here. And because I know he didn't come looking for me because he figured I was dead. So I was going to find him so I could prove him wrong. I was far from dead. I was alive and ready to start traveling again.