The Girl Behind The Watch (A Doctor Who Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Three: At Your Service

I crouched down in front of the man, the Doctor right beside me, a hand on my shoulder. I gently touched my finger tips to the man's face.

"Oh, but what are you?" The Doctor asked.

"Is that, uh...some kind of carnival mask?" I shook my head.

"No...it's real."

"I'm sorry," The Doctor told him, "Now listen to me. I promise, I can help. Who did this to you?" I saw a shadow and I looked up to see more pig men coming.

"Guys?" Martha warned, "I think you'd better get back here." They came around the corner. "Guys!"

"Actually, good point." The Doctor grabbed my waist, pulling me off of the ground. We started backing up, the Doctor sliding his hand from my waist to clamp around my wrist.

"They're following you." The pig men slowly inched towards us as we backed up towards the others.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks," He replied, "Well then, Martha, Frank, Solomon. Catherine."

"What?" Martha asked.

"Um...basically...RUN!" We turned in the other direction, taking of running, the Doctor pulling me behind him. I yanked my wrist from his grip, taking the lead, as I knew these tunnels the best. 

"Where are we going!?" Martha exclaimed.

"THIS WAY!" I shouted, turning a corner. There was a ladder at the end. I climbed up quickly, attempting to open it. "It won't open!"

"Use this!" The Doctor tossed me a little metal cylinder. "You have to-" I pressed the button, scanning around the port hole and pushing it loose, climbing thorough it. I helped Martha up, then Solomon, then the Doctor. Frank started up but the pig men grabbed his legs. I grabbed his hand, and the Doctor grabbed his arm. "I've got you. C'mon! Come on!"   His hand slipped from our grasp and the men dragged him away.

"NO!"  Solomon dragged the Doctor and I out of the hole, closing it as the men started climbing the ladder. "We have to go back!" I screamed.

"We can't leave him!" The Doctor chorused.

"I'm not losing anybody else! Those creatures were from hell, from hell itself!' Solomon shouted back, "If we go after him, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry." I stood up,slapping a shelf, causing it's contents to rattle.

"Alright then, put 'em up!" I looked up to see a blonde girl with a thick accent pointing a fake revolver at us.  Nobody did. She cocked the gun. "Hands in the air." They complied, except me. "That goes for you too, toots."

"I would but...the gun's not real." I said.

"You really wanna find out?" She asked.  "Alright, no funny business. Now tell me, you schmucks. What've you done with Lazlo?"

"Who's Lazlo?" Martha asked.

"Follow me." She gestured with the gun for us to move. She lead us out of the room and down the hallway.

"Oh, here's your thing back." I handed him the cyllinder.

"You knew how to use it." He said. "How?"

"I...I don't know. I don't even know what it is, but my instincts told me to push the button and scan, so that's what I did." We stopped at a small room, The Doctor and I going slightly inside the door, and Martha and Solomon staying in the hall. The blonde sat down at a vanity, looking in the mirror.

"Lazlo's my boyfriend," She stated, "Or he was my boyfriend until he disappeared two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs-"

"That's ironic." I muttered.

"But not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy ask you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"Yeah, it might-might help if you just put that down." The Doctor said, eyeing the gun.

"Huh? Oh, sure." She tossed it aside and the Doctor jumped. "Oh, come on. Girlie's right, it's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that o a spear."

"What do you think happened to him," I asked, "Lazlo?"

"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip. Vanished."

"Listen, uh...what's your name?" The Doctor questioned.

"Tallulah."

"Tallulah." He repeated.

"Three L's and an H."

"Right. We can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures," Solomon chimed in, "Such creatures."

"What do you mean, creatures?"

"Look, listen, just trust me," The Doctor told her. I rolled my eyes. "Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is." He held up the jellyfish thing, "Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

"Yuck."

~~~

I went back to the prop room with the Doctor, while he scavanged for parts.

"What're you looking for exactly?" I asked, "Maybe I can help you look."

"I can handle it. Why don't you go back with Martha and Talullah?" I rolled my eyes.

"Of course." I scoffed. He stopped, looking at me.

"I get the inclanation taht you don't like me very much." I rasied my eyebrows.

"Do you now? Maybe it's 'cause I don't."

"Fair enough." he walked away from me. I sighed.

"Look I..." He looked at me again, stopping. "I know you're just trying to help, or...whatever. You know things, and such but...you're swooping in trying to be my hero or something, but fact of the matter is, I don't need a hero. Nobody's been around to protect me since I was a kid, so I don't need some strange man popping up out of nowhere and telling me what I can and can't do." He nodded.

"You're right...I'm sorry." I nodded.

"Thank you." I looked over at a shelf, picking up a radio. "What about this? Can you use this for...whatever it is you're doing?" He took it from me, taking the cover off of it.

"Perfect. It's the capacitors I need. I'm just rigging up a little DNA scan for this beastie. If I can get a chromosomal reading, I can find out where it's from."

"Where are you from?" I asked. "I've never heard anybody talk like you do."

"Same with you. You seem to comprehend things that others this day in age don't."

"Who exactly are you?" 

"Oh, I'm just sort of...passing by." He replied.

"Doctor...I'm not an idiot."

"No...sorry again." I nodded. Solomon came in. 

" We've gotta get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we got to protect ourselves. Ain't no one else going to help us."

"Good luck." The Doctor said, looking at me.

"I hope you find what you're looking for, for all our sakes. Come on, Catherine." I looked at the Doctor, making eye contact. I feel drawn to him. Like...I don't want to leave him.

"Actaully...Solomon...if it's all the same with you, I I'm gonna stay here...see how i can help." He nodded.

"Good luck." I nodded, giving him an impromptu hug before he left us. I turned back to the Doctor.

"Just...tell me what you need, Doctor. I'm at your service."