Why Exactly?

Sonya blinked over at Robin then lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Some humans are more susceptible to a psychic connection than others. You have a rare line of thought that is easy to hear." Stepping out of the TARDIS, she took a deep breath of air and felt a grin spread across her face. It had been a long time since she had last been on New Earth. And it still smelled the same, applegrass, brilliant. Turning around to face Robin, she flashed the girl a smile. "Come on, stop thinking about how different we are and start walking. I want to meet this friend of yours."

Robin decided not to ask how her thoughts were 'rare' and giggled, walking out onto the planet. New Earth, absolutely beautiful. She wished the original could be this pretty. "Alright - assuming you read my mind and took us to where she lives, we must be in New Michigan." Taking a look around, she tried to figure out exactly where they landed. "What, did you just extract her exact address from my head or something? She's only a couple streets away!" She turned to look at Sonya, surprised at their luck. Or just impressed by Sonya's mind reading. Whichever was the case. "Well come on, then," she giggled, starting to stroll down the sidewalk, avoiding the road. Sure the cars were flying boxes now, but whatever weird science they were using to do so wasn't something she wanted to be walking in.

A black figure with six soldiers following it in a protective position walked- or marched- down the street of New Earth.  It was still amusing how New Earth named everything after their mother planet.  Everything but the capitol, of course.  The very capitol the black figure flew from to get here.  The reason behind it was strictly business.  Sign a few contracts and be off again.  That was, of course, until a phone call informing the figure of a TARDIS landing in this very city.  It shifted the mission and with a quick command, the soldiers searched the streets.  The figure hoped it wasn't the Doctor, not that there was anything wrong with him.  He just may have something to say about the way things were being run here.

The figure broke away from the searching soldiers, casting its own search and finding this beneficial when it spotted Sonya and Robin.  Ah, so it wasn't the Doctor after all.  Deciding to have a little fun, the figure drew a gun from the holster.  Sneaking around a few buildings, it found a perfect position and suddenly sprang out in front of Sonya and Robin, gun raised and the electronic voice said sternly, "-Halt. Stay where you are-"  The figure was dressed in a spandex base, black plates were placed on it in a form of armour and it wore a slick black helmet that resembled a biker's.  

It grinned from under the hood and raised a hand to the mask, where its fingers touched it lit up orange, suddenly hissing as the visor rose to reveal a familiar, but older, face.  It was Mal.  She looked to be about forty and the smile on her face indicated she was pleased to see the two here.  She put the gun back in its place and laughed joyously.  "Well look who it is.  It's been so long, darlings!  How have you been?  Fantastic, I assume?  What brings you to New Earth?"  

Mal asked a lot of questions though the tone of voice could come off as unnerving.  Well, would you expect to hear any version of Mal happy, spunky, and, most terrifying of them all, confident?  Even the way she held herself showed power in her self belief.  Her head was raised, back straight, her hazel eyes appraised the two in front of her as she waited for their answers.

Sonya blinked her eyes for a moment, trying to come to terms with Mal's appearance then shook her head sharply. "Mal, wow... You..." She mumbled, her words hardly coming out as she struggled to work around the mental block that appeared once she spotted the familiar woman. "You... You've gotten older." She finally managed to say, her shoulder's lifting slightly in apology as she stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. A cloud passing over her expression as several thoughts stamped themselves into her mind.

This is why I never stayed in any one place for too long. So I could avoid this. Even if I had gone the long way around and lived without jumping through time to this point... I would hardly look a few years older, granted, a new face would have appeared by then, but I wouldn't look hardly any older than I am now. A low sigh escaped her as she glanced down at the ground under her trainers. Today would be a long day.

Robin stopped in her tracks as a shadowy black figure jumped out in front of them and scolded them, her face molded into a look of surprise. What, did they accidentally break a law already? Was it illegal to land a spaceship on this street or something? She really hoped that they weren't in trouble again, but that tended to be the case most of the time. 

As soon as the figure revealed her face and proved to be Mal, Robin couldn't help but grin at her. Sure she was a bit older, but it isn't often you meet the future version of a human - she tried her best to keep her Earth visits linear. "Hi Mal!" She giggled, waving at her excitedly. Looking over at Sonya, she let her smile fade. What was so bad about seeing her here? She tried to think of anything that could be wrong with this - then she realized. This was New Earth. And Mal was here. "Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you would have preferred the old Earth, a lot less trouble to get into there, yeah?" She frowned, beginning to question if this was even the real Mal. How would she have gotten here anyway?

"Oh, don't look so suspicious, hun. You really have to know how things are established before visiting." Mal tossed her head and laughed before continuing, "New Earth was a planet discovered suitable for human life thanks to the hubble satellite all those years ago. People almost immediately jumped at the chance and developed this place through years of investment. New Earth is the first human colony, I'm assuming more is to come in the future. Old Earth, as you call it, held nothing for me. I needed out so I took it and decided coming here would be a nice change." She shrugged her shoulders and eyed Sonya a little, her smile slipping as she observed her expression.

What Mal left out about coming here was she was appointed head of the Torchwood organization. And through a little prodding and influence she basically became the woman who ran the whole planet. Though the average citizen didn't know that. Mal was a behind the scenes kind of girl that was riding this place with the skilled handling of its reigns. This prevented conflict and drawing unwanted attention towards herself. Fantastic!

Shaking herself out of the dark thoughts that surrounded her, Sonya forced a grin onto her face and gestured at Mal with an idle hand. "Well, you look rather good for how long it's been. Good to see you, if I had known it was you that Robin was talking about, I would have came sooner. We stopped off to see a shower of rocks hit Sirius for a bit. A little sight-seeing anyway, care to show us around?" She rambled, trying to cover up her sudden bout with depression with mindless chatter and a large smile.

Ignoring the fact that Mal wasn't the friend she was talking about, Robin simply smiled and went along with what Sonya said. Oh well, she could visit her friend later, it had been forever so she had probably forgotten about her by now. "Yeah, what's new in New America besides the name?" She grinned, mentally laughing at her bad joke since she knew no one would.

"What do people do for fun in this time period?" Robin asked, not exactly knowing which year his was. Maybe her friend wasn't born yet. Maybe she was dead. Oh well that's a great thought. Thinking back to the subject at hand, she remembered the types of things they did back on Earth. Now that she gave it some consideration, she realized that the things they thought were fun weren't bad. They were terrible.

"I'm not quite in tune with New Michigan but I can still show you around to the best of my knowledge. This way." Mal turned and began walking the way Robin and Sonya had initially been going. She pointed out the buildings they past, indicating this was down town and where all the shops were located. "We have sections in every city, you see. A section for shopping, industry, businesses, living, and military needs. Oh, I know you probably don't like the thought of military but we absolutely need it. We weren't the only ones to discover this planet and had to fend off alien invasions early on in New Earth's life. We won, obviously. Oh, by the way Robin, it is 2036 currently. I honestly don't know what fun there is around here. This place isn't that old and everyone contributed in making it successful through work. Though we did bring over sports and children can play in the designated areas."

Coming out of the shopping area there was a large building that was solely black and had no sign indicating what it was. "This here is Torchwood. You will find a Torchwood establishment everywhere on New Earth, not just in England. The reasons should be obvious, the alien invasions aren't just focused on New London. Ha, oh that is a funny name. It's our capitol but that isn't what it's even called here. Anyway, honeys, is there a specific area you want to go?" Mal turned and smiled pleasantly at Robin and Sonya. She began to wonder how long they were staring and started to itch with worry that it would be too long and they'd notice too many things they did not enjoy. Maybe that's why Mal had been so upfront with them about the military..

"Ma'am!" A voice called out as one of the soldiers came trotting over. Mal shook her head at him angrily and he slowed, appearing confused in what to do next. "You didn't inform us...." He trailed off when Mal's stare turned to a scowl and instead he looked at Sonya and Robin and bowed his head.

Sonya let out a low breath, trying to ignore the fact that New Earth was basically a military planet run by Torchwood and focusing on the good things. Like football, she was sure there were children somewhere playing football for fun. Exercise, that was what she needed to do, not enough running in her book. Or by the Doctor's, blimey the man rubs off on you when your around him too often.

"So... Sports, what kind of sports do you lot do around here? Football is a given, but what about any new ones that might have been created, yeah?" Sonya asked brightly, casting a curious glance over at the man before returning her gaze on Mal. For all of her cheerfulness, the woman looked very angry about something. "Anything you want to share with us?"

Robin was beginning to get nervous. She could understand Mal not being shy around them, she just grew up a bit. But this was a bit different than that. By the way she acted in response to the man - who was suspicious enough - was a bit of a shock. That and the fact she knew all of this stuff that was probably top secret and even unknown by the government. 

All she was planning on doing was going to visit an old friend and hang out a bit, maybe drag her into an adventure, and now she was sitting her analyzing Mal because she didn't trust her - and Mal was one of the people she trusted most! "Um.. what's going on...?"

Mal turned to look at Sonya and then Robin in turn. Her smile returned brighter than ever as she replied in a shrill voice, "Nothing's the matter, loves. Don't you worry your pretty little selves over it." As she spoke she managed to wriggle her way between the two and placed a hand on each of their necks, on the back to be specific. The impulse left her hand and entered the two, making them feel like this was nothing unusual and no big deal. She looked at the soldier and jerked her head subtly so he scurried away.

"What was that you were asking about sports? Oh, no, we haven't made out own. Sorry to disappoint. This is basically Earth but all the races and cultures are one. We are never at war with one another. Isn't that fantastic?" Mal led the two away from the Torchwood building and entered a park. It was a large grass area with a few hills and trees scattered among it. There was a path a benches and a few garbage bins. It looked rather normal though the smell of pears was wafting in the air.

Of course these two would be getting curious. Thank god for her ability. It would be a shame to kick them off the planet or even imprison them here if they ended up getting in her way.

Sonya's eyes narrowed slightly as the psychic brush of emotion slipped through her mind. Slamming down a mental barrier, she shook off Mal's touch and stepped away from the woman. One thing she couldn't stand was when someone she trusted thought they couldn't trust her with anything. "Right. Well, since you seem to have everything under control here. Why don't we leave, Robin? I'm sure Mal here has plenty to do besides escort us around." She hissed from between her teeth, shooting an irritated look at her older friend before grabbing Robin's wrist and steering her back towards the TARDIS. "Nice to see you again, maybe we'll stop by once more when you aren't so busy with... Stuff." She tossed over her shoulder as she strode off, not even bothering with a glance back at her.

"Wait what? Why?" Robin frowned, trying to pull her arm away from Sonya. Nothing felt bad about this place, it all seemed kind of nice. What was so bad about it? Nothing seemed suspicious to her, it all seemed like it was fine. Then it hit her. Mal was touching her neck. And Mal was... 'persuasive'. Turning to Mal, her face was in complete shock. "What? How could you! We're your friends, do you really have to keep secrets from us?" At this point, she wasn't sure that they should leave, because something sinister might have been at work. Or Mal was just being paranoid, as usual.

Mal's smile never left her face though it did drop into a small smirk. Of course, she should have guessed Sonya would notice her little trick. That was a little irritating but at least she was leaving. At Robin's accusation, Mal tilted her head innocently. "Secrets? Why would I keep secrets? The only secret I've kept was that of my ability. Well, and the fact this is my place. It was going to be a surprise. Now look, you ruined it, that's no fun." She even pouted out her lip to try and draw some sympathy or guilt from the two.

"Why would you keep secrets, Mal? I don't know, maybe you should tell us things rather than try to cover them up." Sonya snapped, her irritation breaking through the careful smile she had placed there. "You know, it had been a while since I saw you, and quite a bit longer for you, I'd wager. But that is no way to treat people that have been there for you." Looking over her shoulder at the woman, she narrowed her eyes then shook her head. "This is your place? Well enjoy it, because honestly, I won't be around for you to show around and show off to. I refuse to be around anyone that thinks lying to me is the best thing to do."

Robin felt as if she was in that awkward position where her 2 friends were having a fight and she didn't know which side to choose. On one hand, she could give Mal a chance and try to figure out what was going on, but loose her ride back to Earth. On the other, she could jump back into the TARDIS with Sonya and leave Mal alone. Biting her lip, she looked between the two of them, unable to make a decision between her friends. 

With a sigh, she walked over to Mal and away from Sonya. It just didn't seem right here, and she didn't want to just leave and let... whatever was going on... happen. "Sorry.. I just... kinda wanna stick around and see New Earth..." She lied, head ducked down. She hoped Sonya wasn't going to hate her for this, but she didn't really know what to do. Her gut instinct was to stay and see what was happening, so that's what she did, regardless of how stupid it was.

Mal opened her mouth to say something to Sonya with that fake smile on her face but a soldier on her way back to Torchwood caught her eye. She quickly reached over and grabbed the soldier's wrist, making eye contact with her but neither of them spoke. It was as if an unspoken agreement passed between the two which made it obvious Mal had worked her magic. The soldier went about her way at a faster pace and Mal focussed on Robin and Sonya once more.

"You might not want to miss your ride, Robin." She purred to the young girl, clamping a hand on her shoulder as she quickly shifted the conversation "But this is how it's always been, hasn't it? You've always been quite loyal. Is it because I've kept your little secret for so long?" A small smile played on her lips. Lifting her head, she narrowed her eyes to look at Sonya and finally started stepping back and away from them.

"Yes, anyway, you were right. I'm a very busy lady. I have lots to attend to, so much more to plan and execute. I'm sorry if I am not who you thought I was but that's what ageing does to a person, it changes them. Not like you would understand." It seemed as if Mal was intentionally jabbing at Sonya, trying to get something out of her, perhaps. Or even distract her from leaving right away. Her intentions weren't clear. In fact, for all the two knew Mal could now be a very bitter person and there was no meaning behind what was said at all.

"I keep no secrets, Mal. But apparently you have." Sonya snapped, stopping in her tracks and staring at her with a pained expression on her face as she watched her back away. "And you think I like flaunting the fact that I can't change like you do? Do you think I like seeing one of my closest friends in pain?" She shook her head, forcing the pain away from her face and replacing it with fabricated anger, a hand reaching out to Robin as she did. "Come on, we're going somewhere that we can be trusted."

Dragging her back towards the TARDIS, Sonya cast another look over her shoulder at Mal, a silent message passing from her to her older friend. With a low sigh, she ducked inside as the doors opened, already beginning to ready her for flight. "Be quiet, stay low and don't wander off." Sonya warned the younger girl as she finished what she was doing and moved them from where they were sitting on the street and into the very base of Torchwood. "We're going investigating."

Robin had to keep from shouting at Mal. How the heck did she know her secret?! She didn't say anything or show her, did she? Well... timelines... Biting her lip, she allowed Sonya to drag her the rest of the way into the TARDIS, starting to think it was a better idea to get off this planet after all. Everything that was going on right now... Mal was even stooping so low to insult her friend!

Snapping out of her trance, she looked up at Sonya. Investigating? Oh great, so they weren't off the planet. The one time there's an adventure she doesn't want to have, she's being forced to have it. Oh well, still adventure, just a bit more... serious. She didn't want to think about what might happen... With a sigh, she turned around, following Sonya's instructions and opening the door slowly, stepping out quietly once she confirmed that there was no one around.

Mal watched them leave with a small smile on her lips. She turned and walked to the Torchwood building, the doors sliding open at her presence and closing with a sinister hiss. Once inside she walked down one of the corridors and disappeared behind one of the several doors.

A group of soldiers were found lounging around a round table but at the sight of Mal they promptly stood up and saluted. "Ma'am!" She waved them off and put her hands on her hips. "Track and secure the ship. Privates, come with me." She pointed at two people and beckoned before walking out of the room with a sense of purpose in her step. This was going to be fun! Entering a lift she headed to the fifth floor with the two privates and disappeared from there.

Sonya followed Nat quickly then locked the door ehind her. Turning around, she slipped her Sonic out and pointed it at the TARDIS. Seconds later it ground into action, vanishing from it's previous spot. "Sent it a couple of seconds into the future, won't be here in this timeline, but I'll get it back." She murmured to Nat softly before tucking her Sonic back into her pocket and slowly making her way towards the door at the far end of the storage room they had landed in. "Come on, I want to see what the hell it is that Mal is hiding from us."

Robin nodded quickly, following Sonya to the door. She crossed her arms around herself, not really liking hanging around Torchwood. At least it wasn't 53rd century yet, but it was still unnerving. Lucky for her, she could avoid any paradoxes, unless someone here was going to live for 3000 years. Mentally sighing, she tried to push away the thoughts and focus on the situation at hand.

Walking up to the door, the felt a slight bit of relief for the window at the top. Well, she could reach it, but Sonya could. Then they wouldn't have to wander out and practically beg to be captured. Then again, that was if Sonya bothered to look through it at all. "Make sure no one's out there?" She whispered, gesturing to the window before crossing her arms again.

Guards were posted at any which way. If there was a door, someone was there to guard it. This wasn't the normal protocol but the whole building was informed of what was going on and acted accordingly. They had picked up traces of the Doctor's TARDIS and a group of men were preparing to step in and contain it. Little did they know it had already vanished from this timeline. Well, the crew was also on their toes for the intruders Mal had warned was more than likely lurking around this building. This was the most internal action this group of people had in their history of being established in New Michigan, it was rather exciting.

Unfortunately for Sonya and Robin, not much would really be found in this particular branch. All of Mal's files and such were sprawled in her office in New Earth's capitol. Well, there was a computer that allowed access to said files but that was where Mal currently was. She stood at the computer and typed, embarrassingly slow, on the keyboard. She always hated technology.. even now. Given, she was better at using it now...

Shaking her head she muttered a curse as the passcode refused to work. It took her several tries before the access was granted and from there she tried to figure out a way to delete or at least hide the files from view to anyone looking for them. One of the privates began to speak, more than likely about to ask if she needed assistance, but one glare from Mal shut him up and she continued her work in silence.

Glancing through the small window, Sonya spotted a couple of men standing on either side of the door, waiting for them to appear. "Well... That's a tad unfortunate..." She murmured, turning around and casting a quick searching glance at the room before spotting a grate on the wall next to where the TARDIS was parked. "Come on, I found a way out." She said quietly to Robin, tugging on her arm gently and leading her over to it. Pulling her Sonic out, she quickly removed the bolts holding it to the wall and gently set it on the floor. "Come on, get in." She urged the young girl, lacing her hands together and crouching down so she could lift her up to the air duct.