Time to leave this life behind

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! Alisha's alarm clock went off, waking the girl up from her lovely dream of traveling the world. She sighed, getting up from the bed, looking around at the room. Another day at the cafe... She thought as she brushed her brown bangs out of her eyes. Of course today wouldn't be different. How could it be? Alisha got up and got dressed, going to check on her Mother. She knocked on her mom's bedroom door and walked in.

"Come in, Alisha." Her mom said, Alisha going in and giving her mom a hug. "Heading off to work?" She asked her daughter.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine, Mom." Alisha answered, smiling softly.

"Still holding on to the traveling dream?" Her mom asked her, knowing fully well the answer to that question.

"Mom, no one ever leaves this town. I know I'm stuck until I die." She said, her mom having a sad look in her eyes.

"Well Maybe your day at work will be different. You never know." Her mom added, Alisha laughing.

"Yeah.. I hope." She said, waving goodbye to her mom before heading down to the cafe.

Amberville was your typical American small town. Everyone knew everyone else, and nothing strange ever happened. Oh sure they talked of the murder that had happened out by the lake a few months ago, but that was slowly dying down. Other than that, the town was quiet, everyone going about their daily routines. Nothing ever changing. This of course frustrated Alisha. She was tired of being stuck in the small town life. But stuck she stayed, having to care for her mother. As she pulled up to the cafe, she hoped and prayed something would happen. So that she could leave this town and her boring life behind for something better.

It was May's 21st birthday. Almost exactly one year since Torchwood 2 had shut down and May had had to adjust to a normal boring life. It was difficult. Especially when you were half alien. May now had a low end job at a local cafe in Amberville. Amberville was one of those places that nothing ever happened. The most excitement there was a murder that had happened months ago. In truth, May was quite intrigued by the murder, but she couldn't see any connection to aliens there so she couldn't find that much of a reason to care. Reluctantly, she pushed open the doors to the cafe.

Alisha walked in the same time that a new girl did. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said, giving her a soft welcoming smile. She walked over to the counter to get her apron on to get to work quickly. She stopped when she realized the girl was new to the job. "So you're my new co-worker?" She asked her, holding her hand out. "My name's Alisha." She said,wondering who would choose to move here of all places. Was she trying to be stuck in a boring old town? "Just one thing though. Welcome to hell on earth. I am serious. Nothing happens here. And I mean nothing."

The Doctor held up a newspaper over his face, studying the article on the murder closely with his glasses placed loosely atop his nose. Once the glasses fell too far down, The Doctor pushed them back up with his index finger, shifting his attention from the paper just enough to notice a new waitress to enter the cafe followed by a young woman who reluctantly entered. Thinking nothing of their entrances, The Doctor turned his attention back to the paper then released a sigh as he placed it down onto the table in front of him, "Silicon" he mumbled, recalling the last sentence in the article, "They found traces of silicon fibers on the bodies of those killed..but why...". The last sentence intrigued him the most, not because of the murder but the evidence, or lack of, found there apart from several strands of silicon fibers. Raising his eyebrow, The Doctor waited for a waitress to pass by his booth and once she did, he lightly signaled her over, "Excuse me. Sorry..emm..what is that lake where the murder happened?".

The waitress eyed The Doctor carefully before responding, "Lake O'Charles, few blocks away from here. Found some bloke and a lady there on the edge of the lake. Officials say we aren't supposed to go over there for a while so they can gather more evidence. Why?", The Doctor shook his head, "Nothing..just..curious". The waitress nodded then walked off to place the order in for the booth in front of The Doctor, who peered down once more to the paper before thrusting up from the table and striding out of the cafe. Glancing through the window of the cafe as he passed by, he caught the eye of the waitress who entered but quickly looked away as he strode out of view. Within minutes he arrived at the lake, caution tape surrounded the crime scene area but no police in sight as The Doctor moved under the tape and knelt down beside an evidence marker. There in between the blades of grass as a hair like fibers, gently moving in the breeze. Taking out his sonic screwdriver, The Doctor scanned them then quickly reviewed the scans, "Normal silicon fibers but much more condensed..they shouldn't be able to be seen with the naked eye yet here they are." he mumbled to himself as he peered across the surface of the lake in front of him.

"Yeah," was all May could think of to say as she shook Alisha's hand. "May." she said with a polite nod of the head. She really wasn't good with people. She saw a man in the cafe already. He looked vaguely familiar. What she didn't realise was that he was one of the many faces attached to the Torchwood file on the Doctor. But then she'd had any involvement with that case file, so there was no reason for her to remember him. She shook the feeling of deja vu off and turned back to Alisha, searching for something to say but coming up with nothing. What a great start.

Lionel the cat was whining. He seemed to whine a lot. It was kind of annoying to Nate. Nathan Shawn Stevens - Extraterrestrial Investigator. He was a sorts of private detective. An odd sorts. "Suicide." Nate declared. "How did you come to that conclusion?" Lionel demanded. "Silicon. Suicide. They both begin with an S." Nate announced proudly as his car drove into Amberville. By his car, it was actually his neighbour's car. He'd borrowed it. "How are you a detective..." Lionel remarked in disbelief. "Because I'm awesome." Nate retorted, stopping the car near the scene of the crime.

Of course, Lionel's part in this conversation sounded more like 'meow meow meeeow' than 'How are you a detective...' and such but Nate had decided he had a special bond with this house-cat he'd stolen from a bald man claiming to be Jesus reincarnated, and renamed Lionel. He knew he could understand every meow that cat made. Or rather, he interpreted every noise the cat made. It was named Lionel after an actual talking cat Nate had encountered in a rather peculiar adventure involving, an alien planet, lots of silver, and a man with unnaturally short hair and a tendency to say 'fantastic' too much who called himself the Doctor.

Nate knew there was something off about this case from the moment he read it in a newspaper on his 'homeless' run. Basically he ran around London and gave homeless people a dollar in return for a seemingly useless piece of information that inevitably proved to be useless. Nate got out of the car, Lionel leaping after him. "Life is good..." he muttered as he walked towards where the bodies had been found. "I guess it must suck to be dead."

Alisha gave her a small smile. "Well maybe something exciting will happen and we both can leave this boring town. You know, go on an adventure. See exciting new things. New places, dangers, just fun stuff." She added, handing May an apron. "You got table 1. Mr. Anderson always has black coffee and two sugars. Since you're new, he might tip you big." She instructed her, moving to table 3 for the breakfast rush. One of the waitresses stopped her.

"There was a man here earlier asking about the murder. He just left.. I thought that the murder was to be kept quiet." She said, making Alisha confused.

"What do you mean? He probably heard it online or from someone here." She said, the girl rolling her eyes.

"I sent him to St. Charles lake. Maybe you should go check it out. Might be your big chance to get out of here."

"Oh, Angel. You know I can't leave this job..."

"Alisha... the boss has said you need time off.. Go take it." Angel said, Alisha finally nodding as she walked over to May.

"Hey, May. I've been told to take some time off. I'll help you out tomorrow." She said, smiling at her new co-worker before heading out the door and driving to the lake.

Robin groaned in annoyance, ducking her head down as a man followed her persistently. "Come on, miss, just a penny!" 'I don't have any money!' She shouted for the millionth time, pulling her hood over her head and abruptly turning the corner. It wasn't a lie either - yet again, her pockets only contained notes - not valid in America. Maybe she should just go steal a cent or two and please the man? Nah, he had already annoyed her to the point of no sympathy. As she heard him begin to speak up once more, she spun around in the spot and pulled down her hood, jabbing a finger into his chest. 'Listen, mister. I don't have any money. I will not give you any money. Now shove off!' With that, she hurried down the sidewalk to ditch the old hobo.

Eventually, she came across the cafe she was meant to meet the Doctor at in... negative 10 minutes. Lucky for her, he was late. Again. So maybe not so lucky. One of these days she was just going to force him to wait while she did 'human things'. Sighing heavily, she pushed the door open and made her way inside, tucking a strand of flame red hair behind her ear. Still distracted by her thoughts of the annoying old man, she managed to bump into one of the waitresses. 'Oh, sorry,' She apologized, just then looking up from her feet. Gosh, when was she going to learn to pay attention?

The Doctor turned his attention once more to the fibers which he rubbed between his fingers, then suddenly a pair of voices echoed down from atop the hill, immediately grabbing his attention. Eyeing where the two men were coming down from, The Doctor bolted in the opposite direction, finding himself on top of the hill overlooking the lake within a matter of seconds and securely surveying the men from afar. Once interest in them died down, The Doctor turned his attention to the fibers, which he held in his hand, "I can run this through the TARDIS data bank...see if i can get a read on it" he reasoned with himself out loud before shifting his body, and attention, away from the lake and towards the TARDIS that stood in the corner behind the cafe.

After looking both ways, The Doctor jogged across the street, passing the cafe window once more before going out of view the immediately turning left and being met by the doors of the TARDIS. The Doctor smiled as he inserted the key and opened the door, squeezing through before shutting the creaking door shut behind him and flinging his trench coat off so it slung over one of the supporting coral columns. "Right then! Let's see what you are!" He exclaimed, flopping the fibers onto a reader in the control console then pulling the scanner over to him nonchalantly.

"Something exciting." The words echoed through May's head. She needed something exciting. May nodded good bye to Alisha and thanks for the hint, then headed to table 1. Over the course of the next few minutes, she was moving from table to table, carrying drinks and small plates of food. She didn't like the job, but she was efficient. Her audiograhic memory helped, remembering everything she heard.

Olivia, after pulling her denim jacket around herself tightly to stop the chilly air from biting her skin, made her way down the comfortable streets of Amberville. Although it isn't too comfortable now. She thought to herself; ever since the recent murders happened, she found wandering the streets alone to be a little on the frightening side. She didn't jump at every little noise, no. Paranoia was just in her nature. Whenever she passed someone or heard a distant dog barking, the girl couldn't help but feel a shiver running down her spine. Was she being too childish? Of course not.

Deciding to take the shorter route home seeing as it was an option and she was in a hurry to get home, Livvy turned into the alley next to the cafe that led out to the next street on the other side. She couldn't help but worry about what might be lurking in the somewhat dark shadows, though she swallowed her fear and quickened the pace as she stepped into the unlit alleyway. Part of it seemed to be blocked by something fairly big and her curiousity got the better of her as she stepped up close to inspect it.

"Oh wow..." Olivia mumbled to herself as she realised it was a police box or something. She couldn't entirely see the colour of it seeing as it was so dreary, but she reached a tentative hand out to lightly knock on what she assumed to be the door. "Hello? Is... Is anyone in there?"

By now The Doctor had his brainy spec's placed comically across his face, hanging down slightly off of the edge of his face as he hooked up several wires to the silicon fibers resting on a scanner plate in the control console. Suddenly a knock echoed throughout the TARDIS, causing The Doctor to shift his attention towards the doors and gently place his glasses down on the edge of the console. With a groan, The Doctor strode down the ramp and over towards the doors, "Every time i am on the verge of something. There's always a knock!" he exclaimed before yanking open one door, only to be immediately met by the face of a young girl. "Hello..." He said in a mumbling tone, actually surprised to see her standing there instead of a cop or someone of importance, "Emm...sorry..i'm sort of using this right now." he stumbled, gesturing back to the TARDIS with his thumb, "It's busy. You'll have to check back later".

Concluding his reply to the girl knowing at his door, The Doctor slowly closed the door half listening to what the girl was saying, "Sorry, sorry, i really have to go" he insisted just before closing the door fully. One the door was shut, the rolled his eyes, "Humans sometimes" he mumbled as he walked back up to the control console to continue his work on the fibers.

Alisha pulled out to the lake, looking out at it. This is ridiculous. She thought, wondering why there were so many new people in town. Why would they all come to a boring little town that had nothing exciting happen. But then she realized something. The murders... it probably has something to do with that. Oh man. Amberville does not need that negative press. She sighed as she looked over to where the bodies had been found. Alisha walked over to the spot and started digging, wondering why she was so intrigued. Something's different here. I just know it. This isn't a normal murder. She thought, coming across a vial of something. It was dark blue and seemed to be gel like. Knowing better than to just leave it there, she figured she would take it to the police. But then she saw the blue box. "What...." She said softly, walking towards it. She noticed a young girl and smiled.

"Hi... um... anyone in here?" She asked, pointing to the box as she knocked on it. "Um.. hello? Is anyone in there? I was wondering if you could take a look at this vial? I don't know what is it, but it's dark blue and gel like..."

(I was invited and now I see my chance to bother David brilliant)

Peering around the corner of the doorway, Sonya raised an eyebrow at what the Doctor said to the young girl before shutting the door in her face and walking back to the console. "Care to explain why we aren't on Io right now?" She finally stated bluntly, walking over to see what he was doing as she spoke, her eyes roaming the screen curiously then flicking up to her friend's face. "Go to sleep you said, get some rest you said. We'll be on Io when you wake up you said..."

Trailing off, Sonya shook her head and fell back into the jumper seat, her legs propped up on the spot next to her while she turned her attention to the door across the room from them. "Not to mention the fact that you just gave the worst excuse in history to someone that randomly knocked on your TARDIS doors, a TARDIS, I might add, that is usually unnoticed by innocent passerby too."

Nate looked around the town, his eyes darting all over the place. Nate had done some research into Amberville. Until these murders, nothing had happened. Literally nothing. It was actually kind of creepy. Maybe aliens were behind it. Nate stopped, cocking his head to the side as he considered this possibility. "That's ridiculous..." he decided outloud. "You're ridiculous," Lionel the cat responded, weaving between his legs. Nate looked at his cat for a moment then nodded, "Yes I am. I should look into that possibility after I've actually done some work and solved this case." There was a strange sense of pride to Nate's words. "When are you planning on doing that?" Lionel the non-talking cat purred. Nate now faced a decision he often had to grapple with during cases such as these. He could head to the crime scene and search for clues or, he could go get a drink. He chose the only real option and so headed into the local cafe, a grin spread across his face.

The Doctor groaned, placing his hand over his face as Sonya appeared before the console as he turned back from turning a girl down at the doors of the TARDIS. "I thought you had gotten off ages ago" He joked with her, knowing full well that she had not gotten off instead, had been on for far longer than usual, "Right about this time you would have been with several incarnations of me, off bothering them but...i'm afraid you've picked a favorite and have latched yourself". He stopped as yet another knock echoed throughout the TARDIS followed by a different female voice, only making The Doctor that more irritated, "This time, you answer it" he told Sonya as he approached the console, reviewing the readings on the scanner as he stopped in front of it, "If it were up to you, this TARDIS would be a people carrier...traveling with hoards of people each time. I mean, aren't there..what...twelve of me by now? Hang on...one...nine...twelve, yeah, twelve. Where in Rassilon are they?! Why can't they show up and be bothered?".

Sighing, The Doctor placed one hand into his pocket and ran his other through his hair, "Sometimes i think i'm the only Doctor left...." he mumbled, eyeing the silicon fibers resting on the scanner plate, "I've got to figure out what this stuff is before it shows up somewhere else..the less people here to get hurt the better and easier it is".

The problem with an audiographic memory, was that you really cannot un-hear things. May could remember all of the customer's orders and exactly which was which, but she could also remember every comment they'd made. Every terrible joke she'd been tortured with, every remark about the waitresses that the old man in the corner thought they couldn't hear. Everything. It was her first day on the job, so nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. One of the waitresses, Angel, May remembered Alisha calling her, muttered to May: "Lot of newcomers today, that's odd," as yet another man entered the cafe, this time accompanied by a cat. May searched for a response but came up with none. There had been Early newspaper man who had now left, the redhead who bumped into Imogen, a fellow waitress, and now grinning cat man. And May of course. She was technically new. It was almost May's lunchbreak. Thank god for that, she thought as she came to the next table. "Hi, how can I help you today?" she said in the tediously fake voice all the waitresses had been trained to use.

Olivia blinked as a man opened the police box, having not expected someone to actually answer her knock as she studied him with a curious gaze. He wore somewhat formal clothes; not anything like a black suit, but his clothes didn't look too casual. His words to her finally registered in her mind as the strange man slowly closed the door, and she took a step back on instinct. "Oh, right... Sorry to bother you, then!" Livvy softly called out, a somewhat awkward smile on her face as she turned back down the alleyway before leisurely walking down the narrow path.

Sonya rolled her eyes at his theatrics and stared up the the ceiling above them in silence before answering him with an odd tone in her voice. "Your the only one that understands me anymore, Doctor. You know all that I've been through... Your the only one left from when I first started on this journey..." Frowning slightly, she rubbed at her eyes with the heels of both of her hands in frustration. "I can't even find my brother anymore, how pathetic is that?" With a forced laugh, she focused her attention on the coral strut opposite of her just as another knock echoed in the console room.

Feeling a wry smile form on her face, Sonya got up and went to answer the door for her friend, her head shaking from side to side slightly as she pulled it open only to reveal a different woman this time. Blinking in surprise, she looked around the area outside, checking for someone else. Finding no one, she returned to staring at her, leaning forward until her nose almost brushed the woman's, her eyes locked onto her face before leaning back. "Blimey, are you a shape-shifter? Last time this door was open, you were younger and... Different, now here you are older and... Well different." Leaning forward again, one of her eyebrows raised up and spoke again, her tone dropping down to a whisper. "Are you a wizard?"

Olivia was about to turn into the next street on the other side of the alleyway before hearing feminine voices coming from behind her. Turning around with a small frown to see who was talking, she froze and blanched upon seeing a female answering the door for another person this time. Where was that man who spoke to her before? Strange. "Uhh..." She mumbled, either wondering when that man got out and walked off or wondering how two people could fit in that average-sized police box. Probably both. "Right, then..."

((Sonya... I can't even x3))

Robin took a seat in a booth near the door, just deciding to sit down for a bit. If the Doctor didn't show up in 5 minutes, she'd actually bother to order something. Then something caught her sight as they sprinted past the shop window - the Doctor? No, wrong one, but still. That was odd - and seeing as this town was virtually lifeless, what would he want to do here? She shook her head at the thought, of course he wasn't actually here. She was just going insane. Well... going... Anyway! Sighing quietly, she curled up in the seat, staring out the window with her forehead pressed to the glass. Not that it would be much more interesting than the inside of the cafe, but at least those people were farther away and wouldn't spot her stalking them.

Then her eyes landed on a rather peculiar man. What made him so peculiar, she wasn't exactly sure, but the way he had a cat circling his legs - which he seemed to be talking to with pride - just made him feel... off. Most of the people in this town were fairly average from what she'd seen, and she'd go as far as to say they were too average. But this guy.. He practically stuck out like a sore thumb. Part of her wanted to get up and confront the stranger, but her rational side - or what little she had left of it - was telling her to stay put and not to be creepy. As if her stalking wasn't already. To her luck, he had decided to enter the shop anyway, cat trailing along behind him. Didn't people usually make a fuss about animals in food joints? Hm, showed how attentive they were... Twisting in her seat, she continued to watch and see if he actually did anything other than look like a loon.

Nate took a seat at a table that was already occupied by a young(ish) girl. Robin. Leaning forwards he grinned and said quietly. "Don't be alarmed. I work for Interpol." He lied as he waved to a waitress and gestured to a bottle of cola. "I need you to tell me everything." Fearing that she might start explaining scientific phenomena, or worse, spoons, he quickly added: "About the murders." Lionel the cat shook his head in disbelief but said nothing. Presumably because it was a cat. Nate could feel him glaring though, and shot him a stern glare of his own before turning back to Robin expectantly.

The Doctor shook his head and turned his attention back to the silicon fibers in front of him, suddenly a reading popped up on the scanner and he yanked it closer. One word read on the scanner, Eldrad, "Eldrad.." The Doctor repeated several times in a mumbling tone, wiping his face with both hands as he continued to repeat until he stopped and an image flashed in his mind. "Eldrad!!!" He exclaimed, shooting up with life from the side of the controls and turning and running down to Sonya, who's back faced him as she spoke with those outside of the TARDIS, "Sonya! It's Eldrad! The fibers are from Eldrad..". The Doctor stopped as he looked at the people outside, trailing off and eventually stopping his rank as he forced a smile and nodded at them, "Hello". It was the only word that came to mind at the time as the rest of his conscious was processing his recent find.

As interest peaked in The Doctor's mind about the thought of Eldrad coming back, the more difficult it was to keep it from appearing on his face as he was forced to nudge Sonya out of the TARDIS along with him so he could close the door. Once sure the gathering group of people did not see the inside of his TARDIS, The Doctor nonchalantly placed his hands into his pockets and leaned up against the doors behind him, "Sorry about that. Nice to meet you, my name is Inspector Smith and this is my partner..Norris. We are investigating the recent murders at the time and are very busy..so if you don't mind, we'd like to get on with our investigat-" he stopped as his eyes met the vile in which one of the women held in her hand, "What's that you've got there?" he asked her curiously.

Robin jumped, eying the strange man with the cat curiously. Interpol? What sort of agent would carry around a cat? Obviously he was lying - because no sort of agent would carry around a cat. Pausing to think of something other than 'not from around here, try someone else,' she came up with a story and smirked. 'Well, you see, it all started on the second Tuesday of last week. The first person was murdered using Clown Poisoning - surely you've heard of it? It only affects people with blue-orange color blindness. Well anyway, they murdered them, then hollowed out the body and filled it with soup. The second murder was done almost the same way, except they were filled with butter. The third was murdered using a fork, actually, not quite sure why.' With that, she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, almost unable to keep a giggle in her throat. 'Now, how about you tell me who you really are and I'll tell you what I actually know?'

"I'm going to toss you into the endless storage room I found when we get done here for that." Sonya hissed in an undertone, her smile forced once she heard the name he had given her before flashing a more convincing grin at the people in front of them. "She's a wizard, that's a potion, moving on. You were saying Eldrad, care to explain or are you going to ramble on about something I don't know until you finally realize for yourself that I have no clue what you're talking about." She asked with her eyebrows raised up, amusement clearly showing on her features before her head shook from side to side.

Turning back to the girls, she rolled her eyes. "Norris is a last name, I prefer to be called Sonya." She added, completely ignoring the Doctor's alias he gave her. "And he rambles a lot, so be warned."