Before You Die

We waited by the hollow wall for somebody to respond, but all that we heard was silence from behind it.

“Well,” I sighed leaning against the wall. “This is fun.”

“YOU decided to come here,” the Doctor replied giving one last final look up the wall before leaning his back against it. “All right? That means this is your fault.”

“Excuse me?” I replied in mock-horror. “Danger follows you around, not me. I mean, it’s no wonder you always end up nearly dying, you pretty much go looking for trouble.”

“I do NOT go looking for trouble, I just…happen to be a bit of a magnet. But it’s not like you’re any different.”

“Oh I don’t know, I’m still on my first visage.”

“That’s racist and you know it.”

“It’s not racist,” I pondered. “It’s more…is there even a word for it in the English language?”

“Alienist?” the Doctor guessed, staring back up the wall.

“I guess. Wow, I can’t believe I never asked that in school.”

“I don’t think your teachers would have known.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s right. But you do know that half of them were Pevalimon right…”

“Yeah, Jack told me. By the way, I never asked. What do your parents know about all this.”

“This?”

“You know Torchwood, aliens, Me.”

“Everything,” I said. “Bar you. Which reminds me, can you do that fancy battery thing to my phone.”

“What would you say if I said no?”

A second later I had his sonic screwdriver in my hand and the back of my phone off.

“I have got to find a new pocket for that,” the doctor murmured to himself as I super-charged my battery, finding myself with reception again.

“Thanks,” I said flipping the screwdriver back to him and slipping my phone back into my pocket.

“You know what,” he said as he put it back in his pocket. “As soon as I get my Tardis back we are going to go and get you your own. I know an old friend on the black market who might have some. Well, he definitely has some, it’s just whether or not he’ll sell them to me.”

“What did you do?” I asked wearily.

“Well, it’s not so much me as him. You see, he’s alienist.”

“And that’s what makes me the better person don’t you think? At least I won’t kick you to the kerb.”

“Do you really think you’d be able to?”

“Doctor, I am lethal in a fight. You seriously wouldn’t want to fight me.”

“No,” he muttered. “Not today, but maybe some other time. You see, I’ve just realised something and I am internally kicking myself for not realising this sooner.”

“What?”

“Tardis Tracker,” he said pointing his screwdriver at the wall. It buzzed softly towards the wall but as he turned to the left and grew louder.

“There’s got to be a back way,” he murmured as we ran out of the alley and back into the throng of people. The Doctor seemed quite capable at battling crowds when he had a serious need to, I however felt no need to run and so moseyed on like the rest of the people, until I felt somebody tap me on the shoulder.

Looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hooded figure behind me. My reflexes kicked into action and without hesitating I spun around punched them in the face. The person fell to the ground, flailing about in their billowing robes. People glanced at us as they walked past, but nobody stopped.

“THAT HURT!” a familiar, muffled, voice said. I looked down at the mass and saw that they clutched their face. I wasn’t surprised – I had punched pretty hard.

“Is your nose broken?” I asked, crouching down to the person’s height.

“It HURTS!”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t go around tapping strangers on shoulders. Now, let’s see who’s behind the hood.” I leaned over and pulled the hood off his face to see a familiar hand covering a very familiar face.

“Benjamin Brown what the hell are you doing here?”

He sat up slowly and looked up at me. “I was looking for you, but I see that I may not want to. Is this how you greet all your old friends?”

“Sorry…I’ve gotten a bit paranoid since I last saw you.”

“I’ll say,” he responded. “Obviously you know how to throw a punch as well.” He touched his nose and began to move it. “Good thing you didn’t break it.”

“Next time you do that I might.” I began to walk away but he caught up to me easily.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Let’s just you know, be friends again. You kind of disappeared off the face of the earth and no one knew where you went.”

“And you found me…how?

“Luck,” he replied smugly.

“And what’s with the costume. No offence, but walking around like a Dementor isn’t going to get you many girls.”

“I was rehearsing for Halloween,” he replied.

“In June.”

“Yes…well no, but I-“

“What are you doing here Ben? Speak fast, I got to be somewhere.”

“So do I,” he muttered.

“Then why are you here?”

“I need your help,” he said quietly.

“For what? My day’s of being the unofficial teacher’s assistant are over.”

“No, I believe this is more your forte.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, resigned.

“Deknera,” he replied. “I have two Deknera assassins after me.”