- - - Mist and Shadows

[HELEN MAGNUS]

There was a blinding light. Like an explosion, but without sound. It came and it went in a matter of seconds, and the only thing that changed was her. Doctor Helen Magnus was no longer in her office reaserching the lastest personality-altering virus. A few blinks later, she was in a different location far different from the familiar walls of the Sanctuary. Now it seems she was at an entirely different location. It just didn't make any sense. Sure, her whole life didn't make sense. But this? It came with no warning.

She turned around in a full circle, taking in her new surroundings. The ground was paved in a mixure of stone and gravel. A pang of familiarity shot through her chest, which may have reminded her back in her own timeline. The Victiorian time in which she was born in, but never died in. Although, it did made her wonder if a place such as this did exist somewhere on Earth. If she was even still here, because it felt like a foreign place. It didn't have the air of civilisation that Earth seemed to display. This place was new. Unheard of. Secret, perhaps? well, she was yet to find anyone to find out more.

She began walking down the quiet street. There were no cars. No form of light, except by firelight. That was odd. No electrocity? She saw no cable wiring indicated modern technology. There were a few shops, which seemed quiet enough. It was just utter silence, and it was beginning to worry her. Where the hell was she? Giving herself a few moments to think, she fished out her mobile phone and began dialing one of her colleges. She tapped her foot, and hearing nothing but silence on the other end, she sighed, "Oh, come on Will. Pick up...."

[/color] Her thick british accent shone through the quiet street, making her feel even more wonderous. She gave up, and put the phone back in the pocket of her shirt.

She looked down at herself. Besides her phone, her black work-suit, which was a white shirt, black jacket and a black skirt, her heels and...that was it. Not that she had time to prepare for such events, but still. She barely had any money on her. Well, if they even accepted gold coins in a city like this. She needed to know more.

She moved slowly, at wincing everytime her heels clicked against the stone. She had been in situations like this before, and they never usually ended very well. To her, she feel like trouble was just around the corner.[/blockquote][/size]

[THE DOCTOR]

The soft shuffling of Chuck Taylors against cobble stone was the only sound to indicate that anyone was walking down the street. No rustle of fabric as his favorite coat swished back and forth, just his suit jacket with his hands tucked into the pockets: he'd left his coat back at the apartment he was now staying in. It hadn't been hard to get a room to himself, this place had apparently never taken to any form of currency. He'd had it all worked out too: flash a the psychic paper tell them he was a member of the government sent to check out the suspicious activity in the area and would require a room indefinitely, but the situation hadn't even required it. He'd been a bit put out at how easy it had all been: they'd taken all the fun out of it.

This whole place was unnervingly easy to access. The shops were all free, room and board was free, of course you didn't get to choose whether or not you wanted to stay here, so perhaps this was some sort of consolation prize for being drug here against your will. At least whoever had done this was hospitable. It was the little things that kept him smiling. Not that he wasn't taking this situation seriously: it wasn't all fun and games. He'd already met one at least, if not completely, unstable person and that meant there could be any number of them out here, mixing and mingling with perfectly normal and innocent people. Not to mention the fact that he didn't know with what sort of intentions he and these other people had been brought here.

He had become so wrapped up in his thoughts, that it took him a few moments to notice that the soft tread of rubber souls on ground had been joined by a steady click click click of what he would with almost certainty bet were high healed shoes. He lifted his head up, squinting his eyes as he peered around in the darkness. "Whose brilliant idea was it to use candle light?" he murmured with more amusement than resentment. To be fair, it wasn't exactly candle light: it was torches. But who was going to correct a technicality like that? He could make out a woman coming towards him, if the heels hadn't already given her away. She didn't seem immediately threatening, but you could never tell by appearances. After all, he didn't look like a 975 year old genius alien, did he? Well he didn't look 975.

He craned his neck a bit, seeing if there was anyone else coming along with her. Once satisfied that she wasn't bringing along a whole slew of people he smiled. "Hello there," he called out to her conversationally, one hand removing itself from his pocket to wave at her.

[HELEN MAGNUS]

Helen felt like she had been walking for ages, and yet, she still could not find any sign of life. It was beginning to worry her, and the silence was unnerving. Given that the street she was on was long a dreary, their seemed to be no activity at all. She saw shops, yet not a sign of life. She wondered if this was some desolate, downgraded city, like she had stepped in some old western film. She even expected for tumbleweed to go bouncing by, but she realised now that this was no laughing matter.

Although, this had happened to her one other time. Except that time, she awoke in an Apocalypse that wiped all sign of life, leaving the buildings destroyed. All those centuries of development, gone. Same with her friends and colleges. All turned to dust, yet she had no idea why. Now she felt like this was ultimately, the same situation all over again. No apocalypse, yet. But where was she? Given by the architecture, it didn't seem all too modern. It seemed to take some sort of....medieval style to it? She wasn't entirely sure. Although that place did not seem accustomed to the modern life she lead. In fact if any, it reminded her of the Victorian Era. There were some aspects that seem to match. Like the cobble-stoned paths, carriages laying dormant on the side of the road, even the buildings held that familiar style. It did make her wonder.

Her failed wanderings did not end there. Up ahead, she saw a man, who like her, didn't seem to fit in. He wore a pin-stripped suit, unmatching shows which seemed like converse, and he looked rather...cheery? In a place like this? He did spark her interest, though. He noticed her before she noticed him, however. He began walking up her and she stopped in her tracks. Should she ask him? Well, he did look rather lost as well. It didn't hurt to ask.

She took a few paces closer to her, enough so that he could hear her, "Excuse me! Can you help me at all? Do you know where we are?" Her thick Victorian politeness and british accent shone through, and her tone was friendly, with a bit of nervousness in there. Some of her words were somewhat shakey.

[THE DOCTOR]

The Doctor stood there waiting for the woman to notice him and luckily he didn't have to wait long. He'd say the other woman looked out of place in her clothes, but to be honest she looked like she'd come from just about his favorite time in Earth's history -- well in London on Earth. Her normality was starting to look somewhat out of place with the others that seemed to be appearing. Some of his neighbors were quite strange looking, and he'd met a giant talking head and a tiny red alien with spikes all over his face. He found it to be refreshing though. Her fashion was really neither here nor there, he should keep focused on the more pressing factor that she seemed to have the same air of unfamiliarity about her as those who had just arrived in Terra.

She had stopped upon seeing him, and in return, he began approaching her with a calm ease about his gait: no need to worry her by running over or looking intimidating - not that he'd ever thought he looked particularly intimidating, though there had been that second incarnation. He was getting distracted again. He approached her, stopping close enough to her to be able to hold a casual conversation when she began to ask him questions.

"Well that depends on what sort of help you need," he informed her cheerily. "You're English, aren't you? Oh, that's nice." Yes unless he was very much mistaken, and the chances of that were very slim, her accent was British, another refreshing quality about her and they hadn't even been properly introduced yet. He had grown so accustomed to the Tardis translating everything for him into the King's English that he had been taking the elegant vowels and pronunciation for granted.

He smiled reassuringly at her as her voice seemed to be expressing some of the nerves she felt despite her confident exterior. "Where we are?" he repeated, suppressing the urge to go off on a tangent. "The general consensus is a place called Terra," he informed her. He'd spent the better part of his day asking around about the place, infuriated and intrigued all at once by his lack of knowledge about the place. Of course his mind could pull up useless information to help him along: Terra noun earth or land as in terra firma solid ground. A fat lot of good that did him though. This place didn't exist as far as he was concerned. It shouldn't by any normal means be here, and so shouldn't exist. Yet here he was, on this planet talking to this woman. "It's a bit small, but I'm sure you'll get used to it: I have," he went on to say. "Sorry, don't think I caught your name."

[HELEN MAGNUS]

Helen was sure enough the man wasn't a threat. Being over a century old, she had grown accustomed to the way people reacted, human or not. She had studied the behaviour of humans to be able to pinpoint the average behavior of the Abnormals. All of it was quite interesting, and yet this man still kept a calm persona. Maybe she was just being paranoid, or overly-cautious. Unlike last time, she wasn't bombarded by zombie-like beings.

She stopped in her tracks, as she allowed the man to step forward a little closer and answer. Terra? Rather ironic, actually. Terra, being the latin word for earth, or land, but strangely enough, the place was not familiar in the slightest. She gave the man a friendly smile. She wasn't threatening. In fact, quite the opposite. But that didn't mean she can be nice when danger struck. Oh no, it was a strange image to find this Victorian woman still with her Victorian Etiquette and politeness, to turn dangerous at the last second. But, so far this man didn't give her a reason to do so. So, she in turn will be calm about it.

"Terra? I have heard of no such thing," She answered, with a bit of confusion on her face. It didn't seem like an earthen city, unless it was some sort of lost civilisation unheard to man. But why was she here in the first place? "I take it your new here as well? Given by your attire, you don't exactly fit in here." She was known to be rather blunt and honest, which can be a good thing most of the time. But usually her tone was friendly, so it was not mean to be an insult or sorts. Her colleges have grown used to taking her bluntness very seriously.

She held out her hand for the man to take, and nodded, "Doctor Helen Magnus. Head of the Sanctuary Institute, Old City. And you are? I'm am rather glad i'm not the only one here...This place is rather odd. " She peered around as if to emphasize her point. Actually, she was hoping that more people would show up much like this man. But, she couldn't be too picky. Who knows? There may be many others lost in the same state she is.

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[THE DOCTOR]

The Doctor eyed the woman before him with increasing curiosity and interest. There was something different about this one: he'd been around the block -both literally and figuratively in this case- enough times to realize there was something about this woman. Her eyes were older than her body - not literally of course, that would be problematic- he'd been told that once or twice in his own time. Perhaps it was jut the way she carried herself or the certain way she spoke, not quit like the women of the time she was dressed as. Of course, any suspicions he might have had as to her time of origin could wait. After all, he'd already met a story book character who seemed to have taken a dive off the deep of sanity, a woman with a sense of age about her eyes was hardly cause for worry -- yet anyway.

She went on to say that she had never heard of such a thing as Terra. He stuffed his other hand back into his pocket and shrugged his shoulders. "I imagine you wouldn't have," he agreed. "If you're from Earth, and I think we can safely assume you are, this whole place doesn't exist on any map of yours." Oh she was a clever one, wasn't she? Picking up on his out of place clothes. "Well, new-ish," he corrected lightly. "I've been here nearly a day now which makes me something of an expert." The left corner of his mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin as he winked jokingly at her. "Oi, what's wrong with my clothes? I think they fit with just about anything."

He took the hand she offered to him and shook it. Doctor Helen Magnus, she'd introduced herself as; head of some sort of institute he couldn't recall having heard of. This place was only getting more bizarre. He was so used to being in the know about. . . well just about everything about Earth. "Well Dr. Helen Magnus, it's lovely to meet you. I'm the Doctor," he replied in turn. "Head of. . . the Tardis." He let go of her hand to scratch at the back of his head. ""That's not a very catchy name, is it?" he asked more to himself, wrinkling his nose in scrutiny.

He looked around even as she did. "Yeah, it's a bit odd, innit?" he agreed. "Ahh don't worry about that, there's plenty more people here than even just you and me." He gestured towards the heart of the town. "It's not really a question of who's here or how many though," he said, his tone contemplative. "But why."

[HELEN MAGNUS]

This man, like her, did seem out of place. Yet there some something about the way that he spoke, and the way that he acted, that really caught her eye. Will probably would have picked up on it as well. He was casual about it, that was certain, and he didn't worry as much as she would have thought. Well, that may be a good thing. He was smart and analytical, yet he seemed very much as curious as she was. Actually, he seemed to be excited by that fact. Helen on the other hand, was still sceptical about the whole situation. She needed facts, not assumptions. But if both of them were to come up with idea, they may even be able to make sense of it all. And get out of Terra. Wherever it was.

Then he said something rather odd. If she lived on Earth? What? Were there other civilisations out there? "Are you saying that we may not even be on Earth? What kind of power can do such a thing?" She shook her head. It was rather weird. Sure, she dealt with monsters every day, but they all originated from earth one way or another, especially from ancient civilisations and mythologies all around the planet. Not raining down from the sky in a meteor of some sort. That was utterly obsurd. Then finally, she smiled at the mans comment of his clothes. "Well, your attire is rather, out of place. Even my collegues made do with a t-shirt and jeans every day of the week. And converse?" She raised an eyebrow, with somewhat of an amused gaze as she looked down at his shoes. Clothes did tell alot these days. Luckily for her, she was wearing modern clothes. If she appeared wearing her Victorian-style dress, then questions will be asked.

She was pleased to find that the man, known as the Doctor, returned the handshake without hesitation. That was an extremely good sign. Maybe he was just generally nice. A nice man in a unknown city. That was very good sign. "The Doctor...As in a title? Well, i'm glad to have another doctor on location. Things much just get problematic." The Doctor....of the Tardis? This man was odd in his own little way. It wasn't something she had heard before, but she was sure she and the Doctor would get along fine. As they say, 'great minds think alike'. Well, generally speaking.

She gestured for the man to walk with her, and began at slow pace just to get moving. She hated staying in one place for a long time. Besides, this man did interest her, so all the more reason to get to know him a little better. Maybe then, they kind find some sort of a connection as to why they were there, "So, might if I ask where you came from? And to answer your question before, yes i'm from Earth."

[/blockquote]

[THE DOCTOR]

The Doctor smiled: she seemed to be taking this all rather well, perhaps not quietly but definitely well. She did have a few questions which could only be expected when tossed into a new society abruptly. He still had his fair share of unanswered questions. The first she'd asked had no effect on the smile on his face as he tried to clarify things. "Nah, I'm saying we're definitely not on Earth," he said. The next part had him scratching at his head. "Now that," he began, shaking a finger into the air. "Is a very good question. Unfortunately I don't know the answer that just yet." He wasn't worried by that just yet though, it would only be a matter of time, slight pun intended, until he figured out who or what had snatched them all up.

He quirked an eyebrow at her as she explained his clothing situation. "Jeans and a T-shirt? Now where's the fun in that?" he asked, straightening up his tie. "No one's going to take you seriously if you strut around in cotton and denim. And Chucks are a very practical shoe. Good for all sorts of terrain, and you never where you might end up." He added the last part with a slight wink implying their current situation. He rather liked the comfort of the converse, not to mention the durability factor. "What about you then, eh?" he asked, tilting his head slightly at her. "You're dressed very smart for someone whose colleagues enjoy casual Friday."

"The Doctor...As in a title?" she'd asked. "As in my name," he corrected for her good-naturedly. "Just The Doctor." He felt a genuine smile stealing across his face as she mentioned potentially needing another doctor on the scene. "Well, I'm more a doctor of many things than just the one," he said vaguely.

As she gestured for him to follow, he fell into step with her. He scrunched up his shoulder at her question. "Me?" he asked. "I came from all over, bit of everywhere really." He found himself smiling again as she confirmed that she was indeed from Earth. He was doing a lot of that in such a short amount of time. He'd only gone on a trip or two since Martha had left him, but he was already forgetting the loneliness that had accompanied him on those journeys. A bit of company for any amount of time always managed to lift his spirits. "I knew it," he said, tapping his head thoughtfully.

[HELEN MAGNUS]

Helen gave the man a polite and soft smile, as she found his statement about her rather amusing. She did love his sense of humor, "Yes, well, funnily enough I was born in an early era. A woman was always required to dress her best, no matter what the occasion." Oh, the Victorian era. A beautiful period in time in which she dearly missed. Time flew by so quickly, until she was forced to advance just like the city around her.

She raised an eyebrow, but decided not to question the man. If he didn't want to give out his real name, then so be it. She didn't want to make things more complicated. After all, she seemed to have befriended this man rather well, and she figured since they were both in actual fact, lost...Well, all the more reason to stick together. Who knows what else might lurk around this strange city. "Any doctor is better than none. Maybe with both our knowledge, we can work this situation out. You seem like a well-educated man, to say the least."

She paused for a few moments, then frowned, as she slowed her walking pace. "I apologize if this sounds offensive, but, are you human? I've encountered a lot in my day, so I must be cautious. I hope you understand." Magnus was always known to be rather blunt. Sometimes offensive, if she wasn't careful. But, she was raised to be an honest girl, and be open about her opinions. Her emotions, not so much.

[/size]

[THE DOCTOR]

The Doctor only just resisted the urge to cry 'aha!' as she admitted to being from an earlier era. "I thought so," he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He'd guess somewhat before the turn of the century, though by her words alone it could have been any time up through until the 1950s by English social standards. Her being from a different era was made all the more perplexing by the fact that she didn't seem to be as old as that would dictate she should rightfully be. Yet she didn't have the same aura about her as a certain excessively confident and indestructible captain did. She wasn't a fixed point in time, but her time line did seem to be slower than what a normal human's should be.

He arched an eyebrow back at her, but was amused to note that she said nothing, accepting his name in stride. He smiled as she went on about how they might be able to work things out with their combined knowledge. "It can't hurt," he replied in turn. He tilted his head slightly in false modesty as she told him he seemed well educated. He had never exactly been quiet about his own thoughts on his intellectual prowess. "Yeah, I've done my fair share of studying," he agreed. He'd studied all around, actually. From the university on Gallifrey where he'd first gotten his doctorate, to the few neighboring planet's where he'd tailed along with some brilliant minds, back to Gallifrey for a basic medical education, and he could go on and on about all the brilliant minds he'd met up with on Earth. He'd even gone so far as to study under some when he'd first come to the planet and it had intrigued him.

His smile grew at her next question, unfazed by the blunt nature of this woman. "You are clever," he said. Some people never realized it and some who did still had a hard time allowing themselves to accept that he wasn't quite like them. Though she seemed to have caught on, she didn't seem to be worried or fearful. "No offense at all," he assured her. "My genetic make up is quite similar to a human, but with a few obvious differences. Well, obvious to me." Like two hearts, he added mentally. "But no, I'm not human: I'm a Time Lord." She wasn't the first person he'd met in a strange place that he'd told about his species, and she certainly wouldn't be the last. Of course he could never be certain whether or not it would mean something to the other person. "What about you, Dr. Helen Magnus?" he asked curiously. "What exactly are you? You dress like a 21st century woman, but you're older than that, aren't you? From a different era, you said."

[HELEN MAGNUS]

She grinned with a 'oh-really' look. But, she found this man's manner quite amusing. Kind of reminder her a bit of Henry, minus the werewolf that encompanied him every full moon. Although, the thought seemed to strike a pang of longing. Oh, her team. Being alone on an unknown world made her realise how much her collegues - her friends - meant to her. Abnormal or not, it was times like these that she needed their assistance. She was sure Will could help her figure out everyones incentive to being here, along with Hanry's technological skills, and Kate trying not to con everyone she see's. Hell, even Bigfoot would be a great ally here. Really, anyone would do.

He tilted his head at the educated comment, and she couldn't help but look amused herself. "You don't sound too sure. Perhaps experience is the right word? One can't learn without first-hand experience, and I hope to gain that from being here." Here she goes, lecturing him. It wasn't the first time she has done that to someone she has just met. She was so used to doing that with a whole class of new scientists, that she barely knows she is doing it. Oh well, better to give them pointers than to let them guess. Things would be disasterous otherwise.

The next thing he told her made her think. Really think. "A Time Lord? It sounds like some sort of deity. I must admit, I am intrigued." Well, given this new type of species, it did get her thinking. A Lord of Time? Could he have the rare ability to time travel? Her ex-husband John had the same ability. Who knew where he was now. Her heart sank slightly. Could it be possible that he is here? It was a longshot. "Talk about clever. Yes, you are right. However, I am human who was born in 1851. The Victorian Era, actually. I was the first female doctor and scientist to study at the Royal College of Surgeons in London. " Not to mention her father was one of the greatest scientists of his day. It was because of him that she grew up in a world not quite as it seemed. From an early age, she was opened up to a world of Abnormals. Those that weren't entirely human.

[THE DOCTOR]

The Doctor stared at her a moment as she alluded to him having more experience than education. "Nah, I'm quite certain," he assured her. "I have got a lot of experience as well." He grinned as she said she hoped to gain experience from this trip - he hoped it would be a trip anyway, not anything permanent: what would happen if someone issued a mauve alert? He'd come back to the Tardis blinking like a bloody answering machine: 3 billion and 72 unanswered distress signals, first unheard distress call. . .etc. He forced his thoughts away from that little welcoming and looked back at her. "There now, that's the spirit," he agreed, swinging his fist for emphasis.

"That's right: Time Lord," he repeated grinning. He shook his head quickly at the deity comment. "Nah hardly gods," he assured her, trying his best not to refer to his people in the past time. Despite the many years gone by, it was still hard to think of things that way. "Think of it more like, guardians of time." She was intrigued by them, eh? Why shouldn't she be? A brand new species before her eyes - well brand new to her anyway, Time Lords had been around forever really. "What exactly is Sanctuary Institute?" he asked curiously. "You don't seem to find the idea of an alien standing before you very shocking, and I've known a fair few people in the past, and near future I suppose, who would be."

Take about clever His grin widened. "I am rather clever, aren't I?" he asked. Oh if Martha or Rose could see him now they'd be rolling their eyes at him. His smile faltered momentarily at that thought. He had successfully not thought about Rose or Martha for a few days, but it got harder when he fell into old habits. In little more than a moment, his grin was set firmly back on his face. "Victorian Age, eh?" he asked, scratching at the shorter hairs on the back of his neck. "Good old Queen Victoria, ooh she did not like me. . ." He snapped himself out of his reverie and took in the rest of what she said. "Well you're looking sharp for 150 plus years" he informed her.

"Royal College? I went there once, ages ago, lovely campus," he commented. "Congratulations on that." He frowned though as he thought about what she'd said. She was just a human born at that time, but then how did she live so very long? "Sorry, but how exactly is it you're still alive?" he asked, cutting to the chase. "I mean it's rare for a human to live much longer than a hundred years, let alone stay so young, in the mean time." Though it seemed unlikely, he had to rule out the possibility of another Cassandra.

[HELEN MAGNUS]

Helen gave the man a somewhat, sad smile, when he said 'That's the spirit'. "Well, unfortunatly its spirit im running out of..." Something about that comment gave her mind a flashback to her daughter, Ashley. It had only been a few months since her death, but so far she had taken the loss as well as any grieving mother should. She tried not to let it affect her work, but emotionally, she was alright. She would do even better if she didn't spend her days wishing she could have done something more, or different. Anything that would have altered the events leading to her death. But she felt a deep sense of longing. Her daughter kept her company. Now with her gone, Helen felt lost. Alone, even. A feeling she was so determined to overcome. But since being stranded on Terra, she hadn't realised how much her daughter meant to her.

"Guardians of time..." She repeated, taking in that new term. She wanted to know more. So much more. She wanted to record in all in Sanctuary records. She paused, and gave him a gave him a nod, "The Sanctuary Institute was started by my father. Through him, my eyes were opened up to a world filled with Abnormals. Those that arent completely human. This Sanctuary is designed to research and protect their well-being, whilst keeping the dangerous ones out of public eyes." Oh, how she longed to be back within it's walls. It was her home. The only place where she felt like herself, and found ways to keep her occupied. To keep her sane.

She narrowed her eyes with a playful smile, "Don't get too cocky, Doctor." She folded her arms, and kept walking at a steady pace. So far, she had not seen anyone yet. They past yet even more shops, vacant as it seemed. No cars, no bikes, no stray cats, no...nothing. "You've met Queen Victoria? My word...Even I haven't met the woman in person. She did meet my father, however. " He must have travelled around, especially having met one of the greatest, inspirational women of the era. How extraordinary. He then congratulated her. "Why, thank you. I'm suprised I hadn't seen you before."

Then the Doctor caught on, and asked her the question. How did she come to live for so long? That, was a very long story. One which she'll have to simplify for him. She never likes talking about that part of her history, since it was very complicated. "Ah, that. Yes, quite right. After I graduated from the college, my father introduced me to a few other scientists, and we worked together. We were known as 'the Five'. We experiented with the pure form of Vampire blood, and I was the first to inject myself with it. I was foolish. It gave each of us seperate abilities, and I inherited longevity and resistance to disease. " She frowned, and shook her head. It definatly was a turning point in her life. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, she was yet to figure that out. Sure it did have it's perks. But to watch her entire family and friends die all around her constantly, was the worse part. An Ashley was yet another to leave her.

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[THE DOCTOR]

The Doctor flashed her a sympathetic look. He knew only too well how hard it was to keep a cheery disposition in the face of everything. "I'm sorry to here that," he replied. A millennium was a long time to still want to look at everything as a new and exciting adventure, and yet here he was a living testimony that it was possible to just that. Sure it wasn't always fun and games, as a matter of fact, a good 70+ percent of the time it was quite the opposite: fighting against all the odds, saving everyone's lives without so much as a thank you or well done, having to watch those around him die or grow old or simple move on without him. Of course there were good times too. Times when he could change the lives of a few people, or meet a race he'd never seen before, travel to new times, new places, same places but it was always happening and never dull.

He nodded in approval and confirmation of the repeated tone. "Well more like observers, technically," he amended. He furrowed his brow slightly as she went on to explain Sanctuary and it's function. "Sounds a bit like Torchwood," he mumbled to himself. Jack's Torchwood at any rate, not that awful London division. "Abnormals, did you say?" he asked, catching on to that word. Not aliens, but abnormals. "Funny, I don't remember ever hearing about Sanctuary -- I mean apart form the hunchback and bell ringing and all that," he went on.

He was beginning to develop another theory, but it seemed a bit of a stretch and so he tucked it away onto the back burner of his mind. "Cocky?" he repeated in falsely wounded tones. "Never!" He followed along, matching her pace and yet not surprised or worried by the lack of people or creatures just now. This place only had so many occupants just yet, and most that were here seemed wary of being out in a strange place at night. He nodded as she spoke of the queen. "Met her in Scotland, actually. Lost ten quid in a bet there," he mused. Not that he kept actual money on him, but then the girl who had bet him had known that. "She knighted me actually, though that was right before she banished me from the British Empire indefinitely," he admitted. He chuckled softly at that memory: he was Sir Doctor of Tardis. That had lead to Torchwood 1's existence, which had been a wonderful revelation on his part.

"I'm suprised I hadn't seen you before." "That is a bit strange," he conceded. "I thought I'd come across all the 'special' institutes. All the one's in the past anyway." His theory was seeming less outlandish and more and more likely. His expression grew pensive as she explained how she had managed to live so long. "It's the only logical explanation really," he mused aloud. She was talking about vampires and abnormals and a foundation that dealt with them all just like Torchwood. Not to mention, now that he thought about it, hadn't another woman claimed the title of first woman at that university?

He glanced up at her, a disbelieving smile on his face. It wasn't as though he hadn't experienced this before. "I don't know how they did it or who they even are, but you're from a parallel Earth an alternate dimension," he stated. He'd thought, well he'd known until just this moment, that the rifts between dimensions were supposed to be all but impossible to travel through with the Time Lords in the lock. Then again he wasn't supposed to be able to be plucked right out of his Tardis and dropped off in a strange place either.

[HELEN MAGNUS]

She noticed his look of sympathy, but waved it away with a smile, "Nonsense. It's quite alright. I mean, it does have it's moments, but so far it's bearable." She blew a strand of her hair away, in frustration. She didn't particulary like when people sympathise with her. Okay, well they were usually decent about it. But, when it does happens, it makes her feel...unwell. It was a daunting feeling, but she hated being pinpointed in that sense. She did realise she was not a normal human. An Abnormal herself, actually. Under trying circumstances, it turned for the worse. Now she was stuck with it, and had to deal with it for God knows how long. For eternity? Until the end of time itself? How ironic and as farfetched as that sounded, it was more than likely to happen.

"Observers..." She frowned, then smiled, "Not sure how i feel about that. Well, you're doing a pretty good job of keeping it in order..." Considering the universe hasn't quite collapsed yet, that seemed obvious. If she were back at the Sanctuary, she'd have requests done to analyse this Time Lord. Understand him better. His genetic make-up, and abilities. She could have a real field day with him. Well, on good terms of course. She'd have to get his permission first, and she highly doubted he'd let her do such a thing. A thought struck her, "Well, if you need a hand with any...Earthen issues. Be sure to let me know, alright?"

She slowly shook her head, "Torchwood? No, can't say i've ever heard about them before..." She made a mental note to let Henry know, and get him to research them. If she ever got back hone. That may be rather interesting, considering the Doctor compared the Sanctuary to them. "The Queen knighted you? Congratulations on that, then. Quite an achievement. May I asked how that happened?" She must admit, curiosity always did get the better of her. There was so much she wanted to know from this man, and she couldn't even begin to describe how much he interested her. How many questions she may have. But since she may be here for a while, she had plenty of time for that. Besides, considering the man to be, so far an ally, that was always a good sign.

Her heart lurched in her chest, when he mentioned she may be from an alternate universe. God. Could that even be possible? She didn't even want to think about it. Seriously, even being on Terra gave her a headache. And she'd been here for not even a day. She really could not bare to stay here. She had so much to do! Her daugher's birthday was next week. Would have been. She at least, wanted to go visit her at her grave. Was that so much to ask for? Until now, the thought never really occured to her. "I - Is that even possible?"