The Town With No Hope (Third, Jo, Arielle)

[Deleted]

Warning, some dark material referenced. The opening is based off true events although the timing has been changed and the English town name is currently omitted.

Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr
1974

Seventy two lost souls. All had been ruled suicides, although not all had given any sign of being suicidal. It baffled the local police and raised a furor among the press, but nothing any one dug up could provide an explanation.

Why had so many young people, their friends and relatives, all decided suddenly that life wasn't worth living?

In a town as small as this, those left behind had to muddle through as best they could, but there was no forgetting. Few in town had not experienced loss to some degree. And fewer still more than young Arielle Evala.

If only she could remember what it was she had lost....

[Deleted]

"Jo!" the Doctor called, racing up to the TARDIS console. "Jo, get up here!" He stumbled as the time machine shook and the cloister bell rang, but regained his balance and started trying to bring his beloved ship under control. They'd just been drifting through the vortex until something had caused this situation to arise.

Sparks flew from one of the panels which caused him to duck down a little, but he was undeterred. The Time Lord reached across to spin a dial which resulted in a more violent shake. "Come on old girl..." Looking up at the scanner, his face paled. It was looking to be one of the time machine's less elegant crashes.

"JO!"

[Deleted]

The clothes swung from their hangers and fell off of shelves. In the wardrobe Jo grabbed out for something to steady herself. They were in the TARDIS, the Doctor and her, and they were on their way to a party in Manhattan, New York during the height of the roaring 20's. At first it had seemed like a pleasant trip. He had managed to convince her to join him in the TARDIS and the ride had gone smoothly. Not so much anymore.

Now violently shaking Jo could hear the Doctor's yells from the console room. "Coming!" she cried out as she struggled to walk to the door. But the TARDIS was shaking so much that it made it hard. The fringe on her dress swung as she staggered towards the door.

Slowly, inch by inch the door came closer. Out in the hallway she made her way down to the console room. Hugging the walls she could hear the Doctor yelling again. "I'm coming Doctor!" she shouted out again, turning the corner.

Stumbling into view Jo fell against the TARDIS console knocking a button in her landing. Falling back Jo grabbed onto the side of the TARIDS and looked at the Doctor her eyes wide. "Whoops..." was all she could manage.

[Deleted]

There had probably been a time when the clattering arrival of the Doctor's TARDIS would have actually generated a proper amount of interest, if only for the screeching clatter it made. But that was before this curse-like gloom had settled over the town like thick fog. You seemed to breathe in loss. Your own and that of your neighbors alike. It was all the same.

Arielle had not heard the TARDIS land, and perhaps for the best too. But she was still young enough to be curious at the sight of a police box that lay at the end of a very faint trail of gossip. Most of the residents seemed to be avoiding it. Or perhaps they were searching for its owner. Sure, the days of those boxes were over for the most part, but maybe the local beat had called in some sort of backwards reinforcements?

They'd have to be backwards to believe what was happening here, after all.

No one quite wanted to find out. Arielle didn't know any better.

She just wanted to find what she was missing.

[Deleted]

Surprisingly enough, the TARDIS began to become less turbulent after Jo knocked into her console. "Thank you! That's just what we needed," the Doctor said with a smile. But evidently he spoke too soon, as the most violent shudder yet rocked the ship. "Or not...hold on tight, Jo. We're being knocked off-course, and I'm afraid a crash is inevitable."

He was about to help her into a safe position, but as he started to move towards her, an impact hit the floor. It sent the Doctor falling over his feet, unable to grab the console in time to stop himself. A few moments of silence passed. Then he groaned, getting up and dusting his red jacket down. "Jo?" he asked, going over to her. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, I hope. I'm afraid we might've missed our destination by a few decades," he commented, glancing up at the scanner.

[Deleted]

Jo's wide, scared eyes turned into pools of relief as the Doctor praised her. For once her 'ham-fisted' mistake had been the right thing. Just as she was about to point this out to the Doctor a quake rocked the TARDIS. The triumphant grin left her face as she struggled to hold onto the TARDIS console.

But there was nothing to hold on to and she tumbled to the ground. Rolling about the TARDIS shook and Jo cried out slightly. Tumbling around and around the TARDIS abruptly stopped.

Everything was still. Everything was silent. Laying sprawled out on the ground Jo, moaned slightly in response to the Doctor. "I'm fine. Shaky and dizzy, but fine." Jo mumbled. Still on the floor, Jo refused to move until the world stopped spinning.

Hearing his comment she glanced over at the Doctor. "How far did we miss it by?" she asked him, the suspicion and skepticism clear in her voice.

[Deleted]

The Doctor was relieved to see his companion was unharmed, and he started to help Jo back up on to her feet. And the tone of her voice told him that she was fine. "We're in 1971," he answered her question. "Not quite the Golden Twenties, I'm afraid. I'm not too sure where we are though."

After checking her over again, he went over to the console and examined the instruments. "We were hit by some sort of temporal turbulence, very rough. And...oh, how interesting." He really hadn't been expecting that. "It appears we've landed in a parallel universe," he said to Jo.

Not wasting any time, he went over to the stand and took his cape down, starting to pull it on. "Comimg for a look around?"

[Deleted]

Suddenly appearing right above her, the Doctor helped Jo to her feet. The room refused to lie still so Jo lightly grasped onto the Doctor’s arm to stabilize herself. Soon the room behaved and slowed down. Letting go of his arm Jo watched him skirt around the console and check the scanners.

”1971?” Jo repeated, her brow knitting together in confusion. ”But… we left from 1971 Doctor. Did we even move?” But he answered her question, only seconds after it left her mouth. A parallel universe. They had moved to a parallel universe in the same time.

Curiosity struck Jo as the Doctor grabbed his coat. He wouldn’t have to ask twice. Grinning broadly at him, she followed him out of the TARDIS. ”So will it look like UNIT out there?” Jo asked since they had only been at the UNIT headquarters only a few moments ago.

Her heels clicked as Jo followed the Doctor out. Though under her excitement and curiosity, Jo felt worry. If things looked bad, she would ask to go home. But first she wanted to see what greeted them outside.

[Deleted]

If he was to be honest, the Doctor would say he would find it unlikely that they had landed in the exact same place they had left their universe from. Or maybe they had, and instead of UNIT HQ, there was something else there. Like a bakery, or a library. Either of those would be good. It was a parallel world, a number of things could be different. So why spoil the surprise by deliberating about it?

"Why don't we find out?" the Doctor asked Jo, grinning as he pushed the console's door mechanism. They opened and he went out, looking around them. "Well, it looks to be somewhere quite a bit different from UNIT."

They were in the middle of a street in a town. Already the Doctor feel an eery atmosphere about it. Something had happened. Or maybe it was just him. So he decided not to mention it just yet. "Shall we go find the locals?"

[Deleted]

The door opened and Jo followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS. To her disappointment there was no mirrored UNIT outside the doors.

Instead a small road in a country village was outside. Stepping out carefully onto the gravel Jo shivered the moment she was out. It started at the base of her spine and ran up, leaving hairs standing up. Shivering Jo glanced at the Doctor. "Chilly here, isn't it?"

Jo didn't know if it was the cool air that was such a contrast from the warm TARDIS. Or if it was the fact that the street was deserted. Or even that this place just gave Jo an uneasy feeling. But something was off about it here.

Tugging lightly at the Doctor's sleeve, Jo's eyes darted around him. "I don't like it here Doctor. Can't we go back into the TARDIS? Or even home?"

But of course he wanted to see the locals. The Doctor was always curious. Still she could not shake the willies this town gave her. But Jo knew that she could not change the Doctor's mind. Mutely she glanced at the Doctor, still holding onto his arm lightly.

Jo could not change the Doctor's mind. So with her arm still on his Jo finally nodded in response.

[Deleted]

Creeping up on the strange, loud box from behind, Arielle was already quite confused from the few snippets of conversation she had heard.

"What's UNIT?" she wondered aloud. They made it sound like a place rather than a standard of measurement.

~TARDIS~

The word whispered and hissed in her ears, like a memory from the past, but a firmer voice inside her spoke up too quickly for Arielle to grasp it.

"Are you with the police?" she asked in a louder tone, full of authority for all her petite height.

[Deleted]

The Doctor could see that Jo instantly felt like she didn't want to be here. She said it was chilly, and then she said she didn't like it. Was she thinking the same as him? Was she getting that uneasy feeling? Perhaps. "Don't worry, Jo," he said, patting her arm. "We'll just have a quick look around, and be back home before you know it. Don't worry about a thing."

Giving his companion a reassuring smile, the Time Lord moved to step forwards, but stopped as he heard a small voice. He went and looked round the side of the TARDIS, and saw that a young human girl was there. She looked sad, or lost, or something along those lines. And there was a spark of innocence. "Hello there," the Doctor said, going over and giving her a smile.

"Are you with the police?" she asked in a louder tone, full of authority for all her petite height.

Now, that was an interesting question. Of course, it could've been the police box. But people normally asked if a stranger was with the police because something had been happening. It appeared that uneasy feeling wasn't just there for no reason.

The Doctor decided to answer the girl's question. "Yes," he said, nodding. "I'm detective John Smith, and this is my partner Jo. We're here to help. Might I ask who you are, young lady?"

[Deleted]

Jo sighed out and glanced at the ground. A quick look? Nothing was ever a quick look for the Doctor. "Oh Doctor, save it. I know you never mean a quick look. You always find something." Jo chided him.

The hairs on the back of Jo's neck stood up. Whatever was wrong with this place it gave her the willies. Why couldn't the Doctor ever land someplace safe and fun? Hadn't he ever hear of 'curiosity killed the cat'?

A voice sounded behind them and Jo turned, startled at the voice. A young girl stood behind the TARDIS. She asked if they were with the police. Jo was about to respond that no they were in fact not the police when the Doctor answered first.

So they were supposed to be the police? The Doctor was up to something. Being police must open more doors in this situation. Jo thought about it. Being the police did have some perks in bad situations.

Deciding it was best to play along Jo smiled at the woman and offered her hand. "Hello I'm Jo Grant. What's wrong here?" Questioning was good right? The police questioned.

Jo hoped that there wasn't something wrong here, but the chill in the air told Jo otherwise. It was creepy here. Something was wrong. It was going to be another one of those days wasn't it?

[Deleted]

((OOC: Arielle is young here, as in a teenager, not Jo's age. Probably fourteen or so, physically.))

The gentleman who introduced himself as John Smith did not, Arielle noted, answer her question about what UNIT was. And maybe that was why his partner - Jo Grant, she said - seemed to not totally agree with his introduction.

But then again, maybe they were under the covers? What was the term... undercover?

Secret. Hidden.

Might I ask who you are, young lady?

"Arielle Evala, sir," she answered promptly. "Born 1960, student at... oh, some Academy."

Why did she feel the need to rattle all that off? It wasn't important at all.

As long as she cooperated with them though, surely more information was better than less.

What's wrong here?

It seemed rather slack of their department to not inform their detectives of what the problem was, but the problem was so hard to detail or explain that Arielle accepted it without trouble.

"But that's the trouble, miss. No one knows. But... you can feel it, can't you? The emptiness?"

[Deleted]

"But that's the trouble, miss. No one knows. But... you can feel it, can't you? The emptiness?"

The Doctor listened to her, and nodded. Though he wasn't sure if it would be called an emptiness, per say, there definitely was something. Almost sinister. He planned to find out what. "Well, that's what we've come to find out, Miss Evala," he told her. "Would you care to lead us into the town? We've never been here before, you see."

Straightening himself, he started forwards, motioning his companion and the girl to follow him. "Now, as something happened here?" he continued to ask. "All we know is that something is wrong. Perhaps you can enlighten us as to why. Your help would be greatly appreciated."