This story will be part of a series where he will meet all of the Doctor's incarnations. The rest of that series is here and the complete original series of his adventures can be found here. In this section, I gave Alan and the Doctor a chance to talk.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four



Alan followed the Doctor through the streets of DC. "So you really came here for a break? You seriously thought you could get away with that?"

"Things have been a bit...rough for me and Martha recently so I thought a good knees-up would help. I sort of miscalculated."

"Miscalculated into a war zone. Sounds usual for you. Martha seems a nice girl. How did you two meet up?"

"Strange happenings at her hospital. She caught on quick without panicking and risked her life to save me."

Alan felt this was an ideal opening to ask about Rose but somehow knew the timing was wrong. The Doctor would just clam up in that way he had no matter what incarnation. Instead, he kept to the reason they were heading for the outskirts of the American capital. "Any ideas what we're looking for? 'Mysterious creature' is a rather vague description."

"Well, I'm hoping it's just men dressed up in costumes to scare the population. That would be so much easier to deal with."

"And if it's not?"

"Then it'll be much more difficult." He stopped suddenly and crouched. "Now that's interesting."

"What did you find?" Alan asked, coming up beside him.

"Tracks from our mysterious creatures." He reached out a hand to touch them. "They seem canine in nature at first glance."

"So we're looking at wild dogs, wolves, something like that?

"Only if they've learned to walk upright."

"Well, that crosses natural occurrence off the list."

"Put yer hands on yer 'ead!" came the order from behind them in a Mancunian accent. "Turn 'round slowly."

Alan and the Doctor complied and Alan saw four armed British soldiers. A raiding and reconnaissance party most like. He looked to the Doctor for a sign as to what approach he wanted. The Doctor shook his head so there was to be no confrontation-yet. These were only infantrymen after all, and probably had itchy trigger fingers. Keep them calm and no one will get hurt.

"I didn't realize we had wandered so far afield, did you?" the Doctor asked Alan. "You see, we were following the Raphus cucullatus. They're very elusive, you see, so we were naturally absorbed in tracking it."

The soldiers just looked at the Doctor, unsure of how to handle his babbling. The corporal simply motioned with his rifle for the two prisoners to fall in behind two soldiers while he and another followed.

"Does Martha know about Rose?" Alan asked, jumping into the conversation with both feet. "Does she know what happened to her?"

The Doctor looked at him sideways. "You know about Rose?"

"Jack told me of Canary Wharf. He also says you abandoned him."

"Yeah, well. I was about to regenerate so I wasn't exactly thinking straight."

Alan studied the Doctor as best as he could without actually stopping and looking him in the face. He was holding something back. "There's more to it than that, isn't there? You knew about Jack's...condition when you left." The Doctor looked chagrined. "That's why you left him!"

"You don't understand. He's wrong. What happened to him was wrong and never should have happened. Rose-Rose had the power of the Time Vortex running through her. She brought Jack back to life but unknowingly took it one step furhter. It changed him permanently, re-writing his DNA in some way even I can't grasp. He won't die-ever."

"All I'm saying is Jack needs an explanation. You'll meet up with him sooner or later as he's waiting for you."

"Then when we meet, it will not be by choice."

Alan spared a quick glance at the soldiers before continuing. "Before we close the topic completely, I told Jack there was a chance Rose survived since you were involved." Alan saw the anguish in the Doctor's eyes and almost regretted bringing it up. "If you don't want to talk..."

"No, no, it's all right. It's just--"

"Shut it!" ordered the corporal.

Oh, so close! "We must be nearing the camp," Alan whispered to the Doctor.

A soldier stepped out from the shadows and demanded a password which was given as "Badajoz". They were then allowed to pass into the camp proper which was small, maybe ___ men. Certainly not the main force, that was for sure.

Their escort led them to a tent near the center of the camp. "Sir, permission to enter," requested the corporal.

"Come in, Butler," answered a tired voice.

Butler pushed aside the tent flap and entered. "We found these two at the spot where Evans and his men were taken," he said as Alan and the Doctor were pushed inside.

Alan saw a tired man in a green jacket of a rifleman's uniform. From his understanding, this was just the sort of thing they'd do, similar to Rangers.

"And just what were these two doing that you felt the need to reveal our presence? Chasing after a stray sheep, perhaps?"

"No, sir, Maj. Sullivan, but--"

"Well, as they're here now we'll-Good Lord! Kelly, is that you?" He moved past Butler to face Alan. "It is you!" He gripped Alan's hand in a firm shake. "Why didn't you say anything, man?"

Because I don't know who the hell you are! The officer, Sullivan, obviously knew him so that could only mean somewhere in Alan's own personal future, he'd meet the man in the past. Alan looked over at the Doctor who offered nothing more than a crooked smile. OK, think of something general. "I don't pull rank anymore as I'm no longer on the army. Even if I had, what were the odds that someone would know me?"

Sullivan chuckled. "You always were a modest one."

Alan heard the Doctor scoff.

Sullivan continued after raising an eyebrow in the Doctor's direction. "All of my men know the story of how you saved my life at Salamanca. Hell, they probably know it by heart."

"I believe most of His Majesty's Army does, sir," put in Butler, his voice now tinged with awe.

"So, what is a hero of the Peninsula doing here?" questioned Sullivan. "Especially one no longer in the army."

Alan looked to the Doctor hoping the man would come up with something to distract them.

"Yes, hello, I'm the Doctor." He gave a little wave. "The colonel and I were investigating some disappearances and strange sightings reported in the city. We had just uncovered some interesting tracks when your men found us."

"'Colonel'?" Sullivan looked at him. "Someone else got a promotion."

"It's a long story," Alan said, not wanting to get into it.

"He's now a royal bodyguard. The promotion came with it." The Doctor grinned.

"Not so long after all."

"Royal bodyguard, eh? Sounds an easy job. Any extra perks?"

Alan held his fists at his sides. "Please tell me that's a poor attempt at army humor. If not, I might need to call you out. And, having saved your life, I really don't look forward to taking it."

Sullivan paled. "There's no call for that. It was uncalled for. One tends to forget the social niceties away from London."

"If you're done with the posturing, we've something more important to discuss." The Doctor looked at the both of them.

"Right," Alan agreed. "Go on."

"Now, Major, your man Butler said he found us at a site where some of your men disappeared, right? And of course you believe the Americans are behind it. Now, the Americans are also experiencing people disappearing and they blame you. This leads me to believe there is a third party taking advantage of the situation."

"The animosity built up from each side blaming the other would extend the war, bringing more soldiers into the area, more people to go missing." Alan considered the implications. "It's a nice little scheme."

"But I don't think that prolonging the war is their main goal. They're taking people and there has to be a reason for it." The Doctor began to pace. "Now, according to my source, bot men and women are being taken of varying ages and class."

"An equal opportunity abductor," commented Alan. "No discrimination."

The Doctor ruffled his hair, making it stick out at all angles. "The ages are from teenagers through mid-forties which is considered prime of life, right? To my mind, that means they want workers, laborers."

Sullivan was incredulous. "You two are completely mad! Why would anyone need to abduct workers? They could easily buy them in the southern slave markets."

"That's assuming they had a choice," said the Doctor.

"Stranded?" Alan questioned. "That could make them desperate."

Sullivan shook his head and looked at Alan. "This new job of yours, are you in the sun?"

"You haven't even heard the strange part." Alan looked to the Doctor. "Should I?"

"You know him," the Doctor replied with a shrug.

And in knowing him, getting him to believe in aliens would be asking a bit much. "If I explain it to you, you'd say I was insane and have me locked away. The threat itself is real. People are disappearing, possibly dying, and you can help us try to end it."

There was silence in the tent as Alan and the Doctor waited for Sullivan to answer. They definitely needed the soldiers' help because he and the Doctor couldn't do it alone. There was just too much ground to cover.

"You earned my respect at Salamanca. You kept your head in all that confusion and I don't believe a madman would have. If I can help prevent any more abductions, I will help you."

"Good man!" Alan clapped him on the shoulder. This might work after all.