Chapter Text
Lassiter, Iowa
1980
Harold crossed the welcome sign of Lassiter without even looking at it.
He estimated to have at least half an hour ahead of the CIA - time for them to understand that interrogating his father would be useless and finally leave him alone - and he would make the most of that advantage. Everything Harold needed, from his new name document to his belongings, was into his Ford Ghia and ready to follow him through six or seven States up to Massachusetts. Twenty hours or even more, then he would be left alone too.
He was evaluating his first stop when something in the sky distracted him. At first he thought it was a small plane that might have crashed or had run over a flock of birds - an unexpected help if it would slow down the CIA - but when Harold adjusted his glasses and narrowed his eyes, that thing looked like anything but an airplane or any of the birds he had observed with his father when he was a child.
Indeed, now that he slowed down and looked better, that thing looked like a person.
Harold pulled over to the side on the road and got out of the car. He gave the sky a quick glance, as if to say goodbye to the blue box as it receded with a trail of smoke, then ran to where he had seen that person fall.
The person was a woman in her thirties with shoulder-length blond hair, but it wasn't her appearance that intrigued Harold, nor her clothes that were battered and way too big for her size. Indeed, he found much more curious that she had landed on her feet.
«Nice that I landed on my feet, Borusa would be proud of me» she said triumphantly and stretched her back. Harold cleared his throat.
«Miss, are you okay?».
The woman turned away from him, then she turned again and Harold backed away as she staggered towards him: «Why did you ask me if I'm okay?» she asked.
«Because you fell from a burning thing in the sky».
«And why did you call me miss?».
«Because you are a woman, I guess».
«Really? Do I also have red hair?».
Actually, Harold thought that she didn’t have much sanity, but he considered even wiser to keep this thought to himself. Anyway, she made an evasive gesture and put her hands on her hips.
«No, don't tell me, I want to see it on the TARDIS» she fell silent and sighed: «By the way, you said you saw me fall from a burning thing, right?».
«Ah-ha».
«Was it by any chance a blue box this tall?».
«Maybe».
«Did you see where she went?».
«Over there».
«Great, thank you very much!».
«Um, okay?».
The blonde woman greeted him with a wave of her hand and Harold reciprocated with a shrug. She took two steps away from him, then fell flat on the third step.
«Hey, is everything okay?» Harold asked in alarm.
«Yes, yes - you know what they say, don't you? Regeneration is a lottery» she reached out to Harold and he helped her up: «Normally I would have had the TARDIS for this things, but you know...».
«I imagine so» Harold shook his head and pointed to his car: «Look, if you need I can give you a lift».
«Great idea».
«But I won't be with you for long».
«An appointment?».
«Something like that».
«Oh, don't worry - getting people at their appointments almost on time is my specialty».
Harold preceded the woman to the car, his mind evaluating how to make that unexpected event less problematic for his run. He opened the passenger door and let her get into the car, then made sure the road was clear before doing the same with the driver's door.
«Ah, you didn't tell me your name» she said when Harold started the engine.
«Harold».
«Harold who?».
«Harold, um, Wren».
She tilted her head at that hesitation, then shrugged and looked out the window.
«Now that I think of it» Harold said and she turned: «You didn't even tell me your name».
«I'm the Doctor».
«Doctor who?».
«Wren who?».
«Touché» Harold muttered to himself and put into second gear.
***
«That's all?».
«I think so - no, wait» Harold waited for the Doctor to reach him and dump a radio-controlled car, a toothbrush and a lighter. The cashier resumed chewing her gum and passed it all without batting an eye: «Now is that all?» she asked.
«Yes, how much is it?».
The cashier mumbled the price and Harold handed her two bills as the Doctor picked up the paper bag of groceries. They hurried out of the convenience store and walked around it until they found their car in the rear parking lot.
«Do you mind if we make a detour?» the Doctor asked when she unwrapped her hamburger.
«It depends on how long this detour is».
«Which depends on how well I'll be able to pick up the new coordinates of the TARDIS» the Doctor pointed with his chin at the rest of the shopping: «It shouldn't take long to build that kind of radar, anyway».
«I repeat, I don't know how long I can accompany you».
«I told you, Harold, my specialty is getting people at their appointments almost on time» the Doctor paused to bite her sandwich and resumed with his mouth full: «And the magic is right in that "almost", you'll see».
Harold made an unconvinced face and unwrapped his sandwich as he stared out the window. After all, he reflected with the first bite, extending the journey to accompany that woman could even have been useful for his run: certainly, she would not have repeated her nonsense without sounding ridiculous or risking a charge with obstruction of justice and, as far as they knew, the CIA thought he was running alone. This thought comfort him enough to allow him to attack the sandwich with a more relaxed bite.
«Anyway, speaking between us girls» the Doctor licked his fingers from the sauce of the sandwich and resumed: «What led you to cross the path of a Time Lord?».
«An appointment».
«Oh, that sounds romantic».
«Not really, I'd like to try to get into MIT».
«I've been to MIT».
«Really?».
«Yes, but it was years ago, I literally had another face» the Doctor took the shopping bag and rummaged inside: «Interesting place, anyway».
«Thank you».
«So it's only for MIT that you're running away, isn't it?».
«What do you mean?».
The Doctor took the package of the radio-controlled car, but the hazel eyes nailed Harold to the driver's seat: «You know very well what I mean, Harold» she said.
«I'm not running away».
«There were dozens of free spaces in front of the convenience store, but you chose to park in the only spot that can't be seen from the main road and which isn't covered by cameras».
«So?».
«Not to mention» continued the Doctor as if Harold hadn't spoken: «That you could have chosen a thousand different ways to reach Massachusetts and you chose the longest and most difficult way to track».
Harold didn't answer. The Doctor sighed.
«I recognize a person who runs away when I see one, Harold» she murmured and crossed his legs on the seat: «So, what are you running away from?».
Harold sniffed and dropped his head on the seat. If the Doctor had pulled out a CIA badge, Harold probably would have followed her wherever she and her colleagues would have locked him up.
«I'm running away from the CIA» he muttered after a few moments and ran a hand over his face.
«And why would the CIA be chasing a nice kid from Iowa who wants to go to MIT?».
«Because the nice kid from Iowa who wants to go to MIT had the bad idea to hack the ARPANET».
The Doctor raised both eyebrows until she opened up an amused smile: «You hacked the ARPANET?» she asked.
«Yes».
«That ARPANET?».
«I don't think there are many ARPANETs here, so...».
«You don't know how many centuries I've been waiting for this moment!».
«Huh?».
The Doctor clapped her hands like a child, but to Harold that joy seemed completely inappropriate. He wondered if the Doctor would show that enthusiasm again once he told her how much that achievement had really cost him.
«I know people who would pay to be in your place» the Doctor said.
«My place is prison on treason charges».
«Treason?».
«Yeah, the reason the CIA is looking for me, remember?».
The Doctor didn't answer. At that moment, Harold thought of his father and all their moments that his memory could no longer hold. The idea that now the only memory of him were the hostile words of the CIA wrung his heart.
«If you want to know my opinion, Harold» the Doctor said after a few moments: «The CIA will soon understand that arresting you will be a waste of time».
«Oh yes?».
«Sure».
«And how can you tell that?"
«Even for this era, the ARPANET defenses aren't such a thing - of course they're advanced, but not "advanced advanced", understand?» the Doctor made quotation marks with her hands and sighed: «They would have noticed it too, you've done nothing but anticipate the inevitable, that's all».
Harold didn't answer. He wasn't sure what the Doctor was trying to tell him between the lines, but whatever it was somehow it cheered him up. The Doctor took back the box of the toy car.
«Besides» she added, unwrapping the package «I have a problem with the arrest of a child».
«I'm not a child».
«Oh, really? How old are you?».
«Twenty».
The Doctor looked Harold up and down. He cleared his throat.
«Eighteen» he corrected himself with a grimace, but the Doctor didn't change her expression and raised an eyebrow until Harold gave up with a sigh: «Sixteen» he admitted.
«See? Where I come from, you'd be considered a very smart newborn» the Doctor smiled and Harold reciprocated: «Let's get back to us, okay?».
Harold nodded and finished eating, while the Doctor opened the remote control of the toy car in two with the help of a screwdriver that Harold didn't remember having paid for. When he wasn't observing every new car in the parking lot, Harold watched the Doctor's movements, but gave up on what she was doing when he saw her force the toothbrush into the remote.
«Here we are, I think» she said finally lifting the remote.
«You think?».
«I hope so, now let's try it».
The Doctor opened the window and pointed the toothbrush outwards and pressed a button. The remote crackled for a few moments, then fell silent.
«Does it works?» Harold asked, but the Doctor snorted.
«No, what did I miss?».
«Maybe you didn't connect something».
«No, I'm sure the connections are all there, but…» the Doctor lingered on the phone booth in the back of the convenience store and rolled his eyes: «Oh».
«"Oh" what?».
«When I get out of the TARDIS, she connects to the most innovative communication system in order to be ready to go» the Doctor looked at the remote control and sighed: «Normally, I avoid this by bringing the sonic screwdriver with me, but since it was destroyed during regeneration...».
«You basically have no way to speak to the TARDIS».
«Unless I can get on the phone line to link this on her signal, no».
Harold looked first at the Doctor and then at the phone booth, from which a boy in a baseball cap hurried out. He rummaged in the pockets of his jeans until he showed the Doctor a blue whistle.
«I can help you, come with me» he said and got out of the car first. The Doctor followed him with the remote, then let Harold into the booth. She saw him pick up the phone and grimaced when he whistled into it, then he peered out of the booth.
«What's the number of the TARDIS?» he asked and composed it as the Doctor dictated it to him. He arched an eyebrow for a few moments, then handed the receiver to the Doctor.
«Now we should be there» she murmured and pointed the remote at the receiver before turning it on. Instead of crackling, the remote amplified the rings and the Doctor's smile grew wider.
«You were great, Harold, let's go!» she exclaimed and they both ran to the car.
***
«This should be the place» the Doctor said when the remote rings became closer and Harold pulled the car over. They had just passed the last gas station and, according to the map Harold now held in his hand, they would encounter no other settlements for at least a hundred miles.
«Are you sure it's here?» Harold asked looking from both sides of the road, but the Doctor had already aimed the remote control at some trees behind him.
«One hundred meters or two» the Doctor continued for a few steps and planted a hand on her hip, then waved the remote control before pointing it in front of her: «Of course, if I had built this thing in 2980 I would have gotten something more precise, but with what I could find...».
«Careful!».
The Doctor felt her wrist grabbed and Harold dragged her until they both hid behind the car. The Doctor leaned out enough to see a marquee illuminated by several headlights of dark cars, then glared at Harold: «Are you keeping me down for a circus, are you crazy?» she hissed.
«It's not the circus, they're military».
«And what did I say?».
Harold rolled his eyes: «I'm wanted by the CIA for treason, remember?» he whispered pointing a finger at his face.
«Trust me, if they had followed us they would have arrested you long ago» the Doctor interrupted him and took a new look at the marquee: «Whatever the reason they are here, it's definitely related to something under that marquee».
«The fact remains that if they see me, they arrest me».
The Doctor sniffed and frowned when he waved the remote. Throughout the discussion it had kept ringing, and every time she pointed it away from the marquee, it repeated that sound with greater frequency, as if the caller wanted to convey their haste to anyone who could answer.
«This way, let's go» she whispered and walked away from the car with the remote held out in front of her. Harold followed her, constantly looking over his shoulder and at the lights against the marquee, his hands rummaging in his pockets in the hope that some lucky weapon would appear out of nowhere, but he narrowly hit the Doctor who had stopped in the middle of a group of trees.
«Here you are, finally!».
It took a few moments for Harold to realize that the Doctor wasn't talking to him. A blue police box was embedded in the earth, as if someone had tried to bury it after realizing that burning it where it was blackened had done no good. The Doctor stroked the wood of the cabin whispering sweet words that Harold couldn't understand, then turned to him and shrugged.
«Yes, she's had better days but it doesn't matter. Let's go in?».
The Doctor didn't wait for a response from Harold and took a key from her pocket. He opened the door of the blue box and let Harold go in first.
«Do as I do, ignore the mess - between the regeneration, flight and fire I didn't have much time to sort out».
The last thing Harold was thinking about at that moment was certainly disorder, even if he risked several times tripping on remains of books or glass fragments. The room he had entered was larger than the house he had been forced to leave to Lassiter, and in the center there were the remains of a column surrounded by an hexagonal console.
«But how...» Harold muttered.
«Transdimensional engineering, unfortunately humans won't be able to discover it before the XXXV century» the Doctor walked past Harold to the hexagonal console and disappeared under it before adding: «I'll check if everything is in order, then we'll take your car and I'll take you at MIT».
«At MIT?».
«Obviously, that is the least - I can't help you with the CIA, but... Oh-ho».
«“Oh-ho“ what?».
«Come and see».
Harold fumbled over to her and adjusted his glasses on his nose before looking into an empty alcove under the console: «I can't see anything» he admitted.
«Exactly and that's a problem - from here, the TARDIS gets the information to move through time and space."
«What does it mean? Could you get stuck here?».
«Not necessarily, I can replace it with the reserve engine and use that» the Doctor snorted: «Obviously, if I had the main engine I could leave much sooner».
«And can you find it?».
«Give me a minute – where does it light up? Oh, here».
Through the cracks on the monitor above the console, a circular symbol pulsed in the center of a map, while some symbols Harold could not decipher appeared on a column to the side.
«Three hundred meters south, southwest from here» the Doctor grimaced and closed one eye, then pointed a finger towards the door of the TARDIS: «More or less where the marquee is».
«More or less where the military is».
«Exactly and I understand them a bit - they see a supersexy ship that explodes in midair and they find a piece of it, I would want it too» the Doctor opened a drawer under the console and rummaged among screws and junk: «Well, at least they made the job easier for me»
«Wait, do you want to go get that engine?».
«Why not? It's mine and I need it to restart the TARDIS» the Doctor took a burglar's kit and slipped it into her pocket: «They'll think it's some strange soviet device and lock it away in some archive in the middle of nowhere - did you see a booklet this big?».
«No but...».
«Oh, it doesn't matter, I've found it» the Doctor opened a little black book and put it under his arm: «If we hurry we'll certainly do it in a moment».
«Doctor...».
«"There's the CIA and I'm wanted", yes, I know» interrupted the Doctor with a snort and reached the door, but she turned to Harold before opening it: «If you want to stay here in the TARDIS there's no problem - the tea it should be in there somewhere - but really, I'm good at not being noticed and you won't even have time to miss me».
The Doctor opened the door and the first thing that welcomed her back to 1980 was ten guns along with as many soldiers pointing them at her. At the head of her group, a man as tall as a closet forced her to look up from her so she could see his face.
«National Security, hands up and kneel!» the closet-man shouted and the Doctor answered closing the door of the TARDIS in his face. Two strong knocks struck the wood as the Doctor returned to the console. «I've changed my mind» she said to Harold.
«Really? I would never have said that».
«I'm doing the sarcasm here – would you pull that lever? Thank you».
Harold complied and the piston of the column moved slowly. A purple light flashed and the Doctor pressed several buttons.
«National Security, come out with your hands up or we'll break down the door!» the voice of the closet-man shouted outside the TARDIS. Harold looked at the empty alcove under the console, then at the door and finally at the Doctor: «And your engine?» he asked.
«I say a lot of things and many of them are partially correct - in the drawer in front of you there should be an hammer, would you pass it to me?» the Doctor reached out his hand and Harold handed her a rather heavy hammer: «To answer your question, I'm trying to bypass the thing in order to be able to repair the TARDIS in a more peaceful place and possibly without heavily armed soldiers who can make her anxious».
«Is there anything I can do?».
«Holding you tight would be a start».
Harold just had time to grab the handle of the console before the Doctor gave a powerful hammer blow to the keyboard. Outside the TARDIS the Homeland Security agent yelled something, but Harold couldn't hear him as he was thrown backwards.
***
«More tea, dear?».
Harold shook his head and the waitress refilled his cup before floating to the next table. The boy glanced at the box where the TARDIS stood turning the cup between his fingers, scratched his head and sighed.
He had probably been at that intergalactic gas station for a day or two, but Harold didn't ask the waitress for confirmation - as far as he knew, she could have mistaken his request about time for a declaration of war or a proposal marriage and Harold was in no mood for either. The Doctor's absence only made Harold even more uncomfortable, as if someone might not believe his story if she wasn't with him to confirm his words.
The TARDIS faded out of sight and Harold stood up. He reached the empty stall weaving between hungry travelers and crews of mechanics, then stopped when the screeching noise heralded the return of the blue box.
«It's amazing, I'm unintentionally the same size as Amy» the Doctor said as she stepped out of the TARDIS. her crumpled and singed clothes were substituted by three-quarter length pants and a blue T-shirt that showed a rainbow across the chest.
«Doctor...».
«The reserve engine works, I did a test drive and it was fine - by the way, here» the Doctor threw a set of keys and Harold grabbed them: «I took your car, now it's in the TARDIS with all your things».
«Thank you».
«You’re welcome, now I have everything to accompany you to MIT, unless…».
The Doctor left that sentence open. Harold looked her up and down, turning the keys between his fingers: «Unless what?» he asked.
«You know that, don't you? My specialty is making sure that people always arrive almost on time at their destination» the Doctor glanced at the TARDIS and then returned to Harold: «But if you want to go around in space and time in the meantime, of course I'm not saying no».
«To go around? But the engine you've lost...».
«It certainly won't escape and I can calmly recover it at any moment, not to mention that it will take National Security centuries to understand what it is and even then the agency will no longer exist» the Doctor put his hands in his pockets: «So, are you in?».
Harold took a few moments to answer and almost laughed when he remembered his bewilderment of few moments before. An intergalactic gas station wasn't the new beginning he'd imagined, but he'd make it be enough: «I'm in» he said.
«Great, after you».
The blue box opened with a snap of the Doctor's fingers and Harold entered first. The TARDIS left with a soft hum as the Doctor followed him inside.