Doctor Who - Time and Space [Roleplay Thread]

The sounds of the night filled Highgate Cemetery as a group of tourists with their cameras in hand walked through the low-lighted resting place, taking pictures of frightening tombstones and weird statues. Leading the group was a lazy man who looked like he was in his 20's and wasn't enjoying his current job not one bit. As each step on the floor filled with dry leaves produced an annoying "crunch" noise, the man continued doing his job. "Right here," he said, with a voice that clearly said I hate all of you, "is the tombstone of some very important person. We don't really care, because the... ergh... most fun part is the statue. It's supposed to represent a woman crying over the loss of her loved one, but looks more like someone shot the statue and left the body on top of the tombstone."

The crunches were replaced by clicks as the tourists began to take many pictures of the statue. Some just raised their cameras and took a picture of the whole thing, while some zoomed in the statue's face, and others followed more artistic routes, like going to the other side of the tombstone to get a nice shot of the statue's back. The tour guide simply rolled his eyes (for what felt like the twentieth time that night) and watched as the tourists pretty much assaulted the poor statue. His attention was soon caught by something, as he heard the crunching sound of someone walking towards him. He turned to the direction of the sound: the lack of lights and the shadows the trees were producing allowed him to only see a shadowy figure stumbling towards him. "Hey! I told you fellas to not wander away at the beginning of the tour!" he said to the figure, who continued to stumble towards him. "Seriously, we pay a lot of money to this cemetery, and it would suck if any of you wandered off and caused some major property damage! Especially if that happened during one of my groups! Spike would have my h—"

The tour guide never got a chance to finish his sentence, as another shadowy figure stumbled out of the forest, this one faster than the other. Another shadowy figure stumbled out... followed by another... and another... and another... until the tour guide could clearly see what looked like a horde of shadowy figures. And once they stepped out of the forest, they could see what exactly was stumbling towards him. Bodies. Dead, lifeless, rotting bodies. And they were walking towards him.

The tour guide trying to run away, but his path was blocked by one of the walking dead, which made the tour guide scream. The tourists turned around, and instead of helping the tour guide, began to take pictures of him, thinking this was part of the tour, even as the tour guide began to scream, trying to break free from the dead body's grasp. Soon, another dead body approached him, and another, and another, and another, until he was surrounded. They were clawing, groaning, grabbing him by his shirt, his hair, his arms, until finally, one of them moved forward and took a huge bite out of the tour guide's neck, which made the tourists realize that this wasn't part of the show. And as the tour guide was devoured by the living dead, the tourists ran back to the entrance, dropping the cameras in fear, not looking back to see the living dead drag the tour guide's lifeless body back into the forest, back into the eternal darkness...

A few weeks later...

"Captain? Captain Rose?... Jonathan?"

After the incident with the "living dead", UNIT set up camp on Highgate Cemetery, blocking anyone from entering or leaving the cemetery. That wasn't the first time tourists came back talking about "zombies" attacking their tour guides, "eating their flesh like mad animals". Four tour guides and two tourists had been captured by... whatever the hell was inside the cemetery, and no one had heard or seen from them again. This immediately caught UNIT's attention, who knew something was wrong: whenever it seemed like one of humanity's biggest myths was coming to life, there was always an alien race with some nefarious plan behind it, and so UNIT's High Command ordered a base to be set up at the cemetery in London.

Captain Erisa Magambo knocked once more on the door to Captain Jonathan Rose's office. The two UNIT captains had been assigned as the one's responsible for investigating the case of the living dead, and they had been working on it for almost two weeks. Many expeditions had been made into Highgate Cemetery, both at day and at night, and they hadn't even caught a glimpse of the so-called "Walking Dead". Erisa, right now, was trying to give Jonathan a new task: deal with a reporter from the Times. "Miss Rosa," Erisa said, turning back to the reporter. UNIT's High Command had decided that in order to calm people down (some were even saying this was the beginning of the "zombie apocalypse"), a reporter from a reliable news source in the UK would enter the UNIT base at Highgate Cemetery to interview the people working on the case. "Once Captain Rose comes out of his office, we'll start your little interview. Now, like I said before, all of your questions will be answered, but there are still a few things we're not allowed to say."

Doc Jones' past two weeks could be considered the weirdest two weeks of his life. The 67-year old caretaker of Highgate Cemetery soon found himself unable to leave the cemetery for anything, since, according to the UNIT soldiers, "he was an essential witness to the case." They even gave him a room and forced him to sign an agreement that allowed UNIT to arrest him in case he told anyone outside anything about what was going inside Highgate Cemetery. And to top it all off, they even hired him as their janitor- "a temporary job", Erisa had told him, "just something to keep you occupied while we check the cemetery for anything bad." They didn't tell him exactly what anything bad meant, but Doc was about to find out.

After UNIT blocked the entrance to Highgate Cemetery and set up their little base, Doc Jones started seeing weird people walking out of the forest (not weird because they were dead, no, weird because they sometimes had different skin colors, or extra limbs, or looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie) with two soldiers escorting them, and then a few hours later, the same weird person would return to the forest and just disappear. No sign of these weird little creatures could be found- like they just poofed away once inside the forest. But this time, things were going to be a little different.

Because this time, one of the weird people appeared right in front of him. And this one didn't look weird, no, this one looked completely human- of course, Doc didn't know that he wasn' human. The UNIT soldiers told him to rack up the dry leaves- clean the pathway between the forest and the base- and two minutes into the job, this tall and lanky teenager, with dark olive skin, black hair and golden eyes shows up, out of nowhere, in front of him.

Doc didn't know, but this weird person that had just appeared in front of him was Alexander Sleipner, a Whifferdill, and that he hadn't appeared out of nowhere. No, Alexander had been teleported to Highgate Cemetery. But the real big problem for Alexander wasn't the fact that he suddenly showed up in a cemetery, in the middle of the day, in front of an old caretaker. No, the real big problem is the fact that he had no memories of what he was doing before he showed up there. The alien didn't know who or what teleported him to the cemetery, and even worse, why.

"This is horrible news for us, Marcus, horrible news!"

Spike Williams (no, not the guitarist) walked from one side of his office to the other, looking very angry at one of his only remaining employees, Marcus Jennifer. Spike was the owner of Spike's Touring Company, who had recently began a new type of tour: night tours. The idea was that a tour guide took a group of people into creepy-crawly locations at night, so they could take pictures and have a jolly good time. However, what he wasn't expecting was the news that his tour guides were getting captured and eaten by real, freaking zombies.

The news was like a massive punch in the gut for the company. Suddenly, after four tour guides died in the night tours of Highgate Cemetery, someone started spreading rumors that Spike's Touring Company was haunted, and in a few days, the tour company was out of guides, tourists and investors. No one was interested in having its name associated with the company that had apparently started the zombie apocalypse. It was a miracle that there were still people working with Spike: and one of these people was Marcus.

Spike stopped walking up and down the office and sat down, glancing at Marcus. Spike wasn't old, no, he was 46-years old, and never came to work wearing a suit- he always wore jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, which kinda complemented his young demeanor. "Listen, Marcus. You're a good kid. A real good kid. But this whole zombie thing... has to stop. You see, unless we clear up this whole thing, me and you, we're gonna be out of jobs. I'm already supporting this company with the money from my bank account... here's the thing, Marcus. UNIT has asked me to help with the investigations. They want one of my tour guides to help them with the whole shebang- dunno why they didn't ask for one earlier. You see, Marcus, you're the man! You're gonna fix this whole thing! And it's going to be great!"

Spike didn't wait for Marcus to speak up, and soon reached for the button that allowed him to talk with his secretary. "But you're not going alone. You see, Marcus, we're sending someone with you. UNIT was kind enough to allow a plus one! Ain't that neat. I got this woman, Marcus, you gotta see her, she's the real deal! She has this thesis about old myths, and look what we're dealing with: zombies. Do ya have an older myth than that? Her name's Sloane Blackwell, Marcus, let me introduce you to her." he said, and pressed the button. "Send her in!" Right after he said that, the door opened, and Spike nodded towards the door with a big smile on his face.

edited 17th Sep '12 12:11:17 AM by Stratofarius

When Professor Samuelson had pulled Sloane into his office and told her of the wonderful opportunity he'd been chosen to present to his best research assistant, she'd been rightfully skeptical. The man was quite notorious for dressing up less than ideal tasks — the kind even a blind person would avoid. Poised with a strained smile on her face she listened as he laid the details out on the table. UNIT — the silly, trumped up military force — apparently took it upon themselves to investigate the mysterious "zombie attacks" at the Highgate Cemetery. Sloane had read up on the strange happenings in the newspaper. Of course, she'd immediately waved it off as a bunch of crazies being the culprits behind it all. How could anyone be led to believe otherwise? Either way, the not-so-horrid opportunity peaked her interest. The good professor expressed his excitement with her taking the job, and after numerous phonecalls and meetings she was officially attached to the mission.

So now she sat here, within the waiting room of the head honcho of the tour group's office — Spike Williams. They'd met briefly before once everything was set in stone. She... didn't particularly care for him. Or the retina-burning Hawaiian shirt he wore. Sloane had nothing against being casual but... no. It made him look like some sort of sleazy used car salesman. The kind you saw late at night on TV when you should be in bed. It was kind of funny to see that particular "look" wasn't just exclusive to America. 'Oh well. As long as he doesn't try to perv on me or anything...' Because eww. Seriously. No thanks. The magazine she was idly thumbing through was just starting to bore her when there was a buzz at the secretary's desk, followed by a request to allow her in. Sloane got up in a flash, brushing hair form her eyes as she strode forward without waiting for the woman at the desk to prompt her to enter. Through the door she went with her business face firmly engaged.

Spike was present. And so was another godawful Hawaiian shirt. Her mouth twitched, wanting to form into a frown, but she resisted. Impartial is what she had to be. Even if it made her want to gag. "Mr. Williams. Nice to meet you again." She nodded with a clipped smile, green eyes turning their gaze from the older man to the younger fellow also present. "And you must be Marcus Jennifer. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Ok. If she were allowed to be superficial for a brief moment she would have to admit he was easy on the eyes. But she wasn't allowed to be anything of the sort. Cough. Moving on. "Sloane Blackwell, as you probably already know." Formal introductions are always in order. It's just common courtesy. "Now. When do we start?" Was it mentioned that she's all about business? Cause she is.

Bela pinched the bridge of her nose and nodded, for what seemed like the fourteenth time that evening.
"Yes, Captain, you have said. At length. But again, it would be incredibly useful if I knew what not to ask about. I wouldn't want to waste yours or my own time"

Bela didn't like UNIT. Not one bit. They reminded her too much of the soldiers around Guantanamo Bay - clandestine and dangerous. They acted like they knew something you didn't, and if you tried to learn what they knew you'd wind up disappeared. Of course not that there were any reports of people mysteriously disappearing but she had her suspicions.
Which was probably why James had assigned her to this story. Bela had made something of a name for herself in her youth as a bit of a firebrand - asking difficult questions to difficult people. And this was the first time anybody had actually had an opportunity to interview somebody from UNIT. In most situations they simply locked the place off and kept mum until it was time for them to pack up their kit and leave. But this time, stories had gotten out almost immediately. Ridiculous stories. Stories that made Bela wonder where exactly her taxes were going.

Which was why when James had offered her the story she'd said yes without a second thought.

Marcus got out of his chair. His whole appearance screamed 'laid-back'; his brown hair looked like a potted plant, his white T-shirt was wrinkled, and his black cargo pants needed cleaning. There was a good-natured smile on his face as he offered his hand to Sloane.
"Likewise, miss Blackwell," he said. "As too when do we start...? I'm good to go. We're depending on gramps here."
He smiled at William to take the sting out of his words.

Jon sighed, picked up his hat from the desk and walked to the door with it under his arm.

"Good morning. What can I do for you?"

The old man had been quietly minding his own business, sweeping up the leaves by the entrance, and whistling to himself. However, he kept half an eye and half an ear out for any more strange folk who might decide to pop out the ground and go inside. So when the young man appeared, wandering near the entrance, Doc paused a moment and scrutinised him for a moment. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary with this young man. And this, by the standards of this week, was the strangest thing yet.

The first thing that occurred to Alexander was confusion as to how he had suddenly appeared somewhere with no memory of how. The second thing was that he had to find out where he was and what was happening, and maybe help, and also that there was someone near him. The third thing was probably something to do with adventure.

Alexander walked over to Doc Jones, and promptly bombarded him with questions. "Good day to you, sir. You wouldn't happen to know where I am, would you? And possibly if anything significant or troublesome is happening? And for that matter, when it is and how I got here? Also, who are you? Need help with anything?"

"Sloo down there, lad, one at a time," Jones scratched his beard, "Yer in Highgate Cemet'ry, there's been a lot 'f significant stooff this week, and fer how ye got here...well, you tell me."

Alexander attempted a friendly stance. "Well, that's quite the problem. You see, I don't know. I just seem to suddenly be here. But anyway, that's only sort-of the matter. What about this significant stuff then? Mind going into detail?"

"Wurl, noothin' too spooky. Oonly the walking dead, government takeoover and strange critters poppin' in and out the forest."

Sloane took Marcus' hand, shaking it politely. Even though they'd just met she knew she'd have to take charge of things somewhat. No matter. She was quite used to it. "Excellent." His "Gramps" quip earned an amused smile. "Hopefully UNIT won't be too pushy. You know how those types can be."

Marcus chuckled. "You're telling me, huh?" he said. "These guys take themselves way too seriously, in my opinion. Of course, since now we apparently have a Zombie Apocalypse on our hands — though I bet you ten to one that it's something else entirely — that might be warranted. Anyway..." he went to the office's window and motioned for Sloane to do the same. "Cemetery's a few moments' walk away, so it won't take long to get there."

Over to the window she went at his insistence, looking out through it at the cemetery in the distance. "It's massive. No wonder you guys have setup a tour. Pretty good business model." People always liked to be spooked. Herself included. A good ghost story or walk through a supposedly cursed area always got the adrenaline flowing. "We're rendezvousing with the boys in uniform on the way I reckon?"

To Alexander, this sounded interesting, although also dangerous. And interesting and dangerous often lead to adventure. "Well then, that is quite the thing. If I can help, I shall. Quite an important matter we should get out of the way first though: The name's Alexander Sleipner, disowned child and attempted adventurer. Who are you?" The tone in Alexander's voice was incredibly curious as he reached the last part. Whoever the stranger was, he was interested.

"Oh yes, get moving, that's a good idea!" Spike said, disappointed that he didn't get a handshake or the opportunity to introduce Sloane to Marcus. "The UNIT boys told me to give you two these ID cards. Don't lose 'em, because they're what's going to give you entrance to the base. You heard the news, only UNIT soldiers come out of there, and nothing else comes in. So good luck! I need you two to debunk this whole zombie thing, so I can get the business back up! Heck, if you manage to keep the zombies, but eliminate the danger, it would also be a good solution for our problem. Spike's Night Tours, now with Zombies! I can already see the investors running back!"

Captain Erisa raised an eyebrow and nodded towards Rosa. "Captain Rose, the reporter from the Times is here to ask us a few questions. I'm sure you won't mind... after all, they're simple, harmless questions that are supposed to calm down the population outside."

As she spoke, Erisa's eyes glared directly into Jonathan's soul, which meant don't say anything stupid, don't say anything that could anger High Command, and most importantly, don't say anything classified.

Before Doc Jones could answer Alexander's question, the sounds of the safety of a gun being turned off could be heard. The two UNIT soldiers responsible for escorting alien lifeforms in and out of the forest had arrived, and they were already pointing their guns at Alexander. They mumbled something to each other and gave awkward glances towards Doc, almost as if indicating he wasn't supposed to see this.

"Attention, alien lifeform," the first soldier said, "You are now in Earth, and under the jurisdiction of UNIT. Please, come with us peacefully, or we shall deem you as a threat and treat you as one."

"Oh, that's a lot of overkill." He briefly turned his head to Doc Jones. "Something I may have neglected to mention. I'm not actually human." He then turned his head back towards the UNIT people and put his hands up. "No reason why I wouldn't. I'm more suspicious than you are by this point. Although you did mention this is Earth. That is quite peculiar. Why, if this is the original, then...Huh. Quite the abnormality."

Doc Jones chuckled. "An alien are ye? Heh heh heh! I should really be more s'prised!"

A small aspect of his face shifted, becoming blackened, before returning to normal to demonstrate. "I'm a shapeshifter. Whifferdill being the species name."

Bela almost laughed at the "simple, harmless questions" remark. Of course, calming down the population was supposed to be her top priority here, but if she could uncover a bit more about how UNIT operated... well, it wouldn't harm the British public to learn more about the military operation that had been operating on home soils for years would it?

She smiled warmly and held her hand out to Captain Rose.
"Bela Rosa, the Times. I'm sure we'll get along just fine captain."

Sloane turned to Spike, eyes falling on the ID cards he mentioned. "Thanks." She grabbed one, pinning it to her shirt securely. "And don't worry. You can count on us to get to the bottom of this." As much as he seemed willing to accept the possibilities of the zombies being real, she on the other hand had nothing else on her mind but to prove them to be a ruse.

At this, Doc Jones adjusted his glassed in disbelief. "...Well oi'll be blowed. Zombies, government and extraterresals. Weren't noothing about this in me horoscope."

"Whifferdil?" one of the soldiers asked, lowering their gun. "What are you doing on Earth? There haven't been any recent reports of Whifferdils on Earth."

"You're going to have to come with us back to the base. We have a few questions to ask you." the other soldier said, and he glanced over at Doc. "And you, Doc, will also have to come with us. Now that you've seen one of the aliens, we... need to talk about a few things with you."

"Good, good!" Spike said, nodding. "I believe you have a car, right? I want you two to go right now, we don't have any time to lose. Why, any time you two waste by being here could be used on finding out who's behind this whole zombie problem. You two can go, alrighty?"

Marcus picked the other ID up and slid it into one of the many pockets of his pants. "See ya later, boss," he told William, not bothering to answer his suggestion. He had a gut feeling that there was more to the case than he knew. He went outside the room, holding the door for Sloane. He chuckled again as he did so.

"Believe me, this is weirder for me than it is for you. And I shall come with no resistance." He carefully walked towards them in a non-threatening manner.

"All right, if you'd like to follow me then..." Jon pulled his door shut and led off.