#driftvoid

┊𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐝 ⸻ + ⸻ 𝐄𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 ╱ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 ┊

feverish gusts drifts the sand across the barren landscape. sun above was sweltering ⸻ sweat began to cascaded from his forehead as his dark gaze lingered on his UNIT team setting the charges to open the door that has been sealed since the forties.  the metal door was the only thing unburied from the sand. digging more of the craft out would take far too much time and gather way more attention from the sky watchers than he wanted to deal with. the metal was an unknown origin, something for the waiting team of scientist behind him in their makeshift headquarters to study. he’d requested a single trusted person to head up the large group of personnel he’d have on his hands ⸻ he was still short a staffing manager. 

he’d called in @driftvoid as a huge favor for the duration of the investigation into the unknown craft that stood in front of them. nick watches with an attentive gaze as the charges are set ⸻ there was no other way to get them open. the craft was without power. after so long, he’d be surprised if there was any power running to it. there was however, an incident running through his mind once they had unearthed the symbols on the door ⸻ he has seen them before during his younger years with the air force. 

earning a nod and a thumbs up near the craft from one of his officers, he nods in return. 

“you know.” he says briefly over his shoulder towards the major. “this is very familiar…” he adds. watching his team jog back up to the safety of their makeshift HQ. Nick is expecting to be there for a day or two at the most before handing things off to groom lake. staring at the glint of the metal in the distance, lips press together, his eye was on the men jogging back towards their position. the warm breeze made the flaps of his lapels tap against the side of his neck, his rank a contrast on his collar in the sun compared to the brown and tan of the desert camo BDU’s 

“roswell.” as the men jog by him, nick turns on his heel towards edward. “i don’t know how much you know about the roswell incident major but, those symbols on the door matches the very symbols found on rancher Mac’s craft. sure we reported it as a weather balloon to stop the influx of conspiracy theories ⸻ the population is not and will never be ready to accept the fact we are not alone in this universe ⸻ here look.” nodding towards one of the khaki colored tents that was his personal space, he reaches for a file on the table in the center. 

in the file he had copies of the images from the roswell incident. “those are the symbols recovered from the debris field on the ranch, and these,” nick hands a second image to ed. “are the symbols on the outer edges of those doors.” they were identical. “i’ve seen this before as well. before i joined unit, we chased a craft over the atlantic. i was lead trying to keep up… it was… the fastest thing i’ve seen in my life. i’m not sure what happened, it stopped and turned on me, i had no time to react. we collided.” nick remembers the day, he was sworn to never speak about it back then. “it clipped one of my wings, crashed on some island and so did it. i remember the symbols on that craft, it was the same thing.”

Everything moved so fast. He was at school when it happened. His mum died. The events that followed provided him with little time to think—the notification, being taken to UNIT, being interrogated by some, and getting attempts at comfort from others.  Edward Southgate immediately stood out. The man had known Sarah Jane and was softer when interacting with him. He needed space and for people to be gentle with him. Losing the only parent you’ve known wasn’t easy for anyone.

Next came the agreement to stay with Mr. Southgate. Luke was eager to escape the UNIT HQ. It was busy, noisy, and he knew he would be considered a possible threat if they knew the truth of his creation.

❝ W-why would I worry about the cost? ❞ She let the question hang in the air for a moment, dripping with sweet sarcasm. ❝ It's coming out of Personnel's budget.❞  A hint of a smile lingered on her lips as she surveyed the crowd from their mutual hiding place, the back left corner of the room. Close enough so that she could still reach for the drinks table ( black filter coffee, she was still on duty for another 2 hours. ) Yet far enough that they would remain undisturbed by the dozens of staff wafting in and out of the open double doors.

So far she'd counted three vampires, two pirates, a royal mail post box and of course, who could forget the tin man, scarecrow and lion from the Wizard of Oz. Led by their Dorothy in the form of Ed's, protégé. A sigh escaped Kate, her gaze drifting back to Ed. She frowned slightly, her sharp gaze landing on an odd detail that had seemed to have escaped her notice before. His tie.

❝ What happened to the one I laid out this morning? ❞ 

the  TARDIS  shudders  to  a  stop  with  a  wheeze  that  sounds  almost  like  a  held  breath  finally  let  go.  eyes  bright  as  the  timelord  pops  up  from  the  console,  coat  flaring  as  he  flips  a  switch.   “ right !  we’re  in  england.  coastal.  nineteen  sixty-three.  &…  oh,  that’s  not  good. ”

for  a  second  a  small  frown  tugs  at  his  lips  as  he  checks  the  scanner.  then,  a  grin  plasters  over  his  features,  peering  over  to  meet  the  gaze  of  his  ginger  companion.  a  grin  that  doesn’t  quite  reach  his  eyes  this  time.   “ the  town’s  still  here.  which  means  it  nearly  wasn’t.  love  it  when  that  happens. ”   

briskly,  he  snaps  the  switch  off  &  maneuvers  around  the  console  again.   “ coastal  town.  greyhaven,  lovely  name.  very…  'nothing  bad  has  ever  happened  here  ever'  which  feels  suspicious. ”

“ there’s  a  temporal  residue  in  the  atmosphere.  not  just  wrong  -  edited.  like  someone  took  a  slice  out  of  time  &  tried  to  tape  the  edges  back  together  with  optimism  &  seaside  charm. ”   the  doctor  swiftly  moves  to  the  doors,  pulling  it  open  &  allowing  the  salty  air  to  spill  in.  curiosity  eats  at  him  as  he  glances  back  at  amy.  not  worried.  not  yet. 

“ fancy a stroll, pond ? ”