Off to the races, Tag: Open!

[Carys Barton]

Darkness seemed to be a comfort to a lot of creatures, regardless of species. Which made pursuit difficult if you didn't have awesome night vision, but you did what you could. Especially when the alien was loose in downtown London. Several UNIT members were called out in pursuit. The goal was to capture if possible, but to keep the alien from injuring the general public above all.

"And it's on the move!" Carys called into her headset as she took off down the alleyway after the shadowy form of the alien. "No, I don't know what it is exactly, it's alien and I'm trying to catch it." She growled at the voice in her headset. How the heck was the rookie supposed to know aliens at a glance? She was barely keeping up with it. "Back-up would be awesome, though."

Carys skidded around a corner, catching a glimpse of it disappearing around the next corner. "Send 'em to....Oh I don't know the exact street, it's a block north of where I am now." The headset had gps, they could track her location down to the exact square foot.

At least now it was in a maze of alleyways and not running down some busy street. Carys rounded the corner where she saw it last, stopping abruptly. It was a dead end. The thing didn't have wings that she could see, and unless it could leap five-story buildings in a single bound it was still there in the alley. The shadows were thick, and anything beyond the dumpster six feet in front of her was lost in the shadows.

She listened, ears strained to hear something over her own breathing as her eyes tried to analyze the shadows. Would shining her flashlight provoke whatever it was? Backup wasn't as close as she would like and she didn't dare go further into the alley without turning it on.

[The Doctor]

Growling as the UNIT woman drew closer, the 'creature' seemed to be struggling to find a way out. It definitely had no wings... it seemed human, apart from some... obvious difference. With a sharp hiss the 'man' displayed his long sharp feral incisors, his eyes bursting into a bright red light the creature vanished into the darkness again - hissing when the light from her flashlight touched 'his' skin, the creature continued to shrink back. Whimpering - whining - like a beaten dog, the man hissed as Carys moved closer to 'him' again. Stumbling against the wall of the alley 'he' had been chased into, the creature whimpered again as Carys drew closer, holding out 'his' hands as if he was wounded, his eyes glowing brighter the creature looked at her, his eyes glowing brighter, as he said one small word, "Headset,"

A smile darted across the creatures face as Carys slowly removed her headset. When her eyes went to the headset - as if she wasn't quite sure WHY she'd removed it - the creature whimpered again and held out his hands, backing away against the wall of the alley... the same cold smile returning as Carys followed... the headset remaining on the ground where she'd left it. As Carys 'chased' the creature down the alley, they were both so focused on each other, that they failed to notice a high-pitched whine followed by a green glow that illuminated the alley for a second.

Creeping into the alley, a tall man wearing a bowtie, a long green coat and a stetson bent over, picked up the headset and scanned it with the whining green light. Scowling, his angular features illuminated by the light, the man listened to the shouts of 'report' coming over the microphone of the headset and dropped the headset, "Geronimo,"

Following the sound of the shuffling creature - and Carys who kept talking to it, sounding almost like she was half asleep - the man seemed to 'vanish' into the shadows... which was a good thing, because as Carys followed the whimpering 'injured' creature deeper into the alley... several of the same glowing red eyes burst into life. The same hissing noise the creature made - growing in volume - could be heard as the creatures, all of them keeping in the shadows, began to gather around the creature and Carys.

As they reached the dead-end of the alley, an old blinking light flickered on and off. It was illuminating the area around Carys and the 'injured' creature, and as the creature reached the wall it knelt down against the wall and whimpered as Carys knelt down next to it. Reaching out, the creature brushed it's pale hand against her cheek. His glowing red eyes burned even brighter as 'he' smirked again, his sharp incisors glowing in the light, as - once again - he said just one word, "Neck," the creatures in the alley drew closer - hissing louder - as the lead creature leaned closer to Carys and said, "Neck... Neck... NECK!"

(OOC: Uh-oh... small vampire coven is loose in downtown London... and it looks like they've gone feral, so they've been feeding on small animals and have lapsed into blood-fugue... so where are the vampires that are still sentient?)

[Carys Barton]

Finally, Carys pulled the flashlight from her belt and switched it on. The beam illuminated the shadows before her, and as she moved it to search through the shadows of the alley it finally lit up something other than trash. A tall man, pale, with red eyes. Carys took a single startled step back. Vampire. The thought immediately came to mind, along with memories of all those late nights watching horror movies with her brothers. She was looking at a real vampire.

It recoiled from her light, disappearing back towards the shadows. Carys stepped forward quickly, afraid to lose visual contact with it. It staggered against the wall. Had it gotten injured during the chase? Still moved awfully fast for a wounded creature.

She looked down to see the headset in her hand. Why had she taken it off? Was there feedback? You never removed your headset alone in the field. It was your only connection to backup. Her eyes snapped back up to meet the creatures and her fingers went slack, letting the headset fall to the ground. The entire moment was already forgotten as she moved towards the creature again. She couldn't lose it. She just couldn't. It was all that mattered. "It's alright. Are you hurt?" Her words were slurred though, like she was dazed. Her gun was completely untouched, which was something very out of character for her. This was all very much against her training.

They were at the end of the alley, but Carys didn't even realize that. She was still completely enthralled by the creature, fixed intently on the red glow from its eyes. "I won't hurt you. It's alright." She didn't see the others, she didn't even hear them. She was just trying to reassure what she thought was the injured creature shrinking away from her, luring her into the midst of its coven.

Finally, it stopped cowering and Carys knelt next to it. The light was only hitting half of its face now, she'd forgotten about that too. She didn't move, didn't even blink as it reached out to her. It's touch was like ice on her cheek. A hand, her hand, reached up to tug the collar of her jacket away from her neck as it spoke. Something twinged in her shoulder, a bit of pain from a sore tendon. Whatever it was, the pain was unexpected enough to make her pause. A moment of clarity.

Carys' eyes widened at how close the creature was. She slapped it's hand away and jumped backwards, scrambling back along the ground. That's when she saw the others, more glowing red eyes getting closer and closer. Her hand flew up to her headset, to call for help but it wasn't there. When had that happened? Carys couldn't shoot them all. Would regular bullets even work? She needed a way out fast because she could hear what they were saying and she didn't like it.

Carys pushed herself to her feet. If she was going to do anything, she'd be in a better position if she were squarely on her feet. Her eyes flitted towards the mouth of the alley, so far away now. Possibility of outrunning all of them was very slim though. "Oh, for the love of all things holy." This wasn't good. At all.

[The Doctor]

As Carys lowered her collar - her slim, pale neck glimmering in the light - the feral vampire hissed with pleasure. Leaning in close - his tongue just a few inches from her largest artery - the creature was stopped by a shove to the chest. It's eyes burning with rage the creature roared and lunged towards Carys - yelping in pain when she kick him - for it was still a him directly in the business section. Doubled over and squalling in pain the creature threw back 'his' head and emitted a high-pitched yell. Suddenly the eyes merged into a circle - thirteen different sets - and began to gather around Carys. If she would not be drained and converted willingly... they would simply feast.

As the drug-like hypnotism wore-off, the vampires struggled to make eye-contact with Carys. But her head was clearing and they knew it - despite her clumsy movements she was aware of them now. Blinking too fast to look into their eyes, her gun out... the vampires could survive a strike, but they were running out of time. Growling angrily the 'injured' lead-Vampire hissed one word, "Feast...' the vampires spread their arms and claws sprang from their finger-tips, "feast... feast... Feast... FEAST... FEAST!!!" as he continued to chant the thirteen vampires began to press Carys closer against the wall, their leader - the fourteenth - kept back, sniffing the air as if... as if...

With a loud 'squeal' the old flickering lamp suddenly burst into brilliant burning light and the coven broke. Struggling to cover their eyes the vampires suddenly froze in place when a coat-wearing man dropped down from the fire-escape above Carys and landed in front of her. Grinning at the creatures as they stared at him, the man nodded, "That's right - two hears, you can smell them... you can smell it on me... say it... you KNOW you want to..." the fourteenth vampire - their leader - limped forward (still clutching his lower section) and growled two words, "Time Lord..." pointing some sort of cylinder at the vampires the man grinned as he pressed a button and a high-pitched squeal filled the air.

Clutching their heads the vampires struggled to hold the circle but at the same time, put space between them and the 'source' of the noise, "Now then, you know what I am - but lets cover WHO I am," the man grinned, "I love that..." pressing the button on the cylinder again as the Vampires began to move too close the man shook his head, "No no no... now like I said, you need to listen... I'm the Doctor - a timelord," snapping his the Doctor grinned, "That's right - time lord, you're an off-shot of the great vampires. That disease they created - the thing that made them - it's feeding your animal tendencies, it's making you stronger-"

Pressing the button again the Doctor sighed when the vampires were forced to give ground, "And it's also making your hearing stronger as well. So any time you feel like you need to let your BRAINS explode, by all means, keep coming closer," watching as the vampires held their place, the Doctor lowered his sonice screwdriver, "Now then, I’m also called the Bringer of Darkness, the Oncoming Storm, and the Evergreen Man. My people fought yours millions of years ago," seeming to grow in size as he spoke, the Doctor watched as the Vampires began to give ground, pressing themselves against the wall of the alley, "We annihilated every vampire in existence," a pained look crossed the Doctor's face, as if he was remembering some old injury, and then he spoke again.

"With... a few skulking... terrified exceptions who crawled away to spread their curse in the quiet places of the galaxy," making sure to keep the vampires focused on him, the Doctor kept himself posed between them and Carys - unsure if she had recovered or if she might be enthralled by the fourteenth vampire again, "But you are lost - you've lost your lifeline, you've lost your leader... or... you abandoned them," kneeling down in front of the closest vampire the Doctor scanned it... her, and then stood back up. Checking the read-out on his sonic-screwdriver, the Doctor looked at the vampires pityingly, "Oh... you tried to resist the virus... the curse... you tried to exist on animal blood, on non-sentient creatures... and it made you monsters..."

[Carys Barton]

The creature lunged toward her in rage and Carys let fly a solid kick. It might not have been human, but it had the same weak spot of the average humanoid male. It retreated in pain, giving her the room to get to her feet. The high pitched yell it emitted made her wince, but with her head clearing training and survival instincts were kicking in. She drew her gun, aiming it right at the vampire that had come so startlingly close to taking a bite out of her. Carys was going to assume that he was the one in charge.

She still felt funny, a bit muddled, so she didn't start shooting. If she was going to fire then she was going to be sure that she'd hit what she wanted to first. Instead, Carys backed away from the lot of them until she felt the wall against her back. There were fourteen, and her gun held a total of thirteen rounds. Even if every single shot was perfect she'd have at least one to still handle. Once she started shooting it wold be a complete frenzy, making thirteen perfect shots impossible. How strong were they exactly? Would she even have a chance against one physically? She'd have to try at least.

After a burst of light that even made her want to step back, someone leaped from the fire escape above her. Carys was worried it was a fifteenth for a fleeting moment. He landed between her and the coven though, like he was protecting her. The vampires retreated a step and she took the time to force herself to clear her head by pinching the bridge of her nose tightly. Just the right amount of discomfort to cut through the fog left from whatever the vampire had done to her head.

He had two hearts? Her brain couldn't have been that muddled still. She heard him right, she was sure. The main vampire limped forward and Carys was very pleased to see that he still seemed to be in pain. Served him right. The vampire growled two words at the man. Time lord. That was something she knew, an alien that she'd read about before. 

The vampires retreated as the Time Lord triggered the bronze cylinder in his hand to make a high pitched whine. The sound  was annoying to her but clearly painful to the vampires. She could live with it if it kept them at bay.

Carys listened tothe man, possibly more attentively than the vampies did, though her eyes rapidly flitted frome one to the other. He called himself the Doctor, among other things. This was THE doctor. She was staring at The Doctor, or at least his backside. And these things really were vampires. She could get excited about everything later. Once things weren't quite so dangerous.  

"So avoiding eating people has actually made them worse?" Popular myth certainly got that part wrong. No surprise there. Carys lowered her gun slowly. The Doctor seemed to be pitying these creatures.

[The Doctor]

Glancing behind him at Carys, the Doctor seemed to notice her for the first time and said, "You've been watching too much Twilight," he started to smile, but quickly returned his attention to the vampire coven as they all began to press forwards again.

Looking at the fourteenth Vampire, the Doctor stepped towards him and raised his hands when he hissed and shuffled backwards, "No... no... don't run, you've tried to hide what happened.. what was done to you... let me help you, I'm a friend," the fourteenth vampire's eyes burst into red light and the Doctor scowled at him, "Don't even try it... you know what I am, you know what I can do," his voice rising in volume the Doctor was almost shouting as he said, "And now you need to THINK!" watching them as they all stared at him, the Doctor nodded, "That's right... think, you can still think - ignore the fugue, don't let it control you... think PAST it, I can help you PLEASE... help me, help me end this!"

His eyes flickering, the fourteenth vampire seemed to wince in pain as pupils seemed to form in his eyes, looking at the Doctor; the lead vampire said, "You... can... help... this?" licking his lips the Doctor took a few steps forward, "I can help you... you were forced weren't you? All of you? Forced to form a coven... you tried not to feed, but you can't not feed anymore... you wake up - every morning after feasting - with no memory of what happened... until you can't resist the hunger anymore, please. I can stop it - I can find the people that did this to you..." reaching out to the fourteenth vampire, the Doctor nodded hopefully, "Please... let me help you before-"

Suddenly sirens bean to fill he air - spinning around the Doctor shouted, "NO!!" with a loud engine-rev a huge UNIT suv rolled in front of the alley. Spreading his arms the Doctor shouted, "STOP! STAY BACK! NO!" but it was too late. Screeching in pain the fourteenth vampire doubled-over... and the fugue took hold again. His eyes turning bright-red, the fourteenth vampire unsheathed his claws and roared, "BETRAYAL!!!" and threw himself at the Doctor... landing on the ground in a heap as a gunshot ran out, red smoke pouring from bullet-hole in his chest right where his heart would have been.

"NO!" the Doctor shouted, kneeling down next to the fallen vampire the Doctor supported his head, "No! Please! Hold on! Hold on! If you die-" suddenly the vampire's body began to smoke even more - red clouds pouring off of him as his body began to wither away... and then a shrill scream from the thirteen other vampires broke through the night as they all began to smoke too. The scream rose in pitch as the other vampires began to collapse into dust - withering away as UNIT soldiers poured into the alley. Clutching the fallen vampire in his arms the Doctor bowed his head as the UNIT soldiers pointed their weapons at him and ordered him to put his hands behind his head, "Worst... rescue... ever,"

[Carys Barton]

Carys suppressed a grin. She would neither confirm nor deny that she had read the Twilight series. The real vampires started advancing again though, erasing the need for a quick retort.

The Doctor started shouting and Carys watched as the red in the head vampire's eyes actually seemed to dissipate. They could think, they could reason, and the Doctor wanted to help them. Definitely hadn't been her first instinct in the situation.

Carys holstered her gun. All the vampires were calmer now, and she didn't have an itchy trigger finger now that they weren't chanting about feasting anymore. She was much more curious about how exactly the Doctor could help them.

Unfortunately, she'd never find out because her backup came around the corner in a burst of lights and sirens. Perfect timing. She hadn't reported in on her headset for too long so they had assumed she'd been incapacitated. Which had actually happened, but there wasn't really a need for the all-guns blazing entrance. The vampire lunged at the Doctor, but the soldiers pouring into the alley were prime shooters. Before the vampire could complete it's attack it had already been mortally wounded. Bullet straight through the heart.

Carys watched in horror as it smoked and shriveled, the other thirteen expiring in the same painful fashion moments later. Carys quickly moved in front of the Doctor and the fallen vampire as the soldiers trained their weapons on him. "Stop! Put your guns down, he's not a threat! He was helping!" Up until a moment ago he'd been a whole lot more help than the rest of UNIT had been. "He's the Doctor, now put your guns down." She glared over her shoulder at the soldier that had shot the vampire in the first place. It was Macaulay, who was supposed to be right behind her the whole time. He lowered his gun, still looking very suspicious of the whole situation.

"I wouldn't way it's the worst rescue ever." She turned around to look down at the Doctor. "I'm sorry." There had seemed to be a chance that he could have helped the coven, since they were forced into vampirism in the first place. "But thank-you."

[The Doctor]

Barely noticing the soldiers as they encircled him, the Doctor lay the withered body of the fourteenth Vampire on the ground. Unlike the rest of the vampires - which had crumbled to dust - the leader and his body were still intact. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver the Doctor scanned the burnt-out body and nodded, "They bullet is still inside the heart..." glancing up at Carys as she shouted at the soldiers to lower their weapons, the Doctor appeared mildly bemused as the crack-shot that had hit the fourteenth vampire slung his rifle over his shoulder... but kept his service pistol unholstered, "Boo," the Doctor said with a grin.

While most of the UNIT soldiers had holstered their weapons, they all held their position. Watching as two of them moved aside to allow a tall, stern-looking woman pass; the Doctor grinned and jumped up, "Captain Magambo! Long time no-" "Colonel!" the woman snapped smartly. Glancing at Carys, Colonel Erisa Magambo nodded, "At ease, anything to report Ms. Barton?" raising his hand the Doctor said, "I'd like to report that-" glowering at the Doctor, Colone Magambo said, "You'll have your turn,"

Nodding at Carys after she explained what had happened, colonel magambo knelt down and examined the withered husk of the former-vampire, "Is this all that's left?" shrugging, the Doctor said, "All of these vampires were unwilling participants in a coven - they tried to resist their hunger, they must have fed on each other - using what blood was left from before they changed - to remain sated for as long as they could. Unfortunately, though they wouldn't have known it, feeding on each others remaining 'human' blood created a psychic link between all of them,"

Raising an eyebrow, Colonel Magambo said, "So shooting the biggest and ugliest of the NEXT group we find wouldn't make them all melt like this?" the Doctor shook his head, "No, these were desperate people trying to avoid killing... I don't think the real Vampires will be so... picky," looking at the piles of ashes that used to be vampires, Magambo then looked at the Doctor and asked, "Why fourteen?" the Doctor shrugged again, "One more than the lives of Rassilon,"

When all of them stared at him the Doctor sighed, "My people - Rassilon imposed a limit of thirteen lives for each Time Lord. Vampires - modern vampires - exist DESPITE the destruction of their ancient progenitors. To rub it in that they exist - when they shouldn't - they're genetically predisposed to gathering together in groups of fourteen," standing up Colonel Magambo crossed her arms and said, "Seems you know a lot about these creatures," the Doctor smirked and shrugged, "I get around," Colonel glanced at Carys and then motioned for the soldiers to move back to the trucks, "Yes, you do,"

Following Carys and Magambo out of the alley the Doctor said, "Well, if that's all I'll just-" grabbing the Doctor by his coat, Magambo said, "Not so fast," grinning at her until she let go of his coat the Doctor said, "I'm always fast," Magambo ignored him as she said, "Yes, well. Not this time, we need help - an adviser, of sorts. And you're going to help," still grinning, the Doctor said, "Am I now?" Magambo crossed her arms, "Yes, you are,"

Standing about a foot taller than Magambo, the Doctor said, "And what makes you think so?" Magambo stood firm as she looked into the Doctor's eyes and said, "I will make you," raising an eyebrow the Doctors grin widened as he said, "Really?" Magambo, not returning the smile, said, "Yes," putting his arms behind his back the Doctor - towering over Magambo - asked coyly, "How?'

Licking her lips, Magambo said, "By physical force, if necessary," the Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Oh like-" snapping her fingers Magambo tilted her head to one side as the UNIT soldiers cocked their weapons and pointed them at the Doctor, "I asked nicely, last time Doctor... instead of working with us, you left us in the dark. Not this time," his grin by now faded, the Doctor scowled as Magambo said, "As you once told me - UNIT is just... how did you say it? Another 'typical military' - all guns and no common sense," a look of guilt flashed over the Doctor's face as he said, "Look, I was in a bad place last time we met - we can work together on this, I'm ALREADY involved and-"

Pointing at the Doctor's hat, Magambo said, "This 'typical military' has no room for cowboys, you've never been known for being a team player... so I'm assigning a team player to watch you for the duration of this little trip - Officer Barton," she said, nodding when Carys saluted her, "For the duration of his 'stay', you are the UNIT attache assigned to him. If he steps out of line I give you full permission to tie him up - and if that doesn't work, shoot him," glancing at the Doctor, Magambo scowled and said, "If this new face doesn't prove cooperative, maybe the next one will,"

Watching Magambo as she approached the large truck parked on the far side of the road, the Doctor sighed. He well remembered the mess with the advocate and how far his last self had gone with Magambo and, indeed, UNIT itself... alright, she'd been tricked into almost blowing up London... but calling her names and getting his last incarnation 'banned' from UNIT hadn't been a good way to deal with it. Glancing at Carys, the Doctor smiled lamely and muttered, "Charming," following Magambo as she reached the UNIT-marked truck and opened the rear-access door, the Doctor let out a shout as a short man in a labcoat came flying out and grabbed him, "DOCTOR!!!' gasping as he was almost hugged in half the Doctor managed a weak smile and said, "Yeah, nice to see you too Malcolm!"

Letting go of his hero - the tiny scottish genius smiled up at the Doctor and said, "You REMEMBER me!" grinning, the Doctor said, "I always remember someone whose brilliant," letting out a squeal of excitement Malcolm grabbed the Doctor again and shouted, "I LOVE YOU!!' groaning as Malcolm squeezed him the Doctor said, "Yes - less hugging Malcolm - please?"

[Carys Barton]

Carys instantly snapped to attention, saluting Colonel Magambo as the woman made her way towards them. "Pursued alien on foot to this alley. Was not aware of psychic abilities as we did not know what alien we were pursuing. Was induced to remove headset and allowed myself to be surrounded by coven." That part was certainly embarrassing to admit in front of the other soldiers."The Doctor was present and intervened. He was attempting to help them control themselves when backup arrived and immediately took action, shooting the vampire which destroyed the coven." Carys gave her report quickly and without emotion or indication of her feelings on the whole situation.

After her report was given she remained silent, standing slightly behind where Magambo and the Doctor knelt. Rassilon, another Time Lord, and vampires genetically predisposed to be cheeky. All information she needed to file away and remember. As she turned to leave the alley with the rest of the soldiers, one of them handed her the headset. "Thanks." She placed it back on her ear where it was supposed to be.

Carys couldn't help but smirk as Magambo ordered the Doctor to help. The woman was harsh, but a good woman, a good Colonel. In fact, Magambo was something along the lines of the type of Colonel Carys hoped she could be one day. With a lot more work and more discipline of course. Carys had a bit more fun to look forward to as a Private before she seriously looked into climbing the ranks.

Magambo was saying her name again, and Carys saluted rigidly. "Yes, ma'am." She glanced at the Doctor when Magambo gave her permission to shoot him. They'd just hope it never came to that. Magambo set off for the truck and Carys shook her head before following the woman. "Straight up charmer, that's why I like her." She smirked at the Doctor. "And please don't make me shoot you. Bad enough that I'm your babysitter." The babysitting jab was a joke, of course. Though she would have rather been flying. This wasn't her forte.

There was a decidedly Scottish shriek as Malcolm came bounding out of the truck. He must have heard mention of the Doctor over the headset. "Looks like someone let the scientist out of his truck." Malcolm greeting was completely expected though. Everyone at UNIT who'd gone anywhere near the man knew of his fascination with the Doctor, but seeing it in action was something else entirely. Couple that with the Doctor's discomfort with the prolonged hug and Carys laughed. It was a quiet laugh, fairly restrained and muffled behind her hand, but she definitely laughed. "Looks like you got your wish, Malcolm." She was referring to his constantly expressed desire to see the Doctor again.

[The Doctor]

After Malcolm had held onto the Doctor for a full minute, Magambo finally sighed and said, "Professor?" looking at the colonel with a huge grin on his face - and then back to the Doctor - Malcolm finally let go of the Doctor, pointed at him and shouted, "I love you!!" pointing right back at him with a grin of his own the Doctor sighed when Malcolm proceeded... to walk back into the truck-trailer and close the door. Looking at Carys (who just shrugged) the Doctor then looked at the Colonel who knocked on Malcolms door and said, "Professor!' opening his door again, Malcolm blushed as he said, "Right... you uh... probably wanna come in?"

Edging his way in past Malcolm the Doctor's mouth fell open as he looked around. Pages with print hung all over the farthest wall, "What is... Dracula? Twilight?" tugging one page free the Doctor raised an eyebrow, and read the words on the paper... in perfect Mandarin Chinese. Looking up the Doctor smiled and said, "The Chinese Vampire? The drinker of Chii? Malcolm what have you done? Collect EVERYTHING you could off a google search and hang it on the wall?" Malcolm puffed out his chest, "Indeed I did sir - much like Dinosaurs and the Yeti, human kind has written and scribed about blood-drinking creatures for ages. From the Asanbosam to the Jiang Shi, Vampires have been appearing in Earth history for thousands of years!"

Reaching out to pull a picture of a bat off the wall, the Doctor looked at it and scowled, "Not just on earth..." letting the paper drop to the ground, the Doctor leaned on the table in the middle of the room and said, "The Asanbosam - the Jiang Shi - all sects and species of Vampire are remnants of the species and races that were converted by the Great Vampires millions of years ago... they don't age, no matter what version or species you meet that is the common link... human vampires are a common story in western mythology, but there's almost always a king Vampire - a leader... one that just doesn't seem altogether... human, one that started the chain... one of the followers of a great vampire, a great vampire who survived just long enough to implant the V-Factor... the gene that makes Vampires what they are,"

Tearing papers off the wall at random, Malcolm looked confused before saying, "Great Vampires? I don't... what are they? Aren't Vampires Vampires? Aren't they all... great?" glancing at Malcolm, the Doctor sighed, "The v-factor, the gene, can be transferred in different ways by different species and covens - sometimes through blood-sharing, sometimes through a simple bite... but the factor itself - the gene - comes from an extinct species that thrived during the dark times. A species so strong and powerful that they were as big as a mountain and could fly through space... nothing could kill them," Completely enthralled by this point, Malcolm just had to ask, "But they WERE killed right? There aren't Great Vampires alive anymore?"

The Doctor nodded, "Yeah... my people, the Time Lords... before they were time lords, before they could wield the power of black holes and stars... they joined together with the fledgling empires, the first sparks of light in the universe, and they made war... The First War in Heaven... a conflict so bloody and viscous that my people vowed only to watch... never to interfere. All of the allies to the Great Vampires were destroyed... the Racnoss... the Great Old Ones... many others. The greatest enemies against creation were wiped out. But the First War in Heaven used weapons and power that make a Time War look pitiful in comparison... many time rifts and holes in reality opened, damaged sections of the Time Vortex itself were blown free... the followers of the Great Vampires escaped - the disease spread and continues to spread to this day,"

Magambo, far less enthralled than Malcolm, finally spoke up and said, "And it's spread here?" the Doctor sighed and sat down in one of the conference chairs, "Looks like it, blimey it certainly wouldn't be the first time..." Malcolm nodded, "Oh aye - that's certainly true," scampering over to one of the papers hanging on the wall, Malcolm tugged a stack of them free and set them on the table, "Here's some of UNIT and TORCHWOOD's documented cases," looking at Malcolm, the Doctor said, "Torchwood? They've been shut down - they were-" Malcolm shook his head, "Not s' far as I know Doctor - publicly they no longer exist. But most of the branches still operate... aye, under their own jurisdiction. They aren't controlled centrally anymore - I can tell ye that,"

Looking throw the papers the Doctor made a face, "Oh no!' as he pulled out pictures of a tall curly-haired man wearing a European frock-coat and holding a watch. Standing next to him was a leggy butch-looking blonde a tall middle-aged black-woman wearing Brigadiers stripes on her shoulder, "Oh aye! The Frisco-Files! Faxed to me be Retired Brigadier-General Adrienne Kramer," Magambo corrected him, "Faxed to ME, by Retired Brigadier-General Adrienne Kramer," the Doctor grinned, "The head of the US branch of UNIT... RETIRED Head... how is Adrienne?' Magambo actually smiled as she said, "Officially retired... unofficially she has been all over the place these past few years, she told us you might turn up if there REALLY were Vampires involved,"

The Doctor chuckled, "I'll bet... what did she say?" Malcolm said, "Something about how you'd be with a girl when you turned up, her exact words I believe were... um..." Magambo rolled her eyes and said, "Chicks dig the Time Machine," Malcolm snapped his fingers, "That's it - said she fancied you a bit," the Doctor grinned to himself before saying, "Yeah... well..." shaking his head the Doctor continued, "But this... this doesn't make any sense... these vampires - wherever they came from, they weren't WILLING participants in that coven... so there have probably been a slew of random murders lately because they couldn't control the hunger, and-"

As the Doctor looked up Malcolm came stumbling in wheeling a write-and-whipe board with a hand-drawn picture of London... with thirty-four red dots and twenty blue dots spread all over the cityl, "Oh..." the Doctor said as he stood up and walked over to the map, "Red... dead... blue?" Malcolm looked sadly at the map and said, "Missing, abducted or otherwise..." the Doctor frowned sadly, "It's the otherwise that bothers me..."

[Carys Barton]

Once Malcolm finally let go of the Doctor, he vanished back into his trailer after another affirmation of love for the Doctor. Carys had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. She met the Doctor's questioning look with a shrug. She didn't know how Malcolm's mind worked. The Colonel stepped forward and rapped on Malcolm's door. The man quickly realized his mistake and reopened the door. Carys waited for the Doctor and the Colonel to step inside the trailer before she followed and closed the door behind her.

The trailer was a bit small for the four of them, so Carys hung back in the little alcove that made up the doorway to watch the interactions. There was some interesting history with Colonel Magambo and the Doctor that she'd have to look up later. Carys looked at the papers Malcolm had plastered all over the place. Certain passages were circled or highlighted to draw attention to something that Malcolm thought was important. Pop culture references were mixed in with the historical, and Carys wasn't sure that there was much of a method to the madness of the trailer. Just a whole lot of information.

Great Vampires? Carys cast a look at Colonel Magambo to see how she was taking in everything. The woman looked unimpressed with the Doctor and all of this information. Her eyes flashed back to Malcolm a moment later though. This had happened before? There were files on this from Torchwood and other UNIT branches? So there really didn't seem to be a reason that Carys and the rest of the ground unit couldn't have been given a heads up on what to expect from what she'd been chasing. Carys made no comment though, mostly because the Colonel was here.

"Chicks dig the Time Machine?" Carys chuckled. It wasn't hard to picture the other woman saying that. Off the record, of course. Carys moved aside so Malcolm could wheel in his white board, then helped him maneuver it a bit into a better spot in the room. "Did you draw this up yourself, Malcolm?" She didn't know he had the time for such a detailed map.

Why would vampires need or want to abduct someone? They just wanted to feed or make more vampires, right? "Is 'otherwise' someone who might have been turned?" Might have been a stupid question, but Carys was a little bit behind in her information. No one made a habit of keeping the Privates up to date on everything.

She studied the map, particularly the streets she recognized that had red and blue dots on them. "These addresses are both bars." She indicated to locations a few blocks away from each other. "Fun, but a bit of a rowdy crowd. Vampire attacks could be passed off as bar violence." Carys caught Magambo's look and gave the Colonel a little smile and a shrug. "Pilots." She offered by way of an excuse which the Colonel seemed to accept for now. "Anyway, just an observation. Don't know if it helps." After all, the other three didn't really seem the type to be familiar with bars in London.

[The Doctor]

"Very impressive Professor," Magambo said as the write-and-whipe board was wheeled in, "You heard the Doctor, I'm brilliant!" Malcolm chirped as Magambo began tracing the movement of the murders across the map, "This murder here," she said, pointing at the red dot about four or five blocks from where they were, "Was the one that brought Private Barton and her squad out here... we didn't know it was related, because it was so far from the other murders," the Doctor nodded as he approached the board, "They are all closely grouped... except for that murder... my guess would be that the vampire head that was killed out there was the last to give in to his hunger - maybe they just turned tonight,"

Malcolm, standing behind the Doctor, said, "He was a scientist, a geneticist primarily," both Magambo and the Doctor spun around to stare at Malcolm as he said, "The UNIT officer in charge of Ms. Bartons detachment gave me a piece of the Vampire Heads dna while you and the Doctor were talking, it tracked back to a young scientist at Verve-Tech," when they just kept staring at him, Malcolm blushed and said, "A company studying the effects of cancer and attempting to find a way to counteract it, they've made great strides in the last few years. Several cancer patients have been even recovered - without chemo-therapy,"

Looking at Magambo and then Malcolm, the Doctor then checked his watch and scowled, "It's too early..." Malcolm looked confused at the Doctor and said, "Sir?" the Doctor shook his head and said, "Nothing, what does the ex-head vampire have to do with-" Malcolm started to bounce up and down, "But that's what I'm sayin sir! He was a scientist - maybe those vampires, his coven, were friends or something... maybe he'd been trying to find a way to counteract that V-Gene but ended up becoming a vampire himself?"

Staring at Malcolm, the Doctor asked, "What was his address?" Malcolm pulled out the printed report and was about to say when Carys interrupted and told them the place 116 Chancy Street. Turning around the Doctor watched as Carys reached up to the map and pointed at the red dot they'd been staring at - the one farthest from the other murders. Staring at the dot the Doctor licked his lips, "The murder itself?" listening to Carys as she explained the event - the corpse of an elderly woman found half-way down the steps of her apartment - her throat torn open but no blood drained (unlike the other murders) the Doctor winced when she said that her throat hadn't been cut... just gnawed on.

Turning to Malcolm, the Doctor said, "You are brilliant," he then pointed at Magambo and said, "YOU are brilliant... and as for you-" miming speechlessness as he turned to Carys the Doctor grabbed her head and kissed it before spinning around and pointing at the map, "He must have lost control - completed the change into a feral - just as that woman was coming home... did he live with anyone?" looking at the print-out again, Malcolm swallowed and then looked up at the Doctor, "Just one person... his mother... his mother came to live with him after her heart..."

Staring at Malcolm the Doctor looked sad as he leaned against the table and said, "That's why he didn't drain her body... whatever part of him was left couldn't rectify the hunger with the murder of his own mother... those other vampires - whoever they were - they're our key. They must have known him to allow him to try and keep them from going feral. Somehow he and they fed on each others remaining human blood until it ran out - and then they all went feral, with him going last. They crumbled to dust - but that dust contains they're DNA. Gather it up and run tests on it - find out who they were. Find out the connection - ANY connection - they have with our geneticist. Meanwhile, Carys and I are going BACK to my ship, I've got some tech there that could trace-" stopping mid-sentence as Carys pointed to the map - right in the middle of the murders and vanishing people - and said that she recognized the place... and that it was the sight of both a red and a blue dot. His eyes going wide as he looked at the two - almost overlapping - dots, the Doctor grinned slowly at Carys and said, "Forget my ship... oh... club being invaded by partying Vampires... I've GOTTA see that,"

Heading towards the door to Malcolms trailer the Doctor spun around when Magambo shouted, "Private Barton!" when Carys turned, Magambo said simply, "Reports? Hm? No going off half-cocked, no trouble without back-up. Understood?" copying Carys when she saluted Magambo, the Doctor headed for the door again - but was stopped when Magambo called his name, "Straighten your tie," Magambo muttered as the Doctor headed out of the door and Malcolm quickly began entering information into his computers. Following Carys down the little steps strapped to the trailer, the Doctor said, "So how are we getting there? Tank? Copter? Jeep? I haven't ridden in a jeep in a while - that's always fun!"

Watching as Carys tossed her UNIT-cap into the back of a ratty-looking land-rover, the Doctor just stared at her as she then tugged off her UNIT jacket and began working on the rest of her uniform before looking at the Doctor and asking if he minded in an annoyed tone of voice. Turning his back to her quickly, the Doctor said "Uh no I just... I don't think its a nudest club or-" listening as she explained that they couldn't ask questions in a club like that if she went in dressed like a soldier, the Doctor grinned and said, "You ought to wear a stetson - it gets you into all sorts of places!"

[Carys Barton]

Malcolm was impressive, she'd admit it. Carys rested and arm on the table and leaned against it as she listened to the scientist's explanations. It was early? She looked at the Doctor with a raised eyebrow. Early for what? It was getting late according to her watch. Malcolm turned to find the address and Carys stepped forward to show it on the map.

"116 Chancy Street. Right there." She pointed at the proper dot. "An old woman. She was found on the steps of her apartment with her throat torn open. Strange part was that she hadn't been drained, she'd just bled out. The throat had been torn open with teeth...like something had been eating at her neck." Whatever response Carys had been expecting to her report, it certainly wasn't the Doctor's overly-physical one. She cocked an eyebrow at Magambo when the Doctor kissed her head, but the Colonel offered no explanation just a faint smirk at Carys' expression.

She raised her eyebrow at the Doctor again, looking at the man's choice of wardrobe. "You, at a club? Oh that'll be rich." Carys chuckled. She snapped to attention when Magambo shouted her name though. "Yes, Ma'am." It was so difficult not to smile. She was a pilot at the core of it all. Doing things half-cocked was practically part of her training. "Nothing half-cocked and no trouble." Of course, Carys had a different idea of trouble that should be reported than Magambo did. She was sure of that." I'll keep you informed." Carys saluted the Colonel and led the Doctor out the door.

"If you're good this time, then I'll take you for a Copter ride next time Magambo wants me to babysit you. Until then, it's the Land Rover." She led him over to the battered car and tugged off her beret, tossing it into the back. Carys unzipped her jacket as well and tossed that in. She started undoing her belt when she looked up and realized the Doctor was still watching. "Excuse me? You mind? Carys motioned for him to turn around. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to get information out of anyone dressed like a soldier."

She discarded her pants and combat boots into the back of the Range Rover and pulled out a small duffel. Guess it was a good think she'd never unpacked from her weekend off. Carys found a pair of leather leggings and pulled them on, then a long white tank top to go with that. She looked at herself the best she could in the reflection of the car window. "It's safe to turn around now." Carys pulled the elastic band out of her hair to let the ginger mass free. Once she let her hair down she didn't look the part of the soldier at all.

"The Stetson may get you into all sorts of places, but these are going to be a bit more effective for blending in where we're going. Trust me." Carys brandished a pair of black heels before putting them on. "I assume you don't intend to change?" She tossed the bag into the back of the Rover with the rest of her stuff. "Let's go then. I'm driving."

[The Doctor]

When Carys finished dressing and told him he could turn around the Doctor watched as she 'brandished' a pair of black heels and began slipping them on, "What did you do to deserve those horrible torture devices on your feet?" he asked teasingly. When she asked if he was going to change the Doctor nodded, "Yeah," reaching into his longcoat the Doctor tugged out a black bow-tie and, after yanking the one he was wearing off, he jerked the black one on and grinned, "Clean bow-tie," when she said she was driving the Doctor almost jumped into the passenger-side and said, "Shotgun!' as Carys fed the gas and they pulled out into traffic.

Halfway to the club the Doctor threw the land-rover manual over his shoulder and sighed, "Sad ending," looking at the radio the Doctor grinned and started fiddling with the nobs. Blinking when all that started playing was some boring old man talking about the 'nuclear family', the Doctor made a face and said, "Huh... broken," tugging his sonic screwdriver out the Doctor pointed at the radio and grinned as the radio glowed green for a second and he started changing the channels. Scowling when he came to a channel playing 'The Petshop boys', the Doctor made a face and scrambled the channels again, his face bursting into a wide grin when a loud punk song started blasting over the speakers.

In the wilds of Borneo and the vineyards of Bordeaux
Eskimo, Arapaho, move their body to and fro

Hit me with your rhythm stick, hit me, hit me
Das ist gut, c'est fantastique, hit me, hit me, hit me
Hit me with your rhythm stick
It's nice to be a lunatic
Hit me, hit me, hit me

Bouncing his head to the music the Doctor yelped as Carys took a sharp corner and he almost ended up in her lap despite the seat-belt, "Take it easy - I'm bored, but I don't want to have to trade this body in just yet," turning the radio down the Doctor glanced as Carys eased off the gas and he asked, "So, Caaaaarys," he said in a sing-song voice, "What's your story? Hows a nice overtly-violent woman like you end up in UNIT?" yelping as she took another sharp corner the Doctor cleared his throat, "So whats say I just... yeah, sit here and read that instruction thing again?" of course the manual was read through in about another minute and the Doctor then decided to entertain himself by playing with the land-rover window for the rest of the trip.

*******

Coming up behind Carys - who was holding a drink in her hand and sitting at the bar - the Doctor grinned and straddled a barstool next to her and waved as the bartender came and, after glancing at Carys, he asked, "You want somethin?" the Doctor waved his hand, "Just pour a little bit of everything into one glass - I'll pick it up later," when the bartender moved away the Doctor grinned proudly at Carys and said, "TOLD ya I'd get in," when she took a sip from her drink and muttered that it only took him ten more minutes than her, the Doctor shrugged, "I don't have your hair, but then I've got something better," reaching into his coat the Doctor pulled out a little leather-bound wallet, "Slightly psychic paper - just psychic enough to convince the door-crew and the bouncer that I'm the health inspector... apparently this guy instills more fear than a fleet of Dalek cruisers..."

Grinning at the bartender when he handed the Doctor his odd-colored drink, the Doctor looked at the tall frosty glass and said, "Well," sniffing the glass the Doctor grinned wider and said, "Salud," tossing the drink back - with one gulp - the Doctor licked his lips, set the glass back down and looked confused, "Huh..." staring at the Doctor, the bartender said, "Somethin wrong bud?" looking at the glass, the Doctor then looked at the Bartender and said, "No no no... it's just... I don't know what I think of that..." looking at Carys, the bartender scowled when she didn't seem anymore helpful and said, "You didn' like it?" licking his lips the Doctor picked up the glass, sniffed it, and said, "Dunno... maybe I hated it..."

Licking the glass again, the Doctor handed it to the bartender who - with a confused expression on his face - asked, "You want another?" the Doctor grinned cheerfully and said, "Please," rolling his eyes the bartender went back to the rear and started mixing all of the drinks together again. Surveying the somewhat messy-looking gathering of bikers, thugs and bruisers. The Doctor watched as a leggy blonde punched some heavy-looking guy in the gut and then jumped on top of him, "Nice place... so," twirling around on his stool, the Doctor grinned at Carys and asked, "Have you spotted our purp?" when his grin stayed the Doctor shrugged and said, "I've always wanted to say that,"

[Carys Barton]

"Oh, you have no idea what I've done." Carys grinned and got into the drivers seat. Maybe babysitting the Doctor could be a little bit of fun. "Ah, yes. A clean bow-tie was exactly what your ensemble needed." The Rover rumbled to life at the first turn of the key and Carys didn't wait to see if the Doctor had a seatbelt on before she floored it, pulling into London traffic.

Carys recognized the song and sang along to the parts she knew  enthusiastically. "Hit me with your rhythm stick. It's nice to be a lunatic. Hit me, hit me, hit me." She was an aggressive driver to say the least, only slowing down enough to take the corners without flipping the car. Carys looked over to give the  Doctor a smirk. "I can handle an F-16 at nearly Mach 2. Don't you think I can handle a Range Rover in London traffic?" As if to emphasize her point, Carys took another sharp turn that tossed the Doctor in another direction.

"Oh dear, I come across as violent?" Carys frowned in mock sadness, but quickly laughed. "Military family. Enlisted in the Air Force right out of High School. I started hearing a lot about UNIT when I got stationed overseas." Another sharp turn was taken. "The more I found out, the more I wanted to join. One thing led to another and here I am." She shook her head. "That would probably be best." Maybe a second read through of the manual would distract him from her weaving through the traffic.

*******

Carys sipped her beer as she kept a keen eye on the other bar goers. The Doctor was still outside. The bouncers hadn't seen his clean bow tie as proper club attire. Carys hadn't been able to resist a smug smile as she was ushered into the club, heels and all. It was a while before the Doctor finally joined her. "What was that about a Stetson getting you into all sorts of places, hm? Heels could have saved you a good ten minutes." She took a satisfied sip of her beer. "Psychic paper? Handy. And Health Inspectors are an almighty terror." She cocked an eyebrow as the bartender served the Doctor his strange concoction. 

"Oh don't tell me Time Lords can't get drunk. That's just unfair." Carys shrugged her shoulders at the bartenders inquiring look. She didn't know what the man meant. If you weren't afraid of the very rowdy bunch that came to drink here. [color=indigo]"Not sure yet. Never gone vampire hunting in a bar before." She pointed at a guy hanging near the corner of the bar. He had a spikey shock of black hair and was giving the women in the club predatory glances. "His jacket doesn't have any patches that belong to the local biker gangs. Could be a creeper or a vampire." Carys nodded towards a couple a few stools away. "And they haven't been drinking. While they may be appearing to cuddle, they're so not into eachother. Paying more attention to everyone else." 

Carys shrugged. "Like I said, it's hard to tell. Never done this before. What do you think?" It would be helpful if they had some sure fire way of detecting them. Other than trial and error, of course. Carys took another sip of her drink. This little assignment was actually fun so far. She could totally babysit a Time Lord. "I can investigate the creeper, you take a look at the odd couple?"