fearandloathin

New Arrivals, New Beginings

Zoe had been staring at her mother's grave for half an hour, never taking her eyes off the inscription of the stone, her eyes not even flickering when the sun hit her eyes. She had always been different in that way - she never had to sucome to looking away from bright sunlight. Her legs ached from how she had been stood still for so long, and she knealt to the ground, the grass moist beneath her knees, and began to stain from the recently turfed up earth.

From the corner of her eye - Zoe noticed a man approaching from almost behind her. He was tall, fairly young and dark haired. His eyes significantly outlined and mysterious. She did not move from her spot, her eyes remaining focused on her mother's grave.

"My condolances." The man who had been approaching her from behind suddenly said. Zoe did not turn to look at him and remained silent.

"My name is Richard, Miss Kendell-Taylor. After hearing of your terrible news, I knew I needed to act swiftly to come and see you." Richard continued. Frowning slightly, Zoe turned and looked up at the myterious man, claiming to be named Richard. She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun this time.

"How do you know my name?" She asked. "How do you know who I am?"

"We've been following your movements for many years now Zoe. Ever since you were born. It was in your best interests. And now that you have no-one, it is time to come with us." Richard explained.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoe replied in disbelief. "I'm not alone. Well - not completly. There is still someone out there who needs me. I just - I need to find him."

"You mean your father?" Richard asked raising an eyebrow.

"No!" Zoe scoffed. "I don't have a father!"

"Everyone has a father Zoe." Richard retorted.

"I disowned him long ago. He abandoned our family. It's all his fault my mother is dead." Zoe replied fiercly.

"That's a shame." Richard replied sympathetically. "But I really do think you should reconsider my offer. Come with me, and I can offer you a better life. Far greater then any you would have here."

"I can't do that." Zoe replied, turning away from him.

"And why not?" Richard asked.

"Because I need to find my brother." She replied. Richard then knealt down beside her and watched her intently.

"What if I told you we know where your brother is, and if you come with me, you will both be reunited?" Richard asked. Zoe turned and glared at him, studying his eyes.  

"You're lying." She concluded. Richard shook his head.

"Your twin brother. His name is Luke - isn't it? And he disappeared when you were still very young. A toddler in fact. Everyone else as believed him to be dead. But not you. And you're right. He is very much alive. And you can meet him again. But I need you to come with me." Richard explained to her. Zoe glanced at him up and down, studying him carefully.

"Alright. I believe you. Where are we going?" She asked.

"Somewhere special." Richard replied mysteriously, a smile dancing smugly on his face.

Richard walked with Zoe to the car which was parked just outside the graveyard. Whoever this man was, he was obviously wealthy, as he had a driver, and there was plenty of room in the back. Once Richard opened the door for her, he followed promtly after, immediately offering her a drink.

"Orange juice, thanks." Zoe replied to his offer, taking a cool glass he retrived from the in car refridgerator greatfully. She drained th glass pretty quickly.

"I have many questions to ask." She said to Richard as the car started and they were on their way.

"I'm sure you do. And I'll be glad to answer them." Richard replied.

"Why - why have you been watching me? For all these years? Why haven't I ever been told anything about all of this, and why do you know so much about my family?" Zoe asked.

"Because we believe you are special. Very special. And very special people are meant to come with us, to this very special place. We would have asked you to come sooner - but we had - complications." Richard explained.

"Complications?" Zoe asked, frowning.

"Yes." Richard nodded. "But now we don't. Everything has become much easier, and I am pleased you were so willing to come."

"Only because you've promised you'll bring my brother to me!" Zoe reminded him. "You better be telling the truth. I'm still not sure whether to trust you. This all seems so strange, but at the same time, perfectly normal. I don't understand."

"Everything will become clear very soon." Richard assured her. Zoe nodded, suddenly feeling very drowsy - unusually drowsy.

"Wha - what did you do?" She whispered as her eyes began to droop heavily.

"I put a strong sedative in your drink. It's in your best interests to be sure you have a safe and comfortable journey for your new home." Richard explained casually.

"New home?" Zoe yawned. "Wait - what do you mean? I agreed to come, but I'm not staying!" Her head then drooped to one side, her seatbelt supporting her up, and she was fast asleep.

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Zoe's eyes shot up with a flash as she suddenly woke up, remembering everything that happened instantly. She sat up abruptly, cursing loudly as she bumped her head on the bottom of the top bunk bed above her. She took a quick glance of her surroundings, quickly identifying she was no longer in the car. It was something else, somewhere she had never been before.

Rubbing her sore head, groaning a little, she manovered out of her bunk and into the corridor, trying to figure out where she was and why no-one was around. She headed for the nearest door, which opened as she made for the handle. It was Richard.

"Ah! Just in time! We are here!" He informed her brightly before she could say anything. "Follow me!" Groggily, she followed, and Richard led her to a ladder.

"Climb that, and you'll come onto some decking. He'll be waiting to greet you." Richard explained to her.

"Who will be?" Zoe asked. Richard simply smiled at her. She frowned again, but did as he instructed, and climbed the ladder. She broke to the surface of fresh open air, quickly identifying she was in a submarine, which was now docked. She clambered out rather clumsy to see at the end of the decking on the coast was a portly man, standing, waiting for her. She walked graciously along the decking towards him.

"Hello Zoe. My name is Benjamin Linus. Welcome to the island at last." He said to her, smiling broadly at her.

"Doctor...." John replied encouragingly.

"Just the Doctor." He replied brightly, then without warning, he ran off.

"Hey! Wait!" Zoe shouted after him, and ran after him, Jason shouting too, he followed her. John and Beth remained frozen on the spot dumbfounded, Andy and Sophie just as much. Then reality hit them and they followed close behind.

Zoe followed the Doctor down the main road, before skidding to a halt as he disappeared down a little alley way. At the end was a brick wall, surrounded by more walls belonging to buildings. At the end of the alley way was a blue box. An old police box. Zoe stopped, watching confusingly, head tilted to one side. The Doctor opened the door and went inside, closing it behind him. Preplexed by a man hiding in a police box, Zoe strided over to it, and tried to open the door, but it was locked. She raised both eyebrows before shrugging and knocking on the door. 

She waited for five minutes and knocked again after nothing happenened. Then, it opened, and a clean shaven, hair cut man stood in the door way, wearing a brown suite with white converses and a long brown trench coat stood before her.

"I take it you're not really a begger on the streets then?" Zoe smirked.

"That's right. Do you want something?" He asked brightly, beaming at her with that cheeky grin.

"Yeah, I wanna know why there is a space ship flying over Lincoln - and why you pretended to be a begger man when clearly you're not poor, and didn't need my money. I'll have my fifty pence back please!" Zoe replied hoitily toitily, but as she was saying that, the Doctor disappeared into his ship. 

"Hey, I was talking!" Zoe protested and followed him into the tardis, gasping from shock when she saw what was inside. "But - but - but that's impossible!"

"And yet here we are!" The Doctor replied as she heard running footsteps. Jason and Sophie stumbled in, Zoe having left the door open.

"No way." Jason replied in awe, Sophie too speechless to say anything. 

"These are my friends by the way. Jason and Sophie" Zoe nodded at them. "And I'm Zoe."

"Allonsy!" the Doctor exclaimed, and the door that Zoe entered through shut, and the Doctor began pressing buttons in the centre of the tardis of what looked like a central control centre for his ship. The tardis began to shake, and Zoe quickly grabbed onto something to steady herself. The tardis started to make strange swooshing noises Zoe had never heard before. 

"What's going on? What's happening?" Jason asked panically as he clung onto one of the supporting posts. 

"We're moving." Zoe replied firmly. The Doctor nodded at her and winked. Then the shaking and strange noises stopped. Zoe looked over at the Doctor.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"Hopefully..." The Doctor replied vaguley before running to the door to open it. He stepped outside. "Yes, we're here!" He exclaimed loudly. Zoe frowned and followed him out of the tardis, her mouth fell open at what she saw.

Zoe's eyes were tightly shut after the sound of the explosion, the crashing into the Varsity's roof and everything crumbling around her. Then everything went silent, and after a few moments of the silence, Zoe opened her eyes slowly. Destruction surrounded her. Varsity was destoryed. Tables and chairs knocked over everywhere, the alcohol bottles behind the bar smashed. People lying motionless all over the place, and some gazing around at the wreck, having done the same as Zoe and her friends, diving under tables. 

Breathing heavily and rapidly from the shock, Zoe got up and out from under the table, making a 360 rotation to make a full observation of everything around her. It wasn't just Varsity that had been destoryed. She could see fire and rubble from other building nearby, stretching for as far as she could see.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked Zoe as she climbed out from under the table. "You're bleeding." Zoe's gaze from the wreckage fell on Beth slowly.

"Where?" She asked distantly.

"There." Beth replied, touching her foehead and showing her the blood. Zoe touched the wound herself. It was a shallow wound.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She reassured her.

"Oh my god. All these people...are they dead?" Beth gasped as she noticed bodies scattered everywhere.

"I don't know." Zoe replied as she climbed over the rubble and out of the wreckage onto the street, bumping into a man dressed in a navy suit with a brown trench coat and a handsome cheeky face, a fringe flooping over just above his eyes casually.

"Oh sorry-" Zoe started as she apologised to the man, but stopped in mid sentence. This man looked awfully familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Me? Uh, no, perhaps we've glimpsed each other before." He replied with a big grin, both eyebrows raised. "So what happened here then?"

"Uh...I don't know, I just...I was having a drink...with my friends..." Zoe started to reply before they all caught up with her - John, Beth, Jason, Sophie and Andy. "And then we heard this strange rumbling. Like thunder...but not thunder. Then felt some kind of earythquake. And now here we are."

"Fascinating." the stranger replied looking at the wreckage and then back at her. "Right. Toodle pip." and suddenly ran off. 

"Hey, wait!" Zoe called after him and then ran, following him.

"Hey! Zoe! Wher are you going?" One of her friends called after her before they too ran after her. She persude the trench coat man down the cobbled street, through a big arch with gargoyal statues at the top and halted in the high street.The man had stopped, for just infront of him was something big, strange and just plain weird. Zoe walked slowly upto it and stood beside the man. 

"What - what is it?" She stammered slightly. 

"It's a space ship." He replied brightly in a casual manner. 

"What - you mean a UFO?" She asked in disbelief. 

"No - no. A UFO means unidentified flying object, right? Well, this craft is neither flying nor unidentified. It's still and we know it's a space ship." He replied quickly.

"Okay, but who does it belong to?" Zoe asked.

"Zoe! What are you doing? And oh my god, what the hell is that?" Beth came running up to her, shortly followed by John, Jason, Sophie and Andy.

"It's a space ship." Zoe replied.

"Yeah, but where did it come from?" John asked.

"Er...wild stab in the dark here, but perhaps space?" Zoe replied, raising an eyebrow at him. The stranger looked back at them all, grinning cheekily.

"I like her, she's clever!" He replied.

"And you are?" John asked. 

"I'm the Doctor."