DoctorNoGo/Chapter 8

Torchwood Special Part 1: Torchwood no Go

/Chapter 7

/Chapter 9

I still do not own the rights to Doctor who or Torchwood. Both are the work of the BBC.

Yamada Yumi was on her way home on the bullet train. She still had a few stops to go before she got off.

"Are you Yamada Yumi?" asked a child who had just boarded the train.

"Yes, I am," answered Yumi.

"You're an amazing Go player!" said the boy enthusiastically. "May I have your autograph?"

"Sorry," said Yumi. "I have a strict autograph policy. If you want my autograph, meet me at the Japanese Go Association between 10 AM and 11 AM."

"Hmph," snorted an elderly man whose breath smelled like alcohol. "You think you're so high and mighty, don't you?"

"I don't think that," said Yumi defensively. "What makes you think that I think that?"

"You think you need to hand out autographs to as many people as possible!" said the man.

"It's not like that!" said Yumi. "I don't offer people autographs. They ask me. The problem is that so many people ask me that it slows down my daily schedule. Therefore I organized a strict time period where I can give people what they want."

"You look worn out," said Yumi's mother when Yumi came home.

"I just wish I didn't have to travel to another country to find someone who doesn't know my name," replied Yumi.

"Maybe you should do just that," suggested her mother.

"What, travel to another country?" said Yumi. "Are you sure that you're okay with that?"

"Yumi, I've been an overprotective mother for way too long. It's time I let you have more freedom."

"Who are you, and what have you done with my mother?" demanded Yumi.

"Look into my eyes, Yumi," said her mother. "I know you can read people's characters just by looking into their eyes. Tell me what you see."

"I was joking," said Yumi. "For a short while now I've seen you change. Your fragility looks like it is healing, and the strength that you once had seems to be returning. But this is all happening too quickly."

"I've been seeing a therapist," said her mother. "He has tremendously helped me get over the pain in my past."

"What exactly did you tell him about your pain?" asked Yumi.

"I told him that before you were born, I saw your possible death eighteen years into the future."

Yumi stared at her mother, at a loss for words.

"Don't worry. My therapist works for an alien research organization. He knows about this kind of stuff."

"But don't people like that keep their identities secret?" asked Yumi. "How did you find him?"

"I didn't," said her mother. "He found me. He called me and offered to give me therapy."

"How did he know about your condition?" asked Yumi.

"He said that someone had hacked his databases and found him. He didn't say exactly who – just someone who owed us a dept and knew that I needed help."

Later that night, Yumi went over to the nostalgic sight of the destroyed warehouse where she had met the Daleks, and later on, a Sontaran. This time she came to meet with Dalek Ces, an unusual Dalek whom Yumi had helped to find peace.

"It was you, wasn't it?" said Yumi. "You set mom up with a psychiatrist who was also a top-secret alien research agent."

"Yes, that was me." said Dalek Ces.

"I don't know how to thank you enough," said Yumi.

"You shouldn't thank me at all," said Ces. "It's my fault that your mother's soul was torn apart in the first place."

"Don't beat yourself up about that," said Yumi.

"I'm not beating myself up," said Ces. "I'm amending my wrongdoing. I'm trying to undo the damage I did so that it looks like it didn't happen."

One week later, in Cardiff, England...

"I'm sorry, Jack," said Gwen Cooper. "I failed."

"It's not your fault," said Captain Jack Harkness, the leader of Torchwood. "The guy we were chasing is literally invisible. We need to find better technology to track him down."

"But I tried to chase him through an airport!" said Gwen. "He must be in another country by now!"

"Don't worry," said Jack. "The alien technology that we currently possess can get a vague lock on his location. Once the airplane that he's on lands, we'll know where he's headed."

"So what kind of technology do we need?" asked Gwen.

"Something like the scanners that I used to find him the first time, only portable. We need to find out more about his power."

"We know he's invisible," said Gwen. "How does he do it? Is it like the entrance to our headquarters?"

"No, it's nothing like that," said Jack. "Our entrance is hidden by a perception filter. It's perfectly visible, but there's a psychic field around it that stops people from noticing it. This guy is different. It's like he only half exists, or is drifting between this dimension and another one. He doesn't reflect light, and any body heat that he gives off goes to another dimension."

"But he can touch things in this world," said Gwen.

"Yes, he can make physical contact," said Jack. "Basically, he can do anything that a normal human can, but he can also warp reality for one purpose: don't get noticed."

"Wait – is he human or alien?" asked Gwen.

"I think he's a human who's being possessed by an alien symbiote," said Jack. "Our goal is to find them, separate the symbiote from its host, and then capture the symbiote."

Meanwhile, at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, none of the customs guards noticed a boy in his late teens sneaking past them. He had no trouble sneaking past them, considering that he was completely invisible.

We're close, said a voice in his head. Soon you can say goodbye to me.

What, you're just going to drop me off and leave me here in another country? thought the boy.

I thought you wanted to get rid of me, said the voice.

I do, but I need somewhere to live, thought the boy. If you leave me now, I won't be able to sneak onto a plane back to England without invisibility.

What difference does it make? said the voice. You weren't wanted there anyway. Nobody ever noticed you, even when you were physically visible.

Just then something caught the boy's eye. It was a Japanese girl about his age. But it wasn't just any Japanese girl.

That's Yamada Yumi! he thought. The world's strongest Go player!

It's not just Go, said the voice in his head. I sense tremendous power flowing through her. I want that power!

Is that why you came all the way to America? asked the boy. How did you know she would be here and not in Japan?

I didn't, answered the voice. I was looking for someone else, but this girl is so much better!

What are you going to do to her? asked the boy nervously.

Oh, are you actually concerned for her? said the voice.

Yumi was on her way to pick up her baggage, but she could feel something nearby that was out of place. She looked around. Everything looked normal, but there was a lie in the appearance of her environment.

Yumi looked in a certain direction, thinking that the disturbance in reality seemed to be coming from that direction. She still couldn't see anything out of place, but she knew there was supposed to be something right in front of her.

Suddenly, a boy about her age appeared to materialize out of thin air. Yumi had a second to see his face before he grabbed her by the wrist.

Immediately she could feel something trying to come through her from within the boy. She could feel it prying into her mind, but she resisted with all her strength.

I will have...your power! said a voice in her head.

If you could take it that easily, thought Yumi, it wouldn't be my power, would it?

Give it to me! said the voice.

Get out of my head! thought Yumi.

After a bit of intense mental struggling, Yumi was able to shove the psychic invader out of her mind. The boy let go of her, and in another second, he disappeared.

"Are you all right?" asked a security guard in the airport.

"Yes, I'm okay," said Yumi.

"Do you know the guy who was assaulting you?" asked the guard.

"I've never seen him before," said Yumi.

"Don't worry," said the security guard. "We'll find him and bring him to justice."

"Good luck with that," said Yumi.

"We have security cameras all over the airport," said the guard. "We can track his every movement from the point where he assaulted you." He picked up his radio and spoke into it. "Control, have you traced the suspect's whereabouts yet?"

"Actually," said a voice from the radio, "as soon as he stopped assaulting the victim, he seems to have vanished into thin air."

"Have you tried rewinding the recording?" asked the guard.

"Yes I have," said the security control operator. "All I see is him literally vanishing. First he's there, then he's gone."

"That's impossible!" said the guard.

"Is it really?" asked Yumi. "A few years ago, the entire planet Earth disappeared from the solar system. You do remember that, don't you?"

"Of course I remember," said the guard. "I meant that it's not humanly possible. He must be an alien with the power to teleport."

"Actually, I think he's just invisible," said Yumi. "When I couldn't see him, I could still pick up some subtle signs that he was there."

"We will look into it," said the guard.

"Are you familiar with handling aliens?" asked Yumi.

"No, but we have contacts who are," said the guard. "That's all I can tell you."

As soon as Yumi was free from the aftermath of the incident with the invisible boy, she claimed her baggage, then boarded a bus toward a hotel.

Over the next two days, Yumi tried to relax and enjoy her vacation, but she couldn't get the invisible boy out of her head. She couldn't help feeling that she should be doing something about it.

The police are working on it, she told herself. They have contacts that can deal with aliens. They'll be fine without me.

As she was walking down the street, Yumi noticed some signs posted on the walls of buildings and on telephone poles. They had the caption "WANTED" and a photograph of the boy who had attacked her. This photograph was obviously taken at the airport during the brief time that the boy was visible.

This is their strategy? thought Yumi skeptically. He's invisible! Although, this is probably actually insurance rather than their main plan. Who knows? Maybe he'll turn visible again and someone can report his whereabouts.

Just then, Yumi saw the same boy standing across the street, perfectly visible. Yumi crossed the street to meet him.

"You do realize that you have wanted posters with your face on them all over the place," said Yumi, "and you're just standing around in public?"

"Yeah, pretty much," said the boy, who had a British accent. "The funny thing is, I've been standing here for an hour, and I've seen three police cars drive by, but nobody's taken any notice of me. One of the policemen stopped just over there..." he pointed to a fire hydrant nearby, "...and gave a car a parking ticket. I tried to shout after him, but he just got into his car and drove off."

"So basically, you're trying to turn yourself in," said Yumi.

"That's right," said the boy.

"I'm sorry, what's your name?" said Yumi.

"John Smith," said the boy.

"I'm Yamada Yumi," said Yumi. "Or Yumi Yamada if you want it in western order."

"Yes, I know who you are," said John.

"Great," said Yumi. "I'm turning into Harriet Jones^[1]."

"Halt!" said a voice. "Hands up!"

Yumi and John raised their hands and turned to see Gwen Cooper and Captain Jack Harkness pointing their guns at John.

"No, not you," said Jack, looking at Yumi. "You can put your hands down."

"You don't need to point guns at me," said John. "I surrender. I will cooperate with you and answer any of your questions."

"What's your name?" asked Gwen.

"John Smith," said John.

"Nice try," said Jack. "You said you would answer any of our questions. Now what is your name?"

"That is my name," said John. "I know, it's generic, and I never really liked it, but that's what I was landed with."

"He's telling the truth," said Gwen. "I scanned him and traced his image to a photo ID from an on-line database. He lives in an orphanage in Cardiff, and his name is indeed John Smith."

"When you scanned him, did you check to see if the symbiote was still there?" asked Jack.

"Yes I did," answered Gwen. "It's gone."

"It left me yesterday," said John. "While I was invisible, and being controlled by the symbiote, I sneaked into a concert starring Britney Spears. While she was backstage, I grabbed her. Next thing I knew, I was visible again. Britney seemed too dazed to notice me, though."

"So now Britney Spears is invisible," said Jack.

"I don't think so," said John. "Look up there." He pointed to a large television screen on the outside wall of a tall building. Britney Spears was on the air, singing.

Jack scanned the screen with a high-tech alien scanner. "It's definitely playing live," he said.

"To be honest," said Yumi, "I never really liked her music."

"Are you kidding?" said John. "She rocks! She's the best!"

Just then, something caught Yumi's eye. She and the others were standing right outside a music store. On display by the window were a bunch of CDs – and all of the CDs were albums by Britney Spears.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in New York City, Britney Spears had just finished singing her last song before the intermission. A long line of people were waiting to ask her for autographs.

Soon she had signed ten autographs. The next person in line was an elderly man. She took the piece of paper he had with him, then wrote on it, "To Al Kahn." She then signed her name in cursive.

"How do you know my name?" asked Kahn.

"I've known who you were for a long time," said Britney, who had a sinister look in her eyes. "You're just the man I've been waiting for."

Britney Spears grabbed Al Kahn by the wrist, allowing the symbiote to flow out of her and into him. Kahn stood there, dazed for a few seconds. When he came to his senses, he walked away.

"The CDs are back to normal," commented Yumi. "They now feature a variety of artists."

"The symbiote must have left Britney Spears," said John. "I suddenly don't feel like a fan of hers anymore. In fact, I never thought her music was any good."

"This doesn't make any sense," said Jack. "First it possesses John Smith and makes him invisible. Then it possesses Britney Spears and makes her the most popular woman on the planet."

"It makes perfect sense," said John. "Before the symbiote possessed me, I already felt like I was invisible. People could physically see me, but they always ignored me. I never had any friends and I never participated in any school clubs. I tried to start up a Go club, but nobody ever joined.

"As for Britney Spears, she has already gained a surprising amount of popularity, despite the bad quality of her music, in my opinion."

"So you're saying that the symbiote doesn't just make anyone invisible," said Yumi. "It warps reality based on its host's persona."

"Exactly," said John. "Back at the airport, it said it was looking for someone in particular."

"You mean me?" asked Yumi.

"No," said John. "It sensed power in you and got tempted by the lucky encounter. But it told me it was looking for someone else," said John. "I just don't know who."

The next day, at 4Kids TV Headquarters...

Voice actor Dan Green was sitting at his desk, watching Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, a fan-made parody by Little Kuriboh.

"Yugi!" said Little Kuriboh's voice playing the part of Yugi's alter-ego. "You can't be dead! If you were dead then 4Kids would have censored it!"

Dan Green laughed out loud.

"You do realize that that show is making fun of us," said another 4Kids employee.

"Hey, I can work for 4Kids and still enjoy insulting parodies," said Green. "I'm just a voice actor. I get paid to say lines that are unpopular with hardcore anime fans."

"Just don't let our boss catch you watching that," said the other employee, just as the door opened. "Oh, speak of the devil."

Al Kahn walked through the door into the room. Dan Green quickly closed his Internet browser window.

"Mr. Kahn, sir," he said. "I was just, um, trying to figure out what to say against that lawsuit. You know how TV Tokyo is trying to sue us and take away our rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds?"

"Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds doesn't matter anymore," said Kahn. "I've got my eyes on a whole new show to dub and censor."

"What's that?" asked Green.

"Reality," said Kahn, grinning evilly with a sinister look in his eyes.

To be continued...

[1] Harriet Jones: Seriously, you don't know who she is? I thought everyone in the universe knew who she was. She's the late former prime minister of Britain in the Doctor Who world. Whenever she introduces herself, the response is always, "Yes, I know who you are." This applies to aliens as well. For example, in the Christmas special in season two, after the Doctor regenerated, the Sycorax invaded Earth and kidnapped Harriet Jones and her government, including someone who held a computer that could translate Sycoraxic.

Harriet Jones: Harriet Jones, prime minister.

Sycorax: (Sycoraxic gibberish)

Translator: Yes, we know who you are.

And then there's the Dalek invasion in "The Stolen Earth," when the Daleks hunted Harriet Jones down to exterminate her.

Harriet Jones: Harriet Jones, former prime minister.

Daleks: YES, WE – KNOW – WHO – YOU – ARE!

/Chapter 7

/Chapter 9

/Chapter 8 Discussion