CHAPTER FIVE
Spluttering and blinking water from his eyes, the Doctor clung to a small iron ring set into the canal wall. He was temporarily sheltered from the eyes of the police, by the flaming debris from the boat. But, he knew that time was running short. Another boat was pushing away from it's moorings, apparently trying to get away from the fiery wreck. The Doctor looked at it worriedly. In skirting around the damaged boat, the vessel coming towards him was holding close to the side of the narrow canal...too close.
The Doctor swallowed hard and frantically looked for a way to climb up the wall, but nothing offered itself. He would have to duck under the water, and pray that the propellers wouldn't chop him up into fish food...if he wasn't crushed by the boat, first. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor prepared himself to do a quick, deep dive.
Yet surprisingly, the oncoming boat slowed and moved slightly away from him, the pilot coming neatly alongside, within inches of the Doctor's body. A hand reached down from the boat. The Doctor let out his breath in an astonished gasp, as a vaguely familiar voice said, “Come on, then! Quietly now, don't want them lot on shore to get wind of what I'm doing.”
Soaking wet, his suit clinging tightly to his body, the Doctor stiffly clambered over the side. He then rolled out of sight, crawling into the cabin. Within seconds, the boat slowly glided on its way, down the canal. Minutes later, the door to the cabin opened, and the Doctor got a better look at his latest savior. He stood there gaping, open-mouthed. “Wilfred?” He stammered, “Bu-but that's...that's impossible!”
The Doctor's face suddenly became alarmed, and he glanced nervously around the cramped cabin. “Donna's not--?” Donna's grandfather shook his head, “No Doctor, she's not here. She's off in Canary Islands with her mum.” He sighed and smiled sadly,. “Last I heard she was para-sailing or something of the sort. Always after trying something new, our Donna.” Nodding sagely, the Doctor said, “Good, good. She's off living her life, then.”
But, for just a flicker of a moment, Wilfred could see that the Time Lord's face was sad and lonely. He put his hand on the Doctor's arm. “She's alight, Doctor, she's safe. That's the main thing, isn't it? She didn't die, because of you—and the universe was saved and all of us are alive today, because of her. None of that would have happened, if she hadn't of met you. Isn't that right?” He said hopefully, trying to console his friend...for he had come to think of the Doctor as a friend. Shoving his hands into his dripping suit, the Doctor nodded again. “Yeah, Yeah. You're right, of course you're right, Wilfred. It's just...” His voice trailed off, as the Doctor stared absently at the cabin wall.
Then, without warning, he abruptly whipped out his sonic screwdriver. “You don't mind if I just do a little check on something, do you Wilfred? No, of course you won't mind, didn't think so.” The Doctor rattled off, “'cos you see, Wilfred ol' son—if you are Wilfred...I just had a rather nasty encounter with a pseudo-human, so think it would be safe to say that I'd be rather amiss if I didn't do some double-checking from here on out, ey? Make sure I'm speaking to the genuine article, so to speak.”
Wilfred backed up slightly, puzzled. The Doctor pointed the sonic at him, and pressed down...only to be rewarded with a fitful buzzing. The Doctor frowned, held the sonic screwdriver to his ear, and shook it. Wilfred crossed his arms and waited. “Are you finished playing with that thing? 'Cos if you are, I'd like to get us out of here, some time today..get you some dry clothes before you catch your death of cold. Your lot do get colds, don't they? I never know with you aliens.”
The Doctor looked at the screwdriver, momentarily stunned. “But...it's...it's supposed to be waterproof!” Was all he said, as Wilfred threw him a towel and went back to outer door, to pilot the boat down to the next lock. “There, use that, Doctor! You can dry you and that little gadget of yours off while I get us to the next town.” he called through the open doorway.
His face creased with an annoyed frown, the still-dripping Doctor had dried his hair and was sitting on the cabin's floor. After wiping off his glasses, he'd put them on and was now fiddling with the sonic screwdriver. He heard Wilfred shout, "So what's all this about then? Exploding boats, pseudo-wotsits, police everywhere...there's no mistaking when your're around, Doctor." The Doctor looked up long enough to raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, I suppose not." He conceeded dryly, then shot Wilfred a puzzled look. "What are you doing here, anyway? How come you're not on holiday with the rest of your family?"
Wilfred stuck his head through the half-open cabin door, "I asked you first." The Doctor pressed down on the screwdriver. The feelble buzzing had stopped and had become stronger. H got up and started to slip the screwdriver back in his wet suit pocket, but instead thought the better of it, and put on the seat of the chair, which his coat was drapped over the back of, drying. Walking over to the door, the Doctor sighed and said, "it's a long story, Wilfred." Donna's grandfather grinned and replied, "Way I see it, it's gonna' take me at least a half and hour to get to the next lock, so I've got plenty of time...and, you are a Time Lord, you've got all of eternity." The Doctor grinned at the old man. "Ah. You've got me there, I'm afraid."
After explaining about the deaths, the police and the Umvots, the Doctor said, "The've always been agressive, but I've never heard of them going after humans before. Of course," he shrugged, "that could be, because they've never encountered humans." He scratched the side of his cheek, "still, they are carnavores, so perhaps anything is fair game with them." He sighed, "But what do they want? Why are they turning out human doppelgangers...and how do they know about Torchwood...?" The Doctor pondered, biting his lip thoughtfully.
Wilfred shook his head. 'I dunno' half the things you talk about, Doctor. But, it's a good thing I happened by. A friend of mine offered me the use of his boat for the weekend, and well, an old sailor like me, how could I resist. So, I told the girl's to go on their ol' holiday without me. Quite frankly,' Wilfred leaned down and said in a conspirial tone," I could do a break from the nagging and the gossip, if you must know." The Doctor chuckled. "That bad, huh?"
Wilfred glanced up at the next lock on the canal, looming ahead. Suddenly he reached down and tugged on the Doctor's suit sleeve. "Uh-oh, Doctor. We've got trouble ahead!" The Doctor had an idea what that trouble might be. "Police?" he asked. "uh-huh." The old man grunted. "About a dozen of 'em, by the looks of things. And no where for us to hide, out here in plain sight like this. And, once we enter the lock they'll be no place to run, they'll have us trapped like rats! We're the only boat on this stretch of the canal, and--" His sentence was cut off by bullet, which thunked into the wood above Wilfred's head, and another which flew through the cabin window, narrowly missing the Doctor.
