(Set between DEATH TO THE DALEKS and THE MONSTER OF PELADON)
Based on a true story
On the streets it was always cold at night. Even in summer the nights were cold. Only seventeen years old and Paula was an old face on the streets. The usual Firth Street crowd were already huddling around a rubbish bin fire when Paula arrived. It was hard finding the metal bins these days once the wheelie bins were introduced. The crowd were one down tonight. Big Arthur had been nicked for shoplifting and been sent down by old Birdface the magistrate. Gerry and Susan were their usual clingy selves and Emma was being Emma. She had found a discarded box of tea bags and was busy brewing up a metal biscuit tin of the stuff.
"Hi guys." Paula sauntered near to the heat for warmth. "It's too bloody cold." Paula's attire was comfortable but not very warm. The blue denim jeans were through in both knees and her once yellow blouse had more stains than a mechanic's rag. Her leather jacket was a treasured find once, but it was now worn and ragged. Her trainers were tatty and had holes in the toes and her hair was a long mass that she kept in a pony tail to tame it.
"Here, get some of this down yer neck." Emma pushed an old baked bean can full of warm tea into Paula's hand. "Did yer get the stuff?"
Paula liked to think of herself as a go-between. She could acquire stuff from others or by nicking it. She had connections in several of the smaller gangs and one or two friends on Easy street.
Easy street was the main area where the prostitutes operated. More than a few of Paula's classmates had ended up earning a living that way. She kept in touch with a few of them and they were a great source of information as long as she didn't stop them from earning. The pimps didn't like it when one of their girls missed a well paying client. A couple of them tolerated her presence. She wasn't police and as long as she stayed out of their business she was safe there. One of them had even stopped another trying to forcibly recruit her by injecting her with smack.
"That's better Emms." Emms was Paula's nickname for Emma. "Warms yer corpse up and makes you feel nearly normal." Paula pulled out a small plastic wrapped bundle. "As we agreed."
"Thanks." Emma pulled out a roll of banknotes. How she acquired the cash Paula didn't want to speculate at but Emms didn't walk Easy street so it was probably nicked.
Then there were lights. Blue lights everywhere. Too many of them for Paula's liking.
"I'm sorry Paula, they caught me and offered me a deal. I'm sorry." Emma started crying.
"You set me up?" Paula was shocked but soon realised she had to escape. She ran down the dark alleyway that led to Harrow road. She could get a taxi there if she was lucky. The filth wouldn't expect that. Nothing. The street was deserted. Only one thing for it, the old park near Fallow avenue. It was a good mile on foot but panic and adrenaline overcame her instincts. Her feet pounded on the hard flagstones. Her trainers were old and did little to cushion the impact.
She heard hard, heavy boots and shoes pursuing her. A life on the streets had taken so much away from her but had given her what she needed to survive them as well. She was painfully malnourished but years of running like this had made her fast and quiet. She was agile and smart, she knew when to run and when and where to hide.
Breathless and numb with fear and cold she collapsed next to a tree. She lent against it while sucking in air as quietly as possible. Now she couldn't afford to make a noise or they would find her. She contemplated EMI's betrayal. She had sold Paula out when she was bringing her supplies of insulin stolen from Yardley's chemists. Emms needed the drug to stay alive and so it must have been really difficult to make that kind of choice. On the streets Emms would quickly be marked as a grass and no-one would have anything to do with her.
She was about to smash the small glass vials when she changed her mind. Pulling out a half-chewed pencil she scrawled a message on it. Emma Jarrett is also a smack addict. It was a small measure of revenge, they would stop all the nice guy treatment at least for a few hours until they tested Emms for substance abuse.
Once Paula was sure the coast was clear she pushed on through the small wooded area and out the other side. This was the Hamberfield estate and it was usually a no go area for women after dark. There were rumours about girls vanishing here and never being found. Given her current options she decided to risk it. She was almost across the estate when she was struck from behind in the left knee. She hit the ground hard and gave a yelp.
"Look what we got here. A little girl all on her own. It's not safe here girlie didn't your mummy tell you about places like this?" The stranger was a tall ugly pig of a man with badly smelling jeans and leather jacket.
"Get off me you oaf." Paula thought a show of defiance would give her a chance to escape.
"Oh you didn't say please now I'll just take what I want." He stepped closer towards her.
"Leave her alone." A tall man dressed funny and with silver curly hair stood in front of Paula.
"Oh and watcha gonna do about it grandpa?" The brute pulled out a tyre iron and gave a wicked, sadistic grin.
Paula felt a hand grab her arm and pull her backwards. She turned around ready to have a go at this newcomer but was shocked and glad to see it was a woman.
"Hello, my name's Sarah. Please, we should give the Doctor some room." Sarah gave Paula her jacket. It was warm and very comfortable. They stood back and watched as the silver-haired man gave the brute a lesson in fighting.
Once he had finished both women applauded.
"Thank you my dears. We'd better go before his friends arrive. Bullies like him are too cowardly not to live in packs."
Paula and her rescuers walked towards an odd looking blue box. As she got near it she made out the word Police. "I didn't know you were coppers!" Paula stopped walking. "I don't wanna go back there again." Paula remembered her brief stay in a remand centre. Three weeks of hell and misery. Rather than make her go straight it had made her resolve to be a better thief.
"No, you've got it all wrong. It only looks like one of those old police boxes. It's my home for lack of a better word. We travel around the universe in it." The Doctor gave a broad grin that made Paula think of too much drugs in the 60's.
"It's quite all right Paula." Sarah cut in. "The Doctor's not a police officer and neither am I. I'm a reporter, see." She produced her press ID card. "The Doctor is a scientist from another world."
"Pull the other one it's got little green men on it." Paula was sure these people were crazies, escaped from a mental hospital or something.
"What if I gave you proof?" The Doctor said as he unbuttoned his heavy cape.
"You haven't got two things have you?"
"If you mean hearts then yes my dear I do." The Doctor let Paula feel the beating of both of his hearts.
"Oh my god I'm being abducted by aliens. Oh god, oh god, oh god!" Paula's mind gave under this thought.
***
When she awoke she was lying in a four-poster bed. The sheets were made of luxurious pink and ivory silks and the drapes made of red velvet. She discovered she was now dressed in a lace nightie. There was a knock at the door and Sarah poked her head in.
"Ah, you're awake at last. You've been out of it for nearly twenty hours. I put you to bed myself last night. You're clothes were very tatty so I took the liberty of finding you some new ones from the TARDIS wardrobes. Don't worry you'll get the old ones back they're being washed and repaired as we speak.
"What about my things?" Paula hoped they hadn't looked too closely at the stuff in her jacket pocket. Several of them were illegal and a few of them deadly as they were for self defence.
"I put them in this draw here." Sarah pulled open the drawer and took out the insulin bottles. "Is it time for your next injection?"
"They're not mine, I was getting them for a friend. A former friend." Paula burst into tears as she told Sarah the whole story. The break in's, the scams, the deals and the betrayal.
"I'm so sorry Paula but you have to face up to the consequences of your actions."
"I know but I can't go back inside it was terrible. I just know I'd never get out alive, I just know it."
"I'll have a word with the Doctor. Maybe he can help. He has connections in high places."
"Why should he help me? A petty thief and drug dealer. I never touched anything but the Insulin for Emms but its enough to get me sent down for supplying."
"Why don't you get dressed and I'll talk to the Doctor." Sarah left the younger woman to get ready.
***
After half an hour the Doctor knocked at the door. "Ah Paula m'dear. I was just having a word with old Blayclock, he's the chief superintendent in your time period. He's agreed to drop all the charges as long as you agree to go straight and never commit another crime."
"Thanks Doctor, but on the streets everyone ends up a criminal sooner or later. Even if it's a loaf of bread to put off starvation for a day, or a bank robbery, it's just impossible not to fall into crime if you want to stay alive."
"Yes, I've read your newspapers about the economy collapsing and I know it's tough. I can't help everyone I'm afraid and that's not for lack of trying. If they ever found out how much I've interfered with Earth's history I'll be in your shoes quicker than you can say vaporisation chamber."
"So what do I do Doctor?"
"Well I had a word with a friend of a friend and sorted out a few things. How would you like to enlist?" The Doctor smiled.
"Join the Army? I'm not a trigger happy kind of person Doctor."
"You don't have to be a front line trooper, they can give you a trade and an education. Colonel Crighton is expecting you at nine am tomorrow morning for an interview."
"Thanks Doctor. It never occurred to me, You're great." She gave him a hug.
"Steady on with the hugs there. I did most of the fast talking." Sarah was standing in the doorway. They hugged and Paula thanked her.
"Before then however I suggest a quick holiday. I know this small planet called Metabelis 3 we could stay there for a few weeks."
***
Private Paula Cartwright felt so proud as her squad saluted General Scobie at their passing out parade. In the crowd she spotted the Doctor and Sarah and stifled the urge not to wave. Training hadn't been easy but she was straight with the other girls in her dorm about her past and they accepted her. For some of them it was a second chance as well. She had already been attached to U.N.I.T's special operatives training facility. Here she could pass on her street survival knowledge to agents who needed to go into deep cover on dangerous missions.
After the parade she found the Doctor and Sarah heading for the TARDIS. "Not so fast. You don't get away without a thank you."
The Doctor and Sarah turned around and smiled. "We just popped in to see you pass out. And to bring a visitor."
On cue Emma stepped out of the TARDIS. "Hello Paula, you look great. I see they've made you honest after all."
"Emms, I..."
"Don't say anything I'm so sorry that I set you up. They were going to send me to that remand centre you went to. After hearing all your nightmare stories I just couldn't end up there myself. I was a coward and a fool."
"Shh Emms don't say anything. They would have caught me eventually." The two friends hugged and cried.
"I've found a shelter where I can start looking for a job from. He." She pointed to the Doctor. "Offered me the same deal as you but I'm not the danger girl type. I hope one day you can forgive me Paula."
"Well there's no time like today Emms, I hope it works out for you."
Paula watched as the Doctor's blue box vanished before she caught up with her squad for a monumental booze up in the Crown. It was the nearest pub off base and had unofficially become known as the soldiers bar. Of course she was last there and had to get the first round in but they soon got stuck into the celebration.
***
The Doctor later regenerated after fatal exposure to radiation. His fourth persona enjoyed a long and successful career as a righter of wrongs and doer of good deeds. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Sarah Jane Smith became a famous celebrity reporter and wrote a series of books on her travels with the Doctor. She later found a metal dog in her aunt's loft but that's another story.
Warrant Officer Paula Cartwright married Corporal Gavin Butler. They have two children called Sarah and Jane. Paula was given away by a small man called The Doctor who spoke with a Scottish accent. Her bridesmaids were called Benny and Roz.
Emma Jarrett had a string of secretary jobs before being diagnosed with cancer which she battled successfully. Her medical bills were paid for by a tall curly haired man with a long scarf called The Doctor. Today she runs a successful children's nursery.
Big Arthur was given eighteen months for petty theft. He later became a drugs dealer and died in a police raid.
Gerry Peterson and Susan Hope got married but later divorced. There where abouts are unknown and the police files have them listed as missing. They were last seen in the company of a blonde gentleman in an Edwardian cricketer's outfit and a young redheaded man in a school uniform.
Reginald Maurice Fallows turned himself in for a number of unsolved murders. He named his accomplices and they all received fifteen years imprisonment. He told a disbelieving jury that a strange man with silver hair had visited his flat and made him confess.
Arthur 'Birdface' Scapshaw was found to be using his position as a magistrate to organise criminals. He was imprisoned for seven years but served only four.
Colonel Crighton's taste in decoration was mocked and ridiculed by the Doctor's second persona when he paid a visit to U.N.I.T. HQ.
Yardley's chemists was knocked down three years later along with several other buildings in the street. A cinema complex now stands on those grounds.
