The Navy's Scientific Research Centre wasn't as grand as expected, but it definitely wasn't small by any means.
The Huntress, Will, Gray and Kate stood in a line below the steps leading to the front door. Huntress couldn't help but smile as she stood with her crew, about to take a new step in their adventure. A dangerous, earth-threatening adventure.
'This is it. The research section of the building should be directly to the east. The west side has offices, archives and staff rooms. We'll break into pairs and take two different tasks. One pair will look for records on the missing ship while the other takes a look at those labs, see what they're up to here.'
Kate checks her watch on her left wrist. Two in the afternoon. 'The two of us will check the labs while the boys look for the files.'
Immediately, Will turned and gave Kate a dissatisfied look. 'We may be working together, but I don't appreciate you keeping such a tight leash on the Huntress. You take Gray to the labs and she'll help me find the files.'
Hearing his name, Gray started listening more closely to the conversation than before. 'Well, maybe she doesn't want you bossing her around either!' he intervened.
Shaking her head, the Huntress did the only thing she thought would work and whistled loudly. All three were stunned. Her whistle was so loud that every single one of them covered their ears in a flash.
'Right then! I assume Will has experience looking through paperwork and files so you'll be on the files side. Kate will accompany him in case someone asks for rank or permission. UNIT ID should work for that, I presume. Gray will accompany me to the laboratories, since that's the place of importance I want to explore in particular. What they're experimenting on in there could be connected with the creatures in question. I hope there aren't any complaints. No? Perfect, then let's go.'
With her plan said and apparently agreed upon, the Huntress started the long walk up the stairs. Gray quickly followed her while Kate and Will took their time behind them.
Full of confidence, Huntress pushed open the glass door and entered the large reception area. There was a long wooden desk straight ahead with only one secretary taking questions. The other was talking away with a smile on a headset at the left side of the desk.
Huntress turned around briefly to make sure that Gray was with her. He looked pretty good in a suit. Dark blue with a silver tie. She herself had convinced Kate to bring costumes into the plan. She snatched up a green blouse with frilly things around the neck and down the chest, worn with a black blazer and pencil skirt. She still wore the black wedged slip-on shoes that Kate originally gave her, in case of emergency running.
As he approached the desk, Gray was fiddling with his tie madly. Huntress quickly turned around and grabbed the tie herself and fixed it before turning again and continuing her walk to the desk. It all happened so fast for Gray, but he never stopped moving. He was blinking madly like he was dazed.
Huntress examined room with her trained eyes and noticed nothing that she would call unusual. She finally reached the desk and the dark-haired receptionist smiled. Huntress took note of her name. Larissa.
'Hello. How can we help you today?' she brightly inquired. Oh boy. She hasn't been on the job long. She's still cheery, Gray thought to himself.
Huntress put on her best smile and produced a small black wallet with a piece of paper inside. She showed it to the receptionist and she was taken aback.
'We're here to take a look around the premises. This being a new building, we're just here to do an integrity inspection. My colleague and I will take the east wing and our other two colleagues behind us will be checking the west wing. I assume that everything is in order?'
Gray couldn't help but look around at Will and Kate behind him. Kate was now in a navy pantsuit with a loose white blouse whilst Will wore a black suit with a red tie. Gray found Will's look quite entertaining, considering his very short haircut.
The receptionist had smiled and noted the fake names the Huntress gave her, since it was too risky to use real names in a place like this. Huntress went by Claire Jones, Will was Matthew Bakewell, Gray was John Eckles and Kate used her own name in case she needed to use her own official ID as a back-up.
Now allowed to go their separate ways, the crew split and started leaving. 'See ya later, Agent 47' Gray cheekily whispered to Will. Will scrunched his nose in annoyance while Huntress grabbed Gray's arm and started dragging him along.
'Ow, quit it' he complained feeling her nails digging into his arm sharply.
'Come on, John. Time's wasting' she replied sarcastically.
* * *
West side of the headquarters. Kate and Will are calmly walking through the corridors looking for the archives room. All they'd found were offices. Not even the booth ones, just single room offices with multiple names on one door.
Will was fully focused on the task while Kate's mind wasn't focused on one single task at all. He could tell as much just by her eyes. Looking at her shoes while walking wasn't exactly looking for archives.
'Alright, spit it out. What's on your mind' Will asked, breaking their long silence. Kate shook her head as if awakening from a trance and looked at him strangely.
'I'm sorry?' she replied.
At that moment, they'd reached the elevator at the end of the corridor. Will pushed the up button then turned his attention directly to Kate. 'Since we've started searching, you've been more concerned with your own thoughts. About the Huntress, no doubt. Look, I may not have known her for that long but I trust her enough to be doing this and you should too. She told us about her past, remember?'
Kate's attention darted away from Will. She couldn't bear to look at him any longer. His blind trust in the Huntress annoyed her. Not much could do that, but this was an exception. 'Why?' was her single response to him.
Will was slightly surprised by her answer but nevertheless he went along with it. 'Why what?'
'Why do you trust her so completely. You don't actually know what this woman has done'.
'The past doesn't matter'.
'Hers does. Trust me when I tell you this. If a man like the Doctor tells you to be extremely cautious of someone, you do a hell of a lot more than that. He said that she is a very dangerous woman and I trust that man a hell of a lot more than I trust her. He has saved this planet hundreds, no thousands of times over and no one has ever known. She only arrived last night. So yes, it does matter. I refuse to trust her as blindly and quickly as you do, Mr. Mayweather.'
Kate steps into the waiting elevator while Will stands idle and processes what he has been told. The Doctor? Saved earth thousands of times already. The Huntress is a dangerous woman? Why? Why do I trust her so much? She isn't even the same woman that I saved from the river. She changed before my eyes into another person. What have I been doing? Why didn't I just run away?
'Will? Hurry up, we have work to do' Kate urged at Will while holding the elevator open.
With his mind still flustered and taking a hard look back at his previous actions, Will walks into the elevator and stands inside with Kate on his right.
'I just do' he states.
Kate looks up at him curiously. 'Just do what?'
'Trust Huntress. I just do. There's no obvious feelings and no logical explanation. I just trust her. With my life.'
Kate looks away from him, clearly disturbed by his revealed opinions. She starts rubbing her right wrist with her left hand, as if nervous or showing doubt in herself. I know the feeling. You're not the only one who has blindly trusted a Time Lord, she thought to herself.
* * *
East wing of the building. Cassie was still working away in Dr. Weller's lab on the water samples. Cassie began to grow worried about Weller. She'd been gone for such a long time but her coat and personal effects were still on the rack. After Ironwood appeared in the doorway that morning, she walked out of the lab and never returned. It was the afternoon now.
In an attempt to focus, Cassie moved the water samples aside and started writing her report on the specific samples. Most of them just said failed in many scientific words, but a report was a report. Besides, she didn't want to lose her job over something miniscule like that.
'O I like it in here. Hey, this one's nice Hun.... I mean, Claire!' came a strange British voice from the corridor.
Cassie looked around and spotted a thin man in a suit in the doorway, poking his head in and looking around. Very quickly, a woman appeared and looked over his shoulder.
'That's the ticket. Just what we're looking for' she responded with a large smile. Both entered and started reading the posters and notes on the equipment in the room.
'Um, can I help you two with something? You do know this is Dr. Weller's personal lab, right?' Cassie spoke in hopes of grabbing their attention. Gray looked at her and simply patted her on the shoulder while walking past. 'If that were the case, why are you here then?' he said as he walked past.
Cassie shook her head whilst gasping with her eyes squinted and locked onto the back of Gray's head. 'Excuse me?' she complained.
Huntress hurried over to her and lightly touched her shoulders, turning her around. 'Hi. Don't mind him, his new. We're here to inspect the new building, I'm Claire. Claire Jones.'
She starts shaking Cassie's hand. Eventually she lets go. 'That's enough of that. Now, I don't suppose this Dr. Weller is in? We're evaluating staff as well as the building and I mean, this is her lab. If anything comes up, we're gonna have to speak with her personally.'
'Nothing is wrong with this lab. I'm Cassie Devonport, her new assistant.'
Huntress gave Cassie a more sharpened stare. 'New assistant? So you haven't been here long?'
Cassie looked shocked. Huntress noticed her want to clasp her hands over her mouth. 'Um, yes. I'm very professional though. Simone has been amazing. I mean, she and Ironwood have suddenly started getting along but I guess that just happens after you butt heads with someone for so long.'
'I wouldn't know. Would you say that Simone has started acting strange since they've started getting along? Anything out of the ordinary at all?'
Cassie looked away in thought. It was clear by her biting her lip that she wanted to say something, but her only response was 'Not that I can think of, miss.'
Over at the other side of the room, Gray tries to open the door to Weller's office, but it's locked. Cassie hears the doorknob hitting the lock and turns around.
'You can't go in there right now. You'll have to wait for Dr. Weller to get back. Now if you two would excuse me.'
With that, Cassie leaves the Huntress' side and goes back to her bench and her microscope. She ignores them and continues writing on her report sheet, clearly forcing herself to concentrate.
Gray slowly walked back to the Huntress and leaned in to whisper to her.
'Bit of a tight tush on that one' Gray commented with a sly grin.
Huntress shakes her head and turns around to face him. 'True, but something is clearly strange with that boss of hers.'
'What, that Simone chick? Dr. Weller?' Gray counters. Huntress is surprised at this.
'Wow, you really were listening. Now, I need you to go over and distract our Ms Devonport for me. I'm going to get into that office and have a look around.'
As the Huntress starts walking to the office door, Gray grabs her arm and pulls her backwards to her original spot. 'Oi, how am I supposed to do that?'
'Two choices. Be a gentleman and apologise on my behalf for my pushy questions. Or you do your given job and ask about her work. Oh and if you do the latter, act interested Mr Eckles.'
Huntress re-straightens his tie and starts making her way to the office door once more. Gray starts unnecessarily dusting his shoulders and straightens his posture.
'Alright. Do my job. Just act like you do when you're talking with a patient, Gray. Just relax and think of grumpy cat. Ah, good ol 'grumpy cat' he mumbled to himself whilst mustering up the courage to go over and speak with Cassie.
Over at the door, the Huntress sneakily sonics the door and tiptoes through, throwing glances over at Cassie whenever it seemed loud. She never heard anything.
After silently shutting the door, she stretches and looks over at the laptop on the desk. She stares at it, unimpressed. It's opened with pure static and colour zipping across the screen. The machine itself is making a noise between beeping and static.
'Well, you not going to be much help are you?' she comments.
She raises her sonic to the computer and starts scanning it. After taking the readings, she looks at the computer in utter surprise, then realisation. 'You, little fella, are a menace. And clearly anti-tech, you've left bits of yourself burnt into the wiring everywhere. Questions are, what did you want and where have you slicked off to now?'
She slowly resets the frequency on her sonic to track the alien entity. It gives a faint beep in the room. As the Huntress turns in a circle, the direction with the strongest reading is back out of the office. Through the door.
'Please tell me this is your old trail and your burned up inside the device.'
She turns back to the broken laptop and bites the side of her bottom lip. 'No offense, mate.'
Back in the main lab, Gray looks over Cassie's shoulder at the small water droplets inside the petri dishes. Cassie felt his cold breath going down the neck of her blue button-up shirt and quickly turns her head. 'Can I help you?'
Gray takes a step to his right and raises his arms in innocence. 'Sorry. Sorry I just, I'm just wondering why you're lookin' at all of those water samples. Seems like it's a lot of work with nothing in between. I wouldn't know though, would I?'
Cassie finds Gray's innocent voice sweet and relaxes. She gives him a reassuring smile and looks back at the samples spread across the bench.
'We're looking for something specific in the water. A contaminant of some kind I think. So far, nothing.'
Ok. Contact successful. Now relax and sit on that stool, you fool, Gray's mind instructed.
Gray grabbed a nearby stool and sat next to her, hiding the fact that he nearly slipped backwards before.
'Sorry about my partner. She's been doing this for a long time, ya know? Good at the job.'
Cassie grins. 'It's fine. I feel the same about Simone sometimes. I don't know, she seemed different today though. Almost like she had no emotion at all. It was weird.'
Over at Weller's office, Huntress slowly slips out of the office and shuts the door behind her. She tries to quietly sonic it shut again. As she does so, she hears a thud across the room.
As she looks up, Gray is on the floor grabbing at his throat with Cassie shocked beyond belief next to him and clearly too shocked to scream.
With only one thought on her mind, the Huntress turns the sonic back to its tracking mode and points it in his direction. The beep turns into a constant squeal. She lowers it while staring over at Gray.
'Oh, that can't be good.'