It Happened One Day (A Doctor Who fanfic)

Where it all started (Act 1, Chapter 1)

I am currently on my way to the Porton Down labs for work. The thing is I am not heading to Porton Down which everyone thinks of. Nope, I work in a little-known section of Porton Down. I should start by introducing myself and then explaining what I mean. My name is Mia Vandoorne and I am a scientist working for the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce or UNIT for short. I am one of a handful of scientists working at Porton Down. Ever since the fall of the soviet union Porton Down has largely moved away from bio and chemical weapons development. Before you can ask that's not what I work on anyway. I work on something a little more out of this world so to speak. Since I live near the labs my commute to work is relatively quick. I pull my car up at the first entrance gate.

"Morning Mia," I am greeted by a board-looking military officer.

"Morning Joe," I responded as I grabbed my security pass. I quickly handed it to him. After a few seconds, he passes it back to me.

"You're good to go. Enjoy the rest of your day," Joe waves me off as the gates open.

"You too," I say as I head into the sprawling facility. Thankfully I am quick to find a car park near the exact building where I work. After a two-minute walk, I reach the main entrance.

"Hello Mia," I am greeted by one of my lab assistants.

"Hey, Javier. Is there any news concerning Claire," I ask as I prepare for the mandatory decontamination process.

"No but the military police are doing everything they can," Javier replies. The reason why I ask is simple. A few of my fellow scientists have gone missing with no explanation. Not even nefarious reasons. The situation has been made worse by the fact that Porton Down is a top-secret military facility. Even the UNIT section. After the longest five-minute wait I finally made it into the labs. After doing my lab coat and gloves I get to work. The thing is I am working on a particularly lively sample that has already proven to be interesting. As soon as I work the lid off the container a black ball of slime leaps out. With a loud thud, I have the sentient slime caught underneath my fist.

"you were nice to me yesterday," I find myself muttering even though the blob probably can't understand me. In fact, the only thing I know about it is the colour of its skin. After an intense wrestling match, I finally have a small sample of the blob. Even then the piece that I have seems to be a bundle of energy. Luckily for me, I have gained enough control of the sample. It is at that moment I get the feeling that someone is watching me. I glance at a small mirror to find my boss behind me.

"What can I do for you, Kate? And I'm sorry for not getting up" I say. I don't bother getting up as that means I'll have to get the sample back under control.

"I've received word that a few of your scientists have gone missing and I was wondering if I could help," Kate responds.

"Well, the thing is the only clue we have is this black sludge or as I like to call it the black blob," I explained before slamming my fist onto the table again. I really wish this blob would keep still. After an awkward few seconds, I finally have the main part of the blob secure.

"Sorry 'bout that. It's been trying to escape," I fluster my way through an apology. You'd think working with UNIT would teach you a few things but alas there is not much that I can do until I find out what it is.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find the answers you need. In the meantime I'll see what I can do," Kate reassures me.

"Thanks, boss. I'll do my best. Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do," I announce. I really need to figure this out. With that Kate leaves. she seems a little bothered that I ended the conversation. Oh well, there is nothing that I can do. I just need to figure out this mystery. After what feels like an eternity my shift has come to an end. That's a good thing as I still have no clue as to what is going on. There is something that has been bothering me since Kate arrived. Javier was acting a little skittish. It's as if he was worried that Kate was going to fire him or something.

"Javier are you, all right? You've been acting strange since Kate came," I voice my concerns.

"Ugh...Umm... I'm fine. Just having some problems at home," Javier is quick to respond. Something doesn't feel right about his response. Call it a hunch but I think there is a slim chance that he might be a part of Claire and the other scientists.

"Anyway I should be going," He makes his getaway. Odd. Normally he is quite friendly as we leave. I watch him make a beeline for the decontamination chamber. I want to follow him but something tells me that it is not a good idea. I am soon pulled out of my thoughts by a wheezing sound. Being drawn to it I follow the sound. Before you can ask I know curiosity killed the cat but I can't help it. I make my way to a cleaner's cupboard where the shape of a blue box pulses into sight. The next thing I know a woman with blond hair flamboyantly leans out of the blue box.

"See Yas I told you we are... Oh, we are not at the world's fair," The look on the woman's face changes as she steps out of the blue box followed by her companion.

"No, you're at Porton Down. who are you two and why are you here," The words slipped out of my mouth before I had the chance to think about what I said.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Yas. My ship was off course," The woman responds.

"As in UNIT's most valuable member? that Doctor?" My mind is working a million miles an hour to work out the situation.

"Yes. What's your name," The doctor turns her attention to me.

"Mia Vandoorne," I say as the situation gets weirder. That can only mean that Porton Down is in danger. Maybe that explains Javier's weird behaviour. The Doctor ducks back into the police box followed by Yas.

"Well Doctor we are here and the TARDIS reckons something is wrong. We should go and investigate," I manage to hear Yas and the doctor through the doors of the blue box.

"yeah, but we need a reason to," The doctor retorts.

"Let's talk to Mia. Maybe she has something for us," Yas suggests. With that, I leave. There is no way that I can face the idea of things going wrong. I make a beeline for the decontamination room however I am stopped by a squelching sound. I look down and there it is. The black blob that I've been working on seems to have escaped. Odd. I can feel the panic rise as the sludge makes its way up my legs. In a fit of panic, I let out a gut-wrenching scream. Luckily for me, the Doctor and Yas are quick to come to my aid having heard my scream. By the time they arrived, the sludge had made its way up to my hips. With a few swift movements, the Doctor has me free via her sonic screwdriver.

"Are you alright Mia?" Yas gets to work on checking on me. I nod as I catch my breath. My mind is in a haze as I try to wrap my head around what just happened.

"I need to go home," I Mumble as I make my way to the decontamination room.

"I'll look after her," Yas remarks as she follows me. Luckily for me, we get through the decontamination process quietly. I can't be bothered to talk. After what feels like an eternity Yas and I make it back to my place. I quickly show Yas around. Then I close the door to my bedroom. With a few swift movements, I am changed into something a little more comfortable. I joined Yas in the living room.

"Feel free to take some pyjamas if you can find some that fit," I offer just in case Yas needs to stay the night.

"How are you feeling?" Yas checks on me.

"I don't know. A lot has happened. First, a co-worker of mine goes missing, then another one starts behaving weirdly, Then you and the Doctor show up and last, of all I get attacked by that black sludge," I give her the rundown of the situation. Yas seems to understand the problem. That is because of the simple fact that she has been through what I've been through. After an hour of chatting, I find my body slipping under the weight of tiredness. I am quick to excuse myself. Thankfully Yas seems understanding of the fact that I need to sleep.