The Gallifreyan Initiative

"This seems strange." he says, staring intently at his sonic as it scans the area.

"Very strange and very interesting."

The Doctor spins in a slow circle, holding his sonic in front of his face before the chirping sounds stops.

"I'm also not the only one here, am I?"

A few seconds pass before the sound of slow footsteps reverberate in the ruined structure. A tall man dressed in a leather coat steps out from behind a series of pillars. An eye patch covers one eye, reminding the Doctor of the last time he wound up in British waters on Blackbeard's ship. His eyes narrow as he takes in the newcomer's features, his face taking on an unreadable expression. The other man keeps his distance, but raises his head, eying the Doctor carefully before speaking.

"You're a very hard man to find. And I know something about being hard to find."

The Doctor's head lowers slightly, his hands sliding into the pockets of his tan coat as a slight smile creeps onto his face.

"Mobile home." The Doctor says "Love to travel, good for the hearts they say. Whoever they are."

The other man smiles, slightly amused by the alien's response. Nodding somberly.

"I do agree. However, not many mobile homes travel through time. Do they, Doctor?"

The Doctor's smile slowly disappears, his bubbly amusement replaced by a more serious look. The stranger starts to walk in a wide circle around the Doctor, keeping him within his vision.

"How are your hearts lately? You must be going through quite a time right now. I was sorry to hear about Rose. Or I will be sorry to hear about Rose. I can't be sure when in my time-line things exactly happen for you."

At this, the Doctor's face gives away a hint of rage. He feels his blood pressure rise as images of Rose being pulled into another world flash through his mind. He takes a few steps forward, momentarily distracted before gritting his teeth.

"However you might know that name, how I'm doing is none of your concern. Trying to use her as a way to connect with me, get me to lower my defenses. You're good. Not quite as clever as me, but it's not your fault really, don't get yourself down about it."

A slight smile creeps back onto the Doctor's face, turning his eyes upward as he turns opposite the direction this man is walking around him.

"Is something funny, Doctor?"

He stops spinning and faces the man head on. His grin exploding into a full smile as his boyish excitement returns to him.

"Oh yes. See, you don't get to be me without being clever, as I said. But lucky for me, I'm very clever. I knew I wasn't alone here, but neither are you. How many did you bring with you, five? Six?"

"Ten." he replies "Including our snipers."

The Doctor's brow furrows, turning his head sharply to the right, bending at the knees to get a better view of where he's looking.

"Right, yes I did see them. One on that ledge there" he points to a roof top in the distance "And one over there." He spins with an exaggerated flourish as he points to another rooftop in the opposite direction.

"But now why did you do that? Snipers, and two of them. You clearly don't need protection from me. I have to say the outfits are a nice touch. Very uniform, very....dark. And the technology I picked up, it's all very top-of-the-line. Didn't all originate from humans though, not that it always has anyway. I'm thinking maybe hush-hush, clandestine government organization?"

The man in black stops circling him, taking a deep breath as he strides slowly in the Doctor's direction.

"Clandestine, yes. Government, no. We operate outside the normal channels, much like you. And to answer your first question, they aren't here to protect me from you. You follow dangerous situations Doctor, or maybe they follow you. We just wanted to be ready in case some your friends showed up."

The Doctor nods at this, letting his eyes dart around again before settling on the man standing in from of him. His hands return to his pockets as he begins slowly rocking heel to toe.

"I'm sorry, I assume you needed me for something?"

The Doctor watches as the other man squares his posture, extending his hand as the Doctor does the same. They shake before the conversation continues.

"Sorry, normally I've made introductions by now. Doctor, my name is..."

"Nick Fury, Director if SHIELD." the Doctor interrupts "Yes, I know who you are. Many people away from this planet know who you are. Suffice it to say you do know about being hard to find."

Fury merely nods, withdrawing his hand and pulling a brown envelope from his jacket. He holds it out to the Doctor. He takes it smirking at the knowledge of what's inside.

"For me? Oh, you shouldn't have."

Fury laughs to himself, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor humorously before speaking again.

"You already know why I'm here, don't you?"

The Doctor quints his eyes, humming to himself in mock thought.

"Yes, but I'd rather hear you say it."

Fury clears his throat, adjusting his jacket as he straightens his stance.

"Doctor, I'm here to talk to you about the 'Avenger Initiative'.

The Doctor smiles, shaking his head as he tucks the envelope under his arm.

"And there it is. Brilliant, just brilliant."

"Like I said, very interesting."