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DAY 26: time travel / UNIT / Torchwood
"It's Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart!" The Doctor clasped his hands together in glee.
"Ah, Brigadier now. I've gone up in the world."
"That's right, McCrimmon, in the underground. Must be four years ago now."
"That long? It only seems about a couple of weeks ago, doesn't it?"
"I've told you over and over again, Jamie. Time is relative." Jamie found the Doctor's explanation confusing. He never really understood time travel beyond the idea that the TARDIS took them from one place and time to another. He usually just nodded along and hoped that the occasional "Oh, Aye" would move the conversation on.
The Doctor and the Colonel, no, the Brigadier continued to talk about this UNIT operation and their capture by the soldiers in plain clothes, who Jamie soon learned were called Benton and Harkness. They'd been watching the International Electromatic HQ and had been looking into the backgrounds of the people who went in, only some of whom would come back out again. They'd alerted the Brig of the Doctor and Jamie's presence.
Sergeant Walters brought them all some tea and biscuits.
"I'd asked for a patty cake biscuit," the Doctor complained.
"I'm afraid that Rich Tea is as much as UNIT will spring for, Sir," Said Walters.
Jamie felt a hand on his knee. He flinched. Harkness had sat next to him.
"Typical Doctor, eh? Always wanting better biscuits." The man winked at him.
Jamie wasn't sure what to say. "Oh, aye." That was always a safe option.
"You don't know me, Jamie," the plain clothes soldier continued, "but I know you and the Doctor oh, so well!" He patted Jamie's knee.
"Och, can you keep your hands to yourself!" Jamie moved the man's hand off his knee. "I've no idea where they've been!"
"Sorry, Jamie," Harkness grinned. "I can't always help myself. Don't tell the Doctor, I'm not really meant to be here, crossing timelines and all that, but I wanted to learn a bit more about UNIT."
"But do you not work for them?"
"In a sense, yes. But in another sense, I'm working for another organisation that does the same kind of thing."
"Oh, aye." Jamie applied his catch all reply. "And what would that be."
The man winked again. "That would be telling. It's still in the Doctor's future. Just pretend we never had this little conversation." He held his finger to his lips.
"Would it not have been easier to just not talk to me at all?" Jamie said, but the man had gone.