This is the first in a series of Doctor Who stories I'm writing. The story takes place after the events of Series 3, and involves the Doctor, Martha and Tish. So, enjoy.
An Undying Hunger
Chapter One
London, Present Day
In a well-decorated flat overlooking a busy London street, two people- one male, the other female- were sitting on a dark blue couch and watching television. Their names were the Doctor and Martha Jones respectively, and although both were sitting on the couch, only one of them actually seemed interested in what was on.
'And now... hour three of our special EastEnders marathon!'
Martha groaned as she fiddled with the zipper of her navy jacket glanced at the television, which was currently playingthe EastEnders theme for the umpteenth time this day.
"Can't we watch something else, Doctor?" she asked her fellow couch companion, who was sitting up and watching the screen intently.
"Ssh!" he commanded. "This is one of the biggest cliffhangers yet. I've been reading the previews, and it seems that somebody's going to die. I've been anticipating this for weeks."
Martha sighed. "But couldn't you just skip ahead a few weeks and find out what happens then? I mean, you're a Time Lord and all..." She gestured to the TARDIS, which was currently occupying the space near the window of her flat with the orange curtains drawn firmly shut.
The Doctor looked deeply offended at this. "Skip ahead a few weeks?" he cried. "God, you really are insensitive, Martha. Why can't you let a man have a couple hours of honest-to-God telly?"
"You're not a man," shot back Martha. "At least not in the human sense."
"I was, once," retorted the Doctor, who lay back on the couch and resumed watching the programme.
They continued like this for about half an hour, the Doctor reacting to each moment portrayed on screen and Martha gazing silently at the wall.
Then, as the episode was nearing a commercial break, the silence was broken. Martha's buzzer rang.
The Doctor groaned as Martha rose from her seat and went to flick on the buzzer's switch.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Tish," was Martha's sister's reply from downstairs. "Can I come up now?"
"Sure, why not," answered Martha, at which the Doctor sighed.
"Again with the insensitivity! Martha, you do know I can't pause this episode as it's broadcasting, do you?"
His dark-skinned companion did not respond, and soon the door opened to reveal Martha's sister, Tish.
"Hello, Martha. Hello, Doctor," she said quickly, recognizing the latter's presence.
The Doctor merely glanced up at Tish with a sullen glare and resumed watching EastEnders. Tish turned to Martha.
"What's up with him?" she muttered as she gazed at the Time Lord.
"Telly," Martha muttered back. Tish brightened.
"Ooh! I had a boyfriend like that once, Steven I think, who absolutely hogged the telly. I mean, he wouldn't let me have a minute of it, so I—"
"Oh come on!" exclaimed the Doctor, glaring up at the Jones sisters from where he sat in front of the television. "Why do you have to distract me with your bloody conversations? Now the episode's over, and I don't know who died!"
He gestured at the television screen as the titles to another show came crashing in. However, those titles were suddenly replaced by static.
"What's going on?" asked a perplexed Tish as the Doctor fiddled with the remote, trying to restore the program to its original state.
"I don't know," the Doctor muttered as he aimed his sonic screwdriver at the screen in an attempt to fix whatever was causing the problem. Unfortunately, that only meant more static.
"Well, at least we know that it's alien now," said the Doctor cheerfully, "and not just a rubbish service provider."
"Alien?" mouthed Tish to Martha, who nodded and continued observing the Doctor's efforts.
"Yes, alien," said the Doctor, whose many talents now seemed to include lip-reading. "Count yourself lucky, Tish. You're about to have your first alien encounter."
"So that thing at LazLabs and all that... it wasn't alien?" asked a confused Tish.
"Nope," responded the Doctor as he turned the T.V. off. "Just a genetically modified human. All in a day's work."
Then his face turned serious. "All right, Martha, you and Tish can head to the local station and see if there's anything going on there. I'm just going to visit an old friend of mine, and if she's not involved, then it makes our work here a lot easier."
Martha nodded and, after grabbing her coat, left the flat with Tish. The Doctor, on the other hand, headed inside the TARDIS (which Tish had not noticed) and closed the doors shut.
-
As the Doctor entered the TARDIS, he walked through the console room, up a stairwell, through numerous corridors and past a bedroom before reaching his destination.
The Time Lord glanced at the door- inscribed with "Rubbish" in Gallifreyan- and pushed it open to find himself in a veritable pile of junk. Sifting through a pile that contained a multitude of items including a well-worn recorder and a rather tacky umbrella, the Doctor looked at the room in despair.
"Where is it?" he muttered, scratching the top of his head. "I could have sworn it was here just last week..."
He frowned. "Unless... no. That's impossible! Although, after that business on Krop Tor, nothing should be deemed impossible anymore..."
"Wait a minute," murmured the Doctor. "If it's missing... then they're in danger..."
The Time Lord rushed back to the console room and, within minutes, moved the TARDIS out of Martha's flat.
"...and I may already be too late..."
