Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the Beeb, all I have is my Microsoft Word…

Time Cascade

The rain drizzled relentlessly, and Martha pulled up the collar of her jacket as she jumped out of the jeep and looked around. It seemed like a typical British morning, but the illusion fell apart once you realised that the rain didn't extend further than forty meters behind you, and that its epicentre was a stone throw's ahead, and about twenty meters below your feet.

Martha felt her mouth go dry as she looked into the crater, its curved sides melted into a sheer silicate bowl. The object itself was a blurred grey, like the uneasy colours of a spinning top; all the hues flowing wildly into one.

"When was it found, Lieutenant?" she asked tersely.

"Just after dawn, this morning," her driver spoke up "It was called in at Oh Six Thirty."

"Who's been informed?" Martha asked, as she stepped closer to the edge and tried to focus on its shape. She couldn't decide what it looked like…or maybe it couldn't decide what it looked like.

"HQ has sent someone up from London, she's waiting for you in the command tent," the Lieutenant said.

Martha sighed, it had been less than twenty four hours since the last crisis had been averted, and she was already on the clock again; so much for a quick trip down to Kenya to see Tom and recharge her batteries.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, already rehearsing the telephone conversation in her mind. "Can't make it – you understand, don't you?" She sighed; she was making way too many phone calls like that of late. Maybe Jack had a point, Torchwood was the better option.

But first she had to instigate a few changes at UNIT, namely shutting down the Osterhagen key. Earth needed to start thinking outside the box when it came to protecting itself.

Martha shivered as she looked down at the tableau. As fascinating as the object was, it wasn't why she'd been called in. She was here because of the objects that surrounded it; a ring of Daleks, their weapons blazing - but their laser fire had never reached its target because the entire crater was frozen in time.

Cautiously, she poked at the air ahead of her, and nodded grimly as it met resistance.

"Everything has been tried," her driver said. "Bullets, Semtex, even a missile… They've done everything except nuke it."

Martha gave him a sharp look. "Not a bright idea," she said "All they'd succeed in doing is irradiating Norfolk."

Realisation showed in the driver's eyes. "You know what it is, don't you?"

"Yes, although the sheer scale of it…" Something caught her eye and she bent down to pick it up. Its delicate structure had curled in on itself.

"Doctor Jones… Ma'am?"

"It's time locked," Martha said quietly. "Is the Brig back from Singapore, yet?"

"No, ma'am, his flight doesn't land until tomorrow."

"Then get whoever is in charge here to cordon this area off. Top priority!" Her eyes picked out a troupe of figures nearing the crater's edge on the other side. "And get those idiots away from the event horizon before they get caught in it, or something worse. Move the perimeter back at least ten meters from the edge."

"But Ma'am—"

"Just do what I say, Lieutenant," she said tersely. We've lost enough people to the Daleks in the last few days, don't you think? Let's not make any foolish decisions."

"Ma'am!"

Martha watched him run in the direction of the command tent, and sighed. She didn't like to pull rank like that, it made her uneasy, but she needed a moment alone. She pulled out her mobile, and flicked it open, dialling a number she knew by heart.

"Hey, how's Norfolk?"

Puzzled, Martha frowned at her phone. "Mickey?"

"Yeah." She heard a sigh and the scrape of a chair. "Jack left his phone on the couch. Give me moment – OY, CAPTAIN CHEESCAKE, MARTHA IS ON THE PHONE!"

Martha winced and pulled her ear back from the phone. She guessed Jack had convinced Mickey to have a look around Torchwood, despite his reservations.

"Sing for me, Martha."

Martha grinned at the sound of Jack's voice. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" she asked.

"It's part of my charm," he said. "What's up?"

"Trouble," Martha said.

"What kind of trouble?"

"A dozen Daleks caught in a giant time lock sort of trouble."

"Sounds bad... but there's more."

"Yeah," Martha admitted reluctantly.

"You're going to make me drag this out of you, aren't you?"

"Sorry," she said. "I just don't know how to put this, especially after the last time… I'm not sure this is going to have a happy ending."

"Martha, you're beginning to scare me."

"I'm beginning to scare myself," Martha murmured. She took a deep breath. "The Daleks aren't alone in the time lock, Jack, there's something else in there… and I think it's Gallifreyan."

The silence was almost deafening.

"Jack?" Martha asked cautiously.

"Martha, do you know what you're saying? Are you sure?"

Martha looked at the silver, alien leaf in her hand. "Yeah, I'm sure."