A/N: Many thanks to those who've reviewed, followed, and faved! *virtual hugs* ;)
Chapter 7: Smith, Tyler, and Jones Part 2
Together with Martha following them, they came up to the administrative office. Opening the door, the Doctor turned to Martha, "Wait out here. If the Judoon get close, let us know." When she nodded he put his hand on the small of Rose's back and led her inside and shutting the door behind them.
Immediately the Doctor went over to sit at a computer for investigating the records with the sonic in his hand, Rose following him. "She's pretty good, don't ya reckon?"
"Yeah. She is."
"Seems to accept things rather quickly…sort of."
"Culture shock," he told her before looking up with a grin. "Remember when you were like her?"
Rose rolled her eyes playfully. "How could I forget? A broody man in leather and big ears saving me from a plastic arm that attacked me, then told me he was an alien?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Some things you just have to accept."
He winked. "Well, you accepted the TARDIS right off the bat as well, so She grew a liking to you right away."
She chuckled before turning serious at the current situation. "Do you really think they'd catalogue me as non-human?"
His grin faded, turning back to the screen. "Most likely. Your DNA isn't entirely human anymore, just slightly augmented with stronger particles, which makes you as much alien as myself. Well, not fully but the same principle, and makes us targets of something not related to us."
"What happens if they find us?"
"They execute us," he answered darkly.
Just as Rose was about to say something else, Martha came into the room with them. "They've reached third floor." She noticed the Doctor working on the computer and eyed the sonic. "What's that thing?"
"Sonic screwdriver," Rose answered, as his eyes still fixed on the computer.
"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly," Martha replied irritated.
The Doctor turned around. "No, really, it is," he held up the device up to fully show her. "It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look."
Martha came closer to them, "What else have you got, a laser spanner?"
Rose snorted. "Oh, don't get him started."
The Doctor let out a quiet chuckle as he continued to work on the computer. "I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." He suddenly smacked the computer with his hand, making both women jump. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down," he cried as he scrubbed his hand over his mouth and muttered, "Judoon platoon upon the moon."
He suddenly thrust his hands in his hair and started to speak rapidly. "We were just passing through, we were just wandering, I swear. We weren't looking for trouble, honestly. Rose just wanted some chips, that was all, but we noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning—that's plasma coils. They've been building up for two days now, so we checked Rose in cos I thought something was going on inside, and it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above," he stopped rambling and lowered his hands from his hair, which was sticking up at all ends.
Rose bit back on a laugh as she watched him ranting. He looked like an absolute madman. If the group of med students and Dr. Stoker who met them earlier didn't think that he may be nuts by what he was talking about, then his appearance right now would most likely confirm their suspicions.
Coming closer behind him she placed her hands on his shoulders, gently massaging his tense muscles. She leaned down to his ear, "Breathe, Doctor, breathe." She felt him relax a little as he let out a sigh.
"But what were they looking for?" Martha asked.
"Something that looks human, but isn't," the Doctor said, his voice calmer.
"So, like you two."
Rose tilted her head. "Like us, but not us. But I'm not an alien, just mostly human."
Martha nodded, taking all of this in - the fact that these two strangers were aliens. "Haven't they got a photo?"
"Could be a shape-changer," the Doctor said, still focused on the computer.
"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?"
"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."
"All of us?"
"Oh yes," he said, typing on the keyboard, "But if I can find this thing first-" He smacked the computer again. "Oh! Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever." His hands found their way back into his crazy hair.
"What are we looking for?" Martha asked.
"I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." His eyes widened as he tilted the computer around to sonic the back. "Maybe there's a back-up."
"Just keep working," Martha said. "I'll go ask Mr. Stoker, he might know." Before they knew it, she raced out into the hall.
"Martha, wait!" Rose went over to the door to run after her, but the Doctor stopped her by grabbing her arm. She turned to him, "Doctor, we can't let her go by herself, it's not safe."
"Rose, it's not safe for any of us, but she's got a better chance than us," he reasoned. "We can't take that risk, not when it involves you." She was about to protest, but she saw that solemn look in his eyes and nodded. He let go of her arm, "She knows what she's doing, she's good. Let's just stay here and get these records."
Rose was about to protest but accepted it and leaned over his shoulder to peer at the screen. The Doctor could feel the tension radiating from her body as she waved it off. She was definitely not letting it go that easily. He turned his head and placed his forehead against her temple. "I promise we'll get outta here, Rose. I won't let anything happen you," he swore quietly.
She turned until her forehead rested against his own and looked into his eyes. "I know we will. It's what you do best."
They smiled at each other before she shifted to kiss his cheek and they continued searching the computer. A few moments later of investigating and some more of the Doctor abusing the machine, they came across some of the possible suspects the Judoon would be after.
"We got it!"
"Not that thick, then?" Rose joked.
"Guess not. Let's find Martha," he grabbed her hand and made it out of the room. Just as they ran into the hall, they bumped into the woman they were looking for. "I've restored the back-up," the Doctor told.
Martha looked frantic. "I found her."
"You did what?" Rose asked, but before she should get an answer, a man dressed head to toe in leather like a motorcycle rider broke down a door down the hall and started running towards them.
Not wasting any time, the Doctor tightened his hold on Rose's hand, along with grabbing Martha's and yelled. "Run!"
They raced through the corridors, turning corners trying to lose the man, but he was close behind. When they turned another corner, a Judoon was at the end of the hall. Well, that way wouldn't work. Spinning back around they ran up another flight of stairs to the next floor and noticed the radiology department. The Doctor pushed both women in the shielded room directly and soniced the main door shut, trapping himself in the X-ray room and standing by a machine and sticking the sonic in a port.
He turned to the women. "When I say 'now', press the button."
Rose looked at Martha, "Which one is it?"
Martha figeted. "I don't know, this isn't my department!"
"Well, find out!" The Doctor shouted.
Perfect. She inwardly rolled her eyes as they scanned the room for a manual. Martha found it and flipped through the pages frantically. Rose pointed at a diagram showing which button activated the machine. "There!"
Just as she found it, the main door broke down and in stepped the man in leather.
"Now!" the Doctor shouted.
Rose smashed a yellow button on the controls and activated the X-ray machine. It zapped as the man arched his body, his skeleton visible before falling to the floor.
"What did you do?" Martha asked.
The Doctor kept his eyes on the lifeless man on the ground. "Increased the radiation by five thousand percent. Killed him dead."
Rose felt a chill when the Doctor said 'killed.' He never was the type to actually resort to such methods, especially after the war. But that wasn't all that made her shiver inside. She stared at him and trembled.
"Doctor…the radiation," she breathed out quietly, bringing her hands to her face.
They had promised each other forever, and were finally given the opportunity for it to happen but she wasn't ready for this. She made it through one regeneration, as painful as it was to lose his previous life, and wasn't prepared to lose this one…not now.
The Doctor looked up at Rose with softened eyes before turning to Martha when she asked, "Won't that kill you too?"
He shook his head. "Nah, it's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all," he twitched his nose and snorted. "All I need to do is expel it." He began hopping in place as the women joined him from the other side. "If I concentrate…" he snorted again, "I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot." He twitched again and looked down, "It's in my left shoe," he lifted it off the ground and twirled it. "Here we go, here we go, easy does it…" He kicked his foot out while hopping on one leg. "Out! Out, out, out, out. Out, out! Ah, ah, ah, ah! Itches, itches, itches, itches—Ah! Hot! Hold on." He took off his shoe and threw it into the trashcan next to him and looked back up at the women, who just stared. "Done."
Martha just gawked. "You're completely mad."
"You're right. I look daft with one shoe." With that he bent over and pulled off his other shoe and disposed of it with its twin. When he straightened up, he wiggled his eyebrows as well as his toes. "Barefoot on the moon!" He glanced at Rose who was still staring at him and he smiled. "How about you Rose? Wanna give it a try?" Rose stepped forward and smacked his arm. "What was that for?" He cried with a confused expression.
She hit his arm again, syncing her strikes with her words. "You daft, bloody, alien git!"
The Doctor tried to grab hold of her to calm her down. "Okay, okay." She was obviously not thrilled about him absorbing radiation energy again, and he couldn't blame her indifference, except now she was turning into her mother. He grabbed a hold of her upper arms and looked right at her. "I know you're upset and I'm sorry, but I'm fine, Rose." He took her hands and placed them on his chest, proving to her that he was all right. "See. Fully alive," he pulled her to his chest and rubbed her back.
"You could've given me a heads up," she mumbled.
"I'm sorry. Next time I will, okay?"
She nodded and he kissed her forehead, leaving his lips there. She lightly swatted his chest. "Don't you scare me like that again," she scolded, as he grinned against her skin before pulling away to kneel by the body.
Martha stood and stared at them before joining them near the man. "So what is that thing? And where's it from, the planet Zovirax?"
"It's just a Slab, they're called Slabs," he explained. "Basic slave drones," he pointed at the body, "See? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish." He leaned over to Rose and winked at her, making her giggle. He stood to retrieve his sonic screwdriver from the machine.
The women followed suit, as Martha began to speak up. "But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant."
The Doctor pulled out his sonic and it made a fried noise. "My sonic screwdriver…" he said in disbelief as he eyed it.
Martha continued. "She was one of the patients, but—"
"No, no. My sonic screwdriver," he repeated as Rose moved next to him to inspect the sonic. It was completely burned out.
"—she had a straw like some kind of vampire."
He held it closer to Rose and looked at her sadly. "I loved my sonic screwdriver."
She patted his arm comfortingly. "I know, it was a good sonic."
Martha rolled her eyes. "Doctor!?" she said loudly.
They both turned around, and the Doctor carelessly tossed the tarnished screwdriver over his shoulder. "Sorry." He then smiled. "You called me Doctor."
"So much for attachment," Rose chuckled under her breath.
Martha shook her head at him. "Anyway...Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."
"Funny time for a snack," the Doctor commented.
"You'd think she'd be hiding," Rose added.
The Doctor raised his head and Rose could practically see the gears in his head working hard as his eyes went distant. "Unless…no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute," he paused before exclaiming, "Yes! Shape-changer—internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it. If she can assimilate Mr. Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology—"
"—then she can make herself seem human," Rose finished.
"Exactly! We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"
Without hesitation the Doctor raced out of the room and into the corridor with the girls following him. He turned a corner and skidded to a stop when he noticed a Slab and turned to the girls and brought them down to hide behind a water cooler.
"That's the thing about Slabs," he said as it walked by, "They always travel in pairs."
"Like you two?" Martha asked.
Rose turned to her and frowned. "What?"
"You said that you weren't married, but you two seem so close. Are you...like, his sidekick? Assistant?"
Rose, still confused, shook her head. "No, we're…together," she answered lamely. Honestly they were, but how can she explain it to others who didn't understand?
"I can tell you're a couple, but you seem…so much more."
"Humans," the Doctor cut in before Rose could reply. "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, and you're asking personal questions! Come on." He stood up, the girls following.
Martha scoffed as they walked down the corridor. "I like that," she said sarcastically, "'Humans'. I'm still not convinced you're aliens."
The moment they turned a corner they stepped right in front of a Judoon. It held up a scanner to the Doctor's face, shining a blue light. "Non-human," it confirmed.
"Oh my God, you really are!" Martha cried.
"Told ya," Rose whispered.
"And again!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing their hands and running down the corridor, avoiding the laser blasts being shot at them from the Judoon.
As they ran up a flight of stairs, the Doctor pushed the girls ahead of him and instinctively reached for his sonic to lock the door behind them, but inwardly cursed when he realized it was fried and thrown away. He locked the door manually before catching up to the girls in the corridor. People were gasping for breath and collapsing to the ground. The oxygen was running out, much like time.
Doing a quick scan of the hall for any Judoon or Slabs, luckily he saw none. "They've done this floor, come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already—if we're lucky," he added. They sprinted down to the end of the hall, passing the oxygen starved patients. They recognized the panicked med student from earlier holding an oxygen mask up to help a young girl.
Martha stopped, causing the Doctor and Rose to do the same, as she asked her, "How much oxygen is there?"
"Not enough for all these people," the woman answered breathlessly, "We're going to run out."
The Doctor went over to Martha. "How are you feeling? Are you all right?"
She gave a short laugh and panted a little. "I'm running on adrenaline."
"Welcome to our world," Rose commented with a small smile, trying to catch her breath.
The Doctor turned to her. "How are you doing, you all right?"
Her head was throbbing but she brushed it aside. "Yeah, 'm fine. What about the Judoon?"
"Ah, great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down," he said, before turning back to Martha. "Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"
"It's this way," she said, leading them down the corridor to a room. When she opened the door and entered she gasped softly. "She's gone! She was here."
The Doctor and Rose ran over to Stoker's lifeless body, his skin ashen gray with eyes wide open and distant.
Rose felt sick in her stomach and avoided dry heaving on the spot. "She drained him dry..."
"Every last drop," the Doctor muttered beside her. "I was right. She's a plasmavore."
They left the room where Mr. Stoker's body lay and went back into the hall, the Doctor beginning to pace frantically.
"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He turned in a circle and scanned the room for anything that would help and found a sign for the MRI room. "She's as clever as me. Almost."
Rose came next to him. "Meaning?"
"I need time," he said quickly, coming up with a plan.
He knew Rose was definitely not going to take any liking to it one bit, but he couldn't risk her safety with the Judoon scanning and looking to execute the 'non-human.' It was the only way and he needed to use Martha. But of course knowing how stubborn his Rose was, she'd never accept hiding away in a cupboard. As much as he hated it, it had to be done. He turned to the young med student and gulped, hopefully not too audibly.
"You're going to have to hold them up," he told her.
"How do I do that?"
He flitted his eyes between the two women. "Forgive me for this, it's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing," he turned to Rose and reassured her as much as he could. "Honestly, nothing."
Rose nodded at him, looking at him oddly…and then he cupped Martha's face and licked her forehead. That damn tongue of his. She blinked once in shock and that fast he pulled away from the woman and turned to face her. Now he cupped her face and brushed his thumbs over her cheekbones, looking deep in her eyes.
"You have to go hide."
"What?" Rose cried. "No, I'm—"
"Rose, listen to me, I don't want to risk ourselves any more than we already are, but it's the only way," he said quickly. "Just go with her and be careful. Please, Rose."
She shook her head. "Doctor, I'm coming with you, and—"
He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers, but it wasn't quick and chaste, it was all fierce passion. She couldn't stop herself as she melded against him, placing a hand on his face and another on his back. She parted her lips allowing him access, and of course he submitted by slipping his tongue through, mirroring her position. Neither of them could resist each other's kiss, and they probably never will be able to. They heard Martha clear her throat behind them, causing them to break their moment. Rose looked up at the Doctor just as he sprinted away through a doorway and down another corridor. She wasn't letting him go alone.
"What did your boyfriend just do?" Martha asked with a grimace.
"Sorry about that," Rose apologized.
"He licked my forehead!"
"He doesn't do it often, he…probably had an excuse for that. If it buys us time then go with it." She paused. "Martha, I'm gonna go—"
"Follow him?" the student said. "I figured you would, just go. I'll be fine."
"I'm sorry, we'll be back for you," Rose called as she ran after the Doctor.
Martha smiled lightly as the blonde ran off. She twisted her face at the fact that this alien, this stranger, had done something like that. Maybe it was an alien thing to just randomly lick people's foreheads. Barmy idea.
"Not married, my right," she murmured as she ran.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blimey, he got carried away. Of course that was to be expected whenever the opportunity to kiss one Rose Tyler was on the table, which was always. But now there was less time to expose this Miss Finnegan to the Judoon, and he had a plan. It wasn't the brightest and smartest plan he's ever had—though that seems to be the case with most of his plans anyway—but he knew it would definitely work.
Hopefully.
He knew the moment he'd tell Rose about what he was going to do exactly that she'd probably slap him silly, which was why he advised her to hide somewhere. He didn't want that to happen but if she went with Martha she would risk herself more, and he didn't want that. Hiding in a safe cupboard would be better, but this is Rose he's talking about. She had disapproved many of his ideas, and was pretty lineant to rather going with him.
Finally the Doctor made it to the MRI room. Peeking in he saw a woman standing alone facing a large machine. From this angle she looked to be figeting with her fingers. This had to be her. Now time to act—literally. Busting in the room he immediately got her attention as she turned away from the large machine. Putting on his best shocked and exasperated expression he began to perform his facade.
"Have you seen? There are these things, those great big space rhino things, I mean rhinos from space. And we're on the moon!" He gestured wildly. "Great big space rhinos with guns on the moon. And I only came in for my bunions, look," he looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes at her, "They're all right now, perfectly good treatment, but then we end up on the moon. And did I mention the rhinos?"
The woman just eyed him. "Hold him!"
With a confused look he turned around and was greeted with a Slab walking in, grabbing his arms and holding them against his back. He turned back to face Finnegan and swallowed hard. A loud whirring sound filled the room.
"That thing, that big machine thing," he nodded his head towards the object, "Is it supposed to be making that noise?"
She shook her head and waved him off. "You wouldn't understand."
"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnets at GCSE—well, I failed, but all the same."
Finnegan looked somewhat impressed. "The magnetic setting is now set to fifty thousand Tesla."
"Ooh, that's a bit strong, isn't it?"
"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brainstems of every living thing within two hundred and fifty thousand miles," she grinned, "Except me, safe in this room."
The Doctor furrowed his brows. "But hold on, hold on, I did geography for GCSE—I did pass that one—doesn't that distance include Earth?"
"Only the side facing the moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift."
"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm a little out of my depth. I've spent the past fifteen years working as a postman, hence the bunions," he indicated his feet again before asking, "Why would you do that?"
"With everyone dead the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape," Finnegan answered.
The Doctor let out a chuckle. "Now, that's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien."
She grinned widely. "Right-o."
His eyes widened, and his smile dropped to disbelief. "No!"
"Oh, yes."
"You're joshing me."
"I am not," she assured.
A wide smile spread on his face. "I'm talking to an alien? In a hospital? What, has the place got an E.T. department?"
"It's the perfect hiding place," she said. "Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment I'm ready to arm myself with should the police come looking."
"So, those rhinos, they're looking for you?" he asked, still going along with the act.
"Yes, but I'm hidden," she said confidently.
"Oh. Right! Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans."
Her confidence faded into fear. "They're doing what?"
"My wife—my brilliant, beautiful wife—said the big chief rhino boy, that he said, 'no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans…up to setting two?'"
The Doctor could sense her panic and inwardly grinned. However he knew what part of his plan was coming—the part that Rose would highly disagree with. "Then I must assimilate again," Finnegan replied.
"What does that mean?"
"I must appear to be human."
"Well, you're welcome to come home," he chirped, "My wife could cook us up some dinner, she'd be honored. We can have cake! She makes fantastic banana cake, with these edible ball bearings and—"
"Why should I have cake?" Finnegan cut in, pulling out a straw from her purse, "I've got my little straw."
"That's nice. Milkshake? I like banana."
"You're quite the funny man. And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace," she looked up at the Slab, "Steady him!"
The slave drone did as told and held him tighter. He knew what would happen next but asked anyway, "What are you doing?"
Finnegan approached him with her straw in the air. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember."
She poked the straw into his neck and began to slurp.
In case anyone has Netflix and you binge watch DW on it, you'll have to overdo it now. Netflix is taking DW off as of January 31st! But you can sign a petition to try to keep it on! I already have, so if you want to take part in it just ask me, I'll send the link. On another note, hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)
