Hello again!
And here's number three. ;)
XxXxXxXx
Chapter 10: Doctor Smith
The TARDIS door hinge creaked as Donna walked out onto the quiet street of her neighborhood. All brick houses lined up together with Christmas lights and decorations all scatter around. The Doctor and Wanda followed in suit, having small smiles at the peaceful sight of the Christmas night. Uninterrupted by killer Racnoss, or flying spaceships. All was well. Donna let out a sigh of relief to the sight of her house, looking very pleased to be back home and safe.
"There we go. Told you she'd be all right—survive anything," the Doctor said to Donna, patting the TARDIS side affectionately.
The ginger woman had been commenting earlier how there was no possible way the ship could ever fly again after being submerged for so long under the drained waters of the Thames. But, of course, Donna did not yet know of the wonderful skills of the TARDIS. Wanda smiled and patted the ship as well, feeling at ease as the old girl sent soothing thoughts to her. Helping Wanda feel at peace after what happened. She glanced over, seeing how the Doctor seemed to be receiving a similar comfort from the ship as he smiled softly at the old girl.
"More than I've done," Donna commented, looking uncertain about her own survival. The Doctor turned and did a quick scan of her with the sonic screwdriver. Checking the readings, he gave her a grin.
"No, all the Huon particles have gone," he stated, putting away his sonic once more and placing his hands in his pockets. "No damage. You're fine."
"See? Promised you, didn't I?" Wanda added, smiling kindly at the woman. Donna nodded, but still stared solemnly at the Time Lords.
"Yeah, but apart from that . . . I missed my wedding, lost my job, and became a widow on the same day. Sort of," she said. She stared down sadly, thinking over the man who broke her heart. Even though he never loved her, she still loved him.
"We couldn't save him," the Doctor said quietly, sounding remorseful for Donna's loss. Wanda gave the woman a sympathetic look as well.
"He deserved it," Donna muttered, trying to get herself to hate the man who had tried to kill her and everyone else on the planet. But at the looks of the Time Lords, she knew her words were wrong. She let out a small, sad sigh. "No, he didn't." She briefly glanced over her shoulder towards her house. "Better get inside. They'll be worried."
"Best Christmas present they could have," commented the Doctor. They all looked at the window, seeing Wilf comfort Sylvia, knowing that the mother and grandfather must be worried sick about Donna. The Doctor rethought his comment. "Oh, no, I forgot, you hate Christmas."
"Yes, I do," Donna replied.
"Which I don't understand why, 'cause Christmas is amazing! Best holiday ever!" Wanda exclaimed merrily. "Nothing bad ever happens on Christmas. Well, I mean . . . except today, of course . . . and last Christmas . . . and then there was the Christmas of 1851 . . . and then again 1869 . . . and then—you know what, I'm starting to think Christmas with us is jinxed." The Doctor and Donna both laughed when seeing Wanda's pout at realizing how many Christmases were just filled with trouble for the two Time Lords. The Time Lady waved a finger at the Doctor in mock anger. "I blame you, Mister Troublemaker."
"Well, I should make up for the bad Christmases, then, shouldn't I?" the Doctor replied with a grin. He reached inside the TARDIS, pushing a button right by the doorway.
The light fixture on top of the blue box light up brightly and shot a quick bolt of energy into the night sky. The glowing bolt exploded high in the sky like a firework, letting down trails of lights for a few seconds. Then, it began to snow. Light white flakes gentle fell from the sky all around them, covering them gently like kisses. Donna laughed with amazement while Wanda giggled and spun around with her tongue out to catch some of the flakes.
"So, did that make this Christmas better?" the Doctor asked Wanda, giving her that sly, foxy grin of his. Wanda giggled, bouncing over to give him a warm hug.
"It sure did, Spaceman. Thank you," she whispered. She continued to hold onto his hand tenderly while facing Donna. The woman shook her head slowly at the two of them with small smile.
"Merry Christmas," she said kindly.
"And you," the Doctor replied, both he and Wanda returning the smile warmly. He gave a quick glance at Wanda, then gave a thoughtful look to Donna. "So . . . what will you do with yourself now?"
"Not getting married, for starters," Donna sighed. "And I'm not gonna temp anymore." She shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Travel, see a bit more of planet Earth, walk in the dust. Just . . . go out there and do something." She smiled brightly when thinking of how many of her own adventures she could have.
The Doctor rocked on his feet slightly, nodding to this. "Well, you could always . . . come with us." He smiled at the ginger woman.
Donna stared back with a small smile of her own. "No."
The Doctor blinked in shock. "What?"
"I can't. Sorry. I mean, everything we did today . . ." Her voice wavered on thinking what horrible experiences they had all gone through. "Do you both live your lives like that?"
The Doctor continued to stare at Donna with confusion. He glanced quickly at Wanda, feeling at a loss. Was Donna not . . . he could have sworn from the way Wanda acted around the woman . . . He turned his attention back to the ginger woman. "Um, not all the time."
Donna gave them both a knowing look. "I think you do." Glancing at the Time Lady slightly, she saw the conflicted and unsure expression on Wanda. This was a clear answer of how their lives truly played out. "And I couldn't."
The Doctor frowned, not liking the woman's rejection to his offer. "But you've seen it out there. It's beautiful."
"And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you both stood there like . . . I don't know . . . strangers. More you than Wanda, but still . . ." Donna trailed off for a moment, seeming to gather her words. "And then you made it snow. I mean, you scare me to death!"
The Doctor remained silent for a moment; feeling conflicted by everything she said. He let his face remain passive, not letting her seeing his emotions show. "Well, then." He meant to say more, but felt at a loss for words.
Wanda sighed, squeezing his hand and gave Donna a small nod. "I know, Donna. Believe me, I know. But . . . sometimes you can't have the good things in life without the bad to follow. And don't let the bad make you feel as though the good occurrences aren't worth it or are unimportant." She smiled, thinking of Eleven's words. This particular advice of his has helped her considerably through the years travelling. More than he would ever know or realize. She smiled at the woman. "Tell you what, though, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find us. Just look for trouble, and we'll be there." She winked at Donna, making the woman raise a brow and stare back with confusion.
"Well, we better be off, then," the Doctor spoke up, looking awkward by still being there and ready to go. He turned to the doors, nodding to Donna as a goodbye. Wanda smiled and walked up, hugging the woman.
"See you around, Donna. And remember, you are the most important woman in the universe. Don't ever forget that," she whispered gently. She pulled away, patting the woman's arm affectionately and smiling at the bewildered expression on Donna's face.
"Thanks," Donna said, deciding to smile in response. She looked over Wanda's shoulder to the Doctor. "Doctor, just promise me one thing, before you go." He raised a brow at her as she stared softly back. "Find someone."
"I already have someone. I've got Wanda," he responded, frowning slightly at Donna suggesting to find someone else.
"But . . . I think you both need someone," Donna replied, staring at the two Time Lords. "I think you need someone to help you stop him." She nodded to Wanda. She then nodded to the Doctor, speaking on. "Yeah, you've got Wanda. But I think there needs to be someone else there to help balance the two of you. And from the way it sounds, Wanda isn't always there for you, is she?" Staring at the ginger woman for a moment, the Doctor hummed in thought, seeing the truth behind these words. Wanda nodded, agreeing with the future companion.
"Thanks then, Donna. Good luck," the Doctor said after a hurried clearing of his throat. He stepped inside the TARDIS, ready to be off. Wanda gave the woman a quick kiss on the cheek.
"And just be magnificent. Not that you aren't already," Wanda said brightly. Donna smiled and nodded. Wanda waved to her and bounced inside the TARDIS just as the ship was taking off. The Doctor flipped around the controls as they travelled through the Vortex. Glances were sent to Wanda ever few seconds from him, seeming uncertain of something.
"You know, I could've sworn she was going to be our new companion from the way you were acting and treating her," he finally spoke up.
"Well . . . not yet, anyway," Wanda replied slyly, sending him a wink. "Spoilers for the future."
"Ah," he said, nodding lightly. He then frowned. "Wait . . . future companion? That's not likely, really. I mean, how often do we run into someone twice on our travels?" He shook his head, seeming disbelieving to the idea of them ever meeting Donna Noble again. Wanda simply smiled and chuckled lightly. If only he knew. She bounced over to him, helping him steer the ship.
"So, where to now?" she asked brightly.
"Well, I was thinking a quick trip into the 76th century. There's an ice cream shop I've been craving. They have over a million different flavors, and I'm in the mood of bubbleberry and cream. I'd think you'd like it. Well, maybe not. It does tend to have a funny after taste that might remind you of glouten." He chuckled when seeing her face of disgust upon the mentioning of glouten. "You might like one of the dessert soufflé flavors, instead. They're rather good."
They remained silent for a moment after this, letting the TARDIS engine drown out the silence. The Doctor glanced over at Wanda, seeing the distant look in her eyes.
"It had to be done. There was no other way," he whispered, voice filled with remorse. Wanda sighed heavily.
"I know. Trust me, I know," she sighed, nodding solemnly. She looked up, smiling softly at him. "Time to keep moving forward, right?" He returned the smile, leaning over to hold her hand and give it a light squeeze.
"Yeah," he agreed. "That's us. Always moving forward. Never letting the bad weigh us down, no matter what the universe throws at us." Wanda smiled as he gave her a confident grin.
XxXxXxXx
Wanda sat by the window next to the Doctor's hospital bed, staring out intently as she observed the sky above. The dark clouds were rolling in, becoming more furious looking by the minute. A few stray lightning strikes sparked in the air, making distant rolling thunder.
"Storm's approaching," she commented lightly while shifting her gaze to the city around them. She noticed how the busy people on the sidewalks, rushing about in their lives, took the briefest moment of their time to gaze up curiously at the sky over the Royal Hope Hospital. All held a questioning expression, wondering how the clouds over the hospital could be so dark and stormy, when the rest of the city only had the normal bright, sunny day.
"Let's hope it isn't a bad one," the Doctor replied from his hospital bed. He shifted slightly, getting more comfortable on the cushions. He fiddled with the remote on the side absently, making the bed move up and down to distract himself from his ever growing boredom.
Wanda was having similar issues, wishing to run around and do something other than simply sitting in spot for so long. Especially since it had been almost two days now of nothing. They infiltrated the hospital just yesterday, with the Doctor pretending to be a patient called 'John Smith' and Wanda posing as his fiancée, Alice Rivers. When she had used this name, the Doctor had become curious by it.
"Why that name?" he had asked after the nurses placed him in a bed and left. Wanda had remained quiet for a few moments before answering.
"It's a name of an old, dear, friend," she had explained quietly.
Now, she played the part of Alice Rivers, the loving fiancée of John, who was very curious of the goings on of the hospital. She walked around, asking the nurses little questions, all of which led to what the Doctor was searching for. While the Doctor did similar, though was less able to explore the building and ask questions as he would have liked. One certain nurse, Marly, was an old woman with a lot of spunk who was dead set on keeping the Doctor in bed for rest. She was very determined about her job. Wanda could not help but giggle every time the Doctor pouted when the nurse pushed him back into bed with a scolding.
"So, you really think we're going to find a new companion here?" the Doctor asked again for the millionth time. Wanda sighed, scooting her chair over closer to him.
Through the months of them exploring around as a sort of break, he seemed to think his earlier wish as Nine might come true at last. That it would now simply just be her and him, no other companions needed. Sure, he did miss Rose terribly having lost a best mate. But at the same time, he had been unsettled by Donna's comment on how they needed someone to balance the two of them. He did not like the idea of needing anyone other than his Wanderer. Which did make Wanda feel touched on how much he really believed he only needed her in his life. But she knew the truth.
He needed a companion by his side for the times she could not be there. For times when she would freeze up or lose herself, just as what happened in the H.C. Clements laboratory. Or for other certain times when she was not there for him at all . . . such as in a certain memory of a certain little town called Mercy. Wanda sighed heavily, shaking her head slightly. Though, also, in many ways, she knew she needed a companion as well. Just as the companions had helped her through so much during her early days as First Wanda, they would always continue to be shining stars to her. This was why, through many years of travels, she was glad to think of each companion of the Doctor as her own sort of companion. Their companions. Their family. She could not help but smile fondly at this thought.
"As I've told you before, yes. We are going to meet a lovely companion," she replied happily, excited in seeing Martha again. It had been a long while since she had seen the doctor in training. "Just give a smile to the medical student who gives you a checkup." Wanda winked at him, giggling softly when he gave her a baffled look.
Shaking his head and chuckling, he gazed around curiously at the room around them, taking in the sight of the other occupied beds of other patients, all whom were actually sick. He tugged on the sleeves of his pinstriped pajamas. "So, anything new?"
Wanda shrugged slightly. "Plasma coils still as inactive as ever." She glanced back out of the window, seeing the darkening sky. "Though . . . that might change soon."
The Doctor hummed at this. "Well, I hope things get a move on. I really hate the slow path."
"Ha! You think you've got it bad?" Wanda was currently bouncing her leg rapidly, unable to fully sit still at all. "At least this body of yours is able to be calm. I can't keep my own settled at all. Stupid dang—that, and my damn tongue that still doesn't let me taste things right." She yanked on the pink appendage grumpily. "I'm like a constantly bouncing child, stuck in a twenty-six-year-old body. And I. Am. Sssssooooo bored! Gah!" Wanda threw her hands up in the air briefly at her exclamation of frustration before promptly crossing her arms in a huff. The Doctor snorted and laughed at the Time Lady's disgruntled pout.
"Yeah, but you're adorable like that," he teased affectionately. He leaned over and gave an affectionate kiss on her cheek. Wanda beamed, giving him a loving kiss in return. They both pulled away from the kiss and straightened as the curtains around their small area were drawn back to reveal a group of medical students and their supervisor, Dr. Stoker, all looking in on the Doctor. Wanda's eyes brightened cheerfully as she saw Martha Jones standing there with the other students, gazing on curiously at the Doctor and her.
"Now then, Mr. Smith, Ms. Rivers, a very good morning to you," Stoker said politely. Both Time Lords nodded in greeting as the man came up beside the Doctor. "How are you today, Mr. Smith?"
"Oh, not so bad. Still a bit, you know, blah," the Doctor answered brightly, sticking out his tongue slightly on noting how he felt. Stoker looked to the students standing at the end of the bed.
"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains," he explained to the medical students. Many of which were writing down attentive notes as the supervisor spoke. Stoker glanced over at Martha. "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me." Martha nodded, walking over to the side of the bed next to the Doctor with her stethoscope in hand. Wanda scooted over so that the medical student may give the Doctor a quick check up. A stern gaze was given to each Time Lord from Martha.
"That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" Martha said with a stern voice. The Doctor gave the girl a baffled look while Wanda could not help but smile and bounce slightly in her sit. Internally, she giggled delight when knowing what moment Martha was referring to.
"Sorry?" the Doctor asked. Martha moved the stethoscope around her neck, holding the end in hand to get ready to inspect him.
"On Chancellor Street this morning. You both came up to me, with you taking your tie off," she nodded to the Doctor, "and you kissing me on the cheek," Martha nodded to Wanda.
"Really?" the Doctor replied in bewilderment, glancing between Martha and Wanda. "What did we do that for?"
"I don't know. You just did," Martha responded, placing the earpieces of the stethoscope on.
The Doctor shook his head slightly. "Not us. I was here in bed, and Alice has been by my side all morning. Ask the nurses." Wanda gave an innocent nod.
Martha stared at the two with uncertainty, furrowing her brows. "Well, that's weird, 'cause it looked like you. Do either of you have a sibling?"
"Nope. Though, could've been people who look like us. We do have those kind of faces," Wanda replied, shrugging slightly while giving the girl a grin.
"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Stoker spoke up, interrupting the trio's conversation. He gave Martha a look of irritation, annoyed of the girl's wasting of his time. Martha blushed lightly, embarrassed by getting distracted from her work.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she began her checkup of the patient. Wanda watched as Martha moved the end piece to the Doctor's chest, searching to listen to his heart. But ever so slowly, the girl's eyes widened as she moved to the other side the Time Lord's chest, hearing the other heartbeat as well. The Doctor gave Martha a smile and a wink when she looked up at him in surprise.
"I weep for future generations," Stoker muttered with impatience to Martha's actions on moving the stethoscope around on the patient's chest. "Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" Martha moved away from the Doctor gradually with uncertainty in her eyes. But she shook her head slightly as she placed the stethoscope back around her neck, seeming to dismiss what she had discovered.
"Um, I don't know. Stomach cramps?" Martha suggested. Stoker shook his head, his eyes gazing on with annoyance to the medical student's lacking.
"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis," he stated curtly. He walked around to the end of the bed, going for the clipboard hanging on a railing of the bed. "And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He grabbed said chart, only to let go quickly, allowing the clipboard to drop onto the bed after he received a rather nasty shock from the metal. All the medical students blinked curiously at this occurrence.
"That happened to me this morning," Martha remarked, frowning as she pondered the double encounter of such a strange occurrence.
"I had the same thing on the door handle," added in another male student. A few others nodded, giving brief remarks of similar happenings to them. The Doctor and Wanda both stared at the students curiously. The Time Lords glanced to each other, giving knowing looks and nods. A silent note sent between them.
"Well, that's only to be expected," Stoker said, dismissing everyone's remarks and curiosity to such shocks they all received. He picked back up the chart causally. "There's a thunderstorm moving in, and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by . . . anyone?" He looked around to the medical students to see if they knew the answer.
"Benjamin Franklin," both the Doctor and Wanda said together. Stoker gave a curt nod to the patient.
"Correct," he responded. The Doctor gave a silly smile as he reminisced.
"My mate Ben—that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked. And then I got electrocuted," he said brightly to everyone. They all gave him blank stares in return. Stoker raised a high brow, staring at the patient as if he were insane.
"Moving on," Stoker said carefully. He walked away with the medical students following after. Both the Doctor and Wanda could hear Stoker telling a nurse quite clearly for the Time Lord to be checked into the psychiatric ward. This made the Doctor pout and Wanda giggle.
"You should really learn how to control your rambling," Wanda giggled lightly.
"Look who's talking," the Doctor scoffed.
"Yeah, and guess who I learned it from, Spaceman?" she teased, sticking out her tongue playfully in response.
XxXxXxXx
The Doctor attempted to investigate more around the hospital, but once again Marly had gotten ahold of him and placed him right back into bed. He huffed loudly and crossed his arms in frustration with a large pout to boot. Wanda could not help but laugh as he acted so much like Eleven in his behavior. During her laughter, she glanced out the window beside her, seeing the rain from the storm over the hospital beginning to rise up into the air. She immediately and abruptly stopped laughing, stiffening in her chair. The Doctor let his pout go to give her a curious stare with furrowed brows.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Get ready. It's going to get crazy in here," she told him hurriedly. As soon as she said this, the whole building rocked around violently and a blinding white light filled the air. Everyone in the hospital could be heard screaming in terror as they were all tossed around. Beds rolled about on the titled floor with people and equipment falling over everywhere. Wanda fell on top of the Doctor as his bed slammed right into her. She gripped onto him as the building continued to rock and tilt. She felt him wrap his arms protectively around her, holding on tightly as they rode out the furious shaking. Finally, everything settled down and the white light disappeared.
"You all right?" the Doctor asked Wanda.
"Yeah," she breathed out shakily. "Don't ever want to do that again, though." He gave her a light squeeze of a hug before they both stood up from the bed. Going over to the nearby window, they gazed out together to the scene outside. Barren and rocky landscape, covered in white dust with the planet Earth seen far off in the distance. Giving the surface the building now occupied some dim light. The Doctor blinked in astonishment while Wanda hummed in thought.
"Hold on . . . No, we can't have," the Doctor breathed out quietly.
"Yep, we did," Wanda said. "We've been transported to the Moon." He glanced quickly over to her.
"H20 scoops, right?" he wondered aloud. She nodded, confirming his thought. He slapped a hand on the window's ledge as people behind them began to scream in terror at the sight of the Moon outside the windows. "Agh! I should have seen this coming! I'm so thick sometimes."
"Only sometimes?" Wanda teased. They both glanced over their shoulders, listening to the entire hospital panicking around them. "We better get prepared."
"Right." The Doctor walked over, grabbing ahold of his area's curtain to draw it around. He paused to see the medical student from earlier, Martha, walk into the room briskly.
"All right, now, everyone, back to bed," she ordered the panicking room firmly with full authority in her voice. "We've got an emergency, but we'll sort it out. Don't worry." The Doctor watched her walk over to a far window with her fellow trainee, Julia Swales. He leaned close to Wanda while still keeping a sharp eye on the medical student.
"So, you say she's our new companion, yeah?" he asked in a whisper.
"I don't know, is she?" Wanda replied lightly, giving him a knowing look and smile. He hummed thoughtfully, then hurriedly pulled the curtain around himself as he changed. Wanda continued to watch Martha as she and Julia discussed the situation.
"It's real," Martha said in amazement to the sight. "It's really real." She went to open a window. Julia swiftly grabbed her friend's hand.
"Don't," Julia cried, shaking in fright with tears streaming down her face. "We'll lose all the air."
"But they're not exactly airtight," Martha countered. "If the air was gonna get sucked out, it would have happened straightaway, but it didn't. So how come?"
"Very good point!" the Doctor spoke up loudly as he pulled away the curtains, gaining the two medical student's attention. He stood in front of the two, now wearing his blue-pinstripe suit and red trainers, staring at Martha curiously. "Brilliant in fact. What was your name?"
"Martha," answered the trainee doctor.
"And it was Jones, wasn't it?" he questioned. Martha gave a slight nod. Wanda watched as the Doctor hummed thoughtfully once more. "Well, then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?" He walked over to the window, studying the glass closely.
"We can't be," sobbed Julia.
"But, obviously, we are, so don't waste my time," the Doctor retorted smartly to the scared medical student. Julia gave another small sob, letting her fears get the best of her. Wanda sighed and walked over, patting the young woman gently on the shoulder.
"Hey, it's all right. And don't mind him, he's just rude," she whispered to Julia, trying to comfort the girl.
"Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor or a veranda or . . ." the Doctor asked the girl next to him quickly.
"By the patients' lounge, yeah," Martha answered swiftly.
"Fancy going out?" The Doctor turned to her, giving her a careful gaze as if analyzing what her response would be.
Wanda rolled her eyes, knowing what he was doing. He was putting Martha to a 'test' of sorts. A little something he would always do with his future companions, though most of the time subconsciously without him realizing he was actually doing it. But in this instance, Wanda knew he was purposely doing so as if to judge Martha on how well of a companion she could really be. Basically, doing a comparison to Rose as if to convince himself Martha could not live up to the lost companion's legacy. Oh, how wrong he will be.
"Okay," Martha answered easily without a second thought about his suggestion.
"We might die," the Doctor said carefully, raising his brows high in the ease response from the trainee doctor.
"We might not," countered Martha, staring confidently at the Doctor.
The Time Lord's eyes sparked with interest as he grinned at the girl's response. "Good. Come on."
"Eccellente! I'll lead the way, shall I?" Wanda exclaimed brightly. She bounced towards the exit of the area with the two following behind. Julia remained where she was, too frightened to do anything else at the current moment. Wanda moved swiftly through the hall, past the crowd of terrified and screaming people, making her over to the patient's lounge. Reaching the area, she opened the doors swiftly for the trio, letting them all be able to evaluate their situation more efficiently.
"Nice view. Think I might want to live here," Wanda commented lightly, beaming at the beautiful sight of the Earthlight, the Moon landscape, and the twinkling stars far off in the distance. The other two walked up beside the Time Lady, standing by the ledge of the lounge. All three of them stared at the breathtaking sight in awe.
"We've got air," Martha exhaled in relief. She frowned in thought, confused by this revelation. "How does that work?"
"Just be glad it does," the Doctor remarked. Wanda hopped onto the ledge, dangling her feet over the side and swinging them lightly with a giggle. The Doctor raised a brow at her actions, scoffing. "You sure are cheery."
"Well, it is a beautiful sight," Wanda remarked lightly. She gave Martha a bright grin. "Don't you think so, Martha?"
"Yeah, it is," agreed the medical student, standing right next to Wanda. Martha stared off, letting her awed expression slowly drop to be replaced with a solemn one. "I've got a party tonight. It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's gonna be really . . . really . . ." Her voice wavered, looking greatly upset suddenly to the situation thrown upon them. Knowing the likely chances of any of them returning home . . . were slim. Both Time Lords stared at the girl in concern.
"You okay?" asked the Doctor.
"Yeah," Martha muttered in reply.
"Sure?" questioned Wanda, worried for the girl being upset and overwhelmed.
"Yeah," Martha repeated, clearing her throat lightly to rid herself of her wavering voice.
"Want to go back in?" the Doctor asked her, still gazing at the trainee doctor carefully for her reactions and responses. Martha shook her head quickly, starting to smile again.
"No way," she said with a smile. She stared off, taking in the astonishing sight before them once more. "I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same, like Miss Rivers said, . . . it's beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you, my dear," Wanda giggled, giving Martha a wink. The medical student laughed, seeming to like how the blonde girl next to her was trying to ease their worries and fears. Martha could see it, really. Even though the blonde did act light and cheerful, bouncing and giggling away, there was still fear and worry in those emerald eyes all the same. It was as though it were the girl's way to not show her fears; to keep other people's spirits up as well. Martha wished she could be that like.
"So, what do you think happened?" Martha finally questioned to the two of them, wondering on other's ideas on the sudden and strange events at Royal Hope Hospital. The Doctor pondered this for a moment, glancing at the medical student with a curious gaze.
"What do you think?" he asked inquiringly. It was a few seconds of hesitation before Martha finally answered.
"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be," she told them, giving a small shrug. "I don't know. A few years ago, that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben, Christmas, those Cybermen things." Martha let out a small breath, suddenly starting off distantly to the Earth before them. Her demeanour changing quickly to very solemn. "I had a cousin—Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home." She sucked in a shaking breath. Wanda stopped swinging her legs, starting empathetically at the girl. The Doctor gave a similar look.
"I'm sorry," both Wanda and the Doctor spoke together. Martha just sort of nodded, looking as though she were just as sorry and at a loss to the tragic end to her cousin. The Doctor shifted his gaze back to the Earth.
"We were there. In the battle," he spoke quietly. "It was . . ." He trailed off, unable to finish speaking as his throat and hearts clenched up in remembering the awful occurrence. Brief and wicked memories passed through his mind. Images of Alpha, staring him down with her cruel, glowing white eyes. He shivered slightly as an automatic reflex of fear.
Wanda stared at him in concern, noticing how his eyes wavering from a fearful memory. He seemed to be remembering something different than the battle itself. She frowned, wondering what could have happened that day to cause such a reaction from him. The same went for the injury he had received. It had healed, thankfully. But it had taken far longer to heal than it normally should for him. Healing up in at least a few days, when a natural wound for the Doctor would only take a few hours to disappear. She still pondered over what could have possibly caused such a strange burn on his skin.
"I promise you, Mr. Smith, Ms. Rivers, we will find a way out," Martha spoke up, snapping the Doctor out of his frightening recollection and Wanda out of her ponderings. The medical student stare on firmly, filled with determination to save everyone in the hospital. "If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way." The Doctor pushed himself away from the ledge, starting to walk around the balcony to search for something particular.
"It's not 'Smith,'" he told Martha.
"And I'm not Alice Rivers," Wanda explained, turning around to hop back down from the concrete ledge. "Those aren't our real names." Martha blinked, looking uncertain by this statement from them.
"Then, who are you?" she asked.
"He's the Doctor and I'm the Wanderer," Wanda stated brightly, shaking Martha's hand very excitedly. "Just call me Wanda, though. And it is so great to finally meet you for the first time, Martha Jones. I mean, just brilliant. But, of course, it's always great whenever I met a companion for the first time. Well, not technically my first time, their first time meeting me, really. But then—."
"You're rambling again," the Doctor spoke up, bending down to pick up a stray rock from the ground. Perfect for throwing.
"Shush. I'm just a little excited," Wanda retorted, finally letting go of Martha's hand from the rapid shaking. The medical student sort of blinked in a daze from the hyper handshake and the very speedy talking.
"So, um, Wanda who?" Martha asked curiously. Wanda blinked for a second before throwing back her head and laughing loudly.
"Oh, I can't believe you said that!" Wanda giggled in delight. "I mean, most of the time it's always 'Doctor who?' No one ever really questions my name much. You're the first to do that. You really are a star, Martha." Wanda kissed the medical student really quick on the cheek as praise. "But, no, it's just Wanda." Martha blinked and rubbed at her cheek, unsure by the blonde girl. Maybe it was not only Mr. Smith who needed a visit to psychiatric ward.
"And before you ask, it's just 'the Doctor,'" said the Doctor. He tossed the rock up and down in his hand, getting ready to throw it. Martha stared at him curiously.
"How do you mean, just 'the Doctor'?" she asked.
"Like we said, just 'Wanda' and just 'the Doctor,'" Wanda explained. "Nothing more and nothing less."
They watched as the Doctor tossed the rock out over the balcony. It struck an invisible forcefield, making the air crackle with electric energy. Martha stared at the sight in amazement while the Doctor and Wanda stood next to her, gazing out to the invisible barrier with keen interest.
". . . Forcefield," the Doctor muttered. "That's what's keeping the air in."
"But if that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got," Martha noted, trying to get over the sudden discovery of the forecfield, and the bizarre people next to her. Slight horror sunk in once they all realized what the girl had pointed out. This was all the air they had. Air which was being depleted by the second with every breath.
"And when it runs out, we all suffocate," Wanda breathed out. "Everyone. All one thousand third-eight people, slowly dying from lack of oxygen." She sucked in a small breath, feeling guilty for breathing in such precious air that could be given to others in need. "Not a pleasant way to go."
"Why would anyone do that?" Martha questioned aloud, looking horrified by the very idea of that fate happening to anyone. Let alone over a thousand people.
Suddenly, loud engines were heard coming overhead of them. The hospital shivered as very huge, cylindrical ships flew over the building. Three of these ships hovered a distance away from the hospital and the forcefield. Landing with a loud and quaking 'thump' on the moon's surface. The ships opened up underneath and allowed out a marching army of black armoured Judoon. The aliens stomped their way over to the hospital, ready to infiltrate the building.
"Aliens," Martha breathed in disbelief to the sight. "That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."
"Judoon," the Doctor grounded out. He turned around quickly and hurriedly rushed away from the balcony and back into the hospital. Martha and Wanda ran after him, making sure to keep up. They heard people beginning to scream in terror throughout the building. All terrified of the newly arrival of the Judoon.
The trio swiftly arrived into the mezzanine level hanging over the hospital reception. They crouched behind a large potted plant, peeking through the leaves to watch the Judoon scan the scared humans below, cataloging all of them. All the people cowered in fear as the large armoured rhinocerid humanoids moved amongst them. Only one Judoon, the Captain, had his helmet off. Many people flinched when this Judoon came anywhere near them. Wanda saw how the Judoon captain had Oliver Morgenstern, a fellow trainee doctor of Martha's, lead the Judoon around the hospital as a forced escort of sorts.
"Oh, look down there, you got a little shop. I like a little shop," the Doctor spoke up in delight to the sight of the small shop with flowers, stuffed toys, and such. Wanda rolled her eyes in amusement to his reaction in seeing the shop.
"Oh, you and your—oh, look! They have a fountain! Yes! I love fountains!" she cheered brightly upon the sight of the small fountain in the corner of the lobby. Martha frowned at them both for becoming so distracted.
"Never mind that," she reprimanded them. Both Time Lords cleared their throats lightly and gave sheepish grins to Martha as an apology for becoming unfocused for a moment there. The trio continued to gaze onto the Judoon moving about the humans, watching as the Judoon scanned the people and then marked their hands once finished. Martha stared at the scene with uncertainty. "What are Judoon?"
"They're like police. Well, police for hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs," the Doctor explained as he continued to watch the Judoon's actions with guarded eyes.
"And they brought us to the moon?" Martha questioned, finding this whole situation bizarre. Mostly in her confusion of why exactly the Judoon would take the time to kidnap a whole hospital in the first place.
"Neutral territory," the Doctor explained to her. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, so they isolated it." Martha blinked, staring at him in disbelief. The Doctor glanced at her, seeing the bewildered expression. "That rain, lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."
"What are you on about, galactic law? Where'd you get that from?" Martha questioned in skepticism, having slight humour in her voice as she was really starting to think the two next to her were beyond mad. She glanced over, seeing the Doctor and Wanda moving around the corner, still crouching behind the wall-railing of the landing. She followed closely behind them, peeking over the edge of the glass railing to stare down. "If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"
"No, but I like that. Good thinking," the Doctor replied, giving Martha a small grin as she crouched back down next to him. He gave her a studying gaze, finding he was really liking this girl more and more by the minute. But . . . she was still no Rose. Looking away and back to the scene below, he frowned at the sight. "No, I wish it were that simple."
"Yeah, nothing's ever that simple," Wanda muttered quietly next to him. He hummed, nodding in agreement.
"They're making a catalog," he noted of the scene before them. Mostly stating this to clear up any confusion Martha might still have about what was happening. But also stating this out loud for himself as well, making mental notes as to what exactly their situation was. "That means they're after something nonhuman, which is very bad news for me and Wanda."
"Why?" Martha breathed out in a question. Both the Doctor and Wanda stared at her, making the medical student blinked at them in even greater disbelief. No. They were kidding right? She gave an unease grin. "Oh, you're kidding me." The Doctor raised a brow while Wanda smirked playfully. Martha blinked once more. "Don't be ridiculous." Both continued to stare at her in a knowing way which made her even more flabbergasted. "Stop looking at me like that."
Wanda snorted lightly, "Oh, Martha, that's just the tip of the iceberg." She and the Doctor stood up and quickly went back the way they came.
Martha hurriedly followed behind, knowing she was in for one hell of a day with these two. She swore, by the end of this night, she was going to have the biggest headache.
XxXxXxXx
Man I love Martha. She's the best. Especially feel her for having to put up wit two crazy Time Lords. lol ;) So, once again, hope you all enjoyed! And once again, if I did anything wrong or if there's anything anyone wishes to mention, please leave your remarks in a review. It always brightens my day to be able to hear from each and every lovely reader out there. Even if it is to point out my faults.