Two Hearts
They'd all managed to reach the console, each grabbing on to different sides, though the Doctor was currently in the process of trying to regain control of the TARDIS. Caroline could feel the mounting anticipation, which included her own fear. Something else was controlling the TARDIS. Maybe it was the TARDIS itself, but maybe it was something else.
And she didn't want to meet that something else.
"What the hell's it doing?" Donna shouted.
"The control's not working!" he tried to turn something but it sparked, sending him falling backwards. "I don't know where we're going, but my old hand's very excited about it."
Caroline turned to look at him, eyes wide. That was his hand? Time Lords were like chameleons?
Donna gasped. "I thought that was just some freaky alien thing. You telling me it's yours?"
He shrugged, pulling himself up. "Well."
"It got cut off," Martha explained. "He grew a new one."
"You're completely impossible," Donna laughed.
"Not impossible." The Doctor grinned. "Just a bit unlikely."
There was a bang, more sparks that sent them all back from the console, before the TARDIS finally settled. They all took a few seconds to catch their breath before the Doctor leapt up and ran outside. Caroline, who was the next closest to the door, was out after him.
They appeared to have landed in a junkyard. In indoor junkyard.
"Why would the TARDIS bring us here, then?" the Doctor frowned, turning around in a circle while his companions watched.
Martha grinned. "Oh, I love this bit."
Caroline glanced at her. "I thought you wanted to go home."
"I know, but all the same, it's that feeling you get."
Donna nodded. "Like you swallowed a hamster?"
Someone burst through a doorway behind them. "Don't move! Stay where you are! Drop your weapons!" Three men ran in, each of them holding rifles, so they all decided to obey them.
"We're unarmed. Look, no weapons. Never any weapons. We're safe."
One of the soldiers nodded towards them. "Look at their hands. They're clean."
"All right, process them. Him first."
Two of the soldiers grabbed the Doctor's arm, pulling him towards some large machine against the wall, while the companions jogged after them.
"Oi, oi. What's wrong with clean hands?"
"What's going on?"
They pushed his right arm inside the machine.
"Leave him alone."
He winced, holding onto the outer edge of the machine. "Something tells me this isn't about to check my blood pressure. Argh!"
"What are you doing to him?" Donna asked.
"Everyone gets processed," the soldier offered as explanation.
"It's taken a tissue sample," the Doctor explained. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. And extrapolated it. Some kind of accelerator?" He stepped back as the machine released, letting the three of them rush over to check on him.
Martha took his hand, the other doctor out of all of them. "Are you all right?" there was a graze on the back of his hand, but it didn't appear to be anything too dangerous.
The Doctor, however, was focused on the large set of doors next to the machine that had trapped his hand. "What on earth? That's just-"
The doors slid open and, amidst steam and a brightly lit interior, a woman emerged. She was rather short, with blonde hair in a ponytail and the same military uniform as the other three soldiers. The first soldier walked over, handing her a rifle. "Arm yourself."
"Where did she come from?" Martha asked, whispering.
"From me."
"From you?" Donna looked between the Doctor and the woman. "How? Who is she?"
The woman checked that the rifle was ready for use, handling it like she already knew exactly how to use it. "Well," the Doctor shrugged, "she's, well, she's my daughter."
She smiled. "Hello, Dad."
"You primed to take orders? Ready to fight?"
The woman nodded, walking down to join the soldiers. "Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocols, sir. Generation five thousand soldier primed and in peak physical health. Oh, I'm ready." They had some sort of barricade, and she took her place.
Caroline watched her. "You said daughter?"
He nodded. "Mmm. Technically."
"Technically how?"
"Progenation. Reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is biological mother and father. You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in a different arrangement and grow. Very quickly, apparently."
Caroline glanced at Donna. "Like cloning."
"Something's coming," the Doctor's daughter said. There were a few shadows on the tunnel wall past the barricade, but the moment the actual figures came into view they started firing.
"It's the Hath!" the soldiers responded with fire of their own.
"Get down!"
The four travelers took cover. The Hath appeared to be creatures similar to fish, wearing breathing masks. And attempting to kill all of them.
"We have to blow the tunnel. Get the detonator!"
"I'm not detonating anything," the Doctor rushed to help a wounded soldier who had fallen, but the Hath had breached the barricade and one grabbed Martha. Caroline was thankful she and Donna, at least, were a bit further back.
The Doctor's daughter fought one hand to hand for a few seconds before grabbing the detonator.
"Blow the thing! Blow the thing!"
"Martha!" the Doctor screamed, watching as the Hath dragged her away. "No. Don't."
His daughter didn't listen. She hit the button and, as the alarm sounded, they all ran from the explosion that brought down the roof.
"You've sealed off the tunnel," the Doctor said, walking back to see the damage. "Why did you do that?"
His daughter shrugged. "They were trying to kill us."
"But they've got my friend."
"Collateral damage. At least you've still got them," she nodded at Donna and Caroline. "He lost both his men. I'd say you came out ahead."
Donna stepped forwards. "Her name's Martha. And she's not collateral damage, not for anyone. Have you got that, GI Jane?"
"I'm going to find her." The Doctor began to walk forwards, but they were stopped by the other soldier.
"You're not going nowhere. You don't make sense, you three. No guns, no marks, no fight in you. I'm taking you to General Cobb. Now, move."
|C-S|
The soldier led the way through the tunnels, with Donna and the Doctor's daughter behind him. Caroline walked at the back with the Doctor.
"I'm Donna. What's your name?"
The Doctor's daughter shrugged. "Don't know. It's not been assigned."
"Well, if you don't know that, what do you know?"
She didn't even need to think hard about it. "How to fight."
Caroline frowned. "Nothing else?"
The Doctor nodded. "The machine must embed military history and tactics, but no name. She's a generated anomaly."
"Generated anomaly. Generated." Donna nodded, smiling. "Well, what about that? Jenny."
Jenny smiled. "Jenny. Yeah, I like that. Jenny."
Donna glanced at the Doctor. "What do you think, Dad?"
"Good as anything, I suppose."
"Not what you'd call a natural parent, are you?"
He shrugged. "They stole a tissue sample at gunpoint and processed it. It's not what I call natural parenting."
"Rubbish. My friend Nerys fathered twins with a turkey baster. Don't bother her."
"You can't extrapolate a relationship from a biological accident."
Donna laughed. "Child Support Agency can."
"Look, just because I share certain physiological traits with simian primates doesn't make me a monkey's uncle, does it?" the Doctor hurried forward, head lowered.
Jenny stopped. "I'm not a monkey. Or a child."
Caroline raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
The Doctor ignored Jenny for the rest of the walk to the large domed room. It appeared to be the human base, given the amount of humans running around what looked like an underground theater, and the progenation machine on the side.
"So, where are we? What planet's this?" the Doctor asked the solider.
"Messaline." He brought them across the room. "Well, what's left of it."
"-663, 75 deceased," a voice came over the speakers. "Generation 6671, extinct. Generation 6672, 46 deceased. Generation 6680, 14 deceased. Generation-"
Donna turned in a small circle. "But this is a theatre."
"Maybe they're doing Miss Saigon."
Caroline glanced at the window near the ceiling. "It looks like an underground town or city."
Donna nodded. "But why?"
Another soldier approached, though he was clearly much older than the others, with a white beard.
"General Cobb, I presume," the Doctor looked him up and down.
"Found in the Western tunnels, I'm told, with no marks. There was an outbreak of pacifism in the Eastern Zone three generations back, before we lost contact, is that where you came from?"
The Doctor leapt on the offer. "Eastern Zone, that's us, yeah. Yeah. I'm the Doctor, this is Donna, this is Caroline."
Jenny smiled. "And I'm Jenny."
Cobb frowned. "Don't think you can infect us with your peacemaking. We're committed to the fight, to the very end."
"Well, that's all right. I can't stay, anyway. I've got to go and find my friend."
Cobb nearly laughed. "That's not possible. All movement is regulated. We're at war."
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, I noticed. With the Hath. But tell me, because we got a bit out of circulation, Eastern Zone and all that. So who exactly are the Hath?"
Cobb brought them through the base, to somewhere a bit further away from the rest of the soldiers. "Back at the dawn of this planet, these ancient halls were carved from the earth. Our ancestors dreamt of a new beginning. A colony where human and Hath would work and live together."
"So what happened?"
"The dream died. Broken, along with Hath promises. They wanted it all for themselves. But those early pioneers, they fought back. They used the machines to produce soldiers instead of colonists, and began this battle for survival."
Caroline nodded at the window. "There's nothing but earth outside. Why build everything underground?"
The first soldier shrugged. "The surface is too dangerous."
"Then why build windows in the first place?"
Donna stepped closer to a plaque under the window. "And what does this mean?"
"The rites and symbols of our ancestors," Cobb shook his head. "The meaning's lost in time."
"How long's this war gone on for?" the Doctor asked.
"Longer than anyone can remember. Countless generations marked only by the dead." Caroline couldn't help but notice the odd wording, but she had no idea why it would stand out to her. There was the fact that this building didn't look old, but perhaps the civilization was quite good at repairing any damages from time.
Donna raised her eyebrows. "What, fighting all this time?"
Jenny nodded. "Because we must. Every child of the machine is born with this knowledge. It's our inheritance. It's all we know. How to fight, and how to die."
They reached a 3D hologram of what must have been the collection of tunnels. "Does this show the entire city, including the Hath zones?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Well, it'll help us find Martha."
The other soldier sighed. "We've more important things to do. The progenation machines are powered down for the night shift, but soon as they're active, we could breed a whole platoon from you three."
Donna scoffed. "I'm not having sons and daughters by some great big flipping machine." She turned to Jenny. "Sorry, no offence, but you're not. Well, I mean, you're not real."
Jenny laughed. "You're no better than him. I have a body, I have a mind, I have independent thought. How am I not real? What makes you better than me?"
Caroline found herself smiling. Looking at all of the soldiers, especially knowing that they were all clones from clones, meant that it was a bit difficult to remember that they were still as human as anyone else. But if the Doctor and Donna could accept aliens of various types, then they could begin to understand that these soldiers were just as real and just as human.
"Well said, soldier," Cobb nodded. "We need more like you, if ever we're to find the Source."
The Doctor glanced at Caroline, seeming distracted for a short second by her expression. "Ooo, the Source. What's that, then? What's a Source? I like a Source. What is it?"
"The Breath of Life."
"And that would be?"
"In the beginning, the great one breathed life into the universe," the soldier explained. "And then she looked at what she'd done, and she sighed."
Jenny nodded. "She. I like that."
"Right." The Doctor starched the back of his head. "So it's a creation myth."
"It's not a myth. It's real. That sigh. From the beginning of time it was caught and kept as the Source. It was lost when the war started. But it's here, somewhere. Whoever holds the Source controls the destiny of the planet."
The Doctor ran his hand through the hologram. "Ah! I thought so. There's a suppressed layer of information in this map. If I can just-" he used his sonic on the map, making it reveal even more tunnels and chambers.
"What is that," Donna asked, "what's it mean?"
Caroline frowned, holding out a hand like she wanted to touch the map but didn't. "A whole complex of tunnels hidden from sight."
"That must be the lost temple," Cobb gasped. "The Source will be inside. You've shown us the way. And look, we're closer than the Hath. It's ours." They returned to the larger collection of soldiers. "Tell them to prepare to move out. We'll progenate new soldiers on the morning shift, then we march. Once we reach the Temple, peace will be restored at long last."
The Doctor touched Cobb's arm to stop him. "Er, call me old-fashioned, but if you really wanted peace, couldn't you just stop fighting?"
"Only when we have the Source. It will give us the power to erase every stinking Hath from the face of this planet."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Hand on, hang on. A second ago it was peace in our time. Now you're talking about genocide."
"For us, that means the same thing."
"Then you need to get yourself a better dictionary," the Doctor scoffed. "When you do, look up genocide. You'll see a little picture of me there, and the caption will read, 'over my dead body'."
Cobb laughed. "And you're the one who showed us the path to victory. But you can consider the irony from your prison cell. Cline, at arms." The soldier, apparently Cline, pointed his pistol at them again.
"Oi, oi, oi. All right. Cool the beans, Rambo."
"Take them, I won't have them spreading treason. And if you try anything, Doctor, I'll see that your woman dies first."
The Doctor shook his head. "No, we're…we're not a couple."
"I am not his woman."
Caroline smiled at them. This seemed to be a pattern with the pair of them.
Cline pointed to the side with his weapon. "Come on. This way."
"I'm going to stop you, Cobb. You need to know that."
Cobb shrugged. "I have an army and the Breath of God on my side, Doctor. What'll you have?"
The Doctor pointed to his head. "This."
Cobb only scoffed. "Lock them up and guard them."
"What about the new soldier?" Cline asked when Jenny stepped forwards.
Cobb shrugged. "Can't trust her. She's from pacifist stock. Take them all."
|C-S|
The cell was very clearly make-shift, though it would keep the four of them contained. The three time travelers stood on a small circle, while Jenny stood to the side.
"More numbers," Donna noted. "They've got to mean something."
The Doctor snorted, sitting on the cot. "Makes as much sense as the Breath of Life story."
"You mean that's not true?"
"No, it's a myth." Donna sat next to the Doctor. "Isn't it, Doctor?"
He nodded. "Yes, but there could still be something real in that temple. Something that's become a myth. A piece of technology, a weapon."
"If the Source is a weapon, we most likely have just given Cobb the directions," Caroline leaned against the wall.
"Oh, yes."
"Not good, is it?"
"That's why we need to get out of here, find Martha and stop Cobb from slaughtering the Hath." He looked up towards Jenny, who was watching him. "What…what are you…what are you staring at?"
Jenny smiled. "You keep insisting you're not a soldier, but look at you, drawing up strategies like a proper general."
"No, no. I'm trying to stop the fighting."
Jenny shrugged. "Isn't every soldier?"
The Doctor looked a bit shocked, looking between Jenny and Caroline. "Well, I suppose, that's…that's…technically…I haven't got time for this. Caroline, give me your phone. I need to give you a proper upgrade." He pulled out his sonic and began messing with Caroline's phone again. When they'd been calling Donna he hadn't needed to do much with her phone, but apparently in order to call on an actual alien world her phone needed some changes.
"And now you've got a weapon!" Jenny laughed.
"It's not a weapon."
"But you're using it to fight back. I'm going to learn so much from you." She smiled wider. "You are such a soldier."
The Doctor sighed. "Donna, Caroline, will you tell her?"
Donna smiled. "Oh, you are speechless. I am loving this! You keep on, Jenny."
"I have no problem," Caroline whispered, making Donna high-five her and the Doctor give her an exasperated look.
He managed to finish working on her phone, calling Martha. "Doctor?"
"Martha! You're alive!"
"Doctor! Oh, am I glad to hear your voice. Are you alright? All of you?"
He nodded. "I'm with Donna and Caroline. We're fine. What about you?"
Donna leaned forward. "And…and Jenny. She's fine too!"
"Yes, alright. And…and Jenny. That's the woman from the machine. The soldier. My daughter…except she isn't, she's…she's…anyway. Where are you?"
"I'm in the Hath camp. I'm okay, but something's going on. The Hath are all marching off to some place that's appeared on this map thing."
He shrugged. "Oh, that was me. If both armies are heading that way, there's going to be a bloodbath."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Just stay where you are, if you're safe there then don't move, d'you hear?"
"But I can help."
He was interrupted by loud cheering echoing down the hallway, making them all look up. "They're getting ready to move out. We have to get past that guard."
Jenny stepped forward. "I can deal with him."
The Doctor stood. "No, no, no, no. You're not going anywhere."
"What?"
"You belong here, with them."
"She belongs with us," Donna glared at him. "With you."
Caroline nodded. "She's your daughter, Doctor. Biologically." She had a guess about Jenny, after considering the various facts about the machine she could assume. A guess the Doctor would hate but he couldn't ignore.
"She's a soldier! She came out of that machine!"
"Have you got a stethoscope?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Give it to me."
The Doctor looked unhappy, but he did as Caroline asked. She turned to Jenny, making the woman move back. "What are you doing?"
"It will be alright. Just hold still." Slowly, Caroline placed the stethoscope on Jenny's chest, right then left. When she pulled back, she was smiling. Donna met her eyes and understood instantly. "Doctor, listen. Then you can start claiming where she belongs."
There was a chance the biological aspect wouldn't convince him. But she was almost certain that it would at least let Jenny stay with them. Jenny, while a soldier, was nice. Caroline knew it, Donna knew it, but the Doctor refused to see it. And Caroline could understand why. If he had lost his entire planet, his entire family, he wouldn't want to believe in the woman born from stolen skin cells.
The Doctor mimicked Caroline's movements with Jenny's hearts. Then he pulled away. "Two hearts."
Caroline nodded, holding his gaze. "Exactly."
Jenny looked between the three of them, for Donna had understood exactly what Caroline had been doing. "What's going on?"
"Does that mean she's a…what do you call a female Time Lord?" Donna asked the Doctor, but Caroline surprised everyone with how quickly she spoke.
"A Time Lady." She frowned, feeling a headache settling in. The Doctor moved like he wanted to touch her back but restrained himself.
"What's a Time Lord?" Jenny hadn't seemed to have noticed what had happened to Caroline.
The Doctor looked anywhere but Jenny. "It's who I am. It's where I'm from."
"And I'm from you."
He scoffed. "You're an echo, that's all. A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge, a code, a shared history, a shared suffering. Only it's gone now, all of it. Gone forever."
Her headache got worse and Caroline had to look away, towards a wall, to focus on anything but what the Doctor was saying and how he was looking between her and Jenny.
"What happened?" Jenny's voice had gone quiet, sensing the Doctor's pain.
"There was a war."
"Like this one?"
"Bigger. Much bigger."
"And you fought?" Jenny tilted her head. "And killed?"
"Yes."
Jenny sighed. "Then how are we different?"
The Doctor held Jenny's gaze while Donna moved closer to Caroline, gently touching her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Caroline nodded. "Just a headache."
"Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine."
Jenny stepped back from the Doctor. "Now, you wait here." Caroline was paying attention just enough to note that the Doctor did as she said. The woman walked up to the door where Cline was standing guard. "Hey."
"I'm not supposed to talk to you. I'm on duty."
She shrugged. "I know. Guarding me. So, does that mean I'm dangerous, or that I need protecting?"
He turned to her. "Protecting from what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Men like you?" in a single motion, Jenny pulled Cline into a kiss while grabbing his pistol and pointing it at his stomach. "Keep quiet and open the door."
Donna, an arm around Caroline's shoulder as the headache faded, laughed. "I'd like to see you try that."
The Doctor glared at her.
A/N: The Doctor has met his daughter Jenny, and Caroline's already started to make certain observations about Jenny and their relationship. What else will she comment on?
