Phew! Hi everyone!
Sorry this took so long. (Geez, this is like the lead into every chapter lately). The last few months have been chaos. I've been doing a lot of hours at work since we are re-branding. So two people redesigning the look for an entire company with 20 years worth of work. I thought I would have time during the Christmas break, but I haven't had a day to myself! Everyone wants to hang out with me and it's kind of getting exhausting. I love them, but come on!
And most annoyingly, I've had to deal with my piece of shit computer. It still crashes quite often, it no longer plays sound most of the time. I think the stars have to be in the right position. I have to restart it about three times a day, and half the buttons on the keyboard don't work. That has been the main reason for not updating. But I pinched the USB keyboard from my desk at work and managed to get this written up. I also have many pages worth of notebook stories to write up.
I hope you like it. It's also extra long.
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Fire in the Sky
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The air was dense and hard to see through, but UNIT soldiers could still be seen running about. Everyone was beginning to gather around the factory. Everyone was wearing gas masks, and Rose and the Doctor were attempting to hold in their laughter at the vague sense of déjà vu. They looked at each other in the masks, sharing a knowing look.
"Latest firing stock. What do you think, Doctor?" Mace said, showing him a gun.
"Mummy?" Rose said innocently.
"Are you my mummy?" the Doctor continued.
"If you two could please concentrate!" he growled. "Bullets with a rad-steel coating, no copper surface. Should overcome the Cordolaine signal." He gave one to the Doctor to inspect.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rose said, shrugging a little. She wasn't a fan of guns, but if it could get them closer to the real Martha...
"The Sontarans have got lasers!" the Doctor cried. He held his arms out to indicate at the visibility as he looked about. "You can't even see in this fog. The night-vision doesn't work." He threw the bullet back in the box where it ricocheted back out.
"Doctor, they're just trying to help," Rose said, but she was drowned out by Mace.
"Thank you, Doctor, thank you for your lack of faith. But this time, I'm not listening." He pulled on his mask and went to address his soldiers.
"Even if he is dead wrong," she continued in a mutter.
"Attention all troops!" Mace called, demanding everyone's attention. "Sontarans think of us as primitive. As does every passing species with an axe to grind. They make a mockery of our weapons, our soldiers, our ideals. But no more!" The Doctor shook his head in frustration.
"He hasn't encountered many races, has he?" Rose said quietly to the Doctor.
"Nope."
"But no more!" Mace went on. "From this point on, it stops. From this point on, the people of Earth fight back, and we show them! We show the warriors of Sontar what the human race can do!" He turned his head and spoke into his com. "Trap One to Hawk Major. Go, go, go!"
Suddenly, loud sounds started to come from above them and everyone turned their heads to the sky. Around them, the fog began to clear and a shape could be seen above them.
"It's working! The area's clearing. Engines to Maximum!"
That was when the shape of the object became clear. It was an airship. A very familiar airship.
"It's the Valiant!"
"Oh, I never thought I would be so happy to see that ship!" Rose cried. "Well, you know... other than that one time it meant seeing you again." The Doctor grinned at her, knowing what she meant.
"UNIT Carrier Ship Valiant reporting for duty, Doctor! With engines strong enough to clear away the fog."
The Doctor laughed as he walked over to the Colonel. "That's brilliant!"
"Getting a taste for it, Doctor?"
The Doctor looked at Rose and rolled his eyes. "No, not at all. Not me. Just giving credit where credit's due."
"How do you even have that thing?!" Rose asked him.
"UNIT acquired it after the 'strange disappearance' of 'Prime Minister Harold Saxon'. After your involvement and reports from the incident we were required to take it in for examination. It holds quite a lot of alien tech, so it remained in our possession."
Hand in hand, Rose and the Doctor went off to get into position with Clone Martha and the rest of them.
After an order form Mace, green beams – much like the ones that had destroyed the Sycorax ship – shot out from the ship, landing the first blow to the factory. UNIT hit hard and fast, they blew up entrances and shot down enemies. Not giving the Sontarans a chance to engage. And once the gate had been secured and a pathway opened up, they were ushered in to do their part.
They ran through the doors and corridors, surrounded by heavily armed officers. Mace was ahead of them, Clone Martha behind.
"East and north secure. Doctor?" They gave each other a nod and Mace rushed away with the soldiers.
The Doctor and Rose stayed behind and started in the other direction. "Donna, hold on. I'm coming," he said into the phone quickly. He put it back in his pocket right as Clone Martha caught up to them.
"Shouldn't we follow the Colonel?" she said.
"Nah, just us three, Martha Jones. Just like old times!" He was ahead, using the sonic to lead the way. Clone Martha was lingering behind and Rose saw her hit something on her phone.
"Yeah, the way it used to be... apart from the relationship status," she grinned as the clone caught up.
"Alien technology, this way," he said, holding the sonic high and leading them down the corridors. They walked through the warehouse, heading down dark, unlit stairwells. There wasn't a soul to be seen, which made things a lot easier. "No Sontarans down here. "They can't resist a battle. Here we go."
They walked through a door and entered a lab of some sort. The first thing they saw was Martha in a hospital gown, lying on some strange metal gurney thing with a metal device around her head.
"Martha!" she cried, running over to her friend.
"Ooh, Martha, I'm so sorry," he said to the unconscious figure. He went over just as Rose checked her pulse.
"She's alive. Look at this thing. I was right, they need her to keep it going."
The Doctor began checking Martha over, inspecting the head device. They heard the click of a gun and Rose looked up at the clone. The Doctor hardly even flinched. "Am I supposed to be impressed?" he said without looking at her.
"Wish you carried a gun now?" the clone asked.
"Not at all." Rose's answer however was teetering on the side of 'yes'. Seeing someone threaten her mate made her feel angry and protective. She wanted to knock the infernal thing out of the creature's hand and pummel her into the ground. But the Doctor didn't seem to have an issue, so instead she bit her tongue, settling for a glare instead.
"I've been stopping the nuclear launch all this time."
"Doing exactly what I wanted," he said, finally turning to face her. As he spoke he began to walk around her, leaving Rose beside the real Martha. "I needed to stop the missiles as much as the Sontarans. I'm not having Earth start an interstellar war. You're a triple agent!"
"When did you know?" she asked.
"What, you? Oh, right from the start. Reduced iris contraction, slight thinning of the hair follicles on the left temple. And, frankly, you smell. Even Rose noticed the signs. You might as well have worn a T-shirt saying 'clone'." By now he'd circled back around and was standing by Rose, behind Martha's head. The clone's gun had been trained on him the entire time. "Although, maybe not in front of Captain Jack. You remember him, don't you? 'Cause you've got all her memories. That's why the Sontarans had to protect her, to keep you inside UNIT. Rose is right. Martha Jones is keeping you alive."
Suddenly he pulled the device off Martha's head. She woke up, bolting up with a gasp. At the exact same moment, Martha's clone lent out a pain filled gasp, and fell to the ground clutching her chest. The gun clattered to the ground and the Doctor quickly ran over, kicking it away.
"It's alright, it's alright!" Rose tried to calm the startled Martha, pulling off the straps and giving her a hug. "We're here. We've got you."
"Rose!" she cried. "God, Rose." She turned to see the Doctor coming to help too. "Doctor! There was this thing! This alien, with this head..."
The ringing of Rose's phone interrupted her. "Oh, blimey, I'm busy," he said, answering the phone. "Got it?"
"Hey, are you okay?" Rose said, staying with her friend.
"Yeah, I-" She gazed around and she cut off when she saw the clone that was now slumping against some scaffolding. "Oh my god!" she gasped. "That's me."
"Yeah, they kind of... cloned you." She helped Martha to her feet. The poor woman was icy to the touch. "Doctor, give me your coat."
"Eh?" he said, interrupting his phone conversation with Donna.
"We need your coat. Martha's freezing!" Pinning the phone between his ear and shoulder, he shrugged the jacket off and chucked it to her. "Thanks!" He gave a nod, then went back to talking and starting to work on the teleport pod that was not far off. She gave the jacket to Martha, who gratefully wrapped herself up in it.
"Thanks," she said. She looked back over at her dying clone. "C-can I...?"
"Yeah," Rose nodded quietly. She helped her over most of the way, but stood back as Martha sat down in front of the other. It was surreal to see her best friend duplicated and staring at each other. Martha reached out a hand to help her.
"Don't touch me!" the clone snapped.
"It's not my fault," she said. "The Sontarans created you. But... you had all my memories."
"You've got a brother, sister... mother, and father," the clone panted. She'd gone pale and wasn't looking very good.
"If you don't help me, they're going to die."
"You love them."
"Yes. Remember that?"
"The gas!" the Doctor called out from the pod. "Tell us about the gas."
"Doctor!" Rose reprimanded as she rolled her eyes. This was something that only Martha could do. Only Martha could get through to herself.
"He's the enemy!" the clone shouted.
"Then tell me," Martha said, drawing back her attention. "It's not just poison, what's it for? Martha, please!"
The clone seemed to hesitate. She was clearly in a lot of pain, and clearly torn about the situation. Eventually she conceded. "Caesofine concentrate. It's one part Bosteen, two parts Probic 5."
"Clone feed!" the Doctor cried, smacking himself in the head. "It's clone feed!"
"Oh crap."
"What's clone feed?" Martha asked.
"Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans. That's why they're not invading, they're converting the atmosphere. Changing the planet into a clone world. Earth becomes a great big hatchery. 'Cause the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce. Give them a planet this big, they'll create billions of new soldiers. That gas isn't poison, it's food!" He dashed back to the pod and continued to work on it as fast as he could.
"What is that, this years theme? That's the second race that's tried to turn Earth into a breading ground in the last few months!"
"Certainly getting a lot more invasions than usual. Earth is a good size and habitat for most. Not to mention it's only a Level 5 planet, so not the most threatening."
"My heart... It's getting slower," Clone Martha whimpered.
"There's nothing I can do," Martha told her.
"In your mind, you've got so many plans. There's so much that you want to do."
"And I will. Never do tomorrow what you can do today, my mum says. 'Cause-"
"'Cause you never know how long you've got. Martha Jones... All that life..." They looked at each other a moment longer, then the clone slumped over. Lifeless. Martha stared at her sadly before grabbing her hand and pulling her engagement ring off, slipping it back on her own.
Rose knelt down beside her. "You sure you're okay?"
Martha nodded. "A little unsettled, but I'm fine. I'm feeling better. And we're closer to stopping this whole mess."
"Yeah." She gave her a smile. She'd missed having Martha around.
"Now!" the Doctor suddenly shouted. They looked over to see the teleport pod activate, and then Donna was there, gasping in relief. She ran to the Doctor and gave him a hug, mallet still in hand.
"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?"
"Hold on, hold on," he said, giving her a quick hug before prying her off. "Get off me, get off me. I've got to bring the TARDIS down!" He dashed back inside the pod and soniced it. Something clearly happened, since he seemed satisfied, and he stuck his head back out. "Right now, everyone in. Martha, you coming?"
"What about this nuclear launch thing?" she said as her and Rose joined them in the pod.
"Just keep pressing 'N'. We want to keep those missiles on the ground." She gave a nod.
"B-but there's... two of them," Donna stuttered, just noticing the dead clone.
"Yeah, long story," he said.
"Martha was kidnapped and cloned," Rose answered.
"Okay, not so long story after all. Here we go. The old team, back together! Well, the new team."
"We're not going back on that ship!" Donna protested.
"No, no, no. No. I needed to get the teleport working so that we could get to..." He hit the button and they teleported into yet another pod. "...here! The Rattigan Academy. Owned by..."
They came face to face with a distraught looking Luke Rattigan walking towards them as he pointed a gun at them. "Don't tell anyone what I did!" he pleaded. "It wasn't my fault, the Sontarans lied to me, they-"
The Doctor walked past him snatching the gun out of his hand and tossing it away. "If I see one more gun..." he growled. The three women made a face at each other then went to follow him.
"You know, that coat... sort of works," Donna said to Martha. Rose shot her a glare feeling jealous that anyone but her would look good in the Doctor's coat.
"I feel like a kid in my dad's clothes," she said.
"Really?" Rose snorted. "That's not what I feel like when I wear it at all!"
At her words Martha hesitated, almost missing a step. "Uh... Am I safe to be wearing this?" she said uncertainly. "Like... do I even want to know what you two have been up to in, or on this coat?"
Rose stopped mid stride. Her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed bright red. But she said nothing. Her eyes darted about, then she strode forward, walking even faster. Both Martha and Donna stared after her, then looked down at the coat.
"...This is coming off the second I find warmer clothes!"
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When they caught up with the Doctor, they found him in the lab using bits and bobs to build something that was already half done. Luke was pouting sourly behind them as he rambled on.
"That's why the Sontarans had to stop the missiles. They were holding back. Because caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground-to-air engagement could have sparked off the whole thing."
"What, like set fire to the atmosphere?"
"Yeah, they need all the gas intact to breed their clone army. And all the time we had Luke here in his dream factory. Planning a little trip, were we?"
"They promised me a new world."
"You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe air with this!" He clicked the last piece in place. "An atmospheric converter."
He looped the cable around his neck and dashed out of the room. Everyone followed him out onto the academy's front lawn. He set it down and began fiddling with the buttons. There was nothing much the others could do except stand by and watch. They looked out across the city, but the fog was so dense almost nothing could be seen.
"That's London!" Donna said aghast. She hadn't seen it since this had first started. "You can't even see it. My family's in there!"
"If I can get this in the right setting..."
"Doctor, hold on," Martha said. "You said the atmosphere would ignite."
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Having set it correctly he grabbed the remote and went to stand beside them.
"But, it's going to be like... burning off alcohol, right?" Rose said, seeing the logic. "It will burn off the surface and evaporate the bad stuff, right?" The Doctor just shrugged in his signature way that said 'well...' or 'hopefully'. "Crap."
He hit the button on the remote and a fireball shot up into the sky. They watched as it jetted up into the air, disappearing into the dirty fog. Suddenly the spot where the fireball had vanished burst into flame. A giant ring of fire started to consume the fog.
"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please..." he muttered, crossing his fingers as they watched. The fire burned across the sky, spreading out like a red sheet coving the Earth. Slowly the fire stared to disperse, and they blinked at the bright light and blue sky.
"Yes!" Rose cheered, turning to the Doctor and giving him a huge hug.
"He's a genius!" Luke said in awe and relief.
"Just brilliant," Martha grinned.
"Right, now we're in trouble!" he said, placing Rose down. He picked up the atmospheric converter and ran inside. Once again everyone followed him. On their way, Rose dashed into the lab, dragging Luke along with her.
"Hey!" he protested.
"Which one of these is a timer?!"
"What?" Confusion was clear on his face, but she just didn't have time for this.
"The Sontarans are going to be raging war against us now. The next logical step is to use that thing to stop them by using the teleport. But the Doctor tries to give people second chances. Right now the only way to set it off is by being on the ship. He would die. I need something that can put that thing on a delay."
"Right," he said with a determined nod. Quickly he dashed around the room, grabbing a small device and some tools. Then together they ran back out and caught up with the rest of them. The Doctor was already standing in the teleport, explaining what he was doing to the other two. "Wait!" he cried. The Doctor looked at him in surprise. "Give that to me. I'll be as quick as I can."
"What?"
"Just give it to him, Doctor," Rose insisted. Sighing, he handed the device over and Luke immediately started working on it. He went and stood beside Rose who suddenly turned to him and whopped him one.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"What do you think you were doing?!"
"Stopping the-"
"Yeah. With a thing that has no delay. To set if off, someone would actually have to sacrifice themselves. That's not happening. And you are especially not doing it! You can't leave me like that when you just proposed not four flipping hours ago!"
"He what?!" Donna and Martha cried in surprise.
"Oh. Yeah... We're engaged. Surprise." She gave them a small grin and they just continued to look at her in shock.
"Yep," the Doctor confirmed. "It was a bit of a-"
"Done!" Luke cried. He stood and handed the device back to the Doctor.
"Brilliant. What did you do to it?"
"Rose asked me to put a timer on it. I've set it to a five second delay. That gives you just enough time to get back. You may want to give them a second chance, but they won't take it. And I think you know that. Just remember that when you're up there. Don't be stupid, okay?"
The Doctor grinned at him as he stepped back into the teleport. "Thanks, Luke." The boy nodded back at him. Rose went over to him and linked her arm through his. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, you're not going without me. You promised. Remember?"
"Right then. Off we go." He hit the button, and the two of them disappeared.
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When they arrived, they found themselves on what appeared to be a standard ship. The interior was almost identical to many other ships she'd been on. But the entire room was lit with a magenta hue. Sontarans walked around both with and without their helmets on. Their arrival was immediately noticed.
"Oh, excellent!" Staal grinned.
"General Staal," he said, placing the device on the ground and putting his hand on the button. "You know what this is. But there's one more option. You can go. Just leave. Sontaran High Command need never know what happened here."
"Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death. But we do not. At arms!"
"Yeah, but would it be the warrior's death you wanted?" Rose goaded. "Just blown up for nothing."
"I'll do it, Staal. If it saves the Earth, I'll do it."
"A warrior doesn't talk, he acts!"
"I'm giving you the chance to leave."
"And miss the glory of this moment?"
"Glory? What glory is there in starting war with a near defenceless planet?"
'All weapons targeting Earth, sir. Firing in 20.'
"I'm warning you!"
"And I salute you! Take aim!"
"Doctor, they're not going to listen."
"Shoot us, I'm still going to press this! You'll die, Staal."
"Knowing that you die, too."
'Firing in 15'.
"Doctor now!" Rose said desperately. "We have ten seconds before it's too late press it now!"
"For the glory of Sontar!" Staal cried. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!" The others joined in chanting with him.
"Now!" she shouted.
The Doctor slammed his hand down on the button and dropped it. The second it was out of his hands, Rose pressed the button on the teleport and they were taken back to Earth. As soon as they were back, they were helped to their feet, and everyone scrambled to the window. Not a second later a faint explosion could be seen in the sky, lighting up like a second sun. And then it was gone. They all slumped down against the wall, letting out small chuckles of relief.
"You're engaged?!" Donna cried belatedly.
"Yeah," Rose laughed breathlessly.
"Congratulations!" The four of them exchanged hugs, still giddy with relief.
"Are you going to arrest me?" the small voice broke them up. They turned to see Luke beside them, still slumped against the wall. He looked glum and rather pitiful.
"Well," he Doctor said, sitting down beside him. "I may travel around in a police box, but I don't arrest people. It's not really my job."
Luke nodded. "So what's going to happen to me? I want... I want to make this right... That's going to take a long time."
"Well, you're a smart kid. You could easily do something good with your life."
"Do – do you think UNIT would hire me? I could stop something like this happening again."
The Doctor gave him a small smile. "Well, they've got a science division. I could... put in a good word for you."
"Thanks," he said quietly. He knew he had done something wrong. It was something he regretted. Something he swore he would make right. And that was something the Doctor could forgive.
?...DW...?
Rose and Donna were sipping at their tea when Silvia walked through the door.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully as she came in and placed the groceries in the counter. It was the first time Rose had seen the woman not grouching, and it was a bit startling. "The streets are half empty," she went on. "People still aren't driving. There's kids on bikes all over the place. It's wonderful. Unpack that lot, I'm going to see if Suzette's alright."
She practically skipped out of the house again and Wilf turned back to the two of them.
"I won't tell her," he said. "Best not. Just keep it as our little secret, eh?"
"Yeah," Donna agreed.
"You know, she still reminds me a bit of my mother," Rose told them. "She didn't like the Doctor at first either. Mind you, he did bring me home a year late. Everyone thought my best mate had murdered me." She saw the look on Wilf's face. "But that was just a one time thing. He's gotten better at driving."
Wilf chuckled. "Well, alright then. You go with them, Donna. You go and see the stars. And bring a bit of them back for your old Gramps."
"I will." She got up and gave him a kiss on top of his head. "Love you."
Rose stood and have him a kiss on the cheek, too. "It was lovely meeting you, Wilf."
"You too, Rose. Now, you look after my little girl."
"I will, I promise."
And with a grin, the two women left the house. They went out onto the street where the TARDIS was parked not to far off. The Doctor and Martha were waiting for them inside.
"How were they?" Martha asked as soon as they walked in.
"A bit shaken," Donna told them. "But they'll be fine. Same old stuff. So, you going to come with us? We're not exactly short of space."
"Yeah, it'll be fun," Rose grinned. "We could go to Geldon. The density of the ground is so soft it's like walking on marshmallow... and it tastes a bit like marshmallow, too."
Martha laughed. "I have misses all this... but, you know, I'm good here. Back at home. And I'm better for having been away. Besides." She flashed them her ring. "Someone needs me. Never mind the universe, I've got a great big world of my own now!"
"Well, don't forget to call us," Rose said, giving her a hug. "We can visit any time. And you're always welcome to come back, even if it's just for one trip... And we actually just mean one trip this time."
"I will. And I better be getting an invitation to your wedding!"
"Same goes for you," the Doctor said.
"You bet ya. I'll see you guys-"
Suddenly the TARDIS started to shake as she headed to the door. It was such a strong tremor that it send all of them to the ground. The door had slammed shut and the central column was set in motion. Somehow the TARDIS had started flying herself.
"What?" he cried. "What?!"
"What's happening?" Rose shouted, trying to get over to the console with him.
"Doctor, don't you dare!" Martha yelled.
"No, no, no! I didn't touch anything!" he managed to stand enough to check the screen. "We're in flight, but it's not me!"
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know, it's out of control!"
"Doctor, just listen to me!" said Martha. "You take me home, take me home right now!"
"I can't!" he shouted back. "I can't stop it!"
The TARDIS had set her course. And all they could do was follow.