Okay guys, I have got to say I am so sorry! Life has been crazy, wonderful, but crazy. I got in engaged and married last year so that took up most of my time and last week I realized I completely forgot about my story. This chapter took a while to put together. It is two episodes in one, which is why it's so long. I'm not super happy with this chapter but here it is. I hope you guys like it…
The Doctor's POV
"Oh, my head!" Martha complained when we had made it back to her time. I had used the vortex manipulator to get all three of us back.
"Time travel without a capsule, that's a killer," I said leading the way out of the alleyway.
"Still, at least we made it. Earth, 21st century by the looks of it. Talk about lucky," Jack said looking around.
"That wasn't luck. That was me," I said.
"The moral is, if you're gonna get stuck at the end of the universe, get stuck with an ex-time agent and his vortex manipulator." We were sitting down trying to figure out what to do. I kept thinking about Harper… she was on the TARDIS when the Master left. What has happened to her?
"But this Master bloke, he's got the TARDIS. He could be anywhere in time and space," Martha said.
"No, he's here, trust me," I said. I looked around seeing sign everywhere saying 'Vote Saxon'.
"Who is he anyway? And that voice at the end, that wasn't the professor."
"If the Master's a Time Lord, then he must've regenerated," Jack explained.
"What does that mean?" Martha asked, but I was watching a homeless man tap out a rhythm on his cup. It almost seemed hypnotic in tone, three taps.
"It means he's changed his face, voice, body, everything, new man," Jack told her.
"Then how are we gonna find him?"
"I'll know him," I said. "The moment I see him. Time Lords always do."
"But hold on, if he could be anyone…" Martha looking around also, "we missed the election. But it can't be…" She said as we stood up watching a newscast.
"Mr. Saxon has returned from the palace, and is greeting the crowds inside Saxon headquarters."
"I said I knew that voice," Martha said as we watch Saxon, who I knew to be the Master, on the screen. "When he spoke, inside the TARDIS, I've heard that voice hundreds of times. I've seen him, we all have. That was the voice of Harold Saxon."
"That's him, he's Prime Minister. The Master is Prime Minister of Great Britain. The Master and his wife?" I said in shock.
"This country has been sick," The Master said addressing the people. "This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say, that what this country really needs right now is a doctor."
Harper's POV
I had to work quickly. I had been working on this escape for two months now and if I'm caught it would be all for nothing. But I had to get out of here. The Doctor, Martha, and Jack needed me… and I needed them.
"Honey, I'm home," the Master yelled as the door slammed against the wall. I jump up hiding my work and walked into the living room with a frown on my face.
When the Master finally landed the TARDIS I had tried to make a run for it, but he stopped me saying, "Oh, I don't think so. You are going to be very helpful to me." Now he had me held up in some apartment with one of the Toclafane guarding the door.
"What do you want?" I spat out.
"Oh now my sweet, don't give me that look. I know you're glad to see me." The Master said coming closer to me.
I backed away saying, "Why don't you go and ruin someone else's day?"
"Now, now, now, that's no way to talk to your Master," the Master said holding his arms out in a boasting manner.
I snorted out a laugh, "I refuse to ever call you my Master. You're nothing more than a pompous over confident show dog, with an ego the size of a planet."
"Oh you do love me." The Master stepped forward and draped his arm over my shoulder, "now my sweet Harper, there have been rumors that you have been a bad girl."
I had to keep a blank face hoping he didn't know about my escapes plan. "Really, any good rumors? Or am I just seen as the damsel in distress?"
"Rumors that you have been sending out messages for help," he replied. "Now why would you do that?"
"I don't know, maybe because I'm trapped by a psychopath. But that would be incredibly stupid of me seeing as no one could get to me. So I don't think that was me," I lied.
My plan was falling apart. I had been in contact with someone on the outside trying to get his or her help. They believed me when I told them Saxon was not who he said he was and agreed to help me. Now I had a dread feeling about what was going to happen.
"Them what are these?" The Master said holding up my letters. I froze not knowing what to say. He laughed and moved away, "you really thought you could slip away so easily, didn't you? Everyone loves me so why would someone help you?"
I was starting to back away. I knew what was going to happen and I was just a bit afraid. The Master loved the fact that no matter what he did to me I would always end up back to normal. He had an evil look on his face as he moved closer. "Now what to do with you, the traitor?"
'This was not going to be good.'
The Doctor's POV
"Home," Martha said as we walked into her flat.
"What you got; computer, laptop, anything? Jack, who are you phoning?" I asked looking at Jack. "You can't tell anyone we're here!"
"Just some friends of mine but there's no reply."
"Here you go, any good?" Martha handed my a laptop but Jack took it quickly saying, "I'll show you the Saxon websites, he's been around for ages."
"That's so weird, 'cause the day after the election, that's only four days after I met you and Harper," Martha said.
"We went flying all around the universe while he was here all the time," I said.
"You gonna tell us who he is?" She asked.
"He's a Time Lord."
"What about the rest of it? I mean, who'd call himself 'the Master'?"
"That's all you need to know," I told her. "Come on, show me Harold Saxon."
Martha pushed the button on the answering machine and I heard, "Martha where are you? I've got this new job! You won't believe it it's weird. They phoned me up out of the blue…"
"Oh, like it matters," Martha, said shutting off her sister's message.
"I'm voting Saxon. He can tick my box any day! Vote Saxon! Go Harry! I think Mr. Saxon is exactly what this country needs. He's a very fine man. And he's handsome, too."
We watched the video on Saxon's website. I was shocked by what all he had done in such a small time frame.
"Former minister of defense, first came to prominence when he shot down the Racnoss on Christmas Eve. Nice work by the way," Jack said.
"Oh, thanks."
"But he goes back years," Martha said, still confused by recent events. "He's famous, everyone knows the story. Look," Martha went up to the computer and started filling through the pictures. "Cambridge university, rugby blue, won the athletics thing, wrote a novel, went into business, marriage, everything. He's got a whole life."
How has he done it?
Harper's POV
I had tried many times to get the Master's wife to realize who the Master was or who he wasn't. The Master didn't want to leave me alone anymore so here I was sitting with Lucy once more trying to get her to see the real monster he was.
"Lucy, please can't you see he is an evil man?"
"I don't know what you are talking about," Lucy said.
"Mrs. Saxon," a lady said as she stormed in and my heart sank. "Vivien Rook, Sunday Mirror. You've heard of me."
"Can't I just have an hour to myself?" Lucy asked. "It's been a hell of a day."
"Strike while the iron's hot, that's what I say, Lucy… I can call you Lucy, can't I?" But she didn't wait for a reply. "Now, everyone's talking about Harold Saxon, but I thought, what about the wife? All I need is 20 minutes."
"Oh, I think maybe we should wait…"
"The headline's waiting to print, 'the power behind the throne'." I had to say Vivien was good.
"Really?"
"Britain's first lady."
"Gosh."
"Front page."
"Oh! Well… I suppose… oh, go on then, 20 minutes."
"Excellent! Thank you. Go, go… what was it… Tish? Now you can leave us alone."
"No, but I'm supposed to sit in," Tish said.
"No, no," Vivian said as Lucy shook her head no. "It's only a profile piece. You know, hair and clothes and nonsense. There's a good girl, out you go, that's it. And you go with her," Vivian said to me.
I was more than okay with leaving, not wanting to see how this ends. I quickly got up and left sadly thinking about Vivian.
Doctor's POV
"But he's got the TARDIS," Jack said from the kitchen. "Maybe the Master went back in time, and has been living here for decades."
"Nope," I said.
"Why not? Worked for me."
I turned and took a tea from Jack saying, "When he was stealing the TARDIS the only thing I could do was fuse the coordinates. I locked them permanently. He can only travel between the year one hundred trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed. Which is right here, right now."
"Yeah, but a little leeway?" Jack asked.
"Well, 18 months tops. The most he could have been here is 18 months. So how's he managed all this? The Master was always sort of hypnotic, but this is on a massive scale."
"I was gonna vote for him," Martha said from her spot on the couch.
"Really?" I asked surprised.
"Well, it was before I even met you. And I like him."
"Me too," Jack said.
"Why do you say that?" I asked. "What was his policy, what did he stand for?"
"I don't know," Martha was staring off and tapping a rhythm onto the couch, three taps. "He always sounded good. Like you could trust him, just nice. He spoke about… I can't really remember, but it was good. Just the sound of his voice."
"What's that?" I quickly said.
"What?" She said almost like she was coming out of a trance.
"That! That tapping, that rhythm, what are you doing?"
"I don't know, it's nothing… it's… I don't know!"
Before I could say anything else a Saxon broadcast started. I went to the TV and said, "Our lord and Master is speaking to his kingdom."
"Britain, Britain, Britain. What extraordinary times we've had. Just a few years ago, this world was so small, and then they came. Out of the unknown. Falling from the skies. You've seen it happen. Big Ben destroyed. A spaceship over London. All those ghosts and metal men, the Christmas star that came to kill. Time and time again and the government told you nothing. Well, not me. Not Harold Saxon. Because my purpose here today is to tell you this, citizens of Great Britain… I have been contacted. A message for humanity from beyond the stars."
Then a video of a sphere like creature came onto the screen, "People of the Earth, we come in peace. We bring you great gifs. We bring technology and wisdom and protection. And all we ask in return is your friendship."
"Oh, sweet," the Master said coming back on the screen. "And this species has identified itself. They're called the Toclafane."
"What?" I yelled knowing there was no such thing.
"And tomorrow morning they will appear, not in secret, but to all of you. Diplomatic relations with a new species will begin. Tomorrow, we take our place in the universe. Every man, woman, and child, every teacher and chemist and lorry driver and farmer and, oh, I don't know, every… medical student?"
Jack and I turned to look at Martha and then I turned the TV around only to see a bomb strapped to the backside of it with only seconds left. "Out!" I yelled.
Martha and Jack run to the door and I grabbed the laptop and my jacket before following them. We just made it outside when the bomb exploded.
"All right?" I asked.
"Fine, yeah, I'm fine," Jack, said. So I asked, "Martha?"
I turned to find her getting her phone out. "What are you doing?"
"He knows about me, what about my family?"
"Don't tell them anything," I said sternly.
"I'll do what I like!" She said turning to yell at me. "Mum! Oh my, you're there. I'm fine no I'm fine. Mum, has there been anyone asking about me? I can't, not now," I heard her say. "Don't be so daft! Since when? You'd never get back with him in a million years. Dad?" She turned to me worried. "What are you doing there? Dad, just say yes or no. Is there someone else there? Dad! What's going on? Dad!" Martha yelled into the phone. "I've gotta help them," I told me as she hung up the phone.
"That's exactly what they want, it's a trap!" I said, but she just replied with, "I don't care."
Harper's POV
"What are you doing to the Jones?" I yelled as marched up to the Master. "You need to leave Martha's family alone."
"Well if little miss Martha would simple come forward then I could leave her family to live out the rest of their poor, miserable, human lives," the Master said looking as if I hadn't just yelled at him.
"You are giving her no choice! And you blew up her apartment… they could have been hurt."
"And?" He asked looking amused at me.
"If I do what you want… will you leave them alone?" I asked this was very risky.
"Umm… now that is very interesting," he looked very much like a villain. He slowly rose up and walked over to me. Before I could back up any he grabbed onto my arm holding tight, pulling me closer to him. "I'm sorry my little pet, but that offer is over. Now what am I going to do with you? I can't have you yelling like that."
I held me breath waiting for what I knew was about to come.
The Doctor's POV
"Corner!" I yelled as Martha was speeding towards her mother's house.
"Come on, Tish, pick up," Martha said worriedly trying to get a hold of her sister. But once she did pick up Martha sounded more worried. "What's happening? Tish? It's you fault, it's all your fault," Martha yelled at me and I knew what she was saying was true.
We pulled around the corner only to stop at what we saw. Martha's parents were being pushed into the back of a van. Mrs. Jones looked as if she was fighting to not get into the van.
When she saw us, she yelled, "Martha! Get out of here, get out!"
"Martha, reverse," I said when two gunmen got in front of us. "Get out now!"
Martha reversed and they started to shoot at us so Jack yelled, "move it."
"The only place he can go was planet Earth," Martha said with anger.
"Careful," I said, she was drive wild.
"Martha, listen to me, do as I say. We gotta ditch this car. Pull over, right now," Jack said.
Harper's POV
I sat quietly in the room alone. I wasn't sure what the Master was up too, but it can't be good. He had brought me to this room, told me to stay quite, and then locked the door.
Suddenly the door slammed open and several guards came in dragging the Jones family with them.
"Let go of me," screamed Mrs. Jones.
I got up to see if I could help them when the guards pushed them in then once more locked the door. "Are you guys okay?" I asked.
"No," Mrs. Jones said. "Where are we? Why have they brought us here? What is going to happen to Martha and us?"
"Who are you," a man, I assume is Martha's father, asked.
"Harper, I'm a friend of Martha's. What happened?"
"Those men dragged us out of the house and brought us here," Mr. Jones said. "What do you think they want?"
"I think Saxon has something up his sleeve," I told them.
"Who, Harold Saxon? How can he have anything to do with this?" Tish asked.
"He has everything to do with this. I wish you guys hadn't got involved, but now we have to try and figure out a way out. Any ideas?" I asked.
All three of them shook they heads no, and I gave a sigh, 'how are we going to get out of this?'
Martha's POV
We walked away from the car quick, but cautiously. I had to make sure Leo was safe. "Martha, come on," the Doctor called back to me.
"Leo!" I said on the phone, relieved to hear his voice. "Leo, you've gotta listen to me. Where are you?"
"I'm in Brighton. Yeah, we came down with Boxer. Did you see that Saxon thing on telly?"
"Leo, just listen to me, don't go home. I'm telling you, don't phone mum or dad or Tish, you've gotta hide."
"Shut up," he replayed laughingly.
"On my life, you've gotta trust me. Go to Boxer's; stay with him, don't tell anyone, just hide," I cried.
"Ooh, nice little game of hide and seek, I love that!" I stopped walking as I heard the Master on the phone. "But I'll find you, Martha Jones. Been a long time since we saw each other. Must be, what, a hundred trillion years?"
"Let them go, Saxon! Do you hear me? Let them go!" I yelled but the Doctor quickly took the phone and said, "I'm here."
The Doctor's POV
"Doctor," the Master breathed.
"Master."
"I like it when you use my name."
"You chose it," I said. "Psychiatrist's field day."
"As you chose yours, the man who makes people better. How sanctimonious is that?"
"So, Prime Minister, then?" I asked.
"I know! It's good, isn't it?"
"Who are those creatures? There's no such thing as the Toclafane. That's just a made-up name, like the bogeyman."
"Do you remember all those fairy tales about the Toclafane when we were kids? Back home? Where is it, Doctor?"
"Gone," was all I said.
"How can Gallifrey be gone?"
"It burnt."
"And the Time Lords?"
"Dead, and the Daleks… more or less," I added. "What happened to you?"
"The Time Lords only resurrected me because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. I was there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. I saw it; I ran. I ran so far. Made myself human so they would never find me, because… I was so scared."
"I know."
"All of them? But not you, which must mean…"
"I was the only one who could end it. And I tried, I did, I tried everything."
"What did it feel like, though? Two almighty civilizations burning, oh, tell me, how did that feel?"
"Stop it."
"You must have been like god."
"I've been alone ever since, but not anymore. Don't you see all we've got is each other?"
"Are you asking me out on a date? And what about your cute little human pet, Harper isn't it?"
I felt a sting of angry and panic thinking about Harper, but I had to stop the Master. "You could stop this right now, we could leave this planet. We can fight across the constellations if that's what you want. But not on Earth."
"Too late."
"Why do you say that?"
"The drumming. Can't you hear it? I thought it would stop, but it never does. It never, ever stops. Inside my head, the drumming, Doctor, the constant drumming."
"I can help you. Please let me help."
"It's everywhere, listen, listen, listen. Here come the drums. Here come the drums." I saw a man standing over to the same tapping out the same rhythm I had heard twice that same day.
"What have you done? Tell me how you've done this. What are those creatures? Tell me!"
"Ooh, look, you're on TV."
"Stop it, answer me."
"No, really, you're on telly, you and your little band. Which, by the way, is ticking every demographic box. So congratulations on that. Look, there you are!"
I walked up to look at a TV in a storefront and watch the news, "They are known to be armed and extremely dangerous," the newscaster, said.
"You're public enemies number one, two, and three. Oh, and you can tell handsome Jack that I've sent his little gang off on a wild goose chase to the Himalayas so he won't be getting any help from them." Jack and Martha walked up to watch the TV also. "Now go on, off you go. Why not start by turning to the… right?"
I turned and saw a camera. I soniced it quickly and said, "he can see us."
"Ooh, you public menace. Better start running, go on, run!" The Master said.
I hung up the phone, "he's got control of everything."
"What do we do?" Martha asked.
"We've got nowhere to go," Jack said.
Martha turned to me and said, "Doctor, what do we do?"
"We run," I said, and we took off.
Harper's POV
I sat in the conference room with the Master. I was as far away from him as possible, I didn't know his plan but it was not good. He was flipping through the news channels before stopping at one. I wasn't sure what it was but it didn't sound like news.
Suddenly a Toclafane appeared. "Have you seen these things?" The Master asked the Toclafane. "This planet's amazing. Television in their stomach, now that is evolution!"
'Is he watching the Teletubbies? Wow, I don't know what to say about that.'
"Is the machine ready?" The Toclafane asked.
"Tomorrow morning. It reaches critical at 8:02 precisely."
'What is going to happen tomorrow?'
"We have to escape because it's coming, sir, the darkness; the never-ending darkness, and the terrible, terrible cold. We have to run and run and run."
"8:00, tomorrow morning," the Master sounded annoyed. "Tell your people the world is waiting."
The Master walked up to the window and looked out. When the Toclafane had gone I said, as bravely as I could, "you're going to lose, I don't know how, but you're going to lose."
"And why do you say that?" He asked quietly as he walked my way.
"You underestimate people. That's you main fault," I said.
"Well, we will just have to see about that." He gave me a smile that scared me just a bit and the left. I wasn't sure how but I had to let the Doctor know something was going to happen tomorrow morning.
The Doctor's POV
"How was it?" Jack asked. I looked up from the computer to see Martha coming back.
"I don't think anyone saw me. Anything new?"
"I got this tuned into government wavelength, so we can follow what Saxon's doing." Jack said pointing to his vortex manipulator.
"Yeah, I meant about my family."
Martha came over to hand me some food as I said, "Still says the Jones family taken in for questioning. Tell you what, though, no mention of Leo."
"He's not as daft as he looks," Martha said with a smile. "I'm talking about my brother, on the run, how did this happen?"
"Nice chips," Jack said.
"Actually, they're not bad," I agreed.
"So, Doctor, who is he?" Jack asked, "How come the ancient society of Time Lords created a psychopath?"
"And what is he to you? Like a colleague, or…" Martha tailed off.
"A friend at first."
"Thought you were gonna say he was your secret brother or something," Martha said.
"You've been watching too much TV."
Jack then said, "But all the legend of Gallifrey made it sound so perfect."
"Well," I said thinking back. "Perfect to look at, maybe. And it was, it was beautiful. They used to call it the shining world of the seven systems. And on the continent of wild Endeavour, in the mountains of solace and solitude, there stood the citadel of the Time Lords; the oldest and most mighty race in the universe, looking down on the galaxies below, sworn never to interfere, only to watch. Children of Gallifrey, taken from their families at the age of 8 to enter the academy, and some say that's where it all began. When he was a child. That's when the Master saw eternity. As a novice, he was taken for initiation. He stood in front of the untempered schism, it's a gap in the fabric of reality through which could be seen the whole of the vortex. You stand there, eight years old, staring at the raw power of time and space. Just a child. Some would be inspired. Some would run away. And some would go mad. I don't know."
"What about you?" Martha asked.
"Oh, the ones that ran away, I never stopped."
A beeping noise came from Jack vortex manipulator. "Encrypted channel with files attached. Don't recognize it."
"Hmm, patch it through to the laptop," I said.
"Since we're telling stories, there's something I haven't told you," Jack said.
Once Jack manipulator was patched into the computer a Torchwood symbol came up. "You work for Torchwood?" I asked shocked at him. He knew what those people did. What they cost me.
"I swear to you, it's different, it's changed. There's only half a dozen of us now."
"Everything Torchwood did and you're part of it?" I said accusingly.
"The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it, and when I did that, I did it for you. In your honor." I wasn't sure what to say. No I wasn't happy about this but I trusted Jack. So I needed to listen to him.
I pushed play and saw a woman, whom I didn't know, come on. "If I haven't returned to my desk by 2200 this file will be emailed to Torchwood. Which means if you're watching this, then I'm… anyway, the Saxon files are attached, but take a look at the Archangel document. That's when it all started, when Harry Saxon became Minister in charge of launching the Archangel network."
"What's the Archangel network?" I asked.
"I've got Archangel, everyone's got it," Martha said.
"It's the mobile phone network. 'Cause look, its gone worldwide. They've got 15 satellites in orbit. Even the other networks, they're all carried by Archangel," Jack said pointing to the map of satellites.
"It's in the phones!" I said sonicing Martha's phone. "Oh, I said he was a hypnotist. Wait, wait, wait, hold on," I hit it against the table and a beeping sounded. It was the same rhythm. "There it is. That rhythm, it's everywhere. Ticking away in the subconscious."
"What is it, mind control?" Martha asked.
"No, no, no, no. Subtler than that; any strong-willed people would question it. But contained in that rhythm, in layers of code, 'vote Saxon. Believe in me.' Whispering to the world. Oh, yes! That's how he hid himself from me. 'Cause I should've sensed there was another Time Lord on Earth. I should've known way back, but the signal cancelled him out."
"Any way you can stop it?" Jack asked.
"Not from down here, but now we know how he's doing it."
"And we can fight back?" Martha asked.
"Oh yes!" I got to work quickly. "Three TARDIS keys, three pieces of the TARDIS, all with low-level perception properties, because the TARDIS is designed to blend in. Well, sort of, but now, the Archangel network's got a second low-level signal. Weld the key to the network, and Martha…" I said as I took one key and stepped back. "Look at me, you can see me, yes?"
"Yep."
"What about now?" I asked as I put the key around my neck. I saw Martha look slightly to my right. She kept trying to look at me but she couldn't focus. "No, I'm here, look at me."
"It's like I know you're there, but I don't want to know," she said.
I took the key off, "and back again! See? It just shifts your perception, a tiny little bit. Doesn't make us invisible, just unnoticed." I was about to say something else when suddenly a voice filled my mind.
'Its going to happen, 8:02 tomorrow morning.'
As suddenly it was there it was gone, and it was Harper.
"Doctor," Jack said both of them were looking at me waiting for me to continue. "8:02 tomorrow morning; come on!"
Harper's POV
I had done it. I had slipped away to go and find the TARDIS, as sad as it made me, to contact the Doctor. The TARDIS was the only place I could think of that would block the Master out but let me still contact the Doctor; unfortunately I couldn't get to the TARDIS so I just had to be very careful.
Sadly I couldn't keep the connection open long, for I was too afraid of what would happen. The Master still didn't know I was able to contact the Doctor, because I hadn't done it yet. I was afraid that if I could communicate with the Doctor through our minds I would be able to with the Master as well. And if I could, and if the Master found out about that… I would be doomed.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here," I heard from behind me.
I turned slowly to see the Master standing in the doorway of the room I was hiding in, blocking my escape. "Nothing, I just wanted some time to myself," I said innocently.
"I'm sure that exactly what you were doing," the Master said sarcastically. "Now come on. It's time to start the show." The Master grabbed my arm and pulled me from the room. I had no choice but to follow and dread what was about to happen.
The Doctor's POV
"Don't run, don't shout, just keep your voice down. Draw attention to yourself and the spell is broken. Just keep to the shadows," I explained.
"Like ghosts," Jack said.
"Yeah, that's what we are, ghosts."
We walked quickly and quietly to our destination.
We watched as the President of the United States and the Master talked. The President didn't look happy. After the President left the Master turned and looked our way. I couldn't tell if he could see us or not, I just hoped the perception filters worked.
But soon his attention was caught by a police van, with its sirens on. The Master laughed and ran over saying; "hi guys!" as the Jones were pulled out of the van.
"Oh, my," Martha said but I stopped her by saying, "don't move."
My hearts stopped when I saw Harper pulled from the van. She looked mad and pushed the policeman away from her. She walked head held high towards the Jones family.
"But…" Martha said and I had to stop her and myself by saying, "don't!"
"I'm gonna kill him," she said as her family and my Harper were push into another vehicle.
"What say I use this perception filter to walk up behind him and break his neck?" Jack asked.
"Now that sounds like torchwood," I said.
"Still a good plan," Jack replied.
"He's a Time Lord. Which makes him my responsibility. I'm not here to kill him, I'm here to save him."
"Aircraft carrier Valiant, that's a unit ship, at 58.2 north, 10.02 east," Jack said dropping the subject.
"How do we get on board?" Martha asked.
"Does that thing work as a teleport?"
"Since you revamped it, yeah," Jack said. "Coordinates set."
"Oh, that thing is rough," Martha, said once we made it onto the Valiant.
"I've had worse nights. Welcome to the Valiant," Jack said.
"It's dawn," Martha said. "Hold on, I thought this was a ship, where's the sea?"
"A ship for the 21st century, protecting the skies of planet Earth," we all looked out to see that we were on a ship in the air.
Harper's POV
The Master had me follow him and Lucy, his wife, into the main room of the Valiant. I wasn't sure why I was here. But the man he had guarding me was not letting me get far.
"Awaiting confirmation from South America and keep tracking Japan," I heard the announcement.
"Anything I can do?" The Master asked the President. "I could make the tea? Or isn't that American enough? I don't know I could make grits, what are grits anyway?"
"If you could just sit," the President said.
"Misery guts. What do you think? It's good, isn't it?" The Master asked Lucy.
"It's beautiful," Lucy said.
"Some of my best work. Ministry of defense, I helped design this place. Every detail," the Master said sitting down beside Lucy. I knew he was talking about the TARDIS and my heart was pounding.
The Doctor's POV
"We've no time for sight-seeing!" Jack yelled when I had stopped running. But I felt something.
"No, wait, shh, shh, can't you hear it?"
"Hear what?" Jack asked.
"Doctor, my family's on board…"
"Brilliant!" I smiled and turned to my right. "This way." We all took off running. I had to get to her. I opened the doors and saw her, the TARDIS. "Oh, at least!"
"Oh, yes!"
"What's it doing on the Valiant?" Jack asked. But when we walked in we were all shocked at what we saw. "What's he done?"
The console was in a cage of sorts with cables everywhere. "Don't touch it," I warned.
"I'm not going too," Jack said.
"What's he done, though?" Martha asked. "Sounds like it's sick."
"It can't be. No, no, no, no, no, no, it can't be."
"Doctor, what is it?" Martha asked.
"He's cannibalized the TARDIS."
"Is this what I think it is?" Jack said worriedly.
"It's a paradox machine."
Harper's POV
"Two minutes, everyone," the President announced. I was getting more and more worried about what was going to happen, and there was nothing I could do. "According to the treaty, all armed personnel are requested to leave the flight deck immediately, thank you."
This is not going to be good.
"Broadcasting at 7:58," the President kept announcing, "with the arrival timed for 0800 hours exactly. And good luck to all of us."
The Doctor's POV
"As soon as this hits red, it activates," I said pointing to the dial on the machine. "At this speed, it'll trigger at two minutes past 8."
"First contact is at 8, then two minutes later…" Jack said.
"But what's it for? What does a paradox machine do?" Martha asked.
"More important, can you stop it?" Jack asked.
"Not till I know what it's doing. Touch the wrong bit, blow up the Solar System."
"Then we've gotta get to the Master," Martha said and Jack asked, "Yeah, how are we gonna stop him?"
"Oh, I've got a way, sorry," I said looking at there shock faces. "Didn't I mention it?"
Harper's POV
I watch the camera people count down and then point to the President to start. And so it begins.
"My fellow Americans, patriots, people of the world. I stand before you today as ambassador for humanity. A role I will undertake with the utmost solemnity. Perhaps our Toclafane cousins can offer us much. But what is important is not that we gain material benefits, but that we learn to see ourselves anew."
I saw out of the corner of my eye, the Doctor, Martha, and Jack enter the room. I held my breath waiting for it to happen.
"For as long as men has looked to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone. And I ask you now, I ask of the human race, to join with me in welcoming our friends. I give you the Toclafane."
Right then three Toclafane appeared; I could see out of the corner of my eye the Doctor move closer to the Master. "My name is Arthur Coleman Winters, President elect of the United States of America, and designated representative of the United Nations. I welcome you to the planet Earth and its associated moon."
"You're not the Master," a Toclafane said.
"We like the Mr. Master," said another.
"We don't like you."
"I can be master if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you if that is god's will."
"Man is stupid."
"Master is our friend."
"Where's my Master, pretty please?"
"Oh, all right, then," The Master, said getting up. The Doctor was right beside me now and it took everything in me not to move towards him. "It's me! Ta-da! Sorry, sorry, I have this effect people just get obsessed. Is it the smile, is it the aftershave, is it the capacity to laugh to myself? I don't know! It's crazy!"
"Saxon, what are you talking about?" The President asked.
"I'm taking control, uncle Sam. Starting with you," the Master looked at one of the Toclafane and said, "Kill him!" The Toclafane killed the President and everyone started to freak out. "Guards, nobody move! Nobody move!"
The Master ran up and got in front of us, and got farther away from the Doctor. "Now then, peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully. Stop him," the Master said as the Doctor tried to run forward. Two guards grabbed the Doctor holding him back. "We meet at last, Doctor. Oi, I love saying that!"
"Stop this," the Doctor said. "Stop it now!"
"As if a perception filter is gonna work on me. And look, it's the girlie and the freak. Although I'm not sure which one's which," the Master said and held up a screwdriver and as Jack ran forward he killed him. "Laser screwdriver; who'd have sonic?"
I yelled no, and tried to go to him but my guard held me back; thankfully, Martha went to him.
"And the good thing is, he's not dead for long. I get to kill him again!"
"Master, just calm down. Just look at what you're doing; just stop. If you could see yourself," the Doctor tried but it was all for nothing.
"Do excuse me, little bit of personal business," the Master said to the camera. "Back in a minute. Let him go."
The guards push the Doctor down. But he looked back up at the Master and said, "It's that sound, the sound in your head. What if I can help?"
"Oh! How to shut him up? I know, memory lane!" I was getting more and more worried; it was almost time. "Professor Lazarus, remember him, and his genetic manipulation device? What, did you little Tish got that job merely be coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time, and if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver… but, ooh, if only I had the Doctor's biological code. Oh! Wait a minute, I do!"
The Master got up and when to a metal case. "I've got his hand!" The Master opened the case and we saw the Doctor's hand. "And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it. Another 100 years?"
The Master used the Laser screwdriver on the Doctor and I screamed "no" as I watched the Doctor writhe in pain. Finally he stopped and the Doctor fell to the floor looking much older than before. The guard couldn't stop me this time as I ran for the Doctor. I had tears in my eyes as he looked over to me. Martha showed up on his other side looking just as worried and said, "Doctor, I've got you."
"Ah, she's a would-be doctor. But tonight, Martha Jones, we've flown them in, all the way from prison," the Master said pointing to the door. I looked back as Martha stood up; her parents and sister were being lead into the room. "Mum?"
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Jones cried.
"The Toclafane," the Doctor said. "What are they? Who are they?"
"Doctor, if I told you the truth, your heats would break," the Master said after getting down to our level. I really wanted to push him away but I didn't want to cause more trouble.
"Is it time?" One of the Toclafane asked.
"Is it ready?"
"Is the machine singing?"
"Two minutes past," the Master said, I hold my breath. "So, Earthly," the Master said back on camera. "Basically, um… end of the World. Here come the drums!"
Music started to play and the Master ran to the window. I knew what was happening so I just held onto the Doctor tighter. The Toclafane were invading the Earth.
"Down you go, kids. Remove one tenth of the population!"
The Doctor whispered something to Martha. She slowly got up looking at us. I gave her a nodded before she turned to her family. She had Jack's vortex manipulator and looked a bit scared. And with that Martha teleported away, I whispered "good luck," knowing she would need it.
Martha's POV
I fell to the ground in some field. As I got up I looked to see the Toclafane destroying the Earth. "I'm coming back," I said knowing I had too.
One Year Later
Martha's POV
I waved back to the men who had helped me get back to Britain as I ran for dry land. There was a man waiting on me and when I got to him I asked, "What's your name, then?"
"Tom Milligan. No need to ask who you are, the famous Martha Jones. How long since you were last in Britain?"
"365 days, it's been a long year," I said as we walked away from the shoreline.
"So what's the plan," Tom asked.
"This professor Docherty, I need to see her," I explained. "Can you get me there?"
"She works in a repair shed, nuclear plant seven. I can get you inside. What's this all for? What's so important about her?"
"Sorry, the more you know, the more you're at risk," I said coldly. I didn't like who I had become but I had to in order to get through this past year.
"There's a lot of people depending on you. You're bit of a legend," Tom said.
"And what does the legend say?" I asked laughing a bit.
"That you sailed the Atlantic, walked across America, that you were the only person to get out of Japan alive. Martha Jones, they say, she's gonna save the world. A bit late for that."
Harper's POV
The Master wheeled the Doctor up to the window. "It's ready to rise, Doctor. The new Time Lord Empire. It's good, isn't it? Isn't it, good? Anything?" The Doctor didn't say anything just looked at the window. He hadn't talk since Martha left; I was worried about him. "Oh, but they broke your heart, didn't they? Those Toclafane. Ever since you worked out what they really are. They say Martha Jones has come back home, now why would she do that?"
'Martha, she's back!"
"Leave her alone," the Doctor said quietly.
"But you said something to her, didn't you? On the day I took control," the Master said. "What did you tell her?"
"I have one thing to say to you. You know what it is," the Doctor said.
"Oh, no you don't!" The Master jumped up and pushed the Doctor away from the window.
"Valiant now entering zone one airspace. Citizens, rejoice!" The intercom announced.
"Come on, people! What are we doing? Launch day in 24 hours!" The Master yelled.
I went to the Doctor making sure he was okay and saw him give Mrs. Jones the signal. And so it begins.
Martha's POV
"All over the Earth, those things," I said, talking about the giant statue of the Master. "He's even carved himself into Mount Rushmore.
"Best to keep down," Tom told me as we go down and look over the rocks. Below were hundreds of rockets. "Here we go, the entire south coast of England converted into shipyards. They bring in slave labor every morning; break up cars, houses, anything, just for the metal, building the fleet out of scrap."
"You should see Russia," I said. "That's shipyard number one. All the way from the Black Sea to the Bering Strait, there's 100,000 rockets getting ready for war."
"War? With Who?" Tom asked.
"The rest of the universe. I've been out there, Tom, in space, before all this happened, and there's 1,000 different civilizations all around us with no idea of what's happening here. The Master can build weapons big enough to devastate them all."
"You've been in space?"
"Problem with that?"
"No," Tom said in shock. "No, just… wow. Anything else I should know?"
"I've met Shakespeare," I said offhanded.
Suddenly we heard Spheres coming our way. We turned and saw two of them coming towards us. Tom jumped up but I remained quiet and still.
"Identify, little man," one Sphere said.
"I've got a license! Thomas Milligan, peripatetic medical squad. I'm allowed to travel. I was just checking for…"
"Soon the rockets will fly!" A Sphere interrupted Tom. "And everyone will need medicine! You'll be so busy!"
Then they flew away laughing. "But…" Tom started, "they didn't see you."
"How do you think I travelled the world?" I said holding up the TARDIS key.
"The Master set up archangel, that mobile phone network, 15 satellites around the planet. But really it's transmitting this low-level psychic field. That's how everyone got hypnotized into thinking he was Harold Saxon."
"Saxon, feels like years ago," Tom said.
"But the key's tuned in to the same frequency. Makes me sort of, not invisible, just unnoticeable," I explained.
"Well I can see you," Tom questioned.
"That's 'cause you wanted to."
"Yeah, I suppose I did."
I quickly asked, "Is there a Mrs. Milligan?"
"No. No, what about you?"
"No not really. If you had seen true love like I had," I stopped thinking about the Doctor and Harper. That was and is true love. "Then you would want to wait for that also. Now, come on, I've got to find this Docherty woman."
"Well, we'll have to wait till next work shift. What time is it now?"
"It's nearly 3:00."
The Doctor's POV
"Condition red! Repeat, condition red!" The alarm sounded.
When the Master turned his back Mrs. Jones grabbed his jacket and tossed it to Tish who gave it to me. I quickly got the laser screwdriver and pointed at the Master.
"Oh, I see," he said as he turned back to me.
"I told you. I have one thing to say," I told him.
The Master started laugh and I tried to use the screwdriver but it didn't work. "Isomorphic controls," the Master took the screwdriver and then pushed me away. Harper came quickly to me and helped me up. "Which means they only work for me. Like this!"
The Master shot at Mrs. Jones but thankfully she ducked out of the way. "Say sorry!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
"Mum!" Tish yelled running to her mom as Mrs. Jones said, "sorry" once more.
"Didn't you learn anything from the blessed St. Martha?" The Master spat. "Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away," the Master told the guards.
Guards can and took Mrs. Jones and Tish away, "Move, come on."
The Master can over to us, grabbing Harper by her hair. She struggled but it was no use as the Master pulled her over to the side, I wished more than anything at that point I could stop him. He came back to me pulling me up.
"Okay, got you. There you go, gramps," the Master said pushing me into a chair. "Oh, do you know… I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, the famous doctor, was waging a Time War, battling sea devils and axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single-handed! And look at him now. Stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this? Oh, yeah. Me!"
"I just need you to listen," I said.
"No, it's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot! And this time it's a message for Miss Jones."
Martha's POV
Tom and I cut through the fence and ran into the repair shed.
"Professor Docherty?" Tom asked when we came up to her.
"Busy," she said.
"They sent word ahead. I'm Tom Milligan, this is Martha Jones."
"She can be the queen of Sheba for all I care, I'm still busy."
"Televisions don't work anymore," I said.
"Oh, I miss countdown. Never been the same since Des took over. Both Deses. What's the plural for Des? Desii? Deseen? But we've been told there's gonna be a transmission. From the man himself! There!" She yelled when she finally got the TV to work.
"My people," The Master said on the TV. "Salutations. On this, the eve of war, lovely woman, but I know there's all sorts of whispers down there, stories of a child walking the Earth, giving you hope. But I ask you, how much hope has this man got?"
The Master walked up to the Doctor and I was saddened to see him look so sad.
"Say hello, Gandalf! Except he's not that old, but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted little apes. What if it showed? What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate? All 900 years of your life, Doctor, what if we could see them?
Suddenly the Master used the screwdriver on the Doctor and once more the Doctor was writhing in pain. "Older and older and older. Down you go, Doctor! Down, down. Down the years." He stopped and all was left was the Doctor's clothes. "Doctor?"
Out of the clothes came out a very tiny, very alien looking, Doctor. The Master came back up to the camera and said, "received and understood, Miss. Jones?"
'I had to get back to the Doctor and soon,' I thought.
"I'm sorry," Tom said to me.
"The Doctor's still alive," I said smiling.
"Obviously, the Archangel network would seem to be the Master's greatest weakness," Professor Docherty said. "15 satellites all around the Earth still transmitting. That's why there's so little resistance. It's broadcasting a telepathic signal that keeps people scared."
"We could just take them out," Tom offered.
"We could, 15 ground-to-air missiles, you got any on you? Beside, any military action, the Toclafane descend," Docherty, said.
"They're not called Toclafane," I said. "That's a name the Master made up."
"What are they, then?" Docherty asked.
"Well, that's why I cam to find you. Know your enemy." When Professor Docherty looked confused I got up and pulled out a CD. "I got this. No one's been able to look at a Sphere close up. They can't even be damaged, except one. A lighting strike in South Africa brought one of them down, just by chance. I've got the reading on this."
Harper's POV
I sat trying to read in the room, if that's what you want to call it, the Master gave me in order to forget what happened to the Doctor. My poor Doctor, he has gone through so much, all he wants is another Time Lord to travel with.
Suddenly my door opened and there was the Master. "What do you want to make my life miserable? Well too late, you've already done that!"
"I've got an offer for you," the Master said. I was skeptical, the Master's offers and never good. "You can be on top with me in the new Gallifrey. You and I ruling the Universe."
I snorted out a fake laugh and said, "I would rather shower with a bear," I said dryly. "You're not going to win anyways, already told you that. And you hate humans, why would you want one to help rule the Universe with you?"
"I'm not going to lose," the Master pouted. "But more importantly you are not human."
I froze, what was he talking about? Me, not human; he's crazy!
"But I am human," I said slowly.
"No, no, no, you're not. I had a plan, some time ago, to make the Doctor miserable, back before I became the 'Professor'," the Master gave a face of disgust. "I only had to get rid of you."
"You. Are. Insane," I said not believing him.
"Wait, I'm not done. So I caused you to regenerate. Can't have the Doctor recognizing you. Then I hooked you up to a Chameleon arch and sent you off to another Universe!" The Master yelled at the end to get his point across. "And oh what a surprise when I see you in the TARDIS. But I knew you couldn't be full Time Lady again. No you can't because I have this."
The Master held up a fob watch that looked just like the one I had seen the Doctor use. "But… but… why?"
"Because the Doctor had everything. And I could." He smiled and then through me the watch.
Then the Master left the room. I sat there looking down at the fob watch in my hand. All I could think about was how could my family not be real? The Christmas, birthdays, game nights… all of it, it wasn't real. It all felt so real.
I started to cry. How could the Master do this to me? That evil, evil man! I chucked the watch to the far wall and it gave off a solid thump as it hit the wall and fell to the ground.
Martha's POV
"Oh," Professor Docherty hit the computer to try and see if it would work, "whoever thought we'd miss Bill Gates?"
"So is that why you travelled the world? To find a disc?" Tom asked me.
"No, just got lucky."
"I heard stories that you walked the Earth to find a way to build a weapon," Docherty said. "There! A current of 58.5 kiloapmeres, transfer a charge of 510 megajoules precisely."
"Can you recreate that?" Tom asked.
"I think so, easily, yes."
"Right then, Dr. Milligan, we're gonna get us a Sphere," I said smiling.
Tom went out into the shed and shot his gun. Then he turned and ran with a Toclafane following him.
The moment I saw him I ran to Docherty and asked, "He's coming! You ready?"
"You do your job, I'll do mine," she said back.
"Now!" Tom yelled once he was passed the trap.
Professor turned on the machine activating the lighting and shocking the Toclafane. Once the Toclafane fell to the ground she turned it off and we all walked over to it. "That's only half the job," Docherty said. "Let's find out what's inside."
The Doctor's POV
"Tomorrow they launch," the Master said as him and Lucy came into the room. He had locked me in a cage thinking he had won. If only he knew. "We're opening up a rift in the braccatolian space. Won't see us coming, kind of scary."
"Then stop," I simple said.
"Once the empire is established and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then it stops." The Master came up closer to me, "the drumming, the never-ending drumbeat. Ever since I was a child, I looked into the vortex. That's when it chose me, the drumming, the call to war. Can't you hear it? Listen, it's there now, right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me."
"It's only you."
"Good."
The door open and a Toclafane came in. "Tomorrow, the war! Tomorrow we rise, never to fall!"
"You see? I'm doing it for them. You should be grateful," the Master told me. "After all, you love them. So very, very much."
At least he had something right.
Martha's POV
Docherty slowly ran a knife along the opening of the Sphere. We were about to see exactly what the Toclafane are.
"There's some sort of magnetic clamp. Hold on, I'll just trip the…" She started to open it and cried, "Oh my!" Tom and I came to either side of her. "It's alive!" The Toclafane opened its eyes.
"Martha. Martha Jones," the Sphere said.
"It knows you," Tom said. I was shocked, how did it know me?
"Sweet, kind Martha Jones. You helped us to fly."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You led us to salvation."
"Who are you?" I tried a different question.
"The skies are made of diamonds," the Sphere simple said.
"No," I said not believing it was he, that poor little boy. "You can't be him."
"We share each other's memories. You sent him to Utopia."
"Oh my!" I had helped all this happen. I helped destroy the Earth!
"What's it talking about?" Tom asked. "What's it mean?"
"What are they?" Professor Docherty asked.
"Martha," Tom said. "Martha, tell us. What are they?"
"They're us. They're humans. The human race from the future."
The Doctor's POV
"I took Lucy to Utopia," the Master said. "A Time Lord and his human companion. I took her to see the stars. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"
"Trillions of years into the future. To the end of the universe," Lucy said.
"Tell him what you saw."
"Dying. Everything dying. The whole of creation was falling apart, and I thought, there's no point. No point to anything. Not ever."
Then the Master said, "and it's all your fault."
Martha's POV
"I'd sort of worked it out, with the paradox machine," I told Tom and Professor Docherty. "Because the Doctor said, on the day before the Master came to power, he said…
"When he was stealing the TARDIS, the only thing I could do was fuse the coordinates. I looked the permanently. He can only travel between the year 100 trillion and the last place the TARDIS landed. Which is right here, right now."
"The Master had the TARDIS, this time machine. But the only other place he could go was the end of the universe, so he found Utopia."
The Doctor's POV
"You should have seen it, Doctor. Furnaces, burning," the Master explained. "The last of humanity screaming at the dark."
Martha's POV
"The Utopia project was the last hope," I said. "Trying to find a way to escape the end of everything."
"There was no solution," the Sphere said. "No diamonds, just the dark and the cold."
The Doctor's POV
"All that human invention that had sustained them across the aeons, it all turned inward. They cannibalized themselves."
"We made ourselves so pretty," the Toclafane said.
"Regressing into children, but it didn't work," the Master said. "The universe was collapsing around them."
Martha's POV
"But then the Master came with his wonderful time machine," the Sphere said. "To bring us back home."
"But that's a paradox. If you're the future of the human race, and you've came back to murder your ancestors, you should cancel yourselves out," Docherty said. "You shouldn't exist."
"And that's the paradox machine," I explained.
The Doctor's POV
"My masterpiece, Doctor. A living TARDIS, strong enough to hold the paradox in place; allowing the past and future to collide in infinite majesty."
"But you're changing history," I said. "Not just Earth, the entire universe."
"I'm a Time Lord, I have that right."
"But even then… why come all this way just to destroy?"
"We come backwards in time all to build a brand-new empire lasting 100 trillion years," the Toclafane explained.
"With me as their Master. Time Lord and human combined. Haven't you always dreamt of that, Doctor?"
Martha's POV
"What about us?" Tom asked. "We're the same species, why do you kill so many of us?"
"Because it's fun," the Sphere said laughing. Tom shot the Toclafane killing it.
The Doctor's POV
The Master got up and walked over to me. Then he said quietly, "human race, greatest monsters of then all."
He turned and walk over to Lucy before turning back to me saying, "night, then." I watched the Master, Lucy, and the Toclafane leave the room, and I was once more alone.
Martha's POV
"I think it's time we had the truth, Miss. Jones," Professor Docherty said. "Legend says you travelled the world to find a way of killing the Master. Tell us, is it true?"
"Just before I escaped, the Doctor told me…" I paused thinking about what the Doctor said, "the Doctor and the Master, they've been coming to Earth for years. And they've been watched. There's UNIT and Torchwood, all studying Time Lords in secret, and they made this." I pulled a gun out of my bag showing it to Docherty and Tom. "The ultimate defense."
"All you need is to get close, I can shoot the Master dead with this," Tom said holding up his gun.
"Actually, you can put that down now, thank you very much," Docherty said.
I continued, "Point is, it's not so easy to kill a Time Lord. They can regenerate; literally bring themselves back to life."
"Ah, the Master's immortal, wonderful!" Professor Docherty said sarcastically.
"Except for this. Four chemicals slotted into the gun. Inject him, kills a Time Lord permanently," I explained.
"Four chemicals, you've only got three," Tom said holding them up.
"Still need the last one. 'Cause the components of this gun were kept safe, scattered across the world, and I found them. San Diego, Beijing, Budapest, and London."
"Then where is it?" Tom asked.
"There's an old UNIT base in North London. I've found the access codes. Tom, you've got to get me there."
"We can't get across London in the dark," Tom said as we headed for the door. "It's full of wild dogs, well get eaten alive. We can wait till the morning then go with the medical convoy."
"You can spend the night here, if you like," Docherty offered.
"No, we can get halfway, stay at the slave quarters in Bexley. Professor, thank you," Tom said shaking the Professor's hand.
"Oh and you, good luck."
Tom left leaving me with the Docherty. "Thanks," I said before giving her a kiss on the cheek and turning to leave.
"Martha," Docherty called stopping me. "Could you do it? Could you actually kill him?"
"Got no choice," was my reply.
"You might be many things," she said. "But you don't look like a killer to me."
"Let me in, its Milligan," Tom said knocking on a door. Someone opened the door and we rushed in.
The hallway was so packed of people it was hard to walk. "Did you bring food?" Someone asked.
"Couldn't get any, and I'm starving," Tom said.
"All we've got is water."
I looked around at the sad sight around me. People were everywhere. Most looked as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. "Sorry," was all I could say.
"It's cheaper than building barracks," Tom said. "Pack them in, 100 in each house. Ferry them off to the shipyards every morning."
"Are you Martha Jones?" A young man asked me.
"Yeah, that's me."
"Can you do it? Can you kill him?" He asked. "They said you an kill the Master. Can you? Tell us you can do it. Please, tell us you can do it."
"Who is the Master?" Someone else asked. Then everyone started talk at once, asking question, telling rumors, and expressing worries.
"Come on, just leave her alone," Tom defended me. "She's exhausted."
"No, it's all right. They want me to talk and I will."
"I travelled across the world," I said. I was sitting down on the stair with everyone around me listening to my every word. "From the ruins of New York to the Fusion Mills of China, right across the Radiation Pits of Europe. And everywhere I went I saw people just like you, living as slaves. But if Martha Jones became a legend, then that's wrong, because my name isn't important. There's someone else, the man who sent me out there, the man who told me to walk the Earth. And his name is the Doctor. He has saved your lives so many times and you never even knew he was there. He never stops, he never stays, he never asked to be thanked. But I've seen him. I know him. And I know what he can do."
"It's him!" A lady yelled as they ran into the house. "It's him. It's him. It's the Master. He's here!"
"But he never comes the Earth! He never walks upon the ground," Someone said.
"Hide her!" She commanded.
"He walks among us, our Lord and Master."
"Martha! Martha Jones," I heard the Master call. "I can see you. Out you come, little girl. Come and meet your Master. Anybody? Nobody? No? Nothing? Positions! I'll give the order unless you surrender. Ask yourself, 'what would the Doctor do?'"
I took off my TARDIS key and got up walking to the door. Tom was looking out the mail flap with his gun raised but when I put my hand on it he slow got up and out of the way. And then out I went.
"Oh, yes! Oh, very well done. Good girl! He trained you well. Bag, give me the bag." When I started forward he said, "No, stay there, just throw it." I through it on the ground next to him and he shot it with his laser screwdriver destroying it. "And now, good companion, your work is done."
Right before the Master shot me Tom ran out of the house, gun raised, "No!"
The Master shot him dead right next to me. The Master came a bit closer saying, "But you, when you die, the Doctor should be witness, hmm? Almost dawn, Martha, and planet Earth marches to war."
Harper's POV
"Citizens of Earth, rejoice and observe," the speaker sounded. I looked around the room seeing the Jones family over to my right, Jack across from me, and the Doctor in a cage on my left. I hated this, I just had to hope it would all turn out the same way it did when I watched it on TV. But with the fob watch weighing heavily in my pocket, I couldn't be sure.
Suddenly the doors opened in the back of the room and Martha was marched into the room. She walked slowly in, taking time to look at everyone sadly. "Your teleport device, incase you though I'd forgotten," the Master said once she had stopped in front of him and so she throw it to him. "And now, kneel. Down below the fleet is ready to launch. 200,000 ships set to burn across the universe."
The Master walked to the comm. system and asked, "Are we ready?"
"The fleet awaits your signal, rejoice!"
'Three minutes to align the Black Hole convertors, counting down!" The Master said as he started the count down. "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"
"We will fly and blaze and slice!" The Toclafane said. "We will fly and blaze and slice!"
"At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die." I held my breath when the Master said that. "My first blood, any last words? No? Such a disappointment, this one; days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the Time Vortex."
Anger flashed through me. No, Martha was not like Rose but Rose was not like Martha. It wasn't fair to compare them.
But my inter rant didn't effect the Master who just continued to talk. "This one's useless! Bow you head. And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward…" The Master stopped as Martha was laughing softly. "What? What's so funny?"
"A gun?" Martha asked.
"What about it?"
"A gun in four parts?" Martha answered the Master.
"Yes, and I destroyed it."
"A gun, in four parts, scattered across the world? I mean, come on, did you really believe that?"
"What do you mean?" The Master asked.
"As if I would ask her to kill," the Doctor said.
"Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her," the Master said annoyed.
"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son," Martha said. "I told her about the gun so she'd get me here, at the right time."
"But you're still gonna die."
"Don't you want to know what I was doing, travelling the world?"
"Tell me." I loved that all this was annoying the Master.
"I told a story. That's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went I found the people and I told them my story. I told them about the Doctor, and I told them to pass it on. To spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."
"Faith and hope? Is that all?" The Master asked not getting the plan.
"No, 'cause I gave them an instruction," Martha said getting up. "Just as the Doctor said. I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time…"
"Nothing will happen" the Master interrupted her. He still was not getting it. "Is that your weapon? Prayer?"
"Right across the world," Martha continued like he hadn't said anything. "One word, just one thought, at one moment, but with 15 satellites."
"What?"
"And he's got it!" I said sarcastically as the Master was figuring out the plan.
"The Archangel Network," Jack said.
"A telepathic field binding the whole human race together. With all of them, every single person on Earth, thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word is 'Doctor'." Martha said as the clock turned to 0.
Light started to surround the Doctor and the Master said, "Stop it. No, no, no, no, you don't!"
"Doctor," I whispered as the other in the room joined me.
"Don't… stop this right now! Stop it!"
Everyone was chanting, "Doctor!"
"I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices," the Doctor said as he was starting to look like his old… well young self.
"I order you to stop!"
"The one thing you can't do is stop them thinking. Tell me the human race is degenerate now," the Doctor said. "When they can do this."
I laughed happily to see my Doctor back and went over to Jack giving him a hug. Martha, seeing her work was done, went to her family giving them a hug also.
"No!" The Master yelled and tried to shot the Doctor but it didn't work.
"I'm sorry," the Doctor as the Master kept trying to shot him. "I'm so sorry."
"Then I'll kill them!" The Master said but the Doctor stopped him. "You can't do this. You can't do… it's not fair!"
"And you know what happens now."
The Doctor made his way to the Master, whom kept trying to get away from him. "No! No! No! No!"
"You wouldn't listen."
"No!"
"Because you know what I'm going to say."
"No." The Master was down curled up and once the Doctor got to him, he pulled the Master in for a hug and said, "I forgive you."
"My children!" The Master suddenly said.
The Doctor jumped up and yelled, "Captain, the paradox machine!"
Jack gave my arm a squeeze and then said to the guards, "you men, with me!" But to another one he said, "you stay here."
The Master got up and pulled out the vortex manipulator. I point behind the Doctor and he turn around in time to yell "No!" and grab a hold of the Master, then they both teleported away.
"Where did they go," Martha asked coming up to me.
I pulled her in for a side-hug saying, "I don't know but we don't have time for that."
We all jumped into action then. Martha and I ran up to the controls trying to work out what to do.
"We've all six billion spheres heading right for us!" Martha said.
"Well that's just great!" I said sarcastically as I looked out too see thousands of Toclafane heading our way.
The Doctor's POV
Once we landed I looked out onto all the ships. "Now it ends, Doctor," the Master said. "Now it ends!"
"We've got control of the Valiant. You can't launch," I said.
"Oh, but I've got this, black hole convertor inside every ship. If I can't have this world, Doctor, then neither can you. We shall stand upon this Earth together as it burns!"
"Weapon after weapon after weapon. All you do is talk and talk and talk. But over all these years, and all these disasters, I've always had the greatest secret of them all. I know you." As I was talking I was slowly making my way closer to the Master. "Explode those ships, you kill yourself. That's the one thing you can never do. Give that to me."
The ground started to shake and we both fell to the ground. I quickly grabbed the vortex manipulator and sent us back.
Right as I got to the Valiant, Martha fell towards me. I caught her and yelled, "Everyone get down!" I had Martha and Harper in front of me, holding on to both of their hands, told everyone, "time is reversing."
I smiled over at the girls, happy to have them both with me once more.
Once the storm had stopped, I jumped up and ran up to the window, "The paradox is broken. We've reverted back. One year and one day, two minutes past eight in the morning."
I flipped a switch and we heard, "this is UNIT central, what's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated."
"See? Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal, planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror, it never was."
"What about the spheres?" Martha asked.
"Trapped at the end of the universe," I said getting off the ground.
"But I can remember it," Mrs. Jones said.
"We're at the eye of the storm, the only ones who'll ever know. Oh, hello! You must be Mr. Jones!" I said going over to him shaking his hand. "We haven't actually met."
The Master got up and ran for the door, but thankfully at that moment Jack walked through. "Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party. Cuffs," Jack said to the guard. Once the Master was cuffed he asked, "So, what do we do with this one?"
"We kill him," Mr. Jones said.
"We execute him," Tish agreed.
"No, that's not the solution," I said.
"Oh, I think so," I turned and saw Mrs. Jones had a gun pointed to the Master. "Cause all those things, they still happened… because of him. I saw them."
"Go on! Do it!" The Master taunted.
"Francine," I said slowly. "You're better than him." I got the gun from her and Martha quickly pulled her in for a hug.
"You still haven't answered the question," the Master said. "What happens to me?"
"You're my responsibility from now on. They only Time Lord left in existence." When I said this the Master's eye quickly flicked over to Harper who looked down and away from him. What was that all about?
"Yeah, but you can't trust him," Jack said coming up to me.
"No, the only safe place for him is the TARDIS."
"You mean you're just gonna keep me?"
"Mmm," I thought about my answer. "If that's what I have to do. It's time to change. Maybe I've been wondering for too long. Now I've got someone to care for."
Suddenly a gun went off and the Master stumbled back. I ran over to the Master and caught him while Jack went to Lucy, whom was handing the gun, and said, "Put it down."
"There you go," I said as I lowed him down. "I've got you, I've got you."
"Always the women, you better watch out," the Master said.
"I didn't see her," I said.
"Dying in your arms, happy now?"
"You're not dying, don't be stupid. It's only a bullet, just regenerate."
"No," the Master said.
"One little bullet, come on."
"I guess you don't know me so well. I refuse."
"Regenerate, just regenerate. Please!" I begged. "Just regenerate, come on!"
"And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you?"
"But you've got to. Come on, it can't end like this. You and me; all the things we've done. Axons! Remember the Axons, and the Daleks? We've the only two left. There's no one else. Regenerate!" I yelled, crying.
"How about that? I win. Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming? Will it stop?"
Then the Master died. I started to cry for a lost friend and the loose of my own kind.
Harper's POV
Martha, Jack, the Doctor, and myself were all watching the people pass by. We had gotten everything taken care of from the Master's time of control and then headed to drop Jack off in Cardiff.
"Time was every single one of these people knew your name," Martha said. "Now they've all forgotten you."
"Good," the Doctor said pulling my in closer to himself. He hadn't let me go far since he gave the Master a Time Lord funeral. I loved having him with me once more, but the fob watch was weighing heavily in my pocket.
"Back to work," Jack said climbing under the railing we were leaning against.
"I really don't mind, though. Come with us," the Doctor said.
"Had plenty of time to think that past year," Jack said. "The year that never was. And I kept thinking about that team of mine. Like you said, Doctor, responsibility."
"Defending the Earth. Can't argue with that."
"Hey, I need that," Jack complained as the Doctor grabbed his vortex manipulator.
"I can't have you walking around with a time-travelling teleport. You could go anywhere."
"Twice," I added with a laugh. "Second time to apologize."
"What she said," the Doctor said pointing at me smiling.
"And what about me? Can you fix that? Will I ever be able to die?"
"Nothing I can do," the Doctor said. "You're an impossible thing, Jack."
"Been called that before." He stepped away, gave a salute, and said, "Sir, ma'am, ma'am."
"Oh don't give me that," I said climbing under that railing. "Give me a hug."
Jack pulled me in for a big hug. Once he let me go I went back to the railing only to have the Doctor pull me in close to himself once more, bloody jealous this one.
"You're going to have a fun time with these two," Jack told Martha with a laugh. "But I keep wondering, what about aging? 'Cause I can't die, but I keep getting older, that odd little grey hair, you know. What happens if I live for a million years?"
I hid a laugh, knowing what would happen as the Doctor said, "I really don't know."
"Okay, vanity, sorry. Yeah. Can't help it. Used to be a poster boy," Jack said. "When I was a kid, living in the Boeshane Peninsula, ting little place. I was the first one ever to be signed up for the Time Agency. They were so proud of me. The Face of Boe they called me. I'll see you."
And with that Jack turned, leaving a very shock Martha and Doctor behind.
"No," the Doctor said.
"Can't be," Martha agreed.
"No, definitely not. No, no!"
I turned to them laughing and all I said was, "yep!"
We were at Martha's parent's house waiting on her. I was inside when the Doctor slowly walked in, put his jacket down and looked up at the console. "You okay?" I asked the Doctor. He didn't look great right now so I was worried.
He smiled down at me and said, "I am now." He came over to me sat down and put his feet up on the console. I sat down beside him cuddling into his side.
We stayed like that for a few minutes when Martha walked in. The Doctor looked around the console, saw it was she and got excited. "Right then! Off we go. The open road! There is a burst of star fire right now over the coast of Meta Sigmafolio. Oh, the sky is like oil on water. Fancy a look? Or back in time."
I walked over to Martha and pulled her in for a hug. I know she isn't going to stay and I think the Doctor does too. He's just trying not to believe it.
"I don't know, Charles II? Henry VIII? No, he fancied you," the Doctor said pointing to me. "I know, what about Agatha Christie? I'd love to meet Agatha Christie, bet she's brilliant." The Doctor stopped when he saw our faces. "Okay."
"I just can't," was all Martha said.
"Yeah."
"I've spent all these years training to be a doctor, and now I've got people to look after," she explained. "They saw half the planet slaughtered and they're devastated. I can't leave them."
"Course not," the Doctor said. He smiled and said. "Thank you." The Doctor pulled Martha in for a hug and once they broke the hug he said, "Martha Jones, you saved the world."
"Yes, I did," she said with a laugh. "I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best, but you know what? I am good."
"I've told you time and time again…" I said coming over to her. "You are not second to anyone. You are fantastic!"
She laughed and pulled me in for a hug. Then she turned to both the Doctor and I and asked, "You going to be all right?'
"Always, yeah," the Doctor said.
"Right, then, bye." Martha turned and walked out but before we could even so much as move she was back in the TARDIS. "Cause the thing is it's like my friend Vicky. She lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them, all packed in, and this bloke was called Shaun. And she always felt second best to his mates. She adored him. Spent all day long talking about him…"
I was laughing as the Doctor asked, "Is this going anywhere?"
"Yes, 'cause he never looked at her twice. I mean, he liked her, but never listened to her. And she wasted years pining after him, years of her life, 'cause while he was around, she never got her own head back. And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said, 'get out', so this is me… getting out."
Martha tossed the Doctor her phone. "Keep that. 'Cause I'm not having you disappear! If that rings, when that rings, you'd better come running, got it?"
"Got it."
"I'll see you again, love birds."
And with that, the Doctor and I watched Martha leave the TARDIS.
"Well, what now?" I asked.
"Now, we do this," he said pulling me into his arms and kissed me. It was time to make up for lost time.
So what did you think? Martha is leaving the TARDIS, sad day. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review. Until next time my dear fellow Whovians!