Disclaimer: Don't rub it in...

A/N: Hey, not many reviews for chapter 35! Where'd you go? Anyway, a bit more action here, and a bit of Alli/Jack talking as well. Enjoy!

Hunted

"Everyone all right?" the Doctor asked round as we looked up at the burning building. "Martha - what are you doing?" She had her phone to her ear.

"He knows about me." she explained quickly. "What about my family?"

"Don't tell them anything!" the Doctor ordered.

"I'll do what I like!" she snapped back. "Mum?" she spoke into the phone. "Oh my God, you're there." There was a pause as her mother spoke.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." she replied, and her voice became background noise.

I turned to Jack, giving the Doctor a quick glance to check he wasn't listening. "Nothing from the others?" I checked, and Jack shook his head.

"I'll give Ianto another call later." he muttered. I hid a smile at his choice of person, but then the memory of our last 'conversation' at Torchwood came flooding back to me, and it turned into a frown. I looked up to Jack sadly, and he seemed to share my thoughts, though I was sure he didn't.

"So, who is this guy?" I asked, turning to the Doctor, since it seemed Martha would be while on the phone.

"Long story." he dismissed.

"No." I refused, crossing my arms. "Stop treating me like a child; stop ignoring me because it's easier. Tell me what's going on. You already owe me one explanation."

I stuck my jaw out in faked confidence, though I was practically shaking just at the mention of Rose. The Doctor looked guilty - though whether he really was or not, I'm not sure.

"Alli -" he said firmly, and I had a feeling he was about to lecture me - something he didn't usually do. I groaned, and he was about to speak again when Martha shouted across to us.

"I gotta help them!" she yelled, and we all turned around, confused, as Martha ran across to her car.

"That's exactly what they want!" the Doctor shouted back, apparently knowing what was going on. "It's a trap!"

"I don't care!" Martha yelled back, and the Doctor ran after her. Jack and I followed, and jumped into the back of her car, while the Doctor leaped into the front passenger seat and Martha took the drvier's seat.

I have to say, I hope Martha doesn't usually drive in the same way she did then, with so many near-crashes and shouts from the Doctor to remind her where she was. She dialled a number on her phone with her 'free' hand, while we all cringed in the back, waiting for a crash that thankfully never came.

"C'mon Tish, pick up." she muttered to herself, resting the phone down. The rings sounded throughout the car via Martha's handsfree system.

'Tish' picked up. "Martha, I can't talk right now." she said hurriedly. "We just made first contact. Did you see - What are you - Get off!" she suddenly shrieked, and her voice faded away slightly. "Linda, tell them!" The phone cut off. Jack and I exchanged glances.

"What's happening?" Martha yelled into the now dead phone. She glared across at the Doctor. "It's your fault." she said harshly. "It's all your fault."

"Just watch the road!" I shouted out as we almost drove into a wall.

After many bumps, near-crashes and shouts from the Doctor, we made it to Martha's parents' house. Well, almost. As soon as we rounded the corner, we knew something was wrong. A big black car was blocking what I assumed was Martha's parents' house, and black-clad soldiers were standing all around the street. Police cars and officers were dotted around the street, and the neighbours seemed to have come out for a look. Martha came to an abrupt stop and we were flung forwards at the force.

"Martha, get out of here!" Martha's mother yelled at us, restrained by soldiers as she was pushed into a car, her voice muffled. "Get out!"

A woman in a black suit said something to her colleagues and they took position, ready to shoot.

"Martha, reverse." the Doctor said.

The woman said something else, and the sound of guns cocking could be heard.

"Martha!" I yelled at her as she froze, staring at her family.

"Fire!" we heard, loud and clear, outside the car.

"Move it!" Jack shouted as the soldiers began to shoot. Martha seemed to snap back to life, and reversed the car, turned around, and headed in the opposite direction.

I ducked as the back windshield was hit by bullets, and it shattered over our heads.

"The only place we can go… planet Earth." Martha shouted at the Doctor. "Great!"

"Careful!" was his only response as we narrowly missed a tree.

"Now, Martha, listen to me." Jack said, leaning forward. "Do as I say. We've gotta ditch this car. Pull over. Right now!"

Martha slammed on the brakes and we stopped again. As we all scrambled out of the car, Martha pulled out her phone and began to dial.

"Martha, come on!" the Doctor yelled back to her.

"Leo!" she said into her phone, ignoring us as we walked away. "Oh, thank God! Leo, you've gotta listen to me. Where are you?"

I fell into step with the Doctor and Jack as we rushed away from the car, Martha a couple of metres behind.

"Leo, just listen to me." Martha was saying. "Don't go home, I'm telling you. Don't phone Mum, or Dad, or Tish. You've gotta hide." A pause as Leo replied. I turned to look, wanting to get my mind off the disaster that was unfolding before us. "On my life. You've gotta trust me. Go to Boxer's. Stay with him. Don't tell anyone! Just hide!"

She froze. I kept walking, one eye still on her. She was listening to something, but not Leo. I tapped the Doctor.

"Let them go, Saxon!" she said suddenly into the phone. The Doctor rushed over. "D'you hear me? Let them go!" she screamed as the Doctor took the phone.

"I'm here." the Doctor said calmly. "Master." I glanced to Jack, who had slowed and joined us when Martha had started shouting. "You chose it." the Doctor said, answering an unknown question. "Psychiatrist's field day." Jack, Martha and I all exchanged glances to see what the other was thinking, but none of us could unravel the half-conversation.

"So… Prime Minister." the Doctor spoke again, then a pause. "Who are those creatures? 'Cause there's no such thing as the Toclafane. It's just a made-up name, like the Bogeyman."

From then on, the conversation became useless; we had no way of telling what the Doctor was talking about.

"Don't worry about your family." Jack said quietly to Martha. "We'll make sure they get help."

My head snapped up to question him. "You got through to the others? When?"

Jack shook his head. "Not yet. But I will."

I nodded, my shoulders falling. I looked up at him again, biting my lip. "Are we... are you gonna tell him?"

He didn't have to ask who 'he' was, or what about. He shrugged. "Like I said, I won't if you don't." he told me, quoting from our previous conversation on the matter.

The Doctor walked off to the side, and the three of us hung back behind him. I got up the courage to ask him about the office incident, and turned to him slowly.

"Jack," I started quietly, wishing Martha wasn't there. "Before we left, in the office..." I trailed off, leaving the question unasked.

Jack seemed to be in pain as he answered. "Alli, you already know how I feel. And -"

"No, I don't." I cut him off. "You never talk. Not properly. So tell me."

He shifted his body slightly to turn in my direction, glancing briefly at Martha. When he looked into my eyes, I could tell he knew what my question was. "Alli, of course I do." he said firmly, refusing to say the actual words. "But we've changed. So much. And who's to say what'll happen next? Just... remember that I do."

"But... you love Ianto?" I ventured, and saw Martha take a quick glance in our direction.

Jack sighed and paused. "Yeah." he said somewhat lamely.

"Look." Martha interrupted us, pointing to the Doctor, who was staring at something in a window. We walked over to him.

In the window was a television showing the news. A news reporter was talking - though we couldn't hear the words - and on the side of the screen were four pictures. The Doctor, Jack, Martha, and myself. We were on the news. Writing on the botton of the screen reported something about how we were 'armed' and 'dangerous'.

The Doctor turned to the right suddenly and looked up at a security camera. "He can see us." he told us grimly, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and pointing it at the camera. With a flash of blue, the camera sparked and broke.

"He's got control of everything." he added.

"Well then what do we do?" I asked, scowling.

"We've got nowhere to go." Jack added.

"Doctor, what do we do?" Martha asked persistently, but the Doctor had no answer, still listening to the Master through the phone.

When he did speak, it was something we should have expected. "We run."

A/N: Review and get cookies!