„There we are," the Doctor nodded in satisfaction "Perfect landing. Which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

Martha raised her eyebrows in amusement "You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?"

"The end of the line," the Doctor replied, making Tyra's head snap up. He was taking her home. Why? "No place like it." The medical student grinned before practically running outside.

"You took her home," Tyra murmured, stopping the Doctor from walking past her "Why?"

The Doctor tilted his head "I promised her one trip. She got three."

"Are you really sure that you want to leave her at home?" Tyra asked, narrowing her eyes "Because from what I've seen you like having her around as much as I do. And I know that I like having her around."

"Come on," the Doctor sighed, lightly pushing Tyra toward the door. He wanted some time along with Tyra but apparently, she wouldn't let him. Still, he would have to try.

Martha was staring at her apartment in sadness "Home. You took me home?"

The Doctor nodded "In fact, the morning after we left, so you've on been gone about twelve hours. No time at all, really."

"But all the stuff we've done… Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?"

"Yep," the Doctor grinned "All in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry." He picked up a piece of underwear with a smirk on his face. Martha gaped at him for a moment before snatching it away "So, back where you were, as promised."

Martha bit her lip "That's it?" She glanced over at Tyra "Ty?"

Tyra raised her shoulder in a shrug "Sorry, Martha. I really like having you around but, in the end… It's his decision."

"I'm going to miss you," Martha mumbled into Tyra's shoulder, pulling her into a hug "You'll keep in contact?"

"I'll definitely…" She was cut off by Martha's phone ringing.

"Hi, I'm out," Martha's voice said on the answering machine "Leave a message."

Martha grimaced but made no move to answer the phone "I'm sorry."

"Martha, are you there?" an older woman asked "Pick it up, will you?"

"It's Mum," Martha sighed, waving off "It'll wait."

A huff sounded from the answering machine "Alright then, pretend that you're out if you like."

Tyra snorted in amusement "Well, she knows you."

"I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things." Martha's mother sounded more than a little exasperated "Just thought you might be interested."

Martha gasped, diving for the remote of her TV. An old man appeared on the screen with a younger woman standing behind him "The details are top secret," the man said, looking right at the camera.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha blinked in confusion.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world," the man continued with a smug smile "With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human."

Tyra shook her head at the screen, knowing that they would probably go and check it out whether it meant to take Martha along or not. In fact… Maybe this was her chance to get the Doctor to change his mind. She had no idea why he was so adamant to leave her at home anyway. They had gotten along, hadn't they?

Martha turned to us "She's got a new job," she said, gesturing to her sister "PR for some research lab…" She shook her head "Sorry. You were saying we should…?"

The Doctor's attention snapped back to Martha when she turned off the TV "Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said."

"It's what you said," Tyra muttered, rolling her eyes behind his back.

Martha nodded, obviously crushed by what was happening. Tyra couldn't blame her. Travelling with the Doctor was amazing and she genuinely liked Martha… She was smart and didn't take any crap from the Doctor "Yeah. I suppose things just kind of escalated."

"Mm," the Doctor grinned lightly "Seems to happen to me a lot."

"Thank you," Martha murmured, looking up at the man "For everything."

The Doctor inclined his head "It was my pleasure." He turned around to walk back into the Tardis, leaving Tyra with Martha for a moment.

Tyra moved forward again, wrapping her arms around Martha for a second time "Don't worry too much," she breathed into her ear "I think we'll be back sooner than you think. But in case I'm wrong… Good luck."

"Thank you, Ty," Martha murmured "Really. I know that I was a bit… You know, at the beginning."

Tyra laughed "Don't worry about it. I mean it. There is nothing going on and…" She shook my head "Anyway. I should go."

"Bye… Take care of him." She paused for a short moment "He's going to need it."

"Too true," Tyra grinned, making her way into the Tardis. As soon as she had the door closed behind her, the Doctor took off "So," she spoke up "What now?"

The Time Lord didn't seem to hear her, though. Instead, he was staring at the console blankly "… what it means to be human…" he mumbled to himself. Tyra smirked, knowing that she had been right. Her hand shot out to hold on to one of the corals near her when the Tardis gave a violent jerk. The Doctor landed against, rushing past Tyra out of the door "No, I'm sorry," he shook his head "Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

"Told you so," Tyra murmured to Martha, falling down on her couch "So, what does that mean?"

The Doctor hummed, glancing at Martha "Can you get us into that event?"

"I wasn't planning on going," Martha sighed, sitting down next to Tyra "But I guess I could. Although… Having a Plus Two isn't the norm, is it?"

"For him, it is," Tyra grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," the Doctor rolled his eyes "So, what do you say?"

Martha tapped her chin mock thoughtfully "Another adventure with you? Hm… I don't know." A grin stole its way across her face "Yes. I… I don't have a dress though."

Tyra grabbed onto her wrist "Tardis. Come on." She then froze "Wait… Have I never showed you the wardrobe?"

"Nope," Martha shook her head "You didn't. There was just the closet in my room."

"Huh," Tyra mumbled, shaking her head before glancing over her shoulder "Please tell me that you're changing too. Jumper doesn't count this time."

The Doctor crossed his arms "That was one time."

"One is one time too many," Tyra pointed out, dragging Martha through the Tardis with her "The wardrobe is awesome. Trust me, you'll love it."

"Isn't it a bit too early to get ready? I mean, it's morning… The party isn't until tonight," Martha sighed.

Tyra stopped in front of the door to the wardrobe "You might just need the time to find something to wear." She stepped forward, pushing the door open with a small flourish.

"Holy… This – is the wardrobe?" Martha asked, her mouth open in shock as her eyes darted around the huge room.

"Yup," she nodded happily "I normally only come in here for dresses. The rest of the stuff, the Tardis transferred to my closet in my room. Dresses… Not so much."

Martha raised her eyebrow "Not the dress type?"

"I don't mind them but if I can, I'll wear something else," Tyra shrugged "The last time I wore a dress, we ended up in 1941. We ran into one of my older brothers who called me a whore because of how short the dress was for the time." That thought alone caused her to pout "Nik should know… I never wear period appropriate clothes. Loved to wear pants before it became normal. Then again, I think my brothers just thought I was trying to be difficult."

Martha hummed "How many brothers do you have again? I mean, I know Kol but…?"

"Four," she told her with a small grimace "Kol is the youngest older brother I have."

"Is he the next in age after you?"

Tyra shook my head "No. It's me, Rebekah, Kol, Niklaus, Elijah and Finn."

"So… You and your sister have four older – more than likely over-protective – brothers?" Martha winced "I pity you."

"Thanks," Tyra shook her head in amusement "You heard my argument with Kol. They never really let me live my life the way I wanted to. Rebekah was more of a rebel, I guess. But after seeing her… lovers die every time, I never really tried."

Martha stopped rifling through the rack of clothes "Is that why you told the Doctor you weren't ready?"

"No," Tyra sighed quietly.

"Yeah, right," Martha snorted "Look, it's not bad to admit your feelings… And if I'm completely honest with you, he is so in love with you as well."

Tyra looked at her hands before reaching up to grab at the necklace "I know…"

"Then what is the problem?" Martha turned away from the rack she had been looking through, sitting down next to Tyra.

"Look, I – I'm scared. I don't want to lose him over this. It's easier to stay friends than to be together and completely mess up."

Martha placed her hand on my shoulder "What makes you so sure?"

"What?" Tyra blinked.

"What makes you so sure that you'll mess up?" she asked "You're practically together already anyway."

Tyra scoffed "I heard that before."

"Ty, you're arguing like an old married couple," Martha pointed out "And you know him better than anyone else. I think that speaks for itself."

"Does it?" she asked before sighing, running her hand through her hair "Look, even if he likes me too… I – I can't, not yet. Maybe some other time but I feel like I'm not ready for something like this."

Martha pulled Tyra into a quick hug "That's all that you needed to admit, Ty. Don't deny what you're feeling. You might not be ready but that doesn't change your feelings, right?" She shook her head "See? Anyway, what do you think you'll wear?"

Tyra shrugged "No idea. I don't necessarily want to dress nice but then again. Can't embarrass you, can I?"

"Damn right, you can't." Martha wagged her finger in Tyra's face jokingly "Come on, let's find something to wear."


It did take them a while to find the right thing to wear but it was totally worth it. While they had been searching, Tyra told Martha about a few of their older adventures, about Mickey and about having Damon along. Especially about having Damon along for a little bit. Since she had met him during our last adventure, Martha was interested in how he was. Tyra told her as much as she felt comfortable with but kept most of the private stuff exactly that. Private. It was Damon's story to tell.

"Ooh," Tyra murmured, looking at the outfit that had practically appeared in front of her. She looked up at the Tardis "Either you want to get rid of me or you want to help. I can't decide which one it is, though." The Tardis hummed in amusement, making a pair of black under-knee boots appear underneath the outfit. Tyra huffed and grinned "Okay, I don't really care anymore. This is actually pretty nice. Thanks." She grabbed the outfit from the hanger and the shoes before making her way to one of the screens that were in the bottom part of the wardrobe. Martha was already there, trying on several different dresses.

She looked over, showing Tyra the red dress that she was wearing "What do you think?"

"Eh," Tyra grimaced lightly "It's a bit too… out there for you, I guess."

Martha hummed, looking back at her reflection "I think you're right. Have you found anything?"

"Yup," Tyra nodded, pulling off her shirt. After a thousand years, she wasn't shy about changing in front of people anymore. There was nothing bad about being confident after all. She quickly changed into the outfit the Tardis had chosen. It was a short, sequinned golden skirt with black see-through tights and a black top that was uneven at the bottom.

"Woah," Martha breathed, looking over "That… How did you find that?"

Tyra studied herself in the mirror with a critical expression "The Tardis gave it to me." She slipped on the shoes before turning to look at her hair "I like the outfit. But I don't know about my hair." She glanced to the side, seeing the dress Martha was wearing now. It was a little too short which showed in how uncomfortable Martha looked "Try the brownish-purple one over there. I think that would be better."

"Thanks, Ty," Martha grinned, grabbing the dress from her pile "Come here for a moment. I think I have an idea for your hair." She grabbed a delicate headband from one of the dressers close to the mirror and gestured for her to turn around "Here." Martha messed around a little before turning Tyra back towards the mirror.

Her hair was still open but a little less messy than before with curls falling over her shoulders lightly. Martha had also put an intricate crystal headband into her hair. It was resting on Tyra's forehead like a crown. But it was just thin and delicate enough to look elegant instead of too much "This works," she nodded happily "Thank you, Martha."

"You're welcome," Martha smiled "I think I'll leave my hair open for once too." She waved around a woven black headband that would keep her hair from her face "Now go, shoo. Make sure the Doctor is actually wearing something presentable."

Tyra grinned "Do you think he wouldn't."

"Well, you did mention something about a jumper," she pointed out "Just… It is going to be a black-tie event after all."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that he's fine," Tyra told her with a nod "Also… Try to find some plum shoes or some similar colour. Go for something a little bit lighter than the dress."

"Yes, yes," Martha waved her off "Thanks."

Tyra nodded at her over her shoulder "I should be the one thanking you," she grinned "Anyway, don't take too long." With that, she was out of the wardrobe and on her way to the console room. She was really glad that the Tardis had given her boots without a heel. While she could run in heels, she really didn't want to break her ankle with the amount of running that was involved in almost everything they did recently "You actually did change," Tyra remarked once she saw the Doctor tugging at his bow tie uncomfortably.

"Don't sound so surprised," the Doctor pouted, turning around. His eyes wandered over her figure before returning to her face. Tyra sent him a smirk, making him look away "You look nice."

Her smirk turned to a small smile "Thank you. I like the suit, by the way."

"But whenever I wear it, something bad happens."

Tyra shook my head "That's not the suit," I snorted "That's you."

"Oi," he exclaimed, jabbing his finger into Tyra's shoulder "You're not much better."

"Face it," Tyra bantered "You might not like us wandering off but you get into more trouble than we ever could."

The Doctor was about to open his mouth to argue when Martha stepped into the room. Tyra turned to her, noticing the way the dress looked on her "Hey, that dress does look good on you," she complimented with a smile, bouncing over to her.

"It rather does," Martha smiled, turning to the Doctor "Let's get going then, shall we?"

The Doctor nodded, leading them out of the Tardis and out of Martha's flat.


Outside, the Doctor started tugging at his bow tie again "Black tie," he grumbled when Tyra slapped his hand away "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."

Martha looked over at him "It's not the outfit, that's just you."

"That's what I said," Tyra snorted, fist-bumping Martha who was grinning as well.

"Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way," the medical student gestured.

The Doctor grimaced "James Bond? Really?"

"What do you have against James Bond?" Martha frowned, starting up the steps to the Lazarus Laboratories.

They were allowed in without any trouble, getting in as Martha's company. Which got a weird look from the man with the list but he didn't say anything "Oh, look," the Doctor exclaimed excitedly "They've got nibbles. I love nibbles."

"Hello," the young woman from the TV walked up to us, smiling at Martha happily.

Martha threw her arms around her sister "Tish."

"You look great," Tish complimented "So, what do you think?" She gestured around the room with a circular dais at one end. Tyra studied the man-sized chamber curiously but was unsure what it was for "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Very," Martha nodded.

Tish grinned at her teasingly "And two nights out in a row for you. That's dangerously close to a social life."

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns," Martha groaned playfully. Tyra shook my head at their interaction. It reminded her of how she was with my siblings. Or Nik and Kol most of all. Elijah and Finn were mostly too protective to banter with. Plus, they were killjoys most of the time. Rebekah was a bit complicated. She loved her, of course, she did but we always had different interests.

"You might, actually," Tish snorted "You should keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too. Even dragging Leo along with her."

Martha blinked in surprise "Leo in black tie? That I must see." She seemed to remember her tag-alongs when the Doctor shifted behind her "This is – er – the Doctor and Tyra."

"Hello," the Doctor smiled while Tyra just waved with a small nod.

Tish frowned "Are they with you?"

"Yeah."

"But they're not on the list," Tish pointed out "How did they get in?"

Martha sighed "They're my plus ones… plus two? Whatever."

"So, this Lazarus, he's your boss?" the Doctor asked Tish curiously.

"Professor Lazarus, yes," Tish nodded "I'm part of his executive staff."

Martha rolled her eyes "She's in the PR department."

"Head of the PR department, actually," Tish huffed.

Tyra hummed "Congrats, then."

"Thanks," Tish smiled lightly before turning back to her sister "I put this whole thing together."

"So… Do you know what the Professor's going to be doing tonight?" the Doctor asked, once again drawing the attention to himself "That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator."

Tish looked like she barely withheld a groan "He's a science geek. I should have known. Got to get back to work now." She pointed at Martha "I'll catch up with you later."

"Science geek?" the Doctor repeated with a puzzled frown "What does that mean?"

Tyra snorted in amusement and exchanged a glance with Martha "You're obsessively enthusiastic about it."

"Oh, nice," the Doctor nodded.

"That's not a good thing," Tyra pointed out "Normally at least."

Martha waved her hand "It really depends on the context," she agreed.

"Martha," the voice from the phone called out from behind them.

Martha's face lit up "Mum," she exclaimed, rushing over to an older woman in a tasteful golden-brown dress.

Martha's mother looked surprised by the hug "Alright," she raised her eyebrow, pulling away "What's the occasion?"

"What do you mean?" Martha asked, her expression turning innocent "I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night," Francine pointed out.

Tyra made a small noise, catching the Doctor's attention "You actually got the day right for once. I'm impressed."

"Hey," he muttered "I'm not that bad."

"Do you want me to start listing things again?" Tyra asked, tilting her head to look up at him.

The Doctor held up his hands in surrender "No, no. I'll pass."

Tyra grinned smugly "Thought so." Her hand reached up to grab at the necklace that had slipped under her shirt "Hey, I never asked… What does that mean anyway?"

The Doctor just smiled mysteriously "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I rather would," Tyra nodded emphatically "Please?"

"Nope," the Doctor grinned, ducking a light hit to his ribs "Good luck finding out about it."

Tyra huffed and crossed her arms "I hate you."

"You love me," he teased.

"I just went home," Martha told her mother, her voice rising a bit to drone out Tyra and the Doctor's whispering.

Francine crossed her arms in disbelief "On your own?"

Martha sighed when she saw where her mother was looking "These are friends of mine. Tyra," she gestured to Tyra "And the Doctor."

"Doctor what?" Martha's mother asked.

Martha shook her head "No, it's… just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together."

Leo reached his hand out "You alright, mate?"

"It's lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones," the Doctor remarked, shaking their hands "Heard a lot about you."

"Have you?" Francine asked, glancing at her daughter "What have you heard, then?"

The Doctor froze for a moment "Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and… Er, no, actually, that's about it."

Tyra raised her hand to her forehead with a groan "Shut up," she muttered to him "Just… Do yourself a favour and stop talking."

"Why did I think this was a good idea again?" Martha asked Tyra.

"Don't ask me," she shrugged.

The Doctor shot them a look "Why are you two always ganging up on me?"

"Because you deserve it," both Martha and Tyra chorused with matching smirks.

Tyra shook my head and smiled at Francine a little "Anyway, Martha has been a huge help in a joined project the Doctor and I were working on."

"What is this project then?"

"I'm afraid that I won't be of much help with that explanation," she smiled sheepishly, trying to make her story seem as real as possible "Most of what's going on is way over my head. I'm only here for my knowledge of History."

Martha nodded "We have been trying to get a paper together," she said, going along with Tyra's idea "About illnesses through the ages and an educated guess of how it will be in the future."

"Is that so?" Martha's mother questioned "And how did you meet?"

Tyra glanced at the medical student "The Doctor needed to go to the hospital yesterday and – well, Martha seemed the right candidate to help us, so we asked her and she said yes."

Francine was about to open her mouth to ask something else when the old man from the news – Professor Lazarus tapped on his glass, making the crowd quiet down "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you will wake to a world with will be changed forever." He walked to the chamber, slipping inside as a pair of scientists started up the machine. The four columns around the chamber started to rotate around, pouring energy into the machine. It only took a minute or so before an alarm sounded.

The Doctor startled into action "Something's wrong," he breathed, making his way to the scientists "It's overloading." Sparks flew from the controls followed by smoke. That made the Doctor rush over while getting out his sonic.

"Somebody stop him," an older woman in a too fancy dress shouted "Get him away from those controls."

The Doctor glared at her "If this thing goes up, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" He tried the controls for several more moments before he finally pulled out the power cable. Martha and Tyra rushed over to him when the contraption slowed down and stopped "Get it open."

Martha pulled the door open as a young man staggered out of it. Lazarus straightened up and Tyra wrinkled her nose. He smelled wrong… Like – His blood was wrong somehow "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am seventy-six years old and I am reborn."

"He did it," the rude old woman from before breathed with a wide grin on her face "He actually did it." It was then and there that Tyra really started to dislike her. In fact, she disliked most of the recent nobility. They were… worse than back when we still mingled with them. More entitled, she guessed.

While Lazarus moved towards the crowd of people, Martha and Tyra joined the Doctor by the controls. Martha watched the man warily "It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick."

"I don't think it is," Tyra spoke up "He's still the same, kind of at least. There's something weird about him though. He doesn't smell quite right."

"What just happened then?" Martha questioned, seemingly trusting her judgement.

The Doctor stared at the not-so-old-anymore man "He just changed what it means to be human." He kept an eye on the man, walking over once he saw him grabbing a tray of finger food.

"Richard," the stuck-up lady exclaimed in shock.

Lazarus barely reacted, instead shoving food into his mouth "I'm famished," he mumbled through a mouth full of food.

"Energy deficit," the Doctor said, coming to a stop next to the man "Always happens with this kind of process."

Lazarus raised his eyebrow "You speak as if you see this every day, Mister…?"

"Doctor. And well, no, not every day," the Doctor corrected "But I have some experience with this kind of transformation."

"That's not possible," Lazarus scoffed.

The Doctor accepted the unspoken challenge "Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's inspired."

"You understand the theory, then," Lazarus nodded.

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables," the Doctor pointed out.

Lazarus shrugged unconcernedly "No experiment is entirely without risk."

The Doctor snorted, jabbing his finger over his shoulder to where the machine was "That thing nearly exploded. You might as well have stepped into a blender."

"You're not qualified to comment," the old woman sniffed.

Tyra tilted my head "And you shouldn't speak of what you don't know."

"How dare… Do you know who I am?" she gaped, glaring at Tyra angrily.

Tyra started back, totally and utterly unimpressed "No idea. And I don't particularly care either."

"I'm Lady Thaw."

"And I'm Lady Mikaelson," she shot back "The difference between the two of us is that I don't have to use my title as a weapon."

The Doctor tugged Tyra back some more "Tyra, stop."

She huffed "She started it."

"Eh, that point can be argued," the Doctor murmured "Hush now." He turned back to Lazarus, his expression turning serious "If I hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded."

"Then I thank you, Doctor," the Professor said reluctantly "But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."

Martha stepped forward "You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests."

"Look at me," Lazarus gestured to himself "You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

Lady Thaw nodded in agreement "This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially."

"Commercially?" Martha choked "You are joking. That'll cause chaos."

"Didn't you know, Martha? Some people will do everything to stay young forever," Tyra told her quietly. She had seen it time and time again. People trying to get someone to turn them, just so they could live longer, better… Even when they didn't know about vampires, they tried tonics and 'wonder medicines' that are supposed to let them live longer.

Lazarus shook his head "Not chaos, change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve."

"This isn't about improving," the Doctor muttered "This is about you and your customers living a little longer."

"Not a little longer," Lazarus pointed out "A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

Tyra snorted but kept silent. There is no way mother nature will let anyone live without a way to kill them and constantly de-ageing oneself was definitely not something the laws of nature would approve of. Her parents wanted to make their children completely invincible but that wasn't possible. There is still a way to kill them – technically. Even if the others burned the tree down. Tyra was sure that there were at least some stakes still left with either Esther's body or Mikael.

Lady Thaw turned away from them "Richard, we have things to discuss… upstairs." And wasn't it clear what she meant by that?

Lazarus nodded absentmindedly "Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." He kissed Martha's hand, nodding to Tyra before leaving with Lady Thaw. Either he thought Tyra looked young enough for him not getting away with that hand kiss thing or he had seen her glare, daring him to try it.

"Oh, he's out of his depth," the Doctor sighed, shaking his head "No idea of the damage he might have done." He looked down at me "Did you get anything else from him?"

Tyra shook her head "No, but something's definitely up with him. It sounded like there was something shifting under his skin. Not too noticeable but I could hear it."

"And didn't you say he smells different?" the Doctor questioned, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Yeah," Tyra murmured "But I – I really don't know what it is. It's not familiar at all."

Martha grinned lightly, holding up her hand "How about we do our own tests? After all, I have just collected a DNA sample."

The Doctor mirrored her grin "Oh, Martha Jones, you are a star."


They were crowded around a computer screen, looking at the DNA displayed there "Amazing," the Doctor whistled, sounding a mix between impressed and slightly horrified.

Martha frowned at the monitor "What?"

"Lazarus' DNA," the Doctor pointed out.

Tyra blinked at the picture in slight confusion "There's nothing different, is there?" Just as she said that the image changed once before returning to normal "Never mind."

"Oh, my God," Martha gasped "Did that just change? But it can't have…"

"Is that what I heard?" Tyra asked curiously "Him changing?"

The Doctor tilted his head "You didn't hear his DNA."

Tyra shot him an annoyed and unimpressed look "You don't say," she deadpanned "I could have gotten that myself but if his DNA is changing, his body should be as well, no?"

"Maybe," the Doctor nodded "Possibly. Most likely."

Martha shook her head next to Tyra "But that's impossible. It can't have changed."

"That makes two impossible things we've seen so far tonight," the Doctor pointed out "Don't you love it when that happens?"

"That means that Lazarus changed his own molecular pattern," Martha pointed out, her forehead wrinkled thoughtfully.

The Doctor hummed "Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure, then a metagenic programme to manipulate the coding in the protein strands." He paused for a moment, gesturing with his hands "Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate."

"But they're still mutating," Martha pointed out.

"Because he missed something," the Doctor explained "Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilise. Something that's trying to change him."

Martha raised her eyebrows, her expression turning into dread "Change him into what?"

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted with a sigh "But I think we need to find out."

"Lady Thaw said they were going upstairs," Tyra murmured "Maybe that is a place to start. Even if I really don't want to see what they've been doing…"

Martha shot me a look "What?"

"Didn't you see that she was all over him?" Tyra blinked "It was subtle but… They definitely had something going on."

"Does it matter?" the Doctor asked, his voice holding a hint of annoyance "Let's go."

Tyra huffed, following after him "Sorry, brings back bad memories. I really don't enjoy these circles anymore. Actually, I never really did. I coped but… Eh."

They walked upstairs, looking for Lazarus' office, hoping to find the man before anything bad could happen. Martha looked around, wrinkling her nose at the high handedness of the office "This is his office, alright."

"So where is he?" the Doctor murmured, looking around the large room.

Martha shrugged, watching Tyra as she frowned. There was a smell in the air – one that she knew all too well "Don't know," Martha said "Let's try back at the reception… Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tyra nodded absentmindedly, walking around the desk "It smells like death."

Martha peeked over the desk, seeing what Tyra was seeing "Is that Lady Thaw?" she questioned in horror when she saw the skeleton sticking out from behind the desk.

"Used to be," the Doctor breathed, crouching down next to the woman "Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out, like squeezing the juice out of an orange. Or like a vampire drinking blood." He sent Tyra a quick smirk "Only with – you know, life energy."

"Lazarus?" Martha asked.

The Doctor shrugged "Could be."

"Does that mean he has changed already or he is gathering enough energy to change?" Tyra frowned, turning away from the corpse.

"That is the question," the Doctor pointed out "You both saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough."

Martha paled "So he might do this again?"

"Is that even a question?" Tyra asked.

"You're probably right," Martha agreed "We should find him. And quickly."

The Doctor nodded, moving back towards the elevators, pressing the button "I hate this suit," he grumbled.

"I told you and I will tell you again," Tyra rolled my eyes "This is so not the suit's fault."

"I so don't believe you," the Time Lord shook his head.

As soon as the doors opened in the reception room, Martha craned her neck, looking around "I can't see him."

"He can't be far," the Doctor pointed out "Keep looking. Ty, see if you can sniff him out."

Tyra raised my eyebrows "What am I? A dog?"

"Go fetch," the Doctor shot back with a grin.

Tyra was about to tell him exactly what she thought when Leo joined them "Are you alright, Marth? I think Mum wants to talk to you."

"Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?" Martha asked, ignoring the remark about her mother.

Leo nodded "Yeah, well, he was getting cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."

Martha swallowed "With Tish?"

"Ah, Doctor," Martha's mother called out, stopping in front of them with a glass of champagne in her hand.

"Where did they go?" the Doctor demanded, staring at Leo urgently.

Leo blinked in surprise "Upstairs, I think. Why?"

"Doctor…" Francine started, letting out a gasp when the Doctor hurried past her, spilling her drink all over her arm and the right side of her dress "I'm speaking to you."

Martha rushed after the Doctor while Tyra grabbed a napkin, handing it to the woman "You alright? I'm really sorry about him."

"It's not your fault," Francine sighed, taking the napkin with a small, thankful smile.

"Still," Tyra sighed "The Doctor has a thing about pissing off people without meaning to."

Martha's mother raised an eyebrow "I can believe that. How long have you known him?"

Tyra bit my lip "Erm… About two or two and a half years."

"Here," a man said, holding out a glass of champagne to the older woman "I think you're going to need one of these."

"Mr Saxon," Martha's mother gaped, her eyes widened a little upon seeing the man. She took the glass gratefully "Thank you."

Tyra looked at him, slightly curious why Martha's mother seemed so awed by the man's appearance "I take it I should know who you are?"

"Mr Saxon runs for Prime Minister," Francine pointed out.

"Okay," Tyra nodded before muttering to herself "No wonder that I didn't know. Surprisingly, I don't care much either."

Saxon mustered her with a weird look in his eyes. If Tyra didn't know any better, she'd say that he knew about her somehow. But that was impossible, right? Tyra had never seen this man before. There was something about him though, something she couldn't put my finger on "I take it you're not going to vote for me, then?" A small hint of amusement swung in his tone as his eyes trailed down to the necklace around her neck. His gaze hardened as he forcefully tried to unclench his jaw.

"Not a British citizen," Tyra shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. The Doctor wasn't back yet and that was slightly worrying.

"You have a British accent," Martha's mother frowned.

Tyra sent her a mischievous grin, already starting to move in the direction of the elevators when she saw the lights flicker lightly "I do have an accent but it's not British. Excuse me."

"Tish, isn't there another way out of here?" the Doctor demanded, bursting out of the door to the stairwell.

Tish nodded "There's an exit in the corner but it'll be locked now."

"Ty, setting fifty-four. Hurry." He shoved the sonic into Tyra's hands before shooing them away to address the rest of the people in the room "Listen to me. You people are in serious danger. You need to get out of here right now."

A woman in the crowd scoffed in disbelief "Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."

Tyra froze for a moment when a very mutant Lazarus appeared. That was what the smell was. Scorpion? Something like that? She didn't even want to know how that guy had something in his DNA that triggered… that. The mutant jumped down from the mezzanine, smashing a table as people all around started to panic, running towards the locked doors.

"Mum, get back," Leo called out somewhere near Tyra.

She turned in the direction of the voice, seeing Lazarus sending a table at Leo, hitting him "Martha, go and look after him. I'll get the exit open." Tyra rushed through the crowd, trying not to get trampled. As soon as she was close enough to the door she glanced down at the screwdriver in her hand before just kicking the door in. Somehow that always seemed to work better "Out, everyone out," she shouted over the screams as she fought her way back to where the Doctor and Martha were.

"No," the Doctor called out before seeing Lazarus standing over the woman who had spoken earlier "Get away from her." Tyra grimaced when her desiccated corpse fell to the ground, causing even more panic.

"Leo," Francine gasped, going to help Martha and Leo "Martha."

Tyra came to a stop next to the Doctor when Lazarus turned on the Jones family. The Doctor cursed under his breath "Lazarus, leave them alone." He shoved Tyra to the side when Lazarus turned towards us "Go, Ty."

"Really?" she huffed, crouching down next to Leo who was still on the ground "Are you alright?"

Martha shook her head "He's got a concussion."

"What is the Doctor doing?" Tish gasped, seeing the Doctor talking to the mutant.

"Buying us some time," Tyra told her, grabbing Leo's arm gently "So let's get a move on. I don't like leaving him to fend for himself for longer than necessary."

Martha grabbed Leo's other arm, helping Tyra to lead him towards the doors "Tish, move," she hissed at her sister "We need to get out of here."


Downstairs, people were piling up against the glass doors, trying desperately to get out of the laboratory "We can't get out," Tish called out "We're trapped."

"No, we're not," Martha shot back "Ty?"

Tyra glanced at the doors critically for a moment before pushing through the people again. Tish frowned "What are you doing?" she questioned.

"You'll see," Tyra told her, kicking against the doors with all her strength. They were better locked than the exit door from earlier, so it needed a little more of a kick. It might have been a little too much though. The door bounced off the glass wall behind it and shattered "Oops?"

Martha grabbed her arm as soon as everyone was outside "We have to go back."

"I do," Tyra told her, gently pushing her towards her family "You stay with your family. I think they need you more."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked.

Tyra grinned lightly "I'm very sure. Make sure they're alright. That's more important. I can handle looking after the Doctor for now."

Martha nodded "Alright. And Ty? Be careful in there."

"I'll be fine," she told her before running back inside, listening for any noises "Now, where is he?" Tyra muttered to herself, not stopping in her run. There was a loud – very loud explosion somewhere close by "Never mind. Follow the explosion it is."

It didn't take long for her to run into the Doctor "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think I'd let you do this on your own, did you? Plus, I've still got this." She held up the sonic with a small smirk "I kicked in the doors in, so there was no need for that."

The Doctor shook his head "You have a thing for kicking in doors, don't you? How many does that make?"

Tyra shrugged "Lost track. Anyway, where is Lazarus?"

"I blasted him," the Doctor gestured.

"Meaning?" Tyra asked wearily.

A roar sounded behind us "It annoyed him, I'd say."

"Oh, you think?" she snorted, running after him, hoping that he knew what he was doing. If not, Tyra would have to fight. She blinked when he stopped in reception "Please tell me that you have a plan."

The Doctor grabbed her arm, pulling her to the manipulator chamber on the dais "We can't lead him outside. Come on, get in."

Tyra leaned against the far side of the chamber, listening to the mutant's loud approach "Tell me what you think," she murmured, watching the Doctor "He knows we're here."

"I know," the Doctor nodded "But this is his masterpiece."

Realization dawned on her "He won't destroy it."

"Exactly. Not even to get at us."

"There's just one thing… We're trapped in here," Tyra told him "This is Downing Street all over again."

The Doctor shot her a disgruntled look "What is it with you referencing old adventures?"

Tyra shrugged "Maybe I want you to get your head out of your ass and change your mind about leaving Martha at home."

"Why are you so against leaving Martha?" the Doctor frowned, getting out his sonic again. He glanced over at Tyra before sliding to the ground, starting to work on whatever he was planning.

"Because she's good," Tyra remarked "She's brilliant and I really like her. I want to see what else she can do and to be honest."

The Doctor hummed "Alright, then," he smiled, looking up for a short moment "If that's really what you want."

"Why were you so against it anyway?" she questioned, stiffening when she heard Lazarus closing in.

The Doctor shook his head, focussing back on whatever he was doing "I need your help for a moment. Can you hold this?"

Tyra sank to my knees, barely managing to squeeze down next to the Doctor in the tiny chamber. The two of them were slightly closer than she would have liked since being this close to the Doctor was a little distracting "Sure. What are you doing anyway?"

"I'm trying to set the capsule to reflect the energy rather than receive it," he told her just as the chamber whirred to life.

Tyra shivered "Hurry up then. I really don't want to know what I'll turn into. Being a vampire is more than enough without having to worry about being a giant scorpion mutant thing."

"Yes, yes," the Doctor grumbled "Just one more, alright. Hold this." Tyra adjusted her hands slightly before the Doctor let out a triumphant noise. There was a big blast and the sound of Lazarus hitting the ground as the machine stopped, smoking a little. The Doctor looked behind him once they stepped out "It really shouldn't have taken that long to reverse the polarity." He swallowed, looking away when he caught Tyra's eyes "I must be out of practice."

"Right," she muttered, seeing a naked Lazarus lying face down "Well, this is awkward. And a little pitiful."

The Doctor sighed, kneeling down next to the dead man "Eliot saw that too. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but with a whimper."

"Are we talking Earth world or universe world? Because the way I remember, Platform One was very… bang-y."

"Alright," the Doctor huffed "I got it. You can stop backtracking now. I was there for all those adventures."

Tyra grinned "But then I wouldn't be able to annoy you into doing what I want."

"That… You… Urgh," the Doctor groaned, running a hand down his face.

Tyra patted his chest, barely suppressing the laughter at his expression "I'm getting the paramedics. Are you staying with him?"

"Sure," the Doctor nodded "I want to check something before they take him."

"Have fun," she told him, jogging down the stairs and out of the doors where everyone was still milling around. A little down from the door, an ambulance was waiting. Tyra walked past Martha and her family, giving her a nod before coming to a stop next to the open back of the ambulance "Lazarus is inside."

The paramedics looked up "What happened?"

Tyra raised my hands "The Doctor will tell you what you need to know. He's inside with the body."

"Alright, thank you."

"What happened?" Martha asked as soon as Tyra came to a halt next to her.

She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and sighed "I'll tell you later, alright?"

Martha nodded "Alright. But you're okay? And the Doctor?"

"We're both fine," she soothed, looking over her shoulder when she felt the Doctor's familiar presence at her back "You got what you wanted?"

"I have," the Doctor inclined his head before smiling at Martha's mother who was glaring at him "Mrs Jones. I…" He was cut off when the woman slapped him hard.

Francine gritted her teeth "Keep away from my daughter."

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha gasped.

"All the mothers," the Doctor grumbled while Tyra tilted his head, looking at his reddened cheek with a small smirk "Every time."

"Better be glad that mine is dead, then," she told him.

He looked down "It's not your parents that I'm scared of. It's your brothers."

"Well, you met two of them," Tyra pointed out "The worst, actually. I think you'll be fine."

"He is dangerous," Martha's mother exclaimed, jabbing her finger in the Doctor's direction "I've been told things."

Martha shook her head in confusion "What things? When? I was with you the whole time."

"Look around you," Francine gestured "Nothing but death and destruction."

"This isn't his fault," Martha defended the Time Lord "He saved us, all of us."

Leo nodded "And it was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say technically, it's her fault." Tish elbowed her brother in annoyance when a crash sounded.

"Come on," the Doctor muttered, tugging Tyra along gently. She followed him, Martha and Tish running after us with Francine protesting behind them. When they reached the site of the crash, the back of the ambulance was open and only contained desiccated corpses of the men Tyra had spoken to earlier. The Doctor grimaced at the scene "Lazarus, back from the dead," he spat "Should have known, really." He scanned the area with his sonic screwdriver.

"Where's he gone?" Martha questioned, looking around.

The Doctor gestured "That way. The church."

"Cathedral," Tish corrected, making all of them look at her "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."

Martha looked up at the Cathedral "Do you think he's in there?"

The Doctor nodded, already on his way inside "Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?"


They walked up to the altar where Lazarus was shivering, wrapped in a red blanket "I came here before," he murmured "A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat here, just a child, the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The Blitz," the Doctor realized, his voice softening slightly.

Lazarus looked up "You read about it."

"I was there," the Doctor pointed out "Tyra was as well."

Lazarus scoffed "You're too young."

The Doctor grinned a little "So are you."

Lazarus let out a laugh that ended with a groan as his body made painful cracking sounds. His transformation was very similar to that of a werewolf, actually. Now that Tyra saw it happening… Maybe what happened to his DNA was similar to what happened after a werewolf triggered its gene. When his pain subsided, he continued speaking softly "In the morning, the fires had died and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again. So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."

"That's what you were trying to do today?" the Doctor asked with a frown.

"That's what I did today," Lazarus pointed out.

Tyra made a small sound "Yeah, no. People died, Lazarus. I think it's safe to say that your experiment failed."

"They were nothing," Lazarus spat "I changed the course of history."

The Doctor crossed his arms "Any of them might have done too. You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that."

"No, Doctor," Lazarus shook his head "Avoiding death, that's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more successful."

"Look at yourself," the Doctor gestured "You're mutating. You've no control over it. You call that a success?"

Lazarus shrugged "I call it progress. I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human."

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human," the Doctor said as Lazarus convulsed again.

Martha stepped towards them, lowering her voice "He's going to change again any minute."

"I know," the Doctor whispered back "If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I have an idea that might work."

Martha looked up "Up there?"

Lazarus groaned "You're so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look."

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one." Here he sent Tyra a sad smile and squeezed her hand "In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone."

"That's a price worth paying," Lazarus told them.

Tyra shook my head at him "You might think that now but that will change. You won't stop losing people you care about – and it will continue until you don't care anymore and just want to die. To leave the pain and the suffering of the world. There is nothing good about living forever."

"I will feed soon," Lazarus rasped, ignoring what she had said.

The Doctor stepped closer to him "I'm not going to let that happen."

"You've not been able to stop me so far," Lazarus pointed out.

"Leave him, Lazarus," Martha called out from further away than she had been just a minute ago. Tyra looked around in confusion to see her backing towards the staircase to the tower "He's old and bitter. I thought you had a taste for fresher meat."

"Martha, no," the Doctor shouted.

Lazarus lunged for Martha who started running, her sister only a step behind "What are you doing?" Tyra heard Martha panting.

"Keeping you out of trouble," Tish shot back.

"Doctor," Martha shouted "The tower."

The Doctor stared after them for the shortest of moments before he hurried to the transept, underneath the central tower "Where are they?" he asked before raising his voice "Martha?"

Martha looked down from the passageway for a moment "Doctor?"

"Take him to the top," the Doctor called to her "The very top of the bell tower, do you hear me?"

Martha nodded "Up to the top."

"Martha," Tyra heard Tish breath, her voice shaking the tiniest bit.

"Then what?" Martha asked, still looking down.

"Martha, come on," Tish hissed, tugging at her sister's arm. The two of them disappeared, running further up as Lazarus followed them.

Tyra stayed where she was for a moment while the Doctor headed for the organ loft. She reluctantly ripped her eyes from the passageway, trudging after the Time Lord.

"Hypersonic sound waves," the Doctor muttered when she entered "Inspired." He stuck his sonic into the power socket before pulling out the stop. His gaze caught Tyra's "I'm sorry in advance. I hope it's a good acoustic in here." He pressed on both pedals before Tyra could do more than catch up to what he was going to do.

As soon as he started playing, Tyra hissed, clutching her ears. No wonder she never went to church – other than the fact that she wasn't Christian. This was more than unpleasant. She heard the Doctor's murmuring voice but couldn't make out the words. A moment later, Tyra more than regretted not leaving as soon as he started playing. The noise got louder and louder, making her fall to the ground, clutching at her ears tighter than before.

Over the notes of the organ, she could make out a very dull thump somewhere close and breathed a sigh of relief when the Doctor stopped playing "Martha?" the Doctor called out.

"I'm okay," she called back after a few tense minutes in which Tyra had climbed to my feet, massaging her now aching ears. She wiggled her finger around in them carefully, trying to get the noise to stop "We're both okay."

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked, turning to Tyra.

She glared "Next time, give me a bit more of a warning, would you? Because I'm not sure how much more my ears can take."

"Sorry," the Doctor grinned unrepentantly.

"Oh, you will be," Tyra huffed, thinking about how she could make him pay for what he did.

At the bottom of the tower, Lazarus was lying, his body twisted with more than a few broken bones. He had turned back into an old man. The Doctor closed his eyes gently as Martha and Tish came running out of the passageway. Martha threw her arms around the Doctor in a hug "I didn't know you could play."

"Oh well," the Doctor shrugged "You know if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up."

Tyra huffed, pressing her hand to her left ear "I can still hear it," she complained.

Martha winced "I completely forgot about your hearing."

"Yeah," she muttered "Be glad that you're not me. Because… Ouch."

"Don't be a baby, Ty," the Doctor told her, ruffling her hair.

Tyra slugged him in the stomach harder than strictly necessary, making him curl his arm over his middle "You more than deserved that. Be glad that it wasn't your face."

"Geez," he gasped, straightening up carefully "I'll definitely think about doing that again."

"Good," she nodded in satisfaction.


Now that everything was over, they avoided the rest of Martha's family, heading back to her apartment. The Doctor unlocked the Tardis, stepping to the side to let Tyra enter before him "Something else that just kind of escalated, then."

"I can see a pattern developing," Martha grinned "You should take more care in the future. And the past. And whatever other time period you find yourselves in."

The Doctor scratched at his head nervously "It's good fun, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Martha murmured, lowering her eyes a little.

Tyra rolled my eyes "Oh for the love of… Can you get to the point, Doctor? Listening to this is way more painful than it should be." She shoved the Doctor out of the way and held her hand out to Martha "If you still want to, we'd love for you to come along some more."

"I can't go on like this," Martha pointed out, not taking Tyra's hand "One more trip… That's not fair."

"I know," Tyra told her "That's why I'm not saying it. I mean it, Martha. We want you to come with us. Not for one trip, for as long as you want to."

The Doctor made a noise of protest "Hey, my Tardis."

Tyra shrugged "You wouldn't get to the point. If I had let you invite her, we would still be here tomorrow and I would like to get some sleep and feed before we run into another situation."

Martha gaped "Really? I mean, I can really come with you two?"

"Really," They smiled.

Martha wrapped her arms around Tyra happily "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she told her "Now, come on. I think it's time I show you around the Tardis. You'll love the library… and the swimming pool."

The Doctor wrinkled his forehead "The swimming pool is in the library."

"Shh," Tyra hushed him, wrapping her hand around his mouth "No spoilers."

"There's a swimming pool in the library?" Martha asked "That I have to see."

Tyra gestured to the corridor "Let's go then." Before she was out of the console room, she turned back to the Doctor "I'm going to the garden later… If you want to come to?"

The Doctor nodded with a smile "Sure. I'll see you in a bit."