"Right," said the Doctor, pulling a lever in an attempt to stabilise the TARDIS. "We'd better take that Dalek ship off the moon before NASA get too excited about it."
Martha yawned and stretched. The UNIT jacket felt rough agains her arms. Her comfortable red one was still in her bedroom, where she had changed before dinner.
She leaned around the console. "Can I pop home first? Just for two minutes, I need to grab some stuff."
The Doctor nodded and tapped a few buttons. The TARDIS's flight pattern changed to an unusually smooth one, and Martha wondered if he had bookmarked frequent destinations such as his friends' houses into the console so they were more easily accessible.
They landed just around the corner, and stepped out of the police box into a chilly breeze.
It was a cold night, threatening snow. London still felt as busy as ever, with the low hum of traffic not far away, but Martha's street was quiet.
They rounded the corner, crossed the road and then both came to an abrupt halt just outside Martha's front door. They glanced at each other. Martha wrinkled her nose.
"Can you smell that?"
The Doctor took a deep breath through his nose and made a face. "Hmm. Yes. It's like…"
"Burnt fuses."
The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the air in front of them.
"Bit of atmospheric disturbance." He sniffed again. "Nothing to worry about. I think it's the residual electro-cancelling feedback from the Judoon ship that took the Master this morning. They must have been cloaking it to high heaven."
"It did kind of vanish," remembered Martha, moving away from the unpleasant odour and fumbling for her keys. "Why, were they trying to be stealthy or something?"
The Doctor shrugged. "They probably wanted to grab him without alerting anyone on Earth. You're part of UNIT, so taking your prisoner is treading on UNIT's toes."
Martha frowned at him as she unlocked the door.
"So let me get this straight - the super uptight procedure-obsessed intergalactic police thugs were operating illegally?"
The Doctor scratched the back of his neck. "I suppose. Technically, superseding the internal justice system of another planet - even a lowly level 5 - is against procedure. They should have requested an official prisoner transfer from UNIT before removing him from your custody."
Martha deposited the keys on the hall table and walked into the living room, turning as the Doctor followed her in.
"But we can't do anything about it now? Get them to release him?"
The Doctor sighed, shrugging off his coat and slinging it over the back of the nearest chair. "The Shadow Proclamation are fastidious - they'll find some clause to get out of it, or just deny taking him by force."
"The Judoon knocked through my front door!"
The Doctor peered over at the recently repaired doorway. "No proof. Anyone could have done that."
"Seriously?"
He gave her a solemn frown. "Humans are known for being one of the most self-destructive species in the galaxy. Tea?"
Martha sighed. She pointed the Doctor towards the kitchen and then headed upstairs. Her room was still a mess, clothes scattered everywhere and her damp towel lying on the bed.
She changed into a pair of comfortable jeans and a spaghetti-strap vest, noticing that the lightning scar on her arm was beginning to fade. She ran a comb through her hair and searched for her jacket, eventually found it hanging over the wardrobe door. As she pulled it on, she felt something rustle in the left pocket and frowned, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.
"Martha, where are your biscuits?" came the Doctor's call from the kitchen. Still frowning, Martha padded downstairs to find the Doctor bringing two mugs of steaming tea into the living room.
"I don't have any," she muttered.
"What!" The Doctor sounded scandalised. Then he looked up and noticed her expression. His eyes travelled to the piece of paper in her hand. "What's that?"
A smile crept onto Martha's face as she held it out to him.
"Compensation."
"Doctor, I hope you realise that if you continue to flout our laws, I may actually have to arrest you."
The Shadow Architect sounded, if possible, more bad-tempered than ever. She was in a meeting with Jaycode, who lounged on the other side of the long table, tapping his cane impatiently on the floor. The TARDIS had materialised in front of the room's only doorway, leaving them no choice but to stay put.
"I'm just the transport," said the Doctor, holding up his hands in defence and leaning back against the box. "Dr. Jones is here to speak to you on behalf of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce."
Jaycode raised his eyebrows at these words. The Shadow Architect glanced over at him, and then sighed and waved her hand at Martha. "Oh, very well."
Martha stepped forward and mustered up all her confidence. She spoke loudly and clearly.
"I'm here to demand that you release the Master from Shadow Proclamation custody, and hand him over to us."
There was a beat of silence. Then Jaycode spoke in his cool, impassive voice.
"Dr. Jones, the Master is a galactic-class criminal, and has been imprisoned for an extensive list of crimes and offences."
Martha nodded. "I know. But we have our own rules for punishing criminals on Earth. And as an operative of UNIT, it's my responsibility to protect our planet from alien threats."
"And you do a magnificent job," said the Architect, with only the faintest hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You have only been invaded twice this year."
Martha ignored her. "You're not allowed to interfere with our methods. The Master was contained in my home at 4 o'clock this morning, and your officers kidnapped him by force, without clearance from me. So you have no right to hold him prisoner here."
The Shadow Architect stood up. "Listen, human. We are the law. We have the right to detain anyone who has committed offences against the Shadow Proclamation."
Martha squared up to the Architect, refusing to let the red-eyed woman intimidate her.
"No, you don't. Not if that person has already been detained by the local law organisation or is awaiting judgement there, according to…"
"Article 17, subsection 52A," put in the Doctor helpfully from behind her.
Martha nodded. "Yes. That one."
The Architect glared coldly at the Doctor, as if he was wasting her time on purpose.
"This is ridiculous. Our soldiers operate within strict guidelines. If they did extract the Master from UNIT's custody, as you say, then they would only have done so after acquiring the correct local permissions."
"They broke into my house," said Martha firmly.
"Incorrect," grunted the Judoon soldier from behind her. "No forced entry."
Martha pulled out the crumpled slip of paper and placed it on the table. The Architect scoffed.
"What is this?"
"Compensation for damage to property," said Martha, folding her arms triumphantly. "Your officers smashed my front door and dragged the Master off the planet in a cloaked ship. Not exactly above-board behaviour, is it?"
The Shadow Architect's jaw clenched as the Judoon behind her shifted uncomfortably.
Jaycode's mouth had curled into a slight smile.
"Also," put in the Doctor, sidling up beside Martha. "Your threadbare reputation could stand to have a few more holes poked into it, Architect. Such as… mistreatment of prisoners and conspiring with murderers."
The Architect drew herself up, gazing at him with undisguised contempt.
"Blackmail, Doctor? Is that how far you are willing to take this?"
The Doctor stepped forward and placed his hands on the table, his eyes burning like stars.
"I will gladly take this to the end of the universe and beyond, Architect. Now, give me my best friend back."
The Master looked up as the Judoon guards filed into the gaol, their helmets glinting in the red light.
"What's going on now?" he yawned. His limbs were already numb from the strange stasis energy inside the hoop, and the WiFi was unbearably slow.
"Prisoner transfer," grunted a Judoon, bending to type something into the control panel at the bottom of the hoop. "Destination: Unified Intelligence Task Force, Earth."
"What?"
The Master felt the prison power down, and suddenly there was nothing holding him in the air and he dropped with an undignified yelp to the stone floor. Idly wondering how many more knocks his skull could take before he regenerated from head trauma, he looked up to see Martha Jones emerging from between the broad shoulders of the Judoon guards. He groaned.
"Please tell me this is a joke."
The Judoon hoisted the Master to his feet and clicked handcuffs onto him, then thrust him towards Martha with unnecessary force. She sidestepped and grabbed him by the arm to stop him toppling forwards.
"Okay, headcase. Can you walk?"
The Master righted himself and glared at the Judoon, who were already stomping indifferently from the room, then at Martha.
"What are you doing?"
"Apprehending you on behalf of UNIT," Martha led him out of the gaol and into a dark antechamber. The Judoon had disappeared off to the left but Martha turned right, making for a low door.
Just before they reached it, the Master wrenched out of her grip and turned to face her.
"Explain."
Martha gave him a serious look. "As UNIT's chief medical officer, I'm pronouncing you clinically insane."
The Master stared back at her in confusion. "So, what, you're taking me back to Earth?"
Martha shook her head. "Your treatment is rehabilitation under careful supervision from a doctor."
She opened the door and they emerged into a white corridor which seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions. The Master's eyes had grown accustomed to the red shadows of the gaol, and he blinked in the sudden harsh light. About thirty feet away was a familiar blue box. Martha turned and smiled at him.
"Maybe two doctors, just to be safe."
The Master opened his mouth, closed it again, and then raised his eyebrows at her incredulously. "So we're actually doing this?"
"What?"
"Travelling. You think it will be all happy and adventurous? You, the Doctor and me, your crazy little psycho pet?"
"Turn around."
"What?"
"Just do it."
The Master sighed and faced the wall, sensing Martha move behind him. There was a click and the handcuffs unlocked.
He turned back, massaging his wrists and staring at her, calculating.
"This is faith in you," said Martha simply, letting the cuffs drop to the floor with a clatter. "Make it worth it."
The Master glanced over his shoulder. The corridor behind him was empty, stretching away into the distance. He looked back into Martha Jones's dark eyes and she held his gaze, defiant. Supernova.
"Why?" he asked finally.
"Because I know that somewhere in there -" she poked him in the chest. "Is a better person. With, you know, feelings and stuff."
The Master made a face. "He sounds tiresome."
Martha smiled. "What, you think you're not him anymore?"
The Master spread his arms. "I'm just me, Martha. There's no more… duality."
"Are you sure?" said Martha, tilting her head. "Because I reckon that whole cloning thing has changed you more than you'd like to admit. I think you know it's possible to be that person again, one day."
The Master raised his eyebrows. "Is that your prognosis, Doctor Jones?"
Martha smiled again, and then began to step backwards towards the TARDIS, her hair swinging as she moved.
"You told me you were tired of being a monster, so prove it. Come with us."
The Master stared at her. The white light of the corridor had brought everything into sharp focus, making his eyes sting. The drums tapped in his ears impatiently, willing him to make a decision. Run, they said. Escape. Hide.
He had lied when he'd told the Doctor everything was back to normal, that he was whole again. In truth, he could feel a battle raging inside his head, two sides wrestling for control with the beat of war driving them against each other.
Perhaps it had always been this way, but now the part of him which had fallen to Earth had grown stronger, risen up. And it was this part that forced him to breathe, place one foot before the other and follow Martha towards the TARDIS.
A/N: We're almost at the end! Final chapter drops on Tuesday May 4th, which is also my birthday (yay)
Illustration for chapter 34 on DeviantArt: atlantihero-kyoxei/art/Compensation-878027890