I'm not dead, just really into Detroit Become Human. I'm still working on this; it'll be updated quite a bit while I try to write DBH fanfic that I like, I might do a Harry Potter Crossover. I always make sure to write most of the next chapter before dropping it for a while for the smallest of breaks. Good news for you guys, huh?

Chapter 14

An Android Invasion

"It hurts to walk, love," John informed the Doctor as she pulled on a pinstripe dress shirt and tucked it into her black Edwardian skirt.

"I'm sorry," He quietly apologized as he gave the side of her neck a gentle peck before she buttoned the shirt all the way up, "I didn't realize I was your first."

She gave him a look at that before it vanished and became a small smile. He watched as she pulled on her black coat before he pulled out an old green ascot from his pocket and put it around her neck to keep the collar on her shirt from losing shape. She gave him a slightly surprised look as he quickly tied it into a knot, a cravat barrel knot of all things, before pulling his hands away to rest them on her hips. She sighed at him in amusement before pressing a kiss to his cheek her hands resting on his shoulders. He turned and made it on the lips. He was making it harder for her to want to leave the room. She would happily go for a second round, but they had important business to attend to.

"C'mon, Sarah is probably ready to get off the Tardis," John stated.

He removed his hands from her hips, and they started to head towards the main console, a very quiet conversation going between the newlyweds. They were talking about the Harry Potter books and what was real and what wasn't. He had been surprised to learn that quite a few of the "boys" had been able to get into the girl's tower. They were always welcomed with slightly open arms. John had never cared and the two who usually came up were her best friends. They were the ones to drag her to Hogsmeade every time there was a trip. She made a promise to tell him the coordinates so he could stop there for a visit. He was excited to see what a magical town could hold. He would take them during the winter so she could see the buildings topped with snow, as it was her favorite time to visit, besides Halloween.

"So, where are we going today?" John asked him with a small smile.

"Hopefully, the eighties," He murmured, and she chuckled quietly.

"It's a good thing that Sarah isn't prone to violence," John commented, "I'm genuinely surprised she hasn't hit you yet."

"The Tardis sometimes takes me where I need to be," He defended, "It's not always where I want to be."

She gave his shoulder a small pat. She knew what it was like to be pulled into something she didn't want. The short time she had taken her rightful place on her house seats during ministry meetings had been one of those times. It had been difficult to even get any sort of vote going, the older generation that was still on the seats didn't want to listen to a war veteran from the younger generation. They didn't want to listen to someone who wanted to bring them to the modern age, where women were treated with respect and mundane-borns could find high position jobs for the type of work that they were good at. The new minister helped that along and would gather support for a new set of laws that would make things equal for everyone. She never got to see how that ended.

"There you two are," Sarah commented as they walked into the main console, "Did you oversleep, John?"

"Yeah," John smiled while the Doctor gained a slightly knowing glint to his eyes, "It was a needed sleep though."

Sarah shook her head in amusement and slowly pulled on a white hat onto her head. John could admit that it went well with her pink outfit that looked more suited for a day playing tennis, or walking around the beach-it seemed a bit like a sailor's uniform was attached to the top of the shirt- it was perfect for a summer day. A bit different from her more Edwardian style of dress, though the shirt was more like a men's shirt from the Victorian age it carried her signature light blue pinstripes. Even the Doctor found a reason to change, his tan coat was changed to a grey tweed one with brown patches sewn onto the elbows. It was interesting to see the change, though he did keep his signature long scarf.

The Tardis landed with a gentle thump and let out a happy hum. John gained a small smile at that as the Doctor pushed a button and a small shade on the wall slid upwards to show a screen. Outside the Tardis seemed peaceful, it was oak trees and grass for miles. John had her fingers crossed that it would be something peaceful for once. She looked toward the Doctor and quickly crushed that hope before it even got the chance to settle, her husband seemed to attract trouble like he had a gravitational pull for it. She had no clue how he did it, and she really didn't want to. She'd have to explain how she always seemed to attract enemies, and that wasn't a conversation she wanted any time soon.

They walked towards the exit, and he pulled a small drink from his coat pocket. As they left the Tardis, he opened it and took a small sip from it. Sarah looked around with a dubious expression before turning to the taller man as John closed the door behind her. The witch gained a slightly amused smile to her face at the sight of the drink in her husband's hand.

"Has the Tardis brought us home or not?" Sarah asked him.

"Possibly," He replied, and he could almost feel the look that John was sending him.

"What do you mean, possibly," Sarah asked him with a slight frown.

"Well," He began, "The coordinates were set for your time, but the linear calculator, well."

"He's saying that we could be anytime and anywhere," John stated as he took another sip of his drink.

"Ginger pop?" He asked the two as he held out a second bottle to Sarah.

"Can't stand the stuff," Sarah turned him down, "Thanks all the same."

"I really must get the Tardis seen to," The Doctor said as John accepted the bottle of ginger pop and opened it with a slight frown, "She's way overdue for her five-hundred-year service."

"Well, at least we're on Earth," Sarah said with a slight grin as her mood improved, "I mean, just taste that air, I love that fresh smell just after a rain shower."

"Which is a bit weird," John stated as she toed the ground and looked at the slightly yellowed grass and dug the toes of her shoe into the dirt, "The entire ground is dry, can't have been any rain for more than a week."

The Doctor took out a small device from his pocket as Sarah squatted to examine the grass and ground. She gave a quiet click of her tongue and accepted the hand that was held out to her by a slightly smiling John. She couldn't help but wonder why the woman seemed so happy. She had even done something with her hair, it rested against the back of her neck in a low ponytail. John's head snapped up as the Doctor's device gave a cheerful beep and clicked at the sight of a small bruise on the side of her neck. Her mouth opened in an 'o' shape and she quickly closed it with a slight smile.

"There was an enormous release of energy," John stated as she looked around with a slight frown, "I thought we were on Earth."

"Well, unless someone's started exporting acorns," The Doctor stated with an amused expression on his face, "Oak trees don't grow anywhere else in the Galaxy."

"Except, in the forests of Cheam," John countered, and Sarah seemed surprised as the Doctor blinked at that.

"Fair point," He murmured before he looked at his device as he pushed a button to use the compass feature on it.

"Bet we're miles away from UNIT headquarters," Sarah commented, "So, what are we going to do?"

"Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo?" The Doctor asked as he pointed north, south, east, and west.

Sarah eyed him as he began to walk towards the direction of mo. They went west, and it was through some bramble. John eyed his back as he easily walked over the bramble. He seemed a bit…intoxicated was the word she'd use. She looked at him in slight confusion at that. It was like he was still celebrating, she just hoped that he wouldn't get too smashed during this little adventure.

"Watch the bramble," He told them.

Sarah let out a hiss as she stepped on it immediately after he warned them. John just walked through it as if she couldn't feel it. It didn't hurt as much as the grating on Skaro did. She looked up towards the sky and wrinkled her nose slightly. She could smell the rain that Sarah had been talking about, but with the dry ground, it was so strange. She had seen stranger things at Hogwarts, a boy walking around with his hair charmed into house colors still couldn't be topped by the singing bats and skeletons of her second year Halloween, and it would be difficult to cause her any kind of discomfort.

"I said to watch out," The Doctor called.

"What's so special about Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo?" Sarah asked John as they walked together.

"Oh, it was just him guessing which way to go," John answered with a slight frown, "It could have been fum, fo, fee, fi."

"He seems a bit out of sort," Sarah commented.

"If I remember correctly," John started as she frowned in thought and dug around her mind for some information from the time vortex, "Ginger is something that is alcoholic to Time Lords, or at least it reduces their ability to tolerate alcohol."

"You think he might be drunk?" Sarah asked.

"Buzzed at the very least," John stated with a slightly raised brow, "It does explain quite a bit why he seems off."

Sarah gave a slight snort at that and walked over a bramble that was in her way. She couldn't help but wonder how her friend seemed to walk through it without blinking. There wasn't any sign of discomfort. She sighed at the thought and they continued to walk.

It was quiet as they moved through the young oak trees. John felt some leaves fall into her hair, and she began to pull them out. The Doctor had finished his ginger pop and was staring down at the device in his hand. John moved past him and he watched as leaf after leaf was quickly plucked from her hair and released. His mind chose at that moment to play memory of just how her hair felt. He felt his neck burn and quickly turned his focus to the task at hand. He needed to find out what it was that released such an enormous amount of energy. Sarah paused and the entire group stopped to make sure she was okay.

"I thought I saw someone," Sarah explained.

A rustling sound echoed through the area and they turned to see four figures in white protective suits and helmets walking out of the trees ahead of them. Sarah eyed them with slight discomfort, something about them seemed off and she didn't like it. John got her wand ready and narrowed her eyes. The Doctor wasn't in any state of mind for a proper fight, he was sober enough for his thoughts to be normal, but she didn't doubt that even Sarah could overpower him in a fight. She could most likely distract him to take him down if she needed to.

"Let's hope they're not strangers here themselves," He stated as he raised a hand in greeting and grinned, "Hello there!"

"No, wait, Doctor," Sarah started as she and John pulled on his coat and arm to get his attention, "I don't like the look of them."

"What?" He asked her with a slight frown before turning back to the figures, "Please excuse me, could you be very kind and tell me where we are?"

"One of these days you are going to get killed," John groaned as she finally got prepared to fight back as the figures raised their arms and pointed at the group.

With a quick flick of her wrist, stone tablets jutted out of the ground and absorbed the bullets that headed their way. The Doctor let out a hum in thought. Sarah simply let out a relieved sigh. John rolled her head side to side as she cracked her neck. She darted out from behind the tablets and eventually they heard the gunfire cease and the stone tablets crumbled to dust to show John standing victorious over the figures a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Not human," She muttered as she picked up one of their arms, "I can't place it, feels heavy like metal but has a different consistency."

"My memory is getting terrible," The Doctor stated as he joined her in studying the body, "You know, three hundred years ago I'd have recognized this like a shot."

As soon as he said shot a bullet ricocheted off the body and they backed up in surprise. Sarah let out a sound of surprise as John and the Doctor quickly scrambled to their feet. It didn't take them long to start running through the small forest to get away from the backup. A bullet hit one of the trees and instead of wood splintering in all directions, a hole appeared. They didn't get a chance to question it as they continued to be fired at.

"Keep going!" The Doctor exclaimed.

John sent him a look at that and gave a quick wave of her wand towards the trees and the branches groaned as they twisted and bent to block the path. It appears some of the trees acted normally, compared to the one that had been shot at, at least. She filed that information away to think about for when they weren't in danger. She jumped over a fallen tree and continued running.

The group burst through the tree line and sprinted towards a cornfield. They entered the long stalks and slowly got separated from one another as they continued running. The backup hadn't followed them and when they finally reached the other side of the field they waited to regroup. The Doctor sighed in slight relief as he saw the two girls walking towards him, both seeming a bit exhausted due to the run they had just taken. They headed East and came across a small village with no people rushing about.

"Devesham?" Sarah questioned.

"It looks a bit more like East Hagbourne," John added with a slight frown, "Doctor, are we on Earth?"

"It's a possibility," He replied, and she raised her brows at that, "It's a bit quiet."

"Yes," Sarah nodded in agreement.

He moved up the road and looked at a stone cross. He looked around with a frown on his face as he attempted to find anyone in the streets or even in the town itself. He didn't see anyone and noticed that the houses were silent. It was a ghost town of all things, something he hadn't been expecting to land in.

"Anyone about?" He called out, "Anyone?"

"This is just bizarre," John muttered as she looked around with a slight frown, "I don't know of many ghost towns in England."

"Let's try the pub." The Doctor suggested as he moved towards it.

He opened the door and they peeked inside. It was empty with two full pint jugs on the bar and glasses of wine on some of the tables. It was like the patrons of the bar had just up and left the bar for no reason. John moved around the bar and made a slight face. It wasn't as inviting as the three broomsticks; the cheerful air was missing and the warmth that a cozy fire provided wasn't there either. She placed her hands on her hips as she continued to look around.

"Hello? Innkeeper?" The Doctor called as he looked around.

"Anyone about?" Sarah joined in.

"What's this pub called?" The Doctor asked.

"Fleur de Lys." John answered as she frowned at the lack of people.

"Marie Celeste, more like it." The Doctor muttered and he got a light chuckle out of her.

"A whole village of people can't just disappear," Sarah stated.

"Yet, somehow they did," John stated as her frown deepened, "This is strange…"

"Freshly minted money," The Doctor stated as he looked into the register, "All the same year…Sarah?"

"Hmm?" Sarah asked.

"What was that story you came here on?" He asked.

"There was a bit of a brouhaha at the Space Defense Station," Sarah answered, "It's about a mile from here."

"Is it?" He asked as he gave a small frown, "If we've landed in a prohibited area, then those people who shot at us were possibly guards."

"Typically, trespassers are prosecuted in England, not killed." John piped up.

"And they weren't dressed like guards," Sarah added.

"Protective clothing? Some kind of radioactivity?" He fired off, "Remember, I detected an energy source, the soldier who went over the cliff was possibly affected by it."

"The only thing I'm getting is low-level radiation," John informed them, "It's there, but barely like its background noise."

"If that's all you're sensing then why is the village empty?" Sarah asked her.

"I dunno, something made them evacuate in a hurry," John replied with a very small shrug.

"That's great," Sarah said, "And we've been walking around in the middle of it like a couple of 'narnas."

John was highly amused by that terminology. If there was danger in the area, then they had indeed been walking around in it. They were a bunch of idiots, but still healthy idiots. She turned her head and looked out the window. She blinked in confusion and walked out of the pub.

"What in the actual seven circles?" She muttered in confusion.

The whole village had been empty when they entered the pub, but suddenly it was bustling with people. She didn't even know where they had come from. There hadn't been a single person in the village, there wasn't even a sign that they had been there. She moved towards the pub fence as a few figures walked down from the church path, they were escorting a soldier.

"Wait a minute, he's dead." She softly muttered.

She sighed as a van came towards her and she panicked. She bit her lip and apparated to the Tardis. She let out a soft sound of annoyance before entering the blue box. She removed her coat and placed it on the railing before walking deeper into the ship. She blinked when everything shifted.

"Sexy? What's going on?" She asked when the ship took off.

She had to grab onto the wall to stop herself from falling over. She let out a sound of surprise and moved back into the main room. She stumbled slightly when the Tardis stopped. She listened to the Tardis hum and frowned.

"It'll take me a good hour or so to learn how to drive you." She stated as she grabbed the manual.

The Tardis made sure to make her lights brighter so the witch could read. John sat down on the floor and began to speed read. She was going back to her school days of memorizing information by reading it multiple times in quick succession. She had done that so she could get higher grades than Granger. It was something that came from wanting to make her father proud.

"I think I understand." She said after a while.

She kept the book open and used a wandless levitating spell to keep it eye level as she moved towards the controls. The Tardis seemed nervous and it wasn't helping her nerves. She pressed a green button and the Tardis started up. She pulled a lever and they took flight.

"Right, red button'll take us back to where we had been." She muttered as she pressed the button.

They landed and she scrambled around for the breaks. She found it and let out a low sigh of relief as she pulled the lever. She sat back for a few seconds to catch her breath. She wasn't going to drive the Tardis again until she had some direction by the Doctor, or it was an emergency. She ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip. She needed to find Sarah and the Doctor.

"Doctor?" A voice called, "John?"

"Sarah!" John exclaimed with a grin.

She ran forward and gave her friend a hug in relief. She was worried that she had lost them. Sarah gave the witch a tight squeeze before they parted.

"What's happening?" John questioned.

"Androids are invading Earth," Sarah answered.

"Oh, yeah that's a problem," John stated, "Right, lead the way and I'll try my best to take down anyone who comes after us."

Sarah gave a nod and they exited the Tardis. Sarah grabbed her key as John closed the door behind them. She drew her wand from her sleeve and held it at the ready. She narrowed her eyes in thought and slipped into the right mindset. She really needed to get back in shape. It wouldn't do for her to get taken down again.

"Oh! Doctor, there you are." Sarah stated as she saw the Doctor emerge from the woods.

That wasn't the Doctor. Sarah was surprised when John stepped in front of her with a frown. She held onto her wand with a tight grip and began to think of a way out of this mess. Sarah understood immediately what was going on and grabbed onto John's arm. John quickly apparated them out of the area.

Sarah had to take a minute to gather her bearings. That had been the most unpleasant way to travel and her stomach was ready to revolt against her. She started to take deep breaths and she felt a hand on her back slowly rubbing circles. John felt bad for having to do that, but it was the quickest way out.

"Where are we?" Sarah questioned.

"The Space Defense Center," John replied, "I think we can find the Doctor here."

She nodded at that and they began to move around the building. It was grey and drab, something that could be said of all military buildings. They heard gunfire and peeked around a corner to see the Doctor facing off with his double.

"Doctor, this way!" Sarah called out.

He looked at them and started to run. He had to dodge bullets the entire way until he reached the two. A piece of the wall broke off and they began to move out of the area. A loud screeched filled the area as speakers crackled to life.

"Attention, attention," A man's voice came from the speakers, "It has been confirmed the Doctor is attempting to sabotage our defense system, he is at large somewhere inside the complex. An extensive search will begin at once, he is armed and dangerous and all personnel has the authority to shoot on sight. That is all."

"So, the androids have taken over," Sarah stated.

"Looks like." The Doctor nodded.

"What about the real Harry and Colonel Faraday?" Sarah questioned.

"They must be up there in the rocket with Styggron." He answered as he looked towards the rocket.

John knew when she was. It was the android invasion; she didn't want to admit that she had to think about it more. It wasn't until she heard the name Styggron. Androids taking over the earth because their own planet was becoming too radioactive. She winced; she was one of the best people to fight androids. Just shoot a spell at them and they go down with ease, hell she could probably just stand near them and use a small Lumos.

"We've got to do something," John stated.

"Our only chance is to stop the androids before they take over the complex," The Doctor stated before he began to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked him.

"To the scanner room," He answered, "You two stay here."

"Want to go and help Harry?" John asked Sarah.

"Yes."

They shared a look and started to run towards the rocket. The Androids were ignoring them, the Doctor was their main priority now, and it made it easier for them to reach the blasted thing. They entered the rocket and were welcomed to a dimly lit area. They snuck around until they found who they were looking for.

"Harry?" Sarah asked and she turned to John.

"It's him." She quietly said.

They moved forward and started to untie Harry and another man that was with him. That had to be Faraday. He was a bit of a pudgy man with dark hair slicked back and a cleanly kept mustache. They freed them with ease and Harry looked at them in surprise. He did a double-take at the long hair that John had and wondered how long they'd been gone.

"You've got a very nasty twin," Sarah informed him.

"Twin?" He asked with a frown.

"Androids are trying to take over the Earth and used your likeness to trick Sarah and the Doctor," John stated, "I was stuck in the Tardis during that."

"Right, but what are these androids?" Faraday questioned.

"They're robots controlled by Styggron," Sarah answered.

"The enterprising Earth Girl!" A voice yelled and Sarah jumped and turned around to see Styggron, "No! Don't move, the sensors indicated an intruder, I hardly expected to find it was you…and a friend."

"May I?" John asked Sarah as she eyed the short alien.

"Be my guest." Sarah smiled.

John sent a stunner at him and blinked when he fell on the container he had been holding. She winced as whatever was inside of it began to eat at his flesh. It started to smell of rotten eggs in the room and they started to flee the room. Harry winced at the look of the body; he was quite glad that Styggron hadn't been able to use that against them. He looked towards their resident witch and watched as she kept an eye on the area around them. She shot a stunner ahead of them and hit a human man.

"This one of the men who caused this problem?" John asked Sarah.

Sarah gave a nod and they continued their way. They ran into the Doctor and John seemed to grow uncomfortable around him. She could tell that it wasn't him. Yet, he seemed identical to her husband. He gave her a wink and grin before rushing off.

"Don't bother chasing him," John informed Sarah, "It's not him, that was the android him."

"Too right," The Doctor's voice said from her right, "I reprogrammed him to be a decoy."

"You knew that we'd go to help Harry." She stated with a slight frown on her face.

She was amused yet a bit uncertain of his motives. He confused even her with what he was planning, but she knew that in the end it all evened out and came outright. He slipped his hand into her's and she intertwined their fingers. Judging by the look in his eyes she was going to be sore the next morning.

"Come on." The Doctor told them.

They exited the rocket and parted ways. Harry was smiling at the box of goodies he was given by John. She had made sure that he had received his magical treats, she wasn't about to let them go bad. As they walked back to the Tardis Sarah let out a long sigh.

"How could we ever have been fooled?" Sarah asked.

"How do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, this really is Earth," Sarah stated.

"Are you sure?"

He put a fern frond in his hatband and both women tried to figure out when he had gotten that. She wondered if he had grabbed that when they split up. He looked down at her and placed a different one in her hair. She turned a light pink when he smiled, and she quickly looked away. Damn this man and making her knees weak. He opened the Tardis doors and let her in first.

"After you." He turned to Sarah.

"Uh uh," Sarah declined, "I'm going home, and I'm going by taxi."

"Oh, I'll make you an offer," He bargained, "I'll take you home."

"How can I refuse?" Sarah grinned at him.

She walked in and went to go find somewhere to wait. It shouldn't take them too terribly wrong to make it to the right point in time and right area. The Doctor started up the Tardis and input the coordinates and date. She was starting to wonder where her friend had gone off to. Her best guess was that she was doing something important.