A/N: The poll is still on my profile regarding to which 2 of my stories you would want me to continue the most. Come September I will be back at uni and very busy. So please go and vote so I know which ones to work hard on right now.
"I'll see you soon, River. And I really am sorry for how I acted, I was stupid." Kari said, giving the woman a hug as they dropped her off at Stormcage.
"Hey, it's okay, darling. We all have days like that. And if you ever need me, you know how to contact me." River told her, sending her a wink.
"Come on, Doctor. Group hug. This is still part of our big, dysfunctional, time travelling family." Kari said, dragging him into the hug as well. "You guys really are my family now, remember that." Kari whispered to them both, just before they broke apart.
"Right, see you again then, River. Behave." The Doctor said, taking a firm hold of Kari's hand.
"I can't promise." She replied, a smirk on her face.
"Let me rephrase that for him, no going out and doing stuff that will get you locked up for even longer. If you're going to do something, at least don't get caught." Kari told her, a real smile taking over her face.
River couldn't stop herself from laughing. "I can promise to do my best not to get caught. Now, go away, the pair of you." River said, closing the metal bars to her cell. "I have lots to write." She pulled out her book and waved it around a little.
Kari stiffened a little, but the Doctor was quick to squeeze her hand, trying to give her some reassurance. "Bye, River! I'll say hello to your parents for you the next time I see them. Well, if it's the right time. Anyway, try not to miss me too much." She called, as the Doctor literally dragged her into the TARDIS.
A moment later, they were gone. Leaving River standing in her cell with a smile on her face. Although the day hadn't started off too well, it had ended so lovely. And Kari had called her family, and that meant a lot to her, to be a part of her family with the Doctor.
"So, where are we off to now then, Doctor?" Kari asked, bouncing around the console.
"Time for you to leave, my Angel." That voice called to her, the voice of the TARDIS.
"But I don't want to go yet. I want to stay here." She moaned in a whisper like a little child.
"I'm sorry, the Doctor needs you."
"He always needs me. Why do I always have to jump from one Doctor to the other? Why can't I just stay put?" Kari asked, watching as the Doctor fiddled with things in the console. Apparently, he couldn't hear that she was having a conversation with anyone.
"Because things didn't work how I had planned. You have to catch up on over 900 years of adventures with the Doctor." Sexy replied to her.
Kari let out a sigh. "But so far, I've only been with him since after the Time War. When am I going to meet him before then?" She wondered. It was true, she was meant to have always been in his life, but she had only been there since after the Time War and never before it. She hadn't met Doctor 1 through to 8, only 9 to 11.
"Patience, my Angel. He will meet you soon. And that will be a whole other story for you to tell." Kari just let out a groan of frustration, which finally managed to get the Doctor's attention.
"You okay? You got a headache?" He asked. The moment the words had left his mouth, the pain in her head started.
"Well, now that you've mentioned it I do. Guess we won't be going anywhere any time soon. And stop distracting me by kissing me." She told him, watching as the golden glow slowly started to build up around her.
"Never." The Doctor replied, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before stepping back. "Try not to cause too much chaos."
Kari couldn't help but laugh at that. "Where you go, chaos follows, you don't need me to add more." She replied, before being completely engulfed and disappearing from where she had been standing.
"Morning, Kari." Someone whispered to her as they wrapped their arms around her waist and pulled her off the floor.
"Is it morning already? Well, doesn't time fly when you're being pulled through all of time and space?" She replied, knowing exactly who it was who was helping her to stand up, and keeping her eyes tightly shut.
"Is there a reason why you don't want to look at me?" The Doctor asked her. There was a frown on his face as he held Kari by the waist.
"Uh, I'm going to just say yes here." Kari said, scrunching her eyes closed even tighter. She knew what Doctor she was now with, but she didn't know how far along he was. She had absolutely no idea who else was in the TARDIS with him.
She heard someone else walk into the room, and waited to find out who it was. "Kari, when did you get here?"
"Hello, Martha Jones. And it was roughly a minute ago." Kari said, letting a smile stretch across her face now. "What have you guys been up to then?" She was holding her head up, determined not to open her eyes. The Doctor was still holding her by the waist, a little unsure of what was going on with her.
"Daleks, Manhattan, human Daleks. Nothing much." Martha told her casually. "Why do you have your eyes closed?" She asked, finally noticing what was going on.
Kari shrugged. "Oh, you know. No real reason. Just testing out a theory, nothing to worry about." She told her casually.
Her theory was soon tested right, as she felt the Doctor lean in closer to her. A second later, and his lips were against hers. "So, what's this theory of yours?" The Doctor asked her, finally letting her get some air to her lungs.
"Theory? What theory?" Kari said, finally opening her eyes. "Hello."
The Doctor just smiled at her. "Hi. Everything okay?"
She nodded at him. "Yup, just been for a picnic somewhere totally amazing. You're going to love it." Kari told him, not wanting to give too much of it away.
"Well then, I look forward to it." He said, before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and running off to the console, dragging her with him.
"So, Daleks in Manhattan, eh? You know, I like that much better than Angels taking Manhattan." The Doctor just gave her a very strange look. "Spoilers, my dear Doctor, spoilers."
"So, do I at least get a hug?" Martha asked, standing beside Kari with her arms folded in front of her chest. Kari just grinned at her and hugged the woman tightly, only she had to let go when she let out a small cry of pain. "What did you do to your wrist?" Martha asked her, taking a look at it.
"Oh, that." Kari said, holding her wrist close to her chest now. "Yeah, broke it a few days back. And you know how stubborn I am, wouldn't let him over there fix it the quick way."
"And are you going to let him fix it for you now?" Martha asked her, giving her a very stern look. "Because if you don't let him do it, then I will do something about it."
Medical Martha was kicking in, ready to take care of Kari's injured hand whether she liked it or not. "Doctor, Martha's bullying me." Kari called like a little kid.
"No, she's doing exactly what a medical doctor does. So who's it going to be, Martha or me?" He asked, taking a step back towards her. "The quick way, or the long way?"
"Uh, you know, it's actually fine. Not hurting at all, see?" Kari said, backing away from the pair and holding her hand up. She knew the Doctor had healed her before, when she had arrived after the incident with Van Statten. But she didn't really want him to waste even more regeneration energy on her.
Before she had a chance to do anything else, the Doctor had taken a hold of her still broken wrist, making her scream out from the pain. "Shush, it's okay. Give it a minute." He whispered to her, as she watched the golden glow form around his hands and hers. "There we go, quick and easy." He said, taking off the bandage, and kissing it before letting it go.
"Thanks." Kari mumbled, rubbing her wrist and twisting it around a little. "But that was a complete waste of regeneration energy, and you know it." She told him firmly.
"How did it happen anyway?" Martha asked her curiously.
Kari just looked at her, a grin on her face. "Handcuffs."
The Doctor's mouth dropped open, as did Martha's. "Okay, I really wish I hadn't asked." The woman said, shaking her head.
Kari couldn't help but laugh. "Not in the way you are thinking, Miss Jones. And anyway, shouldn't we be landing right about… now." She said, as there was a loud thump.
The Doctor smiled at her. "There we go. Perfect landing. Which isn't easy in such a tight spot." He said, smiling away. Kari knew it was far from a perfect landing, but she was happy enough to let the Doctor think that it was.
"You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" Martha asked, full of excitement.
"The end of the line. No place like it." The Doctor told her, before she rushed out of the doors.
"Martha is so going to kill you for this, you know that, right?" Kari whispered to him, linking her arm through his as they headed for the door.
"Home? You took me home?" Martha asked him in disbelief.
"In fact, the morning after we left. So, you've only been gone about twelve hours. No time at all, really." The Doctor told her, looking around the flat as Kari went and plonked herself down on the sofa.
"But all the stuff we've done. Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha wondered. She didn't want to believe that this was the end, that they were dropping her back off home and going to disappear forever.
"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry." The Doctor told her, picking up a pair of Martha's underwear from where it was hanging to dry. The woman was quick to snatch it off him, making Kari giggle a little. "So, back where you were, as promise."
There was a dejected look on Martha's face. "This is it?"
"Yeah, we should probably…"
"Ring ring." Kari said, cutting off the Doctor and getting their attention. A second later, Martha's phone started ringing. The Doctor just shook his head at her, while Martha just looked stunned.
"Hi. I'm out. Leave a message." Martha's voice called on the answering machine.
"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?"
"It's mum. It'll wait." Martha said, she would rather talk to the Doctor and Kari than her own mother, mainly because she didn't want them to leave her there.
"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."
Kari had already turned the television on and was sitting watching as an old man spoke on the screen. She knew this episode, and she knew it well.
"How did Tish end up on the news?" Martha wondered, as she too started to watch the report.
"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world."
"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab." Martha told them, still a little engrossed with the news.
"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human." As the report ended, Kari turned the television off, placing the remote for it back where she found it and getting up off the sofa.
"Sorry. You were saying you should…?" Martha said. Inside she was hoping that it wasn't really the end. She so badly didn't want it to be the end.
"Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what I said." The Doctor told her, taking a hold of Kari's hand as she came and stood beside him.
"Yeah. I suppose things like kind of escalated." There was a sad smile on the face of Martha Jones as she spoke, realising that it really was the end of the line.
"Mmm. Seems to happen to me a lot." The Doctor replied, wondering why Kari was keeping so quiet. It wasn't like her not to say anything, to even try to say goodbye or to convince him to take the woman along. Something just seemed wrong.
"Thank you, for everything." Martha said, looking at the couple by the wooden blue box. "Both of you."
"It was our pleasure. Time to go, Kari." The Doctor said, ready to pull her into the TARDIS with him.
Kari looked at Martha and smiled. "After the door is closed, count to thirty." She whispered, sending her a wink. Martha just looked at her as if she was crazy, before the door suddenly closed.
Kari watched as the Doctor stood at the console. "So, what great adventure waits for us now, Doctor?" She asked, still standing by the doors.
The Doctor just ran his hand through his head. "No, that wasn't right. No. It can't have been." He mumbled to himself.
"Want to double check?" Kari asked him, getting his attention. He looked up at her and nodded, before sending the TARDIS right back to where they had just left.
He charged over to the door, and Kari was ready to open them. She heard Martha say twenty nine and she quickly pulled the door open. "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?" The Doctor asked, poking his head out of the door.
"Yes, yes he did." Kari told him, pushing him out of the way so that she could get out of the TARDIS as well. "Now, are we going to stand around here chatting about it? Or are we going to get on our glad rags and do something about it?"
Martha and the Doctor both stared at her. "What, you mean gate crash the place where my sister works?" Martha asked in shock.
Kari just smiled at her. "Well, it's not gate crashing if you have psychic paper to get in, is it?"
"Oh, black tie. I am not looking forward to this." The Doctor moaned.
"Well I am. I just wish I hadn't left such a gorgeous dress with a friend of mine." Kari said, letting out a sigh.
The moment she did, the doorbell rang, taking them all by surprise. "Sorry, I'll get rid of them." Martha said, before disappearing to go and answer the door. She returned holding a dress bag, and a box. "Um, Kari, this just arrived for you." Martha said, passing them to her.
Kari looked at them before taking a hold of them. She was curious as to what it could have been, but then something was telling her she already knew. "Who was it who delivered these?" She asked, putting down the box and holding up the dress bag.
"Uh, some Welsh guy in a suit. Didn't look like a delivery guy at all really." Martha told her.
A grin just spread across Kari's face. "Oh, those guys are totally amazing." She said, her thoughts having been confirmed. Now that she knew who had delivered them, she knew what she would find inside.
"Kari, who knows you're here?" The Doctor asked her, sounding a little worried.
"Some friends of mine." She replied, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry, you'll meet them soon enough. One of them you already have."
"Spoilers?" He asked, letting out a sigh.
"Oh yes, spoilers. Now if you will excuse me, I have a phone call to make and a dress to change into. Martha, you best get ready as well. And Doctor, I believe your suit has been washed and pressed, so go get that on as well. We wouldn't want to be late." She told the pair, before stepping back into the TARDIS, taking the dress and box with her.
She charged through the corridors and straight to her room. The moment she was there, she unzipped the bag and let out a gasp. It wasn't the dress she had been expecting it to be, it was a hundred times more beautiful. It was still TARDIS blue, but there were jewels around the waistline and the back was almost non-existent.
She knew that the box would contain the matching shoes and a small shoulder bag for her as well. Kari whipped out her phone and dialled a certain special someone.
"Hey, how's my favourite Princess?" The familiar American voice of Jack Harkness asked her.
"Favourite? I thought I was your only princess?" She asked, pouting a little, not that he could see.
Jack couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you are. I don't need another princess when I have you to deal with."
"Oi!" Kari cried. "And here I was, calling to say thank you. Wishing I hadn't bothered now."
"Thank you? For what?" Jack asked, seemingly having no clue as to what the hell she was talking about.
"Oh, uh, what year are you in?" She asked him, sounding a little nervous.
"2007, and you?" He replied.
"Same, actually. Thing is, I just had a rather sexy young Welsh man in a suit come and deliver me the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen." Kari told him, looking at the dress draped on the bed beside her.
"So that's why he asked for the day off." Jack called at the other end of the line. "I was wondering about that. He never asks for time off."
Kari couldn't help but chuckle. Ianto had taken a day off work at Torchwood just to deliver a dress to her for the evening. "So you had absolutely no idea what he was up to then?" She asked.
"Not a clue. You better get me a picture of you in this new dress. It had better be worthy of you and yet not draw too much attention to you." He was definitely starting to sound like an overprotective brother now. "Only the Doctor is allowed to look at you. Got it?"
Kari couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Aye aye, Captain. Received and understood. Just don't give him a hard time. I probably told him not to tell you. Oh lovely, now I have to add that to my never ending list of things to do." She moaned.
"So, when are you going to come and visit me then? I miss you." Jack actually did sound like he missed her, but she knew that he could be seeing her soon enough after all the adventures with Martha. After all, the Doctor was going to have to go to Cardiff and refuel soon.
"Soon, Jack. I promise I will see you soon. I really should start writing down the dates of when I come and see you." She mumbled. She had only really thought about noting down the episodes, but now she knew she needed to do a lot more.
"Good. Now get that dress on and make sure you send me the picture. No going out in it unless I approve."
Kari rolled her eyes. "Overprotective much?"
"Of you, yes. Always. Make sure you call again soon, yeah?"
"Course I will, Jack. And thanks, you know, for being you." She was lucky to have him, and even more so now that she had seen her other best friend die.
"Hey, no need to thank me, Princess. I'm always here if you need me. Now go and get dressed." He ordered, before cutting the call. He knew that if he didn't she would probably just carry on chatting away. He would be doing the same, he wanted to talk to her, to catch up with everything. But Jack knew that if Ianto had been there, she was with the Doctor and doing something important. Most likely.
Kari decided to quickly jump in the shower. She knew they had enough time and she needed to tame her locks a little. Her hair was getting longer, longer than she had ever had it before. "I really need to get my hair cut." She muttered, sitting down in front of the mirror and trying to calm down the frizz. "Hmm, straight, or curly?" There was a hum from the ship. "Okay, that was easy." The decision had been made for curly.
A little while later, she was just getting on her shoes. They were TARDIS blue, to match the dress, with only a short heel. Ianto must have known that there was going to be lots of running involved, and he was going to be right.
As she picked up the shoulder bag, a white envelope fell out of it. She looked at it curiously as she read her name on the front of it. "It can wait." She said, shrugging her shoulder and putting it on her desk. "Is the Doctor ready?" A gentle hum came from the walls, and Kari started to walk toward the console room.
"Kari, are you ready yet?" The Doctor called from outside of the blue box. "We're waiting, we're going to be late."
She let out a sigh. "Yes, I know, I am coming. Keep your bow tie on." Kari had to stop herself from laughing. She wasn't with her bow tie wearing Doctor, but this one was still wearing a bow tie for the evening.
Kari pulled open the door to the TARDIS, taking a deep breath. For some reason, she was actually kind of nervous, and she had no idea why. After a quick glance, she saw that there was no one in the room and so she closed the TARDIS door.
"Kari, will you hurr…" The Doctor stopped in his tracks as he walked into the room and saw her standing there. His mouth was moving, but no words were coming out.
"Doctor, you're doing your goldfish impression." Kari told him, feeling more than just a little awkward with the way he was acting after seeing her.
"Kari, you… you… you look beautiful. Absolutely stunning." The Doctor said, composing himself again and stepping over to take her hand.
"Thank you, sir. I must say, you are looking rather dashing yourself." She told him, taking the hand that was before her. "Love the bow tie."
It wasn't long before they found themselves walking towards Lazarus Laboratories. "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens." The Doctor moaned, fiddling with the cuff of his white shirt once more.
"Oh, my dear Doctor, that is definitely not the suit. Don't blame the clothes for something that happens anyway." Kari told him, tugging his hands away from his shirt and holding it tightly.
"Well, I think it suits you." Martha announced. "In a James Bond kind of way." She said, this time with Kari saying it as well.
The Doctor seemed to perk up at that idea. "James Bond? Really?" He asked.
"Yeah, but I'd rather you were the Doctor and not Bond." Kari told him, just looking at him. "I think I prefer you the way you are. Including the bow tie." She couldn't stop herself from keep referring to the bow tie now. "Now, psychic paper at the ready?" She asked, watching as the Doctor pulled it out.
"Come on then." He said, taking the two women towards the building.
"Wait a minute." Kari called, making the Doctor stop. She pulled her hand away from the Doctor and reached up to his bow tie. She straightened it up, a huge grin on her face. "There, much better. Remember, Doctor, bow ties are cool."
He just smiled back at her, before grabbing her hand once more and pulling her with him towards he huge building. "Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles." The Doctor called, making sure to grab a few off the tray as the waitress was passing. Kari just snatched one from his hand before tossing it in her own mouth.
The Doctor placed another one in his mouth just as a young woman came over to the group. "Hello." She said, smiling and hugging Martha.
"Tish!" Martha cried, hugging her sister back tightly. Kari knew it had been a bit of a rollercoaster with the Doctor, and that she had missed her family. Martha was luck to be able to go home to them.
"You look great. So, what do you think? Impressive isn't it?" Tish asked her sister, making the group look around the room a little.
Martha just smiled back at her. "Very."
"And two nights out in a row for you. That's dangerously close to a social life." Her sister teased.
Martha decided to joke back a little with her sister. "If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns."
"You might actually." Tish told her a little more seriously. "You should keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she's coming too. Even dragging Leo along with her."
Martha looked at her sister with wide eyes. "Leo? In black tie? That I must she." Kari had noticed Tish keep looking at her and the Doctor, and she knew what was coming next. "This is, er, the Doctor and Kari." Martha said, introducing the pair.
The Doctor was quick to take Tish's hand and shake it. "Hello." He said cheerfully, a mouth still full of food.
Kari just elbowed him in the stomach a little, getting him to shut up. "I'm Kari Conner, nice to meet you, Tish." She said, holding her hand out to the woman.
"Kari Conner?" Tish questioned, making her nod her head at her. Something wasn't right, Kari just knew something was about to change. "They said you might be coming."
Kari just looked at her in confusion. "Did they? Well, isn't that… nice." She didn't really know what else to say, she hadn't expected that.
Tish then looked back at Martha. "So, is he with you?" She asked.
"Uh, no, actually, he's with me." Kari said, getting everyone's attention. "I go nowhere without my fiancé, I do hope you were informed of this." She knew she had to act all professional if she wanted to get away with this little lie she was spinning.
Tish just looked at her, a flush of embarrassment appearing on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Miss Conner."
Kari just smiled at her, knowing that it really wasn't her fault. "So, this Lazarus, he's your boss?" The Doctor finally decided to ask.
"Professor Lazarus, yes." Tish told him. "I'm part of his executive staff."
Martha basically rolled her eyes at the way her sister was trying to make herself sound important. "She's in the PR department." She said, trying to knock her sister back down.
"I'm head of the PR department, actually." Tish retorted, clearly not happy with how her sister was trying to show her up and make her seem like nothing.
The look on Martha's face was priceless, she was rather stunned. "You're joking?"
Now there was a smug look in Tish's face. "I put this whole thing together."
'So, do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" The Doctor asked, looking at the huge machine in the middle of the room. "That looks like it might be a…"
"Sonic micro-field manipulator." Kari said at the same time as him, a grin on her face. The Doctor just looked at her and smiled as well.
Tish just rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're both science geeks. I should have known." Tish said, but in a friendly manner. "Got to get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later. It was a real pleasure to meet you, Miss Conner." Tish said, before walking away from the group.
"Science geek… yup, you're definitely a science geek." Kari said, looking up at the Doctor. "You're obsessively enthusiastic about it."
"Oh, nice. And you seem to be pretty well known around here. I wonder how." The Doctor said, frowning at her a little.
"Well, I have two theories, one I don't mind, the other one, well I really don't like the prospect of that one." She told him, thinking about why her name was even on the guest list, since she didn't actually exist.
"Is that why you look so worried?" He asked her, squeezing her hand a little.
Kari thought about the second option. He knew they were there, she could remember it from the episode, and so if her name was on the guest list, he knew all about her. "Yes. And I'm not worried, I'm actually petrified." She admitted.
The Doctor could tell from the look on her face that she was deadly serious. "Kari, everything will be okay, I promise you." He told her, deciding that she needed a hug and so wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"Oh, I know that. But a year is a long time, and a lot can happen. A lot can change." She said, without really thinking about it.
"What do you mean?" He asked, frowning down at her.
"Spoilers." She said, before their attention was turned to Martha as she called to her mother.
"All right, what's the occasion?" Francine Jones, mother to Martha, Tish and Leo said as her daughter hugged her rather tightly.
"What do you mean?" Martha asked as she finally let her mother go. "I'm just pleased to see you, that's all." She said, not really making it sound very convincing.
Francine frowned at her daughter. "You saw me last night."
"I know. I just miss you." She said, before turning her attention to her brother. "You're looking good, Leo."
Kari and the Doctor were both stood there in silence. While Kari was quite happy to keep quiet, she knew the Doctor would soon put his foot in it, he always did.
"Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch them a drink, I'll swing for them." Leo said, making Kari giggle just a little.
Francine looked at her daughter, a serious look now etched on her face. "You disappeared last night." And there was the concern, flooding through her voice.
"I just want home."
"On your own?" Her mother asked, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor and Kari.
Martha looked at the pair, before turning back to her mother. "These are friends of mine. The Doctor and Kari."
"Doctor what?" Francine asked, clearly not impressed with the Time Lord that was holding onto Kari's hand tightly.
"No, it's just the Doctor." Martha told her. "We've been doing some work together."
Leo just smiled at the Doctor and Kari. "You all right, mate?" He said, shaking the Doctor's hand, before also shaking Kari's.
The Doctor reached over to shake the hand of Martha's mother as well. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you." He said, making Kari want to just hit him.
"Have you? What have you heard, then?" Francine asked, shaking the Doctor's hand an giving him a very firm look. Kari knew this was not going to end well.
It seemed that the Doctor had realised he had dug himself into a hole. "Oh, you know. That you're Martha's mother and… er, no. Actually, that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat. You know, been busy."
"You can shut up now." Kari whispered to him, leaning closer to him a little.
"Busy? Doing what, exactly?" Mrs was definitely not happy, and certainly not impressed.
"Oh, you know. Stuff." The Doctor managed to say, before Kari elbowed him and glared at him. She had warned him, she had told him to shut up, but he just couldn't listen to her.
Before anything else could be said, an elderly man tapped the side of a glass, gaining everyones attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle." He announced. "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 which will be changed forever."
The moment he finished speaking, he walked calmly over to the large machine, before stepping inside of it. Kari was getting very nervous, and she started fiddling with the ring on her finger. The two women by the machine in white lab coats started it up, and everyone looked on as the four large columns around the machine began to pulse, spinning around and around the chamber that the man had stepped into.
"Screwdriver at the ready." Kari mumbled, making the Doctor glance at her. Before he had a chance to reply, alarms started blaring throughout the room.
"Something's wrong. It's overloading." The Doctor called, noticing the sparks flying from the controls.
The Doctor charged over to the unit, sonic screwdriver in hand as he tried to do something to stop the machine. Kari knew the quicker way, and so instantly went and pulled the huge power cable out, effectively turning the machine off.
"Martha, get it open." She called, joining the Doctor before both heading over to the capsule at the centre of the machine.
Martha done as she was told and opened the doors, for a young man to come stumbling out. There was something familiar about him, and Kari knew exactly what it was. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am seventy six years old and I am reborn." He announced, with the whole room then erupting into applause.
Kari felt sick to the stomach as she thought about what was going to happen next. It wasn't good, and it wasn't something she was looking forward to. "Hey, you okay?" The Doctor asked her, noticing the way she was acting. He knew her so well, he knew when something was bothering her.
"Oh, I really am not looking forward to this." She mumbled, as the Doctor tightened his grip on her hand a little.
The Doctor just gave her a small smile. "Spoilers?" She nodded at him. She really was grateful for the small heels that Ianto had picked out for her, she was never going to be able to run in anything higher than those. And soon, she knew, they would be running for their lives.
"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." Martha said a little while later, as they watched the young, old man having his picture taken by several photographers.
Kari let out a sigh. "Martha, if that had been a trick, we wouldn't still be here, trust me."
Martha could only look at her. "What just happened then?"
"He just changed what it means to be human." Kari told her, a grim expression on her face. "I think we need to have a chat with the professor, don't you?" She said, leading the group over to the man, who was scoffing down the nibbles.
"Richard!" The elderly woman who was with him called, disgusted by his current behaviour.
He didn't even bother to look at her as he shoved a few more into his mouth. "I'm famished."
"Energy deficit." Kari and the Doctor said at the same time.
"Always happens with this kind of process." The Doctor finished, his face looking just as grim as Kari's was.
"You speak as if you see this everyday, Mister…?" Professor Lazarus was waiting for the Doctor to fill in the blank for him.
"Doctor. And well, no, not everyday, but I have some experience of this kind of transformation." The Doctor told him, noticing the way the man kept looking at Kari. It was making her feel uncomfortable, which made the Doctor feel uncomfortable.
Professor Lazarus laughed a little. "That's not possible."
"Using hypersonic sound wave to create a state of resonance." Kari said with the Doctor.
The Doctor just smiled at her. "That's inspired."
The professor looked slightly impressed with the pair now. "You understand the theory, then."
"Enough to know that you couldn't possible have allowed for all the variable." The Doctor told him, tightening his grip on Kari's hand. She gave his a little squeeze, reassuring him that she was okay.
Professor Lazarus just shrugged at the trio before him. "No experiment is entirely without risk."
"You know, that thing nearly exploded." Kari told him, doing her best to stay calm. "You might as well have stepped into the blender."
"You're not qualified to comment." Lady Thaw, the older woman spat. Clearly she was not impressed with outsides commenting on their work.
"If we hadn't have stopped that thing, it would have exploded. And I think you'll find that I am qualified to comment, Lady Thaw." Kari said, not letting herself be intimidated by the woman. "Kari Conner, I believe you were expecting me."
The woman's eyes widened and a smile crept onto the face of Professor Lazarus. "Miss Conner, it is a pleasure to meet you. Mr Saxon speaks highly of you." Professor Lazarus said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
Now Kari was seriously freaked out. It would appear that her second theory was going to be the right one, if Saxon knew who she was and had been talking about her. That was now the next adventure that she was definitely not looking forward to.
She forced herself to smile. "Well, I'm sure a lot of it is over exaggerated." Kari said. "Now, back to the machine that you are so proud of."
"A simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less." The professor told them, his eyes still trained on Kari.
Martha decided to jump in now, and put her own view in. "You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests." She told him, worried about it all herself as well.
"Look at me." Lazarus said, gesturing to his new, younger body. "You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."
"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." Lady Thaw told them smugly.
"Commercially?" Martha asked, completely outraged at the suggestion. "You are joking. That'll cause chaos."
"Not chaos, change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve." Professor Lazarus said, very confidently.
Now the Doctor was getting even more agitated as well. He had been trying to keep his cool, but he really was struggling now. "This isn't about improving. This is about you and your customers living a little longer."
"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely." The man corrected.
"Richard, we have things to discuss, upstairs." Lady Thaw said, wanting to get away from the group and talking to the man in private.
"Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." He said, shaking the Doctor's hand. "Miss Conner, you really are a beautiful as the rumours say." He said, before walking off with Lady Thaw.
Once they were gone, Kari let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, this is bad, this is very, very bad." She mumbled, looking at the back of her hand where the creepy man had decided to kiss her. She wanted to go and wash it, but she knew they needed it.
"Kari, are you okay?" The Doctor asked her, the concern in his voice showing.
"Uh, yeah. I'm good. So, what do you suggest we do now then, Doctor? Considering that man is totally out of his depth."
"Now? Well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests." He said, a small smile on his face.
"Well, good job is didn't wipe my hand the moment that he kissed it then really, isn't it?" Kari asked him, showing him the back of her hand. "We have our DNA."
"Oh, Kari you are brilliant. Did I ever tell you that?" The Doctor asked, beaming away at her now.
She shrugged her shoulders at him. "Not brilliant, just lucky this time. Now, come on. We need to hurry this along." She said, dragging him and Martha over to the elevators. She knew where they were heading, and she wanted to get a move on.
A/N: Sorry if there are a few spelling or grammar mistakes that I have missed. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed, you guys are awesome. And to those of you who had reviewed, you totally rock.
If you didn't pick up on it, the poll results for the separate story for the old Doctor's was revealed. I'll let you have another look and tell you all next time.
As always, thank you all so much for reading this story, and I'm glad so many of you like it. so remember to review, because they really do make me smile.
Pippa.