A/N: Your support really warms my heart. I got such a great response from the last chapter! As promised, a whole new episode for you! This one was exciting to write, and I hope you are happy with the result. I have started with "42", which is one that left me breathless when I watched, so I hope I can do it justice. So, I'll let you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to leave that oh so important review!
Season Three: "The Lazarus Experiment"
The city of Hybraxin on Ralpish Foon was known for it's hospitality, and for their deserts. So a certain time traveling trio had decided that was the perfect place to stop before their next desination. But then Martha told Rose that the cake they were eating would be amazing to have at her wedding, and the whole of the party planning district descended en masse to help her decide every detail that moment.
She wouldn't have minded, if she'd have had even a moment to think about the wedding itself since the day she'd said yes. Fighting for your life against forces that want to kill you tends to be a bit distracting in that way.
Martha and the Doctor were no help, as they had decided laughing was the foremost activity of the day, and Rose had to resort to bursting into tears to get the planners to take enough of a step back for her to run for it.
As she ran by the traitors, Rose pointed at the Doctor and shouted, "He's the groom, and he's not picked anyone to stand with him!"
The laughter died on his lips as he scrambled over Martha to flee from the horde that turned on him in that instant.
His longer legs overtook her quickly, and he snatched her hand as they sprinted for the safety of the TARDIS. Once inside, the Doctor grinned at her.
"How do you end up being mobbed and chased while on Ralpish Foon?" he asked. "The populace don't even have weapons!"
She hit him in the arm. "Right! Like it's all my fault! You took me to a wedding planning hell while I'm engaged!"
He pulled her closer. "I like you being engaged, thanks very much," he grinned.
She cuddled to him. "I would much prefer being married," she returned, winking.
Whatever he had been going to say to that was lost as Martha opened the door, still laughing.
"You two looked so silly!"
"Did not!" they both protested, then looked at each other and laughed.
Rose stood on her toes and kissed the Doctor before heading out of the room.
"I'll be right back, don't talk about me!"
The Doctor headed to the console, still smiling as he began to set their next destination.
"So tell me Martha, do you miss your family?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue.
The truth was, he and Rose had been talking about taking Martha to visit her family and letting her decide if she was done traveling. Rose still missed her mother, and didn't want Martha to feel she couldn't go home if she wanted. It wasn't as hard to give Martha the chance to say goodbye as it had been to lose a companion in the past. Perhaps because of a certain blonde nutter who insisted on loving him. And who had moved into his room.
Well… it was more that the TARDIS had made their two rooms into one, whether they liked it or not. She was funny like that…
"I guess I do sometimes," their companion said, after a few minutes of thought. "I mean, I'd like to stop in and say hi, you know?"
He nodded, grinning a bit when Rose returned, eating a danish.
"If I ate like you, I'd be a blimp," Martha poked fun at her friend with a laugh.
Rose just grinned and took a big bite. "I'm mutating still," she joked once she'd chewed and swallowed the bite. "You never know, I might become twins or something." She held up her snack, offering the Doctor a bite, which he took gladly.
The medical student laughed. "Lucky Doctor then."
She laughed even harder at the blush that appeared on both their faces.
Soon enough they were arriving at their destination.
"There we go," the Doctor said. "Perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot."
Martha shook her head. "You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?"
"The end of the line," he said ominously.
The medical student rushed towards the doors, but paused before opening them. Rose was staring at something on the console intently.
"No place like it," the Doctor said softly.
Martha looked at him, questioning if she should open the doors now. He nodded and she hurried outside only to be disappointed in the destination.
"Home. You took me home?"
He followed her slowly, "In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really."
The Doctor began looking about at her photos.
"But all the stuff we've done—Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" she asked, not quite believing it.
"Yep, all in one night—relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was—books, CDs," he reached out and picked up underwear drying on a rack, "laundry."
Martha snagged the offending lingerie from his fingertips, glancing to the TARDIS for Rose.
"So, back where you were, as promised."
"This is it?" she asked, suddenly feeling as though she'd done something wrong.
The Doctor could understand why it was so hard for Rose. This was her first companion. He took a deep breath. "Yeah, I should probably…um…"
Martha's phone rang and the answering machine picked up. The woman ignored it completely as she tried to apologize for whatever she had done. "I'm sorry."
The voice of her mother could be heard. "Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?"
"It's Mum. It'll wait," she said, shaking her head miserably.
Rose came to the door of the TARDIS, looking absolutely heartbroken.
Martha's mother continued. "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."
Curious, Martha picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. A scientist was speaking, "The details are top secret—"
"How could Tish end up on the news?"
On the TV screen was Lazarus-who looked to be in his late 70s—holding a press conference. Martha's younger sister was standing behind him.
"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device…"
Martha kept talking so she didn't have to say goodbye yet. "She's got a new job. PR for some research lab."
"…with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human."
Martha switched off the TV. "Sorry. You were saying we should-?"
"Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said," the Doctor said awkwardly.
Rose didn't say anything, as she was staring at the TV that was off again.
"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of…escalated."
"Mmm. Seems to happen to me a lot."
Rose looked between them, then back at the TV.
"Thank you. For everything," Martha said sincerely.
"It was our pleasure," he told her just as sincerely, wrapping an arm around Rose and leading her back into the TARDIS. He followed her in leaving Martha standing beside it looking near to tears. She took a deep breath and backed away as the TARDIS dematerialised. When it was gone, she looked almost lost.
A moment later, she heard the TARDIS again and turned to see it rematerialise. The door opened and Rose pushed the Doctor out, following him with her arms crossed.
Glancing at his fiancee, he asked, "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"
It didn't take long for them to decide to attend after that. Rose couldn't believe he'd missed it in the first place. She and Martha had retreated to the wardrobe to find something to wear, and he stood in the doorway with a cup of tea watching them dig through the racks.
"Women take such a very long time to get ready for a function," he noted. "Rose, have we ever been to a formal affair?"
"Not one I was dressed appropriately for," she laughed, making a face at a lime green gown.
"Right, well, that's not my fault. You used to distract me something awful," he said.
Martha snickered.
"Are you saying you're no longer distracted by me?" Rose taunted.
"What?" he spluttered. "I definitely did not say that."
Rose sniffed. "Just for that, you can wait for us out there."
"Oh... now Rose..." he said pleadingly. "Are you really upset with me?"
"No," she grinned, tongue in teeth in a way that set him on edge. "But I do want to surprise you, so out."
Hours later, he had dressed in his tux, and paced the control room, waiting for the two women to emerge. Martha came out first in a wine colored halter dress that was very flattering in shape and color.
"Miss Jones, you are lovely," he praised her with a flourid bow.
"Thank you, Doctor," she grinned. "And you look very nice as well."
"Do I? I hate dressing up."
She laughed. "I'm just grateful for these shoes that Rose gave me. Heels as comfortable as slippers! They refresh your feet with each step!"
He glanced down. "Ah yes, from the 32nd century. Wonderful technology then for footwear."
"Not to mention they're adorable shoes," Rose said, walking into the room. She was wearing a pale pink silk gown, knee length with cap sleeves and a modest square neck line. Her hair was curled into ringlets that were gathered on the back of her head and trailed down, with a few to frame her face.
Pink and yellow. His beautiful Rose. The Doctor moved to her and drew her in for a deep kiss that left her rather breathless. "We really should attend more formal events, if this is how you're going to look," he told her in a husky tone that caused her to blush and her eyes to sparkle.
He might have forgotten the event altogether had Martha not cleared her throat just then. Soon though, the Doctor, Rose, and Martha were walking down the street. The Doctor was fussing with the cuffs of his dress shirt, until Rose batted at his hands.
"Leave them, you look nice."
"Oh, black tie," he groaned. "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."
"I'm sure it's not the outfit, that's just you. Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way," Martha said.
He snorted. "James Bond? Really?"
"Yes, love, you're mysterious and sexy," Rose assured him. "But if any woman lays a hand on you, dress or no, I'll drag her into the street and jump on her head in my adorable shoes, yeah?"
Martha chuckled as they approached the impressive entrance to Lazarus Laboratories.
Inside the main reception room, guests were mingling. Dominating the room was a large white round cabinet surrounded by four pillars with a slight curve at the top. The Doctor took some hors d'oeuvres from a passing tray.
"Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!"
The Doctor tossed one whole into his mouth as Rose laughed at him. Tish joined them, smiling.
"Hello," Martha's sister greeted them.
"Tish!" the medical student grinned, hugging her sister.
The younger woman grinned. "You look great. So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"
"Very," Martha admitted.
And two nights out in a row for you—that's dangerously close to a social life," Tish teased.
Martha laughed. "If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns."
Her sister gave her an appraising look, "You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum—she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her."
"Leo in black tie? That I must see," the recent traveler grinned.
Tish glanced at the Doctor, missing Rose for the moment.
Martha shifted, "This is, uh, the Doctor, and Rose Tyler."
"Hello," the Doctor greeted her cheerfully, shaking her hand.
Rose smiled.
"Are they with you?"
"Yeah," Martha shrugged.
"But they're not on the list. How did they get in?" Tish asked suspiciously.
"So, this Lazarus bloke," the Doctor interrupted. "He's your boss?"
The woman raised her chin slightly. "Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff."
"She's in the PR department," Martha said.
Tish smirked. "I'm head of the PR department, actually."
Martha gaped at her, thinking that was an awfully quick rise. "You're joking."
"I put this whole thing together," she said with a fair amount of airs.
The Doctor nodded absently, "So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator."
Rose knew when the 'big words' came into play, something was bound to go wrong.
Tish simply rolled her eyes. "He's a science geek. I should've known. Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later." She moved on to greet more people.
"Science geek? What does that mean?" he looked at Rose questioningly.
She gave his hand a squeeze. "That your obsessively enthusiastic about it."
He grinned. "Oh, nice."
Martha couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out, and Rose joined her in mirth. The Doctor looked between them, confused, but that only increased their laughter.
While they were laughing, Martha's mum and brother entered. Not seeing them, Rose excused herself to uses the loo, and the Doctor nodded, beginning to poke fun at Martha for not going with her.
"Don't you women travel in pairs to..."
"Doctor!," she giggled. "Would you stop! I mean really!"
"Martha."
At the sound of her mother's voice, Martha turned and looked at her mother as if she hadn't seen her in years.
"Mum!" she cried, giving her mother a big hug.
Surprised, Francine hugged her in return. "Oh. All right, what's the occasion?"
Self conscious that for her family it had only been a day, Martha pulled back. "What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."
"You saw me last night," the older woman pointed out.
"I know. I just…miss you. You're looking good, Leo," Martha ribbed her brother.
He grinned. "Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him."
Francine noticed the Doctor standing a bit behind Martha and gave him a disapproving look. For his part, the Doctor was completely baffled why she would disapprove of him.
"You disappeared last night," she admonished her daughter.
"I...just went home," Martha explained weakly.
"On your own?" her mother asked, giving him a pointed look.
Martha groaned. "This is a friend of mine, the Doctor."
"Doctor what?"
"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together," Martha wished Rose would come back, her presence would make this much smoother.
Leo shook the Doctor's hand.
"Yeah, all right," he grinned, thinking the introductions were going fine. He shook Francine' hand also. "Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you."
"Have you?" she asked archly. "What have you heard, then?"
"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and…um… No, actually, that's…that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy," he said, cheerfully missing the way that had to sound.
The mother blinked. "Busy? Doing what, exactly?"
"Oh…you know…stuff."
Whatever she would have said was cut off by her son's low whistle. "Hello, who's this then?"
While he missed the disapproving tones from Martha's mother, he picked up on the appreciative tones of her brother and looked to see the cause. Rose was returning, and he brightened. When she joined them, he put an arm around her, a bit possessively, to be honest.
Rose glanced at the Doctor, then noticed the look on Leo Jones' face and almost laughed. She smiled charmingly at Francine.
"Hello there."
Martha shot her friend a grateful look. "Mum, this is the Doctor's fiancee, Rose Tyler."
Rose shook both their hands, delicately pulling away when Leo would have kissed it.
"You've been working with my daughter also?" Francine asked, eyes narrowed.
That was all it took for Rose to realize her beloved Doctor had already stuck his foot in it and not even noticed. "Oh yes, she's been an absolute dream. I knew from the moment we met her at the hospital she would be invaluable to work with and I was right."
Martha grinned at her, catching her blonde friend's wink. "We have been matched well, haven't we?"
"Rose, have you seen this machine?" the Doctor asked, having been distracted by his curiosity.
Their conversation was cut short, as there was a tapping on glass, a signal that an announcement was about to be made. The man from TV, Lazarus, stood behind a podium and addressed the assemblage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm 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'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."
Lazarus entered the cabinet. Two female technicians started the machinery from a bank of instruments behind the cabinet.
"You notice how all his employees seem to be vibrant young women," Rose murmured to Martha. "Bet he's a dirty old man."
There was a high-pitched whir and a bright blue light as the four pillars began to spin individually, creating an energy field. They then began to rotate around the cabinet, going faster and faster. A warning klaxon went off.
"Something's wrong. It's overloading," the Doctor said, pulling Rose slightly behind him.
The technicians tried to stop it, but some of the panels exploded, sending off sparks. As the crowd screamed slightly, the Doctor jumped over the low desk and aimed his sonic screwdriver at the controls.
An older woman shouted, "Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!"
"If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" he snapped at her. Rose moved nearer.
"He's helping, you cross old bitty, so shut it, yeah?"
The Doctor pulled one of the main wires that connected to the cabinet and it slowly stops spinning. Martha and Rose ran to the door and the Doctor hurried to join them, crying, "Get it open!"
They wrenched open the door and watched as, through the smoke, Lazarus emerged looking 40 years younger. Photographers snapped away as the three of them looked on amazed. Lazarus touched his face, realizing it worked. He stepped completely out and stood before his machine, arms outstretched.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!"
People were talking and taking the opportunity to have their photograph taken with Lazarus. Completely ignoring the man, Rose and Martha watched as the Doctor studied the machine.
Martha was floored, "It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick."
"Oh, it's not a trick," the Doctor said quietly. "I wish it were."
"What just happened, then?" the medical student asked.
"He just changed what it means to be human," he answered cryptically.
Martha looked to Rose and was completely unnerved by the look of half disguised horror in her eyes. If brave, headstrong Rose was scared, this really was bad.
Not far away, the elderly woman who had shouted walked over to where Lazarus was speaking with some guests.
"Excuse me. That was the most astonishing thing I've ever seen. Look at you!"
He grinned at her. "This is only the beginning, Lady Thaw. We're not just making history; we're shaping the future, too."
"Think of the money we'll make. People will sell their souls to be transformed like that. And I'll be first in line," the woman said greedily.
Lazarus cracked his neck as if experiencing pain and gasped. A waiter came by with a tray of hors d'oeuvres and Lazarus took the whole thing, shovelling one after another into his mouth. Lady Thaw watched, aghast.
"Richard!" the genteel woman gasped.
"I'm famished," he explained simply.
The Doctor, Rose and Martha walked up behind them.
"Energy deficit," the Doctor nodded. "Always happens with this kind of process."
Lazarus shot him a quelling look that a lesser man might have cowed to. "You speak as if you see this every day, Mr—"
"Doctor," he corrected smoothly. "And, well, no, not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation."
"That's not possible," the professor denied.
"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's—that's inspired," he nodded.
"You understand the theory, then," the newly young man nodded.
"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables," the Doctor said grimly.
Lazarus scoffed, "No experiment is entirely without risk."
The Doctor pointed at him, "That thing nearly exploded. You might as well have stepped into a blender."
"You're not qualified to comment," Lady Thaw sniffed imperiously.
"If he hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded," Rose put in, daring the older woman to give her a reason to start a fight. The Doctor put a hand on her arm with an amused smile.
The Professor gave a ghost of a smile. "Then I thank you, Doctor. But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."
Martha gaped. "You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests."
Lazarus laughed. "Look at me! 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 assured them.
"Commercially?!" Rose exclaimed. "You're nuts you are. That'll cause chaos."
"Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve," the professor said enthusiastically.
The Doctor snarled, "This isn't about improving. It's about you and your customers living a little longer."
"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely," the professor smiled.
Lady Thaw sniffed disdainfully. "Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs." She walked away and Lazarus moved to follow her.
The Professor stopped. "Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." He reached out and took Rose's hand, kissing the back of it before leaving.
Rose made a face.
"Ooh, he's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done," the Doctor said, shaking his head.
Martha sighed. "So what do we do now?"
"Now…well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests," he grinned.
Martha reached out and grabbed Rose's hand. "Lucky we've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?"
Rose sighed. "At least some good came of it. That man is creepy."
The Doctor kissed her forehead. "Then you won't be running off for him then?"
"Oh, Doctor," Rose sighed. "That's just... gross."
They laughed and headed off. Soon, they were in a lab looking at the results of the DNA test on a computer screen. Rose was washing her hand before moving closer.
"Amazing," the Doctor whispered.
"What?" Martha asked.
"Lazarus's DNA."
Rose looked over his shoulder. "I can't see anything different."
"Look at it!" The image on the screen flickered.
Martha gasped. "Oh, my God! Did that just change? But it can't have!"
"But it did."
She shook her head at him. "It's impossible."
Rose snickered. "Like it's impossible for mine to have changed?"
"That's different," the medical student argued. "Yours has always been like that."
"Actually, it's just been over a year," the Doctor said. "Rose merged with the Time Vortex and instead of killing her, the TARDIS decided to help her out and has slowly been changing her instead."
Martha shook her head. "You merged yourself with something that might have killed you? Why would you chance that?"
The blonde nodded at her fiancee. "He sent me away, and he was going to die. I couldn't just sit there and let him, now could I?"
Her friend smiled. "I suppose not. But, still... everything about Lazarus' DNA should be impossible."
The Doctor grinned, "So that's two impossible things we've seen tonight. Don't you love it when that happens?"
"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns," the medical student said.
"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate," he nodded.
Rose watched the screen. "But they're still mutating now, and unlike mine, it's all over the place."
"'Cause he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him."
Martha's question was quiet. "Change him into what?"
He shook his head. "I dunno but I think we need to find out."
"That woman said they were going upstairs," Rose said.
The Doctor stood and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"
They leave the lab, hurrying away to find the Professor and try to help him. Soon the three of them had moved into Lazarus's office. The Doctor turned on the lights.
"This is his office, all right," Martha said, looking around.
"So, where is he?" the Doctor wondered.
"Dunno," Rose said, getting an eerie feeling from the room. "Let's try back at the re…ception."
Following her suddenly horrified gaze, they saw, sticking out from behind the desk, a pair of skeletal bones—wearing high heels. They rushed over to see the desiccated remains of a woman.
"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha whispered roughly.
"Used to be. Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange."
"Doctor... please don't..." his fiancee said weakly.
The medical student spat. "Lazarus."
He nodded. "Could be."
"So he's changed already?" the medical student asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough."
"So he might do this again?" Rose asked, angry at the unneccessary loss of life.
At his nod, they left the office, determined to stop him.
They arrived back at the reception looking around for the professor.
"I can't see him," Martha frowned.
"He can't be far. Keep looking," the Doctor told her, walking on.
Her brother approached, putting his hand on her arm. "Hey, you all right, Marth? I think Mum wants to talk to you."
"Have you see Lazarus anywhere?" she asked.
Leo nodded, "Yeah. He was getting' cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."
Rose and the Doctor joined them moments before Francine came to speak to her daughter.
Martha gasped. "With Tish?!"
Her mother appraised the man she had decided not to trust. "Ah, Doctor."
The man in question ignored her, looking intently at Leo. "Where did they go?"
"Upstairs I think, why?" was the confused answer.
"Doctor— " Francine tried again, trying to block his path.
The Doctor rushed past, dragging Rose after him, spilling Francine's drink.
Francine snapped, "I'm speaking to you!"
Martha was about to follow the pair, stopping a moment to talk to her mother. "Not now, Mum!"
The Doctor and Rose arrived back at Lazarus's office, Martha a half moment behind them.
"Where are they?" Rose asked, looking around.
The Doctor took out the sonic screwdriver. "Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up."
He held the sonic screwdriver out at arm's length and slowly turned in a circle. Its beeping increased.
"Got him."
Martha turned to him, "Where?"
The Doctor ended up pointing the sonic screwdriver at the ceiling.
"But this is the top floor! The roof!" she cried, rushing off in her worry for her sister.
The other two were behind her as she ran. They got to the roof as Lazarus caressed Tish's cheek.
The woman asked in a slightly breathless voice, "And is it like you expected?"
He smiled, leaning toward her. "I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect. There's always something to surprise you. 'Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act—'"
"…falls the shadow'," the Doctor finished the quote, feeling that someone should interrupt.
Lazarus turned to see the people standing at the roof access. "So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed."
Tish turned also, frowning. "Martha, what are you doing here?"
"Tish, get away from him," her sister said, fear making her words harsher than she intended.
Naturally, the younger woman balked. "What? Don't tell me what to do."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all."
The professor smirked. "You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?"
"Doesn't work like that. Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that mattes; it's the person," the Doctor reprimanded him, glancing at Rose with a smile. Still so young, but he knew she'd done more with her life to help others than this man had even considered.
"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be," Lazarus argued, making a face as his unstable genes twitched.
"Or what a curse. Look at what you've done to yourself," the Doctor growled.
"Who are you to judge me?" the man said, tipping his head as he fought the fluctuation.
Martha beckoned her sister closer. "Over here, Tish."
Tish stalked over to Martha. "You have to spoil everything, don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to go and find fault."
Lazarus was having another attack, jerking and pulling .
"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha tried to explain.
The woman shrugged, dismissing her sister's concerns. "I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones."
At the sound of growling, Tish slowly turned and saw the monster for the first time. It looked a cross between and human skeleton and a scorpion, its skin stretched tight over sinew and bone, mouth opening both vertically and horizontally as it leaned forward and inhaled hungrily.
"Such… energy…" it hissed.
The Doctor jerked back, following Lazarus' eyes to a whole new target. One with more energy in their system than an ordinary human being. Cold dread pooled in his stomach as he grabbed the hand that fit perfectly in his. "Run!"
They raced inside and the Doctor sealed the lock with the sonic screwdriver. Martha pressed the call button for the lift.
"Are you okay, sis?"
"I was gonna snog him!"
Lazarus banged on the door, alerting the building's automatic security. Sirens began to go off and a computerised warning came over the PA. "Security breach. Security breach. Security beach."
"What's happening?" Rose shouted over the sound.
"Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits," Tish explained, staring back at the door in terror.
The Doctor growled, "He must be breaking through that door. The stairs, come on! I have to get you out of here."
As they ran down the stairs, they heard the door crash open.
"He's inside!" Martha screamed.
The Doctor tightened his grip on Rose. "Haven't got much time, then!"
They hit the bottom of the stairs and burst back into the reception, and the Doctor snapped at the PR woman, "Tish! Is there another way out of here?"
"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now," she answered.
The Doctor tossed the sonic screwdriver to Rose, hoping to distract her so she didn't realize he was getting her as far from Lazarus as he could. "Love, setting 54. Hurry."
She nodded, rushing off followed by the Jones sisters. The Doctor jumped on the platform in front of Lazarus's machine, addressing the crowd, "Listen to me! Your people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!"
One woman snapped, "Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive."
Suddenly, glass shattered and Lazarus appeared on the landing above before leaping down to the reception floor. Rose and Martha rushed to open the door as everyone ran for the exits. Tish tried to direct them toward the side.
Leo pushed his mother out of the way. "Mum, get back!"
He was struck in the head by a table the monster sent flying, collapsing on the floor.
"Leo!" Francine shouted.
Rose managed to open the door and Martha began shouting, "Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!"
Lazarus closed in on the woman who wouldn't believe the Doctor and she just stood there, staring at the creature.
"No!" cried the Doctor. "Get away from her!"
The woman screamed as Lazarus snatched her up and opened that huge mouth, settling it over her face as he sucked her dry and then letting her shell fall to the floor. Francine hovered over Leo who was slowly coming to as Lazarus approached.
The Doctor was just behind the monster. "Lazarus! Leave them alone!"
Rose, seeing his path, left Martha with her sister and ran to help her mother and brother.
Francine gasped, "You!"
"C'mon, stay with us," Rose smacked his cheeks a few times. "Francine, help me move your son."
They picked him up together, and ran to safety, while the Doctor taunted the mutated man to distract him.
"What's the point if you can't control it? The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy Nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!"
He ran away from the reception hall and up through the hallways, Lazarus following.
Out of harm's way for the moment, Martha was examining Leo.
"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asked, glancing back at the door anxiously.
"He's trying to buy us some time. Let's not waste it," Rose answered, trying not to think of him in there alone.
"Leo, look at me. Let me see your eyes," Martha said before turning to her mother. "He's got a concussion. You'll need to help him downstairs." Martha moved to an ice bucket and put some ice in a napkin, which she then gave to Francine. "This'll keep the swelling down. Go! I'll be right behind you! Tish, move! We need to get out of here! Rose, is anyone left in the room?"
"No, we're the last. Move, Jones family!"
The Doctor ran into a service hall filled with all sorts of pipes. He crept through quietly, aware that Lazarus was not far behind him.
The hissing voice called to him. "It's no good, Doctor. You can't stop me. You'll only fail, and then who will stand between me and your lovely blonde friend?"
Gritting his teeth, the Doctor asked, "Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?"
Lazarus laughed. "The arrogance is yours. You can't stand in the way of progress."
"You call feeding on innocent people progress? You're delusional!"
The creature slammed one of its huge claw like appendages into the pipes, close to the Doctor. "It is a necessary sacrifice."
"That's not your decision to make," he shouted, ducking further away.
The partygoers were running down the stairs to the main entrance but the doors were locked. Panic was setting in.
"We can't get out! We're trapped!" Tish screamed with the rest.
"There must be an override switch. Where's the security desk? Tish!" Rose shouted, shaking her slightly.
"Right there," she pointed.
Rose and Martha ran to the desk and slid over the top, checking the panel layout. Martha found the right area and pointed, and Rose used the sonic screwdriver. The power came back on, the doors bursting open as everyone escaped.
With the power back on, the lights returned in the service hall and the Doctor was no longer hidden as he once was.
The sick grin on the monster's face as he hung from the ceiling turned the Doctor's stomach as Lazarus hissed, "Peek-a-boo."
"Oh, hello," the Time Lord said. "And goodbye."
He ran at full speed from the room.
Getting the last people out, Rose ran to her friend. "Martha, I've got to go back."
The medical student nodded. "I know. I'm going with you."
Francine grabbed her daughter's arm. "You can't! You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you."
"I don't care. I have to go," Martha insisted, pulling away.
Her mother gaped at her. "It's that Doctor, isn't it? That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed."
Rose shook her head. Why did everyone assume Martha wanted her fiancée?
"Mum! I'm not chasing after the Doctor! He's engaged to my very good friend, here. And I wouldn't leave anyone to face that monster alone."
Her sister put a hand on her arm. "He was buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too."
Rose sighed. "Martha, I'm sorry… I have to go to him."
As she ran into the building, her friend groaned and looked at her family. "I'm not leaving them."
"Martha!" Francine shouted as Tish pulled her away.
The Doctor entered a lab and fiddled with the battery of a light fixture, leaving wires exposed. He then turned on all the gas jets. He ducked down when he heard Lazarus.
"More hide-and-seek, Doctor? How disappointing. Why don't you come out and face me?"
"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" the Doctor stood. "Why would I wanna face that, hmm?"
The Doctor ran from the room, flicking a switch as he left, causing the room to explode behind him. Rose heard the crash and changed direction, running into him as they reached a corner.
"What are you doing here?" he cried out, hugging his fiancée close despite his fear for her safety.
"I was just returning this, dear," she teased. "I thought you might need it."
He dropped a kiss on her nose. "How did you-?"
"I heard the explosion. Guessed it was you," she grinned.
"I blasted Lazarus," he explained.
She blinked. "Did you kill him?"
A roar behind them heralded Lazarus as he came crashing down the hall.
The Doctor looked back before taking her hand and running down the hall as fast as he could. "More sort of annoyed him, I'd say."
They ran into Martha part of the way down the hall.
"Other way, Martha!" Rose shouted. "Doctor's been making friends!"
They returned to the reception area.
Martha sighed, "What now? We've just gone 'round in a circle!"
Lazarus burst in and the Doctor headed for the device.
"We can't let him outside. Come on, get in."
Rose and Martha moved toward it, squeezing in, leaving just enough room for him.
"Are we hiding?" Martha asked, a bit awkward.
"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at Ro-us," the Doctor said, looking around the tiny capsule.
"But, sweetheart, we're trapped!" Rose pointed out. She heard his slip, but decided it would be better to discuss after they were safe.
"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem," he admitted.
"You mean you don't have a plan?" Martha cried.
"Yes," he cried, "the plan was to get inside here!"
Rose placed a hand on his chest. "Then what?"
"Well…then I'd come up with another plan," he sighed.
Martha sighed. "In your own time, then."
In the tight quarters, the Doctor had a hard time reaching into his pocket.
"Hey!" Martha shouted.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry"
Rose laughed. "I'll get it." She reached into his pocket and pulled out the screwdriver. "Here you go."
"What're you gonna do with that?" Martha asked.
"Improvise," the Doctor slid down slowly to the floor and popped open a panel.
"Oh another set of circumstances and one less person…" Rose teased. "No offense Martha."
She couldn't help but laugh, amazed at their ability to crack jokes in the face of death. "I still don't understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?"
"No, for once it's strictly human in origin," he said, using the sonic screwdriver on the wires attached to the panel.
"Human? How can it be human?" she gasped.
"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant."
"So it's a throwback," Rose clarified.
"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake," he nodded, glancing over at Rose's feet. He really thought this was an inappropriate time to find her so attractive, but she really had lovely legs. He shook himself and continued to work on the wires.
"It's like Pandora's box," Martha said to Rose.
"Exactly." He really oughtn't…
"Theta, as gorgeous as that would be any other time, focus please?" his fiancée sighed as he reached out to see if her skin was as soft as it looked.
"Sorry!" He couldn't understand why both women suddenly started laughing.
A blue light filled the capsule.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Rose asked.
"Sounds like he's switched the machine on," the Doctor scowled.
"That's not good, is it?" Martha groaned.
"Well, I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out."
The medical student fidgeted nervously. "I don't want to hurry you, but—"
"I know, I know. Nearly done."
"What're you doin'?" his fiancée asked.
"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it."
"Will that kill him?"
"When he transforms, he's three times his size—cellular triplication—so he's spreading himself thin," the Doctor tried to explain while he worked.
"We're gonna end up like him!" Martha pointed out.
"Just one more!" he said, pulling a wire and causing the energy field to change, moving out from the capsule, knocking Lazarus away. The Doctor opened the door and stepped out, the women right behind him.
"I thought we were gonna go through the blender then," Martha admitted.
H shook his head. "Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity. I must have been distracted by something."
"Yeah, your fiancee's legs," his friend teased.
They looked at Lazarus, lying in human form, naked, on the floor.
Rose frowned. "Oh God. He seems so…human again. It's kind of pitiful."
The Doctor put an arm around her. "Eliot saw that, too. 'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.'"
She smirked at him. "No, I was there. It was more a sigh of relief that I wasn't fried to a crisp."
"Our first date," he grinned.
Martha shook her head. "Come on, lovebirds."
Medical services came to take the body, carrying it out on a gurney in a bag. Martha and the couple watched from the steps. The first to see them was Tish.
"She's here. Oh, she's all right," she called out, rushing to hug Martha.
Francine and Leo rushed over as well.
"Ah, Mrs Jones, I am sorry for blowing you off…"
Francine raised a hand to slap him on the face, but Rose was between them in a flash.
"I really wouldn't try it, lady," she warned, eyes flashing angrily.
"You… you just keep away from my daughter," the woman snapped.
"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha cried.
The Doctor put his hand on his cheek, realizing how close he came to being slapped. "Mothers, every time. Why do they always want to hit me?"
Francine shot her daughter a quelling look. "He is dangerous! I've been told things."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, horrified.
Francine took Martha by the shoulders. "Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!"
"Oi!" Rose shouted. "This isn't his fault. He saved all of you from that Professor!"
Leo spoke up. "It was Tish who invited everyone to this thing in the first place. I'd say technically, it's her fault."
Tish elbowed Leo in the side. The Doctor started to speak, but there was a crash and the Doctor looked at Rose before they went running off. Martha immediately moved to follow but Francine held her back.
"Leave him," she ordered.
Martha shook her head and ran after them.
"Martha?" Tish called, taking two steps.
"Not you, too?" Francine moaned.
"Sorry," she sighed, running after them.
Tish joined up with the Doctor, Rose, and Martha as they ran down the street until they saw the ambulance, doors wide open and the medics merely husks.
"Lazarus, back from the dead. Should've known, really," the Doctor sighed. He took out the sonic screwdriver and searched for Lazarus like he did earlier.
Rose looked around. "Where's he gone?"
"That way. The church," he answered, pointing.
"Cathedral," Tish said. "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."
They headed for the cathedral. Once inside, they proceeded up the center of the sanctuary, the Doctor in front with the sonic screwdriver held out in front of him.
"Do you think he's in here?" Martha asked.
"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" the Doctor asked rhetorically.
The moved forward through the empty cathedral to the open space behind the altar and underneath the bell tower. Lazarus was sitting there gasping, a red blanket from the ambulance wrapped about him.
"I came here before," the man wheezed. "A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child…the sound of planes and bombs outside."
"The Blitz," the Doctor nodded.
He nodded. "You've read about it."
The Time Lord lifted Rose's hand slightly. "We were there."
"You're too young," Lazarus scoffed.
"So are you," the Doctor pointed out.
The man laughed but it turned to gasps of pain as he fought the mutation. "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again."
The Doctor let go of Rose's hand and walked around Lazarus slowly, looking up at the bell tower. She watched, knowing he was planning something. She shot a look at Martha who nodded and stepped closer, pulling Tish with her.
The man wheezed, "So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."
"That's what you were trying to do today," the Doctor said in an understanding tone.
"That's what I did today," Lazarus snarled.
The Doctor shook his head. "What about the other people who died?"
The man gave a gasping cry, doubling over. "They were nothing. I changed the course of history."
He gestured to the door, angry at the callous creature. "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."
Lazarus laughed harshly. "No, Doctor. Avoiding death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more…successful." He groaned in pain as his body tried to change.
"Look at yourself! You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?"
"I call it progress. I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human," Lazarus insisted.
The look of love the Doctor shot Rose even made Tish sigh. "There's no such thing as an ordinary human."
She smiled back at him, mouthing 'I love you'.
Martha nodded toward the man on the floor, whispering as the Doctor circled near them, "He's gonna change again at any minute."
He whispered back, "I know. If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've an idea that might work."
Martha looked toward the tower. "Up there?"
The Doctor nodded as Lazarus spoke again.
"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. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tried of watching everything turn to dust." He squatted next to the man. "If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you would do almost anything so you don't end up alone."
"Being alone is a price worth paying."
"No it isn't," the Doctor said sadly.
Lazarus jerked, feeling the change again. "I will feed soon."
"I'm not gonna let that happen," the Doctor assured him.
"You've not been able to stop me so far," the man snarled. "And next on the menu is that blonde you seem so protective of."
Rose saw the Doctor stiffen, and decided to step in before he did something dangerous to himself.
"You want me," she snapped. "You'll have to catch me. Hope you like dinner on the go."She turned and ran for the stairs, Martha and Tish following right behind her.
The Doctor's eyes nearly popped out. "Rose! No!"
Lazarus snarled and pushed past the stunned Doctor, chasing after her.
Rose looked at Martha and her sister. "What are you doing?"
"Keeping you out of trouble!" Tish answered with a fleeting grin.
"Doctor! The tower!" Martha shouted.
The women ran up the narrow spiral staircase that led to the upper level. Lazarus followed but stopped and began screaming.
"Did you hear that?" the younger woman gasped.
"He's changed again," Rose said, her expression determined. "We've got to lead him up."
Down below, the Doctor looked for them. "Where are they? Rose?!"
She peered out of one of the archways in the upper level. "I'm ok, Doctor!"
He sighed visibly with relief, knowing he had to let her be the same woman she always had been, even if he hated her being in danger. He trusted her. "Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, d'you hear me?!"
"Up to the top! Got it!"
"Martha…" Tish said shakily.
She saw Lazarus' shadow moving up the passage. "Uh, Rose?"
"What do I do at the top?"
Martha grabbed her, "Rose, come on!"
They ran again, just ahead of the creature.
The Doctor ran to the large pipe organ and sat on the bench. He then pulled out the sonic screwdriver. "Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired."
He jammed the screwdriver into a slot in the organ and began to pull out all the stops.
Rose, Martha, and Tish arrived at the top of the bell tower, which was a circular walkway with wooden rails.
"There's nowhere to go! We're trapped!" Tish cried, looking around in alarm.
"This is where he said to bring him," Rose said confidently.
"All right, so we're not trapped. We're bait," she corrected dismally.
"They know what they're doing," Martha soothed her sister. "We have to trust the Doctor."
"Ladies," Lazarus hissed ominously as he entered, blocking the only doorway.
Rose stepped in front of the other two, eyes flashing gold. "Stay behind me. If he takes me, make a run for it. Head down the stairs, you should have enough time."
"But—" Tish cried.
"Just do as she says, Tish!" Martha snapped.
Lazarus attacked, swinging down his tail.
Down at the organ the Doctor heard the commotion and looked up as one of the girls screamed. "I hope it's good acoustic in here. Hang on, my Rose."
The Doctor began playing the organ.
Lazarus knocked away part of the wall and Rose was hit by his tail and fell over the side, clinging to the edge.
Both Jones women screamed out, "Rose!"
With a roar of triumph, Lazarus leapt across to stand over the hanging woman.
"Hold on Rose! Get away from her! Tish, help me!" Martha yelled.
The Doctor played more frantically but it wasn't having the desired effect. He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and reset the volume of the organ. "We need to turn this up to 11."
He resumed playing.
Up in the bell tower, Tish and Martha held their heads in agony as the sound waves from the organ resonated in the tight space. Lazarus began to writhe. Martha cried out trying to hold on. Lazarus toppled over the edge and fell to the floor below.
The Doctor stopped playing and walked to the edge, looking down. Lazarus lay far below, returned to his original human form.
Rose lost her grip just as Martha and Tish both lunged forward and caught her wrists, but not before a splintered rail gouged her right arm. She screamed out in pain, the Doctor whirling to look at her.
"We've got you. Hold on," Tish said.
"Rose?!" her fiancee cried.
They pulled her back onto the walkway and Martha sobbed in relief, hugging her.
Rose hugged her back, shouting to him, "I'm okay! We're all okay!" She turned to the two women who had pulled her up. "Thanks."
"It's your Doctor you should be thanking," Tish smiled.
Martha grinned at her sister. "Told you he'd think of something."
"He cut it a bit fine there, didn't he?" the younger woman asked, standing.
Rose laughed, "He always does. It's more fun that way."
"Who are you people?" Tish asked. "Martha, what are you involved in with them?"
Martha shrugged, helping Rose stand. "He's the Doctor, and this is his Rose... who's bleeding. Oh your arm!"
The woman looked at it. "I'll make it for a while. I need to reassure him before he barges up the stairs. Come on."
The Doctor knelt by Lazarus's body, closing his eyes. He gave a sigh, always hating when a life was lost. As he heard footsteps on the stairs, he rushed to pull Rose into his arms.
"I'll get blood on you," she warned him.
He pulled her to him. "I don't care, you scared me out of a regeneration."
"I didn't know you could play," Martha said, smiling at the Doctor.
He grinned over Rose's head. "Oh, well, you know, if you hang around with Beethoven, you're bound to pick a few things up."
"Hmm, especially about playing loud."
He leaned forward like he didn't hear her, "Sorry?"
Martha laughed, while Tish just shook her head, thinking they were all insane.
Suddenly, the Doctor held Rose out and looked at her in alarm. "Wait, blood?"
Rose nodded, holding out her arm. "It wasn't bad. I figured I would just have Martha clean it up."
The almost doctor moved closer, wiping off her arm. "Wait... Rose, it's healed..."
She blinked, shaking her head. "No, it can't be." She looked close and saw that it was.
"Self repair," the Doctor smiled. "When the TARDIS takes structural damage, it can repair itself. With your connection, looks like you can also."
"So I don't age and heal quick now?" Rose laughed. "Just don't let me turn into a blue box."
He kissed her. "No fear. I quite like you this way. Just try not to die."
"I will if you will."
Several hours later, the Doctor, Rose, and Martha were standing in front of the TARDIS, once again in Martha's flat. They had all gotten cleaned up and changed, and were a bit awkward around each other. The Doctor and Rose wanted Martha to keep traveling with them, but didn't know if she'd rather stay with her family now; while Martha wanted to keep traveling with them but thought perhaps they didn't want her.
"Something else that just kind of escalated, then," the Doctor said, unable to take the silence anymore.
The medical student smiled weakly. "I can see a pattern developing. You guys should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourselves in."
"It's good fun, though, isn't it?" Rose commented, leaning against the TARDIS.
"Yeah." Martha stared at the floor.
The Doctor looked at Rose, who nodded at Martha, encouraging him to ask her. He nodded and took a breath. "So, what d'you say, one more trip?"
"No. Sorry."
"What do you mean?" Rose blurted in dismay. "I thought you liked it."
Their friend looked torn. "I do, but I can't go on like this. 'One more trip.' It's not fair."
The Doctor frowned. "What're you talking about?"
She sighed heavily, trying to think of a way to explain how she felt. "I don't want to be just a passenger anymore. Someone you take along for a treat. If that's how you still see me, well, I'd rather stay here."
Rose beamed and the Doctor nodded. "Okay, then. If that's what you want."
She slumped. They were tired of her. Well, it had been fun. "Right. But we've already said good-bye once today so it's really best if you just go."
Martha walked away from the TARDIS, keeping her back to it. When neither Rose nor the Doctor said anything, she looked over her shoulder.
"What is it?"
The Doctor shrugged. "What? I said okay."
"Sorry?"
Rose giggled and nodded toward the TARDIS. "Okay."
She stood there a moment before she realized what they meant, then it dawned on her and she flew across the flat to hug them both. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!"
"Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you?," Rose grinned. "And I would miss you terribly."
The Doctor laughed as he opened the door. "Well, ladies, where are we going next?"
"Not Ralpish Foon!" his fiancee laughed. "I'm not getting mauled again."
"Let's just pick a random star and go visit it!" Martha suggested as they entered the ship.
The Doctor smiled as he watched the two link arms. It amazed him how happy he was, since he thought he would never be happy again after the Time War. All because of his Rose. His pink and yellow girl, his whole universe in one incredible human.
Well... mostly human.
A/N: Yay! Let me know what you think! Remember, the more I hear from you, the more I want to write for you! Poll is still open for wedding details, though the ideas are beginning to solidify. Also, I'm curious as to you will all react to what I'm planning for "The Sound of Drums"/"The Last of the Time Lords", but I'm not going to give away too many secrets. Anyway! I'm off to write. Click and review! It would tickle me right down to my toes to top a hundred on this story before the end of Season Three.
