Surprise!
I had some time today and decided to update another chapter. Trying to set things up so, when Christmas rolls around, I can give you all a special Christmas chapter. Think of it as this story's version of a Doctor Who Christmas Special. ;) Speaking of Christmas Specials, I can't wait for the new episode! :D And, of course, if anyone doesn't celebrate Christmas, then think of it as a Holiday Special for you all. As a way to give thanks to you all for being amazing.
So, please, enjoy the new chapter!
XxXxXxXx
Chapter 24: The ATMOS Attack
When Wanda arrived inside of Ten's grunge control room, everything sort of rocked around, and the TARDIS made an uncertain and uneasy noise. Like she was extremely nervous about something happening. Wanda frowned, pondering over what could make the old girl so anxious. She received her answer when she saw Donna at the helm, piloting the ship. The Doctor stood tense next to the companion, watching her carefully.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Donna stated in nervous excitement as she steered the TARDIS through the Vortex.
"No. Neither can I," the Doctor muttered behind the woman. The TARDIS made a sound of alarm, making the Doctor hurriedly walk up to the companion and grab a mallet next to her. "Whoa, whoa, careful." He flipped a lever and banged on the console with the tool. Standing tensely next to Donna, he kept careful watch of the scanner as the woman began pulling on the lever. "Left hand down. Left hand down." Donna pulled the lever completely down, making the whole ship rock and the TARDIS humming anxiously again.
"Easy there," Wanda said, walking up hurriedly to make the ship grow steady again. "We don't want to put a dent in the 1980s . . . again." Both Time Lord and Donna blinked, then smiled when seeing Wanda there with them.
"Wanda!" they exclaimed together. At the same time, each gave her a delighted hug, making the blonde girl giggle happily.
"Missed you both, too," Wanda said, pulling back to grin at them. She gave a kiss on Donna's cheek and then on the Doctor's lips, patting the Time Lord on the chest as she turned to look at the scanner. "So, how are the Doctor's teaching skills holding up? He hasn't made you crash the ship yet, has he?" The Time Lord pouted as Donna laughed. Suddenly, Wanda's mobile phone from her coat pocket began to ring, making her frown curiously. "That's unusual. No, wait! I bet I know who this is!" Quickly pulling out her phone, she answered it. "Hello, my dear. How is my most favourite doctor doing?"
"Favourite doctor?" the Doctor questioned, his pout deepening now. Wanda shushed him, winking as well.
"I'm doing well," Martha laughed on the other end of the line. "I hope I'm reaching you with the right Doctor."
"Yep, Ten's here and ready. Just say the word and we'll be there in a jiffy," Wanda remarked, smiling away as she bounced to sit on the captain's chair. She noticed both Donna and the Doctor looking at her and then at each other, baffled by who Wanda was talking and what she meant.
"Good, 'cause I need to bring you two back to Earth," Martha said. Wanda smiled, almost able to hear that large smile of Martha's through the mobile.
"Let me guess: You need us to help you look into this ATMOS Industry because you're worried about something worse than just illegal aliens going on. Am I right, or am I right?" Wanda grinned, bouncing her leg on her knee merrily.
Martha laughed. "Right as always."
Wanda bounced up from the seat, going over to the console. "All righty then, be there in a jiffy." She hung up the phone, swiftly flipping levers and turning knobs on the console.
"What's going on, Wanda?" the Doctor asked her.
"Martha called. She needs our help. Big time," Wanda explained as she sent the TARDIS through the Vortex. "On a scale, I'd say this day is gonna be a . . . five. Seven at the very least."
"Well, then, better get started," the Doctor said, coming beside her to help the Time Lady pilot the ship.
"We're going to Martha?" Donna asked, her interest perking up greatly. "I'm finally going to meet brilliant Martha Jones?"
"Yep!" Wanda beamed in excitement. She always did love it when companions met. Which reminded her, she needed to convince the Doctor to let Donna meet Sarah Jane Smith some time. They all rocked on their feet as the TARDIS came to a halt, landing in 2008. Wanda quickly bounced down to the doors and went outside, smiling away when seeing Martha standing just down a ways from the ship. The old companion smiled as well, swiftly walking towards the Time Lady. They met halfway, laughing as they hugged each other in delight.
"It's been a while, Martha," Wanda said once they pulled away from their hug.
"Too long," Martha agreed. She looked the Time Lady over. "Still as tiny as ever I see."
"Oi! I'm almost as tall as you, thank you very much!" Wanda exclaimed, giving a pretend pout. She stuck out her tongue and they both giggled. They turned when hearing the Doctor walking up to them, seeing him give the old companion a bright smile.
"Martha Jones!" he laughed, hugging the shorter doctor. He stepped back, studying her. "You haven't changed a bit." Martha laughed, shaking her head in humour.
"Neither have you," she replied.
"How's the family?" questioned the Doctor, appearing concerned now as he knew how rough her family had it after that certain year they had all endured. Martha held a small, sad smile, but nodded to tell the Doctor it was okay.
"You know, not so bad. Recovering," she explained.
He nodded, staring carefully at her. "What about you?"
Just then, Donna stepped out of the TARDIS, gaining Martha's attention. She stared around the Doctor, raising a brow. Her light mood dropped somewhat. "Right. I should've known. Didn't take you two long to replace me then." She patted the Time Lord's arms with a small smile. Wanda scoffed, hitting Martha in the arm.
"Oh, shush. Don't talk like that," Wanda scolded her sternly, waving a finger at the doctor. "No one is ever replaced. We simply add more to the TARDIS family." This seemed to brighten Martha's mood as her smile gained back its happiness. Donna walked up, smiling eagerly at Martha.
"Martha, Donna. Donna, Martha," the Doctor introduced the two, waving a hand between the companions. Donna stepped forward, shaking Martha's hand merrily.
"I've heard all about you," said Donna as a warm smile appeared on her face. "They talk about you all the time."
"I dread to think," Martha joked.
"No, no, no. They say nice things, good things," Donna assured the young doctor. "Wanda likes to talk about all the times you two went missing in the markets, making the Doctor get all panicky and lost as well. Especially when really you both just turned out to be right by a chips stand." The two laughed. Even Wanda giggled as the Doctor rolled his eyes.
"It was never funny," the Doctor grumbled. Wanda elbowed him lightly in the side, winking at him.
"You just get worried too easily," she teased him. She then turned her attention onto Martha, beaming while bouncing on her feet. "So, how's everything going with Tom?" Martha grinned, holding up her hand to let them all seeing the engagement ring. Both Wanda and Martha squealed, holding their hands together as they bounced up and down. Donna laughed and clapped her hands while the Doctor blinked in astonishment.
"Congratulations," Donna said, praising the doctor on her relationship.
"You're engaged?" asked the Doctor, trying to understand "To who?"
"Tom Milligan," Martha explained to him. "He's in pediatrics. Working out in Africa right now, and yes, I know, I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places."
"Ha! You and Wanda could start a club," Donna joked. Martha laughed at this.
"Tell me about it," she agreed. Wanda laughed as well, glancing at the Doctor as he continued to stare up towards the sky in thought, seeming to hold onto something tightly within his coat pocket.
"Doctor?" Wanda spoke up, bumping the Time Lord with her hip.
"Hmm? What?" he asked suddenly, blinking out of his stupor.
"Aren't you going to congratulate Martha?" Wanda gave the Doctor a pointed look, nodding her head towards the old companion.
"What? Oh, yes, right! Well done, Martha," the Doctor smiled and nodded to Martha. His mind continued to wander over his thoughts, going over the idea of engagement. Seeing the ring on Martha's finger . . . it made him wonder what a ring on Wanda's hand would look like. Would the Time Lady shine with pride and happiness like Martha at the mentioning of a future marriage? He would like to think so. Maybe . . . Wanda would even like to do the whole traditional proposal? Make a special arrangement, get on his knee and ask. Would Donna help him plan it? He might ask later.
"Doctor?" he heard Donna speak up, snapping him away from his thoughts.
"Right, sorry," the Doctor said, pulling his hand away from his pocket and letting the item inside drop back down into the coat. "So, why are we here again?" Martha was about to answer when the radio on her belt began to crackle in static and a voice asked for a report.
"This is Dr. Jones. Operation Blue Sky is go, go, go," Martha instructed to the person on the other end of the radio, walking away from them and out of the alleyway they had appeared in. "I repeat, this is a go." The trio behind her sort of glanced at each other before following along after the doctor.
They saw that they had arrived in the TARDIS at a large compound of sorts. A massive wave of UNIT taskforce (the Parachute Regiment), armed with large weapons in hand, marched on past them. Many jeeps and a black truck pulling a huge trailer drove by, parking in front of the factory the UNIT taskforce were marching to. They watched as Martha swiftly walked off, instructing all the armed men on what to do. Then, all workers of the factory, who had been simply doing their jobs moments before, were instructed to halt their actions and to surrender. The uniformed men then restrained every factory worker, pushing them to line up.
"And so it begins," Wanda muttered as she watched it all, feeling a wave of dread come upon her. Things about today . . . just did not feel right. Events were going to go wrong. She felt it in the pit of her stomach.
Eventually, Martha led the trio over to the large, black trailer, the mobile UNIT headquarters of the operation here. They step up onto the trailer, seeing a large base for the events taking place. There were many desks with monitors and large computer screens placed within the room. Many people were at their stations, muttering away into their headphones, or walking around and quickly giving instructions. They could see one man in uniform who seemed to be in charge of it all. Martha gained the man's attention.
"Doctor, Wanda, Colonel Mace," Martha introduced them.
"Sir, ma'am," the Colonel replied, giving the two a salute. Wanda blinked in surprise while the Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Oh, don't salute," the Doctor groaned.
"But it's an honour, sir," countered the Colonel, but he let the salute go as a respect of the Doctor's request. "I've read all the files on you. Technically speaking, you're still on staff. You never resigned. As for the Wanderer, we've only gathered the files that Torchwood has, but we know how important she is as well."
"Really, I'm not," Wanda interjected, shaking her head in disproval. Torchwood had files on her? Really? It would not really surprise her given who was in charge of the new Torchwood. But why would Jack let UNIT have files on her? Unless, of course, they were files that old Torchwood had let loose. That seemed more logical.
They were led closer to the main operations within the trailer, looking at the large screens UNIT had set up for monitoring. Colonel Mace explained UNIT's new operations and intelligence. More like bragging, really. Wanda sat at one of the empty chairs, smirking when listening to Donna scold the Colonel in the way the workers were being treated by the uniformed men outside. Donna even made the Colonel salute her when making her name and presence known. The Doctor and Wanda shared a glance and smirk, feeling proud of their red headed companion. The Doctor sat next to Wanda, staring intently at the large television screen on the wall.
"So tell me what's going on in that factory?" he directed in question to the Colonel.
"Yesterday, fifty-two people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in eleven different time zones," Colonel Mace explained as a map of the Earth was brought up, showing them the locations on all the different nations and countries that the people had died.
"You mean they died simultaneously?" the Doctor questioned, pondering carefully over this news.
"Exactly," the Colonel stated, giving the Doctor a curt nod. "Fifty-two deaths at the exact same moment worldwide."
"And they all died in their cars, right?" Wanda spoke up, earning a curious expression from the Colonel.
"That's correct, ma'am," he nodded.
"They were poisoned," Martha added. "I checked the biopsies, no toxins. Whatever it is left the system immediately."
"What have the cars got in common?" asked the Doctor.
"ATMOS," replied Wanda as she grabbed a pen from the desk in front of her and began tossing it in her hand. "They've all got ATMOS. Every single car, in every single country, all around the entire planet. Everyone decides it's completely fine and dandy to all have the same device in their cars and don't even think the wiser of it. That's just brilliant." She tossed the pen back on the desk, giving a heavy sigh. She began rubbing at her head as she felt a headache coming along. That's funny. Usually, she only got headaches when she used her abilities too often. Why was she getting one now?
She blinked when she realized Martha and the Colonel were heading outside, ready to lead the Doctor, Donna and her into the factory. Donna was already following along while the Doctor remained sitting as he stared at Wanda in concern.
"Are you all right, Wanda? You seem agitated," the Doctor noted, furrowing his brows as he gazed at her. The blonde girl replied with a small smile.
"I'm fine. It's just this day feels a little . . . off," she commented. She frowned in thought. "In fact, I feel a little off, too. I think I might have caught that cold from Eleven."
"A cold? I don't catch colds," the Doctor responded in confusion, shaking his head.
"You will one time in the future," Wanda stated, winking at him. She patted him on the knee. "Come on, let's go catch up with others." He nodded, getting up and leaving to go after the group ahead.
Wanda stood up, ready to hurry on after. But when she straightened from the chair, she suddenly felt woozy and nauseous. She slapped a hand over her mouth as she felt ready to be sick and wobbled on her feet. Her other hand reached out and grabbed the back of the chair next to her to steady herself. Swallowing down her nausea, she pressed a hand to her stomach as she felt it jumping about, feeling queasy. That was odd. She had never felt that before.
"Are you okay, miss?" asked a woman next to her who had been typing away at the computer on the desk. Wanda gave the woman an uneasy smile.
"I'm fine," she assured the woman. In quick steps, Wanda walked out of the headquarters, wanting to hurry up and get this strange day over with.
XxXxXxXx
They were given sort of a tour of the factory as Colonel Mace and Martha explained everything to them about ATMOS. What it did, and why UNIT was investigating it. Eventually, they were shown the ATMOS device itself, allowing the Doctor to whip on his glasses and begin looking it over. The Doctor and Donna were busy away discussing what exactly ATMOS could be and why aliens would make it for humans. Wanda was too busy sitting in the corner in a chair, rubbing at her stomach and trying to get it to settle down. She leaned her head down against the desk in front of her, pressing her sweating forehead to the cool surface. Gosh, did she feel sick. And sleepy. She really felt strangely tired. Why was she feeling so exhausted and worn? She had slept only about five days ago. She was not due for more sleep until at least another week.
"You okay, Wanda?"
Wanda looked up, seeing Martha stare down at her in concern. Glancing over, Wanda saw Donna and the Doctor being led out of the room by Colonel Mace. The Time Lady felt bad as she knew she was sitting there being useless as everyone else got to work in figuring out this mess. She needed to get up and do something. Maybe moving around would get her stomach to settle down.
"I'm all right," Wanda assured Martha, giving the doctor a small smile. "Just feel a little off today is all."
"Would you like to stay here and help me work on checking over the workers?" questioned the doctor, smiling, eager for Wanda to hang out with her for the day. Wanda returned the smile.
"Sure. I'd love to," replied the blonde girl, standing up to follow Martha.
"So, how has the Doctor been treating you lately?" Martha questioned her as they walked down the hall.
"Wonderful as always," Wanda stated, smiling joyfully. "I've recently just come from Eleven's time. He and I have been taking a future companion around, trying to cheer her up, though she doesn't realize that she needs cheering up in the first place. Lost her memories of the reason she's sad." Her smile dropped somewhat, staring sadly down as she felt guilty about Amy losing Rory to the crack in time. But luckily, Wanda knew everything would turn out all right again once they reached Pandorica.
"That sounds troubling," Martha commented as they walked into a small room. "I hope she gains her memories back soon."
"Oh, she will. Don't worry." Wanda gave the doctor a reassuring smile that everything in the future will be all right in the end.
"That's good. So, what do you think about ATMOS? I'd say, on a scale, it's a red bow tie." Martha missed the puzzled look Wanda sent her as the doctor shuffled papers on a desk. "Though, now that you and the Doctor are here, I hope it's just going to be a yellow bow tie. Hopefully the fish fingers and custard don't go sour."
"Umm, okay." Wanda raised a brow, trying to understand what Martha was going on about.
Martha seemed to catch on to the Time Lady's confusion as she glanced up in surprise. "Oh. Sorry, wrong Wanda. I thought you were an older Third Wanda."
"That's all right. But what was that all about?" Wanda sat down at the desk, curiously staring at the doctor.
"It's something you and I come up with in your future, my past. It's a code, letting us know without others realizing what danger we feel about the situation and the people around us. So that way we can be on guard. We come up with a lot of different code words like that. They helped us stay safe."
"Oh?" Wanda frowned, trying to think of when exactly the two of them would need a code like that. "When exactly did we invent this code?"
Martha nodded slowly; she paused in shuffling papers. "During that year."
Wanda's mind sparked up as she knew what Martha meant. It was that one year, the one everyone on Earth would never remember. The Year That Never Was. The Master's year of tyranny over the planet and its people. The Time Lady felt a shiver creep down her spine at the thought of the year to come for her. "I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to go through a year like that, Martha."
"Well, technically that year never existed, so I never went through any of that." Martha gave a weak smile. "I'm just unlucky in remembering it. We all are." She earned as slow, sad nod from the Time Lady who appeared at a loss of words. Martha shifted on her feet as she stared at Wanda, feeling edgy to confess something. Jack had warned her not to do it, but . . . maybe she could change at least a few things? "Wanda, I need to warn you about something."
"What's that?"
Before Martha could open her mouth to speak, the Doctor poked his head into the room, eyes searching for Wanda briefly before smiling when seeing her there.
"Ah, Wanda, there you are," he said as he walked into the room. "Donna went to visit her family, and I'm going to go into the country to talk with this Luke fellow. Fresh air and geniuses. What more could you ask?" He beamed, eager for her to go with him in investigate.
"Sorry, Doctor, but I think I should stay here. Help Martha keep an eye on things in case anything goes all bonkers," Wanda replied, smiling warmly at the sight of the Doctor appearing so excited in meeting a whole group of geniuses at the Rattigan Academy.
"Aww, but then I'm just on my own. I don't want to go alone," the Doctor whined, pouting at the Time Lady.
"You'll be fine. You'll have much more fun without me there, trust me," Wanda assured him. She grabbed his hand, giving it a kiss and a pat. "Go on, sweetie. Have fun. Martha and I will be waiting here for you when you get back." He nodded, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, then walked off to head out.
"So, you were saying?" Wanda asked Martha, turning to her in interest. Martha opened her mouth again to speak, but then sighed and shook her head sadly.
"Never mind," she mumbled quietly, picking up papers from the desk and walking off. Wanda raised a brow at this curious behavior, then hurried up to follow after the old companion.
XxXxXxXx
Wanda sat next to Martha as the doctor had brought in a factory worker to question and examine. The woman now had her doctor's coat on, with a stethoscope hanging around her neck and at the ready for use. She shifted on her seat, and together both her and Wanda crossed their legs as they stared at the man sitting down from them, studying him.
"And your name's Trepper, yeah? Is that polish?" Martha asked the man in blue uniform politely. There was no response from him as he continued to stare blankly, dully, at the two. Wanda and Martha gave each other a glance with raised brows then looked back at the man.
"Listen, we're not checking passports. It's not about that, but . . .," Martha continued to speak, "Did you come across from Poland to work?"
"I came to do my job," the man answered in monotone, stating this almost robotically.
Martha nodded, bringing up her stethoscope. "I need to listen to your heartbeat. This might be a bit cold." The man lifted his shirt at Martha's command, allowing her to listen to his heart. Immediately, Martha could tell something was wrong. His heart was racing a mile a minute, going far too fast for a normal human heart rate. Brows furrowing in confusion, she pulled the stethoscope away. "Are you on any medication?"
"I'm here to work," the man said dully, still holding up his shirt as he stared blankly at the females.
"How many hours a day do you work?"
"Twenty-four."
This stunned Martha, making her eyes widened slightly. "You work twenty-four hours a day?"
"Yep. He and everyone else here," Wanda muttered, standing up to observe him carefully. "You can put your shirt down now." The man did as he was told, not even blinking as he kept his dead gaze. Whipping out her sonic, she did a quick scan of him, seeing what she might be able to do for him.
"What's wrong with him?" Martha questioned, staring at the man in concern now.
"Hypnotized," Wanda stated after her tool sent her back a reading. She patted her sonic in her hand as she thought over what she might do for the poor man. "They've been running him ragged. Pushing him and all the others to the brink. I don't think any of them will recover from this."
"What can we do, then?" Martha asked, appearing ready to figure out a solution and handle the situation.
"I really don't know. A person's mind is a very delicate thing. One wrong move and we could turn them into a vegetated state," Wanda explained, gripping her screwdriver in unease. "The Doctor might be able to think of something. He knows how to handle situations with minds better than I can."
"Trust me, you'll get practice for the future," Martha muttered, shaking her head. "We need to tell the Colonel."
"More like we need to tell the Doctor," Wanda countered, walking out of the room with Martha. They strode quickly through the hall, needing to reach someone and tell them of the situation with the workers. Both of their ears perked up when hearing quick steps behind them, marching at a fast rate to catch up with them.
"Dr. Jones," said a uniformed man from behind, earning the two women's attention. They saw that it was Private Harris, standing at attention in front of them with gun in hand. Next to him stood Private Gray, also at the ready and looking serious.
"Not now. I'm busy," Martha stated, dismissing their call to attention.
"Just one question," Private Harris said. "Do you have security clearance level one?" Martha halted in her steps, making Wanda stopped beside her as well. The doctor stared at the two men carefully, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes, I do. Why?" she demanded in question. Then, Private Harris looked at Wanda.
"And you are the Wanderer, UNIT classified alien traveller?" he questioned her.
"Yes," Wanda answered slowly, arching a high brow in surprise. She remembered these two. They were the ones hypnotized by General Staal of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet. The ones who were behind this whole mess to begin with. Why exactly were they having the two uniformed men that they had captured asking for her? They should just want Martha for their cloning process, which Wanda would not allow to happen. She had already planned on a course of action for this, but them asking for her made her plans come to a halt completely now.
"Colonel Mace wants to see you both," Private Harris told them in monotone, staring steadily at the two. Both Martha and Wanda glanced at each other, appearing wary of this.
"Okay, but first we both need a toilet break," Martha declared, swiftly grabbing Wanda by the arm and pulling the blonde girl towards where Martha knew the loo would be.
"Colonel Mace wants to see you both now," Private Harris clarified strictly.
"In a moment," Martha countered, swiftly opening the door to the toilet and pushing a bewildered Wanda inside. She then shut the door and locked it, making certain the two Privates would not enter. Turning to Wanda, Martha grew a serious expression. "All right, the fish fingers and custard have definitely turned sour. What do we do?"
"Umm . . . I have no idea," Wanda said truthfully, shrugging her shoulders at a loss. "I really did not see this coming."
"Check the possibilities then. See what needs to be done," Martha replied. Wanda nodded, sucking in a breath as she delved into the possibilities.
Images flashed forward, speeding along as it showed her the events of the day and all other possible outcomes. Things were not looking good. Not at all. If Martha did not go with the two, the Sontarans would attack sooner, allowing less time for the planet to be saved. And of course, the nuclear weapons would come into play. That must certainly not ever happen. And everything else was fuzzy because her own timeline interfered. There was literally nothing Wanda could figure out to know in advance. Nothing. She felt her anxiety spike up greatly, making her jerk out of the possibilities as she suddenly felt overwhelmed. Similar as she had felt during her First incarnation. She gulped, wobbly on her feet as the nausea from before built back up again. Oh, she felt like she was going to be sick.
Slapping a hand over her mouth, she ran around Martha and straight over to the toilet. Falling to her knees, she heaved into the toilet, coughing as her nausea finally won. So much for that wonderful breakfast Eleven had made for her. She coughed more, moaning as she felt so awful. A hand patted gently at her back, telling her that Martha stood behind her, watching over her carefully.
"Are you feeling all right, Wanda?" the companion asked her in concern. Nodding slowly, Wanda sat away from the toilet, flushing it as she leaned against the wall behind her.
"Yeah. I've just been stressed lately. I think it's finally getting to me," Wanda mumbled, rubbing at her forehead to wipe the small layer of sweat away. It was true. She had become more and more worried over all the upcoming times with the Master, Pandorica, and the growing power inside of her. She knew it was growing for she felt it. Or sensed it? She was not sure. All she knew that it was getting closer to the time of her remembering whatever it was the Doctor did not want her to remember, and it terrified her. Especially after the incident with the Weeping Angels. She shivered, gulping as she felt another wave of horror and sorrow go through her at that thought.
"Did you see what needs to be done?" Martha asked her, sitting down beside her. Wanda nodded, trying to push past her throbbing head to focus on speaking with the doctor.
"We have to go along with them," Wanda explained. "If we don't, there's nuclear war waiting on the horizon, and we really don't want that."
"No, we don't, "Martha agreed with a nod. She then hummed, staring at the exit of the room. "What do they want from us?"
"They're . . . they're going to take you away to be cloned. Transferring all your memories to the clone so she can pretend to be you and infiltrate UNIT." Wanda reached down and gripped Martha's hand for comfort. "Don't worry, the process isn't painful. And you'll be safe. The Doctor will rescue you just fine. But . . . I have no clue what they want from me. I didn't see that coming."
"Yeah, I know you didn't." An exasperated sigh left Martha. "I wish you could see your timeline. It would be so useful sometimes." She gave Wanda's hand squeeze. "Don't worry, if it comes down to it, just run and let them have me. I'll keep you safe."
Wanda huffed, shaking her head. "Martha Jones, don't even suggest such a thing."
"Don't argue with me, Wanderer. I'm a doctor, your friend, and I keep my patients and friends safe at all costs." Wanda was taken back by Martha's sudden hard tone and expression. As well as how strict the woman sounded with her. Martha's face relaxed somewhat. "Don't worry, I've got your back. I always do. Now, I'm guessing since this clone of me is going to have my memories, then I need to forget about this talk or else she'll warn her bosses on what we know."
"Right. And how are you supposed to forget?" Wanda blinked as Martha grabbed both of her hands and placed them on the doctor's temple, holding a steady gaze with her brown eyes.
"Make me forget."
"What?!" The Time Lady clamped her mouth shut as Martha shushed her to be quiet. "What the hell are you talking about? I can't do that."
"Yes, you can. You've used it on me a few times during tight situations to help us through. Even on a few others when we needed to be forgotten and make an escape." She pressed Wanda's fingers more firmly into her temples. "You can do this. Just concentrate on the last few minutes and place a barrier over it to block it from my memory. Don't worry, I'm used to the process, so I won't freak out or anything."
The blonde girl shook her head rapidly. "I can't do it, Martha. I told you, the mind is fragile. I might hurt your mind permanently."
"Yes, you can. I trust you." Martha smiled, patting her hands over Wanda's. "You've got this, Wanda. And just think, this gives you good practice for later."
"Well, that's something," Wanda replied sarcastically. She gulped, feeling very nervous about this. But Martha was right, it had to be done. Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, Wanda closed her eyes as she dove into Martha's mind. She searched around, looking for the most recent memory in the companion's head. Finding it, seeing the two of them talking and discussing all of this in a fuzzy moment, a flashback of sorts, Wanda concentrated greatly as she focused on commanding Martha's mind to block the memory. She felt the mind shifting, then a barrier of sorts, a locked door, placed itself right over the memory. Locking it away from sight. Sighing, Wanda removed her hands from Martha's temples and stared at the companion cautiously.
"How do you feel?" she asked, hoping that Martha was fine in the end. The companion blinking dully for a moment before her eyes focused again on Wanda.
"Sorry, what were we talking about?" replied Martha. She blinked again as her eyes lit up in realization. "Oh. Memory wipe. Okay, right. Wasn't expecting that to happen again anytime soon. Have we discussed a plan, then?"
"Sort of," Wanda responded weakly.
"Good," Martha nodded curtly, standing up. She helped Wanda off of the floor, frowning in confusion. "Why were you on the floor? No, wait, don't answer that. If you tell me, I might remember. We don't want that. Off to see Colonel Mace, yeah?" Together, they stepped out of the toilet, seeing how the two Privates were still there, at attention and ready to escort them. "All right, we're ready."
"Follow us," instructed Private Harris. In sync, the two men turned around and marched forward with the two women trailing on after them.
They were led to the back of the factory, to a long white hall that showed them a restricted area far away from everything else. Warning signs were plastered around, telling people to stay out if not authorized. Martha and Wanda glanced at each other warily as the two Privates instructed them to go in. Martha went inside without much caution while Wanda trailed edgily behind the woman, feeling anxious in what was about to happen.
Pushing past a plastic curtain, they came into a large laboratory of sorts. The first thing Wanda noticed that was out of place was that there was not one cloning tank, but two. Two cloning tanks with bubbling green liquid held within the metal holding areas, ready to feed whatever clones needed to be made. This was not right. There was not supposed to be two cloning tanks. Why was there two?
Before she could question this, or think of a proper reason for there to be two, Martha screamed next to her. Whipping her head around, she saw the doctor falling to the ground, unconscious. Then, someone hit Wanda roughly behind the head, making everything go black. It was a little while later before she was able to gain back consciousness again. She blinked slowly, finding herself staring up at the ceiling of the laboratory she had been brought to. Trying to sit up, she found it useless as some sort of headset had been placed around her head. Making it hard so she could move her head completely forward to look about. At least she was able to tilt it around to gaze around to a few places.
Glancing down at herself, she saw she had been strapped to a trolley of some kind. Her wrists and ankles were tightly fastened, making it impossible for her to be able to get out without her sonic screwdriver. She also saw how her clothes had been taken off, replaced with a white medical gown. Oh, they were so going to get a punch for undressing her. Only the Doctor was allowed to do that. Huffing, she laid back her head, tilting it over to see Martha struggling in her restraints. The young woman gritted her teeth angrily and tugged harshly at the braces around her wrists.
"Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Martha barked, demanding for answers at the two Privates who now stood at attention away from the two. They heard marching footsteps coming around them. Martha blinked in shock while Wanda narrowed her eyes at the new presence. It was Commander Skorr from the Sontaran battle fleet, standing tall (well, as tall as a Sontaran can be) by the two Privates and eyeing the two trapped females coolly. Martha swallowed nervously as she stared at the strange looking alien standing by the cloning tank.
"So, listen," she spoke up to the alien. "You're not the first aliens that we've met. Just tell us who you are."
"Commander Skorr of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet," Wanda stated before the Sontaran could even answer. The Commander threw a sharp gaze at her.
"And how do you know that?" he demanded in question.
"I know things," Wanda replied smartly, returning the harsh gaze. "Just as I know that those tanks next to you are for cloning. But what I want to know is, why is there two? It takes a lot of resources and energy just for one. Why have another?"
"I do not discuss battle plans with the enemy," retorted Skorr, sneering at her. Wanda rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on. You have us captured. Why not brag about your . . . brilliant plans of invasion," Wanda replied, deciding to go the nicer, less sassy route, in gaining information. "I'd love to hear all about it. I mean, just brilliant in getting us here and creating those ATMOS devices for all the cars, making it so you could create Earth into the perfect place for more cloning. Just brilliant strategy, Commander." She smiled brightly at Skorr. The Sontaran Commander seemed to think this over for a moment, before nodding.
"Very well. Since you are all going to die anyway," he remarked. "We created a second cloning tank in case of any emergencies we did not foresee."
"Back up plan. Nice. Always a good strategy," Wanda nodded, trying to keep him going in talking. She needed to understand her situation before trying to think of a plan of action. "So why exactly do you need me? I mean, I can understand Martha Jones here, being as brilliant and powerful as she is. But tiny little old me?"
"We have infiltrated some of Earth's classified documents on powerful figures of war," Skorr replied. "We managed to hack into the more secured files, finding you to be a main cautionary, but needed, source for Earth's self-interests in keeping their world at peace."
"Right," Wanda muttered, trying to understand what that all meant. She glanced at the cloning tanks, knowing they were close to being ready now. "You know, I should warn you, I'm not exactly human, and I don't think your cloning tanks can make a replica of what I am. Someone tried to once and it didn't turn out too good." She felt her hearts twist in the memory of Ganger Wanderer. Poor girl. The Ganger never even had a chance to live. She remembered the Doctor telling her that her mind was too complicated to be copied or replicated into another body. That it would make any copies go insane or unable to even live. What would the Sontaran do if he could not make a clone of her? Find her useless and destroy her? Most likely.
"Our systems have already taken into account of your unusual DNA," Skorr commented, walking over to calibrate a few readings on the second cloning tank. "Unable to reproduce your genetics, it simply used some human DNA instead. We only need the clone to have your appearance. Not be a full copy."
"And to have my memories as well, hoping to hack into all UNIT systems and disable them permanently for easier invasion," Wanda added, feeling her hearts sped up as she realized what true harm an evil clone of her could do to this world, her friends, and her Doctor.
"That is correct," Skorr replied, not even glancing at her as he finished making her clone stabilize in the tank.
Wanda laid her head back, only half listening to Martha demanding the Sontaran to let them go. It was useless. No matter how far her mind planned on escape, it kept coming back to the same conclusion and outcome. They were trapped here until the Doctor came in for rescuing. And until then, her clone might do some serious, lethal damage if they had the insight and knowledge that lay inside of her mind. She could not let this happen. She just could not. There had to be some way for her to block her memories. Not all of them, but just enough so that the clone would not be able to actually do any damage to anyone. But . . . how could she stop this?
It sort of came to her, a strange idea that made her ponder if it would actually work. But she might be the only one who might be able to help her. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Wanda focused on calling for help.
Bad Wolf, please, I need you. she pleaded for the strange entity to hear her. It had been so long since she had spoken to the entity. Was there still a connection between them even after all this time?
You rang? came the immediate response. The entity's voice was so clear and firm that it was as though they talked on a daily basis. As though no time had been spent apart between them. Wanda heard a concerned voice from the entity, with Bad Wolf sounding at the ready to help. Wanda felt shocked that her call had actually worked. Especially since it had never worked in the past. Bad Wolf had always been the one to contact her. Not the other way around.
The Sontarans, they're— Wanda tried to begin explaining.
Are going to make a clone of you. Yes, I see that. Hmm. Bad Wolf answered swiftly, seeming to assess the situation at hand. This is not good. They have no idea what they're dealing with here. I'm just glad their machines aren't able to make an actual full scale you. But still, she's going to have some of your DNA and your mind. Not something we want in a human body.
Exactly. Wanda agreed. I don't want another Ganger Wanderer incident. I don't want my clone having to go through something like the Ganger did. And she's already being programmed to stop the Doctor and UNIT in protecting Earth. So who knows what she's going to do. Please, you have to help me block my insight and memories of what is to come from her. Only give her the basic details, like some events the Doctor, the companions, and I have done already. Things like that.
Bad Wolf sighed, seeming at a loss. I can help you with that, just as I did in the past with Ganger Wanderer.
You did? This shocked Wanda. But then again, it made sense. Ganger Wanderer had been far too different than she had been during the time in her first incarnation.
Yes, indeed. I made the Ganger more like your current self, implanted future memories and stabilities and all that. Though, as we both know, not without consequences by doing so. So, yes, I can do it again, but . . . by blocking one source of power, another must be allowed through. And I don't think . . . Well, she will not take being cloned too friendly. She barely allowed it the first time with the Ganger.
Wanda blinked, processing this statement. Do you mean . . . whatever lives inside my mind?
Yes. Bad Wolf did not say more, seeming too uneasy in discussing the topic with Wanda.
The Time Lady understood this, knowing most likely Bad Wolf was on the same page as the Doctor in keeping things secret from her. But still, it did not matter now. Look, please, I don't care. I just want the Doctor and everyone else to be safe. I couldn't bare it if anyone was hurt. Please, you have to do something.
The only thing I can do is by blocking your abilities, the possibilities, from the clone. But this allows the other side of your mind to leak through. Are you certain you want that?
Wanda chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to think more clearly. But she had no more time to think as she saw another version of Martha and herself sitting up from the green liquid in the cloning tanks. Her mind went into a panic and she felt the one barrier creak as the headset around her began feeding her mind into the new clone. Just do it! Please!
. . . Very well. It's done. I wish you luck, Wanda.
Wanda's eyes began rolling up, her vision blacking out as her own emerald eyes stared at her curiously.
XxXxXxXx
Not sure if I'm excited or dreading the next chapter. Maybe a little bit of both? ;) I hope everyone enjoyed! If you did, please, if you can and have time, leave a review. Just as a way to give any ideas on what you would like to see happen next, or anything you think I can add to the story. I'd love to hear all your thoughts. :)
Sorry I couldn't get to replying to reviews in this chapter. Been having trouble with my email and I know how the site doesn't always show everyone's reviews probably at times, so I'm too nervous to trust it without using my email as backup to double check everything and not miss anyone. It's happened in the past, so I don't want to take the chances in missing a single person ever again. Just know that I thank you all for those reviews I did get to see. You are all brilliant! I promise, I will have my email working and will reply in the next chapter. Until then, special cupcakes and goodies for everyone! :D
~Tinker~