Rose managed to land the TARDIS in a corner of Martha's flat. She peered out of the door and beamed when she saw that she hadn't landed on any of the furniture. "Here we go, should have only been twelve hours since we left. But don't kill me if it turns out to be twelve months, the Doctor did that to me. I think he's cheek never felt the same way again"
It was the first time she had spoken about him without feeling choked up. She might be getting better; all maybe she's just to excited with the idea of having a permanent companion that she's not getting upset.
"You're saying that I met Shakespeare, went to the future and 1930 all in one night?" Martha asked disbelievingly.
"Yep" Rose said. "Now pack your stuff up, call your mum and let's get going. I was thinking of looking into going to a completely different planet in a completely different galaxy that's not New Earth. What do you think?"
"Sounds like fun" Martha said eyeing up her bookshelf wondering if she could take all of her medical texts. Martha's phone began to ring the pair ignored it as Martha began to debate which books were more important.
Hi, I'm out. Leave a message."
"I'm sorry" Martha said "I'll get that in a moment"
"Martha are you there? Pick it up, will you?"
"Its mum, it'll wait"
"Alright then, pretend that you're out if you like"
The two of them laughed. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought that you might be interested"
Martha picked up the remote for her television and turned it on, there was a report on the news that was going on about something top secret and sure enough, right there in the background was Martha's sister Tish.
"How did Tish end up on the news?" Rose asked sitting down on the sofa.
"… but I can tell you that tonight. I will demonstrate a device which will…"
"She got a new job" Martha said "doing PR for some research lab"
"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human"
"Right then" Martha said switching the television off. "What do I need to take with me?"
"Might want to hold of the packing Martha" Rose said "change of plans, we have a party to go to"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"You look fantastic!" Martha exclaimed when she spotted Rose stepping out of the TARDIS "I haven't seen you in pink before"
Rose rotated slowly "you're sure it looks all right? I haven't dressed up in a long time" last time it was for a ball in a far away alien planet where she and the Doctor were guests. He actually danced with her for the majority of the night which was so out of his character…she would die to have him with her now.
"Rose the dress looks great on you" Martha said reassuring her. It was a pale pink knee length dress, strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a black ribbon at the waist. She even had a matching purse which Martha assumed held the sonic screwdriver and a few bits and bobs. "What about moi? Do I look acceptable?" she asked twirling round in her sleeveless black knee length dress.
"Beautiful" Rose said sincerely "now let's go before we miss out on the demonstration"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"Tish" Martha said, seemingly overjoyed to see her younger sister. The two of them hugged, while Rose watched them enviously, she'll never get to her younger sibling; cure the Doctor for telling her, now she's jealous of every sibling bonding she sees. "You look great" Tish said. "So, what do you think?" she asked her sister "Impressive isn't it?"
"Very" said Martha, as she looked around the room.
"And two nights out in a row for you." she teased "That's dangerously close to a social life"
"If I keep this up, I might end up in all the gossip columns"
"You might, actually." said Tish "You should keep an eye out for photographers. And mum, she's coming too; she's even dragging Leo along with her"
"Leo?" asked Martha "Leo in black tie? That I must see"
"Leo's your brother, right?" Rose asked trying to remember everything Martha told her about her family.
"Who's this?" Tish asked pointing at Rose.
"This is my plus one, Rose Tyler she's also a medical student"
"Hello!" Rose said cheerfully shaking Tish's hand who looked down at Rose with distaste. "So this Lazarus is your boss then?"
Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff"
"She's in the PR department" Martha said
"I'm head of the PR department, actually" said Tish
"You're joking" Martha said
"I put this whole thing together" Tish admitted
"So what's that?" Rose butted in pointing at the machinery "looks a bit like a sonic micro-field manipulator" Rose was actually pleased that she swotted up while having a soak in the bath earlier that evening.
"Brains and beauty" Tish muttered to Martha "how inferior do you feel around her?"
"Feel completely tiny round her" Martha admitted as Rose bounded off to look at the machinery closely. "But you'll like her once you get to know her"
Tish just sniffed and smiled when their mother and brother appeared by their side, Francine was half-way through lecturing Martha for leaving the party early when Rose appeared.
"Hello! I'm Rose Tyler, you must be Mrs Jones and Leo" she said politely.
"Yes" Francine said stiffly holding a hand out to Rose "and how do you know Martha?" she said admiring the blonde's strong grip.
"Met her at the hospital, we're planning on travelling round the world together. Has Martha told you?"
"No, no she didn't" Francine said glaring at Martha who was wondering if she could convince Rose to leave now.
Mrs Jones was about to interrogate the two girls further, but luckily for them, Mr Lazarus stepped up beside his device and began to talk.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle" he said "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, but tomorrow, you will wake to a world which will be changed forever"
He turned away and opened the door of his device and stepped inside. Once he was inside he shut the door and the scientists that were on stand by began to start the device. It began to spin around and there was a blue light, which made everyone in the room turn away.
Suddenly an alarm sounded.
"Something's wrong" Rose muttered stating the obvious. "It's overloading" she ran to the controls and jumped over the table that they were on and took out the sonic screwdriver and began to stop the machine with it
"Somebody stop her" an old woman shouted "Get her away from those controls"
"If that goes up, it'll take the whole building up with it, is that what you want?" Martha snapped.
The woman never said anything else, she just allowed Rose to continue while glaring at Martha, Rose jumped back over the table and pulled out the power cable from the back of the controls and the machine began to slow down and then finally it stopped.
Martha ran to the doors and flung them open, smoke came pouring out and coughing could be heard. A hand suddenly came out from the smoke and grabbed hold of the door frame. Slowly a young blonde man stepped out of the machine.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn"
Everyone clapped and cheered while Rose and Martha started in silence. Something was not right about this.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
Neither Rose or Martha liked Lazarus; there was something creepy about him. Rose kept having the nagging feeling that he was wrong. The man had both kissed them on the hand in thanks for trying to save them and Rose snuck into the laboratory to have a little peek at the man's DNA.
"Lazarus' DNA"
"I can't see anything different" Martha said crossing her arms.
"Look at it" Rose said waving at the screen. Martha looked at the screen and watched at the DNA changed, or rather fluctuated
"Oh, my God" Martha exclaimed "Did that just change?" she asked Rose. She nodded "But it can't have"
"But it did" Rose said
"It's impossible" Martha argued "That means that Lazarus changed his own molecular patterns"
"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure" Rose said as if she was reciting a book (Martha realised that she probably was) "Then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his genes and instructed them to rejuvenate"
"But they're still mutating now" Martha said
"Because he missed something" Rose said "Something in his DNA has been activated and it won't let him stabilise. Something that's trying to change him"
"Change him into what?" Martha asked.
"I don't know" Rose said biting her lip "But I think that we need to find out"
"That woman said they were going upstairs" Martha said.
"Let's go then" Rose said running off, dragging Martha behind her.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"This is his office alright" Rose said as she entered first
"So where is he?" Martha asked.
"Don't know" Rose said "Let's try back at the... reception."
A look of pure shock appeared on Martha's face; Rose followed her eyes to the table. They could see a leg sticking out from behind it and the two of them walked towards it. When they reached it Rose thought that she would be sick, the skin had shrivelled up. The woman looked like she expected a mummy that had been dead for thousands of years to look like. Rose and Martha crouched beside the body
"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha asked.
"Used to be" Rose said sadly "It's just a shell, she had all the life-energy drained out of her. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange"
"Lazarus!" Martha said
"Could be" Rose agreed
"So he's changed already?" Martha asked
"Not necessary. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy" Rose paused and looked down at the remains of Lady Thaw. "This might not have been enough"
"So he might do this again?" Martha asked
The two looked at each other and both clicked on the same thought, that maybe, just maybe, that the people downstairs would be enough. They got up and ran to the lift, using the sonic screwdriver to get there quicker
"I can't see him" Martha said as she scanned the room, the moment she got in.
"Keep looking" Rose said "He can't be far"
They wandered round the room but was stopped by Leo who was standing by Lazarus' machine "You alright, Martha?" he asked she stopped and turned towards him as he continued "I think that mum wants to talk to you"
"Have you seen Lazarus anywhere?"
"He was getting pretty cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago"
"With Tish?" Martha asked.
Martha's mother appeared beside her "Ah, Rose" she said as she stopped
"Where did they go?" Rose asked Leo with urgency in her voice. Martha's mother looked furious with Rose's insolence.
"Upstairs, I think" Leo answered "Why?"
Rose pushed past Martha's mother and accidentally spilled her drink all over her, Martha hot on her heels.
"Rose, Martha... I want a word with you two" Francine bellowed after them.
Martha turned to her mother "Not now, Mum" before she jumped into the lift with Rose.
"Where are they?" Martha asked as she stepped out of the lift.
Rose pulled out the sonic screwdriver and fiddled with it "The fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature" she said "I might be able to pick it up." she slowly moved the sonic screwdriver round the room, she then moved it up towards the ceiling "Got him"
"Where?" asked Martha
"But this is the top floor" Rose said "The roof"
The two of them ran up the flight of stairs separating them from Martha's sister and Professor Lazarus.
Tish and Professor Lazarus were standing on the roof staring out at the London sky line. "That clock tower is beautiful, all lit up like that" Tish said
"It's Southwark Cathedral" said Lazarus "One of the oldest churches in London. It's been around even longer than I have"
"But you're looking pretty good for your age"
"Thank you"
"Can I?" Tish asked reaching out her hand as though to touch his face
"Of course" said Lazarus. Tish touched his cheek with the back of her right hand
"I still can't take it in" she said
"I'm still adjusting myself" he replied "I've been working towards it for so many years; it's hard to believe that the moment has finally arrived"
"And is it like you expected?" Tish had to asked
"I find nothing is exactly like you expect" he admitted "There's always something to surprise you.'between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act..."
"falls the shadow" Rose finished, she knew Eliot rather well, the Doctor used to read it to her along with many other classics, she used to write his and her favourite quotes in scraps of paper and pinned them on a corkboard in the kitchen.
Lazarus turned around to see Rose standing in front of him "So, the mysterious blonde knows her Eliot. I'm impressed"
"Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish asked.
"Tish, get away from him" Martha said.
"What, don't tell me what to do" Tish said childishly.
"I wouldn't have thought that you'd have time for poetry Lazarus. What with you being so busy defying the laws of nature and everything" Rose said smiling.
"You're right Miss Tyler. One life time's been to short to do everything that I'd like. How much more I'd get done in two or three or four"
"It doesn't work like that" Rose said "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters, it's the person"
"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be" Lazarus said.
"Or what a curse" Rose said quietly remembering what the Doctor said 'the Curse of the Time Lords' so long ago. "Look at what you've done to yourself"
"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus demanded.
"Over here Tish" Martha said holding her hand out to Tish.
"You have to spoil everything don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you have to find fault" Tosh whinged as she walked up to Martha, behind her Lazarus began mutating again
"Tish he's a monster" Rose said her envy of Martha having siblings gone when she realised what a pain in the backside they can be.
Tish turned to Rose "I know the age thing's a bit creepy, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones" Rose and Martha stared at the figure of professor Lazarus, he was writhing on the ground in pain. He changed before their eyes into a scorpion like creature.
"What is that?" Tish asked as Martha and Rose began to walk backwards away from the monster. She turned and saw Lazarus and screamed.
"Run!" Rose shouted.
The three of them ran back inside, Rose locking the door with the sonic screwdriver. "You're all right?" she asked Tish.
"I was going to snog him" Tish said
"Trust me Tish I've snogged worse" Rose said remembering a nasty incident on Clom. The Doctor's fault he was the one that had to get them arrested.
Suddenly there was a loud banging sound and the three of them looked up at the ceiling, knowing that Lazarus was trying to force his way back into the building. Then the building went dark.
"What's happening?" Rose asked turning to look at Tish
"Its an intrusion." she said "It triggers a security lock down. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts, seals the doors off"
Rose looked back at the ceiling "he's going to barge in. run down the stairs, NOW!"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
After a very long winded game of cat and mouse where Rose played the part of the mouse for Lazarus while Martha was trying to override the security to get the guests out. And almost being turned into something like Lazarus when the pair got locked in his machine, the two women were very grateful that he was dead. The pair were now sitting on the stairs outside nursing their sore feet.
"Scratch the different planet, first thing we're going is a foot bath" Rose groaned "maybe I should take us to an alien spa"
"Sounds like heaven to me" Martha muttered.
Suddenly Francine Jones came marching up to the two of them, Rose smiled up at her "oh hello Mrs Jones, don't mind us we're just resting out feet" suddenly Francine reached out and slapped Rose.
Only to be slapped back.
"Mum! Rose!" Martha shouted.
"You slapped me!" Francine snarled at Rose.
"Only after you slapped me" Rose said "never let anyone push you around my mother told me, no one slaps a Tyler without getting slapped back"
"Wow, she's brave" Leo muttered to Tish "she's my new best friend" Tish bit her lip to stop her giggles.
"You stay away from my daughter!"
"It's my choice who my friends are Mum" Martha said glaring up at her mother.
"She's dangerous Martha! I've been told things and look around you death and destruction. Not the sort of girl you should be spending your time with!"
"That wasn't her fault! She saved us Mum!"
The two of them started to bicker, suddenly a loud crashing sound stopped them and everyone turned to look down the street. Rose began to run down, Martha following her.
"Martha get back here!" Francine bellowed. Tish paused for a moment before running off after the two women. "Latisha Jones get back here young lady!" Francine sighed and turned to Leo "at least you're a good boy"
Leo shrugged "nah I'm just too lazy to run with them, otherwise I would have joined in"
The three girls found the ambulance knocked on to it's side and the paramedics dried up like the many other victims. "Lazarus rose from the dead, what a surprise" Martha muttered.
"Where is he though?" Rose murmured pulling her sonic screwdriver out.
"You could always try Southwark Cathedral" Tish said "he kept talking about it earlier"
"Southwark Cathedral it is then" Rose said
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
They found Lazarus huddled on the floor under a blanket, shivering. He turned to face them and Martha and Tish backed away slowly. "I came here almost a lifetime ago" he said "when I was a child. The sounds of planes and bombs outside"
"The Blitz" Rose said.
"You read about it?"
"I was there, hanging on one of those barrages, got saved by a handsome captain and then saved the world from mutating into gas masked zombies." Rose said smiling at the memory. "Danced to Glenn Miller that night"
"You're too young to be there" Lazarus said ignoring the gas masked zombie bit.
"So are you" Rose pointed out.
"In the morning, the fires had died, but I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again, so defenceless. I would arm myself. Fight back." he said "Defeat it."
"That's what you were trying to do today?"
"That's what I did today."
"What about the other people who died?"
"They were nothing." said Lazarus, without any hint of guilt in his voice. "I changed history."
"Any one of them might have done, too." Rose said walking round so she was now in front of Lazarus "You think history's only made with equations?" he asked "Facing death is part of being human, you can't change that."
"No, Miss Tyler." argued Lazarus "Avoiding death, that's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more successful." he groaned in pain.
"Look at yourself." Rose shouted "You're mutating. You've got no control over it. You call that a success?"
"I call it progress." he groaned again "I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary human."
"There's no such thing as an ordinary human." Rose said "I should know, I've seen so many spectacular humans"
Martha stepped to Rose's side "he's going to change any minute"
"I know, but I reckon if you can get him on the top of the bell tower I could use the organ to change him"
"You're so sentimental Miss Tyler; maybe you're older than you look"
"Not really. I just travelled with a man who could live forever and he saw it as a curse. You end up watching your loved ones wither and die. It's not worth it"
Lazarus laughed "I will feed soon and you might be my next meal Miss Tyler"
"Leave her alone Lazarus" Martha shouted "she's sour and bitter. You would want someone sweet and tender"
"Very well the Jones' sisters will do"
"RUN!" Martha shrieked grabbing hold of Tish and running up the stairs as Lazarus changed and began to go after them.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
Martha pulled Rose into a tight hug, she had almost fallen to her death if it wasn't for Tish holding onto her and Rose terrible organ playing skills that helped killed Lazarus permanently this time.
"Where the hell did you learn to play like that?" Martha asked.
"Mum forced me to go to piano lessons they stopped after I slammed the lid on the teacher's fingers, she was a horrible person that smelled like garlic"
Tish and Martha laughed.
"well I better go" Tish said "Mum is so going to kill me" she hugged Martha and then to Rose's surprise Rose "take care of my sister please"
"I will" Rose promised.
Martha and Rose watched Tish run down the street in silence. At the same time they reached out and took one another's hand, it was just them against the universe. And the universe better watch out.