A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Bit of Writers block, ugh. I have also added a race from one of my other stories. After all, my story, my creation, if any of you have read my story Exile or The Promise, you'll meet one of them in this chapter soon enough. Please R/R
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Chapter Thirteen: Help Me Human….
Alright, Martha thought when she arrived at the menagerie, piece of cake, get in, get the Doctor and get out. She looked at the massive building that looked part museum and part zoo. "Blimey, why does it have to be so, so big….and why does it have to look like Fort Knox or something?" Okay maybe she was just freaking out. It's just a big old zoo, that's all. Mr. Wilden had said to go in the back way. Made sense, if she went in the front way, she might get caught. Then again, she might get caught going in the back way, and she didn't exactly want to run into those big ugly lizard like creatures either. She really ought to have asked Mr. Wilden a bit more about them. The Doctor would have known. Would have known lots of things, but he wasn't here and it was just her on a strange alien world. She would have liked to have had the Doctor's psychic paper even. It would have made things so much easier. But she didn't have it and so she would have to sneak around. Martha sighed, how do you exactly sneak? She wasn't a crook or a criminal even? She was a med student, fat lot of good that's going to do me now, she thought. Then a thought occurred to her. Med student…I know injuries. I'll just pretend I have broken or sprained something. That will end up with me getting inside past security. They probably have a med station or something like that. All museums and zoos have them.
She walked into the menagerie, through the front door. Now all she needed to do was find the right place to fake an injury, provided she didn't end up actually breaking or spraining something in the process. The Doctor could probably do this with ease, without hurting himself, she on the other hand, she was human, and she wasn't that great at acting and taking pratfalls as easily as the Doctor could. But she'd try her best. Walking down the stairs she took a spill and fell down. Ouch… that hurts; I think I did actually hurt something. A crowd of people gathered around her "Are you all right miss?" An attendant said. "Do you need medical attention?"
Martha managed to get up. She looked on her leg, a few scraps and cuts; some were bleeding but nothing too bad. She tested out her legs and feet and everything seemed fine, nothing was broken, thank God, but she pretended injury, "Oww….I think I sprained my ankle…it hurts…."
The attendant smiled, "Okay….we'll get you into the med station and get that treated."
-0o0-
Lora Lai watched as the Doctor interacted in the enclosure with the Dalek. It would be a shame to lose either one of them but…something inside of her liked the idea of having the two face off. It was watching history happen. How she would have liked to have seen the Time Lords and the Daleks fight their war, provided that she was on the sidelines, watching it. But now she had the last two veterans of that fateful war. But the hostilities had ceased for the time being as she watched the Doctor sit and the Dalek quake and quiver in his shell. This could take some time but she was willing to watch.
-0o0-
Martha was escorted into the med station. The attendant said, "Just go into the booth and the machine will fix it up for you."
"Machine, don't you have any actual medics here?"
The attendant chuckled, "Of course, but for simple things like sprains, bruises, and cuts; the machine scans you for injuries and then treats them."
Martha really couldn't argue about that and she wandered into the booth. So basic things like treating minor injuries were now treated by a machine, a mechanical doctor. It made sense, having a machine do things cut back on things that an actual doctor or medic could do. People that were worse off and needed more attention could have the attention of an actual doctor.
She needed treatment for all these scraps, and cuts, she went through the booth and into the machine. Let it be said, that she was willing to take a bullet for the Doctor. The machine activated as she entered it.
Beginning scan…
A scan went down her whole body and the machine located her cuts, scraps, and bruises and healed them.
Scan complete…
She touched her instantly healed skin. No sense staying here and marveling at the technology, she better get up and get moving and find the Doctor.
She meandered through the menagerie and found a door marked, no admittance and a key pad. She swiped the card and entered in the code that Mr. Wilden had given her. She said a small prayer to herself hoping some alarm or something wouldn't sound off, but luck was with her at the moment and nothing did.
She pushed opened the door and walked through. Various sealed doors with small windows; she peaked through them to see various species from various races. One was a young girl with pointed elvish looking ears; she looked a bit waif-ish and had curly brown hair. Tears were in her eyes. Martha wondered what race she was and where she had come from. She suddenly noticed Martha looking at her and her eyes turned right toward her.
A voice filled her head. Help me human…please help me.
Telepathy, Martha shuddered. There was something unsettling about it. But the plea was so tender that it nearly broke Martha's heart.
She mouthed at the glass, 'who are you?'
Ry'kla. Please human. I want to go home.
That was it, Martha couldn't stand it anymore. She swiped the card and entered the code and the door came open.
The girl ran out and gave Martha an embrace. "Thank you human. I have been stuck in there for forty five years."
Martha looked at the girl in shock, "Forty five years….you're kind of young, I mean to be in there."
The girl laughed lightly, "I am a Plant Shepherd, also known as a Mala'shra. I don't age like you humans do."
"A Plant Shepherd? Never heard of your race, to be truthful, you wouldn't happen to know where a Time Lord is?"
The girl gasped, "The ancient legends."
Martha rolled her eyes; she had a feeling that the Doctor had really made his mark across the universe. She had only just met him and this girl seemed to know what a Time Lord was.
"Yea….whatever Ry'kla. I am looking for a Time Lord. He's slightly tall, wears a brown trench coat, and a blue or a brown pinstriped suit. Converse trainers and….calls himself the Doctor. You wouldn't happen to know where he's being held."
Ry'kla's eyes went wide, "My grandmothers told me stories of such a man. But no…" She shook her head, "I do not know where he is held. Nor have I seen him. But I have heard my grandmothers say it is not wise to anger the Time Lord."
Martha chuckled lightly, "That sounds like him…come on Ry'kla, lets go find him."
Ry'kla paused at another door, "Human please let the other person out of here."
Martha sighed, "I would but….I really should find the Doctor first. I let you out, if I let too many people out of their confinement someone is bound to notice soon enough."
She nodded sadly. "I understand."
Martha grasped the girls hand and they went down the hallways and peaked in various exhibits looking for the Doctor.
The girl said, "Maybe he is on the other floor…"
Martha groaned, "Other floor? How many floors are there?"
The girl shrugged, "The more popular exhibits at least as I have read from my captors minds are down here, but there are five floors to this….this prison. If you are lucky then perhaps the Doctor is one of the more popular exhibits and is on this first floor."
Martha nodded, "Right….popular. I am willing to bet that the way the Doctor is, he's probably one of the more popular exhibits." So they kept looking, past various room and various races that Martha had no clue what they were.
Suddenly Martha heard a hiss and she turned. Oh crap. More lizards, more Kai'cha. He licked his lips hungrily. "Intrrrruderrrr….it hassss been sssso long ssssince I have tassssted fressssh meat."
Suddenly there was another, then two, then three…then six.
Martha gulped, all of them were there and all of them wanted to eat her and her friend.
Ry'kla smiled softly, "Six of you. So many of you and yet only two of us, how much meat will any of you get?"
One of the Kai'cha spoke, "The young fressssh one makesss ssssenssse…only enough for ussss eaccch to have a bite. I want more than jussst a mouthful."
And suddenly claws came out and the Kai'cha began to fight over Martha and Ry'kla. Ry'kla said to Martha, "Let's get out of here…before the victors decide to claim us." They began to slowly sneak away.
"Right, how'd you do that?"
The girl laughed lightly, "I am telepathic and a bit empathic as well. I could feel their hunger. That was there primary urge."
"Oh…" Maybe it was a good thing she had released Ry'kla, if anything she had managed to help her get out of a bit of a pickle.
Suddenly an alarm went off, "Oh bloody hell…."
Ry'kla flinched lightly, "Oh my ears…."
Martha grabbed Ry'kla by the hand, "Come on …we better find the Doctor before we get caught."
-0o0-
Lora Lai's watching of history had been interrupted; she had been informed that the stupid Kai'cha had been fighting amongst themselves over what? A couple of intruders. And she went after to check on them.
She arrived and said, "What's this about intruders?"
One of them spoke, "Missstresss we found intruderrsss. We werrre hungrrry….we lossst them."
"You stupid creatures, I pay you to keep me, my estate and my menagerie safe. Not to fight over intruders." Lora Lai pressed the intruder button and it began to blare loudly, "Now find the intruders and bring them to me…ALIVE. I'll give you something to sate your hunger."
"Yesss….." The Kai'cha said a bit annoyed.
-0o0-
The Doctor was about to put his plan into action when suddenly the door opened and he saw Martha and a young girl with pointed ears.
"Martha…Martha….it's so good to see you. And who's this?"
Martha smiled, "Doctor, this is Ry'kla. I let her out of her cell. She called herself…"
"A Plant Shepherd, a Mala'shra. I know them. How'd you end up here? Your race has been extinct for almost 2 billion years."
Ry'kla gasped suddenly and looked horrified, "I was traveling away from home and suddenly a bright light came and claimed me."
The Doctor nodded, he had his suspicions about this and he said, "What year was that?"
"The year 4521, human galactic standard, of course."
"Oy you've been snatched out of time….that's not right." He remembered something about Ms. Lai finding various pieces of Time Lord knowledge and technology, "I am going to have to put a stop to that."
He looked over at Caan, "Well it's been fun….but….I really can't stay."
The Dalek machine shook angrily.
"Tell ya what, Caan. I'll leave the door open. If you can manage to make it that far….then you're doing well. Come on time to find out what's behind that little door of hers in her office. More than just my clothing, I bet."
Martha looked at him now noticing that he wasn't wearing his normal clothing and she snickered, "You look like a monk or a priest."
"Hey…just to let you know these clothes use to be the rage on Gallifrey."
"For what? Prayers and Mass."
The Doctor snorted, "Come on….:"
Martha looked at the Dalek, "Umm… Doctor…what about…."
"Oh Caan, if he can move. It's up to him. I really wouldn't worry too much about him, at least for right now."