This chapter is short and it's weird. Blame Douglas Adams, his bizarre and frankly wonderful books really addle the brain…

Disclaimer: Still not mine… Although, one should try Protein 1 with just a dash of Protein 3. Tea, apparently.

Chapter 2

Madness and Memories

She couldn't believe it. This was not happening. Every single dream she had ever had, had come true in the space of 34 minutes. Now 34 minutes is not a long time. Especially in the month of Sundays. Whatever that means. Many people's dreams come true over a period of many years, some never come true at all, but 34 minutes? Nearing impossible.

Now, the impossible is hard to comprehend. How can something not be possible? How would it exist in this time continuum?

Well….

I'm not about to explain as I have no idea. Nor did Natalie. So she gave up thought and searched for something else to do at that point in time other than think. She managed to find the merest flicker of doubt in the corner of her brain which suddenly burst into life and swallowed her mind in a colossal fireball of cynical disbelief.

Her conclusion was that she was going mad.

-Flashback-

"So, we are going to Satellite 5 then?" Martha asked, oblivious to the Doctor's abrupt mood change.

"Yes, looks like it." His voice was distant. Martha was quick to pick up on this and held her tongue, despite the large number of questions racing through the channels in her mind.

They stood in the lounge, the air thick with a humming silence. The television now showed just snow. Not literally of course, just white, grey and black fuzzy lines. Eventually, the Doctor spoke. His voice sounded tired, like he had suddenly aged another hundred years. Martha expected he had.

"Come on then, back to the TARDIS. We have an arrogant boss with shiny shoes and an equally shiny head to argue with. Well, I say it like fact. What I mean is probably."

And with that, he headed up the stairs (tripping as he went) and disappeared back into the darkness of Natalie's room, looking for the TARDIS. Not that it would be hard to find of course, but the Doctor seemed to live in his own little dimension at times. Martha grimaced at Natalie and then followed the Doctor. Although not stupidly tripping over the air that hung so dangerously over the fifth step up.

Natalie contemplated the probability of being left behind in this kitchen whilst two figments of her imagination flew off in another figment of her imagination to the year 200,099. She found the probability to be a solid number one. This was not good for her chances of ever living a happy life without major regret. Deciding that the variables involved in this complex equation did not include her moving, she ran up the stairs and found herself in a box that was obviously a figment of her imagination with a fully functional dimensional transidentaliser that made the interior a whole lot bigger than the exterior.

Strange.

-End of flashback-

Five minutes later she stepped out of the Police Box shaped phenomenon to find herself suddenly go completely mad and gain nothing out of it other than a terrible headache. Quickly deciding that the number 34 was not to her taste she freed her mind of all unnecessary thought and momentarily looked on the bright side of life.

Unsurprisingly Martha suddenly floated into view again, much to Natalie's satisfaction. Good, she was back to normal. Normal thought and conversation resumed, leaving Natalie realizing she may have just had her first epiphany. All she had discovered though was that it certainly felt strange and she never wanted another one again.

Martha eyed the large sign above her head. It bore a strange slogan, but probably was of some significance. Perhaps in more ways than one. Well, certainly more ways that Martha dared dream. "So what year are we in Doctor?"

He was poking idly at bits of wire, occasionally getting a small electric shock. "The year 200,099. Ouch! A year before I arrive. Well, Big Ears arrives."

"So you've been here before then?"

"Strictly speaking…no." He tugged gently on his earlobe. He wasn't sure why he did it. It was just another one of those habits. "I come here next year, but that was in the past." He pulled a face. "I'm not making sense am I?"

"You are. Although theoretically, you aren't." She too pulled a face. Now they were both confused.

"Why are you two pulling faces at each other?" Natalie asked with mild curiosity. Not enough to kill the cat. Just a mild amount.

"Never mind." They said in unison. Well, no cats would be dying today.

"So," Martha continued, "Who are the Bad Wolf Corporation?" She gestured up at the ominous sign high above their heads.

"Ask Natalie." Was the nonchalant reply. And with that, he swept from the room.

Now it was Natalie's turn to grimace. Martha turned slowly to her and spoke. "What was that all about?"

The word came out blunt and dull, but it clearly stabbed Martha in the heart as if it was sharp and recently polished.

"Rose."

Martha blinked once. Then once again. Her face soon resembled a statue's. Stony.

"Right.You know what, I don't want to know."

Natalie soon found herself alone again in the vast, ice cold room. Deciding to find an outlet with which to allow the tension to slowly ebb away, she counted the computers lining the walls.

There were 34 of them.

Oh dear.