Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. Farming honor is time consuming work, and my paladin needs new boots/bracers.
Martha sat in a small room onboard the TARDIS on a small bed which was covered in a thin, white sheet. The walls were the same strange organic color and design of the rest of the ship, and the ceiling arched absurdly high for the small space. She was still wearing the Doctor's glasses, waiting for him. Bored, she kicked her legs off the edge and kicked them against the bed. She was still in a bit of shock. Somewhere, close by, was her psychograph clone. She'd come to the realization after her last conversation with the Doctor that it really wasn't fair to even keep thinking of her as "the clone", or as herself as "real". She sat mulling over the Doctor's response to her. It really hadn't been her intention to upset him so much. The thought just... popped out. Still, she thought glumly, it was the truth at the time. The door opened quietly, and the Doctor walked in, sonic in hand. In his other, he was carrying on of the alien's headpieces.
Martha averted her eyes from his gaze. She was embarrassed and he, she supposed, was still angry. He walked over to a console and placed the helmet in a large receptacle, which melded back into the wall. A series of displays began to light up, displaying information which to Martha appeared to be wide, interlocking circles. The language of the Time Lords. Her problems momentarily forgotten, she sat and watched with intrest, until the Doctor looked over her shoulder at her. She looked down quickly.
"Martha," He began, leaning against the console, on foot over the other. "What do you want to do?"
"What do you mean?" She asked, confused. "About what?"
The Doctor came close to rolling his eyes, but instead began to configure the sonic. "About her."
"Save her, obviously. Keep that from happening to me. Her." She quickly corrected.
"I'd rather like to keep it from happening to both of you." He said quietly.
"But that's not really possible, is it? Now that she's here, if we don't follow the same timeline, won't we cause her to fade?"
"Yes and no." The Doctor said, looking intently down at the screwdriver in his hands.
"What'd you mean, 'yes and no'?" She asked, mildly annoyed.
"Martha," The Doctor sighed. "We're had this conversation, haven't we? Back to the Future? Wibbly wobbly?" He tugged his ear unconsciously. "No, not the wibbly part. Thing is, because they've changed the timeline now, we've been given some freedom we wouldn't usually have."
"But how can we trace back a timeline that now hasn't happened?"
The Doctor grinned. "Because I'm clever."
Martha rolled her eyes. "Oh really?" She asked mockingly.
"I'm a Time Lord, Martha." He said, suddenly serious. "I can see what every choice that wasn't made could have become. But we're still missing too much of the puzzle."
"Right, but how do we figure it out? Where do we start?"
"You really are intent on taking the fun out of everything." He said. "Now, lie back just for a minute, we'll get you back to normal. Well... as close as you came in the first place."
Was that a joke? Martha was surprised the conversation had gone so well. She was expecting to be thrashed up one side and down the other for her comment at the door of the TARDIS. He was, without a doubt, insane. Or very forgiving. The Doctor carefully removed his glasses from her as he simultaneously fired the sonic into her left, then right eye. She was shocked - it wasn't painful at all. More bothersome at the worst.
"Right! There we are then." The Doctor said as he pulled the sonic away, clearly satisfied with his work.
She stood up, rubbing her eyes. "That didn't hurt at all."
"The initial rewiring is the tough part - after that, easy." He smiled, tucking the sonic back in his jacket and turned to leave, but paused at the door. "You need to spend some time with her." He said quietly.
"Doing what? I'm no psychic." Martha replied defensively. Now it starts, she thought ruefully.
"Martha, humans are empathic. You won't be able to hear thoughts, because that's for the really clever species," He said in mock seriousness, "But you'll easily be able to see the memories that she wants you to, especially with the TARDIS's help."
"And how exactly will the ship be helping me?" She asked.
"How do you think you always hear English no matter where we go? It's the TARDIS translating, but it's deeper than that. It can amplify and focus psychic emissions." The Doctor replied matter-of-factly.
"Right." Martha said, without much enthusiasm.
"Will you talk to her then?" He asked. If she didn't know better, it would almost seem as if he were pleading.
"Yes! I will!" She replied quickly, regretting the commitment as soon as she spoke.
"Thanks." He said smiling, as he left the medbay.
Martha sat in the center of the TARDIS, the great glowing engine slowly pulsating. She twisted the chair around and put her feet up on the railing, feeling the metal's odd warmth against her calves. The gentle light was soothing, and she would have sighed peacefully.
Had she a mouth.
Bringing her hands up, she played idly with her bone tipped fingers. Once, it hurt even to hold a small object. The skin hadn't yet become accustomed to the jutting bone and every step, every touch, was painful. She looked at her feet, the three toes large and unsymmetrical, the bone tips discoloured from walking so long barefoot. Briefly, she considered painting them.
Ugly. So very ugly, she thought with rising anger.
"Hi." Came a voice. Martha stood at the doorway from the medbay, arms crossed to hold her jacket over herself.
Silence. Martha let her hands relax their grip around her jacket. Perhaps despite what the Doctor believed, they couldn't communicate. Her mind wandered to what he'd said about the TARDIS being psychic, when suddenly the scene in her mind shifted.
"There's something I'm missing Martha," He said, looking right into her eyes but somehow beyond her. "Something really close staring me right in the face and I can't see it."
The emotion was intensified. She was there again, laying in the bed with him.
"Rose'd know. Friend of mine, Rose, right now she'd say exactly the right thing."
The rejection she felt was more powerful than even what she'd felt then. She really believed she'd come to terms with it, with him, with her, but apparently not. She shook her head. Why was she thinking of this n-
The clone's great black eyes dug into her like knives. She pointed at Martha, the bone tip moving slowly in a small circle. Martha narrowed her eyes at the clone.
"Was that you?" She asked, feeling stupid for asking.
The clone nodded. The eyes caught Martha again. The memory came again, even more intense than before. Martha took a step back, reeling from the emotion. It was more than rejection. It was anger, blazing in her mind.
"Stop it." Martha said. "Why are so focused on that? It was ages ago."
The Doctor stepped out into the room, caring in his arms one of the aliens. His face was pained, and he moved with purpose, swiftly over to a console by the engines. He stopped briefly to put the alien down.
"Rose..." He murmured to the alien, holding its hand. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He then moved rapidly to activate the consoles of the TARDIS, working more quickly than she'd ever seen before. He didn't even look up when she came closer. She stood at the center console, as he moved around. He brushed by her without flinching, or noticing. But then... he darted right through her.
Martha shut her eyes.
"That's enough!" She yelled at the clone, opening her eyes. "Do that again and I'll - "
" - do what?"
Martha spun around to find herself inches from the Doctor. He was frowning at Martha. She couldn't help but be slackjawed. How long had he been there? Could he see what the clone had showed her?
"I... she..." Martha stumbled to find the words. "I need to go." She blurted out, pushing by the Doctor to head to the dormitories. He watched her go, one eyebrow up. He then looked back at the clone. She sat seemingly undisturbed, also watching Martha as she bolted out of the room.
Martha felt the TARDIS shudder as it began to travel again. She sat alone, in a alcove in her small room aboard the ship. She looked at her shoes, and didn't hear the Doctor enter.
" 'ello." He said quietly.
"Listen, I know, you're angry. I'm angry. I can't explain but - "
The Doctor shook his head sadly. "You realize that she's you? That all those emotions are yours? You know, I really didn't give you humans enough credit – not many species can generate emotions that strong. Certainly not apes." He sniffed, rubbing his nose. Martha was silent.
"You think I've taken good care of her?" He asked.
"Of course." She answered, knowing it was the truth.
"Funny, because she doesn't. She seems to think were she someone else," He extended the word, letting it sit, "That I'd be doing much more to help her." He sat down on her cot, resting his elbows on his knees and placing his face in his hands.
Martha bit her tongue to keep from gasping. "You saw it?" She said, attempting to remain calm.
The Doctor sighed. "Of course I saw it."
"The whole...?" She sputtered.
"The whole thing. Remember? Clever species and all that?" He said, tapping to his temple. "But now the question is, what to do."
"I..." Martha began hesitantly. "I can't accept she's me anymore. Those might be my memories, but they aren't my emotions."
"Aren't they?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"No." She said firmly.
"Right then!" He said, standing up. "So, now we have an even better mystery than before, and the key to it is sitting out there, thinking that she's managed to set us against each other."
"But if she's that powerful of a telepath, doesn't she know what's going on here?" Martha asked.
"Well, see... I needed you actually angry at me for a reason. I normally don't go about enraging and embarrassing people for no - "
"You don't?" Martha laughed.
" - good reason, but I needed the TARDIS to take an imprint of those emotions right as they happened. Now, it's using a psychic dampening field to disguise what you really think using those old emotions as a blueprint."
"Right. Of course! I'm giving up on being surprised today..." Martha muttered.
"Oi, don't think like that!" The Doctor grinned. "Because I think your really going to like where we're heading next."