The area was beginning to resemble a three ring circus by the time Martha saw Jack's SUV pull off the dirt track. She squeezed her way between two tanks, which had trundled their way over from the nearest army base, and nodded to a RAF officer, who was in deep conversation with a U.S. Air Force general who had just flown in from a base in Colorado – an old friend of General Sanchez, apparently, who had something to do with deep space telemetry.

Martha waved as she saw Jack jump out of the SUV, and began to grin as Gwen, Ianto and Mickey jumped out after him. Gwen caught sight of her and waved back, a huge smile on her face, as Jack ignored the harried looking sentry and jumped over the cordon.

"You could have just flashed him your credentials, you know," Martha said, as she nodded to the sentry, who backed off.

"Ah, but where would be the fun in that?" Gwen said, as she hopped over too and wrapped Martha in a hug. "How are you? Is Tom okay?"

"Yeah, I talked to him last night," Martha said. "He's shaken, but he's alright. How's Rhys?"

"Oh, he's fine—"

"So, where is it?" Mickey interrupted impatiently. "Does it look like the TARDIS? It isn't disguised as an ice cream truck or something, is it? Let me have a look."

"Oh, I'm not so sure we can do that," Jack drawled. "After all, this is official Torchwood business, and as you haven't signed up yet…"

Mickey tapped him on the back of the head. "Don't start."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "They've been like this all day," he said. "I'm beginning to feel like I'm living in an eighties buddy cop movie."

Jack smirked. "And my mind has just gone to places they've never been before, which is something I don't say too often."

"Yeah, well it can just turn back around," Mickey said, his eyes narrowing.

"Seconded," Ianto said dryly. "I draw the line at shoulder pads."

"Welcome to Torchwood, defender of the Earth – and fashion, apparently," Gwen drawled.

Martha laughed. "Come on, it's this way," she said.

"We've got a lot of company," Jack observed.

"Yeah, well people are still a little jumpy after what happened yesterday," Martha said.

"But nobody has expressed an interest in the actual artefact?" Jack asked.

"Oh, plenty of people have expressed an interest," Martha said cautiously.

Jack eyed her. "But you haven't told them what you suspect, have you?"

"I thought it might be better if we keep this between ourselves until you've had a good look at it. Other than the Doctor, you're the only person I know who has a working knowledge of this sort of technology."

"Martha, I'm nowhere close to the Doctor's level of proficiency – and if it's Gallifreyan, he'll recognise it on sight."

"And if it's not Gallifreyan, he'll be crushed," Martha said softly. "He's had enough heartache recently, don't you think?"

"He phoned you?"

"Last night. He told me about Donna."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "I recognise that tone."

"Let's just say I have a few ideas," Martha said. "I'm not going to leave Donna like that."

"The Doctor doesn't seem to think it's possible."

"The Doctor is the smartest person I've met, but he isn't a medical doctor," Martha said stubbornly. "I'll think of something, give me time."

"Yes, ma'am!" Jack teased, flipping off a salute.

Martha rolled her eyes, but found herself grinning as they reached the edge of the crater. "So, what do you think?"

"It's weird, I can't seem to focus on it," Gwen said, as she pulled out her scanner. "And I can't get any readings."

"We could be seeing the effects of a chameleon circuit caught in a Time Lock. A TARDIS just as it's morphing…" Jack mused aloud. "The TARDIS's circuit broke back when the Doctor was visiting Earth during the 1960s – that's why it always looks like an old police box."

"How do you know that?" Martha asked suspicious.

Jack grinned unrepentantly. "The same way you did – from UNIT's file on the Doctor."

"I swear, our security is leakier than a sieve," Martha muttered.

"It's not that bad, actually," Ianto said softly. "It's just that Tosh was better."

Martha bit her lip as she saw the tightness around Jack's eyes at the mention of Tosh's name. Silently, she reached out and squeezed his arm.

"So," Jack said aloud, after he took a deep breath. "We've got an artefact surrounded by a circle of Daleks, caught in a miniature Time Lock.

"If this is what you call miniature, I wouldn't want to see what your version of big is," Gwen said.

"Neither would I - it's about three Galaxies wide, and holds two powerful Temporal Empires bent on mutual destruction."

"The Time War," Martha said.

"The what?" Gwen asked, disbelief showing on her face.

"The Time War, between the Daleks and Time Lords," Mickey said flatly.

"I've heard the stories," Ianto said. "But I've always thought it was a myth.

"Think again," Jack said. "It's no myth. We nearly got out own special reenactment of it, yesterday."

Mickey folded his arms. "We should call him."

Martha caught Jack's eye, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Not yet," he said. "Not until we're sure."

"And how are we going to do that?" Mickey asked.

"We're going to open it, of course."

"We're going to open it?" Mickey echoed. "I was right. The cheese has gone to your brain."

"We just have to be fast," Martha said. "You brought Tosh's programme, right?"

Gwen nodded. "And the generator," she said.

Jack nodded. "And if that thing is a TARDIS, like we think it is, and its chameleon circuit is still operational, that means that the TARDIS isn't shut down with a cronon shield. It should be able to resist a few moments of Dalek fire."

"That's why we brought the proton guns," Mickey said. "You knew what we were going to do from the moment you got off the phone with Martha."

"UNIT means well, but they're not equipped to handle this sort of technology, Mickey, I should know," Martha said.

"And Torchwood is?" Mickey countered. "You weren't at Canary Wharf."

"No, but my cousin was," Martha said quietly. "And she lost her life there. It doesn't change the fact that Torchwood are the best people to deal with this, especially if the artefact has someone inside it."

Ianto sighed. "Why do I have the sudden feeling that this is one of those stories with a hole in the middle?"

"Gwen, set up the generator," Jack said. "Mickey, make sure those weapons are primed – oh, and I'd like your transmat disc, please."

"But that thing is huge," Mickey protested, as he handed the device over. "The transmat is designed for only one person."

"Don't worry, it'll work. A TARDIS's mass doesn't follow the usual rules – which reminds me—" He turned to Martha, as Mickey headed in the direction of the SUV. "Did you get the information I needed?"

"A six and an eight," Martha drawled as she watched Jack open the control panel on his wrist strap. "And he's going to kill me when he finds out."

"Then we'll have to make sure he never finds out, don't we?" Jack said. "Right, we're set. Gwen will open the Time Lock and I'll make a run for the TARDIS. Mickey and Ianto will distract the Daleks, and make sure none of them escape the crater before Gwen reactivates the Time Lock. Martha, you'll make sure that UNIT—"

"Oh no you don't," Martha cut in. "I'm going with you."

"Martha, the wristband—"

"Can carry two as well as one, and we both know it," Martha said. "I'm going, and we're taking one of the proton guns with us. The artefact – which may, or may not be a TARDIS - has just been plucked out of a gun battle. They might be cranky. Remember what the Doctor is like when he's cranky?"

"I don't know about anybody else, but speaking as someone who's read the Torchwood files on the Doctor, I'd say she had a point," Ianto interrupted.

Jack sighed. "You do realise I'm supposed to be the one in charge, right?" he asked, as Mickey and Gwen arrived back.

"Actually, technically I outrank you, Captain," Martha teased, as she relieved Mickey of one of the proton guns.

"What have we missed?" Gwen asked.

"An insurrection" Jack grumbled.

"He's pouting because Martha won't let him play the Lone Ranger," Ianto drawled.

"There's always Batman," Mickey said.

Jack smirked. "Only if you'll play my Robin."

Ianto frowned. "I thought we agreed that was my role?"

"Trust me, I'm not auditioning for the part," Mickey said hastily.

"He's in denial," Jack said, in a mock whisper, into Martha's ear.

Martha grinned. "Must be the coat," she said. "Ready?"

"Always," Jack said, with a laugh.

"Oh, please," Mickey muttered, as he hefted the proton gun in his arms. "Just try not to get yourself killed."

"See, he does care after all," Jack said.

"Nah," Mickey shot back. "I just know I'll be the idiot who ends up dragging your sorry arse around out of there, if anything goes wrong – and my Grandmum warned me about lifting heavy weights."

"Ouch!" Jack said. "Just for that, I'm going to put you on the graveyard shift for your first month!"

"I don't work for you!"

"No, but you will."

"If you two lads are finished," Gwen drawled, as the generator booted up. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Has anyone bothered to inform UNIT about what we're doing?" Ianto asked. "I only ask because that gentleman over there, with all those bars on his uniform, doesn't look very happy."

"They're on alert," Martha said. "I told them we were going to try and break the Time Lock."

"But you didn't tell them we're going to transmat the artefact out of here," Jack crowed.

"You have a point?" Martha asked archly.

"My point is, you so belong in Torchwood."

"Jack, maybe now is not the time to start your recruitment speech," Gwen said lowly, her eyes pinned on the crater. Martha turned to look just as the air suddenly became choked with laser fire.

"Let's move!" Jack yelled, and he grabbed Martha's hand as they ran headlong down the slippery slope.

"Remind you of something?" Martha asked, as she blasted at a Dalek that suddenly spun in their direction as they reached the bottom of the crater.

"What? You mean the running?" Jack shot back. "I don't know what you mean - left!"

Exterminate! Exterminate!

The Dalek screamed at them as it suddenly exploded into flame and Martha risked a look over her shoulder, and saw Mickey give her a salute and a grin. "He's good," she said.

"He's had lots of practice," Jack said. "Whoa, have a look at the artefact!"

Martha almost stumbled. "It's a Dolmen!"

"Exterminate! Do not let them reach the Time Station! EXTERMINATE!"

Martha exchanged a look with Jack. "It's a Dolmen that's also a time station," she offered.

"That's that settled, then," Jack said, as he took the transmit disc out of his pocket. "Only a Gallifreyan would come up with something that silly. Keep them off my back."

Martha nodded as Jack ran ahead and she fired at the Dalek bearing down on them. Over half the Daleks were already taken down, but that didn't mean that the ones left couldn't do a lot of damage. "Jack?"

"I don't understand, it should work!"

Martha felt her heart sink, as she reached his side. "What's wrong?" she asked as she blasted at another Dalek.

"It's going nuts; the digits are spinning on it like a fairground game. I don't understand, it. It should be working."

"That would be the temporal shielding; it interferes with the coordinate panels on silicate chips. We only figured out how to adjust for that after the Type 40 model.""

Martha blinked and looked at Jack.

"It wasn't me," he protested. "It's a woman's voice."

"How observant," the voice said wryly "By the way, do you need a lift, or do you find your present surroundings somehow amusing? I can never tell with humans."

"We should not let them in. It could be a trick!"

"Shhh, Leela, they're obviously in need of assistance—"

"But they might be collaborators, trying to lure us out—"

"Uh, ladies, I hate to rush you, but we're in a bit of hurry here," Jack interrupted, pulling a face a Martha.

"We can see you, you know!" the voice called Leela said.

"Just let them in, Leela, I'd rather have a live collaborator on my hands, than a dead innocent."

"But Rom—"

"Leela!"

"Oh, very well!"

Martha heaved a sigh of relief, as a dark slot opened in the stone, and she followed Jack inside. "Thank you so much—"

The world spun and Martha suddenly found herself on the ground with a knife at her throat, as a scantily clad woman pinned her to the ground and kicked her gun away.

"Who are you?" the woman snarled.

"Martha, Martha Jones," Martha squeaked. "Uh…we come in peace?"

"Yes, you always do," said another voice wearily. "Let her up, Leela."

"She could be a threat. She was armed."

"And now she's not," the woman said. "Let her up, we need to find out what went wrong so we can rectify it as soon as possible." A deep groan filled the room, and the woman sighed. "Also, I think her friend may need medical attention - you didn't have to hit him quite so hard."

"He seemed so strong," Leela said, shrugging as she got to her feet. "How was I to know he would go down so easily?"

"And that would be a blow to my ego, along with my head," Jack said hoarsely, and Martha scrambled to her feet and went to his side.

"You okay?" she asked,

"I'll live," Jack joked, as he eyed Leela prowl across the room and join the woman at the console "I didn't get your name?"

"I'm…Fred," the nameless woman said, looking suddenly very pleased. "Yes, call me Fred, pleased to meet you."

Leela rolled her eyes. "Not this again."

Martha shrugged. "Well, at least it's a bit more original than John Smith."

"Ah," Fred said. "I should have known. The Doctor is involved in this, isn't he?"