GAMBLING

Martha and the Doctor burst through the door at the bottom of the stairs just as they had a million times during their year together. With the clearer vision of a bit of hindsight, Martha wondered how many miles she'd run with the Doctor, for the Doctor, after the Doctor, and everything in-between (and that wasn't even counting walking across the world during the year that never was). She wondered how many side-aches and scrapes and aches and pains she had procured in the process. She knew she'd do it all again in a heartbeat, but she also reminded herself of the figurative running after him that she did during that time as well. That was the part that really hurt.

They began running up the stairs toward the roof. Various people were heading down and advising the two of them not to go any further, since all of the danger seemed to be on the upper floors. Of course they ignored everyone's advice as always and kept climbing.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered.

"Then what the hell are we running towards?"

"I don't know!" he answered, and then let out a loud cackle that utterly delighted Martha, in spite of herself. That was enough for her. She followed him with no more questions.

After about seven flights of stairs, suddenly, he stopped, squeezing her hand a bit. He used his other hand to motion for her silence.

Martha waited, but all she could hear was the sound of people still coming down the stairs, and various voices. The Doctor had apparently zeroed in on something. And then she heard it too. Out of the din, the voices of Judoon.

"Governor Sorecon," the gravelly voice said. "There is another platoon on its way."

"Excellent," another voice responded. "Meet them on the roof. They will need to be informed of procedure."

"Yes, sir," the first voice said. "Shall I set them to work right away planting the explosives, or shall I instruct them to secure the ground floor?"

"Why does the ground floor need securing?"

"The ground floor is rife with humans. Most have migrated there. When the humans find that they are sentenced to execution, there will be chaos. There will be a need for securing."

"Yes, of course," the Judoon known as Sorecon said. "Have them set about securing the ground floor."

"Very well," the second Judoon said, and then they spoke no more.

Martha and the Doctor looked at each other gravely, meaningfully. This time, the building they were in was sentenced to execution outright, rather than simply one humanoid in the vicinity being sought. They listened and could clearly hear the Judoon coming down.

"Come on," the Doctor whispered, pulling Martha further up the stairs by the hand.

They climbed, and approximately two flights later, they came face-to-face with the Judoon. Martha's heart leapt into her mouth at the sight.

"You are ascending," the Judoon at the front of the line announced.

"So it would seem," the Doctor said with a whimsical tone. "I was told the escape pods were up this way, isn't that what you heard?"

The Judoon did not know how to respond. Instead, he repeated, "You are ascending. The other humans are descending. State your purpose."

"I told you, escape pods."

The Judoon actually looked at one another, and Martha seemed to notice a quizzical expression in the midst of all the bulbous scaliness.

"Escape pods?" one of them finally asked.

"Yeah, right up there on the top floor, we were told, weren't we, darling?" he asked Martha.

"Yep, top floor. In the loo," she riffed.

"That's right, the loo."

Again, the Judoon looked at each other. Then the leading Judoon said, "Come with me."

One soldier took Martha and the Doctor each by the arm. She whispered, "Oh fantastic, now you've gotten us captured."

"Yep," he said, popping the letter p. "Brilliant, aren't I?"

"What?"

"Silence, please," the Judoon insisted.

"Well, at least they say please," the Doctor noticed.

They were taken to the next floor up and told to stand against the wall. They faced a sea of cubicles, some of which still contained their occupants, most of which did not. The humans who were still present made sudden and high-pitched sounds of surprise and fear, and then retreated into the farthest corner. Martha and the Doctor noticed them, but just barely. Four Judoon now surrounded them. Their guns were not drawn, but the Judoon did not need to be armed in order to be threatening.

"Who spoke to you of these escape pods?" Sorecon asked.

"Ermmm," the Doctor pretended to think. "It was a bloke, I know that much. What was his name, dear?"

Martha did not particularly enjoy this game, but she played anyhow. "Oh, I think it was Frank."

"That's right, that's right," the Doctor said with a smile. "A bloke named Frank." He said this with finality, smiling widely as though this would clear up all misunderstanding.

"Who is this Frank?" asked Sorecon.

"Oh, just a gent that we met, where was it, love?"

Martha gave the Doctor a very dirty look, and then said, "I think it was in Brighton," she told Sorecon. "We met him in Brighton."

"That's it," the Doctor said, with the same manic smile. "He was wearing a rain hat and it was beautiful out. I couldn't imagine what he must have been thinking..."

"Silence!" demanded the Judoon leader. The Doctor and his companion obeyed. "Go to the top floor and check the waste disposal facilities," he said to one of his underlings, who obeyed without question. Then he ordered the other two to check each of the 'waste disposal facilities' in the building. The Doctor seemed delighted, and Martha could see that this was a diversionary tactic.

A scratching noise seem to emit from Sorecon's belt. "Sorecon. Request communication," a voice said through the grating sound.

Sorecon took the communication device from his belt and spoke into it. "Request accepted."

"Request that you state your position."

"Floor ten."

"Received."

Martha thought very little of this exchange, but rather, wondered what the Doctor would do next, now that he'd bought them some time by sending them on a goose chase for escape pods.

"Tell me," the Doctor said. "Don't you recognise me?"

"The Judoon have a very limited database of humans," Sorecon explained. "We do not believe that humans pose a threat, therefore, we do not catalogue them except on certain occasions."

"Oh, but I'm not human. Look closely."

The Judoon extracted a device from his belt that looked very familiar to Martha. It emitted a blue light and a high-frequency pulse. She had seen it before when the Judoon had transported the hospital. It was a device for recognising species. The giant rhino pressed it to the Doctor's forehead.

"Registering as non-human," the Judoon said. He shook his device rather comically, and then tried again. Martha had to stifle a giggle. After the second try, the Judoon announced, "Time Lord. This is impossible."

"No, just a bit improbable," the Doctor corrected. "Hello."

"You are the Doctor," Sorecon realised, rather neutrally.

"That's right," the Time Lord answered. "Now, would you mind telling me why you've sentenced an entire Earth bank, of all things, to death?"

"This is not a bank," the Judoon explained. "It is a front for an intergalactic gambling operation."

"Really?" the Doctor asked. Martha could tell that this genuinely was news to him. "And everyone in the bank is involved?"

"Unknown."

"You were just hired to execute the entire building and everyone in it."

"Correct."

"Who hired you?"

"The highest order of the planet Shin-Fang 6."

"That's the planet below, right?" asked Martha.

"Correct."

"Why would they do that?" asked the Doctor.

"Unknown. We do not concern ourselves with the reason, only the mission," Sorecon answered, turning away.

"I suppose you intend to plant your bombs and detonate them remotely from your ship on the roof after you've left the vicinity," the Doctor said, sniffing matter-of-factly.

There was a long pause. The Judoon admonished him, "You pose an excess of questions. You will be silent now."

"Well, now, that's a big yes," the Doctor muttered to Martha.

And then, the excitement was interrupted. A louder-than-usual ping sounded from the nearby lift. When the doors opened, another Judoon stepped out. "This is floor ten," he said.

Martha and the Doctor could see that he was being threatened with a Judoon-issued weapon.

And out from behind the oversized creature, weapon in-hand, came Mickey Smith.