Chapter 8
Hi all, thank you to all those who reviewed or followed this story I really appreciate it. I have decided to end this story here but don't worry their journey isn't over. RL is getting in the way and don't have much time to write but I have a few ideas for where to head next. I promise it will be up soon (most likely early January). But thank you to all those who've read and enjoyed this, and please review and let me know what you think so far.
Martha
Martha could hear a woman's voice calling her name but she tried to ignore it as it began to was shatter the world around her.
Martha it's time to wake up.
Martha tried to hold on to the world of swaying purple grasses and towering orange trees but it all slipped away.
Martha, you have to wake up now.
As she blinked awake under the harsh glare of the hospital like lights the dream quickly faded away. She focused on the person on who had called her name,
"Cathy?" Martha asked softly.
"It's good to have you back," Cathy said smiling. "I just need to do a few last checks and then I can get out of your hair."
Martha forced herself into a sitting position and looked past Cathy to see the Doctor standing anxiously to the side. When she smiled he visibly relaxed and returned her smile.
When Cathy was done she said, "Everything seems in order, you should be completely fine. If you have any problems you can contact me personally." She turned to leave and Martha noticed her give the Doctor an odd look before exiting the room.
Finally alone the Doctor walked to her side, "How are you feeling?"
"Fine, how long have I been out?" Martha asked.
"It's been two days," the Doctor answered.
"Really?"
"Yep," he said popping the 'p'.
"So I'm cured then?"
"Of course, I am the Doctor after all."
She chuckled. "What happened then? I don't remember anything beyond, well, I'm not sure."
"We ran into some difficulties but everything was sorted," he answered smiling.
"Is that the simplified version?"
"Something like that," he replied.
"And the others?"
"They are all recovering."
"So Shelley is fine,"
"Yep, she came to visit you yesterday."
"That's brilliant, but why did I stay out for so long?"
The Doctor shrugged and said nothing
"Are you sure everything is fine Doctor."
The Doctor rubbed the back of his head. "Yep."
Martha could tell the Doctor was acting strange but she brushed it off for now. "So when can I leave."
"As soon as you're ready."
"I'm ready now."
"You're clothes are in there." He pointed at the drawer beside her bed. "Should I call anyone to help you?"
"No I'm fine,"
"I'll wait for you outside." He turned to leave but hesitated and turned back around to face her. "You are okay aren't you?"
Still smiling she replied, "Yes, I'm fantastic."
He gave her a toothy grin and left the room.
When the door closed behind him, Martha dropped the smile. Her body felt stiff and ached, but she wasn't going to sit in bed for another minute. Despite her muscles protesting, she managed to get dressed quickly and when she walked out the room the Doctor was standing right outside the door.
"Before I leave I want to check on Shelley," Martha said.
"I'll walk you there," the Doctor said taking Martha's hand and walking her the short distance to Shelley's room. "I'll wait outside," he said before Martha walked in to find Shelley sitting on her bed reading a magazine. She looked up before Martha reached her.
"Martha," she placed the magazine down and smiled. "You seem better."
"I am. How are you?" Martha asked.
"I'm good. They said I managed to fight off the infection and they will let me go home today. Isn't that great?" Shelley said cheerfully.
"That's good to hear. It's been a hard couple of days."
"That's an understatement. Are they releasing you too?"
"Yep," she said mimicking the Doctor by popping the 'p'.
"So I'll see you at work then."
"I won't be going back to the hospital," Martha replied.
"I'm sorry to hear that. It would have been great to have you around."
Martha sat down beside her and said, "I hope you know what a brilliant person you are Shelley."
"It's nice of you to say that, but I know I'm hardly the best."
"Shelley, don't underestimate yourself. You're brilliant and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Or let you feel any less than you are."
Shelley surprised Martha by hugging her which Martha happily returned.
"Take care of yourself you hear," Martha said when Shelley pulled away.
"You too Martha, and thanks for everything."
Martha left with the Doctor and walked back to the Tardis, however before reaching it Commander Shaw stopped them.
"I can't convince you to stay Doctor Jones," Commander Shaw asked
"My time with UNIT is over," Martha replied
"But if you change your mind," he said
"I'll call you. But before I leave commander, I wanted to know did you figure out how and when Steve Evans got infected? He was the only male infected and it just seems odd to me."
"He was infected by the Mannar," the Doctor interjected.
"Why? All the other victims were women, basically for obvious reasons." Martha stated.
"They are a hard race Martha. Any failure is punishable by death, and they always have the most inventive ways of dealing out punishment."
"So as punishment for losing Margret Forest he was infected, blimey!"
"Yep,"
Martha cringed at the thought
"Thank you for your help Doctor," the Commander said saluting him.
"They never listen," the Doctor said striding off and waiting at the Tardis doors for Martha.
"It's been a pleasure Doctor Jones," the Commander saluted and then shook Martha's hand.
Once inside the Tardis the Doctor sent the Tardis in motion but then stepped back from the controls and walked to stand closer to her.
"Where are we Doctor?" Martha asked surprised.
"Circling the moon, I have something to tell you," he said tentatively.
"This isn't just a ploy to kidnap me like last time," she quipped before realizing the Doctor was serious. "Okay," she said nervously.
"You reacted differently to the treatment compared to the others," the Doctor stated.
"Differently, what do you mean differently?"
"There were some complications."
"Complications?"
"How can I say this, you are changed," the Doctor said vaguely.
"Just spit it out Doctor, all you ever you do nothing but you choose now to run out of words."
"You're the first person I tried the cure on, and it had an unexpected side effect which could not be reversed completely. So to save you I had to make you part alien."
"What!" Martha asked shocked.
"It isn't as bad as it sounds," he tried to assure her.
"Am I going to grow scales? Or a shell?" She asked in horror. She really did not want to turn into a beetle.
"No, of course not, but why would you grow a shell?" the Doctor asked baffled.
"You said I am part alien. The Mannar had that hideous shell."
"Oh right, maybe I should explain clearer. When your DNA shifted it refused to shift back and reset like everyone else. All the changes you have under gone from the time vortex, Lazarus' machine and the reset drug…,"
"Wait, how do you know about reset?"
"It was in your UNIT files. But never mind that, the important thing is it all messed with your biology to make it unique, so when you DNA started mutating it clung to the alien DNA. But since the Mannar's DNA was not the ideal I introduced a new genetic code."
"New genetic code, you mean you… you didn't?"
"Yep,"
"So you're saying… I'm half-human/half-Time Lord," she asked.
"Half Gallifreyan,"
"Are you bloody kidding me?" she asked.
"It's not the worst thing in the world. You could be a walking tortoise," he teased.
"You made me into an alien Doctor that's not funny. It's the worst thing you could imagine."
When the Doctor's face dropped at her words, she bit her tongue. She hadn't meant to insult him but what did he expect. Him and his bloody genetic transfers she thought. What did it even mean to be a Human/Time Lord hybrid? The medical implications quickly ran through her head.
"OMG am I going to grow another heart," she asked putting her hand to her chest trying to feel another heartbeat.
"That's not how it works Martha,"
"Well how am I supposed to know what happens when you become a human/Time Lord hybrid."
"Gallifreyan," the Doctor corrected.
Martha glared at him but the Doctor had to suppress a smile. He should have known she would react this way. She always needed to think things through, from the beginning when she tried to get him to explain time travel instead of just accepting it like everyone else. She just needed time to think it through.
"Everything I am is based on me being human," Martha said. "It's like I've changed a huge part of myself, like I've lost a part of my identity. It's a lot to process."
She began pacing the console room trying to sort out what this all meant for her. Then she thought of her family. How would she ever tell them, not to mention her mom, that she wasn't quite human anymore? If she thought her mom would kill the Doctor before, now she had no doubt about it.
"Why don't you take a few days to process it, I'm sure you'll warm up to the idea once you think about it," the Doctor said.
Martha stopped and frowned at him. "What if I removed one of your hearts and made you half-human?"
The Doctor could not help but grimace at the thought.
"Not so funny now is it," she asked.
"Why don't I take you to a nice quiet planet where you can sit and relax and think this all over? This isn't the first time it's happened."
"So your race went around making humans into Time Lords then?"
"Of course not Martha but it's going to be fine. Trust me on that," The Doctor walked over and set coordinates for a planet which had a diverse species of aliens. Martha would see being part alien was not so bad and she would love it he thought.
FIN.