Chapter Three
Martha winced slightly as another UNIT soldier saluted her. It was one of the things she'd picked up from her travels with the Doctor, she hated salutes.
Sadness filled her as she thought of the Doctor and poor Jack, who'd spent three months searching for him, only to find he was not the Doctor he, no, they all wanted. She knew Jack had a terrible choice to make, and she knew she could never make it, would never want to.
"Dr Jones?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.
She looked in the direction of the voice and smiled. "Dr Johansen, it's nice to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances."
Dr Johansen returned the smile. "True, but needs must."
"Yeah," Martha sighed. "The virus, is it secure?"
"Yes, it's on Level Four, along with all the other nasties. Destruction is scheduled for the morning. Let me show to your room."
Martha nodded and picked up her bag and followed Dr Johansen.
Morning couldn't come quick enough, the sooner the Reichenstien Paradyme was destroyed, the better. She'd seen the effects the altered virus had on human cells, and it had taken the sick feeling in her stomach days to dissipate. She couldn't believe that anyone, even someone as twisted as White Coat would release something like that into the world, and she knew if the Doctor had been in his right mind, he wouldn't have been part of it.
As she walked through the building, it was obvious how seriously both UNIT and the governments were taking the virus. There were enough men and weapons present to start a small war.
She was grateful for the small room with a bed and a shower. She was suddenly tired, and within minutes of hitting the pillow she was asleep.
*******************
The Doctor stepped out of the 4x4 and walked briskly up the hill. He stopped at the top and looked down at the activity below.
"Oh look, they've laid on some target practice," he said to the man standing next to him.
"Hmm, standard protocol, two ten men units, and by the looks of it CIA as well."
"Should be fun, are your men ready?" the Doctor asked.
"Just waiting your orders, are we a go sir?"
"Are the charges I brought in place?"
"Yes sir."
"Then let's not waste anymore time, you have a go," the Doctor said, and started walking down the hill.
*****************
Martha was shaken awake by landing heavily on the floor, just as the building rocked again.
For a few moments she lay on the floor, dazed by her rude awakening. Then she began to hear the sounds of gunfire, and the sounds of people dying. For once her sleeping in her clothes was an advantage, and she pushed herself off the floor, and opened the door to her room a crack.
Smoke was starting to fill the corridor, and she wondered momentarily why the smoke alarms hadn't gone off.
She opened the door and stepped into the corridor. If they were under attack, there was only one thing their attackers were after, the contents of Level Four.
Covering her mouth she made her way not towards the elevator, but towards the stairs, and began the long climb down.
She had only taken one flight of steps when she met a group of UNIT soldiers.
"Dr Jones, you have to get out ma'am, we're under attack. We'll escort you outside!"
"No, we have to get to Level Four, they're after the Reichenstien virus!" she barked and pushed past the soldiers.
"Stay with her!" one of the soldiers said, and three soldiers ran after her.
*****************
The Doctor took his hands away from the person's head, and shoved them away with a growl of frustration.
"Find me someone who actually knows something!" he snarled.
The man who was standing next to him nodded, and motioned toward the group of men, who were standing a few feet away.
"Find anyone with a red pass!" he snapped.
The man turned back to the Doctor. "There aren't many that have red passes."
The Doctor glowered at the man, who seemed unfazed by the look.
"I need the access code, can't get any further without them," the Doctor said.
"Can't you use that sonic thing of yours?" the man asked.
"No, they've deadlock sealed all the doors." He held up the screwdriver. "This can't undo a deadlocked seal. That's why I need the codes. Is it a problem?"
The man didn't reply to the question, he'd heard the frustrated and angry tone in the Doctor's voice. He pitied the person who was going to be on the receiving end of the Doctor's particular brand of interrogation.
There was a sudden commotion, and seconds later the group of men reappeared, dragging a lab-coated man with them.
"Found one sir," one of the men said, and shoved the man forward.
The Doctor stepped forward, grabbed the man's lapels and pulled him forward. The man's red pass named him as Dr M Johansen, Chief Researcher.
"Now, this is more like it. Well done boys, you brought me the key holder."
The Doctor pulled the man right up to his face. "Dr Johansen, shall we discuss the codes to the doors?"
"I won't tell you!" Dr Johansen said.
The Doctor smiled, and his eyes glittered with what Dr Johansen could only describe as malice, and what were browns eyes began turning black.
"Who said anything about talking?" the Doctor said, and clamped his hands on Dr Johansen's temples.
*********
Martha punched the code into the door to Level Four, it hissed open as the deadlock seal released.
A small shiver ran down her spine, on this level were some of the deadliest diseases known to man, Ebola, Marburg, Hanta and now the Reichenstien Paradyme, in both its forms. She ran down the corridor, followed by two of the three soldiers, leaving one to guard the door.
The room containing the Paradyme was the furthest from the door. Martha knew she wouldn't have much time, whoever the invaders were they would either force the codes from someone, or if they were less sophisticated, they would just destroy the doors.
She stepped into the room, motioning for the two soldiers to stay outside. She tapped the code into the large container and stood back as a cloud of liquid nitrogen billowed in the air, and two cylinders rose from the cloud. She took a carrier from a nearby shelf, and with the thermal gloves she lifted the cylinders from the container and placed them carefully in the carrier.
It was as she closed the lid that the lights went out, and she was left in the semi-darkness of the emergency lighting, which gave of a hellish red glow.
She stepped out of the room and frowned, the two guards were missing. She looked left and right and her heart started to beat a little faster.
She didn't like this, and for some reason she felt compelled to call Jack. She took out her phone and dialled.
"Come on, come on!" she said urgently.
She looked left and right again, hoping to see the soldiers. As she looked left, she heard footsteps to her right.
"Oh thank god," she said and turned.
Her heart froze in her chest, and she stopped breathing.
*******************
Jack raced to his desk, cursing himself for leaving his mobile on his desk. The number told him it was Martha, and he smiled.
"Martha....." he began, but stopped when he heard what sounded like a phone clattering to the floor.
"Martha?" he said, worry eating at him. "Martha?!"
A feeling of dread passed over him, and he knew something bad had happened.
He flew out of his office, grabbing his coat and his weapon.
"Gwen, Ianto!" he yelled as he ran towards the Hub door.
***************
Martha dropped her phone, she could hear Jack's voice calling her name, but it seemed like he was far away.
Her eyes were fixed on the figure in front her, who was advancing slowly, a wicked grin on his face, made worse by the red of the emergency lighting.
"Martha Jones, you have something I want," the Doctor said, and reached for her.