Chapter 7.
The Doctor and Martha quietly made their way up the bank on the other side. Martha shivered heavily because not only had she been swimming through freezing water but the cool breeze was blowing onto her while she was walking through snow. The Doctor looked back to her and removed his leather jacket, leaving his short sleeve v-neck dark undergarment as the upper layer. He placed the leather jacket around her.
"Are you trying to keep me warm or speed up the process of a frost bite?" She asked frustratingly through chattering teeth.
The Doctor brushed his hair back with his hand, looking to her, "well I never said anything about a warm spa now did I? Come on," he said, taking her hand, walking them toward one of the houses which looked onto the water. The house they were approaching had the lights off. They both snuck around the side. The neighbours seemed to be away also.
Once inside the house, the Doctor found them two dry towels, he threw one to Martha. They seemed to be down in a basement down the bottom of the house with a number of packing boxes, possibly either because of moving or just junk they were throwing out.
Martha rigorously dries her hair, letting it fall down to her shoulders. Meanwhile, the Doctor walked over to what looked like an old wardrobe, he opened it and noticed it was full of old clothes. He dried his hair off with the towel and tossed it aside, turning around to Martha, he sat down on a chair in his wet clothes and started unzipping his boots. "You know, I never took time to thank you for all the risks, coming after me…and trusting me."
Martha looked back to him and forced a smile, though through some agony from the cold and the night she had experienced with him so far, "it's ok." She looked away from him for a moment and then back to him as he removed his boots. "The truth is, I don't know why I stuck by you all this time."
The Doctor stood up and pulled his top up off above his head, now topless and barefooted, he began to undo his trousers, "Well it is New Years Eve."
Martha awkwardly looked away as he undressed and smiled a little. "It's just…I've always been so bound by what I know and then…you come along. Who are you…I mean really?" After a few seconds of silence, she looked over her shoulder to see the Doctor with his back to her – entirely naked. She looked back in the other direction and muttered out of frustrated guilt, "Fuck."
The Doctor took out a blue long sleeve collar shirt. He pulled it on and started buttoning it up. "Fancy throwing something like this out then." He then walked towards the stairs of the basement and headed upstairs leaving Martha alone, shrugging. "I guess I'll just help myself to the lingerie then?"
Martha walked over to the wardrobe and grinned. She saw a red leather zip up jacket, just her size by the looks of things. "Uncouth though he is…I must admit. The methods are sound when you need them." She walked over to a mirro and stood in front of it, still wet, holding the jacket before her. She walked over to a box and saw some other clothes, she collected them, hoping she'll find something that works. She headed back up out of the basement to a bathroom, making sure the Doctor wouldn't walk in on her naked. She could hear from across the house what sounded like a hairdryer.
The Doctor came back downstairs, now wearing a pair of suit trousers, brown with light blue pinstripes. His hair was also styled into a slick and spiky style. He was carrying a suit jacket which matched the trousers, he pulled that on but was still bare foot.
He then walked into what appeared to be the living room and switched on the television but kept it quiet. There were numerous reports of New Year's Eve celebrations but also a great deal of coverage concerning the military lock down.
"After London's Riot's this year, anything is to be expected for a New Year's bash, the Government is not taking preparations lightly" the reporter commented. The Doctor just smiled and shook his head, "You lot are so controlled."
His thoughts were distracted though when he heard the front gate. He turned off the TV and scooted to the front of the house to see two police officers with flashlights coming in the front garden. He then hurried back to the corridor, hissing, "Martha. MARTHA!"
Martha stuck her head and bare shoulders out, looking to him, she hissed back, "Whaaat?"
"We have company," he said, approaching the door.
"I'm not dressed yet," Martha protested. The Doctor grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out with her just wearing jeans only, her hair still down. Her arm was across her chest, looking to him in disgust.
"God you have a nerve!" She said, turning her back to him, grabbing the leather jacket, pulling it on. She turned around to face him, looking him up and down, "Nice outfit. No shoes?"
The Doctor took her hand, "No time."
Martha looked down to her own bare feet and then up to him as she followed, hissing again, "There's always time for shoes!"
The Doctor lead them quietly out the back, heading back for the TARDIS.
In barefoot, they had miraculously made it back to the TARDIS.
"So what, it's an apartment of some sort?" Martha asked as they entered the alley.
The Doctor pulled out his key from his suit pocket, walking toward the police box, "a home of sorts I suppose."
He walked up to the TARDIS, pushing the key in the lock, twisting it, he opened it up and stepped in.
Martha looked to him as he walked in, "Hey, I've got a boyfriend." There was no response, she shook her head and stepped in.
"I said-" shocked at the significantly larger space inside, she took a step outside and walked around the TARDIS, running her hands through her hair. "No…"
The Doctor stood at the console. It had finished its regeneration cycle. The interior was still the same but the systems had been rebooted, cabling repaired. "Yes," he simply said as she walked back in. "Yes, it's bigger on the inside."
Martha walked up the stairs to the console, looking at him over all the equipment. "What on earth in this?"
"The TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimensions In Space. In travels through space and time and even between dimensions. No, I'm not lying."
She looked to him, reluctantly walking around the console, she swallowed nervously, "Are you…human?"
The Doctor looked up to her and held his stare for a moment, "No."
Martha stepped back, holding the railing. "Are…are the government after you?"
"I don't believe so. But, they could work grossly against me. They're from a division called U.N.I.T. They're the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. They're known of but mostly operate covertly." He then went back to looking at the screen. He reached into his pocket and took out the syringe gun he obtained earlier with the blood sample. He unscrewed the cylinder and poured a sample onto the petri-dish built into the console and ran a scan.
Martha sat down on the seat in front of the console, rubbing her feet from the chill. "I have so much to ask you."
"I have a few unanswered questions myself."
She continued to look at him, "do you have any socks or anything? My feet are freezing."
He nodded behind him, "go down through that door, second on the left. I have a whole wardrobe." Martha stood up, raised her eyebrows, the Doctor reciprocated by looking to her, then the doorway.
A few moments later after leaving the console room, she returned wearing a later wearing a black tank top over the jeans, leather jacket slumped over her arm, carrying a pair of boots and some converse sneakers. "These boots are hot. You get many girls coming here to stay?"
The Doctor was too focused on the screen, thinking, "yeah, a few." He then continued his train of thought but out loud, "but why drag the TARDIS to Earth when you already have the means to infiltrate the corpses?"
Confused, Martha looked up to the Doctor as she tucked her right fitted dark blue jeans leg into a knee high black leather zip up boot and then began on the other boot. "So the whole zombie thing is true?"
The Doctor turned and stare blankly ahead at the wall, "I'm afraid so." He nodded to the blood sample, "that blood has been infected that allows organs to refunction. But why does none of the person's individuality resurface?" He turned around and looked to the readings and muttered, "It's a virus."
She stood up, pulling on her red leather jacket over her fitted black tank top and reached for her hair, tying it back into a ponytail. "An experiment gone wrong?"
He looked to her and shook his head, "no. This is far too calculated for Earth medicine. This appropriates human blood, muscle, organs and tissue. But the body still can't deal with it." He then walked around the console. "I'm here by accident and at the same time, I'm not. I wasn't meant to be here, I was travelling and a signal dragged me down to Earth."
Martha followed him around the console. "Maybe they want your help."
"It's possible," he began flipping some buttons and turning a few dials. He looked to a map of London on the screen, "Gotcha! Now that I have the source of the signal, I shouldn't have too much trouble finding you."
"You found the source of the signal?"
"Indeed I did," the Doctor looked to her. "Again, thanks for your help, I couldn't have made it without you. I better let you get on with your night. You spoke of a boyfriend, he must be missing you."
Martha looked to him silently and tilted her head, "he's ummmm…he's out of town. Overseas actually. Far away. Far far way in fact."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "No family, friends to see?"
She looked away for a moment, then back to him, "No, ummm, they're all busy." She shrugged and sheepishly offered, "I could join you."
The Doctor shook his head, "It's too dangerous."
A smile formed on Martha's lips, "that's how I like it."
He and Martha traded stares for a moment, the Doctor cleared his throat. "Very well then."
"Not without shoes you're not," she reached down and picked up the white converse sneakers, throwing them to him. The Doctor caught them on his chest with both hands. He looked to her awkwardly, "sneakers with a suit, really?"
She raised her eyebrow, "you'll look cuter…I mean, cute," she then changed the subject, reaching into her pocket, taking out a tie and throwing it to him. "Not to mention more professional. The blue and brown colour of the tie should match the suit."
The Doctor nodded, "I guess I have no choice," he looked to her, "nice clothes by the way."
Martha looked to him, remembering Brennan, "thanks. Though I'm not dressed to impress, I'll see you outside, ok?" She turned on the heel of her knee high boot and walked with a slight strut, not meaning to. She muttered to herself outside, "Cuter? Dressed to impress? Get it together girl."
The Doctor stepped out. They were both ready. The Doctor wore his new outfit. A brown suit with light blue pin stripes, jacket closed with a long sleeve blue collar shirt, blue and brown tie, white converse sneakers with slick, spiky hair. Martha's hair was tied back, wearing a cherry red leather jacket zipped up over a black tank top, fitted dark blue jeans tucked into knee high black leather zip up boots.
The Doctor locked the door behind him and looked to her with a smile, "Dressed to impressed and to kill by the looks of it." The Doctor strutted on ahead, Martha just rolled her eyes.