Molly pushed open the doors of the office the Doctor had set up shop in. "The Judoon've reached the third floor and the basement," she told him. The alien himself was on one of the computers, scanning it with the metal tool from earlier. Up close, it looked like a large metal pen with a blue end that lit up. "What is that?" she asked curiously.
"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor answered distractedly. He was focused on the computer with a furrowed brow, the sonic screwdriverwhirring briskly.
His explanation left her no less confused, but she just replied with a small, "Alright." After a few moments of silence, she remarked quietly, "Good thing my boyfriend's not here. He's home sick. He's a great guy and everything, but I don't know if he can handle this." She gave a slightly nervous laugh. "I'm not handling it very well myself."
The Doctor looked over his shoulder at her, giving her a quick smile. "Nah, you're doing fine. One guy I saved ended up clinging to his girlfriend's legs and trembling." He seemed amused at the memory, but then his expression darkened into one of pain. Molly was surprised at the depth of it, even if the expression was gone as soon as it came. She'd have to find out about that later.
The Doctor turned back to the computer with a frustrated growl. "What's wrong with this computer?!" He gave it a frustrated smack. "The Judoon must have locked it down." The alien's gaze became unfocused as he mused, "Judoon platoon upon the moon."
Molly shot a quick glance at the files he had open on the computer. "Are you trying to find the Judoon's suspect on there?"
The alien nodded distractedly. "It'd be someone who's probably been admitted recently. Any alien pretending to be human'll have odd symptoms that never disappeared." He gave a small grin. "You should've seen the doctor when she realized I had two hearts."
"Two hearts?" Molly asked in surprise.
"Uh-huh."
She took a moment to swallow that. "I guess that'd make for an interesting autopsy," she mused. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what she'd said. "Oh god, I'm sorry! That's not what I meant!"
The Doctor just chuckled. "Nah, it's alright." Suddenly, he jerked back from the computer with a frustrated, "Oh!" He glared slightly manically at the screen, which was now several shades of red with strange symbols displayed on it. "Do you see? They're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They've wiped the records!" He ran a distracted hand through his wild hair. "Oh, that's clever."
"You're looking for patients with unusual symptoms, right?" Molly inquired. When he gave a distracted nod, she started towards the door. "I'll go ask my boss if he's heard anything. If not I'll check with the people at the front desk. There's got to be records on paper somewhere." With that, she left the alien to his manic search.
SCENEBREAK
Molly hurried through the halls of the hospital, avoiding panicking staff and terrified patients as she ran towards her boss's office. People seemed to have pegged on to the idea that the air was limited; a patient grabbed at Molly's lab coat as she passed, staring up at her with wide, terrified eyes. "Help us!" she begged.
Molly gently disentangled herself from the woman's grasp. "I...I'm sorry, I'm trying," she stammered. She did her best to ignore the woman's desperate stare as she hurried away. It'll be alright, she told herself, the Doctor knows what he's doing. We'll all get out of this alive. We have to.
She finally reached her boss's office. As she pushed open the doors, she called out, "Mr. Griffiths, I need to ask you..."
The pathologist trailed off as she took in the scene in front of her. The man in leather and a helmet who'd bumped into her earlier was standing guard over two slouched figures. Mr. Griffiths was lying on the ground, obviously dead and completely white in the face. An old woman she recognized as a patient named Mrs. Finnigan was bent over him, sucking from his neck with a little bendy straw. Molly froze for a moment, both in shock from the absurdity of the situation. When Mrs. Finnigan looked up at her, however, she bolted for the door. She could hear the old woman order, "Kill her!" behind her, but kept going.
As she turned from looking over her shoulder, she ran straight into the Doctor. After the disentangled themselves, he told her in an urgent tone, "I fixed the back-up on the computer."
"I found her," Molly cut him off.
The Doctor's brow furrowed. "You did what?"
Just then, the man in leather kicked through the door behind them. The Doctor looked at him with wide eyes, then quickly grabbed Molly's hand in his own. "Run!"
The two took off hand in hand, racing through the hospital as the man in leather sped after them. As she ran for her life, Molly could have almost laughed at how absurd it all was. She was running for her life, next to an alien with two hearts that looked human, from a bloodsucking alien that looked human, in the hospital she worked at, which was on the moon, while aliens that looked like rhinos were hunting them down. She wondered briefly if she was going mad; she'd once thought that Sherlock's adventures sounded crazy and unreal, but in one afternoon she'd managed to top all of them.
They started down the stairwell, but when they saw a troop of Judoon heading up the stairs in front of them, they turned and headed out to the hallways. They ran for a while, the man in leather easily keeping pace, until suddenly the Doctor yanked open the door to one of the rooms, pushing Molly inside before slipping in himself.
He closed the door behind them, pointing his sonic screwdriver at it for a moment, before turning and leading Molly to an x-ray device. "When I say now," he told her urgently, "press the button."
Molly looked at the mass of buttons and switches on the counter with confusion. "Which one?"
"Figure it out!" The Doctor told her unhelpfully. She set off towards the control panel as he fiddled with the device. Looking around wildly, she finally spotted a black binder labeled "Operator's Manuel." She snatched it up and flipped wildly through it, fully conscious of the harsh pounding at the door.
She'd only read a few lines when the door was kicked straight in. The man in leather advanced toward the Doctor, who pointed the x-ray device at him. "Now!" he shouted at Molly.
Looking desperately at the console, she saw a big yellow button that stood out from the rest. She hesitated, but there was no other choice. Biting her lip, she slammed down the button, hoping desperately she'd gotten it right.
A bright light emulated from the device. Molly shielded her eyes, but it subsided after a few moments. When she looked up again, the man in leather had crumpled to the ground while the Doctor was still standing. Molly froze, glancing at the button she'd just pushed. "What was that?"
"Radiation," the Doctor answered. He walked carefully up to the man in leather, giving him an experimental tap with his foot. When the man didn't move, he gave a grim smile. "I increased it to 5000%. Killed him dead."
Molly paused. "You killed him?" she asked hesitantly.
The Doctor finally looked up at the tone of her voice, giving a small, approving smile. "Well, it wasn't even technically alive to begin with. It's just a slab. Basic slave drone, you see. No brains or will of their own, just moving parts." He leaned down over it, motioning Molly to do the same. "You see?" He knocked on the man's chest, which gave an oddly muffled sound. "Solid leather all the way through. Someone's got one hell of a fetish.
Something clicked in Molly's head as she looked at the Slab. "Hang on." She looked from the x-ray device to the Doctor. "If that was radiation, didn't you get hit with it too?"
"Yeah, but it won't kill me," the Doctor said dismissively. "That's just Roentgen radiation. We used to play with Roentgen bricks in the nursery. You should be fine, by the way, I've absorbed it all." With that, he started shaking all over, like a dog trying to shake off water. Molly watched, baffled at the strange performance, as he explained, "I've just got to expel it now. Just gotta concentrate… I can shift it all to one part of my body…" He started hopping from foot to foot, finally settling for the left foot. "It's in my left shoe!" The alien started shaking his foot. "Now I just need to – ow, ow, ow!" He hopped on his other foot as he held his left foot up, making his way over to a waste dispenser. Without warning he ripped off his left shoe and shoved it into the waste dispenser. "Ah, there. All better." He looked up at her with a goofy grin which seemed slightly manic. "What do you think?"
Molly just stared at him, rethinking her theory on him not being entirely insane. "Um…"
Rather than getting offended, he just frowned thoughtfully. "You're right," he said, though Molly hadn't really said much, "I look daft with one shoe." With that baffling sentiment he took off his other shoe and chucked it in the bin. "There we go," he said with a pleased grin. "Barefoot on the moon."
As he turned back to the x-ray device, she remembered what she'd started to tell him before. "Doctor, the alien, the one they're looking for, she's this woman named Mrs. Finnigan."
The Doctor didn't seem to have heard her. He had removed his sonic screwdriver from the x-ray device and was staring forlornly at its burnt shell. "Oh no, my sonic screwdriver!"
Molly tried to get his attention again, "Er, Doctor?"
"Burnt out my sonic screwdriver," he said gloomily, still ignoring Molly. The pathologist fell silent, too nervous to interrupt him again as he bemoaned, "I love my sonic screwdriver."
After a few moments spent staring gloomily at the burnt-out screwdriver, he finally seemed to realize Molly had been trying to talk to him. "Sorry. You were saying?"
Molly explained, "The alien they're after is a patient named Mrs. Finnigan. I remember helping check her in when one of the desk clerks needed to run their kid to the hospital during my lunch break." She took a shaky breath. "I found her in Mr. Griffith's office. She was… I think she was drinking his blood with a straw."
The Doctor frowned thoughtfully. "Odd time for a snack. She should be hiding… unless… no, I got it, she's a plasmavore! She wasn't drinking the blood, she was assimilating it!"
When he turned back to Molly he seemed to notice her confusion. "Plasmavores are internal shape-changers. They can change their biology."
Molly realized what the Doctor was hinting at. "You mean, if she assimilated Mr. Griffith's blood, the Judoon will read her as human?"
"Exactly!" The Doctor headed for the door again. "Come on, Molly Hooper. We've got to find her before they do!"
SCENEBREAK
The two hid behind a few water coolers, watching quietly as another slab walked past. "That's the thing about slabs," the Doctor said with a frown. "They always travel in pairs."
Molly remembered his earlier sadness, and how he seemed to be alone here. It reminded her of how Sherlock was before he'd met John. He'd been so many things; brilliant, incredible, amazing. But not happy. "What about you?" she asked tentatively.
The Doctor looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Molly flushed at the personal turn this conversation has taken, but she was curious about the alien. "Are there any more of you? I mean, your species?"
Pain flashed in the Doctor's eyes again, but he covered it up by gaping incredulously at the coroner. "Humans!" he finally scoffed. "Here we are, hiding from a blood-sucking alien, and you're asking personal questions."
"Sorry," Molly apologized immediately. "I didn't mean - "
The Doctor chuckled as they straightened and started off again. "Nah, it's fine, it's one of the things I love about you humans. You're always so curious."
As they turned into another hallway, they ran smack into a troop of Judoon. One of them scanned the Doctor before they could run for it; the device let out a rapid series of beeps. "Non-human," the Judoon grunted.
Molly turned to the Doctor with wide eyes. She'd chosen to believe him when he'd told her he was an alien, but having it confirmed still gave her a bit of a shock. He grabbed her hand. "And again!" Hand in hand, they took off down another hallway.
SCENEBREAK
The two slowed as they reached the second floor. Patients and staff were sitting lined up against the walls, breathing hard, some with oxygen masks on. All of them had the black mark on their hands from the Judoon. "The Judoon already checked this floor," the Doctor confirmed. "We'll be fine up here for now. Judoon are logical and just a bit thick. They won't recheck a floor they've already cleared."
Molly's gaze swept worriedly over the hunched-over people. "They're running out of air," she whispered. "They're going to die soon."
The Doctor shook his head grimly. "Not if I can help it." He turned back to Molly. "You okay?"
The pathologist was surprised at the question. "Me? Yeah, I'm fine," she told him hastily. "What about you?"
"Respiratory bypass system," he explained dismissively. "I'll be fine longer than you lot." He squared his shoulders. "We need to find that plasmavore. Where's Mr. Griffith's office?"
"I'll take you there," Molly offered. She took the lead as they headed off again.
SCENEBREAK
When they got there, the plasmavore was gone, but Mr. Griffith's body was still there, ashen-faced and still. The Doctor leaned down beside him and checked his pulse, but she didn't need the grim shake of his head to know her boss was dead. She worked with death every day – she knew it when she saw it.
The Doctor sighed. "Drained him dry," he observed grimly. "Every last drop." He ran an agitated hand through his messy hair. "What's she playing at? She'll get executed right along with us if the Judoon decide to do that. Come on." He got up and started towards the door. Molly went silently to Mr. Griffith's side to shut his eyes, then hurried after the alien.
As they left the office, the Doctor starting talking animatedly. "Think, think, think, if I'm a wanted plasmavore in a hospital, what do I do?" His eyes widened as they came upon a sign that read "MRI."
"Oh, she's clever," the Doctor realized, "Clever as me. Well, almost.
Suddenly, Judoon appeared from further down the hallway. "Find all non-humans," one ordered the rest of his troop.
The Doctor turned abruptly to Molly and put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to let out a slight squeak of surprise. "Molly, I need you to stall the Judoon for me."
Molly felt a shiver of fear, but just nodded calmly. "Just tell me what to do," she said. Never mind what happened to her, she'd do what it took to help the Doctor and save these people.
The Doctor hesitated. "Listen, this means nothing. It could save everyone in this hospital, and it means nothing at all. Alright?" Before Molly could reply, he pulled her shoulders closer and pulled her into a kiss. It was chaste, but it lasted several moments before the Doctor pulled back. He gave her a final nod, then took off running again.
Molly was still slightly dazed by the kiss, but she stayed in the hallway where the Doctor'd left her. She believed him when he'd said it meant nothing, and to her surprise, it meant nothing to her either. The Doctor was fantastic and brilliant, but all she'd felt when he kissed her was the silly wish that it had been another brilliant, almost alien man instead. What she felt for the Doctor was curiosity, not the longing she felt for Sherlock, or even the affection she felt for Jim.
Only moments later, the Judoon, still in formation, came straight up to her. One of the creatures held up his scanner to her face. She flinched away from the uncomfortably close light as the device beeped. "Human," the Judoon grunted.
Suddenly, the beeping changed tempo. "Wait. Non-human traces detected." The Judoon grabbed her by the throat with its still-gloved hand and shoved her against the wall. Molly let out a slight squeak of protest, but with the Judoon's hand pressing on her throat it came out more like a gasp. The Judoon looked her with beady brown eyes peering out of its wrinkled, gray face. "What are you?" the creature demanded.
Molly forced herself to stay still as the Judoon continued to scan her, consulting in brief grunts with the other Judoon. Several minutes passed; Molly could only hope it was enough for whatever the Doctor was planning. Finally, the Judoon lowered his scanner. "Confirmed. Human with non-human traces." He marked her hand with a black X, then pulled a strange slip of paper out of his pocket. "You will need this," he informed her.
Molly massaged her throat, which was still sore from the Judoon's grip. "What for?" she rasped as she took the paper in one hand.
"Compensation." With that, the Judoon rejoined his troop and started off in the direction the Doctor had gone. Molly hurried after the Judoon that had scanned her, safe now that she'd been marked, and eager to get back to the Doctor and figure out what was going on.
She just hoped the Doctor had gotten the time he needed.
SCENEBREAK
The Judoon marched their way to one of the rooms, pushing the doors open and barging in. Molly was right at the front, so she was one of the first to see the scene that awaited them. She froze in horror as she saw the familiar scene from Griffith's office, only now it was the Doctor lying white-faced on the ground. "No," she whispered. It couldn't be true. The Doctor couldn't be dead.
Through her panic, she could hear the plasmavore telling the Judoon, "Now look what you've done! This poor man just died of fright."
One of the Judoon grunted, "Scan him." Another complied, waving the scanner across the Doctor, before concluding, "Confirmation: deceased."
Well, here's more of my Sherlock/DW crossover for ya. Bit of an odd place to end it, but the chapter was getting kinda long so I decided to chop it in half. Which means you might even get the next chapter later today.