"The Mistaken M. Jones"

11. Martha & Mercedes

Earth, in the year 4514

Mercedes waited, wondering what Merit would tell the pair who'd come knocking at his door. When he let them into the house, she hesitated. Were they here to help? The woman who'd come to her before had said there would be several people there to help her, so maybe those were allies as much as Merit was.

"It's alright," the violet haired man called out. It took her a couple seconds more, but finally she stepped back out so they might see her.

"Hello," the tall man gave her a smile. "I'm the Doctor," he spoke, and for a second she thought they'd sent a psychiatrist after her, until it dawned on her that, if that was the case, then they had sent her the most unlikely one. "And you are…"

"Mercedes Jones," she volunteered her name, which seemed to get the attention of the second visitor.

"Mercedes Jones," the Doctor repeated, balancing on his heels for a moment as he nodded to his companion. "Meet Martha Jones. I don't imagine the two of you are related somehow?"

And then Mercedes understood.

"It's you!" she pointed to Martha. "You're the one he was looking for, not me!"

"Who was looking for me?" Mercedes' finger trailed over to the tall man.

"Then you must be the Time Lord."

"Someone's done their homework," the Doctor nodded.

"What's a Time Lord?" she went on to ask. Before he could try and explain anything, Martha had her own questions.

"How do you know all this?"

"I was walking, in the park, and then something happened…" She didn't want to say it. She didn't want them to think she was crazy, not when she finally thought she might be on the right track for heading home. But did she have a choice?

"What was it?" Martha asked.

"A man, he just… appeared, out of nowhere."

"Merit, was it?" the Doctor suddenly cut her off. "I think something's burning," he pointed to the kitchen, and the young man startled, hurrying as much as his leg would allow. "Go on," he turned to Mercedes again. She let out a breath.

"He looked hurt, he was… hurt, dying. When he saw me, he was anxious, like he'd been looking for me. He said, 'Jones, it's you, I found you…'" She'd never forget the words, she knew. That moment in the park would be etched into her memories forever. Martha felt a chill as she listened on. "Someone sent him looking for… for you," she corrected herself, now looking at the second M. Jones. "Said that you knew the Time Lord, and you could help. Then he put this on me," she held up her wrist, showing the cuff. "He said there wasn't much time and that I had to help, and then…" she looked down for a moment.

"He died," the Doctor guessed, and she nodded.

"Then the seconds ran out," she showed the cuff again, and I got taken here, five years ago. It happened again, when the time ran out, it took me here, now."

"Let me see?" the Doctor asked, and she held out her arm, while Merit came up with a tray.

"Just managed to save it," he announced, putting the tray in her lap. She didn't hesitate to grab the fork and start eating, while the Doctor was examining the cuff.

"Well that is just…" he fished out his sonic screwdriver, as he went on looking the silver thing over. "Remarkable, and I don't just say that." Martha came closer, peering over his shoulder. It was hard to see what he saw, though that was generally the case. The cuff itself looked sort of uniform. She couldn't even see where it opened, and there was no way it was slipped past Mercedes' hand. The only thing that stood out was the clock, but even as the numbers counted down, it was as though each digit was carved into the metal, like they were part of it, even as they changed by the second. "How much time does it last?"

"I don't…" Mercedes shook her head, lost.

"When you first arrive, what does it say?" he clarified.

"Twelve hours," she told him before taking another bite. She wasn't even all that sure of what it was she was eating, all she knew was that it tasted great, and she was starving. "What's that thing?" she asked of the small sort of tube with the light at the end. It was making sounds as he pointed it at the cuff.

Then something strange happened. There was a slight spark, and they all startled and jumped back for a few seconds before staring back at the cuff.

0:12:23. 0:12:22. 0:12.21…

"What did you do?" Mercedes panicked.

"Well… that's unfortunate," he stuck the sonic back in his pocket. "But it's alright, I got what I needed to know, I'll just have to… Right, take this," he snatched the tray and gave it back to Merit.

"Hey, I wasn't…" Mercedes started complaining, but then the Doctor had her face lodged between his hands, and she was made to look into his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Shh, leaving a message," he shut his eyes.

"A message?"

"More than a message," he amended, "A way to find you, and proof in case you need it."

"I don't…"

"Hush," he begged. "You'll be alright." When he let go, he sighed. "That's it then. Might as well keep eating while we wait."

Mercedes had been sure, with the Doctor's arrival, and this Martha girl, too, that everything that was happening to her would suddenly be made clearer. Instead, it was only getting more complicated. They'd given her back the food though, and she was still famished, so she did as she was told, every so often staring at the cuff on her wrist, like she was rushing against the clock on a test and the teacher was about to rip the paper from under her pencil.

"Doctor?" she asked, when she saw there was under twenty seconds to go.

"I'll get you home, I promise, but you'll need to trust your gut more than your eyes. You'll see me again, but I won't look the same, not even close."

"I don't unders…"

"You will," he nodded, getting hold of the tray as… 0:00:02. 0:00:01. 0:00:00. She disappeared, right from under the tray, leaving the Doctor, Martha, and Merit, staring at the empty seat. "Right, on we go," the Doctor gave Merit the tray before ushering Martha out toward the door.

"Do you know where she's gone?" Martha asked.

"I do. But it's not ours to deal with."

"It's not?"

"No. Our part's done," he told her as they left Merit's house. "So, now our outing was ruined, I believe the answer to that disappointment might be a short tour through revolutionary France…"

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)