Title: Armageddon

Rating: T

Warnings: Major spoilers for "Utopia", "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords"; violence; mild language; allusions to rape (but I promise nothing explicit or graphic)

A/N: Late again, I know. My classes started back up Monday and I've had to get used to the new schedule—sorry! Hope you guys forgive me!

As usual, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Sorry that last chapter was a bit short. This one isn't terribly long either, but that's mostly because it was supposed to be part of the last chapter. *sigh*

Armageddon:

Part III: The Year of Hell

Chapter Fifty-One

The Master had been in an extremely good mood for the last several days and it was putting the Doctor on edge. Spencer could tell that there was something going on, but there was nothing that either of them could really do to find out exactly what.

"The deadline is just a few weeks away," Reid pointed out. "Maybe that's why he's actually so strange."

It didn't seem to convince the Doctor though. "We've barely seen him for two days. We haven't even seen Lucy! Something is going on. It must have something to do with the commotion a week ago…"

There had been an uptick in activity onboard earlier in the week and ever since then that Master had appeared to be preoccupied. He hadn't stopped in with his usual—unwanted—morning greetings and when they did see him it was only briefly. He had a gleam in his eyes that made them both uncomfortable.

"You don't think…" Spencer hesitated. "We would already know if he'd managed to find Martha, wouldn't we?"

The Doctor blinked and shook his head. "No. He hasn't found her yet. We'd definitely know about that; he wouldn't be able to contain himself. He'd make an example of her. He still isn't even certain what she's doing. I think we've managed to lead him astray with the story of her building a weapon against him."

Spencer fidgeted, looking uncertain. "Then what could have made him so… giddy?"

The Doctor snorted at his word choice, but his eyes were far off and anxious. "I don't know. Whatever it is, it can't be good news for us."

Throughout the rest of the day they didn't see the Master once. They were brought lunch by a timid young woman, whose name they didn't know because she never spoke to either of them, even when they tried to have conversation. It was a better lunch than they'd had recently—baked chicken. It was plain, but definitely a step up from bland oatmeal and potatoes.

"He must be in a really good mood," Spencer said, picking at the chicken. They'd stopped being suspicious of the food a long time ago, but it was difficult to keep up a healthy appetite on the Valiant anyway.

"Mm," the Doctor nodded. His was practically brooding at that point.

"We could ask," Spencer said. "The guards probably know what's going on."

"Most of them wouldn't dare tell us,"

"They might," Reid said. "A lot of them have risked a lot more in the past." He had to fight back a grimace at his words, thinking back to the guards who had gotten themselves killed in defiance. "It can't hurt to ask. Unless you've got a plan to get these chains off and find out for ourselves."

The Doctor smiled faintly, looking down at the chains that kept them in place against the wall. "It would be nice to stretch out legs…"

Spencer leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "We will. Just a few more weeks and this will be over." One way or another.

They ate slowly and mostly in silence. The Doctor eventually decided that Spencer was right and it couldn't hurt to ask. The worst that would happen would be the Master find out that they were curious and he likely knew that already.

When the guard came to collect their plates, he grabbed him by the wrist and stopped him.

"What's been going on this last week?" he asked. "Has something happened?"

The guard—a young man who couldn't have been more than twenty—stared at him with wide eyes. He hesitated for a second, opening his mouth as if to answer, before pulling his wrist free and standing quickly. He hurried out of the room without a word and the Doctor slumped back with a heavy sigh.

"We'll just ask the next one," Spencer said.

"And likely the next one," the Doctor pointed out.

"One of them is bound to answer eventually," Spencer said.

"Eventually…"

~/.\~

The smell of smoke was thick in the air as Martha and Grace made their way to the work camp. The sun had set a few hours earlier, but the stars were practically invisible. Martha wondered how bad these factories were affecting the environment and added another thing to her very long list of reasons why the Master needed to be stopped.

They were let inside by a woman no older than Martha with pale blonde hair and a weary smile. She had calluses on her fingers and bags under her eyes, but her spirits seemed to lift once she realized that Martha Jones was actually there.

"I'm Tess," she introduced herself, leading them into the dining hall where everyone was currently gathered, just finishing their evening meal. "We're so happy to see you, Miss Jones." Her eyes sparkled. "I can't believe it's really you!"

At first no one noticed them enter and the chatter continued, but then they realized that Martha Jones was standing there next to Dr. Holloway and all talking ceased for what felt to Martha like an eternity. When the talk started back up, it was all whispers about her. She caught a few as Tess led her down the narrow aisle between two of the long tables.

"It's really her!"

"I can't believe it!"

"—walked across the whole planet—"

"She's finally here!"

It was familiar, but it never got easier. Martha smiled at them as she passed and said hello to a few of them as they greeted her. She tried to make herself look taller, to make herself look like someone worthy of all the attention and the hope they had somehow misplaced in her. They always seemed to—thinking she was the hero of the story when the Doctor was the one they needed to be focusing on.

"Annie," Tess suddenly stopped at the end of the table, where an older woman—probably in her mid-forties—sat. Her plate was empty and she was watching their approach with keen brown eyes. "She's here."

"I can see that," Annie said, standing. She held her hand out and Martha took it. "Glad to meet you, Miss Jones. I'm Annie Baker, unofficial head of this camp."

"Martha, please," she said, "and I'm glad to meet you as well. I take it you know Dr. Holloway already?"

Annie nodded. "Her and her friends have been here a few times, telling us to get ready for you. They said you were going to tell us about a way to save us all and get rid of the Master."

"I do," she said. "Dr. Holloway is probably going to help me. It's a bit difficult for some to believe, but it's gotten easier lately."

Annie laughed, "Martha, at this point I'd believe you no matter what you told me." Her smile was weathered and made her eyes crinkle and she suddenly looked much younger. "What you've done… walking the earth, getting everyone ready for whatever it is that's supposed to be coming. I think you've earned the right to be listened to."

Martha couldn't help but grin at that.

They waited until everyone was finished with their meal before beginning. Everyone cleared away their plates and dishes and pushed the tables closer together, gathering around to hear what Martha had to say. Martha was used to it, but Dr. Holloway shifted a bit under all the curious and excited eyes so Martha gave her a reassuring smile.

"I know you've all heard a lot of talk about me these last few months," Martha said. "You all seem very excited to hear what I've got to say, and that's great, but I've got to tell you that you've got it all a bit wrong. I'm not about to sit you down and tell you all about this brilliant plan of mine and how I'm going to fix everything. I'm just spreading the word. This is about the Doctor. You've all probably heard of him at this point, seen him a few times. He's the one you need to remember; he's the one who's going to save us all."

Someone in the back called out before she could go on. "Yeah, but how?!"

She smiled. "Because he's the most brilliant man I've ever met. He can do it. Dr. Holloway knows him, she can tell you as well. We're going to tell you a story, about the Doctor, and then we're going to tell you what you need to do to help us stop the Master."

She launched into the familiar stories about her travels with the Doctor, about meeting him on the Moon and meeting Shakespeare, about his amazing TARDIS and saving New New York. Dr. Holloway told them about meeting him in the hospital where she was working, about how he saved her life and about meeting the Master in the flesh and how the Doctor had defeated him that time.

She listened to Grace with interest as she talked—she had only ever heard bits of her story and never heard her really tell it herself. They had the crowd enraptured, the younger ones (some as young as fifteen) looked wistful and even many of the older people looked like they longed to go on an adventure with the Doctor.

It wasn't difficult, after that, to convince them that the Doctor's plan would work. They all seemed more than happy to do what they needed to do and Martha felt her spirits soaring at the bright-eyed hope she could see on their faces. The end was near and she could almost taste it.

She and Grace walked back, carefully and quietly, to the safe house. It was just after midnight and the air was lighter. She could smell more rain in the air.

"He sounds like such a remarkable man," Grace remarked softly as they walked.

Martha glanced over at her. "You've met him," she said. "You know he is."

She nodded. "Sometimes…" she sighed. "Sometimes I wish I'd gone with him. Especially now, hearing your stories, hearing the amazing things he's done. The places he's been." She looked sad.

Martha was reminded on Donna Nobel and her story. "It is dangerous," she said. "I mean…" she waved her hand around vaguely. "He clearly doesn't lead a safe life."

"Looking back I'd probably trade the safety for the adventure," she said. "I mean…" Her nose scrunched as she thought. "I had a good life, I'm not complaining. It just… seems so dull compared to the Doctor's life. When I met him… it was like stepping right out of reality for a while and that was so electrifying."

"So why did you say no then?" Martha asked. "Why not go with him?"

Grace shrugged. "I was scared," she said. "Weren't you?"

Martha smiled. "Absolutely petrified. But that's part of the fun, isn't it? Facing your fears. Not that I want to do anything like this again, but it has definitely taught me a lot about myself, and about human beings."

Grace looked up at the starless sky. "I'm sure it has…" She pressed her lips together. "Sometimes I look up there and I think about the Doctor and I used to wonder if he was out there still, traveling around. It was all the time, but I would be washing dishes or checking the mail and the thought would hit me, 'I wonder what he's doing now?'."

Martha followed her gaze and nodded. She could understand that. She sometimes wondered what she would have done if the Doctor really had left her in her apartment and not come back. She probably would've done the same as Grace, or as Donna, looked up at the sky at night and dreamed about him. Wondered what he was doing and if she'd get another chance to travel the stars with him. She would have to tell the Doctor about them, about how much he'd impacted their lives. He'd probably like to hear that after all the bad things he'd gone through lately.

~/.\~

It took them most of a day to get everything packed up—mostly it was Tosh's computer equipment; anything that they could leave behind they did, including some clothes. They didn't want to linger for one moment more than necessary. Jack had just returned to their common room with a frown on his face, surveying their work as the last bag was finally closed.

"What's on your mind, Captain?" Kate asked, glancing over at him curiously.

"I was just thinking," Jack said. "This is an awfully large group. Easily spotted and tracked."

"It is…" Kate said, nodding. "But you've been together for a while. Especially the rest of them."

"The Master is looking for us now," Jack said. "He may even be closer than we think. It'd be too easy for him to find us if we're all together."

"You've got a point," Jake said, coming up behind them with Tosh in tow. "We'd be better off if we split and went separate ways. We can meet up again in a few days once we get to the safe house Kate's leading us to."

"We're splitting up?" Ianto asked as he, Sarah Jane and Luke came in, followed shortly by the Joneses.

"Jack believes it would be best. I have to agree, though it will make things more complicated for us."

"At the very least, the Master won't be able to find us all immediately if we're split up…"

"I don't like it," Ianto said, frowning.

"Don't like what?" Wilf asked, dropping a small duffle bag onto the table next to the others. Donna followed him shortly with another bag and it looked like everything and everyone was accounted for.

"Splitting up," Tosh answered.

"If we do, I'm not leaving Fran and Tish," Clive said, wrapping his arms around his daughter and ex-wife.

"Of course not," Jack said. "The Joneses stay together. They'll come with me. Kate can go with Sarah Jane, Luke, Jake and Donna and Wilf. If that's alright?"

They nodded and then Jack turned to Tosh and Ianto. Before he could say anything, Ianto went right to his side. "I'm going with you," he said.

"Me as well," Tosh said. "We just got you back, Jack. We aren't letting you out of our sight again. Plus, that makes an even six of us on both sides."

Jack smiled at them. "Alright then. Let's get going. I want to make some distance before nightfall and it's nearly noon now."

~/.\~

A/N: Like I said guys… this was all supposed to be in the last chapter. Next chapter will move us forward a bit more and hopefully be longer. That being said, it will also possibly take me longer to write. With classes back I've got more to do than usual, so I'll try to aim at every other week, but I can't make promises. You've all been amazingly patient and understanding with my late updates and I appreciate it! Thanks so much.

Please don't forget to review!