Shareen vs the Universe
The Lazarus Experiment
Thanks to Waiting Companion for favouriting and following this story.
Martha and Shareen clung onto the TARDIS console for dear life as the Doctor piloted them into land. "There we go." he said proudly when the rough ride stopped. "Perfect landing. Which isn't easy in such a tight spot."
"Huh, I'd have thought you'd be used to tight spots by now, Peacock." Shareen snorted
"Where are we?" Martha asked, rushing to the doors.
"The end of the line." the Doctor replied. "No place like it."
Martha stepped out of the TARDIS to find herself in her flat. "Home?" she questioned, disappointed, "You took me home?"
"In fact, the morning after we left." the Doctor replied as he and Shareen joined her. "So you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really."
"You sure it ain't been 12 months?" Shareen ribbed him
"But all the stuff we've done..." Martha began, "Shakespeare, New New York, Old New York..."
"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking." the Doctor replied, too busy examining photos of the Jones family to notice Martha's disappointment at being brought home. "Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry..." He picked up a pair of knickers from the clothes horse.
"Yeah, why don't ya leave Martha's stuff alone?" Shareen told him as an embarrassed Martha promptly snatched the knickers off him.
"So, back were you were, as promised." the Doctor told Martha
"This is it?" Martha frowned
"Yeah, we should probably, er..." the Doctor began, gesturing to the TARDIS.
Just then, the phone rang and went straight to the answering machine. "Hi, I'm out. Leave a message." Martha's voice said on the answering machine.
"I'm sorry." Martha said to the Doctor and Shareen
Francine's voice came over the answering machine. "Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?"
"It's mum, it'll wait." Martha said, not in the mood to listen to her mother's trademark ranting and moaning right now.
"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested." Francine's voice said
That piped Martha's interest and she turned the telly on to see a press conference on the news being hosted by an elderly man. "The details are top secret." the man told the press
"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha wandered. She got her answer when she Tish standing behind the man, who was named Professor Richard Lazarus according to the news.
"But I can tell you that tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world." Lazarus continued
"So that's ya sister, then?" Shareen asked Martha, gesturing to Tish.
"Yeah, she's got a new job. PR for some research lab." Martha replied
"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human." Lazarus said proudly
Martha decided she'd seen enough and turned the telly off. "Sorry. You were saying, you should..."
"Yes, yes, we should." the Doctor said, leaning against the TARDIS. "One trip is what I said."
"Yeah, you said." Shareen said pointedly. She'd come to like Martha and was annoyed that the Doctor was ready to just leave her without a second thought.
"Yeah." Martha said. "I s'pose things just kinda... escalated."
"Mmm. Seems to happen to me a lot." the Doctor said
"Thank you." Martha said, "For everything."
"It was my pleasure." the Doctor replied and went back inside the TARDIS.
"Sorry, Martha." Shareen said, hugging her new friend. "I'll see if I can talk him into comin' back. I can be pretty persuasive when I wanna be."
"I can imagine." Martha smiled. "But just in case... Bye, Shareen. It was nice meeting you."
"You too." Shareen said. "Hopefully, I'll see ya in a bit." She went inside the TARDIS and the box dematerialised.
Martha stared at the empty spot sadly. She was just turning away when she heard the familiar wheezing and groaning sound again and the TARDIS rematerialised exactly in the same spot. The door opened and the Doctor poked his head out. "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?" he asked.
Martha looked behind the Doctor to see Shareen smirking and winking at Martha.
~8~
That evening, the Doctor and Martha were walking along the street towards Lazarus Laboratories in Southwark. Martha had an invitation to Lazarus' demonstration, which offered the Doctor the perfect opportunity to see what was going to happen. As it was a black tie event, both the Doctor and Martha were wearing formal dress; the Doctor wearing the black tuxedo he'd obtained in Pete's World and a pair of black converse, while Martha was wearing a nice knee-length purple dress and matching heels. Shareen had said that she would make her own way to the labs and meet them there.
"Oh, black tie." the Doctor sighed as they neared their destination. "Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens."
"It's not the outfit, that's just you." Martha snorted. "Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way."
"James Bond?" the Doctor said indignantly, then changed his tune. "Really?"
~8~
Taking prominent place in the centre of the main reception area of Lazarus Laboratories was a circular dais housing a large white capsule with frosted glass windows and surrounded by four upright posts which were slightly curved at the top to aim at the capsule. Well-dressed guests mingled around the room. "Oh, look, they've got nibbles!" the Doctor grinned as a waiter passed by with a tray of food. "I love nibbles." And he promptly helped himself to some food while Martha could only laugh.
Just then, Tish came up to them and hugged her sister. "You look great." she said. "So, what d'you think? Impressive, isn't it?"
"Very." Martha replied
"And two nights out in a row for you. That's dangerously close to a social life!"
"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." Martha joked
"You might, actually." Tish replied. "Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too. Even dragging Leo along with her."
"Leo in black tie? That I must see." Martha laughed then she indicated the Time Lord. "This is, er, the Doctor."
"Hello." the Doctor said, shaking Tish's hand.
"Is he with you?" Tish asked Martha
"Yeah." Martha confirmed
"But he's not on the list. How'd he get in?" Tish frowned
"He's my plus one." Martha told her
"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" the Doctor asked Tish.
"Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff." Tish replied
"She's in the PR department." Martha added
"I'm head of the PR department, actually." Tish corrected
"You're joking."
"I put this whole thing together." Tish said proudly
"So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight?" the Doctor asked. "That looks like it might be a sonic micro-field manipulator." He eyed the capsule in the centre of the room.
"He's a science geek. I should've known." Tish remarked. "Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later." she said to Martha and walked away.
"Science geek? What's that mean?" the Doctor asked
"That you're obsessively enthusiastic about it." Martha replied
"Oh, nice." the Doctor grinned smugly
Just then, Martha saw a familiar face. "Ah, here's Shareen." she said
Sure enough, Shareen joined them at that moment. She was wearing a knee-length metallic gold dress and black sports pumps, her hair styled in elaborate curls. "Hey, guys." she greeted her friends. "Didn't miss anything, did I?"
"Nah, hasn't started yet." Martha replied. "You look great."
"Hmm, thanks. So do you." Shareen said. "You're gonna have all eyes on ya tonight, Martha."
"How did ya get in?" the Doctor asked her
"I used this." Shareen replied, producing the Doctor's psychic paper. "I told 'em I was representin' Torchwood. Worked a charm."
Just then, a voice called out from behind them, "Martha."
Martha turned to see Francine and Leo walking up to them. "Mum!" Martha gasped, running up to her mother and giving her a big hug.
"Alright, what's the occasion?" Francine laughed as they pulled apart.
"What d'ya mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all." Martha replied
"But you saw me last night." Francine reminded
"I know, I just... missed ya." Martha said then turned to her brother. "You're looking good, Leo."
"Yeah, if anyone asked me for a drink, I'll swing for 'em." Leo laughed, uncomfortable at being dressed up.
Francine then noticed the Doctor and her manner changed. "You disappeared last night." she frowned
"I just went home." Martha replied
"On ya own?" Francine asked suspiciously
"These are friends of mine, the Doctor and Shareen." Martha introduced
"Doctor what?" Francine asked
"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together." Martha said
"You all right, mate?" Leo said as he shook hands with the Doctor, then he turned to Shareen. "Hey, I know you. You used to sing at Waterloo."
"Yeah, uh, used to do a bit of buskin'." Shareen said as she shook hands with Leo. "Really need to get back into it. Been a bit busy lately."
The Doctor meanwhile turned to Francine. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you." he said as they shook hands
"Have you?" Francine asked in an interrogating way. "What have you heard, then?"
"Oh, ya know, that you're Martha's mother and..." the Doctor answered awkwardly. "Er, no, actually, that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat. Ya know, been busy."
"Busy?" Francine asked suspiciously. "Doing what, exactly?"
"Blimey, is this an introduction or a police interrogation?" Shareen remarked.
"Ah, mum's always like this." Leo told her. "When she first met my girlfriend, she went all Spanish inquisition on her."
Francine gave him a death glare but before she could probe the Doctor any further, Professor Lazarus tapped a glass to get everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle." he announced. "It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you will wake to a world which will be changed forever."
He then turned and entered the capsule, shutting the door behind him. Two female technicians started up the machinery and one of them pressed a big red button, causing an intense blue light to erupt from the capsule which had everyone squinting. The four columns surrounding the capsule began to oscillate and rotate around it, slowly at first then faster and faster, creating a forcefield around the capsule. Then, alarms started to blare.
"Something's wrong. It's overloading." the Doctor realised
The technicians tried to sort it out, but to no avail, so the Doctor rushed forward to intervene. He leapt over the bank of control panels, flashed his sonic screwdriver on one of them, and started inputting commands. "Somebody stop him!" Lazarus' partner, a haughty elderly woman shrieked. "Get him away from those controls."
"If this thing goes up, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" the Doctor retorted. He yanked a cable out of the back of the control console and the machine shut down. Martha and Shareen both rushed over to the capsule to check on Lazarus. "Get it open!" the Doctor ordered as he joined them.
The women yanked the door open and a blonde-haired man in his mid thirties staggered out. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus." he announced. "I am 76 years old and I am reborn!"
Wild applause erupted from the audience. "He did it. He actually did it." Lazarus' partner cheered.
The people not celebrating were the Doctor, Martha and Shareen. The two women could only look at Lazarus with utter disbelief at what they'd just seen while the Doctor watched with a worried expression.
~8~
A little later, Lazarus was posing for photographs with his audience, clearly relishing the attention. Martha and Shareen stood to the side while the Doctor examined Lazarus' machine. "It can't be the same guy." Martha frowned. "It's impossible, it must be a trick."
"Oh, it's not a trick." the Doctor replied grimly. "I wish it were."
"So what happened, then?" Shareen asked
"He just changed what it means to be human." the Doctor replied
They watched as Lazarus' partner, Lady Thaw, pulled Lazarus away from the guests and they began to talk quietly. The trio approached them, and when they reached them, they saw Lazarus stuffing his face with snacks. "Richard!" Lady Thaw scolded
"I'm famished." Lazarus defended, his mouth full.
"Energy deficit." the Doctor remarked, making their presence known. "Always happens with this kind of process."
"You speak as if you see this every day," Lazarus remarked, "Mr...?
"Doctor." the Time Lord corrected. "And well, no, not every day, but I have some experience of this kind of transformation."
"That's not possible."
"Using hyper-sonic sound waves to create a state of resonance? That's inspired." the Doctor retorted
"You understand the theory, then?"
"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables." the Doctor warned
"No experiment is entirely without risk." Lazarus waved him off
"That thing nearly exploded." the Doctor told him seriously. "Ya might as well have stepped into a blender."
"You're not qualified to comment." Lady Thaw cut in haughtily
"Excuse me, Professor McGonagall, that thing nearly blew up." Shareen cut in. "If wasn't for the Doctor, none of us would be here now!"
"Then I thank you, Doctor." Lazarus said. "But that's a simple engineering problem. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."
"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests." Martha told him
Lazarus laughed. "Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."
"The device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." Lady Thaw added
"Commercially?!" Martha spluttered, not believing what she'd just heard. "You are joking! That'll cause chaos!"
"Not chaos, change." Lazarus corrected, "A chance for Humanity to evolve, improve."
"And by 'Humanity', you mean rich snobs who only care about themselves." Shareen said knowingly.
"This isn't about improving. This is about you and your customers living a little longer." the Doctor agreed
"Not a little longer, Doctor, a lot longer." Lazarus smirked. "Perhaps indefinitely."
"Richard, we have things to discuss." Lady Thaw cut in again, "Upstairs."
"Goodbye, Doctor, ladies." Lazarus said, "In a few years, you'll all look back and laugh at how wrong you were." He extended his hand. Martha took it and he kissed it, causing her to blanch, then he strutted off after Lady Thaw.
"He's even more arrogant than you." Shareen said to the Doctor. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't gonna end well?"
"He's out of his depth." the Doctor agreed, "No idea of the damage he might have done."
"So what do we do now?" Martha asked
"Now? Well, this building must be full of laboratories." the Doctor replied, looking around. "I say we do our own tests."
"Lucky I've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?" Martha smirked, holding up the hand Lazarus had kissed.
"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star!" the Doctor grinned
"About bloody time you realised that, Peacock." Shareen remarked.
~8~
The trio were soon in one of the upstairs labs looking at an image of a DNA strand on a computer screen. "Amazing." the Doctor breathed
"What?" Martha asked, not quite following.
"Lazarus' DNA." the Doctor replied
"I can't see anything different." Martha frowned
"Me neither." Shareen agreed
"Look at it." the Doctor advised
The two women did so and saw the DNA sample on the screen momentarily change. "Oh, my God. Did that just change?" Martha stared
"What the hell?" Shareen frowned
"But it can't have." Martha blustered
"But it did." the Doctor confirmed
"It's impossible."
"And that's two impossible things we've seen so far tonight. Don't you both love it when that happens?" the Doctor grinned
"No." Shareen told him flatly
"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns." Martha said
"Hyper-sonic sound waves to destabilise the DNA structure." the Doctor explained. "Then a metagenic programme to manipulate the coding and the protein strands."
"In English, Peacock." Shareen said
"Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate." the Doctor told her
"But they're still changing now." Martha said, looking at the DNA on the screen, which changed again.
"Cos' he missed something." the Doctor said. "Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilise. Something that's trying to change him."
"Change into what?" Martha wandered
"I dunno, but I think we need to find out." the Doctor determined.
"Professor McGonagall said they were goin' upstairs." Shareen recalled
"Let's go." the Doctor said and led the way.
~8~
The trio stepped out of the lift and into Lazarus' office "This is his office alright." Martha remarked
"Compensating for something much?" Shareen commented
"So where is he?" the Doctor wandered
"Don't know. Let's try back at the reception." Martha replied. Suddenly, she saw a skeletal leg with a lady's shoe on it sticking out from behind the desk. "Is that Lady Thaw?" she gasped as they rushed over
"Used to be." the Doctor replied, examining the skeleton carefully. "Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out, like squeezing the juice out of an orange."
"Ugh! I am never drinking orange juice again!" Shareen squirmed, feeling sick at the sight of the skeleton.
"Lazarus!" Martha realised
"Could be." the Doctor nodded
"So he's changed already?" Martha asked worriedly
"Not necessarily." the Doctor replied. "You saw the DNA, it was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not've been enough."
"Ya mean he could do this again?!" Shareen stared
"Come on." the Doctor said grimly, leading the way back to the lift.
~8~
The trio were soon back in reception. "I can't see him." Martha said, scouring the room.
"He can't be far. Keep looking." the Doctor said
Just then, Leo approached them. "Hey, you alright, Marth?" he asked his sister, "I think mom wants to talk to you."
"Have ya seen Lazarus anywhere?" Martha asked him urgently
"Yeah, well, he was gettin' cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago." Leo replied, sounding quite amused about that.
Martha wasn't amused. "With Tish?" she stared
"Ah, Doctor." Francine said, coming over as well.
"Where did they go?" the Doctor asked Leo urgently, ignoring Francine.
"Upstairs, I think." Leo replied. "Why?"
"Doctor..." Francine began, but the Doctor just rushed past her, spilling her drink in the process. "I'm speaking to you!" Francine moaned
"Not now, mum!" Martha hissed as she and Shareen hurried after the Doctor.
Another frantic lift ride late and they were back in Lazarus' office. "Where are they?" Shareen wandered
"Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." the Doctor replied, scanning the room with his sonic screwdriver until it's familiar buzzing turned into a bleeping. "Got him."
"Where?" Martha asked
The Doctor pointed upwards
"But this is the top floor!" Martha said, then realised. "The roof!" And the trio sped off.
~8~
Lazarus and Tish were indeed on the roof, looking out at the London skyline. "That clock tower's beautiful, all lit up like that." Tish said
"It's Southwark Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in London." Lazarus replied. "Been around even longer than I have."
"Ya lookin' pretty good for your age." Tish smirked
"Thank you." Lazarus replied smugly
"Can I..." she reached a hand up to his face
"Of course." Lazarus smirked and Tish touched his face.
"I still can't take it in." she said
"I'm still adjusting myself." Lazarus said. "I've been working toward it for so many years, it's hard to believe the moment's finally arrived."
"And is it like you expected?" Tish asked
"I find that nothing is ever exactly like you expect." Lazarus replied, "There's always something to surprise you. 'Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act...'"
"Falls the Shadow." the Doctor finished as he, Martha and Shareen stepped out onto the roof behind them.
"So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot." Lazarus remarked as he turned to face them. "I'm impressed."
"Martha, what're you doing here?" Tish hissed
"Tish, get away from him!" Martha urged
"What? Don't tell me what to do!" Tish retorted indignantly
"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all." the Doctor remarked
"You're right, Doctor." Lazarus said smugly. "One lifetime's too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more I'll get done in two or three or four."
"Doesn't work like that." the Doctor told him, "Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person."
"But if it's the right person." Lazarus countered, "What a gift that would be."
"Or what a curse." the Doctor said stoically. "Look at what you've done to yourself."
"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus sneered
"Over here, Tish." Martha said to her sister, who begrudgingly complied.
"You have to spoil everything, don't you?" Tish grumbled. "Every time I find someone nice, you have to find fault!"
"Tish, he's a monster!" Martha told her as Lazarus suddenly fell to the floor, convulsing.
"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones." Tish retorted, only to hear a roaring and turned to see that Lazarus was now a hideous creature that looked like a hybrid of a Human skeleton and a scorpion. "What is that?" Tish gasped
"Run!" the Doctor hollered as Lazarus reered at them, ready to attack.
The quartet promptly legged it back inside and the Doctor soniced the door shut behind them, then they raced downstairs to the lifts. Martha frantically jabbed the call lift button, then turned to her shaken-up sister. "Are you ok?" she asked
"I was gonna snog him!" Tish panted in shock
"Well, just be glad ya didn't." Shareen told her
Suddenly, there was a banging from the top of stairs, and alarms began to blare. "Security one, security one." a computer voice announced.
"What's happening?" Martha wandered
"An intrusion." Tish replied, "It triggers a security lockdown, kills off most of the power, stops the lifts, seals the exists."
"He must be breakin' through that door." the Doctor realised. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later by another banging from upstairs.
"Stairs!" Shareen hollered, leading the way, glad that she'd decided to wear sports pumps instead of heels.
As they all bolted down the stairs, they heard an almighty crash from upstairs followed by a roaring. "He's inside!" Martha realised
"We haven't got much time." the Doctor said grimly, and they renewed their scramble downstairs.
At last they reached the bottom and ran into the reception area. "Tish, is there another way out of here?" the Doctor asked urgently
"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now." Tish replied, pointing to a door in the corner.
The Doctor tossed his sonic screwdriver to Shareen. "Shareen, setting 54. Hurry." he urged, then jumped onto the central dais. " Listen to me! You people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!" he warned everyone
"Don't be ridiculous." a woman replied loftily, "The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." No sooner had those words left her mouth, then the mutated Lazarus burst into the room, demolishing a glass table with his pincers.
"Mum, get back!" Leo urged, pulling Francine back with him. Lazarus swatted a table with his tail, which struck Leo, knocking him to the floor.
"Leo!" Francine screamed, frightened for her son.
Shareen meanwhile had managed to sonic the door open. "Over here, this way!" Martha urged and people took heed. "Everyone down the stairs now, hurry!"
Lazarus advanced on the snooty woman, who was standing there frozen in shock. Lazarus opened his jaw sideways and raised his tail over his head, revealing that his tail had a mouth too.
"No! Get away from her!" the Doctor yelled, but it was too late.
Lazarus clamped his tail on the woman and drained her, leaving just a skeleton, which fell to the floor. Lazarus then set his sights on Francine and the dazed Leo.
Lazarus was about to advance on them when the Doctor intervened. "Lazarus!" he shouted, attracting the monster's attention, "Leave them alone!"
Lazarus began to advance on the Doctor while Martha hurried over to check on her mother and brother. "Come on, stay with me." she said to Leo, who was concussed. She and Francine helped him to his feet.
"What's the point? You can't control it." the Doctor baited Lazarus, "The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool. A vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure." And he led Lazarus off down the corridor.
"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asked as Martha examined Leo.
"He's trying to buy us some time. Let's not waste it." Martha replied. "Leo, look at me, focus on me, let's see ya eyes." She looked carefully at her brother. "He's got concussion. Mum, you'll need to help him downstairs." She grabbed some ice from a bucket and gave it to Francine. "This'll keep the swelling down." she instructed, "Go, I'll be right behind you. Tish, move! We need to get out of here." she urged her sister.
"Guys, come on!" Shareen urged from the doorway.
~8~
Meanwhile, the Doctor found himself in the lab building's cellar and clambered amongst the pipes and instrumentation. "It's no good, Doctor." Lazarus called out from somewhere, "You can't stop me."
"Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?" the Doctor retorted
"The arrogance is yours." Lazarus answered back ,"You can't stand in the way of progress."
"You call feeding on innocent people progress? You're delusional!" the Doctor said in disgust
"It is a necessary sacrifice." Lazarus said simply
"That's not your decision to make." the Doctor said angrily
~8~
Shareen and the Joneses arrived at the main entrance to find everyone piling up against the locked front doors. "We can't get out. We're trapped!" Tish realised
"There must be an override switch." Martha reasoned, "Where's the security desk? Tish!"
"There." Tish answered, pointing to it.
"Right, leave it to me." Shareen said and jumped over the security desk to the electrical cabinet behind it. She then used the sonic screwdriver on the circuits and the lockdown was deactivated, unlocking the doors and restoring the lights. "Ha! I can see why Peacock's so attached to this thing." Shareen said to herself, holding up the sonic screwdriver with a grin as the crowds all fled from the building.
~8~
Restoring power to the building also restored the lights in the cellar. "Peek a boo." Lazarus taunted from above and the Doctor looked up to see him lurking on the ceiling.
"Oh, hello." the Doctor said and ran off down another corridor.
"I've got to go back." Martha said to her family
"You can't!" Francine protested, "You saw what that thing did! It'll kill you!"
"I don't care. I have to go." Martha replied determinedly
"It's that Doctor, isn't it? That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed." Francine sneered
"He was buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too." Tish reasoned
"I'm not leaving him." Martha said firmly
"Then I'm comin' with you." Shareen said, and both women hurried back inside the building.
~8~
The Doctor rushed into a lab and began messing about with a light conduit fixture on the wall so that the wires were exposed. He then began turning on all the gas taps in the room to fill the room with gas and ducked down beneath a desk when he heard Lazarus coming.
"More hide-and-seek, Doctor?" Lazarus taunted as he entered the room, "How disappointing. Why don't you come out and face me?"
"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" the Doctor retorted as he came out of hiding. "Why would I wanna face that, hmm?" He then bolted for the door, hitting the light switch on the way out and dived for cover as sparks from the exposed wires ignited the gas, triggering an explosion. The Doctor got to his feet and ran down the corridor to run into Martha and Shareen. "What're you two doing here?" he asked
"Givin' ya this back." Shareen replied, holding out the sonic screwdriver. "Thought you'd need it."
"How did ya...?" the Doctor began
"Heard the explosion, guessed it was you." Martha replied
"I blasted Lazarus." the Doctor explained
"Did you kill him?" Martha asked
"More sort of annoyed him, I'd say." the Doctor said, seeing Lazarus coming out of the wrecked lab, "C'mon!" And the trio sped away.
They ended up back in the reception area. "What now? We've just gone round in a circle." Martha said as Lazarus burst in after them.
"We can't lead him outside. C'mon, get in." the Doctor said, leading the women over to the capsule
"You are jokin', Peacock." Shareen groaned, but seeing that she had no choice, she joined the Doctor and Martha inside the capsule, all three of them jammed in like sardines.
"Are we hiding?" Martha panted
"No, he knows we're here." the Doctor replied, "But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us."
"But we're trapped!" Martha pointed out
"Well, yeah, that is a slight problem." the Doctor mumbled
"Oh, cosmic. Ya forced in here without a plan of gettin' out!" Shareen grumbled
"Yes, the plan was get inside here!" the Doctor retorted
"And then what?!"
"Well... then I'd come up with another plan." the Doctor said sheepishly
"In ya own time, then." Martha grumbled
"Hang on, hang on." the Doctor muttered, reaching into his inside pocket, "Here we go." He managed to reach his sonic screwdriver and pulled it out, accidentally elbowing Shareen in the face.
"Oi!" she grumbled
"Sorry." the Doctor muttered
"What're ya gonna do with that?" Martha asked him
"Improvise." the Doctor answered and slid down slowly to the floor. "Shareen could ya move ya feet?" he asked
"How am I s'posed to do that in this thing?" Shareen retorted. Then she noticed a beam on the capsule's ceiling. "Hang on..." She managed to grab hold of the beam and pulled herself up so that her feet were off the floor. "Happy now?"
With the floor clear, the Doctor was able to open a panel and access the wires inside.
"I still don't understand where that thing came from." Martha said as they heard Lazarus roaring outside. "Is it alien?"
"No, for once it's strictly Human in origin." the Doctor replied, tinkering with the wiring.
"Human? How can it be Human?" Martha questioned incredulously
"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus' DNA." the Doctor explained. "The energy field in this thing must've reactivated 'em. Now it looks like they're becoming dominant."
"So it's a throwback." Martha nodded
"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential's still there." the Doctor confirmed, "Locked away in your genes, forgotten about till Lazarus unlocked it by mistake."
"Like Pandora's box." Martha nodded
"Exactly." the Doctor replied. "Nice shoes, by the way."
"Thanks." Martha said flatly
"Oi, Peacock, how much longer do I have to hang here like a monkey?" Shareen asked indignantly
"Nearly done." the Doctor told her as he continued his work on the wiring.
Suddenly, a bright blue light filled the capsule. "Doctor, what's happening?" Martha asked anxiously
"Sounds like he's switched the machine on." the Doctor realised
"And that's not good, is it?"
"Well, I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out." the Doctor muttered
"I don't want to hurry you," Martha began, "but..."
"I know, I know. Nearly done." the Doctor said
"What are ya doin', anyway?" Shareen asked
"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it." the Doctor replied
"Will that kill him?" Martha asked
"When he transforms, he's three times his size, cellular triplication, so he's spreadin' himself thin." the Doctor answered
The light began more intense. "If we end up like him, Peacock, then I'm comin' for you first." Shareen squinted down at the Time Lord
"Just one more!" the Doctor said and yanked out a wire, causing the light to go out. He pushed the door open to see no sign of Lazarus.
"I thought we were gonna through the blender then." Martha gasped in relief, stepping out behind the Doctor.
Shareen let go of the beam and stepped too. "We are not doing that again." she grumbled, nursing her sore arms.
"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity." the Doctor said to himself. "I must be a bit out of practice."
"Look." Martha said, pointing to where Lazarus, back in Human form, was lying dead on the floor. "He seems so... Human again. It's kinda pitiful."
"Elliot saw that too." the Doctor replied wisely. "'This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.'"
~8~
Paramedics had soon arrived at the scene and the Doctor, Martha and Shareen watched from the steps as Lazarus' body was taken away from the building and into an ambulance. The first person to see the trio was Tish. "She's here." she told her family, "Oh, she's alright." And she hugged Martha in relief.
Francine came over too, wearing a face like thunder, but the Doctor didn't notice. "Ah, Mrs Jones, we still haven't finished our chat." he said cheerfully, only to receive a hard slap across the face from Francine.
Shareen couldn't help but snigger. "Blimey, what did ya do to piss her off?" she tittered
"Keep away from my daughter." Francine growled at the Doctor.
"Mum, what're you doing?!" Martha demanded, surprised and appalled at her mother.
"All the mothers, every time." the Doctor grumbled, nursing his sore cheek.
"He's dangerous!" Francine told Martha, "I've been told things."
"What're you talking about?" Martha frowned, knowing that her mother was jumping to conclusions.
Francine took her by the shoulders. "Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!"
"This isn't his fault!" Martha defended, "He saved us, all of us."
"It was Tish who invited us to this thing." Leo butted in. "I'd say technically, it's her fault." he smirked, earning himself an annoyed nudge from his sister.
Francine meanwhile rounded on Shareen. "And you, young lady, do your parents know you're with him?!" she demanded
"My parents wouldn't care if I dropped dead." Shareen retorted, "So kindly mind ya own business!"
Suddenly, a crash sounded from nearby so the Doctor instinctively rushed off to investigate. Shareen followed and Martha made to do so too but her mother stopped her. "Leave them." she ordered, but Martha shook her off and went to help her friends.
"Martha?" Tish called, then decided to go after her.
"Not you, too?" Francine groaned
"Sorry." Tish called and sped off after Martha.
~8~
The Doctor and the women were soon looking at a crashed ambulance, the very same ambulance that had taken Lazarus away. The paramedics had been reduced to skeletal husks and Lazarus himself was nowhere to be seen. "Can never be easy, can it?" Shareen groaned
"Lazarus, back from the dead." the Doctor said. "Shoulda know, really."
"Where's he gone?" Martha wandered
The Doctor scanned the area with his sonic screwdriver. "That way." he said. "The church."
"Cathedral." Tish corrected, "It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me."
The Doctor led the way to the cathedral and they entered the building cautiously, the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver as a homing beacon. "Do ya think he's in here?" Martha asked
"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" the Doctor asked rhetorically.
They ventured further into the empty cathedral until they reached the open area behind the altar and beneath the bell tower. There was Lazarus, huddled in a red blanket from the ambulance. "I came here before." he said. "A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child... the sound of planes and bombs outside."
"The Blitz." the Doctor nodded
"You've read about it."
"I was there."
"You're too young." Lazarus scoffed
"So are you." the Doctor answered back
Lazarus laughed, then winced in pain as he fought the mutation. "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive." he continued, not noticing the Doctor look up at the bell tower and Martha and Shareen follow his gaze, both women realising that he was planning something. "I swore I'd never face death like that again. So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."
"That's what you were trying to do today." the Doctor said as he slowly circled Lazarus.
"That's what I did today."
"What about the other people who died?" the Doctor challenged
"They were nothing." Lazarus sneered, "I changed history."
"Any of them might've done too." the Doctor countered, "You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being Human. You can't change that."
"No, Doctor. Avoiding death, that's being Human." Lazarus countered, "It's our strongest impulse. To cling on to life with every fibre of being. I'm only doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more... successful." He suddenly winced in pain as his body tried to change again.
"Look at yourself. You're mutating." the Doctor said pityingly. "You've no control over it. You call that a success?!"
"I call it progress." Lazarus retorted. "I'm more now than I was. More than just an ordinary Human."
"There's no such thing as an ordinary Human." the Doctor countered
"He's gonna change again at any minute." Martha whispered anxiously as Lazarus convulsed again.
"I know. If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've got an idea that might work." the Doctor whispered back.
"Leave it to me." Shareen said quietly
Lazarus meanwhile had seen nor heard none of this. "You're so sentimental, Doctor." he laughed. "Maybe you are older than you look."
"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one." the Doctor said stoically. "In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone."
"That's a price worth paying." Lazarus said arrogantly
"Is it?" the Doctor asked rhetorically
Lazarus convulsed again. "I will feed soon."
"I'm not gonna let that happen." the Doctor told him
"You've not been able to stop me so far." Lazarus smirked
Shareen then stepped forward. "Leave him, Lazarus." she said. "You're right, he is older than he looks. He's not worth it. You like 'em young, do ya? Then come an' get me, ya mutant freak!"
"Shareen, no!" the Doctor warned, but it was too late. Shareen sprinted off towards the stairs, Martha and Tish following her. Lazarus snarled and gave chase.
"What're you two doing here?" Shareen hissed at the Joneses.
"Helping you." Martha told her
"And I'm keeping her out of trouble." Tish added
"Doctor, the tower!" Martha called downstairs, then the three women began to run up the spiral staircase that led up to the bell tower.
Halfway up, they heard a snarling, screeching sound. "Did ya hear that?" Tish breathed
"He's changed again." Martha realised. "We've gotta lead him up."
"Then let's do that then!" Shareen said, and the three women renewed their sprint.
~8~
Down below, the Doctor looked for the three women. "Martha? Shareen?" he called up
Martha peered out of an archway on the upper level. "Doctor!" she called down
"Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower." the Doctor called, "D'ya hear me?!"
"Up to the top." Martha acknowledged.
~8~
Tish tapped her sister on the shoulder. "Martha..." she breathed, and they all saw the fully transformed Lazarus advancing up the stairs towards them.
"Come on!" Shareen urged, and they hurried away.
~8~
The Doctor ran to the cathedral's huge pipe organ, sat down on the bench and took out his sonic screwdriver. "Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired." he muttered, then he jammed the sonic screwdriver into a slot on the organ and began to pull out all the stops.
~8~
Shareen, Martha and Tish reached the top of the bell tower, which was a circular walkway with wooden railings. "There's nowhere to go! We're trapped!" Tish realised
"This is where he said to bring him." Martha said
"Alright, so we're not trapped. We're bait." Tish breathed
"He knows what he's doing." Martha told her. "We have to trust him."
"Well, he'd better hurry up." Shareen said
"Ladies." Lazarus hissed as he reached the entrance
"Alright, I'll distract him." Shareen told the Joneses, "When the coast's clear, you two get outta here!" She turned to Lazarus. "Oi, ugly, over here!" she baited, making a 'come and get me' gesture.
Lazarus attacked, swinging down his tail. Shareen dived to the side, dodging the attack and the tail struck the wall.
~8~
Down below, the Doctor looked up as he heard the commotion. "I hope it's a good acoustic in here." he muttered, cracking his knuckles. He pressed down on the pedals and began to play.
~8~
Lazarus swung another blow at Shareen. This time, she was unable to avoid it and the tail struck her square in the side, sending her flying towards the wall. She managed to throw her left arm out to break her fall and she slammed into the wall with a bone-splintering crash then fell to the floor.
"Shareen!" Martha hollered, rushing forward to help her friend.
Lazarus promptly swung a blow at Martha, which sent her through the railings and left her clinging to the edge.
"Martha!" Tish cried
Lazarus leapt across to stand over Martha
"Get away from her!" Tish yelled to him.
~8~
The Doctor removed his sonic screwdriver from the organ and used it to increase the volume. "We need to turn this up to eleven." he muttered as he placed the screwdriver back in the slot and resumed playing.
~8~
The amplified organ notes reverberated up the bell tower. Tish stuffed her fingers in her ears while Martha and Shareen could only squirm at the noise. Lazarus writhed in pain, stumbled over the edge and toppled all the way to the ground floor far below.
~8~
Hearing the crash, the Doctor stopped playing and looked down to see Lazarus lying dead on the floor in Human form, permanently this time.
~8~
Just as Martha was about to fall, Tish grabbed her arm while Shareen managed to reach over and extend her unhurt right arm. "We've got you. Hold on." Tish said as they managed to pull Martha to safety.
"Martha? Shareen?" the Doctor called up from below.
"We're all ok!" Martha called down. "Thanks." she said to her sister
"It's your Doctor you should be thanking." Tish laughed
"Told ya he'd think of something." Martha said
"He cut it a bit fine there, didn't he?" Tish remarked
"He always does." Shareen said, cradling her left arm. "I think he gets off on it."
"Who is he?" Tish asked
"He's... he's the Doctor." Martha said then went over to check on Shareen. "Let me look." she said and examined Shareen's arm carefully. "Doesn't seem to be broken." she diagnosed, "Just sprained. Better take it easy on that arm for a bit, Shareen."
"Great. No guitar playing for a while, then." Shareen sighed. "Ooh, I'm gettin' too old for this."
~8~
The Doctor walked over to Lazarus' body, which had reverted back to that of an elderly man, and knelt down beside it. He closed the dead professor's eyes and ran to the stairs where the women were coming down.
"I didn't know you could play." Martha remarked
"Oh, well, ya know, if you hang around with Beethoven, ya bound to pick up a few things." the Doctor replied nonchalantly
"Hmm. Especially about playing loud." Martha chuckled
"Sorry?" the Doctor asked, feigning hearing loss
"Oh, give over, Peacock." Shareen snorted. "Ya know, when my arm's better, we should duet sometime, maybe cover some Whitesnake."
~8~
The Doctor, Martha and Shareen were soon back at Martha's flat, Shareen's arm now in a cast. "Something else that just kinda escalated, then." the Doctor remarked, leaning against the TARDIS.
"I can see a pattern developing." Martha replied. "You should take more care in the future. And the past, and whatever other time period you find yourself in. You too, Shareen."
"Yes, doctor." Shareen laughed
"It's been good fun, though, hasn't it?" the Doctor asked Martha
"Yeah." Martha replied
"So, what d'ya say, one more trip?" the Doctor asked her
"No. Sorry." Martha told him
"What d'ya mean? I thought you liked it." the Doctor frowned
"I do, but I can't go on like this. 'One more trip'. It's not fair." Martha told him
"What're you talking about?" the Doctor asked, confused.
"I don't just want to be a passenger anymore." Martha told him, "Someone you take along for a treat. If that's how ya still see me, well, I'd rather stay here."
"Okay, then. If that's what you want." the Doctor shrugged
"Right." a put-out Martha said, thinking that the Doctor was going to just leave her. "But we've already said goodbye once today. It's probably best if you just go." She turned her back to him but neither the Doctor nor Shareen made any effort to move. Martha turned back to them. "What is it?" she asked them
"I think he said 'ok'." Shareen said
"Sorry?"
"Ok." the Doctor said, nodding towards the TARDIS.
Martha's eyes widened. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" she grinned, hugging them both.
"Told ya I'd talk to him." Shareen winked
"Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you?" the Doctor said to Martha.
~8~
Martha had soon packed some provisions and she joined the Doctor and Shareen in the TARDIS then they set off on their next adventure.
The second after the box had dematerialised from Martha's flat, the phone rang and went to the answering machine. "Martha, it's your mother." Francine's voice said. "Please phone me back. I'm begging you. I know who this Doctor really is. I know he's dangerous. You're going to get yourself killed. Please, trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe!"
~8~
A little later, Shareen sat in the TARDIS' lounge watching telly when Martha joined her. "Hey, Martha. Settled in alright?" Shareen asked
"Yeah, got my own room now." Martha replied
"Good. That means I get my bed back." Shareen laughed. "It ain't comfy kipping on the stairs!" Shareen's bedroom had a staircase leading up to a small cupola-type room that gave her a view of a starfield. When Martha had been sleeping in Shareen's bed after New Earth, Shareen had slept on the stairs.
"Why do ya have those stairs there anyway?" Martha asked her
"Dunno. They were there when I moved in." Shareen replied. "Tell ya what, though, I've always wanted a room like that. When I was a kid, I used to wish I could have a room like Max's in Hocus Pocus, ya know, with that little room on the top. Guess the TARDIS read my mind and gave me one. What's your room like?"
"Big." Martha replied. "I ain't running out of space in there!" She then noticed the programme Shareen was watching. "Is this Red Dwarf?"
"Yeah. Love this show." Shareen replied. "Cat's my favourite character. The Doctor reminds me of him a bit. And Rimmer too. Hey, maybe if he ever goes to bed, I'll have get a marker and draw a H on his forehead!"
"Now that I'd love to see!" Martha chuckled and both women shared a laugh then Martha sat down beside Shareen on the settee.
"I'm glad you're stayin' with us, Martha." Shareen said, "It's good to have someone Human to talk too!"
"Ah, I can imagine." Martha smiled
"Um, while ya hear, I think I'd better ask: do you have a crush on the Doctor?"
"What?!" Martha stared
"I've seen the way you look at him, Martha." Shareen said. "It's the same way Rose used to look at him and I saw what fancying him did to her."
"Well, I don't fancy him." Martha said, "It's just... He's so fascinating and wonderful."
"S'pose he is in a way." Shareen conceded, "But he's also arrogant, self-absorbed and sulking over Rose. Martha, for your own good, don't get too attached to him." she warned, "He'll only hurt you. There's plenty of better men out there for you. Peacock's not worth it."
"Alright, I'll remember that." Martha said. "Actually, while we're here, something I've been meaning to ask... you said you knew my cousin Adeola."
"Yes, I did." Shareen replied. "I used to see her whenever I was busking at Canary Wharf. She'd say hello to me, buy me a drink and leave a generous tip. She was a good person, Martha, I'm sorry for ya loss."
"What happened to her?" Martha asked, "Nobody explained how she died. Do you know?"
"It's not nice to talk about, Martha. You sure you wanna know?"
Martha nodded
"Well, I don't understand the whole story, but from what I heard, those Cybermen things murdered her. That was before the Doctor and I got there so we couldn't save her. I'm sorry, Martha." Shareen said sincerely
"It's not your fault." Martha reassured her
"But it's what happened afterwards that's the most disturbing." Shareen continued. "Ya see, after the Cybermen murdered Addy and two blokes she worked with, they put these things in their ears so they could control their bodies and use them for their own ends."
"They killed her and turned her into a puppet?!" Martha stared
"I'm afraid so." Shareen sighed. "The Doctor managed to stop them but it was too late to save Addy. I'm sorry, Martha. She was a good person. She didn't deserve to die like that." She then considered something. "You look just like her, ya know."
"Yeah. We always used to joke about it at parties." Martha sighed in remembered. "Poor Addy. I'm telling ya, if she were still here, we'd all be having a good laugh about everything that we've seen."
"Your brother and sister seemed nice." Shareen said, changing the subject to more positive things, "Tell me about 'em."
So Martha began telling Shareen about her family and they settled down to bond as friends.
Author's notes: And that's The Lazarus Experiment finished. Plenty of action for Martha and Shareen in this chapter, though Shareen pays the price for it! Now this is likely to be my last post for 2022 as I plan to take a week's break from writing, so I'd like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and I hope to see you all in the new year for the rest of this story. Goodbye for this year!