Through Thick and Thin
The Doctor's Daughter
Thanks to doctorwhodapol for favouriting this story
The Doctor and his companions clung furiously to the console as the TARDIS flew violently through the Time Vortex. "What the hell's it doing?" Donna shouted
"Controls aren't working!" the Doctor answered as he struggled furiously with the uncooperative controls. A violent jolt knocked him to the floor and he saw his hand in the jar bubbling wildly "Dunno where we're going, but my old hand's very excited about it." he remarked
Donna stared. "I thought that was just some freaky alien thing. You telling me it's yours?!" she burst out
"Well..." the Doctor began
"His hand got cut off in a sword fight a few years ago." Shareen explained. "He then grew another one. I know, it freaked me too."
"You are completely impossible!" Donna said to the Doctor
"Not impossible, just a bit... unlikely." the Time Lord replied in a cocky tone. The TARDIS made one last rebellious jolt and settled into land. The Doctor looked at his companions then ran to the doors and stepped outside. He found that they'd landed in an underground tunnel littered with rubbish and abandoned equipment. "Why would the Tardis bring us here, then?" he wandered as the women joined him.
"Oh, I love this bit!" Martha smirked
"I thought you wanted to go home." Donna reminded
"I know, but all the same... it's that feeling you get." Martha replied
"Like you swallowed a hamster." Shareen smirked
At that moment, they heard footsteps and turned to see three soldiers charging towards them and aim assault rifles at them. "Don't move! Stay where you are! Drop your weapons." one of them, a young man, demanded.
"We're unarmed!" the Doctor said as he and his companions put their hands up. "Look, no weapons. Never any weapons. We're safe."
"Look at their hands. They're clean." one of the soldiers said.
"All right, process them." the young soldier ordered. "Him first."
The other two soldiers came forward, grabbed the Doctor and dragged him towards a strange machine. "Oi, oi. What's wrong with clean hands?" he asked stupidly
"What's going on?" Martha questioned the soldiers
"Oi! Get off him!" Shareen demanded as the soldiers forced the Doctor's right hand into a slot in the machine which then whirred into life.
"Something tells me this isn't about to check my blood pressure... Argh!" the Doctor groaned.
"What're you doing to him?!" Donna demanded
"Everyone gets processed." the young soldier answered
"It's taken a tissue sample." the Doctor realised. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. And extrapolated it. Some kind of accelerator?" The machine finished and the Doctor staggered backwards, examining his hand, which had a Y-shaped graze on it.
"You alright?" Martha asked, rushing forwards to examine the graze.
The Doctor's attention was then caught by another machine that was attached to the one he'd just been processed by. This other machine was larger, shaped like a photo booth and had just started up. "What on earth?" he frowned as the doors opened to reveal a figure inside. "That's just..."
The figure stepped out to reveal themselves to be a young blonde woman dressed in a khaki t-shirt, black leather trousers and combat boots. "Arm yourself." the young solider said, handing the woman a rifle which she handled naturally
"Where did she come from?" Martha stared
"From... from me." the Doctor swallowed
"From you?" Donna stared. "How? Who is she?"
"Well..." the Doctor began, looking completely shocked himself, "she's... well, she's my daughter."
"She's what?!" Shareen stared
The woman looked to the Doctor with a smile. "Hello, Dad!" she grinned and joined the other soldiers at a barricade.
"Ok, this is just weird." Shareen muttered to herself
"You primed to take orders? Ready to fight?" the young soldier asked the woman while his comrades starting setting explosive charges on the tunnel wall.
"Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocols, sir." the woman answered. "Generation five thousand soldier primed and in peak physical health. Oh, I'm ready."
"Did you say, daughter?" Donna asked the Doctor
"Mmm. Technically." the Doctor replied, still in shock.
"Technically, how?" Martha questioned
"Progeneration." the Doctor replied. "Reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is biological mother and father. You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in a different arrangement and grow. Very quickly, apparently."
"And has a throw-back as well." Shareen remarked. "She looks a bit like the Cricket Doctor."
"Something's coming!" the Doctor's daughter warned, readying her weapon as shadows appeared on the tunnel wall.
A group of alien soldiers with purple fish-like heads and green liquid-filled tubes in their mouths approached from the other end of the tunnel firing assault rifles at the Humans.
"It's the Hath!" the young soldier cried as he, his men and the Doctor's daughter returned fire.
"Get down!" the Doctor's daughter called to the time travellers, who all took cover behind bits of scrap.
"Cosmic. We've landed in the middle of a warzone." Shareen grumbled to herself
"We have to blow the tunnel. Get the detonator." the young soldier ordered the Doctor's daughter as his two comrades were gunned down by the Hath.
"I'm not detonating anything!" the Doctor said firmly, but it fell on deaf ears.
The Doctor's daughter kicked a Hath out of the way and grabbed the detonator just as another Hath grabbed Martha and dragged her away with them. "Oi! Let her go, Fish-face!" Shareen yelled, rushing forward to help her friend.
"Blow the thing! Blow the thing!" the young solider hollered to the Doctor's daughter
The Doctor overheard this. "No! Don't!" he hollered but it was too late.
The Doctor's daughter hit the detonator and a klaxon sounded. "Sh*t!" Shareen exclaimed and hit the deck as the charges detonated and brought down part of the tunnel roof. When the dust settled, Shareen got to her feet to see that the tunnel was completely blocked by the rubble, leaving herself, the Doctor and Donna on this side and Martha and the TARDIS on the other. "Martha!" she yelled, hoping in vain that Martha could hear her. "Martha, are you alright?!"
The Doctor rounded on his daughter. "You've sealed off the tunnel. Why did you do that?" he demanded angrily
"They were trying to kill us!" his daughter defended her actions
"Those fish-things took our friend!" Shareen glared
"Collateral damage." the Doctor's daughter replied dismissively. "At least you've still got them." She nodded to the Doctor and Donna. "He lost his man. I'd say you came out ahead.
"I'll show you collateral damage!" Shareen snarled, raising her fist ready to strike the woman.
The Doctor stopped her. "Shareen, leave her." he ordered. "C'mon, we're gonna find Martha."
The solider promptly pointed his gun at the Doctor. "You're going nowhere." he told the Time Lord. "You don't make sense, you three. No guns, no marks, no fight in you. I'm taking you to General Cobb. Now, move!"
"F*ck off, Action Man!" Shareen spat
"I said move!" the soldier demanded, aiming his gun at her.
Shareen sent the man a death glare as she and the others begrudgingly obeyed.
~8~
The soldier was soon leading the time travellers and the Doctor's daughter through the tunnels towards his base. "I'm Donna and that's Shareen, what's your name?" Donna asked the Doctor's daughter, trying to make conversation.
"Dunno, it's not been assigned." the Doctor's daughter replied
"Well, if you don't know that, what do you know?" Donna asked
"How to fight." the woman answered
"Huh, is that it?" Shareen huffed
"The machine must embed military history and tactics, but no name." the Doctor commented. "She's a generated anomaly."
"Generated anomaly?" Donna pondered. "Jenny-rated. Well, what about that? Jenny!"
"Jenny. Yeah, I like that. Jenny." the Doctor's daughter nodded
Donna turned to the Doctor. "What do you think, 'Dad'?" she teased
"Good as anything, I suppose." the Doctor said indifferently
"Not what you'd call a natural parent, are ya?" Donna remarked
"They stole a tissue sample at gunpoint and processed it. It's not what I call natural parenting." the Doctor retorted
"Rubbish!" Donna scoffed. "My friend Nerys fathered twins with a turkey baster. Don't bother her."
"You can't extrapolate a relationship from a biological accident." the Doctor said snidely
"Now you're startin' to sound like my mom an' dad." Shareen muttered
"Look, just because I share certain physiological traits with simian primates doesn't make me a monkey's uncle, does it?" the Doctor said irritably
Jenny took offence to this. "I'm not a monkey!" she said indignantly. "Or a child."
"Yeah, you tell him, girl." Shareen commented.
Presently, they reached the soldier's camp. It appeared to be a theatre of some sort, built underground. There were several machines similar to the one from the tunnel. People were putting their hands inside the slots and fully-grown soldiers came out of the booths. "So, where are we?" the Doctor wandered. "What planet's this?"
"Messaline. Well, what's left of it." the soldier replied and went off to find his commanding officer.
"Six six three seventy five deceased. Generation six six seven one, extinct. Generation six six seven two, forty six deceased. Generation six six eight zero, fourteen deceased. Generation six" a tannoy speaker announced.
"But this is is a theatre." Donna observed, looking around the room.
"Maybe they're doin' Miss Saigon." the Doctor shrugged, sitting down.
"It's like an underground town or city." Shareen observed. "But why's it underground?"
Just then, the soldier returned, accompanied by an older man, clearly his commander. "General Cobb, I presume?" the Doctor said, standing up.
"Found in the western tunnels, I'm told, with no marks." Cobb answered. "There was an outbreak of pacifism in the Eastern Zone, three generations back, before we lost contact, is that where you came from?"
"Eastern Zone, that's us, yeah." the Doctor said. "Yeah, I'm the Doctor, that's Shareen an' this is Donna."
"And I'm Jenny." the blonde introduced herself
"Don't think you can infect us with your peace-making." Cobb sniffed. "We're committed to the fight, to the very end."
"Suit yourself." Shareen said. "Don't mind us cos' we're not stayin'. We'll just find our friend and leave you lot to play Star Wars."
"That's not possible. All movement is regulated. We're at war." Cobb told her.
"Yeah, I noticed." the Doctor replied. "With the Hath. But tell me, cos' we got a bit out of circulation, eastern zone and all that. So who exactly are the Hath?"
Cobb looked at the Doctor as if he were mad for a moment then gestured for the time travellers to follow him. "Back at the dawn of this planet, these ancient halls were carved from the earth. Our ancestors dreamt of a new beginning, a colony where Human and Hath could work and live together." he explained as he led them through the camp.
"So what wrong?" Shareen asked
""The dream died." Cobb replied. "Broken, along with Hath promises. They wanted it all for themselves. But those early pioneers, they fought back. They used the procreation machines to produce soldiers instead of colonists, and began this battle for survival."
Donna peered out of one of the windows "There's nothing but Earth outside." she observed. "Why's that? Why build everything underground?"
"The surface is too dangerous." the young soldier from earlier answered
"Then why d'ya have windows in the first place?" Shareen challenged
"And what does this mean?" Donna asked, pointing to a plaque beneath the window bearing the number 601707.
"The rites and symbols of our ancestors." Cobb replied. "The meanings... lost in time."
"How long's this war gone on for?" the Doctor questioned
"Longer than anyone can remember. Countless generations marked only by the dead."
"What, fighting all this time?" Donna stared
It was Jenny who answered this time. "Because we must. Every child of the machine is born with this knowledge. It's our inheritance, it's all we know. How to fight. And how to die."
"Huh, now that's a crappy life if I've ever heard one." Shareen remarked. "Ain't any of ya thought that there could be more to life than being cannon fodder for some stupid war?"
"Spoken like a true pacifist." the young soldier said condescendingly
"Just you wait, Action Man. I'll show you pacifism." Shareen scowled, balling her fists.
Cobb meanwhile brought up a holographic map and showed it to the Doctor. "Does this show the entire city, including the Hath zones?" the Time Lord asked
"Yes, why?"
"Well, it'll help us find Martha."
"We've more important things to do." the young soldier told him
"Martha Jones is most important thing to us," Shareen retorted, "so you'd better stay out of our way, Action Man."
The young soldier paid no attention to Shareen's thinly veiled threat. "The progeneration machines are powered down for the night shift, but as soon as they're active, we could breed a whole platoon from you three."
"I'm not having sons an' daughters by some great big flippin' machine!" Donna spluttered, then looked at Jenny. "Sorry, no offence, but ya not... Well, I mean you're not real."
"You're no better than him!" Jenny replied indignantly. "I have a body, I have a mind, I have independent thought, how am I not real? What makes you better than me?"
Cobb was impressed. "Well said, soldier." he told Jenny approvingly. "We need more like you if we're to find the Source."
"Ooh, the Source, what's that, then? What's a source?" the Doctor asked. "I like a source, what is it?"
"The Breath of Life." Cobb replied
"And what's that when it's at home?" Shareen asked, unimpressed.
"In the beginning, the Great One breathed life into the universe." the young soldier explained. "And then she looked at what she'd done, and she sighed."
"She? I like that." Jenny grinned
"Right, so it's a creation myth." the Doctor surmised
"It's not myth. It's real, that sigh." Cobb insisted. "From the beginning of time it was caught and kept as the source. It was lost when the war started. But it's here, somewhere. Whoever holds the Source controls the destiny of the planet."
The Doctor studied the map closely. "Ah! I thought so!" he exclaimed suddenly. "There's a suppressed layer of information in this map. If I can just..." He flashed his sonic screwdriver at the map, causing more tunnels to appear on it.
"What is it?" Donna questioned. "What's it mean?"
"See? A whole complex of tunnels, hidden from sight." the Doctor explained
"So why was it hidden?" Shareen wandered
"That must be the lost temple." Cobb said, pointing to a spot on the new map. "The source will be inside. You've shown us the way! And look, we're closer than the Hath." He turned to his soldiers. "Tell them to prepare to move out. We'll progenerate new soldiers on the morning shift, then we march. Once we reach the temple, peace will be restored at long last."
"Um, call me old-fashioned, but if ya really wanted peace, couldn't ya just stop fighting?" the Doctor asked
"Only when we have the Source." Cobb replied. "It'll give us the power to erase every stinking Hath from the face of this planet!" he said viciously
"Hang on, hang on. A second ago it was peace in our time. Now you're talking about genocide!" the Doctor glared
"For us, that means the same thing." Cobb waved him off
"You're crazy!" Shareen glowered
"Then you need to get yourself a better dictionary." the Doctor told Cobb darkly. "When you do, look up genocide. You'll see a little picture of me there, and the caption will read, 'over my dead body'!"
"And you're the one who showed us the path to victory." Cobb retorted. "But you can consider the irony from your prison cell. Cline, at arms!"
The young soldier aimed his rifle at the trio. "Oi, oi, oi! Alright! Cool the beans, Rambo!" Donna said, holding up her hands.
"Take them, I won't have them spreading treason." Cobb ordered Cline. "And if you try anything, Doctor, I'll see that your friends die first."
"Just you try it, mate." Shareen said darkly. "You shoot us, we'll just come back as ghosts an' haunt ya for the rest of ya miserable existence!"
"Come on, this way." Cline ordered, nudging them with his gun
"I'm going to stop you, Cobb. You need to know that." the Doctor vowed
"I have an army and the breath of God on my side, Doctor, what do you have?" Cobb retorted smugly
"This." the Doctor retorted, pointing to his head.
Cobb wasn't fazed. "Lock them up, and guard them." he ordered Cline
"What about the new soldier?" Cline asked, eyeing Jenny
"Can't trust her, she's from pacifist stock." Cobb answered. "Take them all!"
~8~
The Doctor, Shareen, Donna and Jenny were led into a prison cell. Donna noticed the numbers 60120716 on the wall. "More numbers." she remarked. "They've gotta mean something."
"Makes as much sense as that breath of life story." the Doctor muttered, slouching down on a bench.
"You mean that's not true?" Jenny asked
"No, it's a myth." Donna replied. "Isn't it?" she asked the Doctor
"Yes, but there could still be something real in that temple." the Time Lord answered thoughtfully. "Something that's become a myth. A piece of technology, a weapon."
"So this Source thing could be a weapon and we've just gone an' told Captain Nutjob out there where to find it." Shareen grunted
"Oh, yes."
"Not good, is it?" Donna muttered sarcastically
"That's why we need to get out of here, find Martha and stop Cobb from slaughtering the Hath." the Doctor said grimly then noticed Jenny looking at him with an inquisitive look. "What, what are you, what are you... what are you staring at?"
"You keep insisting you're not a soldier." Jenny remarked. "But look at you, drawing up strategies like a proper general."
"No, no, I'm tryin' to stop the fighting." the Doctor insisted
"Isn't every soldier?" Jenny countered
"Well, I suppose." the Doctor shrugged. "But that's... that's... technically..."
"Look, can we argue ethics later?" Shareen interrupted. "May I remind you that Martha's out there with the fish-people?" She took her phone out but saw that the battery was out of charge. "Out of juice. Cosmic." she grumbled in irritation.
The Doctor turned to Donna. "Donna, give me your phone. Time for an upgrade."
Donna handed her mobile over and the Doctor soniced it, upgrading it to universal roaming. "And now you've got a weapon." Jenny remarked
"It's not a weapon." the Doctor argued, holding his sonic screwdriver up.
"But you're using it to fight back." Jenny pointed out. "I'm going to learn so much from you. You are such a soldier!"
"Donna, Shareen, will one of you tell her?" the Doctor grumbled, dialling Martha's number.
"Oh, you are speechless, I'm lovin' this!" Donna chortled. "You keep on, Jenny."
"Doctor?" Martha's voice said over the phone
"Martha, you're alive!" the Doctor exclaimed
"Oh, thank God." Shareen breathed in relief
" Doctor! Oh, am I glad to hear your voice." Martha said. "Are you alright?"
"I'm with Shareen and Donna, we're fine." the Doctor replied. "What about you?"
"And Jenny, she's fine too." Donna chimed in
"Yes, all right. And, and Jenny." the Doctor said begrudgingly. "That's the woman from the machine. The soldier. My daughter, except she isn't, she's, she's..."
"Martha, where are ya?" Shareen cut in, getting back on topic.
"I'm in the Hath's camp." Martha answered. "I'm ok, but something's going on. The Hath are all marching off to some place that's appeared on this map thing."
"Ohh, that was me." the Doctor realised. "If both armies're headin' that way, it'll be a bloodbath!"
"What do ya want me to do?" Martha asked
"Just stay where you are." the Doctor told her. "If ya safe there, don't move."
"But I can help!" Martha protested, but her phone ran out of charge before the Doctor could answer her.
"If I know Martha, she's not gonna stay put." Shareen said. "She's gonna find her own way out. We've gotta find her before those nutters out there start playin' Star Wars with the fish people."
Just then, cheers and chanting echoed down the hall. "They're gettin' ready to move out." the Doctor realised. "We have to get past that guard." He gestured to where Cline was standing guard outside.
"I can deal with him." Jenny said, moving towards the door
"No, no, no, you're not goin' anywhere." the Doctor told her bluntly
"What?"
"You belong here with them." the Doctor spat
"She belongs with us." Donna said firmly. "With you. She's your daughter."
"She's a soldier. She came out of that machine." the Doctor said coldly
"Yeah, yeah, we know." Shareen rolled her eyes. "Look, you wanna settle this? Gimme that stethoscope."
"What for?" the Doctor asked suspiciously
"Just give it to me." Shareen demanded impatiently, holding out her hand.
The Doctor begrudgingly handed his stethoscope over, not sure what she was hoping to accomplish.
"What're you doing?" Jenny eyed the young woman
"Provin' a point." Shareen replied. "Just hold still." She placed the stethoscope on Jenny's chest, first on the left, then on the right. "Now you listen, Peacock." she told the Doctor. "Listen an' then tell us where she belongs."
She handed the Doctor the stethoscope and he listened. Jenny had two heartbeats. "Two hearts." he breathed in shock
"See? Donna's right." Shareen told him
"What's going on?" Jenny wandered
"Does that mean she's a... what do you call a female Time Lord?" Donna asked
"What's a Time Lord?" Jenny questioned
"It's who I am. It's where I'm from." the Doctor replied numbly
"And I'm from you." Jenny surmised
"You're an echo, that's all." the Doctor insisted, still in denial. "A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge, a code, a shared history. A shared suffering." He paused, remembering his long lost people. "Only it's gone now. All of it. Gone forever."
"What happened?" Jenny asked
"There was a war."
"Like this one?"
The Doctor laughed at the absurdity of the comparison. "Bigger. Much bigger."
"And you fought, and killed?" Jenny probed
"Yes." the Doctor muttered darkly
"Then how are we different?" Jenny questioned him.
The Doctor had no answer; Jenny had one-upped him again.
"Well said, Jenny." Shareen said approvingly. "Peacock here's such a hypocrite. He struts about actin' all holier-than-thou when he's just as bad as any of us. Anyway, think you handle Action Man out there?"
"Easy." Jenny smiled and approached the cell door, where Cline was standing guard. "Hey." she called to him
"I'm not supposed to talk to you, I'm on duty." Cline answered
"I know, guarding me." Jenny replied, then put on a flirting tone. "So does that mean I'm dangerous? Or that I need protecting?"
Cline turned to face her. "Protecting from what?"
"Oh, I don't know, men like you?" Jenny said, pulling him in closer for a kiss. Then she grabbed his pistol and pointed it at him. "Keep quiet and open the door." she ordered.
"I'd like to see you try that." Donna remarked to the Doctor
"I'll give it a go sometime." Shareen remarked.
~8~
Jenny soon had Cline disarmed and tied up, then she, Donna, Shareen and the Doctor made their escape. The quartet made their way downstairs, but stopped in their tracks when they saw a guard on duty at the bottom. "That's the way out." the Doctor noted. Jenny cocked her gun, but the Doctor stopped her. "Don't you dare!" he growled
"Leave him to me." Shareen grinned. "I'll distract the guard."
"No, wait. I've got a better idea." the Doctor said, taking a toy mouse out of his coat pocket. The Doctor wound the mouse up and sent it off towards the guard, distracting him. Jenny took the opportunity to sneak up behind the guard and knock him out with with a karate chop to the back of the neck. "I was going to distract him, not clobber him!" the Doctor scolded.
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Jenny retorted while Shareen quickly checked the guard over.
"He's alright." she surmised. "Good work, Jenny. Can you teach me that? Might come in handy one of these days."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "They must all have a copy of that new map. Just... stay there. Don't hurt anyone." he told Jenny pointedly and began searching the guard's pockets.
A hurt Jenny turned to the other two women. "What did I do wrong?" she asked them. "I didn't kill him, what more does he want?"
"This is all new to him too." Donna counselled. "Just give it a bit of time."
"Yeah, don't worry yourself too much about him." Shareen added. "He just doesn't like it when people can stand up to him."
"That story they told, about creating the universe, why did she sigh?" Jenny asked
"Satisfaction, I s'pose." Donna shrugged
"Not disappointment?" Jenny wandered
"Why would she be disappointed?" Shareen questioned
"She breaths life into something, it's part of her but beyond her." Jenny reasoned. "She sees herself in it, but maybe she doesn't like what she sees. Disappointment, I can understand that." she sighed, looking at the Doctor.
"He'll come round, Jenny." Donna reassured her.
"Yeah, and if he doesn't, we'll make him." Shareen added
The Doctor meanwhile finished rifling through the guard's pockets. "Got it, come on." he told the women and they set off again.
~8~
The Doctor, Shareen, Donna and Jenny walked down a tunnel until they reached a particular spot. "Wait, this is it, the hidden tunnel." the Doctor said, checking the map. "There must be a control panel."
He began sonicing the wall while Donna noticed another number, 60120714 this time. "It's another one of those numbers." she frowned. "They're everywhere."
"Probably left behind by the builders." Shareen suggested. "Could've been an area number or something."
"Could I borrow ya pen?" Donna asked her. "Cos' d'ya see? The numbers are counting down." Shareen handed her the sonic pen and the Doctor passed her a notepad. "This one ends in 1-4, the prison said 1-6." Donna explained as she jotted the numbers down.
"Always thinking, the lot of you." Jenny remarked. "Who are you people?"
"I told you, I'm the Doctor." the Time Lord waved her off
"The Doctor? That's it?" Jenny questioned
"That's all he ever says." Donna shrugged
"So, you don't have a name either?" Jenny questioned the Doctor. "Are you an anomaly too?"
"No." the Doctor replied
"Oh, come off it, Peacock, you're a walking, talkin' anomaly!" Shareen snorted
The Doctor rolled his eyes and went back to work. "Here it is!" he said, pulling off a panel on the wall to reveal a control panel underneath.
"And Time Lords, what're they for exactly?" Jenny asked
"For? They're not... They're not 'for' anything." the Doctor replied, sonicing the control panel.
"So what do you do?" Jenny probed
"I travel. Through time and space."
"He saves planets, rescues civilisations, defeats terrible creatures, and runs a lot." Donna elaborated. "Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of runnin' involved."
"Yeah, there's never a dull moment when Peacock's around." Shareen added.
"Got it!" the Doctor crowed as a hidden door slid open
"Squad 5, with me!" General Cobb's voice sounded from down the corridor
"Now, what were ya sayin' about runnin'?" the Doctor remarked, and the quartet abruptly sped off down the newly-revealed corridor.
They soon came to a section blocked by red laser beams that criss-crossed across the entire corridor. "That's not mood lighting, is it?" Donna frowned. The Doctor threw his clockwork mouse at the beams, which promptly disintegrated it. "No, I didn't think so."
"Arming device." the Doctor confirmed and began messing with a control panel.
Shareen meanwhile noticed something else. "Hey, Donna, there's another of those numbers." she said, pointing to where the number 60120713 was stamped on the wall.
"Always eight numbers, countin' down, the closer we get..." Donna muttered as she jotted the numbers down in the notepad.
"Here we go!" the Doctor said as he soniced the control panel.
"Better be quick." Donna warned
"The general!" Jenny cried, hearing voices from down the corridor.
She moved to confront the soldiers, but the Doctor held her back. "Where're you going?" he demanded
"I can hold them back." Jenny insisted
"No, we don't want any more dead."
"But it's them or us!"
"It doesn't mean you have to kill 'em!"
"I'm trying to save your life!"
The Doctor took a beat and decided to use a different tact. "Listen to me, the killing, after a while it infects you. And once it does, ya never rid of it."
"We don't have a choice!" Jenny pointed out
"We always have a choice."
"I'm sorry." Jenny said and ran off back down the corridor to where Cobb's troops were approaching
"There she is!" a soldier said. "At arms!" And they opened fire on Jenny, who took cover behind some equipment and returned fire.
The time travellers heard the gunfire. "I told ya, nothing but a soldier." the Doctor snarled bitterly
"She's tryin' to help." Donna defended
"Yeah, and I don't hear you comin' up with any better ideas." Shareen added pointedly
"Jenny, come on!" the Doctor called down the corridor
"I'm coming!" Jenny called back
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Cobb ordered his troops. They complied just as the Doctor managed to shut the lasers off
"That's it!" Donna told him
"Jenny, leave it! Let's go!" the Doctor called, as he, Shareen and Donna all made their way through the now-safe corridor.
Cobb approached Jenny, trying to sway her to his side. "You're a child of the machine, you're on my side. Join us! Join us in the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, girl, don't deny it."
Jenny aimed her rifle at him, but hesitated. Spotting a pipe above the soldiers' heads, she fired at that instead, showering Cobb and his troops in steam and allowing Jenny to slip away back to where the trio were. "Jenny, come on!" Shareen urged her
"Hurry up!" Donna added
But just as Jenny reached the corridor, the lasers switched back on. "No, no, no, no! The circuit's looped back!" the Doctor cried
"Then zap it back again!" Shareen urged him
"The controls are back there!" the Doctor groaned
"They're coming!" Jenny called, knowing her smoke screen wouldn't last forever.
"Wait!" the Doctor said, frantically trying to think of something. "J-just... There isn't... Jenny, I can't..."
"I'll have to manage on my own." Jenny said, tossing her gun away. "Watch and learn, father." She backed up, then did an incredible series of somersaults through the lasers.
"No way!" Donna stared open-mouthed
"Where'd she learn that from?" Shareen wandered
"But that was impossible." Donna said as Jenny made it to them
"Not impossible. Just a bit unlikely." the Doctor grinned, and hugged Jenny with a proud smile. "Brilliant! You were brilliant!"
"Can ya teach me those moves?" Shareen asked Jenny.
"I didn't kill him." Jenny told the Doctor. "General Cobb, I could've killed him, but I didn't. You were right, I had a choice."
The moment was ruined by Cobb and his troops reaching the laser wall. The Doctor ushered the woman to safety, while he stayed to give Cobb one last chance. "At arms!" Cobb ordered, and his troops aimed their weapons at the Time Lord
"I warned you, Cobb." the Doctor said. "If the Source is a weapon, I'm gonna make sure you never use it."
"One of us is gonna die today and it won't be me." Cobb retorted. He opened fire and the Doctor legged it in the direction the women had gone.
~8~
The quartet were soon exploring more of the tunnels. "Blimey, how big is this place?" Shareen wandered. "It's like a rabbit warren."
"So, you three travel together, but you're not... 'together'?" Jenny asked the other two women.
"Ugh! God, no!" Shareen squirmed
"No, no! No way!" Donna added. "No, no, we're friends. That's all. I mean, we're not even the same species, there's probably laws against it."
"An' even if there isn't, I wouldn't go out with him if he were the last man in the universe!" Shareen agreed
Jenny laughed. "And what's it like, the travelling?" she asked
"Like I said earlier, there's never a dull moment." Shareen replied
"Can be terrifying, brilliant an' funny, sometimes all at the same time." Donna added. "I've seen amazing things, though. Whole new worlds."
"I'd love to see new worlds."
"You will." Donna told her. "Won't she, Doctor?"
"Hmm?" the Time Lord turned to her
"D'ya think Jenny will see any new worlds?"
"I suppose so." the Doctor said with a small smile.
"Ya mean... ya mean, you'll take me with you?" Jenny stared
"We can't leave ya here, can we?" the Doctor smiled
Jenny promptly launched herself at her father and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Come on! Let's get a move on." And she ran ahead
"Careful, there might be traps." the Doctor called after her
"Ha! She's your daughter alright." Shareen laughed. "I'll look after her." And she hurried off after Jenny, leaving the Doctor with Donna
"Oh, I know that look." Donna remarked, noting the troubled look on the Time Lord's face. "See it a lot round our way, blokes with pushchairs an' frowns. You've got dad-shock."
"Dad-shock?" the Doctor raised a brow
"Sudden, unexpected fatherhood." Donna told him. "Takes a bit of gettin' used to."
"No, it's not that." the Doctor replied
"Well, what is it, then? Havin' Jenny in the TARDIS, is that it? What's she gonna do, cramp ya style? Like ya got a sports car an' she's gonna turn it into a people carrier?"
"Donna, I've been a father before." the Doctor said seriously
"What?" Donna stared
"I lost all that a long time ago. Along with everything else."
"I'm sorry." Donna put a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "I didn't know. Why didn't ya tell me? You talk all the time, but you don't say anything."
"I know. I'm just... When I look at her now I can see them. The hole they left, all the pain that filled it. I just don't know if I can face that everyday."
"It won't stay like that." Donna counselled. "She'll help you. We all will."
"But when they died, that part of me died with them. It'll never come back, not now." the Doctor sighed
"I tell ya something, Doctor, something I've never told you before, I think you're wrong."
Just then, they all heard shooting from somewhere behind them. "They've blasted through the beams." Jenny realised. "Time to run again. Love the running, yeah?"
"Love the running." the Doctor replied. They all smiled at each other, then took off running.
Presently, they reached a dead end. "We're trapped." Donna stated
"Can't be." the Doctor shook his head. "This must be the temple."
Shareen tapped her knuckles on the wall. "You're right. This is a door." she said.
Then Donna noticed yet more numbers; 60120712. "And again, we're down to 1-2 now." she mused
"I've got it." the Doctor said, sonicing the hidden door.
"I can hear them." Jenny warned from where she was keeping watch.
"Nearly done." the Doctor called.
"These can't be area numbers." Donna muttered, eyeing the numbers closely.
"They're getting closer." Jenny warned
"Then get back here!" the Doctor told her
"Not yet." she answered
"They're too similar." Donna muttered thoughtfully. "Too familiar."
"Then what are they, then?" Shareen asked
"Now! Got it!" the Doctor said as the hidden door opened, and they all made their way though it.
"They're coming, close the door!" Jenny urged, and the Doctor soniced the controls, shutting the door to buy them some privacy. "Oh, that was close." Jenny sighed in relief
"No fun otherwise." the Doctor grinned
"It's not what I'd call a temple." Donna frowned, eyeing their surroundings.
"Fusion-drive transport." the Doctor realised. "It's a spaceship!"
"Hey, maybe it's the one they used to come to this planet." Shareen suggested
"Well, it could be, but the power cells would've run out after all this time." the Doctor replied. "This one's still powered up an' functioning. Come on!" And they all rushed off past a wall, which was clearly being cut through from the other side.
"It's the Hath!" Jenny realised. "That door's not gonna last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through down there, war's gonna break out!"
"Look, look, look, look, look! Ship's log." the Doctor said, pointing to a computer terminal. He rushed over to it and began reading, "'First wave of Human/Hath co-colonisation of planet Messaline.'"
"So it is the original ship?" Jenny quizzed
"What happened?" Donna asked
"'Phase one: construction'." the Doctor continued to read. "They used robot drones to build the city." he explained to Donna and Jenny
"Does it say anything about the war?" Shareen asked
The Doctor scrolled down to the bottom of the page. "Final entry. 'Mission commander dead. Still no agreement on who should assume leadership. Hath an' Humans have divided into factions.' That must be it! A power vacuum. The crew divided into factions an' turned on each other. Start using the progeneration machines an' suddenly you've got two armies fightin' a never-ending war!"
"Two armies that are now outside!" Jenny reminded urgently
"Look at that." Donna said, pointing to a display above the screen, which was showing the number 60120724.
"That's just like the numbers in the tunnels." Shareen observed
"No, no, no, no, but listen," Donna explained, "I spent six months workin' as a temp in Hounslow library, an' I mastered the Dewey decimal system in two days flat. I'm good with numbers. It's starin' us in the face!"
"What is?" Jenny asked
"It's the date." Donna told her. "Assuming the first two numbers are some big old space date, then you've got year, month, day. It's the other way round, like it is in America."
"Ohhh!" the Doctor exclaimed in realisation. "It's the New Byzantine Calendar!"
"The codes are completion dates for each section." Donna stated. "They finish it, they stamp the date on. So the numbers aren't countin' down, they're goin' out, from here, day-by-day, as the city got built."
"Yes!" the Doctor agreed. "Oh, good work, Donna!"
"Yeah, but you're still not getting it." Donna told him. "The first number I saw was 60120717. Well, look at the date today."
"07-24. No!" the Doctor breathed, working it out.
"Blimey!" Shareen remarked as she worked it out too.
"What does it mean?" Jenny asked
"Seven days." the Doctor told her
"That's it." Donna added "Seven days."
"Just seven days." Shareen piped in
"What d'ya mean, seven days?" Jenny asked, still not getting it.
"Seven days since war broke out." the Doctor explained
"This war started seven days ago." Donna added. "Just a week. A week!"
"Huh, certainly puts things into perspective." Shareen remarked
"They said years." Jenny reminded
"No. They said generations." Donna corrected. "And if they're all like you, a product of those machines..."
"They could have 20 generations in a day!" the Doctor finished. "Each generation gets killed in the war, passes on the legend! Ohhh! Donna, you're a genius!"
"But the buildings, the encampments, they're in ruins." Jenny pointed out
"Or just empty cos' no one's moved in yet." Shareen countered.
"Oh, they've mythologised their entire history." the Doctor remarked. "The Source must be part of that too. C'mon!" And they rushed off again.
They sprinted round a corner and ran straight into Martha Jones; filthy and dishevelled, but very much alive. "Martha!" Shareen exclaimed in relief
"Shareen! Doctor!" Martha screamed happily, and the two women ran to each other, hugging tightly in relief of being reunited.
"Should've known you wouldn't stay away from the excitement." the Doctor grinned as he and the others watched them.
"Oooh, you're filthy." Donna remarked, noticing Martha's mud-stained clothes. "What happened?"
"I, erm, took the surface route." Martha replied
"Well, at least ya safe an' sound." Shareen said.
Just then, they heard the distant shouts of soldiers. "That's the general." the Doctor realised. "We haven't much time."
"We don't even know what we're lookin' for." Donna pointed out
Martha suddenly caught whiff of something. "Is it me, or can we smell flowers?" she questioned
"Yeah, what is that?" Shareen wandered
"Bougainvillea." the Doctor observed. "I say we follow our noses." And they went off to find the source of the smell. They soon found themselves in what appeared to be a greenhouse, full of exotic-looking plants. "Oh, yes!" the Doctor grinned. "Yes! Isn't this brilliant?"
Then, they saw a glass sphere sitting atop a pedestal. The sphere was full of swirling gases. "Is that the source?" Donna asked
"It's beautiful." Jenny remarked
"What is it?" Martha questioned
"Terraforming!" the Doctor exclaimed in realisation. "It's a third-generation terraforming device."
"And what's that when it's at home?" Shareen asked
"And why're why suddenly in Kew Gardens?" Donna added, looking at their surroundings
"Because that's what it does." the Doctor replied. "All this, only bigger. Much bigger! It's in a transit state. Producing all this must keep it stable before they finally..."
Just then, Human and Hath soldiers burst in from both sides, aiming their weapons at each other on the sight of them.
"Stop! Hold ya fire!" the Doctor called to them
"What is this?" Cobb spat. "Some kinda trap?!"
"You said you wanted this war over." the Doctor reminded him.
"I want this war won!" Cobb retorted
"You can't win." the Doctor told him. "No one can. Ya don't even know why you're here. Your whole history, it's just Chinese Whispers. Gettin' more distorted the more it's passed on. This is the Source." He gestured to the sphere. "This is what you're fightin' over. A device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets inhabitable. Look around you. It's not for killing, it's bringing life. If ya allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels, an' into the bright, bright sunlight! No more fightin', no more killing." He picked up the sphere. "I'm the Doctor, an' I declare this war is over!"
He threw the sphere to the ground and it shattered, releasing green and gold gases that spread out in the air. Cline lowered his gun, followed by his fellow soldiers. The Hath followed suit until Cobb was the only person left holding a gun.
"What's happening?" Jenny asked
"The gases will escape an' trigger the terraformin' process." the Doctor told her
"What does that mean?"
"It means a new world." the Doctor grinned
At that moment, Jenny saw Cobb aiming his revolver at the Doctor. "No!" she cried, stepping in front of her father just as Cobb fired.
The bullet struck Jenny in the chest and she collapsed into the Doctor's arms. "Jenny!" he gasped, lowering her to the fall while Cobb's troops disarmed him. "Jenny? Talk to me, Jenny!"
Martha checked Jenny's pulse and bullet wound. "Is she gonna be alright?" Donna asked her.
Martha shook her head sadly.
"A new world." Jenny whispered, watching the gases swirling around. "It's beautiful."
"Stay with us, Jenny." Shareen urged. "We'll take ya back to the TARDIS, get ya fixed up an' then we can go an' see new worlds."
"Sounds good." Jenny said weakly
"You're my daughter and we've only just got started." the Doctor told her gently, fighting back tears. , "You're gonna be great. You're gonna be more than great. You're gonna be amazing! Ya hear me? Jenny?"
Jenny nodded, growing weaker by the second. "The breath of life," she gasped, "the sigh, what was it in the end? Could ya tell? Disappointment?"
"No." the Doctor shook his head. "Never. It was never ever that."
Jenny managed a weak smile at that then she drew her last breath and died. The Doctor kissed her forehead in despair then he looked to Martha, one last glimmer of hope occurring to him.
"Two hearts." he breathed. "Two hearts, she's like me. If we wait... If we just wait..."
"There's no sign, Doctor." Martha told him gravely. "There is no regeneration. She's like you, but... maybe not enough."
"No. Too much." the Doctor sighed as reality sunk in. "That's the truth of it. She was too much like me." He kissed Jenny one last time then stormed over to Cobb, who had been pushed to his knees by Cline and the others. The Doctor picked up Cobb's discarded revolver and aimed it at him. He held his aim for a moment then lowered the gun and crouched down in front of Cobb. "I never would." he told him. "Have ya got? I never would!" He stood up and addressed all Humans and Hath. "When you start this new world. This society of Humans and Hath, remember that! Make the foundation of this society a man who never would!" He threw the gun away and knelt down again beside Jenny, mourning his deceased daughter while Donna, Martha and Shareen all comforted him.
~8~
Presently, Jenny's body had been brought to a theatre that had formally been the Human encampment. The time travellers, Cline and the Hath leader all stood by her. Suddenly, they all saw beams of light coming through the windows. "It's happening." Martha murmured. "The terraforming."
"Build a city, nice and safe underground. Strip away the top soil and there it is." Donna said.
"What about Jenny?" Shareen asked Cline
"Let us give her a proper ceremony." Cline replied. "I think it'd help us. Please."
The Doctor, lost in his thoughts, nodded his approval.
~8~
Some time later, the time travellers were back in the TARDIS, the tunnel having been cleared by the Hath. "Jenny was the reason the TARDIS brought us here." the Doctor murmured thoughtfully, "She just got here too soon, which then created Jenny in the first place. Paradox. An endless paradox."
There was a long silence as the three women watched him with sympathy.
"Time to go home?" the Doctor asked Martha
"Yeah. Home." Martha answered quietly and the Doctor started to operate the controls, lacking his usual enthusiasm.
The TARDIS had soon landed on the street where Martha's new home was located and the three women walked slowly down the street. "You sure about this?" Donna asked Martha
"Yeah, positive." Martha replied, "I can't do this anymore. You'll both be the same one day."
"Maybe." Shareen murmured. She'd been thinking about getting in touch with her family again following her near-death experience on the Valiant and although meeting Zara again hadn't gone well, she was still wandering if perhaps her parents had mellowed out in the five years since they'd last spoken.
"Not me, never!" Donna said. "How could I ever go back to normal life after seeing all this?" She glanced back to the Doctor, who was walking a few steps behind them. "I'm gonna travel with that man forever."
Martha and Donna then hugged each other. "Good luck." Martha said
"And you." Donna replied, then went back to the TARDIS to give the others some privacy.
Martha and Shareen then hugged each other. "Oh, it's been great to see ya again, Martha." Shareen said. "I've missed ya."
"Same here." Martha reciprocated. "And don't forget, if ya ever need anything, just give me a call."
"Just you try an' stop me." Shareen smiled. "Hopefully, I'll see ya at the wedding."
"You'd better." Martha laughed and turned to the Doctor.
"We're making a habit of this." the Time Lord said
"Yeah. And you'd think it'd get easier." Martha replied. "All those things you've been ready to die for. I thought for a moment there you'd found something worth living for."
"Oh, there's always something worth living for, Martha." the Doctor replied and they shared a hug.
"Bye, Doctor." Martha said
"Goodbye, Dr Jones." the Doctor replied, and they all went their separate ways.
~8~
On Messaline, Cline and the Hath leader were preparing for Jenny's memorial ceremony when she suddenly opened her mouth and light resembling the terraforming process came out. Cline and the Hath leader could only stare in bewilderment. Then, Jenny opened her eyes and looked at them. "Hello boys." she grinned.
~8~
The Doctor, Donna and Shareen had returned to the TARDIS and the Doctor was preparing the controls for departure from Earth. "I'm sorry, Peacock." Shareen said sympathetically. "I'm sorry about Jenny."
"Thanks, Shareen." the Doctor sighed. "I'm... glad we met Jenny."
"Us too." Shareen smiled reassuringly. "She was brilliant."
"Ya see that pain?" Donna spoke up, putting a hand on the Doctor's chest. "In there? That doesn't mean you were wrong to let her in. It proves you were right."
"What do I do now?" the Doctor asked
"We can mourn, we live. For her." Donna replied wisely
The Doctor put on a brave smile, realising the truth in her words. "Where to now?" he asked
"I say we find a new world, for her." Shareen replied
Feeling much better, the Doctor set to work piloting the TARDIS away to their next adventure,
~8~
On Messaline, Jenny had commandeered the shuttle and was preparing for blast-off. "Jenny, what're you doing?" Cline asked over the com. "Come back!"
"Sorry, can't stop." Jenny waved him off. "What ya gonna do, tell my dad?"
"But where're you going?" Cline asked her
"Oh, I've got the whole universe!" Jenny smirked as the shuttle blasted off. "Planets to save, civilisations to rescue, creatures to defeat... and an awful lot of running to do!"
Author's notes: And here's the first update for April. Notice that Shareen spends this episode with the Doctor, Donna and Jenny. With this episode, you have a choice of what to do with your OC; either have them stuck on the Hath side with Martha or stuck on the Human side with the Doctor, Donna and Jenny. I've gone down the latter route here, as I did with Gazelle, while I chose the former with Iris. Putting Shareen on the Human side means that she gets to spar with Cobb and challenge the Doctor over his treatment of Jenny. It's a shame Jenny never appeared again after this episode but at least Big Finish came to the rescue. One thing I like about this episode is Donna noticing the pattern with the numbers. It just goes to show that you don't need to be an alien genius to figure out a vital clue. In fact, it was the second story in a row where Donna figures out something that the Doctor missed, the first being the empty personnel files in The Sontaran Stratagem. One of Donna's great traits is noticing the little things that the Doctor missed. I'd like to see something like this done in the future. Anyway, hope you like this chapter and hope to see you next time for a whodunnit in the 1920's.
