Twists in Time

Chapter Four: Tylers and Jones: Bigger on the Inside

By Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any spinoff material, and I gain no income from this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

….

The corridors were oddly quiet. Martha could hear talking echoing up from the lower levels, but a strange calm had settled over the hospital. The initial panic has faded into resigned silence and likely bone-deep fear. Once the Judoon reached this level, Martha expected that to change. She briefly considered leaving Rose to check on the patients. It felt a little like she had abandoned them, but Martha reminded herself sternly that helping the mysterious couple was most important.

"Do you and your husband do this sort of thing often?" Martha asked casually. A strained laugh escaped her. "You must, based on the things you say."

"Fairly often," Rose agreed. "Though, we aren't actually married. Just… well, dating, I suppose, even if that doesn't seem like a good word. We're romantic partners, and we help where we can."

"So, you're dating an alien," Martha said in what she hoped was a conversational tone. "That's a surprise."

"Really? I think it's one of the things that most science fiction gets absolutely spot on." Rose chuckled at her own joke. "It's not really so different than being in a relationship with a human from a different culture. You sometimes trip over culture differences and need to make sure that you're on the same page when it comes to core values and the way forward." Rose shrugged as if she really believed it was the same thing. "Not that I ever dated humans much. Few dates here and there when I was younger. Most found me too strange."

That Martha could absolutely believe. Rose Tyler seemed very nice, collected, and intelligent, but there was this odd sense about her. Something a little too big and heavy for the room. Not threatening, though Martha had the sense that it could turn threatening very easily. Bit like being around a friendly creature with teeth. A wolf that was letting you pet it for now, but if you did the wrong thing would bite you.

"Still…" Martha trailed off and shook her head. "Well, if it works for you, then I guess that's what matters."

"Really?" Rose's smile was teasing now. "Just like that."

"I'm on a moon in a hospital that has been scooped up by aliens hunting some kind of criminal. You and your Doctor seem to be the best chance to make sure everyone gets back to Earth safely."

"We'll get back," Rose said firmly. "It's just a question of keeping the collateral damage down in the meantime. The Doctor isn't wrong about the Judoon. They aren't evil, but they are alien in how they approach things. Justice isn't a scale balanced between the law and compassion of circumstances to them. It's just the law."

Martha shivered at the description. "And you've met them before."

"Yeah." Rose sighed and shook her head. "That was… that was a bad day, and I'd rather not talk about it. The Doctor even only knows about it in very general terms for now. Someday I'll tell him more, but a lot of good people died. I barely survived myself because the Judoon's jurisdiction on Earth ended."

Martha had more questions she wanted to ask. The Doctor had said that the Judoon didn't have jurisdiction on Earth, but Rose's eyes were sad and distant. Martha had done some work with veterans and survivors of trauma in the past. Rose seemed to be in better shape than many of them, but there were still definitely some ghosts there.

"Mr Stoker is through here," Martha said thankfully. They were at the office, and Martha pushed open the first of the double doors.

Then she froze in surprise. A tall figure dressed all in leather was holding Mr Stoker, who was struggling. Another matching figure lingered beside the first. An old woman, a familiar-looking patient, was looming over him and holding a straw against his neck. It was… Martha didn't understand, but the old woman looked up at them sharply, and Rose shouted something. A hand grabbed Martha and pulled her back as Rose moved forward.

A sword appeared in Rose's hand. Martha didn't even have time to blink before the tall, leather-clad figure jumped forward at them. The sword sliced into the body. Martha caught surprise and then relief flickering over Rose's face. The old woman, Florence, Martha thought she remembered her name had been, jumped away from Mr Stoker. He groaned and slumped to the floor.

Martha pressed herself against the wall as the leather-clad figure fell to the ground. There was a massive slice through it, and Martha inwardly grimaced at both the display of violence and the knowledge that it was dead. She wanted to be angry at that, at Rose for killing them, but they had lunged right at her while she was holding a sword. Where had that even come from? Some sort of alien technology she guessed. But why a sword? Could aliens really not come up with something else? The second figure and the old woman pressed forward with the leather figure lunging at Rose. She brought the sword up again but glanced at the old woman who rushed past and out the door.

"Martha!"

She didn't follow the woman. Instead, Martha hurried forward to Mr Stoker. The wound in his neck was small, but she grabbed some bandages off the desk and began to put pressure on it. The blood flow was slight, too slight, and she worried that it might be too late. It was horrible, having one of those things, whatever, it was behind her, but Martha told herself to trust Rose. There was a heavy thud the next moment, and Martha flinched as the figure fell partially into her view, sliced through. She ignored it, focusing on doing what she could for the hospital consultant.

The blond woman moved around behind Martha. "She got away." There was no bite in Rose's voice, and Martha hoped Rose understood her trying to get to Mr Stoker. What Martha could have done to that… that alien, she didn't know. "How is he?"

"Not good," Martha said softly. "But still alive." She glanced towards the leather-clad figure, "I'm sure they're dead."

"Never alive," Rose corrected. She knelt and shifted the figure, showing Martha that it was solid leather through the cut. "Leather all the way through. Minion drone of some kind." She tapped on the leather and shook her head. "I like leather as much as the next girl, but this is a bit much." Rose nodded at Stoker. "What do you need me to do? How can I help you?"

Martha eyed the puncture wound in the neck. It was the strangest thing she'd ever seen, but the pressure had already stopped the bleeding. He was low on blood. He needed a blood transfusion. Martha knew that and focused on it. Saying the words out loud, she managed to follow them up with instructions for Rose to get a gurney in the storage room next door. The blonde woman nodded and hurried to obey Martha. Being left alone gave Martha a moment to inhale and recover. Strange swords and minions that were made completely of leather and never alive.

They found a doctor, a proper doctor, nearby who didn't ask questions. Apparently, that was the positive side of all this madness. Martha wasn't able to tell them much beyond blood loss, and the woman and a couple of nurses jumped into action. She didn't know for sure if Mr Stoker would make it, but Martha was grateful that he'd have a fighting chance at least. Rose was waiting for her in the doorway, keeping watch for the Judoon and Martha was reminded of the potential danger of having Rose out in the halls.

"Okay," Martha said softly. "Now what?"

"Well, we've seen the alien that they are likely looking for. Not sure why she stopped to… have a meal while there are Judoon around, but it probably will mean something to the Doctor. Plus side, two of her drone are down. No telling if she has more or not."

"I noticed them this morning," Martha said in a rush. "Well, one. But the hospital wasn't full of them, at least."

"That's something." Rose pulled out her phone. "Come on, boys. Get back here." As if summoned by her words, a text chime made Rose brighten and she looked at Martha. "Where is storage F6?"

"This way," Martha said with excitement. She glanced around at the patients in the hallway. There weren't signs of full oxygen depletion yet, but folks were already showing signs of sluggishness. "That's two floors up."

"Up is good," Rose agreed. "Up has less Judoon. She probably went up too."

Martha nodded. That made sense. Maybe. She wasn't sure. Trying to find logic and rational thinking in this seemed impossible. Martha tried to remember if the old woman, Florence, had been marked or not. It had all happened so fast that Martha wasn't sure. And those… leather drones had attacked Rose because the other woman had pushed her back.

She focused on leading Rose to the storage room and keeping an eye out for the Judoon. That was all Martha could do. They'd gotten to Mr Stoker in time, barely, maybe. She wasn't sure if he'd make it or not. Someone getting hurt that badly in the middle of a crisis was always bad. Doctors and nurses were so distracted right now, but she was going to hope.

Opening the door to storage, Martha was unsurprised to find it on emergency lighting. When relying on generators, rooms like this would be a lower priority. Yet, there was light spilling out from around a shelf of supplies. Rose made a happy noise and slipped past her. Martha followed slowly and peered around the corner.

A blue box stood in one corner with a pair of double doors flung open and revealing a brightly illuminated room beyond. A whole room. There was some sort of central column with controls around it where the Doctor and Jack were working. The Doctor looked over and beamed as Rose rushed through the threshold to hug him. Martha took another step forward. That room was real. Rose had just run into and gotten a bit smaller, so perception was still working. But there was a wall right by the doors.

"It's a box…."

Martha stared at the blue box with no small amount of confusion. It was so small. Then again… she wasn't sure what she'd expected when they were talking about bringing it up here and hiding it. Maybe she just hadn't gotten there yet. "It's so small…." She came around the side nervously and studied it. There was the back of it and the hospital wall. Martha touched the wall in shock. Still real. From the side, she couldn't see the room, but when she leaned back, she could see it through the doors again.

"But it's huge!" Martha examined the exterior. Well, as much as she could manage given that the ship was tucked into the corner of the storeroom. Then, slowly, she stepped inside the box. "It's bigger on the inside." Shaking her head, Martha turned back to the Doctor. "How do you- uh, no, never mind. That's not the priority. It can produce oxygen?"

"Total control over the atmosphere inside," the Doctor told her, coming to the doorway. "And I've turned up the system. We just need to leave the doors open, and she'll keep recycling the air. The Judoon will probably, eventually, notice, so we don't want to rely on this for too long, but it buys us time."

Martha nodded. She had so many questions. So many, many, questions, but they were still in a crisis. At least, this gave them more time and would make things a little easier on the patients. She was happy to have it. Taking a deep breath, Martha straightened up.

"Alright, we saw the alien… I mean likely."

"That little old woman who was in the ward with us," Rose took over. "The small one who needed salt and Stoker seemed to know. My guess is that she comes here often. She was using…" Rose shuddered. "A straw to drink blood from his neck. He's in bad shape, but alive, though he was in no condition to give us any more information on her."

"A straw…" The Doctor's features flickered between a hint of disgust and consideration.

"There were two drones with her," Rose continued. "Made of solid leather if that helps narrow it down. They attacked us, so I took care of them. With luck, that's all the muscle she had with her."

Rose was so calm. Martha almost laughed. She had thought that she was doing well by holding it together so far, but the blonde woman was on another level. Instead, she turned her attention to the Doctor. He was thinking and running his hands through his hair while he mumbled to himself. The strange Captain Jack, who wasn't really a Captain, was lingering near the controls and watching the Doctor with amusement.

"Blood," the Doctor said. "Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless. No. Yes, that's it. Wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood; she was assimilating it."

"Assimilating it?" Rose repeated. "So she'll pass as human?"

"Exactly."

"Can you…" Martha gestured at the controls. At least, she assumed that's what they were. Was that a bicycle pump? "Scan for alien life."

Jack and Rose both chuckled at her question. Martha was guessing there was an inside joke there somewhere. The Doctor glanced at them but then shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid not. There are Judoon all throughout the hospital, so even if we got a list of potential targets, by the time we tracked them down to check, they'd have moved and gotten jumbled." The Doctor ruffled his hair again. "And if she's assimilated enough blood, then that's the issue. She'll pass as human to most scans."

"Don't the Judoon know that?" Jack asked. "I mean if they were sent to hunt her down. Are they doing in-depth enough scans?"

"That is the question," the Doctor said slowly. "As it, what will she do now? She's lost her slabs. They always travel in pairs, so if Rose destroyed them both, then she doesn't have a chance of fighting her way out to the ships. And as far as she knows, sooner or later, the hospital is going to run out of oxygen. And if she is a plasmavore, then she'll need another victim and quickly in order to shift her internal biology enough to fool the Judoon."

"Okay, we have oxygen," Jack said. He stepped up next to the Doctor. "Rose, you should stay with the TARDIS while the Doctor and-"

"What?" Rose glared at Jack. "I can't-"

"If they find you, they will kill you," the Doctor said seriously. "And they might declare the hospital guilty of harbouring you. Rose, it is safest if you stay with the TARDIS and make sure that she keeps producing oxygen." The Doctor stepped closer to Rose, and Martha stepped back to give them more space. "Please."

"You can't wrap me in cotton," Rose protested.

"No. I'm not trying to. Normally, you know that I love having you running around with me. Finding trouble and saving planets. Those are our dates." Rose's lips quirked into a smile. "Please, darling."

"Alright." Rose nodded slowly. "I'll stay here and out of sight. But you're taking Jack with you."

"Alright," the Doctor answered. Then he grinned and turned to Martha. "What about you, Martha Jones?"

"I'll help however I can," Martha replied honestly.

"Good. Then come on," the Doctor said. He moved for the door but then turned back to Rose. "Oh, I've got the scanner turned on. Close the doors, obviously, if the Judoon come in, but the TARDIS should be hiding your life sign, even with the doors open."

Rose nodded, and the Doctor beamed at her. He grabbed Martha's hand and pulled her away from the strange blue box with Jack on their heels. Martha kept her focus forward as they dashed back into the corridor.

"What now, Doctor?" Jack asked. "If scanning for the alien won't work and they're on the prowl for another meal, where do we start looking."

"Plus side," the Doctor said as he led them back to the stairs. "We know what they look like."

"You do," Jack replied. "I wasn't with you and Rose. I didn't see this old woman."

"Fair point. Well, keep an eye out for any old ladies then that are wandering around. She's got to be on the move."

They reached the top of the stairs, and the Doctor turned a corner only to come face to face with a Judoon. Martha's eyes widened in alarm as the blue light probe flashed over the Doctor's face.

"Non-human," the Judoon said.

"Oh god," Martha gasped. She wasn't sure why she was even surprised. She'd just seen a blue box that was bigger on the inside.

"Here we go!" The Doctor grabbed Martha's hand and started to run.

Jack was right beside them, laughing as they ran. Martha didn't dare glance back at the Judoon. She wasn't sure if they'd seen her face. That was probably good. Would she be in trouble too? She didn't know. Behind them, she heard the heavy thumping of the Judoon chasing them, but their pace was slower. The Doctor led them up another stairwell, down a corridor and back down yet another stairwell before they came to a stop in the corridor.

"Think, think, think," the Doctor grumbled. "If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?" He looked around the corridor only to suddenly stop. Martha tried to see what he was looking at, but he just seemed to be staring at the MRI sign. "Ah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

Crashes and screams echoed down the tiled corridor, drawing their attention. A shout to find the non-human and execute rang down the hallway. Martha grimaced. That was it? Find any non-human and destroy them. She understood why the Doctor wanted Rose to stay with that ship so much.

"Jack, Martha, stay here," the Doctor said. "I need time. You've got to hold them up."

"My DNA won't slow them down for long, Doctor," Jack pointed out. "I've been scanned by their devices before."

The Doctor sighed and glanced at Martha before looking back at Jack. "Fine. Don't tell Rose." He grabbed Jack's lapel and pulled the other man closer before planting a firm kiss on his mouth. Martha's eyes widened before the Doctor pulled away. Then he leaned closer to her and suddenly licked her cheek. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, don't say that," Jack whined. He looked very pleased, but the Doctor turned on his heel and started to run down the corridor. "Story of my life with him," Jack sighed, but Martha heard the note of amusement in it.

She looked over at Jack, who held a hand out to her and smiled. "Shall we?"

"Uh… yeah, alright." Martha accepted the hand, and they headed towards the Judoon.