Twists in Time

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Lazarus Experiment:

By Lumendea

…

They waited until the next morning for the serious topic of Martha's next step to be discussed. Rose was hopeful that Martha would stay, but she wasn't sure how a short jump into the future might affect her. She suspected it was very disorienting and it was an issue that Rose herself had never faced.

"I'd like to stay," Martha said after they finished breakfast. "Not forever, eventually I need to go back home and finish my exams, but… I do like it." The Doctor beamed at her. "That alright?"

"Course." The Doctor glanced at Rose. "What now?"

"Why don't we swing by Martha's place so she can grab a few things? I know the TARDIS does a great job giving us what we need, but when I came aboard, I really loved having some personal items and some of my favourite clothes."

"Fair enough," the Doctor agreed with a slight shrug.

Rose knew that he didn't really have any experience like that. He'd come aboard the TARDIS with next to nothing other than Susan and the items connected to the Other that he wanted to get away from Gallifrey. Jack had come aboard with just what he had on him. But she had the feeling that Martha was a bit more like her and a few familiar items would help ground her after the inevitable bad days.

As Martha listed off her address and reminded the Doctor of the date they had met, Rose had to hold back a chuckle. It was so weird. Martha was from so close in time to her. Even from the same city. Once Martha went home again to finish school, she might meet Rose on the streets of London and Rose wouldn't know who she was. Not that such things were alien to Rose. No, she had experience with that. And while she hadn't risked asking about it, Rose had some suspicions about Mickey given the way he'd reacted to Martha last night at her mum's.

Martha stepped out as soon as they landed and Rose followed, eager to make sure that they were in the right place and at the right time. The flat was small and had the familiar cheap furniture that most uni students possessed. Some of the medical textbooks on the small table by the kitchen were familiar to Rose thanks to Sharon and Shareen. But there were bright colours everywhere that helped personalize the space. And Martha wasn't the tidiest person so laundry, notes, and even a few dishes were scattered around.

"Sorry it's a bit of a mess," Martha said. Her cheeks reddened a touch. "I'm a bit surprised you were able to land."

"She doesn't need much of a footprint," the Doctor replied. He patted the TARDIS fondly. Then he glanced around. "Do you need a hand?"

"Oh no." Martha shook her head. "I'm not planning to bring much. Just a few personal items and favourite clothes. That sounds good. Should tide me over a bit."

"Might want to grab some of your medical books too," Rose suggested. "That way if you'd like to study, you can make sure that you're studying the right material."

"True." The Doctor nodded and rubbed his jaw. "The TARDIS has a medical section in the library, but a lot of it is past your time. Or before."

"Before?" Martha repeated. "Why?"

"Oh, I knew some of the writers. And some of them are funny." The Doctor chuckled. "Some of the things that humans thought…" he trailed off, remembering his present company. "Useful for comparisons sometimes."

"Right," Martha said slowly. "How long have I been gone?" She glanced around as if searching to see if anything was displaced.

"This is the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about twelve hours. No time at all, really. "

"But all the stuff we've done. Shakespeare, Nyssa, Jackie's party?"

"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was."

"That's wild." Martha shook her head and laughed. "Absolutely mental." Then she paused and frowned. "That means that I'm older than I should be. Just by a few days, but older."

"True," Jack agreed. "Though you traded in for a better immune system."

"Right cause that's a thing. I makes sense, obviously, but it is strange to think about." Then Martha shook herself. "Right, I'll just be a couple of minutes. Just want to grab a few things."

"Need any help?" Rose asked.

"Uh," Martha grimaced and glanced around. "No. My room's even worse. Sorry."

"Two of my best mates were medical students once," Rose reminded Martha. "I know it's low on the list of priorities."

Martha nodded and vanished back through a hallway, pausing to grab a bag out of a small closet. Rose glanced around and headed into the small kitchen. In a few minutes, she could at least do a few dishes. There had been a couple of times that she'd visited Sharon and Shareen's place while they were doing their residencies to clean and cook something.

"What's it like knowing you're off at school somewhere right now?" Jack asked in a teasing voice while the Doctor inspected Martha's medical textbooks.

"Not so odd," Rose replied. "Though I should warn Martha not to approach me on the street if she sees me unless I talk to her first. I have no memory of meeting her before the hospital."

"Really?" Jack laughed. "A normal temporal relationship? You?"

"I know! But it had to happen eventually." Given that she'd met Amelia and Rory years early and all that. "I'm glad she's coming with us. Martha's clever."

"She is," the Doctor agreed. "Mind you, we've run into a few places where her medical training was useful. Hopefully, we'll have a break from that soon. Usually, it's not a good sign."

"Maybe a market next," Rose suggested. "Or one of the human colonies during a peaceful time. The sights at places like that are usually brilliant."

Then a phone started to ring. Rose blinked and looked around, finding a landline not far from here and plugged into a voicemail. Rose hadn't seen those in years. They had finished phasing out really soon after this. The answering machine clicked on.

"Hi, I'm out," Martha's voice said on the phone. "Leave a message."

"Sorry," Martha called from the back of the flat.

"Martha, are you there?" the voice of an older woman asked. It sounded vaguely familiar to Rose. "Pick it up, will you?"

Martha came walking back into the living room, a pack slung over her shoulder. "It's Mum," she said. "It'll wait."

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like," Martha's mum said impatiently. Rose, Jack, and the Doctor chuckled while Martha sighed. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."

That did get a reaction from Martha. She frowned and turned to scoop up the remote for her TV, turning it on. There was nothing on the first channel, but when Martha flipped to the next one the image of an elderly man with a young woman beside him made Martha stop. Rose remembered the young woman's face from when they'd picked up Martha.

"The details are top secret," the elderly man on the screen said. Rose glanced at the text at the bottom of the screen. The man was a Doctor Lazarus.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha asked softly.

Rose was equally confused. They'd picked Martha up just yesterday. Her mum's call had proven that she hadn't been gone long. Her sister must have just gotten pulled into something or been keeping something about her job a secret. Not impossible, but a touch odd.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world," Lazarus continued.

"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab," Martha explained.

"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human," Lazarus finished.

"Professor!" one of the reporters shouted. "Professor."

But the man was turning away from the cameras and Martha switched the TV back to standby. "Sorry about that," Martha said. She shook her head. "Not sure why mum was in such a state over that. I guess it makes sense after all for her to be there. Though I would have expected one of the more senior PR staff to be there." Martha smiled and gripped the strap of her bag. "So, where are we going next?"

"We were thinking of a market," Rose offered. "Alien planet with lots of vendors, local crafts, and interesting food. I love them."

"They are fun," Jack agreed.

But he was watching the TV. Rose had a weird feeling too. The Doctor was smiling at Martha, but he was also glancing at the TV.

"What is it?" Martha asked. "What's wrong?"

"Well… it's just…" The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck. "Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?"

"He did," Martha confirmed.

They were going to check this out. Rose frowned, trying to remember if she'd heard anything about this while she was in school. It seemed odd that she hadn't. It seemed even strange that Sarah Jane hadn't mentioned anything about it. This seemed like exactly the sort of story that she'd be sniffing around. Rose was tempted to call her about it and get her take but was wary of crossing her timeline like that. Though… Sharon and Shareen had indicated that she'd do that when she was older.

"Rose?" The Doctor looked over at her. "Do you remember hearing about this?"

"No. Nothing. Sarah Jane never mentioned it either."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully, an odd expression on his face as he stared at the tele as if it were suddenly going to turn on again and give him the answers.

"Well, I think it bears a bit of investigation," the Doctor said. "Martha, do you think your sister can get us in?"

"Uh, I'll give her a call. I can probably get in and bring someone," Martha offered. "But my sister would ask a lot of questions about me trying to bring three people."

"Fine," the Doctor said dismissively. "We'll manage. At least you and Jack being there without sneaking in will provide some cover." He looked at her and blinked when Martha didn't move. "Well, better call your sister. Jack, with me. I want to check on something!"

Rose frowned as they vanished back into the TARDIS though Rose had some suspicions of what they might be checking. Given she remembered nothing like this, she thought it likely they were looking for signs of another time traveller. That whole business with Jack's ex and this mysterious Alchemist was still an issue.

"Well, I can take your things to your room if you want to call your sister," Rose offered.

"Thanks." Martha gave her a smile. She seemed to have picked up a bit on the tension, but not all of it. Rose was just as happy for that and took the bag, eager for something to keep herself busy.

In the console room, Jack and the Doctor were at the scanner and a newspaper article on Professor Lazarus was on the view screen. That was a bit… odd for them. Normally they didn't look things up in advance. But Rose supposed that they were all a little on edge and someone declaring they were going to change what it meant to be human was a bit much.

….

In the end, Martha was able to secure a plus one for Jack through her sister. According to Martha, for once, her sister wasn't trying to talk her ear off. Rose supposed that Tish was busy with the event. Still, it was strange hearing Martha talk about her sister. Siblings were something that Rose didn't really understand.

"So… what do you think is going on?" Martha asked as she flipped through the modern dress rack of the TARDIS's wardrobe. "Given you're from the future, you must have heard something about this?"

"That's the thing, no I don't remember hearing a thing," Rose said. "Granted, I was pretty busy while I was at uni between classes, friends, aliens and…" she trailed off. She couldn't say that she was busy with her boyfriend at the time. "It might be nothing. An experiment that's being talked up locally, but never goes beyond that." But Rose didn't believe that. She had a strange feeling in her gut and Rose didn't like it. "That's why we're gonna go and take a look."

"Well I can get in thanks to Tish and bring Jack as a plus one, but that leaves you and the Doctor."

"We have our ways," Rose replied. She was a touch concerned about that issue given that events like this had guest lists, but she trusted the Doctor's ability to come up with impressive enough titles with the psychic paper to get them in. "What we need to decide, is do you know us or not. That might be an issue once we're inside."

"I'm not sure I could pretend that I don't know you," Martha admitted. She was fidgeting again as she flipped through the rack of the wardrobe room.

"If you have something you'd like to wear at home-" Rose started.

"No, it's not that." Martha shook her head and focused her attention on a pretty purple dress. It wasn't full length which was good if it came to running and had discrete bedding along the top and hem. "It's just going to be strange having you and my family in the same place."

"Ah." Rose nodded. "It's up to you what you want to tell them. Or if you want to tell them anything. There are positives and negatives to both."

"You didn't tell your mum for a long time, right?"

"Right. I didn't want to make things complicated at home. I just wanted to go home and be Jackie Tyler's daughter. I don't regret it, not exactly, at least, but it had ramifications. And after she found out, we were on shaky ground for a while. It was a few years before she really understood why I live my life the way I do."

"That's not helpful," Martha sighed. "I was hoping for a do or don't."

"Sorry, Martha. I don't know your family. You do."

She glanced over and found Martha staring into the distance. There was an uneasy expression on her face and Rose couldn't help but remember the fight she'd witnessed when they picked up Martha. The other woman's expression had been exhausted and resigned.

"What do you think?" Martha asked, pulling the dress she'd been eying off the rack. It was a good colour for her.

"I think it's very nice." Rose nodded her head to the right of the room. "And we'll grab some of the TARDIS' shoes. They're better for running."

"Yeah." Martha grimaced. "That is a common theme, isn't it."

"Sadly yes."

Which was one more reason to be worried. Something odd was happening close to the family of their new companion. Rose didn't like it at all. Still, they needed to check it out. She pulled a blue dress, the same shade as the TARDIS, with gold trim off the rack. It was a little longer than Martha's but had a slight slit that would give her freedom of movement and wide straps. Forcing a smile, she gestured for Martha to follow her over to the shoes.

…..

The Doctor fiddled with the tuxedo tie with a grumble. It wasn't that he minded ties. No, in this body he was fond of them, but bowties were a different style. The shirt had a slightly different cut. He just wanted his regular and much more familiar clothing.

"It's annoying how good you look in a tux," Jack sighed. He was sitting on the pilot's seat in his own tuxedo. "Rose will love it."

Well, that was good at least. The Doctor brightened a little but looked back at the view screen. Nothing in Professor Lazarus' public history was concerning. Maybe they were overreacting.

"I'm not sure either," Jack offered. It was annoying how well Jack could read him sometimes. "Just… feels off."

That drew the Doctor's attention and he dropped his hands away from the tie. "Feels off? How so?"

"Not sure. Just a nagging sense that something isn't right around him. Maybe it was the speech."

"Or maybe it's about your role," the Doctor said slowly. "Possibility and Life." He rolled the words around in his mouth thoughtfully. "Depending on what he's doing… could trigger something. Rose is still tired from the ship and is… well, a bit on edge already so it's hard to say."

"Maybe." Jack shrugged. "Just gonna focus on seeing what's going on first."

"Probably for the best." Still, the Doctor was curious. His time senses had been a bit aggravated ever since he heard that speech. It made him suspicious that a time traveller was nearby and feeding Lazarus technology. Or it could simply mean that Earth was a point that could go either way. "Let's just see what's happening."

"You sure the psychic paper will get you and Rose in?"

"Probably. Shouldn't be an issue. If nothing else, we can pull on the UNIT connection."

"Isn't Rose still in school now?"

"Benton would be in charge still this year. He'll understand- well, even if he doesn't understand, he'll keep that we were here quiet if I ask him to."

Jack nodded in understanding. The Doctor was glad that he was here. His regeneration had gone well and he'd settled into his new body well. But Rassilon and now this Alchemist made it too easy to worry about Rose. Not that he was in a hurry to throw Jack between Rose and danger. He could be honest that knowing Jack would do it himself happily gave him some peace of mind even if it also worried him.

He was about to yell about the time when Martha and Rose walked into the console room. The Doctor heard Jack whistle and give them both compliments. He just stared at Rose. Her dress was TARDIS blue and she'd done her hair up in a fancy braided bun. She was smiling at him and utterly gorgeous. The stress from the ship seemed to be fading. That alone made the Doctor hopeful that they'd simply find an overly confident scientist who had boasted a bit too much on television.

"You look beautiful."

"For a human," she teased.

"Is that ever going away?"

"Nope," she replied with a grin.

Shaking his head, the Doctor took her hand and kissed it quickly before entangling their fingers together. Jack offered Martha his arm which she took with a smile of her own. The Doctor gestured to the door and they stepped out into the evening air, two blocks from the event and out of sight of any media who might be nearby. He double-checked that he had his psychic paper before leading the others towards the evening's mystery.