The Zaranthea Paradox
In a parallel universe, somehow years in both the future and the past, Donna Noble stood in the last type forty TARDIS in existence. Dying and groaning in pain in a way that only an alive spaceship could, Donna clutched a cup of coffee, Rose Tyler stood next to her, the two staring into space at the time rotor in the center of the room. The silence echoed between the two women, complete strangers, whilst simultaneously connected by a unique experience.
"This was never meant to happen," Rose mumbled under her breath, breaking the silence for the first time in several minutes. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, "He met a woman that shouldn't exist, or doesn't exist, or does. We can't tell."
Donna frowned, "Who?
"Zara Saxon." Rose gulped, looking back at Donna. "Thing is they were never meant to meet. The whole universe changed itself because their paths met."
"Do you know her?"
"No." Rose shook her head. "I know nuffin' about her. Never met her. But the canon, it measures timelines... and her name wouldn't stop popping up."
The rain spattered against the stained concrete of the New New York alleyway, the noise echoing as it hit the sparse scrap metal discarded around. Against a crumbling red brick wall, The TARDIS materialized, and after a moment The Doctor stepped out, pulling the collar of his brown coat up around his neck. He looked around, unfazed by his slowly soaking clothes, listening to the mechanical hum in the air. After a brief second, the door opened again and Martha followed, flinching as the drops hit her face.
"Oh, that's nice!" Martha exclaimed, zipping up her maroon leather jacket. "Time Lord version of dazzling."
The Doctor grinned, "Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone." He took her elbow gently, scanning the area. "Come on, let's get under cover!" he said, pulling her off down the alley.
The dark and musty room deep within New New York's senate was eerily empty, dust slowly floating through the air. Other than the ruins of the once democratic galactic base, little else still stood. Three of the four columns across the room were crumbled in significantly sized chunks, surrounded by books and technological gadgetry, both broken and working.
In the center of the room sat a large metal tank, with several tubes and tanks hooked up to the back. In front of it knelt a figure in grey robes and hat, with cat-like features and beautifully trimmed fur, eyes tightly closed as she prayed. Standing next to her was a young human woman, blonde curls bouncing as she looked between the cat and the tank.
"Novice Hame." The woman whispered, putting her hand on her shoulder, and nodding to the tank.
Novice Hame sat up, watching The Face of Boe's eyes flicker for the first time in a while. Both women held their breath, watching as his eyes flickered open, tiny bubbles floating around him.
"Zara." The Face of Boe croaked.
The young woman reached out and put her hand on the glass of the tank, "I'm here." She whispered.
"He has arrived."
Hame rose from her kneeling position, "What should I do?" She asked.
"Find him before it's too late."
Zara looked back to Hame, "Maybe I should go." she mumbled. "He needs you here."
"No."
"What if he gets worse?"
"Those times will come—" Boe interrupted. "It is coming. But not yet."
Zara leaned her forehead against the glass, sighing.
Over the following hours Zara spent hunched against the tank, she and Boe quietly hummed in conversation, awaiting Novice Hame's return from her mission. Occasionally, Zara would tune up scanners and devices to try and locate either Hame or The Doctor's locations, but it didn't often show much.
The two discussed the last twenty-odd years in the husk of the senate together, and her heart couldn't help but slowly sink. She knew what this conversation was. It was the end. The recap. A goodbye. She always knew Boe would go, and that they were waiting for The Doctor. But when you're given a mission from early childhood with a completely unknown deadline, when the end finally comes it's jarring. It didn't feel like it was ever real, that it would ever actually happen.
All she knew about The Doctor was that he was an old friend of Boe's. She'd learned a lot about different planets and cultures throughout time and space because of Boe, an encyclopedia of everything and anything that had been. It was the way that he spoke of The Time War and Gallifrey that made her realize that she had something few others knew of. Zara prompted Boe more over time, learning of the TARDIS, and how to fly it, not that she'd ever get the chance to.
She knew of Boe's last meeting with The Doctor, that he'd see him for a final time. She'd spent a long time preparing for his death, but it still felt surreal. Boe had almost trained her for going out into the universe, with advice and ancient secrets, but now? Now she had to do it. And she had no idea where to start.
Boe had been humming quietly to himself for a couple of hours when Hame returned with The Doctor.
Zara awoke with a jolt as a head of brown spikey hair landed against her lap. Instinctively, she pushed it off, scrambling towards Hame lying across the floor from her, and helping her to her feet.
"Hame, are you ok?" She whispered in hushed tones, eyeing the man to her side.
She couldn't help but notice his thin frame, the pinstripe brown suit on his person barely holding on. And the hair, that hair that had landed in her lap – why was there so much gel? She wondered if he was trying to compensate for something. Was this him? Was this The Doctor? All those stories over the years from Boe, Zara was expecting… something else.
"Oh! Rough teleport. Ow." The Doctor muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his head and pulling himself up. He turned, eyes filled with fury, spinning to face Hame, "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha."
Zara stood in front of Hame protectively, eyeing The Doctor up and down, "You can stop that right now." She snapped. The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, stunned at her reaction, before she interrupted again. "You may be a Doctor, but she's been our nurse for a lot longer."
"I only had the power for one trip." Hame explained.
"Then get some more! Where are we?" The Doctor asked angrily.
Zara stepped further towards him, Hame grabbing her by the arm, "High above, in the over-city." She said firmly.
The Doctor took a breath, eyeing her body language with Hame's, "Who are you?" His body relaxed slightly.
"Zara." He nodded, and Zara's demeanor also softened. "Uh, Saxon. I'm their… child found?"
The Doctor frowned, "Child found?"
"Yeah. We've… we've been waiting."
"For?"
Zara blinked, "You."
The Doctor stared back at them, confused, before turning back to Hame, "Right. Good, you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions–"
Hame reached past Zara and put her hand on The Doctor's arm, "But you're inside the Senate, right now."
Zara looked back at the rows of the seats of the chambers, hollow and dusty, lined with skeletons, "May the goddess Santori bless them." She sighed under her breath. The Doctor tenderly stepped forward, following her view, horrified. "The city died, Doctor. It's just us left."
"How long has it been like this?" The Doctor asked.
"Uh, about twenty-four years." Zara replied as The Doctor looked around the room, eyeing the technology scattered by their feet. "We've been trying to get them out. We really have."
The Doctor nodded at her, understanding. Zara gestured to a skeleton nearby, covered in dust and dirt, a mood sticker barely hanging on to its neck.
"All of them are dead?" the Doctor asked, kneeling and looking at the sticker closely. "Everyone? What happened?"
Zara pulled the sticker off and handed it to The Doctor, "New chemical, a new mood." The Doctor turned the sticker in his hands, eyeing the Bliss label printed on it. "Everyone tried it, and they couldn't stop."
"A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne," Hame explained. "Everything perished — even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat."
The Doctor spun back round to face her, shocked, when Zara interrupted his sure-to-be protests, "There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city." Zara argued with confidence. "I couldn't get them out, so I did the next best thing. I saved them."
There was a moment of silence from The Doctor as he looked back at Zara, confused, "You did this?"
Zara nodded, "I was a kid." She chuckled awkwardly, composing herself. "Didn't really understand what I was doing, well, I did, sort of—but I knew it had to be done."
"You've been here since you were a child?" the Doctor's neck almost snapped looking back to Hame, "You've had a child here, this entire time?!" he shouted, horrified.
"There's not enough power to get them out, Doctor." Zara explained. "We did all we could to stop the system from choking. It's not perfect, I know. But sometimes, we have to choose the lesser evil—the final option."
"Who's we?" The Doctor frowned. "How did you survive?"
Novice Hame smiled, "He protected us." She said. "And he has waited for you, these long years."
"Doctor."
As Boe's voice hummed across the room, for the first time since arriving, The Doctor noticed his tank. Hame placed her hand against his arm, leading him over towards Boe.
"The Face of Boe!" The Doctor breathed, rushing to the tank and kneeling in front of it.
He ran his hand across the glass, letting out a sigh that was half in relief, half in concern.
Boe hummed, "I knew you would come."
Hame shuffled up behind The Doctor, "Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins." She explained.
"Old friend, what happened to you?" The Doctor asked.
"Failing." The Face of Boe croaked.
Zara sat down next to where The Doctor leaned, lovingly stroking the tank, "He protected us from the virus by shrouding us in his smoke." She explained. "But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."
"So he saved them." The Doctor whispered, eyeing Zara cautiously. "But what about you, how did you end up here?"
Zara shrugged, "I was found by Hame in the panic of it all. And so, we just… waited. For you. Boe said he needed to hold on to see you for the last time, and that when he did, we'd be freed."
The Doctor leaned his forehead against the tank, "But there are planets out there." He frowned. "You could have called for help."
Zara shook her head, "The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe." She sighed. "The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."
The Doctor got back up, looking between the Face of Boe and Novice Hame, "So the two of you stayed here — on your own, for all these years. With a child."
"We had no choice." Hame sighed.
The Doctor reached out, touching her shoulder, "Yes, you did."
Zara watched as Boe's breathing heightened, the bubbles in the tank bursting with energy, "We don't have a lot of time." She stood up and looked at The Doctor, "You said something about a friend?"
For the first time since their meeting, the corners of The Doctor's mouth twitched upwards into a half smile.
In mostly silence, The Doctor and Zara gathered the technology surrounding the room and hooked it up to one system.
Zara couldn't help but watch in a little awe at the Doctor, fixing pieces she'd spent decades working on, and he did the same of her. The Doctor was surprised at how well-adjusted someone who'd been raised by a cat in an empty building knew what she was doing.
Zara pulled a large piece of tubing across the room when The Doctor finally gained a signal. He jabbed the screen with his finger, grinning, "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six — it still registers!" He looked back to Zara, "That's Martha. I knew she was good."
Zara put the tubing in place, guiding Hame's hand, "Hame, hold that in place."
The Doctor ran back along the tubing, drastically spinning around and looking at boxes of flashing lights and buttons, "Think, think, think." He muttered, running his hand through his hair.
Zara watched where his eyes went, trying to think, "Uh, take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds?"
He was thrown off for a second, impressed, and raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, you're good."
"There isn't enough power." Hame called over.
The Doctor bolted over to the far wall covered in buttons and two screens, wiring pouring out, "Ah, you've got power! You've got me! I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." He turned back round to Zara, pointing at her. "Zara, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" Zara nodded, running over and doing exactly that.
The Doctor knelt next to her, rotating a knob in a console on the floor. He pulled out the sonic, using it on the device, "I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." He banged his fist against the console and jumped back up.
Zara frowned at the sonic screwdriver, "What's that then?"
He waggled it back at her, "Sonic screwdriver. Does lots of things."
"Right." He threw the sonic to her and she turned it over in her hands, eyeing each tiny button engraved into the metallic casing. "So, what are you going to do?"
"This!" As he cheered, he flipped a long switch on the floor. Raising his arms in excitement, his face dropped as the consoles lost their power and the lights were cut out. "No, no, no, no, no!" He snatched the sonic back from Zara, dropping to his knees and attempting to repower everything. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."
"Doctor…" The Face of Boe croaked.
"Yeah, hold on, not now." The Doctor muttered, distracted.
Zara watched in horror as Boe's eyes closed, the tank bubbling, "I give you my last…" He let out a long, rasping breath, and all of the consoles flickered back to life.
"Hame!" Zara gasped, pushing her over towards the tank. The Doctor grabbed her ankle, giving her a knowing look. "Help him."
"Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this." The Doctor called to him, watching as Zara dropped down next to him and flipped the switch.
She looked back over her shoulder, heartbrokenly watching Hame rush to turn the wheels against the tank, monitoring Boe's levels. As the sound of mechanics filled the air, she rose to her feet slowly, watching out the window with The Doctor as the roof of the motorway slowly opened.
"The open road. Hah!" The Doctor cheered.
Wandering towards the window, Zara picked up a microphone discarded to the side, and handed it to The Doctor, "Time for an address, I reckon." The Doctor gingerly took it from her hand, watching as she flawlessly hooked up a broadcast to all of the cars. "Good luck."
Zara pressed the button and the broadcast began, and she couldn't help but watch happily as he rambled to the millions below, explaining that the roof was open, encouraging humans and aliens alike to drive upwards to safety. Despite having just met this strange man, she was relieved to see him relax as he watched the car Martha was in slowly make its way out.
As he rambled, she set a flight path for Martha's car directly to them. This man was definitely not what she was expecting, based on the tales of The Face of Boe. She'd been told of this great warrior, a man who didn't flinch in the face of any danger, who was essentially a god. But she didn't see it. She just saw a traveler, another flawed person much like herself. She wasn't disappointed with who had finally arrived, but was definitely curious as to who he actually was, outside of stories the Time War.
Interrupting his flow, Zara leaned over and spoke into the microphone, "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've just sent you a flight path. Come to the senate."
"On my way!" Martha laughed over the transmitter. "Doctor, who is that?"
Zara didn't hear the rest of the conversation, her eyes were too busy fixed on Boe. Her heart sank and she felt sharp pains in her palms, watching as the glass in the tank started to crack.
Hame looked over her shoulder at Zara, tears in her eyes.
"It's time." Zara whispered.
Martha Jones happily leaped into the empty senate in search of The Doctor, stopping in her tracks at the sight of the several skeletons.
"Doctor?" She called cautiously.
"Over here."
Turning a corner into another room, Martha found the Doctor knelt in front of Boe, out of his tank and breathing air directly for the first time since, well, nobody really knew. Next to him were Hame and Zara, the latter gently stroking Boe's forehead and tearily smiling down at him.
Martha eyed Boe spread out across the floor, the liquid from the tank veering off into the distance, surrounded by broken glass. The Doctor noticed her reaction, "It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello." Martha moved closer, hovering next to the Doctor, "And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry. And this is Zara."
Martha watched carefully as tears spilled down Zara's face, humming an ancient melody in a whispered tone to Boe. The Doctor watched the blonde woman as she sung, recognizing the song, but struggling to identify it in the moment. He felt awful for her, putting on a brave face but clearly on the edge of pure and utter heartbreak.
"Boe's the one that saved you, not me." The Doctor quietly explained to Martha.
"My lord gave his life to save the city." Hame announced proudly. "And now he's dying." Hurt graced her face once more.
The Doctor reached out and squeezed Hame's arm, "No, don't say that. Not old Boe, plenty of life left."
"No, she's right." Zara sighed.
Boe hummed, "It's good to breathe the air once more."
There was silence for a moment until Zara spoke again, "What am I supposed to do now?" Her voice shook but feared that if she spoke any louder, it somehow connected to Boe's remaining lifespan. "We were supposed to wait, and we did. But what am I supposed to do now?"
"Zara, you are going to change the entire universe. Trust me; it's already happened."
The Doctor's interest in the way they spoke to one another was piqued, fascinated by this beautiful, protective, genius woman. If he'd known about Boe for centuries, and having met him twice before, why had he never heard of this woman? How did Novice Hame care for Boe and raise this functioning person, whilst living in an empty, dusty tomb? None of it seemed right, but at the same time, it felt right.
Martha broke his thoughts, "Who is he?" She asked.
The Doctor shrugged, "I don't even know."
"Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years." Novice Hame added warmly. She reached out and took Zara's hand in hers, squeezing.
"Isn't that right?" The Doctor asked. "And you're not about to give up now."
"Everything has its time." Boe replied. "You know that, old friend, better than most."
Hame swallowed, "The legend says more."
The Doctor looked away, "Don't. There's no need for that."
"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveler."
"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"
"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much." Boe sighed. "I am the last of my kind — as you are the last of yours, Doctor."
"That's why we have to survive." The Doctor blinked back tears desperately. "Both of us. Don't go."
"I must. I have spent many millennia knowing that my responsibility would eventually be fulfilled. But also know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."
With a final breath, Boe's eyes closed. Zara's stroking came slowly to a stop, and she stared at him, numb. Her tears dried to her cheeks, unable to process any more of what was happening in front of her. The silence, after a while, was broken by the sound of Novice Hame's gentle sobbing.
The Doctor's jaw gently closed, and he placed a hand on Hame's back, wrapping her in a hug. Zara knelt further back and plonked herself against a pillar, defeated. Martha felt sorry for Zara at that moment. Despite knowing very little about her, she knew Zara had just lost a core person in her life. And if there was something Martha could relate to, it was the look on Zara's face that told her life was never going to be the same again.
The Doctor watched Zara as she slowly packed up some of the pieces she had scattered around the senate. She hadn't spoken since Boe's death, and he was concerned how that would eventually translate once she did. There was something about her. He didn't know, and he didn't like not knowing.
His eyes moved over to Hame, sat across the room.
"So, what do we do with you now, Hame?" The Doctor asked.
Hame stood up from the step she was sitting on, listening to the repeated security announcements over the consoles as the city slowly opened, "With the people being able to get out and the power being restored, the Shadow Proclamation was able to finally touch base here. They're on the way to us as we speak-"
"-and that's why we need to move."
Zara's voice silenced the room, all three turning their attention to her. She continued to avoid eye contact, but her packing did slow down. With the clearing of her throat, she closed the bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"Because if we stay here, Hame is going to prison."
"Weeell…" The Doctor trailed off. "Might deserve it. Kinda. A little." Zara glared at him. "Ok, not her specifically." He looked apologetically to Novice Hame, "You get it?"
Hame chuckled slightly, patting the Doctor on the arm, "I am not going anywhere just yet. I must see Boe is laid to rest."
Martha gingerly sat down next to Zara, holding her hands in her lap.
"Look, I can't even begin to understand how you're feeling right now. But the Doctor part of me just wants to check in." Martha reached out and touched her arm, Zara returning with a thankful look. "And even though he's called the Doctor, and he's like the smartest bloke I've ever met, he also can be just completely out of sync with what's going on."
Zara broke into a slightly wider smile, shaking her head. "Yeah, Boe warned me about that." She sighed. "It's ok. Just, a bit odd. Finally meeting someone who has just been a legend to you your entire life and then… they're there. Surreal. Boe and I were waiting for him. He needed to see the Doctor one last time, but now that's happened… What now?"
Crossing the room, Zara dumped her bag down, noticing that the Doctor's brown coat had been returned. Poking out of one pocket she saw a thin, black wallet, and immediately knew what it was. Boe had prepped her with all of this knowledge of time and space, and now she had to use it to look after herself. She slipped it out of the coat, half listening to the mumbled conversation between the Doctor, Martha, and Hame, and slipped it into her own pocket.
Ultimately, the Doctor and Martha decided to leave just before the Shadow Proclamation's arrival. The Doctor spoke about how he tended to avoid them unless it was absolutely necessary, but Martha sensed his hesitancy in going.
"Well, what about you now?" The Doctor asked Zara. "You've never seen anything outside this senate. You've only ever seen a giant face and a cat woman before."
Zara let out a weak laugh, "I've seen your face now. Won't go forgetting it."
The Doctor grinned, "I still don't understand how you've been here all this time. Who are you?"
"Not a clue. I'll figure it out, though."
When the Shadow Proclamation arrived, the room slowly filled with government agents, as Hame explained about Boe's death. Eventually, the room emptied again, and Hame and Zara were led out. Reaching the steps of the senate, they took in a breath, eyes adjusting to the light. Of course, the Doctor had somehow got the impression that Zara was some sort of hermit, having never been outside before or felt light on her skin. She knew New Earth's surface levels like the back of her hand, often pottering off on her own adventures. She wasn't stupid, of course, and had to be careful.
But that was a story for another time.
"You should have gone with him." Hame told her.
Zara frowned, "What?"
"With the Doctor. That's what this was all for."
Zara looked over her shoulder before leaning closer to Hame, "Boe needed to see him one more time. This wasn't about me."
"Boe had us keep you safe until he could lead you to the Doctor. That was always his plan."
Zara was stunned, "I don't get it."
"He said it was supposed to happen."
Zara was confused, but in a strangely settled way. She wasn't going to start doubting Boe now, even despite his constant philosophical riddles. As the government agent approached them, she pulled him to one side, flashing the psychic paper at him. Hame watched in awe as she spun him a tale of Hame's being trapped into the events of the hospital, caring for the Face of Boe and how without her care, the city would not have been able to reopen. It was clear that Zara had been practicing this speech to herself for a long time, prepared for if the day ever came that Hame was ever somehow captured for her crimes. The cat-woman could seriously help this planet, and Zara knew that if they had any hope, Hame was it.
Zara was adamant that Hame would live out the rest of her days peacefully and happily, the way she truly believed she deserved. And if she was supposed to go out and use everything Boe taught her, she needed to know Hame would be comfortable.
Martha and the Doctor slowly made their way down the alleyway, back toward the TARDIS. The Doctor eyed up the empty, battered stalls that had previously been littered with bustling, pushy workers.
"All closed down." He muttered, taking a deep sigh. "Still. New New York can start again. And we've got Novice Hame. Just what the city needs again — cats in charge!"
Martha frowned, "But I thought she was going to have to go to prison?"
The Doctor smiled slightly, "Ah, I don't know. Something tells me she'll be seen as what she truly was: a good friend, and an incredible medical professional."
"And Zara, what about her?"
The Doctor mused for a moment, "I'm really not sure." He pondered, before wandering off down the alleyway again.
"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha asked, stopping in her tracks. The Doctor stopped, turning back to face her. "You're not alone."
"I don't know."
"You've got me. Do you think that's what he meant?"
"Who knows."
"Or, you know… someone else, maybe?"
"Probably not… but maybe."
"Then what?"
"Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go." The Doctor turned, heading off to the TARDIS.
Scanning the area, Martha grabbed a rusty metal chair folded up against a wall and pulled it open. The Doctor watched as she sat down with a huff, crossing her arms.
He frowned, "All right, you staying?"
"'Til you talk to me properly, yes." Martha scoffed. "He said "last of your kind." What does that mean?"
"It really doesn't matter." the Doctor sighed.
"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" Martha snapped. The two stared at one another for a moment, before the sound of a sung hymn filled the air. They looked up in awe, taking in the music. "It's the city. They're singing."
Leant against the door to the layby, Zara watched the two of them, psychic paper fiddled with between her fingers. She watched as the Doctor found another chair and sat opposite Martha and eventually, lowered his walls. He spoke about the Time War, things Zara had heard a hundred times but from the Doctor's mouth but it was all brand new.
"…I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky... The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song…"
As a natural point made its availability, Zara tenderly stepped forward, "He's not just a Time Lord." she said softly. Their heads flew up, surprised at her arrival. "He's the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else." She locked eyes with the Doctor. "I'm sorry." She held the psychic paper out to him. "Sorry, I, uh, found that. Must have dropped it."
The Doctor reached out and gently took it from her, "Thank you."
"I just… wanted to check you guys are going to get off safely. Thank you. I know that there are probably more questions than answers, but I'm glad Boe got to finally see you again."
"Me too. What about Hame?"
"Ah, she's going to be absolutely fine." Zara smiled to herself. "I've made sure."
"And you?" Martha asked.
"Who knows! The universe is mine, according to Boe." She turned back to the Doctor. "Say, he was able to teach me how to fly a type 40 through psychic connection." she broke into a chuckle. "He also taught me how to be a pretty good thief, too. Be careful."
The Doctor was taken aback, "Really?" Zara nodded. "Huh. Can refeed electricity beds with residual energy and fly a TARDIS. We're quite the team."
"Aren't we just?"
The two smirked at one another, and Martha couldn't help but find the situation amusing.
Zara shuffled the bag on her shoulder, "I was hoping I could exchange my skills for, I believe 21st-century humans referred to it as 'a lift'?" Martha laughed at her. "Don't have any transport to get me off this planet, and that's kind of crucial for me to be able to go and explore."
The Doctor admired how upfront she was, nodding in agreement, "Sure." He stood up, gesturing her towards the door, Martha in tow.
"So," Zara began as they stepped inside. "Boe also told me you had a chameleon circuit issue. Can I fix that, or-"
"No."
"Ok, ok! Pushing my luck."