Jay knew from the second she set foot into the room that it was going to be a challenge to keep herself from screaming. For her parents all ready resided within the living room the O'Connors were gathering in with the guests. Jay's heart twisted with panic when she saw them. Her father, as sleek as ever, silver-streaked black hair smoothed back with his sharp gaze narrowed at her. He looked fierce and intimidating despite the fact that he was in a pair of expensive pajamas.
Her mother, on the other hand, was a bit of a mess. Julea's hair stuck up at every odd angle, the long blonde strands tangled from sleep. Her blue eyes glimmered with worry for Lucas as she fidgeted with her hands, elegant nightgown clinging to her body. Her face filled with shock when she saw Jay - both of their faces did.
"Jayden!" Julea gasped. "You're-"
Marcus cut his wife off, scowling. "What are you wearing?"
Jay couldn't say she was surprised. One would think after going missing for a few months, they'd be worried about her health and wellbeing, but heaven forbid her father witness someone wearing clothing that would make her a disgrace to the O'Connors name. Jay rolled her eyes and planted her feet firmly in the carpet, her fingers and hands tingling. Her heart beat quickly in her chest with fear.
She'd faced that monster that had imprisoned her. She'd seen aliens of all kinds, faced death and danger, run from it with the Doctor and Martha alongside her. But this...facing her parents again, and in particular, her father...it was, perhaps, the most terrifying thing she'd ever done.
But Jay lifted her chin, looked between the pair, and then said calmly, "Hello, again." She bypassed her father's question, refusing to be bothered by the clothes she wore. They were comfortable, good for running, and made her feel like her own person rather than a doll to dress up.
Alice shifted nervously, reluctant to leave Jay alone yet needing to get back to her work. Jay appreciated many of the staff members who worked in the First House. She knew they worried about the O'Connors children. But they also were employed by the head of the family, so when Marcus ordered her to leave and find out what had happened to Lucas, she had no choice but to do as she was told. Jay grimaced as she left the room, leaving her alone with Julea and Marcus.
Julea tottered over, wringing her hands, and Jay frowned. Her mother was thinner than normal, her body displaying angles that hadn't been there before she'd left. She'd lost weight - a lot of it. "Jayden," she repeated, even as Marcus huffed, scanning his daughter with a calculating look. "Are you alright? Where have you been? We were worried sick!"
Jay doubted it, but didn't say such a thing aloud, instead crossing her arms so that the scar on her arm was hidden from view, trying her best to obscure the ugly black veins that were so obvious when they weren't covered. "I'm fine, Mother," she said carefully. Not. "I made some friends - they brought me here. We heard what was happening - the disappearances - and one of my friends is always interested in a good crime solving spree, so…"
Marcus looked less and less happy the longer Jay spoke, but she didn't bother to mind him. She was used to disappointment when it came to him. Julea's eyes flickered as she searched her daughter's expression. "Are they here? Can they help with Lucas?"
Jay's throat was thick with emotion as she forced out, "Yeah. Both of them are really good at finding people, Mother. They'll figure out where Lucas went. The - John, I mean, is checking the glitched security tapes now and Martha is wandering about somewhere, checking out any possible signs as to where he might have gone." She just hoped to the stars above - to the blue police box whose song she could hear even from where she stood - that it wasn't the same alien that had imprisoned her. Jay wondered if they'd been this worried about her when she'd disappeared. Marcus, perhaps not, but Julea...maybe.
"Jay!"
Jay's head snapped around at the familiar sound of Martha's voice. She turned in time to see her friend sweep into the living room with a sheepish smile, her gaze darting over her shoulder every few moments. Jay saw why a moment later, her spine straightening as Martha hurried over to stand beside her, sparing Marcus and Julea curious looks.
"These are Jovita and Iovita," Martha introduced as two people swept in. Aliens, Jay knew immediately, regarding the woman with her unblinking white eyes and hair, her skin so pale it nearly matched other physical attributes. The man, however, was as human-looking as they came - and someone she knew by sight alone.
She could feel the tremor starting to make her quiver. She was scared. And with good reason, she supposed, staring at the man who'd dragged her to the creature that had wanted to eat her. The one her father had tried to marry her to. Jovita's eyes glinted with shock as he stared at her. "You," he said, voice lilted and dark. "How did you escape?"
All eyes turned on Jay and Jovita. Jay shook like a leaf, and Martha leaned her shoulder against hers, gaze darkening as realization struck her. But Jay forced her fear back in favor of saying faintly, "I met professional escape artists."
Jovita looked outright angry at her somewhat sarcastic quip - although Martha snorted, because she wasn't entirely wrong. They were very good at escaping most situations.
"What are you talking about?" Julea demanded, and then looked to her husband. "Marcus, what are they talking about?"
"Yes, Father," Jay said, suddenly looking irritably at her father. "What are we talking about? Since you were so determined to marry me off to Jovita here-"
Iovita cleared her throat, her white eyes showing no emotion as she clasped her hands before her and said, "I believe, Miss O'Connors, Mr. O'Connors, Jovita," she paused to glare absolutely hatefully at her brother, "that there are other concerns to be had. Like the location of the young master." She smiled gently at Jay. "I understand what occurred to you was horrifying, Miss O'Connors, and I would like to speak with you about the matter and Jovita's upcoming execution, but he has nothing to do with the young master's disappearance."
Silence fell as they all took this in various ways, contemplating. And then Martha asked Jay, "Where'd John go?"
"To look at security tapes and then back to our-" Jay cut off, glancing at Jovita and then her parents, still quivering a little. "You know."
"Ah," Martha murmured, nodding wisely. She took Jay's hand, squeezing it gently. "I think he'd be interested in speaking to Iovita. She had a theory on what might be going on here."
"Do you have the paper and screwdriver still?" Jay asked, thinking.
"Yeah, of course." Martha patted a pocket and Jay nodded, ignoring the harsh staring she was receiving from her father. It made her nervous that he'd been so quiet; he'd never been that silent before. Never. Usually, it was Marcus who conquered the conversation.
"Come on, and you, too, Iovita." Jay gestured for Iovita to step away from her brother. "We'll take her to him. See what he's found out in checking out all of that security footage-"
Marcus suddenly spoke up and Jay stiffened when he did, his voice brutally harsh as he snarled, suddenly storming over. "You'll do no such thing, Jayden." He grabbed her shoulder, forcing her away from Martha, who looked downright shocked at the sudden intrusion on her personal space when he got in her face. But she held her ground rather impressively, Jay thought. "Security will throw this woman and the man who accompanied her into the holding cells in the basement and the police will be contacted."
"What?!" Martha exclaimed.
Jay pried his hand from her shoulder. "You can't just send them to the police because they're trying to help in a situation you can't control-"
"Silence!" Marcus bellowed and Jay fell quite simply out of shock. When she had, Marcus shoved her towards her mother and then whirled on Martha, practically towering over her as he used his height to his advantage. Martha squared her shoulders, pressing her lips together. "Security!"
Alice ducked into the room, her eyes narrowing with agitation. She wasn't Marcus's biggest fan, and didn't enjoy being summoned like a dog. "Forgive me, Mr. O'Connors, but there are no security personnel to escort Miss O'Connors's friends to the basement." Jay wanted to kiss the woman out of sheer relief. "They're all on high alert searching for the young master."
Jay thought Marcus was going to explode, but the stress of the situation was offset by a string of music escaping Martha's pocket. "Oh!" she said in surprise, reaching for it. Marcus glared viciously at her as she raised her cellphone to her ear, speaking into it hastily. "Hello?" She listened for a few moments and then glanced at Jovita and Iovita. "Yes. One's okay, the other's...well, the first said something about an execution date-" Another pause. "Yes, but I think I'm okay with an execution date this time. I'll explain later. Now, what's this about the room?"
The Doctor, then. Jay waited patiently for Martha to finish her conversation and so did the rest of the room's occupants, curious as to who and what the person on the other end of the call was and was saying. Even Marcus had fallen silent, although he didn't take his piercing eyes off of Martha.
Martha listened for a few short minutes, and then finally spoke. "Right. We'll be careful then, meet you there. Jay may or may not be with me. We'll see." She hung up and turned on her heel to face the people currently standing within the room. Her lips quirked at the looks on all of their faces; only Jay didn't look confused or anxious about who she'd been speaking with. "There's good news and bad news. Which one first?"
"Good news," Jay said before anyone else could speak. She should have asked for the bad news first, in case it was severe and they needed to move, because the Doctor was notorious for not saying anything until it was nearly too late. But she wanted to know if he'd found her brother.
"John says that he knows what took the employees and Lucas and possibly where to find them," Martha said cheerfully.
Julea gave a relieved moan, burying her face in her hands. Jay beamed, hopping up and down a little, while Iovita smiled kindly. Marcus's expression didn't change, still holding a scowl. Gently, Iovita said, "If that's the good news, Miss Jones, then do tell what the bad news is so that we may set off to find the young master and other missing persons?"
Martha lost the small smile that had appeared on her face at the relief on Jay's. "John says that he knows what took the employees and Lucas and possibly where to find them," she repeated, this time with a grimace. "He said that he'd meet us at the...at our...you know, Jay, and that he'd take us to go and retrieve them."
"And I told you that Jayden isn't going anywhere," Marcus gritted out.
Martha took one look at him, curled a lip, and retorted, "If you think for one minute that you can beat our driver at this… 'I'm in charge,' thing, then you are entirely wrong. If John wants Jay in our ship, then Jay is going to go to that ship whether you like it or not, Mr. O'Connors." Her eyes flashed with warning and Jay snickered a little at the comment, because Martha wasn't wrong. There was no way in hell that Marcus O'Connors could face down the Doctor and come out on top in this situation. The Doctor commanded everyone's respect and received it - even if it was with hatred and reluctance. There was something about the way he could look you in the eye with all of the force of nine hundred years...or even the way that he could demean someone, which Jay had witnessed with her very own eyes.
The Doctor, when he was around, was in charge whether he wanted to be or not.
Although, Jay supposed, he was quite good at tricking people into believing otherwise…
Marcus pressed his mouth into a tight line before taking a deep breath and shouting at a volume that made everyone jump, "ALICE!"
Alice popped her head in and was clearly fighting back a scowl. "Yes, Mr. O'Connors?" she said with exaggerated patience. "What can I do for you?" She was very clearly fighting the urge to snap at him for interrupting her job several times. Jay couldn't blame her; she would have snapped several minutes ago had she been anyone else.
Marcus ignored the attitude that was filling her voice and instead said in an icy tone, "You will escort Jayden, this girl," he curled a lip at Martha in disgust, "and myself to their friend. The rest of the security personnel will come and protect my wife and our guests."
"Iovita needs to come, too," Martha said immediately, not liking that Marcus would be joining them but willing to compromise despite Jay's immediate horror. Iovita blinked, but said nothing, believing it best to be silent as Marcus turned a lethal glare on Martha.
"And Iovita," he finally gritted out.
Jay took a deep breath, not entirely happy, but just as willing to put up with the situation as Martha was. "Let's go," she said, eager to get going before Marcus decided to hell with them and had Martha shot or something.
"Iovita," Jovita said suddenly and Jay's head snapped around. Iovita paused to look over her shoulder, her face turning cold and stony. Jovita narrowed his eyes, flicking them towards Jay. "Watch yourself."
"I didn't know that you had it in you to worry," Iovita retorted before brushing past everyone else and stepping out of the room. Jay and Martha were a step behind with Marcus hot on their heels. Alice smiled at Martha and Jay in greeting, peering curiously at Martha, squinting. But then she shrugged and they were on the move.
Jay slid her hand into Martha's, worry for Lucas suddenly wracking through her.
Martha squeezed her hand in comfort, and Jay found herself squeezing back sheerly because she was happy that her friend realized she needed it.
The Doctor couldn't say he was looking forward to meeting the man that he could see trailing behind Jay and Martha on the security cameras - or, at least, which ones hadn't been turned off by Martha. He'd have to fix that when they got there. After what he'd witnessed in the security cameras… He glanced at Charlie, who'd started staring quite seriously at the screens himself, his eyes wide with confusion. As if-
"What do you see?" the Doctor asked, thoughtful. It was always smart to get another's thoughts on what was being seen. Even when memories had been wiped, erasing those that informed the owner of what they'd seen.
Charlie jolted in surprise, alarmed. But then he relaxed, sheepishly smiling. "Nothing of interest. Just...Miss O'Connors's friend," he gestured to the screen, "she looks familiar to me."
"Martha?" the Doctor said in surprise. He nodded. "She's never been near this time and you lot aren't quite traveling too far just yet, so it can't be that you've seen her on another planet...have you seen me before?"
Charlie shook his head, embarrassed now. "Sorry, sir. No." He paused. "What's her surname?"
"Jones."
Charlie stared at him long and hard before suddenly snorting loudly, grinning to himself in a rather silly manner. "That's why I recognize her. I'm a descendent." The Doctor blinked in shock. Charlie quickly clarified. "Martha Jones is a well-known relative from a few generations back on my mother's side. It's said she helped defend our planet on a variety of occasions along with her husband, Mi-"
He was cut off by voices filling the air and the Doctor was distracted from the interesting commentary almost immediately. He ducked out of the small room and was greeted by the sight of five people. A warm smile appeared as Martha called out his title, waving once in greeting. Jay didn't look quite as miserable as he'd worried she'd be, even managed a smile as she and Martha came to a stop before him. But her face was full of exhaustion - and they hadn't even gotten to the running part that was inevitable when traveling with him.
"Doc - uh, John, this is Iovita," Jay said suddenly, gesturing to a woman behind them. The woman looked amused when Jay didn't bother to introduce the Doctor to Iovita. "You remember Alice. And that's my father, Marcus O'Connors."
The Doctor had guessed as much - he could most definitely see the resemblance - but he could all ready tell that he wouldn't be very fond of the man. He eyed Marcus sharply, taking in the angry look on his face before turning to Martha. "Can I have my sonic back?"
"Yeah, here." Martha passed it to him with a grimace. "Suppose we don't need to shut off security cameras now, right? Oh, and here's your psychic paper…"
The Doctor tucked the psychic paper into his pocket and then spun on his heel, fiddling with the sonic screwdriver. "It appears that what took everyone isn't more than a slave race, much like the Ood or the pig-men we saw in Manhattan," he explained as one by one, the screens that had been fuzzy cleared and showed a variety of pictures. "They don't appear on the security footage, but I recognized the patterns of light that came through Lucas's window."
"Then someone else is behind it," Iovita sighed softly, looking sympathetic. "Which does not bode well for the boy and the employees."
The Doctor eyed her. Something about this woman...she knew who he was. He could tell by the way her white eyes were looking at him. But rather than questioning her, he nodded curtly. "But we're going to move quickly and stop them." He turned on his heel to face Marcus. Marcus looked startled that he'd dare to confront him when he said with a rather sharp tone, "Have you upset anyone as of late? Anyone alien and important?"
Marcus scowled. "No. I'm on good terms with all of my clients and other important people." Which clearly didn't include the Doctor, he supposed by Marcus's tone. He snorted softly and then turned to Jay, thinking. "It could be someone angry with us."
"Could one of the Family got out of their prisons?" Martha mused, frowning. "Or a Dalek or something?"
"Possibly. We won't' know until we get there." He waved for the group to follow, amused when Martha suddenly took notice of how Charlie was staring at her. She narrowed her eyes a little at him, not liking it, but said nothing. "I don't want you three stepping on my ship," he added, gesturing to Charlie, Alice, and Marcus. He wouldn't have honestly minded Alice or Charlie, but maybe Marcus was less likely to argue if his security wasn't allowed on.
"Then neither is Jayden," Marcus said calmly and firmly, refusing to be ordered around.
The Doctor sent him a small glare before telling his companions, "This is why I don't make it a family adventure," he grumbled, and then looked to Jay when she cleared her throat to catch his attention.
"I'll stay out with my father, Charlie, and Alice," she said warmly, smiling gently to show that she was sincere. "It's fine, Doc- John," she hastily corrected, making a face. She wasn't used to calling him John. She shook her wrists out a few times, something the Doctor took notice of, but couldn't say anything about. Not in front of the people surrounding them.
"Alright then," he said confidently, much to Marcus's annoyance. "You'll stay out with the other three."
"Right," Martha said, "we should get moving then, right?"
"Right," the Doctor declared and then took off at a brisk walk down the hall. He didn't seem to notice that no one had followed him, for Jay had stopped dead in her tracks with a smirk on her features. Martha was giggling, stifling her laughter with her hands and Charlie and Alice exchanged entertained looks with Iovita. Marcus looked downright annoyed. Finally, the Doctor looked back. "What?"
Jay cleared her throat and then pointed down the other side of the hall. "Lucas's room is that way."
"Oh." Looking flustered, the Doctor turned and went the other way. Jay and Martha laughed so hard that there were tears in their eyes despite the serious situation they found themselves in. They set after him, keeping near one another, and the Doctor was glad to see that they were both doing all right.
As they walked, Jay suddenly said, "Did you ever say what the name of the slave species that took my brother is?"
"Luxari," the Doctor chirped. "They look like you, but with no eyes and a muzzle that is surprisingly large. They also have an extra set of arms and six fingers on each hand." He wiggled his fingers at her, earning a small chuckle from Martha. "They're strong, so watch yourselves when we get there."
"Wait," Jay muttered. "If I'm not going in the TARDIS, does that mean I can't go see the Luxari and whoever's taken my brother?" That would most certainly not work for her. She pressed her lips together in thought and took a few extra strides to catch up with him, her eyes wide. "Can we just..." She didn't even finish her sentence, glancing back at her father in despair. He didn't catch the look. "I guess I'll just trust the two of you to find Lucas and bring him home," Jay finally mumbled unhappily, "so promise me you'll make sure he gets there, okay?". The Doctor frowned and gave a curt nod, but said nothing about the matter.
When they reached Lucas's room, Jay was the first inside, pressing her lips together as she surveyed it again before looking to the Doctor. He had approached the TARDIS without hesitation and was fiddling with the key. The lock clicked and then he was pushing his way inside, Martha a step behind. Jay went to lean against the closed door while Jovita slid in eagerly after the Doctor and Martha, clearly excited to see what was on the inside. Jay heard her gasp in surprise at what she found and wished she could have gone in with them. Instead, she found herself outside, alone with Marcus, Charlie, and Alice. Charlie and Alice were craning their heads, trying to look inside.
"This is the ship?" Marcus said in disgust. As a designer and seller of pieces for the ships that propelled his fellow humankind into space, he was nearly insulted by the fact that a blue box could even be considered a ship; it was nothing like he created. And it only angered him further that his daughter climbed into such close quarters with people who were so far below their status-
Jay interrupted his thoughts with a cold voice. "This is a ship that makes all of the ones you've ever seen look pathetic."
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor sent the screen zipping around the console to face Martha. "Watch them," he ordered, indicating the screen that suddenly held an image of the four outside. "When Jay comes in, tell her to lock the door behind her."
Martha blinked. "How's she going to know to come in? Isn't she supposed to be staying out there with the others?"
"Just trust me," the Doctor chuckled.
"This is a beautiful ship," Iovita said, her voice happy. She clearly liked the inside of the TARDIS, crooning to herself over the fact that it was so much larger on the inside than it was on the outside. "Impressive," she muttered to herself as she walked back towards the console. "Absolutely incredible…"
"Don't tell him that," Martha muttered to herself, rolling her eyes as she watched Marcus bristle at Jay in a way that she knew meant nothing good. "He's arrogant enough as it is."
"I heard that," the Doctor called across the console, although he looked good natured about it. He typed in coordinates, setting up the controls so that the second they were ready to leave, they could. The Doctor kept half of his attention on the doors, waiting to see what Jay would do, but the rest on what he was doing. When he was done, he whirled around, searching his pockets for his psychic paper to ensure that he'd placed it where he thought it was. He found it quickly and then nodded curtly to himself. They were ready.
He whirled around the console to join Martha, who moved aside for him to peer intently at the screen. Jay was still leaning comfortably against the door, nonchalantly speaking with Alice. The Doctor made an impatient sound in the back of his throat, eager to get moving.
Jay suddenly jumped into action, however, the second Marcus turned his attention on Charlie. She spun right through the open door, snickering as she slammed the TARDIS door shut behind her. She hastily locked it as Marcus shouted her name angrily, looking furious as the Doctor sent the TARDIS into motion, leaving the head of the O'Connors family and his two security personnel to only watch as the time machine slowly faded out of view.
Grinning and shaking out her wrists, Jay said, "You could have left me. I trust you to come back."
The Doctor threw her a cheeky smile. "We need all hands on deck," was his response. "And why wouldn't we bring you to fetch your brother? We know how much you've worried for him, after all. Now!" he cried, moving on. "Since everyone's here, let's see what the Luxari wanted with him, shall we?" He exchanged a grin with Martha, and then pulled the lever that sent them spiraling into the vortex that would take them to where they needed to be.
"This," Jay muttered, wandering around the surprisingly large storage closet they'd landed in, "is not where you hold people who are being considered as a hostage, you know." The closet itself dark, everything made of sleek black material that she and Martha were sliding all over, as if it had just been polished and cleaned.
"Who says?" Martha grinned at her. "I mean, we've seen some interesting things. For all we know, they could be kept in the walls."
"Interesting idea," the Doctor commented, fidgeting with his sonic screwdriver. It beeped, a sound Jay couldn't remember it ever giving before. "But I don't think that's the case for this ship."
"Ship?" Iovita questioned, her white eyes looking eery and glowing in the darkness. She looked like a star in the darkness of space, Jay thought, noting how bright she was compared to everything around them. "Are we on a spaceship of sorts then, Doctor?"
The Doctor looked at her with delighted curiosity. "You know who I am then."
"Of course." Her face shone with amusement. "You and Miss O'Connors. You helped my planet. Of course, Miss Jones wasn't with you," she added apologetically with a glance towards Martha, "you had someone else. And you didn't look quite the same, but...you saved my species twenty-three years ago."
The Doctor looked surprised, and then glanced at Jay. She was with him when he wore a different face then. It was, at least, comforting to know that the poison wouldn't kill her for some time if it did at all. And it, much to his sadness, didn't bother him so much to know that Martha hadn't been there for that adventure. All of his companions left him in the end, whether it be because of him leaving them behind or them leaving him for a variety of reasons. Everyone left, coming and going, and all left special marks on his long life that he'd never forget.
"Hey!" Martha suddenly called. "Look at this!"
The Doctor spun on his heel, joining she and the others at the spot she'd indicated. There was no door in the storage closet - which they'd started the hunt for almost immediately upon stepping out of the TARDIS - but there did appear to be a small section of the wall that had sunken in. He touched it, stepping past Martha to do so.
The wall was smooth beneath his fingertips. His fingers seemed to sink into the material. He grimaced, immediately pulling his fingers back as a loud creak filled the air.
And then a slab of the wall simply fell away, crumbling into dust.
"Make sure you all stay close and don't wander off. Typical Luxari technology," the Doctor informed them, stepping into a long span of hallway that looked just like the storage closet. The Doctor set off, tucking his hands into his pockets, and the others followed after him quickly, not eager to be separated from one another when they had no idea where they were, even with the Doctor's warning. "Their original planet was destroyed in the Time War," he explained, thoughtful. Jay peered at him in confusion, having not had such a conversation with him just yet while Martha had and Jovita simply knew of it. "They used to be an independent group, not needing anyone else but not being violent. But after they lost their planet...they were taken in by several different other species, and most chose to take advantage of them."
"How sad," Jay said quietly. She tralied her finger along a wall as they walked, seeming interested in the material. She was too distracted to notice that her fingers suddenly became stuck until they snagged and she squawked, arm wrenched awkwardly. She stumbled back a step and then yanked, struggling to get her fingers out of the wall. "Doctor-"
"Don't panic," he said, somewhat amused. Martha, stepping up beside Jay with worry on her face, looked at him in exasperation while Jovita giggled at them all, entirely amused with their interactions. "Never panic," the Doctor added, stepping up to investigate, "it's not useful."
"Don't tell me not to panic," Jay hissed, tugging desperately at her hand again. She furrowed her brow, realizing her hand had sunk in further. "Doctor, it's sucking me in!"
"I can see that," he said, still patient. He used his sonic screwdriver on the wall, scanning it quickly and then looking at it to study the readings. When he didn't see anything, he put it to his ear, as if listening. "Nothing abnormal about it-"
"Well, it's abnormal enough to suck her in," Martha said, suddenly getting worried about it when Jay's hand sank in up to her wrist.
"Let me try something," Iovita hummed, suddenly pressing her fingers to the wall, just above Jay's. Her hand sank right into it and she shrugged before simply pressing herself to it, disappearing into it.
"Really?!" the Doctor cried. "Stay together, I told you. Don't wander off, and there she goes, wandering right off!"
"Okay, but can you get me out?" Jay begged, caught up to her elbow. Martha was leaning in, investigating the spot herself with a furrowed brow. She screeched when Jovita's face suddenly appeared in the wall, grinning at them. It was intimidating, Jay thought, staring at the pure white eyes that shone at them.
"It's safe," she said. "And Doctor, I believe that you will want to see this."
Jay looked to the Doctor for confirmation on whether or not she should do as Jovita did, but he was all ready curiously pushing himself into the wall. Martha hesitated before following and Jay tugged desperately a final time. Finally, she simply gave up and stepped through after them.
It was like stepping through a curtain. One moment, she saw nothing, and then, she was standing beside Martha, who was staring with wide eyes at the glowing green controls around them. There were sleek black panels, buttons surrounded by the green risen a little. Nothing held a sign as to what control was which, although Jay couldn't say that was unusual for many ships. Even the earliest spaceships on Earth had no signs as to what buttons did. The Doctor, not one for staying away from machinery when given the chance, practically bounced over to it, running his fingers over the sleek black material. "Beautiful," he murmured.
"Can you be excited later?" Martha said with a roll of her eyes, checking over Jay's wrist and arm. She released it a moment alter, reassuring her friend, "You're okay." Jay shrugged, having guessed as much. "We have some people to find."
"Miss Jones is right," Iovita said firmly, nodding curtly. "We must find the young master, the cook, and Madame."
"What better way to get someone's attention then to break something?" the Doctor said cheerfully, suddenly pointing his sonic screwdriver at the machinery. There were sparks as it buzzed, followed by a sudden crack as flames sprouted. Immediately, water was sent raining down on them from the ceiling. Martha and Jay screeched, throwing their arms over their heads, while the Doctor merely put his sonic screwdriver away, turning to face a piece of wall that had fallen away, forming a doorway.
Figures burst in. The Luxari were just as the Doctor had described them. With no eyes and a face that resembled a coyote, they were somewhat frightening to look like. The four arms and six fingers certainly didn't help. They didn't lunge for them or immediately try to kill the four intruders, which Jay supposed was somewhat comforting, but the way they were staring, intimidatingly…
Jay shivered, rubbing her arms. Tingles ran up and down through her elbows, but she pushed the worry about such a thing away. Now was not the time for an attack to strike. Martha took her hand and laced their fingers together, squeezing her hand comfortingly. Jay threw her a grateful look.
"Hello!" the Doctor said, as if in a chipper mood. But there was a glint in his eyes that told everyone he was anything but happy. He pushed his hands into his pockets, striding forward so that he stood before one of the Luxari. "Tell me, do you happen to have three or possibly more humans on board your ship?"
"Because that's going to work," Martha muttered, rolling her eyes again.
"Hush," Iovita hummed. "I'm sure that he knows what he's doing, Miss Jones."
Martha grumbled, but fell quiet as the Luxar before him wrinkled its snout and growled. The voice that came out of its throat was thick and low, wary yet not aggressive. "Humans have been brought aboard our ship."
"For what reason?" the Doctor asked. "You're generally a peaceful group, so what is making you do things like this?" He fired off each question in rapid succession, entirely serious.
The Luxar looked puzzled, its arms fidgeting every now and then as it turned its head back to look at another. The second Luxar looked just as puzzled, even without a pair of eyes to look at. "It is what we were told to do," it informed the Doctor before growling again. "Seize them, for our master desires it."
A few of them took a couple steps forward, eager to get their many hands on the humans and aliens before them. Martha and Jay clasped hands, stepping closer to the Doctor with suspicious looks. Iovita pressed her lips together uncertainly. Only the Doctor remained calm, mentally running through a variety of options. "No need," he decided aloud, earning exasperated looks from those with him. "Take us to your leader." He beamed. "Always fun to be able to say that. Quite a popular line coming from aliens in your times," he added to Martha.
Martha glared. "Really? Now?"
"Why not now?" the Doctor challenged. He waved to the Luxari. "Please, lead us to your leader. You don't even need to drag us. We're going willingly. See?" He held his hands up in surrender. "We surrender. Look, we're surrendering." He glanced back and looked pleased to see Iovita willingly copying him. Jay did the same, leaving only Martha to hesitate before doing so, too.
The Luxari decided it would be better to just go along with whatever this strange plan was. They turned and led the group down a new hall - the one they'd just come out of. The Doctor continued to appear cheerful, although he kept a close eye on Martha and Jay. If they'd been targeting people Jay knew, it meant they might come after them. And Iovita and himself, of course, but he wasn't too concerned about that.
They emerged into a room that was quite like the last, although this one was empty of any machinery. The only difference was the shelving on the walls - the shelving on which several bodies were lined. Jay gave a cry when she saw her younger brother on one of them. The Doctor kept his face neutral as he leaned in and murmured, "Do you know all of them?"
"No," she breathed. "Just Lucas, Madame, and the cook. I think there's a maid from the Third House, too. The others I've never seen before."
"That's because a few are from our entourage," Iovita said coldly. "All of our servants went missing when we arrived. They went to the room they were given and then never reappeared. I thought, perhaps, they'd merely gone to mingle with humans. Our species is a very...frivolous species. The rest are simply people who were likely in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Martha bravely following Jay when she shoved past the Luxari to go and check on Lucas. The Luxari shifted with growls in their throats, but she didn't pay them any attention as she bent over her brother. Lucas was breathing softly, unconscious, but there was a stiffness to his body that made her nervous, as well as tears rolling down his face in an endless stream. She touched his cheek; it was cold to the touch.
"What did you do to him?" Jay gritted out, angry.
"We did nothing," a Luxar informed her.
"They're right," Iovita murmured. "That would be the tradition of my people when we have people imprisoned. They are put into a coma and then forced to experience their worst nightmares. May I?" She stepped around the suddenly nervous Luxari to join Jay, nudging her aside. She rested her fingers over the boy's temples, closing her white eyes. "We are a telepathic species," she informed Jay without opening her eyes. When she pulled away, she made a sound of disgust. "They're all linked together. Wake one, you wake the others. Of course. Jovita arranged all of this alongside Marcus O'Connors. One or two more, and then they'd release a message to the world, demanding ransom money. They'd split it two ways and be on their merry way. I doubt, however, that Jovita thought he'd be caught for what he did to Miss O'Connors here. His execution date is coming up."
Jay was glad to know that he'd be punished for what he'd done to her, sending her to the creature that haunted her every move. Rubbing her tingling arms, she demanded, "Wait, does that mean Father is in charge of everything that happened here?" She turned her head to the Doctor, who was watching her quietly.
"I'm sorry," he told her gently. He knew that she rather disliked her father for everything he'd done and said, but he was still one of the people who had raised her. She'd even respected him at one point. Whether he was cruel or not, she loved him, and he'd turned around and destroyed everything for her. The Doctor understood; he'd experienced similar things, had friends and family who'd done the same.
Jay turned back to Lucas, stroking his face gently. "No wonder Jovita was invited back," she said hoarsely, shooting Martha a grateful look when she squeezed Jay's shoulder reassuringly.
"How do we wake them up?" Martha asked, looking intently at Iovita, daring her to say they shouldn't or couldn't.
"We-"
"You'll do no such thing."
Jay's shoulders tightened as she turned to face Marcus, who stood calmly and proudly among the Luxari. His face was a mask of cold rage, not once taking his eyes off of Jay. He ignored everyone else in the room. "You should have stayed where you were left," he told her. "Now look at you." He gestured to her as she rubbed her wrists. "You're disgusting. You've polluted the O'Connors bloodline. You had potential until you left. You could have been something much better than what you are. I would have sold you off to the highest bidder. The company would have done much better. I wouldn't have had to resort to this - harming my son."
Jay bristled, refusing to move away from Lucas. Martha kept herself right beside her, Iovita shifting a little in front of both of the human girls. The Doctor kept himself calm, saying simply, "Clever plan for earning a little bit of extra money. Tell me, why would you need to? What would Jay have earned you had she stayed where you and Jovita put her?" There was a hard edge to his voice, something that brought chills to Jay's spine. Something told her he was debating whether or not the man before them deserved mercy or not.
It was Jay who spoke, however, explaining to the Doctor and Martha. "In my time, women of the upper classes are used as pawns. Since we're the highest family and company, we've absorbed the majority of those close, the last being that of my mother's family. There's no one to really marry me off to. Maybe with the aliens coming now, but…" Her voice quivered. She hated talking about such things. "I don't know how that...thing would have come into play, but…it would have been a method of making money, I suppose."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Marcus scoffed. "You ruined that." He pointed to three of the Luxari. "Seize my daughter and her two friends. Iovita will be escorted back to the O'Connors' First House, where Jovita will expect her. He requested she be returned safely."
Iovita made a sound akin to a hissed growl in the back of her throat, setting into a solid stance.
"I wouldn't do that," the Doctor said suddenly, twirling his sonic screwdriver in thought. He was raking his mind for a plan, thinking of the room they'd left. Luxari technology was fragile. Delicate. The slightest unbalance would send the ship they were in plummeting to the earth below or even blowing up in orbit. The Luxari weren't capable of much more than that. They were quite aware of the delicacy of their equipment, too, and were well-prepared with self-equipped teleports, which meant they wouldn't be harmed if they sabotaged the ship. That just left the people on board and Marcus in addition to the four of them.
Marcus looked inclined to ignore the Doctor, but thought better of it. "Why?"
"Simple," the Doctor said cheerfully. "I took a peek at the engines. They're not running properly...and you know how fragile such equipment can be. If one thing is messed up..." He directed a quick look to Iovita, who inclined her head and sidled back a few steps until she was nudging past Jay, still facing Marcus. He gave Marcus a cold smile. "You won't make it back." If there was one thing he knew about people like Marcus O'Connors, it was that they were very, very self-centered and worried about their own well-being.
Marcus considered this for a few moments. And then he said, jabbing a finger in the Doctor's direction, "You'll fix it."
"If," the Doctor said, nodding at Martha,"you allow my companion here to return to my ship. Both of them," he added. He gestured to Jay as well. "Jay has nothing to give you, right?" He didn't like talking about his friends in such a way, but it would work. Hopefully. "There's no reason for her to be kept around. She'll be kept out of the way if she accompanies me and Martha. We don't come to this time often if at all."
"Fine," Marcus bit out, "so long as you fix the ship." He looked to a Luxar. "Take them to his ship. The blue box, the one in Storage Center Six."
"Yes, sir," the Luxar agreed hesitantly, looking to Martha and Jay.
"Doctor," Martha said nervously. "What about-"
"Trust me," he said with a bright smile. "Iovita will wait here, won't you?"
"Of course," she said. She winked when Jay and Martha looked at her. "I'll keep an eye on those here until everything's been solved," she hummed, although she held a secretive smile on her face. "Off you go, Miss O'Connors, Miss Jones."
Without much of a choice, Jay and Martha allowed themselves to be led away.
"I don't like this," Martha muttered as she and Jay walked side-by-side back to where the TARDIS had landed on the Luxari ship. They kept close, their arms brushing one another's.
"Neither do I, but I trust the Doctor to know what he's doing," Jay said firmly to her friend. She glanced over her shoulder, sighing softly in relief at the familiar sound of the TARDIS's beautiful song filling her ears. "He and Iovita have some kind of unsaid plan, I think. We just need to be ready."
"Right," Martha agreed. They reached the TARDIS and when they did, Martha unlocked the door and let them in. She closed the door behind them, listening as the Luxar snuffled curiously. She put her hands on her hips, looking around the massive ship interior. "I wonder...do you think we can watch on the screen? He was watching you two earlier. Had me watch and keep an eye on you."
"Maybe." Jay hurried over to the console, patting the controls affectionately. The TARDIS hummed in appreciation. "Hello, could you kindly help us out, old girl?" It was a term she'd heard the Doctor use when he addressed the time machine, and she seemed to like it, for the screen flickered to life, displaying the room with all of the unconscious people and Iovita. Several Luxari remained, eyeing Iovita as she bent over Lucas, her fingers resting over his temples.
Jay made a nervous sound in the back of her throat. She was sure Iovita was a decent person. But she still didn't know her very well, nor did she like the idea of her messing around with Lucas when she was some kind of telepath.
Suddenly, Lucas sprang upright, gasping for air with a look of sheer terror on his face. Martha and Jay jumped and then Jay was leaning closer to the screen, eyes wide as others around him began springing into the waking world, crying out. The Luxari looked so surprised that they couldn't move, their faces turned in every which direction and their arms fluttering uselessly.
"Lucas," Jay breathed worriedly. She turned on her heel, fully intending to leave the TARDIS, but Martha grabbed her wrist.
"The Doctor told us to stay here and if Iovita is waking them, it means he wanted it, which means that he's up to something," Martha said confidently. Of course, this had been something he'd questioned her about before they'd set foot into the O'Connors' First House. But Martha was confident the Doctor was up to something, because there had been no engines anywhere that they'd seen - unless, of course, the ship they were in had a different sound and look to their engines… Martha looked to Jay for answers on that. "He didn't look at any engines, did he? The Doctor."
"No, he didn't," Jay admitted, biting her lip. The song in her head was gentle, soothing. As if a comfort to reassure her that things would go as they would, and likely in their way as it they usually did. "I suppose…" She trailed off, squinting at the screen for a moment. Iovita was pointing in a direction, glaring at a Luxar until it started walking. The people on the shelves clambered down hastily and rushed after the Luxar.
"...are they coming here?" Martha said after the last person had left the screen, Iovita herding them all forward with a smirk curling over her lips.
Jay flew to the doors, opening them. She listened intently, and Martha hung back, waiting to see what Jay would say. A moment later, Jay laughed near hysterically. She darted out of the TARDIS and Martha peeked at the screen, which had switched to a space just outside the TARDIS, just in time to see Jay nearly knock her brother to the ground out of sheer relief. Lucas cried her name, arms wrapped around her neck.
Martha went over to the doors, opening them as wide as she could. The Doctor's plans were quickly becoming evident. She waited in the doorway as Jay led Lucas and the rest of those who'd been taken towards the police box. "Everyone in!" Martha called, stepping aside. "Wait until you're all the way inside to comment please." The Doctor was really going to miss out on a response he'd told them he'd liked when people stepped into the TARDIS.
"This is your spaceship?" Lucas gasped as Jay led him into the TARDIS by the hand. Others had similar responses as they filed in. The woman from the gardens hurried over to Jay and Lucas when she'd come in, completely bypassing everything.
"Are you both alright?" she fretted, touching Jay's shoulder and then patting Lucas's gently. "Were either of you harmed? I'm sure Mr. O'Connors will see to it that everything is fixed."
Jay shrugged her touch off coldly. "I'm sure he will," she said icily before abandoning Madame to join Martha. Lucas kept a tight grip on her hand, refusing to leave her for more than an instant. "Martha, any sign of the Doctor?"
"Not yet, but I'm sure he'll show up at any moment," Martha reassured, smiling in a friendly manner at Lucas. He smiled shyly in return. She tapped her fingers on the console. "Iovita," she called when the woman had entered the TARDIS, closing the doors behind her. "Make sure they don't go down that corridor over there. We won't be able to find them again. And I don't think the TARDIS would appreciate it."
Jay's lips quirked. Martha had come so far in recognizing that the TARDIS was alive. "Of course," Iovita told her with a nod and went to stand beside the entrance to the corridors.
"What is this place?" a woman whispered, staring around herself in awe.
Jay grinned. "Welcome," she said happily, "to our home."
Lucas studied her face at that, looking saddened by what she'd said, but said nothing himself.
The Doctor, knelt before the machinery in front of him, spared a quick look over his shoulder, calculating where the TARDIS was in comparison to where he was. He'd used his sonic screwdriver to locate it exactly. He'd have just under sixty seconds to run to his ship. Iovita should have had everyone awake and safe by then. The Luxari would flee via teleport systems, and that just left Marcus O'Connors, who was glaring at him, waiting for him to speak.
He remembered something he'd once said: "I'm so old now. I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning."
Sometimes, he did just that. He would give them one warning and then, if they didn't listen, he'd leave them to perish. It wasn't nice, but he didn't think himself to be a nice person. But this man...there was something about him that filled the Doctor with anger. Perhaps it was because of the way Jay blew off the words he'd said, as if it wasn't anything unusual. Maybe it was that he'd taken his own son and put him in danger along with everything else. It might have even been the fact that he'd had the chance to change his mind after sending his daughter off to experience the horrors of a creature that had effectively killed her.
Today, he found he wasn't merciful. Had he been on his own, he likely would have left Marcus O'Connors on that ship when he it blew. But he wasn't alone, and the man was the father of one of his friends. So...he'd drag him along. And he'd ensure that Jay decided what happened to him.
The Doctor did a final run over on where he needed to go and then took a deep breath before standing, whirling to face Marcus. The tails of his coat spun around him in a dramatic fashion - the very reason he preferred this one over several others. Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Well?"
The Doctor bounced on the balls of his feet. "There are three things you should know. One, you made a mistake in deciding your children would make good tools. Lucas and Jay are incredibly intelligent - brilliant, even, much like many of the human species. Two, you should have never allowed me to look at the ship. There was never anything wrong. Three…" He grinned. "Run."
The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the very machinery he'd been looking at. The Luxari cried out in horrified terror as he pressed the button, a buzzing sound filling the air, and all disappeared in flickers of light when the ship sparked violently, trembling beneath his feet. The Doctor took off at a dead sprint.
Sixty seconds. Marcus could follow if he wanted. And he did, shouting furiously at the Doctor, his sense of self-preservation too high to go down with the ship.
The Doctor led the way through the ship as the entire thing began to fall to pieces, walls crumbling around them. When he found the TARDIS, he raced for it. The doors were all ready unlocked, and he slammed through them, Marcus a step behind him. The Doctor hastily shut them and then bolted through the small group that had gathered in his ship to the console. "Martha, that button there!" he ordered, pointing to one near her hand.
"You're insane," she told him, slamming her palm over it.
Iovita took up stance beside Marcus, ensuring that he wouldn't go anywhere while Jay enlisted her brother's help to keep those around them calm when the TARDIS suddenly jerked violently. The Doctor flew around the center of the TARDIS console, ordering Martha to assist every now and then until finally, the familiar grating sound filled the air and the TARDIS began to move.
When everything had calmed, the Doctor let out a large breath, relieved. "There we are," he muttered, turning to Martha with a cheeky smile. "Alright?"
"Peachy," she said sarcastically, although she did send him a nod. As the TARDIS came to a stop, she said, starting towards the people crowded on the TARDIS, "Okay, everyone out! It's safe out there now, we swear." She paused. "It is safe, right, Doctor?" He nodded. "Okay, then everyone out…"
Jay and Martha worked together to usher everyone out of the TARDIS. Some of them nearly ran out, relieved to get away from such technology. Others lingered, wishing they could see more and investigate the ship. Iovita made sure to drag Marcus out as Jay paused, her name called by the Doctor. She and Lucas looked back as Martha came to stand with them.
"Alright there, Lucas?" he asked.
Instead of answering right away, Lucas shook off Jay and trotted back over to the Doctor, startling the Time Lord when he threw his arms around the Doctor's waist. "Thank you for helping us," he said earnestly, "and thank you for helping J.J." He paused, pulling away, and then asked quietly, "Did...my father did all of this, didn't he."
"I'm sorry," the Doctor said softly, brown eyes full of sympathy.
Lucas huffed, thinking it over. But rather than commenting on what his father had done, he waved for the Doctor to get down on his level. The Doctor complied, amused, and Lucas looked over his shoulder at Jay before saying, "Does she like it here?"
"I like to think so," the Doctor answered. This time he offered a warm smile. "We certainly have had fun, the three of us."
The young boy searched the Doctor's ancient eyes and then told him fiercely, "Take her back to the stars." The Doctor blinked, startled. "She's never been happy here. Take her back to the stars, even if I don't get to see her again. J.J. deserves to be happy, even if it's not with me."
The Doctor silently thought that the boy was speaking rather maturely for a child who'd been screaming at his caretaker in a childish manner previously. Then again, children were always able to surprise him. "If she wants to come," he said, aware that Jay had been listening with a sorrowful look on her face, "Martha and I would love to have her."
"Good. She wants to go." Lucas turned to give Jay a fierce look. "Jay! The star-man says you can go with them to the stars again."
Jay's lips twitched. "Thank you, Lucas. Good to know." She threw the Doctor a grateful look and then waved Lucas over. He jogged up to her, taking her hand again. "Come, let's get everything figured out...Doctor, Martha, are you coming?"
"Of course," Martha snorted. "We need to make sure that everyone knows what happened."
"I have to deal with my father," Jay muttered under her breath. She took a deep breath and then ducked out of the TARDIS with Lucas, aware that Martha and the Doctor were following at their own pace. She took a quick look around. They'd reappeared just outside the First House and various people were heading off in different directions, desperate to figure out what had happened to their families.
Security had spilled out of the First House, determined to figure out what was happening. Iovita stood close to Marcus, her nails digging into his shoulder. Alice and Charlie alongside other security members surrounded them, suspicious.
"Seize him," Jay ordered, catching their attention. She locked gazes with Alice. "He was working with Jovita to create a ransom situation alongside a slave race he took over. Which, I suppose, is highly illegal."
"Was he now?" Alice murmured, taking a pair of cuffs that she kept on her person at all times. She took Marcus, who was spitting mad, from Iovita and spun him around, gritting out, "Charlie, go contact the actual police. I believe they'll be arresting Mr. O'Connors officially."
"This is ridiculous, release me at once," Marcus snarled.
Martha, standing beside Jay, frowned. "You're not going to demand anything in particular?"
"Why bother?" Jay grinned widely. "The loss of the O'Connors family reputation as well as the fall of his company will be quite the punishment, you know? I've always wondered what would happen if the O'Connors family lost its power. I guess we'll find out. Plus, Alice will make sure he's put in prison."
Lucas squeezed her hand. "What about Mother? She's not all bad, J. J. She got better after you disappeared."
Jay thought it over, aware that the Doctor and Martha were watching her closely. "She'll be alright," she murmured. "I'm sure our grandparents will look after her and you, Lucas." She squeezed his hand. "Now, go over to Charlie, okay?" She knew how this part of everything went. They always left while everyone was distracted.
Lucas threw his arms around her like he had the Doctor, hugging her tightly. "Will you visit?"
"I don't know, Lucas. We'll see," she murmured. She hugged him back tightly, kissing the top of his head. "Now go and find Mother. Madame's looking and you need to run while you can."
He pulled back, sniffling slightly. "Bye, J.J."
"Goodbye, Lucas," Jay said, rubbing her arms. Her eyes welled with tears. She loved her bother fiercely, but held no plans for ever coming back to this world that she hated so much. Martha took her hand as Lucas turned and took off to find his mother, squeezing it. Iovita glanced over, waving for them to join others, but Jay shook her head, smiling quietly and waving before turning to the Doctor. He was watching her closely, judging what she might be thinking and feeling. And then he smiled softly, a smile she returned. "Let's go," she said. "I want to go see something nice."
"Nice," the Doctor hummed, turning back to the TARDIS, his tongue curling around the word as he raked his mind for the thought of what might be nice. "There's a planet, covered entirely in ice…"
"How is that nice?" Martha demanded, following he and Jay.
"There's a waterfall. Everything is covered in ice, but the waterfall isn't," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Beautiful to look at. There's a ride that the residents have built to go over it…of course, we need to stop by Cardiff, fuel up the TARDIS..."
The Doctor continued, going on about what they would do as he ducked into the TARDIS. Martha and Jay ducked in behind him, and a few moments after the doors had shut, the TARDIS began to dematerialize. From where she stood, watching them leave even as a hysterical Julea O'Connors began demanding where her daughter had gone, Iovita chuckled before narrowing her eyes and turning to leave and find her brother. His execution, a punishment he'd received for putting a human in harm's way, which was a crime punishable by death in their world, would be next week.
And she wanted to have some words with him about what else he and Marcus O'Connors had planned over the course of their friendship.
And the end of the original chapters! Next, we're onto some Jack Harkness, which I'm very excited about. Jack plays a very important role when it comes to Jay, so.
Thanks to reviewers (GhostlySights, bored411, and PrincessMagic!) as well as those who favorited and followed! I appreciate you all. :)