Here's the next chapter! Brain is in a weird mood and is bouncing around fanfics right now so I'm not sure what I'll update. Might be Doctor's Dog, might be this again, might be a new fanfic (like I don't have enough). Dunno *shrug* But I hope you all enjoy this :)
I woke up with a sigh, not bothering to open my eyes and simply curling closer into the warmth beside me. It rumbled with amusement and my brows furrowed, my mind idly questioning why a pillow would rumble until my eyes snapped open in realization. I jerked away from the bare chest and promptly fell off the bed with a yelp, taking the covers with me. Jack laughed as I groaned, pushing myself upright and staring down at my lack of clothes before looking over the edge of the bed at Jack who was very much the same. A flush of heat went to my face as I looked between us again before I dropped my head onto the bed with a groan.
"Ugh, we didn't. Please tell me we didn't."
"Oh, I'm hurt. Are you telling me last night wasn't a good time?" Jack teased as I racked my brain to try and remember what happened. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"It all gets a little hazy after the whiskey shots," I grumbled lifting my head off the mattress and narrowing my eyes at him. "I didn't do anything stupid, did I?"
"You're telling me you do stupid things after you drink and I missed out?" He questioned, leaning forward with a smirk. "Do tell. Jumping on tables? Terrible karaoke? Having sex with a stranger you just met?"
I groaned again at the thought, and he bellowed out another laugh.
"I'm joking, Fallon! If you must know, you simply revisited our evening meal in the middle of the night. Our clothes were taken to get dry cleaned. Nothing happened, I swear it." He placed a hand on his chest. "I would never take advantage of a very talkative drunk who couldn't give proper consent. Now, if you gave consent before we got drunk, that would be a different story."
I threw a pillow at him, earning another round of laughter as I gathered the sheets around my naked body and stood up, bringing a hand to my head as it throbbed. "Ugh, I'm definitely feeling the alcohol. Please tell me there's a nice breakfast on its way."
"Of course. I couldn't leave my sleeping beauty on her own," he hummed, getting up himself and stretching as I moved into the bathroom.
"I'm going to shower. Do you want a… a robe or anything?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Unless you're uncomfortable?"
I shook my head, waving him off. "No, no. I'm more concerned about whoever will be dropping off breakfast. You do you."
He chuckled as I stepped into the bathroom, pausing before I closed the door.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?"
I glanced at him sincerely. "Thank you… For… you know."
He offered a soft smile and nodded in return. "Any time you need a talk."
I closed the door and leaned against it with a soft sigh, finally starting to feel like the burden of immortality was lifting ever so slightly. Now, to relax.
A phone chimed idly as a salty breeze drifted over pale sands and crashing waves. A figure lying on a towel groaned, reaching out blindly and patting the beach sand in search of the offending item. Finally, they found the bag they had and pulled the cell phone out, bringing it to their ear with a heavy sigh.
"What?"
"Fallon? It's Martha. I was hoping I got the right number this time."
Fallon rolled onto her back, sunglasses perched on her nose protecting her eyes from the sun overhead. "I expected the Doctor to call me while I'm on vacation. What's got you ringing me? Is it about that diet company's CEO falling off a roof? Because that had to have been the Doctor given all the commotion about walking fat babies."
"Well, you're not wrong about him being involved in that, but that's not why I'm calling you."
Fallon frowned, pushing herself up off the towel and spotting a server rushing over with a drink on his tray that she readily accepted. "Why call me? You've got the Doctor's number, don't you?"
"I thought you'd be with him by now, actually, but I've called him too and he's on his way."
"So? If he's coming, why drag me into it?"
"... Actually, UNIT wanted me to bring you back."
Fallon choked on her drink, coughing to clear her throat before responding. "UNIT? I haven't worked with them in ages! They also thought I was my own aunt. Since when did they know about me?" Her eyes narrowed. "Did you—"
"No. It wasn't me. Word's gotten out though, about you and the Doctor. They wanted me to bring you in on this one because they figured you might have a clue as to what's happening and… well, they said you're easier to deal with than the Doctor."
Fallon scoffed, getting up and waving off the server as she headed back up the beach toward the resort. "What do I get out of this? I'm not just going to get myself involved in Doctor-related insanity just because my old job asked me to stop by."
"They offered your old pay—"
"I don't want nor need money," Fallon countered.
"—and they said they had something of yours."
Fallon stopped abruptly, jaw going tight. "Tell them I'll be there but I won't allow this to happen again. They should know better than to threaten me."
"Threat—Fallon, what—"
"Call me a ride, would you? I'm in Barbados in a beach villa. I'll text you the address."
"Fallon, wait—"
Fallon hung up with a firm scowl settled on her face as she stormed back into the villa where the head steward stiffened upon spotting her coming.
"Ma'am, is everything—"
"I'll be leaving earlier than expected," she informed him, giving him a cold stare. "I need my luggage packed and a few rounds of very strong drinks."
He nodded hastily, waving another server over to get started and giving me a wary look. "A-Anything else?"
"Yeah, lunch and a new phone."
"A… A new phone?"
Fallon nodded, sending a text to Martha before snapping her phone in half and putting it in his hands. "Yeah. I seemed to have broken mine."
I scowled heavily as I rode in the passenger side of a large military vehicle and it pulled up beside a truck that had been turned into a home base of some sort. I opened the door before the driver could get out, startling him as he hurried out of the vehicle himself and rushed after me.
"M-Ma'am, please wait!"
I completely ignored him, storming up to the base and bursting past the door. All eyes turned to me and the apparent head of the operation jerked in response to my abrupt arrival.
"What the devil—"
My scowl deepened at his green military uniform and the numerous medals and achievements pinned to it. Don't let him get to you. You outrank him in every manner anyway, and we've worked on this. The military will always be triggering but you don't have to let it stop you from living your life. I stormed up to him, standing directly in front of him and holding out my hand.
"My things, now."
He fumbled for a moment before regaining his composure and straightening his back, in true military fashion. A salute was about to occur and I was quick to shut it down before it happened.
"Don't salute me when the only reason I'm here is a thinly veiled threat," I spat, eyes sharp and he hesitated for a moment longer before there was an interruption.
"Fallon!"
I closed my eyes with a deep breath, cooling the fire that had been rolling in my gut since I got the phone call to come here and turning to face the Doctor and Martha—who also looked a bit hesitant.
"Doctor," I hummed as the man bounded over and immediately wrapped me in a hug.
I still wasn't used to it but hugged him in return with a small sigh until he let me go and gave me a once over; hands still on my arms.
"Jack didn't do anything weird, did he?"
I snorted, cracking a small smile. "He was an absolute gentleman if you must know. We had a nice dinner."
The Doctor wrinkled his nose. "You didn't…. you know…"
"No, Doctor, we didn't," I drawled with a roll of my eyes. "Again, he was a gentleman. Though even if we did, it's not really your business. It wouldn't be the first time I've gone out and had some fun."
"Yeah, well…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before someone cleared their throat.
It was a new face. A red-headed woman who looked as though she took no shit from anyone. Judging by the Doctor's reaction, she most certainly doesn't take any of his nonsense… I like her already.
"Friend of yours?" I asked and he beamed.
"Fallon, Donna Noble. My newest companion on board the Tardis."
I offered her a hand that she took with a smug look. "Pleasure is mine. Hope this dolt hasn't been too rude."
"Hey!"
"Oh, he's a right git, you know. Caused all sorts of trouble already. Aliens, volcanos, now this," she replied with a scoff. "Kept saying he was going to pick you up but off he went to dilly dally."
I gave the Doctor a glance and he turned away sheepishly.
"I did try at least once but the Tardis took me somewhere else."
"Don't blame the Tardis for your shit driving," I scoffed, earning a pout from him before I looked over at Martha. "And you owe me for this trip. Letting these military grunts boss you around while I'm tanning in Barbados. What happened to proper Martha Jones?"
Martha cracked a small smile. "Yeah, well, maybe I just wanted to see you too. It's been a while, after all. Needed someone to rein the Doctor in if he got too out of control."
"Why is everyone teaming up on me?" The Doctor complained.
"You should just be happy we're all getting along," I countered, turning my gaze back to the Colonel nearby and my expression falling back into a cold one. "Now, my things?"
The Colonel nodded, shrinking under my glare, and moving to get them as the Doctor slipped up beside me and spoke under his breath.
"Things?"
I hummed. "Old things of mine tend to crop up in various places. Living as long as I do means I lose things or forget them a lot. I have quite a few important antiques in my house but things still appear every so often. I've had to fight a few museums for things and what I don't find there tends to end up in private collections or, in rarer cases, owned by the government. This lot used the claim of having something of mine to bring me here. So, I'm very much not happy right now."
"I can see that," he noted. "Do you know what it is?"
"No, but if they're using it as a bribe to get me here and it's not in a museum then they know its worth." My frown deepened. "My bigger concern is how they learned what I am. I keep it hidden for a reason and a government organization knowing is the last thing I need."
He frowned as well, but soon relaxed and bumped shoulders with me. "I really did miss you."
I sighed lightly, shifting to lean up against him a bit. "Yeah, suppose I did too."
He smiled, pleased, and the Colonel came back with a box that he offered me. I stepped forward, lifting the lid on the wooden box, and felt time stop for a moment. Inside was a plain silver pocket watch, scratched in some places with a small dent in the casing from where it had been dropped at least once but still in one piece. I reached out and picked it up, holding it carefully and turning it over, looking for familiar scuffs and nicks until I popped open the lid.
"Henry?"
I turned to the tall man as he ducked into the room where I was scribbling away my memoirs and sorting through paperwork for congress. "Something wrong, Abe?"
"Nothing of the sort," he hummed with a small smile, removing his top hat and setting it aside. "I simply wished to give you something. Your birthday may have passed while we were at war but I do not wish you to think I had forgotten."
I pushed my chair away from my desk, sighing. "Abe, I really don't need anything. I told you, birthdays are—"
"Childish celebrations for growing older and therefore a year closer to inevitable death," he quoted me, making me rub the back of my neck sheepishly while he continued to smile. "Poetic as always."
"Depressing is what most people comment," I argued, earning a shrug from him as he dug into his coat and pulled something out, offering it to me.
It was a plain silver pocket watch, undoubtedly more expensive than what I could afford unless I dove into the money I'd saved from years past.
"Abe, I really—"
"Open it."
I sighed softly, clicking the top open and feeling my heart jerk at the inscription within.
Time comes for us all.
Do not let it best you,
My undying companion.
The watch was no longer ticking, its hands unmoving and the glass over its face cracked, but the inscription was still there, clear as day. Abe's nickname was etched in small writing just off to the side below it and my initials for the name I'd used were on the opposite side. H. E. Henry Emerson… Oh, Abe. A hand squeezed my shoulder and I closed my eyes with a deep breath, pocketing the watch and scowling over at the Colonel.
"Who are you and why the hell am I here?"
He straightened again, clearing his throat. "Colonel Mace. Yesterday, fifty-two people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in eleven different time zones. Five a.m. in the UK, six a.m. in France, eight a.m. in Moscow, one p.m. in China."
"You mean they died simultaneously," the Doctor noted.
"Exactly. Fifty-two deaths at the exact same moment, worldwide."
"How?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest and leaning against the console someone was using.
"They were all inside their cars," Colonel Mace replied as Martha explained.
"Completely different makes. They're all fitted with ATMOS, and that is the ATMOS factory."
I glanced at the footage of the soldiers storming in and out of the warehouse just outside the truck with a frown as the Doctor blinked in confusion.
"What's ATMOS?"
"Oh, come on. Even I know that." Donna huffed. "Everyone's got ATMOS."
I lifted a hand idly. "Yeah, I don't. What's ATMOS?"
Martha nodded toward the door. "I'll explain on the way," she said, leading us into the ATMOS factory that UNIT had just raided. "Stands for Atmospheric Omission System. Fit ATMOS in your car, it reduces CO2 emissions to zero."
"Zero? No carbon, none at all?" The Doctor questioned as I frowned, knowing that couldn't be right.
"And you get sat-nav thrown in, plus twenty quid in shopping vouchers if you introduce a friend. Bargain," Donna remarked as Colonel Mace stopped us on a catwalk above the factory floor.
"And this is where they make it, Doctor and…" He glanced at me, waiting for a name since mine changed so often.
"Fallon."
"Right. Shipping worldwide. Seventeen factories across the globe, but this is the central depot, sending ATMOS to every country on Earth."
"And you think ATMOS is alien," the Doctor concluded.
"It's our job to investigate that possibility. Hence why we brought you in, Miss Fallon."
"Just… Just Fallon, thanks," I complained. "Doesn't explain how you knew I was still around."
He led us further in as he answered. "We discovered the quirk of your identity after the failed Sycorax invasion. Harriet Jones made careful notes about your presence there and the relationship you gained with the Doctor, then proceeded to follow up on that after sightings of you two together were brought in. From there, it was child's play to find records dating back centuries of a few of your previous identities. Henry Emerson was just the one we knew the most about."
I bristled at that, snarling back at him. "And you'll do well to forget that name if you know what's best. I'd rather you forget everything about me, but I know how you government types are. You want my help? Do that and don't contact me again unless you have no other choice."
He didn't look pleased but begrudgingly nodded, knowing that I absolutely would walk out the door without helping. Unlike the Doctor, I didn't hold as much of a fondness for the human race. I could and would leave with only minor regret. Though the Doctor doesn't look pleased either. The Colonel might be agreeing just because of him. I mentally scoffed. They don't know how dangerous I can be. They've seen me only when I'm decent. People don't like me when I'm not and for good reason. I've had ages to learn how people work and this is easily dealt with. I fell back from the others a bit, taking my time and watching as soldiers rounded up more workers. Patience. No need for anger yet. They're just being annoying as always. I sighed and ducked through the plastic curtains where Colonel Mace was gesturing to the device waiting in the center of it.
"And here it is, laid bare. ATMOS can be threaded through any and every make of car."
"You must've checked it before it went on sale," the Doctor noted, getting a nod from Martha.
"We did. We found nothing. That's why I thought we needed an expert."
"Really? Who'd you get?" The Doctor asked, putting on his glasses as I raised a brow.
The others were silent as well and he turned around before understanding dawned on him.
"Oh, right. Me, yes. Or, well, Fallon too, I suspect."
"Begrudgingly," I admitted, shooting the Colonel another dirty look as Martha rolled her eyes and they both left. "Ass."
"Now, Fallon," the Doctor chided, earning a scoff from me.
"Please. I've every right to hate him. I was brought here through a not-so-subtle threat by the military-run government organization that apparently worked out what I was, which I still don't believe. You didn't tell them, did you?"
"Me? Oh, no. Stopped working with them ages ago," he replied, eyeing the ATMOS device idly. "Once they brought out the weapons I stepped back. Not that I'd tell them anyway, of course. You don't like people knowing so I don't say anything. Ah…" He looked over at Donna who raised a brow.
"Yeah, you can clue me in whenever spaceman. You an alien too then?" She asked me, making me snort.
"God, no. Human, thanks, though apparently with some genetic quirk that made me unable to die. What was it you said, Doctor? Some multicellular regeneration thing?"
"It's a mutation on a particular gene that apparently accelerates your healing rate to unbelievable levels and—" He paused, glancing at Donna. "And you don't really care, do you?"
"Not a bit," she replied, giving me a curious look. "You're immortal then?"
"Just about. Haven't died yet," I replied with a shrug. "Just pop back up like nothing happened. Keep the scars though, which is mildly annoying. Just don't ask me about it, and I'm happy."
"It's not all sunshine and roses then, is it?"
"Not in the slightest," I sighed, looking at the ATMOS device and tapping it. "So? What's up with this then? Definitely more advanced than what humans can come up with in this time."
Donna nodded. "Why would aliens be so keen on cleaning up our atmosphere?"
"Very good questions," the Doctor mused.
"Maybe they want to help. Get rid of pollution and stuff."
"Doubt it," I answered. "If they wanted to help, they'd make it public. Boost their popularity, increased revenue, that sort of thing. Doing it subtly like this means they've got more malicious intents."
"How is cleaning the atmosphere malicious?"
The Doctor leaned against the table, giving her a look. "Do you know how many cars there are on planet Earth? Eight hundred million. Imagine that. If you could control them, you'd have eight hundred million weapons."
"ATMOS controls car emissions, right?" I asked. "Could they weaponize that?"
"I don't see why not," the Doctor grumbled, taking apart the model of ATMOS and working it out while I sat back and waited.
I was good at some things but this was a bit out of my field and it was easier to let the Doctor handle it than get in his way and try and work it out as well. Instead, I rolled the pocket watch in my palm, my mind drifting aimlessly in memories of Abe until Martha and the Colonel walked back in.
"Ionising nano-membrane carbon dioxide converter. Which means that ATMOS works. Filters the CO2 at a molecular level," the Doctor explained to them both.
"We know all that but what's its origin? Is it alien?" Colonel Mace questioned and I snorted.
"Humans could come up with that in the next few decades easily."
The Doctor nodded. "She's right. Decades ahead of its time but human, nonetheless." He frowned at the Colonel then. "Look, do you mind? Could you stand back a bit?"
"Sorry, have I done something wrong?"
"You're carrying a gun. I don't like people with guns hanging around me, all right?"
Colonel Mace scowled. "If you insist." he shot me a look then as he headed for the door. "Though I suggest you look into your companions further if that's the case."
I bristled as he left, Martha looking between us in concern.
"Tetchy," she commented.
"Well, it's true," the Doctor shrugged.
"He's a good man," she argued.
"People with guns are usually the enemy in my books. You seem quite at home."
Martha frowned. "If anyone got me used to fighting, it's you."
"Oh right, so it's my fault."
"Well, you got me the job. Besides, look at me. Am I carrying a gun?"
"Suppose not," he muttered.
"It's all right for you. You can just come and go, but some of us have got to stay behind. So I've got to work from the inside, and by staying inside, maybe I stand a chance of making them better."
The Doctor smiled. "Yeah? That's more like Martha Jones."
"I learned from the best."
"Well..." He glanced over at me, his smile falling. "Don't listen to him, Fallon."
"He's not wrong though," I muttered, giving the Doctor a glance. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Doctor, and I'm not exactly innocent either."
"Fallon, I—"
"Oi, you lot," Donna called out, cutting him off and drawing the Colonel back into the room. "All your storm troopers and your sonics. You're rubbish. Should've come with me."
"Why? Where have you been?"
"Personnel. That's where the weird stuff's happening, in the paperwork. Because I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way round an office blindfold, and the first thing I noticed is an empty file."
I pushed off the wall and started forward. "There's never empty files."
"Exactly," she said with a smirk.
"What's inside it?" The Doctor asked, correcting himself. "Or what's not inside it?"
"Sick days. There aren't any. Hundreds of people working here and no one's sick. Not one hangover, man flu, sneaky little shopping trip, nothing. Not ever. They don't get ill."
"That can't be right," the Colonel replied, brows furrowed in confusion.
"You've been checking out the building. Should've been checking out the workforce."
"I can see why he likes you. You are good," Martha commented, making her smile.
"Super temp."
"Doctor Jones, set up a medical post. Start examining the workers. I'll get them sent through," Colonel Mace ordered and Martha nodded.
"Come on, Donna. Give me a hand."
The Doctor took off after Colonel Mace and I sighed, rubbing the back of my head before Martha poked her head back in.
"You coming, Fallon? We could use another doctor on hand."
I raised a brow but went to head out with her. "I'm hardly qualified at this point in time. Bit outdated, me."
"Please. You know plenty from what I've seen. Remember Shakespeare?"
I rolled my eyes, glancing at Donna as she listened eagerly. "Witches used little dolls to control people. Drowned a man on land and I just took a look and said what he'd need medically which was, of course, out of date for the time by a century at least."
"Witches? You're joking!"
"Doctor said they were aliens but looked like them. All cackling old women, flying brooms, warts."
"Mad, he is," Donna scoffed. "The things you see with the Doctor. My mum would think I was crazy if I told her."
We moved into an office and Martha got some paperwork going while Donna and I moved chairs around. Donna paused though, giving Martha a look.
"Do you think I should warn my mum about the ATMOS in her car?"
"I would," I commented, settling in a chair as Martha offered a comforting smile.
"Better safe than sorry."
"I'll give her a call."
"Tell them to move the car out of the garage, stay inside, and close up any gaps under doors and things," I offered. "If they plan on using the ATMOS for anything, it'll be gassing the place."
Donna nodded but Martha stopped her too.
"Do they know where you are? Your family. I mean, that you're traveling with the Doctor?"
"Not really. Although my granddad sort of waved us off. I didn't have time to explain."
"You just left him behind?"
"Martha," I lightly scolded as Donna looked away shamefully.
"Sorry, it's just… I didn't tell my family. I kept it all so secret, and it almost destroyed them," Martha explained, startling Donna.
"In what way?"
"They ended up imprisoned. They were tortured. My mum, my dad, my sister. It wasn't the Doctor's fault, but you need to be careful. Because you know the Doctor. He's wonderful, he's brilliant, but he's like fire. Stand too close and people get burnt." Martha glanced at me as I kept my gaze pointedly away. "And I'm sorry, Fallon, but I get the feeling you're just as bad."
"I don't take companions for a reason," I muttered, shooting her a cold look. "Sorry if I don't live up to your expectations."
Martha bowed her head as Donna stepped out to call her mom and I sighed, getting up and scratching at my head.
"So? What am I doing?"
She cracked a smile, grateful that I was the type who wasn't easily offended, and nodded towards the plastic partition. "You can just stay with me for now. Second opinion."
I hummed and followed after her as she pulled on a white lab coat and ordered some soldiers to bring in one of the workers. I waited behind her as she spoke to the first man, brows already furrowed. He's not scared or worried or bothered at all. These men were just rounded up like cattle by armed soldiers and he's as nonchalant as he can be. There's definitely something wrong.
"And your name's Trepper, yeah? Is that Polish? Listen, we're not checking passports. It's not about that. But did you come across from Poland just to work?"
Trepper didn't even blink. "I came to do my job."
"Okay. I need to listen to your heartbeat. This might be a bit cold. Lift."
He lifted his shirt and she eyed him as she listened.
"Are you on any medication?"
"I'm here to work.
"How many hours a day do you work?"
"Twenty-four."
"You work twenty-four hours a day?" She noticed he hadn't put his shirt down either. "Down. Mister Trepper, have you ever had any form of hypnosis?"
"I'm here to work."
"Okay. Um…"
"Put your hand on your head," I said then, making Martha turn but the man did as I said. "Pat your head and rub your belly."
He did that too as I stood.
"Now rub your head and pat your belly."
He switched as Martha stood up.
"Fallon, stop it."
"Stop," I told the man and he did, all the while nonpulsed about everything as I turned to Martha. "They're not just hypnotized. They're under orders. They get told to work, and they work. You tell them to stand on one foot and crow like a rooster, they will. This isn't a factory, it's an army of slaves."
"We need to tell the Colonel and the Doctor." She looked at Trepper. "Just wait here. Come on, Fallon. I don't like the looks of this."
We hurried out of the room and started on the way back to the base when two soldiers came up behind us.
"Doctor Jones."
"Not now, I'm busy," she replied.
"Just one question. Do you have security clearance level one?"
Martha frowned but stopped. "Yes, I do. Why?"
"Colonel Mace wants to see you."
"Great," I huffed. "We need to see him too."
"Where is he?" Martha asked.
"Come with us."
We turned back around and trailed after them but something felt off to me.
"Martha," I questioned as we were brought lower into the facility. "Why would the head of operations be down in the basement?"
"I dunno. Should we ask?"
"My point is, we've just been brought into the empty basement away from any and all forms of help after discovering that people have been put under a sort of mind-control. Ring suspicious yet?" I muttered, eyeing the two soldiers that were leading us.
Martha eyed them too, leaning toward me as we got to another door. "But they're acting differently than the workers."
"The workers only had one job. They didn't need to look normal, they just needed to work. Remember the first question these two asked?" I reminded her as we stopped and the door was opened. "They're trying to get clearance. We've been tricked."
"What do we do?" She hissed under her breath, knowing we had to make a choice now.
"Depends. Do you want to find out what's past here? Or do you want to run?" I asked, glancing at her and the determined look she gave me made me sigh. "You've been around the Doctor too much."
She cracked a smile. "And you should be around him more."
"Do you at least have a plan?" I grumbled as we stepped through the plastic partition.
"Nope."
I groaned as we moved into the room. "If I die here, you owe me."
"Noted."
We moved in and found a bubbling vat of green and an assortment of lab equipment.
"Anything you recognize?" She asked me hesitantly.
"Hate to say it but given I am still human despite being immortal… no. it's all alien to me."
"Great… Run?"
"If we can," I muttered, turning only to find our exit blocked by the two armed soldiers. "Which is unlikely. Are we going bold and dramatic here or are we going to try and negotiate?"
"Can we negotiate with people under mind control?" She questioned hesitantly, taking a step away from them.
"No, but we can try and talk to whoever is behind them." I held up my hands and stepped toward the men. "I would like to speak with whoever is in charge."
The two men didn't move or respond, leaving me to try again.
"Given there's two of us here, I'm assuming you don't know who to take?" I tried, attempting to work out what they were planning but they lifted their weapons and aimed them at me. "N-Now hold on a minute. I'm really not a fan of dying but I've got the same clearance she does."
"Fallon!" Martha complained, given it undoubtedly sounded like I was throwing her into trouble instead.
"Friend of the Doctor's too, just like her and I've seen the lab setup you have here, right? You can't just let me go now and if Martha is useful then maybe I'm useful too."
The two soldiers lowered their weapons slightly, giving me a bit of hope. Then, a stout figure stepped out from behind the lab equipment, making me blink at the brown alien in metal armor. The man moved up to the armed men and smirked at me.
"Wise words for a tiny human."
"Yeah, sorry, is that a potato?" I asked Martha who slapped a hand to her face as I pointed at the alien creature rather rudely.
"I am not a potato! That is an insult to all of Sontar!"
"I'm being yelled at by a baked potato," I muttered, trying to wrap my head around this moment and struggling.
"Fallon!" Martha hissed as the alien took a threatening step forward.
"Enough! We only need one of them! Just take care of it," he ordered the soldier and as soon as they lifted their weapons I groaned.
I turned, grabbed Martha, and breathed in her ear as they fired at us. "You owe me a drink."
The Doctor burst back into UNIT's base with a shout, getting Colonel Mace's attention quickly. "Right then, here I am. Good. Whatever you do, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle. There is nothing they like better than a war. Just leave this to me."
"And what are you going to do?"
"I've got the Tardis. I'm going to get on board their ship," he chirped moving to grab Martha as she pressed a button on her phone. "Come on."
They took off running to where the Tardis had been but it was gone and Martha was quick to question him.
"But where's the Tardis?"
"Taste that, in the air. Yuck. That sort of metal tang. Teleport exchange. It's the Sontarans. They've taken it. I'm stuck on Earth like, like an ordinary person. Like a human. How rubbish is that? Sorry, no offense, but come on," the Doctor complained. "I don't know how Fallon does it."
"So what do we do?" Martha asked
"Well, I mean, it's shielded. They could never detect it." He glanced at Martha then, having known something was off about her from the start.
"What?" She questioned when he didn't say anything for a moment.
"I'm just wondering, have you phoned your family and Tom?"
"No. What for?"
Ah, there it is. All the proof I need. "The gas. Tell them to stay inside."
"Course I will, yeah but, what about Donna? I mean, where's she?"
"Oh, she's gone home. She's not like you. She's not a soldier," he fibbed before another thought occurred to him. "You haven't seen Fallon by chance, have you?"
Martha hesitated for just a second before shaking her head. "No. Maybe she left again."
"Yeah, yeah. Maybe," he hummed, though knowing Fallon wouldn't have left.
Not this time. She'd collected herself again. She was level-headed and calm. No triggers or memories bothering her other than when she got her watch back. Not quite relaxed enough to be back to her old self but enough to not leave after she got what she wanted. He half expected her to, honestly, but she stuck around and he was hoping he might be able to convince her to come back with him once more.
He missed her, after all. Hadn't stopped worrying about her after the year. He wanted to drag her back with him right away but respected her wish to stay with Jack and relax for a bit. He couldn't hold her to him if she didn't want to, after all, and he felt she deserved a break. She wasn't right when she'd left him and then with the Master cropping up, everything had gone poorly for her once more. He'd seen it right away on the Valiant. She'd grown cold, dangerous, and properly unhinged as she'd tackled the Master and tried to kill him. He was surprised she hadn't killed him when the two popped back to Earth momentarily but he chalked it up to her injury and exhaustion. She had died shortly thereafter.
He wished he'd been there to help her through it after the fact but Jack could help her right then far better than he could. Their immortality was the connection she needed that he didn't have. He might have lived longer than Jack but it still wasn't comparable to her and she needed that connection at that moment. He had to admit he was a bit envious of Jack for that but he understood the distance between him and Fallon wouldn't be gone overnight. As she'd told him time and time again, they'd only known each other a few days and he would admit that his curiosity did make him push her a little more than he should've allowed.
When they met back up here though, he was relieved. She still teased him a bit and smiled sometimes. It wasn't as much as before but it was an improvement after what he'd seen before. That hint of darkness was still there—made obvious when Colonel Mace made certain comments—but it was controlled and barely a ripple would pass over her before she was calm once more. That meant he had half a chance of getting her back. Her sticking around was proof of that but now there was this mess.
A clone of Martha, he mentally sighed glancing at her through the blinds of one of the small offices in headquarters after he'd called Donna, who was trapped in the Tardis on the Sontaran ship. Martha will be safe in order to keep the clone functional and with her memories but Fallon was with her and I haven't seen her at all. I know she's not exactly the self-sacrificing type but… but I'd like to think she would try. Colonel Mace came back in, saying something about a counter-attack and a hint of annoyance and anger welled up in the Doctor as he burst from the office.
"I said, you don't stand a chance!"
"Positions. That means everyone," Colonel Mace said, ignoring his complaint and tossing him a gas mask.
The Doctor put it on, curious about what was going to happen as the clone of Martha joined him. He smiled at the memory of the last time he'd seen gas masks like these though as Colonel Mace brought out a gun and showed it to him.
"Latest firing stock. What do you think, Doctor?"
"Are you my mummy?" The Doctor teased, the words from that little boy not so long ago making him smile.
"If you could concentrate. Bullets with a rad-steel coating. No copper surface. Should overcome the cordolaine signal."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "But the Sontarans have got lasers. You can't even see in this fog. The night vision doesn't work."
Colonel Mace had grown frustrated with the Doctor's way of doing things though, no longer putting up with his antics. "Thank you, Doctor. Thank you for your lack of faith. But this time, I'm not listening."
The Doctor would let him do as he wanted, for now, not knowing what else to try and do to convince him otherwise but he was soon rather impressed as the Valiant was called down from above to clear the fog. He let out a laugh as he removed his gas mask, giving the Colonel a grin.
"Whoa, that's brilliant!"
"Getting a taste for it, Doctor?" Colonel Mace teased and his smile was quick to vanish, though rather awkwardly.
"No, not at all. Not me."
And he was right to say so when the Valiant struck the factory and the soldiers moved in. It was an all-out war with the Sontarans but also a chance for the Doctor to get into the factory and find his missing companion. Wasn't hard to split away from the Colonel, after all, and his only other possible trouble was the clone at his side.
"Shouldn't we follow the Colonel?" Martha's clone questioned once he'd pulled out his sonic and started off in the other direction.
"Nah, you and me, Martha Jones. Just like old times. Alien technology, this-a-way."
They got down into the basement rather quickly with no soldiers in the way, which was a welcome relief.
"No Sontarans down here. They can't resist a battle. Here we go."
He got the door open that he needed and rushed in where the actual Martha was lying on a platform with a metal device on her head. He put his fingers to her neck and hummed to himself.
"Still alive."
The clone came up behind him and drew a pistol, not surprising him in the slightest.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?"
"Wish you carried a gun now?"
"Not at all," he hummed, "though terribly sorry, Fallon. You've really been getting the short end of the stick this last year, haven't you?"
"Wha—"
The clone yelped as an arm wrapped around her neck and the pistol in her grip was very quickly twisted and removed from her hand and into another. Fallon huffed, pistol pressed against the clone's temple with a bit of sweat running down her own as she glared at the Doctor.
"I'll have you know… this is not my idea of fun."
"Oh, I don't know," he chirped, giving her a small smirk. "You sure seem to be doing it a lot for something not fun."
"Twat," Fallon huffed as the Doctor waved at her from over his shoulder.
"Get rid of the gun, will you? She's no harm to anyone."
Fallon rolled her eyes, but lifted the gun from the clone's temple and disarmed it, emptying the bullets on the floor rather easily. "As if I'd shoot Martha. Fake or not."
The clone edged away from them both, rubbing her neck from Fallon's grip and looking unsure of what to do now.
"I've been stopping the nuclear launch all this time," she said, trying to appease them as a last resort as the Doctor worked on getting the actual Martha unhooked.
"Doing exactly what I wanted. I needed to stop the missiles, just as much as the Sontarans. I'm not having Earth start an interstellar war. You're a triple agent."
"When did you know?"
"About you? Oh, right from the start. Reduced iris contraction, slight thinning of the hair follicles on the left temple. And, frankly, you smell. You might as well have worn a t-shirt saying clone. Although, maybe not in front of Captain Jack. You remember him, don't you? Because you've got all her memories. That's why the Sontarans had to protect her, to keep you inside UNIT. Martha Jones is keeping you alive."
The Doctor removed the device on the real Martha, waking her up and causing the clone to collapse on the floor. Fallon let out a whistle as the Doctor helped calm Martha down.
"Bit harsh, that," Fallon commented, earning an eye roll from the Doctor.
"They killed you. I think it was rather deserved."
Fallon snorted. "I'm touched, though it wasn't fake Martha who killed me but a couple of brain-washed soldiers working under a baked potato. You really need to give me some sort of alien encyclopedia."
The Doctor cracked a smile. "Only if you stick around."
Fallon rubbed at her shoulder, revealing a few bullet holes in her clothing. "Only if you try a bit harder to prevent me from dying. Your companions too. Martha owes me a drink for taking that hit."
"Well—" The Doctor was cut off by the phone in his coat ringing. "Blimey, I'm busy. Got it?" He asked Donna on the other line as Fallon spoke up again.
"Yeah, I'm going to need a bit of a rundown on what's happening though. Dying really puts you out of the loop."
"In a minute, now shush," the Doctor shushed her as he went about giving instructions to Donna.
Martha had caught sight of her dying clone and went over to comfort her, but Fallon just found somewhere to sit and recover. She hadn't been up long since dying and while bullets were a bit faster to recover from than, say, lasers—they still took time and recovery wasn't the easiest in her case.
The Doctor finished his call and went toward a machine in the corner of the room but paused near her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. It'll take a little bit to be fully back to normal but I'm fine. Achy, possibly running a fever, but I'm good."
He immediately put a hand to her forehead before she slapped it away lightly with a small frown. "You are running a bit hot."
"It's what happens. I'm fine."
The Doctor wanted to push it but bit his tongue, knowing that pushing it would just make her less likely to ask for help later so he nodded and went over to the machine he needed to get up and running to help Donna. Patience, Doctor. She'll come around.
"Clonefeed. It's clonefeed!"
I jolted awake, having dozed off in my tired state in an attempt to recover some energy while the Doctor worked on his machine. The fake Martha must've explained something given the Doctor was rambling on about clonefeed and I brought a hand to my head as I tried to understand what was happening.
"Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans. That's why they're not invading. They're converting the atmosphere, changing the planet into a clone world. Earth becomes a great big hatchery. Because the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce. Give them a planet this big, they'll create billions of new soldiers. The gas isn't poison, it's food!"
The Doctor bounded back to the machine, pulling out his phone once more before using his sonic on it and Donna suddenly appeared within.
"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?"
I smirked as she hugged the Doctor. "Oh, can I have a go at him next? I've got a few choice words to say."
The Doctor groaned, pushing at Donna. "Hold on, hold on. Get off me, get off me. Got to bring the Tardis down. Right, now. Martha, Fallon, you coming?"
I sighed, pushing myself up and heading over to the teleport machine as Martha hurried over as well.
"What about this nuclear launch thing?" Martha asked, holding up her phone.
"Just keep pressing N. We want to keep those missiles on the ground."
Donna had noticed the dead clone though, just as confused as I was. "There's… two of them."
"Yeah, long story. Here we go. The old team, back together. Well, the new team," the Doctor chirped, hacking away at the controls as we all stepped into the machine, making Donna worried.
"We're not going back on that ship!"
"No, no, no. No. I needed to get the teleport working so that we could get to—"
My head swam once we'd teleported, making me grimace as he bounded out into our new location.
"—Here. The Rattigan Academy, owned by—"
A young man lifted a gun, shouting something, but I stormed out of the machine with a growl.
"I am going to suffocate the human race myself if I see another damn gun pointed at my face," I snapped, ripping the gun from his hands easily and dumping the bullets on the floor before shoving it back into his chest. "You're damn lucky I don't feel like killing a brat today. Doctor, what are we doing?"
"This way!" The Doctor called, dashing through the academy and I groaned but hurried after him with the others.
"You know, part of having a plan is telling your friends what you're doing."
He paused, poking his head up from some parts and grinning. "Are you calling us friends?"
I flushed a bit, having not realized when that had become true and I awkwardly glanced away. "W-Well, you kept saying it so I guess—"
"Excellent!" He cheered, rushing by and spinning me in a circle before kissing my temple and dashing back to his parts. "Oh, it's definitely a good day when Fallon's happy."
My flush deepened at both his actions and words as Donna and Martha snickered.
"I died again! Who said I was happy!" I squeaked before rubbing my face. "J-Just tell us the plan!"
"Well, the clonefeed explained why the Sontarans were stopping the missiles," he chirped, pleased with himself. "They were holding back. Because caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground to air engagement could spark off the whole thing."
"What, like set fire to the atmosphere?" Martha questioned, earning a nod.
"Yeah. They need all the gas intact to breed their clone army. And all the time we had Luke here in his dream factory. Planning a little trip, were we?" He asked the brat that I had taken a gun from earlier.
"They promised me a new world."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "You just need to learn to make friends. Taking over the world won't make you happy, you know."
He bristled but the Doctor cut him off, ignoring us.
"You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe the air with this. An atmospheric converter."
The Doctor grabbed the device and rushed out the door with us following, curious what he was up to as he plopped it on the lawn of the academy, where we had a prime view of the smog-covered country.
"You said the atmosphere would catch fire but isn't that what we need?" I asked the Doctor, making him look up from the device he was setting up and grin.
"Look at you being clever. That's exactly right."
"I don't understand," Martha said and I explained.
"Fire will burn the gas out of the atmosphere. That's how fire works. It burns until there's no fuel and if the gas is fuel, then—"
"Then, this should do the trick!" The Doctor chimed, hitting a button on a controller that sent a blast of fire up into the sky. "Please, please, please, please, please."
Fire rolled through the sky before it vanished along with the gas.
"He's a genius!"
"Just brilliant."
"Yeah, but I doubt the potatoes will be happy," I commented as the Doctor grabbed the device with a grunt.
"Right again, Fallon!" he said, rushing back inside with the rest of us on his tail.
He stepped into the teleport and stopped, turning to face us.
"Right, so, Donna, thank you for everything. Martha, you too. Oh, so many times. Luke, do something clever with your life."
"You're saying goodbye," Donna noted.
"Sontarans are never defeated. They'll be getting ready for war. And, well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sontaran air, so—"
"So, let me," I said shortly, stepping into the teleport and he stiffened.
"No. No, I'm not having you do this. You've done enough."
"But you're going to ignite them, aren't you?" Martha questioned as Donna wrung her hands.
"You'll kill yourself."
"Just send that thing up on its own. I don't know. Put it on a delay," Martha offered but he shook his head.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I have to give them a choice," he looked back at me. "I can't let you do it either, Fallon. You've already given up your life more than once. I won't let you do it again."
"Shame, you don't get a say in what I do with my life," I scoffed, grabbing the device. "Just be sure to pick me up right away. I recover quickly from lack of air."
"No, Fallon—"
I rolled my eyes before kicking the back of his knee, throwing him off balance enough to jerk the device from his arms and place it behind me. He went to recover, but I shoved a foot hard into his back and kicked him out of the teleport. He whipped around, reaching out desperately, but I just cracked a smile and hit the teleport button.
"Oh, excellent."
I punched my hand into the delicate buttons of the teleport controls so the Doctor couldn't bring me back and faced the baked-potato alien who stood there with his army of clones. "Hey, potato. The Doctor's got a message for you."
"I am General Staal, not a potato!" He bellowed. "And I care not for this message nor your pitiful strategy! It would be wise if Sontarans feared death, but we do not. At arms!"
"I was going to say he was going to give you a chance but obviously, you don't listen well. Figures," I huffed, lifting the detonation controls and wiggling it. "This is your last chance. You leave with me—a fine prize if I do say so myself—or I detonate this and whoof. Turn you and your little toy soldiers into smoke and ash."
"A warrior doesn't talk, he acts," Staal scoffed and I sighed, glancing up at the metal ceiling.
"Damn. Guess I'll be getting more than one drink then. At least it'll be quick."
My palm hit the button and once again, I died.
The Doctor rushed to the Tardis, Donna and Martha right behind him as he jabbed at the controls, muttering under his breath.
"Self-sacrificing… Idiot… So stupid… Couldn't be selfish…"
Martha leaned over to Donna. "Pot calling kettle?"
Donna cracked a smile. "Definitely. Will she be alright though? I don't really get the immortal thing but it hurts, doesn't it? Dying?"
Martha shuffled uneasily. "I… I don't know. I never asked."
"Really?"
"We… didn't get on really. I was… jealous, of how close they were." She nodded at the Doctor as he tried to get everything right on the controls. "She's not exactly trusting either. Didn't tell me about what she was until later and even then, she didn't want to talk about it ever."
Donna nodded, grabbing hold of the railing when the Doctor sent the Tardis off. "Said she didn't want to talk about it to me too but something like that… it can't be easy. I wouldn't want to think of it and we don't really get it, do we? Not dying and all. I couldn't deal with that."
"Got it! Martha, I'm going to need your help!" The Doctor called out running for the doors and yanking them open to pull in Fallon.
"Oh, God," Donna breathed, bringing a hand to her mouth as the Doctor laid Fallon down on the ground and Martha hurried over while he checked her pulse.
"She's not back yet," he told her, chest tight with worry at the charred burns on her right side clashing with her ice-cold pale skin. "The burns wouldn't have been fatal so they should heal but we need to get her to the med bay and treat them, for now, to help speed up the process."
Martha nodded as he carefully picked Fallon up and hurried from the room. Treatment was done in only a moment and already the burns were healed, but it wasn't until Fallon's pulse returned that the Doctor let out a sigh of relief.
"When will she wake up?" Martha asked, drying her hands after washing them and giving Fallon a once-over.
"Shouldn't be long, I would think," the Doctor mused, checking the nearby monitors. "From what she's told me, the severity of the injury will be the main factor. I'm not sure how bad it's gotten but she was in one piece—"
Martha paled. "She would live after being blown into pieces?"
"I honestly have no idea," the Doctor replied, folding his arms over his chest. "I'd rather we never found out but I'm not sure what she's been through before. Only she would know, really. The burns were the only real damage but they healed and it would've been the shock waves that were fatal. She said she recovered fast from lack of air and that blast would've damaged her lungs and organs instantly. So, it's mostly dependant on how quickly those—"
Fallon sucked in a large lungful of air then, rolling onto her side and gasping for breath.
"—recover," the Doctor finished with a small smile, heading over and rubbing Fallon's back as she clenched her eyes shut and worked on controlling her breathing. "There you go. Easy now."
"Y-You…" Fallon looked up at him with a tired look. "...owe me… a drink."
He hummed. "Well, I suppose I could work with that, but no more jumping into death for me, got it?"
Fallon scoffed, rolling back onto the bed and tossing an arm over her eyes. "Stop trying to die and I'll think about it."
"I wasn't trying to—"
Fallon peeked an eye out from under her arm and he clammed up instantly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I … I wasn't really."
Fallon rolled her eyes and sighed. "Can't stay and travel with you if you go and off yourself for stupid reasons."
"They were going to decimate the planet and—" He paused, looking hopeful. "You're going to stay?"
"Course I am, you dunce," Fallon scoffed, dropping her arm and shooting him a half smile. "Dangerous as all hell and certainly not a vacation but I've lived more with you than I have my entire life here. I've also died more with you around—"
The Doctor winced.
"—but dying for other people is… it's a nice change."
The Doctor softened, hearts warming in gratitude and pride.
"You still owe me though. I'll keep a running tab. You might have to just buy me a bar by the time I think about leaving again."
The Doctor grinned, thrilled. "I think I can do that."
"You're joking."
"Well—"
Fallon smacked him across the arm, earning a chuckle and Martha shook her head fondly before clearing her throat to draw their attention back to her.
"I really do need to get back, if you don't mind, Doctor. If you two are done flirting, that is."
Both of them flushed as the Doctor waved his hands.
"W-We're not—We weren't—"
Martha just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Chop chop. Let's get going."
Fallon started to get up out of the bed and the Doctor went back to nag her about getting up too early as Martha walked out, knowing it might be a few more minutes before she did end up back on Earth with how those two were going.
