Hally was pacing Jack's office.
"Could you chill out? You're making me dizzy." Jack shot at her from behind his desk.
"I am chill. I'm totally chill? What about this isn't chill?!"
Jack cocked an eyebrow.
She paused her aimless wandering. "I think I might be coming down with something…"
Jack shook his head, a low rumble in his chest. "Don't you dare. You're not sick."
"I could be sick?"
"You're not."
Hally exhaled a loud breathless sigh. "I don't think I can do this, Jack."
"Of course you can. It's just Martha."
The elongated groan that fell from her lips told him otherwise. "Exactly, it's Martha." She shook her head, covering her face with her hands. "I shouldn't be here… she wouldn't want me to be here."
"She knows you work here. She offered to come." Jack shot back, he was trapping her in with his logical arguments.
Hally was biting her lip so hard that it had started to throb angrily. She swallowed. "Jaaaaaack."
"I'm not swooping in and fixing this for you Hally. Martha will be here in 20 minutes and you need to deal with it."
She huffed. "You mean the one time I could really use your hero complex and you're abandoning me?"
He smirked, eyes meeting hers with a flash of amusement. "I'm not abandoning you. I'm right here. But you need to stop being a coward and face your problems."
A desperate whine caught in her throat. "But…"
Jack cut her off, his tone firming. "Hally." He clipped. The discussion was over. Nothing was going to stop this reunion.
She sighed and dropped into the chair across from his, crossing her hands over the desk and pressing her forehead into her arms. If the Rift could choose today to engulf the entirety of Cardiff, Hally would appreciate it.
"What am I meant to say?" Her voice was muffled against the desk.
A sigh fell from Jack this time and he gave up on the work he'd been trying to do for the past 45 minutes that the Time Lady had been circling his office. "I understand how you're feeling, kid, but you can't control what other people do."
"Well, I could once…" She grumbled childishly into the wood.
He snorted a laugh. "She might be angry, she might ignore you, or she could break down in tears. Most likely she'll be Martha. She'll be understanding and compassionate and that's what you're most afraid of."
Hally's face scrunched and she lifted it from the table to glare at him. "I hate you."
The chuckle vibrated deep in his chest. "What he did, wasn't on you. I don't know how many times I can say it, Hal. I know who you are and Martha knows who you are too. I do not judge you based on the actions of the man you love." He watched her face, chuckling when she rolled her eyes. "You need to stop drowning yourself in that guilt, you know how to swim."
"Urgh." She sat back into the chair, sending him a weak scowl. "Giving me metaphors now?"
He smirked. "You can't plan what you're going to say, just wait and see what needs to be said in the moment."
Her face planted back onto the desk and she groaned.
Owen's voice drifted over from the doorway. "Jack we've got another body." The human must have then seen Hally with her face on the table, because he quickly added. "Did you break the Time Lord?"
Jack chuckled, getting to his feet. "She's fine. She's 395 but she's got the backbone of a 3-year-old."
"Hey!" That got her up and out of her seat. Jack chuckled and ducked behind Owen as she came after him. Both men jogged down into the central Hub to avoid her incoming wrath.
"Documents on the body identify the victim as Meredith Roberts." Jack picked up the file Owen had rushed together.
"No obvious signs of violence." Owen quipped in.
Gwen cocked her head to one side. "Are we saying it wasn't the Weevil?"
"Give me a chance, Miss Cooper. I've only just started." Owen sniped back, smiling.
Ianto's voice echoed through the space over the sound system. "Jack, your VIP visitor is here."
At the soft whine in the back of Hally's throat, Jack shot her a look.
Gwen frowned, looking to Jack. "I didn't realise we were having a visitor."
"Suddenly, in an underground mortuary, on a wet night in Cardiff, I hear the song of a nightingale." Jack grinned at Gwen and turned as the Hub door rolled open. "Miss Martha Jones."
Martha's face split into a grin as she spotted him, pulling Jack into a tight hug. "Oh, it's good to see you, Jack."
Hally knew Jack had told her to swim, but seeing Martha again, it was hard. Conflicting emotions shot through her and Hally repressed the urge to simply turn and walk away.
Guilt.
Fondness
Pain.
Anger.
She hadn't expected anger.
Staring at her.
Her friend.
The human she'd spent months with in 1913.
The adventures they'd had.
But then The Master…
"Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, Ianto, meet Martha." Jack introduced the rest of the team, Martha meeting their inquisitive gazes.
Without Martha, he'd still be alive.
But Hally couldn't blame Martha for that though. The only person who was to blame for his death was The Master himself.
Their eyes met, unsure hazel against the deep brown. Martha's face softened and she stepped away from Jack, her arms opens and she engulfed Hally. Holding onto her tightly. It was like the human had knocked the air from her, Hally cautiously hugged her back. The corner of Jack's mouth twitched into a smile. When Martha pulled back, Hally had to blink away the water that threatened to pool in her eyes.
"Hi." Martha smiled, there was nothing unkind in her eyes. Perhaps some uncertainty, a little nervousness.
"Hi…"
The team looked between them, silence hanging heavy over the Hub. Luckily, Owen cut through it with an overly cheerful, "Just a casual visit, or?"
It broke the spell and Martha turned to him, a smirk curving her mouth. "I'm here to complete your post-mortem."
"Doctor Jones is from UNIT." Jack clipped in and he led Martha over towards the medical station. The rest of the team trailed after them.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry, I get a bit confused. Which one's UNIT?" Gwen called to Jack.
"Intelligence, military, cute red caps. The acceptable face of intelligence gathering on aliens. We're more ad hoc, but better looking." Jack jested.
Martha chuckled, heading down into the medical station, her eyes on the body. "I identified a pattern from UNIT's data on sudden deaths. Toxic shock. Nothing to link the victims. Different ages, sexes, ethnic origins, occupations. But there was a statistically significant concentration in South Wales."
"Come on, Martha, be honest. You just came all this way to see me." Jack shot back.
Martha laughed. "Still struggling to conquer your shyness, Jack?"
Gwen chuckled, eyes flicking between the two in amusement.
"So what about this pattern, then, Doctor Jones?" Owen cocked his head, giving Martha space to examine the body.
"They were being written off as suicides or accidents. Look. Puncture mark. Hypodermic needle." Martha pulled back the hood of the victim's eye, revealing a small puncture mark on the eyeball. "You'll find his bloodstream was pumped full of ammonium hydroxide."
"Yeah, bloodstream. That was the thing I was going to do that next." Owen muttered.
"Have you checked his medical records?" Martha cocked an eyebrow, a small smile playing at her mouth.
Owen huffed. "No. I was just about to."
Martha chuckled lowly. "Let's give it a go. You never know, Owen, you might learn something."
He scoffed irritably but returned Martha's playful smile, the pair traipsed over to Toshiko's desk who was already pulling up the files. Owen tapped the screen. "One Meredith Roberts, age 45."
Tosh nodded, a frown beginning to show. "I know there's been a major crash on the NHS system. Wiped a shedload of files."
Martha hummed knowingly. "Including all the victims I flagged up from the UNIT data. And now yours."
Tosh paused and looked at Martha, her eyebrows raising. "A computer crash wouldn't delete data so cleanly. This is deliberate. Let me look into it."
Jack nodded and beckoned Martha over towards his office. "You too, Kiddo!" He called back over his shoulder at Hally. Martha sent her a familiar grin, following Jack up the stairs.
Hally rolled her eyes and followed them but not before sending Jack an irritable, "I'm older than you, 'Kiddo'!". She entered his office, Jack had already made himself comfortable behind his desk.
"How's the family?" He asked Martha, Hally hung back by the door.
Martha exhaled and gave Jack a smile. "Getting better. They send their love."
Hally pressed her back up against the wall behind her. Perhaps if she pushed hard enough she could simply melt away into the metal.
"Give them mine. So, End of the World Survivors Club…" A cheeky grin pulled on Jack's face, his eyes moving between the two women.
"God, I am so glad to see you!" The laugh tumbled from Martha, almost a sound of relief.
Jack's face morphed, playfulness twinkling behind his eyes. "See, you did come all this way just to see me. It's the jawline. Once seen, always yearned for."
Hally snorted and rolled her eyes, earning her a pout from him.
"Do you miss him?" Jack cocked his head. He didn't need to elaborate on who the 'him' was. It was obvious. Martha shot Hally a knowing look over her shoulder before answering Jack.
"No. I made my choice…" She exhaled a soft chuckle. "Maybe sometimes."
"Ah!" Jack grinned, catching her out.
She pouted and narrowed her eyes. "Tiny bit. Tiny, tiny. Then I come to my senses again. Anyway, I've got plenty to occupy me." She shrugged, motioning to herself.
Jack nodded, his eyebrow quirking. "Oh, yeah, Miss Highfalutin'. What is it? Medical officer?"
"Oh, yes." Martha passed back, matching Jack's mischievous expression.
"So, do I have to call you ma'am?"
"No. Just follow my orders to the letter." The pair shared a laugh. Jack motioned to the room around them.
"You should have called me if you were looking for a job."
Martha shook her head, her voice lowering. "I wasn't. This woman from UNIT rang out of the blue, said I was just what they needed. That I'd come recommended by an impeccable source."
Hally cocked an eyebrow before steeling her face. 'Impeccable' indeed. Amazing what paying for everything could get you.
"You mean?" Jack pointed upwards, both humans assuming Martha's hire had been something to do with The Doctor.
"Well, who else would have done it?" Martha shrugged.
Jack nodded slowly, considering her. "He must have thought he owed you a favour. Guess we all do."
A blush crept over Martha's face. Hally crossed her arms over her chest, shifting uncomfortably. The human turned to look at her. "Have you heard from him? The Doctor?"
Hally shook her head. "No." She knew her answer was cold, she probably should have tried to be warmer to the human, but there was no avoiding it. She couldn't pretend that she had heard from The Doctor.
Jack and Martha shared a look between them, eyebrows raised. Hally resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the both of them.
Humans. Always meddling.
She clicked her tongue against her teeth and added, "He knows where I am."
Jack watched her, a small smile flirting with his mouth while Martha arched an amused eyebrow at her. Jack chuckled and shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Time Lords, it's a miracle you lot ever got anything done." Martha hummed in agreement before Jack snapped her attention back to him. "So do you think you could get me one of those red caps for personal use? I'm thinking Ianto might look good in it."
Martha barked a laugh. "You want uniforms, get your own. Now, am I going to get the guided tour?"
Jack shot to his feet. "Yes, ma'am, whatever you say, ma'am! Huah!" He gave her a stiff salute, amusement sparkling in his eyes.
Martha shook her head, laughing. "Leave it." She snipped back playfully. Jack led Martha out of the office, taking her on a tour of the Hub, Hally slinked back to her desk deciding to give them space. Gwen had joined them and was chatting away happily to Martha as they returned to the central area of the Hub. Martha's eyes went to a piece of equipment on Owen's desk. "You've got some well weird kit. What's this?"
Jack smirked. "Be careful. It's an alien artefact."
Owen jumped in, his eyes lighting up. "Yeah, there's a lot of argument about this, but for my money, it's got to be a surgical instrument." He introduced Martha to the artefact that he'd named the 'singularity scalpel' and proceeded to try and set up a demonstration.
"This is going to end in tears." Jack murmured, watching Owen fondly.
The medic messed around with the scalpel's settings and focused it on a scrunched-up piece of paper he'd placed inside a paper cup, trying to dissolve the paper without touching the cup. He activated the machine and there was a loud bang behind Ianto over by the coffee machine.
"Argh!" Ianto ducked, before straightening up and shooting Owen a disapproving glare.
Owen swallowed. "Er, I haven't quite got the calibration right yet."
Ianto recovered and interpreted. "Jack. There's been another attack. Assault with a hypodermic. Only this time, the victim survived. Woman aged twenty-seven. She's in the hospital. Medical records wiped, just like the others."
Jack gathered Gwen and Martha and the three of them left the Hub to go and visit the victim in the hospital to gather as much information as they could. Hally plonked herself down at her desk. She didn't want to admit to herself that she was rattled. Martha being around was new and having her hanging around with Jack was making Hally feel like an outsider, more so than usual. It was a constant reminder.
Us and them.
She slipped The Master's phone from her pocket, sending a swift text.
H – 'Anything?'
The reply came within seconds.
A – 'Don't rush me because you're having a bad day.'
Hally scowled at the screen. Why couldn't The Master have hired someone who was nice.
H – 'And how would you know what kind of day I'm having?'
A – 'Martha Jones.'
Her jaw tensed. If Armitage knew about Martha, it meant that he was still keeping a close eye on her, which wasn't what she'd hired him to do.
H – 'I don't think I pay you to stalk me?'
A – 'I'm not watching you under your orders.'
H – '…?'
A – ':)'
She blinked, glaring at the little smiley face.
Unbelievable.
Even in death, her husband was a controlling little shit.
Once they'd returned, Martha took Marie's blood samples down to Owen and the pair worked together to see if they could extract any information. Jack's voice cut through the Hub, keeping everyone in the loop. "Locally, we've got a murder victim and a survivor. Both attacked with hypodermics, both with their medical records wiped."
"And more cases across the UK. We think the point of the attacks is to destroy evidence of their medical condition." Martha chipped in.
They'd stumbled upon some kind of conspiracy.
Hally raised her hand, a small frown creasing her brow. Jack's eyes fell on her and he chuckled. "Seriously, you don't have to do that…"
She shrugged him off. "Not that this conspiracy isn't fascinating… but… it's not really screaming extraterrestrial yet? Should we be palming this off on someone else?"
Jack chuckled. "You're not wrong but with the increased frequency of bodies turning up in South Wales… it could be rift related. Better to be safe than sorry."
She nodded, her face morphing into one of agreement. "Alright, you're the boss." A smirk played at her mouth. Jack chuckled.
"And don't you forget it." He pointed a finger at her, eyes sparkling.
Tosh cleared her throat. "The police have found another body in Heath Park. From the initial reports, it's got all the hallmarks of the other attacks."
Ianto checked the screen, sending a look at Jack. "I'll get Gwen, head out there now."
Jack nodded and the team dispersed, Ianto and Gwen heading to check out the body, Jack going back into his office and Martha settling into Gwen's desk, trying to see if she could find any information about the victims. A quiet fell over the Hub as everyone dipped into their tasks. Hally rolled her lip between her teeth, eyes scrolling over the few details they had about the victims, seeing if she could extract any kind of pattern.
"How have you been?" Martha's voice carried quietly over to her. Hally flickered her attention over to the human. Martha was looking at her, her deep brown eyes round and genuine.
Hally swallowed, giving her a brief flicker of a smile. "I've been ok."
Martha exhaled a soft laugh. "How have you really been though?"
Hally paused what she was doing and after a deep breath, gave Martha her full attention, her forehead creased into a deep frown.
Could they really do this? Sit here and have a real conversation after… everything…?
How was Hally supposed to tell Martha how she was actually feeling?
"I know you must miss him." Martha pressed.
Hally sighed, her eyes flicking up to the ceiling. "Like I said, he knows where I am."
Martha smiled slightly. "Not The Doctor… The Master, you must miss him."
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Martha…"
Martha hummed, cutting in. "I get it. Trust me I definitely hate him. I hate what he did and what he did to my family."
Hally winced as she listened to her friend, her words were so straightforward, so unapologetic.
"But… I also know that you loved him." The light tone in Martha's voice was such a contrast to the heaviness of the topic she was trying to broach.
Hally opened her mouth, shaking her head. "I…"
"No. Don't apologise. You loved him and he died and The Doctor is gone. So I'm asking, how are you, really?"
God these humans.
Hally exhaled heavily, a bitter laugh falling from her lips. "I've been better."
Martha's face lightened, her eyes creasing with a smile.
"I can't be around The Doctor right now, I just… I'm still mad at him for… a few things." Hally mumbled, Martha gave her an encouraging nod. "But being here, it's so… different." Her face split and she laughed. "It's all so different. Everything reversed and then he was gone and the planet just kept on turning." Sadness crept into her eyes. Martha watched her, listening patiently. "But seriously, you shouldn't waste your time worrying about me, Martha." Hally added quickly, frowning at her.
"You're my friend." Martha stated, as if it was barbaric that she wouldn't worry about her.
Hally scoffed. "I shouldn't be."
Martha let out a heavy breath, a hint of irritation flashing over her face. "Well, you are. So deal with it."
Hally's mouth twitched. "You and Jack are stubborn as hell."
Martha's eyes lit up and she chuckled. "Well, I think that stubbornness helped me traipse around the world."
Hally's eyes widened and her entire body tensed, but there was a glint behind Martha's eye. Mischief. The human was messing with her. Hally practically choked out her exhale and Martha's face split into a grin.
"In all seriousness though, I wanted to say… thank you." Martha's face softened, her deep brown eyes showing nothing but honesty.
Her frown was instant. "Thank you? Martha, you have nothing to thank me for."
"Well, I want to. Thank you. Because without you, my family would no doubt have experienced much worse on that ship. You protected them from him for 6 months, Jack too. All of them." The human insisted, her face portraying her determination.
Hally shook her head.
"Hally, without you… I don't know if I would have been able to do what The Doctor asked. Six months in and the Toclafane just stopped searching for me. I could cross borders, I could get food, it was so much easier… and I don't think The Master changed overnight for no reason."
Hally exhaled heavily, her eyes fluttering shut, closing her out. "Martha…"
"You saved the Earth too… and you had everything to lose."
Hally's face held a deep crease, she reopened her eyes, her own determination heavy inside them. She didn't want her thanks, there was no way she deserved it. "Martha… everything I did was purely selfish… I'm not…"
"God, just shut up and listen to her will you?" Jack's voice cut across hers, his hands falling onto her shoulders. Martha grinned up at him as Hally pouted, sending Jack a glare and crossing her arms at his self-assured smirk.
"Do you really think either of us would be here if we didn't see how brilliant you are? If we didn't love you to pieces. Despite your... poor choice in men." Jack quipped down at her.
It wasn't that she wanted them to be wrong. If she really looked back she could see their point. Hally had helped on the Valiant and technically, if you squinted she had helped fix the Earth. It wasn't that, that made her want to run away from them. Martha's genuine thanks. It was the knowledge that she was going to betray them and bring him back anyway. But Hally knew she wouldn't let him hurt them again, she would take him away, they'd be safe. She'd make sure of that.
Hally exhaled slowly. "Fine." She looked from Jack to Martha. "You're welcome." She shot Martha a cheeky smile and Martha gave her a happy laugh.
"Good."
Jack clapped her on her good shoulder. "Good."
Hally scoffed, her eyes flashing up at the smug Captain. Martha's attention shifted to her vibrating phone, she pressed it to her ear. Her eyes widened and her face fell into one of concern. "They want us at the hospital. Marie's collapsed."
Jack gave her a curt nod as Martha rushed away to grab Owen and head back to the hospital. Then he clocked Hally with a satisfied cocked eyebrow. "See, that wasn't so bad?"
Her heavy exhale was accompanied by a long hum. "You humans. Why can't you just let me wallow in my guilt, huh?" The corner of her mouth curved.
Jack chuckled low in his chest. "You're going to hate me for saying this but… you and your father… got a lot in common." He winked and shifted away from her quickly, ducking out of the way of the block of post-it notes she threw at his head.
Once the full team had returned, Owen and Martha took them through their findings. Owen flicked up the data on the screen. "This, folks, is a molecular model of the drug that we found in Marie's blood."
"She called it Reset." Martha added.
Ianto narrowed his eyes. "So what does it do?"
Owen clapped his hands together. "Right, well, think about when you run a virus scan through your computer, yeah? The software works its way through the files and when it finds a Trojan or a virus or whatever, identifies it and then it deletes it. That is what this stuff does to the human body. But it's not just viruses. It's harmful bacteria, toxins, even mutant cells. You name it. It's like the body's been turned back to its factory settings."
Martha nodded, elaborating. "It's the ultimate magic bullet. Supersedes anything and everything in the pharmacological armoury."
"But that would be the greatest medical discovery in history." Gwen's eyes were wide, looking between the two doctors.
"Exactly. Except, it comes bundled with a lethal alien parasite."
"Ah, not so good a discovery." Jack quipped.
Martha continued. "The parasite needs a healthy body until it's incubated. So the parasite egg incorporates this magic bullet, which puts everything in the system back to its factory settings."
Jack cocked an eyebrow. "Reset. Neato. So, who runs the Pharm?"
"Well, the public image is innocent enough. Private public partnership between the government and a consortium of the pharmaceutical companies. Researching and developing cutting edge biotechnology." Ianto provided, pulling up what he'd been able to find.
Tosh chipped in. "Their IT systems are way more cutting edge than they need to be. Plus, they've got seemingly unrestricted security clearance."
"Which means they'd have the capability to erase medical records if they wanted to." Martha and Toshiko shared a knowing glance.
"Who runs this outfit?" Jack leant back into his chair.
"The Institute director is a Doctor Aaron Copley." Gwen brought up his file on the screen.
Owen hummed in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I know his work. He's one of the most respected research scientists in his field."
"Harvard graduate. Did research at Cambridge. Last job, Harvard Professor of Molecular Pharmacology. Came to the UK to set up the Pharm." Ianto commented, Jack sucked on the back of his teeth, eyes on the image of the man.
"Hmm, he's kind of handsome, too. Do you think he'll like visitors?" He shot the team a cheeky grin. "Owen, with me." The two men got to their feet and the rest of the team followed suit.
"We'll keep digging into the investigation, see if we can't find a link between the victims and who's taking them out." Gwen offered, Jack nodded as he grabbed his coat.
"Excellent work, team!"
Hally trotted over to Jack, falling into step with him as he and Owen strode through to hub, heading to the garage. "Hey, want me to come?"
Jack scoffed. "Definitely not." It was only at the intense frown that instantly marred her face that Jack realised she'd taken his comment personally. "Not like that, kid… God, I've really got to get into it with your Dad about those abandonment issues of yours…" Jack shook his head. "Anyway. No, you definitely can't come because if these guys are experimenting on extra-terrestrials for medical purposes, I'm not walking into their office with the self-healing, all-powerful jackpot." The smile he finished with was kind but firm. Owen shot her a look of agreement.
"Oh… right, yeah." Hally nodded, the sting in her chest from Jack's rejection lifting slightly. "I mean… I can look after myself… you don't need to keep me here to 'protect' me."
Jack chuckled to himself, his face lighting up in amusement. "I know you can. But like I said, I'm not making a move that dumb."
Hally huffed and Owen smirked at her obvious irritation. "So, what can I do then? You've given everyone else jobs… I'm feeling pretty useless." Jack paused then, narrowing his eyes at her. He nodded at Owen who walked on ahead to get the SUV started.
"Useless?" Jack cocked his head to one side, looking at her expectantly.
She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest to hold her shoulders. "I just mean, let me know if you want me to do anything to help." She mumbled.
He narrowed his eyes at her, evidently not believing that to be the whole truth. "I don't think you're useless, Hal." Something shimmered behind his eyes. Hally rolled her own, shrugging him off. "Take a look into the Pharm for me, if this doesn't work we're going to need options."
She huffed and offered him a mildly irritated eyebrow, Jack chuckled and jogged after Owen. Hally plonked herself down at her desk, begrudgingly searching through the information available online about the Pharm. She hadn't meant useless to mean useless, she'd just…
Well, perhaps a little.
She didn't like feeling as if Jack was treating her differently to the rest of the team. She could handle herself, even if she was 'mortal'. The metal of the Laser Screwdriver sat strapped against her waist stubbornly.
Although it did often bother her how many situations could be avoided if she wasn't so use-…
…If she could remove the Biodampener.
Hally sighed to herself, navigating through the Pharm's website. Toshiko had already spent hours trying to hack in to no avail and Hally wasn't sure UNIT would have any better luck. She took out The Master's phone.
Might as well try all routes available to her.
H – 'Hey. Quick favour. We've got a professional killing medical trial subjects throughout the UK but mainly South Wales. Any ideas?'
A – 'Contract killers don't tend to broadcast their location.'
H – 'Alright. I thought you might all know each other. Like a WhatsApp group.'
A – 'Are you trying to be funny?'
H – 'Yes. '
A – 'I see.'
H – 'So you're saying you're not aware of if any contracted hitmen are hanging around the South Wales area? Shouldn't that be something you're aware of…?'
Ok, she was definitely trying to bait him. However, a few moments later…
A – 'I'll send you his details.'
"Yes!" Hally grinned to herself, giving herself a metaphorical high-five.
Alright, so they had a lead… now to find a way inside…
"I can't hack in there, Jack. And if I keep trying with a brute force approach, they'll know they're under attack." Toshiko huffed at Jack. He and Owen had just returned from the Pharm. They hadn't gotten much from Professor Copley and then they'd been politely but swiftly escorted from the premises.
Jack crossed his arms over his chest, frustration tensing his temple. "An alien life form is preying on the human bloodstream. I need a way in there."
Hally pulled up the Pharm's website on Tosh's computer, sending Jack a smug smile. "Well, I've got an idea." She pointed at the bold 'VOLUNTEERS WANTED' link.
Tosh grinned. "That's brilliant! They're in the market for volunteers."
Jack pulled a face, lowering his head in a short nod. "That's understandable, given their wastage rate."
Gwen nodded, catching onto Hally's train of thought. "Then one of us goes in undercover."
"Yep." Hally popped the 'p' happily.
Jack sighed. "No, we don't know enough about the workings of that place. Too many things could go wrong."
She shot him a disgruntled pout in return.
Martha hummed in thought. "Unless you were to put a medic in there. Someone who knew what to look for."
Owen shook his head, exhaling. "Yeah, but I can't do it. They know me now, don't they?"
Martha and Gwen shared a knowing look, a soft chuckle humming in Hally's throat. "I know it's hard to believe, Owen, but I wasn't thinking of you." Martha quipped, a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth.
Jack's eyes hardened. "No way."
"Come on, Jack, I've been in worse places and you know it." She hit back.
Jack's eyes slid over to meet Hally's gaze, a silent request for backup. Hally looked to Martha and back at Jack, offering him a shrug. "I think Martha knows what she's capable of better than we do." She fixed him with a firm look, hearing Gwen hum in agreement beside her.
Jack looked between the two women, a flicker of realisation crossed his face. They were forming an alliance. He wasn't going to win this argument. He exhaled and his eyes flashed with begrudging acceptance. "Okay." He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "But, we need to be following you every step of the way." He ordered, fixing them both with a stern glare.
Hally grinned. "Oh, I thought about that too." She turned to Gwen. "Are those contact lenses still in your desk?"
The team worked swiftly to get Martha set up, Ianto organised her fake ID and application to the Pharm, Gwen and Owen introduced her to the Torchwood contact lenses, explaining how they'd be able to see everything she did and even send messages back to her.
"In case of an emergency, we can speak directly to you." Jack explained.
Tosh nodded. "The lens will communicate with your sensory neuroreceptors. Bypasses the auditory system."
"But can't these signals be intercepted?" Martha looked between them, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Ianto nodded, smirking. "Alien technology which exploits a solution to the EPR paradox."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, quantum entanglement of remote particles? Okay, cool."
Hally chuckled as the team looked between one another, impressed.
Jack grinned. "Did I mention she was brilliant?"
The whole team gathered around Tosh's computer to watch Martha's medical examination and interview at the Pharm, viewing the whole thing through the contact lenses the medic was wearing. Professor Copley entered the room, introduced by the practitioner who was interviewing Martha. Jack leant forward, typing on the screen for Martha to see.
'Get closer to Copley.'
The conversation between the two was dying a little, Copley evidently not deeming Martha (undercover as Samantha) to be a suitable trial volunteer. Martha had evidently picked up on this too because she threw in a curveball.
"Umm… it'll show up in the test results anyway. I did have a hepatitis infection."
Owen nodded. "She's bullshitting. It's her way in."
"I mean, I'm fine now, but it stays in the blood. Strictly speaking, it's incurable, right?"
Copley's eyes brightened. "That puts a different complexion on things. We could use a subject with hepatitis. Are you available to start right now?"
Hally felt a vibration in her pocket, moving away from the screen to pull out The Master's phone away from prying eyes.
A – 'Billy Davis.'
She stared at the text, a small smirk curving her mouth. She turned back to Jack who was still carefully watching Martha getting herself set up at the Pharm. "Hey, I think I've got a lead on who they're using to carry out these murders. Tosh, can you bring up whatever we have on a 'Billy Davis'?"
Jack turned and shot Hally a questioning look, however, Toshiko had already pulled up their files. "Umm, Billy Davis. Ex-military. Dishonourably discharged. He's on the Pharm's payroll… cleared for 'Executive Actions'? Whatever that means." Tosh looked to Jack.
Jack narrowed his eyes, tracking Hally. "Old CIA terminology for assassinations. The Pharm are running their own hit man, which is kind of unusual for a medical research facility." He cocked an eyebrow at her, the silent question hanging between them. Where had her intel come from?
"Friends in low places, Jack." She offered as an explanation, eyebrow twitching in challenge. "Do you want to waste time worrying about it or do you want to stop some murders?"
A small smile pulled at Toshiko's mouth as she watched Jack's internal struggle.
"Gwen! Ianto!" Jack called out. "We've got a person of interest, Billy Davis. Track him and bring him in."
Hally and Tosh shared a coy smile, Ianto and Gwen hacked into Billy's phone and head off in the SUV to track him down.
"Jack." Tosh grabbed his attention. "Martha's heading out of her room…" Owen joined the three of them to watch as Martha snuck out of the bedroom she'd been assigned, heading into the lower levels of the Pharm. The camera hovered over a locked door, 'Administrator's Office', then it panned to the key code panel beside it.
Tosh instantly started typing.
"Tosh, can you get us past this?" Owen looked to her, she nodded.
"Easy peasy. She just needs to get the lenses to within the EPR field." As Tosh typed the request to Martha, the camera moved forward and the code appeared on the screen. Martha entered it swiftly, slipping inside the office. She moved around to the computer screen, Toshiko helping her login and allow Toshiko access to the Pharm's servers.
"I have control." Tosh confirmed, pulling up the victim files. Each one had visited the Pharm, each with a non-curable condition.
Martha was trawling through files on the parasite. "The life cycle of the parasite. They call it the Mayfly."
"But what is Copley doing with them? Martha, now we've got control, we can download all of this and go through it here. Get out of there pronto." Jack ordered, the camera swung around the room one last time as Martha took a sweep before climbing out of the window.
Hally and Tosh were checking out the victim files while Jack and Owen kept an eye on Martha. "Jack, we've got the list of the clinical trial subjects here. Meredith Roberts, Marie Thomas, Barry Leonard. All the murder victims. Oh, and there… Billy Davis." She sent Jack a smug smile.
Tosh frowned, bringing their attention back to the list of victims. "Wait a minute, there's a name here that we haven't seen before. Elin Morgan? She hasn't been reported missing or dead."
"She soon will be. Hal, call Gwen and let her know. Hopefully, they can get to Billy before he gets to Elin." Hally nodded at Jack's order, pulling out her phone and dialling Gwen quickly.
"Hey Gwen, any updates on Billy? Ok, great… we think he's after another victim. Elin Morgan. I'll send over the details we have on her, but as soon as you can bring him in." Hally clicked off the call. "They've almost got him."
"Great…" Jack's attention was mainly on Martha, she was snooping around outside and judging by the tension in both Jack and Owen's shoulders, she was putting herself in more danger.
Suddenly, the camera flared white and the signal cut out.
"Shit." Owen snapped.
Jack turned to Tosh, the urgency stressed in his voice. "What was that?"
"Radiation surge? We've lost her signal… I can't get her back." Tosh shook her head.
Owen stepped away from the screen, eyes on Jack. "We have to get her out of there."
"That place is swamped with security. If we try and storm in, we'll be putting her at risk." Tosh countered.
He scowled in response. "We can't just leave her in there, can we?"
"If I can't get her signal back in thirty minutes, then we think of alternatives." Tosh and Jack shared and look, Jack nodded in reluctant agreement. There wasn't much else they could do.
Owen wasn't happy with that. "Anything could be happening to her in there."
"Martha can handle herself. She's dealt with worse." Hally added, hoping the look she gave Owen was encouraging.
"You sure about that?" He cocked a sceptical eyebrow.
"Yes." She bit back, eyes hardening.
Ianto jogged into the central hub, pulling everyone's attention away. "Jack, we've got Billy Davis. He could help get you into the Pharm."
Jack and Owen had tried to question Billy, but it had been cut short when Billy's stomach had… exploded. It turned out he'd been infected with the Mayfly himself, Hally supposed that was sort of karma. However, it left the team back at square one when it came to getting into the Pharm.
"Ianto, what have you done with Billy Davis' body?" Tosh piped up.
"Er, I was just about to dispose of it. Why?"
Tosh's mouth curved into a smile. "I've thought of a way we can use him to get us into the Pharm. Clever, huh?"
Ianto's mouth dropped. "Oh, you are warped on the inside. How do you think of these things?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Jack gathered the team while Ianto 'prepared' Billy's body. Hally jogged after him towards the SUV, her screwdriver happily tucked away against her skin. Toshiko's brilliant idea was rather macabre. They had plonked his body in the front seat, his hands taped to the steering wheel while the rest of them squished into the back, Tosh driving the car remotely. Getting in was easy and Billy's body worked as the perfect Trojan horse. Once through the checkpoint, Tosh parked the car and the team bundled out.
"Tosh, Gwen, Ianto, check out Zone A. We're going after Martha. Let's go." Jack nodded his head towards the main building, Owen and Hally following after him. They ran, Jack and Owen pulling out their weapons as they barged into the treatment room.
"Hands above your head!" Jack's gun levelled at Copley, who was standing over Martha. She'd been strapped down to an examination table, IV tubes pumping an unknown chemical concoction into her. Martha's eyes were closed, her body shook violently. "What have you done to her?!"
Owen, his gun also trained on the professor, stepped around to Martha's side, checking the contents of the liquid bags. "Tell me that's not Reset."
Hally moved to Martha's other side, pressing her hand to her cheek. "Martha?" The human didn't respond.
"She's survived the larval stage. The only subject ever to do so. It's fascinating. Turns out these bugs practice sibling cannibalism. Only the strongest individual is left now. God knows what happens next." Copley muttered, sickening excitement seeping into his voice.
"Put a stop to this." Owen commanded.
Martha's skin was burning up underneath Hally's hand. Whatever was happening, Martha's body was fighting it with everything it had.
Copley shrugged. "I can't. I don't know how."
Hally and Owen shared a look as something moved inside Martha's stomach. "Jack, this thing's killing her. I don't know what I can do." Owen shook his head, pulling the IV drips from Martha's skin.
"Owen, stay calm. There has got to be something." Jack listened as the team in Zone A spoke over the comms. "Understood, Ianto. Tell Tosh to go for total shutdown. This place is a torture chamber."
Copley scoffed. "I don't need to debate medical ethics with you."
"You abused the Mayflies. You turned them into parasites." Jack snapped back.
Copley's face barely moved, his expression cold. "We didn't understand how the Mayflies reproduced. We tried to limit the damage."
"What, by murdering people?"
"They were going to die anyway. We're on the edge of the greatest discovery in history. It's got to be worth a few sacrifices. You must understand that, Jack, you're involved in alien research."
Hally snorted and rolled her eyes. "It's a little bit different to this."
"I'm closing this place down." Jack barked.
"In your dreams. This is a state-of-the-art, official facility." The side of Copley's mouth twitched up into a smirk.
"Oh, I'm not going to do it by sending a memo. We're in control of your IT systems. As we speak, we're crashing your data banks, wiping your records." Jack's voice was hard but there was a smug satisfaction seeping into his tone.
Copley stuttered. "That's cyber terrorism."
Jack grinned at him. "Oh, and that's just for starters. We're going to trip the systems of your fire, radiation and biohazard safety networks. The power will be cut, sprinklers will be activated, and a large part of this facility will be sealed and flooded with inert gases."
Confusion crossed the professor's face. "The aliens will die."
"They're already dying. This way they'll be put out of their misery."
"For God's sake, we're on the same side." Copley tried to reason with him, but Jack shut him down immediately.
"No. Combating hostile aliens is one thing, but this is slavery, exploitation, a war crime."
Martha jolted violently. "Hold her down!" Owen cried, Hally pressed against Martha's shoulder as Jack moved opposite her to do the same. It was only when Jack saw Owen pull out the singularity scalpel that he barked, "What the hell are you doing to her?"
Owen's face was crunched in concentration, fingers moving the dials on the device. "This is the only way we'll save Martha. I think I understand how it works."
Hally's eyes widened. "Are you sure it's safe?!"
Copley made a run for it and they let him go, saving Martha was more important. Owen nodded at the both of them, tension pulsing in his jaw.
"Ok, step back, both of you!"
Hally and Jack didn't need telling twice, they both let go of Martha and pushed back. "Owen, tell me you're sure. You could kill her with that thing! We're losing her!" Jack snapped at Owen. The medic grit his teeth and activated the device. The effect was immediate. Martha's body snapped up, breaking the restraints holding her down before she collapsed back onto the table, eyes still closed.
Hally grabbed at the human, checking for a pulse. "No, no, no, Martha come on…" She mumbled desperately.
A weak cough struggled up Martha's throat and she took in a deep, shaky breath, her eyes snapping open.
"Oh, bloody hell, it worked. Thank God for that." Owen muttered, rubbing his hand across his face in relief. Jack exhaled and with Hally, helped Martha to her feet. "Let's get her out of here."
They carried Martha out of the facility, finding the rest of the team back by the SUV. Jack gave Tosh a grave nod. "Do it." Tosh pressed 'enter' on her keyboard and released the programme, shutting down the entire facility, wiping all their data. The Pharm was done. Gone.
"Okay, let's go." He ordered and everyone moved towards the SUV.
"Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away?" Copley stepped out from behind the building, a gun in hand. "You've ruined everything I've worked for." It was pointed directly at Martha.
Owen stepped in front of her, his hands raised. The rest of the team immediately had their guns trained on Copley, Hally's hand lingered just above where the Laser Screwdriver was sat, cold against her skin.
"Now, let's not be stupid, okay? We're both rational men, scientists. I know you don't want to shoot her."
The deafening sound of the gunshot shocked the team, everyone frozen in disbelief as Owen staggered back, falling to the ground. Hally moved first, she closed her grip over the screwdriver, pulled it out and before Copley could utter another word the sharp blast of the laser hit him square in the chest. His body hit the floor. Dead.
Martha had dropped to her knees over Owen. "Owen! Can you hear me, Owen?"
Jack gripped his shoulders, shaking him. "Owen, stay with me. Owen. Owen, look at me, look at me. Owen, look right at me. Stay with me, Owen, stay with me. Stay with me, buddy. Come on. Come on."
His eyes rolled back into his head.
"Owen, speak to me!"
There was silence as it dawned on everyone that Owen wasn't breathing.
Martha's shaking hand reached towards his neck, pressing her fingers against his pulse. She looked up at Jack, pain swimming behind her dark eyes. "He's dead."