Chapter Text
Italics show thoughts or telepathic communication.
Bold is information on a computer screen.
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Martha Jones was recruited into U.N.I.T on the recommendation of Agents Mason (see attached file) and Williams (see attached file) shortly after the Year That Never Was (see attached file). Jones was fast tracked through medical school and placed into field work at her own request. Agent Mason requested the transfer of Jones into her own department shortly after this. The request was denied.
Tory clicked her tongue behind her teeth as she read over the report she had ‘borrowed’ from the Majors’ computer after her last visit. She sat back in her chair and frowned at the screen, there was no reason for the Major to refuse the transfer request other than the prejudice he held towards Tory and Jordan; mostly Tory. The man had hated her from the moment she had stepped into the building as a smarter-than-average-human and then came back as a ‘dangerous alien entity’ (his words, not hers). It was an irrational hatred that Tory, admittedly, did nothing to fix. But still, refusing Martha what was essentially a promotion in order to spite Tory was taking it a bit far. She sighed and leant back in her chair, closing the report and putting her computer into standby mode. It wasn’t like it had mattered much in the end for Martha; she ended up attached to Colonel Maces’ detachment. A nice man according to the reports Tory had also ‘borrowed’, he was respected by his men and his fellow officers. If Martha worked hard she could probably earn herself a promotion in the next two years.
“Tory.” Jordan stuck her head around Tory’s office door. “Time to ship out.”
////
Dr Martha Jones stood in an alleyway. She had just called in the Doctor, using the phone she had left with him what felt so long ago but was really only a couple of months for her, who knew how long it had been for him. Her waiting came to an end as the whirring-grating noise that heralded the arrival of the TARDIS rang out through the alley, echoing uncomfortably in the confined space. The blue box solidified and Martha waited with baited breath for the doors to open.
The tenth Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS doors, looking to see if he was in the right place, not that he’d admit that if questioned, and stepped out as he spotted Martha.
“Martha Jones.” He said.
“Doctor.”
They closed the distance between them and hugged.
“You haven't changed a bit!” he exclaimed happily as he let go of her.
“Neither have you!” she returned.
“How's the family?” he asked.
“You know, not so bad. Recovering.”
“What about you?”
Donna stepped out of the TARDIS doors, trying to be quiet and not ruin the reunion but the Doctor heard her and turned to look, drawing Martha’s attention as well.
“Right.” Martha nodded to herself. “Should have known. Didn't take you long to replace me then.”
“Now, don't start fighting.” The Doctor ordered, taking a step back so the two women could see each other fully. “Martha, Donna. Donna, Martha.” He introduced. “Please don't fight, can't bear fighting.”
“You wish.” Donna scoffed, stepping forwards and shaking Martha’s hand. “I've heard all about you. He talks about you all the time.”
The two women continued to talk for a few moments before they were interrupted by the walkie-talkie at Martha’s waist.
“Dr Jones, report to base please. Over.”
Martha plucked the device from her belt to reply.
“This is Dr Jones.” She said, “Operation Blue Sky is go, go, go. I repeat, this is a go!” She started moving to the mouth of the alleyway, the Doctor and Donna following, confused. They emerged in time to stare as the U.N.I.T. soldiers, trucks and vans rolled past them, heading towards the factory building. “Greyhound Six to Trap One. B Section, go, go, go!” Martha ordered. “Search the ground floor, grid pattern Delta.”
“What are you searching for?” the Doctor yelled over the sound of the trucks and the shouting soldiers.
“Illegal aliens.” Martha yelled back, holding up her hand to stop the Doctor asking more questions, her attention fully fixed on her walkie-talkie.
“This is a UNIT operation.” The Loudspeakers announced. “All workers lay down your tools and surrender immediately!”
“B section mobilised! E section, F section, on my command!” Martha was still talking as she darted off. Leaving the Doctor and Donna to stare as the soldiers grabbed the blue uniformed workers, forcing them to their knees at gunpoint.
“Is that what you did to her?” Donna demanded. “Turn her into a soldier?”
The Doctor looked massively uncomfortable as he stared at what Martha had just put into action; had he done this to her, changed her from that innocent medical student into a soldier? The two time travellers continued to watch before being interrupted as a woman with long black hair pulled up into a bun and wearing a U.N.I.T uniform jogged up.
“Oh, don’t look so uneasy Doc.” Jordan grinned as the Doctor winced at her preferred nickname for him and slapped him playfully on the shoulder.
“Who’s this then?” Donna asked interestedly but with a hint of disgust for what the uniform represented, “Another one of your companions?”
“No.” the Doctor answered, stepping aside to introduce the two, “Donna, Jordan. Jordan, Donna.”
“Nice to meet you.” Jordan said, shaking Donna’s hand, “Jordan Mason; Senior U.N.I.T. officer in charge of the Time Lord Relations office.”
“Time Lord Relations?” Donna repeated with a smirk, “That mean you’re his boss?" She jerked her head towards the Doctor.
“Why don’t they fight anymore?” the Doctor moaned to himself as Donna and Jordan continued their conversation.
“Pretty much.” Jordan answered with a shrug, “But mostly it’s me and Tory running around cleaning up his messes.” She turned to the Doctor, “Those images of the TARDIS in the pyramids,” Jordan frowned, “had the Egyptian Government accusing British forces of vandalism.” The Doctor rubbed at the back of his head nervously. “Tory went back and tried to fix it,” Jordan continued, “and managed to be mistaken for a goddess. I almost got fired for that.”
“Sorry.” The Doctor offered sheepishly before looking around and over Jordan’s shoulder. “Where‘s Tory?” he asked, eagerly.
“In the command centre.” Jordan answered with a smirk for the love-stricken fool, “She’ll be glad to see you.”
The Doctor grinned. Jordan and Donna shared a knowing smile.
Martha walked back over.
“And you're qualified now?” he asked her, recalling how she’d been addressed by the person on the other side of the walkie-talkie, “You're a proper doctor?”
“U.N.I.T. rushed it through given my experience in the field.” She gestured to the left. “Here we go.” They started walking, Martha and the Doctor in a pair with Jordan and Donna following, Jordan keeping a wary eye out. “We're establishing a field base on site.” Martha explained. “They're dying to meet you.”
“Wish that I could say the same.” The Doctor muttered as they stopped at the back of a large black lorry. Martha opened the door and led the way inside, Jordan closing it behind them.
Inside, it turned out, was a giant mobile control centre, set up on two levels; the bottom was dominated by a large screen with various U.N.I.T. Tech officers sitting at smaller computers in front of it, the top half had a single back of computers and the commanding officer. Jordan slid around the Doctor and Donna and made her way over to the side office, her office, separated from the rest of the area by a clear set of glass doors. Inside was Tory, though the Doctor hadn’t noticed yet, she was bent over the desk studying a map of the facility U.N.I.T. had just raided.
“Operation Blue Sky complete, sir.” Martha was speaking outside the office, Jordan and Tory able to hear her as Jordan had left the door open. “Thanks for letting me take the lead. And, this is the Doctor. Doctor, Colonel Mace.”
Colonel Mace turned and saluted.
“Sir!”
“Oh, don't salute.” The Doctor said.
“Well, it's an honour, sir!” Mace explained. “I've read all the files on you and, technically speaking, you're still on staff. You never resigned.”
“So Jordan’s told me.” The Doctor agreed.
“What,” Donna spoke up, “you used to work for them?”
“Yeah, long time ago.” He explained. “Back in the 70s. Or was it the 80s? But it was all a bit more homespun back then.”
“Times have changed, sir.”
“Yeah,” the Doctor glared lightly, “that's enough of the "sir".”
“Come on now Doctor,” Martha said excitedly, “you've seen it. You've been on board the Valiant. We've got massive funding from the United Nations. All in the name of home world security.”
“A modern UNIT for a modern world.” Mace stated proudly.
“What, and that means arresting ordinary factory workers?” Donna demanded. “In the streets, in broad daylight? It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there. Donna, by the way. Donna Noble, since you didn't ask. I'll have a salute.” Mace looked to the Doctor for help but the Time Lord just nodded in agreement with his human companion.
“Ma'am.” Mace gave the salute she asked for.
“Thank you.” Donna said with a slight nod of acknowledgement.
“Tell me.” The Doctor spoke up, getting the conversation back on topic. “What's going on in that factory?”
“Agent Mason?” Mace prompted, turning to face her office and get the woman’s attention. Jordan walked back out of the office and over to the group. She spotted the Doctor’s eyes focussing over her shoulder and onto Tory.
“Yesterday,” Jordan explained, gesturing at the large central screen on the lower level, “52 people died in identical circumstances, right across the world, in eleven different time zones. Five AM in the UK, six AM in France, eight AM in Moscow, one PM in China.”
“You mean they died simultaneously.” The Doctor cut in. His eyes flicking between Tory, Jordan and the screen which was now showing a map, the location and time of each death highlighted in bold for easy comparison.
“Exactly.” Mace agreed. “52 deaths at the exact same moment, worldwide.”
“How did they die?” the Doctor questioned.
“They were all inside their cars.” Said Mace.
“They were poisoned.” Martha elaborated. “I checked the biopsies, no toxins. Whatever it is left the system immediately.”
“What have the cars got in common?” the Doctor asked.
“Completely different makes.” Martha shrugged. “They're all fitted with ATMOS. And that ,” she pointed towards the factory, “is the ATMOS factory.”
“What's ATMOS?” the Doctor questioned, staring at the map.
“Oh, come on.” Donna scoffed. “Even I know that. Everyone's got ATMOS!”
Tory chose this moment to leave the office and approach the group.
“I’ll show you.” She offered, kissing the Doctor on the cheek and smiling at Donna. “Nice to see you again, Donna.”
////
Tory led the group into the factory and onto the catwalk over the factory floor, letting the others see the U.N.I.T. grunts sort out the factory workers.
“Stands for Atmospheric Omission System.” She explained. “Fit ATMOS in your car, reduces CO2 emissions to zero.”
“Zero?!” the Doctor interrupted. “No carbon, none at all?”
“Oh yes.” Donna said. “Sat-nav and 20 quid in shopping vouchers if you introduce a friend. Bargain!”
“And this is where they make it, Doctor.” Mace said grandly, “Shipping worldwide. 17 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 asked Mace.
“Isn’t everything nowadays?” Jordan said with a sigh, shaking her head.
“It's our job to investigate that possibility. Doctor?” Mace gestured towards their next destination.
////
They entered one of the ATMOS factory offices where U.N.I.T. personnel had already set up an ATMOS unit for the Doctor to inspect in the centre of the room.
“And here it is,” said Mace gesturing towards the device, “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 said, pulling out his glasses and walking over to the device.
“We did, we found nothing.” Martha said. “That's why I thought we needed an expert.”
“Oi!” Tory cried indignantly.
“You were busy.” Jordan said with a shrug. “Plus, not our department; we’ve only been called in because of him.” She jerked her head towards the Doctor. Tory grumbled under her breath.
“So, who'd you get?” the Doctor questioned. He glanced up at the silence to find all the humans but Jordan giving him a significant look. “Oh, right! Me! Yes! Good.” He nodded to himself and checked to see if Tory was laughing at him. She was. Jordan rolled her eyes.
“OK,” said Donna, “so why would aliens be so keen on cleaning up our atmosphere?”
“Very good question.” The Doctor nodded to himself.
“Maybe they want to help.” Donna suggested. “Get rid of pollution and stuff.”
“Do you know how many cars there are on planet Earth?” the Doctor asked her. “Eight-hundred-million. Imagine that. If you could control them, you'd have eight-hundred-million weapons.”
There was silence for a few minutes as the others in the room digested his words and the Doctor started to examine the device in detail. Donna turned and left the room, a thoughtful frown on her face. Finally, the Doctor spoke up.
“Ionising nano-membrane carbon dioxide converter,” he announced, “which means that ATMOS works. Filters the CO2 at a molecular level.”
“We know all that, but what's its origin? Is it alien?” Mace questioned, stepping forwards in his eagerness.
“No.” the Doctor answered, “Just decades ahead of its time.” Both males leant over the device. “Look, d'you mind, could you stand back a bit?”
“Sorry,” the man pulled back, confused, “have I done something wrong?”
“You're carrying a gun.” The Doctor answered shortly. “I don't like people with guns hanging around me, all right?”
“If you insist.” The Colonel retreated, leaving the room entirely, offended by the Doctor’s words. Jordan rolled her eyes, making no moves to hide her own gun. While Tory was just glad that her Huon abilities meant she wasn’t required to carry a weapon; it just wouldn’t be worth the argument.
“Tetchy.” Martha muttered.
“Well, it's true.” The Doctor tried to defend himself.
“He's a good man!” Martha snapped.
“People with guns are usually the enemy in my books. You seem quite at home.” He commented snidely.
“If anyone got me used to fighting it's you.”
“Oh, right, so it's my fault.” The Doctor snapped.
“Well, you got me the job!” Martha threw her hands in the air. “Besides, look at me. Am I carrying a gun?”
“Suppose not.” He admitted with a sniff.
“It's all right for you.” Martha said in a calmer tone. “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.”
“Yeah?” he smiled. “That's more like Martha Jones.”
“I learned from the best.” She smiled back at him.
“Well...”
Jordan rolled her eyes again.
“Come on T.” She said, leading Tory from the room. The Doctor stared after them. What was that about?
////
Donna re-entered the room where the Doctor was inspecting the ATMOS device.
“Oi, you lot!” Donna called out as she entered the room, drawing the attention of Mace as he walked passed. “All your storm troopers and your sonics...You're rubbish! Should've come with me.”
“Why, where have you been?” the Doctor asked curiously.
“Personnel.” She gloated, holding up the file in her hands. “That's where the weird stuff's happening, in the paperwork. Cos I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way round an office blindfolded, and the first thing I noticed is an empty file.”
“Why, what's inside it?” the Doctor was excited now. “Or what's not inside it?”
“Sick days.” Donna opened the file to show just how empty it was. “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.” Mace protested, reaching out for the file.
“You've been checking out the building, should've been checking out the workforce.” Donna told him, handing over the file without protest.
“I can see why he likes you.” Martha muttered to the other woman. “You are good.”
“Super temp!” Donna said with a grin.
“Doctor Jones,” Mace spoke up, handing the file over to her, “set up a medical post, start examining the workers. I'll get them sent through.” He left the room again.
“Come on, Donna.” Said Martha. “You can give me a hand.”
Martha and Donna walked out.
The Doctor slipped the ATMOS device into his pocket and trotted after Mace.
“So this, this ATMOS thing.” He said as he caught up to Mace. “Where did it come from?”
“Luke Rattigan himself.” Mace answered.
“And 'himself ' would be?”
“This way.” Mace said, leading the Doctor back to the command centre and pulling up the boy’s file on the computer. “Child genius.” Mace explained. “Invented the Fountain 6 search engine when he was twelve years old. Millionaire overnight. Now runs the Rattigan Academy. A private school, educating students, handpicked from all over the world.”
“A hothouse for geniuses, wouldn’t mind going there.” Mace shot him a puzzled look. “I get lonely.” The Doctor explained. “Tory’s the only one who can keep up with me.”
“Ah.” The Colonel nodded. “Agent Williams is one of the best.”
////
The Doctor and Mace made their way to the garage.
“You are not coming with me!” the Doctor protested. “I want to talk to this Luke Rattigan, not point a gun at him.”
“It’s ten miles outside London.” Mace pointed out. “How are you going to get there?”
“Well,” the Doctor floundered for a moment, “then get me a jeep!”
“According to the records you travel by TARDIS.” Mace said. “And besides, Agent Mason is in charge of you and your resources.”
“What? Really?” that brought the Doctor up short before he ploughed ahead anyway. “Yes, but if there is a danger of hostile aliens I think it’s best to keep a super-duper time machine away from the front lines.”
“I see.” Mace nodded. “So you do have weapons, but choose to keep them hidden. Jenkins!”
A young man, Jenkins, walked over and saluted.
“Sir!”
Over his shoulder the Doctor spotted Jordan and Tory.
“You will accompany the Doctor and take orders from him.” Mace ordered.
“Yeah,” the Doctor’s attention went back to the conversation at hand, “I don’t do orders.”
“Any sign of trouble, get Jenkins to declare a Code Red.” Mace said. “And good luck, sir.” He saluted.
“I said no salutes.”
“Now you're giving orders.” Mace smirked as he walked over to Tory and Jordan, briefing the two.
“Oh, you're getting a bit cheeky, you are.” The Doctor muttered, getting distracted as Donna appeared next to him.
“Doctor...” she said.
Jenkins moved away to his Jeep. Jordan and Tory followed him, Jordan climbing into the front seat and Tory in the back.
“Oh, just in time!” the Doctor said happily, grabbing his companions hand and starting towards the jeep. “Come on! Come on, we're going to the country. Fresh air and geniuses, what more could you ask?”
Donna pulled him to a stop.
“I'm not coming with you.” She said gently. The Doctor stared at her. “I've been thinking. I'm sorry, I'm going home.”
“Really?”
“I've got to.”
“Well, if that's what you want.” The Doctor said, disappointment easy to see in his body language. “I mean it's a bit soon... I had so many places I had wanted to take you. The Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade, the Lightning Skies of Cotter Palluni's World, Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko... Thank you. Thank you, Donna Noble, it's been brilliant. You've... you've saved my life in so many ways. You're...” he paused as he noticed Donna’s growing smirk. “You're just popping home for a visit,” he realised, “that's what you mean.”
“You dumbo!” Donna teased.
“And then you're coming back.”
“Know what you are? A great big outer-space dunce.” Donna laughed.
“Yeah.”
“Ready when you are, sir.” Jenkins called as he settled into the jeep.
“What's more you can give me a lift.” Donna was still laughing at him. “Come on!” she led the way over and they climbed inside. “Broken moon of what?”
“I know, I know.”
////
Ross drove the group out of London and onto the country road that led to the Academy. Jordan sat and worked on her phone in the front seat while Tory and the Doctor sat in the back. The Doctor was leaning forwards between the two front seats to talk to Ross.
“U.N.I.T's been watching Rattigan Academy for ages.” Ross was explaining to the Doctor. “It's all a bit Hitler Youth: exercise at dawn and classes and special diets.”
“Turn left.” The ATMOS ordered.
“Ross, one question.” The Doctor hesitated. “If UNIT think that ATMOS is dodgy...”
“How come we've got it in the jeeps?” Ross finished. “Yeah, tell me about it. They're fitted as standard on all government vehicles. We can't get rid of them until we prove something's wrong.”
“Turn right.”
“Drives me around the bend.” Ross commented.
“Oh!” the Doctor grinned as he realised that they were actually driving around a bend. “Nice one!”
“Timed that perfectly!”
“Yeah! Yeah, you did!”
Jordan rolled her eyes.
“This is your final destination.” Ross parked the jeep.
Rattigan Academy was an old building, or maybe a new one that was designed to look old as the inside was certainly high-tech. But either way the outside was large and imposing. A class of the students jogged passed while Luke Rattigan himself stood and watched.
The Doctor led the way over, followed by the others.
“Is it PE?” the Doctor questioned cheerfully. “I wouldn't mind a kick around; I've got my chaps on.”
“I suppose you're the Doctor?” Luke asked in a put-upon tone.
“Hello!” the Doctor smiled.
“Your commanding officer phoned ahead.” Luke explained.
“Ah, but I haven't got a commanding officer. Have you?” Luke stared at the Doctor darkly. “Oh, this is Ross. Say hello, Ross.”
“Afternoon, sir.” Ross greeted with a nod.
“And Tory,” the Doctor continued, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist. “Jordan too.” Jordan rolled her eyes but didn’t lift her gaze from her phone. He suddenly turned and headed for the entrance, dragging Tory with him. “Let's have a look then,” he called back over his shoulder, “I can smell genius!... In a good way.”
Inside the Doctor charged ahead of Luke straight into a room full of students all working on various devices and contraptions.
“Oh, now!” the Doctor exclaimed excitedly, ignoring the looks he got from the various students working in the room. “That's clever, look!” he let go of Tory long enough to put his glasses on and then grabbed her hand as he peered at the device that had caught his attention. “Single molecule fabric, how thin is that?! You could pack a tent in a thimble. Oh! Gravity simulators!” he rushed around the room, Tory escaping his grasp to stand beside Jordan and Ross.
“He’s worse than you.” Jordan muttered to Tory, her eyes still not leaving her phone.
“Oi!”
“Terraforming, biospheres, nano-tech steel constructs!” the Doctor continued happily. “Haha! This is brilliant! Do you know, with equipment like this you could... oh, I don't know, move to another planet or something?”
“If only that was possible.” Luke said with a bland smile.
“If only that were possible.” The Doctor corrected, taking off his glasses. “Conditional clause.”
“I think you better come with me.” Luke turned on his heel and led the way back out of the room, anger written in the way he held his shoulders.
The group entered what seemed to be Luke’s personal rooms/office. In the corner was a strange device, tall enough to hold a large man and wide enough for a group. Tory looked at it, something about it ringing a bell in her head but she was distracted as Luke started talking again.
“You're smarter than the usual UNIT grunts, I'll give you that.” He said scornfully.
“He called you a grunt!” the Doctor exclaimed, looking at Ross and Jordan. “Don't call Ross and Jordan grunts, he's nice! We like Ross! Not too sure about Jordan.” He muttered ducking to avoid the hit Jordan had aimed at the back of his head, the fact that her eyes were still on her phone might have explained why he managed to dodge the blow. “Look at this place...” he trailed off, distracted as he wandered around the room.
“What exactly do you want?” Luke asked exasperated.
“I was just thinking,” the Doctor said, wandering around and poking his head where it didn’t belong, “what a responsible eighteen-year-old. Inventing zero carbon cars? Saving the world...”
“Takes a man with vision.” Luke offered.
“Mmmm,” the Doctor turned to face him again, stopping his exploration, “blinking vision. Cos ATMOS means more people driving, more cars, more petrol, end result: the oil's gonna run out faster than ever. The ATMOS system could make things worse.”
“Yeah, see, that's a tautology.” Said Luke quickly. “You can't say "ATMOS system" since it stands for "atmospheric emissions system". So you're just saying "atmospheric emissions system system" d'you see, Mr Conditional Clause?”
There was silence for a moment as Luke calmed down and the Doctor watched him.
“It's been a long time since anyone said no to you, isn't it?” the Doctor asked.
“I'm still right though.” Luke insisted.
“Not easy, is it? Being clever. You look at the world and you connect things. Random things. And think: why can't anyone else see it? The rest of the world is so slow.”
“Yeah.” Luke agreed quietly.
“And you're all on your own.”
“I know.”
“But not with this!” the Doctor suddenly exploded with energy, pulling an ATMOS device out of his bigger-on-the-inside pockets. “Cos there's no way you invented this thing single handed. I mean, it might be Earth technology, but that's like finding a mobile phone in the Middle Ages.” He tossed the device at Ross, who managed to catch it before Tory took it from his hands. “No, no, I'll tell you what it's like! It's like finding this in the middle of someone’s front room.” He pointed towards the strange thing that had caught Tory’s attention earlier. “Albeit it's a very big front room.”
“And what is it?” Ross questioned.
“Please don’t encourage him.” Jordan sighed, holding her forehead in one hand, her phone finally put away as she focused on the Doctor.
“Yeah, just looks like a thing, doesn't it?” the Doctor spoke to Ross, ignoring Jordan’s interjection. “People don't question things, they just say: Oh, it's a thing.”
“Leave it alone!” Luke yelled.
The Doctor ignored him and walked into the device. Tory suddenly had a very bad feeling in her gut.
“Me, I make these connections. And this, to me, looks like” the Doctor pressed a button inside the device, “a teleport pod.” He vanished.
Jordan and Ross both pulled their guns while Tory stepped behind them, using their bodies to hide the silver glow around her fists.
“Where does that lead?” Jordan demanded. “Answer the question.” she growled. “We won’t ask again.”
Luke was saved from whatever Jordan was planning as the teleport activated again and the Doctor ran past him and over to the trio of U.N.I.T agents.
“Ross, get out!” he ordered, “Luke, you've got to come with me!” nobody had the chance to move as the teleport activated and out stepped a small male figure fully clad in blue armour.
“Sontaran.” Tory breathed. Jordan shot her a confused look.
The Doctor grabbed the sonic out of his coat and used it on the teleport, disabling it.
“Sontaran!” the Doctor yelled. “That’s your name, isn't it? You're a Sontaran. How did I know that, ay? Fascinating isn't it? Isn't that worth keeping me alive?”
“I order you to surrender in the name of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce.” Ross said commandingly, his gun pointed at the helmet.
“Well that's not going to work.” The Doctor muttered to Ross and Jordan, pushing down their guns. “Cordolaine signal, am I right? Copper excitation stopping the bullets.”
“How do you know so much?” the Sontaran demanded.
“Well...”
“Who is he?” the Sontaran demanded of Luke.
“He didn't give his name.” the boy explained quickly.
“But this isn't typical Sontaran behaviour, is it? Hiding! Using teenagers, stopping bullets? A Sontaran should face bullets with dignity! Shame on you!” the Doctor mocked.
“You dishonour me, sir!”
“Yeah, then show yourself!”
“I will look into my enemy's eyes!” the helmet was removed showing a potato like head underneath.
“Oh, my god...” Ross muttered.
“Well……” Jordan hesitated, “that’s not something you see every day.” Tory rolled her eyes.
“And your name?” the Doctor asked.
“General Staal,” the Sontaran answered, “of the Tenth Sontaran Fleet. Staal the Undefeated!”
“Well, that's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated? Staal the Not-Quite-So-Undefeated-Anymore-But-Never-Mind?” the Doctor picked up a tennis racket and ball from somewhere on Luke’s desk. “The Sontarans are the finest soldiers in the galaxy, dedicated to a life of warfare. A clone race, grown in batches of millions with only one weakness...” he explained.
“Sontarans have no weakness!” Staal objected.
“No, it's a good weakness!” the Doctor insisted.
“Is there such a thing?” Jordan muttered sarcastically, putting away her U.N.I.T. assigned weapon and pulling out the sonic blaster that Tory had donated to her long ago.
“Aren't you meant to be clever?” Luke scoffed, “Only an idiot would provoke him.”
“I like to think he’s a bit of both actually.” Jordan muttered again. Ross snorted, amused.
“No, but the Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of their neck, that's their weak spot. Which means, they always have to face their enemies in battle... isn't that brilliant? They can never turn their backs!” the Doctor smiled at his audience.
“We stare into the face of death!” Staal decreed.
“Yeah?” the Doctor’s amusement vanished. “Well, stare at this!” he threw the ball into the air and hit it with the racket, hitting the teleport and bouncing the ball into Staal’s probic vent. The Sontaran went to one knee. The Doctor pulled Tory from the room, Jordan and Ross following behind.
////
The four climbed back into the U.N.I.T jeep and sped off down the road.
“Greyhound 40 to Trap 1, repeat, can you hear me? Over.” The Doctor was saying into the radio while Jordan tried to get signal on her phone.
“Why's it not working?” Ross asked, his eyes darting from the Doctor to the road and back again.
“Must be the Sontarans.” Tory explained, watching the road behind them for any sign of pursuit.
“We better hope not.” The Doctor muttered, “If they can trace that, then they can isolate the ATMOS.”
“Turn left.” The ATMOS instructed.
“Try going right!” the Doctor commanded, eyeing the ATMOS suspiciously.
“It said left.” Ross pointed out.
“I know! So go right!”
Ross tried to turn the wheel.
“I've got no control, it's driving itself! It won't stop!”
The Doctor pulled out the sonic and tried to disable the ATMOS device.
“The doors are locked!” Ross reported as he failed to open the door.
“Ah, it's deadlocked, I can't stop it! The sat-nav's just a box, but ATMOS is wired through the whole car!”
The jeep swerved off the road and onto a rocky riverbank.
“We're heading for the river!”
Contrary to the Doctor and Ross, Jordan and Tory had sat calmly and quietly while the males panicked. Jordan sighed and gestured to Tory who grabbed the Doctor and Jordan while Jordan grabbed Ross. They re-materialised around ten metres behind the truck as it splashed into the water.
“We need to get back to the factory.” Jordan announced into the stunned silence of the two males. “Tory, I need you to take me there. Ross you and the Doctor get back to Donna’s: make sure she’s safe and see if you can find out anything from the ATMOS in her car.”
“Yes ma’am.” Ross saluted. Tory looked torn before nodding to herself. She yanked the Doctor down by his tie and kissed him breathless before letting him go and strutting over to Jordan, taking her arm.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Jordan said sarcastically, “Not like the world’s in danger or anything, is it?”
Tory just grinned at her cheekily before the two vanished in a silver flash.
////
In the UNIT control lorry controlled chaos reigned. The ATMOS gas was flowing out of the factory at a mind-numbing rate. It was already reaching levels that made it hard to breath without a gasmask and increasingly difficult to see. Colonel Mace was standing over the main console and yelling orders for his men.
“Wicowsky, take the soldiers into the factory! Make the area secure. Seal off doors and windows.” He yelled down his radio. “What have we got?” he asked Price.
“ATMOS is running wild, sir.” Price responded. “It can't be stopped, it's everywhere. The whole planet.”
Martha entered the lorry, a clipboard in hand and moved towards one of the computers.
Tory and Jordan entered shortly afterwards, Tory was typing madly into her phone while Jordan was scowling to herself.
“Colonel!” Jordan said sharply and Mace snapped to attention. “Get every officer equipped with gasmasks on the double! Martha start analysing that gas; I want to know what it is and what it’s doing and I wanted to know it yesterday! These aliens are called Sontarans apparently….” She turned to Tory. “Tory I want details, weaknesses, anything.”
“Sontarans are a warrior race made up of clones, one weakness on the back of the neck, looks like a small round hole, one hit’ll take ‘em down. Guns with a copper bullet surface won’t work; something needs to be done about that.” The Colonel nodded in acknowledgement of the addition to his orders given by Jordan. “I’ll be returning to the TARDIS to hook up something to try and block the signal causing the malfunction but there’s no guarantee so replacing the weapons should be high priority.” She turned and left without another word.
“You heard the woman!” Jordan snapped. “Get to work!”
////
Tory jogged to the TARDIS, carefully not breathing and relying on her respiratory bypass so as to avoid breathing in the gas. When she was close enough to the TARDIS she laid her hand on the door which opened at her touch. She darted inside and took a deep breath of clean air.
“I hate doing that.” She muttered making sure that the door was shut behind her before charging up the ramp to the console. “Right….”
////
Donna and the Doctor climbed out of their taxi and into the parking area of the ATMOS factory. Ross was driving the taxi and after a few words with the Doctor he drove it away.
“The air is disgusting!” Donna coughed.
“It's not so bad for me, go on, get inside the TARDIS.” The Doctor ordered. “Oh, never given you a key!” he pulled out a key, grinning to himself. “Keep that! Go on, that's yours! Quite a big moment really!”
“Yeah,” Donna choked out, “maybe we can get sentimental after the world's finished choking to death!”
“Good idea!” he agreed, turning and jogging away.
“Where are you going?” Donna called after him.
“Stop a war!” he yelled back over his shoulder.
Donna turned and jogged for the TARDIS. She coughed and almost dropped the key as she opened the TARDIS but she managed it.
“What’re you doin’ in here?” Donna demanded as she spotted Tory running around the TARDIS console.
“Trying to set up something to block the Corridane signal.”
“The what?”
“Trying to get the guns to work again.” Tory explained, her mad rush barely interrupted by the questions.
////
The Doctor burst into the command centre dramatically, Mace turned to face him while Jordan continued to work at her console, used to ignoring the dramatics of Time Lords after working with Tory.
“Right then, here I am, good.” The Doctor clapped his hands together, “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?” Mace questioned.
“I’ve got the TARDIS, I’m gonna get on board their ship.”
////
Tory froze in place, several wires hanging from her teeth. She pulled the wires out of her mouth.
“Did you feel that?”
“Feel what?” Donna questioned.
“It felt like we…moved…..”
Donna dropped the tools she had been holding for Tory and made her way over to the TARDIS doors. She peeked out and then quickly pulled back.
“We’re on the ship.”
////
The Doctor and Martha ran down the alley where he had parked the TARDIS only to find empty space where it used to be.
“But...” Martha hesitated, “where’s the TARDIS?”
“Taste that,” the Doctor said, one of his hands waving in the air while he stuck his tongue out to taste the air, “in the air. Yecch. 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 offence, but come on!”
“So what do we do?” Martha questioned.
“Well... I mean it’s shielded; they could never detect it.” The Doctor paused, staring at her.
“What?”
“I’m just wondering, have you phoned your family and Tom?”
“No, what for?”
“The gas.” The Doctor explained. “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. Right. So, avanti!” he turned and led the way back to the control centre.
////
“Change of plan!” the Doctor announced as he and Martha re-entered the control centre.
“Good to have you fighting alongside us, Doctor.” Mace greeted him, nodding respectfully.
“I’m not fighting, I’m not-fighting, as in not hyphen fighting, got it?” he turned to Martha. “Now, does anyone know what this gas is yet?”
“We’re working on it.” She answered.
“It’s harmful,” a young blonde officer spoke up, “but not lethal until it reaches 80% density. We’re having the first reports of deaths from the centre of Tokyo City.”
“And who are you?” he asked.
The woman stood and saluted.
“Captain Marion Price, sir.”
“Oh, put your hand down. Don’t salute.”
“Jodrell Bank traced the signal for us.” Jordan said, exiting her office with a sheaf of papers in hand that she handed off to another soldier. “It’s coming from five thousand miles above the Earth. We’ve assumed that whatever triggered the cars must have come from there.”
“The Sontaran ship.” The Doctor agreed with a nod.
“NATO has gone to Defcon One,” Mace said, “we’re preparing a strike.”
“You can’t do that,” the Doctor protested, “nuclear missiles won’t even scratch the surface. Let me talk to the Sontarans.”
“You’re not authorised to-” Mace protested. Jordan cut him off.
“If anyone’s got that authority it’s him.”
“I’ve got that authority,” the Doctor said, shooting Jordan a thankful look. “I earned that a long time ago.” He pulled the sonic out and waved it at the main screen; opening communications between them and U.N.I.T. command. “Calling the Sontaran Command Ship under Jurisdiction Two of the Intergalactic Rules of Engagement. This is The Doctor.”
////
Calling the Sontaran Command Ship under Jurisdiction Two of the Intergalactic Rules of Engagement. This is The Doctor.
Donna jerked to attention as the Doctor’s voice rang through the TARDIS; his image had appeared on the monitor, showing his relaxed form in U.N.I.T. command.
“Doctor,” Donna said excitedly. “I’m here, can you hear me?”
Doctor, breathing your last? A Sontaran, General Staal’s, voice said.
My God, said Mace they’re like trolls.
Yeah, loving the diplomacy, thanks. The Doctor snarked. So, tell me, General Staal, since when did you lot become cowards?
How dare you! Staal roared. Doctor, you impugn my honour!
Yeah, I’m really glad you didn’t say belittle cos then I’d have a field day. The Doctor smirked. But poison gas? That’s the weapon of a coward and you know it. Staal, you could blast this planet out of the sky, and yet you’re sitting up above watching it die. Where’s the fight in that? Where’s the honour? Or, are you lot planning something else? Cos this isn’t normal Sontaran warfare. What are you lot up to?
A general would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing forces.
Aaah, the war’s not going so well, then? Losing, are we? The Doctor taunted.
Such a suggestion is impossible. Staal dismissed.
What war? Mace questioned.
The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans. The Doctor explained. It’s been raging, far out in the stars for 50,000 years. 50,000 years of bloodshed, and for what?
For victory. Sontar-ha!
Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!
Give me a break.
Suddenly the image changed to show a Tommy Zoom cartoon.
////
“Doctor.” Mace tried to restore order. “I would seriously recommend that this dialogue is handled by official Earth representation.” When the Doctor ignored him he turned to Jordan for support. “Agent Mason!”
Jordan just shrugged.
The Doctor changed the ‘channel’ back to the Sontaran ship.
“Finished?” he questioned.
“You will not be so quick to ridicule when you’ll see our prize. Behold!” Staal gestured to the TARDIS. “We are the first Sontarans in history to capture a TARDIS.”
Jordan suddenly stiffened in place, her glare fixing onto the Doctor’s back.
////
Well. As prizes go, that’s... noble. As they say in Latin, Donna nobis pacem.
Inside the TARDIS the Doctors words prompted two very different reactions.
“That’s me.” Donna yelled excitedly. “I’m here!”
Tory fought off the urge to roll her eyes; her Lifemate wasn’t exactly subtle, was he?
Back on Earth the Doctor was still talking.
Did you never wonder about its design? It's phone box. It contains a phone. A telephonic device for communication. Sort of symbolic. Like if only we could communicate. You and I.
All you have communicated is your distress, Doctor.
“Oh my god.” Donna realised something, her hand darting out to grab a mobile phone from where it had been hidden inside the console.
Big mistake though. Showing it to me.
“But who do I phone?” Donna questioned, looking between the monitor and the phone.
Cos I’ve got remote control.
Cease transmission!
“Doctor, what number are you on?” The monitor went black. “You haven’t even got a number!”
“He has a mobile?” Tory demanded, mildly annoyed. “Why didn’t he tell me that?!”
////
“Oh, well.” The Doctor stood, the sonic disappearing inside of his pocket once more.
“That achieved nothing.” Mace pointed out grumpily.
“Oh,” the Doctor sniffed, “you’d be surprised.”
////
Donna and Tory fought to stay upright as the Sontarans pushed the TARDIS out of their command deck.
“But what do I do?” Donna asked.
////
Tory had set up the TARDIS screen to detect news channels to let the two females on the TARDIS know what was happening down on Earth.
“The United Nations has issued a directive worldwide,” said the BBC reporter, “telling urban populations to stay indoors. Those in rural areas are being ordered to stay away from all major cities. There are reports from every country in Europe of thousands of people walking across country to escape. And on the Eastern seaboard of America it’s said to be reminiscent of Dunkirk, with boats taking refugees out into the Atlantic.” The channel changed to AMNN. “With the freeways blocked by ATMOS cars, populations of major cities are now walking across open country to escape the fumes. It is being likened to a Biblical plague. Some are calling this the End of Days.”
“That’s delightfully dramatic.” Tory scoffed with a roll of her eyes, shutting off the screen and moving away.
Donna lifted the phone from her lap and dialled a number.
“Mum?” she said. “You all right?” a pause for the response. “There’s people working on it, Mum. They’re gonna fix it, I promise……….Oh don’t start. Please, don’t……It’s sort of hard to say. You all right?...............No. I’ve got the next best thing though.” she said, watching Tory as she moved around the TARDIS console, muttering under her breath as she tried to work out the Doctor’s plan. “He will, Gramps. There’s... something he needs me to do. I just don’t know what……Trust me. He can do it…….I will. Just as soon as I see him, I’ll tell him.” The call ended.
“Now, see,” Tory started speaking immediately and gestured for Donna to join her, “I could pilot us out of here right now but the Doctor has to have a reason for what he’s doing, so he must have a plan…” she trailed off with a frown. “But what is it, and what does he want us to do…?”
////
The Doctor and Jordan approached Martha who was studying a sample of the Sontaran gas at the back of the Command-Lorry. The Doctor snatched the clipboard from Martha.
“There's carbon monoxide,” she explained, “hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides but 10% unidentified. Some sort of artificial heavy element we can’t trace. You ever seen anything like it?”
“Must be something the Sontarans invented.” The Doctor was frowning as he tried to work out what was going on. “This isn’t just poison; they need this gas for something else. What could that be?”
“Launch grid online and active.” Captain Price spoke up.
“Positions ladies and gentlemen,” Mace ordered, “Defcon One initiatives in progress.”
“What?!” the Doctor demanded. “I told you not to launch!”
“The gas is at 60% density, 80% and people start dying, Doctor.” Said Mace. “We’ve got no choice.”
“Jordan!” the Doctor turned to her for help.
“People are going to die, Doctor,” she said, “we can’t let that happen.”
“Launching in 60,” Price said, “59, 58, 57, 56... Worldwide nuclear grid now co-ordinating. 54, 53...”
“You’re making a mistake, Colonel!” the Doctor warned. “For once, I hope the Sontarans are ahead of you.”
“North America, online.” Price reported. “United Kingdom, online. France, online. India, online. Pakistan, online. China, online. North Korea, online. All systems locked and co-ordinated. Launching in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5...”
“God save us.” Mace whispered.
“...4, 3, 2, 1...0.” the screen shut off.
“What is it?” Mace demanded. “What happened? Did we launch? Well, did we?”
“Negative, sir.” Price answered. “The launch codes have been wiped, sir. It must be the Sontarans.”
“Can we override it?”
“Trying it now, sir.”
Jordan shook her head and left the lorry.
“Missiles wouldn’t even dent that ship, so why are the Sontarans so keen to stop you?” the Doctor mused, turning to Martha. “Any ideas?”
“How should I know?”
////
Jordan walked down the corridors of the ATMOS factory, ensuring that every solider had a gasmask and a non-copper weapon. She almost stumbled over Ross and his group of four as they were all sat on the floor.
“Sorry ma’am.” The soldiers stumbled to their feet and saluted.
“At ease.” Jordan smiled. “Did you get the new weapons and gasmasks?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Excellent.” She turned to continue her walk but froze as she heard something. “Did you hear that?”
The sound of marching boots echoed up and down the corridors.
“Get ready.” She ordered sharply. The men jumped to their feet and took up positions.
“Enemy within!” Ross reported into the radio. “Greyhound 40 declaring absolute emergency. Sontarans within factory grounds, east corridor grid six.”
“Absolute emergency, declaring Code Red.” Mace responded, giving orders to all the troops. “All troops, Code Red! All troops, open fire!”
“Good thing you got those weapons here ma’am.” Ross and his squad dropped into firing positions.
“Indeed.” Jordan pulled out her sonic blaster and started firing, “Fire at will lads!”
////
“We’ve managed to defend the factory,” Mace reported to the Doctor, “Agent Williams left orders for new weapons to be brought in.”
“Wait.” The Doctor looked at him over his glasses, “Tory ‘left’ orders? Where did she go?”
“Agent Mason will know.” Mace answered.
“Right.” He nodded to himself and resolved to question Jordan at the next opportunity. “Why try and take the factory? They don’t need it. Why attack now? What are they up to? Times like this, I could do with the Brigadier. No offence.”
“None taken.” Said Mace. “Sir Alistair’s a fine man, if not the best. Unfortunately, he’s stranded in Peru.”
“Launch grid back online.” Price reported just as the main screen loaded a world map. The screen went blank again. “They’re inside the system, sir. It’s coming from within UNIT itself.”
“Trace it.” Mace ordered. “Find out where it’s coming from, and quickly. Gas levels?”
“66% in major population areas. And rising.”
“Why defend the factory only after we were inside?” Mace questioned.
“Because they wanted UNIT here.” The Doctor answered. “You gave them something they needed. Something now hidden inside the factory. Something precious.”
“Then we’ve got to recover it.” Mace announced. “I’ll have Agent Mason organise search teams.” He walked away a few steps already talking to Jordan over the radio.
The Doctor glanced over his shoulder, making sure that Martha wasn’t paying attention to him, before quietly getting the attention of the nearest officer.
“Phone. Have you got a phone? I need your mobile, quickly, hurry up!” he was handed the phone and quickly darted into Jordan’s office.
////
The phone in Donna’s hand started to ring, jolting Donna out of her daydreams as Tory’s technobabble washed over her in calming waves; said female Time Lord was currently under the TARDIS console doing some ‘light’ repairs.
“What’s happened, where are you?” Donna demanded into the phone, tapping at Tory’s foot to get her attention.
“Still on Earth.” The Doctor answered. “But don’t worry, I’ve got my secret weapon.”
“What’s that?” Donna asked as Tory slid out from under the console and climbed to her feet.
“You.”
“Oh. Somehow that’s not making me happy.” Donna hissed. “Tory’s up here with me.”
The Doctor’s relieved sigh made the phone crackle with static.
“Can’t you just zap us down to Earth with that remote thing?” Donna questioned.
“Yeah,” the Doctor admitted sheepishly. “I haven’t got a remote, though I really should. But I need you on that ship. That’s why I made them move the TARDIS. I’m sorry, but you’ve got to go outside.”
“But there’s Sonterruns out there.” Donna protested.
“Sontarans,” the Doctor corrected, “but they’ll all be on battle stations right now. They don’t walk around having coffee. I can talk you through it.”
“But what if they find us?” Donna asked quietly.
“I know,” the Doctor said reassuringly, “and I wouldn’t ask, but there’s nothing else I can do. The whole planet is choking, Donna. Tory will protect you, I promise.” Tory’s hand on Donna’s shoulder reinforced that statement. Donna put the phone on speaker and balanced it on the TARDIS console so Tory could hear the Doctor properly rather than the odd word she was getting before.
“What do you need us to do?” Tory asked the phone.
“The Sontarans are inside the factory which means they’ve got a teleport link with the ship,” the Doctor explained hurriedly, “but they’ll have deadlocked it. I need you to reopen the link.”
“But, I can’t even mend a fuse.” Donna protested.
“You may not,” the Doctor interrupted, “but Tory can.”
Tory grinned.
“I could blow it up, easy.” She suggested to the phone.
“Not until I know what they’re trying to do.” The Doctor ordered. “And Donna, stop talking about yourself like that. You can do this. I promise.”
Donna and Tory shared a look before moving towards the door together, Tory holding the phone. Donna opened the door, peeked out and then closed it again silently.
“There's a Sonterrun... Sontaran.” Donna corrected herself with a slight eye roll.
“Did he see you?” the Doctor questioned.
“No,” Donna explained, “he's got his back to me.”
“Listen, on the back of his neck on his collar there's a sort of plug, like a hole.” The Doctor explained, his voice getting faster and faster, “The Probic Vent. One blow to the Probic Vent knocks 'em out.”
Donna looked at Tory, lost.
“Grab the mallet.” Tory instructed. Donna did so, “He promised he’d stop hitting the Old Girl with that.” Tory muttered. Tory handed the phone back to Donna and took the mallet. She walked over to the TARDIS door and slowly opened it, sneaking out and raising her weapon. She lashed out in one quick, unseen, movement.
The Sontaran hit the floor.
“Back of the neck!” Donna hissed happily down the phone.
“Now then,” the Doctor said, “you gotta find the external junction feed to the teleport.”
“What... what's it look like?” Donna asked as she followed Tory towards the only door to the room.
“A circular panel on the wall.” The Doctor described. “Big symbol on the front, like a, like a letter T with a horizontal line through it. Or, or two Fs back to back. Tory’ll know it when she sees it.” Tory nodded.
“Well, there's a door.” Donna offered.
“Should be a switch by the side.”
“Yeah there is. But it's Sontaran-shaped, you need three fingers.”
“You've got three fingers.” The Doctor pointed out.
“Oh, yeah!” she put her hand into the pattern and the door slid open. “We’re through.”
The Doctor kissed the phone.
“Oh, you are brilliant, you are.” He praised.
“Shut up.” Donna laughed quietly, “Don’t think Tory‘ll like that.” Tory chuckled. “Right. T with a line through it.” Donna said, reminding herself as she followed Tory through the doorway.
////
Colonel Mace re-entered the command centre, drawing the Doctor’s attention away from the phone.
“Got to go. Keep the line open!” the Doctor exited the office, catching the gasmask that was thrown towards him by Mace.
“You're not going without me!” Martha protested.
“Wouldn't dream of it.”
////
Donna and Tory squeezed themselves into a corner, hiding as a troop of Sontaran’s marched passed.
“This is far easier than I expected.” Tory commented as she and Donna stepped back out into the open.
“Oh, don’t complain.” Donna said.
////
Outside the ATMOS factory members of UNIT gathered around Mace and the Doctor, they were all wearing gasmasks and all armed with the new weapons. Mace was showing one of these to the Doctor.
“Latest firing stock, what do you think, Doctor?” Mace questioned.
“Are you my mummy?”
“If you could concentrate.” Said Mace in clipped tones. “Bullets with a rad-steel coating, no copper surface. Overcame the Cordolaine signal well enough in the factory.”
“But the Sontarans have got lasers!” the Doctor protested. “You can't even see in this fog; the night-vision doesn't work.”
“Thank you Doctor, thank you for your lack of faith.” Mace snapped. “But this time, I'm not listening.” He removed his gasmask and turned to his soldiers. “Attention, all troops! Sontarans might think of us as primitive. As does every passing species with an axe to grind. They make a mockery of our weapons, our soldiers, our ideals. But no more! From this point on, it stops. From this point on, the people of Earth fight back and we show them! We show the warriors of Sontar what the human race can do! Trap One to Hawk Major! Go, go, go!” a loud nose rang from the sky, the fog started to clear under the amazing power of the Valiant engines. “It's working! The area's clearing. Engines to maximum!”
“It's the Valiant!” the Doctor cried out happily.
“UNIT Carrier Ship Valiant reporting for duty, Doctor!” said Mace eagerly. “With engines strong enough to clear away the fog.”
The Doctor pulled off his gasmask.
“Woah, that's brilliant!”
“Getting a taste for it, Doctor?” Mace teased.
“No,” the Doctor coughed, “not at all. Not me.”
“East and north have been secured and searched by Agent Mason and her teams.” Mace reported, gesturing towards the factory, “She’s waiting for you inside.” He turned and led away a group of soldiers for his own search.
The Doctor pulled out his phone.
“Donna,” he hissed down the line, “hold on. I'm coming.” He quickly hid the phone gain as Martha walked over.
“Shouldn't we follow the Colonel?” she questioned.
“Nah, you and me, Martha Jones. Just like old times!” the Doctor said with a grin before leading the way to the factory.
Just inside the door Jordan was waiting, talking to Ross.
“Seriously,” she was saying, “if you want a promotion, apply for the opening in my department.”
“Jordan!” the Doctor yelled as he darted past her and further into the factory.
“Think about it!” she ordered Ross before darting after the Doctor and Martha.
“Alien technology, this-a-way.” The Doctor announced, the sonic in his hand and scanning for alien technology.
////
The three headed down into the basement levels, following the signal from the Doctor’s sonic. The area was deserted.
“No Sontarans down here.” The Doctor muttered. “They can't resist a battle. Here we go.” At the end of the corridor was a metal door and the signal lead right to it.
Jordan stepped in front of him, stopping him from charging through the door with a glare. She turned the handle slowly. She pushed open the door an examined the room, in the centre was some sort of pool of white liquid, behind it was a teleport pod and beside the pool, a wire-rack-bed holding Martha. The Doctor charged passed Jordan and over to Martha. The Martha-Clone tried to pull a weapon but Jordan knocked it out of her hand and across the room before restraining her.
“Ooh, Martha, I'm so sorry.” The Doctor muttered, checking the real Martha’s pulse. “Still alive.” He barely acknowledged the scuffle between Martha-Clone and Jordan. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”
“I've been stopping the nuclear launch all this time.” Martha-Clone gloated.
“Doing exactly what I wanted.” The Doctor agreed. “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?”
“Yes, Doctor.” Jordan growled. “Why did you learn of the dangerous security breach that you failed to tell me about?”
“What, you?” the Doctor ignored Jordan, knowing that she’d find a way to make him pay later. “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.” he looked over at her. “You remember him, don't you? Cos 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.” He yanked the device from real Martha’s head and she woke up with a scream. At the same time Clone Martha’s legs failed, Jordan holding all of her weight for a moment before letting her drop.
The Doctor pulled the real Martha into a hug.
“It's all right.” He comforted. “It's all right, I'm here, I'm here. I've got you, got you.”
“There was this thing, Doctor,” she tried to explain, “this alien, with this head...” she was interrupted by his phone ringing.
“Oh, blimey I'm busy.” He pulled out the ringing device. “Got it?” he asked down the phone.
////
“Yes. Now hurry up!” Donna hissed down the phone.
“Take off the covering.” The Doctor instructed. “All the blue switches inside, flick them up like a fuse-box. And that should get the teleport working.”
“Tory’s already done that.” Donna explained impatiently.
“Right, just stay put.” He ordered.
“Bossy, your boyfriend.” Donna muttered to Tory.
“You should have met him when he was younger.”
////
Back in the clone lab the Doctor had started work on the teleport with Jordan acting as his assistant. Martha had moved over to her clone and sat down beside it.
“Don't touch me!” the Clone snapped.
“It's not my fault.” Martha said. “The Sontarans created you. But... you had all my memories.”
“You've got a brother, sister, mother and father.”
“If you don't help me, they're gonna die.”
“You love them.” The clone whispered.
“Yes. Remember that?”
“The gas!” the Doctor shouted from his position inside the teleport. “Tell us about the gas.”
“He's the enemy!” the Clone said viciously, glaring at the Doctor.
“Then tell me.” Martha begged. “It's not just poison, what's it for? Martha, please!”
“Caesofine concentrate.” The Clone admitted between painful pants, “It's one part of Bosteen, two parts Probic 5.”
“Clonefeed!” the Doctor yelled in realisation. “It's clonefeed!”
“What's clonefeed?” Martha questioned.
“Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans.” The Doctor explained, stopping working so as to use his hands for emphasis. “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. Cos the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce. Give 'em a planet this big, they'll create billions of new soldiers. That gas isn't poison, it's food!”
“Great, we produce the next batch of soldiers in their great war and what do we get for it?” Jordan muttered angrily under her breath. The Doctor raised an amused eyebrow; he was the only one in the room able to hear her. “Get back to work.” She ordered.
“Yes ma’am.” He said cheekily before going back to work.
“My heart... It's getting slower.” The clone said quietly.
“There's nothing I can do.” Martha said apologetically.
“In your mind, you've got so many plans. There's so much that you wanna do.”
“And I will.” Martha promised. “Never do tomorrow what you can do today, my mum says. Cos...”
“Cos you never know how long you've got. Martha Jones... All that life.” The clone stopped breathing. Martha closed her eyes respectfully and slid the engagement ring from the clone’s finger.
////
There was a sound of marching Sontaran boots and Tory had barely a moment’s warning to throw up a protective shield.
////
“Doctor!” Donna’s voice screamed down the phone. “They've found us!” the sound of the Sontaran weapons hitting a wall drowned out whatever she was going to say next.
“Now!” the Doctor yelled, running out of the teleporter and using the sonic to activate it.
Donna and Tory appeared in the device. Donna immediately ran out and into the Doctor’s arms.
“Have I ever told you how much I hate you?” she asked. Tory stepped out of the teleport with a little more dignity.
“Hold on, hold on.” The Doctor was saying to Donna, trying to shove her off him. “Get off me, get off me! Gotta bring the TARDIS down.” Donna let go and the Doctor used the sonic of the transporter again.
////
The TARDIS reappeared in the alleyway, none-the-worse-for-wear.
////
“Right, now.” The Doctor grinned, hugging Donna before letting go and giving Tory a long relieved kiss, pulling her away from Jordan to do it; the Doctor just knew that her revenge was going to be so much worse than before due to the glare she was shooting him. “Martha, you coming?”
“What about this nuclear launch thing?” Martha asked, climbing to her feet and holding her phone in hand.
“Just keep pressing N,” the Doctor instructed, “we want to keep those missiles on the ground.”
Donna caught sight of the dead clone.
“But there’s... two of them.” She said in confusion.
“Yeah,” the Doctor ushered her into the teleport, “long story.” Martha, Jordan and Tory all stepped inside after his prompting. “Here we go. The old team, back together! Well, the new team.”
“We’re not going back on that ship!” Donna cried.
“No, no, no. No.” he said as he fiddled with the controls, “I needed to get the teleport working so that we could get to...” they vanished and reappeared at the Rattigan Academy. “...here! The Rattigan Academy, owned by...”
Luke was standing in front of the teleport and he was pointing a gun right at the Doctor.
“Don’t tell anyone what I did!” the boy said hysterically, “It wasn’t my fault, the Sontarans lied to me, they...” the Doctor stormed towards him and snatched the gun out of his hands.
“If I see one more gun...” the Time Lord muttered angrily, tossing the gun away.
////
The Doctor led the way back to the lab. He started building something, Tory lending a hand and passing him tools as she caught on to what he was building.
“That’s why the Sontarans had to stop the missiles, they were holding back.” He explained as they worked. “Because, caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground-to-air engagement could’ve sparked off the whole thing.”
“What, like set fire to the atmosphere?” Martha asked.
“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?”
“They promised me a new world.” Luke tried to explain.
“You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe the air with this!” he and Tory finished their device. “An atmospheric converter.” He grabbed it into his arms and rushed outside and onto the lawns.
The view of London was completely obscured by smoke.
“That’s London.” Donna said quietly. “You can’t even see it. My family’s in there.”
“If I can get this on the right setting...” the Doctor muttered, fiddling with the device.
“Wait….you said the atmosphere would burn!” Jordan protested.
“Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” He grinned cheekily and slammed his hand down on the activation button. A flame shot up into the sky and the atmosphere ignited.
“Please,” the Doctor begged, his fingers crossed, “please, please, please, please, please, please...”
And then the flames burnt out and the sky was back to normal.
“Thank god.” Jordan sighed out.
“He’s a genius!” Luke laughed.
“Just brilliant.” Martha celebrated, hugging Donna.
“Now we’re in trouble!” the Doctor lifted the device into his arms and was about to dart back into the building when Tory glowered at him and stepped into his path.
“You’d better not be thinking of going up there.” She warned.
“Well…” he grinned sheepishly. “I have to give them a chance.”
“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.” she admitted, stepped back out of his way and let him dart past her. “I’ll rescue you in five minutes.” She called after him, letting her Huon Particles cover her and vanishing with a silver flash.
////
The Doctor was standing on the Sontaran ship, detonation button in hand. He just had to stall until Tory could……
A pair of female arms wrapped around him and pulled the button from his hands.
“Go.” Tory ordered. He tried to protest but she’d already activated the teleport. Once the Doctor was safely away Tory smirked at the Sontarans. “Try harm my planet will you?” she slammed her hand on the button.
////
The Doctor appeared in the teleport and rushed to the window. Up in the sky he could see the Sontaran ship fly apart. Tory arrived in Rattigan Academy with her shower of silver and was pulled into the Doctor’s arms.
“Don’t ever do that again.” He said, burying his face in her hair.
“Only if you promise the same.”