Chapter Text
“I wish you’d take this seriously."
Martha defended herself. “I just don’t think its worth making such a fuss about.”
“You would if you weren’t so happy all the time. Its like nothing gets to you anymore. Honestly since you met Harry,” Tish trailed off.
Unable to help it Martha found herself smiling, proving her sister’s point. To keep from saying something Tish would use against her Martha took a sip of her tea.
Having gotten no denial Tish asked, “Did he take you out again last night?”
Martha’s thoughts flickered back to what for her sister was just hours gone but days for her.
***
Martha was only home minutes when there was a knock on her door. Opening it she found Harry with a wide smile on his face, holding two travel cups and a pastry bag.
“Is that what I think it is,” she asked, but having recognized the pattern on the cups Martha wasn't waiting on the answer.
Reaching out she eagerly relieving him of the bag and the larger of the cups but that didn’t stop Harry from answering, “Fresh from that little shop next to the Orchards of Gelistain, one of their blossom lattes guaranteed to sooth and lift you body and soul, and a Clementine Crawler. No medicinal virtues-“
Already two sips into her latte and one bite into the crawler Martha interrupted to finish the words the owner said every time they ordered, “But it tastes so good that hardly matters.”
Moving away from the door she tilt her head for Harry to follow. He was always welcome but bless him he wasn’t one to take liberties. Not like Martha’s mother who thought since she had a key for emergencies she could just let herself in as she liked.
Closing the door behind him Harry asked, “How was work?”
“Better off forgotten,” Martha responded, flopping down on the couch.
“And the family? Loe’s party is tomorrow isn’t it? Then Tish’s thing the night after. Are they excited?”
Martha gave him a look that didn’t quite manage to hide her amusement. “Better off not talking about it.”
Settling onto the couch beside her Harry took a sip of his own drink. He looked plenty amused and wasn’t bothering to hide it. “That bad?”
“Isn’t it always?”
Diplomatically Harry responded, “You’re family is an… excitable lot.”
“Yeah, excitable,” Martha agreed, judging but with love.
“If you’re tired we could do something simple tonight? Grab a curry down the street then maybe do something in the morning if you’re up for it.”
And he meant that which Martha loved about him but there was no way she was accepting his offer. As nice as a simple meal with Harry could be Martha had spent all day looking forward to an adventure.
“No. Definitely not,” she said taking another sip as she got to her feet. She started heading back towards the bedroom as she assured, “My latte and a shower will see me sorted for whatever you’ve got planned. Whatever that might be,” she lead hoping he’d enlighten her, which he did.
“I was thinking we might go back, watch one of the first open heart surgeries,” that definitely had Martha’s interest, "then head to Atlantis for dinner?”
Pausing in the doorway she squinted back at him. “Which Atlantis?”
Harry squinted back, “Do you really want to know or would you rather be surprised?"
Later she discovered the Atlantis he had in mind was planet who’s entire surface was ocean with its cities built on the sea bed. Everything was beautiful and amazing and it turned out there was a runaway princess, two bank robbers, and shapeshifter all hiding out at the resort they decided on for dinner which resulted in the kind of absurd nonsense happening you had to be there to believe. By the time they left for home three days had passed. Three amazing, unforgettable days filled with the kind of things most people could only dream of but Martha, she lived it.
And the surgery before hand. That was history. That was one of the building blocks to the medicine Martha was learning to practice in her everyday and it had been a black Doctor taking that step. Watching it with a modern perspective was a bit hard because she knew how it could be done better and couldn’t intervene but still. Other students could only read the sterile accounts. Thanks to Harry she’d been there to see it.
Pulling herself out of her head Martha focused back on her phone call but as she wasn’t able to stop from smiling she couldn’t scold her sister properly, “I wish you wouldn’t say it like that. You know it wasn’t a date.”
“I can hear you smiling,” Tish threw back.
“We aren’t like that,” Martha reiterated. Her smile finally slipped off from having to admitted.
Realizing she’d lead them towards a sore spot Tish went quiet for a beat. She and the rest of the family were convinced it was only a matter of time before Martha and Harry became ‘official’ but they didn’t know the whole story. Martha did. She knew odds were Harry would never see her like that. He was a friend, the best friend she’d ever had and Martha was doing her best to accept that as enough.
Veering the conversation back on course Tish broke her silence to ask, “Is he coming to Leo’s party?”
“Should be. Unless something comes up.” Which was unlikely. One of benefits of time travel was being able to show up when promised even if something tried to get in the way. At least that’s how it was with Harry. He always made a point to keep his promises and appointments.
“Well, that’s something,” Tish said. “Maybe he can help run interference. Tell you what, I’m not far away. I’ll drop by for a sandwich and we can draw up a battle plan for the evening."
“In this weather? I’m not going out. It’s pouring,” Martha said cutting a look at the torrents of water moving down the window.
“It’s not raining here,” Tish said and Martha rolled her eyes. “That’s weird. It’s raining right on top of you, I can see it, but it’s dry where I am.”
“Well you just got lucky,” Martha dismissed.
“No, but it’s like in the cartoons. You know, when a man’s got a cloud over his head?”
Now, a few months back Martha would have ignored that but after traveling with Harry she’d learned to take note of anything out of the ordinary.
“What do you mean,” she asked. “Can you take a picture and send it too me.”
“Yeah. Yeah,” Tish confirmed.
Looking over her shoulder Martha recognized Mister Smith from rounds walking past. Pausing he looked over. Their eyes locked, and Martha got the tingles up her spine. Something about his exam had thrown Oliver and after his talk about Benjamin Franklin Martha agreed with Mister Stoker’s assessment that a visit from psychiatric was in order but that didn’t warrant the tingles so what was causing it.
With her worry mounting Martha’s eyes followed after Smith until a touch on her arm drew her attention to Julia. Through all their time together as fellow medical students Martha had never seen her friend so thrown.
“What is it,” she asked even as she followed Julia’s gaze to the window.
“The rain,” Julia said even as Tish asked, “Martha, have you seen the rain?”
Staring at it Martha answered, “I see it.” Her voice going firm she ordered, “Tish I’ll call you back but get me that picture.”
She was only just able to end the call before things went from worrying to alarming as the building shook so hard they were thrown about and to the floor. Bracing herself Martha worked to type out a simple text to Harry. Just three letters. SOS. She’d just managed the second S when whatever was happening came to a sudden halt. With her finger hovering over send she waited to see what would happen.
“Are you alright,” she and Julia asked checking in with each other at the same time. Martha smiled at her but Julia was too shook to see the humor in it.
“I am,” Martha confirmed. Getting up she made her way over to check on her friend. “Are you?”
She got a weak nod in response but Julia’s attention wasn’t really on her.
“Martha,” she said confused by what she was seeing. “It’s night. But it was lunch time.”
With time travel as her first thought Martha turned to look out the window to check that they were just moved ahead or back to night and not a night in another decade or century. Only, what she saw out the window threw that theory, well, out the window.
“It's not night,” Martha said already bringing her phone to her ear as she hit the first contact in her speed dial.
“But its got to be,” Julia said getting up to look. “It’s dark.
Holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder Martha listened to it ring as she reached out to brace Julia who was she got to her feet, receptively moving to support her through the coming revelation.
“But that can’t be,” Julia said numb with shock.
As the call went to voicemail Martha quickly hung. As soon as she ended the call her phone rang causing Julia to startle at the sound. The screen said the call was from Trish and feeling awful about it Martha dismissed the call rather than answering so she could try Harry again.
“Your phone’s working,” Julia asked. Looking confused she took in the phone before slowly looking back out the window. “But…”
“Yeah,” Martha agreed rubbing her friend’s arm.
The phone rang twice before Martha heard the best thing she had all day.
“Hello,” Harry answered jovially.
“Hi,” Martha managed to get out before Julia asked, “Your phone’s working?”
Feeling just a little bit exasperated with Julia’s shock Martha gave her another smile and continued to rub her arm. Her moments pause meant Harry had started off talking without realizing the nature of her call.
“This is a pleasant surprise. What’s the time?” Martha figured he was already checking his watch because right after he was saying, "Oh, is it your lunch break? Are you calling for some special order delivery or did you want me to come whisk you away for a bit?"
With Julia listening Martha couldn’t speak openly so had to rely on code. “Guess where I am?"
Like tires deflating everything light went out of Harry’s tone. “Where,” he asked as he took off running. Martha could hear it and knowing he was on his way, most likely to his Tardis helped her to feel better some.
“Would you think I’ve gone crazy if I told you the moon?"
Julia made a kind of whine and Martha brought her in for a one armed hug.
“Did I bring you there,” Harry asked, already thinking at a hundred miles an hours if Martha knew him, which she did.
“Nope.”
“Any idea what did?”
“The rain started going up, the building shook, then we looked outside and…” She gave the view a head tilt he couldn’t see but just like she knew him he knew her well enough to infer what she meant.
“I’m on my way. Don’t hang up,” Harry ordered meaning he couldn’t talk but he’d still have the phone near and an ear to it if something came up, and wanted her to do the same.
Martha nodded. Keeping her phone gripped in her hand she told Julia, “Come on,” and headed out into the halls.
The safest thing to do would be to stay put but Martha wasn’t about to hide while there might be people she could help.
“Everyone. Stay calm. Sit or stand against the walls or in the stairwells. Just stay away from the windows until we know what’s going on,” she advised on repeat as she moved through the chaos of panicking people. She didn’t know if that was actually the best thing to do but more than once there’d been trouble with windows and space while she was traveling with Harry and so it seemed like the best advice she could offer. However going against her own word Martha made her way over to a large panel of windows which was offering one spectacular view of the moon and beyond it floating in the ‘sky’ was Earth.
Reaching out she made to open one of the windows.
Lunging to stop her, Julia pleaded, “Don’t! We’ll loose all the air.”
“But I don’t think they’re what’s holding the air in,” Martha explained to her with forced calm. “They aren’t exactly airtight. If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away but it didn’t.”
“A very good point,” Mister Smith declared drawing back his curtain dramatically. Unlike everyone else he had enough wits about him to think to get out of his hospital wear and into street cloths. The sight of him with his easy posture sent more tingles up Martha’s spine, because that wasn’t normal and while normal didn’t always equal good and not normal didn’t always equal bad somehow the hospital had maybe been transported to the moon or they were all being tricked into thinking it was yet this man was calm enough to be getting dressed and giving out compliments. “Brilliant in fact. What was your name?”
“Jones,” Martha told him since he’d already heard that during their rounds. Her first name she kept to herself. Wanting to see how he’d react and wanting Harry to hear her thoughts over the phone, she said, “And I’ll do you one better. Since these windows aren’t air tight but we’re still breathing, and the moons gravity is different from Earth’s but every things still anchored normally, what are the odds we might still be on Earth, no matter how this looks.”
“Oh,” Mister Smith said looking more clearly impressed. “I like that. Wrong, but good thinking.”
Frowning at him Martha held her ground as he came forward for a closer look out the windows though he didn’t try opening them. After a cursory glance he asked, “Jones, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor or a veranda-“
“Patients’ lounge,” Martha answered.
Turning on her with an unsettling intense look Smith asked, “Fancy going out?”
Martha held his eye as she quickly weighed her options.
Turning to Julia she put a hand on her arm and told her firmly. “Go check on our oxygen supply. If this air is all we’ve got then we’re going to need it,” she said knowing the hospital couldn’t possibly have enough and that bringing it up might make Julia worry more but she hoped having a task and being reminded of those that needed her help would kick Julia into recovering from the shock.
Turning back to Mister Smith she told him, “This way,” getting a smile from him for her compliance in return. Heading off Martha tightened her grip around her phone which was still firmly in hand. Faintly she could hear the familiar clicks and flips of Harry bringing his Tardis into flight coming over the speaker.
As they came upon the large glass doors for the balcony off the Patients' Lounge Martha felt the air rush out of her at who she saw waiting for them. Pushing herself just a little bit faster she shoved open the doors.
“Harry,” she said as he turned to her.
“Martha,” he greeted with equal relief. He slipped a scanner into his pocket as he brought her into a hug which felt very nice but ended too soon as he quickly let her go to look her over. Martha took that moment to slip her phone into her pocket but as she hadn’t been told otherwise she left the call still going.
“Are you alright,” he asked.
“A bit ruffled,” she admitted.
“Well, not what you expect on you average work day.”
She would have made a quip about it being more what she expected from her nights with him if it hadn’t been for Mister Smith who she could see loitering in her peripheral. Instead she held her tongue.
Making a show of just noticing Mister Smith, Harry greeted him. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Smith returned.
“Harry, Mister Smith. Mister Smith, Doctor Potter,” Martha introduced.
“Doctor Potter,” Smith repeated rather than greeted as he made his way to the railing with an eye on the easy way Harry kept one arm over Martha’s shoulder to keep her close to his side.
“Aren’t there rules about fraternizing with students,” he asked sounding mostly curious but also just a little bit judging. Not judging enough to stay focused on them. Instead he started looking out at the view while Harry frowned with honest confusion.
“He means dating,” Martha explained to clue him in because for all his experience this was the one topic where Harry somehow regularly managed to be oblivious. “Which we’re not,” she felt the need to explain to Smith for some reason, "and even if we were Harry doesn’t work at the hospital.”
Looking back at them Smith gave Harry a curious looking over and asked, "But you're a medical Doctor?”
“I have mixed specialties,” Harry supplied easily.
“Is that so,” Smith asked, lips pursed even as his eyebrow twitched upward. Intrigued, amused, or just trying to seem encouraging Martha couldn’t tell.
Turning away his attention was drawn out again to the view beyond the hospital.
Wanting to move things along Martha stated the obvious. “So we aren’t dead and we have air.”
“And a forcefield a few feet out,” Harry informed her.
“You already checked,” Smith asked.
Harry nodded.
Humming Smith looked around on the ground until he found a little something to toss to test for himself. As it hit the forcefield a small area around the impact became temporarily visible. Harry’s word was good enough for Martha but it was reassuring to see with her own eyes that there was something out there holding the air in.
“So, anyone have any thoughts as to what’s happening,” she asked really only interested in Harry’s opinion but his frown told her he only had a vague idea and nothing concrete he wanted to share with a stranger around.
Leaning against the wall Smith looked back at her. “What do you think?”
That was an easy enough thing to answer. “Extraterrestrial,” she said without a doubt and feeling no need to explain herself.
“And your guess, Doctor Potter,” Smith said enunciating the words Doctor and Potter in an odd way.
“I’m with Martha. First Big Ben, then Christmas, Canary Wharf, and Christmas again. We’re due for the next bit of spectacle.”
The way Harry worded that and something about standing there in the quasi calm made it hit Martha what was happening. Cause, she knew what Harry meant. She knew there were aliens and dangers and things happening on Earth all the time that the public never heard a word of let alone saw on the news but this, this wasn’t something hidden. This was something to be seen. Spectacle.
“Oh my god,” she said closing her eyes and bowing her head.
“What is it,” Harry asked while Mister Smith took a step forward to hover.
“Mom. The rest. They’re got to be…”
Reaching in her pocket Martha turned her phone over in her hand. She knew she couldn’t call them. There would be too many questions about how her call went through when no one else’s could but the idea of leaving them worrying as they watched the news? And Trish! Trish had been there. She’d seen the hospital go. Was she okay? What was the effect on the area when the hospital was taken?
Harry gave her a squeeze.
“Are you okay?” Surprising to Martha the question came from Mister Smith.
Martha held up her head. “Yes. It’s only… I had a cousin, Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf.” Martha shook her head trying to shake off the melancholy that wanted to sink in on her. “She never came home. With this happening, my families got to be going to pieces."
“I’m sorry,” Smith said.
“Yeah,” Martha accepted thinking this was nothing more than the casual sympathy she usually got.
But Smith was looking off into the distance with sad eyes and there was so much grief in his voice as he revealed, “I was there… In the battle, it was…"
“… Did you work for Torchwood,” Martha asked. When Smith turned on her with a hard look she explained apologetically, “It’s only, all of this, you don’t seem effected by it.”
“Neither do you,” he threw back. “Neither of you."
Not sure what to say Martha looked to Harry who had been giving Smith a measuring look.
“We’ve worked with Unit,” he revealed, handing over a small bit of truth. They both watched to see how Smith reacted to that name. All he did was raise an eyebrow.
“Are you legacies,” Smith asked, referring to those who came to work for Unit not by being scouted but because they already had clearance thanks to other people in their family already working there.
“What makes you say that,” Martha asked.
“You don’t really have the military barring.”
“I retired,” Harry informed him. “After, I worked hard to shed it off, move on. Thankfully Martha’s never had to know that life.” He didn’t give Smith time to comment on that. “What about you?”
Mister Smith turned to look down over at the ground then up at the hospital. Then focusing back on them he announced, “I’m the Doctor.”
Martha felt her heart skip a beat as Harry froze beside her.
The Doctor watched them for a fraction of a second to see the effect of that bombshell dropping before pacing around to the opposite side of the balcony to have a look over the edge from there.
Martha cut a look over to Harry who was still frozen, stiff as a board, and his face looking hard as all his emotions were buried down to stay concealed.
“As in the Time Lord,” Martha found herself asking. She managed to tear her eyes away from Harry to face Mister Smith who Martha refused to think of as the Doctor until they had proof he was the other Time Lord they had heard about.
Mister Smith, from where he’d paused leaning over the wall was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Slowly standing straight he said, “You’d have to have some pretty high clearance with in Unit to have heard that title. They don’t usually stick with “the Doctor” when discussing me with the lower ranks."
“Pretty high yeah,” Martha admitted already turning away from Smith to take in Harry. She was concerned by the hard blank look he was still wearing on his face. She reached up to take his hand. That was enough to begin shaking Harry out of things and bringing the life back to him. The first sign of it was he started blinking and breathing again.
Looking over at Smith she saw the way he was taking in Harry before he hid his interest.
Wanting to break the tension Martha suggested, “So, now that we know you know about things and you know about us,” and god she felt like an idiot when she realized exactly how ineloquently she’d phrased that. She turned to Harry. “What do you know?”
“Definitely on the moon and Unit’s setting up where the hospital should be,” he reported still looking at Smith. Breaking off his stare he turned to Martha and gave her a small smile. “Facial recognition will have picked up Tish. They’ll keep an eye on her. Try to get her to go home if they can.”
“Who’s Tish,” Smith asked curiously.
“My sister,” Martha explained though she didn’t really want to. She preferred those involved with this side of her life who she didn’t completely trust not know anything about her personal life. “She was on the phone with me, looking at the hospital when everything happened."
“Were you all going out for lunch,” Smith asked with his lips funnily pursed as he fished for information.
Martha was confused as to why he was asking about ‘we’ until she remembered like a light bulb coming on that she’d told him Harry didn’t work in the hospital which meant he had no real reason to be there when all this happened. Which of course is why he hadn’t actually been. He’d come in his Tardis which would be cloaked and hiding until they had a better idea what was going on.
“Sandwiches,” Martha supplied, her lips thinning as they sometimes did when she was trying to deceive without lying. “We were supposed to go for sandwiches.”
Rather uncharacteristically not being helpful, Harry didn’t say a word. He only held on with a firm grip to Martha’s hand. Like a lifeline.
“...Right,” Smith said after observing them and the tension they were giving off for several moments.
Martha couldn’t begin to guess what he was making of their behavior and what conclusions he was drawing but she figured he had to be far off the mark.
Thankfully three giant spaceship passing just over the hospital provided an ample distraction.
As the landing gear deployed and the troops disembarked Martha asked, “Who?”
“Judoon,” Smith declared. His tone was not encouraging.
Turning to Harry for answers what she saw in his expression wasn’t encouraging either.
“Not good,” Martha asked feeling resigned to a headache and possibly some heartache coming her way.
“Not good,” Harry and Smith said in tandem making them turn to look at each other over her head.
Harry was the first to break off away.
"We need to get to the PA system,” he announced.
Using her hold on his hand Martha tugged him along behind her towards where he wanted to go. It was only when they came to a stop that she looked back and saw Smith had followed them.
Harry didn’t need any explanation as to how to operate the system. Speaking into the receiver his voice echoed through the halls of the hospital.
“Attention. Attention everyone. Please quiet down. We need your attention.”
He waited a moment to hear the halls near them quiet.
“Thank you. I would like to assure you that word has come to us from Earth,” he lied or at least Martha thought it was a lie. Or not. Harry had come from Earth and was serving as a messenger of sorts. “As you have probably noticed we have some visitors coming in. We have been informed they are called the Judoon. They generally work as sort of police or bounty hunters. It is important everyone cooperate with them. Most importantly; Do. Not. Attack. I repeat, do not attack them or resist. The consequences of such action would be severe.”
Harry took a breath.
“To all Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff. Our job right now is to continue providing our patients with the treatment they need while assuring they understand what has just been said. To everyone else, I know it may be hard but please, try to stay calm, stay quiet, and listen for any news or instruction from the PA. And again, do not attack or challenge these aliens in any way. I cannot stress this enough. Do not attack,” Harry said one last time.
Knowing it had to be bad for Harry to stress it so firmly, Martha asked, “What do they do if someone attacks?”
“As long as it was witnessed by another Judoon, they immediately execute the perpetrator. As they travel in their squads, there is always a witness,” Harry explained.
Martha paled. “What would you put the odds that in a hospital full of scared humans no one acts out?”
Harry and Smith both answered her with grave looks.
“Right,” Smith said changing his expression to something less grim. “Let’s go find out what they want then shall we?”
Off he went down the hall.
Looking over at Harry Martha watched him watch Smith go. He waited until there was some distance between them before starting them following. Pulling out a familiar syringe from his pocket Martha rolled up her sleeve for him to inject the tracker so Harry and his Tardis could still find her even if she lost her phone or had to plant it on someone else. The thing would stay inert in her system until triggered so it shouldn’t show up on scans to be removed if someone took her.
As he worked Harry explained, “The ships parked just inside the doors from the balcony.”
“Yeah, I thought I spotted a new closet,” she revealed said.
Harry’s smile told Martha she was right. “Try to get to her if there’s a problem but if you need to summon her, then do it. If your life is in danger or someone else’s-"
“We’ll worry about the repercussions later and I shouldn’t hesitate. I know,” Martha assured him.
Harry nodded jerkily. Martha tried to give him a reassuring smile. This wasn’t the first time they’d been in a bad spot but knowing Martha had proven capable of handling herself didn’t help Harry. He’d known hundreds if not thousands of competent people in his long life and seen many of them die. It left him prone to being anxious about the safety of those around him.
Slipping the empty syringe back into his pocket Harry pulled out a small but bulky disk looking bit of tec along with what looked like a lazer pointer but Martha knew was a stunner, both of which he slipped into the pocket of her lab coat.
“The disc helps to block the way between you and trouble. Hold it up, activation buttons in the middle, and a shield will activate. It works better in conjunction with a physical barrier. Best thing you can do is attach it to a door then activate. It won’t stop anyone or anything forever but when activated it will deadlock so they shouldn’t be able to shut it down and that should buy you time.”
“As long as there isn’t another door,” Martha pointed out.
Harry tilt his head. “Or a window. Or if they are small enough to get through a vent."
“Right, so use it but don’t fool myself into thinking that means I’m safe,” Martha reasoned. “Do we have a plan for handling the air?”
“Worse comes to worse we can connect the Tardis to the hospital’s ventilation.”
“Can she handle a building this big with this many people?”
Harry gave her a look showing he was clearly insulted on his ship’s behalf.
Martha rolled her eyes. “It’s a valid question."
Waiting at the door leading out of the stairwell the Doctor was taking them in pensively. Once he had their attention he urged them to go faster. Thankfully they were headed down and not up making the run between floors to their destination a bit easier.
As they came out on the first floor Harry reminded her, “No getting killed.”
“Same to you,” she warned him. “You’re my date to the party tonight. No way am I going into that without backup.”
She turned, smirking at him and found Harry turning to smile back.
Martha wasn’t exactly expecting them to take up position at the door as emissaries but she hadn’t at all thought they’d be sulking about from above spying down on while those completely without experience with aliens had to handle first contact, and it was no gentle inauguration. The Judoon had no care about escalating tensions or acting with blatant aggression as they forced people about. They moved like invading forces, marching in to make war and despite Harry’s warnings it had people panicking and screaming as they tried to run or hide.
"Don’t these brutes get any training on dealing with people,” Martha asked as yet another person was shoved about.
“Yes,” Harry answered but his tone provided no comfort.
“They’re about to assimilate the language, make it so they can translate to english,” Harry explained as one of the Jodunn thrust Oliver up against the wall. Martha expected something more but it seemed all they needed were a few words to have translation up and running.
Martha looked down on them incredulously. “Why didn’t they bother doing that before coming in? Couldn’t they have just picked up radio waves or our tv signals to get what they needed?”
“Yes,” Smith answered, looking at her. His expression openly showed his own judgement.
“Then why didn’t they?”
He pulled a face. “They’re a bit thick.”
“Wonderful,” Martha said slowly turning back to the Judoon.
Carefully crouched Smith moved around to a new spot for a look with them following.
“Ah, look down there. You're got a little shop. I love a little shop,” Smith said seeming genuinely completely thrilled with that.
Martha looked at him in disbelief before dismissively turning away to ask Harry. “What are they doing?”
“Scanning. Making sure everyone’s human,” he explained.
“But why would they be doing that?”
“Because they’re looking for a non-human,” Smith said. “And that’s a problem for me.”
Martha only spared him a glance before looking back to Harry. It would be a problem for him as well but Harry tapped his forefinger finger on the knuckle of his thumb twice and Martha relaxed some.
One of their first trips had been a few hundred years into the future of the human race for dinner and a show. Through out the play the protagonist kept making a show of tapping her finger to her thumb. At first Martha thought she was trying to form the okay sign and was messing it up but as the actress went on doing the same several times over she realized it was intentional. The gesture obviously had meaning to the other characters and no one else in the audience seemed confused but Martha was lost.
Pulling out a paper and pen Harry had written her a quick message to explain. “Double tap to the knuckle = finger to the side of your nose… basically.”
They’d been using it to signal her ever since.
“Come on,” Smith prompted them.
Reaching out Harry took hold of Martha’s forearm to help her up out of her crouch and they followed.
“So if they’re police and they’re looking for a non-human,” Martha said thinking it over. She looked to Harry. “Is this like what they did to Neil?”
“What happened to Neil,” Smith asked sounding genuinely curious.
Martha looked to Harry who looked back at her encouragingly, allowing her to explain.
“Neil had this sort of immunity so long as he stayed out of a certain area but the Glasz sort of kidnapped him to put Neil in their jurisdiction.”
“Are these characters we’re talking about?”
“No. They're real. We helped Neil escape,” Martha reported.
Smith frowned at the pair of them. “Humans were they?”
“No,” Martha denied blithely before turning to Harry. “So, is it like Neil? Did they bring us here to get us away from Earth? Get us on our own. Or is it about them staying safe?”
“What do you mean,” Smith asked forcing her attention back.
With a huff she explained, “Well, its not like with us as hostages Torchwood or whoever can shoot them down like they did the Sycorax, but if they tried to land on Earth to get to the hospital...”
“Oh, good thinking,” Smith said smiling and once again very clearly impressed.
Martha felt herself blushing despite herself. “You don’t need to say that like you’re shocked. You have to think humans are worth something or you wouldn’t take so many as companions.” If he was who he claimed to be that is. If he was indeed the Doctor, cause she’d seen the files and been with Harry when he went hunting down those former companions who were still around.
Still smiling the maybe Doctor, Smith said, “Oh yes. Humans are amazing.” He pulled a face as he teased. “Sometimes a bit dim though.”
Martha gave him a look and pointedly yet again turned to Harry instead of him. “So what do you think? Why’d they bring us up here?”
“I think you got a bit right the first time,” Harry said to her then his eyes cut to Mister Smith, “because as far as I know they don’t have authority to operate on Earth"
Nodding Smith agree. “Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they’ve got no jurisdiction over the Earth. That rain. The lightning? That was them using an H2O scoop. Isolate the hospital. Bring it up? They have reign to proceed."
“Without fear of being shot at,” Martha tacked on cause she was certain that had to be on their mind at least a little. Even Harry had been impressed with the weapon Torchwood displayed. Then Martha had a thought, “Can our weapons reach the moon?”
“Yes,” Harry answered readily.
“… Its sad I’m now more worried now than comforted.”
Mister Smith gave a wide slightly condescending grin. “Oh the virtues of the human race."
Martha squinted at him.
Wherever the Doctor intended for them to go Harry had his own plan in mind. They’d come across another hub where they could access to the PA system. Veering off he went to make another announcement.
“Attention everyone. Human and not,” Harry stressed, “And yes I’m including all Judoon in this.”
Smith who’d been eyeing the halls looked over at him with an expression that pleaded for caution but Harry who was staring off didn’t see it. He proceeded as he liked. His tone was commanding. Right now Harry had that look about him Martha so rarely got to see. The look of a man who’d led soldiers, armies, entire governments and he would be listened too.
“To the Judoon forces and commanders specifically. You have kidnapped a hospital full of people. While we understand you have your reasons you will act accordingly. This is a Green Moon Facility. Many of those here are suffering with physical or mental ailments. You will be considerate of that. Those in the white lab coats are our Doctors. You will not forcibly move anyone without first confirming with our Doctor’s that they can be moved. If they say no, you will not act. The Shadow Proclamation has already been sent word of what is happening here. You are being watched and any misconduct will be reported.”
Harry paused to let that digest.
A now frowning Mister Smith was looking at Harry more than mildly disapproving. While wondering what he wasn’t happy about Martha asked, “Think that will make them act a bit more considerately?”
"They better,” Harry said just to her. Over the PA he continued. “As for the rest of us, as stated earlier. Cooperation is vital. The Judoon have a job to do and the faster its done, the sooner we all get home. They’ll be working their way through the hospital checking that everyone here is human. They will scan you. It’s safer than an x-ray. Once its done they’ll mark you as human. Its just as safe. All you need to do is to be patient, stay calm, and stay where you are. No need to queue up. Just stay where you are and let them come to you. If you can do that, we should be home within the hour. Keep calm and expect further word if anything changes.”
With that Harry ended his speech.
“Nicely done,” Martha complemented. “But did you really send a report?”
“Hospital of people taken without warning? I sent a report,” Harry assured.
“Maybe not the best idea,” Smith said. When both Martha and Harry looked at him questioningly he went on, “Earth’s only a level five planet. Not the best idea to draw further attention to yourselves. You already have more attention than you can handle.”
Harry actually snorted and rolled his eyes something Martha had almost never seen. “The laws are there for a reason. You may not see it Doctor but Earth needs all the help we can get. You may be here for the big battles and the fun stuff, but then you go. It’s been a long time since you bothered staying in one place long enough to really see all the ripples, all the effects events like these have.”
“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said incredulously, seeming a little insulted by Harry’s daring to censure him.
Ignoring the intent behind those words, Harry countered, “You should be.”
The Doctor- Smith’s jaw actually dropped but he did manage to keep his lips together so he wasn’t gaping as Harry went on, gaining steam.
"You come in, you save the day by whatever means necessary, and then you leave. Leaving the loose ends and uncertainties. Leaving the mess and the fallout. Leaving the trauma. Just to give you one very recent and rather spectacular example, Christmas last. You found a hole leading down to the center of the planet, drained the River Thames into it, and pop! Gone within a quarter hour. You didn’t even bother to report it to anyone or explain, let alone call ahead with a warning! You have the numbers or at least you should have. And I know you have a cellphone,” Harry declared, his finger leveled on the Doctor's face.
Martha and the Doctor both were leaning back slightly from his temper.
Cutting a glance at that finger the Doctor tried, “Well,” but the outraged look Harry gave him for have the audacity to start his defense with ‘well’ shut him right up.
Glaring harder Harry hit the Doctor with another one.
“And the Christmas before that. Harriet Jones blew up an entire ship because she thought the only force who would stand with Earth was you, and you couldn't be relied upon. She’d just gone through a day thinking a huge portion of the human population could be killed all because some aliens got a bit of blood. She’d witnessed men be killed right in front of her for daring to speak,” Harry said so earnestly due to his sympathy for the former Prime Minister.
He took a breath before continuing.
"Bringing up those like the Shadow Proclamation, putting in a greater deterrent along with yourself would have been all the security such a law abiding woman needed not to act rashly in that way. Instead you spoke of all the threats out in the stars and all the attention Earth was getting, stoking her fear.
“I didn’t know,” the Doctor said with his teeth bared.
“Precisely,” Harry agreed. “You didn’t, but looking back you have to acknowledge, however unknowingly, the part you played in bringing her to make that call.”
The Doctor could say nothing.
They stared at each other.
Harry continued.
“She made the call. She chose to kill and you lost all respect for her because you could see what she couldn’t, that they were no longer a threat. But how was she to know that? To really believe it? She did what she felt was best given the limited perspective she as a human of Earth possessed, driven by a desire to protect, and you treated her just as you did the Sycorax Leader. No second chances. Acting in anger and without taking the time to consider it you brought her down with just six words. Six words forming a sentiment that only had as much power as it did because of her sex and age, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices her success as Minister had been helping to dissolve.”
Harry stared at the Doctor. He was angry yes but also pained, full of so much sympathy for all the repercussions of that day and not just those faced by Harriet Jones. Martha knew he had sympathy for the Doctor too. They’d talked about it as Harry discovered more and more about the Doctor’s past. Harry knew what it was to do harm when you were only trying to help. He knew how hard that could be to face up to but still he persisted in holding a mirror to the Doctor.
“And was it worth it? Are things better for those six little words? Or doesn't that matter? Is your punishing someone you judged to be guilty more important than the repercussions?”
The Doctor's face was set in stone but his eyes? In his eyes Martha could see Harry was getting to him.
“It all came to an end,” Harry said. “Britain’s new golden age. You brought it all down just like you said you could. But, oh, then Doctor, things so quickly started sliding back as that good was unraveled. Do you even know who took her place? Do you know what kind of opportunist came after Earth trying to take that seat? Tell me Doctor, who’s come into power now that you got rid of Harriet Jones?”
The Doctor couldn’t answer because it was obvious he didn’t know.
Nodding, all the last bit of fight and anger went out of Harry but he still spoke with as much passion as before. “You’re brilliant. You are Doctor. You are brilliant and commendable to care, to go on trying to help, and for going on fighting for others the way you do. To have been through as much as you have and still have the drive? It’s impressive. It’s inspiring. Earth is lucky to have you. Truly. But you’re not perfect and for all a Time Lord’s gifts you’re not omnipotent. You’re Earth’s greatest campion, but the human race needs more than one man, however impressive he may be. And when a bunch of intergalactic thugs show up, whether you are here or not, we have a right to report it to the authorities they report to in order to get the support and aid we’re owed.”
The Doctor was just standing and staring at Harry, looking like a stiff breeze might blow him over.
Martha was trying to keep from showing how much she was loving it. Harry may not have reveled in putting others in their place but she secretly loved seeing him do it.
Sighing Harry looked around to check the space around them. Closing that subject, he brought them back to what was happen. “Hopefully if that announcement did all it was intended to the humans will stay calm, the Judoon will exercise some restraint, and any other non-humans in the building latched on to the fact that they are in danger."
“Other non-humans,” Martha said having only just thought of that. Those living on or visiting Earth weren’t likely to come to the hospital for treatment, they weren’t as brazen as Smith -who given how Harry was acting was mostly likely indeed the Doctor- but aliens made friends on Earth, partners, families. Those might end up in the hospital and then they’d come to visit. Feeling worried for them and the two aliens with her Martha asked, “But the Judoon would check wouldn’t they? They’d check they got the right non-human, not just go with anyone who raises a red flag.”
Harry and the Doctor shared a look.
“They're a bit thick,” the Doctor reminded her.
Martha took a moment to digest that.
“Hang on,” she said. “If we warned the bystanders we warned whoever they’re looking for too.”
“To warrant this many Judoon they most likely knew someone was after them. They’ve probably been preparing since the hospital moved.”
“Preparing how?”
“What would you do,” Harry asked.
Martha thought about what Harry had handed over her as soon as he had a chance to do it discreetly. The tracker, the stunner, and the disk.
She held his eye. “Look for a way to defend myself. Looking for a way out. If I could find that, find somewhere to hide.”
Harry nodded.
“Yes,” the Doctor agree, his voice not covering the sound of newly arrived Judoon stomping down the hall. He went on talking while they moved for the closest stairwell and from there the higher levels. “Getting outs not likely. The Judoon would have put in the effort of blocking teleportation if they thought their target had access to technology like that. Wouldn’t due to bring up a hospital full of suspects to the moon just for the one their after to send themselves right back.”
Martha knew better than to interrupt to ask how he knew they hadn’t blocked teleports. There was probably many ways to tell and as Harry wasn’t correcting him she assumed the Doctor had the right of it.
“If they try bringing in a ship it would be shot down getting here, and if they have it here and try to leave, same result.”
“So they can’t leave,” Martha said. “Then they’ll be looking to hide?”
“Hiding will only protect them for so long,” Harry reasoned. “The Judoon aren’t ones to give up. They’ll keep looking, intensifying the search as they go. If who they’re looking for is actually here and they don’t have something clever up their sleeve, they’ll have to fight. If they’re the type to do that and have worked this all out they have a hospitals full of equipment that could be weaponized."
“So what do we do?”
“Find them,” the Doctor said with a mad excited smile.
Martha was trying very hard to convince herself that stupid smile on his face was only exasperating and not at all attractive. Not one bit. No.
As the Doctor burst through the door and onto a new floor Martha followed after without looking back to Harry.
Resting at the door Harry remained behind for a second to watch them go. He took in the woman he’d grown to call a friend and the man, the legend, the Doctor. Many of the accounts Harry’d heard were making more sense. The Doctor had charisma, an energy that drew you in, but he drew danger in as well and was dangerous in his own right. Harry wouldn’t be forgetting that. People around the Doctor tended to die and as much as he brought salvation he also sowed new troubles. Until Harry had a better understanding of the man he was going to remain cautious and try his best not to get attached.
As he watched the pair he found himself hoping that while he was trying to gain understanding, Martha didn’t get drawn in too deep and burn.
When they disappeared around the corner Harry finally started following after them. As he walked a voice that wasn’t his came over the system.
“Attention all. The Judoon are currently… cataloguing as they call it on the second and third floor. Remember what we’ve been told. Sit tight, stay calm, and just let them get it done so we can all go home.”
Harry smiled, happy that someone had taken the initiative to give that announcement. Hopefully being informed would help keep people calm. So long as no idiot got on there screaming and panicking and giving bad advice. Harry’s smile turned into a frown which was still there as he followed the Doctor and Martha into the room they’d disappeared into. There he found Martha watching as the Doctor focused his sonic screwdriver on one of the computers.
“What’s wrong with, this computer,” the Doctor said giving it a swat. Giving up he declared, “The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon on the moon.”
Leaning against the door jam Harry decided it was time to get started on his own plans for identifying any non-humans. He went digging in his many expanded pockets looking for the bit of tec he wanted while listening with half an ear to the Doctor’s ramblings.
"Because I was just traveling past. I swear, I was just wandering. I wasn’t looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn’t.”
Harry made a face at the Doctor for saying something that made him sound so incredibly guilty but it didn't last as he finally found what he was looking for. Flipping open the outer shell he went in to fiddle with the internal bits while the Doctor went on talking without paying Harry really any notice at all.
Absently Harry noted the Doctor fidgeted but he wondered if at the moment there wasn’t a self comforting element to his actions as the Doctor touched his face and ran fingers through his hair while avoiding eye contact as he talked or maybe, Harry considered a bit more cynically that the Doctor was avoiding eye contact because he didn’t care enough to make it though there were thousands of possibilities in-between to explain his behavior and unfortunately the minds of Time Lords were very good at analyzing possibilities. Harry rather missed having a human brain limited, though they were. Life was much simpler when you had less computing power. So much computing power in fact that Harry was able to think about all of this, while fiddling with his device, and not miss a word the Doctor said while having room in his head to think about and worry over a number of other things.
“But I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that’s a plasma coil. Been building up for two days now, so I checked in. I thought something was going on inside. It turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above.”
“The Judoon who were hiding behind the moon,” Harry added, drawing attention his way.
“What are you doing,” the Doctor asked.
Martha lit up. “Hold on! I recognize that. Its an empathic circuit right. Helps you do your physic thing to tap into the emotions around you.”
“Yay,” Harry agreed. Of course the name was misleading as was that description as while it was primarily focused on emotions the circuit did help boost his ability to hunt out thoughts and memories if he was looking to get at them. “And with a little adapting it should help me get a basic idea for the kind of person giving off those emotions.”
“Like if someone's not human,” Martha enthused.
Smiling softly at her Harry agreed. “Just so.”
From his seat the Doctor had been using his sonic to scan Harry’s circuit. Apparently satisfied he leaned back in his chair. “It takes a physic of some power to make any use out of one of those. You don’t typically find any of that caliber among humans of this time. Not with a natural born talent at least."
Keeping his head down towards his work Harry looked up through his lashes. “I never said I was from this time.”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Time travelers,” he asked looking between Harry and Martha but Martha held up her hands as though to say, ‘not me.'
Focusing back in on Harry the Doctor asked, “From what century?”
“I’ve lived too many places for anywhere to really be home,” Harry admitted sadly.
“But you’ve ended up on Earth, here, now, at this hospital just as it was taken. That’s very convenient."
“Are you always this suspicious,” Martha asked.
“Sometimes,” the Doctor answered not taking his eyes off Harry who, feeling no need to defend himself, was focused back down on his work.
“Done," he declared, closing everything up. Once it was set to rights the circuit looked something like a horseshoe or a neck pillow which was appropriate given as it was meant to be warn around the neck. As he slipped it on the lights blinked to life showing it was connected to him and working. Not that Harry needed the lights. It was impossible to miss the effect the machine had on his physic perception. It would take a few moments to adjust to the new slew of input he was getting and a few minutes more to fully acclimatize.
“Are you okay,” Martha asked.
“There’s a lot of fear permeating the hospital… It’s a bit much, but I can handle it.” Harry took a deep breath before forcing a smile. “There,” he lied, “All sorted. Now hopefully even if the person we’re looking for is a shape changer I’ll still be able to feel that something is off.”
“Shapeshifter,” Martha asked. "Why are we thinking shapeshifter?”
“Might not be a shapeshifter,” the Doctor conceded. “Might be plastic surgery or something else. Whichever way, the Jotunn have it figured that whatever they are looking for is in the hospital but they’re still having to scan everyone.”
Martha thought she got what she was missing. “And if they could just use a photo they’d be disseminating it."
“Unless they were too thick to imagine they could use everyone to help,” Harry said distractedly. He was eyeing the Doctor with the most peculiar expression Martha had ever seen on his face.
“What,” the Doctor asked.
“Just… Not the emotions I was expecting to get off you.”
The Doctor frowned as though he’d only just realized Harry would be picking up on their emotions as well as everyone else’s. It made Martha feel a little skip in her step to have gotten something before him instead of trailing behind. From the second she noticed what Harry had she’d been trying to settle herself so she wouldn’t go feeling or thinking anything she didn’t want shared around.
“Right.” The Doctor cleared his throat, and turned back to the computer. He started typing but almost immediate the screen blinked out as something alien took over.
“Oh,” the Doctor shouted with outrage. "You see, they’re thick! They’re completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that’s clever.”
And again Harry noted the Doctor touching himself, hands in his hair. Now that he had the empathy circuit he could feel the emotions motivating it.
“What are we looking for,” Martha asked.
“I don’t know. Say, any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms.” The Doctor, suddenly inspired lunged towards the computer and began picking it up. "Maybe there’s a back up.”
“If they’re a shapeshifter knowing who they were might not help us much. And even if they aren’t. It's not like people have stayed to their beds,” Harry said.
The Doctor frowned at him as he continued with his examination of the computers hardware now that the Judoon had taken away his ability to try making use of its data. “What do you suggest?”
“A scan for alien tec might be worth it. It could at least get us an idea who we might be dealing with and where they might be. Enough of an idea as to get this,” he tapped the device around his neck, “in range.”
The Doctor was still frowning.
“I could try asking around about unusual patients,” Martha suggested wanting to broker peace. Already moving towards the door she explained, “Just to make sure we check every box. I could ask Mister Stoker? He might know."
“Not without me you don’t,” Harry said falling into step behind her and pulling the door shut to seal the Doctor in for some privacy as he went.
Martha looked back to make sure the Doctor wasn’t following before asking Harry, “You think it's really him don’t you? That he’s really the Doctor.”
“Do you,” he asked her instead of answering.
“I do," she confirmed.
“Then you are probably right,” Harry said straight faced. “You usually are.”
Martha turned smiling at him and Harry smiled back. It felt good to smile. It felt good to have companionship from someone who could make him smile so readily. Before finding Martha Harry’s smiles had been rare and often disingenuous. Finding out about the loss of Gallifrey and coming to understand what the true cost of his freedom had been was a blow that perhaps Harry would never fully recover from. Martha helped. Being back on Earth, his first home even if it was a different version helped.
They were just outside Mister Stoker’s office when Harry held out a hand to stop Martha. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a marker and paper to share his warning without risking it being over heard by whatever was inside that office with possibly very good ears.
“1 non-h,” he wrote quickly and pointed to the door.
Martha’s eyes went wide. Grabbing the marker she left the paper in Harry’s hand for support while she wrote, “STOKER?” and underlined it.
Harry shrugged.
Martha blinked at the door as she imagined the possibilities.
Moving her slightly behind him Harry mouthed at her, “Laser pointer."
Nodding Martha reached into her pocket for the stunner and using Harry’s body to block the view of her hand kept it hidden from sight of whoever might be on the other side of that door.
After a quick knock Harry opened the door. Even though he was blocking some of her view Martha could see as clearly as him the two biker looking types standing around unreacting and a pair of still legs sticking out from behind the desk. Then there was an odd sucking sound coming from about where the head of the body attacked to those legs should be.
“I thought you said one,” Martha mumbled under her breath as her eyes tracked to the three bodies in the room.
Abruptly the sucking cut off as a someone sat up revealing herself from where she’d been hidden behind the desk. The bloody straw between her lips added an ominous meaning to that sucking sound.
Reacting Martha raised her weapon on the woman just as she shouted, “Kill them!”
The stunner shot through the air and hit the sucker square in the face as soon as she’d finished the words and down she went back behind the desk. Martha tried moving to target the next but Harry messed up her aim by trying to force her back.
“What,” she asked even as she fired again
“It's not going to work,” he said but Martha could already see that as the biker was hit dead center but was still coming at them.
Eyes widening in fear Martha gave in to Harry’s direction and turned to run. She didn’t notice Harry’s hand slipping into her pocket as he pushed her along.