Who: Torchwood personnel What: Invasion When: 11-19 2010 Where: Wales, where the mothership has landed Why: Becuase all good plots come to an end, and secrets need to be revealed. Status: Open to Torchwood personnel and anyone who wants to jump in as npc skrulls
The queen had called on them. Their ships were here and they could not wait any longer, this was the message. They were in position. Now was the time to make the final moves. The game of chess was at an end and their reward would be soon coming.
Torchwood itself was still out of commission. While they had gotten systems back up to an extent after the lockdown it was in no shape to do very much. But still they couldn't sit back and do nothing... right? Jash was looking forward to their time, the time of Skrull rule, and if she could get rid of them on the ship? Then all the better.
She was second in line at that moment, a small revolver in her hand, something that Jack had insisted upon, finally which she gave into. All the better to kill him with... All she had to do was keep him away from their Science labs. But other than that? This was her territory. And they would soon no longer be a problem.
Aliens were invading the UK. Except they were about a month early according to the calendar. Jack smirked as he thought about that, then pressed a button on his wrist strap. "We've got company, boys and girls. Load up... we're headed out to the Brecon Beacons. The Skrulls have landed that mothership of theirs."
Jack had been wearing his Webley ever since the attack on the base, despite usually not having it on while in the Hub. He checked the revolver, loaded a couple of speedloaders into the pocket of his greatcoat, and jogged down the stairs.
"And yes... I know that space ships usually show up in London on Christmas. But apparently these guys missed the memo," he joked.
It was true that Martha Jones - although she did go on missions - did not carry a gun. But for this instance, Jash felt it necessary. She just did not need to let Jack or the others know. The last mission that Martha herself had done involving an alien ship she had been injured and she knew that there might have been some comment Jack might make. But Jash needed to be there.
She followed him down the stairs, grabbing the portable medical kit and a stun gun (the one thing that Martha herself was known to carry), she looked at him seriously, standing right in front of him. "The last time you investigated a spacecraft without me you nearly came back in a bodybag." Yes he regenerated but having him alive was better. She didn't really have to justify but it was also a reminder to be careful. She didn't REALLY have to say it, not as Martha. But it was a her thing to do. Also a note between them for him to be careful.
Jack took a step forward, placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed Martha's forehead. "Last time we were fighting Daleks," he reminded her. "And we're all lucky that none of us ended up in bodybags. Besides... you turned up eventually, we all saved the day as usual, and for once the Doctor actually had a full TARDIS crew to fly the girl."
He noticed the stun gun and nodded, glad she was at least carrying something. "And we're not going alone. The entire team is coming."
Jack raised his voice, making sure that Ianto could here him. "AND YES IANTO, YOU TOO. I DON'T CARE IF IT'S IN THE BEACONS... THAT'S JUST A COINCIDENCE!"
The fact taht everyone was coming made her very pleased. They could wipe Torchwood out in one fell swoop. And no one would be the wiser. But the Doctor... that was a different story altogether. All the same, Jash faked a shiver at the mention of the Daleks. It was fitting, given everything. "Well let's hope you don't need Dalekanium to beat these Skrulls," She sighed, taking a moment to lean into Jack before they got back into it.
At his words to Ianto she smirked, grabbing the information she had on skrull biology. "I'm certain they'll be more interested in killing us than eating us if it helps..." it was true. All except Jack. He would be very interesting. Perhaps they would get more information from him than they were with her template - who was undergoing constant science testing in the ship. They would - with both of their 'assistance ' be able to expand their life spans and create new weapons.
"Skrulls can be killed with a bullet in the right spot just as easily as a human can," he commented nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. When Martha leaned into him, Jack wrapped his arms around the young woman and hugged her.
"It'll be fine... don't worry. We're faced down tougher things than this. The Skrulls are a piece of cake compared to Daleks, Cybermen, and the Master."
He did have to laugh though at her comment. "I hope so. Otherwise, I don't think I'll ever get Gwen and Ianto back out to that area."
She was disgusted. Had he really just said that so casually. Skrulls were superior to humans. And despite herself, and the gritted teeth she forced into a smile as if she were being comforted, she was seething inside. This man would pay. Slowly. Painfully.
Jash let out a sigh and nodded. If only to put him at ease. But he was so very wrong. "Nothing we can't do if we stick together," she tried to smile. It was something Martha-ish to say.
"Well let's hope after this we won't have a reason to go back there..." She grabbed something and looked up at him. "I'm ready whenever you are." And she was. The others knew they were coming.
Jack glanced at his watch, wondering how much longer it was going to take Gwen and Ianto to get back from where ever they'd disappeared to. He jogged over to one of the monitors, flicked through the Hub's internal CCTV footage, and sighed.
Pressing a button on his wrist strap, Jack quickly said, "Gwen... Ianto... Martha and I are heading out to check out that ship. Gear up and meet us out there as soon as you can. And be careful."
Turning to look back at the doctor, he smirked and twirled the keys to the SUV around his finger. "Let's go."
Of course he'd be driving. But despite the fact that she would have liked to, her being able to go there immediately might have caused some raised eyebrows from him. She nodded dutifully and followed him up to the SUV. Getting into the passenger side, she put on her seatbelt and waited for Jack to start the van.
She started looking at her PDA which had a connection to the CCTV coverage and some visuals of the ship. It was beautiful. Just like she remembered. But she had to act the part. "Do you really think we'll be able to do it this time?" She frowned. They 'd been in tight spaces before, and it wasn't really like Martha to worry like this, but under the circumstances she thought it might be warranted - Jash thought she could get away with it. "If something happens, how will I know it’s really you?" she wanted a code or something...
"I know we can," he replied confidently. If there was one thing Jack had learned during the course of his long life, it was to always hope for the best. If it didn't work, make sure you have a back-up plan and go from there.
"If something happens and you've got no way to be sure it's me, then shoot first and ask questions later. If it's really me, then you know I'll be fine. If it's not, then that's one less Skrull to worry about."
It was one thing that Jash hadn't had the chance to try out yet. Killing the Captain. And given that that was quite possibly the most scientifically unique thing about him? It was something that she wanted to try. Badly. And here he was giving her the perfect opportunity? It was almost too delicious.
Jash nodded and sat back, watching the GPS as they drove towards the area. She was certain that the Captain had no idea they were driving towards his soon-to-be captivity. This would be her greatest task to date. To bring an immortal man into their facilities, it would please the queen greatly.
The ride was uneventful. Jash kept trying to get the area cleared using the Torchwood name but the local officials really didn't want to talk to them after last time. There was a reason that Torchwood wasn't popular. But that wasn't their focus. You didn't get things done by being popular. You got things done by being powerful. This was her personal philosophy. And being good at what you did.
The mothership was huge. She'd been aboard them before. This one, she had signaled that they were coming. They were ready. While it would seem like a real battle - and she had no doubt that some of her brethren would die (a worthy sacrifice) - it was a set up. Something she was looking forward to. Much of the crew had been disbursed, they were in the field, but there were more than enough to trap the Captain and take him where they needed him. She put on her anxious yet ready face as they approached. This was it. The final showdown.... "Somehow I thought it would be hidden better," she said unbuckling. Trying to cover what nerves her template would be feeling. She had not seen the template since she had brought her here. This would be very sweet...
"Yeah... they're just sitting out here in the open." Jack frowned as he parked the SUV, noticing how lightly the place seemed to be guarded. Either the skrulls were over confident, or didn't have the extra man power available.
"Come on... time to go," he said, getting out of the car and starting to arm himself with the extra weapons they'd brought along.
Jash didn't take an extra gun. She had the fire arm she'd broguht with her covertly. It was tucked into her pocket and fit nicely, undetected. Thus when they stopped and Jack started to arm up, she stood next to him, attempting to formulate some kind of a plan.
Yes there were light defenses. But this was their time. Their day of triumph, and it would urge the captain on. she was certain of this. His curiosity would get the better of him and it would drag him inside. She would let him take lead, do something to lead them closer to the science area -as this mothership's primary focus was just that - and then the fun would begin. "Do you think there's a way to sneak in without them seeing us?" She did have the tardis key with her, but she wasn't certain how that would work. "Or are we just waltzing through the front door?" She kept her voice at a whisper. This was it! Showtime!!!
Jack pulled out his keying and removed the Tardis key, attaching a chain to it and slipping it around his neck. "Sort of a mix of the two. We try going in the front door, but nice and quiet like. Have you got your key with you?" he asked, without really needing to. Once a Companion, always a Companion. And that meant you always had your key with you if you'd been fortunate enough to earn one.
The smirk on Jash's face grew ever broader as she slowly pulled her TARDIS key out of her pocket. She held it up showing it to him with a wink. "You even have to ask?" She knew from her template it was something she would NEVER leave anywhere. It was on her person at all times, except when she slept. Then it was on her nightstand.
She slipped it around her neck before reaching out and squeezing Jack's hand. This was it. They were going in. Moving towards the ship at a normal pace. It didn't matter if the key would work on a hidden skrull because they knew they were coming. This would be fun.
"That's my girl." Jack winked and leaned in, giving her a quick kiss.
He made certain he had a couple of speedloaders attached to his belt for his Webley, shouldered the strap of the large extra gun, and nodded to Martha. Using hand gestures only, he directed their movements and soon the pair found themselves inside the alien ship.
Acting as if she had no idea where they were going was actually kind of fun. She didn't know whether or not the guards could see her or not, but if they could they were pretending they could not, which had been the plan. Jack led the way, making himself look the fool with his hand motions. But it was effective. They were inside.
Unfortunately, while this was good for her it also meant that there was a limited amount of time forwhich to alert her fellow Skrulls to their presence, as it did not seem that they were able to see her, given that when Jack's back was turned she tried something. Sooner rather than later they would arrive at the research laboratories and come across the real Martha Jones. If she did not have him subdued by then, she would just shoot him. The real Jones was too valuable to let go. Too much potential for energy, knowledge and fuel if they could finally figure out how to harness it...
Jack silently crept through the ship, glancing into the different rooms as they passed by. He kept a close eye on Martha, ready to protect her if anything went wrong. Jack noticed an area up ahead where several guards were posted and he motioned for Martha to hold up.
After watching for several minutes and seeing some of the equipment coming up and down the hallway into that area, he frowned and began creeping forward. "Looks like a research area up ahead..."
She needed to do something, the question was what. She stopped and pretended to be surprised but this new find, but in truth? They were not far from her own rooms. She needed to alert them somehow. But something too obvious would raise red flags. And that was not what she wanted.
"What would a research area be doing in a ship like this?" she watched and one of the pieces of equipment came less than an inch from hitting her. Instead of sending a message she took a step back, covertly growing one of her nails and made a mark on the wall. They knew they were there. They'd see the mark and know where to go. "They're getting ready for something..." she could tell. The doctor in her would be able to see. "Whatever it is, we need to stop it." She had the feeling she wouldn't be able to get him until they got to the chamber. And that was just fine with her.
"Not sure. But think about it. What better way to learn about your enemies, than to have a research area right on the ship? And if they're on this thing for any real period of time, it makes sense to have whatever they need right at their fingertips."
Jack had flattened himself against the wall, peering through an open doorway. "Yeah, agreed."
He turned to head in a different direction when he paused in mid-step. The guards weren't guarding one area, they were standing in front of one door. "That's where we're going," he said firmly, pointing straight ahead at it.
The lab. They were all in front of the lab! It would be the first indicator, and ... sure enough, it was. The truth was that they needed to be more spread out, but they hadn't exactly known when the infiltration would be coming. It was that lab. And it would be there that they would capture the man who was standing with her.
"Do we have a plan?" she asked. There were six Skrulls standing there. "Did you bring any tranquilizers?" It would work, or at least she would let him THINK it would...
"No, but I've got something better," he replied with a smirk. Jack unslung the large gun from his back and lined up his shot, waiting until his target was cleanly in his sights. That's when he pulled the trigger. Down the hall in the other direction, something that looked like some kind of generator exploded.
"That should cause a nice diversion," he said, smirking at Martha. As expected, the startled guards rushed towards the burning, smoking object. And Jack raced forward, making a beeline directly for the unguarded lab door.
This was it. The game was soon to be over. She smiled up at him, very clearly amused by what she'd seen, amused, proud, impressed. All of these things that should have been real but weren't. And she rushed after him as they tried to get the door open. Truth was that the lab doors were kept on a tight deadbolt, but if you knew where to push on the doorframe, it would open. Like magic.
"Its not working," she whispered it then started moving her hand to the correct spot. The door clicked and they could get entrance. Just as a new set of guards came in to take the place of those who were taking care of what had been a small isoburin generator. Easily replaced, no big loss. The chamber was big. This was the main experimentation/research facility. And in the room was a pod. A covered pod. And in there lay their prize. "This place..." she whispered. "Its amazing." and with all the equipment? It really was. At least Martha would have thought so...
Jack approached the pod, his eyes quickly and expertly giving it a once over. Instead of even trying to activate it with the skrull controls, he flipped open his wrist strap and began entering commands. The Pod opened and Jack stared in both horror and shock at the contents...
Doctor Martha Jones.
And that was it. Showtime.
Jash had walked up behind Jack, knowing exactly what he would do. He went right for his the device on his wrist and started working the control commands. And then opening the pod.... And there she was in all her glory. Martha. And she was a sight to behold. Hooked up to machines, a monitoring piece on her head. She had monitors and gages hooked to her, and it looked - from the equipment in the room that they'd done several scans and screenings trying to get to the bottom of the issue. They would have the answer. Still she looked so peaceful there. Hard to believe, given that she was dreaming all of this.
Jash grasped at Jack's arm, her mouth open in shock. "Oh my God... that's... that's me..." And she was very convincing too... She did love her job so.
And that's when all the puzzle pieces started clicking into place. The way she didn't react quite right to his references. The way that 'Martha' would seem so secretive. How she just wasn't quite herself sometimes. And why Jack had kept getting that nagging feeling that he just couldn't quite put his finger on.
He immediately began removing the equipment from Martha's body, wanting to rescue her from this nightmare. Jack turned and looked at 'Martha', reaching out and quickly snatching hold of her TARDIS key. Because of the Bad Wolf, he had a special bond with the machine and her vortex energies. And something in the key felt off... when he held it closer towards the Martha in the pod, the key felt different to him. Almost like it was calling out to its real owner.
And ever the adamant hero, Jack Harkness jumped into action. He was removing equipment, removing the key, despite her attempted "Hey!"s Yes it seemed that he was no longer being fooled. Jash took a step back, his attention distracted, her eyes narrowing, holding a gun up to Jack's back now. "Isn't the first rule you learn in the military not to turn your back on an opponent?" she asked. It was done politely, but now that the key was gone her fellow Skrull would be able to see what was occurring, it wouldn't be long now.
"Step back, Captain."
"Not a chance," he replied, still removing wires and god knows what else was hooked up to the real Martha. With his back turned towards her still, Jack slowly eased his Webley out of the holster. He was only going to get one shot at this, so he had to make it good.
Turning the gun backwards, Jack pressed it against his side so the barrel was pointing behind him. He turned his body slightly, glanced over his shoulder, then pulled the trigger and shot through his coat.
She wasn't expecting the bullet to come anywhere near her, thus when it actually grazed and nipped her a bit she was surprised. She winced, yes but she was used to the pain. This was her job. She was experienced. She would nurse her wounds later. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the trigger of her purloined gun, and shot him. Her eyes were dark, she didn't care. What was he trying to do? Steal Martha Jones? From a facility like this? It would never happen. It couldn't happen. And she walked around , stepping on his body to add insult to injury. It mattered not if he knew. He would get in the way now.
Jash's gun now trailed on their test subject. Just waiting for the Captain to get back up. She would not leave, they needed Martha more than him. But it seemed that threatening him was all that would work.
Thankfully, she was a good shot. And since she shot him in the head, it was an added bonus (sort of). Jack always recovered quickly when he took a bullet to the head. He lay there face down, his hair and the blood thankfully hiding the place where the bullet had entered him.
He barely managed to keep silent when he came back to life, nearly choking as he held back the loud gasp of air that normally signaled his return. Jack waited, biding his time to make certain that Martha couldn't be hurt when he decided to make his move.
No one hurt his friends. No one. And he sure as hell didn't take kindly to this skrull impersonating Martha!
The gun was aimed at Martha Jones' heart. The woman on the biobed not moving, still held in stasis. She'd known perfectly well that Harkness would come back to life. It was what she'd been counting on. Part of her wondered if they could make Ms. Jones brain dead and still use her for their experimentation. It would certainly be interesting.
Jash waited a few moments, never moving the gun. Her eyes were squarely on Jack. He'd move eventually. It was just a bullet wound. She'd gone through all the records. She couldn't imagine it would take very long. She was smart. She didn't approach. "You know, your coming back to life? Be a very interesting game for me." She smirked watching him. "Wonder which part you're more angry about. The part where I'm not Martha or the part where you thought I was her. That you couldn't tell the difference..."
Jack got to his feet, glaring daggers at the alien. He'd noticed the differences, but he couldn't be sure. It could've been anything to cause such small differences in Martha's actions and personality.
"I said let her go. Or so help me, I'll kill you with my bare hands if I have to," he threatened.
Jash scoffed at the threat. It was laughable. She was the one with the gun trained on the currently unconscious doctor. "That's a rather archaic way of doing it, don't you think?" She was outwardly mocking him with a straight face. Dry humor on her part.
Jash shook her head. "Ms. Jones is too important for us to just 'let her go.'" There was an implied undertone that something else was going on here. And there was. She had the feeling that he wouldn't know. "Humans are such primitive creatures," She smirked. "But their bodies have the amazing tendency to absorb." Jash smirked, momentarily glancing at Martha. "She's unique. And you, Captain," she grinned. "The undying man?" She paused taking in his reaction.
While Jash didn't know it, What they'd picked up was vortex energy that she had absorbed while traveling with the Doctor. Jash's grin was just daring Jack to try something. The Skrulls had been performing experiments on her since Jash had taken Martha’s place more than a month ago.
"Might be archaic, but it's still effective," he snapped angrily. But while she was busy monologuing, Jack paused.
Unique? Sure... Martha was amazing and she was special. But to the skrull, she should just be another human. So what the hell was she talking about?
"Martha's not like me," he warned her. "Me not being able to die... I'm one of a kind. Even the Doctor said so. I'm giving you one last chance... let Martha go or I will kill you."
"No, not like you. She's unique. Perhaps no moreso than any of your Doctor's other companions? Ms. Jones cells are saturated with what could only be energy from the Doctor's precious vortex. Innocent enough, wouldn't harm anyone, but we've been working," she grinned. "So you see way we can't just let you or she go, Captain."
Jash smiled, pulling the tazer out of her ... out of Martha's jacket pocket, these were her clothes, and held one weapon on each of the humans. "We may not be able to kill you permanently, but after everything this assignment put me through, killing you over and over seems like a good exercise in stress management." She laughed and was about to squeeze the trigger on the tazer...
It wasn't possible... how? Rose had completely absorbed the power of the time vortex from the heart of the TARDIS, becoming the Bad Wolf. She was the reason Jack couldn't die... and in order to save her, the Doctor had given his own life and was forced to regenerate. Martha couldn't have absorbed it. He knew that every human who traveled as a Companion ended up absorbing some temporal 'background' energy into their bodies.
But pure vortex energy? It couldn't be... that kind of power would've destroyed Martha's cellular structure, much like radiation. It might be something similar, but it couldn't be anything on the level of Bad Wolf.
While he didn't want to take the chance of Martha getting injured, Jack had to risk it. He rushed forward, moving to tackle the skrull to the floor. Hopefully if she shot him again, he could hold on long enough to disable her before he died.
Their scans and research had determined that the temporal energy had - in Ms. Jones - been more than just a background trace the energy itself was in there. It wasn't enough to do anything, but it was there. And in doing this she was a changed human. Unique. And the energy - with their advanced technology - could be harnessed. It would have been an amazing advancement.
Unfortunately Jash didn't have enough time to react. She fired the tazer but it missed Jack and when he tackled her to the ground the gun went off, the gun jerking, however not hitting Jack. Jash hit him with the gun, bitchslapping him with the barrel of the gun. She wasn't going down without a fight. She let out a yell in her native tongue, trying to get the attention of the guards outside, dropping the Tazer. It wasn't doing her any good. She would not lose to a human!
Jack gritted his teeth and winced in pain as the gun connected with his head. He could already feel the blood trickling down the side of his face. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he smashed it and her hand against the floor several times until Jash let go of the gun and it clattered to the floor.
"I've had... just about... enough of you!" he said, picking up the gun and pressing the barrel against her temple. "You lose."
Jack pulled the trigger, sending the bullet directly through her head and splattering himself with brain residue and green blood. He fired another round into her chest for good measure and slowly got to his feet, staggering for a moment from the pain of being pistol whipped.
And that was that. The bullet went through her, and there was no more Jash. What had been a distinguished career was over. Largely due to her own pride and stubbornness. And the plan would fail. The invasion wouldn't be a success... But now it was too late. Her form slipped back, the red blood that had covered the form of a dead Martha Jones - undoubtedly a rather freakish sight for Jack by itself - turned into that of Jash the Skrull. Green, scaled, and considered rather pretty by her own people, but extremely evil and ambitious, carrying on her the effects that belonged to the good doctor - her ID, wallet, and everything else that came from a completely stolen life.
In the medical pod, Martha lay, a red dot growing on the sleeve of the green shirt that she was wearing. She'd been here since they'd grabbed her at her apartment. They hadn't given her a chance to call for help, and she'd fought. She'd fought hard. The scrapes and cuts that had come from that incident had either healed or had been healed, after a month it was impossible to tell which. She had been left in the same clothing, but somehow - almost as if she had been kept in stasis... She was breathing. It was a good sign, but the remaining medical equipment was sticking out of her arms, one of them a tube that seemed to have her blood in it, taking a tiny bit at a time... They'd been holding her as a Guinea Pig. One of the reasons she'd left UNIT...
Jack quickly searched Jash's body and confiscated everything belonging to Martha, slipping the items into his pockets. He rushed over to her pod and carefully began disconnecting wires and tubes, frowning as he saw the spreading spot of blood on her shirt.
He checked the injury, breathing a sigh of relief to see that she'd only been grazed by the bullet.
"Wake up, beautiful," he whispered, gently caressing her cheek. "C'mon, nightingale... we need to get you out of here and fast."
It was hazy, but Martha could remember things. It was like she was dreaming... and it felt like it too. Wouldn't be the first time Jack had showed up in her dream, but it was strange. She couldn't remember falling asleep, and... why was he fighting her?
She could hear his voice. It was different than it had been in her dream. No guns, no yelling. But why was she the bad guy? She didn't understand. Jack's voice was gentle, but kind of insistant. They needed to get her out of where fast? Wasn't she at home? No... if he was here... And why did her arm hurt?
Martha slowly opened her eyes, focusing in on Jack's face, with an almost puzzled expression. It hadn't come flying back yet. But the instant she did the pain in her arm hit her. And she winced. "What...?" her throat was dry and her voice cracked a bit. A month of nonuse would do that.
"No time to explain... once we're out of here, I promise I'll tell you everything." Jack slipped the TARDIS key around her neck and carefully picked her up in his arms. He held Martha close against his chest, ignoring the pain in his own body as he carried her out of the room.
"The short version is that a skrull somehow kidnapped and replaced you. We're going to get you home and then I'll fill you in."
Jack smiled down at her, but it was clear from the look in his eyes that he was focused on just getting them to safety. And was deadly serious.
She remembered things. Somehow... Things that hadn't happened. It had all be like a dream. But as she became more aware of her surroundings, looking over Jack's shoulder, holding to him tightly (not really trusting herself to walk), she remembered getting to her apartment, and a fight and then... waking up here.
Her arm hurt, and she could clearly see the blood on Jack's head. He'd died... again. She could remember some of where they were and as he started rushing them outside, the Keys protecting them, she knew that there would be a raid on the ship. They'd done their investigation. She could remember parts of it. And some of it made her skin crawl. She'd been cloned. Again. But this wasn't the time. The look in his eyes actually made her a bit uneasy. Just that serious.
Martha tried to ignore the pain in her arm. The Skrulls were guarding one area... if they could get past them they'd be home free...
Once they were in a relatively safe area, Jack set her down and placed a finger against her lips. "Stay here... I'll be right back."
He disappeared deep into the skrull ship, determined to cause a little chaos before they escaped. And if it went well enough, he planned on blowing this damn ship and all of the skrulls straight to hell.
The truth was that Martha didn't have a choice. Normally she would have thrown her own safety to the wind and followed to help with the endeavor, but right now. She tried to push herself up from the metal floor, which was cold against her bare feet but had minimal success, she could do this. She knew that! But after a month of not walking? if not more... She willed her muscles to work. They had to work, and managed to get herself into a standing position, against the wall.
Martha could only imagine what he was doing... even though she had an idea. She forgot sometimes how deadly Jack really was or could be; that he was - under it all - a soldier, because it seemed to counter his nature. But then... in that was he and the Doctor were the same. She herself was a soldier now. The year that wasn't, working for UNIT? It was one reason she was kicking herself so much... no she wasn't actually a soldier, she was a doctor. She had an oath not to kill, and she extended it to aliens, unless it was self defense... but this... She knew what he was doing. She could remember foggy scenes of planning coming to this place. How she could see it she didn't know. But if it was what she thought then her mind had been invaded as well as her flat... And if Jack was doing what she thought he was, they needed to get out of there... fast!
Jack was gone for about ten minutes. When he finally returned, he had some more green blood on himself. He had a grim expression on his face and quickly scooped her back up.
"We need to move and fast," he whispered, not even trying to be subtle now as he raced through the ship to get them outside. The moment they were out of the ship, he was booking it full tilt as he ran and carried Martha over to the SUV.
Martha didn't argue. She could tell what he'd done. If it hadn't been obvious to her before - with the skrull's corpse lying on the floor of... wherever she'd been kept, the blood on his person was just more evidence. She wasn't given a chance to walk on her own, there wasn't time for it, and before she could even get a "what?" out, they were moving.
Whatever Jack had done there wasn't a lot of time. Which meant a timer or a timed explosive? She could hear the noise of skrulls behind them as they finally got out of the ship. And her first look of the ship told her everything. This thing was HUGE. She held to him tighter, not wanting to fall, as Jack dashed out of the ship. Outside it was cold, and it hit Martha like a wall, her clothes (jacket included) were on that Skrull inside. She shivered and her eyes went from the ship to Jack. Not sure what they were waiting for. The doors of the SUV were opened, the activity on the ship growing more obvious. They needed to get out of here, and right then, Martha couldn't drive. "What did you do?" She asked her voice less hollow.
Jack didn't reply. He opened the door, set Martha on the seat and buckled her in, then shrugged off his jacket. It might be covered with blood and mess, but it'd keep her warm. He slid into the driver’s side and started the engine, taking off and speeding away.
"Just made sure they won't bother us again," he said firmly.
Ignoring the blood, Martha pulled the coat up over her. She was still trying to make sense of everything. And admittedly some of the things she did remember - her own memories, not those of the Skrull - were things she rather not. But she was Martha Jones, Defender of Earth, and she was determined at that moment not to let these things get the better of her.
In the rearview mirror she could see something exploding. The ship. It had already been clear what Jack had done, and sometimes she had to remind herself that Torchwood, unlike UNIT, was tasked with defending the earth, even if it meant killing the invading forces. She wasn't naive. She knew the score, but she still could not bring herself to take up a gun... Now she had no doubt she would have to learn. She felt it necessary - on some level - this was her fault. She hadn't fought hard enough, they'd infiltrated Torchwood - she remembered this, and had caused massive damage with the charges. She hadn't been able to reach the alarm in her apartment that night, but somehow she knew that she couldn't think about this now.
Jack had died. Again. And her arm was hurting. She wrung her hands. This wasn't like the time with the Sontarans. That had been her. This had been an impostor... "I need to look at your wound," she said it quietly, probably the wrong thing to say, but she was trying to distract herself. Behind them the ship was blowing up. She had to wonder how he'd rigged it... though she wasn't certain if she wanted to know.
"It's fine... already healed when I woke back up," Jack replied. He glanced at the rear view mirror, watching with satisfaction as the skrull ship continued to explode. He hadn't been certain how much damage he was going to be able to do, but it looks like it was pretty damn effective after all.
"Soon as we're someplace safe, we need to get your injury patched up." There was no room for argument. "Are you okay though? How long have you been there?"
All she could do was nod. That tone, it was a familiar one. And it was forcing her to focus on what had happened in a way. "The last thing I remember clearly is going home after that night we dealt with the Ovlerpol. They were in my flat when I got there..."
She pulled the coat tighter, seeming to ignore the green blood. They'd fought her, drugged her and dragged her off, leaving one of their own in her place. Wearing her clothes, Laughing with her friends, her family... living her life. She was more shell-shocked than anything else. How long ago had that been? She could remember things that she hadn't done but... the imposter had. She glanced over at Jack. Memories that he was involved with... That they all were involved with. How could she have let this happen?
Almost as if he had read her mind, Jack reached over and placed a hand gently on top of hers. He squeezed Martha's hand and laced his fingers with hers, glancing over and smiling warmly. "Hey..."
He waited for her to look at him, then squeezed her fingers again. "It's going to be alright. I promise. No matter what, you've got me... okay?"
Martha looked at him for a long moment before nodding. She believed him. She always did. Jack never gave her any reason to doubt him. Her response, however seemed a bit less enthusiastic than the way she felt, saying simply, "Right," before looking down at their hands. She didn't let go. She wouldn't.
Her voice got a bit quieter as she asked the question that was troubling her immensely. "How much damage did she cause?" Someone masquerading as her had... "To the Hub..." She'd seen it, and had been powerless to stop it. She was trying to focus on everything but herself at the moment. She was a survivor. This was not going to get her. The only difference this time was that it hadn't been a clone, thus it hadn't really been her. It had been a disguise. She had no memories of what had happened just before she'd woken up, the fight and discussion being unknown to Martha. And perhaps it was better that way...
"Well... let's just say that it could've been worse. All of the major systems still function, but the Hub itself was a mess. We've got some renovating and rebuilding to do. Thankfully the Hub went into full lockdown, so she wasn't able to really do as much damage as I think she hoped for."
Jack noticed how Martha hadn't let go, so he just smiled faintly and gently squeezed her hand again.
Well that was good news. She was assuming there had been injuries but they had been treated. What else was there to say?
Martha pursed her lips and squeezed his hand back. She sighed. She wasn't defeated, but it was... unsettling. "I can't believe that this happened again," she said it quietly almost at a whisper. She was kicking herself. It was both that it had happened. Truth was? She wasn't scared... she was... lost. Kicking herself and lost, trying to equalize what had happened with what she needed to do.
She moved slightly, wincing as her arm made contact with the seat, brushing the wound. She really needed to take care of that...
Jack made record time getting them to her place. He parked the SUV and jogged around to the other side, opening the door and picking Martha up in his arms again. He carried her inside and up to her flat, using his copy of her key to open the door.
"Let's take a look at that arm," he suggested, just before disappearing back outside to get the first aid kit from the SUV.
Martha was - for the time he was gone - left alone in a flat that up until recently had been her own. Her sanctum as it were. She was safe here, but now... Now she wasn't sure. That Skrull had been here. She shook her head and carefully peeled the shirt away from her body, it was the only way to get a look at the wound. When she did she hissed. It hurt. A lot! She'd been bleeding and it had seeped through, so she would have to get rid of this shirt. She probably should have waited, especially since it appeared her medical equipment was no longer where she'd left it... She really hoped that the Skrull hadn't rearranged everything!
She winced as the wound became fully exposed to air. In the long run it wasn't very harmful but she'd never been shot before. Shot at yes, but usually with alien guns. Not bullets. She didn't carry a gun for a reason...
Jack shrugged his coat off and made his way into the kitchen, returning a couple of minutes later with a bowl of hot water and a clean towel. He used it to wash the blood away from the injury, relieved to see that she had just been grazed by the bullet. "Not too bad," he said, smiling up at her. "I've had lots worse."
He opened the first aid kit and applied some antibiotic ointment, covered it with a gauze pad, then carefully began bandaging the injury. "How're you holding up?" Jack asked in concern.
"Says the man who has died?" She winced as the wound was treated. Yes, she was a doctor, yes she told her patients not to do exactly what she was doing now, but it hurt. And doctors never made the best patients anyway... She would admit that it wasn't a bad wound, but still it hurt. A lot. Then again ,it was preferable to being shot.
She held her arm out to give him better access to the wound for bandaging. But as he asked the question, Martha's shoulders fell. "An alien species just used me in order to hurt my friends," she said flatly. "Again, Jack." she sighed. "More importantly she took over my life. It wasn't just a day like last time. It was my life..." she paused. "I'm not sure how I'm doing." She seemed uncomfortable. Not in her own skin, but here. In this place. Leading to the question of what was next. She was strong, but even the strong were allowed a moment of weakness. Over the last few months, Vampires, now skrulls? Just a normal day. But it took its toll. Could she stay here?
"Wait... what do you mean 'again'? When did you get taken over before?" he asked in surprise. This was the first time he'd heard anything like this from Martha and had no idea what she was talking about.
He paused though, letting her continue. And once she was finished, Jack nodded in understanding. "If you don't feel comfortable staying here, then we'll pack you a bag and you can stay at the Hub with me," he offered.
His surprise caused her to blink. He didn't know? No she hadn't mentioned it, but she thought the Doctor might have... On the other hand... No the Doctor wouldn't have said anything about that, and UNIT was keeping it hush hush because they didn't want it getting out that they'd been infiltrated... She knew that that was one of the other reasons she'd been picked for the testing of Project Indigo... "During the ATMOS fiasco, bach when I was still engaged to Tom. The Sontarans infiltrated UNIT, cloned me, and used me to keep her alive." She sighed. "The Doctor found me." And she'd watched it die. It had been a powerful (bad powerful) experience. Not soon after she had given the ring back to him. "Right before the TARDIS swept us away to Messaline."
She tried to move her legs and had some success, it felt more like her joints were achy than actually atrophied. Which was a good thing, everything taken into consideration. "At least for the moment... I'm not certain staying here would be best..." She looked around and frowned, but an idea came to her. "What are the odds she left some of her tech behind?" They might be able to use it. She was trying to change the subject a bit. This was definately one of her low points - of course she didn't know why the Skrulls had taken her and kept her in that experiment chamber.
"Not sure, but we can search around and find out. But for now, I think a shower is in order, a change of clothing, then back to the Hub. Then I can get cleaned up and we'll tuck you into my bunk to rest," Jack suggested.
He closed up the first aid kit and sat back on his heels, smiling up at her. "I'm glad you're back... I had a feeling something was off, but she was good and trying to fool us all. It was like she had all of your memories or something."
Martha nodded. It sounded like a plan.. If only that she'd been in that pod for a month plus. No one really had any idea what they'd done to her. She was going to have to give herself a once over. The last thing she wanted to learn was that they'd made her a ticking time bomb... She had already done enough damage simply by not being able to defend herself. She pushed herself to her feet, a bit shaky, actually a lot shaky but she was standing, which was a step in the right direction. She sat back down a second later. She'd make another attempt in a moment.
"I am too." She wished she could say she missed him, but she hadn't been aware of anything... but she did. She always missed him. "It’s strange actually... " Her brow furrowed momentarily. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if what Jack had suggested hadn't been the case. "I.. I think she may have." The dark-haired doctor paused for a moment before continuing. She looked at him, her face turning serious. "I remember things, things I shouldn't. You and me sitting over there," she pointed at the couch, "watching that gladiator movie you love so much," she really didn't like it but she'd put up with it every so often because he liked it. It wasn't the only thing she remembered but that was all she said. "Talking to Ianto... Meeting someone getting off a plane." There were hundreds of other snippets. "If they completely take over their targets life... what if they're telepathic?" Wouldn’t that just take the cake? She was over thinking, wanting to know how, when really? What she needed was to relax.
"If they're telepathic, then that just complicates further dealings with them." Jack frowned, looking over at the couch as he remembered coming over and watching the film with the fake Martha. He felt guilty for not knowing. He'd had moments where he thought something was off, but he still hadn't sussed it out. And Jack knew it was going to eat at him for a while.
"Shower," he said, not wanting her to have to think about it anymore than necessary. "And you can even choose if it's alone, or if you want me to join you," Jack added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
She couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at the look on his face. She really wanted nothing more than to be held right now, but he was right. She needed this. And - moreover she needed to do this alone, time to decompress as it were. She generally did this under running water. She didn't know why but it worked. She stooped down and kissed him gently. "Not this time. Maybe later. I'll be back soon." She moved carefully, not letting go of his hand until the last moment, before going to get a towel.
The water was fine, and it seemed that everything was where it needed to be. Nothing had been moved. They'd need to go over her computer to see just what had been done, what they had, because Martha had no doubt that something had been done. Adjusting the temperature, she let the water soothe her muscles, everything just seeming to fall off. There would still be things left but her mind was starting to catch up with it all. She's spend the night with Jack, as many as needed... and then when everything was done, find a new place. Maybe one with a larger living room area. She didn't want to stay here.
After about twenty minutes she turned off the water, hair dripping, and grabbed the towel, drying off before wrapping it around herself and stepping back into the apartment - which was warm for this time of year. It was quiet and she was a bit surprised. "Jack?" She had to wonder where he'd gone...