The Stolen Earth Incident - Chapter Eighteen
30 April 2009
London
Martha leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead as she put the phone down.
Seeing the Doctor had taken a load off of her shoulders. The sharp corners of the Osterhagen Key gouged her in the hip from where she’d tucked it back into her pocket, and it felt like the entire world was weighing her down.
Now that the Doctor was on the case, she wouldn’t have to use it. Although, even without Harriet Jones’ order she would never have fallen back on that particular option. It didn’t matter that it had been a direct order from a superior; Martha had lived through the near-end of the world before, and she honestly didn’t think there would ever be a time when it was okay to blow up the entire planet.
The very idea of what UNIT had done…it was just one more reason why working for them made her vaguely uneasy. On the whole, she did love her job - and the jealous jerks had finally quietened down and mostly left her alone - but there were some things UNIT did that Martha just didn’t agree with. And, whoever had come up with the Osterhagen Protocol must have been one of the most cynical bastards on the entire planet.
Ianto had told her a few stories about Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart while they’d been walking the world, and Martha often found herself wishing that that grand old gentleman was still in charge. She was willing to bet something like this would never have been put in place under his watch, even as much as he enjoyed a good explosion.
What really bothered her though was the fact that Jack hadn’t known what the Osterhagen Key was. Certainly, Martha knew that Torchwood and UNIT had an adversarial relationship at best, but she’d thought that UNIT had to at least keep Torchwood in the loop where things that affected the UK were concerned. And yet, they hadn’t. Jack had been clueless.
Once this was over, she knew her friend would be confronting UNIT about the project. Jack hated being kept in the dark about anything. He was so going to blow his stack when he learned just what the Osterhagen Key was used for!
Martha felt a warm arm go around her shoulders, and she looked up at Tom, who was smiling down at her in that way that made her insides melt. She really did love him. More than she ever thought she’d love anyone. When she thought back on that silly crush she’d had on the Doctor she wanted to cringe with it; her feelings for Tom were so much more than that.
His dark eyes met hers, and in them was a certainty she didn’t feel. “You’re going to go after the Doctor, aren’t you?”
Martha blinked. She hadn’t expected that question. “I hadn’t planned on it,” she answered honestly. She really hadn’t. She’d planned on leaving that up to Jack.
Her fiancé huffed a gentle laugh. “This whole thing isn’t over for you, not by a long chalk.”
“You think you know me,” she teased.
“I do,” he answered, his solemn voice a contrast to her light tone. “You’re not one to leave this alone, Nightingale. The question is: just what are you going to do next?”
Martha considered. Tom was right. It wasn’t in her nature to sit there, at her parents’ house, and let the world just die. Her family was just out in the lounge, giving her the privacy she’d needed, even though she was aware that at least her Mum would have wanted to speak to Jack. Martha hadn’t even told them that she was speaking to the Hub, and for that she felt just a tad bit guilty. She’d be certain to tell her that everyone was alright.
She thought about going to find the Doctor as well, but decided that she didn’t want to. Her time with him was past, and that had been amply proven during that mess with the Sontarans. He had Donna now, and Martha no longer had a place on the TARDIS.
No, her place was with Tom, now. And she’d be wherever Tom was for the rest of her life, she was sure.
But, back to her options.
Her fiancé was right; it wasn’t in her nature to sit back and let others handle things, especially where the end of the world was concerned.
After all, she was a charter member of the End of the World Club, and she’d come by that distinction honestly.
But she needed a plan…
It came to her far too easily. She was ashamed she hadn’t thought of it sooner.
The Osterhagen Key.
She’d been around the Doctor enough to know that most of his plans were seat-of-the-pants and sheer bluffs on top of that. Could she do it? Could she use the Osterhagen Key in order to bluff the Daleks?
“You’ve come up with something.”
Tom was looking at her with a combination of pride and fondness. Martha would never get used to seeing that expression.
“I just might have.” She stood, taking his hands in hers. “I need to go.”
“Yes, you do.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly. “And I bet it’s brilliant.”
Martha blushed at that. “Well, I’m not sure about that…”
“Nope, I refuse to consider the woman I love is less that fantastic.” His thumb was rubbing across the engagement ring on her finger, as he was wont to do, as if he couldn’t quite believe that she wanted to be his. The night she’d asked him to marry her, Martha had thought he was going to faint, but after he’d gotten over the shock he hadn’t stopped smiling for days. “I’ll keep my eye on the family, and on the sub-wave, and you go and be magnificent.”
Martha couldn’t even restrain herself from snogging him silly for that. She really adored this man, and she could only hope that they’d have the kind of love that she always saw in Jack and Ianto.
Because that sort of love was truly eternal.
Martha didn’t want to leave, but she had to. She had things to do, and no time to do them in. She reluctantly pulled away from Tom, sighing, and then turned and gathered up the Indigo Device from where she’d looped it around the back of the chair. She buckled the harness on, dreading what she was about to do but needing to do it.
“Wish me luck,” she requested softly, wondering when she’d see him again. Because there was no way she wasn’t coming back.
Tom scoffed. “You don’t need luck, since you’re awesome on your own.”
That set Martha to blushing once more. He believed so much in her, and she really wondered what she’d done to deserve this man in her life.
Taking a deep breath, Martha tried to imagine where she wanted to go. She’d been to the facility once, but that should have been all it took if she was correct about the device. After all, it had gotten her home when that was where she wanted to be. She had to have faith that she’d be able to do what needed to be done.
“I love you,” she blurted, just as she was tugging onto the twin handles of the Indigo device.
London
Martha leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead as she put the phone down.
Seeing the Doctor had taken a load off of her shoulders. The sharp corners of the Osterhagen Key gouged her in the hip from where she’d tucked it back into her pocket, and it felt like the entire world was weighing her down.
Now that the Doctor was on the case, she wouldn’t have to use it. Although, even without Harriet Jones’ order she would never have fallen back on that particular option. It didn’t matter that it had been a direct order from a superior; Martha had lived through the near-end of the world before, and she honestly didn’t think there would ever be a time when it was okay to blow up the entire planet.
The very idea of what UNIT had done…it was just one more reason why working for them made her vaguely uneasy. On the whole, she did love her job - and the jealous jerks had finally quietened down and mostly left her alone - but there were some things UNIT did that Martha just didn’t agree with. And, whoever had come up with the Osterhagen Protocol must have been one of the most cynical bastards on the entire planet.
Ianto had told her a few stories about Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart while they’d been walking the world, and Martha often found herself wishing that that grand old gentleman was still in charge. She was willing to bet something like this would never have been put in place under his watch, even as much as he enjoyed a good explosion.
What really bothered her though was the fact that Jack hadn’t known what the Osterhagen Key was. Certainly, Martha knew that Torchwood and UNIT had an adversarial relationship at best, but she’d thought that UNIT had to at least keep Torchwood in the loop where things that affected the UK were concerned. And yet, they hadn’t. Jack had been clueless.
Once this was over, she knew her friend would be confronting UNIT about the project. Jack hated being kept in the dark about anything. He was so going to blow his stack when he learned just what the Osterhagen Key was used for!
Martha felt a warm arm go around her shoulders, and she looked up at Tom, who was smiling down at her in that way that made her insides melt. She really did love him. More than she ever thought she’d love anyone. When she thought back on that silly crush she’d had on the Doctor she wanted to cringe with it; her feelings for Tom were so much more than that.
His dark eyes met hers, and in them was a certainty she didn’t feel. “You’re going to go after the Doctor, aren’t you?”
Martha blinked. She hadn’t expected that question. “I hadn’t planned on it,” she answered honestly. She really hadn’t. She’d planned on leaving that up to Jack.
Her fiancé huffed a gentle laugh. “This whole thing isn’t over for you, not by a long chalk.”
“You think you know me,” she teased.
“I do,” he answered, his solemn voice a contrast to her light tone. “You’re not one to leave this alone, Nightingale. The question is: just what are you going to do next?”
Martha considered. Tom was right. It wasn’t in her nature to sit there, at her parents’ house, and let the world just die. Her family was just out in the lounge, giving her the privacy she’d needed, even though she was aware that at least her Mum would have wanted to speak to Jack. Martha hadn’t even told them that she was speaking to the Hub, and for that she felt just a tad bit guilty. She’d be certain to tell her that everyone was alright.
She thought about going to find the Doctor as well, but decided that she didn’t want to. Her time with him was past, and that had been amply proven during that mess with the Sontarans. He had Donna now, and Martha no longer had a place on the TARDIS.
No, her place was with Tom, now. And she’d be wherever Tom was for the rest of her life, she was sure.
But, back to her options.
Her fiancé was right; it wasn’t in her nature to sit back and let others handle things, especially where the end of the world was concerned.
After all, she was a charter member of the End of the World Club, and she’d come by that distinction honestly.
But she needed a plan…
It came to her far too easily. She was ashamed she hadn’t thought of it sooner.
The Osterhagen Key.
She’d been around the Doctor enough to know that most of his plans were seat-of-the-pants and sheer bluffs on top of that. Could she do it? Could she use the Osterhagen Key in order to bluff the Daleks?
“You’ve come up with something.”
Tom was looking at her with a combination of pride and fondness. Martha would never get used to seeing that expression.
“I just might have.” She stood, taking his hands in hers. “I need to go.”
“Yes, you do.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly. “And I bet it’s brilliant.”
Martha blushed at that. “Well, I’m not sure about that…”
“Nope, I refuse to consider the woman I love is less that fantastic.” His thumb was rubbing across the engagement ring on her finger, as he was wont to do, as if he couldn’t quite believe that she wanted to be his. The night she’d asked him to marry her, Martha had thought he was going to faint, but after he’d gotten over the shock he hadn’t stopped smiling for days. “I’ll keep my eye on the family, and on the sub-wave, and you go and be magnificent.”
Martha couldn’t even restrain herself from snogging him silly for that. She really adored this man, and she could only hope that they’d have the kind of love that she always saw in Jack and Ianto.
Because that sort of love was truly eternal.
Martha didn’t want to leave, but she had to. She had things to do, and no time to do them in. She reluctantly pulled away from Tom, sighing, and then turned and gathered up the Indigo Device from where she’d looped it around the back of the chair. She buckled the harness on, dreading what she was about to do but needing to do it.
“Wish me luck,” she requested softly, wondering when she’d see him again. Because there was no way she wasn’t coming back.
Tom scoffed. “You don’t need luck, since you’re awesome on your own.”
That set Martha to blushing once more. He believed so much in her, and she really wondered what she’d done to deserve this man in her life.
Taking a deep breath, Martha tried to imagine where she wanted to go. She’d been to the facility once, but that should have been all it took if she was correct about the device. After all, it had gotten her home when that was where she wanted to be. She had to have faith that she’d be able to do what needed to be done.
“I love you,” she blurted, just as she was tugging onto the twin handles of the Indigo device.