The Sum of His Parts Chapter 5
Title: The Sum of His Parts by gruaig_rua
Rating: PG-13
Series: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters: The Tenth Doctor (both of them), Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, PC Andy, Mickey, Martha.
Spoilers: Set post Journey's End, pre Children of Earth.
Summary: The Other Doctor achieves the supposedly impossible and returns... But why?
Chapter 5
Martha leant against the examination table listening to the Doctor recount how he’d come to be in Cardiff. He preferred to stand and shuffle back and forth, seemingly unable to stand or sit still for any period of time… So nothing new there.
"When the Rift closed for good a couple of years back, the other Earth’s problem with global warming was all but solved. Their industrial revolution was much more carbon neutral than yours." The Doctor explained as they wandered through the Hub. "So there had been a shift from an environmental programme to a more commercial one."
"And you couldn’t stop them?"
"There was also a shift in management and government advisors. Those of us who wanted to return to pre-Rift policy were definitely in the minority. I tried to show them what would happen."
"And with all your knowledge and experience they just ignored you?" Martha was astonished they could dismiss The Doctor in such a way.
"No TARDIS and no sonic screwdriver, pretty much guaranteed no say. I was just another member of the team against a cabal of soulless pen pushers who were more interested in the bottom line than the potential of what the find could yield." There was no disguising the disgust on the Doctor’s face. "I hated it there, eventually. Couldn’t wait to get shot of the place. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that Mickey wanted to come back here."
"Wow, you make it sound like you were driven to leave." Martha frowned. "Was it really that bad?"
"How bad does it have to be to want to punch a hole in the Universe to get away?" Martha was unsure how to react. She knew the two Doctors were different, but it was only now, seeing how this newer version of the tenth Doctor was explaining things to her, that she could see just how different they were. "You have no idea what it was like, Martha." The Doctor pleaded with her to understand why he took the action he did. "You know me. Even back in 1913, when I was John Smith, I couldn’t get the thought of wandering through the stars out of my head. And I was stuck there with no chance of growing a TARDIS in my limited lifetime… I was trapped." She watched him pace back and forth across the room. Slow, measured steps, like he was trying to contain the manic energy within. "And I tried. I honestly, hand on my one, solitary, single, human heart, tried to deal with what I had been given, but I couldn’t."
"It’s okay. Nobody’s accusing you ." Martha said softly. "If anything, I’d say the other Torchwood should be praising you for getting the time cannon to function safely."
That calmed him somewhat and he continued with his story. "It took a lot of time and a lot of work, but I managed to calibrate it so that it would create a stable connection. The problem before was that it punched a hole between the universes, leaving damage in its wake. Basically, I burrowed gently, ensuring the link was small and stable. Once that was established, the only way to properly test it was to send someone through and I wasn’t prepared to risk anyone’s safety but my own… which is just as well seeing as I nearly drowned."
"Is there nobody over there who can recalibrate it for you?"
"No." he shook his head. "What I did wasn’t exactly official Torchwood business. The only other person who knows about it is Rose and while she’s really good with the basics of the time cannon, the intricate, inner workings are just a little bit beyond her, I’m afraid."
"So that means you’re stuck here."
"Not quite. If I had access to the TARDIS, I could control things from this side and…"
"Bring Rose with you?" Martha smiled, finishing his sentence. He nodded and smiled back, looking more like himself... his other self (God this was weird!). Sensing his change in mood, Martha went to him and put her arms around the Doctor, like she’d been desperate to since he arrived. He happily returned her affection.
"Oh, it’s so good to see you, Martha Jones. It’s been too long, way too long." he leant back, still keeping one arm around her waist. "You haven’t changed a bit, you know." his hand gently caressed her face as she smiled bashfully at him. She was well over him romantically, but compliments were always welcome. "Now, I need you to do something for me." His hand stayed on her face. "I need you to ring the Doctor now. Can you do that for me?"
"Sure I can, absolutely!" Martha said, digging in her pocket for her mobile phone, still held in the Doctor’s embrace. "He’ll be thrilled to see you."
His fingers pressed into her temple. "And you’ll say only what I want you to say."
She looked quizzically at him for a moment, but then blinked and smiled. "Of course." she dialled the number and it was quickly answered. "Doctor, It’s Martha…" He watched her relay every word. "Can you come to Cardiff? Something’s come through the rift... It’s nothing life threatening and everyone’s fine, but we think you should see this. Jack says it would be better if you land inside Torchwood, rather than out in the Plas because they’re doing construction works all over the place and you don’t want the TARDIS landing in the bucket of a JCB." As the conversation went on, Martha had the strangest sensation. She was speaking, but it didn’t sound like her own voice in her head. She hung up feeling perturbed over what she’d just said. No mention of the other Doctor being there, just a message that sounded like something was wrong. Why should the Doctor’s return be wrong? "He’ll be here within the hour." she consciously avoided eye contact with him.
"Good. That gives me time to catch up with everyone before I have to leave."
She shook her head, like she was trying to clear a fog in it. "What did you do to me?" Martha suddenly felt uncomfortable that he was in her personal space.
He gave her that goofy grin that would normally melt her heart. "I want it to be a surprise. I like surprises. And I am him and he is me and we are all together."
Martha didn’t appreciate his humour. "So you decided to control me, rather than just ask me not to let the cat out of the bag?" before he could answer, she moved away, shrugging her shoulders like there was something crawling down her back such was her discomfort with him. "Look, I can hear Jack telling me they’re back." she fiddled with her earpiece. "I’ll go up and let him know you’re doing okay."
He reached out to take her hand. "Martha…" She hurriedly sidestepped him to make her way out of the medical bay. Catching her by the arm, he backed her against the wall and clamped his hand over her mouth. She struggled as her muffled screams reverberated around the room, but he used his body weight to pin her in place. "Shhh shhh shhh, Martha. You have to be quiet now." His voice was calm and even as he pressed his fingers against her temple once more. Once she was silent, he removed his hand from her mouth, to her other temple. "Everything’s fine, everything’s great, isn’t it." Her look of panic softened into a beaming smile. "Oh, it is so good to see you, Martha Jones." he wrapped his arms around her and they hugged each other tightly. "So good. Now, I’m just going to wait here until this headache passes, but I’d really love to talk to Jack."
"He’s upstairs and I know he’s dying to see you." Martha said excitedly.
Chapter 6.