The Stolen Earth Incident - Chapter Fifity
30 April 2009
London
Martha poked her head outside the door to call Clint in to eat, only to find that the SHIELD agent was already on his way back in.
“How did it go?” she asked, stepping aside to let him in.
He shrugged. “Not too bad, but Fury wants me back at the Triskelion as soon as I can get there for a full debrief.”
Martha knew that the Triskelion was SHIELD’s main office, based in Washington DC. She frowned. “How are you going to get there? Everything’s pretty well grounded and will be for a couple of days at least.”
The Daleks had done a lot of damage to airports, wanting to ground everything that might have proved to be some sort of defence against them. Heathrow had taken quite a lot of damage, but she didn’t know about Reagan International. Being at the US capitol, it would have taken some pretty serious hits.
“There was a SHIELD team near Paris with a Quinjet,” he answered, as he followed her into the dining room. “He’s diverting the mission to come and pick me up. Should be here in about three hours.”
“That should give us time for me to give you the information you need to pass along to Director Fury,” she answered.
“Jack,” Clint called, spotting him at the table where the captain was sitting between Francine and Tish. He looked up at his name. “If you want to get back to Cardiff faster, Directory Fury said we can give you a lift in the Quinjet he’s sending for me.”
The relief and gratitude on Jack’s face made Martha’s heart ache. “I’d appreciate that. Give the director my regards, and let him know I’ll contact him for a debriefing as soon as I can.”
“No problem.” Clint took an empty seat next to Leo. “Now, can someone pass me the bacon? I’m starving!”
**********
Martha wasn’t at all sure that the Quinjet landing in her parents’ front yard was such a good thing.
Still, she could always have her Mum tell the neighbours it was from UNIT. Most of them were aware that she worked for them, so it would work.
And then she saw the stylised SHIELD eagle on the side, and figured it was a lost cause.
The woman who came down the ramp wore a tight, black cat suit, guns on each hip, and had vibrant red hair. She moved with almost dancer-like grace, and Martha could tell immediately that she was one of the most dangerous people she would ever meet.
“Tasha!” Clint called out. He was hugging her before Martha had even registered his moving from her side. “I didn’t know it was you in Paris!”
“I hear you got stuck in the middle of this mess,” the woman teased. She wasn’t smiling, but Martha could tell she was amused. She pulled back, shaking her head. “I’m surprised Coulson lets you out without a leash anymore.”
“Aw, don’t be harsh like that,” Clint whined. “C’mon and meet the gang, and I’ll grab my bow at the same time.”
He linked his arm through hers, practically dragging her toward the porch and where Martha stood, feeling a bit out of her depth despite all of her experience. She thought it was the whole, ‘high-tech plane parked on the front lawn’, thing.
“Doctor Martha Jones,” Clint said, stopping in front of her and bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement, “this is Agent Natasha Romanov, my best friend and platonic soulmate. Tasha, this is Martha Jones. She’s with UNIT and is a really good friend of mine as well.”
Martha couldn’t help but grin. She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you. Of course, Clint hasn’t said much about you at all.”
Agent Romanov accepted the hand shake. “Same to you, Dr Jones. Although I do know he met you in Geneva, during something he can’t talk about.” She spoke that brand of perfect American accent that meant that it wasn’t her first language, although not a lot of people would have noticed.
“Come on in,” she invited. “Any friend of Clint’s…”
“Even one with a different security clearance?”
Martha laughed. “We’re really good at keeping secrets around here, so don’t worry about hearing something you shouldn’t.”
Clint did the introductions, and to Martha’s disbelief Jack completely failed to flirt with the agent. Actually, he seemed to respect her, which told Martha that he knew something about her that she didn’t. But then, Jack’s clearance was just about the highest a person could get anywhere in the world, and if Agent Romanov was known to Clint, then she would have been willing to bet that she’d shown up in the background check that Torchwood did on everyone even vaguely associated with that organisation.
In just a few minutes, Jack and Clint were saying their goodbyes and were climbing aboard the Quinjet, along with Agent Romanov. Martha stood on the lawn with her family, Tom’s arm wrapped around her, as the aircraft lifted off vertically, wind from the powerful engines flattening her Mum’s shrubs.
Martha took a deep breath as the Quinjet vanished toward Cardiff. She glanced up at Tom, who had his free hand over his eyes and was looking up into the sky, as if he was still trying to watch the Quinjet fly off.
There was a rumble of thunder. Martha tugged on the arm that was around her, and he went with her before even thinking about letting go.
The next several months were going to be difficult. Martha understood that. But she wasn’t going to leave Great Britain again if she could help it.
Unless it was for her honeymoon, of course. She and Tom still hadn’t decided where they were going.
But that was in the future. For now, she was home.
It began to rain as they made their way back into the house.
London
Martha poked her head outside the door to call Clint in to eat, only to find that the SHIELD agent was already on his way back in.
“How did it go?” she asked, stepping aside to let him in.
He shrugged. “Not too bad, but Fury wants me back at the Triskelion as soon as I can get there for a full debrief.”
Martha knew that the Triskelion was SHIELD’s main office, based in Washington DC. She frowned. “How are you going to get there? Everything’s pretty well grounded and will be for a couple of days at least.”
The Daleks had done a lot of damage to airports, wanting to ground everything that might have proved to be some sort of defence against them. Heathrow had taken quite a lot of damage, but she didn’t know about Reagan International. Being at the US capitol, it would have taken some pretty serious hits.
“There was a SHIELD team near Paris with a Quinjet,” he answered, as he followed her into the dining room. “He’s diverting the mission to come and pick me up. Should be here in about three hours.”
“That should give us time for me to give you the information you need to pass along to Director Fury,” she answered.
“Jack,” Clint called, spotting him at the table where the captain was sitting between Francine and Tish. He looked up at his name. “If you want to get back to Cardiff faster, Directory Fury said we can give you a lift in the Quinjet he’s sending for me.”
The relief and gratitude on Jack’s face made Martha’s heart ache. “I’d appreciate that. Give the director my regards, and let him know I’ll contact him for a debriefing as soon as I can.”
“No problem.” Clint took an empty seat next to Leo. “Now, can someone pass me the bacon? I’m starving!”
**********
Martha wasn’t at all sure that the Quinjet landing in her parents’ front yard was such a good thing.
Still, she could always have her Mum tell the neighbours it was from UNIT. Most of them were aware that she worked for them, so it would work.
And then she saw the stylised SHIELD eagle on the side, and figured it was a lost cause.
The woman who came down the ramp wore a tight, black cat suit, guns on each hip, and had vibrant red hair. She moved with almost dancer-like grace, and Martha could tell immediately that she was one of the most dangerous people she would ever meet.
“Tasha!” Clint called out. He was hugging her before Martha had even registered his moving from her side. “I didn’t know it was you in Paris!”
“I hear you got stuck in the middle of this mess,” the woman teased. She wasn’t smiling, but Martha could tell she was amused. She pulled back, shaking her head. “I’m surprised Coulson lets you out without a leash anymore.”
“Aw, don’t be harsh like that,” Clint whined. “C’mon and meet the gang, and I’ll grab my bow at the same time.”
He linked his arm through hers, practically dragging her toward the porch and where Martha stood, feeling a bit out of her depth despite all of her experience. She thought it was the whole, ‘high-tech plane parked on the front lawn’, thing.
“Doctor Martha Jones,” Clint said, stopping in front of her and bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement, “this is Agent Natasha Romanov, my best friend and platonic soulmate. Tasha, this is Martha Jones. She’s with UNIT and is a really good friend of mine as well.”
Martha couldn’t help but grin. She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you. Of course, Clint hasn’t said much about you at all.”
Agent Romanov accepted the hand shake. “Same to you, Dr Jones. Although I do know he met you in Geneva, during something he can’t talk about.” She spoke that brand of perfect American accent that meant that it wasn’t her first language, although not a lot of people would have noticed.
“Come on in,” she invited. “Any friend of Clint’s…”
“Even one with a different security clearance?”
Martha laughed. “We’re really good at keeping secrets around here, so don’t worry about hearing something you shouldn’t.”
Clint did the introductions, and to Martha’s disbelief Jack completely failed to flirt with the agent. Actually, he seemed to respect her, which told Martha that he knew something about her that she didn’t. But then, Jack’s clearance was just about the highest a person could get anywhere in the world, and if Agent Romanov was known to Clint, then she would have been willing to bet that she’d shown up in the background check that Torchwood did on everyone even vaguely associated with that organisation.
In just a few minutes, Jack and Clint were saying their goodbyes and were climbing aboard the Quinjet, along with Agent Romanov. Martha stood on the lawn with her family, Tom’s arm wrapped around her, as the aircraft lifted off vertically, wind from the powerful engines flattening her Mum’s shrubs.
Martha took a deep breath as the Quinjet vanished toward Cardiff. She glanced up at Tom, who had his free hand over his eyes and was looking up into the sky, as if he was still trying to watch the Quinjet fly off.
There was a rumble of thunder. Martha tugged on the arm that was around her, and he went with her before even thinking about letting go.
The next several months were going to be difficult. Martha understood that. But she wasn’t going to leave Great Britain again if she could help it.
Unless it was for her honeymoon, of course. She and Tom still hadn’t decided where they were going.
But that was in the future. For now, she was home.
It began to rain as they made their way back into the house.