ROTM Prompt 2.6.3 and WM Prompt 18.1b
ROTM Prompt 2.6.3: It was a great plan! The one little thing that went wrong was...
WM Prompt 18.1b: "They're just doing what comes natural to them... surviving."
"What is going on?"
He'd know that voice anywhere, even though the words and tone weren't ones he'd heard from her before. Harry looked up from the microscope and smiled in an effort to calm her down. "Hullo, Martha. Did you have a nice time with Torchwood?"
Fortunately, that was enough to distract her from her question. She frowned. "How do you know about Torchwood? I never mentioned them."
"I've been in this business a long time. There's not much I don't know." There was rather a lot about Torchwood he still wasn't sure about, but now wasn't really the best time to ask.
"Hmph." She folded her arms. "And you didn't answer my question."
He sighed, giving in and putting his pen down. "Remember that intelligent alien plant-thing you left me to deal with?" The species probably had a name, but since it didn't talk, was definitely alien and looked liked a plant that was the best moniker anyone had come up with so far.
She nodded. "You've been MO before. You said you knew what you were doing."
Of course he knew what he was doing. None of this was his fault. Not exactly anyway. "Well, it budded."
She blinked. "It did what?"
"Reproduced asexually."
"You're kidding, right?" She smiled, expecting the joke.
He shook his head. "We took pictures." He pointed to the noticeboard and Martha went over to look.
"You called one of them Martha?"
All of a sudden he found one of the reports on the desk very interesting. But Martha wasn't fooled. She came back over and snatched it out of his hand. "Martha's taken over half the base, hasn't she?"
"Martha and Harry." He failed completely in not looking embarrassed at the names. They'd been a joke at the time, although if he had a choice the second one wouldn't have been named after himself. "They're just doing what comes natural to them... surviving. I mean, after we accidentally killed their brother..." He didn't really want to explain what had happened. Or that the brother was called Emily. Not just now, anyway.
She shook her head. "I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I?"
"Don't worry, we have a plan." He smiled in a way that he hoped would help convince her.
When she put her hands on her hips Harry remembered who he was dealing with. "And how's that working?"
"It's a great plan." He came up with it so he felt he had to defend it. "The one little thing that went wrong was you coming back."
"How did I screw up your plan?"
"Well, you just weren't supposed to come back until it was dealt with and I'd put the sickbay back to the way it should be." UNIT could function without Martha Jones. It had before and would in the future. He just wanted to prove it to her.
She sighed. "I swear sometimes, if I didn't like you so much I'd shake you."
He grinned. "That would be insubordination, Dr Jones."
"Actually, since I'm MO, I outrank you, Admiral."
Before he could answer that, a Lieutenant burst in. "We got her, sir." He held out something small, green and leafy to Harry, which Harry took.
"How's the rest coming?"
"I'm sure we can find homes for all of Martha and Harry's children. And grandchildren. And--"
Harry cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
The Lieutenant left, looking relieved to be dismissed.
"Martha, meet your namesake." He held the plant out to her.
She raised her eyebrows and made no move to take it from him.
"We just need to get her sterilised," Harry continued, undeterred. "I told you we had a plan."
Martha sighed and shook her head. "And I thought Torchwood was crazy. Here, give her to me, you're crushing her." In her hands, the plant wriggled its leaves and started purring. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face, mister."
Harry coughed and obediently turned serious once more. He was glad to have Martha back though and it didn't take long before the intelligent alien plant-things were no longer breeding and taking over the base. He'd just rather Martha hadn't called Torchwood to find where they were from and find a suitable new home for them on Earth.
WM Prompt 18.1b: "They're just doing what comes natural to them... surviving."
"What is going on?"
He'd know that voice anywhere, even though the words and tone weren't ones he'd heard from her before. Harry looked up from the microscope and smiled in an effort to calm her down. "Hullo, Martha. Did you have a nice time with Torchwood?"
Fortunately, that was enough to distract her from her question. She frowned. "How do you know about Torchwood? I never mentioned them."
"I've been in this business a long time. There's not much I don't know." There was rather a lot about Torchwood he still wasn't sure about, but now wasn't really the best time to ask.
"Hmph." She folded her arms. "And you didn't answer my question."
He sighed, giving in and putting his pen down. "Remember that intelligent alien plant-thing you left me to deal with?" The species probably had a name, but since it didn't talk, was definitely alien and looked liked a plant that was the best moniker anyone had come up with so far.
She nodded. "You've been MO before. You said you knew what you were doing."
Of course he knew what he was doing. None of this was his fault. Not exactly anyway. "Well, it budded."
She blinked. "It did what?"
"Reproduced asexually."
"You're kidding, right?" She smiled, expecting the joke.
He shook his head. "We took pictures." He pointed to the noticeboard and Martha went over to look.
"You called one of them Martha?"
All of a sudden he found one of the reports on the desk very interesting. But Martha wasn't fooled. She came back over and snatched it out of his hand. "Martha's taken over half the base, hasn't she?"
"Martha and Harry." He failed completely in not looking embarrassed at the names. They'd been a joke at the time, although if he had a choice the second one wouldn't have been named after himself. "They're just doing what comes natural to them... surviving. I mean, after we accidentally killed their brother..." He didn't really want to explain what had happened. Or that the brother was called Emily. Not just now, anyway.
She shook her head. "I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I?"
"Don't worry, we have a plan." He smiled in a way that he hoped would help convince her.
When she put her hands on her hips Harry remembered who he was dealing with. "And how's that working?"
"It's a great plan." He came up with it so he felt he had to defend it. "The one little thing that went wrong was you coming back."
"How did I screw up your plan?"
"Well, you just weren't supposed to come back until it was dealt with and I'd put the sickbay back to the way it should be." UNIT could function without Martha Jones. It had before and would in the future. He just wanted to prove it to her.
She sighed. "I swear sometimes, if I didn't like you so much I'd shake you."
He grinned. "That would be insubordination, Dr Jones."
"Actually, since I'm MO, I outrank you, Admiral."
Before he could answer that, a Lieutenant burst in. "We got her, sir." He held out something small, green and leafy to Harry, which Harry took.
"How's the rest coming?"
"I'm sure we can find homes for all of Martha and Harry's children. And grandchildren. And--"
Harry cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Thank you, Lieutenant."
The Lieutenant left, looking relieved to be dismissed.
"Martha, meet your namesake." He held the plant out to her.
She raised her eyebrows and made no move to take it from him.
"We just need to get her sterilised," Harry continued, undeterred. "I told you we had a plan."
Martha sighed and shook her head. "And I thought Torchwood was crazy. Here, give her to me, you're crushing her." In her hands, the plant wriggled its leaves and started purring. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face, mister."
Harry coughed and obediently turned serious once more. He was glad to have Martha back though and it didn't take long before the intelligent alien plant-things were no longer breeding and taking over the base. He'd just rather Martha hadn't called Torchwood to find where they were from and find a suitable new home for them on Earth.