Breath ("Military" entry)
Title: Breath
Word Count: 835
Characters: Martha Jones, The Judoon,
Spoilers: For Turn Left
Warnings: Major character death
Episode Setting: Smith & Jones AU, inspired by Turn Left
Summary: The events of ‘Smith and Jones’ but where Martha has no Doctor to help her through it. Missing scene from 'Turn Left'
Authors Note: I admit I haven't seen this episode in a while, or the turn left one, so I may have gotten some of the details mixed up. Also my computer is glitching for some reason and keeps messing up my font, please bear with me.
Boots thundered down the hall, and when each rubber sole stomped on the floor a shiver ran through Martha’s spine. She shuttered and closed her eyes and focused on the rhythm of her breathing. People went through crises every day! But then again people didn’t get transported to the moon and invaded by aliens every day.
Martha stood up, she wasn’t going to die here. Well, maybe she was, but she wasn’t going to die cowering in fear. Hesitantly she poked her head around the corner, black boots strode across the white halls toward her. She couldn’t help but stare down at their boots, not because there were interesting to look at, but because they distracted her from looking at their faces.
Aliens. They exit. And they’re...horrible. But like a switch in her head, she turned her outlook completely around. She decided that nothing she did would actually matter, so why was she being controlled by fear? She only wished she didn’t feel so alone. Martha’s gaze traveled from the leather boots to the black pants and torso, up to the gigantic head. It was ugly. Well, it was ugly by human standards, but she supposed that it might be considered beautiful to someone.
Her world just grew so much bigger, and she might as well except it, because her world might not last long anymore. Before she knew it she was being scanned and programmed.
“Human,” the voice said.
“Well I should think so,” Martha retorted. The initial shock from the alien attack washing off she was feeling more like her curious self. “What, er-who are you?”
“We are the Judoon,” he replied.
“OK. But who are you?” she pressed.
The Judoon blinked for a second, taken aback. “I am a soldier.” he said.
“Like part of the Judoon military? Martha inquired.
“No.. We are not fighting a war.”
“Meaning your not here to kill us?” Martha said, unable to stop the smile starting to grow on her face.
“We have no interest in humans now.” The Judoon proceeded to walk away, undoubtedly to find another person to scan.
“What’s with the scanning? Why do you need to know I’m human?” Martha knew if she could figure out what was going on, maybe, somehow, they could go home.
“There is one not-human in this building. And we will find them.”
Martha processed this information, but before she could say anything else he was gone. Martha started to run through the halls, no linger chasing the Judoon, but looking for panicking patients or people, looking for where she was needed.
She continued this way for a while, before she felt her pounding just a bit too hard. She chalked it up to traveling the hospital floors, but then she felt her head pounding, her chest was heaving as she was struggling to breath. She rubber her temple trying to think clearly. Why was she running out of air? But the answer she kept coming upon was just too horrible to think. But she know it was true as soon as she looked at everyone around her, they all were struggling to breath. If it was everyone that could only mean that the hospital was running out of air.
Panic ran through her and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She marched on, informing others of the situation, warning medical personnel and able bodies to caution their breath intake.
In minutes people were crawling all over any spare oxygen, desperate cries of people realizing the end was near echoed through the halls.
Martha came up to a group of tear stricken people, frantically trying their cell phones, trying to reach their family or friends back home.
Family.
What would happen to her family? Here the last thing she ever heard from them was arguing over the phone. Why hadn’t she tried to bring them together more? Maybe her death would do that. Her death. Was this really the end?
Martha tried to block out the all too loud sound of despair and dread. She somehow came upon an unoccupied breathing mask, after taking a quick glance around the hall to make sure no one else in more need of it was around. She put it too her face taking a long, deep, breath. All thoughts of her family and her doom fled her mind as all she could think about was the sweet relief from the oxygen.
The moment came and went, as she saw a fellow staff member stumble than slump against the wall. No matter how much her flesh craved and begged for more oxygen, it was her duty as a Doctor, and as a decent human being to help him. She put the mask over face, a few moments passed before his eyes fluttered open. “Thank you.” he mouthed to her, and although she felt horrible and knew her end was near, Martha smiled. If even she saved one person, it was enough.
As she closed her eyes for the last time she only wished someone would have saved her.