004: A Storm is Brewing [Visual / Private to Angel Investigations and her Friends]

[allthatlife]

She needed to warn the population of Taxon about the Master. There was no question of that. The problem was working out exactly how to go about it. She knew a handful of people in the city and she knew that a few of them had already encountered the renegade Time Lord, but that might not be enough. At the moment, she was the only person in Taxon who

Comments

[visual | same filter]

[supercompacted]

Fred's face is grim when she turns on the transmission. "I know, I saw him, too. Figured that he didn't know me before, so I wouldn't give him the chance this time, either. But Martha-" She pulls back from the camera, trying to figure out how to word this. "We can help you too, you know. You can hide your location- I might be able to make the tablet say you're somewhere you're not, even. Maybe you could come stay with us for awhile?"

She'd seen how terrified Martha had been when the Master (and Fred was still boggling over the fact that he actually called himself that) arrived. She didn't want her to deal with that alone.

[allthatlife]

She wasn't ashamed of her fear, as such. After all, it was an understandable reaction to everything the Master had put her - not to mention her family and the planet she called home - through. But she was angry about letting him see it. He was the sort of person who like to gloat. Amongst other things.

"You could do that?" Putting the Master off the scent, so to speak, was a good idea. Martha was immediately intrigued.

"I've hidden from him before," she mused, "But last time I had a whole planet to hide me."

Not to mention a modified TARDIS key and sheer desperation.

[visual | same filter]

[demonologist]

Seeing the usually unflappable Doctor Jones so rattled has been unsettling for Wes. He feels so useless in his current condition to physically protect her if that's what she may need. It's clear from her agitated manner that she does fear for her safety. But she's putting her own concerns on a lower priority than warning them about Saxon and how he might target them due to their association with her.

"There may also be magical means at our disposal. I'm quite certain there are concealment and perception altering spells which could make you less detectable to him. But I'd have to look into it further. See what's required."

Wesley makes himself sit up on the bed, his expression serious but calm.

"We'll do everything we can to protect you, Martha. It's the least we can do."

He, in particular, knows just how much he owes her.

"I'll move out of the hospital if you think it's warranted, but we should get you somewhere more secure first."

[visual | same filter]

[supercompacted]

Fred nods. "We'll find something. Something he hasn't heard of, that he won't know how to get past. We'll probably find several somethings, actually," she admits, a faint smile crossing her lips.

"I'm pretty sure we better move you, though, Wesley," she says quietly, shifting her attention. "Just in case. It shouldn't be too bad. We can get one of Angel's cars for the trip and set you up pretty well in the hotel." She starts thinking of whether they could just move the bed. Maybe someone has a van...

[voice] [locked to Martha]

[rereremembered]

...so he is back.

[Worst day ever? Yes, let's go with that.]

[Visual / Private]

[allthatlife]

"Yeah, he's back."

He might have claimed that he didn't remember being in the city before, but Martha wasn't convinced. She knew better than to believe a word that came out of Harold Saxon's mouth.

She refused to use the other name he'd chosen, too.

"Does he know you're here?"

[Voice / Private]

[rereremembered]

Bloody hell.

[There were much stronger explatives Fitz would like to use, but he'd censor himself for now. The distinctive sound of a lighter being flicked on could be heard over the tablet.]

I haven't made myself known and don't plan on it. [Pause, drag on cigarette, exhalation.] He didn't know me before here, and 'far as I know I'd never run into him either.

[Visual / Private]

[allthatlife]

Martha was obviously relieved. Although there was a good chance that the Master would work out who he was - and who he knew - eventually, the fact that Fitz was safe for now was definitely something to smile about.

"I thought you were going to give them up?" she remarked, with a raised eyebrow. Ever the doctor.

[visual | private]

[not_theman_iwas]

The Doctor offered Martha what she hoped might be a vaguely reassuring look. "I know who he is. Not this regeneration, but... it'll be all right."

She hoped.

[Visual / Private]

[allthatlife]

Once, it probably would have reassured her. But she'd that look - or a very similar look, anyway - before. It had been all right, but only after a year as a fugitive, walking the Earth for a man who might have been killed months before.

"Things might have changed since you last saw him," she cautioned, "He might have changed."

Don't underestimate him again, Doctor. Please.

[Visual | Private]

[not_theman_iwas]

To her credit, she's not dismissive; she leans forward a little, eyes filled with concern and sympathy. She has heard some... stories about what he did, before, but it's still a little hard to believe. Torture, after all, isn't usually his style.

"Changed how, Martha?"

[Visual | Private]

[allthatlife]

"I ... I don't know how much I can tell you." Which was going to make things difficult. As tempting as it was - she could stop what had happened to the Earth and to her parents - she knew better than to take risks when it came to time. What else would she change? Would she meet Mickey? Would she even meet the Doctor? "It's still in your future."

[ voice | filtered ]

[glowingseer]

The-- [ oh yeah, not a name she'd easily forget, thank you so much torture sessions. ] ...didn't the aliens get rid of him already? You're saying... you're saying he's back?

[Visual / Private]

[allthatlife]

"He's back," Martha confirmed. She wasn't sure what he'd done during his last stay in the city. All she knew was that it had been clever as well as ruthless. Everything he didn't was clever as well as ruthless.

"He's saying he doesn't remember being here, but I don't plan on trusting anything he has to say."

[ voice | filtered ]

[glowingseer]

Oh, he doesn't remember, does he? Well that's just convenient, isn't it?

[Visual / Private]

[allthatlife]

"It doesn't make him innocent," Martha said, darkly. She'd thought along the same lines when the Master had made the claim but, in the end, she'd decided that it didn't really matter. "Even if he doesn't know what he did in Taxon, he knows exactly what he did on Earth."

He'd already threatened her family. Thankfully, they were a universe away from him this time.

[Visual / Private]

[allthatlife]

At that, Martha managed a wry smile. She was still holding that TARDIS key in her hand and, although Angel wouldn't know what it actually was, raised the modified perception filter when he asked the question.

"I've had a lot of practice when it comes to hiding from Saxon."