Halfway Out Of The Dark || The Doctor

The Sontaran Stratagem

"Only the best." the Artist added. "Who's the lucky man?" the Artist suddenly asked Martha.

"What man?" the Doctor questioned, "Lucky what?"

"She's engaged ya prawn." Donna scoffed as Martha held up her left hand, which had an engagement ring on it.

"Oh, Martha, congratulations!" the Artist beamed, hugging her friend, "Who is he?"

"Tom." Martha replied, "That Tom Milligan. He's in paediatrics. Working out in Africa right now, and yes I know, I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places. Tell me about it."

"Is he skinny?" Donna asked.

"No, he's sorta... strong." Martha replied.

"He is too skinny for words." Donna remarked, pointing to the Doctor, "Ya give him a hug, he gives you a paper cut!"

"Oh, I'd rather you were fighting." the Doctor sulked.

"Oh, give over." the Artist told him, "You're the right size for me." she reassured him.

"And you're the right everything for me." the Doctor replied, brushing a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

The reunion was cut short by a voice over a radio saying; "Dr Jones, report to base please."

"Speaking of fighting." Martha remarked, pulling out a radio, "This is Dr Jones. Operation Blue-sky is go, go, go, go. Repeat this is a go." She lead the trio down the alleyway towards a large factory, just as a platoon of soldiers in black uniforms with red berets, jeeps and a large lorry approached the factory.

Once they'd reached the building, the soldiers stormed it. "This is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce." one ordered, "Raise that barrier now!"

"All workers, lay down your tools and surrender." another one ordered through a megaphone.

"Greyhound 6 to Trap 1." Martha said into her radio, "B section, go, go, go! Search the ground floor, grid pattern delta."

"What're you searching for?" the Doctor asked her.

"Illegal aliens." Martha replied, then turned back to her radio, giving more orders.

"This is a U.N.I.T operation. All workers lay down your tools and surrender." a soldier ordered over a megaphone, and the Time Lords and Donna could only watch as the soldiers aimed their weapons at factory workers, forcing them to their knees.

"Is that what you did to her?" Donna questioned the Time Lords, "Turned her into a soldier."

Neither the Doctor or the Artist could answer. This wasn't the Martha Jones they knew. Maybe The Year That Never Was had a bigger impact on her than they thought.

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Presently, Martha returned. "Ah, so you're a qualified doctor now." the Artist remarked, noting Martha's nametag.

"U.N.I.T rushed it through given my experience in the field." Martha replied, then led them towards the lorry. "Here we go. We're establishing a field base on site. They're dying to meet you." she told the Doctor.

"Wish I could say the same." the Doctor muttered. The Artist squeezed his hand reassuringly and they followed Martha into the lorry's trailer, which was set up as a mobile office, with computers and a large screen on one wall and a small conference area in one part.

Martha approached a man in an officer's uniform. "Operation Blue-sky complete, sir." Martha reported, "Thanks for letting me take the lead. This is the Doctor and the Artist. Doctor, Artist, Colonel Mace."