Hello everyone!
I am back! It's been a long (and exciting) summer, but I am back to writing. I can't guarantee frequent uploads as i am back at uni with several important reports to write up, but I will try to upload at least once a month.
I'm honestly not sure what chapter to do next so please give me your suggestions for what you'd like to see!
Anyway, enough nattering; Here's Gridlock!
Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Robyn
They didn't have to wait for long as the Tardis immediately played the next video; the blank screen displayed the next title.
"Gridlock? That's an interesting title." Donna remarked with a raised eyebrow.
Both Martha and the Doctor's eyes widened as they shared a glance both sharing the same thought. Martha frowned slightly, this would be the first time she was properly featured in a video and she wasn't sure she was ready.
The group wasn't blind to the pair's shared glance. Mickey turned to his wife with a concerned smile, "You think you're involved in this one?" He asked her quietly.
"I think so." She sighed; she couldn't help but glance at Jack. If this was what she thought it was about, that was going to be an interesting revelation for him.
Turning to the rest of the group she shrugged, "Let's get this over with then." As if on cue, the video started to play.
[Car 10 hot 5]
(A slightly static image of a woman is on the monitor next to a logo of the Statue of Liberty.)
SALLY [on monitor]: Salutations! This is Sally Calypso with the traffic news at ten fifteen. We've got reports of a multiple stackpile at junction five zero nine, with a spate of carjackings reported on New Fifth Avenue. So you take care now, and drive safely.
(The car shakes. The occupants are dressed in American Gothic clothes.)
MA: They're going to get in. There's no stopping them.
"Sounds like this is staring well." Amy muttered, with a raised eyebrow at the Doctor. Her glance was ignored in favour of a shared look with Martha – this confirmed they were right about what this video was about.
PA: The police are on their way, I promise. I've sounded the alarm. Repeat. This is car one zero hot five. We have a problem. Require urgent assistance.
COMPUTER: Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold.
"Just what you need when you need urgent assistance." Rose shook her head with a snort.
MA: It's all your fault. You lied to the computer. You said there were three of us. You told them three.
"Three? Why does it matter if there's three of them?" Mickey asked with a concerned glance at his wife.
Martha grimaced as she realised the likely fate of these poor people, "Just watch, you'll find out."
PA: Repeat. Urgent assistance. Car one zero hot five. This is an emergency! Help us! Oh my God, I'm begging you, please, help us!
(Big bang. Sparks fly. Smoke starts to fill the car. Our last view of the screaming occupants is a hand sliding down the monitor.)
The group matched with shared grimaces as the pair disappeared from sight into smoke, the details of their fate unknown to the majority of the group but they knew it wasn't good.
"Really starting off well." Rory muttered sarcastically, sharing a glance with his wife. The whole room knew that Martha and the Doctor were going to get involved in this mess and find danger.
SALLY [on monitor]: The weather is at 36 degrees, and it's blue skies all the way home. This is Sally Calypso, signing off. Missing you already.
"Far too cheery, I don't trust her." Bill remarked eyes on the screen making her miss the knowing glance Martha and the Doctor shared.
[Tardis]
DOCTOR: Just one trip. That's what I said. One trip in the Tardis, and then home. Although I suppose we could stretch the definition. Take one trip into past, one trip into future. How do you fancy that?
"You're still kind a new then?" Yaz asked curiously.
Martha nodded at the younger woman, "Yes, this was only my ... 2nd trip? Yes, 2nd. We'd met, then gone on a trip to the past so this was our second actual trip."
MARTHA: No complaints from me.
DOCTOR: How about a different planet?
MARTHA: Can we go to yours?
The whole group winced at that; Martha really was new. Especially with that Doctor, that was a terrible request. The Doctor just moved her gaze from the screen with a closed off expression.
DOCTOR: Ah, there's plenty of other places.
MARTHA: Come on, though. I mean, planet of the Time Lords. That's got to be worth a look. What's it like?
DOCTOR: Well, it's beautiful, yeah.
MARTHA: Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?
DOCTOR: I suppose it is.
MARTHA: Great big temples and cathedrals!
DOCTOR: Yeah.
Martha sighed at her past self; she really hadn't noticed all the clues the Doctor was giving her about not wanting to speak about this. She mouthed a 'sorry' to the Doctor who just smiled sadly with a nod of forgiveness – she hadn't exactly been very forthcoming with why she didn't want to talk about it.
MARTHA: Lots of planets in the sky?
DOCTOR: The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever. Slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow.
The group listened on to the conversation, pained as they heard the longing in the Doctor's voice and knowing the Doctor would never be able to go home again, not without the grief of all they'd lost.
MARTHA: Can we go there?
DOCTOR: Nah. Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home. Instead, this is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth. Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built.
"Wait!" Rose realised, turning to the Doctor. "We went there! With Lady Cassandra and all the cat people nurses!"
The Doctor winced at the reminder she hadn't even taken Martha somewhere new, but had instead revisited somewhere she'd been relatively recently – and with Rose too. It was her time to mouth a 'sorry' to Martha who just gave her own sad smile; they'd both had their own issues during their travel together and they hadn't exactly been healthy for each other back then – but they were better now, or at least working on it.
"Yes, but this is about 30 years after we came. A lot has changed." The Doctor explained for the sake of the rest of the room.
[Pharmacy Town]
(The Tardis is blocking a narrow alleway. They walk out into rain.)
MARTHA: Oh, that's nice. Time Lord version of dazzling.
"You're not easy to impress." Amy grinned approvingly at Martha who shrugged back with a wink.
"Can't make it easy for them after all."
DOCTOR: Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!
[Senate]
(A large Face in a tank thinks at his kneeling cat attendant.)
No one missed the look that Martha and the Doctor shared at the sight of the face in a tank, but they knew better than to ask yet.
BOE: He has arrived.
HAME: What should I do?
BOE: Find him before it's too late.
"He's either friendly or an enemy." Ryan declared.
Yaz raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah that about covers the options."
(Novice Hame gets up and checks her machine gun. It lights up green.)
[Pharmacy Town]
(A plywood ghetto.)
MARTHA: Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me, on a Wednesday afternoon.
"Very specific." Clara mused, "But somehow very accurate."
DOCTOR: Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look.
(The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to get a monitor working.)
SALLY [on monitor]: And the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway.
Bill narrowed her eyes at the sight of Sally on the monitor, still full of distrust towards her.
(A picture of a high-tec Manhattan and flying cars.)
DOCTOR: Oh, that's more like it. That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels, down in the base of the tower. Some sort of under-city.
MARTHA: You've brought me to the slums?
"It was an accident?" The Doctor tried to excuse themselves with a wince, Martha just shook her head in fond annoyance.
DOCTOR: Much more interesting. It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city.
"Uh huh." Donna's disbelief was very clear in both her tone and facial expression.
MARTHA: You'd enjoy anything.
DOCTOR: That's me. Ah, the rain's stopping. Better and better.
MARTHA: When you say last time, was that you and Rose?
There were a few awkward glances at the trio, most at least partially aware of some of the history there but still finding it very awkward to watch first hand.
DOCTOR: Er, yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah.
MARTHA: You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?
"It was unintentional I swear, Martha." The Doctor muttered earnestly; apologetic eyes latched on Martha.
Martha just sighed, "I know. The Tardis takes us to where we're needed, and we were needed here. This is just going to be ... awkward to watch back." The Doctor nodded in agreement, that was one word for it.
DOCTOR: What's wrong with that?
MARTHA: Nothing. Just ever heard the word rebound?
(A man opens the front of his stall.)
PHARMACIST 1: Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy. You want Happy.
(More hatches open. The next two are women.)
PHARMACIST 2: Customers. Customers! We've got customers!
PHARMACIST 3: We're in business. Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read.
PHARMACIST 1: Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!
PHARMACIST 2: Anger. Buy some Anger!
PHARMACIST 3: Get some Mellow. Makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long.
PHARMACIST 1: Don't go to them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?
"Wait!" Bill announced loudly, hands up in a time out manner, "Are they trying to sell you drugs?"
"No."
"Basically." The Doctor and Martha answered in sync before sharing a glance.
Martha raised an eyebrow and stared the Doctor down until she sighed, "Okay, kind of?"
"Very clear answers as usual." Amy snorted in amusement.
DOCTOR: No, thanks.
MARTHA: Are they selling drugs?
DOCTOR: I think they're selling moods.
MARTHA: Same thing, isn't it?
(More people start to enter the area, listless and dressed in rags.)
"Not one of the nicest places you've taken people Doctor." Donna teased her, the Doctor just rolled her eyes.
PHARMACIST 3: Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!
PHARMACIST 1: Oi! Oi, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!
PHARMACIST 3: Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?
WOMAN: I want to buy Forget.
PHARMACIST 3: I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much do you want forgetting?
WOMAN: It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway.
PHARMACIST 3: Oh, that's a swine. Try this. Forget Forty three. That's two credits.
DOCTOR: Sorry, but hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?
"Something is absolutely wrong with that motorway." Graham declared pointing at the screen.
"What gave you that ide, grandad?" Ryan asked, voice laced with sarcasm, "The weird monsters in the fog that eat people?"
"Yeah, yeah." Graham waved him off.
WOMAN: They drove off.
DOCTOR: Yeah, but they might drive back.
WOMAN: Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them.
"Why go onto the motorway if you know people don't come back?" Clara asked bemused, "What kind of motorway is it?"
Martha and the Doctor just shared another glance, "Best to just watch."
"I hate that response." Clara frowned. The shared looks were already getting frustrating.
DOCTOR: But they can't have gone far. You could find them. No. No, no, don't.
(The woman sticks the Forget 43 tab to her neck.)
WOMAN: I'm sorry, what were you saying?
DOCTOR: Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway.
WOMAN: Are they? That's nice. I'm sorry, I won't keep you.
The group all frowned at the young women, so desperate to forget her grief she turned to drugs. Apparently, some things didn't change much in the future.
(The young woman leaves.)
MARTHA: So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals.
"Sounds familiar." Rory muttered.
(A man grabs Martha from behind, and a woman points a gun at the Doctor. The stalls all close their hatches.)
The group immediately tensed, some almost jumping in surprise as someone grabs Martha from behind. The mood in the room immediately changing. Mickey grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it for comfort – for her or him she couldn't tell.
MILO: I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all.
DOCTOR: No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go.
CHEEN: I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry.
(Milo drags Martha through a green door, and Cheen locks it behind them. They run along a passageway while the Doctor tries to get it open.)
"What do they mean they need three?" Yaz asked, her mind immediately running through theories and questions as the Doctor failed to save Martha.
Amy tilted her head, "The people in the beginning mentioned something about needing three people as well."
"Whatever it means, the people that took Martha were desperate." Jack frowned; the pair didn't exactly seem like hardened criminals so their kidnapping was a case of pure desperation.
Mickey leaned in closer to Martha, "You, okay?" He whispered to her, concerned.
Martha smiled softly, "I'm fine, don't worry. Everything worked out in the end. They weren't bad people."
Based on Mickey's expression he wasn't completely convinced but was willing to let it go for the moment for the sake of letting the video continue.
[Back street]
(A car that looks like a truncated tram is parked here.)
MARTHA: The Doctor is so going to kill you, and never mind him, I'm going to kill you myself! Let go of me!
"You tell them Martha." Donna grinned approvingly.
MILO: Give her some Sleep.
MARTHA: Don't you dare! Don't put that stuff in me, don't! Get off me!
CHEEN: It's just Sleep Fourteen. No, baby, don't fight it.
MARTHA: I'm telling you, don't!
(Martha falls asleep.)
Mickey tightened his hold on Martha, getting more and more concerned about his wife even as she tried to comfort him. Several others also gave her concerned glances, not liking the situation unfolding in front of them; it was bad enough that Martha was kidnapped, now she was being drugged too.
CHEEN: That's it. Come on. That's it.
MILO: Get on board.
[Milo's car]
MILO: Engaging anti-gravs. Hold on.
(Milo releases the handbrake and the car takes off.)
"You better find her." Mickey gave the Doctor a demanding look even as Martha rolled her eyes next to him.
The Doctor held her hands up in surrender, "I do I promise, but Martha is very capable of looking after herself."
[Back street]
DOCTOR: Martha!
[Milo's car]
CHEEN: She's all right. She's breathing, pulse is fine, and no harm done. She looks rich. She must have got lost.
MILO: Yeah, well, she's worth her weight in gold to us. This is car four six five diamond six. We have three passengers, repeat three. Request access to the fast lane.
COMPUTER:: Access granted.
MILO: Oh, yes.
"Oh! Does having three people mean you can get into the fast lane or something?" Bill asked, looking between Martha and the Doctor.
The Doctor grinned proudly, "Spot on, Bill."
[Pharmacy Town]
(The Doctor hammers on the closed hatch.)
PHARMACIST 3: Thought you'd come back. Do you want some happy Happy?
DOCTOR: Those people, who were they? Where did they take her?
"Gathering some intel." Jack nodded approvingly of the Doctor's strategy, he didn't miss the glance Martha and the Doctor shared at him speaking up. It wasn't the first time they'd shared a glance around him, and it was making him suspicious, but he knew that asking likely wouldn't lead to any answers at this point in time.
PHARMACIST 1: They've taken her to the motorway.
PHARMACIST 3: Looked like carjackers to me.
PHARMACIST 2: I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again.
"Encourgaing." Rory muttered.
PHARMACIST 1: Used to be thriving, this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end.
DOCTOR: He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?
PHARMACIST 3: It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults.
"Not a bad policy, just seems to have gone a bit wrong." Graham mused with a frown.
"Seems about typical." Ryan snorted.
DOCTOR: This motorway. How do I get there?
PHARMACIST 3: Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You canna miss it. Tell you what. How about some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love.
"I think the Doctor's anything but happy." Nardole muttered with a wary eye directed at both the Doctor on screen and in the room with them.
DOCTOR: Word of advice, all of you. Cash up, close down and pack your bags.
PHARMACIST 3: Why's that, then?
DOCTOR: Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well. And I will find her alive and well. Then I'm coming back, and this street is closing tonight!
"Bit dramatic, Doctor." Martha said, eyes not meeting the Doctor's.
She'd always been nervous about her relationship with the Doctor and this adventure hadn't been off to a great start with them going to a planet the Doctor had taken Rose too first. But knowing the Doctor cared enough about her to make a threat like that, soothed some worries that still sat in the pit of her stomach despite herself, and she knew the Doctor well enough now to recognise the difference between the Doctor's anger from guilt and the anger from concern. That was concern.
[Milo's car]
MILO: Now you just settle back. It's all going to be worth it.
(Martha wakes and takes the tab from her neck.)
CHEEN: Yeah. The view from the windows. You can see all the way out to the flatlands. Clear blue sky. They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?
"I think they've been fed some fantasies." Yaz grimaced.
"Which doesn't suggest good things for how this is going to go." Rory nodded in agreement with the younger woman.
MILO: The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so.
(Martha points Cheen's gun at them.)
"That's my girl." Mickey grinned at seeing Martha immediately grab a gun to deal with her kidnappers. She'd never been much of a damsel in distress. The rest of the group were giving her approving nods and grins, even as the Doctor shook her head slightly (mostly fondly despite the gun, she knew Martha wouldn't use it).
MARTHA: Take me back. Whoever you are, just take me back to my friend. That's all I want. I won't cause any trouble. Just take me back.
CHEEN: I'm sorry. That's not a real gun.
MARTHA: Yeah, well, you would say that.
CHEEN: Where do you get a gun from, these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire.
MARTHA: No, nor me. Okay.
(Martha puts the gun down.)
"I do now." Martha said, it wasn't exactly proud, more resigned. The years had been hard on her, and she'd learned a lot she never would have had to if she hadn't travelled with the Doctor, yet she couldn't ever bring herself to regret her decision.
CHEEN: What's your name?
MARTHA: Martha. Martha Jones.
CHEEN: Well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo. And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friend.
"If it was that easy to move around, they wouldn't be so desperate to kidnap people, so there's a few holes in their story there." Rose pointed out with a raised eyebrow at Cheen.
MARTHA: Seriously?
CHEEN: I swear! Look. Honesty patch.
"So, it's just naivety then." Donna snorted humourless.
MARTHA: All the same, it's still kidnapping! Where are we, anyway?
MILO: We're on the motorway.
MARTHA: What's that, then? Fog?
CHEEN: That's the exhaust fumes.
"Lovely." Clara muttered.
MILO: We're going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, because
CHEEN: Well, because of me. I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy.
"I mean that's great and all, but that doesn't mean you should kidnap people?" Bill suggested.
"I get the increased motivation but doesn't make the decision right." Amy agreed.
MARTHA: Right. What do I do now, congratulate my kidnappers?
CHEEN: Oh, we're not kidnappers. Not really.
"That was definitely kidnapping we just witnessed, so by definition they are kidnappers." Yaz argued, the knowledge from being a police officer not really needed in this case.
MARTHA: Nope? You're idiots. You're having a baby, and you're wearing that?
(Martha pulls the Honesty patch from Cheen's neck.)
Rory nodded approvingly at Martha, "Good shout." They may not know anything about these future 'moods' but they couldn't be good for a baby no matter what people may claim.
MARTHA: Not anymore.
MILO: This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's going to take awhile, because then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct.
CHEEN: It's only ten miles.
MARTHA: How long is it going to take?
CHEEN: About six years.
"Six years?!" Mickey shouted in shock, glancing at Martha who just raised an eyebrow at his outcry.
MARTHA: What?
CHEEN: Be just in time for him to start school.
MARTHA: No, sorry, hold on. Six years? Ten miles in six years? How come?
"That's a very long drive." Nardole muttered.
"I know where to avoid." Jack joked, missing the look that Martha and the Doctor shared.
[Lay by]
(The Doctor unlocks a metal door and steps out onto a small balcony, coughing in the exhaust fumes. The stationary traffic is stacked in all directions, including up and down. The car nearest the balcony opens its door and a figure in WW2 flying jacket and helmet, goggles and a white scarf across its face looks out. It has an Irish accent.)
BRANNIGAN: Hey! You daft little street strut. What are you doing standing there? Either get out or get in. Come on!
"Interesting style." Amy grinned; she hadn't seen much of him but she already loved his attitude.
[Brannigan's car]
(The Doctor gets in and gasps for breath.)
BRANNIGAN: Did you ever see the like?
(A dark haired woman puts an oxygen mask on the Doctor.)
Martha turned to the Doctor with the sternest look and declared, with no hesitation, "You're an absolute idiot."
"Oi-" The Doctor tried to protest but was cut off as Martha continued.
"Which is saying a lot because I already knew you were stupid, but you keep finding ways to surprise me somehow." Martha continued her rant. "And no arguments, Mister!"
The Doctor held up her hands in surrender under the weight of Martha's gaze, unsure what to say in her defence. "I'm sorry?"
"You better be!" Martha finished with a firm glare before turning determinedly to the screen.
VALERIE: Here you go.
BRANNIGAN: Just standing there, breathing it in.
(Brannigan removes the scarf and goggles.)
BRANNIGAN: There's this story, says back in the old days, on Junction forty seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet.
"Real nice." Donna raised an eyebrow.
VALERIE: Oh, you're making it up.
BRANNIGAN: A fifty foot head! Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose.
Mickey got a chuckle out of that, "Love the way he thinks."
"Course you would." Martha rolled her eyes fondly at her husband.
VALERIE: Oh, stop it. That's disgusting.
BRANNIGAN: What, did you never pick your nose?
VALERIE: Bran, we're moving.
BRANNIGAN: Right. I'm there. I'm on it.
(With a cloud of white smoke from the exhaust pipe, all the cars move forward a short distance.)
BRANNIGAN: Twenty yards. We're having a good day. And who might you be, sir? Very well-dressed for a hitchhiker.
"This whole situation gets more depressing every moment." Clara shook her head. She couldn't imagine being on that road for years at a time, stuck in a small car just holding onto hope that it will all be worth it in the end.
DOCTOR: Thanks. Sorry, I'm the Doctor.
BRANNIGAN: Medical man! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie.
VALERIE: Nice to meet you.
BRANNIGAN: And that's the rest of the family behind you.
(The Doctor draws back a curtain to reveal a litter of kittens in a basket.)
"Those are kittens." Bill stated bluntly, pointing at the screen.
"That they are." The Doctor smiled fondly.
"Is no one else having issues with this?" Bill continued, ignoring the Doctor.
Amy shrugged, "We've all seen weirder at this point."
DOCTOR: Ah, that's nice. Hello. How old are they?
VALERIE: Just two months.
BRANNIGAN: Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway.
DOCTOR: What, they were born in here?
VALERIE: We couldn't stop. We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance.
"They're all so desperate." Rose frowned; she hadn't exactly grown up well off but to do something like that meant they were truly desperate.
DOCTOR: What, you've been driving for two months?
BRANNIGAN: Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now.
"Twelve years!" Ryan's eyes widened in shock unable to really comprehend that, "That's a very long time to be stick in a small car driving."
DOCTOR: I'm sorry?
BRANNIGAN: Yeah! Started out as newlyweds. Feels like yesterday.
VALERIE: Feels like twelve years to me.
Valerie's comment got several find chuckles from the group, all enjoying the pair's dynamic.
BRANNIGAN: Ah, sweetheart, but you're still love me.
DOCTOR: Twelve years? How far did you come? Where did you start?
BRANNIGAN: Battery Park. It's five miles back.
DOCTOR: You travelled five miles in twelve years?
"That's unbelievable." Rory shook his head, struggling with the very concept.
BRANNIGAN: I think he's a bit slow.
"That he is." Martha grinned; she was a bit sad she missed the whole interaction.
VALERIE: Where are you from?
DOCTOR: Never mind that. I've got to get out. My friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. I should get back to the Tardis.
BRANNIGAN: You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by. You're a passenger now, Sonny Jim.
DOCTOR: When's the next lay-by?
BRANNIGAN: Oh, six months?
"Not gonna work." Clara shook her head. She, like many of the others, was nervous over what the Doctor was going to try and do to get Martha back. There were limited options available and the Doctor wasn't known for being the smartest when it came to their own safety, especially when a friend was in danger.
[Milo's car]
(They are dropping down through the rows of cars.)
MARTHA: How many cars are out there?
"Far too many." Martha answered her own question with a grimace and glance at the Doctor.
CHEEN: I don't think anyone knows. Here we go. Hungry?
MARTHA: Oh, thanks. But how far down is it to this fast lane?
MILO: Oh, it's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumour has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour.
"Speedy." Ryan muttered sarcastically.
"Why is it so hard to get three people?" Amy asked confused, Martha and the Doctor shared a look before shrugging.
MARTHA: Wow. That's, like, crazy. But how are you supposed to live inside this thing? It's tiny.
CHEEN: Oh, we stocked up. Got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back. And all waste products are recycled as food.
"Lovely." Bill grimaced; nose wrinkled in disgust at the idea.
MARTHA: Okay.
(Martha dumps her large dry biscuit.)
"That's the right response." Mickey nodded solemnly at his wife.
MILO: Oh, another gap. This is brilliant.
COMPUTER:: Car sign in.
MILO: Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent to fast lane, thank you very much.
COMPUTER: Please drive safely.
The group all shared a look, the tension in the room rising as Martha made her way further down to where the first car they'd seen had met its fate. They didn't like how this was going.
[Brannigan's car]
(The Doctor hacks into the communications system.)
DOCTOR: I need to talk to the police.
COMPUTER: Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold.
DOCTOR: But you're the police.
COMPUTER: Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold.
"I don't think there's anyone there." Rose said with a worried glance at Martha. She didn't miss the exchange between Martha and the Doctor, and it didn't make her feel very reassured.
DOCTOR: Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan. Is there any way of getting through to him?
BRANNIGAN: Oh now, ain't you lordly?
DOCTOR: I've got to find my friend.
VALERIE: You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed.
"That's convenient." Donna remarked, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. They were all getting the feeling there was something else going on behind all they were seeing – or more likely there was nothing going on, and that's the problem.
DOCTOR: What about the other cars?
BRANNIGAN: Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah. Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see. Who's nearby? Ah, the Cassini sisters!
(The screen shows a picture of two older women and a number, 3-1-7-a-1)
BRANNIGAN: Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here.
"Better than nothing." Jack sighed; he was hopeful that Brannigan knew someone who could help as he didn't doubt that the Doctor reached Martha (seeing as they were both here okay). Though knowing Martha there was just as high a chance she rescued herself.
The Doctor grinned, reassuring he group a bit, "Ah, you should never discount the power of friendship, Jack!"
Ryan groaned embarrassed, "That's so cheesy Doctor."
[Cassini car]
ALICE: Get off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace.
[Brannigan's car]
BRANNIGAN: Oh, come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?
ALICE [OC]: You know full well
[Cassini car]
ALICE: We're not sisters. We're married.
"Even better." Bill grinned properly for the first time in a while. It was always good to see more LGBT representation across space and time, and a pair of happily married woman was especially great for her to see.
[Brannigan's car]
BRANNIGAN: Ooo, stop that modern talk. I'm an old-fashioned cat. Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls himself the Doctor.
DOCTOR: Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked.
[Cassini car]
DOCTOR [OC]: She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one.
(May puts down her knitting and picks up a large book.)
MAY: Wait a minute. Could I ask, what entrance
[Brannigan's car]
MAY: Did they use?
DOCTOR: Where were we?
BRANNIGAN: Pharmacy Town.
DOCTOR: Pharmacy Town
"Promising." Mickey muttered leaning forward slightly in his seat.
Martha rolled her eyes at her husband and pushed him back into his seat, "Cool it, idiot."
"You love me, really." Mickey grinned teasingly at her.
"I don't know about that." She grinned back despite her words.
[Cassini car]
DOCTOR [OC]: About twenty minutes ago.
MAY: Let's have a look.
ALICE: Just my luck
[Brannigan's car]
ALICE [OC]: To marry a car-spotter.
"Very promising." Rose grinned, turns out Brannigan had some very useful friends. Martha and the Doctor may have a chance after all.
MAY: In the last half hour, fifty three new cars
[Cassini car]
MAY: Joined from the Pharmacy Town junction.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: Anything more specific?
[Cassini car]
MAY: All in good time.
"Not sure we have time." Clara grimaced, glancing between the screen and Martha in the room.
[Brannigan's car]
MAY [OC]: Was she car-jacked by two people?
DOCTOR: Yes, she was, yeah.
[Cassini car]
MAY: There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six.
"One step down. You've found the car; next problem is reaching it." Amy pointed out.
"And knowing the Doctor, they're going to be stupid about it." Rory continued, earning a pout from the Doctor.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: That's it! So how do we find them?
[Cassini car]
MAY: Ah. Now there I'm afraid I can't help.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six.
BRANNIGAN: But not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different class.
"Of course, it is." Mickey sighed, things really couldn't ever be easy, could they?
[Cassini car]
MAY: You could try the police.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: They put me on hold.
[Cassini car]
ALICE: You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else.
"I don't think there is anyone full stop." Yaz frowned.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: Thank you.
[Milo's car]
(They are still heading downwards.)
MILO: See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching.
(A distant growling sound.)
The group all grimaced at the sound of whatever monster lay below. They'd seen what had happened to the car but they still didn't know what it actually was. Whatever it was wasn't friendly though.
MARTHA: What's that? It's coming from underneath.
CHEEN: It's that noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories, they're true.
MARTHA: What stories?
MILO: It's the sound of the air vents. That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents.
"I don't think those are air vents." Nardole stated the obvious, or the obvious to the group watching at the least.
"I wish they were." Martha sighed.
CHEEN: No, but the stories are much better. They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again, because there's something living down there in the smoke. Something huge and hungry. And if you get lost on the road, it's waiting for you.
(Distant roar.)
"I think those stories are closer to the truth than the air vent one." Donna grimaced.
MILO: But like I said. Air vents. Going down to the next layer.
MARTHA: Except look out there. Does it look like the air vents are working?
CHEEN: No.
MARTHA: So what's that, then?
MILO: Nah. Kid stuff. Car four six five diamond six, on descent.
"Martha's the only one thinking as usual." Jack said with a small smile at Martha.
"Why keep going down when in doubt and hearing those noises?" Rose asked.
Martha shrugged, "They were desperate. Desperate enough to kidnap me and desperate enough to keep going."
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: We've got to go to the fast lane. Take me down.
BRANNIGAN: Not a million years.
DOCTOR: You've got three passengers.
BRANNIGAN: I'm still not going.
"He's smart, annoyingly at the moment, but smart." Amy nodded at Brannigan on screen.
DOCTOR: She's alone and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan, take me down.
Martha glanced at the Doctor, expression soft as she could see the real concern and desperation, they had felt for them. It was always a nice reminder that the Doctor did care.
VALERIE: That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there.
"Understandable." Martha conceded, she would do the same if it was her kid at risk.
DOCTOR: Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?
VALERIE: We're not discussing it. The conversation is closed.
"They know something." Clara narrowed her eyes at the screen.
"Maybe they take more stock in those stories." Rory theorised as he agreed with Clara.
DOCTOR: So we keep on driving.
BRANNIGAN: Yes, we do.
DOCTOR: For how long?
BRANNIGAN: Till the journey's end.
(The Doctor grabs the radio handset.)
"Yeah, the Doctor's not just going to accept that." Jack grinned fondly; the Doctor was predictable in that at least.
DOCTOR: Mrs Cassini, this is the Doctor.
[Cassini car]
DOCTOR [OC]: Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?
ALICE: Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty three years now.
"Twenty-three years, blimey." Graham exclaimed. Somehow, they were all still getting shocked by everyone's acceptance of how long they had and would have to be driving on this motorway, but it was hard to get their head around it all.
DOCTOR [OC]: And in all that
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: Time, have you ever seen a police car?
[Cassini car]
MAY: I'm not sure.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: Look at your notes. Any police?
[Cassini car]
MAY: Not as such.
DOCTOR [OC]: Or an ambulance?
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: Rescue service? Anything official. Ever.
MAY [OC]: I can't
[Cassini car]
MAY: Keep a note of everything.
"That's a no." Donna said bluntly. "There's no one out there."
No one missed the look that Martha and the Doctor shared. They were onto something.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: What if there's no one out there?
(Brannigan snatches the mike back.)
BRANNIGAN: Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour.
DOCTOR: Someone's got to ask, because you might not talk about it, but it's there in your eyes. What if the traffic jam never stops?
BRANNIGAN: There's a whole city above us. The mighty city state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us.
The group winced, something was up but none of the drivers wanted to voice it, all they had left was that hope keeping them going.
"They're not going to want you to ruin all their hope Doctor." River gave Brannigan on screen a sympathetic smile. She'd been quiet for most of the video so far, just watching and taking in everything going on but she couldn't stay quiet now.
"Doesn't mean it's not true." The Doctor argued.
"It doesn't, but it's not what they want to hear right now." Rose pointed out, continuing on from River's argument.
DOCTOR: In that case, where are they, hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round and round, never stopping. Forever.
"Sound like hell." Nardole grumbled.
VALERIE: Shut up! Just shut up!
SALLY [on monitor]: This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation.
BRANNIGAN: You think you know us so well, Doctor. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other.
"A nice sentiment, if nothing else." Amy smiled softly; she was really liking Brannigan.
SALLY: This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe.
CHOIR: (singing) On a hill, far away, stood an old, rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame. And I love that old cross, where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.
(Everyone on the motorway joins in, including Martha, but excluding the Doctor.)
"Kill joy." River nudged her wife, a teasing grin on her face. The Doctor just rolled her eyes in response, she couldn't deny it was beautiful but she'd been too caught up in trying to rescue Martha to appreciate it.
[Milo's car]
COMPUTER: Fast lane access. Please drive safely.
MILO: We made it. The fast lane.
(They head down and along the empty fast lane, level 50.)
"Don't think that's a good thing." Mickey grimaced with a worried glance at Martha who attempted to give him a reassuring smile in response – it didn't seem to help much.
[Brannigan's car]
DOCTOR: If you won't take me, I'll go down on my own.
BRANNIGAN: What do you think you're doing?
DOCTOR: Finding my own way. I usually do.
Martha glanced at Rose (who was watching the Doctor in concern), there were times when the Doctor was just a bit too lost in their head like this. They were so desperate to find Martha that they weren't willing to enjoy anything or accept help from people at times. At the time she'd been a bit blind by her own affections for the Doctor to really notice the impact that Rose's loss had had on them. They'd both been blind to the other.
(The Doctor sonics open a trapdoor in the floor of the car.)
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
(A car stops directly beneath them.)
DOCTOR: Here we go.
"You're not." Jack shook his head, hoping he was wrong with his theory.
River just sighed, "Of course they are."
(He throws his coat to Valerie.)
DOCTOR: Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat.
"Priorities, Doctor." Clara sighed disappointed but not remotely surprised.
VALERIE: But you can't jump.
DOCTOR: If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens.
"At least you admit it." Amy sighed, rolling her eyes.
BRANNIGAN: This Martha. She must mean an awful lot to you.
DOCTOR: Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied. Bye then.
"Oh, Doctor." Martha muttered sadly, with a soft glance at the Doctor, who swallowed and looked away from anyone else. They clearly had more to speak about.
(The Doctor drops onto the roof of the car below.)
VALERIE: He's completely insane!
BRANNIGAN: That, and a bit magnificent!
"That just about describes the Doctor." Bill snorted.
[Whitey's car]
(The Doctor sonics open the roof hatch and drops in on a man with very pale skin, wearing a white suit.)
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
WHITEY: Who the hell are you?
DOCTOR: Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. I'm doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?
WHITEY: Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years.
DOCTOR: Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!
(He opens the floor hatch and hangs there until the next car stops underneath him.)
"Surprisingly decent excuse." Donna remarked, with a raised eyebrow in surprise at the Doctor.
[Asian girl's car]
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
(This one has two young Asian women in it. He passes straight through.)
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
DOCTOR: Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted. Do you mind if I borrow this?
(He picks up a small blue headscarf and uses it as a mask.)
DOCTOR: Not my colour, but thank you very much.
"Better than nothing." Rory sighed, if the Doctor was determined to be stupid at least they were going to try and protect themselves a little, even if it was the least, they could do. It was better than nothing.
[Nudist's car]
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
DOCTOR: Ooo! Don't mind me.
The group snickered at that one, enjoying the brief break in the tension as they waited to see how Martha was getting on.
"Quick move on that time Doctor." Rose laughed.
[Red man's car]
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
(And so on.)
[Milo's car]
CHEEN: Try again.
(Milo taps Exit 1 on the monitor.)
COMPUTER: Brooklyn turnoff one, closed.
CHEEN: Try the next one.
COMPUTER: Brooklyn turnoff two, closed.
"More signs that not all is as it seems." Mickey remarked with a wary glance at the screen. The group had tensed up upon seeing Martha again, all trying to prepare themselves for the trouble they knew was to come.
CHEEN: What do we do?
MILO: We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop, and by the time we come back round, they'll be open.
"Hopeful thinking." Rory muttered.
(Growl, shudder.)
MARTHA: You're still calling that air vents?
MILO: What else could it be?
"Anything else." Yaz declared, those noises did not remotely sound like air vents, and it really didn't look like there were any vents working.
CHEEN: What the hell is that?
MILO: It's just the hydraulics.
MARTHA: It sounds like it's alive.
MILO: It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that.
JAVIT [OC]: Calling Car four six five diamond six. Repeat, calling Car four six five diamond six.
MILO: This is Car four six five diamond six. Who's that? Where are you?
"Someone's calling you. Why is someone calling you?" Nardole asked, turning to Martha and the Doctor in question. The Doctor shrugged not knowing, but Martha just smiled with a shrug, they'd find out eventually.
[Javit's car]
(Javit looks like a black poodle. She has two pale girls with her.)
JAVIT: I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind.
[Milo's car]
JAVIT [OC]: Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?
MILO: We only have permission to go down. We need
[Javit's car]
(Something is hitting the car.)
MILO [OC]: The Brooklyn Flyover.
JAVIT: It's closed. Go back up.
"I think you should listen to them." Mickey said worried, glancing between the screen and his wife next to him as if to reassure himself she was still safe.
[Milo's car]
MILO: We can't. We'll just go round.
[Javit's car]
JAVIT: Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed.
[Milo's car]
JAVIT [OC]: We're stuck down here, and there's something else out there in the fog.
[Javit's car]
JAVIT: Can't you hear it?
(Big roar.)
"I hear it." Bill muttered with a wary glance at the screen. "I think they're right; you should really go up."
Martha grimaced, "I wish it was that easy." The group all groaned at that, of course things could only get worse, it was never that simple for them.
[Milo's car]
MILO: That's the air vents.
JAVIT [OC]: Jehovah, what are you?
[Javit's car]
JAVIT: Some stupid kid? Get out of here!
(Big thump, the car tilts sideways.)
"They are young still, and desperate." Martha sighed, looking back on it she'd been a bit young and desperate too. This was almost painful to watch at times.
"Desperate people can be stupid people." Donna argued.
"I'm not denying that." Martha smiled at the other woman.
[Milo's car]
MILO: What was that?
[Javit's car]
JAVIT: I can't move!
[Milo's car]
JAVIT [OC]: They've got us!
MILO: But what's happening?
MARTHA: What's got you? What is it?
[Javit's car]
JAVIT: Hang on. It's here. Just drive, you idiots! Get out of here!
The group all grimaced, tension in the room high, as they realised what was happening to Javit's car was the same as whatever happened to the pair at the start. And whatever was happening to them was going to happen to Martha, Milo and Cheen if they didn't get out of there, and soon.
[Milo's car]
MILO: Can you hear me? Hello?
MARTHA: Just drive! Do what she said. Get us out of here!
MILO: But where?
MARTHA: Just straight ahead. And fast!
CHEEN: What is it? What's out there? What is it?
"Less talking, more driving." Amy declared, focus firmly on the screen, as was the rest of the group.
[City gent's car]
(Bowler hat and pinstripe suit.)
COMPUTER: Capsule open.
(The Doctor drops in.)
GENT: Excuse me, is that legal?
"When has the Doctor cared about legal?" Yaz sighed, it had been a bit of an adjustment to go from police officer in training to regularly breaking various laws (even if it was for good (usually)).
DOCTOR: Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. Whatever. Have you got any water?
GENT: Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners.
(He gives the Doctor a tiny cone of water.)
DOCTOR: Is this the last layer?
GENT: We're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane.
"You're so close." Ryan said, "But how are you going to get to the right car?"
Suspiciously, the Doctor was avoiding any eye contact, earning groans from the group as they realised they were going to continue to be stupid.
DOCTOR: Can we drive down?
GENT:: There's only two of us. You need three to go down.
DOCTOR: Couldn't we just cheat?
GENT: Well, I'd love to, but it's an automated system. The wheel would lock.
"So how did the couple at the start manage it?" Rose asked perplexed.
The Doctor shrugged, "No idea."
DOCTOR: Then excuse me.
(The Doctor starts to open the floor hatch.)
GENT: You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down.
DOCTOR: No, I just want to look.
"Good, you've not completely lost your mind yet." River sighed, rolling her eyes at her wife who just grinned unrepentant.
(Growl!)
DOCTOR: What's that noise?
GENT: I try not to think about it.
"Smart man." Rory muttered.
DOCTOR: What are those lights? What's down there? I just need to see.
(The Doctor sonics the car computer.)
DOCTOR: There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze.
"I doubt its going to be a pleasant view." Mickey grimaced, tightening his hold on Martha's hand in concern. Martha gave him a sympathetic smile but didn't argue. She hadn't gotten a proper look at the Macra but she didn't need to know what they were like.
[Brannigan's car]
(Someone is cutting through the roof hatch.)
BRANNIGAN: Just what we need. Pirates!
VALERIE: I'm calling the police!
(Hame hangs upside down through the hatch.)
HAME: The Doctor. Where is he?
"You've caused enough of a ruckus to have people after you as usual." Donna remarked with a raised eyebrow at the Doctor. "How did they track him?
"Maybe traced the phone calls?" Yaz guessed with a shrug.
"That's Novice Hame!" Rose pointed out, recognising the cat from her own time on New Earth, "Why is she after you?"
The Doctor nodded, "It is. She's changed her tune since you saw her though. As for what she wants, it's best to just watch."
Rose sighed at the non-answer but turned her attention back to the screen to see how things played out.
[City gent's car]
(The Doctor is connecting wires.)
DOCTOR: That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look.
GENT: What are those shapes?
DOCTOR: They're alive.
(Giant claws snap up at them.)
GENT: What the hell are they?
DOCTOR: Macra.
"Of course." River grimaced, "Macra." The Doctor nodded in agreement while the rets fo the group watched on confused.
"Erh, what are Macra?" Graham asked. Glancing between River, the Doctor and Martha.
The Doctor shook her head, "Just watch."
[Milo's car]
(Something hits it.)
CHEEN: Go faster!
MILO: I'm at top speed!
(The car is weaving through the grabbing claws.)
"Oh god." Mickey glanced between the screen and his wife next to him, concern rising with every second.
"I'm fine." Martha murmured quietly in an attempt to reassure him.
Mickey frowned, "I know but I can still be concerned."
COMPUTER: No access above.
MILO: But this is an emergency!
POLICE: Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold.
MARTHA: Turn everything off.
MILO: You've got to be joking.
"No, she's very clever." Jack's eyes widened as he made the same connection that Martha had, giving said woman a bright grin. "It's Martha, I shouldn't be surprised at this point."
MARTHA: But listen, it's all fog out there, so how can they see us? Maybe it's the engines, the sound, or the heat, or the light. I don't know. Turn everything off. They might not be able to find us.
"Very smart." Clara grinned.
MILO: What if you're wrong?
MARTHA: It can't be worse than this! Just do it!
"Anything's better than driving around in a panic barely avoiding the claws." Bill said.
(The car goes dark, and outside goes quiet.)
CHEEN: They've stopped.
MILO: Yeah, but they're still out there.
"You know how to avoid them but its only a temporary thing, how are you getting out of there?" Amy asked with a glance at Martha in the room with them.
Martha just gave the watching group a small grin.
CHEEN: How did you think of that?
MARTHA: I saw it on a film. They used to do it in submarines. The trouble is, I can't remember what they did next.
MILO: Well, you'd better think of something, because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe.
MARTHA: How long have we got?
MILO: Eight minutes, maximum.
"And a time limit, because it wouldn't be a dangerous adventure without a time limit." Clara sighed, still eight minutes were better than nothing. Martha was smart and the Doctor was on their way, she was sure they could think of a plan before they ran out of time.
[City gent's car]
DOCTOR: The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food.
"Lovely folk then." Graham snorted.
"You don't know the half of it, Graham." The Doctor hummed in agreement to the sentiment.
GENT: They don't exactly look like empire builders to me.
DOCTOR: Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must have devolved down the years. Now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and my friend's down there.
(A clang on the roof.)
GENT: Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!
(Hame drops in.)
"Now you're in trouble." Jack glanced at the Doctor.
"When isn't she?" River snorted.
"Oi!" The Doctor tried to protest.
River just raised an eyebrow, "You know I'm right Sweetie."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it."
"But you do."
"Shut up."
DOCTOR: I've invented a sport.
"I don't think it's going to catch on." Rory shook his head.
"Don't kill my dreams, Rory." The Doctor pouted.
HAME: Doctor, you're a hard man to find.
GENT: No guns. I'm not having guns.
HAME: I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, you've got to come with me.
DOCTOR: Do I know you?
HAME: You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me.
DOCTOR: Novice Hame! No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation.
"She was what!?" Donna exclaimed in shock.
"You put a stop to that right Doctor?" Yaz asked hopeful.
The Doctor glanced at Rose before turning to answer the room, "Don't worry, that's far in the past. Rose and I stopped it on our visit to New Earth. Novice Hame has grown a lot since then." She tried to reassure the group, who didn't look particularly reassured.
"I'm sure if it's important we'll see it." Rose offered, privately hoping they didn't. Watching your past self on screen like this was just embarrassing half the time.
HAME: I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself.
"His? Who's this 'he' and why haven't they done anything to help these people?" Jack asked watching the screen with thought.
Martha and the Doctor shared a glance, both getting more nervous as they got closer to the reveal about Jack's fate. Neither of them answered to the group's collective frustration.
DOCTOR: I'm not going anywhere. You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if my friend's still alive, she's stuck down there.
HAME: You've got to come with me right now.
DOCTOR: No, no, no, you're coming with me. We've got three passengers now.
"Yes, get Martha!" Mickey nodded frantically at the screen, so caught up in his concern he barely realised he was talking to an image.
HAME: I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine.
"I don't like the sound of that." Nardole declared.
"None of us do, Nardole." Bill agreed.
(Hame grabs the Doctor's wrist.)
HAME: Transport.
DOCTOR: Don't you dare! Don't you dare!
(They beam away. The City gent is left alone.)
"He must be very confused." Bill muttered quietly.
"No!" Mickey cried in frustration. Martha just gave him a smile before giving the Doctor an understanding nod. It was at least interesting to see things from another perspective, and find out what took the Doctor so long to find her. Maybe it was worth all the cringe and embarrassment.
[Senate]
(Hame and the Doctor pick themselves up from the rubbish-strewn floor.)
DOCTOR: Oh! Rough teleport. Ow. You can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha.
HAME: I only had the power for one trip.
"Of course, she did." Clara sighed, that was so very typical for how these messes unfolded.
DOCTOR: Then get some more! Where are we?
HAME: High above, in the over-city.
DOCTOR: Good. Because you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They have got thousands of people trapped on the motorway. Millions!
HAME: But you're inside the Senate, right now. May the goddess Santori bless them.
(Hame uses her teleport bracelet to turn on the lights. The senate is populated by skeletons.)
HAME: They died, Doctor. The city died.
"That would explain why no one has been helping." Amy grimaced at the sight of all the skeletons.
"What killed them all like that?" Rory asked, in full nurse mode as he tried to work out what could kill so many people so quickly.
The Doctor just grimaced and nodded at the screen in answer.
DOCTOR: How long's it been like this?
HAME: Twenty four years.
DOCTOR: All of them? Everyone? What happened?
HAME: A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss. Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished. Even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved.
"That's a weird way to save people." Ryan argued. He wasn't sure he'd count being stuck on an eternal motorway with monster crab things at the bottom being 'saved'.
"They didn't have any other options." The Doctor shrugged.
"Knew the moods were bad." Martha grimaced; very glad she'd been right about that much at least. The idea of a virus killing everyone in seven minutes flat was terrifying and she was kind of glad she'd missed this part (the Doctor had explained some things but not in this detail – they'd both been a bit preoccupied).
DOCTOR: So the whole thing down there is running on automatic.
HAME: There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking.
"Who's this 'we'? And why didn't Hame do anything?" Donna asked, glancing between the screen and the Doctor in search of answers.
Martha and the Doctor shared another glance before Martha answered, "Just watch."
DOCTOR: Who's we? How did you survive?
HAME: He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years.
BOE [OC]: Doctor.
DOCTOR: The Face of Boe!
"Oh, the Face of Boe!" Rose grinned recognising the giant head from her first proper adventure with the Doctor. Only the Doctor and Martha noticed the way Jack's face crinkled in thought as he was sure he'd heard that name before somewhere.
BOE: I knew you would come.
HAME: Back in the old days, I was made his nurse as penance for my sin.
DOCTOR: Old friend, what happened to you?
"At least you've found a friendly face." Yaz nodded, glad the Doctor's luck was looking up a bit.
"Literally." Bill couldn't help but mutter.
BOE: Failing.
HAME: He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea.
DOCTOR: So he saved them.
HAME: The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running.
"Which is why they haven't been able to do anything." Mickey grimaced, still very tense and eager to see what happened with Martha but also curious despite himself to know how everything had come to this.
DOCTOR: But there are planets out there. You could have called for help.
HAME: The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years.
"Protecting others." Amy sighed, "Guess they didn't want to risk a resurgence of the virus."
DOCTOR: So the two of you stayed here, on your own for all these years.
HAME: We had no choice.
DOCTOR: Yes, you did.
BOE: Save them, Doctor. Save them.
"They sacrificed a lot hoping to save those last people." Rose frowned, maybe she was willing to try and forgive Hame for her past sins.
[Milo's car]
CHEEN: How much air's left?
MILO: Two minutes.
"You're running out of time." Rory grimaced. The group had all tensed upon the video cutting back to Martha's situation, al of them eager to see how she escaped.
MARTHA: There's always the Doctor. That friend of mine. He might think of something.
MILO: Martha, no one's coming.
CHEEN: He looked kind of nice.
MARTHA: He's a bit more than that.
CHEEN: Are you and him
MARTHA: Sometimes I think he likes me, but sometimes I just think he needs someone with him.
The Doctor glanced away from the screen and the rest of the group, even as she felt their glances weigh upon her. Martha closed her eyes for a moment as she took a breath, apparently the Doctor and she really needed to have another talk. She's been right in a way, the Doctor did need someone with them, and he had liked her just not in the way she wanted at the time.
CHEEN: I never even asked. Where's home?
MARTHA: It's a long way away. I didn't really think. I just followed the Doctor, and they don't even know where I am. My mum and dad. If I died here, they'd never know.
MILO: So, er, who is he, then, this Doctor?
MARTHA: I don't know. Well, not really. There's so much he never says.
"That doesn't change apparently." Yaz muttered quietly, mentally she made a note to have a talk with Martha when she could.
CHEEN: But that means that the only hope right now is a complete stranger. Well, that's no use.
MARTHA: It is, though, because you haven't seen the things he can do. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns, and I've got the Doctor.
"You have to have something to keep you going." Graham nodded solemnly.
"Thank you, Martha." The Doctor offered softly, awed by the trust Martha placed in them even so early into their time together. Martha offered her own smile and subtle nod back.
MILO: Right.
(Milo turns the car back on.)
COMPUTER: Systems back online.
MILO: Good luck.
MARTHA: And you.
(They fly off again through the snatching claws.)
"Come on Doctor." Mickey muttered largely to the screen, leaning forward in his seat as he watched the car fly around barely avoiding the snapping claws. The Doctor was really cutting it close this time.
[Senate]
(The Doctor has got a computer working.)
DOCTOR: Car four six five diamond six. It still registers! That's Martha. I knew she was good. Novice Hame, hold that in place. Think, think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity grid.
HAME: There isn't enough power.
DOCTOR: Oh, you've got power. You've got me. I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch. Hame, every switch on that bank up to maximum. I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people.
"You have an idea." Clara grinned recognising the look on the Doctor's face eve if it was a different face to the one she was used to.
"I had an idea." The Doctor grinned back.
HAME: So what are you going to do?
DOCTOR: This!
(He throws a big switch and the lights go out.)
DOCTOR: No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
(Milo's car is grabbed by a claw. Another one knocks it free again.)
The group all tensed as Milo's car was grabbed and the Doctor's plan seemed to be falling to pieces. No one was sure what to say and none wanted to speak and delay finding out how Martha escaped, so they watched on silently with tensions high.
DOCTOR: The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through.
BOE: Doctor.
DOCTOR: Yeah, hold on, not now.
BOE: I give you my last
(Breath. The power comes back to the computer.)
DOCTOR: Hame, look after him. Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this. The open road. Ha!
"Come on!" Mickey was almost bounding in his seat as it finally looked like the Doctor's plan was going to work. "Please work, and fast!"
[Brannigan's car]
(Clanging sounds.)
BRANNIGAN: What in Jehovah was that?
VALERIE: It's coming from above!
BRANNIGAN: What is it? What's happening?!
"What have you done Doctor?" River asked with a small smirk, eager to see what her wife had done this time. Knowing her and how Branigan was apparently noticing something, the Doctor wasn't going to save Martha, they were going to try and save everyone.
The Doctor just grinned in answer.
[Cassini's car]
ALICE: Hold on, May.
[Brannigan's car]
(Brannigan looks out through the roof hatch.)
BRANNIGAN: By all the cats in the kingdom!
(The roof over the motorway starts to open.)
"Wooh! They're all free." Bill cheered, glad to see everyone free. It was going to be a big adjustment, especially finding out about the senate's fate but at least they were free from the motorway and away from the Macra.
VALERIE: What is it?
(Daylight streams in.)
VALERIE: What is it?
(The travellers all start to laugh.)
"Freedom." Rose smiled.
[City gent's car]
GENT: Yes!
[Brannigan's car]
VALERIE: It's the sun! Oh, Brannigan. Children, it's the sunlight.
DOCTOR [on monitor]: Sorry, no Sally Calypso. She was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor.
BRANNIGAN: He's a magician.
"Don't inflate their ego more." Amy grinned despite herself.
DOCTOR [on monitor]: And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now.
BRANNIGAN: Is he serious?
DOCTOR [on monitor]: I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you. The whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast!
"To get them out of the way and allow space for Martha to drive up." Clara smiled as she worked the Doctor's plan out.
BRANNIGAN: Here we go.
DOCTOR [on monitor]: We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way.
[Milo's car]
DOCTOR [on monitor]: Oi! Car four six five diamond six. Martha! Drive up!
MARTHA: That's the Doctor!
"Go, go, go. Drive up!" Mickey encouraged the trio on screen, eager for Martha to be out of the danger zone finally.
MILO: We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!
MARTHA: Just do as he says! Go up!
DOCTOR [on monitor]: You've got access above. Now go!
(Milo steers the car up out of the reach of the Macra.)
CHEEN: It's daylight. Oh my God, that's the sky. The real sky.
MARTHA: He did it! I told you, he did it!
"Wooo!" Bill grinned as the rest of the group all cheered at seeing the trio escape the fast lane, and the rest of the people trapped on the motorway.
[Brannigan's car]
BRANNIGAN: Did I tell you, Doctor? You're not bad, sir. You're not bad at all! Oh, yee-hah!
[Senate]
(Hame is tending to the Face of Boe.)
DOCTOR: You keep driving, Brannigan. All the way up. Because it's here, just waiting for you. The city of New New York, and it's yours. And don't forget I want that coat back.
BRANNIGAN [OC]: I reckon that's a fair bar gain, sir.
"More than a fair deal I'd say." Martha smiled at the Doctor.
DOCTOR: And Car four six five diamond six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate.
MARTHA [OC]: On my way.
DOCTOR: It's been quite a while since I saw you, Martha Jones.
HAME: Doctor!
(A big crack is spreading across Boe's tank. A little later, Martha runs in and sees all the skeletons.)
"Not a fun opening sight." Rory grimaced at the reminder of all the skeletons.
"Better than almost being food for the Macra." Martha argued with a shrug.
MARTHA: Doctor?
DOCTOR: Over here.
MARTHA: Doctor! What happened out there?
"I know now." Martha muttered to herself, that was one benefit of these videos at least.
(The Face of Boe is out of his tank.)
MARTHA: What's that?
DOCTOR: It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry. He's the one that saved you, not me.
"Fun intros." Amy shook her head, "Only with the Doctor would that be normal."
HAME: My lord gave his life to save the city, and now he's dying.
DOCTOR: No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left.
"Not Boe." Rose protested, eyes wide as she glanced between the Doctor and the screen.
BOE: It's good to breathe the air once more.
MARTHA: Who is he?
DOCTOR: I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now.
BOE: Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most.
"Why am I getting the feeling that he knows you better than you know him?" River asked the Doctor softly, eyes latched curiously on the screen.
The Doctor just smiled softly, "He knows me very well, and I know him well too, just under a different name."
Her remark got several questioning and curious looks from the rest of the group but she wouldn't say anymore, her own gaze turned on the screen.
HAME: The legend says more.
DOCTOR: Don't. There's no need for that.
HAME: It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller.
"That sounds like the Doctor alright." Yaz muttered solemnly.
DOCTOR: Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?
BOE: I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor.
The Master scoffed from his little corner armchair, clearly taking offense to Boe's words. The group just ignored him, as was the smartest thing to do. He'd thankfully been very quiet so far, scowling away from his corner as he watched the events unfolding on screen.
DOCTOR: That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go.
BOE: I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone.
(Boe breathes out for one last time, and closes his eyes. Hame weeps.)
The group gave Boe a moment of silence for his passing, they hadn't seen him for very long but he'd saved a lot of people and seemed to be a good friend to the Doctor.
Martha, Jack and the Doctor all shared a look knowing very well what Boe meant by those words, and it hadn't led to anything pleasant. Martha and the Doctor shared another look as they realised the weird time loop that Jack had put himself in, and he wasn't even aware of it yet.
The Doctor frowned to herself as she reconsidered Boe's last words, maybe he meant that Gallifrey was alive at the time, who knew when it came to Jack.
"What does he mean by that?" Graham asked, "Obviously the Doctor's not alone, they've got us."
"I think Boe meant more Time Lords, grandad." Ryan rolled his eyes.
The Doctor managed a small smile, "He did Ryan but I appreciate the sentiment, Graham."
[Pharmacy Town]
DOCTOR: All closed down.
MARTHA: Happy?
DOCTOR: Happy happy. New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs. Cats in charge. Come on, time we were off.
"Hopefully it goes better than the hospital." Rose muttered; she was still upset about Boe's death.
MARTHA: But what did he mean, the Face of Boe? You're not alone.
DOCTOR: I don't know.
MARTHA: You've got me. Is that what he meant?
DOCTOR: I don't think so. Sorry.
"Sorry." The Doctor mimicked her words on screen with a sheepish look at Martha.
Martha just gave her a reassuring smile, "It's good Doctor."
MARTHA: Then what?
DOCTOR: Doesn't matter. Back to the Tardis, off we go.
"I think you both need a break after that mess." Clara sat back in her seat, relived that the mess was mostly over.
(Martha straightens up a chair and sits down, arms and legs crossed.)
"Stubborn as always Dr Smith." Jack grinned, trust Martha to not allow the Doctor to get away with all the secrets.
DOCTOR: All right, are you staying?
MARTHA: Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said last of your kind. What does that mean?
"Impressive, she can out stubborn you." River nodded proudly at Martha; it was always so good to see that the people the Doctor chose to travel with could actually deal with them.
DOCTOR: It really doesn't matter.
MARTHA: You don't talk. You never say. Why not?
Martha winced; she hadn't been aware of the can of worms she was opening at the time but she couldn't bring herself to regret her decision - it was better for both of them for the Doctor to open up.
CHOIR: (singing) Fast falls the eventide.
MARTHA: It's the city.
CHOIR: The darkness deepens
MARTHA: They're singing.
CHOIR: Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail
"It's beautiful." Bill declared staring in awe at the screen.
"A song of freedom." Donna remarked largely to herself, as she couldn't help but think back to her adventures with the Ood.
DOCTOR: I lied to you, because I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky. I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else.
"Oh, he was very much wrong, but not in that way." The Master let out a humourless laugh. Arguably the Master could be considered the last of the Time Lords with the Doctor's species up in the air, then again, she had achieved the rank of Time Lord like he had (she just wasn't apparently Gallifreyan).
MARTHA: What happened?
CHOIR: Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day.
DOCTOR: There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song.
CHOIR: The darkness deepens. Lord, with me abide.
"Oh Doctor." River breathed out as the video faded to black, the Doctor's bittersweet reminiscence of Gallifrey heart-breaking for them all to hear knowing it was all gone again.
The Doctor refused to meet anyone's eyes as she spoke purposefully ignoring her last words on screen, "Well that's been an adventure. I think we should all get some sleep before continuing in the morning."
"Doctor..." Martha tried to speak up to reason with the Doctor.
The Doctor faked a yawn (making a few people in the room actually yawn), "So tired, see you all in the morning." With that she scurried out of the room to hide in the room as the rest of the group watched her make her escape.
Jack and River shared a long look, having a silent argument over whether to go poke the Doctor or leave her alone to sulk for now. With a matching sigh they decided to leave her for now, they'd come up with a plan for the morning.
"Well like the Doctor said before she scuttled away, lets get some sleep before we see what the Tardis has in store for us next." Jack grinned at the room; the smile only slightly fake.
With a few shrugs, muttered conversations and rolled eyes the group started to break away. Some headed straight to their rooms while others made their way to the kitchen for a drink or snack and some light conversation before, they made their own way to bed.
They had seen several emotionally charged episodes in a row and were all desperate for a real break. Once they had some sleep, they would be in a better place to deal with whatever the Tardis was going to throw at them next.