Soul's Shadow (Doctor Who - SI)

Part XV (XI)

I peeked around the console's socket to see if Donna had returned, but she wasn't the one entering the TARDIS door.

It was the Doctor.

"Where's Donna?" called Wilf immediately. "Is she alright? Did it work?"

"Why of course it worked!" Donna's voice resounded through the room when she entered behind the Time Lord, head held high. "I repaired the teleporter so the Doctor could bring the TARDIS down," she told, whipping her hair back. "Cakewalk, really."

"Oh, that's my girl. My brilliant little girl." Wilf was almost crying, hugging his granddaughter with visible force.

The Doctor chuckled. "Yes, yes! Brilliant indeed. Of course she was. Never doubted it." His head snapped towards the Master. "Although she really wouldn't have to go through that."

"What? And risk getting dirt on my new jacket for a bunch of potato heads? Not going to happen." The Master grinned wickedly at the other Time Lord, then subtly winced when I stepped next to him. "Since when are you here?"

"A... while." I shrugged, evading a direct answer. There were more pressing matters at hand right now.

Behind Donna there was another person now entering the TARDIS. She had dark skin and wore the Doctor's long coat, looking weirdly fragile in it. Her eyes wandered from person to person. And then her look darkened.

"What's he doing here?" she suddenly demanded, pointing at the Master. "Why isn't he in chains!? Why is no one doing anything?"

The room fell silent; all heads turned to the Time Lord in question. He, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed, a slow, maniac grin even spreading on his lips.

"Martha Jones," he said, voice suddenly sickly sweet. "How's the family?"

The woman shot forwards. "You tortured them, you bastartd! How do you think they are?"

"Hush, hush, Martha. It's okay." The Doctor rushed towards her, grabbing her shoulders. "He's not doing anything. Calm down."

But she didn't. "When you said he's in your TARDIS, I didn't think you'd let him just roam freely! How can you... There are people around even. Doctor..." Her voice cracked when she said his name.

There was so much fear and anger in her voice, it made my skin crawl. Only someone who had gone through immense trauma could sound like that. And the one who had caused it now sat casually among us, not the least fazed by the entire thing.

"Martha." The Doctor grabbed her arm to turn her away. "C'mon. There is a planet to save. I have an idea."

The young woman turned to him, slowly, as if she didn't dare to take her eyes off the Master. Donna and Wilf followed outside instead, leaving the three of us behind. A bad idea, probably. But whatever was going on with the earth was obviously the more pressing matter for the Doctor.

There was a long moment of silence, then Martha's attention wandered to me, who was still standing right next to Master. "I'd get away from him, if I were you," she said drily.

I turned my head to look at the Master, seeing him staring, not moving a muscle. I shrugged, looking back at Martha. "What did he do? No one really told me."

"You don't need to know," hissed the Master.

"You're one of the Doctor's companions too, aren't you?" Martha asked, her voice getting instantly friendlier when addressing me.

"Uhhhh.... Sort of?" I rambled, not quite certain how to properly introduce myself and explain my situation. "I'm not that much into adventures. But yeah, I'm travelling along. I'm Lucy, hi."