by Cour M.
“Will do.”
Martha turned off the monitor and the Howards morphed back into their original shape.
“Time to depart, brothers,” Howard 6 began, “don’t worry. Satsuki and Martha will cover us.”
The Howards started up the engines, flew off from the landing and then began heading out of the stratosphere and into space.
⌨
In the crowd, still leading the cheering, was Daphne. Yet within her ear, was a tiny earpiece. It began to give off some sound and Daphne listened more attentively.
“Daphne, can you hear me?” Satsuki’s voice came in.
“Yes, I do.”
“Good, now I don’t know how to materialize around you all, therefore I shall materialize in the middle of the crowd. Don’t worry, I won’t crush anyone. The TARDIS has a natural instinct, where it shall give people time to move aside as it chooses to appear. When we land in the middle of the crowd, you can all enter until we have stored you all. This is actually better, because it will give the Howards time to get away without the prison noticing the Doctors missing.”
“Right, I told the whole crowd the departure plan. So, they will already know just to go in when you arrive.”
“Good. Now here we come.”
In the middle of the large crowd, Satsuki landed the TARDIS.
Once she opened the doors, the crowd began to enter it immediately. From above, in the prison, Captain Gilmore was watching the scene, but he couldn’t fully see the TARDIS.
“What is happening?” He asked himself. “What is happening?”
He rushed out of his office and went to his bed chambers, where there was a better view. Slowly and surely, he watched as the people began to deplete in number as they were rushing into a blue phone box. Behind him, there was a knock.
“There is no music playing!” He boomed, “so there is no need to wait!”
The guard named Bernard Shaw entered.
“Sir, something is happening to the crowd and—” he trailed off as he saw the people filing into the blue box and it confused him. “What is that?”
“I don’t know.”
Captain Gilmore squinted, trying to recall Timelord technology and then he eventually realized. “Wait, that’s a TARDIS!”
“A what?”
“Go to the Doctors’ cells and check on them!”
“Yes, sir.”
Captain Gilmore continued to watch as Bernard Shaw and another guard checked on the room. By the time that they returned, the last of the crowd was being filed into the TARDIS.
“Captain Gilmore!” Bernard Shaw informed him. “The Doctors are gone!”
Captain Gilmore sniffed the air, but did not respond. Instead, he watched as the last of the crowd entered the TARDIS. From the doorway of the box, Martha Jones and Satsuki waved.
“Thank you!” Martha exclaimed, smiling triumphantly at the guards who looked at them through the windows. She took off a hat she was wearing and bowed to them, flourishing her hand in a foppish way. “We could not have done this without you all! Truly, without your dumbness, this would have been very difficult!”
“Very much so!” Satsuki also announced, smiling, “we really have nothing but love for you all! Nothing but love!”
They closed the door, Satsuki rushed back to the consul unit and all the crowd members in the room watched her.
“Welcome back aboard you all,” she bellowed, “now, how about we vanish? Yes, let’s do that.”
She pressed the button and dematerialized, following the flight path of Howards’ spacecraft.
⌨
In the matter of seconds, the TARDIS appeared behind the spacecraft. Once Satsuki realized that she was on the right path, she then relocated the TARDIS inside of the cargo bay of the shuttle.
“Stay here for a moment,” Martha advised all the people in the TARDIS, “we need to make sure that we’re not being followed before we give you the chance to leave the safety of the box.”
“Fat chance we’ll ever want to leave this place!” one of the crowd members said, “this police box is amazing.”
Another protestor entered.
“Hey, this place even has a pool!”
“Where?” Daphne asked.
“Follow me!”
Many of the people in the consul room followed her with Satsuki issuing precautions after them.
“Do not destroy the pool!” She demanded, “and do not wreck the TARDIS. The Doctor won’t kill you, but he’ll make it feel like he did, emotionally.”
Daphne looked around at the people.
“I’ll do my best to look after everyone,” she assured Satsuki and Martha. “But I don’t know how successful I’m going to be.”
“Good luck, mate,” Martha said as she left, “well, I can imagine the look on the Doctors’ faces when they see this.”
“I’ll threaten them into thanking us if I need to,” Satsuki replied, putting her gun in her holster. They both left the TARDIS, closing the doors behind them and they were met by Howard 6, disguised as Captain Nellrix. When they saw him, both Martha and Satsuki flinched instinctively, getting on the defensive.
“Do not worry,” Howard 6 said, and then he morphed back into himself, “There, you see.”
“Sorry,” Martha apologized, “instincts, you know.”
“I can comprehend. I never liked wearing him anyway. Now come, here they are.”
Martha and Satsuki followed him to the other side of the cargo bay, and there were four crates.
“Which ones are they in?” Satsuki asked, and she was answered by some banging on two boxes.
“These ones!” Eight and Ten cried from within the box crates.
Howard 6 walked up to each box, and with his strength, he pried the tops off both boxes. There, in each box, was Eight and Ten.
“Congratulations, sirs,” Howard 6 smiled, “you’ve just been mailed to freedom.”
⌨
Martha rushed up to Ten’s box and smiled down at him.
“Welcome back,” she chuckled.
“You came for me,” he smiled, overjoyed.
“Now, this was just amusing,” Eight grinned as Satsuki helped him out of the box. “Now I can say that I’ve travelled by box in two different ways.”
“And each one was made of wood,” Ten said as Martha helped him out of his box, “Only this time, it wasn’t bigger on the inside. I’ll complain later, but for right now…”
Ten picked up Martha and twirled her around in a hug, with her laughing, while Eight cradled Satsuki’s face in his hands and kissed her forehead.
“I knew you would come for me,” Eight whispered to her.
“And I always will, old friend,” Satsuki smiled. “Were you scared at all?”
“Naw!”
Satsuki gave him a look.
“Fine, a mere little,” Eight confessed.
“Well, I was scared for you too,” she admitted, “I never lost you before. I didn’t like it. We must not lose each other again. I was a nuisance to Martha when it happened, and I was ashamed. Because I wasn’t at my best, at first.”
“It’s fine, you were in shock,” Martha reassured her, “I understood that.”
“I know, but I’m still shamed.”
Ten looked at the boxes and saw the mailing information on the boxes.
“You had them put the mailing address of the prison as well as the destination being Mecrellas?” Ten gasped.
“Yes, it was Howard 6’s idea,” Martha reported.
“I thought it might be beneficial to have proof that you were at the prison,” Howard 6 explained, “because your companions informed me that you had connections with the Shadow Proclamation. You might need some evidence against the Mecrellan government.”
“What?” Eight laughed, “Howard 6, I could kiss you!”
“Don’t do that,” Ten rushed out, “it repulses him.”
“Indeed, it does,” Howard 6 confirmed, “if you wish to repay us, that would be a poor
way of doing it.”
“But Howard 6, you sir, are a genius,” Ten agreed, looking at the crates, “because these other crates are the Jupiter Gas, right?”
“Affirmative.”
“Then, you sir, are the last piece to the link that will lead to us ending the Imitation Games, and end the war before more people die.”
“What does that mean?” Martha asked.
“We can discuss that later,” Satsuki said, turning to Eight. “and you are not going to forgive me for what you see next.”
“What is it?”
“I must remind you that we needed a distraction to save you both.”
“Satsuki, what did you do?”
“Look inside your TARDIS.”
Eight prepared himself and went to his TARDIS. When he opened it up, he saw all the people inside.
“By the sound of the sonic!” He swore, “who are all these people?!”
“Don’t you dare get upset,” Satsuki followed him, pulling him into the TARDIS.
“Please don’t tell me that they found the pool,” Eight pleaded, “you know how long it takes the TARDIS to clean it again.”
“I’ll let you take over from here. I’m sort of exhausted from saving your life.”
They both disappeared in the TARDIS.
⌨
Now alone, Martha and Ten looked at each other.
“You have a plan?” Martha asked, following Ten.
“Yes, I do.”
“Good, then let’s hear it.”
“Howard 6, redirect your route to the Shadow Proclamation.”
“Yes, sir.” Howard 6 left and went to the flight deck.
“Well,” Martha said, “I was worried that we were taking too long.”
“It’s best that you came in the time that you did. We learned much.”
“I heard that there is a werewolf in the cellar of the prison!”
“It is,” Ten laughed, “a Terusian werewolf!”
“Stellar!”
“I know, right?”
Ten moved around her and looked at one of the boxes that contained the gas.
“In truth, it was terrible in there, Martha.”
“I can imagine. What was it like?”
“Everyone was innocent. Every prisoner was innocent. Only the guards were guilty of things.”
“Don’t worry, we always find a way.”
“Yes, we do. If this plan goes perfectly, then all of them will be free.”
“Yes, they shall.”
“Still, I’m amazed,” Ten remarked, “all the planning that you did.”
“Well,” Martha smiled, “it’s a matter of taking what one is given and using it against someone.”
“Pardon?”
“The Mecrellans use Earth’s history to imitate it, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, I took a page out of their book. When I was back in school, and we were researching the Slave Trade, I did a history report on this one slave named Henry ‘Box’ Brown. The Box part of his name was a nickname, because when he wanted freedom, he mailed himself in a box to a free state.”
“What?” Ten asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Martha laughed, “Surprised that you are the only person who once stole a box because he wanted the freedom to see the rest of what life had to offer? Well, he did the same thing. He was in the Southern states of America, so he mailed himself in a box that was small, but somehow big enough for him, and he eventually arrived at his destination, and was a free man.”
This made Ten laugh.
“We humans may not be Timelords,” Martha acknowledged, “but we have this amazing ability to dare to be brilliant, sometimes. And since Mecrellans loved our history, I gave them a dose of their own medicine.”[7]
“Martha Jones?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes, you make me smile too hard.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” she laughed, and then she became serious. “That was the longest time that we’ve been away from each other for so long since the Master.”
“Yes, it was,” Ten replied, somber, “how are you? I mean, how is this?” He tapped her head, indicating her mind. When he gestured, it made Martha confused about how he would know what was in her mind. “You didn’t give anything away. You shared memories of yours with Eight, and when I was in prison with him, I was able to see his memories clearer.”
“Right,” Martha groaned, “because you’re him, from the future. Everything that he sees, you eventually will see. I don’t know how I didn’t realize that.”
“It’s fine. So, that’s another reason why you wanted to leave me? You are being haunted by a memory of the Master. I mean, I know of your other reasons, but that really was part of it?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ten inquired, staunch.
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t know. Why?”
“Because I didn’t think you would care.”
Ten swallowed, looked away from her, and then turned back.
“Well, I do.”
“Then… yes, I am going mad, Doctor. And I was worried that I was a danger.”
“You’re not.”
“But I was still worried.”
“It’s natural. And how are your dreams?”
“For the moment, I still dream of him from time to time. But it’s not bad.”
“Martha?”
“No, really, it’s not. He hasn’t killed me at all by the end of the dreams in a long time.”
“All right. But I want you to check in with me every now and again. You must let me know that your mind is safe.”
“All right.”
“And remember.”
“Yes?”
“I will always hear you. And I will always listen.”
Martha smiled.
“You promise?”
“Yes. Cross my hearts.”
“I believe you.”
⌨
Within the TARDIS, Eight was looking chagrin while alongside Satsuki. They both were in the pool room, with the smell of chlorine around them.
Eight looked dismayed as the pool was flooded with many protestors who were swimming around and over each other.
“Behold, Doctor,” Satsuki coaxed, “the price of freedom.”
“Indeed. Lots of smelly protestors in my pool.”
Satsuki pet his shoulder.
“Well, what do we expect? They just took part in a prison break. They are excited.”
“I don’t have enough towels for this.”
“Never fear,” Satsuki replied, “the TARDIS will supply them.”
Eight suddenly burst out laughing at the situation.
“This is so amusing.”
“Yes, Doctor. Yes, it is.”
They both began laughing together.
Chapter 14
Now We’ve Got a Plan
“So,” Ten began as the four of them were in the TARDIS, convening around the consul unit in the control room. “Where is our two-hundred-person entourage and their posters?”
“They are in the mess hall now,” Satsuki answered, “the TARDIS kitchens made sure to have enough food for them.”
“Be our guest, be our guest,” Martha sang.
“You just had to beat me to that reference,” Ten inferred.
“And I’m not apologizing,” Martha smirked.
“So, what’s the plan?” Satsuki asked. “We’re going to the Shadow Proclamation now, but we have to return to Mecrellas to dissolve the heat barrier, find out where the clockwork droids are, and we also have to see if we can recover any of the victims from the trans-mats. Daphne was excellent and she got the crowd together, so we have to do everything in our power to return her friend back to her.”
“My dear Satsuki, can’t you count?” Eight asked, lightly, “That was only four things we need to fix, when there are really six. We have to also end this war which has just begun, and we also hav
e to disband all the penitentiaries.”
“Doctor, I love you, but you can’t be such an idealist that you believe every single man in those prisons are innocent.”
“I don’t, but I can guarantee that all of them were given mistrials. If they were given proper hearings, then it can be determined who are the innocent ones versus who are the guilty ones.”
“And there’s one person who I have questions for,” Ten said more to himself, thinking of Lesius.
“Who is it?” Martha asked.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Doctor—”
“Right now, that’s all you need to know,” he replied firmly.
Martha bit her lip and looked down, wondering if she should argue, or let it go. As she did, Ten noticed this and he tried to be more diplomatic.
“Martha, I promise, I will tell you later.”
“You promise?”
“By the blue of the TARDIS.”
“All right. I will ask about it later, just to warn you.”
“Warning noted. Now, back to the matter at hand. In going to the Shadow Proclamation, we can present them with the evidence that can end the window-bridges, and then we must pop back down to Mecrellas and discover the clockwork droids, which will be simple.”
“Simple?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious?”
“Doctor, I think it’s anything but obvious,” Satsuki replied.
“You said that there was a heat barrier around Draconis, right?” Eight echoed.
“Yes, keep better track,” Satsuki teased.
“Well, if the heat barrier is around Draconis, then that is where the clockwork droids are. Hiding in plain sight.”
“I think we would have seen a ship with a lot of clockwork people on it wearing theatre puppet masks.”
“You would have if they were visible,” Ten added.
Martha and Satsuki looked in between each other.
“Doctors, come on!” Martha retorted, “time is of the essence. You can show us your impressive mystery skills later. Right now, be clear.”
“Very well, think on it. There is a heat barrier around Draconis, right? And it’s just around the time the clockwork droids disappeared.”
“Then both are connected,” Satsuki linked.