A/N: My excuse for making you guys wait so long? My computer crashed and I lost my previous work. Funny how it is only the night before a test that I really start working on my fan fictions… procrastination will be my downfall.
Well actually, I'll be gone next week (Going on vacation). So I'm afraid that you'll going to have to wait a bit before the next chapter.
Warning: Waters of Mars spoilers! If you haven't watched it yet I suggest you don't read this yet!
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or Life on Mars… however I will have to thank the person who made the Master wear the dog collar (it looks like one!) in the newest End of Time trailer. (Youtube is my best friend) it made my day – week.
Chapter 3: MARS
"I'm sorry?" Sam said, his eyebrows arching upwards.
The Doctor continued to stare at the man for several more seconds before shaking his head. "I'm sorry; I must have mistaken you for someone else."
Sam stared back. It was one thing to mistaken him for someone else… but another to call him "master". Master as in this Doctor was some sort of disciple? He didn't look like a kung-fu master, at least not like the ones he'd seen in the video games. The Doctor didn't seem like a very physical person either, at least, that's what the thin stringy arms and the thick-rimmed glasses in the man's pocket told him.
He shrugged and tried to compose himself. It really wouldn't do to look mentally unstable in front of your suspects, even if they probably weren't the ones who did it.
"So are you letting us go or what?" the more muscular of the two seemed to have found his voice.
Sam frowned, pausing to think whether or not he should tell them the truth. Finally he decided, "It looks like it."
The Doctor grinned while the Captain looked suspicious. "Then why are you here, if you aren't letting us go?" He rattled at the handcuff that kept him bonded to the Doctor.
"Well I said it looks like it, if you don't mind, I'd still like to have some questions answered." Sam said. It wasn't totally a lie. He did have some questions to be answered and he decided to get that done in a round-a-bout sort of way. It was probably better than looking like a psycho.
"Does this have anything to do with the murder?" Jack asked.
Sam ground his teeth together, "Just answer the questions please."
Jack looked like he was going to say something but the doctor silenced him with a raise of his hand.
"Thank you, so anyway, please state your names," Sam said trying to remain professional.
"John Smith," The Doctor said.
"Captain Jack Harkenss and who are you?" The Captain said, his teeth flashing brilliantly. He decided if he wasn't going to win against the Doctor, he might as well have some fun.
"Jack," the Doctor sighed, "Don't start."
"What? He asked this time," the Captain let his smile drop as he turned to face the Doctor.
Sam coughed to draw the attention back to him, "Okay, ages?"
The two exchanged amused glances before responding. "Thirty," the two replied in unison.
Sam raised an eyebrow but decided to press on, their ages didn't matter.
"Address?"
"He's very forward isn't he? Already asking where I live, well if you REALLY want to do it… I mean I normally have a rule for this type of thing…" The Captain commented.
The Doctor scowled, "Jack."
"What? Well if you're jealous, we could also go for a threesome…" Jack joked.
The Doctor sighed, "Ignore him."
"Aww that's mean. You know I'm joking," Jack laughed, "I only love you."
The Doctor rolled his eyes while Sam raised his eyebrows.
"You don't believe me?" Jack asked, pretending to be hurt, "You know I slept with those people because I was lonely."
The Doctor sighed, "Please unchain me from this lunatic."
Jack laughed, it was always fun to push the Doctor.
Sam had a feeling that this was going to be a very long interview. "Please answer the question."
After a long pause, the Doctor replied, "I don't have a permanent address after my old place burned down. Since then, I've been a bit of a traveler…"
"I travel with him. I was living with my partner for a while, well that was before I was dumped," Jack added on in the end.
"Where was the last place you were residing then?" Sam asked.
"Cardiff," They answered in unison.
Jack smiled, "Great minds –"
"Mine must be deteriorating," The Doctor said dryly.
"Right," Sam said noting that down. "Occupation?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Jack asked, "Captain. I'm in the Army."
"Doctor," the Doctor said.
Sam looked up at the two men. "Just answer the questions please." This was much harder then he anticipated. They weren't even taking him seriously.
"Yes officer," Jack said saluting with his free hand.
Sam sighed, "Okay, I won't bother with the background questions."
"Serious are we?" Jack interrupted.
"I'll just get to the point," Sam pressed on, taking the Doctor's advice and ignoring Jack. "Who do you work for?"
"Work for?" The Doctor replied.
"Yes, work for," Sam pressed, "I heard you mentioning something about a person codenamed the TARDIS or something.
The Doctor smiled while Jack tried not to laugh. "What makes you so sure we work for some secret organization?" Jack asked.
"Well, for one, you said you had immunity and were 'sent here' by the TARDIS. What else could it mean?" Sam asked.
"You wouldn't believe us if we said we didn't work for anyone huh?" the Doctor asked.
"Unless you can explain what you meant instead," Sam said.
"Okay, fine, I used to work for UNIT," the Doctor said, "I've been recently transferred to Torchwood to help this guy. You don't want to know all the trouble this guy has caused me."
"I'm just 'this guy' now huh?" Jack said.
"What are UNIT and Torchwood?" Sam asked as he jotted the two names down. How he wished he had Google.
"I'm afraid we're not at liberty to tell you that," Jack said professionally, "It's classified information."
"Don't bother to look it up, you won't find any record on them," The Doctor said, "They're called secret organizations for a reason."
"How do I know you're not lying?" Sam asked.
The Doctor pulled out a black piece of paper. "I guess I can show you this."
Sam nodded and jotted more notes down.
Psychic paper? Jack mouthed.
The Doctor shrugged. Does it matter? He mouthed back.
Sam looked up and saw the two were exchanging dark looks. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
The two jumped. "Nothing," Jack said smoothly.
"Enough questions about us though," The Doctor said looking carefully at Sam, "How about you? Is there something we can help you with?"
Sam stared at the Doctor, "What do you mean?"
The Doctor shrugged, "I have a knack of begin able to tell who needs help. That's partially the reason why people call me The Doctor. I can help."
"In other words, you look like you have a huge HELP ME sign on your forehead," Jack said bluntly.
The Doctor glared.
Sam resisted the urge to rub his forehead. Did this man know? How cold he tell? It was possible that he was from the future after all… but that was outrageous, there was no way. Even the Converse couldn't make him believe that they were from the future. Was it so far-fetched to believe that someone had designed those shoes in the past? It was entirely possible. But not plausible, a voice said from the back of his mind. Sam decided to ignore it and give them the benefit of the doubt.
"How do I look like I need help?" Sam asked, "I'm sure we all need help of some sort."
The Doctor thought for a moment carefully choosing his words, "There's something about you officer, something that tells me something is wrong about you. More wrong then most people. I don't mean medically either, just something about you… just like this guy that I'm chained to."
Sam looked at Jack. Like that guy? Well there were some obvious problems but he didn't think that the Doctor meant those. He tried to ignore the loud, boastful side of the Captain and realized that the smiling Jack that he was introduced and had been conversing to was probably all a façade. It was a mask - something to keep people at a distance - something to hide what he had underneath. He felt like an idiot only realizing that now. He tried to look past it. When he looked into the man's eyes he realized the Doctor was right. There was something about him that didn't seem right. Those eyes held more emotion then they should for someone of only thirty. He looked carefully at the Doctor too. There seemed something off about him too.
Sam swallowed. "Can you help me?" Sam asked, "With whatever is wrong with me?"
Well if they were from the future there was a possibility that they could take him back. Not that he really wanted to go back, well maybe to see his mother… wait – he'd probably give her a heart attack. Well if he hadn't given her one already by committing suicide – sort of.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Only if you let me." After a pause he continued, "You don't want to know how weird this is."
Sam tilted his head sideways.
Jack elbowed The Doctor in the ribs. Unfortunately, this didn't go as silently as he had hoped. For one he forgot their hands were handcuffed together and the chains rattled loudly in the quiet room. The Doctor wasn't expecting it either son he let out a loud oouf – which to the Doctor's credit, tried to hide as a cough. Most times the Doctor was clueless enough to yell out, "What?"
"I mean… er… most people don't take too kindly to my help…" The Doctor tried to explain.
Oouf. Another elbow to the ribs.
"I mean, most people uh, think I'm a little odd," The Doctor tried again, sensing that another elbow was coming, he quickly added, "You know most people don't expect someone to just go up to them and offer help for a problem they don't know they have."
"Does this mean that you know what's wrong with you?" Jack asked.
Sam froze; he had to answer this one carefully, "No."
Jack eyed the police officer, "Right."
Sam panicked, "You know, I should report to my superior... I-I have some paperwork to get done."
He quickly left the room and shut the door. He leaned against it. That was graceful, he though sarcastically. They must think I'm a lunatic for sure now.
He wasn't sure of what to make of all that he learned. He needed some time to get his thoughts in order. Suddenly he realized that the two captives were talking again. He pressed his ear to the door.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jack hissed.
The Doctor glared back, "What?"
"Don't you think its dangerous telling him so much? Besides we should leave this place as soon as possible. He suspect something, I have a feeling."
"I'm sure I know the rules a bit better then you, Jack." The Doctor replied coolly, "I'm just helping him."
"Yes, you're the man that makes people better," Jack mocked him using the Master's words, "You're helping him because he looks like the Master. You're still beating yourself up because you couldn't help him… that he wouldn't let you."
"Don't try to tell me how I'm feeling," The Doctor said his voice dangerously low. Jack hadn't seen the Doctor like this before. Sometimes he forgot the Doctor wasn't human.
"Then why are you acting like this?" Jack asked.
"I have to help him. I can't just leave him," The Doctor had a slight glint in his eye when he said this.
"You can't help everybody you meet. It isn't possible and you have to realize this," Jack said.
"Yes I can. I will, you just watch me… I'll help them and they'll like it too!" The Doctor said angrily.
Jack stared at the Doctor. This wasn't like him. Something happened to him since the last time they met. The Doctor had changed, and not for the better.
"Doctor…" Jack whispered trying to calm him down.
Suddenly the Doctor covered his face with his hand. "I don't learn do I?" he asked no one in particular. "After the Mars incident…"
Jack looked at him, "The explosion…?"
The Doctor nodded dejectedly, "I broke the rules Jack… I broke the rules…"
Jack looked at the Doctor sharply, "You what?"
The Doctor looked Jack in the eyes, "And do you know what happened?"
Jack just shook his head.
"Nothing," The Doctor said.
"What?!" Jack said, "But there must be rules for a rea-"
"Nothing happened. I saved her… and nothing changed! She still died Jack. I'm the reason she died. I'm the reason she killed herself." The Doctor admitted.
"What made you break the rules? Why did you…" Jack stopped. He didn't want to make The Doctor feel worse. "You know if you try to help you become the reason…"
"She was supposed to die there. She wasn't ever supposed to make it home. No one was. I managed to get her home… I managed to save her," The Doctor said.
"In doing so… she killed herself to repair the damage that had been done," Jack said, his eyes widening.
"I was selfish. I am selfish. I wanted to prove to myself that I control my fate, that I can control what happens. I needed to convince myself of this…" The Doctor said shaking his head.
"Why?" Jack asked. The Doctor was far worse off then he expected.
"Donna was right; I need someone… someone to stop me when I've gone too far. I was told that... I'm dying. I'm going to die soon and there's nothing I can do about it," The Doctor admitted.
Jack stared. Dying. The Doctor was dying. It was a foreign concept to him. Sure the Doctor had regenerated but he wasn't there to see it. It didn't mean anything back then.
"You'll still…?" Jack couldn't finish the question.
The Doctor shrugged. "I think so," he said.
"Then why…" Jack said but tried to stop himself, realizing it was a stupid question. So much for the guy who said there weren't any stupid questions.
"Why? Because I'm not like you Jack. I don't work the way you do. I won't be me anymore. I don't just sit up and act like nothing's happened. I thought you'd know that Jack. I might not die but I might as well have died. I'm not like The Doctor you first met," The Doctor explained.
"I'm sorry," Jack said.
After a pause, The Doctor looked at Jack, "I should be the one apologizing."
Jack nodded, "It's nothing… I was being an insensitive jerk."
"You mean normally?" The Doctor tried to joke.
Jack grinned, "You bastard."
"You know… I don't say this often but you were right. I want to help him because I couldn't help The Master," The Doctor admitted.
"You're doing a lot of opening up, is this normal for you?" Jack asked.
"I guess knowing that you're going to die does that to you," The Doctor said.
Jack smiled, "I'll still be with you… if you want me to be."
"I think I'd like that," The Doctor said, "I'm not too sure about what I'll say later though."
Jack grinned, "I'm sure you'll find me as witty and handsome as ever."
"Jack," The Doctor sighed.
Sam's mind was racing. MARS, suicide, saving, doctor. It all sounded so familiar. It sounded familiar because it was his scenario. The MARS incident referred to the plan… the Doctor, perhaps he was a surgeon from the future – had he accepted that these people were from the future? Well at any rate, the Doctor was a surgeon who had saved a woman in a similar situation as his. When she got home she committed suicide. Like he had. Sam swallowed. There was too much information. Too much that he didn't understand. He hated how their conversations were so vague and open to interpretation.
Perhaps he should feel bad for the Doctor. Being terminally ill and all that but he couldn't bring himself to. Not when he was in such a dilemma. Should he just admit the truth and ask for answers? No, not yet. There was a chance that he was jumping to conclusions and hearing what he wanted to hear. He had a bit more research to do before he would draw any conclusions.
Either way, getting this Doctor's help seemed like the only way to keep them around long enough to do so. Now he only needed a reason to get Gene Hunt to keep them. How hard could that be?
Well it is now 1:44 am where I am and I'm really pooped. Well I really wanted to get this chapter up for you all before I left. I'd feel horrible leaving for a week and not posting something for you guys. Especially after the nasty cliffhanger I left you guys with last chapter. (I'm sorry)
Hmm this chapter was much darker than I anticipated but I'll try to lighten the mood a bit for the next chapter. I drew a lot of inspiration for this chapter from the Waters of Mars special. I love how Tennant managed to pull off the darker side of The Doctor. I'm sad that he's leaving soon. Oh well, I'm looking forward to the Christmas special. (Yay for Simm!Master)
Okay, enough of my ranting. I'm going to bed.
Thank you for reading and happy holidays!
~Discarded Dream