Human Nature

They ran back into the TARDIS, desperately seeking shelter. The Doctor quickly leapt for the console, hurriedly hitting buttons.

"Doctor, what-" Martha began.

"No time," he said. "It's the Family, I know what they want, I know what I have to do. If I can just..."

The instant the time machine's central column started to groan, the Doctor had already leapt away from it. He rummaged around underneath, a few vague wires and devices hidden within the mechanism. She'd never seen him go in there before.

He pulled out a lethal-looking device, along with a fob watch and, of all things, a VHS tape.

"Doctor-" Martha began.

"I need to hide my Time Lord essence," the Doctor said. "As soon as possible, or they'll trace us. Watch the tape, it's all explained on there. And-" for a moment he seemed less manic, expression sobering. "Don't interrupt this until it's done. I'm sorry, but it's vital you keep away."

"What-" Martha began.

He still didn't let her finish a sentence. He put the tape on the console, put the fob watch in the device, and then put it over his head.

And then it sparked to life. The Doctor braced himself, and seconds later started screaming.

Martha watched in horror; his words played over in her head, but it was hard to just watch. She wanted to help him, spare him that pain, but she could only stand there.

Until, after far, far too long, the Doctor slumped to the TARDIS floor, ****. Horrified, Martha stared.

She should help him-

No, the professional side to her took over. She couldn't help if she didn't have any clue what was happening. Instead she lifted the tape up and went over to a screen, soon finding a way to insert it.

A recording of the Doctor popped into view.

"Hi," he said brightly. And Martha sat back on a chair, and watched.

"If you're watching this, it's happened. I've seen signs that the Family of Blood are following me, and if that's the case it's imperative they don't find me. If they get their hands on a Time Lord, well... Anyway, I had a plan in place. What you just saw, what I just used, is called a chameleon arch. It rewrites my DNA, makes me human, and stored all my Time Lordiness in the fob watch. Martha, keep that watch safe at all costs, I'm relying on you.

"I should have set the TARDIS on a preprogrammed course. You know, I did become human before, back in my seventh incarnation, but- you don't need to hear about that now. Back then I settled in England in the 1900s, but that's not the best place to hide. We're bound for a human colony in the 23rd century. Life's comfortable, but they've just come out of a war so they're defensive. ****-shields around the planet, devices to detect alien intruders, the Family should find it hard to get in. After a couple of weeks they'll die of old age, but until then we need to keep away from them. And- oh, there was something else...

"Ah well, sure it would come back to me. Anyway, the rules..."

Martha watched on as he gave advice for looking after him while he was human. He wouldn't know he was the Doctor; rather, he'd believe himself to be a human called John Smith, with a long fabricated life behind him.

He'd think of her as a friend, but wouldn't know about their life.

She couldn't let him hurt himself, hurt others, do anything permanent, or for that matter eat pears.

"Ok then Martha, my life is in your hands," the Doctor said, for once seeming entirely serious. "I'm relying on you. And- oh! That was it. Sirius Beta, a colony founded on appreciation of the female form, the women there are nudists. Right. Should be easy for you to blend in. Anyway, Martha, thank you."

Martha watched in an entirely different kind of horror as the tape finished.

Nudists?! He wanted her to look after him, for weeks, on a planet where she couldn't wear anything?!