The Lazarus Experiment

(Jared's POV)

Tardis…

"So, another adventure then." Nagisa said, happily. "Where will the Doctor bring us today?"

"Ooo, I don't know." Penny said, smiling. "It's good to be somewhere nice and normal."

"Normal. You find a magical girl like me being with a robot normal?"

"Come on girls." I said, while the TARDIS lands. "This adventure isn't so bad."

"And what is this adventure? That you're really calm about."

The Doctor puts on the hand brake, "There we go. Perfect landing. Which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" Martha asked.

"I think it's the end of the line for you." Nagisa said, as Martha goes outside. "There's no place like it, don't you think?"

Martha's home…

The Tardis is next to the clothes horse.

"Home. You lot took me home?" Martha asked.

"Well, it's the morning after we left." Nagisa said, excitedly. "You've been gone for about 12 hours. In fact, barely any time has passed."

"But all the stuff the three of us have done. Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?" Martha asked.

"Yep, all in one night, relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was. Books, CDs, laundry. So, back where you were, as promised." The Doctor said.

"This is it?"

"Yup, this is it, Doctor Jones." I said, eating a slice of cheesecake. "The four of us should probably get…"

Martha's phone rings and the answering machine starts up, "Hi, I'm out. Leave a message."

"I'm sorry." Martha said, sadly.

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?" Francine asked, on the answering machine.

"It's Mum. It'll wait."

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."

Martha turns on the television, which was on stand by.

"The details are top secret…" Lazarus said, on TV.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" Martha asked, and Tish is standing next to an elderly man who is making an announcement.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device which will redefine our world."

"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab."

"With the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human."

"Professor! Professor!" A reporter said, on TV.

Martha puts the TV back on standby, "Sorry. You were saying we should?"

"Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said." The Doctor said.

"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of escalated." Martha said.

"Well, this happens to us a lot." I said, leaning against the TARDIS. "Doesn't it, Martha?"

"Thank you. Both of you. For everything." Martha said, happily.

"It was my pleasure." The Doctor said, entering the TARDIS with Penny, Nagisa, and I with the blue box de-materializing.

TARDIS…

"So, that's it then." Nagisa said, leaning against the TARDIS console. "We're not going to see Martha Jones again. I barely knew her too."

"Same." Penny said, looking at Nagisa.

"Something doesn't add up here. What did that man on the news mean that he was going to change what it means to be human? Does he mean magical girls?"

"No, it was only by the Incubators who could do that." I said, flicking a switch on the TARDIS console for the blue box to re-materialize inside Martha's apartment. "It's something else. It might be immortality. Who knows."

"Immortality?" Penny asked. "You mean he doesn't want to die?"

Martha's flat...

"No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?" The Doctor asked, peeking his head out of the TARDIS doors.

(Open POV)

TARDIS…

"What are you gonna wear to this event?" Nagisa asked, walking towards Jared.

"Probably a suit and tie." Jared said, taking out something out of his backpack. "I don't know, really. Lots of people are gonna be there."

"You should wear something that suits you." Penny said. "I don't know how, but you can figure it out, can't you? I know you can."

"Yeah. A suit and tie. Maybe I should wear a bow tie. Bow ties are cool."

"Bow ties are cool?" Penny asked.

"How are bow ties cool?" Nagisa asked. "Don't they make you look like a preppy student?"

"No." Jared said, laughing a little. "They're cool. Because they are cool."

"I wonder if fezzes are cool." Penny said.

Street…

The Doctor, Martha, Penny, Nagisa, and Jared are in formal evening dress.

"Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens." The Doctor said, annoyed.

"It's not the outfit, that's just you. Anyway, I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way." Martha said.

"James Bond? Really?"

They walk up to a building labelled Lazarus Laboratories.

Reception room…

In the middle of the room is a circular dais. On it is a man-sized frosted glass chamber and four upright posts, slightly curved at the top to aim at the chamber. A waiter walks past with a tray of food.

"Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles." The Doctor said, taking some food off the tray.

"Is that cheesecake?" Nagisa asked, also taking some of the food off the tray. "So, what are you gonna do today?"

"Maybe relax." Jared said, eating some onigiri. "I don't intend of running today. But I know you and Penny want to save others today."

"Is there danger today?" Penny asked.

"Yup. I have this feeling. So I needed a huntress and a magical girl with me today."

"And two nights out in a row for you. That's dangerously close to a social life." Tish said.

��If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." Martha said.

"You might, actually. You should keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum, she's coming too. Even dragging Leo along with her."

"Leo in black tie? That I must see. This is, er, the Doctor." Martha said, looking over at the Doctor.

"Hello." The Doctor said, happily.

"Is he with you?" Tish asked.

"Yeah." Martha said.

"But he's not on the list. How did he get in?" Tish asked, looking down at the list.

"He's my plus one."

"Um, I'm Jared Shay." Jared said, walking over to Tish. "I should have a VIP request under Torchwood."

"Yes, I've got you." Tish said, looking at Jared, then at Penny and Nagisa. "And are they with you?"

"Yeah. Penny Polendina under Ironwood and Nagisa Momoe under Incubator."

"They're also on the list." Tish said. "The Doctor isn't on the list though."

"So, this Lazarus, he's your boss?" The Doctor asked.

"Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff." Tish said.

"Why are you still snacking on anything sweet?" Penny asked.

"Because we'll be running a lot later." Jared said, holding Nagisa's hand.

"Or you two will later. I've already called two other girls to talk with." Jared said, as Weiss and Mami walked over to him. "While I hang back outside with them later."

"Hi." Weiss said.

"Hello." Mami said.

"Hi." Nagisa said, smiling.

"When did you get here?" Penny asked.

"A couple of hours ago." Weiss said. "Tish Jones asked us to set this up."

"Oh, nice." The Doctor said, as Tish walked away from them.

Francine enters with Leo, "Your father's caused me enough heartache already with his menopause and his trophy girlfriend."

"Yeah, Mum, I know. It's just something he said last night." Leo said, annoyed.

"Martha."

"Mum!" Martha said, giving her mother a big hug.

"All right, what's the occasion?" Francine asked.

"What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night."

"I know. I just miss you. You're looking good, Leo."

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Weiss asked.

"Well, Nagisa and Penny will be going after this monster thing with the Doctor and Martha." Jared said, walking around the room. "While you, Mami, and I will be hanging out drinking tea and stuff."

"So, we're gonna eat cake and drink tea." Mami said. "And Nagisa will be going heading on against some creature with Penny."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Do you even care about them? Like you do with us?"

"I do. But I don't feel like running today."

"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together." Martha said.

"You all right, mate?" Leo asked.

"It's lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. We heard a lot about you." The Doctor said, happily.

"Have you? What have you and your friends heard, then?" Francine asked.

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and. Er, no, actually, that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat. You know, been busy."

"Busy? Doing what, exactly?"

"Oh you know. Stuff."

Professor Lazarus taps on his glass for attention, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I am going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you will wake to a world which will be changed forever."

Lazarus goes inside the chamber. A pair of lady scientists start up the machine and press a big red button.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Weiss asked, when the four columns start to oscillate and rotate around the chamber as they pour energy into it.

"No." Nagisa said, while an alarm sounds. "I don't think so."

"Something's wrong. It's overloading." The Doctor said, as the computer agrees.

"What's going on?" Penny asked, and there are sparks from the controls, then smoke.

"This isn't going to plan." Mami said, while the Doctor rushes over and gets out his sonic screwdriver. "I think."

"Somebody stop him. Get him away from those controls!" Lady Thaw said, angrily.

"If this thing goes up, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" The Doctor asked.

"He really needs to hurry up." Weiss said, pulling out a big power cable and the contraption slows down, then stops. "That man tried to defy the law of physics."

"Yeah." Mami said, as she and Martha rushes to the chamber.

"Get it open!" Nagisa said, annoyed. "Hurry!"

Martha opens the door, and a young man staggers out. Lady Thaw is delighted.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am seventy six years old and I am reborn!" Lazarus said, getting wild applause.

"He did it. He actually did it." Lady Thaw said, smiling.

"Lazarus." Jared said, eating some Pringles. "That man made himself young for what? Showing off?"

"I think he was trying to make a point." Nagisa said. "If only he executed it better. And the machine overloading."

"I kinda have to agree." Mami said, drinking a cup of tea. "What should we do now?"

"I think we should go in there as a team." Weiss said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Penny asked.

"I don't know." Jared said, still snacking on some of the potato chips.

A little later, Lazarus is posing for the photographers.

"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." Martha said.

"Oh, it's not a trick. I wish it were." The Doctor said.

"What just happened then?"

"He just changed what it means to be human." Nagisa said, sadly.

"Excuse me. That was the most astonishing thing I've ever seen. Look at you." Lady Thaw said, smiling.

"This is only the beginning. We're not just making history, we're shaping the future, too." Lazarus said.

"Think of the money we'll make. People will sell their souls to be transformed like that. And I'll be first in line." Lady Thaw said, as Lazarus stiffens and gasps, then grabs a tray from a passing waiter and proceeds to eat all the food on it. "Richard."

"I'm famished." Lazarus said.

"Energy deficit. Always happens with this kind of process." The Doctor said.

"You speak as if you see this every day, Mister?" Lazarus asked.

"Doctor. And well, no, not every day, but I have some experience of this kind of transformation."

"That's not possible."

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's inspired."

"You understand the theory, then."

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables."

"No experiment is entirely without risk."

"Well, that thing nearly exploded!" Weiss said, angrily. "You might as well walked straight into a war zone full of Grimm. Or into a blender."

"You're not qualified to comment." Lady Thaw said.

"Well, if the Doctor and I didn't stop it. That machine of yours would have exploded."

"Then I thank you, Doctor. And you are?" Lazarus asked, looking at the Doctor, then at Weiss.

"Schnee. Weiss Schnee. Like I said, you would have died."

"But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests." Martha said.

"It looks like you never ran a test." Mami said. "A test that you should have run at the first place. With a few attempts here and there."

"Look at me. You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need." Lazarus said, looking between Mami and Martha.

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." Lady Thaw said.

"Wait, did you just say commercially?!" Weiss exclaimed. "You are kidding right? Do you know how much chaos that'll cause?"

"Not chaos, change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve." Lazarus said.

"This isn't about improving. This is about you and your customers living a little longer." The Doctor said.

"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

"Richard, we have things to discuss, upstairs." Lady Thaw said.

"Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." Lazarus said, kissing Martha's hand, and leaves with Lady Thaw.

"Oh, he's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done." The Doctor said.

"So what do we do now?" Martha asked.

"Now? Well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests."

"Lucky I've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?" Martha asked, holding out her hand.

"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star."

"Let's split up and look for clues." Jared said, looking over at his friends. "Nagisa and Penny will go with the Doctor and Martha. I'll stay down here with Weiss and Mami."

"What will you be doing down here?" Weiss asked. "With me and Mami?"

"Just hang out. Not getting too much into danger."

"That isn't like you." Mami said, as Nagisa and Penny walked away with the Doctor and Martha.

"You know you're just like Sayaka." Weiss said, walking towards Jared. "Or like Yang."

"I know. I've been made well aware of that." Jared said, laughing a little.

"What can we do down here anyway?" Mami asked. "Besides being all formal and proper."

"We make sure Martha's mother is safe. As well as the rest of Martha's family."

Laboratory…

An image of a strand of DNA is on the computer screen.

"Wow." Nagisa said.

"No way." Penny said. "Did that just…"

"Lazarus's DNA." The Doctor said, agreeing with Nagisa and Penny.

"I can't see anything different." Martha said.

"Martha, look at the DNA strand closely." Nagisa said.

"Oh, my God. Did that just change? But it can't have."

"It did just change."

"It's impossible."

"And that's two impossible things we've seen so far tonight. Don't you love it when that happens?" The Doctor asked.

"I do." Penny said, smiling. "But that's not a good thing. Did Lazarus change his DNA?"

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure, then a metagenic programme to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate." The Doctor said.

"But they're still mutating now." Martha said.

"Because he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilise. Something that's trying to change him."

"Change him into what?" Penny asked. "What will he change into?"

"I don't know, but I think we need to find out."

"That woman said they were going upstairs." Martha said.

"Let's go."

Reception room…

"So, you've been eating finger food." Weiss said, looking at Jared.

"What's wrong with that?" Jared asked, eating those mini hot dogs.

"I think she wants to know why you don't want to be involved in any danger today." Mami said. "You like to go in head first to help others. Not party and relax."

"For once, I want to be normal."

"When has life ever been normal for the three of us?" Weiss asked. "Never."

"And I bet you're used to these formal parties." Mami said. "And events."

"You're one girl who likes to have class."

"Thank you. And you're not bad for a rich girl."

"Why are we even here? At a party like this."

"I don't know, to be honest."

"You two are getting along nicely." Jared said, drinking a cup of tea. "Which I'm happy with."

A string quartet is playing.

"Tish! Have you seen Martha, that Doctor, and his friends anywhere?" Francine asked.

"Not since the demonstration." Tish said.

"Do you know anything about that Doctor? Has she ever mentioned him or those friends of his before?"

"Not to me."

"The way she followed him."

"She's a doctor. She was just doing her job." Tish said.

"She's not a doctor yet. Never will be, if she doesn't stay focused." Francine said.

"Look, she's found a bloke. So what?" Leo asked.

"There's something going on, Leo, I can feel it."

The lift doors open and human Lazarus steps out. He has changed his shirt, and he stretches his neck in a very inhuman way.

"Leticia Jones. I'd recognize the smell of that soap anywhere." Lazarus said, smiling.

"Professor." Tish said.

"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me while I take care of Leticia here. I've been neglecting her."

Lazarus' office…

"This is his office, all right." Martha said.

"So where is he?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know." Nagisa said, looking around. "It doesn't look like he is here. Let's go back to reception and meet back with the others."

Martha sees a skeletal leg with a ladies shoe on it sticking out behind the desk, "Is that Lady Thaw?"

"I think it was her." Penny said, sadly. "Or, it used to be her."

"Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out, like squeezing the juice out of an orange.��� The Doctor said.

"Was it Lazarus?"

"Could be."

"Wait, does that mean he has already changed?"

"I don't think so." Nagisa said, walking over to Penny. "I believe his DNA keeps changing, Penny."

"She's right. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough." The Doctor said.

"So he might do this again?" Martha asked.

"Mmm."

By the lifts...

The Doctor, Martha, Nagisa, and Penny get into one lift just before another arrives.

Elevator…

"Jared." Nagisa said, taking out a smart phone. "Lazarus' DNA keeps changing."

"I know." Jared said, his voice coming out of the phone. "It would have made more sense for Weiss and Mami to be up there instead of you two…"

"What Jared is trying to say is…" Weiss said, her voice coming out of the phone. "Penny has her swords, and Nagisa…"

"You're a magical girl." Mami said, her voice coming out of the phone. "And Penny is a synthetic being. The two of you can protect each other."

"I don't think I can." Penny said, sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Jared asked, his voice coming out of the phone. "You guys are coming down to us anyway."

Reception room…

"At least none of them got injured." Mami said, happily.

"Yeah." Jared said, looking over at Penny and Nagisa.

"Where do you think he went?" Nagisa asked.

"I know we can find him." Penny said. "We've got each other's backs. Right?"

"Yes. We do."

"With Tish?" Martha asked.

"Ah, Doctor." Francine said.

"Where did they go?" The Doctor asked.

"Upstairs, I think. Why?" Leo asked.

"Doctor…" Francine said, as the Doctor runs past her, spilling her drink. Martha, Nagisa, and Mami follows him. "I'm speaking to you!"

"Not now, Mum." Martha said, while Francine gets a napkin from a table to dry her arm.

"I think you need one of these." A man said, handing Francine another glass of champagne.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

"Do you know that lot?"

"No. They're friends of my daughter's."

"Perhaps she should choose her friends more carefully."

Lazarus' office…

"Where are they?" Mami asked.

"Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." The Doctor said, scanning with his sonic screwdriver. "Got him."

"Where?" Martha asked, pointing upwards. "But this is the top floor. The roof."

Roof…

Looking north west towards St Paul's Cathedral, with the tower of the Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie in the foreground.

"That clock tower's beautiful all lit up like that." Tish said.

"It's Southwark Cathedral. One of the oldest churches in London. Been around even longer than I have." Lazarus said.

"Well, you're looking pretty good for your age."

"Thank you."

"Can I?"

"Of course." Lazarus said, as Tish strokes his cheek.

"Still can't take it in." Tish said.

"I'm still adjusting myself. I've been working toward it for so many years, it's hard to believe the moment's finally arrived."

"And is it like you expected?"

"I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect. There's always something to surprise you. Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act…"

"Falls the Shadow." Mami said, looking at Lazarus. "The Hollow Men by TS Eliot. Nice quote too."

"So the mysterious girl knows her Eliot. I'm impressed."

"Martha, what are you doing here?" Tish asked.

"Tish, get away from him." Martha said.

"What? Don't tell me what to do."

"I really think you should get away from him." Mami said, looking at Tish.

"And why should I listen to you?"

"Because it's for your own safety."

"And we're trying to protect you." Nagisa said, smiling. "Lazarus isn't what you would exactly call human."

"Lazarus is human." Tish said, annoyed. "He looks human."

"Who are you to judge me?" Lazarus asked.

"Over here, Tish." Martha said, standing in between Mami and Nagisa.

"You have to spoil everything, don't you? Every time I find someone nice, you and your friends have to go and find fault." Tish said, and behind her back, Lazarus spasms and falls.

"Tish, he's a monster!"

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones." Tish said, and then she turns and sees the transformation in progress. Lazarus is now a massive bony scorpion with a human face. "What's that?"

"Run!" The Doctor said, angrily.

By the lifts...

The Doctor sonics the roof door shut and they run down the stairs.

"That was a close one." Nagisa said, looking over at Mami. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"A lot." Mami said, when the lights flicker as the creature tries to break in.

"Security one. Security one. Security one." Someone on the speaker said, and the lights go out and the doors all close.

"What's happening?" Martha asked.

"An intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts, seals the exits." Tish said.

"It looks like he is breaking through the door." Mami said, looking over at the others. "That means we should use the stairs."

Stairwell...

Growl, crash.

"He's inside!" Martha said, terrified.

"We haven't got much time!" The Doctor said, angrily.

Reception room…

"Weiss, how's it going with the Dust?" Jared asked, looking at the Schnee.

"No good." Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Electric Dust isn't giving the door power."

"What can we do now?" Penny asked, as the Doctor tossed the sonic screwdriver to Martha.

"Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." A woman said, scoffing.

"It looks like the big bad has joined the party." Nagisa said, when the mutant Lazarus appears on the mezzanine, and jumps down, smashing a table. "That would have been nice to eat some cheesecake on too."

"I don't like the look of this." Penny said, while all the party guests are panicking.

"Mum, get back!" Leo said, as the mutant's tail sends a table flying.

"Look out!" Penny said, catching the table before it hits Leo. "I caught it."

"Nice catch." Mami said, and Martha gets the exit door open.

"Leo!" Francine said.

"Over here! This way! Everyone downstairs now! Hurry!" Martha said, while the mutant stands over the frozen woman and opens its jaws sideways.

"Get away from her!" Weiss said, as the mutant brings its tail over to the frozen women, and the other mouth appears. "You can't just kill."

"Stop it!" Mami said, but it's too late, and a desiccated corpse falls to the floor.

"Weiss, Penny, guard the Joneses." Jared said, looking over at Weiss and Penny.

Francine goes to help her son, "Leo. Leo."

"Stop." Nagisa said, when the mutant turns to Francine and Leo. "Lazarus. You don't have to kill them. It doesn't concern you."

"Just leave them alone." Jared said, while the mutant turns to him. "Please, Lazarus!"

"Whatever you're planning." Mami said, while Martha runs to her family with Weiss and Penny. "It isn't logical."

"Martha." Francine said.

"Come on, stay with us. You're okay." Martha said.

"What's the point? You can't control it. The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool. A vain old man who thought he could defy nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!" The Doctor said, leading the mutant down a corridor with Mami and Nagisa.

"What's the Doctor doing?" Tish asked.

"He's trying to buy us some time. So, let's not waste it." Jared said, happily.

"Penny, are you okay?" Martha asked, walking over to the robot girl. "Oh, your hands. You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine." Penny said, sadly. "I just need to take things easy from now on. I could have ended up in quarters."

"Go! I'll be right behind you. Tish, Jared, Weiss, Penny, move! We need to get out of here." Martha said, looking back at Francine and Leo.

Basement...

The Doctor, Mami, and Nagisa clambers amongst the pipes and control panels.

"It's no good, Doctor. You and your magical girls can't stop me." Lazarus said.

"Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?" The Doctor asked.

"The arrogance is yours. You can't stand in the way of progress."

"You call feeding on innocent people progress? You're delusional!" Mami said, angrily. "You're killing innocent people who could have lived happy, normal lives. Away from the danger."

"It is a necessary sacrifice."

"It's not your decision to make, Lazarus." Nagisa said, frowning. "If you think you can make progress, it's possible without killing anyone."

Main entrance...

"Crap." Jared said, while people are piling up against the glass doors.

"We can't get out. We're trapped!" Tish said.

"There must be an override switch. Where's the security desk? Tish!" Martha said, looking at Tish.

"There."

Martha jumps over the desk, goes to the control panel and runs the sonic screwdriver over it. The lights come on, the doors open, and the panicked crowd stream out.

Basement…

"Peek a boo." Lazarus said, and the mutant is hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh, hello." The Doctor said, running out of the room with Mami and Nagisa.

Hallway…

"Things didn't go as planned." Mami said, running behind the Doctor with Nagisa.

"It is kind of annoying." Nagisa said.

Main entrance…

"So, Martha has fell for the Doctor." Weiss said, her Myrtenaster in her hand. "They have gotten close in the past few days."

"How have they gotten close?" Penny asked.

"They just did." Jared said, drinking some milk tea. "I don't approve of it. But it did happen."

"It's that Doctor, isn't it? That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed." Francine said.

"He was buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too." Tish said, looking at Martha.

"I'm not leaving him." Martha said, running away.

"Martha!" Francine said, angrily.

Laboratory…

"Okay, how good are you girls at science experiments?" The Doctor asked, jumping on a bench with Nagisa and Mami.

"I think we're decent." Nagisa said, taking a light fitting a part. "What are we doing exactly?"

"I think we're going to annoy Lazarus." Mami said, turning on a Bunsen burner and snuffs out the flame. "Maybe with an explosion of some kind."

"Exactly." The Doctor said, pulling another tube off a gas fitting and hides behind another bench with Mami and Nagisa. "That's what we're doing."

"More hide and seek with your magical girls, Doctor? How disappointing. Why don't you lot come out and face me?" Lazarus asked, as the Doctor turns on as much gas as he can.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately? Why would we want to face that, hmm?" The Doctor asked, running to the back door and hits the light switch as he leaves with the two magical girls.

"And there it goes." Mami said, watching the laboratory explode. "Rest in peace."

Corridor…

The Doctor, Mami, Nagisa, and Martha run into each other.

"What are you doing here?" The Doctor asked.

"I'm returning this. I thought you might need it." Martha said, holding out the sonic screwdriver.

"How did you?"

"I heard the explosion. I guessed it was you, Mami, and Nagisa."

"He withered." Nagisa said.

"Did the three of you kill him?" Martha asked.

"No." Mami said, sadly. "I think we annoyed him."

Outside the building…

"So, are we gonna leave them in there?" Penny asked, looking at Jared.

"No, we're not." Jared said, sitting down on the steps. "We're gonna help them."

"How?" Weiss asked. "We're out here."

"They'll come back to us, eventually."

"That's helpful. Wait, no, it isn't."

"Is you daughter still in there with the Doctor?" A man asked.

"Do you know him?" Francine asked.

"He's dangerous. There are things you should know."

"What things?"

The mystery man whispers to Francine.

Reception room…

"I don't think that this is a good plan." Mami said, looking around. "We've been going around in circles, Doctor."

"We can't lead that thing outside." Nagisa said, looking at the chamber.

"She's right, we can't." The Doctor said, agreeing with Nagisa. "Come on, get in."

They get into the sonic microfield manipulator chamber. The mutant is outside.

Chamber…

"Are we hiding?" Martha asked.

"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us." The Doctor said.

"But we're trapped."

"That's a bit of a problem." Nagisa said, looking over at Martha.

"It's not that bad." Mami said, sadly. "We just had to get in here."

"A minor inconvenience at best."

"Well, then we'd come up with another plan." The Doctor said.

"In your own time, then." Martha said, and it is a tight squeeze for four inside. "Hey!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." The Doctor said, getting the sonic screwdriver out of his inside pocket. "Here we are."

Mami's phone then began to ring and it is Jared's name that appeared on the calling screen. The blonde magical girl picked up on the phone.

"Mami, I know where I should take you, Nagisa, and the rest of the magical girls at." Jared said, his voice over the phone. "As well as Team RWBY. We're going to Otokozaka of Kanda Myojin after this."

"Wait, you want us to experience the training methods of μ's?" Mami asked, while the Doctor slides down to the floor and opens a panel. "At a time like this?"

"Yes." Jared said, as the Doctor starts working with the wires and processors he finds there.

"We're running up and down some stairs." Nagisa said, happily. "That sounds like fun."

"It might come in handy. If we take down some more witches and familiars across the multiverse." Mami said, looking at Nagisa.

"Human? How can it be human?" Martha asked.

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant." The Doctor said.

"So it's a throwback."

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake."

"That sounds like Pandora's box!" Nagisa said, happily.

"Exactly. I like your magical girl outfit, by the way, Nagisa. It's cute, and it suits you." The Doctor said.

Outside, the mutant presses the big red button.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Martha asked.

"It sounds like he switched the machine on." Jared said, his voice coming out of Mami's phone.

"Someday, you'll be the death of us." Mami said.

"I know. I'm cursed with knowledge. My cockiness and my overconfidence will kill me in the end."

"At least you're aware of your faults." Weiss said, her voice coming out of Mami's phone.

"I know, I know. Nearly done." The Doctor said.

"Well, what're you doing?" Martha asked.

"I'm trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it."

"Will that kill it?"

"When he transforms, he's three times his size. Cellular triplication. So he's spreading himself thin."

"We're going to end up like him!"

"Just one more!"

Reception room…

There is a big blast of energy that throws the mutant backwards. The machine stops and the Doctor, Martha, Mami, and Nagisa come out.

"I thought we were going to go through the blender then." Martha said.

"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity. I must be a bit out of practice." The Doctor said.

"I don't think it's that bad that he's like that." Nagisa said, looking down at a naked human man is lying face down on the floor.

"Oh, God. He seems so human again. It's kind of pitiful." Martha said, sadly.

"Eliot saw that, too. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper." The Doctor said.

(Jared's POV)

Outside the building…

"Why do I have a feeling that we're gonna visit Japan a lot more in the future?" Weiss asked, while the ambulance men take away a figure covered in a red blanket.

"She's here. Oh, she's all right." Tish said.

"Ah, Mrs Jones. We still haven't finished our chat." The Doctor said, happily.

Francine slaps the Doctor hard across the face, "Keep yourself and your friends away from my daughter."

"Mum, what are you doing?" Martha asked.

"All of the mothers, every time." The Doctor said, rubbing the side of his face.

"That man is dangerous. And his friends like following him into danger. I've been told things." Francine said, angrily.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look around you. Nothing but death and destruction." Francine said, and the ambulance leaves.

"She doesn't like us right now." I said, eating a chocolate chip cookie.

"Why not?" Penny asked, as Tish elbows Leo.

"I don't know." Weiss said, while there's a big crash. "That's not good."

"It looks like Lazarus has escaped." Mami said, while she, Nagisa, Weiss, Penny, the Doctor, and I ran off to investigate.

"Leave them." Francine said, as Martha shakes her head and follows us.

"Martha?" Tish asked.

"Not you, too?"

"Sorry." Tish said, running after Martha.

Street…

The back of the ambulance is open, and only contains desiccated corpses.

"Lazarus, back from the dead. Should have known, really." The Doctor said, scanning with the screwdriver.

"Where's he gone?" Martha asked.

"I think he went that way." Mami said, looking around. "To that church."

"Cathedral. It's Southwark Cathedral. He told me." Tish said, running behind us.

Southwark Cathedral…

"We're in a church." I said, holding Penny's hand.

"A church." Penny said, looking around. "Why here?"

We walk carefully up the nave to the altar.

Lazarus is shivering behind it, wrapped in the red blanket, "I came here before, a lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat here, just a child, the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The London Blitz." I said, squeezing Penny's hand.

"You've read about it." Lazarus said.

"We were there. The Doctor and me. Up against gas mask zombies."

"You're too young. The both of you."

"So are you." The Doctor said.

Lazarus laughs, then his body makes painful cracking sounds, "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again. So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it."

"So, that's what you were trying to do today." Mami said. "Trying to avoid death."

"That's what I did today." Lazarus said.

"What about the other people who died to your experiments?" Weiss asked.

"They were nothing. I changed the course of history."

"So, you knew that was going to happen." Weiss said, looking back at me. "What happened today."

"Yeah." I said, frowning. "It's been a long day. I just want to go home. Maybe watch Penny win that next round of the Vytal Festival."

"Am I gonna win?" Penny asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I do like you, Penny Polendina."

"What about Lazarus?" Mami asked, while Lazarus convulses again.

"I don't know."

"How about we save him?" Nagisa asked. "Even if it's morally wrong."

"We could try."

"You're so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look." Lazarus said.

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone." The Doctor said.

"That's a price worth paying."

"Is it?"

"I will feed soon."

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"You've not been able to stop me so far."

"Leave him, Lazarus! He's old and bitter. I thought you had a taste for fresher meat." Martha said, angrily.

"Martha, no." The Doctor said, as Lazarus lunges for Martha, who runs.

Tish, Mami, and Nagisa run with her.

"Here we go again." Nagisa said, sadly. "Running away from Lazarus."

"I could see why this adventure is called the Lazarus Experiment." Mami said.

"Same here."

(Open POV)

Staircase...

Martha, Tish, Mami, and Nagisa run up the narrow spiral staircase. Lazarus has to keep stopping as he mutates.

"Did you hear that?" Tish asked.

"He's changed again. Keep moving. We've got to lead him up." Martha said.

Southwark Cathedral…

The Doctor, Jared, Weiss, and Penny goes back to the transept, underneath the central tower, and looks for them.

"Where are they? Martha?!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Martha looks down from the passageway in the clerestory, "Doctor!"

"Girls, just take Lazarus to the top!" Jared said, yelling as loud as he could. "The very top of the bell tower! You got that! And Mami, Nagisa, protect them after you've transformed!"

"Right." Mami said, looking down at Jared. "Taking him to the very top."

"It's not that bad." Nagisa said, smiling.

Mami and Nagisa did their usual steps to transform into magical girls with their weapons out, with Martha and Tish behind them.

"Then what?" Martha asked.

"Martha, Mami, Nagisa come on!" Tish said, and the mutant is heading their way.

The Doctor heads for the organ loft with Jared, Weiss, and Penny and gets out the screwdriver.

Organ loft…

"Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired." The Doctor said, sticking his sonic screwdriver into the power socket then starts pulling out stops.

Bell tower…

"I think we should fall back." Nagisa said, as they're underneath the big Peter bell.

"There's nowhere to go. We're trapped!" Tish said, terrified.

"Well, Jared said to bring Lazarus here." Mami said.

"We are bait, after all." Nagisa said. "Mami and I could last this. Don't know about you two."

"And Jared knows what he's doing. The Doctor too, Jared has the foreknowledge, and the Doctor knows how to tackle aliens. All we have to do is trust the both of them."

"Ladies." Lazarus said, looking at the four girls.

"Tish, we should stay behind Mami and Nagisa. If he takes them, they'll keep us safe. If he takes me after them, make a run for it. Head down the stairs. You should have enough time." Martha said.

"But…" Tish said, sadly.

"Just do it, Tish!"

The mutant tries to clamber across the gap under the bell, instead of going around the wooden frame. Mami began shooting out bullets out of a gun she took out, while Nagisa began blowing bubbles out of her horn to try and annoy Lazarus.

Organ loft…

"Time to play." Weiss said, pressing on both pedals and began playing Mirror Mirror on the organ. "Of course you would want me to play this song."

Bell tower…

The mutant starts lashing with its tail, hitting Martha and Nagisa.

"Nagisa!" Mami said, while Nagisa is holding Martha's hand, as she and the medical student are hanging on to the bottom of the wooden walkway, screaming.

"Hold on! Get away from them!" Tish said, looking at Lazarus.

Organ loft...

"I think Weiss makes an amazing musician." Penny said, happily.

"I know." Jared said, smiling. "Weiss is an amazing singer and dancer too."

Bell tower...

The organ notes reverberate, hurting the mutant as well as Tish, Martha, Mami, and Nagisa.

"Weiss Schnee is sure playing loud." Mami said, as Martha and Nagisa starts to lose their grip. "Hold on Nagisa."

"I'm trying." Nagisa said, watching the mutant falls to the cathedral floor below.

Organ loft...

Weiss stops playing when she hears the crash, and goes to look with the Doctor, Jared, and Penny.

"That's a bit unfortunate." Weiss said, crossing her arms.

"It is." Jared said, looking down at the naked man lying on the flagstones amid a shower of broken wood.

Martha's fingers slip just as Tish grabs her wrist, and Mami grabs Tish's hand, while Nagisa is holding Martha's hand tightly.

"We've got you. Hold on." Tish said.

Organ loft…

"Mami?" Jared asked. "Nagisa?"

Bell tower…

"We're fine!" Mami said, happily.

Organ loft…

"We barely survived that." Nagisa said, her voice being heard all throughout the cathedral.

Bell tower…

"We could have died.��� Mami said, looking at Nagisa. "At least we saved people today."

"As many as we could." Nagisa said, receiving a slice of cheesecake from Mami. "We can save more people if we travel with the Doctor. Like how I save magical girls with Madoka and Sayaka."

"Yeah."

"The two of them cut it a bit fine there, don't they?" Tish asked.

"They always do. It's more fun that way." Martha said, excitedly.

"Who are they?"

"They're, they're the Doctor and Jared."

(Jared's POV)

Southwark Cathedral...

"I'm sorry." I said, as I closed Lazarus' eyes, he turns back into an old man. "I really am. I wish I could save you, My…Lazarus."

"Were you about to say Mycroft Holmes?" Weiss asked, as she, the Doctor, Penny, and I run to meet Martha, Tish, Mami, and Nagisa.

"Weiss, nice song." Mami said, looking at Weiss.

"Thanks. I put my heart and soul into it."

"What's it called?"

"It's called Mirror Mirror."

"You were playing loud." Nagisa said. "It hurt my ear drums."

Martha's home…

The Doctor unlocks the Tardis, "Something else that just kind of escalated, then."

"That adventure could have been avoided altogether." Mami said, pouring some tea in my cup.

"It couldn't." I said, sipping the tea. "We needed to experience that adventure."

"So we brought Penny back to Beacon." Weiss said, drinking a cup of coffee. "And Nagisa over to Madoka and Sayaka."

"Yeah. I thought they needed a bit of a break."

"Even if Penny will fight tomorrow."

"Penny fighting in another battle." Mami said. "After she almost got turned into quarters."

"As long as Penny and Pyrrha don't clash." I said, happily. "Everything will be fine."

"Oh. Is it because Pyrrha's semblance is polarity?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay, then. If that's what you want." The Doctor said.

"Right. But we've already said goodbye once today. It's probably best if you lot just go." Martha said, turning her back, but the Doctor, Weiss, Mami, and I just stand there. "What is it?"

"What? I said okay."

"Sorry?"

"Okay." The Doctor said, nodding towards the Tardis.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Martha said, hugging the Doctor.

"Well, you were never really just a passenger, were you?" The Doctor asked.

The Doctor and Martha go into the Tardis, and it dematerialises.

"Come on ladies." I said, looking between Weiss and Mami. "Let's go."

"Right." Weiss said.

"Bring me back to Mitakihara City." Mami said.

Mami, Weiss, and I entered the Camaro and it disappeared in a flash of light. The telephone rings.

"Hi, I'm out. Leave a message." Martha said, on the answering machine.

"Martha, it's your mother. Please phone me back. I'm begging you. I know who this Doctor really is. I know he's dangerous. And I know that Jared, and those girls with weapons are dangerous too. You're going to get yourself killed. Please, trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe!" Francine said, on the answering machine.