The Doctor sighed, pulling Amy back into the TARDIS by her leg. "Now do you believe me?" he asked.
"Your box is a spaceship," Amy said, frowning. "It's really, really a spaceship."
"I noticed that," Luke teased, watching the two of them from where he was seated a few feet away. His legs were curled up in a crisscross, and he was sitting by a half-eaten plate of cookies and a glass filled up to the 50% mark. (Luke just wasn't a glass half-full, glass half-empty person, he was a glass-at-50%-mark kind of person.)
"We are in space!" Amy cried, throwing her arms up, in cheer.
"I noticed that, too," Luke added, with a smirk.
"What are we breathing?" Amy inquired, stepping back onto the grating.
"I've extended the air shell. We're fine," the Doctor said.
Luke approached them, leaning over the edge and taking in some kind of a spaceship shaped like the United Kingdom. He frowned. "What's that?"
"It's a spaceship," the Doctor explained, eyes twinkling. "This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home."
"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked, excited.
"Well, 'course we can. But first, there's a thing," the Doctor said, sounding a bit nervous.
"A thing?" Amy asked, frowning.
Even Luke was a bit confused. "What thing? The don't-shoot-the-TARDIS thing, or don't wander off thing?"
"An important thing. In fact, Thing One. We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets," the Doctor declared happily.
Luke raised his eyebrows, and the Doctor gave him innocent expression number 4, which usually meant to keep quiet and pretend he knew what was going on. Which he really, really didn't.
"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die. It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard, being all, like, detached and cold?" Amy asked, before pausing and noticing the Doctor on the scanner. "Doctor?" she asked, shocked, watching as he gestured for her to come with him.
.
"One little girl crying. So?" Amy asked.
"Crying silently. I mean, children cry because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. But when they cry silently, it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that," the Doctor explained. Luke read Amy's expression; it begged the question, who were either of them? Who was Luke Smith and what was he doing with the Doctor?
"Are you a parent?" Amy inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Hundreds of parents walking past who spot her and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about," the Doctor said, dodging Amy's question. "Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."
"What are you going to do?" Luke asked.
"What I always do," the Doctor said. "Stay out of trouble." He hesitated. "Badly."
"So is this how it works, Doctor?" Amy asked, her laughter evident in her eyes and voice. "You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?"
"Pretty much," Luke said.
.
After bumping into the Phantom of the Opera- no, sorry, Princess Leia- no, sorry again, a woman in a mask studying glasses of water on the floor (similar to how the Doctor had). Luke and the Doctor'd found Amy. What'd happened next was so fast; one of those little smiling men machines in the booth had turned around, revealing a red, angry face, and then they'd fallen.
"Agrh!" the Doctor exclaimed. "High speed air cannon," he analysed. "Lousy way to travel," he added.
"Where are we?" Amy asked.
Luke shrugged. "Feels weird. And what's up with the ground, anyway?" he asked, tapping the ground.
"Yeah, the ground's all squishy, like a water bed," Amy commented.
"It's food refuse," the Doctor said. "Coming through from feeder tubes all over the ship."
"Sounds like Star Wars," Luke said, with a smirk. He paused, noticing the Doctor's aghast expression. "You know... Han Solo and everybody gets dumped into the waste place, and then the walls start to close in on them, and-"
"The walls are gonna close in on us?!" Amy panicked.
"You've been watching too much TV, both of you," the Doctor mumbled. "It's not a floor. Feel it."
"Yeah, I do, it's wet and slimy," Amy said, looking nervously around the room, rocking back and forth a bit on the balls of her feet.
"It's... not a floor," Luke realised, wincing. "Oh."
"The next word is kind of a scary word. You probably want to take a moment, get yourself in a calm place. Go ommmmm," the Doctor advised, eyes flicking back and forth.
"Ommmmm."
"Ommmmm."
"It's a tongue," the Doctor said.
A long, pregnant pause.
"A tongue?" Amy asked, incredulously.
"Yes, it's a tongue. A great... big... tongue," the Doctor finished.
"This is a mouth. This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?" Amy panicked, her voice reaching a few octaves higher than it should have. "How do we get out?"
"How big is this beastie? It's gorgeous. Blimey, if this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach. Though not right now," the Doctor said, wincing slightly.
"Doctor, how do we get out?" Amy repeated, her tone demanding.
"Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is closed for business," the Doctor noted.
"Helpful," Luke sighed.
"We could try, though," Amy said.
"No, stop, don't move," the Doctor said, suddenly, as the floor began to slowly vibrate.
Luke swallowed, and closed his eyes.
.
After getting out of the mouth, whatever kind of creature it was, the Doctor wanted answers. Of course, who better to find at the moment than Liz (cough, Princess Leia)?
"The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry Twelve. Tea and scones with Liz Two. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy," she said, with a smirk.
"Liz Ten," the Doctor greeted her.
"Liz Ten, yeah. Elizabeth the Tenth," she said.
Luke froze, sensing something behind them.
"And down!" Elizabeth shouted, turning around. Everyone ducked immediately, and she shot the Smiler robots again.
"Whoa!" Luke exclaimed.
"I'm the bloody Queen, mate," Liz smirked. "Basically, I rule."
.
"Where are we, Doctor?" Luke asked, as the walked down into the room Liz had identified as the Tower.
"The lowest point of Starship UK. The dungeon," the Doctor explained.
"Ma'am," Hawthorne said, giving a little bow.
"Hawthorne. So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do," Liz scowled.
"There's children down here. What's all that about?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow, and looking positively livid.
"Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky," Hawthorne smirked.
"Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it?" Luke looked at the Doctor in surprise. "Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle." Sometimes, it scared Luke how casual the Doctor could be about some things.
"What's that?" Liz gasped, pointing towards some kind of brain in the centre of the room.
"Well, like I say, it depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain centre of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly," the Doctor explained. Luke winced.
"Or?" Liz pressed. Amy was pale, and Luke was shaking.
"Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator. Starship UK's go faster button," the Doctor said, darkly.
"I don't understand," Liz said, shaking her head.
"Starship UK couldn't have flown," Luke realised. The Doctor nodded.
"The spaceship that could never fly," he agreed. "This poor, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading, it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving. Tell you what. Normally, it's above the range of human hearing. This is the sound none of you wanted to hear."
The Doctor dipped his hand into his pocket, retrieving his sonic screwdriver. Luke looked at him in question.
What greeted his ears was something he never wanted to hear again. It was the sound of misery, hopelessness, defeat, in the form of sound.
A tear slid down Luke's cheek.
"Stop it," Liz gasped. "Who did this?"
"We act on instructions from the highest authority," Hawthorne said simply.
"I am the highest authority. The creature will be released, now. I said, now! Is anyone listening to me?" Liz screamed.
"Liz," the Doctor said, hesitantly. "Your mask."
"What about my mask?" Liz asked.
"Look at it. It's old. At least two hundred years old, I'd say," the Doctor observed.
"Yeah? It's an antique. So?" Liz scoffed, raising her chin a bit higher.
"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over two hundred years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not fifty. Nearer three hundred. And it's been a long old reign," the Doctor said, darkly.
"Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years," Liz said, shifting her feet.
"Ten years. And the same ten years, over and over again, always leading you here," Luke realized, looking at the two buttons that sat by the screen. Forget and protest.
"What have you done?" Liz demanded, almost in horror, staring right at Hawthorne.
"Only what you have ordered. We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us," Hawthorne explained.
"If you are watching this. If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower Of London. The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travellers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the Forget button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision," the screen said.
"I voted for this," Amy gasped. "Why. Why would I do that?" she spun around, to face Luke and the Doctor, desperation lacing her every movement.
"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know," the Doctor said, through gritted teeth.
"Doctor," Luke said, wincing. "Don't blame her. She doesn't even remember she did it in the first place."
"She did it, and that is what counts," the Doctor rounded on them.
"I'm, I'm sorry," Amy said.
"Oh, I don't care," the Doctor hissed. "When I'm done here, you're going home."
"Doctor!" Luke shouted.
"Why?" Amy interrupted. "Because I made a mistake? One mistake? I don't even remember doing it!"
"Yeah, I know," the Doctor mumbled. "You're only human."
"What are you gonna do?" Luke asked, in horror, watching as he walked right towards the computer.
"The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable." Luke gasped. "The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it."
"That'll be like killing it," Amy said.
"I don't have a choice!" the Doctor shouted. "There are just three options. One, I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two, I kill everyone on this ship. Three, I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, because I won't be the Doctor any more," he finished, looking Luke in the eye.
"There must be something we can do, some other way," Amy insisted.
"Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" the Doctor shouted.
There was a long, thick, heavy silence as the Doctor slowly continued working, and then Amy screamed two words.
"Doctor, stop!"
Luke nodded, finally realising what he needed to do. "Stop it now!"
"Sorry, Your Majesty," Amy said. "Going to need a hand."
"Amy, no! Luke!" the Doctor shouted.
With that, Amelia Pond grabbed Queen Elizabeth, took her hand, and slapped it down onto the Abdicate button.
And Starship UK began to tremble.
"Amy, what have you done?" the Doctor shouted.
"She fixed it," Luke said, smiling.
"Nothing at all, actually. Well, boys. Tell me. 'M I right?" she asked, smirking.
"We've increased speed," Hawthorne realised.
"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot. Got to help," Amy said confidently. The Doctor still looked as if someone had just slapped him across the face with a dead fish, or Captain Jack Harkness had just kissed him. Or maybe both.
"It's still here. I don't understand," Liz said, stunned.
"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago. It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it. That was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead. No future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind, you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry," Amy explained, with a smile.
.
Amy was staying.
Luke was actually quite relieved. He rather liked Amy, and would've hated to see her go. It did take some pushing on his part, but he'd finally convinced the Doctor that Amy should be given a second chance.
Everyone deserved a second chance, anyway.
He pulled out an old composition book from one of his dresser drawers, looking at it, thoughtfully.
Then took out a pen and started to write.
AN: Hello! Scarlet Phlame here! I beta and cowrite for this story, and this was my chapter! If you enjoyed it, please leave feedback! Thank you, and Mystic's chapter will be up next!