The Beast Below

Scarlett laughed and said "I'm being held in the middle of FREAKING space!" The Doctor laughed loudly and said "Come on you two." And he pulled Scarlett in first, she promptly tripped and The Doctor had to catch her which distracted him to Amy who he pulled in but not enough; she had to hold on to the top. "You okay?" The Doctor asked "Yeah, um, could you let me, um, go?" Scarlett asked awkwardly to the Doctor, who had her pressed up against him holding her waist; The Doctor went comically red and let her go, "Yeah sure." He muttered still blushing. "Um, Doctor?" Amy called; seething that the Doctor had held Scarlett like that, but, being a jealous girl, she was mad at Scarlett. "Now that's interesting," The Doctor said trying to cover his embarrassment at holding Scarlett, and the fact he had enjoyed having her so close to him. "29th Century. Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations..." "Doctor?" Amy called again "Migrating to the stars." The Doctor continued, looking at Scarlett out of the corner of his eyes, Scarlett was messing around with a cable on the TARDIS. "Doctor, it can't be good to have any exposed cables, even on a spaceship." The Doctor rolled his eyes and pushed the cables away from her hands and said "Isn't that amazing?" "DOCTOR" Amy called one more time and the Doctor finally looked away from Scarlett to see Amy hanging on to the top of the TARDIS. "Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship." The Doctor said unconcernedly "This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland, all of it, bolted together and floating in the sky." The Doctor said, Amy gasped while Scarlett let out a low whistle. "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." The Doctor said; smiling "Lots and lots of shopping." Scarlett chuckled looking over at Amy who hmpff-ed and turned away. " Searching the stars for a new home." The Doctor said; not noticing the tension building between Amy and Scarlett. "Can we go and see?" Amy asked trying her hardest to be alluring looking "Course we can, but first, there's a thing." "A thing?" Amy asked

"An important thing. In fact, thing one;" The Doctor started and looked at Scarlett and Amy through a magnifying glass "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." He then noticed the screen and exclaimed "OOOH that's interesting!" "So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? 'Cause 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." Amy said sadly "That'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?" Then the Doctor appeared on the screen and tried to talk to the little girl who ran away, he than waved at the screen to tell them to come out. Amy and Scarlett ran out of the TARDIS looked around "I'm in the future. Like hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries!" Amy said in shock "Oh, lovely. You're a cheery one." The Doctor said "Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?" He said it looking at Amy not noticing Scarlett's eyes were shut in deep concentration "Come on, use your eyes, notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?" "Is it... the bicycles? Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles." Amy guessed haltingly, trying to prove herself. "Says the girl in the nightie" The Doctor said chuckling "Oh, my God, were in our nighties!" Amy said noticing Scarlett's concentration; The Doctor chuckled then said "Now, come on, look around you. Actually look. Life on a giant starship: back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But, look closer. Secrets and shadows. Lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state." "Excuse me." Scarlett said abruptly and walked over to two people sitting at a table and took a glass of water from them and put it on the ground, studied it for a minute, gave it back and said "Sorry. Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish." The Doctor was smiling a big grin at Scarlett and he stated "I like you Scarlett Williams!" And gave her a one arm hug, which Amy pouted at. "Why did she just do that with the water?" Amy asked the Doctor "Don't know. Now, police state, do you see it yet?" The Doctor said to Amy, "Where?" "There." The Doctor said pointing at the little girl crying. Scarlett, Amy and the Doctor sat down on a bench a couple benches away from the little girl "One little girl crying. So?" Amy asked insensitively, "Crying silently," the Doctor corrected "I mean, children cry 'cause they want attention, 'cause they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's 'cause they just can't stop. Any parent knows that." "Are you a parent?" Scarlett asked softly, the Doctor paused and considered telling Scarlett about everything, his planet, his wife, his children, but then shook his head and cleared that though out of his mind. "Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them asking her what's wrong, which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. " Scarlett looked warily at the creepy smilers. "Shadows - whatever they're afraid of - it's nowhere to be seen... which means it's everywhere. Police state." "Where'd she go?" Amy asked surprised-ly, "Deck 27, Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh, uh," The Doctor pulled out a colorful wallet "this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her. Took me four goes. Ask her about those things: the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere." He passed Amy the wallet "But they're just things." Amy said challenging-ly , Scarlett rolled her eyes and the Doctor chuckled at Scarlett and said "They're clean. Everything else here is battered and filthy - look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of any of them. Look, ask Mandy, "Why are people scared of the things in the booths?" "No. Hang on. What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed!" Amy said, not wanting to leave the Doctor. "It's this or Leadworth. What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" the Doctor said chuckling, Amy looked indignant "Ha ha, gotcha! Meet us back here in half an hour." "Sorry, us?" Scarlett asked with raised eyebrows, "You're the one who checked the glass of water, not me." The Doctor said turning around to walk off, Scarlett made a face and walked after him, "What are you going to do?" Amy said with annoyance, "What I always do: stay out of trouble." The Doctor stated "Badly." Scarlett called back "So is this how it works, Doctor?" Scarlett asked "You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets... unless there's children crying?" the Doctor smiled melancholy- ly "Yes."

Amy walked around the ship, looking for the girl and drowning in self- undeserved- pity; her childhood friend who's supposed to love her was instead giving attention to her annoying, stupid (In reality Scarlett was sweet, funny, and downright brilliant) friend and all she got was a fiancée who completely adored her. Where's the fairness in that? Amy turned the corner to hear a small girl say "You're following me." Amy turned around quickly "Saw you watching me at the marketplace." Amy looked at Mandy and tightly said "You dropped this." "Yeah when your friend kept bumping into me." Mandy said and walked off; Amy smiled and followed her, "What's that?" Amy asked Mandy looking at the tent that covered god knows what. "There's a hole, we have to go back." "A what? A hole?" Amy asked confused "Are you stupid? There's a whole in the road." Amy walked towards it "We can't go that way." Mandy insisted "There's a travel pipe by the airlocks, if you've got stamps. What are you doing? Mandy asked when Amy walked through the gate to the tent "Oh don't mind me. Never could resist a keep out sign. What's through there?" Amy asked curiously "What's so scary about a hole?" "Something under the road." Mandy said nervously "Nobody knows. We're not supposed to talk about it." Mandy casted a glance towards the Smiler. "About what?" Amy asked while looking at a lock "Below." Mandy said "Ad because you're not supposed to, you don't?" Amy asked disappointedly "Watch and learn." Amy said and pulled out a bobby pin to pick the lock. "You sound Scottish." Mandy stated "I am Scottish, what's wrong with that? Scotland's got to be here somewhere." Amy said concentrating on the lock "No they wanted their own ship." Mandy said uncomfortably "Good for them, nothing changes." "So, how did you get here?" Mandy asked, not noticing the Smiler's head change "Oh just passing through, you know, with two people." "Are they together?" Mandy asked crinkling her nose, "Oh No! They've only just met." Amy said feeling jealousy building again "Sure didn't look like it… Do you have a boyfriend?" Mandy asked curiously "Oh," "What?" Mandy asked "Nothing, it's just… I'm getting married. Funny how things slip your mind." "Married?" Mandy asked surprised-ly "Yeah, uh, married. Really actually married. Almost definitely." Amy said looking a little sick "When?" Mandy asked sweetly "Well it's kind of weird. A long time ago, tomorrow morning. I wonder what I did." Amy trailed off but came back to her senses when the lock popped open "Hey-Hey Result!" the Amy turned around "Coming?" "No!" Mandy said angrily "Suit yourself." "Stop! You mustn't do that!" Mandy said; scared of the Smiler who became an evil face. Amy walked into the tent and looked around, there was a flashing light and a slithering sound, She found a flashlight and turned it on, to see a giant tentacle-like thing sticking out of the ground. "Oh my god! That's weird. That's…" then the tentacle almost hit Amy, Amy backed out of the tent quickly and saw four men in black cloaks around her, one of them lifted his hand and sprayed a gas out of his ring that made her fall asleep.

The Doctor and Scarlett went down a ladder into an engine room, they both exchanged a look and walked down to the wall, they both put their ears to it so they could look at each other, "Can't be." Scarlett muttered, The Doctor pulled his sonic out and pointed it at the wall. "Doctor…" Scarlett said while looking at a single glass of water on the ground, the Doctor laid on the ground to look at the glass, "The impossible truth in a glass of water." The Doctor and Scarlett's heads popped up to see a woman wearing a mask "Not many people see it. But you two do, don't you, Doctor, Scarlett." "You know me?" the Doctor said while Scarlett asked "How the hell do you know who I am?" the Doctor walked around to the side of the woman so he didn't catch the woman's wink and Scarlett's subtle nod. "Keep your voice down. They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass." "What makes you think we see anything?" "Don't waste time, at the marketplace, she place a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, and then came straight here to the engine room. Why?" "No engine vibration on deck." Scarlett stated "Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it." The Doctor smiled softly when he thought neither of the women would notice, the masked one did. "The water would move." Scarlett finished "So… I thought I'd take a look." The Doctor finished, he walked over to the cable boxes and opened them "It doesn't make sense. These power couplings aren't connected. Look," He pulled out cables that didn't connect "They're dummies, see?" "And behind the wall, nothing it's hollow." Scarlett added "If I didn't know better I'd say there was…"

"No engine at all." All three of them said

"But it's working." The Doctor argued "This ship is traveling through space, we saw it." "The impossible truth, Doctor." The masked woman said "We're traveling among the stars. In a spaceship that could never fly." "How?" Scarlett asked "I don't know. There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor and Scarlett. You're our only hope. Your friend is safe; this will take you to her, now go! Quickly!" The masked woman gave the Doctor an odd looking devise and started walking away "Who are you?" the Doctor called after her "How do I find you again?" she turned around and said "I am Liz 10, and I will find you." Then there was a crashing sound and the light blinked, the Doctor and Scarlett looked away from Liz 10 for a second and when they turned to her again, she was gone.

Amy woke in a small room on a plush black chair a voice came over an intercom saying "Welcome to voting cubicle 330c. Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it." Amy walked around the room franticly, and then she noticed the T.V. screens and a man talking in on it "The United Kingdom recognizes the right to know of all its citizens, a presentation concerning the history of starship UK will begin shortly." Amy studied the buttons on the panel one said Protest one said Record and Forget. "Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll." Then the machine said "Name: Amelia Jessica Pond, Age: 1306." "Shut up." Amy said laughing "Marital Status:" Amy leaned forward "Unknown." Then a man came on the screen and said "You are here because you want to know the truth about this starship and I'm talking to you because you're entitled to know. When this presentation has finished, you will have a choice. You may protest or forget. If you choose to protest, understand this; if just 1% of the population of this ship does likewise, the program will be discontinued, with consequences for you all. If you choose to accept the situation, and we hope that you will, then press the forget button, all the information I am about to give you will be erased from your memory. You will continue to enjoy the safety and amenities of starship UK unburdened by the knowledge of what have been done to save you. Here then is the truth about Starship UK and the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people. May God have mercy on our souls." Images started flashing in front of Amy's eyes and then she found her hand on the forget button she had tears on her face she felt them confusedly, then she noticed the screen flashing and saying

"Message waiting."

Then a video of a crying Amy started "This isn't a trick this is for real, you've got to find the Doctor and get him back in the TARDIS don't let him investigate, stop him. Do whatever you have to, just please, please get the Doctor of this ship!" Amy yelled at herself, then suddenly the door open to show the Doctor, Scarlett and Mandy. "Amy?" the Doctor asked, Amy turned off her replaying message "What have you done?" The Doctor asked, Amy studied the screen.

The Doctor flashed his sonic at the lights "Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about 20 minutes." "But why would I choose to forget?" Amy asked unhappily "'Cause everyone does." Mandy called from outside the booth "Everyone chooses the 'forget' button." The Doctor walked up to Mandy and asked "Did you?" "I'm not eligible to vote yet, I'm 12 any time after you're 16, you're allowed to see the film and make your choice and then once every five years." "And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned? Democracy In action" Scarlett said snidely "Let me have a go." The Doctor and Amy turned to her surprised-ly "Are you sure?" the Doctor asked her nervously "It could be dangerous." "Danger? I laugh in the face of danger, Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha." The Doctor smiled and said "Okay. Come on Amy." they both left the room and just before the Doctor closed the door he said "Good luck." She saluted sarcastically. "Name: Scarlett Delilah Williams, Age:"

The Doctor leaned up against the door waiting.

"Marital Status: Married-""WHAT?" Scarlett yelled and jumped off the chair "To… Unknown." She sighed and plopped in her chair again.

The door opened to the voting booth, which was ominously empty. "Where'd she go?" Amy asked; terrified, "I don't know!" the Doctor said, feeling an odd terror. He soniced the computer and muttered "won't play for me." "It played for me." Amy stated "the difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human." "Why not?" the Doctor gave Amy a look "You look human." "No, you look Time lord, we came first." So there are other Time lords, Yeah?" Amy asked, wondering what kind of competition she had "No," the Doctor said sadly "There were, but there aren't… Just me now. Long story, there was a bad day. Bad stuff happened and you know what?" the Doctor asked starting to feel mad at Amy, mostly because he was unhappy he didn't know where Scarlett went, "I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it. But I don't. Not ever. 'Cause this is what I do, every time, every day, every second. This." He stepped in front of the protest button "Hold tight. We're bringing down the government." Then he slammed the protest button, the door slammed shut and the Smiler turned evil. The Doctor pulled Amy to the corner and the floor opened up. "Say 'WHEEEE'" the Doctor said to Amy who started screaming. They fell down the shaft.

The light above the door changed from occupied to empty, Mandy turned around and gasped at the masked woman. "It's alright, Love." She said chuckling "It's only me."

The Doctor and Amy landed in a disgusting platform, "Hi." Scarlett said glumly "Ah, light-speed air cannon, lousy way to travel." The Doctor said chuckling "Where are we?" Amy asked disgusted "600 feet down. 20 miles lateral, puts us at the heart of the ship. I'd say… Lancashire. So, what's this then?" "It's a…This next word is a scary word so Amy deep breaths." Scarlett said to the both of them, Amy took some gulping breaths "It's a tongue." "A tongue?" a shocked Amy asked, "A great big tongue!" the Doctor said excitedly, "That isn't exactly a good thing." Scarlett said to the excited Doctor. "This is a mouth?" asked a still shocked Amy "This whole place is a mouth? WE'RE IN A MOUTH?" "Yes, Yes on the plus side; Roomy." The Doctor said not the least concerned about being in a mouth. "How do we get out?" Amy asked; terrified "How big is this Beastie? It's gorgeous!" the Doctor said; ignoring Amy's question, "Blimey! If this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach." The last comment Scarlett face-palmed, suddenly there was a loud grunt sound and the Doctor whipped around and said "Though not right now." "Doctor, how do we get out?" Scarlett asked calmly "Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes. So the normal entrance is… Closed for business." it would be impossible to get out through the giant teeth. "We could try, though!" Amy said "No! Stop Don't Move!" Scarlett yelled "too late it's started." The Doctor said grimly "What has?" Amy asked; annoyed Scarlett knew more than her. "Swallow reflex." The Doctor explained, "What are you doing?" Amy asked as the Doctor scanned the mouth with his sonic "I'm vibrating the chemo- receptors." "Chemo- what?" Amy asked "The eject button." "How does a mouth have an eject button?!" Amy asked enraged "Think about it." A slightly disgusted Scarlett stated, then a large amount of sick came rushing at them, "Right, then." The Doctor stated with his hair flying back "This isn't going to be big on dignity." He fixed his bow-tie; he grabbed Amy and Scarlett's hands and yelled "GERNIMO." "AGHHHH!" Amy and Scarlett yelled.

Amy woke in a strange tunnel feeling awful, she had been having a, frankly, lovely dream about the Doctor. She saw the Doctor looking at a door and Scarlett leaning up against the wall watching "There's nothing broken, no sign of concussion, and, yes, you are covered in sick." Scarlett smiled grimly at Amy who simply looked away and asked "Where are we?" "Overspill pipe, I'd guess." "Oh, god, it stinks!" Amy yelled "That's not the pipe." A chuckling Scarlett said, Amy grimaced and smelled herself "Can we get out?" Amy asked the Doctor "One door, one switch one condition. We forget everything we saw, that's the carrot… Speaking of which, what's going on?" He asked Scarlett, she shook her head and said "Wiped my memory before sending me down the pipe." "OOH, here's the stick." The Doctor said changing the subject abruptly and walking to a Smiler tank, "There's a creature living in the heart of this ship," the Doctor yelled at the Smilers "What's it doing there?" the Smilers turned angry, Scarlett scoffed and said "That's not going to work on us, so come on. Big old beast below decks and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat, is that how it works?" during the whole declaration the Doctor was looking at he in awe, he was usually the instigator. The Smiler turned evil Scarlett rolled her eyes and said "Oh, stop it!" the Doctor took that moment to add "We're not leaving and we're not forgetting and what are you fellows gonna to do about it? Stick out your tongues?" Then the booths the Smilers were in opened and the Smilers stepped out "Doctor?" Amy asked, then Scarlett pulled them both out of the way of Liz 10's shot at the Smilers, "Nice." Scarlett said while the Doctor and Amy just looked shocked, "Look who it is." The Doctor stated "You look a lot better without your mask." "You must be Amy, Liz." She held her hand out to Amy and smiled, "Liz 10." "Hi." Amy said, slightly shocked and shook her hand.

"Ehh." Liz 10 said disgusted and wiped her hand off on her cloak, "Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick. You know Mandy, yeah?" The Doctor and Amy exchanged a look "She's very brave." Liz 10 said putting her hand on the girl's back "How did you find us?" The Doctor asked "I stuck my gizmo on you, been listening in. Nice move on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?" Liz asked "You're over 16, you've voted." The Doctor stated "Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget." "No she hasn't." Scarlett stated chuckling at the Doctor's confused look "You're not technically a British citizen, are you?" Liz 10 smiled and said "You're sharp." "How do you know me?" The Doctor asked, Liz smiled "You're a bit hard to miss, Love. Mysterious stranger, M.O. consistent with higher alien intelligence," The Doctor smiled proudly "Hair of an idiot." Liz said, the Doctor pointed at her like he was going to say something but just left it. "I've been brought on the stories." Liz said softly "My whole family was." "Your family?" the Doctor asked, Liz 10 was about to reply when the Smilers started to get up "There repairing! Doesn't take them long! Let's move." As they ran out of the room and down a hallway Liz 10 started talking "The Doctor, Old drinking buddy of Henry XII. Tea and scones with Liz II, Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted you and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy." Scarlett laughed quietly "Liz 10?" the Doctor asked "Liz 10, yeah." A Smiler came walking towards them "Elizabeth the tenth and down!" the Doctor said excitedly "DUCK!" Liz yelled, the four of them dropped and she whirled around and shot the two Smilers, she looked down at the Doctor and said "I'm the bloody queen, mate. Basically, I rule."

The 5 of them walked through a door the Doctor led them to "There's a high- speed vator through there. Oh yeah. There's these things, any ideas?" "Doctor, I saw one up top. There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through. Like a root." "Exactly like a root." The Doctor stated looking at his Sonic "It's all one creature. The same one we were inside, reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship." "What? Like an infestation." Liz 10 asked, the Doctor nodded "Someone's helping it." Scarlett stated "feeding it." "Feeding my subjects to it, come on," Liz said "We've got to keep moving." Mandy and Amy followed Liz 10 down the corridor, the Doctor leaned up against the grate and Scarlett stopped, "Doctor?" "Oh, Scarlett We should of never have come here." Scarlett put her hand on his arm, he looked over at her serious face "Of course not." Then a smile lit up her face, the Doctor chuckled and they caught up to Liz, Amy and Mandy. Amy kept throwing glances at the two of them, wondering if the Doctor was developing feelings for Scarlett.

The Doctor, Scarlett, Amy, Mandy and Liz 10 navigated through the glasses of water covering the floor of the Queen's bedroom. "Why all the glasses?" The Doctor asked "To remind me every single day that my government is up to something," Liz said sadly "And it's my duty to find out what." "a queen undercover to investigate her own kingdom." the Doctor said "Secrets are being kept from me." Liz 10 retorted "I don't have a choice. 10 years I've been at this, my entire reign and you've achieved more in one afternoon." "How old were you?" the Doctor asked "When you came to the throne?" "40, why?" "What you're 50 now? No way!" Amy said while she pinned her hair up "Yeah, they slowed my body clock, keeps me looking like the stamps." "And you always were this in public?" the Doctor said asking about the mask "Under cover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting." "Air- balanced porcelain. Stays on by itself, 'cause it's perfectly sculpted to your face." "Yeah, so what?" Liz asked "Oh, Liz. So everything." Liz's door opened and a 4 mean in cloaks walked in "What are you doing?" Liz asked; outraged. "How dare you come in here?" the Doctor stood up and looked at them "Ma'am, you have expressed interest," One of the hooded men said "In the interior workings of starship UK, you will come with us now." "Why would I do that?" Liz challenged, the man's face turned and became the evil Smiler face, "How could they be Smilers?" Amy asked an oddly amused Doctor "Half Smiler, half human." He replied "Whatever you creatures are," Liz stated "I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?" "The highest authority, ma'am." The Smiler replied "I am the highest authority." "Yes, ma'am. You must go now, ma'am" The Smiler replied. "Where?" Liz barked "The tower ma'am."

Liz, Scarlett, Doctor, Amy and Mandy walked into the tower of London to see a strange laser shooting out with an electrical sound, "Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked "The lowest point of starship UK." The Doctor "The dungeon." "Ma'am." A man said "Hawthorne!" Liz 10 exclaimed "So this is where you hid yourself away. You've got some explaining to do it." "There's children down here. What's that all about?" the Doctor asked "Protesters and citizens of limited value," Hawthorne said "are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults spared, you're very lucky." "That's disgusting." Scarlett with a look of complete abhorrence "Yeah, look at us," the Doctor spoke like Scarlett hadn't at all, but her words and facial expressions where flowing through his mind "Torture chamber of the tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it." He walked forward "Well, except, it is." He stated "Except, it isn't. Depends on your angle." "What's that?" Amy asked, seeing Scarlett and the Doctor's saddened look, "Well, like I say, depends on your angle." The Doctor said "It's either the exposed pain center of a big fella's brain being tortured relentlessly." "Or?" Amy asked "Or it's the gas button." Said Scarlett in a thick voice "The accelerator." The Doctor agreed "Starship UK's go-button." "I don't understand." Liz 10 said "Don't you?" the Doctor asked "Try, go on, the spaceship that could never fly. No vibration on deck, this creature, this poor trapped, 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." More electricity hit the poor animal's brain "Tell you what. Normally it's above range of human hearing." The Doctor opened a grate so one of the tentacles would come up "This is the squid none of you wanted to hear." He raised his sonic and a high pitched screeching noise sounded causing everyone to look sick,

"STOP IT." Liz 10 shouted "Who did this?" Liz hissed "We act on instruction from the highest authority." Hawthorne stated "I am highest authority." Liz 10 stated "The creature will be released, now." No one moved "I SAID NOW. IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME?" "Liz." The Doctor said "Your mask." "What about my mask?" she asked "Look at it." "It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say." "Yeah, it's an antique, so." Liz asked "An antique made by craftsman over 200 years ago," Scarlett cut in "And perfectly sculpted to your face." "They slowed your body clock alright," the Doctor said "But you're not 50, nearer 300 . And it's been a long old reign." "Nah, its 10 years." Liz 10 insisted "I've been on the throne for 10 years." "10 years and the same 10 years over and over again." He grabbed her hand and led her to the computers "Always leading you… Here." Liz 10 studied the computer that had a "Forget" and "Abdicate." Button "What have you done?" She asked Hawthorne slowly "Only what you have ordered," He replied "We work for you, Ma'am. The winders, the Smilers, all of us." Then a video started showing Liz "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 travelers 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 and the star whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision."

"I voted for this?" Amy asked "Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice," the Doctor said scarily calm "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 getting mad now "I don't even remember doing it." Amy protested "You did it, that's what counts." "I'm…" Amy started "I'm sorry." "Oh, I don't care." The Doctor said while walking over to the main computer "When I'm done here, you're going home." "Why?" Amy asked getting some Scottish fury "Because I made a mistake? One mistake?" "Amy, back off." Scarlett said in fear for her friend "I don't even remember doing it." She persisted "Doctor!" "Yeah, I know, you're only human." "What are you doing?" Liz 10 asked "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. The ship will still fly but the whale won't feel it." "That'll be like killing it." Amy said "Look, three options," the Doctor said getting angry now "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 'cause I won't be a Doctor anymore." "There must be something we can do, another way." Liz 10 pressed "Nobody talk to me, NOBODY HUMAN HAS ANYTHING TO SAY TO ME TODAY!"

"I do, you're an Idiot." Scarlett said, grabbed Liz 10's arm and pushed her hand on the "Abdicate" button

"NO." the four of them said at the same time, the whale roared and then steadied, "Scarlett, what did you do!" the Doctor said getting mad "Nothing, the whale sped up didn't it." Looking smug "Yes… It did." Hawthorne said; shocked "Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot." She said chuckling, "It's still here?" Liz 10 asked "Look," Scarlett said rolling her eyes "The Star whale didn't come like a miracle, it volunteered, you didn't have to trap it and torture it, that was all you, it came because it couldn't stand to see your children cry. What if you were really old and really kind and alone, your whole race dead, no future what wouldn't you do then? If you were that old and that kind," she turned to the Doctor "And the very last of your kind…" the Doctor was watching her in complete shock "You couldn't just stand there and watch children cry." Liz 10 and Hawthorne exchanged looks of guilt.

The Doctor and Amy stood at a giant window looking over the country; Amy was torn between feeling happy at the Doctor's apparent annoyance at Scarlett and guiltiness for feeling that way even though Scarlett had saved everyone. Scarlett ran up and held the mask out to the Doctor, "From her majesty, she says there will be no more secrets on starship UK." When the Doctor didn't take the mask, Scarlett rolled her eyes and said in a bored tone "You're mad at me, aren't you." "Scarlett, you could have killed everyone on this ship." "You could have killed the Star whale." She said, not missing a beat. "And you saved it, I know, I know." The Doctor said annoyed-ly "If you try to make me apologize, I'll rip your idiotic hair out." She said with a serene smile, "How did you know?" Amy asked "That something so old and full of misery would be kind enough to save crying children? I've seen it before." Scarlett said smiling and casting a glance at the Doctor, who took a full 5 seconds to realize she was referring to him and when he did looked at her for a full 10 seconds (1o seconds to long for Amy) and pulled her into a hug, "You're forgiven." He said while hugging her "Because I know how to sweet talk an alien." She finished, the Doctor chuckled.

"Shouldn't we say good-bye? Won't they wonder where we went?" Amy asked the Doctor, who was currently pondering Scarlett and shooting her occasional looks. "For the rest of their lives, oh the songs they'll right." "About the amazing Scarlett and her two companions?" Scarlett asked innocently, earning a soft shove from the Doctor and a glare from Amy, who couldn't deny their growing companionship, "Never mind you, big day tomorrow." He said while walking to the Tardis doors "Sorry, what?" Amy asked and looked at a moderately surprised Scarlett "It's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine, I skip the little ones." "Does that mean I can stay?" Amy asked nervously, the Doctor gave her a look and sighed "As long as you promise not to do that again, yes." "I PROMISE THANK YOU THANK YOU Amy thought he was letting her because of his feelings for her, Scarlett thought he never really was going to take her home and the Doctor simply because if he made Amy go home Scarlett would to and he had strange liking for her. "You know what I said?" Amy asked "About getting back for tomorrow morning…" the Doctor looked worried and walked over to her "Have you ever run away from something because you were scared or just not ready, or just… Just because you could?" "You realize that's a stupid question, right? We all have." Scarlett said ignoring Amy's glare "Once… A long time ago." The Doctor said replying to Amy's question "What happened?" Amy asked, the Doctor opened his mouth to answer then he heard a phone ring, "Hello!" he said before going to the TARDIS doors "Right." Amy said "Doctor, there's something I haven't told you," the Doctor turned to look at Amy "No, hang on, is that a phone ringing?" the Doctor raised his eyebrows and walked into the TARDIS, Amy and Scarlett followed him "People phone you?" Amy asked "Well it's a phone box. Would you mind?" "W…" Amy started, rolled her eyes and picked up the phone "Hello… Sorry who… No seriously, who?" she put the phone to her chest "Says he's the prime minister. First the queen, now the prime minister. Get about, don't you?" She said to the Doctor "which prime minister?" he asked while setting messing around on the TARDIS "Which prime minister... He says the British one." "Which British one?" the Doctor asked "Which British one?" the Doctor asked "Which British one… Winston Churchill for you." Amy said in shock "Oh hello, dear. What's up…" Scarlett watched the Doctor interestedly "Don't worry about a thing prime minister, we're on our way!" he hung the phone and set the TARDIS to go to Winston Churchill and was about to pull the lever o leave when he paused and turned to Scarlett, who rolled her eyes and yelled "Finally!" "What?" Amy asked, looking between Scarlett and the Doctors intense look, "How did you know I'm the last of my kind and very old?" Scarlett chuckled loudly and leaned over the console toward him and said a word that wiped the smile of his face,

"Spoilers."