A/N - this chapter is the rewrite of The End Of The World, read ahead if you have watched it
▒ iv. the end of the world
Rose runs into the Tardis and joins the Doctor and I. "Right then, Rose Tyler, you tell me, where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. What's it going to be?"
"Forwards," Rose says after putting it into consideration. The Doctor presses a few buttons. "How far?"
"One hundred years," Rose says, picking a random number. He pulls a lever and turns a knob. The engines lurch and then stop after a few seconds. "There you go, step outside those doors, it's the twenty-second century."
"You're kidding."
"That's a bit boring though, do you want to go further?" I laugh at her face. She's so surprised! "Fine by me!" The Doctor starts up the engines again. When they stop, he looks at her. "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the New Roman Empire."
"You think you're so impressive," Rose teases.
"I AM so impressive!"
"You wish!"
"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go." He revs up the engine and pumps a lever furiously. "Hold on!" With a pinging noise, the Tardis stops. "Where are we?" Rose asks. The Doctor just gestures towards the doors. Rose smiles excitedly. "What's out there?" The Doctor gestures again. Rose steps outside the doors. He turns back to me and says, "Are you going to come or what?" I get off the chair and run towards the door. He holds my hand and we go outside. We find ourselves in some kind of wooden room. The Doctor, still holding my hand with his left hand, takes out his sonic screwdriver and opens the shutters of an enormous window. We go down the stairs and find ourselves looking down on the planet Earth. "You lot," The Doctor says, "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible. Maybe you survive. This is the year five-point-five-slash-apple-slash-twenty-six. Five billion years in your future. This is the day... hold on..." He looks at his watch. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."
Overhead, we hear a computerised voice talking to the people on board the ship. "Shuttles 5 and 6 now docking. Guests are reminded that platform 1 forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."
"So," Rose says, "When it says 'guests' does that mean people?"
"Depends what you mean by people," The Doctor points out.
"I mean people. What do you mean?"
"Aliens."
"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?" The Doctor starts to open a door with his sonic. "It's not really a spaceship. More like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."
"What for?"
"Fun." He finally unlocks the door and we walk through the door into a large observation gallery. "Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich."
"But hold on, they did this once on 'Newsround Extra'; the sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years!"
"Millions!" I say, trying to convince myself the Earth won't explode. Friggin' Russell T Davies!
"But the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there?" He points out of a window at tiny glints of light orbiting the Earth. "Gravity satellite. That's holding back the sun." Rose and I peer out the window at Earth. "The planet looks the same as ever," Rose says. "I thought the continents shifted and things."
"They did. And the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over!"
"How long has it got?" Rose asks. The Doctor looks at his watch. "About half an hour. And the planet gets roasted." I zone out of their conversation and look at the Earth. I grew up there. Well, not exactly that Earth, but still. I went through Leona's death on Earth. I met the Doctor on Earth. I was born on Earth. Now it dies. All those memories. Shattered to pieces.
"Who the hell are you?" I turn around and see the blue steward. "Oh!" The Doctor says. "That's nice, thanks."
"But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second now!"
"That's me, I'm a guest, look! I've got an invitation!" He shows the steward the psychic paper. "Look, there you see? It's fine, see? The Doctor and Summer Watts plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Summer Watts and this is Rose Tyler. Rose's my plus one. That's all right?"
"Well, obviously," The steward says. The Doctor grins. "Apologies, et cetera, if you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy!" The Doctor nods at him. After the steward walks off, the Doctor shows Rose the psychic paper. "The paper's slightly psychic. Shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."
"He's blue," Rose points out.
"Yeah."
"Okay..."
"We have in attendance the Doctor, Summer Watts and Rose Tyler," the steward says, speaking through a microphone at the other end of the suite. "Thank you! All staff to their positions." He claps his hands and a lot of little blue people start scurrying around. "Hurry now! Thank you, as quick as we can! Come along, come along! And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest, representing the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." The three Trees walk through the doors. "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you can keep the room circulating, thank-you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, the Moxx of Balboon." The Doctor smiles cheerily, as Rose looks on bewildered. "And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." The Doctor chuckles at the look on Rose's face. "The inventors of hyposlip travel systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you! Cal 'Spark Plug'. Mr and Mrs Pakoo. The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light." The Tree known as Jabe approaches the Doctor, either side of her, her companions are holding plant trays with little shoots in them. "The Gift of Peace," Jabe says, handing the Doctor a cutting of the plant. "I bring up a cutting of my Grandfather."
"Thank you!" He gives it to me and says, "Yes, gifts, erm..." He clears his throat and starts feeling his jacket for something, finding nothing, he says, "I give you in return, air from my lungs." He blows gently onto Jabe's face, who closes her eyes briefly. "How... intimate."
"There's more where that came from," The Doctor replies, flirtatiously. God, I'm jealous. "I bet there is..." Rose has the sort of look on her face that is to be expected of someone who had just witnessed their friend flirting with a tree.
"Sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe," The steward announces. Jack comes in, now a huge head in an equally huge jar. He's wheeled through the doors. "Doctor," I say. "I'm just going to talk to the Face of Boe."
"Okay." He's not really listening as the Moxx of Balboon has come up to him. I walk over to Jack and walk with him. "Jack!" I squeal in a whisper.
"Nice to see you too, as always, Summer," He whispers back.
"How are you going?"
"Not too good, stuck looking like a head for the last two billion years."
"You're saying it like you're not actually a big humongous head."
"Without hair."
I laugh and say, "Without hair."
"It's actually a disguise. I'm stuck inside this machine that looks like a head."
"What? So, you're really in there? Amongst all the skin and stuff?"
"I was getting noticed too much. The Doctor said to go into hiding. Not this incarnation, the eleventh one. You know, because of the parallel universe thing."
"So, I tell people that."
"Rose and I, not the Doctor. At least, not that I know of. Though I always told you too."
"Well, I can't exactly yet. I've only been with him for two months. But hold on. Rose stays?"
"Yeah..." I'm interrupted by the steward. "And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and Trees and Multiforms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the Last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen." The sliding doors open and Cassandra comes in. "Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference!" Cassandra explains, "Look how thin I am." Jack and I chuckle at that.
"Thin and dainty! I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturise me, moisturise me." One of the two men in white body suits who wheeler her in is holding a canister which he sprays onto Cassandra. "Truly, I am The Last Human. My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in the soil. I have come to honour them and... say goodbye. Oh, no tears." One of the bodyguards wipe her eyes. "No tears. I'm sorry. But behold! I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg." One of the staff comes in and displays the egg to the room. "Legend says it had a wingspan of 50 feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband?" The room laughs except for Rose and I, who is walking around Cassandra. "Who knows? Oh don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines!" Behind her, a large jukebox is wheeled into the room. "And here, another rarity. According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" One of the staff presses a button on the 'iPod' jukebox and a record fallsinto place. The jukebox starts playing Tainted Love by Soft Cell. God, I love that song.
"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in 30 minutes," The Steward tells us.
"Well, I must go, Jack," I say to him. "I'll be back later."
"See ya." I see Rose running out of the room and the Doctor following her. I run after them.
"Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery 15 pleases report to the steward's office immediately. Guests are reminded that use of all teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty five-point-four-slash-cup-slash-sixteen. Thank you." Crap.
The Tardis is being dragged away by some of the staff. "Oi," The Doctor exclaims, "Now, careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches." One of them walks up to the Doctor, squeaks at him, hands him a card and walks away again. The Doctor reads it, it says 'Have a nice day'. We look at the retreating staff's back as if he or she is completely off his or her rocker and we walk off.
"Rose? Are you in there?" The Doctor opens the door and we walk in to a gallery. Rose is sitting on one of the steps. "Aye aye!" We sit on the other side of stairs. "What do you think, then?"
"Great! Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper..." We laugh at that. "They're just so... alien." The Doctor looks at her questioningly. "The aliens. Are so alien. You look at 'em... and they're alien."
"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," The Doctor jokes.
"Where are you two from?" Rose asks, as if looking at us properly for the first time.
"All over the place. Well, Summer is Australian, but I found her in London in 1999. Still won't tell me why she was there."
"They all speak English."
"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the Tardis. Telepathic field, gets inside your brain: translates."
"Well, in a good way..."
"Your machine gets inside my head," Rose says colder, starting to get angry. "It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?"
"I didn't think about it like that," The Doctor says, thrown.
"No! You were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South! Who are you then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you? If you don't tell Summer and I, maybe we shouldn't be here!" The Doctor stands up and looks away from her. "I'm just the Doctor."
"From what planet?"
"Rose, stop it," I say.
"I want to know!"
"JUST STOP!" I scream. I get a hold of myself and say, "This is what he is, right here, right now, okay? All that counts is right here and right now." Rose just stares at me, while the Doctor is grinning.
"Earth Death in 20 minutes. Earth Death in 20 minutes." I go down to the bottom steps and look at the Earth. "Alright," Rose says, not as angry, "As my mate Shareen says... don't argue with the designated driver..." She gets her mobile out of her pocket. "Can't exactly call for a taxi... there's no signal. We're out of range... just a bit."
"Tell you what..." The Doctor says, all cheery again. "With a little bit of jiggery pokery..." I can't see what they're doing. "Is that a technical term, 'jiggery pokery'?" Rose asks.
"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery, what about you?"
"Nah, failed hullabaloo."
"Oooh. There you go." I zone out of their conversation and stare at the Earth again. Suddenly, the ship shudders. "That's not supposed to happen..." The Doctor says. A message comes over the loudspeaker. "Honoured guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you."
"Let's go!" The Doctor says, and runs out the door, with Rose and I following him. "I loved Allonsy..." I mutter.
"That wasn't a gravity pocket," The Doctor explains. "I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that." He fiddles with a control panel next to the door to the Manchester Suite. Jabe approaches them. "What do you think, Jabe?" The Doctor says. He didn't even see her come! This is definitely a television show. "Listened to the engines, they pitched up about 30 hertz, is that dodgy or what?"
"It's the sound of metal, it doesn't make any sense to me."
"Where's the engine room?"
"I don't know... but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest's suite, I could show you. And..." she looks at me. "Your wife."
"Oh, we're not a couple," The Doctor and I say in unison.
"Partner?"
"No," The Doctor answers.
"Concubine?"
"Nope."
"Prostitute?"
"Whatever I am," I say, "It must be invisible, do you mind? Tell you what, you two go and pollinate, I'm going to catch up with my friend, the Face of Boe." I walk away.
"Don't start a fight!"
"More like a flirt..." I mumble.
"So, Jacky boy, how are you doin'?" I creep up from behind him. He takes a long time to turn around, seeing as he's a big face and he's being wheeled by two people. "Summer!"
"Yeah, I'm back, after screaming at Rose and saving the Doctor from explaining about Gallifrey. Did I also mention that the Tardis got taken away from us?" He chuckles. "I always love your sarcasm. Never changes..."
"Why would it?" I ask.
"No reason."
"You're hiding something."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"Do you want to come inside?" Jack asks, changing the conversation.
"Inside where?"
"The Face Of Boe."
"Okay."
"Stand back then." I get a weird sensation and then I leave Satellite 1.
And I'm inside the Face of Boe.
And that's the first time I saw Captain Jack Harkness.
And, god damnit, he is so friggin sexy!
(A.N- Sashaxh wants no more spoilers so I'm not going to put in the talk that Jack and Summer have because there's a LOT of spoilers in it. If you want to know what Jack and Summer say in the talk, PM me and I will give it to you.)
The Face of Boe looks weird in the inside. It's bigger on the inside and looks just like the Hub in Torchwood. Figures. God, Jack loves Torchwood. "Do you want to go?" Jack says. "I'm sure the Doc is getting into trouble again. You may need to help."
"If that's alright. I mean, I'd love to stay, but I would also like to see the Earth explode in person."
"Okay, hold up." He activates the teleport and I'm taken back to Satellite 1. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah, cool. See ya." At that moment, Jabe and the Doctor comes into the room. "The metal machine confirms," Jabe says. "The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Satellite 1."
"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall," Cassandra says, acting all innocent. I wish I could say that she did it. "Moisturise me, moisturise me." The Doctor takes the destabilised spider out of Jabe's hand. "Summon the Steward!" The Moxx of Balboon shouts.
"I'm afraid the Steward is dead." Jabe says. There is a general gasp of shock. "Who killed him?" The Moxx of Balboon screams.
"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe! He invited us!" Jack shakes his head. "Talk to the face! Talk to the face!" Now, that's it.
"Oi, don't go accusing people when you don't know it was them. Oh, and don't go calling yourself the last human when you're just skin!"
"You're friends with the blonde woman, aren't you?"
"Oi, stop it, both of you," The Doctor says. "Easy way of finding out who the culprit was. Someone brought a little pet on board." He shows everyone the spider. "Let's send him back to Master." He places the spider down on the floor. The spider scuttles along to Cassandra and looks up at her. Cassandra looks shifty for a moment, but the spider moves on to the feet of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme. "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme!" Cassandra squeals. "J'accuse!"
"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it..." The Adherents of the Repeated Meme tries to strike him, but he catches its arm and rips it off. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are. An idea." He rips a wire out of the arm and all of the Repeated Meme crumple into a bundle of black cloaks. Everyone gasps while Cassandra rolls her eyes. "Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real trouble maker. Go on, Jimbo!" He nudges the spider with his foot. "Go home!" The spider ambles straight back to Cassandra. Ha! "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed." The Doctor raises his eyebrows. Come on, Cassandra's catchphrases suck. "At arms!" The two bodyguards with canisters on either side of her raise their canisters. The Doctor steps back, mockingly. "What are you going to do, moisturise me?" He says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"With acid. As well as your lady friend and tree. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."
"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?"
"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."
"Five billion years and it still comes down to money," I say, stepping forward. "But really, does money matter?"
"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am The Last Human, not you, not your precious friend. Me."
"Arrest her!" The Moxx of Balboon screams.
"Oh, shut it, pixie. I've still got my final option."
"Earth Death in 3 minutes." The computer informs us.
"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you, I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? "Burn, baby, burn."
"Then you'll burn with us!" Jabe says, with a voice full of hate.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but... I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate!" There are a series of explosions in the room. "Force fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband." She giggles. "Oh, shame on me. Buh-bye, darlings!" She and her bodyguards teleport out.
"Heat levels rising."
"Reset the computer!" The Moxx of Balboon screams.
"Only the Steward would know how," Jabe says.
"No," The Doctor protests. "We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, Summer, come on." We leave the room. He calls back to the crowd over my shoulder. "You lot, just chill!"
"Earth Death in 2 minutes. Earth Death in 2 minutes."
We reach the ventilation chamber with no time to lose. "Oh. And guess where the switch is." He points to the other sides of the enormous fans. "Heat levels, rising. Heat levels, rising." The Doctor pulls a lever down and the fans slow down. "External temperature, 5 thousand degrees." As soon as the Doctor lets go of the lever, the fans start to speed up again. As the Doctor looks hopelessly at the fans, I pull the lever down a second before Jabe and holds it there. The Doctor turns around and grins at me. "Jabe, you better get going." The Doctor says. "The heat's going to vent through this place."
Oh my god. Now I know my purpose in this world. Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat and so many others killed people off.
And now, I can save them.
Jabe runs out of the room. The Doctor grins at me one last time and runs back to the fans. "Heat levels, rising. Heat levels, rising." He dodges the first fan and runs underneath it. He looks anxiously up at the next one. "Heat levels, hazardous." He dodges under the second fan. "Planet explodes in 10... 9..." He ducks under the last fan. "8... 7..."
"Raise shields!" The Doctor pulls the lever down.
"5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." We hear a soft explosion outside when the Earth explodes. And no one saw it.
The Doctor runs back through the now really slow fans. He picks me up and hugs me. "You did it!" I squeal!
"You helped. Come on, Rose need us."
We walk back into the observation gallery, where all the aliens are sitting around, wounded or dead. Jabe and Rose are waiting for us. "You two all right?" Rose asks.
"Yeah, we're fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He strides over to the ostrich egg Cassandra left behind. I love this bit! He breaks open the egg and the teleportation feed falls out. He picks it up. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He twists the feed. Cassandra appears in front of us, apparently in the middle of gloating. "Ah, you should have seen their little alien faces." She notices her new surroundings. "Oh."
"The Last Human," The Doctor mocks.
"So. You passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the, er... the human club."
"People have died, Cassandra," I say, with anger in my voice. Oh, and god, I am angry! "You murdered them. Countless people just for money. Really, now can you tell me that it was worth it?"
"That depends on what you mean by 'people'. And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court then! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter..."
"And creak?" The Doctor asks.
"And what?"
"Creak! You're creaking." Cassandra's skin is tightening. Her eyes are becoming bloodshot and she is getting whiter and whiter. "What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturise me! Moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys. It's too hot!" She's now covered in red blotches.
"You raised the temperature," The Doctor says, with no mercy in his voice.
"Have pity!" Cassandra screams, begging for mercy. "Moisturise me! Oh, Doctor!" I'm getting really terrified here. Rose did change him. Nine is nothing like Ten or Eleven. "Help her." I nudge.
"Everything has its time and everything dies." The Doctor says, with hate in his voice. Cassandra is now shrivelling up. "I'm... too... young!" She explodes. The Doctor looks completely cold and not remotely fazed. He leaves the room.
That's it. That blew it. I know he's still grieving the loss of the Time Lords and Gallifrey, but that's out of line. Cassandra was dying, and he didn't show any mercy. That's not the Doctor I know. "Shuttles 4 and 6 departing. This unit now closing down for maintenance."
"Stay here," I tell Rose, Jabe and Jack. I run after the Doctor. He's walking back to the Tardis, doing the walk all Whovians know as the Oncoming Storm walk. "Oi, spaceman!" I scream. "Over here." He turns around. "What do you want, Summer?"
"Why? That's not you." I walk up to the Doctor. "I know you're still grieving, but that was out of line. Why?"
"I had to."
"No, you didn't. It wasn't you!"
"It was!" He pleads and tears start pouring down his face.
"That's the Doctor that kills. That's not my Doctor."
"Then what is?"
"The compassionate Doctor, that took me off the streets at the middle of the night just because. No reason. Just because. That's who you are. You may be the Oncoming Storm, but not a killer." I put my hand on his face. "Leave that for somebody else." He looks into my eyes.
"Okay," He whispers. He dips his head down. And kisses me.
And yeah, it's completely wrong as Ten has always been my Doctor, but it's beautiful. God, he is a great kisser. I mean, figures, he's nine hundred, and married, and has kids, and... I'm ranting, aren't I?
He breaks away for breath and looks into my eyes. "Forever," he whispers.
"Forever," The words come from my mouth without hesistation.
The Manchester Suite is now completely empty apart from Rose and Jabe, who are standing at the window watching the Earth burn. Guess I missed Jack leave. Rocks fly past the window. They turn around when they hear the Doctor and my footsteps as we come to stand beside her. "The End of the Earth. It's gone. And we were too busy saving ourselves, no one saw it go. All those years... all that history... and no one was even looking."
"My ancestors came from Earth." Jabe explains. "That's why I was so eager to come. And I didn't get to say goodbye." She takes off her sad face and acts more cheery. "Anyway. My shuttle is about to leave, so I better go. I won't forget this. Goodbye, Doctor, Summer, Rose. Hopefully I'll see you again one day." She walks out of the Manchester Suite. Rose isn't really listening to her, just looking through the window. The Doctor notices. "Come with me." He says and takes her hand with the hand that's not holding mine. We walk back to the Tardis in silence. He sets the coordinates for Earth, 2005, and we end up in a London square. Rose looks around at the crowds, seeing them in a new light. We stand beside her.
"You think it'll last forever. People, and cars and concrete. But it won't. One day, it's all gone. Even the sky." We all look up at the sky. After a moment, the Doctor continues. "My planet's gone." Rose turns to look at him. This is the first time he's mentioned his home to Rose. "It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust. Before it's time."
"What happened?" Rose asks.
"There was a war. And we lost."
"A war with who?" He doesn't answer, seemingly lost in his thoughts. "What about your people?"
"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling because there's no one else." He looks down at Rose. "You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" Rose looks at him for a few seconds.
"I don't know. I want..." She suddenly sniffs the air. "Oh! Can you smell chips?"
"Yeah!" I laugh.
"I want chips."
"Me too." The Doctor grins.
"Me three."
"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay."
The Doctor and I pat our pockets. "No money." he says.
"Unless you want Australian."
"What sort of friends are you? Come on then, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years before the shops close..." That's what I need. Chips. So I can think things over.
