A/N: I know it's been a while, but as promised here is a longer chapter for you! I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading! Thanks so much everyone, and please let me know what you think!
chapter fifty two – at the end of the universe
Malcassairo, 100 trillion
Rixel put the pencil in her mouth and she reached up to grab the file from on top of the cabinet. She lifted up on her toes, but even then her fingers just grazed the file.
"Chan - here, let me get that for you - tho."
Rixel turned her head to see one of the alien girls she worked with reach up with ease and pull down the folder. Rixel smiled at her. "Thanks, Chantho."
The girl nodded at her, then headed back to her own work.
Rixel sighed as she placed the folder down on the desk. This life wasn't what she wanted. It was a mistake for her to even be here. The worst part was, she felt like she could find a way to get back home if she only had a moment to herself. That wasn't the case here. After spending almost two weeks working in a stuffy little lab trying to power a giant ship that would never fly, she barely even got time to sleep. Her fingers absentmindedly wrapped around her locket. What she wouldn't give to have the Doctor back in her life now.
"Chan – you okay – tho?"
Rixel looked up at the strange alien girl and nodded. She held up the folder. "Just checking over the power reports."
Chantho paused for a moment, then looked away as she accepted the answer.
Two weeks. Why was it whenever Rixel was away from the Doctor her life got the strangest? And why was she thinking about him now? After so many years. So, so many years. It was all her fault, too. She sent him away. She said she didn't need his help. And now what? Now she needed him and there was nothing she could do about it.
"How is the work going, girls?" An older man stepped into the lab and hobbled over towards a swivel chair in front of a computer.
"Chan – very well – tho." Chantho said, smiling sweetly at the man.
Rixel turned and leaned up against the desk, holding the folder against her chest. "Morning, professor."
"Rixel, can you run down to the ship and check the other end of the gravitissimal accelerator?"
She frowned. When she'd been first told to help out the scientist, she thought it would be fun. That was misleading. Though he was brilliant, Professor Yana was given an impossible task. And now she was stuck helping him. For the rest of her miserable life, too, if she didn't figure a way off this stupid rock. Rixel pushed away from the desk and tossed the folder off to the side. She pushed open the door and headed down the hall.
Utopia. A silly little dream for a group of humans that hoped to outrun the end of the universe. At least, that's what she managed to gather over the past two weeks. It was hard to get details. It seemed everything was common knowledge, and whenever she tried to ask questions, people treated her strangely. Even Chantho would look at her weird if she asked the wrong things. So instead she listened. It didn't give her everything she wanted, but it was better than nothing.
Rixel pushed open the doors to the ship room. Ha, what a joke. Sure, it was a ship, and in theory it could run and carry loads of people, too. But everything was all messed up. The cords were old and unrepairable. The inertia needed for launch wasn't available. Not to mention launching would have to be triggered from back in the lab. She figured Chantho and the professor knew all this, but didn't mention it. They both seemed too intelligent not to know.
She crouched down next to the large metallic casing for the accelerator and pulled off the maintenance panel. Inside the wires were all askew. She sighed. It would take her hours to get them all organized. Since when did she go from the conqueror of the Requiem to a day mechanic? She pulled her red curls behind her, secured them in place, then got to work.
Three hours later, she finally got all the wires in order. Her arms were filthy and her hair was a mess, but her work might actually have been worth it. Rixel leaned back on her toes as she looked over the organized wires. Wow. It wouldn't give an incredible amount of power, but it would help. She placed the cover panel back on and jumped up her to her feet. She took the moment to stretch her arms above her head. If she told herself 2 years ago that she'd be here doing silly mechanical work she would have laughed. Even at the end of the world, with the requiem threatening her every movement, she didn't think things would end up like this. And it was all because of the Master.
Rixel frowned. If she ever saw that man again, she'd be right to cut his head off.
The violent thought stunned her for a moment. Kill someone? Could she actually do such a thing? Sure, she carried a gun around with her for two years, but she never actually ended a persons life. But him? The man that betrayed her? That was responsible for her parents death? The leader of the requiem? It was a strange feeling.
She sighed and turned back towards the door. Just as she was about to leave, a loud whirring sound came from behind her. Rixel jumped, turning to see the dust vibrating off the generators. They were on.
"No way." Rixel gasped, taking a step forward. They were on. They were really on. And working. She gasped, smiling to herself. It was actually working.
The intercom clicked to life, echoing the joyous announcement throughout the chamber around her.
"All passengers prepare for immediate boarding."
She could barely feel her feet touching the ground as she ran down the hall. There was hardly anyone left in the halls now. They were all lining up to get into the ship. She couldn't believe it. Yana actually did it. He saved them all.
Rixel reached the door and burst in, laughing as she spoke. "You did it! You actually-"
She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the three in the room. The Professor was watching a monitor intently while Chantho was grinning madly towards the red headed girl. Between them stood someone that shouldn't exist. Someone that shouldn't be there. A woman she hadn't seen in years.
Chantho's grin slowly vanished as she looked between the red headed girl and Martha. "Chan – is everything okay – tho?"
"Ma-Martha?" Rixel gasped. She could barely force the word out. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of her.
The woman turned towards her. The moment she saw her, her eyes widened. "Rixel!"
Rixel wanted to ask her how she'd gotten there, how such a thing was even possible, but she couldn't think straight. All she could do was stare as the woman ran over and embraced her in a giant hug.
"Oh my gosh, look at you!" Martha stepped back. "I can't believe how old you are! You're practically all grown up!"
Rixel just stared at the woman. Martha Jones. The woman that held her back. The woman that saved her life. The woman that traveled with... no. Rixel refused to think of him. She couldn't bare to get her hopes up. Not again. Not after everything.
"Chan - you know each other – tho?" Chantho asked, looking between them.
"Oh yeah. We're old friends. Been through loads together. Hang on." Martha frowned. "How did you get here? I thought we were at the end of the universe. Last I saw you, you were just a little girl. Ten years old."
The corner of Rixel's mouth twitched. So much had happened since she was only ten. A whole third of her life.
"Well come on, then." Martha punched her playfully in the arm. "Say something. You're looking at me like I'm a ghost."
Rixel leaped forward, hugging the woman. It was really her. It was really Martha. Not a trick, not a prank, not a hallucination, but really her. Oh she even smelled like... Rixel pushed back. She couldn't refrain from knowing for another second. "Is he here?"
"Who? The Doctor?" Martha rolled her eyes. "How else would I get here?"
Rixel's jaw dropped.
"Oh no. He's not here with you, is he? Like, a different time or something?"
Rixel shook her head quickly. "Where is he?"
Martha turned, pointing towards the monitor that Professor Yana was looking at.
"Chan – stet radiation chamber – tho." Chantho said.
Rixel glanced over at her. A strange burst of happiness raced through her. He was here. Before she knew what she was doing, her body turned and raced out the door.
Years. What does someone say years after telling then to vanish? She thought she said goodbye to him for good, but apparently the universe had a different idea.
You're always with him.
Rixel ran through the halls, nearly falling over every time she had to turn. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Martha was here, so this couldn't be her bow-tie Doctor. Not that it mattered. She'd take any Doctor, from any time, right now.
She grabbed onto the thick pipe to keep her balance as she spun around the last corner. There, at the end of the hall looking into the chamber, was the Doctor.
He was far better looking than she remembered. Even now, with his back slightly hunched over and his arms crossed in that faint hopelessness, he looked like a Knight in shining armor to her. A King. A father.
She tried to call out to him, but her voice caught in her throat again. She took a shaky step forward. Years of memories she forced herself to push away came running back. Titanic. Pennsylvania. The Daleks. Rose. All of it the most terrifying and the best years of her life.
Rixel ran forward. She didn't even care anymore, she just wanted to hold him, to make sure he was real. Her feet started to move and she crashed into him just as he was turning to see what was running towards him. He jerked slightly at her tight hug, but then relaxed slowly. Her face buried into his shoulder, which surprised her by how much she'd grown, and her arms held onto him. She feared if she let go, even for a second, he'd fade away.
"Oh, hey there Rixel."
She gasped. The casualness in his voice felt all wrong. She hadn't seen him in years and he greeted her like he half expected her to show up. She leaned back and looked up at him. Her eyes were red, though she was fairly certain she could keep herself from crying. Maybe.
"D-Doctor." She finally managed to say.
He smiled at her. "You're still hugging me."
Rixel swallowed, pulling herself away from him. She was amazed she could force herself to do so. She noticed his eyes flickered down to her necklace. Did...did he just frown? He glanced back up at her face. His eyes narrowed slightly. "You alright? You look a bit pale."
She exhaled slowly. "Doctor...I haven't seen you in years."
He raised an eyebrow. "Years?"
Rixel nodded slowly. Couldn't he tell how important this reunion was for her? "Conqueror of the Requiem, remember?"
He stared at her for a moment, but she didn't like his expression. He looked more cautious of her than happy to see her. Almost like he didn't trust her. "Mm, I suppose you are quite older."
Her jaw dropped. Seriously? That's all he had to say? She took a step back.
The Doctor didn't seem to notice. He looked back into the chamber. "Jack, you almost done?"
A voice came through the side intercom. "Yeah, just a second here."
Rixel blinked. Her brain was too upset to even comprehend Jack. All she could think about was how the Doctor didn't even care she was there. She frowned. The bow-tie Doctor would care. He'd probably run out to rescue her if he knew what was going on.
After a moment, the Doctor glanced over at her. "Can you go see if Martha needs any help?"
Rixel ground her teeth. "It's been two years since I last saw you and you want me to play assistant?"
"Rixel, last time I saw you, you weren't too happy with me." He said, sighing lightly. "And right now we're in the middle of a slight emergency, so yes, I'd like you to go help out if you possibly can."
The rebellious teenager inside of her wanted to stomp her foot and storm off, but Rixel had overcome her spontaneous outbursts when she was forced to live underground in charge of a group of people. Instead she just blinked softly and turned. Her feet somehow managed to walk forward, away from the Doctor, even though her heart was screaming at her.
You're always with him. Rixel scoffed at the memory of a dream. Yeah, right.
As she rounded the corner, she walked straight into Martha. Rixel stumbled back a few steps as Martha tried to regain herself from the collision. Her face was red and she was panting hard.
"What's wrong?" Rixel asked.
Martha put a hand on the wall to steady herself as she gasped for air. "The professor has a watch."
"Um, ok?" Rixel frowned slightly. She didn't see why that would upset the woman so much.
"No! It's the same watch! The same fobwatch! The same as the one the Doctor had in Pennsylvania!"
Rixel's eyes widened. "What?"
Martha ran passed Rixel towards the Doctor, leaving the red head to stand dumbfounded in the hall. A million questions raced through Rixel's mind. Surely she would have noticed the fobwatch if it was really the same. She'd spend two weeks with the professor after all. But they were working. It's possible she could have missed it. She might never have had the chance to see it.
Still, something wasn't sitting right with her. A watch, just like the Doctors. Just like in Pennsylvania. A watch that can make a Time Lord human, but the Doctor was the only Time Lord left. Not even River was a Time Lord.
River. Something to do with her. Something that she said. What was it? Rixel felt a twinge of guilt. She really liked River. And it all started when she stole the woman's vortex manipulator for that horrible betrayer, the Master.
Rixel froze. The Master. Oh no. Hadn't River said something? At the library?
'You stole my vortex manipulator and gave it to the only evil Time Lord left in existence. I think you owe me enough to trust me.'
Oh crap.
She turned on her toes and ran back to the lab. As she ran, she couldn't help but smirk. Whenever the Doctor was around, she always ran, didn't she? Even back at the end of the World, with the Requiem and everything, she never ran that often. It was always just with the Doctor.
"Professor!" Rixel burst into the lab room. He wasn't sitting at his normal computer. In fact, she didn't see him at all. "Professor! I need to speak with you!"
Rixel turned to check back outside when a sharp pain cracked over her head. She crumpled down to the floor and the lab faded to black.
