A/N: Much love to all of you lovely reviewers and followers! You're great motivation for my lazy self.
Chapter 51: Utopia Part 1
The honeymoon was beyond spectacular as it lasted for about a week and a half but not entirely at the beautiful islands and spa resort at Kaao'Tilia—though the majority of it had taken place there. Once the trio took stopped at the planet's gift shop—and the Doctor almost wiped it completely out of some unique singing flowerlike object—and made their leave to travel back across the stars he treated the girls to something they haven't done in a long while, as well as never did with Martha: go to some concerts.
In the past he's attempted to take Rose to a few, but of course those trips were interrupted by some misdirection on the TARDIS's part—to which Rose would make another comment about his poor driving skills—or by another threat to the universe. But now that it's their special holiday, so to speak, he figured they can attend multiple concerts, including the ones he originally planned to take Rose to.
First on the list was one he promised last year but never got to—watching Elvis's performances on Ed Sullivan in New York. Martha made a comment similar to Rose's back then, asking why they were catching him in that era and not when he was in Vegas. The Doctor stood by his choosing and explained once again that when one wants to see Elvis Presley, you go in the late 50s—the time when he still had a waist and could live up to his moniker 'the Pelvis'. Catching all three shows, they caught when he sang "Hound Dog" and realized why people complained. Apparently viewers were displeased that the networking chose not to censor his trademark grunts and shakes.
But all of the people in the audience, including Rose and Martha, were swooning.
Next they stopped in the next decade, but remained in the same city of New York to catch the Beatles performing at their biggest show at the time at Shea Stadium in 1965—right in the heart of the hysteria that was Beatlemania in America. The crowd was, no doubt, electrified by the performance, and it would lead to a turning point for the band as in the coming future they'd create game-changing works that would define the rest of the career and everything else that followed after.
Continuing to the succeeding decades the Doctor took the girls to the 1976 to see the first successful concert of the Ramones and then three years later to catch another trip he had promised Rose in the past - to see Ian Dury and the Blockheads. And once again Rose made an amusing comment calling him a big old punk with a bit of rockabillly thrown in, and he did his part by admiring how she looked in her dungarees. Following that he took them to see The Clash, the Smiths, and the Proclaimers. But the biggest stop yet was at Wembley Stadium to catch the live performance of Queen. The moment "Bohemian Rhapsody" was played, they each belted the lyrics out along with Freddie Mercury and the crowd.
Lastly, he finished off their musical tours by landing in the 90s, in the midst of the grunge era and other subgenres that followed. Rose once said that two of her favorite bands growing up were Oasis and Radiohead, so he granted her a childhood dream of seeing both of them live. He thought about taking them to the present day for newer concerts, but he pushed those trips for next time as they've been going non-stop. Arriving back to the TARDIS, the girls headed to their rooms to change.
These last number of weeks have been some of the best in the Doctor's long life, and that was definitely saying something. Of course he wasn't married to a beloved pink and yellow human back then.
In the duration of their down time while on the island and in between concert hops, the Doctor and Rose continued their sessions of enhancing her mental abilities and increasing her sensory awareness. Each day proved to be a step or two further into the process, and he couldn't be more proud of her continuous efforts. Not only was she far more advanced than he originally thought, but her persistence and determination encouraged her more as she passed his tests flawlessly. Well, almost since she still had to work out a few kinks in the deliverance, but was improving all the same.
He was also grateful that the TARDIS was able to discontinue Her constant screeching hums to scold him. After getting Her back She immediately sensed their development and, as always, approved of it. For months She's been itching to get him to finally confess to Rose, and even brought their friend involved because of his reluctance. But now everything came together in the end, and he wouldn't want it any other way.
As of lately though, something's been troubling the Old Girl, and She wouldn't tell him why. Since leaving Kaao'Tilia Her turbulence was the worst it's been in months and She's been sluggish once set in-flight. More than once he made an attempt to get Her to spill her troubles but She ignored him. Whatever was wrong, surely it wasn't anything to serious. Probably needed to refuel.
Rose emerged from the corridor changed and ready for the next exploration. She came beside him and nudged his shoulder. "Where we off to next, punk?" she teased.
The Doctor chuckled through his nose. "Just have to make a quick stop. The TARDIS has been feeling a bit…off."
"She has," Rose said with a nod as she raised a hand to stroke the time rotor. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Won't budge," he said, shaking his head. "I've tried that many a times, Rose. If it was anything serious She would've alerted us immediately." He looked up at the ceiling. "She's too modest. Always was."
"D'you think She's flaggin' a bit from all the concert hopping?"
"Could be. It's been a while since She's been out what with the whole 'Angels have the police box' incident, and even longer since she went to consecutive decades," he scratched his sideburn. "Might have to refuel. And I know just the place."
Flipping the switch he sent them off into the vortex only to be tossed around once again from the turbulence until finally coming to a stop moments later. Martha came into the console room shortly after the rough landing.
"Where are we?" Rose asked as she fixed herself.
"Cardiff!" the Doctor said with a grin.
"Cardiff?" Rose asked, a slight happiness in her tone.
Martha came up to them. "Cardiff?" she repeated flatly.
"Ah, but the thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space," he said rounding the console and bringing the monitor over. "Just like…California on the San Andreas Fault. But the rift bleeds energy. Every now and then I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy, and use it as fuel."
"So it's a pit stop," she said with a smile.
He nodded. "Exactly. Should only take twenty seconds," he studied the monitor and furrowed his brows. "The rift's been active," he muttered. That was strange. There was no other reason for it to even be used. It was taking a bit longer than the last time they were here.
"Wait a minute," Martha spoke up. "They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago. Was that you two?"
"Bit of trouble with the Slitheen," he answered.
Rose snorted. "God, those freaks. From Raxa…Raxacor…" she trailed off, remembering that she struggled with that name back then. She sensed the Doctor was ready to supply her with the name, but she held up a hand to stop him. "No, wait, I got this. Raxacoricofallapatorious," she strung out quickly.
The Doctor's eyes lit up as he enveloped her in a quick hug. "Oh, you got it!"
She laughed. "Seems so long ago."
"Long time ago—lifetimes. I was a different man back then." He shot her a winkand she patted his forearm.
The couple of incidents that happened in Cardiff were whirlwinds for sure. From the first time when they landed in 1869 and met the legendary, brilliant Charles Dickens and faced the Gelth—and near death—then arriving in the present day and prevented World War Three from happening on 10 Downing Street all by the cause of those obese, foul-smelling creatures.
"Lemme guess," Martha spoke up. "You were all burly with huge ears and leather."
"I see Rose has told you stories and brought out her scrapbook again," the Doctor commented with a chuckle. The TARDIS made a beep and he dashed around the console to pull the lever. "Finito! All powered up."
The smile on his face slowly disappeared, his hand frozen on the lever when he saw a familiar figure on the monitor wearing a WWII jacket racing towards his ship. That was impossible. He should be dead. In fact he was certain he was dead, but apparently he was wrong. His insides were already twitching at the sight. They needed to leave. Now.
Rose must've sensed his discomfort and began to approach him. "Doctor, what is it?"
Slamming the lever down hard he sent them in-flight in hopes of escaping. "Nothin'," he answered casually. "Just making sure She had enough energy."
He hated lying to her as he's been guilty of doing it countless times, but she couldn't find out about this. The moment she did, she'd slap him for all he was worth. As deserving as it would be, their encounter with said figure would be…dodgy. Nothing felt more wrong than that.
Rose noticed that he seemed a bit uncomfortable about something, and if she was honest, she felt the same way. Whatever was out there must be wrong. But…why?
"Doctor, what's wrong?" she asked in her mind as she studied him. He remained silent, both inward and outward, as he stood in his spot. A certain uneasiness crossed his face, and she herself could feel it in her stomach. What the hell was going on?
Before she could ask him again the TARDIS jolted violently causing the console to spark and clouds of smoke billowing out as the three of them held on for dear life.
"What's that?" Martha shouted.
"We're accelerating into the future," the Doctor replied, dumbfounded. Carefully avoiding the sparks flying out of the console, he brought the monitor back over and peered at the readings. "The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion." His eyes widened at the next year. "What? The year one hundred trillion? That's impossible!"
"Why? What happens then?" Martha asked.
He shook his head, stunned at what was happening. "We're going to the end of the universe."
"What?" Rose said in disbelief. "How?"
"I dunno," the Doctor said frantically as they held a death grip on the console, dropping down to their knees from the rough ride.
Glancing around the room in a useless attempt for finding out answers, he heard the TARDIS screeching in his ears, causing him to grit his teeth. He noticed Rose appearing the same way. This was bad. Very, very bad.
Finally with another violent shudder they came to a stop. Slowly straightening up, the Doctor stared at the monitor's readings. "Well…we've landed," he announced in a low tone.
"So…what's out there?" Rose asked.
He shook his head. "I dunno," he said honestly.
Martha gave a weak laugh. "Say that again, that's rare."
"Not even the Time Lords came this far," he told them. "We should leave. We should go." He nodded. That's exactly what they should do. "We should really, really…go." He glanced over at Rose who bit her lip, barely containing the smile that was creeping onto her face. "What d'you fancy?" he asked.
"What d'you think?"
A manic grin appeared on his face as he dashed for the door, fetching his coat. Without a doubt they came here unexpectedly, much like their other trips, but no one's ever been this far. It had to be something worth seeing.
Rose watched happily as the Doctor enthusiastically held the door open for them to exit. "I'll be there in a mo'," she called out. "Just wanna check on the Old Girl."
He nodded. "'Kay. We'll be right out here," he shut the door, leaving her inside.
Placing a hand on the time rotor she felt her stomach churn. Something felt…wrong. Impossibly wrong. Whatever it was made both the Doctor and the TARDIS uneasy, definitely the most she's ever seen. That alone was a bad sign. Hopefully it'll fade away.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Stepping outside the Doctor and Martha found themselves in a dark, vast landscape of…nothingness. It was a wasteland full of weeds, and dirt hills. A slight breeze chilled the air as it lightly blew against their hair. The Doctor raised his nose to the sky, inhaling deeply. It's been this way for a long while. End of the universe, it was expected.
"Oh, my God!" Martha gasped beside him.
Turning his body around he saw her rush over to a motionless body laying on the ground a few feet away—and it was the very man he had tried running away from.
"Can't get a pulse," Martha said as she placed two fingers on the man's neck. Her head perked up. "Hold on," she turned to the Doctor, "you've got that medical kit thing." Standing to her feet she ran back to the TARDIS. "Rose, get a medical kit, quick!"
"What, why?" he heard Rose say, concerned.
"There's a dead man out here that could possibly still be saved. Get it, hurry!"
The Doctor inwardly sighed. He was going to get it now. Right when Rose finds out that he had lied about Captain Jack Harkness rebuilding the Earth after leaving the Game Station, she'll smack him into the next regeneration. But hopefully she'll understand the reason why he had left him behind.
"Hello again," he said to the man as he slowly sauntered over. "Oh, I'm sorry."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tearing through the corridors to get to the sickbay to retrieve a medical kit, Rose found herself running around in circles. Usually the TARDIS was helpful in leading others to their destinations, but for some reason She was being spiteful.
Turning another corner she ended up back in the galley. "Why are you doing this?" She questioned accusingly, staring at the ceiling. The ship remained silent. "There's a man in danger and dying. He needs help!"
"Rose!" Martha called out. "Where is it?"
"I can't find it! It's gone."
She shot a look to the ceiling again. Why was the TARDIS acting this way? Unless She sensed the uneasiness that the Doctor felt. But what was causing them so much discomfort? Martha came running inside to search for the kit herself.
"Who is he? Who's the man?" Rose asked.
"I dunno," Martha said as she hurried down the corridor. "Some bloke in a war jacket."
Her heart stopped. War jacket? At the end of the universe? Surely those weren't popular fashion choices at this time. Could it have been…?
Rose finally ran outside to join the Doctor…then came to a complete stop once she noticed the lifeless body of Captain Jack laying on the ground and gasped. "Oh, my God, Jack!" She made a move to rush over to him, but the Doctor grabbed her by the waist and gently pulled her back. "Doctor, it's Jack."
He nodded. "Yeah, I gathered," he said with a hollow voice.
"But how'd he end up here?"
"I think he came with us," he replied. "He held onto the outside of the TARDIS, and She tried to shake him off."
"Why—" Something clicked in her mind. "Wait a minute. You knew he followed us, didn't you?"
The Doctor sighed. "Rose—"
"And you left him behind!" She said angrily. "When you were watching the monitor, he was coming to us. And you ran away from him!"
"I had to, Rose!" He argued. "There's a reason why—"
"What reason is there?" she challenged. "We haven't seen him in almost two years. He needs us."
He stared her straight in the eye, his lips pressed together. "You should probably already know."
She furrowed her brows at him. What exactly did that mean? What was the matter with him? Yes, she felt a strange feeling when standing a foot away from him, but…it was Jack. "What're you talkin' about?"
"Just leave him," he said softly.
"We can't just leave him, he ain't a stray animal," she argued. She was overjoyed to finally see their old friend, but something felt…weird about him. Not just the fact that he was laying on the ground dead. She fought back on her tears. "Doctor, please. Whatever's wrong with him…we can help."
"We can't fix what's wrong with him, Rose," he responded evenly.
"Out of the way!" Martha hollered urgently as she shoved the Doctor aside and knelt beside the captain, pulling out a stethoscope. "It's a bit odd though," she commented. "Not very hundred trillion. That coat looks more like World War Two."
"That's because it is," Rose said glumly.
"I think he came with us," the Doctor replied.
"How d'you mean?" she asked. "From Earth?"
"Must have been clinging to the outside of the TARDIS. All the way through the Vortex." He took a deep breath. "Well, that's very him."
"What, do you know him?" Martha said incredulously.
"Friend of mine," the Doctor replied. "Well, I should say friend of ours. Used to travel with us. Back in the old days."
"Exactly, Doctor, Jack's our friend," she stressed, glaring at him.
"Wait, Jack?" Martha asked. "Is this Captain Jack?"
The Doctor stared at her. "How d'you know—" Then it hit him. If Rose told stories from the past then Captain Jack was sure to be mentioned a few times. "Oh."
Martha broke the silent pause. "But he's…I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. There's nothing," she declared sadly. "He's dead—"
And it was then Jack suddenly gasped back to life, causing Martha to shriek and Rose to gasp again, her hands covering her mouth. What the hell? That was…odd. Not even odd, just flat out wrong. How could he just come back to life? From beside her the Doctor seemed impassive, and had no reaction whatsoever. She wanted to poke at him again, but then another sickening feeling came up inside of her. Ignoring that, she smiled at Jack who clutched onto Martha's arms as he recovered.
"Oh, so much for me," Martha mumbled as she held him. "It's alright. Just breathe deep. I've got you now."
That trademark, charming grin appeared on Jack's face as he did his iconic pick up line in his usual seductive voice. "Captain Jack Harkness," he brought up a hand to Martha's chin. "And who are you?"
She smiled shyly. "Martha Jones."
"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones."
The Doctor rolled his eyes so hard Rose could practically hear it. "Oh, don't start!" he cried.
"I was just saying 'hello'," Jack said defensively.
Martha chuckled. "I don't mind," she said as she helped him up.
"That's more than enough for you, captain," Rose said with a laugh. Not even dwelling on the odd twisting sensations swirling in her stomach, she ran right over to him.
"Rosie!" he exclaimed as she launched herself in his arms, hugging him tight. "You're alive! Oh, I've missed you, girl."
"Same here," she said happily through laughter, though her insides were wringing.
Setting her down he planted a kiss firmly on her lips. That was all it took for the Doctor to immediately stomp over and tug her away, causing her to giggle. "I thought I told you not to start," he said with seriousness.
"Still possessive, I see," Jack commented before staring at him hard. "Doctor," he said coldly.
"Captain," he replied in the same tone.
"Good to see you."
"And you. Same as ever. Although…" the Doctor tilted his head slightly, squinting his eyes as he studied him. "Have you had work done?"
Jack snorted. "You can talk!"
The Doctor stared at him, confused for a moment before realizing what he was referring to. "Oh yes, the face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"
"The police box kinda gives it away," Jack said, gesturing at the TARDIS. "I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me."
Rose whipped around to glare at the Doctor again. "You did what?"
He winced at her sudden sharpness and shrugged a shoulder. "Sorry. Busy life. Moved on," he said casually.
"You told me he was rebuilding the Earth!"
"Well…" he drawled. She punched him in the arm, forcefully. "Ow!" he cried, rubbing the spot.
"You lied to me!" She yelled. "This whole time…" she shook her head before punching him again and he grumbled.
"Way to go, Doc," Jack said, arching an eyebrow. "But…I gotta say," he began calmly. "The Battle at Canary Wharf…" The very mention of that name sent chills down Rose's spine. "On the list of the dead, when I saw it read 'Rose Tyler'…"
"And as you can see, she's right here safe and sound," the Doctor said happily.
"Couldn't be happier!" Jack said with a smile before adding sadly, "But I saw your mother and Mickey on there too, Rose."
"Oh, no, they're still alive," she told him. "They're in a parallel world safe and sound, too."
His eyes lit up. "Oh, that's great, sweetie." He took her in his arms for another hug. "You must miss them terribly."
"I do…but knowing they're okay is all that I could want. That's all that matters."
"Definitely."
Releasing her, he kissed her again, and the Doctor growled. Pulling Rose back to him again, he stared at the man. "Now, Jack, I've warned you. Given that's your nature, surely even you know better than to try snogging a man's wife in front of him." He gave Rose a pointed look. "And you, missy, should know better."
She shook her head. "Oh, come on, now. We haven't seen each other for so long. 'S not like we're strangers. Besides, he's our friend-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, back up," Jack said in a rush with a raised hand. "Did you just say wife? As in…married?" He said in disbelief.
The Doctor grinned widely. "Yep," he said, popping the 'p'.
"Damn, Doc, you've changed a lot. I mean, it wasn't hard to miss the puppy love between you two before, but I never thought you'd get married." He laughed. "How'd you do it, Rose?"
She shrugged. "I have my ways," she said with a smile.
"I don't doubt it. How long has it been for you two?"
"Well, as far as married, about three weeks," the Doctor answered, still smiling as he wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders.
"Oh, this is even better!" Jack exclaimed as he went over and wrapped his arms around both of them as they laughed, almost like a sense of nostalgia. The old Team TARDIS…with a few minor changes. "Took you two long enough. The tension between you two…" he trailed off with a short laugh. "Made me wanna jump in the middle and push you into doin' it." He turned to Rose and waggled his eyebrows. "How is he? Great, I take it, right? Got quite the libido, I'm bettin'. You've done things telepathically, too, haven't ya? That had to be an experience. How's that working out for you, Rose?"
Both Rose and the Doctor blushed violently as they were put on the hot seat. Just like old times.
Martha cleared her throat. "I hate to be a downer and break up the reunion, but…we're apparently at the end of the universe and in the middle of a wasteland."
"Right!" The Doctor said, his voice coming out in an unmanly squeak. "S'pose we check out this place."
Jack let go of them then suddenly planted a kiss to the Doctor's lips. "You've got serious details to spill," he said with a grin.
With a grimace the Doctor wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Definitely just like old times.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Coming together the group walked over a small hill, Jack standing between Rose and Martha while the Doctor walked ahead of them. He could easily feel Rose's irritation through their bond, and he couldn't blame her for it. Much like he didn't blame her for punching him. It was well deserved since he kept it from her, but she didn't know the exact reason as to why they had an uneasy twitchy feeling when around Jack.
Well…she could work it out from slight implications as to why Jack was able to survive exposure to the vortex while clinging onto the TARDIS.
He knew the events at the Game Station were a bit of a blur to her when she took in the Time Vortex and became the Bad Wolf, and that meant she was unaware of what she had done on that day to Jack. Of course it wasn't her fault, she had no control over all of that power, but after witnessing Jack come back to life when he was surely dead was a glimpse of what was wrong with him.
"So, there I was," Jack was saying behind him, bringing him out of his musings. "Stranded in the year 200,100, ankle-deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me, and takes Rose with him. Speaking of which…I thought he tried to send you away, Rose."
"He did, but I came back," she said casually. "Both me and the TARDIS. I sort of…looked into Her Heart and absorbed the Time Vortex, then came back to save him. I was the Bad Wolf and turned the Daleks into dust." A part of her deep down felt like she had done more than just that, but she brushed it off for a moment.
Jack's brows shot up. "Wow, talk about resilience," he chuckled. "That's my girl."
The Doctor cleared his throat and fell into step with them. "No, she's my girl," he clarified.
"Blimey, the testosterone," Rose exasperated. Not much has changed since the last time they were all together.
"How'd you escape?" Martha asked, returning them to the original story.
"I had this," he tapped the device strapped to his wrist. "I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a vortex manipulator." He gestured at the Doctor. "He's not the only one who can time travel."
"Oh, excuse me," the Doctor scoffed in derision as he pointed at the device. "That is not time travel. It's like I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper."
"Oh, ho, boys and their toys," Martha said with a laugh.
"It always is," Rose said with an eye roll. "Every time they encounter each other, it's like this. All this fuss about who's got the better gadgets and tools."
"All right, so I bounced," Jack said irritably at the Doctor. "I thought '21st century, best place to find the Doctor' except that I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this thing burnt out so it was useless."
"Told you," the Doctor said quietly in a smug voice.
Rose heard him. "Rude, alien git," she commented through their link.
"I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me," Jack continued.
Rose's eyes widened. "What?"
"That makes you more than a hundred years old," Martha said incredulously.
"And looking good, don't ya think?" he asked with a chuckle.
That was impossible. Jack wasn't immortal. Or…was he? "But…how?" Rose asked.
Jack simply shrugged. "It's all in the genes," he said charmingly before adding, "So I went to the time rift, based myself there 'cause I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and here we are."
Something wasn't right at all. Blinking her eyes rapidly she saw a bright flash cross her vision, images of a familiar incident. Satellite 5, the Game Station. Blinded by a golden light she remembered the overwhelming power coursing through her body after absorbing the Time Vortex. The fleet of Daleks were turned to dust at the wave of her hand—but that wasn't all she did. An image of Jack lying on the ground, dead and surrounded by the disintegrated pepper pots, suddenly gasp back to life just as he did moment ago.
Bad Wolf replayed in her mind, as well as the Doctor's pleading cries.
The song was loud, pounding in her head in a cacophony of noises. Everything was meant to be as it had to be, and she was the one to do it. Always her. Always the Bad Wolf.
"Rose, you've done it, now stop," the Doctor told her. "Just let go."
"How can I let go of this?" she asked in a soft voice. "I bring life."
It was then Captain Jack Harkness was brought back to life. As he always would. Forever.
"But this is wrong!" the Doctor cried. "You can't control life and death!"
"But I can—the sun and the moon…the day and night. But why do they hurt?"
"The power's gonna kill you and it's my fault," he said hopelessly.
"I can see everything. All that is…all that was…all that ever could be."
The Doctor stared at her, a look of awe and fear crossing his eyes as his voice came out gentle. "That's what I see…all the time. Doesn't it drive you mad?"
Tears streaked down her face. "My head…"
"Come here."
"…it's killing me…"
The Doctor reached for her hands, pulling her close to him. "I think you need a Doctor," he said softly.
Leaning in he pressed his lips to hers as he absorbed the Time Vortex from her mind. Or almost all of it as a smattering of residual energy lingered in her system, allowing her to have the chance to connect with him and his beloved ship. To spend forever together.
He pulled away, and her eyes fluttered shut as she fell to sleep.
Her insides twisted as the vision passed and stared at her old friend. Now she figured it out: Jack was immortal. He could never die. And she made it happen.
"How come you left him behind, Doctor?" Martha asked, bringing her back to reality.
"It's…complicated," the Doctor answered. He stopped in his tracks and turned to Rose, a crease forming on his brows. "Rose?" He brought a hand to her rest on her upper arm. "Rose, what is it? What's wrong?"
Blinking rapidly, she nodded. "I know what I did," she said in a whisper.
His lips moved, trying to understand. What did she do? Then it hit him. "Oh."
"What's the matter?" Jack asked curiously, though still concerned.
Rose turned to Jack, a saddened expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Jack."
"For what?"
"I did this to you."
"What're talking about?" he asked, confused.
"On Satellite 5, Bad Wolf didn't just defeat the Daleks…" she trailed off and gestured at his body. "I made you this way. You'll never be able to die." He nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry," she repeated.
"Hey, it's okay," Jack assured, bringing a hand to her opposite shoulder. "If you think I'm upset about that, then stop thinking that way. I'd never be upset with you, Rose. It is what it is," he said lightly with that charming grin.
She inwardly winced. He was just wrong. It's no wonder why she along with the Doctor and the TARDIS felt uneasy around him—he was a fixed point, and was not meant to be tempered with. He was impossible. And the Doctor must've known this all along and decided to keep it from her.
"Doctor…" she began, glancing over at him.
He let out a sigh. "Listen…I promise to explain everything later." He turned to the captain. "And Jack…I'm sorry."
Jack had an amused look on his face. "You're apologizing? That's a change."
He nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry for…abandoning you. But just know that there's a reasonable explanation for why, but I'll tell you later."
Jack studied him for a moment. "Okay, Doc. I'll hold you onto that."
"Is that what happens, though, Doctor? Seriously?" Martha spoke up. "You just get bored with us one day and disappear?"
Jack chuckled and nudged Rose. "Not if you're blonde."
Martha snorted. "That's no surprise."
"Oi!" Rose cried.
"Again, it's only a joke," Martha said with a laugh.
The Doctor grumbled. "You three! We're at the end of the universe, alright? Right at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy…blogging!" Rose shot him a look and he let out a deep breath. "Come on," he took a hold of her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze.
"It's all my fault," she said quietly through their bond. "I ruined his life."
He turned his head to her. "Don't, Rose," he said firmly. "Don't blame yourself. You had no control, and it just happened. We can't change it now."
"But he feels so…wrong, now. Like he shouldn't exist. And I was the one responsible—"
"Rose," he cut in gently. "Yes, I know how you feel. Just being this close to him is making my skin crawl, but it's instinctive. He's a fixed point now. We can't mess with him. But don't hate yourself for doing such a thing."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
He closed his eyes for a moment. "I…I didn't know how to tell you. But I knew you'd find out eventually. I'm sorry."
She patted his arm. "I know." There was a brief pause before adding amusingly, "You went all out in saving me that day. Cheeky old man."
He smiled. "And it was worth it."
"I'm guessing you two are conversing amongst yourselves, right?" Jack said out of nowhere, making them flinch for a second.
The Doctor tugged on his earlier. "Oh…ehm…"
"Rose really turned you around big time, eh Doc?" Jack said.
In more ways than one. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he smiled down at her before placing a kiss to her hair. "Oh, yes."
Jack smiled cheekily. "You two have some serious details to spill."
Continuing their stroll through the wasteland they went over another hill and ended up near the edge of a canyon, coming up to what appeared to be a fallen metropolitan area with caves, rooms, and bridges carved into the side of it. What looked like organic life surrounding it was dead. Everything was dead.
"Is that a city?" Martha asked.
"Looks like a hive," Rose commented as she observed the area.
The Doctor nodded. "Or a nest…or a conglomeration. Looks like it was grown." He pointed over to the side, indicating certain sections. "That's like pathways, roads…must have been some sort of life. Long ago."
"What killed it?"
"Time," Rose answered with a shrug. "Just time. End of the universe, it's expected - everything dying. Including the civilizations."
The Doctor nodded. "Exactly." He looked up at the sky. "This isn't just night, all the stars have burnt out and faded away into nothing."
The others followed his gaze. "They must have an atmospheric shell," Jack remarked. "We should be frozen to death."
"Well…some of us, maybe," the Doctor glanced at the captain. "Not so sure about you, Jack."
Rose ducked her head down. How could Jack take the fact that he could never die so easily?
"But what about the people?" Martha asked. "Does no one survive?"
"I suppose we have to hope," the Doctor said, glancing around the area. "Life will find a way."
"Well, he's not doin' too bad," Jack spoke up, pointing to the distance where a man was running along one of the pathways. Further behind him was a herd of…unnatural looking people.
"Is it just me…or does that look like a hunt?" The Doctor said with concern. "Come on!" Grabbing Rose's hand, they dashed down the hill with the others behind them.
"Oh, I've missed this!" Jack yelled in a delighted tone as they followed the man down the path. The captain pushed himself further ahead and managed to reach the panicked man first. "I've got you," he said.
"We've gotta run!" the man cried, panting heavily as he saw the oncoming herd quickly approaching. "They're coming! They're coming!"
Releasing the man Jack quickly reached in his holster and pulled out his revolver.
The Doctor immediately disapproved and hollered, "Jack, don't you dare!"
Reluctantly he thrust his weapon to the sky and fired a few shots in the air instead, causing the mob to come to a screeching halt. From a distance it was easy to see that they weren't normal, and now that they were seen up close their assumptions couldn't be more right. Aside from the multiple piercings and decorative tattoos and scars on their skin, their teeth were razor sharp like that of a predator.
"What the hell are they?" Martha asked.
"There's more of them," the man said fearfully. "We've gotta keep moving."
Rose moved over to him in an attempt to calm him down a little. "'S okay, just relax."
"I've got a ship nearby," the Doctor told him quickly. "It's safe. It's not far, it's just over there-" he pointed off in the distance to where the TARDIS was…only to inwardly curse when he saw a mob of the same creatures coming from that direction.
"Or maybe not," Rose said flatly. Stuck on a wasteland populated with raving predators. Just another average day. Wonderful. She turned to the man. "Please tell me you know somewhere we could go."
The man nodded. "We're close to the silo. If we get to the silo, then we're safe."
"Silo?" the Doctor asked.
"Silo," Jack said with approval.
"Silo for me," Martha said.
"Me too," Rose agreed.
Without hesitation the man hurried in the direction of their destination, them following him right on his tail. They came across a secluded section with large gates, watchtowers, and searchlights. At the entrance behind the gate were guards wielding loaded guns, watching them intently as they approached.
"It's the Futurekind!" the man said fearfully. "Open the gate!"
"Show me your teeth!" the guard ordered. The four travellers looked at him confused, causing the guard to repeat himself. "Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!"
The man turned to them, and cried desperately. "Show them your teeth." They each exchanged quick glances with each other then bared their teeth for the guard.
"Human!" he reported as he turned to the other guards. "Let 'em in! Let 'em in!"
Doing as told the gates were unlocked and pulled open. The group hurriedly dashed inside, the Doctor pushing Rose ahead of him as the guards quickly began to lock it up again. The mob of the Futurekind were close to making their way through when one of the guards shot at the ground by their feet, sending them back as the gate finally shut.
One of the creatures leaned against the gate, a ravenous grin appearing on his face. "Humans," he growled, flitting his eyes over all of them. "Humani. Make feast."
"Go back to where you came from!" the guard commanded as he raised his gun to the creature. "I said go back! Go back!"
Jack scoffed from the side and gave the Doctor a pointed look. "Oh, don't tell him to put down his gun."
"He's not my responsibility," the Doctor retorted.
"And I am?" Jack said with a humorless laugh. "That makes a change."
"God, can't you two just stop it?" Rose said irritably. "Both of you are mine, so I'd advise you to stop your constant bickering."
They remained silent and she rolled her eyes. Not much has changed at all. Well…maybe a few things, but still was all the same. A calming feeling came in her mind as the Doctor wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.
The leader of the Futurekind began to pace at the entrance. "Kind watch you. Kind hungry."
Stopping for a moment to stare at each of them, he turned to the rest of the herd and shouted something indistinguishable. In response they backed away and left. The leader took one last look over his shoulder and snarled before joining the herd.
"Thanks for that," the Doctor told the guard.
The guard nodded. "Right. Let's get you inside."
The man that was being hunted stepped forward. "My name is Padra Fet Shafekane. Please tell me, can you take me to Utopia?"
The guard smiled as he led them into the cave. "Oh yes, sir. Yes, I can."
