MidnightQueen (Guest) - I totally get where you're coming from and this isn't meant to justify anything but I just thought I'd explain my side of it. The way I see it, the Doctor isn't really accepting that she kills... He is accepting her and - whether he likes it or not - killing is something she has done for over a thousand years. He isn't happy that she kills but she isn't really doing it often anymore. You'll see his reaction to when Kol comes in more. It's gonna be a while though. I hope this makes sense to some extent? But yes, his personality is different. I accept that :P

Nick

"Cardiff," the Doctor called out with a huge grin.

Martha stared at him in shocked disappointment "Cardiff?"

Tyra nudged her in the side "You'd be surprised. Cardiff is almost as bad as London when it comes to aliens… Not quite as extreme but there's been some around over the past few years. Maybe compare it to New York."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded "But the thing about Cardiff, it's built on a rift in time and space, just like California and 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," Martha realized. Tyra smiled sadly, remembering the last time they had to stop in Cardiff for a little bit. Martha raised her eyebrow at Tyra "Why do you look like that?"

She tilted her head "Look like what?"

"Like that," Martha pointed out "Why are you sad?"

"Ah," Tyra mumbled, playing with a few strands of her hair "Sorry, I was just thinking about the last time we had to stop here."

The Doctor placed his hand on Tyra's shoulder, squeezing lightly "It should only take about twenty seconds. The rift's been active." That actually made him frown and move around the console to stare at the monitor.

His eyes darkened a little and Tyra was about to say something when Martha interrupted, drawing her attention away from him "Wait a minute," Martha snapped her fingers "They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago. Was that you?"

"Bit of trouble with a Slitheen," the Doctor waved off "A long time ago. Lifetimes. I was a different man back then." He sent the two girls a bright grin that didn't reach his eyes "Finito. All powered up." Before Tyra reached him, he set the time rotor moving and almost as soon as they took off, the console exploded.

Martha immediately held onto the railing tightly "Whoa. What's that?"

"We're accelerating into the future," the Doctor breathed, his wide eyes still on the monitor. Tyra fought to get back to her feet, rubbing at her arm with a small grimace. The small burn that she had gotten from the console was already disappearing "The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion? What? The year one hundred trillion? That's impossible."

"Why?" Martha blinked "What happens then?"

The Doctor looked up at them in trepidation "We're going to the end of the universe."

"Doctor," a faint voice was shouting somewhere. Tyra's head snapped around and she frowned. What was that? It… It sounded like Jack but that was impossible, right? She shook her head. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. After all, she had been thinking about the last time the Doctor and she had been in Cardiff with Jack.

The Tardis fell quiet and the Doctor straightened cautiously "Well, we've landed."

"What's out there?" Martha asked.

The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair "I don't know."

Martha shot him a smirk "Say that again. That's rare."

"Not even the Time Lords came this far," the Doctor explained "We should leave. We should… go. We should really, really go."

Tyra raised my eyebrows at him "The last time you tried to talk yourself out of something, you jumped into a pit."

"You're right," he nodded in agreement "Why bother." With that he grinned, running to the door.


Outside was a Quarry of some sort and it was surprisingly cold "Oh, my God," Martha breathed, running towards a figure Tyra hadn't noticed until just then. Jack… He was actually here? So, it had been him she heard earlier? "Can't get a pulse," Martha shook her head "Hold on. You've got that medical kit thing." She shot up, running into the Tardis.

"Hello again," the Doctor murmured, making Tyra's head snap around to him "Oh, I'm sorry."

She crossed her arms "Sorry? You're sorry about what?"

Before he could open his mouth, Martha ran back out with the medical kit "Here we go. Get out of the way. It's a bit odd, though. Not very hundred trillion. That coat's more like World War Two."

"I think he came with us," the Doctor told her.

Martha looked over her shoulder with a frown "How do you mean, from Earth?"

"Must have been clinging to the outside of the Tardis all the way through the vortex," the Doctor explained, trying desperately to avoid Tyra's accusing gaze "Well, that's very him."

"What, do you know him?" Martha questioned, looking back down at the obviously dead man. But he couldn't be dead, right? Tyra rubbed at her forehead in agitation. What the hell was she missing? How could Jack be dead and yet they had seen him only a couple of months ago?

The Doctor hummed "Friend of ours. Used to travel with me, back in the old days."

Martha swallowed heavily "But he's – I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat. There's nothing. He's dead." Just as the words passed her lips, Jack shot up with a huge gasp. Martha let out a scream "Oh, so much for me. It's alright. Just breathe deep. I've got you."

Everything Tyra had or hadn't been feeling flew out of the window as she stared at Jack with a slightly exasperated look on her face when he grinned up at Martha "Captain Jack Harkness," he leered "And who are you?"

Martha blushed lightly "Martha Jones."

"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones."

The Doctor scoffed "Oh, don't start."

"I was only saying hello," Jack huffed, glaring at the Doctor in annoyance.

"I don't mind," Martha shook her head, helping the Captain up from the ground.

Jack narrowed his eyes on the man across from him "Doctor."

"Captain," the Doctor shot back, the tone equally as dark.

"Good to see you."

The Doctor hummed "And you. Same as ever… Although, have you had work done?"

"You can talk," Jack cried out.

"Oh yes, the face," the Doctor blinked "Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"

The Captain raised his eyebrow and gestured to Tyra "Valkyrie and the police box kind of give it away. I've been following you for a long time… You abandoned me."

"What?" Tyra spoke up, whirling around to face the Doctor "You did what?"

"You should have known that, Tyra," Jack pointed out.

Tyra shook her head "Jack, the last thing I remember from the game station is that you died. I woke up in the Tardis when we were already gone."

"Did you…?"

"Getting killed by a Dalek hurts like a bitch," she cut him off "I asked him what happened later and he told me you stayed behind." With that, she threw a glare at the Doctor next to her "He just left out the part where he was the one who left you and about that little thing you have apparently going on. Are you okay?"

Jack looked at Tyra for a moment before a small smile lit up his features. He leaned down, capturing her lips with his "I missed you, Valkyrie."

Tyra just wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. For once she ignored the fact that he had kissed her, feeling the Doctor's half-annoyed half-exasperated gaze burning into her back… She didn't care, though. Tyra hadn't seen Jack in far too long and one more kiss wouldn't hurt "Missed you too, Jackie."

"So…" he trailed off with a small flirty grin, his eyes flashing to the Doctor for the shortest of seconds "Since I'm older now. Does that mean that you'll give me a chance?"

Tyra snorted, thinking about their conversation before he left to fight the Daleks "Sorry, Jack. I still have quite a few centuries on you."

"You have quite a few centuries on everybody," he huffed jokingly, pressing another kiss to the top of my head "Except for maybe the Doctor… Oh well, I'm better off with you being my Valkyrie anyway."

Martha looked at the two of them in surprise "You two are really close, aren't you?"

"Yup," Tyra grinned, letting go of the Captain "Ooh. That reminds me… Martha, I'll have to show you the video I have from 2005 of how I com… hmpf." The last part of her sentence was muffled when Jack pressed his hand over her mouth.

"Moving on," he called, louder than necessary, turning back to the Doctor "Just got to ask… The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler."

Tyra shifted away from him, going to stand next to Martha as the Doctor shook his head violently "Oh, no. Sorry, she's alive. Parallel world, safe and sound. And Mickey, and her mother."

"Oh, yes," Jack cheered, throwing his arms around the Time Lord in a bear hug.

Martha shook her head "Good old Rose."

Tyra placed her hand on Martha's arm and spoke up quietly, making sure the two men wouldn't be able to hear "Don't worry about it… Rose was – She was a friend to all of us. We only really grew apart after the incident where Jack left – was left behind. You're just as good of a Companion as Rose. No matter what the idiot over there tells you. He has a habit of noticing other's feelings… Except for mine apparently."

"Thank you, Tyra," Martha smiled, tugging her after the two men "So, what exactly happened to you?"

Jack turned his head around to look down at Martha "So there I was, stranded in the year two hundred one hundred, ankle-deep in Dalek durst and he goes off without me." He held up his wrist, tapping his Vortex Manipulator "But I had this. I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a Vortex Manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel."

The Doctor snorted "Oh, excuse me. That is not time travel. It's like, I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper."

"Not this again," Tyra groaned, shaking her head in annoyance.

Martha laughed "Oh ho. Boys and their toys."

"Alright," Jack huffed, holding up his hands "So I bounced. I thought 21st century, the best place to find the Doctor, except that I got it a little wrong. Arrived in 1869, this thing burnt out, so it was useless…"

"Told you," the Doctor coughed.

Jack shot him a small glare "I had to live through the entire twentieth century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me."

"But…" Martha opened and closed her mouth a few times "That makes you more than one hundred years old."

"And looking good, don't you think?" Jack smirked before shaking his head "So I went to the time rift, based myself there because I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting and here we are."

Jack gestured to his bag and Tyra blinked with a frown "Jack? What is in there? It sounds… bubbly."

"Ah…" Jack shifted "Don't worry about it. I just had a hand in detecting the Doctor."

Martha turned to the Doctor before Tyra could say anything else "But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?"

"I was busy," the Time Lord defended himself weakly.

"Is that what happens, though, seriously?" Martha demanded "Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear?"

Jack snorted "Not if you're blonde… or a vampire."

Tyra shot him a look "Leave me out of this, Jack. It's him you're mad at, not me."

"Sorry, Valkyrie," Jack mumbled, ruffling her hair.

Martha tilted her head "Oh, she was blonde? Oh, what a surprise."

"You two," the Doctor hissed at them, not knowing what else to do "We're at the end of the universe, alright? Right at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy… blogging. Come on, Ty. If they have nothing better to do, let's leave them to it."

Tyra glanced from him to Martha and Jack before shrugging and hurrying after him "Are you alright?"

"Sure," the Doctor nodded "It's just… First Rose and Sarah Jane and now the two of them?"

"Ignore them," Tyra advised him "Jack is just mad and – if I'm honest with you – I get where he's coming from but you know Jack. After a good explanation, he'll be fine."

The Doctor nodded absentmindedly, stopping at a cliff "Yeah," he mumbled "Yeah. Maybe."

"Is that a city?" Martha asked from behind us as they caught up to them.

"A city or a hive," the Doctor explained, already back in his element "Or a nest or a conglomeration. Like it was grown. But look, there. That's like pathways, roads? Must have been some sort of life, long ago."

Martha frowned "What killed it?"

The Doctor shrugged "Time. Just time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilizations have gone." He glanced up at the sky "This isn't just night. All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing."

"They must have an atmospheric shell," Jack remarked "We should be frozen to death."

"Well, we, maybe," the Doctor spoke up "Not so sure about you, Jack." Tyra raised her hand to her head, barely restraining herself from hitting the Doctor. So much for him wanting Jack to forgive him. Whatever he was trying… This wasn't the way to achieve what he wanted to do.

"What about the people?" Martha demanded, deciding to ignore the men's silent pissing contest. Either she had seen enough of that to be able to ignore it or she just didn't care "Does no one survive?"

The Doctor sighed "I suppose we have to hope life will find a way."

Tyra's head turned towards the faint, panicked heartbeat and the pounding footsteps only to see a man running through the city pursued by a group of people with torched "Well, he's not doing too bad," she said at the same time as Jack who had caught sight of the man just a couple of seconds after Tyra.

"Human," one of the group hissed out, just loud enough for Tyra to hear.

"Is it me or does that look like a hunt?" the Doctor asked before running off towards the lower level "Come on."

Jack ran after him, grinning hugely. He reached out and grabbed Tyra's hand from where he was "Oh, I've missed this." They ran to help the man and as soon as they caught up with him, Jack pushed him behind him "I've got you." The Captain aimed his revolver at the group of what looked to be a tribe.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes "Jack, don't you dare." Jack rolled his eyes but fired into the air, causing the tribe to stop in its tracks.

"What the hell are they?" Martha breathed.

The man whirled around "There's more of them. We've got to keep going."

"I've got a ship nearby," the Doctor pointed out "It's safe. It's over there." More of the tribe people appeared on the cliff, causing him to back-pedal "Or maybe not."

"We're close to the silo," the man pointed out "If we get to the silo, then we're safe."

The Doctor turned to the others "Silo?" he questioned sheepishly.

"Silo," Jack nodded in agreement, still pointing his gun at the group in front of them.

"Silo for me," Martha agreed and then they were off again.

The man they had sort of saved was leading the way. It didn't take long before tall gates came into view "It's the Futurekind," he shouted at the guards "Open the gate."

"Show me your teeth," the guard demanded "Show me your teeth. Show me your teeth."

The man whirled around to glare at the people he had led here "Show him your teeth."

They all sort of grimaced awkwardly, showing them their very normal and non-pointed teeth, no matter how stupid it actually seemed. The guard nodded "Human. Let them in. Let them in." The metal gates were opened far enough to let us in "Close. Close." Another guard fired its machine gun at the ground in front of the tribe as they got too close.

"Humans," the leader of the tribe breathed out, staring at all of them greedily "Humani. Make feast."

"Go back to where you came from," the guard demanded, waving his gun around "I said, go back. Back."

Jack huffed "Oh, don't tell him to put his gun down."

"He's not my responsibility," the Doctor shrugged.

"And I am?" Jack asked, crossing his arms "That makes a change."

Tyra hit both of them over the head "Can you two just stop? This is getting really annoying and we might have a bit of a bigger problem if you haven't noticed."

"Kind watch you," the leader pointed out "Kind hungry." He let out a yell, as the tribe backed away and left.

"Thank you for that," the Doctor smiled lightly.

The guard looked at all of the newcomers for a moment "Right. Let's get you inside."

The man who had come with them spoke up "My name is Padra Toc Shafe Cane. Tell me. Just tell me, can you take me to Utopia?"

"Oh yes, sir," the guard nodded "Yes, I can."

"What's Utopia?" Tyra frowned, looking at the Doctor "I mean, I know what it's supposed to be in literature and everything but… Is there an actual planet called Utopia?"

The Doctor shrugged "I don't know. I really, really don't know." He caught the guard before he could walk past them again "I need something from outside. It looks like a box, a big blue box. I'm sorry but I really need it back. It's stuck out there."

"I'm sorry," Padra cut in "But my family were heading for the silo. Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafe Cane. My brother's name is Beltone."

The guard sighed "The computers are down but you can check the paperwork." He looked over to a corner "Creet," he called out "Passenger needs help."

A young boy appeared with a clipboard in hand "Right. What do you need?" Creet questioned as Padra walked over to him.

"A blue box, you say," the guard turned back to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded "Big, tall, wooden. Says police."

"We're driving out for the last water collection. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," the Doctor breathed in relief.

Creet and Padra had apparently found what they were looking for on the list "Come on."

"Sorry," Martha called out, stopping the young boy "But how old are you?"

"Old enough to work," Creet shot back "This way." They followed Creet through the corridors where people were gathered on the floors. Some had put up pictures, others hadn't "Kistane Shafe Cane. Kistane Shafe Cane," Creet boy called out, looking from left to right, hoping to help Padra find his family "Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane? We're looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafe Cane."

Padra looked ready to freak out when no one answered "The Shafe Canes, anyone? Kistane from Red Force Five? My name's Padra."

"It's like a refugee camp," Martha breathed, looking at all the people in sadness.

Jack hummed "Stinking," he grimaced, catching the eye of a heavy-set man "Sorry. No offence, not you."

Tyra snorted "You'll never change, Jack. Still putting your foot into your mouth."

"Always, Valkyrie," Jack winked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at their banter but there was a content smile on his face as his hand found Tyra's "Don't you see that? The ripe old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, you might have spent a million years evolving into clouds of gas and another million as downloads but you always revert back to the same basic shape. The fundamental humans."

"'Ripe smell of humans'," Tyra mocked him before shrugging "Well, that Shakespeare play we watched was worse. At least these people aren't at fault…"

"I forgot about your nose," Jack smirked "And I'm really glad that I'm not you right now."

Tyra's eyes narrowed "You forget I still have that video. And I will show it to Martha if you don't behave, Jackie."

Martha shot us a curious look "What video?"

"Oh," the Doctor laughed "You got the Tardis to record it for you? Why haven't you told me that before? I missed it the first time." He grumbled under his breath about spaceships betraying him by liking his Companions more.

"Is there a Kistane Shafe Cane?" Creet called out again.

A woman stood up a little way down the corridor "That's me."

"Mother?" Padra breathed, running towards her.

"Oh, my God." Kistane's face lit up with a huge smile "Padra."

Padra turned to a young man next to them "Beltone?"

"It's not all bad news," Martha remarked, watching the family reunite.

Behind them, a young man stood up almost as soon as he saw Jack. The Captain sent him a flirty smile "Captain Jack Harkness. And who are you?"

"Stop it," the Doctor huffed in annoyance, spotting a door that led to the outside "Give us a hand with this. It's half deadlocked. I need you to overwrite the code. Let's find out where we are."

Together, Jack and the Doctor managed to get the door open. The Doctor went to step through and nearly fell down the huge rocket. Only a quick action from both Jack and me prevented his fall "Gotcha," Jack said.

"Thanks," the Doctor mumbled, glancing down at the outer side of the rocket.

"How did you ever cope without me?" Jack questioned, glancing at Tyra "Well, I guess it had a lot to do with Tyra."

Tyra shook my head "You give me too much credit, Jack. The Doctor has turned into an overprotective idiot who doesn't want me in danger while he dives in headfirst."

"Yeah," Jack smirked lightly "I'm sure that's all it is."

"Just… stop," she hit him lightly, trying to stop herself from blushing. She didn't like people talking about it… It made her uncomfortable. It wasn't that she was embarrassed by the Doctor, rather she didn't really know how to react to people openly talking about her relationship – not that Jack knew about them yet "Please."

He held up his hands in surrender "Fine, fine."

Meanwhile, Martha had glanced out of the now open door and whistled "Now that is what I call a rocket."

"They're not refugees," the Doctor realized "They're passengers."

"He said they were going to Utopia," Martha pointed out, remembering what the guard had said earlier.

The Doctor hummed "The perfect place. Hundred trillion years, it's the same old dream. You recognise those engines?"

"Nope," Jack shook his head "Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though." He fanned his face for a second, before shutting the door.

"Boiling," the Doctor agreed "But if the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?"

An old man hurried up to them and compared to the other passengers he was dressed nicely and clean "The Doctor?" he asked, looking at Jack questioningly.

The Doctor raised his hand "That's me."

"Good," the old man nodded, grabbing his arm "Good, good, good, good, good. Good."

The Doctor glanced back as he was being dragged off, a little confused "It's good apparently."


The old man led them through the corridors and to what appeared to be a laboratory. Tyra wrinkled her nose at the slight smell the room had to it. It smelled… Like old food for some reason but who was she to complain? It was better than the corridors out there.

A blue bug lady turned to face them while the older man was dragging the Doctor around, showing him various pieces of equipment "Chan – Welcome – tho."

"Now," the older man cleared his throat "This is the gravitissimal accelerator. It's past its best but it works."

"Chan – Welcome – tho," the bug girl tried again, waving her hand lightly.

The old man didn't pay her any mind "And over here is the footprint impellor system. Now, do you know anything about end-time gravity…"

"Hello," Martha smiled at the girl, taking pity on her "Who are you?"

"And who is he?" Tyra asked, pointing to the old man.

"Chan – Chantho – tho," Chantho replied, turning towards the medical student and me "And that is Professor Yana."

Jack smiled charmingly, holding out his hand "Captain Jack Harkness."

"Stop it," the Doctor groaned, rolling his eyes.

Tyra nudged Jack's side lightly "See? That always gets his attention… No matter how far gone he is."

"Yeah," Jack huffed in annoyance "Can't I say hello to anyone?"

"Chan – I do not protest – tho," Chantho blushed lightly.

Jack winked at her "Maybe later, Blue." With that, he moved past her and over to the Doctor "So, what have we got here?"

The Doctor frowned at the equipment "And all of this feeds into the rocket?"

"Yeah," Yana nodded "Except without a stable footprint, you see, we're unable to achieve escape velocity. If only we could harmonise the five impact patterns and unify them – well – we might yet make it." He looked up at the Doctor with wide, pleading eyes "What do you think, Doctor? Any ideas?"

The Doctor tugged at his ear "Well, er, basically, sort of… Not a clue."

Yana deflated "Nothing?"

"I'm not from around these parts," the Doctor admitted quietly "I've never seen a system like it. Sorry."

"No, no," the older man shook his head "I'm sorry. It's my fault. There's been so little help."

Tyra startled lightly when Martha brushed past her to take a look at Jack's backpack. Apparently, she wasn't the only one to hear noises from it. She poked forward curiously and pulled out a transparent container that contained a very familiar hand "Oh, my God. You've got a hand? A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag."

"So that's what you mean with 'You had a hand in finding the Doctor'," Tyra nodded "I like it."

The Doctor gaped at the hand "But that – that – that's my hand."

Jack shifted uncomfortably "I said I had a Doctor detector," the Captain shrugged defensively.

Chantho blinked "Chan – is this a tradition amongst your people – tho?"

"Not on my street," Martha exclaimed before turning on the Doctor "What do you mean, that's your hand? You've got both of your hands. I can see them."

"Long story," the Doctor waved off "I lost my hand Christmas Day, in a sword fight. Tyra can confirm."

Tyra nodded when the heads turned to her "I can confirm how painful it looked. I swear, your stance made me cringe. How you won that fight, I'll never know." She paused "Then again. You did lose your hand."

Martha raised an eyebrow "What? And he grew another hand?"

"Er, yeah," the Doctor nodded "Yeah, I did." He wiggled his fingers "Yeah. Hello."

Yana tilted his head "Might I ask, what species are you?"

"Time Lord, last of," the Doctor replied "Heard of them? Legend or anything?" When Yana shook his head, he continued with a pout "Not even a myth? Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling."

Tyra smirked "About time that happens."

Chantho lowered her head a little "Chan – it is said that I am the last of my species too – tho."

"Sorry, what was your name?" the Doctor questioned, looking at Chantho for the first time.

"My assistant and good friend, Chantho," Yana spoke up hurriedly "A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge."

The Doctor hummed "The city outside, that was yours?"

"Chan – the conglomeration died – tho," the blue lady murmured sadly.

"Conglomeration," the Doctor muttered happily "That's what I said."

Jack and Tyra looked at him incredulously. The Captain shook his head "You're supposed to say sorry."

"Oh, yes," the Doctor grimaced in embarrassment "Sorry."

"Chan – most grateful – tho," Chantho nodded lightly.

Martha got back to the matter at hand "You grew another hand?"

"Hello, again," the Doctor waved and sighed at her look "It's fine. Look, really, it's me."

"All this time and you're still full of surprises," Martha mumbled, shaking her head in surrender.

"Chan – you are most unusual – tho," Chantho marvelled.

The Doctor shifted "Well…"

Jack rolled his eyes "So, what about those things outside? The Beastie Boys. What are they?"

"We call them the Futurekind," Yana pointed out "Which is a myth in itself but it's feared they are what we will become unless we reach Utopia."

The Doctor nodded "And Utopia is?"

"Oh, every Human knows Utopia," the Professor exclaimed in surprise "Where have you been?"

"Bit of a hermit," the Doctor waved off.

Yana looked at all of us in confusion "A hermit… with friends?"

"Hermits United," the Doctor continued "We meet up every ten years and swap stories about caves. It's good fun, for a hermit." Tyra dropped my head to Jack's shoulder and started laughing quietly. How did he always come up with the most ridiculous explanations that people actually believed? It was more than a little… well, ridiculous "So – er – Utopia?"

Yana pointed to a display on the gravitational field navigation system. At least that was what it said on the tin "The call came from across the stars, over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originating from that point."

The Doctor put on his glasses "Where is that?"

"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness, out towards the Wildlands and the Dark Matter reefs, calling us in. The last of the humans scattered across the night," Yana murmured.

"What do you think is out there?"

Yana shrugged "We can't know. A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind, to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's worth a look, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes," the Doctor nodded with a grin "And the signal keeps modulating, so it's not automatic." Yana's hands clenched around the metal of the device as he screwed up his face in pain "That's a good sign someone's out there. And that's – oh, that's a navigation matrix. So, you can fly without stars to guide you." The Doctor looked to the Professor and noticed his slightly sick look "Professor? Professor."

Yana snapped out of whatever trance he had been in "I – er – ahem, right, that's enough talk." He brushed off the worried looks he was getting "There's work to do. Now, if you could leave, thank you."

The Doctor looked at him carefully "You alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Yana nodded "And busy."

"Except that rocket is not going to fly, is it?" the Doctor asked, already knowing the answer. Yana froze with his hands on some switches "This footprint mechanism thing, it's not working."

"We'll find a way," the Professor shot back.

The Doctor stepped forward "You're stuck on this planet. And you haven't told them, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're going to fly."

Yana swallowed "Well, it's better to let them live in hope."

"Quite right, too," the Doctor inclined his head "And I must say, Professor – er – what was it?"

"Yana."

The Doctor continued "Professor Yana. This new science is well beyond me but all the same, a boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, mus circuit which reverses the boost. So, I wonder, what would happen if I did this?" He took his sonic to the end of a cable and pulled. Almost immediately, power surged through the machines.

"Chan – it's working – tho," Chantho breathed.

Yana opened and closed his mouth a few times before he could finally form words "But how did you do that?"

"Oh, we've been chatting away, I forgot to tell you," he sent the older man a cheeky grin "I'm brilliant."

"All passengers prepare for boarding," the voice of the guard from earlier echoed through the room "I repeat, all passengers prepare for immediate boarding. Destination, Utopia." The Doctor coordinated what everyone should do, mostly telling Martha and me to fetch something or plug in one thing or another "All troops report to silo. I repeat, all troops report to silo."

Martha gestured to the corridor "I'll help out there. I don't think I'm much use here."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Tyra asked her, looking up from what she was doing.

"No, you stay here. I'll be fine."

"All passengers prepare for immediate boarding. All passengers prepare for immediate boarding."

The Doctor was standing by a grouping of wires when he froze, sniffing at one of them "Is this…?"

"Yes, gluten extract," Yana nodded "Binds the neutralino map together."

"That's food," the Time Lord exclaimed "You've built this system out of food and string and staples?" He shook his head in wonder "Professor Yana, you're a genius."

Yana glanced over with a deadpan expression "Says the man who made it work."

"Oh, it's easy coming in at the end," the Doctor pointed out "But you're stellar. This is – this is magnificent. And I don't often say that because, well, because of me."

Tyra leaned on his shoulder "He's right. He doesn't often say that," she agreed "He was trying to compliment a friend of mine a while ago and told me that he was good at stuff."

"Stuff?" Jack snorted "Really?"

"Apparently that was all he got," Tyra laughed.

The Doctor shoved her off lightly "Could the two of you stop ganging up on me? We've got things to do."

Yana didn't seem to notice our friendly argument. He was staring into space "Well, even my title is an affectation," he muttered "There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another."

"If you'd been born in a different time, you'd be revered," the Doctor smiled "I mean it. Throughout the galaxies."

Yana chuckled wetly "Oh, those damned galaxies. They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Yes, just a little, just once."

"Well, you've got it now," the Doctor murmured, squeezing the Yana's shoulder gently "But that footprint engine thing. You can't activate it from onboard. It's got to be from here." He looked at the man in respect "You're staying behind."

Yana nodded and looked over at where Chantho was working "With Chantho. She won't leave without me. Simply refuses."

The Doctor looked over as well "You'd give your life so they could fly."

"Oh, I think I'm a little too old for Utopia," Yana shrugged "Time I had some sleep."

"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box," the guard called out.

The Doctor's face lit up "Ah!"

Jack waved him over and pointed to the monitor that showed the Tardis "Doctor?"

"Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark but I may just have found you a way out," the Doctor exclaimed happily.


A little while later, just after the Tardis had been brought into the laboratory, Tyra was lying on the couch that was standing against one of the walls. There was nothing she could do at the moment, so she decided to stay out of the way. She lifted her arm from where it had been over her eyes when Jack leaned his back against the edge near Tyra's head "So, how have you been in the last… How many years?"

"Two," Tyra murmured, burying her hand in her friend's hair "It's been two years. And I'm fine."

"And you haven't told him yet, have you?" Jack demanded quietly, looking over to where the Doctor was still working.

Tyra scoffed "He knows. We're together but I'm still not really comfortable with broadcasting this to everyone…"

"You're together?" The Captain let out a strangled noise "Huh… I didn't think either of you would take the first step. Why aren't you comfortable, though? I mean, you were practically hanging off each other before that as well."

"You don't get it," Tyra mumbled, curling up a little more "I've seen what… love does to people and I don't want that, Jack. I can't want that. If it means that the Doctor and I aren't all lovesick outside of the Tardis, then so be it."

He turned around "Hey," he sighed softly "I don't know everything about what you've seen but it's worth it. Especially if it's been going on as long as it has between you and the Doctor."

"You think so?" Tyra whispered, her eyes drifting to where the Doctor was "He said the same thing but I just don't want to lose what we have."

"And you won't," the Captain pointed out "The two of you can make it work. Hell, from what I've seen you have been unknowingly dating for a while now."

Tyra let out a small laugh "Unknowingly dating?"

"You wouldn't believe how often that happens," he nodded sagely.

Tyra flicked him in the head lightly "You're an idiot."

"But a handsome one," he bantered back.

"Maybe," she shot back "Enough about me and my lack of self-esteem… Is there anyone in your life?"

Jack shifted and licked his lips "Maybe. I mean, yes but I think I messed it up."

"Messed it up?" Tyra asked "What happened?"

With that Jack told me what happened "There's this guy. One of my teammates. Ianto Jones. He is the epitome of everything I could have ever hoped for but… I was too focussed on other things, so I'm a bit worried that it might be too late now." He told her everything that he did and didn't do.

Tyra smiled lightly when she heard the name. She remembered Ianto Jones and he was an incredible man and loyal to boot. If the way he had protected his fellow survivors was anything to go by. Some of the parts Jack told her made her want to slap her oblivious friend. That whole thing with his other coworker and all the stories of his past exploits weren't going to help him in the matter either. It was typically Jack but he had to understand that the 21st century was different. Here you were either all in or risked a rocky relationship. No going off for that bit on the side or whatever it was that Jack normally did "I suggest that you tell him all that, Jack. Be open with him and tell him how you feel. I know that it gets harder the older you get but… Don't shut him out. I think he's good for you. Also… It really helps to open up to someone once in a while. Keeping everything bottled inside is the worst thing you could do. Please, do yourself a favour and don't end up like the Doctor and me."

"You could come and meet him when we get back?" Jack offered suddenly "I mean, I would love to introduce the girl who is as good as my sister to the man who is as good as my lover."

Tyra laughed again "You're such a dork."

"Jack, Ty," the Doctor called out, lugging a thick cable from the Tardis "I need your help over here. Can you connect that to the console, Tyra? I'll do it on this end. Little bit of a cheat, but who's counting. Jack, you're in charge of the retro feeds."

Tyra walked into the Tardis when she heard Martha and Chantho coming back, the medical student letting out a relieved sigh "Oh, am I glad to see that thing."

"Chan – Professor, are you alright – tho?" Chantho questioned worriedly while Tyra connected everything on this end. There wasn't a lot to do, so she could manage on her own. She had gotten a bit better with technology concerning the Tardis but most of what the Doctor did, other than flying her or other simple repairs and connections were still way over her head.

"Yes, I'm fine," Yana murmured quietly "I'm fine. Just get on with it."

Tyra walked back outside in time to see Jack handing Martha some circuits "Connect those circuits into the spar, same as that last lot. But quicker."

Martha looked at him in surprise "Ooo, yes, sir."

"You don't have to keep working," the Doctor told Yana "We can handle it."

"It's just a headache," the man waved off "It's just – just noise inside my head, Doctor. Constant noise inside my head."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow "What sort of noise?"

"It's the sound of drums." That made Tyra's head snap around. She caught the Doctor's eyes and tilted her head in question. She remembered what he had told her before about his former best friend and the noise inside his head. This couldn't be a coincidence, could it? The Doctor just shook his head, dismissing the possibility "More and more, as though it's getting closer."

"When did it start?" the Time Lord questioned, a little bit leery whether he believed in the possibility or not.

Yana looked up "Oh, I've had it all my life. Every waking hour." He smiled, shaking his head "Still, no rest for the wicked."

"What are you doing now?" Tyra asked Jack, trying to ignore Martha and Chantho giggling behind her. Really, Martha was such a girl sometimes.


The guard called out. Tyra turned to the monitor that showed the Tardis earlier but it was black "Professor. Systems are down. Professor, are you getting me?"

Yana hurried to the monitor, making it flicker into life "I'm here," the man nodded "We're ready. Now all you need to do is connect the couplings, then we can launch." The guard's face disappeared, causing Yana to curse "God sake. This equipment. Needs rebooting all the time."

"Anything I can do?" Martha asked "I've finished that lot."

"Yes, if you could." Yana gestured to a button next to where he was standing "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes."

Martha nodded "Certainly, sir. Just don't ask me to do shorthand."

"Are you still there?" the guard called.

Yana nodded "Present and correct. Send your man inside. We'll keep the levels down from here."

In the control room, the guard disappeared for a moment before coming back "He's inside. And good luck to him."

"Captain, keep the dials below the red," Yana called out to where Jack and I were standing.

The Doctor leaned over the older man's shoulder "Where is that room?"

"It's underneath the rocket," Yana explained "Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation."

"Stet?" the Doctor blinked "Never heard of it."

"You wouldn't want to," Yana chuckled "But it's safe enough if we can hold the radiation back from here." They quieted down, watching the monitor as an alarm sounded "It's rising. Nought point two. Keep it level."

Jack nodded, a look of concentration on his face "Yes, sir."

"Chan – we're losing power – tho," Chantho called out just after the second connection was made.

The Doctor grimaced "Radiation's rising."

"We've lost control," Jack shouted over to the others.

"The chamber's going to flood," Yana breathed.

The Doctor whirled around "Jack, override the vents."

Jack went to do as he said, pulling out two power cables "We can jump-start the override."

"Don't," the Doctor called out in alarm "It's going to flare." Tyra ducked to the side as power surged through Jack as he held the live ends together. She had been a little too close to him, so she rubbed at her leg trying to stop the tingling. Jack was lying on the ground, dead, by now.

Martha fell to her knees next to the Captain for a second time today "I've got him."

"Chan – Don't touch the cables – tho," Chantho warned, getting one of them away. Tyra made quick work of the other, hiding the sparking end where no one would accidentally touch it.

Yana looked down at the dead man "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" the Doctor asked, a considering look on his face as Martha started giving Jack mouth-to-mouth.

"Without the couplings, the engines will never start," Yana mumbled, slumping in defeat "It was all for nothing."

"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor smirked "Martha, leave him."

Martha ignored him "You've got to let me try."

"Come on, come one," the Doctor pulled her away, making space for Tyra to kneel down next to Jack, ready for him to wake up again "Just listen to me." He looked back at the older man "It strikes me, Professor, you've got a room which no man can enter without dying. Is that correct?"

Yana nodded "Yes."

"Well," the Doctor started just as Jack gasped back to life. Tyra caught him before he could fall back to the ground "I think I've got just the man."

Jack's breathing calmed down as he slumped against me "Was someone kissing me?"

"Don't look at me," Tyra told him, pulling him up with her, her tone turning into teasing "As if I would ever kiss you willingly."

"I didn't see you protesting earlier," Jack pointed out, leaning on Tyra.

The Doctor grabbed Jack's arm as soon as they were upright, pulling him out of the laboratory "Stay with the Professor, Ty, Martha." And they were gone.

Tyra rolled my eyes and stretched "Well…"

"We lost the picture when that thing flared," Martha murmured, as Yana was still staring at the place Jack had woken up a few minutes ago "Doctor, are you there?"

"Receiving, yeah," the Doctor answered almost immediately "He's inside."

Martha blinked "And still alive?"

The Doctor hummed "Oh, yes."

"But he should evaporate," Yana mused "What sort of a man is he?"

Martha shrugged "I've only just met him. The Doctor sort of travels through time and space and picks people up. God, I make us sound like stray dogs."

"Aren't we?" Tyra asked, sitting back down on the sofa "Also, I'm not a hundred percent sure what happened to Jack either. The Doctor never told me everything. Only that he was alive."

Yana looked from her to Martha "He travels in time?"

Martha nodded "Don't ask me to explain it." She pointed to the Tardis, still focussed on the monitor "That's a Tardis, that box thing. The sports car of time travel, he says." Tyra looked at the Professor who was staring at the Tardis with a look close to recognition in his eyes. There was no way she was going to draw attention to it though because she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out whether her suspicions were true or not.

"When did you first realise?" the Doctor asked, sounding further away from the monitor than before.

Jack's voice was a little more muffled but clear nevertheless "Earth, 1892. Got in a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kind of strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War One, World War Two, poison, starvation, a stray javelin. In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die. And all that time you knew."

"That's why I left you behind," the Doctor murmured "It's not easy even just looking at you, Jack, because you're wrong."

"Thanks." The scoff in Jack's voice was obvious.

The Doctor was quiet for a moment "You are. I can't help it. I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct. It's in my gut. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the Tardis reacted against you, tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe to get rid of you."

"So," Jack groaned "What you're saying is that you're – er – prejudiced?"

"I never thought of it like that," the Doctor admitted quietly.

"Shame on you," the Captain huffed "I take it you didn't tell Tyra the truth from the way she reacted. What did you tell her?"

The Doctor sighed "The same thing I told Rose. That you were fine and that you stayed behind to help."

"And she believed that?"

"I think she was just glad that you weren't dead," the Doctor murmured "She heard you die, Jack. Heard you being shot by that Dalek."

Jack let out a breath "Last thing I remember, back when I was mortal, I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life. What happened?"

"Rose."

"I thought you'd sent her back home," Jack demanded, sounding slightly confused. Tyra wrapped her arms around her stomach, staring at the ground by her feet. She should have known that something was wrong with what the Doctor told her, that he wasn't telling her something. Well, she did know that but she should have kept asking… Maybe then Jack wouldn't have been left behind. Although – Then Jack wouldn't have met his Ianto, so maybe it was a good thing.

The Doctor snorted "She came back. Opened the heart of the Tardis and absorbed the time vortex."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"No one's ever meant to have that power," the Doctor explained "If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god. A vengeful god. But she was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose." He let out a long sigh "The final act of the Time War was life."

Jack was quiet for a moment "Do you think she could change me back?"

The Doctor made a negative sound "I took the power out of her. She's gone, Jack. She's not just living on a parallel world, she's trapped there. The walls have closed."

"I went back to her estate," Jack murmured "In the nineties, just once or twice. Watched her growing up. Never said hello. Timelines and all that. Although I met some very interesting people in New Orleans. Early twentieth century. Let's just say that Tyra is nothing like her family and leave it at that. Kol is kind of good-looking though."

Tyra let out a groan and buried her face in her hands when Martha shot her an amused look "Oh, God," she mumbled.

"You met Kol?" the Doctor asked in amusement "How did that turn out?"

"You don't want to know," Jack shook his head, the grimace obvious in his voice.

The Doctor let out a small laugh "You slept with him, didn't you? Not that I can say that I blame you. From what I've seen Kol is right up your alley." Jack was quiet and the amusement faded from the Doctor's voice "Do you want to die?"

"Oh, this one's a little stuck," Jack grumbled, avoiding the topic.

"Jack?"

Jack swallowed "I thought I did. I don't know. But this lot. You see them out here surviving and that's fantastic."

"You might be out there, somewhere," the Doctor pointed out. Tyra shook her head, pressing her eyes closed. At least, he hadn't been alone when he died.

"I could go meet myself."

The Doctor scoffed "Only man you're ever going to be happy with."

"This new regeneration, it's kind of cheeky," Jack laughed.

"I never understand half the things he says." Martha turned away from the monitor, looking at Yana who was staring blankly "What's wrong?"

Chantho placed her hand on the man's shoulder "Chan – Professor, what is it – tho?"

"Time travel," Yana marvelled "They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed. But what would I know?" He fiddled with a watch that he pulled out of his pocket "Stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked. Time and time and time again. Always running out on me."

Martha stared at the watch with wide eyes "Can I have a look at that?"

"Oh," Yana blinked "It's only an old relic. Like me."

"Where did you get it?" she asked as Tyra got up, wandering over to them.

Yana shrugged "I was found with it. An orphan in the storm. I was a naked child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned, with only this."

"Have you opened it?" Martha questioned.

Tyra sent her a sharp look, tinged with panic "Martha, don't."

"Why would I?" the Professor questioned "It's broken."

"How do you know it's broken if you've never opened it?"

Tyra grabbed her arm "Martha, I'm serious. Don't."

Just then, Martha turned the watch over and saw the inscription. Tyra cursed internally. So much for not wanting to find out about her suspicions. Martha swallowed "I – Erm… I'm going to see if the Doctor needs me. Ty?"

"I'll stay here," she told her quietly, seeing that Yana was staring at the watch in his hands. This was bad. She really hoped that he wasn't the Master but something told me that she was right.

Chantho studied the older man in concern "Chan – Yana, won't you please take some rest – tho?"

Tyra stepped forward nervously "Maybe you should sit down," she cut in when his thumb was on the trigger "Please?"

"Chan – Professor Yana – tho?"

Something fell, causing her to whirl in that direction for a moment. That was all Yana needed to press the button and the change was instant. It might not be obvious in the body but the man's eyes changed, showing the same age that the Doctor's and Tyra's did "Crap," she mumbled, taking a step back.

The man ignored her and moved a lever, causing the control room door to slam shut. Chantho let out a startled gasp "Chan – but you've locked them in – tho."

"Not to worry, my dear," Yana murmured "As one door closes, another must open." He turned off another switch that I couldn't recognise from where I was standing.

Chantho moved forward urgently "Chan – you must stop – tho. Chan – but you've lowered the defences. The Futurekind will get in – tho."

"Chantho, maybe you should come over here," Tyra murmured, watching the old man warily.

She shook her head, grabbing a gun from somewhere, pointing it at the man who had his back turned towards us "Chan – Professor, I'm so sorry but I must stop you. You're destroying all our work – tho."

Yana turned, raising his eyebrow at the gun "Oh. Now I can say I was provoked." He took a hold of one of the live cables from earlier "Did you never think, all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch? Never? Did you never once think, not ever, that you could set me free?" His gaze turned towards Tyra "And you suspected this whole time, didn't you? What made you suspicious, hm?"

"Chan – I'm sorry – tho. Chan – I'm so sorry…"

"You," Yana sneered "With your 'Chan' and your 'tho' driving me insane."

Tyra snorted "A bit late for that, isn't it, Master?" She watched his face closely as she said that name.

"So, you do know," the Master nodded to himself, his eyes narrowing on Tyra "How? Who are you?"

"Chan – Professor, please…" Chantho pleaded.

The Master whirled to her "That is not my name," he spat "The Professor was an invention. So perfect a disguise that I forgot who I am."

Chantho shrank back slightly "Chan – then who are you – tho?"

"I am the Master." He thrust the live end of the cable at Chantho, not counting on Tyra getting in the way. She grimaced at the electricity flowing through her and fell to her knees, blacking out for a moment.

When she woke up again, Tyra groaned in pain, earning a surprised look from the Master who was just pulling the cable out of the Tardis "What are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Tyra baited, hearing the Doctor just outside of the door.

The Master stalked over to her, turning her with his foot "He told you about me, didn't he? The Doctor and his human girls…" He smirked down "Although… Not so human."

"Just open the door, please." Tyra heard movement to me right and turned to see Chantho lifting the gun, shooting the Master in the stomach. He stumbled away from her as the bug girl slumped, dead. Tyra flinched when a smashing sound came from the door. The Doctor came rushing in just as the Tardis door shut behind the Master.

"Deadlocked," the Master crowed out in victory as the Doctor tried to open his ship.

"Let me in," the Doctor pleaded "Let me in."

Martha had knelt down next to Chantho "She's dead." With that, she walked over to Tyra "Are you alright?"

Tyra nodded "Fine. Just help me up."

"I broke to lock," Jack huffed from the door "Give me a hand." Martha helped Tyra up as they walked over. Tyra grimaced as the electricity burn on her chest was healing, leaning against the door, holding it shut more or less easily.

The Doctor hit his hand against the door "I'm begging you. Everything's changed. It's only the two of us. We're the only ones left. Just let me in."

"Killed by an insect," the Master cursed inside the Tardis "A girl. How inappropriate. Still, if the Doctor can be young and strong, then so can I. The Master reborn." The Doctor stumbled back as a golden glow shone through the Tardis window "Ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha. Oh. Now then, Doctor." The man paused "Ooo, new voice. Hello, hello. Hello." Tyra rolled her eyes as the other Time Lord was playing around with his voice, making it sound higher and lower "Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me. I don't think."

Martha gasped, letting go of the door "Hold on. I know that voice."

"I'm asking you really properly. Just stop," the Doctor called out "Just think."

"Use my name," the Master demanded "Your little pet already figured it out."

The Doctor looked at Tyra and she shrugged "Yeah, she's smart like that. Master, I'm sorry."

"Tough." The Master started up the time rotor as the Doctor stepped back some more, activating his sonic "Oh, no, you don't. End of the universe. Have fun. Bye, bye."

"Doctor, stop him," the medical student shouted over the sound of the Tardis dematerialising. There was nothing the Doctor could do. Nothing but to watch the other Time Lord disappearing right in front of him.