Thanks to AdamH312, SneakAttack29, Letta Vios, NicoleR85, WhiteTigerMisty, theson, Charmed2100, The Time Lord Oracle, SeleneAlice, for following/faving my story.
RahvinMS: you're welcome!
dhea11: thanks! I think I'll pass but I appreciate the offer.
The Time Lord Oracle: Yeah, they're back! He will definitely try to be more careful since that she is pregnant.
NicoleR85: thank you
Alyssa stood by the open doorway of the TARDIS smiling as she watched Amy float in space, the Doctor's hand firmly clamped on her ankle. It felt like a life time ago since she'd asked if she could do the same thing. Though in the ginger's case, the Doctor had actually pushed her out of the TARDIS due to the fact that Amy still couldn't believe that they were in space.
"Come on, Pond", the Doctor said gently pulling her back inside "you wanna have a go love?" he asked his fiancé "you really enjoyed it last time".
"I think I'll take a pass this time", Alyssa said "So Amy Pond. Do you believe us now?" she asked the ginger.
"Yeah…yeah I do", Amy said breathless from all the excitement. She took a breath "What are we breathing?" she asked.
"I've extended the air shell" the Doctor assured her "We're fine".
Alyssa looked down and was surprised to see what appeared to be a large city drifting past underneath them "that's interesting", she remarked getting the attention of the other two.
"29th century", the Doctor said, squatting down and examining the 'city' "Solar flares roast the earth" he stood up and ran over to the console, Alyssa following him "and the entire human race packs its bags" he started working at the controls "and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations…"
"Doctor? Ali?" Amy called as she floated out of the TARDIS, quickly grabbing onto the roof of the box but neither of them heard her.
"…Migrating to the stars".
"Doctor? Alyssa" Amy called louder. This time Alyssa heard her. She looked around and frowned when she didn't see the ginger anywhere.
"Amy?" she called "where are you?"
"Out here!" Amy shouted from the open doorway. The Time Lady ran over to the doorway and found the ginger clinging tightly onto the roof. She reached out a hand to her friend who grabbed it and pulled her inside, closing the doors afterwards.
A moment later the Doctor, Alyssa and Amy were looking at a close up of the 'city'/ship on the large round monitor on the TARDIS's wall "This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal" the Doctor explained "That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and…shopping" Amy and Alyssa chuckled at that "Searching the stars for a new home".
"It's brilliant. The ingenuity of the human race", Alyssa said feeling fairly proud as she looked at Starship UK.
"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked excited at the prospect of exploring another spaceship.
"Course we can but first, there's a thing", the Doctor said seriously going over to the console.
"A thing?" Amy frowned.
"An important thing. In fact, thing one" the Doctor pulled out a magnifying glass and looked at the women through it "We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets".
Alyssa couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Something funny, love?" the Doctor asked.
"Yeah, there is", Alyssa replied "you've never ever been just an observer. You always manage to get involved".
"Not always", the Doctor insisted.
"Ok, name one time you didn't get involved", Alyssa said.
"Oh, that's easy", the Doctor said confidently "there was…um…".
"Knew you couldn't do it", Alyssa said smugly.
"No, I can…I just...I'll get back to you on that later", the Doctor said.
"Mmm…hmm", Alyssa hummed, highly doubtful.
"Ooh! That's interesting", the Doctor suddenly remarked seeing the image on the scanner of a little girl sitting alone crying. The two females turned to look at the screen, Alyssa's heart going out for the girl. She always had a soft spot for children. Alyssa touched her stomach, a smile working its way onto her face as she thought about her own baby growing within her.
"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy asked, neither woman noticing that the Doctor had slipped out of the TARDIS "Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die" Amy frowned watching the girl sob "It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that".
"I couldn't do it either", Alyssa agreed. Then she noticed the Doctor wasn't there. "Hey, where'd he go?" she asked. As if answering her question, the Time Lord suddenly appeared on the screen. Amy and Alyssa watched as he spoke to the young girl for a moment before the girl got up and ran away. The Doctor looked at the camera and waved at them to come and join him.
"Better go. Don't want him to get into trouble he can't get out of", Alyssa said turning and heading for the door.
"You think he'd do that?" Amy asked as she followed her.
"Let's just say he's a bit of a trouble magnet", Alyssa answered taking hold of the door handle and pulling open the door.
Welcome to London Market. You are being monitored the Tannoy announced as the pair stepped out of the TARDIS.
"Wow", Alyssa breathed as she and Amy looked around in amazement, seeing stars through the arched glass ceiling. The market stretched before them, numerous stalls and booths dotted about with vendors selling their wares. Though she'd been to different planets…seen alien market places, Shan Shen for example, she never could get over the thrill of being somewhere new. If that ever happened…well she might as well stop travelling.
"You said it", Amy agreed taking another look around "we're in the future. Like hundreds of years in the future" she then realised something "I've been dead for centuries".
"Way to be a Debbie downer", Alyssa commented.
"Sorry", Amy said apologetically.
"Never mind dead", the Doctor said "Look at this place. Isn't it wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Amy asked. She hadn't seen anything that looked obviously wrong to her. The Doctor took Alyssa's hand and started to walk, Amy following.
"Come on, use your eyes. Notice everything" the Doctor said as they walked "What's wrong with this picture?" Alyssa looked around but she couldn't see anything wrong with the place.
"Is it…the bicycles?" Amy questioned pointing to a rickshaw as it passed by "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles".
"Says the girl in the nightie", the Doctor countered.
"Oh my God!" Amy gasped as though she just remembered what she was wearing "I'm in my nightie".
"Well…you did run away with us in the middle of the night", the Time Lady reminded her.
"Now, come on, look around you" the Doctor urged as he stopped walking "Actually look".
London Market is a crime-free zone the tannoy announced.
Nothing is ever crime free Alyssa thought glancing around once more. She still couldn't see anything wrong, but the ground where she was standing didn't feel right. No vibrations. On a ship this size there should be vibrations. She should be able to feel them under her feet. But she can't.
"Life on a giant starship, back to basics" the Doctor sighed "Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state. Excuse me" the Doctor ran over to a table, pulling Alyssa along with him as he was still holding her hand. With his free hand, he picked up a glass of water and set it on the floor. The Doctor looked at the water intently, Alyssa looking at it as well before frowning. The water was still. Too still. That's not right she thought not right at all.
The Doctor put the water back on the table "Sorry", he said looking at the people at the table "Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish" he tapped the side of his nose before leading Alyssa back over to Amy "Where was I?"
"Why did you just do that with the water?" Amy asked confused.
"Don't know" the Doctor replied "I think a lot. It's hard to keep track" Alyssa wondered why he wasn't mentioning the lack of vibrations on the ship. Before she could say anything, the Doctor spoke again "Now, police state. Do you see it yet?"
"Where?" Amy looked around, still not seeing what was wrong.
The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed "There", he said. Amy and Alyssa followed his gaze over to a couple of benches. On one of them was the girl they'd seen earlier, still crying. The trio walked over to a bench and sat down, watching the girl. From this proximity, Alyssa could sense the girl's emotions. Something or someone had upset her greatly.
"One little girl crying", Amy stated "So?" She didn't mean for it to sound heartless or anything, seeing a child cry was awful but she didn't see what was wrong with that. Children cry all the time.
"Crying silently", the Doctor corrected her "I mean, children cry because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. But when they cry silently…"
"It's because they just can't stop", Alyssa added, her twin hearts aching in sympathy for the girl.
"Any parent knows that", the Doctor finished.
"Are you either of you a parent?" Amy asked. Alyssa opened her mouth to reply but the Doctor beat her to it.
"Hundreds of parents walking past this spot and not one of them is asking her what's wrong, which means…they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows…whatever they're afraid of…it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state" the Doctor explained, clearly avoiding answering Amy's question. Alyssa knew it affected him, as she could feel the slight shift in his emotions. Also his hand had tightened around hers. She knew that he'd been a father before Jenny and of course their unborn child and she was very aware of how anything to do with Gallifrey was still a very sensitive subject.
While he'd been talking the young girl had gotten up from the other bench and entered a lift. "Where'd she go?" Amy asked after glancing over to the bench to see it was vacant.
"Deck two oh seven. Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A" the Doctor replied "You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh…" he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a colourful wallet "this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her" the Doctor handed the wallet to Amy.
"You accidently 'bumped' into her", Alyssa said putting air quotes around the word bumped with her free hand as the Doctor was still clutching onto her other one "meaning you did it on purpose just to get her wallet".
"Took me four goes", the Doctor admitted not even bothering to deny the fact that his fiancée was right "Ask her about those things. The smiling fellows in the booths" he nodded at one "They're everywhere".
"But they're just things" Amy shook her head.
"They're clean" the Doctor pointed out "Everything else here is all battered and filthy. Look at this place" now that the Doctor had said that, Alyssa could see the difference between the booths and the rest of the place. She hadn't noticed that before he pointed it out "But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Look. Ask Mandy, 'why are people scared of the things in the booths?'"
"No, hang on. What do I do?" Amy asked in a loud whisper "I don't know what I'm doing here and…I'm not even dressed!"
"It's this or Leadworth", the Doctor stated "What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" seeing that the look on the ginger's face that she'd decided to go find Mandy "Ha ha, gotcha. Meet me and Ali back here in half an hour".
"So what are you two going to do?" Amy asked.
"What I always do. Stay out of trouble", the Doctor replied.
"Which means I'm the one who has to get you out of trouble", Alyssa said with a mock sigh.
"Is this how it works?" Amy asked "You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?"
"Yes", the Doctor said simply, taking Alyssa's hand and walked away.
The Doctor climbed down the ladder into a maintenance corridor first, closely followed by Alyssa. The Time Lord felt along the walls before leaning in to listen "Can't be", he said stepping back "Ali have a feel".
Alyssa placed her hands on the wall and felt nothing. Not a single vibration "Nothing" she took her hands away "This ship is huge, we should have felt the vibrations from the engines. But there's nothing".
The Doctor opened up a power box and exchanged a look with Alyssa when they saw the couplings inside weren't connected "They're fake. What is going on?" she asked picking one up. The Time Lord crossed over to the opposite wall and knocked on it, frowning when it sounded hollow.
"It's hollow. There's nothing behind it" his eyes widened when it hit him "there's no engine".
"But we saw it moving through space", Alyssa stated "How can it move without an engine?"
"It's the impossible truth" a female's voice whispered behind them. The pair turned around to see a woman wearing a long red cloak and a white mask. The Time Lord moved in front of Alyssa in case this was a threat to his fiancée and their child. He wasn't about to take any chances with either of them. He was not going to lose his future wife or his son/daughter to anyone or anything. "We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly".
"How?" the Doctor asked.
"I don't know. There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor…Alyssa. You're our only hope" the woman tossed the Doctor a device which he caught easily "Your friend is safe. This will take you to her. Now go, quickly!" she turned on her heel and walked away.
"Who are you?" the Doctor called after her "How do we find you again?"
The woman turned back to them "I am Liz Ten, and I will find you two", Liz Ten said.
There was a crashing sound which caught the attention of the Doctor and Alyssa. When they looked back at the woman, she'd gone. "Doctor how did she know who we were?" Alyssa asked.
"I don't know", the Doctor replied "but if we run into her again, I'll be sure to ask her".
The Time Lords ran through the ship following the device. It led them to a door marked 'occupied' where Mandy was pacing. The Doctor flashed his sonic at the door and it slid open. They stepped in to see a recording of Amy on the screens set up before a chair.
"Amy?" Alyssa asked noticing that Amy had been crying. Amy quickly turned the screens off.
"What have you done?" the Doctor asked her.
"I don't know", she admitted. Alyssa frowned at that, feeling the ginger's confusion. How could she not know what she did? It seemed that the Doctor had a similar thought as he hopped onto the chair scanning the lamp above it with his sonic.
"Your basic memory wipe job" the Doctor told Amy "Must have erased about twenty minutes" he jumped down from the chair.
"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy frowned confused.
"Because everyone does. Everyone chooses the Forget button", Mandy said from the doorway.
"Did you?" the Doctor asked, turning to the girl.
"She looks too young to be able to vote", Alyssa said looking the girl over. She looked in her opinion 12 or 13.
"She's right. I'm only 12. Any time after you're 16, you're allowed to the see the film and make your choice. And then once every 5 years…" Mandy explained.
"And once every 5 years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned" the Doctor nodded, following along "Democracy in action".
"How do you not know about this? Are you Scottish too?" Mandy asked eyeing the man.
"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish. I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me", the Doctor replied.
"Nor me", Alyssa added.
"But played for me", Amy pointed out.
"The difference being the computer doesn't accept us as human", the Doctor told her.
"Why not?" Amy asked "You look human", she glanced at Alyssa "and you said that you were human once".
"Yes I did", Alyssa said "and actually you look Time Lord", she corrected.
"We came first", the Doctor added.
"So there are other Time Lords aside from you two?" Amy asked excitedly.
"No" the Doctor replied. It was still hard for him to talk about the war "There were, but there aren't….it's a long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened" Alyssa took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze "And you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. Because this is what I do, every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government".
With his free hand, the Doctor hit the 'protest' button. The door slammed shut, leaving Mandy outside as the smiling figure in the booth at the back of the room turned its head to reveal an angry face. The Doctor pulled both women into the corner as the floor started to slide open.
"Say, 'Wheee'!" the Doctor yelled. Amy and Alyssa screamed as all three of them fell down the chute.
"Ew", Alyssa complained as she, Amy and the Doctor landed what appeared to be organic waste.
"High speed air cannon. Lousy way to travel", the Doctor said standing up, sliding a little on the slippery surface.
"Where are we?" Amy asked standing up, with Alyssa's help.
"Six hundred feet down, twenty miles laterally" the Doctor said flashing his sonic around "puts us at the heart of the ship" he took a breath "I'd say Lancashire" What's this then, a cave? Can't be a cave" he said continuing to flash his sonic around "Looks like a cave".
"It's a rubbish dump, and its minging!" Amy exclaimed picking a bit of waste off her shoulder.
"I'm going to be showering for a week after this", Alyssa remarked wrinkling her nose at the smell. She winced as she felt a flash of pain.
"Its only food refuse", the Doctor said sniffing.
"Yeah that makes me feel loads better. I'm only covered in food leftovers", Alyssa grumbled.
"Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship", the Doctor continued looking around at the number of tubes he could see.
"The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed", Amy commented as she knelt down to feel the floor. Alyssa shook her head at her wondering how she could even put her hands in the gunk. Granted they were covered in it but still… gross.
Alyssa opened her mouth to say something when she suddenly gasped, the flash of pain coming back. Stronger this time. "What's wrong?" the Doctor asked worriedly.
"Pain", Alyssa replied before she cringed again "something is in pain. It comes in…" she gasped once more "flashes".
The Doctor stepped forward and hugged her. He closed his eyes and concentrated on directing all good emotions to his fiancée, namely how much he loved her…how much he loved their child. Alyssa closed her eyes, ignoring the smell from the Doctor's clothes, allowing his emotions to wash over her. The flashes of pain she felt subsided as the Doctor's feelings for her were far stronger, acting as a kind of emotional barrier.
"Thank you", the Time Lady murmured.
"You're welcome, love", the Doctor said softly.
"Uh what's going on?" Amy asked confused.
"I'm an empath Amy", Alyssa replied "I can feel what others feel".
"And my emotions were blocking out the pain she was feeling", the Doctor added.
"Ok", Amy said slowly, not quite understanding "but who are you getting the pain from?" She asked "I'm fine as is the Doctor".
"That's a very good…" the Doctor trailed off when he heard a distant moaning behind them "...question". He and Alyssa exchanged looks, both realising where they were AND more importantly where Time Lady was sensing the pain. "Er…Amy that's not a floor, it's a…." the Doctor trailed off not really sure how to tell her without the ginger freaking out.
"It's a what?" Amy asked.
"The next word is kind of a scary word" the Doctor said carefully "You might want to take a moment, get yourself in a calm place. Go 'omm'"
"Omm" Amy hummed.
"It's a tongue", the Doctor said quickly.
"A tongue?" Amy repeated, her eyes widening.
"A tongue. A great big tongue" the Time Lord excitedly earning him a whack on the arm from Alyssa.
"How can you be so delighted? We're in a frigging mouth!" Alyssa said crossly, her anger being enough to keep the flashes of pain at bay.
"But on the plus side, roomy", the Doctor countered.
"Oh that's alright then. We're just stuck in the mouth of a beastie but not to worry because it's roomy" Alyssa said crossly flinging a bit of rubbish that was stuck to her shoulder at the Doctor "you're going the right way if you want to sleep in the library for the next two weeks". The Doctor flinched at her tone, knowing she meant it.
"Doctor, how do we get out?" Amy asked quickly.
"Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes" the Doctor said flashing his sonic around "so the normal entrance is…" he turned to see the row of sharp teeth, closed "closed for business".
"We could try, though", Amy suggested stepping forward.
"No! Stop, don't move!" the Doctor shouted as the mouth heaved in agitation "Too late. It's started".
"What has?" Alyssa asked.
"Swallow reflex", the Doctor replied as the tongue moved underneath them, causing the trio to slip and fall backwards into the refuse. The Doctor scrambled to his feet sonicing the walls frantically.
"What are you doing?" Amy shouted as she struggled to get to her feet, Alyssa having the same trouble.
"I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors", the Doctor explained.
Alyssa's eyes widened at that word "You're completely mad!" she shouted at him.
"Well I am a mad man with a box, love. One you agreed to marry", the Doctor reminded her.
"Yeah, I know", Alyssa grumbled.
"Alyssa what's he doing?" Amy asked just about getting to her feet. It seemed Alyssa knew exactly what the Doctor was up to. Alyssa opened her mouth to answer her when a wave of bile rolled towards them.
"Right, then" the Doctor said straightening his bow tie and then taking Alyssa's hand "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!"
Amy and Alyssa screamed again as the wave of bile crashed over them.
The Doctor was the first to come to in the overspill pipe. He immediately checked Alyssa over first and let out a sigh of relief when the result on his sonic told him that she was perfectly fine. Thankfully their baby was fine too. "Sorry love", he said softly touching her cheek. As he did this, the Time Lady began to stir. "The baby is alright", he assured her when the red head's hands went to her abdomen, worried look on her face.
"Good. That's good", she said "can we never do that again. dear? It was NOT fun".
"Agreed", the Doctor said. While he checked over Amy, Alyssa slowly got to her feet. She wandered over to the door and started to look for a way to open it.
"Is she ok?" Alyssa asked as the Doctor joined her at the door.
"She'll live", he answered "now let's see what we've got". It didn't take him long to notice the 'forget' button by the door. "Well, that's just great isn't it?" he grumbled "can't open the door without pressing that button".
"And if we press the button, we'll forget everything we saw", Alyssa added.
"Exactly", the Doctor said. He got out his sonic and used it on the door in hopes that it could somehow open it. While he was doing this, Amy began to stir behind the Time Lords. The Doctor and Alyssa glanced back at her "There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, you are covered in sick", the Doctor said before the ginger could ask him those questions.
"Where are we?" Amy asked sitting up.
"Overspill pipe, at a guess", the Doctor replied.
"Oh, God, it stinks", the ginger said as she caught a whiff of a horrible smell as she stood up.
"Amy that's not the pipe, that's us", Alyssa told her, going over to the ginger and helping her stand.
"Oh" Amy smelled herself "Phew. Can we get out?"
"One door, one door switch, one condition" the Doctor moved to show the button on the door. It was a 'forget' button "We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot" the lights come on to reveal two smiling figures "Ooo, here's the stick" he walked toward the booths "There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?" the faces turn to show a mad expression "No, that's not going to work on us, so come on. Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?" the faces turn to so very angry expression "Oh, stop it. I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting, and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues, huh?"
"You just had to say something didn't you?" Alyssa asked as she, Amy and the Doctor backed away as the smiling figures stood up and walked out of the booths. The Time Lord pulled both women behind him as the figures advanced.
Suddenly the door opened behind them and Liz Ten stepped in, shooting both smiling figures. "Look who it is" the Doctor grinned as the woman holstered her guns "You look a lot better without your mask".
"You must be Amy" Liz Ten said finally seeing the ginger haired woman "Liz. Liz Ten".
"Hi" Amy shook her head.
"Eugh" Liz Ten wiped her hand on her cloak "Yuck. Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick" she headed to the door where Mandy was waiting "You know Mandy, yeah?" she put her arm around the girl "She's very brave".
"How did you find us?" Alyssa asked.
"Stuck my gizmo on the Doctor" Liz Ten nodded to the Time Lord "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape", she remarked "So, what's the big fella doing here?" Liz Ten asked.
"You're over sixteen, you've voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it", the Doctor said.
"No. Never forgot, never voted, not technically a British subject", Liz Ten corrected him.
At that the Doctor shifted in front of Alyssa again "Then who and what are you, and how do you know me and Ali?" he asked tensing.
"It's alright, I'm not a threat" Liz assured him taking notice of how he protected the red haired woman from her for the second time "You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot…" the Doctor points like he's about to argue but then ran a hand through his soaked hair instead "I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was".
"Your family?" the Doctor asked.
Liz Ten noticed one of the smiling figures start to twitch "They're repairing. Doesn't take them long. Let's move". The Doctor took Alyssa's hand as they left the overspill. As they walked along one of the lower corridors of the ship Liz Ten explained the connection the Time Lord had with different members of her family "The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry Twelve. Tea and scones with Liz Two. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day…"
Alyssa giggled at upon hearing that, the Doctor had told her all about his meeting with Queen Victoria. She hadn't been at all surprised that he'd been both knighted and exiled the same day. It was a very Doctor thing to do.
"What about me?" the Time Lady spoke up "you seemed to know who I was too".
"Ah. There is one particular story that'll never forget", Liz Ten said "it involved the virgin queen".
"What happened?" Alyssa asked, curious.
"Let's just say if you hadn't been there, things would've gone a whole lot different", Liz Ten said. That made Alyssa even more curious. They'd met the 'virgin queen' aka Queen Elizabeth the 1st during the Carrionite trip...The queen seemed pretty mad at the Doctor. Whatever he'd done was enough to be mentioned to this monarch...as was she apparently. Maybe it was like River and it was something that was going to happen in the future.
"Liz Ten?" the Doctor said starting to realise who she was. It was really the mention of Queen Victoria that had tipped him of as to Liz Ten's identity.
"Liz Ten, yeah. Elizabeth the Tenth. And down!" Liz spun around with both guns in her hands, the trio ducking down just before she fired at the two smiling figures that had pursued them "I'm the bloody Queen, mate" Liz Ten holstered her guns "Basically, I rule". She led them along another corridor towards a lift "There's a high-speed Vator through there…" the Doctor looked into the caged area where there were two tentacles smacking against the bars "Oh, yeah. There's these things. Any ideas?"
"I saw one of these up top. There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through like a root", Amy told them.
"Exactly like a root. It's all one creature, the same one we were inside, reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship", the Doctor said. He took Alyssa's hand giving it a gentle squeeze when he noticed her flinch. She was feeling the creature's pain again. It was times like this he wished that he could take her empath ability away, not just temporarily block out the bad emotions she may pick up.
"What, like an infestation?" Liz Ten asked.
"Someone's helping it. Feeding it", the Doctor explained.
"Feeding my subjects to it", Liz Ten said angrily "Come on. Got to keep moving" she stormed off, Mandy following her.
"Doctor?" Amy asked concerned.
"Oh, Amy" the Doctor breathed "We should never have come here".
"No, we shouldn't", Alyssa agreed quickly wiping away a tear that had rolled down her face.
Liz Ten took them back to where she lived and showed them the bathrooms where the trio could get themselves cleaned up. Alyssa took a lot longer than normal, making sure that she'd gotten all the horrible gunk out of her hair and that she didn't smell like a rubbish dump. Once she was sure that she was clean, the Time Lady stepped out of the shower, dried herself off and got back into her now clean clothes.
She left the bathroom and headed for Liz Ten's bedroom. When she got there, the Doctor and Amy where already inside also clean. "A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?" the Doctor asked holding Liz Ten's mask as Alyssa carefully navigated her way through the maze of glasses of water on the floor.
"Secrets are being kept from me", Liz Ten replied from where she sat on the bed "I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this. My entire reign. And you've achieved more in one afternoon".
"How old were you when you came to the throne?" the Doctor questioned starting to pace on the spot.
"Forty. Why?" Liz Ten asked.
Both Alyssa and Amy where surprised at that "What, you're fifty now? No way", Amy said. She wouldn't have known that was how old the queen was judging by her appearance.
"You look really good for that age, if you don't mind me saying", Alyssa remarked.
"I don't mind at all Ali. They slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps", Liz Ten explained.
"And you always wear this in public?" the Doctor asked sitting on the bed, still holding onto the mask.
"Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting", Liz Ten said.
"Air-balanced porcelain" the Doctor muttered looking down at the mask in his hands. It looked more than 50 years old to him. In fact it looked a lot older.
He looked up at Liz Ten "Stays on by itself, because it's perfectly sculpted to your face", the Doctor said.
"Yeah? So what?" Liz Ten asked wondering what his point is.
"Oh, Liz. So everything"
The door opens and four hooded men enter the room "What are you doing? How dare you come in here?" Liz Ten said outraged that they'd come into her home.
"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK" one of the hooded men said "You will come with us now".
"Why would I do that?" Liz Ten eyed him. In response the hooded man's head slowly turned around to show an angry expression, identical to the smiling figures from the booths. "How can they be Smilers?" she asked staring at him. So that's what they're called Alyssa thought. She had wondered if they had a particular name but never thought to ask.
"Half Smiler, half human" the Doctor said eyeing the hooded men warily.
"Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?" Liz Ten demanded.
"The highest authority, Ma'am" the half human/half smiler replied.
"I AM the highest authority", Liz Ten reminded him.
"Yes, ma'am. You must go now, Ma'am".
"Where?" Liz Ten demanded.
"The Tower, Ma'am"
The group was escorted to a large medieval style room containing high-tech machines. There was grating on the floor which they could as see yet more tentacles. "Doctor, where are we?" Amy asked looking around.
"The lowest point of Starship UK" the Doctor replied "The dungeon". He would've gestured around the room if it wasn't for the fact that he was currently supporting Alyssa, the Time Lady herself not looking at all well. The flashes of pain had reached the point of agonising. The Doctor was surprised that she was still conscious.
"Ma'am" a grey haired man said politely, bowing to Liz Ten.
"Hawthorne!" she exclaimed "So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do".
"There's children down here" Alyssa managed to say though not without considerable effort "What's all that about?"
"Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast" Hawthorne explained "For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky".
"Yeah, look at us" the Doctor said, not at all happy "Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky…"
"D-doctor I don't…", Alyssa trailed off and passed out, slumping against the Doctor. The Time Lord gathered her up in his arms, carried her over to a wall and carefully set her down.
"Is she alright?" Liz Ten asked looking at the Time Lady worriedly.
"No she isn't alright", the Doctor snapped "she's far from all right. The creature's pain is her pain".
"I don't understand", Liz Ten said. The Doctor marched over to an open 'well' and pointed to the pink thing inside.
"This is the exposed pain centre of the creature's brain" an electrical beam shoots into it "every time this poor thing gets shot with an electrical beam, Ali can feel it near enough every single time. And it's far worse here due to the proximity" when Liz Ten still looked confused, the Doctor continued "Alyssa is an empath. She can feel every one's emotions. She can feel their pain. In this case of this creature, the pain was too unbearable so she passed out. What you've done has hurt my fiancée AND our unborn child no one gets away with that. Not even you, Liz" the Time Lord glared at the monarch "if you think feeling its pain was bad enough, try hearing its cries" he walked over to a grate and lifted it up, allowing one of the tentacles to break free "This is the sound none of you wanted to hear!" the Doctor used his sonic to allow the others to hear the creature's pained cries.
"Stop it" Liz called, turning to Hawthorne "Who did this?" she demanded as the Doctor turned off his sonic.
"We act on instructions from the highest authority", Hawthorne replied.
"I am the highest authority. The creature will be released, now. I said now!" no one moved "Is anyone listening to me?"
"Liz. Your mask", the Doctor said carefully taking the mask from his pocket.
"What about my mask?" Liz Ten demanded.
The Doctor tossed the mask to Liz Ten "Look at it. It's old. At least two hundred years old, I'd say", he told her.
"Yeah? It's an antique. So?" the woman shook her head not following along.
"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over two hundred years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not fifty. Nearer three hundred. And it's been a long old reign".
"Nah, it's ten years" Liz Ten insisted "I've been on this throne ten years".
"10 years. And the same ten years, over and over again" the Doctor took her by the hand and led her away "always leading you" he showed her the voting area "here…" the two buttons in front of the screen were labelled 'Forget' and 'Abdicate'.
Liz Ten turned to Hawthorne, horrified "What have you done?"
"Only what you have ordered. We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us" Hawthorne sighed turning on the screen, playing a recording of the queen.
"If you are watching this…" the recording began "If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower of London" Liz Ten sat down to watch "The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travellers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the 'Forget' button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision".
The recording ended.
"I voted for this" Amy breathed in disbelief, she looked at the Doctor "Why would I do that?"
"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice" the Doctor swallowed "Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong" the Doctor turned to look at her, his face hard "You don't ever decide what I need to know".
"I don't even remember doing it", Amy pointed out.
"You did it. That's what counts", the Doctor said coldly.
"I'm…I'm sorry", Amy said quietly.
"Oh, I don't care" the Doctor nearly sneered "When I'm done here, you're going home", and with that he walked away.
"Why? Because I made a mistake?" Amy called after him "One mistake? I don't even remember doing it" Amy strode over to him "Doctor!"
"Yeah, I know" the Doctor said as he examined the instrument panels, not even bothering to look up at her "You're only human".
"What are you doing?" Liz Ten asked quietly watching the Doctor work.
"The worst thing I'll ever do" the Doctor replied "I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it".
"That'll be like killing it", Amy gasped.
"Look, 3 options. One: l let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds of more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, 'cos I won't the be Doctor anymore".
"There must be something we can do, some other way" Liz began.
"Nobody talk to me" the Doctor threatened before shouting at them "Nobody human has anything to say to me today!"
Amy walked over to a wall and sat down, feeling rather hurt by what the Doctor said. Her eyes flickered over to Alyssa. What would the Time Lady say? Would she have shouted at her too? Or would she give her a disappointed look and focus on finding a way to save the Star Whale.
The ginger sighed. There had to be something she could do to make this right. There had to be a way to keep the people alive and save the Star Whale. She was broken out of her thoughts when Mandy, who'd been sitting next to her, suddenly got up and ran over to one of the three children that had entered the room.
"Timmy! You made it, you're ok!" Timmy didn't say anything to her "It's me, Mandy".
Behind them a tentacle reached for the girl, Amy started to move forward but stopped when she saw that it wasn't attacking Mandy. It just tapped her on the shoulder. Amy watched Mandy turn to it and start to stroke it.
Her eyes widened when she finally understood. "There is another way", she breathed. Amy got up, ran over to Liz Ten, grabbing her hand "Your Majesty. Going to need a hand".
"Amy, no!" the Doctor rushed over as Amy pushed Liz Ten's hand on the 'Abdicate' button.
The Star Whale roared and the whole ship shook "Amy, what have you done?" the Doctor asked.
"Nothing at all" Amy smiled "Am I right?"
"We've INCREASED speed!" Hawthorne gasped in shock.
"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot", Amy told him "Got to help".
"It's still here" Liz Ten frowned "I don't understand".
"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago" Amy told the woman "It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it. That was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead. No future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind…" she turned to look at the Doctor "and the very last of your kind, you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry".
The Doctor and Alyssa stood on the observation deck looking out at the stars, the Time Lord standing behind his fiancée, arms wrapped around her middle. "I can never get used to this view", Alyssa sighed "it's beautiful".
"Nothing compared to you, love", the Doctor said giving her a light squeeze. Alyssa smiled, leaning back against him.
A moment later Amy joined them, holding onto Liz Ten's mask. "From Her Majesty" she held out the mask "She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK".
"Amy you could've killed everyone", Alyssa said to her seriously. The Doctor had told her everything when she'd finally regained consciousness. She thought what Amy did was incredibly risky.
"The Doctor could have killed a Star Whale", Amy countered.
"And you saved it" the Doctor smiled, facing the ginger "I know, I know".
"Amazing though, don't you think? The Star Whale. All that pain and…misery and loneliness…" Amy looked sideways at the Doctor "and it just made it kind".
"But Amy, you couldn't have known how it would react", the Doctor pointed out.
"YOU couldn't. But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar?" Amy gave the Doctor a hug "Hey", she said softly.
"What?" the Doctor asked.
"Gotcha", Amy said.
"Ha!" the Doctor laughed "Gotcha". He glanced at Alyssa and opened his arm. The Time Lady smiled and moved closer allowing the Doctor to hug both her and Amy.
"Shouldn't we say goodbye? Won't they wonder where we went?" Amy asked the Doctor as they walked back to the TARDIS, the Time Lord holding Alyssa's hand.
"For the rest of their lives", the Doctor said "Oh, the songs they'll write! Never mind them. Big day tomorrow".
"Sorry, what?" Amy froze on the spot.
"Well, it's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones", the Doctor said and Amy relaxed. He let go of Alyssa's hand in order to unlock the TARDIS.
"You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning…" Amy began as they walked up to the console, Alyssa closing the door to the box "Have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just…just because you could?"
"Once, a long time ago", the Doctor replied.
"What happened?" Alyssa asked coming to join them at the console.
"Hello!" the Doctor said cheerfully.
"Right. Doctor, there's something I haven't told you…." Amy broke off when a phone started to ring "Is that a phone ringing?" she asked surprised.
"This is a phone box Amy", Alyssa reminded her moving around the console to where the phone was "Hello, TARDIS phone. Who's speaking?" the Time Lady said answering the phone as the Doctor prepared to set the TARDIS into the vortex "Sorry, who?" she frowned "No, seriously, who?" Alyssa put the phone against her shoulder "Says he's the Prime Minister".
"First the Queen, now the Prime Minister. Get about, don't you?" Amy remarked.
"Which Prime Minister?" the Doctor asked.
Alyssa put the phone back to her ear "Which Prime Minister?" she listened for a moment before asking "Which British one?" her eyes widened when she heard when she heard which Prime Minister was on the other end. She took the phone away from her ear and held it out to the Doctor "Winston Churchill for you, dear".
"Oh!" the Doctor took the phone "Hello" he said cheerfully "What's up?"
"Tricky situation, Doctor. Potentially very dangerous" Churchill replied "I think I'm going to need you".
"Don't worry about a thing, Prime Minister" the Doctor assured him, grinning at the excited looks on Amy and Alyssa's faces "We're on our way".