Chapter 7: The End of the World
A/N: Another shout to my friends Hannah, Marly and Channing. Thanks you guys for motivating me to keep writing!
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, it belongs to BBC
How Far We've Come- Matchbox 20
I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I believe it all is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend
Kittredge watched as Rose Tyler ran into the Tardis smiling from ear-to-ear. The Doctor had done what he said and went back to ask Rose to travel with him by telling her about the Tardis' time travel capabilities. Not surprisingly, Rose agreed this time.
As much as Kit was happy, for the Doctors sake, that Rose had agreed, she was now feeling a sense of dread. Someday something was going to happen to Rose, something that would cause her not to travel with the Doctor. Kit was even more worried about the blond as the Doctor had never even mentioned Rose to her. The Doctor didn't usually like to talk about his pervious companions but Kit still had heard him mention companion names now and again. Sarah Jane, Barbara, Martha, Jake, River Song and Rory were only some of the names of companions that had come up over the years but Rose was a name that had never been uttered.
Kit leaned up against one of the columns beside Rose pondering this until the Doctor spoke up. "Right then, Rose Tyler, Kittredge, you tell me. Where do you want to go?" He asked them, throwing a round ball like object up into the air. "Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be? "
Kit looked at Rose and shrugged. "Forwards?"
"Forwards," Rose agreed but seemed a little uncertain.
The Doctor put the ball like object into the Tardis and pushed a couple of buttons. "How far?" He asked them.
Rose looked at Kit but she just shrugged. "You choose."
Rose looked back at The Doctor. "One hundred years."
The Doctor turned random button and switched until the Tardis started shaking which indicated to Kit that they were traveling through time. The Doctor gave them both a mad and excited smile which Kit smile in return. Rose on the other hand looked a bit frightened and lost. Finally, they stopped.
"There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century," the Doctor told them pointing to the door.
Kit was suddenly hit with a memory.
Eight-year-old Kittredge watched the Doctor fiddle with the Tardis as he told her what each wire was.
"I'm bored!" Kittredge suddenly exclaimed.
The Doctor chuckled. "I figured you would be. You have very little patience." He moved around the counsel, flipping different switches. "Let's see, where shall we go?"
"The future?" Kittredge suggested. "We haven't been for a while."
"Ah, yes, the future! How far into the future?" He asked her.
Kittredge shrugged. "I don't know. You decided."
He smiled madly at her. "You might regret saying that. How about the twenty second century?"
"Alright, sounds like fun!"
"You're kidding!" Rose voice brought Kit back into the present.
Realizing Kit had already been to the twenty second century, she said, "Only a hundred years? It's a bit boring. Can we go further?"
Kit looked back at Rose who shrugged happily. "Fine by me."
The Doctor grinned. "Alright you two," he mumbled as he spun a dial and pressed some other random buttons. "Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire."
"Welcome to the new Roman Empire!" The Doctor exclaimed as they stepped outside the Tardis.
An eleven-year-old Kittredge looked up at the Doctor. "The new Roman Empire? Doctor, I just said I wanted to see the Roman Empire, you know, from the past," she told him pointedly.
"And we will but the new Roman Empire is much more interesting, I promise," the Doctor reassured her.
Kittredge was silent for a second. "You didn't mean to land here, did you?"
"No I didn't," he said slowly. "But trust me this is for the better!" He clapped his hands together. "Now let meet Julius Caesar the robot!"
"You think you're so impressive," Rose joked.
"I am so impressive," he argued.
Kit snorted. "Please."
The Doctor suddenly stood a little straighter. "Right then, you two asked for it," he told them as he started to fiddle with the console. "I know exactly where to go. Hold on."
Kit and Rose gripped the console as the Tardis shook. The Doctor gave them a mad look as he piloted the Tardis. Finally, the Tardis stopped shaking.
No one spoke for a moment until Rose asked, "Where are we?" The Doctor just pointed to the door. Rose looked at it and then back at the Doctor. "What's out there?"
The Doctor just kept pointing to the door. Rose smiled and moved towards it. Kit followed behind realizing that it was only fair for Rose to go first.
When they stepped out, they found themselves in a large room. There wasn't much to it and Kit had to wonder where exactly the Doctor had taken them.
Kit raised an eyebrow. "Ah, yes, I always wanted to visit a futuristic storage closet," she commented.
"Very funny," the Doctor grumbled from behind her.
He walked passed her and towards a panel on the wall. Kit watched as he used his sonic to open the window in front of her to reveal the earth. The Doctor and Rose walked down to the window but Kit stayed where she was.
"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple-"
"Apple?" Kit questioned.
The Doctor ignored her. "-slash twenty-six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day," he paused and looked at his wrist watch. "Hold on," the sun suddenly flared and expanded turning red. "This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."
Kit watched, unsure what to think. She had seen the solar system after the earth was gone but this was different. She was actually seeing it happen.
The Doctor looked at Rose. "You alright?"
"I—I, um, I… I'm not sure," Rose stuttered.
The Doctor looked up at Kit. "How about you? You okay?"
Kit nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think so," she looked at the door. "Although, I think I need to take a walk."
The Doctor nodded understandingly. "Just don't wonder off too far."
She nodded and left the room. She walked down a corridor pondering over the emotions she was feeling at the moment. Seeing Rose so shocked and sad make her feel weird. She couldn't really explain it except that it made her feel like there was something wrong with herself. She should have felt a little bit sad watching the earth die but there was nothing. Maybe it was because she hadn't lived on the earth for so many years or for the fact that she didn't have any family or friends that lived on earth. Or maybe years of traveling with the Doctor had made her use to seeing that kind of stuff.
She suddenly found herself in a large room with a big window showing the earth and the dying sun. All of a sudden she heard a computerized voice speak. "Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty-nine."
Guests? She thought. Must be some type of observation deck for people to… watch the earth die?
"Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich," Kit suddenly heard the Doctors voice behind her.
The Doctor waved at her. "There you are, Kit. I was starting to think we lost you."
Kit smiled. "Well, you found me."
The Doctor and Rose moved towards the giant window as Kit walked around the room.
"But, hold on. They did this once on Newsround Extra. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years," Kit heard Rose say.
"Millions actually," Kit shouted to her from across the room.
"Kit's right, millions, but the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun," the Doctor told Rose.
"The planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things," Rose observed.
"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over," the Doctor explained.
"How long's it got?" Rose asked.
"Half an hour," Kit replied even though Rose wasn't asking her. Kit was now observing the objects in the glass cases.
"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" Rose questioned the Doctor.
Kit doubted it. There was a difference between something happening naturally and something that wasn't.
"I'm not saving it. Time's up," The Doctor replied.
"But what about the people?" Rose asked angrily.
"It's empty. They're all gone. No one left."
There was a pause and then Rose commented, "Just me and Kittredge then."
Kit was about to say something but then something caused her to stop, "Who the hell are you?" A voice asked from behind her.
Kit jumped and turned around to see a tall blue skinned alien. "What?"
"Who the hell are you?" He asked again. "How did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."
"Okay, one: rude," she responded angrily, her heart pounding in her chest. "And two: my friends and I are guests," she lied but hoped for the best.
"Then where is your invitation?" He asked pointedly.
"I have it right here," she replied rummaging through her pockets until she found her psychic paper. She took it out and showed it to him. "See, Kittredge and her plus two, the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Happy now?"
The blue alien straightened. "Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy," he told her and then walked away.
Kit put the psychic paper back into her pocket quickly not wanting this Doctor to see it. She was really happy that her Doctor gave her physic paper for her Christmas not too long ago.
"What was that?" The Doctor asked from behind her.
Kit jumped around. People have to stop doing that, she thought to herself.
"Nothing that I couldn't handle," she tried reassuring him.
Suddenly Rose piped in, "He's blue."
"Yeah," the Doctor smiled.
Rose shook her head. "Okay."
Kit then noticed that the blue alien was standing at a podium. "We have in attendance Kittredge, the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions," the alien stated. Suddenly a bunch of small blue aliens came out as the blue guy directed them where to go.
"We're guests?" The Doctor questioned Kit.
"Yep."
"And how did you manage that?"
"I'm very persuasive," she lied.
The Doctor watched her carefully. "Right."
The Doctor looked like he wanted to say more but the blue alien interrupted him. "And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa"
Just then a bark-skinned woman entered with two larger male escorts. Kit and Rose looked at each other. Like Rose, Kit had never seen this species although she had heard about them.
The blue alien continued to talk as the tree people walked towards them. "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next," he spoke as another blue alien, this time mostly head and body, sitting on a transport pod entered the room. "From the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon."
Rose looked at Kit in astonishment. "I can't believe we're really seeing this," she whispered to her.
Kit wanted to reply that this was just another day for her but she bit her tongue to stop herself. "Yeah, it's, um, pretty cool," Kit replied lamely.
"Pretty cool?!" Rose exclaimed. "This is- I'm not sure but it's more than just pretty cool."
Kit thought it was best not to continue to dig herself a bigger hole. She instead decided to watch the different species that came into the room. Most of them she knew about or had seen before.
Kit was watching what was happening in front of her so intensely that she didn't notice the tree people until they were standing right in front of her.
"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather," she offered and gave the Doctor the twig.
The Doctor gave the twig to Rose. Kit looked at it in slight disgust. It was like they were saying, as a gift of peace, have a dead guys arm!
Kit watched as the Doctor patted his jacket. "Thank you. Yes, gifts," he stood a little straighter. "Er, I give you in return air from my lungs," he then breathed gently on her.
Jade smile pleasantly. "How intimate."
Kits jaw dropped looking between the Doctor and the tree lady.
"There's more where that came from," he nodded.
"I bet there is," she said looking him up and down then turned and walked away.
Kits' eyes widened. "What just happened," she muttered.
Kit looked up at the Doctor giving him a questioning look. He grinned innocently in return. Kit just shook her head and watched as a giant head came through the doors.
"The Moxx of Balhoon," the Doctor exclaimed suddenly.
Kit looked down and noticed the fat blue alien coming towards them.
"My felicitations on this historical happenstance," it greeted in a squeaky voice. "I give you the gift of bodily saliva's."
"Wait! Your what?" Kit questioned.
She got her answer when the Moxx of Balhoon spat and it hit Rose in the face.
"Thank you very much," the Doctor told him.
Kit slapped her hand to her mouth trying not to laugh as she watched Rose wipe the spit from her face.
"Shut up," Rose hissed at her.
"Right, sorry," she laughed then covered it up with a cough. "I'll shut up."
Kit turned to see three black-robed figures glide towards them. Something felt off about this group of aliens and it wasn't just because she had never heard or seen about them before. They made her feel nervous and on edge.
"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme," the Doctor exclaimed. "I bring you air from my lungs." The Doctor breathed on them.
The Repeated Meme didn't react but instead took out a silver ball. "A gift of peace in all good faith."
The Doctor took the ball and gave it to Rose. Rose was about to pass it to Kit but she refused to take it. Something about it didn't feel right and she didn't really want to touch it.
"And last but not least, our very special guest," the stewards voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human," he said dramatically, making Kit curious about the so called 'Last Human'. "The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen."
The main doors opened to reveal a face in a piece of thin skin stretched in a rectangular frame. Behind her, wheeling her in, were two men hidden in top-to-toe hospital whites.
"That's the last human?" Kit questioned in astonishment and slight disgust.
"Yep," the Doctor smiled cheekily at her.
"That's," she paused, "not what I expected and yet I feel like I should have."
Cassandra wheeled her way to the center of the room. "Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference," she smiled as Rose and Kit glanced at each other. "Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty."
"And disturbed," Kit muttered under her breath.
"I don't look a day over two thousand," she then stopped and looked at one of the men beside her. "Moisturise me. Moisturise me!" She commanded and one of her attendant sprayed her. "Truly, I am the last Human!" She exclaimed as Rose started walking towards her. "My father was a Texan; my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honour them and say goodbye," Cassandra started crying. "Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils," she presented.
Kit shook her head. "Really? If only they were that cool," she mumbled.
"Or was that my third husband?" Cassandra joked. "Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines," she cleared her throat when she realized no one was laughing but the Doctor.
Kit turned to look for Rose realizing that this must be freaking her out. She wasn't wrong when she found Rose and noticed the confused and awestruck look she had on her face. When Cassandra brought out a juice box claiming it to be an iPod, Rose looked like she could cry. Kit walked towards her once the music started playing and the steward told everyone that the Earth's death was in thirdly minutes.
Kit put her hand on Rose's shoulder to get her attention on her and not the aliens around her. When Kit did, Rose jumped.
"Rose, it's okay, it's just me," she tried reassuring her.
Rose started back wide eyed. "They're aliens-and the planet-and the last human and-and-and…" Rose stuttered, looking close to crying.
Kit grabbed her by her shoulders trying to get Rose to focus on her. "Rose, you need to calm down, deep breaths," she instructed but that didn't nothing to aid Rose's panic.
Rose shook her head. "I can't. I just need -I need…" and then she took off running and through a set of doors.
"Rose!" Kit called but it was no use.
"What happened?" The Doctor asked from behind her.
Kit turned to face him. "She was freaking out about, well, all of this," she explained to him. "And then she just took off running."
The Doctor sighed. "Should have seen that coming," he muttered to himself. "You better catch up with her and see if you can calm her down."
He started to walk off but Kit grabbed him and made him face her again. "Oh no, buddy, you're going to talk to her."
"What? Why do I have to?"
"Because, you were the one that had the bright idea to take us to the end of the world so this is your problem to fix."
"Alright, alright you make a valid point. I'll go and talk to her but I'm warning you now, I'm not too great with human emotions," he remarked.
Kit rolled her eyes. "Yeah whatever you say, just go talk to Rose," she ordered.
The Doctor glared at her. "And what are you going to do?"
Kit smiled. "I'm gonna mingle with some of the locals."
"Fine, just don't get into any trouble," he instructed.
"Oh, ye of little faith," she grinned at him.
The Doctor just shook his head and left to find Rose. Kit turned and faced the collection of aliens in the large room. She could see why Rose got so overwhelmed. Even for Kit this was a lot of alien species in one room but unlike Rose, Kit thought this was quite exciting.
Kit was going to go talk to the Last Human when something stopped her. "Hello Kittredge," a voice spoke in her head.
She turned to come face to face with the Face of Boe. She was pretty sure she had never met this alien before yet he somehow knew her name.
"Um, hi?" She replied hesitantly.
He smiled at her. "It's good to see you again."
Kit raised her eyebrow in question. "No offence but I have never seen you in my life."
The Face of Boe laughed. "You always were blunt and straightforward."
Kit narrowed her eyes. "Seriously, though, how do you know me?"
He laughed again. "We're good friends in your future."
Kit wanted to smack herself. She felt so stupid. This wasn't the first time she had met someone out of order. She should have realized that.
"Ah, right, should've known."
"Not to worry, Kittredge, you can't be expected to know everything all the time," he reassured her. The way he said it, though, made it sound like this would be an issue that would come up later on in her future.
"So why are you here? If you don't mind me asking," she inquired.
"I am here like everyone else, to watch the earth die," he replied, looking out the large window at the dying sun.
"Seems kinda morbid to me," she remarked.
He smiled. "I suppose it is but I have spent a lot of time on Earth when I was much younger. It was my home for a very long time."
Kit was taken aback by his answer and suddenly an image of a giant head walking in the streets of London popped into her mind. She shook her head.
"But you're here for a much different reason, yes?" He asked. "You are here with the Doctor but not your Doctor."
"You know about that?" She asked in shock.
"I know a great deal about you, Kittredge. I know you were tasked in saving the Doctor from his enemies from the future. I know you are unsure if you can save him. I also know that this is the start of a long and emotional journey," he explained to her.
Kit took a deep breath in. "Will I succeed?"
"That will all depend on you and the faith you have in yourself and the Doctor," he replied.
She would be lying if she said that this whole conversation wasn't freaking her out just a bit. The things he said made her nervous about what the future held for her and the Doctor. He never did say for sure if she would succeed in saving the Doctor and that made her worried. She was also curious on how she became such good friends with a giant head in the future. They would have to be really close for her to tell him all about herself.
Before she could ask the Face of Boe any more question, the space station shook making her almost fall flat on her face.
"Was that suppose to happen?" She asked the Face of Boe.
He smiled at her mysteriously. "No, I don't think that was."
A/N- Thanks everyone for reading and please don't forget to review! :)