Welcome back! Hope things have been good. Thanks again for the reviews. They really make my day. So here's another chapter for everyone to enjoy!
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Chapter 3
The Doctor closed the doors behind her the moment she stepped foot into the amazing ship of his. He then rushed over to the console, flipping levers and turning knobs, making the ship around them begin to rock. Madison knew this meant they were transporting to somewhere now. To where, she had no idea, but she hoped it was somewhere amazing. But then, she was confused as the Doctor suddenly halted the ship and he turned to her.
"Forgot to mention, she also travels through time, the TARDIS," the Doctor said, turning and grinning at her now. "So I can take you to the edge of the universe and back like you never left at all."
This took Madison by surprise. She blinked, feeling her jaw drop slightly. "Time travel is real?"
"Yep!" The Doctor grinned largely, seeming pleased by her stunned expression.
Now she was beyond curious. Always she thought the laws of the universe would never allow time travel. To be able to mess around with time . . . just seemed too dangerous to her. But her intrigue outweighed her wariness to the prospect. "How does that work?" she wondered curiously.
"Ah, you wouldn't understand," he responded quickly, appearing to want to bypass the details altogether.
Madison shook her head lightly, giving him a slight smile. "Even so, I'd love to hear you explain it." She walked around the console then, trailing her hand around the edge of the controls of the ship in a gentle caress. She stared at the centre column. Her mind went over the implications of being able to travel through time. That might not be such a good thing for her. She would have to try and avoid times that she existed. She could get away with going backwards again, but it would have to be in places she wasn't already at. Though, to be able to revisit certain time periods . . . it made her rather excited. She loved the 1960s. She wouldn't mind going back to that period in time, maybe even finally giving Woodstock a go. She could even go further back, see history in the making. Not only on Earth but on other planets, too. She could watch the entire universe be created and still make it back in time for tea with Rose and her mum.
"What're you thinking?" the Doctor asked her curiously, pulling her away from her thoughts. She realised she must have just been absently staring at the console for a moment there.
"Just how amazing your ship truly is," she replied with a grin. This seemed to please him as he returned her grin. It was then, surrounding her mind once more, was the feeling of someone trying to connect with her. She tensed, looking around the room for the presence. What could it be? What was trying to meld with her mind? It wasn't hostile, she could tell that much. But . . . it felt strange. Like it was surrounding her entire being. Should she ask the Doctor about it? How could she ask, though, without giving away that she had telepathic abilities? Unless, perhaps, anyone could feel it. Maybe Rose had felt it, too, and had just not mentioned it.
"Doctor, is someone else here?" she finally decided to ask.
The Doctor blinked, frowning as he looked confused. "No, why?"
"Because something's . . . messing with my head. I can tell it's alive, but . . ." She trailed off, fearful now as the Doctor's eyes grew wide and he stared at her in utter astonishment. Oh, dear. She might have given away too much.
". . . That's not possible." He walked over to her, staring her up and down like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "You sense the TARDIS?"
Madison nervously shifted on her feet but tried her best to not show her anxiety to him. "Am I? I didn't realise. It's just a tickle in my mind, is all." She tried acting completely oblivious to it. Now that he mentioned the ship, she realised the presence reaching out to her mind wasn't just a small entity. It was massive, a whole being. She felt it all around her now as she slowly allowed the presence to finally, fully, enter her mind. It settled in the recesses of her mind, caressing her thoughts in warmth. It made her heartache as it truly reminded her of her mother. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn she heard a pleasant hum from the ship around them. Maybe she had. If the ship was self-aware, then it must be able to communicate in some form or another.
The Doctor kept staring at her, that searching eye of his that made her nervous. Again, his blue eyes stared through her, taking in everything that she was and ever would be. "You're a telepath."
It was not a question. Rather an observation. She felt alarm go through her as she realised she had been discovered now. She winced, regretting ever mentioning it. She could have figured it out on her own. She didn't have to ask about it. So stupid. If he figured anything else out about her . . . she did not know what she would do. She couldn't allow that. Not ever. No one could ever know about her.
"So, what is it, then? Your ship is alive?" she quickly asked, looking around and walking away, trailing her hand around the console again and moving herself away from the Doctor. If she could get herself out of his searching gaze . . .
"Yeah. She's a sentient being. Has a telepathic field, gets inside your brain, translates. Makes it easier than having to learn every language we come across." The Doctor was all smiles again. Like he wasn't bothered at all by Madison having telepathic sensitivity.
Madison was just thankful that he didn't seem bothered by her having such abilities. Normally people would have been highly suspicious of her, even slightly alarmed or fearful. Not that she had ever allowed people to know that sort of thing about her. She just always assumed that would be the reaction if anyone had ever found out. Then again, it made her wonder if possibly he was telepathic, too. She didn't sense it on him. But he could just be very good at hiding it like she was.
"It's very nice to meet you. Officially, that is," she said to the ship, smiling as she felt a pleased, even happy, response in her mind. She wondered how often the TARDIS was ignored by people who came across her. It would be rather lonely of an existence to be considered nothing more than a lifeless thing rather than a being. She glanced over as the warm smile the Doctor had caught her eye. The smile was gone before she even had a chance to look at him as he was walking around and grabbing a crystal orb from the console. It made her wonder why he had given her such a smile. Had her words made him happy in some way? Or, maybe, it was a smile because the TARDIS had been the one to be happy. If the TARDIS is a sentient being, then the Doctor must have a great connection to the ship. Maybe the ship even communicated through him in some form. She would love to ask him about it, but she feared what questions he would have for her in return.
"Right then, Madison Baker, you tell me, where do you wanna go? Backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it gonna be?" the Doctor said as he threw the crystal orb up and down.
Madison felt a bit overwhelmed with such a choice. The possibilities were endless if time had no hold over their travels. There were so many places she would love to see, and that was just on Earth. To see other worlds, it felt almost unreal to her. She never would have imagined the opportunity would present itself to her. She never thought she could get so lucky. She looked around the console room before looking at him again, trying to think of an answer to give.
"I'm not sure. I'm mostly just happy to travel with you," she answered truthfully. It was true. To just have a companion and travel for fun instead of necessity, it was something that made her more than happy to have in her life again. She hadn't travelled for fun since her parents had still been around.
"Ah, come on. Don't be shy. Go ahead and pick," he said, chuckling slightly as though her response had been humorous.
Frowning, she pondered over where she would like to go. If he was giving her a choice . . . "I'd like to go to the future, then. I'm always interested to see what humanity makes of itself in the future."
The Doctor placed the crystal orb onto the console, beginning to press buttons and flip switches. She had no idea how exactly the ship was steered. It seemed only the Doctor knew as the console made no logical sense to her. Then again, she was not the best at driving around vehicles and didn't know much about mechanics. Maybe it was just too complicated for her because of her lacking. So, she watched him steer the ship, jumping around the large console at ease like he was dancing.
"How far?" he asked, poking his head around the column to look at her.
"Don't know. How about as far as you can take me," she replied, growing excited now. She could not keep away the large smile from her face. To see how advanced humans could get in the future, she'd love to see it. She could only imagine. This answer seemed to make the Doctor excited as well as he grinned largely.
"Then off we go!" he exclaimed, making the ship shake and rock as he steered them off. She could not help but grip the edge of the console. Not only to keep herself stable in the wild rocking of the ship, but because her sheer anticipation was building up to the point she could barely contain herself. She hadn't felt this excited about something in such a long time. She'd forgotten what it felt like. When the TARDIS stopped moving, her whole body was bouncing in her giddiness. She felt like a little girl again she could hardly contain herself.
"When are we?" she asked hurriedly, grinning as she saw this sly look from the Doctor. He waved a hand towards the doors, allowing her to take the first peek. She bounced over to them, stopping just before them. She let out a breath, gathering herself as she realised she must look silly being this giddy. She placed a hand to the door, quelling her anticipation the best she could. It was an impossible task. Her heart raced as she slowly opened the door. Stepping outside, she looked around carefully, frowning a bit as she wondered where they had come to. Were they still in London? It looked like some sort of lobby, with tan walls, yellow lights lining the walls and floor, and steps leading down to a metal window of sorts. It looked like any other office building, or hotel, or museum she had seen in the 21st century.
"Are we in a museum?" she wondered aloud as she walked down the steps towards the lower section of the room. She glanced over, seeing the Doctor had stepped out of the TARDIS and had pulled out his silver tool, the 'sonic screwdriver' he had called it earlier. He messed with an electronic panel of some sort on the wall next to the door which led deeper into the building.
"Nope. An observation deck," he said as he placed away his strange screwdriver into his coat and walked down the steps to stand next to her. She looked to where he was staring, eyes going wide as she saw the metal panel of the large window in front of them slowly go down, revealing the sight of the Earth.
They were in space, hanging over the Earth in a perfect view of the planet. The inky blackness of space allowed her to see the twinkling stars out in the distance, with her knowing those stars were centuries away from the planet she called home. She had seen pictures of space, or Earth, countless times. But nothing held a fraction of the real thing. She could not help herself but walk over to the window and stare at it all in awe. Her hands pressed up onto the glass, just wishing she could touch it all. It felt almost like she could. Just one step and she could dance amongst the stars. Not that she really could. Not without dying, of course.
"You wanted the future. Well, here we are. The year 5.5/Apple/26. Five billion years in your future," the Doctor explained as he stood beside her. His words were almost gentle as he spoke. "All that time and the Earth kept turning. Humans kept growing. No matter how much they thought they'd never make it, they did. And this is the day . . ." He glanced at a watch on his wrist. "Hold on . . ."
Madison jumped back from the glass, startled as the Sun that had been shining brightly in the distance suddenly flared up dramatically. It went out in almost a blinding flash, showing a wave of energy coming off of it. She blinked rapidly as the Sun grew larger right before her very eyes, expanding outwards in a fiery blaze. The once harsh yellow was now becoming a sharp red. Even as she stared at it, she could tell what was occurring was not over. The Sun was still growing, still changing. She looked to the Doctor for answers, seeing the calm expression of his.
"This is the day the Sun expands," he stated, giving her a small smile. "Welcome to the end of the world."
Panic went through her quickly as her eyes whipped back over to the peaceful Earth below them. It was still untouched by what was happening to the Sun, but she knew that wasn't going to last. She knew of this day. Of course she did. She had read the scientific journals discussing the topic of the day the Sun would expand into a Red Giant and wipe out the close planets orbiting it. Earth included.
"Oh my god, Doctor, all those people. They're going to die," she breathed shakily, feeling her eyes watering already at the very thought of it.
"What?" The Doctor blinked, taken back. "Oh! No, it's alright. There's no one on Earth right now."
She looked back at him, shocked but relieved. "Are you certain?"
"Positive. Not a single life on Earth. They already evacuated a long time ago. Humans have spread out throughout the universe, all on different planets and colonies. Nice and safe." He beamed away at her with ease.
She let out a breath, trying to calm her rapid beating heart now. "Oh, thank goodness." She then hit him lightly in the chest. "Don't scare me like that. 'End of the world'. I mean, really."
"Well, it is!" the Doctor responded in defiance, waving a hand towards the window before them. "Earth's life cycle is coming to an end. End of the world. What else would you call it?"
Madison rolled her eyes, shaking her head in humour. "Doctor, 'end of the world' usually means the end of all life. Not simply the end of a planet. There's a difference." She looked back to the sight before them, sighing as she was just glad there was no death happening. She didn't know what she would do with herself if she was forced to watch all life come to an end like this. She understood that everything had to come to an end at some point, but . . . it was different having to watch it occur. Now, however, it was just watching science happen before her, a planet's timely demise. Not such a dreadful thing to witness.
She could feel the Doctor staring at her for a moment, seeming to be judging her reaction to the 'end of the world' and all that. "You okay to keep going?" he asked her then.
"Of course," she said, smiling to show him that she was fine now. Just a small scare had unsettled her earlier. Nothing she couldn't bounce back from. He returned her smile and nodded before walking up the steps behind them quickly. She hurried after him, doing her best to keep up as they made their way out of the door. She listened as a voice from some sort of intercom system announced the arrival of shuttles and whatnot. There were a few rules given as well, such as no weapons, teleportation, or religion. The observation space station they were on was apparently called 'Platform One'.
"So are we in a science observation station of some sort?" she questioned as they walked down the long hallway of the station.
"Nah, this is a luxury observation deck," the Doctor explained. "The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."
Madison frowned, not really liking the idea of the rich looking down upon the Earth burning for 'entertainment'. Then again, it wasn't much different from how Earth society was in her time. Or any time, for that matter. What had David said once? The rich were always after watching the little guys squirm, or something along those lines.
"Hmm. Not the first time the rich have enjoyed watching the Earth burn," she mumbled, earning herself a laugh from the Doctor. She stood beside the Doctor as he opened another set of doors with his sonic screwdriver, allowing them both to step into a massive and grand lobby. This must be where everyone was gathering as it had the perfect viewing of the Sun, the Earth, and the space around them. There was a large window that stretched all the way above them as a ceiling. The Sun was seen burning away, still slowly growing into a giant red ball of fury. Solar flares and waves of energy were seen lashing out into the space around it. The Earth still looked as peaceful as always. Still untouched. They walked over to the end of the large room, staring at the sight before them through the window.
"How long does the Earth have left?" she asked the Doctor.
"About half an hour. Then the planet gets roasted," the Doctor said after looking at his watch again.
Nodding, she noticed odd satellites moving about the place around the planet. "What are those? Satellites?"
"Those are gravity satellites. See the Earth is the property of the National Trust. They've been keeping the planet preserved and holding back the Sun. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."
Madison nodded again, slowly trying to get herself in the right mindset about all of this. It still felt rather unreal to her. To think, she was really in the year five billion and was going to watch the Earth burn up by the expanding Sun. She bet any scientist back in her time would give anything to be in her shoes right now. It was humbling to see such an event. Her homeworld was coming to an end right before her own eyes.
"Who the hell are you?" came a stern voice. The Doctor and Madison both turned around, seeing a man with blue skin, cat-like eyes, and wearing a nicely tailored tan suit and robe, stomping over to them.
"Oh, that's nice. Thanks," the Doctor replied sarcastically.
"But how did you get in?" the man demanded from them, staring at them as though they were unwanted stowaways. Which, now that Madison thought about it, they sort of were. "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked! They're on their way any second-."
"No, that's me. I'm a guest," the Doctor spoke up, interrupting the man. The Doctor pulled something from his pocket, showing it to the blue-skinned man. "Look, I've got an invitation. Look, there you see? It's fine. You see? 'The Doctor, plus one'. I'm the Doctor, this is Madison Baker, she's my 'plus one'. Is that all right?" The Doctor kept this sassy grin on his face the entire time.
The man before them frowned in confusion as he stared at the Doctor's 'invitation' before then looking a bit flustered. It was apparent the man was embarrassed now. "Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're onboard, we'd better start." The man went to walk away but seemed to have a second thought about something as he looked at them, giving a slight, strained smile. "Enjoy." He then turned and went over to the other side of the room, far away from the two.
"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time," the Doctor whispered quietly to Madison when seeing her trying to take a look at his 'invitation'. He showed her the paper in his hand, letting her see that it was indeed an official-looking document, though knowing it was 'psychic paper' she doubted it truly looked like that. She wondered how it looked to individuals who could see through such a trick.
Madison half-listened to the blue man, the Steward from her guesses, making announcements to the area. He announced both her and the Doctor's names before calling for more staff. She watched as more people with blue skin, though much shorter than the Steward, were quickly coming from around the room, seemingly out of nowhere, and were hurrying around to get the room set up for more guests. Most of the staff went out of the room, seeming to get ready for the other guests that were coming.
"And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest representing the Forest of Cheem, we have trees. Namely Jabe, Lute, and Coffa," said the Steward, announcing the arrival of the guests. Madison watched curiously as three humanoid figures, with skin like bark and some leaves growing out of their heads, walked into the room. The Steward had not been lying. These figures truly were trees.
"Remind me not to mention that I'm a vegetarian," she mumbled quietly, making a joke to the Doctor. He snorted and chortled next to her. She watched, more fascinated by the minute of each guest that arrived. She tried to keep up with all their names and where they were representing from as the Steward announced them, but it was hard keeping track as there were just so many of them. So instead she observed as the guests were now starting to exchange gifts as 'peace' and such. Something that the Steward had said would be taking place a moment ago. Her attention was taken away from the announcements and arriving guests as the tree humanoids from earlier were now coming over to her and the Doctor. The one standing in front was clearly a female and a very pretty one at that with her beautiful golden and red dress. The other two behind her looked like bodyguards by her guess. What had the female's name been? Jabe, was it?
"The gift of peace," said the female tree Jabe. She smiled kindly at them, waving a hand over to the carrying container one of her escorts was holding. Madison saw small little pots with cuttings of plants in each of them. Jabe picked one up, handing it over to the Doctor. "I bring you a cutting of my grandfather."
"Thank you," the Doctor said, smiling at first before suddenly realising that he had not brought anything. Oh, dear. Madison knew then that they might be had. If they didn't have anything to exchange . . . what would happen to them? The Doctor handed over the small pot with the tree cutting to her, patting at his jacket now in search for something. "Yes, gifts, um . . ."
Thinking fast, Madison reached around behind her and undid her braid, shaking out her auburn hair to let it flow around her shoulders now. "Here," she said with a bright smile, plucking one of her hairs from her head, "a gift of my hair." She hoped that it was good enough. Jabe seemed to think so as she took it and smiled graciously.
"How personal," Jabe said in thanks, nodding her head to Madison before walking away with her company.
"Fast thinking. Though, by the end of the gift exchange, you might be bald," the Doctor teased her quietly. She rolled her eyes and elbowed him lightly.
"Oh, shut up," she said, eyeing him with a smirk. "It's not like you have much hair to give."
"I have plenty of hair, thank you very much," the Doctor scoffed, running a hand through his very short dark brown hair. She snickered but didn't say anything else as another guest came over to them for a gift exchange.
It was the Moxx of Balhoon, as the Doctor said in an introduction. The small blue alien, riding on an electrical chair, greeted them before spitting onto Madison's face as a gift. She winced but smiled gratefully all the same. She didn't want to insult him by making a face of disgust. Besides, spitting might be perfectly normal in his culture. Once she gave him a piece of her hair, another guest walked up to them after the Moxx of Balhoon left. This time it was cloaked figures, completely covered in black robes from head to toe except for their long, silver fingers. Adherents of the Repeated Meme, the Doctor called them. The front leader of the group handed over a silver sphere, which the Doctor gave to her to hold onto after she gave them their gift. She smiled awkwardly at the group, feeling a bit uncomfortable by them. Maybe it was the way their voices sounded eerie, or perhaps because she couldn't see their faces. Either way, she was glad when they walked away. The gift exchange continued from there, with the Doctor pocketing most of the gifts and her continuously giving out pieces of her hair. Her scalp was feeling a little bit sore after the last individual left them.
"And last but not least, our very special guest," called the Steward, gaining everyone's attention once again. "Ladies and gentlemen and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth . . . the last human."
This announcement shocked her. The last human? But she thought the Doctor said they were spread out throughout the universe? How could there be 'the last' when others still lived out there on other planets? But she was completely taken back when seeing the 'late human' was nothing more than skin stretched across a metal frame, with veins seen in the very sheer, thin skin and a pair of blues eyes with a brain in a jar underneath. She thought, at first, that it was some sort of preservation of human skin, perhaps the 'last human' that had lived on Earth or something. But then she realised that this human was indeed alive, with the name Cassandra. She had two attendants walking behind her as she wheeled herself into the room, both of who were dressed head to toe in a hazmat suit of sorts and carrying containers with spray hoses attached.
"Oh, now don't stare! I know, I know. It's shocking, isn't it?" spoke the flat human, this Cassandra. "I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand." She had a very snooty female voice. The kind of voice Madison had heard quite often in her time. She knew she would try not to judge until she got to know the woman, but something told her that she and Cassandra would not get along well. She watched as Cassandra had her attendants moisturise her with the containers they carried. Apparently, being stretched into a picture frame one had to be moisturised frequently.
Madison continued to listen politely. Though she could not keep the expression of disdain from her face as Cassandra continued to talk about being 'the last human' and going into her parents being the last to be buried on Earth. The sniffling and emotional voice the flat woman put forth was nothing short of fake. Madison had been around long enough to know when one was putting up an act for others. All she could do was shake her head and wonder what sort of life this woman lived. Perhaps living as a museum piece, one must always put on a show for others. Maybe that was expected of Cassandra? Madison had no clue. She could only vaguely guess. Though she had to laugh about the gifts that Cassandra brought. An ostrich egg which, apparently, had a wingspan of 'fifty feet' and 'blew fire from its nostrils' when hatched, and a jukebox that apparently was an 'iPod' with 'classical' music which was nothing more than a pop song from the 1980s.
Madison shook her head as she listened to the music and watched all the guests begin to linger amongst each other. So . . . this was it, then? The viewing of the Earth's last bit of life, treated as nothing more than a social event. Like the Earth itself meant nothing to any of them. It was sad, really, for the Earth to end like this. No remorse, or gentle goodbye. Just a party with drinks, music, and people who had no attachment to the planet below. The Earth deserved better than this. So, she slowly made her way out of the room, leaving behind the party for she merely wanted to be alone now. She rather watch the Earth's end in solemn silence than with loud music that didn't fit the occasion. Being back where the TARDIS was parked seemed to be the perfect place for her. No music or crowd of people. Just her and her thoughts as she watched the Earth leave the universe forever. She hoped the Doctor could at least enjoy the party. He seemed to have been as he had a smile on his face and was bopping a bit to the music when she had last looked at him.
At one point, as she was walking back towards the gallery they had arrived at, she heard the announcement from the Steward about the TARDIS. Apparently, they had parked in the wrong spot. She frowned lightly, stopping just outside of the room as a group of staff were busy taking the TARDIS away. Huh. She hoped they would give the ship back to them once the party was over. The Doctor would most likely explain away their ship with his psychic paper easily. Once the staff had left the room, she walked inside and sighed as she sat down on some of the stairs. Sitting aside the plant and silver sphere that she still carried, she stared thoughtfully towards the window before her. Not much had changed from the Sun's expansion and the Earth. There was still some time until it finally occurred.
"Madison, are you in there?" came the voice of the Doctor from the other side of the door.
"Yep. Hello," she called out, smiling as she saw the Doctor coming into the room. He bounced down the steps, sitting on the opposite side from her. He grinned brightly at her.
"What'd you think, then?" he asked.
Madison didn't answer at first, thinking everything over. "I love being able to meet so many different people. Given that I'm used to just humans and such. Though I've never been good with crowds much," she answered truthfully. "I tend to avoid them, honestly."
The Doctor raised a brow. "And yet you live in a city."
Madison sighed, shaking her head. "It's different. At least I can tune out most of the noise and bustle. Besides, it's not by choice. It's the only place I could get a decent job at the moment." She glanced at him when seeing the questioning expression he had. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being around people. It's just . . ." She pondered for a second, contemplating the party that was going on in the background of Platform One. "These people, they don't seem to even really care that they're watching a planet be destroyed. All that history, all those lives that had been on that planet, are about to be lost to time forever. It feels wrong. To watch one's own planet burn . . . I don't think it should be something to be celebrated. Rather, it should be mourned."
She glanced at the Doctor, seeing the distant, sombre look he had now. A haunted, darkened gaze in his eyes. A twist formed in her stomach as she realised she might have been distasteful in her words. Perhaps she judged these people too harshly. She didn't know what was considered customary in this time period, after all. But then . . . something told her the look the Doctor had meant something different. As though he was remembering something so . . . traumatising.
"I'm sorry, I'm being a killjoy, aren't I?" she said, feeling guilty now. She didn't mean to have the Doctor remember something awful. Deciding to change the subject, she smiled and turned where she sat to face him better. "I realise that we barely know each other. How about we change that? I'd love to know where you come from."
"All over the place," the Doctor answered quickly, suddenly looking uncomfortable.
Madison could tell he was trying to avoid the question altogether. Must be a touchy subject. She could understand that. It was hard having to constantly move around. She wondered if he was hiding like she was. "Yeah, same as me," she said, trying to make it seem as though it were no big deal to move around so much. "I'd love to visit where I grew up again. Haven't been there since I was little . . . Probably not the same anymore, though." Now she felt sad herself. That little village probably isn't the same at all since she had last been there. She had barely been forty when they had to move. Trying not to dwell on the past, she looked to the Doctor again. "Is it considered rude to ask what sort of species you are, or is that impolite?"
"I'm just the Doctor. Nothing more," he answered rather gruffly.
Now she really felt something was wrong. He was acting almost angry at her question. She quickly closed her mouth, feeling as though she was crossing a line. Perhaps it was rude to ask such a question. She didn't know what sort of etiquette alien species had in the universe. Maybe there were certain rules or words one must use to ask questions? So she quickly apologised, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. I was just curious."
The Doctor made a noise in the back of his throat, almost like a grunt. "Yeah, well, it's not like you're going to tell me what species you are any time soon," he grumbled.
Madison froze, her eyes going wide and her heart racing. She felt absolute horror and dread coursing through her as she felt locked in place staring at him. He knew? Oh god, he knew. How . . . No, she was kidding herself. He was intelligent. He probably figured it out right away. But that means . . . after three centuries, she had finally been discovered. She had been made, and there was nothing she could do about it. All emergency planning was out the door as she was nowhere near any sort of ocean to dive into and hide in. She wasn't even in the right time period. She was trapped, completely and utterly. She didn't know what to do except sit there in a state of panic. Her hands shook as her breath became unsteady. The Doctor eventually looked at her, brow furrowed in both confusion and concern.
"Look, it's no big deal. So you're not human. There's all sorts living on Earth that aren't human, even during your time," he said, staring at her carefully when seeing her wavering eyes of terror.
She didn't say anything. Afraid to even move. Was it okay that he knew? She barely knew him at all. Could she trust him? Her instincts said that she could, but years of hiding screamed at her to run. Her parents always said to run no matter what if anyone found her out. She had never even told David and she had trusted him with everything. Then again, it was something she still regretted to this day. She always wondered if he would have accepted her for being Mer. He knew of her unaging. She had to tell him that as the years went by and left her untouched while he aged away. He had been so understanding with that. But she had been too afraid to tell David anything else back then. And now . . . she was still too afraid.
She stood up quickly, running away from the Doctor. She felt like a coward, but she didn't know what else to do. It was the only thing she had ever been good at, running away. From anything and everything in her life. That was all she ever did. So, she left the gallery and went right back to where the party was going on. She stumbled a bit as Platform One shook a somewhat, rumbling beneath her feet. But she ignored this, still wanting to run and hide. No better place to do so than within a crowd. One of the benefits of being in a crowd as one could easily hide amongst the masses. Though she knew she could not hide from the Doctor forever. Inevitably she would have to face him.
Eventually, she walked into the room where the party was taking place. The people were still mingling about, seeming perfectly at ease and relaxed as before. She realized she would have to calm herself or else others might start questioning what was wrong with her.
"That wasn't a gravity pocket."
Madison could not stop the small yelp that left her. She turned around swiftly, eyes wide as she saw the Doctor had been standing right behind her. Had he kept up with her the entire time? He must have gotten here so fast.
"I know gravity pockets, and they don't feel like that," he continued to say, seeming unfazed by her reaction. Was he pretending like she hadn't just run scared from him? Must be. Then she had to wonder what he was talking about when she realised he was talking about the rumbling that had occurred through the station. He was fiddling with a panel on the side of the door, seeming to be checking over something. It was then that Jabe from earlier walked over to them, seeming to wish to ask them something.
"What do you think, Jabe?" the Doctor suddenly asked, turning to the tree woman. "Listen to the engines, they're pitched up about thirty Hertz. Is that dodgy or what?" Madison blinked, not understanding at all what the Doctor was asking. She hoped that Jabe might understand him.
"It's the sound of metal, that doesn't make any sense to me," replied Jabe, seeming just as much at a loss as Madison felt.
"Where's the engine room?" the Doctor wondered, seeming to move on to whatever it was he was trying to figure out.
"I don't know. But the maintenance duct is just behind our guests' suite, I could show you," Jabe offered to him. She then glanced at Madison. "And your wife." Madison stiffened, feeling trapped once again. His wife?
"Oh, she's not my wife," the Doctor answered quickly, making Madison feel a bit relieved. She was glad he didn't pretend for the sake of keeping up appearances and whatnot.
"Partner?" Jabe wondered then.
The Doctor shook his head. "No."
"Concubine?"
Madison's face flushed, now wishing that the Doctor had indeed said 'wife'. She cleared her throat loudly, giving Jabe a stern stare. "Instead of asking him, why don't you ask me since I'm standing right here," she said strictly. "I am not merely an object to be presented about. I can clearly speak for myself. And as to your question, I'm the Doctor's friend, thank you." Now Jabe seemed to be the one blushing as her cheeks darkened a bit in colour. She bowed her head in shame.
"Apologies, I didn't mean to offend," she replied gently.
"Well, you did, but apology accepted," Madison said, smiling and nodding in thanks. She glanced between the Doctor and Jabe, realising that she might be an unwanted third party at this point. It was clearly, by the way the Doctor was directing his words to Jabe, that he didn't want her around for whatever it was he had planned. Most likely her running away earlier had upset him. She regretted making him upset, but at the same time, the earlier fears were still there.
"Well, I can tell when I'm an unwanted third party. Why don't you two go ahead and figure out whatever it is that's wrong with the engines. I'll just stick around here and . . . make sure the champagne remains bubbly," she said, starting to walk away. She was stopped when the Doctor grabbed her arm. She stiffened, fearing what he would do to her. Three centuries of hiding screamed at her to fight out of his grip, afraid of what experiments he might perform on her. Which was silly, as she knew the Doctor was not that kind of person. At least, she hoped he wasn't.
"We still need to talk," he said quietly into her ear. "So don't run away on me, okay?"
"Okay," she breathed, feeling weak in the knees.
"Promise?" He eyed her carefully then, making her swallow heavily.
She merely nodded, watching him grin brightly at her. He patted her on the arm before hurriedly walking away with Jabe in tow. She stood there awkwardly then, unsure of what to do with herself. She looked around the room, wondering whom she might talk to next. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone at the moment. She would rather just sit off by herself and think over what she should do next. Now that the Doctor realised she wasn't human . . . she just did not know what would happen next. She never had to face a situation like this before. So, she went over to the window, staring at the Earth and the expanding Sun. Just watching for the end of the world seemed rather appropriate at the moment. Her world was coming to an end now, in more ways than one.
"Soon the Sun will blossom into a Red Giant, and my home will die," came a voice suddenly beside her. She looked over, seeing the flat woman Cassandra wheeling over to her. She scooted a bit to the side, allowing the woman to view the Earth better through the window.
"It must be hard, watching your homeworld burn up like this," Madison said quietly, feeling pity for the woman. She knew how Cassandra must feel as she too was feeling solemn about the Earth's soon departure from the universe.
"Oh, it's not the first time I've watched a planet break apart," Cassandra laughed, seeming to be trying to joke. "It's always such a party to behold. The drinks are to die for each time."
Madison frowned heavily. Perhaps her earlier thoughts had been right about the woman after all. "You must feel something seeing your home burn up. All those memories you've made. Childhood homes and secret hideouts. First loves and best friends. Don't those memories mean anything to you?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, of course," Cassandra said offhandedly. If she had a hand, she would be waving it in dismissal for certain. "But why stay living in the past when the future is much better. I have twenty-six new homes to attend to, after all. All much better in my opinion."
"Oh, yes, a future living as a museum piece. It must be grand," Madison retorted, feeling her temper flare up. The way this woman talked . . . the way she called herself the 'last human' and acted . . . it reminded Madison of everything she had ever stood against in her life. Against those who considered themselves better than others.
"Oh, what do you know," Cassandra scoffed at her.
"More than you," Madison countered. "At least I know that life being preserved like a pickle is not a life worth living. At least I know that calling myself 'the last human' is nothing more than a joke when there are countless other humans still living out there. Truly living and enjoying their lives to the fullest."
"I am the last pure human. The others mingled," Cassandra spoke in disdain, disgust in her voice. "Oh, they call themselves New-humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even Human-ish! But you know what they are? Mongrels."
"Being a human has nothing to do with what you are or where your genetics come from. Being human is about exploring, making something of yourself, and living life to the absolute fullest in the short lifespan you have. It's about giving back to the universe, and making your mark in it. Humans can make life so beautiful and worthwhile, and it takes my breath away each time. And what have you contributed, huh? All from what I've seen so far is that you've proven that you're nothing more than a relic. An ancient piece of human culture that should have died out a long time ago." Seeing how Cassandra kept rolling her eyes as she spoke, Madison shook her head in disgust. Obviously, her words meant nothing to the flat woman. "You know what? You're not even worth my time. So, I hope you enjoy the party and . . . whatever else it was you've come here for." She started to stomp away but glanced over her shoulder at the last second. "Oh, and by the way, your taste in music is horrid."
She walked away after that, tired once again of being a part of this party. She just wanted back in the gallery from before. Alone and with her thoughts. Not only for the passing of the Earth that was only fifteen minutes away now but for coming up with a plan for what would happen once she and the Doctor discussed the topic of what she was. Though the heated conversation she had with Cassandra took away some of the fears she had earlier about it. Now she just felt a bit numb and unsure of what to do about it all. Oh, what a day this was becoming. Worst of all, her skin was really starting to itch terribly. She really needed to get to a bath soon.
As she made her way down the halls towards the gallery, she spotted the Repeated Memes coming towards her from up ahead. Alarm bells went off in her head and she immediately halted in place. Something about the way they were walking. Something about the way they all rigidly made their way towards her. It just screamed to her 'trouble'. She backed away and swiftly noticed they made their way towards her quicker. As quick as she could, she turned and ran in the opposite direction. She felt silly as possibly she was just overacting. Her nerves were a bit on edge today given everything that has happened. But she didn't want to chance it. And hearing the Repeated Meme group hurrying after her only made her suspicions of them rise up as she just knew they were after her for some reason.
She ducked into an open doorway, rushing to possibly hide away somewhere. What she didn't mean to do was get herself in a large suite of sorts that apparently was for one of the guests on Platform One. It was massive, with a grand bedroom and tv lounge and everything. It even had its own bar. But this only meant a dead end. Surely the Repeated Memes would catch her in here.
"Excuse me! What do you think you're doing in here?"
Madison looked over with a start, seeing one of the staff standing there, a female with blue skin, crossly staring at her. She had a towel over her shoulder, looking as if she had been cleaning something. Which that something must have been the glass of the container of a giant head, wrinkled and withered from age. Madison blinked, taken back by the sight of the large, moving head into a massive container which had smoke of some kind within. She remembered that head coming into the lounge area earlier, but she forgot what the Steward had said the name was.
"Don't worry, Iza. She's perfectly fine. She's just an old friend of mine," spoke an old, ancient, voice within Madison's head.
The large head smiled at her, giving off such warmth. She blinked in shock, realizing with a start that the voice was coming from the head from a telepathic output. But it was different from anything she and her parents had ever shared with each other. It felt more like a broadcast than something that was normally intimate as a telepath. Maybe this was something different from normal telepathic abilities. Perhaps some sort of technology allowed the head to project his thoughts outwards.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," Madison spoke quickly, unsure of what she should do next. The Repeated Memes were still after her. If she backed out of the room now . . .
"It's fine. Please, come closer," spoke the head in such a kind voice. Madison couldn't help but almost feel instantly safe with this large species. She timidly walked over, giving the head a nod in thanks. The head looked at the attendant. "Iza, could you please leave us for a moment? I'd like to speak with Madison."
Now Madison was in disbelief. She could only stare as the attendant woman nodded and backed out of the room, leaving the two of them be. She looked around the room, a bit nervous now. How did this person know of her?
"I'm sorry, I don't remember your name," she said quietly, a bit nervous now as she shifted in place. "I know the Stewards announced it . . ."
"People call me the Face of Boe. You can call me 'Jack'. Though keep that just between us." The Face of Boe, or rather 'Jack', winked at her.
She smiled tentatively. "Okay . . . Jack. It's nice to meet you. Though you seem to know me already?" Thinking for a second, it dawned on her then. "Right. Time travel. I'll meet you sometime in my future."
"We will meet many times throughout your life. Each time better than the last." The Face of Boe wheeled closer to her now, seeming to sense something as his smile turned mischievous. "And like always, it seems that you've gotten yourself into trouble."
Madison gave a small shrug. "I don't know about that. The Repeated Memes seemed to be after me, but . . . it might just be me overthinking it. I tend to do that sometimes."
"From what I've known of you over the years, is that you should always trust your instincts. If they say there is trouble, then there most certainly is trouble." The Face of Boe came over to be beside her now, facing the door of the suite. "Don't worry. Just stay by me and you'll be fine. I promise to always keep you safe."
The Face of Boe went over to the door and it opened for him. She stayed close to him, knowing that she would indeed be safe if she stuck around. Plus it was comforting knowing someone from her future seemed to care so much about her. She wondered what sort of times the two of them would share together. She hoped they were good times and that she didn't make a complete fool of herself. But she was taken out of any more thoughts of the future as the Repeated Memes were right on the other side of the door, making her go tense.
"Gentlemen. How can I be of service to you today?" asked the Face of Boe politely. The Repeated Memes seemed to hesitate before nodding in greeting and then walking away. She walked over to stand beside the Face, seeing how he appeared to smirk somewhat before looking back at her. "I'll escort you the rest of the way to the gallery. It's best you stick close by me until we get there."
"Okay. Thank you," she whispered, following after him as he went down the hallway. "Do we know each other well in the future? Do you know the Doctor, too?"
"Oh, yes. Quite well, the both of you."
"I barely know him," she confessed to the Face of Boe, twisting her hands together as she walked beside him. She hesitated in speaking, wary as she realized that she barely knew the Face of Boe, either. But something about this man, or rather head, seemed so . . . gentle. Kind and wise with the ages. She didn't know how to explain it. It was a calmness like what she felt with the TARDIS. An entity that was beyond space and time. So, she decided to ask, "Do you think I can trust him?"
"You can always trust the Doctor. Just as he always trusts you. And as I trust you both."
The Face of Boe grew quiet as they entered the main gallery. The guests were still mingling about and enjoying themselves as before, with new music blaring loudly from Cassandra's jukebox. She could see the flat woman was talking with some others, as arrogant in her words as always. Madison shook her head at the woman, still disgusted by her.
"This is where I must take my leave. Until we meet again, my little mermaid," the Face of Boe spoke kindly to her. Stiffening, she realized then that her secret was truly lost to her as clearly he too seemed to know. Swallowing thickly, she nodded, unsure of how to respond to his nickname of her. Instead, she chose to ignore it completely.
"It . . . It was lovely to meet you. Thank you for helping me," she mumbled, face heating up from how awkward she felt. She wished she could be more confident around all these things happening around her. But having her deep secret exposed like this left her off-kilter of sorts.
"Do not worry. Your secret will always be safe with those whom you trust," the Face of Boe said gently, seeming to know how she felt. He smiled kindly at her before wheeling away to speak with others. Madison didn't even have time to contemplate this as before she could the Doctor and Jabe suddenly rushed into the room. Instantly she could tell something was wrong. She stood straight, ready for whatever it was that would happen next. Everything else did not matter as she knew she needed to be ready now.
"All right, everyone, listen up 'cause I'm only going to explain this once," the Doctor called out, earning everyone's attention. "Platform One has been sabotaged, fully infested with these." He held up some strange metal spider in his hand. "Looks like someone brought their little pets onboard."
"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code-wall," Cassandra spoke up in disbelief.
"Obviously someone got around it," the Doctor countered smartly.
"Summon the Steward," said the Moxx of Balhoon.
"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," Jabe told them all gravely. Madison tensed while everyone else gasped in alarm. That poor man.
"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe! He invited us," Cassandra spoke loudly, making everyone look at the Face of Boe.
"Don't make accusations without any evidence," Madison said strictly, annoyed that the flat woman was pointing fingers around already. Cassandra glared at her but said nothing in retort.
"Easy way of finding out," said the Doctor, earning everyone's attention again. "Let's send the little pet back to master." The Doctor then set the metal spider onto the ground, making it activate again. The spider, with its red eye, looked around the room before scuttling around a bit. It appeared to go towards Cassandra at first, which made Madison eye the flat woman darkly. But then the spider quickly changed direction and went over to the Repeated Meme group.
"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme! J'accuse!" said Cassandra loudly as everyone stared in shock. Madison shook her head, feeling as though this was not right. It was simply too easy. And the way the spider had hesitated to go back to them . . . Something was off, she could feel it in her gut.
"That's all very well and really kinda obvious," spoke the Doctor as he walked over to the silent, black-robed group. "But if you stop and think about it . . ." One of the figures reached over in a flash, ready to strike the Doctor down. Madison shouted and went to run over to protect her friend, but stopped as the Doctor grabbed the figure's arm and easily ripped it right off. She stared on in shock for a moment before realizing that arm had nothing more than wires and tubes sticking out of it. The group were robots themselves?
"A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea," finished the Doctor, smirking slyly as it was obvious he knew this would happen all along. He then did something to the arm he was holding and in the next second all the black-robed figures dropped to the floor in a heap. The Doctor then threw the arm he held onto the pile before turning to the rest around him. "Remote-control droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker." He then looked down and scooted the metal spider with his foot. "Go on, Jimbo. Go home." They then watched as the metal creature scurried over to Cassandra.
"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed," Cassandra said spitefully right away, glaring hard at the Doctor as everyone around them began gasping and whispering in shock. "At arms!" Her two goons beside her suddenly held up the nozzles they carried at the Doctor, making the man raise a brow. Madison scooted closer to him, worried for his safety now.
"What you gonna do, moisturise me?" he retorted sarcastically.
"With acid," Cassandra replied smoothly. Madison stiffened before she reached over and pulled the Doctor back, even stepping in front of him somewhat as she was determined to make certain he would not get sprayed. Her skin was tough enough to withstand acid . . . for the most part. She saw the surprised look the Doctor gave her, but he said nothing. All he did was hold her shoulder and give it a squeeze as if to say he was okay and she needed to calm down. She ignored him, knowing that if it came to it, she would gladly keep him safe.
"Oh, you're too late anyway," Cassandra continued to gloat, smirking at them all. "My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax-free, past every code-wall." She laughed wickedly. "I'm not just a pretty face."
"'Pretty' isn't what I'd call your face," Madison grumbled angrily. She ignored the heated look the woman sent her way.
"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside, how stupid is that?" the Doctor added in, arching a brow as he stared at the flat woman down.
"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation. With myself as one of the victims," Cassandra explained away. "The compensation would've been enormous."
"And that's what it always boils down to. No matter the time period. Money. Always about the money," Madison growled, feeling angrier by the minute. She even took a step toward the flat woman aggressively but the hand of the Doctor on her shoulder held her back. "You sicken me."
"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune!" Cassandra scoffed, narrowing her eyes again at Madison. "I am the last human. Me. Not you filthy little thing." Madison didn't bother correcting the woman about not being human. It didn't matter anyway. The flat woman's plan was still not over. Before long, the computer announced only three minutes remaining until the Earth was destroyed, which gave Cassandra the moment to announce her final, last resort. Apparently, killing them all would make her just as rich as them being alive. So, Madison watched as the flat woman had her spiders explode around the place and she and her goons disappear in some sort of 'teleportation' escape.
"Tell me, what do you need me to do," she said quickly as she turned to the Doctor, ignoring the panicking room as everyone began to yell in alarm.
"There must be a system restore switch," the Doctor muttered to himself as he seemed to think things over swiftly. He nodded to her, taking her hand. "Follow me. You lot, just chill!"
The two of them ran, hand-in-hand, as they made their way through the station. Alarms continued to blare throughout the place and the computer kept announcing the rising heat levels throughout the platform. Madison did not need a computer to tell her that the heat was increasing. She could feel it burning on her skin as she ran with the Doctor. Sweat poured from her and her entire being screamed for her to get into some water. Mer-Kind never did well in hot climates. She and her parents had always tried to avoid going anywhere dry and heated throughout their travels, trying their best to stay around where there was water. The west of the Americas had been the closest she had ever come to living in a climate that had been too much for her. It was only luck on her side that she managed to live out there with there being enough resources of water for her.
The Doctor and her came into a vast room with gigantic fans turning over a long walkway. Towards the very end of the room, across the walkway with the spinning, sharp blades, is what she could only assume was the switch the Doctor needed.
"This place has a terrible design flaw," she muttered to the Doctor as they stood in front of the turning blades. He merely laughed humourlessly at this remark, shaking his head. He went over to a metal panel beside her, ripping it off and pulling down a large switch. The fans slowed down to a slower rotation, though not by much. And once the Doctor let go of the switch, the fans picked up in speed once more.
"I need you to hold onto that switch. Hold onto it as tight as possible. And get ready, cause this place is going to flood with heat," he told her hurriedly, going to the edge of where the fans met the walkway. She nodded and pulled down the switch, holding onto it tightly. She decided this was not the best time to tell him how her species handled heat. It was not necessary as she knew she needed to help him with this task and save all the others.
She continued to hold onto the switch as she watched the Doctor duck and weave in between the fan blades. Timing each step carefully as he could easily still be knocked off into the massive drop below the walkway. As she watched him get closer and closer to the switch on the other end she felt her vision begin to blur. Her breath came out in gasps as it was getting harder for her to breathe through the sweltering air. Sweat poured out of her, making her clothes stick to her and she realized that she was losing too many fluids. Her skin burned as it felt like melting off from the heat. Then, it dawned on her that her hands were burning on the metal switch. Quite literally. She could feel them blistering as she knew the air was too hot for her skin now. Though her skin was thick, it only went so far. Heat was always the exception to the thickness of her skin. But no matter the agony she felt, her entire being feeling as though it were on fire, she kept hold of the switch, refusing to let go. Her mind stayed focused on keeping the Doctor safe and protecting the lives of everyone else.
"You can let go now."
She blinked through her tears. Her eyes met the Doctor's as he now stood beside her. She felt the air slowly cooling again, but it did not help her at all. Her vision remained unsteady and her skin still felt entirely too hot. She barely felt the Doctor gently pull her hands from the switch. She hissed, wincing in pain as her skin was red and blistered. She swayed unsteadily on her feet and almost fell over but luckily the Doctor caught her. He stared down at her, brows furrowed as he gazed at her in great concern.
"You don't look so good," he commented, brushing away hair from her face. She smiled weakly at him as she continued to gasp quietly for air, her breaths wheezing.
"Heh. You sure do know how to flatter a woman," she joked, her voice sounding hoarse. She winced as he began to steer her out of the area and down the hall they had come from. "Sorry. I . . . my kind doesn't do well in heat."
"You should have told me," he said sternly, holding her tighter to him as her legs wobbled.
"You needed the help, and they needed saving. I had to be here," she mumbled, feeling weaker by the second. "I just need some water and I'll be fine."
The Doctor kept a firm hold on her as they continued on through the station and back to the main lobby. The moment they stepped into the large gallery, she knew tragedy had still occurred on this day. The Moxx of Balhoon's smouldering remains could be seen in his chair. A few others were seen either injured or suffering the same fate as the Moxx of Balhoon, succumbing to the heat that had gone through the station. She was relieved to see Jabe and her two guards were okay. The Face of Boe appeared untouched as well, though in a rough state by what she could see. There was soft crying heard through the room as all were mourning the loss that had occurred.
The Doctor had her sit down carefully by the doors to the gallery. He gently brushed away hair from her face again and she grabbed his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. She hoped that he would not blame himself for what happened here. Though she too felt as though she could have done more to save everyone here. She watched as the Doctor walked away, beginning to ramble to himself. Something about the teleportation Cassandra used. Before long, he had the ostrich egg smashed and a device in hand that he used to bring back the flat woman. He glared darkly while Cassandra stared back at him, scared.
"The last human," he said in a deadly calm voice. There was a dark edge in his tone. One that sent a shiver down Madison's spin.
"So, you passed my little test. Bravo! This makes you eligible to join the . . . the Human Club," the woman spoke hurriedly, obviously trying to lie her way out of the situation she found herself in. It was a horrid attempt.
"People have died here, Cassandra. You murdered them," barked the Doctor angrily, his voice rising in ire.
"It depends on your definition of 'people'," Cassandra said snipply, rolling her eyes in response to the Doctor. "And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries! Take me to court then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and-."
"And creak?" The Doctor eyed the woman in disdain, raising a brow as they all heard a creaking, straining sound coming from her.
"And what?" Cassandra blinked, taken back. Madison could see the woman's blue eyes slowly growing red in irritation. The skin around her mouth tightened and wrinkled.
"Creak! You're creaking," said the Doctor, smiling briefly. The smile seemed wrong. Almost . . . sinister. Madison did not like that smile on him. It seemed so wrong. She stared between the flat woman and him, slowly starting to realise what he was doing. Or rather, what he was not doing.
"What?" Cassandra winced as her skin began tightening even more. "Ah! I'm drying out!" She grunted in pain as her face scrunched. "Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturise me! Moisturise me!" Cassandra continued to panic, beginning to plead for mercy. All the while the Doctor just stared on, unblinking. Madison couldn't stand it. She hurriedly, still wobbling on her feet, got up and went over to him.
"Stop it. She needs help," she said to him, urging for him to act.
"Everything has its time and everything dies," he replied evenly, eyes remaining fixedly on the woman before them.
"Yes, everything does. But this is cruel, so please, help her," she argued, shaking her head as she saw the flat woman shrinking in her metal frame. "Please, no one deserves to die like this."
The Doctor kept staring at the flat woman, refusing to meet Madison's eyes. "What, like no one deserved to burn up, dying in agony? She did that to them. It's only fair that she feels what they felt."
Madison wanted to keep arguing for the sake of the flat woman. But before she could continue to plead for the woman's life, even if she didn't deserve it, Cassandra let out one last scream before she ripped apart, pieces of her flying everywhere. Madison could only stand there, stunned by what had happened before she realised the Doctor had stomped off from the room, leaving them all there. It took her a second to truly process what had just happened. It made her wonder what sort of man that she was travelling with. If he could stand there and watch someone die a horrible death like it were nothing . . . what else was he capable of? It made her realise that she truly did not know this man at all, and it made her begin to question everything.
Could she really trust a man such as this with her greatest, most treasured, secret?
I know this chapter wasn't the greatest, but I hope it was still enjoyable. I do have other plans besides just the normal adventures. It's going to be a mix of canon and non-canon for this story.
Don't forget to leave a review. I'm really excited to see what everyone thinks.