Shareen vs the Universe

Gridlock

Thanks to LittleQueenx and littleorion for favouriting and following this story

Martha sat demurely on the TARDIS' jump seat while the Doctor flipped a few levers on the control console and Shareen lounged against her newly acquired pike. "Just one trip." the Doctor said, "'S'what I said. One trip in the TARDIS, and then home. Although... I s'pose we could stretch the definition."

"How 'bout a trip to the future?" Shareen suggested

"No complaints from me!" Martha said, thrilled at getting to travel in time for just a bit longer.

"How 'bout a different planet?" the Doctor prompted

"Can we go to yours?" Martha asked eagerly

The Doctor's cheerful disposition immediately ebbed away. "Ahh, there's plenty of other places." he said, turning away from Martha.

"Come on, though!" Martha pushed, "I mean, planet of the Time Lords, that's gotta be worth a look! What's it like?"

"Well, it's beautiful, yeah." the Doctor said shortly

"Is it like, ya know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?" Martha continued to push

"S'pose it is." the Doctor answered reluctantly, refusing to make eye contact with Martha.

"Great big temples and cathedrals." Martha continued obliviously

"Yeah."

"Lots of planets in the sky?"

"Martha..." Shareen began delicately, remembering the Doctor once saying that his planet was gone.

"The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shinin' under the twin suns." the Doctor said softly. "Beyond that, the mountains go on forever, sloped of deep red grass, capped with snow."

"Can we go there?" Martha asked, utterly enthralled and completely oblivious to the Doctor's sadness.

"Naaah! Where's the fun for me?" the Doctor said, bucking up suddenly. "I don't wanna go home. Instead..." He began to dash around the console, tweaking setting as he went. "This is much better. Year Five Billion an' Fifty-three, Planet New Earth! Second hope of Mankind! Fifty thousand light years, an' we're slap bang in the middle of New New York."

"Oh, not there again!" Shareen groaned, though neither the Doctor nor Martha heard her.

"Although, techinically it's the 15th New York since the original," the Doctor continued, "so it's New New New New..."

"Oh, don't start that again!" Shareen interrupted irritably, not at all happy at going back to New Earth.

"Temper temper." the Doctor chided lightly, retrieving his coat from the Y-beam he'd slung it over. He opened the door and ushered the women outside into a dingy alleyway in the middle of a pouring rain shower.

"Oh, that's nice!" Martha huffed, zipping her jacket up and pulling it over her head while Shareen pulled her hood up. "Time Lord version of dazzling."

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone." the Doctor said nonchalantly, yanking an arrow out of the door.

"Huh, easy for you to say, you've got trousers on!" Shareen grumbled. She hadn't had a chance to change clothes and so was still wearing the leggings she'd been wearing when they'd picked Martha up.

"Come on, let's get under cover." the Doctor said and led them down the alleyway.

The alleyway appeared to be in a rotten, uninviting slum, with rubbish strewn everywhere and tatty laundry swinging from lines. Presently, the trio reached cover. "Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me." Martha sassed. "On a Wednesday afternoon."

"Yeah, my old estate was nicer than this tip!" Shareen agreed

The Doctor noticed a screen on the wall nearby. "Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." he said and used his sonic screwdriver on the screen.

The screen flickered into static, so the Doctor gave it a good whack and the static cleared to show a traffic report. "... and the driving should be clear and easy, with 15 extra lanes open for the New New Jersey Expressway." the female reporter said, and the image shifted to show the superb, spired city of New New York, with hover cars zooming to and fro.

"Oh, that's more like it!" the Doctor said. "That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sorta undercity."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha scowled

"Much more interesting!" the Doctor said casually. "It's all cocktails an' glitter up there. This is the real city."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Cos' crime, drugs an' squalor are so much better!" Shareen grunted sarcastically, growing more and more annoyed by the second.

"Now, don't be so negative." the Doctor chided patronisingly. "See? The rain's stopping now." And he stepped out of cover, ready to move on.

Martha was about to follow when she realised something. "When you say 'last time', was that you and Rose?" she asked

"Um, yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah." the Doctor replied innocently.

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?" Martha glared

"What's wrong with that?" the Doctor asked, genuinely seeing no problem with doing just that. "Shareen was there too."

"Yeah, an' I got chased around a hospital by people carryin' the Black Death an' then got possessed by some stuck-up bitch." Shareen scowled. "Those are experiences I'm really keen to relive, you thoughtless git! Admit it, you've only come here cos' ya wanna pretend Martha's Rose!"

"Well, well, um..." the Doctor blustered, trying to think of an excuse to get out of this awkward situation. He had been trying to pretend Martha was Rose, but he didn't want to admit it.

The Doctor was let off the hook when a serving hatch suddenly popped open next to them. "Oh, you should've said." a male vendor said. "How long've you been there? Happy! You want happy!"

Another serving hatch opened. "Customers!" a female vendor shouted. "Customers! We've got customers!"

A third hatch opened to reveal another female vendor. "We're in business!" she said. "Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"

They all began talking over each other, brandishing packets with patches in them and touting them.

"No, thanks." the Doctor said to the man

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked

"I think they're sellin' moods." the Doctor replied

"Same thing, innit?" Shareen grunted

Just then, a young woman in rags came shuffling along the street. "Oi, over here, sweetheart." the third vendor called, "I'm the cheapest." The woman came over. "And what can I get you, love?"

"I want to buy forget." the woman answered

"I've got forget, my darling." the vendor replied. "What strength? How much do you want forgetting?"

"My mother and father went on the motorway." the woman replied

"Oh, that's a swine." the vendor said sympathetically. "Try this, forget 43, that's two credits." She handed the woman a patch while the woman paid up.

"Sorry, but, hold on a minute, what happened to ya parents?" the Doctor asked the woman

"They drove off." she replied

"They might drive back." the Doctor said stupidly

"Everyone always goes to the motorway in the end." the woman replied simply, "I've lost them."

"But they can't have gone far." the Doctor persisted, "You could find them."

The woman considered this for a moment, then went to put the patch on.

"No, no, don't!" the Doctor protested, but to no avail.

The woman put the patch on her neck and her sombre expression immediately changed to a much happier one. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she asked cheerfully

"Your parents. Your mother, ya father, they're on the motorway." the Doctor reminded

"Are they? That's nice." the woman said nonchalantly. "I'm sorry, I won't keep you." And she walked away

"So that's the Human race five billion years in the future." Martha said in disgust, "Off their heads on chemicals?"

"Still think this sh*thole is better than cocktails an' glitter, Peacock?" Shareen asked the Doctor sarcastically.

Before the Doctor could answer, two figures suddenly sprang out from behind Martha. One was a young man who grabbed Martha from behind, threw an arm around her neck and dragged her off while a young women stood in front of them pointing a gun at the Doctor and Shareen. Martha screamed and struggled, but they were too quick, and they retreated, taking Martha with them.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." the man said, "We need three, that's all."

"Get your hands off her!" Shareen demanded, "I don't know who ya are or what ya want, but let Martha go!"

"Whatever you want, I can help!" the Doctor tried to reason with the kidnappers. "All three of us, we can help. But first you've gotta let her go!"

But the kidnappers weren't listening. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." the woman said, keeping her gun trained on the Doctor and Shareen. "Sorry." She repeated her apologises until they had disappeared with Martha in their clutches, slamming a door shut behind them. A livid Shareen promptly began wrestling with the door until the Doctor unlocked it with his sonic screwdriver. Shareen yanked the door open, and they took off after the two kidnappers.

~8~

Meanwhile, the two kidnappers frogmarched Martha down some stairs and into a side yard, where a hovering vehicle reminiscent of a Volkswagen van was parked. "The Doctor is so gonna kill you, Shareen is too, and never mind them, I'm gonna kill ya myself! Let go of me!" Martha protested, trying to get out of the man's grip.

"Give her some sleep." the man told his partner, and she pulled out a patch similar to the ones the vendors were selling.

"Don't you dare!" Martha screamed, "Don't you dare put that thing on me!"

"It's just sleep 14, don't fight it." the woman told her and put the patch on Martha's neck, causing her to fall unconscious and allowing the kidnappers to bundle her into the van.

~8~

The Doctor and Shareen raced into the yard just in time to see the van take off. "MARTHA!" they yelled as the van sped away.

A furious Shareen promptly whirled round and punched the Doctor square in the jaw. "This is all your fault!" she thundered, "You brought us here just so ya could show off an' pretend Martha was Rose, an' now look what's happened! Are you bloody happy now, ya arrogant, uncaring, alien pr*ck?!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." the Doctor blustered, nursing his sore jaw. "I'll find her, I promise."

"You'd better." Shareen told him icily, "Or you won't have to worry about being the last of ya kind anymore! Now f*cking get on with it!"

~8~

The Doctor pounded on the shutters of one of the now-closed mood stalls until the vendors opened up. "Thought you two would come back." the third one said cheerfully. "Do you want some happy happy?"

"Who the hell where those people?!" Shareen demanded. She was on the warpath and wasn't going to stop until Martha was safe. "Where did they take Martha? Answer me!"

"They've taken her to the motorway." the first vendor called

"Looked like carjackers to me." the third vendor added

"I'd give up now, darlings." the second vendor piped in, "You won't see her again."

"Used to be thriving, this place." the first vendor remarked. "Ya couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end."

"He kept on sayin' three. 'We need three'. What did he mean, three?" the Doctor asked

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save on fuel." the third vendor explained, "Ye get special access if ye carrying three adults."

"The motorway, how do I get there?" the Doctor asked

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end, ye cannae miss it." the third vendor replied, and the Doctor and Shareen strode off in that direction, not losing a second. "Tell ye what, buy some happy happy, then you'll be smiling, my loves."

"You know what you can do with your happy!" Shareen snarled, striding on.

"Word of advice, all of you cash up, close down an' pack ya bags." the Doctor said darkly, turning back to face the vendors.

"Why's that then?" the third vendor asked

"Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well... and I will find her, alive an' well, then I'm coming back." the Doctor said darkly. "And this street is closing. Tonight!"

"Move it, Peacock!" Shareen called, and the Doctor hurried after her.

~8~

Martha awoke to find herself in the kidnappers' van. They were both too busy chatting to notice her. Martha managed to get the patch off her neck, then she noticed one the guns lying nearby. She grabbed it and pointed it at the woman, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. "Take me back." Martha demanded, "Whoever you are, just take me back to my friends, that's all I want." She moved her aim to the man, who was driving. "I won't cause any trouble, just take me back."

"I'm sorry, that's not a real gun." the woman remarked

"Yeah, well, ya would say that." Martha retorted

"Where do ya get a gun from these days?" the woman pointed out, "I wouldn't even know how to fire."

"No, nor me, ok." Martha muttered, lowering the gun.

"What's your name?" the woman asked

"Martha. Martha Jones."

"Well, I'm Cheen." the woman replied. "And this is Milo." she gestured to the man. "And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast lane, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off, and you can go back and find your friends."

"Seriously?" Martha questioned, still suspicious.

"I swear look. Honesty patch." Cheen gestured to a patch on her neck.

"All the same, it's still kidnapping!" Martha snapped, "Where are we, anyway?"

"We're on the motorway." Milo replied

"What's that, then, fog?" Martha asked, squinting out the windows.

"It's exhaust fumes." Cheen replied

"We're going out to Brooklyn." Milo explained, "Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy town."

"Well, cos' of me." Cheen pipped in, "I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's gonna be a boy."

"Right, what do I do now? Congratulate my kidnappers?" Martha remarked

"Oh, we're not kidnappers, not really." Cheen said

"No, you're idiots." Martha retorted, "You're having a baby and you're wearing that?!" She ripped Cheen's patch off. "Not anymore."

"We'll be as fast as we can." Milo tried to reassure Martha, "We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then, after that, it's gonna take a while cos' then there's no fast lane. Just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct."

"It's only ten miles." Cheen added

"How long's it gonna take?" Martha asked

"About six years." Cheen replied

Martha stared. "What?

"We'll be just time for him to start school." Cheen smiled, and she and Milo laughed

"No, sorry, hold on." Martha cut in, trying to make sense of things, "Six years?"

Cheen nodded.

"Ten miles in six years. How come?" Martha asked

~8~

The Doctor and Shareen had found the door giving access to the motorway and the Doctor was using his sonic screwdriver on the lock while Shareen paced impatiently. "Hurry up!" she demanded

The lock released with a loud clang and both time travellers forced the door open to find themselves on a platform overlooking the motorway. Shareen suddenly began to cough as an atmosphere of heavy smog greeted her. The smog was the exhaust fumes of several thousand hover vans, all hovering in the air in the most terrible traffic jam in the universe. It was like the M25 at rush hour, but a thousand times worse. Right in front of the time travellers, the door to one of the vans opened and a figure in protective gear leaned out. "Hey! You daft little street stuts!" the figure called, "What're you doing standing there? Either get out or come in, come on!"

The fumes weren't affecting the Doctor, thanks to his Time Lord respiratory bypass system, but Shareen was coughing fit to burst, so the Doctor decided it was wise to take sanctuary and they both climbed into the van.

"Did ya ever see the like?" the figure remarked as he shut the door. Meanwhile, a dark-haired Human woman in the van handed Shareen a respirator. "Here you go." the woman said as Shareen took the respirator gratefully.

"Just standing there, breathing it in." the figure remarked, removing his goggles, scarf and aviator's cap. He was a cat, just like the Sisters of Plenitude. "There's this story says back in the old days on junction 47, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid 20 minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to 50 feet."

"Oh, you're making it up." the woman scoffed

"A 50ft head!" the cat remarked, sitting down in the driver's seat. "Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose!"

"Stop it, that's disgusting." the woman snorted

"What? Did you never pick your nose?" the cat retorted

"Bran, we're moving." the woman perked up suddenly

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." the cat replied, taking the controls. The van moved forward for a very short distance then came to a stop again. "20 yards. We're having a good day." the cat said cheerfully, then turned to regard his two new passengers. The Doctor was standing behind them while Shareen was taking much-needed breaths of oxygen from the respirator. "And who might you two be? This one's very well dressed for a hitchhiker." the Cat remarked, noting the Doctor's suit.

"Thanks." the Doctor replied. "Sorry, I'm the Doctor and this is Shareen." He indicated Shareen, who gave a small wave as she couldn't speak with the respirator on.

"Medical man!" the cat laughed. "My name's Thomas Kincaid Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."

"Nice to meet you." the woman smiled

"And that's the rest of the family behind ya." Brannigan added, gesturing to a curtain behind the Doctor who pulled it open to reveal five little kittens sitting in a basket.

"Aw, that's nice." the Doctor smiled

"They're adorable." Shareen said, taking the respirator off and going over to pet the kittens.

"How old are they?" the Doctor asked, picking up a black kitten

"Just two months." Valerie replied, stroking the kitten.

"Poor little souls, they've never known the ground beneath their paws." Brannigan sighed, "Children of the motorway."

"What, they were born in here?" the Doctor asked

"We couldn't stop." Valerie explained, "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island, thought we'd take a chance."

"What, you've been driving for two months?" the Doctor questioned

"Do I look like a teenager?" Brannigan laughed. "We've been driving for 12 years now."

"What?!" Shareen stared

"Yeah, started out as newlyweds. Feels like yesterday." Brannigan replied cheerfully

"Feels like 12 years to me." Valerie retorted

"Ah, sweetheart, but ya still lovely." Brannigan laughed

"But 12 years?" the Doctor questioned. "How far have ya come? Where did ya start?"

"Battery Park, five miles back." Brannigan replied and tickled Valerie, who giggled, their troubles forgotten.

"W-wait, you've only gone five miles in 12 years?!" Shareen stared, "Why? I mean, why's it taken so long just to go five miles?"

"I think they're a bit slow." Brannigan remarked to his wife.

"Where're you two from?" Valerie asked as the Doctor put the kitten back in the basket.

"Doesn't matter, we're not stayin'." Shareen said, "We've gotta rescue our friend."

"She's in one of these cars." the Doctor explained, "She's been taken hostage. We should get back to the TARDIS." He pulled the door open, only to find that the van was no longer near the platform.

"You're too late for that, we've passed the lay-by." Brannigan told him as he closed the door again. "You're passengers now."

"When's the next lay-by?" the Doctor asked urgently

"Oh, six months." Brannigan replied

"Six months?!" Shareen spluttered, "Cosmic. Cos-bloody-mic! You happy now, Peacock?" she asked the Doctor sarcastically, still angry with him for getting them in this predicament in the first place.

~8~

"How many cars are out there?" Martha wandered as Milo drove them lower and lower.

"I don't think anyone knows." Cheen replied, then reached for something. "There we go, hungry?" She offered Martha something that looked like a thin biscuit.

"Oh, thanks." Martha took it and sat down. "How far down is it to this fast lane?" she asked

"That's right at the bottom, below the traffic jam." Milo replied, "Not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumour has it that you can reach up to 30 mph!"

"Wow, that's like, crazy." Martha replied sarcastically, "But how are you supposed to live inside this thing, it's tiny."

"Oh, we stocked up." Cheen replied, "We've got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, and there's a chemical toilet at the back. And all waste products are recycled as food."

Martha promptly stopped eating her biscuit. "Ok!" she muttered, tossing it away in disgust.

"Another gap this is brilliant!" Milo said suddenly, then grabbed a CB. "Car four-six-five Diamond six on descent to fast lane, thank you very much."

"Please drive safely." an automated voice answered.

~8~

Meanwhile, the Doctor had soniced the computer screen in Brannigan's van and was attempting to contact the New New York Police Department. "I need to talk to the police." he said urgently into the transmitter.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." an automated voice replied

"But you're the police!" the Doctor protested

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." the automated voice repeated

"Gah! Stupid police, useless as always!" Shareen grumbled

The Doctor scrambled up to the front of the van where Brannigan and Valerie were still sitting. "Is there anyone else?" he asked them. "I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now ain't you lordly?" Brannigan scoffed

"Oi! Our friend's in danger!" Shareen scowled, "Are ya gonna help us or just make snide remarks?!"

"You can't make outside calls, the motorway's completely enclosed." Valerie explained. "Not even your sonic device could fix that."

"What about the other cars?" the Doctor tried

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah." Brannigan replied. "Well, some of them, anyway. They've gotta be on your friends list. Now, let's see, who's nearby?" He turned to a screen on the dashboard. "Ah, the Cassini sisters." He pressed a button and grabbed his CB transmitter. "Be still ya hearts, my handsome girls, it's Brannigan here.

The screen showed two elderly women in another van. One was driving, while the other was knitting in the back. "Get off the line, Brannigan, you're a pest and a menace." the driver said with a small smile.

"Oh, come on now, sisters, is that anyway to talk an old friend?" Brannigan retorted

"You know full well we're not sisters, we're married." the woman answered back

"Oh, stop that modern talk, I'm an old-fashioned cat." Brannigan said. "Now, I've got a couple of hitchhikers here, call themselves the Doctor and Shareen." He handed the transmitter over to the Doctor.

"Hello. Sorry." the Doctor said into the transmitter. "We're looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but we don't know which one."

"Wait a minute." the other Cassini said, picking up a notebook. "Could I ask, which entrance did they use?"

"Where were we?" the Doctor asked Brannigan

"Pharmacy town." the cat replied

"Pharmacy town, about 20 minutes ago." the Doctor told the Cassnis.

"Let's have a look." the 2nd Cassini said, looking through her book.

"Just my luck to marry a carspotter." the first Cassini remarked

"In the last half-hour, 53 new cars joined at the Pharmacy Town junction." the second Cassini announced

"Anything more specific?" the Doctor asked

"All in good time. Was she car-jacked by two people?"

"Yes, she was, yeah."

"There we are, just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had at least three on board. And the car number is 4-5-6 Diamond 6."

"That's it! So how do we find them?"

"Ah, now there, I can't help, I'm afraid."

"Can we call 'em on this thing?" Shareen asked Brannigan. "We've got their number now."

"Not if they're designated fast lane." Brannigan replied. "It's a different class."

"You could try the police." the second Cassini suggested

"We did, but the gits just put us on hold." Shareen grunted

"You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else." the first Cassini said

"Thank you." the Doctor said begrudgingly and handed Brannigan back the transmitter.

~8~

Meanwhile, Martha's van was continuing it's descent towards the fast lane. "D'ya see?" Milo pointed to his screen, "Another 10 layers to go, an' we're scorching."

Suddenly, a faint grinding roar sounded from somewhere beneath them. "What's that?" Martha frowned as the noise sounded again. "It's coming from underneath."

"It's that noise, isn't it?" Cheen asked Milo, "It's like Kate said. The stories, they're true.

"What stories?" Martha asked

"It's just the sound of the air vents, that's all." Milo waved the noise off. "The exhaust fumes travel down to the base of the tunnel. They got air vents."

"No, but the stories are much better." Cheen piped in, "They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. Cos' there's something living down there, in the smoke. Something huge. And hungry. And if you get lost on the road, it's waiting for you."

They were silent for a moment, the roar filling the air. "Like I said, air vents." Milo spoke up, "Going down to the next layer."

"Except, look out there." Martha said, gesturing to the thick smog outside. "Does it look like the air vents are working?"

"No." Cheen murmured, becoming a bit unsettled as the roaring sounded again.

"So what's that then?" Martha asked Milo

Milo was silent for a moment, trying to comprehend what the noise was. "Nah, kid's stuff." he said at last, and grabbed his CB transmitter. "Car 4-6-5 Diamond 6 on descent."

~8~

"We've got to go to the fast lane." the Doctor said to Brannigan. "Take us down."

"Not in a million years." Brannigan said hastily

"You've got four passengers!"

"I'm still not going."

"My friend's down there." Shareen said. "She's been kidnapped and we've gotta help her. Brannigan, please, take us down!"

"That's a no, and that's final." Valerie said firmly. "I'm not risking the children down there."

"Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?" the Doctor asked

"We're not discussing it. The conversation's closed." Valerie said obstinately

"So ya refusin' to help us. Is that it?" Shareen scowled

"Now, that's not we're saying." Brannigan tried to pacify her. "When we get to the next lay-by, we'll drop you both off, and you can sort it out then."

"We can't wait six f*cking months!" Shareen nearly exploded. "Martha's in danger and we have to help her now!"

"I'm sorry, but it's the best we can do." Brannigan said firmly

"Yeah, well, it's not good enough!" Shareen snapped and sat down in the back of the van in a huff.

The Doctor reached over Brannigan to grab the CB transmitter. "Mrs Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first." the first Cassini replied. "It's been 23 years now."

"But in all that time, have ya ever seen a police car?"

"I'm not sure." the second Cassini replied

"Look at your notes. Any police?"

"Not as such."

"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? Ever?"

"I can't keep a note of everything."

"What if there's no one out there?" the Doctor said darkly

Brannigan took the transmitter away from the Doctor. "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour." he scolded

"Someone's gotta ask." the Doctor said bluntly. "Cos' you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes. What if the traffic jam never stops?"

"There's a whole city above us. The mighty city state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us." Brannigan said

"In that case, where are they, hmm?" the Doctor asked rhetorically. "What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars goin' round an' round an' round, never stopping? Forever."

"Oh, shut up, Peacock. No one cares what you think." Shareen cut in angrily, fed up with the Doctor's know-it-all attitude. "And if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!"

At that moment, the screen came on, showing the presenter they'd seen in Pharmacy Town. "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

"You think you know us so well, Doctor?" Brannigan grunted. "We're not abandoned, not while we have each other."

"This is for all of you out there on the roads." Sally Calypson continued, "We're so sorry. Drive safe."

A ancient hymn began to play and Brannigan and Valerie began to sing along to it. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Shareen grumbled, putting her fingers in her ears.

~8~

The same hymn was playing in Milo and Cheen's van too, with Milo and Cheen also singing along to it.

When the hymn finished, the computer sprang to life again. "Fast lane access, please drive safely."

"We made it. The fast lane." Milo grinned, and the van descended towards the fast lane.

~8~

The Doctor decided he'd done enough standing around and doing nothing for one day. "If you won't take me, I'll go on my own." he said and scrambled to the centre of the van to inspect the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan stared

"Finding my own way. I usually do." the Doctor replied and opened a hatch in the floor with his sonic screwdriver. Down below were hundreds of vans stuck in the traffic jam. "Here we go." the Doctor said as he prepared to jump, "Shareen, you stay here. I'll back for you."

"No chance, Peacock. I'm comin' with ya." Shareen said, joining him by the hatch.

"Shareen..." the Doctor began to argue

"If you think I'm sittin' in this tin can listenin' to them singing stupid hyms, you've got another thing coming, mate." Shareen told him firmly. "I'm coming with you, end of discussion."

Seeing that he wasn't going to get his own way, the Doctor conceded. He took off his coat and threw it to Brannigan and Valerie. "Look after this." he told them. "I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"But you can't jump!" Valerie pointed out

"Got no choice, cos' you're refusin' to help us." Shareen retorted. "We've gotta get to Martha somehow, and this is the only way."

"This Martha, she must mean an awful lot to you both." Brannigan noted

"Hardly know her." the Doctor replied. "I was too busy showing off..."

"And trying to pretend she's Rose." Shareen said bitingly.

"Well, yes." the Doctor admitted. "And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied. Bye then!" And he jumped down, landing on top of the van below.

"He's completely insane!" Valerie stared

"That, and a bit magnificent!" Brannigan laughed

"Don't tell him that, it'll make him worse than ever!" Shareen said, then got ready to jump herself. "See ya!" And she jumped through the hatch, landing next to the Doctor. "Blimey! It's worse than the Rotherhithe Tunnel in here!" she remarked as she coughed on the exhaust fumes.

The Doctor meanwhile soniced the roof hatch of the van they'd landed on and they both jumped inside. The driver was a white-skinned man. "Who the hell are you?" he stared

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. We're doin' a survey." the Doctor replied. "How're you enjoying your motorway?" He turned to the floor and soniced open the hatch.

"Well, not very much." the driver replied. "Junction Five's been closed for three years!"

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day." the Doctor said and leapt through the open hatch onto the roof of the van below. Shareen followed and they entered that van. The occupants were two very startled Asian girls. "Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day." the Doctor told them.

Shareen meanwhile was coughing badly from all the exhaust fumes she'd breathed in. "Mind if I borrow this?" she wheezed, taking a blue handkerchief and tying it over her mouth as a makeshift mask.

The Doctor opened the floor hatch and he and Shareen jumped onto the roof of the van below, then the Doctor opened the roof hatch and they scrambled inside. This time, the occupants were a nudist couple. "Oh! Don't mind us." the Doctor said, and they jumped onto the next van and entered it to find a red-skinned man as the occupant. The Doctor gave him a salute and he and Shareen jumped onto the van below.

~8~

Meanwhile, Milo and Cheen had found that the exit from the fast lane they wanted was closed. "Try again." Cheen suggested

Milo pressed a switch on his screen. "Brooklyn turn-off one closed." an automated voice announced

"Try the next one." Cheen said, getting nervious.

Milo tried turn-off two, but got the same result.

"Oh, what do we do?" Cheen panicked

"We keep going round, we do the whole loop." Milo reasoned, "By the time we come back round, they'll be open."

Then they heard the grinding roar again. "Ya still calling that air vents?" Martha asked uneasily.

"What else could it be?" Milo answered back

The roar sounded again, and this time the van shook. "What the hell is that?" Cheen asked, frightened.

"It's just the hydraulics." Milo tried to reason

"Sounds like it's alive." Martha said

"It's all exhaust fumes out there, nothing could breathe that." Milo told her

At that moment, a woman's voice came over the CB. "Calling car 4-5-6 Diamond 6."

"This is 4-5-6 Diamond 6." Milo answered, "Who's that? Where are you?"

"I'm in the fast lane, about 50 yards behind." the woman answered, "Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?"

"We only have permission to go down, we need the Brooklyn flyover."

"It's closed, go back up."

"We can't. We'll just go round."

"Don't you understand? They're closed, they're ALWAYS closed" the woman said urgently, "We're stuck down here, and there's something else. Out there in the fog, can't you HEAR it?"

"That's the air vents." Milo insisted

"Jehovah! What are you, some stupid kid?! Get of here!" the woman said urgently, then screams sounded over the CB.

"What was that?" Milo called

"We can't move!" the woman answered, sounding terrified now, "They've got us!"

"But what's happening?" Milo asked

Martha decided she'd had enough of Milo's cluelessness and grabbed the CB transmitter. "What's got you? What is it?" she asked

The woman yelled something, but none of the trio could understand it, then came more screaming.

"Hello?!" Milo called, taking the transmitter back.

"JUST DRIVE, YOU IDIOTS! GET OUT OF HERE! GET OUT!" the woman screamed

"Can you hear me? Hello?!" Milo called, starting to get unnerved.

"Just drive, do as she says! Get us out of here!" Martha hollered to him

"But where?"

"Straight ahead and fast!"

"What is it? What's out there? What is it?" Cheen sobbed

~8~

A businessman in a pinstripe suit and bowler hat leaned against the steering wheel of his van, staring out at the gridlock in front when the roof hatch suddenly opened, and the Doctor and Shareen jumped down. "Excuse me, is that legal?" the man asked them.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." the Doctor waved him off.

Shareen removed her handkerchief, wheezing and coughing. "Haven't got anything to drink, have ya?" she choked.

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." the man said, reaching over to a water cooler on the dashboard. He filed a paper cup with water and handed it to Shareen, who drained it immediately.

"Is this the last layer?" the Doctor asked

"We're right at the bottom." the man replied. "Nothing below us except the fast lane."

"Can we drive down?" the Doctor asked, "There's three of us."

"No way I'm going down there!" the man replied hastily

"Oh, for God's sake, why is everyone refusing to help us?" Shareen grumbled

The Doctor meanwhile ran over to the floor hatch and opened it with his sonic screwdriver. "You can't jump, it's a thousand feet down!" the man pointed out

"No, I just wanna look." the Doctor replied and peered out into a murky fog dotted with tiny lights. Faintly, from the distance, came the grinding roaring noise. "What's that noise?" the Doctor frowned

"I try not to think about it." the man said nervously

"What're those lights?" Shareen wandered, "What's down there?"

"I just need to see." the Doctor muttered, running up to the screen on the van's dashboard and pointing his sonic screwdriver at it. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze." He then opened a panel beneath the dashboard and soniced the wiring. "That's it! Might shift the fumes, give us a good look."

"It's working." Shareen called, "The fog's clearin'."

The Doctor and the man joined her by the hatch, and they looked down below. "What're those shapes?" the man wandered

As the fumes cleared, they all saw huge snapping claws. "They're alive." the Doctor realised

As the last of the fumes cleared, they saw that the claws belonged to enormous black crab-like creatures. "What the hell are those things?!" Shareen stared

"Macra." the Doctor said with deadly recognition.

~8~

Meanwhile, Milo, Cheen and Martha could see the Macra now too. "Go faster!" Cheen hollered as Macra lunged at their van.

"I'm at top speed." Milo answered back as he weaved and dodged the snapping claws. He tried to go up, but the controls wouldn't allow him, due to having no permission. "But this is an emergency!" he hollered into the CB. He then tried contacting the police, but only ended being placed on hold.

Suddenly, Martha had a flash of inspiration. "Turn everything off!" she ordered

"You've gotta be joking!" Milo answered back

"Listen, it's all fog out there, so how can they see us?" Martha pointed out, "Maybe it's the engines, the sound or the heat, or the light, I don't know. Turn everything off, and they might not be able to find us."

"What if you're wrong?"

The van shuddered as a claw just missed them. "It can't be worse than this, just do it!" Martha hollered

Milo did so. He flipped switched on the dashboard and the van's systems shut down. As Martha hoped, the Macra stopped clawing at them and the roaring receded.

"They've stopped." Cheen breathed in relief

"Yeah, but they're still out there." Milo pointed out

"How did you think of that?" Cheen asked Martha

"Saw it on a film." Martha replied. "They used to do it in submarines. Trouble is, I can't remember what they did next."

"Well, you'd better thing of something, cos' we've the lost the air con." Milo told her, "If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe."

"How long have we got?" Martha asked

"Eight minutes, maximum." Milo replied grimly.

~8~

"The Macra used to be the scourge of the galaxy." the Doctor explained to Shareen and the man. "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using Humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

"They don't look like empire-builders to me." the man remarked

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions." the Doctor replied. "They must've devolved down the years an' now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry."

"Doctor, Martha's down there with those things." Shareen reminded urgently

Suddenly, the van's roof hatch opened again, and a pair of legs appeared in the opening. "Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness' sake." the man grumbled

"We've invented a sport." the Doctor remarked as a cat woman in nun's habits dropped into the van.

"Doctor, Miss Costello, you're hard people to find." the nun remarked

"No guns, I'm not having guns." the man said, pointing to the rifle the nun was holding.

"I only brought this in case of pirates." the nun told him, then turned to the time travellers. "Doctor, Miss Costello, you've both got to come with me."

"Do I know you?" Shareen frowned

"Neither of you have aged at all." the nun said. "Time has been less kind to me."

Then the penny dropped. "Novice Hame!" the Doctor realised and moved to hug the nun when he suddenly remembered something else. "No, hold on. Last time we met, you were breedin' Humans for experimentation." he said severely

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years under his guidance." Hame replied sincerely. "And if you two come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."

"We're not goin' anywhere. You've got Macra livin' under this city, Macra!" the Doctor said. "And if our friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!"

"You've got to come with me right now!" Hame insisted

"No chance!" Shareen retorted. "You're coming with us! You can convince Mr Benn here to take us down."

"I'm sorry, but the situation is even worse than the Doctor can imagine." Hame told her, then grabbed both time travellers' wrists and pressed a button on a wristband she was wearing. "Transport." she ordered

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" the Doctor said, but it was too late. The Doctor, Hame and Shareen all disappeared in a haze of white light as the man could only look on in bewilderment.

~8~

The Doctor, Shareen and Hame all reappeared in a large, yet unkempt room that was covered in dust with junk everywhere and streams of sunlight flooding in irregularly. "Oh, rough teleport." the Doctor grumbled as he picked himself up. "But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha."

"I only had the power for one trip." Hame told him

"Well, get some more then!" Shareen retorted

"Where are we?" the Doctor asked, looking around.

"Good, cos' you can tell the senate of New New York I'd like a word." the Doctor said darkly. "They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway, millions!"

"But you're inside the senate, right now." Hame told him. She pressed another button on her wristband which caused the lights in the room to turn on and reveal that they were in a vast chamber with rows of seats, all occupied by skeletons. "May the goddess Santori bless them." Hame said sadly. "They died, Doctor, the city died."

"How long's it been like this?" the Doctor asked

"24 years." Hame replied

The Doctor knelt down beside a skeleton on the floor. "All of 'em? Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical, a new mood. They called it Bliss." Hame explained, pulling a mood patch off the skeleton's neck. "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished, even the virus in the end. It killed the world in several minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

"So the whole thing down there is runnin' on automatic?" the Doctor asked, struck by the urgency of the situation.

"There's not enough power to get them out." Hame said, "We did all we could to keep the system from choking."

"Who's 'we'?" Shareen questioned

"How did you survive?" the Doctor added

"He protected me." Hame answered. "And he has waited for you, these long years."

"Doctor." a familiar voice spoke telepathically

Recognising the voice, the Doctor dashed around the corner to find an old friend. "The Face of Boe!" he recognised, kneeling down in front of Boe like he did at the hospital the last time they'd met.

"I knew you would come." Boe rasped

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse." Hame explained, "As penance for my sins."

"Old friend, what happened to you?" the Doctor asked Boe softly

"Failing." Boe replied

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke." Hame said. "But with no one to maintain it, the city's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them." the Doctor realised

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his lifeforce just to keep things running."

"Couldn't you've called for help?" Shareen suggested.

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe." Hame replied. "The automatic quarantine lasts for 100 years."

"So the two of you stayed here. On ya own, for all these years." the Doctor sighed as he stood up and went over to Hame.

"We had no choice." Hame said

The Doctor reached out to her and touched her shoulder. "Yes, you did."

"Save them, Doctor. Save them all." Boe rasped

~8~

"How much air's left?" Cheen asked

"Two minutes." Milo replied

"There's always the Doctor." Martha said, not ready to give up just yet. "That friend of mine. He might think of something."

"Martha, no one's coming." Milo sighed in defeat

"He looked kinda nice." Cheen remarked

"He's a bit more than that." Martha said

"Are you and him...?"

"No, I've only just met him." Martha replied. "Shareen too."

"I never even asked, where's home?" Cheen asked

"A long way away. I didn't really think, I just followed them, and my family don't even know where I am. If I died here, they'd never know." Martha realised

"So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?" Milo asked

"I don't know." Martha replied. "Well, not really. There's so much he never says."

"But that means that... the only hope, right now... is a complete stranger." Cheen said. "Well, that's no use."

"It is, though." Martha replied, "Because you haven't seen the things he can do. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got the Doctor."

"Right." Milo said, switching the van's power back on, "Good luck."

"And you." Martha replied, and Milo began piloting the van again, trying to avoid the Macra as they renewed their attack.

~8~

In the senate building, the Doctor and Shareen were both looking at a screen, which was showing the vehicles on the motorway. "Car 4-5-6 Diamond 6, it still registers!" the Doctor said in relief

"That's our Martha." Shareen smiled. "Now can we see about getting her outta there?"

"Hold that in place." the Doctor said, handing her a piece of thick tubing. Once she had it, he ran along it's length to a junction box. "Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds."

"There isn't enough power." Hame pointed out

"Oh, you've got power. You've got me!" the Doctor replied, sprinting over to a computer terminal on the wall. "I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." He turned back to his companion. "Shareen, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" he ordered, and Shareen did so while the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver on the console. "I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." he said.

"So what're you going to do?" Hame asked

"This." the Doctor said, pulling a lever, only for all the power to give out. "No, no, no, no!" the Doctor groaned.

"Well?" Shareen said impatiently

The Doctor knelt down on the floor and aimed his sonic screwdriver at another set of controls. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through." he groaned

"Doctor..." Boe called

"Yeah, hold on, not now." the Doctor waved him off

"I give you my last..." Boe rasped, and all the power came back on

"Hame, look after him!" the Doctor called, realising what Boe had done. "Don't go dyin' on me, ya big ol' face, you've gotta see this!" He ran over to the lever he'd been at before and pulled it. "The open road, ha!"

~8~

A tremendous clanking sounded in the motorway, scaring the daylights out of all the drivers. Then, a gap formed above the gridlock of vans as the overhead doors began to open, letting sunlight pour into the motorway until it was completely open to the elements. In Brannigan's van, the cat began to laugh ecstatically. "It's the sun!" Valerie gasped in delight, "Oh, Brannigan!" She picked up the basket of kittens. "Children, it's the sunlight!"

Then the monitor came to life to show the Doctor's face. "Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram." he said. "My name's the Doctor."

"He's a magician." Brannigan laughed.

"And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now." the Doctor ordered

"Is he serious?" Brannigan questioned

"I've opened the roof of the motorway, c'mon!" the Doctor said. "Throttle those engines, drive up, all of you. The whole under-city, drive up, drive up, drive up! We've gotta clear that fast lane. Drive up an' get outta the way!"

~8~

On the fast lane, Milo was doing his best to avoid the Macra when the screen flashed on to show the Doctor. "Oi, car 4-5-6 Diamond 6. Martha, drive up!"

"That's the Doctor!" Martha laughed in relief

"We can't go up, we'll hit the layer!" Milo protested

"Do as he says, go up!" Martha ordered

"You've got access above, now go!" the Doctor added

Milo did so. He pulled the van up, away from the Macra, through the now empty motorway and out into the open air above. "It's daylight." Cheen breathed, "Oh my God, that's the sky. The real sky!"

"He did it!" Martha screamed with laugher. "I told you, he did it!"

Milo and Cheen kissed each other in relief.

~8~

In the Senate building, the Doctor and Shareen stood by the window watching the vans flying up out of the motorway and into the city. "Did I tell ya, Doctor? You're not bad, sir. You're not bad at all!" an ecstatic Brannigan said over the radio

"You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up!" the Doctor told him,"Cos' it's here, just waitin' for ya. The City of New New York, an' it's yours. And don't forget, I want that coat back."

"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir." Brannigan replied

"And car 4-5-6 diamond 6, I've sent you a flight path." the Doctor said to Martha's van. "Come to the Senate."

"On my way!" Martha answered cheerfully

"Glad to hear your voice again, Martha." Shareen smiled

"Doctor!" Hame called urgently, and the Doctor turned to see Boe's tank starting to crack.

~8~

A few minutes later, Martha ran happily into the Senate building, only to stop in her tracks at the sight of the skeletons. "Doctor? Shareen?" she called

"We're over here, Martha." Shareen's voice called back, and Martha rushed over to where the Doctor, Shareen and Hame were all kneeling beside Boe, who had fallen out of his shattered tank.

"What happened? Who's that?" Martha asked

"This is the Face of Boe. It's alright." the Doctor answered. "Come say hello. An' this is Hame, she's a cat, don't worry."

Martha approached Boe

"He's the one who saved you, not me." the Doctor told her

"My lord gave his life to save the city." Hame said sadly, "And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that. Not ol' Boe." the Doctor encouraged, "Plenty of life left."

"It's good to breath the air once more." Boe wheezed

"Who is he?" Martha asked

"I don't even know." the Doctor replied. "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years." He turned to Boe. "Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now.

"Everything has it's time." Boe replied weakly. "You know that, old friend, better than most."

"The legend says more." Hame reminded

"Don't, there's no need for that." the Doctor told her

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller."

"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much." Boe said. "Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours, Doctor."

"That's why we have to survive." the Doctor pressed. "Both of us. Don't go."

"I must." Boe replied. "But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

The Doctor could only stare, uncomprehending, as Boe's eyes closed for the last time. Martha and Shareen looked on with respect as Hame began to sob.

~8~

A little later, the Doctor, Shareen and Martha were walking through the alleyway where they'd met the pharmacists which was now deserted. "All closed down." the Doctor noted

"Ya happy now, Peacock?" Shareen asked

"Happy happy." the Doctor replied. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs, cats in charge. C'mon, time we were off." And he began to stroll off back towards the TARDIS.

"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha asked, staying put.

"Yeah, he said, 'You're not alone.' What's he mean by that?" Shareen added

The Doctor turned back to them. "I don't know." he tried to wave them off.

"You've got us." Martha said, pointing between herself and Shareen. "Is that what he meant?"

"I don't think so." the Doctor replied

"Oh, that's nice!" Shareen huffed

"Then what?" Martha pushed

"Doesn't matter." the Doctor dismissed her. "Back to the TARDIS, off we go." He turned and began to walk away again but Martha grabbed a fallen chair next to her and sat down on it, folding her arms and sitting primly. The Doctor heard her and turned around again. "Alright, you stayin'?" he asked dryly.

"Till you talk to me properly, yes." Martha retorted

"Right with ya, Martha." Shareen said, grabbing another discarded chair and sitting down next to Martha. "C'mon, Peacock, spill. I heard ya tell Rose that you were the last of your kind and you told the spider lady that your planet's gone, but you've told me an' Martha nothing. Well, not anymore. We wanna know."

"It really doesn't matter." the Doctor tried to wave them off

"Yes, it does." Shareen retorted

"You don't talk." Martha added, "You never say! Why not?"

Then, they all heard voices singing a hymn from above. "Here we go again." Shareen rolled her eyes.

"It's the city. They're singing." Martha realised

The Doctor listened to the hymn for a moment then decided to bite the bullet. "I lied to you, cos' I liked it." he admitted to Martha, "I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky. I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

"What happened?" Martha asked quietly

The Doctor grabbed another chair and sat opposite the two women. "There was a war. The Time War. The last Great Time War." he said

"Ah, against the Daleks?" Shareen pressed

"Yes." the Doctor confirmed. "We fought against the Daleks for the sake of all creation. And they lost. The Daleks lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should've seen it, that old planet." he sighed, remembering Galifrey. "The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song..."

~8~

Later, Shareen was back in the TARDIS, practising her football skills in a room with a football pitch that the TARDIS had thoughtfully provided for her. She'd just scored a practise goal when she heard a familiar voice, "Oh, nice goal!" And Shareen turned to see the Doctor in the doorway.

"Yeah, well, practice makes perfect." Shareen shrugged.

"Where's Martha?" the Doctor asked

"Having a kip in my room." Shareen replied, "It's very tiring getting kidnapped in alien pigsties."

"Yeah." the Doctor said awkwardly. "Um, are we good now?"

"That depends." Shareen replied coolly.

"On what?"

"On if ya gonna keep comparin' me to Rose at every chance you get and if you're gonna keep pretendin' Martha's Rose, cos' if you are, then we're not good." Shareen told him bluntly

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." the Doctor admitted. "I'll try to stop it. It's just... I miss Rose."

"And d'ya think I don't?" Shareen retorted, "She was my friend too. I knew her long before you did. We were best friends since we were both four. Heck, she was more of a sister to me than my actual sister was. And yet ya don't see me goin' around comparing other people to her and pretendin' they're her, do ya?"

"I'm sorry." the Doctor sighed, realising that Shareen was right and that he had no right to act as if he was the only person upset by the loss of Rose.

"So ya should be." Shareen said. "Cos' let me tell you something, Peacock, I had enough of being made to feel second-best by my parents, thank you very much."

"Is that why you fell out with them?" the Doctor asked

"What, Rose didn't tell ya?"

"Well, no." the Doctor admitted, "All she said about you was that you an' her used to skip school to look at boys."

"Hmm, good times." Shareen smiled in reminiscence. "Ok, well, if you really wanna know all about me... first of all, my surname's not actually Costello. It's Whitland. My parents are Alfie and Hayden Whitland and I've got an older sister, Zara. Unfortunately, mom and dad only wanted one kid and they got it perfect with Zara. She's the good lookin' one, an' the one who got all of their love. I was just an unwanted accident and they never let me forget it. God, the only people in my family who love me are my nan an' gramp."

"The ones who live in Tenriffe?" the Doctor pressed

"Yeah. Well, they lived in London till I was 14." Shareen replied, "Things weren't so bad back then, as I used to stop round theirs and not have to put up with mom an' dad treatin' me like rubbish and Zara rubbing it in my face that they loved her more than me. Then nan and gramp emigrated and I had no escape. Honestly, if it wasn't for Rose, I'd have gone crazy." she grunted. "When I was a teenager, mom and dad just wouldn't leave me alone. Day after day they'd tell me that I wasn't as good as Zara and that I'd amount to nothing. God, it drove me mad! I mean, when Zara was 18, they all went off to New York for a week and they didn't take me with 'em. When I was 18, did I get a trip to New York? Huh, no chance! I got nothing! Course, I knew they wouldn't give me anything, so Rose an' I were gonna go to a concert up the West End. But then Zara grasses on me, dad rips up my ticket and calls me an 'ungrateful waste of his sperm'. That was the last straw for me, so I knocked his teeth out, told the three of 'em what they could do an' left home."

"So that's why you live alone?"

"Yeah. Well, I stayed with Rose and Jackie for a while first, until I had enough to get my own flat."

"I'm sorry." the Doctor sighed, realising that Rose had had it easy compared to Shareen. "I never knew."

"That's cos' it's none of your business." Shareen retorted, "I don't exactly like tellin' people that my parents don't love me."

"Alright, I'm sorry I've not been the best person to be with." the Doctor said earnestly. "Let's start again. Welcome aboard, Shareen Costello. I'm the Doctor. I'm 902 years old and I'm a Time Lord from Galifrey."

"Nice to meet ya, Peacock." Shareen retorted, "Now, if ya done listenin' to my backstory, I'm gonna go to bed myself. Night!"

"Goodnight." the Doctor nodded as Shareen left the room and headed off down the corridor to turn in.

Author's notes: And that's the return to New Earth completed. It was fun writing Shareen in this episode, as she got to punch the Doctor for his atrocious attitude and generally be very snarky and irritable. Shareen has a bit of a temper and that is very evident in this episode. I really disliked how the Doctor is in this episode, so I had Shareen punch him for it! I also revealed the cause of Shareen's fallout with her parents. I find it hard to integrate OCs' families into stories, so I generally have them either dead in the case of Gazelle and Chelsea, living in the past in Iris' case, and in Shareen's case, estranged. As for if the Whitlands will turn up eventually, I don't know yet, so we'll see. So, hope you liked this chapter and hope to see ya next time for the return of the Daleks.