A/N: Thanks so much for your continued support! Hope you enjoy this one, as I've added a bit of original stuff before and after. Please, please, PLEASE leave a review and let me know what you think?!
Season Three: "Gridlock"
The Doctor was in the control room alone, humming. He hadn't felt like humming in several regenerations now, and it rather pleased him when he realized he was doing it. Rose and Martha were exploring the wardrobe, and when he'd gone to the door to see how they were doing, they had been sitting in the floor each wearing outfits that looked like a cross between combat fatigues and tutus. He couldn't help but grin to himself as he walked away again. He loved any activity that made her laugh.
Sometime later, Martha wandered in, wearing simple jeans and a casual blue top. The Doctor smiled at her before looking up to see if Rose was behind her.
"She went to her room for something," the medical student answered the unasked question.
He nodded, then focused on Martha. "You and Rose have become quite close, haven't you?"
She smiled. "We get along great," she smiled brightly. "I'm glad she's around."
He couldn't stop the brilliant grin that spread. "So am I. But I want to ask your opinion on something."
He detailed his plan to her, and she bounced with excitement.
"Rose will LOVE that!" she squealed when he was finished. "But where did you get a…?"
He pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it. "I got this out while you two were playing in the wardrobe."
She sighed happily. "Oh Doctor… it's perfect!"
He winked at her and tucked the box away again, moving back to the controls. She took her cue from him and sat in the captain's chair, still grinning. When Rose came in the room just a few moments later, she held up a picture. The Doctor smiled at her, taking in her jeans and tank top. To him, Rose would be beautiful in anything, but he had to appreciate the way this looked on her.
"Here it is, Martha. Picture of his last face."
The black woman moved to see the picture, and the Doctor followed. He remembered Jack taking a picture of him and Rose, sitting on the couch together in the library one evening. Oddly, even he felt a quick stab of loneliness for the flamboyant extrovert. He looked over Rose's shoulder at his old face, staring down at a sleeping nineteen year old Rose with bewilderment and tenderness. She'd confused him so much back then.
"It feels like a long time ago that I was that man," he finally said, wrapping his arms around her.
"You had some ears there, Doctor," Martha grinned. "But still… nice. It's so weird that you can just… become someone else."
Rose shook her head. "No. He may look different, but he's the same man. Trust me. I was scared to death when he regenerated. I thought he wouldn't want me around, that perhaps his whole personality would reset and he wouldn't like me anymore."
The Doctor gaped at her. "Are you being serious, Rose? But… I purposefully tried to make myself into a man that you would like!"
"You can do that?!" she asked.
He laughed. "It's not easy, but I can influence things. You admired Jack's hair, and I tried to get a style just as attractive, ears smaller, nose smaller… I even took less of a warrior's physique because I was going for a body that was more comfortable with physical contact because you were always hugging me and everyone else!"
Rose was staring at the Doctor in shock. "You did all that… for me?"
"Well, it wasn't for Jackie," he teased, then fell silent when he realized what he'd said.
The woman shook her head. "It's ok, Doctor. It would be worse if we tried to pretend she never existed."
He kissed her quickly and looked at Martha. "Just one trip. 'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home. Although – I suppose we could – stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?"
The woman grinned. "No complaints from me!"
"How about a different planet?" the Doctor asked, moving back to the console.
Martha asked, "Can we go to yours?"
The Doctor's excitement ebbed almost immediately and he turned away from her. Rose fell silent.
"Ahh, there's plenty of other places!" the man said, pretending to be busy with the controls.
"Come on, though! I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?" their traveling companion pressed.
"Well, it's beautiful, yeah…" the Doctor's tone was a bit hollow.
"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?"
"Suppose it is."
"Great big temples and cathedrals!" she continued, growing excited.
Rose moved to him, frowning sadly. He always avoided this topic. Martha was oblivious, lost in cheerful imagination, but Rose's heart was breaking for him.
He spoke in a quiet, flat tone. "Yeah."
"Lots of planets in the sky?" Martha went on, finally noticing Rose waving for her to stop.
The Doctor seemed to stare off into space. "The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow."
Martha was utterly enthralled. "Can we go there?"
The cheerful mask he always used slipped comfortably into place. "Naah! Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead …"
He begins to dance around the main console, tweaking settings as he goes. He paused when Rose placed a hand on his arm, only allowing her to see the unguarded pain in his eyes that was the memory of his home world. She leaned to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"You're not alone anymore," she whispered. "I know I'm not a planet… but I love you."
He smiled at her, silently thanking her for understanding. "I love you, too, my Rose." He turned the wheel and looked to Martha. "This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."
Rose's eyes lit up. "Oh Doctor! Are we really on New Earth?!"
He grinned at her. "I thought you would be pleased."
"Oh, I am! Martha, you'll love it!"
The Doctor threw on his overcoat, and led them out of the TARDIS into a pouring rain shower. Martha scowled and hurriedly zipped up her jacket. Rose looked around the area that looked like some sort of back alley with confusion.
"Oh, that's nice! Time Lord version of dazzling," Martha teased.
"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!" the Doctor said cheerfully, though inside he was frustrated. This trip was supposed to be perfect for Rose!
They dashed through a junk-ridden street, past what looked like giant dumpsters and old laundry swinging from a line.
Martha poked at the laundry. "Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon."
Rose laughed, but the Doctor scowled. "Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look."
He moved over to a dead screen on the wall, and used the sonic screwdriver. Once static appeared, the Doctor banged on the top of the screen himself.
"Oi!" Rose cringed at the bang as a pleasant looking woman appeared.
"– and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."
The image on the screen shifted to reveal the New New York above ground, a gorgeous spired city on the coast of a large river, with sleek flying vehicles zooming in the air.
"Oh, that's more like it! That's the view we had last time," he exclaimed, pointing it out to Rose.
"Oh, the apple grass!" she gasped. "That was a really brilliant moment."
He pulled her into a hug, smiling. He knew this was the right place. But how to get there from… "This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city."
Martha pretended to sound irritated, but she couldn't help smiling in spite of herself at the happiness of her friends. "You've brought me to the slums?"
"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city," he teased back.
Rose laughed at him. "You'd enjoy anything. One of the reasons I love you so much."
The Doctor kissed her forehead at that. "That's me. Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!"
Martha was about to ask how people got around in this city when a man suddenly flipped open the top of one of the large green boxes to reveal a street vendor's cart. Around them, many others did the same, appearing and shouting out their wares.
"Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"
"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!"
"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"
"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"
"Anger! Buy some Anger!"
"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"
Rose actually pressed her hands to her ears against the cacophany. Martha looked around, confused, while the Doctor seemed to grow more upset with each shout. The vendor nearest shook his head.
"Younger, them," he said as though chatting with friends. "They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"
"No, thanks," the Doctor scowled.
Martha gasped, "Are they selling drugs?"
Rose shook her head. "I think they're selling moods."
"Same thing, isn't it?" Martha asked bitterly.
Other, more bedragged-looking people shuffled into the alleyway around them. The newcomers drew more cries from the pharmacists. A pale woman dressed in very dark clothes caught their attention as she walked with intent toward the stalls.
"Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"
"Oy! Oy, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!"
"Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?"
"I want to buy Forget," the woman said, her tone utterly broken.
Rose covered her mouth, glancing at the Doctor.
The vendor sounded almost kind. "I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?"
The dejected woman stared at the ground, looking as though her grief were crushing her. "It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."
"Oh, that's so sweet," said the vendor, obviously not really listening. She reached behind her into the stall, and pulled out a small circular token, holding it out to the pale woman. "Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's twopence."
The pale woman paid the pharmacist and turned away, the token still in her hand. Before she can do anything with it, the Doctor stopped her.
"Sorry, but – hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?"
Martha moved to the woman's side, trying to get a good look at the token in her hand.
"They drove off."
Rose was looking around, watching people buy their moods without any thought to what might happen to this. Gold flashed in her eyes for the briefest moment and she looked up. Something had happened to the city above, and it started with a purchased mood, she was certain of it.
"They might drive back," the Doctor said to the woman.
She smiled at him like one would a child at a funeral. "Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them."
The Doctor, never one to just give up, pressed, "But they can't have gone far. You could find them."
The pale woman just looked at him pityingly, then looked down with a sigh. She stuck the circular token to her neck.
He jumped, trying to stop her. "No, no – no, don't!"
He was too late. Once the token had been applied, the pale woman's expression changed almost instantly. She seemed docile, serene; a bit out of it, and blithely unaware of her surroundings. Martha studied her with a horrified expression.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" the woman asked them.
"Your parents," the Doctor prompted. "Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."
"Are they? That's nice." Her eyes were completely blank.
Martha made a disbelieving face, and looked to the Doctor. He was disturbed, but not surprised. He turned to look at Rose who had tears in her eyes.
The woman moved away. "I'm sorry. I won't keep you."
They watched her go with frowns on their faces – the Doctor pensive, Rose biting her lower lip in sumpathy, and Martha upset and a little scornful.
"So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals," the medical student bit out.
Two figures sprang out from behind Rose, carrying guns and dressed in dark clothing. The man grabbed her from behind, throwing an arm around her neck and dragging her off, as his wife stood in front of them pointing her gun at the Doctor. Martha screamed out as Rose struggled, but they were quick – they retreated, taking the blonde woman with them.
"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all," the man said, his tone regretful.
The Doctor felt his hearts seize, his eyes wild as they took his Rose, his life. "No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help. We can help. But first you've got to let her go!"
The woman frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry."
The woman repeated her apologies, almost crying, until the couple had disappeared with Rose in their clutches, slamming a large green door behind them. The Doctor bared his teeth in frustration and began to wrestle with the door. Martha was right next to him.
The kidnappers pushed Rose down a shadowy corridor. She kept trying to get away from them, actually frightened for them when the Doctor caught them. He would save her, but she fear what might happened before he did.
The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver and yanked the door open, running after the kidnappers with Martha right on his heels. She was scared, she had never anything like seen the anger in the Doctor's eyes. It was as though he would easily tear the universe apart to get her back.
The kidnappers and Rose emerged in daylight, running down a fire escape. The man had Rose by the arm, and the woman was at their rear, still holding out the gun.
"Please," Rose begged the man. "Whatever is happening, the Doctor can help you. But if you don't let me go, you'll only make him angry. Don't do this."
She broke free of the man's grip, but he grabbed her again before she could go more than a step. He pulled her closer and looked to the woman as they stopped in front of a large black car.
"Give her some Sleep."
"Don't you dare!" Rose cried out. "Don't put that stuff on me, don't! Get off me!"
"It's just Sleep Fourteen," she said soothingly, reaching into the vehicle and pulling out another token.
She made to press it into Rose's neck, but the blonde woman screamed and writhed. The woman kidnapper looked upset, but purposeful.
"No, baby, don't fight it," the woman tried to soothe her.
Rose still struggled madly, "I'm telling you, don't do this!"
The man was holding her, however, and Rose could't resist for long, and the moment the token touched her neck she fell into an instant sleep.
"That's it. Come on. That's it," the woman crooned gently.
The man looked around. "Help me get her on board."
They loaded Rose into their car and climbed aboard themselves, the man quickly flicked on the switches inside the vehicle.
"Engaging anti-gravs. Hold on."
The woman, having laid Rose down on a long table, reached to the top of the car for support. They rose into the air and the engines powered up, just as the Doctor rushed out onto the fire escape.
The Doctor stared after the car in horror as it sped away, screaming frantically, "ROSE!"
He furiously turned back in the alleyway where Martha stood waiting, recoiling from the unbridled rage she could see in his eyes. He strode to one of the now-closed stall and pounded on the door. It flipped up quickly; behind it was the woman who sold the girl Forget. Seeing him, she grinned broadly and leaned toward him over the countertop.
"Thought you'd come back! Do you want some Happy Happy?"
"Those people – who were they? Where did they take her?" he demanded, eyes flashing dangerously.
Another man opened his stall. "They've taken her to the motorway."
"Looked like carjackers to me," the woman said.
Another man reopened. "I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again."
"Used to be thriving in this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end," the first man said.
The Doctor whirled, grilling them all at once.
"He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?"
The woman nodded. "It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults."
"This motorway – how do I get there?"
"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it," she said easily.
The Doctor strode off in the direction she indicated, not losing a second. Martha followed at once.
"Tell you what – how 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!" the woman called after him.
At that, the Doctor turned back and pointed at her. When he spoke, his voice was cold power and promised judgment. "Word of advice, all of you. Cash up. Close down. And pack your bags."
The woman in the stall reared back a bit and asked, "Why's that, then?"
"Because as soon as I've found my Rose, alive and well – and I will find her, alive and well – then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!"
The pharmacists glanced at each other, apprehensive, as the Doctor stalked away.
In a car not too far away, a blue screen shows a small line with "4-6-5-diamond-6" above it, indicating the vehicle that was now carrying Rose. The line was moving from Level 17 (at the top of the screen) on downward, edging closer to Level 21 (at the bottom of the screen). The blonde woman fuzzily came to, seeing the odd green light above her. She looked around the car, seeing containers of pills and liquid next to her and hearing vague voices in the background. Her kidnappers were silhouetted in her vision as she regarded the front of the vehicle.
"Yeah. The view from the windows. You can see all the way out to the flatlands," the woman said.
Rose reached sleepily for the token at her neck and pulled it off, frowning. She threw it away from her with a scowl.
"The sky … They say the air smells like apple grass. Can you imagine?" the woman kept talking.
The man started in, "The houses are made of wood. There are jobs going in the foundries. Everyone says so!"
Rose thinks quickly. She saw a gun sitting on a computer screen next to her head and snatched it, pointing it at her captors.
"Take me back," she ordered. "Whoever you are, just take me back to my friends. That's all I want. I won't cause any trouble. Just take me back to him, please!"
The two people in the car glanced at each other. Finally the woman spoke, "I'm sorry. That's not a real gun."
"Yeah, well, you would say that," Rose said, hesitating.
The woman looked over at the man. "Where do you get a gun from, these days? I wouldn't even know how to fire."
"Well, I would," Rose said, now looking at her weapon with a scowl. "If this -were- a real gun. Damn."
The woman smiled, trying to be friendly. "What's your name?"
"Rose Tyler."
She set the pretend weapon aside and moved toward the front of the car to stand behind them.
The woman held out a hand, "Well, I'm Cheen, and this is Milo. And I swear we're sorry. We're really, really sorry. We just needed access to the fast line, but I promise, as soon as we arrive, we'll drop you off and you can go back and find your friends."
"Seriously?"
"I swear! Look –" Cheen pulled back her dark hair to reveal a token on her neck. It looked the same as the one Rose had ripped off when she woke, but this one has the word "HONESTY" printed on it. "Honesty patch."
Rose relaxed. "All the same, that's still kidnapping! Where are we, anyway?"
"We're on the motorway," Milo answered, gesturing ahead.
Rose peered into the haze. "What's that, then? Fog?"
"That's the exhaust fumes," Cheen said.
"We're going out to Brooklyn. Everyone says the air's so much cleaner, and we couldn't stay in Pharmacy Town, 'cause ..." Milo rubbed Cheen's knee, and she grinned up at Rose.
"Well, 'cause of me. I'm pregnant. We only discovered it last week. Scan says it's going to be a boy."
Milo made a mock victory gesture; he was as thrilled as Cheen.
"Happy as I am for you," Rose smiled, "you've still kidnapped me."
Cheen shook her head. "Oh, we're not kidnappers. Not really."
"Nope. You're idiots! You're having a baby, and you're wearing that?"
Rose scowled and reached out, ripping the honesty patch from Cheen's neck. Cheen gave a small yelp of pain and slapped her hand over the spot.
"Not anymore," she nodded, satisfied.
Milo frowned. "This'll be as fast as we can. We'll take the motorway to the Brooklyn flyover, and then after that it's gonna take awhile, 'cause then there's no fast lane, just ordinary roads, but at least it's direct."
"It's only ten miles," Cheen mumbled, rubbing at her neck.
"So how long until I'm back to my Doctor?" Rose asked, leaning back.
"About six years."
Rose gaped at the woman. "What?"
She smiled. "Be just in time for him to start school."
Milo and Cheen giggled, fresh new parents all over, but Rose was not laughing with them.
"Nope. Sorry. Hold on. Six years? Ten miles in six years? How come?"
Back in a dilapidated corridor, near an old sign reading "MOTORWAY ACCESS," the sonic screwdriver buzzed in the dim light. The Doctor was forcing open a large door, Martha at his side. The lock opened with a loud clang and they stepped through onto a platform. Martha coughed as they were now in an atmosphere of heavy smoke, and they looked up to see that the smoke was the exhaust of several thousand cars, all hovering in the air in the most terrible traffic jam in the universe. Right in front of the pair, the door to one of the floating vehicles opened, and a large figure covered in protective gear leaned out.
"Hey! You daft little street struts! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!"
Coughing fit to burst, the Doctor and Martha jumped through the open door into the car.
The figure shook his head. "Did you ever see the like?"
A dark-haired woman in the car handed the two of them oxygen masks, and they covered their mouths and noses gratefully.
"There you go," the woman said with a smile.
"Just standing there, breathing it in!" He pulled off his goggles, cap, and scarf; he was a cat, just like the nuns at the hospital. "There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"
"Oh, you're making it up," the woman admonished.
The man headed to the front of the car, getting in the driver's seat. "A fifty-foot head! Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose."
The woman was laughing now. "Stop it. That's disgusting."
The Doctor and Martha exchanged looks.
"What? Did you never pick your nose?" the man teased further.
Suddenly, all joking forgotten, the woman suddenly sat up straight and tapped him on the arm. "Bran, we're moving!"
"Right. I'm there. I'm on it."
He pulled a lever on the console, and the engines in the back of the car spewed out smoke. As they moved forward, the other cars moved into place around them; horns beeping in every corner. They didn't go far, though, and after a couple of seconds Brannigan drew the lever back.
"Twenty yards! We're having a good day," the man grinned.
The woman smiled, and both of them turned back to regard the two people in their car, who were standing behind them and pulling off their oxygen masks.
"And who might you be? Very well-dressed for hitchhikers," the cat asked.
"Thanks. Sorry, I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend, Martha Jones."
Martha gave a little wave. "Hello."
"Medical man! Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."
"It's nice to meet you," his wife said in a soft tone.
Brannigan pointed behind them. "And that's the rest of the family behind you."
The Doctor turned and drew a curtain behind him, revealing a basket of adorable mewling kittens.
"Aww, that's nice. Hello," he said, unable to maintain his fury in the face of kittens.
He reached gently out to them as the parents of the kittens shared a glance, and the Doctor turned back to Brannigan and Valerie with a tiny black cat in his hands.
"How old are they?" Martha asked, reaching out to scratch the kitten's ear.
"Just two months," their mother said.
Their father sighed. "Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."
Martha and the Doctor exchanged shocked looks.
"What, they were born in here?" the medical student asked incredulously.
"We couldn't stop. We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance," Valerie explained.
"What? You've been driving for two months?" the doctor asked in utter shock.
Brannigan laughed. "Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now."
"You're not serious," Martha gaped.
"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday," Brannigan said in his loud voice.
"Feels like twelve years to me," his wife huffed.
"Ahh, sweetheart, but you're still lovely." He tickled her, and she giggled, their troubles forgotten for a time.
"Twelve years?! How far did you come? Where did you start?" the Doctor wanted to know.
"Battery Park. It's five miles back," the cat answered him.
The Doctor shook his head. "You travelled five miles in twelve years?"
Brannigan looked to Valerie. "I think he's a bit slow."
The Doctor reached behind him and put the kitten back with its fellows.
"Where are you from?" Valerie asked.
"Never mind that, we've got to get out. My Rose is in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. We have to get back to the TARDIS."
He pulled open the door next to him, but emerged into nothing but a cloud of smoke.
Brannigan said sadly, "You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by."
The Doctor coughed and closed the door again.
"You're a passenger now, Sonny Jim!"
The Doctor shook his head, and Martha could see the panic beginning to rise in his eyes again. "When's the next lay-by?"
"Oh … six months?"
Martha cringed. The Doctor was not amused.
Far below, in another vehicle, Rose watched the traffic jam through a window.
"How many cars are out there?" she asked.
Cheen tipped her head. "I don't think anyone knows." She reached for something and held it out. "Here you go. Hungry?"
"Oh, thanks." Rose pulled away from the window and stood behind the couple again, munching on a large round wafer. "About how far down is it to this fast lane?"
"Oh, it's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford three passengers, so it's empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour."
Rose scowled, not liking this even a small amount. Her voice dripped sarcasm when she said, "Wow. However will we manage?"
Milo and Cheen laughed, amused by their new companion. Rose looked around the car curiously.
"But how are you supposed to live inside this thing? It's tiny."
Cheen smiled, eager to show off for someone. "Oh, we stocked up. 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."
Rose stopped eating at once and eyed her wafer like it's a deadly enemy. She opened her hand and let the wafer fall. "Oh-kay."
"Oh, another gap, this is brilliant!" Milo cried, excited.
"Car sign in," came an electric voice.
"Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent to fast lane, thank you very much," Milo spoke into the transmitter.
"Please drive safely."
The Doctor had pointed the sonic screwdriver in front of a screen with the insignia of the New New York Police Department. He spoke into the transmitter. "I need to talk to the police."
"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."
As these words are spoken, they also appear typed on the screen.
"But you're the police!" he shouted.
"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."
The Doctor scrambled up to the front of the car where Brannigan and Valerie are still explaining their trek to Martha.
"Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?" the Doctor rushed.
"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Brannigan said, surprised.
"I've got to find Rose!"
Valerie looked sad. "You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed."
"What about the other cars?" Martha suggested.
"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah. Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see – who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini sisters!"
He holds up his transmitter, charming to a fault. "Still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Brannigan here."
An elderly woman's voice came through. "Get off the line, Brannigan. You're a pest and a menace."
"Oh come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"
The woman laughed. "You know full well we're not sisters. We're married."
"Oooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old-fashioned cat. Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls himself the Doctor." He handed the transmitter over to the Doctor, who grabbed it.
"Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Rose Tyler. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."
"Wait a minute. Could I ask, what entrance did they use?"
"Where were we?" the Doctor asked, a desperate hope budding.
The cat answered promptly. "Pharmacy Town."
"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago."
"Let's have a look." There was a muttering from one of the women before the answer came. "In the last half hour, fifty-three new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction."
The Doctor drug an agitated hand through his hair. "Anything more specific?"
"All in good time. Was she car-jacked by two people?"
"Yes, she was, yeah."
Martha crossed her fingers. The Doctor, without Rose, was a scary sight. But all the same, Rose was her friend. She wanted her friend back.
"There we are. Just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane. That means they had three on board. And car number is four six five diamond six."
"That's it! So how do we find them?" he cheered.
"Ah. Now, there I'm afraid I can't help."
The Doctor held the transmitter to Brannigan. "Call them on this thing. We've got their number. Diamond six."
"Not if they're designated fast lane," the man apologized. "It's a different class."
"You could try the police," the voice on the radio suggested.
"They put me on hold," the Doctor groaned.
"You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else."
"Thank you," he said, his voice flat as he handed Brannigan back the transmitter.
Amongst the beeping, honking, and smoke, Milo and Cheen's car slowly descended through the massive lines of cars. Inside, the blue screen again showed the line representing Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, and it moved from Level 39 to Level 43. Milo pointed at it.
"See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching."
Rose smiled, hoping her stint as passenger/hostage would be over soon. A low noise sounded, disrupting her thoughts and it was like a mix between a creak and a growl.
"What's that?" she asked.
The sound came again.
"It's coming from underneath," she said.
"It does have noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories are true," Cheen said to Milo.
"What stories?" Rose wanted to know.
"It's the sound of the air vents. That's all," Cheen's husband snapped. "The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."
Cheen shrugged. "No, the stories are much better."
Milo chuckled – a little derisively, a little fondly – and looked away.
Cheen turned to Rose, wanting to share her story. "They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. 'Cause 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."
Rose wondered if she had been that naïve when the Doctor first brought her into the TARDIS and felt a pang for him. As the rumbling noise got louder and louder, they all stared at each other nervously. Milo shifted in his seat.
"But like I said. Air vents," Milo insisted, pressing buttons on the console. "Going down to the next layer."
"Look out there. Does it look like the air vents are working?" the blonde woman pressed.
"No," Cheen said softly.
The sound kept getting louder. There was growling and crashing.
"So what's that, then?" the passenger whispered.
Milo couldn't believe her. He shakes his head. "Nah. Kid stuff." He spoke into his transmitter. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent."
The Doctor was growing desperate to get to Rose. "We've got to go to the fast lane. Take me down."
"Not in a million years," the cat man scoffed.
"You've got four passengers! That's more than enough!"
"I'm still not going."
The Doctor's tone was so broken, Martha reached out to him. "She's alone, and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, she belongs with me. I'm begging you, Brannigan – take me down."
Valerie spoke, her tone sorrowful but firm. "I'm sorry, Doctor. Butthat's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."
"Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?" Martha asked, suddenly concerned for her friend.
"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!" the woman insisted.
"So we keep on driving," the Doctor clarified.
"Yes, we do," Brannigan nodded.
Martha bit her lip. "For how long?"
He wouldn't turn and face them anymore. "'Till the journey's end."
The Doctor reached over him to snatch the vocal transmitter. "Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor. Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"
"Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now."
"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?"
Valerie and Brannigan looked at him, disquieted that he's bringing this to light.
The voice that came back was nervous. "I'm not sure."
Closing his eyes, he said, "Look at your notes. Any police?"
"Not as such."
"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? Ever?"
The woman's voice trembled now. "I can't keep a note of everything."
"What if there's no one out there?"
Brannigan reached up and angrily took the transmitter away from the Doctor. "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favor."
"Someone's got to ask," the Doctor said firmly. "'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes."
It was absolutely in Brannigan's 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," the father said, his tone telling the Doctor that he really wanted to believe that.
The Doctor pressed forward. "In that case, where are they? Hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round, never stopping? Forever?"
Valerie let out a sob, covering her ears. "Shut up! Just shut up!"
The screen at the front of the car blared into life. It's the news starting up, a cheerful woman smiling at all of them.
"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."
The cat spoke softly, "You think you know us so well, Doctor. But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."
His wife smiled a bit at this, reaching for his hand.
"This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe."
The Doctor frowned. Why would the woman on the news apologize?
Valerie and Brannigan started to sing along with the broadcast. In Rose's car, Milo and Cheen are also singing.
" On a hill, far away
Stood an old, rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross
Where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain
So I'll cherish the old, rugged cross, rugged cross
Till my trophies at last I lay down, I lay down
I will cling to the old, rugged cross, rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown."
By the end of the hymn, Valerie and Martha had tears in their eyes.
"Fast lane access, please drive safely."
Milo sighed with a bit of relief. "We made it. The fast lane."
Cheen grinned, breathless, as their car scooted out of the long lines of traffic and descended into empty smoke.
Far above, the Doctor sighed and nodded. "If you won't take me, I'll go down on my own."
He moved to the middle of the car, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and inspecting the floor. Brannigan and Valerie turned, shocked.
"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan asked him.
"Finding my own way. I usually do. Can Martha stay with you for a while?"
"Doctor, I want to go with you…"
An electronic voice announced, "Capsule open."
Valerie and Brannigan looked on in horror as a door in the floor of the car opened, revealing the hundreds of cars below them. One pulled up right underneath the opening, and the Doctor prepared to jump down.
"No, Martha. Rose is already in danger and lost. Please…" his voice caught a little. "Please stay safe until I get back?"
She pressed a hand to her mouth, tears threatening at the despair in his eyes. She nodded.
He gave her a grateful grin. "Here we go."
He took off his overcoat and threw it to them. Valerie caught it.
"Look after her, and my coat. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."
"But you can't jump!" Valerie cried.
"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens."
Brannigan reached out to touch his wife. "This Rose – she must mean an awful lot to you."
The Doctor shook his head, his voice husky. "No, she means everything. Everything in time and space."
He looked up.
"Bye then!"
He jumped down, landing on top of the next car and coughing from the fumes. The three people he left stared after him in amazement.
"He's completely insane!" Valerie exclaimed.
Her husband grinned. "That, and a bit magnificent!"
Martha didn't say anything, as she was too busy praying and hoping that both the Doctor and Rose came back.
The Doctor drew the sonic screwdriver across the top of the car he'd just landed on, opening its top door. He dropped into the car, making his way down. Somewhere he picked up a handkerchief to block the fumes but he really paid no attention to the cars he passed through.
In the car he was searching for, all three passengers were looking dejectedly at the screen. A sidebar read, "BROOKLYN JUNCTION," and below it were three choices reading "EXIT 1," "EXIT 2," and "EXIT 3."
"Try again," Cheen encouraged.
Milo tapped "EXIT 1." At the bottom of the screen, a large red message beeped "JUNCTION CLOSED."
"Brooklyn Turnoff One closed."
"Try the next one?" his wife asked.
"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed."
Cheen let out an anguished moan.
"What do we do?"
Rose paced nervously. She needed her Doctor.
"We'll keep going round. We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open," Milo just couldn't accept that everything he had been so sure of was wrong.
The rumbling noise sounded again, and they all looked around in panic.
Rose asked in a low tone, "You're still calling that air vents?"
"What else could it be?" Milo asked, still avoiding the truth.
From the looks on the couple's faces, it was clear that they didn't really want to know. Again, the noise filled the silence, and Rose knew the time for avoidance was over.
"What the hell is that?" Cheen whispered, face paling in dread.
Milo grasped for answers. "It's just – the hydraulics."
"Sounds like it's alive," Rose pointed out.
"It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that," the man insisted.
"You'd be surprised," the blonde woman said grimly.
"Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six."
Milo snatched up the transmitter. "This is Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Who's that? Where are you?"
"I'm in the fast lane, about fifty yards behind. Can you get back up? Can you get off the fast lane?"
The man shook his head. "We only have permission to go down. We – we need the Brooklyn Flyover."
"It's closed. Go back up."
"We can't. We'll just go round."
Rose heard the desperation in the other person's voice and put a hand on Cheen's shoulder. This man's stubborn pride was going to get them killed, and she would never see her Doctor again.
The other driver snapped, "Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed."
Cheen clapped her hands over her mouth, in more distress than ever. She began letting out frightened gasps and Rose wished the Doctor or Martha was there. Stress of this magnatude couldn't be good for a pregnant woman.
The other driver continued. "We're stuck down here. And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?"
There was a definite shrill roar sounding outside.
"That's the air vents..." Milo tried.
"Jehovah! What are you, some stupid kid? Get out of here!"
There was a loud crashing noise and screaming from the other car, accompanied by more roaring.
Gripping the transmitter, Milo asked desperately, "What was that?"
There was more screaming, then a tortured, "I can't move! They've got us!"
"But what's happening?"
Rose snatched the transmitter out of his hand. "What's got you? What is it?"
The other driver yelled something unintelligible. The other passengers of the car screamed in terror as the sound of metal tearing drowned them out. Then there was nothing but horrible silence.
Rose exclaimed, "Just drive! Do what she said – get us out of here!"
"But where?" the young man asked, thoroughly shaken
"Just straight ahead! And fast!"
The pregnant woman sobbed. "What is it? What's out there? What is it?"
The Doctor finally made it to the last level above the fast lane, dropping into the car of a businessman who whirled to face him.
The man blinked. "'Scuse me, is that legal?"
The Doctor was coughing too hard to speak for a moment.
"I really don't know. Have you got any water?"
"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners," the man said stiffly, handing him a cone-shaped clear plastic cup he had filled with water from a nearby water cooler.
The Doctor drained it immediately. "Is this the last layer?"
The man nodded, still staring at him in confusion. "Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."
The Doctor sighed, relieved. He was almost there. "Can we drive down?"
"There's only two of us. You need three to go down."
He barely stopped the growl of frustration. "Couldn't we just cheat?"
The man smirked. "Well, I'd love to, but it's an automated system. The wheel would lock."
Shaking his head, the Time Lord moved to the bottom hatch. "If you'll excuse me."
The horrified man squeaked. "You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!"
"No, I just want to look," the Doctor said
He opened the hatch and stared out into a thick, murky fog, dotted with tiny lights. Faintly, from the distance, came a screeching roar.
He frowned, peering into the fog. "What's that noise?"
"I try not to think about it," the driver said delicately.
"What are those lights? What's down there?" the Doctor coughed again, waving a hand in front of his face to sweep away the smoke. "I just need to see."
He ran up to the screen in the front of the car, darting the driver an apologetic look, and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the display. He was beginning to get a little manic — thinking of ideas.
"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."
Back in Valerie's and Brannigan's car, the two sat blankly, even Martha was lost in worry for people who had become very important to her in a very short time. Without warning, a loud creak sounded, and sparks began to fly from the ceiling.
Brannigan lifted a weapon. "Just what we need — pirates!"
"I'm calling the police!" Valerie shouted at the intruder.
The door at the top of their car fell down, and in poked the face of a female cat, wearing a nun's habit and holding a green gun.
"The Doctor. Where is he?!" she demanded.
In the car he'd taken control of, the Doctor was playing with the wiring of the front console, helped by the sonic screwdriver. One of the wires snapped in his fingers.
He grinned, loving when things worked as he wanted. "That's it! Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."
He moved back to the hatch, followed by the driver of the car, and the two stared out.
"What are those shapes?" the driver asked in horror.
As they spoke, huge snapping claws materialized in the fading smoke.
"They're alive," the Doctor said ominously.
The man looked at his passenger. "What the hell are they?"
What appeared were creatures that looked to be extremely large crabs. The lights were their eyes.
The Doctor didn't like what he had to say, but he knew those beings. "Macra."
Below, the expecting couple's car was jolting more than ever, and its passengers were panicked.
"Go faster!" Cheen was shouting.
Her husband cried, "I'm at top speed!"
The screen at the front of the car read, PROXIMITY WARNING.
The electronic voice from the console said, "No access above."
"But this is an emergency!" Milo screamed at the machine.
Their car was zooming through the sea of Macra, barely missing the giant and very active claws. At least now they could see the danger.
"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."
Rose moved forward. "Turn everything off."
"You've got to be joking," then man driving looked at her like she was insane.
The blonde woman shook her head, "No, listen, it's all fog out there, so how can they see us? Maybe it's the engines, the sound, or the heat, or the light — I don't know! Turn everything off. They might not be able to find us."
He was frightened and she couldn't blame him. "What if you're wrong?"
"It can't be worse than this! Just do it!" Rose insisted.
Milo went for it, flicking switches at the top of the car and on the console. It seemed to do the trick — the three sat, quietly, in an unmoving car, no longer jolting around, no longer screaming.
Cheen stared in wonder. "They've stopped."
"Yeah, but they're still out there," her husband said softly.
They all glanced around nervously. Cheen decided not to deal with that, and looked instead to Rose.
"How did you think of that?"
"I've been with the Doctor for several years now. It starts to rub off on you," she said softly, a look of such longing on her face that the woman reached back and took her hand.
Cheen sighed. "I'm sorry we took you from him."
Rose smiled a bit. "Don't worry. He always comes for me. He'll save us. The Doctor loves me, and I love him."
Milo glanced back. "Even through those things?"
She gave a lopsided grin. "Well, he braved my mother. Why not this?"
The look on the couple's faces said they would laugh if they weren't so scared.
Rose looked out the front. "They used to do it in submarines. Trouble is, I can't remember what they did next."
"Well, you better think of something, because we've lost the aircon. If we don't switch the engines back on, we won't be able to breathe," Milo said seriously.
"How long have we got?" she grimaced.
"Eight minutes, maximum."
Cheen began crying softly, and Rose sighed, looking around.
Come on Doctor.
The Doctor was trying to get to her, the look in his eyes growing more manic every moment. "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."
The man with him frowned. "They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me."
He shrugged. "Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and my Rose's down there."
There was a sudden clank at the top of the man's car and both of them looked up.
The man groaned. "Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!"
Someone's feet dangled down, and a cat dressed as a nun dropped into the vehicle with them.
"I've invented a sport!" the Doctor joked weakly.
"Doctor, you're a hard man to find," she said simply.
The owner of the car pointed at the nun's gun, still in her hand. "No guns! I'm not having guns!"
She waved him off. "I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, you've got to come with me."
"Do I know you?" he asked, feeling surprised.
She touched her face. "You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me."
Finally he recognized her. "Novice Hame!" He embraced her, grinning. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."
She nodded, hanging her head. "I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself."
He pulled back. "I'm not going anywhere. You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And my Rose's stuck down there! I have to get her out!"
"You've got to come with me right now!" she said, desperate.
"No, no, no, you're coming with me. We've got three passengers now," the Doctor looked toward the console.
"I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine," she took his wrist, and pressed a button on the green-lit metal wristband she was wearing. "Transport."
His eyes snapped to her in utter fury. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!"
But it was too late. The two of them flashed from the car to a large yet unkempt room — dusty, junk everywhere, with streams of sunlight flooding in irregularly. The Doctor and Novice Hame picked themselves up off the floor.
"Oh! Rough teleport. Ow. But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Rose."
"I only had the power for one trip," she apologized.
"Then get some more!" he snapped. "Where are we?"
"High above, in the over-city."
"Good! 'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!" he was screaming at her, but he didn't care. He had been so close to Rose. He had to find her. The Macra... no. He wouldn't even entertain that thought.
Her answer was soft, sad, and filled his stomach with ice. "But you're inside the Senate, right now. May the goddess Santori bless them."
He looked up, and sure enough, there were long rows of seats in a vast chamber. All of them containing skeletons.
"They died, Doctor. The city died."
He looked around in horror. "How long's it been like this?"
She sighed. "Twenty-four years."
They walked towards a skeleton, lying on the ground, and the Doctor knelt next to it. His anger was momentarily forgotten — he was now profoundly disturbed.
"All of them? Everyone? What happened?"
"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss." She knelt next to him and reached down, picking up a small circular token just like the ones the vendors were selling when they had arrived. This one, however, read BLISS. "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 seven 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."
They were both standing now, struck by the urgency of the situation.
"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic? All this time?"
"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."
He looked at her. "Who's "we"? How did you survive?"
She brightened, pulling him toward something. "He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years."
Not far off, a low, rumbling voice spoke, "Doctor."
The Doctor blinked and dashed over to find the Face of Boe, giving a cry of pleased surprise and kneeling in front of it as he did in the hospital where they last met. Novice Hame followed more slowly.
"The Face of Boe!"
The Face sent the equivalent of a smile to the Doctor. "I knew you would come."
Novice Hame sat near the tank. "Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins."
"Old friend, what happened to you?" the Doctor asked.
"Failing."
"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea," the nun explained.
"So he saved them," the Doctor said, understanding why he would.
"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running."
The Doctor frowned. "But there are planets out there. You could have called for help."
She shook her head. "The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."
The Doctor looked back at the Face of Boe, concerned, and then stood. "So the two of you stayed here — on your own, for all these years."
"We had no choice," Novice Hame said simply.
The Doctor reached out to her, touched her shoulder. "Yes, you did."
The Face of Boe spoke again, pleading with the Time Lord. "Save them, Doctor. Save them."
Rose, Milo, and Cheen were still silent, still stationary; the couple now less panicked and more completely hopeless, while Rose tried to think of another option for them. Anything to buy time for the Doctor to come.
"How much air's left?" Cheen asked.
"Two minutes."
"There's always the Doctor. He'll save us," Rose promised.
Milo shook his head. "Rose, no one's coming."
The blonde woman blinked back tears. "I won't give up on him. Not this time."
"He looked kind of nice," Cheen offered.
She shook her head. "He's a bit more than that."
"Are you and him...?"
Rose smiled softly. "Yeah. I didn't think he could really feel that way about me. I'm nothing special, you know, but he does. Oh he does so much, and I won't ever stop believing in him."
Cheen shook her head. Everything outside was quiet now. "I never even asked. Where's home?"
"My home is with the Doctor," the time traveler said confidently. "It always was, even before I met him. But now... well, there's nothing for me where I came from. I lost my mum, my best friend growing up, my job, my flat... it's all gone. He's... he's my everything now."
Milo watched her while she spoke. "So, um, who is he, then? This Doctor?"
"He's a hero, and our best hope," Rose said. "I can't really tell you more than that."
"So that means that … the only hope, right now is … a complete stranger," Cheen laughed, though it was without any sort of humor. She was horrified by the thought. "Well, that's no use!"
"It is, though, because you haven't seen the things he can do," Rose assured her. "You may not know him, but I do. I'm all he has too, and after what he's gone through, there's no way he would give up on me. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got my Doctor."
"Right," Milo said. "Well, no sense suffocating while he's working on a rescue then." He turned the car back on.
"Systems back on line."
The lights come on again, and Milo gripped Cheen's hand briefly.
"Good luck to us," he said grimly.
The Macra seemed to wake and were attacking once more, and Car Four Six Five Diamond Six ducked and dodged through them.
In the Senate Chambers, the Doctor was staring into a screen, specs now on. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six — it still registers! That's my Rose! I knew she was good. Novice Hame, hold that in place."
He jumped back from the screen and handed her a piece of thick tubing. Once she had it, he ran along its length, jumping over a box of lights and buttons.
"Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds," he muttered.
"There isn't enough power," she told him again.
The Doctor reached his destination: a far wall with two screens, lots of wiring, and even more buttons.
"Ah, you've got power! You've got me! I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch," he replied, faking confidence while he studied the panels. He turned around after a moment and pointed to her, yelling, getting more excited every moment. "Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!"
The Doctor rotated a knob in a console on the floor, aiming the sonic screwdriver at it as well. "I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people."
He banged his fist against the console and jumped up, frustrated and running out of ideas.
"What are you going to do?" Hame asked.
"This!" He flipped a two-metre-long switch on the floor, and all the lights on the consoles go out. "No, no no no no, no!"
He knelt on the floor again, waving his sonic screwdriver at another set of controls. "The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."
"Doctor …" the Face of Boe said quietly.
"Yeah, hold on, not now," the Doctor dismissed him for the moment.
"I give you my last …"
Boe let out a long, rasping breath, and every console switched back on. Everything was working. Everything was powered. The Doctor leaped up again, suddenly illuminated.
"Hame, look after him! Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. Rose will want to see you," he shouted, flicking the huge switch again.
Novice Hame busily turned a wheel next to the Face of Boe.
"The open road. Hah!"
Valerie and Brannigan, still sitting quietly in their car, heard a loud crack and bang.
"What in Jehovah was that?" Brannigan asked.
His wife gasped, "It's coming from above!"
"What is it? What's happening?!" he asked.
Martha looked out the window while Valerie hurriedly covered the mewling kittens.
Brannigan was gazing up out of his car with Martha. "By all the cats in the kingdom!"
Far above, a gap was forming at the top of the gridlock — above the lanes and lanes of cars, doors to the over-city were opening. Each crashing sound signified another barrier falling away.
"What is it?" Valerie asked as sunlight streamed through, covering her face.
The doors were almost all the way open now. There was a long pathway of light above the traffic.
Brannigan began to laugh like crazy with Martha grinned like a madwoman.
Valerie finally realized the source and gasped. "It's the sun! Oh, Brannigan!" She reached out to him, and then pulled the blanket off of her kittens. "Children, it's the sunlight!"
Her kittens purred happily, flooded by sun. The Doctor's face buzzed into life on the screen at the front of the car.
"Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor."
"He's a magician," Brannigan beamed.
"He's the Doctor," Martha corrected.
The Doctor continued. "And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now."
"Is he serious?" the cat asked.
Valerie laughed in elated disbelief.
"I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast!" the Doctor instructed.
Shrugging and engaging the car, Brannigan grinned. "Here we go."
On the monitor, the orders continued. "We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way."
All of the cars soared up to the opening, heading for the open sunlight as fast as they could.
Rose let out an elated sob as their screen showed the Doctor, too.
He grinned. "Oy! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Rose! Drive up!"
"That's my Doctor!" she praised.
Milo shook his head. "We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!"
"Just do as he says! Go up!"
The voice of the Doctor assured them. "You've got access above! Now go!"
Milo swung free of the last of the snapping claws and bursts up out of the fog, heading for the opening like everybody else. The three gazed up, the sunlight hitting their faces. Rose was beside herself with joy.
Cheen clasped her hands. "It's daylight! Oh my God. That's the sky, the real sky!"
"He did it!" Rose screamed with laughter, clapped, and gave Cheen a hug. "I told you, he did it!"
Milo and Cheen kissed, laughing.
The Doctor, holding a microphone, was watching the proceedings from a viewscreen in the Senate room. Novice Hame continued to twirl a wheel next to the Face of Boe.
"You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up! 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you," he said over the broadcast. "The city of New New York. And it's yours. And don't forget — I want Martha and that coat back."
The voice of the cat returned with, "I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir."
The Doctor laughed. "And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate. You have something of mine that I need back, very much."
The voice that answered him brought tears to his eyes. "On my way!"
"It's been entirely too long since I saw you, Rose Tyler."
"Doctor!" Novice Hame exclaimed. She leaned desperately over the Face of Boe, as the case that enclosed him began to crack. The Doctor looked to them, his face falling.
Moments later, Rose leaped happily into the Senate room, but was a bit subdued by the skeleton lying on the floor in front of her.
"Doctor?" she called uncertainly.
"Rose!" he answered, standing and starting toward her.
"Doctor!" she cried out, smiling again, and running to him.
He caught her up in a tight hug, kissing her desperately. He pulled back to cup her face for a brief moment before crushing her to his chest again. She returned the embrace just as tightly.
"What happened here?" she finally asked.
"Come," he said softly, leading her to Novice Hame, kneeling in front of the dying Face of Boe.
She frowned and knelt also, placing a hand on Boe's cheek. "Oh... Boe... what's happened?"
The Doctor took a knee next to her, a comforting hand on her back. "He's the one that saved you, not me."
"My lord gave his life to save the city," Novice Hame said mournfully. "And now he's dying."
"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left," the Doctor argued, hating to say goodbye to a friend.
"It's good to breathe the air once more," the Face said. "And Rose Tyler, you are just as lovely as I remembered."
She gave him a watery smile. "Now, Boe, you've lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."
The three people didn't look up when Martha entered the room with the Doctor's coat. She saw them, but she held back at the mournful scene.
"Everything has its time. You know that, old friends, better than most."
"The legend says more," the nun spoke.
"Don't," the Doctor argued. "There's no need for that."
"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller," she continued.
Rose shot her a look that plainly told her to shut it. "Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"
The Face sighed weakly. "I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind — as you are the last of yours, Doctor."
The Doctor looked absolutely desperate now. He did not want this at all. It was hitting him much harder than the death of this entire planet did. Rose turned and pressed herself into his arms, trying to comfort him and give him strength.
"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go," he nearly begged sadly.
"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone," Boe said. "And I do not mean your angel."
Rose gave a sobbing laugh.
"You are one, Doctor and Rose Tyler. But... there is...someone..."
Though before it seemed as though the Doctor would weep, now he was astounded — he stared over Rose's head, uncomprehending, as the Face of Boe's eyes closed for the last time. Martha looked on with respect from the entrance and Rose and Novice Hame began to sob. Martha moved closer, laying a sympathetic hand on the Doctor's shoulder, and he looked up. She nearly stepped back at the depth of unfathomable sorrow in his eyes, but gave him a squeeze.
He stood, pulling Rose up with him.
Hours later, the Doctor and Rose stood on the same hill they had landed on the first time they'd visited this world, looking over the city of New New York. Martha had taken an offer from Brannigan and Valerie to have dinner with them, and jokingly told them to behave while she was gone.
Rose nuzzled closer to him as she breathed the scent of apple grass deeply. "I almost thought I wouldn't see you again."
"No fear of that, Rose Tyler. You're stuck with me for all of time," he answered easily.
She sighed heavily. "I know, and that is what makes it so wonderful. All of time, us, floating around in the TARDIS, and seeing everything."
He smiled down at her. "I asked you once how long you planned to stay with me," he said, his tone soft and hesitant. "You were the only person who ever gave that answer without any sort of hesitation."
She looked up. "Forever. I still plan that."
"You were also the only companion I ever asked to join me twice," he continued, trailing his thumb over her cheek. "Before I met you, if someone said no... I just moved on."
She giggled softly. "I'm glad you came back then."
"Rose... I don't deserve you. I cost you everything..."
She pulled back, frowning deeply at him. "Now look here, Doctor. You haven't cost me anything. I chose you. I will always choose you. Even knowing what I know, I would have made the same choices, because I need to be with you."
"My wonderful, perfect, oh so human, Rose..." he bent and kissed her. "Marry me."
She pulled back, gaping at him in shock. "What?"
He pulled out the box he had shown Martha, holding it out to her and opening it. Inside sat a ring with a diamond that couldn't be found anywhere in the universe anymore. She gasped.
"Doctor..."
"This came from my home, from Gallifrey. It's a white point star diamond. It's the last bit of my past that I can share with you, and I would put this on no one else's hand."
Rose trembled. "I... I don't... oh... Doctor..."
"Please, Rose," he whispered. "Don't ask me to give up the one thing in this universe that I can count on. Don't ask me to live with you in the TARDIS and not share everything with you. Please… be my wife."
"Yes," she murmured, looking up at him. She beamed, tears falling from those hazel eyes he loved so much. "Yes! Oh Doctor!"
Rose threw her arms around his neck and laughed, raining kisses on his face. He lifted her up and swung her in a circle before setting her on her feet again and sliding the ring onto her finger. Rose stared at the ring for a moment.
"Oh Doctor…" she said before bursting into laughter.
"What?" he asked, touching his forehead to hers.
She shook her head. "I feel like a housewife from the fifties, calling the man I love and plan to marry by his title."
He tipped his head. "I hadn't thought of that. When we marry, I will tell you my true name, and you'll be the only one who will ever know… but I can see how your human upbringing would make you want something else to call me…"
She grinned at him, that tongue in teeth grin that made him quite forget what he was supposed to be doing. "Doctor… species insulting again…"
"No!" he said quickly, dropping a kiss on her nose. "Not on purpose, at least. Just saying… well, I mean that… I had a nickname in the academy, when I was younger. They called me Theta. You could… if you wanted to use that instead of Doctor…"
She tried it. "Theta."
The Doctor shivered, blinking rapidly. He hadn't expected himself to react quite that way. It had been a very old nickname, that he hadn't heard in a very… very long time, but it sounded so intimate coming from Rose. He could grow fond of that quite quickly.
Rose couldn't help the smile that came at his reaction. "I think I'll hold onto that name. It might come in handy… later."
He groaned. "You are quite impossible to resist, Rose Tyler."
She laughed. "Do you really want to?"
"Not anymore," he assured her. "Never again."
A/N: So…? Please leave that beautiful little review from beautiful little you and let me know how I'm doing. I live for these reviews, you know.
