Chapter: THE SPACE PORT ASCENSION

"My love, we're one
And I run, I run to the battle
Oh, I run, it doesn't matter if tomorrow never comes
My love, we won
And I run, I run to the battle
Oh, I run, to you"

"Battle" by David Guetta

"This… Rose Tyler, is the Space Port Ascension…the first one of its kind the Earth had ever put into deep space. Quite nice actually, much better than those tight quarters on Krop Tor" he shivered thinking about it. The only good thing that came out of being stuck back there on that rock was that he had installed a perfected homing device in the Tardis which was guaranteed to get the ship back to him if they are separated. At the same time, he silently added a new homing program for Rose to take her back to Earth much like the holographic program his 9th self had put together. This time though there would be no way for Rose to get into trouble again by ripping the console apart.

They had spent about a week on the Ascension with Rose dragging him from shop to shop. 'At least' the Doctor thought, 'there were a few 'little shops' just like he loved to visit. ' They had stopped at a corner cafe with Rose having a delicious chocolate pudding and the Doctor was devouring a banana split. She was licking the plastic spoon clean and he had never wished to be a plastic utensil more in this life than right there and then.

He had to stop thinking like that. Every time he started to contemplate the various possibilities of being more than just friends with Rose, it caused him to become weaker or at least harder to do any 'universe saving.'

His job or his affections? His emotions or his vow to help. He couldn't see or understand how he could have both.

As he was contemplating all of this he noticed robot droids coming down a ramp across from the shopping areas who were corralling the patrons into a large circle, holding them there by their sheer numbers. The people were looking around at each other to see if any of them knew what was going on but they were all met with blank, confused stares. Rose looked at the Doctor who was about to go out and see what was happening when an announcement came over the ship's speakers, playing over and over.

"Please go to your assigned escape pod sections, this is only a drill."

"Since when do droids circle people and keep them together for routine drills? And more importantly how were any of them supposed to do what the announcement said to do if the droids aren't letting them pass?" He didn't realize that he had said that last bit out loud until Rose agreed with his thinking.

"Maybe we'd better go and see what exactly is happening because it seems strange to me too."

He reached out his hand and took hers before exiting just in case they got separated in the mass of people. They headed out of the back door so as not to be seen by the droids only to get as far as the end of the street when they heard voices coming from the way they had been heading saying…

"HALT…YOU WILL STOP….HALT."

"The droids, quick…in here" the Doctor pulled her into what amounted to a small robot repair station and carefully shut the door behind them. Outside they could hear two things: the sound of the robots going by and the sudden panic of the people in the streets.

"What's that Doctor?" Rose was pointing at the smoke seeping in from under the door. He pulled out the sonic and scanned it then popping up from the floor and pulled Rose as far back into the room as possible. He grabbed whatever fabric he could find and started shoving it against the crack.

"GET BACK ROSE AND TRY TO BREATHE SHALLOW" he found a communications terminal against the back wall and opened it, playing with the wires until he heard the lines crackle and the voices of what he assumed to be the bridge coming through. Outside their little room they could still hear the coughing and screams of the shoppers.

"What is it?" she asked as the Doctor paced.

"Oh, just your run of the mill hydrogen sulphide combined with Diazomethane, also known as yellow gas which had been banned many years before this Space Port was positioned. Why they are using it when it is so volatile and so toxic is beyond me. Probably using it as backup fuel source, again…against the law. Must have a leak."

"GET OFF THIS COMM IMMEDIATELY!" came a gruff but panicked voice.

"Is this the Capt. Because if it is you have bigger troubles than me being on your comm port. So let's cut to the chase before everyone here dies, shall we?! NOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ON BOARD…NUMBERS CAPTAIN, I NEED NUMBERS AND FAST! "

"I have no idea who you think you are but…."

"NOW!" the Doctor, steely-eyed and only barely holding back his rage.

"Approximately 843, but I don't know how that will help….."

"AND IS THE LEAK STATION WIDE?"

(No answer, just the sound of panic)

"Captain, I am trying to stay very calm but you are not making my life easy here so IS THE LEAK STATION WIDE?!"

"No, there are no leaks on the bridge or into the viewing stations or dining areas. That is were the escape pods are and where we are trying to make the people go to."

"Put the schematic up on this comm so I can follow the route to the nearest free area."

Seconds later the path was lit up. The viewing stations were right next to the bridge while the nearest dining area was on level twelve, two levels above them but where the oxygen intake valve was probably stuck shut.

The Doctor was looking out of the window in the room and listening for other vessels.

"Why are their no escape pods taking off? Oh let me guess, you were using hydrogen sulphide and Diazomethane to power the pods?"

"Yes." The Captain said in a more hushed voice.

"YOU IDIOTS!" The Doctor had wondered why he did not hear the pods taking off but then realized that the outside hull was soundproof. In a rare display of anger, he picked up the nearest and heaviest tool and went to throw it across the room but then thought better of it and put it gently down instead with a deep breath.

"Now Captain, how many people were in those pods when they ignited because I know they must have. How many people Captain? HOW MANY PEOPLE DID YOU SEND TO THEIR DEATHS?!"

When there was no answer.

"You know what…never mind….I am going to go outside and fix your problem so if you want everyone else trapped on this station to live you will free the airlock located by the dining area on level 12 to let me out."

He turned to Rose then and simply stared at her for a beat before coming to a decision. "Rose, there are too many people left to try to get them all into the Tardis and it appears the leak of the gas is coming from the venting chamber leading outside. What that means is the seal needs to be opened in order to switch the exchange back to oxygen but it has to be done from the outside. I can handle the gas up to a certain extent but you can't." He looked over at the wall and by some miracle, he saw that the room had a few spacesuits hanging there that he didn't notice before. He rushed over to one and grabbed it off the hook and then checked the tanks.

"Here, you need to put this on and you will be ok to get to the Tardis. But you have to follow the lights on the floor and retrace the steps that got us here. " He looked away from her, trying to keep busy by putting the other suit on. It didn't have as much oxygen as the one he gave Rose but it would have to do.

"And where do you think you are going?" she grabbed him by the top of his suit

"I have to clear out the valve that has the leak and switch it back to Oxygen."

"And that is all done outside?"

"Yep" he still wouldn't make eye contact with her.

"And you expect me to just wait in the Tardis for you" Rose tried to get him to meet her gaze.

"Yep, that is pretty much it"

"No"

"Rose, you can't come with me. I will move much faster than you could and it will be safer for both of us if you just wait in the Tardis. Now, don't take this helmet off for any reason until you are back in there and try not to bang any metal against any other metal because this stuff is very flammable and we don't need a spark."

"So that is why you didn't throw that tool?"

"Yep, any spark would have been a bad one. This gas is very volatile and makes fireworks look tame."

"So what are you going to do to get the valve open?"

"Use my natural brute strength and very manly hands" he flashed her a smile and she couldn't help but smile back.

He put her helmet on her and then turned her tank on.

"Go and hurry up there, you'll be fine in this suit." He told her before he put his own on and then opened the door to swollen dead bodies and thick gas. Rose immediately recoiled in horror.

"Rose you can do it, now leave…" she could hear him through the suit which helped. At least they were connected that way.

She took one look back at him and he was smiling at her and shooing her along before they both went in their separate directions.