Inside, Platform One room, Shaft...
"Rose, slow down." Daisy said as her sister pulled her along until they came upon a window. "Seriously, what's the problem?" She asked as Rose dropped her hand and stepped up to the window.
"Are you not overwhelmed?" Rose enquired, not looking away from the window and keeping her gaze trained on the growing Sun. "Our planet is dying."
"Well... maybe a little." Daisy answered, shrugging as she came up next to her to look out window herself. "But we are billions of years in the future... We're not technically alive by this time, we wouldn't know."
"But we do know 'cause we're watching it right now." Rose glanced at her before looking out the window again.
Daisy opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a noise that made her and Rose both turn around to be met with the sight of another one of the staff (this one female) as she appeared around the corner, wearing overalls and a baseball cap of sorts.
"Sorry." Daisy apologized. "Are we allowed to be in here?"
The woman blinked before whispering. "...You have to give us permission to talk."
The Tyler sisters shared a look. "Er..." Rose started, unsure as she and Daisy looked back to the woman. "You... have permission?"
"Thank you." She smiled. "And no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere."
"'Kay..." Daisy muttered as the woman went to a wall panel and unlocked it. "Sorry, uh, what's your name?"
"Raffalo." She answered.
"Raffalo?"
"Yes, Miss. I won't be long. I've just got to carry out some maintenance. There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water."
Rose tilted her head slightly as she and Daisy continued to speak with Raffalo. "So... you're a plumber."
"That's right, Miss."
"They still have plumbers?"
Raffalo kind of laughed. "I hope so, else I'm out of a job."
Daisy smiled a bit at that. "So, Raffalo, where're you from?" She asked, leaning against a wall.
"Crespallion."
"And that's a planet, yeah?" Rose enquired as she leaned against the wall beside Daisy.
"No. Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex Fifty-Six." Raffalo explained to them. "And where are you both from?" She enquired before seeming to remember herself and adding on quickly. "If you don't mind me asking."
"No, not at all." Rose shook her head. "Er... I don't know. I s'pose you could say we're from a long way away. We sort of just... hitched a lift with this man and woman... We didn't even think about it." She realized, looking to Daisy. "We don't even know who they are. They're complete strangers."
Daisy sighed before looking to Raffalo. "It was really lovely meeting you, but don't let us keep you." She said, grabbing Rose's hand. "Good luck with it."
"Thank you." Raffalo smiled. "And, er... thank you, for the permission. Not many people are that considerate."
"'Kay." She smiled. "See you later."
•••••
Inside, Viewing gallery...
"Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen please report to the Steward's office immediately? Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty five point four slash cup slash sixteen. Thank you."
"I s'pose if they are going to come after us, they'll be a bit delayed." Daisy remarked as she and Rose now sat on the steps, looking out the large viewing window at the ever-expanding Sun. She absentmindedly tossed the Adherents' silver ball up and down, biting her bottom lip slightly as she thought. "Still, what a sight to gaze upon as we wait."
"Earth Death in twenty-five minutes."
"Oh, thanks." Rose looked up at the sound of the announcement, not really taking in the words that Daisy was saying. She then looked down at the twig in the little pot she held in her hand, holding it up to spin it around. "Hello." She smiled, twisting it around. "My name's Rose. That's a sort of plant. We might be related."
"And my name's Daisy, and you're talking to a twig." Daisy's voice alerted Rose, reminding her that she wasn't actually alone. "You're losing it." She stated, setting her Adherents' ball down behind her as she turned a bit more towards Rose. "You alright?"
"Are you really asking me that question?" Rose retorted, turning towards her sister.
"Oi, now!" The Doctor's voice shouted from not too far off. "Careful with that! Park it properly! No scratches!"
"Daisy? Rose? Are you in there?" The Guardian's voice floated through door, the Tyler twins turning around just in time to see her and the Doctor walk into the room.
"Aye aye." The Doctor grinned as he and the Guardian plopped down on the other side of the steps. "What do you think, then?"
"Great." Daisy grinned in return, leaning back on her hands.
"Yeah, once you get past the slightly psychic paper." Rose chimed in. "They're just so... alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em... and they're alien."
"I think that's kind of their thing." Daisy commented. "Aliens will be aliens. 'Cause, well, they are aliens."
"How are you so calm about this?" Rose asked, glancing at her.
Daisy just shrugged. "Eh."
"Good thing we didn't take you to the Deep South." The Doctor chuckled at the two.
Rose looked at him. "Where are you and Aria from?" She asked.
"All over the place." He answered.
"Not really." The Guardian mumbled, leaning back on her hands in much the same way as Daisy currently was.
"They all speak English." Rose nodded towards the door.
"No, you just hear English." The Doctor shook his head. "It's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."
"It's inside my brain?!" Rose gasped.
"Well, in a good way!"
"That's actually pretty cool." Daisy giggled.
"Comes in handy." The Guardian shrugged.
"Your machine gets inside my head." Rose stated, a bit angry, not taking her eyes off the Doctor. "It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?"
The Doctor frowned. "I didn't think about it like that."
"No! You were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South!" Rose exclaimed. "Who are you, the both of you? What are you called? What sort of aliens are you?"
"I'm just the Doctor." The Doctor answered before pointing. "And that's Aria Carington."
The Guardian smiled, giving Rose a wave. "Hello."
Rose rolled her eyes. "But from what planet?"
The Guardian tilted her head slightly as she looked at Rose. "Dear Rose, I do not believe you would know its whereabouts if we told you."
"Where are you from?!"
The Doctor responded this time, glaring a bit. "What does it matter?"
Rose slammed her hand on the ground. "Tell me who you are!"
"This is who we are, right here, right now, alright?!" The Doctor shouted, the Guardian and Daisy watching the two go back and forth with each other. "All that counts is here and now, and this is us." He pointed to the Guardian. "Right, Ari?"
The Guardian blinked. "Er, yeah... Before I say anything else," She slowly looked to Daisy. "d'you have anything to add to this evening's commentary?"
"I..." She trailed off. "I...don't think so? I'm feeling a bit conflicted in this instance. I thought you'd just tell us stuff when you wanted to."
"Apparently that's easier said than done." The Guardian remarked, looking back to Rose. "Listen, Rose, did it ever occur to you that there might be a reason why we don't want to talk about this?"
"I..." Rose trailed off as she stared at the Guardian before letting her gaze drift over to the Doctor, seeing him giving her the same look. What could have happened to make them not want to talk about their home?
What kind of name is The Doctor when his associate is called Aria Carington? Or was she supposed to be asking the opposite? What happened to them? Why were they reduced to this just by these simple questions?
"Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes."
Rose then spared another glance at her sister, and all Daisy did was just give her a reassuring smile before nodding.
"Alright..." Rose sighed. "Okay." She nodded. "As my mate Shareen's told me and Daisy a time or two, don't argue with the designated driver... Or in this case, designated drivers."
"See?" Daisy grinned, clapping her hands as she leaned forward. "That wasn't so hard." She then took a moment to pull out her phone and look at it. "Although, we can't really call for a taxi. Not by a long shot. A really long shot. No signal whatsoever."
Rose couldn't help but let out a laugh at that, pulling out her own phone. "We are out of range, aren't we? Just a bit."
"Here." The Doctor held out his hand, and Rose dropped her phone into it. "With a little bit of jiggery pokery..."
"Is that a technical term?" Rose asked as the Doctor took her phone apart, using his sonic screwdriver on the battery. "Jiggery pokery?"
"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery." The Doctor joked as he handed Rose her phone back before taking Daisy's and doing the same trick on it. "What about you?"
"Oh, the Tyler twins failed big time at hullabaloo." Daisy laughed.
"I wouldn't worry too much." The Guardian spoke up. "Maybe I could tutor you both sometime. I can be pretty good at hullabaloo."
"And she's not lying." The Doctor added before handing Daisy her phone back as well. "There you go."
Rose and Daisy kinda shared a look before Rose quickly dialed a certain number and raised her mobile up to her ear, Daisy leaning in so she could hear.
"Hello?" Jackie Tyler's voice greeted.
"Mum?" Rose and Daisy gasped in unison, glancing at each other with wide eyes.
"Oh, what is it, you two? What's wrong?" Jackie asked. "What have I done now? Oh, these red and orange tops are falling to bits! You should get your money back, loves. Go on, there must be something. Neither of you ever phone in the middle of day. Let alone at the same time together." The Tyler sisters giggled before they could stop it, both of them quickly clapping their hands over their mouths, which made the Guardian snicker as she and the Doctor watched them. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing." Daisy said quickly, sighing as she calmed down from their giggles. "You alright, though?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"What day is it?".
"Wednesday, all day. You and Rose got hangovers? Oh, I tell you what, put a quid in that lottery syndicate. I'll pay you back later."
"Yeah." Rose bit her lip in thought, shooting a look at Daisy before speaking into the phone again. "Er, anyway, we were just calling 'cause we might be late home."
"Is there something wrong?"
"No... We're fine." Rose assured her, her and Daisy casting their eyes to look out the large viewing window. "Top of the world." The Doctor and the Guardian shared amused looks as Rose hung up, her and Daisy staring down at the phone in amazement.
"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill." The Doctor joked.
"That was five billion years ago." Daisy mumbled, pointing at the phone. "So... she's dead now. Five billion years later, our Mum's dead."
"Bundle of laughs, you are, Daisy Tyler." The Guardian rolled her eyes. "Thought you were better than that."
Suddenly, the floor shook and shuddered under their feet; making the four of them look around, the Doctor and the Guardian frowning.
"That's not supposed to happen..." The Doctor stated as he and the Guardian shared a look before their faces split into wide grins and they ran from the room, leaving Rose and Daisy to rush after them.
•••••
Inside, Manchester Suite...
"Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you."
"Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario." The Moxx of Balhoon was telling the Face of Boe as the quartet returned to the Manchester Suite. "I find the inherent laxity of the ongoing multiverse..."
"That wasn't a gravity pocket." The Doctor denied. "I know gravity pockets, and they don't feel like that."
"What do you think, Miss Jabe?" The Guardian asked kindly as the Tree walked up to them. "The engines sound a bit dodgy. Pitched up about thirty Hertz or so, I'd say."
Jabe shook her head. "It's the sound of metal, it doesn't make any sense to me."
"Do you know where the engine room is?" The Doctor asked, curious, as he crossed his arms.
"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite." Jabe suggested. "I could show you and your friends."
"You know what? You three go." Rose told them. "Think Daisy and I are gonna go catch up with the family." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder towards Cassandra. "Quick word with Michael Jackson."
"Ooh, yes." Daisy nodded eagerly. "Definitely wanna have a word with her."
"Don't start a fight." The Guardian pointed a finger at them before smiling at Jabe. "Shall we?"
"And we want both of you home by midnight!" Rose called after them.
"So strict." The Doctor joked before chuckling as he, Jabe and the Guardian headed out of the room.
"Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes."
•••••
Inside, Maintenance corridor...
"Who's in charge of Platform One?" The Doctor asked Jabe as the two of them and the Guardian navigated their way down the maintenance duct. "Is there a captain or something?"
"There's just the Steward and the staff." Jabe replied. "All the rest is controlled by the metal mind."
"Wait. Are you talking about the computer?" The Guardian enquired. "Who controls that, though?"
"The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to another."
"But there isn't anyone from the Corporation onboard?"
"They're not needed." Jabe shook her head. "This facility is purely automated. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong."
"Unsinkable?" The Doctor guessed.
"If you like. The nautical term is appropriate."
"You're telling us." He snorted. "Aria and I were onboard another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. We ended up clinging to an iceberg, it wasn't half cold."
"You're telling me." The Guardian rolled her eyes, glancing at Jabe. "You should've seen us, Jabe. It certainly was a sight to see. Although, I did handle it pretty well. I was like an Ice Queen, sitting on top of that thing like it was a throne."
"Truly unforgettable." The Doctor remarked. "Anyway, back to the current situation: You're saying that if we get in trouble, there's no one to help us out?"
Jabe shook her head. "I'm afraid not."
"Fantastic!" The Doctor grinned.
"I don't understand." Jabe hurried after him and the Guardian. "In what way is that fantastic?"
"Oh, don't pay that and mind." The Guardian waved it off, shooting a grin Jabe's way. "It's sort of his go-to phrase."
•••••
Inside, Manchester Suite...
"Soon, the Sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die." Cassandra was telling Daisy and Rose as the three of them looked out of the window at the Sun and down at the Earth. "That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy, down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice." She sighed. "I had such fun."
"What happened to everyone else?" Rose asked. "The Human Race – where did it go?"
"They say Mankind has touched every star in the sky."
"There really are more humans, then?" Daisy queried. "You aren't the last one?"
"I am the last pure human." Cassandra corrected. "The others... mingled. Oh, they call themselves New Humans and Proto-Humans and Digi-Humans, even Human-ish. But you know what I call them?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Mongrels."
"But they're still human." Daisy frowned. "Just 'cause they have a little something extra mixed in shouldn't matter."
"She's right." Rose agreed. "And you stayed behind."
"I kept myself pure." Cassandra told them.
"Yeah." Daisy said, incredulous. "And how many operations have you had, exactly?"
"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached... Is that why you two wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out. And Daisy, your nose is a bit wide. Perhaps a light operation could fix that."
Daisy gasped, glaring. "I believe I speak for both my sister and myself when I say that 'We'd rather die.'"
"Honestly, I doesn't hurt." Cassandra looked at them.
"We mean it." Rose agreed with Daisy, crossing her arms. "We'd rather die. It's better to die than live like you – a bitchy trampoline."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "Oh, well, what do you know?"
"Rose and I were born on that planet." Daisy pointed out the window. "And so was our Mum, and so was our Dad. So that make us officially the last human beings in this room, 'cause you sure as hell aren't human." She said. "You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there isn't anything left." She tilted her head a bit. "It's like anything human was just chucked into the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nothing more. Come on, Ro."
"Nice talking." Rose gave Cassandra a meaningless grin before just following after her sister, neither of them noticing the Adherents of the Repeated Meme watching them as they left the room.
•••••
Inside, Maintenance corridor...
"So, tell us, Jabe. What's a Tree like you doing in a place like this?" The Doctor asked as he, the Guardian and Jabe were still making their way down the maintenance duct; the low ceiling forcing the three of them to stoop slightly.
"Respect for the Earth." Jabe answered.
"Oh, please." The Guardian rolled her eyes. "Everyone on this platform is worth zillions."
"Well... perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions."
"In case your share prices drop?" The Doctor glanced at Jabe before smirking as he looked straight ahead again. "I know you lot. You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."
"All the same, we respect the Earth as family." Jabe informed them. "So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below. And I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."
"Excuse us." The Guardian said as she and the Doctor brushed past her and walked up to a control panel, the Doctor getting out his sonic screwdriver and using it on the screen.
"And what about your ancestry, Aria? And yours, Doctor?" Jabe asked the duo. "Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps you both only enjoy trouble because there's nothing else left... I scanned you earlier, both of you. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence... And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right." She lowered her voice, her tone awed. "I know where you're from... Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. And I just want to say... how sorry I am, to you both." She put a comforting hand on the Guardian's shoulder, making said Time Lady look at Jabe. The Tree gazed into the Guardian's eyes. "And dear Guardian, you must not let your past control your present or future... It will only cause you misery."
The Guardian's eyes flicked from Jabe's hand on her shoulder to her face while she ignored the gaze she could feel the Doctor giving her. The Guardian then took a deep breath in, trying to keep her emotions under control as she felt a tear escape the corner of her eye, and put her hand over the one Jabe had placed on her shoulder.
The somewhat emotional silence that had enveloped the three individuals was soon interrupted by the sound of the door they were next to as it slid open, the Doctor's sonic finally succeeding in its work on the control panel to get it open, allowing them to enter.
•••••
Inside, Ventilation chamber...
The trio walked through the door and found themselves in the ventilation chamber, the Doctor tilting his head slightly as they looked upon a number of large spinning fans.
"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?"
•••••
Inside, Platform One, Corridor...
As Rose and Daisy walked down the corridor – finding their way back to the observation gallery – the Adherents of the Repeated Meme suddenly stepped in front of them, blocking their way. But before the Tyler twins could say anything, two of the Adherents stepped forward and knocked them to the floor where they then laid unconscious before being dragged away.