The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 45
A/N: Here's the second part of Gridlock. We have the Face of Boe and Gallifrey and the Doctor's not the last of the Time Lords. Hope you all liked the chapter!
Replies to Reviews:
DRWfangirl: I'm so glad you liked the interlude. It was not a dream, it was very much real, but it was set in the future.
NicoleR85: I'm glad you're liking the story so far. I update this one on Fridays and Dream Weaver on Mondays.
Marmalade1512: Thank you so much and it's great you're enjoying the story.
Tiara Peterson: No problem. I've been writing that interlude for awhile, but an anon on Tumblr requested an update, so I pushed myself to finish it. I know, they go through so much angst and almost-there moments that it was nice to see they're happy in the future.
TheGirlWhoLives: No problem. The idea sounds really interesting. I wouldn't mind writing it, but you'd have to give me some time. Oh, and did you just want that final scene between the Plasmavore, the Doctor and the OC? The Lunar Cycle by LizzeXX is awesome. Lizze is a fantastic writer, she's given me so much appreciation to write my two Doctor Who stories. Don't worry, I love questions. That is an interesting point, but no, I think after The Time of the Doctor, it was like Capaldi's Doctor is the first of a new set of regenerations. My head canon is (even though Let's Kill Hitler didn't explain this properly) that the poison from the Judas tree did something like suspend regenerations unless you had enough to overcome the poison. When Mels regenerated into River, that was her third regeneration and if she lost ten to save the Doctor, it was something like the the Doctor needed ten or more regenerations to overcome the poison, that's why he couldn't do it himself, because he was on his "eleventh" regeneration. Hopefully that makes sense :)
Quasmire: I plan on doing all of the New Series episodes plus a few of my original chapters, some Torchwood ones and Sarah Jane Adventures ones, which I counted as a little over 230 chapters. It'll be quite a long story/stories, I promise. The interlude was not a dream. It was the future for the Doctor and Rhea, just a little slice of time where Rhea knows everything she needs to know. The first section of the chapter was with the 11th Doctor and the second half was with the 9th Doctor. Oh, I'm so glad you like my stories. No, sorry, I'm not a professional writer. I prefer writing fan fiction, less flamers, but I'm glad I can pull it off ;)
Warnings: Not much, just the usual.
Gridlock: City of Ember
"You'll have to keep trying. There's no one else." Another old woman said, her voice sympathetic.
The Doctor gritted his teeth in frustration. "Thank you." He handed Brannigan back the transmitter.
Amongst the beeping, honking and smoke, the car that Martha was currently trapped inside descended through the massive lines and stacks of cars on the motorway. The blue screen of the monitor on the dashboard showed the dot representing Car 4-6-5-Diamond-Six, and it was now moving from Level 39 to Level 43. Milo's finger pointed at the dot.
See? Another ten layers to go. We're scorching." Milo told Martha, happily.
Martha smiled. As she did so, a low noise sounded, like a mix between a creak and growl, which echoed throughout the entire car.
"What's that?" Martha asked, fearfully. The sound returned. "It's coming from underneath."
"It does have noise, doesn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories are true." Cheen whispered, looking around, desperately.
"What stories?" Martha asked, worriedly.
Milo rolled his eyes, exasperated. "It's the sound of the air vents. That's all. The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."
"No, the stories are much better." Cheen said, excitedly. Milo chuckled, both derisively and fondly, and looked away. "They say people go missing on the motorway." Cheen said, conspiratorially, to Martha. "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."
As the rumbling from outside the car grew louder and louder, they all stared at each other, nervously, their previous excitement long forgotten. Milo shifted in his seat, perturbed.
"But like I said. Air vents." He pressed a few buttons on the console. "Going down to the next layer."
"Except look down there." Martha nodded at the dashboard, pointedly. "Does it look like the air vents are working?"
"No." Cheen said, hesitantly.
The sound kept growing louder and louder, and the sounds of growling and crashing were added to the steady rumbling.
"So what's that, then?" Martha whispered.
Milo didn't have an answer for her, or maybe he did, but he had no intention of voicing it out loud, lest it scare Cheen. He shook his head.
"Nah. Kid stuff." He held up his transmitter. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, on descent." He spoke into the transmitter.
"We've got to go to the fast lane. Take us down." The Doctor said, sharply.
"Not a million years." Brannigan said, shaking his head.
"We have more than three passengers." Rhea protested. "We should be able to get access."
"I'm still not going." Brannigan said, stubbornly.
"She's alone, and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all our fault. We're asking you, Brannigan, take us down." The Doctor pleaded.
"That's a no." Valerie snapped. "And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."
Rhea frowned. "Why not? Why are you so afraid of going down there? What happens there?" She asked, suspiciously.
"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!" Valerie said, sharply.
"So we keep on driving." The Doctor said, incredulously.
"Yes, we do."
"For how long?" Rhea growled, her skin itching with impatience.
"'Till the journey's end." Brannigan said, finally.
The Doctor rolled his eyes and 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?" He asked.
"Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now."
Rhea raised an eyebrow and took the transmitter from the Doctor. "And in those twenty-three years, have you actually ever seen a cop on the motorway?"
Valerie and Brannigan glared at up them, disquieted that they were bringing this up.
"I'm not sure."
"Look at your notes. Any police?" The Doctor asked, slyly.
"Not as such." One of the Cassini sisters said, clearly upset by the turn of the conversation.
"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? Ever?" The Doctor asked.
"I can't keep a note of everything."
Rhea smiled a harsh smile. "What if there's no one out there?"
Brannigan reached up and angrily snatched the transmitter off the Doctor. "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour." He scolded.
"Someone's got to ask. 'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes." Something changed in the Doctor's eyes when he saw that reflected in Brannigan's.
"What if the traffic jam never stops?" Rhea asked, quietly.
"There's a whole city above us." Brannigan protested. "The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us."
"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?" The Doctor asked, coldly.
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Valerie shouted.
The screen on the console of the car blared into life. "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."
"You think you know us so well, Doctor, Miss Rhea." Brannigan scoffed. "But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."
Valerie smiled, softly, at him.
"This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe."
Valerie and Brannigan began to sing in low, haunting tones, the Doctor and Rhea watching them with interest.
In the car Martha was in, Milo and Cheen were also singing the hymn.
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, Martha had tears in her eyes.
"Fast lane access, please drive safely." The electronic voice echoed throughout the car.
"We made it." Milo said, his eyes bright. "The fast lane."
Cheen grinned, her face flushed and breathless, as their car scooted out of the long lines of traffic and descended into empty smoke.
"If you won't take us, we'll go down on our own." The Doctor muttered and scrambled to the middle of the car, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and flashing it against a hatch in the floor. Brannigan and Valerie turned, shocked, and Rhea simply groaned.
"What have I told you about including me in your stupid ideas?" Rhea scolded.
"What do you think you're doing?" Brannigan asked, his eyes wide.
"Finding our own way." The Doctor shrugged. "I usually do."
"Capsule open." The electronic voice sounded through the car.
Valerie and Brannigan looked on in horror as the hatch in the floor of the car opened, revealing the hundreds of cars stacked beneath them. One pulled up right underneath the opening and the Doctor held out a hand for Rhea to take, wanting the two of them to jump down, simultaneously.
"You know, if I were to innocently murder you, I'd probably get off for justifiable homicide." Rhea muttered to herself.
The Doctor clucked his tongue in amusement and pecked her on the lips. "Oh, you'd miss me too much." He sighed, steeling himself.
"You two are very sweet together. How long have you and your wife been married?" Brannigan asked, curiously.
Rhea snorted and looked at the Doctor, a smile growing on her lips, despite the churning in her stomach, both from Brannigan's words and the threat of jumping down into the exhaust-fumed abyss down below. "Wife." She smirked, not taking her eyes off the Doctor. "He should be so lucky."
The Doctor chuckled and shrugged off his coat, throwing it to Valerie, who caught it just in time.
"Look after this." He looked up at the coat, mournfully. "I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat." He whined.
"But you can't jump!" Valerie protested.
"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens." He said, nervously.
"You're absolutely sure about this?" Rhea asked, carefully. "I mean, honey, this has to be the stupidest thing we've ever done." Barring almost driving the Titanic into Buckingham Palace, bringing aliens back to Earth after sending them away just to tell them off, baiting a mutated scorpion with a taste for flesh and holding onto random bits of a spaceship as Weeping Angels were sucked into a crack that was apparently the end of the universe.
"Oh, the stupidest." The Doctor agreed and they both grinned, their hands reaching for each other's.
"This Martha, she must mean an awful lot to you two." Brannigan said, knowingly.
"Hardly know her." The Doctor shrugged. "I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." He looked up at Rhea, who reached over and scraped her nails against his sideburns. He sighed and his hand tightened around hers. "Bye then!"
The two of them threw themselves down the hatch and landed on their feet on top of the car below, coughing as the fumes got into their throats.
The Doctor drew the sonic screwdriver across the top of the car they had just landed on, latching onto Rhea's waist and bringing her into his body. The hatch on the top slid open and they dropped into the car, finding a man dressed in all white and looking very pale.
"Capsule open."
"Who the hell are you?" The man snapped, glaring at the Doctor and Rhea.
"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. We're doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?" The Doctor said, quickly, and began to open up the hatch on the floor, while Rhea waited, impatiently.
"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!"
"Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!" The Doctor grabbed Rhea by the waist and they leapt through the bottom of the car, continuing down into the next one. They still coughed with every breath they took, the fumes clogging their throat.
"Capsule open."
The sonic screwdriver was quickly opening the bottom door of the next car. The Doctor and Rhea looked up to see two very startled Asian girls staring at them from the front of their vividly decorated car.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted." The Doctor muttered and threw a green scarf at Rhea, who caught it was a gleam in her eyes, and took a purple one for himself. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" They both wrapped the two ends around their heads and tied it at the back.
"I don't think it's quite your colour." Rhea gifted the two girls with a beaming smile. "But thanks, anyway."
The next time they jumped into a car, they were startled by the two very naked drivers, who looked at them in utter shock.
"Capsule open."
"Oh!" The Doctor's eyes widened and he almost covered his eyes with his hand, when Rhea tugged him away from the naked couple and towards the hatch.
"Don't mind us. We were just leaving." Rhea said, quickly, and they jumped into the next car, which was lit all in red, with a very large man sitting in the front.
"Capsule open."
The Doctor saluted him, cheekily, making Rhea laugh and jumped through this car as well.
In Martha's car, 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 urged Milo.
Milo tapped 'EXIT 1'. At the bottom of the screen, a warning was issued, beeping the message 'JUNCTION CLOSED'.
"Brooklyn Turnoff One closed." The electronic voice said.
"Try the next one." Cheen said, desperately.
"Brooklyn Turnoff Two closed."
Cheen let out an anguished moan. "What do we do?"
"We'll keep going round." Milo said, reassuringly. "We'll do the whole loop. By the time we come back round, they'll be open."
The rumbling sound started all over again and they all looked around in terror and panic.
"You're still calling that air vents?" Martha asked, incredulously.
"What else could it be?" Milo asked, and it was clear from all of their faces that none of them really wanted to know what it could be.
The rumbling grew louder.
"What the hell is that?" Cheen shrieked, terrified.
"It's just… the hydraulics." Milo stammered, looking very uncertain.
"Sounds like it's … alive." Martha whispered.
Milo shook his head. "It's all exhaust fumes out there. Nothing could breathe in that."
"Calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six. Repeat, calling Car Four Six Five Diamond Six." The electronic voice called out from the monitor.
Milo picked up the transmitter and held it up to his lips. "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?" A female asked him.
Milo shook his head. "We only have permission to go down. We-we need the Brooklyn Flyover."
"It's closed. Go back up." The woman said, sharply.
"We can't. We'll just go round."
"Don't you understand? They're closed. They're always closed." The woman snapped.
Cheen clapped her hands over her mouth, in more distress than she had ever been, only managing to let out frightened little gasps.
"We're stuck down here. And there's something else. Out there, in the fog. Can't you hear it?"
The rumbling stopped and the three could hear a definite shrill roar sounding outside now.
"That's the air vents." Milo protested.
"Jehovah!" The woman shouted in disbelief. "What are you, some stupid kid? Get out of here!"
They could hear the sounds of crashing and screaming and the roar sounding through all of it.
"What was that?" Milo asked.
They heard more screaming and the sounds of things smashing to the ground.
"I can't move! They've got us!" The woman shouted.
"But what's happening?" Milo asked.
Martha, fed up with the turn of the conversation, snatched the transmitter off Milo. "What's got you? What is it?"
The woman yelled something that was unintelligible and from then on, all they could hear was the sound of screaming and crashing and the sound of metal being torn apart.
"Hello?" Milo called out into the transmitter when everything was silent.
"Just drive, you idiots! Get out of here! Get out!" The woman managed to shout.
"Can you hear me?! Hello?!" Milo shouted into the transmitter.
"Just drive!" Martha growled. "Do what she said, get us out of here!"
"But where?" Milo protested.
"Just straight ahead! And fast!" Martha shouted.
"What is it? What's out there? What is it?" Cheen sobbed out.
The Doctor jumped down into another car, his hands reaching out and helping Rhea down the hatch, both of them a little winded. A businessmen in pinstripes whirled around to face the two.
"Excuse me," The businessman began, shocked. "Is that legal?"
"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." The Doctor managed to say before another bout of coughing took over any ability to speak.
"Do you have any water?" Rhea asked, her throat sore.
"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." The business reached over to the water cooler by the side of the console and filled a cone-shaped clear plastic cup with water, handing it to Rhea, who drank half the glass and gave the rest to the Doctor, who downed it one gulp.
"Is this the last layer?" The Doctor asked, once he was finally able to speak.
"Ah," The businessman nodded. "We're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."
"Can we drive down?" Rhea asked. "We have three passengers."
"To be honest, I'd rather not." The man said, uneasily.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Typical."
The Doctor scowled. "If you'll excuse us." He ran over to the hatch in the bottom of the car, using his sonic screwdriver to flip it open.
"You can't jump." The businessman said, incredulously. "It's a thousand feet down!"
"No, we just want a look." Rhea said, lowly, coming to kneel beside the Doctor.
They stared out into the thick, murky brown fog, which covered the fast lane from view, dotted with tiny lights all over the place. Faintly, from a distance, they could hear a screeching roar coming from the fog.
"What was that?" Rhea asked, tapping the Doctor on the arm, urgently. "It sounded like something out of Jurassic Park."
"I try not to think about it." The businessman added.
"What are those lights?" The Doctor pointed down at a few of the dots, nudging Rhea's shoulder with his. "What's down there?" He and Rhea coughed again, waving a hand in front of their face to stop the smoke from going down their throats.
"We just need to see." Rhea gritted her teeth. This looked like the end of the line for them and they knew Martha was beyond that line. How the hell are we gonna get her back?
"Oh," The Doctor's eyes widened and he cupped Rhea's face in his hand, pressing a hard, grateful kiss to her lips, an action which shocked as well as sent zings of pleasure down her spine. She swallowed hard and licked her lips, looking anywhere but the vicinity of the Doctor, as leapt to his feet and ran over to the console. "You are brilliant, you are." He shouted. He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the display, flicking one of the settings on. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze."
He started to play with the wires of the system, helping himself with the sonic screwdriver. One of the wires snapped in his fingers. "That's it!" He growled, triumphantly. "Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."
He, Rhea and the businessman stared out of the bottom of the car, hoping for a good result. Rhea frowned, beginning to make something out through the smoke.
"What are those shapes?" She asked, quietly, and as she spoke, huge snapping claws materialised in the fading smoke.
"They're alive." The Doctor said, worriedly.
"They're crabs." Rhea squinted into the dark. "Really big crabs." She reached over and punched the Doctor in the arm. "Why is that everywhere you take me, we end up in some remake of really horrible monster movies?" She asked, her voice slightly high-pitched.
The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her into him, kissing the top of her head, hard. "Macra. They're called Macra." He said, darkly.
"What the hell are Macra?" Rhea mumbled into the Doctor's shoulder.
"They're a crustacean race which feed on unclean gases that are poisonous to humans. But they have been known to feed upon organic lifeforms when available." He explained.
"That was not comforting." Rhea glared at the Doctor.
He shrugged. "Wasn't meant to be."
Martha's car was jolting more than ever before, and all of its passengers were panicked.
"Go faster!" Cheen shouted.
"I'm at top speed!" Milo growled.
The screen at the front read 'PROXIMITY ENDING'.
"No access above." The electronic voice said.
"But this is an emergency!" Milo shouted into the transmitter, as he swerved the car to the side, narrowly missing giant and very active claws.
"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold."
"Turn everything off." Martha said, suddenly.
"You've got to be joking." Milo scoffed, turning to look at her with incredulous eyes.
"No, listen, it's all fog out there, so how can they see us?" Martha asked, pointedly. "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."
"What if you're wrong?" Milo asked, desperately.
"It can't be worse than this! Just do it!" Martha shrieked.
Milo went for it, flicking switches at the top of the car and on the console. The lights grew dim and everything seemed to be at a standstill. The three sat, not even willing to take a breath, quietly, in an unmoving car, no longer jolting around and no longer screaming.
"They've stopped." Cheen whispered, haltingly.
"Yeah, but they're still out there." Milo pointed out.
They all glanced around, nervously, expecting some sign of the creatures. Cheen decided not to dwell on that for much longer and turned to look at Martha, curiously.
"How did you think of that?" Cheen asked, quietly.
"I saw it on a film." Martha shrugged. The air was silent and the three would have laughed at that, if they weren't so scared. "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 pointed out.
"How long have we got?" Martha asked, worriedly.
"Eight minutes, maximum." Milo told her, looking at Cheen, worriedly, as she started to cry.
"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 Doctor started to elaborate on what he had told Rhea earlier.
"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me." Rhea muttered.
"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 Martha's down there."
"So, how do we get there?" Rhea asked, worriedly.
Suddenly, there was the sound of metal clanking from the top of the car and the three looked up.
"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" The businessman muttered, angrily.
A woman's feet dangled down from the opened up hatch in the ceiling and a cat-woman dropped into the vehicle along with them.
"I think we just invented a fad." Rhea murmured to the Doctor.
"Doctor, Miss Sunehri, you're a hard couple to find." The cat-woman panted.
Rhea rolled her eyes and pointed in between her and the Doctor. "We are not a couple! Why does everyone think we're a couple?" Rhea rounded on the Doctor. "This is your fault!" She hissed. "You just have to go around all space and time, calling me your wife."
The Doctor shrugged. "Well, you do act like my wife. It's easy for people to get mistaken."
Rhea crossed her arms over her chest. "How exactly do I act like your wife?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Well, you do nag me." The Doctor said, and his eyes widened, wincing as he realised what he had just said.
"What did you just say?" Rhea gritted her teeth and glared at him, icily.
"Nothing, dear." The Doctor said, quickly and kissed her on the cheek to mollify her.
"No guns! I'm not having guns!" The businessman pointed, accusingly, at the cat-woman's gun, which she was still clutching in one hand.
"I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, Miss Sunehri, you've got to come with me." The cat-woman said, urgently.
"Do we know you?" The Doctor squinted at her. He turned to Rhea. "Rhea, do you know her?"
Rhea shook her head. "Nope."
"You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me." The cat-woman said, shyly.
The Doctor's eyes lit, recognising her at last. "Novice Hame!" He hugged her, grinning. Then, he tensed and immediately pulled away from the hug. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Do you just hug anyone?"
"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, Miss Sunehri, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you both come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself." Novice Hame said, guiltily.
"We're not going anywhere." Rhea snapped.
"You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra!" The Doctor growled.
"Our friend's down there, and if she's still alive, she's stuck there!" Rhea growled.
"You've got to come with me right now!" Novice Hame said, stubbornly.
"No, no, no, you're coming with us. We're going down into the fast lane." The Doctor smirked and levelled a cold look at the businessman, practically daring him to argue.
"I'm sorry, Doctor." Novice Hame said, softly. "But the situation is even worse than you can imagine." She grabbed onto both of their wrists and pressed a button on the green-lit metal wristband she was wearing. "Transport."
The Doctor's and Rhea's eyes widened when they realised exactly what Novice Hame was planning to do. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" They both shouted at her.
But it was too late. Just as they screamed in protest, all three of them vanished in a haze of white light, as the businessman looked on in bewilderment. And then, the Doctor, Rhea and Novice Hame were picking themselves off the floor of a large, unkempt room, with dusty, junk everywhere, with streams of sunlight beaming inside irregularly.
"Jesus." Rhea muttered, scrambling to her feet. "I am never doing that again."
"Rough teleport." The Doctor agreed, helping her up. "Ow. But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha." He snapped at Novice Hame.
"I only had the power for one trip." Novice Hame shook her head.
"Then get some more!" The Doctor growled.
"Where are we?" Rhea asked, looking around.
"High above, in the over-city."
"Good!" The Doctor said, fiercely. "'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York we'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!"
"But you're inside the Senate, right now." Novice Hame stressed. "May the goddess Santori bless them."
The three looked up, and sure enough, there were long rows of seats in a vast chamber, each row and seat filled with skeletons.
"They died, Doctor, Miss Sunehri. The city died." Novice Hame sighed,
"How long's it been like this?" The Doctor asked, softly.
"Twenty-four years."
They walked over to one of the skeletons, lying on the ground, and the Doctor knelt beside it. The anger seemed to have drained from his face and now, he looked profoundly disturbed.
"All of them? Everyone?" The Doctor asked.
"What happened?" Rhea asked, quietly.
"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss." Novice Hame knelt next to him and reached down, picking up a small, circular disk just like the ones the vendors were selling in the alleyway. This one was light blue and read 'BLISS' on the front. "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 both stood up now, all three struck by the urgency of the situation.
"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?" Rhea asked, carefully.
Novice Hame nodded. "There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."
Rhea frowned. "Who's 'we' in all of this? How did you survive if you were topside when all of this happened?"
Novice Hame looked remarkably brighter. "He protected me. And he has waited for you, these long years."
There was a low, rumbling voice. "Doctor. My beautiful Rhea."
Rhea smiled, widely, recognising the deep voice, and she and the Doctor rushed over to the Face of Boe, kneeling in front of him, Novice Hame following them.
"The Face of Boe!" The Doctor cried out, excitedly.
Rhea, hesitantly, touched the glass. "Hello, honey." She murmured, stroking, remembering the alien from Platform One and the comfort he had delivered her the last time they had met. "How's it going?"
"I knew you would come." The Face of Boe rumbled in their minds.
"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins." Novice Hame explained.
"Old friend, what happened to you?" The Doctor asked, gently.
"Failing." The Face of Boe replied, making Rhea bite her lip in worry.
"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."
"You saved them." Rhea whispered, a finger sliding down the glass.
"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running." Novice Hame looked as though she was about to cry.
"But there are planets out there. You could have called for help." The Doctor offered.
Novice Hame 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 stood up, leaving Rhea next to the Face of Boe. "So the two of you stayed here, on your own, for all these years."
"We had no choice." Novice Hame said, lightly, but Rhea could read the sorrow in her eyes.
The Doctor reached out to her, gently touching her shoulder. Rhea pursed her lips, realising this must have been Novice Hame's first physical contact in so long.
"Yes, you did." The Doctor said, proudly.
"Save them, Doctor, Beautiful Rhea. Save them." The Face of Boe murmured.
Martha's car was still silent and stationary, since they had not turned anything back on, fearful that the creatures would find them again. The occupants in the car were less panicked than before and were heading in the direction of complete hopelessness.
"How much air's left?" Cheen asked Milo, wearily.
"Two minutes." Milo replied, sighing.
"There's always the Doctor and Rhea. Those friends of mine. They might think of something." Martha offered.
"Martha, no one's coming." Milo said, resignedly.
Martha looked as though she was about to cry.
"They looked kind of nice." Cheen said, slowly.
Martha had to smile. "They're a bit more than that."
"Are you and the Doctor…" Cheen trailed off, but Martha understood what she meant by the question.
"No," Martha shook her head. "You should see the way he is with Rhea. Doesn't let her out of his sight for than a moment." She smiled, fondly. "And she's lovely, she really is. I can tell that she wants me. But he… sometimes I think he likes me, but sometimes I just think he needs someone with him. And sometimes I think he only wanted me to come with them because she wanted me to come."
Cheen shook her head, the entire car falling silent. "I never even asked. Where's home?"
Martha chuckled. "It's a long way away. I didn't really think. I just followed the Doctor, and … they don't even know where I am." Her eyes widened in horror. "My mum and dad. If I died here, they'd never know." She whispered.
"So, um, who are they, then? This Doctor and his girlfriend?" Milo asked her.
"I don't know." Martha shook her head. "Well, not really. There's so much they never say. Sometimes, I get the feeling that she wants to say something, but then she closes her mouth."
"But that means that … the only hope, right now are … complete strangers." Cheen murmured, horrified, looking at the other two. "Well, that's no use!"
"It is, though, because you haven't seen the things they can do. Honestly, just trust me, both of you. You've got your faith, you've got your songs and your hymns. And I've got the Doctor and Rhea." Martha said, determinedly, resolving herself to the idea that the Doctor and Rhea would save them.
"Right." Milo nodded and he turned the car back on.
"Systems back on line." The electronic voice sounded.
The lights came back on again and Milo reached out to grip Cheen's hand, briefly.
"Good luck." Milo murmured to Martha.
"And you." Martha returned the sentiment, taking a deep breath, feeling her stomach churning, unpleasantly.
The creatures around them began to attack them once again, however, the car managed to duck and dodge through them.
The Doctor and Rhea were staring into a screen on the wall, the Doctor wearing his glasses. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, it still registers! That's Martha." The Doctor told Rhea.
Rhea grinned. "I knew she was good."
"Novice Hame, hold that in place." The Doctor jumped away from the screen and handed her a piece of thick tubing. Once she had a hold on 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." The Doctor muttered to himself.
"But I thought there wasn't enough power." Rhea said, confused.
The Doctor reached his destination: a far wall with two screens, lots of wiring piled up on the floor and even more buttons. He looked at her, slightly disappointed. "They have power, Rhea." The Doctor clucked his tongue. "They've got me! I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch." He smirked.
Rhea rolled her eyes and walked back over to the Face of Boe, taking a seat beside the jar. "It's amazing you can go anywhere, I would've thought that your head gets stuck in every single door you walk through." She called out.
He turned to her, entirely too exhilarated to reply to her snark, and pointed to her. "Rhea, Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!" He shouted. He started to rotate a knob in a console on the floor, aiming his sonic screwdriver at it at the same time. "I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people." He banged his fist against the console and stood up.
"So, what're you going to do?" Rhea asked, narrowing her eyes, as she and Hame worked on the switches.
"This!" The Doctor shouted, triumphantly, and flipped a two-metre long switch on the floor, and all of the lights on the consoles went out immediately. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" He shouted, annoyed.
Martha's car continued its perilous journey, spinning around. Endless claws scraped the screen of the car. One finally managed to catch them and sparks flew into the cabin from the impact. Martha and Cheen screamed in horror and fright and Milo just managed to keep his bearings, otherwise he would have fallen right off the seat. Another claw knocked against the car and the car flew out of its grip, free again, zooming through more and more claws.
The Doctor knelt on the floor again and started to wave his sonic screwdriver at another set of controls.
"The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through." He explained.
"Doctor…" The Face of Boe began.
"Yeah, hold on, not now." The Doctor waved off, not taking his eyes off the controls.
"I give you my last …" The Face of Boe let out a long, rasping breath, and suddenly, every single console switch turned back on. Everything was working and powered.
The Doctor leapt up again, suddenly illuminated. "Hame, look after him! Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this."
Rhea sank to her knees in front of the Face of Boe, pressing her lips to two of her fingers and then pressing those fingers against the glass. "Don't you dare die, got it!" She whispered, furiously, before rushing over to the Doctor, dimly noticing Novice Hame busily turning a wheel next to the Face of Boe.
"The open road!" The Doctor beamed at Rhea and flicked the large switch again. "Hah!"
The Doctor started to speak into a transmitter, aware that his face was currently beamed to every single monitor in every single car on the motorway, Rhea practically jumping up and down beside him.
"Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor and this is Rhea." The Doctor said, pulling Rhea into the vicinity of the camera.
She took the transmitter from the Doctor. "And this is an order, everyone. Drive up." She said, sharply.
"We'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 shouted, ecstatically, into the transmitter. "We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way."
The screen in the car that Martha was trapped inside was receiving the Doctor and Rhea on it as well.
"Oi!" The Doctor called out. "Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Martha! Drive up!" He ordered.
"That's the Doctor!" Martha exclaimed.
"We can't go up! We'll hit the layer!" Milo protested.
"Just do as he says! Go up!" Martha snapped.
"You've got access above! Now go!" Rhea called out.
The car managed to swing free of the last of the snapping claws and burst up out of the fog, heading for the opening to the overcity like everyone else.
Cheen, Martha and Milo gazed up, the sunlight hitting their faces and bathing them with warmth. Martha practically spilled joy, the excitement and relief clear on her face.
"It's daylight! Oh my God. That's the sky, the real sky!" Cheen cried out.
"They did it!" Martha shouted. She screamed with laughter, clapped her hands, and threw her arms around an awed Cheen. "I told you, they did it!" She stared at the approaching light with excitement, as Milo and Cheen leaned in for a kiss.
The Doctor and Rhea, a hand from both of them on the microphone, were watching the proceedings from a viewscreen in the Senate room. Novice Hame continued to twirl a wheel that was next to the Face of Boe.
"You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up! 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you." The Doctor called out and he danced Rhea over to a window to show her the bright blue sky of the overcity. "The city of New New York. And it's yours." And they watched the cars rise out of the undercity and fly around abandoned skyscrapers. "And don't forget, I want that coat back."
"I reckon that's a fair bargain, sir." Brannigan spoke over the transmitter.
"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, we've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate." Rhea spoke into the microphone.
"On my way!" Martha's voice came over the transmitter.
"It's been quite a while since we saw you, Martha Jones." The Doctor said, a smile threatening to break out on his face.
Rhea laughed, brightly, and tugged him by the lapels to press a solid, hungry kiss to his lips. "Oh, you are absolutely wonderful, do you know that?" She tugged him down a second time, this time, pressing her lips against his forehead. "Seriously, how the hell do you do this all the time?"
The Doctor smirked and dipped her over his arm, slanting his lips over hers for a second time, one of hands digging into her hair. When they pulled up, the Doctor looked slightly ruffled and Rhea was torn between blushing and telling the Doctor off.
"Doctor!" Novice Hame called out, fearfully, leaning over the Face of Boe, just as the glass case that enclosed him started to crack.
The Doctor and Rhea looked over, their faces falling.
Martha leapt happily into the Senate room, the smile slipping from her face when she saw the skeleton lying on the floor in front of her.
"Doctor?" Martha called out. "Rhea?"
"Over here." Rhea said, quietly.
"Doctor! Rhea!" Smiling again, Martha ran over to them. "What happened out there?" She found them kneeling, with a strange cat-woman, in front of dying alien. She frowned. "What's that?" She asked, just a little fearfully.
"It's the Face of Boe." Rhea said, sadly.
"It's all right. Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry." The Doctor said, reassuringly, and Martha approached them and the Face of Boe, hesitantly.
"He's the one that saved you, not us." Rhea murmured.
"My lord gave his life to save the city." Novice Hame sobbed. "And now he's dying."
Martha knelt beside Rhea, reverent.
"Don't say that." Rhea said, sharply.
"Not old Boe. Plenty of life left." The Doctor agreed.
"It's good to breathe the air once more." The Face of Boe rumbled.
"Who is he?" Martha asked, looking between the Doctor and Rhea.
"I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right?" The Doctor narrowed his eyes at the Face of Boe. "And you're not about to give up now." He said, warningly.
"Everything has its time. You know that, old friends, better than most." The Face of Boe pointed out.
"The legend says more." Novice Hame said, suddenly.
"Don't. There's no need for that." The Doctor said, sharply, making Rhea look at him, inquisitively.
"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to two travellers."
"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?" The Doctor growled.
"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind, as you were the last of yours, Doctor."
Rhea paled and looked at the Doctor, wanting to question him why the Face of Boe had used the past tense. But she was discouraged by the Doctor, who sat like a statue, his eyes hard and his mouth set in a firm line. Were? The Doctor and Rhea looked absolutely desperate at this point, neither of them wanting to lose the Face of Boe this early into their relationship. Their hands were shaking with the effort of maintaining their composure.
My beautiful Sunehri. It will only be a short time before you see me again, I can promise you that. The last time you saw me, on Platform One, do you remember what I told you?
"Yes." She thought, her hand running through her hair in agitation. That was something she really didn't want to get into while he was lying there, dying.
I know you are scared of him. I know you have been taught to not get attached. But, I can promise you something, he is worth it, beautiful. And your life will only be better with him in it.
"I'm scared." She thought, fearfully, and immediately cursed herself for sounding so vulnerable in front of someone who was arguably a stranger to her.
I know. I know, but trust me. And he will mean so much to you. And he will never let you down. He will never let go of you if you give him the chance. Please do not give up on him now, Rhea. There is still so much for you two experience with him.
"Why did you say that the Doctor was the last of the Time Lords? Is he no longer?" Rhea asked the Face of Boe, carefully. "Is it…" She knew exactly what she wanted to ask him, but she couldn't bring herself to even say the words in her mind, the thought terrifying more than anything else in her life had.
Spoilers, beautiful. The Face of Boe couldn't even bring himself to chuckle when he saw the scowl form on her face and her disgruntled eyes, too weak to do much other than talk. There is so much left for you with him. So much for you to do, so much for you to see. And it will be wonderful, I promise.
"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go." The Doctor pleaded, his firsts curling around the material of his suit.
I have met a great number of people over my long years, beautiful Rhea. I have known so many and loved so many. But none the way I love you and your Time Lord. And I am glad that when I die now, yours will be the final face I see. And with that message, Rhea felt like sobbing.
"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone." The Face of Boe intoned.
With those words, the Face of Boe closed his large eyes for the last time.
The moment those words were spoken, both the Doctor and Rhea froze for completely different reasons. Rhea turned to look at the Doctor, his eyes dark and struck with something strange and hurting, staring, uncomprehending, at the Face of Boe. She could practically hear him trying to figure out what the Face of Boe went meant by that. And she knew it was hurting him. She felt wounded by the loss of someone who she had known for such little time, but had come to mean so much to her. The first time she had met the Face of Boe, he had told her he would meet her soon for the first time. Now she had to wonder… had she met him already?
She turned into the Doctor, curling herself against his side and burying her face in his shoulder, as his arm came around her, holding her up against him, as he stood. She could hear Novice Hame sobbing, uncontrollably, in the background, and she felt a brief flash of pain in sympathy. She felt the Doctor kiss the top of her forehead, comfortingly, and they walked over to Martha, still in each other's arms, the Doctor wrapping his other arm around a stricken and confused Martha.
Rhea leaned down, breaking away from the Doctor's embrace, the suffocation getting to her. She knelt in front of the Face of Boe and pressed a warm kiss to the scraggly skin. I'm glad you're my friend, honey.
And with that, she spun on her feet and walked away, the Doctor and Martha staring after her, curiously.
The Doctor and Martha and Rhea strode through the alley in which they had arrived, which was now deserted.
"All closed down." The Doctor said, happily.
"Happy?" Rhea raised an eyebrow.
"Happy happy." The Doctor said, teasingly, making both Rhea and Martha laugh.
The Doctor inspected one of the empty booths. "New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs, cats in charge! Come on, time we were off." The Doctor and Rhea began to stroll away, but Martha stayed put.
"But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha called out. The Doctor and Rhea stopped and turned around. "'You're not alone.'" Martha clarified what question she was asking.
"I don't know." The Doctor shrugged and looked down at Rhea. Well, he did know. At least some bits of it. Not completely.
Martha stepped towards him, a shy smile on his face. "You've got each other." She offered, and he had to nod. "And you've got me." She said, softly.
The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so. Sorry." And then he winced when Rhea's elbow slammed into his stomach, winding him, momentarily.
"I was right." Rhea muttered. "Emotional range of a teaspoon." She walked over to Martha, wrapping an arm around the dark-skinned girl's shoulders. "I'm glad he has you." She murmured, a little too soft for the Doctor to hear her properly.
"Then what did the Face of Boe mean?" Martha asked, slightly offended by the Doctor's words and slightly mollified by Rhea's reassurance.
"Doesn't matter." The Doctor said, hurriedly, not wanting to get into that right then and there. "Back to the TARDIS, off we go."
As the Doctor made to turn away and head off, Rhea watched in amusement as Martha grabbed a fallen chair next to her and pulled it up, sitting, primly, and crossing her arms. The Doctor heard the commotion and turned to stare at her with shock.
The Doctor sighed. "All right, you staying?"
"Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said "last of your kind." What does that mean?" Martha asked, coldly.
The Doctor tried to remain flippant, but Rhea could tell that it wasn't working. "It really doesn't matter."
"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?" Martha snapped.
Rhea made to scold Martha when the sound of music rose through the air. It was the new New New York citizens, singing another hymn. She watched as Martha's face changed from the offensive to someone who was enchanted by the songs.
"It's the city." Rhea whispered. "They're singing."
The Doctor looked between the two women, knowing that he would have to come clean. Rhea saw the war occurring on his face and went against all possible reason and discouragement her mind screamed at her, by reaching out a hand for him to take, which he took, gratefully.
"I lied to you, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky." The Doctor said, wistfully, his eyes growing warm and sad.
Rhea wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning into his side. Martha looked so shocked and so sad for him that she couldn't bring herself to say a word.
"I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else." The Doctor murmured, looking down at Rhea.
"What happened?" Martha asked, carefully.
The Doctor shook for a moment and then grabbed two chairs, placing them side by side and across from Martha. Rhea and the Doctor took a seat each, the singing of the New New Yorkers continuing behind them.
"There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War." Rhea's hand fell onto his thigh and squeezed. "My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation." The Doctor's voice was hoarse and pained. "And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost." His shoulder's fell slack. "They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky." He turned to look at Rhea. "She's all I've got. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet." The beginnings of a smile grew on his face. "The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song …"
Rhea leaned her head on his shoulder and the Doctor leaned his head against hers, his hands curling through her long hair, Rhea listening as he spoke in wonder and loss. She swallowed hard, hearing his hushed voice, listening to the way he spoke about Gallifrey. He didn't say a word about the war, or about the Daleks, or about his people, just about that planet of is, the one he could never go back to, the one that would only remain in his memories, all in agonising detail.
Rhea danced around the console, stroking a finger down the time rotor. "You are so gorgeous, you know." She gushed, grinning when she felt the TARDIS hum under her fingers and the flash of warm yellow she received in her mind. She didn't know why she felt so loving towards the time machine. If it had been something or someone else that had tried to get into her head, she would have been furious and just a tiny bit scared, but she didn't feel like that with the TARDIS. She paused. "You know… now I get why my cousin calls his car, 'Baby'."
Rhea hesitated and looked around, making sure that both the Doctor and Martha were not in the console room, when she started to speak. "Can I talk to you about something?" She asked, haltingly. She took the answering hum to be a yes and continued to speak. She took a deep breath. "The Face of Boe said there was a lot that I hadn't done with the Doctor and I get the feeling that I've been with the Doctor for a long time, right?" She didn't wait for a reply. "How can that be? I mean, I'm a human. I don't think it's been all that long for this Doctor since Rose and he would have only travelled around two years with her at the most. A few years I can understand, but the Doctor I just visited… Wait, can I tell you about him?"
The flash of white in her mind let her know the TARDIS was disgruntled and slightly offended by the question. She took it to mean: I'm a twelve-dimensional time machine and I'm the last of my kind, do you honestly believe I don't know what the future holds for my Time Lord?
"Okay, okay." Rhea said, hurriedly. "Well, that Doctor was 1200, that means around 300 years have passed between this Doctor and that Doctor… I can't possibly be alive for that long, even if I keep jumping around his timeline. I mean, I'd still have to live those 300 years, wouldn't I? How long do I keep doing this for?" She murmured, overwhelmed by the thousands of different thoughts and emotions that were currently racing through her mind.
The TARDIS sent her waves of comfort, which helped, she had to admit, but her mind couldn't give up the idea of her life with the Doctor, her normal hesitations about their growing relationship coupled with the Face of Boe's dying words.
"I don't know if I can do it, gorgeous. I'm not what he needs." She whispered.
A/N: Okay, I know I keep apologising for the continued angstiness I put Rhea and the Doctor through, but I just can't help it. Rhea just begs to be sad and mopey and to have a lack of self-esteem. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, everyone. There was a lot of nice flirting between the Doctor and Rhea in this chapter, I hope you guys liked it. And some serious stuff at the end. We all know who the Face of Boe really is. I wonder how Rhea will feel when she finds out. The Face of Boe totally ships Doctor/Rhea and every time she sees him, he tries to convince her to let the Doctor in. You never know, maybe it worked this time.
And about the ending. Two things. I wonder why the Face of Boe said the Doctor was the last of the Time Lords. Is he talking about the Master? And I hope you like Rhea's relationship with Martha. I feel like the ending, where Martha says "you've got me" and the Doctor shoots her down, that was really unfair, I mean, Rose said the same thing at the end of The End of the World and some people who ships Doctor/Rose think it's the sweetest thing ever. I think he was quite rude to Martha and I thought Rhea would be the best person to counteract that.
Anyway, hope you all liked the chapter and don't forget to review!