After barely escaping Queen Elizabeth's guards Rose made her and Martha some tea and ended up re-telling exactly how she managed to piss Queen Victoria off.
"So you met a real life werewolf!" Martha exclaimed "and saved Queen Victoria from it. She sounds a bit ungrateful to me if she banished you"
"Well I think she was scared. She was completely defenceless and she hated that. She's a very strong woman. But she wasn't ungrateful she rewarded us. Dame Rose of the Powell Estate and Sir Doctor of TARDIS"
Technically you're now Dame Rose of the Powell Estate and TARDIS; after all you have inherited me the TARDIS hummed.
Rose shrugged off what the TARDIS said; she didn't really want to think of it like that. She preferred to think that she's just minding the TARDIS for the Doctor, till he comes back.
Oh Rose, I don't think he will.
"Rose? Rose, are you all right?" Martha asked waving a hand in front of Rose's face.
Rose blinked "huh? Oh sorry I drifted off" she drained the last of her tea and put the mug down forcefully on the table "I was thinking would you like to see the future?"
"Oh yes please!" Martha said.
Rose jumped up and pulled Martha out of the kitchen back to the console room "right then, how about New Earth? Loved New Earth, the apple grass there was lovely. Though I didn't like being possessed, that was horrible. But seeing the Doctor prance around was hilarious, how about we avoid the hospital. New, New York off we go!"
Rose began to flick the switches on the console, starting the engines and heading of to show Martha the delights of New, New York.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
They ducked under some shelter, trying to avoid the rain. Martha shivered and rubbed her hands together while Rose couldn't help but be thankful that the coldness no longer affects her.
"So where abouts are we?" Martha asked "because I definitely don't see any apple grass"
"Hold on, hold on, lets have a look" Rose said as she held the sonic screwdriver to the screen that was built into the wall and when the picture didn't clear she thumped the top of it a fuzzy picture of a blonde woman appeared on the screen.
"... The driving should be clear and easy with 15 extra lanes opened for the New, New Jersey Expressway"
A picture of flying cars and the city of New, New York appeared on the screen "Oh! That's more like it" Rose said pointing to the screen "see that's where the apple grass is, looks like I need to practise flying the TARDIS more if I missed it by that much"
"So what, you landed in the slums?"
"I know how disappointing" Rose said frowning to herself. She looked up and smiled "the rains stopped. Shall we go exploring?"
They had only just stepped out from the shelter when shutters flew open and people began to shout. Happy, you want happy. Happy!"
"Customers" a woman said from a stall behind them "Customers. We've got customers"
"We're in business" another woman said
The vender's kept shouting at them to buy stuff from them "No thanks" Rose mumbled edging away from the stalls.
"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.
"I think they're selling moods" Rose said "sounds like they're selling moods"
"Sounds like they're selling drugs" Martha muttered.
The three of them watched as the vender's called to a blonde woman, she walked up to a vender and asked to buy forget. As she bought it, she told the vender what she wanted to forget.
"Sorry, but hold on a minute what happened to your parents?" Rose asked the girl.
"They drove off"
"They might drive back" Rose said comfortingly.
"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end" she said "I've lost them"
"But they can't have gone far" said Rose "You could find them"
The girl put the forget on her neck "No, no, no, don't" Rose protested.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"Your parents" Rose said "Your mother and father they're on the motorway"
"Are they?" she asked "That's nice. I'm sorry I won't keep you" she walked away.
Rose turned around and watched her go, part of her wishing that she could do the same. She wouldn't mind forgetting the pain of losing the Doctor, her Mum and Mickey. But she wouldn't because it could all go wrong and she'll lose the memories of all the good times.
"So this is the human race 5 billion years into the future? Off their heads on chemicals" Martha said looking unimpressed.
Suddenly Martha felt arms grab hold of her and a gun pressing to her head. She screamed loudly and Rose turned round to see a man and a woman.
"I'm sorry" the man said "We just need three"
"Let her go!" Rose shouted.
"It's not our fault" the woman said.
"Whatever you want, I can help you" Rose said trying to calm down the situation and find out what was going on "I can help but first you've got to let her go"
They backed out of the door that they came in and the woman said "Sorry" The door slammed shut. Rose pulled out the sonic screwdriver and unlocked the door and ran though it.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
The air was polluted, very polluted. Nitrogen and carbon were suffocating her. Rose coughed a bit and held her breath, grateful for the respiratory bypass. She couldn't see at all with the smoke blowing into her face but what she could see was cars, billions upon billions of cars.
"AHOY THERE!" a shout came from the smoke "WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' OVER THERE MISSY? GET IN HERE WHERE IT'S CLEAN AND BREATHABLE"
Rose staggered towards the car that hovered by her and she felt two strong arms wrap themselves round her waist and haul her up onto the roof. She felt a handkerchief being held to her mouth and she breathed for a second as her saviour pulled her into the car. She felt the gasmask be placed on her mouth and she breathed deeply.
She opened her eyes to see a brunette woman and a cat man stare at her.
"You're all right lass?" the cat man asked.
She pulled the mask off of her face "I'm fine, thanks" she said.
"What were you doing standing there breathing it in?" the cat man asked "it's not safe stuff you know. There was this one story, it says, back in the old days, on junction 47, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid 20 minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to 50 feet"
"Oh, you're making it up" the woman cried out.
"A 50 foot head, just think of it" he sat down in the driver's chair "Imagine picking that nose!"
"Oh, stop it!" The woman snapped "That's disgusting!"
"What, did you never pick your nose?" he asked flippantly
The woman looked out of the window and jumped "Bran, we're moving"
The cat man started the car as he said "Right, I'm there, I'm on it" the car moved for about ten seconds before stopping. He then turned back to Rose "who are you? You're rather well dressed for a hitchhiker"
"Oh I'm Rose, Rose Tyler and I'm not hitchhiking, I'm looking for someone" Rose said offering a hand to the cat man who promptly took it and kissed it, his fur tickling her and making her giggle.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. My name is Thomas Kincaid Branigan and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie"
"Nice to meet you" Valerie said leaning forward to shake Rose's hand "behind you are the family"
Rose turned round to see a curtain which she pulled to the side to find a small basket filled with kittens "aw they're adorable" she cooed. "How old are they?"
"Just two months" Valerie said
"Poor little souls" Branigan said melodramatically "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway"
Rose looked up from the basket confused "What they were born in here?" she asked
"We couldn't stop" said Valerie "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance"
"You've been on the road for two months?" Rose asked
"Do I look like a teenager?" Branigan asked "We've been driving for twelve years now"
"Sorry?" Rose said blinking.
"Yes started out as newlyweds, feels like yesterday"
"Feels like twelve years to me" Valerie muttered darkly.
"Ah, sweetheart" Branigan said smiling "but you still love me"
"Twelve years? How far did you come? Where did you start?" Rose asked.
"Battery park, it's five miles back" Branigan said calmly.
"You travelled five miles in 12 years?" Rose asked looking disbelieved.
"I think she's a bit slow" Branigan said to Valerie.
"Where are you two from?" Valerie asked Rose, ignoring her husband.
"Never mind that" Rose said pushing some loose hair out of her face. "I've got to get out. My friend is in one of those cars, she was taken hostage."
"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by" Branigan said "You're a passenger now"
"When's the next lay-by?" Rose asked biting her lip.
"Oh... six months"
"Oh you are kidding me"
DWDWDWDWDWDWDW
Rose had tried calling the police ten times but after being told that she was put on hold the tenth time she decided against the eleventh and let out a frustrated growl as she pushed her hair out of her face. "I give up! Is there anything else I could do? Get in touch with the hospital…wait no I helped get the nuns arrested"
"Well aren't you the troublemaker" Branigan said cheekily.
"I got to find my friend" Rose said ignoring Branigan.
You can't make outside calls" Valerie said "The motorway is completely enclosed"
"What about the other cars?" Rose asked.
"Well we've got contact with them" Branigan said "Well, some of them anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now let's see, who's nearby?" he pressed a number and said "Ah! The Cassini sisters" he picked up his two way radio and said "Be still your hearts, my handsome girls. It's Branigan here"
"Get of the line, Branigan" an old sounding female voice crackled on the line "You're a pest and a menace"
"Come on now, sisters. Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"
"You know full well, we're not sisters, we're married"
"Ooh! Stop that modern talk." Branigan said "I'm an old fashioned cat. Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls herself Rose" he handed the two way to Rose.
"Hello. Sorry, I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked." Rose said "She's in one of these cars, but I just don't know which one"
"Wait a minute" said the other woman "Could I ask what entrance they used?"
"Where are we?" Rose asked Branigan.
"Pharmacy Town"
"Pharmacy Town" she said into the radio "About 20 minutes ago"
"Let's have a look"
"Just my luck to marry a car-spotter!" said the first woman
"In the last half hour, 53 new cars joined from the Pharmacy Town junction"
"Anything more specific?" Rose asked desperately biting her lip.
"All in good time" said the second woman "Was she carjacked by two people?"
"Yeah, she was. Yeah" Rose said.
"There we are, just one of those cars was destined for the fast lane" she answered "That means that they had three onboard. And the car number is 4-6-5-diamond-6"
"That's it!" Rose cried out "So how do we find them"
"Ah" she answered "Now there I am afraid I can't help"
"We can call them on this thing" Rose said "We've got the number, diamond-6"
"Not if they're designated fast lane" Branigan said "It's a different class"
"You could try the police" said one of the Cassini Sisters
"They put me on hold"
"You have to keep trying" said the other "There's no-one else"
"Thank you" Rose said disappointed that there was nothing else that they could do. She sighed and started to think, if she could convince Branigan to take her down…she could find Martha, get out and head back to the TARDIS. Then she will immediately work on her flying skills so she would never miss her destination and get someone kidnapped.
"I got to go onto the fast lane" she said looking pleadingly at the couple "could you please take me down?"
"Not in a million years" Valerie said.
"Please Valerie, I need to find Martha and we got three passengers" Rose said wondering if going on her knees begging would be below her.
"I'm sorry Rose but I can't risk my children, not after hearing those stories"
Rose sighed and stood there in silence when the screen came on. "This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing over the sky over the New Atlantic. The perfect setting for the daily contemplation. This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe" a soft hymn came on and Rose watched Branigan and Valerie sing along when she decided what to do.
"if you two won't take me down there, then I'll go down myself" she said striding the floor hatch and yanking it open, she snatched up the handkerchief Branigan had given her before and wrapped it round her mouth.
"You can't jump!" Valerie shrieked in horror.
"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now I'm having kittens"
"This Martha must be very special to you" Branigan observed.
"Hardly know her. But it was my fault that she was kidnapped and I'm going to save her" Rose took a deep breath and jumped down, landing on the car below with a thunk.
"She's completely insane" Valerie said letting out a sigh of relief
"That and a bit magnificent" Branigan agreed looking a bit awed.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDW
Rose managed to get on to the second to last lane. She let out a small groan when she tripped slightly and landed on the floor of the car. She was helped up by a man who looked at her with confusion.
"Is that even legal?" he asked.
She yanked down the handkerchief from her mouth "don't know, don't care. Do you have any water? I'm dying for a drink"
"Sure, sure" the man said hurrying to get her a glass of water, which she promptly drained.
"Is this the last layer?" she asked handing him the glass back.
"Yes there's nothing below us apart from the fast lane"
"Could you drive me down there?" Rose asked.
"But there's only two of us!" the man exclaimed.
"We could cheat" Rose said temptingly, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Wish we could but it's an automated system, the wheel would lock"
"Then excuse me" Rose said as she moved to the capsule in the floor and opened it with the sonic screwdriver
"You can't jump, it's 1000 feet down"
"No I just want a look" she opened the capsule and looked out "What's that noise?"
"I try not to think about it"
Rose saw a claw like shape "crabs…" she whispered "crabs that live on dirty gas…MACRA! Oh my god there's Macra on the fast lane!"
There was another thunk and Rose turned round to see someone dressed in grey robes. "Well excuse me!" the man retorted "this isn't jump in central!"
The grey clothed person turned round "Rose Tyler, I found you. But where is the Doctor?"
"The Doctor's…gone, for good" Rose said avoiding eye contact with Novice Hame.
"Oh my poor child" Novice Hame said pulling Rose into a comforting embrace. Rose sighed and relaxed, she hadn't been held like this since she visited Sarah Jane so many months ago and before that her mother. Then she realised something, she pulled away quickly.
"Hang on the last time I saw you, you were growing clones to test medicine on. Like a cattle farm" she said disgusted at the idea.
"I sought forgiveness, I am most ashamed of myself" Novice Hame said looking down at the floor "but now Rose Tyler we need your help" at that she grabbed hold of Rose's wrist and pressed on the teleport button on her teleporter.
They disappeared in a white flash.
DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW
"We need to go back!" Rose shouted "my friend Martha is trapped down there, I need to go back and save her"
"I'm so sorry Rose" Novice Hame said "but I only had enough for one teleport. But if you help us, you'll be able to save your friend"
Rose let out a frustrated groan "are we on the surface? Because I would like a word with the big cheese about the fact they got thousands upon thousands of people trapped on that stinking motorway"
"But you're inside the senate, right now. My the goddess Santori bless thee" light came on in the room and Rose looked up "They all died, Rose" she said "The city died"
"How long has it been like this?"
"24 years"
She crouched down beside a skeleton and she looked up at Novice Hame "All of them? Everyone? What happened?"
"A new chemical, a new mood." Hame answered "They called it '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, Rose, they were saved"
"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic"
"There is not enough power to get them out; we did what we could to stop the system from choking"
"Who's we? How did you survive?"
"He protected me" she paused "And he has been waiting for you and the Doctor these years"
"Rose Tyler"
Rose and Hame ran and found a jar "The Face of Boe" said Rose
"I knew you would come, my friend. Where is the Doctor?"
"He is gone. Trapped forever, 'fraid you're stuck with me"
The Face of Boe let out a weak chuckle "I can think of so much worse things. I have forgotten that there is a time you will travel without the Doctor"
"Yeah it's called forever" Rose mumbled "what happened to you? You seem so weak than before"
"A 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" Rose turned to look at Hame as she spoke "The under city would have fallen into the sea"
"So he saved them" Rose stated
"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe; he's giving his life force just to keep things running"
"But there's planets out there. You could have called for help"
"The last act of the senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for 100 years" the Face of Boe gasped and Rose stood up and walked over to Novice Hame "So the two of you stayed here. On your own for all these years"
"We had no choice" Novice Hame said.
"Save them, Rose" said the Face of Boe "Save them"
"I promise you I will; I'll do everything I can"
"That's the Tyler spirit" the Face of Boe gasped out with a smile on his face.
Rose and Novice Hame managed to set everything up with the mainframe. But things were going on and what was needed was not what Rose was prepared to give.
"I'll give it to you" the Face of Boe said.
"No! You're going to live to see the city be free" Rose shouted.
"My friend, I have lived long enough. I shall give you my last breath"
"Hame look after him" Rose shouted flicking switches. And then it was done. The roof was open and everyone was free.
DWDWDWDWDWDW
"Rose?" Martha whispered, her voice breaking at the sight of the skeleton.
"Over here Martha"
She turned to see the blonde woman leaning against a pillar, she ran over and flung her arms round Rose and held on tightly. Then Rose pulled away.
"The Face of Boe!" she shouted, running off. Martha feeling confused ran after her. When Martha entered the room Rose was in she found a giant face lying in a cat woman's lap, Rose crouching beside them. "Don't die, please don't die"
"Rose, it's my time too. I have lived for so long, I am so very old"
"My lord has given his life for the city that is a noble way to die" Hame said tears falling down her cheeks.
"Plenty of life left" Rose argued.
"It is nice to breath the air again"
"Who is he?" Martha asked Rose quietly.
"Don't know, not really. He's a legend, said to have lived for billions of years"
"Everything has it's time. Everything turns to dust; you know that better than anyone Bad Wolf"
Rose shuddered at the burning memories.
"The legend said more, about a secret." Hame said.
"No, that's not for me to hear, it's for the Doctor"
"But I shall tell it to you" the Face of Boe said "Rose Tyler, I have many secrets in my life and you shall learn them later on in your life. You are starting a huge journey but you must know that you will never be alone; the Children of Time will always be at your side. Hear this Rose Tyler, You. Are. Not. Alone."
Rose frowned slightly at the Face of Boe's cryptic words but felt a solitary tear fall when he closed his eyes and died. Hame sobbed hysterically and Martha looked confused.
Rose sat there silently, what was the Children of Time? What future is she going to have? How did the Face of Boe know about Bad Wolf? What did he mean there was a time she travelled without the Doctor? Did he mean that the Doctor was coming back? Is that what he meant by that she's not alone?
She didn't know all she knew was that the next few centuries are probably going to be very busy.