A/N: Alright here's the last part of Voyage of the damned, its actually over 8000 words so i put chapter 13 into 2 parts. Hopefully as time goes on I will get better at doing rewrites. So as always Hope you like it and tell me if you like my little hint at Day of the Doctor and the War Doctor. So review, follow, favorite, I love the feedback.
Chapter 13 pt.1- Voyages End
Voyage of the Damned part 3
Rose POV
We made it into some sort of maintenance room and the Doctor immediately ran over to the com's. "Mr. Frame are you still there?" He asked into the com system after connecting it to the bridge.
"Yes sir, but I've got Host outside. I've sealed the door," came the voice of the young man a few moments later.
"They've been programed to kill. Why would anyone do that?" He asked getting straight to the point.
"That's not the only problem though Doctor. I had to use a maximum deadlock on the door, which means no one can get in. I'm sealed off, even if you can fix the Titanic, you can't get to the bridge." The young man said sounding frightened.
"Yeah, right fine, one problem at a time," he told the mid-shipman. I elbowed him in the ribs and mumbled rude to him. He winced a bit then continued on, "what's on Deck 31?"
"Uh, that's down below it's nothing, it's just the host storage deck, it's where we keep the robots." He stammered.
"Then whats that see that panel, black its registering nothing, no power, no heat, no life," the Doctor said zooming in on a blacked out panel on deck 31 on the scans of the ship.
"I've never seen it before," the midshipman replied.
"100% shielded, what's down there," he said staring intently at the screen.
"I'll try intensifying the scanner," Frame told him.
"Alright let me know if you find anything, and keep those engines going," he said before disconnecting the com and turning towards me. I smiled at him then saw Astrid approaching out of the corner of my eye and turned to her. She carried two plates of food in her hands and smiled as she approached.
"I saved you both some," she began, "you might be a Time Kind from Gallibrey and you might be some all powerful being. But you still need to eat, especially you since you've got a baby to feed once we get out of this mess." She finished and nodded towards me. I reached out and took one of the plates of food from her hand as the Doctor did the same thing. We all sat down on a metal ledge along the floor and started eating.
"So, you look good for 903," Astrid said quietly.
"You should see me in the mornings," he said jokingly, although someone who didn't know him wouldn't know he was joking. I just rolled my eyes because he has no idea of how that probably sounds to her.
"Oh I think I'll leave that to your wife," Astrid told him with a bright red blush coloring her cheeks. He just looks to me confused by what she means, when I heard footsteps approach from beside me. I turned to see Mr. Copper standing there.
"Doctor, Rose it must be well past midnight Earth time, Christmas day," he said with a nod. The Doctor thought for a minute then nodded and smiled.
"So it is Merry Christmas," he said with a bright smile at Mr. Copper and Astrid. Then turned to me, "Merry Christmas love."
"Merry Christmas darling," I said then leaned in to give him a light kiss.
"This Christmas thing, what's it all about, really?" Astrid asked.
"Well, it's about a lot of different things, people celebrate for all different reasons," The Doctor said popping some food in his mouth.
"But if the planets waking up," Mr. Copper said suddenly, "can't we signal them. They could send up a rocket or something." He finished.
"They don't have spaceships," the Doctor told him furrowing his brow.
"No, I read about them. They have shuffles, space shuffles," he insisted.
"Mr. Copper, this degree in Earthnomics, Where's it from?" He asked setting the plate aside with his brows pinched together.
"Honestly?" Mr. Copper asked nervously.
"Just between us," my husband assured him gesturing to our small group.
"Mrs. Go-lightlys happy travelers university, and drycleaners," Mr. Copper confessed.
"Did you lie to the company to get the job?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"I wasted my life on Stoh I was a traveling salesman, always on the road. And I reached a time I couldn't, with nothing to show for it, not even a home. And Earth sounded so exotic," he explained.
"Mm, I suppose it is yeah," the Doctor agreed.
"How come you two know it so well?" Astrid asked us.
"A few years ago I became sort of, well, sort of homeless, and there was the Earth," the Doctor said and I reached over and squeezed his hand knowing the memory of what he had to do to his own planet was still painful.
"I was born there, it's my home," I told her simply.
"Thing is, if we survive this, there will be police and all sort of investigations. Now the minimum penalty for space laid fraud is 10 years in jail. I'm an old man, I won't survive 10 years." Mr. Copper added. Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door and the Doctor hopped up pulling me with him.
"The Host!" He informed everyone, "Move, come on!" with that he pulled me along as he ran through the room. He found a door on the other side and opened it quickly and rushed through, but stopped when he saw. There was a ledge but the rest was open and you could see down into the nuclear storm of the engine. The only way across was metal that was probably just debris from the Meteoroid collision, it made a narrow bridge across with no railings.
"Is that the only way across?" Rickston asked.
"On the other hand it is a way across," the Doctor said positively.
"The engines are open," Astrid commented looking below.
"Nuclear storm drive, as soon as it stops the Titanic falls," He said watching the storm below us.
"That thing, it'll never take our weight," Morvin said gesturing between himself and Foon.
"That's why you're going last mate," Rickston told him.
"Oh I am so close to slapping you, so why don't you just shut up before I do," I snapped at the man, he looked at me wide eyed like he had no idea why I would want to do that to him and it only made me angrier.
"It's Nitrofene metal, its stronger than it looks," he told Morvin. "Rickston if she can slap anything like her mother I would shut up if I were you," he said without looking at the man.
"All the same." Morvin said as he began to walk toward the ledge, "Rickstons right me and Foon should go la-" he stepped on a weak spot on the ledge and it gave way beneath him. He screamed as he fell into the open engine below.
"Morvin!" Foon shouted as she watched her husband fall. The Doctor rushed over to make sure Foon didn't fall as well.
"I told you! I told you!" Rickston shouted at us, I just glared at him.
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Mr. Copper yelled at the inconsiderate man.
"Bring him back!" Foon shouted to the Doctor who was holding her away from the edge of the platform. "Can't you bring him back? Bring him back Doctor!" She continued to shout at him.
"I'm sorry, I can't," he told her. I know how guilty it makes him feel when someone dies when we're trying to save everyone, even if it was an accident like this one.
"You promised me!" she shouted at him then.
"I know I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the Doctor said apologizing again. I needed to stop this before he felt completely responsible and the guilt kept eating away at him later. I walked over to the other side of her and crouched down next to her.
"Foon, it was an accident. There was a weak spot in the metal, none of us saw it. I'm so sorry, but we couldn't do anything. Especially since it all happened so fast," I said both to Foon and the Doctor. Trying to let them both know there was nothing any of us could have done. There was the sound of metal marching towards us then. I straightened and looked toward the still open doorway, every muscle in my body tensing.
"Doctor, I rather think that those things have got our scent," Mr. Copper called out standing next to the makeshift bridge with Rickston.
"I'm not waiting!" Rickston shouted then started nearly sprinting across the bridge before anyone could stop him.
"Careful! Take it slowly!" The Doctor shouted to Rickston who tripped up on the twisted metal. An explosion from the open engine bellow causes the whole room to shake and the makeshift bridge to shift. Rickston falls forward onto his face but manages to hold on.
"Vot help me!" Rickston shouted and I sat down next to a still crying Foon to try and console her. The Doctor walked toward the makeshift bridge untying him bowtie as he went.
"You're ok, step at a time, come on, you can do it." The Doctor told him watching as he continued to struggle to get back onto his feet. We could now hear the repetitive chant of kill coming our way with the metal footsteps.
"They're getting nearer," Mr. Copper stated a tremble in his voice.
"I'll seal us in," the Doctor said reaching into his coat pocket to retrieve his sonic. He soniced the door closed, probably deadlocking it so they couldn't get in.
"You're leaving us trapped, wouldn't you say?" Mr. Copper asked.
"Never say trapped," I piped in from my spot crouched next to Foon.
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, "just think of it as inconveniently circumstanced," he had on his manic grin and I knew he was internally tearing himself apart.
"Oh," Mr. Copper muttered nodding slightly. I could feel the Doctor's stress building as he tried to think of a way to get out of this. I rarely needed to use our bond to communicate with him, but I knew if I didn't get him calm this situation wouldn't get resolved. I kept rubbing Foon's back as she cried and concentrated on the spot in the back of my mind that glowed a silverish-blue.
Doctor, please, calm down, if you don't you won't be able to think your way out of this. I thought towards him and sent waves of calm and reassurance towards him. I could only feel frustration in return.
"I'm alright," I heard Rickston say from the world around me, all I could think was no one cares, and felt the Doctors amusement when I accidentally projected that thought to him. We will get out of this, and it isn't your fault. I know how you like to blame yourself for things that happen. I thought to him.
I know love, I just can't stop thinking about Oliver we need to get through this and it keeps just sending more and more danger our way. I heard his voice in my head saying as he continued to work.
I retreated from my thoughts and heard Foon speaking to Astrid on the other side of me, "I don't know, but maybe he's just unconscious." She said in a rushed voice. I just sighed and squeezed her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry Foon, but he's gone." I told her sadly, she began to sob again and wrapped me in a hug blubbering about how she can't live without him. It sounded all too familiar to nights I sat in my mum's arms in the parallel world crying to her that I couldn't live without the Doctor and couldn't raise his child without him. I let her cry for a few moments then pushed her back and looked into her eyes. "Listen to me, I know exactly how you feel. I know it sounds absolutely mad, but about a year ago now, I got trapped in a parallel universe. The Doctor he was able to get a message across and say goodbye, but he said it would be impossible for me to get back or to ever see him again. I had no idea how I was going to go on without him.
"Plus I was pregnant, he had no clue, when he said it would be impossible for him to ever see me again, I decided why tell him when he would never be able to see his child. Trapped in another universe pregnant with a half alien child, of a man who told me we weren't compatible so we wouldn't need protection. Somehow I managed to get back to my own universe though. My point is Foon, Morvin would want you to be happy like the Doctor told me to be when he thought I was trapped away from him forever." I told her quietly. She nodded and sniffled wiping tears away from her eyes.
"YES! Oh Yes! Who's good!" Rickston shouted obnoxiously startling Foon and I. I looked to see why he was shouting and saw that he had made it to the other side.
"Bannakaffalatta, you're next!" The Doctor shouted to the small red alien.
"Bannakaffalatta small!" He shouted and ran onto the makeshift bridge.
"Slowly!" The Doctor shouted to him and he immediately slowed down. There was banging on the other side of the door then, the host had caught up and were trying to get in.
"They've found us!" Mr. Copper shouted. The Doctor started toward where Foon, Astrid and I were sitting on the floor.
"Rose, Astrid, I need you to get across, right now," he said coming to a stop in front of us. Astrid got up and made her way over to the small bridge, I just stood and looked at him with my arms crossed.
"I'm not going without you Doctor," I told him.
"Rose, please, I need you safe, just go please," he pleaded with me.
"And I need you safe," I repeated his words back at him.
"I know Rose and I will be. I'll be right behind everyone else." He said and turned to Foon. I climbed onto the bridge behind Astrid and heard the Doctor tell Mr. Copper to start making his way behind us.
"Doctor, I will go once everyone else is across, there's too many people as it is. My weight would probably break it, just go Doctor I'll start once you're across." I heard Foon tell the Doctor and he reluctantly agreed.
"Doctor, the doors locked," Rickston shouted from the ledge. "Doctor, I can't open the door, we need that weird key thing of yours!" he continued shouting as we all tried to concentrate on not falling.
"Rickston, I'm coming as fast as I can so why don't you just shut it!" the Doctor shouted from the edge of the bridge. He takes another step and the makeshift bridge starts to creak.
"Too many people!" Bannakaffalatta shouted from his spot near the end of the bridge.
"Oi! Don't get spikey with me, keep going!" The Doctor shot back at him. Astrid tripped and fell to her knees and there was another explosion from the engine bellow. The small bridge began to shift and sink with all of us still on it.
"It's gonna fall!" Astrid shouted as she began to panic.
"No, no it's settling, just settling Astrid. Keep going, you have to keep going," I told the panicking waitress. The banging of the host's trying to break through the door suddenly stopped. I straightened my muscles tensing ready to fight, run or both. I looked behind me to the Doctor who had straightened as well and was looking around.
"They've stopped," Astrid said sounding shocked.
"Go away?" Bannakaffalatta asked sounding confused but hopeful.
"But why would they give up?" the Doctor asked still looking around suspiciously.
"I don't think they would." I said to my husband.
"Never mind that keep coming!" Rickston shouted.
"Where have they gone, where are the hosts." The Doctor said getting disgruntled. A thought suddenly occurred to me as I thought of how high I had seen the room had gone. I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"I believe," I said looking up and confirming my suspicions. "We forgot one important fact, angels have wings." Everyone else looked up to see the hosts descending from the levels above us floating through the air.
"Information, kill," said one of the golden angel robots and they all reached up removing their halo's.
"Arm yourselves! All of you!" The Doctor shouted as he picks up a broken pipe. I look down to see a twisted pipe sticking out of the makeshift bridge and reach down and break it off. I look over to see Astrid struggling to break off a piece of pipe and reach over and break it then hand it to her.
"Thanks," she said taking the pipe just as one of the hosts threw their halo at the Doctor and he hit it away with a loud thunk. The next halo came at me and I hit it as hard as I could with my broken off pipe. They started coming in rapid fire at that point, everyone swinging their pieces of pipe at the metal coming in from all directions. Suddenly I heard the Doctor scream and leaned to look at him.
"Doctor!" I shouted and saw he was holding onto his arm where one of the halo's had gotten him. There was a sharp pain in my side as one hit me across my hip bone and I let out a scream of pain. I heard Mr. Copper let out a cry of pain as one slashed into his abdomen. Astrid fell to her knees and began crying.
"I can't," she cried out looking at Bannakaffalatta who was still fighting.
"Bannakaffalatta stop!" the spikey red alien shouted throwing down the pipe. "Bannakaffalatta proud!" he yelled and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Bannakaffalatta cyborg!" He yelled and ripped open his shirt to reveal his entire torso was metal machinery. A pulse of electricity came from the machinery and all the hosts fell out of the air and plummeted into the engine. Except for one that landed at the beginning of the bridge. We all just stared wide eyed at the lack of projectiles flying towards us.
"Electromagnetic pulse, took out the robots," the Doctor said sounding stunned. "Oh Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant," he finished turning toward the mall red alien. I did the same just in time to hear his machinery start to beep, then watch him fall to the floor. Astrid gasped and rushed over to his side, I followed stepping around him so I was near the edge of the small bridge.
"He's used all his power!" Astrid shouted after looking him over.
"Did good?" He asked Astrid looking at her with hopeful eyes.
"You saved our lives," Astrid told him nodding with tears in her eyes.
"Bannakaffalatta happy," he told her with a faint smile.
"We can recharge you, get you to a power point and plug you in," Astrid said frantically.
"Too late," he breathed as he started to sound weaker and weaker.
"No but you've gotta get me that drink remember?" she said trying to smile, I just reached up and started rubbing her back. He let out an almost chuckle and shook his head slightly.
"Pretty girl," he muttered then his breath came out in a whoosh and he closed his eyes going still. Astrid let out a shakey breath and tears began falling from her eyes. I just continued to rub her back and looked up at the Doctor who was staring down not having moved from his spot on the bridge. He had all his walls up now and had a hard look on his face. Mr. Copper slowly approached and kneeled down on the other side of Bannakaffalatta's lifeless body.
"I'm sorry, forgive me," he said as he reached toward the machinery that made up the small aliens chest.
"Leave him alone!" Astrid shouted batting Mr. Coppers hands away. I just shushed her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her comfortingly.
"It's the EMP transmitter, he'd want us to use it." Mr. Copper told us reaching out to Bannakaffalatta's chest and unlocking a chamber in the middle. He pulled a long metal cylinder from it. "I used to sell these things, they's always give me a bed for the night in the cyborg caravan, good people," He continued. "But if we can recharge it, we can use it as a weapon against the rest of the Host. Bannakaffalatta might have saved us all," he finished with a smile.
"Do you think?" Rickston asked from behind me. "Try telling him that," I already knew what he meant before I looked up. The Host that had landed on the bridge was beginning to pull itself off the ground.
"Information, reboot," The host said as it stood and looked like it was getting ready to attack.
"Use the EMP!" Rickston shouted. Seriously the man was an idiot.
"It's dead!" Mr. Copper shouted back. The Host started advancing then right toward the Doctor. I got up from my spot crouched near the ground. I walked up behind the Doctor ready to pull him away from the Host when he decided not to leave even though it was about to kill him.
"Hold on, hold on," the Doctor said to the robot rubbing the back of his neck as he thought. "Security protocol, 10, 666, ahh 21, 4, 5, 678," he said spouting off numbers faster and faster, I was starting to get exasperated that he didn't mention the obvious. "Um, I don't know 42." At this point the Host was only a foot away and beginning to raise it's hands to attack, I'd had enough.
"One!" I shouted and the Host lowered it's arms and straightened out.
"Information, state request," the Host said. I sighed in relief as did my husband.
"Nice one," he mumbled to me then looked to the Host, "good, right, you've been ordered to kill the survivors, but why?" he asked the Host.
"Information, no witnesses," it stated mechanically.
"But this ships gonna fall on the Earth and kill everyone. The human race has nothing to do with the Titanic, so that contravenes you orders yes?" he asked and I could feel his brain buzzing as he tried to figure this out.
"Information, incorrect," it answered.
"But why do you wanna destroy the Earth?" He asked his nose scrunching in confusion.
"Information, it is the plan," the Host stated.
"What plan?" He asked now sounding confused and frustrated.
"Information, protocal grants you only 3 questions, these three questions have been used," the Host said in response to his question. Well that was kind of obvious I thought to myself.
"Well you could have warned me," he said back with a scowl. I grabbed the back of his jacket cause I was sure what was going to happen next.
"Information, now you will die," the Host raised up it's metal halo preparing to use it. I started pulling the Doctor away from it when suddenly a rope encircles the Host. I look behind it to see Foon holding the end of her lasso.
"You're coming with me," she said to the robot. With that she took a deep breath then closed her eyes and jumped off the bridge pulling the host down with her.
"NO!" I shouted falling to my knees and reaching my hand out after her. I watched as she fell into the nuclear storm of the engine bellow and faintly realized the Doctor was kneeling next to me. He stood then and I could feel the anger and pain radiating from him.
"No More!" He said through gritted teeth. At those words I felt something awaken inside of me. My blood felt like it was fizzing, it almost felt like a weird adrenaline rush. I could see a war torn man with gray hair and a goatee, his eyes so tortured saying that same phrase. I was vaguely aware the Doctor had left already so I stood my body still buzzing and followed everyone else into the next room. I caught up in time to see the Doctor shoving a first aid kit in Mr. Copper's hands telling him he needed him fighting fit. He walked off with Astrid then the EMP transmitter in his hands. I walked over to help Mr. Copper tend to his wounds.
"So it seems you two aren't accompanying us to Reception One," Mr. Copper said as I moved his shirt out of the way to assess the large slice going through his abdomen.
"Oh, we aren't? Sorry I don't know I was behind everyone else. My guess is we're going to Deck 31 that's where the Host's orders are coming from so that's probably where whoever is behind this is." I told him wiping out his shallow slice with an antiseptic wipe. He was lucky it seemed to just be long, not deep.
"Um, Rose, your eyes, they seem to be glowing," Mr. Copper said sounding concerned.
"Oh, really," I said shocked and reached up then put my hand back by my side. "It's fine, it'll stop in a second. Happens all the time." I finished helping him clean out the wound and left him to dress it. I walked toward the Doctor and Astrid cleaning my hands off with a sanitizer wipe on the way.
"Sounds like you do this sort of thing all the time," I heard Astrid say as I came closer to them.
"Not by choice. All we do is travel, that's what we are, travelers." The Doctor said matter of factly.
"No tax, no bills, no boss." I said as I approached startling them, they both turned and looked at me, "Just the sky." I finished with a bright smile.
"I'm sort of unemployed now, you know," Astrid started nervously, "but that box it seems so small and you have a baby so maybe not. But, could I come?" she asked nervously, "like a stowaway," she added teasingly. I tensed at that, worried the Doctor would say yes and invite her right then. We had a one month old, we were still adjusting to being parents.
"Well why don't we see once we get through this," He told her and there was suddenly a large explosion, the whole corridor shook. The Doctor shot up and grabbed the Com device. "Mr. Frame are you still there?" he asked into the Microphone of the com system.
"It's the engines sir," Frame said getting right to the point, "final phase, there's nothing more I can do. We've only got eight minutes left." Eight minutes to save the world? I thought. We've done it in less.
"Don't worry I'll get there," he assured the young sailor.
"The bridge is sealed off," the Midshipman reminded him. Oh those of little faith, of course he hasn't even seen the Doctor in person.
"Yeah I'm working on it, I'll get there Mr. Frame, somehow," he told him then put the Com device away. "All charged up?" He asked and picked up the EMP transmitter. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward Mr. Copper. "Mr. Copper, look after her," he said pointing at Astrid. "Astrid, look after him," he told her pointing at Mr. Copper. Rickston ran back over then from wherever he had been, "Rickston, umm, look after yourself. We'll see you soon."
"See you later," Astrid said running up and hugging both of us.
"Of course," I told her and the Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the hallway and over the makeshift bridge. We went into the stairwell and started heading down, back through the tunnel we had made. We had Hosts following behind us and we ran out of the stairwell into a kitchen only to be met by three hosts standing in front of us. I grabbed a pan sitting on a nearby counter ready to fight off the halo's of death. They began to close in around us and the Doctor put his hands up.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait security protocol one. Did you hear me, one ONE! Okay that gives me 3 questions, 3 questions to save my life, am I right?" He asked and I let my head drop forward, bringing my palm to it and shaking my head, seriously my husband is a brilliant man but sometimes he was so thick.
"Information, correct," one of the Host told him.
"No that wasn't one of them, I didn't mean it, that's not fair!" he shouted to the Host. "Can I start again?" Oh I am going to kill him when we get out of this.
"Information, no," The host said. He opened his mouth to start speaking again but I grabbed his arm and turned him to face me before he could.
"Seriously?!" I asked then clamped my hand over his mouth. "Okay, so you don't waste our third question, you're not allowed to talk until you have a good question to ask, got it?" I told him and he just nodded my wrist twisting at his head bobbed up and down.
So, not allowed to talk alright I'll just talk to you like this, he said into my mind. So they've ben ordered to kill survivors, but wouldn't those include passengers or staff?
Okay, and we're stowaways, I thought back smiling at him and I could feel his smile under my hand.
And what do they do with stowaways? He asked me then his smile growing under my hand.
They arrest them and take them to the highest authority, I thought releasing his mouth and dropping my hand to my side.
"So you have orders to kill survivors," he began pacing in front of the three Host standing in front of us, "that would include passengers or staff. We're neither, we're stowaways." He told them gesturing between the two of us. "Go ahead, scan us. I'm sure you have bio-records. No such people onboard, therefore we don't exist, therefore you can't kill us. But what do you do with stowaways? They should be arrested and taken to the nearest figure of aurthority and I'm guessing that would be on Deck 31. Final question, am I right?" He finished with a large sweep of his arm and stopping back next to me.
"Information, correct," the Host said.
"Brilliant!" He said and put his hands up, "take us to your leader," he told the Host's. "I've always wanted to say that," he said glancing at me then elbowing me to drop the pan I was still holding and put my hands up as well.
"I'm married to a child," I said in a huff rolling my eyes and tossing the pan to the side. As the Host began to lead us away the Doctor looked at me and furrowed his brows.
"Your eyes are glowing again," he told me hesitantly.
"Still?" I asked reaching one hand up and touching my cheek.
"Still?" he asked back confused, "how long have they been doing it?"
"I think since Foon jumped off the bridge," I told him my face scrunching in confusion. I could still feel what felt almost like a supercharged adrenaline rush flowing through me. He just gave me a curious look then looked forward at the Host leading the way. I stayed tense and followed as well ready for the Host to attack at any moment.
