So sorry for the long wait! I had writers block and school work. Anyways, here's the next chapter!
The room that they were in was a dark corridor. The Doctor stood up, taking Amy's hand and helping her up after him.
The Doctor examined the door. "There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, you are covered in sick."
"Where are we?" asked Amy, eyes darting around the room.
"Overspill pipe, at a guess," the Doctor replied, using his sonic on the door.
"Oh, God, it stinks!" Amy complained.
"That's not the pipe," the Doctor said, his nose wrinkling at the stench of Starwhale sick.
"Oh," Amy muttered before smelling herself, her head immediately whipping away when she smelt the pungent smell. "Whoo! Can we get out?"
"One door, one door switch, one condition," the Doctor said, moving the show a lit button which read 'Forget' beside the door. "We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot."
The lights came on in the room to reveal two smiling men in booths at the end. "Ooh, here's the stick. There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?" the Doctor continued, just as the faces turned to show mad, menacing ones instead. "No, that's not going to work on me, so come on. Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?" the faces spun again, this time showing even madder, more furious expressions. "Oh, stop it. I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues?"
The booths opened, and the two Smilers began walking towards Amy and the Doctor.
"T-Theta?" Amy murmured, slowly backing away from the advancing Smilers.
Just then a woman appeared behind them, pulling out a blaster and firing it at the Smilers. They collapsed onto the ground. She quickly twirled her blaster before placing it back in its holster.
"Look who it is. You look a lot better without your mask," the Doctor commented when he noticed who she was.
"You must be Amy. Liz. Liz 10," Liz 10 smiled, reaching out her hand for Amy to shake.
"Hi," Amy chirped.
They shook hands, and immediately Liz retracted hers, wiping it on her cloak in disgust. "Eurgh! Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick," she began to head towards the door. "You know Mandy, yeah?" she wrapped an arm around Mandy's shoulder affectionately. "She's very brave."
"How did you find us?" the Doctor wondered.
"Stuck my gizmo on you," Liz smirked, throwing the device at him. "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?"
"You're over 16, you've voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it," noted the Doctor.
"No. Never forgot, never voted. Not technically a British subject," Liz argued.
"Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?" questioned the Doctor.
"You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot..." The Doctor pointed like he was about to argue, but Amy squeezed his hand reassuringly. He ran a hand through his soaked hair in embarrassment. Was it really that bad?
"I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was."
"Your family?" the Doctor inquired.
One of the Smilers on the ground began to move, causing Amy's eyes to widen in fear.
"They're repairing. Doesn't take them long. Let's move," Liz ordered, leading them out of the overspill pipe. They began walking through some corridors.
"The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry XII. Tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad boy!"
Amy pouted at the last sentence. It felt like her heart had been ripped out. He had said it was 600 and something years, so she thought he must have had other 'girlfriends' or 'lovers' during that time. She couldn't expect him to go that long without anyone. But it still hurt her.
"Liz 10?" the Doctor suddenly realised. A Smiler rose from a booth in the corridor.
"Liz 10, yeah. Elizabeth the Tenth. And down!" she whipped around and fired both blasters at the Smilers, knocking them down. "I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule."
She took them down another corridor, which was the base of a vator shaft.
Quickly Amy yanked the Doctor's arm and pulled him back a bit, glaring straight into his eyes.
"The Virgin Queen?" Amy chirped expectantly. "Do explain."
A bright red blush flooded the Doctor's cheeks. "Amy... there really isn't time for this..."
"Tell me," Amy hissed.
"Tell you what?"
"So, Elizabeth the First? I'm guessing you two were mates then?"
"Yeah, just mates, chums, pals... forget mates."
"Or were you a bit more than mates?" Amy pressed on.
"Amy," the Doctor whispered bitterly, his teeth clenching in frustration. "I was drunk. It was a bad night. As soon as I realised what I'd done, I felt like a right idiot. I was a different man then, anyway."
A lone tear prickled in the corner of Amy's eye, and the Doctor used his thumb to wipe it away. "Amy, I know how you feel, but it had been over 600 years. You were my first anyway."
The corners of Amy's lips curled into a smile. "Really? That was your first time?"
"Yes."
Her jaw dropped. "But-but... you seemed too good for a first-timer! Time Lord genes then?"
He nodded with a quick chuckle. "Maybe. But we really need to get going."
"There's a high-speed Vator through there," Liz explained when they finally caught up with her.
The Doctor looked into a caged area where there are two scorpion-like tails jabbing to get free. They were the same ones that Amy saw in the tent when she went to find Mandy earlier.
"Oh, yeah. There's these things. Any ideas?" Liz asked them.
"Doctor, I saw one of these up top. There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through, like a root," Amy reported.
"Exactly like a root. It's all one creature - the same one we were inside - reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship," replied the Doctor.
"What? Like an infestation?" Liz guessed.
"Someone's helping it. Feeding it," the Doctor said.
"Feeding my subjects to it. Come on. We've got to keep moving," Liz growled, before storming off in anger with Mandy following her.
"Theta?" Amy breathed, admiring the tails thrashing at the bars.
"Oh, Amy," the Doctor looked sympathetically at the tails. "We should never have come here."
/\\\
The Doctor carefully navigated his way through the cluster of glasses on the floor of Liz 10's room, whilst Amy frowned in wonder.
"Why all the glasses?" the Doctor wondered.
Liz sat on her bed. "To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what."
The Doctor carefully picked up her mask, examining it. "A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?"
"Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this - my entire reign - and you've achieved more in one afternoon," Liz shot back.
Pacing around the room, the Doctor asked, "How old were you when you came to the throne?"
"Forty. Why?"
"What, you're 50 now? No way!" Amy gasped.
"Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps," Liz smiled.
The Doctor sat on the bed, still holding the mask. "And you always wear this in public?"
"Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting."
"Air-balanced porcelain. Stays on by itself, cos it's perfectly sculpted to your face," the Doctor remarked.
"Yeah. So what?"
"Oh, Liz. So everything."
The door opened, and four hooded men entered.
"What are you doing? How dare you come in here?" Liz snarled, glaring at the four men.
"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK. You will come with us now," the man that led the group explained.
"Why would I do that?" Liz shot back.
The hooded man's head spun to reveal the face of an angry Smiler.
"How can they be Smilers?" wondered Liz.
"Half Smiler, half human," the Doctor corrected.
Liz looked to its face. "Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?"
"The highest authority, Ma'am," the Smiler replied.
"I AM the highest authority," Liz snapped.
"Yes, ma'am. You must go now, Ma'am."
"Where?" demanded Liz.
"The Tower, Ma'am."
/\\\
The group was escorted to a large stone room which contained high-tech machines. There was a grating through which Amy could see more of the creatures.
"Theta, where are we?" Amy asked, clutching his hand.
"The lowest point of Starship UK," the Doctor replied. "The dungeon."
"Ma'am," someone called from the room, and Liz turned in the direction of the voice to see a hooded man pulling down his hood.
"Hawthorne! So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do," Liz frowned as she began approaching him.
"There's children down here. What's all that about?" the Doctor asked Hawthorne, just as a group of children walked past them.
"Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky," Hawthorne explained.
"Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it?" the Doctor examined the equipment. "Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle."
The Doctor walked to join Liz 10 by a 'well'-like hole, surrounded by a railing. Inside, something seemed to be alive.
"What's that?" Liz wondered.
"Well, like I say, depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain centre of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly..." the Doctor's tone was cold and full of the pain of over 900 years. Amy noticed the expression, like his eyes had turned into balls of ice, bottled up rage venting out of him.
"Or?" Liz said.
"Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator - Starship UK's go-faster button."
Amy looked on in horror. If she was correct, it looked like a brain.
Liz shook her head. "I don't understand."
"Don't you? Try, go on. The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature - this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading - it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving."
There was an intermittent electrical beam that shot down on the creature's brain, causing Amy to wince. This was becoming unbearable to watch.
"Tell you what," the doctor moved to another 'well' and lifted the grate, and one of the tails from the creature broke free. "Normally, it's above the range of human hearing. This is the sound none of you wanted to hear."
With a press of the button on his sonic screwdriver, a horrible, pain-filled screeching sound filled the room. Amy quickly covered her ears with her hands, a single tear falling from her eye.
"Stop it," Liz snapped, then turned to Hawthorne. "Who did this?"
"We act on instructions from the highest authority," replied Hawthorne.
"I am the highest authority. The creature will be released, now. I said now!" she growled icily, but no one moved. "Is anyone listening to me?"
The Doctor was still holding Liz's mask. "Liz. Your mask."
"What about my mask?"
He tossed it to her. "Look at it. It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say."
"Yeah, it's an antique, so?"
"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over 200 years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not 50. Nearer 300. And it's been a long old reign," the Doctor explained.
"Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years," Liz replied defensively.
"Ten years. And the same ten years over and over again," he took her hand. "always leading you..." he showed her the voting area. "...here."
There were two buttons. 'Forget' and 'Abdicate'.
She turned to Hawthorne. "What have you done?"
"Only what you have ordered. We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us."
The screen turned on, showing a picture of Liz.
"If you are watching this...If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower Of London." The real Liz sat down, looking on in wonder. "The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travellers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart."
The Doctor, Amy, Hawthorne and Mandy watched in silence. Liz on the screen continued.
"The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us, and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the star whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the "forget" button."
Real Liz stared down at the 'Forget' button.
"Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button."
Her gaze turned to the other button which read 'Abdicate'.
"Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision."
"I voted for this?" Amy gaped, then turned to the Doctor. "Why would I do that?"
"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know," the Doctor replied coldly, which made a pang of fear sweep through Amy's body. No longer of the Starwhale, or the Smilers, but simply her Doctor. When he was like this, he was not sane.
"I don't even remember doing it," Amy argued.
"You did it. That's what counts," the Doctor shot back, his brow creased with anger.
"I'm... I'm sorry," apologised Amy.
"Oh, I don't care. When I'm done here, you're going home," he walked away, just as hot fresh tears began to spill down Amy's cheeks.
"Why? Because I made a mistake? One mistake? I don't even remember doing it. Doctor!" she yelled, losing her temper.
The Doctor was examining the instrument panels. "Yeah. I know. You're only human."
Only human. That made anger bristle inside her, her fists clenching.
"What are you doing?" asked Liz.
"The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it," the Doctor explained. Amy noticed the look of sadness in those green eyes. She almost wanted to run up and kiss him better, but she knew this wasn't the time, and he'd just shouted at her. No way.
"That'll be like killing it," Amy sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Look, three options. One: I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, cos I won't be the Doctor any more."
"There must be something we can do, some other way," Liz suggested.
"Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" the Doctor yelled, white hot anger boiling within him. Amy had never seen him like this before, and it broke her heart as she shrunk back against the wall with Mandy.
A group of children entered the room, causing Mandy to shoot to her feet, calling her friend Timmy and running over to him.
They stopped in front of one of the tails, Mandy with her back to it. One of the tails reached round to her, but instead of attacking her, it gently tapped her shoulder. She turned around, and the tail let her pet it.
Amy was beginning to understand. She'd always been good at working things out. When she was a kid, she used to be good at puzzles. She'd place all the bits together faster than any of her friends. That's what this was like; a puzzle. Her thoughts drifted back to when they first arrived, the Doctor comforting Mandy when she was crying. Then to the video, it'd mentioned children crying and screaming. And the Starwhale, coming out like a miracle and rescuing them. The last of its kind. She thought back, the Doctor had told her he was the last of his kind, "Just me now."
"Never interfere with other peoples or planets... unless there's children crying."
"Our children screamed."
"The last of its kind."
"Just me now."
"Unless there's children crying."
"Yes."
"It won't eat the children."
"Then it came. Like a miracle. The last of the Starwhales."
/\\\
Amy turned to the children petting the tail, then back to the Doctor, calling desperately, "Doctor, stop!"
She ran to the Doctor, "Whatever you're doing, stop it now!"
Then she changed direction towards Liz 10, "Sorry, Your Majesty, going to need a hand."
Amy took Liz's hand and led her towards the button.
"Amy, no! No!" the Doctor cried desperately, rushing over.
Amy forced Liz's hand down on the 'Abdicate' button. The whale bellowed and the whole ship shook, causing havoc on every level.
"Amy, what have you done?" the Doctor gasped, his hearts pounding.
"Nothing at all. Am I right?" Amy chirped smugly.
"We've INCREASED speed," Hawthorne grinned.
"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot. Gotta help," Amy smiled.
"It's still here? I don't understand," Liz said.
"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago. It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it - that was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind..." she turned to the Doctor. "...you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry."
/\\\
The Doctor stood, alone, gazing out a giant window in the starship. Bright stars dotted the dark depths of space, brightening it with vibrant colour. Thinking to himself, he thought, that maybe Amy's eyes looked like a pair of shining stars.
"From Her Majesty," Amy smiled, joining him and holding out the mask. "She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK."
"Amy, you could have killed everyone on this ship," the Doctor pointed out.
"You could have killed a Star Whale," Amy said.
The Doctor turned to face her. "And you saved it. I know, I know."
"Amazing, though, don't you think? The Star Whale. All that pain and misery... and loneliness," she glanced sideways at the Doctor. "And it just made it kind."
"But you couldn't have known how it would react."
"YOU couldn't. But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar?"
They embraced in a tight hug, the Doctor burying his head into Amy's fiery red hair. The soft curls tickled his cheek, and he suppressed a smile. Her hair was so soft, so perfect.
But not quite as perfect as her.
"Hey," Amy chirped.
"What?" the Doctor asked.
"Gotcha."
"Ha! Gotcha."
/\\\
They were inside the TARDIS, Amy sitting on one of the jump seats in the console room. She thought about how the Doctor had shouted at her, how that was so not like him...
Freshly showered and rid of whale sick, the Doctor bounded into the room, in clean clothes. "How do I look?"
"Ridiculous," Amy smirked. "The bow tie?"
"Bow ties are cool," he said defensively, flicking a lever on the control panel.
"Oh, you," Amy chuckled.
"Amy Pond!" the Doctor beamed, startling her. "How would you fancy a nice, romantic date in Paris, as an apology for shouting at you earlier?"
Amy's face lit up. "Really? Oh Theta, that sounds amazing!" she grinned, leaping out of the chair and hugging him.
"Well then," the Doctor began, as their finger entwined. He turned to face her, a childish grin of excitement plastered on his face. "Let's get going!"
With a pull of a lever, the TARDIS was sent through the time vortex once more.
Next chapter is going to be pure fluff! I'll try and upload it tomorrow if I get some reviews. Constructive crit welcome, but no flames please :)