Edited - 29/00/2013

The Beast Below

My name is Amber Swann. When I was 13 they told me I had an imaginary friend who wasn't real but last night my' imaginary friend' came back.

Amber Swan was floating in space. She was floating in space, and all that was stopping her from floating away was the Doctor's hand on her ankle.

It was amazing, absolutely amazing. There were stars, constellations everywhere.

"Come on then Swann." She felt him tugging at her leg. "Down you come." Then Amber found herself back in the TARDIS. "Now do you believe me?" He asked her.

"Okay, okay fine you have a time machine. I guess I didn't totally believe you until you showed me that. I thought you were a mad man with a box." He turned towards her and looked her I the eyes.

"Winter Swann, there is one thing that you should remember, one thing that you should never forget. It may even save your life one day." She looked at him expectantly, "I most certainly am a madman with a box." She grinned at him before looking around again.

"Oh my god, your box is a spaceship, it really is one which means that were in space! Woohoo!" She shouted as they floated around. She laughed and then took a deep breath to calm her self down. A deep breathe of what though? The question popped into her head and she asked him.

"I've extended the air shell were fine. Now that's interesting." He said looking down at the giant thing. "29th Centaury, solar flares roasting the earth and the entire human race packs it's bags and moves out-" that was all Amber heard though because it seemed that her pj bottoms had caught onto something and when she tried to get the loose, she slipped and flew right out of the TARDIS only managing to hold on to the edge in time.

"Doctor?" The man kept talking about something or another so she tried again, "Doctor!" She shouted for him louder this time but he still didn't hear her. Well third time's the charm, and tried one last time: "DOCTOR!" This time he heard her and ran to the door. "Took you long enough." She exclaimed still holding onto the edge.

"How did you get there?" He asked her.

She sighed and mumbled. "I tripped."

"You tripped. Well come on, I've found us a spaceship." He said grinning at her. He pulled her back in and closed the doors tightly before leading her over to the small circular screen that was showing a video of the buildings under them. "This is the United Kingdom of Briton and Ireland, all of it bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK, its Briton, but metal." Amber gasped at what she was seeing, this was 900 years into the future and this was what Briton looked like. Well, that is awesome then.

"That's not just a ship that's, an idea, a whole country living and laughing and…shopping," Amber giggled at that but she knew that he was proud. Proud of the race that had made this possible and so was she. "Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go out and see?" she asked as soon as he was finished.

"Of course we can but first there's a thing." He walked towards the controls.

"A thing?" She asked trying to catch him up.

"Yes, an important thing. In fact, thing one." he held a magnifying glass up to his face, "we are observers only. That is the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels, I never get involved of the affairs of other people's or planets', ooh, that's interesting." But you did for me Doctor. Where was that rule then? She wondered.

"So were supposed to be heartless and…cold if there something happening and we cant stop it?" She asked watching the screen and then an image of the Doctor was on it and he was trying to comfort the child but she ran away. "Doctor?" She gasped shocked at what she was seeing.

The image turned to her and beckoned her to come outside. She grinned and ran to the door and opened it only to find that they were on the ground. A voice was heard above her and she looked around. "I am in the future, like hundreds of years in the future." A thought crossed her mind and her smile lowered. "Oh…I've been dead for centuries."

"Oh lovely, you're a cheery one." The Doctor said stepping closer to Amber. "Never mind being dead, look at this place, isn't it wrong?" He asked moving her forward and around the spaceship.

"Well I suppose something does feel sort of…out of place." She told him looking around slightly. "But I don't know what it is."

"Come one, use your eyes, and notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?" Something about it was wrong; she couldn't put her finger on it. This place is a space ship so it stands to reason that there is an engine and that engine should make a noise or a vibration or something. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at the Doctor.

"You said that this spaceship has been cruising through the stars searching for a new home right?" The Doctor nodded and Amber moved around looking at everything all at once. In the corner of her eye she saw a couple, drinking water and on the table, the water wasn't moving. At all.

Well that doesn't mean anything. It's the future after all, they could have something to stop the vibrations. "Hold on a second yeh." She walked over to the couple. "Hi, um I know that this is a strange request but could I look at your glass of water? It's just were doing some tests on it." The woman nodded and she handed Amber the water. "Thanks."

She placed the water on the floor and looked at it for a couple of seconds. Sure enough there were no vibrations in the water, not even a ripple in it but still… she handed the water back to the woman and thanked her again before walking back to the Doctor.

"Well, what did you find out?" He asked looking at Amber.

"There aren't any vibrations in the water. It's a spaceship so there should be vibrations somewhere right? Even if it's small ones but there aren't any at all. Is that normal?" The Doctor looked at her and smiled proudly, it had taken him a little while to figure that out and Winter managed to figure it out in less than 3 minuets. This girl is amazing, he thought to himself.

"No, but life on a spaceship, you go back to basics. Washing lines, bicycles, wind up street lamps but, look closer. Secrets in shadows, lives lead in fear, society bent out of shape on the brink of collapse; a police state."

"But what does that mean police state?" Amber turned to the Doctor and asked.

"It means that." The Doctor pointed to the same girl they had seen crying on the monitor in the TARDIS and Amber looked at her and frowned.

"Why isn't anyone helping her?" She asked a little disgusted at the thought. The Doctor walked up closer to the girl and Amber followed and sat down on a bench next to the Doctor.

"She's crying silently. Children cry because they want attention or they're hurt or afraid but when they're crying silently it's because they can't stop." The Doctor explained looking at her. "Any parent knows that."

"Are you a parent?" Amber asked raising an eyebrow. The Doctor stared at her not saying anything.

"Hundreds of parents walking about and not one of them stopping to ask her what's wrong which means, they already know and it's something they're not talking about, secrets. They're not helping her so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of it's nowhere to be seen which means it's everywhere."

"Police state." Amber whispered finally catching on to what it was. She looked at the Doctor understanding in her eyes but when she looked back, the girl was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd she go?" she looked around trying to find her but she wasn't there.

"Dextrose 7, apple sesame block building 45 A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Ooh this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her, it took me four goes." God that man is crazy, he bumped into her on purpose 4 times! "Ask her about those things in the booths, the smiling fellers' there everywhere." He motioned to them and when Amber looked she saw that there were at least six in that area.

"But there just things. Creepy things defiantly but still just things." Amber pointed out.

"They're clean." He said as if it explained everything; Amber looked at him urging him to continue. "Everything else here is broken or filthy look at this place, but they haven't left a finger on those booths, and not a footprint within two feet of them look. Ask Mandy: 'why are people scared of the things in the booths?'"

"No hang on a moment, what do I say to her and if you haven't noticed, I'm still in my pajamas." She whisper shouted.

"It's this or Ashford. Which one will Winter Swann choose?" He looked at her, legs folded arms leaning on the bench and she glared at him. Ohh, that is so not playing fair. She glared for a bit longer but then huffed and looked away. "Haha, got you." He poked her then looked at his watch, "meet you back here in half an hour."

"What are you going to do?" At the end she said it in a weird accent but she asked, still not looking at him.

"What I always do," he copied the accent and got up.

"Stay out of trouble." He turned towards the things and almost started walking but then turned back and added an afterthought. "Badly." She turned to look at him and nodded and he jumped up and over the bench they had been sitting on. Amber got up and turned to look at his retreating form.

"So is this how it works doc? You never interfere in planet affairs unless there are children involved?" He looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Yes, and don't call me doc." He walked off and she laughed before walking in the direction Mandy had gone in. she walked up to where many was supposed to be going and walked up to the door number.

"You're following me." Amber jumped and turned around to see Mandy leaning on some barrels. "I saw you watching me in the market place." Amber nodded and looked at her hand, remembering what she was holding.

"You dropped this," she handed the card back to Mandy and she grabbed it.

"Yeh, when your friend kept barging into me." She walked off and Amber followed.

"Yeh sorry about him, he isn't the most normal man in the planet." In the galaxy, she thought to herself. When she caught up to Mandy there was a huge tent and barriers around it. "What's this?" She asked looking at Mandy.

"There's a hole, we have to go back."

"A hole?" Interesting. What could be in the whole, in the country where people are scared of shadows? Amber walked forward and Mandy started disagreeing saying that there was another place they could get across. Amber noticed that there was a lock on the tent and she took it onto her hands.

"What are you doing?" Mandy asked. There was worry and fear in her voice now.

"Oh don't mind me, I never could resist a keep out sign." She smiled to herself. "What's through there that has everyone so worried? It's just a hole."

"Nobody knows, we…we aren't supposed to talk about…it."

"About what?" Amber asked turning to Mandy. She was looking down at the ground and didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"We aren't meant to talk about the below." There we go, something to go on. Amber thought.

"So what? Just because you're not allowed to talk about it you don't? where I come from if there's something your not meant to talk about it's like a great big flashing neon go ahead to talk about it." Amber took out a pin from her hair and stuck it in the lock, fiddling about with it until she heard the tell tale click sign of the lock opening.

"Where you come from? Are you American?" Mandy asked, interest spiking her voice.

"Yep. When did they leave for the stars?" She asked still looking at the tent wondering what was going to be in there.

"Oh they were the first to leave." Mandy said. Amber smiled to herself and nodded.

"Yep, figures they would be. Some things just never change." She said mostly to herself but Mandy heard. She wondered what she meant by that. Everyone knew it was America that was first to leave but when she had asked it seemed that she had no idea about it.

"So how did you get here then?" She asked.

"Oh just passing through, seeing the sights, meeting up with friends. You know that sort of thing."

"What about that guy, the one who kept bumping into to me. Is he your boyfriend?" Amber stopped for a moment and turned back to look at Mandy.

"Him? Oh no, nu ah, were just friends. He helped get me out of somewhere and I guess I've just been travelling ever since. It's fun though." She turned back to the tent wondering what was in it again when something crossed her mind. "Oh Mandy you've been keeping me occupied so I don't go through there. You're very clever but I'm still going. You coming with me?" She asked.

The look of horror on Mandy's face spoke volumes and Amber didn't need to hear the 'no' she screamed to know that Mandy wasn't going to follow her. "Alright then." She crawled through the entrance and was met with smoke and steam everywhere. She coughed a little and then carried on going forward and was then met with a very bit hole.

She looked closer and there seemed to be something sticking out of it. Looking around, Amber saw a torch and picked it up fiddling with the timer.

When the light turned on she pointed it at the thing and what she saw thoroughly freaked her out; there poking out the whole was a long, scaly, slimy brown thing that was just there and not moving. Something tells me that that isn't keeping the tent up Amber thought. Just as she moved the light up and down it to get a closer look, it moved and she got a closer look.

"That's really weird." Was all she had time to say before it attacked her. It lunged at her two or three times before she could manage to get out and on the last time, the stinger thing almost got her. She made her way out as fast as she could and breathed a sigh of relief.

That was of course until she saw the men in black hooded jackets looking at her. Oh that can not be good. One of the men raised their fist and the last thing Amber saw was his ring open and let out an odd smelling gas effectively knocking Amber out.

[][][]

Meanwhile the Doctor was climbing down ladders that lead into the engine control. He looked around and found the boxes that were supposedto house wires that hooked up to the engine. He walked up to the walls and felt them, they felt hollow. Pressing his ear against it only confirmed that theory. "No, it can't be."

He took a reading using his screwdriver and looked at it. Sure enough it proved it. There was no engine. Then he heard something, something somewhere and he looked around but there wasn't anyone there, then his gaze found its way to the floor and there was a glass of water there.How did you get here? He wondered.

He crouched down onto the floor and looked at it and once again there was no vibrations in the water.Surly there should be something here, I'm too close to the engine room for there not to be. The clicking of heels made him look up and right in front of him was a woman in a red cloak.

"The impossible truth made possible in a glass of water." She whispered, "Not many people see it." The Doctor jumped up and circled her. "But you do don't you Doctor?"

"You know me." It wasn't a question and he didn't really expect an answer.

"Keep your voice down." She urged him. "They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the water." She ordered.

"Who says I see anything." He countered walking up to her. He didn't like this but there was nothing else he could do.

"Don't waste time. In the market place, your companion placed a glass of water on the floor and then you come here and look at the water. Why?" She asked him tilting her head slightly.

"No engine vibration on the deck. Ship this size, engine this big you'd feel it. The water would move so I thought I'd take a look." He turned back and went to look in the panels. "It doesn't make sense." He said opening them all and looking in them. "These power cords, they aren't even connected. Look, look, they're dummies see?"

He ran to the other side and opened them all and looked in them too. It was the same thing, they weren't connected at all. The Doctor started knocking on the wall, beating out a pattern. "Behind these walls are hollow. If I didn't know any better I'd say this ship has-"

"No engine." She cut him off. He stopped and turned to her walking up to her.

"But it's working, it's flying through space I saw it."

"The impossible truth Doctor; were travelling through space in a spaceship that can never fly."

"How?" He asked immediately. She had confirmed his suspicion but now what? How is it flying then? How does it work?

"I don't know. There's darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us Doctor, you're our only hope." She pleaded with him. "Your friend is safe; this will take you to her." She handed him a device. "Now quickly, go." She turned and walked off.

The Doctor looked at the device. "Who are you? How will I find you?" She stopped and turned to him.

"I am Liz 10, and I will find you." The lights flickered and the Doctor looked around trying to find its cause but when they stopped flickering and he looked back, she was gone.

[][][]

Amber woke up to unfamiliar surroundings, blurry things and on top of that, her head was pounding and those creepy smiling things were in here. God, they look like clowns on crack. She thought to herself shivering.

"Welcome to voting cubicle C33. Please leave it as you would wish to find it." A voice sounded through the room and Amber jumped off the chair she had been sitting on in shock.

"Yeh? Well how do I just leave it?" She asked to no one in particular. She looked around trying to find an escape route but as far as she could tell there was nothing.

"We recognise your right to vote and a presentation will be show soon. You are now being identified." It said again. Amber sat in the chair again waiting for it to be over. Huh, I wonder what will happen and if they can find me on their database. A beeping noise sounded and Amber looked at the screen.

Results
Name: Ambrosia Winter Swann
Age: 1304
Marital Status: Bonded

Okay that is entirely both cool and a little disturbing. But what's up with the marital status, I mean I don't even have a boyfriend. Amber didn't have time to wonder long though because a video shot up on the screen with an old man talking.

"You are here, because you want to know the truth about this Starship and I am talking to you because you are entitled to know. When this presentation is finished, you may either protest, or forget. If you choose to protest understand this: if just 1% of the population protest then the program will be discontinued with consequences to you all.

"If you choose otherwise – and we hope that you will – then press the forget button and what you're about to see will be forgotten. You will continue to live in the safety that we give you unburdened with this knowledge. Of the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people. May god have mercy on our souls." Flashing images shot through her head, ones of pain, horror and misery and Amber couldn't stand it, she couldn't stand what she was seeing.

All the pain that these people had to go through so she pressed it, she pressed the forget button and seconds later all the images she had just seen were washed from her mind.

Confused at what had just happened Amber looked around the room and sniffed, there was something on her eye so she lifted her hand and wiped away tears. Why was I crying?She wondered. She looked around again and noticed the screen flashing indicating there was a video that needed to be played. Amber pressed the play button and to her surprise she came on the screen.

"This is not a trick, this is for real. You have to find the Doctor and get him off this ship. Don't let him investigate! Stop him, do whatever you have to but just please, please get the Doctor of this ship!" Amber heard the door slide open but she was still looking at the screen.

And then suddenly she remembered again; all the images flashing, the pain of the people and the terrible secret that they had kept so cleverly from everyone on this entire spaceship. Amber couldn't stop the tears from flowing freely and it was all she could do to not slam her hand down onto the 'forget' button again. There was no use in doing it anyway. It wouldn't work.

"Winter?" The Doctor asked. Oh that isn't good, he can't know. Amber pressed the stop button and turned to the Doctor. "What have you done?" He asked.

"Doctor, we need to go now." She told him but the Doctor looked her over, checking to make sure she was okay and then took out his sonic and raised it to the light above them.

"It's your basic memory wipe, took the last twenty minutes of your memory." He said after checking.

"Fine whatever but we should go. No we need to go Doctor!" He looked at her. Winter was hiding something and he needed to find out what it was. He trusted her, fully and completely and how could he not? But that wasn't the problem.

The Winter he knew would never not tell him something unless… "Were you threatened Winter?" It was a serious question and her elbows folded to cross her arms and glare at him.

"No. And what would it matter if I was? I know how to handle myself."

I know you do but… "Then why do we have to leave?" He asked again but Amber couldn't think of anything that would stop him. "Or better question, why would you choose to forget?" He asked her.

"Because everyone does." Mandy said, Amber hadn't even noticed her standing there. "Everyone chooses the 'forget' button." The Doctor walked up to her and went down to her level.

"Did you?"

"I'm not eligible to vote yet, I'm twelve. Any time after you're sixteen you're allowed to see the film and make your choice," she shrugged as she explained it to them. "And then you can choose again once every five years."

"And once every five years everyone chooses to forget what they've learnt?" She nodded.

"Democracy in action."

"How do you not need this? Are you American too?" Mandy asked the Doctor.

"Oh no I'm way worse than American, I can't even see the movie. It won't play for me." Amber frowned at what he said.

"What not at all? But you look human and it played for me." Amber stopped abruptly. She hadn't meant to say that, she hadn't meant to at all but when she looked at the Doctor to see if he had noticed, he seemed to be doing something else and so she sighed in relief.

"Well the difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human and no, you look time lord. We were here first." He went back to fiddling with the computer.

"So there are other Timelords then?" She asked curiously.

"No. There were but there aren't…just me now." He took a deep breath and looked away. "Long story, it was a bad day, bad stuff happened and you know what? I would love to forget it all but I can't, not ever but this is what I do. Every time, every day, every second, this." He rubbed his hands together and looked at her.

"Hold tight, were bringing down the government." He slammed down on the protest button and Amber heard the door slam closed and the Smiling thing's head turned round and in its place was a horrible, evil looking place and the Doctor pulled her back into the corner and the floor opened up. "Say Wheeeeeee!"

Is he flipping mental? "AHHHHHH!" Amber screamed as they flew down the chute. Amber saw the Doctor disappear and seconds later she found herself in something that smelled and looked like a rubbish dump.

The floor beneath her was slimy and squishy and wet and it took a couple of seconds for her to find her balance and get up. "Where are we?" She asked as she tried to get up, but all she heard was something that sounded very similar to Lancashire.

"So what's this then, a cave? Can't be a cave."

"It's a rubbish dump," she said as she finally stood up only to fall down again. "And it stinks." She tried again and this time managed to stay up.

"Yes but only food refuse, organic coming from feeding tubes from all over the ship. But feeding what though?" He wondered out loud. Amber was talking to herself but he wasn't paying attention to her, there was something at the back of his mind, nagging at him but he didn't know what it was.

Then a noise that sounded like something grumbling echoed through and the Doctor stood up, everything clicking into place. "Uhh it's not a floor, it's uhh…" He trailed off and Amber stood up and walked over to him.

"What is it then?" She asked.

"Uhh, you may want to prepare yourself for this next word because it's the scary word. Say ommm." She did and he held onto her arms. "It's a tongue." He said.

"A what!" She screeched.

"A tongue." He grinned at her and she looked almost ready to slap him. "A great big tongue."

"This is a mouth?" She asked quietly. He grinned at her. "Were in a mouth. This whole place is a mouth!" She shouted at him.

"Yes, yes, yes but on the plus side roomy." Amber was so close to slapping him now.

"But how do we get out? Have I ever told you that I hate enclosed spaces?" She asked slightly panicky as she looked around the roof of the mouth.

"Umm - well no you haven't." He said, fiddling with his hands. "Breathe in and out while counting to sixty." Winter nodded and did as he asked, soon feeling a bit better. While she was trying not to panic, the Doctor was examining the mouth.

"How big is this beastie? It's gorgeous. If this is the mouth I'd love to see the stomach." Another noise rumbled through and the Doctor stopped walking around. "Though not like that." Okay think, if this is the mouth and it's about to swallow there has to be a way out. He thought.

"Doctor how do we get out?" Amber asked catching up to him, panic now clearly evident in her voice and eyes.

"It's being fed by surgical implanted tubes meaning the normal exit is…closed for business." He said as the faces the teeth.

"Well we have to try! There are gaps in the teeth." The mouth started trembling beneath them and the Doctor started saying words that she didn't know. "How do we get out!" She screeched.

"Think about it." The Doctor said. Oh no, he doesn't mean that does he? Please don't mean that. Amber stopped walking around and faced the things throat. "This isn't going to be big on dignity."

"No. Please no Doctor." She begged as she realised what was going to happen. "I would rather stay in the enclosed space." She whined. It didn't do her much good though.

Okay, so I don't know what the font will be like becasue something is happening with Fanfction so...I hope it turned out okay.

Anyway, like i said, it will be in two parts. So here is part 1.

Oh and by the way, thank you for everyone who has favourited me:Dolcifool and Hp-ss4eva and Avloth. It's really appreciated, especially with a new story.