I have no solid problems with the episode Gridlock, I just felt there was no need to drag it out. So here's the last part :)
The Doctor had rubbish timing sometimes. It wasn't his fault, he hadn't exactly had a way to contact them until then since he didn't carry a mobile, but that didn't stop them from wishing he'd come on the screen before they'd loaded all of Cheen and Milo's stuff into the TARDIS and went through the whole bigger-on-the-inside spiel. Of course, they couldn't really be too mad at him, because when monitor across the flickered to life, including the one in Car 4-6-4-Diamond-6, instead of Sally Calypso, the Doctor spoke to them.
"Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor."
Rose leaned into the car to see the screen.
"And this is an order. Everyone on the motorway, drive up. Right now. I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines! Drive up. All of you, the whole Undercity. Drive, up, drive up, drive up! Fast! You've got macra down below you and everyone down in the Fast Lane is depending on this. Drive up and get out of their way! Go up!"
"What's he done?" Cheen asked, wide-eyed.
"I think…I think he's…given everyone a way out." Rose said.
"Keep driving, everyone! You've got all of New New York waiting for you. All of you! Come on, that's it! Keep driving up! You've got a whole city up here, just waiting for you!" The Doctor grinned. "Car 4-6-4-Diamond-6, can you hear me?"
Milo picked up the transmitter on the dash and spoke into it. "Loud and clear, Doctor."
"Ah, hello! I think, perhaps, that ride to Brooklyn won't be needed anymore—you've got all of New New York up here. I'm sure you'll find some place to raise your family."
Cheen and Milo looked at each other. She smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to us, Doctor."
"Excellent! I'm sending you a flight path. Get whatever you have back out of the TARDIS—not too much, I hope—and get up to the Senate as quickly as you can."
Rose held out her hand and Milo handed her the transmitter. "We're on our way!"
Milo returned the transmitter to its place as Rose ran to unlock the TARDIS. This time the TARDIS decided to be helpful and a flatbed cart was waiting by their stuff. She didn't even bother explaining where it'd come from. It took less than five minutes to get everything back into the car, Rose locked the TARDIS, and they were off, heading for the motorway where the Doctor had apparently given them a path to the surface.
"Alright, here we are: the entrance to the motorway." Milo said, pointing out the windshield. They were in a tunnel with a sign hanging down that read: Motorway – Junction 89. Another car was cruising just ahead of them and thought she couldn't see over it, she was sure there were more in front. The whole city has received his transmission; people would be going to see his miracle for themselves. They moved through the tunnel relatively quickly and within moments they were at the edge.
"Let's see just what your Doctor has done." Milo pushed down on the gas and car 4-6-4-Diamond-6 sailed out of the artificially lit tunnel and into the sunlight.
Cheen gasped and Milo's said something the TARDIS didn't translate.
Around them were hundreds of cars, thousands of them, and the exhaust they'd produced for God only knows how long. Above them the gridlock that had once imprisoned them was wide open and the sky, the beautiful blue sky of New Earth, beckoned to them. Milo steered them upward, rocketing towards the sky with the other cars. The sunlight filled the car and all the occupants inhaled simultaneously as the felt the glorious sunlight touch them.
Cheen and Meelo stared at it, completely enraptured at the beauty they'd never seen before, while Martha and Rose grinned.
"It's daylight!" Cheen murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Yeah," Rose sighed, "it is."
"Oh my God. That's the sky. It's the real sky!"
"It's beautiful," Martha breathed as if she'd never seen the golden light before. In a way, she hadn't. This was a completely new sun to her.
With tears rolling down his cheeks, Milo looked away from the sky long enough to lean over and kiss his wife.
Their journey to the Senate was full of laughter and tears. Martha was just as eagerly taking in the sights of New New York as Cheen and Milo. Rose had seen the city before so she stayed in the back of the car, perched on a box, and allowed the others to make the most of the limited viewing space. If Martha ever decided she wanted a proper look at the city they'd have to come back in about ten years. Give the people a chance to rebuild their government and establish contact with any survivors and other the nearby planets.
And figure out why no one came before now, she thought grimly. A whole universe of people and no one thought to investigate New Earth going silent? There was something else going on, something worse, and as bright as things looked now, they weren't completely out of it yet.
The Senate of New New York was the largest, most impressive building in the city. Milo whistled appreciatively at the sight. They found a docking bay near the Senate chamber and landed. Milo and Cheen said goodbye then, wanting to get out there and find a place before all the good ones were taken. They exchanged hugs, left with a thank you message for the Doctor and promises that if they ever were on the planet again they'd look them up. Rose and Martha watched 4-6-4-diamond-6 fly off then they headed inside the Senate.
Twenty-four years without care or maintenance had left the building in disrepair. Paint was faded and peeling, the walls were chipped and dull, a thick layer of dust covered almost everything, most the lights were broken, and there more than a few holes in the ceilings and floors. They maneuvered through the hallways carefully, following the signs to the chamber.
"What's it like?" Martha asked.
"I've never been inside before," Rose said, pushing through the curtains that lead into the chamber. "Last time we were here we were kind of busy and—"
"What is it? Rose, what's—oh."
On the dais in front of them surrounded by old wires and broken technology was a single mummified humanoid. Martha stared. Rose tore her gaze away from it and looked around the room. In the stands above the dais were dozens of mummies and skeletons, some of them human some of them not. Her breath was shaky as she exhaled and she knew, without a doubt, that this was how the rest of the Overcity looked. Probably the entire planet. Millions of people dead, their bodies doomed to rot where they fell with no one left to bury them.
"Martha, Rose," the Doctor called softly from nearby.
"Doctor!" Martha cried happily, sprinting towards his voice. "What happened out there?" She stopped abruptly and her smile faded, replaced by a look of shock and horror.
Rose crossed the room quickly to see what was wrong. The Doctor and Novice Hame were kneeling next to a large head with tendrils where there should be hair. She'd only ever seen him twice—once on Platform One and once when Cassandra possessed her—but she'd know him anywhere. She gasped, rushing past Martha.
She stepped over a bundle of thick black wires and knelt down next to the Doctor.
"What's that?" Martha asked.
"It's the Face of Boe," the Doctor explained. Martha swallowed and slowly walked towards them. "It's alright, come and say hello. He's the one that opened the Undercity, not me."
"My Lord gave his life to save the city. And now he's dying."
Rose stared down at the Face of Boe. The ancient alien's eyes were on her as well as he took slow, laborious breaths. This was the first time she'd ever been able to get close and really just look at him without being possessed. He was familiar, she realized with a pang. She couldn't explain it but something about him was achingly familiar. It made her want to hug him and ease his departure from this life.
"No, don't say that," the Doctor chided softly. "Not old Boe. Plenty of life left."
It's good to breathe the air once more. the Face of Bo told them quietly.
"Who is he?" Martha asked quietly, kneeling between Rose and Hame.
"I don't even know," the Doctor admitted. "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years." He looked down at Boe with a small smile. "Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."
Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most. Boe said.
"The legend says more," Hame murmured.
"Don't," the Doctor said sharply. "There's no need for that."
"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller."
"Yeah, but not yet," the Doctor insisted. "Who needs secret, eh?"
I have seen so much…perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind—as you are the last of yours, Doctor.
"That's why we have to survive, both of us."
Rose put her hand on the Doctor's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. This did not escape the Face of Boe's notice.
Rose Tyler…I have lived for eons …met countless people…so many faces known and forgotten…but yours has never faded. You were there…at my beginning…I am glad…you are here now.
Rose didn't know what he meant—he was familiar, but she was sure she hadn't been there when he was born, not yet at least—but she reached out and placed her hand on his chin. Her fingers tingled and she swore she could hear the singing in the back of her mind. A tear escaped her eye, trickling down her cheek. "Who are you?"
You know the answer to that. Boe took a deep, shuddering breath, and closed his eyes.
"Don't go," the Doctor pleaded softly.
Boe opened his eyes once more and they stared at the Doctor. I must. But know this, Time Lord, "You are not alone."
For a single moment the tingling in her fingers increased and she felt the power of Time itself race through them both and the song echoed through her mind. She knew who he was and she couldn't believe it. She gasped, his name catching in her throat. He took one last raggedy breath and exhaled slowly, his eyes closing as he slipped into sleep eternal. The song faded, taking the knowledge with it. Lips trembling, tears trickling down her cheeks, Rose withdrew her hand from his face.
It was like waking from a vivid dream and being unable to remember the details. She'd known who he was, but try as she might, she couldn't recall the name that had been about to fall from her lips, nor the face that belonged with it, only that she had loved him.
Rose looked up at the Doctor. He was confused and angry and stricken and more than a little bit lost. She placed her hand on his arm and without looking away from Boe, he shifted his arm so her hand slipped into his. He pulled her up and they backed away from Boe and Hame, who was sobbing bitterly. Rose curled into the Doctor's side, unable to shake the profound grief she felt at Boe's passing. The Doctor put his arm around her and when Martha leaned against his other side he slipped that arm over her shoulders.
After a time, Hame's sobs slowed and her shaking shoulders stilled. She wiped her eyes and stood up. When she spoke, her voice was hard. "Thank you, Doctor."
The Doctor nodded.
"I will take care of him and the city as I have done these last twenty-four years," she said as she walked towards them.
"You have a choice, Hame," he told her softly.
Hame stopped in front of them. "Be that as it may, Doctor, if I do not, no one else will. Now all of you grab on." She held out her arm and they each took hold. Rose looked at the Face of Boe one last time before Hame pressed the button on her teleport.
It felt like every part of her being compressed into a single atom and pulled in every direction. She might have screamed if she'd still had a voice to scream with. It ended as abruptly it had began and she existed again. Rose groaned and lifted her head. Somehow they'd ended up on the ground in what looked like the Undercity. Yeah, definitely the Undercity—the Overcity was not this filthy.
Martha moaned. "Oh, what was that?"
"Teleport," the Doctor growled, pushing himself up. "Not the best sort, either, but I guess with the world dead around you, you don't exactly have the luxury of being picky."
Rose picked herself up on the ground and rubbed her recently healed arm. She must've fallen on it funny when they landed. The Doctor would probably need to give it another once-over with the sonic. Martha climbed to her feet and wobbled unsteadily for a moment then exhaled loudly.
"Well, remind me to never teleport again. Oh, where are we?"
"Exactly where I first found you." Hame did not bother to rise. "I must return. Safe journey," she bid them. "I do not know if we shall meet again, but may Santori be with you." She pressed the button on her wrist again and vanished.
The Doctor stared somberly at the spot where she'd vanished for a long moment then he was back to normal. "Right! Well, that's New New York sorted. Back to the TARDIS!" He strode towards the door to the tunnels that would lead them back to the pharmacy stalls. Rose and Martha exchanged looks and Rose saw the questions building up behind her friend's gaze. She shook her head pointedly before following the Doctor out.
It seemed the three pharmacists had taken the Doctor's advice and moved on. Considering that those Moods were the cause of their twenty-four year imprisonment, he doubted that any of the pharmacists would be in business much longer. Not unless they went back to selling actual medicines, anyway. He probably should've told Hame to make sure of that. Oh well, she was smart. She'd figure it out.
"They're gone. Must've taken you seriously." Rose remarked.
"Yep," the Doctor grinned, peering into one of the abandoned stalls.
"Happy?" Martha asked.
"Happy happy."
She laughed quietly.
"New New York can start again. And they got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs—cats in charge."
"So you like cats again, Doctor?" Rose asked.
"No. We-e-e-ell—maybe a little. Come on, time we were off." He jerked his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and strolled towards the TARDIS. Rose slipped her arm around his.
"What did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha blurted out suddenly.
They stopped and turned around. Martha stood in the middle of the alleyway looking melancholy and just a bit confused. "'You are not alone.'"
The Doctor shook his head lightly. "I don't know."
"Shakespeare said you weren't alone," she reminded him, walking towards them. "You've got Rose. And me. Is that what he meant?"
He shook his head again. "No, I don't think so. Boe and Shakespeare are…well, I think they have different definitions of the word 'alone.'"
Martha looked a bit annoyed. "Then what?"
"Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go." He turned again and started off again, looking straight ahead. Rose squeezed his arm comfortingly, knowing it would be better to wait until later to press the issue, and rested her head on his shoulder.
Behind them they heard a metallic clink and they turned around yet again. Martha sat stiffly on a chair with her arms folded across her chest. She frowned at them with her eyebrows lifted and her lips pursed.
"All right, you staying?" the Doctor asked.
"'Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said 'last of your kind.' What does that mean?"
Rose squeezed his arm again, looking up at his face. "Doctor," she murmured.
She saw pain flash in his eyes for a second before it was gone, hidden behind a mask of flippancy. "It doesn't really matter."
"You don't talk! Rose is the only one who's bothered to tell me anything about—"
Her voice died in her throat as the sound of a chorus reached their ears. Another ancient hymn from a faith so old she doubted anyone alive knew the true stories anymore. It sounded father away this time, from up in the Overcity as people fled from the catacombs in which they'd been imprisoned for the last two and a half decades and stepped into the sunlight.
Fast falls the eventide
Rose felt her breath catch in her throat. "They're singing again."
The darkness deepens.
Lord, with me abide
When other helpers fail
"Earlier, when you asked me about my planet," the Doctor began softly.
And comforts flee
Help of the helpless
"I lied, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend with you, Martha. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky." he swallowed. "I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."
Swift to its close ebbs
Martha looked between him and Rose, shocked and more than a little appalled. "What happened?"
Out life's little day
The Doctor glanced down at Rose, looking for all the world like a lost child, and took a deep breath. "There was a war. We lost."
Earth's joys grow dim
It's glories pass away
Martha waited for him to say more and when it became clear that was all he was going to say she frowned. "That's it? Would've had to have been a bloody great war to wipe out an entire species."
"Not just my species," the Doctor corrected. "Our enemy, a race called the Daleks, died too. Or so I thought," he added darkly and exhaled through his teeth. "But not just us, oh no. Dozens of other species got caught up in the war and were decimated, their planets destroyed. And even some of those who didn't fight in the war were affected. Their timelines broken, their planets and galaxies mutilated…some wiped from time itself. The universe used to be more populated than it is now."
He closed his eyes and rested his head on top of Rose's, wrapping his arms around her. Rose slid her arms around his waist and gently rubbed her hand up and down his back.
The darkness deepens
Lord, with me abide.
Martha regretted even bringing it up now. "I'm sorry," she said.
The Doctor straightened up, leaving one arm around Rose, and smiled at her sadly. "Come on, back to the TARDIS. We can have a cuppa…and I'll tell you both about Gallifrey."
Martha nodded meekly. "Okay, sounds good." She stood up from the chair and followed them back to the TARDIS.
I'm close to 200 reviews! 13 chapters and 200 reviews, that'd be a new record for me, I think. So...donate a review? It's for a good cause! :D
I'm going to go get food now.