The End of the World
Seren ran into the TARDIS and came to a stop at the console.
"Right then, Seren Jones, you tell me, where d'you want to go?" The Doctor began, leaning nonchalantly against the console and tossing a small orb in his hand and watching her. "Backwards or forwards in time? It's your choice. What's it going to be?"
Seren shrugged and said, "Forwards."
The Doctor put the orb on the console, pressed a button and switched a flip before turning to the girl.
"How far?" he asked.
"100 years." she suggested, picking a random number.
The Doctor turned a few controls as the TARDIS began its journey through the Vortex, with the Doctor and Seren clutching the console. A few seconds later, the TARDIS stopped and the released their grips on their supports.
"There you go." The Doctor said, pointing towards the doors. "Step outside those doors, it's the 22nd century."
"You're kidding me."
"That's a bit boring though." he commented. "Do you want to go further?"
"Fine by me." Seren replied excitedly with a grin.
The Doctor fiddled with the controls once more, and once again, they held on as the ship traveled through the Vortex. Seren had a wide smile on her face as she watched the green lit time rotor above the console as the Doctor smiled at her reaction.
The TARDIS came to a stop and the Doctor looked at Seren.
"10 000 years in the future." He said. "Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire."
"You think you're so impressive." Seren teased him.
"I am so impressive!" The Doctor said defensively, though he had a smile on his face.
"You wish." Seren replied with a grin.
"Right then, you asked for it." The Doctor said with a large smile on his face. "I know exactly where to go." He turned to the console and started the engines again, pressing buttons and levers, as Rose watched with a large smile on her face. "Hold on!"
They held tight as the TARDIS flew through the Vortex, taking them to their plotted destination. The Doctor was still working with the controls, a large grin on his face. Finally, the Doctor shut the engines off as they felt the TARDIS land.
"Where are we?" Seren asked cautiously, only for the Doctor to gesture to the door with one arm.
"What's out there?" she asked excitedly, glancing back at the door for a moment before turning back to him.
When the Doctor just gestured once more towards the door, she slowly walked out of the TARDIS and entered a large, futuristic style room made of a material similar to marble. The young woman went down the set of steps that were there leading to a large wall that was covered by shutters. The Doctor came out a moment later and used his sonic screwdriver on a panel behind them, lowering the large shutters, revealing a window with a view of the Earth in all its glory. The Doctor joined the beautiful woman, coming to stand beside her.
"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying… like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/ Apple/ 26. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day" he looks at his watch with a frown "Hold on." He looks out the window, Seren following his gaze as they see the sun rise behind the Earth, obscuring their sight as it momentarily flares before turning red. "This is the day the Sun expands." He turns to Seren. "Welcome to the end of the world."
Seren looked at him in surprise before turning back to look outside the window.
"Shuttles five and six now docking." Came a computerized as the trio walked along a corridor. "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty nine, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."
"So, when it says 'guests', I'm guessing they mean aliens?" Seren asked curiously, looping her arm though his, as they turned a corner.
"Yep. Very good Seren." The Doctor said excitedly, glancing at her as they turned another corner.
"What are they doing on board this spaceship?" Seren asked curiously. "What's it all for?"
"It's more of an observation deck." The Doctor replied absently, taking out his screwdriver and scan the panel. "The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."
"And it would be for fun?" Seren asked in confirmation.
"Yup." He replied, entering through the no open door.
"And when you say the great and the good, you mean the rich?" she asked, following him inside gallery, a large area with a few display cases as well as a view of Space from a glass window stretching from the ground up and across the ceiling.
"You're good." He complimented her with a grin, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back as he led her towards the windows.
"The Sun expanding is supposed to take hundreds of years." She said as she gazed out onto the planet below.
"Millions." The Doctor corrected her as they came to a stop in front of the window and gazed out to Earth and the Sun. "But the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there?" He pointed to several object orbiting the Sun. "Gravity satellites holding back the Sun."
"The planet looks the same as ever." She said, confusion coloring her voice. "The continents were supposed to shift." She looked at the alien. "Especially since you said it's the year 5 billion."
"They did, and the Trust shifted them back." The Doctor informed her. He pointed to the planet below. "That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."
"How long's it got?" Seren asked curiously.
The Doctor looked at his watch before answering, "About half an hour. Then the planet gets roasted." He looked at her with a wide grin.
"We're not here to save it this time, are we?" Seren asked him softly.
"No. Times up."
"The people? They've left?"
"Yes. They've all gone." The Doctor said. "No one left."
"Just me, then." Seren sighed, gazing back out of the window.
"Who the hell are you?" came a voice behind them, causing them to turn around. The man had blue skin and gold slit eyes, wearing long robes made of a stiff fabric.
"Oh, that's nice. Thanks." The Doctor said sarcastically.
"But how did you get in?" The man asked them, coming to a stop in front of them. "This is a maximum Hospitality Zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second."
"That's us, we're guests. I've got an invitation." He took out a billfold and flipped it open. "Look." The man glanced at the paper before looking back at the two of them. "There, you see? It's fine. The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor" he gestured to himself "and this is Seren Jones." He gestured to Seren, who smiled nervously "She's my plus one. Is that alright?"
"Well…obviously." The steward said stiffly, nodding his head slightly. "Apologies, etc." The Doctor nodded in acceptance. "If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy."
He turned and walked to a lecturn as the Doctor turned to Rose, holding the bill-fold and revealing the blank paper.
"The paper's slightly psychic." He explained. "It shows them what I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."
Seren took the bill-fold and looked at it for a moment before looking up at the taller man.
"It's blank." She told him bluntly, unimpressed.
"It just means you're too smart to be fooled by it." He had a slightly impressed tone to his voice.
"Thanks." She smiled up at him with a slight blush on her face before they turned to the blue man speaking into a microphone.
"We have in attendance, the Doctor and Seren Jones. Thank you. All staff to their positions." The man clapped three times and several small blue people, dressed completely in black, scuttling about the room. "Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along." As soon as they were in their positions, he continued, "And now, might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa."
Through the doors came a bark-skinned woman, walking in a purposeful stride, followed by two larger male escorts. She was dressed in a floor length red and gold dress while her companions were dressed in black robes, with armored chest and shoulder plates.
"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace." The Steward said. "If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon."
In came another blue being, this one mostly a head and a body, sitting on a transport pod.
"Next, we have Pharaoh Djet and Queen Merneith of the New Egyptian Empire, as well as the future Prince or Princess."
In came a beautiful male and female couple, the woman had one hand resting gently on her husband's arm and the other resting on her stomach, round with child. The man, muscled, lean and standing tall at 6"4, was dressed in a gold and blue pleated Egyptian kilt, a gold toned shoulder cape held by a wide jewel stoned neck-piece, a gold crown on his head, with gold armbands on each wrist encrusted with orange and blue jewels and was bare-chested beneath the neckpiece, with his multi-colored eyes and waterline outlined in thick black kohl with an Egyptian glyph directly beneath each eye. His long hair fell over his cape, reaching his elbows in thick ink-black locks. His wife, standing at 5"1 and radiating with the glow of motherhood and pregnancy, was wearing a floor-length blue and gold Egyptian halter dress made of a floaty material, the bottom half of her face hidden by a matching blue veil embroidered with gold that hung over the back of her ears and hung down to her shoulder blades with gold 6" knee-high sandals. Her long raven-blue hair was unbound, reaching the back on her knees held back only by her gold crown encrusted with blue jewels, the only jewelry she wore. Her large doe-shaped sapphire eyes were framed by gold, black and blue makeup, giving the large orbs an exotic look.
"And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." The Steward said.
A group of black robed bi-peds entered the gallery.
The steward continued with the introductions, the inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen; Cal Spark Plug; Mister and Mrs. Pakoo; The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light.
The trio of Tree People came over to where the Doctor and Seren were standing.
"The gift of peace." Jabe said. "I bring you a cutting of my grandfather." She held a rooted twig in a small pot out to the Doctor.
"Thank you." He took the small pot with reverence and handed it to Seren. "Yes. Gifts. Erm…" he patted his front and cleared his throat. "I give you in return…air from my lungs."
He gently breathed on Jabe, who closed her eyes momentarily before opening them and looking up at the Time Lord.
"How…intimate." Jabe breathed, running her eyes over him.
"There's more where that came from." The Doctor chuckled as Seren rolled her eyes and face palmed.
"I bet there is." Jabe flirted for a moment before walking away, followed by the two males.
"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." The Steward said, bringing their attention to the doors.
A large cylindrical tank containing an equally large humanoid head with straggly hair and squinting eyes came through the doors.
"The Moxx of Balhoon." The Doctor said with a smile as the blue being floated over to them on his transport pod.
"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily salivas." The alien said to them in a high voice, before spitting accurately into Seren's eye.
The Doctor looked at a disgusted Seren as she cleaned her face before turning back to Moxx.
"Thank you very much." He said to the smaller alien with a chuckle.
"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme." The Doctor exclaimed as the black-robed figures glided up to them. "I bring you air from my lungs." The Doctor breathed on them.
The figure in the front held out a large metal hand carrying a ball.
"A gift of peace in all good faith." The figure said as the Doctor took the ball and handed to Seren.
The Steward began speaking, turning everyone's attention back to him.
"And last, but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, and Trees and Multiforms… consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human." The Doctor glanced at Seren who was staring at the Steward in wonder. "The Lady Cassandra O'Brien. Delta Seventeen."
The doors opened, and two men dressed in top-to-toe hospital whites wheeled in a face in a piece of thin skin stretched in a rectangular frame.
"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference." Seren had a completely shocked look on her face as the Doctor held back his chuckles. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Pharaoh and Queen also holding back their chuckles as well. "Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty." Her attendants moved to stand on either side of her. "I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." One of the attendants used a pump spray on the skin. "Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye." As Cassandra spoke, Seren walked behind her to see just how thin she is. "Oh, no tears, no tears." At the tears that filled the skin-sheet's eyes, one of the attendants took out a handkerchief and gently wiped them away. "I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg." One of the space stations' little attendants entered the gallery with a large egg in his hands that he held out for the guests to view. There were murmurs through the gathered guests as Cassandra went on to explain the legend behind the ostriches. "Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband?" there was a spattering of chuckles. "Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." Two more little attendants wheeled in a jukebox. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" the attendant pressed a button on the jukebox, which everyone believed was an IPod, and the strains of Tainted Love by Soft Cell ring out through the room.
"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes." The Steward informs them all and the guests begin mingling with each other.
Seren looked around at all the aliens in the room, mingling with each other and talking, starting to become overwhelmed by all the strangeness. Beginning to feel overwhelmed, she ran out of the room. The Doctor, having seen the brunette run out, moved to follow her, but was intercepted by Jabe.
"Doctor?" he turned to look at Jabe who held up a device which emitted a flash. "Thank you." She said to him, getting what she wanted.
They nodded to each other the Doctor left the room and went after Seren as Jabe looked at the device in her hands.
Seren walked down a corridor and stopped at a window, looking out. She let out a sigh as she gazed at her home and the raging Sun behind it. "I'm alone here. Is this what it means? To be a-"
Before she could finish her train of thought, she spotted a female staff member walk around the other corner and come to a stop in the middle of the corridor when she spotted the guest.
"I'm sorry. Am I allowed to be in here?" Seren asked the other female.
The female glanced away uneasily before looking back at Seren.
"You have to give us permission to talk." The blue-skinned female said, looking at Seren expectantly.
"Um, you… have… permission." Seren said slowly.
"Thank you, miss." The female said, giving a pretty smile. "And no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere." She went to a wall panel and entered a code.
"Okay." Seren replied slowly, coming to lean against the pillar that was next to the staff member. "What's your name?"
"Raffalo."
"Raffalo?" Seren repeated slowly to get the proper pronunciation.
"That's right, miss." Raffalo smiled at her. "I won't be long. Just have to carry out some maintenance." She gestured towards a vent just above the floor as she crouched down beside it. "There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Bo suite. There must be something blocking the system – he's not getting any hot water."
"So, you're a plumber?" Seren asked her.
"That's right, miss." Raffalo smiled at her.
"They still have plumbers?" Seren asked in slight surprise as Raffalo looked at her.
"I hope so, miss. Else I'm out of a job." Raffalo said with slight amusement.
Seren let out a laugh at the reply.
"Where are you from?" she asked the blue-skinned female interestedly.
"Crespallion."
"Is that a planet?"
"No. Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty-six." She stood up once again and looked at Seren. "And where are you from, miss?" she seemed to remember herself and added, "If you don't mind me asking."
"Oh, not at all." Seren replied gently as she sighed. "Um… I don't know. A long way away. I sort of hitched a lift with this man. I didn't even think about it." As she spoke, she got lost in her thoughts, wondering how Siwan was and Rose, Aunt Jackie and Mickey. "I don't even know who he is. He's a complete stranger." She shook her head and turned to Raffalo. "Anyway, don't let me keep you. Good luck!"
"Thank you, miss." Raffalo said to Seren as she turned around. "And thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate."
"You're welcome." Seren replied with a slightly shaky smile. "See you later." She waved at the alien and walked out of the corridor, soon finding herself in Gallery 15. She sat on one side of the steps, her bare legs hanging over the edge.
"Earth Death in twenty-five minutes. Earth Death in twenty-five minutes."
"Thanks." Seren muttered to herself as she heard the automated reminder, tossing the ball in the air and then catching it. She put the ball on the side and picked up the cutting of Jabe's grandfather.
"Hello!" she said to the cutting. "My name's Seren. My middle name is Rhosyn, which is Welsh for Rose. That's a sort of plant, so we might be related." Seren let out a laugh. "I'm talking to a twig." She giggled to herself as she put the plant down beside her and leaned back slightly.
"Seren?" she heard the Doctor's voice through the door. "Are you in there?"
"Yeah, I'm in here."
"Aye, aye. What do you think, then?" the Doctor asked gently as he walked into the room and sat on the other side of the steps. The Doctor leaned back as he faced the young human.
"It's amazing, absolutely amazing… once you get past the walking, talking skin-sheet." Seren replied as the Doctor chuckled. She sighed and continued, "It just makes me realize how alone I am." She looked at him for a moment before turning to look out of the observation window. "Do you know who the Chosen Ones are?" He nodded. "Siwan and I, we are both Chosen Ones. It's never happened twice in one generation." A tear slipped down her cheek and fell onto her lap. "It's the only reason we survived the accident." She snorted. "To be honest, I had died that night." She looked at him, tears in her eyes as she remembered. "I was dead for several minutes, and the doctors were ready to call it when I was revived. Only Siwan and I know that, well us and the doctors. No one else knows, not our older sister Rhiannon, not Rose, Aunt Jackie, no one. Everyone believed that it was similar to when someone is resuscitated after they die." She looked back out the window. "Seeing all the aliens just reminded me of how alone I am."
"What happened, Seren?" he asked softly, looking at the beautiful young woman.
"There was a car accident." She replied, wiping the tears that fell from her large eyes. "My parents and I died with my sister being fatally wounded, but because Siwan and I are Chosen Ones, the two of us survived."
"That's why you seemed to take everything in stride." He commented. "Most people would freak out at least a little, but you were completely calm and collected."
"I grew up in Cardiff, Doctor." Seren replied with a wry smile as she hopped off the ledge and went to stand in front of the window. "There are enough strange things that occur that you just brush it off as a part of life. Besides, my sisters and I grew up with stories of the impossible, so we've always believed in it." She turned her back to him slightly and lifted up the back of her blouse, showing him the small silver design that was directly above her waistline. "This is my Mark, symbolizing me as one of the Chosen Ones of the Mara." She lowered her blouse and turned back to him. "I can't die, Doctor. I had made my choice that night. I knew my parents were dead, but Siwan was injured and that she would still have the choice before her. I couldn't leave her alone. Rhiannon had a husband and a child, no matter how much she would want to, she wouldn't be able to support Siwan as well as raise her family. Now, I have to watch everyone die, while I stay the same. You know how that feels, don't you?"
The Doctor nodded in response. "You have your sister." He reminded her as he joined her by the window. "Does she know that you had made your choice?"
"Yes, she figured it out when she was told that I had died that night but was resuscitated." Seren gave a snort. "That sister of mine knows everything. Well, almost everything. I say almost because she has no idea that her boss is in love with her." Seren let out a laugh as she remembered all the times she had seen the two of them together and Siwan was completely clueless to the way Adam would look at her. "She has been my rock all our lives." She looked at the alien. "You know, we're exactly one year apart, both of us were born on August 18. Me in 1982 and her in 1983. Everyone we knew would call us twins, and those that don't know us honestly would think that we were twins."
"I noticed the two of you are identical." He said. "I had actually thought you two were twins, until now."
She laughed, the light sound reverberating through the Gallery as he laughed as well.
"Where are you from?" Seren asked him after they stopped laughing.
"Oh, all over the place." The Doctor replied vaguely.
"They all speak English. Why?"
"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field gets inside your brain and translates."
"And the humming? Is that the TARDIS as well?"
"Humming?" he looked at her surprised.
"Yes, I began to hear the humming just as you were explaining about the TARDIS. To be honest, it was the first time since my parents died that I felt at peace."
His look of surprise turned to one of shock as he stared at her.
"That never happened so fast." He muttered, before speaking up. "Yes, it is the TARDIS. She can talk, but she rarely does to any of my Companions."
"So, I am special, is that it?" Seren teased him with a smile.
"Oh, there's no doubt about that." He replied, teasing her right back as she stared at him with a gob-smacked expression.
"Jerk." She muttered, hitting him slightly on the shoulder, making him laugh. "But really though, who are you, then, Doctor? What is your planet called?"
He stopped laughing and turned away slightly.
"I'm just the Doctor." he replied back defensively as she frowned at him.
"From what planet?"
"It's not as if you would know where it is!" he retorted.
"Doctor, where are you from?" Seren pressed, her frown deepening.
"What does it matter?!" the Doctor asked angrily, turning back to the window, looking out into space.
"Tell me who you are!"
"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me!" he said angrily as he remembered the past.
"Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes."
"All right." Seren said as she took a deep breath and calmed down, turning to him. "As Rose's mate Shareen says, 'don't argue with the designated driver'." She took her mobile out of her pocket and held it up as she commented ponderingly, "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal. We're out of range, just a bit."
"Tell you what," the Doctor said, taking the phone from her and pulling the back cover off, "With a little jiggery pokery…"
"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?" Seren asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?" he replied as he put a small device into the back of the mobile.
"No, I failed hullabaloo." She replied shaking her head.
"Oh. There you go." The Doctor said, putting the phone back together and handed it to her.
Seren took it gingerly and turned it on, a surprised look crossing her face when she received a signal. She dialed home and waited for someone to pick up the line, hearing it ring.
"Hello?" came the voice on the other end.
"Aunt Jackie?" Seren asked, looking at the Doctor in surprise as he watched her with amusement.
"Oh, what is it? What's wrong?" Jackie was emptying the washing machine at the flat in 2005. "Oh, this red top's falling to bits. You should get your money back. Go on, tell me, do you want to talk to Siwan? She's in her room getting dressed for her dinner tonight with Dr. Pearson."
Seren let out a delighted laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. It's nothing. Can you give the phone to Siwan, please?"
"Yeah, hold on."
"You all right, though Aunt Jackie?"
"Yeah. Oh, I tell you what, put a quid in that Lottery syndicate. I'll pay you back later."
"Yeah."
"Here's your sister."
"Hello, Seren?"
"Hey, Siwan?"
"Yeah." Seren could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm just getting dressed for the dinner tonight. You sure I should wear my black dress?"
"Yes." She replied with a smile. "You look absolutely stunning in it. He won't be able to take his eyes off you."
"You do realize that it isn't a date, right?"
"Yeah, I know." An amused smirk crossed Seren's face as she listened to her sister.
"Is everything alright with you? Is something wrong? You don't usually phone in the middle of the day."
"No, I'm fine. I'm on top of the world." Seren gave a small laugh.
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you." Seren hung up the phone and turned to the Doctor.
"Think that's amazing, wait until you see the bill." he told her, taking in the amazed and pondering look one her face.
"That was five billion years ago. So, Aunt Jackie's dead now. Five billion years later, my god-mother and my god-sister are dead and possibly my sister as well if she chooses mortality." Seren said slowly, processing her thoughts. She shook her head. "When I was told what being a Chosen One meant, how I would live while everyone else died, and my sister would have to make the same choice, they definitely forgot to mention Mad Men and their Bigger on the Inside Blue Boxes."
"Bundle of laughs, you are." The Doctor muttered sarcastically.
Before Seren could say anything back, the space station shook, causing them to stumble slightly.
"That isn't supposed to happen." the Doctor said.
"Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence. Thanking you." The Stewards' voice came from the intercom.
Hearing the reassuring words from the Steward, Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks before running out Gallery 15 and back to the Observation Gallery where the party was being held.
"Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario. I find the inherent laxity of the on-going multiverse…" Moxx was saying to the Face of Boe as the two of them entered.
"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that." The Doctor said looking at the wall panel. They turned slightly as Jabe walked over to them. "What do you think, Jabe? Listen to the engines." he cocked his head to the side. "They've pitched up about 30 Hertz. Is that strange, or what?"
"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." Jabe replied shrugging slightly, making the Doctor smile.
"Where's the engine room?" The Doctor asked her.
"I don't know." Jabe replied before adding, "But the maintenance duct is behind our guest suite. I could show you… and your wife." She gestured to the two women.
"She's not my wife." the Doctor said.
"Partner?"
"No."
"Concubine?"
"No."
"Prostitute?"
"Whatever I am, it must be invisible! Do you mind?" Seren finally snapped at Jabe. "Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. I'm going to catch up with the family. Have a quick word with Michael Jackson." She gestured to where Cassandra was.
"Don't start a fight, Seren." The Doctor warned her before offering his arm to Jabe. "I'm all yours."
Seren watched as Jabe took the offered arm and they walked out of the gallery.
"And I want you home by midnight!" Seren called out jokingly, making the Doctor look back and wave at her with a smile.
"Earth death in 15 minutes. Earth death in 15 minutes." The computer informed the guests.
Seren walked over to Cassandra who gazing out of the window.
"Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy, down there." Seren had a 'what the?' look on her face. "Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice. I'd have such fun." She trailed off with a sigh.
"What happened to everyone else? The human race, where did they go?" Seren asked her.
"They say Mankind has touched every star in the sky." Cassandra replied theatrically.
"So you're not the last human, but the last pure human." Seren pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Indeed. The others…mingled." She spoke in a disgusted tone. "Oh, they call themselves New humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even Humanish, but you know what I call them?" she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Mongrels."
"Right, and you stayed behind." Seren sneered at her.
"I kept myself pure." She sneered back in response.
"How many operations have you had?"
"708. Next week, it's 709. I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Seren. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out."
"I'd rather die." Seren replied. "If only it were possible." She thought to herself.
"Honestly, it doesn't hurt-"
"No, I mean it. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline."
"Oh, well. What do you know?" she said, rolling her eyes.
"I was born on that planet," Seren pointed out of the window to the Earth below. "So was my mum, my dad and my sisters, and that makes me officially the last human being in this room, 'cos you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened until there was nothing left. Anything human was chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking."
Seren walked away, wandering towards where the Face of Boe was by one wall with the Pharaoh and the Queen, the pregnant woman sitting on a chair with one hand on her large bump.
Seren stood by them in silence, absently noticing that the Pharaoh and the Queen seemed to be holding back their chuckles, at least from what could be seen with her veil covering the bottom half of her face.
She looked around briefly when she heard laughter echo through her mind.
"What in the world?" she breathed as her eyes fell on the Face of Boe, who was looking at her with amusement shining in his large squinting eyes. She knelt down in front of him. "Is that laughter you?"
"Star-Flower." Came the telepathic voice as the large head nodded.
"Why did you call me that?" she asked with a frown.
"Your name, my Star-Flower." Came the simple and vague response.
"But how did you know what my middle name is?" Seren asked in surprise. "This is the first time I've met you."
"That is true for you Seren," The Queen, so familiar yet a complete stranger, spoke up in an accent so similar to Seren's own Welsh one. "But for the three of us," she gestured to herself, her husband and the Face of Boe. "Well, we have honestly lost count." She winced, shifting slightly in her seat.
"Everything all right?" Seren asked her.
"Yes, false contractions."
"How far along are you?" Seren asked curiously as she cocked her head to the side, the exotic woman had to be near the end of her pregnancy if she was experiencing false contractions.
"I am due to give birth in two weeks."
"And yet, you still came?" the question was given in a tone of surprise.
"She refused to stay behind." The Pharaoh replied in a deep accented voice.
"I told you." His queen said with a roll of her large blue eyes. "I am fi-. Ow!" she looked down at her bump. "Liver shot." She turned back to Seren. "As I was saying, you may have only just met us, but we have known you for a very long time." She looked at her with large sapphire blue doe eyes framed by think black lashes, glimmering with laughter and amusement. They were so familiar, almost a mirror to her own except for the color.
"You're someone important to me, aren't you? All three of you." She looked between the two humanoid royals and the large head in the cylindrical tank. "I could feel it the moment you came in to the room."
"Still curious about everything, with a desire to learn." Was the amused telepathic response. "Yes, we are very important to you. Merneith in particular." Seren looked between the large head and the heavily pregnant queen. They looked back at her in silence.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she stated more than asked. "I have to figure it out on my own. If it was something you could have told me, you would've done it already."
"You always were quick to understand and draw you conclusions."
Seren looked around and saw that the Doctor and Jabe still weren't back.
"It was nice talking to you," Seren stood up and looked at the three of them. "But I need to find my friend. I have no idea where he's gotten to and he's my ride."
"One moment." The Queen called, getting to her feet. "I will accompany you. I need to take a walk or my legs just may go numb."
As the older female came to stand next to her, Seren noticed that they were roughly same height. The two waved at the males and turned to leave.
"Star-Flower!" They hadn't even gone two steps when Seren winced at the mental shout as she turned back to the Face of Boe. "There comes a time when you must force the Doctor to save me, will you promise me that? Will you promise to save me?"
"Of course, I promise." Seren said and frowned. "But why wouldn't the Doctor save you?"
"When you meet him again, he will be in his true form and he doesn't make the best of impressions on either of you." The Pharaoh said, walking to them.
"But you have the heart and ability to forgive and give second chances. That's what I ask for, a second chance, my Star-Flower."
Seren put her small hand on his glass. "I promise, Face of Boe as I know you, to give you a second chance."
"I'll hold you to that, Star-Flower." Seren nodded and she and the Queen turned to leave. "Until later Star-Flower, Sapphire-Bird."
The two women waved and walked out. They walked in silence for a few minutes, the Queen keeping one hand on her bump.
"Why did the Face of Boe call you Sapphire-Bird?" Seren asked, looking over at the older woman. "Is that what your name means? Merneith?"
"In a way." The Queen said with a smile. "I have had many names, but the nickname comes from the name I had when we met for the first time."
Seren nodded as they were approached by the Adherents of the Repeated Meme from the other end of the corridor.
The two women smiled at them, turning to the side to let the robed figures pass, only for them to stop and face them. Before either woman could do anything, the figure at the front pistol whipped the two women with a concealed weapon, knocking them both out. They dragged the two unconscious women down the corridor and out of sight.
Seren groaned as she heard the strains of 'Toxic' by Britney Spears echoing through her pounding head. Her groan was echoed by the Queen, as the two women slowly sat up and rubbed their pounding heads. They looked around to see that they were in Gallery 15.
"What happened?" the Queen asked softly, her hand going to her bump and letting out a breath of relief when she felt the ever-present fluttering of her baby.
"I'm not s-" Seren started only to be interrupted by a mechanical voice.
"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."
With wide eyes, they ran up the stairs to the door and began banging on it as a deadly glare began filling the room. The filter, which kept the Sun from roasting everyone on the station, began descending, sending smoke out into the corridor.
"Let us out! Let us out!" Seren screamed, banging on the door next to the Queen.
"Sun filter descending."
"Let us out!" the Queen screamed. "Let us out!"
"Anyone in there?" came the Doctor's voice from the other side of the door.
"Let us out!" Seren screamed in terror.
"Oh, well it would be you." The Doctor muttered sarcastically, just loud enough for the women to hear him.
"Open the door!" The Queen screamed at him through the door, one hand on her bump.
"Just hold on. Give us two ticks." He called through the door. "Seren, who's there with you?"
"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."
"The Queen, Merneith." Seren replied as she began bending her knees as the scorching rays reached directly above her head, the Queen following suit as much as possible due to her advanced stage of pregnancy.
"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."
They all gave sighs of relief as the filter began rising, revealing a burnt border running around the room in evidence of the filter's descent.
"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."
The two woman stood up properly, exchanging smiles as they waited for the door to be opened. The Queen winced and rubbed her stomach.
"Sun filter descending."
The filter had only rose a few inches above Seren's head when it began descending once more. The two women screamed as they crouched once again.
"Doctor, what happened?" Seren screamed through the door.
"The computer's getting clever." He yelled back loudly, changing the settings on the screwdriver and fiddling with the panel. "Just what we need."
"Stop mucking about!" she yelled in terror, banging on the door.
"I'm not mucking about. It's fighting back." The Doctor replied.
Seren and the Queen glanced behind them as the filter descended, fear and terror pouring off them in waves.
"Open the door!" The Queen screamed, her arms curled protectively around her bump as tears of terror filled her eyes at the thought of never seeing her loved ones again.
"I know!" he called desperately.
As the filter lowered, it soon became impossible for them to stay where they were as the rays began moving down the door. They scrambled down the stairs and Seren lay flat on her front, the Queen on her side, to avoid the deadly rays.
"The lock's melted!" Seren yelled as the two women grasped each other's hands for comfort, what little they could give each other.
"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."
Seren closed her eyes as the rays reached directly above their supine positions flat on the ground.
"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."
As the sun filter began rising, the two women ran up the stairs and back to the door.
"The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the doors." The Doctor told them, anticipating their questions.
"Stand back." The Queen ordered, not only to Seren but to the Doctor as well.
Seren did as ordered, confused as she watched the Queen step back and form a large ball of energy in her hands. Once the ball had become roughly the size of both her tiny hands together, she threw it at the doors, blowing them off their hinges.
"You couldn't have done that earlier?" Seren asked as she looked at the pregnant female incredulously.
"Ever since I got pregnant, it has been very unpredictable." The Queen replied as the Doctor helped her though the opening she had created. "It is fueled by my emotions."
"Oh. I get it." Seren said, nodding as the Doctor helped her through the opening as well and giving her a tight hug.
As they walked out of the burnt gallery, they heard the computer announce, "Earth death in five minutes."
"That is not helping." Seren muttered, as the Doctor gave a brief overview of what he and Jabe had discovered.
The three of them were walking beside each other, Seren and the Doctor on either side of the pregnant woman as she held their hands in support.
Seren's comment got nods of agreement from the other two. They entered the observation gallery just as Jabe was talking.
"The metal machine confirms it." She was saying, looking at her scanning device in one hand and holding a metal spider in the other. "The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."
The other guests met her announcement with mutterings.
"How's that possible?" Cassandra asked. "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me, moisturize me."
One of her attendant's pump sprayed her with moisturizer as the Doctor, an unhappy look on his face, took the metal spider from Jabe. Seren helped the Queen towards her husband, who put his arm around her and helped her sit, before they stood back near the Face of Boe, watching.
"Summon the Steward." Moxx called in his high-pitched voice.
"I'm afraid the Steward is dead." Jabe informed them.
Her news was met with several gasps and mutterings as everyone processed what they had just been told.
"Who killed him?" Moxx asked, his question breaking through the mummers.
"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe." Cassandra said. "He invited us." The large head shook in denial. "Talk to the Face! Talk to the Face!"
"There's an easy way of finding out." The Doctor said and held out the metal spider. "Someone brought the little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." He put the spider down and, as the crowd watched in silence with baited breath, it scuttled off toward Cassandra, and as all eyes turned toward her, it scanned her before changing direction, making all eyes follow its progress around the room, and headed towards the group of black-robed figures, stopping in front of them.
"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme." Cassandra gasped theatrically. "J'accuse!"
"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious," The Doctor started walking forward, towards the robed figures, "but if you stop and think about it…" he stopped in front of them and the leader of the Adherents raised its arm to hit him, only for the blow to be blocked by the Doctor. He grabbed the arm and pulled, getting a groan from the figure, revealing a robotic attachment with wires dangling out from the end of it. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea." He looked around at all of them before looking back at the Adherents and pulling on one of the dangling wires, causing all the Adherents to collapse in a pile of robes. He tossed the arm on top of the pile and turned back to the crowd, continuing his explanation. "Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo." He nudged the little spider with his booted foot. "Go home." The spider scuttled off, only to stop in front of Cassandra once again.
"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed." Cassandra said with narrowed eyes as she looked at him. The Doctor and Seren raised their eyebrows at the comment. "At arms!"
The two attendants raised their spray guns and aimed them at the Doctor.
"What are you going to do, moisturize me?" The Doctor asked in mock fear as Seren moved forward to stand next to him.
"With acid." Cassandra replied, before carrying on smugly. "Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just as pretty face."
"Sabotaging the ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?" the Doctor asked skeptically.
"You had hoped to manufacture a hostage situation." Seren said realization dawning on her face. At the confused glances she got from the Doctor and most of the guests, she elaborated. "With her as one of the victims, no one would think twice if she was the only survivor. The recognition and awareness she would have received for surviving such 'trauma' miraculously unscathed would have been remarkable."
"Precisely." Cassandra said smugly. "And the compensation would have been enormous."
"Okay. That I didn't think of." Seren muttered, though it was still heard by everyone on the room.
"Five billion years and it still comes down to money." The Doctor growled angrily.
"Do you think it's cheap looking like this?" Cassandra snapped, narrowing her eyes. "Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me." The Doctor once again had his eyebrows raised in disbelief as Cassandra continued. "Not this freaky little kid of yours." She gestured to Seren next to him.
"Arrest her, the infidel." Moxx ordered them at large.
"Oh, shut it, pixie." Cassandra snapped, making Moxx splutter in indignation. "I've still got my final option."
"Please do not tell me it has…" the Queen began, one hand on her large bump while her husband had a supporting arm around her shoulders, only to be cut off.
"Earth death in three minutes."
They all glanced up at the ceiling when they heard the computerized reminder.
"Got to do with that." Merneith finished her earlier statement with a wince as she felt a particularly hard kick from the baby.
"Yes, and here it comes." Cassandra said gleefully. "You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? 'Burn, baby, burn'."
"Then you'll burn with us." Jabe pointed out, amid the mutterings that had broken out.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Cassandra said in a false apologetic voice. "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but…" she turned smug. "I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate!"
There were a series of explosions throughout the Platform, rocking the station. Jabe held on to the arms of her male escorts as the other guests held onto each other or the walls as they felt the force of the explosions. Djet tightened his grip on Merneith as she clenched his hand in a tight grip as she felt a particularly hard false contraction. The Doctor took Seren and held her close, keeping her from stumbling from the force of the explosion.
There was a high-pitched warning alarm in the background.
"Force fields gone with the planet about to explode." Cassandra told them, explaining the alarm. "At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband." Cassandra snorted slightly before controlling herself. "Oh, shame on me."
"Safety systems failing. Safety systems failing."
"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings." Cassandra said happily as she and her attendants beamed out of the Platform, sending red alarm lights flashing through the observation gallery.
"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."
"Reset the computer." Moxx cried, his tiny arms flailing about.
"Only the Steward would know how." Jabe reminded him.
"No. We can do it by hand." The Doctor said. "There must be a system restore switch. Jabe come on." The Doctor said as him and Jabe walked towards the door. "Seren, stay here."
"Where am I going to go? Ipswich?" Seren asked sarcastically as she kept a calming hand on the Queen, the stress and rising heat not at all good for a woman who is two weeks away from giving birth.
"You lot, just chill." The Doctor told the rest, walking backwards through the door before the duo began running down the corridor.
"Heat rising."
Merneith screamed in pain and squeezed Seren and Djet's hands as a contraction, too powerful and painful to be false, rippled through her. Seren bit her lip to keep from screaming as well from the sudden pressure and Djet winced.
"Earth death in two minutes. Earth death in two minutes."
"If this scream is anything to go by," Seren said as the pregnant woman squeezed her hand. "You are definitely in labor, or at least very close to it. Either way, there is no way this baby is going to wait two weeks before making an appearance."
"She is right, my love." The Pharaoh said, looking at his wife who glared at him in response.
''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."
The Doctor and Jabe entered the Engine Room as the computer gave another warning.
"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical"
"Oh, and guess where the switch is." The Doctor said sarcastically as they came to a stop in front of the rotating razor-sharp fans.
It didn't need saying from either of them that the switch was on the other side of the fans.
"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."
The Doctor went to breaker that was attached to a wall right next to the door and pulled the lever down, slowing the fans just enough so they can run through. He came back to the fans, letting go of the lever, only for the fans to resume their previous lethal speed.
"External temperature five thousand degrees."
Jabe went to the breaker and pulled the lever down, making the Doctor look at her as the fans slowed down once more.
"You can't." he said shakily. "The heat's gonna vent through this place."
"I know." Jabe replied with a smile, her eyes bright.
"Jabe, you're made of wood."
"Then stop wasting time…Time Lord."
The Doctor smiled and turned back to the fans.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."
The large group of guests and staff in the Observation Gallery screamed as the glass began to crack.
"We're going to die!" Moxx cried out in fear as his comment was met by more screams.
"Not helping!" Seren yelled at the tiny blue alien.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Heat levels hazardous. Heat levels hazardous."
The Doctor looked at the fan, pausing for a moment before he ran through, stumbling slightly as he stopped before the second one.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Shields malfunction. Shields malfunction. Shields malfunction."
Rays of the Sun's deadly glare lanced through into the Gallery as the cries of terror from the guests in the Observation Gallery were intermingled with the fearful whimpers of the Platform's little attendants.
"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The Doctor looked at Jabe before turning back to the fan and timed his run past it.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The large group dodged and avoided as many of the rays as possible, as the cracks got larger, making the rays larger as well. The screams of terror intermingled with Merneith's screams of pain, her veil gone and revealing the beautiful face beneath filled with pain, as she sat on the ground with Seren and her husband on either side of her.
''''''''''''''''''''''
"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."
Jabe whimpered as flame erupted along her arm. She screamed, her arms shaking as she tried to hold the lever down, but failing as she stumbled backwards, letting go of the breaker, and was engulfed in flames. The fans sped up once again until they were just a blur, one more in between the Doctor and the circuit breaker. The Doctor looked back when he heard the scream, seeing Jabe entirely engulfed in flames. He turned back to the fan, stumbling slightly as the speed pushed him backwards.
"Planet explodes in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…"
As he heard the countdown, he closed his eyes, listening to the TARDIS' song.
'''''''''''''''''''''
Seren closed her eyes as the rays began to get larger as they lanced through the cracking glass. At the back of her mind, she could hear the TARDIS singing soothingly.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Four."
The Doctor made it past the last fan and ran to the breaker, resetting it.
"Raise shields!" he yelled, holding the breaker down.
"One."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
A force field enveloped the Platform just as the sun expanded and the planet began to boil before exploding outwards.
"Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair."
Seren opened her eyes as the cracks began to disappear and saw as the fractured remains of her home float by the newly repaired glass.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The Doctor walked back past the fans, now slowed down considerably, to Jabe's smoking remains. He stopped and looked at them for a moment before leaving the Engine Room and going back to the Observation Gallery. Entering the Observation Gallery, he saw the Moxx of Balhoon's transport pod smoking, as he had been fried by the glare. There were a few piles of dust around the gallery where others had been fried as well, including some of the little attendants. The only sound now was the communications of the little attendants as they saw to the guests. He glanced at Seren before going to Jabe's escorts and giving the two males the news of her demise. They held on to each other as the Doctor patted them sympathetically on the shoulders and walked towards Seren.
"You alright?" the Doctor asked her from where she was next to a very much in labor Queen who screamed loudly as a contraction rippled through her. Seren groaned as the woman squeezed her hand tightly before loosening her grip once the contraction passed.
"Yeah." Seren nodded once she had feeling back in her hand and stood up. "You?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." The Doctor growled. "I'm full of ideas. I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed." He stalked to the stand that held the alleged ostrich egg. "Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He smashed the egg on the stand, revealing a small device. He picked up the device and walked back to Seren. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He turned the dial on the back of the device.
"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces…" Came Cassandra voice seconds before was beamed back onto the Platform. "Oh!" Cassandra breathed when she saw the angry faces looking back at her.
"The last human." The Doctor said with a growl.
"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, The Human Club." Cassandra said flustered, stumbling slightly over her words.
"People have died Cassandra!" The Doctor said angrily, her comment echoed by several mummers of agreement. "You murdered them!"
"That depends on your definition of 'people', and that is enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries." Cassandra retorted back, completely unrepentant. "Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile" the skin began to tighten "and cry and flutter…"
"And creak?" the Doctor added, interrupting her.
"And what?" she asked surprised, looking at them, having not realized that she was drying out.
"Creak. You are creaking." The Doctor repeated.
"What?" Cassandra asked surprise, pausing for a moment as she began noticing the tightening of her skin. "Ah! I'm drying out!" she cried out. "Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me, moisturize me!" she called out, "Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" she asked when no one did so, her voice tightening as well in pain as her skin continued to tighten and shrink.
"You raised the temperature." The Doctor reminded her matter-of-factly.
"Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything." She pleaded as Rose walked over to them slowly.
"Help her." Seren requested softly to him, only for him to look at her with those ancient eyes.
"Everything has it's time, and everything dies." The Doctor told Seren softly as Cassandra continued to plead and moan.
"I'm too young!" was her final cry of protest as she exploded, splattering in every direction.
Before anyone could make another sound, or comment on Cassandra's actions and subsequent demise, the Queen screamed in pain. Seren and the Doctor hurried over to her, crouching next to the panting woman.
"Every time." she muttered darkly to her wincing husband. "Every time I get pregnant, the baby always comes early, or late. Never when scheduled!" she let out a breath and took a deep one in before letting it out.
"I know, my love." The male said soothingly, wisely deciding to agree with his wife rather than argue. "I know."
"How far apart are the contractions?" Seren asked them.
The two looked at each other, not knowing for certain, having been too preoccupied with what had been occurring to time the contractions. "A few minutes, perhaps."
"Do you know what you're doing?" The Doctor asked his Companion with a doubtful look on his face.
"Yes, I know what I am doing. I was there when my elder sister gave birth to David, not to mention I did my required volunteer hours at a maternity ward." Seren told him as she ran her hands over the swollen belly. "Unfortunately, we can't move you. It's too late for that. You're giving birth to your baby right now."
The Doctor looked around for something that could be used to provide some privacy but couldn't find anything.
"Okay, you lot. Listen up." He called out loudly, making everyone except Seren, the Pharaoh and the Queen look at him. "We need to give them some privacy, so if everyone could make their way out of the Gallery, that would be good. Thank you."
The guests did as he requested, understanding the need for some privacy during such a time, especially as the woman in question was a Queen.
"Doctor, can you get hot water?" Seren asked the alien turning to him briefly and receiving a nod in response. "Lots of hot water."
As he left to find water, Seren grabbed her purse and began rummaging through it, pulling out a pair of scissors, some clothes pins, and a large swab of uncut cloth, always being the kind of person who carries a wide range of items that never made sense until they came in handy. By then, the Pharaoh had gotten his wife to lay on her back, kneeling back against him as he squatted behind her and supported her with his entire body and holding her arms. Seren lifted the woman's gown, removed her heels and knelt in between her legs.
"Okay, you're almost fully dilated," Seren told her, "and it won't be long."
The Queen squeezed her husbands' hands as several contractions ripped through her over the course of the next few minutes. With each one, she screamed loudly, and as the last one ripped through her, the Doctor ran inside carrying a large bucket of hot water, followed by several attendants carrying buckets of hot and cold water, as well as an empty one that could be used to mix them. With a nod of thanks to the attendants, he began sterilizing the scissors and the clips.
"Okay Merneith, when the next contraction hits, I need you to push." Seren told the panting and exhausted woman.
She nodded and breathed in and out a few times before tensing as another contraction stared.
"Push!" Seren ordered.
She pushed with all her strength as the contraction ripped through her and passed. She leaned back against her husband as they waited for the next one, which came only seconds after first.
"Push!"
The Queen pushed and then waited.
"Shuttles Four and Six departing."
A few seconds later, "Push!" and Merneith pushed. This repeated for several minutes until Seren finally announced excitedly, "I see the head. Push!" Merneith took a deep breath and pushed with what little strength she had. "Alright, one last push should do it." Seren said. "Wait for it…" she waited a few seconds, "okay, PUSH!"
The Queen pushed for the last time as the baby came out, Seren supporting the tiny being as the Doctor put the clothes pins on the umbilical cord before keeping out the large cloth for the baby to be wrapped in on the side where it can easily be reached.
"It's a boy." Seren announced happily as Merneith smiled weakly and Djet let out a tear-filled laugh.
The Doctor switched places with Djet, so the father could cut the cord. With slightly trembling hands, Djet cut the cord and wrapped the baby in the cloth.
"Okay, Merneith, I need you to push one last time for the afterbirth." Seren told her, before they could get caught up in the excitement of the new baby. She nodded, and squeezing the Doctors' hands, she waited for a nod from Seren before pushing one last time.
Getting everything cleaned up with the help of the attendants, the Doctor came back to Seren as she sterilized the scissors and the pins they had used.
"Do you know what you are going to name him?" Seren asked the new parents.
"We have some ideas, but we're going to wait until we reach home." Djet told them with a smile, as he helped Merneith stand up with her arms around the baby. "This is something we must share with our family."
They nodded in acceptance as the Doctor slowly walked royal Egyptian couple out of the gallery with the new baby swaddled in Merneith's arms. They turned around the corner and headed for the shuttle bay.
When he returned several minutes later, he found Seren looking out of the window, looking at the asteroids that were once her home, now floating past the Platform and the red giant Sun.
"The end of the Earth." Seren said softly as the Doctor came to a stop beside. "It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves, no one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just…"
"Come with me." The Doctor said softly, holding his large hand out to the smaller woman.
She looked at him for a moment before taking his large hand with her much smaller one. They went back to the TARDIS and dematerialized, and when they landed a few seconds later, Seren went out to see that they were in the Downtown London. The Doctor following behind her, closing the door as he stepped out.
Seren took in the sounds of a baby crying, a man laughing as the three of them stand in the middle of a crowd teeming with people going about their lives.
"Big Issue! Big Issue!" came the call of a newspaper vendor.
Seren had tears in her eyes as she took in the hustle and bustle she once took for granted.
"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't." the Doctor said gently, as he looked at his Companion. "One day it's all gone." He looked up, "Even the sky. My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time."
"What happened?" Seren asked him softly, noticing the pain in his voice and in his eyes. A pain she knew very well.
"There was a war. And we lost." He replied.
"A war with who?" Seren asked. When he didn't answer, she asked, "What about your people?"
The young brunette looked up at him.
"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords." The Doctor said to her. "They're all gone. I'm the only survivor of my race. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."
"There's me." Seren said softly.
He looked at her and smiled slightly. She smiled back.
"You've seen how dangerous it is." The Doctor said. "Do you want to go home?"
"I don't know. I want…" Seren trailed off and sniffed delicately at the air. "Oh, can you smell chips?"
He sniffed and smiled.
"Yeah. Yeah." The Doctor nodded with a laugh.
"I want chips." Seren breathed.
"Me, too." The Doctor said with a smile as he looked at the beautiful woman.
"Right then," Seren said. "Before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay." She told them.
"No money." The Doctor said, shrugging his shoulders.
"What sort of date are you?" Seren asked mockingly. "Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close."
The two of them walked off towards a chip shop, laughing lightly as Seren looped her arm through his arm.
Notes
Djet's outfit (Akhmenra's outfit from Night in the Museum) - .ca/pin/313774299015987352/
Djet's eye liner - .ca/pin/54746951697414580/
Merneith's dress - .ca/pin/474566879477180305/
Merneith's veil - .ca/pin/474566879469152896/
Merneith's sandals - .ca/pin/299982025149850107/
Merneith's crown - .ca/pin/478789004110154744/
Merneith's make-up - .ca/pin/26036504075375154/
Seren's Mark - .ca/pin/474566879470503082/