The Long Game
The TARDIS materialized in a secluded corner with her typical wheezing noise and the Doctor and Seren stepped outside on to the platform. Seren gently closed the door behind her.
Seren was dressed in a light purple halter-neck backless bandana top with white slim-fit jeans and light purple 5" high heeled peep-toe ankle-strapped sandals with a pair of gold hoop earrings in her ears and a gold charm bracelet on her right wrist, a tan colored handbag hanging off her left elbow*. Her long curls were held back with a Dutch infinity braid headband* and falling down to her hips in large loose curls. The Doctor was dressed in his typical outfit, this time a dark green jumper beneath his leather jacket.
"So, it's 200 000, and it's a spaceship." The Doctor said to Seren as she listened closely. "No, wait a minute, space station, and er," he glanced around before pointing in a certain direction. "Go and try that gate over there. Off you go."
Seren nodded in understanding and turned back to the TARDIS, her hand on the door.
"Hold on, why am I doing this?" She asked, just before opening the door.
"It's your turn to do the talking." He replied smiling as he leaned against the TARDIS.
"Okay." Seren said with a slight giggle as she opened the door to let their remaining passenger out. "Adam? Come on out."
Adam stepped out dressed in a brown t-shirt under a white spring jacket, blue jeans and trainers. His jaw dropped as he took in the sight of the Observation Deck they were standing on.
"Oh my God." He breathed, utterly gob-smacked.
"You get used to it after a while." Seren reassured him, taking in his speechless expression.
"Where are we?" Adam asked faintly, looking around in wonder and amazement.
"Good question." Seren said as she glanced at the Doctor, who gave her an encouraging nod. "Let's see." She looked around, a pondering expression on her face. "Judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year 200,000." Adam nodded faintly and mumbled his understanding, still boggled by the magnitude of the little he had seen. "And if you listen," she paused for a moment to listen. "Engines." She looked back at him. "We're on some sort of space station." She paused for a moment. "Yeah, definitely a space station." She continued, nodding. "It's a bit warm in here. They could turn the heating down." She fanned her face at the heat before pointing to the gate that the Doctor had pointed out to her. "Tell you what – let's try that gate. Come on!"
Seren ran over to the metal gate and opened it, the Doctor half a step behind her and Adam following a few seconds later. Seren led the two through the gate and up the steps behind it to the massive viewing window that was behind it.
"Here we go!" she said with cheerful excitement as her and the Doctor stood beside each other with Adam just behind them. "And this is…" she trailed off as she took in the magnificent sight before her, unable to find the words to describe it. "I'll let the Doctor describe it."
"The Fourth great and bountiful Human Empire. And there it is, planet Earth at its height." The Doctor said proudly, crossing his arms over his chest as they looked down at the planet below. The Earth, Seren's home and likely were Siwan currently was, if she had Chosen the path of immortality like Seren had done. "Covered with mega-cities, five moons, population 96 billion. The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the middle."
Adam, who had been nodding along with the Doctor's explanation, fainted with a sigh, collapsing in a heap behind them.
"Can we ditch him?' the Doctor asked, not even glancing at the boy.
"No, Doctor." Seren said, rolling her eyes at the ancient man beside her.
She gave one last glance out of the viewing window and turned to look at Adam. She crouched beside him and checked his pulse, finding it strong. She gently tapped his face, rousing him from his unconscious state.
He came to with a groan, sitting up and holding his head.
"Ugh, my head." He groaned. What happened?"
"You fainted." The Doctor replied, turning around and looked at him, a very unimpressed look on his face.
"Come on." Seren said, rising from her crouch and holding a hand out to Adam, helping him up with strength that belied her tiny frame.
They returned to the Observation Deck and the Doctor put an arm around each Companion as they walked.
"Come on, Adam. Open your mind." The Doctor said as they waked passed the alcove they parked the TARDIS in. "You're going to like this - fantastic period of history. The human race at its most intelligent - culture, art, politics. This era has got fine food, good manners…"
"Out of the way!" a man yelled rudely, interrupting the Doctor as the trio stopped short and stared as a bell rang the deck began bustling with activity where only a few moments earlier had been completely devoid of life.
"Spoke to soon, Doctor." Seren commented with a smirk at the ancient man as they watched as people suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and opened up food vending stations, serving customers that began lining up at their counters. The Doctor looked completely taken aback.
"Thank you very much indeed." A chef said to one of his customers. "Somebody there?"
"That's great. What do you want, love?" another said to a customer. "All right, keep it moving."
"One at a time." Another warned his queued customers. "What now, what was it? Kronkburger with cheese, kronkburger with pajatos." The vendor turned and got the order ready, turning back to his customer. "Do you want a drink?" he called further down the queue to a customer that was pushing and fighting with another person. "Oi, you, mate. Stop pushing! Get back. I said, back."
"Fine cuisine?" Seren asked, wrinkling her button nose slightly at the scent of the food. It reminded her of the fast food restaurants that she used to frequent when working late.
"My watch must be wrong." The Doctor said with a frown, looking at his watch. "No, it's fine." He looked back at the hustle and bustle that surrounded them. "It's weird."
"That's what you get from showing off." Seren told him with a smile. "Your history isn't as good as you thought it was."
"My history's perfect." He whined defensively.
"Clearly not." Seren muttered with a smirk.
"They're all human." Adam said slowly, walking forwards slightly as he looked around at the people. "What about the millions of planets, the millions of species? Where are they?"
"Good question." The Doctor muttered, nodding before looking at Adam. "Actually, that is a good question." He put a jovial arm around Adam as he spoke, squeezing the boy's shoulder. "Adam, me old mate, you must be starving."
"No, I'm just a bit time sick." Adam stuttered, slightly taken aback by the sudden shift in attitude.
"No, you just need a bit of grub." The Doctor said and went to the nearest vendor and asked, "Oi, mate - how much is a kronkburger?"
"Two credits twenty, sweetheart. Now join the queue." He replied, gesturing to the queue as the Doctor nodded.
"Money. We need money. Let's use a cashpoint." The Time Lord said.
"We always need money." Seren said, rolling her eyes as the Doctor led them to a Credit Five cashpoint. "You should consider getting a job."
"A job?" the Doctor repeated with a horrified expression. "Never." He turned to the cashpoint and began using his sonic screwdriver on it. A few seconds later, it produced a cash card that looked like a metal strip. "Here you go, pocket money." He handed the card to Adam, who took with amazement. "Don't spend it all on sweets."
He turned and began walking away as Adam turned the cash card over in his hand, examining it.
"How does it work?" Adam asked to the Doctor's retreating back.
"Go and find out. Stop nagging me." The Doctor replied with an exasperated sigh. "The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in - eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers… Or is that just me?" Seren laughed as the Doctor spoke. "Stop asking questions, go and do it!"
Adam nodded and walked away, blending into the crowd.
"What are you doing?" Seren asked the Time Lord as soon as Adam was out of hearing range, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at him.
"You brought him, you babysit him." He replied, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding the question.
"That wasn't what I asked." Seren said, looking up at him.
To the Time Lord, it was as if she was gazing right into his soul and he looked away, unable to look into her expressive orbs.
"Look, I wasn't the one who wanted him to come along. You did." The Doctor said defensively, looking back at her a few seconds later.
"I was trying to make up for being rude to him." Seren explained in frustration. "And why are you being so – so rude to him?"
"I don't know what you mean." The Doctor replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"The way you talk to him!" Seren exclaimed. "You keep bashing on him whenever he's not around." He opened his mouth to retort and she held up a perfectly manicured finger. "And don't say it's like who you talk to Mickey. The way you treat Adam is vastly different and you know it."
"I do not treat him any differently. If he wanted to see the stars, he should have joined NASA." The Doctor muttered.
"That! That's what I'm talking about!" Seren exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "You're acting like a jealous child or something." She shook her head. "You know what? Forget it." She threw her hands up in exasperation, turning away from him. "I'll go babysit while you investigate."
Before he could say anything, she stalked off, blending into the crowd within seconds. The Doctor sighed and turned away as well, putting his hands in his pockets. As he walked away, he wondered if he really was behaving like a jealous child. He shook his head, not wanting to pursue that line of thought, knowing it would only lead to dangerous waters – to the feelings he was trying not to think about.
Seren muttered to herself as she searched for Adam in the crowd.
"All staff are reminded that the canteen area now operates a self-cleaning table system. Thank you!"
She caught sight of Adam sitting at one of the tables, surrounded by other people. They were all eating at a slightly rapid pace while Adam unobtrusively observed them. She headed towards him, coming to a stop next to the table.
"Adam, can you pass me the credit stick, please?" she asked, holding her hand out to him. He nodded and handed it to her, still looking slightly amazed.
Seren smiled gently at him, her irritation fading. She went to a vendor and purchased a drink before returning to Adam.
"Try this." She said, holding the cup out to him. He looked at it before looking up at her with a questioning look on his face. "It's called 'Zaphic'. It's nice, almost like a Slush Puppy."
"What flavor?" he asked, now looking curiously.
"Good question." Seren said, taking a sip as she sat down across from him. She had to hold back her reflexive gag at the taste as she looked at him. "Kind of like beef, I think."
"Oh, my God." Adam moaned. Seren laughed lightly as he shook his head. "It's like everything's gone." Seren's smile faded as she listened to his realization. "Home. Family. Everything."
Seren looked at him in concern, taking her mobile out from her purse and looking at it for a moment before showing it to Adam.
"This helps with the homesickness." She said softly, understandingly. "The Doctor gave it a top-up. Who's at home? Your parents?"
"Yeah." Adam replied slowly, nodding his head.
"Here." She said, handing him the mobile. "Phone them, talk to them."
As he took the mobile, Seren got a bad feeling but pushed it aside, knowing how difficult the transition between the simple and ordinary life on Earth and the extraordinary life on the TARDIS can be.
"But that's 198 000 years ago." Adam protested, looking at the mobile and then back at the beautiful woman sitting across from him.
"Honestly, just try it. You'll be surprised."
"Is there a code for Planet Earth?"
"Just dial!" Seren said exasperated.
He rolled his eyes and dialed, not expecting anything to happen as he put the mobile to his ear. As it rang, he looked at her with wide eyes and she smiled encouragingly at him.
There was no answer, and they got the answering machine.
"I'm sorry we're not in."
"It's on!" Adam exclaimed, looking at her in amazement.
"Please leave a message. Thanks. Bye."
When the tone sounded, Adam looked at her nervously, not sure what to say. Seren nodded at him encouragingly.
"Hi. It's . . . it's me. I've sort of gone . . . travelling. I met these people . . . and we've gone travelling together. But, um . . . I'm fine . . . and I'll call you later. Love you. Bye." He hung up the phone and looked at her in glee. "That's just -"
Before Adam could finish his sentence, an alarm sounded. They watched in surprised confusion as everyone around them immediately began packing up their belongings and leaving the canteen area. The vendors also began closing up their stalls.
The Doctor turned around and looked at them, pausing his conversation with Cathica and Suki.
"Oi! Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" he called, beaming at them.
Seren stood up and grabbed her purse, joining him while Adam pocketed her mobile and joined them at a slightly more sedate pace.
The Doctor introduced Seren and Adam to his new friends and the pair led the time-traveling trio to a nearby Newsroom.
The room was almost sterile with the spars décor and white coloring. Suki took a seat in an open space at an octagonal desk around a central chair with wires attached to it, with six other people sitting around the desk as well. Each space had a pair of palm-prints.
The Doctor, Seren and Adam stood to the side behind a railing, the two Companions on either side of the Time Lord. They watched as Cathica walked forward slightly.
"Now, everybody behave. We have a management inspection." She said, before turning to the Doctor and asking, "How do you want it, by the book?"
"Right from scratch, thanks." The Doctor replied with a nod and she turned to her colleagues. The Doctor and Seren smirked at each other, taking note of the woman's eager desire to impress them.
"Okay." She said. "So, ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot, - my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni." She turned to her observers. "That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me, and please do." The Doctor nodded as the woman continued, "Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and beyond bias. That's company policy."
"Actually, it's the law." Suki pointed out with a gentle smile on her expressive face.
"Yes, thank you, Suki." Cathica snapped at the woman, wiping the smile off her face. "Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests. Here we go." She settled into the central chair. "And…engage safety." Her seven colleagues held their palms out over the palm-prints in front of them. Lights began coming on around the room, the four time travellers looking around briefly before turning back to Cathica as she snapped her fingers. A portal opened in her forehead and the seven put their hands into the palm-prints one after another. "And three, two, and spike."
A beam of light shone directly into her portal. Seren and Adam stared at Cathica, Seren with slightly disgusted horror on her face as Adam leaned in for a closer look. The boy had an amazed look on his face, naturally having never seen anything of the sort.
"Compressed information, streaming into her." The Doctor explained to the two Companions. "Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head. She becomes part of the software. Her brain is the computer."
"How does her mind not explode from all the information?" Seren asked, worried for the woman.
Her brain's the processor." The Doctor replied, moving to walk around the octagonal platform. "As soon as it closes…"
"She forgets." Seren finished the sentence, nodding in understanding as she followed the Doctor around the platform. "And all these people around the platform edge?" She stopped between two of the employees and crouched between them. She didn't receive any form of acknowledgement from the people she was looking at.
""They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her and they transmit 600 channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place." The Doctor explained, completing his circuit around the room and leaning back against the railing.
"Talk about having power." Seren muttered as she stood beside her friend, glancing up at Adam who looked peaky and overwhelmed. "Are you okay?"
"I can see her brain." He replied faintly, his gaze trained firmly on the woman in the middle of the room.
"Do you want to get out?" she asked, turning around to look at him properly.
"No. No," Adam replied, shaking his head and leaning his hands on the railing. "This technology's amazing."
"This technology's wrong." The Doctor refuted.
"Trouble?" Seren asked, looking at him.
"Oh, yeah." The Doctor replied with a wide smile, looking down at his beautiful and feisty Companion.
Seren grinned excitedly while Adam looked between them in confusion.
There was a slight shuddering sound and Suki twitched slightly. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled her hands away from the pads as if she had received an electric shock. The other six slowly lifted their hands from their pads and the information beam shut down. Cathica's portal closed and she blinked a few times as if to adjust.
"Come off it, Suki. I wasn't even halfway." Cathica said in annoyance as she sat up slightly and looked at the shorter woman. "What was that for?"
"Sorry." She replied weakly, rubbing her palm slightly. "It must've been a glitch."
"Oh." Cathica sighed and got off the chair.
"Promotion!" a loudspeaker announced.
Everyone in the room turned towards a projection that lit up one wall, with the word lighting up as well.
"Come on! This is it. Come on! Oh God, make it me. Come on, say my name," Cathica prayed, as the three time travelers glanced at her in mild concern. "Say my name, say my name…"
"Promotion for… Suki Macrae Cantrell." Suki's jaw dropped as Cathica's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Please proceed to Floor 500."
"I don't believe it!" Suki breathed as she stood up slowly and stared at the projection that had her name written in large letters. "Floor 500!"
"How the hell did you manage that?" Cathica demanded. "I'm above you!"
"I just applied on the off chance. And they've said yes!" she squealed excitedly.
"That's not fair." Cathica frowned petulantly as she crossed her arms. "I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years."
"What's Floor 500?" Seren asked the Doctor quietly as Adam leaned over slightly to hear the response as well.
"The walls are made of gold." He replied absently, watching the reactions of the Journalists with a slight frown on his face.
Seren frowned at the answer, it sounded like complete nonsense. And coming from a woman who was a Chosen One of the Mara and grew up in Cardiff, on top of the Rift in Time and Space that ran through it, that was saying something.
Suki and Cathica left the Newsroom, followed by the Doctor, Seren and Adam. After a quick stop at Suki's quarters for the newly promoted Journalist to pack her bags, they made their way to the lift that would take her up to her new floor.
"Cathica, I'm going to miss you!" Suki said as she hugged Cathica tightly before letting go and turning to the Doctor. "Floor 500! Thank you."
"I didn't do anything." The Doctor told her, shrugging slightly, his hands in his pockets.
"Well, you're my lucky charm." She told them with a sweet smile and excited laugh.
"All right. I'll hug anyone." The Doctor said cheerfully as Suki hugged him tightly, returning the hug with equal fervor. Cathica stubbornly refused to look at Suki, still upset at not receiving the promotion she was so eagerly hoping for.
Seren noticed Adam sitting to the side and leaning against a pillar, a short way away and looking slightly sick.
"Come on. It's not that bad." Seren said walking over to him and drawing his attention to her.
"What, with the . . . the head thing?" Adam asked as he circled his finger around the middle of his forehead.
"Well, she's closed it now." Seren reminded him.
While Adam wasn't used to seeing a person's brain, as well as being new to time travelling, Seren used to work at a hospital while she was in high school. She also was a trained First Responder, so she had dealt with her fair share of unpleasantness when it came to the body; everything from vomit to actual guts and entrails she's dealt with, so seeing a person's brain through a portal in their forehead wasn't too shocking – though seeing the portal itself was a surprise.
"Yeah, but... It's everything." Adam told her quietly as he admitted what he was feeling. "It freaks me out. And I just need to…. If I could just…" he struggled to find the words to express himself. "…cool down. Sort of acclimatise." Seren crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow at him. "Maybe… I could just go and sit on the observation deck. Would that be all right? Soak it in, you know. Pretend I'm a citizen of the year 200 000."
"Maybe I should come with you." Seren said softly, a slight frown on her face. She was starting to get a bad feeling again, and she wanted to keep an eye on the boy – after all, she was the one tasked with babysitting him.
"No, no, you stick with the Doctor." Adam replied. "You'd rather be with him. It's going to take a better man than me to get between you two. Anyway, I'll be on the deck."
Seren nodded in response, not sure how to reply to his clear admission of the crush he had on her. The crush she hadn't even realized he had.
"If it gets too much, just wait by the TARDIS, okay?" She told him as he stood up.
He nodded and walked away, Seren watching him disappear into the crowd. She crossed her arms over her chest, squeezing herself slightly as she tried to shake off the strange feeling she felt when Adam basically admitted to his crush on her. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about him that was beginning to put him on edge.
"All staff are reminded that the 1640 break session has been shortened by 10 minutes. Thank you."
The announcement jarred Seren from her thoughts and she began making her way back to the Doctor, Suki and Cathica.
"Oh, my God, I've got to go!" Suki exclaimed, grabbing her bag as Seren rejoined them.
The Doctor glanced at her briefly before turning his gaze on Suki, he and Seren watching in amusement while Cathica looked on with a bitter expression marring her exotic features.
"I can't keep them waiting." She got into the lift and turned to face them. "I'm sorry. Say goodbye to Steve for me. Bye!"
The lift door closed and they watched the Floor Indicator above the lift show its slow ascent to Floor 500.
"Good riddance!" Cathica muttered with her arms crossed, making the two time travelers turn to her in surprise.
"You're talking like you'll never see her again." The Doctor said. "She's only going upstairs."
"We won't." Cathica told them, looking at the lift. "Once you go to Floor 500, you never come back."
The Doctor and Seren looked back at the lift, identical frowns on their faces.
"Have you ever been up there?" The Doctor asked as they began making their way back through the canteen. Seren had her arm looped through the Doctor's with Cathica on his other side.
"I can't." She replied bitterly. "You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No one gets to 500 except for the chosen few."
The two time travelers followed Cathica back to the Newsroom, the Doctor peppering her with questions about the Satellite and the company.
"Look, they only give us 20 minutes maintenance." Cathica said, grabbing a clipboard as they entered the room. "Can't you give it a rest?"
"But you've never been to another floor? Not even one floor down?" the Doctor probed, sitting on the broadcast chair and making himself comfortable as Seren leaned against the back of it.
"I went to Floor 16 when I first arrived. That's medical. That's where I got my head done, and then I came straight here." She replied, kneeling next to the seat Suki had been at. "Satellite Five, you work, eat and sleep on the same floor." She made a few notes on her clipboard as she continued, "That's it, that's all." She shrugged slightly and turned to look up at them, slowly standing up. "You're not Management, are you?"
"At last! She's clever!" the Doctor exclaimed sarcastically as Seren stifled her own giggle and smirked at the tall exotic woman.
"Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything." She said firmly after a short pause, and going back to making notes on her clipboard as she looked at each seat and palm-print.
"Don't you even ask?" Seren asked, as they watched her work.
"Well, why would I?" Cathica asked in response, shrugging as she continued with her work.
"Because you're a journalist!" Seren replied slowly, making Cathica look at them.
"Why's all the crew human?" the Doctor asked.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Cathica asked.
"There's no aliens on board." He said. "Why?"
"I don't know. No real reason. They're not banned or anything."
The Doctor looked around the room theatrically as Seren narrowed her large eyes at Cathica, watching her closely.
"Then where are they?" the Doctor asked, turning to Cathica.
"I suppose immigration's tightened up." She replied slightly stumped, before adding defensively, "It's had to, what with all the threats."
"What threats?" Seren probed curiously.
"I don't know – all of them. Usual stuff." Cathica said with a slight shrug. "And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away..." she looked lost as she continued giving reasons, the two visitors watching her intently. "Oh, and the government on Chavic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see." She paused for a moment before returning to her clipboard and maintenance. "Just… lots of little reasons, that's all."
"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice." The Doctor said, making the woman turn to them.
"Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything."
"We can see better. This society's the wrong shape, even the technology." The Doctor told her.
"It's cutting edge!" Cathica ground out defensively, gritting her teeth.
"It's backwards. There's a great big door in your head!" the Doctor pointed out. "You should've chucked this out years ago."
"So what do you think is going on?" Seren asked the Time Lord, making him turn to her as she expertly prevented him from pissing off their tour guide.
"It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude. It's the way the people think." The Doctor replied with a frown. "The Great and Bountiful Human Empire has been stunted. Something's holding it back."
"And how would you know?" Cathica asked with narrowed eyes, making the two look at her.
"Trust me, humanity's been set back about ninety years - when did Satellite Five start broadcasting?" the Doctor asked her.
"91 years ago." She replied as the Doctor nodded.
Cathica looked away, a thoughtful look on her face as she unintentionally began to think about everything she had learned.
"Right, then." He said cheerfully, as he got up from the chair. "Off we go!"
"Go? Go where? Where are you going?" Cathica asked, firing of a series of questions as the two turned to leave the room.
"Find out what's going on." The Doctor replied, glancing back at the Journalist as they walked out of the Newsroom.
Cathica followed them a few minutes later, grumbling under her breath.
"Is there a mainframe?" The Doctor asked her once she caught up with them.
"Yeah. It's down this corridor and to the left, in an alcove." Cathica replied, pointing down the corridor that was bustling with activity. "Behind a pair of double doors. Why?"
"Great. Let's go." The Doctor said cheerfully, ignoring the question, as he led the two women to the double doors Cathica was pointing to.
He took out his screwdriver and began scanning the double doors.
"We are so gonna get in trouble!" Cathica moaned. She looked around in worry before turning back to whisper. "You're not allowed to touch the mainframe. You're going to get told off."
"Seren, tell her to button it." The Doctor ordered, not looking away from his task.
"You can't just vandalise the place." Cathica hissed. "Someone's going to notice!"
The Doctor pulled the doors open and looked at the wiring. He began poking and prodding at the nest of wires, making some of them let out sparks as he had fun. Cathica looked at them, wringing her hands in worry.
"This is nothing to do with me. I'm going back to work." She said finally, turning and beginning to walk away.
"Go on then. See you!" The Doctor called to her, not looking away from the wires.
"I can't just leave you, can I!" she exclaimed, turning back to them.
"If you want to be useful, get them to turn down the heating. It's boiling." Seren said in irritation, fanning herself and picking up a bundle of wires that were hanging out of the cupboard. She turned to the journalist and asked, "What's wrong with this place? Can't they do something about it?"
"I don't know. We keep asking - something to do with the turbine." Cathica replied, waving her hand dismissively.
"Something to do with the turbine." The Doctor repeated mockingly.
"Well, I don't know!" Cathica exclaimed irritated, glaring at the Time Lord's back.
"Exactly!" the Doctor exclaimed, turning around and looking at Cathica. "I give up on you, Cathica. Look at Seren." He gestured to the Welshwoman behind him. "She's asking all the right kind of questions."
"Thank you." Seren said with a smile.
"Why is it so hot?" The Doctor asked.
"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!" Cathica exclaimed, raising her hands in frustration.
"Never underestimate the plumbing." The Doctor said as he pulled at a mass of wires. "Plumbing is very important." The bundle in his hands snapped. "Oops."
Seren groaned, face-palming as Cathica looked away, exasperated.
"Okay, move over." Seren said to the Doctor, her hands on his waist as she gently pushed him away. "Leave the hacking to me."
"How do you know how to hack?" the Doctor asked her curiously, completely sidetracked.
"I spent a semester studying Computer Engineering as an elective in high school." Seren replied, tying her long hair into a knot at the base of her neck to keep it out of her way. She stepped up to the wires and began putting them back together as she spoke. "In the process, I learned how to hack. It helped that my professor was a University student who moonlighted as a hacker." She connected the mess of wires to a moniter, entering a series of codes into the device. She stepped back once she managed to successfully hack the mainframe. "Here you are. Connected to the mainframe, and made entirely one way so we can't be booted out before you find what you're looking for."
"Thank you." The Doctor said, taking his previous position and began pulling up the Satellite schematics. "Here we go." He showed Cathica the schematics. "Satellite Five - pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout."
He stepped off the cupboard ledge and held the monitor out for Cathica to see.
"This is ridiculous. You have access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange…" Cathica said as she looked at the screen and turned back to them in confusion. "And you're looking at pipes?"
"But there's something wrong." The Doctor said leadingly.
"I suppose." Cathica said slowly, turning back to the screen.
"The ventilation system." Seren muttered with a frown, looking at the screen as well, "Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out - channeling massive amounts of heat down."
"All the way from the top." The Doctor said.
"Floor 500." Seren breathed, looking up at the ceiling. "Something up there is generating massive amounts of heat." She looked between the Doctor and Cathica. "I don't know about the two of you, but it feels like we're missing out on a party." She looked up at the Doctor, a smirk on her face. "Fancy a trip?"
"You can't. You need a key." Cathica stammered, looking between the two crazy people.
"Oh, keys are just codes. And I have the codes right here." Seren said, turning her smirk onto the exotic woman as she took the screen from the Journalist and began entering another series of codes. She worked for a few seconds in silence before speaking again. "Here we are – override 215.9."
"How come it's given you the code?" Cathica asked, looking at them in dismay.
The Doctor looked up at the security camera as he said, "Someone up there likes us."
Seren began hooking the wires back in their previous places, erasing any evidence of their little hacking adventure. She closed the cupboard doors and the Doctor stepped up and sonicked it locked once more.
"Okay, let's go join the party." Seren said, opening the knot in her hair and letting the locks tumble down freely once more, held back by her braided headband.
They went to the lift that was nearby, Cathica reluctantly followed them, grumbling under her breath once more.
"Come with us." Seren said to Cathica, seeing her stop outside the lift as the two time travelers entered.
"No way!" Cathica replied adamantly, shaking her head.
"Bye!" the Doctor said cheerfully.
"Well, don't mention my name. When you get in trouble, just don't involve me." Cathica stalked off.
Seren and the Doctor exchanged looks.
"That's her gone." he commented as they watched her go. "Adam's given up. Looks like it's just you and me."
"Yup." Seren chirped with a wide smile, popping the 'p'.
"Good." The Doctor said, taking her tiny hand in his larger one and squeezing gently.
"Yup." She repeated as the Doctor inserted the access card into the controls and the doors closed.
The lift took them up to Floor 500, the ride spent in silence. Seren adjusted the strap on her purse, making it long enough to cross over her chest so it would stay out of her way. When the lift door opened on the correct floor, the Doctor stepped out first with Seren directly behind him.
"The walls are not made of gold." The Doctor said quietly, looking around at the wall and the ice that covered them. He turned to Seren and said, "You should go back downstairs."
"Something you should know about me Doctor," Seren said, stepping up next to him and looking up into his expressive blue eyes with her own amethyst ones. "I never listen when I'm told to turn back."
Seren turned and began walking further away from the lift. The Doctor watched her retreating back for a moment before following her, knowing that she wouldn't turn back now.
They walked around the floor, taking in the ice that covered every surface and the utter stillness of their surroundings, until they reached a small flight of stairs that led to an upper level. The Doctor climbed up first and Seren followed behind, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs and absorbing the scene in front of them.
There was a man with pale white hair and skin, paler than Seren's own snow-white skin, wearing a smart suit and watching the large screens that were mounted on the walls. Directly beneath the large monitors was a line of people seated at a long table with smaller screens in front of them. What startled Seren was the people's unblinking gaze ad the frost that covered their skin.
"I started without you." The man in the suit said, drawing the Doctor and Seren's attention to him. He chuckled lightly. "This is fascinating!" he turned back to the screens as they walked forwards slightly. "Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire… birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements - but you two, you don't exist." He laughed at his own words. "Not a trace. No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss. How can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"
"Oh Duw, Suki." Seren breathed out, spotting the sweet girl from before at the end of the table. She walked over to the girl and squatted down next to her, putting a hand to her neck and feeling for a pulse. Suki's skin was ice cold and there was no pulse. Seren straightened up from her crouch and glared at the pale man. "How is she still working if she's dead?"
"They've all got chips in their head, and the chips keep going. Like puppets." The Doctor replied instead of the pale man.
Oh! You're full of information!" the pale man said in slight amusement. "But it's only fair we get some information back, because apparently, you're no one. It's so rare not to know something." He chuckled as the pair nodded. "Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter, because we're off." The Doctor replied. "Nice to meet you. Come on Seren."
Seren nodded and began walking towards him. Suki reached out and grabbed her arm as two zombies grabbed the Doctor's arms, holding him in place. Seren whirled around and brought her free hand down on Suki's wrist in a chop, causing the recently turned zombie to loosen her grip just enough for the Welshwoman to slip her arm out of the dead woman's hold.
"Ooh, this one's got spirit, and she's feisty." The pale man chuckled, his eyes roaming the Welshwoman's toned and curved figure as he snapped his fingers.
Two more zombies stepped up and made to grab Seren, but she ducked under their arms and moved out of their reach, causing them to stumble into each other and land in a heap on the floor. Another one came up behind her while three more came up in front of her. The one behind her grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides as she struggled against the hold. She took a breath, calming herself and head butted the one holding her, causing him to let her go and stumble backwards. The three in front of her advanced on her, reaching out to grab her. She made a move to attack her oncoming opponents when the pale man spoke up.
"If you want your friend to live, I suggest you stop fighting."
Seren froze, her gaze drawn to the Doctor and the pale man. The pale man had a hand on the Doctor's throat, dangerously close to the Time Lord's pulse points where the slightest pressure could cut off circulation and blood flow. The Doctor himself was being held by two zombies, and despite his struggles, couldn't break free of the firm hold.
Seren turned her gaze onto the pale man, glaring fiercely at him as the zombies approached her once again, somewhat more cautiously as if expecting to be hit by the fierce woman. Within seconds, realizing that they weren't going to be attacked, four of the zombies grabbed a hold of her, keeping her in place – her arms were pinned to her sides by two zombies while the other two kept firm grips on her shoulders.
"Now tell me who you are!" The man demanded persistently, removing his hand from the Doctor's throat once the Companion was subdued.
"Since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly going to say, am I." The Doctor retorted as the zombies holding him shoved him, none to gently, to stand beside Seren.
"Well, perhaps my Editor-in-Chief can convince you otherwise." The man said, smiling at the still struggling Time Lord.
"And who's that?" Seren asked.
"It may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire." The man said in a conspiratorial whisper before letting out a chuckle as he continued. "In fact, it's not actually human at all! It's merely a place where humans happen to live." There was a growl and a snarl echoing around them as a creature spoke, sounding angry. "Yeah." The man mouthed, 'Sorry' to the Doctor and Seren as he listened to the growls, turning away slightly. "Yeah." The two time travelers exchanged confused looks as the man turned back to them. "Sorry, it's a place where humans are allowed to live by kind permission of my client."
He pointed upward and the three of them looked up as well.
"I had to ask." Seren groaned as she stared, wide-eyed, at the creature above them.
In the ceiling, there was a large pseudopod creature with a mouth full of sharp, snapping shark-like teeth.
"You mean that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor asked dismayed.
"That thing, as you put it, is in charge of the human race." The man corrected as they looked at him. "For almost 100 years, mankind has been shaped and guided, his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news, edited by my superior, your master, and humanity's guiding light, the mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe." The Jagrafess roared. "I call him Max." the man finished with a large smile, looking as if he were moments away from squealing in excitement.
The Doctor gave the man a sarcastic smile as a few of the zombies came up to two of them with manacles, chaining them up side-by-side and with their hands up by their shoulders.
"Of course. Create a climate of fear and it's easy to keep the borders closed." Seren commented in realization as the zombies stepped back after locking the manacles in place.
"Exactly! It's just a matter of emphasis." The man said cheerfully. "The right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilise an economy, invent an enemy, change a vote."
"And the people of Earth essentially become slaves." Seren snapped, glaring at him.
"Well, now, there's an interesting point. Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" the man asked philosophically.
"Yes." The Doctor and Seren replied in deadpan unison.
"Oh." The man said with a slight pout. "I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I'm going to get? 'Yes'?"
"Yes." The two of them replied again, in deadpan unison and glaring at him fiercely.
"You're no fun." The man chuckled.
"Let me out of these manacles. You'll find out how much fun I am." Seren growled at him.
"Oh, not just feisty but tough as well." the man said, his eyes roaming down her body with a leer. "Sexy." She glared at him, wishing she was slightly closer to him so that she could have kicked him. Unfortunately, he was just out of reach of her legs. "But, come on. Isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it, just a little bit."
How has no one noticed?" Seren asked, the question bugging her for the past short while. "Some thing this big, on this scale?"
"From time to time, someone, yes, but the computer chip system allows me to see inside their brains. I can see the smallest doubt and crush it." The man replied, nodding. "Then they just carry on, living the life, strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like they're so individual, when of course, they're not - they're just cattle. In that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."
Seren and the Doctor noticed movement behind the man and saw Cathica there.
"What about you?" Seren asked. "You're not a Jagrafess. You're human."
"Well, simply being human doesn't pay very well." the man replied with a sneer.
"You couldn't have done all of this on your own." Seren pointed out.
"No!" the man chuckled. "I represent a consortium of banks. Money prefers a long-term investment. Also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to, um," he lowered his voice to a whisper as he finished his sentence, "install himself."
"No wonder, a creature that size." The Doctor said, glancing up and asking in a slightly raised voice. "What's his life span?"
"3000 years."
"That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat. That's why Satellite Five's so hot. You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs. Jagrafess stays cool - it stays alive. Satellite Five is one great big life support system." The Doctor stated.
"But that's why you're so dangerous." The man said, pointing to the Doctor in particular. "Knowledge is power, but you remain unknown." He snapped his fingers and electrical energy surged through the manacles. The two captives clenched their teeth in pain, not wanting to scream and give the man the satisfaction. "Who are you?"
A minute, which felt like an age, passed and the man snapped his fingers once again ending the surge.
"Leave her alone." The Doctor panted. "I'm the Doctor, she's Seren Jones. We're nothing, we're just wandering."
"tell me who you are!" the man yelled.
"He just said, you piece of shit!" Seren yelled back before the Doctor could.
"Yes, but who do you work for? Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly-" he stopped short. The Doctor and Seren looked at him questioningly as an ominous smile crossed his face. He stretched his hands out to the Doctor, "Time Lord!"
Seren and the Doctor looked at each other in fearful shock.
"What?" the Doctor stammered, unable to keep the shock out of his voice and off his face.
Oh, yes! The last of the Time Lords in his travelling machine." He reached a hand out to Seren and touched her cheek, making her turn away from the revolting touch with a grimace marring her beautiful features. "Oh, with his beautiful little human girl from long ago."
"You don't know what you're talking about." The Doctor growled.
"Time travel." The man replied simply, lowering his hand and looking at the Time Lord.
"Someone's been telling you lies." Seren spat.
"Young Master Adam Mitchell?" The man asked, stepping back and snapping his fingers.
A hollo-monitor appeared in front of them showing Adam in a broadcast chair, screaming and writhing in pain as the beam of compressed information streamed into is head.
"Oh Duw." Seren whispered in horror, her eyes wide. "His head."
"What the hell's he done? What the hell's he gone and done?" The Doctor shouted, looking at the monitor in anger. "They're reading his mine. He's telling them everything!"
"And through him, I know everything about you. Every piece of information in his head is now mine. And you have infinite knowledge, Doctor. The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you both have seen in your T-A-R-D-I-S. TARDIS."
"Well, you'll never get your hands on it. I'll die first." The Doctor growled.
"Die all you like." The man said shrugging. "I don't need you. I've got the key."
Seren and the Doctor could only watch in horror as the TARDIS key floated out of her purse and dangle in front of them.
"Leave Idris alone!" Seren yelled.
Idris being the name the TARDIS had asked Seren to call her after she resumed travelling with the Doctor following the fiasco with the Slitheen.
"Today, we are the headlines." The Editor said, ignoring Seren. "We can rewrite history. We could prevent mankind from ever developing."
"And no one's going to stop you because you've bred a human race that doesn't bother to ask questions. Stupid little slaves, believing every lie. They'll just trot right into the slaughter house if they're told it's made of gold." The Doctor sneered as an alarm sounded.
"What's happening?" the Editor questioned two of the zombies at the console. "Someone's disengaged the safety." He snapped his fingers and an image appeared on the hollo-monitor – Cathica, sitting in the broadcast chair as the beam of compressed information streamed into her mind. "Who's that?"
"It's Cathica." Seren exclaimed with glee. "She's thinking."
"She's using what she knows." The Doctor added with a wide grin, the same amount of glee on his face and in his voice.
"Terminate her access." The Editor frantically told Suki.
"Everything he had been about Satellite Five." The Doctor said. "The pipes, the filters-she's reversing it. Look at that!" he gestured to the melting icicles. "It's getting hot."
"I said terminate her!" the Editor growled to Suki. "Burn out her mind."
There were sparks behind the monitors as the consoles exploded, the Editor being thrown back and the dead operators collapsing lifeless. The entire Satellite shuddered as alarms went off throughout the space station. Seren's manacles came lose, allowing her to slip out. She reached out and grabbed the TARDIS key, putting it back in her purse. The Jagrafess roared as the Editor frantically tried to get the dead operators to sit up right again.
"She's venting the heat up here." Seren said.
"The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano." The Doctor laughed as the Jagrafess roared.
"Yes, I'm trying, sir, but I don't know how she did it. It's impossible. A member of staff with an idea!" The Editor said frantically, pushing Suki out of her seat and sitting down, trying to operate the console himself.
Seren turned to the Doctor and began rummaging through his jacket pocket for the screwdriver. Withdrawing it, she held it up to him.
"What do I do?" she asked frantically as the Jagrafess roared and snapped menacingly at them.
"Flick the switch!" he replied frantically, glancing up at eh Jagrafess before looking back at Seren.
She flicked the switch and the screwdriver buzzed to life. She aimed the screwdriver at the manacles holding the Doctor, jumping slightly when a nearby explosion startled her. For a few tense seconds, there was only the sound of the alarms blaring through the Satellite and the angry roars of the Jagrafess above them.
"Oi, mate, want to bank on a certainty?" the Doctor called to the Editor, who looked at him. Seren managed to unlock one manacle and began working on the second. "Massive heat in a massive body - massive bang. See you in the headlines!"
Finally free of his manacles, the Doctor grabbed Seren's hand and the two ran out of the room. They ran across Floor 500, avoiding massive chunks of falling ice and snow. They ran to the Floor 500 Newsroom Cathica was in and saw her sitting in the broadcast chair, her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face.
The Doctor snapped his fingers and as her portal closed, Cathica opened her eyes. She looked at the Time Lord who gave her a gentle smile and helped her off the chair. The three of them ran to the lift and went back down to Floor 139.
There, they saw people helping the injured, and though there was still plenty of commotion and chaos, they focused on what they could do at the moment.
Seeing the injured people, Seren looked around for a First Aid kit, or something that she could use to give aid. Seeing a kit on the wall not too far away, she grabbed it and made her way to the nearest group of injured people. She paused long enough to give her purse to the Doctor before crouching down next to young man who was holding his leg and wincing.
"Hey, it's okay." She said soothingly, looking at him with a smile. "My name is Seren, do you mind if I have a look at your leg?"
The man shook his head and moved his hand, letting Seren see what was paining him. There was no obvious sign of injury and she gently probed the extremity, finding to be sprained rather than broken, all the while keeping up a stream of inane chatter to keep everyone calm. While she worked with the young man, she walked several others who weren't injured through the process of helping those that were.
The next few hours passed in this manner – the Doctor answering as many of Cathica's questions as possible without damaging the timelines while Seren gave First Aid to those that needed help and coached the uninjured through the process of helping, even of it was just fetching supplies or food.
As the dawn sun rose over Mother Earth below, Seren joined the Doctor and Cathica in the canteen, having done all that she could to help the humans on the Satellite. She sat next to the Time Lord, resting her head on his shoulder, completely exhausted.
"We're just going to go. I hate tidying up. Too many questions." He told Cathica, who was sitting across from him in the canteen. When she made a sound of protest, he added reassuringly, "You'll manage."
"You'll have to stay and explain it." Cathica insisted. "No one's going to believe me."
"Oh, you'll find they might start believing a lot of things now." Seren reassured her.
"The human race should accelerate." The Doctor added, nodding. "All back to normal."
"What about your friend?" Cathica asked, gesturing to where Adam was leaning back against Idris.
"He's not my friend." The Doctor growled as he stood up and began walking towards the TARDIS.
Seren stood up as well and followed him. A part of her wanted to say something, but a bigger part of her was just tired. She understood the Doctor's anger, feeling it herself, and felt that she had no right to even try to defend Adam – even if it was just to lessen the Time Lord's anger. So, she just followed in silence as Cathica watched them go, instinctively knowing she would never meet the pair again.
"I'm all right now. Much better." Adam said with a shaky smile as he saw the angry look on the Time Lord's face as he stalked towards him. "Look, it's... It all worked out for the best, didn't it?" He chuckled nervously as the Doctor grabbed Adam by the scruff of his neck and unlocked the TARDIS with his free hand once Seren handed him the key. "You know, it's not actually my fault, because you were in charge…" The Time Lord shoved him in through the open doors, ignoring him entirely, and followed him in with Seren slipping in silently.
One quick trip through the Vortex later, where the Doctor and Seren ignored Adam entirely, the Doctor grabbed hold of the boy's ear once more and dragged him out of the TARDIS with Seren following suit, shutting the doors behind her.
"It's my house. I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home!" Adam chuckled as he took in their surroundings before turning to the still silent and furious Time Lord. "Blimey! I thought you were going to chuck me out of an airlock."
"Is there something you would like to tell me?" the Doctor asked him.
"No. What do you mean?" Adam asked.
The Doctor went to the telephone and picked it up.
"The archive of Satellite Five." He said. "One second of that message could've changed the world."
Adam looked at them with a caught-out expression as the Doctor put the machine back in its place. The Doctor took out his screwdriver and sonicked the machine. Seren and Adam flinched as it exploded in a shower of sparks as the Time Lord put the screwdriver back in his pocket.
"That's it then. See you." The Doctor said, crossing the small space back to the TARDIS.
"How do you mean, see you?" Adam asked
"As in goodbye." The Time Lord replied.
"What about me?" Adam asked. "You can't just go. I've got my head. I've got a chip Type 2. My head opens."
"What, like this?" the Doctor asked, snapping his fingers and making the portal in Adam's head open.
"Don't." Adam said angrily, snapping his own fingers and closing the portal.
"Don't do what?" the Doctor asked snapping his fingers, making it open once again.
"Stop it!" Adam shouted, closing it.
"All right, Doctor, that's enough. Stop it." Seren said to them.
"Thank you." Adam said gratefully to the beautiful Welshwoman, who smiled and snapped her fingers. "Oi!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She said with a slight laugh as Adam closed the portal.
"The whole of history could have changed because of you." The Doctor told Adam in quiet anger.
"I just wanted to help." Adam pleaded.
"You were helping yourself!" the Doctor snapped.
"And I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I am, I really am, but you can't just leave me like this." Adam pleaded.
"Yes, I can. 'Cause if you show that head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life. Keep out of trouble. Be average, unseen. Good luck." The Doctor replied as he opened the door and stepped back for his wife to enter.
"But I want to come with you." Adam said.
"I only take the best." The Doctor replied, stopping in the doorway of the TARDIS. "I've got Seren." He entered the TARDIS and Seren moved to follow.
The front door opened and closed as Adam's mother entered the home.
"Seren, Seren. Oh, my God!" Adam said.
"Who's that? Geoff, is that you?" Mrs. Mitchell called.
"It's me, mum." Adam called. "Don't come in. wait there a minute."
"Oh, my Lord. You never told me you were coming home!" Mrs. Mitchell exclaimed. "Hold on, I'll just take my coat off. You should've told me you were coming home. I would've got your favourite tea in."
"Seren, take me with you." Adam whispered pleadingly as the Doctor started up the TARDIS' engines. Seren looked at him for a long moment before turning and going inside, shutting the door behind her. Adam could only watch helplessly as the TARDIS dematerialized, leaving him behind in 2012.
Links (on pinterest):
* Seren outfit - .ca/pin/474566879478753311/
*Seren hair - .ca/pin/456904324688777542/