Chapter 2: The end of the world
Nine spent the break only half listening to Sarah Jane and Donna Noble swap stories about their time with him. He was impressed with some things Donna had seen, and looking forward to helping the Ood, he was as disgusted as she was by what she told them. However, most of his brain was focused on Rose, as usual. She had fascinated him since the beginning but ever since Downing Street, where she had shown such faith in him, he knew he was in trouble. Rose had been willing to trust his plan without even knowing what it was when he had stated it could involve her death.
Once the half an hour is up they make their way back to the TV. This time Mickey and Martha are sat on the second couch while Sarah Jane takes Martha's old seat on the first couch. This leaves Jack and Donna to sit on the bean bags. Nine pulls Rose back into the same position they had been, her tucked into his side with his arm around her shoulders, resting on her hip. Jack presses the play button on the remote he found.
The screen lights up with the same image of the TARDIS floating through space and this time the title read The End of the World.
Nine and Rose exchange glances. This wasn't a great trip for either of them. Nine wasn't looking forward to reliving yet more deaths of people he failed to save, especially Jabe. Rose snuggled closer and he relaxed ever so slightly.
The Doctor and Rose are lit in green light from the time rotor. He asks whether she wants to go forwards or backwards in time and she chooses forwards. When he asks how far she answers one hundred years. There is a few seconds of travel before he gestures at the door and tells her outside is the twenty second century. He then claims that that is boring and asks if she wants to go further which she does. This time he tells her they are ten thousand years in the future. Rose snarks that he thinks he is so impressive. The Doctor looks hurt by this and claims he is impressive to which she replies 'you wish'.
"I am impressive." Nine mimics his onscreen counterpart in annoyance.
"If you say so." Rose smirks at him.
"Sure you are, Spaceman." Donna snorts. He chooses to ignore them both.
Now looking determined, the Doctor tells her she asked for it and tells her to hold on. The TARDIS zooms down a time vortex. When they stop, Rose asks what's out there and the Doctor gestures for her to head outside. Rose goes down a flight of steps and a large shutter in the wall descends to reveal an orbital view of the Earth.
"Wow. It does look so pretty from space." Donna comments.
"Yeah, that's a classic Earth, that is." Rose grins over at Nine who rolls his eyes.
"Classic Earth?" Martha questions.
"He'll explain in a second." Rose gestures to the TV.
The Doctor tells her it is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in her future, he pauses to look at his wrist watch. The sun flares and turns red. He then announces it is the day the sun expands and welcomes her to the end of the world.
"Wow. Great first date Doc. Here, watch your planet burn." Jack rolls his eyes and Nine flinches at the chosen words. He had partially taken Rose there so that she could understand some part of what he had been through, without actually telling her what he had been through. He knew from the beginning Rose was different and so had gone out of his way to show her his inner self without having to say the painful words out aloud.
"It was. He's a cheap date though." Rose giggles.
"You're never going to let me forget that are you. One time." Nine groans.
"Never, she's cruel and holds it against us forever." Ten joins in with a playful pout. Rose rolls her eyes at their antics but is secretly pleased to see them both in a better mood, despite what was coming.
A pair of small spaceships approach a large cruciform space station hanging in Earth orbit. A computer announces that shuttles are boarding and reminds the guests that that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. It then announces that the Earth death will be followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite. The Doctor and Rose walk along a corridor.
Rose asks if guests means people and the Doctor tells her it depends what she means by people, explaining that he means aliens. Rose then asks what the ship is for and he informs her it is an observation deck. The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver on a wall panel while saying the rich have gathered to watch Earth burn. A large area with a few display cases and a view of space to the front and above.
"Wow, aliens actually pay to watch our planet burn?" Martha looks horrified.
"There aren't any people left on there. Humans have moved on." Ten explains gently. "It's just an empty planet with nature taking its course."
Rose protests that she thought it would take thousands of years for the sun to burn up. The Doctor corrects it takes millions but that the planet now belongs to the National Trust who have preserved it. He then points out the gravity satellites holding back the sun. Rose is confused as she points out that the continents move but he explains that the Trust moved them back to look like a classic Earth.
"Still weird. Why bother paying loads of money to watch something burn?" Donna asks.
"Because the rich have nothing better to do. This is entertainment for them." Nine states. "It's quite a common practise that far into the future."
On screen Rose asks how long the planet has left. He tells her about half an hour and she asks if they are there to save it. She is concerned about the people but the Doctor assures her there are no people on the planet. Rose looks down thinking she is the only human. A blue-skinned person with golden slit eyes strides towards them and asks who the hell they are. The Doctor is affronted.
"Really? You get affronted because someone else is just as rude as you are?" Sarah Jane cocks an eyebrow in amusement.
"Well, his rudeness was uncalled for." Nine sniffs.
"So is yours most of the time." Donna grins. He doesn't respond so they all turn back to the screen, throwing him sideways smirks.
The steward asks how they got in as it is a maximum security place and the guests are arriving. The Doctor tells him that he is one of the guests and that Rose is his plus one. The Doctor puts away the piece of apparently blank paper he was showing to the steward.
"I love that paper. Saves so much time." Ten sighs a little dreamily.
"It's dead useful." Nine agrees.
The Steward apologises and goes over to a lecturn. The Doctor explains to Rose about the psychic paper. She seems more distracted by the fact that the Steward is blue as he announces that they are guests. He thanks the staff and then calls out the next guests. A bark-skinned woman enters with two larger male escorts. The Steward informs them all that there will be an exchange of gifts representing peace.
"Did you remember presents, Doctor?" Jack asked with a laugh.
"Of course I did." Nine sniffed. Rose giggled and he gave her a playful scowl.
The Steward announces the next guest as the Moxx of Balhoon. Another blue alien, this time mostly head and body, sitting on a transport pod comes into the room. A group of black-robed bipeds are introduced as the Adherents of the Repeated Meme. Fur clad reptilians are next, introduced as the brothers Hop Pyleen. The trees go up to the Doctor. The leader introduced as Jabe offers a cutting of my Grandfather. She gives the Doctor a rooted twig in a small pot.
"I'm not sure if that is really nice or really sad." Donna frowns.
"Go with nice." Rose tells her, noting both Doctor's pained expressions.
The Doctor thanks her and pats his pockets, looking for something to give in return. Eventually he offers air from his lungs and breathes gently on Jabe. She thinks it is rather intimate and he grins, telling her there is more where that came from.
"Ha! And you think I flirt with everything." Jack chuckles.
"By the sounds of it, you do." Sarah Jane tells him, remembering the stories he had told over the break.
"Never a tree." He states, "But there could be a first time for everything." Rose rolls her eyes. "Besides, Doc, I thought you said you remembered gifts?" Jack continued grinning.
"I did. Air from my lungs is special." Nine puts his nose in the air.
"Suuuure." Donna says sarcastically.
"Oi, you're supposed to be on my side." Ten whines at Donna. "I can't believe you don't think air from my lungs in special."
"Whether it is or not, you didn't remember to bring that as a present, it was all you had on you." Donna laughs. Neither Doctor replies to that.
"How intimate is it?" Rose asks Nine in an undertone, biting her lip burning with curiosity and something else she couldn't place. He looked down at her and she caught a flash of guilt in his eyes.
"Very." He sighed. "But it was all I had on me."
"I suppose that's why she was so interested in you?"
"Yeah, probably." He admits.
The Steward introduces the main sponsor of the event as the Face of Boe. A large glass case barely makes it through the doorway. It contains a giant humanoid head with straggly hair and squinting screen cuts back to the Doctor greeting the Moxx of Balhoon. He offers the gift of bodily salivas and spits in Rose's face.
"Lovely." Martha's face screws up in disgust.
"Couldn't have hit the Doctor." Mickey rolls his eyes. Rose looks up and sees Nine grinning at her cheekily so she hits him lightly on the arm.
"It was not funny." She tells him grumpily.
"Your face was." He keeps grinning and points at the screen which has frozen on Rose's expression.
The Doctor thanks Moxx of Balhoon and the Adherents of the Repeated Meme come over. He breathes on them and they offer a ball in return which he chucks over to Rose. THe Steward then introduces the last guest as the last Human, Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen.
Both Nine and Ten's faces screw up in disgust as Cassandra appears. Ten even more annoyed by what she did to Rose when they had met her for the second time. He was curious how she had reappeared, he'd been busy trying to get her out of Rose to ask her and he'd never asked Rose if she had found out.
Cassandra states she has had her chin taken away and doesn't look a day over two thousand before demanding her helpers moisturise her. One of her attendants uses a pump spray on the skin. She then carries on about how she is the last human and how her parents were the last to be buried on the planet. She brings the last remaining ostrich egg as a gift, along with a 50's jukebox. Rose has walked round the back of Cassandra to see just how thin she is, as the 50's jukebox is wheeled in. One of the little attendants presses a button, a 45 is selected and the strains of Tainted Love by Soft Cell ring out.
"Good song that." Jack smiles.
"It's better than the one they play later." Rose snorts.
"What did they play?" Mickey asks her.
"Britney Spears. Toxic." Rose shudders. Mickey laughs, knowing she hates that song.
The Steward announces that refreshments will be served and the Earth Death will occur in thirty minutes. Rose finally can't take all the aliens, and runs out. The Doctor goes to follow her, but gets intercepted by Jabe. There is a flash from the device she is holding, she thanks him and moves off. The Adherent of the Repeated Meme are offering a gift to the Steward who declines but they keep insisting until he takes the proffered ball.
"Either they are really generous, or something is suspicious about those balls." Sarah Jane comments. Ten looks at her proudly and she realises something is probably about to go horribly wrong.
"Nothing like a nice simple adventure with you is there Doctor?" Mickey sighs, even more worried about Rose now he can see what she gets up to.
"Why would I want simple?" Ten grins widely.
"I'll rephrase, I meant nice, safe adventure with you." Mickey corrects himself. Ten looks down, his grin fading while Nine wrinkles his nose at the idea of a boring, safe adventure. Although, he admits, he would never want to place Rose in danger deliberately. Maybe one or two safe trips wouldn't kill him.
Jabe consults her camera, which twitters like a bird. She tells it to identify species, then asks where he is from before saying that is impossible. She hurries away. One of the Adherant's gifts has been placed on a shelf in a display stand. It opens, and a four-legged metal spider scurries away.
The screen cuts to Rose who has wandered off, and is looking at the growing Sun through a window when a young woman of the same race as the Steward comes round the corner. She is wearing overalls and a baseball cap. She asks if she is allowed to be in here but the blue woman tells her she needs permission to talk. Rose looks a little puzzled but tells her she has permission.
"That will have made her day." Ten smiles at the women beside him.
"It will?" Rose looks confused.
"Most people wouldn't bother giving her permission. It's very rare." He explains with a smile, Rose's compassion never failed to amaze him. Nine tightens his arm around her and kisses her forehead with pride.
The woman thanks her for the permission and tells Rose she is not in the way. Raffalo goes to a wall panel and unlocks it. Rose asks her name and she tells her it is Raffalo. She assures Rose that she won't be long, just carrying out some maintenance. Rose then asks if Raffalo is a plumber which she agrees to. Rose is surprised they still have plumbers so far into the future. She asks Raffalo where she is from and asks if Crespallion is a planet. It's explained that Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty six.
"Nice place that." Ten comments.
Raffalo then asks where Rose is from and she tells her it's a long way away. She goes on about how she just hitched a lift with a stranger and seems to be talking more to herself as she mumbles about how she didn't really think about it and she doesn't know who he is.
Nine hides his face in Rose's hair as she is talking. He had known that it was a split second decision she had made to come with him, but hadn't really considered the impact that would have on her. She had brushed aside his concern last time about aliens being too much and had been more concerned about her boyfriend. Now it seemed to be catching up with her and he wasn't even around to help.
Rose senses what he must be thinking and wraps her arm around his chest and tightens her grip on him.
"Don't worry about me. I get over it soon enough and it was well worth it. Everything with you is worth it." She assures him.
"Are you quite sure Rose?" He needs to hear her say it and hates himself for being so insecure. He was never insecure before she came along, his little pink and yellow human.
"Positive. Last time we stopped at home, when we'd been gone for a year, I packed loads of stuff didn't I? I'm in this for the long haul." She moves her head so she can look up into his face which is still etches with traces of guilt. Ten looks away at this comment. He had thought she was in it for the long haul and then she had been ripped away from him. The human phrase 'time heals all wounds' was so wrong. Losing Rose hurt more every day not less. He was grateful to his other companions who kept him company so that he did not simply wallow in his misery.
Nine watched his future self's reaction to Rose's comment and his hearts constricted. He knew Rose didn't stay for too long as both Donna and Martha had travelled with his tenth regeneration after Rose but it was a bitter reminder that she could not keep her promise. But maybe, he thought, with watching this he could figure out a way to save Rose.
Rose seems to come back to herself and wishes Raffalo luck. Raffalo thanks Rose for the permission and tells her not that many people are that considerate. Rose leaves. Raffalo removes the wall panel and has a look inside. Before she can crawl into the conduit, there is a tapping sound of metal on metal. She asks if something is there and a metal spider comes towards her. She asks who it is and it scuttles away. She calls out to it but it keeps moving and so she gets inside the conduit. Raffalo says she just needs to register it and then another appears. She gets dragged into the conduit.
"Oh no!" Rose cried. She hadn't realised Raffalo had been killed by the spiders. Nine kissed her temple looking rather grim himself. Everyone else is upset by the death of someone that had seemed so nice.
Screen cuts to the Stewards office. He puts the ball on a side table and sits down at his desk. The computer beeps at him. He makes a broadcast, asking for the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen to report to his office immediately. Guests are reminded that teleportation devices are forbidden. As he finishes, the ball hatches another metal spider.
Back with Rose, she is playing with the ball as the computer announces that the Earth Death will be in twenty five minutes. She sarcastically thanks it then puts the ball down and picks up the potted plant. Rose introduces herself and then realises she is talking to a twig.
"It's nice of you to try, but that is just a twig." Ten grins over at her.
"Well, she had said it was part of her grandfather." Rose shrugged.
The ball hatches and then the screen cuts to gallery fifteen where the Doctor is watching some assistants park the TARDIS, telling them to be careful. One of them hands the Doctor a ticket. It says on one side - Have A Nice Day. A pair of spiders scuttle along the ceiling.
The spider scans Rose's hand then scuttles away when the Doctor calls out, asking if Rose is inside the room. He comes in and asks what she thinks. She replies that it's fine once you get past the psychic paper and the fact that the aliens are so alien.
Everyone laughs a little at that comment.
"What did you expect Rosie?" Jack asks with a snigger.
"Well, the Doctor had said he was an alien and he looked human." Rose shrugged.
"You saw the Nestene Consciousness in the last one." Sarah Jane reminds her. "But what you're feeling happens to the best of us."
"Yeah, I remember when the Doctor took me to the planet of the Ood on my first visit to an alien planet. I had wanted to go home, but by the end I sort of got used to it." Donna adds. Rose smiles at both of them.
"I'm sorry I left you alone for so long. I should have helped to you process it, but you seemed to cope so well on your first try." Nine apologises.
"It's fine." Rose assures him.
The Doctor comments it's a good job he didn't take her to the Deep South. Rose ignores this and asks where he is from which he evades by simply saying he's from all over the place. Rose lets his avoidance go and asks why they all speak English. Doctor explains that they don't, the TARDIS translates everything for her. Rose is upset it can get inside her head and he didn't ask. The Doctor looks confused and states he had never thought about it like that. This annoys Rose who shoots back that he was too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South. She then asks who he is and what sort of alien he is.
"Took you long enough to ask." Mickey snorts.
"She did ask who he was in the last film about who he really was but he always ignored the question. I'm impressed she tried again so quickly." Sarah Jane comments.
He replies that he is simply the Doctor. When she asks what planet he states it's not as if she would know where it is. She persists and he refuses to answer, stating that all that counts is the here and now. Rose answers that she is only here because he brought her but finally gives up saying don't argue with the designated driver. She takes out her phone and comments about being out of range. The Doctor takes it apart and replaces a part.
Everyone sniggers at his comment about jiggery pokery and Rose's reply.
"How did you fail? Your mom causes more than enough hullabaloo." Ten laughs.
"You don't think I listen to her do you?" Rose turns to him wide-eyed. He shakes his head with a grin.
Rose phones home. Jackie answers and assumes that she has done something wrong as Rose never phones during the day. Jackie is emptying the washing machine. Rose simply asks if she is ok and her mum is confused, asking why wouldn't she be ok. Rose asks whats day it is and Jackie assumes she is hungover. She then goes on to tell her to put a quid in the lottery syndicate and that she'll pay her back. Rose says she was just calling to say she might be late home. Jackie asks if there is something wrong and she assures her that she is fine. Jackie then rings off.
"How come she thought I never phoned her while we were gone for a year?" Rose asked the Doctor.
" Once you phone her, we become part of that timeline and we can't land before that or it confuses everything. As you only phoned her a few hours after we left, I doubt she would remember that a year later." Nine explains.
"You were gone for a year?" Donna asks looking apprehensive.
"Not intentionally." Rose laughs. "The Doctor isn't the best driver. He meant to take me back twelve hours after I left and he made it twelve months instead."
"I'm not a bad driver." Ten protests. "Never have been."
"Really?" Raises an eyebrow at him. "Name one time we actually landed where you intended for us to land." Both Nine and Ten pause to think about it.
"There is one time in your future we go to Cardiff to refuel and I get that time right." Ten answers eventually.
"Really, one whole time? No, not a bad driver at all." Sarah Jane laughs.
"Besides, technically we were only there to refuel so as long as we arrived after 1879 it would have been the right time." Rose grins at him.
Rose comments how that call was five billion years ago and that her mom is dead now. The Doctor tells her she's a right bundle of laughs. The space station shakes and the Doctor grins commenting that that's not supposed to happen.
"You don't need to look quite so excited about that." Martha tells him.
"It was interesting." Nine shrugs.
In the Stewards office, he asks the computer what that was and then he makes a calm broadcast telling the guests that gravity pockets might cause turbulence. Then he berates the control. He scans the infrastructure and then hears a scuttling noise. He asks the control what it is and gets worried when he picks up readings saying they are small but he doesn't know what they look like. Then he spots a spider on his desk. He says it's not on the guest list and asks how it got on board. The spider pushes a button on the keyboard and the computer announces the sun filter is deactivated. The room starts to fill with white light from the ceiling downwards as the filter on the window lowers.
Everyone bows their heads at the sight.
"Why would someone send the spiders to kill the Steward?" Donna asks shakily.
"Well the spiders came from the balls given by the black cloaked people." Martha says, frowning.
They watch as the Steward tries to get the computer to respond and raise the sun filter but it doesn't and the spider escapes through a small vent into the corridor. On the Observation gallery Moxx is talking about how it is a Bad Wolf scenario.
Rose and Ten both jolt upright at those words. Rose because it's the same words that seem to have haunted her since she met the Doctor. She recalls what Gwenyth said to her and the words spray painted on the TARDIS when they stopped to visit her mother. Ten frowns at the hated words, not having realised they cropped up that soon. He knew Bad Wolf had saved his life, even if he had to regenerate, but it had almost cost Rose hers and that was unacceptable. Maybe this time around it could be avoided.
"What is it?" Nine asks Rose anxiously. He too recalled the words on his TARDIS but that was all he really knew and had thought nothing of it.
"I'm not sure. Something about those words. It just...I don't know, I keep seeing or hearing them everywhere." She tries to explain.
"You do?"
"Yeah, Gwyneth said something similar to me." Nine frowned.
"Maybe we will find out what they mean while watching this." He tries to sound reassuring. Rose is watching Ten's expression fill with sadness and wonders if it has anything to do with his regeneration. He had told her during the break it was likely to come up and it had happened while she was still with him.
The Doctor and Rose enter. The Doctor states that it wasn't a gravity pocket as he knows what they feel like. He asks Jabe what she thinks and comments the engines have pitched up by thirty Hertz. She tells him that the sound of metal makes no sense to her. He asks where the engine room is and Jabe tells him she doesn't know but the maintenance duct is behind the guest suites. She offers to show him and his wife.
Both Doctors and Rose all go red at this comment.
"Like Mr 'I hate domestics' would ever be married." Rose snorts to hide her embarrassment. "A wife might make him get carpets in the TARDIS."
"Never!" Nine jerks out of his daze and looks at her, eyes wide with horror. She sniggers at him and he relaxes slightly. He doesn't know whether to be relieved at her dismissal of the idea that he would get married, or sad. It's not something he ever really wanted but he wonders if it was something Rose had ever really wanted.
The Doctor denies that Rose is his wife or partner or many other things. At prostitute, Rose cuts in saying whatever she is it must be invisible. She tells them two of them to go and pollinate while she talks to Cassandra.
"You tell 'em, Rosie." Jack grins.
"Do your companions often get confused with prostitutes?" Donna asks Ten, looking torn between amusement and horror.
"No, not very often." He assures her, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck anxiously.
"But sometimes?"
"Sometimes, on the rare occasion." He admits sheepishly.
"Do you correct that opinion?" Martha asks him.
"Course I do. Besides, none of you lot would ever let me get away with anyone thinking that." Ten told them all.
"Too right we wouldn't, spaceman." Donna snorts.
He tells her not to start a fight and then offers his arm to Jabe and tells her he is all hers.
"Wow, you ditched Rose to flirt with a tree. Nice Doc." Mickey scowls over at Nine.
"I was not flirting." He denies.
"Your all hers are you?" He quotes. The tips of Nine's ears go red. He recalled quite vividly how cold he was to Rose during this trip. He had been upset that he failed to save Jabe that he had pretty much ignored her despite the fact that she had been through quite an ordeal herself.
Rose calls over that she wants him home by midnight. Screen cuts to a maintenance duct with loads of spiders in that scuttle out of sight behind the wiring and piping. The Doctor asks who is in charge of Platform One. Jabe tells him there is only the Steward and his staff, the rest is done by the computer. He asks who controls the computer and she tells him it's the Corporation. Nobody from the Corporation is on board as the facility is automatic so nothing can go wrong. The Doctor asks if it's unsinkable and Jabe agrees. Doctor then mentions the Titanic which was thought to be unsinkable and it sunk. He asks if they means that no help will come and Jabe agrees that is true. He just says fantastic. Jabe just asks in what way is that fantastic.
"Jabe has a point. How is no help fantastic?" Mickey asked.
"He enjoys solving the puzzle himself." Rose shrugged. Nine didn't comment. What Rose said was true but he had been unable to save Jabe. He enjoyed doing things himself but it cost lives.
Screen cuts to Cassandra and Rose. Cassandra is talking about how she used to live in LA when she was a little boy.
"But her name is Cassandra? Why did she say she was a boy?" Donna asked the room at large.
"Sex change?" Jack suggested with a wriggle of his eyebrows.
"She's nothing but skin, how can you really tell either way?" Mickey questions rolling his eyes at Jack.
Rose asks her what happened the the human race. Cassandra tells her they have touched every star in the sky so Rose states she isn't the last human. Cassandra sniffs and tells her that she is the last pure human and that the others mingled, calling them mongrels.
"That thing is not a pure human." Sarah Jane scoffs.
"Definitely not. She's had like 700 operations to make her like that." Rose rolls her eyes in disgust.
Cassandra states that she kept herself pure so Rose asks how many operations she has had. The answer is seven hundred and eight and she is due for another one a week later. She thinks that is why Rose wanted to talk to her and tells her she could be flatter.
"You're perfect as you are. My pink and yellow human." Nine whispers in her ear. Rose blushes as she catches Sarah Jane watching them looking both amused and sad.
"You don't think I'd pull off bitchy trampoline then?" Rose asks him with a tongue touched grin.
"Normally I'd say you could pull off anythin' but not that." He grins.
Rose tells her she would rather die. Cassandra tells her the operation didn't hurt but Rose states firmly that she would rather die than live like a bitchy trampoline.
"You tell her Rose." Donna grins. Rose returned the grin, rather liking the feisty, ginger-haired woman. She didn't feel the threat from her like she did with Martha. It was more like Sarah Jane, someone who admired the Doctor but didn't love him the way Rose did. Given some of the conversations she could tell Sarah Jane had loved the Doctor but had clearly gotten over that and Rose rather thought the three of them could be good friends.
Rose carries on that she was born on Earth as were her parents, making her the last human in the room as Cassandra isn't human. She scornfully tells her that she is nothing but lipstick and skin before stalking off. The Adherents watch Rose leave.
"There we go, miss jeopardy friendly strikes again." Ten snorts.
"Oi!" Rose glares at him.
"You denying it?"
"I think you're jeopardy friendly, I'm an innocent who tagged along for the ride." She winks at him. Only the wink stopped him from panicking that she didn't appreciate all the danger he had put her in. He recalled a little too sharply how she almost got sucked into the void because of him.
Back in the maintenance duct, the Doctor is asking Jabe what she is doing here and she tells him her to pay respects to Earth. He scoffs and tells her everyone on the platform is worth zillions so she admits it's a case of being seen at the right occasions. The Doctor guesses it's to do with share prices and Jabe doesn't deny it but says she does respect Earth as she evolved from there, being a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest.
"Our trees turn into people like her in future?" Martha asks, looking stunned.
"Yep. Makes you really think about all the logging you humans do, all the potential species you prevent from ever evolving." Nine scowls.
The Doctor scans a door panel marked Welcome to Platform One. Guide of Platform One Do You Need Assistance. A keypad labelled Maintenance log in, then Access denied. As he works Jabe asks about his ancestry, saying a man only enjoys trouble when he has nothing else left.
Nine chokes slightly on her accurate guess. When he first regenerated he was a worn torn, bitter man who had just lost everything. Solving problems was all he had left in life, hoping he could find a problem that would destroy him for good until he had met Rose. He wasn't convinced his meddling TARDIS had nothing to do with where he landed that time but he was grateful if she did. He really should tell Rose exactly what she means to him at some point. She deserved to know but he was still having a hard time letting down his barriers. Physical intimacy was one thing, he loved holding her as he was now. However, letting her see that deep into his soul was a completely different matter and one that terrified him. He had to start somewhere though. He looked up to find he had missed some of the conversation.
She puts her hand on his arm, and the Doctor puts his hand over hers. A tear drops from his eye. He gets the door open.
Both Nine and Ten heard a sniffle and looked at Rose. A tear was leaking down her face as well.
"Don't cry for me Rose." Nine tells her softly. "You fixed me. Losing them is always going to hurt, but you make that better. You took me from this bitter, grumpy old man and turned me into a daft pretty boy."
"Oi!" Ten protested, even as he agreed with his own words. He had regenerated with Rose in mind.
"I always liked you far better than any pretty boy." Rose confessed so only Nine could hear her.
"This daft face? You're mad." He tells her equally quietly. "Just remember, this is when we had only been together a few hours, you hadn't had time to work your magic quite yet."
The screen cuts to the engine room. It runs the whole depth of the Platform. The Doctor and Jabe are by a catwalk that runs through a series of large fans. Doctor asks if it is a bit cold and then it cuts to Rose. In a corridor, Rose is met by the Adherants, who knock her out by pistol whipping her with a weapon. They drag her into a room.
"Fire rule of the TARDIS, don't wander off." Nine moaned.
"Technically you wandered off first." Mickey told him.
"I had company. Don't wander off alone." Ten corrects himself.
"I got into plenty of trouble with or without you. Don't think it matters if I wander off or not." Rose grins.
The Doctor scans a panel. He pulls it off. A spider scuttles out and up the wall. He aims his screwdriver at the spider, then Jabe lassoes it. He looks impressed and Jabe tells him they aren't supposed to show them in public. Doctor assures her he won't tell anyone. She asks what the spider does and he says sabotage. The computer states Earth death will be in ten minutes.
Screen cuts back to Cassandra and the jukebox is playing Britney Spears. It then moves to outside the Stewards office where smoke from the room is filling the corridor and the glare is coming through a small glass panel in the door. The little assistants have gathered. The Doctor tells everyone to get back and then uses his sonic screwdriver on another small panel.
"The poor Steward. He didn't do anything to deserve a death like that." Rose mumbled.
"No, but most often those who die are those who deserve it least and far before their time." Ten tells her mournfully.
Jabe asks if the Steward is in the room and the Doctor states that they can smell him. He then realises there is another sun filter programmed to descend and dashes off. In Gallery 15 the computer is announcing the sun filter descending and Rose wakes in time to see the deadly glare begin to fill the room. She hammers on the door.
"Oh no!" Sarah Jane cries out in horror. Obviously they all know Rose makes it out alive but nobody likes seeing just how close a call it was.
The Doctor arrives and starts working on the panel as Rose continues to call out and asks if anyone is in there. When he hears Rose he comments how it would be her.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Rose asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"I could just tell already you were jeopardy friendly." Ten smirked at her.
She yells at him to open the door. The scorching rays reach the top of the door. The filter is still descending and then it cuts back to the Doctor and the computer announces the sun filer is rising. He breathes a sigh of relief but the filter begins descending again. He announces the computer is getting clever and Rose tells him to stop mucking about.
"The Doctor never messes about when someone's life is at risk." Martha snorts.
"We all know that, but Rose has only been with him five minutes and it's not exactly the best situation." Jack comments, frowning at the dark haired woman who is not doing a good job of hiding her jealousy.
The Doctor protests that he is not mucking about, the computer is fighting back. Inside the room Rose runs down the steps away from the glare as it moves down the door. The Doctor can hear Rose yelling that the lock has melted. Back inside the sun filter begins rising again and Rose runs back to the door. The Doctor announces the whole thing is jammed and for her to stay there. Rose retorts where is she going to go? Ipswich?
"No need to get all sarcastic. I was under a fair bit of pressure." Ten pouts, not having heard her comment the first time around.
"There was plenty of need to get sarcastic." Rose retorts with a grin.
The computer announces the Earth death will be in five minutes and then the screen cuts to the observation deck. Jabe confirms the spider devices had infiltrated the whole ship. Cassandra demands to know how that's possible as the rooms are protected by a code wall. Moxx wants the Stewards and Jabe tells him that he is dead. Moxx demands to know who killed him and Cassandra accuses the face of Boe as he sponsored the event. The Doctor states there is an easy way of finding out. He puts down the spider that Jabe was scanning, and it scuttles off to Cassandra and scans her, then goes to the black gowned group. Cassandra quickly accuses them.
"She's quick to accuse anyone but herself." Notes Donna.
The Doctor says that's all very well but tells them to stop and think about it. Then he goes over to the Adherants. Their leader tries to hit him, so he pulls of its arm. He carries on that a Repeated Meme is just an idea. He pulls one of the wires dangling from the arm, and the Adherants all collapse. Then he explains they are remote control droids and tells the spider to go to its real home. The Doctor gives the spider a nudge, and it returns to Cassandra. She scowls and guesses he was the school swot who never got kissed.
"That sounds like you, school swot." Donna teases Ten.
"I am not a swot." He protests.
"Yeah, you really are." Martha giggles.
Her attendants raise their spray guns. The Doctor doesn't seem phased and asks what she is going to do, moisturise him? She agrees but with acid. Then she states her spiders have control of the mainframe as everyone carried them past each code wall as gifts. The Doctor tells her that sabotaging a ship while still inside it is rather stupid. She tells him that she had hoped for a hostage situation with herself as one of the victims for compensation.
"Five billion years in the future and it still comes down to money? Guess us humans don't change much." Rose snorts.
"She doesn't really count as human anymore." Donna shrugs.
The Doctor is annoyed that it still comes down to money and Cassandra complains that it isn't cheap being flat. Then calls Rose a freaky little kid as she is the only pure human left. Moxx demands she be arrested but Cassandra states they are just as useful dead and that the spiders are primed to destroy the safety systems. Jabe tells her she will burn too but she has a teleportation device. Explosions can be heard throughout the platform as Cassandra tells the spiders to activate. Cassandra and her attendants beam out.
"You really pick some sticky situations, Doc." Mickey comments, shaken by how close Rose was to death yet again. Downing Street had been bad enough He knew from experience that time with the Doctor was dangerous but it was closer than he had truly expected.
"I don't exactly pick them." Nine grumbled sourly remembering the cost of saving the platform.
Moxx suggests resetting the computer but Jabe says only the Steward would know how. The Doctor announces he can do it by hand and brings Jabe with him as he dashes off. Computer announces that Earth death will be in two minutes. Down in the engine room it announces the heat levels are critical and the Doctor cries out in frustration when the switch is shown to be on the other side of razor sharp fans. The Doctor pulls a breaker lever and the fans slow a little, but it resets as soon as he lets go of it. Jabe pulls the breaker and holds it down. He tells her she can't do it because the heat will vent through the room.
"But, she's made of wood!" Gasped Martha.
"Yeah, she offered her life to save everyone else's." Nine tell her grimly. Rose squeezed him gently to offer comfort and he smiles down at her but it doesn't reach his eyes.
She says she knows and the Doctor points out that she is made of wood. Still not relenting she simply tells him to stop wasting time as the computer announces the temperature is still rising. Back on the observation deck the window begins to crack. The Doctor makes it past the first fan. The window in Rose's room also begins to crack as the computer states there is a shield malfunction and deadly rays of light begin appearing in the room. The Doctor looks back at Jabe, then times his run past the second fan. Jabe starts to combust. She lets go of the breaker and the fans speed up to faster than before until they are just a blur.
"How the hell do you get past that?" Martha burst out in horror.
"If you watch another few seconds you'd find out. I'm a Time Lord, we have vastly superior reflexes." Nine scowls.
"They weren't so superior when my mom slapped you." Rose giggled. Nine puts his free hand up to his face.
"Your mom did that as well?" Martha asks her, loath to have anything in common with the girl.
"I'm going to get slapped again? Nine hundred years and I've never been slapped by someone's mother and since I've met you that's two different mothers who apparently think it's ok to slap me." Nine complains to Rose.
"That's not the only time Jackie slaps us." Ten informs him glumly.
"Bloody hell. There is a reason I don't do domestics." Nine grumbles, frowning while Rose struggles to keep from laughing.
The computer begins a count down to the planet's destruction. The Doctor shuts his eyes and walks past the last fan. As the count reaches four, he realises he is safe and dashes for the reset breaker, calling to raise the shields. A forcefield envelopes Platform One as the Earth starts to boil, then explodes. Computer begins to repair the glass and Rose opens her eyes as the cracks in the window vanish, and she sees the fractured remains of home floating by.
"I didn't realise it was quite so close for you." Nine mumbles to Rose quietly.
"All that matter is you saved me. Least I didn't have to save your sorry ass again." She teases.
"Oi!" He complains. "One time."
"And don't you forget it."
In the engine rooms, the fans have slowed right down for the Doctor to walk back easily to Jabe's smoking remains.
Everyone looks down in remembrance of the woman who gave her life to save so many others. Nine and Ten both feel a sharp pang of guilt.
Rose enters the observation deck to see the The Moxx of Balhoon had been killed by the glare. The Doctor enters and goes over to the two other trees with barely a glance at Rose. He gives them the bad news. Then goes over and apologises to her and she asks if he is alright. He states he is fine and full of ideas. He explains that teleportation through that kind of heat requires a feed and that it must be hidden nearby. Smashing the alleged ostrich egg reveals a small device. He carries on that if someone were as clever as him, he can reverse the feed. Cassandra is beamed back in, in the middle of a conversation. She quickly realises what has happened and announces they all passed her test, making them eligible to join the Human Club.
"Not a lot of point in that as Rose is the only human there. Why would the aliens want to be classified as human?" Jack snorts.
The Doctor pays no attention stating that people have died and that Cassandra murdered them. Cassandra retorts it depends on the definition of people and that will keep lawyers dizzy for centuries. She challenges the Doctor to take her to court to watch her smile, cry and flutter, the Doctor interrupts and states creak. Cassandra is confused so he explains she is creaking. She exclaims that she is drying out but her attendants aren't there to moisturise her. The Doctor is unsympathetic while explaining she raised the temperature and Rose tells him to help her. He refuses, saying everything has its time to die. The skin then bursts.
"Lovely." Donna winces.
The computer announces that two shuttles are leaving and that the unit is closing for maintenance. Only Rose and the Doctor are left on the deck, looking at the asteroids that were once the Earth as they float past the red giant Sun. Rose comments that the Earth has gone and nobody even saw it because they were all too busy saving themselves. The Doctor takes her hand and leads her off. They appear in London where a baby cries, a man laughs. The Doctor and Rose stand in the middle of teeming people going about their daily lives.
"Never thought I'd be so glad to see that again." Rose bites her lip.
"I would be too." Donna shudders.
The Doctor tells her that they think it will last forever and one day it won't. He then confesses that his planet is gone, just like the Earth.
Hearing that sentence again, Rose realises exactly what he had been trying to accomplish on that trip.
"Oh Doctor." She sighs and clutches him tighter. He doesn't comment but lays his head on top of hers.
Rose asks what happened and he tells her there was a war and they lost. He explains all his people, the Time Lords, died and he is the last one. He is travelling on his own. Rose then states he has her. He asks if she wants to go home now she has seen how dangerous it is but she asks if he can smell chips. He is confused for a second but agrees that he can so Rose says she wants chips and the Doctor says he wants them too. Rose tells him that they are having chips and he can pay but he states he has no money. She accuses him of being a tightwad and agrees chips are on her. They link arms and walk off before the screen goes blank.
"Honestly, you just got her to watch her planet burn and you can't even buy the girl chips. Some date you are." Jack teases. "I'll show you how a real date should be done?" He offers Rose with a wink. He isn't serious as he got the impression immediately after meeting the Doctor that Rose was his, but he can't resist.
"You will not." Nine interjects before Rose can answer. "It's one time."
"You saying there are going to be more dates?" Jack presses. Both Doctors go red but neither answers him, instead Nine turns to Rose.
"Rose, can we talk?" He asks nervously.
"Sure." She beams up at him. They head off to a secluded corner while the others start chatting and suddenly words won't form properly and he is speechless. "What's up?" She prompts.
"Rose, we've been getting a lot closer physically since we got here." He swallows, remembering when she kissed his jaw. "You're human, anything between you and me is doomed before it begins. I have to watch you wither, age and die." He looks up from his feet into her face and sees the unshed tears in her eyes.
"You want me to sit somewhere else?" She asks in a low voice thick with emotion.
"Not really, no. Rose, when I thought you were dead just before we got here I realised that when I do lose you it is going to be the worst thing that ever happens to me, regardless of what kind of relationship we have. I've kept emotional barriers between us but nothing is going to make it hurt less, apparently I even regenerated with you in mind. You turned me into a damn pretty boy." He tries to tease to lighten the mood.
"I like you as you are, although he is nice too." Rose smiles slightly.
"What do you want, Rose? Do you prefer him?"
"No. I mean, he seems great, bit of a gob but I still prefer you. I want you." That was all he needed to hear.
"Well then, Rose Tyler, I hate domestics and I've never been any good at relationships, mind you I've only ever tried Time Lord ones never a human one, but I want to try with you. If you want? If you do then you need to bear in mind that I have a lot of darkness inside me, I'm a broken, bitter, old man but you make me better. I'm probably going to screw this up, I have no idea what I'm doing but I really want to try." Rose stares at him for a long time and he is afraid he has pushed to far too fast. Then she finally breaks out into a grin, the tongue touched one that is his favourite.
"I'd like nothing more, Doctor." She tells him and he is blown away by the sincerity in her eyes. He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead. They stayed like that for a long time before finally going back to join the others. He notices Ten staring at him with a mixture of pride and sadness on his face. They nod at each other, a silent agreement to do anything to save Rose.
