Landing on a spaceship with a design like the Titanic was definitely not what Arthur had predicted when he arrived 20 minutes earlier.

But the boy couldn't help but feel comfortable, even enjoying the luxurious food and scenery on board Titanic II. Of course, he had to be extra careful as he wandered around. The presence of an 11-year-old will definitely attract the attention of the adults here.

"Attention please. Shore leave tickets Red 6-7 now activated. Red 6-7."

Arthur takes a look at the ticket he got from the Doctor when he was in 1814 to celebrate River's birthday—his mother's birthday. Crap. He still didn't get used to the notion of having the Doctor as his father. Now River Song as his mother is going to take the awkwardness and confusion to a whole different level.

Still, since the Doctor did say that he should use this ticket when the time comes… Well, he can't refuse it.

"Red 6-7. Red 6-7. This way, fast as you can," an older man dressed in a tweed suit holds up a red sign bearing 6-7 shouts.

"Here!" Arthur shows him his ticket and lets him enter. As the boy grabs a teleport bracelet, he sees a couple, a waitress, and the Doctor. The one he saw from the video message back when he dealt with Weeping Angels.

Arthur wonders if he recognises him.

"To repeat, I am Mr. Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of U.K," the older man introduced. "Ruled over by good King Wenceslas. Now human beings worshipped the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve the people of U.K. go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner... like savages."

"That's wrong," Arthur interjected, getting everyone's attention of his sudden appearance. "First of all, U.K. is ruled by their prime minister. Second, Santa Claus is a myth and he and his wife aren't monsters. Third, Turkey is a food, not a country."

"I beg your pardon! I have a first class degree in Earthonomics, young man."

"Where?"

Before Mr. Copper can speak, a small red-skinned alien with short spikes along his head suddenly appears and shouts, "And me! And me! Red 6-7!"

"Well, take a bracelet, sir," Mr. Copper told him, forgetting his argument with Arthur.

"Uh, but, um, hold on, hold on," the Doctor interrupted, looking at the alien. "What was your name?"

"Bannakaffalatta."

"Ok, Bannakaffalatta. But it's Christmas Eve down there. Late-night shopping, tons of people. He's like a walking conker. No offence, but you'll cause a riot 'cause the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties…"

The group is teleported down to Earth and arrives on an empty street.

"Now, spending money. I have a credit card in Earth currency if you want to buy trinkets or, uh, stockings or the local delicacy, which is known as 'beef' but don't stray too far, it could be dangerous," Mr. Copper explained. "Any day now they start boxing."

"Strange," Arthur murmured. He might be raised in London, but even the boy knows that Christmas is always busy.

"It should be full. It should be busy," the Doctor agreed. Arthur didn't realise that he was standing beside him, alongside the waitress. "Something's wrong."

"But it's beautiful," she remarked.

"Really? Do you think so? It's just a street. The pyramids are beautiful, and New Zealand…"

"But it's a different planet. I'm standing on a different planet. Th-There's concrete... and shops, alien shops, real alien shops! Look, no stars in the sky. And it smells. It stinks!" She gasped. "This is amazing! Thank you!" She hugs the Doctor.

"Yeah? Come on then, let's have a look," he suggested, dragging both Arthur and the waitress across the street to a newsagent's booth. Inside is an older man, bundled in winter clothes. "Hello there! Sorry, uh, obvious question, but where's everybody gone?"

"Oh-ho, scared!" The older man said.

"Right, yes. Scared of what?"

"Where have you been living? London at Christmas? Not safe, is it?"

"Why?" Arthur asked.

"Well, it's them, up above," he points skywards. "Look, Christmas before last we had that big bloody spaceship, everyone standing on a roof," he points at his small TV that is showing a clip. "And then last year, that Christmas Star electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames."

Arthur glances down at the newspaper, finding out that he's in the year 2007. Just a couple of months and I will be born.

"This place is amazing," the waitress asserted.

"It's not really that amazing," Arthur disagreed.

"And this year, Lord knows what. So everybody's scarpered, gone to the country. All except me... and Her Majesty," the older man stands proudly and looks at the TV, where it's showing the news.

"Her Majesty the Queen has confirmed that she will be staying in Buckingham Palace throughout the festive season to show the people of London, and the world, that there's nothing to fear," a reporter said.

"God bless her! We stand vigil."

"Well, between you and me, I think her Majesty's got it right. Far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about," the Doctor said before they suddenly teleported back to the ship.

Arthur looks around. "Wait, why are we back?"

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. A bit of a problem. If I could have your bracelets," Mr. Copper started before a chief steward joined them.

"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, we seem to have suffered a slight power fluctuation. If you'd like to return to the festivities. And on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruiseliners, free drinks will be ticket holders depart."

"That was the best, the best!" The waitress said and glanced at Arthur. "Nice to meet you…"

He smiles. "Arthur. Nice to meet you too…"

"Astrid," she added before leaving.

The Doctor approaches the chief steward. "What sort of power fluctuation?" He asked, getting his attention.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

"I don't think they'll listen," Arthur argued as the Doctor opens the frame and changes some settings until the screen shows the Titanic II and her immediate surroundings.

"They will," he insisted.

"You don't know who I am."

That was a statement, not a question. "No, not until you told me your name."

"But you address me in that video you left for Sally."

"I thought that was… older you," he shrugged, as he saw the shields on the ship were offline. They both look at the nearby porthole to see the three fireballs heading their way. "Damn it," the Time Lord cursed as he started to talk to the bridge. "Is that the bridge? I need to talk to the Captain. You've got a meteoroid storm coming in west 0 by north 2."

"Who is this?" A man responded.

"Just check it! The shields are offline! Three meteorites will crush this ship—!" Arthur yelled as a vision suddenly hit him.

"That's a bit odd, sir, the meteoroids are changing course. Still, we can put the shields up to maximum just in case," a young man noticed as he used his binoculars.

"As you were, Midshipman."

He looks to see the captain pushing buttons on an instrument panel. "Sir? You're magnetising the hull, sir. It's drawing the meteors in."

"You did it on purpose," Arthur realises in absolute horror. "You're going to kill us all."

"What?" The Doctor looks at the intercom and Arthur.

"You have no authorization. You will clear the comms at once."

"Yeah? Just look starboard!"

Two stewards come to escort the Doctor and Arthur out of reception with force. Arthur tries to run, but one of them grabs his wrist without caring that it hurts him. "Let me go!" He cried loudly.

In Reception, the Doctor breaks from the stewards and runs to the stage where the band is playing. "Everyone, listen to me! This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb…"

A host covers the Doctor's mouth and pulls him away.

"Do you know what you're doing?!" He yelled, getting his attention to everyone else as he got dragged away. "You're going to kill everyone on this ship! People will die because you stewards didn't want all the passengers to know about those meteorites that's going to crash!"

"If you don't believe us, check the shields yourself!" The Doctor shouted.

"Sir, I can vouch for him!" Astrid stated.

"Look, Steward, he's just had a bit too much to drink," a man that also went to Earth explained. "And he's just a kid. He might have mistaken something else."

"Sir, something seems to have gone wrong. All the teleports are down," Mr. Copper shared.

"Not now!" A steward retorted, taking the Doctor and Arthur through maintenance corridors as others followed them.

"The shields are down, we are going to get hit!" The Doctor warned.

"Oi! Steward!" A man suddenly shouted. "I'm telling you the shields are down!"

"Listen to him! Listen to him!"

The meteoroids strike the side of the ship and everyone throughout the ship is thrown to the floor. The Doctor quickly shields him and Astrid as the impact hits them. Arthur yelps as he hears explosions surrounding him and something hits his forehead before he collapses.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

When he wakes up, he finds his surroundings have already turned into chaos. He finds himself wrapped by Astrid as everyone tries to hold onto the nearest fixed object while the Doctor sonics a control panel.

"Oxygen shield stabilised," a computer voice announced.

"Everyone all right?" He asked. Astrid? Arthur?"

"Yeah," he and Astrid said at the same time, panting.

"Foon? Morvin? Mister Copper? Bannakaffalatta?"

Bannakaffalatta nods. "Yes."

The Doctor looks at the man before. "You, what was your name?"

"Rickston Slade."

"You all right?"

"No thanks to that idiot."

"The steward just died."

"Then he's a dead idiot."

"Just ignore him, Astrid," Arthur quickly said, wincing his eyes as his head is throbbing in pain.

"What happened?" Astrid asked instead. "How come the shields were down?"

"The Captain did it," the brunette boy replied solemnly as he, the Doctor, and Astrid looked out of the hatchway and the hole in the side of the ship, to the floating debris and bodies in space. "He secretly let the meteorites hit this ship."

"How many dead?"

"We're alive. Just focus on that," the Doctor promised. "I will get you two out of here, Astrid, Arthur. I promise. Look at me. I promise." Astrid looks afraid, but she nods. Arthur nods as well. "Good. Now, if we can get to Reception, I've got a spaceship tucked away."

"That might be a problem," Arthur pointed out as he gestures to the TARDIS that's floating on the space as well.

"That's my ship over there," the Doctor muttered.

Astrid frowns. "Where?"

"There. That box. That little blue box."

"That's a spaceship?"

"Oi, don't knock it."

"It's a bit small."

"A bit distant. Trouble is, once it's set adrift, it's programmed to lock onto the nearest centre of gravity, and that would be the Earth."

"So basically, we're stuck here," Arthur concluded before coughing a little from the dust surrounding him. He winces at his left wrist, where some bruise appears.

The Doctor kindly took his left wrist to take a look. Soon, a bright orange light appears, illuminating Arthur's wrist as it slowly heals. "There," he denoted with a happy tone. "That's much better."

"Thanks," Arthur said, looking at the Doctor with confusion. For a Doctor who seems to indicate some dislike towards him, what he just did… seems to suggest otherwise.

Arthur had prepared himself for his encounter with the Doctor long before the 11th, who hated him or considered him a nuisance. He was prepared for anger, bad treatments, even unwarranted accusations. But so far, this Doctor had not yelled at him, had not accused him, and had even been casual and... rather friendly to him?

Maybe he won't meet that version of his father until he grows up.

"Deck 22 to the bridge. Deck 22 to the bridge. Is there anyone there?" The Doctor asked as he uses a comm.. device.

"This is the bridge," a young man replied.

"Oh hello, sailor. Good to hear you. What's the situation up there?"

"We've got air. The oxygen field is holding. But the captain... He's d*ad. He did it." He starts to sound broken. "I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try."

"All right. Just stay calm. Tell me your name. What's your name?"

"Midshipman Frame."

"Nice to meet you, sir. What's the state of the engines?"

"They're um... Hold on."

Arthur hears a groan. "Are you hurt, mister?"

"I'm all right, kid. It's just… Oh my Vot. They're cycling down."

"That's a nuclear storm drive, yes?" The Doctor guessed.

"Yeah."

"The moment they're gone, we lose orbit."

"The planet."

"Oh yes. If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core."

"This is never going to work."

"Trust me, it'll keep the engines going until I can get to the bridge," the Doctor assured him, switching off the comms and facing the others, who started to panic. The Doctor quickly stops them by saying. "Okay, okay. Tch, tch. First things first. One: we're going to climb through this ship. B... no... two: we're going to reach the bridge. Three or C: we're going to save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low Four or D or that little "iv" in brackets they use in footnotes... why. Right then, follow me."

"Hang on a minute. Who put you in charge and who the hell are you anyway?" Slate demanded.

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all 6 billion of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"

"No."

"In that case, allons-y!"

▪︎▪︎▪︎

The Doctor pushes open a bulkhead door with just a little debris against it. "Careful. Follow me," he said, guiding the others.

"Rather ironic, but this is very much in the spirit of Christmas. It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive depending on whether they've been good or bad. It's barbaric," Mr. Copper commented.

"Actually, that's not true. Christmas is a time of…of peace and thanksgiving and…what am I on about? My Christmases are always like this." He finds a Host under some metal plates. "We've got a Host. Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"We can do robotics. Both of us," Morvin volunteered.

"We work on the milk market back on Sto. It's all robot staff," Food added.

"See if you can get it working. Let's have a look," the Doctor said as he led the rest of them further up.

Arthur frowns as their path gets blocked by wreckage. "Blocked," he remarked, "which means…"

"We shift it," Astrid finished his words with confidence.

"That's the attitude. Rickston, Mister Copper, and you, Bannakaffalatta…" the Doctor stops for a brief moment. "Look, can I just call you Banna? It's going to save a lot of time"

"No. Bannakaffalatta," Bannakaffalatta insisted.

"All right then, Bannakaffalatta. There's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through."

"Easy. Good."

As Bannakaffalatta tries to get through the debris, the ship shakes and more debris shifts, making Arthur nervous.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute," Slade scoffed.

"Oh, Rickston, I forgot," the Doctor recalled. "Did you get that message?"

"No. What message?"

"Shut up!" Both he and Arthur shouted at the same time, earning an amusement look at Astrid.

"Bannakaffalatta made it," Bannakaffalatta said from the other side.

"Me and Arthur are small enough, we can get through," Astrid suggested.

"Careful," the Doctor told them as Astrid let Arthur get first before she followed him.

"I'm okay!" Arthur assured him as he got further inside. "I think we can clear it from this side. Just tell us if it starts moving." As he throws a pipe to the other side, he finds Bannakaffalatta's lying on the floor. "Bannakaffalatta, what's wrong?"

"Shush," he whispered.

"What is it?" Astrid asked as she managed to get through.

"Can't say."

"Are you hurt?"

"Ashamed."

"Why would you be?" Arthur asked, confused.

"Poor Bannakaffalatta." He pulls up his shirt to reveal some cybernetic components on his body.

"You're a cyborg," Astrid realised.

"Had accident long ago. Secret."

"No, but everything's changed now. Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married."

"Marry you?"

"Well, you can buy me a drink first. Come on. Let's recharge you. Arthur, sweetie, help me first," Astrid called as they both pressed a button on his torso. "Just stay there for a bit."

"Tell no one," he pleaded.

"We won't," Arthur swore as Astrid came back to the clearing.

"What's going on up there?" The Doctor asked.

"I think Bannakaffalatta and I just got engaged."

"Almost done!" Morvin shouted from below, earning a throbbing on Arthur's head that followed by a brief vision.

The four Host remove their halos and aim it at several people in a kitchen.

Arthur gasps and quickly shouting as loud as he can. "Morvin, stop! The Host is going to kill us!"

"What?" Morvin replied.

"Just do as he says!" The Doctor insisted, knowing that Arthur had got a premonition just now as he got down and got both Morvin and Foon to go upstairs as he got out the sonic screwdriver and used it on the Host to deactivate it…which didn't work at all.

"Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill," it said in repetition. "Information: Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill."

"Rickston, get them through!" The Doctor ordered.

"No chance," Slade stated as gets through the gap.

"Rickston!" Mr. Copper yelled but he simply got through as well.

"Information override! You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure!" The Doctor commanded the Host.

"Information: Deck 31," it told him.

"I'm stuck!" She yelled, which made Arthur and Astrid help her to get through with Mr. Copper uses a pipe to make a bigger hole so Foon and Morvin can move. After some failed attempts, the couple and the Doctor finally manage to get through.

"Let's go!" The Doctor ushered others to follow him into another open room.

Foon looks at a table. "Morvin, look, food."

"Oh great. Someone's happy," Slade retorted.

"Be quiet," Arthur huffed as he took some food, hungry all of sudden. Morvin and Foon follow him. Then Mr. Copper. Then Bannakaffalatta. Then Astrid as well. Slade simply shakes his head in disgust.

After the Doctor finishing his conversation to Mr. Frame, Astrid and Arthur walk to him, carrying some food. "Saved you some. You might be a Time King from Gaddabee but you need to eat," Astrid insisted.

"Yeah, thanks," he thanked them, took food and sat. They follow him to sit down.

"So, you look good for 903," Astrid noted.

Arthur tried to hide his snort with the fact that he's going to be 43. He wonders what these people will say if they know it.

"You should see me in the mornings," the Doctor remarked.

"He looks like a panda," Arthur whispered beside Astrid, which she reacts by laughing.

Mr. Copper joins them. "Doctor, it must be well past midnight, Earth time. Christmas Day."

"So it is. Merry Christmas."

"This Christmas thing… What's it all about?" Astrid wondered.

"In my place, we celebrate our times together. Very special day. We share gifts. We decorate our houses. We have a snow fight," Arthur chuckles.

"But if the planet's waking up, can't we signal them?" Mr. Copper asked. "They can send up a rocket or something."

"They do, but it's for private stuff. They don't have the luxury to make spaceships."

"No, I read about it. They have shuffles, space shuffles."

"Mr. Copper, this degree in Earthonomics,... where's it from?" The Doctor pondered.

Mr. Copper sighs. "Honestly?"

"Just between us."

"Mrs. Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners."

"You... you lied to the company... to get the job?" Astrid concluded.

"I... I wasted my life on Sto. I was a travelling salesman, always on the road and I reached retirement with nothing to show for it. Not even a home. And Earth sounded so exotic."

The Doctor looks down. "Hm, I suppose it is, yeah."

Astrid glances back-and-forth at the Doctor and Arthur. "How come you two know it so well?"

"I was sort of... a few years ago, was sorta made... well, sort of homeless, and, um there was the Earth," the Doctor responded.

"I was raised on Earth," Arthur replied.

The Doctor frowns. "So you weren't born on Earth?"

"I don't know for sure," he shrugs. For all he knows, he might be born on an asteroid or a spaceship before being sent to Earth.

"Thing is, if we survive this, there will be police and all sorts of investigations," Mr. Copper lamented. "Now the minimum penalty for space-age fraud is 10 years in jail. I'm an old man. Well, I won't survive 10 years."

Suddenly, there's a banging on the door. Both the Doctor and Arthur drop their food and rush to the opposite door. Then, they found a Host already heading their way.

"Quickly! A Host!" Arthur warned, which is enough to get everyone's attention as the pounding continues on the door, which dents from the force.

Astrid screams and they all follow the Doctor to the opposite side. The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver on the door and it opens to reveal a space that runs the height of the ship. The only way across is a makeshift bridge, created by a fallen strut below which are the engines.

"Is that the only way across?" Slade doubted.

"On the other hand, it is a way across," the Doctor pointed out.

"The engines are open," Astrid noticed.

"Nuclear storm drive?" Arthur guessed.

The Doctor nods. "Soon as it stops, the Titanic falls."

"But that thing, it'll never take our weight," Morvin realised.

"It should be working," Arthur theorised. "It's nitrofine metal. It's stronger than it looks, so you and your wife should be safe."

"I don't know, Arthur. I think—" Marvin accidentally takes a step on a weak piece of metal near the edge, causing the railing to give away and making him falls towards the engines with a scream.

"Morvin!" Foon yelled as others watched in shock and horror.

"I told you! I told you!" Slade grumbled.

"Just shut the hell up!" Arthur barked.

"Bring him back!" Foon suddenly begged Arthur, gripping his shoulders. "You know about the Host before, so you should know about that! Bring him back!"

"I… I…"

"Can't you bring him back? Please, bring him back, Arthur!"

"I… I can't."

"You have to!"

"I don't know Morvin will… I swear, I don't know," Arthur bawled.

"You're lying!" Foon shouted in agony. "Tell me you're lying!"

The Doctor quickly separate them and taking Foon on his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he emphasised as she cried over and over.

"Doctor, I rather think those things have got our scent," Mr. Copper noted.

"I'm not waiting," Slade insisted and took a step across the bridge.

"Careful! Take it slowly!" The Doctor warns as the ship shakes and Slade falls onto the beam. "You're okay. One step at a time. Come on, you can do it."

"They're getting closer!" Arthur warned.

"Seal us in," the Doctor mumbled before using the sonic screwdriver in the door.

"Leaving us trapped, wouldn't you say?" Mr. Copper pondered.

"Never say trapped, just inconveniently circumstanced."

"Oh."

"I'm okay!" Slade told the rest.

"Maybe he's all right. Maybe... Maybe there's a gravity curve down there or something. I don't know. Maybe he's unconscious," Foon inclined.

"I'm sorry, Foon. He's gone," Astrid said before hugging her.

"What am I going to do without him?"

"Keep living," Arthur said seriously. "That's what your husband wants. Keep living."

"Arthur, Bannakaffalatta, you two go next," the Doctor suggested after Slade arrived on the other side.

"Bannakaffalatta, small," the alien agreed as he took Arthur with him to step across the bridge.

"Slowly!"

Arthur' heartbeats are getting stronger as the Host are pounding on the door from the other side.

"They've found us!" Astrid said from behind.

"Astrid, get across right now," the Doctor remarked.

"What about you?"

"Just do it. Go on. Mr. Copper, we can't wait. Don't argue. Foon, you've got to get across right now."

"You… You go first…"

"Doctor! The door's locked!" Slade informed.

"Just wait!" Arthur yelled back as the metal suddenly creaked. Oh ow.

"Keep going!" The Doctor told them. "Foon, stay behind me, okay?"

Bannakaffalatta manages to arrive and get Arthur and Astrid safe as well. Arthur watches as Mr. Copper, the Doctor, and Foon try to walk to the other side. Then, suddenly, the pounding stops, leaving them in total silence.

"They've stopped," Astrid realised.

"Gone away?" Bannakaffalatta guessed.

The Doctor gets confused. "Why would they give up?"

"Never mind that. Keep coming!" Slade ordered.

Arthur looks above and gulps, realising that the Host are gliding down from above and encircling them. "Eh, guys?" He called, pointing at them.

"Information: Kill," the Host stated and removed their haloes.

"Arm yourself, all of you!" The Doctor warned.

Everyone on the bridge grabs a bit of pipe and uses it as a bat to send the haloes flying, but one cuts the Doctor's arm, one cuts Arthur's left cheek, and another injures Copper's side.

"I can't," Astried cried in pain.

"Bannakaffalatta stop. Bannakaffalatta proud. Bannakaffalatta cyborg!" Bannakaffalatta yelled as he lifted his shirt and sent out an energy pulse. It short-circuits the Host, sending them plummeting down into the engine core, except one that lands on the catwalk behind the Doctor.

"Electromagnetic pulse took out the robotics. Oh, Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!" The Doctor praised him with a smile…until Bannakaffalatta collapsed.

Arthur and Astrid walk to him. "He's used all his power," Arthur realised.

"Did good?" He asked weakly.

Astrid smiles sadly. "You saved our lives."

"Bannakaffalatta happy."

"We can recharge you. Get you to a powerpoint and just plug you in."

"Too late."

"No, but you got to get me that drink, remember?"

"Pretty girl," he said before he died.

Astrid starts to fasten his shirt, but Copper reaches for a component. "I'm sorry. Forgive me."

"Leave him alone," Astrid insisted.

"It's the EMP transmitter. He'd want us to use it," Mr. Copper elaborated. "I used to sell these things. They'd always give me a bed for the night in the cyborg caravans. They're good people. But if we can recharge it, we can use it as a weapon against the rest of the Host. Bannakaffalatta might have saved us all."

"Do you think? Try telling him that," Slade sneered.

"Can you learn to shut up?" Arthur retorted back.

Before Slade can remark back, the Host that landed behind Foon is moving. "Information: Reboot."

"Use the EMP!" Arthur urged.

Mr. Copper shakes his head. "It's dead. It's dead."

"It's got to have emergency," Astrid pointed out.

"No, no, no. Hold on. Override loophole," the Doctor commanded as it slowly approached Foon. "Security protocol 10. 666. Er, 21, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. I don't know, 42? Er, 1!"

The Host suddenly stops. "Information: State request," it said.

"Good. Right. You've been ordered to kill the survivors, but why?"

"Information: No witnesses."

"But this ship's going to fall on the Earth and kill everyone. The human race have nothing to do with the Titanic, so that contravenes your orders, yes?"

"Information: Incorrect."

"But why do you want to destroy the Earth?"

"Information: It is the plan."

"What plan?"

"Information: Protocol grants you only 3 questions. These 3 questions have been used."

"Well, you could have warned me."

"Information. Now you will die."

As the Host raises its halo to them, Foon suddenly takes a rope from her dress and lassoed it. "You're coming with me," she said and jumped over to the side, dragging the Host after her.

"FOON!" Arthur yelled as she fell down, being held down by Mr. Copper as the Doctor watches in agony.

"No more," he whispered so quietly, Arthur almost mistaken to hear it as an older man's voice.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

They make it out and into another set of maintenance halls. "Right. Get up to Reception 1. Once you're there, Mr. Copper, you've got staff access to the computer. Try and find a way of transmitting an SOS. Astrid, you're in charge of this," he holds out the EMP. "Once it's powered up, it'll take out Hosts within fifty yards but then it needs sixty seconds to recharge. Got it? Rickston, take this," he gives him the sonic screwdriver. "I've preset it. Just hold down that button. It'll open doors. Do not lose it! You got that? Now go and open the next door. Go on! Go!"

"All right!" Slade said as he went.

The Doctor takes down the First Aid kit and hands it to Mr Copper. "Mr. Copper, I need you fighting fit. Astrid, where's the powerpoint?"

"Under the comms," she recalled as they ran to the powerpoint and the Doctor showed her how to recharge the EMP.

"When it's ready, that blue light comes on there," he told her.

"You're talking as if you're not coming with us," Astrid realised.

"There's something down on Deck 31. Me and Arthur are gonna find out what it is."

"Bringing a kid isn't exactly a responsible thing to do."

"He'll be safe with me. Trust me."

"What if you meet a Host?"

"Find a way out," Arthur shrugs. "It's his thing."

The Doctor looks at Arthur with curiosity. Even at this age, he already knows him very personally. He didn't lie about that, he mused with bitterness. "Not by chance," he remarked. "All I do is travel. That's what I am, just a traveller. Imagine it. No tax, no bills, no boss, just the open sky."

"I'm sort of... unemployed now and I was thinking the blue box is kinda small, but I could kinda squeeze in. Like a stowaway," Astrid admitted.

"It's not always safe," he warned. He learned that from a hard way.

"So you need someone to take care of you and Arthur. I've got no one back on Sto, no family, just me. So what do you think? Can I come with you?"

Arthur smiles. "I love to."

"Yeah, I'd like that. Yes," the Doctor agreed as the ship lurched again. The Doctor stood and spoke into the comms. "Mr Frame, you still with us?"

"It's the engines, sir. Final phase. There's nothing more I can do. We've got only 8 minutes left!" Frame informed.

"Don't worry, I'll get there."

"The bridge is sealed off!"

"He'll find a way, Mr. Frame. Don't worry!" Arthur assured him as he cut off the comms.

"All charged up?" The Doctor asked Astrid, who simply nodded. "Mr. Copper, look after her. Astrid, look after him. Rickston, um... look after yourself. And I'll see you again, promise."

"Hold on!" Astrid stops the Doctor. "There's an old tradition on Planet Sto…"

"I've really got to go."

"Just wait a minute!" Astrid takes the first aid box from Mr. Copper, stands on it, grabs the Doctor's lapels and pulls him in for a kiss, leaving Arthur in shock.

After a minute later, the Doctor, still shocked, simply says, "Yeah, that's a very old tradition, yeah."

"See you later!"

"Oh, yes!" He said one last time before he and Arthur left, heading back across the bridge. They run into a small kitchen and are soon surrounded by four Host. The Doctor grabs a pot by the handle while Arthur grabs a spoon, prepared to use it as a weapon. "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Security protocol 1! Do you hear me? 1! 1!" The Host stops advancing. "Okay, that gives me 3 questions. 3 questions to save my life, am I right?"

"Information: correct."

"No, that wasn't one of them. I didn't mean it. That's not fair. Can I start again?"

"Information: no."

"Doctor!" Arthur huffed.

"I know, I know. Blimey. One question left. One question. So, you've been given orders to kill the survivors but survivors must therefore be passengers or staff, but not us. We're not passengers. We're not staff. Go on, scan us. You must have bio-records. No such person on board. We don't exist, therefore you can't kill us. Therefore, we're a stowaway, and stowaways should be arrested and taken to the nearest figure of authority. And I reckon the nearest figure of authority is on deck 31. Final question. Am I right?"

The Host take a moment to think. "Information: Correct."

"Brilliant. Take me to your leader." He looks at Arthur with a smile. "I can see why you like that line."

"Uh, what?"

"Spoilers!"

▪︎▪︎▪︎

The Doctor and Arthur are escorted to the Host storage facility on Deck 31. There is much structural damage as well as small fires.

"Now that is what you call a fixer-upper. Come on then, Host with the most, this ultimate authority of yours, who is it?" The Doctor mused as two doors slid open behind Arthur. They both spin around. "Ooh, that's clever. That's an omnistate impact chamber. Indestructible. You can survive anything in that, eh? Sit through a supernova or a shipwreck. Only one person can have the power and the money to hide themselves onboard like this and I should know, 'cause…"

Arthur watches as a vehicle moves close, revealed to be a giant life-support system for Max Capricorn who is now just a head. "My name is Max," he introduced with his gold tooth glints.

"So it's not just for ad," Arthur commented.

"Who the hell is this?"

"I'm the Doctor. This is Arthur. Hello," the Doctor greeted.

One of the Host informs, "Information: stowaway."

"Well…"

"Kill them," Max ordered.

"Oh, no, no!" The Doctor quickly said, getting Arthur closer by his side. "Wait, but you can't. Not now. Come on, Max... You've given me so much good material like... How to get ahead in business." He looks at Arthur. "See 'head'? 'Head in business'? No?"

"Oh, ho ho, the office joker. I like a funny man. No one's been funny with me for years," Max remarked.

"I can't think why."

"176 years of running the company have taken their toll."

"Yeah, but... nice wheels."

"No, a life-support system in a society that despises cyborgs. I've had to hide away for years. Running the company by hologram. Host, situation report."

"Information: Titanic is still in orbit."

"Let me see." He moves forward and the Doctor steps out of his way, still holding Arthur. We should have crashed by now. What's gone wrong?" Max goes to the edge and looks down on engines. "The engines are still running! They should have stopped!"

"If you do that, the Earth gets roasted," Arthur stated. "Why are you targeting Earth?"

Max huffs. "This interview is terminated."

"No, no, no, no, no, no! Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" The Doctor interjected, trying to buy some time. "I can work it out. It's like a task. I'm your apprentice. Just watch me. So... Business is failing and you wreck the ship so that makes things even worse. Oh yes! No. Yes. The business isn't failing, it's failed. Past tense."

"My own board voted me out. Stabbed me in the back," Max sneered.

"I can see why," Arthur mumbled, looking at the man who's responsible for so many deaths with disdain.

"So… You scupper the ship, wipe out any survivors in case anyone's rumbled you and the board find their shares halved in value," the Doctor guessed. "Oh, but that's not enough. No, 'cause if a Max Capricorn ship hits the Earth, it destroys an entire planet. Outrage back home. Scandal! The business is wiped out."

"And... the whole board thrown in jail for mass murder," Max finished.

"While you sit there, safe inside the impact chamber."

"I have men waiting to retrieve me from the ruins and enough off-world accounts to retire me to the beaches of Pentaxico Two where the ladies, so I'm told, are very fond of... metal."

"So that's the plan. A retirement plan. 2000 on this ship, 6 billion underneath us, all of them slaughtered. And why?"

"Because Max Capricorn is a monster," Arthur replied, looking upset.

"I never lose," Max argued.

"You can't even sink this ship!"

"Oh, but I can, brat. I can cancel the engines from here."

"You can't do this!" The Doctor disagreed as the alarm went off.

"Host, hold them," Max ordered as two Host hold the Doctor by the arms and another two hold Arthur as well, pulling them away. "Not so clever now, Doctor. A shame we couldn't work together. You're rather good. All that banter yet not a word wasted. Time for me to retire. The Titanic is falling. The sky will burn. Let the Christmas inferno commence. Oh! Oh, Host! Kill him and the brat."

The one Host not holding the Doctor removes his halo preparing to follow orders.

"Mr. Capricorn!" Astrid yelled as she's in the forklift. "I resign!"

Astrid lifts Max completely off the ground and powers them both forward through the guard rail, to fall into the engines.

"DON'T!" Arthur shouted, realising what's going to happen as she started the forklift and rushed towards Max Capricorn.

"Astrid, don't!" The Doctor yelled as she lifted the front of Capricorn's life support just enough so the tires had no purchase. His rear tires have enough traction to cause a standoff. The Host who was about to kill the Doctor throws his halo at Astrid but misses, hitting something else. "He's cut the break line!"

With a sheer force of Time Vortex, Arthur, in desperation, runs as far as he can as Astrid raises the fork higher, lifting Max fully off the ground, steps on the gas, and goes over the edge. Before Astrid falls, just in a second, Arthur manages to throw Astrid to the other side as Max and the forklift fall towards the engines, causing him and Astrid to roll on the floor, panting from adrenaline as he starts to have a nosebleed.

"Arthur! Astrid!" The Doctor called, rushing to their side and quickly hugging them, relieved that they're safe. After a minute passed, he let them go, held his arms out to his sides and a Host stood on either side as Astrid shields Arthur behind her and the boy still holding his nose with a handkerchief. The Doctor snaps his fingers and the Host holds his arms upwards, while another also takes Arthur and Astrid's arms, going up and up.

With arms raised the break through the floor of the bridge causing Frame to shout.

"Deadlock broken," a computer said.

"Ah, Midshipman Frame at last!" The Doctor called after he, Arthur, and Astrid arrived.

"Uh, but... but the Host!" Frame pointed out.

"Dead," Arthur assured him with one word, still holding his nose. "The Doctor's in their command, now."

"There's nothing we can do. There's no power. The ship's gonna fall."

"Titanic falling."

The Doctor quickly takes the wheel. "What's your first name?"

"Alonso."

The Doctor glances at Arthur and Frame. "You're kidding me."

"What?" Both Frame and Arthur said at the same time.

"That's something else I've always wanted to say. Allons-y Alonso! Whoa!" He yelled as he spun the ship's wheel, while Frame, Arthur, and Astrid held onto something nearby. Alarms sound as they enter the upper atmosphere, then start to burn on entry. Once into the cloud layer, the Doctor turns on a scanner with his foot to see that their impact area is in west Central London. He grabs the comms. "Oh. Hello, yes, um... could you get me Buckingham Palace? Listen to me! Security Code 771! Now get out of there!"

"Engine active. Engine active."

The Doctor pulls back on the wheel, sending Frame, Arthur, and Astrid back against the wall. Straining and bent over backwards, the Doctor regains control. The ship barely misses Buckingham Palace. At the wheel, the Doctor gasps, unable to believe his luck. He begins to enjoy steering and laughs. Astrid follows him, while Arthur and Frame are still stunned by what just happened.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

Sometime later, Frame and the Doctor are sitting on the floor, with Astrid tending their wound after she did with Arthur, using some med-kit Arthur had on his backpack.

"Used the heat of re-entry to fire up the secondary storm drive," the Doctor explained a bit with amusement. "Unsinkable, that's me."

"We made it," Frame realised.

"We did," Arthur repeated with relief.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

They all quickly rush back to the reception room. "Rickston! Sonic!" The Doctor yelled and Slade threw it and he caught it.

"So, what happens now?" Astrid asked.

"The engines have stabilised. We're holding steady till we get help, and I've sent the SOS. A rescue ship should be here within 20 minutes. And they're digging out the records on Max Capricorn. It should be quite a story," Frame informed.

"They'll want to talk to all of us, I suppose," Mr. Copper guessed.

"I'd have thought so, yeah."

"I think one or two inconvenient truths might come to light. Still, it's my own fault, and 10 years in jail is better than dying."

"Doctor... I never said... Thank you," he remarked before giving him a quick hug. "The funny thing is... I said Max Capricorn was falling apart. Just before the crash, I... sold all my shares, transferred them to his rivals. It's made me rich. What do you think of that?"

"You're just the worst," Arthur growled.

Slade's simply leering as his phone rings. "Salvain. Those shares. I want them triple bonded and locked," he said over the phone.

"Of all the people to survive, he's not the one you would have chosen, is he?" Mr. Copper wondered. "But if you could choose, Doctor, if you decide who lives and who dies… that would make you a monster."

The Doctor can't help but shift his gaze at Arthur, who's still looking at Slade with a disgusting face. Mr. Copper's words might sound like a genuine warning, but all he can feel is the painful reminder of all the horrible sentences he had said to Arthur back in the past, and to see a child version of him standing next to him, not knowing what his future is, isn't assuring him at all.

Arthur scrunches his face. "I'm going to jump," he suddenly said, looking at the Doctor with sadness. "See you soon, Doctor."

As he disappears, the Doctor sighs and looks at Mr. Copper. "Mr. Copper, I think you deserve one of these," the Doctor said, showing him three teleport bracelets.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

Meanwhile, inside an invisible Tardis, the 11th Doctor watches the conversation between his past self, Mr. Copper, and Astrid on an open field as the snow falls down. He looks upset at the monitor, to see the happy expression on the man he used to be, not knowing the consequences of what he didn't know to Arthur.