"Cardiff." The Doctor announced, pulling a lever on the console.
"Cardiff?" Martha exclaimed.
"Ah, but the thing about Cardiff is that it's built on a rift in time and space-" Zara explained, standing by the scanner.
"Just like California and the San Andreas Fault." The Doctor added.
Zara whacked him on the arm as he walked past, "The rift bleeds energy." She continued. "Every now and then The Doctor needs to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel."
Martha nodded, understanding, "So it's a pit stop."
"Exactly." The Doctor nodded.
"Wait a minute." Martha frowned. "They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple years ago. Was that you?"
"Bit of trouble with the Slitheen."
Zara scoffed, "A bit?"
"How did you know about it?" She opened his mouth to answer when he nodded, already knowing. "Boe." He turned back to Martha, continuing. "Anyway, long time ago. Lifetimes. I was a different man back then." Zara frowned, looking over at the doors, swearing she could hear someone calling The Doctor's name. The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder, reaching over to pull a lever, "You alright?" She nodded, looking away. "Finito. All powered up." He moved round to the scanner, seeing something. Zara moved round to look at it when The Doctor pulled a lever to materialize, sending The TARDIS in a frenzy, throwing the three of them to the floor making the console spark.
"What's that?" Martha gasped as the clung onto the console.
"We're accelerating into the future." Zara breathed, looking at the scanner. "The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. 50 trillion. What? The year 100 trillion. That's impossible!"
"Why? What happens then?"
"We're going to the end of the universe." The Doctor gulped.
The TARDIS landed with a thump.
"Well, we've landed." Zara muttered as they pulled themselves to their feet.
"So what's out there?" Martha asked.
"I don't know." The Doctor mumbled.
"Say that again. That's rare."
"Not even the Time Lords came this far." Zara said, looking up at The Doctor who nodded back in agreement.
"We should leave. We should go. WE should really, really…go." The Doctor muttered. Zara let out a laugh, grinning widely and ran for the door. Martha rolled her eyes in amusement and The Doctor shrugged, following out after her.
The three stepped out onto a bleak landscape and Martha looked down to find a tall man with dark hair in a world war two jacket on, lying on the floor, unconcious.
"Oh my God!" She gasped, tapping The Doctor's arm before rushing over to him. "Can't get a pulse. Hold on—you've got that medical kit thing." She bolted back into The TARDIS.
Zara blinked at the man, "Is that who I think it is?" She asked.
The Doctor nodded, "Did Boe tell you about him?"
"Uh, no." The Doctor frowned slightly. "The TARDIS memory banks and uh, universal whispers." She breathed in sharply. "Captain Jack Harkness."
"Hello again." The Doctor sighed, looking down at Jack. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Here we go." Martha said, rushing out of The TARDIS. "Out of the way." She shoved the Doctor out of the way, kneeling down next to Jack. "It's a bit odd, though. Not very 100 trillion—that coat's more like World War II."
"I think he came with us."
"How d'you mean? From Earth?"
"Must've been clinging to the outside of the TARDIS all the way through the vortex." Zara muttered, glancing at The TARDIS.
"Well, that very him." The Doctor nodded.
"What? Do you know him?" Martha asked.
"Friend of mine. Used to travel with me. Back in the old days."
"But he's—I'm sorry, there's no heartbeat." She said sadly, looking up at him. "There's nothing. He's dead." Jack gasped violently, jolting back to life, grabbing onto Martha, making her scream. "Oh well, so much for me. It's all right." She looked back at Jack, calming him down. "Just breathe deep. I've got you now."
"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack introduced. "And who are you?"
"Martha Jones."
"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't start!"
"I was just saying hello."
"I don't mind." Martha smiled, helping Jack stand.
Jack looked over at Zara with a smile, "Captain Jack Harkness, and who are you?"
Zara smiled at him, holding out her hand to him, "Zara Saxon." Jack took her hand, placing a kiss to the back of it, much to Martha amusement and The Doctor's discomfort.
Jack let go of her hand, turning and looking a The Doctor. The two stared back at each other for a while, "Doctor."
"Captain." The Doctor nodded.
"Good to see you."
"And you. Same as ever…although…have you had work done?"
"You can talk!"
"Oh yes, the face. Regeneration. How did you know this was me?"
"The police box kinda gives it away." He nodded at The TARDIS. "I've been following you for a long time. You abandoned me."
"Did I? Busy life. Move on." Zara glared at him, nudging him in the side.
"Just gotta ask." Jack began hesitantly. "The Battle of Canary Wharf. I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler."
"Oh no! Sorry! She's alive!"
"You're kidding?!"
"Parallel world safe and sound. And Mickey! And her mother!"
"Oh yes!"
The two laughed, hugging tightly as Martha looked over at Zara.
"Good old Rose." Martha muttered quietly, watching Zara as she grinned at the two men happily. She'd spent way too long trying get Zara to notice The Doctor had feelings for her... in fact, sometimes, she didn't think The Doctor would admit it to himself, let alone her. And the mention of Rose popping up every now and then didn't help.
...
"So there I was, stranded in the year 200,100, ankle-deep in Dalek dust, and he goes off without me." Jack explained as the four of them walked through the landscape. "But I had this." He tapped his vortex manipulator on his wrist. "I used to be a Time Agent. It's called a vortex manipulator. He's not the only one who can time travel."
"Oh, excuse me." The Doctor scoffed. "That is not time travel. It's like I've got a sports car and you've got a space hopper."
Martha laughed, "Boys and their toys."
"All right, so I bounced." Jack glared. "I thought '21st century, best place to find the Doctor' except that I got it a little wrong. I arrived in 1869 and this thing burnt out so it was useless."
"Told you." The Doctor remarked.
"I had to live through the entire 20th century waiting for a version of you that would coincide with me."
"That makes you more that 100 years old." Martha said, eyeing him.
"And looking good, doncha think? So I went to the time rift, based myself thing 'cause I knew you'd come back to refuel. Until finally I get a signal on this detecting you and here we are."
Martha looked over at him, "But the thing is, how come you left him behind, Doctor?"
"I was busy." The Doctor defended, earning a slap round the head from Zara, making Jack laugh. "Ow!"
"Idiot." Zara hissed.
"Genius." He muttered.
"Is that what happens, though?" Martha asked. "Seriously? Do you just get bored with us one day and disappear?"
"Not if you're blonde." Jack said.
"Oh, she was blonde?" She asked sarcastically. "Oh what a surprise?"
"You two!" The Doctor snapped. "We're at the end of the universe. All right? We're at the edge of knowledge itself and you're busy…blogging! Come on."
They walked to the edge of a canyon, looking out across some sort of deserted city.
"Is that a city?" Martha asked.
"A city or a hive. Or a nest. Or a conglomeration. Looks like it was grown."
"But look there." Zara said, pointing at some pathways. "That's like pathways, roads…Must have been some sort of life. Long ago."
"What killed it?" Martha asked.
"Time. Just time. Everything's dying now. All the great civilizations have gone. This isn't just night." She sighed, nodding up at the sky. "All the stars have burned up and faded away into nothing."
Jack eyed Zara, "She's a smart one, Doctor."
"Smarter than me." The Doctor muttered.
"It must have an atmospheric shell" Jack frowned. "We should be frozen to death."
"Well, Martha, Zara and I, maybe. Not so sure about you, Jack." He looked over at Jack.
"What about the people?" Martha asked. "Does no one survive?"
"I suppose we have to hope." Zara smiled as The Doctor took her hand, squeezing it. "Life will find a way." She frowned, watching at a man desperatley sprining along one of the pathways from a group of beasty men, carrying torches.
"Well, he's not doin' too bad." Jack nodded at him.
"Is it me, or does that look like a hunt?" The Doctor asked.
Zara pulled him off, "Come on!" She called.
Jack laughed, him and Martha running after them, "Oh, I've missed this!" They ran into the man and Jack grabbed hold of him. "I've got you."
"We've gotta run!" The man gasped. "They're coming! They're coming!" Jack pushed the man behind to The Doctor and pulled out his revolver, pointing it at the group of beasty people.
"Jack, don't you dare!" The Doctor shouted at him. Zara grabbed hold of Jack's wrist, aiming the gun in the air and firing, stopping the hunters.
"What the hell are they?" Martha asked.
"There's more of them." The man gasped. "We've got to keep going."
"I've got a ship nearby. It's safe. It's not far, it's just over there." The Doctor said, glancing back in the direction the came to find more of the hunters running their way. "Or maybe not."
"We're close to the silo. If we get to the silo, then we're safe."
The Doctor looked at Jack, Zara and Martha, "Silo?"
"Silo." Jack nodded.
"Silo for me." Martha agreed.
"Silo, definitely." Zara breathed, pulling them off.
...
The five of them ran up to the silo followed by the group of hunters. They ran up to the gate, looking at the guards on the other side.
"It's the Futurekind!" The man gasped. "Open the gate!"
"Show me your teeth!" The guard shouted. "Show me your teeth! Show me your teeth!"
The man looked back at them, "Show them your teeth."
The five of them gritted their teeth to the guard, "Human! Let 'em in! Let 'em in!" They opened the gate and the five of them bolted in. "Close! Close! Close!" The guard fired his gun at the ground in the front of the hunters.
"Humans. Humani." Their leader hissed. "Make feast."
"Go back to where you came from. I said go back! Go back!" The guard aimed the gun at him.
"Oh, don't tell him to put down his gun." Jack commented.
"He's not my responsibility." The Doctor replied.
"And I am?" He scoffed. "That makes a change."
"Kind watch you." The leader spat. "Kind hungry." He signalled to the other hunters and they backed away.
"Thanks for that." Zara breathed, putting a hand on the guard's shoulder in thanks.
"Right." The guard nodded. "Let's get you inside."
"My name is Padrafet Shafekane." The man said as they turned to go into the silo. "Please tell me, can you take me to Utopia?"
"Oh yes, sir. Yes, I can."
...
"It's a box, a big blue box." Zara explained to the guard, Atillo. "I'm sorry, but we really need it back. It's stuck out there."
"I'm sorry, but my family were heading for the silo." Padra added. "Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafekane. My brother is Beltone."
"The computers are down but you can check the paperwork." Atillo smiled. "Creet!" A young blonde boy of about 10 stuck his head around the corner. "Passenger needs help."
"Right. What d'you need?" Creet nodded, beckoning Padra over to look at his clipboard.
Atillo turned back to Zara, The Doctor, Martha and Jack, "A blue box, you said."
"Big, tall, wooden. Says 'Police'." The Doctor nodded.
"We're driving out for a last water collection. I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you."
Creet turned to Padra, "Come on."
Martha frowned at him, "Sorry, but how old are you?" She asked.
"Old enough to work. This way." The group turned and followed Creet down the hallway of cuddled up people with their possesions, smelling and dirty, "Kistane Shafekane." He called. "Kistane Shafekane. Kistane and Beltone Shafekane? Looking for a Kistane and Beltone Shafekane."
"The Shafekanes anyone?" Padra called.
"Anyone? Kistane and Beltone Shefkane? Anyone know the Shefkane family? Anyone called Shafekane?"
"It's like a refugee camp." Martha said.
"Stinking." Jack nodde, passing a large man who stared back at him. "Ooh, sorry. No offence."
"Don't you see that?" The Doctor grinned. "The ripe old smell of humans. You survived. Oh, much better than a million years evolving into clouds of gas. And then another million as downloads, but you always revert tp the same basic shape. The fundamental humans."
"Kistane Shafekane." Creet called.
"End of the universe and here you are. Indomitable! That's the word! Indomitable! Ha!" Zara laughed at him, shaking her head.
"Is there a Kistane Shafekane?"
A woman stood up in the crowd, "That's me." She gasped, spotting Padra.
"Mother?" Padra gasped.
"Oh my God."
"Beltone?" He ran over, embracing his family.
"It's not all bad news." Martha grinned.
A good looking man walked past Jack, "Captain Jack Harkness." He shook the man's hand. "And who are you?"
"Stop it." The Doctor called over, sonicing a panel on a door. "Give us a hand with this." Jack, Zara and Martha moved over to him. "It's half deadlocked. See if you can overwrite the code." Jack moved over to the keypad as Zara snatched the sonic from The Doctor's hand, using it on the door as he rolled his eyes at her. "Let's find out where we are." The door slid open and The Doctor slipped, Zara and Jack pulling him back in.
"Gotcha." Jack muttered.
"Thanks."
"How did you cope without me?"
Martha gasped, looking out at the rocket, "Now that is what I call a rocket."
"They're not refugees, they're passengers." Zara smiled.
"He said they were going to Utopia."
"The perfect place." The Doctor nodded. "100 trillion years, it's still the same old dream." He looked at Zara and Jack. "Do you two recognize those engines?"
"Nope." Jack shook his head.
Zara nodded in agreement, having no idea, "Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though."
"Boiling." The Doctor agreed. The four stepped back and Jack pressed on the control panel, shutting the door. "But if the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?"
An older man, Professor Yana, ran up to them, looking between Jack and The Doctor, before settling on Jack, "The Doctor?" He asked.
"That's me." The Doctor said.
Yana looked at him, grabbing his hand and leading him away, "Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good."
The Doctor looked back at the others, "It's good apparently."
Zara laughed, grabbing Martha's hand and pulling her after him, Jack following.
...
Yana pulled The Doctor into a lab, a blue insect like alien, Chantho, standing by the door in a white lab coat.
"Chan—welcome—tho." Chantho greeted as Jack, Martha and Zara appeared.
Yana pulled The Doctor through the lab, showing him machinery, "This is the gravitissimal accelerator. It's part of the..."
"Chan—welcome—tho." Chantho smiled at Martha and Jack as Zara pushed past them, keeping up with Yana as he explained everything to The Doctor.
"And over here is the footprint impellor system. If you know anything about endtime gravity..." The Doctor looked back, half getting what was going on as Zara nodded, understanding.
"Hello." Martha smiled at Chantho. "Who are you?"
"Chan—Chantho—tho." Chantho replied.
"But we can't get it to harmonize!" Yana cried, The Doctor and Zara sharing an amused look.
"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack introduced to Chantho.
"Stop it." The Doctor called over.
"Can't I say hello to anyone?"
"Chan—I do not protest—tho." Chantho blushed.
"Maybe later, Blue." Jack winked, turning back to The Doctor. "So, what have we got here?"
Martha followed Jack round, staring at his backpack as it made a noise.
Zara looked up at the machinery, "And all this feeds into the rocket?" She asked.
"Yeah, except without a stable footprint we'll never achieve escape velocity." Yana nodded. "If only we could harmonize the five impact patterns and unify them, well, we might yet make it. What do you think, Doctor? Any ideas?"
"Well, um, basically…sort of…not a clue." The Doctor sighed, putting his arm around Zara's shoulder. "She's the genius."
Yana looked over Zara hopefully, "Anything?"
Zara shook her head, "I've never seen a system like it. Sorry."
"No, no. I'm sorry." He shook his head. "It's my fault. There's been so little help."
Martha sat down in the sitting area, pulling a bubbling container out of Jack's hand, "Oh my God." She gasped, eyeing the hand in the jar. "You've got a hand. A hand in a jar. A hand in a jar in your bag."
The Doctor moved over, pulling Zara with him, "That's—that's my hand!" He spluttered.
"I said I had a Doctor detector." Jack shrugged.
"Chan—is this a tradition amongst your people—tho?" Chantho frowned at it.
"Not on my street." Martha gaped. "What d'you mean that's your hand? You've got both your hands, I can see them."
"Long story. I lost my hand Christmas Day. In a swordfight." The Doctor waved her off.
"What? And you grew another hand?"
"Um yeah. Yeah I did. Yeah. Hello." He smiled, waving his fingers at her.
Zara leaned over, looking at the hand, "Was that during your first 15 hours of regeneration?" She muttered before looking up at him, impressed. "Not bad."
Yana eyed The Doctor, "Might I ask what species are you?" He asked.
"Time Lord. Last of." The Doctor replied. "Heard of them? Legend or anything?" Yana and Chantho stared back at him blankly. "Not even a myth? Blimey, end of the universe is a bit humbling."
"Chan—It is said that I am the last of my species too—tho." Chantho said.
"Sorry, what was your name?"
"My assistant and good friend, Chantho." Yana introduced. "A survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassairo, before we took refuge."
"The city outside, that was yours?" Zara asked.
"Chan—the conglomeration died—tho." Chantho nodded.
"Conglomeration!" The Doctor cheered. "That's what I said!" He grinned, looking at Zara, who raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're supposed to say sorry." Jack remarked.
"Oh, yes. Sorry."
"Chan—most grateful—tho." Chantho smiled.
Martha frowned, "You grew another hand?"
The Doctor waved his fingers at her, "Hello again. It's fine. Look. Really, it's me." He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers again before shaking her hand.
"All this time and you're still full of surprises."
The Doctor clinked his tongue and winked at her.
"Chan-you are most unusual—tho." Chantho commented.
"Well…" The Doctor began.
"So what about those things outside?" Jack asked. "The Beastie Boys. What are they?"
"We call them the Futurekind." Yana replied. "Which is a myth in itself, but, uh, it is feared they are what we will become. Unless we reach Utopia."
"And Utopia is…" The Doctor wondered.
"Oh, every human knows of Utopia. Where have you been?"
"Bit of a hermit."
Yana looked between Martha, Jack and Zara, "A hermit with friends?"
"Hermits United. We meet up every ten years. Swap stories about caves. It's good fun…for a hermit. So, um, Utopia?"
Yana led them over to a computer, showing them a navigational chart with a red blinking dot, "The call came from across the stars over and over again. Come to Utopia. Originated from that point."
"Where is that?" Zara mumbled.
"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness. Out towards the wildlands and the dark matter reefs. Calling us in. The last of the humans. Scattered across the night."
"What do you think's out there?"
"I don't know. A colony, a city, some sort of haven? The Science Foundation created the Utopia Project thousands of years ago to preserve mankind—to find a way of surviving beyond the collapse of reality itself. Now perhaps they found it. Perhaps not. But it's worth a look, don't you think?"
"Oh yes." The Doctor grinned as Yana blinked, a drumming noise in the older man's mind.
"And the signal keeps modulating, so it's not automatic." Zara continued. "There's a good sign. Someone's out there. And that's…" She looked around at all the different pieces, "Ooh, that's a navigation matrix, isn't it? So you can fly without stars to guide you."
The Doctor glanced over at Yana, noticing something wrong with him, "Professor? Professor?"
"I—Right, that's enough talk." Yana nodded, shaking his head. "There's work to do. Now if you could leave. Thank you." He turned and walked away.
"You all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine! And busy!"
"Except that rocket's not going to fly, is it?" Zara called softly, making him turn back to her. "This footprint mechanism thing, it's not working."
"We'll find a way!"
"You're stuck on this planet. And you haven't told them, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're gonna fly."
"Well, it's better to let them live in hope."
"Quite right, too." The Doctor nodded. "And I must say, Professor…" He took off his coat, throwing it to Jack as he passed it. "Um, what was it?"
"Yana."
"Professor Yana." He passed Zara the sonic. "This new science is well beyond me, but all the same..." He gestured to Zara to continue.
"A boost reversal circuit, in any time frame, must be a circuit which reverses the boost." Zara continued. "So, I wonder, what would happen if I did this?" She picked up the circuit, sonicing it and pulled on the switch, sending power through out the whole system.
"Chan—it's working—tho!" Chantho gasped.
"But how did you do that?" Yana asked.
"Oh, we've been chatting away." The Doctor waved a hand at him as Martha and Jack grinned at Zara. "I forgot to tell you, she's brilliant."
Zara rolled her eyes at him, "Idiot."
"Genius." He winked back at her.
...
The Doctor and Zara stood on one side of a large clear circuit board, Yana on the other, the three of them working.
The Doctor picked up a cord, sniffing it, "Is this..?" He asked, more Zara than Yana.
Zara peered down at it, "Yes, gluten extract."
"Binds the neutralino map together." Yana nodded.
"But that's food. You've built this system out of food and string and staples. Professor Yana, you're a genius."
Yana smiled at her, "Says the woman who made it work."
"Ooh…it's easy coming in at the end but…you're stellar."
"This is…this is magnificent." The Doctor added, grinning. "I don't often say that 'cause…well, 'cause of me... and well... her."
"Well, even my title is an affectation." Yana shrugged. "There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over a thousand years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another."
"If you had been born in a different time, you'd be revered." Yana chuckled at him. "I mean it. Throughout the galaxies."
"Oh, those damned galaxies. They had to go and collapse. Some admiration would have been nice. Just a little. Just once."
"Well you've got it now." Zara smiled at the man. There was something about the man... she just felt something about him. A warmth towards the man.
"But that footprint engine thing." The Doctor continued sadly. "You can't activate it from onboard. It's gotta be from here. You're staying behind."
"With Chantho." Yana nodded. "She won't leave without me. Simply refuses."
"You would give your life so they could fly."
"Oh, I think I'm a little too old for Utopia. Time I had some sleep."
"Professor, tell the Doctor we've found his blue box." Atillo called over the speaker.
"Ah!" The Doctor cheered.
"Doctor." Jack called over from the monitor. The three of them moved over to him, looking on the scanner to see The TARDIS safe inside the silo.
Zara put a hand on Yana's shoulder, "Professor, it's a wild stab in the dark, but I may just have found you a way out."
...
The Doctor pulled a long power line out of The TARDIS into the lab, passing it to Zara.
"Extra power." Zara grinned, plugging the power line into the outlet. "Little bit of a cheat, but who's counting?"
"Jack, you're in charge of the retro-feeds." The Doctor called over as Martha and Chantho returned to the lab.
Martha smiled, "Oh, am I glad to see that thing." She said with relief.
Chantho headed over to Yana, who was sat down, seeming distracted, "Chan—Professor, are you all right—tho?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm fine." He nodded. "I'm fine. Just get on with it."
Jack nodded at a bit of machinery to Martha, "Connect those circuits into the spar—same as that last lot. But quicker."
"Yes, sir." Martha laughed.
Zara moved over to Yana, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to keep working. We can handle it."
"It's just a headache." Yana mumbled, shaking his head. "Just—Just noise inside my head, Zara. Constant noise inside my head."
The Doctor made his way over, hearing the last bit, "What sort of noise?" He asked.
"It's the sound of drums. More and more as though it's getting closer."
"When did it start?"
"Oh, I've had it all my life. Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked." He breathed in sharply, standing up and returning to his work.
Zara sighed, looking out in the distance. The Doctor looked at her, concerned, putting his arm around her waist.
"You alright?" He mumbled, placing a kiss on her head.
"Fine." Zara muttered. "It's just... I'm tired." She looked up at him and smiled.
Behind them, Jack watched carefully, smiling slightly.
...
"Professor!" Atillo called through the computer. "Systems are down. Professor, are you getting me?"
"I'm here!" Yana replied. "We're ready! Now all you need to do is connect the couplings. Then we can launch." The connection cut off, making Yana groan. "God sakes! This equipment! Needs rebooting all the time!"
"Anything I can do?" Martha asked, appearing behind him. "I've finished that lot."
"Yes, if you could." He got up, Martha sitting down in his seat. "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes out."
"Certainly, sir. Just don't ask me to do shorthand." She nodded, pressing the button.
Atillo reappeared on screen, "Are you still there?" He asked.
"Ah, present and correct." Yana called. "Send your man inside. We'll keep the levels down from here."
"He's inside. And good luck to him."
"Captain, keep the levels below the red." Yana called over to Jack, who nodded back at him.
The Doctor and Zara moved over, looking over at the screen, "Where is that room?" Zara asked.
"It's underneath the rocket. Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation."
"Stet? Never heard of it."
"You wouldn't want to. But it's safe enough. We can hold the radiation back from here." On the screen, they watched as a man in a radiation suit worked on the couplings before an alarm began to sound. "It's rising…0.2. Keep it level!"
"Yes, sir!" Jack called as the man moved onto the second coupling when suddenly, more alarms started blaring.
"Chan—we're losing power—tho!" Chantho gasped.
Zara looked over at one of the monitors, "Radiation's rising!" She called.
"We've lost control!" Jack shouted.
"The chamber's going to flood." Yana gulped.
"Jack!" The Doctor shouted, moving over to help Zara as they worked quickly on the machinery. "Override the vents!"
Jack ran over and picked up two lives cables, "We can jump start the override!"
"Don't! It's going to flare!" Zara shouted, running forward to stop him. He screamed as the two cables connected, power running through him as The Doctor pulled her back by the waist. They watched in horror as he screamed helplessly before falling to the floor.
On screen, the man in the radiation chamber disintergrated, the suit falling to the floor.
Martha rushed over to Jack, "I've got him."
"Chan—don't touch the cables—tho." Chantho gasped, pushing the cables aside.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Yana gasped, himself and Chantho rushing to check on Jack as The Doctor and Zara watched, unpertubed.
"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" Zara asked Yana.
Martha leaned down, starting mouth to mouth on Jack.
"Without the couplings, the engines will never start. It was all for nothing!" Yana sighed.
"Oh, I don't know." The Doctor shrugged. "Martha, leave him." He and Zara pulled her up gently.
"You've gotta let me try." Martha mumbled.
"Come on. Come on. Just listen to me. Now leave him alone." He put a comforting arm around her.
"It strikes me, Professor, you've got a room a man can't enter without dying." Zara smiled. "Is that correct?"
"Yes." Yana nodded.
"Well…" The Doctor began as Jack gasped back to life. He took off his glasses, "I've got just the man."
"Was someone kissing me?" Jack gasped.
...
Martha sat at the computer, Zara next to her on the floor, her back against the desk, "We lost picture when that thing flared up." Martha called to The Doctor and Jack. "Doctor, are you there?"
"Receiving, yeah." The Doctor replied. "He's inside."
"And still alive?"
"Oh, yes."
"But he should evaporate." Yana frowned, appearing behind her. "What sort of a man is he?"
"I've only just met him. The Doctor sort of travels through time and space and picks people up. God, I make us sound like stray dogs. Maybe we are."
Zara smiled, shaking her head, "I wouldn't call us stray dogs, Martha. More like... lions. The Doctor is like a little cub, and we make him better."
"He travels in time?" Yana asked, looking away distractedly.
"Don't ask me to explain it." Martha replied. "That's a TARDIS." She nodded back at The TARDIS. "The sports car of time travel, he says."
"When did you first realize?" The Doctor asked, catching Martha and Zara's attention.
"Earth 1892." Jack replied. "Got in a fight in Ellis Island. A man shot me through the heart. Then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange. But then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II, poison, strangulation, a stray javelin… In the end, I got the message, I'm the man who can never die. And all that time you knew."
"That's why I left you behind. It's not easy even just…just looking at you Jack, 'cause you're wrong."
"Thanks."
"You are, I can't help it. I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct. It's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time a space. You're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you—tried to shake you off. Flew all the way to the end of the universe just to get rid of you."
"So what you're saying is that you're, uh," He groaned slightly, finishing the third coupling. "Prejudiced?"
"I never thought of it like that."
"Yeah." He sighed. "Last thing I remember back when I was mortal…I was facing three Daleks. Death by extermination. And then I came back to life. What happened?"
"Rose."
"I thought you sent her back home."
"She came back. Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"No one's ever mean to have that power. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god, a vengeful god. But she was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life."
"Do you think she could change me back?"
"I took the power out of her. She's gone, Jack. She's not just living on a parallel world, she's trapped there. The walls have closed."
"I'm sorry."
"Yep."
"I went back to her estate, in the 90s, just once or twice. Watched her growing up. Never said hello, timelines and all that." He paused a minute, the girls listening in silence. "So... Zara."
"What about her?"
"You two..."
"What?"
"You obviously care an afwul lot about her."
"She's my companion."
"But the way you act with her... You had your arm around her, kissing her on the head..."
Martha smirked, looking down at Zara, "See, he sees it as well."
"Shutup Martha." Zara rolled her eyes.
"Oh my god." Jack laughed. "You don't see it, do you?"
"See what?" The Doctor asked.
"You've got your perfect woman living right under your nose, you realise that?"
The Doctor laughed, "We spend a lot of our time arguing."
"Exactly. She puts you in your place, snaps and shouts at you and keeps you on your toes."
He breathed in sharply, "Do you wanna die?" He asked quickly, changing the subject.
"Oh, this one's a little stuck." Jack groaned, pulling on the coupling.
"Jack?"
"I thought I did. I dunno. But this lot, you see them out here surviving and that's fantastic."
"You may be out there somewhere."
"I could go meet myself."
"Well, the only man you're ever gonna be happy with."
"This new regeneration, it's kinda cheeky."
"Hmm."
"I never understand half the things he says." Martha sighed.
Zara stared up at Yana, who had been watching him the whole time as he stared in the distance, lost in a world of his own, "What's wrong?" She asked, getting up.
"Chan—Professor, what is it—tho?" Chantho asked.
"Time travel." Yana shook his head. "They say there was time travel back in the old days. I never believed. But what would I know? I'm just a stupid old man. Never could keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked." He pulled out a fobwatch from his waistcoat pocket, identical to The Doctor's from when he was human. "Time and time and time again. Always running out on me."
Martha stared at it in horror as Zara looked in concern, "Can I have a look at that?" Martha asked.
"Oh, it's only an old relic." He chuckled. "Like me."
"Where did you get it?"
"Hm? I was found with it."
"What do you mean?" Zara frowned.
"An orphan in the storm. I was a naked child found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned with only this."
"Have you opened it?" Martha asked.
"Why would I? It's broken."
"How do you know it's broken if you never opened it?"
"It's stuck. It's old. It's not meant to be. I don't know." Martha turned it over in his hand to find Gallifreyan engravings on the back. She stepped back, breathing nervously as Zara eyed Yana calmly, slightly on edge. "Does it matter?"
"No. It's…nothing. It's…Listen, everything's fine up here. I'm gonna see if the Doctor needs me." She turned to leave before noticing Zara wasn't following. "Zar?"
"I'm gonna keep an eye up here." Zara muttered, her gaze stiff on Yana. "Don't worry, I'm alright." Martha nodded, running off.
Yana stared down at the watch, completely lost, voices pounding in his head.
"Chan—Yana, won't you please take some rest—tho?" Chantho begged.
Yana reached for the button on the top of the watch as Zara watched carefully, "Yana don't you dare!" She snapped. If he was a Time Lord, she knew that The Doctor should be around to deal with it. The Time Lords... If they'd all died and one had come back... Well, which one?! Yana opened the watch, golden energy filtering out of it towards his face.
"Chan—Professor Yana—tho?" Chantho asked nervously. Yana turned away from The TARDIS, facing Chantho and Zara, clearly no longer the sweet old man he was before. He moved over and yanked a lever, locking the main door, shutting The Doctor, Martha and Jack out. "Chan—but you've locked them in—tho."
"Not to worry, my dear. As one door closes, another must open." He sneered, throwing another switch and opening the main gate to the silo.
"Chan—you must stop—tho!"
"You've lowered the defences." Zara breathed, watching him angrily. "You're letting the future kind in!" She bolted forward, trying to pull at the controls, only for him to push her to the floor.
Chantho gasped, looking back to Yana, "Chan—Professor, I'm so sorry but I must stop you. You're destroying all our work—tho." She pulled a gun from her waist as Yana turned to look at her as she aimed it at him.
"Oh…now I can say I was provoked." He snapped. He picked up one of the sparking cables from the floor, advancing towards Chantho. "Did you never think, in all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch? Never? Did you never think, not ever, that you could set me free?"
"Chan—I'm sorry—tho. Chan—I'm so sorry." Chantho whispered.
"And you with your 'chan' and your 'tho' driving me insane."
QChan—Professor, please—Q
"That is not my name! The Professor…was an invention. So perfect a disguise that I forgot who I am."
"Chan—who are you—tho?"
"I am the Master." He whispered, thrusting the cable forward, sending Chantho flying to the floor. He moved over and picked up The Doctor's hand.
"Professor!" The Doctor shouted, appearing at the door. "Zara, let me in! Let me in! Jack, get the door open!" The Master walked up to the computer, looking at the navigational chart for Utopia. "Professor! Professor, where are you?! Professor! Professor, are you there?! Please, I need to explain! Whatever you do, don't open that watch! Zara open the door!"
The Master removed the circuit board, "Utopia."
"They're coming!" Martha cried.
"Professor!" The Doctor shouted. The Master moved over to The TARDIS, pulling the cables from it. "Open the door, please! I'm begging you, Professor! Please! Listen to me!" Chantho, lying on the floor, reached for her gun. "Open the door, please!" The Master turned around and Chantho fired. He groaned and staggered against the TARDIS as Zara scrambled to her feet. She grabbed hold of him, bashing him by the head against the door of The TARDIS, screaming as she did so. The Master turned, grabbing her by the throat and pushing her against the door. The door slid open and The Doctor rushed inside, staring in horror at The Master and Zara. He ran forward when The Master bolted inside, pulling Zara by the throat with him. He locked the door, throwing Zara against the grating and running up to the console and pressing a button on the console, deadlocking it.
"Deadlocked." The Master sneered.
The Doctor pounded on the door, "Let me in! Let me in!" He shouted. Zara got to her feet, moving over to the console.
"So you're the Master then..." She said, spitting blood onto the grating of the floor, falling against the railings. "Oh yes, I know who you are."
"I'm begging you!" The Doctor begged. "Everything's changed! It's only the two of us! We're the only ones left!"
"Killed by an insect!" The Master spat. "A girl! How inappropriate. Still, if the Doctor can be young and strong, then so can I. The Master…reborn." He moved back and flung his head and arms back, regeneration energy filling the console room. It grew bright orange and he screamed as it flung our threw his wrists and neck. He gasped, looking over at Zara, now a younger man in his early 30's with short brown hair. He glanced down at The Doctor's hand next to him on the console before looking around again. "Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!" He ran around the console as Zara panted, clutching onto the railing, trying to keep herself concious as he ran round the console. "Ha, ha, ha!" He opened the speaker. "Doctor—ooh, new voice." He changed his voice in different pitches. "Hello, hello, hello. Anyway, why don't we stop and have a nice little chat while I tell you all my plans and you can work out a way to stop me? I don't think!"
"Hold on! I know that voice!" Martha gasped.
"I'm asking you really properly! Just stop! Just think!" The Doctor begged. "Let Zara go!"
"Use my name." The Master sneered.
"Master. I'm sorry."
"Tough!" He ran round the console, grabbing Zara by the wrist as he went, throwing her onto the jump seat before pulling controls. The console sparked, "Oh, no you don't!" He pulled a lever, the time rotor beginning to move again. "End of the universe. Have fun. Bye bye!" The TARDIS began to materialize.
The Doctor looked at The TARDIS shakily, tears in his eyes, "ZARA!" He screamed.