A/N Thanks to Kissyfur85 and prankster-at-heart for following!
Chapter 4
"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".
I don't have the heart to correct Mr. Copper. I just glare.
"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", the Doctor says, correcting himself halfway.
Making our way through the ship is as difficult as it looks. Also, just when we thought we had some luck in finding a Host, with the Van Hoffs repairing it, we managed to speak to Midshipman Frame again, and he warned us that the Host are now, well, killing machines. They've basically wiped out any other passenger left but us. I can feel the Doctor's growing anxiety. I wish I could share this burden with him, help him in any way. But even when we reach the bridge, what do I know about nuclear storm navigation? All I could do would be, uhm, look at the screen hoping that something of the genius engineer I am by inheritance kicks in. Which is, needless to say, a bit unlikely.
But anyway, Frame had to seal himself in the bridge so there's one more thing to fix before we even get to the command screens. What else, let me see, oh, yeah, Rickston is a moron. Bit we already knew that. And, Bannakaffalatta is an android. And he's going to marry Astrid. Who's still totally flirting with the Doctor.
"So, you look good for nine hundred and three".
"You should see me in the mornings".
Funny though, he's somehow unawarely flirting back.
"Okay".
I giggle as the Doctor realizes what she means. Mr Copper saves him from blushing. "Doctor, it must be well past midnight, Earth time. Christmas Day".
"So it is. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" I repeat, not too happily. Not that anyone here is sharing the holiday festive spirit.
Maybe because they don't know anything about it. Astrid asks. "This Christmas thing, what's it all about?".
"Long story. I should know, I was there. I got the last room", the Doctor answers, muttering to himself.
Of course you did, I think, shaking my head, which still aches, by the way. The Doctor looks up at me.
"But if the planet's waking up, can't we signal them? They could send up a rocket or something".
"They don't have spaceships", I stop him. I wonder what happened to the Valiant, that beautiful masterpiece of the Master.
"No, I read about it. They have shuffles. Space shuffles". Seriously? Shuffles?
The Doctor is a bit baffled too. "Mister Copper, this degree in Earthonomics, where's it from?"
"Honestly?", he sounds scared.
The Doctor insists. "Just between us".
"Mrs Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners", he admits.
"You..." Astrid asks, "you lied to the company to get the job?".
"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".
"I've never been on Sto, but Earth can be exotic, yeah", I nod, rubbing my temple.
"How come you know it so well?", Astrid wonders, looking at me and the Doctor.
"Oh, Zoe is a local. Born and raised. Me, I was sort of, a few years ago, I was sort of made, well, sort of homeless, and, er, there was the Earth".
"You said you were siblings", Astrid says, puzzled.
"Did I?", he says, looking guiltily away as I roll my eye. Funny how he lies all the time and slips something. Every. Single. Time.
"The thing is, if we survive this, there'll be police and all sorts of investigations. Now the minimum penalty for space lane fraud is ten years in jail. I'm an old man. I won't survive ten years", Mr. Copper explains, not really concerned about what goes on between me and the Doctor.
Besides, another Host appears and we're on the run again.
And of course, since we're so damn lucky, our only way across the engine furnace is a beam. And Hosts can fly, because, yeah, they look like angels. Shit. Before realizing, we lost Bannakaffalatta and both the Van Hoffs - Foon and Bannakaffalatta went down as heroes, saving us all, just as the Host menacingly said "Now you will die".
"No more". I don't like the sound of the Doctor's voice. When he talks like this, it usually means he's up for anything. Which usually puts him in the bigger danger.
"Right. Get yourself up to Reception One. Once you're there, Mister Copper, you've got staff access to the computer, try to find a way of transmitting an SOS. Astrid, you're in charge of this", he says giving her the EMP transmitter we got from Bannakaffalatta. "Once it's powered up, it'll take out a Host within fifty yards but then it needs sixty seconds to recharge. Got it? Zoe, you get the bridge open and fix the engines. Here, take this". There. He's giving me his sonic screwdriver. I don't like that he thinks he's not going to need it, but I have no time to protest as he's already handing a first aid kit to Copper so he can fix his cuts, then we're back to the comms to charge the EMP transmitter.
"See, when it's ready, that blue light comes on there", he tells Astrid.
"You're talking as if you're not coming with us".
"There's something down on deck thirty one. I'm going to find out what it is", he says, then looks at me. "You'll be safe with Zoe - are you okay?".
"Yeah, just... a little headache. Much worst things to worry about now", I shrug.
"What if you meet a Host?", Astrid worries.
"Well, then I'll just have some fun".
"Sounds like you do this kind of thing all the time".
"Not by choice. All we do is travel. That's what we are. Just travellers. Imagine it. No tax, no bills, no boss. Just the open sky".
"I'm sort of... unemployed now", Astrid says, shyly. "I was thinking the blue box is kind of small, but I could squeeze in it, like a stowaway".
"It's not always safe", he warns her, but I know he's intrigued by the idea.
"So you two need someone extra to take care of you. I've got no one back on Sto. No family, just me. So what do you think? Can I come with you?", she looks at me.
He turns to me and I rest the decision on him. It's not like she's really asking me, anyway. "Yeah, I'd like that. Yes", he smiles happily.
I don't have time to imagine how life will be on the Tardis with the Doctor and his girlfriend, because another loud bang shakes the Titanic.
"Mister Frame, you still with us?", the Doctor snaps back to the comms.
"It's the engines, sir. Final phase. There's nothing more I can do. We've got only eight minutes left".
"Don't worry, we'll get there. I'm sending you my best troubleshooting expert".
"But the bridge is sealed off", Frame warns.
"Yeah, yeah, working on it. I'll get there, Mister Frame, somehow. All charged up? Zoe, look after them. Mister Copper, look after her. Astrid, look after him. Rickston, er, look after yourself. And I'll see you again, I promise".
Astrid stops him, grabbing Mr. Copper's first aid kit box. "Hold on! There's an old tradition on Planet Sto".
"I have really got to go", he protests.
"Just wait a minute", she says, and in an instant she's putting the box on the floor to step on it to kiss the Doctor. Oh boy, life on the Tardis will be... interesting. She's so small and so forward, he's petrified by surprise. I giggle as he blabbers.
"Yeah, that's a, ahem, very old tradition, yeah".
"See you later".
"Oh, yes!", he gives me a faraway look as he goes back across the bridge and we're going upwards, I'm already sonicking the door.
We have to scramble franticly and Astrid gets to blast Hosts a couple of times, much to everyone's relief, and we finally make it to Reception. I leave Mr. Copper to send the SOS at the computer, while Rickston, well, Rickston is just sitting down to regain his breath. Astrid looks around, the adrenaline from the run replaced by sudden worry.
I make my way to the deadsealed door, switching the setting on the sonic screwdriver. Come on, Zoe, you can do this. I won't let you down, Doctor. If only this damn. door. would. open. Since when does the sonic sound so loud?
"Midshipman Frame? Can you hear me?".
No reply. I turn another setting on the sonic screwdriver and the whirring noise becomes louder - my head- I'm probably frying the device, even if the deadlock seal doesn't seem affected.
I won't make it, Doctor. Find whatever way to get here. I can't do this on my own.
Because I'm not just frying the sonic screwdriver - there's something wrong, this is too loud, really - and, as it appears, I'm frying my own brain - my head, oh, fuck, it's so damn painful.
And, I black out.
I think I see something, like words, or drawings, but it's all very unclear.
There's music, voices.
I don't know how long it lasts, before everything fades, disappears into pitch-black darkness.
Wake up.
Something - someone - is pulling me.
Wake up, wake up.
I blink, and I feel fabric brushing my cheek. I slowly move my head only to see that the Doctor is holding me up against him. He tries to switch his wary look into a relieved one, but I caught it.
"Oh", he says, quite flatly. "Teleport must have woken you up".
"What happened?", I ask, checking if I can walk. I take an uneasy step into the snow, still holding the Doctor's arm. Oh, good, looks like I can. Wait- snow? "Are we on Earth?".
"Yep. Everything's sorted".
"Missed all the fun", I nod, looking around, scratching my wrist where he strapped the teleport bracelet. How did we- looks like the headache is gone, but the guilt, oh, the guilt is definitely still there. I can't look at the Doctor. I spot Mr. Copper, walking ahead. "Astrid?", I enquire.
"She's... she's gone", the Doctor says, without looking at me.
"I'm sorry". He turns his eyes on me, sadly. Well, I don't know what else to say. Could I have saved her? Is this my fault too?
"So, Great Britain is part of Europey, and just across the British Channel, you've got Great France and Great Germany", Mr. Copper interrupts, and the Doctor's mood switches again.
"No, no, it's just, it's just France and Germany", he corrects, amused.
"Only Britain is Great", I add, thinking how much I'd like people from my original slash adoptive country to hear me.
"Oh, and they're all at war with the continent of Ham Erica", Mr. Copper supposes.
"No. Well, not yet. Er, could argue that one", the Doctor insists, finally reaching the most beautiful thing ever, standing blue and tall in the middle of the field. "There she is. Survive anything", he says, gently patting the wooden doors.
Mr. Copper looks around. "You know, between you and me, I don't even thing this snow is real. I think it's the ballast from the Titanic's salvage entering the atmosphere".
"Yeah. One of these days it might snow for real", the Doctor says sadly.
"So, I, I suppose you'll be off".
"The open sky", he nods.
"And, what about me?", the old man wonders.
"We travel alone. It's best that way". I think I can hear angst in the Doctor's words. He can't take anyone else with us because I'm too much of a mess he can't even leave me alone for a minute.
The man seems disappointed. "What am I supposed to do?".
"Give me that credit card", the Doctor asks, as the man pulls it out.
"It's just petty cash. Spending money. It's all done by computer. I didn't really know the currency, so I thought a million might cover it".
"A million? Pounds?" I ask, shocked.
"That enough for trinkets?", clueless Mr. Copper asks.
"Mister Copper, a million pounds is worth fifty million credits".
"How much?", he insists, surprised.
"Fifty million and fifty six".
"I've got money!".
He's so happy. "Yes, you have", I cheer.
"Oh, my word. Oh, my Vot! Oh, my goodness me. Yee ha!".
"It's all yours. Planet Earth. Now, that's a retirement plan. But just you be careful, though", the Doctor warns him.
"I will, I will. Oh, I will".
"No interfering. I don't want any trouble. Just, just have a nice life".
"But I can have a house. A proper house, with a garden, and a door, and. Oh, Doctor, I will made you proud. And I can have a kitchen with chairs, and windows, and plates, and..." he carries on, skipping happily away towards the city.
"Er, where are you going?", I ask.
"Well, I've no idea!".
"No, we neither", he shrugs.
"But Doctor, I won't forget her", Mr. Copper says, seriously, as he and the Doctor look up to the sky. I follow their gaze, there's a streak of blue starlight, like a shooting star, but it's zig-zagging across the sky.
"Merry Christmas, Mister Copper", the Doctor says good-bye, his face suddenly turning serious as well, and I nod to the man as I turn to the blue door too.
Once inside, he goes straight to the console, without looking at me.
"I'm sorry", I repeat.
"Stop saying that. We need to check what caused you those headaches though, it won't be good if they knock you out like that again".
"I know. I'm sorry".
"I sa- Stop repeating that! What is it with this constant guilt of yours?", he says, finally turning to look at me, half angry, half worried.
"I don't know!", I defensively reply. "I am perfectly aware that it's not very helpful, blacking out when I was supposed to be the troubleshooting expert".
He looks at me lowering his head and giving me a concerned, all-eyebrows look.
"Now what? What is this...", I wave my hand, gesturing over his face. "You've been giving me this puzzled look all night, what's that?".
"Troubleshooting expert?".
"That's what you said".
"Except", he says, taking a step closer. "I didn't".
"What? Back on the ship, just before As-".
"I only thought it", he says, cutting me off. Well, that's a surprise. "That's happened a couple other times, too".
"Oh". Wow, really a big vocabulary today, Zoe.
"You can hear me", he confirms.
Do you hear me too? I think. He just stares at me. Guess that's a no.
There you go. I was especially sorry to cut the "but if you could decide that would make you a monster" line, but I'll probably slip it in somewhere else...
Now, as promised, here's your trivia-facts-things-tips (please, come up with a name for these):
-I honestly have no idea of what a Time Ring is (tardis wikia is quite vague about them) and how it would work, because I admit I didn't see the classic series. I assume (and so should you while reading this) that being a time ring it works telepathically, and that the Doctor despises it just a little less than a vortex manipulator only because it was made by Time Lords.
-Chloe's necklace was a prop she made in order to disguise herself as Zoe, but it couldn't of course open Yana's fob watch.
and last for today (and dedicated especially to those two of you)
-English is not my first language- I lived in London for a while and I watch a lot of american tv (but I oddly understand british accents more easily?) so I don't know if the vocabulary here is mostly British or American or whatever. Zoe has travelled around -remember- even before meeting the Doctor so I imagine she picked up words and expressions from all over the world.
Brace yourselves because brilliant Donna Noble is on her way!