{"Well, that's disgusting."}
Fay and I had moved to go change, our outfits had become ruined and nasty. Fay had decided to change into a plaid shirt and jeans with adorable white and black converse much like her father's previous self. She had been so ecstatic, the moment she put them an she had taken off to show her father. My wardrobe was more of a challenge, I now stood in jeans and a bra, knowing sexy wouldn't let anyone other than Theta in if he came by. My shirt decision seemed to be a bit of an issue, this version as well wasn't really into the original design of dresses. I actually think I hated them even more in this body than my last. Letting out a sigh, I couldn't help but frown as I thought of the images that had soon faded as quickly as they appeared when I touched the crack. Amelia would be a problem, but what came after her would be worse. My eyes moved towards a red shirt with a soft grey jacket. Guess this would do for now, my shoes where black combat boots. Always better to be prepared than not, especially with all the running we would no doubt be doing.
When I ended up back in the console room, Amelia is floating in space, with Theta holding on to her ankle from the open door of the Tardis. Fay was wondering behind them, her body moving around in her own excitement. I couldn't tell what she was thinking but it made my hearts soar at the sight of my beautiful daughter being so happy. "Come on, Pond." My eyes moved over to Theta who was already looking at me as he pulled Amelia inside. His eyes dark, but it wasn't because he was mad. He moved over to grab me by the waist, "You look beautiful, my love." I let out a small laugh as I shook my head. I looked like I was gonna be chilling in the house all day. Fay soon bounced over to us, "Momma, Dad said he liked my shoes!" I smiled brightly as I pulled away from Theta causing him to pout. I quickly picked up Fay, "Really? I like them too." I told her, giving her a kiss on her head. My eyes moved towards Amelia who was watching the scene before her with a frown. "Now do you believe me?" Theta asked as he noticed her look, trying to change the subject.
"Okay, your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! What are we breathing?" Amelia asked a she turned back to the door, her eyes widening in wonder at the admittedly beautiful sight. "I've extended the air shell. We're fine." We are above the city in space. "Now that's interesting. Twenty ninth century. Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations." Theta runs back to the console and the doors close. Fay started to laugh as she watched her father, "Doctor?" Amelia called faintly, "Migrating to the stars." Theta continued on his ramble, not listening.
"Doctor?" I sighed as I moved back towards the door. "Isn't that amazing?"
"Doctor!" He has shut her outside, I opened the door as she yelled out on last time. Theta rolled his eyes with a groan as I pulled her inside, she seemed surprised that I had helped her. I may not like her right now, but I'm not a monster. "Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship. This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home." Theta picked Fay up and spun her around in excitement. "Can we go out and see?" Amelia asked, cocking her to the side in question. "Course we can. But first, there's a thing." Theta stated as he set Fay down on the console.
"A thing?" Amelia asked as she looked between us, "An important thing. In fact, Thing One. We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets." I snorted back a laugh as I rolled my eyes, Theta glared slightly with a pout. An image of a little girl waiting by the lifts is on the scanner. "Ooo, that's interesting." Theta muttered lowly as he frowned watching the girl. "So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die. It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard, being all, like, detached and cold?" Amelia asked looking towards me causing me to glare in response. She turned back to see Theta and Fay on the scanner, speaking to the weeping Mandy. "Doctor?" I sighed with another eyeroll as he gestures for us to join him.
:••:••:••:••:
"Welcome to London Market. You are being monitored."
"I'm in the future. Like hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries." Fay looked at her with an atrocious look, "Oh, lovely. You're a cheery one." She snipped causing me to burst into laughter as Theta himself shook his head with a laugh. "Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?" He asked her, "What's wrong?" Amelia asked with a frown as she looked between the three of us. "Come on, use your eyes. Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?" Theta snipped as I looked around myself, my eyes glowing. The poor creature, "It's alright. I'll save you. Don't hate them to much. They're still growing." I could feel it vibrating in response as I listened to the creature groan. My eyes glowing brightens as I place a shield between the creature and the lasers that had been torturing it. It was unnoticeable to the human eye, but eventually it will be know. Hopefully, then this will all be over.
"Is it the bicycles? Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles." I sighed, a headache coming along. "Says the girl in the nightie." I snipped in annoyance, this was gonna be a long day. "Oh my God, I'm in my nightie." Amelia breathed out in horror, Theta frowned as he watched me. He moved closer, placing his forehead against mine to ease the pain. I literally sagged in his arms at the instant relief, we both knew it wouldn't last but for now it helped. "Now, come on, look around you. Actually look." Theta pulled away and spun around Fay watching me with a frown of her own. I gave her a little smile, before turning away.
"London Market is a crime-free zone."
"Life on a giant starship. Back to basics. Bicycles, washing lines, wind-up street lamps. But look closer. Secrets and shadows, lives led in fear. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state. Excuse me." He takes a pint glass of water from a table. "What are you doing?" And puts it on the floor. He looks at it for a moment then returns it to the table. "Sorry. Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish. Where was I?" I shook my head with a small smile, escaped fish? Really, that was the best he could do? "Why did you just do that with the water?" Amelia asked with a cock of her head, "Don't know. I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now, police state. Do you see it yet?" He was on the right track though, it wasn't just him thinking. He was figuring it out as he went along. Typical madman. "Where?" Amelia asked, "There." Fay pointed towards the weeping girl, all alone. Theta started towards her as I frowned, Fay and Amelia quickly followed after while I slowly turned to see a creepy smiling man inside a box.
My hands glow and it starts to twitch, it's insides starting to fry as it fried out. I smirked, before turning to catch up with the other three who were now on a bench. "One little girl crying. So?" Theta and I flinched slightly as she asked the question. Of course, she wouldn't understand. She wasn't a parent, "Crying silently. I mean, children cry because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. But when they cry silently, it's because they just can't stop. Any parent knows that." Theta shrugged, "Are you a parent?" We all turned to look at her as if she was stupid. "Really?" Fay asked as she crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry. I forgot." She uttered out with a frown. She didn't forget, she just didn't give a shit. She wanted her perfect image of Theta and having a wife and kid wasn't in that image. "Hundreds of parents walking past who spot her and not one of them's asking her what's wrong, which means they already know, and it's something they don't talk about. Secrets. They're not helping her, so it's something they're afraid of. Shadows, whatever they're afraid of, it's nowhere to be seen, which means it's everywhere. Police state."
Another smiler watches the little girl get into a lift. "Where'd she go?" Amelia asked as we stood up and continued watching, "Deck two oh seven. Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh, er, this fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her. Took me four goes. Ask her about those things. The smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere." Theta gives Amelia a colourful wallet. "But they're just things." She snipped in annoyance, the last thing she wanted to do was go after some little girl. I could tell she wanted to stay here next to Theta but it wasn't gonna happen. "They're clean. Everything else here is all battered and filthy. I destroyed one earlier so they're watching me." I explained causing Theta to raise an eyebrow at me. I just shrugged with a smirk, "Look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Look. Ask Mandy, why are people scared of the things in the booths?" Theta told her, she sighed with a pout.
"No, hang on. What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed." Amelia asked with wide eyes as she looked up at him in shock. "It's this or Leadworth. What do you think? Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" He paused as she slumped down, looking away. "Ha ha, gotcha. Meet me back here in half an hour." He shrugged out, causing her to scoff with a glare. "What are you going to do?" She snipped, crossing her arms with a frown. "What I always do. Stay out of trouble. Badly." Theta smirked and shot me a wink causing me to chuckle with a shake of my head. That's an understatement. Fay giggled as Theta picked her up and spun her around. He then jumped over the bench with Fay causing me to smirk slightly. He was totally showing off, "So is this how it works, Doctor? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?" She asked looking between him and his daughter. A dark look appeared in his eyes, "Yes." With that, we officially separate.
:••:••:••:••:
Theta climbs down the ladder, pausing to look around before being Fay down with me following close behind. I grunt as I land on the ground while Theta starts feeling the walls. "Can't be." He utters out, it can be. He scans it with his screwdriver. There is a glass of water on the floor. The woman is wearing her mask now, "The impossible truth in a glass of water. Not many people see it. But you do, don't you, Doctor?" I frowned as she moved closer. My eyes slowly widen as I realized just who she was, "You know me? Kate? Do you know her?" The woman cocked her head before her eyes widened at the sight and she smiled. "Keep your voice down. They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass." She changed the subject to keep him off her, that or to keep him on point. "Who says we see anything?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow, "You see everything, don't waste time." She snipped back but it wasn't rude, more or less cocky and playful. "At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight here to the engine room. Why?" She asked turning back to Theta. "No engine vibration on deck. Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The water would move. So, I thought I'd take a look. It doesn't make sense. These power couplings, they're not connected. Look. Look, they're dummies, see? And behind this wall, nothing. It's hollow. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was..."
"No engine at all." Fay finished off for her father causing them both to look down at her. "But it's working. This ship is travelling though space. I saw it." Theta frowned looking back at me, I just winked in response. It was still being protected by my shield. "The impossible truth, Doctor. We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly." Theta frowned, "How?" Theta and I asked together. "I don't know. There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor. You're our only hope. Your friend is safe. This will take you to her. Now go, quickly!" Princess Leia hands over a tracking device and turns to leave. "Who are you? How do I find you again?" She looked towards me with a smirk. "She's Liz Ten, and we'll meet soon." Theta frowned as she walked away.
"You know what's going on." He spoke turning to look at me, I nodded in response. "Ever since I touched the crack, I've been able to know more than before but in doing so, I'm not allowed to change your path. You have to know what's going on, yourself. I'm just her to protect and serve, that's all I can do." I spoke gently, but I know that if I tried hard enough I could fight against this. I just wasn't sure, if it would ruin me in the process of breaking down that feeling. Fay watched me with a smile, she understood some of what I was dealing with. Our beautiful daughter seemed to follow her mother and began to show signs of powers as well. She could teleport. Not sure, how far but she was able to teleport to and from us. We also didn't know if she could teleport to anyone but us, guess we'll find out eventually.
:••:••:••:••:
Amy wakes up in a chair in front of four screens and two large buttons labelled Forget and Protest, watched a Smiler. "Welcome to voting cubicle three thirty C. Please leave this installation as you would wish to find it. The United Kingdom recognises the right to know of all its citizens. A presentation concerning the history of Starship UK will begin shortly. Your identity is being verified on our electoral roll. Name, Amelia Jessica Pond. Age, thirteen hundred and six." Pity the four screens all say 1308... "Shut up." Amelia breathed out in shock, "Marital status, unknown." Her heart pounded at the notion of possibly being either single or taken by the doctor and not having a title. Either way, she was confused on the emotions she felt about it. "You are here because you want to know the truth about this starship, and I am talking to you because you're entitled to know. When this presentation has finished, you will have a choice. You may either protest. or forget. If you choose to protest, understand this. If just one percent of the population of this ship do likewise, the programme will be discontinued with consequences for you all. If you choose to accept the situation, and we hope that you will, then press the Forget button. All the information I'm about to give you will be erased from your memory. You will continue to enjoy the safety and amenities of Starship UK, unburdened by the knowledge of what has been done to save you. Here then, is the truth about Starship UK, and the price that has been paid for the safety of the British people. May God have mercy on our souls."
The presentation is fast, and leaves Amy reeling, she presses Forget. The screen displays Message Waiting, she slowly reaches forward and presses play. Her eyes wet with tears, as another image of herself appears on the screen. "This isn't a trick. This is for real. You've got to find the Doctor and get him back to the Tardis. Don't let him investigate. Stop him. Do whatever you have to, just please, please get the Doctor off this ship!"
The door opens. Mandy is waiting outside, standing beside her is Fay. Their hands latched as Theta and I enter the room. "Listen to me. This isn't a trick. This is for real." I frowned as I moved to stand in front of the screen. Theta glares, "Amy?" He uttered out with a frown. "You've got to find the Doctor." Amelia turns off the message, wiping the tears from her face. "What have you done?" I asked lowly, I may be able to see the outcome of things and timelines of people but I couldn't see what she saw. It was like I was forbidden to see the results, Theta scans a device in the ceiling. "Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about twenty minutes." I raised an eyebrow, has it really been twenty minutes since she's been in here. We only found Mandy about five minutes ago. "But why would I choose to forget?" Amelia asked in confusion, "Because everyone does. Everyone chooses the Forget button."
"Did you?"
"I'm not eligible to vote yet. I'm twelve. Any time after you're sixteen, you're allowed to the see the film and make your choice. And then once every five years."
"And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned. Democracy in action."
"How do you not know about this? Are you Scottish too?"
"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish. I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me."
"It played for me." Amelia uttered out with a frown. "The difference being the computer doesn't accept us as humans." Theta shrugged it off, "Why not? You look human." She frowned as she looked between the three of us. "No, you look Time Lord. We came first." I pointed at her with a raised eyebrow, "So there are other Time Lords, yeah?" She asked, seeming to get excited thinking about it but it just upset Theta even more. "No. There were, but there aren't. Just me now. Long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened. And you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. Because this is what I do, every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government." Theta hits the Protest button. The door slams shut, trapping us inside the room. The Smiler becomes a Scowler and the floor opens up to reveal the long drop. "Say wheee!" Theta shouts causing Amy to gasp in horror, "Argh!" Outside, the cubicle sign changes from Occupied to Empty.
Theta drops down a chute into what appears to be organic waste, Fay follows close behind her father with a large smile. Screaming in joy, I however slowed myself down as I used my powers to slowly float down into the nasty gunk. "Well, that's disgusting." I uttered out in slight annoyance at the gooey sound and feeling underneath my feet. My lower body now covered in sick. Amy follows a few moments later with a scream. Theta laughs in excitement, "Argh! High speed air cannon. Lousy way to travel." Theta grumbled as he sonics the area around us. I almost gagged when I saw Amelia pick up some goop, "Where are we?" Poor Fay, was waist deep in the gunk, "Six hundred feet down, twenty miles laterally, puts us at the heart of the ship. I'd say Lancashire. What's this then, a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave." I scoffed, it was not a cave. "It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!"
"Yes, but only food refuse. Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship." Theta explained, "The floor's all squidgy, like my water bed." Fay spoke up with a smile as she bounced slightly, I moved to grab her hand and pulled her towards Theta. "But feeding what, though?" He asked as I stopped by him. "It's sort of rubbery, feel it. Wet and slimy." A distance animal noise, an that's when Theta figured it out. His face turning into a grimace. "Er, it's not a floor, it's a. So..." He bent down to pick Fay up her quickly went to push her father away with a grossed out look. He pouted slightly but gave up, hell I wouldn't want him to pick me up either with the shit we were caked in. It's already squished and sloped against us, "It's a what?" Amelia asked with a frown. "The next word is kind of a scary word. You probably want to take a moment, get yourself in a calm place. Go omm." He slowly turns to us with a wince, "Omm." She repeated in confusion, still not understanding. "It's a tongue." I stated causing her to gap. "A tongue?" She muttered out in horror, "A tongue. A great big tongue."
"This is a mouth. This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?" She started to panic, spinning around in circles almost falling in the process. "Yes, yes, yes. But on the plus side, roomy." Theta jokes, we all stared at him in annoyance. Fay crossed her arms and shook her head, "How do we get out?" Amelia asked, "How big is this beastie? It's gorgeous. Blimey, if this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach. Though not right now." I sighed, shaking my head at the man I loved. "Doctor, how do we get out?" Amelia snapped, trying to get him back on point. "Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is closed for business." A wall of lovely big teeth, "We could try, though." Amelia shrugged, I shook my head as she moved forwards. "No, stop, don't move." The tongue vibrates, "Too late. It's started." I stated with a bored look on my face. I would use my shield to keep myself from getting even more dirty but I was currently shielding this big beast from the humans he let on. "What has?" Amelia asked in slight panic.
"Swallow reflex."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors."
"Chemo-what?"
"The eject button."
"How does a mouth have an eject button?"
"Think about it!" A wave of vomit approaches and I groan in disgust. Fay moving to hide behind her father, although it wouldn't be much help. "Right, then. This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!"
:••:••:••:••:
We awoke in a dark room, a little cleaner than before since it was now spit we were covered in but it still made me squirm. Amelia flinched as she awoke, spitting some up. "There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, you are covered in sick." Theta announced from the wall he was standing in front of, the first thing he did when we woke up was check on us before he moved to find a way out. "Where are we?" She asked as she sat up, "Overspill pipe, at a guess." Theta grumbled, "Oh, God, it stinks." She stands trying very hard on to move much or touch herself, much like Fay and I who stood absolutely still.
"Oh, that's not the pipe." I spoke up causing her to frown, she goes to smell herself. "Oh. Phew. Can we get out?" I grimaced at her, why? Fay grunted as she tried to shake herself off. "One door, one door switch, one condition. We forget everything we saw. Look familiar?" It is a Forget button, "That's the carrot. Ooo, here's the stick." Two Smiler booths light up, I frowned as I watched them.
"There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?" The Smilers become Frowners, "No, that's not going to work on me, so come on. Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?" Frowners become Scowlers with red eyes, was that supposed to be scary? It wasn't. "Oh, stop it. We're not leaving and I'm not forgetting, and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues, huh?" I snap in anger, the booths open and the Smilers step out. "Doctor?" Liz steps up between Theta and Amy, and shoots the Smilers. "Look who it is. You look a lot better without your mask. Not that I care, not like that. Kate. No really." I sighed as she laughed, Amelia watched him with a frown as Fay just raised an eyebrow at her father. "It's fine." I muse out loud, he nods and immediately comes to stand behind me. He didn't touch me tho, which I greatly appreciated. He knew I didn't want to be touched either while covered in this nasty shit.
"You must be Amy. Liz. Liz Ten." Liz held her hand out for Amelia to shake. "Hi." She breathed out in awe at the woman, shaking her head as well. Liz's hand now also covered in slick, "Yuck. Lovely hair, Amy. Shame about the sick. You know Mandy, yeah? She's very brave." Liz smiled looking between the four of us, as Mandy stands behind her. "How did you find us?" I asked her with a cock of my head, "Stuck my gizmo on you. Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?" I grunted slightly at the reminder. "You're over sixteen, you've voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it." Theta snipped in annoyance as he moved in her face. "No. Never forgot, never voted, not technically a British subject." I sighed, she did forget. They always do. "Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?"
"You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious stranger, M O consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot. I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was." I snorted at the comment about his hair as he pouted for a second. "Your family?" Theta asked with a frown, "They're repairing. Doesn't take them long. Let's move." We follow behind her. "The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry Twelve. Tea and scones with Liz Two. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Queen, you sure know how to make a point; don't you, Kate. Keeping the Queen away from your man must have been a feet all in itself." I smirked smugly as Theta twitched around happily. "Liz Ten." I raised an eyebrow, "Liz Ten, yeah. Elizabeth the Tenth. And down!" She turns, we duck, and she shoots the repaired Smilers again. "I'm the bloody Queen, mate. Basically, I rule." I snorted as Theta gapped looking offended, "No, your not. I mean not that your a Queen, because you are but Kate here is The Queen and she rules." Theta babbled on as we followed after the woman. Fay laughing at her father as I sighed, Amelia kept quiet though, her face pulling into another frown.
"There's a high-speed Vator through there. Oh, yeah. There's these things." Liz explains ignoring him, tentacles beating at the grating. "Any ideas?" She asked turning to look at us. "Doctor, I saw one of these up top. There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through like a root." Amelia spoke up, pushing past me. "Exactly like a root. It's all one creature, the same one we were inside, reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship." Theta rambled out, "What, like an infestation? Someone's helping it. Feeding it. Feeding my subjects to it. Come on. Got to keep moving." Liz and Mandy leave, "Doctor?" Amelia asked as Theta turned to look at me with sad eyes, he has finally begun to figure it all out. "Oh, Kate. We should never have come here." He breathed out as he moved to grab my hand now that it was dry. "Is it safe?" His voice drifted through my mind. I looked at him with a small nod and smile, "Of course, who do you think I am?" I responded causing him to chuckle lowly. Amelia watched us as we moved to follow after the two that had already left.
:••:••:••:••:
"Why all the glasses?" Fay asked confused, as we stepped around then. "To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what." I raised an eyebrow, "A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom? Reminds me of our own time, remember Kate? We used to do it all the time as kids, it got real as we got older but it was still fun." Theta murmur, trailing off as he remembered the good times of our past. "Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this. My entire reign. And you've achieved more in one afternoon." She spoke, raising an eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. "How old were you when you came to the throne?" I asked her with a cock of my head. "Forty. Why?" She asked back with a frown, looking between us. "What, you're fifty now? No way." Amelia scoffed with a laugh, as she spun from the mirror after putting her hair up. "Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps."
"And you always wear this in public?" He asked, holding up her mask. "Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting." She smirked at him, "Air-balanced porcelain. Stays on by itself, because it's perfectly sculpted to your face." I explained to her causing her to frown in response. "Yeah? So what?" Liz asked again, "Oh, Liz. So everything." A division of Winders enters. "What are you doing? How dare you come in here?" She snarled in anger at the sight of them, Theta and I immediately standing protectively in front of Fay. "Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of Starship UK. You will come with us now." The leader spoke, "Why would I do that?" His head turns to become a Scowler, "How can they be Smilers?" Amelia asked in shock as she back away. It was almost like a horror show, "Half Smiler, half human." I responded, "Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?"
"The highest authority, Ma'am."
"I am the highest authority."
"Yes, ma'am. You must go now, Ma'am."
"Where?"
"The Tower, Ma'am."
"Why is it always the tower?"
:••:••:••:••:
Amelia looks through a grating, where tentacles are flailing. I sigh as my headache slowly comes back, my nose would start bleeding soon. I was putting in to much energy to protect this beautiful creature and it was starting to get to Theta. "Doctor, where are we?" Amelia asked, he sighed. "The lowest point of Starship UK. The dungeon." He explained in irritation as a man appears, "Ma'am." He bows to Liz who glares in response. "Hawthorne. So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do." She hissed at him, "There's children down here. What's all that about?" Theta rubbed one of the boys on his head. "Protesters and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky." I scoffed, of course it wouldn't eat children. If I was being tortured, I would eat the adults too. Jackasses. "Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it? Well, except it is. Except it isn't. Depends on your angle." The top of a pulsating brain is visible in the middle of the room, with giant electrodes pointing down at it.
"What's that?" Liz asked with wide eyes, "Well, like I say, it depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain centre of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly." I snarled angrily, glaring at everyone. "Or?" Liz asked slowly, "Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator. Starship UK's go faster button." Theta hissed this time in his own anger and disappointment. "I don't understand." She asked, "Don't you? Try to. Go on. The spaceship that could never fly. No vibration on deck. This creature, this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading, it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving. Tell you what. Normally, it's above the range of human hearing. This is the sound none of you wanted to hear. Kate, has been protecting it since we've got here but to prove a point, I now have to ask her to realer her shield." He looks towards me, I sighed before nodding, he sonics a tentacle. They hear a screaming sound, and stops. I immediately place my shield up again as Liz looks on in horror. "Stop it. Who did this?"
"We act on instructions from the highest authority." The man spoke up again, "I am the highest authority. The creature will be released, now. I said now! Is anyone listening to me?" Liz yelled in anger and disgust. "Liz. Your mask." Theta breathed out, "What about my mask?" She spun to face him. "Look at it. It's old. At least two hundred years old, I'd say." She scoffed, "Yeah? It's an antique. So?" He sighed, "Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over two hundred years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not fifty. Nearer three hundred. And it's been a long old reign." He breathed out, "Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years." She backed away, "Ten years. And the same ten years, over and over again, always leading you here." Two buttons - Forget and Abdicate. "What have you done?" Liz breathed out in horror. "Only what you have ordered. We work for you, Ma'am. The Winders, the Smilers, all of us." The screen turns on.
"If you are watching this. If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower Of London. The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travellers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we are aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The Earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the Star Whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the Forget button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision."
"I voted for this. Why would I do that?" Amelia asked in horror at her own decision, "Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know." Theta ended up shouting in anger as I teared up, the pain becoming unbearable. This poor baby. Fay was crying out as on the the tentacles reached out to her. She immediately hugged it tight, knowing I was still keeping it safe. It curled happily around her, loving her warmth. "I don't even remember doing it." Amelia breathed out, "You did it. That's what counts." He snarled angrily at her, watching his daughter. "I'm, I'm sorry." Amelia spoke with tears in her eyes, "Oh, I don't care. When I'm done here, you're going home." He snarled moving away from her, "Why? Because I made a mistake? One mistake? I don't even remember doing it. Doctor!" He stopped at her shout, "Yeah, I know. You're only human." He moved to the console, "What are you doing?" Liz asked, "The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it."
"That'll be like killing it."
"Look, three options. One, I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two, I kill everyone on this ship. Three, I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, because I won't be the Doctor any more. There is a fourth option, but I won't sacrifice Kate for humanity's stupidity!" He shouted in anger causing everyone to flinch. "There must be something we can do, some other way." Liz tried, "Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" Amy and Mandy sit and watch while Theta adjusts the machinery. Children enter, "Timmy! You made it, you're okay. It's me, Mandy." A tentacle flails behind Mandy, then gently taps her on the shoulder. Amelia watches as she strokes it, I smirked as Fay also watched, her eyes slowly widening at the information. There you go, my baby. Figure it out. Help your father be a hero.
"Daddy, stop. Whatever you're doing, stop it now! Sorry, Your Majesty. Going to need a hand." Fay drags Liz to the voting buttons, and I release my shields. "Fay, no! No!" She pushes Liz's hand down on the Abdicate button. Amelia rushes forwards, as the Whale roars. Starship UK shakes briefly, causing panic. "Fay, what have you done?" Liz shouts in shock, "Nothing at all. Am I right? Daddy." Fay spun to see her father standing there watching her proudly. Amelia laughed finally catching on, "We've increased speed." The man responded in horror. "Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot. Got to help. While mom was shielding it, the speed stayed the same because the machines touring it were still on. So when I had her touch the button and mom removed her shielding, it finally felt safe enough to do so." Fay explained smugly as she smirked. "It's still here. I don't understand." Amelia sighed as she moved forward to explain it to Liz. "The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago. It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it. That was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead. No future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind, you couldn't just stand there and watch children cry." She slowly looked up at Theta who was watching his own daughter pet the beast. She then looked towards me, and I nodded in response.
Fay giggled when it gently poked her in the stomach, tickling her. She slowly reached up and touched the beast, a bright white glow shining through out the room blinding everyone. When the light disappeared, everything that had been torturing the beast was gone and the beast itself had been healed. I had immediately jumped forward to catch my daughter as she fell back, her powers causing her to pass out. Theta rushed towards us, letting out a breath and he picked her up and we moved out of the room. It was time to go home.
:••:••:••:••:
Amelia met us outside of the room, in front of a window that showed space."From Her Majesty. She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK."Amy holds out Liz's mask. "Fay, you could have killed everyone on this ship." Theta spoke, tightening his grip on her as she slept. "You could have killed a Star Whale." Amelia pointed out, "And she saved it. I know, I know." He kissed her on her forehead with a proud smile. "Amazing though, don't you think? The Star Whale. All that pain and misery and loneliness, and it just made it kind." Amelia pointed out giving him a look, "But we couldn't have known how it would react." I told her, "You couldn't. But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar, daddy?" Fay spoke up from her fathers arms, he looked down at her with a laugh as he tightened his grip when she hugged his neck. I almost cried at the sight, Amelia smiled gently before bumping him. "Hey." She breathed out, "What?" He asked looking up at her as he gently put Fay down. "Gotcha." She laughed,
"Huh. Gotcha." He then grabbed both Fay's hand and mine before taking off. Amelia quickly following after us, "Shouldn't we say goodbye? Won't they wonder where we went?" She asked looking at him in confusion as we moved closer to the Tardis. "For the rest of their lives. Oh, the songs they'll write. Never mind them. Big day tomorrow." He unlocked the door, she paused. "Sorry, what?"
"Well, it's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones."
"You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning? Have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just, just because you could?" She asked looking up at him, he flinched looking away for a second before he looked towards me. "Once, a long time ago." He breathed out, his eyes shining with guilt but I didn't know why. "What happened?" She asked with a cock of her head, "Hello." He opens the door, "Right. Doctor, there's something I haven't told you. No, hang on. Is that a phone ringing?" Amelia took off into the tardis, "People phone you?" She asked again as we followed her inside. "Well, it's a phone box. Would you mind?" Amelia answers the trim phone on the console. "Hello? Sorry, who? No, seriously, who? Says he's the Prime Minister. First the Queen, now the Prime Minister. Get about, don't you?" She turned to face us with a shocked look, "Which Prime Minister?" Fay asked before her father. "Er, which Prime Minister? The British one." I sighed with an eye roll, "Which British one?" I asked this time. "Which British one? Winston Churchill for you." Theta smiles widely as he moves over to her. "Oh! Hello, dear. What's up?" He paused to listen, "Don't worry about a thing, Prime Minister. We're on our way." The Tardis dematerializes.
"In bed above, we're deep asleep, while greater love lies further deep. This dream must end, this world must know, we all depend on the beast below." Starship UK travels on, with a w shaped crack in its side.
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So, Fay has healing powers as well as Teleportation!! Like mother, like daughter.
Also, this one made me cry.
Ok guys, I've decided to just work on this one for now, I won't be updating any other books unless I get inspiration or I finish this one which will be a while so please be patient.
I understand y'all want other content but being demanding is making me not want to do them.
So please stop it.
I do appreciate the love and support, I have never been more happy to have this much love and support. It really does make me happy, but when you demand and tell me that you want this or you want that, it kinda pisses me off.
I always give warnings before I start my books and I do post on my board, so please don't tell me how you want things. Just be patient with me.
I will get there when I get there.
If you don't like it, you can go away.
I'm sorry but I'm not sorry at the same time.
Thank you all!!
I was totally watching Patty Mao while writing this so my sass level is through the roof right now.
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