We were making our way up some stairs when the Doctor uncovered one of the golden angel robots in non-working status.
"If we could…" The Doctor stopped as I shook my head.
"Beware the Hosts."
He wrinkled his brow.
I tapped my forehead. "Thankfully, we have this."
Astrid called from the top of the set of stairs. "It's blocked. We'll have to reposition things."
As Bannakaffalatta made it through the gap, the entire ship shook and some of the wreckage shifted.
I looked through the hole. "Bannakaffalatta, are you alright?"
His voice called on the other end, "I'm through."
I let out a breath of relief.
"I'm small. I can go next." Astrid spoke up.
The Doctor peered through, seeing if there was anything he could clear without shifting things too much. Several moments passed before the Doctor called through the hole, "What's going on over there?"
"I think Bannakaffalatta and I just became engaged."
Unlike in other timelines, the rest of us got through with no trouble.
When we got into the next section, everyone was happy to find a cart of food that somehow hadn't been upset.
The Doctor went over to an intercom unit to check on the helm. The midshipman informed him of the disappearing life signs due to the Hosts.
"I've got Hosts outside. I've sealed the door. No one can get in."
The Doctor looked at me, "They've been programmed to kill. Why would anyone do that?"
I whispered, "Deck 31."
"What is on Deck 31?" The Doctor asked over the intercom.
"That's down below. It's nothing."
I looked back at the others. The Head Steward seemed to come out of his shock and Rickston ate the food they'd found with no decorum for his uppity status.
Astrid walked up to the both of us. "Saved you both something."
Her gaze lingered on the Doctor. "You might be the Time King from Gallifrey, but you still have got to eat."
"Thank you Astrid." I spoke up, grabbing a roll from the offered plate.
I was looking at the others when I saw the Doctor freeze from the corner of my eye, his mouth full and eyes wide at something Astrid said.
Mr Copper came over. "It's Christmas day now."
I looked off into the distance. I thought about the Doctor and I.
It wasn't as if we'd ever put a label on it. We never seemed to have a chance. There was always an adventure or time to maintain.
Every moment we had that felt like it would move us forward got interrupted.
I came back when the Doctor spoke a little louder.
"A few years back I was… well, a bit homeless and I sort of made… Rose?"
I looked over to see his eyes were wide.
"He got to know Earth through others like me and we got to know the stars through him."
Banging sounded, and we all jumped to our feet.
The Hosts were coming.
The Doctor soniced the nearby door open and walked onto a platform overlooking the inner workings of the ship. Random bursts of flame spurted from the sides of the walls.
A precarious metal walkway is the only passage across.
"The engines are open." Astrid stared wide at the golden aura coming from below.
"The nuclear storm drive. As soon as it stops, the Titanic falls."
A voice came from behind us. "That will never take all our weight."
I'd forgotten about the Head Steward.
"It's nitrophine metal, it's stronger than it looks," the Doctor replied.
"All the same, better…" The Head Steward leaned on the railing and he let out a scream as it fell and he with it.
I winced, he had been so close.
I wondered if my heart had grown cold when I didn't grieve the loss.
"Everyone be careful." I called out.
Rickston ran across the metal walkway, yelling as he fell and had to crawl the rest of the way across.
The sound of the incoming Hosts had the Doctor sealing the door. It didn't take long for banging to start on the entrance we came through.
Rickston let out a shout of joy when he made it to the other side only to yell back at the Doctor when he tried the door, "Doctor the door is locked."
Everyone else continued across, the Doctor and I last.
The metal creaked beneath us.
The Doctor was at the halfway point and I was nearly at his side when an explosion came from below causing us to steady ourselves.
The banging stopped and silence fell.
"They've stopped?" Astrid's eyes darted around.
"Gone away?" Bannakaffalatta asked.
The Doctor looked at the door we'd come from, "Why would they go away?"
"Keep going, they are going to come from above."
I felt my screwdriver in my arm harness and slipped it into my fingers. What I was about to do next would only work in theory but it was better than nothing. Getting as firm a stance as I could on the creaking metal, I summoned my starlight from within and channelled it through the screwdriver.
"May the force be with me." I whispered beneath my breath.
The Doctor shouted, "Arm yourselves!"
A shining light came from my sonic screwdriver forming a white gold light sword.
The golden angels from above spoke, "Information: Kill."
When they sent their halos our way, I split them in two.
The almost bell-like sound of metal against metal was heard as the others beat them away with pieces of loose metal.
My lightsaber split through the oncoming halos like they were butter. The glow lit up my features as I tried to inch my way closer to the Doctor's side.
It was still not enough. Bannakaffalatta emitted an EMP as he took out all the surrounding angels in one fell swoop.
"Oh Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!" The Doctor turned toward Bannakaffalatta only to see him fall onto the walkway out of energy.
"Doctor pick him up and go." I looked behind me to see a Host laying on the walkway, "This one will wake soon."
We were still too late as the rest got to the other side of the precarious walkway, Bannakaffalatta was gone.
Astrid looked at us with tears pooling in her eyes, "He saved us all."
Mr Copper took the EMP booster from Bannakaffalatta's chest, "Indeed he might have."
"Try to tell him that!" Rickston pointed behind me.
I turned and readied myself with my 'star sabre'.
The golden angel that fell on the walkway stood up, "Information: Reboot."
Nearing it, I chopped it down, decapitating it, "Go on everyone!"
"Rose," the Doctor called from behind.
"I'm coming."
As I turned the hand of the destroyed angel grabbed onto my ankle causing my balance to waver. My sonic fell on the metal before it could roll away, I grabbed it, placing it back in the holster.
"Rose no!"
I looked up to see the Doctor's eyes wide with fear as he saw me waver.
The metal walkway shook as the golden angel dragged me toward it.
"I'll see you again pretty boy."
I had just enough time to look the Doctor straight in the eyes.
My mind transferring the needed information his way, 'Protocol #1'.
"You'll figure it out, my Doctor."
As the metal shook beneath me again, golden light shimmered around me as I jumped to a specific moment on the ship.
I arrived in the ballroom right on time.
Astrid had grabbed a teleport brace to follow the Doctor.
Mr Copper and Rickston stood to the side not even trying to stop her.
"Don't even think about it, Astrid."
"But he's all alone."
I shook my head, "He's got me."
I stepped forward taking the teleport bracelet from her, "Take care of these two gentlemen for me."
Astrid pursed her lips, her eyes searching mine. "Promise you'll come back."
"Promise, I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve."
I winked before golden light shone around me and I jumped to the next moment on the ship, Deck 31.
It was as the Doctor was stalling the cyborg Max Capricorn.
I hid behind a forklift, waiting for my moment to use it. I wouldn't have any clever 'last words' for Max but I could still do better than previous timelines' Astrid…I would survive.
I watched as the Doctor's eyes grew angry as he realised the full levity of Max's plans.
"...Because if a Max Capricorn ship hits Earth, it destroys the entire planet. Outrage back home! Scandal! The business is wiped out."
Max rolled closer to the Doctor, "And the whole Board thrown in jail for mass murder."
I shook my head, for a revenge plan it was rather simple and yet still horrifying. All those lives because one man's ego was bruised.
"So that's the plan. A retirement plan." The Doctor's teeth gritted, "2,000 people on the ship, 6 billion underneath us all slaughtered. And why?" The storm raged in the Doctor's gaze, "Because Max Capricorn is a loser!"
"I never lose!"
"You can't even sink the Titanic!"
"Oh I can, Doctor, I can cancel the engines from here."
The Doctor's eyes widened and he fought against the Host's hold.
As the Doctor shouted at Max, I climbed into the fork lift.
I took a deep breath, this would be a close one.
Max laughed, "The Titanic is falling, the sky will burn!" His head bobbled toward the Hosts, "Hosts kill him!"
"Mr Capricorn!" I called out.
Turning the forklift on and getting it shifted in gear.
All attention swivelled towards me.
"Your request for retirement has been approved, perhaps a hotter climate will suffice!"
The forklift revved and I stepped on the gas pedal. Zooming towards Max Capricorn the tongs lifting and pushing him off the platform.
"Rose, don't!"
I reached out with our connection, 'I'll bring Sexy to you.'
The forklift went over the edge and I shimmered away safe and sound.
I jumped in time to see the Titanic falling towards London.
I let out a yell of delight as I saw the Doctor fly it over the city safely just in the nick of time.
"That's my Doctor!"
Down below I heard Sexy's song rise excitedly toward me, 'Yes let's go get our boy.'
Sexy landed on the ship just as it made it out of the atmosphere and levelled out overlooking Earth.
I skipped toward her doors and opened them, leaning out looking over at Astrid and the Doctor.
"Well are you coming?"
Astrid looked to the Doctor, who glanced down at her brow furrowed.
"It's not always safe."
"I don't need it to be. I've barely lived and I'm currently out of a job."
The Doctor turned to Mr Copper, "Fancy a trip?"
Mr Copper was happy with the credit card of Earth's currency and Jack's contact card for a new identity.
As we saw him skip away, I turned toward Astrid.
"So where would you like to go?"
"I am quite curious about Earth, I think."
The Doctor looked back at me with a wink, "So Rose what will it be, backwards or forwards?"
[Sexy's POV: How to pilot]
I whispered to my sister the way to navigate my systems.
She laughed when I told her how the Doctor always left the breaks on.
"It's a loveable sound though, even if its all wrong."
Warmth surged up inside my heart as I felt my sister's joy. I'd seen the other timelines and the 'show' plotlines in her head. I knew what could have been if she had not found me. I sang around my sister as I saw her maneuver around my console following my direction, a natural elegance exuding from her.
Yes, my sister was perfect for my thief.