Heating Things Up (Book Three of The Creators Saga)

Utopia

Turns out, the app I use for writing isn't the most recent version, hence the keyboard glitches and issues. Thank goodness for Google Docs!

Siblings are reunited, and Jack tries to figure out what the hell he's missed since the 9s. ;)

On to "Utopia!"

***

"Cardiff!" the Doctor announced, pulling a lever on the TARDIS.

"Cardiff?" Martha repeated.

"Cardiff!" the Alchemist grinned.

"The thing about Cardiff, it's built on a rift in time and space, just like California and the San Andreas Fault, but the rift bleeds energy," the Doctor explained. "Every now and then, I need to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel."

"So it's a pit stop?" Martha asked.

"Exactly!" the Alchemist grinned. "You're learning."

"Should only take twenty seconds," the Doctor looked at the scanner. "The rift's been active."

"Wait a minute," Martha frowned. "They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago . . . was that you?"

"He trusted the Slitheen," the Alchemist pointed at the Doctor.

"Your idea to use the extrapolator!" the Doctor argued.

"Your fault for being behind the rift in the first place!"

The Doctor sighed. "Long time ago."

"Yeah, we were different back then," the Alchemist nodded.

"Finito," the Doctor looked back at the scanner. "All powered up - " His eyes widened when he saw something, and he quickly pulled a lever, setting the TARDIS off.

The TARDIS jerked suddenly, and something exploded on the console. "Whoa!" Martha grabbed onto the console as the Alchemist grabbed the scanner. "What's that?"

"We're accelerating into the future!" the Alchemist watched. "The year one billion . . . five billion . . . five trillion . . . fifty trillion?"

"What?" the Doctor gawked.

"The year one hundred trillion!"

"That's impossible!"

"Why?" Martha looked over. "What happens then?"

"We're going to the end of the universe!" the Doctor answered.

The TARDIS shuddered, then all movement stopped. "Well," the Alchemist blew out a breath. "We've landed."

"So what's out there?" Martha asked.

"I don't know."

"Hang on," the Doctor grinned. "You don't know?"

"Oh, be fair," the Alchemist scowled. "You know not even the Time Lords came this far."

"Yeah, I know," he admitted.

"So you know we should leave."

"Yeah, we should," he nodded. "We should really, really go."

"So we're on the same page?"

"Definitely."

Martha rolled her eyes as they both ran for the door at the same time. "Typical," she grumbled, following them . . . and screamed when she saw the man lying close by the TARDIS. "Oh, my God!" she ran over, checking for a pulse. "Can't get a pulse," she panicked. "Hold on, you've got that medical kit thing!"