The Doctor and the Artist worked on piloting the TARDIS, bringing her to a gentle landing in 2008 Cardiff at the Roald Dahl Plass. "Cardiff!" the Doctor said cheerfully.
"Cardiff?" Martha questioned. That was a bit anti-climatic, a box that could travel to anywhere in time and space, and they'd arrived at a place she could get to easily herself.
"Nothing wrong with Cardiff, Martha." the Artist said, "It's a nice city in your time. Always good for a couple of hours chilling out."
"And it's build on a rift in time and space." the Doctor added, "Just like California an' the San Andreas fault. But the rift bleeds energy. Every now and then we need to open up the engines, soak up the energy and use it as fuel."
"So it's a pit stop." Martha realised.
"Spot on." the Artist smiled, "The TARDIS needs a top up after that palaver with the Weeping Angels. And I'm still cross with you for that." she told the Doctor pointedly. During their time stuck in 1969, Martha had worked in a clothes shop while the Artist had found work in a garage with a supervisor with wandering hands.
"I said I was sorry!" the Doctor moaned. When he'd found out about that supervisor, suffice to say, he was not happy and that supervisor had found himself facing the Oncoming Storm!
"Should only take 20 seconds this time." the Artist said, checking the scanner, "Looks like the rift's been active recently."
Martha suddenly realised something. "Wait a minute. They had an earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago. Was that you two?" she asked.
"Bit of trouble with a Slitheen." the Doctor admitted.
"Now that's an understatement." the Artist remarked, "That was a while ago for us, back when he was a big-eared Northerner." she explained to Martha. She'd explained to Martha about regeneration shortly after Lazarus, when the human had became a full-time companion, just in case either Time Lord had to regenerate.
The Doctor checked the scanner. "Finito. All powered up." he said, then he looked at the monitor and saw the unmistakable figure of Captain Jack Harkness running frantically towards the TARDIS. The Doctor hurriedly started the TARDIS up.
"In a hurry, are we?" the Artist remarked, having not seen Jack.
Before the Doctor could answer, the console sparked and the TARDIS lurched violently, sending all three of them crashing to the floor. "Woah!" Martha exclaimed, "What's that?"
The Doctor pulled himself up and looked at the monitor. "We're accelerating." he said in surprise, "Into the future. The year one billion, five billion, five trillion, fifty trillion, what?! The year 100 trillion!"
"That's impossible!" the Artist said, joining him to see for herself.
"Why? What happens then?" Martha asked, wandering why both Time Lords seemed so surprised.
"We're going to the end of the universe." the Doctor and the Artist said together in serious voices.
———————————————————————————
The TARDIS stopped with a thud. "Well, we've landed." the Doctor said.
"So what's out there?"
"I dunno." the Doctor shrugged.
"Ooh, say that again, that's rare." Martha remarked.
"No Time Lord has ever come this far." the Artist told her in a serious, worried voice. "We should leave, right now." she told the Doctor.
"How about we give it at least five minutes?" the Doctor replied. The TARDIS had brought them here for a reason, so he felt it would be prudent to at least have a look around.
"Alright, fine." the Artist conceded. She felt extremely uncomfortable about where they'd arrived at. Just like Krop Tor, her natural instinct was to leave immediately, but the Doctor was giving her the puppy dog eyes and she just couldn't bring herself to say no.
The Doctor took her hand and they made for the doors, Martha right behind them.
The trio stepped out of the TARDIS to find themselves on a bleak, barren wasteland. Then, Martha noticed a man's body lying a few feet away. "Oh, my god!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him, "Can't get a pulse. Hold on, you've got that medical kit thing." She rushed back into the TARDIS while the Time Lords slowly walked over to the body.
They recognised it immediately. It was Jack.
"Hello again." the Doctor said to the body, "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Long time no see, flirt boy." the Artist added.
Just then, Martha came out again. "Here we go. Get out the way!" She pushed past the Time Lords and knelt down beside Jack. "It's a bit odd, though, not very hundred trillion, that coat's more like World War Two."
"I think he came with us." the Doctor told her.
"So, that's why you were in such a hurry to leave Cardiff." the Artist realised.
"How d'ya mean, from Earth?" Martha questioned.
"He must've hitched a lift on the outside of the TARDIS." the Artist replied.
"All the way through the Vortex. Well, that's very him." the Doctor remarked nonchalantly.
"What, do you two know him?" Martha asked.
"He's an old friend of ours." the Artist explained, "He used to travel with us back in the old days."
Martha checked Jack's pulse. "But he's... I'm sorry, there's not heartbeat, there's nothing. He's dead." No sooner had those words left Martha's mouth, then Jack suddenly awoke with a gasp, scaring the willies out of Martha. "Oh, well, so much for me." she grumbled, then began to calm the man. "It's alright, just breathe deep, I've got you."
Jack regained his bearings and looked at Martha. "Captain Jack Harness." he introduced, "And who are you?"
"Martha Jones."
"Nice to meet you, Martha Jones." Jack purred.
"Oh, don't start!" the Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Same old Jack." the Artist chuckled.
"I was only saying hello." Jack defended, glancing up at the two Time Lords.
"I don't mind." Martha grinned, helping Jack to his feet.
Once he was standing, he turned to the Time Lords. "Doctor." he greeted coldly.
"Captain." the Doctor responded in a matching tone.
"Artist." Jack said to the Time Lady, his tone a bit less cold but still curt.
"Flirt boy." the Artist responded in the same tone.
"Good to see you both." Jack said stiffly.
"Likewise." the Artist nodded.
"Same as ever." the Doctor added, "Although... have you had work done?"
"You can talk!" Jack retorted. This tall, thin Londoner in a suit was nothing like the big-eared Northerner in a leather jacket that he was familiar with. At least the Artist looked the same.
"Oh yes, the face." the Doctor nodded, "Regeneration. How'd ya know it was me?"
"Well, I'm still the same." the Artist reminded him.
"And even if she wasn't, the police box kinda gives ya both away." Jack added, "I've been following you both for a long time. You both abandoned me." he accused.
"Did we? Busy life, moving on." the Doctor tried to wave him off.
"We're sorry, Jack, but we had no choice." the Artist told Jack, "The Doctor was dying and we couldn't wait for you to catch up, we hadn't the time."
"Just gotta ask." Jack changed the subject, "The Battle of Canary Wharf, I saw the list of the dead. It said Rose Tyler."
"Oh, no, sorry, she's alive!" the Doctor brightened up.
"You're kidding!" Jack stared.
"She's living in a parallel world with Mickey and her mother." the Artist explained, "All safe and sound."
"Oh, yes!" Jack grinned and launched himself at the Time Lords, pulling them into a three-way hug.
The Artist noticed Martha looking at them with an expression that was a mix of being happy for them, but also feeling a bit left out. "Oi, come on, Martha, room for one more." the Time Lady beckoned, and a much happier Martha joined them, making it a four-way hug.
———————————————————————————
The quartet was soon exploring the planet they were on. The Time Lords led the way, arms linked, and the Humans trailed behind. "So there I was, stranded in the year 200,100, ankle deep in Dalek dust, and they go off without me, but I had this." Jack said to Martha, showing her his Vortex Manipulator, "I used to be a Time Agent, it's called a Vortex Manipulator. They're not the only ones who can time travel."
"Oh, excuse me, that is not time travel!" the Doctor scoffed, "It's like we've got a sports car, an' he's got a space hopper."
"Oh, ho-ho, boys and their toys!" Martha laughed.
"He's got a point, though." the Artist said, "Vortex Manipulators are somewhat unreliable."
"Alright, so I bounced." Jack grumbled, "I thought 21st century, best place to find the Doctor and the Artist. Except I got it a little wrong, arrived in 1869, this thing burned out, so it was useless."
"Told you." the Doctor said triumphantly.
"I had to live through the entire 20th century, waiting for versions of you two that would coincide with me." Jack continued.
"But that makes you more than 100 years old." Martha frowned.
"And lookin' good, don't ya think?" Jack smirked, "So, I went to the time rift, based myself there, cos' I knew you'd come back to refuel, until, finally, I get a signal on this, detecting you two." He patted his backpack. "And here we are."
"But how come you both left him behind, Doctor, Artist?" Martha asked the Time Lords.
"We were busy." the Doctor waved her off.
"It that what happens, though, seriously?" Martha continued to prod, "D'ya both just get bored with us one day and disappear?"
"No, that's not true." the Artist reassured her, "We don't leave people behind by choice. We had to leave Jack behind, I told you earlier. The Doctor was dying so we had to leave immediately. He regenerated as soon as we left, then he went into a coma, and aliens tried to invade Earth."
"Ah, the Sycorax." Jack nodded, "Should'a know you two'd be there. Cut it fine, didn't ya?"
"Like I said, the Doctor was in a coma." the Artist said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable about being reminded of that incident, "And I was useless."
"No, you weren't." the Doctor reassured her, "You kept ya head when everyone else was loosing theirs. And we had our first kiss afterwards." he smiled.
"Yeah, that was the silver lining to that day." the Artist smiled back, leaning forward and giving him a small kiss.
"Ah, about time you two got together." Jack smirked. He remembered how it was when he'd travelled with them. They'd both insisted they were just friends, but every now and then, one of them would let slip a comment that hinted otherwise. "Well, I'm happy for ya both, even if ya did destroy Britain's golden age."
"Yeah, that was a mistake." the Doctor admitted guiltily. Ever since the Battle of Canary Wharf, he'd come to realise that deposing Harriet Jones had been a massive mistake on his part, and he regretted it deeply. But, of course, back then, he was an arrogant know-it-all, and it had taken loosing Rose for him to realise that.
"Anyway." the Artist cut in, changing the subject, "We're at the end of the universe, and I believe you wanted to have a look around, Doctor?"
"Yes, quite right, love." the Doctor said, "No more blogging, allons-y!" And he led the way onwards.
———————————————————————————
Presently, they stopped at the edge of a canyon and looked out at what looked like the remains of a city beyond. "Is that a city?" Martha asked.
"City, or a hive, or a conglomeration." the Doctor replied.
"Looks like it was grown." the Artist added, "There's what looks like pathways or roads. Must've been some kind of life here once."
"What killed it?" Martha wandered.
"Time." the Artist answered solemnly, "Everything dies out in the end, even the entire universe."
"This isn't just night." the Doctor added, pointing at the pitch black sky above them, "All the stars have burned up and faded away. Into nothing."
"They must have an atmospheric shell." Jack observed, "We should be frozen to death."
"Well, Artist, Martha and I maybe." the Doctor replied, "Not so sure about you, Jack."
"But what about the people?" Martha wandered, "Does no one survive?"
"I suppose we have to hope." the Doctor replied, "Life will find a way."
"It always does." the Artist added.
"Well, he's not doin' too bad." Jack said, pointing to a man in the distance running, a large group of people chasing him, torches in their hands.
"Is it me or does that look like a hunt?" the Doctor frowned, "Come on!" He took the Artist's hand and they sped off towards the chase, the humans close behind them.
"Oh, I've missed this!" Jack laughed as they ran.
When they reached the man, Jack grabbed him. "I've got you." he reassured him.
"We've gotta run, they're coming!" the man panted, pointing to the people chasing him.
Jack pushed the man towards the Doctor and pulled out his revolver, aiming it at the hunters. "Don't even think about it." the Artist told him pointedly, so Jack fired into the air, causing the hunters to stop.
"What the hell are they?" Martha gasped, looking at the hunters. They looked human, but their faces were covered with tattoos and their teeth were pointed, like fangs.
"There's more of them. We've got to keep going." the man urged.
"We've got a ship nearby. It's safe, it's not far, just over there." the Doctor said, only to see more hunters coming from the way they'd just come from. "Or maybe not."
"We're close to the silo." the man said, "If we get to the silo, then we're safe."
"Silo?" the Doctor questioned the others.
"Silo." the Artist and Jack said together.
"Silo for me." Martha chimed in, and they all took off running again, the man leading the way.
Soon they reached a gated-off area with watchtowers and armed guards. "It's the Future-kind." the man called to the guards, "They're coming! Let us in!"
"Show me your teeth!" a guard called back, "Show me your teeth, show me your teeth!"
"Show him your teeth." the man said to the quartet as they reached the gate. He bared his teeth to the guards and the time travellers did the same.
"Humans, let 'em in!" the guard said to his colleagues, "Let 'em in!" The gates were opened and the Time Lords and humans all raced inside. "Close! Close!" the guard ordered once they were inside, and the gates were slammed shut, with the lead guard firing a few rifle rounds at the Future-kind's feet to halt their advance.
"Humans." one of the Future-kind snarled, "Human meat. Make feast."
"Go back to where you came from." the guard ordered, keeping his rifle aimed on them, "I said, go back! Back!"
"Oh, don't tell him to put his gun down." Jack muttered to the Time Lords.
"He's not our responsibility." the Doctor retorted.
"And I am?" Jack scoffed, "Makes a change."
"Oh, don't start, boys." the Artist rolled her eyes.
"Kind watch you." the Future-kind leader continued, "Kind hungry." He signalled to the others and they all moved away.
"Thanks for that." the Doctor said to the guard.
"Right, let's get you inside." the guard said, and they all turned to head inside a bunker.
"My name is Padrafed Shafecane" the man they'd rescued said to the guard, "Tell me, just tell me... can you take me to Utopia?"
"Oh, yes sir! Yes I can!" the guard replied cheerfully, leading the way.
———————————————————————————
Once inside the bunker, the group were all taken to the head guard, Atillo. The Doctor was telling Atillo about the TARDIS. "It's like a box." he said, "A big blue box. 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 cut in, "Did they get here? My mother is Kistane Shafecane, my brother's name is Beltone."
"The computers are down, but you can check the paperwork." Atillo told him. "Creet!" he called, and a little blonde boy came over, "Passenger needs help."
"Right, what d'ya need?" Creet asked Padra, producing a clipboard.
Padra went over to talk to Creet while Atillo turned back to the Doctor; "A blue box, you said?"
"Big, tall, wooden, says 'police'." the Doctor nodded.
"We're driving out for the last water collection, I'll see what I can do." Atillo replied.
"Thank you." the Artist nodded.
"We could still take a look, come on." Creet said to Padra and began to lead the man away.
"Sorry, but how old are you?" Martha asked Creet.
"Old enough to work." Creet replied casually, "This way." He led everyone off through a series of corridors, all crammed with people. "Is there a Kistane Shafecane?" Creet called out, "Kistane and Beltone Shafecane? I'm looking for a Kistane and Beltone Safecane."
"The Shafecane's, anyone?" Padra pleaded.
"Anyone?" Creet tried again.
The time travellers looked around at the Humans gathered in the corridors. "It's like a refugee camp." Martha murmured.
"Stinking." Jack agreed, "Oh, sorry, no offense, not you." he said hastily to a man who'd overheard.
"Don't ya see that, though? The ripe old smell of humans. You survived!" the Doctor said brightly, "Oh, ya might've spent a million years evolving into gas, and another million as downloads, but you always revert to the same basic shape."
"The fundamental humans." the Artist agreed.
"Kistane Shafecane!" Creet called out
"End of the universe, and here you are!" the Doctor continued, "Indomitable, that's the word! Indomitable, ha!"
"Is there a Kistane Shafecane?" Creet tried again. This time he received an answer.
"That's me." a woman called, then noticed Padra.
"Mother!" Padra gasped.
"Oh, my god, Padra!" Kistane cried in relief, and Padra ran over to hug his mother.
"It's not all bad news!" Martha grinned.
"A happy family reunion." the Artist added, happy for them.
Jack went up to a man. "Captain Jack Harness, and who are you?" he asked flirtishly.
"Stop it!" the Doctor scolded, running his sonic screwdriver over a keypad on a door nearby, "Give us a hand with this."
The Artist came over and tried her own sonic on the keypad. "Looks to be half deadlocked." she noted. "Can you overwrite the code?" she asked Jack.
"Consider it done, biker girl." Jack grinned and set to work helping her.
"Let's find out where we are." the Doctor said, pulling a door open. He stepped forward, only to nearly fall into a silo. Luckily, the Artist and Jack managed to grab him in time. "Thanks." he panted.
"Don't mention it." the Artist said.
"How did you cope without me?" Jack asked her.
"With a lot of difficulty." she replied.
Martha peered into the silo. "Now that is what I call a rocket." she remarked. Inside the silo was a huge rocket.
"They're not refugees, they're passengers." the Doctor realised.
"He said they were going to Utopia." the Artist agreed, "The perfect place when your at the end of the universe."
"Hundred trillion years and it's the same old dream." the Doctor remarked. "D'ya recognise those engines?" he asked Jack, looking at the base of the rocket.
"Nope." Jack replied, "Whatever it is, it's not rocket science. But it's hot, though."
"Boiling." the Doctor agreed. They went back inside and the Doctor shut the door. "But if the universe is falling apart, what does Utopia mean?" he wandered.
Just then, a smartly dressed elderly gentleman came up to them. He looked between the Doctor and Jack, then pointed to Jack. "The Doctor?" he asked.
"That's me." the Doctor raised his hand and the man turned to him.
"Oh, good!" he said excitedly, "Good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good!" He took the Doctor's hand and led him away, the others close behind.
"It's good, apparently." the Doctor remarked to the Artist.
"Your reputation must proceed you." she smirked.
———————————————————————————
The man led them to a laboratory, where a blue-skinned alien with an insect-like head was waiting. "Chan, welcome, tho." the alien greeted the Doctor.
The Doctor had no chance to acknowledge her, as the man rambled about something; "This is the gravitissimal accelerator, it's past it's best..."
The alien turned to the other three time travellers. "Chan, welcome, tho." she greeted.
"Hello." the Artist greeted back, "And who might you be?"
"Chan, Chantho, tho." the alien replied.
"Well, nice to meet you, Chantho." the Artist replied, "I'm the Artist and this is Martha Jones." She indicated to Martha who waved politely.
"Captain Jack Harness." Jack greeted.
"Stop it." the Doctor called over from where the man was showing him some electrical stuff.
"Can't I say hello to anyone?" Jack huffed.
"Chan, I do not protest, tho." Chantho reassured.
"Maybe later, blue." Jack winked at her, causing her to blush violet.
"Anyway, moving on." the Artist cut in, knowing what Jack was like, "What have we here?" She came over to see what the man had shown the Doctor, Jack and Martha following her. Martha swore she heard something bubbling in Jack's backpack.
"And all this feeds into the rocket?" the Doctor asked the man.
"Yeah, except without a stable footprint, we'll never achieve escape velocity." the man sighed, "If only we could harmonise the five impact patterns, and unify them. Well, we might yet make it. But... what d'you think, Doctor, eh? Any ideas?"
The Doctor pondered. "Well, um... Basically, sort of... not a clue." he conceded.
"Nothing?"
"We're not from round here." the Artist explained, then examined some wiring. "Never seen anything like this before." she remarked, "Sorry we can't be of help."
"No, no, I'm sorry, it's my fault." the man said wearily, "There's been so little help."
Martha reached into Jack's backpack and pulled out a glass jar filled with liquid. Swimming in the liquid was a hand. "Oh, my god!" she exclaimed, "You've got a hand! A hand in a jar, a hand in a jar in your bag."
The Doctor looked at the hand. "That's my hand." he realised.
"I said I had a Doctor detector." Jack smirked.
"Chan, is this a tradition amongst your people, tho?" Chantho asked Martha.
"Not on my street!" Martha grimaced. "What d'you mean that's your hand?" she questioned the Doctor, "You've got both your hands, I can see them."
"He lost that hand in a sword fight." the Artist explained to her, "It was just after he regenerated, that Christmas with the Sycorax. His hand got cut off, but he had enough regeneration energy left to regrow it."
"What, he grew another hand?" Martha stared.
"Um, yeah, I did." the Doctor replied, "Hello!" He waggled his fingers on his right hand, the very hand that he regrew.
"Might I ask, what species are you?" the man asked, wandering what species could regrow hacked-off limbs.
"The Doctor and I are Time Lords." the Artist replied, "And we don't make a habit of loosing limbs and re-growing them if we can help it." she reassured everyone.
"What lords?" the man frowned.
"Time Lords." the Doctor told him, "Last of. Heard of them?" Both Chantho and the man stared blankly at him and the Artist. "Legend or anything?" the Doctor tried, "Not even a myth? Blimey, the end of the universe is a bit humbling."
"Chan, it is said I am the last of my species too, tho." Chantho said sadly.
"Sorry, what was your name?" the Doctor asked her.
"My assistant, and good friend, Chantho." the man told him, "She's a survivor of the Malmooth. This was their planet, Malcassario, before we took refuge."
"That city outside, that was your people's?" the Artist asked Chantho.
"Chan, the conglomeration died, tho." Chantho replied solemnly.
"Conglomeration, that's what I said." the Doctor said.
The Artist just rolled her eyes at his lack of tact. "I'm sorry for your loss, Chantho." she said, "Our people all died too, so we know how you feel."
"Chan, most grateful, tho."
"You grew another hand?" Martha repeated, still shocked at that.
"Hello again." the Doctor wiggled his fingers again, "It's fine, look, really, it's me."
"All this time and you're still full of surprises." Martha laughed.
"Chan, you are most unusual, tho." Chantho remarked
"That's my Doctor." the Artist smiled, slipping her arm round the Doctor, "Unusual, mad, and brilliant." She gave him a peck on the cheek.
"So what about things outside, the Beastie Boys, what are they?" Jack asked the man, getting everyone back on track.
"We call 'em the Futurekind." the man replied, "Which is a myth in itself, but, uh, it's feared they are what we will become, unless we reach Utopia."
"And Utopia is...?" the Doctor questioned.
"Oh, every human knows of Utopia." the man scoffed, "Where have you been?"
"Bit of a hermit." the Doctor shrugged.
"A hermit with friends and a girlfriend?" the man questioned.
"Hermits united" the Doctor replied, "We meet up every 10 years, swap stories about caves. It's good fun, for a hermit. So, Utopia?"
The man gestured for them to follow him and he led them over to a computer screen that was displaying a navigational chart with a red dot blinking on one specific spot. "The call came from across the stars." the man explained, "Over and over again. 'Come to Utopia' emanating from that point."
"Where is that?" the Doctor asked.
"Oh, it's far beyond the Condensate Wilderness." the man replied, "Out towards the wild lands and the dark matter reefs. Calling us in, the last of the humans, scattered across the night."
"What do you think is out there?" the Artist asked him.
"We can't know." he replied, "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, "And the signal keeps on modulating so it's not on automatic. That's a good sign someone's out there. An' that's, ooh, that's a navigation matrix, so you can fly without the stars to guide you." Then he noticed that the man appeared to have zoned out. "Professor?" he asked, Professor?"
The man snapped out of his daze; "I.. right, that's enough talk. There's work to do, if you could leave, thank you." He walked off.
"Are you alright?" the Artist asked him.
"Yes, I'm fine, my dear." the man waved her off, "Just busy."
"Except, that rocket's not gonna fly, is it?" the Doctor said to him, causing him to look round, "This footprint mechanism thing, it's not working."
"We'll find a way!" the man said, more to reassure himself really.
"You're stuck on this planet. And you haven't told 'em, have you? That lot out there, they still think they're gonna fly."
"Well, it's better to let them live in hope." the man sighed wearily.
"And quite right too." the Doctor said, "And I must say, Professor... Um, what is it?"
"Yana." the man replied.
"Professor Yana, this new science is well beyond me..." the Doctor continued, "But all the same, a boost reversal circuit in any time frame must be a circuit which reverses the boost. So, I wonder, what would happen if we did this?" He picked up the circuit and used his sonic on it, then switched it on, giving them power.
"Chan, it's working, tho!" Chantho cried in amazement.
"But how did you do that?" Yana asked The Doctor in disbelief.
"Oh, we've been chatting away." the Doctor replied, "I forgot to tell ya, I'm brilliant!"
"And not very modest." the Artist remarked dryly.
———————————————————————————
The Doctor's effort seemed to energise everyone into action. "All passengers, prepare for boarding." Atillo announced over the speakers, "Repeat, all passengers prepare for boarding." And all throughout the silo, people fussed about, gathering their belongings, while Yana, Jack and the Time Lords worked in the lab to get everything ready.
———————————————————————————
Martha and Chantho made their way through a corridor, bringing some circuit boards the Artist had said she required. Soon, Martha saw Creet. "Hey, what was your name, Creet?" she asked him.
"That's right, miss." the boy answered.
"Who're you with, Creet, you got family?"
"No, miss. There's just me."
"Well, good luck." Martha said sympathetically, "What d'you think it's gonna be like, in Utopia?"
"My mum used to say the skies are made of diamonds." Creet said dreamily.
"Good for her." Martha laughed, "Go on, off you go, get ya seat." And Creet cheerfully went off to board the rocket while Martha and Chantho continued their journey to the lab.
———————————————————————————
In the lab, the Doctor and the Artist were standing either side of a clear circuit board, working on connecting the wiring while Yana looked on. The Doctor sniffed the cord he was holding. "Is that...?"
"Yeah, gluten extract." Yana replied, "Binds the neutralino map together."
"You built this whole system out of food, string and staples." the Artist remarked, impressed, "Professor Yana, you're a genius!"
"Says the people who're making it work." Yana said modestly.
"Yeah, but this is magnificent." the Doctor said, "And I don't often say that cos' of, well, me.."
"And here we go with the ego again." the Artist smirked, causing the Doctor to just wink at her.
"Well, even my title is an affectation." Yana said, "There hasn't been such a thing as a university for over 1,000 years. I've spent my life going from one refugee ship to another."
"If you'd been born in a different time, you'd be revered, I mean it." the Doctor remarked, "Throughout the galaxies."
"Oh, those damn galaxies, they had to go and collapse!" Yana chuckled, "Some admiration would have been nice, yes. Just a little. Just once."
"Well, you've got it now." the Artist smiled.
"But that footprint engine thing..." the Doctor said seriously, "You can't activate it from on board, it's gotta be done from here. You're staying behind."
"With Chantho." Yana confirmed, "She won't leave without me, simply refuses."
"You're giving your life so they can fly. That's very noble of you, Professor." the Artist said. She really liked this man, and hoped that she and the Doctor could find a way to save his life.
"Oh, I think I'm a little old for Utopia, my dear." Yana said, "Time I had some sleep."
Just then, Atillo came over the comm; "Professor, tell the Doctor we found his blue box."
"Ah!" the Doctor grinned, delighted to hear the news.
"Doctor, Artist." Jack called from the computer he was monitoring. The others came over and saw the TARDIS, safely inside the silo.
"Professor, I think we can get you out." the Artist said, patting Yana on the shoulder, then she and the Doctor went off to bring the TARDIS into the lab, neither of them noticing Yana looking at the box with a pained expression.
———————————————————————————
The Time Lords had soon piloted the TARDIS into the lab and they came out carrying a cable. "Extra power." the Doctor said as they plugged the cable in, "Bit of a cheat, but who's counting? Jack, you're in charge of the retro feeds."
Just then, Martha and Chantho returned. "Oh my god, am I glad to see that thing!" Martha grinned when she saw the TARDIS.
Chantho however was more concerned with Yana, who was leaning on a desk, rubbing his temples. "Chan, professor, are you alright, tho?" she asked him.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Yana waved her off, "Just get on with it."
"Connect those circuits into the spar, same as the last lot, but quicker." Jack instructed Martha.
"Yes, sir!" Martha retorted, going off to do as she was told while the Time Lords went over to Yana.
"You don't have to keep working, professor." the Artist told him gently, "We can handle it."
"It's just a headache." Yana waved her off, "Just... just noise inside my head. Constant drumming inside my head."
"What sorta noise?" the Doctor asked.
"It's the sound of drums." Yana replied, "More and more, as though... it's getting closer."
"When did it start?"
"Oh, I've had it all my life." Yana shrugged "Every waking hour. Still, no rest for the wicked." He got up and went back to work.
————————————————————————————
Presently, Atillo came over the comm again; "Professor? Systems are down. Professor, are you getting me?"
Yana went over to his computer and answered the call. "I'm here, we're ready." he said, "Now all you need to do is connect the couplings, then we can launch." Suddenly, the screen went to static. "God sakes, this equipment!" Yana grumbled, "Needs rebooting all the time."
Martha came over to him. "Anything I can do? I've finished that lot."
"Yes, if you could." Yana got up, allowing Martha to take his seat, "Just press the reboot key every time the picture goes."
"Certainly, sir." Martha replied, "Just don't ask me to do shorthand." She hit the reboot key and Atillo came back on screen.
"Are you still there?" he asked.
"Ah, present and correct." Yana answered, "Send your man inside. "We'll keep the levels down from here."
The screen soon changed to show a man in a hazmat suit entering a room bathed in red light. "He's inside. And good luck to him." Atillo reported.
Yana went over to a console Jack and Chantho were working at. "Captain, keep the dials below the red." Yana instructed.
"Where is that room?" the Doctor asked.
"It's underneath the rocket." Yana replied, "Fix the couplings and the footprint can work. But the entire chamber is flooded with stet radiation."
"Stet? Never heard of it." the Doctor frowned.
"Me neither." the Artist added.
"Well, you wouldn't want to, but it's safe enough." Yana replied, "We can hold back the radiation from here." They watched as the man in the suit worked on the first coupling. An alarm started to sound. "It's rising. 0.2." Yana noted, "Keep it level."
"Yes, sir." Jack called back. He soon brought the levels down and the man moved onto the second coupling.
Suddenly, the alarms started again and the readings went haywire. "Chan, we're loosing power, tho!" Chantho realised.
The Artist checked a dial. "Radiation's rising." she warned.
"We've lost control!" Jack cried.
"The chamber's going to flood." Yana said grimly.
"Jack, override the vents!" the Doctor called to Jack, who grabbed two cables.
"We can jump-start the override." he said, and mashed the two cables together.
"No! It's gonna flare!" the Artist warned him, but too late. High voltage flowed into Jack and he fell to the floor dead.
Martha raced over to him. "I've got him!"
"Chan, don't touch the cables, tho!" Chantho warned, moving the cables out of the way.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Yana sighed, looking at Jack's dead body, to which Martha was administering mouth-to-mouth.
"The chamber's flooded with radiation, yes?" the Doctor asked Yana, completely unfazed.
"Without the couplings, the engines will never start." Yana sighed, "It was all for nothing."
"Oh, I dunno." the Doctor said nonchalantly as the Artist went over to Martha.
"Martha, he'll be okay." she said to her, "Just step back."
"You've gotta let me try." Martha protested.
"Just give him a minute." the Artist reassured her.
"It strikes me, professor, you've got a room which no man can enter without dying, is that correct?" the Doctor said to Yana.
"Yes." Yana replied.
"Well..." the Doctor tailed off as Jack promptly revived, "I think we've got just the man."
"Was someone kissing me?" Jack gasped as Chantho and the humans could only stare in disbelief.
————————————————————————————
The Time Lords and Jack were soon speeding to the coupling room. "Lieutenant, get everyone on board, I promise you're gonna fly." the Doctor told Atillo.
"The chamber's flooded." Atillo countered.
"Trust me, we've found a way of tripping the system." the Doctor told him, "Run!" And Atillo rushed off to do so.
Jack began to remove his shirt. "Jack, what're you stripping for?" the Artist asked him.
"I'm going in." Jack replied simply.
"Well, by the looks of it, I'd say stet radiation doesn't affect clothing, only flesh." the Doctor told him.
"Well, I look good though." Jack smirked, and moved towards the door to the coupling room. "How long have you two known?" he asked.
"Ever since we ran away from you." the Doctor replied.
"Good luck." the Artist said to Jack, who went inside the chamber.
————————————————————————————
In the lab, Martha was sat at the computer. "We lost the picture when that thing flared up." she said, "Doctor, Artist, are ya both there?"
"All present and correct." the Artist 's voice said, "Jack's inside."
"And still alive?" Martha asked.
"Alive and well."
"But he should evaporate." Yana said in disbelief, "What sort of a man is he?"
"I've only just met him." Martha replied, "The Doctor and the Artist sort of travel through time and space and pick people up. God, I make us sound like stray dogs. Maybe we are"
"Oh, you're not a dog, Martha." the Artist said reassuringly, "You're our friend!" Martha smiled at that. The Artist had been very welcoming when she'd first started travelling with them, whereas the Doctor had been more closed off, due to his guilt over Rose's fate.
Yana meanwhile was more focussed on something else. "They travel in time?" he questioned.
"Don't ask me to explain it." Martha said, "That's a TARDIS, that box thing." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at the TARDIS. "The sports car of time travel, he says." Yana went over to the TARDIS, looking at it closely.
Something about the name TARDIS seemed familiar to him.
————————————————————————————
In the coupling room, Jack was busy working on the couplings while the Doctor watched on the other side of the door. The Artist was at the computer, keeping the communication lines open. "When did you realise?" the Doctor asked Jack.
"Earth, 1892." Jack replied, "Got in a little fight on Ellis Island, man shot me through the heart and then I woke up. Thought it was kinda strange, but then it never stopped. Fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War One, World War Two, poison, starvation, a stray javelin." Both Time Lords winced. "In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die. And all that time, you both knew."
"That's why we left you behind." the Doctor said, "It's not easy, even just... Just looking at you, Jack, cos' you're wrong."
"Thanks." Jack muttered.
"It's nothing personal, Jack." the Artist told him gently, "You're a fixed point in time and space, and we're Time Lords. It's our gut instincts to avoid fixed points."
"You're a fact." the Doctor added, "An' 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 sayin' is you're all, uh, prejudiced?" Jack grunted, straining at a coupling.
"I never thought about it like that." the Doctor shrugged.
"Shame on you." Jack smirked.
"Like I said, it was nothing personal." the Artist said. If it wasn't for Jack's status as a fixed point, she'd have been more than happy for Jack to have kept travelling with them.
"Last thing I remember, back when I was mortal." Jack continued, "I was facing three Daleks, facing death by extermination, and then I came back to life. What happened?"
"Rose." the Time Lords answered together.
"I thought you'd sent her back home." Jack frowned.
"You know what Rose was like, Jack." the Artist said, "She never could do as she was told....She came back."
"She opened up the heart of the TARDIS." the Doctor added, "And absorbed the Time Vortex itself."
"What does that mean, exactly?" Jack questioned.
"No one's ever meant 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?" Jack asked.
"The power was killing her, so the Doctor took it out of her." the Artist told him, "Then it nearly killed him, so he regenerated into the man you see now."
"Rose is gone, Jack." the Doctor added, "She's not just living on a parallel world, she's trapped there. The walls have closed."
"I'm sorry." Jack said sympathetically. He knew how close the trio were. Rose was like a sister to them.
"It was our own fault." the Doctor sighed
"Oi, we talked about this." the Artist scolded him. For ages after the Battle of Canary Wharf, the Doctor had beaten himself up over what happened, blaming himself for his arrogant behaviour and Rose for her cockiness. "What happened was neither of your faults, and we've got Martha now, and I wouldn't trade Martha for anyone." She loved Rose like a sister, but the blonde was too much like the Doctor, too reckless and cocky, whereas Martha was more sensible. The medical student was just as willing to help others regardless of the risks to herself, but unlike Rose, she never treated everything like it was a big joke and knew when to show compassion to those who had suffered.
"Do you want to die?" the Doctor asked Jack suddenly.
"Oh, this one's a little stuck." Jack grunted, trying to change the subject.
"Jack?"
"I thought I did." Jack admitted, "I don't know. But this lot, you see 'em out here, surviving, and that's fantastic." They shared a grin at Jack's use of the Doctor's previous incarnation's catchphrase.
"You might be out here somewhere." the Doctor remarked as Jack moved onto the last coupling.
"I could go meet myself."
"Well, it's the only man you're ever gonna be happy with." the Doctor remarked.
"This new regeneration, it's kinda cheeky." Jack retorted.
"Oh, you have no idea, Jack" the Artist laughed, "Honestly, he's genetically incapable of not being rude!"
"Oh, you love me really." the Doctor winked at her.
"True." she smirked.
———————————————————————————
Yana meanwhile had zoned out. Some of the words he'd heard kept buzzing round his head. Words like 'TARDIS', 'Daleks', 'Time Vortex', 'Time War' and 'Regeneration' all seemed familiar somehow, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I never understand half the things the Doctor says." Martha remarked to Chantho, "At least the Artist puts it in English." Then she noticed Yana. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
"Chan, professor, what is it, tho?" Chantho asked as they walked over to him.
"Time travel." Yana cried, "They say there was time travel back in the old days, I never believed... But what would I know? Stupid old man." he dismissed himself, "Never could keep time. Always late, always lost. Even this thing never worked." He pulled out an old fob watch from his waistcoat. Martha's eyes widened. It was exactly like the one the Doctor had used when he was hiding from the Family of Blood. "Time and time again, running out on me." Yana lamented.
"Can I have a look at that?" Martha asked.
"Oh, it's only an old relic." Yana said, "Like me."
"Where did you get it?" Martha questioned, eyeing the watch closely.
"Hmm? I was found with it." Yana answered.
"What d'you mean?"
"An orphan in the storm. I was a naked child, found on the coast of the Silver Devastation. Abandoned with only this."
"Have you ever opened it?" Martha asked.
"Why would I? It's broken." Yana replied.
"How d'you it's broken if you've never opened it?" Martha countered.
"It's stuck, it's old, it's not meant to be." Yana shrugged, "I don't know." Martha took the watch and turned it over. On the other side was Galifreyean text, just like the one the Doctor had. "Does it matter?" Yana asked her, taking the watch back.
"No, it's nothing, it's..." Martha waved him off, deciding that the Doctor and the Artist should know about this, "Listen, everything's fine up here. I'm gonna see if the others need me." She hurried away, not realising that she'd pipped Yana's interest.
———————————————————————————
In the coupling room, Jack got the last coupling connected. "Yes!" he cheered.
"Now get of there, come on!" the Doctor told him.
Jack stepped out into the control room while the Artist called up Atillo. "Is everyone on board, lieutenant?" she asked.
"Ready and waiting." Atillo answered.
"Stand by!" the Doctor said, taking the phone, "Two minutes to ignition."
"Ready to launch." Atillo announced over the comm, while Jack and the Time Lords worked on a bank of electrical instruments.
Martha came racing in. "Ah, nearly there." the Doctor said to her, "The footprint, it's a gravity pulse. It stamps down, the rocket shoots up. Bit primitive, it's gonna take all of us to keep it stable."
"Doctor, it's the professor." Martha said to him, "He's got this watch. He's got a fob watch. It's the same as yours, same writing on it, same everything."
"Don't be ridiculous." the Doctor stared.
"I asked him. He said he's had it his whole life."
"So? He's got the same watch." Jack said, not understanding the implications.
"Yeah, but it's not a watch." Martha said to him, "It's this chameleon thing."
"It's a device that rewrites Time Lord biology." the Artist elaborated, "It can make us human."
"And it's the same watch." Martha said.
"It can't be." the Artist said, actually sounding horrified at the thought that there could be another Time Lord. Alarms started and she and the Doctor fussed around sorting it out.
"That means he might be a Time Lord." Jack realised, "You two might not be the last ones."
"Jack, keep it level!" the Doctor yelled, not wanting to even think about it.
"But that's brilliant, isn't it?" Martha asked, wandering why her friends both seemed frightened at the thought that there might be another of their people alive.
"Depends on which one it is." the Artist told her.
"Brilliant, fantastic, yeah. But they died, the Time Lords." the Doctor said, "All of 'em, they're dead."
"Not if he was human." Jack pointed out.
"What did he say, Martha?" the Doctor asked. "WHAT DID HE SAY?!" he yelled frantically.
"He looked at the watch like he could hardly see it." Martha answered, puzzled at the Time Lords' reactions, "Like with that perception filter."
"But you've brought his attention to it." the Artist said "He can see it now."
And indeed he could.
———————————————————————————
In the lab, Yana was studying the watch carefully. As he turned it over in his hands, he heard voices coming from it. First there was what sounded like an evil laugh, followed by his own voice saying: "The drums, the drums, the never ending drumbeat. Open me, you human fool. Open the light and summon me and receive my majesty." He glanced at the Doctor's hand, the liquid inside was bubbling furiously. Then he heard a voice that sounded suave but with a cruel undertone demanding; "Destroy him! And you will give your power to me!"
"Chan. Yana, won't you please take some rest, tho?" Chantho asked Yana worriedly.
———————————————————————————
"If he escaped the Time War, then he's found the perfect hiding place, the end of the universe." the Artist said to the Doctor. He'd telepathically relayed his fear as to who he thought Yana could really be and they both hoped they were wrong.
"Think what the Face of Boe said." Martha chimed in, remembering that, "He said..." She was cut off by the Doctor flipping a switch, and the rocket blasting off.
———————————————————————————
In the lab, Chantho heard the blast-off and felt a feeling of relief that it had worked, but Yana wasn't interested. He opened the watch and golden energy flowed into him. In his mind's eye, he could see faces: a suave bearded man in a black Nehru jacket, what looked like a walking corpse, a different bearded man in a suit, a clean-shaven man in a leather jacket, and himself, only with a beard.
———————————————————————————
In the control room, the Doctor and the Artist both stiffened. They remembered the Face of Boe's last words; ' You are not alone'.
Y-A-N-A.
They realised that Boe was warning them about this.
———————————————————————————
In the lab, Chantho cautiously approached Yana, "Chan, professor Yana, tho?" she asked worriedly.
Yana turned slowly around, his expression dark and anger blazing in his eyes.
———————————————————————————
In the control room, the Doctor contacted the rocket; "Lieutenant, have ya done it? Did you get velocity? Have ya done it? Lieutenant, have you done it?"
"Affirmative, we'll see you in Utopia." Atillo answered.
"Good luck." the Doctor said. He hung up, grabbed the Artist's hand and they sped off back towards the lab, Jack and Martha following.
They reached the door, only for it to close right in front of them.
———————————————————————————
Yana had been responsible for that. "Chan, but you've locked them in, tho." Chantho pointed out.
———————————————————————————
In the control room, the Time Lords frantically tried sonicing the door. They had stop Yana before it was too late, they just had to.
———————————————————————————
"Not to worry, my dear." Yana sneered in a malicious voice, "As one door closes, another must open." He pulled a lever, causing the silo to loose all power and allowing the Futurekind in.
"Chan, you must stop, tho." Chantho protested as he started messing with more switches, "Chan, but you've lowered the defences, the Future-kind will get in, tho."
———————————————————————————
The control room door was deadlocked, so the sonics were no use. Luckily, Jack managed to hack the keypad and the door opened, then they all sped off.
———————————————————————————
In the lab, Yana continued to mess with controls. "Chan, professor, I'm so sorry, but I must stop you..." Chantho sighed, grabbing a gun and pointing it at him, "You're destroying all our work, tho."
Yana turned to her, not at all fazed by the gun levelled at him. "Oh, now I can say I was provoked." he sneered, then he grabbed a sparking cable and began to advance on her.
———————————————————————————
The quartet sped down the halls, only to see Future-kind coming straight for them, so they doubled back and tried another way.
———————————————————————————
"Did you never think, in all those years standing beside me, to ask about that watch?" Yana snarled, continuing his advance on the terrified Chantho, "Never? Did you never once think, not ever that you could set me free?!"
"Chan, I'm sorry, tho. Chan, I'm so sorry, tho." Chantho whimpered.
"And you, with your 'chan' and your 'tho', driving me insane!" Yana growled.
"Chan, professor, please, tho."
"THAT IS NOT MY NAME!" he roared, "The professor was an invention. So perfect a disguise that I forgot who I am."
"Chan, then who are you, tho?"
"I am... the Master." he hissed, and thrusted the cable at Chantho's stomach.
———————————————————————————
"This way!" Jack called as he lead the quartet towards the lab.
They reached the lab doors, only to find them locked too. "PROFESSOR! PROFESSOR, LET US IN!" the Doctor cried, banging on the window, while the Artist and Jack got to work on the keypad. "Professor, professor, please, where are you?" the Doctor pleaded, "I need to explain, whatever you do, don't open that watch!"
———————————————————————————
The Master ignored the Doctor's pleas and strode over to the computer. "Utopia. Ha!" he snorted as he yanked out the data chip. He strode over towards the TARDIS ready to make his escape, when he turned round to see Chantho summon her last remaining strength to pick up her gun and shoot him in the chest with it.
———————————————————————————
Outside, Jack slammed the butt of his revolver into the keypad, getting the doors open and they rushed in to find Chantho lying on the floor. The Doctor glared at the Master, who was standing in front of the TARDIS, clutching his injured chest. The Doctor ran for him, but he summoned up all his strength to get into the TARDIS and slammed the door shut before the Doctor could follow, then he locked it and activated a deadlock seal.
The Doctor tried first his key, then the sonic, both to no avail. "Let us in! Let us in!" he begged.
The Artist and Martha were checking on Chantho. "She's dead." Martha sighed.
Jack was trying to keep the door shut. "I've broke the lock, give us a hand." he hollered, and Martha rushed over to help while the Artist joined the Doctor.
"We're begging you, everything's changed." she called out to the Master, "It's just the three of us now. Let us in, and we can help."
———————————————————————————
Inside, the Master ignored his fellow Time Lords' pleas. "Killed by an insect." he snarled, "A girl! How inappropriate. But still, if the Doctor can be young and strong, then so can I. The Master... reborn!" He threw his arms out and let the regeneration take effect. He roared like a vicious wild animal as bright golden light poured out of his arms and neck.
———————————————————————————
Outside, the Doctor and the Artist both stepped back as they saw the glow of the regeneration energy through the window. "Doctor, Artist, one of ya better think of something!" Jack urged as he and Martha tried to brace the door against the Future-kind that were trying to gain entry.
———————————————————————————
Inside the TARDIS, the Master recovered, now a much younger man. "Ha ha!" he laughed, and ran around the console to the control for the loudspeaker. "Now then, Doctor." he cackled, "Ooh, new voice." He said 'hello' in various pitches. "Anyway, why don't we stop and have nice little chat while I tell you all about my plans and you can work out a way to stop me, I don't think!"
———————————————————————————
"Hold on, I know that voice." Martha gasped. She could swear she'd heard that voice before.
"I'm asking you really, really properly." the Doctor begged, "Just stop, just think!"
"Use my name." the Master demanded.
"Master." the Doctor and the Artist said together.
"I'm sorry." the Doctor added.
"Tough!" the Master snarled and raced over to the flight controls then set the TARDIS into motion.
"I can't hold 'em much longer!" Jack hollered as the Doctor took out his sonic and flashed it at the TARDIS.
Inside, the console sparked. "Oh, no you don't!" the Master growled, "End of the universe, have fun. Bye bye!"
"Stop him!" Martha screamed as the TARDIS dematerialised, leaving the quartet stranded in the year 100 trillion with Future-kind pounding on the doors.
To be continued...