"Solar flares activity has increased across space lanes 556 and all commercial flights are advised to avoid..." a news reporter states. The voice gets drowned out by the noise of the Tardis materialising.
The Doctor steps out followed by the Captain and Rose. "So, it's 200,000, it's a spaceship... No, wait a minute, space STATION. And, er... Go try that gate over there!" the Doctor points to a gate. "Off you go."
"200,000?" Rose asks.
"200,000." the Captain nods.
"Adam! Out you come." Rose says opening the door to the Tardis.
Adam walks out looking around as the three people watch his reaction. "Oh, my God..." he says in disbelief.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Rose tells him.
"Where are we?" he asks.
"Good question. Let's see. So, erm, judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year 200,000." she looks at Adam who nods. "And if you listen... Engines." The two Time Lords look at Rose smiling. "We're on some sort of space station. Yeah, definitely a space station. It's a bit warm in here, they could turn the heating down. Tell you what, let's try that gate. Come on." Rose walks past Adam, leading the three men to a gate to a massive viewing window. "Here we go. And this is..."
Adam walks down a set of steps after crossing a mini bridge, his mouth agape, when he sees the view. "I'll let the Doctor describe it." Rose finishes.
"The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. And there it is. Planet Earth, at its height. Covered with mega-cities, five moons, population 96 billion, the hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species, with mankind right in the middle." the Doctor looks out at the planet in front of them.
Adam hearing this and seeing the planet is in shock. The Captain behind Adam catches him when he faints. "He's your boyfriend." the Captain says to Rose while looking down at the man in his arms.
"Not anymore."
___________
"Come on, Adam, open your mind. You're gonna like this." the Captain says with an arm on the mans shoulder. As they walk into a different room.
"Fantastic period of history - the human race at its most intelligent. Culture! Art! Politics! This era has got fine food, good manners, the works..." the Doctor tells the man.
"Out the way!" a man interrupts as he walks past the four, the once quiet room is now like a bustling city as vendors open their food stations and start serving customers.
"Thank you very much indeed. Somebody there? What do you want, love? All right, keep it moving. I'll be with you in a minute. Here you are. One at a time. What now, what was it? Kronkburger with cheese, kronkburger with pajatos. Do you want a drink? Oi, you, mate. Stop pushing. Get back. I said, back." a vendor says.
As Rose looks at the different food options she turns back to the Doctor and Captain "Fine cuisine?"
"My watch must be wrong. No, it's fine. That's weird." The Doctor answers looking at his watch.
"That's what comes of showing off. Your history's not as good as you thought it was."
"My history's perfect."
"Well, obviously not." she smiles.
"They're all human. What about the millions of planets, the millions of species? Where are they?" Adam asks looking around at all the people.
"Good question. Actually, that IS a good question." the Captain says also looking around.
"Adam, me old mate, you must be starving!" the Doctor wraps an arm around the mans shoulders.
"No, I'm just a bit timesick."
"No, you just need grub. Oi, mate how much is a kronkburger?" the Doctor asks the vendor.
"Two credits twenty, sweetheart. Now join the queue!" the man replies.
"Money! We need money. Let's use a cashpoint." the Doctor is followed by the Captain, Rose and Adam, as he pulls out his sonic screwdriver. He uses his screwdriver on the cashpoint and it produces a red card the Doctor hands it to Adam. "There you go, pocket money. Don't spend it all on sweets."
"Well, how does it work?" Adam asks looking at the card.
"Go and find out, stop nagging me!" the Doctor turns back to the man.
"The thing is, Adam, time travel's like visiting Paris. You can't just read the guidebook. You've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers. Or is that just us?" the Captain adds looking at the Doctor when saying the last part. Rose laughs as the man speaks.
"Stop asking questions, go and do it!.." the Doctor says and with that Adam turns around ready to explore the future. "Off you go then. Your first date."
Rose turns around "You're gonna get a smack, you are!"
The Doctor and Captain smile as they are left alone. The two walk up to a pair of smartly dressed women. "Erm, this is gonna sound daft, but can you tell us where we are?" the Doctor asks the women.
"Floor 139. Could they write it any bigger." one of the ladies says pointing to the numbers on a wall.
"Floor 139 of what?" the Captain asks.
"Must've been a hell of a party." the same woman says.
"You're on Satellite Five." Suki tells them.
"And what's Satellite Five?" he asks.
"Come on, how could you get on board without knowing where you are?" Cathica says.
"Look at us, we're stupid!" the Doctor smiles.
"Hold on, wait a minute. Are you a test? Some kind of management test kind of thing?" Suki asks.
"Ha!" the Captain claps with a nod of his head.
"You've got us!" the Doctor tells them pulling out his psychic paper.
"Well done! You're too clever for us." the Captain says.
"We were warned about this in basic training. All workers have to be versed in company promotion." Suki states, as the Doctor crosses his arms.
"Right, fire away, ask your questions. If it gets me to Floor 500, I'll do anything." Cathica says.
"Why, what happens on Floor 500?" the Doctor asks.
"The walls are made of gold! And you should know, Mr Management. So... this is what we do." Cathica walks off suggesting they follow her. Suki smiles at the two men before following her friend. "Latest news! Sandstorms on the New Venus Archipelago, 200 dead..." she tells the two men who are looking at TV screens showing news channels. "Glasgow water riots into their third day. Spacelane 77 closed by sunspot activity. Over on the Bad Wolf channel The Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant." she looks at the men.
"We get it. You broadcast the news." the Doctor says looking at the woman glancing at the screens.
"We ARE the news." she corrects. "We're the journalists." The Captain looks at Suki who looks between the two men before turning her attention back to her friend. "We write it, package it and sell it..." she crosses her arms and takes a step towards the two men. "600 channels, all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere."
___________
A pale-skinned man watches the interaction on monitors from a very cold room that has frost all over the walls.
"Something... is wrong. Something fictional." the Editor says, he then walks up to a control operator. "Those people." he says pointing at a monitor showing the Captain, Doctor, Cathica and Suki.
"Nothing happens in the whole Human Empire without it going through us." Cathica says.
"Security check. Go deep." the Editor tells a frost covered operator.
___________
"Staff are reminded that the canteen area now operates a self-cleaning table system. Thank you." a voice on a tannoy announces.
"Try this, it's called zaffic. It's nice, like, erm, a Slush Puppy." Rose tells Adam while holding a fast food cup.
"What flavour?" Adam asks.
Rose takes a sip from the straw "It's sort of beef."
"Oh, my God!" Adam moans, Rose laughs. "It's like everything's gone. Home, family... Everything."
Rose looks at him, knowing the feeling. "This helps. The Captain gave it a bit of a top-up." she says pulling out her phone. "Who's back home, your mum and dad?"
"Yeah."
"Phone 'em up."
"But that's 198,000 years ago."
"Honestly, try it. Go on." she hands him her phone.
"Is there a code for planet Earth?" Adam asks.
"Just dial!" she tells him.
Adam shakes his head, not believing it would work, he dials in his parents number. The number starts ringing. "I'm sorry, we're not in. Please leave a message. Thanks, bye!" a woman's voice can be heard, as the machine goes to voicemail.
"Erm... Hi. It...it's me..."
___________
At the sound of Adams voice on the voicemail a little dog runs through a pet door and runs to the side table the phone is sat on, the dog stands on its hind legs trying to get the phone.
"I've sort of gone travelling. I met these people and we're travelling together..."
___________
"But, erm, I'm fine. And I'll call you later. Love you. Bye." Adam hangs the phone up with a smile and a laugh. A klaxon sounds and the people around them start rushing, as Adam and Rose sit there confused.
"Oi, Mutt and Jeff! Over 'ere!" the Doctor shouts over to Rose and Adam calling them over. Rose picks up her drink and walks over to the Doctor and Captain, Adam stands up looking at the mobile phone and placing it in his trouser pocket, eventually walking over to the group of people.
___________
The pale-skinned man watches the group through a monitor. Watching on as Rose passes her drink to the Captain who takes a sip and hands the cup back to the girl.
"Security check cleared." the computer tells him.
"No, something's wrong! I can taste it. A tiny little shift in the information. Someone down there shouldn't be here. Double check. Triple check. Follow them." he says watching the Doctor and Captain introduce Rose and Adam to Cathica and Suki, before the group leaves.
___________
Several people are seated at an octagonal desk around a central chair with wires connected to it. The Doctor, Captain, Rose and Adam watch from the side of the room.
"Now everybody behave, we have a management inspection. How d'you want it, by the book?" Cathica asks looking over to the standing group.
"Right from scratch, thanks." the Doctor says as Rose and Adam look at him and the Captain.
"Okay. So. Ladies, gentlemen, multisex, undecided or robot, my name is Cathica Santini Khadeni. That's Cathica with a C, in case you want to write to Floor 500, praising me. And please do..." she looks over at the group, the Captain giving her a reassuring smile, the Doctor giving a small nod and Rose holding back a laugh. "Now, please feel free to ask any questions. The process of news gathering must be open, honest and beyond bias. That's company policy." she smiles.
"Actually, erm, it's the law." Suki announces smiling at the Doctor and Captain.
"Yes, thank you, Suki..." Cathica says in an annoyed tone looking at the woman. "Okay, keep it calm. Don't show off for the guests. Here we go." she takes a seat on the empty chair in the middle of the desk. "And... engage safety."
The seven hold their hands over a palm print on the table in front of them. Lights start to come on around the room. Cathica snaps her fingers and a round hole opens in her forehead. The seven then put their palms on the print.
"And three, two, and spike." Cathica says. A beam of light shines into the hole.
"Compressed information." the Doctor says watching from behind Rose and Adam, the latter leaning forward to try and get a closer look at the scene in front of him, Rose however looks disturbed by this. "Streaming into her. Reports from every city, every country, every planet, and they all get packaged inside her head."
"She becomes part of the software. Her brain IS the computer." the Captain adds.
"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius." Rose says glancing back at the two men.
"Nah, she wouldn't remember any of it..." the doctor starts walking round the room. "There's too much. Her head'd blow up. The brain's the processor." he says as Rose follows the man. "Soon as it closes, she forgets."
"So what about all these people round the edge?" Rose asks pointing at the several people. The Doctor continues walking round the room, inspecting them.
"They've all got tiny little chips in their head, connecting them to her. And they transmit. 600 channels. Every single fact in the Empire beams out of this place." the Captain says watching the people sitting crossed legged on the floor, as Rose crouches down to look at them closely.
The Doctor leans on the outside of the fence "Now that's what I call power."
___________
"Analysis confirmed. Security breach." the computer states, as the Editor leans down to a monitor.
"I knew it. Which one? It's someone inside that room, which one?" he asks pointing at the monitor showing the room where the Doctor, Captain, Rose and Adam are.
"Isolating breach." the computer says as the camera pans round the room, inspecting the seven individuals sat at the desk.
"Come on. Show me. Who is it?" the Editor says impatiently.
"You all right?" Rose asks Adam.
"I can see her brain." Adam responds, as the camera looks over the four people.
___________
"D'you wanna get out?" Rose asks him.
"No, no, but this... this technology, it's... amazing." Adam smiles.
"This technology's wrong." the Doctor says.
"Yep, don't like it at all." the Captain agrees.
Rose and Adam look at the two men. "Trouble?" Rose asks.
"Oh, yeah." the Doctor looks over his shoulder at Rose and Adam smiling, making Rose smile as well.
A beeping noise happens and Suki shakes her head.
___________
"That's it. Ho, ho, ho, yes! She's the liar. Intercept and scan." the Editor says with a snap of his fingers and points at the monitor. "Gotcha." he smiles.
___________
Suki pulls her hands away from the print as if it had given her an electric shock. The other six then also take their hands off of the print and the information beam shuts off.
"Come off it, Suki, I wasn't even halfway! What was that for?" Cathica asks swinging her legs off of the chair to face Suki.
"Sorry. It must have been a glitch."
___________
"Her information's been tampered with." the Editor says pointing at the screen "There's a second biography hidden underneath."
"Grrr!" something from above growls.
"Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir. Yeah, well her data was encrypted, so there's no way we could've found her sooner."
"Grrr!"
"Yeah, sorry, I...yeah, sorry, sir."
"Grrr!"
"Yeah, absolutely." the Editor walks to one of the frosted people working the computer. "Get her up here. Now."
___________
"Promotion." the tannoy announces. A wall lights up with the word on it.
"Come on, this is it, come on. Oh, my God, make it me. Come on, say my name, say my name, say my name." Cathica whispers to herself.
"Promotion for... Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to floor 500." the tannoy announces. Cathica's arms fall down by her side in disbelief and disappointment.
"I don't believe it! Floor 500." Suki says standing up and walking over to the wall.
"How the hell did you manage that? I'm above you." Cathica says.
"I don't know, I just applied on the off chance. And they've said yes." she exlcaims excitedly.
"Oh, it's so not fair, I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years." Cathica says annoyed.
"What's Floor 500?" Rose asks the Doctor.
"The walls are made of gold." he responds.
___________
"Cathica, I'm gonna miss you. Floor 500. Thank you." Suki says looking at the Doctor and Captain.
"We didn't do anything." the Doctor tells her.
"Well, you're my lucky charm." she says.
"All right, I'll hug anyone." the Doctor smiles. Suki laughs as her and the Doctor embrace. Suki then motions for the Captain to hug her as well, reluctantly, but smiling the Captain walks over to her and hugs her.
"Come on, it's not that bad." Rose says to Adam, whose resting his head on his hand.
"What? With the... the head thing?" Adam turns to Rose.
"Yeah, well, she's closed it now."
"Yeah, but... It's everything. It freaks me out. And I just need to... ah, if I could just... cool down. Sort of acclimatise." he says.
"How d'you mean?" Rose asks.
"Maybe I could just go and sit on the observation deck. Would that be all right? Soak it in, y'know. Pretend I'm a citizen of the year 200,000." he tells her.
"D'you want me to come with ya?"
"No, no, you stick with the Doctor.." he pauses "You'd rather be with him. It's gonna take a better man than me to get between you two..." Rose just looks down at the mans words. "Anyway... I'll be on the deck."
"Here you go, take the Tardis key. You know, just in case it gets a bit too much." Rose takes out a set of keys from her pocket.
"Yeah, like it's not weird in there." Adam jokes taking the keys off of Rose. He holds the keys and walks off leaving Rose with the Doctor and Captain.
"Oh my God, I've got to go. I can't keep them waiting. I'm sorry." Suki says leaving for a lift. "Say goodbye to Steve for me. Bye!" she says as the door starts closing on her. The Doctor, Captain and Rose wave at the woman.
"Good riddance." Cathica says, folding her arms.
"You're talking like you'll never see her again. She's only going upstairs." the Doctor says.
"We won't. Once you go to the Floor 500, you never come back." Cathica states, worrying both the Doctor and Captain as they watch the lift numbers increase the higher Suki gets to Floor 500.
The group walk back through the cafeteria. "Have you ever been up there?" the Captain asks Cathica.
"Can't. You need a key for the lift, and you only get a key with promotion. No-one gets to 500, except for the chosen few." she tells him.