With her legs dangling out of the TARDIS as she sat on the edge sipping at her tea the Stone looked up in amusement at the Doctor who held onto one of Amy's ankles letting her float outside the TARDIS in space allowing her hair to gently float around her. The Doctor and the Stone both knew that somewhere deep down she still didn't believe they were in space even when they had clearly shown her the open doors.
"Come on Pond." The Doctor chuckled pulling her back inside the TARDIS then holding out a hand helping the Time Lady to her feet.
"Now do you believe us?" The Stone raised a brow at her before narrowing her eyes at the Doctor who stole her cup and drank some of her tea.
"Okay, your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship." She looked at them as they looked back at her in amusement, the Stone completely forgetting about her tea at the look of awe on the gingers face. "We are in space!" She shouted out to the stars before looking at the Doctor after breathing deeply. "What are we breathing?"
"The Stone extended the air shell when she went to get tea. We're fine." He reassured her.
"Now that's interesting." The Stone frowned grabbing her cup back and taking a sip before leaning out of the TARDIS holding onto the Doctors arm to stop her falling out. "Twenty-ninth century." She hummed then ran back to the console setting down her tea on the glass floor before looking at the screen. "Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves."
"Whole nations." The Doctor added closing the doors and running to join her.
"Doctor?"
"Migrating to the stars." The Stone grinned at him.
"Stone?"
"Isn't that amazing?"
"Hello?!" Amy shouted after they completely ignored her. The Stone blinked running to the doors and helping her inside.
"Sorry, gets a bit exciting sometimes, normally happens after I have had tea or salt..." she paused frowning a little. "or sugar..."
"Well, come on. The Stone found us a spaceship." The Doctor said poking his head from behind the Rotor as Amy ran over to join them after the Stone finished her tea off to then see them looking at the monitor where a live feed of the ship was shown. "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." The Stone shrugged. "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."
"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked her eyes brightening.
"Course we can." The Doctor nodded. "But first, there's a thing."
"A thing?" Amy frowned.
"An important thing." He brought out a large magnifying glass looking at Amy through it. "In fact, Thing One. We are observers only. That's the one rule we've always stuck to in all our travels." He gestured to himself and the blonde beside him while she snorted staring at him.
"Sweetheart." She gave him a pointed look taking the magnifying glass off of him and looking at him straight in the eye through it. "I can see straight through you." She reminded. "Literally... please don't tell me you're a liar now."
The Doctor sniffed taking the magnifying glass back off her. "One I'm not a liar. Two you can't literally see through me. Three, of course, you can see through me without it being possible, you are my wife, dear." He softly smiled at her. "It's what you do."
"As do you see through me." She softly smiled at him cupping his cheek with her hand before patting it a little harder than normal making him flinch a little at her from suddenly changing from being so soft to hitting his cheek like that. She dropped her hand to point at him then flicked his nose. "Don't lie sweetheart. Lying gets you nowhere."
"Yes, dear." He grumbled at her running a hand through his hair.
"Good boy." She patted his head then kissed the cheek that she had tapped.
Amy looked at them blinking. "Do you always act like this...?" She looked at them again with a facial expression between disgusted and amused.
"Like what?" The Time Lords blinked at her.
"The mix of banter and arguing with a small hint of flirting on the side." She explained as if it was the clearest thing in the world.
"That sounds like a cafe menu." The Stone chuckled. "For our age, we probably do a little too much of it."
The Time Lady looked at the Doctor amused at the glare he was giving her.. "Excuse me, dear?"
"Hush you." She flicked his nose this time without looking while her eyes were glued to the scanner. "Well that's interesting..." she murmured.
"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy questioned as the Do tor twitched his nose staring at it after the blonde flicked it. "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," Amy said looking at the scanner the Stone was staring at watching a young girl sat on a bench crying. "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?" She went to turn to the Stone to question what she meant only to frown seeing the Time Lady crouched down beside the girl who quickly ran off.
"Doctor?" Amy looked at him to ask what the blonde was doing only to see him now gone as well. She looked back at the scanner to see him standing beside the Time Lady. The two of them gesturing for her to follow come out.
"Welcome to London Market. You are being monitored." A female's voice came through the speaker as Amy stepped out.
The Doctor grinned wrapping an arm around the Stone as they both watched the Scottish girl look around the area in complete awe, looking at the people strolling through the ship getting on with their daily lives. "I'm in the future," Amy said continuing to look around. "Like hundreds of years in the future." She then looked at the Time Lords. "I've been dead for centuries."
"Oh, lovely." The Doctor sarcastically muttered. "You're a cheery one."
"It's best not to think about that..." The Stone pursed her lips then looked around frowning... "Somethings wrong... look at this place." She turned to the Doctor. "Isn't it wrong?"
"What's wrong?" Amy asked as the Doctor nodded at her glancing around the area as well now seeing what she noticed.
" Come on, use your eyes." He told her. "Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"
"Is it the bicycles?" Amy asked stepping out the way as one rode past. "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."
The Stone laughed glancing down at the redhead. "Says the girl in the nightie."
"Oh my God" she gasped. "I'm in my nightie."
"Now, come on, look around you." The Doctor encouraged. "Actually look."
A woman's voice then came over the loudspeakers again. "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." The Doctor said.
"Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state." The Stone added then wondered over with the Doctor to a table where a man and a woman sat with a glass of water. "Excuse us." The Stone warmly smiled as they both took a glass and placed it on the floor getting down on their hands and knees staring at it.
"What are you doing?" The man asked frowning at them both.
"Sorry. Checking all the water in this area." The Doctor apologised glancing at the blonde who slowly nodded having the same suspicion that he did.
"There's an escaped fish." The Stone muttered placing both the glasses back on the table then walked with the Doctor back to Amy. "Where were we?"
"Why did you two just do that with the water?" She asked looking at them.
"Don't know. We think a lot. It's hard to keep track." He shrugged glancing at the Stone who nodded not wanting to worry the redhead. "Now, police state. Do you see it yet?"
"Where?" Amy frowned at them not understanding the look they were both giving her.
"There." The Stone pointed at the young girl crying all alone sitting on a bench.
The Doctor broadly smiled as the Time Lady slowly walked over to the girl and bent down trying to talk to her only for the girl to run away.
The Stone tried multiple times while the Doctor sat on a bench with Amy until the Stone wondered back sitting on the bench next to the Doctor as they watched the girl from a distance.
Any frowned at the Time Lady. "One little girl crying. So?"
"Crying silently." The Stone nodded watching the girl. "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." The Doctor cut in.
"Any parent knows that."
"Are you parents?" Amy looked at them. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably glancing at the Stone who sighed a little.
"Once." The Stone slowly nodded. "A long time ago. "Not with the Doctor." She softly smiled at him not bringing up the subject of Jenny for both their sakes and to save an explanation. "Long time ago now." She sighed again. "Dear me." She lightly sniffed shaking her head as the Doctor took her hand softly drawing circles on the back of her hand. "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. As I believe I used to say: Secrets." She lightly chuckled. The Doctors eyes brightened remembering. "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." The Doctor cut in shifting his eyes from the girl to what looked like a plastic face in a fortune tellers box. "Police state."
"Where'd she go?"
"Deck two oh seven. Apple Sesame block, dwelling 54A. Mandy Tanner." The Stone read out the writing from a colourful wallet. "This fell out of her pocket when I accidentally bumped into her. It took four goes."
She grinned at the Doctor who looked at the wallet then handed it to Amy. "Ask her about those things. The smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere." He nodded glancing at one.
"But they're just things," Amy said eyeing one.
"They're clean." The Stone stated.
"Everything else here is all battered and filthy. Look at this place." The Doctor looked around. "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?"
"No, hang on." Amy grabbed his arm as he turned with the Stone. "What do I do? I don't know what I'm doing here and I'm not even dressed."
"It's this or Leadworth. What do you think?" He raised a brow. "Let's see. What will Amy Pond choose?" He grinned when the redhead looked at the Time Lords looking defeated. "Haha, gotcha. Meet us back here in half an hour."
"What are you going to do?" Amy asked.
"What I always do." The Doctor looked at her. "Stay out of trouble."
"Badly." The Stone snorted. "I'm going to try and help him then end up getting us in more trouble."
The Doctor grinned at her statement wrapping an arm around her. "We do it brilliantly." He beamed kissing her cheek.
"So is this how it works, Doctor, Stone? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there are children crying?"
"Yes." They both nodded then walked off.
-------
"Now then dear." The Doctor linked his arm with the Stones. "What do you say to taking a trip to the engine room?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing sweetheart, after what we both noticed I can't resist." She smiled walking with him.
They wandered along the street of the market then frowned a little. "I didn't think." She hummed. "Do you think Amelia will be okay?"
"Oh, she'll be fine." He waved her off. "What trouble can she get into with a little girl?"
"Need I remind you of our luck sweetheart?" She raised a brow at him as they found a quiet area. After the Doctor checked no one was looking he quickly flashed his sonic at the door opening it. He winked at the Time Lady then linked his arm with hers once more walking through the door and corridor until he found a ladder. "This looks like the way to the engine room." The Stone hummed climbing down the ladder before she started to feel the walls a moment before the Doctor joined her tapping them.
"Can't be." He hummed continuing to tap them as the Stone scanned it.
"Doctor..." She lightly tapped his arm then pointed to the glass of water on the floor. They both bent down staring at it.
A woman in a red cloak and a mask then slowly stepped forward whispering. "The impossible truth in a glass of water." They both looked up then stood tilting their heads slightly at her. "Not many people see it. But you do, don't you, Doctor, Stone?"
"You know us?" The Doctor frowned.
"Keep your voice down." She hissed looking over her shoulder. "They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass."
"Who says we see anything?"
"Don't waste time." She ordered. "At the marketplace, you both placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight here to the engine room. Why?"
The Stone glanced at the Doctor for a moment then raised her eyebrows at the woman questioningly. "No engine vibration on deck."
"Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it." The Doctor cut in. "The water would move. So, we thought we'd take a look."
"It doesn't make sense." The Stone went on opening a small box on the wall showing unattached wires. "These power couplings, they're not connected."
"Look. Look, they're dummies, see?" The Doctor pointed at them moving over to the other side. "And behind this wall, nothing." He said knocking on it to prove his point. "It's hollow.
They both then spoke in unison. "If we didn't know better, we'd say there was-"
"No engine at all." The Time Lords and the mysterious woman said at the same time making both Time Lords blink at her.
"But it's working." The Stone frowned not completely understanding. "This ship is travelling through space. We saw it."
"The impossible truth, Doctor, Stone. We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly."
"How?" The Doctor frowned at her.
"I don't know. There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor, Stone. You're our only hope. Your friend is safe." She reassured them both handing the Stone a device with a small screen. "This will take you both to her. Now go, quickly!"
She turned quickly turned to leave. "Who are you?" The Doctor asked stopping her. "How do we find you again?"
"I am Liz Ten, and I will find you." She said before turning away.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Not long after following the blinking dot on the small device Liz Ten had given the Time Lords they found Mandy sitting on a small bench outside of a door. "Where's Amy?" The Doctor asked walking right up to the girl.
"She's voting."
"Voting?" The Stone raised a brow. "Voting for what?" SHe asked then shook her head. "Never mind." She then walked up to the door with the doctor.
"This door?" He looked over his shoulder at Mandy who nodded at him. Quickly he brought his screwdriver out of his blazer and flashed it at the keypad on the door which gave a small spark before the door opened.
"Listen to me. This isn't a trick. This is for real." They heard a distressed Amy only to see that it wasn't the redhead.
"Amy?" The Stone looked at the woman with concern as she quickly pressed a button her eyes not looking at the Time Lords.
The Doctor glanced at her seeing the scared look on her face. "What have you done?"
"I- I don't know." She shook her head still refusing to look at them in the eye. She settled with curiously staring at the Time Lady's shoes. "I don't remember." She mumbled.
Without saying a word the Doctor moved the chair Amy was sitting on before and stepped onto it pointing his screwdriver at the light which slightly dimmed and brightened as he scanned it while the Stone put an arm around the gingers shoulders looking at her concerned trying to give her some comfort in the situation.
"Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about twenty minutes." The Doctor slowly nodded looking at the blonde and redhead while jumping off the chair slipping his sonic into his blazer.
"But why would I choose to forget?" Amy frowned eyeing the 'forget' button while the Stone looked at the blank screens moving away from the Scottish woman
"Because everyone does." Mandy who stood just outside the voting booth door answered. "Everyone chooses the Forget button."
"Did you?" The Doctor questioned leaning towards the girl.
"Doctor." The Stone rolled her eyes at him walking to stand slightly in front of the girl yet to the side facing the Time Lord. "She's a child... I would say eleven?" She raised a brow looking over her shoulder to see Mandy shaking her head. "Twelve?" She asked seeing Mandy nod at her. "If this is a voting booth then that means its a government." She scrunched up her nose at the word. "And that means she isn't eligible to vote yet." She explained to him as if he should have noticed.
"Any time after you're sixteen, you're allowed to the see the film and make your choice." Mandy went on to explain taking over from the Time Lady. "And then once every five years."
"And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned.
"Democracy in action." He almost laughed at the Time Lady who rolled her eyes.
"How do you not know about this?" Mandy frowned at them not understanding how the Stone couldn't understand with her clear Welsh accent. "Are you Scottish too?"
"Oh, we're way worse than Scottish." The Doctor laughed.
"We can't even see the movie. Won't play for us."
"It played for me." Amy looked at them.
"The difference being the computer doesn't accept us as human." The Stone lightly tapped one of the screens.
"Why not?" Amy frowned looking at them. "You look human."
"No, you look Time Lord." The Doctor turned to the redhead then pointed at her. "We came first."
"And here we are." The Stone groaned looking at Mandy. "One of the last Time Lords and he's arguing with a human over what species she looks like." She sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.
"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?" Amy questioned the Doctor not hearing the Stone muttering on to Mandy.
"No. There were, but there aren't." He slowly shook his head as the Stone walked over taking his hand gently squeezing it. "Just us now." He gestured to himself and the blonde beside him.
"It's a long story. " The Stone sighed staring at the wall behind Amy. "There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, my children..." She took in a breath. "They died, everyone did."
"And you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I- we don't." The Doctor corrected himself squeezing the Stones hand as she rested her head on his shoulder looking up at him while he looked down at her straight into her eyes. "Not ever. Because this is what we do, every time, every day, every second." He then grinned raising the arm where his hand now over the Stones in the air. "This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government." He laughed as his and the Time Lady's hand slammed down on the protest button.
The door with Mandy on the outside slammed shut. The Smiler inside the booth on the opposite side of the door spun it's head round showing a scowl as the floor opened up from the centre. The Doctor quickly pulled the Stone and Amy over to the corner quickly taking the blonde's hand he grinned.
"Say wheee!" He laughed as Amy screamed.
The Stone slowly shook her head slightly smirking not sure whether to look completely terrified or excited at the event. "Oh dear..." They then dropped through the floor only to find themselves in a tube just the side for one person. Somehow the Stone found herself on the Doctors lap as they fell while Amy screamed not far before them. The tube wasn't long and they eventually fell out the Doctor falling onto his back with the Stone almost crushing him. "Sorry Sweetheart." She winced not wanted to know how painful it was as she quickly pulled him up and out of the way just before Amy fell out screaming and falling right into the mix of liquid and what looked like food waste something the Time Lady didn't notice from falling on top of the Doctor.
"High-speed air cannon." The Doctor commented brushing himself off as the Stone scrunched up her nose trying not to think of the smell too much. "Lousy way to travel."
"Where are we?" Amy asked trying to throw the liquid off her hands by shaking them.
"Six hundred feet down, twenty miles laterally, puts us at the heart of the ship." The Doctor replied.
The Stone sniffed a little. "I'd say Lancashire."
"What's this then, a cave?" The Doctor frowned looking around. "Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave."
"It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!" Amy cried.
"Yes, but only food refuse." The Doctor nodded grabbing and sniffing some of the food. "Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship."
"Doctor I swear if you lick that I am not going to kiss you until you wash your mouth out..." She looked at him pointing at what looked like part of a chicken on a bone drenched in whatever liquid they were standing in. He looked up at her questioningly. "...with acid." She added then stepped away from him trying to prove her point as he dropped the remains and stepped closer to her.
"You couldn't resist me if you tried." He smirked stepping even closer to her and taking her hand and gently kissing it thankful that she didn't have any of the strange liquid on it.
"The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed." Amy hummed in thought not seeing the Time Lords staring at each other as the Doctor continued to place kisses on the back of the Stones' hand.
"But feeding what, though?" The Stone hummed taking her hand away from the Doctor who pouted at her.
"It's sort of rubbery, feel it," Amy said disgustedly. "Wet and slimy." The Doctor and the Stone spun around hearing what sounding like an animal from a distance.
"Er, it's not a floor, it's a- To-" The Doctor spoke quickly looking at the blonde to help explain.
"It's a what?" Amy looked at them.
"The next word is kind of a scary word." The Doctor said.
"You probably want to take a moment, get yourself in a calm place." The Stone said taking one of Amy's hands trying to ignore the liquid.
"Go omm." The Doctor said trying to calm her.
"Omm." Amy repeated looking at them.
"It's a tongue." The Doctor said staring to grin. The Stone fondly shook her head at him knowing fully well that he was going to get excited over this. So was she to be perfectly honest they did have a reason. They were inside the mouth of an animal. It was brilliant!
"A tongue?" Amy looked at them horrified.
"A tongue." The Doctor laughed. "A great big tongue."
"This is a mouth." Amy gaped at them. "This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?"
"Yes, yes, yes." The Doctor giddily nodded his head.
"But on the plus side, roomy." The Stone nodded looking around trying to make light out of the situation seeing the horrified look on the redheads face.
"How do we get out?" Amy asked.
"How big is this beastie? It's gorgeous." The Doctor grinned looking around the area. "Blimey, if this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach." There then was a low grumble making the Doctor snap his head towards it as the Stone's eyed widened in alarm. "Though not right now."
"Yes, I agree!" The Stone shouted as if the creature could actually hear her. "My husband is an idiot!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "And was joking!"
"Dear..." He looked at her pouting.
"Sweetheart at times you can be an idiot, admit it." She raised a brow.
"If you two could stop flirting slash arguing for a moment!" Amy glared at them both. "How do we get out?"
"Sorry." The Stone mumbled looking down as the Doctor smirked a little seeing a small blush creep onto the blonde's cheeks.
"Okay, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is..." The Doctor said looking around pointing his sonic around before frowning a little. "...closed for business." He said slowly taking the Stones hand as he noticed the wall of large sharp teeth.
"We could try, though," Amy said taking a step forward.
"No, stop, don't move!" The Doctor held an arm out for her only to grab onto the Stone stopping them both from falling over as the 'floor' tongue started to vibrate.
"Too late." The Doctor swallowed deeply clutching the Stones' hand. "It's started."
"What has?" Amy frowned.
"Swallow reflex." The Doctor replied started to flash his sonic at the edge of the mouth as the Stone did the same really not wanting to be swimming in stomach acid with food.
"What are you two doing?" Amy looked at them.
"We're vibrating the chemo-receptors." The Doctor quickly replied.
Amy blinked. "Chemo-what?
"The eject button!" The Stone shouted.
"How does a mouth have an eject button?"
"Think about it!" The Doctor shouted before noticing a wave approaching them. "Right, then!" he shouted linking the Stones arm with his while tweaking his bowtie. "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!" He shouted as Amy screamed.
The Stone, on the other hand, glanced at her husband and then the wave mumbling under her breath while she could. "Oh dear..."