Cathica entered the spike room followed by the Doctor, Tiaalen, and Rose "Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance, can't you give it a rest?"
"But you've never been to another floor?" The Doctor asked "Not even one floor down?" he settled himself comfortably in the chair on the platform. Rose leaned on the back of it.
"I went to floor 16 when I first arrived, that's medical, that's when I got my head done, and then I, I came straight here. Satellite Five, you work, eat and sleep on the same floor. That's it, that's all." Cathica eyed them "You're not management, are you,"
"At last!" Tia said sarcastically "She's clever!"
"Yeah, well, whatever it is, don't involve me. I don't know anything,"
"Don't you even ask?" The Doctor asked
"Well, why would I?"
"You're a journalist!"
"Why's all the crew human?" Tiaalen asked
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"There's no aliens on board. Why?"
"I don't know-no real reason, they're not banned or anything,"
Tia crossed her arms "Then where are they?"
"I suppose immigration's tightened up. It's had to, what, with all the threats,"
"What threats?" The Doctor asked
"I don't know...all of them. Usual stuff. And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away...Oh, and the government on Traffic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming, you see...just...lots of little reasons, that's all,"
"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice," Tiaalen growled
"I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it. We see everything,"
"I can see better,"
The Doctor placed a hand on Tia's shoulder "This society's the wrong shape. Even the technology,"
"It's cutting edge!" Cathica retorted
"It's backward! There's a great big door in your head! You should've chucked this out years ago,"
"So, what do you think is going on?" Rose asked
"It's not just this space station," Tiaalen explained "it's the whole attitude. It's the way people think,"
"The great and bountiful human empire's stunted." The Doctor added "Something's holding it back,"
"And how would you know?" Cathica questioned.
"Trust me. Humanity's been set back about 90 years, when did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"
"91 years ago..."
The Doctor nodded. Cathica looked away thoughtfully.
***
"We're so gonna get in trouble," Cathica said anxiously.
The Doctor was scanning the side of a door with his sonic screwdriver, Rose and Tiaalen standing behind him. Cathica went over to him.
"You're not allowed to touch the mainframe, you're gonna get told off,"
"Rose, tell her to button it before Tiaalen decides to finally blow a fuse," The Doctor claimed
"You can't just vandalize the place, someone's gonna notice!" Cathica urgently whispered.
"Move," Tia pushed the Doctor to the side and held her arm out and used the force to open the door.
With the door now open the Doctor began messing around with the mainframe.
"This is nothing to do with me, I'm going back to work," Cathica began to walk away.
"Go on then!" Tiaalen told her "See ya!"
Cathica stopped "I can't just leave you, can I!"
"If you wanna be useful," Rose input between the two "get 'em to turn the heating down. It's boiling. What's wrong with this place, can't they do something about it?"
"I don't know, we keep asking, something to do with the turbine,"
"'Something to do with the turbine.'," Tia mocked
"Well, I don't know!"
"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed "I give up on you, Cathica. Now, Rose, look at Rose."
Rose turned around, smiling.
"Rose is asking the right kind of questions,"
"Oh, thank you," Rose said
"Why is it so hot?"
"One minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!"
"Well, never underestimate plumbing. Plumbing's very important," he accidentally snapped a bunch of wires. Cathica looked away, exasperated. The Doctor had now successfully managed to hack into the mainframe. He turned the screen to Cathica. "Here we go, Satellite Five. Pipes and plumbing. Look at the layout," he moved to stand behind Cathica so she could see. Cathica examined the screen.
"This is ridiculous. You've got access to the computer's core. You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange...and you're looking at pipes?" Cathica turned to him, bemused.
"But there's something wrong," Tiaalen mused.
Cathica turned back to the screen. "I suppose..."
"Why, what is it?" Rose asked
"The ventilation system." Tia explained "Cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out...channeling massive amounts of heat DOWN," she looked up.
"All the way from the top," The Doctor said
"Floor 500,"
"Something up there is generating tonnes and tonnes of heat,"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like I'm missing out on a party." Rose said "It's all going on upstairs. Fancy a trip?"
"You can't," Cathica negated "you need a key,"
"Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here." The Doctor gestured to the screen, tapped a few keys. "Here we go, override 215.9,"
"How come it's giving you the code?"
The Doctor looked up at a security camera "Someone up there likes me,"
The lift doors opened on Floor 139, and Rose and the Doctor stepped into it. Cathica stopped outside.
"Come on," Rose told her "come with us!"
"No way!" Cathica said
"Bye!" Tiaalen waved as she moved to get on the lift.
"Well, don't mention my name. When you get in trouble, just don't involve me!" she stalked off.
Tia smirked as she got on the lift but the Doctor held up a hand to stop her.
"Not you," he told her
"Now's not the time..." Tiaalen argued
"If the person up there works the Empire, I'm practically putting you on a silver platter with a bow on top. Go wait in the TARDIS,"
Tia moved his hand to the side "I've already stood aside to let the Empire take control, I'm not going to just stand aside and allow them a second chance,"
The Doctor slotted a card into the controls and looked back at Tiaalen "First sign of things going bad, I want you running back to the TARDIS with Rose,"
Tia nodded in understandment, the Doctor taking her hand as the doors closed.