Space
Andy, still in his nightgown and robe, is floating outside the open door of the Tardis as the Doctor holds his ankle.
"My name is Andy Pond. When I was seven, I had an imaginary friend. Last night was the night before my wedding..."
"Come on, Pond" the Doctor pulls him back inside.
"...and my imaginary friend came back"
"Now do you believe me?"
"Ok, your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space! Whoo! What are we breathing?"
"I've extended the air shell – we're fine" She sees something below them and squats "Now, that's interesting" they are flying over the spaceship "29th century. Solar flares roast the earth," She walks to the console "And the entire human race packs its bags" She works the controls "And moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations..."
"Doctor?" Andy shouts.
"...migrating to the stars" She keeps on talking, ignoring him.
"Doctor?"
"Isn't that amazing?"
"Doctor!" the Doctor looks up from the console to see Andy isn't there. Andy is outside clinging to the roof of the Tardis.
The Doctor stands in the doorway "Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship"
**********
The Doctor has pulled up the spaceship on the Tardis monitor "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. That's not just a ship – that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and...shopping" Andy chuckles "Searching the stars for a new home"
"Can we go out and see?" Andy asks her.
"Course we can but first, there's a thing"
"A thing"
"An important thing. In fact, thing one—" She looks through magnifying glass "We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets. Ooh! That's interesting" the screen now shows a girl sitting alone, crying.
"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? Cos 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" Andy watches the girl "That'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?" the Doctor appears on screen with the girl. She runs away "Doctor?"
The Doctor looks into the camera and waves for Andy to join her. With a smile, he runs out of the Tardis.
**********
London Market
Andy looks about and sees an arched glass ceiling through which he can see the stars. The market is a series of stalls and booths very similar to a contemporary marketplace. "I'm in the future. Like hundreds...of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries" Andy looks around in wonder.
"Oh, lovely. You're a cheery one" the Doctor takes him by the arm and walk "Never mind dead, look at this place. Isn't it wrong?"
"What's wrong?"
"Use your eyes, notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"
"Is it...the bicycles?" Andy points to a rickshaw "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles"
"Says the guy in the nightie"
"Oh, my god! I'm in my nightie" Andy realizes.
"Now, come one, look around you. Actually look" the Doctor gestures around her "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. Society bent out of shape, on the brink of collapse. A police state. Excuse me"
The Doctor runs over to a table and takes a glass of water from one of the people sitting there. She sets it gently on the floor and looks at it intently. She sets it back on the table "Sorry. Checking all the water in this area. There's an escaped fish" she taps the side of her nose and rejoins Andy "Where was I?"
"Why did you just do that with the water?"
"Don't know. I think a lot. It's hard to keep track. Now, police state – do you see it yet?"
"Where?"
The Doctor snaps her fingers and points "There" Mandy is sitting alone on a bench crying. Everyone walks past, ignoring her. The Doctor and Andy head towards her. A man in a hood and amulet watches.
**********
The Doctor and Andy are sitting on a bench facing Mandy "One little girl crying. So?" Andy asks.
"Crying silently. I mean, children cry cos they want attention, cos they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently, it's cos they just can't stop. Any parent knows that"
"Are you a parent?"
The Doctor is startled by the question but doesn't answer it "Hundreds of parents walking past this spot 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. Secrets. 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. Police state"
Mandy gets up as the lift bell rings and the figure in the nearby booth turns to watch her.
"Where'd she go?" Andy asks.
"Deck 207, Apple Sesame block, Dwelling 54A. You're looking for Mandy Tanner. Oh," She reaches into her pocket "this fell out of her pocket when I accidently bumped into her" She hands the ID wallet to Andy "Took me four goes. Ask her about those things – the smiling fellows in the booths. They're everywhere"
"But they're just things" Andy insists.
"They're clean. Everything else here is battered and filthy – look at this place. But no one's laid a finger on those booths. Not a footprint within two feet of them. Ask Mandy, "Why are people scared of the things in the booths?""
"No. Hang on – what do I do?" Andy lowers his voice to a whisper "I don't know what I'm doing here, and I'm not even dressed!"
"It's this or Leadworth. What do you think? Let's see. What will Andy Pond choose? Ha-ha, gothca!" She checks her watch "Meet me back here in half an hour"
"What are you going to do?"
"What I always do. Stay out of trouble" She stands up "Badly" She leaps over the bench and walks away.
Andy gets up and faces her "So this is how it works, Doctor? You never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets, unless there's children crying?"
"Yes"
Resigned to his task, Andy turns back and tries to figure out which way to go.
**********
Maintenance Corridor
The Doctor climbs down a ladder and places her hands on the wall before leaning in to listen "Can't be" she uses the sonic screwdriver to get a reading. She then sees a glass of water on the floor. She lies down and stares at it.
A woman whispers "The impossible truth in a glass of water" It's a woman wearing a mask. "Not many people see it" the Doctor stands up "But you do, don't you, Doctor?"
"You know me?" the Doctor asks her.
"Keep your voice down. They're everywhere. Tell me what you see in the glass" the woman whispers.
"Who says I see anything?"
"Don't waste time. At the marketplace, you placed a glass of water on the floor, looked at it, then came straight here to the engine room. Why?"
"No engine vibration on deck. Ship this size, engine this big, you'd feel it. The water would move. So...I thought I'd take a look" the Doctor opens a power box on the wall "It doesn't make sense. These power couplings, they're not connected. Look – look – they're dummies, see?" She crosses the hall and taps the wall "And behind this wall, nothing. It's hollow. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was..."
"No engine at all" the woman finishes for her.
"But it's working. This ship is travelling through space. I saw it"
"The impossible truth, Doctor. We're travelling among the stars in a spaceship that could never fly"
"How?"
"I don't know. There's a darkness at the heart of this nation. It threatens every one of us. Help us, Doctor. You're our only hope. Your friend is safe" She hands her a device "This will take you to him. Now go, quickly!" She begins to walk away.
"Who are you? How do I find you again?" the Doctor stops her.
She turns to face her and whispers "I am Liz 10. And I will find you"
There is a crashing sound and the Doctor looks around. When she turns back, Liz 10 is gone.
**********
Voting Cubicle
Images flash across the screens, reflecting in Andy's eyes. He reacts and hits "Forget". As he wipes his tears, a video message starts on the screen. It's from himself.
"This isn't a trick. You've got to find the Doctor and get her back to the Tardis. Don't let her investigate. Stop her. Do whatever you have to. Just please, please get the Doctor off this ship!"
The door to the room opens and Mandy stands waiting for him. As the message replays, the Doctor hops into the doorway. "Andy?" Andy turns the message off "What have you done?"
Moments later, she's on the chair using the sonic screwdriver on the lamp above. "Yeah, your basic memory wipe job. Must have erased about 20 minutes" She jumps down.
"But why would I choose to forget?" Andy asks confused.
"Cos everyone does. Everyone chooses the forget button" Mandy tells him.
"Did you?" The Doctor asks her.
"I'm not eligible to vote yet. I'm 12. Any time after you're 16, you're allowed to see the film and make your choice. And then, once every five years..."
"And once every five years, everyone chooses to forget what they've learned. Democracy in action" the Doctor heads back to the monitors.
"How do you not know about this? Are you Scottish too?" Mandy asks her.
"Oh, I'm way worse than Scottish. I can't even see the movie. Won't play for me"
"It played for me" Andy reminds her.
"The difference being the computer doesn't accept me as human" the Doctor explains.
"Why not?" Andy asks, and the Doctor looks at him "You look human" He joins her.
"No, you look Time Lord. We came first"
"So there are other Time Lords, yeah?"
"No. There were, but there aren't...Just me now. Long story. There was a bad day. Bad stuff happened, and you know what? I'd love to forget it all, every last bit of it, but I don't. Not ever. Cos this is what I do – every time, every day, every second. This. Hold tight. We're bringing down the government"
The Doctor pounds the protest button. The door slams shut, leaving Mandy outside. The smiler in the booth turns to show his very angry face. The Doctor pulls Andy into the corner of the room as the floor slides open "Say, Wheee!"
"Aaargh!" they fall down the chute.
**********
Refuse Pile
The Doctor and Andy fall out of the chute with a scream. The Doctor stands and uses the sonic screwdriver. "High-speed air cannon. Lousy way to travel"
"Where are we?"
"600 feet down, 20 miles laterally – puts us at the heart of the ship. I'd say...Lancashire. What's this, then – a cave? Can't be a cave. Looks like a cave" the Doctor wonders.
Andy stands up "It's a rubbish dump, and it's minging!" He throws a piece of rubbish.
"Yes, but only food refuse" She sniffs, "Organic, coming through feeder tubes from all over the ship"
Andy gets down on his hands and knees "The floor's all squidgy, like a water bed"
"But feeding what, though?"
"It's sort of rubbery, feel it. Wet and slimy"
The Doctor hears a distant moaning and stands. She realizes where they are "Er...it's not a floor, it's a..." She puts her screwdriver away "So..."
Andy stands up again "It's a what?"
"The next word is kind of the scary word. Take a moment. Get yourself in a calm place." She takes his hands "Go, omm"
"Omm"
"It's a tongue"
"A tongue?"
The Doctor is excited "A tongue. A great big tongue"
Andy is stunned "This is a mouth? This whole place is a mouth? We're in a mouth?!"
"Yes, yes, yes, but on the plus side, roomy"
"How do we get out?" Andy asks her.
The Doctor takes out her screwdriver "How big is this beastie? It's gorgeous! Blimey! If this is just the mouth, I'd love to see the stomach" She hears grunting "Though not right now"
"Doctor, how do we get out?"
"Ok, it's being fed through surgically implanted feeder tubes, so the normal entrance is..." She sees the sharp teeth of a closed mouth "Closed for business"
"We can try, though" Andy heads forward.
"No! Stop, don't move!" the mouth heaves in agitation "Too late. It's started"
"What has?"
"Swallow reflex" they slip and fall back into the refuse. The Doctor uses the screwdriver on the mouth walls.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm vibrating the chemo-receptors"
"Chemo-what?"
"The eject button"
"How does a mouth have an eject button?" Andy asks.
"Think about it!" they hear the creature growl, and, on their knees, look to see a wave of bile coming towards them. "Right, then" She straightens her bowtie "This isn't going to be big on dignity. Geronimo!"
Andy yells and there is a great grunting and splashing.
**********
Overspill Pipe
They find themselves out of the mouth and back in the ship. The Doctor examines the door "There's nothing broken, there's no sign of concussion and yes, you are covered in sick"
"Where are we?"
"Overspill pipe, at a guess"
Andy stands up "Oh, god, it stinks"
"That's not the pipe"
"Oh" He smells himself "Whoo! Can we get out?"
"One door, one door switch, one condition" She moves to show the button on the door "We forget everything we saw. Look familiar? That's the carrot" the lights come on to reveal two smilers. "Ooh, here's the stick. There's a creature living in the heart of this ship. What's it doing there?" the faces spin to show mad.
"No, that's not going to work on me, so come on. Big old beast below decks, and everyone who protests gets shoved down its throat. That how it works?" the faces spin again to show anger "Oh, stop it. I'm not leaving and I'm not forgetting and what are you fellows going to do about it? Stick out your tongues?"
The booths open and the two smilers stand and walk towards Andy and the Doctor who back away.
"Doctor?"
Liz 10 appears behind them and shoots the smilers. She twirls her pistol before placing it back in its holster.
"Look who it is. You look a lot better without your mask" the Doctor tells her.
"You must be Andy. Liz. Liz 10" She introduces herself.
"Hi"
She shakes his hand "Eurgh!" She wipes her hand on her cloak "Lovely hair, Andy. Shame about the sick" She heads for the door "You know Mandy, yeah?" She puts her arm around Mandy's shoulder "She's very brave"
"How did you find us?" the Doctor asks her.
"Stuck my gizmo on you" She throws a device at her "Been listening in. Nice moves on the hurl escape. So, what's the big fella doing here?"
"You're over 16, you voted. Whatever this is, you've chosen to forget about it" the Doctor accuses her.
"No. Never forget, never voted. Not technically a British subject"
"Then who and what are you, and how do you know me?" the Doctor asks her.
"You're a bit hard to miss, love. Mysterious stranger, MO consistent with higher alien intelligence, hair of an idiot..." the Doctor points like she's about to argue but then runs her hand through her soaked hair instead "I've been brought up on the stories. My whole family was"
"Your family?"
One of the smilers begins to move. "They're repairing. Doesn't take them long. Let's move" they leave the overspill.
**********
Lower Corridors
Liz 10 explains as they walk "The Doctor. Old drinking buddy of Henry XII. Tea and scones with Liz II. Vicky was a bit on the fence about you, weren't she? Knighted and exiled you on the same day. And so much for the Virgin Queen, you bad, bad girl!"
"Liz 10?" the Doctor starts to realize.
A smiler rises from a booth in the corridor "Liz 10, yeah. Elizabeth X. And down!" she turns and fires both pistols at the smilers. Both fall. "I'm the bloody queen, mate. Basically, I rule"
Liz 10 takes them to another corridor. It's the base of a vator shaft. "There's a high-speed Vator through there" the Doctor looks into a caged area where there are two of the things Andy saw earlier "Oh, yeah. There's these things. Any ideas?"
"Doctor, I saw one of these up top. There was a hole in the road, like it had burst through, like a root" Andy informs her.
"Exactly like a root. It's all one creature – the same one we were inside – reaching out. It must be growing through the mechanisms of the entire ship"
"What? Like an infection?" Liz 10 questions.
"Someone's helping it. Feeding it"
"Feeding my subjects to it. Come on. We've got to keep moving" Liz 10 storms off in anger and Mandy follows.
"Doctor?"
"Oh, Andy" the Doctor looks sympathetically at the creature as they bang against the bars "We should never have come here"
Andy remembers his video message.
**********
Opulent Room, Liz 10's Bedroom
The Doctor walks carefully through the maze of glasses on the floor of Liz 10's room. "Why all the glasses?"
Liz 10 is on her bed "To remind me every single day that my government is up to something, and it's my duty to find out what"
The Doctor picks up her mask "A queen going undercover to investigate her own kingdom?"
"Secrets are being kept from me. I don't have a choice. Ten years I've been at this – my entire reign – and you've achieved more in one afternoon"
The Doctor paces "How old were you when you came to the throne?"
"40. Why?"
Andy fixes his hair "What, you're 50 now? No way!" Andy and Mandy sit on the chaise at the foot of the bed.
"Yeah, they slowed my body clock. Keeps me looking like the stamps" Liz 10 explains.
The Doctor sits on the bed, still holding the mask "And you always wear this in public?"
"Undercover's not easy when you're me. The autographs, the bunting"
"Air-balanced porcelain. Stays on by itself, cos it's perfectly sculpted to your face"
"Yeah. So what?"
"Oh, Liz. So everything"
The door opens and four hooded men enter. One is the same from the marketplace. "What are you doing? How dare you come in here?" Liz is outraged.
"Ma'am, you have expressed interest in the interior workings of starship UK. You will come with us now"
"Why would I do that?" Liz asks him. The hooded man's head spins to show the face of an angry smiler. "How can they be smilers?"
"Half smiler, half human" the Doctor realizes.
"Whatever you creatures are, I am still your queen. On whose authority is this done?" Liz asks the smiler.
"The highest authority, Ma'am"
"I am the highest authority"
"Yes, ma'am. You must go now, ma'am"
"Where?"
"The tower, ma'am"
**********
Medieval Room
The group is escorted to a large stone room containing high-tech machines. There is a grating through which Andy can see more of the creature "Doctor, where are we?"
"The lowest point of starship UK" She spins, arms out "The dungeon"
"Ma'am" A grey-haired man welcomes Liz.
"Hawthorne! So this is where you hid yourself away. I think you've got some explaining to do"
"There's children down here. What's all that about?" the Doctor asks Hawthorne.
"Protestors and citizens of limited value are fed to the beast. For some reason, it won't eat the children. You're the first adults it's spared. You're very lucky"
"Yeah, look at us. Torture chamber of the Tower of London. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Except it's not a torture chamber, is it?" She examines the equipment "Well, except it is. Except is isn't. Depends on your angle"
The Doctor joins Liz 10 by an open well with a railing around it. inside seems to be something alive. "What's that?" Liz asks her.
"Well, like I said, depends on the angle. It's either the exposed pain center of big fella's brain, being tortured relentlessly..."
"Or?"
"Or it's the gas pedal, the accelerator – starship UK' go-faster button"
"I don't understand"
"Don't you? Try, go on. The spaceship that could never fly, no vibration on deck. This creature – this poor, trapped, terrified creature. It's not infesting you, it's not invading – it's what you have instead of an engine. And this place down here is where you hurt it, where you torture it, day after day, just to keep it moving" And intermittent electrical beam shoots down into the creature's exposed brain.
"Tell you what" She moves to another wall and lifts the grate "Normally, it's above the range of human hearing" one of the extensions of the creature breaks free "This is the sound none of you wanted to hear" she uses the screwdriver and the others hear the creature's call.
"Stop it" Liz pleads before she turns to Hawthorne "Who did this?"
"We act on instructions from the highest authority"
"I am the highest authority. The creature will be released, now. I said now!" No one moves "Is anyone listening to me?"
"Liz. Your mask" the Doctor still holds her mask.
"What about my mask?"
She tosses the mask to Liz "Look at it. It's old. At least 200 years old, I'd say"
"Yeah, it's an antique, so?"
"Yeah, an antique made by craftsmen over 200 years ago and perfectly sculpted to your face. They slowed your body clock, all right, but you're not 50. Nearer 300. And it's been a long old reign"
"Nah, it's ten years. I've been on this throne ten years" Liz insists.
"Ten years. And the same ten years over and over again" she takes her by the hand "Always leading you..." She shows her the voting area "here" the buttons read forget and abdicate.
Liz turns to Hawthorne "What have you done?"
"Only what you have ordered. We work for you, ma'am. The winders, the smilers, all of us" He turns on the screen and a recording of Liz starts to play.
"If you are watching this...If I am watching this, then I have found my way to the Tower of London." The real Liz sits down on the chair "The creature you are looking at is called a Star Whale. Once, there were millions of them. They lived in the depths of space and, according to legend, guided the early space travelers through the asteroid belts. This one, as far as we aware, is the last of its kind. And what we have done to it breaks my heart. The earth was burning. Our sun had turned on us, and every other nation had fled to the skies. Our children screamed as the skies grew hotter. And then it came, like a miracle. The last of the star whales. We trapped it, we built our ship around it, and we rode on its back to safety. If you wish our voyage to continue, then you must press the forget button. Be again the heart of this nation, untainted. If not, press the other button. Your reign will end, the Star Whale will be released, and our ship will disintegrate. I hope I keep the strength to make the right decision"
"I voted for this?" Andy realizes, he turns to the Doctor "Why would I do that?"
"Because you knew if we stayed here, I'd be faced with an impossible choice. Humanity or the alien. You took it upon yourself to save me from that. And that was wrong. You don't ever decide what I need to know"
"I don't even remember doing it" Andy defends himself.
"You did it. That's what counts"
"I'm...I'm sorry"
"Oh, I don't care. When I'm done here, you're going home" she walks away.
"Why? Because I made a mistake? One mistake? I don't even remember doing it. Doctor!"
The Doctor examines an instrument panels "Yeah. I know. You're only human" She mutters.
"What are you doing?" Liz studies her.
"The worst thing I'll ever do. I'm going to pass a massive electrical charge through the Star Whale's brain. Should knock out all its higher functions, leave it a vegetable. The ship will still fly, but the whale won't feel it"
"That'll be like killing it" Andy protests.
"Look, three options. One: I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two: I kill everyone on this ship. Three: I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, cos I won't be the Doctor any more"
"There must be something we can do, some other way" Liz protests.
"Nobody talk to me. Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" the Doctor snaps.
They've stopped in front of one of the feelers and Mandy has her back to it. The feeler reaches towards Mandy and Andy starts to move forward. Instead of hurting her, it gently taps Mandy on the back and lets her pet it. Andy begins to understand.
Andy sees both Mandy and Timmy petting the feeler. "Doctor, stop" He goes to the Doctor "Whatever you're doing, stop it now!" He goes to Liz 10 "Sorry, your majesty, going to need a hand" He leads her to the buttons.
"Andy, no! No!" the Doctor rushes over.
Andy forces Liz 10's hand down on the abdicate button. The whale bellows and the whole ship shakes, causing havoc on every level. "Andy, what have you done?"
"Nothing at all. Am I right?"
"We've increased speed" Hawthorne tells them.
"Yeah, well, you've stopped torturing the pilot. Gotta help" Andy smiles.
"It's still here? I don't understand" Liz says.
"The Star Whale didn't come like a miracle all those years ago. It volunteered. You didn't have to trap it or torture it – that was all just you. It came because it couldn't stand to watch your children cry. What if you were really old, and really kind and alone? Your whole race dead, no future. What couldn't you do then? If you were that old, and that kind, and the very last of your kind..." He turns to look at the Doctor "You couldn't just stand there and watch children cry"
**********
Observation Deck
The Doctor is standing alone looking out onto the starship. Andy joins her "From her majesty" He holds out the mask "She says there will be no more secrets on Starship UK"
"Andy, you could have killed everyone on this ship"
"You could have killed a Star Whale" Andy points out.
The Doctor faces him "And you saved it. I know, I know"
"Amazing, though, don't you think? The Star Whale. All that pain and misery...and loneliness" He looks sideways at the Doctor "And it just made it kind"
"But you couldn't have known how it would react"
"You couldn't. But I've seen it before. Very old and very kind, and the very, very last. Sound a bit familiar?" they hug "Hey"
"What?"
"Gotcha"
"Ha! Gotcha"
**********
London Market
The Doctor and Andy head back to the Tardis. "Shouldn't we say goodbye? Won't they wonder where we went?"
"For the rest of their lives. Oh, the songs they'll write! Never mind them. Big day tomorrow"
"Sorry, what?" Andy asks shocked, thinking she knew about his wedding.
"It's always a big day tomorrow. We've got a time machine. I skip the little ones" She unlocks the Tardis.
"You know what I said about getting back for tomorrow morning...have you ever run away from something because you were scared, or not ready, or just...just because you could?"
"Once...a long time ago"
"What happened?"
"Hello!" the Doctor gestures around her.
A phone begins to ring "Right. Doctor, there's something I haven't told you. No. Hang on, is that a phone ringing?"
They enter the Tardis.
**********
Tardis
"People phone you?"
"Well, it's a phone box. Would you mind?" She asks, preparing to dematerialize.
Andy answers the phone on the console "Hello? Sorry, who? No, seriously. Who?" he muffles the phone against his shoulder "Says he's Prime Minister. First the queen, now the prime minister. Get about, don't you?"
"Which prime minister?" She motions for Andy to pull a lever.
Andy pulls the lever before speaking into the phone "Er, which prime minister?" she then speaks to the Doctor again "The British one"
"Which British one?"
"Which British one?" His eyes widen and he passes the phone to the Doctor "Winston Churchill for you"
"Oh! Hello, dear. What's up?"
"Tricky situation, Doctor. Potentially very dangerous. I think I'm going to need you"
"Don't worry about a thing, prime minister. We're on our way"
The Tardis dematerializes.
"In bed above, we're deep asleep while greater love lies further deep. This dream must end. This world must know, we all depend on the beast below"