"GALAXY!" screams Rose. I grab onto my ears with my hands and look at Rose.
"Shut up!" I yell. Rose hugs me and I hug her back. "How long was I out?" I ask.
"About five minutes. Why?" she asks. I shake my head and stand up but I look at the floor to look for the photo.
"Where is it?" I ask.
"Where's what?" asks Rose.
"Looking for this?" The Doctor asks. I look at the Doctor and see him holding the photo I got from Clive. I got to get it back but he holds it up in the air. "Where did you get this?" he asks.
"No where, now give it back," I say.
"Not until you tell me where you got it from," he says.
"Fine. Rose and I went to see a man because she wanted to know more about you. I found this picture in the folder in my bag," I say. The Doctor goes over to my bag and gets out the folder that I got from Clive.
"I'm taking this. Tell no one about the photo or the folder and don't expect to get it back," he says. I sigh and stand up at the same time and then Rose grabs onto my hand. I see the Doctor put the picture into his pocket and then he walks over to the door and goes out.
"You can't go out there. It's not safe!" yells Rose. We both run after him but stop at the door.
"I lost the signal. I got close," says the Doctor. We both walk out and I shut the door.
"We've moved. Does it fly?" I ask.
"It disappears there and reappears here," says the Doctor.
"But if we're... somewhere else, that headless thing's still on the loose," says Rose.
"Melted with the head. Are you two gonna witter on all night?" he asks.
"We'll have to tell his mother," I say.
"Mickey. We'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just forgot about him. Again!" exclaims Rose.
"You were right. You are an alien."
"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey," he says.
"He's not a kid!" I exclaim.
"It's because I'm trying to save every stupid ape blundering about on top of this planet, all right?" he asks.
"All right," says Rose.
"You're not one of those stupid apes. I grab onto my head." a voice whispers in my head. "Get out of my head!" I exclaim. Rose grabs onto me to try and soothe me.
"Yes, it is," says the Doctor.
"If you are an alien, why do you sound like you're from the north?" asks Rose.
"Every planet does have a north, Rose," I say. The Doctor looks away from us.
"What's a police public call box?" asks Rose.
"It's a telephone box, from the 1950s," I say. The Doctor looks at me confused again. "I read a lot of books because I like books."
"It's a disguise," says the Doctor.
"Okay. And, this, this living plastic, what's it got against us?" asks Rose.
"Nothing. It loves you. You got a good planet, lots of smoke and oil," he says. "Plenty of toxins and dioxins, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, its protein planets rotted. So. Earth. Dinner."
"Any way of stopping it?" I ask.
"Antiplastic," he says whilst talking out a tube of blue liquid.
"Antiplastic?" asks Rose.
"Antiplastic!" he exclaims happily. "But first, I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" He walks past me and Rose slightly whilst putting the Antiplastic away.
"Hold on, hide what?" asks Rose.
"A transmitter," he says. "The Consciousness is controlling all plastic, a transmitter boosts the signal."
"What does it look like?" asks Rose.
"A transmitter," I blurt out.
"Round and massive. Somewhere slap bang in the middle of London" finishes the Doctor. We walk past the TARDIS to where we can see the river. "A huge, metal, circular structure, like a dish, like a wheel, radial, close to where we're standing, it must be completely invisible." He stands with his back to the London Eye and Rose and I look at each other "What?" he asks. We nod our heads towards the huge, metal London Eye. The Doctor turns around and looks at it then back at us. "What?" he repeats. We nod our heads to it again. He turns his head to look at it again and then back at us again. "What is it? What?" he asks. He looks back at it then at us and says, "Oh. Fantastic!" He takes off down the path and Rose and I follow him. He grabs onto our hands once we get past the Elizabeth Tower and onto the bridge and then we run down the steps and to the London Eye. We run in front of it and stop. "Think. Plastic. Everywhere, every artificial thing waiting to be alive," he says. "The shop window dummies, phones, wires, cables."
"The breast implants," says Rose."Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath," he says. He looks around from where he is standing but Rose drags me to the wall and we look over it and find something.
"What about down here?" I ask. The Doctor runs to my side and smiles.
"Looks good to me," he says. We run down to it and he opens the hatch. A red light glows from it and he starts to go down the ladder. I follow after him and then it's Rose. We head to a door and the Doctor opens it and all of us walk-through. We head down some steps and I look down to see a huge, orange, wobbling mass of molten plastic that looks like something I've written and drawn about. "The Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor explains softly. "That's it, inside the vat; a living, plastic creature."
"Well, then, tip in your anti-plastic and let's go," Rose motions him forward.
"It's living, Rose," I frown, folding my arms. "He's not gonna kill it... right Doctor?" I ask whilst looking at him.
"I've got to give it a chance," he confirms making me smile brightly.
"This is why I don't eat meat, Rose. I don't like things being killed. Except for people who deserve it," I say whilst the Doctor leads us down another flight of stairs and places his hands on the railing, leaning forward slightly.
"I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation," he addresses the Nestene and I frown slightly when I hear the last part because it seems familiar. The Nestene wobbles around a bit, making a garbling noise. I assume this was how it communicated and the Doctor could understand it since he smiles. "Thank you, I might have permission to approach?" he asks and the Nestene gargles in what appears to be an allowance. I feel Rose slapping my arm over and over.
"What?" I snap. She points down to the landing below us. "Mickey Mouse!" I smile widely, running down the steps towards him with Rose.
"Oh, my God! Mickey!" Rose beams. "It's okay. It's alright. We're here." She slides down on her knees when we reach him and pulls him into her arms. "Are you hurt?" she asks worriedly, pulling away and looking him over. "Oh, my god. I thought you were dead!" she cries happily.
"That thing down there," Mickey whimpers, clutching onto Rose. "The liquid, it can talk!" he shakes against Rose and I rub his back soothingly.
"You're stinking," I wrinkle my nose at the smell coming off him. "Doctor, they kept him alive!" I beam at the Doctor.
"Yeah, that was always a possibility; keep him alive to maintain the copy," the Doctor waves off, not caring.
"You knew that and you never said?" asks Rose angrily.
"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" the Doctor smirks as Rose's glare hardens. He heads down to the platform just above the Nestene and Mickey, Rose and I stand up and stand by the railings. "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" he asks, making the Nestene wobble. "Thank you," he grins. "If I might observe: you infiltrated this civilisation through warped, shunt technology; so, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, you shunt off?" he asks cheekily which makes me giggle slightly. The Doctor looks up and me and smiles widely but he rolls his eyes when the Nestene garbles and he turns back to it. "Oh, don't give me that, it's an invasion! Plain and simple! Don't talk about constitutional right!" he scoffs and the Nestene rears its head. I blink in shock... it's head? "I... am... talking!" he shouts over the noise, making the Nestene quiet down. "This planet is just starting! These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk. But they're capable of so much more! I'm asking you on their behalf: please, just go," he pleads with the Nestene. My eyes widen when I see two figures approaching the Doctor.
"Doctor!" I yell. The Doctor looks behind him too late as the figures grab ahold of him. One reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out the tube of blue antiplastic.
"That was just insurance! I was never going to use it!" yells the Doctor but the Nestene wasn't buying it apparently as it garbles angrily. "I was not attacking you! I'm here to help! I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not-" he pauses when the Nestene roars. "What do you mean?" he frowns and two doors open to reveal the TARDIS... ok, now this isn't good. That's the Doctor's ship. If he destroys it, then he won't be able to save the rest of the universe and he'll be stuck there. Wait! I just rambled on in my head. Great. Not only am I talking without thinking, but I'm also thinking without thinking. "Oh, oh no, honestly, no! Yes, that's my ship," he admits and the Nestene screeches loudly. "That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save my world. I couldn't save any of them."
My heart pangs as he says this but I don't know why I feel so guilty all of a sudden. He must be talking about the Time War. I think. "What's it doing?" Rose yells which make me flinch slightly because I forgot that she and Mickey Mouse were there.
"It's the TARDIS!" the Doctor thrashes against the hold on him by the figures. "The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's going to final base. It's starting the invasion! Get out, girls! Just leg it! Now!"
"Not bloody likely. I'm not leaving you down there with them things!" I yell back.
"Mum!" I hear Rose yell so I look over at her and see her with her mobile out. "Where are you, mum?" a pause. "Go home! Just go home, right now!" another pause. "Mum! Mum!" she puts her phone back into her pocket.
"Is she going home?" I ask Rose nervously.
"No, she hung up! She's going shopping!" she screeches. Then there's a shudder in the chamber and blue electric currents branch out from the Nestene, going up through the ceiling.
"It's the activation signal! It's transmitting!" exclaims the Doctor.
"It's the end of the world," says Rose.
"Get out, Rose and Galaxy. Just get out!" yells the Doctor.
"Oh, shut the fuck up! I'm not about to leave! The stairs have gone, anyway!" I call down. Rose grabs onto mine and Mickey's hands and drags us to the TARDIS.
"I haven't got the key," groans Rose. I put my head on the door and stroke it slightly and the door opens.
"Ok? She likes me then?" I ask myself quietly before I shove Rose and Mickey inside. I smile as I hear another click when the door shuts. Good girl. I think
"Galaxy!" Rose yells whilst banding on the door.
"You're gonna die, Space!" yells Mickey.
"Galaxy! What the hell are you doing! Get out of here!" the Doctor shouts. The figures start pulling the Doctor towards the edge of the platform.
"GALAXY!" Rose yells again from the TARDIS. I run towards an axe and picks it up.
"Everyone thinks I'm mad. Four years of psychiatrists to help but it didn't and I no idea what's going on with me," I say whilst hitting the chain. "But I'll tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School gymnastics team... mum made me join to help with my social skills." I pull on the chain and finish, "I got bronze!" I swing across the gap over the Nestene. I scream as I swing past the Doctor, kicking the figures out of the way which makes one of them stumble over the edge, falling into the Nestene. The Doctor throws the other one into the Nestene and it starts to turn blue, withering and screaming in pain. I close my eyes as I swing back to the Doctor again, hearing him shout my name. I crash into something hard, feeling arms wrap around me, and I open my eyes slowly, looking up at the Doctor's grinning face.
"Alright?" he asks, chuckling slightly. I nod my head slightly, feeling a bit awkward since the Doctor's arms are still around me, and he laughs loudly. "Now, we're in trouble," he says. He grabs my hand and pulls me to the TARDIS. The Doctor ushers me in the door and I yelp, stumbling back as I'm tackled into a hug by Rose and Mickey Mouse.
"How could you be so stupid. You could've gotten yourself killed," says Rose.
"Sorry. But I couldn't just leave him down there. He saved your life yesterday if you have forgotten," I say. Rose rolls her eyes and the both of them let go whilst I hear the Doctor laugh slightly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Doctor lands the TARDIS and Mickey Mouse stumbles out of the door, looking terrified. Rose goes to comfort him whilst I pull out my phone and phone mum. "Galaxy! Galaxy!" she shouts. "Don't go out of the house, it's not safe. Is your sister with you?" I laugh slightly.
"She here. We're fine, mum. Don't worry," I reply before hanging up. "Mum's fine!" I yell over to Rose.
"A fat lot of good you were," says Rose slapping Mickey Mouse on his arm.
"Absolutely no help, Mickey Mouse," I laugh. I turn to the Doctor who was leaning against the TARDIS.
"Nestene Consciousness?" he clicks his fingers. "Easy," he smirks.
"You were useless in there, you'd be dead if it wasn't for me," I reply, smirking at him.
"Yes, I would. Thank you," he says sincerely. "Right, then! I'll be off" he claps his hands and I frown, feeling a little bit sad. "Unless, uh... I don't know... you could come with me," he offers, rubbing the back of his neck. "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know, it goes anywhere in the universe, free of charge." he smiles widely.
"Don't! He's an alien, he's a thing," Mickey whimpers.
"He's not invited," the Doctor nods towards Mickey Mouse. "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food and school and sleep, or you could go, uh... anywhere," he says.
"Is it always this dangerous?" asks Rose.
"Yeah," says the Doctor. Mickey hugs Rose's waist.
"Yeah... I can't. I've got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this lump. So..." says Rose.
"What about you, Galaxy?" he asks. "I could help you figure out what's wrong with you." I shake my head.
"I've got school. I need to finish my A-levels," I say.
"Ok. See you around," he says. The Doctor walks into the TARDIS and shuts the door and the engines start and the TARDIS disappears.
"Come on, let's go," I say. The three of us start to walk off but Rose and I stop and turn around when a sudden gush of wind comes and we see the TARDIS appears. The door opens and the Doctor stands in the doorway.
"By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?" he asks. Rose and I smile and turn back to Mickey.
"Thanks," she says.
"Thanks for what?" asks Mickey Mouse.
"Exactly," I say to Mickey. Rose gives Mickey a quick kiss on the cheek and I give him a quick hug before Rose grabs my hand and we run to the TARDIS. Our smiles on our face are large when we run into the TARDIS.