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gryfflepuffinthetardis · 9 months

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The End of the World

Dépaysement — French — Noun — The feeling of disorientation and euphoria you experience from not being in your home country, but somewhere new, unknown, exciting yet terrifying.

"Every story has an end but in life every end is a new beginning."

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Rose ran into the Tardis and joined her sister at the console.

"Right, Tylers, you tell me where do you wanna go?" The Doctor asked.

"Rose, you're the oldest, you go first." Lillie said, almost bouncing with delight.

"Right then, Rose Tyler, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be? The Doctor smiled.

"Forwards." Rose decided.

"How far?"

"One hundred years."

The Tardis shook and whirred as the trio held onto the console.

"There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty-second century.

"You're kidding." Rose marveled.

"That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?" The Doctor challenged.

"Fine by me." Rose said as Lillie let out a squeal of delight. "I think that squeal speaks for itself." She teased her sister.

The Tardis rumbled again as she traveled through time.

"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year twelve-thousand-and-five, the new Roman Empire.

"You think you're so impressive." Rose grinned.

" I am so impressive." He scoffed.

"Oh, you wish." Lillie teased.

"Right then, you girls asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!" The Doctor said.

The sisters held hands as the Tardis moved again and then it stopped.

"Where are we?”

For dramatic effect, the Doctor just gestured for the door. The sisters turned to the door and they turned back to him.

“What's out there?" Lillie asked, excitedly.

He kept his hand out and then let it fall with a look like, see for yourself.

Lillie ran off, exiting the Tardis.

“Oi, Lillie!” Rose shouted and followed her sister with somewhat more casualness.

Lillie came up to a closed window, she was about to touch on a nearby touch screen when her compass glinted with a glow and the window blind slid down, revealing where they were.

Rose exited the Tardis, soon after the Doctor followed to see Lillie standing in front of a filtered window, revealing the Earth with the sun behind it.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day," he looked at his watch, "Hold on." The sun flared, turning red, "This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

"Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty-nine" A voice from above said, "Followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

The trio walked along a corridor, "So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" Rose asked.

"Depends what you mean by people." The Doctor said.

"I mean people. What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"Aliens."

"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?" Lillie asked, curiously.

"It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." He said, as he used his sonic screwdriver on a wall panel.

"What for?"

"Fun. Mind you when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich." The Doctor continued as they entered a large area with an even bigger view of the planet.

"So, nothing's changed there." Lillie said, feeling disdain that she didn't quite understand.

"But hold on. They did this once on Newsround Extra. The sun expanding—that takes hundreds of years" Rose said, remembering the program she had watched with Lillie.

"Millions," The Doctor corrected, "but the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun."

"The planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things." Rose said.

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long's it got?" Rose asked.

"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted."

"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last minute and save the Earth?" Rose asked.

"I'm not saving it. Time's up."

"But what about the people?" Rose asked.

"It's empty. They're all gone. No one left."

"Just us, then." Rose gasped and took her sister's hand.

"Who the hell are you?" A rude voice announced, making them turn to see a blue-skinned alien.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks." The Doctor sassed.

"But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

"And it hasn't occurred to you that we might be guests." Lillie asked, patronizingly and then flashed a piece of paper at the steward, making the Doctor do a double take and pat himself down, realizing she had pick-pocketed him. "That's us. I'm a guest. Look, he's got an invitation. Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus two."

The Doctor snatched it back from her and smiled at the blue-skinned man. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose and Lillie Tyler. They're my plus twos. Is that all right?" The Doctor flashed the paper to the man.

"Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." Then he left, embarrassed.

"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"How'd you know?" Rose asked Lillie.

"Nova must’ve told me about it." She shrugged and she looked at the paper and frowned in confusion. She had never actually seen it before. "It's blank." Lillie said, pointing at it. The Doctor blinked at her, surprised. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He shook it off when Rose spoke up.

"He's blue." She said, referring to the alien.

"Yeah, Rosie. He's an alien." Lillie said, blankly. “Biology be different on other planets.”

"Okay." Rose nodded.

"We have in attendance the Doctor, Lillie Tyler and Rose Tyler. Thank you. All staff to their positions. Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." Lillie tilted her head to the side as she saw a bark-skinned woman enter "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon. And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." Lillie saw a group of people dressed in black robes, "The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you." Reptilians clad with fur. "Cal Spark Plug. Mister and Mrs Pacoon. The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light."

The trees went up to the trio as Lillie joined them again.

"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." She gave the Doctor rooted twig in a small pot, which was apparently her grandfather which was apparently a normal gift to give someone nonetheless someone you’ve never met.

"Thank you. Yes, gifts. Er, I give you in return air from my lungs." He blew gently on Jabe as Lillie looked at him oddly.

"How intimate." She said.

"There's more where that came from."

"I bet there is." She said, flirtatiously while Lillie and Rose stood next to the Doctor feeling uncomfortable.

"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." A large glass case that contained a giant humanoid head with straggly hair and squinting eyes barely could make it through the doorway.

He seemed to look straight at Lillie who which she was confused by. Even more at the sad feeling he seemed to give off, surprising her with that so much so that she didn’t notice Jabe flashing her with the device she was holding, presumably some futuristic type of camera as it chirped loudly.

They greeted the various aliens one of which then spit in Rose and Lillie's face much to their disgust and the Repeated Meme gave them a silver ball. Lillie accepted politely but there was something about them that rubbed her the wrong way.

"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen." The Steward introduced.

A face on a piece of thin skin stretched in a rectangular frame is wheeled in by two men. Lillie blinked her eyes and shook her head as if thinking she was seeing it wrong but she wasn't. Rose and Lillie exchanged looks like, what are we looking at?

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." One of the men used a pump spray on the skin. "Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity."

The sister peered around the back of Cassandra to see that she was as thick as a sheet of paper.

Lillie turned to her sister as a jukebox was wheeled in, "where's her brain... and all her other organs and bones?" She whispered and Rose just shrugged.

"According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" Cassandra exclaimed as the sister looked at each other as if to confirm what they were looking at.

The jukebox started to play Tainted Love by Soft Cell, making the Doctor bop his head along to the tune, enthusiastically.

Rose pulled Lillie out of the room for them to get some air, she didn't want to leave her sister alone with strangers, nonetheless alien strangers.

The Doctor noticed them leaving and he went to follow them but Jabe stopped him.

“Doctor?” She said and the camera she had used on Lillie flashed, “Thank you.” The Doctor nodded and went to follow.

As an Adherent of the Repeated Meme insisted that the rude Steward have one of the silver balls despite his protests.

Jabe consulted her camera, which twittered and chirped like a bird, it was scanning the Doctor.

“Identify species. Please identify species.” The device whistled, “Now stop it. Identify his race. Where's he from?” The device chirped and Jabe blinked in surprise, “It's impossible. What about the girl who looks like the late princess of Elder?”

Lillie’s picture popped up, her image rotated before stating: Identified as Princess Cassiopeia of Elder, daughter of the late Queen Kassandra and the late King Virtus. Wife of the late King Narcissus.

“But she’s dead.”

An Analyzing loading symbol turned. Confirmation: Princess Cassiopeia reborn as Human. Elder side suppressed. Advice: Do not confront.

“Why not? She was my friend.” Jabe complained.

Analyzation: Confrontation before Princess Cassiopeia is ready to for confrontation may result in loss control of powers including overwhelming empathy, empathic mind blast, levitation, and supernova explosions. Could result in roasting everyone on board alive. Additionally, she will have to relive all of her repressed memories.

Nova had always been haunted by her memories. She knew of Ozzie, her ex who she had let herself be tortured for at least a billion years (the time that she was tortured tended to change, though Jabe suspected that was due to her dismissing it) but Ozzie found a way back to her and was then killed and died in Nova’s arms. It had taken Nova over a billion more years just to start to heal from that… the day she met the Doctor and punched him in the face. But even more than that was one she never elaborated on, something about a child before she left and when she came back she was horrified by… something. And she blamed herself.

Jabe looked up, sighing heavy and she hurried away, not noticing the four-legged metal spider scurrying away.

Rose and Lillie came to a little window, overseeing the sun and its energy when they heard footsteps and they turned, their hair flying to see a woman the seemed to be of the same race as the steward.

"Sorry, are we allowed to be in here?" Rose asked, sheepishly.

She seemed hesitant to speak, "you have to give us permission to talk."

The girls looked shocked at this, "um... you have permission?" Rose said, confused.

"Thank you. And, no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere." The woman said in a kind voice.

She went to a keypad on the wall and started to unlock it.

"What's your name?" Lillie asked as the two sisters went to her to make conversation.

"Raffalo."

"Raffalo?" Rose repeated.

"Yes, misses. I won't be long; I've just got to carry out some maintenance. There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water." Raffalo said.

"So, you're a plumber?" Lillie asked.

"That's right, misses."

"They still have plumbers?" Rose asked.

"I hope so, else I'm out of a job." Raffalo chuckled.

"Where are you from?"

"Crespallion."

"That's a planet, is it?" Rose asked.

"No. Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty-six. And where are you from, misses? If you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all. Um, I don't know. A long way away. We just sort of hitched a lift with this man." Rose started to realize what they had done in horrified shock as Lillie looked at her. "I didn't even think about it. We don't even know who he is. He's a complete stranger." Lillie nudged her sister in the ribs, bringing her back, "Anyway, don't let us keep you. Good luck with it."

Lillie started to pull Rose away when Raffalo spoke up again, "Thank you, misses. And eh… thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate." This made Lillie sad. Even now.

"Okay. See you later." Lillie said and they left.

Rose and Lillie sat on a step in a gallery as Rose played with the silver ball while Lillie left hers alone; it gave her the creeps like it was watching her.

"Earth Death in twenty-five minutes."

"Oh, thanks." Rose muttered, sarcastically. She put down the ball and picked up the potted plant. "Hello. My name's Rose and this is my sister Lillie… it’s short for Delilah. Those are sort of plants. We might be related."

"Rose, you're talking to a twig." Lillie deadpanned and Rose put the potted plant down exasperatedly.

“Why did you say yes at once?” Rose asked.

“Hmm?” Lillie looked at her older sister.

“You said yes without hesitation.”

“All those years ago, that Halloween where I had gotten separated from you and mum. I understood that he couldn’t take me with him because I was barely thirteen and I couldn’t leave you. But even then…” She tried to put it in words, “it’s like a pull, I feel a pull towards him like… this is what I’m meant to do. Travel with him and I don’t regret it. I don’t think I’ll ever regret it.” Lillie said, honestly. Then she heard a small noise, "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Rose asked her, not hearing anything.

Before she could reply, they heard the Doctor say, "Rose? Lillie? Are you in there?" As he entered and sat on the other side of the steps and looked at them eagerly, "Aye, aye. What do you think, then?"

"Great. Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper. They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em and they're alien." Rose said, clearly having trouble processing all of this.

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South." The Doctor cracked.

"Yeah, maybe, we should have stopped at the twenty-second century instead." Lillie suggested, "Ease into it?"

"Where are you from?" Rose asked him.

"All over the place." He said, vaguely.

"They all speak English." Lillie said.

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the Tardis. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates." The Doctor explained. That made sense... in some weird alien way.

"It's inside our brains?" Rose said.

"Well, in a good way."

"Your machine gets inside our heads. It gets inside and it changes our minds, and you didn't even ask?" Rose scoffed.

"I didn't think about it like that." He said.

"No, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South." Rose scoffed, getting upset, "who are you, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?"

"I'm just the Doctor." The Doctor said, he seemed closed off as he had reason to keep quiet.

"From what planet?" Rose asked.

Lillie got lightheaded again as she saw a memory that she hadn’t lived through played.

“Nova,” A woman with blue-green hair in an elegant sort of bun by red flowers that sparkled when she moved, she had red dangling earrings and a black dress with a red and black see-through cape, she had blue and yellow eyes.

“Hey, Mum.” Nova said.

“We need to get you ready to greet the new recruits of Gallifrey’s Time Lord Academy.”

Nova threw her head back and groaned loudly before getting up to put on her perfect princess act for the Time Academy.

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!" The Doctor chuckled, bringing her back.

"Where are you from?" Rose asked.

"What does it matter?"

"You must have a name. A species.”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter!”

“Just tell us who you are!" Rose demanded. Lillie looked at her like, don't bring me into this. “

"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me." The Doctor snapped, angrily.

"Yeah, and we're here too because you brought us here, so just tell us." Rose shouted and the Doctor stomped to the window, looking over at the sun.

Lillie honestly didn't mind, she felt that he was entitled to wait until he was ready to tell them what kind of alien he was or what planet he was from, it was his business and clearly it was a sore subject but she understood that Rose was overwhelmed.

"Do you know what kind of alien he is?" Rose asked Lillie.

"Rose." Lillie whispered. "He has the right to tell us when he wants to. It’s sort of like with my ADHD, it’s my right to tell.”

Rose sighed, as another announcement was made, knowing that as per usual, Lillie was right. She was always right.

"Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes."

The teenagers walked down the steps to the Doctor, "All right. As my mate, Shareen says, don't argue with the designated driver." Rose said and the Doctor let a smile flicker across his face but forced it away. How dare Rose Tyler being simple… Rose Tyler. Rose took her mobile phone out as Lillie did the same. "Can't exactly call for a taxi.”

The Doctor tilted his head up with another smile on her face. How could he ever be mad at Rose Tyler for being simply her… simply human. She was the most ordinary girl and because of that she was beautiful.

“Not even a space taxi. A time taxi.” Lillie added and the Doctor looked at her to see the cheeky glint in her eyes, making a smile tug at him lips.

“There's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit."

"Yeah, just a bit.” Lillie agreed with a sardonic tone, “by five billion years."

"Tell you what." He took Rose's phone as she was the closest and started to take it apart, "With a little bit of jiggery pokery."

"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?" Lillie teased.

"Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you two?"

"No, I failed hullabaloo." Rose played along.

"Oh. There you go." He handed Rose her phone back and took Lillie's the do the same as Rose called Jackie.

"Hello?" Jackie's voice said as Lillie gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. She sounded clearer than ever before, much louder, although with Jackie, she was already pretty loud over the phone.

"Mum?" Rose gasped.

"Oh, what is it?" Jackie sighed, "What's wrong? What have I done now? Oh, this red top's falling to bits. You should get your money back. Go on. There must be something, you never phone in the middle of the day. Is Lillie with you?" Rose and Lillie chuckled in sad relief. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Yeah, Lillie's right here. You all right, though?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Jackie asked.

"What day is it?" Rose asked.

"Wednesday, all day. You got a hangover? Oh, I tell you what. Put a quid in that Lottery syndicate. I'll pay you back later."

"Yeah, er, I was just calling cause Lillie and I might be late home." Rose said.

"Is there something wrong?" Jackie asked. “Is Lillie alright?”

"No. I'm fine. Lillie's fine. We're fine. Top of the world." Rose said and then Jackie hung up.

Lillie sniffled as the Doctor spoke, beaming, "Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill."

"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

"Bundle of laughs, you are."

“Every person we’d ever know would be dead by now.” Lillie said, “Well, maybe. Maybe we’ll meet an immortal.”

“No one alive could live this long.” The Doctor said and Lillie felt a warmness smile in her mind and her memory went back to that kind American stranger who had talked to her on that bench years ago.

“Best reception ever, she sounded louder than she does in real life.”

“And for our mother, that’s saying something.” Lillie teased.

“Did you give my signal a boost?” Rose asked.

“More or less.”

“Could I phone Mars from here?” Lillie asked.

“Yeah. Tell them I want my boots back.” The Doctor told her.

“Why, what happened to your boots?” Lillie asked.

“I left them there. Obviously.” He said with a grin. Even when joking, he was still so rude.

Lillie laughed, not at the joke but the utter the-Doctor-ness of it which made Rose laugh.

But then the space station shook, and Rose grabbed Lillie protectively.

"That's not supposed to happen." The Doctor said, curiously and ran off with the girls following.

"Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you." The Steward said over the intercom.

They walked back into the observation gallery, "That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that. What do you think, Jabe?" He turned to the tree lady, "Listened to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"

Jabe glanced at Lillie like she could see into Lillie’s soul but it was only a glance. "It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." Jabe said. That made sense, considering she was like a real-life gender-bent Groot with better vocabulary.

"Where's the engine room?" The Doctor asked.

"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you and your wives."

Lillie raised an eyebrow as the Doctor said, "They're not my wives."

"Partner?"

"No." This answer was a bit more bitter. Like he had recently had a partner but she was since passed.

"Concubines?"

"Nope."

"Prostitutes?" She asked.

"Whatever we are, it must be invisible." Lillie scoffed; she looked down at her clothing which consisted of a red shirt that had a bandit symbol with swords with a sarcastic William Shakespeare quote on it: I would challenge you to a battle of wits but I see you are unarmed, under her plaid leather jacket, plaid skirt, black jeans with red patches at the rips, and the black boots. What were prostitutes like in the future that her deeply sarcastic Hot Topic/ComicCon fashion sense could be mistaken for one?

"Please, don't call my sister a prostitute." Rose said, shortly.

“Princess?” She said, testing on how little Lillie knew of her past life.

Lillie let out a snort, “I’m as much as a princess as a cinder maid.”

"Do you mind? Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. We're going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." Rose gestured to Cassandra.

"Don't start a fight." The Doctor warned them.

"We'll see. I’d like to see you try and stop me." Lillie called to him, walking off, her chocolate-colored curls swishing behind her.

The Doctor offered Jabe his arm, "I'm all yours."

"And I want you home by midnight." Rose teased.

"Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes."

Lillie nearly walked into the Face of Boe, not sure how she could’ve missed him.

"Oh, sorry." She mumbled, stepping back and she looked up at the enormous alien. "You're sad. I don't know how but I can tell you... may I?" The Face of Boe's gigantic head nodded and she placed her hand on the glass, "you feel mourning and grief for someone you once loved. Your first love."

"Brilliant as you ever were, N... Lillie." The Face of Boe said telepathically.

She was so shock and awed by this that she didn't notice that he nearly called her the wrong name.

"I don't understand how..."

"You'll see that it comes and goes."

"Do we... do we know each other?" She asked, confused.

"I know you but you don't know me yet. I haven't seen you in so long, Lillie. In all my years, I've failed to see someone with such compassion yet brutality. Darkness that shone as bright at her light."

Her mind suddenly flashed to a childhood memory of her at the school library.

The thirteen-year-old Lillie jumped as she tried to reach a book on the highest shelf about aliens.

A man who looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties but was in actuality much older than he looked with pitch black and piercing pale blue eyes walked in, mimicking his boss at Torchwood for his “lack of proper procedure”, apparently sleeping with all the suspects in their cases and several employees in the workplace was frowned upon. Then he spotted a girl with brown hair dressed in flannel.

“Lillie.” He breathed, seeing the younger self of his first real love.

He cleared his throat and walked towards her, despite knowing that she had no useful information about the Doctor.

“Need some help, little girl?”

“I am not a little girl!” She pouted at the American man, “I’m just… short.”

Jack smiled and pulled the book she was trying to get off the shelf and handed it to her.

“Thank you, um…”

Jack hesitated before offering his real name, “Javic Piotr Thane.”

She held out her hand and said, “Lillie Tyler.”

Had that been the same kind man who had talked to her on the bench?

She shook her head and smiled at the Face of Boe, "Well, I look towards to meeting you for the first time." She smiled and went to join Rose with Cassandra.

The Doctor and Jabe walked through a hall filled with wires and pipes, completely missing the robot spiders that hid from them.

“Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?” He asked.

“There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind.” Jabe replied.

“You mean the computer? But who controls that?”

“The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to another.”

“But there's no one from the Corporation on board.” The Doctor pointed out.

“They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong.”

“Unsinkable?” He scoffed.

“If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate.” She said.

“You're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold.” The Doctor said, causally before stopping to turn to Jabe, “So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?”

“I'm afraid not.” She said.

“Fantastic.” He grinned.

“I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?” Jabe wondered.

Rose and Lillie were listening the Cassandra who Lillie didn’t like at all as she seemed completely self-absorbed, "Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy, down there.” Rose and Lillie exchanged looks. “Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice. I'd have such fun."

"What happened to everyone else? The human race, where did it go?" Lillie asked.

"They say mankind has touched every star in the sky." Cassandra said.

"So, you're not the last human." Lillie said, raising her eyebrows.

"I am the last pure human. The others mingled." She clarified, saying it as if it were the most horrid offense, "Oh, they call themselves New humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even 'Humanish’, but you know what I call them? Mongrels."

So, she was one those people who think she was better above others; they still had these people. But Lillie had always known that no matter how much they progressed there was always going to be people with a backwards view of the world, it was just a fact of life.

"Right. And you stayed behind." Rose asked as Lillie rolled her blue eyes.

"I kept myself pure." That was rich of her to refer to herself as pure. With all the plastic surgery she seemed to have undergone. A sex change was one thing but for some reason Lillie felt that Cassandra had numerous sex change surgeries and not just because she wanted her body to identify with her inner gender and more to get away with things, plus she clearly used surgeries to make herself look younger to the point that she was literally a slab of skin. If Lillie hadn’t been against plastic surgery before, she was now.

"Uh-huh, and how many operations have you had?" Lillie asked.

"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached." Lillie didn't even know it was possible to have that many operations. And what was blood bleaching. "Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out. And Lillie..."

"I'd rather die." Rose cut her off, before she could point out Lillie's imperfections that the younger Tyler was already painfully aware of. She never said anything but Rose knew.

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt.”

"No, I mean it. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline."

"Oh, well. What do you know.

"I was born on that planet, and so was my mum, and so was my dad, and so was my sister, and that makes us officially the last human beings in this room, cause you're not human." Rose argued as Lillie glanced back at the Face of Boe to see him looking at her again before she turned back.

"You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin." Lillie agreed with her sister, having enough of this woman.

"Nice talking." Rose said and they left.

“So tell me, Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?” The Doctor asked.

“Respect for the Earth.” She said.

“Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions.” The Doctor scoffed.

“Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions.”

“In case your share prices drop? I know you lot. You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land.”

“I also had a friend once who loved Earth but she’s…” She trailed off before moving past it completely, “All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest.”

“Excuse me.” He said and started to scan a door panel as she continued to talk.

“And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left. Not even his love.” He only glanced at her, “I scanned you earlier. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it, but it was right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am. Not just for the death of your planet and your species but of hers. Nova was a friend.” She put her hand on his arm and he put his hand on hers as a single tear dropped before the door opened.

Rose and Lillie walked through the halls aimlessly, going to pass Adherents went they hit them across the faces, making everything go black.

Nova was wearing, to her chagrin, a dress, and dead eyes, still heartbroken even after a billion years, as she stood in the Time Academy to greet the new students.

Her purple eyes then landed on the second brightest student, the Doctor.

Even in her unconscious state, Lillie’s instinct was to grab her compass necklace, making the “dream” slip away.

"Wake up, Nova. Wake up!" She heard the Face of Boe's voice say in her head, but it wasn't the voice she had heard. It seemed to be a young American accent. She saw a flash of an incredibly handsome man with blue eyes and black hair, but she barely got to process it.

Lillie woke up in Gallery fifteen with Rose nearby, still unconscious.

"Rose!" She exclaimed, shaking her sister.

Then the computer said, "Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending." The filter slid down shining the white-hot sun into the room. Things just became from bad to worse.

"ROSE!" She screamed, starting to panic.

Rose woke up and forced herself to wake up at the panic surging through them. The girls hammered on the door, screaming for someone to let them out.

"Anyone in there?" They heard the Doctor from the other side of the door call.

"LET US OUT!"

"Oh, well, it would be you two."

"OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Hold on. Give us two ticks."

The rays of the sun reached the door.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." The sisters sighed in relief but stopped when they heard, "Sun filter descending."

"Just what we need. The computer's getting clever."

"STOP MUCKING ABOUT!" Rose screamed as the girls started to panic again.

"I'm not mucking about. It's fighting back."

"OPEN THE DOOR!"

"I know!"

Rose grabbed her sister and pulled her down the steps as the glare moved down the door, getting to the lowest point of the room.

"THE LOCK'S MELTED!" Rose shouted.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."

The girls ran back to the door as they heard the Doctor say, "The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the doors. Stay there! Don't move."

"Where are we going to go, Ipswich?" Rose shouted sarcastically.

"Hurry back or I'll kill you!" Lillie shouted.

The heat levels rose quickly but funnily enough, Lillie didn’t sweat, not at all like Rose was but that wasn’t exactly their highest priority right now.

Rose held Lillie close to her when the filter started to crack from the intense heat.

"Shields malfunction."

Rose shielded Lillie from the rays of sun hitting the walls around them, both girls shrieking in surprise, neither of them noticing that a sun ray hit Lillie’s hair just beside her neck and it had no effect on it, not even burning her strands of hair.

—

In the engine room, Jabe was keeping the lever down as the heat levels rose until she caught fire.

Then she saw her. The beautiful princess. The beautiful, kind but merciless princess. The princess of a supernova’s fire but could be as cold as ice. Her smile was bittersweet yet it wavered terribly as her eyes teared up.

“I’m sorry. If I was awake, I could’ve done it instead.” She was whispering. Jabe wasn’t afraid, she felt comfort. She didn’t feel anymore pain from the fire, instead nice warmth as if from a sun from the distance in the spring. “But you saved us. You saved us all, Jabe. You saved me and my sister. And you saved my Doctor. You saved him.”

—

Lillie heard Rose crying, hiding her face in Lillie’s hair as she repeatedly whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Lillie kept her eyes on the glass as her compass glowed, her mind went foggy as her eyes turned purple and she put her hand out, blocking a sunbeam at would’ve hit her and Rose, she could see through the light and she saw the planet explode. She was the only one who could see it. All that history. The planet she spent more lifetimes than there was a human number for save.

—

Then it stopped as they heard, "Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair."

Lillie blinked her blue eyes, the last few moments were foggy but her mind filled them with memories of cowering and fearing of her and Rose dying. Rose opened her eyes as Lillie lowered her hand, she assumed she was blocking the light from her eyes.

The cracks vanished and saw the fractured remains of the Earth. They missed it. No one had seen it.

The girls entered the observation gallery, most of the guests seemed to be fine but the Moxx of Bahoon had been fried by the glare.

Lillie walked to the Face of Boe placing her hand on the glass, staring at the creature as if asking, are you okay? He returned the look.

The Doctor entered and walked past them, glancing at them to check they were okay before going to the other trees, giving them bad news. Jabe wasn’t there.

Oh no.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby."

Cassandra wasn’t around. It must’ve been her.

“The ostrich egg.” Lillie said.

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

He smashed the alleged to reveal a small device. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He pushed the button on the device, making a whirring sound.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." Cassandra's voice said as she was beamed back in the room. Lillie's eyes turned cold as ice-cold rage shot through her, outraged that Cassandra had caused Jabe to die, even though they had spoken twice and she had insinuated that she looked like a prostitute, she got angry like she was an old friend from another life. "Oh."

"The last human." Lillie said, coldly, the Face of Boe seemed to notice that her hair seemed to be bristling, gaining flyaways, similar to how a certain overemotional . “Yet the least human in this room even without Rose and me.”

"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, um, the-the Human Club." She lied, terribly.

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." Lillie told her, coldly, she had a deadly look in her eyes, "you killed people and you just don't care."

"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries.

“Have you ever been really human? Cared for anyone? When was the last time someone actually called you beautiful and actually meant it?”

Cassandra faltered; she thought back to the last person who truly meant she looked beautiful before he died in her arms but she refused to show this to the others, not wanting to appear weak.

“Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter..." She started to creak, making Lillie raise her eyebrows.

"And creak?" Doctor asked.

"And what?" She asked.

"Creak. You're creaking." Lillie said, “you raised the bloody heat, you wombat.” For a moment, her accent slipped into a light Australian one, but no one paid that any attention… except for the Face of Boe.

"What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me, moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" She cried.

The sisters looked at each other, feeling bad for the slab of skin, while she did kill people, she didn't deserve to die herself.

"You raised the temperature."

"Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything." She pleaded.

Rose stepped forward as Lillie stared with almost no emotion in her eyes. "Help her."

"Everything has its time and everything dies."

"I'm too young!"

SPLAT!

Rose and Lillie blinked in horror and shock as bits of Cassandra flew everywhere.

The Doctor walked away and Lillie found herself stepping to the Face of Boe, offering a gentle smile as she helped wipe off the glass of his tank.

Only Rose, Lillie, and the Doctor remained half an hour later as the sisters looked out the window at the remnants of Earth, holding each other’s hand.

The Doctor walked to Lillie’s side, taking her hand, making her look down and then at him as Rose spoke, mournfully, “The end of the Earth. It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just…” She trailed off.

The Doctor held his other hand out for Rose, “Come with me.”

Rose took his hand and she took Lillie’s, he walked the sisters back to the Tardis.

The Doctor brought them to modern-day London to help Rose and Lillie feel better.

"You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky. I had a bad day. Long ago. A very bad day. Now my planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time." He told them.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"There was a war and we lost." He said.

"A war with who?” Rose asked but he didn’t reply, “What about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. Like I said... a very bad day. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left traveling on my own cause there's no one else." He said.

Lillie briefly got a throbbing feeling in her head. "Time Lords, that's what he is. I'm not. I'm an Elder. While Time Lords are a bit pompous, arrogant, and judgmental; Elders are more accepting. They accept any race, sex, non-sex, sexuality, disorder, or otherwise. But that doesn't mean they're all good. Good doesn't always mean nice."

The throb and voice then faded as she shook her head and ignored it, looking back at the Doctor. "We're here with you." Lillie said.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?" He asked them.

"No." Lillie said.

"I don't know. I want..." She sniffed, "Oh, can you smell chips?"

"Yeah. Yeah." The Doctor laughed.

"I want chips." Rose and said Lillie agreed.

"Me too."

"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay."

"No money." He told them.

"What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close." Rose grinned.

The trio walked away laughing as a man with pitch-black hair in a military long coat watched from a distance. He watched them eat chips as the Doctor told them about his planet. The sky. The trees. The domes. The twin suns... and the distant planet in the sky but he did not tell them that planet's name or who had lived there.

The man couldn't go to them. They hadn't met yet. Not yet.

Princess Supernova of Elder glared at the Doctor and his standoffish attitude and then she punched him in the face in front of the whole of Gallifrey’s Academy. The Master let out an impressed chuckled as the Doctor turned back to her in shock.

She smirked and stuck out her hand, "Hi, I'm Princess Supernova."

Kassandra looked at her daughter interacting with the Doctor with a smile on her face but her eyes remained sad before turning away.

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