#genuinely devastated I froze when I saw the death message

[papayaturtles]

" And then there were 2 "

[fuckofffuckofffuckoffloveme]

Runaway - Part Two

~Masterlist~

Concept: Hazel Richards is a twenty-year-old woman living in London. When she meets a mysterious time-travelling alien known only as the Hunter, she’s thrust into a world of wonder she could only have imagined.

Warnings: swearing, follows S1 of Doctor Who.

As Hazel entered, she met the Hunter with a smile, and the Time Lady even smiled a little herself. "You were right, you know."

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked, walking up to the console.

"I do have a name. Asides from the Hunter, I mean." The Time Lady shrugged. "I was named Artemis the same way you were named Hazel, but my people often choose titles as well. Mainly because it's easier. Titles are meaningless, they are not names, not really. They just reflect us."

"Artemis, huh?" Hazel repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Like the goddess?"

The Hunter smirked a little. "Well, I did leave an impression on the ancient Greeks, yes. Me and my --" She cut herself off.

Hazel frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter." The Hunter took a deep breath. "Right then, Hazel Norton, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?"

"Forwards," Hazel replied, letting it slide.

"How far?"

"Uh..." Hazel shrugged. "One hundred years."

The Hunter set the TARDIS into motion, before landing it a few seconds later. "There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty second century."

Hazel's eyes widened. "You're kidding."

"I'm not." The Hunter smirked a little. "That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?"

"Fine by me," Hazel grinned. The TARDIS went into flight for a bit longer this time, before settling down again.

"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire."

"You think you're so impressive," Hazel accused, smirking.

The Hunter snorted. "I am so impressive."

Hazel scoffed. "You wish!"

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go," the Hunter decided. "Hold on!" She piloted the TARDIS a lot further this time, and the flight was much more turbulent.

"Where are we?" Hazel asked when they landed. "What's out there?"

The Hunter didn't answer, just gestured towards the door with her hand. Hazel grinned, going outside and down a flight of steps. As she and the Hunter walked towards it, a large shutter in the wall descended to reveal an orbital view of the Earth. Hazel's breath hitched in her throat.

"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," the Hunter began. "This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the --" She checked her wristwatch. "Hold on." Her head bobbed a little bit as she counted down in her head. Outside, the sun flared and turned red. "This is the day the sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

Hazel's eyes widened. "I take it all back, Artemis. This is pretty damn impressive."

The Hunter smirked, leading her down a corridor. Up above, a tannoy announced a message to the whole space station. "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 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

"So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" Hazel wondered.

"Well, that depends on your definition of people," the Hunter shrugged.

"I mean people," Hazel clarified. "What do you mean?"

"Aliens," the Hunter replied simply.

Hazel frowned as they took a left. "What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?"

The Hunter raised an eyebrow. "It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." She used her sonic screwdriver to open a wall panel and check something behind it.

"What for?"

"Fun," the Hunter shrugged. They walked into a large room lined with display cases and a huge floor-to-ceiling window looking out onto the planet below. "Of course, when I said the great and the good, what I meant is the rich. Some things never change."

Hazel shook her head. "But hold on. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years, right?"

"Millions," the Hunter agreed. "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," Hazel sighed. "I thought the continents shifted and stuff."

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

"How long's it got?" Hazel wondered.

"About half an hour, then the planet gets roasted like a slightly bigger-than-usual chestnut."

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

The Hunter shook her head. "I'm not saving it. Time's up."

Hazel frowned. "But what about the people?"

"It's empty," the Hunter responded. "They're all gone. No one left."

Hazel sighed, biting her lip. "It's just me now."

"Who the hell are you?" The two girls turned to see a tall, blue-skinned man with golden cat eyes striding towards them.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks. The Steward, I presume?" The Hunter looked up at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised.

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

"Yes? We got here early, is that a problem? Look, I've got our invitation." The Hunter pulled out a leather wallet, and showed the man what looked to Hazel like a blank piece of paper. "There, see? The Hunter, plus one. I'm the Hunter, this is Hazel Norton. She's my plus one. Is that all right?"

The Steward blinked. "Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." He strode over to a podium with a microphone attached.

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

"He's blue. An alien, right?" Hazel checked. When the Hunter nodded, she sighed. "How comes he's speaking English?"

"That'll be the TARDIS. She translates for you. Meant to mention it earlier, sorry." The Hunter bit her lip.

"Okay," Hazel nodded. "That's... cool."

"We have in attendance the Hunter and Hazel Norton. Thank you," the steward announced. "All staff to their positions." Several people who only came up to Hazel's waist appeared and started bustling around. "Hurry now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute, and Coffa."

Hazel blinked as a bark-skinned woman entered with two larger male escorts. "Oh, he really meant trees," she realised.

"Yep," the Hunter agreed.

"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. if you could keep the room circulating, thank you," the Steward requested. "Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon."

The Hunter started patting down her pockets, and cursed when she didn't come up with anything. "Hazel, got anything we could use as gifts?"

The girl shook her head. "No, sorry."

"It's okay, doesn't matter," the Hunter told her. "This is going to be interesting."

The trio of trees stopped in front of the Hunter and Hazel. "The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." Jabe handed Hazel a rooted twig in a small pot.

"Thank you," the Hunter smiled politely, which Hazel noticed looked a lot different to one of her genuine smiles. "Yes, gifts. Uh, I give you in return a... a Kiss of Tranquillity." She leaned forwards and gave Jabe a quick peck on the mouth.

"How intimate," Jabe smiled.

"There's more where that came from," the Hunter winked.

"I bet there is." Jabe and her bodyguards moved on.

Hazel chanced a glance at the Hunter. "That was a nice gift."

The Hunter raised an eyebrow. "There's a queue.  Besides, it was either that or we each lose a few hairs as 'cuttings of ourselves'. I figured you'd prefer the kiss. My brother would've --" She froze, clearing her throat.

"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe," the Steward declared.

A squat blue alien rolled up to them on his travel pod. "Ah, the Moxx of Balhoon," the Hunter greeted.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance," he replied. "I give you the gift of bodily salivas." He spat at them, and it hit Hazel in the face.

"Thank you very much," the Hunter snickered, blowing him a kiss in return. Next was a group of black-robed bipeds. "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you a Kiss of Tranquillity." She blew them a kiss.

From underneath a robe, a large metal hand held out a silver ball. "A gift of peace in all good faith."

"Thanks," the Hunter nodded, taking the ball as she handed Hazel a tissue to get rid of the Moxx's spit.

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

Hazel frowned as she saw a face in a piece of skin stretched in a rectangular frame was wheeled in. "The last Human?"

"The last pure human," the Hunter corrected, her lip curling in distaste. "If you can call that pure."

"Oh now, don't stare," Cassandra chastised in an aristocratic voice. "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. Moisturise me. Moisturise me." One of the two men who'd wheeled her in sprayed her skin with something, and she relaxed.

"Truly, I am the last Human," she continued. "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 honour them and say goodbye." Cassandra sniffed dramatically. "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 it's nostrils. Or was that my third husband?" She chuckled. "Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity."

Hazel frowned, walking around the room to see just how thin Cassandra was, and turned to see a 50's jukebox being wheeled in. She didn't notice the Hunter watching her with an eagle eye, evaluating how she was taking things. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod," Cassandra announced. "It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" Hazel shook her head a little as Tainted Love began to play.

"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes," the Steward stated.

Hazel caught the Hunter's eye and mouthed "I'm sorry" before running off out of the door to try and clear her head somewhere away from all the aliens. The Hunter made to follow her, but Jabe interrupted her. "Hunter?" she asked, snapping a picture with her device. "Thank you." The Hunter looked at her weirdly before leaving.

***

Hazel found herself in a corridor with a window, and stood there for a while, watching the sun. A young woman came round the corner, looking similar to the Steward, except she was wearing overalls and a baseball cap. "Sorry," Hazel muttered. "Am I allowed to be in here?"

The woman winced. "You have to give us permission to talk," she whispered.

"Uh, you have... permission?"

"Thank you," the woman smiled. "And no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere."

"Okay," Hazel nodded, watching as the woman went over and unlocked a wall panel. "What's your name?"

"Raffalo."

"Raffalo? I'm Hazel."

"That's a lovely name, miss," Raffalo complimented. "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."

"You're a plumber," Hazel realised.

Raffalo grinned. "That's right, miss."

"They still have plumbers?"

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

Hazel smiled. "Where are you from?"

"Crespallion," Raffalo replied.

"That a planet, is it?" Hazel asked.

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

"No, not at all," Hazel shook her head, looking out of the window at the Earth. "Uh, I don't know. A long way away. I just sort of hitched a lift with this woman. I didn't even think about it. I don't even know who she is. She's a complete stranger." She sighed. "Anyway, don't let me keep you. Good luck with it."

"Thank you, miss," Raffalo smiled. "And er, thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate."

Hazel nodded, smiling shyly. "Okay. See you later." She made her way back to the area that they'd first arrived in.

"Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen please report to the Steward's office immediately. Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty five point four slash cup slash sixteen. Thank you."

She rolled her eyes, going inside and sitting next to the steps, putting the ball and pot down next to her.

"Earth Death in twenty five minutes."

Hazel sighed. "Oh, thanks." She picked up the plant pot and peered at it. "Hello. My name's Hazel. That's a sort of nut. We might be related." She checked herself, and sighed again. "I'm talking to a twig."

"Oi, now, careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches!" The Hunter's voice filtered through the door, and Hazel rolled her eyes. "Hazel? You in there?" She entered, and nodded when she saw the human. "What do you think, then?" she asked as she sat opposite.

"Great," Hazel sighed. "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."

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," the Hunter quipped, allowing a small smirk to rise to her lips.

Hazel looked at her curiously. "Artemis... Where are you from?"

Though it had hardly been expressive before, the Hunter's face completely shut down, only her eyes showing the pain she felt at the memory of her home. "All over the place," she replied curtly.

"From what planet?" Hazel questioned, not missing the flicker of pain spreading across the Time Lady's face.

"It's not as if you'll know where it is!" the Hunter shot back.

"Where are you from?"

"What does it matter?!"

"Tell me who you are!" Hazel shouted.

"I can't!" the Hunter yelled. Hazel blinked, shocked into silence. "I can't tell you who I am, because I don't know. I just... I don't know who I am." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Please, Haze. Don't ask me to try."

Hazel's eyes had widened considerably. This was a different side to the Hunter than she had seen before. This wasn't angry, or stubborn, or snarky, or quirky, or reserved. This was pained, and exposed. This was frightening. "All right." She went over and sat next to the Hunter, tentatively putting her arm around the woman's shoulders. "It's okay, Art. As Mikey the Pikey always says, don't argue with the designated driver." She pulled out her phone. "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal. We're slightly out of range."

The Hunter tried for a smile. "Tell you what." She took Hazel's phone apart, glancing up at the girl. "Art?"

Hazel blushed a bit. "Yeah. Short for Artemis. I mean, if you don't like it, I -"

"No, it's cool. I love it," the Hunter assured her, before handing the phone back. "Try it now."

Mystified, Hazel hit speed dial. "Hello?" Jason's voice echoed into her ear.

"Jace?" Hazel asked, her eyes lighting up as she grinned.

"What's wrong, H? You never call in the middle of the day." Hazel laughed a little at hearing his voice while she was five billion years in the future. "What's so funny, squirt?"

"Nothing," Hazel lied. "You're all right, though?"

"Yeah, course I am." Jason sounded confused as usual. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"What day is it?" Hazel inquired.

"Wednesday, all day. You and Pikey got a hangover again?" Jason asked, sighing. "You're gonna have liver failure."

"Oh, shut up, you dipshit. I was just calling cause I might be late home," Hazel laughed.

There was a pause. "Haze, is something wrong?"

Hazel grinned. "No. I'm fine. Top of the world." She hung up, and looked at the Hunter, who was wearing a small smile too.

"You think that's amazing, wait till you see the bill," she joked.

"That was five billion years ago," Hazel realised. "So, he's dead now. Five billion years later, Jace's dead."

The Hunter rolled her eyes. "Bundle of laughs, you are." Both girls looked up as the space station shook vigorously for about thirty seconds. "That's not supposed to happen."

***

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," the Hunter was saying as she marched onto the Observation Deck with Hazel. "I know gravity pockets, and they don't feel like that." She beckoned to the trees. "What do you think, Jabe? Listen to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"

Jabe shook her head politely. "It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the engine room?" the Hunter questioned.

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

The Hunter and Hazel shared a glance. "She's not my wife."

"Partner?"

"No."

"Concubine?"

"Nope."

"Prostitute?" Jabe asked innocently.

The Hunter didn't miss the way Hazel froze, her face losing all its colour. "Definitely not," the Time Lady stated, shooting Jabe a look.

Hazel took a deep breath, looking away for a second. "Whatever I am, it must be invisible. Do you mind?! Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." She turned to go and talk to Cassandra, but the Hunter caught her elbow.

"Don't start a fight," she ordered with a small smirk, before letting the human go and offering Jabe her arm, her face back in its usual expressionless mask. "I'm all yours."

"And I want you home by midnight!" Hazel called after them, smiling as the Hunter laughed.

***

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

"So who's in charge of Platform One?" the Hunter asked as she poked around in a maintenance duct. "Is there a Captain?"

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

The Hunter frowned. "You mean the computer? But who controls that?"

"The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to another," Jabe answered.

"But there's no one from the Corporation on board," the Hunter sighed.

"They're not needed," Jabe assured her. "This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong?"

The Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Unsinkable?"

Jabe tilted her head. "If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"You're telling me." The Hunter snorted. "I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. Nearly got frostbite. What you're saying is, if we get into trouble, there's no one to help us out?"

"I'm afraid not," Jabe agreed.

"Fantastic," the Hunter grinned, leading her through the pipes.

The tree frowned. "I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?"

***

Cassandra sighed as she watched the Earth and the sun, with Hazel standing next to her. "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. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice. I'd have so much fun."

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

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

"Right," Hazel dragged the word out sarcastically. "So you're not  the last human."

Cassandra scoffed. "I am the last pure human. The others mingled. Oh, they call themselves New humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even Humanish, but you know what I call them? Mongrels."

Hazel narrowed her eyes. "And you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure," Cassandra agreed.

"How many operations have you had?" Hazel wondered.

"Seven hundred and eight." Hazel's jaw dropped. "Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached." Cassandra eyed her. "Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Hazel. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out."

Hazel raised her eyebrows. "I'd rather die."

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt," Cassandra assured her.

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

Cassandra gasped. "Oh, well. What do you know."

"I was born on that planet, and so was my mum, and so was my dad, and that makes me officially the last human being in this room, cause you're not human," Hazel shook her head in disgust. "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. Nice talking." She marched off, but the Face of Boe looked at her from the corner, and she heard a voice in her head.

"Hello, Hazel."

She frowned, walking over to him. "Was that you in my mind?"

"Yes, it was. I wanted to talk to you about the Hunter."

Hazel blinked. "The Hunter? What do you mean?"

"You should trust her," the Face advised. "She will help you blossom into an incredible woman."

Strangely enough, Hazel found herself trusting the Face, as if they had already met. "I want to. She's... she's amazing. But there's so much I can't tell her. About my mum, what happened to my dad. She doesn't even know my real surname."

The Face eyed her knowingly. "She has her own haunting past. If she is to open up, you must do so too. The Hunter's memories scar her far more than any injury. The people she has lost were dearer to her than anything else, and she blames herself for their demises. She is a broken woman, Hazel, and only you can help her. She has no one else."

***

The Hunter smiled politely as they walked along. "So tell me, Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?"

"Respect for the Earth," Jabe replied, shrugging.

"Really?" the Hunter raised an eyebrow.

Jabe nodded. "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."

"Huh. Excuse me." The Hunter used her sonic screwdriver to try and get through a computer-controlled door lock.

"And what about your ancestry, Hunter?" The Time Lady froze. "Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a girl only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left." Jabe sighed. "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." Jabe put her hand on the Hunter's shoulder, and the Time Lady took a deep breath before getting the door open, brushing a tear from her cheek brusquely.

The pair of them walked through the door into a room with a series of massive oscillating fans. "Is it me," the Hunter began, her face expressionless as she regained her composure, "or is it a bit cold? I mean, that's an effective method of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned. Wonder if they call it retro." She scanned a panel with her sonic. "Gotcha." She pulled the panel off, and a metal spider scuttled out and up the wall. "What the hell is that?"

"Is it part of the retro?" Jabe asked.

The Hunter snorted. "I don't think so. Hold on." She aimed her screwdriver at the spider, but Jabe lassoed it. "Hey, nice liana."

Jabe blushed a deeper green. "Thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," the Hunter winked, picking up the inert spider and sonicing it. "Now then. Who's been bringing their pets on board?"

"What does it do?" Jabe inquired.

"Sabotage," the Hunter replied darkly. "And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on."

"Earth Death in ten minutes."

***

They came across a corridor that was slowly filling with smoke. The little assistants were swarming the area, carefully not stepping in the bit where unfiltered sunlight was shining through the Steward's windows. "Hold on, get back," the Hunter ordered. She soniced the access panel for the room.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."

"Is the Steward in there?!" Jabe asked, horrified.

The Hunter nodded gravely. "You can smell him. Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend." She ran off, leaving Jabe to usher the small assistants away.

***

Hazel groaned as she stirred on the floor of the room they'd arrived in.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

Hearing this, Hazel shot upright, in time to see the piercing glare start to fill the room. She sprinted for the door, trying to get out, then hammering on it when she realised it was locked. "Let me out! Let me out!"

"Sun filter descending."

"Let me out! Let me out! Let me out!"

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

Suddenly, a familiar voice called from outside. "Anyone in there?"

"Artemis! Let me out!" Hazel cried, banging on the door.

"Oh, well, it would be you," the Hunter sighed.

"Open the door!" Hazel shouted.

"Hold on, I'm working on it."

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter rising Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising Sun filter rising. Sun filter descending."

Hazel heard the Hunter curse outside. "Just what we need. The computer's getting clever."

"Art, please!" Hazel screamed, running down the steps to avoid being hit by the deadly rays.

"Haze, I need you to try and keep calm for me. Which I know is a really stupid thing to say, but trust me, okay?" the Hunter asked.

Hazel nodded, breathing heavily. "Okay. Calm. I can do calm. What exactly is happening right now?"

"I'm trying to override the computer, raise the sun filter. The computer's fighting back," the Hunter replied.

Hazel whimpered as the light got closer. "Art!"

"I know," the Hunter soothed.

"The lock's melted!"

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."

"Hazel?" The girl ran back up to the door as the Hunter called her name.

"I'm okay!"

"The whole thing's jammed," the Hunter told her. "I can't open the doors. Stay there!"

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Where am I going to go, Ipswich?"

***

"Earth Death in five minutes."

Jabe sighed. "The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How's that possible?" Cassandra gasped dramatically. "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturise me, moisturise me."

"Summon the Steward," the Moxx of Balhoon suggested.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," Jabe announced, wincing at the general outcry from the other guests.

"Who killed him?" the Moxx demanded.

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe," Cassandra pointed out. "He invited us. Talk to the Face. Talk to the Face."

The Hunter entered, holding a wriggling mechanical spider. "There's an easy way of finding out who's responsible. Someone bought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." She put the spider down, and it scuttled over to Cassandra, scanning her, before going to the black-robed group.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"That's very well, and really kind of obvious," the Hunter said, rolling her eyes, "but if you stop and think about it..." She walked over to the Adherents, and when the leader tried to knock her out, she grabbed its robotic arm, yanking it off. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea." She pulled on one of the wires dangling from the arm, and the Adherents all collapsed. "Remote controlled droids. Nice cover for the real troublemaker." She nudged the spider with her boot, and it scuttled over to Cassandra.

"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!" Cassandra cried. Her attendants raised their spray guns at the Hunter, who was unimpressed.

"What are you gonna do, moisturise me?" she raised her eyebrows.

"With acid!" Cassandra snapped, then sighed angrily. "Oh, you're too late anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, ta free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face."

The Hunter crossed her arms. "Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? As plans go, that's pretty terrible."

Cassandra ignored the slight. "I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."

"Five billion years, and it still comes down to money," the Hunter rolled her eyes.

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Hunter, me. Not that freaky little kid of yours." Cassandra blanched a little as the Hunter tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't talk about Hazel like that," she warned icily.

"Arrest her, the infidel!" the Moxx cried.

"Oh, shut it, pixie!" Cassandra scowled. "I've still got my final option."

"Earth Death in three minutes."

"And here it comes," Cassandra smiled. "You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies, and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn."

Jabe glared at her. "Then you'll burn with us."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing." Cassandra smirked. "Spiders, activate." The others struggled to keep their balance as a series of explosions rocked the Platform. "Forcefields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me."

"Safety systems failing."

"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings." Cassandra smiled as she and her attendants were beamed out.

"Heat levels rising."

"Reset the computer!" the Moxx of Balhoon shouted.

"Only the Steward would know how," Jabe protested.

The Hunter shook her head determinedly. "No. We can do it by hand. there must be a system restore switch. Jabe, come on. You lot, just chill." She smirked as she and Jabe ran out of the door.

***

"Earth Death in two minutes. Heat levels critical."

"Oh, and guess where the switch is," the Hunter groaned as they arrived back in the engine room, seeing the reset switch on the other side of the huge fans which were still turning. She pulled a breaker lever, and the fans slowed a little, but they sped up again as soon as she let go.

"External temperature five thousand degrees."

The Hunter stared as Jabe pulled the breaker, holding it in place. "You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place."

"I know," Jabe stated.

"Jabe, you're made of wood!" the Hunter exclaimed.

The tree fixed her with a steel look. "Then stop wasting time, Time Lady."

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

With a sigh, the Hunter nodded, and timed her walking past the first fan.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical."

She glanced back at Jabe, then ran past the second fan.

"Heat levels hazardous. Heat levels hazardous."

Jabe started to combust, but she held onto the lever until she could not. When she let go, the fans sped up to faster than ever before, until they were just a blur in front of the Hunter's face.

"Planet explodes in ten..."

The Hunter looked back at Jabe, burning on the floor.

"Nine..."

She turned back to the lever, wondering how the hell she was going to get past the last fan.

"Eight..."

The Hunter closed her eyes, thinking of Hazel, trapped in Gallery 15, with nothing protecting her from the heat of the sun.

"Seven..."

She thought of Jason and how, if Hazel died here, she'd have to bring her body back to him, and watch his heart break at his sister's death.

"Six..."

She thought of herself, and what she would do without the human girl who had started changing her already.

"Five..."

She stepped past the last fan.

"Four..."

The Hunter opened her eyes, realising she had succeeded, and threw the reset switch. "Raise shields!" she yelled.

***

When Hazel entered the Observation Deck, the Hunter was talking to Jabe's bodyguards, giving them the bad news. As the two trees hugged each other, the Time Lady walked back over to the human, looking a little shell-shocked. "Are you all right?" Hazel asked softly, putting her hand on the woman's arm.

The Hunter nodded decisively. "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." She grabbed the ostrich egg Cassandra had brought and smashed it open to reveal a small triangular device. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as I am, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." She pushed some of the device's buttons, and they heard Cassandra's voice before she appeared in front of them.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces," Cassandra laughed, before realising where she was. "Oh."

"The last human." The Hunter shook her head in disgust.

Cassandra looked scared. "So, you passed my little test. Bravo. That makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club."

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them," Hazel accused.

"Remind me of your past, freak?" Cassandra shot back, and the girl blanched, stepping back a little. "Besides, it depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries." She smirked at the Hunter, who was glaring right back. "Take me to court then, Hunter, and watch me smile and cry and flutter -"

"And creak?" the Time Lady asked.

"What?" Cassandra frowned.

"Creak. You're creaking," the Hunter pointed out emotionlessly.

"What?! Ah!" Cassandra wailed. "I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturise me, moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature," the Hunter reminded her. "Look what you've done to yourself."

"Have pity! Moisturise me! Oh, oh, Hunter! I'm sorry! I'll do anything!"

"Aren't you going to help her?" Hazel whispered.

The Hunter shook her head, her eyes fixed on the skin. "Everything has its time and everything dies." She leaned a little closer to Cassandra. "You tried to kill my friend. That was a mistake."

"I'm too young!" Cassandra cried, and the Hunter didn't even flinch when the skin grew too taut and dry, and exploded.

***

Hazel was stood looking out into space long after the other guests had gone. She heard the Hunter's familiar booted footsteps behind her as the woman came to stand by her side. "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..." Hazel trailed off, shaking her head.

Watching her, the Hunter made a decision, and held out her hand. "Come with me."

***

The pair of them stepped out of the TARDIS onto a busy London street. The Hunter watched people going about their lives for a moment before sighing. "You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day, it's all gone, even the sky." She swallowed, and Hazel squeezed her hand encouragingly. "My planet's gone." The human's eyes widened. "It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time."

Hazel gaped at the Time Lady. "What happened?"

She raised her eyebrows briefly, ignoring the tears in her eyes. "There was a war. And we lost."

"A war with who?" Hazel asked. The Hunter didn't reply, so she changed tack. "What about your people?"

The Hunter sighed. "I'm not just a Time Lady. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. my friends, my family, everyone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own, because there's no one else."

"There's me," Hazel offered shyly.

"You've seen how dangerous it is," the Hunter pointed out. "Do you want to go home?"

Hazel shook her head decisively. How could she leave the Time Lady on her own again? "No way. I want..." she trailed off, sniffing. "Oh, can you smell chips?"

The Hunter eyed her in amusement before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I can."

"I want chips," Hazel murmured.

"Me too," the Hunter agreed.

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

The Hunter smiled a little, shrugging. "No money."

Hazel rolled her eyes, grinning. "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." She pulled the Hunter along with her as she ran through the crowds, heading for the nearest chip shop, and the girls both laughed as they nearly ran into a business man.

~~~

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