!EDITED!

A/N: was 7285 words, is now 10571! Enjoy! :)

I step into the console room, seeing the Doctor messing about with the controls. I lean against one of the coral beams, watching him for a moment; I'd woken up with him gone and a mug of tea with honey on the bedside table. It was sweet, but I was worried he didn't actually sleep. I go over and wrap my arms around his waist from behind, making him tense before turning and bringing me close. "Did you get any sleep last night?" I ask.

"Enough," he shrugs, pulling away. "Time Lords don't need much," he explains when he sees my raised eyebrow. "Are you alright?" he asks, cupping my neck and stroking the skin with his thumb as guilt washes over me.

"I'm fine," I smile up at him, decidedly ignoring the shiver that runs down my spine. "So..." I pull away, biting my lip as I lean against the console. "Where are we off to today?" I ask excitedly.

"It's still your turn to pick since Shakespeare was ruined," the Doctor offers.

"Nah," I shake my head. "You should let pretty boy decide since it's his first time," I smile.

"So you noticed he was pretty, then," he folds his arms, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Well, yeah, I'm not blind," I roll my eyes and the Doctor scoffs quietly. "Why? Does it make you upset I've noticed someone's pretty?" I smirk, poking his side.

"You know, your cheek is gonna get you in trouble," he grabs my finger, pushing my hand away with a small scowl.

"Is it? That'll be interesting if and when that happens," I smirk. "Oh, wait... I know what this is about," I nod with a 'thoughtful' expression, cupping my chin in my hand and the Doctor raises an eyebrow. "You need me to tell you that you're the prettiest girl at the ball, don't you?" I tease.

"Ok, that's it," the Doctor turns fully to me, a smirk forming.

My eyes widen at the glint in his eyes and I squeak, turning to make a run for it. The Doctor grabs my arm before I can get too far away and pulls me to where my back's against his chest; stupid Time Lord reflexes. "Gotcha," he smirks, starting to tickle my sides while keeping me pinned to him with his other arm.

"Ah! No, no, no, Doctor, stop it!" I choke out between my laughter. "Please, I give! I give! ... can't... breathe!" I wheeze, tears welling up in my eyes and I take a few deep breaths when he stops finally. "That was mean," I pout up at him.

"You're a child," the Doctor chuckles, shaking his head.

"Pfft, being mature is boring, big-ears," I roll my eyes, giggling when he pinches my side.

"I second that," Rose's voice makes me jump, the Doctor tightening his arm around me with a smirk. "You two look rather cozy... we interrupting something?" she smirks with Adam popping up behind her.

"N-n-no," I blush bright red, huffing when the Doctor laughs under his breath. "S-so," I squirm out of the Doctor's hold, grimacing slightly at the warmth loss. "Adam!" I hop over to him and grab his hand, dragging him over to the console. "You get to choose where we go next," I smile widely.

"Really?" he asks excitedly, looking over at the Doctor.

"Was Lizzie's turn, but she said you could have it," he shrugs, moving around the console to get us ready to go. "Adam Mitchell, whole wide universe! Anywhere, anywhen! What's it going to be?" he smirks.

"The future," Adam blurts out.

The Doctor fiddles with a few controls, moving my hand to hold a lever down as he passes and making me blush lightly. "How far?" he asks, patting my head teasingly and I roll my eyes with a smile.

"I- I don't know..." he mutters, eyes wide. "That's like asking a kid to pick their favorite sweet!"

"I can set her to random if you can't decide," the Doctor offers.

"You can do that?" Rose and I ask at the same time, giggling after.

"Just- just set her to random and she'll take you anywhere? Seriously?" I bounce on the balls of my feet.

"I can do anything," the Doctor rolls his eyes.

"Except get us to 1860 or home in the right time," I smirk, not being able to help myself, making Rose snort loudly.

"Oi, cheeky!" the Doctor 'glares' at me, tugging on my ponytail when he passes by again.

"She's got a point, though, you are a shit driver; must be cause you're getting on a bit," Rose laughs and the Doctor flicks her nose, making her jerk back with a yelp.

"You're a bad influence on her," the Doctor glares at me, making me wiggle my eyebrows at Rose while she snickers. "I can take you both home," he threatens and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"Random's fine," Adam cuts in, watching us in amusement.

"Right, then!" the Doctor grins, rushing around the console and pushing and pulling buttons, knobs, and levers. "Rose, hold that down," he points to a button as he passes yet again and she does as told with a wide smile. "Hold on!" he shouts and the three of us hold onto the console as the TARDIS shakes, Rose and me laughing at Adam's startled expression as he struggles to stay on his feet.

The TARDIS lands and me and Rose share excited looks. "What's out there?" I ask, smiling up at the Doctor.

"Where's the fun in knowing," he rolls his eyes. "Come on, then," he grabs my hand, going to pull me out with him but Rose grabs my other hand and pulls us both to a stop.

"What?" I ask, glancing at Adam who was practically glowing with excitement.

"Well... it's Adam's first time... we should go out first and make sure everything's safe before letting him just wander about," she gives me a pointed look and I groan under my breath while Adam and the Doctor look at her, confused.

"I think I can handle it," Adam frowns, a bit put out.

"No, she's right," I sigh, turning to the Doctor and he furrows his eyebrows, totally not getting it. "There could be something dangerous out there," I shrug and he gives me an odd look, knowing full well I wouldn't really care if there was. "Back in a sec, Adam, don't move," I point to him sternly before dragging the Doctor out with me, Rose right behind us.

"What the hell was that?" the Doctor asks the second the TARDIS door shuts, looking between Rose and me.

"Rose wants to impress pretty boy," I roll my eyes.

"Please?" Rose smiles up at the Doctor brightly with puppy-eyes.

"You girls should teach a class on that," the Doctor sighs and Rose and I share an amused look, her with a wide tongue-in-teeth smile. "Ok, then," he looks around, leaning against the TARDIS and folding his arms. "So... it's two hundred thousand, it's a spaceship... no, wait a minute," he frowns slightly. "Space station," he corrects. "And uh... go and try that gate over there," he points to a door off to the side. "Off you go!" he shoos her off with a smile.

"Two hundred thousand?" Rose makes sure.

"Two hundred thousand," the Doctor nods.

"Kay," she beams, opening the door. "Adam? Out you come!" she calls.

Adam comes out, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping as he looks around. I smile, leaning against the Doctor, my head on his arm. "Bet he gets overwhelmed before the end of this trip," I whisper, making him snort loudly.

"Oh, my God..." Adam gapes around at everything.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," I smirk, the Doctor snickering beside me.

"Where are we?" Adam asks excitedly.

"Good question," Rose grins, sending the Doctor and me a wink. "Let's see..." she looks around, 'deducting'. "So, um... judging by the architecture, I'd say we're around the year two hundred thousand and if you listen... engines," she points down, cupping her ear with her other hand and I put a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle my giggles as the Doctor shakes with silent laughter.

"Yeah?" Adam asks eagerly, clearly hanging onto her every word as he looks around in complete awe.

"We're on some sort of space station... yeah, definitely a space station," she nods, happy with her 'assessment', making me snort loudly and she narrows her eyes at me. "It's a bit warm in here, they could turn the heating down," she pulls on her jacket and I frown, realizing she was right... it was a bit steamy. "Tell you what, let's try that gate," she grabs Adam's hand and pulls him over to the door the Doctor had suggested. "Come on!"

The Doctor laughs loudly when they're out of sight through the door, me burying my face in his arm as I giggle. "I'm really glad I agreed to that," the Doctor laughs, reaching down and grabbing my hand. "Come on," he pulls me after them.

***

Stepping into the room, I see it was a kind of viewing room a bit similar to the ones on Platform One but black and with a computer pedestal in the middle. I let go of the Doctor's hand, walking down the small set of stairs while I stare out the window. Down below was the Earth but it was covered in lights and it was absolutely breathtaking. I put my hands on the glass and lean as close to the glass as I could to get a better look.

"Here we go!" Rose exclaims. "And this is..." she trails off, coming to stand beside me. "I'll let the Doctor describe it..." she mutters, making me smile.

"The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire," the Doctor tells us, coming to stand behind me. "And there it is, planet Earth at its height; covered with megacities, five moons with a population of ninety-six billion," he smiles, making my eyes widen; ninety-six billion!? And how the hell do we get four new moons? "The hub of a galactic domain stretching across a million planets, a million species with mankind right in the middle."

There's a high-pitched sigh from behind me and I frown, turning to see that Adam had fainted. I cover my mouth with my hand when I laugh, Rose trying to stifle her own. The Doctor just puts his hands behind his back, not even looking at Adam, "he's your boyfriend," he teases Rose with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up, he is not," Rose rolls her eyes, going over and slapping Adam on the face to try and rouse him.

***

After Adam had woken up, we decide to explore a bit and were currently walking through a canteen area with loads of TV screens everywhere. The Doctor was in between Rose and Adam with his arms around their shoulders and I was beside Rose with our arms linked. "Come on, Adam, open your mind," the Doctor grins, squeezing him and Rose close, making me snort. "You're gonna like this! Fantastic period of history! The Human Race at its most intelligent; culture, art, politics! This era has got fine food, good manners-"

"Out of the way!" a man shoves past us rudely.

I watch in mild surprise as suddenly a ton of people were rushing about and yelling over each other. A vendor opens up a cart in the middle of the canteen, passing out orders rather quickly, shouting at people when they skip the queue. "Good manners?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor while he takes his arms from Rose and Adam.

"Fine cuisine?" Rose asks, looking at the food that looks a lot like fast food.

"My watch must be wrong," the Doctor frowns, looking down at it. "No, it's fine... it's weird..." he looks around, his frown deepening.

"That's what comes of showing off," I smile widely. "Your history isn't as good as you think," I tease.

"My history's perfect," the Doctor pouts, folding his arms indignantly.

"Well, obviously not," Rose smirks, both us giggling when his pout becomes more prominent.

"They're all Human," Adam comments, making me look around and frown; he's right... why are they all Human if there's supposed to be aliens about? "What about the millions of planets? The millions of species? Where are they?"

"Good question," the Doctor murmurs absently as he looks around. "Actually... that is a good question," he realizes and looks at Adam in surprise, making me snort. "Adam, me old mate, you must be starving," he throws his arm around him.

"No, I'm just a bit time sick," he replies.

"Nah, you just need a bit of grub," the Doctor beams and I shake my head. "Oi, mate!" he calls, pulling Adam over to the vendor. "How much is a kronkburger?" he asks, making Rose and I look at each other, me mouthing 'kronkburger' with a frown.

"Two credits twenty, sweetheart," the vendor replies. "Now, join the queue," he waves the Doctor off.

"Money, we need money... have to use a cashpoint," the Doctor mutters to himself, releasing Adam and going over to some sort of futuristic cashpoint.

Rose, Adam, and I walk over while the Doctor uses his sonic on the cashpoint discreetly. A thin metal strip pops out; must be a credit card of some kind. The Doctor turns to Adam, handing him the card, "there you go: pocket money," he grins.

"Nicking things is wrong, Doctor," I narrow my eyes at him playfully.

"Hush, tiny, this is different," he waves me off and I roll my eyes, smiling. "Don't spend it all on sweets," he tells Adam 'sternly', grabbing my hand and going to pull me away.

"How does it work?" Adam asks curiously.

The Doctor sighs heavily and turns us back to him and Rose, "go and find out! Stop nagging me! The thing is, Adam: time travel's like visiting Paris; you can't just read the guide book, you've got to throw yourself in! Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers," he grins when Rose and I laugh at that. "Or is that just me?" he muses thoughtfully. "Stop asking questions! Go on, do it!" he shoos Adam off and he turns around, walking off slowly with a sort of dazed expression. "Off you go, then!" he shoos Rose off as well. "Your first date," he smirks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"You're gonna get a smack, you are," Rose glares at him. "Besides, look at yourselves," she gestures between the Doctor and me.

I frown, looking up at the Doctor, who has his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A slight pressure on my hand makes me look down at it and I blush, realizing that the Doctor and I had intertwined our fingers without even noticing. I pull my hand away and wrap my arms around my waist, biting my lip while the Doctor clears his throat awkwardly. Rose just smirks widely between us, "have fun, lovebirds," she winks with a blown kiss, walking off.

"I really don't like her sometimes..." I kick at the ground with the toe of my shoe and the Doctor hums in agreement. "Anyway," I sigh. "Something's not right with this place..." I look around.

"No," the Doctor shakes his head. "Come on," he grabs my arm, dragging me over to two smartly dressed women; one has long braids with beads in them and the other has light brown, pixie-like hair. "Um... this is gonna sound daft... but can you tell us where we are?" he asks.

"Floor 139..." braids frowns between us. "Could they write it any bigger?" she points to a giant number and I frown slightly; how the hell did we miss that?

"Floor 139 of what?" the Doctor asks.

"Must've been a hell of a party," braids rolls her eyes.

"Oh, you're on Satellite Five," pixie smiles.

"What's Satellite Five?" I ask curiously, rocking on my heels.

"Come on!" braids scoffs, folding her arms. "How could you get on board without knowing where you are?"

"Look at us, we're stupid," the Doctor smiles pleasantly and I elbow him in the side. "Me... I'm stupid," he corrects instantly, making me smile. "She followed me," he nods down to me.

"Actually, he dragged me," I smile widely, making him roll his eyes.

"Hang on, wait a minute," pixie cuts in. "Are you a test? Some sort of management test kind of thing?" she asks nervously.

"You've found us out," I smile.

"Well done, you're too clever for us," the Doctor smiles, showing them the psychic paper and I pout slightly when I don't see anything on it; why can't I read it?

Pixie's eyes widen, "we were warned about this in basic training," she tells her friend. "All workers have to be versed in company promotions..."

"Right," braids nods, straightening as she pulls on her blazer. "Fire away, ask your questions," she eyes the Doctor. "If it gets me to Floor 500, I'll do anything," she smirks.

I did not like her tone or how she eyeing the Doctor up. I glare at her, wrapping my arms around the Doctor's bicep and scooting closer to him. The Doctor chuckles quietly, patting my hand, "easy, tiny," he whispers to me with a smirk, making me blush bright red. "Why? What happens on Floor 500?" he asks the women.

"The walls are made of gold... and you should know, Mr. Management," braids smirks with the same flirty tone and my eyes narrow. "So," she clears her throat, glancing at me. "This is what we do," she leads us to one of the walls of screens.

Pixie leans over to me, "Cathica's harmless, wants a promotion more than anything is all," she whispers.

"Right..." I mutter, my face heating up and I sigh at the Doctor's extremely smug expression.

"I'm Suki, by the way, Suki Macrae Cantrell," she smiles nervously.

"Lizzie Tyler, nice to meet you," I smile, shaking her hand.

"Glasglow water riots into their third day," braids... or Cathica's voice brings my attention back to her. "Spacelane 37 closed by sunspot activity and over on the Bad Wolf channel, the Face of Boe has just announced he's pregnant," she points to the screen.

I smile slightly, seeing Boe on the screen... but I was confused. How did a giant head get pregnant? Where is the baby even developing? Does he have like... an external womb or something? When he gives birth, where will it come out from? How did he even have sex to where he'd get impregnated? My nose wrinkles as mind-scarring images run through my mind. I frown, though, when the name of the news channel registers. Bad Wolf? I swear I've heard that before... and wasn't it written on the side of the TARDIS in graffiti?

"Well... good for Boe, the big ol' face," I smile, folding my arms and making the Doctor laugh.

"I get it," the Doctor smiles. "You broadcast the news," he sums up.

"We are the news," Cathica corrects. "We're journalists; we write it, package it and sell it. Six hundred channels all coming out of Satellite Five, broadcasting everywhere; nothing happens in the whole Human empire without it going through us," she tells us proudly.

"Hm... I think we'd like to see what it is that you two do specifically," I look between her and Suki.

"Bit of a demonstration," the Doctor grins. "We've got a couple associates from corporate with us as well."

"Of course," Cathica smiles. "Right this way," she walks off, gesturing us to follow.

Loudspeaker - All staff are reminded that the canteen area now has self-cleaning tables. Thank you!

"Oi! Mutt and Jeff! Over here!" the Doctor calls and I look over, laughing when I see Rose make a face as she and Adam come over.

"What's that?" I ask curiously when they get to us, seeing a drink in Rose's hand.

"It's called zaphic," she smiles, looking down at it. "Like a slush-puppy... try it," she holds it out.

I eye her innocent expression as I take a sip and wrinkle my nose, "that's weird! It tastes like beef," I hand it back, her and the Doctor snickering.

"Oh, I got you one of those kronkburger things," she hands me one.

"Aw, that's sweet, thanks," I kiss her cheek, opening it up and taking a bite. "This is so delicious!" I moan at the taste; it was like a really good cheeseburger. "Ok, let's go, then," I bounce on my toes, snorting at the incredulous expression Cathica gives me, the Doctor and Rose trying not to laugh and Suki turning her head to hide a smile.

"Alright..." Cathica shakes her head, leading us away while I finish off my food.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone devour a burger that quick," the Doctor eyes me, a smile pulling at his lips.

"It was really good!" I defend myself, rolling my eyes when he laughs.

***

Suki and Cathica lead us to a rounded white room. There was a raised, octagonal platform in the middle with a sort of lounge chair on it and a huge spherical... thing above it. There was staff sitting around the edge with palm-pads in front of each of them; Cathica was on the platform, addressing the staff, Suki sitting with the people around the edge. The Doctor, Rose, and Adam were leaning against a small railing at the side of the room and I was beside the Doctor with my arms folded, one of my hands under my chin in a fist as I watch everything curiously.

"Now, everybody behave, we have a management inspection," Cathica tells them firmly. "How do you want it?" she turns to us. "By the book?"

"Oh, right from scratch, thanks," the Doctor smiles and she smiles as well, turning back to the staff.

"Ok, so! Ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided or robot," Cathica lists off and I raise an eyebrow, impressed with how many options there were. "My name is Cathica Santini Kadainy... that's Cathica with a 'C'," she looks over at us. "In case you want to write to Floor 500 praising me, and please do," she smiles.

The Doctor smiles and gives an official sort of nod, making me bite my lip to keep from laughing. Cathica preens slightly, turning back to the staff with a smirk. I glance at the Doctor and he gives me a playful scolding look, making me breathe out a laugh, Rose covering her mouth to hide her own laughter.

"Now, please feel free to ask any questions," Cathica continues. "The process of news gathering must be open, honest, and be non-biased," she recites and I roll my eyes at that. "That's company policy," she smiles over at us and I purse my lips, nodding.

"Actually, it's the law," Suki puts in, making me smile.

"Yes, thank you, Suki," Cathica snaps with a scowl. "Ok, keep it calm... don't show off for the guests," she orders and I raise my eyebrows; isn't that what she's been trying to do this whole time? "Here we go," she sits down in the chair. "And... engage safety..."

The staff hold their hands out over the palm-pads, each of the walls around the room lighting up brightly as they do. Cathica clicks her fingers and a circular door in her forehead opens up. I wrinkle my nose, my stomach churning at the sight of her brain as I get a pang of disgust; what... the... hell? The staff place their hands down on the palm-pads and close their eyes.

"And three... two.... and spike!" Cathica announces, slumping in the chair with her eyes open as a stream of blue energy flows from the metal device above the chair into the brain portal.

"Compressed information, streaming into her," the Doctor explains. "Reports from every city, every country, every planet and they all get packaged inside her head... she becomes part of the software; her brain is the computer."

"If it all goes through her, she must be a genius," Rose eyes Cathica.

"I doubt it... Human brains-" I cut off my sentence, glancing at Adam and wrapping my arms around my waist to make myself smaller as I bite my lip.

"No, stop doing that," the Doctor scolds me gently, shaking his head. "Go on," he gestures for me to continue, while Adam watches me curiously with a slight from, Rose with a sad smile.

I sigh, giving him a look to which he just gestures more insistently with an encouraging smile. "... Human brains aren't meant to hold that much... she'd get so overwhelmed after just a split second of the amount of information that her head would blow up..."

"You're right," the Doctor smiles as he starts to walk around the staff, making me blush as I look down, kicking at the ground. "She doesn't remember anything; the brain's the processor, so as soon as it closes she forgets," he explains.

"So... what about all these people round the edge?" Rose asks, kneeling beside one of the staff and waving her hand in front of their face, getting nothing.

"They've all got tiny little chips in their heads," the Doctor shrugs.

"They're directly connected to her?" I ask.

The Doctor hums a confirmation, "and they transmit all six hundred channels; every single fact in the empire beams out of this place," he stops back at the railing, leaning against it. "Now, that's what I call power," he smiles.

"You alright?" Rose asks, making me turn to see Adam looking a bit ill.

"I can see her brain..." he whispers.

I smile, standing beside the Doctor, "hmm..." I lean over and he leans his head down a bit. "Likes to point out the obvious, that one," I whisper, making him snort.

"Do you want to get out?" Rose asks gently, putting a hand on Adam's arm.

"No... no," he shakes his head quickly. "This technology, it's... it's amazing," he breathes in awe.

"This technology doesn't seem in any way right," I retort, shaking my head.

"Because it isn't," the Doctor smiles. "This technology's wrong."

"This whole place just feels... I don't know... sinister?" I furrow my eyebrows, not sure about the word.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" the Doctor asks curiously.

"Wel..." I trail off, chewing on my bottom lip for a moment while I think. "If all the information in the entire empire goes through this place, then why are there no aliens? And why would the staff agree to have a hole put in their head that reveals their brain? Why do they need someone's brain to be open to process the information in the first place? That doesn't even make any sense... how is that safe or legal? And how can they ensure that the information they're putting out there is fact if they can't remember anything? Wouldn't that make it possible for someone to come in and just change the news to how they want?" I rattle off, watching the staff with a deep frown. "And... what if the information doesn't just go one way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what if it's a way to keep an eye on all the staff? I mean, they're all connected to the computer, Catchica's brain... so, they could use that connection to make sure they're not questioning the news they're putting out there..."

"You really are brilliant," the Doctor beams down at me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"I know," I mutter bitterly, looking down and flushing in shame and embarrassment at my mouth running off, the Doctor pulling me closer with a sigh.

"So... trouble?" Rose changes the subject with a smirk, making me smile.

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor grins.

"That's not exactly a shock," I shake my head. "You're here," I smile up at the Doctor, biting my lip.

"Cheeky," he pokes my side, making me give a quiet squeak when it tickles and he snorts loudly.

"Big-ears," I smirk.

"Tiny," he narrows his eyes playfully.

"Old man," I giggle when he pouts, letting go of me and shoving me away lightly, Rose snickering from his other side.

I jump slightly when a shudder sounds around the room. Suki gasps, lifting her hands off her palm-pads as if they'd shocked her harshly. "Are you alright?" I ask, frowning.

She nods, rubbing her hands and breathing heavily, "I'm fine... thank you," she frowns down at her hands.

The other members of the staff are forced to lift their own hands and the lights on the wall turn off. The stream of information going into the Cathica's head stops and she sits up in confusion as her brain portal closes. "Come off it, Suki! I wasn't even halfway!" she snaps, glaring down at the pixie girl. "What was that for?"

"Sorry... must've been a glitch," Suki mumbles, still staring at her hands.

Loudspeaker - Promotion

The far wall lights up, the word coming over it. Cathica puts her hands together, staring at the wall anxiously, "this is it! Come on! God, make it me! Come on, say my name! Say my name! Say my name!" she prays desperately, making me raise my eyebrows in mild concern.

I lean over to Rose and the Doctor, "I think... could be wrong, though... that she might want it to be her," I whisper, making them laugh quietly.

Loudspeaker - Promotion for... Suki Macrae Cantrell. Please proceed to Floor 500.

I bite my lip to keep from smiling when Catchica huffs, completely put out. Suki stands up, staring at the projection in disbelief, "I don't believe it... Floor 500..." she whispers in shock.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Catchica glares. "I'm above you!"

"I don't know," Suki shakes her head. "I just applied on the off chance... and they've said yes!" she smiles.

"That's so not fair!"

"What a supportive friend you are," I scoff at her attitude, making her glare at me.

"I've been applying to Floor 500 for three years!" she retorts.

"What's Floor 500?" Rose cuts in, frowning slightly.

"The walls are made of gold," the Doctor and I answer, but I couldn't help to add, "apparently," with an eye-roll. "So..." I whisper to the Doctor and he raises an eyebrow in question. "Suki gets a 'glitch' and then is suddenly promoted?"

"Maybe she was questioning the information and she's being fired," the Doctor muses quietly.

"Then why tell her she's being rewarded?" I frown.

***

The Doctor, Rose, Adam, Suki, Cathica and I were standing outside of the lift; Rose and Adam off to the side talking about God knows what. Suki had gone and packed quickly and she was squeezing Cathica tightly, "Cathica, I'm going to miss you! Floor 500..." she sighs, pulling away and turning to the Doctor. "Thank you!"

"I didn't do anything," he shakes his head.

"Well, you're my lucky charm!" she beams.

"Alright, I'll hug anyone," the Doctor laughs, pulling her into a quick hug.

Suki laughs, pulling away. "Thank you," she turns to me.

"Wasn't me, but you're welcome," I smile as she pulls me into a tight hug. "Be careful up there, yeah?" I whisper to her and she pulls away, nodding with a very wide grin.

"Oh, my God, I've got to go!" her eyes widen. "I can't keep them waiting... I'm sorry," she grabs her bag, running into the lift. "Say goodbye to Steve for me!" she calls to Cathica as the doors start to close. "Bye!" she waves excitedly.

"Good riddance," Cathica folds her arms with a scowl.

"You're talking like you'll never see her again," the Doctor frowns. "She's only going upstairs," he points out.

"We won't," she shakes her head, making me tilt my head with furrowed eyebrows. "Once you go to Floor 500 you never come back," she explains.

I frown, following after with Rose and the Doctor behind me. "Have you ever been up there?"

"No... you need a key for the lift," Cathica looks at me oddly. "And you only get a key with promotions... no one gets to 500 except for the 'chosen few'," she huffs bitterly.

***

The three of us follow Cathica into the newsroom, Adam had gone off; apparently, he needed time to acclimatize or something... didn't really care to ask further. Cathica was leaning down beside one the palm-pads, messing with it. "Look, they only give us twenty minutes maintenance," she sighs, exasperated. "Can't you give it a rest?"

"But you've never been to another floor?" the Doctor asks, sitting in the chair on the platform. "Not even one floor down?" he starts fiddling with the buttons on it, me leaning back against his side and Rose leaning forward on the back of the chair.

"I went to Floor 16 when I first arrived, that's medical, that's when I got my head done and then I... I came straight here," she explains. "Satellite Five; you work, eat, and sleep on the same floor... that's it, that's all," she shrugs before eyeing us suspiciously. "You're not management, are you?"

"At last she's clever!" the Doctor grins, making Rose and I snicker.

I lean my head back to look up at the Doctor, "I was wondering how long it would take her to figure it out," I smile, making him snort quietly.

"Yeah, well, whatever it is... don't involve me," Cathica rolls her eyes. "I don't know anything," she shakes her head.

"Don't you even ask?"

"Well, why would I?"

"Maybe because you're a journalist!" I exclaim incredulously. "Your job is literally to ask questions, to investigate! To get to the truth of things and get it out in the public!"

"Why's all the crew Human?" the Doctor cuts in, reaching forward to grab my hand and I huff, calming down slightly.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Cathica frowns.

"There's no aliens on board," the Doctor points out. "Why?"

"I don't know... no real reason," she blinks. "They're not banned or anything..."

I raise an eyebrow, absently messing with the Doctor's fingers, "millions of different species across the empire and this place is the center of all their news... so where are they? Why aren't there any aliens?"

"I suppose..." Cathica frowns, stumped. "Immigration's tightened up... it's had to, what, with all the threats," she explains.

"Threats?" I snort; this was just sounding worse and worse. "What threats?"

"I don't know... all of them, usual stuff," Cathica shrugs, getting more and more frustrated. "And the price of space warp doubled so that kept the visitors away... oh! And the government on Traffic Five's collapsed, so that lot stopped coming; you see? Just... lots of little reasons, that's all..."

"Adding up to one great big fact, and you didn't even notice," the Doctor rolls his eyes.

"Doctor, I think if there was any kind of conspiracy, Satellite Five would have seen it," Cathica retorts. "We see everything."

"I can see better, so can Lizzie," the Doctor counters, making me groan under my breath that he'd added me and he squeezes my hand. "This society's the wrong shape, even the technology."

"It's cutting edge!" Cathica exclaims, offended.

"You've got a big hole in your head that you get force-fed information with! Information that you've really no way of telling if it's the truth or not and you just accept it!" I retort.

"You should've checked this out years ago," the Doctor shakes his head.

"So... what do you think is going on?" Rose asks.

"It's not just this space station, it's the whole attitude... it's the way people think," the Doctor frowns. "The great and bountiful Human Empire's stunted; something's holding it back..."

"And how would you know?" Cathica glares.

"Cause he can think for himself instead of being just a mindless follower who believes whatever they're told," I glare right back.

"Trust me: humanity's been set back about ninety years," the Doctor cuts in, smirking slightly as he runs his thumb over my knuckles. "When did Satellite Five start broadcasting?"

"... ninety-one years ago..." Cathica mutters, eyes wide and looking like she was going to be sick.

***

The Doctor was using his sonic, trying to get into mainframe while Rose and I stood beside him, watching. Cathica was pacing anxiously behind us, "we're so gonna get in trouble," she whisper-shouts. "You're not allowed to touch the mainframe! You're gonna get told off!"

"Girls, tell her to button it," the Doctor mutters, not looking up from his work.

Rose and I share a look, turning to Cathica, "button it," we both smile sweetly.

Cathica groans, "you can't just vandalize the place! Someone's gonna notice!"

The Doctor finally gets the door open and steps inside, "come on," he grabs my hand, yanking me up and in front of him.

"Arse," I huff, ignoring how close we were in the tight space and how it made my heart pound in my chest and my face burn.

"You could help instead of calling me names, you know," he retorts and I roll my eyes, starting to move wires around.

"This is nothing to do with me... I'm going back to work," Cathica announces.

"Go on, then! See ya!" the Doctor calls happily, making Rose and I giggle.

"No one asked you to come anyway," I add.

"I can't just leave you, can I!?" Cathica shouts, making me sigh in annoyance.

"If you wanna be useful; get 'em to turn the heating down... it's boiling," Rose pulls on her jacket. "What's wrong with this place? Can't they do something about it?"

"I don't know, we keep asking... something to do with the turbine," Cathica mutters.

"'Something to do with the turbine'," the Doctor mocks, making me smirk.

"Well, I don't know!" she exclaims.

"Of course you wouldn't," I roll my eyes. "A journalist who doesn't ask questions," I scoff.

"Exactly!" the Doctor exclaims. "We give up on you, Cathica," he huffs. "Now, Rose, look at Rose," he points back at her. "Rose is asking the right kind of questions," he praises.

"Oh, thank you," Rose smiles, pleased with herself.

"Why is it so hot?" the Doctor repeats.

I squirm uncomfortably at the fact that it was hot in here... although, I'm pretty certain it was the fact that the Doctor's chest was pressed up against my back while he roots around the wires. God... why did he have to have such an effect on me? Does this not affect him at all?

Cathica's voice snaps me from my thoughts, "one minute you're worried about the Empire and the next it's the central heating!" she groans.

"Well, never underestimate plumping; plumbing's very important," the Doctor retorts, snapping a bunch of wires.

I snort loudly, glancing back at his sheepish expression, "I don't think you were supposed to do that," I bite my lip, Rose giggling from outside.

"You can button it as well," he narrows his eyes at me, reaching forward.

My breath hitches when his hand brushes along my side and he smirks, pulling out a small monitor from the wires. The smug arsehole, he did that on purpose! "Here we go, Satellite Five!" he tells the other two while I try and cool my face. "Pipes and plumbing... look at the layout," he hands the screen to Cathica before reaching up and helping me out of the little alcove.

I look a the screen in Cathica's hands, frowning at the schematics. "This is ridiculous," Cathcia shakes her head. "You've got access to the computer's core! You can look at the archive, the news, the stock exchange! ... and you're looking at pipes?" she asks incredulously.

"Yeah, but there's something wrong with 'em," I point out.

"I suppose..." she trails off, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why? What is it?" Rose asks curiously, looking over the screen.

Cathica points down at the pipes running along the sides of Satellite Five, "the ventilation system; cooling ducts, ice filters, all working flat out and channeling massive amounts of heat down," she explains, looking upward.

"All the way from the top," the Doctor nods.

"Floor 500," Rose realizes, her eyes widening.

"Something up there is generating a hell of a lot of heat," I murmur, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well, I don't know about you but I feel like I'm missing out on a party," Rose grins, looping her arms through mine. "It's all going on upstairs! Fancy a trip?" she wiggles her eyebrows between the Doctor and me.

"I very much fancy a trip," I smile widely.

"You can't you need a key," Cathica denies.

"Oh, the Doctor is very good at getting into places he shouldn't be," I smirk, making Rose laugh quietly beside me.

"Keys are just codes, and I've got the codes right here," the Doctor smiles, gesturing to the little screen as he messes with it. "Here we go! Override 215.9," he tells us as a little card pops out.

"How come it's giving you the code?" Cathica demands.

The Doctor looks up at the security camera, "someone up there likes me," he mutters.

***

The Doctor, Rose and I head into the lift with Cathica standing outside with folded arms and a scowl. "Come on, come with us!" Rose offers.

"She won't," I roll my eyes.

"No way!" she shakes her head, glaring at me.

"Bye!" the Doctor waves with a wide grin, making me snort loudly.

"Well, don't mention my name! When you get in trouble, just don't involve me!" Cathica stalks off.

"That's her gone," the Doctor smiles. "Adam's given up! Looks like it's just you girls and me!"

"Yeah," Rose smiles, grabbing his hand.

"Good," he nods, grabbing my hand in his free one.

"Yep," I smile between them.

Rose slides the card into the controls with her free hand and the Doctor grins, pulling us both close, the three of us laughing.

***

The lift doors open and the three of us step out. I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself as I look around in shock. There were thick ice and snow everywhere and the place looks like it's been abandoned for quite a while. "The walls are not made of gold," the Doctor points out. "You two should go back downstairs," he tells Rose and me.

"Tough," Rose scoffs at the same time I roll my eyes, "yeah, right!"

I feel something being draped over me and blush beet red when I see it's the Doctor's leather jacket. "Doctor..." I try to protest, starting to slide it off my shoulders and ignoring Rose's wide smirk.

The Doctor sighs, grabbing the lapels and pulling it around me, "I don't need it, remember," he smiles.

"T-thanks," I blush more, Rose stifling a laugh beside me. "S-shut up!" I huff, pulling her into the jacket as well, wrapping my arm around her waist.

"Thanks," she snickers, snuggling me for warmth.

"Come on," the Doctor chuckles, leading us through the frozen canteen area.

There was a light coming from the side and we head through there, seeing it was some kind of control room. There were several members of staff at the long control table, all with blue skin and frost on them. Their hands were on palm-pads and my stomach churns at the sight of them as I pull Rose closer.

"I started without you," a voice makes me look over to see a very pale man in a black suit with white hair, a goatee, and pale blue eyes. "This is fascinating," he smiles as he eyes us. "Satellite Five contains every piece of information within the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire; birth certificates, shopping habits, bank statements, but you three don't exist!" he laughs. "Not a trace! No birth, no job, not the slightest kiss... how can you walk through the world and not leave a single footprint?"

Rose gasps softly, getting out of my hold and rushing forward. My heart clenches painfully when I realize that who she's seen was Suki, who was now sitting with her hands over the palm-pads as she works. "Suki!" Rose kneels next to her, but Suki doesn't respond. "... Suki? Hello? Can you hear me? Suki?" she clicks her fingers in front of her face before glaring up at the man. "What've you done to her?"

"I think she's dead," the Doctor murmurs softly, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close as I get a wave of disgust, anger, and sadness.

"She's working!" Rose protests.

"They've all got chips in their head and the chips keep going," the Doctor explains gently. "Like puppets," he glares at the man, more anger hitting me.

"Ohhh! You're full of information!" the man grins at the Doctor. "But it's only fair we get information back! Because... apparently... you're no one," he laughs. "It's so rare not to know something! Who are you?"

"It's doesn't matter, cause we're off," the Doctor waves off. "Nice to meet you," he smiles at the man condescendingly. "Come on," he gestures Rose over.

The Doctor starts to pull me from the room when two of the workers pull me from the Doctor, two more grabbing the Doctor and Suki grabbing Rose's arm. "Get your damn hands off me!" I thrash against the tight, cold hold on me.

"Tell me who you are!" the man orders, the hold on me tightening.

The Doctor scoffs, "since that information's keeping us alive, I'm hardly gonna say, am I?" he rolls his eyes.

"Well, perhaps my Editor in Chief can convince you otherwise," he smirks.

"Who's that, then?" I raise an eyebrow.

"It may interest you to know that this is not the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire," the man retorts. "In fact, it's not actually human at all; it's merely a place where Humans happen to live-" he's cut off by a roar rumbling through the room, making my heart-rate speed up. "Yeah, sorry... it's a place where Humans are allowed to live," he corrects. "By kind permission of my client," he clicks his fingers, pointing up.

I look up and gasp in horror and disgust as I see a huge, slimy... thing hanging from the ceiling. It has a great, big lump in the middle, like a head, with razor-sharp teeth that it was using to snap down at us. "What is that?" Rose asks shakily, staring up at it in shock.

"You mean that thing's in charge of Satellite Five?" the Doctor asks in horror.

"That 'thing', as you put it, is in charge of the Human Race," the man corrects, making my eyes widen... that alien has control over all the Humans? "For almost one hundred years, mankind has been shaped and guided; his knowledge and ambition strictly controlled by its broadcast news," he explains. "Edited by my superior, your master and humanity's guiding light! The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe," he introduces and the Jagrafess roars loudly, making me wince as I jump. "I call him Max," he grins.

"That's brilliant... you gave it a pet name," I huff, rolling my eyes.

***

The workers had put the Doctor, Rose, and I in manacles that were connected together. The man, who'd introduced himself as the Editor, was standing in front of us with an excited smile that I wanted to slap off. "If we create a climate of fear then it's easy to keep the borders closed," the Editor explains. "It's just a matter of emphasis; the right word in the right broadcast repeated often enough can destabilize an economy... invent an enemy... change a vote-"

"So, all the people on Earth are like slaves," Rose cuts in, glaring at him.

"Well, now, that's an interesting point," the Editor smiles. "Is a slave a slave if he doesn't know he's enslaved?" he muses.

"Yes," the Doctor and I answer immediately.

"Oh... I was hoping for a philosophical debate," the Editor sighs. "Is that all I'm going to get? Yes?"

"Yes," the Doctor and I repeat, this time each with a blunt tone, me rolling my eyes.

"You two are no fun," he pouts.

I strain against the manacles, glaring at the man, "get me out of these and I'll show you fun," I snarl.

"Oh, that is a tempting offer, darling," he smirks, eyeing me up. "But come on, isn't it a great system? You've got to admire it," he smiles. "Just a little bit?"

"You can't hide something on this scale," Rose cuts in. "Somebody must've noticed," she points out.

"From time to time, yes," the Editor admits. "But the computer system allows me to see inside their brain; I can see the smallest doubt and crush it," he grins, miming something being crushed in his hand; so I was right, then, the information goes both ways. "And then they just carry on, living their lives; strutting about downstairs and all over the surface of the Earth like their so individual when of course, they're not," he scoffs, rolling his eyes.

I feel a nudge against my foot and glance at the Doctor. He moves his eyes over to the side and I follow his line of sight, seeing Cathica in the reflection of a mirror. I bite my lip, give a small nod and turn my attention back to the Editor who was still going on, "they're just cattle; in that respect, the Jagrafess hasn't changed a thing."

"What about you?" Rose asks. "You're not a Jagra... a... belly... thing..." she falters.

"Jagrafess," the Doctor and I supply.

"Jagrafess," Rose nods. "You're not a Jagrafess, you're Human," she points out.

"Yeah... well, simply being Human doesn't pay very well," the Editor retorts.

"But, you couldn't have done this all on your own," I put in.

"No, I represent a consortium of banks," he smiles. "Money prefers a long-term investment... also, the Jagrafess needed a little hand to um... install himself," he explains delicately, making me roll my eyes.

"No wonder, a creature that size," the Doctor looks up at the Jagrafess. "What's his lifespan?"

"Three thousand years," the Editor answers.

"Phew," I whistle lowly. "That's one hell of a metabolism generating all that heat..."

"That's why Satellite Five's so hot," the Doctor puts in. "You pump it out of the creature, channel it downstairs; Jagrafess stays cool, stays alive."

"Satellite Five's one great big life support system..." I murmur, eyeing the Jagrafess in disgust.

"But that's why you're so dangerous," the Editor points out. "Knowledge is power but you remain unknown," he laughs, clicking his fingers.

Electricity runs through the manacles, making me clench my jaw and whimper at the Doctor's and my combined pain.

"Who are you!?"

"Leave them alone!" the Doctor grinds out through our joined pain. "I'm the Doctor and they're Lizzie and Rose Tyler, we're nothing! We're just wandering!"

"Tell me who you are!"

"He just said!" I glare.

"Yeah, but who do you work for?" the Editor rolls his eyes, stopping the electricity. "Who sent you? Who knows about us? Who exactly-" he pauses, making me frown as he smiles wickedly at the Doctor. "Time Lord," he chuckles, making my heart nearly stop.

"What?" the Doctor asks, trying not to react.

"Oh, yes!" the Editor laughs. "The last of the Time Lords in his traveling machine... oh," he smiles between Rose and me. "With his little Human girls from long ago," he smirks, caressing Rose's cheek with the back of his fingers and she jerks back in disgust.

"Don't you dare touch her!" I snarl as I get a pang of anger, straining against the manacles.

"You've got a little soft spot for this one, don't you?" the Editor laughs, tapping under my chin. "What is it you call her? Tiny? How adorable you two are," he chuckles.

"Get away from her," the Doctor growls in a low tone and sending a wave of anger to me, making the Editor back away from me with a laugh.

"He's tough, isn't he?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," the Doctor shakes his head.

"Time travel?" the Editor raises his eyebrows with a smirk.

"Someone's been telling you lies!"

"Young master Adam Mitchell?"

I frown, what's Adam got to do with this? The Editor clicks his fingers and a projection of Adam pops up. My eyes widen at him lying on a chair in a newsroom, writhing and screaming in pain as a stream of information flows into a brain portal on his forehead. "Oh, my God! His head!" Rose gapes at the holo-screen.

"What the hell's he done?" the Doctor stares at the screen in horror. "What the hell's he gone and done!? They're reading his mind! He's telling them everything!"

"And through him, I know everything about you," the Editor smirks. "Every piece of information in his head is now mine, and you have infinite knowledge, Doctor! The Human Empire is tiny compared to what you've seen in your... T-A-R-D-I-S: TARDIS."

"You'll never get your hands on it! I'll die first," the Doctor promises darkly.

"Die all you like, I don't need you," the Editor shrugs. "I've got the key," he smirks.

I watch the screen, watching in horror as a TARDIS key is slowly floated from Adam's pocket, stopping by his face as it dangles in the air. "You gave him your key!?" I ask Rose incredulously, making her wince.

"You and your boyfriends!" the Doctor glares at her.

"Today we are the headlines!" the Editor smiles. "We can rewrite history, we could prevent mankind from ever developing!"

"And no one's going to stop you," the Doctor grinds out. "Because you've bred a Human Race that doesn't bother to ask questions! Stupid little slaves believing every lie!"

"They'll just trot right into the slaughterhouse if they're told it's made of gold," I glare, smiling internally when Cathica's face brightens and she runs off.

Barely a minute later, there's an alarm going off. "What's happening?" the Editor asks, looking over one of the worker's shoulder at a computer. "Someone's disengaged the safety..." he clicks his fingers and another holo-screen pops up, showing Cathica with a stream of information going into her brain portal. "Who's that!?"

"It's Cathica!" Rose smiles.

"And she's thinking! She's using what she knows!" the Doctor grins.

"Terminate her access!" the Editor orders.

"Everything we told her about Satellite Five; the pipes, the filters! She's reversing it!" the Doctor laughs. "Look at that," he nods up to the thick ice that was beginning to melt.

"It's getting hot," I smirk.

"I said terminate!" the Editor shouts, placing his own hands over Suki's. "Burn her mind!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Cathica yells. "You should've promoted me years back!"

All of the screens explode suddenly, sending sparks into the air and the workers fall to the floor, lifeless. Rose's manacles pop off with the power surge and she stands in front of me, searching the Doctor's leather jacket that was still around me.

"She's venting the heat up here," the Doctor grins. "The Jagrafess needs to stay cool and now it's sitting on top of a volcano!" he laughs as the Jagrafess roars angrily.

"Yes! Uh... I'm trying, sir, but, I don't know how she did it, it's impossible," the Editor laughs nervously. "A member of staff with an idea..."

"What do I do?" Rose asks frantically when she finally pulls out the Doctor's sonic.

"Fick the switch!" the Doctor and I answer.

Rose uses the sonic to free me and then the Doctor while little explosions are going off in the control room with the Jagrafess still roaring. "Oi, mate!" the Doctor calls to the Editor as he grabs my hand. "Want to bank on a certainty?"

"Massive heat in a massive body? Massive bang!" I smile widely, grabbing Rose's hand in my free one.

"See ya in the headlines!" the Doctor calls over his shoulder as he pulls Rose and me from the control room.

The canteen area had large chunks of ice falling all over. The three of us run into the newsroom Cathica was in and the Doctor smiles down at her, clicking his fingers. I let go of the Doctor's hand, grabbing Cathica's while she sits up, her brain portal closing, "come on, then!"

***

We were back down on Floor 139 and Rose and I were leaning against each other, her arm around my shoulders and mine around her waist. The Doctor, with his jacket back, was sitting at a table beside Cathica. "We're just going to go," he tells her. "I hate tidying up, too many questions," he wrinkles his nose, smiling back at Rose and me when we snicker. "You'll manage," he smiles at Cathica.

"You'll have to stay and explain it," Cathica protests. "No one's gonna believe me," she shakes her head.

"Oh, they might start believing a lot of things now that the Jagrafess isn't controlling 'em," I smile, leaning my head on Rose's shoulder.

"The Human Race should accelerate, all back to normal," the Doctor grins.

I pull away from Rose, holding my hand out to Cathica, "sorry about my attitude toward you... I um..." I trail off, biting my lip.

"No worries," she assures me, smiling as she shakes my hand.

"You were brilliant, really," I tell her seriously, wrapping my arms around my waist.

"Thanks," she beams, pleased. "What about your friend?" she looks over to Adam, who was standing by the TARDIS nervously.

The Doctor's smile falls as he glares at Adam, "he's not my friend," he grinds out, a wave of anger washing over me.

"Now, don't," Rose grabs his arm.

The Doctor doesn't answer or look at her as he shakes her hand off him. I grab Rose's hand, shaking my head as we follow. The Doctor has every right to be angry with Adam. He was given a chance to see the stars, different planets, the future and history and he abused that gift. I felt guilty knowing that I had been the one to suggest he come with us in the first place.

"I'm alright now, much better," Adam smiles when we reach him. "I've got the key," he holds it up. "Well, it's... I know... it all worked out for the best, didn't it?" he laughs nervously.

The Doctor snatches the key from him and takes a hold of his arm, unlocking the TARDIS. "You know..." Adam squirms in discomfort from the silent and raging Time Lord. "It's not actually my fault... because you were in charge," he tries.

Wrong thing to say, I shake my head, my blood boiling as the Doctor shoves Adam inside without a word. "Don't blame him," I narrow my eyes while I follow them inside, Rose behind me. "It's your fault for being a stupid, selfish idiot!"

***

The ride to Adam's house had been an extremely tense one as anger was continually rushing over me. The engines stop and without a word, the Doctor grabs Adam by the collar of his shirt and yanks him over to the door. "Hold on, wait, wait, wait!" Adam protests. "It's my house!" he exclaims, looking around in relief as Rose and I step out. "I'm home! Oh, my God, I'm home! Blimey..." he trails off when he sees the Doctor was still glaring at him. "I thought you were going to chuck me out of an air-lock..."

"I had to stop him from chucking you into a volcano... or a black hole... or a supernova," I put in, making his eyes widen in horror. "There were a few more options he was considering that I won't mention," I shake my head, shivering slightly; the Doctor's anger was definitely nothing to mess with.

"Is there something else you want to tell me?" the Doctor raises a cool eyebrow.

"No, um... what do you mean?" Adam folds his arms, his chin in his hand as he tries to appear like he has no idea what the Doctor's talking about.

The Doctor levels Adam with a dark look as he walks over to the answerphone and picks it up, "the archive of Satellite Five," he glares. "One second of that message could've changed the world," he grinds out.

The Doctor sets the answerphone down and takes out his sonic. Adam points to him wordlessly, his mouth opening and closing while the Doctor blows it up. "That's it, then, see ya," the Doctor walks back over to the TARDIS.

"How do you mean 'see ya'?" Adam frowns.

"As in 'goodbye'," the Doctor rolls his eyes.

"You didn't seriously think we'd still bring you along, did you?" I raise an eyebrow, folding my arms and cocking my hip to the side.

"But... what about me?" Adam demands. "You can't just go! I've got my head! I've got a chip type two!"

"Yeah? Who's fault is that, again?"

"What does that matter!? My head opens!"

"What? Like this?" the Doctor asks, clicking his fingers and opening Adam's brain portal.

"Don't," Adam glares, clicking it close.

"Don't do what?" I smirk, clicking my fingers to open it again.

"Stop it!" Adam growls, closing it again.

"Alright, now," Rose cuts in. "That's enough, you two, stop it," she scolds and we both back down, huffing.

"Thank you," Adam breathes, smiling at Rose, only to scowl when she clicks her fingers as well. "Oi!" he complains, closing his brain portal yet again.

"Sorry... I couldn't resist," Rose shrugs, giggling.

"The whole of history could've changed because of you," the Doctor glares.

"I just wanted to help!' Adam protests.

"You were helping yourself!" I retort.

"Ok... I was," Adam concedes, shifting on his feet. "But, I'm sorry... I've said I'm sorry and I am, I really am! But you can't just leave me like this!"

"Yes I can," the Doctor scoffs. "Cause if you show your head to anyone, they'll dissect you in seconds. You'll have to live a very quiet life, keep out of trouble; be average, unseen," he glares. "Good luck," he turns to the TARDIS door, opening it.

"But I want to come with you!"

"I only take the best," the Doctor retorts. "I've got Lizzie... and Rose," he nods to us, making my face burn as I bite my lip, Rose smirking widely as we follow him into the TARDIS.

***

The Doctor had put us into deep space and Rose had decided to go for a soak and then bed. I was sitting on the jump-seat, sketching a Zygon in my sketch-book while the Doctor messed about with the controls. "Alright, what?" he asks suddenly, making me jump slightly as I look over to see him leaning on the console in front of me with his arms folded and his ankles crossed.

I look down, biting my lip, "what?"

"Don't play stupid," the Doctor scoffs, making me look back up. "It's an insult to both our intelligence," he gives me a pointed look.

"I'm sorry..." I mutter, setting my sketch-book beside me.

The Doctor keels in front of me and coaxes my head up with a finger under my chin, "for what?" he asks, eyebrows furrowed.

I play with one of the buttons on my shirt, "it was my idea to bring Adam in the first place..." I trail off, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Lizzie," the Doctor sighs, using his thumb to pull my lip from my teeth. "You had no idea he would do something as idiotic as that," he shakes his head. "It is not your fault," he tells me firmly, his hands landing on my knees.

I glance at his hands, that were partially on bare skin thanks to my skirt which was making little tingles flare up, and back up to his face. I bite my lip, watching as his eyes are drawn to the action and I jump up quickly with a bright red face. "U-u-um..." I clear my throat as the Doctor's face contorts slightly and I get a pang of grief and guilt. "I-I'm just g-gonna... find s-something to eat..." I squeak, running from the room and heading to the kitchen.

3rd Person POV:

The Doctor sighs, standing and he runs his hands down his face with pink ears. He had been so close, so close to just leaning in before Lizzie ran from the console room. It was like she couldn't get away from him fast enough. The TARDIS gives a teasing him as he begins to fiddle with the monitor. "Button it," he mutters, glaring down at the console while his ears turn a shade darker. "I don't... there's no real feelings there," he shakes his head. "Just cause I'm connected to her, that doesn't mean I fancy her... I can't," he whispers, his face contorting.

The TARDIS gives a sharp trill as if she was scoffing at his complete denial. She couldn't believe how oblivious and stubborn her thief was being. As if she didn't notice the way he looks at Lizzie when she's not looking or when she follows along with his thought process, the way he smiles to himself when Lizzie interacts with her or strokes the console with the same fondness he does. Those two were either going to avoid their feelings until they fizzled out completely, or they were going to make themselves miserable trying to be considerate of the other's feelings and space.

A/N: another chapter edited! Hope you guys are liking them, let me know! :) Drop a comment, vote, whatever! Thanks for reading! :*