3rd POV

The Doctor and Jabe go into the Maintenance duct as the metal spiders start to vanish.

"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?" The Doctor asks.

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

"You mean the computer, but who controls that?"

"The corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to the next."

"But there's no one from the corporation on board?"

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

"Unsinkable?"

"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"You're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold." But then he stops walking. "So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?" The Doctor says.

"I'm afraid not."

"Fantastic."

"I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?" Jabe says as the continue walking.

Alex's POV

"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 such fun."

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

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

"So, you're not the last human." I say.

"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."

"Right. And you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure." She says and I stifle a laugh.

"How many operations have you had?"

"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Rose. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out." She says and I glare at the skin with a face.

"I'd rather die."

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt."

"No, I mean it. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline." Rose says and I cover my mouth so I don't make it worse.

"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, 'cos you're not human. 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." Rose says and walks away. I smirk at her, then look back to Cassandra. I give a small wave to the trampoline and strut away with Rose.

3rd POV

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

"Respect for the Earth."

"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions."

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

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

"All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

"Excuse me." He says and starts to work on a panel. He takes out his sonic screwdriver and starts to get to work on it.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left." She says, but he continues to work on the panel.

"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. " She says and that's when he stops working on the panel.

"Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am." She says and rests her hand on his arm. The Doctor looks at her, then place his hand over hers, one tear slipping down his face, but then works on the panel once more.After a few more seconds, the door to the engine room opens up and Jabe and him walk inside. They go onto the catwalk and look at the big fan blades and the doctor speaks up.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?"

Back on the platform, Rose and Alex walk in a hallway together. At the end of the hallway though are the Adherents of the Repeated Meme coming towards them. Rose smiles at them and continues but Alex stops.

"Rose-" but it's too late. One of them knocks Rose to the ground and Alex runs. Before she can get to far, one of them knocks her out and she falls to the floor. Two of the adherents grab the girls and drag them into a room before locking them in there.