Subject: DOCTOR WHO, JESSE AND JEREMY 57 “He’s left us…” Jeremy said. Jesse looked out, “Impossible…” “I know he’d never but he was there, the TARDIS was there and now they’re not. And I don’t even see K9 in the sky…” Jeremy scanned the yellowish, purple-ish, blue-ish sky as the clouds waned into a darkness…twilight was here. ” And look…” “More Cybermen, they’re coming…” It was true. Masses of Cybermen were converging on the castle. There were so many, the boys could not see the base of the buildings on the streets. Thousands of metallic legs pouncing on the streets, the sound of hydraulics filling the coming night air. They poured from every street, every angle, every park, every tree…pressing over the bodies of fallen comrades, crunching metal and bone under the metal. Passing over the drawbridge. Climbing the outside structures. “We’ve had it,” Jesse stated. “He’ll come back, he’ll get us out,” Jeremy said. “If he does, it might be too late for you and the baby…” The boys turned toward the voice. A Cyber…man? There stood a metallic creature. Cyberman looking, observing them. Jesse held the baby closer to him, taking it out of the basket. Jeremy stood in front of them, sword out again and hilt held in both hands, raising his arms, bending at the elbows, ready to strike. The Cyberman put his hands up. “I just want to see…” It sounded feminine. It held its head. “Hold…” “Are you alright?” Jeremy asked. “That’s a stupid question…look at her…” Jesse said. The Cyber-woman came closer. It was only a few feet away. Jeremy said, “Stay back!!! I warn you! I’ve killed Cybermen today! Many of them and I won’t…” The creature, built into one of the most sophisticated Cyberman bodies, held its sleek, smooth metal head and then its stomach. It bent over in pain. ” I was the last one to be converted…I fought them…I tried to hold out but failed. I think it’s failing…my brain, my bones in side this thing, some of my flesh and some of my organs…” “I’m…I’m sorry,” Jeremy squeaked out. “I’m so sorry…” Jesse looked, “Don’t let her near the baby…” “Fesh, his name is Fesh…” Jeremy turned to look at Jesse and then quickly he turned back to face the Cyberwoman. “Are you…? That’s his name. The distress call told us it was. Are you the baby’s robot nanny? But you said you were…flesh and bone?” “And blood…some of which is also in here with me…may I…” She moved closer. “I’m telling you one last time…” Jeremy looked into the eyes of the former female. “The Cybermen, they don’t have sexes do they…” “Look at them,” Jesse said, “They probably don’t even have sex let alone sexes…” “More are coming. They are coming up the steps. We will all be killed…you must hide the baby now…” “You….you’re the mother, aren’t you?” Jesse moved past Jeremy. Jeremy put one hand on Jesse’s arm, “What are you doing?!” He held the sword out straight now, in the other hand. “don’t…” Jesse stared at him and into his eyes and smiled. He looked at the eyes of the woman, beneath the Cyberface plate. “You…you’re the mother…all she wants to do, Jer, is hold her baby one last time.” Jesse put the baby in the mother’s arms. Her head went down to the baby to hold him next to her cheek. The baby laughed. A tear came from the Cyber eye nearest the baby’s cheek. “There is not much time but…” she looked at the baby again. “He’s wonderful. Don’t let them get him.” Jeremy nodded, “We…we won’t…the Doctor’ll come…” “Ahhh, yes, the Doctor, I knew he would come. It was too late for me. But it was only about ten minutes since I hid the baby and the Nanny. Her brain is very strong. Tell the Doctor it survives even the metallic death of the Nanny machine itself.” The sound of more Cybermen stomping grew closer and closer. They were coming up the steps. Jeremy moved to the door wreckage with his sword ready. The Mother Cyberman held his arm. Jeremy looked at her. “What are you doing? Lemme go. Look, I’m sorry but…” “I’m even now fighting my Cyber control…” the Mother said, “Let me hold them off.” “Listen,” Jeremy said, “The Doctor’ll get us out. You can come with us. He can figure out how to help you. He’s brilliant. He can…” A row of Cybermen appeared at the door. The Mother turned to them and ran at them, screaming. She tackled five of them down into the stone railway opposite the door and two more were brought with them. They all fell over the stone bridge. Jeremy ran out to watch the seven Cybermen and one Mother hit the floor, all sparking, all dying…in pieces. “NOOOO!” Jesse moved back into the room with the baby in his arms again, “Jeremy, watch out! Behind you!” Jeremy was looking over the edge when more Cybermen came up behind him and one grabbed the back of his neck with two vice like hands and held his face over the edge. Below fires started. More Cybermen came into the room and approached Jesse. “Doctor, now would be a good time!” “Hand over the symbol!” “It’s not a symbol or even an it, he’s a baby! His name is Fesh…” “Not anymore!” This leader waved his hand and various varied Cybermen came past him and moved at Jesse. Between the Cybermen and Jesse a big blue box started to appear. “I know that!” The Cyber Leader, another one, pointed. “When it appears, destroy it!” Jesse wanted to cry out, “If you know that thing you’d know it was a TARDIS and that lame brains in cases like you lot can’t destroy it!” But he kept quiet, hoping the TARDIS arrival would distract the Cybermen long enough for him to figure out what to do until those doors opened. Through the faint materialization of the TARDIS…for it still looked ghostlike, Jesse could see the Cybermen and he looked to the hallway. Jeremy brought the sword up in his hand and sliced the Cyberman holding him up sideways and in two. Jeremy turned, kicked it into another one and swung it to slice through five more. But there were more. Jeremy got down on one knee. “I do not swear my allegiance to the united fags of Cybermerica.” He brought the sword up to the confused Cybermen. Jesse leaned on the TARDIS exterior, the back of it. It spun and the doors opened. The Doctor pulled him inside. K9 flew outside and began to fire gold rays and from his posterior he pooped gold. All the Cybermen in the room fell. Jeremy ducked and a Cyberman rushing him, fell over the edge of the stone railway and to its death. Jeremy thrust a straight horizontal stab into the stomach of another Cyberman and it fell over the side. “K9!” “Batteries limited, Master Jeremy. Barely recharged. Get inside TARIS immediately!” Jeremy ran, “You don’t have to tell me twice.” The TARDIS spun and the open doors faced Jeremy, who ran full force. He ran into the open entrance and as K9 flew inside, covering his rear, farting gold as more Cybermen ran up the steps and into the room, Jeremy heard the comforting sound of the TARDIS double doors closing. In the darkness between the exterior and interior, Jeremy ran full force into the Doctor, “Doctor!” He dropped the sword and hugged him. “I hated to kill but…” “I know, I know…” The Doctor said, “I’m too late to save the mother of that baby, too. But I’ll be damned if I let those Cybermen convert or hurt that baby…now let’s get inside…” Jeremy pushed the Doctor out of the dimensional gateway and into the console room, “Then where the hell were you?” The Doctor fell backwards and almost into Jesse, who handed the baby over to the large Benjamie. Jesse asked, “Yeah, what the fuck?” “I had to take the TARDIS deep inside the planet…it was a most dangerous move.” “Nothing can harm the TARDIS.” “No but I couldn’t be sure the interior of the planet was safe enough for you both and inside the TARDIS …I couldn’t take you there, remember the properties of the planet, I told you, I told you it was effecting firepower and weaponry, Inside the core, I could not be sure the TARDIS would work well enough …” “I wish you had told us.” Jesse turned the Doctor around. They heard pounding outside the doors of the TARDIS. “They’ll never get in,” the Doctor put his hands together and clasped them, smiling and looking sheepish at the same time. bursa escort bayan “Let them try.” The Doctor giggled a bit. “Oh my giddy aunt, what a day!” “Doctor, why’d you go inside the planet?” Jeremy said, “What did you do?” “Most ironic really. I planted a Cyberbomb that Adric and I once disconnected inside the planet. I’m going to blow it up, take the whole Cybermen army with us. That’ll teach them to try to convert entire planets, especially planets of peace!” “What? You’re going to destroy an entire planet?” Jeremy asked. “About time if you ask me,” Jesse said, “I was beginning to think you were some kind of a pansy. All this non violent shit.” “I know they were once humans, Jeremy, as you did when you helped me slay them,” The Doctor put his head down. “Doctor, that bomb!” Jesse said as Benjamie took the baby into the TARDIS nursery room. “Ahh, it’ll go off in about 45 seconds,” The Doctor checked his wrist watch. “The nanny!” Jeremy said, “We forgot!” The TARDIS vanished. It appeared. The Doctor ran out, slammed the doors. He ran past Cybermen who turned to him, stunned. He ran through the courtyard. Above, Tetsuro and Maeter were in a platform. They were firing gold guns at the Cybermen. The Doctor yelled at them, “Thank you, both but this planet is about to be destroyed. You must get away from it!” He ran to the destroyed wooden door to the cabinet and ran inside, A Cyberman reached for him. The Doctor grabbed the body of the Nanny robot, and kicked both feet back into the Cyberman, kicking it out of his area. He landed and took the positronic brain from the Nanny and ran out. Another Cyberman landed, having thrown its entire body at the Doctor and instead of crushing the Doctor, it succeeded in crushing the remainders of the Nanny body. The Doctor ran as blasts came from the ground. “Oh my ! Oh no, oh no!” Cybermen were blasted from the ground. The Doctor ran into the TARDIS and slammed the doors. He ran to the console. “I have to contain the blast for a bit until that Galaxy Express 999 can get away!” “HOW!?” Jeremy asked, running around the console with him. “Hold that down!” “Okay!” “Jesse!” “Yes, Doctor?” “Press that down!” “Yes!” “What’re we doing?” Jeremy yelled. “Forcefield!” The Doctor snapped. The boys started to ask more but he waved their questions off, “Hold and press.” He kept running around the console. K9 flew overhead but had to land. “Conserving power.” “They’ll be a lot of power in a minute. Enough to split this planet into two…!” The platform Maeter and Tetsuro were on flew up. It flew into a bottom compartment of the space train, GALAXY EXPRESS. Inside, the Conductor looked out the main engine. He pressed some buttons and pulled the lever forward and then back. The compartment shut, the train shot ahead of the planet. Maeter and Tetsuro jumped out of the platform, ran out of the compartment, into their usual car. They looked out the window, both standing. “Sit, Tetsuro, this is not going to be an easy ride!” “Hai!” Tetsuro sat. The shields of the train shut and the windows were blocked. The planet exploded and the blasts came from all sides. The 999 sped away and the blasts followed the back of it. The back shook a bit but they rode it out. A few minor shakes, one which shook Maeter, who always sat toward the rear, off her seat into Tetsuro, who always sat toward the front. Tetsuro, at first, seemed crushed and yelled but then he smiled as Maeter’s front pressed into him. “AYEEE!” Then he smiled. He shut his eyes and turned bright red in the face. His cheeks were still red when Maeter moved off him. “Sorry, Tetsuro, she laughed,” as she sat back down. “Journey continues…” 999 moved away. The TARDIS hadn’t moved in space when the planet exploded. The planet was there one second and blown to bits the next and the next, it was just gone. The Doctor had closed the scanner to shield their eyes. Jesse wondered, “Doctor, that shaking?” “That’s it,” the Doctor smiled, “It’s gone.” “The train, they got away,” Jeremy said as he opened the screen. Jesse moved to it and saw the Galaxy 999 moving off into space. Jeremy moved the image of the scanner to view the area around them, large light rays, cosmic dust, and gravity whirlpools. “Pretty…” “Wow, the whole planet just disappeared around us,” Jesse said, “This TARDIS really is indestructible…” “Yes,” the Doctor said, “That blast though, the shaking, I had time to slow it down for us using the forcefields…but with the forces around a destroyed planet, one should never hang about… time to go I should think…” Jeremy puffed as the TARDIS started to vanish from outer space and into the vortex, “Doctor, your moves, where’d you learn them and don’t tell me only from Cleo…” “Cleo?” Jesse wondered, “Cleo who?” “Cleopatra…” Jeremy said, as if anyone who knew the Doctor should know that, and added, “Of course. Who else?” “I learned them from Xena…a warrior…” Jeremy was astounded, “Princess, yeah I know who Xena is! You knew Xena?” he was impressed and his voice sounded it. “I always thought she was a fictional character…” The Doctor set the coordinates after putting the nanny computer brain into a small breakfront cabinet in the console room, “Yes, of course, she’s myth in your realm but I knew her in a parallel universe or two.” Jermey nodded, “SO that’s where you learned to fight like that?” “Oh,” Jesse said, “Those moves? I thought you meant the ones in bed…sex…” “So did I,” the Doctor said. Jeremy sighed, “I meant the way you fought with a baby in your arms…” “You did the same…” Quickly, the Doctor moved over to Jeremy, without Jeremy realizing it. “I suppose I did,” Jeremy put the sword down. He was tired. Benjamie brought Fesh back to them in a new basket and Jesse took the baby with the basket. Benjamie left. “You’re marvelous,” The Doctor tapped Jeremy’s nose… Jesse smiled. The Doctor turned to him, “And you…” “Me?” “Yes you! Jesse McCartney! You…” the Doctor pointed, almost manic. “You did a trick it took me four lives or so to learn!” “I did? In bed?” “There, too. I’m referring to the way you used your voice to destroy Cybermen…” “Oh, that,” Jesse puffed, still holding Fesh out of the basket. “I had a microphone and sound board…” “Still. You didn’t have Dame Nellie Melba to teach you. That’s who I learned it from. “But you…you were…” “Yeah…I was. Wasn’t I? What was I?” “Fantastic!” The Doctor came to him, patted his head and kissed his neck. “Please, Doctor, not, not in front of the baby…” Jesse turned red for once. “You like him?” “Mmmmmhmmm.” “Will you miss him?” “Well, for a time… I guess….where we taking him?” “A race of beautiful people, inside and out…the nanny nurse bot there, I’ll get that positronic brain into a new robot form and she’ll take care of him as will they…unless…” “What?” “You’ll want to stay with them…with him?” “It’s tempting, cause he’s so cute but…” Jeremy looked, bit his lip, “But…?” “You’re both cuter,” Jesse smiled and tapped the baby’s nose. The baby giggled. “Now then, on another front!” The Doctor stepped away from the console. ” You two…you both thought I left you…” Jesse didn’t make eye contact and put his head down, up, sideways, “Oh that …” “Yes that!” The Doctor yelled. “Doctor, do calm down, you’re bust your dual respiratory bypass system if you don’t,” Jeremy whispered, “Plus, you shouldn’t be yelling around the baby…” The Doctor took Fesh from Jesse’s arms, “This baby…has lived through a war… A war with Cybermen…his mother’s been converted, his entire planet…but you two, you should have known better, it’s not like I’ve left you before, have I…?” “You have…” Jesse said. “As a matter of fact, you have,” Jeremy reminded him, on top of Jesse. “Well, yeah, there’s that…On your own planet…” The Doctor countered. “Twice…” Jesse added. “I know it couldn’t be helped the time we were in that awful Soylent Green year 2782.” “Oh look, another distress call…” Jermey and Jesse both said, “IGNORE IT!” The Doctor smiled, turned to them both, “I know you don’t mean that…” They put their heads nilüfer escort down. “Benjamie can watch after the baby…we’ll take him to the Beautiful People and I’ll build a robot body for him but first…he’s a beacon of hope…a…a ” “Don’t say symbol…that’s what they called him…” “Well then he’s hope that people will soon defeat the Cybermen…even if it means killing them as I have.” “We have,” Jeremy said and nodded to Jesse. Jesse nodded, “And we’d do it again to save him. And not just for others, for him. For Fesh.” “Now then,” with relish, the Doctor looked at the distress signal and set the TARDIS… Later… “We’re materializing…” “Doctor!” The TARDIS appears to be tumbling. Jesse yelled as he hit the side wall, “Oh no, not again!” Jeremy grabbed Jesse’s arm as he fell past him and he held onto a hand hold on a side computer bank. “Doctor!!!” “Hold on, I think we’ve landed on a rubbish tip!” The Doctor clung to the console. “As opposed to being inside one?” Jesse yelled and fell away from Jeremy’ s hand and hit a Sedan chair. “Jesse, that’s most unfair!” The Doctor yelled as he was thrown on the next rocking motion, away from the console. The TARDIS was tipping one way and then the next as it was on top of a rubbish tip. In the dark. It went one way and then the other. It went the other and rolled top over bottom. Jesse yelled, “The baby!” “He’ll be allright!” The Doctor yelled. They all rolled together into the middle of the console room and in mid air. As the room righted itself sideways, they landed on top of each other. Jesse was on the bottom. He put his hands on his chin, on his belly and resigned himself to this. “Doctor, I did say I’m versatile, I mean I don’t mind being a bottom…” “Doctor, the baby, Fesh, how do you know he’ll be alright?” The Doctor stood up and put his hand out to help Jeremy up, off Jesse, ” Because Jeremy, my dear boy, the gravity factor. Haven’t you noticed how the larger devices and furniture never tumble over…” Jesse remained on the floor, “You mean the gravity factor. It holds them down to the floor…” “Well, in the nursery…” The Doctor just realized Jesse’s great intelligence. “Oh, good thinking, Jesse, good thinking. Entirely my influence of course but…” Jesse nodded as if expecting the Doctor to say that. He remained on the floor and holding his chin in his two hand, elbows on the floor. “In the nursery, the gravity is trained to hold everything down.” “Why not do that everywhere in TARDIS?” “Because Jeremy, if we did that, then we wouldn’t be able to walk around or move the slightest object such as a comb or a…” “Dildo or condom…” Jesse threw in. “Ahhh, he’s safe then?” “Benjamie and K9 are with him,” the Doctor ran to the scanner and tuned it to them looking at the sleeping baby. “He slept through that?” Jeremy drew himself up alongside the Doctor. “Yes but we have more important matters at hand,” the Doctor said, “Like righting the interior. We’re not straight…” “No shit,” Jesse said from the floor. “I’m still trying to figure out how I’ll tell my mom and dad…” “They probably know already,” The Doctor put in. “Think so?” Jeremy asked. The Doctor hit a switch and the floor straightened itself out. Jeremy felt the floor with his feet and a slight jump up and down and put his hands out in case he would fall, “That’s great? Is the outside still on a slant?” “Yes, but we have more important matters at hand,” the Doctor changed the scanner, “Like that…” Jeremy squinted. Outside the scanner showed a dark, cloudy night. Almost glowing blue but getting blacker. Clouds of white were obscured by larger unnatural clouds. Clouds one might see from an industrial plant. The landscape was not fully solid. It looked dirty, as though in a giant junkyard in space. There were remains of buildings, some looking bombed out. There were also bodies, mostly men, laying about, some women and no children were dead as well. ” What awful planet is that?” “That? That? That!” The Doctor looked at his readings, “Earth…year 3,999,999…just a year or so before the Usirians move the entire population away from it in vast rocket ships…to Mars at first, then Pluto, which to me is still aplenty a planet, demoted indeed. But enough of Pluto, this is Earth.” “What? That? That’s my Earth?” Jesse put in, “You own it, then, do you?” “Afraid so. Wars, nasty battles and squabbles but mostly at this time, the rampant pollution made it unlivable. All the resources were used up, there was little food, still I think human beings return even after this and make a life here years from then…before its final end in, oh, about 10,000,000.” “SO that’s it then? The evacuation of the entire Earth?” “At that time, Jeremy, not this.” “There’s someone alive out there!” Jeremy squinted, “There, see! We have to help him!” Jeremy ran to the door but forgot to hit the control. ” Doc, open the door, will you?” “NO, no, look at that man, first, my love…” Jeremy looked at the scanner. “His suit has some kind of distress signal… that’s what we heard.” “And if you go out there?” “He’d die!” Jesse stood up and looked. The man on the scanner was under some metallic pole. His body and face were difficult to see. He was in some kind of survival suit. “A rocket blasted off from here not too long ago.” “And he was supposed to be on it,” the Doctor pointed, “He’s the only one wearing a space suit.” Jeremy returned to them, nearer the scanner columns, “That means the air is not breathable?” “Yes. So no, we can’t go out like this. We’ll have to change into my survival space suits…if we are to save him.” “No mucking about, his air supply must be almost gone…” Jesse said, “No lying about with your hands on your chins…” “I knew a bunch of Chins once,” the Doctor said as they hurried out of the room toward a wardrobe room. Later… “Doctor, this space suit of yours is absolutely ridiculous!” Jesse said as the Doctor put a bubble helmet over his head. It was attached by two piping to an oxygen tank on his back. Jeremy smiled, “Doctor are you sure they’ll support us?” “Yes, they’re a great fit in the crotch as you can see,” the Doctor felt himself up. “I mean will they really keep us alive?” “Yes, yes, yes,” the Doctor said, “They’re completely reliable…” “In spite of looking like the Mitchellan Tireman’s pyjamas?” Jesse said, ” Come on, let’s go save that man!” Jeremy ran out first. “Good man!” The Doctor said and ran out after Jeremy. “Me or that man?” Jesse asked. “Come on!” Jeremy reached back into the room and pulled Jesse by the arm—out of the wardrobe room. The TARDIS had come to rest on a smaller rubbish heap from the one it fell from. It was still sideways. Jeremy, the Doctor, and Jesse came out of the doors, Jeremy held Jesse’s arm to keep him from falling down the heap. Jesse looked down, “Thanks,” he told Jeremy. “Nice landing,” he told the Doctor, who ignored him and lead the way down. The Doctor noted, “Haven’t used these suits since that whole thing on the Moonbase with Polly, Ben, and Jamie, the real Ben and Jamie, not our man Friday clone, not that being a clone is a bad thing…or was it with Charley and that whole Cybermen in space thing…Cybermen were on the Moon too then, every time I use these suits I see Cybermen…what if they’re linked to the Cybermen, what if…” “Doctor, you can just shut up…” Jesse said. At the man, who was on his stomach, the Doctor put the sonic screwdriver to work, removing some bits of metal. “Hold on, mate, hold on, we’ll get you out of here…” “Is he alive?” Jesse asked. “Just get this off of him…” the Doctor said. Jesse and Jeremy heaved but couldn’t move the pole structure. “It’s too heavy…” “Oh, my, I forgot, wait…” the Doctor set the sonic screwdriver, “Only works on non living matter just now…try it now…” he added as his two lovers just stared at him. They heaved and the pole went flying away from them. The Doctor laughed. Heavy smoke clouds landed around them. “Doctor, I can hardly see the TARDIS…” The man gurgled, “Pollution clouds…” “Oh dear,” the Doctor checked, “His air türbanlı escort supply…” “Name of an old band!” Jesse snapped a joke to Jeremy, and Jesse smiled proudly… “It’s almost gone!” “The band?” Jesse asked, “Broke up years ago…” “Not funny. The oxygen in the man’s tanks…” “Is gone,” the man said. “Hurry, let’s get him inside!” They all lifted him up and moved up the rubbish heap. Around them the reddish, black sky grew ever more dark and ever more black. Nothing seemed alive on the Earth. The boys were glad once the TARDIS doors shut behind them. The Doctor ran from helping the boys carry the tall, thin man, to the side wall of the TARDIS…the boys almost dropped the man. “Those roundels look different,” Jesse said. The Doctor took off his helmet and put it on the console, than back to his side wall. “Get him over here, then to sickbay!” The Doctor took to a button series under a roundel at the side wall. He pressed one and a bed came down from the wall. “Blimey!” Jesse said, “Didn’t know that was there, woulda cum in handy in the past…” “Very hand—dee,” Jeremy said. They put the man down on the bed, which began to take readings. The Doctor undid the man’s helmet and took it off. Underneath was a dazed, almost unconscious, short haired black man. Jeremy and Jesse took off their helmets and ran to them. “How is he?” Jeremy asked. The man opened his eyes. Jesse looked at him, and whispered, “Now I’m not prejudice in the least but…I don’t usually go for black men but in this case…” “I can hear every word…” the man said. “Sorry…” “It’s okay, I think you’re hot, too,” the man smiled. “Whatever is this place, though?” “You…you’re not married?” Jesse wondered, more importantly. “I am. My wife…my wife…and family,” he tried to sit up. Jesse pouted, “He has a wife. How wrong…” “Not just yet, my good man,” the Doctor put a hand to the man’s chest and laid him back down. He took, from another roundel, a small oxygen mask attached to the wall. He put it over the man’s mouth and turned some more buttons. And dials. “Give it a minute.” Soon, the Doctor removed the mask and put it back. “Are you any better?” The man smiled, “Yes, yes, thanks. Is this a …no, it can’t be. I know what they look like. This isn’t any Company rocket ship that I can see…” Jesse started to say, “I thought you said it was those alien blokes, the Usiri…” “Mankind doesn’t know about them being part of the Company just yet so don’t …” the Doctor pointed to Jesse. Jesse put both hands over his own mouth. “I’m sorry. Thanks for saving me. I ‘m Erick by the way. I suppose I should be happy I’m alive. But never to see my family again…my wife, my children…” He looked glum. “I’m so disappointed…” Jesse frowned, “So am I…” Jeremy smiled and put his hand around Jesse’ s shoulder. The Doctor moved back, facing Erick, “Oh don’t be so glum, so dire. What number was their rocket, do you know?” “703612,” Erick said, “But you have a way?” Jeremy moved back to the man, who sat up now, “The Doctor always has a way…” He turned to the Doctor. Erick jumped up. The Doctor was smiling. Jesse shrugged, “Well, usually…” Thousands of rockets. Headed for Mars and Pluto. Splitting up. The Doctor watched them on the scanner, “Mars,” he shivered, “Plenty of bad memories…” Having already changed out of the Doctor’s survival space suit, Jeremy rubbed his back, “Easy Doctor, we’re here and now, in the present day future…” “I know,” the Doctor smiled, “Some good memories, there, too…just can’t recall any at the mo…there it is!” In a small pilot rec room, an Indian man and a white American were sitting, having coffee. The American consoled the Indian man. “We knew someone had to go out there and fix it.” “But for it to be Erick…” “We couldn’t abort the countdown,” the American said. “I know but to just leave him and take off, I should report the Captain…” “Jungo, he had to leave then and there. That black cloud…” “I know. It could have stopped our engines. If only the Company didn’t scrimp so on the security of the structure…” “It withstands outer space…” “But the corrosive clouds…” “At least we know his space suit will give him some protection…” Jungo nodded, “Just give him a slower death. He saved us all. I should have insisted we go back.” “Captain Stollen…he’d have had you shot. It’s almost as if…as if he were taking orders from someone, some thing else.” Jungo sipped some tea, “Anyway…it’s too late, too late now…we’ll not even have his body to bury…we’ll never see him again…” As if on cue, the whining groaning sound came into play. A rectangular figure tried to materialize in the far corner of the room. The two men stood up, dropping their tea cups. “It sounds like a cow giving birth…” The American gasped. “Or someone stringing together and mixing up some piano wire!” Jungo noted. TARDIS soon appeared and out stepped Erick. “Erick!” Jungo gasped. In the TARDIS hallway, just short of the actual exit outside, Jesse moved to go out but Jeremy stopped him, pulled him back by his thin waist, “Hey, we don’t have to go out, we did our part…” “Yeah but still, I might convince him to try it…just once might be enough to…” “Will you stop. I know you’re just teasing…” Erick came back and pulled them both out by the arms. “Meet my wife…Jungo.” “Jungo! That…that’s your wife?” Jesse asked, astonished. Jeremy smiled, “Well, well, well, finally. In the future, things are different…” “You don’t approve?” Erick asked. Jungo hugged Erick some more and didn’t even pay attention. Jesse swallowed. Jeremy smiled, “He thought wife meant female…it used to only mean that in most places on Earth, in the time we’re from. Mostly thanks to religion and a man, called, ironically enough, Bush…well, I guess bush is the opposite of dick…anyway, it seems Earth has grown up a small bit…you are married in this time?” “Yes, yes, fully married. I mean…I know it’s hard to believe but I guessed already that you’re both…and the Doctor, time travelers. Human beings from our…our past?” “Well, we are,” Jeremy nodded, “The Doctor…he’s a different and more complicated story. He’s from the past and the future and he’s not fully human. Thing is, you are gay…and married…” “And have a family. What kind of family?” Jesse asked. “You have kids?” “A kid is a goat,” Jungo said sternly. Then he looked at Erick, “The children! The children will want to see you.” Jungo said. “Might be Muslim,” Jeremy shrugged to Jesse over the goat thing. “Fool if he is,” Jesse added. “I have to go see them,” Erick said, “My children. Just in case you’re wondering, Tun and Sela are adopted. But the other three…” “Three!” Jesse gasped. “Were conceived in ….alien ways…within Jungo…” “So you really are the wife,” Jesse said, happy he’s not. “Yes,” Jungo said, “Now please, Erick, I’ve told them that we…we lost you. I mean it was three days ago…” “Yeah, thanks again, you lot. Won’t you stay?” “NO!” The Doctor came out, “I hate to be rude but we’ve got some things to do…” He pulled Jesse and Jeremy back inside. Jesse broke free as Jeremy waved goodbye. “I did want to…” Erick smiled and kissed his cheek, “Jesse, I…I’m loyal to my wife. I mean I know not all gay people are loyal and I appreciate your and the Doctor’s and Jeremy’s open relationship…and believe me I was tempted but I love my wife…” Jungo was not appreciating any of this, “Can we go see the kid…the children now?” “Sorry, I meant no offense…” Jesse bowed, “Bye…” “Thanks for bringing him back,” Jungo nodded. “Jesse, come on!” The Doctor called from the TARDIS. “Oh, all go, isn’t it?” Jesse looked back, and then turned to Jungo and Erick, “Take care…” “Bye.” Jesse ran to the Doctor and both vanished inside, the Doctor waving quickly with just a hand visible and not even his face. The doors slammed. The TARDIS slowly vanished. The American was amazed, “Amazing!” Jesse was inside, “What is it now? Another distress call?” “NO, no,” the Doctor puffed, “We’ve been through enough. It’s time for a party…a real fun time…” Jesse and Jeremy looked at each other, doubting… “I mean it…let’s collect some friends and find a place to have some fun…” TBC oh yeah, Galaxy Express, Doctor Who, and the Cybermen are all owned by someone else. No copyright infringement is meant.