Untold Knowledge (Doctor Who x Genius Fem! Oc) [Book 1]

Chapter 81: Gridlock

"How many cars are out there?" Martha wondered aloud as she looked out one of the filthy windows. Echo was on her phone playing an old retro game called 'Snake'.

Cheen shrugged, "I don't think anyone knows." She then grabbed a large, dry biscuit. "Here we go. Hungry?" then handed it to Martha.

She took the food gratefully, "Oh, thanks. But how far down is it to this fast lane?" she then asked, taking a bite.

Milo smiled, "It's right at the bottom, underneath the traffic jam. But not many people can afford more than two passengers at a time, so it's supposed to be empty down there. Rumor has it you can reach up to thirty miles per hour." he said with childish excitement in his voice.

Echo chucked, "If you give me the wheel,  I promise you we can get up to fifty." she offered as she kept her eyes on her game.

Martha then looked around at their confined space. "But how are you supposed to live inside this thing? It's tiny."

"We stocked up." Cheen began without judgment on her lack of knowledge. "We've got self-replicating fuel, muscle stimulants for exercise, there's a chemical toilet in the back, and all waste products are recycled as food."

"Okay." Martha then said as she dropped her biscuit to the floor with disgust.

"Car sign in." the computer then announced as they dropped down another level.

Milo grinned with satisfaction. "Car four six five diamond six, on descent to the fast lane, thank you very much."

"Please drive safely." came its response.

Martha sighed, then looked at Echo in contemplation. She didn't know how to properly phrase her inarticulate wonderings. So, gathering her courage, she then moved to side beside her. "Can I ask you something?" she asked hesitantly.

Without skipping a beat, her friend put her phone down and gave her human companion her full attention. "Of course. Ask away."

Taking a deep breath, she then decided to take a leap of faith. "Why does the Doctor keep comparing me to Rose? Why does he keep lying to me? I don't know what about, but I can tell when he does all the same."

Echo shrugged indifferently. "He's lying because it's easier." she said as though it should have been obvious.

"But what do you mean? Why is it easier? And what about the whole Rose thing?" Martha pressed, desperate for answers.

Studying her mortal friend for a long moment, she then sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll level with you. Though, keep in mind that a fairy tale isn't a hallucinogen that gives us hopes and dreams. It's a stimulant that makes us face reality." Martha nodded in understanding and waited patiently for her to continue. "The comparison should be seen as a compliment. We both miss her, with all of our hearts. He's also an idiot that can't hear what he's saying at times. It's easier to pretend, because then we don't have to deal with the ugly truth for a time. I'm not gonna say what the big secret is; that's for him to do. But I will say that it was life altering to the max. Yes, for the better, but... good wouldn't be good without the bad." The sorrow in her eyes was obvious as remembered grief weighed on her once again, making her look away to the floor.

Silence enveloped them all with a somber mood. Both Cheen and her Milo knew to remain silent as they couldn't help but listen to their conversation. Wanting to change the subject from the heavy, Martha then asked a different kind of inquiry. "What was it like? Falling for him, I mean."

A soft smile came into view as Echo was taken back to their early days. "They say when you meet the love of your life, time seems to just stop. And that's the truth, don't get me wrong. What they don't tell you is that, when it starts back up again, it moves extra fast to catch up." She met her gaze again. "Before I found him, my life revolved around getting money to screw over others with. I didn't really have morals or even a concern on how I effected those I came across; even if they died in the process. When I gained the ability to save and destroy whole worlds at a time, when I became a prominent character in the grand scheme of the multiverse, I got a lot worse. To be honest, I think he saved my life." Just thinking of all she had because of him caused a tsunami of love and gratefulness to flow and swell within her. Martha couldn't help but smile when seeing the adoration clear in her eyes.

Just then, they were all silenced by a distant growling sound from outside their vehicle. With wide eyes, Martha immediately looked to their "captors" for answers. "What's that? It's coming from underneath."

Cheen looked at Milo with almost happy nervousness. "It's that noise, isn't it? It's like Kate said. The stories, they're true."

Echo looked at her with immense intrigue. "Ooh, I love a good story, me. What's it say?"

Milo rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's the sound of the air vents. That's all." he immediately brushed off. "The exhaust fumes travel down, so at the base of the tunnel they've got air vents."

But his girl saw Echo's silent desire to hear what she had to say, so she obliged. "No, but the stories are much better. They say people go missing on the motorway. Some cars just vanish, never to be seen again. Because there's something living down there in the smoke. Something huge and hungry. And if you get lost on the road, it's waiting for you." she finished off with an ominous tone.

Almost on cue was there another distant roar. But Milo quickly shook his head to dispel his anxious 'what if' feeling. "Like I said. Air vents. Going down to the next layer."

Martha looked at him incredulously. "Except look out there." she countered. "Does it look like the air vents are working?"

With a shake of her head, Cheen looked out the front windshield with a frown. "No." she answered honestly.

"So what's that, then?" Echo went on, followed by another roar. "You see, air vents make a continuous sound. Not different types of brief roars."

Milo gave her an almost defiant look, not wanting to listen to such scary superstitions. "Nah. Kid stuff." He then grabbed the car's intercom. "Car four six five diamond six, on descent."

A groan of annoyance escaped Echo as she relaxed in her seat once again. "Don't you just love it when a virtual child says they know everything when faced with the truth?" she asked sarcastically, pulling out her phone to continue her game. Though, unbeknownst to the rest of them, she was ready for anything as she waited for when they'd inevitably need her help. Shouldn't be too long now.