Winter Rose, Book 1

Sabotage

Win had left Rose with the Doctor to greet the rest of the guests. Instead she'd gone over to the corner of the room where one of the guests had been stationed. The Face of Boe, who was quite literally a giant face in some kind of tank that reached up to her shoulders. Win was sure she'd heard that name somewhere before. So, of course, she was curious.

"Hello uh, the Face of Boe?" She cringed at the awkward greeting as she came to stand in front of the giant head. But her eyes widened when she heard chuckling in her mind while the Face of Boe's large eyes squinted at her.

'Hello Wintriah, it has been many years since I've seen you last." A deep male voice spoke mentally, making Win gasp just slightly.

"You're telepathic?! Amazing!" She breathed and he chuckled in her mind again.

'Yes, and you can just call me Boe, old friend.' Win nodded slowly.

"So, you know me? We've met before?" She asked him.

'This is the first time you are meeting me, but it will not be the last. You will see me many times yet, though I will not always look as I do now. Especially when I'm younger.'  Boe explained.

"Ah, yes, time travel. Gets confusing sometimes I guess." Boe hummed in agreement.

'This is your first trip with your Doctor, but it will be one of the last times I see you.' Win frowned.

"He's not my Doctor, not really. We may have lied about him being my husband." Boe laughed again.

'For now, but not for long.'

"What?"

'There are many things ahead of you, you must experience them yourself.'  Before Win could ask him what he meant the Steward stepped back up to the mike.

"And last, but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, Trees and multiform. Consider the Earth below, in memory of this dying world, we call forth The Last Human." Win raised an eyebrow. "The Lady Cassandra O'Brian Dot Delta Seventeen." The doors slid open.

"You have got to be kidding me." Win muttered as a metal frame with a rectangular piece of skin stretched out on it with a face in the middle was wheeled in by two humanoids covered from head to toe in white surgical clothing. It wasn't even a proper face! It was just two eyes with horrible makeup and a mouth! Glancing over at her companions Win saw the look of horror on Rose's face and the Doctor trying to hold back his laughter.

"Oh, now don't stare." The piece of skin with a face spoke in a stuck up kind of voice. "I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away, and look at the difference! Look how thin I am." Win wasn't sure if she wanted to throw up in disgust or laugh at the insane sight before her, so her face remained completely blank as she stared at the abomination in front of her.

"Thin and dainty." The face continued on. "I don't look a day over two thousand! Moisturize me, moisturize me." She muttered the last bit and her two surgeons used spray pumps to mist her with some kind of fluid.

"Truly I am The Last Human-"

"Why don't I believe that." Win muttered to herself, but heard Boe laughing in her head again. A smile quirked at the corner of her lips.

"My father was a Texan, my mother was from the arctic desert. They were born on Earth and the last to be buried in it's soil. I have come to honor them and... say goodbye." She pretended to sniffle and Win raised an eyebrow. "Oh, no tears, no tears." One of her attendants dabbed a handkerchief at the corners of her eyes.