Chapter 2 - The Cybermen Attack.
The TARDIS echoed with the sound of time pumping through its heart. Jack booming laugh rang out as he remembered the TARDIS and the many unusual adventures that he had undertaken with the Doctor. He looked in the direction of the Doctor where he stood with Amy and Rory and he smiled sadly; it appeared that the Doctor had replaced him and the other old companions; neither Rory or Amy had ever heard of him.
He looked down at the floor, seemingly studying the various cracks and dimples of the uneven surface, and thought back to a time when he had believed that he and Rose would forever travel with the Doctor. But as he looked upon the Doctor now, with his new personality and face, he couldn't help but think that he was a different man. The Doctor Jack had known ran from no man. He was crazy, but wise, and no matter what situation they were in he would figure out an answer and this regeneration seemed so different it made Jack wonder whether he should stay.
Jack knew that the best thing to do was leave. Unlike when the Doctor had regenerated from his ninth to his tenth face, he now had new companions and it seemed to Jack that he never wanted to look back. Maybe it hurt too much to think of Donna as lost, that he would never again hear the sarcastic tone of his best friend. Perhaps he couldn't stand to think of Rose, the one companion that he was ever-so-close to loving as gone forever. At that thought, Jack raised his head to find the Doctor staring back at him.
"Don't you dare leave, Jack." The Doctor gave him a knowing look and Jack couldn't help but give a little laugh, "I need your help."
"I don't know," Jack sighed, "Everything's so different... Even the TARDIS has changed!"
"I'm still me," the Doctor said, his voice clear and confident as ever, a slight falter the only hint at the sadness that lay behind the words, "I'm still the Doctor."
"Why don't they know about us? Any of us." Jack asked sadly, hoping the Doctor had a good reason.
I find it hard to remember, looking back is the hardest thing I can do. They are gone and they can never come back." His eyes flicked to one side, as if watching the memories whip past him.
"But if that message got through then maybe…" Jack started.
"No! It can't happen, Jack!" the Doctor spoke through clenched teeth.
"But Doctor, there are a lot of universes, each nested inside one another. If they collide we could step from one to the other," Jack opened his hands out, imploring the Doctor to agree with him. To give him some hope.
The Doctor frowned, "Don't you think I have thought of this, Jack? Don't you think I have gone over it a thousand times? Jack, parallel universes never collide. I'm sorry, I am really, really sorry, but she's gone." With that, the Doctor turned and walked towards the centre of the TARDIS.
Amy saw Jack's devastated expression, he looked so sad. She made her way over and stood in front of him, arms crossed."So Jack, how do you know the Doctor?"
Jack smiled as he looked over the Doctor's new companion he hadn't found himself talking to properly before, she looked back with that vaguely over-confident smile she sometimes instilled. Jack knew already that there was something strange about her; something fantastically strange.
"Well it was World War II," Jack watched a frown form on her face, "It's not just the Doctor who is older than he looks."
"What was he like?" Amy found herself asking.
"I mean, there was one time, the time when I realised that I would follow that man, that crazy man, to the end of the universe. I would risk my life every time because I realised the decisions that he had to make…" Jack went quiet and looked up to see Amy slowly uncross her arms. Her abrupt façade had wavered as she took in his words.
"The Doctor never speaks of his past. Not to me anyway!" She looked teasingly at the Doctor, a hint of accusation in her tone. But Jack knew she was hurt; the Doctor was her best friend but she felt as if he did not trust her back.
"The Doctor finds it hard," Jack remembered the last time he saw his Doctor, "He lost his friends, it's hard for him to talk about it." He looked over to the Doctor where he stood, punching buttons and twirling dials on the TARDIS's control panel. The familiar image made him smile. "All you need to know is that he is the greatest man alive and he has put his life on the line so many times to save his friends."
"I know… he is my best friend," Amy looked defensive, as if trying to prove that she knew him just as well.
"And you are his. I can see the way he looks at you, Amy Pond. He's worried about you," Jack said.
"So! Where to, you three?" The Doctor's voice called loudly, breaking the tension between Jack and Amy and causing them both to jump slightly. "We have all of space and time to travel around and have adventures! We could go anywhere!"
"Earth?" Came Rory's reply. Jack could see him now, standing in the corner, watching them talk.
"Ugh, you humans have such limited minds! I give you any time and any place and you want to go home. Really?" the Doctor shook his head in fake exasperation and started to press buttons and pull leavers.
Just as the Doctor was about to press the last switch that would take them home the phone rang. Everyone looked at the ringing phone in surprise. The Doctor pulled a face and reached for the lever. "Hello?" his face betrayed no emotion as he listened to whoever was on the other end, eyes diverted to the ceiling, "Well, when and where are you?" The Doctor nodded once and put the phone down. "Sorry, Rory, we have to make a detour!"
"Well of course," Rory moaned. "We never get to go where I want to go!" he folded his arms in a huff.
"Who was that, Doctor?" Jack asked.
"Doctor River Song," the Doctor replied, his hands working furiously over the control panel.
"Right…" Jack said, "And just who might she be?"
As the Doctor opened his mouth to speak, Amy butted in: "The Doctor and River meet up at different parts in their time line, first time the Doctor met River was the Last time she would meet him."
"Oh okay, I think I get it." Jack nodded slowly.
"Also she's my daughter... And she's the Doctor's wife." At Amy's word's the Doctor gave her an annoyed look.
"What?" Jack glared, "What about Rose?"
"Well... It was in another Universe!" The Doctor tried to explain. "It's very complicated!"
"Well what does she want? River that is." Jack's expression softened and the Doctor could see that his anger had faded and now he was more confused.
"She just said that she needs us to come and there was screaming in the background, so Amy does this count as your type of fun?" The Doctor smiled.
"It's more fun than library's..." She muttered back to him.
oOo
The Doctor stepped out looking around aware of the smoke surrounding him. He heard his companions stumble out after him, the Doctor looked carefully around the room trying to figure out what had destroyed the room.
"Okay, we need to split up." The Doctor nodded slightly, agreeing with his own command, he looked noticed the signs dotted around the room and realised that it was an office, "Rory and Jack go and search the first and second floor, me and Amy will take this floor and the basement."
"Be careful!" Amy fell into Rory's arms, he placed a light kiss on the top f her head and then the two broke away from each other. Amy faced Jack and pointed at him, "You look after him, he has a tendency to die... A lot."
"That's normal for me," Jack winked at her seductively but Amy was confused, "You'll understand later."
"Keep him out of trouble Rory." The Doctor said as he dragged Amy away and out of the door.
"So, this is going to be fun." Jack chuckled, together they made their way up the stairs and walked around the empty corridors warily.
"You don't seem like the normal companion, Rory." Jack pointed out, "You're here because of Amy?"
"Yeah, she loves the adventure." Rory replied with a quick look behind him, "I would do anything for her."
"I can see that," Jack smiled, "You remind me of myself a bit, Rory."
"What?" He stopped and looked at him angrily.
"The Doctor has changed you. To be perfectly honest, I've heard about you before. You're the nurse that became the last centurion, a hero." He started to walk again, "You are better than you think."
They were both brought to a halt when a scream rung through their ears, they shared a quick look of panic then ran towards the noise. They burst through the room to see River stood with a pistol aimed directly at the tall steal man that forced Jack's breath to hitch.
"Cybermen..." Jack watched the metal man's arm move up, he knew what happened next. He flew forwards knocking River to the floor, the Cyberman's hand made contact with Jack's chest sending the murderous pulse through his body, he screamed loudly in agony. Moments later he collapsed to the floor, his body limp.
"Jack!" Rory's yelled, it had happened so quickly. He was down on his knees in a flash trying to drag River to safety. She was unconscious but alive to Rory's relief.
There was a loud bang and the door's that he and the now dead Jack had entered moments before swung open. In the doorway stood a young adult that Rory couldn't recognise. The girl's attention was focused on the Cyberman as it looked directly at her and then to Rory's they both moved towards the other, just before the cyberman could reach her she leaned back, slamming her foot directly into its head she pivoted turning to one side and kicked again, the Cyberman dropped its arm and as it did the woman reached for the sonic screwdriver in her pocket and slammed it into the chest of the mechanical human, it collapsed to the floor but there was no time to celebrate her win.
"DELETE! DELETE!" She turned swiftly to see two more coming directly towards herself and the Doctor's companions.
"Rory, I need you to talk both River and Jack back to the Doctor!" She ordered him, he looked to Jack bewildered.
"But, he's dead... And he looks heavy!" Rory's plead for help but she ignored in and looked at him sympathetically.
"Rory, this is your chance to be the hero." She smiled crookedly, "Save them two and don't tell the Doctor about me, this is your chance to show them who you really are!"
"But what about you?" Rory asked as he grabbed Jack's arm, "I don't even know your name."
"It's Whistler and I'm going to kill these son's of bitches!" She said cockily and left the room heading strait for the Cyber's.
oOo
The Doctor and Amy had been walking around the corridor's on their chosen floors, nothing had happened yet and the Doctor was becoming bored. He allowed his mind to wander, and he found himself thinking of Rose.
"Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth," the Doctor said. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead. But here you are. Living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have." The pain of loss ripped him apart.
Rose cried, "Am I ever gonna see you again?"
"You can't," his reply hurt to say.
"What are you gonna do?" Rose asked him, still crying at the thought of never seeing him again.
"Oh, I've got the TARDIS. Same old life. Last of the Time Lords," he replied.
Rose then said, "On your own?" And he nodded and there was a short pause before she continued. "I lo.." She took a moment to compose herself. "I love you," she finished simply, her voice faltering as her eyes filled with tears again.
After a moment he replied: "Quite right, too… and I suppose… if it's my last chance to say it… Rose Tyler…" But then he was gone. The words he so longed to say remained
He brought himself back to the present day. He sniffed and wiped away the single tear that had fallen down his cheek and hoped that Amy hadn't noticed, but she had.
Amy opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing in her pocket, she was relieved when she saw that it was Rory's names that flashed up on the screen, it meant he was alive.
"Come back to the TARDIS!" Rory sounded out of breath and extremely scared, "Cybermen!"
oOo
Whistler listened for just a moment and the quiet whisper of a footstep came from around the corner, her breath was rapid, her heart's beat were to quick to count, suddenly she lashed out into the metal clone, her leg raised from the floor, she felt the kick connect with the metal face, the impact jolted her from her target, she heard a soft clang and watched as her sonic screwdriver was thrown across the room.
It raised its arm, she dodged, it then swung again, it caught her in the rib.
A loud crack.
She screamed in pain and was momentarily frozen, it threw her into a close table, as the wood shattered beneath her, splinters were rammed into her bare skin. She whimpered and pulled herself up, but before she knew it a metal fist crunched into her jaw.
Blood.
The red liquid shot from her lips and splattered against the near door, she collapsed in pain that overwhelmed her body, and then the memories of her life swept over her mind, she clenched her fist and opened her eyes to see the soldiers metal hand stretched out imperiously, she twisted out of harms reach and grabbed for the Sonic. She clicked the button just in time and the Cyber fell forwards, she half regretted her action as the metal beast collapsed over her, squashing her small body.
"God I hate Cybermen!" She muttered breathlessly.
oOo
Jack lay against the floor of the TARDIS, where Rory had placed him. River was next to him, the only difference was that Rory could see that River was breathing. The Doctor and Amy entered through the blue door's and both gasped when they noticed the two body's.
"River's okay." Rory said quickly but them his expression changed as he turned to the Doctor, "I'm sorry, Doctor. Jack gave his life to save River..."
"Oh, really?" The Doctor shook his head and rolled his eyes, "He's such a flirt, he'll use that to get a dinner out of her."
Rory spoke louder this time trying to make the Doctor understand, "Doctor... Jack's dea-" He didn't finish, Jack's loud gasp stopped him.
Jack's shot up, breathing deeply and trying to get his bearing's. "Well... That was... Fun." He closed his eyes and fell back, "You know, dying really does tire you out."
The Doctor gave a little smile, "Go up the stairs and find yourself a room."He leaned down and offered him a hand, "Don't make me regret asking you to stay."
"Wouldn't think of it Doctor." He grabbed his hand and smiled seductively at him.
"But you died." Rory found his words.
"Yes, then I came back." Jack agreed and walked to the stairs, "Like I said, you'll get used to it."
The Doctor smiled to himself, but the question that he was afraid to ask burned his thoughts, 'How did Rory get away from Cybermen when dragging two body's?' He would have to just ignore it, he wouldn't want to spoil his Heroic moment even if he knew that his companion was keeping something from him, his only hope was that it isn't something dangerous.
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