A/N: Thanks for the reviews folks!!!! Glad you're all enjoying!!

So where were we? Oh yes that's Right... Gallifrey! Well not literally of course, tht would be impossible. So, that little piece of rock is part of Gallifrey, still doesn't explain where they are though and Just what did the girls discover? Hmm, maybe, just maybe you'll find out any minute now...

Chapter 4

"Home?"

The Doctor nodded, burying his hands deeper in his pockets, slowly moving away from the time agent, his eyes never leaving the rock. As he got to the TARDIS doors he paused and looked up at Jack.

"That's what's left of home." Without another word the Doctor retreated into the safety of the TARDIS.

Jack was about to follow when he heard the girls yelling at him as they ran across the sand.

"Where's the Doctor going?" Martha gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked noting the look on Jack's face.

Jack held out the rock to her, "you better go talk to him. I…." He shook his head.

"Right, Martha, fill Jack in and if you go in there be careful!"

XxXxX

"Doctor?" Rose called peering in each room as she passed, fingering the rock in her pocket. It began to make her fingers tingle as she went deeper into the TARDIS.

She peered into the garden room. She loved that room, the grass was usually green and lush the trees were always in full leaf, birds and butterflies seemed to fly across the sky. She knew it was all a computer simulation but it looked and felt so real it was like being in a garden back on earth.

Today however the surroundings were more than a little different. The grass beneath her feet was a deep red colour and the trees had silver leaves. There were snow-capped mountains in the distance that sparkled against the orange sky. Rose sighed as she saw a familiar form lying in the hammock.

"So this is where you've been hiding," Rose called, softly announcing her presence as she moved beside him. "This is different for you." She smoothed his hair away from his forehead and watched his face. Even with his eyes closed he looked troubled. "So what's so special about this rock?"

The Doctor's eyes snapped open as she pulled the item out of her pocket. He panicked so hard he flipped the hammock over and he ended up sprawled on the grass, scrabbling away from her.

Rose frowned at him then looked down at the rock as it shimmered.

"What is it?"

"It's a rock, Rose. A piece of rock."

"So why did Jack hand it to me and why are you practically running away from it?"

"We can use it to recharge the TARDIS quicker. Then we can get as far away from here as possible."

"It will help the TARDIS?"

"Yes. Now if you wouldn't mind leaving it way over there if you're staying." He waved his arm towards the door, slowly getting to his feet.

Rose tossed the rock away and planted her hands on her hips as the Doctor stood, leaned heavily against a tree and visibly relaxed.

"What is wrong with you? Anybody would think the stone had teeth or something."

He raised his hand up to show her his fingers, they were red raw. "I touched it earlier."

Rose reached out to inspect his fingers more closely. "But how, I don't understand. It didn't hurt me or Jack, it just shimmered."

"It's Gallifrey. Well, it's a bit of what's left of Gallifrey. We must be in a neighbouring galaxy."

"But why did it hurt you? It's just stone."

"It's more than that, it's part of the planet itself and planets have memory. When I touched it images flashed through my head."

"The war?"

The Doctor nodded. "The energy that radiated burnt me. It's like it's still alive and knows I tried to kill it. But it can help re-power the TARDIS."

"But if the images weren't good ones won't that hurt the TARDIS?"

"No, the TARDIS is healed; she just needs to gain her strength back. The power that rock gives off will help some. It'll help even more if I charge it up a bit."

"Why don't I like the sound of that?"

He offered her a crooked smile and took her hand. "It'll be fine. Just don't let it touch me until we get to the control room. Where are the other two by the way?"

"Ah, now that's what we came to tell you before you disappeared…"

XxXxX

The Doctor took off at a sprint across the beach yelling at Martha and Jack, Rose following close behind.

Jack stopped and looked round.

"I hope you weren't going in there unarmed, Captain," the Doctor gasped as he finally reached them, clutching at his sides.

Jack reached under his shirt and pulled out his pistol.

"Hang on, we're relaxing on a beach and you're still carrying your pistol?" Rose asked.

"What's that going to do? Except maybe create a few dents," the Doctor huffed.

"Just as well you've got your screwdriver then isn't it?" Jack told him. "See I'm not the only one armed."

"A Sonic Screwdriver is hardly a weapon. It's a tool."

"My pistol is a tool; I use it to kill things. Ever heard the expression 'tooled up'? Exactly, shall we?"

The Doctor took Rose's hand and kept her behind him as they entered the building.

Martha couldn't help the twinge of jealousy that sprang up in her stomach. Part of her wanted to scream. This wasn't the Doctor she knew, he wasn't that protective or particularly tactile with anything, except maybe the TARDIS and here he was, large as life gripping onto Rose's hand and protecting her from unknown danger as if it was the most natural thing in the world. If she was honest she'd always hoped he'd come to her for help or comfort when he'd got to know her better, but he never had. He just kept it all bottled up. She'd watched him from the door way lost in thought as a few stray tears fell down his face and he'd catch himself, wipe them away and carry on with the day. But he never crumbled, not once. She'd seen him close to tears plenty of times but never actually cry. She wondered if Rose had seen it but dismissed the thought as it only served to fuel the bubble of jealousy that was brewing.

Martha felt guilty as soon as she thought it but she couldn't help but wonder what it was about Rose Tyler that captured the Doctor. She was nothing special, no education to speak of, no incredible intelligence that could keep him talking for hours.

Martha mentally kicked herself at how petty and nasty that sounded.

It was true Rose seemed like a nice girl but still she was nothing special.

"You okay?" Rose's hushed voice reached her ear. "You have a funny look on your face."

"I'm fine," she smiled tightly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," the Doctor hissed, rushing over to the metal suits.

Looking around there were hundreds of them, possibly thousands all standing to attention but completely lifeless.

"These things haunted me for years. These are the originals from Mondas."

"Okay you're going to have to fill in the blanks here Doc," Jack told him, making sure Martha was close.

Looking around to make sure they weren't being observed the Doctor ushered them all into a dark corner.

"During the prehistoric era Earth had a twin planet, Mondas. It got knocked out of the solar orbit and drifted off into deep space. The Mondasians were ridiculously advanced compared to Earth and the need for survival in deep space led them to send out space crafts to colonise other worlds. On these worlds they built huge tombs where they could put themselves in suspended animation whenever necessary.

Meanwhile, back on Mondas, the Mondasians were dying out and in order to survive they replaced most of their bodies with Cybernetic parts. They removed most of their emotions to save them from insanity and installed a drive propulsion system so they could actually drive their planet through space. Pure genius!"

"Cybermen," Jack nodded, now understanding the need for the Doctor's rambling.

"Correct. Except now the Cybers began to outlive and outnumber what was left of the original Mondasians and they started conquering worlds and converting any organic matter they find into Cyber-beings, continuing their new race; cold and calculating and incredibly clever. No thought past how to get the job done, no matter what it takes. Unlike their modern day counterparts however they used to show emotion all be it fleetingly, but I definitely angered them and they were definitely smug gits when they wanted to be. And that made them even more dangerous. These chaps seem to be just the suits but ….." He stepped towards one of the suits holding out his sonic screwdriver. Buzzing it against the breast plate, the Doctor pulled some of the metal away and almost gagged at the smell.

"Woah! Is that….?" Jack stepped forward, holding his hand over his mouth and nose.

"What's left of whatever used to inhabit this planet."

"So how come they're not moving?" Rose asked, wrinkling her nose as she poked at the shrivelled material. "Eugh, it feels like rubber."

The Doctor leaned in closer, pulling his glasses from his trousers pocket and slipped them on.

"If you even think about licking that you're on your own tonight," Rose warned.

"I wasn't going to lick it, although it does remind me of something edible, just can't think what."

"Everything reminds you of something edible; it's the whole oral fixation."

He straightened and looked at her, "for the millionth time, I do not have an oral fixation."

"Oh really? You really want to argue that with me?" Rose raised an eyebrow and gave him the same look she did when she was about to get her own way. The one that said 'I'm gona eat you alive.'

He swallowed hard and desperately hoped he wasn't blushing as hard as he thought he was before silently turning back to the droid. "The organic matter has completely perished. It's no use what-so-ever. Question is; why are they all here?"

"And who's playing around with them?" Martha pointed out. "When we were here before we heard noises, drills and clanging."

The Doctor visibly paled, eyes darting around the warehouse. If anyone ever succeeded in reanimating the organic matter….he shuddered at the thought. "Well it's all silent now."

"Not quite, something's slithering around in here, Doc," Jack said, pulling out his weapon.

The group all looked around them, gazes flicking from floor to ceiling, wall to wall.

"Everyone stick together and don't drop your guard," Jack hissed, pulling Martha behind him.

"What is it?" she asked, worry plain in her voice.

"No idea, I just heard it."

"Over there," Rose whispered in the Doctor's ear as she stood behind him, pointing over his shoulder ahead of him.

He frowned, focussing his eyes in the dim light and he caught the flash of something, almost in the corner of his eye. "Anybody wearing any gold they're not particularly fond of?"

"What?" Martha, Jack and Rose chorused.

"Never mind." He started to rummage in his pockets, pulling out an array of weird and wonderful things. "Come on, come on. I've got to have something…. Oo my yo-yo, been looking for that for months! Hold that will ya Rose?" He continued to rummage before almost yelping with delight as he pulled out a gold chain.

The creature was venturing closer and closer.

"What is it? A snake?" Rose asked.

"Worse, it's a Cybermat."

"What's that when it's at home? And what are you doing?" Martha questioned.

"A form of metallic life, which depending on the model; could be deadly. And I'm trying to disintegrate this gold into dust." He willed the sonic screwdriver to work faster while slowly stepping back encouraging the others top do the same. "Rose, remind me to add a super fast setting to this thing if we get out of here."

"I've been telling you to do that since day one!" she hissed.

"Aha! Better look away, if this gets in your eyes it's going to hurt." The Doctor stepped forward toward the Cybermat.

They began circling each other like a pair of hunters sparring for territory. Lifting his hand up the Doctor opened it palm up, the gold dust glittering in what little light there was.

"Come on, that's it, a little closer. I won't hurt you." He crouched and waited for the creature to make its move. He knew it would take advantage of the Doctor's vulnerable stance any second.

Rose, Jack and Martha watched through their fingers all with bated breath as the creature and the Doctor settled at stalemate for what seemed like hours.

Suddenly the banging resumed making everyone jump including the Cybermat.

Rose and Martha yelled out as the creature launched itself at the Doctor but he was ready for it. Blowing on his hand the gold dust flew straight at his attacker causing it to drop to the ground, shuddering and twitching.

"It's dead," the Doctor declared and the others moved towards him.

"It looks like a giant version of one of those things I find in my bathroom," Martha said crouching down to get a better look.

"A Silverfish," the Doctor corrected.

"Yeah that's the one, only it's slightly more snakelike."

Pointing his sonic screwdriver at it he scanned it up and down. "Yup, dead as a dodo. And poisonous. Whew am I glad I didn't touch it."

"It's it still poisonous?"

"Not now, it can't bite or sap brain energy." Reaching down he broke off some of the creature's shell.

"What's it made of? The inside I mean." Rose wrinkled her nose at the pink substance that was protruding.

"Children."

"What?" Jack wasn't sure head heard right.

"When a Cyber conversion is launched they gather up the occupants in the immediate area first, men, woman and children, like they did in London. Children's organs are too small to be put into a Cyber suit so they created these. They didn't like to waste useful meat," the sentence left a bad taste in the back of his throat.

"So that was once a child?" Martha asked.

"Parts of it were. Just like the organic matter in these suits were once adults. What's left of the kid's parents are probably in this room."

"Would they have known? The Cybermats, would they have know what had happened."

The Doctor shook his head. "No more than the Cybers can remember who they are. Cybermats were pets and weapons. There's no need for any kind of personality. Right lets meet our wana-be creator shall we?"

XxXxX

Next time:

Rose ran through the corridor, the sounds of distant screaming echoing in her ears. The run seemed endless but as she finally made it to the control room she froze.

The Doctor was hunched over the panel, still gripping the rock, tears rolling down his face. Eventually he gave in and began screaming at the top of his lungs.

Without thinking she ran to his side and wrapped her arms round his torso.

"Help me," he gasped between screams.

Coming soon:

They hadn't intended to hear what was being said or stay around to hear more but they did. Feeling like they were rooted to the spot Martha and Jack found they couldn't move past the living room door.

A/N: Ooo big suprise huh? thoe big metal blokes are back but with a difference. And don't worry they are the big problem in this story, oh no...just a minor annoyance. Got something a whole lot nastier in store for this lot...

Yes it's that scene next time the, one you've been fretting over; what have I done to the poor soul this time?! mwahahahah

So, keep reviewing...

"Catch ya on the flip flop!"