Chapter 4: Fortress of Silver
As Jenny was prepared for the fight of her short life, Jenny first pushed the beast off of her, ready for the Jarston to jump back up at her. However, the beast was already dead. "Well, that was easy," Jenny said.
"Jenny," Hurom said, "The Jarston was already dead."
"That's why it was easy, then. Now for the hard part. Convincing whatever killed it to come out of the shadows."
"You don't need a lot of convincing; I'll just stay on this side and you stay on yours," came a female voice.
"Fair enough," Jenny said as she turned to the door and attempted to pick the lock with her knife, "You know, Hurom, there's something I don't understand. Why would Curron have such an advanced palace yet use an extraordinarily simple lock?"
"I can answer that," the girl in the shadows said again, "The Jarston is supposed to eat you so quickly that you don't have a chance to survive."
"Oh. Then how did you manage to kill it?"
"The guards are stupid and didn't register this as a weapon because, like the door, it's not advanced enough, despite this bow and arrow being so advanced it can more than likely pierce their hides."
"What did you use?" Hurom asked. An arrow then flew and hit the wall just an inch away from Hurom. "Oh. A bow and arrow. Lovely."
"Well thanks for doing the hard stuff for us, friend," Jenny said, "What did you do to get in here anyway?"
"I don't remember. Anything."
"Anything? Well, you're breathing, aren't you?"
"I mean I don't remember anything besides basics. I can talk, breathe, and fight. Curron brought me here. I don't remember why."
"You know how to fight?" Jenny asked, intrigued, "We could use your help in saving the universe from the Cybermen."
"The Cybermen? What's a Cybermen?"
"I think when its singular, its called just a Cyberman," Hurom corrected her.
"Whatever. Still, I don't care. Whatever the Cybermen are doing, they can gladly do it."
"Friend, what species are you?" Jenny asked.
"A human. Why?"
"You'll be turned into a Cyberman if we don't destroy them. They plan to transform any human or creature that is anatomically similar into a Cyberman."
"Why are you asking for my help? I could very well be a dangerous criminal."
"But you don't remember that," Jenny said, "So, I'll make a deal with you. If you come with us, then we could help you get your memory back, and in return, you don't kill us when you do get it back. My Dad, his name's the Doctor. He helps people with stuff like this all the time," Jenny said before lowering her voice to where no one could hear her, "I bet."
"The Doctor? Doctor Who?" the girl asked slowly stepping out of the shadows.
"Well it's a funny stor-," Jenny stopped in midsentence to look at this person. As far as any human went, she was beautiful, yet looked like she had been through so much torture and pain. Her hair was buzzed on one half, while the other had dark red hair flowing to her upper back. She had an athletic build, blue eyes, and generous…assets, but her most unique feature is that her skin was gray.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just most humans aren't that color."
"I thought all humans were this shade."
"None that I've seen, Friend."
"And it's not Friend. The name's Lauren."
"Lauren what?"
"I haven't thought of a last name yet. I can't remember anything, remember. All I know is what species I am. And because of you, I'm not even sure of that."
"If it's any consolation, Lauren," Jenny said, "I am sorry." The door finally opened. "But we're in a hurry and this is a limited time offer. Are you going to come with us?"
"Please say yes," Hurom said, "It'd be less awkward if there were three of us." Jenny held out her hand. It took almost a minute of Lauren pondering but she eventually grabbed it and followed Jenny and Hurom out.
"Great, now come on. We have to get out of here." The three were soon running out of the prison section and heading up towards the main part of Curron's fortress once again.
Curron's eyes opened with life quickly returning to them as well as anger. His specially modified nanogenes had done their job. His heart, after being destroyed by the blaster, was now completely cybernetic.
"We're going to play these games are we? The Cybermen should be more aware that I am unkillable. With these modified nanogenes, I have become immortal. I should have done this years ago to myself."
"Halt. In the name of the Cyber-Leader," two Cybermen said with their guns aimed at Curron.
"I thought he was the Cyber-Controller?"
"He is to be designated Cyber-Controller after being upgraded, we merely addressed him until databanks were restored. You, however, shall be killed immedietly." The two Cybermen then started shooting at Curron and as the lasers went through; the nanogenes did their work and repaired him, as well as give Curron the most advanced Cybermen armor from the destroyed model.
"I don't think I'm dead my friend," Curron said darkly as his spider-like legs neared the two Cybermen, who were showing no fear.
"It would be logical to back up," one of the Cybermen said.
"Agreed." The two soon started backing up, shooting his weak flimsy spider-legs and one of his arms off. However, like magic, the legs came back, making them larger. His arm grew with a canon where his hand should have been. Curron then used his now incredibly fast spider-legs to stab the Cybermen.
"Now what was it you freaks always said before the Doctor ended your newest model?" Curron questioned as he aimed his gun at his upper body, almost obliterating it completely. It soon rebuilt and Curron took his other arm, also rebuilding itself, this time as a hand with intimidating claws. Besides his head and neck there was nothing organic about Curron Varadanian anymore. "Oh yes," the cyborg said in a voice similar to the extinct Cybermen, "Upgrade in progress." Curron then walked over to his trophy case, revealing he had an empty Cyberman helmet from the days of the Cyberiad. He then aimed the gun to his face, before switching the setting to singe. "Go big or go home. HA HA HA HA AHHHHHHHHHH!" Curron yelled as everything but his skull and brain were melted. Before the nanogenes could do their work, Curron put on the Cyberman helmet, thus fusing the helmet to his skin when the nanogenes did activate. "Upgrade completed," Curron said in a monotone voice, "Plan: successful. Activating phase 2 of plan."
"Begin the process," the Cyber-Leader who had been addressed as the Cyber-Controller said. Soon a large, but tall dome was put onto the unit's head, thus upgrading him.
"Bring me any and all humans on Kylos. They belong to us. They shall be like us."
"We obey," said a few Cybermen as they started leaving.
"What is the status of the Cyber-King?" the Cyber-Controller asked his newly dubbed Cyber-Leader.
"The Cyber-King merely waits to be awakened."
"Then I shall do it. This shall be my ascension," said the Cyber-Controller, "I present the first Kylos model of the Cybermen's dreadnaught class: the Cyberking."
"All hail the Cyberking," said the majority of the Cybermen.
"What's the Cyberking?" Lauren asked.
"Hurom, you know a lot about the Cybermen. Do you have any ideas?"
"I heard it was some ship they used back in the day. Rumor has it; Curron knew a lot more of the Cybermen then anyone else. He was always fascinated by him."
"This is correct," Cyber-Curron said behind the three as he aimed his gun at the three, "You will rise and head to the center stage otherwise I kill you all." Hurom looked at the legs and saw that they were Curron's.
"My God," Hurom said, "I think this was Curron."
"Correction: I am Curron. I am Curron's upgraded form. Curron 2.0. Superior to all life and Cybermen. Emotion exists on a level that I control as does logic. They are both necessary when taking over the universe. Soon I shall lead this army of Cybermen and will convert the weak and pathetic human race." Cyber-Curron was talking loud enough to gain the attention of all of the Cybermen.
"What is the meaning of this?" the Cyber-Controller demanded.
"Revenge, Cyber-Controller," Cyber-Curron said as he led his three hostages to the middle of the room, "I cyber-converted myself with nanogene technology. This Cyberman technology is far superior to your own. I am dozens if not a hundred upgrades ahead of you. I am Curron Varadanian, and I seek your power and armies and ship. The Cyberking belongs to me as does the rest of the Cybermen."
"You have no control over them. I am a Cyber-Controller. Even Cybermen upgraded far beyond my time will not obey a lowly soldier when there is a Cyber-Controller in their presence especially if one is in a Cyberking, which upgrades him to a Cyber-Planner."
"Then you will be deleted." Cyber-Curron raised his weaponized hand and shot at the Cyber-Controller, who dodged the attack.
"Destroy them!" the Cyber-Controller yelled, "Destroy all who are not like us!"
"We obey," the Cybermen started raising their guns and shooting at their four opponents. As Jenny, Lauren, and Hurom hid behind some boxes, the group began to strategize.
"How are we going to beat all of them?" Lauren asked.
"Hurom," Jenny said, "Those Cybermen, are you sure they're not human?"
"If they are, they rely on the cyber-technologies to survive. Once their power is gone, they're brain dead." Jenny was quiet for a minute, thinking of what they should do.
"Lauren, how good are you with that bow?"
"Pretty good. I mean these are the best arrows and bow money can buy…I think."
"Since these weapons are modern and the Cybermen aren't, can you penetrate their armor?" Lauren quickly went above the box they were hiding behind and shot an arrow at one, killing it on the spot.
"Yep."
"Keep doing that. Hurom, this place is identical to your father's palace. Could you get over to the computer and blow this place up? I mean all places like this have a self-destruct sequence."
"It's possible, but what about Curron, the Cyber-Controller, and the Cyberking?"
"Leave them to me," Jenny said as she got up casually and started walking up the steps to the Cyberking's head.
"What are you doing?" Cyber-Curron yelled in anger, his emotion now taking a higher level.
"Stopping this thing from ever leaving this criminal fortress-slash-Cybermen factory."
"NO!" Cyber-Curron yelled as he walked past the rest of the Cybermen.
"Halt," the Cyber-Controller said as he blocked Jenny's path upwards, "You will not pass. For today you shall die."
"Before I go, can I say two things? One, I am impressed with how quickly you built this monstrosity. I mean it's beautiful. Dangerous, though, can't let it leave this place."
"And what is the other thing?" the Cyber-Controller's Cyber-Leader asked right behind her, trapping her on the stairs.
"I thought you fellows said 'deleted' like it was some sort of religious battle cry."
"We do occasionally."
"Just not as much as the newer models."
"Enough. This is irrelevant," the Cyber-Leader said.
"No it isn't," Jenny said casually, "It's a distraction."
"For what?" the Cyber-Leader said before a hand went through his back and out of his chest.
"For me," Cyber-Curron said, furious, "Now, the two of you shall now be deleted."
"See," Jenny said as she and the Cyber-Controller ran up the stairs, "Newer models."
As Lauren was finishing off the Cybermen, Hurom was finishing off the self-destruct sequence.
"Ok. Now all I have to do is wait for Jenny or Lauren to give me the ok and then- BLOODY HELL!" Hurom freaked out as the Cyber-Leader fell from the stairs and pressed the activation button. "Hey guys the Cyber-Leader just activated the self-destruct sequence!"
"What?" Lauren asked as she shot the last Cyberman.
"Yeah, and, uh, what have we here?" Hurom asked as he picked up an old relic surrounded by glass. "It's a perception filter. If the Doctor's in the past on Earth, I could really just freak everyone out. I should probably take this." Hurom grabbed the perception filter and went with Lauren towards the top of the Cyberking.
"You will die!" Cyber-Curron yelled. Suddenly the Cyber-Controller grabbed hold of Jenny by the neck with one arm and used his other one to aim his gun, which he used to successfully destroy Curron's spider-legs, and vicious mutated arms. However regular Cyberiad Cybermen arms and legs grew in place this time instead of more spider-legs and weaponized arms. It was now a battle between the most advanced Cyberman model with emotions, a classic model without emotions, and the daughter of the man who was thought to have destroyed both generations of Cybermen. At least for a moment it was. Jenny managed to escape the Cyber-Controller just as Cyber-Curron shot. The shot completely destroyed the Cyber-Controller's upper body, killing it.
"And now it's your turn," Cyber-Curron said.
"Excuse me," Lauren said as Hurom pushed Cyber-Curron off of the stairs, "Hurry," Lauren said, "Into the Cyberking!" As the group headed into the head, it formed a holographic shield.
"Do you think the shields will hold during the explosion?" Jenny asked.
"No. I made sure the blast would be powerful enough to where that wouldn't happen."
"Then it's over," Jenny said as she sat down, and closed her eyes. She then started to shed a few tears.
"It's not all bad, Jenny," Lauren said, "If we're going to die, at least we saved the universe from the Cybermen."
"No we didn't," Jenny said, "If we failed, the Doctor would have saved everything. He always does. And look at me, trying to be so much like him. I only knew him for part of a day." Cyber-Curron was now banging on the shields with all of his might trying to get in, and the shield was cracking.
"YOU ARE MINE, DAUGHTER OF THE DOCTOR!"
"And look at what my hopes and dreams did to us all. I tried to be more like him then I thought. I don't know you two that well, but all I know is that he took people with him to travel the stars. I did that. I'm not even real. I'm just a dumb clone from his DNA. I'm just a worthless shadow."
"That's not true," Hurom said, "You did all of this, and you discovered the truth that this gang war is nothing but a hoax. The Doctor was a beginner too once, and I'm pretty sure that when the Doctor went up against these Cybermen for the first time, he probably had a brush with death."
"And I literally just met you guys, and I really don't know anything about me or either of you, but I sure am glad I didn't die while staring at a dead Jarston in a prison cell. For that, thank you."
"You're right," Jenny said, "But there's nothing that can be done right now. Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but st-" Jenny stopped talking as her vortex manipulator went off. "Th-this is great! This is just wonderful. The vortex manipulator, it's working. I can leave whenever, and in just eighty seconds, it can take all three of us."
"Self-destruct in forty-five seconds," said a machine.
"I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME!" Curron yelled outside, "DELETE! DELETE!"
"Go without us," Hurom said, "Go find your family."
"What?" Jenny asked, "No I'm not leaving you two."
"This isn't up for discussion," Lauren said, "I don't remember my family."
"And mine is dead to me or actually dead if the Cybermen got to them. GO!"
"I won't," Jenny yelled before Jenny's voice echoed back, "Actually, you will." Jenny then turned to look back at herself.
"What is this?" Curron asked while still trying to break the shield, "There are two daughters? Twins?"
"I suppose," the new Jenny said as she quickly went over to the original's vortex manipulator, "Watch what I do." This new Jenny messed with it for a second.
"What happened," Jenny asked.
"Listen, I'm you from several seconds into the future. You're about to do all of this. I'm taking Hurom and Lauren, and you're going back several seconds in the past to do the same. Do you understand?"
"Did you hear that Hurom and Lauren? I'm bloody brilliant!"
"Yep, I know. Take care, kiddo," the future Jenny said as she sent the original into the past, thus making the future Jenny the original once again (I think (wibbly-wobbley timey-wimey…stuff)).
"Ten seconds to detonation."
"Hurom, Lauren, get over here, quickly and touch the watch." The two hurried over and did as was instructed. Jenny then laughed and looked at Cyber-Curron who had just broken down the barrier.
"My family really does keep screwing you over, Curron." The three then vanished with the vortex manipulator taking them somewhere else.
"No," Curron said.
"Three."
"No!"
"Two."
"NO!"
"One."
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Good bye." The entire building suddenly had an energy ball around itself before imploding back in, erasing everything that was in the building.
Jenny, Hurom, and Lauren soon all opened their eyes. Jenny immediately started looking for the TARDIS.
"Wh-where is it? Where are we?" Jenny looked down at her vortex manipulator. It said TARDIS's last landing.
"Oh, this is just great. Just wonderful," Jenny said, clearly angered.
"What's wrong?" Hurom asked.
"What's wrong?" Jenny asked, clearly upset by the news, "I'll tell you what's wrong, but first let me congratulate you for just randomly finding a perception filter. Secondly, future me, when messing with my vortex manipulator, must have altered how close we can get to the TARDIS's traveling energy by mistake. We're three days behind the TARDIS energy. We can catch up with him though whenever his TARDIS stops TARDIS...ing and stuff. Luckily, my vortex manipulator shows how long his TARDIS has been at rest. If he's slow for seventy-two hours, we'll find him. Thirdly, and most importantly, use that perception filter, Hurom. Like now."
Hurom used it, turning into a skinny young man with brown hair in elegant clothing. Clearly, this was Curron's disguise and Hurom would have it change it later.
"And Lauren, that jacket you're wearing, put your hood up."
"Why?" Lauren asked as she did so.
"You know that whole human's aren't gray thing I was talking about? This is a time when they believe aliens, if anything, are magical monsters."
"When are we?"
"Lady and gentleman, we are on planet Earth, year 1835, on the coast of a country called Denmark."
Next time on the Doctor's Daughter
"So, this is Earth?" Jenny said, "It's amazing. All of this, uh, sand. The waters and grass. I love it here."
"Who's that?" Lauren asked to a man running from the police.
"This isn't a Hans Christian Anderson," Jenny said, "This is THE Hans Christian Anderson!"
"Now boys," a hideous woman said, "Mama Papal needs you two to gently persuade them to come to me. If everything goes right, they could be the key to the Doctor's undoing."
Next time: Dark Tidings