"Time Lord science," The Doctor growled, staring at the Genesis Ark as it released Daleks into the air, "It's bigger on the inside."
"Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there?" Mickey asked, turning to The Doctor, "What for?"
"It's a prison ship," The Doctor replied, glancing over to Cerese who was staring into space, standing right next to the elevator. He could feel her trying to connect with the rest of their people and was about to walk over when Rose came up to him. As elated as he was to find another time lord he needed to save earth before he could talk to her. Now wasn't the time to tell Cerese what happened.
"How many Daleks?" Rose questioned, also staring out the window.
"Millions," The Doctor informed the group.
"She was in there too," Rose told him, gesturing to Cerese, "The Timekeeper or whatever."
The Doctor stared at Rose in shock. He thought that she'd be happy he had someone, just one person, from his home world. Something that he'd thought he'd lost forever. He didn't get the chance to respond though since Pete started talking.
"I'm sorry, but you've had it," Pete said, taking a yellow medallion out of his bag and handing it to Jackie, "This world's going to crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home. Jacks, take this. You're coming with us."
"But they're destroying the city," Jackie protested.
"I'd forgotten you could argue," Pete almost teased, "It's not just London, it's the whole world. But there's another world just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?"
"Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here," The Doctor had put on his 3D glasses, looking ridiculous, "Thank you, Torchwood." He went to the computer and got to work, "Slam it down and close off both universes."
"Reboot systems," the computer announced.
"But we can't just leave," Rose protested, "What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?"
"They're part of the problem, and that makes them part of the solution. Oh yes!" The Doctor paused before gesturing to the glasses, "Well? Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?"
"What is it with the glasses?" Rose complied
"I can see, that's what," The Doctor grinned, "because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen traveled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that. Via the Void. Look."
The Doctor handed the glasses to Rose before continuing, "I've been through it. Do you see?"
"Reboot in three minutes," the computer informed.
"What is it?" Rose asked, looking at the floating particles around The Doctor.
"Void stuff."
"Like er," Rose searched for the right term, "background radiation."
"That's it. Look at the others," He prompted, "And the only one who hasn't been through the Void, your mother. The first time she's looked normal all in her life."
"Oi," Jackie protested.
"But the Daleks lived inside the Void," The Doctor told them, "They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void and reverse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."
"Pulling them all in!" Rose cheered before looking at The Timekeeper and seeing how much void stuff she was covered in. It almost hurt to look at the time lady.
"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor agreed, seeing where Rose was looking and frowning. He'd looked at Cerese earlier and the woman had more void stuff than all of them combined.
"Sorry, what's the Void?" Mickey asked, and The Doctor was glad for the distraction.
"The dead space," he explained, "Some people call it Hell."
"So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell?" Mickey asked, The Doctor nodded and Mickey turned to Jake, "Man, I told you he was good."
"But it's like you said," Rose said, "We've all got Void stuff. Me too, because we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."
"That's why you've got to go," The Doctor told her, feeling his hearts clenched. To gain what he had and lose what he was going to lose in one day was going to be too much.
"Reboot in two minutes."
"Back to Pete's world," He continued before getting distracted, "Hey, we should call it that. Pete's World. I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."
"And then you close it, for good?" Pete asked.
"The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff," The Doctor said, "In the end, it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput."
"But you stay on this side?" Rose questioned.
"But you'll get pulled in," Mickey reminded.
"That's why I got these," The Doctor said, holding up the magnaclamps he'd taken the time to grab, "I'll just have to hold on tight. I've been doing it all my life."
"I'm supposed to go," Rose started.
"Yeah."
"To another world, and then it gets sealed off," She continued and The Doctor really wanted to just close his eyes and ignore the problem at hand.
"Yeah," he said instead.
"Forever," Rose shook her head, "That's not going to happen."
"We haven't got time to argue," Pete reminded them as the building shook from the force of the fighting aliens, "The plan works. We're going. You too. All of us."
"No, I'm not leaving here," Rose argued.
"I'm not going without her," Jackie added.
"Oh, my God. We're going!" Pete commanded.
"I've had twenty years without you, so button it," Jackie snapped, "I'm not leaving her."
"You've got to," Rose protested
"Well, that's tough," Jackie argued.
"Mum,"
"Reboot in one minute," The computer told them.
"I've had a life with you for nineteen years, but then I met the Doctor and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum. But not anymore, because now he's got me."
Rose didn't see The Doctor take a yellow medallion from Pete and walk around to behind her. He nodded at Pete and lowered the medallion over Rose's head.
"What're you-" Rose protested, but it was too late, they were gone and he was alone.
Well not completely alone anymore. The Doctor turned to see that Cerese was still standing next to the elevator. She looked even paler than she had earlier and he was almost worried that she would pass out.
He'd felt it earlier, Cerese trying to contact their people. He'd wanted to stop everything then and tell her what had happened, what he had done. But at the same time, he did not want to face her judgment. He'd seen Cerese risk her life to save people, what would she think of his cowardly actions?
There wasn't time to ponder it right now. He needed her to be present in order to complete his end of the deal. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping to rouse her from her spaced out state.
Cerese had tried calling out to the other time lords, her friends and family, but had received no response. Even from earth she still should have been able to connect with them. Especially The Watchmaker and The Flower, seeing as she was bonded with them.
But now that she had a moment to process on the way to the top floor she started to notice the deafening silence she was experiencing. There was nothing from her species. That buzz that had filled her head even when she was being tortured in her youth was gone.
There was nothing.
She couldn't even feel The Doctor.
Cerese followed everyone out of the elevator on autopilot, her body knowing what it needed to do without her brain commanding it.
It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that Cerese tuned back into what was going on around her. She noticed then that it was only her and The Doctor left in a room with some desks and three completely white walls.
"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked, looking into Cerese's eyes with his concerned brown ones.
"No," Cerese whispered, her voice cracking, "but I don't think now's the best time. Where are the others?"
"Gone," The Doctor replied simply, moving to a panel on the wall now that he knew Cerese was with him.
"Gone how?" Cerese asked, following behind The Doctor. Surely she would have noticed if anything bad happened?
"Through the void to a parallel universe on the other side." The Doctor told her.
"That's not possible," Cerese countered, "I was part of the Arcalian council when they decided to lose of the universes."
The Doctor glanced back at her but quickly got back to work, "I know."
"You seem to know a lot about me, Doctor," Cerese commented suspiciously.
The Doctor shrugged again before he typed in a final code.
"The Daleks are on their way up, let's get to work, Cerese," The Doctor said but before they could do anything the human woman, Rose suddenly appeared in the room again.
"Once the breach collapses, that's it," The Doctor reminded Rose after pulling her into a hug, "you'll never be able to see her again, your own mother."
"I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never going to leave you," Rose said, glancing at Cerese who was eyeing the controls in an attempt to give the two space.
She started messing with the buttons and adjusting some of the ones that The Doctor had moved to the right settings. Time was, after all, her domain and while she hadn't used these specific controls before she was very quick to pick up on how the setting worked.
"So what can I do to help?" Rose asked.
"Systems rebooted. 'Open access." The machine beeped, telling Cerese she'd done it correctly.
"Those coordinates over there, set them all at six," The Doctor ordered Rose before going to the controls that Cerese was at, "And hurry up!"
"We've got Cybermen on the way up," Rose warned, looking at the communication screen.
"How many floors down?" The Doctor asked
"Just one," she replied.
"Levers operational," the computer announced.
"That's more like it," Rose said when The Doctor looked at her with a grin, "Bit of a smile. The old team."
"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake," The Doctor listed.
"Which one's Shiver?" Cerese and Rose asked at the same time, earning Cerese a funny look from both the time lord and the human. She continued: "What, I know things about earth, alright?"
"Oh, I'm Shake," The Doctor told them before handing Rose a magnaclamp and gesturing Cerese over to him. "Press the red button."
"When it starts, hold on tight," The Doctor ordered, "Shouldn't be too bad, but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Ready?"
"Doctor," Cerese said, delaying the start by a moment, "I'm steeped in void stuff too."
"I won't let go, promise," The Doctor said, gripping Cerese around the waist with one arm as the time lady held onto the magnaclamp with both of hers, "Let's do it!"
"Online." The computer announces after both The Doctor and Rose had pushed the levers.
Cerese could feel the tug of the void down to her very core. It pulled at her very being as it almost urged her to let go. She wasn't sure what was happening but she held on tighter to the magnaclamp, knowing that she would be lost forever if she let go.
"Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor yipped with glee.
Her hearts stopped as The Doctor shifted his grip on her.
"Offline," The computer announced when one of the levers started to go back down. Rose let go of the magnaclamp with one hand in order to pull the lever back into position.
"Hold on!" The Doctor yelled.
She could feel the fear coming off of him in waves. Whoever Rose was she was obviously important to The Doctor. If Cerese shifted her weight just right and reached she might be able to reach the lever and help Rose.
"I've got to get it upright!" Rose replied, holding on for dear life.
"Online and locked," the computer announced and Cerese felt the Doctor breathe a sigh of relief.
"Rose!" The Doctor yelled a moment later when the lever she was now holding with both hands shifted, "Hold on!"
Rose's fingers slipped off the lever, The Doctor yelled for her again. The man from before, Pete, appeared and then Rose was gone.
"Systems closed," the computer announced after the breach had closed itself.
Cerese was in the room the Tardis had provided for her. She had asked for a place to lie down and The Doctor had granted it, seeing as he wanted some space. He was about to burn up a sun to say goodbye to Rose. To check in one last time and make sure his best friend was safe and sound.
He watched with sad eyes as Rose appeared before him. She looked good, if not a little sadder than he'd like her to be.
"Where are you?" Rose wondered.
"Inside the Tardis. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close," he had three minutes left to say goodbye, "And it takes a lot of power to send this projection - I'm in orbit around a supernova.I'm burning up a sun, just to say goodbye."
"You look like a ghost," Rose told him.
"Hold on," The Doctor said, hitting a few buttons in order to appear more solid.
"Can I t-" Rose started before moving a hand through him, he couldn't feel it at all.
"I'm still just an image," The Doctor informed her, "No touch."
"Can't you come through properly?" Rose asked, she was starting to cry and he did not like that one bit.
"The whole thing would fracture," he told her, "Two universes would collapse."
"So?" Rose questioned, only half joking.
"Where are we?" The Doctor asked instead, "Where did the gap come out?"
"We're in Norway," she told him.
"Norway!" The Doctor beamed, he loved Norway, "Right."
"About 50 miles out of Bergen," Rose continued, "It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden."
"Dalek?" He asked, almost panicking for a moment.
"Darlig," Rose corrected, "It's Norwegian for bad. This translates as Bad Wolf Bay."
"How long have we got?" Rose questioned.
"About two minutes," The Doctor told her.
"I can't think of what to say!" Rose told him, tears now streaming down her face.
"You've still got Mr. Mickey, then," The Doctor said, almost as a question.
"There's five of us now - Mum, Dad, Mickey and the baby," Rose told him.
"You're not," The Doctor asked. She couldn't be, right?
"No!" Rose said with a laugh, "It's Mum. She's three months gone."
"More Tylers on the way," He smiled, genuinely happy for them, "And what about you, what are you?"
"Yeah, I'm back working in the shop," Rose told him.
"Oh, good for you."
"Shut up!" She quipped, "Nah, I'm not. The Torchwood on this planet's still open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens."
"Rose Tyler," he said proudly, "Defender of the Earth. 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. Here you are, living a life, day after day. The one adventure I can never have."
"Am I ever going to see you again?" Rose asked him delicately
"You can't," he told her.
"What are you going to do?" Rose wondered.
"I've got the Tardis," The Doctor told her, "Same old life."
"Last of the Time Lords," She said before pausing, "well, not anymore. Who is she, Doctor?"
"An old friend," he told her, not wanting to elaborate with the little time they had left.
"I- I love you," Rose said, another onslaught of tears coming.
"Quite right too," he joked, "And I suppose. if it's my last chance to say it. Rose Tyler."
The connection cut. He hadn't said it to her. She didn't know how he felt.
"You loved her, didn't you?"
He spun around at the voice, having expected Cerese to still be in her room.
He simply nodded.
"I'm sorry," Cerese said, sitting down on the jumpseat, "I know how hard it is to lose someone like that."
"Your brother," The Doctor said, remembering the day that they had met on Gallifrey.
"What happened to Gallifrey?" Cerese asked but before he could reply there was a flash of light by the door and he turned quickly to see a red head standing in a wedding dress on his Tardis.
She could feel the Tardis around her. The hum in the back of her head was pleasant, taking away some of the aches Cerese felt at not being able to feel the rest of the Time Lords. Cerese could guess what happened to them, it wasn't that hard to figure out, but she wanted confirmation.
Deciding to give The Doctor some space to mourn Rose and say his goodbyes she took a shower. The Tardis provided exactly what Cerese would need and when she was done she changed into a white tunic, loose brown trousers, and brown sandles. She considered putting on her red cloak again but decided that it would be overkill to do so.
Once she was done Cerese went off in search of the kitchen and grabbed a quick bite before heading to the console, figuring The Doctor had enough time to say goodbye to Rose. While she couldn't see what he'd seen in the human Cerese tried not to judge the relationship the two had shared. Rose just seemed a little young for her tastes.
She reached the console just as The Doctor finished talking.
"- Rose Tyler," The Doctor said, but then stopped as the connection was cut.
"You loved her, didn't you," She couldn't help but say, wanting to offer some comfort to the man standing in front of her.
He spun around, obviously not realizing that she was there before. He nodded and Cerese could feel his pain. She really needed to put her walls back up. She had enough to work through without someone else's thoughts and feelings in her mind.
"I'm sorry," She said, taking a seat and pausing for a moment before she continued, "I know what it's like to lose someone like that."
"Your brother," was his reply, understanding flashing through his mind and into hers. She put up her mental walls.
"What happened to Gallifrey?" She asked, not wanting to beat around the bush. She needed to know what happened to her home.
Before The Doctor could answer, however, there was a flash of yellowish-white light and suddenly a red headed woman, a woman wearing a traditional human wedding dress, was standing in the console room with the two gallifreyans.
"What?" The Doctor said, obviously shocked.
"Oh!" was the woman's response.
"What?" The Doctor repeated.
"Who are you?" The woman demanded.
"But-" The Doctor protested.
"Where am I?" the red-head questioned.
"What?" The Doctor said again.
"What the hell is this place?" The bride-to-be wanted to know.
"What?" Was The Doctor's only response.
Cerese watched their interaction with amusement and a growing irritation. She was fine with people repeating themselves once, but four times was a little overkill, despite the impossibility of the situation.
"Doctor," she snapped, getting the time lord's attention, "you're being redundant."
"Rude," was his only reply before he turned his attention back to the woman who had some how appeared in the Tardis while she was in flight.
