Underground Lab, Soviet Russia:

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

There was the snap and sizzle of a laser bouncing off CP-8's personal forcefield and splattering uselessly against one of the steel bunker beams lining the walls. The hiss-stomp of the tall CP didn't even falter, punctuating against the stoccato of Rose and the Professor's footfalls. They thundered down the hallway, half-sliding, half-stumbling around a corner as CP-8 and CP-14 brought up the rear, keeping up with the fleeing humanoids effortlessly.

Once again, Rose was incredibly glad that the Professor had managed to something-something-increase-the-piston-firing-rate-something-something-else - i.e., make the Cybermen capable of running.

Bellowed orders echoed through the underground base, thrumming against their ears as the sharp crack of the Daleks' lasers brought scream after scream. Each time the yelling behind them and the sharp rat-tat-tat of guns grew one degree quieter.

Rose slammed her back against one of the walls, her chest heaving. CP-8 and CP-14 stepped into the alcove, forming a guard of metal between the two women and the approaching Daleks.

The Professor grabbed Rose's wrist, her eyes pale and intense as she pressed one finger to her lips.

Rose nodded once, pressing her lips together in a desperate attempt to muffle the ragged breath that tore at her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. The Professor dropped to one knee, leaning out ever so slightly and pulling a small stylo from inside her coat pocket. It hummed softly as she clicked several of the buttons, then flicked it up to examine it.

"We've bought ourselves some space, but it won't last long." She immediately stood and began to inspect their two metallic companions, her tongue clicking in disapproval at the deep rents along CP-14's chestplate from one of the security guard's guns.

"What's the plan?" Rose asked, rubbing the palms of her hands along the sides of her pants.

"How's your shield holding up, 8?" The Professor pressed several buttons on the Cyberman's shoulder, humming under her breath at the small display revealed by the panel that popped out.

"Power level de-crea-sed by 45% efficiency. Deflection from all vital organs succ-ess-ful except for neuron-gel in right arm. I am un-a-ble to use it." The Cyberman's voice fluctuated slightly and the Professor's brow furrowed. She leveled her pen at 8's shoulder, her frown deepening.

"Professor?" Rose prompted again. "You do have a plan, right? I mean, there's three Daleks between us and the exit and the CP's shields can't take a full assault..."

"Sure I have a plan, I have loads of plans - a veritable plethora of plans, Rose Tyler," the Professor chirped, complete with a cheeky grin. "For instance, plan number one: get Lovely airborn - and time-born - again. Plan two: find a really good cup o' tea. I mean, that cup of tea that jus' instantly relaxes every part of th' body. Plan four: find a pair of boots with pockets on 'em. You can never have enough pockets after all."

"What happened to number three?" Rose began, then waved one hand furiously to cut the Time Lady's response off. "Nevermind! I didn't hear a plan for right now. What's the plan for getting us out of here?"

The Professor didn't respond, simply tapped at 8's shoulder furiously before slapping it. "Well, nothing I can do here, chap. We'll fix you when we get back to Torchwood One, promise."

"Thank-you Pro-fess-or," CP-8 replied.

"LIFE FORMS DE-TECT-ED. INITIALIZING PURSUIT."

The shadow of a rough cylinder, complete with eyestalk, fell across the end of the hallway. The Professor surged to her feet, seizing Rose's hand in hers. "Run!" she bellowed at the CPs, half-dragging Rose behind her.

The blonde ignored the burning of her lungs as they fled through the twisting corriders, the Dalek always seeming to be only one or two turns behind them whenever they stopped for a second to catch their breath or gain their bearings. The Professor's dark hair was almost completely out of the elegant twist she kept it in, hanging down her back in a long, glossy curl. She didn't seem to notice however, just kept muttering to herself as she flicked her digi-pen back and forth in mid-air.

They'd been running for what felt like the entire length of the tundra when finally the echo of the Dalek had faded behind them. Rose collapsed to the ground, gulping desperate breaths in as CP-8 and CP-14 stood silent rear-guard.

"Pro-Professor," she gasped. "The Daleks... how'd they get out?"

"The Soviets have been tampering with dimensional shift technology, jus' like we have. Pro'ly in response to the stars goin' out, same as us. Seems they were successful - but only just. They got through the wall on this side, just not all the way. But it was just enough for a handful of the Daleks your bloke of a Time Lord trapped in the space between dimensions, the Rift, to squeeze through and pop right out into this world."

"What do we do? We can't let them get out... this world's never seen 'em befo..re..." Rose trailed off, her dark eyes wide as she stared up at the Professor, the woman's mouth set in a grim line.

"Wait. This world has never seen a Dalek before. But as soon as you heard its voice you knew exactly who - what - it was. How did you know?" Rose pushed herself up into a standing position, staring at the Professor. The Time Lady steadfastly refused to look at her, fixing one of the leather belts that hung around her waist. "You've been to other worlds, haven't ya? Was it before the Time Lords from my world sealed off the other dimensions?"

"They didn't," the Professor said, brusquely.

"Didn' what?"

"They didn't seal off the other worlds." Blue eyes slowly travelled to Rose, staring at her with a darkening fury that Rose recognized all too clearly from her Time Lord. "I did. I saw the Time War coming... so I closed the worlds, all of the worlds, and made sure not even a single Time Lord or Dalek knew how to fix what I'd done."

Rose stared at her, her mouth agape. "But... tha' means... You're from- you're from my di-"

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

The Professor flung herself at Rose, knocking her into the far wall even as a laser shot past, sizzling into a charred blast spot. "Get up - get up, GO!" The Professor shoved Rose to her feet and propelled her down the hall even as the Dalek rounded the corner. "8! 14! Move!" She bellowed, but the Cybermen had turned, in unison.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!" The Dalek's laser arm swivelled, firing off another blast. It hit CP-14 squarely in the chest, hissing as it disappated a scant few inches from the Cyberman's metallic shell.

8 and 14 raised their arms, their own lasers sliding smoothly from the fore-arm cavity. Two sharp pew!s and both had fired, square hits.

"8! 14! Listen to me, right now! Your weaponry is inferior! Run! That's an order!" Rose screamed, shoving at the Professor in a vain attempt to get back to her silver-plated companions. The Professor simply pushed her back further, a grim look on her face.

"Ne-ga-tory," CP-14 responded. "This life-form is a threat to Rosetyler. We will pro-tect Rosetyler. We will pro-tect this planet."

The Dalek's stalk swivelled once more. "NE-GA-TIVE. YOU WILL DIE. ALL HUMANS WILL DIE." It fired again, hitting 8 square in the chest. The shield sizzled and with a low fizz of frying circuits, went down, a cry of mangled pain erupting from the Cyberman. Another shot hit 14 in the arm, glancing off with the hum of circuits straining to maintain their function.

"NO! 8! 14! Run, please! Run!"

CP-8 staggered forward even as 14 fired several more shots, each one hissing harmlessly into nonexistance against the Dalek's hard outer shell. Another laser hit 8 square in the chest and the Cyberman stumbled, nearly going down.

Rose screamed.

The Cyberman heaved himself upright once more, staggering the last few feet between him and the Dalek, hands extended. "De...lete..." 8 managed in a garbled voice. "For... Rosety..ler..." And then he surged forward, placing both hands on either side of the top of the Dalek's domed head. Arcs of electricity shot along CP-8's metal arms as fingers dug into the metal shell, holding tight despite the Dalek twisting ferociously in an attempt to free itself.

WIth a mighty roar, CP-8 ripped the top of the Dalek's shell right off. Showers of sparks lit up the hallway, electricity flooding into the humanoid's frame as shards of shrapnel scattered in every direction.

The Dalek wailed in fury and fear even as air hit its fleshy, tentacled form previously hidden in the metal shell. The Cyberprotector's attack had torn its laser arm nearly off of its shell completely, and the Dalek wiggled it vainly as even the pale cast of the overhead lights made it blink frantically.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE. EX-TER-MI-NATE!" It cried desperately.

"Pro-fe-ssor?" CP-14 questioned, laser trained on the Dalek without wavering.

The Professor's arms were wrapped around Rose's waist, somewhere between restraining and supporting the blonde as tears streaked down her cheeks. The dark-haired Time Lady looked from the Dalek to the Cyberman's still form slumped against the far wall, then turned her pale blue gaze back to CP-14.

"Do it," she said in a rough voice.

CP-14's laser began to glow. "Delete."