Author Note: There is dialogue taken directly from a transcript of the "Doomsday" episode in this chapter that I do not own. It belongs to Russell Davies. I can't exactly cite (site?) the dialogue that I am simply using in this chapter so I'm doing it here. I do not own Doctor Who!
"Delete! Delete!"
The Doctor jumps up. "Right! We seem to have another issue." He looks at Mickey and Rose as he says one word: "Cybermen."
The Doctor pulls me out of my chair, barely giving me time to grab my bag. He pulls Mickey and Rose to him as I secure my bag on my shoulders, standing just a few feet away from the three.
Four Cybermen mechanically stomp into the room. Their silver bodies and actions reminding me of soldiers. Their faces void of any distinguishing features, like colored eyes or freckles. Instead, they have a line for a mouth and layered metal for eyes. They seem void of emotion, yet strike fear into the three around me as they continually march into the room.
I should be afraid, but as I am eating my peanut butter crackers, I feel oddly at ease. Until Red and the others turn to me then back to the metal men.
"PRO-TECT A-MAN-DA!" Red screams.
What, what? Is that... worry I hear?
Within seconds, the four Daleks surround me in a square. Midnight hovers between me and the Cybermen. "I-DEN-TI-FY YOUR-SELF!"
"That's the Cyberleader," the Doctor explains. He puts himself between them and Rose. Not Mickey, he seem able to handle himself with his gun locked and loaded.
The leader of the Cybermen stomps forward. "You will identify first."
"STATE YOUR I-DEN-TI-TY!" Blue screams.
"You will identify first." The Cyberleader repeats.
Blue repeats as well. "I-DEN-TI-FY!"
Ugh, this could be awhile. As they go back and forth, I bring the Doctor, Rose, and Micky into my square of protection.
"It's like Stephen Hawking meets the Speaking Clock." Micky mumbles. I know he isn't talking to me, but I can't help snort quietly. That was funny, considering our circumstances.
The Doctor puts a protective arm around Rose. The two exchange words and for a brief moment, I watch their faces. The Dcotor seems concerned and worried. Rose looks at him with such love that she practically has heart eyes forming.
They love each other. How did I not see it sooner?
He brings out 3-D glasses, studying ne. "How long did you travel with them?" He looks down at his own hand before taking off the glasses like he must have done a thousand times.
I tare my eyes away from the metal men. "What? Oh, um, I don't know. Felt like a day or two." I shrug, casting my gaze to Red for the answer. "Long enough for me to get hungry anyway."
"ONE HUN-DRED YEARS!" Red answers as he continuously watches Midnight and the Cyberleader.
"What?!" The Doctor and I ask.
Well, I guess that makes sense. I couldn't tell if it was night or day in that blasted orb. My stomach must have been the main timeline while sleep suppressed the hunger. Now that I've traveled a bit, I can plan ahead. Get snacks, plan meals and stops, pack more rope and random things to use, etc.
I shake my head. I'll have to think about that later.
The Cyberleader begins to become perturbed. Same as Midnight. "That answer is illogical. You will modify."
"DAL-EKS DO NOT TAKE OR-DERS!" Blue shouts.
I facepalm. Way to go Blue, you just told him who you are.
If a Cybermen could look smug, the Cyberleader would definitely have a smug grin. "You have identified as Daleks."
Midnight hovers closer to the Cybermen. I can feel our formed square tighten. "OUT-LINE RE-SEMBLES THE IN-FER-IOR SPE-CIES KNOWN AS CY-BER-MEN."
The two species stare at each other. Red turns his attention away from the stand off to face me. Without saying anything, the middle capsule of his body opens, revealing a purple splat with an eyeball in the middle and tentacles.
Is this what he really looks like? Gotta be honest... he's kinds gross.
Red reaches towards me. I look back to the stand off. They don't seem to notice us. I take Red's tentacle. It's slimy, but I'm actually touching him, not some metal armor. His golden eye looks at me with something I can't place. Longing? Pain? Something. That's when I notice that balancing perfectly on the tentacle next to the one I'm holding are three gold orbs and a bracelet. They look like the panels each of the Daleks have. Although these are more rustic, with the orbs a dull gold instead of a black or silver, they're beautiful nonetheless.
I gasped as I take them from Red so he can close his capsule. The two orbs appear to be ear rings. The other a regular ring. Slipping on the bracelet on my right hand, and the ring on my left ring finger, I watch as the bracelet adjusts to my wrist. That's some "Back to the Future" stuff right there.
I turn my attention back to the two groups as I slip on the ear rings.
"Cybermen plus Daleks." The Cyberleader says. "Together, we could upgrade the Universe."
Blue looks at Midnight before looking back to the Cyberleader. "YOU PRO-POSE AN ALL-I-ANCE?"
"That is correct."
Oh heck no.
Pushing through Rose and Mickey, I tap Midnight and Blue on their shells. "You better not."
It's Blue's turn to look smug. "RE-QUEST DE-NIED!"
Ah yeah! That's my baby!
The Cybermen start to ready their weapons. Hey, wait a minute... what? They're going to attack?! What kind of bull is this?
"Hostile elements will be deleted!" The Cyberleader states clearly. They begin to shoot at us. Somehow the Daleks protect us in this tightly nit square.
"EX-TERM-IN-ATE!" Snowball screams.
"Daleks, be warned." The Cyberleader growls. "You have declared war upon the Cybermen."
I shrug. I'm sure worse has happened... right?
"THIS IS NOT WAR." Midnight smirks. "THIS IS PEST CON-TROL!"
I slap my hand over my mouth. Burn!
"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?" The Cyberleader asks. I picture him narrowing his eyes.
"FOUR!" Midnight states proudly.
"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?"
I picture Midnight rolling his eyes. "WE WOULD DE-STROY THE CY-BER-MEN WITH ONE DAL-EK!" He hovers another inch closer. "YOU ARE SU-PER-IOR IN ONLY ONE RE-SPECT."
"What is that?" The Cyberleader and I ask at the same time.
Midnighy growls. "YOU ARE BETTER AT DYING!"
"Dang, Midnight!" I laugh as Midnight shoots the Cyberleader, "Get it!"
The Cybermen were not laughing however. One takes a threatening step towards us. One shift of the laser, Midnight brings him down.
The other Daleks follow, shooting any Cybermen that step towards us, specifically me, or inside the room. The Doctor and I watch with fascination. The Cybermen fire back, of course, but nothing touches us. It's almost as if my Daleks have a force field protecting them.
That's convenient.
We being moving, the Doctor grabs my hand, yanking me along with him, Rose, and Mickey. At the touch of his hand, I feel the turn of the Earth and the weight of gravity. It's an amazing feeling, really, but it's odd. I look down at our hands before shaking my head.
Staying in the square, we make it to the door. Snowball stops at the door, allowing our square to open enough for us to get off if we need to.
"YOU MUST GO!" Snowball screams over the sound of the lasers. "WE MUST PRO-TECT THE GEN-ES-IS ARK. YOU MUST PRO-TECT A-MAN-DA, DOC-TOR!"
My eyes snap to Red, who isn't even paying attention to me. His fire engine red exterior is focused on the battle at hand, instead of facing me. It's the equivalent of him having his back to me. I keep staring at his back, begging him in my mind to turn around. I need to know that he wants me to go somewhere safe. If he does, I'll go. If he doesn't, I'm staying with him.
Look at me Red. Look at me!
Why won't he look at me?
I feel the Doctor take my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "We have to go. I have to figure out a way to stop this."
I look to Red one more time. He doesn't turn around, but I watch the lights flash once. "Go."
I can't help but feel like I have been hit in the stomach. My eyes flick back and forth between Red and the Doctor. Suddenly, my legs throw me forward and I feel the familiar heat of Red's exterior. I try my hardest to hug him as he continues to NOT LOOK AT ME and keep away the Cybermen that are coming closer.
"Bye Red." I croak. "Bye Midnight, bye Blue, Snow."
No matter how hard I try, I can't fight back tears. I've never been able to hold back my emotions, this time is no different. When I unwrap myself from Red, I keep my head down, which is hard to do when gravity pulls my tears down and I have to run away from the Cybermen.
Rose takes my hand, her face sad but understanding. I feel her pull me along into a sprint down a long hallway, around multiple corners, up at least three flights of stairs, until I come face to face with the Doctor's back. I use this break to wipe my face and catch my breath. My lungs burn from the amount of running I've just done. Crying doesn't exactly help any.
"You'll be alright, yeah?" Rose tells me through deep breaths. She hasn't let go of my hand. "He- He just wanted to keep you safe."
My stomach still feels like I've been sucker punched. Reaching up, I push the heel of my hand against my eyes, hoping desperately that this is a dream. If this is a dream, I'll wake up to find myself still curled against Red. He wouldn't really send me away... would he?
Tears blind my vision again. "No, no, he- he wouldn't- he wouldn't..." I bury my head in her shoulder, allowing myself to brake.
I haven't been with him long. In that sphere time passed like that blink of an eye, but if it was really a hundred years, it would explain why we've gotten so close.
But that still doesn't explain why he sent me away. I could help! I want to help!
Give me a sandwich and a laser gun! Give me something to do!
Rose wraps her arms around me, doing her best to calm me down. All I want to do, more than anything, is to run to Red or Midnight. Midnight has not been but so much of a pain. Red... I- I can't right now.
"Doctah, what are we gon do? We can't just leave her." Rose pulls away from me and wipe my eyes. "Shh, it will be alright."
My eyes lock with her's. For a moment, just a brief moment, I swear I could hear the gears click in her head.
Her eyes snap to the Doctor. I turn my attention to him and Mickey. The same realization hits them.
Only Mickey is brave enough to say the words out loud. "You love him. You love that thing."
"He's not a thing!" I shout. "Yes, he's a Dalek. Yes, he's killed a lot of people, but with me... with me... I don't know." I start pacing around the small office we've migrated to. "Red is just different with me, okay?!"
I wrap my filthy green shirt tighter around me. When Red first came, I simply threw this on. Now, after our time together, the stained jeans and shirt have become worn. I really need a shower. I really want a sandwich. I need some time for personal hygiene and a change of clothes, but I don't have time for that right now.
My feet ache as the unused muscles scream in protest to all this running. Just as I sit in an abandoned chair, I feel a heavy weight smack ny head.
I hear shouting before everything fades to black.
