Chapter 5
"This may seem a little awkward," said Rose, "now that we're almost at the moment of truth, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about this."
Rose, disguised as Bloom via enchantment, sat with Tecna on a bench in the park in the middle of The City of Magix. They were waiting for the Jasinian kidnappers to come and capture them so they could be taken to the Cybermen base.
"It's not too late to call it off," said Tecna, "I'm sure we can come up with another plan."
"No," said Rose, "we all agreed on it. Just because I'm a little afraid doesn't mean we have to back out." She checked her pocket and felt the outline of a spare Sonic Screwdriver that The Doctor had given her before she and Tecna left Alfea.
"I still have trouble expressing myself with my emotions sometimes," said Tecna, "but from what I can tell, you're more than a little afraid."
"You're right," said Rose, "I'm more afraid than I've ever been. After all the things I've seen and done, this is the most terrifying that I've done. And the worst part is that the last conversation I had with my mum involved lying to her. And yes, I know I had a good reason, but still, if this doesn't work and I…"
"You're not going to die," said Tecna, "not while Bloom is involved. I know you've only just met her, but the thing about Bloom is that when you're associated with her, great things happen, magical things."
"Well at least I now believe in magic," said Rose. She sighed, "it's just that, I've seen so much since I've started traveling with The Doctor, and there's still so much more to see."
"I'm sure you'll see it all," said Tecna.
Just then something caught Rose's eye, something she was surprised to see, yet unconsciously she anticipated that she'd run into it sooner or later. She got off the bench and walked over to a nearby tree where someone cared two words into it.
"'Bad Wolf,'" said Rose, "there it is again."
"There's what again?" Tecna asked as she got up and looked at the tree, "those words? As far as I know, they've been here for years on that tree. Flora once told me that it's a crime to disfigure trees like that, but I honestly don't see the harm."
"But those two words," said Rose, "'bad wolf,' everywhere The Doctor and I have been, we've seen those two exact words at some point. Every place and time we've traveled to; past, present and future, those words are there. It's like someone is trying to give us a message."
"What kind of message?" Tecna sked. But then she collapsed in a heap as she was shot with a stun bolt that came out of nowhere. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Oh bollocks!" said Rose, just before she got hit with a stun bolt. She collapsed to the ground, dead to the world.
"That was too easy," said Roy as he, Malcolm and four other Jasinians emerged from their camouflaged positions. "I was so certain that they had a trap set for us."
"They may yet," said Malcolm.
"Who cares?" Kevin asked, "We've got the last two fairies those metal monsters wanted. All we have to do is get the two girls back to the base, slap the collars on them and it'll be over; we'll get our families back."
"Then let's not waste any more time," said Malcolm as two of the Jasinians picked up Rose and Tecna, "I've got a bad feeling about this." With that they teleported out with their ill-gotten prizes.
********
"They've taken Rose and Tenca," said Bloom, "I can sense it."
"Then there's not a moment to spare," said Sky, "it's only a matter of time before the kidnappers and their metal employers realize that they've been tricked."
"I'm ready," said Brandon, "all we need to do is go pick up some gold from Bloom's vault on Domino."
"Assuming our ride ever get's here," said Riven.
They were waiting in the Alfea courtyard for The Doctor to return with The TARDIS.
Jack was already there with Steve. The Jasinian insisted that he be allowed in on the rescue mission, "I'm the only one here who knows the layout of the base."
"All the same," said Brandon, "we're keeping an eye on you."
"One false move and you'll wish you'd never been born," said Riven in a menacing tone.
"He doesn't mean it," said Timmy in a reassuring manner, "he's just wound up, that's all."
"Damn right I'm wound up," said Riven, "Just when is this Doctor getting here with his ship anyway?"
"He'll be here," said Jack, "if there's one thing I know about The Doctor, he knows how to make an entrance."
Just then the air was full of the sound of something wheezing and groaning. Before everyone's eyes, The TARDIS materialized in the Alfea courtyard.
The door opened, "Gentlemen and lady," said The Doctor, "adventure awaits."
"I told you he knows how to make an entrance," said Jack.
"This is going to be so cool!" exclaimed Timmy as he clutched the glitter gun in his arms, "to think we're about to step inside an actual Gallifreian time ship."
"I don't see what the big deal is," said Riven, "I mean, it's just a box, a big blue box."
"Sure doesn't look like a ship that can move through time and space," said Brandon.
"Things aren't always what they seem," said Sky, "especially in The Magical Dimension."
"Well spoken," said The Doctor, "shall we?" He held the door open.
"Ladies first," said Riven.
"Yeah," said Bloom hesitantly.
Both Jack and The Doctor were then amused at the sight of first Bloom, then Sky, followed by Steve, Brandon, Riven and Timmy, as the five teenagers and Jasinian stepped into the TARDIS for the first time. Their reaction was expected.
"It's bigger on the inside," said an astonished Bloom.
"Yes it is," said The Doctor.
"This is impossible," said Sky as he looked around the bridge, while Brandon hurried outside to look around the ship, then stepped back inside, "even for The Magical Dimension."
"It's not impossible," said Timmy. Among the five teenagers, he was the only one who looked like he was thinking straight at the sight of the inside of The TARDIS, "the inside of this ship is in a slightly different plane of reality than the outside, thereby allowing nearly infinite space within."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," said The Doctor, "Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, TARDIS."
"Cool ship," said Brandon, "but why does it look like a blue box on the outside?"
"The TARDIS has a Chameleon Circuit," said The Doctor, "she can disguise herself so that she can blend in completely in whatever environment we arrive in. But it's stuck as a Police Box, been that way since we visited London in 1963. I tried to fix it a few times, but none of them worked out. But still, I like it this way."
"Well I think it's brilliant," said Bloom.
"So do I," said Sky.
"Excellent," said The Doctor, "now, if everyone would stand where I need them, we can be on our way."
The Doctor then directed Bloom, Sky Brandon and Timmy to stand in front of one of the six control panels around the central column, while he and Jack took the last two.
"Why don't I get a control panel?" Riven asked.
"We need you to keep an eye on Steve," said Sky.
"And because you can't even drive stick," said Brandon. He then looked at The Doctor, "seriously, why are we helping you drive this thing?"
"Because this type of time ship requires a standard crew of six people," said The Doctor, "otherwise a lot of variables are unaccounted for, and who knows where and when you'll end up?"
"Wait a second," said Sky, "you've been driving this time ship for hundreds of years without a full crew? With rarely more than two companions? And sometimes only one? Forgive me for asking, but are you nuts or something?"
"No, but it's more exciting that way," said The Doctor.
"I guess he's got a point," said Bloom, "things can be a bit boring when you're 900 years old."
"Trust me," said Jack, "it's never a dull moment around The Doctor."
"Right then!" said The Doctor. He then told Jack, Bloom and the others which buttons and switches to press, and the central column began rising and falling. The deck of the ship vibrated as The TARDIS flew through the time vortex, but unlike previous flights, this one was much smoother.
"There we are," said The Doctor after about two minutes of flight. The central column slowed down and stopped, "The Royal Palace of Domino.
"Then let's get the gold and go rescue the girls," said Riven. He hurried to the door.
"Wait!" shouted Bloom, but it was too late. Riven opened the door and was greeted by a blast of freezing wind and snow.
Brandon and Sky barely got the door closed against the wind, leaving a half-frozen Riven shivering in the doorway. "I f-forgo-tt h-how c-c-cold it w-was here."
"Guess that'll teach you to look before you leap," said Jack.
"Not this century," said Brandon.
"There's more than adequate cold-weather gear in one of the closets," said The Doctor.
"I'll save us some time," said Bloom. With a wave of her hand, everyone was wearing heavy winter parkas, gloves and snow pants.
"That clothing-changing spell," said Sky as they left the TARDIS and found themselves in the frozen ruins of a once grand palace, "that's one of Stella's."
"I was going to surprise her that I learned the spell," said Bloom.
"I'm sure you will," said Jack, "now, about this vault of yours."
"It's this way," said Bloom. They followed her through the frozen corridors to a large set of doors. Bloom placed her hand on the doors and they opened for her.
Inside was a vast room filled with items of gold, silver, diamonds, precious gems, and a whole galaxy of valuable things one would find in a royal vault.
"This is your inheritance?" an amazed Sky asked.
"This room is only a handful of places on Domino that survived the Ancestress Coven when they attacked nearly 16 years ago," said Bloom.
"The Ancestress Coven," said Jack, "three of the most vile, despicable magic users to ever practice the dark arts."
"And their last living descendents," said Bloom, "the three psycho witches who attacked Alfea a few weeks ago, they're even worse, if that's possible." She sighed, "but enough about that, our friends are counting on us," she pointed into the vault, "the gold arrows and a few other gold-plated weapons are over there."
"Dibs on any gold daggers!" said Riven.
"Oh no you don't!" said Brandon as they rushed into the room.
"I'm just going to get those gold arrows," said Sky, "and we should also have some ingots to use as slingshot ammo."
"I'll help," said Jack
"And we need dust for the glitter gun," said Timmy. With that they, along with Steve, went into the vault.
"I hope they don't take too long," said Bloom, "every minute we wait is another minute less until the Cybermen figure out that Rose is a mortal."
"Not really," said The Doctor, "with a full crew, The TARDIS can take us to a point in time just after Rose and Tecna were taken. We can arrive at the enemy base less than five minutes after they arrived."
"Really?" Bloom asked.
"Yes," said The Doctor, "and no. I know what you're wondering, Bloom of Domino. We can go back to before your friends were taken, but we cannot stop the abductions. Some things cannot be changed."
"Oh," said Bloom in a deflated tone, "it's just that…"
"You were going to ask if I could use The TARDIS to go back to Domino before it was locked in a cursed ice age," said The Doctor, "well, I'm sorry to say it, but I can't. Events such as what happened to your world and mine are fixed in the flow of time; Time Locked.
"When my world was destroyed and my people annihilated, I tired to save them, I tried so many times, but nothing I did changed the course of events."
"What happened to your world and your people?" Bloom asked, "Are you really the last of The Time Lords?"
"The very last one," said The Doctor, "there was a war, a terrible war against a race of the most evil creatures in the history of the entire universe; creatures who were driven by hate, creatures whose only purpose was to destroy everyone and everything that wasn't like them."
"The Daleks," said Bloom, "what happened?"
"The Daleks had mastered time travel to the point where they could go anywhere in time," said The Doctor, "they could have ripped the universe apart in their hate-fueled desire to murder. The Time Lords were the only ones who could stop them.
"In the end we did, but at a terrible cost. The Daleks were destroyed, but my world, Gallifrey, it burned, and with every single Time Lord, except me. Of all the Time Lords, I survived."
"Your world was destroyed by fire," said Bloom, "and mine by ice," she sighed, then, as if sensing that the conversation needed to be changed, asked, "What happened to my parents? Oritel and Miriam."
"I wish I knew," said The Doctor, "they were good people, the best of people. Your mother and father ruled Domino with kindness, wisdom and justice as their weapons, always relying on words more than steel and magic to ensure that the right thing was done.
"I was there when their first daughter, your sister Daphne, was born. She already had her godparents chosen, but Oritel promised me that if he had another child, I would be her godfather. Again, I was there when you came along.
(We see a flashback of a younger version of the 1st Doctor with a man with brown hair and brown eyes, as well as a girl about 10 years old with orange hair and green eyes. They are with a woman with long, dark red hair and green eyes. She is holding a baby girl with bluish-green eyes and a fringe of red and orange hair. All of them are smiling widely)
"Your family had never looked happier when you first opened your eyes and saw the world. It was an even more joyous occasion, for it was foretold that you were to be the rightful keeper of The Dragonfire."
"What were you doing on Domino in the first place?" Bloom asked.
"I was bored," said The Doctor, "The Time Lords had long held a policy of observance and noninterference, always watching events unfold from a distance. But things got dull pretty fast for me when all I could do was just sit and watch the universe go by, when here was so much to see and experience first hand."
"I left Gallifrey and went exploring. Eventually I came to Domino and met your parents and elder sister. It didn't take much for all of us to become friends.
"But then The Ancestress Coven attacked. I hate to admit it, but I wasn't there when Domino fell. Shortly after you were born, I left to travel. Someone told me that Domino had been attacked, but the warning came too late. When I returned, the world was already frozen solid. Seeing a world of such beauty reduced to a frozen wasteland, it broke my hearts."
(We see a flashback of the 1st Doctor standing in the frozen remains of the royal palace, looking around with a look of utmost sadness on his face. He staggers out to the front door of the ice-encrusted palace and collapses to his knees. He shouts to the heavens all his anguish over the loss of his friends)
"Hearts?" Bloom asked.
"Oh, that's right," said The Doctor, "Time Lords have two hearts."
"Huh," said Bloom, "I didn't know that."
"Not many people do know," said The Doctor, "anyway, I was devastated when I saw what had become of Domino. Even more so because I had no idea what happened to the people. Even in devastation such as this," he indicated the frozen remains of the palace, as well as the artic-like wasteland that was the rest of the planet, "there are always some survivors, but none were to be found.
"I then went back to Gallifrey, straight to the rulers of my world, begging to be allowed to go back in time and prevent the defilement of Domino. This when I was not even 200, barely matured in the eyes of my people. They told me that what happened on Domino was Time Locked. Not even the combined power of every single Time Lord that ever was and ever would be could change it."
(We see a flashback of the 1st Doctor arguing with the High Council of Gallifrey. He insists that he be allowed to change what happen, but the High Council shakes their heads in refusal. The Doctor looks at them with contempt, then storms out of the council room)
"That must have been terrible to hear," said Bloom.
"More than you can imagine," said The Doctor, "after that I left Gallifrey again and didn't return for over 200 years, not until I was caught and brought back to face charges of meddling with the flow with time."
"But aren't you meddling with time now by helping us?" Bloom asked in a slightly accusing tone.
"That's the thing that's been bothering me," said The Doctor, "I've been back and forth through time for hundreds of years, and never once has there been even a hint of Cybermen in The Magical Dimension, until now.
"Something must have changed history to allow them to come here, but what? Unless…oh! Of course!"
"Of course what?" Jack asked as he and the boys came out of the vault. Sky had his arms full of gold arrows, Riven had several gold-plated daggers, Timmy had several bags of gold dust, while Steve, Jack and Brandon had their arms full of ingots.
"That hiccup in time that sent us off course," said The Doctor, "it must have had something to do with The Cybermen being in The Magical Dimension. I'll wager my weight in Jelly Babies that we were meant to come here and stop The Cybermen."
"Then let's not waste any more time," said Bloom as she smiled eagerly, "fate has a task for us."
They all hurried back to The TARDIS. "How much time do you think has passed for Rose and Tecna?" Timmy asked once the door was closed and everyone was back in their previous attire, thanks to a spell from Bloom.
"Only a minute or so," said The Doctor. He then directed everyone to take their stations around the central column, while Riven kept an eye on Steve. The central column rising and falling as The TARDIS once again entered the time vortex, "and if we're lucky, which we might this one time, another minute will have passed for them when we get there."
********
In truth it was more like six minutes had passed since Tecna and Rose were stunned and taken from the park. When Rose woke up, she was in a dark room full of very frightened teenaged girls.
As she regained her senses, Rose realized that she had the magic inhibiting/collecting collar around her neck. Yet aside from feeling groggy from the stun blast, she didn't feel weak at all.
Rose then saw Tecna with Musa, as well as two other girls whom Rose assumed were Stella and Flora.
"So you're Rose Tyler," said Flora, "It's really nice to meet you," she shook Rose's hand, "I must say, that illusion spell Faragonda used is really convincing. I almost thought you were the real Bloom when they brought you in."
"I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you as Bloom," said Stella, "but Tecna explained who you really were."
"Is it true?" Musa asked, "are Bloom and the boys coming to save us?"
"They'll be here soon," said Rose, "but we've got to work fast," she checked her pocket and was relieved to find that the Sonic Screwdriver was still there.
"They didn't even search us," said Rose as she pulled the Sonic Screwdriver out.
"No they didn't," said Tecna as she checked her wrist computer, "they didn't even try to remove my computer."
"Didn't you tell me once that that thing is attached to you?" Stella asked.
"All people from my world have some piece of technology implanted with them at birth," said Tecna, "nothing as extensive as Cybermen, but the technology is part of us." She checked her wrist computer again, "it shut down when they put the collar on me. I activated the emergency power unit when I woke up, but it needs another minute to reboot and check for errors. Then I'll be able to hack into the security systems."
"I'll get started then on getting the collars off," said Rose, "I just hope I can do it without accidentally blowing someone up."
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Musa asked.
"I hope so," said Rose as she changed the setting on the Sonic Screwdriver that The Doctor told her that would unlock the collars, "now, who's first?"
"Stella is," said Musa as she pushed Stella forward.
"Why me?" Stella asked.
"It's just that I don't want to risk blowing up," said Musa.
"Well neither do I," wined Stella.
"I'll go first," said Flora, "and hope for the best."
"Guess that's all we can hope for now," said Rose. She sat next to Flora and began trying to get the collar off.
Unknown to Rose, she and the captive fairies were still being watched by the Jasinians.
"It's over," sighed Roy, "it's finally over."
"Now that we've got all the fairies those metal monsters want," said Kevin, "they'll have to give back our families."
"They'd better," said Hank, "otherwise Steve would have died for nothing."
"We don't know if he's dead," said Kevin.
"Oh come on, Kevin!" said Irwin, "you know how pissed off they were at Alfea. They probably killed Steve out of pure spite."
"Fairies don't do that," insisted Kevin, "they are incapable of cold blooded murder. And when they do actually kill, it's only as a final resort when no other options are left to them. No, Steve is alive, I'm sure of that."
"Well regardless of if he's still alive," said Hank, "one thing's for sure; those metal bastards had better give our wives and children back."
"Malcolm's talking to their leader right now," said Roy, indicating the upstairs office, "he's telling them that we've kept our part of the deal, and that they should keep theirs as well."
Just then something crashed through the shaded windows of the office and fell to the floor, something that turned out to be Malcolm.
"Boss!!" exclaimed Kevin as he, Hank, Roy and Irwin rushed over to their leader, who was struggling to get up.
"I don't understand," gasped Malcolm as he pulled shards of glass from his face and arms, "we did as they asked. We brought them all those fairies."
Just then the door to the office opened and the Cyber Leader came out, followed by six Cybermen. All of them were armed with blasters, all of them set for kill.
"We kept our end of the bargain!" shouted Malcolm as he stood up, "we brought you all the fairies you wanted!! You owe us to keep your end of the bargain!!"
"You did not bring all the fairies we requested," said the Cyber Leader as it and the other Cybermen reached the floor and advanced on the Jasinians.
"But we did!" insisted Roy, "the last two were the ones you wanted. We made certain that they were Tecna of Binary and Bloom of Domino."
"The technological fairy is indeed the one we requested," said the Cyber Leader, "but the Dragonfire fairy is an imposter."
"What?" Malcolm asked with disbelief, "that's impossible. We made sure that their magic matched the descriptions you gave us. They were who they were supposed to be. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Kevin asked.
"Unless they replaced Bloom of Domino with someone," said Malcolm in a slightly distant tone, "they knew we would come back, so they set us up after all."
"If one of the fairies is an imposter," said Roy, "then we'll just have to go back and get the last one. We'll figure out a way, we always do."
"That will not be necessary," said the Cyber Leader, "it is clear that you Jasinians are unreliable."
"No!" said Malcolm, "we've kept our end of the deal so far. This is just a minor setback."
"Your excuses are irrelevant," said the Cyber Leader, "you and your Jasinians are no longer necessary. We will find the Dragonfire fairy ourselves."
"But we had a deal!" said Roy, "we'd bring you the fairies you asked for, then you'd give our families back. We had a deal!"
"A bargain which you failed to uphold," said the Cyber Leader, "therefore, your families are no longer useful as hostages." It turned to one of the Cybermen, "dispose of the hostages. Those fit for Cyber Conversion may be kept alive, but the others are to be eliminated."
"I obey," said the indicated Cyberman. It turned around and left.
"No!" shouted Kevin. He pulled out his blaster, set it for kill and shot the Cyberman. It absorbed the blast like it was just a love tap. It then retaliated by turning its blaster on Kevin. The weapon made a high-pitched chirping as it fired and shot several bolts of bluish-green energy. Kevin caught the full blast and died on the spot.
"You murdering metal monsters!!" snapped Malcolm, "I will…!"
"You are in no position to threaten us," said the Cyber Leader, "be grateful that we have decided that you male Jasinians are worthy of Cyber Conversion. Any further resistance and you shall all be eliminated without delay."
Just then another Cyberman approached, "Leader. Our sensor scans have detected Gallifraian technology in the holding area, specifically a device we identified as a Sonic Screwdriver."
"One of the fairies has a Sonic Screwdriver?" the Cyber Leader asked.
"The imposter to be exact," said the Cyberman.
"This is most curious," said the Cyber Leader, "most curious indeed." It then sent a recall signal to the Cyberman who was ordered to 'deal' with the families of the Jasinians, "postpone the conversions of the Jasinians. We have other matters to attend to."
********
Rose was just about to figure out how to remove the collars without triggering the explosives, when the door to the holding area burst open and the Cyber Leader entered, flanked by two additional Cybermen. The captured fairies cowered away from the metal monstrosities, but Stella and her friends held firm, event though they were also frightened as well.
"Bring her," said the Cyber Leader as it pointed at Rose. The two Cybermen approached Rose.
"You leave her alone!" shouted Musa, but one of the Cybermen shoved her roughly out of the way. The other grabbed Rose before she had a chance to hide the Sonic Screwdriver, which the Cyberman confiscated. The two metal monsters dragged her out of the room.
"Rose!" shouted Tecna.
"It'll be alright!" Rose said, "don't give up hope! It'll be alright somehow!" They dragged her through the door and locked it behind them.
"What now?" a terrified Stella asked.
"I don't know," said Flora.
"We have to keep working," said Tecna as she began typing on her wrist computer, "they didn't notice my computer, and they may not. I've got to try and turn their security system off, otherwise our Bloom, our boys and The Doctor will be massacred when they get here."
"If they are coming," said Musa, her voice betraying her lack of hope.
********
Rose was manhandled into another part of the base, a large room filled with vast arrays of machinery and computers the likes of which she had never seen. At least a dozen more Cybermen were in the room.
One of her 'escorts' handed the Sonic Screwdriver to the Cyber Leader.
"You are a companion of The Doctor," said the Cyber Leader as it held the Sonic Screwdriver, "are you not?"
"I am," said Rose. Even though she was nearly out of her mind with fear, she didn't let it overwhelm her. She stood defiantly before the Cyber Leader, "and before you ask, no, I won't tell you where he is or what his plan is."
"We can assume what his plan is," said The Cyber Leader, "you were to attempt to remove the collars inhibiting the fairies' magic, thereby allowing them to fight back, while The Doctor attempts to infiltrate our base and attempt a rescue. This we cannot allow."
"I can guess why," said Rose, "you need the energy of fairy magic to power your machines and make more of you, well it isn't going to work! The Doctor is coming, and we're going to smash you all!"
"Is that so?" said another mechanical voice, one much deeper than the Cyber Leader. From the shadows emerged a Cyberman who was at least 7 feet tall. There were no handlebars on the sides of his head, which was considerably taller, as if to make room for a larger brain.
"Controller!" said the Cyber Leader. It and the other Cybermen saluted.
"This human is intriguing, Cyber Leader," said the Cyber Controller, "she is experiencing high levels of anxiety, yet her mind is still functioning at optimum levels for a human."
"Forgive me for not taking that as a compliment," said Rose.
"It was merely an observation," said the Cyber Controller, "you are afraid, yet you are in control of that fear. I assume you have experienced this level of fear before."
"More than you can imagine," said Rose, "after all that I've seen and done, you have to be insane not to be afraid. I've journeyed five-billion years into the future and witnessed the destruction of Earth. I went back to 1869 and prevented an invasion of ghostly aliens, while helping restore Charles Dickens' faith in the human spirit. I've faced down Autons, the Nestene Consciousness, Slitheen, twice actually, a Jagrafess and Time Wraiths. I ordered the very last Dalek to commit suicide, so I'm pretty sure that a bunch of rusting Cybermen are nothing to be afraid of, not to be paralyzed by fear anyway."
"We do not relish that our presence causes fear," said the Cyber Controller, "we have no desire to inflict any pain at all. Instead, it is ourmission to free all humanoid life forms in the universe from pain. Hate, rage, fear, despair, all of these emotions have caused pain. Would you not want that, a life without pain?"
"Not even if my life depended on it," said Rose, "you can't have hate without love, we wouldn't know what love was without hate, just as you wouldn't know what rage and anger were without serenity. You can't have fear without courage, and you can't have despair without hope. Emotions are best kept in balance, not to be stripped away as if they were parts in a machine."
"You simply do not know better," said the Cyber Controller, "emotions cause strife and conflicts. Cybermen desire only peace and perfection, neither of which cannot be achieved as long as one is hindered by emotions. Only by embracing pure logic can there be peace."
Rose was about to retort, when one of the computer terminals flashed red and sounded an alarm, "Control system breach detected," said one of the Cybermen, "unidentified hacker attempting to override security systems!"
"Counter!" ordered the Cyber Leader, "trace the breach to its source and eliminate!"
"Too late!" said the Cyberman, "override complete! Security systems deactivated!"
"Reestablish them!" ordered the Cyber Controller.
"Non responsive!" said the Cyberman as it tried to regain control over the computer, "all access to security protocols denied!"
Way to go, Tecna! thought Rose. "Having trouble with your toys?" Rose asked, "maybe you should change your service providers."
"You," said the Cyber Controller as it glared its eyeless face at Rose, "you have something to do with this." Even though there was no emotion in the synthesized voice, Rose could tell that it was feeling a spark of anger.
"Maybe I did," said Rose, "maybe I didn't."
"Alert!" said another of the Cybermen as it checked a different computer terminal, "sensors detecting time vortex activity in Sector 7! TARDIS materializing!"
"The Doctor," said the Cyber Leader.
"Send all available units to Sector 7!" ordered the Cyber Controller, "destroy The Doctor and all those with him!"
"Good luck!" said Rose, "we've prepared weapons to fight back against Cybermen."
"That remains to be seen," said the Cyber Controller, "but you will not live to see the fate of your friends," it gestured to Rose's two 'escorts', "eradicate her!"
Before the two Cybermen flanking Rose could do anything, two small metal objects flashed from out of nowhere and stuck to their heads. The objects then sent out pulses of electromagnet energy through the bodies of the two Cybermen, shorting out their electronic functions in showers of sparks. They collapsed to the floor, their synthesized voices screaming in agony as their systems permanently shut down.
A woman in her early twenties with long brown hair in a braid and dark brown, almost black eyes. She wore a green camouflage suit . She grabbed Rose by the arm and said, "Cover your eyes!" she then threw another object at the other Cybermen.
Rose closed her eyes to avoid the intense flash of light that scrambled the visual circuits of the Cybermen.
The woman then pulled Rose out of the room, leaving the Cyber Leader, Controller and the rest of the Cybermen shouting, "Visual circuits impaired! Malfunction! Malfunction!"
After running down the hallway for half a minute, Rose and they mysterious woman turned a corner and stopped to get their bearings, "where is Princess Stella being kept?" she asked.
"There's a holding room were they've got all the captive fairies," said Rose, "I think I can find it again, but we have to meet up with Bloom and The Doctor first!"
"That's not acceptable," said the woman, "we have to find Princess Stella first. Otherwise those metal bastards will kill her and the rest of the prisoners!"
"You're right," said Rose, "I wasn't thinking straight first. We also have to get those collars around their necks off first, otherwise they can't use their magic."
"It's worse than I thought," said the woman.
Just then Rose sighed in annoyance, "the Sonic Screwdriver! The Cybermen still have it. Without it I can't get the collars off without risking the fairies being blown up."
"One of the Jasinians may know how to get them off," said the woman, "let's go find them first."
"Okay," said Rose, "wait, who are you?"
"I'm Gabrielle," said the woman, "I'm Princess Stella's bodyguard, and I'm here to uphold my duty to the royal family of Solaria."