10. So Maybe I'm The One That Needed Saving

He awoke to an extremely painful headache. In fact, it hurt so much that he wouldn't have been surprised if it was two headaches. There was also a large amount of pain sweeping through his whole body, and he could feel himself trembling.

With a groan, he opened his eyes.

He was sitting in a chair. His coat and jacket had been removed, so that he was in his light blue shirt and tie. His wrists were strapped down to the armrests and his ankles were equally tied to the legs of the chair. Weakly, the Doctor tugged at his restraints. They didn't give.

He raised his head and looked at his surroundings. He was in a grey room with a concrete floor. It was perhaps some kind of disused warehouse. He narrowed his eyes, trying to think back to whether he'd seen one of these around. His mind and his potential numerous headaches weren't helping him at the moment.

There were large double doors opposite him, and they were closed. There was a slight bit of light coming through them, but not much.

He heard familiar footsteps and looked down, waiting until they stopped. When they did, he looked up again to see the Cyberman from the beach standing a few metres from him, obscuring the view of the door. Then again, it might have been a different Cyberman; they all looked the same, after all. No individuality.

"Where's Gary?" the Doctor asked, almost immediately, his voice low and dangerous.

"He has been deleted," the Cyberman stated.

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed. "Why? What for?"

"He was uncooperative."

The Doctor swore in his own language, pulling at his bonds. "So he was 'deleted' because he didn't want to be turned into a giant metal man? That's not at all understandable."

"He wished to go back on our plans," the Cyberman said in a monotone.

"So you 'deleted' – what did you say?"

"He wished to go back on our plans."

"Your plans?"

"I needed the Doctor in this universe. After the battle of Canary Wharf I followed Rose Tyler and her family because you would try to come back to her. When you didn't, I intervened."

"You pulled the TARDIS into this universe?" the Doctor asked, stunned.

"Yes. I set up a connection between Rose Tyler's key and your machine by using a human from your world."

"Gary was…"

"He stepped inside your machine just as I activated the connection. I knew it would bring you to your machine if it began to move and so I had him make something that sounded as if he had a second heartbeat. Your ship recognised this and thought it was you."

The Doctor remained silent for a moment, trying to take everything in, wriggling slightly. "But she would have noticed it wasn't me," he muttered, more to himself. "Surely she would have realised…"

"Rose Tyler pulled your ship into this universe and you arrived three months after she activated the key."

"But why did you need me?"

"Once the Cybermen had John Lumic's intelligence, and now they need yours."

Suddenly, it clicked. "Oh… I see. You're the last Cyberman in this universe, and you think I'm going to help you make more Cybermen. That's why I haven't been 'deleted'…"

"You will cooperate, or you will be deleted."

The Doctor heaved a sigh and leant back in the chair, testing the restraints again. All he was doing was making his wrists and ankles hurt. He was completely powerless; he didn't have his sonic screwdriver, he was strapped down to a chair, and there was a giant metal man looming over him demanding his assistance. He couldn't think; the only thought filling his mind was that of Rose and whether she was all right, why she couldn't talk to him, couldn't touch him. He was unable to think his way out of this because she was currently occupying every single corner of his brain.

"But what's the point?" he said finally. "If I help you, all you'll do is kill millions and millions of people. The earth on this universe will just become a giant, metal planet. Haven't we been through this already…? Oh… never mind."

The Cyberman stayed still, staring at him. The Doctor hated not being able to read the emotions on its face. "I'm not going to help you," the Doctor said resignedly. "'Delete' me if you must. It's not like I've got anything to live for anymore."

The Cyberman took a step forward. "You will cooperate, or you will be deleted."

"I heard you the first time."

"Then you will be deleted."

"Suits me."

Suddenly, there was a great clanking noise, as the double doors were scraped open. The Cyberman stepped to the side, allowing the Doctor a view of the door again.

It was like the time she had come to save him from the Daleks, back in his previous regeneration. But this time she was not the Bad Wolf. She was not surrounded by golden light, but the way the Doctor looked at her, she could have been. She was just Rose. His fantastic, brilliant Rose.

She raised her hand and there was a whirring noise, and a blue light. The sight of the sonic screwdriver comforted the Doctor. He would've thought he would feel completely helpless strapped to a chair, but he felt so secure. He knew that everything was in capable hands. Rose would be fine.

He watched as the Cyberman began to shake. What setting had Rose set it to? The Doctor hastily cast his mind back to when he'd last used it. The boys. The seaweed. Breaking the rock's foundations and the seaweed around his wrist. The fracdicate paraphernalia setting. The one that broke things.

And right now, it was breaking the circuits in the Cyberman's chest. As it fell to its knees and collapsed forward, Rose shoved the sonic screwdriver into her jeans pocket and ran forward, pulling at the straps binding the Doctor to the chair. He could see her face was tear-streaked, and waited patiently, saying nothing, although he desperately wanted to.

Finally, Rose appeared to get bored and took the sonic screwdriver out again, aiming it at the bonds around his wrists and ankles. When they broke, she stepped back, slipping the screwdriver back into her pocket, watching him.

The Doctor stood up painfully, rubbing his wrists. He felt odd without his jacket and coat, and subconsciously looked around for them, even though he should have been concentrating on Rose.

"I'm sorry."

At her words, the Doctor turned to look at her, and she was crying now, tears falling down her face freely. And then she began to run, towards him, launching herself into his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck. He was stunned, but only for a moment. It wasn't long before his arms snaked around her waist, holding her close to him as if he never wanted to release her.