For a few silent moments, everyone gaped at her. It was Jake who finally broke the silence. "Tonight? You mean in the next few hours? It's ten after nine right now."
"Yeah," Rose replied. The determined look on her face implied that she was not going to take no for an answer. "Get dressed. Get the guns. Get the megaphone. We're leaving in two hours."
The past two months had dragged by slowly since the group discovered the void ship. Rose was itching with anticipation to see the Doctor again. Thoughts were running through her head as she realized the moment had finally arrived. What if we're not ready? What if it doesn't work? What if they open the Genesis Arc? What if we die? Rose tried to push aside the thoughts, but they were still in the back of her mind nagging her. Though in reality, she didn't have any choice other than to go tonight.
A heavily pregnant Rose began to ascend the stairs, with the others left by the fire in shock. They knew they had prepared as well as they could, but all their plans had been for some indiscriminate date. Knowing that it was happening at all, not to mention in less than two hours, made it all the more real.
The preparations had been slow and tedious. Mickey had hacked the Torchwood computer database again, and had activated the intercom in the building. If all hell broke loose, they could use the intercom to sound the megaphone through the whole tower. Jake had rigged a few weapons to increase the blast of the sonic ray. His prized possession was a sonic gun with an Earth gun attachment – it could fire sonic rays and bullets simultaneously. Pete and Jackie had spent most of their time in Torchwood Tower. Pete added all possible escape routes to their existing map, and Jackie had befriended the fourteen-year-old Dalek tamer, whose name turned out to be Lanie. She had ended up being quite a valuable resource, even if she was a little bit odd. She knew things about Dalek anatomy that none of the others could have known, and showed Rose all she knew using some empty Dalek casings they found in a locked room in the tower. Lanie had even given up her broken megaphone at Jackie's urging. The group would have been much worse off if it wasn't for Lanie's help.
Rose came back downstairs in black sweatpants (which were all she could wear these days) and a black tee shirt. The others had already donned their gear, and Jake was handing out the guns. Each member of the group was also equipped with heavy bolt cutters, which, at Lanie's suggestion, could be used for the removal of Dalek limbs.
Getting into the tower had become much easier over the months since their first visit. For everyone except for Rose, that is. While the others agilely slithered through the ventilation shaft, Rose sort of wiggled her way through, making slow progress.
Guns in hand, the group made their way toward the 4th floor of the tower where Jake had originally found the void ship. As they rounded the corner, the heavy door to the chamber swung open. An excited Lanie appeared. Trailing behind her was the disabled Dalek on a leash.
"Hi there! Didn't expect you lot to be coming 'round tonight!" Lanie said happily. "What's going on?" she asked as she noticed the guns and bolt cutters the others were carrying.
"We've decided to go tonight," Rose explained. "Do you remember the plan?"
"Yep!" beamed Lanie. "I take the broken Daleks, and put them in the cage with this little guy." She motioned to the Dalek tethered to her by a metal chain.
"Exterminate!" exclaimed the Dalek.
Lanie shot it a look. "Shut it, you." Rose suspected that she hadn't been making much progress talking sense into the killing machine. "Yeah, I'm not getting far with him," Lanie explained as if she could see into Rose's mind.
God, Rose thought, she's really creepy when she does that. "Er, Lanie," she said. "Maybe it's not such a great idea to have your little friend here when his brothers arrive?" She pointed toward the Dalek. "Maybe you ought to bring him down to the cage. So he can wait for them there, yeah?"
Lanie nodded and skipped happily away, dragging her Dalek behind her.
"She's gone mad, hasn't she?" asked Mickey as he watched her prance away.
"No, I don't think so," Rose started. Mickey gave her an inquisitive look. "Well," Rose explained, "I think she was already mad when we met her."
Jake, Jackie, Pete, Mickey, and Rose stared up at the giant, foreboding sphere. There was one gaping flaw in their plan that no one had considered. "How on Earth do we activate it?" Mickey finally asked.
At that moment, Lanie came skipping in, Dalek-less. "Well, there's got to be a time lord in the vicinity, of course," she explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Rose's heart dropped to her swollen stomach. "Lanie – we haven't got a time lord." That damn girl, Rose thought, cursing under her breath. She knew this whole time, and she didn't say a thing.
"What're you talking about? Of course you have!" Lanie walked up, gave Rose a condescending smile, and touched the pregnant belly peeking out beneath Rose's shirt. "You've got one right there! Well, at least half of one. That should do."
Rose held her belly, feeling the baby inside. Everything finally made sense – why the Doctor hadn't told Rose about the duplicate void ship the day of the apocalypse. She needed a time lord. That day, neither of them knew that she was already growing a tiny half-time lord inside of her. Things were falling into place as if there had been a plan laid out millions of years ago. This baby was like the Bad Wolf – something she had created, something inside her, to lead her back to the Doctor. The hope that had glowed inside her from the day at the bay grew stronger still; she was, without a doubt, going to see the love of her existence once more.
"Megaphone ready?" Jake called out. Rose stood on the ladder, mere inches away from touching the giant floating sphere. Jake and Rose stood a few feet behind her on the ground, and behind them stood Pete and Jackie. Lanie stood by the door of the chamber.
"Check," called Pete.
"Bolt cutters ready?" Jake's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Check" replied a chorus of voice.
"Guns ready?" Jake's voice was full of adrenaline as he performed the final equipment checks.
"Check," echoed the chorus of voices.
"Alright, Rose. On your command," shouted Jake.
Rose reached a trembling hand toward the suspended sphere. She paused for a moment, imagining the Doctor's face when he would first see her pregnant belly. Motivated by the image, she pressed her hand against the cold, hard metal. "Void ship activated."
Four Daleks rose slowly out of the circle as metal plates shifted. Menacingly large, with terrifying metal cases, they began lowering themselves to the ground.
"Dad, megaphone!" yelled Rose, backing quickly away from the shining sphere. A shrill sound rang out. Three Daleks froze.
Jackie and Mickey raced forward and made short work of the frozen Daleks' arms. Lanie skipped forward and tethered the Daleks with the same sort of chain she had been using to trail her pet around earlier.
Nobody but Jake noticed the fourth, unfrozen Dalek moving stealthily behind the group of humans, until a mechanical voice screamed out, "Exterminate!"
"Rose!" cried Jake. He ran swiftly across the room, jumping to close the distance between Rose and himself more quickly. In a flash of blue light, he was gone.
With no time to mourn their friend, Rose grabbed Lanie's hand. "Run!"
Pete had grabbed Jackie and was already pulling her out the door. Mickey started toward the door, then doubled back, grabbing the sonic/Earth combination gun that Jake had crafted.
Running down the hallway as fast as her swollen ankles could take her, Rose yelled to Lanie, "why didn't that one get stunned?"
"Don't know," replied Lanie. "I s'pose he's more evolved than the others." Together they darted swiftly down the hallway, following Rose's parents around tight bends and through doorways. By the sound of tennis shoes on cement, Rose could hear that Mickey was not far behind.
"In here," Pete commanded, pulling open a metal door. His wife, daughter, and the slightly insane fourteen-year-old followed, with a frantic Mickey running in seconds later. Pete slammed the door and pulled shut the deadbolt.
"Now what?" asked Jackie. "It didn't freeze. Why didn't it get stunned?"
"Lanie suspects it's more evolved," answered Rose. "Did you disable the others?"
"Yeah," said Mickey. His voice was solemn. "Jake's dead. He gave his life for you, Rose."
Rose was hit with a feeling in her chest that she suspected was guilt. "I- I know. He's a great man, your friend Jake. I wish he knew how grateful I am."
"You know," Mickey said, "he was never quite the same since Rickey died. At least they're together again."
"But still." Rose's voice hitched. "He gave his life for me – for me, and the baby, and the Doctor."
"That's something I'd do any day, Rose." Mickey gave her a solemn smile. Before Rose realized what he was doing, he had picked up Jake's gun and was heading toward the door. With one last backward glance, he disappeared.
Rose tried to run after him, but Pete held her back. "Rose, Jake just died to save you. If you go out there, it'll all be for nothing."
As much as it made Rose feel helpless, she knew her father was right. She slumped against the door, pressing her ear to the cold metal. A metallic voice called "Exterminate!" It was over.
Then, gunshots rang out, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Rose jumped to her feet and pressed her ear closer to the door.
"Blinded! I am blinded!" called out the same voice. Sounds of the Dalek's deadly laser rang out repeatedly.
"You squid bastard!" screamed Mickey's voice. The sound of a sonic gun rang out. Then, there was silence. Rose's heart beat faster, and she worriedly rubbed her belly. The suspense was killing her – she had to know. But just as she grasped for the doorknob, the handle turned on its own. "You in there? Let me in!" demanded Mickey's voice. Rose swung the door open and embraced Mickey.
"You did it! You actually did it!" she exclaimed, holding him as tight as her pregnant belly would allow. Pete walked up and clapped Mickey on the shoulder. "Good going, Mick."
Mickey, Lanie, Pete, Jackie, and Rose were once again standing before the giant metal ball. It was waiting, open and ready for passengers to board. Lanie had tied up the rest of the disabled Daleks in the cage, and Mickey had scoured the tower, ensuring there were no more functioning ones still roaming.
"Alright, let's go then," Rose said, turning to her mother.
Jackie looked shocked. "Let's? Rose…" understanding washed across her face. "Rose, I'm not going with you."
"You're not?" Rose felt tears welling up in her eyes. "What do you mean, you're not?" She walked toward her mother, who held her in a tight embrace.
"Rose, I've got my husband back. And Pete's spent his whole life here. He can't just give that up," Jackie said as her husband snaked her arms around her waist.
Rose nodded solemnly. "I'll find a way to come visit. Maybe the Doctor can wire a mobile so that I can call other dimensions," she said. "But Mickey, you're coming, right?"
Mickey shook his head. "Sorry, Rose. Someone's gotta tell Jake's family." Rose thought she saw tears welling up in his eyes.
"Yeah," Rose admitted, "I guess I understand."
A small, squeaky voice piped up from the back of the room. "I don't suppose I could come?" asked Lanie.