A/N: Here's the first part to Age of Steel.
Warnings: Fluff. Some drama. A little angst.
Bad Moon Rising
Chapter 14
Age of Steel: Metropolis
"You are rogue elements," the Cyberman at the front said, surprisingly.
The Priestess tensed, stepping forwards to the Doctor's side. "But we surrender," she said, harshly.
"You are incompatible."
"But this is a surrender!" the Doctor said, desperately, his face etched in sudden panic at their non-respsonse.
"You will be deleted."
"But we're surrendering! Listen to me, we surrender!" the Doctor shouted, frantically.
"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cybermen but you will perish under maximum deletion."
The Cyberman raised its arm and reached towards the Doctor, to the Priestess' horror as she gripped her sonic lipstick in her hand to the point where blood fled from her palm, while the company looked terrified.
"Delete. Delete. Delete!"
The Doctor growled under his breath and pointed the power cell at the Cybermen, which shot out a golden light and bounded off one of them and onto the others, disintegrating them all at once and leaving dust on the ground.
"What the hell was that?" Rickey shouted.
"We'll have that instead, RUN!" the Doctor warned.
He grabbed the Priestess' hand and they ran for it, across the lawn, the others bounding after them. Finally, a blue van drove right in front them, driven by Mrs Moore, hooting her horn.
"Everybody in!" she shouted.
Pete turned on his feet, aiming to run back to the house, but the Doctor grabbed him and attempted to restrain him.
"I've gotta go back, my wife's in there," Pete protested.
The Doctor scowled, impatiently. "Anyone inside that house is dead. If you wanna help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've gotta come with us right now," he said, firmly.
Pete gave one last lost look at the house, gritting his teeth, and hurried back to the van.
"Come on, get a move on!" Mrs Moore said, hurriedly.
Rose was still staring at the house. The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a weary look and finally the Priestess stepped back, getting inside the van and allowing the Doctor to approach Rose. The Doctor watched her go with his heart sinking into his stomach. She hadn't forgiven him for doubting her, that was for sure. And knowing her – and he did know her, too well – she wouldn't be forgiving him for quite some time. It would require more than some major grovelling, and even then, it would only mean that she would deign to speak to him with something other than scorn on her tongue.
"Rose, she's not your mother," the Doctor said, with quiet and exasperated urgency.
Rose bit her lip. "I know," she confessed.
The Doctor grabbed her forearm, resolutely. "Come on," he said, grimly.
He pushed her in the direction of the van and they climbed into the back, the Doctor taking the empty seat beside the Priestess, while Rose chose – with just a sideline look at the Priestess' dark face, somehow knowing but loathing the fact that she wouldn't be welcomed in the Time Lords' proximity any time soon if the Priestess had something to say about it – to sit beside her father-who-was-not-her-father.
"Finished chatting?!" Mrs Moore asked, dryly. "Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" she muttered.
With that, they drove off.
The van was now driving along at a steady speed on the road, relatively calm. Rickey, who was sitting up at the front, glared through the grilling at the power cell, which the Doctor had passed to the Priestess and which the Priestess was now twisting in her palms.
"What was that thing?" Rickey asked, carefully.
"Technology," the Priestess said, shortly, not willing to offer any further information.
Mickey leaned in. "It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?"
The Priestess shook her head, placing it in the inside pocket of the Doctor's suit jacket, and smoothed out the wrinkles her black skinny jeans and sleeveless black cotton turtleneck. Her fingers grazed over the silver tribal necklace around her throat out of restlessness and she leaned back.
"It is on a revitalising loop. It will finish charging in around four hours," she said, simply.
"Right. So, we don't have a weapon anymore," Rickey said, angrily.
"Yeah, we've got weapons. Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him," Jake said, darkly, staring at Pete with undisguised animosity in his eyes.
"Leave him alone! What's he done wrong?" Rose shouted, shrilly.
Jake scowled. "Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government. And left Lumic in charge," he said, sarcastically.
Pete glared at him. "If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?"
"Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though," Rickey said, grimly.
"No one is executing anyone," the Priestess said, fiercely. "Or you will make us your enemy." She placed a hand on the Doctor's thigh to indicate him as well.
"And take some really good advice, you don't wanna do that," the Doctor said, darkly.
"All the same... we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since 2005," Rickey swore.
Rose stared at Pete, taken aback, with sheer disappointment and disbelief clear as day on her face.
"Is that true?" her voice trembled as she voiced the question.
Pete looked uncomfortable, but didn't say a word in his defence.
"Tell 'em, Mrs M."
"We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations... the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week."
"Broadcast from Gemini?" Pete asked, slowly.
Rickey's eyes snapped to his. "And how do you know that?" he asked, suspiciously.
"I'm Gemini. That's me."
"Yeah, well you would say that," Rickey snorted.
"Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine." Pete raised an eyebrow.
Rickey and Jake glanced at one another, unsure of what to believe.
"That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services, and what do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van!" Pete sneered.
"No, no, no! But the Preachers know what they're doing. Rickey said he's London's Most Wanted!" Mickey protested.
Rickey looked uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, that's not exactly..."
Mickey frowned. "Not exactly what?"
"I'm London's Most Wanted for... parking tickets," Rickey confessed, sheepishly.
The Doctor and the Priestess shared identical smiles, while Rose raised her eyebrows.
"Great." Pete threw his hands up in the air.
"They were deliberate!" Rickey protested, defensively. "I was fighting the system! Park anywhere, that's me."
The Doctor lit up. "Good policy." He nodded, approvingly. "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested..." he trailed off and turned to the Priestess. "And you've already met the Priestess."
The Priestess offered nothing more than a nod.
"Actually, she never gave us her name," Jake admitted.
The Priestess smiled at him. "I would say that I intended to, but I would be lying."
"And I'm Rose. Hello!" Rose piped in, irritated that she had been forgotten once the Doctor had drawn attention to the Priestess and neglected to introduce her as well.
Pete snorted. "Even better. That's the name of my dog."
The Priestess raised an amused eyebrow and Rose glared, furiously, at her.
"Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side," he said, sarcastically.
Rose stared at him, something fierce and hopeful in her eyes that made Pete confused and uncomfortable. "I knew you weren't a traitor," she said, quietly.
Pete frowned. "Why's that, then?"
Rose glanced at the Doctor and the Priestess, who gave her identical warning looks.
"I just did," she said, lamely.
"They took my wife," Pete murmured.
Rose bit her lip. "She might still be alive," she offered.
Pete chuckled, harshly. "That's even worse. 'Cos that's what Lumic does. He takes the living... and he turns them into those machines," he hissed.
"Cybermen," the Priestess corrected.
Everyone looked at her.
"They are called Cybermen," the Priestess repeated.
"And I'd take those ear-pods off, if I were you," the Doctor said, pointedly.
Pete obliged him and handed them over.
"You never know... Lumic could be listening," the Doctor said, grimly, disabling them with his sonic screwdriver. "But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the City and inform the authorities. Because I promise you." He looked at the Priestess. "This ends tonight."
The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Mickey, Pete and the rest of the Preachers were walking along the street, watching, with nothing but bemusement, as the people of this world marched in throngs towards the same destination, their faces and eyes glazed over as in a trance.
"What the hell...?" Jake mumbled.
Rose's head flashed around. "What's going on?"
The Doctor gritted his teeth. "It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taking control," he said, darkly.
"Can't we just... I dunno, take them off?" Rose offered.
She reached forward to take the ear-pods out of one man, but the Doctor halted her.
"Don't!" he said, warningly. "Cause a brainstorm. Human race, for such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible." The Doctor shook his head in disdain. "Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life," he mused.
The Priestess nodded. "I believe that is the very philosophy behind bondage, discipline and sadomasochism play."
Everyone looked at her with disbelief.
"I apologise?" The Priestess looked around. "Was that not an appropriate comment to make? I find your human social conventions and protocols and cultural paradigms baffling to understand."
The Doctor stared at her as if he hadn't met her until this day, but she was surprised to see heat in his eyes as he spoke. Not that she was disgusted by it. Any attention, especially lust, from the Doctor was always welcome to her. She merely didn't understand the reason behind it.
Rose merely stared at their exchange, her teeth gritting out of effort not to say something harsh and biting. As more time passed, she felt herself get backed into a corner as the Doctor and the Priestess grew closer and closer. He was like her puppet, dangling on a string every time she spoke. She had the power to make him feel guilty like no one else. All Rose wanted to do was see her dead father and the Priestess couldn't even allow her that without passing her arrogant, superior judgment, and with one word from her, even the Doctor was against her. She understood that she was a Time Lady and the Doctor and her were all that were left of their race, and because of that, he felt the need to protect her, even take her side, but that didn't make for love, did it?
Rose knew that The Doctor and her had a connection. She knew they had been through enough over the year they had been travelling together to know that there was something there. She wasn't deluding herself. She was human and she would eventually die and the Doctor would go on, but why couldn't she and the Doctor be happy for the years they had together? Her mother moved on with her life after her father died, but that didn't make the years they had together any less special, any less significant. She could be the same for the Doctor. She knew if the Doctor chose the Priestess, it would only be because he was settling for her, that he thought he had to be with her in order to continue their race. But she would show him there was another way. That he deserved to be happy. With someone that he loved – how could he say all those things and do all those things and not love her? – and who loved him in return. She knew she was that person. Not the Priestess. No matter how many hearts the Time Lady had, no one loved the Doctor the way Rose did.
The Doctor would eventually see that they belonged together.
And the Priestess would be humbled, having to accept that Rose was the one that the Doctor wanted. Not her.
Jake cleared his throat, doing away with the discomfort at the direction the conversation had taken. "Hey." Jake and Rickey were peering around the corner, crouching behind the wall. "Come and see."
The Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Mickey and Pete joined them in looking around the corner. A row of Cybermen marched alongside the people under the control of the ear-pods, all of them still heading in the same direction
"Where are they all going?" Rose asked, frowning.
"I imagine this Lumic must have a base of operation," the Priestess mused.
"Battersea." Pete nodded. "That's where he was building his prototypes."
Rose looked at Pete, curiously. "Why's he doing it?"
"He's dying," Pete explained. "This all started out as a way of life by keeping the brain alive. At any cost."
The Priestess scowled. "You humans have no comprehension of what immortality truly means," she said, grimly.
Even now, the thought of all that she had lost sent her hearts withering.
Rose glared at her and turned to the Doctor. "The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I?" she asked, pointedly. "That head…" She shot the Priestess an uneasy look. "Those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum."
The Priestess tensed at the mention of that Other-damned museum and the Other-damned man who had spent decades vivisecting her, but the Doctor threaded his fingers through hers, grounding her, bringing her back to him, while his mind flooded hers and softened the edges until he could feel her responding, her mind sinking back against him for strength and comfort.
The Priestess nodded. "There are Cybermen in our universe," she said, simply, her eyes haunted and her face pale.
The Doctor decided to take over. "They started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch right here on Earth," he explained.
Pete frowned. "What the hell are you three on about?"
Rickey shook his head. "Never mind that. Come on, we need to get out of the City."
The Cybermen were fast-approaching down the street.
"Okay, split up," Rickey reasoned. "Mrs Moore, you look after them. Jake, distract them, go right, I'll go left, we'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move." He said, sharply.
Rickey ran off in one direction Jake in the other. Mickey turned to the Priestess and Rose.
"I'm going with him," he said, fiercely, as if challenging an objection.
With that statement, he kissed the Priestess on the cheek and Rose on the mouth, before following Rickey.
He kissed you! the Doctor snarled.
On the cheek. I doubt it is cause for concern, the Priestess said, dryly.
He still kissed you. He touched you. No one's allowed to kiss you but me, the Doctor snapped.
Well, would you like to call him back and explain to him why he is not allowed to do that? the Priestess asked, curiously.
No! It's just… you're not supposed to be so friendly with him. The Doctor grimaced. Why him? He's not exactly interesting.
That is your opinion, rhe Priestess said, sharply. I am of the opinion that Mickey is quite… fascinating. It matters to me not what your opinion is. The Priestess' voice was cold.
Those simple words hurt the Doctor more than any physical injury ever could. It wounded him more than anything she had ever said to him before. And the Priestess had quite the temper.
Well, the Doctor said, hoarsely. I guess that's that.
"Come on, let's go," Mrs Moore said, quickly.
And they ran, just as the Cybermen marched towards them.
"There!" Mrs Moore gestured to the side alley, which they ran through, with some Cybermen in pursuit.
Rickey and Mickey came to a fork in the road and halted, out of breath, hunched over and talking over each other.
"Which way? I don't know where we are."
"Did they see us?"
"Do they know where we are?"
"I think they saw us. I bet they can see in the dark-"
"I bet they got satellites-"
"I bet they saw us in the dark-"
"They know where we are," Mickey and Rickey said at exactly the same time.
They stared at one another.
"I don't get it." Rickey shook his head. "What is it with you? You are exactly like me."
Mickey shrugged, dismissively. "I dunno. I reckon you're braver."
Rickey nodded. "Oh yeah. Ten times. Still, your friends aren't bad. I'll give you that," he said, grudgingly.
"Oh, that's the Doctor, the Priestess and Rose. I just tag along behind," Mickey confessed.
"Well, then you're not that bad," Rickey offered.
Mickey's face lit up at his approval. "D'you think?" he asked, worriedly, as if it couldn't possibly be true.
"Yeah, I suppose." Rickey shrugged.
They heard the sound of marching feet behind them and spun around to find the Cybermen approaching them.
"Cybermen." Mickey grimaced.
"Split up!" they both shouted.
And they dashed off in opposite directions.
The Cybermen marched down the street whilst the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose, Pete and Mrs Moore crouched hidden behind a pile of rubbish and dustbins. Rose clutched onto Pete's hand. The Priestess pressed herself against the Doctor's side, his hand warm in hers, as they waited, with baited breaths. In that moment, it didn't matter that there was tension or arguments that were never fought or pain that was never voiced. All that was of consequence was that she was Annika and he was Theta Sigma and they were whole together. The rest would simply be paid no heed, forgotten for being too confronting, too destructive, too discordant, too subversive, as was their way.
The Cybermen stopped as if they wanted to investigate the rubbish further, but the Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver in their direction and the blue light flashed, the Cybermen going on their way. Rose jumped to her feet and slid her hand out of Pete's. They glanced at one another and Pete simply stared at her with confusion, bewildered by the way she was behaving towards someone she had only met hours ago. They all stood warily and watched the Cybermen march off into the distance.
"Go," the Doctor whispered.
They crept out from behind the dustbins and ran in the opposite direction.
Rickey was running as fast as he could, but he knew the Cybermen were hot on his trail. Another group of them blocked his way and he was forced to change direction, running down a side alley and finding his way blocked again, this time by a metal fence, which he rattled on. But the gate was locked.
Mickey appeared on the other side.
"Come on!" he shouted.
Rickey grimaced and started to climb the fence.
Mickey shot a harrowed look at the Cybermen gaining on Rickey. Come on! Come on!" he yelled, with growing urgency.
But it was too late. One of the Cybermen was close enough to reach out and grab hold of Rickey's foot, its touch electrocuting him and causing him to shout in pain.
"No!" Mickey cried out.
Ricky fell backwards off the fence and landed in a limp heap on the ground, dead. Mickey, dismayed and stricken, looked from the body to the Cybermen, who were just standing there on the other side of the fence, watching him. He sniffed, stumbled backwards, and ran.
Jake ran back to where the Doctor, the Priestess, Rose and Pete were waiting.
"I ran past the river," he panted, hands on his knees. "You should've seen it, the whole City's on the watch. Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames."
Mickey ran down the street towards them, alone. They all turned at the sound of footsteps, and Jake's face lit up.
"Here he is!" Jake exclaimed.
Mickey did not reply as he came to a halt. Jake furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Which one are you?" he asked, worriedly.
Regret and sorrow were twisted on Mickey's face. "I'm sorry. The Cybermen. He couldn't..." he trailed off.
Jake lunged for him, grabbing him by his collar. "Are you Ricky? ARE YOU RICKY?" he shouted.
"Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" Rose asked, quietly.
"Yeah," Mickey murmured.
Rose ran to him and threw her arms around him. Jake didn't say a word.
"He tried. He was running..." Mickey pleaded with Jake, but he turned away. Mickey followed him. "There was too many of them."
"Shut it," Jake snapped, his face contorted with pain.
"There was nothing I could do." Mickey said, earnestly.
Jake rounded on him. "I said just SHUT IT. Don't even TALK about him. You're NOTHING, you are," he growled. "Nothing."
"That is enough," the Priestess intoned, coldly. "I understand you are grieving for your friend, but Mickey is not to blame for the death of your friend, and it is unjustified for you to redirect your grief onto him in this way. Your friend and Mickey deserve better." She turned to Mickey, a fierce look in her brown eyes. "You will not listen to him; do you understand me? You are not nothing." She said, grimly.
Mickey's eyes were red and damp with tears, but he nodded.
The Doctor stepped forward, his hand brushing the small of the Priestess' back to soothe her. He knew why the comment had struck the way it had. Over a millennium of thinking that all you were good for was a life as a crystal ball, the salvation of a race that would have seen her burn had she saved them all. No one, but the Doctor, not even her own father, had seen her as anything more than a weapon. No one but him had bothered to look beyond the dreams – a curse rather than a gift – and enigmatic eyes and a fate that forced her to bear a duty that she could not escape, and had seen the beautiful, kind, brave, intelligent, amazing woman that she truly was.
I love your teacher voice, he commented, playfully, trying to bring the mirth back into her eyes.
And he succeeded.
I know you do, the Priestess purred.
Oh, I've discovered a new bedroom game. We have to play it, the Doctor said, excitedly.
The Priestess' mind rippled in the mental equivalent of an eye roll. I imagine this game of yours has something to do with my 'teacher voice', as you so ridiculously put it?
Oi! Don't mock the teacher voice! he admonished, teasingly. And, well, you're right.
You have me intrigued, the Priestess hummed.
Oh, do I? The Doctor waggled his eyebrows.
A spark shot across their bond and the Priestess tensed all her muscles to prevent herself from jumping when it finally settled between her thighs.
You-you… You will suffer for that, the Priestess growled.
Now I really can't wait. The Doctor grinned, ecstatic partly because he would be having sex that night with the most beautiful girl in the universe, and partly because he had removed any traces of grief or doubt or insecurity from her eyes.
"We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on," the Doctor said, calmly.
The group nodded miserably.
They walked up a slope, which overlooked the river, to see Battersea on the opposite bank.
"The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place. To be 'converted'," the Doctor growled with disgust.
"We've gotta get in there and shut it down," Rose said, earnestly.
Mickey frowned. "How do we do that?"
The Doctor and the Priestess exchanged a look.
"Oh, we'll think of something." He shrugged.
Mickey scowled. "You're just making this up as you go along!" he said, indignantly.
The Doctor grinned and the Priestess shook her head in fond amusement.
"Unfortunately, and much to my incredulity and chagrin, even I have to admit that his flair for spontaneity succeeds more often than not," the Priestess said, dryly.
"Yup," he drawled. "But I do it brilliantly."
He winked at the Priestess and even Mickey had to agree.
In the power station, on the bank of the Thames, Mrs Moore had her laptop open, and a 3D model was displayed on the screen.
"That's a schematic of the old factory. Look, cooling tunnels... underneath the plant... big enough to walk through," she remarked.
Everyone was crowded around the laptop on a bench, but for Jake, who stood some distance away, not really listening.
"We go under there and up into the control centre?" the Doctor offered, indicating a spot on the map.
"Hmm," Mrs Moore hummed in agreement.
"There's another way in," Pete added and everyone looked at him. "Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in..."
Jake finally strode over to them. "We can't just go strolling up."
"Or, we could... with these..." Mrs Moore took some ear-pods from her bag and handed them over to the Doctor and the Priestess. "Fake ear-pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd," she said, proudly.
"Then that's my job," Pete said, firmly.
The Priestess frowned. "You would have to show no emotion. None at all. Any sign of emotion would expose you."
Rose turned to Mrs Moore. "How many of those have you got?" she asked, curiously.
"Just two sets," Mrs Moore replied.
Rose nodded and looked at Pete. "Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie... I'm coming with you," she said, determinedly, jumping to her feet and stood next to Pete.
Pete's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why does she matter to you?"
Rose shook her head. "We haven't got time. Doctor, I'm going with him, and that's that." She tipped her chin up in defiance, staring at the Doctor and the Priestess as if daring them to refuse her.
The Doctor exchanged a look with the Priestess, who simply waved it off.
She is your human, not mine. You may make the decision, she said, loftily, uninterested.
The Doctor rolled his eyes at her indifference, knowing that she was just trying to get under his skin, and looked back at Rose, sighing.
"No stopping you, is there?" he asked, knowing the answer, but still quite annoyed by her reckless decision.
For once, he would rather a companion who actually listened to him, as opposed to one who did as she pleased, without knowing the consequences of her actions, in a world that was not her own, where her knowledge was non-existent. But he supposed that was humanity in general: believing they knew best when in fact they were all walking around, out of sheer dumb luck more than anything else. And Rose was a prime example of that. Curtailing her actions would only result in her whinging the rest of the way through, and he would avoid that if he could. He had enough problems with Annika (and Omega knows she could hold a grudge) without Rose adding more than she already had.
"Nope." Rose grinned, triumphantly smirking at the Priestess, assuming the Doctor's acceptance of her decision was out of his belief in her ability to take care of herself.
The Doctor chucked her the ear-pods in his hands. "Tell you what... we can take the ear-pods at the same time. Give people their minds back. So they don't walk into that place like sheep. Jakey-boy?"
He and the Priestess led Jake further up the hill for a better look at Battersea and the zeppelin stationed above it.
"Lumic is transmitting the control signal and it must be originating from there." The Priestess flashed her sonic lipstick in the general direction of the power station and it flashed a red light. She smiled. "It is there, on the zeppelin. Can you see? It is a large transmitter."
"Good thing Lumic likes showing off," the Doctor commented, grinning.
"Will you be able to render it decommissioned?" the Priestess asked, curiously.
Jake smiled, pleased, in response. "Consider it done," he said, approvingly.
The Priestess nodded and the Doctor patted him on the shoulder before they went back to the others.
"Mrs Moore..." the Doctor smiled, charmingly. "Would you care to accompany us into the cooling tunnels?"
Mrs Moore smiled, gently, at the two. "How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" she asked, teasingly.
The Priestess took a deep breath. "We will attack on three flanks: above, between, below. If we reach the control centre, we will be able to deactivate the conversion machines."
"What about me?" Mickey asked, suddenly.
He was standing slightly apart from the group, forgotten. Again. But for the Priestess' shrewd eyes.
"Mickey! You can... ahm..." the Doctor trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepishly.
The Priestess rolled her eyes and she looked at Mickey, kindly. "I was hoping that you would agree to accompany Jake," she said, sweetly.
"No, he isn't!" Jake argued.
"Yes, he is," the Priestess said, impassively. "I would not send anyone out into an engagement without a partner. And you are the only one that does not have a partner. Therefore, Mickey will accompany you."
Jake rounded on Mickey. "I don't need you, idiot," he hissed.
"I'm not an idiot! You got that?!" Mickey snarled, angrily. He sighed and his voice lowered. "I'm offering to help," he said, gently.
Jake rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
He walked off and Mickey followed him at a slower pace, the Doctor and Priestess watching closely.
"Mickey?" the Doctor called out.
Mickey turned back.
"Good luck," the Doctor said, soberly.
Mickey nodded. He stared at the Priestess, kindly. "Yeah, you too," he said, fiercely, not wanting anything to happen to the woman who had shown him more belief in one day than many others had shown him in his whole life. He looked at Rose. "Rose, I'll see you later." He said, quietly.
Rose shook her head. "Yeah, you better."
"If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS," the Doctor said.
He smiled at Mickey, for once his eyes intense and trusting, to which Mickey nodded.
"That's a promise," Mickey swore.
He walked away again with a smile on his face, his confidence restored. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the Doctor envelop Rose in a tight hug, Rose grinning up at him. His eyes drifted to the Priestess, who watched the two with inscrutable, but hurt eyes, her mouth set in a harsh line as she watched her Bondmate – the blessed fool that she loved beyond anything else in all the universes – embrace a girl who was in love with him.
"Good luck," the Doctor said, vehemently.
Rose nodded.
Mickey turned away, his face clear of any emotion, but not before shooting the Priestess a comforting look, to which she gave him a sardonic smile.
A trap door opened into the cooling tunnels. Mrs Moore climbed down a ladder, followed by the Doctor and the Priestess.
"It's freezing here," Mrs Moore commented, rubbing her arms for warmth.
"Any sign of a light switch?" the Doctor asked, curiously, squinting in the darkness and holding onto the Priestess' hand just in case.
Mrs Moore laughed. "Can't see a thing. But I've got these..."
She rummaged through her bag and handed the Doctor and the Priestess a light that could be tied around his head.
"A device for every occasion..." Mrs Moore said, teasingly.
"Ooh!" the Doctor exclaimed, his face lighting up.
"Put them on," Mrs Moore urged, finding one for herself.
The Priestess grimaced as she put hers on. The miner hat didn't feel much like her style.
"Haven't got a hotdog in there, have you? I'm starving," the Doctor joked.
Mrs Moore laughed. "Of all the things to wish for! That's mechanically recovered meat!"
The Doctor sighed. "I know. It's the Cyberman of food." His eyes lit up. "But it's tasty."
Mrs Moore handed each of them a torch. "A proper torch as well."
The Doctor pursed his lips. "Let's see where we are."
They switched on their torches simultaneously and took a few steps forward. The first thing that the light caught was a lifeless Cyberman propped up against the wall, sending their hearts scurrying a beat as they recovered from the shock. Hundreds of Cybermen lined the cooling tunnels with empty eyes.
The Priestess fearlessly peered into the eyes of one of them. "They have already been converted," she commented. "However, they are merely paralysed." She turned to face the Doctor and Mrs Moore. "I suggest we move forward." She said, lightly.
The Doctor nodded and the two continued to walk, starting the journey down the cooling tunnels. After a moment's hesitation, Mrs Moore followed them. The Doctor paused and rapped one on the nose, or where the nose would be, just in case, but his action elicited no response.
"Let's go slowly. Keep an eye out for trip systems," the Doctor warned.
They edged slowly and warily down the tunnel, past lifeless Cyberman after lifeless Cyberman.
A huge truck drove away from the power station. A row of Cybermen marched in the opposite direction.
"Chamber six now open for human upgrading."
Rose and Pete darted along the side of the building, trying to remain unseen.
"Chamber seven now open for human upgrading."
A row of brain-dead people marched alongside the Cybermen. Pete and Rose remained crouched out of sight.
"Chamber eight now open for human upgrading."
Pete gestured to the ear-pods. "Just put them on. Don't show any emotion. No signs, nothing. Okay?" he said, warningly.
"Don't worry. We can do it," Rose said, reassuringly.
"Chamber seven now open for human upgrading."
They put their ear-pods in place.
"We could die in here. Why are you doing this?" Pete asked, confused.
Rose shrugged. "Let's just say I'm doing it for my mum and dad," she said, vaguely. "Right, let's go."
They moved out of their hiding place.
"Chamber eight now open for human upgrading."
Pete squeezed Rose's hand, before they moved into the line of people filing into the building for upgrading.
"Chamber nine now open for human upgrading. Chamber ten now open for human upgrading. Chamber eleven now open for human upgrading."
Rose and Pete filed after the other humans, in line, not even a flicker of emotion displayed on their faces.
Jake climbed a ladder to the roof of the building, over which the zeppelin is parked, smiling as he reached the top. Mickey followed him. Jake crept stealthily behind a wall to avoid being noticed by the guards standing beneath the zeppelin, and beckoned to Mickey who joined him.
"Two guards. We can take them," Jake said, confidently.
"Don't kill them," Mickey said, warningly.
Jake scowled. "Who put you in charge?" he asked, sharply.
Mickey rolled his eyes, his face darkening. "If you kill them, what's the difference between you and a Cyberman?"
Jake paused, seeing the reason in Mickey's comment. "Well, I suppose we could use these."
He handed Mickey a small, corked bottle.
"Smelling salts?" Mickey frowned in confusion.
Jake snorted "Bit stronger than that. One of Mrs Moore's little tricks. Should knock them out. Three, two, one-"
They ran out from behind the wall and crept up behind the guards, grabbing them from behind and shoving the 'smelling salts' under their noses, rendering the guards unconscious in seconds.
"There's gotta be more guards on board," Mickey remarked.
Jake grinned in response. "Then let's go get them."
They started up the ladder to the zeppelin.
The Doctor, the Priestess and Mrs Moore were still making their way surreptitiously along the tunnel.
"How did you get into this, then? Rattling along with the Preachers?" the Doctor asked, curiously.
Mrs Moore smiled, gently. "Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus Industries. '95. 'Til one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techy, so I... I just sat down and taught myself everything." She shrugged.
"And your husband? I am assuming you are married by reason of the 'Mrs'?" the Priestess raised an eyebrow.
Mrs Moore laughed. "Well, he's not called 'Moore'. I got that from a book, 'Mrs Moore'. It's safer not to use real names." Her face fell. "But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids." Her eyes were haunted. But she shook it off quickly and looked at them. "What about you too? Married? Got any family, or...?"
The Doctor smiled. "We're… married. I guess you could say." He looked down at the Priestess, seeing the warmth in her eyes. "And family…" And just there, the Priestess' face twisted with grief that left him miserable. "Well… it's a long story," he said, vaguely. "And we have each other. That's all we need. Right, 'Tess?"
"Of course," the Priestess murmured, threading her fingers in his. She turned to Mrs Moore and cocked her head. "If you would not take offence, may I ask you what is your true name?" she asked, curiously.
"Angela Price," Mrs Moore promptly replied.
The Doctor and the Priestess nodded, smiling.
"Don't tell a soul," Mrs Moore hummed.
The Doctor softened. "Not a word," he promised.
A Cyberman's hand twitched slightly, causing them to stop.
Mrs Moore bit her lip. "Doctor? Priestess? Did that one just move?" she asked, scared.
The Doctor shook his head, exchanging a look with the Priestess. "It's just the torchlight. Keep going, come on."
Another one, right in front of them, turned, beyond doubt.
"Now, that one moved," the Priestess remarked, her fingers tightening around the Doctor's.
The Doctor swore under his breath. Omega help us. "They're waking up. Run!" he shouted.
They raced down the cooling tunnel as fast as they could. As they went, the Cybermen sprung to life, one after another. They began to march forwards just as the Doctor, the Priestess and Mrs Moore reached the ladder at the end of the tunnel, scrambling to climb it.
"Get up! Quick! They're coming!" Mrs Moore yelled.
The Priestess, who headed them, attempted to open the seal with her sonic lipstick, her face fierce with concentration.
"Open it! Open it!" Mrs Moore said, hurriedly.
The Priestess succeeded and reached forwards, tossing the door aside, with a strength that surprised even the Doctor.
"Come!" she said, sharply, to the Doctor and Mrs Moore.
They climbed up the ladder as fast as they can.
"Quick! Quick!" Mrs Moore looked beneath her at the approaching Cybermen.
"Come on! Come on!" the Doctor growled, furiously.
They climbed out of the trapdoor, while the Cybermen followed, but they managed to slam the door closed just in time, the Doctor sealing it with his sonic screwdriver.
"Oh, good team, Mrs Moore!" the Doctor exclaimed, winking at the Priestess and smiling at Mrs Moore, who nodded, approvingly.
Rose and Pete now filed along inside the factory.
"Units upgrading now five-thousand-five-hundred. Repeat: six-thousand-five-hundred and rising."
They walked along, feigning a lack of emotion, along with hordes of others. A Cyberman stepped out in front of Rose and prevented her from going any further.
"You will wait."
It moved on.
Pete touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, worriedly.
Rose shook her head, fear etched on her face. "No," she said, frightened.
"Chamber Six now open for human upgrading."
The people filed forwards, ready to be upgraded. Flames aligned themselves above large incinerators in each of the chambers.
"All reject stock will be incinerated."
A woman walked into a cell, the doors closing on her.
Pete looked around. "Any sign of Jackie?" he asked Rose.
A Cyberman turned at the sound of his voice and Pete froze, dread sinking into his bones. The Cyberman considered him for a moment and plodded with heavy feet over to him.
"You are Peter Tyler. Confirm: you are Peter Tyler."
A/N: There was the first part to Age of Steel. As you guys can probably see, things aren't so great marriage-wise with the Doctor and the Priestess. I wonder how they're going to resolve this. And I hope you can see the Doctor's changing attitude towards Rose. While he still cares for her a great deal, he's beginning to see that she's causing a lot of problems and making stupid choices and she refuses to listen to reason, which leaves him in the doghouse with 'Tess and he hates that. And as for Rose, I hope you guys enjoyed the little insight into her feelings about this 'competition' between her and the Priestess. Of course, we all know it's all in her head, but I wonder what'll happen in the future. And there was even some Mickey-'Tess bonding in this chapter as well. She's quite protective of him, even to the point where she gets pretty pissed at the Doctor for suggesting that he's not worth much. But I do love exploring their relationship, because right now they're exactly in the same place, so they get each other in a way that the Priestess doesn't really find with a lot of people.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!
Reviews:
the stargate time traveller: Yeah, he's actually incredibly dismissive and quite often cruel to people around him. And we're supposed to excuse that because he's an alien, but I don't think 9, 11 or even 12 were that clueless.
LetsBeFrenemies: Thank you!
NicoleR85: Thank you!
lautaro94: Well, considering this is mainly from the Priestess' POV, it's not going to happen. And I don't particular consider the Priestess selfish in this, but to each their own.