Chapter 28: Chapter 28: You Know The World Can See Us, In A Way that Different Than Who We Are…

The TARDIS landed with a bump. The group watched the screen as men with guns gathered outside. The Doctor moved towards the doors. Rose ran and pressed herself against the doors.

"Doctor they've got guns."

"And I haven't. Which makes me the better person, don't you think?" He gently pushed Rose out of the way. "They can shoot me dead, but the moral high-ground is mine." Rose sighed.

"I'm coming with you." She moved to grab the door, but her husband caught her pushing her back slightly, his hands on her shoulders.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am." Rose stuck her tongue between her teeth resisting the urge to scream in frustration.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am." Jack watched the scene before him with amusement.

"No you're not.

"Yes I am."

"No you're…"

"JUST TAKE HER WITH YOU!" Jack snapped making both of them jump. "Are we really going to stand here and argue all day?" The pair looked at each other, the Doctor opened his mouth to speak. "And don't tell me she started it!"

"What about Tala?"

"Take her with us. Do you really think they'll shoot at you with a baby in your arms?" The pair nodded feebly. "I swear if Tala becomes this stubborn don't even think about asking me where it comes from." Jack stepped in front of them.

"But…" Rose began.

"I have the training remember!" A smile began to tug at her lips as his bravado came into play. "Here we go."

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"The Doctor I presume…" A female voice began as the Doctor exited the TARDIS. "With your wife and child obviously." The Doctor gripped Rose's hand.

"And you are?" He asked politely keeping a forced grin on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm Yvonne Hartman and welcome to TORCHWOOD." Theta looked at Rose.

"Told ya." She whispered into his mind.

"Lucky guess." When the Doctor didn't turn to face her she noticed his stance. His jaw was set firmly and his eyes had lost their sparkle.

"You're just jealous."

"Is it a girl?" Yvonne asked suddenly interested.

"'It' is none of your business." Rose snapped at the woman, stepping back slightly onto her husband's foot.

"I had no idea that a human could carry and alien child, let alone a child of the Doctor." The Doctor bristled at her comment. Jack stood behind them silently, he could feel that either the woman was going to get blown down by the Bad Wolf or visited by the Oncoming Storm.

"For your information…" The Doctor began. "My wife isn't human she's the same as me."

"A Time Lord…sorry Lady. Interesting." The woman met Rose's eyes and jumped back slightly, seeing gold emerge. Jack reached into his pocket.

"I hope you're not planning on using psychic paper to escape, Mr…"

"CAPTAIN, Captain Jack Harkness." Jack stressed the Captain.

"You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training." She continued.

"Oh credit me with something." Jack muttered. "Do you really think I would do that. If its an alien facility of course you would be trained to spot it." Yvonne looked taken aback. "I just wanted to see what you'd say." Theta snorted at Jack's comment.

"I thought he was up to something when he didn't flirt." Rose told Theta.

"You have to admit it was irresistible."

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"Why are we going down here?" Rose asked trying to restrain herself from screaming at the woman. Rose immediately went cold and clammy as she faced the white wall. The Doctor held onto her hand tighter. "You're opening the void." She blurted. Theta turned to face her, confusion written across his face.

"Rose?" He asked.

"I don't know why I said that." Rose looked at Tala, stopping in her tracks.

"The Void?" Jack asked.

"It's nothing, no matter…"

"I know what it is!" Jack watched the pair. "Is this another of those 'ripples'?"

"It might be." The Doctor looked slightly worried. He saw his wife was panicking more; he wrapped an arm loosely around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "What's wrong?"

"I dunno," She sniffed. "I just don't want to be anywhere near that wall."

"If you've finished, I've got something else to show you…" Yvonne broke in.

"Show Me." Jack commanded.

"I'd rather show the Doctor."

"Well you're going to show me."

"I'm sorry but I need the Doctor on his own…"

"I'm not going to leave my wife and daughter on their own. Either you show all of us or you show Jack." Yvonne seemed to consider the Doctor's offer.

"What if I refuse?" She challenged. The Doctor advanced on her, the ferocity of his gaze forcing her to step back almost hitting the glass.

"Then I will stop you and I don't care how I do it."

"Is that a threat Doctor?"

"No it was a warning – your only warning." Yvonne looked as if she wanted to gulp.

"Captain Harkness, if you will follow these men…" Jack tried to hold in the grin he felt forcing it way forward, but couldn't resist winking at them as he walked out.

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"That's a void ship. That's impossible…" Jack looked at them. "Why the hell did you get a void ship?"

"It just appeared. Came through." Jack shook his head at him. He pulled out his phone, a signal. He breathed a sigh of relief when the phone was answered. "How long does it take to answer a phone…Anyway…Can you pass me to the Doctor…thank you Rose…it's a void ship…………I know it's impossible…what type of test…a what test…I think they've done all of the tests they can possibly do…ok I'll do it…fine…ok…bye!" Jack rolled his eyes. Rajesh looked at him expectantly. "It's going to take too long to explain." He made a move for the equipment. Rajesh stood directly in front of the equipment.

"This is expensive equipment, what are you going to do?"

"Something you won't even understand."

"Even so…"

"The longer we debate what I'm about to do, the longer it'll take, and if the whole of the universe fractures and crashes around you it won't be my fault!" Jack shouted at him. Rajesh stepped to one side. "Thank you."

"Samuel? Can you check the door locks? We need to run some more tests." Jack glanced at the assistant. He paused and double-checked; he knew that face anywhere. Mickey Smith

"Doing it now, sir." Jack couldn't help but stare at him; he put a finger to his lips and gave him thumbs up.

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"You have a void ship down there," The Doctor raised his eyebrows, "That alone is not a very good thing." The Doctor leaned on Yvonne's desk, allowing Rose to sit in the chair with Tala.

"Is it me or can you hear humming?"

"That sounds like the…" He looked at Rose,

"Ghost Shift!" The pair declared together. They turned to see that Yvonne was as startled as they were.

"Who gave you authorisation to continue with the Ghost Shift?" Yvonne looked angry as no one responded. The Doctor stood simply looking at the Adeola's earpiece.

"It's the ear-piece controlling them. I've seen this before." He stood behind her with the screwdriver. "Sorry. I'm so sorry." He didn't want to take a life, he was a father, but he knew he had to do it to save the lives of others. Even though she wasn't 'alive' it still felt wrong.

"What happened? What did you just do?" Rose asked him, softly.

"They're dead." Theta managed to croak out.

"You didn't have a choice, you had to do it. Someone else killed them long before we got here." Tala gurgled slightly making Theta look at her.

"You killed them!" Theta's eyes flashed at Yvonne.

"I haven't got time for this." He walked away from the woman that was becoming high on his enemy list.

"What're those ear-pieces?"

"Don't. " He warned.

"But they're standard comms. devices - how does it control them?"

"Trust me, leave them alone."

"But what are they?" Yvonne pulled the earpiece out of Adeola's head, pulling some nasty brain tissue with it. "Urgh! Oh, God! It goes inside their brain!"

"What about the Ghost Shift?"

"Ninety percent there. It's still running. Can't you stop it?"

"They're still controlling it. They've hi-jacked the system."

"Who's they?"The Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and held it flat on the palm of his hand, turning slowly.

"This is all your fault. You just go blundering in! Defending the Earth? HAH! You've just destroyed it. It might be a remote transmitter but it's gotta be close by. I can trace it." Rose rested a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to calm down, it worked – slightly.

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This was worse than he could've imagined Cybermen! Not to mention they captured him, but Rose was safe – for the moment.

"This is the woman who carried a child with two hearts." The cyber leader stated.

"What?" Rose asked.

"The information was shared with us. All information was shared."

"You will be studied."

"She most certainly will not!" Theta cut in.

"You all have two hearts, record show she used to have one. What was the purpose of this unauthorised upgrade?"

"It wasn't an upgrade!!" Rose yelled.

"You have been modified. What for?!"

"TO LIVE LONGER!" She yelled.

"Cybermen do not die. You will become like us. "

"I will not."

"Arguing is futile." With that the leader turned away from her.

"What are they doing?" She whispered.

"I have no ideas. The invasion has already begun but something is wrong."

"What?"

"I need you to get back to the TARDIS I can't lose you." He was angry, angry with her, angry with himself, angry with that damn letter.

"I'm not going to leave you. I said forever and I meant it." He kissed her desperately. She responded. The kiss was awkward as she tried to protect their daughter from being squashed. When they parted she looked into his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, Rose Sigma." He laid a gentle kiss on his daughter's head. "I love you too Tala." Tala smiled up at him, and he couldn't resist the tearful grin that covered his face.

"Something's wrong…" Rose whispered. "Something's happening…"

"The Void Ship is opening." He suddenly rounded on the cyber leader. "What I don't understand is Cybermen don't have the technology to build the Void Ship, that's way beyond you. How did you create that sphere?" He told the shadow, looking it in the 'eye'.

"The sphere is not ours."

"... What?"

"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."

"Then what's inside it...?" He asked only to receive no reply.

"Jack is down there." Rose whispered to him.

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"
That's not Cybermen..." Mickey gasped as four familiar objects glided down to them.

"Oh my God." Jack shouted, Mickey had no idea what they were! "Not again!"

"Location: Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!" Mickey aimed his gun at them. "Time agent detected!" Jack stared at the creatures as the eyestalks all focused on him. "Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"

TBC