The Doctor ran through the corridor, yelling at them as they all ran after him: "We've got to see what it's doing. We've got to go back up. Come on! All of you. top floor!" He took the lead, running as fast as he could while carrying a Magnaclamp in each hand and the rest of them hurried after him.
"That's forty five floors up!" Jackie yelled at him as they ran after the Doctor. "Believe me, I've done them all." She wailed as she held onto Rose while she ran, and the elevator dinged, opening to reveal Jake who said: "We could always take the lift."
They all blinked, and then ran to the lift. They reached Yvonne's office floor, running inside. The Doctor placed the Magnaclamps on the desk on his way in, and Rose and Lily reached the window first, staring out to see the Ark had opened and was shooting out Daleks in all directions as it spun in the sky. The Doctor's gaze became horrified as he saw it.
"Time Lord science. It's bigger on the inside." The Doctor realized, and Lily and Rose turned to stare at him in horror. Mickey also stared out the window, asking in confusion: "Did the Time Lords put those Daleks in there? What for?" Lily swallowed, while the Doctor murmured darkly: "It's a prison ship." Lily's hand was shaking just a little while Rose asked: "How many Daleks? "
Lily glanced at the Doctor to see his somber face. "Millions." He replied, and the two girls stared out the windows with the others, watching the thousands of Daleks flying through the sky over London. Suddenly, shots rained into the sky- the Cybermen were shooting at the Daleks from the streets.
Dalek Sek, floating far ahead of Canary's Wharf where the Doctor and his friends stood, called: "Exterminate all life forms below. Exterminate!" Lily watched in horror as she saw the Daleks begin to shoot randomly into the streets of London, and she heard people screaming as they tried to run away.
Pete turned away from the window, saying as he walked away: "I'm sorry, but you've had it. This world's going to crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home." He pulled one of the yellow medallions out of a black-suited man's pocket, tossing it to Jackie: "Jacks, take this." Jackie caught it and looked at him in complete disbelief as Pete said firmly: "You're coming with us."
"But they're destroying the city." Jackie protested and Pete gave a small laugh as he said: "I'd forgotten you could argue. It's not just London," he explained as he placed the medallion over Jackie's head, "it's the whole world. But there's another world," he continued, taking Jackie's face in his hands gently, "just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe as long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?"
He turned back to the Doctor, and the Doctor turned around to face Pete. Lily's heart leapt to see the Doctor wearing his 3D glasses and grinning widely. "Oh, I'm ready." He exulted, before running into the lever lab, saying: "I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood." The Doctor began to type quickly at one of the computers before he ordered the computer: "Slam it down and close off both universes. "
"Reboot systems." The computer answered as Rose said "But we can't just leave. What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?" She asked as the Doctor ran out to the center of the lab. "They're part of the problem, and that," he turned abruptly to point a finger right in Rose's face, "makes them part of the solution. Oh yes!" He exulted as Rose and Lily began to smile while everyone else continued to look confused.
The Doctor looked around. "Well?" He said delightedly. "Isn't anyone going to ask what is it with the glasses?" He asked. Rose asked: "What is it with the glasses?" at the same time Lily answered: "You're using it to see energies happening around us, aren't you?" Everyone stared at Lily while Lily stared at Rose, suddenly looking contrite. She'd noticed the pattern because he kept wearing them to examine things that came through the barrier. The Doctor was beaming at Lily, as she muttered: "Or, we just ask you why you're wearing those glasses."
The Doctor grinned at the girl while he explained to everyone: "Lily, spot on. I can see, that's what." He cried delightedly. "Because we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void." He explained as his hands demonstrated what he was trying to illustrate. "That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Oh, I like that." He said suddenly veering off on a tangent. "Via the Void." He tried again, beaming and Lily laughed at his childish nature.
"Look." The Doctor insisted, placing the glasses on Rose. Lily had an idea of what Rose would see- she'd begun to put it all together as the Doctor explained. The Doctor asked Rose: "I've been through it. Do you see?" He swayed before her and Rose saw lots of little speckles, almost like dust, floating around the grinning Doctor. "Reboot in three minutes." The computer said as Rose asked: "What is it?"
"Void stuff." The Doctor answered and Lily rolled her eyes. "It's like background radiation." Lily explained her, and the Doctor smiled. He nodded at Lily as he said: "That's it. Look at the others." He ordered, spinning Rose so she faced everyone else in the room. "And the only one who hasn't been through the Void," he pointed at Jackie, "your mother."
Rose beamed as she removed the glasses briefly, while the Doctor added in a mumble: "First time she's looked normal all in her life." "Oi." Jackie complained as Lily and Rose laughed, Rose giving the glasses to Lily. Lily placed it on, testing her theory.
Both girls spun as the Doctor ran towards the portal wall, yelling: "But the Daleks lived inside the Void." The girls ran after him as he continued to cry: "They're bristling with it. Cybermen, all of them. I just open the Void and reverse." The Doctor stopped at the wall, turning back to face them. "The Void stuff gets sucked back inside." He finished, and Rose cried excitedly: "Pulling them all in!"
"Pulling them all in!" The Doctor echoed excitedly. The others still looked confused, and Mickey asked: "Sorry, what's the Void?" The girls turned to look at him as the Doctor explained: "The dead space. Some people call it Hell." Mickey grinned, saying: "So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to Hell." He turned to Jake, saying appreciatively, "Man, I told you he was good."
Rose suddenly interrupted: "But it's like you said. We've all got Void stuff. Me too, because we went to that parallel world. We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in." She said worriedly, and the Doctor looked her in the eyes while Lily pulled the glasses off. "That's why you've got to go." The Doctor told the girls firmly, and both of them looked at him in shock while the computer said: "Reboot in two minutes."
Rose shook her head slightly but the Doctor said sternly: "Back to Pete's world. Hey," his voice became cheery again as he pointed at Pete, "we should call it that. Pete's World." He turned to look at Rose and he became serious again. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side." He turned to look at Lily. "Both of you."
Rose just looked at the Doctor in shock, slowly transforming to hurt while Lily shook her head slowly. "And then you close it, for good?" Pete asked, and the Doctor turned to face her. "The breach itself is soaked in Void stuff. In the end it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput." He popped the p in the last word, and Rose said desperately: "But you stay on this side?"
"But you'll get pulled in." Mickey added with a thoughtful frown, and Lily glanced back at the Magnaclamps. The Doctor gazed at Rose for another long moment before he ran to the Magnaclamps, saying: "That's why I got these." He hefted one up to show the group. "I'll just have to hold on tight. I've been doing it all my life."
"I'm supposed to go." Rose said slowly, and Lily frowned at the Doctor. He looked at them. "Yeah." He said simply as he dropped the Magnaclamp, and Rose added: "To another world, and then it gets sealed off." "Yeah." He replied again as he moved to check the computer.
"Forever." Rose said flatly, and the Doctor avoided looking at them. "That's not going to happen." Rose said with a hopeless smile while Lily narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, nodding in agreement with Rose. Rose looked to her parents, and the building shook. Pete immediately moved into action, saying: "We haven't got time to argue. The plan works. We're going." He motioned the whole group into the center of the room. "You too." He pointed at Rose. "All of us." He added, looking pointedly at Lily.
"No, I'm not leaving here." Rose cried and Jackie said firmly to Pete: "I'm not going without her." Pete cried in exasperation: "Oh, my God. We're going!" He tried to grab Jackie but Jackie snapped: "I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her, or Lily." Rose gently grabbed her mother, saying: "You've got to."
"Well, that's tough." Jackie spat at her, spinning around to look her daughter in the eye. "Mum." Rose tried to reason with her mother as the computer said: "Reboot in one minute." Rose took her mother's arm, saying gently: "I've had a life with you for nineteen years," Jackie glanced down at Rose's hand looking alarmed, "but then I met the Doctor," the Doctor stood up as Rose continued, "and all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us. For the whole stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum."
Rose swallowed, and Lily glanced back sadly but then she straightened abruptly. The Doctor was pulling out a yellow medallion from his pocket as Rose continued: "But not anymore, because now he's got me." Rose said to her mother, smiling but with tears in her eyes. "Rose!" Lily called sharply, but the Doctor had already placed the medallion around her neck.
Lily leapt out of the way as Jake tried to get one on her, and Pete pressed his medallion as Rose turned to the Doctor asking: "What're you-" They all disappeared but Lily stood there. The Doctor glared at her, frustrated. "Why do you never listen!" He yelled. "You need to go!" "No!" Lily snapped.
He moved to the computer as he began to argue, when Rose reappeared, saying: "I think this is the on switch." The Doctor raised his head to stare at her, and Lily grinned at her cousin. The girls shared a look of sadness but determination, as the Doctor glared at them. He was furious and desperate.
"Once the breach collapses, that's it." He snapped at Lily, before turning to Rose. "You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!" Rose said softly: "I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never going to leave you." He looked at her in shock and disbelief. "Rose, I…" he glanced at Lily who frowned at him, wondering why he'd turned to her. Rose's face fell, but Lily didn't see. She misunderstood and said sharply: "Don't look at me, I'm also choosing to stay, I'm not chasing her away."
Rose's eyes were filling with tears and the Doctor turned to Rose, grabbing her shoulders. "Rose, I might not choose you." He said very quietly, so only she could hear him. Rose swallowed and nodded. "So what can I do to help?" Was all she said, as Lily came over to see what they were whispering about. "Systems rebooted. Open access." The computer said as the Doctor let go of Rose in shock, staring at the girl's determined face.
"Those coordinates over there," the Doctor told them as he pointed to the computers he hadn't set yet, "set them all at six. And hurry up." He said sharply. Lily moved to the computer in front of the Doctor while Rose moved across the room to the other one, taking her medallion off. She took a deep breath, glancing at Lily and the Doctor before getting on with it.
A warning beeped on the computers. "Doctor." Lily said sharply as Rose added: "We've got Cybermen on the way up." The Doctor looked up and joined Lily's computer. "How many floors down?" He asked as he peered at the screen that showed the security camera. "Just one." Lily answered as they watched the Cybermen march up the stairs.
The Doctor moved to the Yvonne's laptop, Rose going to join him but Lily watched the security camera. She saw a Cyberman with a gun like Mickey's moving in to block the other Cybermen's approach to their floor. "You will not pass." It said firmly, and the Cyberleader demanded: "What is the meaning of this?" Lily frowned- since when did they not conform to each other?
"You will not pass." The Cyberman replied and it began to shoot all the Cybermen. Lily's eyes widened as the Cyberman said: "I did my duty for Queen and Country." Yvonne. "I did my duty for Queen and Country." "Thank you, Yvonne. I'm so sorry." Lily whispered, and she watched as the Cyberman who was once Yvonne shed one tear of blood as it repeated: "I did my duty for Queen and Country."
The computer piped up: "Levers operational." Lily looked back at the Doctor to see him smiling delightedly. Lily smiled, and then turned to work on the codes to open the portal. Rose was smiling at him, and she said: "That's more like it. Bit of a smile. The old team." She grinned as she turned to shoot a smile at Lily too.
Lily gave her a half-smile as the Doctor grabbed a Magnaclamp, saying: "Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake." He stopped before Rose. "Which one's Shiver?" Rose asked teasingly, and the Doctor replied: "Oh, I'm Shake." "Lily's Shiver!" Rose called, and Lily laughed.
"He's treating us as one entity, Rose, so if I'm Shiver so are you!" Lily yelled back. The Doctor passed the Magnaclamp to Rose who groaned as she heaved it up, while Lily typed in the final commands into the computers.
Rose hefted hers onto the wall by one lever, the Doctor doing the same on the opposite wall by the other lever. "Press the red button." He ordered Rose. She did as she was told while Lily wrote the last bit of code.
The Doctor ran to a lever, Rose on the other one, and he ordered: "When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Void stuff. Lily, you run to me, I'll catch you. Are you ready?" He asked and Rose nodded out the window: "So are they."
Lily glanced back to see Daleks flying towards them outside the window. "Let's do it!" The Doctor ordered, and he and Rose pulled the levers up, Lily waiting for the command. They finished pulling and ran for the clamps, while Lily punched 'Enter' to finish the override code.
"Online." The computer said, and Lily ran for the Doctor as the portal opened, sucking everything in. The Doctor grabbed Lily, and hauled her in front of him, shielding her with his body. Lily grabbed the Magnaclamp with both hands, and the Doctor held on as well, his arms forming a cage around her as he held on for dear life.
The Daleks outside crashed through the window, pulled into the portal. "The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor yelled as they all turned their heads to watch the Daleks disappear. They clung on for all they were worth as a steady stream of Cybermen and Daleks were sucked in. Lily saw the Ark also flying towards them.
The Doctor grinned as Rose laughed, while Lily smiled a little, but it dropped as Rose's lever suddenly sparked, and began to creak. "Offline." The computer said as the lever inched a little down. The suction started to decrease in strength, and Lily watched in horror as Daleks started to just float in the air between them.
"Rose!" Lily cried when she saw her cousin let go of her Magnaclamp, grabbing the lever. She and the Doctor watched terrified as Rose fought against the lever and the suction's pull, trying to pull the lever up. "Rose!" Lily screamed in fear, and Rose shouted: "I've got to get it upright!" As she finished, she was pulled across, closer to the portal but she was still holding the lever. Rose shoved for all she was worth, and the lever clicked back in place.
"Online and locked." The computer said and the suction sped up again. The Daleks were all pulled in, and the Doctor yelled: "Rose, hold on!" Rose was being pulled and now she was floating horizontally, shrieking as she held the lever tightly to keep from falling into the portal. "Rose!" Lily screamed above the rushing wind, and the Doctor yelled: "Hold on!"
Lily counted in her head desperately, and then yelled: "Rose, it'll stop in 40 seconds! Just hold it for a bit longer!" Rose shrieked as a response, and Lily held her breath. Please, oh God, please. But she saw with terror that Rose's grip was slipping. The Doctor reached out a hand desperately, but they were too far apart, and he was forced to clutch the Magnaclamp again as the portal threatened to pull him as well.
"Rose!" The Doctor and Lily screamed as Rose's grip failed and the girl began to fly towards the portal. Rose screamed as well as she flew away from her friends. Suddenly, Pete appeared, clutching his medallion. He caught Rose, and Lily gasped as he disappeared immediately afterward, taking Rose with him.
The Doctor and Lily stared at the spot where Rose had disappeared, breathing heavily as the wind began to stop. Five seconds later, the portal closed, and The Doctor and Lily continued to stare in shock and anguish as the computer said: "Systems closed."
The Doctor slowly let go of the Magnaclamp, and Lily collapsed to the ground, sobbing. Tears fell thickly as the girl wailed, but the Doctor just walked to the wall in silence, leaning against it. Lily just sobbed, mourning the loss of her cousin and family, knowing she'd never be able to see Rose or Jackie and Mickey again.
The Doctor stood by the wall for a moment, before he stepped away, walking back towards the sobbing girl. He knelt next to her, and Lily wailed, reaching out and grabbing the Doctor in a tight hug. He held her tightly as she cried into his chest, his two hearts clenched tightly as he fought his own tears. They sat there as the Doctor mourned silently while the girl sobbed her heart out until she could cry no more.
The world had had to come to terms with what had happened and all the lives lost. Lilian Tyler was spotted on security footage, and so was reported fine, but Rose Tyler was declared dead. Lily didn't correct them- there was no way Rose or Jackie could come back anyways- and just left silently with the Doctor. She and the Doctor were currently flying around a supernova. The Doctor wanted to say goodbye to Rose.
Lily knew it wouldn't be possible for both of them to speak to Rose, so she let the Doctor. He had been grieving in silence for a week- they both had. Lily spoke to him for the first time today, to ask him for a favor when he spoke with Rose. Lily stood now on the other side of the Tardis while the Doctor spoke to thin air- but Lily knew his projection would be facing Rose.
"Rose." He had kept calling, and at last she seemed to answer, because he stopped calling. He paused, and then said: "Inside the Tardis." Lily looked up, and watched him give a small smile. "There's one tiny little gap in the Universe left, just about to close, and it takes a lot of power to send this projection. I'm in orbit around a super nova. I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."
He smiled a little, and Lily watched sadly. "Hold on." The Doctor said, and then he pointed his sonic at the console for a bit. "I'm still just an image. No touch." He said sadly, his burrows furrowing as he fought against the pain. Lily's eyes welled with tears.
"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse." The Doctor answered to something Rose must've asked. He smiled half-heartedly as Rose said something, before he looked around a little. "Where are we? Where did the gap come out?" He asked, and then paused.
"Norway. Right." He said, nodding as his eyes began to shine with tears. He frowned suddenly, asking: "Dalek?" Lily looked up in alarm, but the Doctor's face had relaxed as he listened to something Rose must've been saying. He smiled suddenly, nodded in understanding, before there was a pause.
"About two minutes." He said, and then paused a little. "You've still got Mr. Mickey, then?" He asked as he nodded off to the side and Lily's lip trembled a bit. She missed Mickey so much. Suddenly, the Doctor looked a little alarmed. "You're not?" He said a little shocked.
Lily wished she could hear what Rose was saying. "And what about you? Are you-" the Doctor asked Rose quietly, and Lily bit her lip, waiting. The Doctor nodded a little, and said a little sarcastically: "Oh, good for you."
He paused, and raised an eyebrow. "Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth." He gave a watery laugh, before saying somberly. "You're dead, officially, back home. So many people died that day and you've gone missing. You're on a list of the dead. Here you are, living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have." He finished a little sadly.
He paused again, before whispering sadly: "You can't." A tear dropped down Lily's face. The Doctor paused before saying sadly: "Oh, I've got the Tardis. And Lily's here. She told me to tell you." Lily looked up as the Doctor breathed, trying to remain calm.
"She said, she loves you. You, Jackie, Mickey, even old Pete. And… and she asked me to tell you, she'll look after me in your stead. She said, and I quote her exact words: 'I'm so sorry, and I wish it were me. But I'll look after him, for you.' Can you believe her?" The Doctor smiled through the anguish on his face.
He paused, and after a long beat he said with a small smile: "Quite right, too. And I suppose," he seemed to hesitate, "if it's one last chance to say it." His face fell, and then he began very seriously: "Rose Tyler-" He broke off, and Lily saw a tear running down the Doctor's face. It was the first time he'd cried since the incident, and Lily knew the connection had been cut.
She hung her head as the tear sat on the Doctor's cheek. She remembered how once, after meeting Queen Victoria, she'd wondered what cost she would end up paying if she continued to travel with the Doctor. What she hadn't realized was there wouldn't be one for travelling with him- there would be one for not stopping him when she could. Her family. She thought back to all the times the Doctor's ego had inflated, to all the times he and Rose had pushed too far, the peak when they'd met the werewolf.
She remembered the Doctor and Rose's arrogance in that adventure. Torchwood had been born that night, after what had happened, and now… and now she and the Doctor were paying the price for their mistakes that night- and the cost was Rose.
She watched as the Doctor moved to her side of the Tardis. He looked at her sadly, and they walked together to the console in silence. "Jackie's pregnant. Another cousin on the way for you." The Doctor told her suddenly. Lily gave a watery laugh. "But I'll never get to see them." She said softly, and the Doctor didn't reply, just twiddled some dials.
"I'm sorry." Lily said quietly, and he looked at her, but Lily's face was covered by her hair as she kept her head lowered, looking at her feet. "I wish you'd got to tell Rose how you felt. You didn't have to send my message- yours was far more important, for you and for her." Lily whispered. The Doctor coaxed Lily's face up with a finger under her chin.
Lily lifted her gaze slowly, and her tearful hazel orbs met the Doctor's sad brown ones. "Lily Tyler," he said seriously, "I may have had feelings for Rose, but that doesn't mean you're any less important- to me or to her. She asked me to send you a reply." He paused and Lily eventually nodded for him to continue.
"She said: 'Thank you, and I love you, too. Look after yourself.'" The Doctor relayed. Lily's eyes filled with tears, and the Doctor gave her a half-smile. Suddenly he frowned, looking over her shoulder. Lily turned to see the back of a woman in a white dress and a veil, standing in the middle of the Tardis. She blinked.
"What?" The Doctor said blankly, and the woman turned around. "Oh!" The red-headed bright gasped. "What?" The Doctor repeated in complete shock, and the woman asked, looking him up and down: "Who are you?" She then eyed Lily, who looked at her in complete shock.
"But-" the Doctor said confused, glancing around the Tardis. The woman rolled her eyes and demanded saucily: "Where am I, eh?" She gave a threatening smile, and the Doctor asked, face scrunched in confusion: "What?"
"What the hell is this place?" The woman yelled in frustration. Lily's eyes were wide and her mouth hanging open, while the Doctor exclaimed: "What?!"