"Do you- would you ever-?" Sage cut herself off before finishing her train of thought. She bit her lip, looking into the crowds of the asteroid bazaar.
"Yes?" he prodded gently.
"Nothing-" she started before abruptly stopping herself again with a sigh. "No, it's not nothing. I want to know more about you. Your past. But I'm just afraid that you'll evade my questions again and we'll go back to before."
He frowned, feeling how tense Sage was. Tightening his grip around her waist, he glanced down at her, trying to keep his face as even as possible. Keeping his voice light, he asked, "What did you want to know?"
"Your childhood," she answered immediately. "If you had any siblings, friends, your favourite food back then, and maybe your fondest memories."
The Doctor blinked. That definitely wasn't what he thought she was going to ask. And his fondness and love for Sage welled up inside of him again, the warmth hugging him close. "Well, I had a lot of siblings, but none that I was as close to of a brother as Brax, his name was. Well, I say that was his name, but really it was more of a nickname. His full name was Irving Braxiatel, and by Rassilon was he a hardass. Koschei and I were always a huge pain in the neck for him, but he cared for me."
"Koschei?"
"My best friend, former friend," he corrected, "in the Academy on Gallifrey. We went separate ways, especially after the exam. Some ran, some went mad, well, guess who was which?"
"So if you were the Doctor, then what name did he choose?"
The Doctor laughed ruefully, "The Master."
"Ugh," Sage groaned. "I bet psychologists had a field day with him. If you don't mind, I'll stick with calling him Koschei, it seems less weird to me that way."
"You have no idea," he grinned tiredly. And talking about this, his friends, his family, his past, while his heart twinged in pain and regret, he felt almost lighter in a way, freer.
"What's the worst thing you did in the Academy?"
"Oh, strap your seatbelts on because if what you think I do now is bad, what I did then was even worse!"
"Oh no!" Sage groaned playfully.
"Oh, yes!" the Doctor winked at her and launched into a story about all the troubles he stirred up in his childhood.
"Wait, wait, wait. Okay, so you wore a rainbow suit in your sixth regeneration?" Sage asked in disbelief, flinging her braid behind her. "And I thought your fashion sense now was weird."
The Doctor frowned and looked down at the pin-striped suit he was wearing. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"
"Nothing, I like it," Sage shrugged, swinging their arms between them. "It's just- whenever we go places you're the one who always gets stared at."
He tilted his head, remembering the many, many brow raises from his outfit choices, then shrugged. "I don't really care about anybody else's opinion, just yours."
If the Doctor really squinted, he could see the blush dusting the pink of Sage's cheeks. He suppressed a smile, charmed by his ability to still catch Sage off guard.
Sage coughed, clearing her throat. "I- well- anyway- what other choices did you make?"
"Nothing as bad as that, thank Rassilon." He tilted his head to the side, thinking it over. "Okay, I guess it depends on your definition of bad. Do question marks count?"
"Depends, where did you put the question marks?" Sage eyed the Doctor, and his wince was all the answer she needed.
"Let's not talk about that," he quickly veered the conversation away much to Sage's amusement.
"Tell me more about yourself later, okay?" she said, looking up at him. He gave her a nod and a wicked smirk, tugging her around the market square.
She quirked a smile at him, eyes soft. Looking forward at the bustling street markets made her want to curl in on herself but the Doctor's steady hand in hers made her stand up tall. "This was nice of you," she remarked because the Doctor was kind but he was not nice.
He hummed, a little distracted by the machinery around him. "What was?" Attention immediately pulled away by a booth filled with things Sage couldn't even begin to name. He picked up something, inspecting it with a befuddled look on his face.
"Your offering to take Rose home for a visit after this. It was sweet of you." She watched as the Doctor coughed, busying himself with his purchase as he made no move to respond.
"Was it?" He was fishing for compliments, but Sage indulged him, feeling the fondness well up inside her.
"Yes, yes it was." She nodded along to whatever vendor was trying to sell her, smiling blandly and declining to buy. "What did you need here anyway?"
"Oh, just an RTD; a Root Trajectory D-shell Connector." He threw back a part that he disagreed with, barking at the vendor who tried to swindle him.
Sage turned to look at another stand, full of trinkets and knick knacks meant to catch the tourist eye. Without Sage's eyes on him, the Doctor opened a tiny box, the jewelry within shining to its fullest potential, slipping the vendor a few credits and a gesture to keep quiet, the vendor nodding wildly as they accepted the credits, and he slipped the box into his jacket pocket.
Inspecting a peculiar set of jewelry, a familiar voice startled Sage close to her ear, "Hello again!"
She yelped, knocking her head on the other's chin. "Claire! What the hell!"
"Sage, are you okay?" the Doctor called, rushing to her side. He slid in next to her, arm around her waist to steady her and reassure her that he was there.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." The Doctor's paradoxical warmth and coolness made Sage sink in more to his embrace, a reminder of the reassurance that he was here.
"Who are you? And what are you wearing?" the Doctor asked warily.
"Stand down, Doctor, I know her," Sage squeezed his hand in comfort. Gradually he relaxed, but he still seemed ready to sprint at any moment. She let out a shaky breath, a smile fixed on her face as genuine as she could make it.
"How have you been, Sage?" Claire asked.
"Fine, but seriously what are you wearing?" Sage eyed the bright blue scarf wrapped around her head, covering all of her hair, the giant glasses that took up half her face and the shawl twisted around her shoulders.
"Aren't you sweating in that?" The Doctor looked her up and down, the suns of the day beating down on all three of them. He had the excuse at least of being alien, Sage was still sweating bullets and she was wearing a skirt and tee.
"Aren't you?" Claire shot back. "Besides, I'm incognito."
"What for?" Sage asked, but like always Claire only smiled benignly and changed the topic.
"What were you looking at?" Claire's voice went knowing, rocking back and forth on her heels. There was something a little suspicious about the way she smiled, and Sage would say that it was sinister but the feeling emanating from Claire was only kind. As if it was a friend planning to embarrass or prank another friend.
"Just some of the local goods," Sage evaded as best she could, but the gleam in Claire's eyes didn't make her feel good.
"Oh, did you want anything, Sage?" the Doctor asked, turning all interest onto her. He paid no mind to the amused look on Claire's face, nor the bemused look on Sage's. If Sage didn't know any better, she would say that the Doctor was acting jealous, wanting her attention on him and not Claire.
"Oh, no thanks. I was just browsing." She smiled awkwardly, twisting the ring on her finger.
"If you ever need anything, let me know," the Doctor said seriously, an intense look in his eyes.
"Al- alright, Doctor, I will," she patted his arm politely, dropping her hand when the Doctor didn't seem to let go.
"Claire, what were you-" Sage turned to redirect her attention, but the woman was gone. She threw her hands up in the air, slightly restricted by the Doctor's arm around her. "Every time! Every time I want to know something, she disappears!"
"You've met her before then," the Doctor frowned at that, a little displeased at that information.
Sage nodded distractedly, craning around to see where Claire had gone and not seeming to catch the Doctor's tone, "Yeah, remember on New Earth? She was the one that tipped me off about the hospital."
He frowned, the memory niggling a warning to him. "She knew about the hospital?"
"Seems so," Sage shrugged, giving up on her search. "It's a little odd, considering. I would've thought that if she knew, then she would've done something. But she must've known that we were coming. The most obvious answer is that she's a time traveller, like us. A Time Agent, most likely. But she keeps breaking the rules, like giving me my fan. I don't think there's any sort of mission for that, especially so focused on me."
"What?" the Doctor startled, pulling back and looking at Sage directly. "She's the one who gave you that fan? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did?" Sage looked at him weirdly. "Or maybe I thought I did and just assumed you knew. It happened some time ago that I guess I forgot. But it's not like there was anything bad about it. The TARDIS made it sonic herself, and I'm pretty sure she would've told me if there was something dangerous about it."
"I suppose," the Doctor grudgingly conceded. "Still, I don't like her. She knows something. She knows something dangerous."
"You just don't like people knowing something that you don't," Sage pointed out.
"True," the Doctor acknowledged that with a tilt of his head, "But there's something about her. Something is telling me that she's messing with timelines or at least something to that extent. When I saw her lines, they were all jumbled."
"You can see those?" Sage asked in interest, tugging him along when she noticed they were holding up the lines.
The Doctor followed without hesitation, "Well, sort of. It's just a passing glance, a feeling in a way. Something that I do rather subconsciously than on purpose. I can't see my own, other Time Lords, or anyone who travels with me. Too messy and tangled. I'd rather not have a headache, thank you very much.
Sage hummed, "That's neat. What does it look like?"
"Molten gold strings running around everyone I meet," and there was something wistful in the way that the Doctor said that, how his hold on Sage slackened downward and his eyes got this far away glaze. She didn't know if it was better to indulge him or shake him out of it.
Luckily, he did that for her, and Sage could see how the Doctor mentally shook himself away from that train of thought. He turned back to the booths, shoving the thoughts away for the moment, but he kept a firm grip on her hand.
"Excuse me, Miss?" Sage stopped, letting go of a reluctant Doctor's grip, and turned to see an eager vendor hefting a big box out toward her.
"Oh, I don't want anything-" she tried to refuse, but the vendor pushed the box toward her even more.
"No, no. I'm not selling this to you. A friend of yours bought this earlier and told me to give it to you."
"This friend…" Sage said suspiciously. "What did they look like?"
"Oh, well, around your height perhaps a bit taller, long hair, had rather large eyes," the vendor said thoughtfully.
Well, that had to be Claire, Sage thought. But what would she buy for her? Why would she buy anything for Sage? Was there something that she knew that Sage had to have? Was there something specific?
"So are you going to be taking this or not? Because I can't keep it now that it's been paid."
"Oh, yes, of course." Sage grabbed the red box from the vendor. "Wait, what are these?"
"A pair of the strongest magnaclamps this universe has ever seen," the vendor said mysteriously, then they shooed her away. "Now get going, I have more customers than just you."
"What the-?"
"What's that?" the Doctor asked, peeking over her shoulder. He laced their hands together again, and Sage could see the wheels whirring in his brain about the mysterious content of the box.
"A pair of mag-na-clamps?" Sage's tongue twisted at the strange wording. "I've no idea, really. It was a gift."
He took the box from Sage. "Should you really be accepting gifts from strangers though? You never know what could happen once you open the box. For all you know, there could be a bomb inside."
"Yes, thank you so much for that imagery." Sage glared at a sheepish Doctor, rolling her eyes. She took the box back from the Doctor, opening it to peer inside. "Well, it's from Claire, anyway. So I think it'll be fine."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms with a frown. "I don't trust her."
"I know," she sighed, long-suffering, "but the TARDIS does, so that has to count for something."
"Maybe," he said, but he let it go and Sage was relieved for that.
"Sage! Doctor!" Rose's voice rose above the crowd, and they both turned around to greet her. The blonde woman waved excitedly, running up toward them. "Doctor, Doctor! I got this for my mum. Do you think she'd like it?"
Rose held up a golden spherical device with a little cross on the top. "The vendor there called it- er…. Bellzinium?"
"Bezoolium," the Doctor corrected, putting on his glasses. He weighed the little knick knack in his hand, testing it with a lick. "It's the real thing too," he said with mild surprise.
"Right, thanks," Rose bobbed her head in agreement. "I had to squabble with the vendor a bit before I was finally shown the real thing. I think it had something to do with the amount of credits I had, that helped. It's meant to predict the weather. Well, more like tell you if it's going to rain, which I think my mum will like since she's always complaining about the weather and how she can never trust the news reports since they're always wrong."
Sage laughed, "Yeah, I think Jackie will love it, Rose. Did you want to explore some more?"
"I think I'm done here," Rose said. "What 'bout you two?"
"Well, Sage here got herself a pair of magnaclamps," the Doctor said, gesturing to the box in Sage's hands.
Rose looked at her in surprise as if seeing the box for the first time. "Magnaclamps? What're those for?"
"Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass," the Doctor said.
"I can do with a few of that for all the places we go to," Rose joked, and the three of them laughed. Rose and Sage chatted with each other, the Doctor chiming in at random times as they wandered on.
Jackie whistled as she did the dishes, glancing at the clock and getting excited when she noticed the time.
The door was being banged on, Rose called through the door"Mum, it's us! We're ba~ck!"
Sage opened the door with her key, letting Rose and the Doctor follow her in before she was crushed in a hug.
"Oh, I've missed ya," Jackie said, the hug bruising Sage's ribs. Instantly, in the next second, Rose was in her sight.
"Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone," she chastised, "You never use it!"
"Shut up, and come here," Rose said with her arms wide. Jackie threw her arms around Rose in a fierce hug.
"Oh, I love you!"
"I love you!"
The Doctor tried to squeeze past them, much to Sage's amusement, but Jackie spotted him, stopping him in his tracks. "Oh, no you don't."
She pulled him toward hers, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek with the Doctor's vehement protests. "I've missed you too, ya know!"
"Just- just put me down!" he tried to push her away.
She gave him another fat kiss before letting him go. The Doctor wiped furiously at his cheek, looking for all the world like a little boy with an over affectionate mother.
Sage sidled up next to him with a laugh in her eyes, "So are you leaving me for Jackie or…?"
"Don't ever joke about that," the Doctor said, unamused.
Sage laughed, full of joy. She stood on her tip-toes, wiping his pout with a chaste kiss. "I'm just kidding, Doctor. I know that you love me."
He relaxed into the kiss, arms winding around her waist. "I do." He gave her another kiss, murmuring, "What do you say about getting out of here? Let the mother and daughter have their reunion while we travel?"
Sage rolled her eyes, hitting him lightly on the chest. She settled down on ground again, linking their hands and tugging him toward the sitting room. "Behave, I wanna catch up with Jackie too."
"Oh, you humans and your need for domesticity," the Doctor griped, letting Sage pull him around.
"Watch it, this human enjoys her domestics," Sage warned without any real heat. They entered the sitting room, settling down on the couch as Rose started to recount their past adventure to the bazaar.
"I got you this!" Rose said, presenting the gift to her mother. "It's from this market on this asteroid bazaar. It's made of um…" she turned to the Doctor, "what's it called?"
The Doctor started flicking through the magazines lying on the table, sitting next to Sage on the couch.
"Bezoolium."
"Bezoolium," Rose repeated. "When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's gonna rain, when it's hot, it's gonna be sunny! You can use it to tell the weather!"
Jackie didn't pay any attention to the gift, waving it aside. She was positively beaming as she addressed the three of them, hands clasped in glee. "I've got a surprise for you all."
"Oh, I get her bezoolum, she doesn't even say 'thanks'," Rose rolled her eyes, tossing the thing to the Doctor who absentmindedly caught it and pocketed it.
Jackie ignored Rose's complaint. "Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time, he'll be here at ten past! Who do you think it is?"
"I don't know," Rose shrugged, still slightly salty about the unwanted gift.
"Oh go on," her mother pressed, "guess!"
"No, I hate guessing," she said, shaking her head. "Just tell me."
Jackie was ever so pleased as she beamed at Rose. "It's your grandad. Grandad Prentice. He's on his way. Any minute"
Sage and Rose froze, staring at Jackie who bustled along. "Right, cup of tea!" Jackie disappeared into the kitchen, Rose and Sage staring after her. The Doctor tugged a shell-shocked Sage up, appearing at Rose's shoulder.
"She's gone mad," Rose said, stunned.
"Tell me something new," the Doctor muttered, giving Jackie a side glance. Sage elbowed the Doctor absentmindedly, silently chastising him. He grunted in pain, shooting her a faux wounded look.
"No, that's not it," Sage said.
Rose nodded, continuing, "Grandad Prentice, that's her dad. But he died like, ten years ago. Oh my God. She's lost it." Turning to address her mother, "Mum? What you just said about grandad…"
"Any second now," Jackie said excitedly, gazing intently at a corner.
Rose winced, and as gently as she could, "But... he passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember that?"
"'Course I do!" she laughed lightly.
There was a pause as Rose shot a concerned look to Sage who could only look on helplessly, "...Then how can he come back?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" She retorted before she checked her watch. "Ten past. Here he comes."
And Sage's knees buckled with a cry of pain torn from her, body feeling like it was being ripped apart. All eyes fell on her before flicking back to the ghost. The Doctor immediately caught her, setting her down in a chair close by and right before their eyes, a figure stepped out of nowhere in the middle of the kitchen. It was featureless, like a shadow, but definitely humanoid, standing beside Jackie.
"Here we are, then!" Jackie said happily, worried eyes on Sage but trying to make light of the situation, still too happy to have her dad back. The three just stared, dumbstruck, Sage still in numb pain. Jackie waved her arm as if to introduce the thing, "Dad... say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?"
Sage, with great difficulty, the Doctor and Rose burst out of a side-door of the block of flats at a run. They came to a halt, looking around in wonder.
"They're everywhere!" the Doctor exclaimed in confusion.
The ghosts were everywhere, standing around just like ordinary people. No one seemed to be remotely alarmed by their presence. A group of boys carried on with their ball game, just as normal. Sage squeezed the Doctor's hand to the point of losing blood circulation, but he didn't say anything, squeezing back as best he could in comfort. There was so much going on, and as much as he wanted to focus all his attention on Sage right now, it was only slightly lower on his priorities list, right below figuring out what the hell was going on.
Rose turned, eyes widening. "Doctor, look out!" A ghost walked right through the Doctor, causing him to squirm in discomfort but no pain.
"They haven't got long," Jackie piped up, joining them. "Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade."
"What do you mean, shift?" the Doctor asked, totally flummoxed. He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up every which way as he twirled around. "Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?"
"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie said with a smirk.
The Doctor looked around, completely baffled. "But no one's running or screaming or freaking out or…"
"Why should we?" Jackie shrugged before she checked her watch. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past." She smiled at Rose and Sage, biting her lip with anticipation.
There was another moment, and Sage cried out in pain again, knees weak and Rose caught her this time, grunting as she steadied her. The ghosts disappeared. The Doctor glanced around, looking even more confused than he did before.
He shook his head, turning his attention back to Sage, "Love, are you alright?"
"Fine, I'm fine," she shook off his concerns, letting go of Rose's hands to straighten herself up. "It wasn't as bad this time."
She batted their concerns aside, muttering, "This has to do with the Void again," too low for the others, even the Doctor, to hear. She smiled at the others, the expression a little bit haunted, "Let's go back to the flat."
Unconvinced, the Doctor and Rose shared concerned looks that went unnoticed by Sage before they slowly moved back to the flat. The Doctor sat on the floor in front of the television, flipping through the channels, growing more confused by the second as he settled on Ghostwatch.
The anchor started speaking, "On today's Ghostwatch, citizens' claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge." The telly cut to footage of the ghosts milling around Westminster Bridge. "It's almost like a military display…."
"What the hell's going on?" The Doctor muttered, brows furrowed. He changed the channel to a weather report, but instead of weather symbols, there were little pictures of ghosts on the map of the UK. "It's all over the world."
Continuously flipping only led him to Eastenders, and he had had enough. He switched off the TV and turned to Jackie. "When did it start?"
"Well first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down…"
"No, I mean worldwide," the Doctor cut her off before she could get too invested in the retelling. Rose smirked, hiding a laugh. Sage grinned a grimace, holding her head in pain.
"Oh!" Jackie cried in realization. "That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were, ghosts, everywhere. We all ran 'round screaming and that, whole planet was panicking... no sign of you, thank you very much... then it sort of sank in. Took us time to realise that... we're lucky."
Rose paused before asking curiously, "What makes you think it's grandad?"
"Just feels like him," Jackie said with a sense of conviction. "There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?"
"I wish I could, mum," Rose said gently, as if letting her mother down, "but I can't."
"You've got to make an effort. You've gotta want it, sweetheart," Jackie said with a plea, taking Rose's hands and looking determinedly at her.
"The more you want it, the stronger it gets?" the Doctor mused.
"Sort of, yeah." Jackie gave up on convincing Rose, letting go of her hands.
"Like a psychic link," the Doctor said as his thoughts began to run around. Sage scooted toward the table, resting her back against it as her own thoughts ran wild. "'Course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."
"You're spoiling it," Jackie said with a petulant tone, an undercurrent of whine.
Sage gave him a look and he sighed. He shook his head with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm sorry, Jackie, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes. Just a memory."
"But if they're not ghosts, what are they, then?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, but they're human! You can see them, they look human!" Jackie pointed out with a victorious point at the Doctor.
"She's got a point," Rose conceded. "I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people."
"Maybe not," the Doctor said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot. Not only that, but something about their coming here hurt Sage, and the only other time that happened was when we went to that Other World." And with that, he stood, helping Sage up and walking out.
Rose, holding a newspaper, strode into the TARDIS where the Doctor was as usual, wedged under the console. Sage sat on the console, swinging her legs and occasionally handing him tools.
"According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds." She gave Sage a tired look before she peered down at the Doctor, "Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing."
The Doctor suddenly popped up from underneath the grilling, bopping insanely and accompanied by the tune of 'Ghostbusters'. He held an odd looking device in one hand and wore a rucksack. Sage burst out into raucous laughter, and the Doctor grinned, leaning down and pressing a kiss on her forehead.
"Who're you gonna call?" he sang gruffly.
"Ghostbusters!" Rose sang with a laugh full of glee.
"I ain't afraid of no ghosts," the Doctor belted out. He extended a hand to Sage, helping her down from the console and tugged her out the TARDIS as Sage gave her hand out to Rose as quick as she could before it was too late, Rose following them and giggling.
In the play park, Jackie was waiting for them outside. The Doctor arranged three cone devices in a triangle shape. He addressed Jackie, "When's the next shift?"
She checked her watch, "Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?"
"Triangulates their point of origin."
"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose asked thoughtfully.
"Nah," the Doctor said. "They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper."
"You're always doing this," Jackie huffed, cross. "Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?" The Doctor resolutely ignored her, but she plowed on. Sage averted her gaze when Jackie tried to turn her tactics to her. "Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost, our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"
The Doctor paused in his work, meeting her eyes for the first time. "I think it's horrific."
Jackie jolted back, mildly shocked. She turned back to Sage, eyes demanding an explanation, but she only shrugged, the pain only just wearing off. The Doctor continued, back to work, "Rose, give us a hand." He started unwinding a cable, leading it though into the TARDIS, Rose following. He plugged it into the console. Jackie stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
The Doctor started explaining at break-neck speed, "As soon as it becomes activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop..." He brandished the sonic screwdriver under Rose's nose, who goes cross-eyed trying to focus on it. "Setting 15B, hold it against the port, eight seconds and stop."
"15B, eight seconds," Rose repeated dutifully.
"If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left."
"Hang on a minute, I know…" She leaned over the console, pointing out a button. "It's that one."
"Mm, close," the Doctor held up his index and thumb an inch apart.
"That one?" She pointed at another button.
"Nnnow you've just killed us. What has Sage been teaching you?"
Sage made an offended noise, slapping his shoulder and Rose giggled at the wounded look on his face as he whined in mock pain. None of them noticed the way Jackie was looking at them.
"Eh... that one," Rose said with finality.
"Yeah!" the Doctor grinned, ruffling her hair much to her consternation. "Now, what've we got? Two minutes to go?" He looked over at Jackie, who checked her watch and nodded.
He straightened up, looking at Sage. "Are you sure you feel up for this? No one will blame you for waiting this one out."
"Absolutely not, I am not about to leave you two to gallivant off without me," Sage said with her hands on her hips. The Doctor and Rose exchanged looks again, this time absolutely noticed by Sage. "What? What're those looks about?"
"It's just…" Rose started. "We don't want you to get hurt."
"Okay? Um, I don't want either of you getting hurt either, and there's no telling if it'll be the same thing in the TARDIS or not. When we went to that other dimension, I had passed out and couldn't help. Now here I haven't passed out, so that means it's fine."
"You being in excruciating pain is fine?" the Doctor asked incredulously.
"It's just like the first time I got cramps from my period," she waved off his concern, and he blushed, but Rose was unconvinced.
"You stay with me here," she said firmly.
"What're you, my mother now?" Sage asked in amusement.
"If it gets you to stop putting yourself in danger."
"Tomato, tomahtoe."
"Anything you wanna say, Doc?"
He shook his head, "Rose is right, and I'll trust your judgement. But if there are any signs that you're getting worse, Rose has my full permission to lock you in your room."
"Hey!"
"Alright."
The Doctor shrugged and nodded at Rose before turning and exiting. Rose plunged the sonic screwdriver into a port on the console.
"What's the line doing?" The Doctor yelled from the outside.
Rose, yelling back, "It's all right, it's holding!"
Jackie looked at Rose with contemplation, "You even look like him."
"How d'you mean?" she tilted her head before she smiled. Sage looked between mother and daughter, silently wondering if she should leave. "I s'pose I do, yeah."
"You've changed so much," Jackie said, with only a little despair.
"For the better, mum."
"I s'pose," she said, slightly defeated.
Rose turned to her, "Mum, I used to work in a shop."
"I've worked in shops. What's wrong with that?" Jackie said defensively.
Rose backtracked, sharking her head. "No, I didn't mean that."
Jackie sighed, "I know what you meant. You're just so grown…. What happens when I'm gone?"
"Don't talk like that!" Rose snapped, and Sage should definitely leave right now.
"No, but really," Jackie insisted seriously. "When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. Neither of you. What happens then?"
The blonde looked down, quietly, "I don't know."
"Do you think you'll ever stay in one place?"
"The Doctor and Sage never will, so I can't. I'll just keep on travelling." And Sage felt so touched at the genuine care and love Rose had in her voice.
"And you'll keep on changing," Jackie continued as if never hearing her in the first place. "And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman... walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human…."
The Doctor's voice broke the moment. Rose turned away from her mother to shout at him, "The scanner's working, it says 'delta one six'."
Sage took in a deep breath, facing Jackie and making sure that Rose couldn't hear her. "That was a little unfair of you, Jackie."
"What'd you mean?"
"You're taking away her choices. She made the choice to join the Doctor, to run away with him in your eyes, something I've done as well. What's the difference between me and Rose? The age? The experience? She's twenty-one, Jackie. Let her make mistakes, let her experience regret."
"At the expense of her life?" Jackie said harshly.
"I told you. You can't wrap her up in bubble wrap and hope that she'll stay safe forever. You have to let her fly the nest. What you just told her was that you didn't trust her choices. That you didn't trust her. And hearing that from your mother, the woman who is supposed to guide you, care for you, nurture you, no matter what age, hurts."
Jackie looked away, "I just worry."
"And I'm not telling you to stop." Sage put her hands on Jackie's shoulders. "Just… be there for the fall out and love her. Don't control her, don't guilt her because that will only drive her away."
Sage let go, turning back to the monitor. A ghost materialised in its centre. As it did so, the cones connected with blue electricity, which in turn connected over the top of the ghost, encompassing it in a kind of electric blue pyramid. The three inside watched the happenings with amazement.
The ghost shuddered and groaned, then the Doctor jumped back receiving an electric shock from the ghost, and he stumbled backwards. The Doctor dashed to the railing inside the TARDIS, throwing his coat over it and yelling excitedly, "I said so! Those ghosts have been forced into existence for one specific point! And I can track down the source. Allons-y!" He pulled down a lever. The TARDIS shudders and he, Sage and Rose fell backwards onto the chair. The rotor rose and fell.
The TARDIS materialised in a storage area, soldiers burst in through the doors, holding guns, shouting and getting into their positions. Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor, Sage, Rose and Jackie observed it on the monitor.
"Oh, well there goes the advantage of surprise," the Doctor said, slightly put out. "Still! Cuts to the chase. Stay here, look after Jackie." He made toward the doors.
Rose and Sage trailed after him, "I'm not looking after my mum!"
"She's not even my mom!"
"Well, the two of you brought her!" the Doctor called back.
"I was kidnapped!" Jackie protested indignantly.
Rose pushed past the Doctor and blocked the doorway so he couldn't get past, Sage standing at her side. "Doctor, they've got guns," she warned.
"And I haven't," he said cheerfully. "Which makes me the better person, don't you think?" He caught Sage around the waist and moved her smoothly out of the way, somehow spinning Rose out of the way at the same time. "They can shoot me dead, but the moral high-ground is mine."
"That was an awful reason," Sage called out after him. And with that, he opened the door and stepped through it. The Doctor raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. The soldiers released the safety catches on their guns, every single one is pointed at the Doctor. Rose, Sage and Jackie watch through a crack in the door, unseen.
A blonde woman hurried into the room, running towards the Doctor, excitedly, "Oh...! Oh, how marvellous." She clapped happily, "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!" The soldiers follow suit, applauding him.
The Doctor didn't know what to make of the reception. He lowered his hands tentatively. "Um. Thanks. Nice to meet you. I'm... the Doctor."
And that set them all off clapping again.
"Oh, I should say!" The woman said, "Hurray!"
"You... you've heard of me, then?" he asked in confusion.
"Well of course we have," the woman answered as if it was obvious. "And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here. The Doctor and the TARDIS...!" Overcome, she started the applause again.
The Doctor, clearly enjoying this just a little bit, gestured for silence. "And... and... you are?"
"Oh, plenty of time for that," the woman waved him off, "But according to the records, you're not allowed to be here without your wife. And you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor, his wife and their companion. That's a pattern isn't it, right?"
The Doctor stared at her, unreadable, but she just continued, her voice suddenly adopting a slightly sinister quality, "There's no point hiding anything. Not from us." She smiled, "So where are they?"
"... Yes! Sorry. Good point. They're just a bit shy, that's all." He opened the TARDIS door just a tiny bit more, feeling around for Sage first. He pulled Sage out, who let out a little yelp at the sudden motion, "But here she is: Sage Tran, my lovely wife." He proceeded to grope around the TARDIS once more, practically yanking Jackie out. "And this is Rose Tyler."
Rose was left inside, listening to the proceedings and not making a sound. The Doctor looked Jackie up and down, "Hmm. She's not the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that." He mimed chatting as Jackie glared at him and the other woman laughed. "And just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged fifty-seven years. But she'll do."
"I'm 40!" Jackie protested, and Sage had to stifle her laughter as the Doctor went on, "Deluded. Bless. I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone? She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well. I say not bad... anyway! Lead on. But not too fast. Her ankle's going."
The woman turned to lead the way, the Doctor, Sage and Jackie followed. Jackie hissed at the Doctor, "I'll show you where my ankle's going." And the Doctor hurried to follow after the woman.
"It was only a matter of time until you found us. And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor. Mrs. Doctor." The woman pushed open a doorway into a huge factory floor, full of alien artifacts and scientists working on them. "Welcome... to Torchwood."
The Doctor could only stare at his surroundings, moving forward as he murmured to himself, "That's a Jathar Sunglider."
"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago," the blonde woman nodded.
"What, did it crash?"
"No, we shot it down," the woman said proudly, and Sage recoiled in disgust. "It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare. The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us! Now if you'd like to come with me."
Jackie shared an incredulous glance with the Doctor, while the woman led them on. "The Torchwood Institute has a motto: If it's alien, it's ours. Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire."
Sage shivered at that name, and the Doctor absentmindedly put his arm around her, reeling her in and rubbing her shoulder.
"For the good of the what?" Jackie asked, eyes wide with concern.
"The British Empire."
"There isn't a British Empire," Jackie denied.
"Not yet," she said with a mysterious smile. "Ah, excuse me…" She took a weapon off a soldier. "Now, if you wouldn't mind... Do you recognise this, Doctor?"
"That's a particle gun," he said slowly.
"Good, isn't it?" she smirked. Jackie tried to touch it, but the other wrenched it from her grasp and ignored the interruption. "Took us eight years to get it to work..."
"It's the twenty-first century. You can't have particle guns," the Doctor said with a bit of warning.
"We must defend our border against the alien," she said firmly, shoving the warning away. She handed the particle gun back to the waiting soldier. "Thank you... Sebastian, isn't it?"
Sebastian nodded in surprise, "Yes, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Sebastian." She smiled at the soldier before turning back to the trio.
"I think it's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days." She smiled smugly. "I'm a people person."
"Have you got anyone called Alonzo?" the Doctor asked out of the blue.
"No, I don't think so. Is that important?" she asked with a confused tilt of her head.
"I suppose not," he said, slightly put out. "What was your name?" He unwrapped himself from Sage and walked off to examine the other artifacts.
"Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman."
The Doctor pulled a large device from a box.
"Ah yes," Yvonne said. "Now, we're rather fond of this. The magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric."
"What?" Sage said under her breath, "What? What is happening? Why wouldn't you go metric?" That question she asked out loud, but Yvonne only gave her a condescending smile that made her want to punch her.
The Doctor threw the lone magnaclamp back in the box and brushed his hands together.
"I could do with that to carry the shopping," Jackie said jokingly.
"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit. Not the general public's," Yvonne said patronisingly which made Jackie pull a face.
The Doctor looked through a magnifying glass. "So, what about these ghosts?"
"Ah yes, the ghosts. They're er... what you might call a side effect," Yvonne said, turning her face.
"Of what?"
"All in good time, Doctor," Yvonne evaded very unconvincingly. "There is an itinerary, trust me." Just then, the TARDIS drove in on the back of a truck.
"Oi!" Jackie said, offended on the Doctor's behalf for once. "Where're you taking that?"
"If it's alien, it's ours," Yvonne quoted smugly.
"You'll never get inside it," the Doctor shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.
Yvonne huffed and walked away. As the Doctor watched the TARDIS, Rose opened the door a crack and peeked through it. The Doctor nodded encouragingly before looking away, and Sage hid a smile before wincing in pain.
Yvonne, the Doctor, Sage and Jackie strode down a corridor, flanked by armed soldiers.
"All those times I've been on Earth, I've never heard of you," the Doctor commented.
"But of course not," Yvonne said condescendingly, waving at the air, and Sage was wondering if she had any other tone besides patronizing and smug. "You're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown. It was a good thing that you had your wife on you, or we would've shot you dead."
"1879…?"
"That house in Scotland," Sage piped up for the first time in awhile. "It was named Torchwood."
"That's right," Yvonne nodded approvingly. "Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf."
"I think he makes half of it up," Jackie muttered.
"Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great. And fighting the alien horde."
"But if I'm the enemy, does that mean that I'm a prisoner?" the Doctor said conversationally.
"Oh yes," Yvonne said lightly.
"And me?" Sage asked. "What does that make me? Prisoner by proxy?"
"Oh, not at all!" Yvonne hurried to clear up the mistake. "You're an honoured guest. Shame that you had to be married to the enemy. But her Majesty made it explicitly clear that you were not to be hurt even if you were still with the Doctor."
Sage exchanged a glance with the Doctor who only shook his head, which made her frown in response. They rounded a corner and found themselves outside a large black door.
"But we'll make you perfectly comfortable." Yvonne continued, "And there is so much you can teach us. Starting with this." Pressing her ID card against the digital lock, she opened the door. They walked into the chamber where a sphere is housed. "Now, what do you make of that?" Yvonne said smugly.
Noticing their arrival, a scientist straightened his jacket and approached the Doctor, who is gazing open mouthed up at the sphere. "You must be the Doctor. Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, sir." He held out his hand, but the Doctor was too immersed in gazing up at the sphere to notice.
"Yeah…" the Doctor said, totally not paying attention. Rajesh's hand wavered sheepishly, and Sage took pity on him and shook his hand with a small, apologetic smile.
"What is that thing?" Jackie asked, sizing it up.
"We got no idea," Yvonne admitted, looking pointedly at the Doctor who was immersed in his spectating.
"But what's wrong with it?" Jackie asked.
"What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" Rajesh curiously looked at Jackie, watching her get flustered slightly by the attention to her question.
"I dunno…" she shrugged, "just feels weird."
The Doctor darted forward and up the steps leading up to the sphere. Sage hung back, the feeling of something trying to pull at her overbearing. The tug pulled at her heart, making her dig her heels into the ground in an attempt to not move forward, legs shaking as she stood firm.
"Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone." Yvonne watched as the Doctor did his thing. "Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden."
"We tried analysing it using every device imaginable," Rajesh explained as the Doctor put on his 3D specs, looking up at the sphere through them. "But, according to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And, it has no atomic mass."
"But I can see it!" Jackie exclaimed in fascination. Sage grit her teeth as she forced herself not to move, sweat falling from her temple.
"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off... nothing. It is... absent."
"Well, Doctor?"
But it was not the Doctor who spoke. All eyes turned to Sage, who was fixated on the vassal before them, as she said through gritted teeth. "This is a Void Ship."
"And what is that?" Yvonne asked curiously, feet making their way over to Sage, eyeing her struggling form.
Sage shook her head, and the Doctor quickly made his way over to her, shielding her from the others. She fisted her hand in his jacket as he spoke, folding away his specs, worried, "Well, it's impossible for starters. I always thought it was just a theory, but... it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space. Travelling through the Void."
"And what's 'the Void'?"
"Emptiness."
"The space between dimensions." Both Sage and the Doctor said, respectively. He looked surprised, eyes glancing down at her in concern, but she shook her head and gestured for him to go on. Twisting his lips in thought, he grabbed her hand before continuing, "There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in-between. Containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that, nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Without end. My people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."
"It is," Sage muttered under her breath, only the Doctor being able to hear her as close as he was to her. He pulled her closer in a tight hug, her shivering in his embrace.
"But someone built the sphere," Rajesh pointed out. "What for? Why go there?"
"To explore. To escape." The Doctor strode over to the sphere, tugging Sage along gently but letting go when she stood steadfast. He sat down on the steps, looking for all the world, bored. "You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang... end of the universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation."
"Everything passes by as you stay stagnant," Sage said.
"You see, we were right. There is something inside it," Yvonne said smugly.
The Doctor looked back at the blonde woman, warning in his eyes. "Oh yes."
"So how do we get in there?"
Suddenly the Doctor stood up, speaking with false cheer. "We don't! We send that thing back into Hell. How did it get here in the first place?"
"Well, that's how it all started." Yvonne said, "The sphere came through into this world, and the ghosts followed in its wake."
"Show me," the Doctor commanded, taking Sage in hand and striding off. Yvonne exchanges a look with Rajesh, and follows. They exit and turn left, Sage trailing slightly back and looking at Yvonne.
"No, Doctor."
He turned right.
Yvonne showed the white expanse of wall from which the white light emitted during ghost shift. "The sphere came through here. A hole in the world."
The Doctor ran his hand over the smooth white wall. Sage shivered, feeling an ominous mood running up her spine.
"Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up."
The Doctor turned to look at Yvonne, "How did you even find it?"
"Well, we were getting warning signs for years," she started to explain. "A radar black-spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breach was six hundred foot above sea level. It was the only way to reach it."
Putting his 3D specs on, he addressed them incredulously, "You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?"
"Enough." Yvonne walked away.
The Doctor removed his specs, and folded his arms, still contemplating the wall. "What do you think about this, love?"
Sage's eyes were slightly glazed over, staring at the wall in an eerie way. "It's wrong."
He frowned, about to speak when Jackie spoke up, looking out of the window in Yvonne's office, "Hold on a minute... we're in Canary Wharf! Must be! This building, it's Canary Wharf. The view from the window would certainly suggest so."
"Well, that is the public name for it," Yvonne admitted. "But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."
"So, you find the breech, probe it, the sphere comes through," the Doctor said. "Six hundred feet above London, bam! It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, 'oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah, you think, 'let's make it bigger!'"
"It's a massive source of energy," Yvonne argued. "If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes."
She left the office and entered the main area, the Doctor following close behind.
"Cancel it."
"I don't think so."
"I'm warning you," he growled, "cancel it."
"Oh, exactly as the legends would have it," Yvonne said with a taunt. "The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man."
The Doctor clenched his jaw, "Let me show you." He took his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and stood on the other side of the glass partition between Yvonne's office and the main area. "Sphere comes through." Pointing his sonic screwdriver at the glass and activating it, causing the glass to splinter and the crack extended outward, continuing to do so as the Doctor spoke. "But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But- too many ghosts, and…"
He placed the lightest fingertip on the glass and the whole thing shattered, falling from the frame.
"Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful." Yvonne turned toward her staff, addressing them, "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute."
"Yvonne," Sage started softly when Yvonne shifted her attention on her. "Don't do this, I am only telling you once."
"I appreciate your concern, Mrs Doctor, but I assure you that you are in perfectly good hands."
Sage looked away, eyes distant as the Doctor took over, "Ms Hartman, I am asking you, please, don't do it."
"We have done this a thousand times," she refuted calmly.
The Doctor exploded in outrage, making Jackie shrink back at the sight of his anger. "Then stop at a thousand!"
"We are in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breech, but equally they can close it." The two stared at each other for a few moments, a battle of wills, until-
"Okay," He said lightly, tugging Sage protectively into his hold before walking off into Yvonne's office to grab a chair.
"Sorry?!" Yvonne startled back at his sudden change in mood.
"Never mind! As you were." He set the chair down in sight of the workers and nodded at them with an odd smile, imperceptibly enjoying the bewildered face of Yvonne with a wiggle.
"What, is that it?" Yvonne asked unsurely.
The Doctor, tugging Sage to sit down in his lap and settling down in the chair, rolled his eyes. "No! Fair enough. Said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance of a cup of tea?"
"Ghost Shift in twenty seconds."
"Mm!" the Doctor gave her a benign smile, Sage cuddled up to his chest. "Can't wait to see it!"
She eyed him suspiciously, "You can't stop us, Doctor."
"No, absolutely not!" He addressed Jackie, "Pull up a chair, Rose! Come and watch the fireworks." Jackie hesitantly went to stand behind the Doctor's chair.
"Ghost Shift in ten seconds. Nine... eight…" Yvonne shifted, uneasy. She stared at the Doctor and he raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to go through with it. Sage tensed as the countdown went on, the memory of the pain fresh. "Seven... six... five... four... three... two…"
Yvonne's will broke. "Stop the shift. I said stop."
Sage untensed and the Doctor gave an inaudible sigh of relief, "Thank you."
"I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible," Yvonne started reluctantly. "But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything."
"I'm glad to be of help."
"And someone clean up this glass." She turned back to the Doctor, "They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess." She disappeared into her office, the Doctor following after her.
Sage stayed behind and watched as the workers, Adeola, Matt and Gareth, exchange glances. Seeming to come to a silent agreement, they began to type.
Yvonne sat at her desk with a laptop open in front of her, "So these ghosts, whatever they are, did they build the sphere?" Her eyes lingered on the Doctor's feet which were crossed on the desk, but she decided to let it pass. He threw himself in a chair, looking completely relaxed.
"Must have. Aimed it at this dimension like a cannonball."
"Yvonne?" Rajesh's tinny voice came through the microphone of her laptop. "I think you should see this. We've got a visitor. We don't know who she is, but funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor."
The Doctor tensed, cursing that Sage was outside right now. Yvonne turned the laptop around so the Doctor could see Rose and Rajesh on the screen. Rose was peering comically into the camera.
"She one of yours?" Yvonne asked.
The Doctor shook his head, "Never seen her before in my life."
"Good!" Yvonne clapped her hands with a smile. "Then we can have her shot."
He sat up with a sigh, "Oh all right then, it'll be worth a try. That's... that's Rose Tyler."
"Sorry," Rose said, voice not at all that sorry. She waved. "Hello!" And the Doctor gave a tiny wave back.
"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's she?" Yvonne gestured toward Jackie.
"I'm her mother," Jackie said proudly.
"Oh, you travel with her mother?" Yvonne stared at the Doctor in surprise who was looking toward the heavens with an exasperated expression.
"He kidnapped me," Jackie said lightly.
"Please," the Doctor said with a pleading expression, "when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with her mother…"
"Charming," Jackie said dryly.
"I've got a reputation to uphold!" the Doctor replied indignantly.
The sound of the ghost shift engines starting up was heard, and Sage froze, heart beating too fast. Yvonne stood quickly, stomping out and addressing the staff. "Excuse me? Everyone? I thought I said stop the ghost shift."
They ignored her, staring straight ahead. "Who started the program? But... I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?!" She pointed to the lever which was rising upwards of its own accord. "Step away from the monitors, everyone."
No one did, they continued typing. Yvonne started panicking, "Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing, right now! Matt! Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!" Two scientists rushed over to the levers and struggled to push them down. "Stop the levers!"
Sage unsteadily pushed herself to go over to the three typing away. Huffing, she rested heavily on Adeola's shoulders. She glanced blearily at the screen, she could feel the Doctor looking over her shoulder. "What's she doing?"
"Overriding the system," Sage gritted out. "Something's controlling her, Doctor. And I'm going to stop her right now. But be prepared to catch me. Stop the others if it only works for Addy."
"What? What do you mean?" the Doctor asked hurriedly. "Is it like Christmas again?"
Sage heaved a heavy breath, "More like Pete's World." Sage took a deep breath, and the Doctor watched anxiously as the air around her seemed to glow gold. She hugged Addy close to her chest and breathed.
Addy stopped, hands twitching as if trying to keep typing before ceasing altogether. The computer program kept going, however, the need for humans ceasing. Gareth and Matt spasmed, falling to the floor as Jackie and Yvonne yelped at the sudden movement.
"Addy? Step away from the desk." Yvonne said sternly. "Listen to me. Step away from the desk."
But no one heard her, and the light brightened.
"We're going into Ghost Shift," the Doctor said with a warning. Sage let go of Addy, falling into the Doctor's arms.
"It didn't work," Sage gritted out, frustrated. She hid her face in the Doctor's arms, muttering, "I'm sorry, Doctor."
"It's the ear-piece controlling them," the Doctor muttered, handing Sage over to Jackie who carried her weight. "I've seen this before." He took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and stood behind Adeola's comatose form.
"Sorry. I'm so sorry," the Doctor said sincerely. He held the sonic screwdriver to the ear-piece, deactivating it. Adeola spasmed with pain and fell to the floor along with Matt and Gareth.
"What happened?" Yvonne demanded. "What did you two just do?"
"They're dead." The Doctor took Sage back into his arms, stroking her hair. "You did the best that you could do. They didn't suffer," he murmured into her hair.
"Not good enough to save them," she muttered, shrugging off his hold with only another squeeze before standing tall.
"You killed them," Jackie said dumbly.
The Doctor turned back to the computers, "Oh, someone else did that long before we got here."
"But you killed them!"
"Jackie-!" the Doctor started, but Sage cut in. "Jackie, this isn't the time. The Doctor has to figure this out before we all die."
Jackie, clearly chastised, backed down.
"What're those ear-pieces?" Yvonne butted in.
"Don't," the Doctor said warningly.
"But they're standard comms," Yvonne went ahead, ignoring him. "Devices, how does it control them?"
The Doctor, going to Matt's computer, "Trust me, leave them alone."
"But what are they?" She took hold of one of Adeola's ear-pieces and started to pull it, but Sage grabbed her wrist, stopping her hard.
"It goes inside her brain and controls it like that," she snapped and pried Yvonne away from Adeola. "Happy now? Don't disturb the dead."
Yvonne stepped back, bowing her head in compliance.
"What about the Ghost Shift?" the Doctor asked.
"Ninety percent there," Yvonne said, glad to get out of Sage's glare. "It's still running. Can't you stop it?"
"They're still controlling it," he shook his head. "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. "It might be a remote transmitter but it's gotta be close by. I can trace it." He darted off with Sage in tow, receiving some kind of signal from the sonic screwdriver. "Jackie, stay here!"
The Doctor and Sage walked down a corridor, letting his sonic screwdriver guide him. Yvonne followed. She stopped two passing soldiers. "You two, you come with us."
"Yes, ma'am."
They and the two soldiers reached the curtained area. "What's down here?"
"I don't... I dunno," Yvonne looked around with uncertainty. "I think it's building work. It's just renovations."
The Doctor took a step forward, looking back at Yvonne, "You should go back."
"Think again," Yvonne snapped. She followed him, gesturing for the soldiers to do the same. The Doctor stopped pushing the curtains aside as his sonic screwdriver beeped. He stared at it.
"What is it?" What's down here?"
"Ear-pieces, ear-pods, this world is colliding with another," he gave a long look at Sage. "And I know which one."
Sage muffled a scream and all of a sudden, the shadows of Cybermen standing behind the curtains surrounded them, getting into position.
"What are they?" Yvonne asked, hushed.
"They came through first," the Doctor muttered, looking at Sage who was pale and shaking. The Cybermen slit the curtains with their hands.
"The advance guard." The Cybermen stepped through the curtains and began to march towards them.
"Cybermen." Two soldiers fired their bullets at the Cybermen, with no effect whatsoever. The Doctor, Sage and Yvonne tried to escape another way, but they were quickly surrounded.
The Cybermen lead Yvonne, the Doctor, Sage and Jackie, who had their hands behind their head, back to the rift chamber.
"Get away from the machines," the Doctor started barking orders, "do what they say, don't fight them!" The Cybermen revealed their weapons, shooting one of the scientists dead.
"What are they?" Jackie asked, terrified.
"We are the Cybermen." A Cyberman answered her question, coming into the light. "The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent." The Cyberman clamped a fist to its chest and the lever rose once more, beginning the Ghost Shift. "Online."
The light brightened and the Doctor stared at it ominously, "Here come the ghosts."
"These Zybermen," Jackie said, butchering the name, "what've they got to do with the ghosts?"
"Do you never listen?" the Doctor exclaimed in exasperation. "A footprint doesn't look like a boot!"
"Achieving full transfer."
"They're Cybermen. All of the ghosts are Cybermen". The Cybermen marched from the light, slowly becoming more defined. "Millions of them. Right across the world."
Hundreds of Cybermen stood in the light, ready for war.
"They're invading the whole planet," Yvonne said, voice full of fear.
"It's not an invasion," the Doctor shook his head, "it's too late for that. It's a victory." They looked at the laptop as it started beeping.
"Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated." The computer repeated itself as the Doctor looked at it, brow furrowed.
The Doctor looked toward a nearby Cyberman, "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?"
"The sphere is not ours."
The Doctor was nearly stunned silent. "What?"
"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."
"Then what's inside it...?" The Doctor's voice trailed off, the threat becoming more and more dangerous as more information was revealed.
"Rose is down there," Jackie said, voice full of fear.
Sage's sonic rang, "Sorry, let me grab that, it's Rose." She flipped it open, shaking, and trying to keep it together, "Rosie?"
But it wasn't Rose's voice that emanated from the fan but a voice that was long thought to be gone.
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
Hello, hello, hello!
Thank you all for reading! Tell me what you liked or disliked down below, and I will see you in the next chapter!
Goodbye, bye, bye!