The Weary Travellers
Army of Ghosts
Thanks to doctorsgirl262 & GameVampire3597 for following/favouriting this story
The Doctor walked down a hallway in the TARDIS, a bunch of alien flowers in his hand. He stopped by the door to Gazelle's room and knocked. A moment later, the Time Lady answered "Oh, hey there, Theta." she said cheerfully "And what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Just fought I'd stop by an' give ya these." he replied, holding up the flowers "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady."
Gazelle blushed at the compliment and took the flowers "Ooh, lovely." she sniffed them "From Shalcatopp?"
"Yep. Fought you'd like 'em."
"I love 'em." she replied "Though not as much as I love you." she gave him a small kiss "Come on in, then." so they both went back inside the room, and Gazelle set about putting the flowers in a vase the TARDIS handily provided
"Wasn't disturbing ya, was I, Remii?" the Doctor asked, noting that she'd been playing on her PlayStation 8.
"Nah. For you, Theta, I've got all the time in the universe." she replied, as she finished up with the flowers. "Actually, since you're here, and Rose won't be up for a couple of more hours, I don't suppose you wanna dance?" she raised a brow suggestively
"An offer I can't refuse." the Doctor smirked
A few hours later, the TARDIS landed on a playground near the Powell Estate. Rose stepped out carrying a rucksack, followed by two very happy Time Lords. Once the Doctor had locked the TARDIS, he slipped his arm around Gazelle's waist and they followed Rose across the estate. They stopped off at the sandwich shop for a snack, then they all went up to the Tyler flat. "Mum, it's us! We're back!" Rose called as she led the way into the flat.
"Oh, I dunno why ya bother wiv that phone, ya never use it!" Jackie remarked as she came rushing out of the kitchen
"Shut up, come 'ere!" Rose laughed and pulled her mother into a hug.
"Oh, I love you so much." Jackie whispered to her daughter, then noticed the two Time Lords trying to sidle past "Oh, no you don't! Come 'ere!" she laughed and grabbed the Doctor and hugged him "Oh, ya lovely big fella!" then she turned to Gazelle "An' not forgettin' ya gorgeous girlfriend 'ere." she hugged the Time Lady too, before they all went off into the living room.
"I've got loads of washing for ya." Rose said, casting off her backpack "And I got ya this." she held up a small ornate bottle-shaped object "It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar..."
"Akhaten." Gazelle told her
"Akhaten, yeah. It's made of, um.. wos' it called?" Rose asked the Doctor
"Bazoolium." the Doctor replied
"Bazoolium. When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's gonna rain." Rose told Jackie "When it's 'ot, it's gonna be sunny. Ya can use it to tell the weather."
"I've got a surprise for you an' all." Jackie said
"Oh, I get 'er a bazoolium, she doesn't even say thanks." Rose muttered
"Guess who's comin' to visit?" Jackie said "Ya just in time, he'll be 'ere at 10 past. Who d'ya fink it is?"
"I dunno."
"Oh, go on. Guess."
"No, I hate guessing, just tell me."
"It's ya grandad. Grandad Prentice. He's on 'is way. Any minute. Right, cuppa tea." Jackie walked off into the kitchen, leaving Rose staring in disbelief.
"Problem?" Gazelle asked Rose
"She's gone mad." Rose said quietly
"Tell me somefink new." the Doctor smirked
"Oi, being rude again." Gazelle scolded him "What is it, Rose?"
"Grandad Prentice, that's 'er dad. But 'e died, like, 10 years ago." Rose explained "Oh, my God, she's lost it. Mum?" she went into the kitchen after Jackie "What ya just said about grandad..."
"Any second now." Jackie said
"But 'e passed away. His 'eart gave out. D'ya remember that?"
"Course I do."
"Then 'ow can 'e come back?"
"Why don't ya ask 'im yourself?" Jackie replied and checked her watch "10 past. Here 'e comes."
There was a hollow whooshing sound, and a figure literally appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the room. The figure was featureless, like a shadow, but had a Humanoid shape.
"Here we are, then." Jackie said cheerfully "Dad, say hi to Rose. Ain't she grown?"
The three stunned time travellers hurried out onto the estate "They're everywhere." the Doctor realised, and sure enough, the ghostly figures were all over the estate. And what's more, the Humans didn't seem fazed at all, they all carried on as if it was normal.
"Doctor, look out!" Rose warned suddenly, and the Doctor turned round just in time to see a figure appear behind him and walk straight through him.
"You alright?" Gazelle asked him
"Yeah." he shivered. The ghost hadn't harmed him, it just felt very uncomfortable and unnerving.
Just then, Jackie joined them. "Ya haven't got long." she said "Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade."
"What d'ya mean, 'shift'?" the Doctor frowned "Since when did ghosts 'ave shifts? Since when did shifts 'ave ghosts? What's goin' on?"
"Oh, 'e's not 'appy when I know more than 'im, is 'e?" Jackie remarked
"Everyone's so calm." Gazelle said "No one's panicking at all."
"Why should we?" Jackie replied, then checked her watch again "Here we go, 12 minutes past." And with that, the ghosts all faded away. The two Time Lords shared a confused look. There was something very strange about this.
The quarter returned to the Tyler flat and the Doctor started flipping through TV channels to get some more information. "On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge." a presenter said, and the screen changed to a shot of a large group of ghosts on Westminster Bridge "It's almost like a military display."
"What the hell's going on?" the Doctor frowned and changed the channel to what looked like a weather forecast, but forecasting ghosts.
"And tonight, we're expecting very strong ghosts, from London, throughput the North, and up into Scotland." the reporter said
Next was the Trisha Goddard show "So, basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is that you're in love with a ghost? Trisha asked
The shot changed to a woman sitting next to one the ghosts "He's my ghost and I live him 24/7!"
On the next channel was Derek Accorah "Well, no one needs me any more."
The next channel was an advert "My ghost was pale and gray until I discovered Ectoshine."
The Doctor flipped over to a French news channel, showing a bunch of ghosts by the Eifel Tower, then an Indian channel, where an even larger group was gathering by the Taj Mahal, followed by a bunch of Japanese girls showing off ghost t-shirts.
"This thing's global." Gazelle murmured. That made it even more worrying.
The Doctor flipped over to a channel that was showing an episode of EastEnders "Listen to me, Den Watts, I don't care if ya 'ave come back from the grave, get outta my pub!" Peggy Mitchell shouted at a ghost "The only spirits I'm servin' in this place are gin, whiskey an' vodka. So you 'eard me, GET OUT!"
The Doctor at this point decided he'd see enough and turned the telly off. "When did it start?" he asked Jackie
"Well, first of all, Peggy 'eard this noise in the cellar." Jackie said, thinking he was referring to EastEnders "So she goes down..."
"No, he means worldwide." Gazelle told her
"Oh, that was about two months ago." Jackie replied, causing both Time Lords to share a look. It had been two months ago from their perspective that they'd both felt a disturbance in the air after dealing with the Isolus. Maybe this was it. "Just 'appened. Woke up one morning, an' there they all were. Ghost everywhere. We all ran round screamin', the whole world was panickin'. No sign of you two, thank you very much. But then it sorta sank in. Took us time to realise that... We're lucky."
"What makes ya fink it's grandad?" Rose asked
"It just feels like 'im." Jackie murmured "There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?"
"I wish I could, mum, but I can't."
"Well, you've gotta make an effort. You've gotta want it, sweetheart."
"An' the more ya want it, the stronger it gets?" the Doctor asked
"Sort of, yeah."
"Like a psychic link." the Doctor mused "Of course ya want ya old dad to be alive, but you're wishing 'im into existence. The ghosts are usin' that to pull 'emselves in."
"You're spoiling it."
"Jackie, we're very sorry." Gazelle said "But there's no cigarette smell, it's just a memory."
"If they're not ghosts, what are they, then?" Rose asked
"Yeah, but they're Human!" Jackie pointed out "You can see them, they look Human!"
"So do me and the Doctor." Gazelle replied "But we're not."
"But she's got a point." Rose put in "I mean, they're all sorta blurred, but they're definitely people."
The Doctor pondered "Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world, but a footprint doesn't look like a boot." he and Gazelle got up and left the flat.
A few minutes late, Rose walked into the TARDIS carrying a paper. She found Gazelle crouching by an open storage compartment. "According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds." Rose said
"We've gotta find out where these things are coming from and fast." Gazelle shook her head
At that moment, the Doctor popped up out of the compartment "Who ya gonna call?" he said in a singsong voice, as he climbed out, some pieces of equipment on his back.
"Ghostbusters!" Rose laughed
"I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" the Doctor finished, handing some of the equipment to Gazelle, then they both went outside, Rose following them.
Once outside, the Doctor started placing three conical objects in a triangular arrangement. "When's the next shift?" he asked Jackie
"Quarter to." she replied "But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?"
"Triangulates their point of origin." the Doctor replied
"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose suggested
"I don't think so." Gazelle replied, plugging in some wires to the cones "They were just coming through one rift."
"This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet." the Doctor added "Like tracing paper."
"You two're always doin' this, reducing it to science." Jackie huffed "Why can't it be real? Just fink of it, though. All the people we've lost, our families comin' back 'ome. Don't ya fink it's beautiful?"
"I fink it's horrific." the Doctor retorted
"Rose, could ya give us a hand?" Gazelle asked, hoping to change the subject.
Rose followed them back into the TARDIS. The Doctor plugged the end of the cables into the console. "As soon as the cone's activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there." the Doctor said, gesturing to a button, then handed her his sonic screwdriver "If it doesn't stop, setting 15B, hold it against the port, 8 seconds an' stop."
"15B, 8 seconds." Rose nodded, taking the sonic.
"If it goes into the blue." Gazelle added "Activate the deep scan on the left."
"Hang on, I know." Rose cut in "Is it that one?" she gestured to a button
"Warm." Gazelle replied
"That one?" Rose gestured to a dial
"Now you've just killed us." the Doctor said flatly
"Er, it's that one." Rose put her hand on another button
"Yep!" the Doctor grinned "Now, what've we got?" he asked Gazelle
"Two minutes." the Time Lady answered, checking her watch, then they both went outside and they started plugging devices into the cones.
"What's the line doin'?" he called
"It's alright, it's 'olding." Rose called back
"You even look like 'em." Jackie remarked
"How d'ya mean?" Rose asked "S'pose I do, yeah."
"You've changed so much."
"For the better." Rose insisted
"I suppose." Jackie muttered, sounding not so sure of that.
"Mum, I used to work in a shop!"
"I've worked in shops. What's wrong wiv that?"
"No, I didn't mean that."
"I know what you meant. What 'appens when I'm gone?"
"Don't talk like that!"
"No, but really. When I'm dead an' buried, ya won't 'ave any reason to come back 'ome. What happens then?"
"I dunno." Rose said quietly. She'd never really given much thought to it.
"D'ya fink you'll ever settle down?"
"The Doctor and Gazelle never will, so I can't. I'll just keep on travelin'."
"An' you'll just keep on changin'." Jackie said grimly "An' in 40 years time, 50, there'll be this woman, this strange woman, walkin' through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. But she's not Rose Tyler, not anymore. She's not even Human."
That broke through Rose's blaséness. She remembered what Gazelle said after Scotland about Rose becoming complacent. Her friend had said it, and now her own mother. She wasn't that bad, was she?
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the Doctor calling out "Here we go!"
"Scanner's working." Rose called back "It says delta one six."
Outside, the Doctor finished plugging in the cones, then went to stand by Gazelle, who was crouching by a control device. "Come on, then!" he called out to the heavens, and at that moment, a ghost appeared within the triangle, and beams of energy shot out of the cones, creating a pyramid around the ghost.
The Doctor pulled out a pair of 3D glasses and put them on, while Gazelle donned a pair of sunglasses. "Oh, yes." the Doctor grinned, as he saw something interesting about the ghost. He gestured to Gazelle, who fiddled with a dial on her control device. The ghost began to squirm. "Don't like that much, do you?" the Doctor taunted "Who are you? Where are you comin' from?" the ghost suddenly tried to lunge at him "Whoa! That's more like it, not so friendly now, are you?" he smirked as they both pulled off their glasses. The ghost continued to twitch, before disappearing altogether. The two Time Lords quickly gathered up their equipment and went back inside the Tardis, neither of them noticing a security camera turning in their direction.
Once the equipment was packed away, the Doctor tossed his coat aside and ran up to the console "We said so." he rambled "Those ghosts are being forced into existence from one specific point, an' we can track down the source! Allons-y!" he and Gazelle got to work piloting the TARDIS to the source their equipment had pinpointed.
Gazelle suddenly noticed something "Doctor.." she called, but he was too busy rambling.
"I like that, allons-y. I should say allons-y more often, allons-y. Look sharp, Rose Tyler, allons-y! Gazelle, allons-y! An' then it'd be really brilliant if we met someone called Alonso, cos' then I could say 'Allons-y, Alonso!'"
"Doctor!" Gazelle repeated more firmly, causing him to shut up and look at her "Jackie's still here." she gestured up to the gantry, where Jackie was sitting.
"If we end up on Mars, I'm gonna kill you!" Jackie said, folding her arms and sending a glare at the Time Lords.
Rose laughed, while the Doctor's face fell "Why didn't either of ya say somefink?" he moaned
"You never gave us a chance." Rose smirked
The TARDIS landed, and Gazelle checked the monitor. She could see armed soldiers running up and aiming their rifles at the box. "Well, so much for the element of surprise." she muttered
"Still, cuts to the chase." the Doctor shrugged "Rose, stay in 'ere, look after Jackie."
"I'm not lookin' after my mum!" Rose said indignantly
"Well, you brought 'er!" the Doctor retorted, moving to the doors.
"I was kidnapped!" Jackie protested
The Doctor was about to open the door, when Gazelle stopped him "Be careful." she warned "Those guys are armed, remember."
"And we haven't." the Doctor said simply "And that makes us the better people, don't ya fink? They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine." and with that, he opened the door and stepped out.
As soon as he was outside, the soldiers all took aim at him. He immediately put his hands up. Suddenly, a smartly-dressed woman came running up "Oh, how marvellous!" she laughed and started applauding "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!" and the soldiers started clapping too.
The Doctor frowned, unsure as to what was going on. Gazelle then stepped out, having seen the soldiers lower the weapons. "Um, thanks." the Doctor said "Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor an' this is Gazelle."
The soldiers started applauding again "Oh, I should say. Hooray!" the woman said
"You've heard of us, then?" Gazelle asked
"Well, of course we have." the woman replied "And I have to say, if it wasn't for you two, none of us would be here. The Doctor, Gazelle and the TARDIS! Oh!" they all started clapping again.
The Doctor gestured for them to stop "And you are?" he asked
"Oh, plenty of time for that." the woman waved him off "But according to the records, you two are not travelling by yourselves. The Doctor, Gazelle and their companions, isn't that right? There's no point in hiding anything. Not from us. So, where is she?"
"We'd better bring Jackie." Gazelle told the Doctor telepathically "Keep her safe."
"Good idea." the Doctor replied "And it'll let Rose snoop around freely." Then he spoke aloud to the woman "Yes, sorry, good point. She's just a bit shy, that's all." he reached into the TARDIS and pulled Jackie out "But here she is, Rose Tyler! Hmm, she's not the best I've ever 'ad. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on 'er pins. A lot of that..." he made a talking gesture, causing Jackie to glare at him, and Gazelle to roll her eyes at him "And just last week, she started into the heart of the Time Vortex an' aged 57 years. But she'll do."
"I'm 40!" Jackie hissed indignantly
"Deluded, bless 'er." the Doctor waved her off
"Oi, leave Rose alone." Gazelle scolded him
"Ok, sorry. Lead on." the Doctor said "Allons-y! But not too fast, her ankle's going!"
The woman turned and walked away. "I'll show ya where my ankle's goin'!" Jackie growled as they began to follow.
"Sorry about him." Gazelle told her quietly "But please humour us for now. It's better for Rose if they think you're her."
The woman led them down a corridor "It was only a matter of time before you two found us." she said "And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor, Gazelle." she pushed a door open to reveal a huge hanger full of alien technology, with scientists busy examining them. "Welcome to Torchwood."
"That's a Jathaa sun glider." the Doctor said, noting a large spaceship in one corner of the room.
"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands 10 years ago." the woman nodded
"Crashed?" Gazelle asked
"No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare." the woman said simply, not noticing the looks of disgust the Doctor, Gazelle and even Jackie were giving her "The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day? That was us. Now if you'd like to come with me."
The woman led them further through the hanger "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."
"For the good of the what?" Jackie questioned
"The British Empire."
"There isn't a British Empire." Jackie scoffed
"Not yet." the woman said smugly "Uh, excuse me, now if you don't mind..." she took an alien gun from a soldier "Do either of you recognise this, Doctor, Gazelle?"
"That's a particle gun." the Doctor replied
"Good, isn't it?" the woman smirked, pulling the gun out of reach when Jackie tried to touch it "Took us 8 years to get it to work."
"It's the 21st century. You can't have particle guns." the Doctor frowned
"We must defend our border against the aliens." the woman replied simply, then handed the particle gun back to the soldier "Thank you, Sebastian, wasn't it?"
"Yes, ma'am." he replied
"Thank you, Sebastian." she turned back to the trio "It's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skils, that's what it's all about these days. I'm a people person."
"Have ya got anyone called Alonso?" the Doctor asked randomly
"I don't think so. Is it important?"
"No, it isn't." Gazelle cut in "Um, what's your name, anyway?"
"Yvonne." the woman replied "Yvonne Hartman." the Doctor and Gazelle both turned to a crate next to them. "Ah, yes, we're rather fond of these." Yvonne said, as the Doctor pulled out a black object that looked rather like a kick stool "The magna-clamp, 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 tons of weight with a single hand." the Doctor put the magna-clamp back "That's an Imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go Metric."
"I could do wiv that to carry the shopping." Jackie joked
"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit. Not the general public's." Yvonne said patronisingly
"So much for the good of Britain then." Gazelle remarked, while Jackie scowled at Yvonne.
"So, what about these ghosts?" the Doctor asked, playing with a magnifier
"Ah, yes, the ghosts." Yvonne said "They're, uh, what you call a side effect."
"Side effect of what?" Gazelle asked
"All in good time, Gazelle." Yvonne replied "There is an itinerary, trust me."
Just then, Jackie saw the TARDIS being moved on a lorry "Oi, where you takin' that?" she asked sharply
"If it's alien, it's ours." Yvonne replied simply
"You're never get inside it." the Doctor said calmly
"Hmm! Etc." Yvonne waved him off and walked away.
Rose poked her head out of the TARDIS and saw the Time Lords both nod at her before going after Yvonne. Rose went over to the Doctor's coat "Psychic paper, psychic paper." she muttered as she rifled through the pockets, until at last she found the offending item. She knew the Time Lords wanted her to snoop about and find out more about this Torchwood.
Yvonne led the Time Lords and Jackie down a corridor "All those time I've been on Earth, I've never heard of you." the Doctor remarked
"Well, of course not." Yvonne replied casually "You're a person of interest. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as someone to be kept an eye on."
"1879?" the Doctor pondered "That was called Torchwood, that big 'ouse in Scotland."
"Yeah, where we met Queen Victoria and the werewolf." Gazelle added
"That's right." Yvonne nodded "Her Majesty created Torchwood with the express intention of keeping Britain great and fighting the alien horde."
"And does that include us?" Gazelle asked
"Him possibly." Yvonne gestured to the Doctor "Her Majesty wasn't sure if he was a friend or foe. She liked you, though." she told Gazelle "Said you were trustworthy, and could be a potential ally."
"Yeah, well, we're a package deal." Gazelle replied "It's both of us or neither of us."
"But of course." Yvonne shrugged "And there is so much you two can teach us." they stopped by a sliding door "Starting with this." Yvonne said, using an ID card to open the door.
On the other side was a lab which contained a huge black sphere, and a pair of technicians in white coats were busy running tests on it. "Now, what do you make of that?" Yvonne asked the Time Lords.
One of the technicians, an Indian man, approached them "You two must be the Doctor and Gazelle. Rajesh Singh." he introduced himself "It's an honour, sir, ma'am." he held out his hand. Gazelle shook it, though she was somewhat distracted by the sphere. The Doctor ignored the hand completely. There was something off about that sphere, and it unnerved them both.
"What is that thing?" Jackie asked
"We've got no idea." Yvonne shrugged
"What's wrong wiv it?" Jackie questioned
"What makes ya think there's something wrong with it?" Rajesh asked her
"I dunno... just feels weird."
"The sphere has that effect on everyone. Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden." Yvonne said, as the Doctor went to examine the sphere closely with his 3D glasses.
"We've tried analysing it using every device imaginable." Rajesh told Gazelle
"But they revealed nothing?" she asked him
"Exactly." he confirmed "According to our instruments, the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat, no radiation, and has no atomic mass."
"But we can see it!" Jackie pointed out
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Rajesh remarked "It upsets people, because it gives off nothing. It is absent."
"Fascinating isn't the word I'd use." Gazelle muttered "Doctor, any idea what that thing is?"
"This is a Void Ship." the Doctor replied
"I thought that was a just a theory." Gazelle frowned
"What's a Void Ship?" Yvonne asked
"Well, it's impossible for starters." the Doctor said, pulling his specs off "Like Gazelle said, we thought it was just theoretical, but..." he gestured to the sphere "It's a vessel designed to exist outside time an' space. Travellin' through the Void."
"And what's the Void?" Rajesh asked
"The space between dimensions." the Doctor explained "There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions. Billions of parallel dimensions, 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. Our people called it the Void, the Eternals called it the Howling. But some people call it Hell." he finished ominously
"But someone built the sphere" Rajesh pointed out "What for? Why go there?"
"To hide?" Gazelle suggested ominously "That thing's like a bomb shelter. Sit in there, and you'd survive the end of the universe and the start of the next, without a single second passing by."
"You'd exist outside the whole of creation." the Doctor agreed
"You see, we were right." Yvonne smiled "There is something inside it."
"Oh, yes." the Doctor said darkly
"So, how'd we get in there?" Rajesh asked
"We don't." Gazelle replied "Whatever's in there, it's best left in there."
"We send that back into Hell." the Doctor agreed "How did it get 'ere in the first place?"
"Well, that's how it all started." Yvonne replied "The sphere came though into this world, and the ghosts followed in it's wake."
"Show us." the Doctor ordered, then he took Gazelle's hand and strode out of the room, Yvonne and Jackie following.
Rose cautiously stepped out of the TARDIS. Seeing two guards coming, she hid behind the box until the coast was clear, then she grabbed a discarded lab coat and began her snooping. She saw someone walking intently through a door and decided to follow them.
Meanwhile, Yvonne led the trio to a room on the top floor of the building they were in. "The sphere came through here." Yvonne explained, showing them a blank white wall at one end of the room and the Time Lords both put a hand each on the wall. "A hole in the world. Not active at the moment, but when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breach opens up."
"How did you even find it in the first place?" Gazelle asked
"We'd been getting warning signs for years." Yvonne replied "A radar black spot. So we built this place, the Torchwood Tower. The breach was 600ft above sea level. It was the only way to reach it."
The Doctor slipped on his 3D glasses, while Gazelle donned her sunglasses and they both studied the spot carefully "You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance?" the Doctor frowned "How much money 'ave you got?"
"Enough." Yvonne replied and went over to her office at the back of the room. The Time Lords removed their eyewear and followed her.
Jackie was looking out of the office window "Hold on a minute. We're in Canary Wharf." she realised "Must be, this building, it's Canary Wharf."
"Well, that is the public name for it." Yvonne replied haughtily "But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."
"So, ya find the breach, probe it." the Doctor said as he and Gazelle joined them "The sphere comes through, 600 feet above London, bam! It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality, an' that hole, ya fink, 'Oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe? Nah!' ya fink 'Let's make it bigger!'"
"It's a massive source of energy." Yvonne defended "If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent."
"So that's the real motive of Torchwood." Gazelle shook her head "It's not Humanity's best interests, satisfying your racist views."
"That energy is for Humanity's best interests." Yvonne protested "Look, see for yourself. The next ghost shift's in two minutes."
"Cancel it." the Doctor ordered
"I don't think so." Yvonne scoffed
"I'm warning you, cancel it!"
"Oh, exactly as the legend have it!" Yvonne rolled her eyes "The Doctor, lording over us, assuming alien authority over the rights of Man."
"He's trying to help you." Gazelle said "Doctor, show them."
The Doctor went over to the glass partition between the office and the area with the breach "The sphere comes though." he pressed his sonic against the glass, causing it to crack "But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension splintered. An' that's how the ghosts get through. That's 'ow they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, into yours. Wiv the Human race hoping an' wishin' an' 'elpin' 'em along. But too many ghosts and..." he tapped the cracked pane of glass, causing it to shatter.
"Well, in that case, we'll have to be more careful." Yvonne shrugged and turned to her staff "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute."
Gazelle went after her "Miss Hartman, if ya won't listen to him, then listen to me. Please don't do this!"
"We have done this a thousand times."
"Then stop at a thousand! You said I could be trusted, then trust me on this. Stop this now before it's too late!"
"We're in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breach, but equally, they can close it."
"Ok." the Doctor said suddenly in a casual tone, causing the others to stare at him.
"Sorry?" Yvonne questioned
"Never mind, as ya were." the Doctor said simply, grabbing a couple of chairs from the office.
"What is that it?"
"No, fair enough, we've said our bit, don't mind us." the Doctor continue, plopping down on one of the chairs.
Gazelle realised what he was doing and sat down in the other one "If we can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em. Don't suppose we could get a cuppa?" she asked
"Ghost shift in 20 seconds." one of Yvonne's colleagues, a young black woman wearing earpieces, said
"Hmm, can't wait to see it!" the Doctor grinned
"You can't stop us." Yvonne said firmly
"Absolutely not." the Doctor replied, then turned to Jackie "Pull up a chair, Rose. Come an' watch the fireworks." Jackie came and stood behind the Time Lords.
"Ghost shift in ten seconds." the black woman announced "9, 8, 7, 6..."
Yvonne looked at the two Time Lords, who both just sat back in their chairs, as if daring her to continue. Just as the black woman reached two on her countdown, Yvonne broke "Stop the shift. I said stop!"
"Thank you." Gazelle said
"Victoria trusted you, so I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible." Yvonne grunted, and made for her office "But the programme will recommence as soon you two've explained everything."
"We're glad to be of help." the Doctor smirked
"And someone clear up this glass." Yvonne ordered "They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess." she stalked off into the office. The Doctor and Jackie followed. Gazelle noticed the black woman and her two male colleagues exchange a look and resume typing on their computers. They were all wearing earpieces that looked eerily familiar. Deciding that it was just a coincidence, she followed the others into the office.
Rose walked down a corridor following the man. He went inside a room guarded by a swipe card. Using the psychic paper, Rose was able to gain entry to the room. It was Rajesh's lab. Her eyes immediately fell on the sphere, and she felt the same uneasy feeling as everyone else. "Can I help you?" Rajesh asked, noticing her
"I was just..." Ros mumbled, transfixed by the sphere.
"Try not to look. It does that to everyone." Rajesh advised "What d'you want?"
Rose pulled her gaze away from the sphere "Sorry, um.. They sent me from Personnel. They said some man an' woman had arrived. Some sorta Doctor, an' a woman who named 'erself after an antelope. I'm just checkin' the lines of communication. Did they tell ya anyfink?"
"Call I see your authorisation?" Rajesh asked
"Sure." Rose handed him the psychic paper
Rajesh eyed it a moment, then smirked "Well, that's lucky. You see, everyone at Torchwood has at least a basic level of psychic training. This paper is blank, and you're a fake." he activated his earpiece "Seal the room, call security." the doors slammed shut and Rajesh turned to the man Rose had been following "Samuel? Can you check the door locks? She just wandered in."
"Doing it now, sir." the man said, turning round. Rose stared in disbelief. It was Mickey Smith. He looked a little bit older than he had when he'd left them, but it was definitely him. He grinned at Rose and gestured for her to keep quiet about his true identity.
"Well, if you'd like to take a seat." Rajesh said, gesturing to some chairs by his laptop. Rose complied.
Meanwhile, Yvonne was sat at her desk with her laptop open in front of her "So these ghosts, whatever they are, did they build the sphere?"
The Doctor was sat on the other side of the desk with his feet propped up in and he was holding Gazelle's hand, who was sat next to him "Must have." he replied to Yvonne's question "Aimed it at this dimension like a cannonball."
Just then, Rajesh's voice came over the laptop "Yvonne? I think you should see this. We've got a visitor. I don't know who she is, but funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor and Gazelle."
Yvonne turned the laptop around to show the Time Lords a video feed of Rose and Rajesh "She one of yours?" Yvonne asked them
"Never seen 'er before in my life." the Doctor lied
"Good. Then we can have her shot." Yvonne said simply, causing Jackie to gasp in horror."
"Ok, ya got us." Gazelle sighed "That's Rose Tyler."
"Sorry." Rose mumbled over the video feed "Hello!"
"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's she?" Yvonne gestured to Jackie
"I'm 'er mother." Jackie retorted
"Oh, you travel with her mother." Yvonne smirked
"They kidnapped me." Jackie protested
"We didn't realise she was still in the TARDIS." Gazelle explained
"Please, when Torchwood comes to writing my complete 'istory, don't tell people we travel through time an' space wiv her mother." the Doctor moaned
"Charming." Jackie grumbled
But before anyone could say anything else, the particle engines began to power up. "Excuse me, everyone." Yvonne said, going into the lever room "I thought I said stop the Ghost Shift."
The three people at the desks all ignored her and carried on typing "Who started the programme?" Yvonne asked "I ordered you to stop!"
The levers started to move by themselves "Who's doing that? Right, step away from your monitors, everyone." Yvonne demanded, but it fell on deaf ears "Gareth, Ady, stop what you're doing right now!"
Once again, the three people ignored her "Matt, step away from your desk, that's an order! Stop the levers! Andrew, stop the levers!" Yvonne ordered, and two technicians grabbed the levers and tried to push them back, but they had a mind of their own.
The Doctor noticed that the black woman seemed to be the ringleader. "What's she doin'?" he asked as he went over to look at her closely.
"Ady, step away from the desk." Yvonne called as she came over as well "Listen to me, step away from the desk!"
"I don't think they can hear you." Gazelle said grimly, looking at the three people. They all seemed to be in a trace-like state, and she had a sinking feeling as to why.
"They're overriding the system." the Doctor realised "We're goin' into ghost shift."
The white wall at the end of the room started to glow brightly
In the sphere room, Rajesh had found out what was happening upstairs "Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled. What's going on?" he said into his earpiece, but received no answer "Yvonne?"
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the readings on the sphere went haywire "Can't be." Rajesh gasped and rushed forward to check, Rose and Mickey going with him "It's active." Rajesh realised
In the lever room, Gazelle stepped forward studied the possessed staff's earpieces closely "They're being controlled by the earpieces. We've seen it before." she said grimly
The Doctor approached Ady, sonic in hand "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he said gravely, then flashed his sonic at the earpiece. All three possessed people yelled then slumped over, dead.
"What happened, what did you just do?" Yvonne gasped
"They're dead." the Doctor replied grimly
"You killed them!" Jackie gasped
"No, something else did that long before we got here." Gazelle replied sadly
"But he killed them!" Jackie spluttered
"Jackie, we don't have time for this!" the Doctor cut in, trying to override whatever Ady had done to the computer.
"What are those earpieces?" Yvonne asked, noticing that the earpieces were a different design to those worn by herself and other Torchwood personnel.
"Don't." the Doctor warned
"But they're standard comms devices. How does it control them?" Yvonne persisted
"Trust us, don't touch them." Gazelle warned as she and the Doctor both tried to override the other computers.
"But what are they?" Yvonne pulled out Ady's earpiece, bringing a trail of brain tissue with it. "Oh, God! It goes right inside their brain!" Yvonne squirmed in disgust, dropping the earpiece.
"What about the ghost shift?" the Doctor asked, still messing with Gareth's computer.
"90% there and still rising." Yvonne replied "Can you two stop it?"
"No, they've deadlocked the whole system." Gazelle answered, trying Matt's computer.
"Who's they?" Yvonne asked
Neither Time Lords answered, they both started messing with their sonics "Might be a remote transmitter, but it's gotta be close by." the Doctor muttered "We can trace it."
"Jackie, you'd better stay here." Gazelle advised as she and the Doctor hurried out the room.
"Keep those levers down! Keep them offline!" Yvonne ordered her staff as she followed them. No one noticed Rajesh frantically trying to make contact over the video feed.
In the sphere room, Rajesh was in panic stations "We've got a problem down here." he said into the feed "Yvonne, can you hear me? Yvonne, for God's sake, the sphere is active! The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field! It exists!"
Then came a clunk from behind them. "The door's sealed." Rajesh realised "Automatic quarantine. We can't get out."
He ran off to frantically try to override the quarantine. Mickey, on the other hand, was calm "It's ok, babe." he said to Rose "We've beaten 'em before, we can beat 'em again. That's why I'm 'ere. The fight goes on."
"Fight against what?" Rose asked
"What d'ya fink?" Mickey retorted, before another loud crash came from the sphere.
The Doctor and Gazelle ran through a corridor, their sonics acting as homing beacons, and Yvonne following them. "You two." she called to two soldiers "You come with us." the soldiers complied.
The group stopped by a curtained-off area. "What's down there?" Gazelle asked Yvonne
"I don't know." Yvonne replied "I think it's building work, it's just renovations."
"You should go back." the Doctor advised as he and Gazelle pushed the curtains aside and stepped through.
"Think again." Yvonne retorted as she and the soldiers followed. As they made their way through, the sonics began to bleep "What is it? What's down here?" Yvonne asked
"Earpieces, earpods. This world is colliding wiv another." the Doctor frowned "And we fink we know which one."
Then they heard a metallic clanging from behind a curtain, and on the other side were some very familiar silhouettes. "What are they?" Yvonne asked nervously
"They came through first." the Doctor replied grimly "The advance guard."
"Cybermen!" the Doctor and Gazelle said together as Cybermen burst through the curtains and surrounded the group. The soldiers opened fire, but to no avail.
In the sphere room, yet another crash emitted from the sphere "We 'ad 'em beaten, but they escaped." Mickey explained "The Cybermen just vanished. They found their way through to this world, but so did we."
"The Doctor said that was impossible." Rose reminded
"Yeah, it's not the first time 'e's been wrong." Mickey replied
"What's inside that sphere?" Rose asked
"No one knows. Cyber-leader, Cyber-king, Emperor of the Cybermen. Whatever it is, 'e's dead meat."
"It's good to see you." Rose smiled
"Yeah, it's good to see ya too." Mickey smiled back, just as the sphere juddered again.
The Doctor, Gazelle and Yvonne were escorted back to the lever room by the Cybermen. "Get away from the machines. Do as they say, don't fight them!" the Doctor warned the Humans.
The Cybermen activated a bunch of energy weapons in their wrists and killed the staff anyway. "What are they?" Jackie gasped, horrified
"We are the Cybermen." a Cyberman answered. This one had black handles, denoting that it was the leader "The ghost shift will be increased to 100%" it pressed it's hand to it's chestplate and the levers shot up by themselves.
"Here come the ghosts." the Doctor said grimly. He and Gazelle knew what the ghosts were now, and it meant disaster for the Human race.
All over the world, more ghosts than ever appeared.
In the sphere room, Rajesh was frantically trying to make contact "Can anyone hear me? Come on, I need help down here! I need..." he was cut off by a screeching noise coming from the sphere.
Mickey removed his lab coat and earpieces, ready for action. "Here we go." he said grimly, and the sphere began to open.
In the lever room, everyone watched as ghosts marched out of the breach "But these Cybermen, what've they gotta do wiv the ghosts?" Jackie asked the Time Lords
"Don't you ever listen?" the Doctor hissed "A footprint doesn't look like a boot."
"Achieving full transfer." the Cyber-leader announced
"They're Cybermen, Jackie." Gazelle told her "The ghosts are Cybermen. Millions of 'em."
"Right across the world." the Doctor finished grimly
And sure enough, all over the world, the ghost solidified into Cybermen. Naturally, panic ensured as people screamed and ran from the terrifying metal monsters.
"They're invading the whole planet." Yvonne realised
"It's not an invasion, it's too late for that." the Doctor replied gravely "It's a victory."
Just then, a computer started to bleep "Sphere activated, sphere activated." the Time Lords shared a look. This day had started so well, and now all this.
In the sphere room, Mickey was ready "I know what's in there, an' I'm ready for 'em." he said "I've got just the thing." he went over to the sphere platform and pulled out a huge gun from underneath "This is gonna blast 'em to hell."
"Samuel? What are you doing?" Rajesh stared
"The name's Mickey." he replied "Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth." he cocked his gun, ready to face whatever was coming out of the sphere.
"But I don't understand." the Doctor said to the Cybermen "The Cybermen don't have the technology to build a Void Ship. It's way beyond you. How did you create that sphere?"
"The sphere is NOT ours." the Cyber-leader answered
Both Time Lords' eyes widened "What?" the Doctor stared
"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. It's origin is unknown."
"Then, if it's not Cybermen in there, what is?" Gazelle murmured
"Rose is down there." Jackie reminded
Four objects began to emerge from the sphere. "That's not Cybermen." Mickey frowned
They were something much worse then Cybemen: four Daleks. One black Dalek and three bronze ones.
"Oh my God!" Rose gasped in horror
"Location: Earth." the black Dalek announced "Life forms detected."
"Exterminate!" they all chanted "Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"
To be continued...
Author's notes: And so we reach the Torchwood two-parter. After a meh last few chapters, I hope this chapter is a major improvement, it was certanly more enjoyable to write. Hope people like that little bit of Themii fluff at the beginning. Thought it'd be fun to have little bit of light-heartedness before the serious stuff began. How will the Doctor and Gazelle react to the Daleks? Find out next time, see ya all then!