A/N – Soooo here it is, the big one, the big change! Rose's big moment! From here on in, the S3 rewrite will probably have the episodes in parts, instead of one full chapter, like these two. There's more I can pour into it, and I've got loads of ideas swimming abut for how Rose changes things! For now, though…
Thanks for all of your support, follows and reviews, they mean the world to me!
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The furious cries of 'EXTERMINATE' from the members of the cult of Skaro assaulted Rose's ears, making her head ring and her hands tremble, though they shook from anger, rather than fear. Mickey reached out behind her, gripping the cuff of her jacket to try to pull her back, but Rose yanked her arm out of his grip, focusing a glare on the aliens in front of her.
"DALEKS!"
The shout left her lips in a sudden rush, and the Daleks froze in response, all four eyestalks focused on her. A grim smile soon formed, and she stared them down, her body taut with tension and uncertainty. Daleks were predictable in their desire to kill everyone who wasn't a Dalek, but she couldn't count on them to follow the 'script' – as she'd been calling it. Until now, other than the things she'd said differently, everything seemed to be going the way it had in her alternate timeline. When it came to the Daleks, however, she knew she needed to be careful.
"You're called 'Daleks'," Rose clarified, taking some pleasure in the fact that if Daleks could feel emotions, these ones would be 'uneasy'. "I know your name. Think about it - how can I know that? A Human who knows about the Daleks." Rose smiled slyly. "Who knows about the Time War. If you wanna get anything out of me, you've gotta keep us alive. ALL of us." She gestured to the two men beside her.
"Yeah, Daleks. Time War. Me too." Mickey piped up, seeming to understand where she was going with this. Rajesh offered his own confirmation, and the Dalek in charge – Sec, she recalled – considered them for a moment.
"YOU WILL BE NECESSARY." It finally decided, before it turned back to the other Daleks, and Rose let out a long breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, feeling Mickey's arm wrap around her lightly to keep her from stumbling as Sec spoke once more. "REPORT – WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE GENESIS ARK?"
"STATUS – HIBERNATION." Another Dalek offered in response, and Sec inched towards the Ark, what Rose knew to be the Dalek prison, and she grimaced slightly.
"COMMENCE AWAKENING." Sec ordered, and the Dalek who had spoken previously rolled forward, its suction arm clamping to the side of the prison, and though Rose knew it would need to open, she felt a wave of nausea roll through her. So many people were going to die, and she couldn't stop it.
"THE GENESIS ARK MUST BE PROTECTED ABOVE ALL ELSE." It announced, and Mickey inched closer to Rose, his gun still pointed to the metal monstrosities in front of them, making sure to never take his eyes off of them.
"Looks like you were right about the Daleks, but how'd you know?" He asked quietly, and Rose shook her head, looking grim.
"Doesn't matter, the more important question is, what the hell is a Genesis Ark?" She pointed out, though she already knew the answer, watching the aliens with disdain on her face. She needed Mickey to think of the bigger picture here, and maybe, if she helped The Doctor figure things out sooner, more lives could be saved… somehow.
The Daleks continued to prime the Ark for unlocking, and Rose slipped her phone out of her pocket as stealthily as she was able, holding it behind her back as she waited for The Doctor to call her, as she knew he would.
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Leaning against the wall, anxiety welled up inside The Doctor as he watched the Cybermen mobilize. His expression was hard as he tried to steer his thoughts away from Rose and what could possibly be happening to her down with the void ship. He couldn't think of what if's, he just needed to get her out of there. Unfortunately, Jackie's worry couldn't be so easily put to the back of her mind, and he knew it.
"What's down there?" She demanded, looking to The Doctor with desperation in her eyes, needing some kind of reassurance he wasn't positive he could give to her. "She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?"
Jackie's worries were only causing his own to skyrocket, and he only managed to bite out a sharp "I don't know!" before regretting it instantly as Jackie covered her mouth and began to cry, already fearing the worst.
"I'll find her." He swore quietly as Jackie tried to calm herself down, though she kept her eyes on the ground. "I brought you here, but I'll get you both out, you and your daughter. Jackie, look at me. Look at me." He urged, and she finally did, peering at him with frightened blue eyes. "I promise you. I give you my word."
Finally, Jackie nodded, and the two of them turned as the Cyber leader began to broadcast a message to the population of the world, and his expression darkened once more as he pulled a pair of 3D glasses from his suit pocket and slipped them on over his nose.
"This broadcast is for human kind. Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us." The Cyber leader informed humanity, and The Doctor bit back a scoff, moving over to one of the huge windows overlooking the city.
It was utter chaos.
People ran and screamed as they were chased by the marching Cybermen, whilst soldiers continued to fire, trying to protect both themselves and the people around them. It was obvious that no-one was giving up, and the fires and explosions below only served to prove that.
"I ordered surrender." The Cyber leader noted, and could they feel emotions, The Doctor would wager it would feel pretty frustrated right about now. Instead, he turned back, whipping off his 3D glasses and glaring.
"They're not taking instructions," He spat, shaking his head. "Don't you understand? You're on every street - you're in their homes, you've got their children! Of course they're gonna fight!"
The Cyber leader considered his words briefly, before it turned and marched towards the other Cybermen in the room. The Doctor glared over its shoulder, though his old worries quickly returned at its next words.
"Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber. Units 10 65 and 10 66 will investigate sphere chamber." It ordered, and the two Cybermen in question were quick to respond.
"We obey." They called before they turned and left the rift chamber, The Doctor running his hands through his hair in a show of desperation.
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"WHICH OF YOU IS LEAST IMPORTANT?" Sec's voice cut through the pounding in Rose's head, and her set her jaw, glaring at him in frustration. If she wasn't careful, then she'd be unable to help Rajesh, and his death had been so needless. She needed to try.
"We're all equally important!" She snapped, and Sec's eyestalk roved over towards her. "We don't decide importance, that's not what we do, 'sides, I told you. You keep all of us alive or I don't do anythin' for you."
"DESIGNATE THE LEAST IMPORTANT!" Sec commanded once more, and Rose hissed slightly, every single one of her nerves on edge. Her vulnerability in the situation was driving her crazy, and it didn't help when Rajesh stepped forward.
"This is my responsibility." He said firmly, and Rose lunged, grasping his arm to try and pull him back, shaking her head frantically.
"Don't, they'll kill you," Rose begged, and Rajesh hesitated for a second, looking at the clear panic in her eyes, before he carefully shrugged himself out of her grasp and stepped in front of Sec, adjusting his glasses nervously.
"I er - I represent the Torchwood Institute." He began, obviously nervous. "Anything you need, you... come through me. Leave these two alone."
Rose felt her heart ache for the scientist who she didn't know, but had essentially sacrificed himself in order to save them. She knew it was too late for him now; there was nothing she could do. He'd designated himself as the least important, and he'd signed his own death sentence. She gripped Mickey's arm to stop him from jumping at the Daleks when they killed Rajesh, and buried her face into his sleeve, unable to look.
His desperate begging to be spared broke her heart, and when he began to scream, she closed her eyes tightly, feeling how Mickey immediately tensed as though he wanted to jump into battle, but he couldn't, she wouldn't lose him too, not like this.
"Don't," She whispered urgently, looking up at him, and he stilled, though she could tell he didn't like feeling useless. She understood that far too well. She had the knowledge of foresight (or was it technically hindsight?) and for moments like this, she still felt like there was nothing she could do. Fear seized her heart in an iron grip, and she wondered if this was even POSSIBLE. Could she change the timeline? Could she really fix this? No – She had to. She couldn't afford to doubt herself.
Reluctantly, she looked back at the Daleks, her eyes avoiding what she knew to be Rajesh's charred skeleton on the ground, fixing her gaze on one of the species in the world she hated more than anything else.
"HIS MIND SPOKE OF A SECOND SPECIES INVADING EARTH AFFECTED BY THE SUPERSTITION OF GHOSTS." Sec relayed to the others, and Rose couldn't hold back her anger, eyes blazing.
"You didn't need to KILL him!"
"NEITHER DID WE NEED HIM ALIVE." Another Dalek shot back at her, and Rose couldn't help but seethe. Typical Daleks - God, she couldn't wait until they were sucked into the void, except for that one – Caan. Somehow he escaped, and he'd be responsible for the stars going out. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Damn, she had to worry about that now, too.
"DALEK THAY, INVESTIGATE OUTSIDE." Sec commanded, and Thay obeyed at once with a cry of affirmation before he began to roll out of the chamber, and Rose watched with a grimace. She just wanted to be back with The Doctor, where she felt safe.
The storm was coming, it was almost time.
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The Doctor had trying to console himself with the fact that things couldn't quite get any worse than they already had. It wasn't much of a consolation, considering the planet was under the control of Cybermen, and hundreds of innocent people were dying as he stood there, helpless to do anything, but it was a consolation nonetheless.
He had just realised, though, as he stared at Yvonne Hartman's laptop screen as a visual link with the exploring Cybermen was established, that things were far worse than he could ever have imagined.
His eyes were glued to the Dalek on the screen with a growing sense of horror rising inside of him, unable to believe just how bad their luck was. The Daleks had come through first, and the Cybermen had followed. Rose was down there with the sphere. He'd almost lost her to the Daleks twice, and she had gotten lucky both times – could she be lucky again?
The Daleks and Cybermen were arguing with one another on the screen, though The Doctor wasn't listening, his mind a whirl. He needed to get in contact with Rose.
"Rose said about the Daleks, she was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?" Jackie's voice cut through the storm in his mind, and he turned to her abruptly, speaking through his teeth so the Cyber leader wouldn't hear him.
"Phone," He hissed, and Jackie's eyes widened slightly, before she dug in her pocket and pulled out her mobile. Passing it to him, The Doctor wasted no time in finding Rose's number and called it, desperately hoping that she'd answer. When she did, his hearts leapt, though he couldn't hear her voice, knowing she'd picked up was more than enough. "She's answered, she's alive." He assured Jackie, and she covered her mouth in relief.
But why was she still alive? Why were they keeping her alive? Daleks didn't keep people alive unless they had a reason for it.
"Why haven't they killed her?" He murmured, and Jackie let out a scoff.
"Well, don't complain!" She snapped, and The Doctor shook his head.
"They must need her for something." He surmised, and continued to listen. He could hear more Daleks in the room where Rose was, and he focused, trying to pay attention to what they were saying.
"WE MUST PROTECT THE GENESIS ARK."
"Genesis Ark?" The Doctor repeated, frowning slightly – What in the universe was a Genesis Ark, and why was it so important to the Daleks? He listened attentively to the Cybermen try to strike up an alliance, and almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. The Daleks and the Cybermen? That was a match made in hell.
Of course, the Dalek's refused, and as the Cybermen declared war on them, The Doctor's mind began to whirl, thinking up an idea. He could use this to his advantage. He moved slightly behind the Cyber leader, wanting both Rose and the Dalek's to see him, to know that he was coming. His connection with Rose cut off as the transmission ended, and he handed the phone back to Jackie.
"Lost her," He said simply, and Jackie stared at him with wide, worried eyes.
"Quarantine the Sphere Chamber. Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel." The Cyber leader instructed, and several Cybermen strode forward to grasp hold of Yvonne, Jackie and The Doctor.
"No, you can't do this! We surrendered! We surrendered!" Yvonne shouted, struggling desperately as the Cybermen began to drag her away. Jackie too was desperately screaming and fighting, trying to get away as she shouted after The Doctor.
"YOU PROMISED ME! YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD!"
"This one's increased adrenaline suggests he has vital Dalek information." The Cyber leader noted of The Doctor, though he too continued to fight and struggle, watching Jackie with a growing amount of horror. Not her, no, he couldn't lose her. He couldn't let Rose lose all she had left.
"NO, LET HER GO, JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!" The Doctor shouted after her, fighting to be free of the Cybermen's grip as Jackie was dragged out of sight. "JACKIE! I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING!"
The sound of her screaming soon faded into silence, and The Doctor felt a terrible stillness wash over him, staring at the doorway in utter silence as he was released. A Cyberman moved to block the entrance, and he knew for now, at least, he was trapped.
Jackie Tyler was a formidable woman, and he could only hope that she found a way to survive, to escape and hide until he had the chance to come and find her. Turning, The Doctor walked into Yvonne's office to stare at the carnage outside in the city, and he closed his eyes slowly, moving to sit down.
The only real solution he could think of thus far would be to reverse the effects of the breach. The Cybermen were all steeped in void stuff, meaning they'd be sucked into it, and if he could hazard a guess, then the Daleks would be covered in it too, void ship or not. First, he needed to get everybody together and he needed to make sure everyone would be safe. It wouldn't do to have Rose get sucked into the void, after all. He needed to figure out how to keep her and Jackie alive.
"You are proof."
The Cyber leader's voice prompted The Doctor to look up at it, eyebrows lifting in response.
"Of what?" He asked, somewhat bemused.
"That emotions destroy you."
Ah, well, wasn't that just the truth? "Yeah, I am," The Doctor agreed lightly, before behind the Cyberman, he could see a glimmer, a sign of something that shouldn't exist, before slowly, he smiled. "Mind you, I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion, and here it comes."
The Cyber leader turned to follow The Doctor's gaze, and as it did, a group of people dressed all in black appeared from thin air, all holding guns aloft. Thinking quickly, The Doctor dove out of sight as the sounds of gunfire echoed in the room. He had no idea who they were or what was happening, but is this gave him a chance to get out and find Rose and Jackie, then he wouldn't complain.
He stood as the firing ceased, staring around him at the dead Cybermen, before his gaze locked on the leader of the group.
"Doctor - good to see you again." He said, and pulled off his helmet, revealing someone The Doctor never expected to see again in his lifetime, and his eyes widened in stunned disbelief.
"Jake?!"
Jake grinned at him, obviously pleased that he'd been able to surprise him as well as he had.
"The Cybermen came through from one world to another - and so did we," Jake told him, and The Doctor slowly shook his head. Oh no, oh, this was bad. Jake began to shout out orders to his team, directing them on what to do next, while The Doctor slipped on his 3D glasses, grimacing at the sight of the void stuff that hovered around the entire group.
"You can't just- just- just HOP from one world to another. You CAN'T." The Doctor insisted, and Jake smiled.
"We just did. With these." He threw some kind of yellow button on a chain over to him, and The Doctor peered down at it, bemused.
"But that's impossible. You can't have this sort of technology."
"We've got our own version of Torchwood," Jake explained, lifting his hand towards the button on his chest. "They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?"
"NO!" The Doctor shouted, realising what was about to happen. Jake had already pushed the button, however, forcefully dragging him from his world to another, leaving an empty room in their wake.
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For just a moment, as the call with the Cybermen ended, Rose could see The Doctor move into frame, and her heart soared, smile stretching wide as the Dalek's enhanced the image. He'd be coming for her soon, she just needed to be patient and trust in her Doctor, as she always did.
"THE FEMALE'S HEARTBEAT HAS INCREASED." Sec noted as he turned to face Rose, and Mickey rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Yeah, tell me about it," He agreed, and Rose could only smile as Sec demanded she identify just who it was. Oh, she LOVED this part, the way she could see the fear in them just at the mention of his name.
"IDENTIFY HIM!" Sec demanded.
"All right then, if you really wanna know... that's The Doctor." Rose watched with a smirk as they all rolled backwards slightly in response, and she lifted her eyebrows slowly. "Five million Cybermen? Easy. One Doctor? NOW you're scared."
Dalek Thay returned to the room at that moment, and Rose could only watch as he instructed the others to only concentrate on the Genesis Ark, deeming the Cybermen irrelevant. Mickey moved closer to her, clearly still confused, though she couldn't blame him. None of this had made sense to her the first time around, either.
"Why are we being kept alive?" He asked, and Rose kept her gaze on the Daleks.
"They need us to open the Genesis Ark, we're the final key," Rose admitted, and Mickey looked at her quickly. "When you travel through time, you pick up harmless background radiation from travelling through the vortex. The first time I met a Dalek, it was powerless, but I touched it and brought it back to life." She hastened to explain. "It was the background radiation I'd soaked up – Artron Energy. During the Time War, the Daleks evolved and learned how to use it as a power source. The Genesis Ark needs the touch of a Time Traveller to open, and we've both been through the vortex."
"I love it when you talk technical," Mickey offered in response, and she rolled her eyes with a fond smile.
"Shut up," She sighed, lightly elbowing him in the side, and Mickey looked down at his dimension hopper, eyebrows furrowed.
"I could transport out of here, but it only carries one and I'm not leaving you." He admitted, and Rose's expression softened considerably as she took his hand, love for Mickey swelling through her – her best friend who had saved her from losing herself after Jimmy, who'd helped her save the world, had saved the world HIMSELF, who'd grew up so much since they'd first met.
"You'd follow me anywhere," She noted softly. "What did I do to you all those years ago?"
"Guess I'm just stupid," Mickey shrugged, and Rose shook her head, squeezing his hand gently.
"You're the bravest man I've ever met, Micks." She told him sincerely, and his eyebrows lifted.
"What about the Doctor?" He asked and Rose let out a light, dramatic sigh.
"Oh, all right, bravest human," She amended, and they smiled at each other. "I'm really proud of you," She told him softly, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his hand. "You've done amazin' things, and I know you'll do so much more." She murmured, and Mickey smiled faintly.
"Don't sweet talk me too much, babe," he joked, before they both looked back at the Daleks and the Genesis Ark. "I can't figure it out, though. Why would they build something they can't open themselves?"
"THE TECHNOLOGY IS STOLEN. THE ARK IS NOT OF DALEK DESIGN." Sec interjected, slowly turning to face them. Rose simply glared at the Dalek leader, prompting Mickey to ask another question in response.
"Who built it then?"
"THE TIME LORDS. THIS IS ALL THAT SURVIVES OF THEIR HOMEWORLD."
"So what's inside?" Rose asked, folding her arms.
"THE FUTURE." Sec responded, before Caan interjected, and the other Daleks drew back from the Ark, having done all they could.
"FINAL STAGE OF AWAKENING."
Turning to Rose, Sec drew closer to her, though she didn't flinch back, choosing to simply glare at him. "YOUR HANDPRINT WILL OPEN THE ARK." He ordered, and Rose shook her head.
"Not a chance," She shot back.
"OBEY OR THE MALE WILL DIE." Sec threatened, and Rose scowled, reluctantly moving forward towards the Ark. What had The Doctor said the first time round? If Mickey hadn't opened it, the Daleks would have blown up the sun to do so? The Ark had to open, but Rose wouldn't do it without a fight.
"Rose, don't do it!" Mickey shouted from behind her, and Rose shot him a sad smile over her shoulder.
"I can't let them kill you," She said simply, shaking her head.
"PLACE YOUR HAND UPON THE CASKET." Rose turned back to Sec, her eyes glinting, before she moved to stand in front of him.
"You escaped the Time War, yeah? Don't you wanna know what happened? What happened to the Emperor?" She goaded, leaning forward slightly. She'd said this on a whim last time, her memories of the Gamestation hazed with a golden fog that had slowly cleared over time. She could remember bits and pieces before, but now, it was far clearer than it had ever been.
"THE EMPEROR SURVIVED." Sec informed her, and Rose's grin only grew wider.
"Yeah, 'Til he met me... 'cos if these are gonna be my last words, then you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor. And I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Do you get that? The God of all Daleks... and I destroyed him. HAH!" She let out a loud laugh in Sec's face, able to feel their surprise, their shock and finally, their anger.
"YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"
Sec's fury only caused Rose to laugh once more, and she stepped back away from him, opening up her arms as an invitation, ignoring Mickey's shout from behind her. Taunting the Daleks wasn't smart, it would NEVER be smart, but it didn't matter, not this time, because this was where The Doctor came in.
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