Chapter 7
Cybermen Vs Voga
John stayed behind the door and watched as the Cybermen ambled about the room. One of them took a place at the console and she tilted her head at how human the action was. She frowned as she attempted to remember how a cyberman was created. She was drawing a blank at that, but she did get some images. A nervous system and a brain surrounded by cold metal. Emotions being suppressed because the horror would be destructive.
"You haven't killed them?" A familiar voice asked, and she felt her anger flare up at the sight of Kellman.
"Of course not," The Leading Cyberman stated, "We have neutralized them, they are necessary to our plan, what are you doing, Kellman?"
"There is one missing," Kellman stated as he looked around before going next to the Doctor and going through the unconscious man's pockets, "And this is the stranger I reported, he calls himself the Doctor."
"And because of him and the missing one, our plan was advanced?" The leader asked.
"It had to be, they were interfering," Kellman commented as he pulled out a few items such as a bag of jelly babies and an apple core, "I'd just like to know who and what they are, the woman was able to make me feel emotions I had never felt before."
"We will move them against the wall and keep our weapons trained on them," The leading Cyberman stated.
The two cybermen with them moved and began to pull the three men towards the wall. John bit her lip and slowly sneaked out of her hiding spot and followed the Doctor. She was going to keep him as safe as she could, she owed him that much. After all, he had unknowingly helped shape her into the person she was. She held out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, he barely reacted but seemed to relax a bit under her touch. A cyberman came close and made the men take a stance that reminded her of the three wise monkeys.
"Once our landing is detected, the Vogans will attack in force," The Cyber leader stated, she was going to go with that since it sounded right.
"Oh, they have no weapons that would be able to hurt your Cybermen" Kellman stated as he pulled up a map on the console.
"Doctor," John gently murmured as she tightened her grip on his shoulder, "You need to wake up and soon."
He moved a bit and she heard him let out the smallest of groans. He was waking up and she felt some relief at that. He moved his hands so slightly and he peeked between his fingers. He pinpointed where she was and gave a slight wink to her. She felt her cheeks heat up and some annoyance at the man as he went back to being silent.
"This is the main shaft?" Cyber Leader asked as he pointed at a spot on the map.
"Yes, this is a shaft I explored for you," Kellman answered as he pressed a button and a long line appeared on the map and made a route, "It runs right to the core of Voga."
"How far from the shaft entrance is the transmat receptor area?" Cyber Leader questioned.
"Just a matter of yards," Kellman stated, "I set the receptors as close as possible."
John made a slight sound at that and the Doctor twitched at it, he wasn't supposed to be able to hear her with the number of charms she used to sneak around. He peeked at her again and then moved to examine the map that was barely in sight. He just needed to know the route they were going to be forced to take. He had a witch in his corner, though she wasn't going to be able to much so she could stay undercover until the Cybermen were out of the way, he was curious if she could ignore their weaponry but didn't want to test that theory. She was rather entertaining when she wanted to be. He also wanted information as to how her magic worked, how a magical core existed and if it meshed well with the Huon particles in her atomic structure. He was also growing fond of her, just as he was with Sarah.
"Excellent, Kellman," The Cyber Leader stated, "You have done well, and these humans will carry the explosives into the shaft."
"So, what's your cut, Kellman?" The Doctor asked as he moved his hands and looked at the man who had stabbed those at Nerva in the back, "The gold that lies on Voga?"
"There will be no gold, Voga is to be completely destroyed and this time we will not fail," The Cyber Leader stated.
"Oh, is that so?" The Doctor questioned in unison with John.
"And you, Doctor, and your two friends will help us in this task," The Cyber Leader informed him, "This is why you have been spared."
"I was wondering why you hadn't killed us," The Commander stated, "Though there is one of us missing."
"The missing female is not of importance to us, there is not much a single female can do," The Cyber Leader responded, and John rolled her eyes.
"I wouldn't underestimate her," Kellman stated, "That woman is stronger than she looks."
The Doctor seemed to agree with that and so did Lester. Anyone who could cow Kellman like that had to have some strength. She even talked of war, and he didn't know of many women who had gone through a war in recent years. They tended to join the scientific divisions to avoid wars and advance humanity. One of the chief scientists was a woman who had set up Nerva, made the blueprints and everything. Completely brilliant in his opinion.
"We don't have to help you," Lester stated, "You can't really force us to do anything."
"Oh, you are mistaken," Cyber Leader commented.
"You'll discover who's mistaken, Chum," Lester said with a wry smile.
"The heart of Voga is almost pure gold," Cyber Leader stated, "Gold is hostile to our function, therefore Kellman was asked to preserve three animal organisms for this purpose."
"Isn't it wonderful to feel needed, Commander?" The Doctor asked in a light tone.
He could almost feel the slight amusement coming from John. In fact, he was sure that she was letting him know that's what she was feeling. She wasn't showing her emotions to him as she had to Kellman. He was quite glad that it was positive emotions, he didn't want to feel what she had shown earlier.
"Kellman, on our approach run, we detected an operational discharge from the transmat area," Cyber Leader said, "Explain."
"That would have to be the woman's doing, she beamed two of their friends down to Voga," Kellman replied in annoyance, "I tried to put the transmat out of action, but she managed to get it working for a few minutes."
"How much do these humans know?" Cyber Leader questioned.
"Look, I've done everything I can to help," Kellman stated as he attempted to change the subject since he was unsure of how much Sarah and Harry knew, "I set up the transmat and directed the Cybermen, you might have never found Voga if it hadn't been for me."
"That is true, and you have been promised great rewards for your assistance," Cyber Leader stated.
"That's why I must go down to Voga to make sure that nothing goes wrong with the Transmat," Kellman said.
"Very well, but you will return as soon as possible," Cyber Leader commanded, "Once the detonator cycle commences, it cannot be stopped."
Kellman stepped into the transmat and one of the Cybermen pressed a switch and he vanished. The frequencies were like a graceful harmony to John now that she was in a physical form. She closed her eyes and listened to the music that she could hear as the transmat worked. It wasn't Vivaldi's Winter, but it was soothing. The Doctor relaxed a bit as her calm washed over him. It was a strange feeling, but one that wasn't unwelcome.
"How is it you aren't panicking?" Lester asked the Doctor.
"Keeping one's head in this kind of situation is key," The Doctor replied.
He would've been calm anyway but having a second dose of John's feeling of being calm kept him completely relaxed. He could see himself falling asleep if the situation wasn't so dire. Her hand started to move from his shoulder, but he moved like he was trying to crack his neck and placed his head on the top of her hand. She got the message and kept it in place. He felt some panic come from her as the Cybermen brought round black bombs into the console room and placed them on a metal table that sat off to the side.
"What great rewards have you promised Kellman?" The Doctor questioned.
"That matter is of no interest to you," Cyber Leader stated.
"Everything's of interest to me, and Cybermen possess nothing that a human might want," The Doctor stated.
"You are incorrect," Cyber Leader stated.
"Then what is it?" The Doctor questioned with a frown, "You've no home planet, no influence, nothing, you are just a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers skulking about the galaxy in an ancient spaceship."
He could feel the slight hurt from John at that one. She had reminded him that she was in a war not even an hour ago. He almost made an apologetic expression and sent her way, but he simply felt her hand slide from his shoulder. She would like to inform him that he had a bad habit of speaking before he really thought his words through. He had insulted people far more important than her, and he wouldn't really stop since it was just who he was. She was used to people like that, Holmes had been one of them and they were best friends. He had insulted her a few times but would always apologize afterward with something that she had found interest in, whether it be a book or an item of clothing.
"You speak unwisely," Cyber Leader stated, "We are destined to be rulers of all the cosmos."
"No, I don't think so," The Doctor stated, "You tried that once and you were nearly wiped out."
"Because of Voga and its gold," Cyber Leader countered, "If humans had not had the resources of Voga, the Cyber War would have ended in our glorious triumph."
"It was a glorious triumph for human ingenuity," The Doctor commented, "They discovered your weakness and invented the glitter gun and that was the end of Cybermen except for the gold-plated souvenirs that people use as hat stands."
John was surprised by how violent of a statement that was. She wondered if he had always been this violent. Always had this darkness in him that was barely brought to the surface. She frowned in slight worry and wondered just what that darkness was going to bring him. Just what it was going to destroy in him, she made a mental promise that she would never let him travel alone. Unless he was to ask her to try and head back to her universe. She would have to accept his terms since she didn't really belong here.
"Watch it, Doctor," Lester warned, "I think you've riled him enough."
"That is why Voga must be destroyed before we begin our second campaign," Cyber Leader informed him.
"Oh, there's to be a second campaign, is there?" The Doctor asked in a light tone.
"We have enough parts in our ship to build an entirely new Cyber Army, and this time, Doctor, it will be invincible," Cyber Leader stated as he lumbered towards the Doctor and grasped the Time Lord by the throat, "Cybermen function far more efficiently than animal organisms, that is why we will rule the galaxy."
"Such loose thinking, that's the trouble with Cybermen you have hydraulic muscles and hydraulic brains to go along with them," The Doctor quipped before he was tossed across the room.
"He had that coming," John muttered to herself as she winced.
Holmes had been that way too and he had gotten his fair share of injuries from angered people. One of which had been the detective inspector. The right hook he had gotten from the man had been one that was talked about for months after the fact. Even she had added fuel to the fire that had been the gossip on the punch, she was a bit petty at the time having been annoyed at being woken up at three in the morning by the loud violin playing a few days after OWLS. She had been tempted to throw a fist his way.
She blinked as the Doctor sprung up to his feet and grabbed one of the bombs on the table. The Cybermen watched him with a wary air around them. He held it away from his body and eyed them with a mad glint in his eyes. His eyes flickered towards the area where the others were, he'd rather not resort to harming the others if he could help it.
"Put that down!" Cyber Leader ordered the Doctor.
"Thank you," The Doctor grinned at the mechanical soldier, "Now, if I'm correct about what this contains and should accidentally drop it."
He acted as though he was going to drop the bomb. He let it fall from his grip for a few seconds before catching it with ease. Cyber Leader had moved forward to catch it as well. For an unfeeling machine, it certainly had some human qualities about it. Fear and anger mainly stood out.
"Now, I want some information from you, Cyber Leader," The Doctor ordered, "What's Kellman expecting to get out of all this?"
"Kellman wants power," Cyber Leader complied, "He will be the ruler of this solar system when we have conquered it."
"A puppet dictator," The Doctor stated, "I wouldn't have thought his ambitions lay in that direction."
"Look out Doctor," The Commander called as several Cybermen appeared behind the Doctor.
The Cybermen grabbed the Doctor's arms and the Cyber Leader moved forward to retrieve the bomb. The Doctor was pushed back towards John and the others. He hit the floor and he felt something touch his shoulders and slow his momentum in a way that looked natural. Lester shot him a look of slight surprise.
"You had to make them mad," Lester commented.
"Do not kill them," Cyber Leader ordered as the three men were held in place as a bomb was strapped to each of their backs, "Cyberbombs, the most compact and powerful explosives ever invented."
"Yes, and their use was banned by the Armageddon Convention," The Doctor pointed out.
Armageddon Convention? John felt some amusement at that and fought the small smile on her face. She then remembered what kind of situation they were in. She looked at the bombs on the backs of the men. She couldn't try to get them out without knowing how it would react to the magic around her, a Cyberbomb was completely different from a landmine. She would rather not be the death of the Doctor.
"Cybermen do not subscribe to any theory of morality in war, Doctor," Cyber Leader informed them, "Our calculations indicate that two bombs placed in the central fissure of Voga will fragment the planet."
"Fragment, oh well, I'm surprised at the decent English from a machine," The Doctor commented as he was hauled to his feet.
"Prime the buckles, two bombs should be sufficient, but three will make it certain," Cyber Leader continued ignoring the Doctor and paying him no mind.
"Now what have they done?" The Commander questioned.
"The buckles are now primed," Cyber Leader stated, "Any attempt to remove the harness before the countdown reaches the red zone will cause a secondary explosion, do you understand."
"Shite," John quietly cursed.
There went her idea of removing the bombs. If she did then she could kill the Doctor and the Nerva workers. She tapped a finger against her chin in slight annoyance before moving closer to the men. She wanted to be able to help them if they needed it.
"You mean, if we attempt to release the harness before then we'll get blown up?" Lester asked in an annoyed and frustrated tone.
"Correct," Cyber Leader confirmed, "It is as well to keep that thought in your minds."
"And when we reach the center of Voga, we'll be fragmented as well," The Doctor pointed out.
"Incorrect," Cyber Leader stated, "You will have fourteen minutes, the time of the red zone, to reach the surface and save yourselves by the transmat beam."
"That is not long enough," The Commander argued.
"Fourteen minutes is considered adequate," Cyber Leader stated in a no-nonsense tone.
"Anything else before we go?" The Doctor asked.
"Yes, Doctor," Cyber Leader answered, "Your progress will be followed by radar, any attempt to deviate from the planned course will be detected immediately and the bombs will be detonated by these manual controls."
"Thank you," The Doctor smiled as the Cyber Leader pushed a button.
"Countdown has commenced," Cyber Leader announced, "You, Doctor, will leave first."
The Doctor was shoved forward and he stumbled slightly. He turned towards the Cyber Leader and grinned. It was his signature manic grin and one that was only slightly off-putting. A hand slipped onto his arm and he felt his grin increase.
"Careful, I might explode," The Doctor warned as he took a yo-yo out of his pocket and began to play with it.
The transmat beam was turned on and they went down to planet Voga. The Cyberman that had gone with them turned a weapon towards John, who had been revealed by the transmat and picked up by the radar. She gave a sheepish grin and slipped her hand away from the Doctor and held them up. She knew better than to attack the Cyberman, which could cause the Doctor to be killed, and she didn't want that.
"We have found the missing female," The Cyberman announced as he motioned for the two to back away from the transmat circle, "What are the orders for this one."
The Cyberman was quiet as the other two men were beamed down with another Cyberman. Lester and the Commander seemed surprised to see a sheepish John as she gave a slight wave towards them. Lester looked towards a very amused, and slightly worried, Doctor. John's eyes moved to the side as she saw a couple of figures towards the entrance of the mine.
It was instantaneous. The moment she looked at the figures, shots rang out. She put her hands down and was ready to reach for her wand. She was ready to counterattack, but a hand on her own stopped her from doing so. She looked towards the Doctor and he gave her a look.
"Someone's trying to attract your attention," The Doctor informed the Cybermen before he turned towards the other two, "Come on, let's get out of here!"
They began to run towards the central shaft, they had to go down that way since they were being watched by radar. John was able to keep up the pace with the men. Her mind was shouting at her to fight, but she would run with the others just to be sure that she could keep them safe. They made it to cover and her adrenaline dropped as they reached a safe area. Her foot caught on a rock jutting out and she stumbled slightly before catching herself.
"If only they knew about the use of gold," The Doctor commented.
"It would have made that little fight back there fairer," John stated.
"I know this is an important conversation," Lester started as he stared at John, "But where did you go?"
"I was there the entire time," John answered.
"How?" Lester asked, she simply smiled at him in a slightly amused manner, "Never mind."
"Do you believe what they cybermen said about giving you lot time to escape?" John asked the Doctor.
"Not a word of it," The Doctor answered with a slight smile, "Once we've reached the explosive zone, we'll have outlived our usefulness."
"So, what do we do now?" Lester asked.
"I'd rather not die in an explosion," John stated, "I've lived through a lot, I don't need a bomb to be what does me in."
"We keep moving, give their radar scope something to follow," The Doctor ordered.
"Why don't we just wait here?" Lester asked.
"You like being able to walk and talk?" John asked him and he nodded, "Well then, keep walking or else they'll detonate the bomb from Nerva, bombs like this always have a remote that can detonate them from afar."
"Right, well, let's get going," Lester stated in a light tone as they continued down the central shaft.
They walked for some time; the walls of the cave stayed static and unchanging for the most part, save for a small ore that jutted out at an odd angle every once in a while. The rocks glittered as the light from torches on the wall danced across the surface. John looked at the rocks and eyed the gold that was out in the open. She tilted her head slightly. Gold was used to make cauldrons, one of which she had, it helped in potions like Felix Felicis to make it far more potent.
They came across a small slope where the rocks were wet and started to climb down. The Doctor watched as John slipped down a few feet before catching herself on a dryer rock. He winced as she rubbed her hands against her shorts. She continued her way down without any sign of pain or discomfort.
"Steady," The Doctor told them.
"I'm getting a bit old for this sort of thing," The Commander stated.
"Shall we rest for a bit then?" John asked, "You lot are the ones carrying a load on your back."
The two Nerva workers sent her a look at that before realizing that she hadn't said that to be smart. She looked at them in concern as they took a short rest to gain their breaths back. She stood close to the Doctor and he spared her a small glance. She was radiating nervous energy and he was ignoring the nerves so he could think straight.
"Have any ideas yet, Doctor?" Lester asked.
"The deeper we go, the heavier the concentration of gold," The Doctor explained, "Before long, it must start affecting their radar picture."
"What then?" The Commander asked.
"Well, it's a slight chance, but if we can get back without being detected we can take the Cybermen from behind," The Doctor continued as he turned towards the white-haired commander, "All right now, Commander?"
"As good as I'll be with this bomb strapped to me," The Commander said as he gave a nod.
"Let's go," The Doctor stated.
They continued on their way. It was getting harder to breathe and the Commander was suffering the most out of the four of them. John hung back a bit to make sure he'd be all right, but he waved her off after some time. He knew that she was worried about the Doctor the most out of the three of them. It was something that slightly amused him. How a person that could disappear when they want to didn't know how they felt about someone. He couldn't blame her; the Doctor was an amazing person. One that was easy to admire.
He took note of the way she favored her left leg over the right. She had most likely whacked it against one of the rocks that had been jutting out on the slippery slope. Her hands had been all scuffed up and had flecks of gold in them that glittered in the low light. She winced slightly as if she had a sudden bad thought before her face went back to a neutral expression. He would rather not know what those thoughts had been, her pessimism usually turned out to be true.
The ceiling began to lower on them, and they had to crouch before they ended up crawling. John moved behind them since she really didn't want men watching her from behind. It was something that the Doctor didn't comment on but was easy to see that he somewhat understood. She kept her eyes forward; they probably didn't want someone watching their behinds either.
"I'm sorry, Doctor," The Commander panted, "I'm a bit whacked."
"Sit down a moment," The Doctor stated as they came to a stop and he looked at the three, "Actually, I think we're very near the center now, this is all solid gold."
"I wonder if these buckles really would explode," Lester thought out loud.
"Please don't put it to the test," John said as she moved closer to the group, "I'd rather you not throw away your life on a maybe."
"Too right," The Commander agreed.
The Doctor climbed up a small shaft and looked around. He saw a pile of rocks and watched as it began to vibrate. He quickly moved back down the shaft to warn the others. If those rocks were moving like that, they would be following him very shortly.
"Look out!" He warned, "Get back!"
They all scrambled back. John slipped on a piece of gold ore that was jutting out and some of the debris from the rocks landed on her and brought her to the ground, her head hitting a small rock. She was out for the count as the Doctor had some debris hit his head. He was unable to remain on the brink of consciousness as Lester and the Commander grabbed John by her wrists and dragged her away from the debris as it continued to fall. They moved and gathered the Doctor as well. Lester stopped and placed fingers against the side of John's neck.
"She still has a pulse," Lester stated, "It's weird though as if she has two hearts instead of one."
"Just put her next to the Doctor," The Commander stated, "They'll come back on their own in a few, these two are stubborn."
Lester and the Commander leaned John and the Doctor against a wall as they waited for them to come around. They tensed as they heard rapid footsteps coming towards them, every so often a piece of gold was kicked up and they could hear it clattering around. A figure came towards them and they relaxed. It was one of the Doctor's traveling companions, Harry. The well-dressed man was a welcomed sight.
"What happened?" Harry asked them as he closed the gap with a few long strides.
"The rocks fell and some of the debris hit them on the head," Lester answered as Harry began to prod the Doctor's head for any sign of injury.
"It's just a bump," Harry said as he moved towards John's he was slightly surprised that such messy hair as theirs was extremely soft, "They'll be fine, in fact, I don't doubt that they'll come around any minute now."
"Don't remove the straps," Lester warned Harry as the man started to mess with the buckle that strapped the bomb onto the Doctor, "Open that buckle and you'll blow all of us to kingdom come."
"It's booby-trapped?" Harry asked with raised brows.
"Yes," Lester nodded his brown hair flopping around, "These buckles can't be opened until the Cybermen beam the release signal."
"Harry, were you trying to undo this?" The Doctor asked as he came around for a few seconds.
"Well, naturally," Harry admitted.
"Did you make the rocks fall, Harry?" The Doctor continued.
"Er, well, I suppose I must have done," Harry stuttered, "Yes."
The Doctor tilted his head back and let out a laugh that stirred John. She sat up and looked around in slight alarm before wincing and putting a hand to the small bump on the back of her head. It was throbbing every so often with the beat of her hearts. She then looked towards the Doctor and her eyes lit up in surprise at the sight of Harry.
"Harry Sullivan is an imbecile!" The Doctor exclaimed before he was out again.
"Did you do something, Sully?" John questioned in confusion.
"Sorry, I was the reason that the rocks fell," Harry informed her as he apologized.
"Hey, we're all alive so that's something," John commented as she stood up and teetered a bit on her feet, "Let's start moving again and get away from the rocks, I'll help carry him."
She helped lift the Doctor into a standing position and Harry moved to the other side. Together they continued to move forward so the Cybermen wouldn't detonate the bombs on them. She heard the Doctor muttering under his breath, and she felt her lips quirk upwards at that. Even in his sleep, he was thinking, she could peg him as a Ravenclaw, but he really fit into the same house as her. Gryffindor, though the hat had wanted to place her in Hufflepuff because she was extremely loyal to those she cared about. They had made it a little further down the shaft when the Doctor woke up. It took him a few seconds before he was fully aware of everything.
"So, where is Sarah?" The Doctor asked as he looked around for the shorter brunette.
"I'm not sure, Doctor," Harry replied, "Last I saw her she was trying to get back to the Beacon."
"Shite," John cursed, "If Sarah goes up there then the Cybermen could get her."
"Well, it was a plot by Kellman, who's dead by the way, that was created with the Vogan people," Harry continued to explain, "He needed the Cybermen on the Beacon so they'd be sitting ducks for the rocket the Vogans are going to shoot, the only problem is they haven't finished it yet, everything went topside."
"Yes, it has," the Doctor agreed.
"Doctor, you lot only have about nine minutes," John pointed out.
"Right, listen," The Doctor ordered, and everyone looked at him and waited for him to continue, "Commander, if you were to keep on going towards the center you could draw the radar track away from the rest of us."
"Right," The Commander nodded.
"Meantime, Lester, I, and John could take the cross shaft and attack the Cybermen from the rear," The Doctor continued.
"Do you have gold on you?" John asked, "I don't think you'll be able to get the dust out of all this in a few seconds and I can't fire off any stunners with those bombs on your backs."
He simply tapped his nose at her. He got an annoyed look at that as they split up and started the plan. The four continued forward until they came across the two Cybermen who had been beamed down to the planet with them. The three men dropped down and started to collect gold dust. John stood back and grabbed a piece of gold and grabbed her long metal rod out of the pockets of her shorts. She began to scratch a rune on the surface. It turned it into something that would stab through one of the cybermen's metal armor and hit its center.
"How much have we got?" The Doctor asked.
"We've got about five minutes," Lester replied the Doctor looked ready to say something slightly snappish but a single look from John had him change what he was going to say.
"I mean how much gold dust have we got?" The Doctor informed him, and they all compared the handfuls that they got, "Well, that should be enough, you know what to do."
"Yes, creep as close as we can then chuck this stuff into their chest units," Harry stated.
"You've got it, Harry," The Doctor complimented, "Come on."
"I'll be here in case you absolutely need me," John stated, "Try not to I don't want to miss in the chaos and accidentally hit one of you lot."
She held up the piece of gold in her hands and they all shivered at the sight of it. It looked like a normal piece of gold, but it felt darker than it should. Something wasn't right about the gold in her hands. It felt like they were looking at a weapon more than a piece of gold.
They moved away and she got into position. They snuck along a ridge above the cybermen and judged when they needed to jump. The Doctor held a hand up to keep them from acting. Harry and Lester shared a look before looking down at the Cybermen on patrol. The Doctor nodded and the three men jumped down onto the Cybermen.
They were easily shrugged off and John felt sweat began to travel down the side of her face and through the grime that covered it as she contemplated using the piece of gold in her hands. If she missed, she could detonate the bombs on accident. She brought a hand up and wiped away the sweat on her face. She winced as the salty liquid got into the small scrapes on her hands. She quickly threw up a shield when Lester jumped onto the back of one of the Cybermen and turned the harness buckle.
She was pushed back from the rocks she had taken cover behind. She hit the ground with a grunt and quickly curled up to protect her vital spots. Some small pieces of gold bounced off her frame and she knew that she was going to be covered in small cuts and bruises from the heavy metal. She kept her eyes open and waited for the smoke to clear. She coughed as it dissipated, and slowly got up to her feet.
"You still alive, John?!" Harry's voice cut through the smoke.
"Yeah, a little bruised," She called back, "I didn't expect him to do that."
A head of curly hair popped up from behind the rocks, she was surprised that they had survived that blast. She disarmed her shields and looked at the Doctor. He had a somewhat strained smile on his face as he held out a hand to help her. She was confused by that before she noticed that her shield had created a small cavern where rocks had fallen.
"Come on," The Doctor told her, "These rocks are not that stable."
"Right," John nodded as she accepted his hand and he helped pull her through the small opening of the magic made cavern.
"The manual control is still working," He informed her as he set her down on her feet.
"That's good?" John was unsure if it was or not.
"Very," The Doctor grinned.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" She asked him, "Let's get you out of the harness and collect the Commander."
He nodded at that and began to fiddle with the box. She watched him with slight amusement. He was one of those types that worked well under pressure. Harry came up to her and looked her over for any injuries that needed treatment. She had some small cuts that littered her legs and a few on her cheeks. They weren't deep, but he was worried about the gold being inside the cuts.
"I'm surprised that you don't seem to have any deeper cuts," Harry commented, "They all seem superficial, you just need to clean the gold out of them."
"That is my blood, Sully," John informed him as she pressed a finger against her cheek and got some blood flowing.
"Well, that certainly explains quite a bit," Harry stated.
"My word of warning," She started as the Doctor looked up from the box for a few seconds before going back to what he was doing, "Never get curious when it comes to something that can travel through time, might change your biology."
"Ah," the Doctor said as the indicator on the box switched from mauve to green, "Well, I'm impressed."
"Let's go collect our friend the Commander," Harry said as the Doctor removed the cyberbomb from his back.
They headed out, helping each other to get over the rocks that had fallen into their paths. John was behind them; her hurt leg was causing her to move slower. She was feeling it more after the explosion. Harry would look back every so often and she would send him a raised brow. She could work with being hurt; she had lived through war after all. She could almost feel the pain from the injuries she had received during the war.
"Doctor, where's Lester?" The Commander asked as he looked around for the brunette.
"He sacrificed himself to destroy the Cybermen," The Doctor answered in a grim tone.
The Commander was silent for a few minutes as the Doctor helped him remove the cyberbomb. His jaw was clenched, and he seemed to be fighting down his grief. A small hand on his shoulder got his attention. It was a silent form of understanding and he gave a curt nod towards John.
"We should head towards the Vogans," The Doctor stated, "See if they got that rocket working yet."
They all nodded their agreement and starting down the main shaft again. This time they were following Harry, who knew the way to the Vogan's guild room. Men were waiting for them and the Commander moved closer to the group. He had been attacked by the natives before when communications failed.
"This is the one that contacted us," One of the Vogan's said as they looked at John, "You are much younger than you first seemed."
"Thank you?" She muttered in slight confusion, she was unsure if she was being complimented or not.
"It's a compliment," The Doctor quietly informed her.
She gained a small smile and a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. It was unusual that she got complimented on being young. Most people thought it was an annoyance or a handicap on her end. She placed her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels in thought as the Doctor quickly explained what had happened.
"We are grateful to you, human, for saving Voga," The Vogan Tyram said.
"Oh, please, don't call me human," The Doctor stated as he moved to look at a monitor, "Just Doctor will do very nicely, thank you, is that your rocket?"
"The Sky Striker, yes," Tyram nodded, "You've delivered our enemies into my hands, Doctor, Magrik, have you news?"
"Everything is ready," Magrik announced on the com, "We can start the countdown."
"Perhaps we can make an alternative suggestion," John smiled at them.
"An alternative?" A Vogan named Vorus questioned with a slight frown.
"Let me take the transmat back to the Beacon and deal with the Cybermen myself," The Doctor took over before John could say anything, he sent her a look and she raised her hands at that.
"Yourself? You mean, alone?" Tyram asked in surprise.
"Give me just fifteen minutes," The Doctor said as he stared Tyram right in the eye, "If at the end of that time I haven't come through on the radio, well then you can fire off your rocket."
"You've already done so much," Tyram countered, "Why should you risk your life again this way?"
"Our friend Sarah Jane is on Beacon," John stated, "She risked her life to help ours, it's the least we can do to accept the same for her, we'll monitor the situation from here Doctor, unless, fifteen minutes is too much for you Tyram."
"Fifteen minutes," Tyram nodded, "But no longer."
"Thank you, but there is just one more thing I need," The Doctor pointed out.
"What's that?" Tyram asked.
"A bag of gold dust," The Doctor answered.
"Oh, yes."
The bag of gold dust was handed over to the Doctor and he looked at his two companions and the commander. John had taken a seat at the console and was changing the signal so it would be boosted. Harry was watching the young woman with some degree of concern and respect. The Commander had joined her in sitting down, both had been through quite a bit and were covered in grime and blood. She even had bruising along the ridge of her right cheek.
"Doctor, you get going," John told him with a slight frown, "You need all the time you can get."
He scurried off at that and she rolled her eyes. She kept an eye on the Vogan, Vorus. He was frowning at the group and she knew better than to trust someone who would glare at people trying to help them. She had a way to destroy the Cybermen, but he wanted to win it on his own terms. A part of her could understand that. She looked back to the monitor and steadied her nerves. She needed to remain calm if she had to act quickly.
"Keep an eye on Vorus," John muttered to the Commander, "He's angry and there's no telling what he might do."
The Commander nodded and his eyes flickered to the side as he eyed the Vogan from the corner of his eyes. He could see where she was coming from. He was tensed and ready for a fight, it was a bit reckless, but he knew that its what Lester would have done. He didn't relax, even as the time began to tick by.
"Seven minutes," Magrik informed them.
"What can the Doctor do in this time?" Vorus asked as he hissed the Doctor's name, "We should never have agreed to wait."
"Someone I knew once said that patience is a virtue," John informed him from her seat at the monitor, "There is still an option if the Doctor is unable to do what he says."
"Do you doubt the Doctor?" Tyram asked her with a curious expression.
"No, I have complete trust in him," She replied with a sharp tone, "I was just pointing something out to ease your worries, just step away from the button for now."
Vorus scoffed at that but complied with her request. She eyed him slightly and she allowed Armageddon to slip out. He further backed away from the button. She gave him a pleasant smile and she was sure that the swift changes in emotions gave him slight whiplash. It was slightly amusing to watch.
"Any news from the Doctor?" Harry asked to relieve the tension that had begun to rise in the room.
"Not yet, but then again he has a bad habit of having everything work out in the last minute," John quietly answered with a wry smile.
"It ends all right in the end," Harry commented.
"That it does," She chuckled.
"Five minutes," Magrik announced.
The minutes ticked by slowly and soon enough the two humans and the witch were sweating. It was warmer on planet Voga than it had been on the Beacon. John wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and Harry followed suit with a dark blue handkerchief. He tucked it back into his suit pocket and continued to stare at the console for any sign of the Doctor and Sarah.
"Control to firing bunker," Vorus stated as he pressed a blue button, "Stand by for countdown."
"The Doctor still has another two minutes," John argued in a calm tone.
"The countdown," Vorus replied with a nasty smirk.
"Wait a minute," John stated as she frowned at the monitor, "The Beacon's moving, it's coming towards us, a collision course."
"Activate firing controls," Vorus ordered.
"Vorus, you promised the Doctor fifteen minutes," Harry pointed out.
"All right, I'm done with you Vorus," John stated as she simply sent a stunner his way, "He'll wake up in an hour or so after all this is done, please see to it that he punished by the law."
All eyes turned towards her and she narrowed her eyes at them. The guards that were usually with Tyram went and tried to stop Magrik from pushing the button to launch the rocket. They failed but lead a fussing Magrik away. John cursed and began to push buttons.
"There's no way to stop it from here," John stated, "Once it's going, it's going, it'll hit the Beacon in six minutes."
"It seems the Doctor has failed," Tyram stated as he took a seat at the console with them.
"I wouldn't say that," Harry said as he turned to face the Vogan leader.
"Well, his only chance now is to get off the Beacon by the transmat," The Commander stated as he watched the monitor, "It seems as though the Cybermen are attempting to escape."
"Then the Sky Striker will simply destroy the empty Beacon," Tryam said in slight relief.
"If it is empty," Harry muttered.
"Hello, Voga," The Doctor's voice entered the conversation and a smile appeared on John's face, "Hello, Voga, this is Nerva Beacon."
"We read you loud and clear, Doctor," John said as she flipped a little blue switch to change the station so he came in clearer, "What's gone wrong?"
"The Cybermen have abandoned the Beacon," The Doctor stated, "The Sky Striker needs to be aimed at the Cybership."
"Oh, well Vorus already launched the rocket," John informed him, "There's nothing we can really do to stop it down here, you got any ideas?"
"Let me think." The Doctor stated.
"Oh, he's got around four minutes and he wants to think," John muttered in a sarcastic tone.
The Doctor may be victorious at the end of the day, but she was ready to hit him for this. She didn't like worrying about her friends when they were in danger. Well, she didn't like not being able to do anything to help them. She began to chew on her lower lip, the split not even bothering her anymore and felt some of her stress leave her by the familiar actions.
"John?" The Doctor asked after a minute.
"Yes, Doctor," She answered as she sat up straight in the metal chair she was in.
"There are two levers on the left side of the panel," The Doctor informed her, "Got them?"
"Yes," She confirmed as she placed her hands on them.
"The top lever controls the angle of flight, and the lower one must be the direction and stabilizer control," He continued.
"Right, leave it to me," She told him, "Shouldn't be any different than maneuvering a broom."
Harry and the Commander looked at her as she slowly moved one of the levers and began to aim it at the cybershop. They weren't sure they had heard that right. She had said broom of all things. She was so focused on her piloting of the rocket that they didn't even ask her if she had actually said something about a broom.
"Move it a bit starboard," Harry offered.
"Just a few more seconds," The Commander muttered as he watched the monitor.
They were all tense and Tyram had joined them in watching the rocket. John moved the rocket one last time and they all cheered as it hit the Cybership. The Commander gave her a hearty pat on the back, and she let out a slight sound of delight and pain. She gave a small hiss as her left shoulder began to hurt.
"Doctor, the Cybership has been taken care of," John informed him as she switched on the com system and frowned at something, "I would like to know why you are heading right towards us."
"Hello, John," Sarah greeted her, "We're completely loaded with cyberbombs."
"Is there anything we can do?" John asked before letting out a wince at that, "Never mind, dumb question, will you guys be okay?"
"The Doctors doing his best, but the cybermen have locked the gyro controls," Sarah told her and John winced at that.
"I don't know of anything that can be done," John stated as she ran a hand through her hair, "Damnit, I don't like this."
"What?" Harry questioned.
"Well, I really wouldn't like to lose any more friends," John grumbled as she stared at the monitor, "Call it a selfish desire if you wish."
"It's sentimental," Tyram informed her and she looked at him for a few seconds, expression completely blank.
"Would you happen to be a politician or government worker?" She asked.
"I am the Vogan Leader," he answered.
"Ah," She nodded her thanks before muttering under her breath, "Makes sense now."
"The Beacon is still coming straight towards us," The Commander stated.
"It's going to hit," Tyram exclaimed as he began to panic.
Harry and John stayed quiet as they watched the monitor. Harry had faith in the Doctor while John knew that he was good at pulling miracles out of his ass like he was Unspeakable Mary Poppins. She then began to contemplate how similar the two were. He reminded her of the unspeakable that had retired after seventy years of work. The Old woman worked around Mundane born witches and wizards back in the early 1920s to help bring more of them into the magical world.
The Beacon twisted in place for a few seconds before appearing back into its original spot. Everyone on Voga let out a sound of relief. John slumped in her chair and let out a low breath. She hadn't realized that she had been holding it until then. That's what she got for not paying attention.
"Luckily we didn't panic," John smiled at them.
Harry let out a low sound of amusement as they finally got out of their chairs and said their goodbyes to Tyram. Tyram stopped John before she left and she handed him a piece of gold with the runes scratched into the surface. He took one look at it and gave it back to her. She seemed surprised at that.
"A gift of good faith," He said and she smiled at that.
"What will become of Vorus?" She asked as he walked with them to the Transmat Circle.
"He will be stripped of his titles and placed on mine work for his crimes against Voga," Tyram answered, "We hope that the Doctor and all of you return one day."
"It would be an honor," John smiled as she and Harry stepped into the circle with the Commander.
She closed her eyes as the beam started and they were dematerialized into an atomic state and beamed up to the beacon. As they rematerialized, she let out a shudder. She really hated being atoms after getting her physical body back. It was such an odd feeling now, even though it did allow her to see the Huon particles in her body. It was what ran through her blood and made it the gold color it was, she knew that meant that every time her heartsbeat it created more particles. She wondered if she could regenerate or if she would just never age. There was a sinking feeling in her gut that it was the latter mixed with the former.
"I see old faithful turned up after all," Harry commented as he saw the Tardis.
"I missed you, sexy," John quietly greeted the Tardis.
She smiled as the ship hummed in agreement with her words. Sarah smiled as the woman hugged the police box with a grin. It wasn't the strangest thing she had seen. The Doctor would sometimes stroke parts of the ship when he was in deep thought. She sometimes wondered if he wanted time alone with the ship.
"Don't just stand there," the Doctor told them, "Come on."
John didn't have to be told twice and she hurried into the blue box. Harry was a bit uncertain of going inside and Sarah shot him an amused look that was mixed with annoyance as she walked in. She sent the Doctor a look as well and he simply grinned. She didn't trust that grin.
"Why is it all go off a sudden?" She asked.
"I'm needed back on Earth," He answered as John came back and pulled Harry into the Tardis with an amused smirk.
"I left the Brigadier a space-time telegraph system and told him not to use it unless he had a real emergency on his hands," The Doctor informed Sarah.
"He used it?" Sarah asked in surprise.
"He has, come on," The Doctor urged and she headed into the ship.
"What about the commander?" Harry asked, "Aren't we going to say goodbye?"
"I don't think so, Sully," John answered, "Perhaps it's for the best, he and Tyram can start peace talks without us."
"That's hopeful thinking for someone so cynical," Harry commented.
"The demon inside me blushes at the compliment," She joked, "Excuse me, I haven't slept or eaten in weeks and am pretty close to collapsing. I'm taking a leave for now."
"Did she say weeks?" Harry asked Sarah who gave a nod of confirmation.
John did as she said and stumbled through the hallways of the Tardis. The Doctor was busy imputing coordinates that he simply didn't react to it. Sarah decided to go and take a shower and a nap as well. Harry did so as well. It was going to take a while to reach their destination after all.