~revised~
Chapter XLII
Doctor
He was sitting in a chair, his feet crossed on the desk and Yvonne sitting opposite to him. Jackie was standing behind him and Mira next to the window, looking outside. He had still no idea what she was planning to do with the Void Ship – if she had a plan at all yet. Though if had learned one thing, than that it was always saver to assume that she had.
"So these ghosts, whatever they are - did they build the sphere?" Yvonne asked.
He ignored the look she gave feet on the desk and replied, "Must have. Aimed it at this dimension like a canon ball."
"But why invade another universe?" Mira said without turning around.
"You think that's an invasion?" Yvonne asked.
"Seems like one to me," Mira answered and turned around to face her. "At least they're all over the world. Maybe they're friendly. But if not, you definitely got yourself a problem. You really should stop this ghost-shift-thing until you know for certain."
The Doctor looked at her. Well, that would be a whole new problem. Not only that this universe itself had been damaged, but what if it really was an invasion?
Before Yvonne could answer, Rajesh's voice came from the laptop in front of her.
"Yvonne? I think you should see this. We've got a visitor. We don't know who she is, but funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor."
Not good. That could only mean they had discovered Rose. Yvonne turned the laptop around and he could see for himself. It was Rose indeed.
"She one of yours?" Yvonne asked.
"Never seen her before in my life," he replied.
"Good! Then we can have her shot."
"Oh all right then, it'll be worth a try," he said and put his feet off the table. "That's... that's Rose Tyler."
"Sorry," Rose said and waved at him. "Hello!"
He waved back and smiled. At least she was alive and well, and had decided to take matters into her own hands. Just like in old times. Why did it have to end like this?
"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's she?" Yvonne asked and pointed at Jackie.
"I'm her mother."
"Oh, you travel with her mother?"
"He kidnapped me," Jackie stated.
"Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with her mother...," he said and frowned. Great.
"Charming," Jackie said accusingly.
"I've got a reputation to uphold!"
Suddenly, the sound of the ghost shift engines starting up reached his ear. Yvonne stood up immediately and said to the staff, "Excuse me? Everyone? I thought I said stop the ghost shift."
But she was ignored. "Who started the program? But- I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?!" she tried it again, but to no avail."Step away from the monitors, everyone." Still no reaction. "Gareth, Addy - stop what you're doing, RIGHT NOW. Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!"
Two scientists were rushing over and tried to push the levers down again.
"Stop the levers!" Yvonne cried.
Meanwhile, Mira had walked over to a woman working on one of the computers. "Something's wrong with them," she said to him as he followed her.
"What's she doing?" he asked and looked at the woman.
"Addy? Step away from the desk," Yvonne said, now standing next to him.
He clicked his fingers in front of Addy's face, but there was no reaction. That was weird. Two ear-pieces? Where had he seen that before? Didn't they normally wear only one of these things?
"Listen to me. Step away from the desk," Yvonne tried it once more.
"She can't hear you," he finally said and looked at the computer screen.
"They're overriding the system." Mira had obviously come to the same conclusion as he.
"We're going into Ghost Shift," he said and then it suddenly stroke him. "It's the ear-piece controlling them. I've seen this before!" He took the sonic screwdriver from his pocket. "Sorry. I'm so sorry."
There was no way he could help them, he knew it. And yet he hated what he was he had to do. He held the screwdriver to her ear-piece and activated it. Addy screamed in pain and then collapsed over the desk. She was dead now. Gareth and Matt screamed and collapsed just like Addy had, they were obviously connected through their ear-pieces.
"What happened? What did you just do?" Yvonne asked.
"You killed them," Jackie stated, quite shocked.
"Oh someone else did that long before I got here," he said sadly and turned to the computer. Well, in a way he had killed them. Or, what had been left of them. He really wished he could have helped them, but there just hadn't been time right now. Plus, he doubted that there would have been anything left to do. Their brains had been too damaged already.
"But you killed them!" Jackie repeated.
"Jackie, don't. There was nothing left to do for them," Mira said to her.
"What're those ear-pieces?" Yvonne wanted to know and reached out for them.
"Don't," he warned her.
"But they're standard comm-devices - how does it control them?"
"Trust me, leave them alone," he said and walked over to another computer.
"But what are they?" Yvonne asked and the next moment she said disgusted, "Ugh! Oh, God! It goes inside their brain!"
Humans. They just had to touch everything. Well, not that he himself was any better. "What about the Ghost Shift?" he asked.
"Ninety percent there. It's still running. Can't you stop it?" Yvonne replied.
"They're still controlling it. They've hi-jacked the system."
"Who's they?" Yvonne asked.
He caught eyes with Mira for a moment as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver again. The look on her face told her that she had the same suspicion like him. It hadn't been that long ago that they had encountered ear-pieces like that. He held the screwdriver flat on the palm of his hand and turned slowly. They had to be somewhere in the building. "It might be a remote transmitter but it's gotta be close by. I can trace it," he finally said, without answering Yvonne's question. "Jackie, stay here!" he said as he started to follow the signal.
Yvonne and Mira went after him. Some minutes later, they were walking down a corridor as they passed two guards.
"You two - you come with us," Yvonne said to them.
He would rather not take them with him, they couldn't do anything if he really was right. They finally reached an area that seemed to be under construction, everything was covered with plastic foil.
"What's down here?" he asked.
"I don't... I dunno, I think it's building work. It's just renovations," Yvonne said.
"You should go back," he said to her, but meaning Mira as well. No need to endanger more people than necessary. Although it would actually be better if Mira stayed with him, so he could keep an eye on her.
"Think again," Yvonne replied and continued to follow him with the two soldiers. Finally he stopped and pushed some curtains aside as his sonic screwdriver started to bleep.
"What is it? What's down here?" Yvonne asked.
"Ear-pieces, ear-pods, this world is colliding with another. And I think I know which one," he said, his brows furrowed.
"Oh holly shit. Do you think-" Mira started to say, but suddenly the shadows of Cybermen standing behind the curtains surrounded them.
"What are they?" Yvonne whispered.
"They came through first," he said just as one of them parted the curtains with his hand. "The advance guard."
They all went a step back as the Cybermen started to approach them.
"Cybermen," Mira said eventually.
The soldiers started to shoot instantly, but it had no effect at all. He looked around and waved Yvonne and Mira to follow him so they could find another way for their escape, but they didn't get far. The Cybermen had already surrounded them. They had no other choice than to follow the Cybermen back into the Rift Chamber, their hands behind their heads. At least they hadn't killed them on sight.
As soon as they had reached the chamber, he yelled at the staff there, "Get away from the machines - do what they say, don't fight them!"
But it was too late for one of the scientists, he got shot by the Cybermen.
"What are they?" Jackie cried.
"We are the Cybermen. The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent," one of them announced. He clamped a fist to his chest and the lever started to move again. The wall was glowing so bright now that it was almost impossible to look at it.
"Online," a computer voice stated.
"Here come the ghosts," he said and looked at the wall, shadowing his eyes with his hand.
"These Cybermen - what've they got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked.
"Do you never listen? A footprint doesn't look like a boot!"
"Achieving full transfer," one of the Cybermen said.
"They're Cybermen. All of the ghosts are Cybermen," the Doctor explained to Jackie as more of the ghosts came walking out of the light. Slowly they became more defined, and now it was clear to see who they really were. "Millions of them. Right across the world," he continued.
"You were right," Yvonne said to Mira. "They're invading the whole planet."
"Trust me, I wish I was wrong," she replied flatly.
"It's not an invasion, it's too late for that," he said. There was something else Mira had been right about. Humanity couldn't defend itself against an invasion like that. "It's a victory."
Suddenly, all their heads flung around as Yvonne's laptop started to bleep.
"Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated," a computer voice said.
"What?!" Mira said and took a step closer to the computer. "Where did that sphere come from?" She addressed the Cybermen now. "That's not your technology, is it? How did you do that?"
The same question he had been about to ask. That was way beyond everything he had seen from the Cybermen so far.
"The sphere is not ours," one of the Cybermen finally confirmed.
"... What?" he said, quite stunned. Well, he had expected it, but actually hearing it made it seem a lot more real. So, there was another party involved. But who?
"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown," the Cyberman continued.
"Then what's inside it...?" he wondered.
"Rose is down there," Jackie said, her voice shaking with fear.
"It's all our fault, isn't it?" Mira whispered next to him. He looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes. Clearly not what he had hoped to see there, and it definitely was unsettling.
"What do you mean?" he asked just as quietly.
"We led them here, didn't we? I mean, without us they wouldn't have known about this universe? And I said you should bring Rose back to Earth. And now she's down there, with that ship... And whatever is in it."
He looked at her for a long moment. Now there was not only fear in her eyes, but also guilt. Was she right? Did they lead them here? Probably. But it wasn't her fault that Rose was here now. They would have been here anyway. Cybermen invading Earth? No chance he could have missed that. He would have come to Earth anyway.
"We stopped them once," he finally said and took her hand. "We'll stop them again."
Rose
Well, it hadn't went too well. She had managed to find the psychic paper, got into the chamber with the sphere, but, unfortunately, Rajesh proved to be immune to the effect of the psychic paper. Then she had seen Mickey. At first she hadn't trusted her eyes, but it really was him. It was a pleasant surprise, although she had no idea what he was doing here. But it was dawning on her that something big and important was going on, when Mickey was here even though the Doctor had said that travel between the universes was impossible.
Now Rajesh had locked the door and she could do nothing but wait and pretend that she had no idea who Mickey was, which was hard enough. But she hadn't had to wait for too long.
"Yvonne, I thought you said the next Ghost Shift was cancelled," Rajesh said over the comm, but he got no answer. "What's going on?" he tried it again, "Yvonne?"
Suddenly, the whole room shuddered. Rose turned her head to the sphere, which seemed to be the origin of the disturbance.
"It can't be," Rajesh said who was standing next to her now, watching the sphere as well.
Just then there was another crash, and the whole thing was visibly shaking.
Oh God, it's opening, she thought.
"It's active!" Rajesh whispered. "We've got a problem down here. Yvonne, can you hear me?" he tried to reach her again, but still got no answer. By now, the sphere was vibrating. "Yvonne, for God's sake - the sphere is active!" he said and rushed over to his computer. "The readings are going wild! It's got weight, it's got mass, an electromagnetic field - it exists!"
Suddenly there was another crash, making Rose turn her head to the door.
"The door's sealed. Automatic quarantine - we can't get out!" Rajesh yelled.
"It's all right, babe. We beat them before, we can beat them again. That's why I'm here. The fight goes on," Mickey said to her reassuringly.
"The fight against what?" she asked.
"What d'you think?" he replied and smirked at her.
They both tumbled as there were more crashes coming from the sphere, shaking the whole chamber.
"We had them beaten, but then they escaped. The Cybermen just vanished," Mickey explained, "They found a way through to this world, but - so did we."
"The Doctor said that was impossible," Rose said and stared at him. There was another bang from the sphere. It clearly was about to open. She just hoped it wouldn't explode or something like that.
"Yeah, well it's not the first time he's been wrong."
"What's inside that sphere?"
"No one knows. Cyber Leader, Cyber King, Emperor of the Cybermen... whatever it is...," he said and grinned, "He's dead meat."
"It's good to see you," Rose said with a smile and nudged him. It really was. Now more than ever. Although it would have been good as well if the Doctor was here now. She reached for the TARDIS key that was still hanging around her neck underneath her shirt. He hadn't wanted it back, had he? Maybe it wasn't as final as she had thought. Did he only want to teach her a lesson?
"Yeah. It's good to see you too," Mickey replied.
The sphere shook again.
"Can anyone hear me? Come on, I need help down here!" Rajesh hadn't given up to reach someone over the comm. "I need-"
Right at this moment, the sphere stopped vibrating and Rajesh joined them. Mickey removed his lab coat as well as his ear-piece.
"Here we go," he said, ignoring the looks Rajesh gave him.
Then, cracks started to appear in the sphere, and light spilled out of them.
"I know what's in there. And I'm ready for them. I've got just the thing," Mickey continued and grabbed a massive weapon he must have hidden under a counter earlier. "This is gonna blast them to Hell."
"Samuel, what are you doing?!" Rajesh asked indignant.
"The name's Mickey. Mickey Smith. Defending the Earth," Mickey said and aimed the gun at the sphere.
Rose smiled shortly at him, then looked back at the sphere. It was parting now, and a moment later, figures started to emerge from it. Figures all too familiar to Rose.
"That's not Cybermen...," Mickey said perplexed.
"Oh my God," was all Rose could manage to say now.
"Location: Earth. Life forms detected. Exterminate!" one of the Daleks yelled as they had reached the ground. "Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE!"
Guest (I guess you´re Jesse Wales): Ah, ok, and I thought I'd messed up the sentence somehow ;D
10th Squad 3rd Seat, Wicken25, AxidentlGoddess, oXxgeorgiaxXo, bored411: Thanks for reviewing :-)
