"This one goes here, this one here, this one…I have no idea, so I'm just going put there," Cara said, digging though the Doctor's toolbox, as she attached another cord into the TARDIS.
"This one…here-I think…" she mumbled, adjusting her hold on his laser spanner, pressing the button on the back, fusing two bits of the TARDIS machinery inside.
Cara's plan went in three steps.
Step 1: Fix the TARDIS
After the weird blue breath thing, the TARDIS was practically giddy with life, like she had given her a booster shot.
Fixing the TARDIS and giving her another 'booster shot' (once she figured out how she did that) the TARDIS would be able to travel again and take them out of this parallel reality (the Doctor left a note on the console)
Step 2: Find the Doctor, Rose and Mickey
They were obviously in danger, and the parallel earth's energy waves was disrupting her telepathic connection to the Doctor. Parallel universe vibrated at a different frequency, one she, the TARDIS and the Doctor clearly did not vibe too.
Leaving her only logical option, to venture outside the safely of the TARDIS and find the Doctor the hard way.
Step 3: Make her EMP disks to disrupt the Cybermen. And go home.
Cara found out about the Cybermen, 'the hard way' (sticking her head out the TARDIS and having them screech 'HUMAN DETECTED' while they ran all Storm trooper style to her. Cara wisely fixed this problem, by simply slamming the door in their faces)
Unfortunately, she would need a more permanent solution, if she were to venture outside the TARDIS.
"Okay, please work for me, Old Girl," Cara mumbled, pressing three button's on the console, walking around, pressing down 'Tttthhhhaaatt button' grabbing the lever, tightening her grip on it.
"Moment of truth." Cara mumbled, pulling it down.
The sound of the TARDIS echoing all around her.
"It smells like death in here." Kara said, landing on the floor, making a splash sound with her shoes. "It's freezing too." Mrs Moore added, sliding down next to her.
"Any sign of a light switch?" the Doctor said lightly, making Mrs Moore laugh. Kara rolled her eyes, biting her lower lip.
"Can't see a thing. But I've got these..." Mrs Moore said, rummaging through her bag handing the Doctor a headlamp. "A device for every occasion..." she said brightly.
"Ooh!"
"Put it on." Mrs Moore urged. Kara tapping her foot.
"Haven't got a hotdog in there, have you? I'm starving." The Doctor joked, glancing at Cara for a cheerful giggle or a quip.
Kara said nothing, tapping her foot, in rhythm with the water droplets, her sharp eyes scanning the area around her. The Doctor deflated slightly.
Mrs Moore laughed. "Of all the things to wish for! That's mechanically recovered meat!"
"I know. It's the Cyberman of food, but it's tasty." The Doctor said brightly. Mrs Moore chuckled, handing him and Kara a torch each. "A proper torch as well." she said a little more seriously.
"Good, let's get a move on." Kara said taking a step, switching the torch on; the site of a Cybermen standing right in front of her making her jump out of her skin, taking a step back, hitting into the Doctor.
"Easy. Already converted, just paralysed." THE Doctor said, putting a hand on shoulder. Kara took a breath, nodding understandingly walking forwards.
"Come on!" the Doctor said, following behind her, Mrs Moore hesitatingly following the two. The Doctor paused in front of one of the Cybermen, tapping one on the face, where their nose would have been.
"Let's go slowly." The Doctor added. "Keep an eye out for trip systems."
"Of course." Kara said curtly. "But it's unlikely, Lumic would keep them here. Something's not right with these ones." she said, touching on of the Cybermen's hands.
"Not perfect." she whispered, drawing back taking lead once again as they edged down the tunnel.
"Here?" Cara said poking her head out, looking back and forth, glancing at the map on the TARDIS screen, squinting to see. "I can't see, is it the place?"
The TARDIS flicked her lights at her.
"Agh? Again." Cara said, slamming the door shut, re-typing in coordinates, scratching out the ones on her little notebook that she had grabbed, when she had been busy making her EMP pulses.
Her backpack, which she had thrown the pulses in, now consisting of six EMP pulses, a bottle of REAL water, a first aid kit that she thought might have been useful, a half-eaten slab of Kit-Kat chocolate, two small blank notebooks (one which she was using), a paper-clip (she watched Macgyver) a pencil and a pen and a jacket in case it got cold.
She thought her backpack was very useful, a little Dora the Explorer, but honestly Cara really didn't care and Dora had nothing on her. I mean, she went to space.
"Okay, let's try this again." Cara said, pulling the TARDIS lever. The TARDIS made it's 'TARDIS noise' and a thump when they landed.
Cara ran to the door, poking her head out. "Here?"
The TARDIS blinked her lights again.
"Son of a-it's been an hour!" Cara yelled, slamming the door again, picking up her notebook, scratching out something in it.
"Alright, let's try again."
"How did you get into this, then? Rattling along with the Preachers?" the Doctor asked Mrs Moore. "Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus Industries. '95. First time I met Kara was here" said Mrs Moore, not noticing Kara stiffening.
"'Til one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly, I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Kara then came at my door, told me what was going on here." Mrs Moore continued. "Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techy, and they weren't really a fan about Kara in the beginning, so I... I just sat down and taught myself everything."
"You worked with Mrs Moore?" the Doctor asked Kara, in surprise.
"I lived here, my mother was one of Cybus's top scientist's." Kara said, adjusting her hold on her torch. "She adopted me when I was little. Single mother, Lumic let her keep me around in her lab. I played in those labs once."
"What happened?"
"Lumic took a liking to me, I was, I am clever. He thought he was cultivating it. He would give me problems and situations as a game and see my answers. One day he gave me a particularly difficult one…my answer was fusing human's into metallic-like structures. Cybermen." Kara said darkly.
"Lumic asked me to draw, sketches and plans. I gave Lumic the idea for them. When I found out he was testing this…sick fantasy. I told my mother, thought she could stop him. Lumic had her killed. I found out Mrs M saw Lumic's blueprints, I knew she was in danger, so I told her and we ran." Kara said shortly, seeming almost desperate to finish the conversation.
"I'm so sorry."
Kara shook her head. "Don't be, it's my fault this is happening, I'm to end it."
"It's really-"
"Not going change my mind." Kara said. The Doctor looking her up and down, the troubling thing about Kara, becoming louder in his mind.
"What about Mr Moore?" the Doctor asked, deciding to fulfil Kara's urge to change the conversation topic.
"Well, he's not called Moore. I got that from a book, Mrs Moore. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids." Mrs Moore said sadly. "What about you? Got any family, or...?"
"I have a daughter. Cara," the Doctor said, not noticing Kara head quirk slightly in interest. "Little thing, can be a bit shy, but brilliant. Really brilliant." The Doctor said brightly.
"I had to leave her at my ship, she…she got sick, it was my fault…I know she's okay, she's stronger than she looks, but…I'm still worried about her. All alone." The Doctor quietly, Mrs Moore nodding sympathetically.
"Go on then, what's your real name?" the Doctor added, seeming eager to change the topic. It seemed to a running theme of their conversations.
"Angela Price." Mrs Moore said after a few seconds of silence. The Doctor nodded with a smile. "Don't tell a soul." Mrs Moore added. "Not a word." The Doctor said.
"She's my doppelganger, right? Cara?" Kara asked suddenly. The Doctor nodded. "Yes."
Kara paused, almost making Mrs Moore bump into her, she looked at the Doctor, her eyes, so different yet so similar from his Cara staring into his. "You know, don't you?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, know what?" Mrs Moore asked, glancing between the two. "She's dying." The Doctor said, inclining his head towards Kara. "Burning up from the inside."
"What?" Mrs Moore breathed out. Kara nodding. "Yeah, won't make it till sixteen."
"Why didn't you tell anybody?"
"What would have been the point?" Kara replied. "I can't be changed or fixed, least I can do…is fix my mistakes."
"Penance." The Doctor said softly.
"Exactly." Kara said, fidgeting with her backpack strap. "Doctor, I just-I want you to remember, your Cara. I'm not her, Doctor. I'm not your Kara. If anything happens, which it undoubtedly will…I'm not her, and she'll need you. Far more than me."
The Doctor said nothing, Kara tightening her grip on her torch, walking deeper into the tunnel, not noticing a red light that had begun flashing behind them.
"Okay," Cara said, poking her head out of the TARDIS. "Finally, that took forever." she grumbled, walking out of the TARDIS, closing the door behind her, taking in the empty corridor. "We did good then, did we, old girl?" Cara said, giving the TARDIS a pat.
"I think we did good. Kay, I'll be back with everyone, promise. If anything goes wrong-You what? I know you'll handle it. Good luck." Cara said tighten her backpack straps on her back, walking down the corridor, doing her best to be quiet and sneaky.
The corridors were empty at the section where she was. She could see a small pillar that most likely housed a computer, jogging up to it (she was still feeling incredibly icky) she pulled up a map of the building.
Smiling to herself, Cara pulled out her book, scribbling down a few instructions and a crude sketch of the map.
Tucking the book back in her pocket, Cara walked to the end of the hall, pulling a vent grating out. Climbing in, re-attaching the grating behind her, she crawled up the vents.
A Cyberman's hand twitched slightly.
The group froze, the hairs of Kara's neck standing up.
"Doctor?" Mrs Moore whispered. "Did that one just move?"
"It's just the torchlight. Keep going, come on." The Doctor said reassuringly. Kara nodded, taking another step forward.
Another one in front of her turning, its cool metal eyes locking on her. "I don't think its torchlight." Kara whispered, the sounds of creaking metal echoing throughout the tunnel.
"They're waking up... Run!" the Doctor shouted, they sprinted down the tunnel, the sounds of the Cyberman's thundering feet ringing though the tunnel.
"Go! Go! Go!" Kara shouted, climbing up the ladder, grabbing the seal, trying to pull it open. "It's stuck!" she shouted. "Get up! Quick! They're coming!" Mrs Moore screamed.
The Doctor whipping out his sonic, trying to unlock it. Kara tried again, trying to turn the seal.
"Open it! Open it!"
Kara turned it, pushing it open. "Come on!" she shouted, climbing up, sliding on the floor. "Get up! Hurry! Hurry!" she called, holding her hand out for Mrs Moore, pulling her up.
"Come on! Come on!" the Doctor shouted, Kara reaching out pulling him up, half-jumping on the door, slamming it shut holding the door as the Doctor sealed it with the sonic.
The seal locked, Kara sighing in relief, slumping on the floor.
"Oh, good team!" the Doctor said happily, giving them a smile. Kara and Mrs Moore nodding. "Yeah." Kara said quietly. "Not bad."
Silence had fallen over them as they edged along one of the darker metal corridors that led to Lumic's lab, turning a corner Kara jumped, letting out a gasp.
"You are not upgraded." The Cyberman said, fixating its metal eyes at Kara. Kara met its gaze, but there was no fear.
"Yeah? Well, upgrade this!" Mrs Moore said, throwing a metal device at the Cyberman, the device sticking onto its chest. The Cyberman jerked violently the electric pulse, making the machine slump to the floor.
"What the hell was that thing?!" the Doctor said happily. Kara not sharing in his and Mrs Moore's enthusiasm.
"Electromagnetic bomb. Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cyber-suit." Mrs Moore said. "You figured right. Now, let's have a look..." the Doctor said, pulling out his sonic, holding it to the Cyberman's Cybus logo on its chest.
"I didn't know you were working on that." Kara said, scratching the back of her neck. "Oh, I was just fiddling about with it. Thought it might be useful." Mrs Moore replied.
Kara nodded. "Clever. How'd you know to aim for the heart?"
"Lucky shot." The Doctor mused. "Now... know your enemy... and the logo on the front... Lumic's turned them into a brand." he said (Kara scoffing in agreement), taking the logo off, allowing them to looking inside the machinery of the Cyberman.
"Heart of steel... but look..." the Doctor said, putting his fingers inside the Cyberman, drawing out what looked like bodily tissues. "Is that flesh?" Mrs Moore asked.
"Yes." Kara said, leaning over the Doctor.
"Hmmm... central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing. Oh, but look..." the Doctor said, touching an electronic chip.
"Careful." Kara warned.
"Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything." the Doctor said, his fingers hovering over it. "But... why?" Mrs Moore asked.
"Mercy." Kara mumbled.
"It's still got a human brain..." the Doctor explained. "Imagine its reaction if it could see itself. Realise itself inside this thing. They'd go insane..."
"So they cut out the one thing that makes them human." Mrs Moore mumbled.
"It's necessary." Kara said simply. "Nothing would happen if emotion stayed. All we'd have is insane husks of what used to be."
"Why am I cold?"
"Oh, my God. It's alive. It can feel." Mrs Moore gasped.
"We broke the inhibitor." The Doctor said. "I told you to be careful." Kara hissed, looking back at the Cyberman sadly.
The Doctor leaned over, gently touching the Cyberman's head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he said quietly.
"Why so cold?"
"Can you remember your name?" the Doctor asked. Kara sighed, standing up, looking down at the Cyberman.
"Sally. Sally Phelan."
"You're a woman…." Mrs Moore whispered.
"Where's Gareth?"
"Who's Gareth?"
"He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before."
"You're getting married." Mrs Moore said hollowly. "Not anymore." Kara said quietly.
"I'm cold. I'm so cold."
"Sorry. You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep." The Doctor said, pointing his sonic at the suit, the blue light inside going out.
"Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing." The Doctor said, pausing. "'Cos that's the key." He breathed out.
"What is?" Kara asked.
"The emotional inhibitor, if we could find the code behind it, the cancellation code, then feed it throughout the system into every Cyberman's head...They'd realise what they are..."
And what happens then?" Mrs Moore asked.
"That would kill them." Kara said instantly. "That's...could we really kill all of them?"
"We've got to. Before they kill everyone else." Mrs Moore said, seeming to have made her mind up already. Kara nodded curtly, glancing at the Doctor. "Doctor?"
The Doctor didn't say nothing, seeming to be struggling with the decision at hand.
"There's no choice, Doctor. It's got to be done." Mrs Moore said, standing up, not noticing the Cyberman behind her, too focused on the Cyberman that was creeped up behind Kara.
"Kar-" she yelled, just as the Cyberman grabbed her by the neck, spending an electric shock though her body, killing her instantly.
Kara gasped, covering her mouth, the Cyberman next to her grabbing her neck, spending the pulsing shock though her as well, before she could say anything.
"NO! No! No!" the Doctor shouted, his eyes lingering on Cara, no, no. Kara's body a little longer than he wanted it too. "You didn't have to kill them!"
"Sensors detect a binary vascular system. You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis." The Cybermen replied.
The Doctor said nothing, as he was lead off by two Cybermen, her words floating in his head, he reinforced them into his mind, they didn't have time to mourn the fallen.
'I want you to remember, your Cara. I'm not her, Doctor. I'm not your Kara. If anything happens, which it undoubtedly will. I'm not her, and she'll need you. Far more than me.'
Hiya!
Sorry for the late update, but I had/am suffering from crippling writer's block, particularly concerning Child of the Stars (not to mention, I needed to completely my UA story, Play with Fire, but not important)
I would really love to hear all your thoughts!? (I always feel when I write with writer's block, it feels and look's different to my eyes (a reason my this chappy was late, it's weird XD )
Anywho, Don't forget to review, fav, follow, ect...
Thank you all to those you have, faved, followed, reviewed and read! You all amazing!
Till next time...