Shareen vs the Universe
The Age of Steel
The Doctor promptly aimed the TARDIS power cell at the lead Cyberman and the cell unleashed a shot of golden light which bounded off the lead Cyberman and onto the others, completely disintegrating them all. "What the hell was that?!" Ricky questioned
"Well, how 'bout instead, run!" the Doctor urged, and everyone ran!
Just then, Mrs Moore drove onto the scene in the Preachers' van, tooting her horn. "Everyone in!" she hollered
"Are you a sight for sore eyes, Mrs M." Shireen said as she and the other Preachers scrambled into the van.
Pete tried to run back towards the house, but the Doctor restrained him. "I've gotta go back!" Pete cried, "My wife's in there!"
"Anyone else inside that house is dead." the Doctor told him grimly, "If you wanna help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've gotta come with us right now."
Pete understood and hurried towards the van. "Come on, get a move on!" Mrs Moore urged.
Rose was still staring at the house as the Doctor went to her. "Rose, she's not your mother." he told her urgently
"I know." Rose replied
"Come on." the Doctor urged, hustling her towards the van.
"Oi, stop yapping and hurry up, you two!" Shireen called as the Doctor and Rose climbed in the back of the van.
"Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" Mrs Moore grumbled as they sped away.
The van was soon away from the Tyler Mansion and making haste along the road. Mrs Moore drover, Ricky and Shireen occupied the front passenger seats and everyone else sat in the back. "What was that thing?" Ricky asked, looking at the power cell in the Doctor's hand.
"Little bit of technology from my home." the Doctor replied
"It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?" Mickey asked
"It's on a revitalising loop." the Doctor replied, putting the cell away in his pocket, "It'll charge back up in about four hours."
"Right, so we don't have a weapon anymore." Ricky grunted
"Yeah, we got weapons." Jake countered, "Might not work on those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him." He glared at Pete.
"Leave him alone!" Rose shrilled, "What's he done wrong?"
"Oh, I dunno, how about layin' on a trap that's wiped out the government and left that nutter Lumic in charge?" Shireen sassed
"If I was part of all that, d'ya think I'd leave my wife inside?!" Pete countered
"Maybe ya plan went wrong." Ricky argued, "Still gives us the right to execute you, though."
"Talk about executions, you'll make me ya enemy." the Doctor snapped, "An' take some really good advice, ya don't wanna do that."
"All the same... we have evidence that says that Pete Tyler's been workin' for Lumic since 20.5." Ricky scowled
Rose stared at Pete, taken aback."Is that true?" she asked quietly as Pete looked uncomfortable.
"Tell 'em, Mrs M." Shireen said to Mrs Moore
"We've got a government mole, feeds us information." Mrs Moore explained, "Lumic's private files, his South American operations... the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week.
"Broadcasts from Gemini?" Pete spoke up
"An' how do you know that?" Ricky snarled
"I'm Gemini, that's me." Pete said
"Yeah, well, you would say that." Ricky scoffed
"Encrypted wavelength 657 using binary nine." Pete said, causing Jake, Ricky and Shireen to glance at each other as they realised that Pete was telling the truth. "That's the only reason I was workin' for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcastin' to the Security Services, what do I get? Scooby Doo an' his gang. They've even got the van!" he scoffed
"No, no no! But the Preachers know what they're doin'." a confused Mickey said, "Ricky said he's London's most wanted."
"Yeah, that's not exactly..." Ricky mumbled awkwardly
"Not exactly what?" Mickey asked him
"I'm London's most wanted... for parkin' tickets." Ricky admitted sheepishly, causing the Doctor to smirk and Rose to raise her brows in amusement.
"Great!" Pete huffed
"Yeah, they were deliberate!" Ricky said defensively, "I was fightin' the system! Park anywhere, that's me."
"Good policy." the Doctor grinned, "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested."
"And I'm Rose. Hello!" Rose spoke up
"Even better. That's name of my dog." Pete grunted, "Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side."
Rose looked at him. "I knew you weren't a traitor." she told him quietly
"Why's that, then?"
Rose glanced at the Doctor, who gave her a warning look. "I just did." she said to Pete, who seemed to accept that for now.
"They took my wife." Pete sighed
"She might still be alive." Rose encouraged
"That's even worse." Pete replied, "Cos' that's what Lumic does. He takes the living... and he turns 'em into those machines."
"Cybermen." the Doctor corrected, causing all eyes to turn on him, "They've called Cybermen. And I'd take those EarPods off if I were you." he told Pete, who removed his EarPods and handed them to the Doctor. "Ya never know... Lumic could be listening." he said as he disabled them with his sonic screwdriver, "But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the city an' inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight."
~8~
Presently, the group left the van and proceeded on foot. "What the hell?!" Jake stared, drawing everyone's attention to a huge crowd of people who were walking in a line down the road, all in some sort of trance.
"What's going on?" Rose questioned
"It's the EarPods." the Doctor realised, "Lumic's taking control."
"Can't we just... I dunno, take 'em off?" Rose suggested.
She reached up to one man to yank his EarPods off, but the Doctor stopped her. "Don't!" he warned, "You'll cause a brainstorm. Human race, for such an intelligent lot, ya ain't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control an' you submit. Sometimes I think ya like it, an easy life."
"Oi, we didn't ask for this!" Shireen glared at him, "Who the hell are you, anyway? Standing there on ya high horse looking down ya nose at us!"
"Hey. Come and see." Jake called from where he and Ricky were crouched around the corner of an alley.
The others joined them and watched as a row of Cybermen marched alongside the people under the control of the EarPods, still heading in the same direction. "Where're they all goin'?" Rose wandered
"I don't know." the Doctor replied, "Lumic must have a base of operation."
"Battersea." Pete told him, "That's where he was buildin' his prototypes."
"Why's he doin' it?" Rose questioned
"He's dying." Pete explained, "This all started out as a way of prolonging life by keeping the brain alive. At any cost."
"The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I?" Rose said to the Doctor, "That head, those handle shapes, in Van Statten's musuem."
"There's Cybermen in our universe." the Doctor confirmed, "They started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch."
"What the hell are you two on about?" Pete frowned, having heard everything
"Never mind that." Ricky cut in, "Come on, we need to get outta the city." He saw the Cybermen approaching down the street. "Ok, split up. Shir, Mrs Moore, you two look after that lot." He gestured to Rose, Pete and the Doctor. "Jake, distract 'em, go right. I'll go left. We'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move!"
He made to run off, but Shireen stopped him. "Watch yourself, babes." she said and kissed him.
"I always do." Ricky smirked and ran off in one direction while Jake ran in the other.
Mickey turned to Rose. "I'm goin' with him." he said, then kissed her and ran after Ricky.
"Come on, let's go." Mrs Moore said to the remaining group, and they ran as the Cybermen marched towards them.
"There!" the Doctor urged, and they ran down a side alley.
~8~
Mickey and Ricky came to a fork in the road and halted, out of breath and talking over each other.
"Which way?" Mickey panted, "I dunno where we are."
"Did they see us?" Ricky frowned
"Do they know where we are?"
"I think they saw us. Bet they can see in the dark..."
"Bet they've got satellites..."
"Bet they saw us in the dark..."
"They know where we are." they said together and stared at each other.
"I don't get it. What is it with you?" Ricky questioned, "You're exactly like me."
"I dunno, I reckon you're braver." Mickey shrugged
"Oh yeah, ten times. Still, ya friends ain't bad. I'll give ya that."
"Oh, that's the Doctor an' Rose. I just tag along behind."
"Well, then you're not bad."
"D'ya think?" Mickey smiled
"Yeah, I s'pose." Ricky shrugged, then heard thumping footsteps from behind and they both spun round. The Cybermen were approaching.
"Cybermen." Mickey hollered
"Split up." the Smiths said in unison and dashed off in different directions
~8~
The Cybermen marched down the alley whilst the Doctor, Rose, Pete, Shireen and Mrs Moore crouched behind some bins. They listened as they heard the Cybermen stomping past. Rose instinctively clutched onto Pete's hand.
The Cybermen stopped as they reached the bins. They were about to investigate when the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver in their direction. It bleeped and the Cybermen went on their way. Once they were gone, Rose stood up and let go of Pete's hand, abashed, while Pete was bewildered at the way the waitress was behaving towards him.
They all stood wearily and watched the Cybermen march off into the distance. "Go." the Doctor whispered, and they crept out from behind the bins and ran in the opposite direction.
~8~
Ricky ran for his life, the Cybermen hot on his tail. He was forced to change direction when he was met by another group of them. He ran down a side alley and found his way blocked by a chain-link fence. He rattled on it, but the gate was locked.
Mickey appeared on the other side. "Come on!" he urged his counterpart and Ricky began to climb the fence. "Come on! Come on!" But it was too late. A Cyberman grabbed hold of Ricky's ankle and electrocuted him. "No!" Mickey screamed as Ricky fell to the ground, dead.
There was a silence in Mickey as he looked from his counterpart's body to the Cybermen, who were standing on the other side of the fence, watching him with their blank, expressionless metal faces. Mickey sniffed, stumbled backwards and ran off.
~8~
Jack arrived at Bridge Street, where the others were waiting. "I ran past the river. You should've seen it, the whole city's on the march." he said, "Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames."
Just then, Mickey came running into view.
"And here's our man!" Shireen laughed, thinking it was Ricky. Then she realised there was only one Smith. "Which one're you?"
Mickey came to a halt, the fact that something was wrong etched all over his face. "I'm sorry." he babled sadly, "The Cybermen, he couldn't..."
"Are you Ricky?" Shireen demanded
Mickey didn't answer.
"Are you Ricky?!" Shireen nearly yelled, getting desperate.
"Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" Rose realised
"Yeah." Mickey confirmed
Rose ran to him and threw her arms around him. Jake was silent and Shireen's face fell.
"He tried." Mickey said to them, "He was running. "There was too many of 'em."
"No! No!" Shireen cried, breaking down in tears. Jake pulled her into her arms and let her sob into his chest.
"There was nothing I could do." Mickey said to them
"Shut it!" Jake growled at him as Shireen continued to bawl into his chest, "Don't even talk about him. You're nothing, you are. Nothing."
The Doctor tentively approached them. "We can mourn him when London is safe." he said tactfully, "But now, we move on."
~8~
Presently, the group walked up a slope which overlooked the river. On the other side was the old Battersea Power Station, a Cybus Industries airship moored on the roof. "The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place." the Doctor mused, "To be converted."
"We've gotta get in there and shut it down." Rose determined
"How do we do that?" Mickey questioned
"Oh, I'll think of something." the Doctor replied nonchalantly
"You're just makin' this up as ya go along!" Mickey said indignantly
"Yuuup." the Doctor retorted, "But I do it brilliantly."
Mrs Moore set her laptop and brought up 3D plans of the power station. "That's a schematic of the old factory." she explained, "Look, cooling tunnels... underneath the plant, big enough to walk through."
"We go under there and up into the control centre." the Doctor nodded, studying the plans closely.
"There's another way in." Pete spoke up, "Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgradin', that's how she'll get in."
"We can't just go strolling up." Jake pointed out
"Or we could..." Mrs Moore countered, reaching into her bag, "With these..." She produced some EarPods from her bag and the Doctor took one to study it. "Fake EarPods. Dead, no signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you one of the crowd."
"Then that's my job." Pete decided
"You'd have to show no emotion." the Doctor told him, "None at all. Any sign of emotion would give you away."
"How many of those have ya got?" Rose asked Mrs Moore
"Just two sets." she replied
"Ok." Rose said and turned to Pete. "If that's the best way of finding Jackie... then I'm comin' with ya."
"Why does she matter to you?" Pete questioned
"We 'aven't got time." Rose waved him off, then turned to the Time Lord. "Doctor, I'm goin' with him, an' that's that."
"No stopping you, is there?" the Doctor commented
"Nope."
The Doctor tossed her the EarPods. "Tell ya what... we can take the EarPods at the same time." he said, "Give people their minds back. So they don't walk into that place like sheep. Shireen, Jakey-boy?" He led Jake and Shireen further up the hill for a better view of the power station. "Lumic's transmitting the control signal, an' it must be over there..." He pointed his sonic screwdriver in that general direction, and it bleeped. "There it is... on the Zeppelin, d'ya see? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showin' off. Reckon you two can take it out?"
"Consider it done." Jake smirked
"I'll stop that thing. Even if it's the last thing I ever do." Shireen said determinedly, her grief at Ricky's death fulling anger at Lumic and his monstruous creations.
The Doctor turned to Mrs Moore. "Mrs Moore... would you care to accompany me into the cooling tunnels?"
"How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" Mrs Moore smirked, packing her stuff away.
"We attack on three sides." the Doctor announced, pulling his specs off, "Above, below, in-between. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines."
"What about me?" Mickey spoke up. He was standing apart from the group, forgotten.
"Mickey! You can, ah..." the Doctor began, having completely forgotten about Mickey.
"What, stay outta trouble? Be the tin dog?" Mickey retorted, "No, those days are over. I'm goin' with Jake and Shireen."
"We don't need you, idiot!" Jake snarled
"I'm not an idiot!" Mickey snapped, storming over to him, "You got that? I'm offering to help."
"Whatever." Jake grunted
"Just try an' stay out of our way." Shireen added.
"Mickey? Good luck." the Doctor told Mickey
"Yeah. You too." Mickey called back, "Rose, I'll see ya latter."
"Yeah, you'd better." Rose answered
"If we survive this, we'll see ya back at the TARDIS." the Doctor called to Mickey
"That's a promise." Mickey replied and walked away again, his confidence restored.
"Good luck." the Doctor said to Rose as she and Pete set off.
~8~
The Doctor opened a hatch and he and Mrs Moore climbed down the ladder into a cooling tunnel.
"It's freezing here." Mrs Moore commented
"Any sign of a light switch?" the Doctor remarked, squinting through the darkness.
"Can't see a thing." Mrs Moore laughed, "But I've got these..." She rummaged through her bag and produced two headbands with miner's lamps on them. "A device for every occasion."
The Doctor put one on his forehead and Mrs Moore did the same with the second one. "Haven't got a hot dog in there, have ya?" the Doctor asked, "I'm starving."
"Of all the things to wish for!" Mrs Moore laughed, "That's mechanically recovered meat!"
"I know. It's the Cyberman of food, but it's tasty." the Doctor replied
"Proper torch as well." Mrs Moore said, passing a torch to the Doctor and keeping another one for herself.
"Let's see where we are." the Doctor said, switching both his lights on and taking a few steps forward. The first thing the lights fell on was a Cyberman. There were hundreds of them lining the cooling tunnels, but they were lifeless. "Already converted, just put on ice." the Doctor said to no one in particular, "Come on!" And he walked forward, ready to start the journey down the cooling tunnels.
After a moment's hesitation, Mrs Moore followed.
"Let's go slowly." the Doctor advised, "Keep an eye out for trip systems."
And so they edged slowly and wearily down the tunnel, past the line of inactive Cybermen.
~8~
A lorry drove away from the power station while a row of Cybermen marched in the opposite direction. The whole place was very busy.
"Chamber six now open for Human upgrading." a tannoy speaker announced as Rose and Pete darted along the side of the building, trying to remain unseen. "Chamber seven now open for Human upgrading." A row of transfixed people marched alongside the Cybermen. "Chamber eight now open for Human upgrading."
"Just put them on." Pete instructed Rose, "Don't show any emotion. No signs, nothing. Ok?"
"Don't worry, we can do it." Rose said and they put the EarPods in place.
"We could die in here." Pete said, "Why're you doin' this?"
"Let's just say I'm doin' it for my mum an' dad." Rose said determindly, "Right, let's go."
They came out of their hiding place. Pete gave Rose's hand a squeeze before they joined the line of people filing into the building for upgrading and followed them, not a flicker of emotion on their faces.
~8~
Jake climbed a ladder onto the roof of the power station and smirked when he saw the airship. He climbed up onto the roof fully and Shireen and Mickey followed, then they crept behind a wall to avoid being spotted by the two guards standing by the airship. "Two guards." Jake said, "We can take 'em."
"Leave 'em to me." Shireen said, unholstering her pistol
"Don't kill 'em." Mickey said
"Who put you in charge?" Shireen scowled
"If ya kill 'em, what's the difference between you and a Cyberman?" Mickey said reasonably
Jake and Shireen shared a look, realising that Mickey had a point. "Well, I suppose we could use these." Jake said as he and Shireen produced two small, corked bottles.
"Smelling salts?" Mickey questioned
"They're knock-out drops, stupid." Shireen told him, "Mrs Moore made 'em."
"Three, two, one..." Jake counted down, and he and Shireen ran out from behind the wall and crept up behind the guards. They grabbed them from behind and shoved the bottles under their noses. The guards were unconcious in seconds.
"There's gotta be more guards on board." Mickey said as he joined the two Preachers.
"Then let's go get 'em." Jake smirked and led the way up the ladder to the airship.
~8~
The Doctor and Mrs Moore were still making their way stealthily along the cooling tunnel. "How did ya get into this, then? Rattling along with the Preachers?" the Doctor asked
"Oh, I used to be ordinary." Mrs Moore replied, "Worked at Cybus Industries. 9 to 5. Till 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. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techie, so I... I just sat down and taught myself everything."
"What about Mr Moore?" the Doctor asked
"Well, he's not called Moore." she replied, "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 and the kids. What about you? Got any family, or...?"
"Oh, who needs family?" the Doctor waved her off, "I've got the whole world on my shoulders. Go on then, what's ya real name?"
"Angela Price. Don't tell a soul."
"Not a word." the Doctor winked, and so they ventured on, neither of them noticing a red light behind a Cyberman flash and beep quietly, then the Cyberman slowly turned it's head after them.
Presently, Angela thought she saw a Cyberman's arm twitch. "Did that one just move?" she asked hastily
"It's just the torchlight." the Doctor reassured her, "Keep going, come on."
Then, a Cyberman turned to face them.
"They're waking up... run!" the Doctor hollered, so they ran down the cooling tunnel as fast as they could.
As they went, the Cybermen sprang to life, one after another. They began to march forwards just as the Doctor and Angela reached the ladder at the end of the tunnel.
"Get up, quick! They're coming!" Angela hollered as the Doctor scrambled up the ladder and attempted to open the manhole at the top with his sonic screwdriver. "Open it! Open it!" Angela urged as the Cybermen advanced closer.
The Doctor suceeded in getting the manhole open and scrambled out, Angela quickly following. The Cybermen attempted to follow, but they managed to slam the cover down just in time, then the Doctor sealed it again with his sonic screwdriver. "Oh, good team, Mrs Moore!" he grinned, and Angela nodded, relived at having gotten out of that close shave.
~8~
Rose and Pete filed along inside the factory. "Units upgrading now 5,500." a tannoy announced, "Repeat: 6, 500 and rising."
Rose and Pete walked emotionlessly along with the other Humans. A Cyberman stepped out in front of Rose and stopped her going any further. "You will wait." it ordered and moved on.
"Are you ok?" Pete asked Rose
"No." the blonde admitted
"Chamber six now open for Human upgrading." the tannoy announced as people filed forwards, ready to be upgraded. Flames aligned themselves above incinerators. "All reject stock will be incinerated."
Rose watched a woman walk obviously into a cell, the doors closing around her. Blades swooped down from the ceiling, converting her and a Cyberman's helmet lowered down. Rose looked around. There were hundreds of conversion machines all working simultaneously.
"Any sign of Jackie?" Pete asked her
A Cyberman heard him and turned to face them, then stomped over. "You are Peter Tyler." it stated, "Confirm: you are Peter Tyler."
"Confirmed." Pete replied, doing his best to sound unemotional
"I recognise you." the Cyberman said, "I went first. My name was Jacqueline Tyler."
"No!" Rose burst out before she could stop herself
"What?!" Pete spluttered
"They are unprogrammed. Restrain." the Cyberman ordered two others, who grabbed Pete and Rose
"You're lyin'." Pete said desperately "You're not her! You're not my Jackie!"
"No. I am Cyber-form." the Cyberman replied, "Once I was Jaqueline Tyler."
"But ya can't be..." Rose breathed in horror, "Ya not her!"
"Her brain is inside this body."
"Jax, I came to save you." Pete cried
"This man worked with Cybus Industries to create our species." the Cyberman told the others, "He will be rewarded by force. Take him to Cyber-control."
And the Jackie-Cyberman stomped away, while the others marched Pete and Rose away.
"They killed her." Rose breathed, "They just took her an' killed her!"
"Maybe there's a chance, I dunno." Pete babbled in denial, "Maybe we can reverse it."
"There's nothing we can do." Rose swallowed
"But if... if she remembers..." They strained to see the Jackie-Cyberman, but there were hordes of them, all looking identical. "Where is she?" Pete asked, "Which one was it? Which one was her?"
"They all look the same!" Rose said as they were roughly shoved forwards again.
~8~
Having successfully drugged another guard, Jake, Mickey and Shireen entered the control cabin of the airship. "Nice one, nobody's home." Jake remarked as he looked around, "Find the transmitter controls."
"What do they look like?" Mickey questioned
"Oh, they'll have 'Transmitter controls' painted on 'em in big letters." Shireen said sarcastically, "Just look will ya."
The trio began searching the room. Mickey turned and jumped to see a Cyberman standing in a dark alcove. "Cyberman!" Jake hollered, readying his pistol, but the Cyberman didn't move. Confused, Jake moved closer and turned a light switch, Illuminating the alcove.
Mickey took a few steps closer to examine the Cyberman. It soon became apparant that it was lifeless. "It's dead." he said, "I don't think it was ever alive." He knocked on the helmet, which sounded hollow. "It's empty. No brain, just the robot suit. It's for display."
"Ok." Jake said, "Transmitter."
And they headed off in different directions to resume their search for the transmitter controls.
~8~
The Doctor and Angela edged along a dark metal corridor inside the factory. Suddenly, a Cyberman stepped out in front of them. "You are not upgraded." it stated
"Yeah? Well upgrade this!" Angela snarled and threw a small metal device at the Cyberman, which stuck to it's chest and caused the Cyberman to be electrocuted. It shook and jerked before crashing to the floor.
"What the hell was that thing?!" the Doctor asked as they cautiously approached the disabled Cyberman.
"Electromatic bomb." Angela replied, "Takes out computers, I figured it might stop a cybersuit."
"You figured right." an impressed Doctor nodded, "Now let's have a look..." He knelt down beside the Cyberman and took out his sonic screwdriver. "Know ya enemy." He held the sonic screwdriver to the Cybus logo on the Cyberman's chest. "They've even got the logo on the front. Lumic's turned them into a brand." He removed the logo so that they could see inside the Cyberman. "Heart of steel." he remarked, looking at the underside of the logo panel, "But look..." He put his fingers inside the Cyberman and pulled out some body tissue.
"Is that flesh?" Angela stared
"Hmm, a central nervous system." the Doctor replied, "Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing. Oh, but look..." He carefully fingered an electronic chip. "Emotional inhibitor. Stops 'em feeling anything."
"But... why?" Angela questioned
"It's still got a Human brain." the Doctor replied, "Imagine it's reaction if it could see itself. Realise itself inside this thing. It'd go insane..."
"So they cut out the one thing that makes them Human." Angela nodded
"Because they have to." the Doctor said gravely
Suddenly, the Cyberman spoke, "Why am I cold?"
"Oh, my God, it's alive." Angela gasped, "It can feel!"
"We broke the inhibitor." the Doctor realised, then leaned over the Cyberman and touched it's head. "I'm sorry." he said softly, "I'm so sorry."
"Why so cold?" the Cyberman asked
"Can you remember your name?" the Doctor asked
"Sally. Sally Phelan."
"You're a woman?" Angela asked, surprised.
"Where's Gareth?"
"Who's Gareth?" Angela asked
"He cannot see me." the Cyberman said, "It's unlucky the night before."
"You're getting married." Angela realised
"I'm cold. I'm so cold." the Cyberman croaked
"It's alright." the Doctor said softly, "You sleep now, Sally." He pressed his sonic screwdriver inside the chest opening. "Just go to sleep."
The Cyberman's blue lights went out as it deactivated for good.
"Sally Phelan didn't die for nothing." the Doctor murmured, something dawning on him, "Cos' that's the key, 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?" Angela asked
"I think it would kill them." the Doctor replied, "Could we do that?"
"We've got to." Angela reasoned, "Before they kill everyone else."
The Doctor looked down at the deactivated Cyberman. The talk with Sally had reminded him that the Cybermen were once Human and still had Human parts inside them.
"There's no choice, Doctor." Angela told him, seeing him waver, "I'm sorry, but it's got to be done." She didn't want to be a part of what was basically genocide either, but it had to be done for the greater good.
Angela stood up, not realising that a Cyberman was standing right behind her. It grabbed her by the neck and killed her. The Doctor stood up in horror. "No! No! You didn't have to kill her!" he shouted in outrage, any reservations he'd had about the plan rapidly disappearing.
"Sensors detect a binary vascular system." the Cyberman stated as two more appeared, surrounding the Doctor, "You are an unknown upgrade. You will be taken for analysis."
The Doctor took one last look at Angela's body and let the Cybermen escort him away, swearing that Angela would be the last victim of the Cybermen tonight.
~8~
Meanwhile, Mickey had located the transmitter controls for the earpods. Turned out that it was a metal box that did indeed have 'Transmitter Controls' written on it in large letters. "The transmitter controls are behind here." he told Jake and Shireen, "We need, like, oxyacetylene or something."
"Oh, damn! I only went and left mine at home." Shireen retorted sarcastically
"Then what do we do?" Mickey asked
"We crash the Zeppelin." Jake said
"With us inside it?"
"We could set it to automatic and then just leg it." Jake said, "Let's have a look." He moved over to the airship's controls and started typing into a computer. "It's locked." he frowned, "There's gotta be an override."
"Let me have a go." Mickey said, pushing Jake aside and working on the computer himself. "I'm good with computers. Trust me." He began tapping furiously on the keyboard while Jake and Shireen watched, none of them noticing that a tiny red light had started to flash and bleep quietly behind the cyber-suit.
~8~
The Doctor was marched into the main control room of the factory, where the captured Rose and Pete were too. "I've been captured, but don't worry, Rose an' Pete are still out there, they can rescue me." the Doctor remarked sarcastically, "You alright?" he asked Rose
"Yeah." Rose nodded, "But they've got Jackie." she finished sadly.
"We were too late. Lumic killed her." Pete sighed, looking at the floor solemnly.
"Then where is he?" the Doctor called out to the Cybermen, "The famous Mr Lumic? Don't we get a chance to meet our Lord an' Master?"
"He has been upgraded." a Cyberman answered
"So he's just like you?" the Doctor asked
"He is superior." the Cyberman replied, "The Lumic unit has been designated Cyber-controller."
Everyone turned as a pair of sliding doors opened and an elaborate chair covered in wires and tubes glided in. Sitting in the chair was a Cyberman that was connected to the wires and tubes and it's helmet had a transparent section that showed the brain inside. "This is the age of steel and I am it's creator." it announced, it's voice a robotic version of Lumic's.
~8~
"Almost there." Mickey said as he continued typing on the computer.
"Not bad work." Jake nodded approvingly. He had to admit, Mickey was good with computers. The only other person he'd seen with that level of skill was Mrs Moore.
Shireen suddenly heard the clanking of metal coming from behind them and she turned to see the display Cybermen raise it's arm and step out of it's alcove. "Sh*t! It's moving!" she hollered to the others.
"You said it was dead!" Jake said to Mickey as they all took evasive action
"Yeah, a robot suit's still a good robot." Mickey answered, moving to stand in front of the transmitter controls as an idea came to him. "Wait." he said to the Preachers, who had raised their guns at the Cyberman. "Hey, Cyberman, over here." he called to it, causing it to turn towards him, "Come on, ya brainless lump of metal." he taunted as the Cyberman stomped towards him, "Come an' have a go!"
The Cyberman raised it's fist, ready to strike. Judging his moment, Mickey ducked at the last second and the Cyberman's fist slammed into the transmitter controls which exploded in blue electricity. This killed two birds with one stone, as in addition to frying the attacking Cyberman, it disabled the transmitter too.
~8~
All over the factory, the EarPods deactivated and the Humans all snapped out of their trance. They soon realised where they were and saw the terrifying metal monsters surrounding them. They screamed and ran for it.
~8~
"The transmitter's down!" Mickey cheered
"Yes! That's for Ricky, ya stupid lumps of tin!" Shireen laughed, and she and the men celebrated their triumph.
~8~
The Humans fled from the power station and out to safety, the lumbering Cybermen unable to stop them.
~8~
In the control room, the Doctor, Rose and Pete heard the commotion coming from outside.
"That's my friends at work. Good boys!" the Doctor smirked, "Mr Lumic, I think that's a vote for free will!"
"I have factories waiting on seven continents." the Cyber-controller retorted, "If the EarPods have failed, then the Cybermen will take Humanity by force. London has fallen. So shall the world."
~8~
On the airship, Mickey was hacking into the computer again. "Hold on, I've logged onto Cyber control." he said, and the monitor showed a security feed of the Doctor, Rose and Pete in the control room. "They're alive!" Mickey breathed in relief, "There they are!"
"Never mind them, where's Mrs Moore?" Shireen breathed, having a pretty good idea of what had happened.
"And what the hell is that thing?" Jake asked, pointing to the Cyber-controller
"Shh! Has this thing got sound?" Mickey wandered, and tapped a few keys which gave them audio.
"I will bring peace to the world." the Cyber-controller monologued, "Everlasting peace, and unity, and uniformality."
"And imagination? What about that?" the Doctor asked, "The one that led you here, imagination, ya killin' it dead!"
"What is your name?"
"I'm the Doctor."
"A redundant title. Doctors need not exist. Cybermen never sicken."
"Yeah, but that's it!" the Doctor said, stepping forward in his enthusiasm, "That's exactly the point. Oh, Lumic, you're a clever man... I'd call ya a genius, except I'm in the room."
"Thinks highly of himself, doesn't he?" Shireen commented dryly
"Oh, you have no idea!" Mickey laughed
"Everything you've invented, you did to fight ya sickness." the Doctor said to the Cyber-controller, "An' that's brilliant, that is so Human. But once ya get rid of sickness an' mortality, then what's there to strive for, eh? The Cybermen won't advance. You'll just stop! You'll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men an' metal thoughts. Lackin' the one thing that makes this planet still alive. People! Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people."
"You are proud of your emotions?" the Cyber-controller asked
"Oh, yes!"
"Then tell me, Doctor, have you know grief, and rage, and pain?"
"Yes. Yes, I have." the Doctor answered
"And they hurt?"
"Oh, yes." the Doctor replied
"I can set you free. Would you not want that? A life without pain?"
"Ya might as well kill me." the Doctor spat
"Then I take that option." the Cyber-controller said
"It's not yours to take!" the Doctor retorted, "You're a Cyber-controller. Ya don't control ME or anything with blood in it's heart!"
"Yeah, you tell him, mate!" Jake said defiantly
"You have no means of stopping me." the Cyber-controller told the Doctor, "I have an army. A species of my own."
The Doctor facepalmed. "Ya just don't get it, do you?" he said to the Cyber-controller, "An army's NOTHING! Cos' these people, they're the key." He glanced at the security camera, knowing that Mickey was watching. "The most ordinary person could change the world. Some ordinary man or woman... some IDIOT..."
Mickey's head jerked up at this, realising that the Doctor was indicating for him to do something.
"All it takes is for him to find, say, the right numbers." the Doctor continued, "Say, the right codes... Say, for example, the code behind the emotional inhibitor. The code right in front of him. Cos' even an IDIOT knows his computers these days. Knows how to get past firewalls an' passwords... knows how to find something encrypted in the Lumic family database, under... what was it, Pete? Binary what?"
"Binary nine." Pete answered, realising what the Doctor was up to
"Binary nine." Mickey muttered as he used that information to find the inhibitor code.
"An idiot could find that code." the Doctor continued, "The cancellation code. And he'd keep on typin' Keep on fightin'." He looked meaningfully up at the camera. "Anything to save his friends..."
Mickey found the code the Doctor was referring to.
"Your words are irrelevant." the Cyber-controller said
"Talk too much, that's my trouble." the Doctor said nonchalantly
"Huh, you got that right!" Shireen snorted
"Lucky I got you that cheap tariff, Rose." the Doctor continued, "For all our long chats. On ya phone." He gave another meaningful glance at the camera, making a 'phone' gesture with his hand.
"The phone..." Mickey breathed, pulling out his mobile and he began typing the code as a text message.
"You will be deleted." the Cyber-controller said, not noticing the Doctor's not-so-subtle hints at all, reinforcing his point about the Cybermen standing still.
"Yes, delete, control, hash, all those lovely buttons." the Doctor said nonchalantely, "Then of course, my particular favourite, send!"
Mickey finished typing in the code and pressed 'send'.
~8~
"And let's not forget how ya seduced all those ordinary people in the first place." the Doctor continued as Rose's phone beeped and she pulled it out to see the code on screen, "By makin' every bit of technology compatible with everything else..."
"It's for you." Rose said, tossing him the phone.
"Like this!" the Doctor said, and shoved the phone into a port on the computer he was loitering by.
The affect was immediate. All Cybermen except the controller clutched their heads, moaning in pain as their emotional inhibitors deactivated.
~8~
Mickey, Jake and Shireen all jumped up and down in triumph. "Yes! Take that, Lumic!" Shireen crowed
~8~
All throughout the factory, Cybermen fell about twitching, crying out and clutching their metal skulls. One in the control room caught sight of it's reflection and howled in anguish.
"I'm sorry." the Doctor said to it, "I'm so sorry."
One of the other Cybermen fell to it's knees and it's head exploded.
"What have you done?!" the Cyber-controller demanded
"I gave 'em back their souls." the Doctor answered, pulling the phone out of the port and tossing it back to Rose, "They can see what you've done, Lumic. And it's killing them!" And he, Rose and Pete raced out of the room. The Cybermen's malfunction triggered a chain reaction and explosions began to ravage the factory. The Doctor opened a fire exit only to find it blocked by malfunctioning Cybermen. "There's no way out!" he exclaimed, looking around for another way.
~8~
Jake began to turn the wheel of the airship.
"What're ya doing?!" Mickey demanded
"We've gotta get away!" Jake answered, "If that factory blows, this balloon's gonna ignite!"
"Take it back!" Mickey demanded angrily
"Mickey, they've had it!" Shireen told him
"I said take it back!" Mickey said as he shoved Jake out the way and took the wheel, "We're not leaving 'em behind! There's no way we're leaving 'em behind!" He thrusted his phone into Shireen's hand. "Hold it." he ordered, and Shireen held it to Mickey's ear. "Rose? Rose, can ya hear me? Head for the roof."
~8~
Rose recieved Mickey's call. "It's Mickey. He says, 'Head for the roof.'" she told the Doctor and Pete.
And so the three of them ran up a flight of stairs, trying to avoid the explosions and flames.
They scrambled out onto the roof to see the airship airborne. "Mickey, where'd ya learn to fly that thing?!" Rose asked into her phone.
"PlayStation." Mickey replied, "Just hold on, Rose. I'm comin' to get you."
The trio on the roof ran forwards, dodging the explosions all around them.
~8~
"Ya can't go any lower!" Jake told Mickey
"I've got to!" Mickey insisted
"Ya gonna crush them!" Jake pointed out
Mickey saw the logic in that. "There's gotta be something!" he cried, "There's gotta be!"
Shireen then noticed something. "What about that?" she said, pointing to a lever.
"Oh, yes!" Mickey grinned and pulled the lever.
~8~
A hatch on the underside of the airship opened and a rope ladder dropped down towards the roof.
"You've gotta be kidding!" Pete exclaimed as they reached the ladder.
"Rose, get up!" the Doctor urged, so Rose began to climb the ladder, then the Doctor followed, and Pete brought up the rear.
~8~
"Hold tight, we're goin' up." Mickey called into his phone, then rushed back to the wheel. "Welcome to Mickey Smith airlines. Please enjoy ya flight!"
~8~
The airship began to gain height, taking them all away from the doomed factory. "We did it!" Rose cheered "We did it!"
No sooner had those words left her mouth when the ladder jerked, causing the trio to hang for dear life to avoid falling off. They all looked down to see the Cyber-controller hanging onto the bottom rung and beginning to climb up after them.
The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver. "Pete! Take this!" he called and dropped the sonic screwdriver into Pete's outstretched hand. "Use it! Hold the button down! Press it against the rope, just do it!"
"Jackie Tyler, this is for her!" Pete crowed as he pressed the button down and held the sonic screwdriver against the rope. The rope snapped in two and the Cyber-controller's weight was enough to cause the entire bottom half of the ladder to fall, taking the controller with it. The trio all laughed and cheered with relief as the Cyber-controller plummeted to it's demise and the airship flew off to safety.
~8~
A little later, the Doctor entered the dark TARDIS. He put the power cell in place in the console and the TARDIS sprang to life. The lights came back on and the familar ambient hum sounded again, meaning that the box was alive and well. A huge grin spread across the Doctor's face.
Outside, Rose and Pete were talking. "So, what happens inside that thing, then?" Pete asked
"D'ya wanna see?" Rose offered
"No, I don't think so." Pete replied, "But you three, ya know, all that stuff ya said... about different worlds. Who are you?"
"It's like you said. "Imagine there are different worlds, parallel worlds." Rose explained, "Worlds with another Pete Tyler... an' Jackie Tyler's still alive... an' their daughter..."
Pete stared as realisation dawned on him. "I've gotta go..." he said hastily
"But if ya just look inside..." Rose tried to stop him
"I can't." Pete insisted, "There's all those Lumic factories out there. All those Cybermen still in storage. Someone's gotta tell the authorities what happened. Carry on the fight."
Just then, the Doctor came out of the TARDIS. "Rose, I've only got 10 minutes of power." he said as he jogged over to the Humans, "We've gotta go."
"The Doctor could show ya..." Rose suggested to Pete.
Pete shook his head. "Thank you for everything." he said and began to walk away.
"Dad..." Rose tried
"Don't." Pete said. He'd had enough shocks this evening. "Just... just don't."
Just then, Mickey, Jake and Shireen arrived. "Oh, Mr Tyler?" Shireen called to Pete, "I found something that belongs to ya." Bundled in her arms was Rose the Terrier.
"That... that's Rose." Pete realised, "Where was she?"
"Hiding." Shireen replied, "Frightened outta her wits, the poor girl. But she's safe and sound." She then moved to hand the dog back to Pete.
"Thanks, but I don't think I can live with her anymore." Pete said, "She was Jackie's pride an' joy. Too many memories. I just can't. Can you look after her?"
"Yeah, 'course I will." Shireen nodded
Mickey meanwhile had something for the Doctor, namely his suit. "Here it is." he said, "I found it. Not a crease."
"My suit!" the Doctor grinned, taking it, "Good man!" He turned to Jake. "Now then, Jake. We've gotta run. But one more thing: Mrs Moore. Her real name was Angela Price. She's got a husband out there, and children. Find them. Tell 'em how she died saving the world."
"Yeah, course I will." Jake replied
"Off we go, then!" the Doctor said
"Uh... the thing is, I'm staying." Mickey told him
"Ya doin' what?" the Doctor stared
"Ya can't." Rose burst out
"It sorta balances out." Mickey told them, "Cos' this world lost it's Ricky, but there's me. An' there's work to be done with all those Cybermen out there."
"But ya can't stay." Rose said tearfully
"Rose, my gran's here. She's still alive. My old gran, remember her?"
"Yeah."
"She needs me."
"What about me? What if I need ya?"
"Yeah, but Rose... ya don't." Mickey replied, having long accepted the truth, "It's just you an' him, isn't it?" He looked at the Doctor, then back to Rose. "We 'ad somefink a long time ago, but... not anymore."
"Well, we'll come back." Rose said, grasping at straws, "We can travel anywhere. Come an' see ya, yeah?"
"We can't." the Doctor told her, "I told you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible these days. We only got here by accident. We... we fell through a crack in time. When we leave... I've gotta close it. We can't ever return." he told Mickey seriously
Mickey considered the full ramifications of his decision, then held out his hand. "Doctor."
The Doctor shook his hand. "Take Rose's phone." he advised, "It's got the code. Get it out there, stop those factories."
Mickey nodded.
"And good luck... Mickey the Idiot." the Doctor slapped Mickey's cheek with a twinkle in his eye.
"Watch it!" Mickey laughed
The Doctor sauntered back into the TARDIS to give Mickey and Rose some privacy. Rose tearfully handed Mickey her phone. "Thanks." he said, slipping it in his pocket, "We've 'ad a laugh, though, haven't we? Seen it all, been there an' back... who would've thought, me an' you off the old estate, flyin' through the stars?"
"All those years just sittin' there..." Rose said, "Imagining what we'd do one day..." She lost it and broke down in tears. "We never saw this, did we?" she sobbed and Mickey hugged her. "I'm sorry." she sobbed into his shoulder, "For everything. I'm gonna miss ya. So much!"
"Me too." Mickey replied, "Go on, don't miss ya flight."
Rose clutched Mickey tighter, burying her head in his shoulder. When she pulled away, she couldn't look at him. She made her way back to the TARDIS, eyes shining with tears. When she reached the door, she looked back at her ex-boyfriend one last time then went inside, closing the door behind her.
"Jake, Shireen... you wanna watch this." Mickey said, and Jake and Shireen went to stand next to him as the TARDIS' engines wheezed into life.
"What... the hell?!" Jake stared as the box dematerialised before their eyes.
"How'd ya do that, then?" Shireen spluttered
"That's the Doctor... in the TARDIS... with Rose Tyler." Mickey told them.
~8~
Jackie Tyler was in her kitchen filling the kettle when she heard the TARDIS' engines. She went into the living room to see the blue box standing in a corner of the room.
Rose opened the door and gazed at her mother. "You're alive..." she breathed, "Oh, mum, you're alive!" She launched herself at Jackie and flung her arms around her.
Jackie was slightly nonplussed but pleased to see her daughter nonetherless. "Well, I was the last time I looked." she remarked as the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, "What is it? What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked.
Rose didn't answer, she just clung to her mother even tighter.
"What's wrong?" Jackie asked the Doctor, who had a solumn expression, "Where did ya go?"
"Far away." the Doctor replied "That was... far away."
"Where's Mickey?" Jackie asked
"He's gone home." the Doctor replied tactfully
~8~
In the parallel universe, Mickey, Jake and Shireen jumped into the van, Shireen still holding Rose the Terrier in her arms. "Aw, look at her." she cooed, "Poor girl. You've lost ya mother, I'm sorry." she told the dog, gently fussing her fur, "I lost my boyfriend tonight, but we've got each other. I'll take care of ya."
"You've got yourself a keeper there, Shirl." Jake laughed
"Now I know it's not easy with my face looking exactly like Ricky." Mickey told both Preachers, "But I'm a different man. I'm not replacing him. But we can remember him by fighting in his name."
"Well said, Mickey." Shireen nodded
"Yeah." Jake agreed
Mickey thought for a moment. "With all those Cyber factories out there, d'ya think there'll be one in Paris?" asked
Jake and Shireen both pondered. "Maybe." Jake replied
"Then let's go an' liberate Paris." Mickey decided
"What, us three? In a van?" Jake asked sceptically
"Nothing wrong with a van." Mickey replied nonchalantly, "I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck."
"Now that I'd like to see!" Shireen laughed
Mickey started the engine and the trio set off on their important mission.
Author's notes: And that's the Cyberman two-parter wrapped up. These two chapters were mainly to introduce Shareen's parallel universe counterpart in readiness for Doomsday. One little detail I've added is Shireen ends up looking after Rose the Terrier at the end of this episode. Just thought I'd explain the unanswered question of what happened to the dog. Makes for a funny little bit of characterisation for Shireen. She spends most of this chapter snarking, but shows a softer side to the dog. Also note that Ricky and Shireen were in a relationship before the former's untimely demise. Just a little bit of world-building there. A deleted scene revealed that Ricky and Jake were in a relationship. I included that scene in The Weary Travellers, but decided to go down a different route this time. Next time we'll be getting back to Shareen. See ya then!