Last time on the parallel universe...
Footsteps started to run, the clunking faded away into the night.
"After him!" Nia ordered, pointing after the figure running away from the scene, stopping momentarily to look back in anguish.
"We'll never catch him now." Will decided, glancing in the opposite direction, where still a faint clunking could still be heard. "What were they?"
"I…don't know. But it's our job to find out." Nia pulled away from Will, smoothing out her crumpled jacket.
"Which way?"
"I think…that way!" Nia declared, indicating the way that the clunking noise had gone. She outstretched her hand to Will. Taking it, they began to run off down the empty road.
"We're not going to find it." Nia sighed, leaning on a wall.
"We didn't know what we were looking for."
"Didn't we? I thought we were looking for the clunky monsters."
"So we get killed? No thanks. I only have one life, y'know." Nia looked at Will.
"I told you not to bring that up again." After an awkward silence, Nia sighed. "C'mon, let's move on." But as they started to walk away, Will heard a rhythmic clunking noise in the distance. Grabbing Nia's arm, he pushed a finger against his lips.
Clunk…clunk! CLUNK!
Delving into her pockets, Nia grasped a small, flat circle with a small Gallifreyan symbol on. Rushing to a hiding place, Nia and Will waited for the creatures to pass.
"They're metal. With handlebars on top. Bikeatrons?" Will whispered. Nia just looked straight ahead. Taking careful aim, she threw the disc at one of the creatures. It fell to the floor with a metallic clash. The others did not notice. Instead, they strode on, straight past Nia and Will.
"I'll go after them." Will murmured, and, still hidden by the undergrowth, started to follow the metal creatures. Nia stood up from her crouching position, and walked to the lump of metal, who lay straight out in the ground.
"Identify yourself." Nia stated, kneeling down beside the creature.
"I was once the human known as Lucy Harper." The creature responded, its mouthpiece flashing a brilliant blue. Nia leapt up.
"You're not a human! What are you? Identify yourself!" The creature laid still, paralysed on the cold pavement.
"I was once human. Now I am the same."
"Same? Same as what?"
"The others."
"What others?"
"We are all the same. This is the age of steel. We have been upgraded." The headpiece of the creation turned slowly to face Nia. The disc's paralytic energy was wearing off. The mouthpiece flashed again.
"And so must you."
Okie dokie folks, this is where I start to use my "Artistic licence". None of this would have happened in the real episode(s).
Will, still hidden under the trees, was jogging at a fast pace.
"These creatures are quicker than they look", he thought to himself, as the beings strided with ease across what seemed like half of London. Finally reaching their destination, the metal men slowed down. Will nearly followed them across a bridge, but looked up just in time to see a huge metal factory at the end of it. Holding onto a branch of a tree, he swung himself back round so he was once again out of sight.
Walking up the gently sloping hill came more figures. They were unlike the metal creatures Will was following: they were much smaller and less noisy. As they passed under a streetlight, Will recognised them as human beings. They were marching in time with a few metal men to escort them. Edging out of the bushes a little, Will caught a glimpse of them passing by. An old woman with grey hair; a middle-aged man in a pinstripe suit; a young girl about his age, with shoulder-length hair and a maid's outfit on. Walking steadily up to join them, he joined the line with ease and started walking with the group. He glanced sideways: next to him was the young girl who he noticed previously. She was attractive; with stunning eyes and beautiful blonde hair. A strand of hair fell in his eyes, but as he moved his arm to brush it away, he caught the girl's eye. Her head twitched sideways, and grabbed his arm to stop it moving.
"You're not one of them?" she hissed, as they split up into two sections that led to different parts of the factory
"Aren't you?" he asked, wondering why no-one spoke, and this girl was so anxious to stop him from moving out of place.
"Of course not!" As they passed a corridor, she marched stiffly down it, dragging Will, still by the arm, with her.
"You haven't got an ear-pod…" she muttered checking his ears.
"Ear pods? What the…?"
"The things that are making all these people turn into…these… zombies."
"And those metal men?"
"What? The cybermen?"
"Is that what they're called?" She loosened her grip on his arm.
"Why don't you have one of these?" She took a small, headphone-shaped thing out of her ear.
"What are they?" She snapped her head up to look at him.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"Well…"Will pulled a face, trying to quickly formulate a plan.
"You're an alien?"
"What…? No, no, I'm not an alien."
"You're human?" Will nodded. The girl backed off slightly, and leant against the other side of the corridor.
"Let's go, before they catch us." She said, this time grabbing his hand. "Oh!" she turned around to face him. "I'm Rose, by the way."
"Will."
"Ooh, dejá vú!" she muttered, peering round the corner.