Chapter 52
Harry was watching the various readings that were on offer to him as they approached the Daleks' ship.
It wasn't…as large as he'd thought it was. At least not based on what he thought was the size of a Dalek ship.
Although he didn't have too many firm measurements to base an idea of a Dalek saucer on, not intact ones at least.
The Doctor had always been vague when telling him of his adventures against the Daleks.
Jack had told him some basics, but still had been quite vague.
The Intrusion Counter Measures Group had led a briefing from Ian and Barbara which, Harry had been surprised to find, had included the basics of Dalek invasion of Earth, though it hadn't been mentioned as such. But the basics including the scale of a Dalek saucer and its destructive force both of which had been estimated by Ian. Harry had only thought to look for it following his meeting with them in the 1970s and their subsequent reconnection recently. He'd mostly gone looking out of curiosity more than anything else.
He also had plans, reports and other secret information that had been held by UNIT but the full contextual details he was only getting resulting from his closer association with the Security Service and British Armed Forces. They were from during the Second World War, some of the plans he'd found he was working to re-engineer for his big own project. But other plans from this Bracewell chap appeared too high tech for the era, almost Dalek-influenced, but the plans had been severely damaged in a Cabinet flood some years back.
What was especially odd was that looking further back for Dalek influences he'd come across a 'Lord Hellcombe' who seemed to have had the same idea during the First World War. Harry had not asked the Strategist Dalek about either of these, as he had plenty of information waiting back in his own time to look into about both these people and their "inventions".
The pilots that had flown, into space supposedly using Bracewell's technology had also written highly classified reports about the Dalek Saucer they'd combatted including its size.
-/
This one that he was looking at, and again Harry was glad he'd stolen an Earth, or rather a Terran Federation ship, everything was in normal metric Earth measurements.
Aside from Rels he couldn't work out other Dalek measurements, and sometimes it seemed like a Rel was a measure of other things like speed. Maybe, he'd wondered idly a Rel meant something different depending on how you said it. In a Dalek's case that would be the difference between shouting it and a raised voice.
Harry was about to ask if Daleks could whisper when the Dalek spoke first.
"Sensors detect elevated energy emissions corresponding with attempts to activate temporal systems."
"Is it a time corridor or some sort of time controller?" Harry mused as he pushed the controls for the engines up a little bit more. The indicator for 'Time Distort' went up from 8.5 to 9 and more worrying corresponding rumble around them. This was one portion of the measurements that he couldn't fathom. Obviously it related to how the ship managed to cross big chunks of space without employing any space warping technology. The Dalek implied it might be a form of fusion drive system. The fact that he could operate it by pushing a control up further into a shaded red area and that they could chase a ship suggested it wasn't a warp shunt system like the ones the Nestene had used to seemingly install themselves on Earth without alerting anyone to their arrival.
"Can you fire on them, distract them from whatever it is they're doing?" Harry tried as the Dalek had decided not to answer his question about its temporal technology. All he'd learnt was that this Dalek couldn't do the 'emergency temporal shit' that the other Daleks did on Earth. Although he was suspecting he'd misheard that. It had been from CCTV footage, though it amused him to believe Daleks were taking an emergency temporal shit.
"Yes," the Dalek's lights illuminated as it mused, or what Harry had decided was musing, he had come to know different 'Yeses' from the Dalek Strategist meant different things. "Plasma bolt launched and running."
Harry watched what appeared on the external sensors to be a really bright ball of energy and light barreling towards the Dalek ship. It impacted making the ship shudder.
"Dalek craft has not been damaged," the Dalek announced, its tone one of ambivalence, both of success and annoyance.
"They've lowered their speed." That was something Harry commented as he returned his focus to flying the ship, once more thankful that the human military was unoriginal when it came to controls.
"Dalek ship preparing to fire," the Dalek announced, it didn't sound concerned.
"Prepare the force barrier." This ship's defensive capabilities were, according to the Dalek sub-optimal. The Terran Federation seemed to have made some compromises when designing their pursuit ships. They were fast, a given for their names, moderately armoured with an odd array of defensive screens.
"Force barrier activated."
When the whatever it was that the Dalek ship fired at them hit Harry was glad that he had found the seatbelt-like straps and had put them on. He didn't hear a clang-noise of the Dalek shuddering across the flight deck of the ship, so he presumed the Dalek had its brakes on.
Or whatever it was that Daleks did to stop themselves sliding across the room.
"Dalek ship velocity is not low enough for docking," the Dalek warned.
"We still have the problem of even docking," Harry muttered. Why a Dalek ship was designed the way it was, which meant that docking with a moving craft meant that the Dalek pilot had to do something to stop it rotating.
It was hard enough just flying a human spaceship, let alone working out how to make it dock with a Dalek ship.
Especially one the-
Harry's thought process was yanked out of place as their ship was blasted again.
"Ion canon discharge, force barrier intact. Firing 3 plasma bolts," the Dalek announced.
There were some red flashing lights within view from his perspective. "Damage?"
"Cargo hold damage." The Dalek's tone suggested it wasn't anything to worry about.
Harry tried to ignore the flashing red lights and instead returned his focus to the docking controls.
There were controls for 'magnetic clamps' and a 'transfer tube' both part of the docking systems for the ship. It seemed this ship was designed to quickly grab onto another ship to dock with it. The Terran Federation didn't seem to have something as reasonable as a transmat, teleport or other form of matter transport. And he was not willing to risk splinching attempting to apparate himself and the Dalek Strategist onto the Dalek ship.
It was hard enough flying the pursuit ship.
From his view of the sensors something exploded on the Dalek ship. But they seemed to be trying to make a run for it.
He would in their situation. Although you could only do so many things at once...
"Can we contact them?" Harry queried.
"Why?" The Dalek asked.
Harry didn't turn around and look at the Dalek. Partly because it didn't seem to care if he was looking at it but mostly because it was difficult enough to fly this ship while looking at the controls, another thing the Terran Federation didn't have was a battle computer.
Even Daleks had battle computers.
"A little distraction goes a long way," Harry said as he watched the Dalek ship rotate and counted softly to himself how long a rotation of the ship was and where he guessed the airlock was. There was, according to the Dalek more than one airlock on the ship.
The other one on the underside of the ship they'd already discounted because of where the airlock on the Terran pursuit ship they were in was located the stresses involved would likely tear the ship apart before they could dock and safely get on board.
"Cybermen are a fallible, flawed species," the Dalek mused. Or probably mused.
"Yes, yes, they can wipe out the odd culture, Cyberconvert a civilisation but they're still mostly human, Mondasian or…Telosian?" Harry mused on the last
"Telos Natives are not suitable to Cyberconversion," the Dalek commented, it seemingly used to his musings. On certain subjects at least.
"That would be the Cryons then?" Harry wondered before shaking his head. "Best frame yourself out, don't want them to think it's anything more than just another human attacking them."
"I understand Harry Potter," it responded.
"And one more thing, when I say 'tin soldiers' launch the plasma bolts," Harry said this time risking a glance around at the Dalek, which he found was already looking in his direction. That wasn't creepy at all.
-/ - \\-
Draco wasn't sure, because from what he could tell these Cybermen were quite emotionless, but the Leader seemed to be annoyed that the 'Pursuit Ship' was evading their ship or what fire it had taken had not disabled it.
Draco didn't so much understand how ships in space fought each other, but it seemed to be only more developed form of canons and other weapons of the sea-based ships.
"Leader," said one of the Leader's lieutenants. "Communication from the Pursuit Ship."
"…this is Terran Federation Pursuit ship to Dalek craft. Your craft was stolen from the Knights of Jeneve facility on Hyspero." Draco felt a chill pass down his back and it wasn't from the wound there or the blood loss. He kept his face neutral though, lest he make the Cybermen aware of whose voice that was. Chancing a glance over to Song who, like him had been shifted slightly from their original position due to the 'plasma bolt' fire. Her face didn't betray any recognition of the voice.
"Open visual communication," ordered the Leader.
To one side a large window-like area opened up mid-air above Draco and Song. On the screen was Harry Potter, looking somewhat injured.
"You will power down your systems or face the might of the Cybermen human," the Leader said, its voice raised.
"Hello Cyberleader. Haven't you learned from 1985?" Harry tutted. "You shouldn't go around stealing other people's time ships. Very naughty." Harry smiled and Draco could have sworn Potter was looking at him. "Tin soldiers the lot of you. Useless."
"You are a time traveller. What do you know of Cyber-history?" The Leader almost seemed curious.
"Leader." One of the lieutenant's seemed agitated to Draco.
Now Harry Potter was definitely looking at Draco when he smiled. "That you should roll with the punches. Not try" Potter smirked. "and fail, miserably to destroy planets."
"Leader!" The lieutenant said again as Potter said something over his shoulder. Draco caught a noise of another something speaking.
"6 plasma bolts-" Draco didn't bother to listen to what else was said as he prepared to throw his body weight with the motion of the ship as it was hit by six of whatever the 'plasma bolts' were.
-/ - \\-
"Plasma bolt impact on Dalek ship. Ship is loosing velocity. Secondary systems will engage shortly."
Harry didn't really hear the Dalek as he edged their own slightly damaged ship closer and closer.
"Alert, Dalek ship attempting to fire."
"Shut up, trying to concentrate." Harry growled at the Dalek, its agitated tone not helping. "Five…" He said and flicked the switched for the magnetic grapples on the side of the ship. He watched intently as the slowed rotation of the Dalek ship swung the airlock back around. "Four." They ship seemed to be moving extremely slowly as he edged it closer and closer to the Dalek saucer. "Three." He'd decided not to extended the transfer tube and to only use it to make a seal against the Dalek ship. From what he understood of the pursuit ship the tube could actually extend out a fair way from the ship. "Two." They were almost there.
"Dalek ship restoring systems."
"Rabbits!" Harry swore and grabbed a hold of the controls as he saw the airlock and slammed the pursuit ship up against the Dalek saucer. The impact yanked at the belts on his shoulders and initiated almost every warning light that was on the ship. He blacked out for a moment and then blinked back to awareness that there was one green light. A seal.
Yanking the straps Harry grabbed his bag and rushed to the back of the flight deck where the Dalek was already moving to.
"The seal won't last long," he said to the Dalek.
"Approximately 120 Rels," the Dalek agreed leading the way to the airlock. As he was exiting the flight deck Harry rummaged around in his dimensionally expanded bag removing two large putty-like charges and squashed them either side of the flight deck, pushing in detonators into each.
As he re-joined the Dalek it gave what Harry thought was an accusatory look with its eyestalk but didn't say anything as he operated the airlock on the pursuit ship. Despite being a crumpled mess of metal, plastics and atmosphere escaping there still seemed to be enough systems working for it to engage, an operation that required the unique flexibility of a human; hands.
-/
Than after traversing what had to be one of the dodgiest transfers between spacecraft he and the Dalek were on its ship.
Immediately Harry recognised the, not exactly comforting pulse of the interior of a Dalek craft.
While he had been enjoying the sounds of its craft the Strategist had rotated around to operate the controls near the airlock.
"Pursuit ship isolated. Structural integrity of this section compromised," its tone sounded accusatory, almost judgemental.
"Best I could do," Harry said and pulled the Terran Federation guard's gun from his bag and offered it to the Dalek.
"A weapon?" It looked at him as though he were mad. Possibly.
"We need to get onto the flight deck. You're not armed."
"You are offering a weapon Harry Potter?" It asked, as though people regularly didn't offer Daleks weapons.
"Based on our recent conversation you're not going to kill me," Harry said somewhat confidently. Harry hoped at least what the Dalek had said wasn't just idle offers and conversations.
From the back of the Dalek a claw slid out, with which it used to grasp the weapon.
"This way Harry Potter."
"Lead on Strategist," Harry said with a wave of his hand.
-/ - \\-
Draco was pulling himself up off the deck at the same moment that the Cybermen were else doing so.
However he was revelling that he was free of the automaton, and only very bruised from his movement and that of the ship which had flung him and Song into one of the walls when the ship had been hit by the plasma bolts.
She appeared to be dazed.
"Come on Song," he said and grabbed a hold of her clothing and pulled her behind a desk of controls out of view of the Leader.
"Report?"
"Temporal drive systems disrupted by collision."
"Weapons systems disrupted."
"Structural integrity of airlock compromised."
"Pilot of Pursuit Ship approaching flight deck."
Reported several of the Cybermen.
Draco looked around the console and saw what he supposed was an internal view of the craft he was on, he saw the back of Harry's back and that he was following something blue, but the smoke and haze obscured anything more.
"Reactivate Cybersquads," the Leader ordered.
"Leader, power supplies already compromised."
"We must hold this ship," it turned to the lieutenant who argued. Draco thought this interesting, he'd thought these mechanized creatures to be cold and reasoning without argues. "Activate the Cybersquads, destroy the intruders," it paused. "Seal the flight deck, we must hold the controls to this vessel."
"Leader," said one of its soldiers.
Draco cursed silently to himself.
"Locked in with a bunch of tin Mechano-men while someone with a death wish crashes an airlock. Your boyfriend sweetie?" Whispered River Song who had her head on his shoulder, a move he'd not noticed.
Draco decided not to answer. He still wasn't sure of Song's motivations, even if in the future she'd rescue them in the future.
"He definitely knows you Draco." She turned her head to look around. "Not a boyfriend. You're not that worried if he lives or dies."
"He can look after himself," was all he decided to reveal.
"No doubt you can too. And without any weapons too."
Draco forced himself not to tense, he could still feel his wand in his pocket, but Song had obviously discovered he was not armed with a muggle weapon, or whatever it was she was armed with. "But you're quite confident that little slither in your pocket will protect you." She moved slightly away from him. "I know a man who does the same."
Draco turned slightly to look at Song and he saw she was smiling.
"Shh," Song whispered. "Best block your ears Draco." She leaned in closer. "Your friend's about to blow the doors," she said softly.
And then that exact thing happened.
5 minutes earlier…
Harry followed the Strategist who was moving at a confident speed through its ship, or, he suspected its and the Orange Scientist Dalek the one that he'd dropped a spaceship on. Not on technically, technically he'd dropped the ship with the Orange Dalek inside.
Two ships in the space of a day, he felt a little giddy from that idea.
It was almost comical, but Harry stopped himself, hysterics and comedy was not what was needed when your were on a Dalek spaceship which was full of Cybermen going to rescue Draco Malfoy and a woman who'd already rescued him in the past which was probably her future. Humour wasn't what was needed.
Explosives were what were needed.
"Doors are sealed," the Strategist announced, stating the obvious.
"Overrides?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Fused." It was just detaching its sucker arm from the control next to the door.
"How many entrances?" He asked as he started to dig through his bag again. Ioan and Judith had come up with various weapons for him to take with him, annoyingly they'd not packed any gold bullets. However he planned to use some simple cutting and explosive curses, pretty much what he'd used on the Primords. From LPI's experiences on Earth it was really hit and miss if the killing curse actually worked it was interesting that it didn't work sometimes but sometimes it did. He and Ioan hadn't come up with a good reason why not and the Cybermen they'd encountered on Earth weren't really in large enough numbers for them to stand around and test the whys and hows of spell work the functions of it. Plus they were usually trying to kill them at that time.
"There are two entrances Harry Potter, what is your reasoning?" The Dalek asked.
"This is the main one." Harry nodded at the blocked entrance they were standing in front of.
The Dalek swivelled its eye to look at the blocked entrance. "Justify your reasoning."
"The architecture leads here. Your corridors." Harry was about to say 'I know corridors', but he was quite sure that was a quote of the Doctor's one of many that he unconsciously said in times of trying to explain things. "I've got some explosives." He pulled his hand out of his bag and looked at it. "A smoke grenade. Do you think that'll distract the Cybermen?"
"Unknown. They are inferior creatures."
Harry shrugged and placed a sticking charm on the door and stuck the grenade on it along with the explosives. "Is that enough to blow the door without knocking a hole in the rest of the ship?"
The Dalek only looked at it briefly. "Yes."
"Then let's get to the other door and get your ship back," Harry said.
-/
As they were standing at the door Harry thought it was best to remind the Dalek about his DNA source, otherwise known as Draco Malfoy the wizard who went through a magic cabinet and found himself on another planet, kidnapped onto a Dalek spacecraft and then in deep space. Very deep space in fact, the speed they'd been going they'd left Hyspero way behind.
Still close enough in relative terms for his escape plan, he hoped. There was always the Federation Pursuit Ship, which he'd mostly crashed, it was still flyable, probably. Hopefully. Always useful to have a plan B.
"Don't shoot the pale haired human."
"The human male?" The Dalek queried.
"Yes. My DNA source," Harry clarified.
"What of River Song?" The Dalek asked almost curiously.
Harry shrugged. "One thing at a time. Get the ship back, avoid being killed, revenge or whatever it is can wait another day."
"Yes," when the Dalek answered its lights remained illuminated for quite a long time on that 'Yes'.
Harry moulded the second set of explosives onto the door. "I'll hide behind you if that's okay, I don't want to be killed by door fragments."
"That is" the Dalek paused. "acceptable Harry Potter," it said after the longest pause he'd heard the Dalek take.
Harry crept around the back of the Dalek and made sure he had the right detonators. He didn't want to destroy his backup escape plan.
"Three, two, one," then he squeezed both detonators and was pleasantly surprised he didn't cause a hull breach.
-/
Wand out he followed the Dalek almost side by side through the smoke filled flight deck, a bubble head charm over his head to protect against the smoke grenade which hadn't been as effective as he'd hoped. Dalek air conditioning seemed to be up to the task of ridding some smoke, but it was still providing a little bit of cover as he and the Dalek killed the Cybermen.
-/ - \\-
Draco ducked down as the doors that had covered both the entrances into this flight control area exploded in towards showing the area with shrapnel and killing one of the Cybermen in the process.
It made an unearthly noise as it died vomiting a white fluid onto the ground, and as it did smoke began to fill the space.
Sliding his wand out of his secluded pocket he cast a bubble head charm to protect his lungs and airways from the acrid smelling smoke. It wasn't unbearable and judging by the density its main goal was to provide cover.
Then Potter walked in next to…a Dalek. It was different to the ones over London, this was blue, taller, but it was unmistakably a Dalek.
One that Harry Potter was fighting along side.
"Well, well, well, isn't that interesting. Your friend does choose his allies. An interesting choice. No wonder you were confident if that's the company he keeps," Song was unholstering her own weapon from a similarly secret pocket as he'd had his wand. "And here I was thinking you didn't know what was going to happen. If this is your friend's friend's ship, he'll be mighty cross."
-/ - \\-
Harry looked around as he killed Cybermen, there were more than he thought, more than there should have been.
"There must be more on board they're coming in through the other door," he shouted at the Dalek.
Its lights lit up but Harry couldn't hear it. "Accio Cyberguns." He shouted gesturing his wand at a group of four that were aiming there weapons at himself and the Dalek.
He caught two of them in one hand, a skill he'd later put down to his seeker skills, but in the moment was just because they had large grips that you could put your hand through as they flew through the air. He shoved one into his bag and used the other in his other hand.
He'd handled this sort of Cybergun before; squeeze the handle and it fired like most energy weapons; no kickback, though aiming was a little difficult. These era of Cyberguns seemed to have a very wide field of fire initially.
It had been on Judith and Ioan's to do some live fire tests of the alien guns they'd accumulated, with Harry and Ioan doing magical tests against them.
It was one of many things that had gone on the to do list while they'd continued to deal with Torchwood and its magical side show Cohort Dow which remained on the top of their to deal with list.
The demise of Torchwood's London HQ had thrown and assisted his plans somewhat, their box of weapons to test had grown, as had their information on all the pies that Torchwood had its fingers in, somewhere was the information on Cohort Dow. As Harry turned in a steady arc constantly firing the Cybergun at the circle of Cybermen whom he'd suddenly attracted the attention of he clapped eyes on Draco who was hiding behind a computer console, from its position on the Dalek control deck he was hiding where the Daleks usually the controls for 'ancillary systems', though Dalek ships didn't actually call it that. They had some unique word that he couldn't translate accurately, but it was where, from his and LPI's past experience with Dalek ships that was where the Daleks put systems like that.
Firing the Cybergun and drawing his wand in an arc to slice deep gashes into four different Cybermen; spraying the Dalek control deck with a green viscous fluid he rushed over.
"Hello Draco," Harry greeted with a smile.
"Harry Potter, this is River Song," Draco introduced.
"My, my solider, don't you make an entrance, with your Dalek friend and all." River batted her eyes at him.
Harry raised an eyebrow at her, there was something dangerous about this woman that hadn't quite been there when they'd met on Earth.
"Sweetie, the pleasure's all mine," Harry replied with a smirk. "Are you enjoying the party or should we get out of here before someone-" Something exploded behind them.
"These Cybermen are dreadful shots," Draco remarked as he flung a spell in the Cyberman's direction.
"They're Cybermen Draco sweetie," River was already standing up and drawing her own weapon and led the way.
Harry bent down to grab one of the fallen Cyberguns and pushed it into Draco's hands and quickly explained how to use it. "We need to get out of here."
"That didn't feel like a soft landing Potter."
"It wasn't," Harry admitted, he was slowly becoming supremely doubtful that the Federation ship would fly, although escape would still be possible, it was still moderately space-worthy. He hadn't made all of the lights turn red. "Questions later, let's see where River's going."
"She seems over confident," Draco muttered as they peered across the gap between consoles where River was bracing herself to make her way out of the control area.
"I wonder why," Harry mused. "Try not to get yourself shot Draco, I've come a long way to rescue you," he quirked a small smile. "Remember aim and squeeze, there's no recoil."
-/ - \\-
"There's no recoil." Potter seemed quite relaxed, considering he had extensive bruising around his neck and a head wound that had only recently stopped bleeding from what he could see. Not that his own wound was inconsiderate. Being flung around a spacecraft had not assisted his own wounds Draco considered. Peering over the console he looked around, there seemed to be many Cybermen coming in through the main entrance, Harry and the Dalek had used the secondary entrance to gain access.
The weapon the 'Cybergun' as Harry called it was lighter than it appeared, and from how Harry had used it was quite useful.
"Come on Draco, looks like River's making her move," said Harry as he braced himself to leap up, and then motioned. "Start firing as soon as you stand."
Harry was right, unlike some more aggressive spells and unlike the Glitter Gun he'd used this Cybergun had no recoil as it fired, but its results were just as destructive.
"Where are we going Harry?" He asked following Potter. "Aside from following Song?"
Potter seemed to be looking at what appeared to be a muggle phone and frowning.
"It must be the Daleks' temporal engines," he said, though Draco wasn't sure if Potter was talking to him or himself. Then he turned. "We should head to the Pursuit Ship and get far enough away from here," he said seriously and then looked around. "Let's get after River."
-/
River had got ahead of them.
The device the Doctor had given him was reading as "ERROR", it looked and even felt like a phone, although a flip phone from a few years ago. But the Doctor assured him that it wasn't. Just like the TARDIS wasn't a wooden Police Box.
And then he was shot, not actually shot, the Cybermen who were still pursuing them, despite Draco's really quite good efforts were still shooting at them.
It must have rebounded off of one of the walls.
He joined Draco in firing back and for at least 20 seconds they were in relative silence. Except for the sound of stressed metal, the thrum of the Dalek ship and his slightly laboured breathing as he tried to breathe through having a ricochet shot hit his side.
On the pain-impact scale Harry decided he'd rate it a 5. It hadn't made him bleed, but had slightly burnt his side.
"No cracked ribs, that's a plus," he said as he lifted up his shirt slightly and tenderly felt around his left side. "I think. Not as bad as a Dalek weapon."
"What will that do?" Draco asked curiously.
"I think River's going for the ship." Harry took his hand away from his side. He could deal with the wound and any bones that had been broken or whatever else that might have happened later. "And it depends, projected energy weapons like to scramble your insides."
Draco looked at him for the briefest of moment. "Fascinating Potter."
Harry grinned through gritted teeth, the burning sensation that seemed to have taken the bruising from one side of his body to the other was abating. "That's why I like you Draco. Come on, the ship's this way. We should run before River gets carried away."
-/
Draco had only caught a brief glimpse of the wound that Harry had sustained from the Cyberman's weapon. It seemed like an unfocused splotch on his body, with large bruising splintering out from it. He seemed to be in some pain, but had pushed it aside.
Potter, like himself obviously didn't trust Song.
Although why Potter didn't trust Song given that she knew the Doctor in the future and Potter was a close friend of the Doctor was another question. Perhaps, it was just like himself Potter didn't trust easily and read Song's unspoken language of danger of her person.
Draco broke into a slight run as Potter also did; following him along the corridors of the spacecraft. It strewn with several Cyberman bodies, although not from weapon or spellfire that he nor Potter had used, which meant it was likely only Song that had dispatched them.
He caught up to Potter who was hiding around the corner from a debris-strewn area of the ship. Judging by the crumpled areas of metal, or whatever material this craft was constructed of Draco reasoned that this was the intersection point where Harry had collided the Federation Pursuit Ship with this ship.
Harry held up a finger to silent him as he approached as he was spying on Song, listening as she held a conversation with someone.
"-von, yes I know sweetie that there's a Federation Pursuit Ship there. Don't worry about it."
"I worry about it Ms Song, if the Federation are aware of your actions on Hyspero then our deal-" A male voice, very calm, Draco mused to himself. Calculating. Not angry, but cold, almost annoyed.
"I have the items you requested. All of them, now I would like you to retrieve me. Have your transmat ready."
"Teleport Ms Song. And I would expect you to have retrieved all the items, that was our agreement was it not. Rescuing you from aboard an unknown spacecraft was not."
"We can discuss the finer points of our agreement over a nice glass of adrenalin and soma that your lock picking chum dishes up."
"The less said about him the better Ms Song," the male voice paused. "The Liberator will be in teleport range-" Anything more was cut off by the arrival or more Cybermen.
"Where are these Cybermen coming from?" Potter hissed at him, clearly annoyed.
"The Leader said something about 'activating Cybersquads'."
Potter then swore in a hissed tone.
"Hiding from me Harry Potter? Naughty to hide when a girl's having so much fun."
"Just letting you deal with the-" There was an explosion that cut off what Harry was saying. He ambled out of their hiding place to face where Song was; fighting her way through a lot more Cybermen.
-/
Harry looked to Draco. There were a lot of Cybermen, most had their weapons on River Song. "Eradicate the human males. Capture the human female," ordered the Cyberleader. Which was interesting because Harry was sure that the Strategist had killed the Cyberleader. It was probably its first act.
Harry had still been moderately surprised that the Dalek hadn't turned the weapon on him, despite what they'd discussed.
"Dive!" Harry shouted as the Cybermen opened fire on them he dove to the floor and hoped that Draco did they same. As he dropped to the hard flooring of the Dalek's ship he whipped his wand out directing a series of cutting curses at the Cybermen, though due to the angle most tore through their thighs and lower torsos. It seemed River had followed suit, though with something a little more elegant than the slap-dash approach that he and Draco had taken.
As the Cybermen collapsed making in-human noises and he and Draco pulled themselves off of the floor he heard River clapping.
"Very good, very nice Draco, your friend is very proficient," she smiled and Harry stared at her, hard.
"We can all escape this ship River," Harry said. Levelling his wand at her, Draco did likewise though Harry wasn't sure if he understood the significance of the door that she was standing at, which was the airlock to the Federation Pursuit Ship.
"Harry Potter." She smiled and looked directly at Draco. "Your friend's cute," she paused. "But not that sweet," she said.
"I'd really hate for you to die River," Harry said calmly as the door hissed open with a rush of vacuum. The airlock door was one of the many things that was damaged when he'd 'docked' the ship, it obviously had deteriorated quite a bit in the intervening time between his and the Dalek's arrival and now.
"So would I Harry Potter." She turned around to enter the airlock, only to have a Cyberman wrap its hands around her neck.
"River Song you will-"
"Accio River Song," Harry said in a level tone as Draco to his surprise aimed a similar though opposite spell at the Cyberman; banishing it into the craft. River as a result almost had her neck broken as she was pulled towards them.
Harry caught her and the device on her wrist that she'd been talking into.
"Magic, Harry Potter, you do have a sense of timing."
"Us time travellers have to stick together," Harry said stepping away so he could look at the bracelet. "Should I be bracing myself for weapons fire?" He asked looking at the bracelet. It was chunky and practical. He'd never seen anything like it. "Facilitates a transmat?"
"Spying…" She tutted and stepped forward in a rushed motion and grabbed it out of his hand, snapping it back onto her wrist. "You're a very naughty boy Harry Potter."
"I've been told that before River Song." Before he could continue more Cybermen attempted to come out of the Federation Pursuit Ship and tried to shoot them.
"Be seeing you," she winked and ran off.
"Draco hit the button." Harry barked. Draco rushed forward and hit the same button River did, nothing happened.
Harry sighed in anger. "Come on." Harry said firing the Cybergun at the Cybermen. "We need to get to the lower decks."
"Why?"
"Because we're going to plan A," he said mysteriously. "River will be there too."
"She has an escape plan obviously," Draco idly commented.
"Of course," Harry said. "We shouldn't relax. The Cybermen must have loaded all their deep freeze storage."
Draco looked at him curiously, and for a man who was wounded to be able to give him a look like that was something. "Metal cylinders Potter?"
"Yes. That's where all our problems are coming from," he said slightly breathlessly.
"Yes. Potter, I gathered that." Draco paused as they came to an intersection. "This way."
"Of course," Harry said. "You were brought onto the ship this way," he said looking around and then extracted the phone again from his bag.
"What is that Potter? A muggle phone?" Draco asked as he looked around cautiously.
"No. Yes. Sort of. No," Harry said as he attempted to key in the numbers the Doctor told him. He'd also need to use the other item the Doctor had given him, but the number would prepare the way, so to speak.
He managed to get in a few numbers before he got an error, which meant getting further away from the Dalek spacecraft's time engines or whatever it was that they used.
"Very concise Potter. I'm glad you're in charge," Draco drawled.
"Very droll Draco. You're lucky I arrived when I did, sooner or later the Cybermen would have worked out how to make the temporal systems work and then they've pissed off back to wherever they were going," Harry finished as they arrived at a locked door.
As he reached out to operate the controls Harry paused. "Interesting," he mused.
The controls, which he'd been guessing how to operate on the ship based on the bits of the Dalek language he knew. But now the controls were in English.
"They're in-" Draco started.
"Yes, they are." Harry said and hit the controls. "That means we're in the right place."
He hit the open button and he and Draco stepped through…to River Song pointing a weapon at them.
"It's set to kill," she said from behind the single console in the room. "Lock the door, I'm sure you know how Harry Potter." She walked around from behind it.
Harry turned away from River and locked the door, smashing the controls with the butt of the Cybergun for good measure.
Turning back to face River he aimed the weapon at her. "I could shoot you."
"But you won't sweetie. I wonder why," she looked at him curiously.
"We have a temporal relationship," Harry said deciding to reveal something.
River's eyes lit up. "Spoilers," she said with a smile.
"Indeed." Harry didn't smile. "So we can't well shoot one another."
"Time can be rewritten Harry Potter," she said.
"A good friend once told me you can't rewrite history," Harry said. "Not one line."
"But then he also lies," she countered.
"Ms Song" said the same voice.
"Teleport me now." River smiled at him and blew a kiss to Draco. Then a white outline formed around her and then she disappeared.
"Well," Harry exhaled.
"Harry Potter. Cyber-forces are attempting to take control of this ship from the Federation Pursuit Ship. Such attempts will de-stablise temporal systems."
"I thought they were powered down," Harry shouted to the ceiling in response to the Dalek's voice.
"Final activation of Cybermen has been completed." As if on cue there was a sound of approaching footsteps.
"Out of the frying pan Potter," Draco commented idly.
"Into the locked room…" Harry looked down. "Where'd you get onto the ship?"
"A ramp." Draco answered looking at him. Gesturing to the centre of the room where there was a vague outline of a depression in the floor.
"Dalek, I'll deal with the ship," Harry shouted into the ceiling.
"Very well Harry Potter."
Harry patted own his pockets to find the final detonators. "Here Draco. I need to check this." He chucked Draco the detonators and walked over to the control console that River had been standing in front of, removing the phone.
It still wouldn't let him key in all the numbers.
Looking down at the ramp he cringed and then as he was in thought the console exploded.
It had exploded because Cybermen were firing at them. Again. He ducked down behind the smoking remains as Draco rushed over.
"For a race of biologically converted individuals they are supremely useless," Harry muttered. "Squeeze the triggers let's see what happens," he paused and then grabbed Draco as he did so. "We'll probably need to brace."
Then an explosion thumped through the ship, presumably as the Federation ship exploded, taking bits of the Dalek ship with them.
"What was that?" Draco shouted.
"Plan B exploding," Harry said, then the ship lost gravity and half the lights went out. Harry eyed the remains of the console, it was, he realised still half working. And in English, which was good. The emergency release systems seemed to be online. Withdrawing the device the Doctor had given him he held what was left of the connections and activated it; fusing them together.
He didn't even realise Dalek ships had an emergency release system for their airlocks. Not that it was something he'd ever needed to use.
"How are you at bubble head charms Draco?" Harry asked.
-/
Draco thought that Potter was mad. He'd always known that Potter was an eccentric.
But what he'd proposed was, frankly suicidal.
They were in space. Deep space from what he'd heard the Cybermen talking about concerning their position in space. He wasn't sure of the difference between space and deep space.
Draco had mused more than once, or rather more wondered what would have happened today had his curiosity not gotten the better of him.
"Those Cybermen aren't going to hang around there forever," Harry said looking at him a face of worry. "We'll be alright."
"You hope Potter," Draco countered watching him.
"I've not come all this way to lose you now," Harry Potter said earnestly, watching him carefully.
Potter had said that this 'Plan A' would only work while they were here, if the Dalek got control of its ship and moved the ship in time they would have to take a lot more chances, mostly of death.
"Ready Potter," Potter looked briefly at him, he had in his hands the muggle phone that wasn't and a cylindrical object with a circle at one end with a conical shape pointing out. 'A special screwdriver, good for opening doors' Potter had said.
Draco also had one hand on rope that was attached to Harry Potter, the only thing to keep them together in the vastness of space. The other was on his wand, to keep any Cybermen away from them when they were pushed into space.
Potter had admitted he didn't know how long they would have before they succumbed to the exposure to space.
Long enough he hoped for his plan to work. Which he didn't explain in as much detail.
Very likely because he thought that the Dalek that had communicated with him might be listening, which had confirmed what Draco had thought, that Harry's alliance with the Dalek had been one of convenience. To find him.
This was a concept that he was still considering in his mind. Harry Potter had come to a different planet and then onto a spacecraft to rescue him.
"Ready Draco. 3, 2, 1." Then Harry hit the button and the area where the ramp that he and Song and the Cybermen had entered the ship exploded downward, or outward and he, Potter and the Cybermen were sucked out of the ship.
-/
Harry tried not to panic as he and Draco were shoved by with great force out of the ship. He'd tried to get the external docking systems to activate, and had somewhat succeeded. Something was activated, but there was also a lot of damage; from the Cybermen, his and the Dalek's initial attack or from exploding a Federation Pursuit Ship.
But none mattered as he and Draco were dumped into the cold exposure of space.
Softened, he was relieved by the shimmering yellow of some form of force field. It wasn't containing the air exactly but was slowing its passage.
He left Draco to keep the Cybermen away from them who seemed to be coping with the situation in a worse way than they were.
However he was very aware that the escaping atmosphere was pushing them very quickly away from the protection, however minor of the force field which itself had a bubble of said atmosphere. Or something like that.
Harry pulled the phone out, keying in the numbers. He had to make the phone remember it was part of the TARDIS and then…and then aim the sonic screwdriver at it.
"Come on, come on…" And then with a roar of TARDIS engines the phone unfolded itself, becoming a police box door, as if by magic.
The magic of dimensional transcendentalism.
Draco was pulling himself up as he pushed himself against the door. Harry put his hand out to Draco and they stepped over the threshold of the Police Box doors as they opened to give them access.
-/
Draco couldn't believe it, yet he could after everything today.
Potter had created a Police Box door way from a muggle phone. Pulling himself up the rope attached to Harry they both stood as the doors opened, granting them access to…
A space so huge Draco felt daunted by it.
A central piece of brass and controls stood in the centre of the space. A large stair case went around the interior of the space.
At the brass controls stood a man, tall in a dark cloak his face full of concentration and worry.
"Harry," he called. His tone worry, concern, possible anger as he through a switch and a huge system dropped down from the ceiling and Draco felt the floor vibrate beneath his feet. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? A Dalek ship, and deep space."
"Doctor, this is Draco Malfoy."
"Draco?" The Doctor stopped to appraise him, looking at him coldly. "You're injured."
"We both are," Harry said.
"The medical bay," the Doctor said looking around the room. "Come on."
-/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/ -/-/-/-/-/-/
A/N:
Harry and Draco are rescued at the end there by the Shalka Doctor that Harry met in chapter 50.
I've always liked the scene in Scream of the Shalka where the Doctor creates a second entrance to the TARDIS with his phone, and it was something I wanted to recreate here.
Plus, finally Harry gets to use a sonic screwdriver.
River wasn't on a job for herself she was working for the Liberator crew and talking with Avon.
At some point maybe, I may write another story that features the other side to this story. A Blake's 7/Doctor Who story which explains what River was doing in the Knights of Jeneve facility.
Also possibly explain what the Shalka Doctor was doing there too.
The Blake's 7 crossover actually happened late in writing this chapter, much like the destruction of Orange it had to do with pacing of this chapter.
Originally I had planned for River to be picking up a very special box of 'soft centres' (which would've been a reference to Dr Who from the 1960s Dalek movies). from the Knights of Jeneve's facility.
Had I gone with that it would have meant Harry, Draco and River would have been in the cargo hold fighting off the Cybermen and then all three escaping in the TARDIS. But then there would have been the issue of writing a meeting between the Shalka Doctor and River, while interesting it didn't work. It also made the pacing a little less interesting.
Making Harry and River's relationship antagonistic was much better and helped the pacing. Plus it let me build up the relationship and interaction between River and Draco, because Harry shouldn't get all the meetings with crazy time travellers.
It also meant I could have Harry completely destroy his second spacecraft for the day.
Along with all this the change in pace and direction also meant I could thrown in a proper reference to Blake's 7 with some dialogue between River and Avon.
Thanks for reading.
