TW: You know, I don't usually respond to reviews from another story of mine on a different one, but I'm going to reply to your review from Assembled Again here. I never said Tony created every MCU villain. Do not put words in my mouth, ever. That is one thing that really makes me angry and if you do so again, you and I will have a problem.
THWA: Okay.
The past viewers watched curiously as the next recording started, wondering what adventures The Doctor might have without Amy and Rory.
The recording opens at a street at night. Outside a Sanderson and Grainger, some street lights flicker. Inside, two salesgirls are at their station. One tells the other to go meet her date when the lights suddenly flicker. One of them complains about the council not fixing the town's electrical problems. The other salesgirl, Shona, tell her to go meet her date. The salesgirl thanks her before running off. Shona smiles before looking at the lights uneasily.
"So now we're going from an alien hotel to a store?" Mickey asked in bewilderment.
"If we've learned anything about these recordings, it's that nothing is ever what it seems," Jack noted as he narrowed his eyes.
"Meaning this is not going to be so ordinary," Martha muttered as they watched the screen uneasily.
Elsewhere, Craig Owens walks Sophie down the stairs of their home. She tells him that she left a list on the fridge and numbered the food and various people, including her Mum and his parents, might call. Craig assures her that he can handle being on his own and tells her to go 'have a rest'.
"Craig and Sophie are back," Donna said in surprise.
"So they must be involved in whatever's happening," Jack mused.
"They appear to have moved from the flat," Wilf noted and Jane smiled.
"Yeah, they needed the space," Jane said simply.
They bid each other goodbye and Sophie jokes about having drawn some arrows in the fridge. He tells her she needs to go and they head over to the door. Outside on the street, the street light flickers. Back at the store, Shona is cleaning up the messy changing rooms when she hears a noise from one of the stalls. Thinking it's a customer, Shona says the store is closing in two minutes.
"That's not a customer, is it?" Mickey asked, the past viewers beginning to get an uneasy feeling.
"You've been watching these recordings for a few days, what do you think?" Jane asked with a sigh.
"Brilliant," Martha grumbled as the past viewers' sense of unease grew.
Back at the house, Craig is on the phone with his Mum, assuring her he can do this on his own and no one is coming to help him. Someone knocks on the front door and Craig says he has to call her back. Craig hangs up and heads to the door, saying he's coping on his own the whole way. He opens the door and is stunned to see The Doctor standing on the porch. "Hello Craig. I'm back!"
"Déjà vu," Jack noted as the past viewers were reminded of The Doctor's first meeting with Craig.
"The last time I saw him, The Doctor said he was going to meet Craig," Donna remembered. "So is this-"
"Just after the last time he saw you, yeah," Jane nodded in confirmation.
"So he's on this 'Farwell Tour' of his," Wilf mused.
Craig is stunned, thinking Sophie phoned him but The Doctor says no one phoned him. The Doctor looks around; making a comment about the change in decor but Craig explains it's a different house. Craig asks him what he's doing here and The Doctor says it's a social call. The two assured each other they are fine. The Doctor gives his love to Sophie before turning around to leave.
"And that won't make Craig suspicious at all," Mickey said sarcastically.
"He's seen The Doctor's thoughts, he knows he doesn't make social calls," Jack agreed.
"Be a little more subtle Spaceman," Donna said amused.
The lights flicker and The Doctor realizes something is wrong. He heads inside the house, scanning with his screwdriver and picks up a signal from upstairs, realizing Craig isn't alone. The Doctor heads up to the second floor as Craig urges him to be quiet. The Doctor sees various clothes and baby toys on the floor, asking what Craig isn't telling him.
"Well now things make a lot more sense," Jack said as the past viewers realized what was going on.
"So Craig and Sophie had a baby. Good for them," Martha said as she smiled.
"And Boss is oblivious," Mickey said with a laugh.
"He's one of the smartest people in the universe, but basic human concepts are still alien to him," Donna said with a giggle.
Craig and The Doctor shush each other before The Doctor heads towards a door at the end of the corridor. Back at the store, Shona sees a shadow and calls out to whoever is in there. The Doctor enters the room, declaring whoever it is get off the planet. He pauses as a baby boy begins to cry and Craig rushes in, scolding The Doctor for waking the baby. Back at the store, Shona pulls aside the curtain on the stall and screams as she sees a Cyberman.
"Cybermen," Mickey almost growled, glaring at the screen hatefully.
"Great, so they're back," Jack said grimly.
"They always are," Martha said with a dark look, remembering the death of her cousin.
"They're like the Daleks. No matter what Dad seems to do, they always pop up one way or the other," Jane with a sigh. "They're the cockroaches of the universe; you can never really stop them. Just fight them."
Back at the house, Craig explains to The Doctor 'on his own' meant on his own with the baby. He says no one thinks he can cope on his own before breaking down, saying he can't as the baby cries all the time. He wonders if babies have off switches and The Doctor says no. The Doctor then shushes the baby, who quiets, to Craig's amazement. Craig asks if The Doctor can teach him that and The Doctor doubts it. Craig pleads for help, as he claims he's rubbish at being a dad, claiming he has no instincts, which is why this weekend is about proving he can do it.
"Craig is not adjusting to fatherhood well," Wilf noted concerned.
"He's just a little overwhelmed. I was the same way those first couple months with Will, until…" Donna trailed off, her eyes softening as she remembered her last meeting with The Doctor.
"All first time parents feel that way. Can't tell you how many times parents take their first kid to their ER because they think something's wrong," Martha said with a laugh as she remembered the many times that had happened.
The Doctor though is reading a magazine, laughing. He puts it down, asking about the baby's name and Craig, annoyed, says they didn't name him Doctor, which The Doctor expected. Craig says the baby's name is Alfie before asking what The Doctor is doing there. The Doctor says that Alfie prefers to be called Stormageddon, Dark Lord of all. The Doctor explains it's what he calls himself to an incredulous Craig, who asks him how he knows and The Doctor says he speaks baby. Craig sits down, moaning he doesn't even know when Alfie's nappy needs to be changed.
"You'll get their eventually," Martha said kindly.
"Trust me, felt the same way at first," Mickey said before blinking. "Are we talking to the telly screen?"
"I think we've been here too long," Donna mused.
"Is not one else going to mention Stormageddon?" Mickey wondered.
"You'd be surprised how often babies think like that first. He grows out of it," Jane shrugged.
"That is disturbing," Jack muttered.
The Doctor tries to help by rubbing Craig's shoulders, wondering where Sophie is. Craig explains she went away for the weekend with a friend and Alfie lets out a gurgle. The Doctor says Alfie calls Craig 'not Mum' and tells Alfie to call Craig 'Dad'. Craig is dismayed this is how Alfie sees him as The Doctor explains he is 'Also Not Mum' while everyone else is peasants.
"That is even more disturbing," Martha muttered as the past viewers looked at the screen oddly.
"Alfie is…interesting," Jane said lamely.
"That's one word for it," Jack muttered.
"Maybe they should watch out for that kid," Mickey wondered.
Annoyed, Craig asks why The Doctor is here. The Doctor claims he just popped in to say hello but Craig knows him better than that. Craig assures The Doctor he made sure everything was normal when he and Sophie moved in before asking him if aliens are in his fridge. The Doctor assures Craig he just wanted to see him. The Doctor explains he's been on his own for a while, on what he calls a farewell tour. The Doctor says he's off to see the Alignment of Exodor after he leaves, explaining its 17 galaxies in perfect unison, which he can only see by flying his TARDIS into a time stasis field. The Doctor checks the date on a newspaper when he sees something on the front page. "Never mind that," he says wearily as he puts the paper down.
"The Doctor's noticed something," Martha noted.
"How does he bloody do that?" Mickey wondered.
"Centuries of experience. He knows the signs of something out of the ordinary happening," Jack said, having had the same question asked of him.
Craig realizes The Doctor has noticed something, demanding to know what it is. The Doctor refuses, claiming he's given up that as the lights flicker. Craig stares at him incredulously as The Doctor says he has to go, wishing Craig and Alfie goodbye.
"Is he really refusing to help?" Wilf asked sharply as the past viewers looked at the screen in disbelief.
"He's trying to put off his death," Jack realized sharply, remembering his own experiences and seeing the signs in The Doctor. "He doesn't want to die, but knows he has to."
"But you know Dad, he can ever turn a blind eye to people who need help," Jane said wistfully.
As Alfie fusses, Craig pleads with The Doctor to shush him again but The Doctor informs him it only works once on life forms with underdeveloped brains. Craig asks what he means by a farewell tour but The Doctor shushes him and Craig stops asking.
Mickey and Jack burst out laughing as Donna and Martha giggled, some of the tension that had settled over the room breaking. Even Wilf smiled slightly in amusement.
Outside, The Doctor is walking away from the house, repeating to himself to stop noticing. Behind him, The Doctor sees a street light flicker. He pulls out his screwdriver, scanning for electrical fluctuations while saying he's not doing so. The Doctor urges himself to leave, heading towards the TARDIS. He stops, saying he's through saving people and will leave now. The next day at a toy store, The Doctor is entertaining a group of children by showing them a remote control helicopter flying while advertising the parents to buy it.
"So much for not noticing things Boss," Mickey said with a laugh.
"You know, if he ever decides to settle down on earth, working in a toy store would be the perfect job for him," Martha mused.
"The Doctor? Settle down?" Jack asked incredulously and Martha thought on it a bit.
"Yeah, he's never going to settle down," Martha agreed.
Nearby, Craig is walking in the store, on the phone with Sophie while pushing Alfie in a stroller. The Doctor loses control of the toy and it falls behind Craig, startling him. The Doctor stumbles back as Craig spots him.
"I spent over a century waiting for The Doctor. And Craig finds him by accident in less than a day," Jack said in disbelief.
"It's like something keeps drawing them back together," Donna mused.
"The universe loves to screw with Dad," Jane shrugged.
"He makes it too easy," Martha sighed.
The Doctor sends the children to find their parents/guardians while he deals with Craig. The Doctor greets Craig happily and Craig asks bewildered what he's doing here. The Doctor explains he works there now, pointing to his name tag. Craig is confused and The Doctor tells him he saw the shop and got a job, telling Craig to live in the moment. The Doctor picks up a robot dog that Craig nearly steps on and notes Craig looks awful. Craig admits he hasn't slept since Sophie left as he can't make Alfie stop crying, even with singing. Alfie coos and The Doctor says Alfie noticed Craig crying as well.
"If you're not calm, you won't be able to calm Alfie," Wilf noted.
"He's really struggling with this," Martha said in concern.
"He gets the hang of it, after a lot of trial and error," Jane explained.
The Doctor wishes goodbye to Craig and Alfie with the dog before beginning to pick up fallen toys in an aisle. At the end of the aisle, something shots passed, catching The Doctor's attention.
"Oh please tell me that wasn't what I think it was," Mickey nearly groaned as he recognized it.
"Would you like the truth or a lie?" Jane asked and Mickey did groan at that.
"What? What is it?" Donna asked as the other past viewers looked confused.
"It's explained later on," Jane said as Mickey sighed.
The other past viewers looked at Mickey wearily, wondering what he knew that they didn't before back to the screen, reasoning they'd fine out soon enough.
The Doctor moves to follow it but Craig is following him, not falling for The Doctor's excuses. The Doctor tries to get Craig to leave it but Craig wears him down by using Alfie. Giving in, The Doctor explains that people have been going missing recently. Craig pulls out the paper but the front page is about some girl who got kicked off a reality show. Craig asks why it's not on the front page and The Doctor explains no one's noticed yet, far too occupied with things like the girl.
"Sounds like humanity. Bury their heads in the sand and miss the important things," Jack said grimly.
"Wish I could say you wrong," Donna sighed.
Craig asks what else as The Doctor pushes Alfie through the store. The Doctor explains the power fluctuations coincide with the disappearances. Craig asks if it's just regular maintenance and The Doctor gives a sarcastic response, using his screwdriver to fix a broken lift and telling Craig to go home. The Doctor pushes Alfie's stroller into the lift but Craig isn't buying it. Giving in, The Doctor walks onto the lift, explaining someone's been using a teleport rely in the store and the CCTV has been erased.
"Makes sense. You can say a lot about the Cybermen, but they're not careless," Jack mused.
"No, they're methodical to a fault," Mickey agreed grimly. "It's why they're so dangerous."
Craig marvels at teleportation and The Doctor says it could be disguised as anything. Craig calls it ridiculous when the lights go out. Craig asks if it's the lights and The Doctor, in a high pitched voice, agrees as he notices they're no longer in the lift but inside a ship.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey breathed as the past viewers stared in disbelief.
"Well, I guess we know where the teleport is now," Martha said in shock.
"An out of order lift," Donna mused. "It's actually brilliant."
"Hidden in plain sight in a place no one would think to look. It's the kind of subterfuge I'd expect from the Cybermen," Jack mused.
Craig catches this and asks what's going on. The Doctor tells Craig to keep his eyes on him, stopping Craig from turning around and declaring he loves him.
"That's the best you could come up with to keep his attention on you Spaceman?" Donna asked in disbelief, not sure whether to laugh or scold her friend.
"In his defense, that kind of thing is pretty distracting," Jack shrugged.
Craig is stunned by this and The Doctor takes advantage of his distraction to put the screwdriver behind Craig's neck. Craig believes The Doctor is about to kiss him and The Doctor agrees as he continues using his screwdriver behind Craig's back. The Doctor tries but Craig resists, saying he's taken. Craig turns his head and is stunned to see the ship. Craig asks what's happening as a Cyberman spots them. The Doctor admits he sees Craig as a friend as Craig spots the Cyberman, asking what it is. The Doctor uses his screwdriver as it approaches and Craig screams before they find themselves back on the lift.
"If it weren't for the Cybermen, this would be one of the best comedies I've ever seen," Mickey noted with an amused smile.
"I'm, just glad they got away," Wilf said with a sigh of relief.
"But now the Cybermen know The Doctor is onto them," Martha said uneasily.
"Bloody brilliant," Donna sighed.
Craig asks what just happened when the door opens. The three of them walk off, The Doctor explaining that the Cybermen linked the teleportation replay to the lift but he made sure they can't use it anymore. Craig asks what that was and The Doctor says Cybermen. Craig realizes they were in space.
"Not exactly," Jane said with a grimace.
The past viewers looked at her curiously but didn't comment. They knew that if Jane wanted to tell them more, she would. It would do them no good to press her on it.
That night, The Doctor stands outside the store with Craig and Alfie, trying to use his screwdriver to find the ship. The Doctor realizes the ship is shielded as Craig asks if The Doctor hasn't sorted it. He explains he's bought some time but he still needs to figure out what the Cybermen are doing in order to stop it. Craig asks why the Cybermen haven't invaded them already.
"That is a very good question," Jack mused, narrowing his eyes.
"They must be waiting for something. The Cyberman in the other world had to wait until they had enough before making their move," Mickey remembered.
"So their must not be enough of them yet," Martha noted.
"Which is why they're kidnapping people, they're converting them into Cybermen!" Donna realized.
The Doctor tells Craig to take Alfie and head home but Craig refuses, to his surprise. Remembering his experiences from last time, Craig is certain that the safest place for him and Alfie is with The Doctor, as The Doctor always wins and The Doctor sadly notes those were the days.
"Spaceman," Donna said softly, the mood of the room turning somber as they remembered The Doctor's death.
Craig argues he can help and, reluctantly, The Doctor agrees to let him. The Doctor says there's no immediate danger at the moment, so they should investigate.
"At least he's not alone anymore. He does better when he's not alone," Martha said optimistically.
"It helps that Craig actually seems to understand him," Jack agreed with a slight smile. "Which is a very rare thing in this world."
They head back inside the store and into the jewelry department, The Doctor greeting a coworker named Val. Craig asks what he's investigating and The Doctor tells him to have a look around, ask questions. Since he has a baby, people will talk to Craig. The Doctor admits this is why he usually takes a human with him.
"So he sees us as babies?" Donna asked, not sure whether to be amused or insulted.
"Well, he is over a thousand years old. Everyone probably seems like a child to him," Jack shrugged.
Craig notes amused he's The Doctor's baby, which The Doctor agrees with as they exchange a hug. Val watches with a smile as Craig walks off with Alfie. She tells The Doctor he looks sweet with them and he thanks her as he puts on a pair of sunglasses, calling Craig his partners. Not understanding, The Doctor declares he likes that.
"Not that kind of partner Boss," Mickey said as he laughed, imagining The Doctor's reaction when finding out.
"They're cute together though," Martha joked.
"The Doctor unfortunately doesn't swing that way. Shame to," Jack said wistfully.
The Doctor asks if she's seen anything unusual but she only has gossip to share. The Doctor thinks this wasn't such a good idea before kissing her on the cheeks. He begins walking off when she mentions a 'silver rat thing'. The Doctor turns around.
"And this silver rat was what we saw earlier?" Martha asked and Mickey and Jane nodded. "Feel like sharing with the rest of us?"
"It's a Cybermate, an infiltration unit. It drains power from whatever electrical current is around," Mickey explained. "Although what it's doing at a store instead of somewhere like a power plant, I don't know."
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Donna muttered as they all watched the screen uneasily.
In the lingerie department, Craig pushes Alfie over to the checkout, not seeing the 'silver rat' behind him. Craig approaches the salesgirl from the beginning, who is putting bras on a rack. He tries to smile at her charmingly and she asks if she can help him. He introduces himself and asks if he can ask her some questions. He asks if she's noticed anything unusual but she's confused. He tells her to talk to him about ladies wear and she calls for her boss. George walks over and Craig awkwardly greets him.
"Oh Craig," Martha sighed as Donna groaned.
"He clearly chose poorly," Jack mused.
"Not the time for a reference Jack," Jane said in exasperation.
In the toy department, The Doctor is under a table, scanning with his screwdriver before climbing out. Val is standing behind him as he gets up, confirming the silver rat has glowing red eyes before it 'zizzed off'. She'd thought it was a toy but the stockroom said they didn't carry one. George is interrogating Craig as he points to Alfie. He tries to leave but accidently knocks over a rack of lingerie.
"And now Craig's made things worse for himself," Mickey said, feeling sympathy for Craig.
"He is really not good at this," Donna said with a sigh.
Jane really couldn't say they were wrong. While Craig had ultimately ended up defeating the Cybermen, it was by pure luck. Craig had actually made things worse, all things considered.
The Doctor and Val hear the noise and The Doctor sees Craig. He hands Val the stick he was heading and rushes off as Val smiles. George and the salesgirl accuse Craig of being a pervert as he clumsily picks up the dropped lingerie while trying to calm the crying Alfie. The Doctor rushes over and George and the salesgirl greet him warmly. The Doctor asks if they've seen a silver rat but they don't know what he's talking about. The Doctor introduces Craig, complimenting George's uniform. Knowing he's with The Doctor, George says it's alright and the salesgirl apologizes. She mentions that Shona hasn't shown up and The Doctor shushes her before realizing what she said. He asks about Shona and the salesgirl explains she never showed up for work. The Doctor asks where she saw Shona last.
"Well at least they have a lead now," Wilf said optimistically.
"How is it that Boss has been there less than a day and has already charmed everyone in the store?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"He's The Doctor. Do you really need to know anything else?" Jack asked and Mickey paused, realizing Jack was right.
The Doctor then leads Craig and Alfie into the changing rooms, Craig asking The Doctor if he has some superpower that makes people love him. The Doctor says he wishes he did as he opens a curtain slightly. A woman on the other side screams and he quickly closes it, apologizing. Craig asks if he's right and The Doctor jokes about Craig loving him. Craig tells him not to start that again as Alfie coos. The Doctor translates, saying he and Craig are partners. Craig says he did what The Doctor would have done and almost got arrested. Alfie coos and The Doctor translates again, telling Craig to believe in himself more.
"He really does need to believe in himself more," Donna mused.
"And when a baby can pick up on that, you need to get some more confidence," Martha agreed.
"Only in our lives could a baby give you tips on confidence," Mickey muttered, laughing at the absurdity.
Craig grumbles as The Doctor scans with his screwdriver, finding the room where the Cyberman took Shona. Craig is confused, thinking they were looking for the silver rat and The Doctor explains it's a Cybermat. The Doctor leads Craig back out through the store, explaining what a Cybermat is. The Doctor wonders why a Cybermat is doing here rather than somewhere more powerful. Craig asks why and The Doctor says they're going to ask it, saying they're going to stake out the store once it closes and catch it. Craig is skeptical that The Doctor's visits coinciding with aliens is a coincidence and The Doctor protests it's not his fault.
"It never really is. But you do find yourself in the thick of it an awful lot," Martha mused.
"Usually because he goes looking for it," Donna noted.
Alfie cries and Craig tries to calm him. The Doctor says it's his nappy and Alfie has mentioned it twice. Craig snaps he doesn't speak baby and The Doctor directs him towards a changing station. Craig, disgruntled, walks off with Alfie.
"It's not his fault Craig," Wilf protested.
"Maybe not, but it must seem like that to someone like Craig," Jack mused, remembering how Gwen and Rhys had reacted to learning the truth about Torchwood.
"To people with ordinary lives, it does appear that Dad drags this craziness with him," Jane sighed.
The Doctor calls after him as Val watches. As The Doctor mutters to himself, he looks away and freezes. Amy and Rory are a few feet away, not having him seen him.
"Amy and Rory," Donna said in surprise, not having expected to see them again, at least not so soon.
"First Craig, now Amy and Rory. It's like something is pulling him back towards the people in his life," Jack noted as he narrowed his eyes.
"I don't believe in any higher power, but it is very odd," Martha agreed as she narrowed her eyes as well.
"It's like something is trying to tell The Doctor something," Wilf mused.
"But what?" Mickey wondered.
Jane was silent, musing that the reason he'd reached out to Amy and Rory, aside from not wanting to cause a paradox, had made much more sense after this recording. He'd taken the chance he'd declined earlier and spent some time with them one more time.
A girl walks up to Amy, asking if she can have her autograph. Amy agrees, asking for the girl's name. She says it's Allie as The Doctor stares at them in shock. He smiles, almost calling out to them. Inside, he hides behind a coat rack.
"Spaceman," Donna sighed in exasperation.
"I'm sure they'd have loved to see him," Wilf frowned.
"I'm sure they would have, but then they'd wonder what he was doing in the mall, and you know Amy," Jane pointed out.
"She wouldn't let it go and eventually get the truth out of The Doctor," Jack noted.
"And be dragged into this mess with the Cyberman. He was protecting them by keeping a distance," Martha noted.
"Sometimes, the best thing Dad can do for someone's life is not be in it," Jane said softly, remembering Manhattan one more time and how it could have all been prevented had Amy and Rory chosen to stick to their plans about stopping.
Amy hands Allie her autograph and she and Rory walk off. Allie walks over to her mother and excitedly points behind The Doctor. Confused at first, The Doctor realizes where she's pointing and turns around, seeing a perfume ad with Amy's photo. The tagline reads 'for the girl who's tired of waiting'. The Doctor smiles at the ad.
"Oh the irony," Mickey said as he and Jack snickered.
"She was tired of being 'the girl who waited', so she took charge of her life," Donna said pleased for Amy.
"Good for her," Martha added her agreement with a smile.
Later, The Doctor and Craig hide behind a check out station as George heads downstairs. Once George is gone, they come out, The Doctor scanning for the Cybermat. Alfie cries at the sound of the screwdriver and Craig shushes him, asking if The Doctor can make the screwdriver quiet. The Doctor snaps it's a sonic screwdriver.
"Babies apparently don't like the noise Boss's stuff makes," Mickey noted, remembering Melody disliking the sound of the TARDIS.
"In their defense, a sonic screwdriver is a pretty high pitched noise," Martha shrugged.
The Doctor then puts a papose around Craig's neck, explaining Alfie wants to be attached to Craig as he's too slow when he summons Craig. Craig grumbles about Alfie giving him marks and The Doctor asks if he couldn't just get a babysitter. Alfie coos and The Doctor says it doesn't have to be a hot one.
"This is one disturbed baby," Mickey declared.
"You know, I'm suddenly very glad we can't understand our son," Martha said as she glanced at Mickey.
"Probably best we don't understand our kids until they learn to talk," Jack agreed.
Craig says he told everyone he didn't need help and now they won't answer his call. Craig tries to shush Alfie as, downstairs; George is looking at an electrical box when the lights go out. George shines his light around the room. Upstairs, Craig and The Doctor are trying to calm Alfie when The Doctor sees the Cybermat. The Doctor catches it with a butterfly net. The Doctor realizes it's on low power and picks it up. Craig thinks it's cute until it opens its mouth to snarl at them, frightening them.
"Oi!" Donna exclaimed as she, Martha and Wilf almost jumped.
"It was made by the Cybermen, what did you think it was gonna do?" Mickey asked in exasperation.
The Doctor uses his screwdriver on it as, downstairs; George is looking around with the light when he hears a clatter. He turns around, not seeing the Cyberman behind him.
"Oh brilliant, now it's after George," Donna moaned as they all tensed, knowing what was likely to happen now.
Craig is freaking out about the Cybermat's mouth when The Doctor shouts at him to stop screaming. Craig quiets when they hear George's scream. They make their way down into the basement, The Doctor using his screwdriver as a light while looking for George. He finds George's light and kneels down before seeing the unmoving George. The Doctor starts walking over to him when he's struck by a Cyberman. The Doctor falls on his back, out cold.
"Doctor," Wilf said in concern as all of them eyed the screen, concerned for their friend.
The Doctor wakes up to Craig standing over him, asking what happened. The Doctor, dazed, explains the Cyberman killed George and took him back to the ship as Craig helps him up. Craig is confused as The Doctor stumbles, using the walls for support as he says it should have taken them days to repair the teleport.
"Apparently not," Jack muttered, the concern giving way to fear of what the Cybermen would do now.
Craig is concerned about The Doctor as The Doctor notes he should be dead, but the arm he was attacked with was old spare parts. The Doctor realizes the missing people have been turned into Cybermen.
"He's just figuring this out? Seeing the Cybermen wasn't a big clue?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"If he'd taken the time to think it through, he'd have figured it out. But this is all one big distraction from his impending death to him," Jane explained. "He's not at his best at the moment."
Craig is stunned, asking why they didn't change The Doctor and The Doctor says he's not compatible. The Doctor is confused on why the Cybermen are using spare parts when Craig points out they're not safe, telling The Doctor they need to get back to base. The Doctor wonders when they got a base. Back at the house, The Doctor is at the kitchen table, appearing to make something.
"Apparently home base is the house," Martha said with a slight smile.
"He's right though, why would Cybermen convert people with spare parts? It doesn't make sense," Mickey said as he narrowed his eyes.
"It will, trust me," Jane said with a tight smile.
Craig pokes his head in, telling The Doctor he has to run down to the shop to get milk. He says The Doctor knows what to do if Alfie cries and The Doctor says no. Craig admits he doesn't either before heading out. Once Craig is gone, Alfie begins to cry, to The Doctor's dismay.
"The Doctor alone with a crying baby. This should be good," Jack said with a smirk as Mickey snickered at the thought.
The Doctor walks into Alfie's room, awkwardly greeting the crying Alfie. The Doctor tries to calm Alfie, telling him all he has to look forward to in a human life, including a life time of spiritual emptiness and Alfie calms down, cooing up at The Doctor. The Doctor sighs, noting he is old and near the end. Downstairs, the Cybermat comes back online as The Doctor picks up Alfie.
The good humor faded as the reminder of The Doctor's fate once more filled the room before they saw the Cybermat come online.
"Bloody Hell! It was in sleep mode so it could lower The Doctor's guard!" Mickey exclaimed n horror.
"Just brilliant," Donna grumbled as they all watched the screen uneasily.
"Doctor, get out of there," Martha muttered softly.
The Doctor tells Alfie that he has so much to look forward to; he could even walk among the stars if he wished. Noting the stars on Alfie's walls, The Doctor says they don't all look like that. He uses his screwdriver on Alfie's toy and the room is suddenly filled with a projection of the stars in space. Alfie looks up at them as The Doctor smiles.
Normally the past viewers would be amazed at this, but at the moment they were too worried about The Doctor and Alfie.
"You know, when I was little like you, I dreamt of the stars," The Doctor tells Alfie. "I think it's fair to say, in the language of your age, that I lived my dream. I owned the stage. Gave it 110%. I hope you have as much fun as I did Alfie." He kisses Alfie on the head as Alfie begins to drift off. The Cybermat begins to climb the stairs as The Doctor tells Alfie Craig is trying his best. Hearing the beeping of the Cybermat, The Doctor turns his head to see it in the doorway. The Doctor uses his screwdriver to stun it before taking Alfie and running down the stairs. He heads towards the back door, dropping his screwdriver before heading out the back door. The Doctor realizes he's dropped his screwdriver and locked himself out of the house.
"Well at least they're out of the house," Wilf said but no one dared breathe a sigh of relief.
"With no weapons and a Cybermat inside, growing stronger as it eats the electricity," Mickey said grimly.
"Either way, this is bad," Jack agreed darkly.
Craig walks through the front door with the milk, announcing he's back. He puts his phone down and walks further into the house, oblivious to The Doctor's attempts to call him.
"And of course Craig chooses now to come home," Donna said in dismay as she and Martha groaned.
"Just The Doctor's luck," Jack said grimly as they all watched, worried for Craig.
Craig calls out for The Doctor but doesn't receive an answer. Craig puts the milk in the fridge and turns around, seeing the Cybermat. It lungs for him and Craig catches it, falling on his back as he tries to keep the Cybermat away from him.
"He's holding it back. Most people aren't able to," Mickey said, impressed as he remembered all his encounters with Cybermats.
"So he's strong. Hopefully that'll keep him alive long enough for The Doctor to help him," Jack said as they all looked worried for Craig.
Outside, The Doctor tells Craig not to enter the house when he hears Craig shout, looking in the window and seeing Craig trying to fight off the Cybermat. As Craig calls for help, The Doctor puts Alfie in a backyard swing before running into the glass door, smashing through it. Craig asks about Alfie and The Doctor assures him Alfie is safe. The Doctor picks up his screwdriver, trying to find the right frequency to shut it down. "Kill it!" Craig shouts.
"I think you'll have to do something a little more manual Spaceman," Donna muttered worriedly as they continued to watch worriedly.
The Doctor grabs a pot off the table and strikes the Cybermat on the back with it. It falls out of Craig's hands and onto the floor and Craig gets up before it lungs at The Doctor. The Doctor catches it, falling on his back as he shouts for Craig to get a baking tray. Craig grabs one and The Doctor throws the Cybermat onto the floor. Craig pins it with the tray and The Doctor picks up his screwdriver. Realizing the Cybermat is shielded from metastatic energy, The Doctor tells Craig to move. Craig jumps up with the tray and The Doctor zaps the Cybermat with energy from his screwdriver, taking it out.
"Oh thank God," Martha said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"I am getting too old for this," Wilf said wearily.
"I think we all are Gramps," Donna said with a sigh.
The Doctor picks it up, noting Craig must be really strong to have held it back. Craig asks if its dead and The Doctor assures him it is, saying it was 'playing possum' before to take them by surprise. They celebrate briefly before Craig remembers Alfie and runs outside. Later, as Craig calms Alfie, The Doctor is examining the dead Cybermat. Craig asks if it was sucking up electricity and The Doctor confirms it, saying it was transmitting it up to the Cybership, although he still doesn't understand why or what they're doing.
"It is strange. Never seen Cybermen do this," Mickey agreed as he narrowed his eyes, knowing he was missing something.
"So what are they up to?" Jack wondered but Mickey didn't have an answer.
Craig said The Doctor was going to look at its brain and The Doctor explains he needed to wipe it so he could reprogram it in order to use the Cybermat as a weapon against the Cybermen. Craig sits down, marveling the Cybermat came after them but The Doctor corrects Craig, saying it was after him, guilty over putting Craig and Alfie in danger. "Do you still feel safe with me Craig?" The Doctor asks.
"Oh Spaceman, always the martyr," Donna said with a sigh.
"You couldn't have known that it was in sleep mode," Martha argued softly.
"When has that ever stopped The Doctor from going on a guilt trip?" Jack pointed out and Martha and Donna sighed.
"No one does guilt better than Dad," Jane agreed as they all watched the screen sadly.
Craig says you can't help who your mates are but The Doctor says he's a stupid, selfish man and should never have come here. Craig points out no one else knows about the Cybermen but The Doctor argues he puts people in danger. Craig tells him not to beat himself up, as the planet would be in ruin without The Doctor. The Doctor sighs, telling Craig he won't be here soon, as his time is running out. "I don't mean Exodor. 'Silence will fall when the question is asked'. I don't even know what the question is. I always knew I'd die still asking. The thing is Craig, its tomorrow. Can't put it off anymore," The Doctor says wearily.
"Doctor," Martha said softly as they all stared at the screen sadly.
"Remember, like I said, he survives," Jane reminded them.
"It's the only reason I'm not losing my bloody mind," Donna grumbled.
"How did you do it Doctor?" Jack wondered out loud.
The Doctor turns to see Craig and Alfie have fallen asleep. He smiles, placing a blanket on Alfie and Craig. The next morning, The Doctor walks out the front door, holding a remote controller and the reprogrammed Cybermat. The Doctor puts it in safe mode before telling it to come along, calling it 'bitey'.
"He would name it," Martha said with a slight smile.
"That is so him," Donna said with a laugh, the somber atmosphere lifting a little bit.
Inside the house, Craig wakes up to a message from Sophie, telling him she'll be back at 10. As he wakes up, Craig realizes The Doctor is gone. Walking into the kitchen, he sees a note from The Doctor wishing him goodbye. "You idiot!"
"Sometimes, he really is thick," Martha said with a sigh.
"At the very least he should have said goodbye," Wilf said with a frown.
"He's trying to protect Craig in his own way. Although it actually ended up being Craig who protected him," Jane said with a smile.
At the store, The Doctor is scanning the clothing department with his screwdriver when Val walks over, greeting him. The Doctor talks to himself, wondering how the Cyberman got in and out of the store without a teleport before realizing he's asking Val. "You found the silver rat?" she asks. "But where are the silver men?" The Doctor wonders. Back at the house, Craig bundles up Alfie, saying he can't leave him here on his own. Craig says he owes The Doctor because he wouldn't have Alfie or Sophie if it wasn't for him. "He needs someone. He always needs someone, he just can't admit it."
"That's The Doctor alright, too stubborn to admit when he needs someone," Martha noted.
"At least Craig seems to understand," Donna said, happy The Doctor had someone so loyal they'd put themselves at risk to save him. "He's a good man."
"Not all heroes wear capes," Jane said with a slight smile.
Craig promises nothing will happen to Alfie, kissing him on the cheek before rushing out of the house. At the store, The Doctor is heading into the changing room area, realizing the Cybermen had a backup system. The Doctor rambles to himself about what it could be before seeing a mirror inside a stall. The Doctor walks over, realizing that's how the Cybermen are getting in. It's not a mirror at all, it's a door. The Doctor calls this cheating as he opens it, realizing the Cybermen didn't teleport in, they climbed up. The Doctor walks down into the tunnel, using his screwdriver as a light. And at the end of the tunnel, he finds the Cybership.
"Of course, now it all makes sense," Martha said as the realization washed over them all.
"The Cybermen crashed here, centuries ago by the state of the ship," Mickey said as he examined the ship. "They've been building up an army so they can invade."
"And they only have spare parts to use," Donna noted and Mickey nodded.
"Something had to have woken them up though," Jack mused, wondering what it could have been.
The Doctor heads into the Cybership, looking around. He sees chambers holding the converted Cybermen and the original Cyberman standing a few feet away. "Well well well, you have been busy," The Doctor notes. Craig runs into the store, looking for The Doctor. He runs into Val, who tells him where The Doctor went. Craig tells Val to look after Alfie, handing him to her before rushing off. Val laughs, thinking they want alone time as he tells her not to follow him.
"Not that kind of alone time Val," Martha said with a slight smile.
"Although-" Jack started.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Donna snapped and Jack closed his mouth, smirking in amusement.
On the ship, The Doctor finds a name tag when the Cyberman walks up behind him. The Doctor stands up, deducing that the ship crashed centuries ago and there were no survivors. The systems remained dormant until the council implanted new cables on top of the ship, which woke up the Cybermat and it channeled the power. The Cybermen starts preparing to take off but not enough parts or crew, The Doctor realizes. The Cyberman declares they will emerge when they are ready and convert earth to Cyber-Form.
"Well, guess we have our answer now," Jack noted.
"How exactly do they plan to get more Cybermen when The Doctor knows about them?" Martha wondered and Jane grimaced.
"Just wait for it."
The Doctor notes they're only six of them but the Cyberman points out he knows that's enough, as he knows them. "Correct. And The Doctor always gives you a choice. Deactivate yourself of I deactivate you," The Doctor says as he points his screwdriver at the Cyberman. A second Cyberman then walks up behind The Doctor and he looks behind him.
"Oh Bloody Hell!" Mickey snapped in annoyance as Donna and Martha groaned.
"It always gets worse before it gets better," Jack said grimly as Wilf watched uneasily.
Craig runs into the changing rooms, calling out for The Doctor. He sees the door to the tunnel and looks around. Finding a price gun, he runs down into the tunnel. The Doctor screams as he's restrained by the Cybermen. The Cybermen argue about making The Doctor the new leader but determine he's not compatible for conversion. Craig then bursts in, threatening them with the price gun.
"Not a very good plan Craig," Mickey muttered as they all watched uneasily.
"Craig is brave, but not very good at planning out this kind of thing," Jane explained.
"Which might get him killed," Donna said nervously and Jane smiled tightly.
"Worse I'm afraid," Jane said, doing nothing to sooth the others.
The Doctor tells Craig to get out of here but Craig refuses to leave him. A Cyberman asks if Craig had located them and he confirms this, revealing he and The Doctor had taken out the Cybermat. The Cybermen then knock the price gun out of Craig's hands and drag him over to be converted.
"Oh for the love of!" Mickey exclaimed as the past viewers looked on in horror.
"This cannot get any worse," Jack declared.
Craig pleads that they don't want him but they ignore his protests, assuring him they will take his fear from him and he will Cyber Controller, their leader as they conquer earth. Craig pleads with The Doctor to do something as he's encased in the armor of a Cyberman. The Doctor throws down Bitey to drain the power but a Cyberman crushes it under its foot, telling The Doctor he's failed.
"No no no," Donna whispered as the past viewers watched horrified.
"We know the Cybermen didn't come out to conquer earth, so The Doctor had to have stopped them," Wilf said although even he could hear the desperate hope in his voice as they watched the screen nervously.
The first phase of the conversion begins and Craig cries out in pain. The Doctor pleads with him to fight it, to think of Sophie and Alfie. As Craig begins to be converted, The Doctor tells him he's going to die. "Tomorrow I'm going to die, but I don't mind if you can just prove me right," The Doctor says as a helmet closes around Craig's head. "Craig!" The Doctor can only watch helplessly as the helmet is sealed and the Cyberman orders full conversion.
"No," Martha almost moaned as the past viewers stared in horror.
"Wait for it," Jane repeated, a smile crossing her face.
As the lights flicker in the store, Val tries to calm Alfie as he wails. The sound is picked up by the Cybership and The Doctor apologizes to Alfie for not being able to help Craig. A Cyberman announces the conversion is complete when an alarm begins blaring. A Cyberman says the emotions are rebooting and The Doctor realizes Craig can hear Alfie. "Craig, you wanted a chance to prove you're a dad, you are never going to get a better one than this," The Doctor says and the armor around Craig sparks, to the confusion of the Cyberman. They asks what's happening and The Doctor gleefully says a baby is crying. "And you better watch out, because guess what? Daddy's coming home!" The Doctor laughs. The helmet opens and Craig cries out for Alfie.
"So, love is what saved Craig?" Martha asked in disbelief, not sure whether that was stupid or brilliant.
"I guess it makes sense. The Cybermen don't have emotions, so Craig feeling love would stop the conversion," Mickey muttered, although he shared his wife's feelings on the matter.
"Either way, Craig's not a Cybermen. I'll take that as a win," Donna said as she breathed a sigh of relief.
Craig shoves aside a Cyberman as the armor opens up, continuing to call for Alfie. The Doctor breaks out of the hold of the Cybermen, grabbing his screwdriver as he tells Craig Alfie needs him. The Cyberman declare they are having an overload from an emotional influx and The Doctor explains it was triggered by Craig, they're feeling everything they cut out of themselves. "Which means a very big explosion," The Doctor adds. The Doctor and Craig rush towards the door only to find it sealed. As the Cybermen's heads explode, The Doctor realizes the teleport is still active. The Doctor rushes over to the teleport and uses his screwdriver to refuse it. They teleport off the ship before it explodes.
"So, love defeated the Cybermen," Mickey said no longer trying to hide his disbelief.
"Really screws with you, doesn't it?" Jane asked dryly.
"Now I've seen everything," Jack muttered as the past viewers looked at the screen in utter disbelief.
The Doctor and Craig appear on the lift, the doors opening to reveal them locked in an embrace. They rush out as Val sees them, wondering how they got in there. Craig rushes over to Alfie and she happily hands him over. The Doctor says Alfie gave him 10 out of 10 as Craig realizes he blew up the Cybermen with love.
"Which I still can't believe," Donna muttered.
"I guess it's true, love really is the most powerful emotion," Jack mused.
The Doctor calls this impossible and overly simplistic, giving an overly complex explanation before caving and admitting it was love. Val smiles, thinking they patched things up. Later, The Doctor explains to the salesgirl that the building should be structurally safe and she wonders why he's telling her this. The Doctor admits he doesn't know, shushing her. A few feet away, Val is checking out Craig, who has bought a new shirt, and tells him he has a discount for being a 'partner'. She asks if they're married and Craig, misunderstanding, says they talked about it but it's ultimately just a piece of paper.
"Good to know, but I don't think that's quite what she was talking about," Jack said, smiling as Mickey snickered.
"Very mature you two," Martha said dryly as Donna rolled her eyes at their antics.
The Doctor then walks up behind Craig and she says she's glad they made up for Alfie's sake. They're confused until she says she thinks they're a couple. Craig starts to correct her, laughing as he turns to The Doctor only to find him gone. Val wonders where he's gone and Craig realizes The Doctor has left.
"That is so him," Donna sighed.
"At the very least, I thought he'd say goodbye," Wilf said, not seeing Jane's smile.
Later, Craig walks into the house with Alfie, surprised to find it tidy and neat. He walks into the kitchen to see The Doctor walk in through the fixed glass door. "See? I do come back."
"Okay, didn't see that coming," Jack said, taken aback.
"This version of Boss definitely takes care of his friends a lot more," Mickey noted, he and Martha remembering the Tenth Doctor's treatment of them as his companions.
"After Regenerating, Dad definitely changed for the better," Jane agreed with a shrug.
The Doctor explains he used the TARDIS to get everything fixed. Craig is surprised as The Doctor explains he gave up Exodor to make sure Craig didn't get in trouble with Sophie. Craig is surprised as The Doctor says Craig is his mate. The Doctor notes Alfie is content and Alfie coos and The Doctor translates it as him preferring his given name now. The Doctor further translates to say Alfie is proud of Craig and Craig is overjoyed that Alfie calls his Dad now.
"So apparently all Craig needed to get Alfie's respect was to help save the world," Donna said with a smile.
"There are less dangerous ways to bond with your kid Craig," Jack said amused as Mickey snickered.
Alfie coos and The Doctor agrees that Craig is a bit thick. Craig laughs good naturedly and The Doctor says it's time for him to go. Craig says he can help but The Doctor assures him no one can. The Doctor grabs some TARDIS blue envelopes, saying he needs them.
"So that's how he got the envelopes then," Martha said as the light atmosphere vanished as they were reminded of The Doctor's death once more.
Craig asks where he'll go and The Doctor says America. Craig pleads for The Doctor to stay, saying Sophie will be home any minute but The Doctor says he can't miss his appointment. The Doctor wishes Craig goodbye. Craig tells him to hold on one second, rushing out of the room. The Doctor opens the fridge, briefly peaking inside when Craig reemerges, now holding a Stetson.
"And that's how he got a Stepson," Donna muttered.
"A last gift from an old friend," Wilf said softly as they all stared at the screen sadly.
Craig puts it on The Doctor's head and The Doctor thanks him. The Doctor heads to the back door and Craig sadly wishes him goodbye before someone knocks on the front door. Craig turns back to say its Sophie but The Doctor is gone, having already left.
"Now that's more like him," Jack mused.
"Always watching from a distance and then leaving once the job is done," Martha agreed softly.
Craig stares after him for a moment before Sophie knocks again. Craig opens the door and he and Sophie lovingly reunite. She's surprised Craig is wearing a papose and by how clean the house is. Suspicious, Sophie asks if something happened and Craig assures her nothing happened. She's pleased by how close Craig and Alfie. "Doctor Who," Alfie says, stunning Sophie as Craig freezes.
Some light smiles crossed the faces of the past viewers but they didn't say anything, too preoccupied with thoughts of The Doctor's death.
Outside, The Doctor walks towards the TARDIS, passing a group of children playing in the streets. The Doctor nostalgically tells the TARDIS it's time for one last trip before looking over at the children who approach him curiously. "Hey. I'm The Doctor. I was here to help. And you are very, very welcome," The Doctor says, tipping his hat to them.
Martha and Donna both put a hand to their mouths as they begin to cry. Mickey wrapped an arm around Martha, tears of his own falling as Wilf lowered his head, a tear falling from one eye. Jack merely watched with a sad expression as Jane watched sadly.
"We can never repay him for all he's done," Wilf said sadly and no one disagreed.
The children's thoughts are then heard: a blond girl thinks The Doctor seems sad. A black boy thought The Doctor was on his way to a gun fight. The other blond girl liked his hat. The scene then changes to River closing a folder that says 'eye witnesses accounts'. She opens her diary, finding a page with '22/04/11 5:02 PM Lake Silenco' written and circled. "Tick Tock goes the Clock," Kovarian's voice says and River looks up startled. "And what now shall we play? Tick tock goes the clock, and now summer's gone away."
"Oh please tell me that is not who I think it is," Mickey pleaded as they all froze.
"I really wish I could," Jane said with a heavy sigh, grimacing as she knew what was going to happen now.
River calls out uncertainly before Kovarian steps into view, wondering if the song is about The Doctor. River doesn't seem to remember Kovarian, wondering how she knows about The Doctor.
"She doesn't remember Kovarian?" Martha shocked and Jane smiled darkly.
"Why let a funny thing like memory interfere with her plan? The things they did to River, I doubt even she ever knew the extent of it," Jane said grimly as the past viewers realized what she was getting at.
"Experimentation," Jack muttered, filled with rage as he began revisiting his plans for Kovarian.
"My God," Wilf said horrified.
"God has nothing to do with it Gramps," Donna said horrified. "She was just a child."
"People like Kovarian don't care about that," Mickey said in disgust, thinking of Matthew and becoming angrily. "When we get back-"
"No need Mickey. Once we get back, I plan on tracking Kovarian down and paying her a visit," Jack said, a dark look on his face that promised Kovarian a very painful death.
River gets to her feet as Kovarian warns her not to try and remember, as they've been too thorough with River's head. River then looks behind, terrified to see two Silence there. River asks what they are and Kovarian says River's owners as she picks up the diary. River is confused as Kovarian notes River became a doctor today before pointing to the circled date, asking if River knows what that is. River says it's the day The Doctor dies, according to some accounts. Kovarian notes that an impossible astronaut will rise from the deep and strike The Doctor dead. River sits down, saying it's only a story. Kovarian gleefully says this is where it begins before the door opens and two clerics enter, holding different parts of the astronaut suit. River jumps to her feet as Kovarian notes River never really escaped them, addressing her by her given name. "We were always coming for you," Kovarian says gleefully.
"No," Donna said horrified as they all realized where this was headed.
"This is how they put her back in that suit. How they make her…" Martha trailed off in horror.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey muttered.
"River," Jack sighed heavily.
River is restrained as she demands how Kovarian knows who she is. Kovarian says she made River what she is. "The woman who kills The Doctor," Kovarian says, laughing sadistically as River is injected with a sedative. River falls into her chair, beginning to lose consciousness "Tick tock goes the clock, and all the years they fly. Tick tock, and all too soon, your love will surely die," Kovarian says coldly. River passes out and, when she opens her eyes, she is underwater, wearing the astronaut suit. The dolls song is heard again, except now it ends with 'Til River kills The Doctor'.
No one said a word, tense as they stared at the screen, the next recording starting.
Another enjoyable filler episode, although I didn't enjoy it as much as The Lodger and 'love saves the world' was stupid. It worked in The Lodger, not so much here.