~revised~
Chapter XLIII
Rose
She could see the four Daleks advancing, constantly screaming 'Exterminate!', their eye stalks pointing at them.
"Daleks!" she shouted at them.
Suddenly they stopped as if completely taken aback.
"You're called 'Daleks'," she continued.
The Daleks didn't respond, but continued to observe her. She walked towards them, trying not to show how afraid she was. She could still remember all too well her last encounter with a Dalek. It seemed to be ages ago and with the Doctor still in his last regeneration. When she had thought all this – travelling with him – would never end.
"I know your name," she said and took the lab coat off she was still wearing. "Think about it - how can I know that? A Human... who knows about the Daleks. And the Time War. If you wanna know how, then keep us alive. That's all I'm asking. Me and my friends."
That was their only chance, and she begged it would work.
"Yeah, Daleks. Time War. Me too," Mickey fell in.
"Yeah. And me," Rajesh said.
Thankfully bot of them reacted quickly in agreeing with her as the Daleks were still eyeing them.
"You will be necessary," one of them finally said, before turning to one of his companions, "Report - what is the status of the Genesis Ark?"
"Status - hibernation."
"Commence awakening."
"The Genesis Ark must be protected above all else."
She watched as one of the Dalek turned to the Genesis Arch and clamped its suction arm to the side of it.
"The Daleks - you said they were all dead," Mickey whispered to her.
"Never mind that - what the hell's a Genesis Ark?" she replied.
Mira
She should have gone back into the hall with the Void Ship, she knew it. Now she could only guess what was going on down there. And she was thinking about what the Doctor had said. Was the Void Ship really the reason why the Cybermen had made it to this universe? Did it tear a hole in the universe? Certainly, whoever had built that ship, had found a way to prevent this, hadn't they? There was no point in having a Void Ship if the walls of the universe were destroyed by travelling with it. Or maybe they simply didn't care.
"What's down there? She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?" Jackie said in sorrow.
Mira looked over to the Doctor who was leaning against a wall. They were still surrounded by Cybermen, and to her it was a miracle that they hadn't been killed yet.
"I don't know," the Doctor said abruptly.
Jackie started to cry and he went over to her. Oh hell, she was really glad she didn't have children of her own. And that was exactly why. Well, at least one of the reasons. She would have died of sorrow by now in Jackies stead.
"I'll find her. I brought you here, I'll get you both out. You and your daughter. Jackie, look at me. Look at me," he told her, and she finally looked up and into his eyes. "I promise you. I give you my word."
Suddenly, a Cyberman was approaching Yvonne, who was sitting at her desk. "You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender."
Mira couldn't help herself but had to laugh. It was a bitter, sarcastic laugh.
"What?" Yvonne had turned her head to her, as well as the Cyberman. "Do you think that's funny?"
"Sorry. I have a habit of doing that in the most inappropriate situations," she said. Well, that was true. She really had a habit of resorting to sarcasm. Rather cynicism in this case. "They don't have a central world authority," she said to the Cyberman and then to Yvonne, "See, Yvonne, this is what I was trying to tell you all along. Stop doing things when you can't handle the consequences yet. You still struggle with all your national states and the subsequent, stupid wars here on Earth. Don't touch things you don't understand." Now all the sarcasm was gone from her voice. "I really am sorry that you have to learn it the hart way." She looked down through the window at the now burning city. "Honestly, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."
Before she could continue or Yvonne could reply anything, the Cyberman spoke again, "You have a central world authority now. I will speak on all global wavelengths."
Great. She had seen it all before. Not exactly in this way, of course. But somehow it was always the same. Earth in her universe had also been invaded. She remembered all to well the day when the ships of the Council of the Seven had arrived over Earth, out of nowhere. Earth had been united back then, and their technology had been quite advanced, yet they hadn't stood a chance. The one significant difference was that this council hadn't planned to upgrade humanity, just to make the whole galaxy part of their empire.
"This broadcast is for human kind," the Cyberman said, "Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us."
She shivered. She would rather die than become one of them. The Doctor, Jackie and Yvonne had joined her at the window, all looking outside.
"I ordered surrender," the Cyberman said.
"They're not taking instructions. Don't you understand? You're on every street - you're in their homes. You've got their children," the Doctor yelled at them. "Of course they're gonna fight!"
Rose
She was still in the Sphere Chamber with the Daleks. Well, at least they were still alive, but that could change quickly.
"Which of you is least important?" one of the Daleks asked in his screaming voice.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she said.
"Which of you is least important?" the Dalek repeated.
"No, we don't work like that. None of us."
"Designate the least important!" it demanded.
"This is my responsibility," Rajesh said and was about to step forward.
"No, don't!" She tried to hold him back, but he ignored her.
"I - I represent the Torchwood Institute. Anything you need, you... come through me. Leave these two alone," he said as he stood in front of the Daleks.
"You will kneel."
"What for?"
"Kneel."
Rajesh did what he was told and all Daleks directed their eye stalks on him. Rose hold her breath in fear of what was about to come. They wouldn't harm him, would they? At least he could provide them with information, it would be stupid to kill him now.
"The Daleks need information about current Earth history," the Dalek continued.
"Yeah well I can give you a certain amount of intelligence but nothing that will compromise Home Land security-"
"Speech is not necessary. We will extract brainwaves," the Dalek interrupted him, and then all Daleks were approaching him, their suction arms pointed towards his head.
"Don't... I- I'll tell you everything you need. No. No!" Rajesh cried out in fear, but it was too late. The suction arms made contact with his head and he screamed before the Daleks crushed his skull. Mickey tried to run towards him, but she held him back. As the Daleks were finished with him, his blackened corps fell to the ground, still smoking.
"His mind spoke of a second species invading Earth infected by the superstition of ghosts," one of them said.
"You didn't need to KILL him!" she yelled. She was filled with horror about the sudden and violent death of Rajesh and tried hard to keep herself together.
"Neither did we need him alive"
"Dalek Thay - investigate outside," another one of the Daleks said.
Dalek Thay? Since when had Daleks names?
"I obey," Dalek Thay said and left the chamber.
Mira
She was still in the Rift Chamber with the others and could do nothing but watch the Cybermen take over Earth.
"Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber," one of them said.
"Cybermen will investigate," another answered.
After a few moments, the Cyberman said, "Units open visual link," and an image appeared on Yvonne's laptop.
"Visual contact established."
She looked closer at the screen. Now they would finally see what the hell was going on. It showed some storage area. Suddenly, a figure appeared in an open door and she couldn't help herself but to think of a huge pepper shaker. She immediately assumed it was a robot. She didn't think, not even for a second, that it could be armour or a space-suit of some sort. She turned her head to the Doctor to ask if he had seen something like that before, but she stopped as she saw the expression on his face. It was an expression of shock, fear and utter disbelief.
"Identify yourselves," the thing said, and she almost jumped because of its screaming, almost hysterical voice. Her head flung back to the screen.
"You will identify first," one of the two Cybermen replied.
She was captured by the scene on the screen, so she forgot for a moment to think about why the Doctor had looked that shocked.
"State your identity," the robot insisted.
"You will identify first," the Cyberman replied.
"Identify!"
Oh hell, this could take a while. Who were they? She was just about to finally ask the Doctor, as she heard the rest of the Cyberman's sentence, "... illogical, you will modify."
"Daleks do not take orders."
Daleks. Suddenly her blood ran cold in her veins. The Daleks? That thing was a Dalek? She turned to the Doctor again, he looked even more shocked than a moment ago. No wonder. So they did survive. And now they were on Earth. If ever a situation had gone from bad to worse...
"You have identified as Daleks," the Cyberman said.
"Outline resembles the inferior species known as 'Cybermen'," the Dalek yelled.
"Rose said about the Daleks. She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?" Jackie said to the Doctor.
Instead of answering he suddenly turned around to her and whispered something through gritted teeth.
"What did you-?" she whispered.
"Phone!" he urged.
She handed the phone over to the Doctor secretively, so that the Cybermen couldn't see it. He dialled a number and a moment later he whispered, "She's answered, she's alive."
Well, at least some good news, she thought, without any sarcasm this time.
"Why haven't they killed her?" he wondered.
"Well, don't complain!" Jackie said.
"They must need her for something."
"What do they want on Earth?" Mira asked
"The Genesis Ark?" the Doctor said instead of answering her question.
"What is-" she started but before she could finish the sentence, the conversation between the Dalek and the Cybermen continued.
"Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant," the Cyberman said.
"Daleks have no concept of elegance," the Dalek replied, with probably the worst modulated voice ever. So they were alive somewhere under that... suit, armour, or whatever it was.
"This is obvious. But consider - our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks - together, we could upgrade the Universe."
"You propose an alliance?" the Dalek asked.
"This is correct."
Oh God, please not. Right now she really was hoping that the Daleks and the Cybermen would start fighting each other, before they continued to do on Earth whatever they were about to do. Of course, getting caught in the crossfire was not what she was hoping for either – but with a little luck they would decimate each other a bit and buy humanity some time whilst doing so.
"Request denied," the Dalek yelled.
"Hostile elements will be deleted," the Cybermen announced and then opened fire at the Dalek.
To her horror, the energy rays from the Cybermen had no effect whatsoever. They were just bouncing off the metal hull.
"Exterminate!" the Dalek screamed and opened fire as well. A glaring ray of energy hit the Cybermen, one after the other, and the screen suddenly went black.
"Open visual link," one of the Cybermen in the room commanded.
The screen lit up again, showing a Dalek in the hall where the Void Ship was.
"Daleks, be warned: you have declared war upon the Cybermen"
"This is not war. This is pest control," the Dalek replied.
"We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?"
"Four."
"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?!"
"We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek. You are superior in only one respect."
"What is that?"
"You are better at dying. Raise communications barrier!"
The image on the screen got replaced by static noise.
This was almost preposterous. Two species arguing over invading Earth. If she hadn't witnessed it with her own eyes – and ears – she would have never believed it. Four Daleks. She was utterly convinced that they would be able to destroy the Cybermen, if they really were the same Daleks who had killed the Doctor's people and destroyed his home world.
"Lost her," the Doctor said and took the phone down.
"Quarantine the Sphere Chamber. Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel," one of the Cybermen announced and suddenly all hell broke loose. She felt being grabbed by a Cyberman, just like the others.
"No, you can't do this! We surrendered! We surrendered!" Yvonne cried as they dragged her away.
Jackie had begun to shout as well, but they just didn't stop.
"This one's increased adrenaline suggests he has vital Dalek information," a Cyberman said, obviously meaning the Doctor. "And this one seems to possess tactical knowledge about the future," he – or she? - added and the Cyberman holding her in his grip stopped as well.
"You promised me! You gave me your word!" she heard Jackie scream at the Doctor.
"I'll think of something!" he yelled back as she was dragged out of sight.
Suddenly the Cybermen let go of them, but there was no way they could try to escape. The chamber was filled with Cybermen. But at least they could probably talk. She looked around. Telepathy would really come in handy right now. If they made it out of this alive she should really talk to him about that.
"So what now?" she asked him quietly. He didn't look much better than when he had first seen the Dalek on the screen.
"I don't know? I have to think of something."
"Well, then take your time...," she replied and looked out of the window. There was still fighting and occasional explosions. "These Daleks... Are they the same as..." she added after a few moments. He didn't need to answer, the look in his eyes as he turned his head to her for a moment told her more than enough. "But why Earth of all planets?" Then it hit her. "Oh shit. The Void Ship- It's theirs, isn't it?"
"Maybe," he said and stared into space. "Or maybe they've found it."
She looked out of the window again. A plan began to form in her head. Well, more a last and desperate attempt, not a plan. Their only chance right now was to use the current situation. Play them both, Cybermen and Daleks, off against each other. Working with the Cybermen wasn't an option, they just wanted to upgrade humanity. They had to find out what the Daleks wanted. They didn't seem to be willing to collaborate as well, but maybe they needed intelligence. She didn't really like that idea, plus, time was running out for them and Earth. On the other hand, they didn't have anything left to lose. But there was another factor. She had no idea how the Doctor would react if she told him about her plans. If she would find an opportunity to tell him at all.
"Say, how exactly does your telepathy work? You've read one of my thoughts once, didn't you?" she whispered to him.
"What!?" His head flung around to her.
"Come on, don't pretend to be so surprised. Do we have to hold hands? There are things that aren't for their ears," she nodded at the Cybermen, "so it would really-"
"You are proof," one of the Cybermen suddenly interrupted her.
"Of what?" the Doctor asked perplexed.
"That emotions destroy you."
"Yeah, I am," he replied calmly, "Mind you, I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion. And here it comes," he added and looked through the room.
She followed his eyes but strangely enough, there was nothing there to see for her. The Cyberman had followed his gaze as well, and suddenly a group of black dressed people with breathing masks appeared out of thin air. The lifted their guns, aimed at the Cybermen and immediately destroyed them.
As the last Cyberman was destroyed, she and the Doctor got out of the corner where they had sheltered themselves.
"Doctor - good to see you again," one of the group said and she looked at him completely dumbfounded. That couldn't be true.
"Jake!?" she and the Doctor said at once.
"The Cybermen came through from one world to another - and so did we," Jake explained.
"You did what?" she asked, still somehow stunned.
But instead of answering, Jake said to the group, "Defend this room. Chrissie, monitor communications."
She looked at the Doctor who was wearing the 3D glasses again, studying the group.
"Kill one Cyber Leader and they just download into another. Move!" Jake added.
"You can't just- just- just hop from one world to another. You can't," the Doctor spluttered.
Good. She was not the only one completely taken aback by that.
"We just did. With these," Jake said and threw something that looked like a big, yellow button on a chain at the Doctor and then another one at her.
"With these?" she asked and turned the yellow object in her hands, still in disbelief. "You know what, my ship got destroyed by doing this. Crossing from one universe into another. And you tell me now that all it takes are big yellow buttons? Where did you get them from?"
"She's right, that's definitely not Earth-technology. So?" the Doctor fell in.
"We've got our own version of Torchwood. They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?"
"NO!" the Doctor yelled, but it was too late.
Jake pressed the button on his device, and the next second they were standing in pretty much the same room as before. Only this one was darker, and much messier.
"Parallel Earth - parallel Torchwood. Except we found out what the institute was doing and the people's republic took control."
"I've gotta get back. Rose is in danger. And her mother," the Doctor urged.
"That'd be Jackie," she heard a voice. It was Pete who had just walked in.
Doctor
The Doctor still couldn't believe it. Humans. Did they really think they could jump between universes just like that? With technology they didn't even understand? And if all this hadn't been enough, now Pete turned up.
"My wife in a parallel universe. And as for you, Doctor, at least this time I know who you are," Pete said to him.
"Right, yes, fine, hooray. But I've gotta get back. Right now," he said as he went over to Pete.
"No, you're not in charge here. This is our world, not yours. And you're gonna listen for once," Pete replied so calm that it was almost maddening.
Instead of replying something, he walked over to the wall were the crack in space was located and laid his ear against it. The wall between the worlds was weakening, and that was not good.
"When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen. So we sealed them inside the factories," Pete said.
The Doctor stepped away from the wall and looked at him, as well as at Jake and Mira who had joined them. Mira seemed to be really worried, and it didn't surprise him. She probably was the only one in here – apart from him – who could understand the implications of two universes colliding. She must have been a great scientist in her universe. For a moment he wondered why she wasn't working as a scientist. Or was she? A military scientist? She had never really told him.
"Except people argued. Said they were living. We should help them," Jake said.
Oh well, humans. Their greatest strength, their compassion, was sometimes their greatest weakness.
"And the debate went on. But all that time, the Cybermen made plans. Infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished," Pete continued.
"When was this?"
"Three years ago."
They were strolling back down the room, away from the wall.
"It's taken them three years to cross the void, but we can pop to and fro in a second. Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once," the Doctor was thinking aloud.
"Yeah, Mickey said you'd rattle off that sort of stuff," Pete said.
"Oh, where is the Mickey-boy?" he wondered.
"He went ahead first. Any chance to go and find Miss Rose Tyler."
"She's your daughter. You do know that? Did Mickey explain?"
"She's not mine. She's the child of a dead man."
Now they were standing at a window. The scene down below was absolutely peaceful. Nothing compared to his own universe right now.
"Look at it. A world of peace. They're calling this 'The Golden Age'," Pete said.
"Who's the President now?"
"A woman called Harriet Jones."
"I'd keep an eye on her."
"But it's a lie. Temperatures have risen by two degrees in the past six months. The ice caps are melting. They're saying all this is gonna be flooded. That's not just global warming, is it?" Pete asked.
"No," he said.
"It's two universes colliding," Mira said. "Do you have any idea what forces are at work here?"
"No. No, we don't," Pete said quietly.
"I've been trying to tell you - travel between parallel worlds is impossible. Then the Daleks break down the walls with the sphere...," he said but Pete interrupted him.
"Daleks?"
"Then the Cybermen travelled across, then you lot - those disks - every time you jump from one reality to another, you rip a hole in the universe. This planet is starting to boil. Keep going and both worlds will fall into the Void."
"But you can stop it - the famous Doctor...? You can seal the breach?" Pete asked.
"Leaving five million Cybermen stranded on my Earth."
"That's your problem. I'm protecting this world, and this world only."
He laughed softly and looked Pete up and down, "Hm... Pete Tyler... I knew you when you were dead. Now here you are, fighting the fight... alone...," he said, emphasising the last word and stepped closer to Pete. "There is a chance... back on my world... Jackie Tyler might still be alive."
"My wife died."
"Her husband died. Good match."
"There's more important things at stake," Pete said, "Doctor... help us."
He backed away, completely taken off guard. "What? Close the breach? Stop the Cybermen? Defeat the Daleks? Do you believe I can do that?"
"Yes," Pete said confidently.
"Maybe that's all I need," he said and grinned. "Off we go, then!"
...
A moment later he, Jake, Mira, Pete and some soldiers were back in his universe in the Rift Chamber. He hurried over to the phone.
"First of all, I need to make a phone call. You don't mind?" If Jackie was still alive, he had to help her now.
"You two, guard to door," Jake said to the soldiers.
He dialled Jackie's number, and it didn't take long for her to answer.
"Help me! Oh, my God, help me," she yelled into the phone.
"Jackie, you're alive! Listen-"
"They tried to download me but I ran away!"
"Listen, tell me - where are you?"
"I don't know! Staircase."
"Yeah, which one? Is there any- any sort of sign? Anything to identify it?"
"Yes! A fire extinguisher!"
"Yeah, that helps..."
"Oh, wait a minute - it says 'N3'."
"North corner, staircase 3. Just keep low, we're trying our best."
"No, don't leave me!"
"I've gotta go, I'm sorry," he said and hung up the phone before he turned to Pete. "Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler."
"She's not my wife," Pete said.
"I was at the wedding," he replied, and then, accusingly, "You got her name wrong." He went over to Jake and took the gun off him. He looked at it for a moment and then continued, "Now then, Jake-y boy, if I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on polycarbide."
"What's polycarbide?" Jake asked.
"Skin of a Dalek," he replied, gave the gun back to Jake and looked for Mira.
She was standing at the window, and after a moment of hesitation he walked over to her.
"You really think you can close the rift?" she asked quietly without looking at him.
"I don't know yet. But I have to. There's no other way."
She closed her eyes for a moment and he could hear her breathing heavily.
"Mira, I'm so-" he started, but she interrupted him.
"Don't. Don't say you're sorry. I would do the same in your stead."
"Really? You know what closing the breach means? Not only the connection between these two universes will be gone, but most likely the borders of this universe will become so strong that nothing can cross them for quite some time," he said softly.
"I know. But how could I let this happen?" she said, her voice cracking and looking at him for the first time. Her face was pale and her lower lip was shivering slightly. "Not only that the Daleks and the Cybermen will remain here on Earth, both worlds will be destroyed in the end." She turned her head back to the window. "I spent all my life fighting for humanity, I would give my life for them, any time. And not only for humanity. How could I let all these people die now? Billions, just so I can get home again? They might not be my people, but either way, I could never live with this," she said flatly.
He eyed her closely. There was nothing left from the anger and sarcasm she had shown earlier on. Even the passion he had seen as she had spoken to Yvonne was gone. Now she just seemed to be broken. Broken and defeated.
"Even if the Void Ship didn't do the damage but the Cybermen, I just can't risk it." she added.
"You don't think the Void Ship caused all this?"
"I don't know. We were in parallel worlds before. Even I came here without destroying this universe. I think it's the sheer mass of the Cybermen that's causing all the damage. Anyway, doesn't really matter now, does it? The Daleks have the Void Ship."
Rose
The Daleks still surrounded the Genesis Arch as Mickey showed her a yellow button that was hanging around his neck.
"I could transport out of here, but it only carries one and I'm not leaving you," he whispered.
"You'd follow me anywhere. What did I do to you all those years ago?" she wondered.
She really hadn't been that fair to Mickey, she realised. Well, she had realised it as he had chosen to stay in the parallel world, but she had avoided to think about it. After all he had left her, so she had assumed he was done with her.
"Guess I'm just stupid."
"You're the bravest man I've ever met," she said and squeezed his hand.
"What about the Doctor?"
"Oh, all right. Bravest Human," she said and smirked at him.
"Well, I can't think what the Daleks need with me. I'm nothing to them."
"You could be... whatever's inside that Ark is waking up and I've seen this happen before," she replied. "The first time I saw a Dalek, it was broken. It was dying. But I touched it. The moment I did that... I brought it back to life," she explained. "As the Doctor said... when you travel in time in the TARDIS, you soak up all this... um... background radiation. It's harmless, it's just there. But in the Time War, the Daleks evolved so they could use it as a power supply."
"I love it when you talk technical," Mickey suddenly said.
She looked at him for a moment. He had really changed. He seemed way more serious and grown up. Fearless and brave.
"Shut up. If the Daleks have got something inside that thing that needs waking up...," she said.
"They need you."
"You've travelled in time - either one of us would do."
"But why would they build something they can't open themselves?"
"The technology is stolen. The Ark is not of Dalek design," one of the Daleks suddenly interrupted them.
"Then who built it?" she asked.
"The Time Lords. This is all that survives of their Home World," the Dalek replied.
"What's inside?"
"The future."
Jesse Wales, AxidentlGoddess, oXxgeorgiaxXo, bored411, 10th Squad 3rd Seat: Thanks for leaving a review :-)
Dove: In the show I´m quite neutral toward her as well. I didn´t even plan to write her like that in the beginning, it just turned out like that. Probably because she really has some serious issues/flaws if you look closer at her character.
