Tobias grabbed the dial on the control panel next to the vials, and twisted it to 50. Then he grabbed a lever and pulled it. The pillar of light fizzed, and sparks danced across the surface, down the wires and over Sarah's face. She woke up, her eyes flying open as what looked like blue electric sparks disappeared into her skull through the wires, down her ears, nose, mouth, and even the corners of her eyes. The shock threw her chair backwards with a crash, and the wires were yanked from her forehead. One of them whipped back across to the pillar and control table, and there was a flash, a sizzle, and then smoke billowed from the machine and filled the room.
The machine caught fire, and to Rose's horror, the flames were somehow swept from the mushroom-like structure onto her jacket. Luckily, it caused the ropes on her wrists to catch fire, and they dropped off. Searing pain shot through her wrists, but at least she was free. Hastily slapping the fire on her arms to put it out, trying to ignore the intense pain in her hands as she did so, Rose took advantage of the confusion and hastily untied the ropes around her ankles. Tobias flung his jacket over the flames on the machine, desperately beating at the spreading fire with his bare hands. Seeing that he was preoccupied, Rose stumbled to her feet. Her legs cramped after so long sitting in the same position, but Rose ignored the added pain and threw herself towards Mickey.
"Mickey?" she slapped his face, relief filling her as his eyes flicked open and focused on Rose's face.
"Rose?" he mumbled. "What's…going on?"
"No time to explain. Come on, we've got to get out of here!" She grabbed hold of his arms and tried to drag him to his feet, but he was too heavy, and not awake enough to get up himself. Rose heaved, and the two of them almost managed it, but then Toby sent blow to the back of her head, which sent Rose sprawling. She landed heavily beside Sarah Jane, and saw the older woman struggling to open her eyes and sit up.
"Sarah! Are you OK?" Rose managed to gasp, though the smoke was beginning to burn her lungs.
"Rose?" Sarah mumbled in reply, but at that moment, Tobias grabbed the girl by her collar and dragged her backwards. Rose struggled furiously, but the alien – or, Time Lord, if he was telling the truth – was too strong. He would have succeeded in whatever he was trying to do, if Mickey hadn't chosen that moment to crack a chair over Tobias' back.
The Time Lord screeched in pain and fury, and dropped Rose, who fell to her knees. Tobias made a lunge for her, but Mickey cannoned into him, knocking him off his feet. The two of them crashed to the stone floor. As Rose scrambled away, coughing violently on the smoke, her foot bumped something on the floor. She twisted round, and saw that it was the prone form of Sarah Jane. Rose clawed her way to her side and started to untie her, all the while expecting Tobias to seize her and haul her backwards once more. Mickey, however, was busy keeping him occupied, using the thick smoke to his advantage. Tobias had succeeded in putting out the fire, but the smoke, with nowhere to escape to, was still heavy in the air. Mickey ducked and weaved, dodging the clumsy punches and working his way across the basement, hoping the Time Lord would follow him away from Rose.
But when the man stumbled backwards up the first few stairs to the main house, he realised Mickey's plan, and in drawing Tobias away from the machine, he had led him out of the worst of the smoke. Mickey found himself in plain view, and before he knew what was happening, Tobias had wrestled his back down the stairs. Mickey tried to resist the larger man, but Tobias' superior strength drove him to the floor. He ended up pinned to the floor on his stomach, with one arm twisted behind his back and what felt like Tobias' knee in his back, weighing him down so he couldn't move.
"R -" he started to croak, but Toby's hand suddenly clamped on his throat, cutting off his air. Black spots began to swim across his vision.
This is it, he thought, I'm going to die. In sheer desperation, Mickey closed his eyes.
Rose saw Sarah Jane jump to her feet, suddenly sure of herself. The older woman took in the scene – Mickey on the floor, Tobias looming over him – then leapt to the table, grabbed a handful of wires, and pulled. They snapped with an angry crackle of electricity. Sarah took hold of the longest, and slammed the broken end against Tobias' unprotected throat.
The shock tore through both him and Mickey, but the alien got the full blast, and was thrown sideways. He stumbled to his feet almost at once, but it was enough to allow Mickey the chance to get to his feet. Tobias' hair was sticking on end from the shock. In any other situation, Rose would have laughed, but the look he shot the three of them was so malicious it sent chills through her. He took a step forwards, but Sarah brandished the still fizzing wire.
"Rose?" she said, and there was something different in her voice, in her stance, in her eyes. Though she knew it was impossible, Rose was sure that this women, so sure and strong, facing down Tobias, was a different Sarah Jane than the one who had answered the door, what seemed like days ago.
"Yeah?" replied Rose, somewhat shakily.
"How did I get here? Who is this?" And then, when Rose could only gape in shock: "Where's the Doctor?"