An Eternity Among The Stars

by seasidewriter1

Waking up in the Doctor Who world after a serious car crash, Selene finds herself being invited to travel with the Doctor and his companions. Together they all protect the earth from the dangers it faces as well as saving other worlds and time periods. But as time goes on, how strong will the relationship between the two become? Will they fall in love? starts with 10 *Doctor/OC*

11. Army of Ghosts

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who in any way shape or form (planets, aliens, space ships, the TARDIS, etc.) or any of the characters. I do own my OC Selene.

11. Army of Ghosts

Planet Earth. This is where I lived and this is where I died. For the first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. Not ever. Then I met a man called the Doctor. A man who could change his face. He took me far from home in his magical machine; we picked up a friend too-her name was Selene. He showed us the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end... That's what I thought. But then came the Army of Ghosts. Then came Torchwood and the war. And that's when it all ended. This is the story of how I died...

The last week had been tough for Selene.

Despite her better judgement, she didn't say a word to the Doctor or Rose about her dream... about the future. She'd make things worse if she decided to suddenly rip a hole in all of space time. Her mind was constantly at battle now-tell them or not tell them? No matter how hard she wanted to shut off her brain and sleep through everything, she couldn't. That wasn't how the universe worked. So, the Doctor watched as she went through dramatic mood swings, asking what was wrong and she assured him that it was nothing; that her head was just hurting.

That wasn't a complete lie; her headaches had started up again. Ever since the one she got back at the 2012 Olympics, they hadn't stopped coming. So, when she told the Time Lord it was a headache, it was convincing and mostly true, so he didn't get too suspicious.

Selene was leaning up against the console, zipping and unzipping her coat's zipper. The Doctor and Rose were excitedly conversing about the world they were about to visit, letting Selene sink into her own world, which she'd been doing more of. She felt even more of a third wheel than she ever had before. She supposed it was her own fault, she was making herself be distant... in that moment she was only focusing on the zip-zip of her coat and her own thoughts. Then suddenly, everything rushed back to her: sounds, conscious thought, touch... The Doctor had taken her hand and pulled her towards the door excitedly, unable to stop grinning.

" Come on, you'll both love this! Ah, the animals here are like nothing you've ever seen before!" he announced as he pulled the door open. The Doctor pulled Selene out onto a planet with the most amazing sight she'd seen in a good long while. Her breath left her in a puff of surprise, mouth agape; she laughed and grinned for what felt like the first time in forever.

The three stood on a cracked rock surface that gently sloped into serene water; arches of rock rose and fell from said body of water in a way nothing on earth ever did. Cliff-faces were to their left and right, and more stone arches rose up behind them, which towered above like ancient skyscrapers. The sky was a pastel purple-blue with coral pink wisps of clouds drifting across; the sun was setting and cast orange light all around them. But what seemed to be most impressive of all were, in fact, the animals the Doctor had briefly mentioned. They were massive and looked almost like stingrays-and they were flying. They screeched in a manor that seemed like they'd been taken out of a dinosaur movie.

" Oh my God," Selene muttered, tucking hair behind her ears. " This... is amazing!"

" Thought you'd like it," the Doctor said proudly, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. Rose stared serenely out at the sight; she had a feeling this trip was meant to help pull Selene out of whatever slump she'd been in. Whatever was going on, was kind of scary; she reverted back into her own mind so often it was like she were some sort of... statue.

The Doctor smiled down at Selene, enjoying the look of pure wonder etched across her face. She never got tired of seeing new worlds, new faces, new creatures... that's why he loved his companions so much; they brought new life to the old universe he'd traversed so many times before.

" How long are you going to stay with me?" he suddenly asked Rose. A small smile lifted the edges of her lips as she turned her head to the left to look at him.

" Forever," she replied. Grinning, he looked over at Selene and nudged her shoulder.

" How 'bout you?"

" Hm..." Selene hummed, seeming to think it through. " Eternity, maybe; I don't think I've got plans." She pulled a grin as she looked at him, seeming genuinely happy. And that was good. That was very, very good.

OOOO

A few days later...

The walkways bustled noisily and with a friendly feel; it was a good break from all the hellish adventures they'd been plagued with. There were no fearful prophecies or aliens to battle. It was just your average bazaar on an asteroid in a densely populated corner of the universe. Selene was wandering on her own-it was the first time she'd done that since starting her travels with the Doctor. She found it relaxing to be on her own for a bit, even if she was hassled a few times to buy something.

Selene sidestepped a rather short man in a blue cloak, who was running in short strides through the crowd. She smiled and laughed a bit, staring at all the different faces around her. The Doctor had explained that the entire asteroid was basically a massive market and meeting place; on that chunk of rock in space, merchants of different species from different planets met to trade and swap stories and even start relationships. It was a clash of cultures that mixed so well, nothing seemed too out of place. The smells of exotic foods met the air and different languages floated to her ears. Selene stopped by a small stall where something caught her eye. She smiled and bent over to look at the necklaces lying on the table top.

" They're gorgeous," she said quietly, glancing up at the man selling them. He was shorter in stature-maybe reaching five foot-and wore a set of forest green robes. He appeared to be humanoid, but he had black tattoos stretching and curving across his face and neck. He smiled back at her as Selene carefully lifted one up to look at it. There was a pendant made of red-toned rock on the end of it that was carved into the shape of a circle; it hung from a braided piece of black cording and it seemed to glimmer interestingly in the light. It was almost iridescent when she looked at it. " What kind of stone is it?"

" It is made from the remnants of a long dead star by my home planet-the stone had been drifting through space for thousands of years," the man replied in a kind but gruff voice, a smile still on his face. " Would you like it?"

" Oh, sorry, I don't have any money besides..." Selene awkwardly checked the money she'd found in her jeans pocket. " Twenty..." She paused while thinking what to say before continuing with, " Earth dollars." The man's brows rose in interest and he nodded enthusiastically.

" Earth dollars? Earth is halfway across the universe! Please, pay with what you have," he insisted, seeming excited he would be receiving money as foreign to him as the money Selene had seen other people pay with in the bazaar. She laughed and smiled a bit, extracting the money and placing it in his hand, which he had stretched out to her. He bowed his head to her slightly as he began to examine the paper he'd been given.

Selene nodded to him in thanks and farewell as she started to walk through the bazaar again, tying the cording around her neck. As she was about to navigate through more of the bazaar streets and see more interesting things, but two hands latched onto her shoulders and spun her around. She was met by the wary face of the Doctor; one brow was raised and his eyes looked a bit tired.

" What have I said about wandering off? You've been good about it so far, why choose now, in the middle of the most crowded place we've been to break that streak?" he asked, gesturing to those milling around them. Of all the things she decided to suddenly and spontaneously do, why this? The Doctor had been honestly concerned about her; she was one of the happiest people he'd gotten to know! But lately... she was too withdrawn. The constant worry he felt gnawing at the back of his head for her would not go away; he wanted her to be safe, to be happy, and lately, it was increasingly harder to keep her as such.

Selene sighed and allowed herself to let a small smile leak onto her lips.

" Sorry about that; I kind of wanted a bit of time to myself," Selene told him, crossing her arms in a sign of embarrassment. The Doctor sighed and seemed to think over whether he should continue to be upset with her... whether he should reprimand her a bit more... but he figured that her reason was innocent enough. So, patting her shoulder and turning her back towards the direction the TARDIS was, he returned the small smile.

" Don't do it again though, yeah? You never know what'll happen in these sorts of places-oh, that's a lovely necklace..."

OOOO

One Day Later...

Rose sauntered up to the console with a smile on her face and a red and black backpack on her shoulder. The Doctor, who'd simply been lounging in the driver's seat, beamed at the blond. He was ready and rearing to go; his coat was already on and his Converse were tied tightly.

" And what is in the bag?" he asked curiously, arching an inquisitive brow.

" Laundry; if we're going to visit my Mum, I might as well have it done!" Rose explained, pulling the sleeve of her blue sweater down the bottoms of her fingers. The Doctor snorted and rolled his eyes, kicking his own feet off the console.

" Right, 'cause I'm sure she'll love that greeting…"

" Well, I bought her a gift in that bazaar, didn't I? She'll forgive me soon enough," she laughed as the Doctor re-set the coordinates for Powel Estate. The Time Lord chuckled at his long-time companion's words and kept his chin tucked down as he flicked switches.

" We ready to go somewhere?" Selene asked as she stepped up behind the now empty driver's seat, crossing her arms atop it. The Doctor smirked and looked up.

" Well, hello, hello, hello! Finally decided to leave your dungeon of a room this morning?" the Doctor teased as the engines began to whir. Selene rolled her eyes and ran a hand through the smooth curls her hair decided to take that day.

" I was laying down to see if my headache would go away—no such luck, but that won't stop me from trying to have fun, now will it?" She smiled and patted the back of the chair. She tried not to meet anyone's gaze, seeing as the two were both giving her a slightly concerned look at the mention of 'headache'… like usual. " So, where are we off to today?"

" Home." Rose hefted the bag off her shoulder so she could walk to the door, smiling. " I've got laundry to do."

" Laundry for her Mum to do," the Doctor amended quietly as the TARDIS thudded into place. Pulling on Selene's red sweater covered arm, he dragged her to the door, which Rose had already opened.

They were in the middle of a playground that had been most likely left deserted because of the sky that threatened rain. With a smile and a nod from Rose, the trio made their way towards the familiar apartments of Powel Estate, unaware of the changes that had already happened around them. Selene shivered in the cool air, glancing upward at the stormy sky before letting her blue eyes fall lazily to the interlocked hands of the brunette Time Lord and the blond time traveler. Shooting her gaze to the cracks under her black Cons, she balled up her fingers and fit them into the warm denim pockets of her jeans.

Tromping up the steps to her apartment door, Rose couldn't stop smiling. Everything was going well; Selene was seeming to get better too, so what on Earth or any other part of the universe could go wrong?

" Mum, it's us! We're ba-a-ck!" she called out as she opened the door. The Doctor, being the gentleman as always, let the two women go in before him, grabbing the doorknob as he stepped in last. The trio could hear lightly jogging footsteps rush towards them from what was the kitchen.

" Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone, you never use it!" Jackie exclaimed happily while marching up to her daughter. The two tightly hugged for the first time in a long time, and that gave the other two time travelers a moment to try and sneak by.

" No, no, no! Come here, Miss Selene!" Jackie pulled away from her daughter and embraced said woman tightly, rocking her back and forth with a grin. A laugh bubbled up in Selene's throat as she returned the hug, patting the older woman's back. Through the numerous stops they'd made back to the Tyler household, she'd gotten to know Jackie pretty well, and she always seemed to meet them with a grin.

" Better get the Doctor, he's trying to sneak off," Selene deviously whispered to the blond. Quickly detaching from Selene, Jackie grabbed a hold of the Doctor and took hold of his face.

" Oh, no, you don't! Come here!" she called out, despite the Doctor's short protest of,

" No, just—"

Jackie kissed him twice quickly before latching onto him in a hug, missing how tense and awkward the tall man now stood. " Oh, you lovely big fella, you're all mine!"

" Just—just—just put me down!" the Doctor begged, not enjoying the feeling of Jackie holding him practically hostage in her own arms… and he wasn't about to get any help from his so-called 'companions,' who were off sniggering in the living room.

" Yes you are!" Jackie continued on, pulling back to quickly kiss him one last time. As she stood back with a grin, she wiped lip gloss off his lips and loped off to follow the two other girls. The Doctor's face scrunched up as he began to wipe his lips off with a furious passion; that was the last thing he wanted… a kiss from Rose's Mum… he didn't want it when he first met her and he still didn't want it now…

The Time Lord squeezed between the two Tyler women and made his way towards the well-worn and comfortable couch where Selene sat; she had her legs crossed and was playing with her new necklace, which shimmered dully in the light. Noticing the tall figure in front of her, she handed him a stack of paper she presumed were old news papers, knowing he'd want to see what was going on in the world at that moment.

" I've got loads of washing for ya!" Rose announced as she put her bag in Jackie's arms. " And I got you this!" She extracted a small gold rounded container and held it up proudly. " It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar. It's made of, um… what's it called?"

" Bezoolium," the Doctor replied after a fraction of a second.

" Bezoolium. When it gets cold, yeah, it's gonna rain. When it gets hot, it's gonna be sunny. You can use it to tell the weather!"

" I've got a surprise for you and all," came Jackie's almost dismissive reply. Rose's brow twitched slightly as she scoffed to herself.

" Oh, I get her bezoolium. She doesn't even say thanks."

" Maybe she doesn't need to," offered Selene playfully albeit quietly from where she sat. Rose snorted and rolled her eyes at her close friend.

" Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time—he'll be here at ten past. Who do you think it is?" Jackie questioned excitedly. Rose's brows began to pull together in confusion. Who would be coming around? As she searched her mother's face, she began to realize that her Mum had been acting rather strange since she'd stepped into the living room…

" I don't know…"

" Oh, go on, guess!"

" No, I hate guessing, just tell me," Rose pleaded quietly, becoming slightly concerned.

" It's your Granddad—Granddad Prentice. He's on his way, any minute! Right, cuppa tea!" Jackie's voice was laced with excitement, which drove Rose into a cold shock and a painful worry.

Her Mum had gone insane.

" Oh dear," Selene muttered as she sprung to her feet. The Doctor's brow arched at her worried and scared tone; it was only Rose's granddad, what harm could a visit from him be?

" What?" the Doctor asked curiously.

" She's gone mad," Rose announced as Jackie ran off to the kitchen.

" Tell me something new."

" Granddad Prentice is her Dad—but he died like ten years ago…" The Doctor gave Rose a curious look and, his forehead creasing a little. Sucking in a breath, Rose said, " Oh my God, she's lost it… Mum!"

As the blond haired woman began to walk into the kitchen, the Doctor turned his head to look at Selene, his brows pulling together slowly. Selene shrugged, pretending to play dumb; no matter how bad her stomach had been twisting, or how badly the pain in her head was throbbing, she had to act normal. She had to pretend she didn't know how this was all going to end. So… grin and bear it as they say…

" What you just said about granddad…"

" Any second now!" Jackie said with an excited grin that almost boarder-lined eccentric. The Doctor snuck into the doorway, pressing his chest against the framework. Selene stood close to his arm, giving Jackie a worried look.

" But he passed away. His heart gave out, do you remember that?" Rose reminded her, smiling cautiously. Jackie's smile faded, but she nodded, clearly understanding what Rose had just said.

" 'Course I do!"

Selene bit her lip, unable to truly bear the idea that what Jackie thought was her father really wasn't…

" Then how can he come back?" Rose asked.

" Why don't you ask him yourself?" Jackie quickly checked her wristwatch. " Ten past. Here he comes."

" Jackie…" Selene said softly and worriedly, seeing the pure excitement in the woman's eyes. Just as Rose was about to say something again, wringing her fingers with worry, a featureless, hazy, transparent and grey figure stepped through the kitchen wall and counters, stepping into the room like a living shadow. It was shaped like a human, standing just a tad taller than Jackie; the room seemed to buzz with an unknown energy that made a shiver run down Selene's spine. The Doctor's immediate reaction was to step forward and gape at what stood before him, his hand on Selene's wrist to pull her closer; whatever it was, who knew if it was dangerous?
" Here we are then! Dad, say hello to Rose. Ain't she grown?" Jackie was grinning happily, hands on her hips. There was no fear in her eyes. She was completely at ease with the… thing beside her. The next thing Selene felt, was a sharp tug on her arm as the Doctor dragged her towards the door. Something—something—in his head told him that this wasn't an isolated incident. The air felt… wrong, it felt manipulated. So, tromping down the stairs and finally releasing Selene's wrist, he sprinted outside, eyes scanning his surroundings.

Spying into a courtyard, he spied children playing with more of the hazy figures; some just walked around as if normal human beings… everywhere he looked there was at least one of the figures lounging about.

" They're everywhere!" he exclaimed as he came to a stop. Rose stepped in front of the Time Lord, staring in shock at what was happening around them. It was all so unnatural. Turning around, she suddenly exclaimed,

" Doctor, look out!"

He spun on his heel just in time to see and feel one of the shadowy figures step through him. The Doctor's body stiffened as it passed through him, leaving him feeling cold and breathless. His eyelids fluttered a couple of times and his head had begun to spin slightly. It felt horrible. He turned and watched as the shadow, unfazed, kept walking away. Body shivering slightly, the next comfortable thing he felt was a hand sliding across his coat. Selene's arm was firmly set across his back as if she were afraid he'd keel over in an instant. Rose felt her jaw flex slightly at how close the brunette woman stood, but she quickly dismissed it—it wasn't the time for that.

" We should get back inside," Selene said, nodding to the apartments. While her voice sounded steady, her brows were creased in worry as she stared at their surroundings. Rose nodded, face still pulled into one of confusion.

" They haven't got long, midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes," Jackie explained, jogging up behind them whilst brushing hair from her face. " They're about to fade." The Doctor, noting that Selene's arm slackened and fell away, let his face scrunch up.

" What do you mean, shift? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?" The Doctor exclaimed, looking around in a tizzy. He didn't know what was going on, he'd never seen anything like it! His mind was working at a million miles an hour and he still couldn't figure out what was happening! It was something that really agitated him.

Jackie scoffed and looked at the antsy Time Lord.

" Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie asked.

" When is he ever happy when someone knows more than him?" Selene interjected, jumping to the side to avoid a shadow. The Doctor shot a look to both women before continuing to speak.

" No one's running or screaming or freaking out!"

" Why should we? Here we go, twelve minutes past…" Jackie said, checking the watch once more. Sure enough, in a couple of seconds, the ghosts just… faded out. The air lightened and everyone carried on as if nothing had happened.

OOOO

" Here," Selene said exiting the kitchen while extended a mug of hot tea to the Doctor. He looked up from his spot sitting cross-legged on the floor and shook his head.

" No, I'm fine," he replied, pulling on his glasses and straightening his pinstriped jacket. Arching a brow, Selene held the mug out a bit further, the warm smell of peppermint wafting off the top. The Doctor's brown eyes turned up to her in confusion.

" I've just made you tea. I suck at making proper tea and your turning my first good attempt down? First off, that seems a bit rude, yes? Also…" Selene sat down beside him on the carpet and held gave him a knowing look. " You just had a so called 'ghost' walk through your body. I think that warrants at least a sip of tea."

There was a pause as a tiny smirk pulled up a corner of his mouth; he accepted the hot mug from the American's hands and felt the warmth seep into his previously cold hands. Lifting it to his lips, he took a long sip and his brows furrowed slightly. Selene winced and hugged her knees, something she did as a nervous habit if she were sitting.

" Is it bad?" she asked. Although she wasn't sure how she could truly screw up a cup of tea, she knew she wasn't a master at making a perfect one.

" No, it tastes perfectly fine to me. A bit weak, if I say so myself, but good." He smiled cheekily and leaned into her shoulder for a moment. " Look at you trying to take care of me."

" Trying and succeeding," Selene amended with a quiet laugh, cheeks turning pink.

Rose, who just stepped out of the kitchen after taking a few moments to take some deep breaths, paused when she saw Selene and the Doctor sitting side by side on her living room floor. They seemed to now be searching for the telly's remote, the Doctor sipping at the tea Selene had made. When Selene victoriously pulled it out from between the couch cushions, the Doctor grinned and seemed to say something akin to 'oh, yes!' and give her a one-armed hug. That feeling she felt when the Doctor had caught Selene as she fell bubbled up inside her again; jealousy was rearing its ugly head again, and she didn't like it at all. Her brows creased as Jackie stepped into the room, sitting down to join the two time travelers already perusing channels.

Rose stepped in a moment later, face still pulled in confusion and her brows still tight as Selene and the Doctor's shoulder kept bumping together. She sat beside her mother on the couch, legs crossed and leaned forward. The Doctor set his green-checkered mug down and turned towards the telly.

" On today's ghost watch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge. It's almost like a military display," one announcer said, showing footage of said ghost formation.

" What the hell's going on?" the Doctor, muttered, switching the channel, which happened to land on a weather report…

" And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts from London, through the North and up into Scotland."

Click. New channel. This time, a show called I Married A Dead Man! With: Trisha Goddard.

" So, basically Eileen, what you're telling me is that you are in love with a ghost?" Trisha asked as the camera switched to a woman on the stage, seated beside one of the ghosts.

" He's my ghost," Eileen cried tearfully, " And I love him 24/7!"

Television snow. A new channel. Interview with a ghost hunter, who claimed no one needed him anymore.

Fuzzy screen and a new channel; it was a commercial for a product for ghosts called 'Ectoshine.' The Doctor's face screwed up in disbelief.

The next few channels were international channels—France, India, Japan—all having to do with ghosts. Apparently, in Japan, they had their own fan base. The Doctor rubbed his eyes with a furrowed brow while Selene snorted.

" Oh, planet Earth…" she sighed.

" They're all over the world," the Doctor mused softly.

And finally, there was an episode of Eastenders, featuring none other than a ghost. The Doctor clicked the telly off and put the remote on the coffee table behind himself and Selene.

" When did it start?" he inquired, turning so he was resting against a chair. Selene scooted backwards to be sitting across from him, arms crossing.

" Well, first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar. So she goes down—" Jackie began to gossip, making the three sigh.

" No, I mean world wide."

" Oh, that was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning and there they all were. Ghosts, everywhere! We all ran 'round screaming and that… Whole planet was panicking." She eyed the Doctor. " No sign of you, thank you very much. Then it sort of sank in! Took us time to realize that we're lucky."

" What makes you think its Granddad?" Rose asked softly, leaning her cheek against her closed fist.

" Just feels like him—there's that smell, those old cigarettes—can't you smell it?" Jackie asked, making the Doctor's face contort as he thought.

" I wish I could, Mum, but I can't."

" What about you, Selene, you must smell it." Selene's mouth dropped open at the sudden question, three sets eyes shifting towards her. She shrugged and gave a small smile.

" Sorry, no."

Jackie, obviously not satisfied, turned to Rose and said,

" You've got to make an effort. You've got to want it sweetheart."

" The more you want it, the stronger it gets?" the Doctor asked, wheels in his head turning.

" Sort of, yeah."

" Like a psychic link," he mused, scratching the back of his head. " 'Course you want your ol' dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."

" You're spoiling it," Jackie deadpanned, eyes darkening in annoyance. The Doctor sighed.

" I'm sorry, Jackie, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes… just a memory."

" If they're not ghosts, what are they then?" Rose asked, turning her attention to the Doctor.

" Yeah, but they're human. You can see them! They look human!" Jackie exclaimed, wanting so much to believe they were actually ghosts. Rose sunk her teeth into her soft bottom lip, noticing the point her mother brought up.

" She's got a point—I mean, they're all sort of… blurred but they're definitely people."

The Doctor had tilted his head back and held his hand close to his mouth as he thought. This was the tricky bit, as always; try to figure out what they really are. Everyone always wanted to believe these things were good, that they were human, but unfortunately that was rarely the case and people just didn't seem to understand that—

" There are dozens of things that can probably take form as humans," Selene suddenly pointed out, eyes far off, " If there's something I think we've all learned, it's that everything isn't always what it seems."

" Exactly my thoughts," the Doctor said softly, before continuing to think out loud, " They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world. But a footprint doesn't look like a boot."

With that, the scrambled to his feet, snatching his thick tan coat off the back of a chair. Rose was quick to follow, not noticing the slow movements Selene was taking; her head was slowly getting worse. It was like something pushed against her skull, trying to pop out every time she tried to think. It wasn't pleasant and no matter what she tried, it wouldn't go away.

She'd just take some Advil before doing anything else.

OOOO

Torchwood Institute, Canary Warf

Adeola Oshodi sat at her neatly organized desk, putting away files that had to do with the most recent ghost shift. And honestly? She was bored. Yes, everything was going well, but when the ghost shifts weren't happening, everything got really slow and at times, unproductive. Casting a glance over her suit jacketed shoulder, Adeola's gaze landed on a man about her age named Gareth. He was extremely good looking; he had short brown-blond hair and grey-blue eyes and always looked sharp in his work suits. Smirking, she clicked her computer into an instant messenger and typed:

god im bored

The message appeared on Gareth's screen and he smirked, glancing over at Adeola. She smiled and he grinned back, turning to reply with,

me too yawn

Smiling, she replied:

fancy a coffee?

The reply:

thought you'd never ask :-)

Trying to regain composure, Gareth stood and grabbed some files, walking over to their supervisor, Yvonne, who was conversing with other employees.

" Yvonne?" She turned to look at him. " I'm going to double-check the stacks, just in case."

" Sure," she replied with a consenting nod. Once he left, Adeola was next to approach, saying,

" Yvonne, I'm going to cross-reference the levels with the sphere."

" Okay, fine," Yvonne agreed as Adeola left. Smirking and turning back to those she'd been talking to she said, " And they think we haven't noticed."

Gareth, leading Adeola by the hand, took her into a section of the building that was being renovated. He smiled at her.

" Come on, it'll be right down here. Just two minutes," he told her.

" This is out of bounds," she pointed out, staring at the white plastic sheets surrounding the construction.

" Yeah, and that's the point! It's completely safe. They're just building new offices."

" What about the workmen?" Gareth gave a sly smile.

" They must be allocated somewhere else," he suggested.

" It's not worth it for a snog," Adeola protested with a slight scoff. Her words didn't deter Gareth as he began to step back into the blocked off area of the floor.

" It is! Come on…" Gareth dropped her hand and turned away, walking through the maze of hanging plastic sheets, soon disappearing from view. Adeola bit her lip, wondering if she should actually follow. Any movements she was about to make were cut off when she noted two workmen coming back to retrieve a ladder. She awkwardly waved to them as they began to leave, her smile finally slipping off her face.

" Gareth!" she called in a stage whisper, " Now, don't be daft, where have you gone? Gareth!" No answer. She wet her lips nervously as something shifted. " Look, I'm going to head back, I'm seeing you tonight anyway." No reply. " Gareth?"

Adeola stepped hesitantly into the room filled with thick plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling, parting them as she went.

" I'm going to get back to work. This is it," she called nervously. " I'm going… see ya…" The room was eerily quiet, as if Gareth wasn't there at all anymore… Adeola got a tingling sensation on the back of her neck, which made her shiver. " Now stop it, Gareth! I'm not kidding, just stop it!"

There was a hulking shadow behind one of the sheets of plastic and she forced herself to become composed.

" Sorry, I'm just looking for my friend. Did anyone come down here?" she asked, quickly parting the plastic.

When she did, a hulking man of metal stepped forward. Adeola screamed as the Cyberman locked its sights on the poor woman.

OOOO

Selene relaxed against the console of the TARDIS, happy that her headache had subsided some; the Doctor was rooting around beneath the grating of the floors, searching for some device or another. He'd sent Rose out to get a newspaper to find out more current happening dealing with ghosts. Everything that was happening was just so odd, so weird… something so confusing hadn't happened for a quite a while.

" According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as M.P. for Leeds," Rose announced as she stepped back into the TARDIS, a folded newspaper in hand. Rose walked over to where the grating had been opened and dropped the paper onto the console beside Selene. " Don't tell us you're going to sit back and do nothing."

" Who ya gonna call?" the Doctor exclaimed as he jumped out of the hole, now equipped with a backpack and some sort of device in his hands.

" Ghostbusters!" Selene and Rose cried with matching smiles.

Both began to laugh as he did a few weird little dance moves and cried, " I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" and then proceeded to leave the time machine.

Once back outside in the abandoned playground, the Doctor began to set down three metal cones linked together by wires in the grass.

" When's the next shift?" he asked Jackie, who'd tagged along. Consulting her watch, she replied with,

" Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?" Jackie asked, nodding to the cones.

" Triangulates their point of origin."

" I don't suppose it's the Gelth," Rose said, brushing hair from her face.

" Nah, they were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet, like tracing paper," he muttered fixing the cones position. " Uh, Selene shift the cone by your foot just a smidge to the right." Selene bent over and did as told, shifting it across the cool grass. " Perfect."

" You're always doing this, reducing it to science," Jackie pointed out, " Why can't it be real? Just think of it, though—all the people we've lost, our families coming back home!" There was a sharp sting that Selene felt at the mention of families coming back home… God, she thought she'd gotten past the whole guilt of not being there thing… " Don't you think it's beautiful?"

The Doctor gave her a completely serious look and said,

" I think it's horrific." He then turned to the two younger women. " Rose, give us a hand!" He began to unwind some wire and jogged back into the TARDIS, trailing it behind him. Jackie slowly followed them and closed the door as the Doctor connected the wire into the console. " As soon as the cones activate, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop, setting fifteen-b, hold it against the port, eight seconds, and stop," the Doctor said, handing the Sonic to Rose.

" Fifteen-b, eight seconds."

" If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left."

" I know, is it that one there?" Rose asked, leaning across to the left and pointing to a button.

" Mm, close."

" That one?" Her hand moved to a larger knob. The Doctor's face scrunched up and let out a high-pitched hum and replied with,

" Now you've just killed us."

" Ha! Uh… that one!" Rose laughed, setting her finger lightly atop it.

" Yeah! Now, what've we got, two minutes to go?" the Doctor asked. Jackie looked down at her watch and nodded silently, face completely blank. " Great! Selene, you got all that too? Should anything go wrong and Rose needs help, go right ahead and do it. Gonna go start up the cones!" He jogged back outside to start exactly what he said he'd be doing. After a momet, he called out, " What's the line doing?"

" It's all right. It's holding!" Rose called back.

" Everything is a-okay!" Selene agreed over the buzzing noise of humming electricity. She stepped over to the door to watch him work, back to the two Tyler women.

" You even look like him," Jackie's saddened voice quietly said. Rose looked beside her, where her mother now leaned against the railing.

" How do you mean?" A smile spread over her lips. " I suppose I do, yeah."

" You've changed so much…" Jackie stood behind her daughter, face remaining emotionless.

" For the better."

" I suppose."

" Mum, I used to work in a shop!" Rose pointed out, turning to face Jackie.

" I've worked in shops, what's wrong with that?" she asked.

" No, I didn't mean that…" Rose's voice was soft as she turned back around, almost as if she were a small child again.

" I know what you meant. What happens when I'm gone?"

" Don't talk like that!"
" No, but really. When I'm dead and buried, you won't have any reason to come back home. What happens then?" Jackie asked seriously. These ideas had been plaguing her for some time now, and quite frankly, it seemed like a good moment to bring it up. There her daughter was, acting exactly like the alien man who swept into their lives like a storm.

" I don't know…" Rose muttered, looking down at her hands.

" Do you think you'll ever settle down?"

" The Doctor never will, so I can't. I'll just keep on traveling," was Rose's reply, turning to face her mother. Jackie's eyes locked with her daughter's and she said,

" And you'll keep on changing. And in forty years time, fifty, there'll be this woman, this strange woman walking through the marketplace on some planet a billion miles from Earth. She's not Rose Tyler. Not anymore. She's not even human."

" Here we go!" the Doctor's almost cheery voice called out, dragging Rose's attention back to the screen.

" The scanner's working, it says delta 1-6!"

Selene watched as the Doctor grinned and bounced from foot to foot exclaiming,

" Come on, then, you beauty!" She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, which was literally contagious. She stepped out of the TARDIS, having no specific instructions on what to do, and took a spot beside him, watching the cones carefully.

Energy crackled and the cones created thin lines of sparking blue electricity, which created a pyramid; inside said pyramid, a single ghost was trapped. Scrambling for something in his pocket, the Doctor produced a set of 3-D glasses and slid them on. He bent over and fiddled with something to play with the frequencies of the cones. He was attempting to pin point the location from which the ghosts were coming from. The ghost began to twist around uncomfortably. Selene and the Doctor chuckled.

" Don't like that much, do you?" he questioned cheekily. " Who are you, where are you coming from? Whoa!" The Doctor yelled out and pulled Selene a foot or so back as the ghost lashed an arm out at them.

" Certainly isn't Casper the Friendly Ghost," Selene mused wryly.

" Oo, nice reference," the Doctor commented with appreciation before turning back to the trapped ghost.

" Thank you, I do try," Selene told him, with a casual shrug. Then, after a moment, the ghost and the pyramid disappeared. The Doctor and Selene began to pick up the cones, running back into the TARDIS. Once everything was put away, the Doctor threw off his coat and marched towards the monitor screen.

" I said so—those ghosts have been forced into existence from one specific point, and I can track down the source." Selene jogged over to flank his left while Rose was on his right. He leaned into the console and yanked a lever proclaiming his most famous saying:

" Allons-y!"

The TARDIS shuddered, the engines whirred and Rose and the Doctor to fell against the driver's seat and Selene to stumbled to her knees, but she was grinning. He'd finally said it! And hearing it come from his mouth in real life was just… amazing! Once the trembling subsided, the Doctor began to rush around the console, pushing buttons, spinning handles and cranks, thinking hard on the word he'd just said.

" I like that, allons-y," he said, testing the word on his tongue again. I should say 'allons-y' more often. Allons-y—watch out, Rose Tyler, allons-y! Selene Thomas, into the TARDIS, allons-y! And then, it would be really brilliant if I met somebody called Alonso! Because then I could say, 'allons-y, Alonso,' every time! What do you think, Selene?" He beamed down at her, standing close. She grinned right back up at him and laughed.

" I think it's awesome! You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that!" Selene told him, an excitement leaking into her voice that he hadn't heard for a while. Biting the tip of his tongue cutely as he grinned, he spun to face Rose.

" And what do you think, Rose? It would be such a fun thing to say—you're staring at me," he said in confusion, noticing the look she was giving him.

" My mum's still on board," she whispered. The Doctor's face slackened in what seemed to be dismay when he spotted Jackie sitting on a platform that hugged the wall.

" If we end up on Mars, I'm going to kill you," she voiced from her spot.

Yes, it was definitely dismay on the Doctor's face.

As the TARDIS materialized where it had, which seemed to be a loading bay, the Doctor looked at the monitor, only to see that men in military uniforms immediately surrounded them. He sighed and said,

" Oh, well, there goes the advantage of surprise. Still, it cuts to the chase," he mused out loud, scratching the back of his head. " Both of you stay in here, look after Jackie."

" I'm not looking after my mum!" Rose exclaimed as they all trailed after him to the door.

" Well, you brought her."

" I was kidnapped!" Jackie protested.

" Doctor, all of us should really go with you," Selene said strongly, emphasizing 'all.' Maybe, just maybe if Rose stayed with them, things could change. Rose ran into the lead and blocked the door.

" Doctor, they've got guns," she pointed out. He gave her a look.

" And I haven't, which makes me the better person, don't you think?" He took a gentle hold of her waist and moved her out of the way.

" Doctor…" Selene drew out, arching a brow at him.

Oh, so she really is trying to take care of me, he thought to himself with a rather happy twinge to his inner voice.

" They can shoot me dead, but the moral high ground is mine."

And then he stepped out of the TARDIS, shut the door, and raised his hands as the soldiers readied their guns. All three women crowded around the door, peering through the crack that he'd left open. Suddenly, out in the loading bay, a woman with curled and flouncy blond hair and a completely black ensemble ran up excitedly, pushing through the soldiers. It was Yvonne.

" Oh! Oh, how marvelous!" she said happily as she stopped in front of the surrendering Doctor. She began to clap with a grin, all of the soldiers following her lead. " Oh, very good! Superb! Happy day!"

" What the hell…" the Doctor heard Selene mutter from behind the door. The tone of her voice mimicked the confusion that was written right across his face. Slowly lowering his hands, his mouth opened as he thought of what to say.

" Um, thanks. Nice to meet you. I'm… the Doctor."

" Oh, I should say! Hooray!" Yvonne proclaimed in an overly cheery voice, everyone clapping again.

Seriously, what is going on? was the only thought running through the Doctor's brain. Take a confusing situation and drop an extra scoop of confusing on it why don't they… He looked at all of the soldiers, none of which were pointing guns at him anymore.

" Ah… you—you've heard of me, then?" he asked.

" Well of course we have! And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here. The Doctor and the TARDIS!"

More applause, which was getting quite annoying. The Doctor laughed awkwardly and held up his hands for them to stop, which they didn't. He lifted his fingers to his lips and uttered a,

" Shh!" And made a cutting motion with his hand in front of his neck… and that was a way to tell them to kindly shut up. " And—and—and you are…?" He slid his hands into his pockets and leaned forward slightly, hoping to get an answer.

" Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to the records, you're not one for traveling alone. The Doctor and his companion—that's a pattern isn't that right?" The Doctor's face had gone rather impassive, one eyebrow quirked, his lips tight. " There's no point in hiding anything, not from us. So where is she?"

" Yes, sorry, good point," the Doctor said, breaking from his frozen state and smiling. " She's just a bit shy, that's all. But here she is…" The Doctor reached into the still mostly closed door and grabbed the nearest hand, which just so happened to be a very surprised Selene's. The Doctor met her eyes and pulled her close into his side, giving her a squeeze. " Selene Thomas!"

Yvonne smiled at the newly emerged woman who, quite shyly, raised a hand in greeting to everyone here. Selene's heart was pounding harshly against her ribcage; she hadn't expected this to happen. She would much rather this had gone the way she hoped would change the end of the story—that Rose would get pulled out, not Jackie, not Selene, but Rose. Unfortunately, that didn't seem like it was going to happen.

" Lovely to meet you," Yvonne said before looking back at the Doctor. " Our records show at least two companions in your more recent travels. I would certainly hope that you haven't lost one." The smile on her face clearly said she knew that Rose had to be there. Glancing back at the door again, the Doctor reached inside and grabbed another hand with a laugh.

" Everyone's a little bit shy when they meet new people, yeah? And here is Rose Tyler," he said, pulling out none other than…

Please let it be Rose, please let it be Rose…

Jackie Tyler.

The smiles faltered off Selene's and the Doctor's faces for a moment, but quickly recovered as the Doctor looked her over and said,

" Hm. She's not the best I've ever had—bit too blond, not too steady on her pins, a lot of that—and just last week she… stared into the heart of the Time Vortex…"

" And… aged," Selene added in, with a serious nod.

" Aged fifty-seven years to be exact, but she'll do."

" I'm forty!" Jackie interjected, obviously offended for good reason.

" Deluded. Bless. I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone?" he asked suddenly, ignoring the steady glare he was receiving from the older Tyler woman. " She's very good at tea. Well, I say 'very good,' I mean not bad. Well… I say 'not bad'—anyway! Lead on, allons-y! But not too fast, her ankle's going."

As they began to leave the loading bay, Jackie hissed,

" I'll show you where my ankle's going!"

" Jackie, it'll be fine, just ignore it," Selene whispered comfortingly, patting her shoulder. Selene smiled a bit at the soldiers as they passed between them all; however, she wanted to pull the Doctor aside where curious ears couldn't listen and tell him that Yvonne was up to no good. Unfortunately, as said woman led them through all the back halls, she kept very close to them, still grinning like a kid on Christmas.

" It was only a matter of time until you found us, and at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor. Welcome… to Torchwood," Yvonne announced as she pushed some doors open, which led them into a large factory-like room Dozens of wooden crates were been shifted around by workers and soldiers alike, each box containing something of an alien nature.

The Doctor stared at it all in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing… and what he had heard; had she said Torchwood?

" That's a Jathar sunglider," he murmured, staring at a large alien ship that was in the center of the room. Selene thought it looked an awful lot like the typical UFO that was always in movies, but this time, it was definitely real.

" Came down to earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago."

" It crashed?" Selene asked from her position slightly behind the Doctor. Yvonne laughed slightly and shook her head.

" No, we shot it down," was her reply, her smile still fully in place. " It violated our airspace. Then we stripped it bare." The Doctor shared a look of moderately contained horror with Selene, who crossed her arms tightly over her stomach. " The weapon that destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas day? That was us. Now, if you'd like to come with me."

Jackie gave a shocked look that matched the trio's feelings and they stepped forward to follow the smiling woman. Selene grabbed onto the hem of the Doctor's sleeve, grabbing his attention.

" Doctor, I need to tell you something," she whispered, eyes on the back of Yvonne's head. She had to warn him, had to let him know she wasn't up to any good… but… the ghosts, what were they actually again? Her head throbbed as she tried to think, making her push away those thoughts for the moment.

" Later, Selene, I promise," he whispered back, intent on hearing whatever Yvonne was going to say next.

" The Torchwood Institute has a motto. 'If it's alien, it's ours.' Anything that comes from the sky, we strip it down and we use it for the good of the British Empire."

" For the good of the what?" Jackie inquired, now ahead of both Selene and the Doctor.

" The British Empire," she said as if it should be simple.

" There isn't a British Empire."

" Not yet. Ah, excuse me." She turned to a soldier and took a large gun from his hands.

" Doctor," Selene hissed with agitation, only to get brushed off with a quiet 'shh.' Sighing, Selene crossed her arms again and looked off, thinking, fine, if you want this day to go horribly, it'll be entirely your fault.

" Do you recognize this, Doctor?" Yvonne questioned, smirking.

" That's a particle gun," he replied, brows furrowing. What were they doing with a particle gun? Hell, what use did they have for a particle gun?

" Good, isn't it?" She jerked it away when Jackie reached a hand out for it. " Took us eight years to get it to work."

The Doctor's brows remained furrowed when he looked at her with disbelief.

" It's the twenty-first century, you can't have particle guns," he told her. She blinked as if his statement were completely ludicrous.

" We must defend our border against the alien."

" And how's that going for you?" Selene asked with a raised brow. Ignoring her quip, Yvonne turned back to the soldier.

" Thank you… Sebastian, isn't it?"

" Yes, Ma'am."

" Thank you, Sebastian. I think it's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organization. People skills, that's what it's all about these days. I'm a people person," Yvonne told them, which caused Jackie to roll her eyes. Suddenly glancing around at everyone, the Doctor asked,

" Have you got anyone called Alonso?"

" I don't think so, is that important?" she asked, looking slightly taken aback. He dragged in a long breath through his teeth and gave in to the disappointment he felt. Selene smirked slightly as he continued to speak.

" I suppose not, what was your name?"

" Yvonne. Yvonne Hartman."

The Doctor, nodding with satisfaction, walked over to an open crate where a few sets of black clamps lay. He lifted one up and stared at it as Yvonne, like she tended to do, explained what they were.

" Ah, yes now, we're rather fond of these. The magnaclamp, found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tons of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric," she explained with a smug voice, which made the Doctor sarcastically widen his eyes. He carelessly dropped the magnaclamp back into the crate and brushed his hands off.

" I could do with that to carry the shopping," Jackie pointed out. Selene snickered a bit and scratched the back of her neck when Yvonne's eyes flickered to hers. Selene really didn't like her… and that just meant a possibility of strong sass.

" All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit, not the general public's." Jackie gave the woman a look, once again insulted by her words. Selene patted her shoulder again and heard the Doctor say,

" So, what about these ghosts?"

Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts… not ghosts… what are they? God, try to remember, Selene! She groaned as pain flared up by her temples, which made the voice in her head scream, Stop, stop! Stop thinking, stop thinking!

" Ah, yes, the ghosts. They're what you might call a side effect," came Yvonne's voice from right behind the Doctor, who was critically examining everything.

" Of what?"

" All in good time, Doctor. There is an itinerary, trust me."

" There is a reason so many people don't like itineraries, you do know that, yes?" Selene asked, picking up what looked like some sort of communicator device before setting it down again. She felt a pair of familiar eyes on her, so she looked up, meeting the questioning gaze of the Doctor.

" You're sassy today," he pointed out.

" Well, maybe if you'd listen to me you'd understand why."

The Doctor sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Whatever she wanted to say seemed to really be bothering her… he should just listen, maybe dismiss or agree on it… but just as he was about to ask, he noticed his beloved TARDIS being shipped across the floor on the back of a truck. The sign and windows were dark, the door was still cracked open. Well, that may be a problem… but just a tiny one.

" Oi, where're you taking that?" Jackie called out, knowing full well her daughter was still inside.

" 'If it's alien, it's ours,'" Yvonne repeated, still smiling. Her optimism was a tad infuriating, Selene had decided on that.

" You'll never get inside it," the Doctor said casually, watching calmly as it was taken away.

" Hm. Et cetra."

As it passed them by, Rose opened the doors a bit and stared out the Doctor in worry. He gave her an assuring nod and then turned to let Yvonne lead them away.

OOOO

As they were led down into an even lower part of the building, Selene hung back and grabbed the Doctor's sleeve as everyone else rounded a corner. Their halted progress down the hall made him give Selene a curious look. She dragged him back from the corner the others turned down and stared up at him. The hallway was empty and the walls were bare and dull yellow that felt cold. The whole place made her shiver.

" Look, I need to tell you something," she said, voice quiet and serious. He'd never heard her so.. worried. There was something deep, deep in her eyes that was scared. So, glancing around and shoving his hands into his pockets, he asked,

" What is it?"

" It's… about Yvonne," Selene said slowly, hoping said woman hadn't noticed their absence and was on their way to find them.

" What about her?"

" She's not as nice and happy as this little act she's putting on… okay, maybe that's her general personality but that's beside the point." She waved her hand as if brushing her words away and sucked in a deep breath. Her thoughts were scattered and she needed to collect them. " She's up to something, something dangerous. I… I can't really remember what exactly, but we can't trust her. I mean, you saw the things they've taken, they've shot down. Don't you think this is all a little suspicious?" she asked, stepping a bit closer and lowering her voice more, worried that someone was going to jump out and detain her for speaking so blandly about Torchwood.

The Doctor felt his brows raise at the words that left Selene's lips. Sure the woman was… odd, but she couldn't be that bad. Sometimes stressful situations made people overreact, and Selene hadn't been having many relaxing moments what with her headaches and missing her family… He raised his hand and let it rest comfortingly on her shoulder.

" Look, Selene, I'm sure everything is fine. You're probably just overreacting a little bit, alright? How's your head feeling?"

" It's—it's not wonderful, but I don't know what that has to do with—"

" Maybe you're head's just feeling a little bit scrambled…" he trailed off, something pulling at the base of his stomach. Well… maybe some of this did seem a tad suspicious…

" You two love birds going to stay there all day?" Yvonne's voice asked from the corner. Her eyebrows were raised and her lips were still in that annoying smile. Both spinning to face her, faces pink, they stuttered out something close to:

" Uh, um, w-we're not… the two of us aren't…"

Smirking Yvonne jerked her head in the direction they needed to go. The two quickly ducked their heads and followed, not speaking a word. Once a couple of minutes passed, the Doctor turned to Yvonne and said,

" All of the times I've been on earth, I've never heard of you."

" Well, of course not, you're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation chapter of eighteen seventy-nine as an enemy of the crown," she replied, smirking. Selene felt her own lips tug up into a small smile when she remembered what had happened for that to have come about… the werewolf.

" Eighteen seventy-nine, that was called Torchwood, that house in Scotland."

" That's right, where you encountered queen Victoria and the werewolf."

" I think he makes half of it up," Jackie said, adding in her two cents. The comment made the Doctor nervously scratch the side of his face; she was supposed to be pretending to be a companion… not the annoyed mother of one of his companions.

" Her majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great and fighting the alien horde," Yvonne explained as if she'd repeated those words thousands of times. Something clicked in the Doctor's brain. He was the enemy, he was alien… so… did that mean…

" If I'm the enemy, does that mean I'm a prisoner?"

" Oh yes."

" That seems to happen to you a lot," Selene said from behind him. Yvonne arched a brow and added,

" So are you; you've been traveling around space, that's good enough for us."

" Happens to us a lot," the Doctor muttered.

" But we'll make you perfectly comfortable. And there is so much you can teach us," she said, stopping in front of a set of large metal doors. " Starting with this." She held up her ID in front of a scanner, which caused the doors to slide and click open, revealing a large, mostly empty room. There was a desk, a few devices on tripods, two small control panels and two men in lab coats… but what was surprisingly dominant, was a large bronze colored sphere floating—yes, floating—at the end of the room. The atmosphere was… eerie; there was a heaviness and unnaturalness to the air, much like whenever the ghosts showed up, but magnified. " Now, what do you make of that?"

No… the Doctor thought to himself as they all stepped towards the sphere. It couldn't be, could it? His brown eyes widened slightly and his lips parted while he observed the hovering object. It really, really, really couldn't be…

Selene bit her lip and, once again, tried to think about what significance this sphere held. But every time she tried to access that part of her memory, she couldn't, for the life of her, remember anything.

" You must be the Doctor. Rajesh Singh. It's an honor, Sir," said Rajesh, extended a hand. The Doctor didn't even look at him. He was just staring at the sphere as he whispered,

" Yeah…"

" What is that thing?" Jackie asked, awestruck. Yvonne, who was more annoyed at the thing than amazed by it anymore, said,

" We got no idea."

" What's wrong with it?"

" What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" Rajesh asked curiously, brows furrowing above his glasses.

" I don't know… it just feels weird," Jackie replied, not taking her eyes off of it. Selene brushed a curly lock of hair from her face and nodded in agreement.

" Yeah… really weird…" she murmured. With those words said, the Doctor immediately stepped forward and then determinedly jumped up onto the platform below the sphere. He was getting a horrible feeling he knew what this was… and he didn't like it.

" Well, the sphere has that affect on everyone. Makes you want to run and hide, like it's forbidden," Yvonne informed, face serious as she stepped forward a bit.

" Well… maybe it is," Selene whispered, so quiet she was sure she probably had said it in her head. But, clearly she hadn't since Yvonne decided to answer her.

" That's what makes it all the more intriguing, wouldn't you agree?"

" We've tried analyzing it, using every device imaginable, but, according to our instruments… the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat, no radiation and has no atomic mass," Rajesh explained to them, feeling very strongly about everything he was telling them. He'd been studying this thing… and that was all their evidence yielded.

The Doctor was now peering through his 3-D glasses at it, which was a device they clearly had not tried before. Everyone had stepped closer to the impossible object, but Selene hung back, not wanting to get any closer. It felt… it felt… evil.

" But I can see it," Jackie said, looking over at Rajesh.

" Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off… nothing. It is absent."

" Well, Doctor?" Yvonne finally asked, peering at the 3-D glasses wearing Time Lord.

There was a pause.

" This is a void ship," he told them, voice flat.

" And… what is that?" The Doctor turned around and pulled off the glasses, sliding them into his pocket for later use.

" Well, it's impossible for starters…" He tilted his head back to look at it again. " I always thought it was just a theory, but… it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space… traveling through the Void," he told them, jumping down from the platform again and sitting on the steps.

" The Void…" Selene said out loud, brows furrowing. Why did that sound familiar… Jackie wrapped a comforting and protective arm around her shoulders and led her forward to be closer to the Doctor. Her steps were hesitant, but she did it anyway.

" And what's 'the Void'?" Rajesh asked, glasses absent, arms crossed.

" The space between dimensions. There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions, billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other," the Doctor began to explain seriously using his hands to help. His eyes landed on Selene for a brief moment before flicking back to the two Torchwood employees. Well, Selene thought, I've definitely been through the Void… " The Void is the space in between… containing absolutely nothing. Can you imagine that? Nothing? No light, no dark, no up, no down, no life, no time… Without end…" His eyes became distance, focusing on nothing. " My people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell."

His words were heavy, emotion filled and dead serious. It wasn't a children's story, it wasn't to be taken lightly.

" But someone built the ship," Rajesh pointed out, " What for? Why go there?"

" To explore. To escape. You could sit inside that thing, an eternity would pass you by. Big Bang. End of the universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation."

The smile was plastered right back onto Yvonne's face.

" You see, we were right. There is something inside it," she said giddily, face only falling when the still serious Doctor muttered,

" Oh, yes."

" So how do we get in there?" Rajesh asked excitedly, words ramming together.

" How about you don't," Selene said, voice quivering slightly.

" We send that thing back into Hell!" the Doctor exclaimed, jumping to his feet, pointing at it. " How did it get here in the first place?"

" Well, that's how it all started. This thing came through into this world and the ghosts followed in its wake!" Yvonne shot back, sounding slightly affronted.

" Show me," the Doctor demanded, marching out of the open door and turning to the left, everyone following.

" No, Doctor," came Yvonne's voice.

The Doctor crossed in front of the door and headed to the right.

Selene felt so worried, so off, she didn't even think to smile.

OOOO

The next room they were led into contained Yvonne's office, which was surrounded by class with the Torchwood logo anagrammed on it, two rows of three desks against each of the walls, two levers and an immense white wall that was completely blank. But the moment they stepped through the doorway, something that felt like an explosion in her head made Selene grab onto the doorframe and hiss. Her hands came up to cover her forehead, as if the pressure would make the pain go away. God, she hadn't felt pain that bad since she woke up in this world…

Suddenly she felt three hands touch her; two grabbed her shoulders and the third gripped her arm. Forcing her eyes open, she saw Jackie, who was holding her arm and looking worried, in her peripheral vision, and the Doctor stood directly in front of her, hands steadying her shoulders.

" Selene, what's wrong?" he asked quietly, face a mix of being slightly scared and incredibly worried. She opened her mouth but winced as if after shocks rattled her skull.

" Is she alright?" Yvonne asked, confused as to what was happening.

" Selene, darling, what's going on?" Jackie asked.

" Uhg… my head… it feels like… something just exploded…" she ground out.

" Let her sit down in my office…" Yvonne trailed off, watching as the Time Lord slipped an arm around his companion's shoulders. After she was helped into the office and sat down into a chair, she bent over at the waist and rubbed her temples, sucking in deep breaths.

" Go on, I'll look after her," Jackie told Yvonne and the Doctor, taking a seat beside the younger woman. Honestly, he wanted to make sure Selene was alright; whatever happened was clearly unpleasant but… he was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion about her headaches, and he might just get his answers. After a wary glance back at Selene, the Doctor finally nodded, following Yvonne towards the large blank wall.

" The sphere came through here, a hole in the world," she explained. The Doctor walked right up to the wall, staring inquisitively at it. He placed a hand up against it, staring at the paint. " But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breach opens up."

" How did you even find it?" he asked, taking a few steps backwards.

" We'd been getting warning signs for years. A radar black spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breach was six hundred foot above sea level. It was the only way to reach it." The Doctor gave her yet another disbelieving look, dawning the 3-D glasses again.

" You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance—how much money have you got?"

" Enough."

Yvonne walked back into her office where Selene, looking rather confused while she rubbed one of her temples, seemed to have recovered from the brief episode of pain.

" Feeling alright?" Jackie asked from her spot by the window.

" It subsided. It was like… somebody throwing a water balloon—you get hit, you're shocked for a moment and then the shock subsides. My head felt like it exploded, it hurt just like I had been hit with that semi truck again and now… it's just a headache again," she mused out loud, shrugging her shoulders. A confused burst of a laugh exited her lips. " It's insane and confusing…"

" Hold on a minute. We're in Canary Wharf! Must be. This building, it's Canary Wharf," Jackie exclaimed, staring at the cityscape below them.

" Are we?" Selene asked, brows furrowed with a slightly bleary tinge to her voice. " Guess I can cross that off my sight seeing list…" The sarcasm was back. She was getting better. Yvonne crossed her arms.

" That is the public name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."

" So you find the breach, probe it, the sphere comes through, six hundred feet above London," the Doctor said rather loudly with strong annoyance, stepping back into the office. He leaned against the doorway, arm against the frame, face animated. Yvonne spun around, face contorted in surprise and confusion. " Bam! It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, 'oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah! You think, 'let's make it bigger!'" The Doctor's strong sarcasm and animated voice and facial expressions were clear tip offs he was beyond the point of annoyed. He was angry.

" It's a massive source of energy. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next ghost shift's in two minutes," Yvonne said, voice flat as she strutted from the room.

" Cancel it," he demanded calmly.

" I don't think so." The Doctor followed her out, unaware of Jackie close behind him and Selene slowly standing up from her chair to stand in the office doorway.

" I'm warning you, cancel it!" he said, voice becoming gruff.

" Oh, exactly as the legends would have it! The Doctor, lording it over us, assuming alien authority over the rights of man," Yvonne spat, looking directly into the Doctor's eyes.

" 'Lording it over us'?" came Selene's upset voice. Feeling perfectly able to move fast, she marched to stand beside the Doctor, glaring at the Torchwood employee. " He's not lording anything over anyone! He's trying to protect us all. He does nothing but help us and save us, and do you even think you'd be alive if he wasn't around? Think that over, why won't you."

Yvonne gave shocked at the angry words leaving the mouth of the woman who'd been have crumpled on the floor less then fifteen minutes ago. The Doctor gave Selene a slight nod, taking her wrist in his hand.

" Would you like me to show you what's going on? Yes, lets have a look," the Doctor said, walking back over to the office, where Selene took her seat again. " Sphere comes through." He pulled out the Sonic and pointed it at the first 'o' in 'wood' that was on her office's glass wall. As the Sonic pulsated, a crack began to emanate from the center of the o. He stopped the Sonic, but the cracks continued to spider outward, creeping slowly across the pane of glass. " When it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through!" the Doctor began to explain from behind the glass. " That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void and into yours. With the human race hoping and wishing and helping them along. But too many ghosts, and—"

He gently tapped the glass with the tip of his finger, and then the entire pane of glass shattered, falling to the floor loudly. Yvonne stared at the glass shards on the floor and said,

" Well, in that case, we'll have to be more careful. Positions! Ghost shift in one minute!" She turned around and ignored everything the Doctor had just said. Everyone began to shift around, ready to do as told. He bounded after her, anger building up even more.

" Ms. Hartman, I am asking you, please don't do it."

" We have done this a thousand times!"

" Then stop at a thousand!" he shouted.

" We're in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breach, but equally, they can close it!" she shot back, the two entering a staring match.

After a tense moment or two the Doctor uttered a light,

" Okay." He spun on his heels, tucked the Sonic away and walked right back into her office.

" Sorry?"

" Never mind, as you were." He took the back of Selene's chair and pushed her through the door so she was sitting in front of Yvonne.

" Uh," she muttered in confusion. " Doctor, what are you doing?"

" Fetching a chair!" he replied, dragging one out to sit next to her. She gave him an incredulous look, to which he just shrugged.

" What, is that it?" Yvonne asked again.

" No, fair enough, I've said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance at a cup of tea?"

" Ghost shift in twenty seconds," Adeola said in a rather robotic voice.

" Mm! Can't wait to see it! It's just like a movie, isn't it, Selene?" the Doctor asked, smiling. Selene just stared at him, unknowing of what to say.

" You can't stop us, Doctor."

" No, absolutely not!" His words were rushed and he quickly crossed his arms. " Pull up a chair, Rose. Come on, watch the fireworks." Jackie walked over and put a hand on the back of his chair, seeming to pick up on the plan that Selene hadn't.

" Ghost shift in ten seconds," Adeola said again. Yvonne began to become nervous… what if the Doctor was right, Selene had, in fact, been right about him saving others… " Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three two—"

" Stop the shift. I said stop."

" Thank you," the Doctor replied soberly. Yvonne sighed.

" I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible, but the program will recommence as soon as you've explained everything," she said loudly, looking the Doctor directly in the eye, radiating annoyance.

" I'm glad to be of help."

" And someone clear up this glass! They did warn me, Doctor, they said you like to make a mess."

Once Yvonne had walked off and someone began to sweep up the glass, the Doctor and Selene returned their chairs. Before they sat down again, the Doctor took hold of Selene's elbow and steered her towards the window Jackie had been looking out earlier. She took a moment to stare out at all of London, a place she'd always wanted to see; well, she'd seen bits of it since she arrived, but they were small bits that were usually all wrong because of this or that. The Doctor sucked in a breath and looked down at her while his put his hands in his pockets once more.

" I think… I might know why you've been getting your headaches," he said quietly, raising his eyebrows. Selene's head shot up to look at him, eyes wide in surprise. He'd said what now?

" I… my… what?"

" The headaches you've been having. I think I know why you've been getting them."

" I assumed it was like… an untreated concussion or something," Selene admitted, leaning against the windowpane. The Doctor blew out a breath and shook his head, quickly dismissing her theory.

" No, no… No, it's something much bigger. You see, I've just come to this conclusion, so it's still a bit… bumpy. You were pulled into this world after that car crash, yes?" She nodded and he continued. " Right, so that had been a mystery… until now. I haven't a clue how long this crack in the world has been here, but my best bet is it's the reason you fell into the street outside Powel Estate."

Selene's mouth dropped open at the explanation that suddenly made so much sense. The world was cracked, and by definition, the parallel universes should be cracked as well. She was pulled into the crack after she crashed… but how her headaches were connected to that, she had no idea.

" But… my headaches…?" she asked. The Doctor's brows shot up.

" Right, the headaches. You see… you were pulled through the crack and the Void, which has… never been done as far as my knowledge. Since the crack hasn't closed and gotten bigger, you, Selene, are still connected with your world; your mind is existing in two different realities. The constant tug and pull of that is making your head hurt… the bigger the crack…"

" The stronger the headache."

" Precisely. It is also my hunch that since you're now standing feet away from the source of said crack, a jolt racked your head the moment you stepped through the door," he said matter-of-factly, seeming quite pleased that he'd put an end to the headache mystery. Selene blinked a couple of times, raising a hand to touch her head.

" Oh my God… okay… yeah, that's… that makes so much sense…" Selene told him. The Doctor smiled a bit and looked back out at London, very much pleased with himself. However, the next question that left Selene's mouth made his smile fade and a rush of cold worry run over him. " What happens to me if the crack closes?"

" I… I don't know," he admitted softly, brows creasing. He saw the fear run through her eyes and he quickly pulled her into a comforting hug, running his hands down her back. " But don't worry… I won't let anything bad happen to you."

" I know you won't…" she whispered into his chest, inhaling the minty scent she'd come to associate with him. She felt so comfortable in his embrace; it was warm, it was protecting, it was caring… It made it so that she just wanted to stand like that forever.

" Did I hear right? She fell through the crack into this world?" Yvonne's voice suddenly asked, causing the two to slowly pull away. " That, my dear, is another reason I intend on keeping you here; more valuable information to be had!"

Selene and the Doctor wore almost completely identical expressions; their eyebrows were pulled together, their lips were tight and their eyes clearly said 'kindly shut your lips.' Yvonne rolled her eyes and shrugged, settling down into her desk chair.

" Oh, don't getting yourselves all twisted up; we have other important things to discuss, such as the sphere," Yvonne said as she sat in her desk chair with her laptop open. The Doctor and Selene sat across from her, letting Jackie stand behind them. The Doctor kicked his Converse clad feet up onto the glass desk, slouching back into his seat. It had truly been a long day… " So, these ghosts, whatever they are… did they build the sphere?"

" Must have. Aimed it at this dimension like a cannonball," the Doctor agreed lazily, letting his hands rest on his stomach. Selene grabbed a pen off the desk and began twirling it between her fingers, mind slipping back to the enlightening conversation she'd just had with the Doctor. She missed the look of agitation that crossed Yvonne's face till she spun her laptop around to face them. There, on the screen, was Rose sitting beside Rajesh. Well, this whole 'save Rose' plan was going to be a complete bust.

" She one of yours?" Yvonne asked tersely, jaw tightening as she stared at the Doctor, who's eye twitched slightly. Somehow, the two time travelers managed to keep a straight face. The Doctor puckered his lips and shook his head while Selene said,

" Doesn't look familiar."

" Never seen her before in my life," the Doctor added on calmly. Yvonne smiled.

" Good." The smile left her face. " Then we can have her shot." The Doctor heaved a sigh and took his feet off the desk.

" Oh, all right, then. It was worth a try. That's…" the Doctor said nodding to the screen whilst shifting in his seat. " That's Rose Tyler."

" Sorry," Rose said on the screen. " Hello." The Doctor smiled and raised his hand, wiggling his fingers in response. Selene leaned into frame so she could be seen and smiled as a means of greeting.

" Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's she?" Yvonne nodded to Jackie.

" I'm her mother," Jackie explained, much to Yvonne's hidden amusement.

" Oh, you travel with her mother."

" He kidnapped me."

" Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, eh… don't tell people I traveled through time and space with her mother," the Doctor pleaded with a genuinely worried look on his face. Yvonne laughed shortly while Jackie gave him a look.

" Charming…" she muttered.

" That's why we love him, isn't it?" Selene questioned with a laugh.

" I've got a reputation to uphold!" the Doctor defended himself while a great rumbling shook the room.

" Excuse me, everyone! I thought I said stop the ghost shift! Who started the program?" exclaimed Yvonne as she stepped into the doorway of her office. " I ordered you to stop!" One of the levers began to move all by itself, without its usual human assistance. " Who's doing that? Right, step away from the monitors, everyone." No one moved. Gareth, Adeola and Matt all kept staring straight ahead, typing like mad with two earpieces on, both flashing blue. " Gareth, Addy, stop what you're doing right now! Matt, step away from you desk."

" Doctor, I think I'm beginning to remember something…" Selene said as they quickly strode to the office doorway.

" That's an order! Stop the levers! Andrew! Stop the levers!" Yvonne called out, two men rushing to try and stop the levers.

" What are you remembering?" the Doctor asked hurriedly. Selene ran over to the girl she knew as Adeola, Martha Jones' cousin. She pointed to the two 'blue tooth' sort of devices on her ears.

" Earpods," said Selene grimly. She remembered a woman, a friend, who died trying to save the world, electrocuted by cold, deadly, metal hands…

" Addy, step away from the desk! Listen to me! Step away from the desk!" Yvonne begged as they all crowded around her. The Doctor snapped his fingers in front of her face, getting no result.

" She can't hear you," the Doctor muttered, noting the codes she was typing to move the levers. " They're overriding the system. We're going into ghost shift."

The wall at the front of the room began to light up with pure white light, activating the crack.

" What do you mean she can't hear me?! Why are they overriding the system?!" Yvonne close to screamed, beginning to panic.

" It's the earpiece controlling them. We've seen this before." The Doctor stood behind Adeola and pulled out the Sonic, looking extremely regretful. He gently placed a hand on Adeola's shoulder saying, " I'm sorry. So sorry." And then, he placed the tip of the Sonic by one of the earpieces, switching it on. Adeola, Gareth and Matt all screamed before flopping limply to their desks.

" What happened? What did you just do?" Yvonne asked in confusion.

" They're dead."

" You killed them," Jackie said flatly, her face becoming slightly disgusted.

" Trust me, Jackie, they've been dead for a while now…" Selene said, with a deep sigh.

" But he killed them!"

" Jackie, I haven't got time for this!" the Doctor snapped, hunched over Adeola's keyboard.

" What are those earpieces?" Yvonne asked naively.

" Don't."

" They're standard Comms devices. How does it control them?" she asked, face crumpled in confusion. None of this was making sense, everything was going wrong…

" Trust me, leave them alone," the Doctor told her, moving across to Gareth's desk.

" But what are they?" She reached down to pull off one of the earpieces…

" I wouldn't if I were—too late…" Selene gagged, stepping into the center aisle of the room. When the earpiece came off, a string of grey, goopy matter game with it.

" Uhg! Oh, God! It goes inside their brain!" cried Yvonne in disgust, dropping the earpiece quickly. Jackie winced at the thought.

" What about the ghost shift?" the Doctor asked from Gareth's desk.

" Ninety percent there… and still running, can't you stop it?"

" They're still controlling it, they've hijacked the system!"

" Who's 'they'?"

" It might be a remote transmitter, but it's got to be close by. I can trace it," the Doctor announced, pulling out the Sonic and holding it in both hands. " Selene, you best come with me. Jackie, stay here!" The Sonic began to beep as it pulsed and the Doctor, Selene and Yvonne bolted from the room, following where the Sonic pointed them to go.

They reached an unoccupied floor, then flanked with two soldiers. They were on the floor being renovated, and the Sonic pointed them into the rows of thick plastic sheets.

" What's down there?" the Doctor asked.

" I don't—I don't know, I think it's building work. Its just renovations," she said.

" You should go back," he told her. She scoffed.

" Think again."

" Suit yourself…" Selene muttered as she and the Doctor carefully stepped in first. Any other day, he might have protested her not sticking behind him, but it wasn't just any other day. Through the maze of hazy tinted plastic, the five stepped into a small clearing, the Sonic beeping closer together.

" What is it? What's down here?" Yvonne asked, keeping behind the shoulders of the time travelers.

" Earpieces, earpods—this world is colliding with another, and I think I know which one," the Doctor muttered, staring at the Sonic.

" And this is definitely, definitely, not good," Selene whispered, clenching her fists.

Then, through the sheets of plastic, figures appeared with the sound of hissing piston and thunderous steps.

" What are they?" the blond woman asked.

" They came through first, the advanced guard…" The Doctor watched as the plastic sheets were cut through by metal fingers and yanked apart by metal hands.

" Cybermen!" he and Selene yelled, jumping back as six appeared. They pushed Yvonne back towards the entrance, hearing the soldiers open fire on them uselessly.

As the trio pulled back a plastic sheet, they were greeted by the hollow eyes of another Cybermen. It seemed like there wouldn't be escaping that day.

OOOO

" In the words of Arthur Dent, it has to be Thursday. I've never gotten the hang of Thursdays," Selene sighed as they were marched towards the lever room, hands on the back of their heads, arms raised. The Doctor raised his eyebrows and looked at her.

" I suppose I should have listened to you sooner," he told her. She shrugged and gave a look of indifference.

" Well, I don't think that it would have made any difference anyway, actually," she admitted sadly. The Doctor was about to inquire why, when the stepped into the lever room. Instead of asking a question, he called out,

" Step away from the machines! Do what they say! Don't fight them!" A Cyberman marched forward and a laser extended from the side of its arm. " Don't shoot!" But it was too late; the Cyberman had shot and killed the two men who had been trying to stop the levers. Selene and the Doctor dropped their hands, staring at the two men they were unable to save.

" What are they?" Jackie cried in fear. One turned towards her and spoke.

" We are the Cybermen. The ghost shift will increase to one hundred percent," it said in its robotic voice. Selene shivered at the memories that voice gave her, especially the one of almost getting electrocuted by one. The Cyberman raised a clenched hand and pressed it against the large C on its chest; that seemed to cause the levers to move faster, making a loud humming sound.

" Online," the computer's voice announced, which made the Doctor stare at the wall that was now glowing intensely.

" Here come the ghosts," he said, narrowing his eyes against the growing light. Selene shaded her eyes with a hand, shaking her head.

" Oh this bad, this is very, very bad…" she said in a shaky voice, watching as shadows began to appear in the light created by the wall. Rows and rows of them marched forward with jerky movements and the sounds of hissing pistons.

" But these Cybermen, what have they got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked, having not caught onto the point.

" Don't you listen? A footprint doesn't look like a boot," the Doctor said, lifting a hand out in front of him to block the light.

" Achieving full transfer."

" They're Cybermen. All of the ghosts are Cybermen," he announced grimly as he dropped his hand. The shadows were now full-fledged Cybermen, standing at the ready. " Millions of them, right across the world."

The only three living humans left in the room were bathed in the bright white light, surrounded by the deadly metal men. Yvonne felt her throat tighten as she realized what was fully happening.

" They're invading the whole planet," she said quietly.

" No. No, that point is far behind all of this. They've already invaded," Selene told her, staring carefully at the closest Cyberman.

" It's a victory," the Doctor finished for her.

An alarm on a nearby computer went off, announcing that the mysterious sphere had been activated. A look of intense worry etched itself on the Doctor's features. This couldn't be good…

OOOO

The bronze sphere had separated into sections, and they were slowly folding together, opening it. Rose, in a white lab coat, Rajesh, and none other than Mickey Smith watched as it began to open.

" I know what's in there. And I'm ready for them," Mickey announced, heading towards the platform. " And I've got just the thing." He grabbed a massive gun that had been hidden under said platform and walked back to the other two. " This is going to blast them to Hell."

" Samuel, what are you doing?" Rajesh asked the he thought was his assistant, who was aiming the gun at the sphere.

" The name's Mickey—Mickey Smith." He readied the gun. " Defending the Earth."

OOOO

The Doctor boldly stepped forward to one of the Cybermen with a serious look on his face. Some of this just didn't add up; the Void ship and the Cybermen for example.

" But I don't understand. The Cybermen don't have the technology to build a Void ship. That's way beyond you. How did you create that sphere?" he questioned briskly, hoping to get the answer as quickly as possible.

" The sphere is not ours," answered the Cyberman. The Doctor's face went into a confused expression, his brows creasing.

" What?"

" The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown."

" Then what's inside it…"

" Rose is down there!" Jackie said with heart-chilling worry. Selene ran her hands through her hair, tangling it together as she clamped her eyes shut. None of this was going to end well…

OOOO

As the sphere fully opened, shadows began to hover out…

" That's not Cybermen," Mickey said in confusion. He could have been sure that there were Cybermen in there…

But then, out of the sphere came four Daleks. They began to lower towards the ground, and Rose felt her blood run cold and Mickey aimed his gun coldly at the aliens.

" Oh my God," she said, stumbling back a step. Oh no, oh no, oh no…

" LOCATION—EARTH. LIFE FORMS DETECTED!" the Dalek at the front exclaimed in its gravely, distorted, high ranged voice.

" EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINAAAAATE!"

To be continued…

Afterword: That was exciting, wasn't it? SORRY ABOUT THE UPDATE SITUATION. I had a bit of writers block for this story but then suddenly, in a burst of creativity, I sat down and wrote this. It might not be as good as a chapter as some others are, but I tried my best! I'm also on summer break so I hope to be writing more… hopefully.

REVIEW REPLIES!

The Yoshinator: We will see what he shall try to say… yes, indeed we will. And on Tom Hiddleston… it is NEVER too late to talk about Tom Hiddleston, especially after the amazing things he did at ComicCon. He's just a great person! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

grapejuice101: Here's the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! Doomsday is next, AHHHH. THE HORROR AND THE FEELS. -_- I don't know how I'll handle myself… uhg… but I hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

: Mumford & Sons just brings about things that relate to writing stories so much. Like… its so perfect for writing. I'm glad last chapter wasn't off, but what about this one..? I hope its not. As for my exams… eh, lets not get into 'em. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

KatieTheBaka: I'm glad you love it! Hope this chapter was mildly satisfying! Thanks again!

Sonny13: Will the Doctor be resentful? Will the Doctor be angry? You'll find out next chapter, which I will NOT make you wait too long for! WOO! I hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

Guest: I love throwing other fandoms into my stories, it's really a lot of fun! I hope you enjoyed! Thanks again!

100percentAnime: I'm glad you've bookmarked it! =D I hope you read this chapter and like it! Thanks again!

Time-LadyMarader: I'll let you know now, I'm not having Rose and Selene swap places. Nope. I just want to calm your nerves about it; I had never had the intention of switching them. I'll try to make it more dramatic… but I don't know if I can. I may be crying to much to do so. By the way, I love Pewds! Thanks again and BROFIST!

Take-Me-Away-Now: Thank you again for the support when I had the flames on my other story; it means a lot! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again and hope you enjoyed!

And thank you to everyone who has added this to story alert/favorite; it means a lot!

YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WAIT LONG FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. In fact, I may update Batman quickly since it's the last chap for the particular one (onto the Dark Knight!) but then I am IMMEDIATELY going to start writing Doomsday, because I am in the Doctor Who swing-o-things! YESSSSS! See you all very soon!

~Mary