INT. FACTORY – CYBERMEN BATTLEHEAD

Close on Rose's implant.

As we pull back, we see Doctor Two inspecting the implant with one of the scanners. He doesn't touch it, but Rose flinches in her chair as he draws closer, as if she's reacting to intermittent pin pricks. He scrutinizes her head like Sherlock Holmes digging for clues with a magnifying lens.

ROSE
Is it bad?

DOCTOR TWO
Stop flinching.

She flinches. With his free hand, he grabs her chin and holds her head still.

The scan completes. Doctor Two sits next to Rose and transmits the data from the scanner onto the screen of a mobile workstation in the factor. A three-dimensional image of her skull and brain appear. Cybernetic tendrils from the implant, like octopus limbs, have bored their way through her skull, and have settled into the sulci of her brain.

DOCTOR TWO
Oooookay.

ROSE
What? Is it really bad?

Rose starts to turn her head to look at the screen. Without looking at her, Doctor Two reaches out with his hand and pushes her head in the opposite direction so she can't see the screen. He also pivots in his chair to place his body in front of the screen to block her view.

ROSE
I want to see it.

DOCTOR TWO
No, you do not.

She pushes him out of the way and looks at the screen. Her eyes widen and all color drains from her face. She points at the screen.

ROSE
Oh my god... oh my god... oh my god!

DOCTOR TWO
I told you.

He turns the screen off.

She jumps down from the chair and paces between two of the deactivated Cybermen sub-units. Her breathing accelerates.

ROSE
What the hell?!

DOCTOR TWO
Relax. It's not hurting you.

ROSE
It's in my brain! Oh my god. Tell me you can get it out. Tell me you can remove it.

DOCTOR TWO
Yes, absolutely. That's not going to be a problem.

ROSE
Without killing me?

He tilts his head to one side.

DOCTOR TWO
That's going to be a problem.

ROSE
That's just great.

Distraught and frustrated, Rose approaches one of the deactivated Cybermen and kicks him as hard as she can right in his shin. It makes a loud CLANG noise and she immediately grabs for her foot.

ROSE
Ow! Dammit!

SENTIENCE (O.S.)
Ow!

Doctor Two looks over his shoulder, across the factory, to where he has Sentience tied to one of the machines in the assembly line with spare wire. She shakes her foot, sharing Rose's pain.

Meanwhile, Rose leans over to look at her reflection in the chest plate of a deactivated Cyberman.

ROSE
Look at me. I have a piece of metal in my brain. And it looks like a chicken. I have a piece of metal that looks like a chicken in my brain.

DOCTOR TWO
To be fair, if we're talking about the part that's actually in your brain, it looks more like little snakes or worms. The chicken part's on your face.

She shoots him a look so dirty it might get censored on a major network. He shuts up. She looks back at her reflection.

ROSE
Took me three tries just to work up enough courage to get my ears pierced.

DOCTOR TWO
Look, we'll figure out a way to get that thing removed, but right now we have more important things to do. We still have to find that world ender and get it reassembled.

He works at the computer and tries hacking into encrypted files. Based on the frustrated look on his face, it probably isn't working.

DOCTOR TWO
This is the largest database I've ever seen outside of a planetary network. There are space stations this battlehead puts to shame. It's going to take hours to sift through all of this data. Maybe days.

She stops looking at her reflection in the sub-unit's side and stands up tall. This brings her close to eye level with the sub-unit. She stares into its lifeless eyes and realizes "that could have been me". She looks over at Doctor Two, who is hard at work at the mobile workstation trying to save all of history, and suddenly feels shame over her vanity and selfishness. Her shoulders drop. She walks over to him and places a hand on his arm. In response, he looks at her hand, then up at her. Their eyes meet.

ROSE
Thank you for saving me from turning into one of those...

She points at one of the sub-units.

ROSE
...things.

He nods and gets back to work while continuing the conversation.

DOCTOR TWO
Actually, I didn't save you.

ROSE
What?

DOCTOR TWO
From what I can tell, the Tardis saved you. Somehow, she took control of the battlehead through the uplink I established to search their files for the location of the world ender. The Tardis must have somehow sensed you were in danger and took control of the ship to protect you.

ROSE
I didn't know the Tardis could do that.

DOCTOR TWO
Up until ten minutes ago, I didn't either. She's never interceded on anyone's behalf before...

He stops working for a moment to contemplate the implications.

DOCTOR TWO
... Not even for me.

She notices a look of sadness creep onto his face, one of genuine hurt. But just as soon as it appears, it is gone as he re-dedicates himself to the task at hand.

DOCTOR TWO
We'll have to figure that out later. We're running out of time if the battlehead is going to keep its schedule and reach the Declaration of Earth in time to have its world ender stolen by the Sons and Daughters of Liberty Movement. And this isn't working.

Impatient, Doctor Two stands up and marches over to Sentience. She ignores his presence and stares straight ahead, practically catatonic.

DOCTOR TWO
We know you have a world ender on board. I need you to reassemble all the pieces.

He forcibly grabs her face and turns it so she has no choice but to look at him. She blinks at his futile attempt at intimidation.

SENTIENCE
I no longer control the Cybermen and my connection with my leader has been severed.

DOCTOR TWO
Then you'll tell us where all the pieces are and I'll reassemble it myself.

SENTIENCE
Negative. Unable to comply. I no longer have access to those files.

DOCTOR TWO
Okay. Okay.

Doctor Two reaches into one of the gashes in her shoulder joint. He grabs a handful of wires and tears them out. Sparks fly from the severed ends. Sentience screams in agony. Rose also screams out in pain and grabs her arm.

He grabs Sentience by her "hair".

DOCTOR TWO
(to Sentience)
You do not want to go down this road with me, right now. I will take you apart piece by piece until you tell me what I want to know.

ROSE
Doctor!

Doctor Two looks back at Rose. She clutches her shoulder while staring at him in disbelief. He can hardly believe it himself and looks at the handful of wires he still clutches in his fist. He throws them to the ground.

He walks back over to the mobile workstation and reclaims the scanner. He then brings it over to Rose and scans her arm.

DOCTOR TWO
There's no damage. That means the link to Sentience is superficial, Rose. Synapses in your brain are telling you you're in pain, but no actual damage was done to your arm.

She nods and does her best to ignore the pain, but the tears in her eyes betray the very real agony she feels.

ROSE
It hurts so much.

DOCTOR TWO
It's not real. I promise you. Just push the pain out of your mind.

Doctor Two turns his attention back on Sentience.

DOCTOR TWO
I need that information.

SENTIENCE
I told you, I no longer have access to those data files. I am not like you. I do not have individual memories like that. If I am disconnected from the ship, I do not retain the information in the ship's core.

Doctor Two marches over and bangs Sentience's head backwards against the machine. Rose cringes and grabs her head. Both Sentience and Rose scream.

DOCTOR TWO
Tell me where the information is stored in the core!

ROSE
Doctor, please...

DOCTOR TWO
The fate of history is on the line, Rose. I need you to grit your teeth a little.

He turns back to Sentience.

DOCTOR TWO
(to Sentience)
Where in the core?

SENTIENCE
I don't know. I don't have access to the files. You have access to our ship's database, figure it out yourself.

Doctor Two grabs a piece of metal from off the ground and wedges it into Sentience's knee joint. Rose cries out and falls to the ground clutching her knee.

DOCTOR TWO
It could take days to purse through all of that information and decrypt the sensitive files I need. I don't have that long. Now, tell me what I want to know!

SENTIENCE
I don't know!

Rose cries.

SENTIENCE
I don't know.

DOCTOR TWO
I don't believe you!

SENTIENCE
Irrelevant. The truth does not require your belief. But if I did know where the pieces of the world ender were hidden, I wouldn't tell an animal like you.

He twists the shard of metal in her knee joint and she screams. From the floor, Rose reaches out to him.

ROSE
(crying)
Doctor, stop. Please stop. You're hurting me!

Consumed by his fury, he ignores her. Worse yet, he can't even hear Rose's pleas. He twists the metal shard more, ripping wires and tearing out gears from Sentience's knee joint.

Suddenly, a metal hand grabs Doctor Two's wrist. He looks up... it's Cybermen Leader!

CYBERMEN LEADER
Protocol override.

Cybermen Leader punches Doctor Two in the gut and pulls him away from Sentience. He then throws Doctor Two halfway across the factory and into the far wall. Cybermen Leader removes the shard of metal from Sentience's knee joint, relieving the pain.

On the ground, Rose takes several breaths and bends her leg. She's still in pain, but can move again. A metal hand reaches down. She looks up and sees that it's Cybermen Leader. He helps her up and stands at attention by her side so she can lean on him for support. She looks at him, wary.

ROSE
Thank you?

A bit dazed, Doctor Two gets to his knees and sees Rose leaning on Cybermen Leader for support. He is appalled at the sight, but nods. Looking down, he sees that his hands are covered in black oil and quickly wipes them off on his uniform.

DOCTOR TWO
Thought that might do it.

Rose turns as he approaches. She takes a step back behind Cybermen Leader for protection. Doctor Two notices and stops in his tracks. He raises his hands to calm her.

DOCTOR TWO
Relax, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I needed to see what they would do. If Sentience is no longer plugged into the ship, that's one thing, but these Cybermen clearly are. That means they know where to find the pieces to the world ender.

He steps in front of Cybermen Leader to address it directly.

DOCTOR TWO
Now, you, I need you to collect the pieces of the world ender and reassemble it.

It doesn't move.

ROSE
Are you telling me you just put me through all that just to get their attention?

DOCTOR TWO
I had to do something.

She steps around Cybermen Leader and straight up punches Doctor Two across the face. He goes down.

ROSE
Don't you ever do that to me again, you bastard!

Reacting to Rose's assault, Doctor Two quickly gets back on his feet. It looks as if the thought crosses his mind to hit her back, but three more sub-units and Cybermen Leader step in front of Rose to protect her.

DOCTOR TWO
I wasn't going to hit her back. Relax. It's okay. Everything's fine.

They step towards him.

DOCTOR TWO
Rose, call them off, would you?

ROSE
No. Ever since we got to the clinic, you have been a total jerk to me. We're supposed to be partners, a team, and you've been acting like I'm a burden to you.

DOCTOR TWO
You're not a burden.

He steps back. The sub-units surround him.

ROSE
That's right. I'm helpful. I'm resourceful, not to mention a bloody delight.

DOCTOR TWO
Yup, yes, definitely. You're all those things.

ROSE
And it's about time you started appreciating that about me, or maybe I get my boys 'Knuckles' and 'Clamps' here to rough you up.

DOCTOR TWO
Dammit, Rose, we have a job to do! This isn't the time to be petty or hold grudges. Things get dirty and painful when so much is on the line. If you can't take it-

ROSE
I can take it. But it's going to be on my terms. Now, say it!

The sub-units Rose nicknamed 'Knuckles' and 'Clamps' grab Doctor Two by both arms and hold him in place.

DOCTOR TWO
Say what?

ROSE
Say you appreciate me.

DOCTOR TWO
I appreciate you.

ROSE
And you're sorry for hurting me.

DOCTOR TWO
Sometimes you have to do what you have to-

Cybermen Leader puts his hand around Doctor Two's neck.

ROSE
Say you're sorry!

DOCTOR TWO
I'm sorry!

Rose folds her arms across her chest.

ROSE
And say that the Philly Cheesesteak from John's Roast Pork on Snyder Avenue is the greatest sandwich in the universe.

DOCTOR TWO
Do we really have the time for this?

Behind Rose, Sentience rolls her eyes.

SENTIENCE
(under her breath)
These people are a sideshow.

Meanwhile, Rose waits for Doctor Two to answer.

ROSE
I'm waiting.

DOCTOR TWO
Fine. The Philly Cheesesteak from John's is the best. Can we please get on with saving history now?

She thinks.

ROSE
All right, let him go.

Knuckles, Clamps, and Cybermen Leader release Doctor Two. He rubs his neck and straightens his uniform.

ROSE
Leader, Knuckles, Clamps, find the world ender pieces and bring them back here for reassembly.

Cybermen Leader and the sub-units depart to follow Rose's orders.

DOCTOR TWO
You're certifiable, you know that?

ROSE
(lowers voice)
And you're out of control. What happened to the peace-loving, compassionate, well-intentioned Doctor I knew? The guy who always had a joke at the ready and... and... got sentimental about hats?

DOCTOR TWO
What are you talking about?

She points at him.

ROSE
That's what I'm talking about. It's like you're a totally different person. And I don't like this version of you very much.

He opens his mouth to say something, but can't. She's thrown him for a loop.

DOCTOR TWO
I... I'm just... I'm just trying to make things right again and I don't know how.

ROSE
Well, you're not going to do it by being an animal. The Doctor I know is a thinker. He thinks his way through problems, outsmarts them. You're better than this.

While he think on that, visibly hurt by her statement, she sees something out of the corner of her eye.

ROSE
What's that over there?

She walks over to...

Doctor Two follows Rose over to the jail cell. She sees the human-like shapes on the other side of the translucent walls.

ROSE
Who are they?

DOCTOR TWO
Refugees. The Cybermen keep prisoners on board in the event that they need to create new sub-units.

ROSE
You mean, they were going to do to these people what they tried to do to me?

DOCTOR TWO
Right.

ROSE
Well, we have to let them out.

Rose takes a step towards the wall to look for a way to release the prisoners, but Doctor Two grabs her by the arm and holds her back.

ROSE
What?

DOCTOR TWO
These people are a variable. We have no idea who they are, how long they've been in there, or what they'll do if we let them go.

ROSE
We can't just leave them in there.

DOCTOR TWO
I'm not suggesting that, but maybe the caged lion is in a cage for a reason. Sometimes it's best for everyone if the lion stays in its cage... it's even best for the lion.

He stares at the wall with deep regret in his eyes, almost pain. Rose sees this and is confused by the contradiction.

ROSE
I don't understand you.

He continues to stare at the wall, mesmerized, or perhaps paralyzed by the sight of the prisoners trapped within.

ROSE
They're people, Doctor. Not animals. We have to help them.

He nods... once.

DOCTOR TWO
We have to help them. Yes, we have to help them. Help me find the release switch.

Doctor Two and Rose search the wall for a release switch. Rose passes by a panel on the wall, thinking nothing of it at first, but something about it makes her stop what she's doing and go back. Doctor Two notices her attention drawn to that specific nondescript panel.

DOCTOR TWO
What is it?

ROSE
It's here.

She waves her hand in front of the panel and a cover pops open, shifts right, and then recedes into the wall, revealing the release lever to the jail cell. Rose and Doctor Two share a concerned look.

ROSE
I don't know how I knew that.

DOCTOR TWO
The sooner we get you off this ship, the better, I think.

Doctor Two pulls the release lever and the giant jail cell door opens. Inside, we see twelve PRISONERS, all of the same race. Their skin is white, with tan cilia instead of hair. Their eyes are slightly oversized and a stunning shade of gold. They huddle together at the back around the spokeswoman of the group; THEELIA (early 40's).

Rose takes a step inside. She smiles and leans forward, trying to present herself as non-threatening as possible to the clearly terrified prisoners. Behind her, Doctor Two stands outside, his expression cold.

ROSE
Hello. My name is Rose. I'm not going to hurt you and I'm not one of the Cybermen. I'm here to help you.

The prisoners look at each other, confused.

THEELIA
Reeow ta so ka. Vret sop too nay I.

ROSE
I don't understand. Doctor, why can't I understand what she's saying?

She looks back at him.

DOCTOR TWO
They're Brygosans.

(Author's Note: Recall the Brygosan ark from Episode 8)

DOCTOR TWO
The Tardis doesn't understand their language.

ROSE
I thought the Tardis understood all languages.

DOCTOR TWO
Not ones specifically created to make sure a Tardis can't translate it.

ROSE
Why would someone do that?

DOCTOR TWO
So your enemy can't understand you. My people and the Brygosans once fought a war. The Brygosans lost.

He walks away, leaving her with a Brygosan problem.

-To be Continued...-