Chapter 27: Army of Ghosts

Nine and Rose lay on their bed facing each other. Neither of them really knew what to say, nor were they looking forward to the next days viewing. Instead they just lay in a comfortable silence until Rose finally fell asleep. Nine watched her, half in awe that he was allowed to be this close to her and half in fear that this was just a really bizarre, good, dream. Good things didn't happen to him often these days and when they did it didn't seem to last long. In here he could be happy that Rose was his and bask in the warmth she offered but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew they had to go back to the real world sometime. So many times he had had to watch her almost lose her life. The Dalek had been smart enough to use her against him before he even really knew how much he loved her. Now she would be an even bigger target for those who had a grudge against Time Lords. Rose was not the type to take the safe route just because he was worried she would get hurt. She would never let him wrap her in figurative bubble wrap, he briefly considered real bubble wrap before dismissing that idea. He loved her for that, she wouldn't be his Rose if she let him but his desire to protect her was stronger than ever.

He dragged a hand down his face in despair. He knew Rose would tell him to just enjoy the moments they had together in safety and they would face the real world when it came but he could think about both at once. As if sensing his distress, Rose rolled towards him in her sleep. He'd rolled to his back while thinking and now she was curled into his side, one hand resting between his hearts. He gently moved one arm so her head now rested on his shoulder and felt calm settle over him until he too, drifted off to sleep.

Next morning Rose woke first for a change. She raised her head slightly and studied Nine's face. It was so peaceful, the corner of his mouth raised slightly in a half smile. He had never look so relaxed while awake. Unable to bear waking him, she carefully got up and headed into the bathroom to get washed and dressed. Then she made her way back into the main room and, as expected, Ten was already there.

"Do you even bother to sleep?" She asks from her doorway. He jumps slightly obviously not having heard the door open. Rose giggles, it was rare to catch the Doctor off guard.

"A little. Time Lords don't need much." He shrugs. Rose moves over to him to get a proper look. Sadness practically radiates off him the closer she gets until it is almost unbearable. She takes his hand and hugs him.

"If you insist on watching this, then you and I are spending the rest of the day away from everyone else." She states firmly.

"Are you giving me incentive to watch it?" Ten smiles slightly.

"Maybe just something to help you get through it. I know you're going to insist on torturing yourself anyway." She rolls her eyes.

"It's important to know where we went wrong." Rose makes to reply but the door opens and Nine comes out. He walks over to them.

"He's not staying in our room tonight." He tells Rose, pretending to sound stern.

"Whyever not! Sounds like a great idea." They all turn to see a sleepy yet excited looking Jack Harkness emerging from his room.

"Now you've done it." Rose mutters to Nine with a smirk.

"Threesome with two Doctors. I'm so jealous Rosie." He grins, coming over and grabbing some coffee. She shakes her head at the ex con man but smiles in return anyway. Jack winks and the four of them chat for half an hour or so until other people begin to emerge. Martha is the first one out and she strikes up a conversation with Nine about his different preferences in food to Ten. Soon after, Mickey and Sarah-Jane join the group, leaving Donna the last one. They all realise that is becoming a common theme. Once they have all eaten, everyone looks around nervously not wanting to be the one to suggest the start watching.

"Look, let's just get it over with." Ten rolls his eyes. They all start making their way to the couches, taking the same seats as the day before. Rose takes the remote and presses the button, curled up against Ten instead of Nine this time.

It starts with a picture on Earth and Rose's voice narrates that it is where she died.

"WHAT!?" Jack and Nine both yell.

"She was listed as dead after what happened. I hope that's what it means." Ten tells them.

It shows images of Rose's life and as she tells of how nothing happened in her life until she met the Doctor.

As Nine is shown grabbing Rose's hand for the first time, they exchange nostalgic smiles and he twines their fingers together.

Then it shows Rose and Ten standing on a rocky planet and he asks how long she will stay with him and she states forever.

"I'm sorry." Rose whispers mournfully.

"It wasn't your fault." Ten sighs. "It was Torchwood messing with things they had no clue about."

It shows Rose on a beach as her vice continues that then came the army of ghost, Torchwood and the war. It goes black and then the TARDIS materialises in a corner of the children's playground on a bright, sunny day. Rose has a very heavy rucksack with her.

"How long are we planning on staying?" Nine asks in mock horror. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement not to acknowledge what they knew would happen in the end.

"That's probably just all my washing, especially if you've been fiddling with the washing machine again." Rose rolls her eyes.

"For someone who is supposed to be so mechanically minded, you really suck with Earth machines. First it's toasters, now washing machines." Donna sniggers.

"It's not my fault they are low tech." Ten pouts.

Jackie is in the kitchen when Rose calls out they are back. She tells Rose there is no point to having a phone if she doesn't use it.

"To be honest, the only time we've seen you use it is when you first made a call back home." Mickey laughs.

"Why call when we can just go home?" Rose shrugs. "Besides, with his driving I'd call to tell you we were coming back and then he'd make us arrive three months late anyway."

"Oi!" Both Doctors say indignantly as everyone else nods in agreement.

Jackie and Rose hug. The Doctor tries to make his way past but Jackie grabs him and kisses him.

"Urgh!" Nine winces, jaw dropping in horror. Ten looks only slightly less displeased. Rose and Mickey just burst out laughing.

She keeps hugging and kissing him despite his protests until she finally moves off and the Doctor wipes his mouth.

Everybody now joins Rose and Mickey laughing.

Rose hands over her rucksack saying she has loads of washing.

"See, I won't make you stay too long."

"Good."

"You know, if you didn't break all the appliances I wouldn't need to go back to Earth just to wash my clothes." Rose points out with a grin. Nine pretends to look like this is a dilemma but he knows he could never deny Rose a chance to see her mother.

Rose then pulls out a small metal object that can tell the weather. Jackie states she has a surprise for Rose, someone is coming to visit. It's revealed to be Rose's grandad.

"What? I know it said army of ghosts but are they real ghosts?" Rose looks up at Ten in confusion.

"No." He tells her sadly.

"Well, if Torchwood are doing this how do they know what person to create as a ghost?" She continues.

"It's not completely them doing it."

Jackie goes into the kitchen to make tea. Rose states she has lost it. The Doctor just says to tell him something new.

"Oi." Rose pokes his side.

"No need to get violent." Ten protests.

Rose explains that her grandad died about ten years ago. Rose asks Jackie if she remembers that her dad is dead and she replies that of course she does. Rose asks how he can come back but Jackie tells her to ask him herself as he will arrive at ten past. An ethereal humanoid shape walks through the outside wall and stands next to Jackie.

"That doesn't look like anyone." Martha frowns.

The Doctor and Rose run out of the block of flats. They are everywhere but nobody is bothered by this.

"Nobody cares that a bunch of ghosts are walking around?" Jack raises an eyebrow.

"Well, I guess if they all look like someone they have lost, why would they be freaked out? Besides, they might have done at first, don't know how long they've been coming along." Sarah-Jane points out.

Rose calls for the Doctor to look out. One of the shapes walks through the Doctor. It is not a comfortable sensation.

Ten shudders again from the memory.

Jackie comes out and says the midday shift should end soon as it never lasts long.

"Ghosts have shifts?" Rose asks.

"They do when they run on someone else's schedule." Nine mutters.

The Doctor asks what she means by shifts and Jackie smugly points out he isn't happy when she knows more than he does.

"That was not my point." Ten rolls his eyes. "Or why I was annoyed."

He points out that nobody is freaking out and Jackie asks why should they. She states it is twelve minutes past. Someone in a lab coat pulls a big lever and the images vanish. Jackie, Rose and the Doctor head back inside. A well-dressed management type woman comes out of her glass fronted office with the words Torchwood Institute etched on it.

Rose swears she can hear Ten growling at the sight of the woman.

"Who's that?" She asks nervously.

"Yvonne Hartman. Utter ape." He replies tensely.

She states they measured the ghost energy at five thousand gigawatts.

"A lot of things could use that kind of power." Jack whistles appreciatively.

"Yeah, to take over Earth." Donna rolls her eyes at him. He grins sheepishly.

At the flat, the Ghostwatch programme is on the television. The Doctor flicks through channels and the ghosts are everywhere, even Eastenders. He finally turns the TV off. He asks when it started. Jackie explains that it was about two months ago. Originally everyone freaked out but then it sunk in that they were lucky. Rose asks why she thinks it is grandad Prentice. Jackie says she can smell him but Rose can't. The Doctor guesses that the more they want it the stronger it gets.

"Psychic link?" Jack asks. "Playing with the power of desire? But how would Torchwood be able to come up with something like that? They shouldn't have the tech,"

"Stolen alien technology. Besides, it's not just them using the link." Ten explains.

The Doctor states it's like a psychic link and Jackie accuses him of spoiling it. He apologises but says there is no smell, just a memory. Rose asks what they are then. Jackie adds that they are human and Rose agrees.

"Just because things look human doesn't make them human." Jack warns her.

"I gathered that now." She sighs.

"Besides, none of them have any distinctive features, they just seem to feed on what people want." Nine adds.

The Doctor tells them that the ghosts are pressing themselves onto the surface but a footprint doesn't look like a boot. Yvonne makes the rounds of the people at their computer terminals. Everyone is wearing a bluetooth earpiece.

"Martha?" Mickey looks from the screen to Martha who winces, staring at the screen.

"No, that's my cousin, Adeola. She died in the battle."

"I'm sorry." He wraps an arm around her comfortingly.

"You two look so alike." Donna remarks to Martha. "You could have been sisters."

Yvonne asks Adeola if there was any sign of power loss and she replies there were no problems, it must have been a glitch.

"Those earpieces? Cybermen?" Donna realises.

"Doctor said something was pressing against the surface of the world. They are trying to come through from the other universe." Jack states, eyes widening.

"I thought that wasn't possible?" Sarah-Jane asks.

"With the amount of power they are generating, it just might be." Jack shivers.

Yvonne speaks to someone in a lab, asking if he has anything. He is doing Sudoku. She states they had a good ghost shift. He replies he knows but he had nothing. He tells RND came up with a new spectrometer but even that found nothing, the machines say it can't exist. A big blank sphere hanging in midair at the end of the laboratory. There is a ladder just below it.

"What is that?" Rose asks.

"Something that should never be opened." Ten tells her.

"So Torchwood are trying to open it. Obviously." Donna states, shaking her head. "If you don't know what it is, sticking your nose in isn't a good idea if you have no idea what you're doing."

"The Doctor does that all the time." Mickey laughs.

"Oi! I know what I'm doing." Nine sniffs haughtily.

"Occasionally." Rose agrees.

Yvonne asks if there is anything they can do but Raj says it just gets in his head like it is staring at him. They end the call and Raj goes up the ladder. He tries to touch the sphere but can't.

"Probably a good thing really." Sarah-Jane shakes her head.

Upstairs, Yvonne tells someone to get hospitality to send Raj something as he is going mad. She clarifies no alcohol is to be sent. A technician gives Adeola a printout, which she files, then she looks across at a male co-worker. She sends him an internal message. They are both bored and she asks if he wants to get a coffee.

"Really?" Martha laughs at her cousin. It's hard seeing her so full of life, knowing it won't last and yet she can't deny she'd be doing the same thing it that position.

They both make separate excuses to leave to Yvonne who lets them both go, Gareth first. Once they have both left Yvonne makes it clear she has noticed they like each other.

"Well they weren't exactly subtle." Rose smirks.

Plastic sheeting, painter's ladder and pots, and a No Entry sign. Gareth tries to persuade Adeola to go down there. She points out it is out of bounds but he replies that is the point. She asks about the workmen, claiming it's not worth it for a snog.

"Oh but it is." Jack protests. "Definitely worth it."

"Yeah, well, to you anything is worth it for a snog." Martha grins.

"True but that's pretty tame really." He shrugs, grinning cockily.

Gareth says it is worth it and he goes through the plastic sheeting. Workmen come by before Adeola can get through.

"So close." Sarah-Jane laughs.

The workmen grab their ladder and paints, then leave. Adeola calls to Gareth who doesn't reappear. She steps through the sheeting. After a few steps with no reply she starts freaking out. There are more curtains of plastic. One has the shadow of a figure behind it.

"Oh my god!" Martha's hands fly to her mouth as they all recognise the figure even through the sheeting.

"I'm so sorry babe." Mickey cradles her closer, pulling her face to his chest so she doesn't have to see what they all know is coming next.

She apologises saying she was just looking for her friend, asking if anyone came down there. The curtain is pulled back to reveal a Cyberman. Adeola screams.

Martha flinches but looks up when the scream is cut off and replaced with Rose's voice.

Back on the TARDIS, Rose says that a ghost has been elected MP for Leeds according to the paper. The Doctor pops up from below the console floor wearing a backpack and holding a hosepipe like device.

Everyone bursts out laughing at their comments about Ghostbusters and the Doctor's little dance. Nine just facepalms at his future self, shaking his head.

Outside, he asks Jackie how long until the next shift. The Doctor puts three metal cones linked by wires on the grass. Jackie asks what they all do and he replies it triangulates the point of origin. She tries to persuade him to leave it alone but to no avail. He calls Rose back in the TARDIS. They plug the power cable into the Tardis console. Jackie follows them in and closes the door. He gives Rose a list of instructions. Rose guesses which button she has to press.

"Three guesses isn't bad." Rose laughs.

"There were only three options." Ten sniggers. "Don't worry, it'll become easier to remember." He adds more seriously.

Yvonne tells everyone there is two minutes to the next shift. Adeola enters wearing two earpieces.

"What?" Martha recoils in confusion.

"Mind control. She's probably not even alive Martha." Ten warns her.

Gareth comes in as well. The man in the lab coat moves the big lever. Gareth and Adeola's earpieces flash, and they type into their computers. The Doctor activates the cones. He asks what the line is doing and Rose responds it is holding.

"Oh good." Nine grins.

"Don't tell me that pile of junk is actually going to work?" Jack asks.

"Of course it is." Ten tells him, looking affronted. Then he spots Jack's grin and rolls his eyes.

Jackie states Rose looks like the Doctor. Rose seems rather pleased by that. They talk about how much Rose has changed and Jackie calls her not human anymore.

"Of course I'm human." Rose protests sadly. Although, she thinks, if she had the choice she wouldn't be simply human. Being human means she can't spend the rest of the Doctor's lives with him as she wants to.

The Doctor calling to them distracts them and Rose calls back the scanner is working. They start the ghost shift. In the playground, a ghost appears between the cones, and gets trapped. Jackie and Rose watch it on the scanner. The Doctor puts on a pair of red and blue 3D cardboard spectacles and makes an adjustment to his control box. An alarm sounds in the Institute.

"Of course they'd notice." Sarah-Jane sighs. "Nothing easy with you is there Doctor?"

"Nope. That's what makes up half the fun." He tries for a smile but is too tense to properly pull it off.

They start to narrow down the location of the interference. The ghost is starting to writhe inside the field. Then it tries to break out but is unsuccessful. Torchwood shut down the ghost shift early. We now see there are two levers to be moved, on either side of the room. The ghost fades and vanishes. The Doctor gathers up the cones.

"I still want to know how they are managing to project the ghosts that can becomes stronger the more people want them. Cybermen can't do that either." Nine frowns.

They narrow down the location further and get CCTV view on the TARDIS as it dematerialises. They seem to know exactly who it is.

"Seems Queen Victoria left names as well." Donna mutters. "Hopefully she didn't mention too much about your companion."

Yvonne seems very happy the Doctor is around as she realises he is coming to them. She runs out. Adeola and Gareth look at each other. She tells Raj he is coming. He looks up at the sphere saying now we've got you.

"There goes the element of surprise then." Jack sighs.

The Doctor goes on a tangent about saying allons y until Rose reminds him Jackie is still on board.

"Fantastic." Nine groans.

Jackie calls out that if they land on Mars she will kill him.

"Would have been safer." Ten murmurs petulantly.

The Tardis materialises in Torchwood Loading Bay 2, and is immediately surrounded by armed troops. The Doctor watches them on the scanner. He tells Rose to stay there and look after Jackie to which Rose protests she is not looking after her mum. The Doctor retorts that Rose brought her.

"I did not." Rose scowls at him. He grins down.

"I know, I did but I can't stay behind and babysit can I?" He grins cheekily.

"You're just worried she might kiss you again." She retorts. The grin fades and he shudders again at the reminder.

Rose steps in front of the doors as she points out they have guns. He states that he doesn't so they can shoot him but he has the moral high ground.

"Having the moral high ground is no use to me if you're dead!" Rose snaps at him.

The Doctor steps outside and raises his arms. Yvonne runs in on her high heels. She is very pleased to see him and starts clapping. The soldiers join in and the Doctor lowers his hands. He introduces himself but they already know who he is and every time he talks there is more applause.

"Oh my god, he doesn't need more of an ego boost." Donna rolls her eyes.

"It wasn't supposed to be ego boosting, more...mocking." Ten tells her.

"Well, that's alright then." She smirks.

When he asks who she is, she avoids the question and asks where his companion is as they know he always travels with one. The Doctor reaches in through the slightly open door and grabs the first person he can. He introduces her as Rose but it is actually Jackie.

"Oh brilliant." Nine frowns.

"Actually, it is brilliant. Jackie with the Doctor leaves Rose to wander about when they leave." Mickey points out.

"Oh yes, Rose Tyler, Miss Jeopardy Friendly, wandering about on her own with armed men and Cybermen on the loose." Nine's frown deepens.

"Oi! I can look after myself." Rose protests.

"No doubt about that but we are seriously outnumbered there. I'd rather have had you with me." Ten tells her gently.

Ten keeps talking until finally telling Yvonne to lead on.

"Bloody hell. Stop talking sometimes." Mickey shakes his head in amazement.

Yvonne welcomes him to Torchwood, leading him through some doors to a massive warehouse area. She tells him the Torchwood motto is that if it is alien then it is theirs. She states it was them who shot down the Sycorax at Christmas.

"She says that like she is proud of it." Rose wrinkles her nose.

"Probably is." Nine scoffs.

She continues that they strip down anything that comes from the sky and use it for the good of the British Empire.

"There isn't one." Sarah-Jane points out.

"I think they plan on making one." Martha replies.

Jackie points out there isn't a British Empire and Yvonne replies not yet. A soldier hands Yvonne a very big gun. She asks the Doctor if he recognises it. He states it is a particle gun. Yvonne tells him it took them eight years to get it to work.

"They shouldn't have it at all!" Nine mutters furiously.

The Doctor states they can't have particle guns in the 21st century. She thanks the soldier by name, saying it is important to have people skills. The Doctor asks if they have anyone named Alonso.

"Seriously?" Rose asks him, half amused and half exasperated.

"It would be fun." He pouts.

"There is a time and a place. That is neither." She rolls her eyes fondly.

He asks her name again and this time she tells him it is Yvonne Hartman. The Doctor picks up a black plastic step-stool with a handle on top. She calls them Magna clamps.

"Rope. Need a rope to tie around…" Rose can hear Ten muttering to himself.

Jackie comments she could do with one to carry the shopping.

Everyone sniggers.

Yvonne tells her they are for Torchwood's benefit not the general public's.

"So not exactly for the British Empire then? Just them." Donna snorts in disgust.

"They probably plan on becoming the British Empire themselves. Or at least running it." Nine shrugs.

The Doctor asks about the ghosts. Yvonne tells him they are a side effect but states there is an itinerary.

"This is like Van Stattens place all over again. Except these people try to use it rather than just locking it away forever." Martha sighs.

"So what, they capture the Doctor and force him to help them use all the stuff?" Sarah-Jane asks.

"Na, these lot probably think they don't need him. They probably just want to study him instead." Jack scoffs angrily.

The TARDIS is driven past on the back of a truck. Jackie asks where they are taking it. Yvonne repeats that if it is alien then it is theirs.

Nine blows out a long breath of exasperation. "You apes. The universe is going to rue the day you ever achieved space flight. So intolerant and greedy."

"Just like plenty of other species out there." Mickey shrugs. "Least we have other functions than just kill like those Daleks or Cybermen."

The Doctor tells her she will never get inside it but she doesn't seem bothered by this. Rose peeks out of the Tardis. The Doctor gives her a little nod. She goes through the Doctor's pockets looking for the psychic paper.

"That might not be the best idea." Jack warns.

"Why not?" Rose asks in confusion.

"Well I know they aren't quite up to Time Agent standards yet but I imagine if they deal with so much alien stuff then they probably give basic psychic training to their people. They will probably see it is blank." He explains.

"Ah." She sighs.

"Still better to have it on the off chance it works." Nine tells her.

Adeola sends a message to Matt, asking if he wants to see something good. She leads him out of the room.

"What is she doing?" Martha asks.

"Probably taking him to the Cybermen to be turned as well." Nine replies.

"She wouldn't do that!"

"She doesn't have a choice." He shrugs.

The Doctor tells Yvonne he has never heard of them. She states that he is considered the enemy as per the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879.

"Victoria actually listed you as an enemy of the crown despite the fact you saved her life?" Rose looks up at Ten incredulously.

"It's not like you brought the stupid werewolf there, it was there years before you." Donna points out.

"Well, you two did make it seem almost like a game at some points, getting really excited in the library and things." Sarah-Jane points out fairly.

"Yes and she's right, the Doctor is dangerous. However, really not someone you want as an enemy and she is stupid to think otherwise." Rose reminds her.

He asks if that makes him a prisoner and Yvonne agrees, saying there is so much he can teach them.

"So they expect you to help while being held prisoner?" Mickey scoffs.

"That'll be why she wanted my companion." Nine mutters darkly.

"They wouldn't?" Sarah-Jane gasps, catching on to his meaning.

"Well, if I'm listed as an enemy, people who travel with me probably are too meaning I don't think these people have any boundaries."

Yvonne leads him and Jackie into the sphere room, asking what he makes of that. The Doctor stares at it, putting on his 3D glasses again. Raj tries to introduce himself, holding out his hand which the Doctor ignores. Jackie asks what it is and Yvonne admits they have no idea. The Doctor states it is a void ship.

"What?" Nine and Jack both gasp.

"That's just a story." Jack whispers.

"Like Time Lords?" Ten points out.

"Well, yeah, but this is just...wow. You get to see some of the coolest things."

"There is nothing cool about it." Ten states firmly. "It is certainly not something they should ever have been messing with."

The Doctor explains what a void ship is and what the void is. Raj asks how they get into it and the Doctor tells him they should send it back to Hell. Then he asks how it got there. She explains that is how all of this started. The void ship arrived and the ghosts followed.

"Well that half explains how the Cybermen got there. The ship must have ripped a hole in the fabric of the universe to come into this universe from the void. Somehow the Cybermen must have found a way to protect themselves and use the gap to squeeze through from the parallel universe." Nine explains.

"Not good then." Sarah-Jane states.

The Doctor tells them to show him and walks out, turning left. Yvonne exchanges annoyed looks with Raj before following, calling after him he went the wrong way. He turns and goes right.

"A less spectacular exit than it could have been." Jack sniggers.

Adeola has led Matt to the plastic sheeting where she found the Cyberman. He is reluctant but finally goes in. There is the whirr of a circular saw and he screams.

"Are they just giving them the earpieces?" Martha asks nervously.

"I'm not sure." Ten tells her regretfully.

Rose sneaks out of the Tardis, which has been put next to a very large and brightly decorated mummy case. She grabs a white coat from a bench and walks out.

Yvonne points the Doctor at the blank wall at the far end of the Lever room. The Doctor walks up and touches it.

Ten shudders so violently that Rose ends up shuddering too. Then he tenses as stiff as a board. Rose looks up at him in concern and sees that his gaze is fixed on her so intently she can almost feel it burning her.

"Doctor?" She moves her hand from Nine' and brings it to Ten's cheek. He doesn't seem to react, just stares at her with so many unreadable emotions, the only two she can pick out are grief, such deep grief and an equally deep love.

Everybody else tries not to imagine exactly what a wall could have done to bring about such a reaction. They all begin talking quietly amongst themselves to give the duo some space.

"I'm right here Doctor." Rose whispers to him.

"Rose?" Her name bursts from his lips in a ragged breath, almost a prayer. She tries to move away from him to sit up and face him but his arm immediately tightens, not enough to hurt but enough to stop her moving further than an inch from his side.

"Alright, I'll stay just here." She snuggles closer and he relaxes minutely. She nods to the others and they turn back to watch the screen again.

Yvonne explains the sphere came through there, it's not active until they fire particle engines at that exact spot.

"They are deliberately opening a breech in the universe? Repeatedly?" Martha gapes.

"How stupid can they be? Calling humans apes seems to be becoming far more insulting to apes." Nine looks horrified.

"Anything could have wandered through." Donna points out.

"Anything did wander through. Very dangerous things." Ten reminds her.

Yvonne explains it was a radar black spot so they built the tower to reach it. Jackie realises they are in Canary Wharf. Yvonne tells them the breech is a source of energy and with it Britain will be truly independent.

"And also the reason the entire planet, possibly the entire universe, could have ended." Nine spits furiously. "But no, little, tiny Britain being independent is obviously worth an entire planet!"

She adds that the next shift is in two minutes.

"So they've been prodding a breech in the universe almost every hour or so for two months straight?" Jack asks in disgust.

The Doctor tells her to cancel it. Yvonne refuses and gets angry, accusing him of trying to lord it over them when it comes to matters of aliens.

"That's because he has an ounce of common sense that you seem to lack." Rose mutters angrily.

He demonstrates on a glass panel what will potentially happen but Yvonne just says they will be more careful.

"No they won't." Martha mutters.

They argue a bit more before the Doctor stops and says okay.

"What?" Everybody except Nine looks confused. Ten just gives a half smirk that he clearly doesn't mean.

The Doctor goes back into her office and fetches a chair to sit on. She looks incredibly confused. The Doctor is now cheerfully asking for a cup of tea before telling 'Rose' to pull up a seat and watch the fireworks. Yvonne and the Doctor stare at each other until Adeola calls shift in two seconds. Yvonne then tells them to call it off.

"Nice work." Rose smiles.

"For now." He sighs.

The Doctor thanks her and she says it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. She orders someone to clean up saying that someone warned her the Doctor likes to make a mess.

"Likes too? Not usually. Has to? Mostly." Mickey points out.

"I suppose they are lucky he hasn't tried licking all the equipment they have," Donna grins.

"Oi! I'm not that bad." Ten protests weakly.

Matt is at his computer, wearing two earpieces.

"What was the sawing for then if not making them into Cybermen?" Sarah-Jane asks.

Nine looks very grim as he responds. "They probably attached those earpieces a little more securely than normal ones. Like actually attached them to the brain. They are already dead."

"Oh god." Martha looks like she is about to be sick. Mickey glares at Nine while he rubs Martha's back soothingly.

Now there are three busily typing. Rose follows another scientist along a corridor to a sign saying Torchwood Institute, Reception, Lever Room, Maintenance. She kisses the psychic paper then puts it against the entry reader for the door the scientist has just gone through.

"Nice!" Jack grins widely.

Rose enters, and is transfixed by the sphere. Raj comes over to her. She tells him she is from personnel about the prisoner.

"Not the worst lie on the spot." Sarah-Jane winces slightly.

He asks for authorisation but realises the psychic paper is blank. He orders the room to be sealed and asks Samuel to check the door lock as she just walked right in. Samuel turns around.

"Mickey!" Rose cries.

"What am I doing there? How is that even possible?" Mickey looks astonished.

"Well, if the Cybermen are coming through, it makes sense that other things from that universe could squeeze through. No idea where you got the tech to do so, not like you could have made it." Nine says dismissively.

"OI!" Mickey protests.

He gives Rose the thumbs up and makes the 'be quiet' gesture. Raj tells Rose to take a seat. Yvonne and the Doctor are talking and she looks unimpressed he has his feet up on the desk. Raj then phones through saying they have a visitor. The Doctor tries to deny knowing her but when Yvonne threatens to have her shot he confesses that is Rose.

"Sorry." Rose sighs.

"Ah well. At least you found Ricky." Nine shrugs.

Yvonne asks who Jackie is then if not Rose. Jackie states she is Rose's mother and Yvonne looks quite amused. The Doctor asks her not to mention that fact when writing his complete history.

Everybody laughs, glad for a bit of relief from the tension that has been gathering since the night before really.

There is a noise outside. Yvonne stands up and realises people have started the ghost shifts. She orders them to stop but nobody responds. A scientist grabs one of the levers which are moving on their own. The Doctor goes to Adeola and snaps his fingers in front of her face but no response. He realises they are overriding the system and ghost shift is happening. In the lab downstairs the sphere becomes active.

"Oh crap." Rose winces.

"The crap is only just beginning." Ten warns her. He realises that they have been watching for over half an hour and an awful lot more stuff happens before he loses Rose. That means, as he suspected, his agony is going to be drawn out over two viewings.

Upstairs the Doctor tells them the earpieces are controlling them and apologises to Adeola. He zaps Adeola's earpiece with his sonic screwdriver. She screams, and so do Gareth and Matt. Then they collapse.

Martha begins crying in earnest. "Thank you. For stopping her." She gets out between sobs. Ten nods sadly at her.

Yvonne wants to know what happened with the earpieces and Jackie accuses the Doctor of killing them. He defends that they were already dead long before he got there. Yvonne keeps pressing about the earpieces. Eventually she pulls one off Adeola. A rope of gray matter comes with it.

Suspecting what was about to happen, Mickey managed to pull Martha's face to his chest before she could see her cousin's brain being pulled out of her ear.

"Oh my god." Rose presses a hand to her mouth.

"Addy." Martha whispers.

The Doctor asks about the ghost shift and Yvonne tells him it's at 90% and still running. She asks if he can stop it and he replies that they have hijacked the system. Yvonne keeps asking questions and the Doctor says he can trace the signal, telling Jackie to stay there. Raj is on Yvonne's laptop with the message Sphere Activated.

"Too many things at once." Sarah-Jane sighs.

"The Doctor can't be in two places at once." Donna agrees. "Well he can, but not there without causing more problems." She adds after a moment.

In the sphere lab Raj is still trying to contact Yvonne but Mickey reassures Rose that they have beaten them before and can do it again. That is why he is there.

"I don't quite get why you look so stupidly excited." Nine snaps at him.

"So you followed the Cybermen there then?" Rose asks ignoring Nine.

"Seems like it." Mickey shrugs, not having done it yet.

Rose asks, the fight against what and he replies what does she think.

"Well the only things we fought together are Krillitanes, clockwork creatures and Cybermen. Only one of those would bring me back from another universe." Mickey grins slightly. He imagines it is definitely good to be back with Rose.

The sphere's shudders are becoming more violent. The Doctor is tracking the signal with his sonic screwdriver. They pass two soldiers going the other way. Yvonne orders them to follow her and the Doctor. The scientists are struggling to stop the levers from reaching activation point.

"At least they are slowing it down?" Jack offers, hopefully, knowing full well it won't make any difference.

The four reach the corridor with the plastic sheeting. They go in and find themselves surrounded by Cybermen. He realises they came through first as an advanced guard and the soldiers open fire.

"That's going to do nothing but annoy them." Donna winces.

"And get the guards killed." Jack groans.

In the Sphere lab, Mickey explains that they had almost beaten the Cybermen when they found a way through to this world and they were able to follow. Rose points out the Doctor said that was impossible. Mickey retorts it's not the first time he's been wrong.

"Yes well, it seems that since I've met Rose and the rest of you, impossible doesn't seem to have much meaning anymore." Ten shrugs with half a smile.

"Good." Rose grins over at Mickey who smiles in return.

Rose asks what's inside the sphere but Mickey doesn't know. Cybermen escort the Doctor and Yvonne into the lever room. The Doctor yells for everybody to move away from the machines. The Cybermen activate their arm guns and shoot the scientists holding back the levers. Jackie asks what they are and one Cyberman tells her. Then it states the ghost shift will be increased to 100%. The levers move up on their own and the ghosts appear as usual but in much higher numbers.

"Bringing through the cavalry." Jack states glumly.

"That's not even all they managed to bring through. If the Cyber leader is in the sphere why not open that first?" Sarah-Jane asks.

"Might need the power from the ghost shift?" Rose suggests.

News reporters notice there are more ghosts than usual. One report says they are harmless.

"So very not harmless." Donna lets out a noise of derision.

Heavy boot steps are heard through the blank wall at the end. Downstairs, Raj is trying to reach Yvonne still. He states he needs help down there.

"Yes well, they need help up there more at the moment." Jack snaps.

"Actually, everyone needs help everywhere. That sphere is no safer than where we are." Ten corrects through gritted teeth.

Mickey removes his white coat and ear piece. The Sphere starts to crack open, then a black hole appears. Jackie asks what the Cybermen have to do with the ghosts.

"Really mum?" Rose rolls her eyes fondly.

The Doctor reminds her that a footprint doesn't look like a boot. The ghosts solidify and form up in squads everywhere. People start to scream and run. They start killing and breaking down front doors. Yvonne says they are invading the whole planet. The Doctor states it isn't an invasion, it's a victory.

"All because they couldn't leave well enough alone." Jack moans.

"Not quite. I think some cybermen got through anyway. They may have found a way after all but Torchwood did the work for them." Nine scowls.

Mickey says he knows what is in there and that he is ready. Mickey gets his really massive gun from underneath the platform below the sphere.

"I thought you said nobody knows?" Nine asks. Mickey just shrugs.

Raj is confused and MIckey gives his real name. The Doctor asks the Cybermen how they got the sphere but a Cyberman tells him it isn't theirs. It broke down barriers between worlds and they simply followed it. Jackie points out Rose is down there. The sphere is slowly disappearing in a blaze of light. Then four oversized pepperpots glide out of the Void.

"Holy crap. Seriously, how does this day continue to get worse?" Jack exclaims.

"Actually, I hate to say this but it's almost a good thing." Ten looks disgusted with himself for even saying it. "Without the Dalek distraction the Cybermen would have simply taken over Earth, no contest. This gave me time to find some sort of solution." He takes a deep breath and adjusts his hold on Rose.

Mickey states they aren't Cybermen.

"Looks like you were wrong, Ricky." Nine points out snidely.

They all call out exterminate and the screen goes black.

"For god sake!" Both Doctor cry out. Rose quickly puts on the next one.