Author's Note: Thank you again to those who have sent in lovely reviews! I am super grateful! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
As a reminder...
This is the Doctor speaking.
This is the Captain speaking.
Thank you and enjoy!
Yvonne led the Captain, the Doctor and Jackie through up to the ghost shift chamber, a vast room that seemed longer than it was wide, its pristine white walls creating an atmosphere of clinical precision. At one end of the room was Yvonne's office, tucked behind transparent glass windows stamped with Torchwood's logo that provided a view into her domain. Along the sides of the room, three desks lined one wall, while two more were arranged on the opposite side. Dedicated employees, engrossed in their work, filled these spaces, heads barely turning to acknowledge the group's arrival, their focus on their tasks serving as a stark contrast to the mystery of the empty space at the room's far end. The levers, positioned like sentinels with one on each side of the room, suggested that this was a control room of some kind to the Time Lords, intriguing them both.
Yvonne led them all to the empty space at the end of the room, gesturing at the white wall in front of them.
"The sphere came through here. A hole in the world."
The Doctor approached the wall, letting go of the Captain's hand for the first time since they had reunited, unable to resist the urge to investigate, running a hand over its pristine surface. His touch felt almost reverent and gentle, as if too much force would cause the very hole that Yvonne mentioned to appear. It was here that the mysterious sphere had made its appearance and the Doctor's inquisitive nature drove him to explore every detail. The wall seemed to hold the key to the unusual events that had transpired, and he was determined to uncover the truth that lay beyond the cold, unyielding surface.
The Captain found her curiosity piqued not by the room's sleek, white aesthetics or the location of where the void ship had come through but by the tireless employees who continued to work, seemingly unperturbed by her and the Doctor's presence. She frowned a little, her gaze shifting to a dedicated trio who appeared more robotic in their movements, mechanical and precise. While the Doctor delved into the room's mysteries, the Captain found herself drawn to the odd individuals who, like the room itself, seemed to conceal their own secrets.
She sensed that something about them was slightly off, however her recently completed regeneration had left her mind in a state of disarray, and though her instincts were telling her that there was more to the situation than met the eye, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She knew she was missing something, and the lingering disorientation from her transformation was only making it harder to pinpoint. The Captain's thoughts felt muddled, like pieces of a complex jigsaw puzzle yet to be fitted together, as she watched the enigmatic employees, her innate sense of curiosity battling her own regeneration-induced haze.
Her focused observations of the peculiar employes were abruptly interrupted by a surge of regeneration energy leaving her system. With a soft exhale, her breath released shimmering wisps of golden energy which disappeared into their air. The Doctor's attention was pulled from the wall, back to the Captain. The exhalation of regeneration energy was a vivid reminder that she was still in the early stages of her regenerated form, making her all the more vulnerable. His sense of urgency heightened as he grappled with a dual objective: to solve the mysteries of the ghostly apparitions and the Void Ship, while also getting themselves out of the Torchwood facility as swiftly as possible.
"Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up." Yvonne continued, pulling his attention back.
"How did you even find it?" he asked her. It wasn't exactly that they would stumble on to by accident.
"Well, we were getting warning signs for years. A radar black spot. So, we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breech was six hundred feet above sea level, it was the only way to reach it."
The Doctor's frown deepened at that as he slipped on his 3D glasses, looking at the wall through them. "You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?"
Yvonne smirked, "Enough."
She walked away, leaving the Doctor to his examinations whilst the Captain returned to his side. The Doctor removed his 3D glasses, slipping them back into his pocket and giving the wall one more look over before looking at the Captain. The Doctor's concern for the Captain's well-being was evident in the worried lines etching his face. "Are you feeling alright?"
The Captain, her brilliant green eyes meeting his with a small, reassuring smile, replied, "I'll be fine, Doctor. I'm quite used to regenerating in less-than-ideal circumstances."
Her tone held a quiet determination, and she knew his concerns stemmed from a deep sense of responsibility for her. The Doctor, though comforted by her apparent resilience, couldn't help but wince as he recalled the less-than-ideal circumstances she referred to. He couldn't help but voice the question that had been lingering in his mind, "How did you survive? What happened to you? I looked for you at the fall of Arcadia."
She gave him a sad smile, opening her mouth to reply when they heard Jackie's voice, cutting their conversation short. The blonde woman had been looking out the window, drinking in the view of London.
"Hold on a minute… we're in Canary Wharf! Must be! This building, it's Canary Wharf."
"Well," Yvonne began, approaching her. "That is the public name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."
The Doctor and Captain joined the other pair in Yvonne's office, the Doctor deciding that he wanted to move on and resolve the mysteries surrounding Torchwood and get out of there, with the Captain, rather than wasting any more time with small talk. "So, you find the breech, probe it, the sphere comes through. Six hundred feet above London, bam. It leaves a hold in the fabric of reality. And that hold, 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!'"
"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 declared, utterly unconcerned by the risks Torchwood had been and was taking. She left the office, preparing to take up her usual spot in the rift chamber.
"Cancel it," the Captain's request came as a surprising and firm order, mirroring the commanding presence of a general addressing a soldier.
"I don't think so," Yvonne disagreed, looking to proceed as normal with Torchwood's ghost shift schedule.
"Proceeding without complete possession of all pertinent information is not a wise course of action. The risks of entering uncharted territory without adequate knowledge are too great, and the consequences could be catastrophic. Do you have any idea what you're doing? What the sphere has done? What you continue to do to the hole?" The Captain's words, delivered with the unmistakable authority of a leader, sought to persuade Yvonne to reconsider her course of action.
"We're warning you, cancel it," the Doctor demanded, more aggressively. He couldn't help but feel exasperation at what he saw as a dangerous lack of understanding and the recklessness of human ambition. In moments like these, he found it challenging to grapple with what he perceived as the shortsightedness of humans when it came to handling advanced technology and the potential consequences they were willing to ignore. His frustration reflected his deep concern for the safety of not only the Captain, himself, Jackie, Rose and the Earth but also for the very fabric of time and space.
Yvonne was hostile in her response to the Doctor, "Oh, exactly as the legends would have it. The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man."
"Let us show you."
The Doctor's eyes flashed with determination as he retrieved his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, moving to position himself on the other side of the glass partition that separated Yvonne's office from the main area, flanked by the Captain. He raised his sonic, its soft hum filling the room and began to demonstrate with a focused intensity.
"Sphere comes through," he narrated, pointing the sonic device at the glass. It began to splinter, cracks spiderwebbing outwards in a mesmerizing display. His voice remained calm and measured, even as the glass continued to fracture.
"But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it," the Doctor continued, his words matched by the expanding lines on the glass. "The entire surface of this dimension splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere."
The Captain nodded in agreement, keeping her gaze fixed on Yvonne, who seemed unable to meet her eye, preferring instead to watch the breaking glass.
"They're bleeding through the fault lines," the Doctor continued. "Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and help them along! But too many ghosts, and…"
As he trailed off, the Captain reached out and with a gentle tap, she shattered the glass pane, the fragments cascading from the frame like a crystal waterfall.
Yvonne, however, seemed unperturbed by the display. "Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful," she shrugged before turning to address the staff. "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute."
The Doctor pursued Yvonne as she moved away, "Ms. Hartman, I am asking you, please, don't do it."
Yvonne, a steely resolve in her gaze, countered, "We have done this a thousand times!"
The Doctor's frustration with the woman bubbled to the surface, his voice tinged with fury. "Then stop at a thousand!"
"We are in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breech, but equally they can close it."
The room crackled with tension as they locked eyes, engaged in a fierce battle of wills. It was a standoff, with both refusing to yield.
The Captain's attention was diverted, her gaze fixing back onto the trio of employees who had captured her attention earlier. Her curiosity was piqued by their distinct behaviour, seemingly unperturbed by the heated exchange between Yvonne and the Doctor. As her gaze honed in on them, she couldn't help but notice their robotic, detached demeanour.
What intrigued her most were the earpods that each of the employees wore. It was apparent that all the staff members were equipped with these devices, but something about the trio's earpods nagged at her. She struggled to discern what set them apart, her newly regenerated mind still adapting to her fresh perspective.
Amidst the ongoing commotion in the room, the Captain silently scrutinized the trio, her eyes trained on their earpods as she attempted to unravel the enigma that had captured her attention. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something amiss, something hidden beneath the surface, and she was determined to uncover the truth.
The Doctor, his tone shifting, acquiesced with a slight nod and a touch of levity. "Okay." He left momentarily, heading into Yvonne's office to grab a chair.
Yvonne, taken aback by his sudden change of demeanour, said, "Sorry?"
The Doctor, now seated comfortably, waved her off, "Never mind! As you were."
Yvonne, puzzled by the Doctor's change of attitude, asked, "What, is that it?"
The Doctor, settling into his chair, responded with a hint of nonchalance. "No! Fair enough. Said my bit. Don't mind me. Any chance of a cup of tea?"
A hush fell over the room as one of the trio that the Captain was watching, made an announcement regarding the impending ghost shift. "Ghost Shift in twenty seconds."
The Doctor, feigning excitement, chimed, "Mm! Can't wait to see it!"
He couldn't help but steal a quick, contemplative glance at the Captain who seemed lost in her own thoughts.
'Everything okay?'
The Doctor's voice was gentle in her mind, a warm presence on the edges of her thoughts and he pulled her attention away from the employees, her eyes focusing on him instead.
'There's something we're missing…'
The Doctor's concern deepened at that, his own eyes sweeping over the employees she had been looking at with a small frown, though it was only a glance as Yvonne, full of suspicion, reminded him, "You can't stop us, Doctor."
The Doctor, unfazed, offered a light-hearted reply, addressing Jackie and the Captain as he beckoned them to join him. "No, absolutely not! Pull up a chair, Captain, Rose! Come and watch the fireworks!"
Both women flanked the Doctor as the countdown continued as Adeola announced, "Ghost Shift in ten seconds. Nine… eight…"
Yvonne's unease grew, and she found herself locked in a silent showdown with the Doctor, his raised eyebrows daring her to proceed.
"Seven… six… five… four… three… two…"
Finally, Yvonne relented, her voice demanding a halt to the proceedings. "Stop the shift. I said stop."
"Thank you," the Doctor said, gratefully, relieved that the ghost shift had been postponed.
Yvonne's eyes settled on the Captain who looked at back her easily, a profound well of wisdom within the Time Lady's eyes. It had been her words earlier that had had the most impact and Yvonne had to acknowledge that the Captain did have a point. She said, "I suppose it makes sense to gather as much intelligence as possible. But the program will recommence as soon as you've explained everything."
"We're glad to be of help," the Doctor responded, feeling confident that they would be able to convince her to stop the shifts altogether.
Yvonne then addressed the employees around her, "And someone clear up this glass."
Her gaze turned back to the Doctor as she said, "They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess."
Please R&R! :)