Warmth was the first thing Katy noticed as she awoke from her deep sleep, her eyes opening a fraction as they adjusted to the dim orange lightning in the bedroom. The Doctor's bedroom. Katy instantly froze, as she realised the reason for the warmth was that she was lying against the Doctor's side, her head settled atop his chest. The doublebeat of his hearts was strong against her ear, almost being enough to lull her back to sleep. Until she felt the Doctor's hand move from where it had been clutching her waist, to start brushing through her hair. His fingers were surprisingly gentle as they stroked through her hair, in a way that she found far too comforting. Too intimate. It made her want to run for the hills, her instincts kicking in.
"How long have you been awake?" She questioned, feeling the Doctor's fingers still against her hair.
"A few hours," He replied, as she lifted her head up to give him a judgy look.
"You know, it's kinda' creepy watching someone sleep," She teased, as he gave a half shrug, his hand falling back against her waist.
"How about I make it up to you by making breakfast?" He grinned, watching as her eyes lit up.
"Well, I'm never one to say no to food..." She trailed off, as he nodded, sitting up in the bed, and swinging his legs over the edge.
"...But I get the feeling you're making a run for it so you don't have to answer my questions," Katy finished, as the Doctor twisted around with a scandalised expression.
"No. No, that's not...maybe," He confessed, as she quirked an eyebrow.
"You should know by now, there's no getting away from me," She smirked, crawling across the bed to perch on his shoulder.
"And I don't want to. Honestly, I don't...but, I can't afford to change your future. Everything has to happen just as it's supposed to," The Doctor informed her, watching as her smile fell.
For a few minutes, she had forgotten what she had uncovered the night before. She was supposed to die in the future. In less than a year. Wasn't that something that the Doctor should have wanted to change? She moved away from where she had been pressed up against him, and hunched over on the edge of the bed, her chin resting on her hands.
"He showed me my future. The Dream Lord. Nothing good is coming for me, and we both know that," Katy stated, as the Doctor's eyes doubled in size.
"What did he show you?" The Doctor asked, in a strained tone.
"2007."
He immediately looked away from her, running a hand over his face as she heard him inhale sharply. And that was all the confirmation she needed. Any hope she had that maybe the TARDIS had it wrong, that she would have a future, it was all washed away in a moment.
"It's that bad, huh?" She murmured, as he forced himself to glance up at her.
He gave her a sad smile, desperately trying to blink away the tears that had welled in his eyes. He looked broken, as if she had just reached inside his chest and ripped both his hearts out. Beneath the devastation, she could see another emotion behind his eyes. Guilt.
"Sorry," He sighed, muffling a cry with his hand, as he shook his head.
"We can...we can change it, right? Whatever happens to me, we can fix it? We always fix it," Katy insisted, reaching out and brushing away a tear that had rolled down his cheek.
All those people they had saved. Even their friends. The Doctor saved everyone.
"Not this time," He told her, as Katy felt a wave of panic.
"But why not? Because it's a fixed point in time?" Katy argued, knowing that wouldn't usually stop him.
"Because I made a promise. One I have to keep," The Doctor informed her, his voice thick with emotion.
"To who?"
Then she blinked.
A string of curses left her lips as she found herself now in the dark, still perched on the Doctor's bed, but completely alone. She glanced at his bedside table, finding no sign of the pictures of them. Even half the trinkets and space gear he had picked up over the years were missing. She was in his early days. Where he would have no idea what was going to happen to her.
"I'm starting to think the universe really fucking hates me," Katy groaned.
Katy was in a foul mood as she stormed into the console room, spotting the Doctor and Rose lounging on the jump seats, their feet perched up on the console. Mickey was standing close by, his finger pressed against the calibration switch. He was the only one who noticed her wandering up the stairs, sending her a quick smile, seeming grateful to have another presence in the room.
"And that weird munchkin lady with the big eyes? Do you remember? The way she looked at you! And then she opens her mouth and fire comes out!" The Doctor exclaimed, making Rose giggle.
"I thought I was going to get frazzled!" Rose stated.
"Yeah. One minute she's standing there, and the next minute..." The Doctor trailed off, as he and Rose imitated something akin to a roar.
"Yeah. where was that, then? What happened?" Mickey interjected as the laughter died down.
"Oh, it was on this er, this planet thing. Asteroid. It's a long story, you had to be there," The Doctor retorted, finally spotting Katy, who was now leaning against the console, with her arms crossed. "Katy, uh...when did you get here?" He questioned, taking his feet off the console, and sitting upright.
"Few minutes. Mickey, what're you doing that for?" Katy frowned, noticing he was still holding the calibration button.
"Because he told me to," Mickey said, gesturing to the Doctor.
"When was that?" The Doctor inquired, as Rose's gaze darted between the pair.
"About half an hour ago."
"Er, you can let go now," The Doctor mumbled, as Rose covered up her mouth with her hand, trying to hold in her laughter.
"Well, how long's it been since I could've stopped?" Mickey huffed, removing his aching finger from the console, as the TARDIS let out a hum of thanks.
"Ten minutes? Twenty? Twenty-nine?" The Doctor guessed, with amusement.
"You just forgot me!" Mickey accused, as the Doctor shook his head.
"No, no, no. I was just, I was, I was calibrating. I was just...no, I know exactly what I'm doing," The Doctor argued, as a harsh scoff left Katy's lips.
"You fly the TARDIS with the brakes on half the time," She pointed out, as the time rotor lit up, in agreement. "C'mon, Mickey. I'm starving, you can cook me some food," Katy suggested, patting his shoulder and ushering him toward the corridor.
"Anything else you want?" Mickey grumbled, sarcastically.
"Wouldn't mind a foot rub if you're offering?" Katy teased, nudging him with her elbow.
She glanced behind them just before they left the console room to see the Doctor and Rose laughing once again, with the blonde leaning against his shoulder. Katy couldn't help but wince at the adoring look in the Doctor's eyes as he looked to Rose. She wasn't sure if he ever really looked at her like that.
"Thanks for getting me away from their lovefest," Mickey sighed, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"No problem."
"You think Rose even remembers I'm still supposed to be her boyfriend?" Mickey asked, as Katy bit her lip, not sure how to answer.
"The Doctor's one of the smartest people I've ever met...but he's also really fucking stupid. So, no...I doubt either of them know what they're doing," Katy shrugged, as they turned the corner toward the kitchen.
"Well, at least I'm not third-wheeling by myself anymore," Mickey pointed out, not seeing how Katy's smile faltered at the suggestion.
She had gone from having the Doctor all but admit his feelings for her, to having to watch him fawn over another girl, all in the space of a day. How the hell was her relationship supposed to work with the Doctor if she remained being flung along his timeline?
"...You know, I wasn't kidding about my snack. I want bacon. Lots of it," Katy insisted, after a few seconds.
"Bacon sarnie coming up," Mickey exclaimed, as Katy's phone began ringing from where she had shoved it inside her back pocket.
"I'll meet you in there," Katy told him, as he gave her a questioning look for a moment, before shrugging and wandering off.
She opened the flip phone to find an unknown number was calling her, but she knew it could only be one person. He always seemed to know the exact moment to insert himself into her life to cause the most chaos.
"I thought you said you weren't gonna' call me," Katy greeted, placing the phone to her ear.
"I'm surrounded by boring humans. I need some entertainment," The Master replied, as she rolled her eyes.
"You know, you can just admit you miss me," She teased.
"Don't be disgusting," He muttered, as she felt a grin growing on her lips.
"You answered a little quickly. Trouble in paradise?" The Master suggested.
"Rose is here," She confessed, before realising how her words sounded. "Which is fine. I like Rose. A lot. You know, she's my friend—" Katy continued, as the Master made a gagging sound from the other end of the line.
"What is it with you and...friends?" The Master murmured, the disgust clear in his tone.
"I know it's still a completely foreign concept to you, but those of us who aren't complete psychopaths, actually happen to enjoy others' company," Katy went on.
"Sounds painfully dull," The Master huffed.
"How are the drums?" Katy inquired, curiously.
"...Tiring," The Master admitted, as she heard the shuffling of fabric, imagining he was clutching at his head.
"You want me to come round?" Katy offered, being greeted with silence once again.
"I don't need you," The Master told her.
"Hmm. The big, bad, Master doesn't need anyone, right?" She retorted.
"Wanting to get away from the lovebirds?" The Master guessed.
"Maybe. They can be pretty tiring too," Katy admitted, as she went to lean back against the metal wall, and slid down onto the floor.
She knew it wouldn't solve anything by running away, but then again, isn't that what the Doctor always did? He ran. Every day, he ran away from all the horrors that haunted him. Maybe she needed to do the same.
"I'm going to die," She suddenly announced.
"What?" He questioned, in a confused tone.
"The TARDIS showed me. Next year, or for me at least...it doesn't matter, I guess but I don't have long," Katy admitted, pulling her legs up to her chest, not sure why she was telling the Master of all people. "Sucks, huh?"
"Then change it," The Master pointed out, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"How? I don't even know when it's going to happen," Katy retorted.
"I could..." The Master trailed off, with a groan. She waited a few seconds for him to pluck up the courage to finish the sentence. "I could help you."
"Doesn't exactly sound like something you would do," She argued.
"Yeah, well...you're not exactly the worst company either," The Master told her, as the smile returned to her lips.
"I'm totally getting under your skin, aren't I?" She grinned.
"Now I'm thinking of killing you," The Master scoffed, making Katy snort.
"Look, nothing will happen to you. It's not as if your wonderful Doctor would ever let anyone harm you," The Master insisted, causing Katy's forehead to wrinkle.
But the Master was wrong. The Doctor was willing to let her die. Because of a promise. Who would he keep such an awful oath for?
Before she could think too much about it, her phone was suddenly sparking as the call disconnected. The TARDIS lurched violently to one side, as Katy collided with the wall, gripping onto one of the portholes to keep herself upright. She could hear Mickey calling out her name from the kitchen when she felt the TARDIS spin out of control, and when she next opened her eyes she was lying on the cold metal floor. With a groan, she pushed herself up with her elbows, finding there was only dim emergency lighting illuminating the corridor as she heard footsteps charging toward her.
"Katy? Katy!" The Doctor cried, when he noticed her on the ground.
"I'm okay. Just bruised," She mumbled, as he kneeled down beside her, looking her over for any other injuries.
"You're sure?" He questioned, reaching out for her arm, and helping her to sit upright.
"I'm fine," She insisted, glad to see that apart from his messy hair, he did not appear injured either. "What happened? Where's Rose?"
"Back in the console room. We fell out of the time vortex," The Doctor exclaimed, watching as her eyes widened.
"But that means..." Katy trailed off, her mouth gone slack.
"She's dead. The TARDIS is dead," The Doctor sighed, dropping his hand from her arm.
And he was right. She couldn't feel the pull from the TARDIS any longer. The connection she had grown so used to. It felt just like the pain the Dream Lord had created. Maybe he knew this was coming for her?
"We fell out of the vortex, through the void, into nothingness. We're in some sort of no place. The silent realm. The lost dimension," The Doctor went on, as Katy pushed herself up onto her feet.
"Then how are we still breathing?" She pointed out, as a glimmer of hope grew on the Doctor's face.
"C'mon, we'll fix this. We'll fix her," Katy insisted, holding out her hand for the Doctor to take.
With a nod, he joined their hands together, as she helped to haul him upright. The TARDIS meant everything to the Doctor. It had been his home for hundreds of years. It was the last thing he had of his people. And it was now her home too.
"We're okay. That's the main thing," Katy stated, placing her other hand over his, and squeezing lightly.
"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about me. Mickey's just fine!" An irritated voice called out, as Katy whipped around to find Mickey storming toward them, with what appeared to be cooking oil stained all over his shirt.
"Ah, Mickey, we were just...just coming to find you," The Doctor retorted, pulling his hand away from Katy, as Mickey shoved past him.
"I'm out of here," Mickey huffed, as the pair were quick to chase after him.
"Hey, for all we know, it must just be the void out there. We need to plan our next move before we do anything...rash..." Katy trailed off, as Mickey grabbed his jacket from the hatstand outside the console doors and raced up the stairs.
It was horrible seeing the console so dark and lifeless. Katy felt as if she was standing over the grave of a friend. After all, she imagined few knew her better than the TARDIS. She had meant what she had said to the Doctor. She wouldn't let the TARDIS die.
"You okay?" Rose inquired, as Mickey marched toward the TARDIS doors.
"Like you care," Mickey muttered, under his breath, before he shoved the doors open.
"Mickey, wait! We don't know what's out there!" Rose gaped, as sunlight illuminated the console room.
"London, England, Earth!" Mickey exclaimed, as the group rushed to join him.
Katy instinctively went to grab the Doctor's long coat from one of the rails, passing it to him before going to peek outside the doors. It was a bright, sunny day, as the TARDIS appeared to be parked beside the Thames. Nothing appeared out of place. She gestured for the Doctor to come forward, but found he was still staring down at the coat in his hands.
"What?" She frowned.
"It's just a little strange," The Doctor mumbled, as she raised an eyebrow. "You know what I'm going to do before even I do sometimes," He admitted, as her lips twitched into a smile.
"Maybe you're just too predictable," She teased, before exiting the TARDIS.
"First of February this year. Not exactly far flung, is it?" Mickey said, picking up a paper, pointing to the date.
1st February 2007.
How many months was it away from the day she died? Or was it only days? With a shake of her head, she pushed the disturbing thoughts from her mind. One problem at a time.
"So this is London. Your city," The Doctor mused, looking up at the sky.
"That's the one," Mickey nodded.
"Just as we left it?"
"Bang on."
"And that includes the Zeppelins?" The Doctor asked, as Katy's eyes snapped up to find hundreds of zeppelins in the air, some not far above them.
"What the hell?" Mickey gaped, realising that something was very wrong.
"That's beautiful," Rose murmured, as Katy gave her an odd look.
"Mate, you really need to get out more," Katy snorted.
"This is not your world," The Doctor informed them, ominously.
"But if the date's the same..." Mickey trailed off, as the realisation suddenly hit him. "It's parallel, right? Am I right? Like a parallel Earth where they've got Zeppelins. I'm right, aren't I?" Mickey suggested, looking for the Doctor's approval.
"Must be."
"We travelled through the Void to get here," Katy said, more to herself than anyone else.
The Elemental Shades, the very thing she had integrated with, had come through the Void. There had been a split in reality back in their world, that had let them through. Wasn't that date around February too?
"Fuck," Katy whispered to herself, realising the TARDIS might have been the very thing that had caused the tear.
"You've seen it on films. Like an alternative to our world where everything's the same but a little bit different, like, I don't know, traffic lights are blue, Tony Blair never got elected," Mickey explained.
"And he's still alive," Rose exclaimed, as all eyes turned to her. "A parallel world and my dad's still alive," Rose continued, her eyes falling on a nearby interactive advertisement, starring Pete Tyler.
Katy had seen pictures of the man in Jackie's flat, hidden away mostly. She expected it was too painful for Rose's mum to think about Pete too much. There had never been anyone else for her. Katy's eyes flickered to the Doctor, who reached out for Rose's arm, his eyes a storm of concern.
"Don't look at it, Rose. Don't even think about it. This is not your world," The Doctor repeated, as Rose shrugged off his hold on her.
"But he's my dad and..." She trailed off, touching the advertisement board that came whirring to life.
Trust me on this. Trust me on this. Trust me on this.
The words repeated again and again until Rose pulled her hand away, a smile growing on her lips as she watched her dad give a thumbs up, not caring how cheesy the advert was. She could barely even remember the sound of his voice sometimes. And now he was right in front of her.
"He's a success. He was always planning these daft little schemes. Health food, drinks and stuff. Everyone said they were useless. But he did it," Rose grinned, as the Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look away from the advertisement.
"Rose, if you've ever trusted me, then listen to me now. Stop looking at it. Your father's dead. He died when you were six months old. That is not your Pete. That is a Pete. For all we know, he's got his own Jackie, his own Rose. His own daughter who is someone else, but not you. You can't see him. Not ever," The Doctor all but ordered, shaking her when her eyes flickered to Pete.
Katy noted how Rose turned away from him, her blonde hair covering her face, as a soft sob left her lips. She might not have liked Rose's relationship with the Doctor, but that didn't mean she wanted to see her upset.
"Hey. I know it hurts, okay? But you had a dad. A dad who loved you. And that..." Katy began, glancing at Pete's animated face for a moment. "That's not your dad. It's just someone who looks like him," Katy continued, as Rose nodded, slowly.
With a sigh, Katy wrapped her arms around the taller girl, embracing her tightly. Rose was taken aback by this action for a few moments, before relaxing and hugging her back. She hid her face in Katy's shoulder, quietly weeping for everything she had lost. The Doctor watched the pair with a frown, a wave of conflicted emotions hitting him all at once.
"Are you okay?"
The Doctor and Katy shared an amused look as they both asked each other the same question. They had ventured back to the TARDIS to figure out their next move, whilst Mickey stayed with Rose by the Thames, instructed to keep an eye on her.
"Great minds think alike, eh?" Katy teased, as she went to sit on the jumpseats.
"Any genius ideas?" She questioned, as he leaned back against the TARDIS console.
"Nothing. She usually shows me the way," The Doctor stated, running his hand over the console.
"Well, now it's your turn to save her. So, suck it up," She insisted, as he gave her a grin.
"You're different," He mused, as she gave him a confused look.
"Every time I meet you...you're different. I never know who I am going to be travelling with," He admitted, as she pursed her lips, not really sure what she could say to that. "You'd never have comforted Rose like that when we first met."
"Different bad?" She inquired.
"No. It's good. You're..." He trailed off, as his eyes connected with hers.
"Any luck?" A voice called out, as they heard the TARDIS doors creak open.
Katy twisted around to find Mickey wandering toward them, his hands in his pockets. She wondered how he was coping with everything. It might be a long time before any of them went home again.
"I told you to keep an eye on her!" The Doctor exclaimed, in a tone mixed with concern and anger.
"She's alright," Mickey shrugged, only irritating the Doctor further.
"She goes wandering off. Parallel world, it's like a gingerbread house. All those temptations calling out," The Doctor argued.
"Oh, so it's just Rose, then? Nothing out there to tempt me and Katy?" Mickey huffed, as Katy decided to stay quiet.
"Well, I don't know, I can't worry about everything. If I could just get this thing to..." He muttered, before kicking the console with his foot, resulting in a loud bang.
"Did that help?" Katy asked, unimpressed.
"Yes."
"Did that hurt?" Mickey guessed, as the Doctor flopped down on the seats beside Katy.
"Yes. Ow," The Doctor groaned, holding onto his foot and rubbing his aching toes.
"Serves you right for kicking a lady," Katy pointed out, watching as the Doctor all but pouted in response.
"We're not meant to be here. The TARDIS draws its power from the universe, but it's the wrong universe. It's like diesel in a petrol engine," The Doctor explained, as Mickey went to sit on his other side.
"But I've seen it in comics. People go hopping from one alternative world to another. It's easy," He shrugged, as the Doctor gave him a look of disbelief.
"Not in the real world. It used to be easy. When the Time Lords kept their eye on everything, you could hop between realities, home in time for tea," The Doctor began, his arms crossed across hic chest, as Katy watched in amusement as Mickey tried to mirror his pose. "Then they died, and took it all with them. The walls of reality closed, the worlds were sealed. Everything became that bit less kind."
"Then how did we get here?" Mickey frowned.
"I don't know. Accident? Should've been impossible. Now we're trapped," The Doctor sighed.
"Well, what if that's the point," Katy theorised.
"What?"
"Maybe this whole thing was a trap. Us arriving here," Katy went on, as a shiver went down Mickey's spine at the thought.
"What's that? Is that a light?" The Doctor announced, jumping to his feet.
"God, you're not starting to hallucinate are you?" Katy huffed, as he dragged her up and pointed in the direction of what he had seen.
"That, there. Is that a reflection? It's a light! Is it? I think that's a light. That's all we need!" The Doctor exclaimed, as Katy reached down to pull up one of the metal grates, finding a tiny green light within the wiring underneath the console. "We've got power! Katy, Mickey, we've got power! Ha!" The Doctor cheered, excitedly.
He was then reaching down and pulling all types of motors and conduits out from the console, before crawling inside the now empty space. He began rummaging for a few moments before his hand finally managed to clasp the tiny power cell.
"It's still clinging on?" Katy questioned.
"One little ounce of reality tucked away inside," The Doctor mumbled, pulling himself up with his elbows, the cell still in his hands.
"Enough to get us home?" Mickey asked, in a hopeful tone.
"Not yet," He stated, faltering for a moment when he found himself only inches away from Katy's face, who had crouched down to get a better look at the power cell. "I need to charge it up. With energy from our universe."
"But we don't have anything," Mickey frowned.
"There's me," He stated, wiggling his eyebrows as he cradled the green light in his hands.
It was almost magical as Katy watched the Doctor blow gently onto the power cell, causing it to light up brighter, the green glow illuminating all their faces. That was until she realised what the Doctor had just done.
"I just gave away ten years of my life. Worth every second," He grinned, brightly.
"Oh, great," Katy nodded, before she slapped the Doctor around the back of his head, who let out a cry. He stared up at her in disbelief, rubbing at his sore scalp. "Next time you do something stupid like that, how about you talk it over with me first?"
"Why would I do that?" The Doctor argued.
"Well, because...we're...I mean...just stop doing stupid things, okay?" Katy stuttered, with a slight blush.
"It's going out. Is that okay?" Mickey queried, watching as the light dimmed.
"It's on a recharging cycle. It'll loop round, power back up and be ready to take us home in, oh, twenty-four hours?" He suggested, giving the power cell a quick kiss.
"So, that gives us twenty-four hours on a parallel world?" Mickey realised.
"Shore leave. As long as we keep our heads down. Easy. No problem," The Doctor told him, as Katy let out a huff.
"When have we ever kept our heads down?"
It didn't take them long to find Rose, who was sitting on a bench by the river, a blank expression on her face. The Doctor began explaining to her how he had saved the day, and they would soon be flying back home, but Rose wasn't listening.
"What is it?" The Doctor sighed.
"My phone connected. There's this Cybus Network. It finds your phone. It gave me Internet access," Rose admitted, as the Doctor shook his head, knowing what she found out wouldn't lead to anything good. "I don't exist. There's no Rose Tyler. I was never born. There's Pete, my dad, and Jackie. He still married mum but they never had kids," Rose informed them, as the Doctor hated seeing the pain in her eyes.
"Give me that phone," The Doctor insisted, reaching out for the device, as she pulled away.
"They're rich. They've got a house and cars, and everything they want. But they haven't got me...I've got to see him," Rose announced, standing to her feet.
"You can't," The Doctor retorted, firmly.
"I just want to see him."
"I can't let you," The Doctor pointed out, knowing the damage she could do.
"You just said twenty-four hours!" Rose argued.
"You can't become their daughter, that's not the way it works. Katy, tell her," The Doctor advised, looking to her for support.
"What are you gonna' do when you see them, Rose? Tell them who you are? They'll think you're mad! And seeing your dad...it's just gonna' hurt more in the long run," Katy informed her, as Rose pursed her lips.
"I looked you up to."
"You did what?" The Doctor frowned, instantly standing to his feet, wanting to stop Rose from saying anything else.
"You exist here, Katy. Some version of you. Not your sister though," Rose exclaimed, as Katy stayed silent.
"But I think I found your mum," Rose admitted, as Katy's mouth went slack.
"What did you say?" She asked, in a shaky tone.
"I...I found the school that your sister worked at. In this world, it's you who worked there...with your mum. At least, there's this, uh, this news article that says—" Rose started, as Katy jumped forward to grab her phone before she could say anything.
She scrolled through the article until she found the name she was searching for. Ravina. Her mother. It had to be. At least, this reality's version of her mother. And that was better than anything she had back in the other universe.
"Why would you do this? Why would you be so cruel?" The Doctor hissed at Rose, causing her to flinch at his harsh words.
"Twenty-four hours, yeah?" Mickey interjected, beginning to walk away.
"Where're you going?" The Doctor called out.
"Well, I can do what I want. I've got things to see and all," Mickey shrugged.
"Like what?" The Doctor gaped, noticing how Rose was rushing off in the other direction.
"Well, you don't know anything about me, do you? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part," Mickey muttered, as the Doctor's head darted from one direction to the other.
"I'm sorry. I've got to go," Rose exclaimed, taking her phone back from Katy, who was still yet to say anything.
"Katy? Please. Don't," The Doctor insisted, reaching out for her shoulder.
"Would you? If there was a chance your mother was alive in this universe, would you really not try to see her?" Katy pushed.
"Yes."
"Well, I don't believe you. Hey, Mickey. Wait up!" Katy said, shrugging off his touch and walking over to the other man.
"Go on, then. There's no choice, is there? You can only chase after one of us. And it's never going to be us, is it?" Mickey pointed out, as he watched Rose disappear from view.
Katy hoped the Doctor would argue, that he would insist for them not to go. Hell, maybe even grab them and drag them back to the TARDIS. But instead, he clamped his lips together, and started to back away, as Katy felt something snap in her chest.
"It's always gonna' be Rose," Katy mumbled, in a bitter tone.
"I...I can't leave her on her own. You two stick together. Back here, twenty-four hours!" The Doctor insisted, before racing off after Rose.
Katy could do nothing but watch as he disappeared into the fading light, biting her inner cheek to stop the tears that started to well in her eyes. What the fuck had she been thinking about getting close to the Doctor? She had seen how he was with Rose. He would never...
She flinched a little when she felt Mickey reach for her hand, having noticed how upset she had become. He gestured for her to follow him in the other direction, as she rubbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.
"Yeah. If we haven't found something better, right?" Mickey stated, as she gave him a small smile.
"You know, you're not a spare part, right? They're just..."
"In love?" Mickey suggested, as Katy winced in response, more for him than herself.
"Couple of idiots we are, huh?" Mickey sighed, as she squeezed his hand.
"I need to go to the school, but I get the feeling there's something you're looking for here too, isn't there?" She exclaimed.
"My gran. You see, my mum just couldn't cope. Dad hung around for a while, but then he just sort of wandered off. I was brought up by my gran. She was such a great woman. God, she used to slap me!" Mickey huffed out a laugh, before the smile faltered. "And then she died. She tripped and fell down the stairs. It's about five years ago now. And then I just had Rose."
"I'm sorry. Life just fucking sucks sometimes," Katy replied.
"Yep. It sure does," He nodded.
"Promise you're actually coming back?" Katy insisted.
"I reckon you might be the only real friend I've actually got any more...so, yeah. I'll be back" Mickey told her.
She arrived at the school just before the sun set, finding it almost identical to the building she remembered back in their universe. Where her sister had died. There was just a slither of hope Katy felt, right up until she approached the school gates. Her eyes instantly spotted the shrine, full of flowers and cards, most damaged by water and bleached by the sun. There was an engraved plaque just beneath the flowers, with a dozen names.
Ravina.
A harsh laugh left Katy's lips, as she fell to her knees, looking up at the sky. She was too late again. In every world, she was always too late to save her family. Bitterness coursed for her veins at the thought of Rose being reunited with her father, and perhaps Mickey with his gran. Maybe some people were meant to be alone, she mused.
A shadow was suddenly cast over her, as she twisted around to find a middle-aged woman had come to a halt right behind her. Katy dusted her knees off, and turned to face the woman, frowning when she saw her blank expression. She waved a hand in front of the motionless woman's face, but she didn't even flinch. Glancing off down the street, she found half a dozen others all standing still. They all had earpods in, with a fast-blinking blue light. Were they being controlled by them?
Then, just as soon as they had stopped, the people let out a laugh and started walking again, as if nothing had ever happened. It seemed that there was a mystery happening in the parallel universe, and Katy was sure the Doctor would end up slap-bang in the middle of it.
A screeching sound grabbed her attention, as her head snapped up to find a large truck with the logo of Cybus Industries on the side. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, confusion etched over her features as the truck came to a stop right in front of her. The passenger door opened, and an older, balding man stepped out, shaking his head, ruefully.
"Where the hell have you been? Mr Lumic is growing restless," The man scolded, stepping down from the truck.
Shit. The man must have known the other version of her. She debated running in the other direction, but from the way the man was glaring at her, she figured that wouldn't be an option.
"Just, uh...paying my respects," Katy replied, gesturing to the plaque behind her.
"Ah. Of course. Apologies, Ma'am. I didn't realise this was where..." He trailed off, with a grimace.
"But Mr Lumic is still waiting for you. He wants you at the Tyler residence this evening to coordinate the troops," The man continued, as Katy froze.
"Pete Tyler?" She tried to clarify, as he narrowed his eyes.
"Who else?" The man scoffed.
"Right. Uh, lead the way then, Mr...?" She mumbled, as the older man rolled his eyes.
"Mr Crane. We have been working together for six months, remember?" Mr Crane mumbled.
"Guess you weren't particularly memorable," Katy shrugged, as he gestured to the van.
"As delightful as ever," He whispered under his breath.
She marched up the steps toward the truck, bewildered by the fact that the Katy over there somehow knew Pete Tyler. What were the chances? And what the hell did Mr Crane mean by troops?
The Doctor wandered around the grand Tyler mansion, a tray of champagne in one hand, but his mind was elsewhere. He had felt a surprising amount of regret as soon as he let Katy go. He had only known her a few months, compared to Rose who he...
What was Rose to him? She was a human. And no matter how much he wanted it to, that would never change. Every year, she would age. And he wouldn't. But Katy? She was something of an equal to him, she could keep him in line, and he knew he needed that. Knew he needed her.
"We could have been anyone. We could've been guests. Celebrities. Sir Doctor, Dame Rose. We end up serving. Did enough of this back home," Rose grumbled, bringing the Doctor out of his thoughts.
"Got us in, didn't it? Besides, we shouldn't even be here," The Doctor argued.
"Worried about Katy?" Rose guessed.
"Why'd you say that?" The Doctor frowned, surprised with how easily she could read him.
"You always get their face when you're thinking about her," Rose shrugged, as the Doctor grew uncomfortable.
"Let's just find Pete and get...get..." The Doctor trailed off, when he felt both his hearts come to a grinding halt.
Katy was sauntering toward them in a short black dress, her hair curled perfectly, to the point that not one strand was out of place. She was wearing more makeup than the Doctor had ever seen her with, from stark black eyeliner to bright red lipstick. She was even wearing six-inch heels. Katy never wore heels, Rose realised. She was about to state her concerns to the Doctor, but he was already rushing forward, and reaching for her arm.
"Katy, what are you doing here? And what are you wearing?" The Doctor exclaimed, gripping onto her arm, as she twisted around to face him, with the added height of her heels, now at eye level.
"I suggest you take your fucking hand off me if you want to keep it," She retorted, coldly.
The Doctor's forehead wrinkled, before he put two and two together, far slower than he should have. His hand dropped to his side, as he looked into the woman's dark blue eyes, which were just a shade darker than he was used to. And no scar on her cheek. The woman in front of him wasn't Katy.
"Kate, you want me to remove this guy?" A familiar voice called out, as Pete Tyler came storming toward them.
"I'm, uh, I'm sorry. I thought you were...a friend of mine," The Doctor mumbled, as the woman, whom he now knew as Kate, gave him a suspicious look.
Her eyes narrowed, before falling to his chest, and the Doctor could feel his hearts speed up, wondering if her hearing was as good as Katy's. He knew they should have never come to the party.
"No harm done...?" She stated, fishing for his name.
"The Doctor," He answered, as she cocked her head to one side.
"Doctor who?" She pushed.
"Just the Doctor," He insisted, as her lips twitched into somewhat of a smirk.
"Well, just the Doctor, it was nice to meet you," She exclaimed, grabbing one of the champagne glasses from his tray.
Taking a sip of the champagne, she looked him over once more, before turning to Pete, who took her arm and went to lead her away. The Doctor let out a shaky breath, finding the woman's gaze too intense to hold. It was time they left.
"Who was that man?" Kate asked, in a hushed voice.
"Him? I don't know, just one of the staff. Agency, I think," Pete replied.
"I want a private talk with him after the speech. Don't let him leave," Kate advised, as Pete gave her a panicked look.
"He...he only touched you, surely you don't have to..." Pete trailed off, when Kate gave him a cold look.
"Now, now. Don't be silly. I only want to talk to him. In fact, I think he might be just the Doctor I've been looking for," Kate admitted.
Katy shivered in the cold night, wearing only her thin plaid shirt and jeans as Mr Crane parked the large truck behind a lit-up mansion. He then turned off the engine, as she heard a thud coming from the back. She noticed how Mr Crane tensed at the noise for a moment, breathing out a sigh of relief when no other noise came.
"So, what does Mr Lumic want me to do exactly?" Katy inquired.
"You were the one who came up with this whole plan. Oh, yes. Don't think I don't see you, missy. You've been playing John this whole time. And I've been letting you. I'd be a good asset," Mr Crane informed her, as she nodded.
"I'll bear it in mind," Katy stated.
"How many do you plan to kill?" Mr Crane questioned, as she reached for the door handle.
"What?"
"If they won't agree to be upgraded, how many will you kill?" Mr Crane insisted, as Katy mulled over how to answer.
"As many as I need," Katy mumbled, pulling the truck door open and stepping out into the cold night.
She kept her pace slow and steady as she headed in the direction of the mansion, knowing that Mr Crane was watching her closely. It was a miracle she hadn't slipped up yet. Or maybe just pure luck. Whoever the version of her in this world was, she sounded as monstrous as the rest of her family. Did that make her Katy's responsibility? The guards at the front door appeared to a double take as she walked up the steps to the front door, likely having only seen her minutes before.
"Spilt something on my dress," Katy exclaimed, realising she looked out of place in her outfit.
"The speech has just begun, Ma'am," A guard informed her, as she nodded, as he opened the door for her.
She was quick to push her way through the crowds toward where the main bulk of the guests were. She spotted Rose and the Doctor talking by one of the windows, glancing out into the night, a look of horror on the Doctor's face. She made a beeline toward him, feeling relief wash over her as soon as she saw him. The relief was short-lived as someone stepped out in front of her.
"I don't remember you being on the guest list," They announced, as Katy staggered back a step in shock.
She was staring at herself. She knew the version of her from that universe would look similar, but she was almost exactly the same. Maybe a little better put together, but it was still...her.
"There is uh, a perfectly good explanation for all this..." Katy trailed off, taking another step back, as the woman raised an eyebrow.
"Come on now. You can't lie to yourself," The woman smirked.
"No...but I can hit you in the face," Katy shrugged, before doing just that, as her fist collided with her cheek.
Before her 'twin' had a moment to react, Katy was shoving past her and racing toward the Doctor, calling out his name. She had almost reached him when she heard the sound of glass smashing and twisted around to find a metal man stepping through a broken window. The machine had to be over six feet tall and made entirely of steel. They were made in the image of man, having a humanlike face, but where their eyes should have been was only a hole filled with darkness. She imagined it would be strong enough to snap any human's neck without a second thought. Then, a moment later, more of the machines broke into the mansion as the crowds began screaming.
"Doctor!" She shouted, grabbing the Time Lord's hand and dragging him away from the window and incoming threat.
"Katy? Is that...you?" The Doctor mumbled, as she nodded, quickly.
The machines soon crowded them all into the corner of the room, before going still, appearing to await orders. That was when the other version of Katy stepped forward, a broad grin on her face, as she went to stand amongst the creatures.
"Hello, Mr President," Kate announced, coming to stand toe to toe with the leader of the United Kingdom.
"This is your doing?" The President grimaced, as Kate gave a slight shrug.
"Well, I can't take all the credit. I believe you have an incoming call, Sir," Kate suggested, as the President's earpod turned to loudspeaker.
"Mr President. I suppose a remark about crashing the party would be appropriate at this point," John Lumic laughed, as Kate ran a hand down her face, clearly not amused by the joke.
"I forbade this!" The President exclaimed.
"I've never been very good at following orders," Kate pointed out.
Katy watched on from where she stood at the Doctor's side, still holding onto his waiter jacket. Things were about to go from bad to worse. Her alter-self, Kate, had a manic look in her eye. She clearly didn't care what happened to anyone in attendance at the party.
"What are they, robots?" Rose questioned.
"Worse than that," The Doctor responded, making Katy frown.
"Who were these people?" The President inquired.
"Doesn't matter. All you humans, you're all the same underneath. All that blood and bone just waiting to be used," Kate smirked, as she noticed the other version of her step forward.
"They're people?" Katy gaped.
"They were, until they had all their humanity taken away. That's a living brain jammed inside a cybernetic body, with a heart of steel. All emotions removed."
"Why no emotions?" Rose frowned, as the Doctor gave her a sad look.
"Because it hurts," The Doctor sighed.
"Why did you do this to these people? Why humans?" Katy insisted, catching her alter-self's attention.
"Humans? The best cattle on this side of the solar system," Kate answered, making the Doctor grimace.
"They were wretched and useless. Until I saved them and elevated them, and gave them life eternal. And now I leave you in their capable hands—" They heard Mr Lumic announce over the loudspeaker, until Kate clicked her fingers, at the feed came to a halt.
"That man talks more than I can bear," Kate huffed, before gesturing for one of the machines to step forward.
"They're called Cybermen. I've just perfected an old idea. Updated it, if you will," Kate continued, as the Doctor reached for Katy's hand and pulled her back toward him.
"We are the next level of mankind. We are Human point two. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us," The Cyberman beside her informed them, in a mechanical voice.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what's been done to you, but listen to me. This experiment ends tonight—" The President began, as Kate him off with a groan.
"God, why do politicians talk...so...slow? You're starting to grate on my nerves, Mr President. Get to the damn point," Kate told him.
"What if I refuse this upgrade?" The President asked.
"Don't," The Doctor warned.
"What if I refuse?"
"I'm telling you, don't!" The Doctor all but begged.
"What happens if I refuse?" The President repeated, as Kate rolled her eyes.
"Then you'll be deleted," Kate shrugged, crossing her arms, as the Cyberman beside her marched forward.
Screams echoed around the room as the Cyberman reached out for the President's neck and electrocuted him, the current sent through it's metal hand. The next second, there was chaos all around them, as everyone charged for the exit. Kate tapped her finger against her lips as the Cybermen waited for her orders.
"Let's see...how many should we kill? Half. Yeah, I can live with half," Kate nodded, as the Cybermen instantly reached out for the guests.
"There's nothing we can do," The Doctor said, as he grabbed both Katy and Rose's hands and dragged them toward one of the broken windows.
"Wait, wait. Pete!" Rose cried, looking back to find the man in question, being cornered by two Cybermen.
"I've got him," Katy exclaimed, shrugging off the Doctor's tight grip on her hand and headed toward Rose's father.
"Katy!" The Doctor called out to her.
"Leaving the party so soon, Doctor?" Kate announced, ushering two Cybermen his way, as he had no choice but to flee.
They raced off into the night, only to come face to face with a group of Cybermen, who herded them back toward the mansion. It seemed like there was no way out. As the pair were forced back to sprint in the other direction, they all but collided with Pete and Katy jumping out of the mansion.
"One Pete Tyler, as promised," Katy murmured, as Rose gave her a grateful smile.
"You okay?" The Doctor questioned, reaching up to cup her cheek for a moment, looking her over for any injuries.
She stilled under his touch, her brow furrowing as she stared down at his hand, which he quickly pulled away, unsure why he had reached out for her in the first place. He was just grateful they had all made it out of the mansion.
"Pete, is there a way out?" The Doctor asked, pulling his gaze away from Katy.
"The side gates. Who are you? How do you know so much?" Pete questioned, as the group took off in a run.
"You wouldn't believe it in a million years," The Doctor retorted, as they found themselves cut off from the gates by another group of Cybermen.
"Who's that?" Katy exclaimed, spotting the glare of car lights in the distance.
Two armed figures came rushing toward them from the trees, as the group had no choice but to rush over to them. The men knelt down on the lawn before firing their rifles at the Cybermen, who came to a momentary halt, as the bullets whizzed off their steel chests.
"Oh my God, look at you. I thought I'd never see you again!" Rose cried, hugging one of the men tightly.
"Yeah. No offence, sweetheart, but who the hell are you?" The man scoffed, as a man identical to him came stumbling over to them.
"Rose! That's not me. That's like the other one," Mickey panted, as everyone's gaze darted between the two.
"Oh, as if two Katy's weren't bad enough, now there's two Mickey's," The Doctor complained, as Katy gave him an unimpressed look.
"It's Ricky."
"And I think we've got bigger problems than our doubles. We're surrounded," Katy stated, as over two dozen Cybermen herded them in.
"Put the guns down. Bullets won't stop them," The Doctor advised, but the other armed man wouldn't listen.
"Stop shooting! Now!" Katy urged, shoving the man and wrestling for his gun, managing to tug it away from his hands with ease.
"We surrender! Hands up. There's no need to damage us. We're good stock. We volunteer for the upgrade program. Take us to be processed," The Doctor called out.
"You are rogue elements," The Cyberman closest pointed out.
"But we surrender."
"You are incompatible."
"No, no. We're very compatible," Katy argued.
"Super compatible," Mickey nodded.
"You will be deleted," The Cyberman ordered, as Katy grit her teeth together.
"But we're surrendering! Listen to me, we surrender!" The Doctor repeated, holding his arms up higher.
"You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion," The Cyberman retorted, as the Doctor stepped to the side, instinctively placing himself in front of Katy and Rose.
"Delete. Delete. Delete!" The Cybermen chanted, as they marched forward.
The Doctor stood firm, making sure to raise his arms out to completely cover his companions. If they were going to die, he would make sure he went first this time. He wouldn't lose anyone else.
"This is so not how I imagined my night ending," Katy mumbled.