Katy was the first to notice the Doctor reaching inside his pocket, as the Cybermen marched towards them, arms outstretched, ready to kill the rejected stock. Suddenly, the Doctor threw his arm forward, the recharging power cell in his hand emitting a bright golden energy, hitting the nearest Cyberman, before zipping over to the next, until every metal creature was disintegrated into dust. She hadn't expected the Doctor to have such a powerful weapon.
"What the hell was that?" Ricky gaped, slowly lowering his arms to his side.
"Or how aboutinstead...run!" The Doctor yelled, hearing the footsteps of more Cybermen in the distance.
Instinctively, he reached for Katy's hand, dragging her away from the piles of dust before she could argue. He had left her once that day, and he didn't plan to do it again anytime soon. The sound of a car's horn had them stopping in their tracks, as a blue van came charging toward them.
"Everybody, in!" A middle-aged woman, dressed in all black, shouted at them.
Knowing they had no other options, Katy and the Doctor began to rush toward the back of the van, when they saw Pete backing away in the direction of the mansion. With a groan, Katy dropped the Doctor's hand and raced over to him, grabbing his shoulder roughly.
"I've got to go back. My wife's in there," Pete exclaimed.
"The only thing in that house is your wife's dead body. Trust me," Katy insisted, as Pete shrugged off her hand.
"I'm not leaving her!" He spat out, as Katy could see Cybermen approaching out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, that's just not gonna' work for me," Katy muttered, before grabbing the nape of his neck. The Doctor's eyes widened as he watched her slam his head into the brick wall beside them a moment later, knocking the older man out cold. She caught him before he could slump to the ground, and managed to sling him over her shoulder with ease, far stronger than any human. "What?" She huffed, when she saw the way the Doctor's mouth had gone slack.
"Making friends?" The Doctor scoffed, as she gave a half shrug.
"At least my methods work," Katy retorted, as the pair raced toward the van.
"Come on! Get a move on!" The older woman insisted, pressing the van's horn once more, as the Cybermen were only metres away now.
"Rose, she's not your mother," The Doctor whispered when he noticed how the blonde had frozen, staring inside the mansion.
Katy's forehead wrinkled for a moment, before shaking her head and throwing Pete's unconscious form into the back of the van, as he landed in a heap on the floor. She jumped into the vehicle, ushering for the Doctor and Rose to hurry up.
"I know," Rose nodded, as the Doctor grabbed her waist and started dragging her into the van.
"Finished chatting? Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" The driver of the van complained, pressing down on the accelerator as they went charging off into the night.
Katy didn't have a moment to catch her breath before a handgun was pointed at her from the passenger seat. She stared down the barrel of the gun with an impassive expression, finding the gun belonged to...what did he say his name was? Ricky?
"This how you greet everyone?" Katy complained, as the Doctor slowly held out his hand, and pushed himself in front of her.
"She's not the woman you know from this world. She's like him," The Doctor explained, gesturing to Mickey. "Whatever that woman has done, my friend had no part in it."
"What is this, invasions of the twins?" The driver huffed, swerving the car as they reached the main road.
"You're really not Kate?" Ricky questioned, with narrowed eyes.
"You really think she'd be seen dead wearing plaid?" Katy pointed out, as he looked down at her oversized shirt and jeans, not noticing the strange look the Doctor gave her.
Reluctantly, he lowered his gun, as everyone in the back of the van let out a sigh of relief. The Doctor gave him a grateful nod, sitting back down, as Pete began to stir from where he was still lying on the floor. Rose was by his side in an instant, her hand clasping his shoulder as a pained groan left his lips.
"What...what happened?" Pete murmured, as Rose pulled him up into a sitting position.
"I saved your life. You're welcome," Katy informed him, as Pete all but snarled at her.
In the blink of an eye, he had lunged forward, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. Everyone froze, unsure what Pete would do next. Katy was the only one who seemed unfazed, simply quirking her eyebrow at him. She had been in far worse situations, after all.
"Don't make me regret it, Pete," She warned, grabbing two of his fingers tightly, and wrenching them away from her clothes.
He winced as she kept her hand clasped around his fingers for a few more moments, bending them back a little before she released him. He stumbled back a pace, shooting her a weary look before backing off and going to sit beside Rose. He instantly dropped his head into his hands, as a realisation caused a sob to leave his lips. His wife was dead.
"What was that thing?" Ricky inquired, pointing to the power cell, which the Doctor placed back inside his jacket pocket.
"Little bit of technology from my home," The Doctor answered, vaguely.
"It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?" Mickey frowned.
"It's on a revitalising loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours," The Doctor informed him.
"Right. So, we don't have a weapon anymore," Ricky scoffed, with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, we've got weapons. Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him," The man with spiky hair who sat beside Rickey spat out, glaring at Pete.
"Leave him alone. What's he done wrong?" Rose argued.
"Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government and left Lumic in charge."
"If I was part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?" Pete retorted, as tension grew in the air.
"Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though," Ricky stated.
"Talk about executions, you'll make me your enemy. And take some really good advice. You don't want to do that," The Doctor warned, with a cold look in his eye, that made Ricky clamp his lips shut.
Katy cocked her head to one side, giving the Doctor an appreciative glance, taking note of his tone. Like an old soldier who had seen far too much. She listened closely for a moment, able to make out the tired doublebeat of his heart, and realising just how true those words were.
"We've got a government mole who feeds us information. Lumic's private files, his South American operations, the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week," The driver exclaimed, as Katy dragged her eyes away from the Doctor.
"Broadcast from Gemini?" Pete asked, as the middle-aged woman did a doubletake.
"And how do you know that?"
"I'm Gemini. That's me," Pete informed them, as Katy's eyes snapped to his. "Encrypted wavelength six five seven using binary nine. That's the only reason I was working for Lumic. To get information. I thought I was broadcasting to the Security Services. What do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang," Pete muttered, as Katy's brow furrowed at his words.
"No, no, no. But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted," Mickey insisted, as Ricky averted his eyes, an uncomfortable expression on his face.
"Yeah, that's not exactly..."
"Not exactly what?" Mickey pushed, confused.
"I'm London's Most Wanted for parking tickets," Ricky admitted, as Katy couldn't help but snort.
"Well, at least we know we're dealing with professionals," Katy mocked, as the Doctor's lips twitched into an amused smile.
"I was fighting the system. Park anywhere, that's me," Ricky retorted.
"Good policy. I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested," He greeted.
"And I'm Rose. Hello," Rose smiled, awkwardly, as they turned to Katy, waiting for her to introduce herself.
"So, who are you jokers?" Katy questioned.
"Jake. And this is Mrs Moore. And we know what we're doing, alright? You'd be dead without us, remember?" Jake pointed out, as Katy held her hands up in mock defence.
"I'd take those ear pods off, if I were you. You never know. Kate and Lumiccould be listening," The Doctor warned, gesturing for Pete to remove his earpods, which he quickly zapped with his sonic screwdriver. "But they've assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the city and inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight."
They soon had to dump the van, as they were attracting too much attention, seeing as no one else seemed to be on the streets. In fact, they hadn't spotted another soul for over ten minutes. The Doctor hopped out of the van first, before holding his hand out for Rose, steadying her as she jumped out onto the street. Their hands lingered for a moment before they quickly pulled apart when they saw the way Mickey was glaring at them. Most of the group cautiously marched down the road, with Katy the last to exit the van. She almost flinched when the Doctor thrust his hand in her direction, not expecting the gesture. She gave him something akin to a smile, as they linked hands and she jumped out of the van.
"You okay?" He questioned, when he saw everyone else was out of earshot.
"Yeah. I'm fine," She shrugged, as he raised an eyebrow.
"What Rose did, making you think your mother was still alive..." The Doctor trailed off with a sigh. "I'm sorry," He told her, squeezing her hand for a moment, as she froze under his gaze.
"Wasn't sure you'd care," Katy stated, as his forehead wrinkled.
"Of course I care. Look, I was wrong. I shouldn't have let you leave earlier. It won't happen again," The Doctor continued, seeing he appeared to have left her speechless.
"It better not," She said, with a slight smirk, after a few moments.
The Doctor nodded, turning to begin following the others, when Katy pulled him back, making him realise he had never let go of her hand. Katy took a step closer to him, talking in a hushed tone.
"This planet is going to hell, we both know it. We should cut our losses and leave," Katy suggested, surprising the Doctor a little.
"We can't yet. Not until the power cell has charged, you know that," The Doctor replied, as she slowly nodded.
"Right. Of course. Just gotta' stay alive for another four hours then, huh?" Katy suggested, as the Doctor ran his thumb over her fingers, in a comforting gesture.
She watched as he froze, a look of panic etched over his features for just a split second, before he pulled away. He gave her a strange look, his eyes darting down to her hand, as she opened her mouth to question what was wrong.
"Oi! Would you two hurry up? We've got trouble!" Ricky hissed, ushering for them to catch up.
"Now what?" Katy sighed, as she rushed forward, with the Doctor following a few paces behind.
They finally had their answer on where the population of London was. They were all marching in unison, completely expressionless and heading in the same direction. Their earpods were lit up with a blue light, controlling their minds and leaving them open to the control of Lumic. The Doctor knew they were running out of time. If every person in London were to become a Cyberman, they would never be able to stop them.
"Can't we just, I don't know, take them off?" Rose questioned, reaching out for a tall woman, her hands inches from the earpods.
"Don't!" Katy yelled, in a tone so forceful that Rose visibly flinched. "You'd cause a brainstorm. No way to remove them without killing the host," Katy warned.
"The human, you mean," The Doctor corrected, as she gave a slight shrug."Human race. For such an intelligent lot, you aren't half susceptible. Give anyone a chance to take control and you submit. Sometimes I think you like it. Easy life."
"Hey, come and see," Jake hissed, as the group went to hide behind a nearby wall, peeking out to see a squad of Cybermen leading hundreds of humans away.
"Where are they all going?" Rose asked.
"Battersea. That's where he was building his prototypes," Pete answered.
"Why's he doing it?"
"He's dying. This all started out as a way of prolonging life, of keeping the brain alive at any cost," Pete grimaced, thinking of his wife.
"But why is Katy...well, the version of Katy here, helping him?" Mickey pointed out.
"I don't know. Any ideas?" The Doctor said, shooting Katy a look.
"How should I know? We share a face, I figure that's all the similarities we have," Katy huffed.
"The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I? The head. Those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum," Rose theorised, as the Doctor slowly nodded.
"There are Cybermen in our universe. They started on an ordinary world just like this, then swarmed across the galaxy. This lot are a parallel version, and they're starting from scratch right here on Earth," The Doctor explained, watching out of the corner of his eye as Katy grew still after hearing what he had to say.
"Never mind that. Come on, we need to get out of the city. Okay, split up. Mrs Moore, you look after them lot. Jake, distract them. Go right, I'll go left. We'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move," Ricky ordered, rushing off in one direction before anyone could stop him.
"I'm going with him," Mickey announced, giving Rose a quick kiss, and sprinting off after his faster double.
"C'mon, time to run," Katy advised, all but shoving Rose forward.
Half a dozen Cybermen were chasing them, as fast as their metal feet could carry them, seemingly being able to find them whichever street they raced down. The Doctor soon directed them to hide behind a group of large bins, and the group huddled down on the floor. Katy noticed how Rose instantly reached out for Pete's hand, who linked their fingers without a second thought. As she crouched down beside them, she stretched out her hand to clasp the Doctor's shoulder, feeling how tense he was under her palm. She tried to squeeze his shoulder in a comforting gesture, just as he had one earlier, but it only seemed to increase the tension in his body. Rose scrunched her eyes shut as she heard the rhythmic thumping of the Cybermen's feet closing in, praying they wouldn't find them. The group held their breath as their metal stalkers stopped right beside the bins, realising they had been found. Katy dropped her hand from the Doctor's shoulder, running a hand through her hair, catching the Doctor's eyes. And then a miracle happened. The Cybermen kept walking. But it didn't make any sense.
"C'mon, we need to meet up with the others," Mrs Moore stated, standing up, as the others followed suit.
She led them to Bridge Street, and soon enough, Jake met up with them, having found another group of humans being led to the slaughter by the River Thames. But there was still no sign of Mickey or Ricky. The tension grew in the air as the minutes ticked by, as everyone knew it was a bad sign.
"Jesus, I thought for sure those Cybermen had found us back there," Rose admitted, leaning back against the wall behind her, her adrenaline slowly starting to fade.
"Oh, I think they did..." The Doctor trailed off, his eyes snapping over to Katy's. "I'll give you one chance. That's all you get. One chance," The Doctor announced, in a low tone.
Katy frowned at him in confusion, as Rose went to stand by the Doctor's side, a bad feeling growing in her stomach. Even Mrs Moore and Jake stood to attention, taking note of the anger burning behind the Doctor's eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Katy stated.
"I'm trying to remain very calm right now. There's a reason I don't get angry often. I suggest you don't find out why. Now, tell me...where is she?" The Doctor insisted, as Rose slowly put two and two together.
"Where's Katy?" The Doctor pushed, storming forward, now looming over her, anger coming off him in waves.
"Doctor, what are—" She was cut off as the Doctor reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling it up toward her face.
"Where's your ring?" He exclaimed, as he watched her confident expression falter for just a moment.
"I don't fucking know. I was kinda' busy running for my life earlier," She argued, tugging her hand away from him and backing up a step.
"You'd never lose the ring," The Doctor stated, as she realised that was why he had reacted so strangely when he held her hand.
"What, cause you gave it to me? I think you might be overestimating your importance," Katy retorted, as the Doctor grit his teeth.
"You're not Katy."
"Oh my God, do you know how paranoid you sound right now? This is ridiculous," Katy huffed.
"Where did we meet?" The Doctor asked, as any humour left her face.
"What?" She retorted, backing up another step.
"If you're really Katy, then where did we meet? Should be the easiest question in the world, right?" He pointed out, watching as her jaw clenched.
Before he had the chance to react, she was suddenly surging forward, and grabbing Mrs Moore by the collar of her jacket. The white-haired woman stumbled back, until she felt something cold against her neck, her eyes widening in horror. A bitter laugh echoed through the street, as Mrs Moore felt ahand move to grip a handful of hair.
They had all been played. By Kate.
"You gotta' admit...I had you going there for a minute, didn't I?" She smirked, her fingers twisting in Mrs Moore's hair painfully. In the blink of an eye, the brunette's form seemed to glitch for a moment, revealing her to still be wearing the same black dress she had been wearing at Tyler's mansion. "I'm usually better with the little details. Guess I'm a little rusty."
"She...she can shapeshift?" Jake gaped, his eyes almost popping out of her skull.
"A little gift my people picked up a few generations ago. One touch and I can look like anyone. Has more perks than you'd think," Kate continued, winking in the Doctor's direction.
"Where's the real Katy?" Rose questioned.
"Safe...ish. With my Cybermen back at the mansion. No point in killing her until I knew what I needed to. Parallel Earth, huh? Damn, my plan worked even better than even I expected," Kate mumbled, as the Doctor's brow furrowed.
"Your plan?" He pushed.
"What, you thought you fell through the Void by accident? No, Doctor. I knew that creating a big enough event in human history would cause a rip in time and space. You humans wouldn't have thought of creating Cybermen for hundreds of years if it wasn't for me. Though, I gotta' admit I never expected a parallel me to turn up. That got me by surprise" Kate admitted.
"So...all of this, all those people that have died...was just so someone would fall into this universe?" Rose realised.
"Pretty much. And I could do with an army," Kate shrugged.
"That's disgusting," Pete spat out.
"Cry me a river, baldie. Now, I'll be taking that power cell. Hand it over, Doctor," Kate ordered.
"And then what? You take my ship and leave this universe? Let the Cybermen take over?" The Doctor guessed.
"Precisely."
"It's not going to happen," The Doctor retorted, as Kate pursed her lips.
A moment later, she was pressing her knife into Mrs Moore's neck, as a line of blood ran down her pale skin. Jake raised his gun in her direction, as Kate rolled her eyes at his reaction. The Doctor was quick to push himself in between them, knowing if he did nothing at least one person would soon be dead.
"Drop the knife!" Jake exclaimed.
"You really think you can shoot me before I slit her throat? Give it a try. See what happens," Kate goaded.
"J-jake, I don't think she's bluffing," Mrs Moore croaked out, evidently terrified.
With a sigh, Jake slowly turned his gun on the Doctor, who gave him a look of disbelief. Kate watched with interest as Jake ushered to the Doctor's pocket.
"Give her what she wants," Jake insisted.
"Humans and their guns," The Doctor muttered, slowly reaching into his pocket.
"You're one to talk, Time Lord," Kate announced, as the Doctor's hand stilled. "I imagine you did far worse in the Time War," Kate continued, as Rose's eyes widened.
"Why do you want off this planet so bad? Revenge on the Time Lord's?" Rose guessed.
"Why would I want to fight the Time Lords? We fought on the same side in the Time War. The enemy of the enemy is my friend and all that," Kate explained, as the Doctor realised that in that universe it wasn't the Time Lords who had killed her people. So, who was it? The Daleks? "There's nothing here for me anymore. But out there in your universe? Oh...I'm sure I could have some fun," Kat grinned.
"This plans of yours. It's not going to work," The Doctor advised, taking a step forward, as Kate raised an eyebrow.
"And why would that be?" She replied, a vice-like grip on the knife in her hand, half expecting him to lunge for the weapon.
"You underestimated my friend," The Doctor exclaimed, his gaze falling on something behind Kate's shoulder, as a gunshot echoed through the street.
Kate let out a cry of pain, stumbling backwards, releasing her hold on Mrs Moore, who ran to the Doctor's side. Kate's eyes darted down to find blood running down her thigh, her leg threatening to buckle underneath her, as she realised she had been shot. With a wince, she twisted around to come face to face with familiar blue eyes.
"Katy!" Rose cried, a grin breaking out on her face.
"I'm not gonna' lie...I enjoyed that more than I should have," Katy mumbled, a gun still in her hand, smoke wafting off from the barrel.
Kate let out a pained scoff, her free hand flying to her aching thigh, as blood coated her fingers in a matter of seconds. She staggered back a pace, but Katy's gun followed her, the cold look in her eyes showing she was more than prepared to shoot her alter self in the other leg. Kate was severely outnumbered, and she knew it.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor questioned, rushing to Katy's side, and reaching out for her arm. For just a moment, he had feared that Kate might have killed her. And that had hurt. So much worse than he was expecting.
"A few bruises, and a broken knuckle...I may have tried to punch a Cyberman in the face," She admitted, as the Doctor gave her a fond smile.
All of a sudden, the Doctor's arms were around her, his fingers clinging onto the back of her shirt with an iron grip. Rose couldn't help but notice the almost shy smile that spread over Katy's lips as she hugged him back just as tightly. Even as the pair pulled back from the embrace, their hands lingered against each other's sides, seeming reluctant to break contact.
"Worried about me, were you?" Katy said, in a teasing tone.
"Something like that," He smiled back at her, still not breaking eye contact.
"Ah, ah. Where do you think you're going?" Katy called out, raising her gun again when she saw Kate backing away out of the corner of her eye.
"Public displays of affection make me uncomfortable," Kate sneered, watching her alter self roll her eyes.
The sound of footsteps racing toward them had everyone suddenly on high alert, but they could tell from the fast pace it wasn't a Cyberman approaching them. Katy let out a sigh of relief when she saw Mickey staggering closer, having noticed as she snuck up on the group that he wasn't with them. Jake set off in a run toward who he believed was Ricky, but his feet faltered as he noticed an unfamiliar look in the other man's eyes.
"Which one are you?" Jake frowned
"I'm sorry...the Cybermen. He couldn't..." Mickey stuttered, as Jake cut him off.
"Are you Ricky?" Jake asked, as Mickey's eyes darted to Rose, guilt flashing over his features. "Are you Ricky?" Jake insisted, in a panic.
"Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" Rose questioned, earning a quick nod in return.
She was rushing forward in a split second and jumping into Mickey's arms, as the Doctor looked away from the embrace, something which Kate picked on. She was just debating on making a run for it when Jake was suddenly charging toward her, his hand wrapped around her neck and throwing her into a nearby wall.
"Jake, don't!" The Doctor warned, as Jake's grip tightened around Kate's neck.
"This is your fault! This is all your fault!" Jake spat out, as Kate gave a half shrug.
"I didn't...force you lot...to get involved. You should have been smarter than to—" Kate was cut off, as Jake placed his gun underneath her chin, both his hands shaking.
"You're a fucking monster," He exclaimed, pushing the barrel up against her jaw.
"Oh, I know I am," Kate huffed, without a hint of fear in her tone. "Do it. Shoot me. But trust me...it won't make you feel any better," Kate warned, as Jake felt a hand clasp his shoulder.
"Put the gun down. C'mon, let her go," The Doctor pushed, as Jake's finger itched to pull the trigger.
With a cry of anguish, he released his grip on Kate, who slumped against the wall, clutching at her bruised throat. Jake turned away from the group, blinking away the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He couldn't believe that Ricky was gone.
"I...I'm sorry. He tried...there were too many of them..." Mickey tried to soothe, as Jake gave him a hateful look.
"Shut it. Don't even talk about him. You're nothing, you are. Nothing," Jake told him, as Mickey flinched, clearly taking the words to heart.
"Hey, don't put this on him," Katy argued, stepping in between the two men.
"We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on," The Doctor suggested.
"What are we gonna' do with her?" Katy queried, looking down at the woman whom she shared a face with.
Kate had fallen to the ground by now, blood still profusely spurting from the bullet wound on her thigh. She was looking paler by the second. With a shake of her head, Katy turned to Pete and held her hand out, gesturing for him to give her his belt. The group watched as she reluctantly crouched down in front of Kate, her gun still in one hand, trained on her alter self.
"You're a good shot, I'll give you that," Kate murmured, as Katy held the belt out to her.
"And you're an evil bitch," Katy retorted, watching as Kate's lips pulled back into an amused smirk.
"Smart thing would be to leave me to bleed out, you know," Kate stated, taking the belt from her hand, nonetheless.
"I've been trying this new thing recently of doing the right thing instead," Katy informed her, as Kate began wrapping the belt around the upper part of her thigh.
"How's that been working out for you?" Kate scoffed, grimacing in pain as she tugged on the belt.
"Well, I'm not the one with a bullet through her leg, am I?" Katy pointed out.
"...You better get running. Unless you're gonna' use that gun properly," Kate warned, pulling back her hair to reveal one earpod, blinking every few seconds.
Katy's forehead wrinkled, not understanding what she meant until she heard the sound of loud footsteps in the distance. The Cybermen had tracked them down. For just a moment, Katy looked down at her gun, and debated doing what Kate asked. Their chances of survival were better if she was dead. But Katy, of all people, could understand why Kate had ended up as she had.
"One chance," Katy announced, echoing the Doctor's words from earlier, as she stood to her feet.
"One chance to do what?" Kate frowned, as the group started backing away, now able to see a group of Cybermen approaching from the bottom of the street.
"Figure it out," Katy huffed.
"Sorry," Rose exclaimed, coming to sit next to Katy on a wooden bench, her arms wrapped around herself to brace against the chill of the night. They had made it to the hills surrounding Battersea, coming up with their next plan. "We should have realised she wasn't you."
"It's alright. You guys still don't know me that well yet," Katy shrugged, rummaging through one of the bags Mrs Moore had given her, finding little in the way of weapons.
"But we do in the future? I mean...you and the Doctor are close...right?" Rose inquired.
"Rose, what are you asking me?" Katy retorted, bluntly.
"He's been different with you since the school. And then with what happened with Madame de Pompadour—" Rose began, as Katy stopped her with a wave of her hand.
"Who?"
"Look, it doesn't matter. It's just...you and him. Well...there is no you and him, yeah?" Rose insisted, as Katy's hands went still.
"He chose to follow you earlier. Doesn't that tell you all you need to know?" Katy argued.
"Did you want him to choose you?" Rose realised, as Katy kept her eyes firmly on the ground.
Her silence told Rose enough. Her suspicions had always been there. Even from that first day, before Katy even started jumping around the Doctor's timeline. There was always that...connection. Something Rose knew she would never be able to share with the Doctor. Something she didn't think she would want to share with him.
"C'mon, if you're serious about going in the front entrance, we have to leave. Now," Pete advised, holding out a pair of earpods to Rose.
"Be careful, Rose," Katy stated, standing up from the bench.
"Yeah. You too," Rose nodded, stiffly.
The Doctor approached the pair, oblivious to how the two had just been talking to him. Rose stood a little straighter, hoping to catch his eye, but it was Katy he turned to first.
"Katy, would you care to accompany me into the cooling tunnels?" The Doctor suggested.
"Well, how could I refuse such an offer?" Katy grinned.
"We attack on three sides. Above, between, below. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines," The Doctor announced, as the group began nodding.
"What about me?" Mickey called out, having been completely disregarded as usual.
"Mickey. You can, uh..." The Doctor trailed off, not sure what to ask of the man.
"What, stay out of trouble? Be the tin dog? No, those days are over. I'm going with Jake," He informed them, coming to stand by the man's side.
"I don't need you, idiot," Jake huffed.
"I'm not an idiot! You got that? I'm offering to help," Mickey explained, as Katy couldn't help but feel a little pride at witnessing him finally standing up for himself.
"Whatever," Jake shrugged, walking off toward the factory before Mickey could say another word.
"Mickey. Good luck," The Doctor exclaimed, as Mickey nodded.
"Yeah, you too. Rose, I'll see you later."
"Yeah, you'd better," Rose warned.
"If we survive this, I'll see you back at the Tardis," The Doctor said, sharing the same prideful expression Katy wore.
"That's a promise," Mickey replied, with a slight grin.
He went to follow after Jake who was already walking off into the night, when a hand reached out for him. He twisted around, hoping it would be Rose, maybe to give him a proper goodbye, or tell her how much he meant to her, but instead, it was Katy gripping onto him.
"You've got this," She insisted, firmly.
"I've got this," Mickey nodded, glancing behind her, to find the Doctor and Rose hugging.
"Don't you dare leave me alone with those two," Katy insisted, gesturing to the embrace behind her.
"Watch yourself, yeah?" Mickey stated, before he turned around again, as Katy noticed he had not given her an answer.
Kate clenched her teeth as she finished stitching up her leg wound as best she could. It would heal soon enough, she mused. But she was still weakened. If the Doctor and his friends got in her way...
"You've been injured. Now, would be the best time for your upgrade," John Lumic advise, from where he sat in his life support chair a few metres away.
"Preaching to the choir, John. Besides, isn't it about time you swap out that chair for a cold metal shell?" Kate mocked, smirking slightly when she saw how uncomfortable Lumic became.
"Soon," He retorted.
"I need to talk to him in private. You can go," Kate announced, gesturing for the few Cybermen in the room to leave.
"...I would rather they stay," Lumic admitted, as she raised an eyebrow.
"Yet, I wouldn't. So, watch them leave," Kate scoffed, as the Cybermen did just that, leaving the pair alone in the control room.
"They are my creations," Lumic insisted, as Kate pulled her dress down, leaning lightly on her injured leg.
"My idea. My craftsmanship. My machines," Kate retorted.
"My money," Lumic argued.
"And in this new world we've created, do you know what money will mean? Absolutely fucking nothing," Kat grinned.
"What's wrong, John? Are they not what you expected? Is that why you're putting off your conversion?" Kate guessed, walking over to the man.
"I told you, I will upgrade with my last breath," Lumic insisted, as Kate mulled over his words for a moment.
"I'm afraid you're not even going to do that," Kate said, as their eyes connected.
In the blink of an eye, she had pulled his face mask away from the life support chair. Lumic let out a cry of panic, defenceless as she ripped away the ventilator tubes and broke apart the bags behind the chair that were keeping him alive. The chair sparked, as Lumic gasped for breath, clutching at his throat.
"Help me! Help me!" Lumic shouted, before Kate slammed her hand over his mouth.
"No one escapes death for long, Lumic," Kate muttered, before her hands went around his neck and gave a sharp tug.
Lumic's dead boy slumped back against the chair, just as the door opened behind her and a group of Cybermen walked in. They stood motionless at the door, unquestioning and only awaiting their next order.
"Mr Lumic has died. I will be assigned Cybercontroller from now on," Kate announced.
Katy grimaced as she wrenched open the hatch door leading to the cooling tunnels. A wave of damp air wafted up to her, as she could hear the sound of rats scuttling away. With a loud sigh, she began her descent down the ladder into the tunnels, wanting to be anywhere else.
"How do you always get me into these situations?" Katy grumbled, as some cold water from the ceiling dropped down onto her hair.
"At least I keep things interesting," The Doctor called down, as Mrs Moore stepped down the ladder.
"It's bloody freezing," Katy shivered, squinting as she tried to look down the tunnel.
It was pitch black, the only illumination from the moonlight coming in from the hatch. She rubbed at her arms, as Mrs Moore hopped down from the ladder. The Doctor began his descent then, only bothering to climb halfway before he jumped down beside her with ease.
"Show off," Katy teased, able to make out his toothy grin in the darkness.
"Can't see a thing. But I've got these. A device for every occasion," Mrs Moore informed them, pulling out three headlights from her backpack.
"Ooo," The Doctor exclaimed, running a hand through his messy hair before pulling the headlight on. "How do I look?" He questioned Katy, who gave him an appreciative glance.
"Same as ever," She shrugged.
"Handsome?" He suggested, as she let out a snort.
"I was gonna' say you look like an idiot," She stated, before pulling on her own headlight, watching as the Doctor pouted. "Let's go then, us three idiots," She suggested, nudging the Doctor teasingly with her elbow.
"Here, proper torch as well," Mrs Moore mumbled, handing the Doctor the device.
"Let's see where we are..." He trailed off, finding dozens of Cybermen lined up in front of them.
Katy flinched at the sight, her heart rate spiking as she prepared to run back up the ladder. But the Cybermen didn't move. They didn't seem to have any awareness of their presence.
"Already converted, just put on ice. Come on," The Doctor called out, as Katy cursed under her breath.
She winced as she watched the Doctor walk straight up to the nearest Cybermen, tapping on its face with his finger. Katy pinched at the bridge of her nose at his clear lack of self-preservation.
"Let's go slowly. Keep an eye out for trip systems," The Doctor advised, beginning to walk down the tunnels.
"Says the guy who just tapped the Cyberman's face," Katy scolded.
"Fair point," The Doctor mused. He could hear how Mrs Moore laughed at their antics, as the three continued walking through the dark tunnels. "How did you get into this, then, rattling along with the Preachers?"
"Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus Industries, nine to five, till one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techie, so I just sat down and taught myself everything," Mrs Moore explained.
"What about Mr Moore?" The Doctor questioned.
"Well, he's not called Moore. I got that from a book, Mrs Moore. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids," Mrs Moore admitted, as the Doctor's shoulders grew tense at the mention of children.
"Sorry," Katy mumbled, as the older woman gave her a grateful smile.
"What about you two? Any kids yet?" Mrs Moore inquired, as Katy's eyes widened.
"Oh no, we're not...that's not...we're just friends," The Doctor stuttered, his cheeks turning a light red in the torchlight.
"Oh. Sorry, I just thought...with her ring. It looks like a wedding band," Mrs Moore pointed out, as Katy's eyes snapped down to the light goldring on her finger.
Her mouth went slack as she looked up to the Doctor, who wore a sheepish expression, turning away from them before she could press on the matter. Twisting the ring around her finger, Katy pushed the thoughts out of her head, knowing they had bigger problems. The Doctor rushed away from them, seeming determined to have the subject dropped.
"Didn't mean to make him run off," Mrs Moore exclaimed, as Katy gave a shrug.
"It's what he does best," Katy responded.
"And you pick up the pieces?" Mrs Moore guessed.
"He returns the favour in the future. Me and him...it's just really complicated," Katy explained.
"Can't be that complicated," Mrs Moore retorted, as Katy pursed her lips.
"We're time travellers from another universe, never meeting in the right order, and should be sworn enemies," Katy announced, as Mrs Moore appeared lost for words. "Like I said, complicated," Katy grinned.
"You're very different from the version of you here. God, those are words I didn't expect to be saying today," Mrs Moore scoffed.
"I think we're more similar than you think. She just hasn't had anyone give her a chance yet," Katy shrugged.
"So, this parallel world you two come from...would another version of me exist there?" The white-haired woman inquired, watching as Katy nodded. "Angela Price. That's my real name. Do you think...maybe after you go back to your world, you could see if that Angela got to stay with her kids?" She asked.
"Sure. But after this is all over, you're going back to your own kids, Angela," Katy insisted.
"I hope...did that one just move?" Angela gasped, as Katy looked in the direction of her torchlight to find one of the Cyberman's hands flinching.
"Fuck. Doctor!" Katy yelled, just as the Cyberman in front of them stepped forward.
"They're waking up. Run!" The Doctor shouted, as the three began charging down the long corridor.
Katy barely made it past the last row of Cybermen, who were reaching out, ready to electrocute them. Katy and Angela made it to the ladder at the other end of the tunnel, as the Doctor was already at the top, unlocking the hatch with his sonic screwdriver.
"Quick! They're coming! Open it! Open it!" Angela cried, as she climbed up the ladder, hearing the echo of the Cybermen's footsteps closing in.
Katy panicked as she watched the Cybermen marching toward them in the darkness, hearing the Doctor finally open the hatch door. Pulling off her healight, she chucked it at the nearest Cyberman, causing the creature to stumble back, colliding with the other metal machine behind. Twisting around, she started climbing the ladder, close on Angela's heels. The Doctor thrust his hand out to her, hauling her up the last few steps, as Angela began pushing the hatch door closed. Crouching down, the Doctor locked the hatch behind them with his sonic screwdriver, as Katy panted beside him.
"Oh, good team," The Doctor grinned.
"Guess the bowtie is giving us some luck," Katy smiled, reaching out to straighten his black bowtie, thinking of his future regeneration.
"How many units converted?" Kate questioned the Cyberleader beside her.
"Five thousand five hundred and eighty," The Cyberleader responded.
"Only five thousand?" Kate frowned, as they paced up the stairs of the factory, a group of Cybermen following close behind. Guarding her. The problem was she wasn't sure if they were beginning to see her lack of conversion itself as a threat. "There are seven million people in London. Why have more not been converted?"
"You commanded us to kill half the population," The Cyberleader stated, as Kate came to a halt on the staircase.
"What? I...I told you to kill half of those in attendance at the party. The...party. Does that not bloody compute for you?" Kate argued, as the Cyberleader only stared at her blankly.
"Anger is a meaningless emotion. It should be removed," The Cyberleader suggested.
"Was that a threat?" Kate asked, coldly.
"Electromagnetic device has been noted two floors above. Investigation necessary," One of the Cybermen behind her stated, as Kate cocked her head to one side.
"Let me guess...the Doctor's arrived," Kate huffed, beginning to storm up the staircase.
Kate waved her hand behind her to stop the Cybermen from following too closely, knowing the Time Lord would be able to hear their footsteps from a mile away. Peeking out from behind the window of the staircase door, she could see the Doctor and the white-haired woman from before crouched down in front of a motionless Cyberman. Her alter self, Katy, was removing the logo from the front of the Cyberman, revealing the pulverised remains of a body within. How had he managed to kill one of her machines?
"Central nervous system. Artificially grown then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing. Well, it is a living thing. Oh, but look. Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything," She could hear the Doctor explain, tapping on the black device inside the machine's chest.
"But why?"
"It's still got a human brain. Imagine its reaction if it could see itself, realise itself inside this thing. They'd go insane," The Doctor theorised, correctly.
Kate's early models of the Cybermen hadn't exactly been a success. Most had either destroyed themselves or simply stopped working all together. She winced as she heard the Cyberleader approaching her, at a slow pace, but its feet still echoed through the stairwell.
"So, they cut out the one thing that makes them human," Angela pointed out.
"Why...am...I...cold?"
Kate's head snapped up at the distorted voice. It had a mechanical tone to it but it sounded so...young.
"Oh, my God. It's still alive," Katy gaped, leaning closer to the Cyberman.
"We broke the inhibitor. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," The Doctor sighed, in a guilty tone.
"Why so cold?" The Cyberman cried.
Kate could swear it almost sounded like machine was sobbing. She felt her chest tighten uncomfortably at the thought. The Cybermen were never supposed to feel pain after they were converted.
"Can you remember your name?" The Doctor asked.
" Phelan. Where is...mum?" The Cyberman questioned, as Katy's brow furrowed.
"How old are you, Ben?" She replied.
"Eleven," The Cyberman told them, as the group grew silent.
Kate's mouth went slack, whipping around to face the Cyberleader, an angry expression on her face. Kids weren't supposed to be converted. Never kids.
"Why?" She exclaimed, knowing it meant the Cyberleader had gone against her orders.
"A large proportion of the population are offspring. It was the logical decision," The Cyberleader retorted, as Kate pushed down the urge to slap the machine.
Instead, she did the next best thing. Using all her strength, she grabbed the Cyberman by the handles attached to its head, and hauled it over the railings. With one last shove, she sent the Cyberman hurtling down more than six floors, happy when she heard it break apart at the bottom. The rest of the Cybermen didn't make a move.
"Would anyone else like to question my authority?" Kate muttered, before she shoved the doors open and revealed herself.
The three friends all jumped up onto their feet as soon as they spotted Kate, ready for a fight. She held a finger up, noticing how Katy appeared to be ready to take off in a run.
"You really shouldn't have come here. Now, unless you want me to kill every last one of you...I suggest you come with me," Kate announced.
"I've been captured, but don't worry, Rose and Pete are still out there. They can rescue me. Oh well, never mind," The Doctor mumbled, sarcastically, as he noticed Rose and Pete sitting in the control centre. Katy stayed close to his side, noticing that there were a dozen Cybermen in the room, watching them closely. "You okay?"
"Yeah. But they got Jackie," Rose confessed, as the Doctor's face fell.
"We were too late. Lumic killed her," Pete sighed, appearing devastated.
"Then where is he, the famous Mister Lumic? Don't we get the chance to meet our Lord and Master?" The Doctor questioned, hearing a harsh scoff from behind him.
"He didn't survive his upgrade," Kate suggested, sauntering over to lean against the control desk.
"You killed him?" Katy asked.
"I resent that. It was a freak accident. His chair just...blew up," Kate shrugged, with a sinister smile.
"This is all a game to you, isn't it? These are people's lives you're playing with!" Pete spat out.
"Look, I'm sorry about your wife, alright? I liked Jackie. She had spunk. But...collateral damage and all. Moving on," Kate insisted, as Pete all but snarled at her.
"And now you're what, the Cybermen's commander?" The Doctor inquired.
"She has been designated Cyber Controller," One of the Cybermen informed them.
"What can I say? Natural born leader," Kate responded, hopping up onto the desk.
Almost immediately, the computers behind her started flashing up with a warning sign. Kate's head snapped up as she heard screaming and shouting from all around them. Twisting around, she brought up the CCTV feed from outside, finding the humans racing out of the factory.
"That's my friends at work. Good boys! Your transmitter's down. I think that's a vote for free will, Kate," The Doctor said, sending a wink her way.
"Flirting will get you nowhere with me, Doctor. I'm not her," Kate huffed, pointing to her alter self.
"Oi!" Katy cried, indignantly.
"It doesn't even matter to you, does it? Whether all this fails?" Rose realised, as all the Cybermen in the room turned to their controller.
"No. Not particularly. Now, let's get down to business," Kate announced, jumping off from the desk and storming toward the Doctor. "I want that power cell. Now. Or my Cybermen start picking your friends off one by one."
"You don't have my ship," The Doctor muttered, reluctantly pulling the power cell out of his pocket.
"What, your TARDIS? I've been scanning for alien tech since you turned up. The Cybermen found it an hour ago by the Thames," Kate grinned.
"Why?" Katy spoke up, pushing herself between her alter self and the Doctor before he could hand over the power cell. "What do you think you're going to find in our universe? Newsflash, it's just as shitty as this one. Hell, maybe a bit worse."
"Your mum," Rose stated, as all eyes turned her.
"That's what all this has been for? To escape from here and find another version of your family?" The Doctor realised, as Kate clenched her jaw.
"She's gone, Kate. My mum? She's been dead since I was a kid. And everyone else...there's no one left," Katy admitted, as Kate's eyes narrowed.
"You're lying," Kate suggested, watching as her alter-self shook her head.
"I'm not."
"...Then I'll go to another universe," Kate retorted, as the Doctor ran a hand over his face.
"And you'll keep finding your dead family. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Some things are always meant to happen. Fixed points in time. No matter the universe," The Doctor argued.
Kate's face contorted in pain at his words, knowing the truth deep down. Maybe she always had. Before she had a moment to reply, one of the Cybermen stepped forward, its blank face focusing on her.
"You were planning to abandon the Cybermen?"
"Well, now you just sound clingy," Kate muttered, blinking away the tears that had started to well in her eyes.
"Your emotions have clouded your judgement. You will be forcibly upgraded," The Cyberman announced, holding its hand out toward her.
"Yeah, that's not actually gonna' work for me," Kate huffed, backing up a few steps.
"Looks like your creations are fighting back," The Doctor exclaimed, in a slightly amused tone.
"Well, you know what they say, Doctor," She began, pushing herself up beside the control desk, typing away on the keyboard, as the Cyberman approached her. "Don't bite the hand that feeds you," She stated, pressing down the enter key, as a group of numbers flashed up on the system.
The effect was immediate. The Cyberman whose hand had been inches from her, suddenly let out a cry of pain, a sound so full of despair it made even Kate flinch. The rest of the Cybermen were affected too, clutching at their heads, shaking uncontrollably. The Doctor turned to find out of the metal machines staring at its reflection in the glass, as it wailed, its voice distorted by its pulverised vocal cords.
"I'm sorry," The Doctor exclaimed, as he watched in horror as the Cyberman began slamming its head into the wall over and over again.
"What did you do?" Katy gaped, as one of the Cybermen closest to her dropped to its knees.
"Turned off their emotional inhibitor. End of the experiment," Kate replied, grimly.
"We've got to get out of here," The Doctor announced, hearing an explosion in the distance.
"Then you better follow me," Kate advised, rushing toward one of the back doors.
She turned around to find the group giving her a wary look, none of them having moved. With a roll of her eyes, she pointed to the sign above the door that read exit.
"Look, I need someone to fly your damn TARDIS. So, hurry the hell up!" She said, before shoving the door open and racing through.
Rose soon had a call from Mickey, advising them to head toward the roof, where he was waiting for them in Lumic's barrage balloon. They had no choice but to let Kate come too, as she was the only one who knew the layout of the factory and the quickest way to get out. Reluctantly, they followed her up the stairs, as fires broke out all around them, smoke beginning to fill their lungs. Rose kept her hand in Pete's the whole way, not planning on losing her father again.
"This way!" Kate called out, rushing forward along a metal walkway.
She let out a gasp as the metal broke under her feet, and she felt herself starting to fall. The Doctor lunged forward suddenly, managing to grab her arm just before she could fall into the fire below. He helped to haul her back onto the platform, as Rose and Pete jumped over the gap, with Mrs Moore following close behind.
"You two make some pretty stupid decisions, don't you?" Kate scoffed, looking at the Doctor and Katy.
"Generally," He shrugged, before rushing forward.
By the time they made it to the roof, the building was sloping to one side, its foundations began to crack open. Katy looked up to see the zeppelin hovering just above them, as a rope ladder came tumbling down.
"Rose, get on," The Doctor ordered, as the blonde began to ascend up the ladder.
Pete followed suit, and then Mrs Moore close behind, as the ground shook beneath them. Katy gave the Doctor a worried look, as Rose shouted down for him to follow. The Doctor grabbed onto the rope ladder and started to climb, as Katy noticed the roof was cracking open. She reached out for Kate to steady herself, as both women knew their time was almost up.
"Bloody hell, I hate heights," They muttered at the same time, as Kate rolled her eyes.
"Go on. You first," Kate insisted, ushering her toward the rope ladder.
Katy gripped onto the rope with a vice-like grip as she ascended, trying her best not to look down. She stopped right beneath the Doctor, as she felt a tug on the rope and looked down to see Kate holding onto the bottom. The zeppelin started to fly off then, as the group continued climbing, wanting to get inside as quickly as possible.
"Ah, that's not good," The Doctor gaped, as he heard a creaking sound right by his head.
His eyes widened as he found the rope beginning to fray. With six of them hanging onto the flimsy ladder, it couldn't handle their weight. He looked below to see the zeppelin flying away from the building slowly. They were far too high up to survive if the ladder broke.
"Everyone stop. Just stop moving!" The Doctor cried.
"Guess we should have skipped breakfast, huh?" Katy exclaimed, staying as still as possible, but the rope still continued to come apart.
"Doctor!" Rose gasped, starting to climb down, as the Doctor's hand shot out.
"Don't...just...I need to think..." The Doctor warned, as he placed his hand above the next step, planning to pull himself up.
Using all his strength, he pulled himself up with one hand, above where the rope was fraying. His legs dangled in the air for a moment, as his other hand reached for the next step and he managed to pull himself up. He looked down to see Katy trying to follow him, when suddenly the rope snapped. Katy let out a scream, as she moved her hands to grip onto the other side of the ladder which still remained.
"Kate?" She called down, seeing her alter self had done the same, offering her a silent thumbs up.
Katy's heart stopped for a moment when she heard a snapping sound above her head and saw the piece of rope they were hanging onto was also starting to fray. Katy reached up for the next step, but as more of the rope came away, she stopped herself.
"Doc? Any ideas?" Katy gulped.
"Hold on. I'll...I'll come down," He advised, as she shook her head.
"No, no, no. Don't. It'll be—" She was cut off as there was a cry from beneath her.
Suddenly, she felt something gripping her leg tightly, as she peered down to find part of the ladder had fallen away, leaving Kate no choice but to jump up and hold onto her leg. Katy winced as she watched the rope fraying more above her, as their weight was even less evened out now.
"Shoddy Cybus industries workmanship, huh?" Kate mumbled, from where she was hanging onto her alter self for dear life.
"Can you climb up?" Katy asked, as Kate reached for a part of the rope with her other hand, both girls' eyes widening as they heard the rope creak.
"Karma's a real bitch," Kate sighed, as she looked down to see they were at least a hundred feet away from the roof now, which was bursting with flames.
With a sigh, she looked up at Katy, and then from her to the Doctor, who realised what she was about to do. Katy let out a startled cry as Kate let go of her leg and would have fallen if she hadn't ducked down to grab her hand. She yelled in pain as her sweaty hands struggled to keep hold of the rope in one hand and Kate in the other.
"What are you doing? Let go, you idiot!" Kate snapped, her legs swinging in the air.
"I said I'd give you a chance. I'm keeping my damn word!" Katy retorted, beginning to lose her grip on the rope.
"I don't want a chance; I just wanted my mum!" Kate exclaimed, as Katy could see how her eyes had turned glassy.
"Maybe...maybe the Doctor's wrong. We can find her. Together. Just...don't fucking let go," Katy argued.
"Katy!" The Doctor called out, as she peered up at him, a look of panic on his face.
"You better hold onto him. Don't think there's anyone else who's gonna' look out for us," Kate told her, as she let go off her hand, as Katy's fingers clenched tighter around her wrist.
"Kate, don't do this!" She cried.
"It's okay. I'm gonna' be with mum now," She smiled up at her, as Katy lost her grip.
"No!" She sobbed, as she watched Katy plummeting toward the roof, before she became consumed by the explosions below.
She was gone.
Katy watched from the jumpseats as the Doctor placed the power cell inside the console and a whirring sound echoed around the room. The console slowly lit up with its warm green colour, as the TARDIS came back to life, something which Katy could feel like an itch in the back of her skull. The Doctor grinned broadly up at his machine, stroking the console, before turning to Katy, his smile faltering.
"In a fucked-up way, she was all the family I had left," Katy mused, leaning forward.
"I'm sorry. I know you wanted to give her a chance," The Doctor sighed, as Katy's brow furrowed.
She wanted Kate to have the opportunity to turn her life around. To have someone go out on a limb for her, just like the Doctor had once done for Katy.
"...She did get her chance. She used it to save me," Katy realised.
"Doctor! I've got your suit!" Mickey called from outside, as the Doctor moved to squeeze Katy's shoulder for a moment before venturing outside.
The console lit up then, a comforting humming sound following after, as a sad smile grew on Katy's lips, as she nodded. She pushed herself out of the seat, ready to say her goodbyes to the friends they had made.
"I missed you too, old girl," Katy told the TARDIS, before she walked out the doors.
"Here it is. I found it. Not a crease," Mickey grinned, as he passed the suit over to the Doctor.
"My suit! Good man. Now then, Jake, Angela, we've got to run. You two keep on fighting, get the word out," The Doctor explained.
"Yeah, course we will," Jake nodded, bumping arms with Angela.
"I think first, perhaps it's time for me to see my kids again," Angela suggested, meeting Katy's eye.
"Off we go, then," The Doctor announced, as Mickey took a step forward.
"Er, thing is, I'm staying," He informed them, leaving the Doctor speechless for once.
"You're doing what?" The Doctorgaped.
"You can't," Rose shook her head, emotionally.
"It sort of balances out, because this world lost its Ricky, but there's me. And there's work to be done with all those Cybermen still out there. Besides, this way I can keep an eye on Pete, right?" Mickey argued, as Katy realised the older man had already left.
"But you can't stay. This...this isn't your world," Katy pushed.
"My gran's here. She's still alive. She needs me," Mickey stated, as Katy's gaze softened.
"What about me? What if I need you?" Rose cried.
"Yeah, but Rose, you don't. It's just you and him, isn't it. We had something a long time ago, but not anymore," Mickey sighed, as the Doctor looked to the ground, knowing better than to argue.
"Well, we'll come back. We can travel anywhere. Come and see you, yeah?" Rose suggested.
"We can't. I told you, travel between parallel worlds is impossible. We only got here because of what Kate was doing. But now it's finished. The Cybermen didn't take over. Earth will continue on as it was supposed to. When we leave, I've got to close the crack in time. We can't ever return," The Doctor admitted, as Rose's shoulders slumped.
"Doctor," Mickey exclaimed, holding out his hand, glancing at Rose as he did so.
"Take Rose's phone. It's got the code. Get it out there. Stop those factories," The Doctor advised, reaching out to shake the other man's hand, which appeared to be Mickey giving his blessing to the Doctor in a strange way. "And good luck, Mickey the idiot," The Doctor grinned, slapping Mickey lightly on the cheek.
"Watch it," Mickey smiled, feeling as though he had finally gained the Doctor's respect.
Immediately, Katy was throwing her arms around Mickey, who returned the gesture quickly. Rose had begun sobbing, taking her phone out of her pocket and unlocking it for Mickey, allowing the pair to have a private moment.
"Jake was wrong, you know. You matter. You showed it today. We'd all be dead if it wasn't for you, Mickey Smith," She mumbled, hugging him tighter.
"Thanks. For always actually seeing me," Mickey replied, as Katy started to pull back.
"Don't let him get you killed, yeah?" Mickey insisted, in a hushed voice, as Katy's eyes widened a fraction.
Did Mickey know what was going to happen to her? Or was it just the inevitable end for the Doctor's companions?
Kate's eyes shot open suddenly, sucking in a deep breath, and sitting upright on the metal table she found herself on. She was panting heavily, her lungs feeling like they were on fire after all the smoke she had inhaled that day, but she was alive. How the hell was she still alive?
"Like I said to you yesterday. I can be an asset," Mr Crane announced, walking into the room, followed by two Cybermen following close behind.
"You...you saved me?" Kate frowned.
"Well, most of you," Mr Crane responded, his eyes darting down to the white sheet that covered the lower half of her body.
With a panicked expression, Kate pulled back the sheet, a gasp leaving her lips to find what had become of her legs. Metal had been fused into her flesh, cogs and wiring piercing parts of her skin, as her knees now seemed to be made entirely of metal. She could feel bile rising up in her throat at the sight. Karma truly was a bitch, she thought to herself.
"Some of the conversion machines were intact. Seemed the best thing to do at the time. We did manage to save your feet," Mr Crane pointed out, as Kate attempted to wiggle her toes, the action being delayed by a few seconds.
"Oh, well, that's the main thing," Kate, scoffed, sarcastically.
"There is a matter of urgency, Cybercontroller," One of the Cybermen announced.
"Yeah, I can see that. How come you guys haven't gone...?" She trailed off, making an explosion sound.
"About two per cent of the machines seem to have...well, accepted their condition. All they need now is a leader," Mr Crane told her.
"We require orders," The Cyberman pushed.
"I've decided I'm no longer in need of an army," Kate retorted, swinging her legs off the table, a whirring sound emitting from them as she moved.
She ran a hand down her thigh, finding it to be icy cold, her skin pulled and stretched as it was connected with the metal. She slowly stood to her feet, feeling as though she was standing on stilts. Her own situation would certainly take some getting used to. But she was alive. For what? She had nothing left anymore.
"A signal has been located within the Void," The Cyberman continued, as Kate waved her hand dismissively.
"There's no point in scanning the Void anymore. I have my answers. My family's gone," Kate muttered.
"But the enemy remains," The Cyberman insisted, as she cocked her head to one side.
"A Dalek signal has been located," The Cyberman clarified, as Kate went deathly still.
"Well...that changes things now, doesn't it?" She spat out.