𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫, 𝔈𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔄𝔲𝔤𝔲𝔰𝔱 2006
When he was with the Doctor, EJ found it easy to forget just how human he really was. Sometimes, he felt that he was a God, and yet, that would only make the fall so much harder. Humans weren't built for that kind of impact.
EJ didn't like being confined to one particular space. It was the idea of construction which he associated with his father, and at all costs, he was doing his best to ignore the feeling. However, Jackie was more than uncomfortable, worrying her head off about Rose. Furthermore, the Doctor was silent. He was trying to think through a thousand processes. It seemed that none of them were going to help just yet.
The Thompson boy didn't want to be the one to ask questions, and he didn't want to break the silence, not when Jackie was crying. It wasn't his place. There wasn't a rule book for times like these, and it wasn't as if the Doctor ever paid that much attention to what he said.
Backed against the wall, Jackie's reddening face was hard to ignore. It was more guilt that EJ wasn't sure how the Doctor would deal with. An interesting experience to say the least.
"What's down there?" Her voice shook as she looked to the Doctor for answers he didn't have yet. "She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?"
He was leant against the wall, clearly frustrated as he spoke monotonously. "I don't know."
"It'll be okay." EJ nodded, wrapping an arm around Jackie's shoulders when a sob escaped her, and her hands clasped her face. "We'll make it okay. I'll make it okay."
The Doctor stood by them, and looked the woman in the eyes, ignoring whatever it was Yvonne was doing at her desk. After all, this was all her fault. "I'll find her."
It was easy to believe the Doctor when he made promises, because there was an attractive quality to the way he spoke. He was a magnet. EJ was sure that the Doctor could have told him anything, and he would have been inclined to believe it. The Doctor lied, but not to him.
"I brought you here and I'll get you both out: you and your daughter. Jackie, look at me. Look at me!" It took her a moment, but when she complied, he spoke again. "I promise you. I give you my word."
"You will contact your Central World Authority and order global surrender."
"Oh, do some research!" Yvonne scoffed at the Cyberman. "We haven't got a Central World Authority!"
"You have now. I will speak on all global wavelengths."
As the Doctor put on his 3D glasses, EJ pondered. He'd forgotten just how intimidating the metal armoured suits were. The Cyberman who seemed to be in charge faced another, and began to drone. Its cold face was soon across every screen, even the laptop in the office, expressing to the world everything which had and would happen.
"This broadcast is for humankind. Cybermen now occupy every landmass on this planet. But you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us."
They stared out to London as chaos ensued. Fire and smoke bellowed from the streets, and EJ felt a tightening in his chest. He couldn't know if his friends were safe, or where his family were. It wasn't often he wondered about his brothers, but he prayed they were out of harms way. He loved his friends, and he wanted them sheltered from harm. Most of all, it was Josh he worried for. EJ didn't know if they had even managed to make it home before the Cybermen were released.
He fumbled through his pockets, and there, he found absolutely nothing. His phone was inside the Tardis. He wasn't even able to check on his own child. He'd never felt more useless.
"We'll find him." The Doctor said beneath his breath, taking EJ's hand in his own.
At first, the Thompson boy could hardly look away from the burning buildings. "What do they do to children?"
"I don't know."
His eyes met the Doctor's with a ferocious mix of pain and guilt. "What if that's the last time I saw Josh? What if they killed him? What if they cut out his brain and he's a Cybermen?" A tear fell down his cheeks before he even realised he'd welled up. The Doctor looked glassy before him. "What am I supposed to do?"
Almost immediately, the Doctor brought him into his arms, and held him. A sob or two escaped EJ. He wasn't trying to make a scene. "We'll sort it out. We'll find him. Whatever it takes."
The Cyberman which had been broadcasting marched over to them, and stared out of the window. "I ordered surrender."
"They're not taking instructions." The Doctor retorted, his anger growing. "Don't you understand? You're on every street, you're in their homes, you've got their children! Of course they're going to fight!"
It didn't react. EJ didn't know why he expected something to happen, because the Cybermen had no emotions. That was exactly who they were. Instead, it turned to face the others, all like stone, waiting for instruction.
"Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber. Cybermen will investigate. Units 10/6/5 and 10/6/6 will investigate sphere chamber."
They were the only four humans left alive on that floor. The others had been killed with ease, or taken away for conversion. So far, all they were was lucky.
A moment passed whilst they waited for the Cybermen in those ranks to move towards the sphere chamber. EJ took it to wipe away his tears. However sad, or concerned, he was, he couldn't afford to be weak. Not yet. When the Cybermen were gone, when he knew that Josh was safe and alive, that was when he could deal with it.
"Units, open visual link." As they spoke, the laptop screen changed, and they could see exactly what the units could. "Visual contact established."
And that was when they saw it. Worse than the Cyberman. More terrifying altogether. And yet, the world had no idea what was coming.
EJ was the first to react, his entire body became rigid, and suddenly, he couldn't breath. It was sickening, and his eyes welled with the memories which came alongside. The Doctor, however, was much more subtle. His entire body dropped to stand to attention, his face even falling to rest with some sense of malice.
It was the Daleks.
"Identify yourself." It commanded, staring straight ahead.
The Cybermen disagreed. "You will identify first."
"State your identity!"
"You will identify first."
The Dalek grew impatient, more so than usual, and began to raise its voice. "Identify!"
"Aggression is wasteful and illogical, you will modify."
EJ wanted to turn to the Doctor and whisper one of his many jokes. However, he was frightened the Cybermen might do something to him for interrupting the conversation, if it could be called that. He really was terrified.
"Daleks do not take orders."
"You have identified as Daleks."
"Rose said, about the Daleks." Jackie whispered to the Doctor, breaking the silence. "She was terrified of them."
"We all are." EJ replied, hardly thinking as he spoke. "They killed Jack."
"What have they done to her, Doctor?" She pressed, needing something definitive from him. "Is she dead?"
Unable to say anything, he held out his hand expectantly, and spoke through gritted teeth. "Phone!"
EJ would have handed his over, but he didn't have it on him. Otherwise, a lot have ills would have been spared. They had to wait as the Doctor dialled the number, and the pause as he held it up to his ear.
"She's answered, she's alive." The Doctor whispered, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. "But why haven't they killed her?"
Jackie looked like she wanted to slap him. "Well, don't complain."
"They must need her for something."
"Why does a Dalek need a human?" The Thompson boy's eyebrows furrowed, confused. "They hate humans. That's the whole point of them, isn't it? Hating anyone but themselves?"
The Doctor wasn't listening, and instead just stared at EJ as he relayed the conversation between the Daleks from inside the sphere chamber. "The Genesis Ark?"
"I don't know." He shrugged in response. He wasn't being very much help.
The Doctor kept the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he took the 3D glasses from his jacket and placed them on his face again. They had to listen to the Cybermen still; there was too much going on to keep track of. "Our species are similar, though your design is inelegant."
"Daleks have no concept of elegance."
"This is obvious. But consider our technologies are compatible. Cybermen plus Daleks - together, we could upgrade the universe."
"You propose an alliance?"
"This is correct."
If EJ was feeling terrified before, this tripled that sensation. "Request denied." It was a weight off his chest to say the least.
"Hostile elements will be deleted." The Cybermen raised their arms and activated their guns. Then, they shot at the Dalek, but neither blasts made any impact.
"Exterminate!"
The Dalek guns are much more powerful than the Cybermen, as one shot to their chest was enough to kill them. Their backs arched slowly, screaming in their metallic way, and then they fell. The two metal cases were dropped like dead weight. If this wasn't a declaration of war, then nothing would be.
The Cyberman in the room demanded. "Open visual link."
The laptop screen quickly changed to be that of the sphere chamber. Rose was out of sight, but she was still alive as far as the Doctor knew. EJ had to hope that Taylor was too. Instead, all they could see was Daleks.
"Daleks be warned." Said the metal man. "You have declared war upon the Cybermen."
"This is not war, this is pest control!"
It boasted. "We are five million Cybermen. How many are you?"
"Four!"
"You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?"
"We would destroy the Cybermen with one Dalek!" It replied, with an incredible amount of sass. "You are superior in only one respect."
"What is that?" EJ was curious too.
"You are better at dying." It hardly waited a moment. "Raise communications barrier."
The Doctor kissed his teeth with frustration and turned the phone off; the device was small in the palm of his hand. "Lost her."
With the Daleks now gone for the time being, the Cyberleader, as it were, started to give commands to the remaining. "Quarantine the sphere chamber. Start emergency upgrading. Begin with these personnel."
Then, they marched. Their lack of emotion wasn't even the worst thing about them. It was their strength. In the right place, you could run from a Dalek, because it had no way to grab a hold of you. A Cyberman could just grab onto you, and kill you any way it liked. It was still, almost, human.
They only took the women. Yvonne and Jackie were grabbed, taken, and dragged from the office whilst the Doctor and EJ were left standing. He didn't know which fate was best, and which would give him the best chance of survival.
"No, you can't do this!" Yvonne screamed as she struggled in their grasp. "We surrendered! We surrendered!"
"Keep this one." The Cyberman gestured to the Doctor as it took a hold of him. "His increased adrenaline suggests that he has vital Dalek information."
"Doctor?" EJ whispered as another grabbed a fistful of his shirt. He was shaking, ever so slightly. "I..."
"This one will stay. He does not register as human. Upgrade terminated. Further examination is required."
"Upgrading?" Jackie wailed at the top of her voice as she was being dragged away. "Stop them! Doctor! You promised me!"
He turned to the Cybermen. "I demand you leave that woman alone!"
"You promised me!" She cried, digging her heels into the ground. "You have your word!"
"Jackie, don't fight them." The Doctor told her, but it was useless information. She was terrified, and she wouldn't be able to do anything unless she broke free. It was unlikely.
"Help me!"
As she was pulled out of the door, the Doctor called out, hoping that she could hear him. "I'll think of something."
When the Cybermen let them go, he was glad, but it was like a tidal wave. All at once, he was consumed by this rush of emotions, clouding his every thought. EJ couldn't breathe, for a second, and he ran to the Doctor at full speed.
As soon as he was wrapped inside of his friends warm embrace, the tears began to fall. It was a cliche, perhaps, but the only person EJ was comfortable with completely was the Doctor. They needed each other, now more than ever. He just had to calm himself first.
"If I have to die, I'd rather die now." EJ whispered, frightened that the Doctor might truly hear him. "At least I'd die near you."
"Hey, don't say that." The Doctor mumbled back to him. "We'll be okay."
They decided to sit on the windowsill; it was big enough to hold the two of them. Amongst all of the chaos and the pain they were solitary figures, watching. The Doctor looked stern, almost dead behind the eyes as he stared from the window. EJ kept his focus on him instead. It was much less frightening.
His knees were pulled closely to his chest, and he hated the feeling. It was constricting. The tips of his shoes touched those of the Doctor, which was welcome. It let him know that he wasn't alone. That would be the worse.
"You are proof." The Cyberleader said, approaching them.
He didn't even look up as he responded. "Of what?"
"That emotions destroy you."
"Yeah, I am." The Doctor agreed with little hesitation, drooping mouth with a smidge of arrogance. "Mind you, I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion."
EJ's brows furrowed. "What are you on about?"
"And here it comes." He said, and the air looked odd for a while, just outside of the office. It was wavy, like something had distorted it.
Then, the people came. They seemed to just appear out of nowhere. Six or seven of them in total, all dressed in black, with gas masks on their faces. They held guns, big guns, huge guns... without a second thought, they were used to shoot the Cybermen.
When the three in the main space had collapsed, the spare soldiers all directed their guns at the Cyberleader. There was little warning as they shot it. The Doctor guided EJ swiftly to the corner of the office, crouching and hiding from the imminent explosion.
The head was blown clean off.
"Good to see you again, Doctor." A rather familiar voice said.
And, then, he took his gas mask off to reveal a face well worth seeing. Though, the Doctor didn't seem as excited as EJ was by the whole situation. "Jake?"
Naturally, the Thompson boy ran straight to him, and hugged him as tightly as he could manage. "Jake! God, I'm so glad to see you."
"EJ!" He seemed just as glad. "The Cybermen came through from one world to another... and so did we!"
When the Thompson boy realised the Doctor's disdain, he stepped back, and nudged his side, gently. "What is it?" Nothing came from it. "I can't help when you don't tell me."
"Defend this room!" Jake commanded his men; the Doctor put his 3D glasses on again. "Chrissie, monitor communications. Kill one Cyberleader, and they just download into another! Move!"
They filed out swiftly, and when they were gone, the Doctor protested. "You can't just... just hop from one world to another. You can't!"
"We just did- with these." Jake threw to metal discs with orange buttons in the centre over to the men.
"But that's impossible." The Doctor retorted. "You can't have this sort of technology."
"I've got no idea what this is." The Thompson boy shrugged, losing interest in it almost immediately. "No one's telling me anything, anyway."
"We've got our own version of Torchwood. They developed it. D'you wanna come and see?"
"No!" The Doctor's hand outstretched to stop Jake, but it was too late.
EJ could exactly describe what it felt like, but it didn't feel right. It was like being put in a lift blindfolded. The sensation was odd, and unwelcome.
When Jake had hit his medallion, which hung like a necklace, and held the same metal disc, it transported them. This was how they had crossed over from the parallel world, and suddenly, things were making a little more sense to EJ than they had done before. It wasn't as if there was time to explain everything to him anyway. He would just have to teach himself as they went along.
The parallel Torchwood looked the same, structurally. However, this version was much dirtier, almost like it had been abandoned. There were wires hanging from every inch of ceiling, like the walls had been pulled out entirely.
"Parallel Earth." Jake announced, though they already knew. "Parallel Torchwood, except we found out what the Institute was doing, and the People's Republic took control."
"I've got to get back." The Doctor said, almost panicked. "Rose is in danger, and her mother."
"That'd be Jackie." If there was one person that EJ wasn't expecting to see ever again, it was Pete Tyler, and yet, there he was. "My wife in a parallel universe."
Immediately, EJ rolled his eyes. "Oh, God, not you."
"And as for you, Doctor, at least this time I know who you are."
He seemed a little sarcastic, and not at all interested. "Right, yes, fine, hooray, but I've got to get back. Right now."
"No, you're not in charge here. This is our world, not yours." Pete stated, sternly. "And you're going to listen for once."
The Doctor decided to lean against the wall again, placing his head flush against it. EJ decided to follow him, rather than be stuck too close to Pete. He had nothing against the man from their universe, but parallel Pete didn't seem to understand what he'd been through.
"When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen." Pete began, assuming they would be listening. "So we sealed them inside the factories."
"Except, people argued." Jake rolled his eyes, clearly in disagreement. "Said they were living; we should help them."
"And the debate went on, but all that time, the Cybermen made plans, infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world and then vanished."
The Doctor rested his back against the wall, folding his arms, weight tilted ever so slightly towards EJ. "When was this?"
Pete replied. "Two years ago."
"It's taken three years to cross the Void, but we can pop to and fro in a second?" He began to wander as he thought. "Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once."
"One hell of a lag." EJ agreed, understanding more of what was said than he usually might.
"Yeah," Pete sighed. "Mickey said you'd rattle off that sort of stuff."
"Ah, where is Mickey boy?" His mood picked up, which was surprising, given that the Doctor and Mickey never seemed to really get along.
"He went ahead first. Any chance to go and find Miss Rose Tyler."
"She's your daughter." The Doctor said, solemnly. "You do know that? Did Mickey explain?"
"She's not mine." He was quick to shrug away the responsibility, the same as many men before him, and many to come. It sickened the Thompson boy severely. "She's the child of a dead man."
"Then you're thinking of this wrong." EJ retorted, a harsh grimace on his face. "Yes, physically she is someone else's child, but biologically, genetically, it's exactly the same."
Pete gestured for them to join him at the window instead, so they did. "Look at it. A world at peace. We're calling this the Golden Age."
"Oh," The black haired boy grimaced again. "That's déjà vu."
"Who's the President now?" The Doctor queried.
"Woman called Harriet Jones."
He scoffed, rolling his dark eyes. "I'd keep an eye on her."
Pete drew a sharp breath. "But it's a lie."
EJ didn't seem to understand what it was he was referring to. "What is?"
"Temperatures have risen by two degrees in the past six months. The icecaps are melting. They say all of this is going to be flooded. That's not just global warming, is it?"
The Doctor shook his head. "No."
"It's the breach." Pete knew before he'd asked.
"I've been trying to tell you." EJ knew that the Doctor was right almost all of the time, and his smugness was inevitable. "Travel between parallel worlds is impossible. Then the Daleks break the walls down with the sphere."
"Daleks?"
EJ's eyes widened as he gestured for the redhead to shut up. "Don't ask."
"Then, the Cybermen travelled across, then you lot, those discs! Every time you jump from one reality to another, you rip a hole in the universe. This planet is starting to boil! Keep going and both worlds will fall into the Void."
"But you can stop it? The famous Doctor." Pete was trying to press all the right buttons. "You can seal the breach?"
His face was like stone. "Leaving five million Cybermen stranded in my Earth."
"That's your problem." Already, the act was dropped. "I'm protecting this world and this world only."
"Pete Tyler." The Doctor hummed with a soft smile. "I knew you when you were dead. Now, here you are, fighting the fight... alone. There is a chance... back on my world... Jackie Tyler might still be alive."
"My wife died." Pete deadpanned.
"Get over yourself." EJ rolled his eyes. "Lots of people died."
"Her husband died" The Doctor countered. "Good match."
"There's more important things at stake, Doctor... Help us."
"What?" He practically scoffed at the mass of things expected from him. "Close the breach? Stop the Cybermen? Defeat the Daleks? D'you believe I can do that."
Pete replied swiftly. "Yes."
Though, he turned to EJ before he did anything more, and the thin-lipped smile which was sent his way was warning enough in itself. "Always."
"Maybe that's all I need." The Doctor himself beamed brightly, hitting the button on top of the disc. "Off we go, then!"
Just like before, it felt as if time had paused for a moment. Everything around them changed, and the next thing that EJ was aware of, apart from the ringing in his ears, was that they were home. Or, at least, not on the parallel Earth. That was a relief to say the least.
It was the four of them who moved this time. Pete came with them, unfortunately: EJ didn't understand why he couldn't just stay on the parallel planet. They didn't need him to save the day. He and the Doctor could do that all by themselves.
"I feel sick." The black haired boy complained, leaning forwards slightly. "I never want to do that again."
"First of all, I need to make a phone call." The Doctor said, hurried, taking no notice of what anyone replied with as he ran into the office. "You don't mind?"
Jake pointed to a few of the guards who'd returned to the space. "You two, guard the door!"
EJ watched as the Doctor typed into the large phone. He was stood so closely just so that he could listen to the conversation. And hearing Jackie's voice made the shrill cry worth it. "Oh, my God, help me!"
The Doctor attempted to quieten her. "Jackie, you're alive!"
"They tried to download me, but they ran away!"
It took longer than they would have liked to quieten her, but when he did, he needed to learn of her whereabouts. "Listen, tell me, where are you?"
"I don't know!" She panicked. "Staircase!"
"Yeah, which one? Is there any sort of a sign, anything to identify it?"
"Yes, there's a fire extinguisher!"
The Doctor pulled a face in response. "Yeah, that helps."
"Oh, you're sassy today." EJ's lips upturned in the corners as he attempted to hide his smile. "That's new. I like it."
"Wait a minute! It says N-3."
"North corner, staircase 3." The Doctor rattled out. "Just keep low, we're trying our best."
Jackie cried; EJ could only imagine her face. "Don't leave me!"
"I've got to go. I'm sorry." He put the phone down swiftly, and stood, facing Pete and Jake like he was the grand master of some secret cult. "Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler."
The man just stared back at him. "She's not my wife."
"I was at the wedding. You got her name wrong." The Doctor smirked before turning elsewhere. "Now, then, Jakey boy, if I can open the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on polycarbide."
Naturally, when his gun was taken from him, he just stood there, confused. "What's polycarbide?"
"The skin of a Dalek."
"You better not be stupid again." EJ ran his fingers through his hair, squeezing his blue eyes closed for only a moment. "This sounds like you're being stupid."
EJ had, of course, been correct. The Doctor came up with what could have been the worst idea and plan in all of his life, and yet, they went along with it anyways. He was far too compelling for anyone to shut him down. It really was becoming an issue.
The Doctor decided that finding a trio of Cybermen would be in their best interest, and of course, EJ wasn't going to let him go alone. They turned a corner, and the Doctor stuck his arm out; a piece of paper had been sellotaped to a pen. It was the worst white flag in all of history.
"Sorry!" The Doctor called out his apology. "No white flag- only had a sheet of A4. Same difference."
"Do you surrender?"
Of course, the Doctor took no notice, and he marched forwards, nose to nose with one of the Cybermen. "I surrender... unto you... a very good idea."
There was a smile on his face which was undeniably attractive, and EJ was fighting to stop his face from turning bright red. He whispered beneath his breath. "You've got to stop doing that."
This was getting incredibly difficult and frustrating for more than one reason. They needed to find Rose and Taylor, and they needed to save Jackie, and EJ still didn't know how they were going to do it.
Shit.
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Hello my loves,
I hope you're having a wonderful day!
This is your warning (for the third time) to comment anything at all you would like to see during any Doctor Who story from the Runaway Bride to The Church on Ruby Road (or whatever episode is most recent at the time of reading).
I would love to know if anyone is interested in a book focused on the Thompson children's childhood... I've already got a few ideas, but please let me know!!!
Love you lots,
Emma <3
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Disclaimer!!!
I do not own Doctor Who, it's characters and original storylines. The only things I do own are my own characters, my addition to the series and my own storylines. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental.