𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫, 𝔈𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔄𝔲𝔤𝔲𝔰𝔱 2006
EJ never believed he would see Rose laugh in the face of a Dalek, but as he sauntered into the sphere chamber, it was the first sight to greet his eyes. Naturally, the killing machine wasn't exactly happy with the action.
Seeing Mickey there wasn't as much of a surprise as it might have been half an hour ago, but EJ wouldn't say he was over the moon about it. Rose and Taylor were rather close to one another, and Rajesh was nowhere to be found. Though, there was a deformed body on the floor, which could have been him. Knowing the Daleks, it probably was.
Being his usual, odd self, the Doctor was already leaning against the doorframe, waiting for his moment, the 3D glasses on his face. EJ had already asked about them at least twice without a clear answer. He assumed that they'd be told later on; it was the sort of thing he liked to do.
"You will be exterminated!"
This was his moment, and he walked forwards, EJ following closely on his heels, their hands intertwined. "Oh, now, hold on, wait a minute..."
"Alert! Alert! You are the Doctor!"
"Sensors report he is unarmed!"
Strolling over to the small group, tightening the grip of EJ's hand in his own, the Doctor just hummed. "That's me, always."
"And me." The black haired boy agreed. "No weapons, for obvious reasons."
"Then you are powerless."
"Not me. Never!" The Doctor said, removing his glasses, and leaning down slightly to speak to Rose. "How are you?"
"Oh!" She seemed to be making the most of it. "Same old, you know."
"Good." It calmed him. "And Micketty-Mick-Mickey! Nice to see you."
"And you, boss." The man greeted, fist bumping; it wasn't exactly what they expected after such a long time. Although, they were surrounded by Daleks, so needs must.
"Taylor." EJ sighed as they embraced swiftly. "Are you alright? Has anything happened to you?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Taylor replied as he gently pushed EJ away from him. "I mean, Rajesh isn't, but what he did was his choice..."
"Social interaction will cease." One of the four Daleks commanded. "How did you survive the Time War?"
The Doctor's face grew stern, and harsh words left his lips. "By fighting... on the front line. I was there at the fall of Arcadia. Someday, I might even come to terms with that. But you lot... ran away!"
EJ had never heard him say so much about the Time War, or how he had to fight. This face had already been through so much, however young he looked. It hurt his heart to know that he had suffered in such a way. He was aching inside, and there was nothing that EJ could do to change or help.
"We had to survive."
"The last four Daleks in existence." He hummed, racking his brain for the answers. "So what's so special about you?"
"Doctor, they've got names." Rose mumbled, unsure. "I mean, Daleks don't have names, do they? But one of them said they..."
"I am Dalek Thay."
"Dalek Sec."
"Dalek Jast."
"Dalek Caan."
"So that's it!" The Doctor exclaimed, a grin finally plastered to his face. "The Cult of Skaro. I thought you were just a legend."
Rose turned to him for answers. "Who are they?"
"A secret order, above and beyond the Emperor himself."
EJ scrunched his nose up. "They sound like dicks."
"How can you say stuff like that?" Taylor scolded with narrow eyes. "They're right there. People have died, EJ!"
"Shut up." He scolded in return, shushing as he pointed to the Doctor. "He's gonna talk."
"Their job was to imagine. Think as the enemy thinks." He began to wander around the room, living through the experience. "Even dare to have names, all to find news ways of killing."
"But that thing, they said it was yours." Mickey called to him. "I mean, Time Lords, they built it. What does it do?"
"I don't know." The Doctor replied, honestly. EJ wasn't expecting to hear that of all things. "Never seen it before."
"But it's..." Rose whispered beneath his breath. "Time Lord."
EJ rolled his eyes as he hissed through his teeth as her ignorance. "It was a war, Rose."
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Both sides had secrets. What is it? What have you done?"
"Time Lord science will restore Dalek supremacy."
"What does that mean?" He pressed, still wandering, almost in circles, more than frustrated by it. "What sort of Time Lord science? What d'you mean?"
Rose whispered. "They said one touch from a time traveller will wake it up."
"Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch." The Doctor leant into the eyestalk, practically taunting them. "Sealed inside your casing, not feeling anything... ever. From birth to death, locked inside a cold, metal cage, completely alone. That explains your voice. No wonder you scream."
"The Doctor will open the Ark!"
He surged backwards with a bright giggle. "The Doctor will not."
"You have no way of resisting!"
"Well, you got me there, although..." The Doctor pulled the sonic screwdriver from his jacket, nonchalantly. "There is always this."
They sounded more pissed off than usual. "A sonic probe?"
"That's screwdriver." He corrected, playfully.
It was mesmerising for EJ to watch as the Daleks grew impatient. "It is harmless."
"Oh, yes. Harmless is just the word. That's why I like it!" The Doctor seemed glad because of it, clearly something else in mind. "Doesn't kill, wound, maim, but I'll tell you what it does do. It is very good at opening doors."
Now, EJ hadn't been told the inner workings of the plane. Presumably, it was because whenever he knew things like this, he wanted to be involved, and when there was so much danger, the Doctor wanted to keep him safe. That being said, he did know that there was a cue. Only, not that the cue was the sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor only pressed in the button on the side of the body and the doors practically exploded. They'd used some sort of explosive to make sure they could break through the seal Yvonne had placed on them. It wasn't just parallel Torchwood who came through though, but the Cybermen as well.
There was a cacophony of noise, and Taylor seemed to tense from beside EJ. He'd never been around such violence before in his life.
The Cybermen and the Daleks were shooting at one another, their battle cries both fairly weak in comparison to their firepower. However, Jake had taken charge of the human brigade, and because the Doctor had been able to alter their guns, they were able to damage the Daleks. EJ just had to stay out of the centre of the crossfire.
"Delete. Delete. Delete."
"Alert! Casing impaired! Casing impaired!"
EJ pulled Taylor to the ground as the rays were directed closer to them. For a moment, it didn't seem like there was a way out. It felt like they were going to be trapped.
"Is this your life?" Taylor asked, breathless. "The guns and the aliens?"
"Sometimes." EJ replied as he began to crawl along the floor, watching as the Doctor made it to safety. "But it's more fun when he's showing off and there's no guns."
"Rose, get out!" He could hear the man call. She copied the Thompson boy's movements. "EJ, come on! You're almost here!"
"Insufficient fire power! Insufficient fire power!"
Pete, who believed he wasn't a father, clearly cared for Rose. He guided her as quickly as he could from the room, but EJ and Taylor were still there. They were stuck. Crawling wasn't going to do them any good. They would have to stand, and just hope they wouldn't get hit.
There were at least four Cybermen between them and the door. Even if they weren't aiming for humans, the crossfire wasn't directed anywhere in particular. If they were shot, the metal men weren't exactly going to cry over it. Just like spilt milk. Though, they moved, anyhow.
Perhaps only two metres or so from the door, Taylor grabbed onto his wrist. It looked like he had been holding something in for an age. He looked sickly. They had stopped directly in the firing line of a Dalek and a Cyberman. They wouldn't have long.
"I know what happened." He said, and EJ paused, and faced him. His entire body tensed, more so now than when the fighting began. "Soren told me."
"Really?" The Thompson boy scoffed. "Now? You want to do this now?"
"I want to do this while you're listening to me." Taylor countered. "And I don't blame you. He told me. He kissed you, not the other way around. I don't blame you, okay? So there's no need to feel-"
EJ longed for him to finish his sentence, but he couldn't. Instead, he screamed. It was like, for a second, his entire body lit up from the inside out, and then he dropped. His figure fell limp on the ground. EJ didn't even have the time to process it before the tests fell from his eyes; he didn't realise he was crying.
Taylor was dead.
"EJ!" He could hear the Doctor calling for him still, the noise echoing in his ears. "EJ, come on! There's nothing you can do for him!"
He walked towards the door, not looking where he was going. Truly, he was lucky to have come out in one piece. As soon as he crossed the threshold to be joined by the others, the Doctor wrapped his arms around him protectively. EJ's head rested in the crook of his neck, a light sob escaping his lips as the reality set in.
"It's alright." The Doctor soothed, running a hand through his black hair. "You'll be alright."
"Daleks will be deleted. Delete. Delete."
EJ hadn't realised that Mickey was still stuck in there until Rose called out for him. "Mickey! Come on!"
The Dalek's weren't giving up without a fight. "Adapt to weaponry."
"Firepower restored!" Another agreed with it.
With one glance, EJ could see how unstable Mickey was. The huge gun in his left hand meant that he couldn't stand straight. That, and the firing of weapons, threw him off guard. It was no surprise that he was knocked into the Ark.
His hand pressed against the metal firmly, and sizzled for a second. Rose was screaming for him to join them. They could leave then, when they knew that he was safe.
"Cybermen primary target."
Mickey looked at his hand, like it was aching, but he ran forwards anyway. They were all outside of the room, and swiftly, the Doctor used the sonic to close the doors. There were a thousand things that needed to be done, and EJ wasn't in the right mind set for any of them.
"Jake, protect the stairwell." He commanded. "The rest of you, come on."
EJ didn't want to run, not if Taylor was going to be left behind, but the Doctor had to drag him along anyhow. If he stayed behind too his own death would be as certain as the sun setting in the west.
"I just fell." Mickey excused himself as they raced down the corridors. "I didn't mean it."
"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force, and to do that they'd have blown up the sun." The Doctor kissed his head, and sent him on his way as they all surged forwards. "You've done us a favour. Now, run!"
There was a lot of running. More than usual. The Torchwood building had far too many floors, and EJ had decided that he hated it. The only thing keeping him going was the fact that the Doctor was pulling him along. It was the sort of day where nothing felt like it was ever going to get better.
When they reached the middle of the corridor, that seemed to have been proven. Jackie Tyler was stood facing two Cybermen. EJ paused, frozen, as did the others. No one was sure what they should do.
"You will be upgraded."
Jackie quivered on the spot. "No, but you can't, please!"
EJ hadn't expected Pete to be their saviour, but he marched forwards with the large guns anyhow, and shot down both of the Cybermen. They fell to the ground, and left the parallel partners facing one another. Jackie didn't even know he existed yet. Again, perhaps this was not how it all should have gone.
Unsure, she stepped forwards. "Pete?"
They were an odd bunch. Rose had clasped her face in her hands. EJ was still crying, holding onto the Doctor who was stoic. Mickey was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and Jake had gone to the stairwell, or so they all believed.
Pete gulped. "Hello, Jacks."
"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair." She complained, almost wailing as tears lined her eyes. "Why him?"
"I'm not a ghost." He promised, though she didn't seem to believe him.
"But you're dead." Jackie shook her head in disbelief. "You died twenty years ago, Pete."
"It's Pete from a different universe." The Doctor stepped forwards and clarified. "There are parallel worlds, Jackie. Every single decision we make creates a parallel existence, a different dimension where..."
"Oh, you can shut up." Jackie retorted, before sighing. "Oh... you look old."
Pete replied, swiftly. "You don't."
"How can you be standing there?"
"Just got lucky. Lived my life." He shrugged, standing as still as a plank of wood, just staring at her. "But you were left on your own. You didn't marry again, or..."
"There was never anyone else." EJ had to hold back a scoff in the same way that Rose held back a laugh. There were many other people for Jackie, but none of them were permanent. "Twenty years though. Look at me. I never left that flat. Did nothing with myself."
"You brought her up." Pete countered, gently. "Rose Tyler. That's not bad."
She replied, breathily. "Yeah."
"In my world... it worked." He seemed surprised by his own success, for a moment. "All those daft little plans of mine, it worked. Made me rich."
"I don't care about that." Jackie shook her head, firmly. Though, it was an endearing thought. "How rich?"
"Very."
"I don't care about that." She reiterated. "How very?"
EJ could feel the Doctor chuckle as his head rested on his chest. "Shh." He prompted, although, it was a nice change, however momentary.
"Thing is, though, Jacks..." Pete seemed to stop, stuttering over himself. "You're not my wife. I'm sorry, but you're not. I mean, we both... you know, it's just sort of... oh, come here."
On a day like this, where so many had already died, and more surely would, EJ didn't expect such a romantic response. Jackie and Pete ran to one another like they were apart of a movie. She jumped into his arms, and they held each other as tight as they could. It had been twenty years for her... EJ couldn't begin imagine twenty years without the Doctor.
Thankfully, they were close to the warehouse floor of the building. It meant that it didn't take as long to run there. The Doctor was the one who wanted to be there; he needed the anti-gravity clamps from earlier. However, EJ wasn't expecting there to be so much fighting still.
Suddenly, he felt like he understood a smidgeon of the shell-shock felt by the soldiers of WW1. Witnessing such horror made his mind spin, and he froze in his place outside of the room. He was only glad that no one was counting on him. Otherwise, he wasn't sure that anything good would come of it.
The Doctor did his best to go unnoticed. He scrambled close to the floor over to a crate where the clamps had been stored. He piled all three into his hands, just in case, and used them as shields as he stumbled backwards. As soon as he could, EJ pulled him through the doors, his foot slipping on a dead Cyberman.
Though, he did make them wait a moment longer. He placed the 3D glasses on his face again and peaked through the small window. They had transferred the Genesis Ark there; it was the biggest space in the whole of the Torchwood vicinity. Also, it had the easiest access to the outside world from two directions.
The Daleks buzzed. "Override roof mechanism."
"Elevate!"
"What are they doing?" Rose hissed as the ceiling began to open above them. "Why do they need to get outside?"
"Time Lord science? What Time Lord science?" The Doctor grit his teeth with confusion as he took off the glasses. EJ squeezed his hand for comfort. "What is it?"
Naturally, it meant they had to run again. The corridors were long, especially when they were tired. EJ wasn't as used to this as he should have been, and now he just wanted to lie down. There was no time at all.
"We've got to see what it's doing, we've got to go back up. Come on!" The Doctor beckoned for them to follow him as he sprinted. "All of you, top floor!"
"But that's forty-five floors up!" Jackie complained, swiftly, her eyes widening. "Believe me- I've done 'em all!"
"I'm not running forty five flights of stairs." EJ deadpanned. "No way. I'd rather just wait here."
He'd never been more thankful for Jake poking his head out of, what seemingly was, the wall. It wasn't, of course. "We could always take the lift."
The lift moved as fast as they expected, and EJ tapped his foot as they waited. His impatience was getting on everyone's nerves, and he was aware, but he really couldn't find it in himself to care. Today was not the day he wanted it to be.
They ran into the corner office, lead by the Doctor, who immediately dropped the clamps on Yvonne's desk. She'd probably been converted; EJ hadn't really thought about that yet. He stood by the Doctor's side and watched as the Ark opened up into the sky. Then, as it turned, it spewed out Daleks at increasing speed.
"Time Lord science..." The Doctor groaned, finally understanding. "It's bigger on the inside."
Mickey's face paused. "The Time Lord's put those Daleks in there? What for?"
"It's a prison ship."
"How many Daleks?" Rose queried, her voice low still.
The Doctor managed to spit with disgust. "Millions."
They were flying over London, and EJ didn't know how they were supposed to recover from something like this. There wasn't a lot of time to think, not about himself, and when he did, all he wanted to do was cry. And he knew that he couldn't. He didn't want the attention. There wasn't the time.
"You've had it." Pete made his thoughts known, gruffly. "This world's gonna crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home. Jacks... take this. You're coming with us."
He handed her one of the medallions they wore, and helped her put it over her head. "But they're destroying the city!" She protested.
"I'd forgotten you can argue. It's not just London- it's the whole world. But there's another world, just waiting for you, Jacks, and it's safe, as long as the Doctor closes the breach." He paused, and turned to the man. "Doctor?"
It was like a switch had been flicked, and the Doctor had finally come to terms with everything. The 3D glasses were on his face again, but he was smiling as he turned on his feet. Suddenly, he was himself again.
"Oh, I'm ready!" He started to run around the whole room. "Equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood! Slam it down and close off both universes."
"We can't just leave." Rose protested as he began to type on the computer; EJ was already copying the workload. "What about the Daleks? And the Cybermen?"
"They're part of the problem, and that... makes them part of the solution. Oh, yes! Well? Isn't anybody going to ask? What is it with the glasses?"
"Me! I did!" EJ raised his hand, unimpressed. "I already asked twice and you wouldn't tell me."
Rose played along with it just as he'd asked, however, which elicited the joy he had been searching for. "What is it with the glasses?"
"I can see! That's what!" The Doctor's grin was as wide as it ever had been. "Cos we've got two separate worlds, but in between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding, and the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here. And you lot, one world to another, via the Void. Ooh, I like that. Via the Void! Look. I've been through it. See?"
The Doctor placed his 3D glasses on Rose's face, and suddenly, she was acting differently. It was like she was seeing the world in a new light. He was moving side to side within her field of vision as she reached out to touch him. He was just too far away.
"Reboot in three minutes."
The Doctor took the glasses back a moment later after she'd looked at the whole group, and gifted them to EJ who was more than interested. When his blue eyes were covered, he suddenly understood what the Doctor had been doing all day.
There were pink and green dots surrounding almost everyone in the room. They buzzed around, like quarks, dancing. The Doctor didn't move as rambunctiously in front of EJ, but offered a gentle hand to show how they moved. He appreciated the gentle approach, especially when the Thompson boy was not so much of a gentle person himself at the best of times.
Rose looked at them for answers. "What is it?"
"Voidstuff." The Doctor replied. His gaze had yet to be shifted from EJ, who's hands were messing with the Doctor's fingers, still staring through the 3D glasses.
"It's pretty." The boy whispered, but he wasn't sure exactly what he was talking about. The separation between the Voidstuff and the Doctor were minimal.
Rose pondered momentarily. "Like... back ground radiation!"
"That's it!" The Doctor agreed brightly, turning the black haired boy to face the group, but his words still very much directed at the blonde girl. "EJ, look at the others. The only one who hasn't been through the Void, your mother. First time she's looked normal in her life."
"Oi."
"But the Daleks lived inside the Void, they're bristling with it, Cybermen, all of them, I just..." He ran to the wall with all of the might he could muster. "Open the Void and reverse! The Voidstuff gets sucked back inside!"
"Pulling them all in!" Rose shouted, forcefully, though the glee in her voice was hard to mistake for anything else.
The Doctor agreed. "Pulling them all in!"
"Sorry," Mickey paused them. "What's the Void?"
"The dead space." He clarified. "Some people call it hell."
"So you're sending the Daleks and Cybermen to hell?" Mickey scoffed and shook his head, turning to face Jake who seemed somewhat impressed. "Man, I told you he was good!"
"But, it's like you said, we've all got Voidstuff, me too, cos we went to that parallel world." Rose took the glasses back from EJ and stared at her hands. "We're all contaminated, we'll get pulled in."
That was when the Doctor fell silent. "That's why you've got to go."
"Reboot in two minutes."
"Back to Pete's world. Hey, we should call it that. Pete's world." His humour broke when he looked back to her, a lump growing in his throat. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."
"And then... you close it?" Pete clarified, ironing out the few remaining kinks. "For good?"
"The breach itself is soaked in Voidstuff. In the end, it'll close itself. And that's it. Kaput."
"But you stay on this side?" Rose's voice quivered.
Mickey furrowed his brows. "But you'll get pulled in."
"That's why I got these." That was when the Doctor finally picked up the clamps again. "I'll just a have to hold on tight. Been doing it all my life. What do you say, Ezra?"
He was only able to offer a half smile before Rose but in again, disagreeing with her lot. "I'm supposed to go?"
"Yeah." The Doctor replied monotonously.
"To another world, and then it all gets sealed off?"
"Yeah."
Her voice broke the most when she tried to challenge him. "And he gets to stay?"
"Yeah."
Guilt began to run through EJ as Rose scoffed in his face. "Forever? That's not gonna happen. That's not fair."
"Your mother and father are leaving and you have the chance to be with them." The Thompson boy shook his head, attempting to make her understand. "My son is here. I can't let him live his life hardly remembering me."
"We haven't got time to argue." Pete said as the building began to shake. "The plan works, we're going. You too. All of us."
"No!" Rose protested, furiously. "I'm not leaving him!"
Jackie retaliated in much the same way. "I'm not going without her!"
"Oh, my God, we're going!"
For a moment, Jackie looked like she would kill Pete with all of the hatred in her eyes. "I've had twenty years without you, so button it! I'm not leaving her."
She shook her head in disagreement. "You've got to."
"Well, that's tough."
"Mum..." Rose said, softly turning to the older woman. Though, part of her must have understood the importance of it all.
"Reboot in one minute."
"I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor. And all the things I've seen him do for me, for you, for all of us, for the whole... stupid planet and every planet out there... does it alone, Mum. But not anymore. Cos now he's got me."
Rose backed away from her mother, only to stand directly with her back to the Doctor. He placed a medallion around her neck, and EJ never broke their gaze.
They shared a look, and he nodded his head in understanding. "He's never going to be alone. I promise."
"What are you...?"
She didn't even have a moment to fully comprehend what was happening as she spoke, because just as quickly as she opened her mouth, she was gone. Pete had pressed the button, and it recalled them all. Mickey, and Jake, and Jackie and Rose were all gone without so much of a goodbye, but EJ had made his choice, and he would live with that for as long as he had to.
They only had a few seconds to mourn them. The Doctor stood, evidently heartbroken, which only spurred him on. He didn't like to do nothing, and that would make everything worse. There wasn't much else to mess up, anyhow.
He pushed himself back to the computers, and EJ mimicked his actions. There was only a little that he understood, but he worked with what he knew. To distract the Doctor now would be to interrupt Sir Isaac Newton whilst forming his theory of gravity. That, in itself, would have been a disaster. So, it was silent for a time, that was, until she came back.
"I think this is the on switch."
Rose landed almost exactly in the place that she had left them only a few moments before. EJ's heart had crumbled moments before, but now it was like she was stamping on the pieces. She was willing to leave Jackie alone, childless. He didn't know if he would have been able to.
"Once the breach collapses, that's it." The Doctor marched over to her, furiously, spitting the words so clearly she was forced to face the reality of her choices. "You'll never be able to see her again, your own mother."
Solemnly, she replied. "I made my choice a long time ago. And I'm never going to leave you. So, what can I do to help?"
"Systems rebooted. Open access."
"Those coordinates over there, set them all at six." He pointed at the computer the furthest away from him. "And hurry up!"
Having finished what he was previously doing, EJ waddled over to the Doctor, and touched his hand gently. "I've, uh, I've finished that now. Is there anything you want? At all?"
"Ezra," He practically sighed before pointing to the fourth and final computer. "All coordinates to eight. Thank you."
She'd only been at her computer for a second when Rose flagged an issue. "We've got Cybermen on the way up."
The Doctor raced over to look at her screen. "How many floors down?"
"Just one."
"Shit!" EJ hit his fist against the desk, closing his eyes momentarily. "Shit! We've got to do this! We've got to do this now!"
"You're right." The Doctor agreed, wiping his hands on his face. "Allons-y!"
He found himself pressing as many keys on the keyboard as he could manage. The laptop seemed to be a vital part in whatever the Doctor was doing as well, but EJ didn't ask. He waited to do what he was told. It was all he really could do now.
"Leavers operational." At least something was going right.
"That's a bit more like it." Rose grinned, honestly. "Bit of a smile. The old team."
"Hope and glory!" The Doctor offered as he handed each of his friends their clamps. "Mutt and Jeff! Shiver and Shake!"
She didn't seem convinced. "Which ones Shiver?"
"Oh, I'm Shake."
"And I'm the dog's dinner, we're all aware." EJ rolled his eyes, and marched back towards the levers. "We've got better things to do. Save the world and all that every day shit."
It wasn't often that he was the one to take the lead, but when they became distracted, EJ felt as if he had no choice. He pressed his clamp against the wall, and he waited for the Doctor's instructions. He couldn't remember how it worked. It had been hours since they'd arrived, and a lot had happened since then. Surely, on this one occasion, he could be excused.
"Press the red button." He guided. "When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us, but the Daleks and the Cybermen are steeped in Voidstuff. Ready?"
Rose had placed her clamp to the left of EJ, closer to the lever than he was originally. "So are they."
The Thompson boy could see the Daleks rising by the window, and he knew that their time was running thin. EJ and the Doctor had placed themselves as responsible for the levers. As soon as they had finished, they would have to run to their clamps, and hope nothing went wrong.
This was one of those days where there was a fine line between winning and losing. But it was one of those days where losing didn't seem to be an option.
EJ turned his head to face the Doctor, their eyes meeting with a sort of fire and sadness. "Let's do it."
They pushed the levers and locked them into place, facing only minimal resistance. "Online."
When he ran to his clamp, EJ made sure that his arms were firmly wrapped around the handle. His hands weren't strong enough to hold his weight, especially with an immense amount of force coming from another direction. It would take all of his concentration to stay in place, and he hoped that the others were taking it as seriously as he was.
And, then it started. He could feel it pulling at his clothes and his skin, attempting to drag him away, but he wouldn't let it. The windows smashed in seconds and the Daleks were dragged through at full speed.
"The breach is open!" The Doctor exclaimed its glee. "Into the Void! Ha!"
EJ watched as they all flew through the room, Daleks and Cybermen alike. He couldn't believe that it was all working so easily, exactly like they had planned. Though, with that, he knew that it couldn't have lasted forever. He was right.
Suddenly, the lever beside Rose, the lever that EJ had locked into place, began to shift. "Offline."
There was a pang of sickness which overwhelmed the Thompson boy. He was too far to do anything about it, and that was when he saw what Rose was doing. She was struggling to reach the handle, and EJ wanted to tell her to stop, but she wouldn't listen.
"Don't! Rose!" He tried, anyway. "Don't!"
The Doctor had seen it too. "Hold on!"
"I've got to get it upright!" Her entire body was stretching as far as she could, just to try and let her fingertips touch the lever with the hope she could move it.
She must have realised she had to let go of the clamp to reach the lever. It was a frightful moment when she was in between, but then it was worse. Because she managed to get the lever upright and locked, the computer even told them, but then the lever was all she had to keep her safe. It wasn't cut out to hold her weight.
"Rose!" The Doctor reached out for her, but she was too far away. She screamed, perhaps in pain, but she held on anyway. "Hold on! Hold on!"
It sort of happened in a blur that EJ could scarcely describe. One moment, she was holding on her dear life, the next she was flying through the air towards the Void. It was luck that Pete turned up, only for a second, to save her life... pure luck.
One last look, and that was it. Rose Tyler was gone. Forever.
A few more Cybermen and Daleks flew through and into the Void. After that, it closed itself up, rather like a piece of crumpled up paper. Mesmerising at it was, it was a sign that things had changed. It was the end of something...
"Systems closed."
EJ didn't know how he was supposed to feel when the Doctor walked towards the wall. He was already in a state of mourning, and yet, seconds had passed. Their friend was gone, and as guilty as it made him feel, there was also a slight jealousy which only made him feel worse.
He just stared at the white space. Then, his hand pressed against it. Soon enough, it was his head too. Perhaps, he was trying to hear through to the other side and make contact.
They both knew it wasn't possible.
However, the worst part of all was the fact that the Doctor didn't cry. He didn't allow himself to cry. He hardly stopped to think about it before walking away from the wall. His eyes didn't glance back once; nothing would change.
"Doctor..." EJ whispered, and he took the man's hand in his own. Nervously, he kissed the Doctor's palm, and squeezed his hand tightly. "I'm so sorry."
They left the Torchwood base hand in hand, and for the first time, EJ knew exactly what he was feeling. It wasn't just guilt for the loss of Rose and Taylor. It wasn't just anxiety for the whereabouts of Josh. It was more than any of that combined.
He was heartbroken, and he wasn't yet sure how to fix it.
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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.