The Age of Steel
"Doctor any day now!" Rita screamed. The Cybermen were inching closer and closer. The Doctor suddenly pulled out the recharging TARDIS power cell and pointed it at the Cybermen. They all get bent backwards and were atomised by golden energy.
"What the hell was that?" Ricky asked.
"We'll have that instead." The Doctor muttered then shouted for the group to run. They started to run and a horn of a van blared out as it came to an abrupt stop. A woman shouted opening the door. "Everybody, in!"
"I've got to go back." Pete protested heading towards the mansion. "My wife's in there."
The Doctor told him in the most serious tone he could as he grabbed the man's arm. "Anyone inside that house is dead. If you want to help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've got to come with us right now."
"Come on! Get a move on!" The woman shouted.
"Rose, she's not your mother." The Doctor told her.
"I know." Rose nodded jumping into the van.
"Rita, Come on."
"Don't have to tell me twice" she jumped in the van after the Doctor sitting on his left side with Rose on his right.
"Finished chatting?" The woman asked sarcastically "Never seen a slower getaway in my life!" She started to drive off.
"I've seen the worst rescue ever" Rita muttered the Doctor looked at her frowning slightly. "Secrets I can't tell you Doctor" he nodded his head in understanding.
"What was that thing?" Ricky asked still a frown on his face. Parallel world Mickey always frowning.
"Little bit of technology from my home." The Doctor chucked it up in the air and caught it in his hand again.
Mickey frowned at it. "It's stopped glowing. Has it run out?" He asked a little worried.
The Doctor shook his head then informed him. "It's on a revitalising loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours."
"Right. So, we don't have a weapon anymore." Ricky groaned.
"With him, you never see weapons" Rita pointed out. "Wasn't a weapon anyways"
"We've got weapons. Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him." Jake growled at Pete
Rose protested. "Leave him alone. What's he done wrong?" She asked snapping a little.
Jake snapped back sarcasm showing like it was blatantly obviously "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 asked Jake and Ricky.
"Maybe your plan went wrong. Still gives us the right to execute you, though." Rita glared at him.
"For someone who looks like Mickey you definitely don't act like him. Nobody is dying" Rita told him clearly.
"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.
Ricky shrugged the threat off. "All the same, we have evidence that says Pete Tyler's been working for Lumic since twenty point five."
"Is that true?" Rose looked at Pete.
"Tell them, Mrs M." Ricky looked at the woman driving.
"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." She told them.
"Broadcast from Gemini?" Pete asked sounding more like a statement than a question.
"And how do you know that?" Ricky narrowed his eyes at Pete.
"I'm Gemini. That's me."
"Yeah, well you would say that." Ricky rolled his eyes.
"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. They've even got the van." He groaned.
"No, no, no." Mickey shook his head. "But the Preachers know what they're doing. Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted." Rita hit her forehead with her palm shaking her head slowly.
"Yeah, that's not exactly" he mumbled.
"Not exactly what?"
"I'm London's Most Wanted for parking tickets."
"Great." Pete rolled his eyes again groaning at the stupid situation he was stuck in.
"Yeah, they were deliberate. I was fighting the system. Park anywhere, that's me."
"Looks like you two are similar after all" Rita muttered.
"Good policy." The Doctor agreed. "I do much the same. I'm the Doctor, by the way, if anyone's interested."
"A van and a box are a little difficult" Rita rolled her eyes. "Rita Stone" she waggled her fingers at the lot"
"And I'm Rose. Hello." She waved to them.
"Even better. That's the name of my dog. Still, at least I've got the catering staff on my side." Rita groaned remembering that she was still in her stupid outfit she was forced to wear.
"When we get back the TARDIS better have some new shoes for me that's two pairs now" she groaned. "And they were my favourite"
"You'll get your shoes I promise" the Doctor grinned.
"Good otherwise that hand will be coming off" she moved her gaze to the hand that was cut off on Christmas day before she met them both.
"One day you will be able to go threatening me without bringing my hand into it" he chuckled.
"Until then I will keep threatening your fighting hand" she smirked then sighed a little.
The van was silent with only the sound of the engine and tires over the road. Most of the drive was smooth with only a few bumps every now and then. "I knew you weren't a traitor," Rose spoke up breaking the silence. She looked over at Pete who frowned at her confused by what she meant.
"Why is that, then?" He asked. Rose shrugged
"I just did."
Pete sighed not pushing on with what she meant then thought aloud. "They took my wife."
"She might still be alive," Rose added some hope. Rita looked down at the floor she couldn't say she wanted to but she couldn't. As if the Doctor could know what she was thinking he placed a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him smiling sadly.
"That's even worse," Pete muttered. "Because that's what Lumic does. He takes the living and he turns them into those machines." He spat not angry at anyone in the van but at Lumic and he had a right to be as angry as possible.
"Cybermen." The Doctor said. "They're called Cybermen. And I'd take those ear pods off, if I were you. You never know. Lumic could be listening." Pete nodded in agreement and took the EarPods out handing them over to the Doctor who deactivated them with the sonic screwdriver then placed them in his pocket.
"But he's overreached himself. He's still just a businessman. He's assassinated the President. All we need to do is get to the city and inform the authorities. Because I promise you, this ends tonight." He told them.
"Wish it was that easy" Rita mumbled quietly so only the Doctor could hear her. He sighed a little and nodded. "When is it ever simple with you, though?" She asked smiling a little.
"Don't think it ever is" he smiled back.
"You got that one right, always trouble around you" Rita rolled her eyes at the grin on his face, Rose was shaking her head while agreeing with Rita where there was the Doctor there was always trouble.
After a few more minutes of driving the van came to a stop and they all exited following the Doctor. They soon noticed the people walking very much like zombies in the street however they definitely were not with the lack of thirst for brains and bloody clothes. "What the hell?" Jake frowned at them walking past.
"What's going on?" Rose asked her eyes fixed on the mind controlled people.
The Doctor looked at Rita who scratched her ear very obviously meaning the pods all of the people walking down the road had, he rolled his eyes at her. "It's the ear-pods. Lumic's taken control." He told them.
"Can't we just, I don't know, take them off?" Rose suggested going to take the pods out of a person's ears. The Doctors eyes widened and pulled her back.
"Don't!" He told her. "Cause a brainstorm. 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."
"Rude" Rita shoved him with her hand a little.
"Hey, Come and see." Jake gestured them to come over to him and look around the corner. They walked over to where he was poking his head around the corner watching more people with the mind controlled ear pods and Cybermen following them.
"Where are they all going?" Rose asked.
"I don't know. Lumic must have a base of operations. Rita?"
"No idea" She shrugged. "Can't remember every detail. Bet Pete knows" She turned her head to the man who nodded confirming her guess.
"Battersea. That's where he was building his prototypes."
"Why's he doing it?" Rose questioned something the Doctor was most likely also thinking.
"He's dying. This all started out as a way of prolonging life, of keeping the brain alive at any cost."
Rose thought hard for a moment looking up at the sky a little then remembered. "The thing is, I've seen Cybermen before, haven't I?" She looked at the Doctor. "The head. Those handle shapes in Van Statten's museum."
"Ah," The Doctor understood what she was talking about. "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."
"Lucky me I don't have them, well I do but not exactly real" Rita mumbled in thought.
"Should have got stuck in your universe Rita" Rose joked.
"Not really" she scrunched up her nose at the thought of people swarming the Doctor and Rose thinking they were David Tennant and Billie Piper. "Let's just say more people know who you are than you might think"
"Ah," The Doctor said remembering that in her universe his life was a TV show. "Good job we're here then" Rita and Rose both nodded in agreement.
"What the hell are you three on about?" Pete looked at the three of them as if they were crazy, which they most likely were to be fair.
"Never mind that." Ricky snapped. "Come on, we need to get out of the city. Okay, split up. Mrs Moore, you look after that bloke." He pointed to the Doctor. "Jake, distract them. Go right, I'll go left. We'll meet back at Bridge Street. Move." He ordered.
"I'm going with him," Mickey told Rose quickly kissing her then running off in the same direction as Ricky desperately trying to catch up with him.
"Come on, let's go." Mrs Moore ordered the group to follow. They ran down the street Cybermen following behind. They forced a sudden stop seeing the Cybermen in front, looking around frantically the Doctor. Noticed a street coming off the one they were on
"There!" The Doctor shouted running down the side of the street The rest followed on his heels with the loud sound of the Cybermen close behind. Rita felt her legs failing her, she was trying to run faster than she could actually go. Panting just like the others she pressed on gritting her teeth at the pain in her legs now finding it unbearable but knowing that she had to continue to survive.
The group managed to put a good distance between them and the Cybermen, turning a corner they could see another patrol of Cybermen on the other side, the street was dark and empty with only the street lights illuminating it. The Doctor pulled Rita and Rose behind a group of bins Mrs Moore and Pete followed sitting breathing deeply trying to control how loud they were actually breathing.
"You okay?" The Doctor asked Rita and Rose.
"Yeah" Rose replied. "I'm fine"
"I'm okay" Rita lied not wanting to worry anyone, she pushed herself too far and she knew the others could run that fast perfectly fine.
"You're lying" the Doctor pointed out. "Slight Crease in your brows"
"How?" She frowned.
"Rose noticed after Queen Victoria and told me back on the TARDIS," he told her, Rose looked at Rita sheepishly and shrugged.
The Doctor looked at her for an answer. Knowing he wouldn't drop the subject she sighed "My legs hurt a little, pushed myself too far" she shrugged. "I'll be fine" the Doctor nodded then heard the sound of the Cybermen footsteps coming towards them. The stomping came to a stop and the Doctor silently pulled out the sonic screwdriver changing the setting and then pointed it in the air sending a signal. The Cybermen turned and then walked off taking the echoing sound of the metal against the concrete with them.
"Go" the Doctor whispered silently getting up and moving away from the bins running down the street pressed up against the wall with Rita on his heels and Rose behind her followed by Pete then Mrs Moore.
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They waited for Mickey, Ricky and Jake under a bridge well away and out of sight of any Cybermen. They heard the thumping of feet and spun around, it wasn't any Cybermen it was Jake panting and breathing rapidly. "I ran past the river. You should have seen it. The whole city's on the march. Hundreds of Cybermen all down the Thames." He placed his hands on his knees regaining his breath just as Mickey or Ricky ran up.
"Here he is!" Jake beamed then frowned a little. "Which one are you?" He asked a little worry and hope in his voice.
Mickey looked down at the ground sadly. "I'm sorry. The Cybermen. He couldn't." He tried to explain unable to find the words to fully describe what happened.
"Are you Ricky?" Jake asked then repeated needing to know after gaining no reply the first time. "Are you Ricky?"
Rose spoke up her own fear shaking her voice a little. "Mickey, that's you, isn't it?" She asked in hope.
He nodded then breathed out "Yeah." Rose ran up to him and pulled him into a hug sighing with relief.
Mickey looked over at Jake guilt and sadness showing. "He tried. He was running. There was too many of them-"
Jake cut in not wanting to hear it. "Shut it."
"There was nothing I could do."
Jake growled angrily at Mickey who was trying to explain to him. "I said just shut it. Don't even talk about him. You're nothing, you are. Nothing." He spat.
The Doctor could see that it was clearly getting out of hand and calmly spoke trying to break a rising argument. "We can mourn him when London is safe. But now, we move on." They nodded in response and walked heading to Battersea Power Station.
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They arrived on a river bank the power station glowing the sky around it separated the group and the station with the large river. "The whole of London's been sealed off, and the entire population's been taken inside that place. To be converted." The Doctor spat the final three words he didn't take his eyes of the station, they had to get in the station but how?
"We've got to get in there and shut it down," Rose told him.
Mickey frowned obviously not feeling very hopeful. "How do we do that?"
The Doctor grinned a little. "Oh, I'll think of something."
"You're just making this up as you go along," Mickey grumbled not liking the idea of there not being a plan.
"Yep." He popped the 'p' "But I do it brilliantly."
"Or I could just tell you your plan before you think of it" Rita raised a brow joking.
"Well, you could do that but it would ruin the fun" Rita crossed her arms shaking her head then noticed Mrs Moore walking up laptop in hand. She showed them the screen pointing to it after she walked over to them.
"That's a schematic of the old factory. Look. Cooling tunnels underneath the plant. Big enough to walk through." She pointed to an area explaining her idea.
"We go under there and up into the control centre?" The Doctor asked. Rita nodded and Mrs Moore hummed.
"There's another way in. Through the front door. If they've taken Jackie for upgrading, that's how she'll get in." Pete was persistent on gaining his wife back.
"We can't just go strolling up," Jake told him thinking he was being an idiot.
Mrs Moore then reached into her pocket bringing out some ear pods. "Or we could, with these. Fake ear pods. Dead. No signal. But put them on, the Cybermen would mistake you for one of the crowd." She told him.
"Then that's my job."
The Doctor looked at him seriously. "You'd have to show no emotion. None at all. Any sign of emotion would give you away."
"How many of those you got?" Rose asked Mrs Moore.
"Just two sets."
Rose thought for a moment then nodded. "Okay. If that's the best way of finding Jackie, then I'm coming with you." She told Pete not up for arguing.
"Why does she matter to you?" He asked.
"We haven't got time." She replied then turned to the Doctor. "Doctor, I'm going with him, and that's that." She simply told him not allowing him or anyone to tell her she wasn't.
"No stopping you, is there?" He smiled a little.
"No." she replied smiling back.
"Tell you what. We can take the ear pods at the same time. Give people their minds back so they don't walk into that place like sheep." Rose and Pete nodded at the idea. The Doctor then looked over at Jake. "Jakey-boy? Lumic's transmitting the control signal. It must be from over there." He then pointed the sonic screwdriver in the direction of the power station. A small red light then began to blink on a Zeppelin parked above the station. "There it is." He pointed to the light. Jake followed where he was pointing. "On the zeppelin, you see? Great big transmitter. Good thing Lumic likes showing off. Reckon you could take it out?" He asked knowing his answer already.
"Consider it done."
"Mrs Moore, would you care to accompany me and Rita into the cooling tunnels?" He looked at Rita who nodded agreeing to go.
"How could I refuse an offer of cooling tunnels?" She asked rhetorically grinning.
The Doctor turned to the group and explained the plan fully to them. "We attack on three sides. Above, between, below. We get to the control centre, we stop the conversion machines."
Mickey frowned getting forgotten once again. "What about me?" He asked knowing the Doctor had forgotten he was actually here.
The Doctor rubbed the back of his head and quickly tried to think of something for him. "Mickey. You can er..." he stuttered.
"What, stay out of trouble? Be the tin dog?" He said angrily knowing where the Doctor was going with this. "No, those days are over. I'm going with Jake." Jake then looked at him his face turning to anger.
He spat at Mickey angrily. "I don't need you, idiot." He turned away.
Mickey shouted at him in protest. "I'm not an idiot! You got that? I'm offering to help." He simply told him.
"Whatever," Jake mumbled quietly walking off.
"Mickey. Good luck." The Doctor told him.
"Yeah, you keep safe." He looked between the Doctor and Rita who nodded. "Rose, I'll see you later." He promised.
"Yeah, you'd better."
"If we survive this, I'll see you back at the TARDIS." The Doctor told him.
"When" Rita corrected him smiling.
"That's a promise." Mickey started to walk off.
"Good luck." The Doctor told Rose giving her a hug then letting go moving away so Rita could talk to her.
"No emotion Rose" Rita reminded her. "See you soon" she gave the blonde a hug.
"Good luck Rita, you keep her safe" Rose pointed at the Doctor grinning.
"Plan to" he grinned back, Rose then turned away and followed Pete, the Doctor and Rita followed Mrs Moore to the entrance of the tunnels.
"Down the tunnels, we go" Rita sighed the Doctor opened the hatch with his sonic screwdriver. Mrs Moore then climbed down first.
"It's freezing." She told them placing her feet on the floor and moving out the way so Rita could get down and move for the Doctor.
"Don't call it cooling tunnels for nothing" Rita told the woman.
"Any sign of a light switch?" The Doctor asked Mrs Moore and Rita.
"Can't see a thing. But I've got these." She pulled out three head torches from a bag, a smile grew on the Doctors face. "A device for every occasion."
"Ooo!" He gasped Rita rolled her eyes.
"You are such a child" The Doctor shook his head not denying her comment and put the head torch on, Rita did the same after being handed one by Mrs Moore.
"Haven't got a hot dog in there, have you? I'm starving." The Doctor put his hand to his stomach. "Of all the things to wish for." Mrs Moore chuckled a little. "That's mechanically recovered meat."
"I know. It's the Cyberman of food, but it's tasty." Rita shook her head thinking that it wasn't the best of times to eat.
"We can have a little picnic after saving the world if you want Doctor" Rita suggested.
"Fine by me, as long as it's hotdogs" He grinned.
"hotdogs it is then" She grinned as well laughing a little.
Mrs Moore interrupted the conversation by pulling out another torch from the bag. "A proper torch as well." She handed it to the Doctor who gladly took it from her.
"Let's see where we are." He shone the light in the opposite direct of the entrance, a long line of Cybermen was on both sides of the tunnel leaving just enough space to walk, though.
"Already converted, just put on ice. Come on." He gestured for the two to follow then stopped in front of the first Cyberman and knocked on its face with his index finger, the Cyberman gave no reaction and he nodded humming a little.
"Let's go slowly." He said they both nodded in reply. Rita following right behind the Doctor and Mrs Moore behind her. "Keep an eye out for trip systems." He told them shining his light around the tunnel and at the Cybermen.
They walked in silence for a while closely watching the Cybermen making sure they didn't start to move. The Doctor then started up a conversation with Mrs Moore. "How did you get into this, then, rattling along with the Preachers?" He asked her.
"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, I just sat down and taught myself everything."
"Smart thinking that. Teaching yourself everything." Rita pointed out the Doctor nodded in agreement.
"What about Mr Moore?" He asked.
"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." She sighed a little sadly. "It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you? Got any family, or?" He looked at the Doctor then at Rita.
"Oh, no no" He shook his head Rita suddenly understood what the woman meant and her cheeks began to burn, the Doctor and Mrs Moore luckily didn't notice in the little light around the trio. "Who needs family? I've got the whole world on my shoulders, Rita and Rose are good friends to have around. Go on, then. What's your real name?" He asked her, the woman hesitated for a moment then told them. "Angela Price. Don't tell a soul." She looked at them both seriously.
"Not a word." The Doctor promised.
"Same for me" Rita nodded. Rita could see movement in the corner of her eye. The Cybermen were awakening.
"Doctor, did that one just move?" Mrs Moore asked.
"It's just the torchlight. Keep going, come on." He told her.
"Doctor" Rita slowly shook her head speaking quietly. "That wasn't the light." His eyes widened at her words without thinking he grabbed the brunette and pushed her in front of him.
A/N: What do you think of the new cover? Yes? No?
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