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Doomsday. No, she can't be there for Doomsday, could she? No, of course not. Someone would have warned her, surely, about being at the end of Rose. There was no way the very first Ten she met, the Ten who met the Runaway Bride at the same time, could have forgiven her so readily if she had been there when Rose was sucked away from him, trapped in a parallel universe for the rest of her days. This couldn't be happening.
And yet, as she stared into the eyes of Rose Tyler, who was slowly becoming slightly concerned at her friend's fast breathing and panic-stricken expression, she knew she was here. She had to make it happen, she had to let Rose Tyler die.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rose asked her gently and Danni minutely shook her head before taking a deep breath and smiling, turning to Lisa.
"Hey, sweetie, could you go fetch me a jacket?" She motioned down to her rumbled clothes, still a mess from Ten regenerating into Eleven, "I'm getting kinda cold." Lisa nodded eagerly and dashed out into the hallway, heading towards the wardrobe. Danni watched her leave, making sure she was out of earshot then turned back to Rose, "Okay, what have I told you about Torchwood?" Rose frowned, thinking back into her memories.
"They don't like the Doctor." Rose recited, "And that, under no circumstances, must I go there."
"Well, that's where we are." Danni snapped in reply, frustrated that apparently she had tried to warn Rose and it hadn't worked. She now had to come up with another plan while keeping it in the back of her mind that she needed to implement an already failed plan. There was nothing she ever wanted more than to change the outcome of episodes such as these. To save Rose and give Ten what he always wanted, a chance to travel with her for the rest of her life. But Rose meant no Martha and then no Donna. No Amy and Rory, no River, no saving the Doctor in the Library...
"You mean the people who are behind these 'ghosts' are Torchwood?" Rose asked her and Danni nodded.
"Yes, keep up." She snapped, startling Rose slightly, "We need a game plan." She glanced at the hallway, wondering if the TARDIS was making the wardrobe hard to find on purpose or if Lisa had fallen into dressing up again. She smiled fondly at the memory of playing dress up with the then-nameless woman. She had been so childlike, she still was, "First, we find the Doctor and your mother. Jackie can look after Lisa. She can keep her safe and take her with her."
"Take her where?" Rose asked and Danni stared at her, biting her lip. Should she tell her what was coming? If this was her last day with the Doctor, would she want to know? They could get their proper goodbye, the Doctor could tell her that he loved her like he always wanted to. They could spend their last moments together truly happy.
But if Danni found that out, she would try and stop it. And they couldn't stop it, it had to happen. If there was another way Danni would tell her in a heartbeat. But Rose wasn't going to stay behind while the Doctor ran off with a new companion on new adventures. And Martha was always asking questions about the 'mysterious Rose Tyler'. Ten grieved for her, she'd seen it with her own eyes. So much rested on their moment of tragedy. She couldn't let them change it.
"These ghosts aren't ghosts at all." Danni explained instead, "They're Cybermen." Rose's eyes widened in horror, "The walls between the universe are cracking, the other universe where Mickey is has sprung a leak. They're coming, and your mother goes with Pete."
"Hold on, she just leaves?" Rose exclaimed, obviously and quite rightly upset. Jackie Tyler would not just leave her daughter behind.
"Her and Pete get remarried." Danni told her gently, "They have another baby and live in a giant mansion together. They both get the loves of their lives back, Rose. They're happy." She could see how torn Rose was, which was completely understandable. With a relationship as close as the two women had, who had only had each other since Rose had been a baby, it was no wonder it was hard for Rose to envision a life where her mum wasn't there. However, Rose knew what being with Pete would mean to Jackie. Danni took both of her hands, trying to offer her a reassuring smile.
"I would give anything for my parents to be together." She admitted, "For them to be as happy in this universe as they were in my old one. You know there is no one for your mother than Pete Tyler. She has to go with him." On one low day Danni had begged Eleven to take her to see her mum and dad. She could barely picture them anymore, she just wanted to refresh her memory. She had been under no delusions, she knew they weren't her mum and dad and she wasn't their Danni, but she had just wanted to see them again so badly. The Doctor had taken her to her old house and they'd stood there as Danni had been completely devastated by the strange car that pulled into the drive, and the family who had climbed out. Her parents had never gotten together, so not only did she not exist in this universe, but they weren't even happy together on their own.
"And Lisa has to be with her so she goes too." Rose whispered sadly and Danni let go of one hand to reach out, cupping her face.
"Rose Tyler." She stated softly, much like the Doctor would often do with the blonde's name, "Just remember all the days that came before this one. They may have past us by, but they made you who you are. Don't ever wish them away." Rose frowned in confusion at what she was saying, which seemed to be completely out of left field as Lisa bounded back in with a black jacket for Danni.
"Will this one do?" She asked and Danni nodded, taking it off her and slipping it on, leaving Rose stood there.
"And just my size, how did you know?" She asked and Lisa giggled, her pixie cut blonde hair jiggling. Jackie had quickly got rid of the braids in her hair that had kept it neat and out of the way, but having spent her whole life with short hair she had been uncomfortable with anything past shoulder length. So, pixie cut it had been. She was still blind in one eye, but the other one darted fervently around wherever they were, drinking in all the sights she had missed by being chained up by the Daleks.
"I didn't, the TARDIS did." She told her and Danni nodded.
"Of course." She took her hand, swinging it, "Right, back to the game plan." She told the pair, "We need the psychic paper." Rose nodded, focusing on the problem at hand and not the impending loss of her mother or the woman she had taken in as her own. She dashed over to the Doctor's discarded jacket, riffling through the endless pockets before pulling out the small leather wallet it was held in. She held it aloft triumphantly and Danni rolled her eyes, amused, "Okay, the plan is simple. You, Rose Tyler, will go into the depths of Torchwood and find the..." She trailed off, blinking as she realised she couldn't remember what the Doctor had called the thing the Daleks were inside of. Lisa and Rose shared a confused look as Danni seemed to just stop talking, "Er, well, it's a big, round, floating thing. You can't miss it." Danni brushed off.
"Wait, on my own?" Rose asked and Danni nodded, "Why?" Danni turned to Lisa, looking slightly exasperated.
"Do you want to take that one, sweetie?" She asked encouragingly.
"Because you're the Defender of the Universes, silly." Lisa told Rose, which made the blonde trust her red-headed friend more over the plan. That little title she had bestowed on Rose was her way of showing she trusted Rose's abilities and judgement, giving Rose the confidence to follow her own feelings.
"What will you two be doing?" She asked Danni, who shrugged.
"Easy, we're going to find Jackie and the Doctor." She explained.
"How? They could be anywhere." Rose pointed out. Danni tapped her nose twice then nodded at the monitor, which suddenly sprung to life.
"Watch and learn, Rose Tyler." Danni declared, "Say goodbye, Lisa." The young woman waved happily at Rose.
"See you soon, Rose." She cheered. Rose watched the pair leave, a slight bitter-sweetness to the amusement brought on by the cuteness of her mother's new friend and charge, before turning to the screen.
Danni stepped out into the room the TARDIS had been moved to. It was obviously being used as a storage and Lisa started slightly at the sight of a sarcophagus that had been discarded to their left. Torchwood One might have been bigger, and more 'office space' than Torchwood Three, but she would take Jack over anything at that particular moment. She spotted two men in army uniform walking across the room and pulled Lisa into view, waving at them madly to get their attention.
"Hello!" She cried cheerfully, "We're looking for the Doctor, can you help?" They both, after a moment of surprise, aimed their guns at the two intruders.
"Who are you?" One demanded and Danni rolled her eyes, squeezing Lisa's fingers gently to reassure her.
"My name is Danielle Fielding." She stated confidently at the men immediately lowered their guns in shock, "Ah, I see you've heard of me."
~0~0~0~
Jackie Tyler, pretending to be her daughter and the Doctor's companion, stared out of the window of the office they had been led to. How did Rose put up with his cheek? He had been nothing but rude to her since they'd been lead away from the TARDIS, and she was ready to swing for him.
Actually, if she was honest, putting up with his cheek is the one thing she could understand. Aliens crashing into the Shetland isles, big, floating balls of nothing threatening the entire planet. Strange words that confused her more than anything, she would never understand why Rose would choose this life over being at home with her family.
She frowned as Yvonne, the woman who had basically kidnapped the pair of them, explained just how high up they were. She recognised the ground below, she knew that view.
"Hold on a minute..." She interrupted, "we're in Canary Wharf! Must be! This building, it's Canary Wharf." She turned to Yvonne, who shrugged.
"Well, that is the public name for it." She admitted, "But to those in the know, it's Torchwood." The Doctor, who had been looking over where the breach between the universe was located, strode over to the pair. To Jackie it just seemed like a white wall, but she wasn't the one in the know here.
"So, you find the breech, probe it, the sphere comes through." He guessed as he leant against the door frame, "Six hundred feet above London, bam. It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, 'oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah, you think 'let's make it BIGGER!'" He cried angrily, once again surprised by the stupidity of some humans. How could it end in anything but disaster?
"Ma'am!" The Doctor turned around as two soldiers marched two women towards them, "Danielle Fielding, Ma'am." Yvonne's grin seemed to grow at the sight of the ginger girl, who smiled at the Doctor as she stopped by his side, pushing Lisa gently towards Jackie.
"Keep a hold of Jackie's hand, sweetheart." She told her encouragingly, "Don't you let go." Jackie shot her a confused look, but Danni turned her attention to the Doctor. Ten, with his floppy hair and 3D glasses dangling in one hand. The first thing she noticed was the distinct lack of hatred in his eyes. She felt herself relax, a soft smile spreading onto her face that he seemed to match. Maybe, she wasn't sure. Maybe he was just smiling at Lisa, "Going well, sweetie?" She asked him.
"Swimmingly." He replied sarcastically, "You're as famous as me around here."
"Her Majesty was disgusted by your treatment of the girl." Yvonne explained, "We have strict instructions that if she should reappear to remove her from your presence at the first sign of trouble." He opened his mouth to protest but the scoffing noise Danni made stopped the words in his throat.
"I'd like to see you try." She replied, "And yes, that is a threat." From what she had been told since joining Torchwood, Yvonne was startled by the hostility Danni was portraying. She should have been thankful, the Doctor had left her for dead at the fangs of a werewolf. Shaking her head slightly, she just smiled.
"Perhaps you can help me prove that the breech is perfectly safe." Yvonne tried, "After all, you can see into the future, we know you have knowledge of this." Danni nodded.
"I do. It's suicide." The smile dropped off Yvonne's face as Danni's hardened, "They're not 'ghosts', they're metal men from the mind of a madman. You do this and you're condemning everyone, including yourself to death. Do as the Doctor says and stop it." Well, she wasn't Time Lord like the Doctor. The girl was only human, and highly influenced by the alien at that. She glanced down at the small watch that hung from her hip.
"Look, you can both see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes." She declared before walking purposefully out of the small office into the main room. The Doctor went to follow her but Danni grabbed his hand, pulling him to an abrupt stop and leaning up near his ear.
"Listen, it's Pete's Universe." She told him in a hurried whisper, "It's Cybermen, and it's too late to stop them coming. But you have to stop them doing any more damage." He stared at her and she automatically flinched at the onslaught she was expecting under that gaze. The Doctor blinked in surprise, he had never realised how scared she was of him. Lately he had been noticing these things about her, little things that made the guilt inside rise for a moment.
"Don't you worry, Danni-Girl." He whispered and she was the surprised one, "I have a plan." He made a move to follow Jackie and Lisa, but Danni squeezed his hand tighter, "What?" He asked.
"You make sure she hangs on." She told him firmly, "She must never let go." She walked off, leaving him stood there for a moment until he jogged over. It was all she could offer him, if he could find it in him to save Rose on his own, then maybe he was always supposed to save her. But she couldn't do anything about it. She could never do anything, she was useless.
"Cancel it." The Doctor demanded as he followed Yvonne to the computer consoles.
"I don't think so." She replied calmly. Danni joined them, standing at the Doctor's side.
"You should listen to him." She warned and Yvonne rolled her eyes, chucking her arms out in frustration.
"Oh, exactly as the legends would have it." She exclaimed angrily, "The Doctor, lording it over us, his only constant companion by his side. Both assuming alien authority over the rights of Man." Danni frowned at the mention of her and the use of 'constant'. She was never constant, in fact she was the most inconstant thing in his life.
"Let me show you." The Doctor re-entered the office, standing on the other side of the glass partition separating the two rooms, "Sphere comes through." He pointed the screwdriver at the glass, turning it on and causing a small crack to appear, increasing in number and extending outwards from the point of the break, "But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But too many ghosts, and..." He pressed against it ever so slightly and the entire thing shattered, crashing to the floor ominously.
"And everybody dies." Danni finished soberly. He nodded once. If she was right about the Cybermen, then everybody dies. He hoped she was wrong, but he had begrudgingly begun to admit that she did know what she was on about.
"Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful." Yvonne dismissed and Danni shook her head at the ignorance of her own race as the woman turned to her staff, "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute." The Doctor strode after her as the staff began to set up, readying for the impending influx of ghosts.
"Ms Hartman, I am asking you - please, don't do it." He pressed and she stopped, turning back around to face him.
"We have done this a thousand times." She retorted, now in denial about their warnings rather than flat out ignoring them. His demonstration had worried her, but she had bigger things to worry about. She had to do her job for Queen and Country, and this was it.
"Then stop at a thousand!" The Doctor snarled furiously and Yvonne shook her head.
"We are in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breech, but equally they can close it." She insisted. They stared each other down, both trying to get the other to fall in line with their train of thought. The Doctor glanced at Danni, who shrugged. He smiled and shrugged himself.
"Okay." He said lightly, walking into the office to grab a chair. He wheeled it back out into the middle of the room, sitting on it and crossing one leg over the other.
"Sorry?!" She asked, perturbed by his sudden change in attitude. Danni sat down at his feet, cross-legged as she looked up at the blonde woman.
"There's obviously no stopping you." She explained, "So,you may as well do it." She looked between the two.
"What, is that it?" She asked and the Doctor nodded, ruffling the top of Danni's hair, almost as if she was a faithful dog who had joined it's owner. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but any physical contact from Ten that wasn't malicious was good enough for her.
"No! Fair enough. Said my bit. Don't mind me." He spun the chair slightly, leaning over towards a woman to his left who was setting up the shift, "Any chance of a cup of tea?"
"Ghost Shift in twenty seconds." The woman declared coldly
"Mm! Can't WAIT to see it!" The Doctor declared excitedly, looking down at Danni, who stared up at him with the same look on her face, "What about you, Danni-Girl?"
"It's going to be spectacular." She told him with a strange edge to her voice. Yvonne noticed, looking between them with furrowed brows.
"You can't stop us, Doctor." She told him, suspicious of his new attitude.
"No, absolutely not!" He agreed, turning to Jackie, "Pull up a chair, Rose, Lisa! You heard Danni, come and watch the fireworks." Jackie, who had done her best to just stay out of the way, looked down at Danni for confirmation. Danni nodded encouragingly and Jackie led Lisa to stand behind the Doctor's chair, each placing their free hand on the back of it. True to her word, Lisa had yet to let go of Jackie's hand, and as she trusted the girl, Jackie kept a firm grip as well.
"Ghost Shift in ten seconds. Nine... eight..." The woman next to them counted down. Yvonne started to look uneasy as she tried to work out what they were doing, whether or not they were bluffing. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her in challenge, "Seven... six..."
"You know, she'd Martha Jones' cousin." Danni told the Doctor conversationally, remembering the fact from Martha telling her rather than off the show itself. More and more that had started to happen, and Danni really liked it. Gaining information first hand was infinitely better than remembering bits and pieces from her old universe. He nodded, looking interested even though he had no idea who Martha Jones was.
"You don't say." He replied offhandedly and Danni nodded.
"Yeah. Remember that name, Spaceman." She instructed.
"Five... four... three... two..." Martha's cousin counted down and Yvonne finally broke under the stress of their play.
"Stop the shift. I said stop." She commanded. The workers did as she asked, albeit reluctantly. The Doctor relaxed in his chair whilst Danni let out a sigh of relief, leaning against his leg and closing her eyes. God, that had been tense.
"Thank you." Both she and the Doctor said at the same time, neither meaning to speak together or really even noticing. Yvonne seemed annoyed at her own weakness, but nodded once.
"I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything." She promised and he nodded.
"I'm glad to be of help." The Doctor replied pointedly.
"And someone clear up this glass." She said to the staff, motioning to the glass on the floor before turning to the Doctor, "They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess." She headed off to her office. The little group stared at the blank wall where the breech was still hidden before the Doctor motioned Jackie to follow Yvonne with Lisa. Danni stood up and leant on the back of the chair, her lips just brushing his ear, much to his surprise.
"Look at their ears." She told him in a whisper before following the other two women. The Doctor glanced at Martha's cousin and saw the two blue tooth headsets, each flashing with a small blue light. As he got up to follow them, he noticed other two in the office had the same two earpieces. Keeping this information for later, he headed into the office after them.