The road less travelled...

Title: The Next Doctor and Donna 5/7
Author: katherine_b
Characters/Pairing: The Doctor (Ten), Donna, the next Doctor, Rosita
Rating: G
Spoilers: Everything in The Next Doctor and some things for NuWho S4.

Part V

Donna waits in the shadows of the stables, watching Jackson Lake, who hasn’t moved ever since sending Rosita after the Doctor. She can’t see his face, but the way his shoulders are shaking suggests that he is weeping, and she can understand. If she saw someone she loved – the Doctor, perhaps – murdered by the Cybermen, she’d want to escape somehow, too.

His voice, when he finally speaks, startles her.

“Are – are you there?”

She slips out of the shadows and approaches him, one hand coming to rest on his shoulder. He looks up at her out of red eyes.

“You should have gone with the Doctor,” he says gruffly.

“Rosita’s with him,” she reminds him, sitting down on the floor in front of him. “And I think you need someone right now.”

He gives a watery smile. “I should be angry – but maybe you are right.”

“Oh, I’m getting pretty good at knowing when to interfere and when to back off,” she says in a tone that allows for no contradiction. She reaches up and covers his hands with hers. “Talk to me, sir.”

The corner of his mouth twitches. “You should, I suppose, call me Jackson.”

“I will if that’s what you want.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know what I want anymore. I hardly even know who I am.”

“Oh, I know how that feels.” Donna half-smiles, remembering the Library. “So does the Doctor.”

He looks up at her, some of the pain fading from his eyes. “How long have you known him?”

“Two years or so.” She shrugs a little. “It’s difficult to tell sometimes. But I met him for the first time right after that first big battle he told you about.”

“That’s why I don’t remember you then,” he tells her as if happy to have worked that out. “The Cybermen have no memory of you because you only came into the Doctor’s life after they were flung into – what did he call it? Oh, yes, the void.”

“I suppose so.” She smiles affectionately at him. “The Doctor’s right, you know. You are brilliant. Not many other men could have done all the things you did.”

He manages to return a weak version of her smile. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, Miss…”

“Noble,” Donna tells him, standing up and offering her hand to help him to his feet. “Donna Noble.”

* * *
The Doctor and Rosita watch as the last of the children are led into what Rosita has told him is the sewers.

“That's too well guarded,” he tells her. “We'll have to find another way in.”

They move around a corner and nearly run into two Cybermen standing guard at one of the doors.

“Whoah, that's cheating, sneaking up!” the Doctor accuses them. “Did you have your legs on silent?”

And then a woman in a red dress moves to stand in front of them, calmly taking her place as if she’s done it a thousand times before. The Doctor can’t decide if she’s been converted or not. He can’t see her ears because of her hair.

“So, what do we have here?” she demands, and he picks up on the emotion in her voice at once, holding out his hand to her.

“Listen,” he orders. “Just walk towards me - slowly. Don't let them touch you.”

“Oh, but they wouldn't hurt me,” she tells him in a smug tone. “My fine boys. They're my knights in shining armour. Quite literally.”

He can feel his pulse race as he tries to persuade her. “Even if they've converted you, that's not a cyber speech pattern. You've still got free will. I'm telling you,” he feels his anger rise at the calm expression on her face and his next words come from between clenched teeth, “step away!”

She eyes him calmly. “There's been no conversion, sir. No one's ever been able to change my mind. The Cybermen offered me the one thing I wanted. Liberation.”

“Who are you?” Rosita demands.

The woman in red casts a scornful look at her. “You can be quiet! I doubt he paid you to talk!”

Rosita steps back as if she’s been struck, a look of deep hurt on her face. However the Doctor doesn’t have time to comfort her. He can only focus on what this other woman is saying to him.

“More importantly, who are you, sir, with such intimate knowledge of my companions?” she queries.

“I’m the Doctor,” he growls.

One of the Cybermen speaks now. “Incorrect. You do not correspond to our image of the Doctor.”

“Yeah,” he waves his head around a bit, “but that's 'cause your database got corrupted. Oh, look, look, look.” He pulls the infostamp about his past out of his pocket and holds it up. “Check this. The Doctor’s infostamp.”

He throws the infostamp across to the Cyberman, who catches it and opens the cap, looking inside.

“Plug it in,” he urges, hoping wildly that it will do so, as using a faulty infostamp could destroy the Cybermen. “Go on,” he adds eagerly. “Download.”

“The core has been damaged,” the Cyberman tells him. “This infostamp would damage Cyber units.”

The Doctor rolls his eyes. “Oh, well, nice try.”

“Core repaired,” the Cyberman says before anyone can speak again. “Download.”

And he plugs the infostamp into a port that has appeared in his chest. There’s a long moment of silence before the Cyberman speaks again.

“You are the Doctor.”

He can’t be excited about that revelation. “Hello,” he says tiredly.

“You will be deleted,” is the completely predictable next comment.

“No, no, b-b-but let me die happy,” he protests, turning to the unknown woman. “Tell me one thing, what do you need those children for?”

She smiles. “What are children ever needed for? They're a workforce.”

“But what for?” he demands impatiently.

The woman’s tone is smug. “Very soon now the whole Empire will see. And they will bow down in worship.”

He can feel fury rise in him. “And it's all in time for Christmas Day. Was that your idea, Miss...?”

“Hartigan,” she tells him coolly. “And yes, the perfect day for a birth. With a new message for the people. Only this time it won't be the words of a man.”

“The birth of what?” he prompts her.

“A birth and a death - namely yours. Thank you, Doctor. Glad to have been part of your very last conversation. Now, delete them.”

“Delete,” barks one of the Cybermen.

The Doctor throws his arm out in front of Rosita, pushing her behind him, trying to protect her as the Cybermen march forward.

But then a familiar blue-white light shoots at the Cybermen and they are engulfed in it, clutching at the handles on either side of their heads as they collapse.

The Doctor and Rosita stare at the still forms for a moment before looking up to see Jackson Lake, the belt of infostamps slung across his shoulder, and with Donna behind him, standing just inside the lit foreyard of the building.

Jackson’s face is grim as he speaks. “At your service, Doctor.”

“Shades!” Miss Hartigan bellows before anyone else can speak. “Shaaades!”

“Run!” the Doctor yells, reaching forward to grab Donna’s hand and haul her along with him. “Come on!”

“Shaaades,” Miss Hartigan screams again.

“One last thing,” Rosita says as Jackson runs past her. She steps back and throws a solid punch that knocks Miss Hartigan to the ground.

“Can I say,” the Doctor can’t help remarking, trying not to laugh, “I completely disapprove! Come on!”

And they run into the darkness until they can no longer hear any sound of pursuit. They come to a stop beside a house, hidden in the shadows cast by the eaves. The Doctor turns to the other man.

“That stronghold down by the river. We've got a find a way in.”

Jackson looks rather pleased with himself, grinning at Donna before turning back to the Doctor. “Oh, I'm way ahead of you. My wife and I were moving to London so I could take up a post at the University. And while my memory is still not intact, this,” he pulls a bundle of paper out of his pocket, “was in the luggage. The deeds. 15 Latimer Street. And if I discovered the Cybermen there, in the cellar, then...”

“That might be our way in!” the Doctor interrupts. “Brilliant!”

“There's still more,” Jackson tells him. “I remember the cellar. And my wife.” A look of pain crosses his face, but he shakes it off and continues, forcing a smile as Donna lightly touches his arm in a comforting gesture. “But I swear there was something else in that room. If we can find that, perhaps that's the key to defeating these invaders. So, onwards.”

He takes off again, but the Doctor moves to stop Rosita as she’s about to follow. “Maybe you shouldn't...”

Rosita holds up a hand to silence him. “Don't even try!”

She takes off and the Doctor turns to the red-haired woman beside him. “Donna?”

“Don’t even think about it, Spaceman.” She glares at him. “I’ve taken care of the Daleks. Now I get to cross the Cybermen off my list.”

“But, Donna, it could be dangerous!” He stares at her, dumbfounded by her comment. “Wait, there’s a list?”

She grabs his hand and pulls him after the others.

“Who else is on this list?” he demands as he stumbles behind her.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” she grumbles breathlessly. “Can we leave this for a time when we’re not trying to save children’s lives?”

“Yeah, right, of course.”

He shakes his head to clear it of questions and they pound across the cobblestones after Jackson and Rosita.

Eventually they skid to a halt in front of a tall and very attractive house. The Doctor can only believe that Jackson Lake was – is – a very wealthy man as he removes a key from his vest pocket and opens the door.

“Ladies,” he says, leading the way in, “and Doctor. Welcome to my home.”

They enter and he closes the door before looking around, pain working across his face. He closes his eyes for a moment, clearly fighting back tears, before pointing at the back of the house.

“The entrance to the cellar is this way.”

They follow him through the hallways to the kitchen and then he flings open the door that leads to a flight of stairs. Stepping in front of them, he already has an infostamp at the ready, which is fortunate because the sound of a monotonous ‘delete’ echoes back up to the others, before flickering blue light and the metallic moans of a dying Cyberman reach them.

The Doctor dashes past him and down the stairs as soon as the Cyberman has stopped twitching. He skids to a halt in front of a mechanical device and runs his hands over it.

“Must have been guarding this. A dimension vault. Stolen from the Daleks again. That's how the Cybermen travelled through time.” He looks back at his host. “Jackson, is this it? The thing you couldn't remember?”

“I don't think so.” He pauses. “But I just can't see. It's like it's hidden.”

He checks the machine in frustration. “Ah, not enough power. Come on!” He leaps to his feet. “Avanti!”

“No, wait, Doctor,” Donna orders crossly, grabbing his wrist, and he stops at once. She glares at him. “Think about it! Jackson’s memory loss won’t have anything to do with something that means nothing to him. He’s got no reason to recognise a dimension vault!”

He opens his mouth and then closes it again, forced to agree with her. He watches as she crosses the room and places a gentle hand on Jackson’s arm. “It’s important,” she urges quietly. “It has to be important to you, Jackson. Something very personal.”

“Perhaps something to do with children,” the Doctor suggests, remembering his feelings during the conversation they had at the Reverend Fairchild’s house.

Jackson stares at the floor, shaking his head ever so slightly. “I… can’t remember,” he says at last.

“Give it time,” she says, before turning back to the Doctor. “Let’s keep moving then.”

And they head down the dark tunnel that leads into the sewers in silence, which is finally broken by Rosita.

“What do the Cybermen want?” she asks as they move along towards the outlet area into the Thames.

“They want us,” the Doctor tells her. “That's what Cybermen are. Humans without brains put into metal shells. They want every living thing to be like them.”

She shudders but says no more, continuing to follow him, with Donna and Jackson bringing up the rear. Faint sounds, crashes and booms, bleed through to them from the other side of the subterranean passages.

“There could be a whole world under there,” Donna says suddenly, her voice echoing off the walls. “When do you think the Cybermen arrived, Doctor?”

“Could be years – decades – ago,” the Doctor hypothesises. “They’ve had plenty of time to build anything they want. No one would notice something like this being constructed beneath the river.” He glances over his shoulder at Donna. “It’s happened before.”

“Well, will happen,” she corrects him. “Eventually.”

“You’re – from the future?” Rosita demands incredulously, turning first to Donna and then to the Doctor. “Both of you?”

The Doctor grins back at her. “Time and space,” he reminds her with a wink.

Her mouth drops open and she stops dead to stare at him. “But – really?”

“Where did you think we were from?” Donna asks in an amused voice, giving her a gentle push so that they keep moving.

“I dunno.” She shrugs. “Somewhere around here?”

“We-ell, I suppose you could say that.” Donna grins. “I’m from Chiswick, if that helps.”

“Chiswick!” Jackson’s voice is amused and dismissive. “A fishing village!”

“Yeah, better not tell my mother that,” Donna laughs. “I don’t think she’d be happy to hear it.”

The Doctor chuckles at the thought of Sylvia Noble being told of the origins of her home, but then a particularly loud sound from somewhere up ahead silences them all.

“What is it, Doctor?” Jackson asks.

“Something mechanical,” comes the answer, but it’s from Donna, not the Doctor, who merely breaks into a run.

The group comes to a halt at an opening half-covered by a large grate and old pieces of tattered Hessian, peering into a massive space lit by several enormous fires. The Doctor looks up at the towering cogs that are slowly turning, apparently being driven by the efforts of the children who are straining against various pieces of machinery.

“Upon my soul,” Jackson murmurs.

“What is it?” Rosita asks in an awed voice.

“It’s an engine,” the Doctor replies grimly. He eyes the huge structure, a frown forming on his face. “Generating electricity.”

“But,” Donna verbalises the question before he can ask it, “what for?”

The next instant, Jackson is moving towards the working children. "We could set them free,” he declares, but the Doctor is quick to put a hand on his chest and hold him back.

“No,” he declares, before turning away from the opening. “No, no, no, no, no, no.”

Rosita follows the Doctor, but he glances over his shoulder to see Donna waiting until Jackson is also coming before she gets up. He knows it’s a sensible thing to do. If Jackson had attempted to rescue the children himself, he would either have alerted Miss Hartigan to their presence before they could save the workforce, or would have been summarily deleted.

Then a flashing light catches the Doctor’s eye and he looks up to see a brightly lit dial on the wall beneath a spotlight. Putting on his glasses, he peers at it curiously.

“Power at 90 per cent,” he tells the others as they join him, glancing pointedly at Jackson. “But if we stop the engine, the power dies down, the Cybermen will come running. Ooh!” he exclaims as the screen goes suddenly blurry and he knocks on the glass. “Hang on. Power fluctuation. That's not meant to happen.”

“It's - going wrong,” Jackson proposes in a hopeful voice.

The Doctor shakes his head, pouting in a puzzled manner at the screen. “No, no, it's weird. The software's rewriting itself. It's changing.”

“Updating itself,” Donna suggests. “But why?”

“No idea,” he is forced to admit.

And then the device suddenly lets out a cloud of smoke and sparks. The Doctor ducks away just in time, his eyes fixed on the small screen, which has now turned red.

“Whoa! What's happening?” he demands. “It's out of control!”

“It's accelerating!” Jackson exclaims in horror. “96 per cent, 97...”

“When it reaches 100,” Rosita asks, worry audible in her voice, “what about the children?”

The Doctor glances at her, wondering the same thing, before suddenly realising the answer himself.

“They're disposable!” he cries out in horror, taking to his heels and heading back in the direction of the sluice gate. “Come on!”

They are almost at the grill when a mechanical voice reaches them through the long passage.

“Power levels now at 100%. Delete the workforce.”

A moment later, another voice proclaims the deadly chant.

“Delete!”

And the Doctor arrives at the entrance to the room in time to hear a third voice echo the cry.

“Delete!”

He bounds out of the opening and lands on the working platform. “Right,” he yells at the top of his voice, “now, all of you, out!”

A flickering blue light glimpsed out of the corner of his eye confirms that Jackson is destroying one of the Cybermen.

“That’s an order,” he roars at the hesitating children.

“Every single one of you,” Donna joins in, “run!”

And then there’s a swell of people rushing past him. A second Cyberman is twitching in its death-throes, thanks to by Rosita’s infostamp, and Donna is herding as many children as she can towards the closest exit.

“All of you, come on, as fast as you can, come on!” Jackson urges.

The Doctor leaps up onto one of the vertical beams used to hold the cogs in place and calls encouragement.

“There's a hot pie for everyone if you leg it!”

And then Jackson grabs his arm and points to another crowd of children that are making their way towards them. “Go!”

However the Doctor grabs Rosita’s arm. “You need to get as far as the sewer gate. Once you're out, keep running. Far as you can!”

He can’t get to Donna, but she winks at him and suddenly he realises that she’s keeping out of his way so that he can’t forcibly remove her from the room. He has no time to worry about it, however, turning his attention back to the children.

“Come on, come on, come on!”

And he can hear the echo of Rosita’s voice from further down the passage. “Turn right at the corner, fast as you can! And don't stop! Keep running. Keep running!”

The Doctor runs to all parts of the room, chasing the children away towards the safety of the exit. Finally, when they’ve almost all gone, he turns to one of the machines on the wall, putting on his glasses to examine it.

“Go on,” he hears Donna exclaim. “Quick, quick!”

And then she’s beside him, also gazing at the machine.

“It's some sort of starter motor,” he muses aloud.

“But starting what?” she asks.

And then there’s a cry from the other room.

“Doctor, my son!”

They bolt over to where Jackson is standing, the Doctor completely bewildered by the exclamation. “What?” he demands.

“They took my son.” Jackson is staring upwards. He grabs the Doctor’s shoulders. “No wonder my mind escaped. Those damned Cybermen - they took my child!” And his emotion is so great that he actually shakes the Doctor as he speaks.

The Doctor stares at him, unable to fully comprehend what he is being told. Donna follows the direction of Jackson’s gaze and gasps.

“But he's alive, Doctor!” Jackson shouts before she can speak, pointing upwards. “Frederick!”

The Doctor turns and holds out his arms to the boy, who is so far above them. “Come on,” he urges at the top of his lungs.

“Oh, he's too scared,” the boy’s father exclaims, a sob in his voice, before calling up, “Stay there! Don't move! I'm coming!”

Next Part

Links to earlier parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4