ignite ➝ Doctor Who¹

XXXXVI

"Jasper was right, the Doctor isn't there to protect her."
— Penelope Adaams, Doomsday

"Cybermen now occupy every land mass on this planet, but you need not fear. Cybermen will remove fear. Cybermen will remove sex and class and colour and creed. You will become identical. You will become like us."

From the roof of the Torchwood building Jasper and Penelope watched as London burned. She couldn't help but worry for her aunt and her cousin.

"I ordered surrender."

The two looked at each other, not knowing the severity of the situation. But it clearly wasn't good.

Jasper moved them out of the way of the carrier, the pilot didn't want to stay. He had a family he wanted to get to and he had done his job. He would use the carrier to keep his family alive until it blows over. Penelope told him to go to the ocean. To her, Cybermen are glorified robots, and historically water and electricity doesn't mix.

Penelope opened the door for Jasper, who went in first, and kept a scarily steady hand over the holster on her hip. The Agent kept his gun in his hands, sweeping the top step and down the stairwell as far as he could see. He acted the way she would expect an Agent to do, it was a lot like the shows she watched when she was stuck at home.

Descending the stairs, they both tried to ignore the faint metallic voices that bounced within the walls. Penelope had left her phone behind, Jasper said something about being tracked inside the building, which neither of them wanted right now.

A door slammed a few floors below them and they froze, a woman's voice filled the stairwell. It was screechy and panicked. It was Jackie Tyler.

Penelope untucked her shirt so that it covered the gun on her hip before grabbing Jasper's arm and pulling him down the stairs. He complained, something about a loaded weapon and protocol. She ignored him.

"Jackie!" The terrified woman turned around, and looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Penelope! Oh my goodness! I was so worried, come here." She ran forward and pulled the ginger girl into a hug. God, she reminded Penelope so much of her little mum. Taking this moment she buried herself into the woman's shoulder, she didn't know when she would get it again.

"Ma'am we should keep moving, we don't know where they are."

"Who the hell are you?" Jackie pulled her daughter's friend behind her, wary of everyone in this place. She wanted her baby back, but until then she wasn't letting anything happen to this child she was with.

"Jackie it's okay, he's been helping me."

"I don't care. He's got the Torchwood uniform." She walked in front of the woman, taking her shoulders gently. She knows that she's scared and that Rose isn't here right now, but they can't stay still like this.

"We don't have time Jackie, I trust him. He's taking care of me and my family. I trust him, now, we need to move." The mother watched him closely, and he knew he wasn't trusted. He held a hand out to her, smiling as best he could.

"Agent Jamie Jasper, ma'am. I can only apologise for the company I work for and I hope that me protecting you, your daughter and Ms. Adaams will be enough for now." She shakes his hand and finally takes the time to look at him.

Both Penelope and Jasper knows what is coming next, purely from the look on her face. "Always loved a man in uniform." They share a look, Jasper getting a better grip on his gun and looking around. Penelope hooks Jackie's arm and they follow behind him.

"Good to know you're on our side Jackie, let's go now."

They kept going down the stairs, wary of every door they passed. As they were passing a set of double doors they heard the cold bootsteps of the Cybermen. Penelope remembered how scared she was. But she had the Doctor last time, she shouldn't have left.

Jasper took hold of both women and pushed them backwards, starting to shoot at the advancing Cybermen, but it did nothing. Penelope took Jackie's hand and they raced to get down the stairs, but it was blocked by another group of them. They were trapped. They went back and she touched Jasper's shoulder to let him know she was there. She pulled them both through the double doors to a long corridor.

Another pair of Cybermen were seemingly already waiting for them and Jackie started to wail about leaving her alone. Both Jasper and Penelope pushed her behind them. She was terrified and her hands shook. But Jackie came first.

By pure chance, he happened to glance over and he watched the determined expression on her face as she looked up at the Cybermen. And the way her hands shook out of fear. In that moment, he finally understood why she was so important to the Doctor.

He held a hand out to her, which she took gratefully. They stood hand in hand, waiting for what they decided was inevitable death. And Penelope tried not to cry, she thought he would turn up last minute, like he always does to save them. But they're so close and he's nowhere to be seen.

Jasper was right, the Doctor isn't there to protect her.