Dancing Across Time (Book Two of The Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Chapter Seven: The Age of Steel

The Doctor clenched the TARDIS power cell and began to point them at the Cybermen, but he only got a little bit off before thunder cracked overhead. Lightning spat down from the sky, and Jessie raised her hands, bouncing it out to the Cybermen. Electricity warped through them, and the Doctor added the power from the cell, and the Cybermen all disintegrated.

Jessie stumbled around afterwards, looking a little disoriented, and Saleen helped support her. "What the hell was that?" Sally demanded.

"We'll have that instead," the Doctor decided, pocketing the power cell and taking Jessie's other hand. "Run!"

They ran through the gates, and a van's horn honked, and a woman's head poked out of the window. "Everybody, in!" she shouted.

Grant stopped. "I've got to go back," he said. "My wife's in there!"

"Anyone inside that house is dead," the Doctor replied bluntly, turning to Grant. "If you want to help, then don't let her die for nothing. You've got to come with us right now."

"Come on!" the woman shouted again as they ran towards the van. "Get a move on!"

Jessie stopped as well, looking back towards the house, a haunted look in her eyes. The Doctor stopped and took her hand. "Jess, she's not your Skye," he whispered.

She swallowed and nodded. "I know."

He tugged her arm. "Come on."

"Finished chatting?" the woman asked as they climbed into the van. "Never seen a slower getaway in my life!"

***

"What was that thing?" Sally asked after the other two had introduced themselves. Jessie was in between the Doctor and Grant, Saleen with her back to the seat Mrs. Moore was in.

"Little bit of technology from my home," the Doctor replied, rotating the power cell back and forth.

"It's stopped glowing," Saleen noted. "Has it run out?"

The Doctor shook his head. "It's on a revitalizing loop. It'll charge back up in about four hours."

"Right," Sally commented, folding her arms. "So we don't have a weapon anymore."

"Unless you want melted Cybermen everywhere or fried Cybermen," Jessie offered. The Doctor sent her a look, and she grumbled, "or not."

"Yeah, we've got weapons," Jake said. "Might not be one of those metal things, but they're good enough for men like him."

Jessie narrowed her eyes when the accusation was thrown at Grant, who hadn't reacted. "Leave him alone! What's he done wrong?"

He snorted. "Oh, you know, just laid a trap that's wiped out the Government and left Lumic in charge."

Grant finally looked up angrily. "If I was a part of all that, do you think I'd leave my wife inside?"

"Maybe your plan went wrong," Sally suggested. "Still gives us the right to execute you, though."

Saleen growled warningly, and the Doctor leaned forward. "Talk about executions, you'll make me your enemy. And take some really good advice: you don't want to do that," he warned.

"All the same, we have evidence that says Grant Ward's been working for Lumic since twenty point thirteen."

"Is that true?" Jessie asked in surprise.

Sally turned. "Tell them, Mrs. M."

"We've got a government mole who feeds us information," Moore replied. "Lumic's private files, his South American operations . . . the lot. Secret broadcasts twice a week."