Touch The Sky: Doctor Who/Studio C [Book 3]

Journey's End (Part 1)

Journey's End

(Originally: 04x13, 'Journey's End'; aired July 5, 2008)

No one had paid much attention to the Doctor's hand in a jar sitting on the floor in the console room in quite some time. It had become a permanent fixture, another quirky decoration in the ship. Now, though, it became the center of attention as the Doctor, still mid-regeneration, turned and directed the waves of golden energy flowing off him toward it.

As suddenly as the light had started, it disappeared, and the Time Lord stumbled backward with a gasp. The others blinked at him, taking in what was still a familiar face—same wild brown hair, same tall, skinny frame adorned with brown pinstripes. He leaned back against one of the coral struts for a moment, still breathing hard.

"Now then," he said, and sniffed. "Where were we?"

~~~

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

As Sarah Jane braced for the inevitable, arms flung over her face, two cracks sounded that were quickly followed by two booming explosions. When she dared look up, the Daleks were scattered in pieces throughout the street, still smoking. Two people stood flanking her car where there had been empty air before.

She gazed at them breathlessly for a moment before recognition took over. "Mickey?"

Micky Smith gave her a bit of a grin. "Us Smiths gotta stick together!"

The other person, a heavyset woman with bleached blonde hair, strode forward. "Jackie Tyler, Rose's mum. Now where the hell is my daughter?"

~~~

"Mark." Cyndi's voice was still reverberating oddly but smooth as oil, her eyes still dark. "The key."

"What about it?" he got out, the world beginning to spin around him. Mark squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore that unearthly gaze. He knew though, deep down, that it wasn't the reason he felt himself slipping away from reality.

"Give it here."

For a moment, he nearly complied with that terrible, charismatic voice. His hand was in his pocket, fumbling with the chain of the Osterhagen key before he even realized what he was doing.

"Mark!"

This time the voice was Cyndi's, and his eyes flew open to meet ones that were golden once more, the darkness having retreated. Her gaze filled with concern, she took a step toward him, reaching a hand toward his face.

"What are you doing?" she murmured.

He stared at her for a moment, then replied, "What I should have done already."

Without another thought he dropped the key to the ground and smashed it under his boot.

~~~

The sound of gunfire filled the air of Torchwood, yet the shocking bolt of Dalek return fire never came. Gradually, the bullets dropped off until Gwen and Ianto were standing in ear-ringing silence.

A beat passed as they stared at each other, then the unmoving Dalek standing before them. In air that was slightly wavy, hard to look straight at, every bullet they had fired hung in midair.

Gwen stepped toward it, lifting a hand and finding the air rippled like water at her touch. "What the hell?"

~~~