Storm: Storm is Brewing

Doomsday

"What's down there?" Jackie murmured worriedly as she stood huddled with the Doctor and Terry. "What's happened to Rose?"

Terry shook her head from where she was still standing inside the Doctor's arms, while the Doctor murmured bluntly: "I don't know."

Jackie stared at him, her whole face contorting with terror and Terry cut in gently: "Jackie."

She removed herself from the Doctor, placing her hands on Jackie's shoulder as she faced the older woman seriously.

"We'll find her. I won't let anything harm Rose, and we'll get you both out safe. I promise you." Terry swore, facing Jackie firmly.

Jackie nodded slowly, while the Doctor frowned slightly as he picked up on Terry's exact words.

But the two Time Lords' attention was drawn aside when the Cyberleader walked over to Yvonne's office where the woman had been forced back into her seat by her desk. She remained coolly defiant however, as she stared up unflinchingly at the approaching Cyberman, even as the Cyberleader ordered: "You will talk to your central world authority and order global surrender."

"Oh, do some research." Yvonne countered with a condescending scoff. "We haven't got a central world authority."

"You have now." The Cyberleader answered flatly... not that it spoke in any other tone. "I will speak on all global wavelengths."

The Doctor put on what appeared to be 3D glasses while he examined the Cybermen as the Cyberleader announced for the whole world to hear: "This broadcast is for human kind. 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."

Terry closed her eyes as the Cyberleader finished its announcement, knowing full well what was to come.

'I'm sorry.' She apologized to all the people who would unwittingly be caught in the crossfire. The many nameless – at least, for her – who would die before the sun set today. 'I'm so sorry.'

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The Doctor, Terry, Yvonne, Jackie, and the Cyberleader stared out of the windows of Canary Wharf, looking down at the chaos and gunfights and destruction that waged below. London was literally burning before their eyes, as Terry knew the rest of the world was too, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Not yet.

"I ordered surrender."

Terry glanced at the Cyberleader as it spoke, sounding the closest to confused that a Cyberman could.

"And you expected them to listen?" Terry asked flatly, and the Doctor chimed in scathingly: "They're not taking instructions. Don't you understand?"

The Doctor stared the Cyberleader down as he spat furiously: "You're on every street, you're in their homes, you've got their children! Of course they're going to fight!"

Terry glanced at the Doctor, before placing a hand on his arm. The Doctor was breathing heavily, his eyes alight with anger but also a haunted pain.

"I'm sorry, Theta."

He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling sharply before opening his eyes again and turning away from the Cyberleader to face Terry, as she continued sympathetically and concernedly: "I'm sorry you must suffer in silence on your loss."

He gazed at her for a moment, before noting lightly: "Why does it not surprise me that you knew about that, too?"

She just gave him a faint smile, and a reassuring squeeze on his arm. He took her hand off his arm, taking it in his instead and holding it tight as he said through their telepathic link at last: "Thank you."