ashes ➝ Doctor Who²

XXXXVIII

"Behold. The apotheosis of my genius."
- Davros, Journey's End

God, what did they do? Rose started to panic a little, not really understanding what was going on. Jasper and Penelope watched on in horror, not able to form much of anything.

"Doctor, what happened?"

"Electrical energy, Miss Tyler. Every atom in existence is bound by an electrical field. The Reality bomb cancels it out. Structure falls apart. That test was focused on the prisoners alone. Full transmission will dissolve every form of matter." Penelope turns to look at her, grief behind her eyes. They cried out that she was sorry, since she couldn't say it out loud.

"Rose, the stars were going out."

"The twenty-seven planets. They become one vast transmitter, blasting that wavelength."

"Across the entire universe. Never stopping, never faltering, never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust, and the dust will become atoms, and the atoms will become nothing. And the wavelength will continue, breaking through the Rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation. This is my ultimate victory, Doctor! The destruction of reality itself!"

A screen flickered to life, Martha facing them all. It seemed like some form of hope for them, at least for Penelope. She was happy to see her again, grateful that she was alive after she left Earth.

"This message is for the Dalek Crucible. Repeat. Can you hear me?"

"Put me through."

"It begins as Dalek Caan foretold."

"The Children of Time will gather, and they will die." The Doctor turned to shout at Dalek Caan, the octopus looking thing staying quiet.

"Stop saying that. Put me through!"

"Doctor! I'm sorry, I had to." Davros, exhibiting that same glee from earlier, much to Penelope's displeasure, turned towards the screen.

"Oh, but the Doctor is powerless. My prisoner. State your intent."

"I've got the Osterhagen Key. Leave this planet and its people alone or I'll use it." Penelope frowns, vaguely aware that she had said something about that earlier. Still having no clue what it was, but gathering it wasn't great.

"Osterhagen what? What's an Osterhagen Key?"

"There's a chain of twenty-five nuclear warheads placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust. If I use the key, they detonate, and the Earth gets ripped apart."

"What? Who invented that? Well, someone called Osterhagen, I suppose. Martha, are you insane?"

"The Osterhagen Key is to be used if the suffering of the human race is so great, so without hope, that this becomes the final option."

"That's never an option." She frowned at the Doctor, knowing he was partly right, but she couldn't admit it. She has a duty to her country and her people. She wasn't going to let her parents die like that.

"Don't argue with me, Doctor! Because it's more than that. Now, I reckon the Daleks need these twenty-seven planets for something. But what if it becomes twenty-six? What happens then? Daleks? Would you risk it?"

"She's good." Rose looked to her best friend for confirmation, and Penelope nodded. The time she's spent with Martha was enough to know this woman is fucking amazing.

"I know right."

"Penelope, you're okay! Who's that?"

"My name's Rose. Rose Tyler."