The Doctor and The Nightingale {1}

the age of steel 6.3

Rose, Pete, Tate and Ken made it to the Battersea Power Station. There were Cybermen everywhere so they did their best to keep out of sight. The Cybermen were escorting people inside the power station. "Just put them on" Pete said. He reached into his pocket and got out the earbuds. "Don't show any emotion. No signs, nothing. Okay?"

"Luckily I've had S.H.I.E.L.D training for this sort of thing" Ken mentioned. He looked to Tate. "What about you, son? You're looking a little nervous"

Tate took a deep breath and then let it out in a sigh. "I can do this" He looked to Rose. "Right? We can do this?"

Rose gave him a smile of comfort. "Don't worry. We can do this" They all put the earpods in.

"We could die in here. Why are you doing this?" Pete asked Rose.

"Let's just say I'm doing it for my mum and dad. Right, let's go" The four of them left their hiding spot and they joined the procession.

______

Jake, Nova and Mickey made it to the roof of the power station. Jake climbed the ladder first to take a look. There were two guards. He set foot on the roof first, and then Nova and Mickey followed. They hid out of sight from the guards. "Two guards. We can take them" Jake said.

"We're not killing them" Nova protested.

"Who put you in charge, blondie?"

"First of all, she's the Nightingale" Mickey spoke up in Nova's defence. "If any of us should be in charge, it should be her. Second, if you kill them, what's the difference between you and the Cybermen?"

Nova smiled proudly at Mickey, and gave him a pat on the back. "That's my Mickey"

"I suppose we could use these" Jake suggested. He handed a bottle to Nova. She inspected it closely, as did Mickey.

"Smelling salts?" Mickey wondered.

"Bit stronger than that. One of Mrs Moore's little tricks. Should knock them out"

"I like it" Nova voiced her approval. She gave the bottle over to Mickey. "I'll let you do the honours, Mickey. Jake, on your count"

Jake began to count. "Three, two, one" They ran out from their cover and ran up to the two guards. Jake got behind one guard and Mickey went up behind the other. They held the bottles up to the guards' noses, and they both collapsed from the vapors.

"There's got to be more guards on board" Mickey realized.

"Then let's go get them" Jake said. They began climbing the stairs that led up into the zeppelin.

______

The Doctor, Mrs. Moore, and other-Nova were still walking along in the cooling tunnels. "How did you get into this, then, rattling along with the Preachers?" The Doctor asked Moore.

Moore began to explain. "Oh, I used to be ordinary. Worked at Cybus Industries, nine to five, till one day, I find something I'm not supposed to. A file on the mainframe. All I did was read it. Then suddenly I've got men with guns knocking in the middle of the night. Life on the run. Then I found the Preachers. They needed a techie, so I, I just sat down and taught myself everything"

"What about Mr. Moore?"

"Well, he's not called Moore. I got that from a book, Mrs Moore. It's safer not to use real names. But he thinks I'm dead. It was the only way to keep him safe. Him and the kids. What about you? Got any family, or?"

"Oh, who needs family? I've got the whole world on my shoulders"

"You aren't married to the other me?" other-Nova asked. The Doctor looked at her, with the slightest amused smile on his face. "I mean, you two act like it"