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Ray had his gun in hand as he moved slowly through the building. There had been reports of strange behavior and people lurking about in this area recently, so he was not taking any chances. He sure wished Fraser was with him right then though. Having a wolf and a Mountie on his side was always a comfort, especially when you were creeping around dark abandoned warehouses.
He was investigating a disturbance. There'd been a report of a suspicious man breaking into the building and some strange noises. Ray had radioed that he was going in. One guy wasn't enough to call for backup. Welsh and Fraser would probably disagree, but he wanted to get home this side of Christmas without having to complete a pile of paperwork first. Besides, they weren't here, they were at some official intercontinental police function or something. Ray hadn't been paying attention when Fraser had told him. All the important people in one place in fancy suits, while Fraser and Turnbull waited on them in their toy soldier outfits was all Ray had taken away from it.
Then he got annoyed about it. Fraser was a cop, a damn good cop at that. Using him to service their chichi dinner was a waste and left Ray one partner short. Welsh had offered to assign someone else to work with him for the days Fraser was unavailable, but Ray had shot that idea down without hesitation. Nobody else would do. He wondered when he'd become so attached to the Mountie.
A noise a short distance ahead grabbed all of Ray's concentration. Raising his weapon, he stepped forward stealthily. In the dim light, he saw the shadow of a man. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out with his gun pointing directly at him. "Chicago P.D. Do not move!"
The man jumped, startled and spun around.
Ray saw something light up and whirr in the man's hand. "Drop the weapon!"
"What, this?"
"I SAID DROP IT!"
"It's just a screwdriver. Look—"
"Are you looking to get shot?" Ray hollered, keeping his gun trained on the strange man in the bowtie and funny red hat. "On the ground now."
The man jumped again and the screwdriver fell to the floor. "If you insist. No need to yell."
"Get down. On your knees!" Ray ordered, pulling out his handcuffs with his free hand.
"Do we really have to do this? I'm quite busy."
"Being busy creeping around dark abandoned warehouses will get you arrested." Ray holstered his weapon as he moved around behind the man, kicked the screwdriver out of reach and snapped the cuffs over his wrists. Once the man was secure, he whipped out an evidence bag from his pocket—see, Ray could do proper preparation, Fraser, thank you kindly—and carefully dropped the screwdriver thingy inside.
"I need that," the man protested.
"Should have thought about that before you broke into private property." Ray gripped the man's arm and hauled him to his feet. "Want to tell me what you're doing in here, late at night, with an electric screwdriver?"
"Investigating," the man said with a grin. "A lot of interesting things go on at night. Well, you'd know that being a detective, of course you would, Ray Kowalski."
Ray stared at the man. “You got the wrong guy. Name’s Vecchio, DETECTIVE Ray Vecchio, so how about you tell me who you are instead.”
"Yes, yes, have it your way Detective Vecchio. But we both know that you’re Stanley, Raymond Kowalski, goes by Ray, detective first grade, currently undercover as Ray Vecchio. Where's Benton? Benny boy? Or does he still go by Fraser in this time?"
"Benny boy?" Ray squeaked. "What the fu—"
"Ah, ah, no need for that," the man interrupted.
"How the hell do you know my name? Who I am?"
"Isn't it obvious? I know you." The man grinned and winked at him.
Ray glared at the man. "We have never met. Think I would remember meeting some weird British dude in a bowtie."
"Not yet we haven't, at least not for you. There's not enough gray hair, also no beard fluff yet. I like this bad boy look you've got though; still emulating Steve McQueen?"
"What the…what!" Ray spluttered. This was starting to freak him out. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the Doctor."
Confused, Ray made a face. "Doctor of what?"
The Doctor pulled a face and pouted. "Ooh, that's not what people usually ask."
"I'm not usual people," Ray retorted. "Start talking."
"We really don't have time for this. You're all in grave danger."
"Alright. Fine." Ray grasped the man's arm firmly and began to walk him to his car. "You can talk crazy down at the station."
"Something is coming. It's going to destroy everything. Are you even listening to me?"
"Sure, sure, bad guys, something something, danger, end of the world crazy blah blah. Get in the car."
"Ugh, I don't remember you being this obtuse," the Doctor protested.
"Happy to remind you," Ray said, not entirely sure what obtuse meant, but knowing enough to know it wasn't a compliment. "Duck," he ordered, removing the man's funny hat.
"Hey, that's my fez!"
"Like I'd be seen dead in this," Ray scoffed.
The Doctor looked offended. "Fezzes are cool. Though probably not the best look on experimental hair."
"No commenting on the hair," Ray said firmly. "I don't want your damn fez. It's about as cool as that bowtie. What is this, 1920s England?"
"Touchy." The Doctor sniffed. "And I'll have you know bowties were the height of fashion in 1880. They made a comeback in the 1920s, and again in the 1970s proving frequent coolness; as opposed to spiky bleached hair which we find, oh once in 1980s punk rock circles, and was never cool."
"Now who's being touchy?"
"I don't have time for this," the Doctor declared. "You need to let me go right now!"
"Yep, insulting a guy always makes him accept your demands, every time. Now get in the car, before I jump bogart all over your head and your stupid little hat."
"No, wait, I admit, I was being overly sensitive, it's been a long century. I apologize."
"Nice try, old timer. Get. In. The. Car." Narrowing his eyes, Ray planted the fez in the doctor's hands before putting his hand on the man's head and pushing him into the car.
"Wait, wait! You don't understand!"
Ray slammed the door shut and inhaled deeply. Shaking his shoulders out, he rounded the car. Since when did crazy shit happen when Fraser wasn't around? "Wait until he hears about this," he said to himself.
****
Ray marched the Doctor through the station and scowled at the number of people getting in his way. It was late, why was it so busy? When his path to his desk was blocked by a group of children, he lost what little patience he had left. "What the hell is going on?" he yelled. "Is anybody working here?"
Jack lumbered over. "Ray, something strange is happening."
"You're telling me? There's a bunch of kids around my desk. Why are they here?"
"They set fire to their school," Dewey added. "When we got there, they were just standing there watching it burn."
That was pretty grim. Ray looked at them with a frown. "Did they say why?"
"Well, that's where it gets weird." Dewey and Jack shared a look and Dewey rubbed the back of his neck.
"Out with it!" Ray barked.
"They just said that we would be deleted."
"The hell does that mean, 'be deleted'?" Ray made a face.
"Oh, brilliant!"
All three men turned slowly to glare at the Doctor.
"Sorry." He gave a sheepish little wave of his cuffed hands. "It's just quite exciting to witness the evolution of an entire species!"
"What?" Ray's mouth twisted. "We're not evolving."
"Of course, not you," the Doctor retorted with a roll of his eyes. "You lot don't evolve for another…ooh four thousand years. Take your sweet time, you do." He stepped up and pointed at the children watching them silently. "Them."
Eerie and unmoving, they gave Ray the creeps. "They're just kids."
"They are so much more than just kids." The Doctor grinned madly. "An actual leap in evolution and I'm here to see it or stop it. Those two tend to go hand in hand and I'm never entirely sure which when I arrive."
"I'm sorry, and you are?" Dewey asked.
"My apologies, I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor who?" Jack asked in confusion.
The Doctor grinned and looked at Ray who just rolled his eyes.
"And how have the kids evolved?" Dewey continued. "They set something on fire and then stood there like robots. Gave me the creeps."
"They're waiting," the Doctor explained.
"For what?"
"Orders. What does it look like? Do I have to explain everything?"
Ray was sick and tired of the cryptic answers and got in the Doctor's face. "Now look, I've had it up to here with your bullshit. If you know why the kids are being weird and creepy you tell us right now, and if I find you're responsible for any of this I'm going to lock you up for the rest of your life for using kids to do your dirty work."
"Noble, but I doubt you have a prison capable of holding me, never mind for that long. Many more powerful and more ancient than you could imagine have tried." The Doctor squared up to Ray, no longer smiling.
Ray glared at the man, not backing down. Holding his fierce gaze, Ray saw something in the Doctor's eyes, something dark and old and powerful that turned his stomach into knots. He couldn't explain it, he just knew he was outmatched by this stranger, this infuriating man. And wasn't that just the story of his life? Suddenly the Doctor's eyes went wide and he pointed behind Ray, breaking the tension between them.
"Also, you might want to take a raincheck on the whole arresting business."
"What on God's Earth are you talking about?"
"Uh, Ray?" Dewey tapped his arm repeatedly.
"What!" Ray whirled around and stopped.
The kids were all facing them and slowly their arms raised. Their eyes glowed as they chanted, "You are inferior. You will be deleted."
"What the—"
The Doctor tapped Ray on his shoulder lightly. "Might I suggest that we RUN!"
Ray barely had a chance to leap out of the way before all hell broke loose.
****
Sprinting after the Doctor, Ray lurched forward and stumbled when a laser beam—laser beam?—shot past him and blew up the vending machine. The Doctor yelped and Ray grabbed him, dragging him into the locker rooms. They both stood there panting while chaos erupted outside. Growling, Ray seized the Doctor's shirt and shoved him up against the wall. "Start talking."
"Surely this isn't the right time for a conversation, but if you insist…how's the weather been? Have you and Benton moved in together yet? Oh wait, no, maybe a bit early for that."
Ray let go and took several steps back as though the Doctor had burned him. "What did you say?"
"It's not important. What is important is that you let me out of these cuffs and give me my sonic screwdriver."
"Like hell it isn't important? Why do you keep bringing up Fraser? Do you know him? Has something happened to him?"
"Aw, that's touching, no really, it is," the Doctor murmured distractedly and tapped his mouth with his fingers. "Unacknowledged feelings, I must have landed earlier than I expected. Really must get that date dial fixed. Not really a priority right now of course—"
Scowling, Ray clapped his hands together loudly and jabbed two fingers through the air at the impossible man. "Hey! Hey! What is a priority is you telling me exactly how you know what's going on, who the hell you are, and why the fuck those kids were shooting laser beams out of their fucking eyeballs out there. And you're going to tell me right now or nobody is going nowhere."
"Anywhere," the Doctor corrected with a flinch when Ray bared his teeth and snarled at him. "Alright! Ugh, so impatient in your youth, weren't you."
"That's it, I'm going to shoot you."
The Doctor held out his hands when Ray reached for his gun in its holster. "Wait, wait! Not to get all political but, ever thought of negotiating without the threat of fatal violence?"
"Once. Didn't like it. Talk!"
"I am the Doctor, as I've already said, and those kids out there were not kids at all, at least not anymore. They were copies, clones maybe? I'm really not sure, I didn't anticipate this evolutionary step, it's actually quite fascinating from a scientist's point of view when you think about it—"
"Ah, ah, stay on topic." Ray snapped his fingers then folded his arms. "If they weren't kids, then what the hell were they?"
The Doctor's eyes glinted and he took a step forward. "Cybermen. But not as I've ever seen them before."
"Cybermen?" Ray's eyes widened. "Like robots?"
"Yes!" the Doctor replied gleefully. "Exactly like robots. Except these Cybermen have somehow discovered how to combine human flesh with the Cybermen's hive mind. It's quite ingenious really."
"But what does that mean?" Ray asked, growing more confused by the second.
The Doctor got into Ray's space and jutted his chin out defiantly. "That we are all in very grave danger. The kind we haven't ever faced before. If they can duplicate humans as Cybermen, they could be anyone ."
"Bullshit! You sound like it's something out of H.G. Wells."
The Doctor did a little dance. "Ooh, War of the Worlds, a very appropriate comparison. I wasn't aware you had any experience with that sort of thing."
"What, robots and aliens?"
"Reading," the Doctor clarified.
"I read!" Ray protested.
"So it would seem. I stand corrected. And yes, you're absolutely right. It is just like something out of a book, except it's not in a book, it's in your police station and shooting at everyone you know and care about." The Doctor wasn't smiling now. "Mark my words, they won't stop here. If they're mimicking flesh, there'll be no stopping them until there's none of you left. Until you're all deleted! So you can either believe me or continue to bury your head in the sand, either way, I am the only person standing in between them and the extinction of the human race. And you, Ray Kowalski are in my way." He marched over and stood face to face with Ray. "What is it going to be, hm? Fear and doubt and your inevitable deletion? Or the other, much smarter in my opinion, option of letting me help you?"
Ray swallowed, swayed by the sheer ferocity in the Doctor's words. What choice did he have, really? "What do you need me to do?"
"First things first," the Doctor said cheerfully and raised his hands. "Uncuff me, give me my screwdriver, and let me do what I do best."
"And what's that, running around being polite at them? Sorry, but that job's taken."
"Ohh, rude." The Doctor made a face.
"Do you even have a plan?"
"Yes! Of course I have a plan!" The Doctor frowned a little. "Some of which may need revising…extensively."
"Uhuh, that's what I thought, you have no idea what to do." Ray rubbed his face feeling panic bubbling in his gut. "Robots from space shooting laser beams, we're so going to die."
"We are not going to die," the Doctor argued. "I may not have a definitive plan, but I do know what we're dealing with. And if there's ever a time you were to be that man of instinct you claim to be, then you need to trust those instincts now and let. Me. Go."
Ray stared at the man, looked right in his eyes and felt the same certainty he got when he looked into Fraser's eyes. Relenting, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the cuffs.
"Excellent choice," the Doctor said, rubbing his wrists, then running his hands through his hair. "And my sonic screwdriver if you please."
"Uhh…"
The Doctor turned and pinned Ray with a narrow-eyed gaze. "Where is it?"
Ray rubbed the back of his neck. "It's on my desk, right where those murdering robot kids are."
The Doctor buried his face in his hands and then, just as quickly, whirled around with a manic laugh. "It's never simple with you lot, is it? Once more unto the breach!"
"No, wait!" Ray tried to stop him, "what's the—"
The Doctor flung open the door and dove out into the pandemonium.
"—Plan?" Ray's shoulders sagged. "Well, shit," he grumbled, sprinting after the nut job before he got himself killed.
****
"Fraser?" Ray skidded to a halt when he saw his partner. "Man, am I glad to see you." He frowned slightly when Fraser canted his head and began to approach him. "You wouldn't believe the crazy shit that's been going on while you've been at that shindig." Something began to feel odd and unsettling when Fraser didn't respond, and Ray took an unconscious step back. "Fraser?"
"Stanley Raymond Kowalski, currently known as Ray Vecchio…"
"Frase, Buddy, you're starting to freak me out…"
Fraser raised an arm and pointed it straight at Ray. "You will be deleted."
Ray's eyes went wide. On instinct he drew his weapon and pointed it at his partner who was about to shoot a hole through him with a laser beam. "Fraser, no…you don't want to do this. I'm your partner, your friend. I'm Ray."
"Irrelevant. You have been deemed inferior, you will be deleted."
The cold flat tone sent chills down Ray's spine and he tightened his grip on his gun. "Come on, Fraser this isn't you, fight whatever they've done to you. You gotta fight…I can't…" Fraser's eyes had begun to glow, like those kids' eyes had right before they fired out laser beams. There was no way Ray could shoot his partner, even if it cost him his own life. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lowered his gun and braced himself for the blast.
Instead, a strange whirring sound hit his ears. Tentatively opening one eye, he saw the Doctor standing in front of him, pointing his screwdriver thingy at Fraser. "Hey, no, don't hurt him!" Ray yelled, grabbing the Doctor's arm and yanking it away from Fraser. "That's my partner!"
"It is not your partner anymore," the Doctor declared harshly, tearing his arm free. "If they've got him then he's been deleted and we don't have time for this." The sonic screwdriver whined at a higher pitch and the Doctor pointed it back at Fraser who stiffened and then sagged, like a puppet with his strings cut.
"What the hell do you mean, deleted?" Ray demanded.
"Exactly what I said. Gone, erased, de—"
"No!" Ray grabbed the Doctor and shook him. "Fraser, is not dead!" Ray spun around and pinned him to the wall. "He is right fucking there and you are going to help him!"
"Really? Up against the wall again? What ever happened to a good old fashioned sit down chat?"
Ray snarled and raised a fist. "You think this is a game? That's my partner!"
"Partner in more ways than one, although I could have sworn that that had happened already," the Doctor muttered.
"That's it!" Ray drew his hand back.
The Doctor's hands shot up to block his face. "Wait!" he implored. "Detective…Ray, look, I know this is hard, but your partner is clearly being controlled by the Cybermen. His eyes glowed! I might be mistaken, but that is not normal human behavior."
"Controlled doesn't mean dead," Ray growled. "Help him."
The Doctor's frustration melted away to sorrow and he wrapped his hands around Ray's fist clutching his jacket lapel. "The only way I can help him now is by stopping them and shutting down the hive that's controlling them. That will affect every person they've taken, including him."
"Affect? How? Start talking sense!"
"They'll be shut down," the Doctor said gently. "Permanently."
"No." Ray shook his head. "No, you can't. He's my only partner. You wanted to help? There's no person on this planet who deserves your help more than he does. Save him."
"I can't, there's no—"
"Don't tell me there's no way. Save him, please…there's nobody…he's…I couldn't..." Ray struggled to get the words out. His tongue felt too thick, his throat too tight. "...he's all I have…please…you said you can help."
The Doctor had no words and shook his head sadly, at a loss.
Ray didn't want the Doctor's sympathy, his sorrow, and so released him, stepping back. Then he pinned the Doctor with his most intimidating interviewing-a-suspect, glare. "He needs your help. Those kids need your help. If you just let those robots take them, then what is the use of you? What good are you?"
"It's not that easy!" the Doctor protested. "Solutions don't just appear out of thin air!"
"You did," Ray pointed out plainly. "Strange man with strange tools, knowing things no human could know. Isn't that why you're here? Fix this mess!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, humans, always crying out to be saved—"
"No!" Ray held up a finger. "Don't actually care that much about the rest of the human race. Just one. Him. Benton, 'I came to Chicago on the trail of the killers of my father and remained', Fraser."
The Doctor gripped Ray's shoulders. "And are you willing to give up anything, everything , to save him? Even if it means your life?"
"Yes," Ray said without hesitation.
The Doctor blinked. "Oh…well...I'm not sure why I'm surprised actually. Knowing what I know of you and him and, well, that's not important," he babbled. "However, at the risk of repeating myself, I think we should put a firm pin in this, and run."
"What?"
Pointing behind Ray, the Doctor used his distraction to bound for the stairwell. "Solutions require time, Ray. I don't think he's going to give us the time we need to take down his masters, do you?"
Ray stumbled back when Fraser twitched and straightened. "Frase?"
"—The Doctor is here. Where is the Doctor?" Fraser asked in a monotone, steadily approaching Ray. "Comply or you will be deleted." His hands were outstretched, reaching for Ray.
"Yeah, I'm not really on board with that, Buddy. Stay put, I'll come back for you," Ray said as he raced after the Doctor, flying down the stairs into the basement. He suddenly felt tired all over. "I really need a vacation."
****
"Ugh no, I am not going in there." Ray pointed at the metal doors and took a step back.
Frowning, the Doctor looked at the door and then back at Ray. "You can stand in front of an alien robot about to turn your brain into liquid but you can't walk through the door of a morgue?"
Gritting his teeth, Ray scowled. "Look, we all have our things, okay?"
"And yours is…dead people?"
Ray shuddered and bodily shook himself like he was stepping into a boxing ring. "What?" He threw a glare at the Doctor as he passed him. "You never been afraid of anything everybody else thought was dumb?"
The Doctor pursed his lips. "Oh, yes."
"Then less of the judgy eyebrows. We got shit to do."
A wide grin spread across the Doctor's face. "Right you are, Ray."
"Quit grinning at me and get in here, I found some friends."
The Doctor peered over Ray's shoulder. "So you did. Do you routinely keep superbly dressed people in the morgue?"
"Only on Tuesdays," Ray answered dryly.
"Really?" The Doctor caught Ray's smirk and waved his sonic screwdriver at him. "Oh ha ha. Glad to know that humor improves over the years."
"Ray?" Francesca whispered from behind a sheet covered body on a metal table. "Is that you?" She peeked over, took note that there were two of them and gave the Doctor an inquisitive look.
"Hello." The Doctor waved.
"Yeah Frannie, it's me. Is that Welsh and the Ice Quee—I mean Thatcher back there?"
Francesca slowly stood, clutching several tissues in her hands. Turnbull straightened up beside her and gave Ray a little wave. "Oh, Ray, it's been just awful."
"What happened?"
"Detective, I'm relieved to see you. After what happened, we thought, well, it's good to see you in one piece," Welsh stated as he ventured out of Mort's office with Thatcher at his back.
"What are you talking about?"
"There's no easy way to put this so I'm just going to say it," Welsh said, sharing a grim look with Thatcher. "It's Fraser, he's…something happened. He started attacking the guests then tried to, uh...kill us."
"With remarkable efficiency," Thatcher added. When Welsh stared at her she shrugged. "I may not have liked the goal but I can appreciate the execution. It was well thought out."
Turnbull cleared his throat at the awkward silence.
Thatcher carried on regardless. "Then he just stopped. Him and a few others from the Canadian delegation he was tasked to meet in Toronto. They just stopped, one of them mentioned the police station and they left."
"We thought he would have got to you for sure." Francesca sniffed and dabbed her eyes.
"Oh, he did. Tried to melt a hole in my head."
"Oh, God!" Francesca covered her mouth. "Is he?"
Ray frowned. "No! Course not…" He shrugged, and scratched his neck. "I could never…" he murmured.
"I knew you wouldn't," Francesca replied. "I'm just so worried, Ray. If Fraser is hurting people—"
"We're going to help him," Ray interrupted. "Right?" He looked at the Doctor. "Doctor?"
"Hm?"
"We are going to help Fraser, aren't we?"
"Oh, yes, just as soon as I figure out how they're doing it."
Ray frowned. "Who's doing what?"
"The Cybermen, do try to keep up." The Doctor paced the morgue, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "They aren't turning into Cybermen, just some sort of hybrid, human thing…Question!" He whirled about the room pointing a finger at everyone. "Did anybody actually see Sergeant Fraser shoot—"
"Sergeant?" Thatcher demanded hotly.
"Sorry, time confusion, it happens." He leaned in to Ray. "Rank?"
"Constable."
"Ah!" With a wide smile, the Doctor looked at them all again. "Did anybody actually see Constable Fraser fire a laser beam? Think very carefully, did any of those affected actually shoot?"
"Well, I was certain that—" Thatcher started.
"No, no, that was a plate," Welsh pointed out. "What about when he—"
"He used his bare hands for that," Turnbull finished. "Although, I could have sworn when they stepped through the portal—"
Francesca shook her head. "That was the chandelier exploding."
"I'll take that as a no," the Doctor declared. "Ray?"
"He just pointed and his eyes sorta glowed but no lasers like the kids."
"Yes, I'm afraid I can't save the children, they've been upgraded. If they haven't already been converted into Cybermen, they undoubtedly will be soon," the Doctor explained solemnly.
Ray frowned deeply at that. "Fraser did threaten to delete me though."
"Yes, yes, very understandable." The Doctor waved him off. "It's interesting, very interesting."
Ray looked at him. "What are you thinking?"
"There doesn't seem to be a connection between any of them. Like a…what do you policemen call it?" the Doctor clicked his fingers. "When all your victims have similarities in a crime spree or are targeted for certain characteristics?"
"You mean a victim profile?" Ray asked.
"Yes! They have to have one. There must be something, something that connects them…but what?" the Doctor mused aloud.
"Who is this?" Thatcher demanded.
"A friend of Fraser’s apparently," Ray said. "Can you tell us anything about the people affected, anything about those Fraser left with?"
Thatcher shook her head. "No, just delegates from various government institutions."
The Doctor skipped up to Ray and leaned over a metal table, his gaze boring into Turnbull who whimpered nervously. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but did you say 'portal'?"
"Yes, yes sir. A quantum gap in reality connecting one plane to another that matter can travel through," Turnbull babbled.
Everybody stared at him.
"How the hell do you know that?" Thatcher demanded.
"No matter," the Doctor ignored her. "He's absolutely right and that is just fascinating." He turned to Ray. "Do you know what this means?"
Ray blinked. "Uhh…"
"They are communicating using quantum entangled particles. They move through everything. Even the human brain."
"Okay?"
"It's not just okay, Ray. It's brilliant!" The Doctor spun around. "The sheer energy levels alone required to make the connections…they would need something independent of the main power grid, something they could control and upgrade."
"The station has a set of its own generators in case of brown or black outs," Welsh said.
Pointing his screwdriver at him gleefully, the Doctor laughed. "Explains the where."
"But what does any of this have to do with helping Fraser?" Ray asked.
"Because, my fine Detective, the fact they're using quantum connections means these people haven't been taken and upgraded. They are not yet Cybermen."
"So how?"
The Doctor's eyes shone as he leaned into Ray's space, a hand on each shoulder. "Remote control, Ray."
Ray's heart pounded in his chest. "What?"
"They're being controlled! Your partner is being controlled, remotely, like a toy robot, by shooting quantum particles into his brain from a central source! It's an absolutely magnificent leap in technology. Manipulating quantum entanglements to send signals to a bioelectrical receiver that you then have under complete remote operating control." Clapping his hands in excitement and rubbing them together, he looked at Ray with a smile. "And do you know what the beauty of remote connections is?"
Ray stared and shook his head wordlessly.
The Doctor held Ray's gaze, his eyes dancing with mischief. "All remote connections can be overridden."
****
"I'm not sure I like this plan," Ray muttered under his breath.
"It'll be fine," the Doctor reassured him.
They watched Fraser and the other controllees fashion some kind of larger generator out of the 2-7's collection of smaller ones.
"You want me to go out there, stand in front of my partner—who is, as you say, being controlled by robot men from space, to help them open a large enough quantum portal so they can invade my planet—and…" Ray shook his head and leaned in closer, speaking with an annoyed hiss, "...declare my affections for him, and expect him not to shoot me in the head?"
"Yes," the Doctor blinked. "In a nutshell."
"That's crazy; you are crazy. It won't work." Ray turned away and folded his arms.
"Ray, the Cybermen are only controlling his brain. To break their connection you need to speak to his heart."
"So get Thatcher to talk to him about Canada or some shit."
Moving to Ray's front, forcing Ray to look at him, the Doctor frowned slightly. "I guarantee that appealing to Benton's heart will need more than just telling him about Canada."
"You can't possibly know this will work," Ray protested.
The Doctor smiled. "I know that you declaring your undying love for him wouldn't be a lie now, would it?"
Ray stared, his breathing hitching at being so easily called out.
"And wouldn't you stop and listen if your partner and friend stood up and told you he loved you?" Squeezing Ray's shoulder, the Doctor held his gaze. "It's the only way to break their programming, Ray, to sever their connection to him. If you appeal to him on an emotional level, it's not something the Cybermen can replicate. They can't take who he really is, in here," the Doctor tapped Ray's chest.
Scowling, Ray looked back at the generators. "You'll distract the others?"
"I have your back," the Doctor grinned. "I've always wanted to say that. Are you ready?"
"No."
"GERONIMO!!" The Doctor leaped out of their hiding space. "Hello! You wanted the Doctor, well here I am!"
"The Doctor. Capture the Doctor," Fraser commanded.
"Catch me if you can!" The Doctor broke into a run. "Now, Ray!"
Taking several quick breaths, Ray launched himself out of safety and planted himself right in Fraser's path.
"Human. You will be deleted," Fraser said monotonously.
"Fraser, I hope you can hear me in there. You gotta fight them, Frase. You have to stop listening to your head and listen to your heart instead." Ray's hands were clammy and he rubbed them nervously against his jeans, taking a couple of steps back as Fraser advanced. "I know this isn't you, Buddy. I know you want to belong and you want a home, but helping these guys ain't the way to do it."
"The heart, Ray!" the Doctor yelled, yelping as something exploded off to Ray's left. "Speak to him, not at him!"
"Shit, I can't…what if…what if he doesn't?" Ray shouted back.
"Sometimes you just have to leap!"
Ray's back hit the wall behind him and he grimaced as Fraser raised his hands. "Fraser, don't do this, it's me, Ray." When Fraser's eyes glowed, Ray felt a wave of anger and guilt that he hadn't been there to stop this, hadn't been there for his partner, again. "Fuck it." He straightened and gritted his teeth as Fraser's hands closed around his throat. "If we can't get you back from these space robots, Fraser, then you need to kill me now, because a world without you isn't a world I want to be in. You have been the best partner and friend, and I…I love you, and not just symbolically. You hear me, you freak? I LOVE YOU!" Ray squeezed his eyes shut as Fraser's hands began to squeeze.
"Ray…"
His eyes flying open, Ray stared at Fraser who was looking at him in confusion and not a small amount of fear. "Do you…do you really mean that?"
Throwing caution to the wind, Ray surged forward, threw his arms around Fraser's neck and kissed him like their whole world was about to end.
"Ah, young love." The Doctor fist bumped Turnbull, who was looking at Ray and Fraser like a proud brother would. Francesca sniffled into a tissue, babbling about how happy she was and how she'd known all along, her face streaked with tears, while Welsh and Thatcher both coughed awkwardly and politely looked away.
All around them, the Cybermen controlled army stopped and froze where they stood. The Doctor ran around, his sonic screwdriver analysing their state. "This is it!" he crowed, dashing over to Ray and Fraser and patting them both happily on their backs, interrupting their moment. "This can stop them all!"
"How?" Ray scowled, frustrated to have Fraser's lips not moving against his own. He was already addicted. "Infect them with the power of love?"
The Doctor giggled and grabbed Fraser's hand, shaking it vigorously. "Benton Fraser, pleasure to meet you, I'm the Doctor, long story, will explain later. Right now you two need to follow me."
Fraser watched the Doctor run off. "Ray?"
"It really is a long story, Frase. We better follow him."
"You trust him?"
Ray grinned and squeezed Fraser's hand that was clasped tightly in his own. "Almost as much as I do you."
A small, shy smile played across Fraser's lips. "Then, I defer to your judgement, Ray. Lead the way."
****
"Doctor, you care to explain this plan of yours?" Ray halted beside the Doctor and stared at a swirling circle of energy in front of them. "And what the fuck that is."
"Ray," Fraser chided gently.
"You're not putting me in front of those things again," Ray declared.
"Of course not." The Doctor looked at Ray quizzically. "Fraser is the key." He winked. "As an old friend used to say; allons-y!" Without any further explanation, he jumped through the portal.
"I hate it when he does this," Ray muttered.
"Shall we?" Fraser asked.
Ray grabbed Fraser's Sam Brown and tugged him in for a fierce kiss. "I don't care what he says. Whatever happens, we face it together."
Fraser's eyes were big and dark when he finally opened them again. "Understood," he replied, with a goofy smile. "Together, Ray."
Hand in hand, they leaped through the portal together. Stumbling through to the other side, they ran into the Doctor who put a finger to his lips.
He gestured for them to follow and pressed against a wall as a troop of actual metal Cybermen marched past. "If we don't appear as a threat, they should ignore us until we get to their quantum generator."
"Oh should," Ray commented. "That's a huge comfort."
"We can go this way," Fraser said quietly, darting out into the corridor.
"Fraser," Ray hissed. He tried to grab him and pull him back. "Frase, fuck," Ray swore, rushing after his partner.
The Doctor held up a finger and pouted. "I thought we were following me?"
Ray shrugged from the other side of the corridor. "You try saying ‘no’ to the Mountie."
****
They reached the control center with only one slight run in with the Cybermen. Ray still hadn't recovered from the moment Fraser had stood up and calmly told the approaching Cybermen that he had apprehended the Doctor and was taking him to Control. He wondered if he would actually die from heart failure if Fraser kept pulling stupid shit like that now they were—what even were they, lovers? Boyfriends? They hadn't talked about it. What if Fraser had only kissed him out of some reaction to shock?—more than buddies?
"This is wonderful!" the Doctor declared. "Oh, you beauties!" he hollered.
"The Doctor appears enamored with the advancement of alien species. Not that it isn't impressive, but he has an almost childlike wonder about him," Fraser mused into Ray's ear.
"That's not all that I would call childlike," Ray mumbled. "There’s also the running head first into dangerous situations without a second thought. That sound familiar at all, Fraser?"
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Fraser replied primly.
Ray grinned and walked over to where the Doctor was examining the giant machine. "So how do we stop this thing?"
"With him." The Doctor pointed at Fraser with a wide smile.
"What?" Ray moved to stand between them. "Hell, no."
"Ray, it's alright," Fraser said gently.
"No it's not, Fraser. I just got you back. I am not losing you now."
"Don't you see? He's still connected but he has control. Your connection to him is stronger," the Doctor tried to explain. "It can infect the entire network, destabilize the hive, and shut down their control."
"And what happens to him?" Ray demanded.
"Well, now…" the Doctor frowned. "There is a slight, remote, potential possibility that it may, and I'm talking single figure probabilities here, that Fraser may shut down with Control."
"No!" Ray flinched when a warm hand grasped his shoulder.
"Will it prevent their invasion, and release those under their control?" Fraser asked.
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, a hundred percent."
"Tell me what I need to do."
Ray spun around and grabbed Fraser with his fists. "No, Fraser, don't."
Fraser cupped Ray's face with both hands and gazed at him with those clear, steady gray-blue eyes Ray loved. "Ray, I couldn't live with myself knowing I was the key to stopping them."
"I'm not going to let you do this." Ray whirled around on the Doctor and glared at him. "What does he have to do?"
"Step inside Control," the Doctor pointed to the central chamber. "In there."
"What would happen if we both got in?"
The Doctor blinked in surprise. "I…well, I hadn't thought about that. It's your connection with him that overrides theirs so it should still work. In fact, it will increase his chances of holding on to who he is."
"You mean he won't shut down?"
The Doctor grimaced. "There is always a risk, but if you focus on your bond, on your love for each other, then…there's always hope."
"I'll take it."
"Ray, please."
Ray glared at Fraser fiercely. "Fraser, I said together and I meant together."
Canting his head and giving Ray a plaintive smile, Fraser simply leaned in and pressed a chaste yet tender kiss to his lips. "You could die…" he murmured, resting his forehead against Ray's.
"Together, Fraser." Ray took hold of both Fraser's hands and led the way backwards up the steps to the chamber. Once they were both inside, Ray held Fraser close and glanced at the Doctor. "We're ready, Doctor." He met Fraser's gaze and winked. "Throw the switch."
Nodding somberly, the Doctor activated the machine with his sonic screwdriver. It began to thrum and shake louder and louder until the Doctor had to cover his ears. He crouched behind a control panel to avoid the sparks flying off the machine and the Cybermen who had broken through the entrance. It was now or never.
Inside the chamber, Ray and Fraser held onto each other tightly and kissed passionately, pouring everything they felt into this last defiant act.
"The Doctor will be deleted-ppsspp!"
"YES!" the Doctor shouted gleefully. The Cybermen around him jerked and shuddered as the Control hub lit up like a Christmas tree. "YES, YOU SEE? THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN NEVER TAKE!" He danced around the control center as sparks exploded around him. "You invade and you delete and you upgrade but you will never be more than a sum of your parts. YOU CAN NEVER TAKE THE CAPACITY OF THE HUMAN HEART FOR LOVE!"
The control center exploded while the Doctor cheered and Cybermen fell to the ground around him. To his astonishment, the chamber opened. "Ray! Oh, oh my, that's a bit PG-13," the Doctor coughed as he covered his eyes. "Make that sixteen plus," he added, peeking through his fingers with a grin. "Hate to interrupt, but the quantum portals are about to shut down."
Ray tore himself away from Fraser with a gasp, his T-shirt half rucked up his chest, and his jeans uncomfortably tight in the whole crotch area. "What?"
"The portals, Ray," Fraser said breathlessly.
Ray grinned at how dishevelled and half undressed his Mountie was. He was the hottest thing Ray had ever seen. Unable to resist, he kissed Fraser wantonly again with a hum. "We can, um, put a whatyamacallit—"
"A pin?"
"Yeah, in this…for later." Ray kissed Fraser again.
"Absolutely, Ray, a fine idea."
The Doctor's head popped into the chamber with a bright smile. "I hate to rush you, but…now would be good."
Ray shared a grin with Fraser. "Definitely more later."
They sprinted through the trembling ship and dove through the portal as everything around them exploded.
****
Standing hand in hand with Fraser, Ray felt giddy. His whole life had been turned upside down and inside out. However, for the first time since his divorce from Stella, he saw a future that wasn't bleak—not just a washed up flat foot, alone, drinking himself into an early grave. He glanced at Fraser, who beamed at him. God, he was beautiful.
"I suppose this is it then," the Doctor said, unlocking the door of his police phone box.
"It's been wild," Ray said. "Maybe next time you can call ahead? Bring us coffee before we have to save the world?"
The Doctor chuckled. "There's plenty of coffee in the universe, across all time and space. I could show you, if you like?" He smiled at them. "Both of you. It would be an adventure."
The whole universe was mind boggling to Ray. He'd barely come to terms with the whole time travel and aliens part. He wasn't sure he could handle all of time and space.
"If it's all the same to you, Doctor," Fraser answered with a fond look at Ray. "I believe we're about to start our own adventure."
The Doctor stepped into his TARDIS with a nod and a knowing smile. "Quite right too." He paused and reappeared before closing the door. "You mind if I check in occasionally?"
"Not at all," Fraser said.
Ray nodded. "Yeah, you're alright for a Brit with bad taste in fashion."
"Ha!" The Doctor stubbornly placed his fez on his head and straightened his bowtie. "You kids are going to be just fine." He pointed at them. "Take care of each other. What an adventure you're going to have. Oh, the stories they will tell." He grinned and gave them a wave. "And before I forget, Merry Christmas." With a wink he was gone and the blue box slowly faded into thin air.
Ray squeezed Fraser's hand. "Fraser, you, uh, want to come over to, um, unwrap some presents, maybe trim the tree? Deal with a certain pin situation?"
Fraser answered with a low rumble that sent tingles all the way down Ray's spine.
"I thought you'd never ask."