"The Endless Night" is the first story in "Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon", showing some of the various parallel worlds Rose visited whilst looking for the Doctor.
Years after their last bout of dimensional travelling, the Torchwood of the universe dubbed "Pete's World" has built a machine capable of punching a hole through the dimensional barriers, allowing a single person through to the other side for a limited time. Unfortunately, they have no way of knowing what reality they're sending anyone into, so their goal - finding the home universe of Rose Tyler and the space-time traveller known as the Doctor - is one of trial and error. Rose refuses to let anyone else take on the mission, seeing as she knows the Doctor best, and the controller of the Dimension Cannon, Pete Tyler, is forced to accept her decision. He reminds her that she only has a limited time in the parallel universe before the hole punched by the Dimension Cannon seals shut, and leaves her trapped. She's there to find the Doctor, and if he isn't there, establish how far from Pete's World that reality is so they can do better next time.
Rose lands in the middle of rush hour in a seemingly modern London, close to Christmas. The first passerby seems to have no knowledge of aliens, regarding Rose as a nutjob, and Rose guesses this is a universe without the constant alien invasions her own world faced. To find out more information, she goes to visit an old acquaintance.
Clive Finch in this universe is unmarried, no kids, and yet is still a conspiracy theorist for all manner of aliens, conspiracies, and cryptology. He's not heard of Torchwood though, or UNIT, confirming further to Rose she's not where she wants to be. She reveals to him that she's a visitor from a parallel universe, and while he first thinks it's a joke from one of his forum friends, he comes around to it in the end. Besides, if it were a joke, it's not a very funny one.
Rose decides to Google her parents, finding out that in this universe, both are alive, but separated. A visit to Pete (posing as Rose Smith from 'Legacy Hands', an inheritance finding group) reveals that, in this universe, Pete and Jackie dated for a while in the 80's, but broke up after Jackie accused him of cheating. He married again, but she died of a degenerative disease, leaving him a widower. He also finds Rose strangely familiar, and Rose bails rather than answer any questions. A visit to Jackie is similarly fruitless - two broken marriages have left her bitter, and a comment from Rose when she reveals she's childless doesn't help. What helps even less is Pete showing up at their door, wondering why Jackie didn't tell him she'd had a child, 20 years ago? Because if this Rose, who looks very much like both of them, and who showed up asking lots of strange questions about their relationship isn't their kid, then who is she? Jackie tears him a new one, but lets him in so they can question Rose together. This strange family reunion, however, is cut off by Clive watching a news report. In California, in the middle of the day, it's gone dark. The sun has gone out.
Rose contacts her own Pete, who tells her that the effect is limited to that sun - Pete's Earth is fine. Clive reveals that various stars observed through history have seemingly vanished without a trace, the focus of many conspiracy theories, and it seems the sun's time has come. Pete decides he's had enough of this nonsense, and tries to head home. Clive and Rose, meanwhile, are chased out by Jackie. Neither make it far - Rose and Clive swerve off the road to avoid looters, rioting in existential dread, which results in Clive breaking his leg. Pete is stopped crossing the river home by the police, and none of the hotels are free. They all head back to Jackie's, who begrudingly lets them stay.
The hours continue. From East to West, as people wake up to a sunless sky, the riots spread worldwide. Things slowly switch off to conserve power - first the TV, then the streetlights, until the only light the Tylers can see is a glow in the distance. People were lighting fires to stay warm, and with no fire department to stop them spreading, central London is ablaze. And the snow keeps falling. They'll be buried eventually. Any hope disappears with one final broadcast from the Prime Minister, Margo Kinnear. She confirms the sun has gone dark seemingly permanently, and there is no chance of survival. With that, the BBC switches off forever. Sealed off alone, Pete and Jackie slowly rekindle their feelings for each other, while Rose tends to the fevered Clive. Control calls, reminding her that she doesn't have much time to stay, but she demands that he rescue not just her, but Jackie and Pete too. He refuses, arguing that the Dimension Cannon is barely stable for one person, let alone a group, but Rose is adamant. So adamant, she reveals herself to the alternate Pete and Jackie. At first, they don't take her seriously, but they slowly realise it makes some sense - she does look like the child they never had. And Rose shows them her control disk, and phone as proof. She explains how she can, hopefully, rescue them all by leaving this dying world behind.
Pete steals the control disc, threatening to trap Rose there with them unless Rose's boss (whose voice he finds familiar) rescues them all. He tries to talk him down, but Pete locks Rose in the spare room with Clive. She vents to him, and he admits that he understands Pete's actions - he's scared, not just for himself, but for Jackie too. Meanwhile, Jackie them both tea, talking to Pete about their history... as Pete falls asleep from the sleeping drugs. Jackie takes the control disc, and returns it to Rose, admitting she realised that this parallel Rose must have a parallel Jackie, and if she was anything like herself, she'd be devastated if her daughter was killed like this. Rose tearfully hugs her alternate mother, and Jackie leaves to be with Pete, ready to die together along with everyone on Earth.
Rose signals control to bring her back. And then, grabs hold of Clive, instructing him to hold on tight and not let go. The Dimension Cannon activates in reverse, and while the ride is rough, both Rose and Clive return to Pete's World's Torchwood. Pete himself is angry, but Rose counters that she's proved the Dimension Cannon is more robust than they expected - it can send at least two people simultaneously. Plus, once Clive heals, she's got a new assistant.
'The Endless Night' contains examples of:
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Acting for Two: Shaun Dingwall plays the Pete's World version of Pete Tyler, as well as the parallel universe version of Pete. - The Bus Came Back:
- Continuity Nod: Parallel Harriet Jones is MP for Flydale North, the same as her first appearance in Aliens of London.
- Downer Ending: The Parallel Earth is beyond saving, and everyone left on it die.
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Fridge Brilliance: With the reality bomb having never been set off due to wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff, the events of this audio perhaps unhappen.
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- The End of the World as We Know It: The stars going out due to the reality bomb is seen first hand here, and it's horrifying. The sun goes out, and doesn't come back.
- In Spite of a Nail: Jackie Prentiss and Pete Tyler still dated for a while in the 80's. Again, no Rose, but Jackie did have a cat named Rose. It died.
- Harriet Jones is still around in government.
- Shout-Out:
- Clive compares his and Rose's cover story to BBC show Heir Hunters.
- Pete and Jackie's first date had them go out to see A View to a Kill. Jackie wanted to see The Breakfast Club.
- Another date involved a Shakin' Stevens concert.
