Army of Ghosts ( TV story ) Army of Ghosts was the twelfth episode of the second series of " Doctor Who " . It marked the first on screen appearance of the Torchwood Institute and the Cult of Skaro , as well as the return of the alternate universe Cybermen , appearing for the first time in the Doctor ' s own universe . It also introduced Yvonne Hartman , the administrator of Torchwood One . " Tardisode 12 " acts as a prequel to this episode , recounting the presence of Torchwood from every episode of series 2 where the name had important relevance to the overarching plot threads leading into this story . Synopsis . Rose and the Tenth Doctor return to modern - day London to find a mysterious epidemic of ghost s all over the world . As the Doctor searches Torchwood Tower to find answers , something sinister lurks in the building . Plot . Rose Tyler narrates how her life changed when she met the Doctor , who showed her the universe , taking her on a journey she thought would last forever . Then came the army of ghost s , Torchwood , and the war . This is the story of how it all ended , and how she died . The TARDIS materialises in a playground on the Powell Estate to visit Jackie Tyler . Jackie is overjoyed to see both Rose and the Doctor , but causes Rose concern when she says that she is expecting Rose ' s grandfather , Grandad Prentice , to come by any minute . Rose explains to the Doctor that her grandfather has been dead for ten years . However , true to Jackie ' s word , a blurred , ghost - like figure appears in her kitchen at ten past the hour . Outside , the Doctor and Rose witness more ghosts , walking among ordinary people , who are going about their daily lives calmly despite the manifestations around them . Jackie says that the ghosts will not be around long — the mid - day " ghost shift " only lasts a couple of minutes . At twelve past , somewhere else in London a white - coated technician pulls back a huge lever and the ghosts fade away . A blonde woman , Yvonne Hartman , steps out of her Torchwood Institute office and states that they measured the " ghost energy " at five thousand gigawatts , and congratulates her staff . In Jackie ' s flat , the Doctor watches various television programmes such as " Ghostwatch " , " EastEnders " , and " Trisha " , which reveal that the ghost phenomenon is international , and that people have accepted it as a regular occurrence . Jackie explains that it started about two months ago . At first , there was panic , but then people realised that they were spirits of their departed loved ones . Jackie says that the ghost she calls her father smells like the cigarette s he used to smoke , but Rose says she smelled nothing . Jackie says that she has to make an effort , and the Doctor notes that the more they want it , the stronger it gets . The ghosts are using peoples ' desires and beliefs to press themselves into existence . At Torchwood Tower , Hartman contacts Dr Rajesh Singh over the Bluetooth earpieces all personnel wear , asking him if he registered any reaction . Singh replies negatively , and reports that their most sophisticated instruments have not been able to read anything off " the Sphere " , a large bronze globe floating above him . According to their readings , it simply does not exist . He reaches out to touch it , but an invisible barrier stops his hand . Two Torchwood workers , Adeola and Gareth , make a clandestine romantic rendezvous . Gareth suggests a secluded location , which is off - limits as it is apparently an area under renovation , but Adeola hesitates . However , when Gareth goes silent , she goes into the section to look for him . As she draws back a curtain , a Cyberman lunges at her and she screams . The Doctor , singing the " Ghostbusters " theme , assembles a device to determine the ghosts ' origin by triangulation . Rose asks if the ghosts might be related to the Gelth but the Doctor replies negatively ; the Gelth were simply coming through the Rift , whereas the ghosts are forcing themselves into existence across the world . He sets up the device in the playground , while Rose monitors the energy levels in the TARDIS . At Torchwood Tower , Hartman cues for the next ghost shift , just as Gareth and Adeola return to their desks , each wearing two Bluetooth earpieces instead of one , the lights on the devices flickering actively . Jackie , in the TARDIS , comments that Rose has changed a lot . Jackie wonders what will happen to Rose when she is gone and if she will keep travelling , and changing , until she is no longer Rose Tyler , or even human . The Torchwood machines power up , and the ghosts begin to appear as before . The Doctor traps a ghost within his device , looking at it through 3D glasses and demanding to know where it comes from . As he adjusts the controls , Torchwood picks up the signal , and Hartman orders the ghost shift closed down . The Doctor has managed to locate the energy source required for the ghosts ' appearance but Torchwood has also traced the interference to the Powell Estate . A CCTV camera shows an image of the TARDIS , and Hartman recognises it . The TARDIS dematerialises , with Jackie an unwilling passenger who warns the Doctor that she will kill him if they end up on Mars . Hartman , seeing this , realises the Doctor is on his way , and runs off excitedly . The TARDIS materialises in a Torchwood Tower loading bay , and is surrounded immediately by armed guards . Telling Jackie and Rose to stay inside , the Doctor emerges with his hands raised . Hartman rushes in and to the Doctor ' s surprise , begins to lead the squad in applause . Hartman greets him warmly , and seems to know a good deal about him , including the fact that he travels with a companion . The Doctor reaches back into the TARDIS and pulls Jackie out , introducing her as " Rose " , who unfortunately stared into the heart of the time vortex and aged fifty - seven years ( despite Jackie telling the Doctor and Hartman that she is only forty ) . Rose stays hidden in the TARDIS , watching them through the TARDIS scanner . Hartman welcomes the Doctor to Torchwood , bringing him around and showing him the advanced technology they have captured from alien ships and reverse engineered , all in the name of protecting the British Empire . She explains the Institute ' s motto : " If it ' s alien , it ' s ours , " demonstrating it by carting the TARDIS away to a corner of the basement . The Doctor is shocked at Hartman ' s blatant arrogance and disregard for alien life , especially when she reveals that the Jathaa Sunglider stored in the room was shot down by them and its weapon system was what destroyed the Sycorax on Christmas Day . Adeola lures another worker , Matt , over to the work area , where she tells him to go towards a mysterious red light . He vanishes behind a plastic curtain and screams as sparks fly and saws whir . He returns to his post later with an extra earpiece . Meanwhile , Hartman reveals that the Doctor was written into the original Torchwood Foundation charter in 1879 as an enemy of the Crown . After his encounter with Queen Victoria and the werewolf , the Queen created the Torchwood Institute to keep Britain great and protect it against the alien horde . The Doctor is their prisoner , but he will be kept comfortable ; Hartman hopes that Torchwood will learn a lot from him . Hartman leads the Doctor to the room with the Sphere , which the Doctor studies with the 3D glasses before identifying it as a void ship , a hypothetical craft for travelling through the nothingness between parallel universes . That space was called " the Void " by the Time Lords ; the Eternal s called it the Howling ; others call it Hell . When Singh asks how they can get into the Sphere , the Doctor tells them that they should not — they should send it back where it came from . Hartman explains that the void ship came through to Earth and the ghosts followed in its wake . She shows the Doctor where it came through , at a location opposite her office ; when they fire particle engines at the spot , the breach opens . They detected the spatial disturbance as a radar black spot years before , and built Torchwood Tower to reach it , hoping to harness its energy . The public at large know the skyscraper as part of Canary Wharf . The Doctor berates Hartman for trying to make the breach bigger , and warns her to cancel the next shift . He explains , using a piece of glass as a demonstration , that when the sphere came through , it cracked the surface of this dimension . The ghosts have been bleeding through the fault lines , walking from their world to this one . However , too many ghosts and ( breaking a piece of glass ) the surface will shatter . When Hartman insists on going through with the shift anyway , the Doctor abruptly changes gears , casually sitting to watch it happen . Hartman , disconcerted , stops the countdown , conceding that it may be prudent to get more intelligence . However , once they go into Hartman ' s office , Adeola , Matt and Gareth restart the countdown . Meanwhile , Rose leaves the TARDIS and , picking up a stray laboratory coat , makes her way to the room with the void ship . There she uses the psychic paper to get through the door . When Singh questions her , she tries to bluff her way with the psychic paper ; however , all Torchwood personnel have received basic psychic training and he sees it as blank paper . Singh calls for security and tells his assistant Samuel to check the locks . To Rose ' s surprise , " Samuel " is Mickey Smith , who signals Rose to keep quiet . Hartman notices the ghost shift programme powering up , but despite her orders , the three workers continue their work . As the power rises , the void ship activates , shaking the whole room . The Doctor recognises that the workers are being controlled through the earpieces ; he apologises , and uses the sonic screwdriver to disrupt the signal . The three cry out and collapse ; Jackie accuses the Doctor of having killed them , but he replies that they were already dead . The Doctor removes one of Adeola ' s earpieces , and , to her disgust , Hartman sees a long string of nerve tissue dangling from it , indicating it was connected straight to her brain . The ghost shift is now at ninety percent . The Doctor traces the control signal to the work area and he and Hartman rush there , not hearing Singh ' s communication about the void ship , whose existence is beginning to register on Singh ' s instruments . The doors to the void ship room seal , locking in Rose , Mickey and Singh . Mickey , more confident than he once was , assures Rose that they have beaten them before and they will beat them again . At the work area , the Doctor , Hartman and two soldiers investigate in the corridor location where the three employees were " turned " and they find themselves surrounded by the advance guard of Cybermen . Mickey tells Rose that the Cybermen were nearly beaten on the parallel Earth but they somehow escaped , finding a way to this world — despite the Doctor ' s pronouncements that this travel was impossible . The Cybermen lead the Doctor and Hartman as prisoners back to the breach , where they kill the technicians trying to shut the programme down . A Cyberman with black handlebars on its helmet ( the Cyber - Leader ) orders the ghost shift be increased to one hundred percent . All around the world , the ghosts shimmer into full existence , revealing themselves to be Cybermen . Worldwide panic ensues as the Cybermen march across the face of the planet , killing people and breaking into homes . Hartman calls it an invasion , but the Doctor notes it is too late for that — it is a victory . In the void ship room , the sphere begins to open up . Mickey pulls out a large rifle from its hiding space and aims it toward the ship , expecting some sort of Cyber - Leader variant to emerge . The Doctor asks the Cyber - Leader about the void ship , claiming that the Cybermen do not have the necessary technology to build one . To the Doctor ' s horror , the Cyber - Leader confirms that the sphere is not theirs and they do not know its origins . It broke down the barrier between worlds , and they merely followed . As Singh , Rose and Mickey watch in horror , a black Dalek and three gold Daleks emerge from the void ship , along with a mysterious device . The black Dalek approaches the three humans ; it announces the location as Earth , that lifeforms have been detected , and gives the order to exterminate , a command echoed by the other Daleks .