The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey are transported to a parallel reality due to a serious issue with the TARDIS, and they are left there for 24 hours without a means of returning home. In the alternative reality, the majority of people wear EarPods, which send information straight into their brains, and Rose’s father Pete is still alive. John Lumic created the EarPods with the intention of giving them a “upgrade” that will eventually transform people into Cybermen. He has been kidnapping and converting a large number of homeless persons without authorization. Jake Simmonds, a member of a gang known as the “Preachers” who are aware of the risks associated with the EarPods, kidnaps Mickey after mistaking him for his parallel universe persona Ricky. Rose and the Doctor are pretending to be waiters at a birthday party when cybermen start attacking. The Cybermen close down on them after they and Pete manage to flee and encounter Mickey and the Preachers.