A robotic voice hissed, its voice echoing throughout the gigantic, metallic chamber as it said, Exterminate. Exterminate. Extermin-
"No, no, no. No, you are definitely not exterminating anyone anymore, can you just get with the program already?"
The Dalek paused, seemingly at a lack for words, at which the young man took the opportunity to speak. "There. All better. Now…."
Encircling the sentient machine with the eye of a scientist examining a dissected animal, the man suddenly stepped uncomfortably close to the Dalek, holding his eye up to an eyestalk protruding from its chassis. "How did you survive?"
The Dalek said nothing at first.
Then, I will exterminate you.
The man sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. "That's not an option for you, and frankly, you couldn't even exterminate a fly right now. I'm going to ask again, and this time, you must answer truthfully and in full, about how you survived the Time War between your race and my own."
The Dalek's gun mount raised the energy weapon until it was pointing at the young man, as if to shoot.
The man simply walked away a short distance, laughing. When he finally calmed down, he approached it once again with a frightening calm. "Your weapon doesn't work. You can't kill, you can't exterminate, you can't be a Dalek. Daleks kill, destroy the world of its filth, isn't that right? You cannot destroy anything, so in my eyes….you are not a Dalek at all."
The Dalek was silent. It appeared to be thinking. Then it hurled itself at the young man, straining against the chains holding it to the TARDIS. For a few seconds it tried to body slam the man, then, calming down, it stopped and was quiet.
All the while, the man just looked at the Dalek.
"We're here!" A blonde-haired young girl, about twenty years old or so, called to the young man from behind a dashboard with blinking lights and various buttons of different shapes and sizes. "Just what the doctor ordered, London in 1969, an age of excitement and wonder! Isn't that what you always say?" There was a twinkle in her eye.
The young man turned away from the Dalek and smiled at the girl. "Well Rose, real doctors would prescribe time away from stress-inducing excitement, but we were never one to shy away from danger! Come on!"
Rose stood up and ran to the door, about to open it until she remembered. "Wait…what about the Dalek? Are we just going to leave it here?"
The man answered, "Well, not going to be long. And he shouldn't be able to escape either, since he can't use that laser of his or his other nasty tools. Think of this as a little pit stop, a short rest before we get to the meat of our journey: the universe's worst prison." His face darkened as he said, "That is what this creature deserves." A pause. "On a happier note, we'll finally be able to see the abolition of the Ulster Special Constabulary, which was an interesting event in the history of Britain."
Rose smiled uncertainly. "Let's go!"
"Wait! I'm not decent yet!" The young man dug through his pockets, took out spectacles, unfolded them, and placed them on his head. He patted his suit, then gave a quick little nod of acceptance. He walked toward the TARDIS door and opened it. He turned back to Rose and said, "Now I am."
With that, the Tenth Doctor offered his arm to Rose, who took it, as they walked out.
What they saw when the door opened and they stepped out was not the London they knew and loved.
"Doctor, are you sure this is right? Are we supposed to be on this desolated wasteland on some random planet?"
The Doctor calmly spoke. "This is Earth. And we are exactly where we wanted to go. As for what time or dimension….even I do not know."
Smoke and grime was everywhere, coating the destroyed, crumbling buildings, on the ground, in the air. They wandered about, walking around the TARDIS cautiously to try and see the source of the chaos, but ran right into a strange pair.
One was an unnatural-looking man who wore a long coat with sunglasses and a tie.
That in itself was not weird, but his reliance on a cane when he looked about thirty was odd. His companion was a woman, about twenty years old, with blonde hair that shone like a beacon. Both immediately lowered into fighting stances at the sight of the Doctor and Rose. They looked at the TARDIS, then the Doctor and Rose, then back to the TARDIS, and shock and anger dawned on their faces as they ran forward. The girl threw a punch at Rose, who received it with her face. She fell backwards on the mud.
The girl started to yell about stealing.
The man tried the same with the Doctor and didn't have as much luck. The Doctor blocked the arm with his own and punched the man with his other. The man twisted out of the way, looking wary, relaxed, then lunged at the Doctor, cane in hand. The Doctor, calling upon his knowledge of taekwondo, executed a single knife-hand block, successfully protecting himself from the unknown man's cane. The man looked at him strangely, as if recognizing something. However, he did not have time to ponder what was happening. Suddenly, a strange noise was heard, followed by a loud bang, as rubble and dust began to billow out from behind them. The Doctor and Rose looked back in surprise only to see a flying object zoom by them, knocking them to the ground with its passage. The Doctor, neck straining, caught a glimpse of the Dalek they had captured coming to a stop with a energy weapon pointed at him, and another, identical Dalek, hovering by its fellow mutant, with a freshly charged death ray in Rose's face. The man and the girl stood by quietly. The man finally said, "Kill whomever you wish. Bring them to me if they are useful: if they have knowledge, are gifted, strong-willed. I always need new troops." Then the man and his acquaintance walked away.
The Doctor smiled grimly. "So that's how it is, eh? And what did he mean by new troops?"
I am sorry, Doctor, the Dalek nearest him beeped after the other man and girl left. I cannot reveal to you that information. And I lied. I can still exterminate. I will start with you.
Pointing its energy weapon at the Doctor, it attempted to fire.
Nothing happened.
It asked itself absentmindedly, Why is it not working? Experimenting, the Dalek placed its plunger-like appendage on the ground.
A sucking sound commenced. The Dalek appeared satisfied, then pointed the energy weapon at the Doctor again. Only a slight buzz was heard.
The other Dalek did not remark upon its fellow Dalek's actions.
Finally, the Dalek seemed to give up and was about to speak again when a figure flew out from the smoke, punched through the Dalek, and tore the dome off its metallic body. The Cyberman turned away from the defeated alien and, emboldened by its victory, ran towards the other Dalek with an intent to kill.
A lazer zipped out of the darkness into and through the Cyberman when it was a foot away from its perceived enemy. A clean hole through the Cyberman's breastplate marked the beam's path. The Cyberman crumpled to its knees, then fell to the ground, face-down.
A Dalek rolled forward, coming to a stop next to its bretheren. You must come with us. Though I have heard about your atrocious acts concerning our race, the master would be angry if he were deprived of a new batch of soldiers, a Time Lord no less. He does like your kind, Doctor.
"Why?" The Doctor asked.
If he could keep the Dalek talking, he could have more time to think up a solution to distract them so he could escape with Rose. He still had the Sonic Screwdriver in his pocket, so perhaps he could cook up a plan with that in mind…
You see, he is a Time Lord as well, The Dalek beeped, with a glimmer of laughter hidden behind its stoic demeanor.
Nothing else the Dalek could have said would have startled the Doctor as much as that statement.
The Doctor forgot that the Dalek was an enemy for a moment from shock and spoke without venom in his voice. "What do you mean, Time Lord? The only one left is myself. There are no others of my race. None. Zip."
You also believed that we Daleks were in the same predicament as you. Yet my race survives. It waited impatiently for the Doctor to concede.
"But…that's impossible. I couldn't sense him. All Time Lords in close proximity share a telepathic connection. So he can't be a Time Lord. Aristotelian logic works wonders, you know."
I know not what you are speaking of. He is a Time Lord. I have heard his two hearts beating. I have seen his skills and abilities. There is no other alien he could possibly be. My master is a Time Lord.