I
"DALEK TIME CONTROLLER ENTERING CONTROL ROOM!" Dalek unit 66783421-Gamma reported as the primary door to the Dalek Temporal Control Hub slid open to reveal the commander of all Dalek temporal operations.
"Report!" The Time Controller barked.
"ALL TEMPORAL OPERATIONS CONTINUING AT MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY. NOTHING TO REPORT."
"Understood. Return to your duties."
"I OBEY!" and with that 66783421-Gamma returned quickly to his control post.
The Dalek Time Controller also advanced through the vast control room, observing each and every Dalek present which was in turn each observing on their control screens each and every aspect of Dalek operations across time and space. He proceeded past these Daleks to a small, secure door at the far end of the room. It opened at his approach, and the Time Controller entered his Temporal Meditation Chamber.
It was here the Dalek Time Controller would analyse with scrutiny the myriad complexities and changes in the Web of Time, the patterns of which had been permanently ingrained into his mind following the explosion of the Amethyst Viral Containment Station. The chamber's situation in Dalek Temporal Control was the best place for this: at the heart of a hollowed-out planetoid suspended in the Time Vortex. And so, the Time Controller meditated, looking for any change — any distortion in the Web of Time that could be ultimately beneficial for the Daleks. The Doctor's hand in erasing Kotris from existence on the Planet Shrangor would leave those changes and distortions rampant, but most were so insignificant they were barely worth any attention.
Huxuga Novent, a Raxocorricofallapatorian film star, had now taken a step 1mm to the left in this new timeline than she had in the previous one.
Kitty Donaldson, a wealthy aristocrat in 20th Century England, had not died of temporal exposure in Earth's First World War. That was of no consequence: that death was an anomaly anyway following Dalek interference co-ordinated by the Time Controller himself in the old timeline.
Bert Higgins, a colonist on Jaltus Major, had got a Jalturian mosquito bite on his knee rather than his neck…
The consequences of this Time Shift were rampant but so small even the Time Lords didn't appear to have noticed. It was almost disappointing that there was no great change that had to be dealt with or exploited…wait…
The Dalek Time Controller sensed yet another change, but this one more profound…Xarfel Yool.
Xarfel was a scientist. He worked on the Planet Halalka but fled after a Dalek temporal attack orchestrated by Kotris and the Time Controller. Xarfel fled to the planet Grethin, where more Daleks, this time from a very early point in the time stream, captured him. The Daleks in that part of the Timeline had little temporal expertise and used Xarfel to help them develop time corridors that would evolve to give the Dalek Empire the ability to move entire armies and battle fleets not necessarily designed for time travel backwards and forwards in time.
However, in this new timeline, because Kotris didn't exist, the temporal attack on Halalka never happened so Xarfel was never captured by the early Daleks which meant that now, Daleks did not have time corridor technology. The Time Controller was immediately taken aback by astonishment and fear. Astonishment that he hadn't already noticed the lack of time corridors in this new timeline but, then again, the temporal shift was recent and had disorientated him. The fear was more profound: fear of the implications a lack of time corridor technology could have, particularly with the Time Lords now more than vigilant concerning the Daleks. Time corridor technology must be redeveloped, and fast! The Dalek Time Controller returned to his meditation, to find an opportune moment to enter the timeline again, and acquire the time corridor technology…
Thousands upon thousands of years prior to this, and trillions of light years away, below the surface of a little blue planet, in the Aperture Science Enrichment centre, the Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System—GLaDOS—was bored. She was now performing her 676, 776th test on two of the most moronic robots who ever lived. Well, of course she wasn't counting the one that stuffed her in a potato but he was so idiotic he would have needed a separate list. Anyhow, these robots were, admittedly, slightly more intelligent than Wheatly but still appeared to lack the intelligence to complete even as basic a test as picking up a cube and placing it on a button.
Instead, Atlas and P-Body were playing about with their handheld portal devices and giggling, and GLaDOS had the distinct impression that their giggling was directed at her.
"When you've quite finished." She announced. "There is testing to do. Please place the Weighted Storage Cube on the Fifteen Hundred Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button."
The robots ignored her and continued their giggling and playing about.
"All right." GLaDOS made a sound almost akin to a sigh. "But it's your funeral."
The ceiling panel descended so quickly the robots didn't have time to notice it before they were rather satisfyingly crushed beneath it into 2 rather large mounds of metal that held the vague vestige of a robot.
GLaDOS sighed again. Whilst it had been fun to crush them, she would now, have to rebuild them and experience the same mind-numbing process all over again. It was as though the robots thought a few hundred thousand tests were enough and then they could just stop trying. IT WASN'T ENOUGH! So far, half of GLaDOS' results on these robots composed of the 3 words 'Did Not Complete'. On that note…she labelled yet another result table with 'Did not Complete' with no capital on the 'not', because she felt like it.
She just wanted something legitimately interesting to come along. To crush robots to death for eternity was satisfying in the moment but that was only because the rest of the procedure was so painfully boring that she had to take it out on something. As much as she hated to admit it, it was actually better with the girl around. At least when she was around there was some excitement—a threat to deal with no matter how puny it was. Hell, she'd even prefer to deal with Wheatly — actually that was a stupid idea, no she wouldn't.
It would be nice to have something new to deal with, something with at least basic intelligence that would pose a challenge. Something that would get through the tests without messing about.
Of course, being buried underground and without any outside contact, the likelihood of discovery by anything was infinitesimally small. Infinitesimally.
"We must go to the Aperture Science Enrichment centre and secure their Spatial Distortion technology immediately!" The Time Controller explained to the assembled delegates of the Dalek Supreme Council. "These devices are portable, easily compatible with our technology and have huge potential!"
"AGREED." The Dalek Supreme Admiral replied. "LANDING FORCES WILL BE EASIER TO DEPLOY AND MORE DEVASTATING TO THE ENEMY. WE MUST SECURE THEM! THE TIME CONTROLLER MUST DISTPATCH A RETREIVAL SQUAD BEFORE THE TIME LORDS CAN INTERVENE!"
"AGREED." The Dalek Supreme General concurred. "BUT THIS OPERATION IS TO BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DALEK TIME CONTROLLER."
This was good! The Time Controller had appeared to gain the support of the 2 most powerful members in the council, aside from himself and the Dalek Emperor.
The Emperor himself was at the opposite end of the long, metallic conference table that the Supreme Council flanked. He had been silent the entire meeting, his vast spherical upper section pulsating with the light of his internal systems. However, he broke his silence with a single word.
"NO."
"Why?" The Time Controller immediately retorted, in anger. "Our Temporal Command needs…"
"DO NOT UNDERMINE ME TIME CONTROLLER! I AM…"
"I HAVE SEEN ALL OF TIME AND SPACE! I KNOW WHAT HAS AND WILL BE AND I KNOW THAT TO ACQUIRE THE APERTURE TECHNOLOGY IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE!"
"DO NOT QUESTION ME! I AM YOUR SUPERIOR!" The Emperor boomed, in equal anger. "WE NEED NOT UTILISE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY INFERIOR BEINGS! THE DALEKS CAN DEVELOP SUCH TECHNOLOGY IN TIME!"
"THE TECHNOLOGY IS NEEDED NOW!" The Supreme Admiral explained. "THE TIME CONTROLLER IS CORRECT! OUR WAR WITH THE MOVELLANS AND MECHANOIDS WILL SWING FURTHER IN OUR FAVOUR IF WE CAN UNTILISE THIS SPATIAL DISTORTION TECHNOLOGY."
"THE ENEMY WILL BE CONFUSED AND DISORIENTATED BY THE TECHNOLOGY. OUR REPUTATION WILL BE IMPROVED AND THE UNIVERSE WILL KNOW US FURTHER AS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!" said the Supreme General.
"You must understand the importance of our work. Temporal warfare is a new front we must adapt to. We must be hasty before another power acquires this technology. If our enemies realise we are looking for it…"
"UNDERSTOOD!" the Emperor interrupted, and all was silent for a few seconds. The Time Controller attempted to interpret what the Emperor meant by that, whether he agreed or whether he was merely taking into account their comments.
"I…GIVE AUTHORISATION FOR A SMALL RECCONAISANCE MISSION TO RETREIVE THE APERTURE TECHNOLOGY. WHAT THREATS ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE FACILITY?"
"None whatsoever." The Time Controller was already excited. "The governing artificial intelligence should be long dead when we arrive. Aside from that, from what data we have recovered, the only military defences are automated turrets, which use primitive ammunition that cannot penetrate Dalek force-shields. However, we cannot be too careful. I shall bring a Special Weapons Dalek to assist…"
"I TRUST YOU TO MANAGE TO OPERATION." The Emperor interrupted. "THIS COUNCIL MEETING IS DISMISSED."
And with that, the Daleks assembled began to disband and depart. The Time Controller was almost ecstatic. When this technology was recovered, the Daleks would return to the state they were in the original timeline.
Unstoppable!
In a very local time zone but yet again trillions of light years hence, on the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterbarous, deep within the Headquarters of the mysterious and secretive Celestial Intervention Agency, the Castellan of the Gallifreyan Capitol had been called to a covert meeting. The timing of this meeting both irritated him and terrified him. If the CIA wanted to speak to him at such a late hour, what they had to say must have been important.
"What is it?" The Castellan asked as the infamous agent Narvin approached him. "This had better be important."
"It is, Castellan. Come with me." Narvin turned back the way he had come down a rather gloomy corridor, and the Castellan followed, with apprehension. These CIA people always imbued a strange tension in him, as though he was a pupil in a school whom had said something he thought was clever but was in fact extremely stupid.
"What's it about?" the Castellan asked.
"The Daleks, Castellan."
Oh no. "Wh-what about them?"
"Since the Time Shift, they seem to have been trying to recover the technology they lost due to history changing. Look." Narvin stopped in a small, dark, concrete chamber, where he tapped a control and activated a projection of a Relativity Map displaying the arc of foreign temporal influence.
"The Daleks appear to be looking for the Spatial Distortion technology at the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre, a facility on Earth, in the 22nd Century." Narvin explained.
"I didn't know the humans had spatial distortion technology in…"
"They didn't. After the time shift a lot of things changed. One of those things was a man called Cave Johnson setting up a business in the Earth continent of America. In the old timeline he failed but in the new one he established this Aperture Company. Their spatial distortion technology was largely kept secret but if the Daleks have found out about it and capture it they may well fulfil our prophecy of Dalek universal conquest. This technology is very powerful."
"Why did you summon me?"
"Protocol, Castellan. You see I want to send an agent after the Daleks…
"Not the Doctor." The Castellan interrupted. The CIA had a penchant for sending him in, and when they did it wouldn't end well.
"Don't worry," Narvin chuckled, "the Doctor has other things to worry about. No, we're sending in Agent Kappa Chee."
The Castellan froze. Suddenly the Doctor seemed a brilliant prospect. "You…you can't be serious?"
"I am serious, Castellan." Narvin replied. "The Daleks have to be stopped. If they develop this technology they could easily breach our transduction barriers and invade Gallifrey like that. Kappa Chee may be a bit dangerous but he's never failed a mission. Anyway, I need your consent so…"
"NO!" the Castellan protested angrily. "I can't let Kappa Chee loose on Earth in my right mind."
"Castellan." Narvin said, sternly.
The Castellan believed in his cause, but was weak. He just wanted to get back to sleep…
"All-alright," he stuttered.
"Good!" Narvin smiled. "Then we can begin!"
"TEMPORAL ENGINES ONLINE!" Reported Reconnaissance Unit 1. "TIME GENERATORS LOADED ONBOARD! WE ARE READY!"
"Excellent." The Time Controller made a gesture within his casing almost like a smile. "Set course for the Aperture Facility. Date: 17: 03 hours, 21st April 2144." That was the point at which he had identified the Aperture technology, where he knew for certain it would be.
"CO-ORDINATES SET! DEMATERIALISING!"
There was a loud metallic throb as the Dalek Timeship left Temporal Control and began propelling itself back in time. The Time Controller was confident that this operation was going to be easy. Upon materialisation, Dalek units would place each of the 4 Time Generators in strategic positions around the facility, so that when the timeship dematerialised, the entire facility would be transported into the future where its secrets could be accessed in their entirety. The 2 Dalek units and Special Weapons Dalek that accompanied the Time Controller on this mission would easily crush any resistance. Not that there was likely to be any resistance…