Martha, the Doctor and I all walked out after he decided to show us something of the past and, though I was still a bit cautious of the Doctor now that he knew what was going on with me, I couldn't help but be amazed at the sight standing not too far away.
"Where are we?" Martha asked, having not seen it yet, and I couldn't quite get the words out as I stared up at the sight.
"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely." The Doctor commented, before I tugged on his coat sleeve and pointed up at the Lady in shock. He seemed amused at my surprise and glanced over his shoulder at Martha as he ruffled my hair. "Martha, have you met my friend?"
Martha turned and gapped as well. "Is that… Oh my God. That's the Statue of Liberty."
"Gateway to the New World." The Doctor hummed as I scowled at him for messing up my hair again and began to try and fix it. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
"That's so brilliant." Martha gasped. "I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean, the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new one."
"Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice."
"Wasn't it called New Amsterdam? They only changed it to New York afterwards, yeah?" I asked, wanting to be sure that at least some of the history in this universe was the same as in mine.
"That's right. Though it's harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam."
I raised a brow. "I think they would have just called it New Amsterdam, New York."
"Still. Not a very good ring to it." He shrugged as Martha pointed out something else.
"I wonder what year it is, because look. The Empire State Building's not even finished yet."
"Work in progress. Still got a couple of floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around…"
"November first 1930?" I offered, looking over the newspaper I found nearby.
"You're getting good at this." He said, turning to me to find me waving the newspaper at him.
"No, I just know how to read."
He lightly tugged the paper from me as Martha hummed.
"Eighty years ago. It's funny, because you see all those old newsreels all in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now." She laughed, looking at the Doctor. "Come on, you. Where do you want to go first?"
The Doctor glanced at me and I stiffened, knowing what he'd seen on the paper, and wondering if this was him going to ask me about it. Going to demand answers that I couldn't give him. I took a hesitant step back, worried, but he just turned to Martha and showed her the headline.
"I think our detour just got longer."
"'Hooverville Mystery Deepens.' What's Hooverville?"
"A bunch of homeless living in Central Park after the Wall Street Crash." I rattled off as we took the Tardis to the park, and she looked surprised.
"What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?" She questioned after having thought about that for a while; the group of us walking down a path in Central Park until we reached Hooverville itself.
"Ordinary people lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. No one's helping them. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."
I looked around, cautious of the suspicious eyes watching us, eyeing our decent looking clothing and judging the newcomers. I flinched when a hand landed on my shoulder, but looked up to see the Doctor giving me a reassuring look. It made me feel bad that I was having doubts about my trust towards him when he was trying to help ease my anxiety, but who wouldn't be nervous? Until he gave me a good reason to fully distrust him though, I would give him the benefit of the doubt. There wasn't exactly anyone else I could trust, anyway.
"You thieving lowlife!" A shout cut through my thoughts and the Doctor stopped us to see a fight breaking out nearby.
We watched the two men punching each other and fighting until a man stepped out of his tent and separated them.
"He stole my bread!" One of the men accused and I remembered the name of the leader who was attempting to solve the dispute.
Solomon… Yet another life I have to watch get snuffed out. I felt my chest ache and winced, rubbing at it for a moment and missing the Doctor catching sight of the action as Solomon managed to coerce the bread from the one man.
"We all starving. We all got families somewhere." He told the two, looking them both over before splitting the bread and handing a piece to either man. "No stealing and no fighting. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago, I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together. No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got."
The two men, neither looking really pleased, shuffled off and the Doctor tugged me forward with him as he approached Solomon.
"I suppose that makes you the boss around here."
"And, uh, who might you be?" Solomon questioned, not recognizing us.
"He's the Doctor. I'm Martha, and this is Kris." Martha introduced us.
"A doctor, huh? Well, we got stockbrokers. We got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day."
"How many people live here?" Martha asked, looking around in concern.
"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society. Black, white, all the same. All starving. So you're welcome, the three of you. But tell me. Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." Solomon gestured to the Empire State Building through a gap in the trees. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, when we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"
The Doctor looked grim and we soon went after Solomon, where the Doctor pulled out the paper and showed it to him.
"So, men are going missing. Is it true?"
"It's true, alright."
"But what does missing mean? Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register." The Doctor questioned as Solomon led us into his tent.
"Come on in. This is different."
"In what way?" Martha questioned, while I watched silently.
"Someone takes them at night. We hear something, someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone like they vanished into thin air."
"And you're sure someone's taking them?"
"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."
"Have you been to the police?" Martha asked, but even I knew the answer to that.
"What are the police going to do?" I asked her. "Some homeless guy goes missing, no one will care." I glanced at Solomon, hesitantly. "No offence."
He shook his head. "None taken. It's true. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."
"So the question is, who's taking them and what for?" The Doctor mused.
"What are people needed for, is another question." I tacked on and the Doctor nodded in agreement, before a young boy poked his head into the tent.
"Solomon, Mister Diagoras is here."
Solomon did not look pleased and I could understand why. The man was trying to take advantage of the weak and was about as greedy as a man could get. It didn't take knowledge of the future to know that the man was bad news. We followed Solomon outside where said man was offering up a dollar a day to go work in the sewers to clear a path after a cave in. I knew it was a lie to get more pig slaves for the Daleks, but I bit my tongue and stayed silent. I couldn't let the Doctor know, no matter how angry he got. This was something I couldn't risk changing. Even Solomon, unfortunately. A man with as much power as him, who could gather people and lead Hooverville like that, who knows what would happen if he continued to live. Not that I was condemning him to death, but… Maybe that is what I'm doing. Not with just him, but with everyone… I winced as another sharp pain went through my chest, not pleased that it only seemed to occur when I was thinking about things like this. But there's really nothing I can do, and I hate it.
"Turn left, go about half a mile. Follow tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it." Diagoras instructed the small ragtag group who'd chose to go into the sewers.
"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank asked, the young man from earlier who'd warned Solomon about Diagoras showing up.
"When you come back up."
"And if we don't come back up?" The Doctor asked, raising a brow in question, but also suspicion. He didn't like the look in Diagoras' eyes.
"Then I got no one to pay."
"Don't worry. We'll be back." Solomon said confidently, though Martha wasn't convinced.
"Let's hope so."
The group wandered off, but the Doctor and Kris stayed for a moment. The Doctor stared seriously at Diagoras, knowing something was up with the man, but he let it slide and turned to go.
"Come on, Kris." He said, taking her arm, but frowning as he caught sight of the depressed look she gave Diagoras. The Doctor waited though, until they were a bit further away, before questioning her. "You know something about this, don't you?"
Kris glanced at him briefly, but turned her gaze down to her feet. "I can't tell you anything."
The Doctor sighed softly. "I never asked you to." He stopped her, squeezing her shoulder. "I mean it, Kris. I won't ask. I know how time works and I know there won't be much you can tell me. If anything. But I don't want you punishing yourself for this either."
She watched him for a moment and he worried. She had so much she had to worry about with this information all tucked away in her head, and he already knew that it was tearing away at her. He just didn't want to see a smart, kind, young woman turn into something downtrodden and empty because she had to deal with this. Because she went and blamed herself for something out of her control. She needed to trust him, because he was all she had, and because he needed her too. He could help her, but she needed to open up to him, at least a little bit.
"Yes." Kris muttered then and the Doctor blinked, having been lost in his thoughts.
"Sorry?"
She sighed heavily. "I know what's going on here and what's going to happen… And you're not going to like it."
He stiffened at those words, not liking the way Kris had said them, but also feeling that he was one step closer to her too. So he couldn't help but smile, ruffling her hair, despite knowing that she didn't like it.
"Thanks." He replied, his grin growing as she gave him a confused and slightly frustrated expression while trying to straighten her short hair. "Now come on. They're going to start worrying up there if we don't catch up."
"A-Ah." She grumbled, taking his hand.
It surprised him slightly, but upon catching sight of her pink, embarrassed cheeks, he decided to just smile away like it never happened. Two steps forward in the right direction, then.
"Allons-y!"
Once they caught up with the others though, the Doctor set about gathering his own answers.
"So, this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?"
"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman." Solomon replied. "Now, it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."
"How'd he manage that then?"
"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way round."
The Doctor though, wasn't quite listening as he spotted something on the ground.
"Whoa!"
Martha pushed forward to see too, and grimaces at the glowing green brain-like object lying in the sewage on the path ahead of them. "Is it radioactive or something? It's gone off, whatever it is."
The Doctor knelt down and then picked it up, making Martha cover her mouth in disgust.
"And you've got to pick it up."
"Shine your torch through it." The Doctor told her and she obeyed as he looked it over. "Composite organic matter. Martha? Medical opinion?"
"It's not human, I know that."
"No, it's not. And I'll tell you something else." The Doctor said, standing up and looking around. "We must be at least half a mile in. I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mister Diagoras send us down here?"
"Where are we now?" Martha questioned. "What's above us?"
"Well, we're right underneath Manhattan."
"Let's go a bit more, just to be sure." Solomon offered and the group agreed, Kris grimacing as she spotted the Doctor putting the brain into his coat pocket.
"I hope you have a good dry cleaner." She muttered to the Doctor, who smiled.
"Don't need one. I've got the Tardis."
"Cheeky." She replied, though the Doctor could see her unease growing with every passing moment.
"Alright, just how bad is this? Scale of one to ten. Go on, humor me."
Kris winced. "Eight, maybe nine."
It was the Doctor's turn to wince then. "That bad then… Well, that's alright. Turns out well in the end, I'm sure."
"For some." Kris muttered, probably assuming the Doctor hadn't heard, but he did and her words made him worried.
"We're way beyond half a mile." Solomon called out then. "There's no collapse, nothing."
"That Diagoras bloke. Was he lying?" Martha asked and Kris scoffed as the Doctor hummed.
"Looks like it."
"So why'd he want people to come down here?" Frank asked and the Doctor turned to Solomon.
"Solomon, I think it's time you took these three back. I'll be much quicker on my own."
"Not happening." Kris said and the Doctor turned to argue with her, but caught sight of her looking down one of the paths.
He turned to look, just as a squeal echoed from that direction.
"What the hell was that?"
"Hello?" Frank called out, but Martha shushed him, knowing better than to call out to something unknown in the Doctor's presence.
"Frank." Solomon scolded, not thinking it was a great idea either.
"What if it's one of the folk gone missing?" He argued. "You'd be scared half mad down here on your own."
The Doctor raised a brow at him. "Do you think they're still alive?"
"Heck, we ain't see no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost."
"Or changed." Kris said under her breath, still keeping an eye on the path nearby.
There was another squeal and Solomon continued.
"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that."
"Where's it coming from?" Frank asked. "Sounds like there's more than one of them."
"This way." The Doctor pointed out moving away from the group, but Kris grabbed his coat to stop him.
"No, that way." Solomon pressed, trying to get him to leave, but Martha's light caught sight of something huddled up against a wall nearby.
His curiosity couldn't resist figuring out what it was; simply grabbing Kris's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze as he moved towards it.
"Doctor?" Martha called out cautiously as Solomon and Frank caught sight of it as well.
"Who are you?"
"Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinking about folk lost down—"
The Doctor cut Frank off, stopping him from going closer. "It's alright, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." He gave Kris a small smile and let her hand go, before heading closer towards it. "He's got a point though, my friend Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own. We know the way out. Daylight. If you come with us…" He trailed off, however when his light caught sight of the pig slave. "Oh, but what are you?"
"Is that a… carnival mask?" Solomon asked, but Kris shook her head.
"No. It's much worse than that."
"She's right." The Doctor nodded. "It's real." He turned back to the pig slave. "I'm sorry. Now listen to me. I promise I can help. Who did this to you?"
The pig didn't answer and Martha called out as she spotted shadows on the wall closing in.
"Doctor? I think you'd better get back here. Doctor!"
"Actually, good point." The Doctor replied, standing and backing up towards the group.
"They're following you." Martha informed him
"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks. Well then, Martha, Frank, Solomon, Kris."
"What?"
"Uh, basically… run!"
He grabbed Kris's hand and they bolted down the sewers as the squealing pig men chased after them. Martha soon stopped though, stuck with the decision of two pathways.
"Where are we going?!"
"This way!" The Doctor shouted, releasing Kris and moving to the head of the group as Solomon ditched the shovel he was carrying.
They ran past a passage, but the Doctor doubled back and called to the others.
"There's a ladder! Come on!"
He sonicked it open and Martha was quick to toss her light and hurry up after him, but Kris was fighting with Frank to keep him going.
"Frank!"
"Just get up the ladder!" Kris argued, shoving him towards it.
"I can hold them back!"
"It's five against one! If you would just get up there, we wouldn't need you to hold them back, now go!"
Frank begrudgingly did so, hurrying up after Solomon, but pausing at the top of the ladder when he heard a grunt of pain. Kris had grabbed the first rung she could reach, but her other hand clutched at her chest in pain.
"Kris?" He looked behind her and spotted the pig slaves coming and paled. "Kris!"
Solomon grabbed Frank and pulled him up then, before reaching down towards Kris as the Doctor rushed over to do the same.
"Come on!" Solomon shouted and could see Kris attempting to get up the ladder, but when the Doctor came over, he paled.
"Kris! Kris, please! You can do it! You have to make it!"
She couldn't though, and he was beginning to see that. Her breathing was ragged, her skin pale, and as hard as she was trying to push through the pain, she wasn't moving fast enough. Kris looked up at him though and the Doctor grew almost angry.
"Don't you dare. Don't you dare give up on me Kris!"
"S-Shut up." She managed, giving him a painful smile. "I'll be fine. Trust me. I'll see you in a bit."
She let go of the ladder and leaned against it, turning away from the Doctor as he shouted down after her and Solomon took that chance to close the manhole cover as the pig slaves converged on the area.
"We can't go after her." Solomon told the Doctor as he lunged at the manhole.
"We've got to go back down. We can't just leave her!"
"No, I'm not losing anybody else. Those creatures were from Hell. From Hell itself! If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry." Solomon snapped, shoving him away and attempting to calm him down, before the group was interrupted by a woman stepping out with a pistol.
"All right, then. Put them up. Hands in the air and no funny business. Now tell me, you schmucks, what have you done with Laszlo?"
I grimaced in pain as the pig slaves shoved me forward to join a line-up of other people that walked through the tunnels being led by the pigs. I wasn't sure what was wrong with my heart all of a sudden, but I assumed it was the running that did it. Charlotte's body wasn't in decent shape to begin with and I doubted it enjoyed the torment I was placing on her heart. My heart. God, will I ever look at this body as my own and not Charlotte's? I let out a soft whimper as my heart clenched and sent rivets of pain through my chest and ribs, as though a heavy weight was sitting on it the same time someone was stabbing me in the ribs. It was a pain that was hard to describe, but I hoped it would pass soon. If I get scanned and the Daleks determine me no fit enough for their stupid little project, I'll get separated from the others and turned pig slave. I'd really rather that didn't happen, b-but I need a plan in case things turn to that. But what? I continued to try and think of something as we walk and I fought through the pain that made my breaths nothing more than ragged wheezes.
The walk seemed to last ages, with my heart acting up, but after a moment, it calmed down to a more tolerable level. It still hurt, mind you, but I wasn't wheezing as badly anymore and I could only silently hope these attacks wouldn't become a common occurrence. I heard some shouting up ahead and frowned, before spotting Martha with a pig slave in her face as she cowered away from it.
"Martha, thank God." I said, not as loudly as I'd hoped, but she heard me and looked over in relief.
"You're alive! Oh, I thought we'd lost you." She gasped out, hurrying over and hugging me, though I groaned in pain at the action.
"Y-Yeah, could you not? I seem to be having chest pains and the hugging's not helping."
"Oh my God. Are you alright?" She asked, looking me over and noticing that I looked physically ill.
A pig slave shoved my shoulder roughly forward though and she turned to snap at it.
"Alright! Alright. We're moving." She said, walking with my hand in hers, though I assume because she was talking my pulse. "Your heart rate's a bit thready."
"I've noticed." I breathed out, wincing when the pig slave gave another little shove. "I'm not in the best of shape and getting attacked by heart-stopping witches kind of takes a lot out of you."
"At least we can find out what's going on down here."
I knew that the Doctor, Tallulah, and Laszlo would catch up with us soon enough, but a part of me worried because it would be by this point that the Doctor would find out about the Daleks being involved. And that meant bad news for me, having known they were involved the moment we showed up. Our procession was brought to a halt then and Martha looked worried.
"I've got a nasty feeling we're being kept in the larder." She muttered and then the pig slaves started growing anxious.
Fear settled itself into my aching chest when a Dalek rolled out and demanded silence, making my already pale complexion grow paler still.
"What the hell is that?" Martha questioned.
"You will form a line. Move. Move."
Martha looked at me in concern, but I nodded and she tried to get the others to just listen to the creature.
"Just do what it says, everyone, okay? Just obey."
I winced at her choice of words as another Dalek showed up.
"Report."
"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause."
"Dalek?" Martha questioned.
"What is the status of the Final Experiment?"
"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete." The second Dalek replied.
"Then I will extract prisoners for selection." The first said, scanning a man that a pig slave brought forward. "Intelligence scan initiate." It brought its plunger towards the man's face. "Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."
"You calling me stupid?" The man complained.
"Silence! This one will become pig slave. Next."
I closed my eyes as the man's screams of anger faded as he was dragged off, hoping that I wouldn't be another one to be dragged off. My breath hitched as a Dalek rolled in front of me, but I opened my eyes and faced it as confidently as I could muster. Though looking hate in the eyes was harder than I could ever imagine.
"Intelligence scan, initiate."
I fought back the urge to move away from the plunger, images of the scientist from Van Staten's museum getting his head crushed proving to be more than unpleasant now that I was being faced with the real thing.
"Alert!" It screeched out then, making me pale as it pulled its plunger away. "Superior intelligence and other worldly elements detected!"
"What?" Martha questioned, looking at me in shock as a pig slave grabbed a hold of me and yanked me forward out of the line.
"W-Wait! What do you mean other world elements?!" I yelped, panicked at this sudden change and the fact that just being scanned by the Daleks appeared to be my death sentence.
The Dalek ignored my question. "Further scans required to determine source of off-world elements. Prisoner will be brought directly to transgenic laboratory."
Martha started shouting as I was being hauled off, but I could hardly get any air into my lungs with the amount of fear coursing through me. T-This wasn't supposed to happen. Why am I being brought to there without everyone else? They can't explain the off worldly elements, which means they don't know I'm from another universe and stuck in someone else's' body. Good, I suppose, but not good that I'm being separated. I hope the Doctor won't be far behind.
The Doctor and Laszlo easily snuck into the line behind Martha, who let out a breath a relief.
"Oh, I'm glad to see you."
"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later."
"Doctor, something was wrong with Kris. H-Her heart rate was all over the place and she was having chest pains and everything."
The Doctor grimaced. "She should have rested longer than she did. I'll have to look her over in the Tardis, but we've got to get to her first. I'm not liking how interested in her the Daleks are."
"But what did they mean, other worldly elements? I thought she was human."
"She is, but… well, I'll explain later. It's something she needs to tell you on her own. And we've got a bigger problem right now.
The group entered into another room that was set up like a lab with a smoking black Dalek up near the front.
"Report." The Dalek with them called out and another answered.
"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution."
"Scan him. Prepare for birth."
"Evolution?" The Doctor questioned with a frown, looking around and feeling relieved when he spotted Kris not too far away looking unharmed, though pale as she stood between two Daleks.
"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha asked, gesturing to the smoking Dalek.
"Ask them."
"What? Me? Don't be daft." She scoffed, looking frightened.
"I don't exactly want to get noticed. Ask them what's going on."
Martha, feeling a bit of courage, nodded and stepped forward a bit. "Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this… Final Experiment? Report!"
The Doctor mentally rolled his eyes at that, but the Daleks did respond.
"You will bear witness."
"To what?" She questioned, calmer now.
"This is the dawn of a new age."
"What does that mean?"
"We are the only four Daleks in existence, so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."
Just then, the smoking Dalek stopped and the casing began to open. Something was crawling out and once it stood up properly, the casing shut behind it and everyone stared in shock at the suited being.
"What is it?" Martha breathed out, but even the Doctor didn't have a clue as the one-eyed Dalek hybrid turned to her and spoke.
"I am a human Dalek. I am your future." Dalek Sec looked around. "These humans will become like me. Prepare them for hybridization."
The pig slaves grabbed the group of struggling people, Martha crying out as the Doctor snuck off and a Dalek shoved Kris forward.
"Report. This human prisoner is showing signs of other worldly elements."
Kris stiffened as Dalek Sec walked towards her and leaned down slightly to her height, reaching up a hand and brushing it over her face as she grimaced.
"We'll need a tissue sample to determine if she has the possibility of being processed successfully." It finally declared, standing straight once more as Kris's eyes went wide in fear.
Just then, music began to play and all eyes looked around for the source.
"What is that sound?" Dalek Sec questioned and the Doctor bounded out from his hiding place after setting down a radio.
"Ah, well now, that would be me. Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera." He said while tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Doctor." Dalek Sec breathed out as a Dalek strolled forward.
"The enemy of the Daleks."
"Exterminate!"
"Wait!" Dalek Sec ordered and the Daleks paused as the Doctor watched them and hummed in curiosity.
"Well, then. A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever."
"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."
The Doctor figured that much. "How did you end up in 1930?"
"Emergency temporal shift."
The Doctor winced with a hiss. "Ooh, that must have roasted up your power cells, huh? Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world, but instead, you're skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."
Dalek Sec stood taller. "I am Dalek in human form."
"What does it feel like?" The Doctor asked, approaching him. "You can talk to me Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."
"I feel… humanity." Dalek Sec said, turning away.
"Good. That's good." The Doctor mused, glancing at Kris and giving her a silent gesture to sneak away if she could.
"I feel everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such a genius for war."
"No, that's not what humanity means." The Doctor argued, buying Kris time to shuffle slowly away the behind the Daleks.
"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very Dalek."
"Alright." The Doctor gave in, having hoped he could get Dalek Sec to see something else, but he still had time. "So, what have you achieved then, with this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! Because I can show you what you're missing with this thing. A simple radio."
He walked over to the radio he'd set down earlier, patting it and looking proud as Dalek Sec watched in confusion.
"What is the purpose of this device?"
"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that?" He questioned rhetorically, seeing Kris having made it behind the machinery and heading his way. "Oh, with music you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek, of course. Then it's all just noise."
He sonicked the radio, grabbing Kris's hand and tugging her along as everyone ran back into the sewers. He spotted Tallulah, who was looking rather lost and got her to join them, but he could feel Kris slowing down.
"Come on, Kris. Just a bit more!" He told her and she nodded, panting, but picking up the pace as the group went up the ladder out of the sewers, heading for Hooverville at a more relaxed pace once apparent that the Daleks weren't behind them.
He looked over at Kris though, who was wheezing and pale once more, clutching her chest with a small grimace of pain.
"You alright?"
She glanced at him and managed a small smile. "B-Been better."
"Once we get to Hooverville, I'll check you out and see if there's anything I can do here, but you'd be better off in the Tardis at this point. The dashing about is obviously not good for you when you're still recovering."
She frowned then, not looking pleased. "I'm not leaving you."
The Doctor stopped, watching the others to make sure they continued on before he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her seriously.
"Listen, Kris. This isn't the same as before. Daleks are—"
"The embodiment of hatred." She replied simply, ignoring the Doctor's frown. "You think I don't know that? I told you, I know things. Daleks being one of them. And yeah, I didn't think they were much, but…" She paused, losing the serious expression and shivering as she glanced away. "…I've seen what they can do. What they've already done. What they're going to do. I know they're dangerous. I'm just saying… I'm scared of them too. Terrified. But if there's one thing I know, it's that I'd rather be terrified together than terrified alone. And… honestly, if I'm alone in the Tardis, I'll go mad worrying about you and Martha." She admitted hesitantly, patting her chest lightly. "Not good for the heart."
The Doctor snorted, but relented. "Alright. You can stay, but you have to take it easy. Or, well, as easy as you can in this situation."
He went to walk on, but she grabbed his sleeve and stopped him once more, looking worried.
"You're not… You're not mad at me? About… the Daleks?"
The Doctor blinked, confused, before understanding dawned on him. "Oh! No, no, no. Well, a bit annoyed, but it's minor, really. You can't help what you know and telling me might cause quite a few problems later on in the future. So I understand, but… if there's something you can tell me, something minor like a hint or something, that would be nice. Though, I don't recommend it unless you're sure."
I'm curious to see what decision she'll make here. I don't know the full scope of her time sensitivity, but she may or may not be able to see what her decisions will do to the time line. She's quite the mystery.
"I… I don't know." She muttered after a moment. "It would depend on what was happening and… I don't want to say and then have everything screwed up."
The Doctor smiled, pleased with her cautious answer and he ruffled her hair as they moved back into Hooverville. "Then don't worry about it. Now come on. Let's get you checked out."
While the Doctor spoke with Solomon about the Daleks, I sat on a wooden barrel nearby with a soft sigh. I was feeling better now. The Doctor had given me something to help, but informed me that as soon as this mess was over and done with, he was going to have to look me over properly in the Tardis med bay. I was worried, having not liked the expression he made when using the stethoscope earlier, but there was nothing I could do now. I was stuck sitting and worrying about what he'd said earlier. Hints? Can I do that? I already caused a mess by saving Peter back with the witches, but… how much can I actually give away without wrecking things? I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on the more I thought about it. I'll have to find some other time to think about this properly. As much as I enjoy being with the Doctor, it's the stressful and dangerous situations I'm having trouble with. A whistle went off then and everyone began to go on alert as I grimaced. Speaking of trouble…
Squeals and screams rang out as people rushed off only to be brought back to the center of the camp where our group was stationed. I stood from the barrel, moving to stand behind the Doctor, though I gave Solomon a worried look. I really can't save him. I can't. I bit my tongue and closed my eyes, gripping the back of the Doctor's coat as gunshots rang out around us; the people of Hooverville shooting at the pig slaves. The Doctor pulled me beside him and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I spoke up softly.
"The Daleks are coming next."
I felt him stiffen and his eyes immediately went to the skies as we caught sight of one already approaching. The shooting stopped as all eyes went to the Dalek that floated above the town.
"It's the devil." A man said. "A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation."
"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that!" Frank exclaimed, firing off a shot as the Doctor pulled away from me to stop him.
"That's not going to work!"
Sure enough, the bullet ricocheted harmlessly off its metal casing before more Daleks showed up and began attacking the camp. Those not gathered with us were blown away by the overpowered attacks and I could feel myself shaking, wanting to do something but knowing there was nothing I could do. I'm only human.
"Stop it." I muttered, feeling my heart racing. "Please. Please, stop this."
"The humans will surrender." The Dalek before us commanded and the Doctor shouted at it.
"Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!"
Solomon stepped forward then, but the Doctor grabbed him and tried to stop him.
"No! Solomon, stay back!"
He shoved the Doctor off though and faced the Dalek almost fearlessly. I could see him shaking though and clenched my fist tightly as I reminded myself again and again that he was one man I couldn't save. No matter what.
"I'm told that I'm addressing the Daleks, is that right?" He called up. "From what I hear, you're outcasts too."
"Solomon, don't!" The Doctor pressed, but Solomon glared at him.
"Doctor, this is my township. You will respect my authority." Solomon snapped, before calming himself and lightly pushing the Doctor away. "Just let me try." He took a deep breath and faced the Daleks once more. "Daleks, ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" He tossed his rifle aside. "Right. See, I've just discovered this past day, God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh yeah, terrifies me right down to the bone. But surely it's got to give me hope. Hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So, I beg you now, if you have any compassion in your hearts, then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well? What do you say?"
The Dalek was silent for only a second before responding. "Exterminate."
I flinched when the blast went off, killing Solomon and burning the sight of his death in my mind. Screams went out all around me and Frank hurried over to him, crying, but I felt cold and numb. I-I'm fine. It's not my fault. T-The Daleks killed him. I tried to tell myself, but another voice cried out. But I could have stopped this! I could have saved him! He didn't have to die! How can I stand here and allow this to happen?! I wrapped my arms around myself, quivering, before the Doctor's voice rang out loud and clear.
"Alright, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me, if it'll stop you attacking these people!"
The Dalek above us shifted closer. "I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy."
"Then do it! Do it! Just do it! Do it!" The Doctor shouted, slamming his hands against his chest.
"Exterminate!" The Dalek cried out, but the shot never came and the Dalek appeared to shuffle as it spoke with Dalek Sec. "I do not understand. It is the Doctor… The urge to kill is too strong… I… obey."
The Doctor looked confused. "What's going on?"
"You will follow." The Dalek commanded and Martha shouted from beside me, making me jump as she hurried towards him.
"No! You can't go."
"I've got to go." The Doctor told her. "The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."
"But what about us?" Martha asked and the Doctor turned around.
"One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?!"
"Humans will be spared." The Dalek said. "Doctor, follow."
Martha went to his side as I stayed where I was at the head of the group of Hooverville people., still in shock and staring at Solomon's body.
"Then I'm coming with you." Martha pressed.
"Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let me go. Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much." The Doctor smiled, taking her hand in his and winking, passing her the psychic paper before calling out to me. "Kris?"
I slowly turned towards him, feeling drained and his face seemed to fall before he gestured me over.
"Kris, come here."
I hesitated, glancing at Solomon one more time before trudging my way over to the Doctor, who looked at me before letting out a long sigh and pulling me into a tight hug.
"It's not your fault." He murmured. "I mean it. There was nothing you could have done and nothing I would have wanted you to do. Time needs to go as it should, even if it's painful."
I let out a shaky breath, nodding into his chest before he pulled away and gave me a soft smile.
"Wish me luck?"
I smiled a little. "You'll be fine."
"Ooh, was that a hint?" He teased and I snorted.
"You're too stubborn to die."
He messed up my hair, an action I felt I would miss, if I turned out to be wrong at some point in my prediction of things, before he started to walk off. When the Daleks didn't follow for a moment, I felt concern rising up.
"The unworldly human will also follow." One of the Daleks said, and I felt myself pale as the Doctor turned around in shock.
"What?" He questioned, before growing serious. "No. You said they would be spared that means Kris too!"
The Dalek wasn't one to give in though. "The unworldly human will be insurance to prevent the Doctor from fleeing and unworldly elements must be scanned for further analyzing."
A chill went down my spine at that, wondering what it meant by scanning and analyzing, as the Doctor continued to argue.
"No! She stays here or I'm not following you! Do you hear me?! She stays!"
The Doctor has to go. My mind concluded in that moment. We're wasting time. He needs as much time as he can before the lightning strikes or everything will fall apart. I need to do something.
"No." I said then, clearing my throat when my voice wobbled fearfully. "No, it's alright. I-I'll go."
"Kris." The Doctor breathed out, but I gave him a reassuring smile.
One that didn't feel as reassuring as I'd hoped.
"Really. It's fine. Let's just go."
He hesitated, but begrudgingly nodded and held out a hand to me. I took it and we were lead to the lab once more, though the Doctor leaned down and spoke softly to me.
"Did you know about this?"
I held back a wince. "I… I don't know anything about myself or what my actions will do. Just my being here has changed things. This included." I muttered. "I was never meant to be here in this universe. This is it trying to compensate, I guess."
"I'm sorry." He said back, giving my hand a squeeze. "I never meant for this to happen."
I couldn't help but smile a bit. "That's going to be your catch phrase if you're not careful."
He smiled a little in return, before we rounded the corner into the lab and he released me to charge forward and face Dalek Sec.
"Those people were defenseless! You only wanted me, but no. That wasn't enough for you. You had to start killing, because that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!"
Dalek Sec stepped forward. "The deaths were wrong."
The Doctor's anger fizzled out like a candle flame. "I'm sorry?"
"That man, their leader Solomon, he showed courage."
"And that's… good?" The Doctor questioned, looking more and more curious about Dalek Sec's change of heart, though I couldn't help but glance at the other Daleks around me nervously.
"That's excellent."
"Is it me, or are you just becoming a little bit more human?"
"You are the last of your kind, and now I am the first of mine." Dalek Sec said instead.
"What do you want me for?" He stopped and glanced at me. "And Kris."
Dalek Sec moved past the Doctor, the Daleks, and I. "We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos, but their flesh was too weak."
"Yeah, I found one of your experiments. Just left to die out there in the dark." The Doctor snapped.
"It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet. It's people." He said, before flipping a switch and allowing beds of people to be lit up and one brought down from above. "We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose. Look inside. This is the true extent of the Final Experiment."
The Doctor lifted the sheet and looked at the man underneath while I stayed back by the machinery; spotting the Daleks looking at one another. "Is he dead?"
"Near death, with his mind wiped, ready to be filled with new ideas."
"Dalek ideas."
"The Human-Dalek race."
"All of these people. How many?" The Doctor asked, making me wince.
"We have caverns beyond this storing more than a thousand."
"Is there any way to restore them? Make them human again?"
"Everything they were has been lost."
"So they're like shells. You've got empty human beings ready to be converted. That's going to take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn't even split the atom yet. How're you going to do it?" The Doctor questioned, though I couldn't help but feel a bit angry at him for not having any apparent compassion for the thousands of people who'd been taken by the Daleks.
"Open the conductor plan." Dalek Sec ordered and a screen was brought up showing the Empire State Building.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Empire State Building. We're right underneath that. I worked that out already, thanks. But what, you've hijacked the whole building?" The Doctor asked, confused.
"We needed an energy conductor."
"What for?"
"I am the genetic template. My altered DNA was to be administered to each human body. A strong enough blast of gamma radiation can splice the Dalek and human genetic codes, and waken each body from its sleep." Dalek Sec explained as the screen changed from the DNA to the sun.
"Gamma radiation? What are you. Oh, the sun. You're using the sun."
"Soon the greatest solar flare for a thousand years will hit the Earth. Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor and when it strikes—"
"The army wakes. I still don't know what you need me for." The Doctor finished for him.
"Your genius. Consider a pure Dalek, intelligent but emotionless."
"Removing the emotions makes you stronger. That's what your creator thought, all those years ago."
"He was wrong." Dalek Sec said, and the Doctor looked shocked.
"He was what?"
"It makes us lesser than our enemies. We must return to the flesh, and also the heart."
The Daleks began to turn and I shivered as the Doctor questioned Dalek Sec further.
"But you wouldn't be the supreme beings anymore."
"And that is good."
"That is incorrect." A Dalek said then, making me jump and close my eyes as I cursed myself for the fearful action.
"Daleks are supreme." Another agreed, rolling past me.
"No, not anymore." Dalek Sec argued.
"But that is our purpose."
"Then our purpose is wrong. Where has our quest for supremacy led us? To this. Hiding in the sewers on a primitive world, just four of us left. If we do not change now, then we deserve extinction."
"So you want to change everything that makes a Dalek a Dalek." The Doctor concluded.
"If you can help me." Dalek Sec agreed. "Your knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than ours. The new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts."
"But you're the template. I thought they were getting a dose of you." The Doctor questioned as they headed over to the table once more.
"I want to change the gene sequence."
"To make them even more human?"
"Humans are the great survivors. We need that ability."
"Hold on a minute. There's no way this lot are going to let you do it." The Doctor questioned, giving me a look to confirm his suspicions and I struggled to keep a neutral expression.
"I am their leader."
"Oh, and that's enough for you, is it?" He asked the other Daleks, who responded in kind.
"Daleks must follow orders."
"Dalek Sec commands, we obey."
"If you don't help me, nothing will change." Dalek Sec said then and the Doctor frowned.
"There's no room on Earth for another race of people."
"You have your Tardis. Take us across the stars. Find us a new home and allow the new Daleks to start again."
"When's that solar flare?"
"Eleven minutes."
"Right then. Better get to work." He said, agreeing to help and hurrying past me as I shuffled, but my movement apparently caught the eye of Dalek Sec.
"Keep the human in the other room until we are finished." He waved off and I stiffened as a Dalek rolled towards me.
"Hold on. She stays here, or I'm not doing anything." The Doctor said sharply.
"Tissue samples are needed for further analysis for otherworldly elements." The Dalek before me screeched to remind Dalek Sec of why he'd brought me here.
The Doctor though, took a threatening step forward. "Leave her be, or I'll make sure that your plan fails."
The Oncoming Storm. My mind supplied as I held back a shiver at the cold gaze the Doctor was sending Dalek Sec.
"Just leave her in the other room." Dalek Sec ordered the Daleks. "She's not to be harmed and will be brought back as soon as the Doctor has finished assisting."
"I said, she stays here." The Doctor snapped, but Dalek Sec didn't budge.
"If you want them appeased, Doctor, then she will have to wait in the other room."
"Doctor." I piped up, making him turn to me with a frown as I held up my hands in surrender. "I don't mind waiting in the other room. I wouldn't be much help here anyway. It'd be better if I stayed out of the way for now."
He hesitated, but nodded giving in and allowing the Dalek that was closet to lead me away. That being said, I was terrified, because this was not how things were supposed to go. If I'm not in the room with the Doctor when he goes to make his escape, I'll be in big trouble. The one Dalek was left with me for the duration of the Doctor's meddling, but I couldn't help but begin to pace.
"Cease your movements. You will be still." The Dalek ordered and I did as it said, but still fidgeted and bit my lip as a second Dalek rolled in.
The two seemed to have a silent conversation, before their eyestalks turned to me. My body went stiff as one rolled forward and the other waited by the door.
"W-What's going on?"
"A tissue sample will be extracted for further analysis." It declared.
"But Dalek Sec said you couldn't harm me. He ordered you to leave me be."
"Dalek Sec is no longer in control. Dalek Sec is an enemy of the Daleks." It declared as my back hit a wall and it extended its plunger towards me. "Extracting tissue sample."
"Doctor!"
An alarm went off and the Doctor looked around as the lights turned read and Dalek Sec frowned in confusion.
"What's that?"
"What's happening? Is there a malfunction? Answer me!" Dalek Sec ordered, but the Doctor hurried to the lines that they had just finished.
"No, no, no. The gene feed! They're overriding the gene feed!"
"Impossible. They cannot disobey orders." Dalek Sec argued, but a Dalek rolled over to the Doctor.
"The Doctor will step away from the controls."
"Stop! You will not fire!" Dalek Sec demanded, but the Dalek turned its weapon towards him instead.
"He is an enemy of the Daleks."
A second Dalek rolled up as well. "And so are you."
"I am your commander." Dalek Sec attempted. "I am Dalek Sec."
"You have lost your authority."
"You are no longer a Dalek."
The Doctor though, had expected the coup and had other things to worry about. "What have you done with the gene feed? And where's Kris?"
"The new bodies will be one hundred percent Dalek."
"No! You can't do this!" Dalek Sec shouted.
"Pig slaves, restrain Dalek Sec and the Doctor." The Dalek ordered and Laszlo grabbed the Doctor lightly, having stayed close by so he could help.
"Release me. I created you. I am your master!" Dalek Sec continued to argue, but the Doctor wasn't done yet either.
"Where's Kris?! What have you done to her?!"
A Dalek turned to him before turning to the door as Kris was brought it with a Dalek behind her. Relief flooded the Doctor, until he spotted her pale complexion and the way she stumbled and limped; a dark stain spreading down her leg.
"Kris!" The Doctor shouted as she was pushed towards him and he grabbed her. "Kris? What did they do?"
"T-Tissue sample." She breathed out, looking faint and the Doctor clutched her to him as the Daleks grew distracted by the approaching solar flare.
A chime behind them caught Laszlo's attention and he gestured to it with his head.
"There's the lift."
"After you." The Doctor muttered, bending and easily scooping Kris into his arms before they bolted for the open lift.
"The Doctor is escaping. Stop him! Stop him!"
The pig slaves were too late though and the Doctor had the lift going quickly as Laszlo clutched it chest painfully and Kris lay limp in his arms.
"We've only got minutes before the gamma radiation reaches the Earth. We need to get to the top of the building." He said, spotting Laszlo. "Laszlo, what's wrong?"
"Out of breath. It's nothing. We've escaped them, Doctor. That's all that matters." Laszlo replied, but a quiet voice reached the Doctor's ears.
"He's dying." Kris breathed out concerning the Doctor.
"And if we're not careful, you very well might be as well." The Doctor said, setting her onto the floor and leaning her up against the wall before reaching for her leg to check the damage. "You get yourself into far too much trouble."
Kris didn't respond, making his concern grow. She always has a smart come back. Just how bad is this? He grimaced seeing a large bleeding wound on her thigh. Not good. She's losing too much blood and with her heart having been acting up… I need to stop the bleeding. The Doctor stood, picking her up once more as the lift opened up and Martha spotted him.
"Doctor!"
"First floor perfumery." He joked as Tallulah hurried over to grab Laszlo in a hug.
"I never thought I'd see you again."
Martha spotted Kris then as the Doctor laid her down on the ground nearby. "Oh my God. What happened?"
"Daleks did a rushed job of a tissue sample." He said bluntly, reaching up and taking off his tie before bundling it up and looking at Kris. "I need to stop the bleeding and it's not going to be pleasant."
Kris glanced at him, but nodded, clenching her teeth.
"I'm sorry." He muttered, before wrapping the tie tightly around her thigh.
A muffled whimper escaped from Kris, tears coming to her eyes. It was soon done though, and the Doctor wiped at the sweat that had collected on her brow. She was still pale, but he had staunched the blood flow and hoped that he could finish this adventure up quickly enough to take her to the med bay.
"I'm going to leave her to you. Make sure she's alright." He told Martha, who nodded before remembering the blueprints she'd found earlier.
"We've worked it out. We know what they've done." She said, showing him the blueprints. "There's Dalekanium on the mast, and it's good to see you too, by the way."
"Oh, come here." The Doctor grinned, grabbing her in a hug before spotting Kris pointing at the lifts.
His eyes widened and he very nearly dropped Martha as he hurried over to them, but it was too late. The pig slaves were coming up.
"No, no, no. See? Never waste time with a hug. Deadlock seal. I can't stop it." He grimaced.
"Where's it going?"
"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"
Frank checked his watch, having tagged along to help. "Uh, eleven fifteen."
"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."
"Gamma radiation? What the heck is that?" Tallulah asked, but the Doctor was busy looking out to see how he'd get up to the mast.
"Ooh, that's high. That's very—Blimey, that's high."
"And we've got to go even higher." Martha muttered. "That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium on the base. We've got to get them off."
The Doctor quickly turned to her. "That's not 'we', that's just me."
"I won't just stand here and watch you." Martha argued.
"No, you're going to have your hands full anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight and keep an eye on Kris so that she doesn't lose any more blood or pass out, because she might just not wake up again."
"Doctor."
He turned to Kris and hurried over to kneel next to her. "Don't worry, Kris. I'll come back for you. I promise."
She looked at him and he was a little surprised to find her annoyed. "You don't need to promise me anything, y-you moron. Just be careful and don't try to rush it. You'll drop your sonic if you're not too careful."
The Doctor furrowed his brows, confused and she rolled her eyes tiredly.
"That was a hint."
"Oh… Oh, right!" He grinned, understanding dawning on him and he kissed her forehead. "Brilliant!"
She turned away with pink cheeks as he hurried to the ladder with a wink at Martha.
"See you in a bit."
Martha begrudgingly let him go and went to grab a pipe to use as a weapon against the pigs on their way up, but Kris grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Don't."
"What? But we need to fight!"
"Use your brain, Martha. We're surrounded by scrap metal, but we'll stand no chance going up against however many pigs are in there with me down and Laszlo getting sicker by the minute. Use what we've got."
"Like what?!"
Lightning flashed in the background and Kris tipped her head towards the opening as Martha's eyes widened.
"Lightning. Oh my God, that's brilliant!"
I cringed as the cries of the pig slaves rang through my ears, not appreciating the smell of toasted flesh and Martha even understood what we'd just done.
"They used to be like Laszlo. They were people and I killed them."
"No." I muttered. "I had the idea, it was my fault they're dead. You shouldn't blame yourself. I knew this was going to happen when I told you about the lightning."
"No." Laszlo protested. "The Daleks killed them long ago."
I didn't argue, though a piece of me still believed that there could have been another way to stop the lift without killing the pig slaves. Smashing the controls, hacking the system, cutting a wire, something, anything. Human or not, they were still living creatures. God, is this what it's going to be like every time?
"What about the Doctor?" Martha gasped then, turning to me hopefully.
"Go. Keep an eye out for his sonic."
She nodded and hurried up the mast with Frank to check on him as I closed my eyes for a second. I was exhausted and my leg throbbed under the bandages, but I could still hear the pig screams and my own cries when the Daleks took a tissue sample; very nearly jumping to my feet when a set of hands clamped down on my shoulders.
"Whoa, there. You're alright." The Doctor said with a small smile, though it probably wasn't as reassuring as he'd hoped as he placed a hand on my forehead and his smile faltered. "Ah, you've got a slight fever now too. Blimey, are you putting a time limit on me."
"Sorry." I murmured, cringing as he scooped me up into his arms and bounded with me and the others to the lift.
"Oh, it's alright. Can't predict your own future. Makes sense. Just gives me some more motivation." He hummed, smile returning as Martha piped in.
"What do you mean, predict the future?"
"Ah, right, didn't mean to let that slip." The Doctor muttered, but I lightly shrugged, tucking my head against his chest.
"You can tell her, I don't care."
"Well, then… Uh, Martha? Kris here is apparently from another universe where she gained significant knowledge of my adventures and can sort of predict the future." He explained as her mouth dropped open in shock.
"That's how you knew about the lightning…"
"You would have figured it out." I said tiredly. "I just sped the process up. Didn't want my presence to change anything."
She looked confused, but I was tired of talking and the Doctor said he'd explain a bit more later, but for now we headed into the theatre and the Doctor set me down in a chair where Laszlo collapsed beside me and the Doctor began scanning the room. Or, well, broadcasting where we are, really.
"Martha, I want you to go and take Kris with you."
"No!" She exclaimed.
"I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you both back to Hooverville."
"And I'm telling you, I'm not going." She snapped.
"Martha, that's an order."
"Who are you then? Some sort of—"
"Enough." I said, loud enough to get their attention, but already feeling it draining my energy. "Look, we won't make it out of here with me and Laszlo like this. The Daleks are quicker than you think and arguing about it won't help, so please just—"
I was cut off as the doors opened then and the group of Dalek-humans stomped into the theatre, cutting off our exits.
"Oh, my God. Well, I guess that's them then, huh?" Tallulah commented.
"Humans, with Dalek DNA." Martha breathed out as the Doctor tugged Frank away from them.
"It's alright. It's alright. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."
"But what of the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Laszlo asked as I groaned.
"Front stage and center."
An explosion rang out then and the Daleks rolled forward with Dalek Sec crawling before them in chains.
"The Doctor and unworldly human will stand before the Daleks."
The Doctor stepped forward, leaving me, but I knew the Daleks might cause more problems if I didn't go, so I forced myself to stand and hobble after him.
"Kris." The Doctor chided as I slumped down in a seat below him.
"S-Shut up." I breathed out. "They might kill someone if I don't."
He begrudgingly said nothing more at that as the Daleks addressed him.
"You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age."
"Planet Earth will become New Skaro."
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, and what a world. With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new Empire, hm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?" He questioned them as Sec spoke to them as well.
"My Daleks, just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."
"Incorrect. We always survive."
"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor, and take the unworldly human to create even more powerful Daleks!"
"But the Doctor can help you." Sec tried.
"The Doctor must die."
"No. I beg you, don't."
"Exterminate!"
I cringed as Dalek Sec stood up to shield the Doctor from the Dalek's blast, turning my head away as I shuddered; feeling yet another burden weighing my shoulders down.
"Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." The Doctor muttered, turning to the Dalek-humans. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is? If I'm going to die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them."
The Daleks seemed to like this idea and gestured to the Human-Daleks.
"Dalek humans, take aim."
"What are you waiting for? Give the command!" The Doctor ordered.
"Exterminate!" It shouted, but nothing happened.
"Exterminate!"
"Obey. Dalek humans will obey."
Martha look stunned. "They're not firing. What have you done?"
"You will obey. Exterminate." A Dalek ordered the nearest Human-Dalek, who turned to it.
"Why?"
"Daleks do not question orders." The other Dalek said.
"But why?"
"You will stop this."
"But why?"
"You must not question."
"But you are not our master. And we… we are not Daleks." The Human-Dalek announced as the Doctor explained.
"No, you're not. And you never will be." The Doctor told them. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."
"If they will not obey, then they must die." The Dalek said shortly and it shot down the man as the Doctor hurried to me and pulled me down.
"Get down!"
"Exterminate! Exterminate!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Kris muttered under her breath, clinging to the Doctor who shushed her quietly, though he wondered why she was apologizing so adamantly.
Soon though, the shooting stopped; the two Daleks destroyed and the Doctor stood to calm the Not-So-Dalek humans.
"It's alright. It's alright. It's alright. You did it. You're free."
"I'm so sorry, Doctor." Kris said again and he turned to her with furrowed brows, before the Humans clutched their heads and screamed in pain as they collapsed.
"No! They can't. They can't. They can't!"
"What happened? What was that?" Martha asked in a panic.
"They killed them, rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide." He hissed, turning to Kris angrily. "And you knew."
Kris didn't respond as eyes went to her huddled form on the ground and Laszlo spoke up then.
"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive."
"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." He murmured, standing and bolting for the Dalek lab, not sparing Kris a look.
Martha turned to her though, looking worried as the young woman hoisted herself to her feet unsteadily and moved to the nearest Human.
"What are you doing? What did he mean?"
She didn't say anything, reaching down with a pained grimace and shifting the Human's hands into a more peaceful position and then moved onto the next one. Martha watched her, worried, before Laszlo let out a cough and Tallulah called her over. Immediately, Martha could tell something was wrong and she and Tallulah grabbed him and began the trek to the Doctor, without Kris. The Doctor, determined as ever despite Dalek Caan getting away, hurried through the lab to help save the partial pig slave who'd helped them so much.
"Laszlo, just you hold on. There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, I am not having one more death! You got that? Not one." He said, shooing Tallulah off as he pulled out his stethoscope. "The Doctor is in."
The Doctor found me with the bodies of the Humans, just staring silently, and I trailed after him as he went back to where Tallulah and Laszlo were waiting for word on whether he could stay in Hooverville. It all worked out in the end, but even as Martha chatted with him to the Tardis, he'd yet to say a word to me and me to him. He was quick to set us off again, though I knew where he was planning on going, before he stopped us in the Vortex and turned to me.
"Med bay." He said simply and I hobbled after him as best I could without him looking back or trying to help me.
Once in the med bay, I hopped up onto the bed with some difficulty, panting heavily at the exertion and lying back on the bed with a hand draped over my eyes. The room felt overheated, but I assumed it was from my fever and I struggled to keep my mind from what the Doctor was going to tell me. It wasn't working though and I bit my bottom lip as a tear slipped through and trailed down the side of my face to land on the bed sheet. I didn't make a sound as the Doctor went about treating my leg, not knowing what I could say that would possibly justify not preventing a genocide, not informing him of the Daleks, of Dalek Sec's death, of Solomon's. So many lives had been lost today and I could feel every single one of them resting on my shoulders. There was nothing I could do. There was nothing I could do. I'm so sorry.
"Who are you?"
I pulled my hand away from my face, confused. "W-What?"
The Doctor glared heatedly. "Who are you? What game are you playing? Is your name even really Kris? Because I'm not going to let this slide any longer. People's lives are at stake. Were at stake." He grabbed my lower leg, making me stiffen at the look in his eyes. "Are you from UNIT? Torchwood? Who sent you here?"
"N-Nobody!" I cried, beginning to panic now. "I told you what happened!"
"And did you honestly expect me to believe that?" He scoffed, breaking my heart with his words. "A parallel universe where this is all a television show? I'll admit, it was a clever ruse, but you showing up from the future and playing God with people's lives I will never overlook. What happened today was genocide, Kris, and you're the one who made it happen."
"But the Daleks—"
"Oh, sure. The Daleks did the actual act, but you were the one who allowed it to happen. You could have stopped it, but you decided, 'Nah, let's just watch them go. They don't mean anything. They're just experiments. Who needs them?'"
"I never said that! I never even thought that!" I shouted, sitting up and feeling my vision shift. "You think I don't know what happened?! You think I don't blame myself, because I do! Solomon, Dalek Sec, the Human-Daleks, everyone! B-But what am I supposed to do?" My voice cracked, feeling that safety from being with the Doctor disappearing in a moment as the tight grip he had on my leg shifted closer to my injury. "I can't change anything. The plot has to go as it should o-or else everything will end up a disaster. You won't meet people you need to, you won't change people's lives, you won't learn from your mistakes and—"
"You are not the one who decides how I live my life!" He shouted and I cried out in pain as his hand wrapped around my injured thigh. "Who do you work for?!"
"Nobody!" I cried, tears of pain slipping down my face as I tried to pry his hand off. "P-Please! I-I've lost everything! I don't belong here! I-I didn't mean to hurt you! I-I just don't want to be alone! I thought you would understand!"
My vision began to grow fuzzy around the edges and dark as my breath caught in my throat and my fingers were too weak to get the Doctor to stop.
"P-P-Please." I murmured, vaguely feeling the Doctor jab something into my shoulder. "Please. I-I'm sorry. I-I'm so sorry… Please don't leave me alone…"
"Goodbye, Kris." He snapped, just before my body went slack and everything went dark.