hey everyone! New chapter, a big one !
What's funny about this episode is that I love it, but writing it has been a bit of an ordeal. But taking on me, I continued, without giving up and here it is!
On another subject, which has nothing to do with this story. I saw Episode 3 of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. No spoil for those who have not seen it yet (but what are you waiting for ?!), but it was so intense.
Another note, I still haven't seen Endgame. My father is waiting for the rooms to empty a bit, despite the fact that I'm groaning and my mother too. (and unfortunately I don't have enough money to go see him alone in 4DX )
Anyway, enjoy your reading and see you newt time !
The Doctor didn't lie to us. The plasma storm in the horse head nebula was so beautiful that I can't even describe it. The nebula was in itself beautiful too. Superimposed on the deep blackness of the emptiness of space was the immense, imposing, and small object.
While I was at the doors of the TARDIS, open to space, my eyes were impressed by the beauty that I would never have seen besides in photographs and documentaries.
The pink, red cherry colour blended perfectly with the deep bluish black of space and blended in some places to give birth to a purple colour that Kilgrave would certainly have appreciated. The nebula was of course dotted with white stars of varying sizes and distance.
As I was enjoying the view, a signal rang out in the Tardis and my attention turned to the console where the Doctor was leaning over the computer screen. Rose was showering.
"Shut the doors Alvia, we're going somewhere."
"What's going on?" I asked as I reluctantly closed the doors.
Rose suddenly arrived in the room and the Doctor led the Tardis to an unknown destination. It was when I finally heard the Tardis' wheezing that I headed for my long coat to put it on. We went out only for Rose to immediately begin asking questions.
"So, what is it? What's wrong?"
"Don't Know, some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course…"
"Where are we?"
"Earth, Utah, North America. About half a mile underground"
At the Doctor's words I froze on the spot. There are only two times that the Doctor finds himself in Utah and once in this regeneration. I thought I had a little more time before facing a Dalek.
"And… when are we?"
"2012," I answered before the Doctor. "Besides if we could turn around, I would not argue."
"Why would we do that?" He asks with a frown.
"Because you will not like what you find here."
"What's here?" Asks Rose, confused.
"The stuff of nightmares. The worst thing ever, you really don't want to be here, Doctor."
I tried, but I failed to convince him.
"It can't be that bad," he said sceptically.
He suddenly turned on the light and they could see it was a kind of museum.
"Blimey! It's a great big museum!"
"An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby. They must've spent a fortune on this."
They moved to observe what was behind glass. I raised my arms angrily, muttering my sudden understanding of Ten's frustration at not being listened to.
"It's a Slitheen's arm! It's been stuffed, oh my god!"
The Doctor noticed the cyberman head. I looked at the suspicious head, although I knew this thing couldn't hurt anyone anymore.
"Oh! Look at you!"
"What is it?"
"An old friend of mine… well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old."
"Is that where the signal's coming from? Alvia had said that..."
"Nah, it's stone dead. The signal's alive. Something's reaching out, calling for help."
Rose suddenly turned to me.
"And you wanted us to let someone call for help go unheard?" She said venomously. "You're a horrible girl. "
I stared darkly at Rose, not trying to find an excuse. Suddenly, in my peripheral vision I noticed the Doctor's arm touching the glass. A loud alarm sounded, and not even a minute later, we were surrounded by about twenty soldiers pointing their guns at us. Again.
"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A." said Rose.
"Nice Rose! Why don't you shout it out, while you're here?" I hissed quickly.
"I have no comments to make to you!"
The doctor whispered to us to shut up and smiled at the soldiers, as if our argument hadn't taken place. But the soldiers didn't care, because they took us all in pairs, holding our shoulders firmly, painfully actually. Rose began to moan a little pathetically, trying to be released and the Doctor frowned.
As the soldiers took us to Van Statten's office, I began to think about the events of the future. Either I went with the Doctor and meet the Dalek quickly and I'm in shit. Or I stay with Rose and I go to see what was apparently flirting with Adam. You know one of the characters we don't talk about. Like the episode with Clom's Alien. Yes, that one. Besides, I don't even remember what he's talking about, just that between Whovians we don't talk about it. It's like Jar Jar Binks, we know it exists, unfortunately, and we prefer to forget it. Anyway, if I'm with Rose, she will show compassion to the Dalek and it will escape and kill. In any case, I'll have to run.
Honestly, I don't know what the worst situation for me is. I hate running and I don't know how to run. The 1500 meters in sport? I spit my lungs on the ground from the first turn, so run for my life when I have a Dalek on my ass? Daleks kill with a laser beam worthy of an Avada Kedavra, meh… let me do my testament right away and my epitaph too. I'm going to have to face the Dalek and I'm not sure I'm going to come out alive... maybe my story will end today.
It's sad, because my parents will never know what happened to me, I'll never see Avengers Endgame, nor the end of Game of Thrones.
We finally arrived to see the stupidest character of this episode ask the nature of the object he held in his hands. The musical instrument. Just to make fun of them I would tell them that it's a sex toy or a weapon that activates in the most ridiculous ways.
But as I don't have the courage to do it, and because the Doctor does his job well, which is to belittle people more stupid and arrogant than him, I could enjoy the show in front of me.
"I really wouldn't hold it like that."
"Shut it!" Snapped the red-haired woman with curly hair.
What was she called? I've always had trouble with the name. It was a name that began with a G...
"Really, though, that's wrong."
"Is it dangerous?"
"No. Just looks silly."
The doctor wanted to move forward to take the object and the guards engaged their weapons before being stopped by their boss, who made a gesture of the fingers. Van Statten stood up to pass it to the doctor who took it gently.
"You just need to be… delicate…" he said, gently passing his fingers over the musical artefact.
The sound that came out reminded me of that of the harmonica, but purer, more crystalline. I wonder what planet it comes from. I made a mental note to ask him later. Imagine if the concerts were as beautiful as this melody, like the Elven songs of the Lord of the Rings.
As he continued to play, everyone looked impressed except the woman who was still playing her best poker face.
"It's a musical instrument"
Thank you Captain Obvious.
"And it's a long way from home."
The American stood up and took the artefact from the Doctor's hands. The doctor raised his eyebrows, not impressed.
"I did say delicate. Reacts to the smallest fingerprint." Van Statten played the instrument and his first notes were catastrophic. To me, someone who enjoys good music, it was like listening to someone who is playing the violin for the first time. Horrible for the ears. But after a few notes, the instrument released acceptable notes. The doctor smiles.
"Very good. Quite the expert."
"As are you."
In a second, he threw the musical instrument aside as I would throw a used tissue in a garbage can: without any consideration. Shame on him.
"Who exactly are you?"
The Doctor's expression suddenly became serious.
"I'm the Doctor. And you are?"
"Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake."
"Pretty much sums me up, yeah."
"The story of his life..." I whispered quietly to myself. "Could even be the title of his biography along with 'Doctor Who'."
Van Statten moved to stand in front to the Doctor.
"The question is, how did you get in?"
How did we get in? in-tru-da window! Oh, good old Ten.
"53 floors down. With your little cat and fox burglar accomplices." he said, looking at Rose and me, with an appreciative air. "Quite a collector yourself, they're rather pretty, although I have a preference for redheads."
"The redhead says fuck you!" I hissed. Asshole…
"Oh, she's fiery, I like her even more." He said pointing at me. "Maybe I should keep you too?"
"Oi! Leave her alone, pervert!" Intervened Rose with a disgusted air.
Glad to know that there is, between us, a girl solidarity against harassment. Fortunately, she intervened, I think I would have tried to hit that jerk. And considering my size the punch would not have succeeded and my only chance was to hit the crotch with a good shot of knee or shin well placed. And still, not sure of being able to reach him without being thrown to the ground by his armed guards. Meh, too bad.
"She's English too!" He exclaims before turning to the youngest. "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy, got you a girlfriend."
"This is Mr. Henry Van Statten."
"And who's he when he's at home?" Asked Rose.
"Mr Van Statten owns the Internet."
"She asked who he was, not what he has. And nobody owns the internet, they would have to control all the DNS and would have to be in possession of 7 keys which are in the care of 14 people. I strongly doubt that he has one."
Van Statten glared at me, and Adam's mouth was open. Not so smart huh? I heard an amused snort from the Doctor, and I could not stop the sneer of victory on my lips as I placed hands in the front pockets of my pants.
"So you're an expert on just about everything except for your collection. Anything you don't understand, you lock up."
"And you claim greater knowledge?"
"I don't need to make claims; I know how good I am."
"And yet, I captured you. Right next to the Cage. What were you doing down there?
"You tell me."
"The Cage contains my one living specimen."
Who would be much better off dead, if you want my opinion.
"And what's that?"
"Like you don't know."
"Show me."
"You wanna see it?"
The two men were staring at each other like dogs trying to dominate each other. Which was a bit the situation.
"You don't want to measure it, as long as you're there? God, it looks like a parody of fighting on manhood."
"We can smell the testosterone." mocks Rose.
"Goddard! Inform the Cage. We're heading down."
The woman nodded before heading to the elevator.
"You, English! Look after the blond. Canoodle or spoon, or whatever it is you British do. And foxy and Doctor with no name. Come and see my pet."
No. absolutely not. No. Nope. Niet. Nein. No, god please no. No way do I want to see the Dalek. I'd rather die right now. And you, Doctor! Traitor, let go of my shoulder! I don't want to go… NOOOOO! Let me go back to the TARDIS pleaaase!
I was pushed in the elevator anyway. Without my explicit consent.
"I do not want to go." I growled softly.
The Doctor pushed his elbow into my ribs to silence me. I raised my head to glare at him. And he laughed, bâtard.
"You're not as talkative as before, little fox. Maybe I could make you talk if you let me. "
Wait... is he...? Really?! Eurk no!
"Va te faire foutre!"
"Alvia, Language!"
"Protect my virtue instead of correcting my language, it's out of the question that I stay more than a second with this narcissistic pervert!" I snapped, pointing at him sharply.
Van Statten burst out laughing, as if what I said was just a joke in his eyes. Suddenly the door opened, and I don't know if I should be happy to have space between him and me, or terrified that I'm going to be seeing a Dalek.
"We've tried everything. The creature has… shielded itself but there's definite signs of life inside." He informs us by pressing the buttons on the wall.
"Inside? Inside what?"
The metal door opened and a man came out. Completely dressed in orange. The man took off his mask and welcomed his boss. His wicked look didn't come back to me. A real air of sadism, worse than the Master.
"Welcome back, sir. I've had to take the power down, the metaltron is resting."
"Metaltron?"
"Thought of it myself. Good, isn't it? Although I'd much to prefer to find out its real name."
"Don't worry," I hissed softly without being heard. "You will quickly know it."
The orange man took off his gloves and offered them to the Doctor, saying that the last one who had touched him had caught fire. The doctor refused with his usual nerve.
"I won't touch it then."
I sniffed and I think I saw a guard and the woman have an amused grin.
"Go ahead. Impress me."
The Doctor took my hand and pulled me with him inside the cage. The cage closed behind us. I'm scared. A blue light came from the other side and my heart skipped a beat. I felt my breath speed up and I pushed back as far as possible from the Dalek. On the way my back hit a table which held objects of torture. I gripped the corner of the table and whistled the sharp pain that suddenly appeared in my hand before quickly disappearing. And in a few steps, I reached the cold concrete wall.
"Look, I'm sorry about all of this. Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor."
"DOC…TOR…?"
I inhaled suddenly and my body froze immediately. It was the same voice used in the series.
"THE – DOCTOR?"
I saw the Doctor's eyes wide with horror, his mouth open. The lights came on suddenly, letting us see the Dalek in bad shape, chained.
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINAAATE!"
The Doctor ran to the door and hit it, making it vibrate, pleading to open the door.
"Let me out!"
"YOU ARE AN ENEMY OF THE DA–LEKS! YOU MUST BE DESTRO–YED!"
He waved his weapon to kill us. His famous weapon that kills in one fell swoop, like the spell of death. But it did not work, he waved it in the air. The Doctor immediately stopped looking terrified and his face split into a huge smile.
"It's not working!" He said before laughing with relief.
His laughter seemed so false in my ears. He seemed manic.
The Dalek lowered his eyepiece to observe his useless weapon for a moment.
"Fantastic!" The Doctor gleefully laughed. "Oh, fantastic! Powerless! Look at you. The Great Space Dustbin. How does it feel?"
He rushed to the Dalek, looking it straight in the eye. I remained with my back against the wall. Trying to make myself invisible. I grabbed the inside of my long coat and squeezed it firmly in my fists. So hard that my knuckles pulled a little and turned white. I swallowed at the scene in front of me. I had neither the courage nor the desire to intervene between these two. And yet I dreamed of running away with the Doctor, far from the Dalek, leaving it to its fate.
The Dalek backed away, ordering the Doctor to stay away from it. It was also struggling against its chains. The Doctor was now a few inches from the metal nightmare.
"What for? What're you going to do to me? If you can't kill… Then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you?"
He circled the Dalek, and it followed him with its eyepiece.
"You're nothing. What the hell are you here for?"
"I AM WAITING FOR OR–DERS."
"What does that mean?" Asked the Doctor darkly.
"He's a soldier."
Both turned to me. Honestly the words escaped from my mouth. The Dalek knew that I was with the doctor. It was useless to stay in hiding without doing anything now. So, I swallowed before joining in the conversation despite myself.
"He was raised to receive orders."
"YOU KNOW MY SPE–CIES? BUT YOU ARE ONLY HU–MAN."
"Anyway, you won't get orders anymore. Never again."
"I DEM–AND OR–DERS!"
"Your race is dead!" The Doctor suddenly shouted. "You all burnt, all of you. A million ships on fire, the entire Dalek race wiped out in one second."
"YOU LI–E!"
"I watched it happen. I MADE it happen!"
"YOU DESTROYED U–S?"
The Doctor's shoulders slumped as if the weight of the universe on his shoulders had tripled. He turned to me with his eyes closed in pain and regret before opening them and looking into mine.
"I had no choice." He said softly.
"AND WHAT OF THE TIME LO–RDS?"
"Dead. They burnt with you. The end of the last great Time War… Everyone lost…"
"AND THE COWARD SURVI–VED." The Dalek provoked.
"Oh, and I caught your little signal…" He said mockingly. "'Help me…' poor little thing."
"There's no need to provoke him Doctor." I gently pleaded.
"But there's no one else coming." He said in his normal tone, ignoring what I had just said. "'Cos there's no one else left."
The Dalek lowered its eyepiece, as if it was lowering its gaze out of sorrow.
"I AM ALONE IN THE UNIVE–RSE…"
The Doctor smiled mildly.
"Yup!"
"SO ARE YO–U… WE ARE THE SA–ME…"
The doctor's smile vanished immediately, and I saw the corner of his lips tremble with fury and his blue eyes go cold. He turned immediately to face the Dalek, angry.
"We're not the same! I'm not… No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right, yeah, okay. You've got a point. 'Cos I know what to do, I know what should happen. I know what you deserve."
He walked to the console with buttons and levers with a smile that was totally false.
"Exterminate!"
He pulled on a lever that was at the control panel and the Dalek was immediately engulfed by electricity. I jumped at hearing the Dalek scream in pain. It asked for pity.
"DOCTOR! Stop this now! It may deserve it, but this is not you!"
He turned towards me.
"You're totally wrong for once Alvia, because it's totally me, this has never been truer."
"Really? And what has become of the promise you made yourself by choosing the name 'The Doctor'?" I asked with a courage that was unknown to me. "What has become of this promise never to be cruel and never to be cowardly? Because that's not what I see right now. It is a man who tortures his weak enemy in the worst of ways who is cruel and cowardly!"
Hearing the promise that had been made previously had an impact but I did not have time to see it because the soldiers of Van Statten caught the Doctor and cut off the flow of electricity to the Dalek. The man in question arrived and ordered the Dalek to speak, in vain.
I left the wall to run back to the Doctor, who shouted to Van Statten that it was necessary to put it out of harm's way. The doctor was still struggling, and he had to have a guard notch a right hand in his jaw to calm down. At the shock of the blow, the doctor widened his eyes and stopped dead, the guards took the opportunity to push him into the elevator. Worried about the Doctor's jaw, I approached until our bodies were close and I lifted my right hand to put it gently on his jaw which flinched slightly. He took my hand in his and took it off his jaw.
"You knew..." He murmured softly. "You knew and I didn't listen..."
"It's okay, Doctor... you would have ended up discovering it anyway. How's your jaw?"
"Bearable…"
Van Statten and his assistant arrive a few minutes later and question the Doctor about the Dalek.
"The Metal's just battle armour. The real Dalek creature's inside."
"What does it look like?"
"Sort of octopus but more disgusting." I replied.
"A nightmare," agreed the Doctor. "It's a mutation. The Dalek race was genetically engineered, every single emotion was removed except hate.
"Genetically engineered…" repeated Van Statten impressed. "By whom?"
"By a genius, Van Statten. By a man who was king of his own little world, you'd like him."
On the other hand, I'm not sure Davros would have liked him in return. Not sure Davros would have appreciated him torturing one of his 'children'.
"It's been on Earth for over fifty years, sold at private auction passing from collection to collection. Its never reacted before, so why would it be a threat now?" Goddard intervenes.
"As soon as the Doctor showed up, the Dalek spoke and wanted to kill him immediately. I think that's more than enough proof, right?" I retorted.
"But what I want to know is how did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?"
"Records say it came from the sky like a meteorite. It fell to Earth one the Ascension Islands, burnt in its crater for almost three days, keeping from anyone from approaching him. And for all that time it was screaming. It must've gone insane."
"Must've fallen through Time. The only survivor."
"You talked about a war?"
"The Time War. The final battle between my people and the Dalek race."
"But you survived too…" said Van Statten, raising his eyes 'innocently' in the air.
"Not by choice."
If I remember correctly, it was the punishment he should have had if Gallifrey had really been destroyed by the Moment. The punishment for using the Moment. But since he never destroyed it his memories had to be altering. I know he doesn't remember saving his planet, but how much does he remember of the last day of the war? How much have his memories been altered?
"This means that the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, Doctor. There's you. The only one of your kind who's still alive"
The elevator finally stopped to open to show a dark room like that of the Dalek's. Van Statten snapped his fingers and the guards caught the Doctor struggling.
"Let me go!"
"No way, prepare the scan!"
I was helpless. Totally helpless. While the scientists prepared a machine that looked more like a cannon than anything else, Van Statten asked the doctor to remove his top. The Doctor refused, of course. Van Statten smiled badly. He grabbed me by the collar and pulled me towards his body.
"I think you should take off your clothes, I could 'accidentally' hurt her if you don't do it."
"And I will 'accidentally' hit you where it hurts if you don't let me go and if you don't leave the Doctor alone, fils de pute!" I exclaimed.
Van Statten hits me in the stomach and I gasped. I fell to the ground holding my stomach while I gasped in pain. Fuck, he wasn't kidding, it hurts like hell. Van Statten approached and passed his foot under my body before quickly raising it and slamming it back into my stomach. This time I screamed.
"Maybe I should keep her too, I'd love to make her scream. Her cries are rather endearing."
I got up, ignoring the pain as much as possible, to hit Van Statten but he lifted his weight and swung it toward my face. I felt the pain pouring over my left cheek and I think my eyebrow split open because of my glasses and the wall that I hit. Everything that happened afterwards was really vague. Not because of the loss of my glasses no, I am astigmatic I can see without; but it was because of the fist blow and the wall.
Everything had become vague then black. I just felt something grab my arms and drag me somewhere before I lost consciousness.
To say that the Doctor was shocked was an understatement. As he watched Alvia gasp at the blow she received from Van Statten, he felt the rage build in him, almost as much as when he saw the surviving Dalek. He watched without reacting, Alvia being hit by this man until she falls; her glasses had flown across the room when she received a right hook in the face. Van Statten took one of his gun's guards, removed the security and pointed it at Alvia.
"Last warning, drop the shirt, or she won't emerge unscathed."
The Doctor swallowed before removing his leather jacket and green top. Van Statten smiled and handed the weapon back to the guard.
"You see, when you obey, nothing bad happens. Take her away! Put her in another room, I'm rather curious about her too, after all, she knew about the Dalek."
One of the guards threw Alvia on his shoulder, moving her as if she were just a worthless bag and went to the elevator and took her to another floor in a room identical to that of the Doctor and Dalek. The Doctor wanted to protest, to rebel and to prevent any experimentation/torture on the girl he had taken as a companion. But any action against Van Statten or attempted liberty would result in more pain for Alvia.
The guards quickly came back and joined his colleague to grab the Doctor and take him to an iron stand. He was chained, arms in the air. The lights came on illuminating and blinding the Doctor. Van Statten went to the torture instrument and turned it on.
"Now, smile!"
The machine performed a kind of sweep on the Doctor's chest. The sweep was painful and the Doctor couldn't even scream the pain was strong. On a screen, you could see a ribcage with two beating hearts.
"Two hearts! Binary vascular system! Oh, I am so going to patent this."
"So that's your secret. You don't just collect this stuff, you scavenge it."
"All this technology has been on Earth for centuries. All we needed was the good spirit to be able to use it properly. Oh, and all the progress I've been able to make with this alien junk, you have no idea, Doctor. Broadband? Roswell. Just last year my scientist cultivated bacteria from the Russian Crater, and do you know what they found?"
The Doctor looks at him, his eyes showing all his anger but also his curiosity.
"The cure for the common cold. Kept it strictly within the laboratory of course, no need to get people excited. Why sell one cure when I can sell a thousand palliatives?" Van Statten smiled smugly.
"Do you know what a Dalek is, Van Statten? A Dalek is honest. It does what it was born to do, for the survival of its species, that creature in your dungeon is better than you."
"In that case, I will be true to myself and continue."
He went back to the scanner and the Doctor stirred frantically.
"Listen to me, that thing downstairs is going to kill every last one of us!"
"Nothing can escape the Cage."
He turned on the machine, causing the Doctor to twist with pain.
"But it's woken up! It knows I'm here! It's gonna get out! Van Statten, I swear no one on this base is safe! No one on this planet!"
But Van Statten didn't listen and continued his torture in search of novelty to patent. The Doctor groaned in pain and threw back his head, clenching his teeth.
The torture continued for about twenty minutes before the whole base heard through the speakers:
"Condition red! Repeat, condition red! This is not a drill!"
The Doctor looked up, exhausted, sweating with pain. He glared at his torturer before announcing to him.
"Release me if you want to live."
I woke up to the sound of a man talking through a speaker. The ground beneath me was cold and I was trying to remember the latest events. I grimaced feeling a dull ache on the side of my face and I hissed in pain when I barely grazed it with my hand. My fingers were covered with a little blood and I saw in the reflection of a screen a stream of blood running down my face, starting from my eyebrow.
Van Statten was a bastard. A bastard with money but a bastard anyway.
I looked around, trying to recognize the environment. Shit, where was I? I got up and headed for a door. This door opened into an empty corridor. Ok, this was clearly not planned. And I have absolutely no sense of direction. I listened for the slightest sound that could tell me the presence of life. I saw the lights sizzle before disappearing. I was in the dark now, I remembered it was when the Dalek was recovering all its energy and was now free. Some lights came on but it was the alarms. There was no help for me to go somewhere else.
So, I took out my phone and sighed mentally in relief at seeing that I had barely lost any battery. 99%. I activated the torch on my phone and left quickly but silently to the left. I suddenly heard gunshots and howls and I didn't hesitate to sprint to the source of noise. The closer I got to the shots, the more they decreased. The Dalek was close. I finally found the stairs and I heard people talking and then shots before a scream. My level showed the number 55.
"Damn, I'm below the Dalek! I'll have to climb before the Dalek arrives."
I turned off the lamp and put my phone in one of my coat pockets. Then, I climbed the stairs as fast as I could until I stopped seeing the Dalek. I was filled with fear and I stopped hoping it wouldn't spot me. The Dalek continued to climb to floor 52. It followed Rose and I followed it. I saw it take a corridor and arrive in a big room and stop to observe something. I stayed in the hallway before hearing gunshots again. I remembered this scene; I could not hold back my tears. There would be no survivors. I heard the screams of agony of all these people, dead.
As I tried not to cry openly and let out my sobs, I heard the Dalek speak.
"I SHALL SPEAK ON–LY TO THE DOCTO–R!"
I wiped my tears and sniffed a little, before leaning forward slightly without the Dalek seeing me. To my surprise I heard the doctor's voice.
"You gonna get rusty."
"I FED OFF THE DNA OF ROSE TY–LER. EXTRAPOLATING THE BIOMASS OF A TI–ME TRAVELER REGENERATED ME."
"What's your next trick then?"
"I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE DA–LEKS."
"Yeah, I saw. Downloading the Internet, what did you find?"
"I SCANNED YOUR SATELLITES AND RADIO TELESCOPES."
"And?"
"NO–THING… WHERE SHALL I GET MY ORDERS NO–W?"
The Dalek's voice sounded desperate.
"You're just a soldier without commands."
"THEN I SHALL FOLLAW THE PRI–MARY OR–DER, THE DA–LEK INSTINCT TO DESTROY–! TO CONQUE–R!"
"What for? What's the point? Don't you see that everything is gone? Everything you were, everything you stood for."
"THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?"
"All right then. If you want orders… follow this one: kill yourself." The Doctor ordered coldly.
"THE DA–LEKS MUST SURVI–VE!" The Dalek quickly replied.
"The Daleks have failed! Why don't you finish the job and make the daleks extinct? Rid the Universe of your filth, why don't you just die?!" The Doctor yelled.
I closed my eyes with sorrow. That the Doctor ordered that was against everything that made the Doctor. I remember that scene shocked me the first time. That hatred that was deep inside him and that will never go away, this darkness due to the Time War. Everyone was affected, him more than anyone.
"YOU WOULD MAKE A GOOD DA–LEK."
Was it bad of me to remember what Rusty had said to the 12th? That he was a good Dalek. Because I feel guilty. And because I know that all the Doctor wants is to be a good man. A doctor.
The Dalek floated away, and I waited a few seconds before following it, getting wet whilst passing through the large room. I had a wave of nausea when I saw all these bodies. I saw a device on the floor, and I squatted, dipping my coat in the water. I prayed for it to work. To my delight it did. I had looked for a way to communicate while following the Dalek discreetly and I finally found one.
"Doctor, Doctor!"
"Alvia! Where are you? I have to close the vaults at level 46!"
"I know. I woke up at level 55. And I have bad news. I'm right behind the Dalek. Everyone is dead here..." I said softly
I heard the doctor's breathing cut.
"Alvia…"
"I screwed up, I totally screwed up, I'm sorry doctor..."
"It's my fault Alvia, not yours. I should have listened to you..."
"Don't worry about me, there is always Rose to save, she is important for the future and sorry for that spoiler. But life is like that, you can say that everyone is important, some are more than others. Rose is the perfect example."
The connection went off, and I saw that the device was out of battery. I sighed with spite and dropped the object on the ground. All I had said to the Doctor was true, after all it was Rose who would be Bad Wolf, she is the one who will warn Donna and the Doctor that the stars went out. She is the one who will end her life with a metacrisis of the Doctor.
I'm just an 18-year-old girl who has disappeared from her world and whose story is almost worthy of a fanfiction. I'm lazy, I couldn't finish my studies, I have an interest in a boy that I will never see again and I'm not important at all. There are 7 billion people on Earth after all, I have known someone who used to compare us to stars, we can't all shine the same way. Some shine more than others.
I finally reached level 46, the Dalek is right in front of me and unfortunately, I cannot hide anymore. I hope the Dalek never turns around and notices me.
While in the series, Rose doesn't reach the vaults and remains on the wrong side, the universe decided to take another path. This time it's me and only me, who is stuck here with the Dalek. I should turn around.
I closed my eyes and swallowed painfully.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HE–RE?"
I jumped in fear as I opened my eyes, the Dalek turned around and saw me. Oh, what a moron am I. Stay here, without hiding.
Here was my end. Killed by a Dalek, at 18 years old. I looked the Dalek right in its eye, I had to die looking at my killer. It's as brave as I can get.
"EXTERMINATE!"
A ray shot out of his gun and missed me. Wait... missed me?
"You missed me; you didn't miss anyone before."
"I AM A–RMED. I WILL KILL. IT IS MY PU–RPOSE."
"Yeah, I think I understood that from the beginning. What are you waiting for?
"I FEEL YOUR FE–AR."
"No shit Sherlock!" I snapped. "You are a creature who kills without mercy, without pity and without remorse. I think anyone with a survival instinct would be scared of you."
"AND YET YOU ARE HE–RE. I FEEL YOUR FE–AR BUT DA–LEKS DO NOT FE–AR. MUST NOT FE–AR."
He shot again, on my other side and still missed me, then he shot at the walls. He seemed frightened and hysterical. Seemed, because in fact, he was shaking, shooting everywhere except me and his voice seemed more acute than normal.
"ROSE TY–LER GIVES ME LIFE. WHAT ELSE HAVE SHE GIV–EN TO ME? I AM CONTAMINA–TED!"
Rose touched the Dalek, giving it some of her DNA and humanity. The Dalek was evolving, becoming something new. The worst thing that could happen to it.
"APPRO–ACH AND TURN TO THE CAME–RA!"
I did what I was ordered and as soon as I turned, I felt its piston against my back between my shoulder blades. Suffice to say that I was not comfortable at all.
"OPEN THE BULKHEAD OR ALVI–A DI–ES!"
A screen appeared in the air and I could see the Doctor panting suddenly, happy and relieved to see me alive and behind him Van Statten, Goddard and Adam were shocked while Rose was confused to see me. Did she really think that I would have been dead, in fact what was she thinking about doing that face?
"You're alive!" He said.
"Yeah, it would take more than a Dalek for me to disappear."
It would take a Dalek who doesn't question his existence to kill me.
"I thought you were dead."
Nice.
"OPEN THE BULKHEAD." repeated the Dalek.
"I forbid you to open this fucking door!" I cried to the Doctor.
"WHAT USE ARE EMO–TIONS IF YOU WILL NOT SA–VE THE WOMAN YOU LO–VE?" Asked the Dalek before cutting off the connection.
I frowned at his declaration.
"He doesn't love me, we've just met." I mentioned to Dalek as if I was talking about the weather.
The Dalek doesn't even bother to answer me. In fact, I did not really expect an answer, what exactly would he say, huh? Because a Dalek who talks about emotions as an expert is as weird and improbable as a Slitheen wearing a pink tutu and who is seen as a beauty on Earth.
The partition opened and the Dalek rested his piston on my back to move me forward. I stumbled, avoiding a fall and in about ten minutes we reached the elevator.
I pressed the button for the floor of Van Statten's office. The atmosphere is extremely tense, I saw that the piston of the Dalek moved quickly, alert.
"You didn't kill me," I began. "So, you can't kill them."
It turned its eyepiece to look at me and I had to step back to avoid it hitting me.
"WHY NOT? WHY ARE YOU STILL ALI–VE? MY FUNCTION IS TO KILL. WHAT AM I? WHAT AM I?"
It wondered about its very existence. If I had been more compassionate to the Dalek, I would have let excuses escape from my lips, but I was not.
I began to look at the number of floors, counting them stressfully. It was when we had almost reached level 1 that I managed to regain the courage that I didn't know I possessed.
The doors opened onto the floor and only the doctor and Adam were missing.
"Don't do anything, It wonders about its own existence!"
"VAN STATTEN," spoke the Dalek, advancing towards the man. "YOU TORTURED ME, WH–Y?"
"I wanted to help you…" he stammered, recoiling. "I just… I don't know, I, I was trying to help. I thought if we could get through to you, if we could mend you… I wanted you better, I'm sorry."
The Dalek continues to advance as the man leans against a wall and his voice increases in a tone, clearly panicked.
"I'm so sorry! I swear! I just wanted you to talk!"
"THEN HEAR ME TALK NO–W. EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINA–TE!"
The Dalek stopped and turned his eyepiece towards me.
"YOU DO NOT STOP M–E?"
"I would even encourage you if there wasn't an audience." I replied, crossing my arms. "This pathetic excuse of man is a complete bastard who deserves his fate. Who knows what other creatures he would have tortured just to hear them speak? But I guess if you can't kill, there must be something else you want? Think about it."
He looked at Van Statten before coming back to me
"I WANT… FREEDOM." he said softly.
"Well..." I announced reluctantly. "You can have it now. I have absolutely no power to stop you."
The Dalek said my words as I went down the halls. I stopped the Dalek by calling it. I wanted to do something to Van Statten before leaving.
"Just wait a minute!"
It turned to look at me. All of them were watching me. So, I sprinted to Van Statten, sending my right fist to his nose. It broke under my hand and he held his nose, pouring blood. I hadn't finished with him; I sent my foot directly into his crotch and as soon as he was on the ground, I kicked his stomach.
"The first blow is for what you did to the Doctor, the second is for me and all of the dead you're responsible for. The last is for fun, I'm furious and I could do worse, but I have a case that requires my attention."
I crouched down to him and whispered in his ear.
"If... I didn't have an audience, if I had time and I didn't know what will happen next, I would have done what you did to the Dalek. It may be a killer but it's its nature and it does not enjoy doing it, it's its duty. You, however, have enjoyed it... and in this room, the only monster I see is you."
I stepped back and smiled at him coldly. I got up, removing the smile from my face and walked forward with the Dalek in the hallway. Rose asked me what I had said to Van Statten but I hummed softly, ignoring her question. We arrived in a much larger corridor and the Dalek stopped before shooting at the ceiling. A ray of light illuminated it and made the scene more pleasant. Rose smiled when she saw the blue sky.
"The sun, I never thought that I would miss its heat so much," I whispered, closing my eyes and enjoying the natural heat source.
"HO–W DOES IT FE–EL?"
The Dalek opened its case before the surprised eyes of Rose and me. His armour revealed a creature much more realistic than that of the series. It looked like an octopus with a prominent brain and had only one eye. Its flesh was extremely pale, and it seemed weak. The Dalek lifted one of its tentacles in the air and closed its eyes, enjoying the only source of warmth it was given.
And that's when I felt compassion for it. It thought it was the last of its race and for a few minutes it got to enjoy something that seemed so insignificant to us. I remember what the 10th doctor said in Torchwood. One thing a Dalek can't do. Touch. Sealed inside their casing. Never feeling anything, from birth to death, locked in a cold metal cage, completely alone.
"Get out the way!"
We turned around to see the Doctor holding a huge weapon and pointing it at the Dalek. We were its only obstacle.
"Alvia, Rose, stay away now!"
"No!" Said Rose suddenly. "I won't let you do this."
"That thing killed hundreds of people."
"And yet, it's you who holds the weapon." I replied.
"I've got to do this! I've got to end it. The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. You know it Alvia!"
"Yes, and it's because I know these things that I ask you to put down your weapon and look at it. Look at it!"
I shifted and looked at the Dalek who had not opened its eye despite the heated exchange. The doctor spoke in a confused voice.
"What's it doing?"
"It's the sunlight, that's all it wants!" Rose responded.
"The only thing anyone has ever given to the Dalek is heat. It just enjoys it."
"B… But it can't." he said in a shaking voice.
"It didn't kill me, it didn't kill Van Statten, it's changing. And You? What about you? Will you change? Because the weapon you hold in your arms gives me a negative answer."
The doctor finally released the pistol, looking lost.
"I couldn't…" He tries to say, on the verge of tears. "I wasn't… Oh, Rose… Alvia… They're all dead."
"I know, and yet killing him will not change anything about your loss and sorrow…" I whispered.
"WH–Y DO WE SURVIVE?" Asked the Dalek weakly.
"I don't know."
"I AM THE LA–ST OF THE DALEK–S." he says with difficulty.
"You're not even that. Rose did more than regenerate you. You absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."
"INTO WH–AT?"
"Something new… I'm sorry."
"Isn't that better?" Asked Rose, offended.
"Not for a Dalek." The Doctor and I said at the same time.
"I CAN FE–EL SO MANY IDE–AS. SO– MUCH DARKNESS… ALVI–A…"
I turned my head quickly towards the Dalek. I was surprised, I shouldn't be the one who orders the Dalek to die, it's Rose who touched it.
"GIVE ME ORDERS! ORDER ME TO DIE."
It closed its eye and Rose grabbed my arm.
"You can't do that!"
"THIS IS NOT LIFE! THIS IS SICKNESS." The Dalek informed Rose.
Her face displays pity and disgust.
"I SHALL NOT BE LIKE HU–MANS. ORDER MY DESTRUCTION!"
"Dalek, self-destruct."
"ARE YO–U FRIGHTENED, ALVI–A?"
"Yeah."
"SO AM I… EXTERMINATE…"
Rose ran to the doctor, almost tripping over the rubble, as I walked slowly backwards, moving a little distance but still staying close to the Dalek. It closed its case and floated in the air. Its golden balls came off to surround it in a perfect sphere, activating a sort of electric field. It exploded inside and disappeared without a trace. Nothing, not even dust or debris, no proof of its existence.
I put my hands in the pockets of my long coat and turned to the Doctor and Rose to see them stunned. I walked towards them, without emotions. I didn't know what to feel about this Dalek.
As soon as I reached the level of the Doctor, he took me in his arms, and I did the same. We separated after a few seconds and I smiled weakly.
"Come on, let's go to the TARDIS. She's waiting for us."
We headed to the elevator and we went down to the level where the TARDIS was. Finally, we stood next to the TARDIS and the Doctor put his hand on it, rubbing his thumb against the blue wood.
"Little piece of home, better than nothing."
"Is that the end of it? The Time War?"
"I'm the only one left. I win. How about that."
"If a Dalek survived… maybe one of your people did too." she said consolingly.
"I'd know. In here." He says, patting his temple. "Feels like there's no one."
I looked at the Tardis so as not to let the doctor see the look on my face that would tell him everything. The Master, too, has survived. And for the moment he is hidden in a fob watch. And then, there is the painting with its title 'Gallifrey Falls No More'. The Doctor is not the last of his kind for eternity, he just has to wait.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere," said Rose. "And I guess Alvia isn't either."
We heard someone run and Adam arrived.
"We'd better get out. Van Statten's disappeared… they're closing down the base."
The doctor faces him with his arms crossed and I put my back against the Tardis, judging him.
"I'll have to go back home."
"Hurry up then. Next flight to Heathrow leaves at 15h."
"Adam was saying that all his life he's wanted to see the stars…" Rose noted.
"Tell him to go and stand outside then."
"He's all on his own, Doctor. And he did help!"
"He's a bit pretty. What do you think Alvia?"
"Tastes and colours. But if you want my opinion, he's not what I would call pretty. You're hot, not him."
I gave him a wink and I left the doctor open-mouthed as the Tardis door opened, even though it was previously locked. It seems that someone likes me. Thank you Sexy.
I went inside and walked to the railing before being joined by the Doctor and Rose. As soon as the blonde came in I turned around and pushed Adam out, trying to get in.
"Sorry dude, but you take the plane and go home. No chance will I let you get in the TARDIS."
"But why?"
"I don't like the way you look," I said to him with a smile. "End of our meeting, have fun, bye-bye!"
I closed the door in his face and the TARDIS left the museum.
"Where is Rose?"
"Gone to her room. Why didn't you let him come?2
"First of all you're the pilot, it's up to you to decide if someone comes or not and then, he would have tried to use information from the future for his own gain. He would have even had a Tardis key, threatening the entire history of mankind because of his bullshit"
He raised his eyebrows.
"I know, spoilers."
"Thank you."
I smiled and then approached the Doctor. My right hand gently touched his cheek and he said nothing of my action.
"How are you? And do not say you're fine, because I know you're not fine. You were tortured and you had to face one of your biggest enemies."
He sighed and his shoulders bowed.
"I could have been in better condition... what about you? It seems to me that you're hurt..."
"It's true that I've had better days," I laughed softly. "I think I'm going to have bruise and a pretty little scar on my brow bone."
I touched my injured eyebrow before suddenly yelling.
"Ah! My glasses are still there!"
"You seem to manage without them, why do you need them?"
"Astigmatic, without it I see the world in 480p instead of 1080p HD. They also had protection against the blue light from screens.
"We'll go find others, I know a place where you can get them and with the correct correction."
"Wow, space glasses! Very cool!"
"But before, let's go to the medical bay, come on, come on!"
I blow in amusement as he clapped his hands as if he were a school mistress calling his students back into school after recess.
When we arrived at the medical bay, I sat on the same bed as the first time and the Doctor pulled out disinfectant and an ointment. After disinfecting the clean cut on my brow and having put some cream on my cheek and stomach, I observed the doctor who was busy with his screwdriver. I put the ointment pot on its side and leaned back to look at the ceiling.
"I hit Van Statten."
He stopped suddenly and looked at me surprised.
"I think I broke his nose, I hit him in the stomach and in the crotch... this is the second time I've hit someone with the urge to hurt them."
"He deserved it. I am rather curious, who was the first?"
"A boy in my class when I was 12-13 years old. His name was Emmanuel. He was a guy who always made naughty remarks, and with my size he didn't miss me out. College was a difficult time for me too, and that day I cracked. I hit him in the jaw. A beautiful right hook."
"Were you punished?"
"No!" I laughed as I remembered. "I went directly to the CPE and I confessed everything, his only reaction was to tell me that I had done well."
I suddenly yawned, ending our conversation.
"Go to sleep." The Doctor ordered gently.
"Good idea. Good night, Doctor."
I left the bay and headed for my room. After changing into nightwear: Deadpool red t-shirt and black shorts, I slipped under the covers and fell straight into Morpheus's arms as soon as my head touched the cushion.