I had to put the Genesis of the Daleks into separate parts. It had gotten too long.
Chapter 4 On the planet Skaro
John looked around…a quarry? She eyed the bits of rock that littered the area and gave a curt nod. Yep, it was a quarry. She knew this! It was the planet of Skaro! She just had one question.
Where was everyone else?!
She let out a loud groan before sitting on a rock. She made a face as she stayed on it. The Transmat was able to help her refocus the energy that made her up. She welcomed that. A loud screech met her ears and she looked towards a very disgruntled Chariot.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry Chariot!" She exclaimed as she rushed over and helped the small snowy owl, "I should've warned you about the Transmat."
She winced as Chariot nipped at her fingers. It was hard enough to draw blood and she sent a small pout towards the bird. After a few minutes Chariot seemed to forgive her and perched on her shoulder. The tightening of talons in her shoulder leather know that not everything was forgiven.
She stood up straight and pulled her cloak around her. She needed to find the others or go find something interesting. She could mess with Davros. As soon as that thought struck her, she grinned. She could mess with Davros.
She took off towards the north. She was hoping that she could find a city. Finding the others would be grand but messing with Davros was too hard to pass up. She knew the Doctor would get on her case about it, if he ever found out that is.
"Doctor!" She heard a familiar voice shouting, "Doctor!"
"Sounds like Sarah," John muttered in amusement.
She placed a foot upon a rock without thinking and climbed up it. She paused upon realizing that she had been able to climb over it. Apparently travel by Transmat Beam helps with her atoms. The Huon particles scattered within her atoms were another story. Those were attempting to rewrite her DNA while she was still in atomic form. She placed a hand to the rights side of her chest and winced. Every so often there would be a sharp pain in that area when she breathed.
She ignored that thought and jumped down from the rock. It was with quick steps that she headed towards Sarah's voice. She skidded to a stop and almost laughed at Sullivan's jump when the gravel beneath her feet shifted with her movements. She found that she liked messing with him. She could ignore the disapproval from Chariot.
"That must be our invisible friend," Sullivan commented.
"Did you see the Doctor on your way here?" Sarah asked.
"I didn't," John stated, hoping that she could be heard.
"Where could he be?" Sarah muttered with a frown, hearing the invisible woman.
She was almost amused at the strong Liverpool accent. She looked towards the spot where the ground had shifted and watched as the gravel moved again. John was slowly gaining a physical representation in their universe. It would fade after a while if she used most of her energy, but it was growing.
"Ah, there you are, Sarah," The Doctor stated as he came upon the group.
"I say, Doctor, that was a pretty rough landing. What happened?" Sullivan asked.
"Yes, where are we?" Sarah added, "This isn't the beacon."
"No, there's been a slight change of plan," The Doctor stated as a sudden explosion sounded close to them, "This is Skaro."
"Sounds like a war," John commented, "Not a place you'd want to vacation is it?"
"It's getting closer," Sarah stated as she attempted to see what it was.
"It's a creeping barrage," The Doctor said before pushing Sullivan and Sarah towards a nearby bomb crater, "Get down!"
John jumped down and joined them. With a flick of her wand a bubble appeared around them. Runes and math were excellent for creating spells. This was one of her shields she created during the last Wizarding war. A dark expression passed over her face at the memories that attempted to push towards the front of her mind. She pushed them down, it wasn't a healthy way to deal with them, but it was hers. It worked, for a while.
"Something's annoyed them," the Doctor said.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," John dryly commented.
It was a few minutes until the barrage stopped. After a few seconds John dropped the shield. It popped. It created a small sound that was very discreet and could be passed off as an animal.
"That's clever," Sullivan commented.
"Thank you," John smiled as she headed out of the crater, "You lot might want to see this."
It didn't take them long to join her. She was knelt by the cross of a soldier. He was wearing a gas mask of all things. The Doctor moved towards the body as Sullivan joined John in her kneeling. He was disconcerted when he felt her shift her weight and the gravel moved.
"Nothing can be done for this chap," Sullivan said after looking over the body.
"That's strange," The Doctor stated as he picked up a rifle and examined it before moving onto a smaller gun that looked futuristic, "There's centuries between these two weapons."
"What's that on his jacket?" Sarah asked as she motioned towards a small device.
"It's a Geiger counter," John replied, "I don't see how a gas mask and a radiation detector go together, unless it's for aesthetic purposes."
"What an aesthetic," Sullivan commented.
"It's post apocalyptic aesthetic," John added in slight amusement as Sarah felt the material of the uniform.
"Part of his uniform is made of animal skins, and yet the combat jacket is a modern synthetic fibre," Sarah stated.
"It's like finding the remains of a stone age man with a transistor radio," The Doctor commented.
"Playing dubstep nonetheless," John stated with a grin on her face.
"Dubstep?" Sullivan asked.
"What year did you some from, John?" Sarah questioned.
"Two thousand and three," John replied with a small smile.
"This seems like a thousand-year war," The Doctor said in thought, "It's civilization on the point of collapse."
"What?" Sarah questioned.
"Nothing," The Doctor stated, "Just theorizing, that's all."
He put the weapons down and brushed the dirt from his hands. The other three got to their feet and did the same. The weather on Skaro was hotter than it had been back on the newly cooled Earth. John removed her cloak and put it back into her pouch. Chariot had taken flight when she removed it and waited till, she took off her suit jacket as well before perching on her shoulder. Her talons easily gripped the pinstriped dress-shirt. Blue and white was a winning combination in John's eyes, and it pissed off Holmes older brother.
"Come along," The Doctor stated.
"Where do you suppose we go?" John piped up with a small frown.
"Forward, of course," The Doctor replied.
She sent him a look as he began to walk forwards. Sarah and Sullivan followed, and she sighed. That was such a stupid idea. Then again, she wanted to mess with Davros. She really couldn't say anything, could she.
She followed and they came across a rocky hill with sand. She was walking at a leisurely pace. She wasn't worried, she was invisible and if she casted a notice-me-not charm and a muffling charm no one would be able to tell that she was around. She made a face at that. The Doctor would probably be able to tell she was around, he had an uncanny knack at that.
"Don't move!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"What is it?" Sarah asked.
"I see a land mine," He answered, "We're in the middle of a mine field. Follow me and tread in my footsteps."
"Good King Wenceslas," Sarah muttered as they began to move again.
The snort in response let her know that she had been heard. At least it was from the only other female in the group. At least someone understood her humor. She almost slipped on a rock and a small hand caught her elbow and helped steady her.
"Thank you, John," Sarah smiled.
"S'no problem," John sheepishly replied as her ears burned.
She paused in her steps and looked at the cliffs surrounding them. Her eyes narrowed. She felt as though they were being watched. Chariot let out a low hoot and with one look from her witch took off to the skies. She'd give them warning if they were in danger.
"I think we're being watched," John commented in a light tone.
"I thought that as well," The Doctor murmured as he too looked up to the cliffs.
"It's unsettling," Sarah stated with a slight shudder.
"I can't see anything," Sullivan said with a slight shrug.
"Let's hope its imagination," The Doctor stated.
He was about to take a step when he suddenly stopped. The three almost shared a look of confusion. John let out a sigh as she saw where the Doctor was standing. The mine, she forgot about the mine. Granted, she had a perfectly good reason for doing so. Her mind was filled with all those ideas, each one bouncing from one to the next. It was amazing that she even had coherent thoughts.
"Sully, he's on a mine," John stated, she had done a Liverpoolian thing and shortened his last name, "Let's wedge some rocks under it to stop it from rocking."
"Right," Sullivan gave a curt nod before turning to the Doctor, "Don't move your foot."
"I won't," The taller man dryly stated.
Harry knelt and gently observed the mine as John brought some rocks over. Sarah couldn't help but be amused at the sight of rocks floating. She slowly backed up a bit from the mine as Harry began to level the mine with the flat rocks that had been brought to him. The Doctor looked towards Harry before looking towards the floating rocks.
"There's no point in risking both of your lives," The Doctor stated.
"Don't be an idiot, it doesn't suit you," John commented, "Sully's got this and if anything seems like its going to go off, I'll put up a shield."
He made a slightly offended face. He was also slightly flattered. He wanted to argue but a look from Sullivan stopped him. He knew better than to fight a medical doctor.
"Now, just lift your foot very, very gently," Sullivan ordered the Doctor after he finished with the rocks.
The Doctor complied and slowly lifted his foot. The mine remained static and Sullivan let out a short breath of relief. He felt a hand bump into his shoulder, and he held his out and it was grabbed by a much smaller hand before he was pulled to his feet. It was strange to feel something but not see it.
"Thank you, Harry," The Doctor said.
"My pleasure," Sullivan stated.
"Man, of the hour," John grinned and clapped him on the back.
"Let's go," The Doctor told them.
They continued onwards through the mine field before coming upon a line of barbed wire. John was quick and quietly walked away from them. She could see a squat dome in the distance and wanted to explore. She wouldn't be able to do this when she became fully visible.
A protective dome. It was a war of attrition. They could make something like that, but we're slowly regressing towards primitive weapons and uniforms. She let out a quiet cough before putting up a notice-me-not charm paired with a muffling charm.
She was going to mess with Davros. She knew the exact building. She looked towards the sky and tugged on the familiar bond. Within a few seconds Chariot came barreling towards her before gently landing on her shoulder. She cast a few charms, much to the owl's indignation, and stashed her wand up her sleeve. Before opening the pouch around her neck. Chariot quickly flew into it so she wouldn't be in danger. She closed her pouch and stashed it away.
She found the opening between the sandbags and walked through it. Corpses lined the trenches and she sighed. This war was such a waste of life. She couldn't help but feel most wars were.
She shook her head and headed towards a door. With a quick wave of her wand and a silent Reserare the door slowly opened. She quickly moved through it as the soldier stationed within moved to apprehend her. He couldn't see or hear her, and she smirked at his confusion. She quickly vanished it. Her new thought pattern made her a bit mean towards those with smaller minds.
Again, she was never that mean before. She had been exploring the area when she came across scientists. She leaned against a metal wall and watched as they scurried around. She was keeping an eye out for Davros.
A loud sound rang out as a comm system cracked to life. She had to cover her ears as it messed around with her atoms and caused a loud ringing to fill her ears. She looked towards the speaker and attempted to listen to it. Apparently, the Doctor and Sullivan had been found by the Kaleds. She waited until the announcement was done before attempting to find the strategy room. She was happy that she was solidifying, but she missed the ability to stick her head through objects. Eventually, she came across a labeled door and she shimmied in. There was a man inside who looked angry. She moved to the back of the room and leaned against the wall.
It didn't take long for the Doctor and Sullivan to be brought in by guards. The man sent them a look of slight annoyance. He reminded her of the pictures of Nazis that were in the mundane history books she had read in primary school. She was starting to think that was the inspiration for the military of the Kaled humans. The Doctor was forced to empty his pockets and she moved closer to watch with slight amusement.
"This is yours?" the Man asked as he picked up a small circular device.
"Yes," The Doctor replied.
"What is it's function?" the Man questioned.
She could tell him that. It was an etheric beam locator! It was used to detect ion charged emissions. With her atoms being the way that they were the locator went off and she stifled a slight laugh at that. The Doctor had an amused expression on his face as his eyes found the spot where she was. Sullivan could guess what was going on and he raised his brows before quickly schooling his expression.
"It is not of Thal manufacture," The Man stated.
"Well, naturally not," the Doctor stated in slight amusement, "My friend and I are not from your planet."
"Aliens then?" The man questioned.
"Humans," Sullivan answered before eying the Doctor, "Well, I am, anyway."
"I've heard Davros say there is no intelligent life on other planets, so either he is wrong, or you are lying," The Man stated.
"We are not lying," the Doctor stated in a tone that told that the wasn't appreciative about being called a liar.
"And Davros is never wrong about anything," The Man stated with a glare.
"Then he must be exceptional," The Doctor commented in a light tone, "Even I am occasionally wrong about some things, just who is this Davros?"
"Davros is our greatest scientist," The Man answered, "He's in charge of all research at the bunker."
John stepped towards the Doctor and gently tapped out a message on the palm of his hand. She was lucky that he had his hands behind his back in the first place. His hand twitched slightly as she tapped out her message. She finished and he gave a small nod that looked as though he was simply looking down.
She headed out with a small smile and started towards the lab. Her message told him that she was going ahead and that she hadn't seen Sarah. The brunette was safe, for the moment, but she was worried about the shorter woman. She could tell that with her atoms calming down and allowing her body to become physical her mind was starting to accept the changes. She had a mean streak, that was something she wouldn't lie about she knew that she had one now, but it was mostly tempered by her actual personality. The soft-spoken researcher, the book worm, the girl who spent more time in the library reading than Granger, and the girl who took down death eaters with non-lethals.
She stopped outside of the laboratory and waited for a scientist to head out. One eventually did, his head docked down as he read from a folder. She walked next to him and easily moved into the room without alerting him of her presence. She let out a very quiet gasp as different frequencies hit her body. If she hadn't had the notice-me-not charm on the different scientist would've seen her flickering in and out of sight. She went to one of the metal walls and place a hand on it as she attempted to get used to the different frequencies.
"Party approaching, check one," One of the guards said as he looked at a monitor attached to the wall.
"Tane, this is security commander Nyder with prisoners and escort," A familiar voice stated.
It was the man that had been questioning the Doctor and Sullivan. She stood up and tried to ignore the sweat that was dripping down her face. She moved towards the door and waited for the two men to come through. The steel doors quickly opened, and she felt relieved to see the Doctor. He took a quick study of the room and she could've sworn that he had paused on the spot she was standing at. She wondered if that was because of the somewhat psychic abilities of the time lords. It had to be. It was all speculation on her part, and she frowned slightly at that as they walked in.
"I want these two screened and passed to Ronson for full interrogation," Nyder ordered.
"Yes, sir," Tane nodded before giving a small salute.
"The Prisoner's belongings," Nyder held out a plastic box before giving a salute and leaving.
"Good, well, now he's gone, any chance of a cup of tea?" The Doctor questioned with a grin.
"What?" Tane questioned in disbelief.
"Or, Coffee, my friend and I have had a very trying experience," The Doctor stated before turning towards Sullivan, "Haven't we had a trying experience, Harry?"
"Very trying, Doctor," Sullivan quickly agreed with light amusement.
"Step into the security scan," Tane ordered.
"What, no tea?" The Doctor asked.
"Let me point out to you that you have no rights whatsoever," Tane informed them, "I have full authority to torture and kill any prisoner who does not comply absolutely with my orders. That is your first and last warning."
"No tea, Harry," The Doctor stated.
Sullivan was moved towards a body scanner and was pushed inside. He made a face as the hum hurt his head and it was followed by John. She stumbled slightly and bumped into the Doctor. He didn't even react to it as he stood up straight and made sure that he didn't move. She had her head resting against his shoulder and it was only slightly distracting.
"You're cleared," Tane informed Sullivan as the man was pulled from the scanner, "You next."
The Doctor moved forward and waited to be done. The hum started up again and John let out a wince before it suddenly stopped, and a beep sounded out. She couldn't wait to be a physical presence again; it would mean that her sensitivity to frequencies would be gone. At least, she hoped.
"The scanner detects a power source located below the prisoner's left elbow," Tane stated as his men started to move to apprehend the Doctor, "Remove the object from the prisoner's left wrist."
He barley put up a struggle when they removed a golden ring from his arm. The Doctor didn't look too pleased by what had happened, and it was the first time that John could say that he was sweating. She wondered if things were changed since it isn't a tv show. This is a real person, alien, with real feelings. She could contemplate it later, but she ready to defend the Doctor if need be. Even as she looked around at all the guns, she could probably be shot now, it was too risky without any defense.
"You can't have that," the Doctor stated, "That bracelet could have no possible use as a weapon."
"It remains in the box with the other confiscated items," Tane told him as he placed the bracelet in the box while maintaining eye contact.
John moved forward and placed a hand on the Doctors. He seemed to reluctantly step down. Sullivan had been about to say something to calm the man down. He watched as the item in the bin seemed to shimmer for a few seconds. Their resident witch had to be doing something.
John bit her lip as she grabbed the real bracelet and quickly stashed it in her pouch. She had created a copy and placed it in the box. It didn't let out the small frequencies that the actual bracelet did, it seemed to mess with Huon particles within her. It made her feel light and happy, something that she hadn't been in a very long time. She walked over to the Doctor and left him a small message.
"Two prisoners at checkpoint," Tane stated, "Awaiting orders."
"The time ring is our only hope of getting back to the Tardis," The Doctor said in a low voice so that Tane wouldn't hear them, "Make sure you don't lose it John, and be careful where you go."
She gave him an affirmative tap. She waited for the door to open when a guard stood next to it and followed him out. She looked through the long corridors and started down one way. She took out her wand and did a location spell. It rotated in her hand for a few seconds before pointing in a direction. She started to head that was and eventually she came across a Dalek.
That hadn't been what she was looking for. She backed up in slight surprise as it looked around with its singular eye. It passed over her and she was happy that her magic was keeping her hidden from their sights. She looked over the pepperpot looking vehicle, she remembered that was what it was supposed to be, and watched as it moved around. It was figuring out how to drive. She sighed and moved back even more.
Seems she found Davros. She turned on her heel and calmly walked back to the laboratory. She needed to wait until he opened the lab door before she could rejoin Sullivan and the Doctor. The door opened and a guard walked out. It was tricky but she managed to walk through it without bumping into him. She walked up to the Doctor and gently tugged on his scarf in the back. He was in mid conversation and it caused him to pause slightly before Davros made his appearance.
"You two stay quiet," The scientist he had been talking to warned.
Sullivan and the Doctor stood behind the scientist as Davros rode across the floor in his life support scooter. John may have wanted to mess with him, but something stopped her. An unease rose up in her as she looked at the creator of Daleks. Something was wrong, she'd never been scared of Daleks before. It was odd, and she didn't like it.
"If I may have your attention," Davros stated, "For some time I have been experimenting with the Mark Three project, details of modifications will be distributed later, however, I am anxious that you should see immediately the remarkable results that I have achieved, and to that end I have arranged this demonstration."
The door next to a filing cabinet opened and the Dalek glided in. The Doctor felt something grab the back of his coat and he realized that John was nervous. He moved and he felt her slowly release his coat. She hadn't realized she'd been doing that.
"A Dalek," The Doctor muttered.
"What?" Sullivan questioned.
"A Dalek," He replied, "It's primitive, but undeniably a Dalek."
"You're mistaken," The Scientist spoke up, " It's a Mark Three travel machine."
"If you say so," He said.
"Halt. Turn left. Move forward," Davros commanded the Dalek.
It performed each feat that was commanded of it. The Doctor once more felt John move closer to him. He was flattered that she sought some form of protection from him. It seemed to be something that many of his female companions did.
"Turn right. Move forward and circle left. You will agree, I think, that voice control represents an enormous step forward, however the best is yet to come. Nyder," Davros continued as the Dalek once more did what he asked.
Nyder walked up to a box and removed an object that looked like a whisk. She knew that was the weapon of choice. A laser that killed with ease. She doubted that even in her atomic form that she'd survive a blast from that.
"Our machine is now equipped with a weapon for self-defense," Davros said as the weapon was attached to the Dalek, "Now, I am going to turn the machine over to total self-control. It will be entirely independent of all outside influences. A living, thinking, self-supporting creature."
He flicked a switch on his scooter and the gun raised. The Dalek turned towards the assembly of people and a hush fell over the crowd as it moved. It was a slow crawl and slightly menacing. The Doctor felt John shudder slightly and he brought one of his hands back to rest on the one she used to hold onto his coat. She jumped slightly but slowly responded with a small message of thanks.
It didn't bring them any comfort when the Dalek stopped in front of them. It raised its gun and the Doctor dislodged her hand from his coat. She took the hint and stepped back as he placed his hands into his pockets. He looked calm, but she knew he was just as nervous as she was.
"Brilliant. Brilliant!" Davros exclaimed, " It has detected the non-conformity."
"Aliens. I must exterminate. Exterminate!" The Dalek shouted.
The scientist ran forward as John sneaked next to it. She pricked her pointer finger with her teeth and began to slowly draw a tune on the Dalek. It was a prototype so it didn't have the technology to detect her blood. She knew that information had definitely come from the time vortex. That hadn't been announced yet, especially in her universe.
The Dalek stuttered for a few minutes before breaking down. Davros looked at it in fury and confusion as the scientist froze in his spot. She quickly cleaned her blood from the metal body and stepped back as Davros moved forward to check on it. He was muttering to himself and it made her realize that it wasn't the gusset time that a Dalek had broken down on him.
"You dare to interfere?" He turned on the scientist, "You have the audacity to interrupt one of my experiments?"
"It was planning to destroy him, I believe that these prisoners could be valuable," The scientist defended, "by all means, when I have my questions, let the machine do what it likes with them, but I do need to interrogate them further."
"You will be punished for insubordination. In the meantime, you may question the prisoners until first light," Davros stated, "After that, they will be used to resume the experiment. This meeting is ended."
He left and the scientists began to crowd the Dalek. Some were trying to figure out why it broke down. John smirked to herself as she went back to standing next to Sullivan and the Doctor. The scientist came back with a slightly strained expression on his face.
"Thank you," The Doctor said with a nod of his head, "I am obliged to you."
"I was merely doing my duty," The Scientist shrugged it off, "I believe that you have knowledge which could be of the greatest assistance to us, but if you don't cooperate, then it is certain that Davros will use you as an experiment with his machine in a few hours time."
John made a face at that and looked down to her finger. She blanched upon noticing the color of her blood. It was gold. Just what did the time vortex do to her. She was curious and it was at the front of her mind. It caused a mental list to be formed. She was smarter than she had been and had countless ideas running through her mind, her blood was gold, her magic was stronger now that she thought about it, and she could sometimes feel a faint echo in the right side of her chest.
Was she becoming a time lord? She thought about it but decided that wasn't it. She was something very similar, but the magic and blood set her apart. She also didn't know if she had the regenerative properties that the time lords had.
"The prisoners are to be taken to the cells," She was brought out of her musings by Nyder, "You can continue questioning them there. Davros orders it."
"Don't follow, John," The Doctor immediately mumbled to her.
She gave him a glare at that but saw his thought process. If he needed help, it was better off having her out in the open. She decided that she'd go and help Sarah. She tapped her message on his back and he gave a discreet nod.
She left after one of the guards and quietly moved towards the trench doors. She was welcomed to the sight of the barren wasteland that was Skaro. She needed to move quickly. She looked up to the sky and hoped that she could make it in time.
