Chapter 7: Dalek

A/N: I own nothing. The characters all come from much more brilliant minds than mine. I am just playing with them, the way others may play with dolls. I was thinking about the end of Breaking Dawn and how it reminded me of one of my favourite TV shows and so the two were combined. Obviously this is following the story in Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks so a lot of the dialogue is based on the transcripts of those eps.

The pig-men led us thought the sewers, twisting and turning. At first I wondered if they were trying to confuse us so that we wouldn't be able to get away easily if we escaped, but then I started to wonder whether these pig-men were just so animalistic and unintelligent that they didn't know where they were going themselves. They were crossing another scent and following that in, but in where?

As we walked I was being pushed further away from Frank. Every time I attempted to position myself closer to him another pig-man pushed in between us. An hour passed and the pig-men seemed just as lost and disorientated as before. As we travelled we encountered more pig-men, who had other prisoners. It seemed I would have to rescue more people, but now I couldn't try without drawing too much attention to myself. The further we travelled the more people and pig-men were added to our group.

We entered another tunnel and ran into yet another group. A woman was screaming, "No! Let me go!" I recognised the voice. Martha! I pushed against my captors to get closer to her, she still hadn't seen me. But Frank saw her, "Martha."

"You're alive!" She ran to him and hugged him, she saw me then. She reached out and pulled me into a hug too before gasping at my cold touch. An instant later when she pulled away her smile was back to normal.

Frank spun her around again, "Hey."

Martha smiled, "I thought we'd lost you both."

The pig-men pushed us to keep us moving again. I realised how much attitude Martha had when she spoke back to them, "All right! All right, we're moving."

Frank was scared, "Wait. Where are they taking us?" He looked to Martha

"I don't know, but we can find out what's going on down here."

The pig-men pushed us further ahead. Into another new tunnel, but now we were circling. I could smell the scent from our last round. It was barely 15 minutes old.

"What are they keeping us here for?"

"I don't know. I've just got a nasty feeling that we're being kept in the larder."

Another 15 minutes passed and we hit the same spot again. We were definitely in a holding pattern now. On the next round there was a new smell. One that gave me hope. I knew that although I was strong enough and fast enough to get rid of the threat of the pig-men I couldn't do it without hurting any humans or exposing myself for being something else. However, I didn't think anything was beyond him.

The pig-men guarding us became agitated and pushed us against the wall.

Frank's heart was racing, "What're they doing? What's wrong? What's wrong?"

I heard a sound unlike anything on the planet. Metal scraping against the concrete floor. A grinding, like something being pushed towards us. The sound bought with it a new smell. It was tangy and metallic and smelled of hate. I watched in the direction of the noise. I saw a strange metal shape gliding towards us. My senses heightened. The thing screamed danger, a danger even more potent than the Doctor. I wanted nothing more than to run from this spot. It was only shame that kept me rooted where I was. Shame that I could even consider running when others were in trouble.

The creature spoke, it's voice raspy but high. It had a metallic ringing in it. The sound injured my ears. "Silence. Silence."

Martha's breathing quickened, she seemed as affected by this thing as I was, "What the hell is that?"

"You will form a line. Move."

The pig-men started to push the group against the wall. Martha took control, "Just do what it says, everyone, okay? Just obey." I felt the shame burn, I was allowing a young women to stand as protector for this group.

The metallic voice continued, "The female is wise. Obey!"

The sound of a second metal creature snapped me out of my revere. It spoke to the first, "Report."

"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause."

Martha seemed terrified by the word, she whispered, "Dalek?"

The creatures, the Dalek's ignored her and continued their own conversation.

"What is the status of the Final Experiment?"

"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete."

"Then I will extract prisoners for selection."

A pig-man grabbed one of the men out of the line. The Dalek extended on of its, arms?, toward his face. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."

If the situation was so horrific I would have found it funny that the man was insulted, "You calling me stupid?"

The Dalek ignored him. "This one will become a pig slave."

Two pig-men grabbed him and the man struggled. "No, let go of me! I'm not becoming one of them!" I was torn between helping him and remaining with Martha and Frank. Before I could consider my choice fully the Dalek started down the line. I thought about it logically. This creature oozed such venom and hatred I was sure it had the ability to destroy me. I needed to keep myself safe, for Esme and for Edward.

The Dalek continued along the line until it reached me, "Intelligence scan. Initiate."

"Superior intelligence."

The Dalek then scanned Frank and Martha. Both were deemed to be of "Superior intelligence."

"These ones will become part of the Final Experiment."

Martha shouted at it, "You can't just experiment on people! It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"We are not human. Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

They marched the three of us, together with a handful of other "subjects" deemed to be of high intelligence down a corridor. I felt that we were finally being led somewhere meaningful. I saw the Doctor pressed against a wall with another pig-man and a figure receding into the distance.

As we passed his hiding spot the Doctor fell into line between Martha and Frank. The pig-man joined the other guards. It was times like this I wished for Edward's ability.

The Doctor whispered to us, "Just keep walking."

Martha was shocked but happy, "I'm so glad to see you."

Barely minutes later, we entered into a huge laboratory. I had never seen anything to rival it. Not even the Doctor's TARDIS looked as advanced as this. But then again, looks can be deceiving.

There were more Daleks in this room. I wondered how many there were in total. I thought of a planet full of these hideous creatures and a shiver ran through me. The Daleks spoke to each other again. It was almost as if they thought themselves to be so superior they didn't need to explain or justify anything we saw. In the far corner one of the Daleks stood shaking and steaming, as if something cooked inside.

"Report."

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution."

"Scan him. Prepare for birth."

The Doctor seemed to know something of these creatures. Pain and hatred burnt in his eyes, I wondered vaguely if they had something to do with him losing Rose. He seemed surprised by what the Daleks had said, "Evolution?"

Martha looked horried, "What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?"

"Ask them."

"What me? Don't be daft."

"I don't exactly want to get noticed. And they will figure out what Carlisle is if he draws too much attention to himself. Ask them what's going on."

Martha took a deep breath, "Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this Final Experiment? Report!"

To my surprise, the Daleks answered her, "You will bear witness."

"To what?"

"This is the dawn of a new age."

"What does that mean?"

"We are the only four Daleks left, so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

A strange hiss issued from the Dalek cooking in the corner. The metal parted to reveal a human form. Except, it wasn't human. The clothing the creature wore was remarkably similar to that Diagoras was wearing when he took us down the sewer. But this was Diagoras.

On top of the human body was a head with one eye, surrounded by tentacles. The creatures hands were almost claw like.

The Doctor and I could only stare. Martha was the first one to compose herself enough to talk, "What is it?"

"I am a human Dalek. I am your future." He turned to the other Daleks, "These…humans will become like me."

The Doctor slipped away, I followed as quickly as I could. He seemed to be fixing up a radio.

"Can you use a hand?" I hissed at him in a tone too fast and low for human ears. The Daleks were too concerned with the 'evolution' to notice. He gave me some quick instructions which I followed, my vampire speed coming in handy.

The hideous Dalek hybrid spoke, "Prepare them for hybridisation."

The pig-men grappled with the prisoners. Martha was obstanent, "Leave me alone! Don't you dare!"

The Doctor smiled and nodded, his plan was in order. I hid as he requested - staying out of the way for now, so I would be in position later.

A strange sound burst into life from the radio in the Doctor's hand. I had never heard music quite like this before.

The hybrid spoke, "What is that sound?"

The Doctor held up the radio and stepped out to meet them. "That would be me." He set the radio down on one of the benches, "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."

The Daleks recognised him easily, I wondered again what their history was. All of the Daleks spoke at once, "Doctor."

"The enemy of the Daleks."

"Exterminate."

Then the hybrid spoke again, "Wait."

The Doctor walked towards him, "Well, then. A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."

"How did you end up in 1930?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift."

The Doctor laughed, "Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" He strode around the room, as if he had all the time in the world and was merely visiting old friends, "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form."

"What does it feel like? 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."

The Doctor seemed encouraged, "Good. That's good."

"I…feel…everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such…a genius for war."

How could the Dalek have it so wrong, humanity has none of those things. The Doctor seemed to agree with me, "No, that's not what humanity means."

"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very…Dalek."

"All right, so what have you achieved then? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." He pointed at the radio and patted it as he spoke, "Simple little radio."

One of the other Daleks spoke. I could hear the metallic ringing, "What is the purpose of that device?"

This seemed to be precisely the answer the Doctor wanted, "Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? 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 just noise."

The Doctor held his pen to the radio and it emitted a high pitched wail. The sound grated against my every nerve ending. Even if the Doctor hadn't asked me to wait here I would have been incapacitated by the sound. Maybe that was why he was so eager to get me to hide, he didn't want me to give away the fact that I wasn't human just yet.

Amongst the pain of the noise I heard a commotion, the Doctor yelled, "Run!"

The Daleks shouted, "Protect the hybrid! Protect. Protect. Protect."

I heard the prisoners escaping down the hall. Then I listened as the Daleks started to talk again.

"Report status."

"Pain. Pain…of the flesh like no other Dalek has felt for thousands of years."

"The Doctor has escaped."

"Then find him. Find him."

"Find the Doctor. The prisoners must be recaptured."

I sat in silence as I listened to the Daleks. They were attacking Hooverville. I pictured the faces of everyone I knew there. I wished there was something more I could do. I burned with rage, and equally with shame. I nearly left my hiding place a number of times, but each time I remembered the Doctor. He told me to stay, to remain until the end when he would return and need me.

I was sure I was the only one who the Doctor could leave here who could remain undetected. I gave off no body heat, no heart beat. I had stopped breathing as soon as I settled in my hiding spot, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable but nothing that I couldn't manage.

I tried to take in as much of my surroundings as possible. I listened hard and was shocked when I realised that besides the Daleks there was other life in this laboratory. I looked to either side, daring to inch forward out of my spot. The Daleks were too concerned with their attack to pay any attention to me. I couldn't see anything. No beds. But I could hear heartbeats. Human heartbeats judging by the size. All of the pig-slaves had left for the attack so it wasn't them. Beside, these were soft and slow, as if in hibernation. I looked at the Daleks, I needed to use my sense of smell to detect where the humans were. After I was sure I wouldn't be detected I closed my eyes and drew in one quiet breath, breathing in as deep as I dared. I scent indicated I was right near them. I scanned around again but there was nothing.

Then my eyes slid up and it took every ounce of self-control not to shout out or even gasp. Above me, suspended on the ceiling, were hundreds of platforms draped with sheets. Each of them had the outline of a human shape. There was no way I could even get to the closest one too me without risking drawing attention to myself.

I jumped when I heard the Dalek speak. I thought I had been caught out. "Establish visual contact."

I looked over to where the Daleks were, fearing the worst. I relaxed when I saw that they had some sort of image set up in the centre of the room. Moving pictures of Hooverville appeared on it. Now I could see and hear everything that was happening there.

The hybrid spoke, "Commence the attack."

I could hear Martha's voice but I knew it was coming from the image, "There's more than one of them."

The Daleks in the picture began firing on Hooverville. I saw explosions and fires light up the dark night. I longed to move, to protect.

One of the Dalek's in the image spoke, "The humans will surrender."

Then the Doctor appeared, "Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!"

"We have located the Doctor!"

Solomon stepped in front of the Doctor and grabbed him by the arm.

"No, Solomon. Stay back." The Doctor warned him.

Solomon ignored him, "I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?"

The hybrid Dalek spoke, "Observe humanity. For all their faults they have…such courage." This statement I had to agree with. Courage, and hope, and love. The hallmarks of humanity.

"From what I hear, you're outcasts, too." I could tell Solomon was trying to reason with these creatures. I couldn't see how he would be successful.

The Doctor seemed to agree with my assessment, "Solomon, don't."

"Doctor, this is my township, you will respect my authority."

The hybrid Dalek watched with a look of intense interest on his face. I took this opportunity while I had it. As silently as I could manage I left my hiding spot again and leapt for the nearest platform. Under the sheet was a human male. I started a clinical exam on him. He was...vacant. There was no other way to describe it. He was human, alive – barely, but was purely an instinctual being. I noticed he was pale and cold. A plan formulated in my head. I turned my attention back to the Daleks to pick my moment.

Solomon pushed the Doctor away, "Just let me try." The Doctor stepped back, shaking his head. "Daleks…ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin? 'Cause, 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 it's got to give me hope…hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I…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?"

I quietly disconnected the wires from the body I was crouched over and waited for the opportunity to move again.

One of the Dalek's at Hooverville spoke. "Exterminate!" A light shot out from one of his arms. Solomon flashed with radiation before falling to the ground. The Daleks were still absorbed in what they were seeing. The hybrid looked visibly shaken by this.

The inhabitant of Hooverville screamed and panicked. I used this noise to cover up my jump off the platform. I hid the body in my previous hiding spot, closing his eyes and mentally begging for forgiveness. As I jumped back onto the platform and duplicated the wires and needles as best I could. I only hoped if I was inspected they wouldn't look too closely and notice none of the needles actually pierced my skin. I timed my breathing with the other soft sighs I could hear from this level.

I pulled the sheet over me, closed my eyes and waited. I heard Martha's voice shouting something. Finally the Doctor spoke. In that instant I saw how truly terrifying and ancient he was. "Daleks! All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy."

The Doctor screamed, "Then do it! Do it! Just do it! Do it!"

"Extermin—"

"Stop! I command you. Stop." I recognised the voice, it was the Hybrid.

"I do not understand. It is the Doctor."

"But I want him alive."

"The urge to kill is too strong."

"I have decided the Doctor must live and you will obey me."

"I…obey."

The Doctor seemed confused, "What's going on?"

The hybrid spoke, "Bring him to me."

The Dalek that had the Doctor sounded resigned, and a little disgusted as it said, "You will follow."

Martha seemed horrified, "No! You can't go!"

"I've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."

"But what about us?"

The Doctor paused for one second. "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

The hybrid spoke again, "Obey the Doctor."

The Dalek replied to the Doctor, "The humans will be spared. Doctor…follow."

Martha objected, "Then I'm coming with you."

"Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let me go." I could hear the hurt in her voice.

There was a long pause before the Doctor spoke again, "Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much."

The Dalek who remained in the laboratory with the hybrid spoke to him, "You saved the Doctor. Why?"

The hybrid seemed to pause to think about that for a minute, "He's…a genius and we can use him. The future of the Daleks might well depend on the Doctor."

My breathing faltered for one minute before I concentrated on timing it with the others around me again. And then I waited.