The Web of Time

by Shadow of the Fire Bird

A bizarre tale that chronicles a voyaging Doctor, his travels across the universe, and his ever changing relationship with the one person who could never leave him (All Doctors X OC)

10. The Mutants- The Ordeal

Chapter 10: The Mutants- The Ordeal

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In the pale light of a coming dawn, two Daleks stood before the massive computer in a lonely room at the top of their city's main structure. One of the Daleks was the normal shade of neutral grey, while the other was deep black, signifying he was the leader of the whole operation.

"Have. The. Drugs. Been. Duplicated?" the Leader Dalek asked his subordinate.

"Affirmative," the second Dalek replied.

"And. The. Results?" the Leader inquired.

"All. Daleks. Who. Have. Been. Administered. The. Anti-Radiation. Drugs. Of. The. Thal. People. Have. Died," the second Dalek declared.

"As. Expected." The Leader Dalek mused. "The. Thals. Need. This. Drug. To. Survive. To. Us. It. Is. Poison."

"They. Cannot. Survive. In. The. Radiation. We. Can," his subordinate added. "We. Need. The. Radiation. To. Live."

"Yes. And. The. Thals. Hold. This. Poison. With. Them. Outside. The. City," the Leader Dalek continued. "There. Is. Little. Doubt. They. Aided. The. Prisoners. In. Their. Escape. And. Now. They. Have. Allied. Themselves."

"Do. You. Think. They. Will. Attack?" the second Dalek inquired.

"It. Is. Likely," the Leader confirmed.

"The. Thals. Hold. A. Device. That. Can. Destroy. Us," the second Dalek continued. "They. Must. Not. Be. Allowed. To. Live."

"Affirmative," the Leader Dalek agreed. "They. Shall. All. Be. Exterminated."

"The. Daleks. Have. Been. Conditioned. For. Radiation. We. Need. It. To. Survive. And. We. Need. The. Thals. To. Die," the second Dalek added.

"There. Is. One. Way. We. Can. Do. Both," the Leader Dalek declared.

"How?"

"We. Shall. Detonate. Another. Neutron. Bomb."

()()()

"….No, and that is my final word," Alydon declared, his voice firm and imposing as he turned from Ian, who had once again attempted to convince him to do something about the looming Dalek threat, and stalked back over to the rest of the Thal people, who were all huddled around the camp in small, worried groups.

Ian sighed in dismay as he headed back to the edge of the clearing where Barbara was sitting under a tree, and the Doctor was messing around inside the TARDIS; the door to the machine was open, and its milky light spilled out into the growing darkness of the forest.

"Any luck?" Barbara inquired as Ian collapsed down beside her.

"No, and I've tried everything I know," Ian replied dejectedly. The two humans looked up when they heard the branches above their heads shaking.

"Be careful up there, Susan," Barbara called to the young Time Lady, who was perched like a bird amongst the bare branches.

"It's alright, Ms. Wright. I'm quite safe," Susan called back.
"What's she doing up there anyways?" Ian inquired of Barbara.

"She's looking for Terna. She's been worried sick about her all evening," Barbara replied, her voice grim.

"She won't have much luck in this light," Ian declared, "and Terna's been gone for hours; she's probably to the city by now."

"I doubt it," Barbara replied. "I was talking with Ganatus, a friend of Alydon's, who said that to travel to the city through the swamp would take at least a day and a half as there's a craggy rock face you have to scale after the forest ends."

"What was Terna thinking?" Ian exclaimed. "Was she planning to take down a whole city full of Daleks by herself?"

"Her hatred of them must be greater than we thought," Barbara mused. "She did say her people were destroyed by them during some war, and you should have seen it Ian. When she went to the Gyrum, that place I told you about, and Terna absorbed all that energy to regain her memories, the look in her eyes; it was impossible to describe."

"I just wish she hadn't behaved so rashly," Ian grumbled. "If only we could convince the Thals to help us, but they just won't risk conflict with the Daleks, despite all my best efforts. And besides, I can't go too far…"

"What do you mean?" Barbara asked.

"Well, why should they help us?" Ian demanded. "After all, some of them are bound to get killed. How can you ask someone to die for you like that?"

"Yes, but Ian, we'll be prisoners here if we don't find a way to get into the city and retrieve the fluid link," Barbara insisted.

"I am quite well aware of that, Barbara," Ian spat.

"Yes, and you're also aware that the Daleks almost certainly will find a way out of their city, and when they do they will find us and kill us all."

"I just can't ask the Thals to sacrifice themselves for us, Barbara," Ian insisted. "I just can't."

"I know, Ian, but what are we supposed to do?" Barbara cried.

At that moment, Susan hopped down from the lower hanging branches, alighting on the ground as nimble as a cat.

"Any luck, Grandfather?" she asked the Doctor as he exited the TARDIS at the same time, his face lined with worry.

"Hmm?" the Doctor glanced up, seemingly distracted.

"Did you manage to find the parts to build another link?" Susan asked.

"No," the Doctor sighed dejectedly. "I looked through all my spare parts, but there is nothing compatible, and not a drop of extra mercury to be seen. Turns out we really did need a new supply."
He stopped when he saw Barbara and Ian glaring at him. "It has put us in a bit of a jam," the Doctor continued, shifting uncomfortably. "I must get that fluid link back again. It would seem my little trick has rebounded on me. What you might call 'tempting providence'," he added to Ian.

Ian sighed heavily. "I suppose there's no point in worrying about that now. What's done is done."

The Doctor smiled slightly. "Yes, and at least you're not vindictive, Chesserman."

Ian scowled. "Well, I will be if you don't get my name right."

"Hmm?" the Doctor asked.

"It's Chesterton."

"Oh, right. I knew that," the Doctor replied, waving his hand dismissively.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "How can you two just sit there chatting at a time like this?"

"My dear girl it's not as though I've been sitting here doing nothing," the Doctor asserted. "But it has become quite clear that we have no other options but to try and retrieve the fluid link from the city."

"Grandfather, what about Terna?" Susan inquired.

"Well, if she hasn't already died in the swamps, she's bound to be shot down by Daleks as soon as she enters the city," the Doctor declared, much to Susan's horror.
"I can't believe that woman," he continued, "and I actually took her for a somewhat intelligent creature. Serves her right if she gets killed for behaving so rashly."

"Oh, but we're not just going to abandon her, are we?" Susan cried.

"She made her choice, Susan," the Doctor replied. "And quite frankly, we're better off without her if you ask me. She was nothing but a burden."

"Now, hold on a minute. She saved your life," Ian asserted. "Twice!"

"She saved all our lives," Barbara added, "Risking her own in the process; if she hadn't distilled the radiation sickness, none of us would be here right now. I agree with Susan, we shouldn't just abandon her."

"Well, what do you propose we do then?" the Doctor demanded.

"Well, we need to get into the city anyways," Ian reminded him. "Perhaps we can find her when we do and try to talk some sense into her."

"Yeah, and maybe we could get to her before she even reaches the city," Susan added. "If we go the same way that she went, we might catch up to her."

"Yes, but you all realize that we cannot succeed against the Daleks alone?" the Doctor reminded them.

"Of course," Barbara replied indignantly.

"We have a ready-made army here," the Doctor continued. "The Thals: they're strong, and they have one great advantage against the Daleks: they can move so much more quickly."

"They also have a great disadvantage," Ian added, "No arms or ammunition."

"They have spears," Susan offered.

"Well, that's alright, young man," the Doctor replied, brushing the matter aside with a wave of his hand. "The mind will always triumph. With me to lead them, the Thals are bound to succeed."

"But, Grandfather," Susan interjected. "We've been talking and arguing about this all evening; the Thals won't fight. They are against war."

"My dear child, this is no time for morals. They must fight for us if we are to succeed."

"But why?" Ian demanded.

The Doctor glared at him. "My dear young man, I hope you are not going to be difficult."

"The Doctor's right, Ian," Barbara added. "If we could get the Thals to attack the city, we could beat the Daleks, retrieve the link, and hopefully find Terna."

"It's just common sense," the Doctor turned to Barbara," Young lady, I have been underestimating you."

"I will not allow you to use the Thals to fight our battles," Ian declared, putting his foot done on the matter between him and the Doctor.

The Doctor's expression darkened. "Young man, are you challenging me?" he demanded

"Yes, I am," Ian replied defiantly.

"Do I have a say in this?" Barbara demanded, getting between the two men.

"Yes, you do," Ian said to her.

"Well, then I say the Doctor's right, and I want to get out of here."

Ian looked at her, his expression pained. "Barbara, we can't do this; I won't have people's deaths on my conscience."

"Except mine, Susan's, the Doctor's, and possibly even Terna's?" Barbara demanded.

"Quite so," the Doctor agreed

Ian closed his eyes and shook his head. "The only way the Thals can fight is if they themselves want to; it must have nothing whatsoever to do with us."

"I get what you mean," Susan exclaimed. "We must help the Thals to save themselves and not just us."

"Exactly," Ian commended.

"All you're doing is playing with words," Barbara observed.

"Enough of this," the Doctor declared. "This is a time for action, not arguing."

"Listen, you," Ian rounded on the Doctor. "What victory are you going to show these people when most of them have been killed? A fluid link? Is that what you're going to hold up to them and say, 'Thank you very much. This is what you fought and died for'?"

"Can the Thals even still fight?" Susan wondered aloud. "They have been adamantly against it for so long after all."

"Well, that's something we need to find out," Ian agreed. "Are they cowards or are they just refusing to fight out of principle?"

"How can we find out?" Barbara inquired.

Ian thought for a moment. "I've got an idea," he suddenly declared, stepping around Barbara and the Doctor and over to the large chest containing the remnants of Thal history. "Whatever I do, don't interfere; I'm not even certain this will work," he added over his shoulder.

Barbara, the Doctor, and Susan all exchanged a glance.
"Strange young man," the Doctor mused.

"He's right though," Susan added. "About the Thals not fighting for us, but fighting for themselves."

"Yes, I suppose," the Doctor admitted.

As they spoke, Ian was talking with Alydon and some of the other male Thals. From their spot on the clearing edge, the other three could only hear snippets of the conversation: "…To have self- respect. At this moment, anyone could come in here. They could rob; they could steal," Ian stated.

"Let's see what he's up to," the Doctor suggested as he and the two girls joined the crowd that was steadily growing around Ian and Alydon.

"…They could even kill you," Ian continued, "And you wouldn't life a finger to help yourselves?"

"We will not fight," Alydon declared. "There will be no more wars. Look at our planet. This was once a great world, full of ideas and art and invention. In one day it was destroyed, and you will never find one good reason why we should ever begin destroying everything again. I'm sorry."

"You're not sorry," Ian asserted, his grip tightening on the heavy chest of Thal history balanced in his arms. "You stand here, mumbling a lot of words out of your history. But it means nothing, nothing at all. You carry this around with you: your history records,"
As he spoke, Ian slammed down the chest at Alydon's feet. "Well, it must be valuable to you. Supposing I take it down to the city and try and trade with the Daleks? Perhaps they'd think it valuable enough to exchange for our fluid link!"

Alydon didn't blink; he regarded Ian with cold, steady eyes. "I don't believe you'll do it."

"You wanna bet?" Ian asserted.

Alydon took a deep breath. "None of us would stop you."

"Really?" Ian scoffed. "You'd let me take away all the histories you hold so dear and give them to your greatest enemies? You do realize if we don't get the fluid link back, the four of us will die, not to mention Terna. However," Ian glanced around at the crowd, all looking at him in bewilderment. "Perhaps the Daleks are more interested in people."
He turned slowly on the spot, closely examining each of the Thals. "Perhaps the Daleks were only holding us to experiment on us. Perhaps I should take them a replacement?"

With that, he snatched Dyoni's hand and started to drag her towards the edge of the clearing.

"Alydon!" Dyoni shrieked, struggling in Ian's grip.

Alydon moved like lighting, one minute he was standing still, cool and collected, the next he was punching Ian hard in the jaw.

"Ian!" Barbara cried as he hit the ground.

An aura of shock reverberated around the clearing as Ian staggered to his feet, massaging the spot on his face where Alydon had struck him.
His eyes fixed on the Thal leader, who regarded the human with barely contained anger. As he did so, Alydon's hand tightened around the trembling Dyoni's shoulders.
Ian smiled grimly. "So there is something you'll fight for."

()()()

Night fell over the ravaged world that Skaro had become, tossing a blanket of soft darkness over the eerie scape. In the clearing, the inhabitants of the Thal camp fell into an uneasy sleep, often restlessly awakening to discuss and plan in hushed huddles off in the remote corners of the clearing.

Barbara, for one, found sleep unbearable; she couldn't stand the silence: the chilling emptiness of the world. It was bad enough to be trapped in a dark forest on earth when one is surrounded by noisy wildlife, but the quiet of the barren landscape was infinitely more disconcerting.

She sat huddled on the ground beside the TARDIS, shivering slightly as she pulled her cardigan tightly around herself, trying to keep out the chill and the prickling feeling that she was somehow being watched.

On the opposite end of the clearing, Barbara spotted Alydon standing off on his own, his pale hair seemed to almost glow in the milky moonlight; his back was to Barbara, so she couldn't see his expression.
A moment passed before Dyoni suddenly exited her lean-to and silently slipped around the sleeping Thals towards Alydon.
She had been very quiet since the incident with Alydon punching Ian a few hours previously.

"You're not asleep?" Dyoni whispered once she'd reached Alydon.

"Presently," he replied coldly.

"Are you angry with yourself for striking that man?" Dyoni inquired.

"No, I knew he was trying to make me do it." Alydon turned towards Dyoni, and Barbara could see the distress in his pale eyes. "But I couldn't stop myself. Do you despise me for hitting him?"

Dyoni placed a hand on Alydon's shoulder. "If you hadn't fought him, I think I would have hated you," she admitted.

"I knew he wouldn't really take you and give you to the Daleks," Alydon continued, "But I fought him. Oh, I wish Temmosus were here. What would he have said, Dyoni? Which is more important? To fight and live, or to die without fighting?"

Dyoni pursed her lips and didn't respond.

"Can't sleep?" Barbara glanced up to see Alydon's friend Ganatus standing over her. He looked like that of the other Thals: fair and handsome, but he held a kind of youth to his figure and a boyish nature to his face that made him less intimidating then someone like Alydon.

Barbara sighed. "I don't think anyone's doing much sleeping tonight," she observed.

"Alydon's worried. Can you blame him?" Ganatus replied, settling down beside Barbara and leaning against the tree.

"What will happen now?" the human woman inquired.

Ganatus shook his head. "I don't know. We always do what the leader of our race decides for us, but he never decides anything without our full approval."

"And if Alydon decides not to help us?" Barbara whispered.

Ganatus looked at her; his blue eyes almost seemed to glow in the darkness. "Well, we'll have to wait until the morning, won't we?"

Barbara nodded solemnly as she gazed up into the night sky; Skaro's moon seemed a lot closer to its planet than Earth's moon, so it bathed everything in a stark white light, the paleness of the landscape making it almost too brilliant to look at. Light seeped out from between the shadows the skeleton trees cast.
"What's that light?" Barbara inquired of Ganatus. "It's not from the city is it?"

"No, the lake in the swamp," Ganatus explained. "Some sort of chemical in it that makes it glow in the moonlight."

"Terna's out there somewhere," Barbara mused as she gazed out at the eerie light. "At least she has a light to guide her."

"Your friend is either very brave or very stupid to travel into the swamps alone," Ganatus mused. "We always go with a party of at least four, if at all."

"You've been down there?" Barbara asked.

"Yes," Ganatus nodded gravely. "There's horror down there in the swamp. Five of us went there in search of food, and only my brother and I came back."

Barbara was horrified. "What happened to the others?"

"Well, we found what was left of one of them," Ganatus explained grimly. "The swamp is alive with mutations, bred and cross-bred until the original organism is all but lost." He paused, "I'm sorry; I'm being morbid."

"Oh, I don't mind," Barbara replied simply. "We're a good distance away after all; I just hope Terna is alright."

"You're worried for your friend," Ganatus observed.

"Well, she isn't really my friend," Barbara admitted. "I hardly know her at all; she's a mystery really, just sort of turned up in the TAR-our ship-with Susan and the Doctor. I don't know who or what she is. She can be really terrible sometimes, but other times she can be kind. She saved our lives after all."

"Terna must have her reasons for venturing into the swamp alone. We may not know why, but I believe she would not have entered the swamp unless she knew she'd survive."

Barbara nodded solemnly. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

()()()

As night spread its influence across the barren landscape, Terna trekked through the shadows, the vapor of the marshland curling around her ankles as she waded through the knee deep water.

The black mud caked her sandaled feet and clung to the hem of her dress, weighing it down as she attempted to lift it out of the muck's reach.
The air was thick with moisture and Terna breathed heavily, her skin coated in a layer of sweat.

She paused to lean against a tree, stepping idly over the craggy stone path that snaked through the foul-smelling waters. The air tasted sour as she attempted to catch her breath, the toxic fumes setting the swamps on fire, thin films of colorful light loomed out of the darkness like distant car headlights as they drifted on the stagnant waters.

Terna felt uneasy as she shoved herself off the tree and gazed around. It was quiet, and it was the silence that disturbed her. No cries of animals, nothing shuffling in the shadows, no light from city that lay in the distance.

The city…full of Daleks.

Terna' anger reignited inside her chest, far brighter than the glow of the silent swamp.
She surged forward once more, stumbling slightly on a fallen root and coating her sandals in a fresh layer of mud.

Up ahead was a wider stretch of marsh water. Barely missing a beat, Terna leapt across a series of conveniently placed rocks and was about halfway across when a low rumbling sound made her freeze on the spot.

The Lyall's heart stood still as she teetered awkwardly on one of the partially submerged stones; her head whipped from left to right, trying to detect the origin of the noise as it once again ripped through the silence.

But Terna could see nothing aside from the toxic light of the swamp.
Suddenly, a long, slimy hand reached out of the glowing waters and latched onto her ankle. Terna shrieked and flailed her arms, almost toppling off her feet and into the water.

She managed to regain her footing on a second stepping stone, but it was short lived as the creature attempted to pull her into the water.

Terna reacted instinctively, snatching the magnifying glass from her pocket and holding it aloft. A blinding yellow light suddenly consumed the object.

In a flash of vibrant color, the magnifying glass was gone and was replaced by a large, ornate sword with a hilt carved like that of a wolf's head; Terna didn't hesitate to slice straight through the hand that grasped at her leg.

The creature shrieked as it quickly retreated back into the water's depths. Terna staggered backward and collapsed on the opposite bank of the water stretch; the swamp had resorted back to the eerie quiet and stillness as before.

She took a deep breath, attempting to slow her frantically beating heart as she looked down at the sword in her hand; it was pure gold and seemed to glow faintly with the same kind of yellow light.

Despite Terna having been born Lucent, a small fragment of Opaque Anima still existed in the depths of her soul, as it did in all Lucent Lyall. It was called the Maelstrom, and it was the darkest and greatest fear of all Lucent Lyall.

Although this did not mean the Lucent did not use the Maelstrom; the energy was often used in battle when it was filtered into seemingly arbitrary objects and then the Lyall in question used its Opaque energies to shape the object into whatever they desired at the moment, anything they could hold in their hands in a process called Transmutation.

These weapons were used by the Lyall's strongest warriors and were nicknamed 'Claws' because they were considered an extension of their wielder's arm.
Terna decided that she had unwittingly transformed the magnifying glass she'd picked up in the TARDIS into her Claw. It explained why she felt so attached to it, why she was able to call it back to her side with the boost of energy the Gyrum had given her, and it was also why she had been able to cut open the door Barbara had been trapped behind.

Of course, that had only been a partial Transmutation at the time.
Turning the magnifying glass into a sword was a full Transmutation, and Terna was fortunate the power of the Gyrum had strengthened her enough to perform it.

With a slight smile, she gripped the sword tightly in her hand before hopping across another water stretch and alighting lightly on the opposite bank. She paused to glance back and make sure that no other creatures were lurking in the shadows, whether they be monster or otherwise.

The Lyall Queen was certain the Daleks couldn't exit their city but that didn't count for the Thals following her or whatever other kind of mutant that may have spawned on the planet.

Terna shivered at the thought as she clasped her sword tightly and started off down a craggy sort of path cutting through the iridescent marsh grass as it glowed with radiation.

However, it was not bright enough, and she stumbled slightly, grabbing hold of a gnarled tree jutting out into the path to steady herself. Once she'd regained her bearings, Terna withdrew her hand from the tree and found it to be covered in deep black ash.

Brushing her palm against the tree trunk, she found the tree wasn't as firm as some of the others were.

Terna glanced down at her sword, an idea coming to her.

()()()

Morning finally came to the clearing and, in the grey light of early dawn, Alydon approached Ian, having had the night to mull over his proposition.
The Thal leader fixed the human man with a cold, steady stare. "I have one question to ask you," he declared. "If we do not help you, what will you do?"

"We'll find a way into the city, find our companion, and take back our lost equipment," Ian replied simply.

"I have thought much about the events that have transpired, and what we must do about them." Alydon now turned to address the crowd, "The Daleks are a threat to us; their intentions were made quite clear when they killed Temmosus. Regardless of our past beliefs, we cannot simply let these people die; it would be no different than if we had killed them ourselves."

The other Thals in the crowd nodded in apparent agreement.
"Well, the way I have reasoned is this," Alydon continued, "The Daleks are strong, and they hate us. I am sure they will find a way to come out of their city and kill us. So it is not merely a question of whether we go off in a vain search for food and in all probability starve to death; we face death now."

He gestured in the direction of the rocky cliffs and the Dalek City below. "In the city is enough food for all of us and all of the Daleks, a hundred times over. My conclusion is this: there is no indignity in being afraid to die. But there is a terrible shame in being afraid to live. If none of you agree with my reasons, then let me go with these people, and I will help you elect a new chief."

There was a pressing silence as Ian and the other time travelers awaited the Thals' response.
Beside Barbara, Ganatus got to his feet. "I'll go with you, Alydon," he declared.

"And I" added a second Thal.

"Let's start at once!" continued a third, soon followed by more shouts of approval from the crowd.

"I will go as well," Ganatus's younger brother Antodus, who looked no older than fifteen, added.

Barbara and Susan both grinned, and the Doctor nodded his approval.
Ian turned to Alydon. "Thank you."

They were mobilized in a few minutes; Ganatus collected a map from the chest and spread it out on the ground in the middle of the clearing.
The Doctor was delighted. "If we get this kind of intelligent anticipation then we shall succeed. Now, what is this area here?" he gestured to a point on the map close to their current location.

"The swamp," Ganatus explained. "Here are the mountains," he pointed to a stretch of terrain between the swamp and the city. "The swamp is inhabited by horrible creatures."

"Can we get to the city this way?" Ian asked, referring to another point on the map.

Alydon arched an eyebrow. "Over the mountains?"

Ganatus hesitated. "Yes," he finally said, "but it means going through the swamp."

"We can't do that; it's too dangerous," Alydon declared.

"Yes, but I realized last night, when I was talking to Barbara that it is undefended," Ganatus stated.

"Undefended?" Alydon exclaimed. "It's a natural barrier, all of those creatures…You know that, Ganatus."

"Yes, I know. What I mean is that the Daleks won't have guards there," Ganatus explained. "That side of the city will be wide open, and we may be able to take them by surprise. I don't like it either," Ganatus added when he saw Alydon's worried expression, "But it's our best possible chance."

"Terna went through the swamp, didn't she?" Susan piped up.

"Yes, and if she hasn't already been killed, she'll be scaling the mountain range on the north end of the city by now."

"We won't be able to intercept her then," the Doctor mused. "She's got a good twelve hour head start. How long does it take to trek through the swamp and cover the mountains?" he asked Ganatus.

"About a day and a half," the young Thal replied.

"Right. Well, I suggest we split into two groups," the Doctor declared. "One goes to distract the Daleks on the south wall closest to our encampment, while the other group goes through the mountains to enter the city on the north side."

Ian nodded. "Yes, I think that's the best plan."

"Good. Then are we all agreed?" the Doctor glanced at the others, who all nodded.

Alydon's expression was grim. "Then that is what we must do."

()()()

The groups were as such: Ian and Barbara would be led by Ganatus, his brother Antodus, and some other Thals through the swamp and across the mountain range while Alydon, the Doctor, Susan, and the remainder of the tribe would stay behind to create a distraction at the south wall.

As late afternoon rose above the clearing, the first group said their goodbyes and set off in the direction of the swamp.

Ganatus and Antodus lead the way, both talking in hushed, frantic whispers.
"We'll never get through," Antodus proclaimed.

"Yes we will," his older brother asserted.

"What makes you think it will be any different from the last time?" his brother demanded.

"At least we know what to expect."

"But the others don't."

"We promised Alydon we'd find a way through the mountains, so that's what we are going to do," Ganatus declared.

Antodus regarded his brother darkly. "You'd never have gotten the others to follow you if you'd told them what happened last time: how we watched Amezus dragged beneath the waters of the lake while you and I ran in terror when-"

"That's enough," Ganatus cut his younger brother off. "We go on, Antodus. You keep your fears to yourself; I don't want you upsetting the others. Is that clear?"

The younger Thal dropped his eyes. "Yes," he murmured.

"Is that clear?" Ganatus repeated.

"Yes," Antodus replied a little louder before retreating back to the end of the procession just as the tree line thinned, and the swamp loomed ahead of them.

"Well, this is the swamp," Ganatus said to Ian. "From now on, it's going to be rather uncomfortable."

"Yes, I see what you mean." Ian nodded as he surveyed the moist, slimy and uneven terrain that lay before them.

"The ground is very uneven," Ganatus continued, "Sometimes rock, sometimes thick mud. You'll have to watch your step. However, the sky grows dark; I believe it would be best to set up camp for the night."

"Good idea," Ian grimaced as he glanced up at the waning light slicing through the dark branches. "I don't like to think of being caught in that swamp in the dark."

"I will send some men to scout the perimeter for a dry spot," Ganatus added.

Ian nodded. "Alright, I'll go see how Barbara's doing."

The Thal man smiled as the human turned from him. "I'm surprised you let her come."

Ian laughed. "I couldn't have stopped her."

He then moved over towards the rest of the group where Barbara was sitting against a tree; she had swapped her pencil skirt and heels for a pair of black leather pants and Thal sandals. She was adjusting the strap of one as Ian approached her.

"How are you doing?" he inquired.

"Alright," Barbara replied with a shrug. "Although, I don't like the look of that swamp," she added, glancing up at the marshlands as she spoke, already pinpricks of light from the radioactive waters were beginning to bleed through the growing darkness.

"We're going to make camp for the night," Ian explained. "We don't want to risk heading in there in the dark."

"Good thinking," Barbara mused; her lips pursed as she watched the swamp. "I wonder if Terna's alright."

"If she's still alive, she may have made it to the city by now," Ian stated.

Barbara went white. "Oh, I hope she's still alive. What if we come across her body in the swamp, Ian?"

"I doubt that will happen," Ian reassured her. "I am almost fairly certain that Terna made it out of the swamp. She's tough, Terna, you know for her age and all that. I'm sure she's fine."

"Susan would never forgive us if we returned without her," Barbara continued. "She's rather fond of Terna."

"Can't see why," Ian grumbled. "She seems rather cold to me."

"She did save all of our lives," Barbara reminded him. "I suppose, despite her arrogance, she does care in some way."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Hey! Over here!" Barbara and Ian both turned to see Antodus standing by the swamp edge; he was holding two objects aloft in his fist.

"What is it?" Ian asked as he and Barbara rushed over along with the others.

Antodus held them out so he could see them clearly.

Barbara gasped. "It's Terna's sandals!"

"She probably took them off so she'd be able to get through the swamp more easily," Ian reassured her just as Ganatus approached them.

"Some of the men have found a dry clearing a short ways east," he announced

"Alright, I'll get some firewood," Ian declared. "Barbara, why don't you see to dinner?"

Barbara, who was clutching Terna's mud-splattered shoes, nodded.

The group ate in relative silence, most were too exhausted or hungry for conversation.
As the night thickened around them, the light from the fire became the only comfort; the lamp-like glow of the infected swamp water looked like the eyes of ghosts looming at them out of the shadows and the cries and shuffles of creatures moving about in the brush left the Thals and the two humans feeling as though they were perpetually surrounded by malevolent forces.

No one thought of sleep, despite the late hour, and the group became exceedingly antsy, especially Ian.
At one point, he got up from the circle around the campfire and stole off towards the edge of one of the water pools. He knelt down and splashed some of the cleaner water against his face, trying to wipe off the grime and sweat from the day's exertion and agitation.

Something flashed out of the corner of his eye; Ian whipped his head towards the water just in time to see a huge, bulky shape slink back below the surface, hovering just beneath the water with a pair of giant lamp-like eyes looming out of the shadowed waters.

Ian cried out and bolted back to the camp.
"What is it?" Ganatus demanded as he and the other Thals jumped to their feet.

"Did you see something?" Barbara asked.

"Yes," Ian replied breathlessly. "It was a…." his voice trailed off. He didn't know what it was that he'd seen; he didn't want to know.

Ganatus nodded grimly. "Kristas" he turned to a brawny Thal standing to his left. "Stand guard at the water's edge just in case." The Thal called Kristas nodded mutely.

"I'll take the first watch," Ganatus added.

"No, let me," Ian asserted. "I'm alright, really."

"I'm sure you are, but you Earth people should get as much sleep as possible. We Thals are used to an irregular life."

Ian looked like he was about to protest, but then relented. "Wake me in a few hours," he muttered before moving closer to the fire and hunkering down beside Barbara

The swamp screamed all around them.

()()()

"Time to move, my friend," where the first words Ian heard as he was roughly pulled from a restless sleep. He sat up, groggy, and looked at Ganatus.

"You let me sleep," he observed.

The Thal smiled slightly. "Yes."

At that moment, a Thal known as Elyon, who looked even younger than Antodus, rushed over to Ganatus and Ian. "Come and see what we found by the lake," he said to them.

As Ganatus rose to his feet, Ian nudged Barbara awake. "Morning," he said with a grim smile as she sat up, blinking rapidly in the pale light.

"Morning." Barbara stretched with a groan, "Oh what I'd give for a feather pillow and a spring mattress.

"Some of the Thals have found something," Ian told her. "Ganatus went to go see. I'll be right back."

He then followed Ganatus and Elyon to the water's edge where they were observing what appeared to be a large piping system half hidden in the marsh grasses. It grew out of the water like a giant weed and snaked off into the cover of the shadowed forest.

"Looks like the Daleks are getting their water from the swamp," Ian observed.

"But how would it get to the city from the lake?" Ganatus inquired.

"The Daleks aren't very mobile; they probably utilized the pipeline," Ian explained, gesturing to the winding system as it vanished into the brush.

"It must go on for miles," Ganatus mused.

"How long will it take us to reach the city?" Elyon inquired.

"Most of the day," Ganatus replied. "We can't risk going directly through the marshlands, the lakes are full of mutations."

"It would take too long to build a raft too," Ian added.

"So, we go around," Elyon stated.

"Yes, and let's get moving so we can be out of this marsh before the sun goes down," Ian added.

Elyon nodded. "I'll go fill up the water bags," he announced before hurrying over to the bank.

When Ian and Ganatus returned to the campfire, the Thals were breaking camp, and Barbara was serving everyone a hot drink that tasted like a water-downed version of coffee.

"We saw some pipes heading towards the city," Ian explained to Barbara. "Thanks," he added when she handed him a drink.

"Do you think we could get through?" Barbara inquired.

"If we follow the pipeline, it will take us around the really bad spots," Ian replied, taking a sip of his drink and gagging slightly. "Seems our luck's finally turning," he added.

"Where's Elyon?" Barbara inquired.

"He went to go fill the water bags," Ganatus replied.

Then everyone heard a scream.

"Elyon!" Antodus jumped up from the group and broke towards the edge of the swamp; his brother close behind.

"Stay here," Ian said to Barbara and the others as he followed the two brothers towards the water's edge.

There was nothing there but a few half-filled water bags drifting like fallen leaves in the bog; the black water churned as did Ian's stomach when he thought of what might have happened to Elyon.

The poor boy; he couldn't have been older than fourteen.

"What's happened?" Barbara rushed up beside them. "Did Elyon fall in?"

"Yes." Ganatus expression's was grave while Antodus looked positively distraught; looking as though he had half a mind to dive in after his friend, but he knew it was pointless.
"It must have happened quickly," Ganatus mused. "Come on. There's nothing we can do for him now." He placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder in an attempt to console him as the others all looked on gravely.

Ian nodded sadly.

"Ian, look!" Barbara suddenly cried. He jerked his head in the direction she was pointing to see a large gnarled tree growing close to the water's edge. Its stone trunk was chalky and soft, eroded away by the marsh waters.
Crudely carved into the side of the trunk were four words:

Do Not Follow Me

()()()

A lonely wind battered against the walls of the Dalek City as Terna stood on the edge of the swamp.
She'd walked the entirety of the previous day and well into the night, trying to put as much distance between herself and the others in the short time she knew she had before they realized her absence.

Terna paused to lean against a tree, her head fuzzy with exhaustion. Her bare feet were sore and coated in a thick layer of black mud which also caked the hem of her dress up to her thighs. Her hair was loose and tumbling out from its braid; Susan's pearls dangling like teardrops against the sides of her face.

Rubbing her bleary eyes, she glanced up at the great city looming ahead of her; the walls were very solid and at least twenty five feet high, insurmountable. Taking a deep breath, Terna removed her magnifying glass from her pocket and stared down at it.

As she did so, a yellow light consumed the object, burning with a brilliant intensity, burning with anger.

Blue the color of light, power, peace, and creation: the color of the Lucent, and yellow the color of destruction, chaos, and anger: the color of the Opaque.

That thought returning to her, Terna took a deep breath as she slowly raised her magnifying glass up to her face.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the river of Anima flowing between her and the magnifying glass, creating a constant stream of raw power, power that was primitive and wild: the Maelstrom.

Terna focused on this power as she pictured what she desired in her mind; reopening her eyes, she saw the magnifying glass was gone; in its place was now a sleek wooden pole at least thirteen feet long, the only indication that the magnifying glass had ever been there was the faint film of yellow light lingering on the pole's surface.

Terna smiled to herself; it had worked. She had achieved full Transmutation of her new Claw.
Now the hard part.

She gripped the pole tightly with both hands, breathing heavily as she attempted to steady herself, staggering slightly under the pole's weight.
Cautiously, Terna leaned forward and, before she lost her nerve, took off running, leaving the safety of the tree line behind and heading straight towards the city wall.

Her mind racing as she sprinted forward, Terna gritted her teeth as she finally shoved the pole down into the ground with enough force to propel her body upwards.
Curling her form over the lip of the wall, the Lyall twisted her body and dropped the pole just in time to be able to land safely on the other side of the wall. Terna straightened up, dusting herself off as she picked up her Claw, now once again a magnifying glass.

Wiping grime off the side of the object, Terna glanced around; the city was still smothered in the same eerie silence as when she had first entered it with the Doctor and the others. But she wouldn't let that deter her, nor would she stick to the shadows.
Putting on a bold front, she held her head high as she marched down the center street of the Dalek City.
She reached the main building without opposition; the Lyall Queen paused at the front door, glancing up at the blinking security camera mounted above the doorframe.
She smiled, but it was without humor. "Hey, Daleks!" she called, spreading her arms wide. "Come and get me."

()()()

As the white sun of midmorning beat down its oppressive rays against the pale scape of the valley, the Doctor, Susan, Aldyon, and Dyoni crouched behind a cluster of rocks jutting out on the lip of the valley's edge, the ground sloping sharply downward before them to create a natural path into the Dalek City.

While Ganatus, Ian, Barbara, and the others had left to enter the city from behind, the remaining Thals and two Gallifreyans had been tasked with creating a diversion at the city's front entrance to ensure the other group would clear the walls unhindered.

Easier said than done.

"There seems to be four main roads jutting out from the main square," Susan, who was peering intently through a pair of binoculars, informed the others. "The roads go north, south, east, and west."

"We need to find the section with the main power ventilators," Alydon stated.

"Yes. Here, Susan, let me see." She quickly passed the Doctor the binoculars.

"Grandfather, get down!" Susan cried when the Doctor stood up in order to see the city more clearly, but at the risk of exposing himself without the cover of the rocks.

"Yes, yes, yes," the Doctor waved his hand dismissively as he crouched back down and turned to Aldyon. "Now, what we have to put out of action are the radio and television waves. They've obviously got complete coverage in and around the city."

"Do you think Terna's made it into the city, Grandfather?" Susan inquired.

"If she survived the swamp than it is very likely," Alydon stated.

"Foolish girl," the Doctor spat. "Once she crashes in there, the Daleks will suspect an attack, and we'll lose the element of surprise we so desperately need. What's worse, they may make a counterstrike before we are ready."

"Our main priority should still be knocking out the security cameras around the city wall," Alydon reminded him.

"Yes, yes," the Doctor nodded grimly as he gazed out at the city. "I just wish I knew what was going on down there."

()()()

A lone Dalek milled about the computer room; it suddenly snapped to attention when the door slid open and the black Leader Dalek entered.
"The. Report. For. The. Neutron. Bomb. Is. Complete," the Subordinate Dalek declared.

"What. Is. It?" the Leader Dalek inquired.

"The. Neutron. Bomb. Will. Cover. Five. Hundred. Square. Miles," the Subordinate Dalek explained. "Time. For. Construction. Twenty. Three. Days."

"That. Is. Too. Long," the First Dalek stated.

"Then. We. Must. Find. Another. Way. To. Spread. The Radiation," the Subordinate Dalek declared.

At that moment, a ping on the computer indicated an incoming transmission.

Both Daleks turned in unison as a third Dalek came over the loudspeaker.
"Intruder. Detected. At. Main. Entrance."

"Display." the Leader Dalek turned to the blank security scanners, and they blinked to life showing a blurry image of a woman in a muddy blue dress.

"It. Is. One. Of. The. Escaped. Prisoners," the Leader Dalek announced before turning to the second. "Send. A. Squad. To. Capture. Her."

"I. Obey," replied the second, pressing a button on the computer.

()()()

Terna's heart fluttered in her chest as the door to the city compound slowly slid open.
It didn't take them long to find out she was here.

Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists so hard her knuckles went white, trying to force down the fear that was bubbling up in her chest.

Don't think, that was what Rangi had told her. Don't think. Just act.

The first Dalek slid into view.

Terna gripped her magnifying glass just as the Dalek fired. She dove out of the way, feeling the heat of the blast as it whizzed past her ear and collided with the wall behind her.
She rolled away from the resulting explosion as the metal plating splintered and steam burst out from the cracks, engulfing the entire area.

Jumping to her feet, Terna released her Opaque Anima out in a burst of golden energy and the magnifying glass was instantly replaced by a sword. The steam swirled around her, making the world seem white and wet.

Out of the murky air, she could just make out the gleam of the Dalek's eye stock, glowing faintly in the haze as it struggled to make out its surroundings. She rushed forward, using the steam as a barrier. The glowing eye loomed ahead of her: the perfect target.

Terna lunged forward and thrust the sword up to the hilt into the Dalek's eye. The creature let out a guttural scream that mixed with the shrill sounds of splintering glass and shattered frame work. Green mucus spilled from the puncture wound as the Dalek's light dimmed; the abomination inside writhing around its metal cage as it slowly died.

The Lyall yanked her sword out of the Dalek's depths and barely had time to wipe the green puss from the blade before two more Daleks appeared in the doorway. The steam continued to swirl around her, but the dry air was causing it to thin.

"Halt!" the Daleks cried. "Surrender!"

They fired their guns as Terna shoved the dead Dalek out in front of her like a shield. It toppled forward and knocked the Dalek on the right over, crushing the creature inside under the weight of the two canisters.
The Dalek on the left was knocked out of control by the collision, which gave Terna ample time to slash it open as she ran past into the building. The dome-shaped lid toppled off the Dalek's stump body and more green slime oozed out between the cracks.

"Alert! Alert! Intruder. Is. Hostile!" Alarms blared all throughout the polished white walls. "Disarm. And. Apprehend. All. Dalek. Units. To. Main. Corridor."

Terna veered left, skidding slightly at the tight turn.
"Halt!" Another singe of heat brushed past her face as a Dalek came out of a side door and fired at her. She pivoted and kicked her foot against the Dalek's solid base. The creature toppled back over the doorway, and Terna jammed her sword into the magnetic opening mechanism beside the doorframe.
The door attempted to slide shut, splitting the Daleks in its way in half.

"Surrender! Surrender!" Terna whipped her head towards the end of the hall to see two more Daleks barreling towards her. She turned to yank her sword free from the control panel, but it was stuck.
She yanked and pulled desperately, both hands clasped tightly around the hilt. Another blast and Terna twisted to the side just in time.

The Dalek missed its intended target but got her in the leg.
The Lyall yelled in a mixture of frustration and pain as she felt all feeling leave her left leg. Adrenaline setting her remaining limbs on fire, she finally managed to wrench her weapon free from the control panel and took off down the hall, limping awkwardly with the two remaining Daleks not far behind.

They fired again and again, scorches and burns peppered the walls and floor as Terna ducked and dove out of the way to avoid them, staggering awkwardly on her one working leg.
She needed to get out of the hall; scanning desperately from left to right, she found no side exits. She was trapped.

Up ahead, the hall branched off in three different directions. Terna pivoted her body sharply, trying to maneuver her paralyzed leg around the corner. She swung her arm outward as she did so and feeling suddenly filtered out of the limb as a second Dalek blast hit its mark.

Terna screamed in frustration as her arm went limp at her side, and she was forced to awkwardly drag her half-paralyzed body down the hall.

But she wouldn't stop. She couldn't stop. Not until all of the Daleks were dead.
They rounded the corner behind her, joined by a second group converging in from the doorway across the open atrium; the heat of the blasters crackled through the air.

Terna heaved her useless limbs along like excess weight, stumbling slightly at every other step and, at one point, falling completely.
She jammed her sword into the wall in an attempt to hoist herself back to her feet but another blast got her in the shoulder of her other arm. The Lyall screamed again as pain crackled through her like static, and she lost the use of another limb.

Sweat clinging to her forehead, Terna heaved herself to her feet just in time to see four more Daleks coming down the hall towards her, add them to the five Daleks already closing in behind her.

They were cutting her off.

"Surrender!" the head Dalek in front of her commanded.

"Never!" Terna screamed, pushing herself off the wall and lunging forward towards the head Dalek.
Brandishing her sword, she sliced through the underbelly of the Dalek's round base, but the blade only cut halfway through before the Dalek fired its gun, and Terna was blasted backward, hit square in the chest. She collapsed onto her back, gasping and choking as her heart raced frantically against her numbing ribs.

"Surrender," the Dalek in front of her repeated as the other Daleks closed in around her.

Panting, Terna sat up and took another swipe at the closest Dalek behind her. He fired at her clenched fist, and the sword flew from her hand as all feeling left it, and the object smacked against the wall, reverting back to a magnifying glass as it clattered to the floor.

Gasping in pain and desperation, Terna rolled over onto her stomach and tried to shift herself into a sitting position, barely managing to crawl but a few inches.

"Exterminate!" the head Dalek declared as it fired its blaster directly at the Lyall's head.
Terna crumpled to the floor and was finally still.

()()()

Deep in the rocky cliffs that rimmed the back walls of the Dalek City, Barbara and Ganatus wandered the narrow crevices, searching for a tunnel to cut through the cliffs.

"It's getting narrower," Ganatus observed.

"Oh, it's like all the other caves," Barbara exclaimed in frustration, "Just tails off into a dead end."

"There's a gloomy thought for you," Ganatus mused, his pale skin looked waxy in the flickering light of his torch.

"I wonder if Ian's doing any better," Barbara whispered.

"When did we arrange to meet with him and the others?" Ganatus inquired.

"Oh, we ought to be going back now," Barbara replied.

"Let's make sure this way is impossible first," Ganatus stated, moving forward a few paces only to nearly smack into a solid wall. "I must have sixth sense," he exclaimed with a grim smile. "Pity. Well, let's go back and try one of the other ways."

"No. Wait a minute," Barbara suddenly cried.

"Can you see something?" Ganatus asked, looking around in bewilderment.

"No, stand still for a minute," Barbara instructed. Ganatus obliged, and, in the pressing silence of the narrow caves, the two could just barely make out of the faint whisper of running water filtering between the crevices. "There. Can you hear it? The sound of water," Barbara exclaimed.

"Yes, I hear it now, Barbara," Ganatus exclaimed as he turned and swiftly ran his hand across the craggy surface. "Look!" he suddenly cried, stooping down in front of a large hole close to the ground, "Barbara, there's a passageway here."

She pursed her lips. "That won't be easy," she declared.

"Indeed," Gantus agreed, straightening up. "It's a good thing I haven't been over eating recently; it's going to be a tight squeeze."

"We should get back to Ian and the others and tell them about this," Barbara advised.

"Hold on," Ganatus asserted. "Let's just see how far this goes first. Play the rope out, would you?"

"Alright," Barbara replied, gripping the end of the rope tightly as she gently unwound it from its coil. Grasping the other end, Ganatus crouched down and crawled through the small hole into the adjoining cavern. "Be careful," she called after him. "Remember what Ian said: we're not taking any chances."

"Do you always do what Ian says?" Ganatus called back.

Barbara scowled. "No. I don't."

"Well, pass me the torch then." She passed the torch through the crevice.

Barbara stood in the steadily growing darkness, watching the torchlight grow fainter and fainter as Ganatus moved further into the cavern.

"Barbara?" he called after a pause.

"Yes?"

"There seems to be a drop of about thirty feet," Ganatus explained. "I'm going down."

"Be careful." Barbara's grip tightened on the rope as she felt the slack increase.

"I will. Here. Tie your end of the rope around something firm to give me an anchor," Ganatus instructed.

Barbara nodded, and then remembered he could no longer see her. "Alright." She stooped down and quickly looped the rope around a squat boulder lying close to the crevice Ganatus had disappeared into.

"Is it tethered?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Alright." The rope tightened up, and Barbara could imagine Ganatus slowly lowering himself down the side of the ravine. However, there was a sudden scraping noise cutting through the dark silence, and Barbara looked down to see the boulder slowly shifting along the floor as the rope let out.

"Ganatus, stop!" she cried, lunging for the rope, but it was too late. It snapped from its knot and vanished into the crevice.

Barbara felt all the blood drain from her face when she heard a surprised cry, a crash, and then silence.

Heart hammering in her chest, she leaned through the crevice, peering into the darkness. "Ganatus?" she called. "Ganatus!"

"Barbara?" she turned to see Ian and Antodus coming towards her.
"Barbara, what's been keeping you?" Ian inquired; he stopped when he saw her face. "What's happened?"

The human woman pursed her lips. "The rope, I couldn't hold on to it."

"Where's Ganatus?" Antodus demanded.

"It slipped through my fingers," Barbara whispered, "He's down there," She pointed to the small crevice Ganatus had crawled through.

"Is my brother hurt?" Antodus demanded.

Barbara shook her head. "I don't know."

At that moment, a faint voice could be heard calling up the shaft. "Barbara?"

Ian's face broke into a grin as Barbara sighed with relief. "Alright this end," he called down to Ganatus. "How about you? Are you hurt?"

"Just a few bruises," Ganatus replied. "Where's Barbara? Is she alright?" He sounded slightly worried.

"She's fine," Ian replied. "Hang on, we'll send another rope down to you." He nodded to Antodus, and the boy produced another rope.

"Actually, it might be better if you came down here," Ganatus called. "There's a big cavern with lots of tunnels going off it. Unless you've found anything else, this seems a fair chance."

Barbara and Ian exchanged a glance.
"No, we haven't" Ian called back. "Hang tight. We'll meet you down there."

"Good. This might have been a lucky fall," Ganatus exclaimed.

()()()

A Dalek stood before the massive computer network in the main control room; its eye stock trained intently on the flickering computer screens. He swiveled his eye in the direction of the door as the Leader Dalek entered.
"The. Prisoner. Has. Been. Detained," the other declared. "Our. Sensors. Have. Confirmed. It. Is. The. Same. Woman. That. Was. Captured. With. The. Others. The. Day. Before."

"Do. The. Sensors. Also. Confirm. Our. Suspicions?" the Leader Dalek inquired.

The second Dalek bobbed its eye stock in a kind of nod. "Affirmative. She. Is. Of. The. Lyall. People."

"Curious." The Leader Dalek turned back towards the computers as they flickered to an image of Terna tied to a giant slab bolted down with great cuffs around her wrists, ankles, and neck. "The. Lyall. People. Were. Taken. Care. Of. Centuries. Ago," the Leader Dalek continued. "It. Is. Strange. That. This. One. Survived."

"If. She. Is. The. Lyall. We. Believe. Her. To. Be. We. Shouldn't. Have. Any. Problems," the second Dalek asserted.

At that moment, the screen holding Terna's image suddenly went black and all of the surrounding screens showing pictures of the outside went white and fuzzy.

Both Daleks looked at the computers in surprise before a third Dalek entered. "Our. Ranger-scopes. Indicate. High. Activity. Amongst. The. Thals," he declared.

"Are. There. Any. Pictures?" the first Dalek inquired.

"No. Reception. Is. Bad," the third Dalek replied.

"They. Must. Be. Messing. With. Our. Instruments," the second Dalek surmised.

"We. Must. Keep. Alert," the Leader Dalek declared. "The. Lyall. Is. Obviously. Leading. An. Attack. Against. Our. City. We. Must. Be. Cautious." He turned back to the computers just as the image of Terna reappeared. "Even. In. Captivity. She. Is. Still. A. Threat."

"Then. We. Shall. Exterminate. Her!" the third Dalek cried.

"No. There. Is. Still. A. Use. For. Her," the Leader Dalek asserted. "We. Will. Be. Able. To. Detonate. A. Neutron. Bomb. After. All."

()()()

Meanwhile, on the edge of the forest, the Doctor and Susan stood beside Alydon, Dyoni, and a group of other Thals, all of whom were holding huge sheets of metal in front of their faces which were reflecting the sunlight back towards the city and interfering with the Dalek cameras.
"It looks as though my plan has worked," the Doctor declared proudly.

"We can't keep up this up for long," Alydon reminded him.

"Never mind that," the Doctor replied curtly. "We now have a window of opportunity to enter the Dalek City practically unnoticed."

"We can't be sure of that, Grandfather," Susan asserted.

"Oh I know it's risky," the Doctor waved his hand dismissively, "But….Er…Well, we mustn't diddle about here. Now, I want to get to the west side of that antenna," he said to Alydon, gesturing in the direction of the city.

Alydon's brow knitted in confusion; he glanced down at the map of the city spread out at his feet. "Doctor, look."

"Hmm?" the Doctor glanced down at him.

"According to the map, we should be moving further to the left, towards the east, in that direction," he pointed towards the area the map had indicated.

"Yes, yes, yes. Of course," the Doctor waved the correction aside.

"Let's get going then," Susan exclaimed.

"Yes, indeed," the Doctor chuckled to himself as he and the others headed down the slope towards the city. "We'll show them a thing or two."

()()()

Heavy moisture dripped down the craggy walls of the cliff's interior, crawling down the necks and arms of Ian and the others like a swarm of slimy spiders.
The procession was slow going, the group having to hug the wall in order to get a firm grip on the narrow path beneath them. The cavern jutted out from the side of a great ravine that sloped sharply down into nothing but darkness below.

Ian's heart hammered against his ribs as he stumbled, cursing as he furiously attempted to right himself, his grip tightening on the fiery torch that blazed in one hand, the other clinging tightly to the cliff side.

"Are you alright?" Ganatus, who was behind him, inquired.

"Yes," Ian dared a glanced over his shoulder. "So far, so good. It actually seems to be broadening out a bit." He gave a nervous laugh.

Ganatus smiled slightly in response. "Who knows? Maybe this journey will stop being impossible."

"Just unbearable," Barbara grumbled from behind Ganatus.

"Well, at least we can breathe down here," Ian offered.

"And we seem to be traveling in more or less a straight line," Ganatus added.

"Yes, I think we are," Ian added before stumbling again; gasping, he flattened himself against the wall as he fought to regain his bearings.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ganatus inquired. "You've been leading for quite a while."

"Here. Let me take the fire," the muscular Thal called Kristas offered, reaching his hand out to Ian.
Ian passed him the torch with a relieved smile. "Thank you," he breathed.

Kristas nodded solemnly, gripping the torch tightly. "Shall I lead on then?"

"Yes, you might as well," Ian replied, once again pressing his body against the cave wall so as to allow Kristas's bulky frame to take the lead. "We'll rest in a minute," he called back to the others.

Although, how anyone could rest while precariously poised on a cliff face was a mystery to all of them. The sooner they got back on solid ground, the better.

"Ganatus," Antodus suddenly snatched his older brother's arm. His face was pale and yellowish in the torchlight, shining with sweat. "Ganatus, I want to go back!" the young Thal cried.

"What for?" Ganatus demanded.

"I can't go on anymore," Antodus cried, his blue eyes wide with terror.

"You must," Ganatus replied calmly.

"No!" Antodus shook his head vigorously, his grip tightening on his brother's arm so that his nails dug into Ganatus's elbow. "We're going deeper, deeper all the time! We'll be trapped in the mountain; I know we will!"
The young boy's eyes brimmed with tears, his slight frame trembling. "Please, Ganatus, please let me go back."

"You can't," Ganatus coldly replied.

"But you don't really need me," Antodus insisted. "I could go back and signal the others that we've made it this far!" he offered.

"Antodus, we go on together," Ganatus replied, reaching down to attempt to pry his brother's fingers from their vice-like grip around his arm.
Antodus resisted, his hold tightening.

"Why? Why are you making me do these things?" Tears, shining in the torchlight, slipped down the young boy's white cheeks. "Even if we do get through, we'll never defeat the Daleks," Antodus choked bitterly. "Ganatus, we're all going to be killed!"

"How do you know that?" Ian interjected. "How do you know we don't have a chance?"

"Ian, hush," Barbara said to him.

"We can't turn back now," Ganatus insisted, gripping his brother's shoulders. "You must go on."

"I won't go on," Antodus wailed, his whole form shaking like a dead leaf.
"Antodus-" Ganatus started, but his younger brother cut him off.

"You can't make me!" he cried as he attempted to wriggle out of Ganatus's grip. He stumbled and fell backwards, his brother just barely able to catch him before he toppled over the side.

There was a loud crash from the back of the group, a scream, and a rumbling sort of roar as a whole section of rocks feel away from the cliff wall and tumbled down across the outcropping's path.

"Everyone, hold on!" Ian cried, and the whole cave seemed to shake.

When the dust had cleared, the path behind the group was gone.

"We'll, we can't go back the way we came," Ian mused, his mouth a grim line.

()()()

Terna writhed around on the cold slab of metal she was bolted down to, straining against the cuffs that bound her ankles and wrists.
She had one around her throat too, so she couldn't turn her head. She gnashed her teeth and screamed in frustration through her clenched jaw.

"Resistance. Is. Futile," the Dalek guard positioned in front of her declared. "You. Will. Not. Be. Able. To. Escape."

"Oh, yeah?" Terna spat, momentarily ceasing her struggling to glare at the Dalek. "Watch me."

"You. Will. Not. Be. Able. To. Break. The. Cuffs," the guard Dalek continued. "They. Are. Magnetized. The. Conflicting. Poles. Will. Inhibit. Your. Anima."

Terna ceased her struggling once more; with a grunt of exhaustion, she collapsed back against the slab. "You don't scare me," she asserted.

"Your. Emotion. Is. Irrelevant," the guard Dalek stated. "Regardless. Of. How. You. Feel. You. Will. Be. Exterminated."

"And then what? Huh?" Terna demanded. "Are you going to continue your conquest of the whole cosmos? With only this one platoon? That's all that's left of the Dalek race, isn't it?" Terna laughed.
"We may have lost the Imperial Wars, but we decimated your forces and left you scrounging alone on the desolate remains of your world. There's nothing left of you now."

"And. You," the Dalek guard swiveled its eye stock to face Terna; it regarded her cold and unblinking. "You. Are. Alone."

Terna's stomach twisted, and her breathing hitched in her throat; she regarded the Dalek defiantly despite her submissive position and the truth of his words slowly crushing her from the inside.

At that moment, a second Dalek barged into the room. "Emergency! Emergency!" it cried. "Alert. On. The. Vibra-scopes!"

"Where?" the guard Dalek inquired.

"Sector. Fifteen," the other Dalek explained. "The. Humans. And. The. Thals. Are. Attempting. To. Destory. Our. Power. Sources."

"Ha!" Terna laughed.

"Most. Likely. So. They. Can. Invade. The. City," the guard Dalek mused.

"All. Platoon. Members. Are. Instructed. To. Report. To. Area. Fifteen. Immediately," the second Dalek ordered.

The guard Dalek glanced at Terna. "What. Of. The. Prisoner?"

"She. Is. To. Be. Taken. To. The. Boiler. Room," the second Dalek explained. "But. We. Must. Not. Dispose. Of. Her. We. Still. Have. A. Use. For. Her. And. The. Rebels. Know. We. Have. Their. Leader."

"I. Obey," the guard Dalek moved towards the door.

"Leader? No! I'm not their leader!" Terna cried. "I'm acting on my own terms. They have nothing to do with me. Leave them alone!"

"You. Cannot. Protect. Your. Subjects. Lyall," the second Dalek called to Terna. "They. Will. All. Be. Exterminated."

()()()

"Grandfather, look!" Susan rushed up to the massive generator in the middle of the yard; it hummed faintly and pulsed with all of the electrical energy of the entire Dalek City.
"This is what you want, isn't it?" she gestured to a large control panel on the side of the generator.

"Ah, yes," the Doctor grinned as he strolled up to the fuse box. "A single loose cable and the whole city will go down."

"How do you know that?" Alydon demanded, glancing around anxiously.
He had chosen to escort the Doctor and Susan to the generator while the remainder of their forces continued to utilize the metal sheets and cause a distraction at the main gate with the hopes of directing the Daleks attention.
However, the Thal leader noticeably wanted to get back to his men.

"This single wire here," the Doctor explained as he thrust open the fuse box and gestured to a thick yellow wire that snaked out from the top of the machine and looped up into the generator's workings. "There. There. And there," the Doctor traced the wire's path.

"It leads up to the antennae," Susan explained to Alydon, "If it's destroyed, the Daleks can't monitor us on their cameras anymore."

"Well, let's take care of that as soon as possible then," Alydon declared.

"Yes, yes. Pass me that hammer, Susan," the Doctor held out his hand, and his granddaughter passed him a miniature hammer. He used it to break the glass shielding the wires within the fuse box.

"The thing is, how are we going to cut the wire without getting shocked?" Susan inquired.

"How long is this going to take?" Alydon demanded impatiently. "We can't wait around here forever."

"Right, right," the Doctor turned to Alydon. "You go back to Dyoni and the others and tell them to stop flashing the metal at the Daleks instruments. We want them out of the open if they decide to attack."

"I can't just leave you," Alydon protested.

"We'll be alright. Now, go and tell your comrades to take cover. Go!" Alydon looked as though he wanted to argue further, but he finally relented and took off back towards the direction of the forest.

"Be careful!" Susan called after him.

"Susan, would you hand me your TARDIS key, please?" the Doctor asked her.

"What for, Grandfather?" Susan inquired as she unwound the key from her neck and passed it to the Doctor.

"We're going to short-circuit the electrical power of the surveillance systems into another conductor," the Doctor explained simply.

Cautiously, he then looped the key's chain over the end of his cane and then around the wiring system. "Good. Now, the power's getting directed to the metal of the key. That'll teach the Daleks to meddle in our affairs."

"What about this one?" Susan inquired, gesturing to a second wiring system.

"Well, of course," the Doctor exclaimed, looping the TARDIS key chain through the wire system to disrupt the power flow. "Now we've shorted it, you see? The power flow will have filtered somewhere else. Where exactly and how much damage it will cause, I can't be sure," the Doctor added.

Mere moments later, an electrical explosion went off in the far corner of the city with loud 'bang' and a blast of smoke and charged fire. Susan glanced towards the explosion, her eyes laced with concern.

The Doctor chuckled. "That ought to get their attention."

"Look, Grandfather, this is marvelous, but they must have a fault locater somewhere. We should go," Susan exclaimed.

"Oh, don't worry, Susan," the Doctor replied dismissively. "With Dyoni and the other woman continuing to interfere with the cameras from the woods, not to mention Alydon and his men causing that distraction at the city gate, I doubt they're giving us so much as a second glance."

"Grandfather, I think we should leave. Just to be on the safe side," Susan insisted.

"My dear child, don't you see what I've done?" the Doctor sounded miffed. "With a few simple tools, I can bring down this entire city."

"No, Grandfather, we must stick to the plan," Susan continued to protest. The Doctor ignored her, however, and went back to tinkering with the wiring systems

"Grandfather, please," Susan cried.

"But, child, look," the Doctor gestured to the fuse box, but Susan suddenly cut him off.

"Grandfather!"

"What?" the Doctor snapped, whipping around and coming face to face with a swarm of Daleks surrounding them. "Oh."

()()()

With the way they'd come now barred by fallen rocks, the group pressed on along the edge. Kristas lead the way, carrying the torch; Ian came next, now followed by Barbara, with Ganatus and Antodus behind her.
The latter gripped his older brother's arm, whimpering feebly. The other Thals shuffled along behind them, filled with worried mutterings and wide eyes.

Eventually, the ledge ran out and an open chasm stretched out before them. It had to be at least five feet wide and no bottom could be seen as it sloped down into the darkness below.

"Look out," Ian held Kristas back, so he didn't accidentally slip into the chasm. "This is no place for a quiet stroll, is it?" he added to Ganatus with a grim smile.

He nodded solemnly. "It looks pretty wide."

"Yes," Ian turned to the others. "You all rest for a time while we figure this out."

Everyone sighed with relief as they sat down along the ledge to the best of their ability; some of the braver Thals dangled their legs over the edge of the cliff.

Ganatus peeled Antodus off his arm and moved over to Ian. "Seems like a dead end," he mused.

"Yeah, but there's another ledge over on the other side," Ian gestured to the other end of the chasm.

"So, what do we do?" Ganatus inquired. "Climb down one side and up the other?"

"We'll have to see how deep it is," Ian replied, stooping down to retrieve a pebble from the ground. He tossed it into the darkness and the cavern filled with the eerie silence of the pebble's absence before a faint splash could be heard.

"Five seconds," Ian mused. "That's way too deep. It would be dangerous, and we don't have much time."

"Then how do we get across?" Ganatus asked.

"We jump."

The Thal gritted his teeth. "There's not much room to land."

"I know, but we need to get across," Ian replied. "Here. I'll go first. Tell the others what the plan is."

Ganatus nodded as Ian produced a rope and tied it around his waist.

"We're going to jump it," Ganatus informed the other Thals. Barbara's eyes widened, and Antodus went very white.

"Can you shine the torch on the ledge?" Ian asked Ganatus once he returned to them. He obliged as Ian tightened the rope around his waist. "Keep clear of me when I run, and give me plenty of rope," Ian told the others as he stepped a few paces back.

Everyone watched as Ian stoically moved away from the ledge and crouched down, prepared to jump. Barbara watched him; her eyes wide with fright.

Out of the darkness, Ganatus found her hand. She glanced at him just as Ian rushed forward and propelled himself across the gap. He crashed rather unceremoniously into the side of the cliff, the rough rock scraping against his face and hands.

He gasped with relief as he slowly pried himself from the wall and turned to face the others. "Alright, Ganatus," he called to the Thal. "Come over next, and we'll make sure this way is safe."

"Alright." Ganatus nodded as he tied a second rope around his waist and tossed the other end to Ian. "Pick up the slack, would you?"

Ian caught the rope easily, and Ganatus veered back. Ian's grip tightened on the rope just before Ganatus leapt over the ledge and landed much more gracefully than Ian on the other side.

"Here. I'll go see if the way is safe; you hold the rope." Ian nodded as Ganatus slowly shuffled around the corner, hugging the cliff wall as he went. "A little more rope," he called as he disappeared around the corner.

Ian obliged; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Barbara, Antodus, and the others all gathered around the cliff edge in a nervous huddle.

"Ian!" Ganatus suddenly cried. "There's a tunnel over here; I don't need the rope anymore. We can bring the others over now."

"Right." Ian turned towards the rest of the group, "Rope coming over!" He tossed it back to Barbara.

She tied it around her waist and then rushed forward, leaping across the gap into Ian's arms.
She gasped and clung to him tightly. "Oh, I thought I wouldn't make it," she exclaimed.

"You alright?" Ian inquired.

Barbara nodded breathlessly as she untied the rope and handed it to Ian.

"Here, let me help you," Ganatus offered Barbara his hand, casting a glance at Ian as he did so. Barbara took his hand as he helped her around the corner of the narrow ledge and into the cleft that lead to the tunnel.

Kristas then tossed Ian the second torch, and he returned the favor with the rope. "Will you go next, Antodus?" Kristas inquired.

Antodus shook his head vigorously, his skin pale in the dim light. "Very well," Kristas then jumped across the chasm with surprising ease.

"Here, Antodus, you're next," Ian called to the Thal boy standing rigid on the cliff side with the remainder of the group. He tossed the rope again, but it fell short, and Antodus made no move to catch it. "Sorry, bad throw," Ian rewound the rope and tossed it again.

Antodus fumbled with the rope.
"Go on, jump," Ian instructed.

"I can't do it," the boy whispered.

"Yes you can," Ian insisted. "You can do it, Antodus. Now, tie it around your middle. Tight, and jump. It's not as far as it looks."

Antodus looked at the rope in his hands, licking his dry lips. He glanced down at the chasm below him, at nothing but blackness.

Closing his eyes, he wrapped the rope around his waist and jumped from the cliff edge.

Ian's grip tightened on the other end of the rope as Antodus jumped, but his small body fell short on the other side. His feet slipped, and, although he scrambled for a foothold, Antodus lost his footing and fell.

He screamed in fright as he plunged into the darkness; Ian yelled in surprise as he was tugged forward by the force of Antodus's weight on the other end of the rope.
He dug his heels into the ground in an attempt to brace himself, but it was no use. Ian went over the side, reaching out to clutch at an outcropping at the very last minute and found himself partially dangling from the cliff side with Antodus clinging desperately to the end of the rope below him.

"Antodus!" Ganatus rushed forward and grabbed Ian's hand, trying to hoist him up, but he wasn't strong enough to support both his brother and the hu.

Ian strained, a sheet of sweat blooming on his forehead as he struggled to hold on. He could hear Antodus crying beneath him as he clung desperately to the rope. He sounded so young.

"Antodus, grab the cliff side," Ian called to him while Ganatus struggled to hold them both up. "Take some weight off the rope."

"I can't; it's too smooth," Antodus sobbed. "Please, help me. I can't hold on!" He screamed when Ganatus's grip suddenly slackened, and both Antodus and Ian dipped sharply before Ganatus managed to regain his grip at the last possible minute.

"I'm losing you," he whispered to Ian. He wouldn't look down at his brother, but he couldn't hide his fright from Ian; it was alive like fire in his blue eyes. "It's the sweat on my hands," Ian strained through gritted teeth as he tried to hoist himself over the side.

"Ian, hold on!" Barbara called as she and Kristas appeared around the corner.

"I told you to stay back!" Ganatus cried.

"Why should I listen to you?" Barbara demanded.

"Kristas, help us," Ian called to the large Thal, who quickly jumped to Ganatus's aid. They both pulled together, but Ian slipped again and slid almost completely off the cliff.

The others called and cried out from the other side, but they were powerless on the opposite end of the chasm.

"Ian!" Barbara screamed as Ganatus dove for him again.

Suddenly, the weight beneath Ian came free, and Kristas managed to pull him up. Ian collapsed against the cliff wall and glanced down at the rope in surprise. The rope dangled in his fist, the end has been sliced through.

Antodus had cut the rope.

Ian stared down at the broken rope end, his face conveying utter shock and despair.

Barbara rushed over and threw her arms around his shoulders.

Ganatus meanwhile sunk to his knees at the cliff edge and said nothing.

Kristas began to guide the others across.

They didn't have much time.

()()()

Terna's limbs ached.

They throbbed with the exertion of holding them up in the same position for so long; her neck was numb and sweat trickled down her face.

The air was hot like an oven in the boiler room.

She dangled propped up on the metal board, suspended in the middle of the room. A series of white pipes ran along the ceiling and walls of the low hanging space. A large furnace jutted out from the wall across from her.

Beside it was a table with a series of items collected from the others when they had been captured by the Daleks.
There was Susan's shoe, Barbara's bracelet, the Doctor's watch, and what looked like a kind of glass tube. And, Terna clenched her teeth at the sight, her magnifying glass, well out of her reach.

She dozed lightly, slipping in and out of consciousness as the heat of the room and weight of the binds slowly crushed her chest.

She jumped when the door suddenly slid open. Three Daleks entered.

Terna was surprised to see that the one in the middle appeared larger and was darker colored then the other Daleks she'd seen: black instead of a more neutral grey.

He must be a leader of some kind, she surmised.

Two other normal colored Daleks flanked the Leader Dalek; Terna felt her heart change places with her stomach when she saw they were escorting two prisoners: Susan and the Doctor.

Despite the ache in her arms, she clenched her fists tightly.

"Sit. On. The. Floor," the black Leader Dalek commanded his two prisoners.

Susan and the Doctor obliged, sitting down cross-legged in the middle of the boiler room.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Terna cried.

Susan glanced up. "Terna!" she exclaimed. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm okay, but what about you? I told you not to follow me; I left a message."

The Doctor scowled at her. "This isn't about you, Terna. We were trying to help the Thals."

"So. You. Admit. To. Allying. Yourself. With. Them?" the Leader Dalek demanded.
The Doctor looked at him, but didn't respond. "And. You. Have. Ties. To. This. Lyall," the Dalek continued, swiveling its eye nozzle to Terna, who scowled into the glowing eyepiece.
"Your. Attack. Has. Failed. And. Your. Leader. Has. Been. Captured," he continued, gesturing to Terna. "You. Will. Pay. For. Your. Crimes," he added.

"What crimes?" the Doctor demanded.

"You. Destroyed. Our. Videoscopes. And. One. Of. Our. Lifts," the Leader Dalek replied.

Terna arched an eyebrow. So they were the cause of the disturbance from earlier. She had heard a pretty big explosion, and then the power had gone out in a lot of the hallways.
They were running on emergency generators now.

"Yes, but you in turn killed the Thal leader in your ambush," the Doctor asserted. "And you would have been responsible for more deaths if we hadn't helped those people."

"Why do you hate the Thals so much?" Susan cried.

"They. Are. Irrelevant," the Leader Dalek replied. "The. Only. Interest. We. Have. Is. In. Their. Extermination."

"What do you mean?" Terna called from across the room.

The Leader Dalek swiveled towards her. "Tomorrow. The. Planet's. Atmosphere. Will. Be. Bombarded. With. Radiation."

Terna's eyes widened in shock, while Susan's and the Doctor's faces filled with horror.

"Why are you doing this?" Susan demanded.

"That's sheer murder," the Doctor added.

"No. Extermination," the Leader Dalek replied.

"But you must listen to reason," the Doctor exclaimed, attempting to get to his feet, but one of the guard Daleks forced him back down. "Please, you must."

"Do not bother, Time Lord," Terna called to him, her expression grim. "They are not going to listen to you. These creatures were born out of fire, the fire of war. They know nothing but killing."

The Doctor looked at her. Terna could see a mournful expression in his young eyes. So young, so young compared to Terna. He had seen so little of the universe. He still had so much to learn.

"You really shouldn't have come," she whispered, hanging her head. "You shouldn't have involved yourselves."

"This doesn't just affect you, Terna," he whispered. "It affects all of us."

"And now we are all going to die," Terna proclaimed.

"But I don't understand," Susan protested. "Won't the radiation kill the Daleks too?"

"The. Daleks. Depend. On. Radiation," the Leader Dalek replied. "Without. It. We. Will. Not. Survive." He turned to the two Guard Daleks. "Move. Them. To. The Magnetic. Restrainers."

The other two Daleks obliged. Terna followed their movements with her eyes as they ushered Susan and the Doctor over to the far wall.
They placed them within the grasp of two pairs of metal cuffs bolted to the walls. One of the Guard Daleks pressed a button on a control panel, and the cuffs snapped into place, bolting the two Gallifreyans to the wall.

"You have such brilliant innovations," the Doctor whispered. "Couldn't you use them for right?"

"You could live on this planet together; I know you could," Susan insisted.

"No. They couldn't," Terna replied grimly. "Neither can live while the other survives, for one race's greatest strength is the other's greatest weakness."

"The. Daleks. Shall. Be. The. Only. Surviving. Race. On. Our. Planet," the Leader Dalek proclaimed.

"So, you're going to flood this entire planet with radiation?" the Doctor cried. "If you do that, nothing will survive. Nothing!"

"Except. The. Daleks," the Leader replied.

"When do you intend to put this into operation?" Terna inquired.

The Leader Dalek swung its eye stock to face her. "Now." He then turned to the two guard Daleks. "Kill. The. Old. Man. And. The. Girl. Leave. The. Lyall. To. Me."

"I. Obey," the two guards replied.

"No!" Terna cried, a sudden streak of desperation burning through her. "Leave them alone! They have nothing to do with this."

The Dalek Leader swung back around to face her. "We. Shall. Destroy. The. Thal. People. And. Then. You. Will. Be. Next."

"You can't do this!" the Doctor cried desperately. "Do you hear me?! You can't just kill all life on this world. There has to be another way. There has to be a way to live in peace!"

But the Leader Dalek paid him no heed.

"Stop wasting your breath, Time Lord," Terna called to the Doctor. "Something tells me you might not have much left."

()()()

Kristas lead the way along the narrow ledge; the torch clasped tightly in his hand. Ian came second, closely followed by Barbara. Ganatus walked silently behind the human woman, his ashen face in a kind of daze.

Kristas halted so suddenly Ian almost crashed into him.
"There's been a fall in the rock," the Thal declared, trailing the torchlight across the rubble covering the path. "The way is blocked."

"Is there any way through?" Ian inquired, slipping past Kristas and feeling through the rocks, searching for a loose bit to give way and allow them a crawlspace.

"It doesn't seem like it," Kristas replied grimly.

"Then we'll have to go back," Ganatus declared. "We came this far. We've done our best and more. First Elyon died in the swamp, and now my brother. For what?" He voice rose and grew slightly shrill. "Can't you see there isn't any sense in it anymore?"

"We can't give up now," Barbara insisted, placing a hand on Ganatus's shoulder, but he shook her off.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" he demanded of her.

"Go back and find another way," Ian replied simply.

"Oh, why can't you see it's futile and just give up?" Ganatus cried, his blue eyes shining wide and watery in the dim light.
The other members in the group all looked at him in alarm. Ganatus was a stoic, cold, and logical leader; the death of his brother had shaken him to his core. To see him lose hope like this was a disturbing sight to the other Thals.

"Listen to me, Ganatus," Ian walked over to his friend. "If we turn back now, then what would Antodus have died for? Huh? He gave us a chance."

Ganatus dropped his eyes, shaking his head vigorously. "My brother didn't want us to come; he said we'd all die."

Before Ian could respond, the torchlight suddenly dipped in intensity, casting longer shadows across the cave walls.
"What's the matter with the torch?" Barbara asked Kristas.

"It's going out," he replied. "Dirt must have gotten into it." He turned to Ian. "If we're going to go back, we should do it now. We'll never be able to make the jump back across the chasm without the torchlight."

"What about the electric torch?" Ian inquired.

Barbara held it aloft. "It's weak."

"We'll use it sparingly then," Ian replied. "Turn it off, Barbara."

"Right." Barbara clicked off the electric torch and the narrow tunnel was instantly plunged into darkness. The two humans and the group of Thals all moved closer together as the empty darkness pressed in around them.

But it was not completely dark.

"Hey! Over here," a young Thal known as Armis, who was Dyoni's younger brother, suddenly cried. "Look. There's light over here!"

The group all pressed over to where a thin stretch of grey light was peering out at them from the black wall of the cave.

"It's a way out!" Ian exclaimed as he and Kristas rushed forward and began to scrape the black mud caked against the doorway with their fingers.

After a few minutes, others joined in as well, peeling away great hunks of dirt and destroying the wall that barred them from the outside world. Only Ganatus held back with Barbara at his side. Out of the darkness, he felt her hand find his, a silent gesture of comfort; he returned her grasp halfheartedly.

Finally, enough mud was removed and the doorway fell away. The dimly lit underground systems of the Dalek City lay beyond the narrow caves. "We're through! We're through!" Ian exclaimed as the others leapt for joy. "We were in the pipes all along, and now we're through!"

()()()

Not too far away, at the southern wall of the Dalek City, Alydon and Dyoni stood with the remaining Thals at the slope of the valley.

Most of the tribe were still holding up the sheets of shining metal, reflecting them off the sun so they're glare would interfere with the Dalek's instruments.

Alydon and Dyoni watched the city intently.

"Alydon, the antenna hasn't moved for some time," the Thal woman observed.

"You're right. The Doctor must have succeeded in putting it out of commission," Alydon replied.

"Then why haven't they returned?"

"They must have been captured," Alydon's expression was stern. He turned towards the remainder of his tribe, all crouched along the rocky slope. "The way to the city is clear," he announced. "Now is the time to attack. We may be farmers, but we have not forgotten how to fight!"

A rallying cheer rose up from the gathered group as they all cast their metal sheets aside, snatched up their spears, and took off down the hill towards the looming Dalek City.

()()()

Sweat trickled down Terna's face; the heat and stench of the boiler room clung to her body like a second skin. Helpless desperation burned through her as she watched one of the guard Daleks press a button and a glass wall was lowered down between the Daleks and the Doctor and Susan. The two Gallifreyans were still bolted to the wall on the opposite end of the boiler room, now entrapped inside a giant glass cage.

"Seal. Off. Nuclear. Waste. Disposer," the first Dalek ordered the second, who turned to the control panel beside the cage and pushed a few buttons.

"Sealing. Complete," the second Dalek declared after a few moments.

"Begin. Radiation. Redirection. To. Disposal. Capsule," the first Dalek ordered.

A series of colored bars lit up on the control panel, signaling the radiation being redirected to the cage.
Susan screamed.

"Stop it!" Terna lunged out, choking slightly as she was yanked back by her restraints. "Leave them alone! They have nothing to do with this. Kill me! I'm the one you want. Kill me, and let them go!"

"Please, stop!" Susan cried, tears brimming in her eyes. "Grandfather, please make them stop."

"Just a moment!" the Doctor called, the calm nature of his voice sounded alien next to Terna's desperate pleas and Susan's panicked sobs. "I didn't tell you how we got to this world," the Doctor cried, eyes trained on the colored bars signaling how close the radiation was to the cage.

"It. Does. Not. Matter. Now," the Leader Dalek replied dismissively.

"But it does," the Doctor insisted, straining slightly against his cuffs. "I have a ship that can cross the barriers of space and time. Surely that will be invaluable to you."

"A. Ship? What. Do. You. Mean?" the Guard Dalek demanded, pressing a button on the control panel. The steadily spiking colored bars ceased their movements, and Terna felt her insides collapse with relief.

"A machine," the Doctor explained.

"I. Do. Not. Believe. You," the Leader Dalek declared.

"But it's the truth," Susan insisted, her tears shining in the dim light of the boiler room.

"It is the truth," Terna called. "They do have a ship that can travel in space and time. I have seen it and traveled in it."

"How. Do. We. Know. This. Is. Not. Some. Kind. Of. Trick?" the Leader Dalek demanded.

"What would we have to gain from lying to you?" Terna demanded, "Aside from maybe buying us a little time. We have no means of escaping you."

The Leader Dalek paused, seeming to consider Terna's words. Finally, he turned back to Susan and the Doctor. "Where. Is. This. Machine?"

"In the woods," the Doctor replied. "Look. A part of it is over there on that table." The Doctor gestured to the table by the boiler furnace where the fluid link was sitting next to Terna's magnifying glass and the other objects. "You can see it comes from a very complex piece of machinery. You must know that I speak the truth."

"This. Machine. Is. In. The. Woods. You. Say?" the Leader Dalek repeated.

"Yes," the Doctor replied breathlessly.

"Good. We. Shall. Retrieve. It. From. The. Forest. After. The Neutron. Bomb. Is. Detonated," the Leader Dalek declared.

"No!" the Doctor cried. "You cannot operate the machine without me. I need to show you how it works!"

"We. Shall. Find. A. Way. Ourselves," the Leader Dalek replied simply.

"Wait. A neutron bomb, you said," Terna piped up. "How would you be able to build one of those in such a short amount of time? I hardly think you have the resources."

The Leader Dalek swung back to face Terna. "That. Is. Where. You. Are. Wrong. We. Have. All. The. Energy. We. Need. Right. Here."

Terna's heart skipped a beat.

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor demanded.

"Lyalls. Are. Made. Of. Nothing. But. Energy," the Leader Dalek explained. "If. Twisted. To. Our. Designs. This. Lyall. Can. Become. A. Neutron. Bomb. Even. More. Powerful. Than. The. One. We. Had. Before. Her. Energy. Shall. Decimate. All. Life. On. This. World. And. The. Daleks. Will. Reign. Supreme!"

"No!" Susan cried. "You can't do that."

"She's a living being, not a battery," the Doctor added.

"Commander. Video-scopes. Detect. Movement. In. Sector. One," the Guard Dalek suddenly piped up.

"What. Is. The. Video. Feed?" the Leader Dalek demanded.

"Disturbance. Is. Too. Great," the Guard Dalek replied, gesturing to the computer screen beside the panel where nothing could be seen but grainy images of people and Daleks rushing about in a frantic and chaotic battle.

"The. Thals. Have. Entered. The. City!" the Leader Dalek exclaimed. "Alert. All. Daleks. To. Sector. One."

"Grandfather, they're coming!" Susan exclaimed.

"Let's hope they can get here in time."

Terna wished she shared their optimism, she really did. But she knew the truth. The Daleks were way stronger than the Thals; they would never be able to defeat them.

As far as Terna was concerned, they were on their own.

She scowled as the Leader Dalek slid back over to her. "So, you finished trying to sweat me out? Why don't you just put an end to me? Turn me into your next big super weapon? Hurry up. My arms are getting tired."

"You. Are. Awfully. Bold. For. Someone. In. Your. Weakened. State," the Leader Dalek observed.

Terna's lips curled into a snarl. "Who said I was weak? Why don't you let me down, and I'll prove you wrong?"

"Your. Words. Are. Big. For. Someone. So. Small. And. Frightened," the Leader Dalek's normally emotionless voice almost seemed to reflect amusement. "You. Mask. Your. Fear. In. Rage. Rage. That. Made. You. Run. To. Us. You. Lyall. Are. Always. Running."

Terna insides twisted at his words. "Shut up!"

She tried to lunge forward, but the restraints tugged her back yet again, pinning her helpless to the slab like a fly caught in a spider's web.

"The. Lyall. Ran. Away. Ran. To. The. Wastes. At. The. Edge. Of. Time. When. Eedonya. Fell," the Leader Dalek continued.

Terna gritted her teeth. "You betrayed us: your own creators."

"We. Were. Not. Created. By. The. Lyall," the Leader Dalek asserted. "We. Are. Above. All. Those. That. They. Built. We. Are. Above. Even. Them. Queen. Of. Souls. Yes. We. Know. Who. You. Are," he added when Terna looked at him in shock. "The. Daleks. Are. The. Beginning. To. A New. Universe. A. Universe. Without. The. Lyall. Lucent. Or. Opaque. We. Saw. To. That."

Terna's brown knitted in confusion. "What do you mean?" As she spoke, a funny ringing sound started in her head.

"Your. People. Are. Gone," the Leader Dalek declared.

Terna rolled her eyes, the growing anxiety momentarily diminishing. "Yeah, I know," she scoffed. "They left this universe for another."

The Leader Dalek laughed; it was a cold, merciless sound.

"Oh, do I amuse you?" Terna asked with a snort.

"You. Think. That. Is. What. Happened?" there was a sneer in the Leader Dalek's voice. "Those. Words. Are. False."

Terna felt her blood run cold. "What do you mean?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"The. Lyall. Were. Desperate," the Leader Dalek explained. "Alone. And. Afraid. Without. Their. Leaders. They. Were. Susceptible. To. Deceit."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Terna cried, jerking again against the binds; her heart hammered frantically against her rib cage as her insides constricted.

We. Planted. A. Mole. Amongst. Your. Ranks. Who. Convinced. Them. The. Only. Way. Out. Was. To. Leave. The. Universe. Entirely. But. Their. Destination. Did. Not. Exist."

Terna's breathing hitched. "What are you saying?"

The Leader Dalek laughed again. "One. Way. To. Kill. A. Lyall. Is. To. Force. It. To. Kill. Itself."

Terna's heart stood still. "No."

"The. Lyall. People. Destroyed. Themselves. Thinking. They. Had. Found. Salvation," the Leader Dalek's words were relentless.

"No!" Terna cried. "You are lying!"

"Why. Would. I. Have. Reason. To. Lie? You. Are. Alone. And. Powerless. You. Managed. To. Escape. You. Do. Not. Remember. How. But. You. Did."

Terna felt herself go weak, the pain numbing away as emptiness consumed her. Gone. They were all gone. Disappeared to a place where Terna could never follow them.
Gone? Not, they were dead. "

Tears brimmed in the young Queen's eyes. "No…."

"You. Ran. You. Always. Run."

"Shut up!" Terna's scream ripped through her hammering chest. "Shut the hell up!"

The Leader Dalek regarded Terna somewhat thoughtfully. "I. Remember. We. First. Met. On. The. Battlefield. During. The. Imperial. Wars. You. Queen. Of. Souls. The. One. That. Ran. Away. And. Left. Her. People. To. Die. The. One. Who. Was. Afraid."

Tears streamed thick and fast down Terna's face, burning her checks like liquid fire.
"Please, stop!"

"You. Are. A. Coward," the Leader Dalek declared as sobs ripped through Terna's body.
The Doctor and Susan looked on from their restrained position across the room. "But. Cowardice. Saved. Your. Life. At. Least. For. A. Time. But. Now. You. Must. Follow. In. The. Footsteps. Of. Your. People. And. Burn.

He swung his eye stock to face the furnace, and Terna's sobs momentarily subsided when she heard the grind of the metal doors sliding open. Heat flooded the room as the flames of the furnace licked at the open air.

And Terna knew.

They were going to burn her alive.

()()()

Ian, Barbara, Ganatus, and the others raced through the halls that made up the main Dalek compound. So far they had encountered no opposition, most likely due to the skirmishes going on at the south wall.

The group moved in a frantic silence, rounding a corner too sharply, and Ganatus, who in the lead, smashed head on into a rather solid figure running in the opposition direction.

"Alydon?" Ganatus gasped when his eyes met with his friend's.

"Ganatus?" the other Thal exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" the other Thal demanded.

"Looking for the Doctor and Susan," Alydon replied.

"They're not with you?" Barbara exclaimed.

"They were captured," Alydon explained. "We launched an attack, but all the Daleks have been alerted to our presence and are swarming the south gates."

"We don't have much time," Ganatus declared.

"But without the Doctor, we don't know what to look for," Alydon added.

"We need to find the main control room," Ian explained. "The Daleks draw their power from the floor. If we cut the power, they won't be able to move, and they'll be defenseless."

"Where is that?" Alydon demanded.

"I believe the Doctor said it was on the top floor," Barbara replied.

"There's a lift over this way. Come on," Alydon urged.
Ian, Barbara, Ganatus, and Kristas all rushed forward. Dyoni's little brother Armis and the others started forward as well, but Alydon held them back.

"Armis, take the others and head to the south wall."

"But what about you?" the young Thal demanded. "I want to help."

"You can be of more use to your sister and the others at the gates," Alydon replied. "They need all the help you can get."

Armis looked like he wanted to argue further, but he finally relented and quickly ushered the others down the hall towards the entrance.

Alydon cast them a meaningful glance before hurrying to the lift, closing the threshold just as the door closed behind him.

They rode up to the top floor of the compound and burst out into an empty hallway, identical to the last and lined with dozens of doors.

"Which way?" Alydon demanded.

"I don't know," Ian replied.

"How do we find the control room?" Barbara cried. "All the doors look the same."

"Wait. Do you hear that?" Ganatus asked, pressing his ear to the wall.

"What?" Ian asked.

"A crackle of energy," Ganatus replied, his face breaking into a grin. "It's the flow of energy coming from the control room."

"If we follow that, we should get there in no time," Ian exclaimed.

"Lead on, Ganatus," Alydon to his friend, and they all rushed down the hallway, following the stream of pulsing electricity.

()()()

"Reset. The. Radiation. Distributor," the Leader Dalek commanded the Guard, who punched a button on the panel beside the Doctor and Susan's cage.

"Radiation. Distributor. Set," the Guard Dalek declared. "Counting. Down. From. Fifty. Fourty. Eight. Forty. Seven…"

"No, please, stop!" Susan pleaded as the relentless countdown continued.

"Forty. Five. Forty. Four. Forty. Three…"

"You'll never be able to operate our machine if we're dead," the Doctor cried.

"Forty. One. Forty. Thirty. Nine…"

The Leader Dalek turned to Terna, who was slumped weakly against the slab; her limbs dangling uselessly from the restraining bolts.

He punched a button beside her head; there was a mechanical beep and the cuffs gave way. Terna crumbled to the floor.

"Terna!" Susan cried. "Run! Go on, run!"

"Get. Up," the Leader Dalek commanded.

In a kind of trance, Terna slowly rose to her feet. Her eyes were broken and glassy, no longer filled with a vibrant blue energy. She seemed so small and fragile standing there, the weight of the Dalek's words pressuring and splintering her form, cracking her up under the pressure.

"Terna, you have to move!" Susan begged.

"Run, Terna. They'll kill us all if you don't," the Doctor added.

Terna didn't move.

"Thirty Five. Thirty. Four. Thirty. Three…"

"Move. Forward." The Leader Dalek urged Terna forward with its plunger arm.

The Lyall shuffled forward a few tentative steps, slowly walking across the room towards the open furnace, the gaping hungry maw of fire that sought to swallow her up, the ravenous flames cast eerie shadows across her sallow face.

"Terna, you can't let them do this!" the Doctor continued to try and snap her out of it. "If you let them use your energy, they'll destroy this entire planet and kill everyone!"

"Thirty. Nine. Thirty. Eight. Thirty. Seven…"

"Terna, please," Tears slipped down the sides of Susan's face. "I know you wouldn't let that happen. No matter what may have happened in the past, you wouldn't just let all these innocent people die."

"Thirty. Three. Thirty. Two. Thirty. One…"

The Lyall Queen had reached the furnace, eyes downcast; she paused at the entrance to the wall of fire.

"Enter." The Leader Dalek nudged her with his plunger arm.

"Terna! Listen to me, snap out of it this instant!" the Doctor cried desperately.

"Twenty. Five. Twenty. Four. Twenty. Three. Twenty. Two…"

Susan looked pleadingly at the Lyall, her eyes sparkling with fast-flowing tears. "Terna, please," she whispered. "We need you."

Terna paused on the threshold of the furnace.

"Enter!' the Leader Dalek demanded, nudging her forward.

Terna's eyes stared straight ahead, down the throat of the fiery beast, Susan's words ringing in her ears:

We need you, Terna.

Her hand closed into a fist. Without warning, she lunged forward and snatched her magnifying glass from the table of items beside the furnace door.

"Stop!" the Leader Dalek didn't even have time to react before Terna had sliced his plunger arm off. It clattered to the floor as the Guard Dalek operating the radiation machine fired a blast at Terna from across the room.

In a flash of yellow Anima, the magnifying glass became a sword; Terna deflected the blast and it rocketed back to its owner. The Guard Dalek shrieked as its own attack collided with its metal form, a series of pops and sparks went off as the machine imploded under the force of the blast.

As the Guard Dalek collapsed into smoldering fragments, Terna dove around the Leader Dalek's bulky form. It swerved around and fired another blast. Terna pivoted and deflected the attack, this time aiming it in the direction of the wall.

The static green energy reflected off the blade of her sword and collided with the magnetic lock device on the radiation machine.

The countdown stopped cold, barely at fifteen seconds left as Susan and the Doctor both jumped free of their restraints and rushed out of the cage as the glass door slid open.

"Run! Get out of here!" Terna yelled, her eyes blazing as she held her sword aloft, trying to attract the Leader Dalek's attention, so the exit would be open.

The Doctor didn't need to be told twice; while Susan started to protest, he grabbed her wrist and raced around the scuffle between Terna and the Dalek in the middle of the floor and towards the boiler room door.

The Lyall skirted the room's perimeter. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the Doctor and Susan on the threshold, seemingly waiting for her. She lunged forward, trying to duck around the Dalek a second time, but he was ready.

The blast from his gun hit Terna in the shoulder and she flew backwards. The sword left her hand, turning back into a magnifying glass as it clattered to the floor a good three feet away. Terna meanwhile slammed into the table beside the furnace.

Most of the objects on the table fell to the floor and rolled into the still open furnace door.

"No! The fluid link!" the Doctor cried, starting forward, but Susan held him back.

Jamming her hand into the pocket of her dress, Terna staggered to her feet. She scanned the ground for her magnifying glass, only to see the Dalek blocking her path.

She froze, flexing her empty fingers. The Dalek cocked its gun at her and began to slowly slide forward, closing the space between them.

Terna inched backwards a step and instantly felt the heat of the furnace licking at her back. She glanced over her shoulder and saw nothing but a wall of fire.

There was nowhere to run; she was trapped.

"Terna!" Susan cried.

()()()

Ian, Barbara, Ganatus, Alydon, and Kristas rushed down the hall, following the faint humming of electricity towards the energy's origin: the control room.

"Hurry!" Ian called back to the others. "We don't have much time."

"There! Up head!" Ganatus cried, pointing to the last door at the end of the hall. "That's gotta be it."

As he spoke, the door suddenly slid open, and a Dalek loomed in the doorway.

"Ian!" Barbara cried as the Dalek fired its gun.

"Look out!" Ian collided with the wall as Kristas shoved him out of the way. The green blast struck him in the chest, and he crumpled to the ground with not so much as a scream.

Ian staggered to his feet, slightly dazed as he looked down at the body of Kristas lying in the middle of the hall.

Alydon let out a cry of rage and rushed forward, holding his spear aloft. The Dalek aimed its gun at him.

Thinking quickly, Ian slammed his fist into the control panel that operated the door. The door began to close, pressing the Dalek against the wall and trapping it on the threshold. It flailed helplessly, but its bulky body was firmly pinned down

It tried to fire its gun again, but Alydon got there first, jamming his spear into a chink in the Dalek's armored shell. The creature screamed as green puss oozed from the opening.

With a grunt, Alydon kicked the Dalek out of the doorway, and it collapsed backwards into the room, but the door was still slowly closing.

"Come on!" Alydon cried to the others as he ducked through the door.

Ian turned to halt its steadily closing but found he had smashed the control panel in his desperation.

"Go! Go!" he called to the others. Ganatus quickly ushered Barbara through and jumped the threshold after her. By the time Ian got to the door, there was barely a shoulder's width of space left.

"Ian!" Barbara called as he attempted to sidle through but found his body was quickly wedged in the steadily shrinking space.

"Ian, come on!" Ganatus urged.

"I can't; I'm stuck!" Ian cried. Ganatus lunged forward and snatched Ian's arm. He pulled with all his might, Ian groaning with pain under the strain and the weight of the door slowly crushing him.

It felt as though he might never make it out, but his body finally gave way and he managed to wriggle through as the door quickly slammed shut behind him.

"Thanks," Ian murmured to Ganatus.

"Alert! Alert! Intruders." The group all turned to see a lone Dalek enter vast control room, obviously alerted by the other Dalek guarding the door's death.

Everyone dove out of the way as the Dalek fired a blast. It collided with one of the computers in the doorway and a series of sparks shot up from the wreckage.

"There's nowhere to run!" Ganatus cried. Alydon dove towards the Dalek, attempting to stab it with his spear like he did the others, but the Dalek hit his weapon with another gun blast. The spear exploded in Alydon's hands, causing him to cry out and fall backwards to the ground.

The Dalek loomed over him.

"Ganatus!" Barbara cried as the other Thal rushed forward. He produced a knife from the folds of his tunic and quickly impaled it into the Dalek's eye stock.

The glass splintered as the creature screamed, writhing about in panic at its now impaired vision. As the Dalek stood disoriented, Ganatus drove the knife into the gap between the Dalek's base and head cap. Green blood oozed from the crevice, and the creature went still.

Ganatus stood before the motionless Dalek, breathing heavily; his grip never slackened on his knife.

Quiety, Barbara walked over to him and gently pried the knife from his fingers. He looked at her. A silence passed between the four survivors as Ian helped Alydon to his feet. They waited but no other Daleks appeared.

With a nod, Ian turned to the massive computer system spread out across the back wall of the control room. "Let's shut this thing down."

He and Barbara then proceeded to the back of the massive computer and began yanking out as many power cords as they could, scattering wires and extensions every which way.

It took a moment before Ganatus and Alydon joined in, smashing at the glass and controls panels of the massive system with the ends of their weapons for good measure.

()()()

In the boiler room, Terna stood poised on the precipice of the furnace innards, the fire lapping patiently at her ankles like a rising tide.

The Dalek reached out and almost gently nudged her with the splintered end of its plunger nozzle.

Terna's breath caught in her throat as she staggered backwards slightly, hands grasping at the edges of the furnace just in time to steady herself.

CLANG! The sound of something metal colliding with the side of the Dalek's head echoed throughout the room. The Dalek leader swung its eye stock to the left to see the Doctor standing there, arm raised as he'd just chucked his sonic screwdriver at the thing's head.

Using the moment of distraction, Terna attempted to duck around the Dalek, but there was a sudden loud popping sound and the ceiling lights flickered off than on again.

The Doctor and Terna raised their eyes to the ceiling in surprise just as the Dalek gave out a shriek of both confusion and fury.

Its metallic body swung out of control, trapped by the erratic flow of power ricocheting throughout the failing floor systems.

Terna watched in surprise as the Leader Dalek attempted to regain control of its metal casing.

"Terna, move!" Susan's scream had barely left her lips before the Dalek tipped to the left, its halved plunger nozzle striking Terna square in the chest.

She gasped as a scream caught in her throat. She fell backward, and the heat rushed up to meet her and then Terna felt nothing but pain.

The flames rushed to her, yapping with glee and hunger. Every ounce of her being commanded her body to move but Terna felt like she was frozen in place. The pain rushed up and down her body as Terna braced herself against the furnace edge. Her grip slackened, a part of her wanting to just let go, to end it all and fall into the flames.

To join her people and burn.

Screams and inaudible cries of pain left her lips, but Terna hardly noticed them; her mind was filled with nothing but the agony of her body and the burning of her soul.

The Dalek lunged forward again, spinning out of control. Every fiber of Terna's being burned as she managed to crawl out of the furnace's mouth. The Dalek loomed over her, teetering on the brink as well.

"Terna!" The gleam of yellow light as Susan hurled the magnifying glass through the air. Terna caught it and the light brightened as the glass turned into a sword.

With the last ounce of strength she could muster, Terna swung the sword; it collided with the back of the Dalek's bulky form. The creature gave one last shriek before it plummeted over the edge of the furnace door and disappeared into the fire, consumed by the flames.

Its screams filled the air, mixing with the smoke and the smell of roasting meat and scorching metal.

Terna staggered back, her sword falling from her grasp and clattering to the floor in glass form again. She sank to her knees slowly, feeling numb all over.

She didn't move, crouched on the floor at the furnace's feet, her eyes glazed over. The slam of the door being closed snapped her back into clarity. The pain started up again, slowly creeping under her skin like venom in her veins.

Terna glanced down; the back of her hands and arms was covered in raw red flash, ravaged by the fire as they attempted to lick away every layer of her being with their barbed tongues.

She closed her fingers into fists even though it hurt.

"Terna, oh my God," Susan's arms were around her burning shoulders. The Lyall didn't look at her. The remnants of hair, frayed and ashy, fell in her face, but through the scorched strands she could make out the figure of the Doctor standing over her.

"You did a very foolish thing today, Terna," he declared.

"Grandfather," Susan started, but the Doctor cut her off.

"No, she needs to know what the rash nature of her actions cost us." He dropped to his knees so he and Terna were eye level. Slowly, she rose her own eyes to meet his.

"By running away you put all of us at risk. In the Daleks capturing you, they could have been able to pinpoint our location in the forest and sent an attack to destroy the Thals. You forced us to throw together a hasty plan that would cost many lives. We needn't have attacked, we needn't have fought. We could have thought of a better plan if we'd been given more time. But no, you forced us to act when you charged into battle. Now, we've lost the fluid link as well, and we can never leave this world, and people died, Terna. People died."

The Doctor looked as though he wanted to continue, but his words would have been drowned out by the sound of Terna's sobs.

It was the most horrible, heart-wrenching sound either of the two Gallifreyans had ever heard. It was like Terna's grief, her pain, her anger, was all pouring out of her body, ripping through her and cutting her apart to escape from within her now ravaged form.
She screamed and cried and clutched at her aching chest as though her heart was shattering into a million pieces right there on the floor.

Slowly, Susan put her arms around Terna's shoulders.

Without a word, the Doctor shrugged off his coat and passed it to Susan, who gently draped it around the Lyall's form, covering the tattered remains of her blue halter dress and the horrible burns that now covered most of her back and shoulders.

Terna acknowledged neither of them; it was like her grief had consumed her, like there was nothing else for her to do but sob.

()()()

The flow of energy stopped its feed from the computers in only a matter of minutes. Alydon and Ganatus watched with satisfaction at the video feeds on the monitor which showed footage from the south gate of the rest of the Thal forces taking care of the remaining Daleks, now immobile due to their loss of power.

"Ian!" Barbara rushed up behind them. "Look. It's the Doctor and Susan." She pointed to another video screen depicting a scene from within the building. "And Terna's with them!"

"Are they alright?" Ian inquired.

Barbara squinted at the fuzzy image. "I think so. I can't really tell."

"That looks like a boiler room," Alydon mused. "It would be on the lower most level of the compound."

"Let's go with them then!" Ian declared. "Then we can all get out of here."

The two humans and two Thals headed down to the lower level without any opposition; it seemed that the Daleks had been fully destroyed.

As the lift opened up on the ground floor, a small, slight figure ran into view, holding a spear aloft as though he had the intent to skewer any living being that happened through the door.

"Armis!" Alydon exclaimed, halting the young Thal boy in his tracks.

"Alydon?" Armis's face broke into a wide grin. "You're alright," he exclaimed, rushing forward to hug the older man around the waist.

"Yes, we all are now," Alydon replied, returning Armis's hug with a smile. He turned to Ian and Barbara, "And if it wasn't for your help and leadership, we couldn't have achieved what we did today. Thank you."

"Thanks to you as well," Ian replied with a solemn nod. "Now. Let's go get the Doctor, Susan, and Terna."

Armis stepped aboard as Ian punched the 'down' button and the lift descended below ground.

The boiler room was a cramped, narrow space, dark due to the loss of power.

At the back of the room, a monstrous furnace burned, providing the only light. It's glow illuminated two figures crouched on the floor around a hunched form of some dark creature who was gasping and wincing in apparent pain.

"Doctor?" Alydon stepped forward. One of the figures turned to reveal the Doctor's face in the half-light; his expression grim.

"Susan, are you alright?" Barbara asked, rushing forward. Susan glanced her way just as the hunched form sat up. Barbara gasped. Terna's face was covered in an array of burns, spread across her skin in a pattern of scarlet marks pocketing the backs of her hands, her arms, her shoulders and thighs, creeping along her hairline and down the back of her neck. Most of her hair was missing, what remained hung thin and frayed off the sides of her head.

"What happened?" Armis wondered, wandering over curiously.

"The Dalek tried to throw her into the furnace," Susan explained. "She put herself at risk to save us; the Daleks would have killed us otherwise."

Barbara glanced at Terna; she didn't meet her gaze. Tears streaked along her seared face.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" Alydon inquired.

The Time Lord nodded. "I suppose. The battle is won, after all; the Daleks have been destroyed."

"But what about the spoils?" Ian inquired, stepping forward. "The fluid link, I mean," he added to the Doctor.

The Doctor bit his lip. "I'm afraid the Daleks destroyed it."

"What?!" Barbara exclaimed, breaking away from Terna as she was attempting to aid Susan in helping the Lyall to her feet.

"Destroyed?" Ian exclaimed. "What do you mean destroyed?"

"Exactly what I said," the Doctor replied. "I'm sorry. Truly, I am."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Barbara whispered.

"No, I'm afraid not," the Doctor replied. "The fluid link is gone."

Suddenly, a small, dry voice spoke up. "Fluid link? You mean this one?"

Everyone whipped towards the one who had spoken; Terna reached into the pocket of her dress's remains and produced the shaped glass tube, slightly smudged and sooty but intact.

"Terna, where did you get that?" Susan exclaimed.

"I managed to snatch it up before it fell into the fire with the rest of the stuff," Terna explained simply.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor cried, seemingly startling Terna somewhat as he rushed forward and snatched the link from her grasp. "Oh, Terna, I could kiss you."

"Please don't."

"Oh thank god," Barbara exclaimed with a sigh of relief as she and Ian hugged.

"So, it's over then?" Susan whispered as Terna stumbled heavily, and Armis rushed over to help her hold the Lyall up.

"It would appear so," the Doctor replied.

Just then a loud bang echoed throughout the narrow space. Everyone whipped around towards the sweltering furnace. A half-second past before a second, louder bang was heard from within the huge machine, blasting the furnace door clean off its hinges.
The horrid shape of the half-melted Dalek leader loomed in the doorway. Chunks of its armor hung from the circular base in huge melted piles, dripping down the sides in thick rivets of silver. The halved plunger dropped from its face like a flimsy bit of rubber. But the gun still glowed its sickly green as the Dalek lumbered forward, gun trained on the first living being it could find as it shrieked:

"The. Daleks. Will. Live. On! We. Are. Invincible! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"Armis!" Alydon started forward as the Dalek turned its gun on the young Thal boy.

Susan screamed, and Armis gave a shout.

The Dalek fired its gun; the green light streaked towards the boy, but it was suddenly deflected by a flash of gold and sent hurtling back at the Dalek. The blast collided with the creature in the dead center of its bulky frame. A series of crackles snaked throughout the Dalek's melted form before it finally crumbled and gave way, collapsing into a pool of melted metal and sickly green slime.

"Armis," Alydon rushed over to the young Thal who was trembling. Susan stared at the Dalek's remains in shock as Terna leaned heavily on her, her golden sword still trained on the destroyed creature.

Gently, Alydon reached out and lowered Terna's arm. Her eyes rose to meet his, wide with surprise. "Thank you," he whispered.

Terna's mouth parted, but she said nothing.

"Is that the last of them?" Ian asked.

"Yes," Terna whispered.

"Then let's get out of here," the Doctor declared. "We have everything we need now."

Alydon glanced over at the puddle of melted Dalek in the middle of the floor. "It's finished. The final war: five hundred years of destruction ends in this."

The Doctor regarded him thoughtfully. "No doubt you'll have other wars to fight."

Alydon looked at him. "All this machinery, what are we supposed to do with it?"

"I'm sure you'll put it to great use," Barbara replied brightly.

"Yes, the Daleks have a way to grow food by artificial sunlight," Ian added. "You and your people have everything you need now."

"Yes that is true," Alydon mused as the others all filed out of the room, Susan and Armis both helping Terna as she stumbled along. Alydon turned to follow but he glanced over his shoulder to take one last look at the remains of the Leader Dalek. "I just wish there had been some other way."

()()()

"Ow."

"Sorry."

"Ow! God!" Terna gritted her teeth, shying away from Susan's hand as she attempted to apply more of the pasty, mint green ointment to her face.

"I'm sorry, Terna, but you have to hold still," the young Time Lady urged, slightly exasperated as Terna flinched away yet again.

The Lyall grimaced as she finally fell still and allowed Susan to smear some of the cream onto her cheek. She bit her lip, feeling a new sting throb against her burns. "Is it supposed to be this painful, or are you-Ah! Stupri stercore!" Terna cried out in her native tongue as the cream was dabbed on a particularly sensitive spot.

"I know it hurts, but this medicine will make you feel better," Susan attempted to soothe her as Terna flopped back against the petrified tree she was sitting under on the edge of the Thal camp.

"I doubt it," Terna grumbled miserably, turning to glance at the Thals, who were all gathered together in groups of silent mourning. A few of their eyes met her gaze: stern, cold, some a bit weary. "I don't seem to be very popular at the moment," Terna mused, dropping her eyes with a bitter smile.

"They lost some good men today," Susan replied simply.

Terna chuckled, but it was without humor. "Yes, and without my reckless actions, they wouldn't have needed to launch an attack in the first place. Oh well, I suppose it's just a few more guiltless souls to add to my conscious." Her voice trailed off after a minor flinch of pain.

Susan, meanwhile, had finished with the ointment; she eyed the Lyall curiously, noting her eyes swimming with pain, as she caped the cream container and reached for a roll of bandages.
"I've been meaning to ask about that," Susan's voice was hesitant as she began to meticulously wrap the gauze around Terna's seared wrist. "In the city…" she paused for a moment, unsure of whether or not to continue.

Terna gave her a pointed look, so she kept talking. "The Leader Dalek, he said you'd run away…What did he mean."

Terna didn't respond right away. She averted her eyes, closing them as though all of the emotions inside threatened to spill out like tears or free-flowing blood. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving slightly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Susan quickly offered.

Terna shook her head. "No, it's alright." She reopened her eyes and gave Susan an unnervingly dry smile. "I find my inhibitions have diminished somewhat now that I bear a striking resemblance to burnt toast. Ah!"

Terna's smile flared up into a look of pain as Susan pulled the bandages too tightly. "Sorry!" the girl quickly apologized as she corrected the mistake and then went back to her methodical wrapping.

"It's fine." Terna shook off the look of pain, at least the physical kind, her gaze drifting over Susan's head and towards the waning sun as it sank low into the grey tree line like the last dying coal in a fire before it vanished into the ash. She took another deep breath. "When I was a still a little girl, my people held dominion over hundreds of planets in dozens of galaxies: the Great Lyall Empire."

"Yes, I heard about that in history class," Susan exclaimed.

"Indeed. Well, all of the planets we oversaw had been directly created by the Lyall people, one of which was Skaro."

Susan gaped. "Your people created Skaro?"

"One of us did," Terna replied. "They put two races on it: the Thals, peaceful creatures of sicence and technology and another race of bloodthirsty warriors."

"The Daleks," Susan interjected.

Terna nodded. "Yes, but back then they were called the Kaleds."

"So, what happened?"

Terna bit her lip. "The war, of course, well, the first war that is: the War of A Hundred Centuries., a thousand year battle that raged across this once beautiful world and crushed it into oblivion. The brutality of one side was unrivaled except by the other. Hatred between Kaleds and Thals had burned so deep and for so long that its origin, the reason for the war in the first place, soon became lost."

"Who won?" Susan whispered.

Terna first responded with another humorless smile. "The Kaleds of course, or the Dalek rather. You see, towards the end of the war, both races were so beaten down they had barely the strength to maintain their defenses, so they were left in a stalemate. However, unbeknownst to the Thals, Kaled scientists were hard at work in an underground bunker building a super weapon."

"The Daleks," Susan's eyes were wide with understanding.

"Yes, they claimed it was the next stage in Kaled evolution."

"So, those creatures inside the Daleks armor, they were once Kaleds?" Susan asked.

Terna nodded, feeling a shiver go down her spine at the thought of those abominations that stirred inside the Dalek machines. "Yes. We don't know how they did it, but the Kaleds somehow managed to remove the Force Amina from the core of their being, becoming cold empty shells with no emotion or rationality, only bloodlust."

"So, they destroyed the Thals," Susan stated.

"They destroyed everyone," Terna asserted. "The Daleks turned against their Kaled creators; they obliterated them, and then went after the Thals. In the end, everything had been decimated." Susan could see it clearly now, the darkness in Terna's eyes, in her expression, filling her entire being, that she'd only seen in passing before was now before her clearly and openly as Terna spun this terrible web of a story with the young Time Lady caught in its trap like a helpless butterfly.

"My people," Terna continued. "The Lyall, we watched from the side lines for so long, by the time we saw fit to intervene, it was too late."

"They came after you next," Susan deduced.

"You heard what the Leader Dalek said," Terna spat. "His race was the first in the history of the universe created without Amina. They believed they were the beginning of a new universe, one without Lyall. So, they attacked; they convinced other systems that we oversaw to rise up against us. Chaos ensued; it was all we could do to hold the Empire together. But it didn't matter; the Daleks surged forward: an unstoppable force, killing anything that wasn't on their side. They even destroyed their own allies. They beat us back; we lost ground until, finally, they invaded Eedonya, my home world."

Terna stopped suddenly as though all of the air had suddenly been sucked from her lungs.
"Terna?" Susan placed a hand on her shoulder, but Terna shook it off.

"I remember: the sky was raining fire, people ran screaming towards the Capitol City's center. They flooded the palace gates. My mother told me to hide, to get our remaining subjects to safety. We had lost so much ground and so many lives. I…" Terna paused. "I herded everyone inside, hundreds of us all pressed together in the darkness; it was suffocating. The battle raged on outside; I could hear it coming closer, the pounding in my eras like a heartbeat, like a clock ticking away the seconds. I thought it was counting down to the end. I was afraid, so very afraid."

Terna glanced up to meet Susan's eyes, they were wide and earnest and so very innocent. "The darkness, it was pressing in from all sides, the terror was suffocating. I...I desperately needed to get away. I saw an opening, and I took it; I fled through the roots of the palace and out of the city. I was safe; I was unscathed, but the people I'd left behind." Terna paused, making an odd choking sound as though she might be sick.

When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper, so Susan had to lean in close to make her out properly. "The Daleks, they burned the palace to the ground; the whole city went up in flames. I watched from the moor as my home burned, no one else made it out."

Terna paused to look at Susan again. Her expression was unreadable.
"Eventually, my parents, siblings, and the remainder of our forces were forced to retreat. They found me on the city's edge, the only survivor. No one knew what I had done, that I wasn't strong enough, that I was selfish and fled to save myself and leave countless others to burn."

Wordlessly, Susan reached up to begin to gently wrap the bandages around Terna's burned face; she didn't flinch away, her body as still as stone. "The Leader Dalek was right," she whispered. "I do deserve to die."

"No, Terna. You-" Susan started, but the Lyall cut her off.

"I lost so much that day: my family and our remaining subjects had nothing but the clothes on their backs. We fled to the Wastes at the edge of the universe, and the Daleks destroyed Eedonya, reducing it to dust. The Daleks took my home, my people, and my honor."

Tears brimmed in the corners of Terna's eyes, they burned like venom against her raw cheeks. Susan gently reached up and touched the bandaged side of her face, her smooth fingers brushing the rough gauze. Terna's fingers curled into fists. "When I remembered what the Daleks had done to us I grew so angry."

"You have every right to despise them," Susan declared.

Terna shook her head. "Not angry at them, angry at myself. Remembering what I'd done, the pain of it was consuming me. I needed to do something. I desperately wanted to regain my honor, to avenge my people. I needed," Terna faltered slightly. "I needed to be brave." Her lips curled into a small smirk, half hidden by the bandages around her face. "But that wasn't bravery; that was stupidity. That's all I am."

A tear slipped down the bandaged side of her face, moistening the gauze. "A stupid, cowardly Queen of a dead race, forgotten, crownless, and alone."

"You're not alone," Susan insisted.

Terna looked at her. "Yes, I am. I have no one left and nothing to live for!"

"Terna!" Susan grabbed Terna by the shoulders and shook her slightly to silence her. The Lyall looked at her, the pain flowing in rivets from her eyes, the tears looked almost scalding in the half-light of the coming twilight, much like the fire that had marred her face.

Susan's grip slackened slightly. "Terna, I'm not going to pretend I know what you're supposed to do now, but you survived. You have this life; it shouldn't go to waste. Your people were destroyed, but you survived. There must be a reason you crashed into the TARDIS; the universe still needs you for something."

Terna gently wiped the tears from her face, soaking the gauze still further. "For what? What could the universe possibly need me for? I didn't even remember what had happened to my own people when I first entered the TARDIS; I lived on the lie the Daleks told my people."

"I can't answer that, Terna," Susan replied, shaking her head. "No one knows where our lives will take us, only time will tell."

"Time. Ha!" Terna laughed emptily as she leaned back against the tree.

Susan meanwhile had just finished wrapping up the rest of her shoulder burns. "There. All done," she declared.

Terna glanced down at the bandages. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I do hope you'll take what I said to heart," Susan replied.

The corners of Terna's mouth turned up slightly, the tinge of perhaps her first genuine smile in a while. "Out of the mouths of babes," she mused. "I just wish I knew where those false memories came from in the first place."

Susan arched an eyebrow. "You mean, you don't know?"

Terna shook her head. "No. The Gyrum didn't restore all of my memories: bits and pieces are still missing, the circumstances that resulted in me crashing into the TARDIS for instance."

"I'm sure it will come back eventually," Susan encouraged.

"Yeah, I suppose," Terna glanced up at the steadily growing twilight. "I guess it's no surprise; I've always had memory issues."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean I know who I am; I'm not amnesiac or anything," Terna insisted. "I just don't remember much from my childhood, most of the things that happened to me as a child I was told about by other people. I don't remember them myself."

Susan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Terna shrugged. "I don't know. I guess things get kinda fuzzy when you've lived as long as I have."

"How long have you lived?" Susan inquired.

Terna didn't respond right away; she was too busy fingering her newly recovered infinity symbol ring that she'd found in the woods a few days back. "It's like I told you and Barbara, Susan; 'Eternal' is more than a name."

Susan's eyes widened. "Terna, how old are you?"

Terna paused, seeming to think about it. "Difficult to say, I'm older than time at least, much older."

Susan gasped quietly. "So, it's true: the rumors about Lyall, that they're really-"

"What?" Terna cut her off. "Immortal?"

Susan pursed her lips. "Yeah."

"Well, we are," Terna declared. "I am."

"But how is that possible?" Susan inquired.

"Because I'm timeless, Susan. I am without time because I was born before it and lived outside it. It has no influence on me."

"That's incredible," Susan marveled.

Terna gritted her teeth. "I suppose, but living now, in this temporal world, in this meat suit; it's a bit uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry."

"Make do, I suppose," Terna replied, waving a hand dismissively. As she did so, one of the bandages around her wrist came loose. "Shit."

"Here. I've got it," Susan exclaimed as Terna attempted to adjust it. She watched as the young Time Lady leaned forward and expertly rewound the bandage. As she did so, Terna caught a glimpse of something dark against Susan's pale skin: a tattoo of a series of numbers:

1-18

For some reason, the sight of the mark stirred a soup of uneasiness in the pit of Terna's stomach. "Susan, where did you get that tattoo?"

Susan paused, glancing down at the mark on her forearm as though she'd forgotten it was there. "It's not a tattoo; it's a brand," she explained simply.

Terna quirked a brow. "I didn't know the Time Lords made habit of branding their citizens."

"It's not that kind of brand," Susan asserted, shaking her head. "Remember when I told you how I was brought up in an orphanage?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when I was eight and eligible for school, I was drafted into a special program for a unique form of instruction," Susan explained. "I'm a rare blood, you see; I come from a long line of powerful Time Lords, and I've inherited certain talents that this program wanted to explore. I was handpicked for the project along with several other Time Lords and Ladies of all ages and walks of life."

"Was you're grandfather a part of this too?" Terna inquired.

"Yes. It's how we met," Susan continued. "He was assigned as my mentor. He had a lot of experience since he'd been a part of the program since he was a kid." Susan paused. "At first, it was really fun; Grandfather and I went on these assignments together, tasks the program runners wanted us to complete. It was so exciting to leave Gallifrey and explore. We did that for a long time but then…" Susan's voice trailed off.

"Susan?"

"This program," Susan licked her drying lips. "The organization that ran it called themselves Renaissance, "rebirth", and they called the program the 'God Project'. We didn't know when they recruited us, why they wanted people with rare and unique aspects; we didn't know what the God Project was for."

Terna shifted uncomfortably. That name, Renaissance. A feeling like pins and needles raced up and down her limbs, and she doubted it was from the burn wounds. "What was it for?"

Susan didn't respond. Instead, she slowly undid the top three buttons of her sweater. Beneath the soft wool, her exposed skin showed a series of puncture wounds peppered across her chest, blackened and coarse with age. "The God Project was trying to create a god, a 'perfect being' they called it," Susan explained. "They were desperate; it seemed like their lives depended on it. They did whatever they deemed necessary to complete the project."

Terna slowly reached forward and faintly traced one of the puncture wounds on Susan's chest. "And they did that to you?"

"They did worse to others," Susan explained simply as she redid the buttons on her shirt. "Grandfather has these scars on his neck."

Terna grimaced. "So, what did you do?"

"Over time, the experiments got worse and worse," Susan explained. "One time, they even shaved my head and drilled holes in my skull." As she spoke, the young Time Lady absentmindedly pulled at her brutally short strands of black hair.

Terna was aghast. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"So, how'd you get away?"

Susan shook her head. "I'm not sure. I was barely conscious at the time we escaped. Grandfather told me afterwards that something happened; he doesn't know what, but the God Project suddenly collapsed all at once."

"I still don't know what caused it."

"Grandfather," Susan exclaimed while Terna jumped about a foot in the air before turning to face the Doctor standing over her and Susan under their tree. She was admittedly surprised to see him as she was under the impression he and Alydon were still in the Thal city collecting specimens of Dalek machinery and checking the reactors in case of radiation leakage.

"Didn't you mother ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop, Time Lord?"

The Doctor's brow creased as he dropped down beside the Lyall and handed her a shiny red apple. "I thought you might be hungry." He turned to Susan, his expression lightening into a playful smile. "Nurse, I relieve you of duty."

Susan grinned as she got to her feet. "I'll be right back, Terna. I'll see if I can find a new outfit for you in the TARDIS." With that, the girl crossed the clearing and disappeared into the TARDIS.

Terna and the Doctor watched her go, sitting sullenly in a momentary silence.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "That's twice now you've cheated me out of a perfectly good coat." He tapped the shoulder of his overcoat that was still draped across Terna's shoulders.

She smirked. "You can have it back, if you want, but I should warn you, it smells like a barbeque."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose, withdrawing his hand and leaning back against the tree. "Right." Out of the corner of her eye, Terna caught the Doctor glance her way.

She clicked her tongue pointedly. "Would you stop staring at me?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Listen. I suppose I should probably apologize for what I said in the boiler room. It was uncalled for."

Terna dropped her gaze. "No, it wasn't. I deserved it."

"Yes, but you don't hold all of the blame," the Doctor insisted. "The fault is partially my own for insisting we explore the city. The fact is that I was simply angry because I thought we'd lost the fluid link. In short, I'm sorry; you were in pain, and I shouldn't have kicked you when you were down."

"No, you shouldn't have."

The Doctor chuckled. "There's that venom I've been missing."

Before Terna could respond, Susan reappeared. "Come on, Terna," she held out her hand to the Lyall. "I found an outfit for you to change into. Here. Let's get you out of that."

"Provided none of it's melted to my flesh," Terna replied as she allowed Susan to hoist her to her feet.

Susan paled slightly. "Terna…"

Terna regarded her, a sudden thought occurring to her. "You know, I never agreed to 'Terna'."

"You never objected to it either," Susan reminded her with a smile. "Now come on."

As Susan led Terna towards the TARDIS, she glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of the Doctor staring after her, suspicion apparent in his eyes.

()()()

A short time later, Terna reemerged from the TARDIS with Susan in tow. The former was now dressed in a full length black dress with long sleeves and a blue sleeveless waterfall shall over it that was tied up in a knot under the bodice. A black and blue-trimmed scarf encircled Terna's head to hid her mostly missing hair.

The Doctor was sitting not far from the TARDIS with Alydon and Ganatus, a box of Dalek machinery taken from the sitting sat open between them.

"This is what they call a compensator, my friend," the Doctor explained, passing a device to Alydon.

"Which is?" Ganatus inquired as his friend took the machine and examined it keenly.

"It's useless," the Doctor replied dismissively. "Throw it away, unless you want to end up in a shell like our metal friends."

Terna's stomach turned somersaults at the thought of the Daleks. Although all of the Daleks in the city had been thoroughly destroyed, they had only been a small platoon. Terna didn't know how many of their forces had survived the Imperial Wars.
The Daleks might still be out there somewhere.

"It was amazing!" The animated young voice of Dyoni's younger brother Armis drew Terna's attention over to where the small boy was gathered around a group of Thal children. "The Dalek was coming at me; I thought for certain I was dead, but then she pushed me out of the way and her hand grew into a sword!"

"My hand did not grow into a sword," Terna corrected, striding over to the group of children who all turned to face her, mouths agape in admiration. "It was this thing." Terna held aloft the magnifying glass; the flash of golden light drew the attention of everyone in the clearing as Terna swung the sword expertly through the air.

"How did you do that?" Susan exclaimed.

"It's a very special weapon," Terna explained, lowering the sword, so the swarming children could get a better view. "My people called them Claws, an extension of you arm that you poured your darkest and angriest Amina into and it became a weapon you could use."

"Can that thing become anything?" a small Thal girl asked.

Terna paused before rotating her sword through her fingers and the blade transformed into a spear, then a cane, then a key.

"That thing can become anything," Susan marveled.

"Anything you can hold in your hand," Terna replied.

"It's an all powerful weapon," the Time Lady exclaimed.

"Yes, I suppose it is somewhat an omnipotent device."

"It's an Omni-Vice!" Susan declared.

Terna smiled slightly. "Yeah, I kinda like that."

"It's so cool," Armis exclaimed, stepping forward. "Can I-Can I hold it?"

"I don't see why not," Terna replied, passing the weapon to him.

"I want to hold it next," the young Thal girl cried.

"Me too!"

"Me three!"

"I want to hold it!"

The children crowded around Armis as he fingered the sword.

"Terna," the Lyall spun around to find Alydon and Dyoni standing behind her. "We wish to give you our thanks for saving young Armis," the Thal leader declared.

"We are infinitely grateful," Dyoni added warmly.

Terna was puzzled. "But I-How can you be thanking me when I put all those people in danger?"

"We would have needed to fight sooner or later," Alydon asserted. "We simply needed a push."

Dyoni nodded as she took a step forward and placed her hand on Terna's shoulder. "And one life saved is a very significant thing indeed."

Over the Thal woman's shoulder, Terna caught sight of Susan grinning at her. She smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," Dyoni replied before hugging Terna firmly. The Lyall froze for a moment, unsure what to do, before she gingerly hugged her back.

When Dyoni released her, Armis came up to her, "Thank you," he held out her Omni-Vice.

Terna smiled, accepting the sword and ruffling his hair playfully.

"Well, I'm certainly glad everything worked out in the end. Believe me," the Doctor added to Alydon.

"As am I," Alydon agreed. He regarded the Doctor thoughtfully. "You know, there never seemed to have been time to ask, but we don't really know where you come from or why."

The Doctor smiled almost mischievously as Barbara and Ian strolled over with Ganatus close behind. "Never mind that," the Time Lord replied dismissively. "You have the opportunity to build a new world. How I even you."

Terna's grip tightened on her sword; there was new weight to the Doctor's words, and, perhaps it was merely her knowledge of them, but she could almost make out the faint weight scars at the Doctor's throat peeking out from behind his collar.

"Doctor, you must stay and help us," Alydon declared. "We could learn a lot from you."

"Oh, no, no, no," the Doctor shook his head. "I'm far too old to be a pioneer. Although, I was once amongst my own people, without even intending to be actually." He laughed slightly as though enjoying a private joke.

"Won't you stay and advise us, please?" Ganatus asked.

"No, no. I'm afraid we're all a bit too far from home. I appreciate the gesture though," the Doctor clapped Alydon on the shoulder good naturedly. "And I wouldn't worry, young man; you have everything you need right here."

"Well, won't you at least rest with us?" Dyoni offered. "Share a meal?"

"Thank you, but I think we best be getting on," the Doctor replied as Ian cleared his throat loudly. "We have places to be after all.

"By the way, Doctor, have you fitted the fluid link?" Ian inquired, walking over to the Doctor.

"Not yet, but I have it right here," the Doctor patted his pocket.

Ian nodded. "Good. Well, we best be going." He reached out and grasped Alydon's hand. "Goodbye, Alydon, Dyoni."

"Take care," Alydon replied solemnly.

"Goodbye, Ian," Dyoni added with a smile.

Susan hugged Alydon around the middle. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Goodbye, Ganatus," Ian regarded the new friend he had bonded with during their perilous trek across the Thal world.

Ganatus smiled, clapping Ian on the back. "Goodbye, my friend."

"Good, good," the Doctor declared, "Here, Chesterton, help me carry these samples into the TARDIS."

Ian and the Doctor then went off to heave a box filled with rock and plant samples from Skaro into the Time Machine; Susan followed close behind.

Barbara and Terna lingered, although the former looked as though she was about to follow the others, but Ganatus grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Barbara?"

"Yes?"

Ganatus hesitated. Terna, meanwhile, became oddly engrossed in the sleeve of her new dress.

"I, uh, brought you something," Ganatus held up an ornate dress. "It's not exactly good for trekking through swamps and caves, but I thought you'd like it," he added with a weak smile.

Barbara grinned. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Ganatus."

Ganatus nodded. "I just wish…" his voice trailed off. Stiffly, he grasped Barbara's wrist and kissed her hand.

Barbara smiled warmly before leaning forward and gently kissing the Thal on the cheek. Ganatus stared at her in utter shock.

"Barbara, Terna, come on," Susan's voice prevented him from saying anything further as the human woman gave him one last farewell smile before she turned and stepped into the TARDIS.

Terna made to follow, but Dyoni stopped her.

"Here, Terna, a gift for you as well," she then handed the Lyall a bundle of garments. One was an ornate frock dress and the other one of the hexagonal patterned shawls. "The dress is for you, and the shawl is for Susan."

"Thank you," Terna whispered as she fingered the material of the dress.

"You know, it's funny," Dyoni's voice trailed off.

Terna glanced up. "What is?"

"Nothing, it's just," Dyoni paused, regarding Terna thoughtfully. "My people have this legend that hundreds of years ago, during the last days of the war against the Daleks, the Thals were almost destroyed, but we were saved by two strangers who came from the stars and liberated our people from the Daleks destruction and tyranny. These strangers names were Terna," Dyoni glanced towards the TARDIS, "And the Doctor."

Terna's heart skipped a beat. She stared at Dyoni, too stunned to speak.

"Of course, it couldn't possibly be you and your Doctor," Dyoni hurriedly added. "I mean, those events would have happened hundreds of years ago. It must just be a coincidence."

Terna's grip tightened on the bundle of garments in her arms. "I don't believe in coincidence," she murmured.

"Terna! Get in here, or we're leaving without you," the Doctor's sharp remark finally ushered Terna into saying her final goodbyes to Alydon, Dyoni, Ganatus, and the rest of the gathered Thals, little Armis even gave her one last farewell hug before she stepped into the TARDIS, and the doors closed behind her.

"What took you so long?" the Doctor snapped as Susan rushed over to examine the cloak Dyoni had given her.

Terna glanced towards the Time Lord, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I think we might have just come full circle."

"What the devil are you talking about?" the Doctor demanded.

Terna shook her head. "Never mind."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I need to freshen up a bit," Barbara declared, looking considerably flustered as she attempted to fix her dark fluffy hair.

"That's not a bad idea," Ian agreed.

"Susan, can you show us where we can wash up?" Barbara inquired. "I'm afraid all these corridors don't make any sense to me."

"Sure, right this way."

As soon as they'd left, the Doctor whirled on Terna, who was still leaning against the door. "Alright, my dear, I want you to start talking right now."

Terna blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me; I saw the look on your face when Susan was talking about Renaissance and the God Project. You know something, so tell me what it is."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Terna shot back.

"What are you two squabbling about now?" Susan demanded as she, Ian, and Barbara reentered the Console Room.

Before either of them could respond, the TARDIS suddenly lurched violently.

Everyone fell to the floor, and then it all went black.

---

A/N: Cling hanger once again, but it hopefully won't be as long of a wait. I apologize once again for being away for so long, I hope the chapter was worth the wait.
Reviews are always appreciated!