"Daleks!" the Doctor cried, beaming and spreading his arms wise. "Good to see you. How long has it been? That was a serious question, by the way," he added. "I really would like to know."

"THE DOCTOR HAS ARRIVED," blared one Dalek. It was unusually large and seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Yeah, got that, thanks," he said irritably. "Why? What do you want?"

"WE WANT YOUR PRESENCE."

"Typical Daleks," muttered the Doctor to Clara. "Can't ever get a straight answer out of them, they're all alike."

But they weren't all alike, the pair realized suddenly. They had landed in what looked like the main belly of the ship, and the entirety of it was full of Daleks. Unlike most Dalek armies, though, each one here was slightly different. Some were more colorful, some taller, thicker, more rusted. Indeed, a majority of these Daleks were damaged in some way.

"They don't match," Clara murmured, sweeping her gaze across the room. "Oh, that's going to bug me. Hold on- Doctor!"

She grabbed his arm, pulling him back from the edge of the force field as he started to step through. "They'll shoot you!" she hissed.

"Maybe," he said lightly, shrugging her off, "but I doubt it. They 'want our presence,' remember?" His grin was not entirely reassuring. "I strongly suspect that first blast was just a light show meant to scare us." He took her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "Let's not be scared."

Clara sighed. "If you say so." But she still hesitated a bit before stepping out after him.

The Doctor, on the other hand, strode forward into the mass, slipping on his sonic sunglasses and examining Daleks at random. The Daleks swiveled to follow him around the room, something uneasy in their movements, but his guess was right: no shots were fired.

"So what's the plan, then?" Clara whispered, keeping tight to his back. "Destroy them?"

After a moment's hesitation, the Doctor shook his head. "Not today. This… isn't my fight. Not this me." He paused for a beat, remembering, but soon jumped back to his usually erratic self. "Now this is curious."

"What's curious?" she asked, but he had moved on, speaking to the Daleks themselves now.

"Look at you lot, you're falling apart!" he exclaimed. "Pulled in from all over time. What, couldn't get a matched set?" He knocked one Dalek's head, smiling grimly at the hollow thuds. "Couldn't even get some that work properly? I'm not impressed." He glanced back at Clara. "Okay, I'm a little impressed."

"All over time?" Clara repeated, following behind him. Something about these Daleks made her nervous - they were different somehow. It was unsettling.

"Daleks change over time," he explained, leaning in to peer into one Dalek's eyestalk. "Upgrade themselves, improve themselves. They want to be the ultimate battle machines, and they're well on their way. But these are models from all along the development line. They weren't meant to be together."

"Sounds a bit star-crossed," Clara remarked, crossing her arms.

"Mmm. And look at this ship." He pointed to the ceiling. "Again, older model. It's been repaired, but poorly." Peering up at a rough metal patch, he added, "Did it crash?"

The first Dalek seemed to bristle a bit. "THIS INFORMATION IS IRRELEVANT."

"So it's important, then," Clara said, glancing at the Doctor.

"THIS INFORMATION IS-"

"Oh, shut up!" shouted the Doctor. "All of you, shut up or stay shut up or whatever, just don't make a sound."

An uneasy silence fell across the room. Even Clara pressed her lips together deliberately, staring around with wide eyes. She assumed that by now the Doctor had a plan. I just wish I knew what it was.

"What are you doing here, eh?" the Time Lord asked, hands in his pockets. "The misfits of the universe. How did you get here? Who brought you here? More importantly, who brought me here? Why? Where did you get the tech?"

The room stayed quiet, a Dalek here and there whirring slightly.

"I want to get out of here and be on my way," he said, irritated, "and you clearly want something, you always do. Might as well just tell me so we can get on with it." Frustration growing, the Doctor pointed to a specific Dalek, a shorter, flatter one near the back. "You. Un-shut up. Answer me."

The Dalek shifted uncomfortably, spinning its head to look at its comrades, but the Doctor grabbed its eyestalk, forcing it to meet his gaze. "What, nervous? Scared to give me an answer? EXPLAAIINN!" he roared, mimicking their distinctive speech.

"WE WERE ABANDONED IN BATTLE," the Dalek blared, galvanized into speech. "LOST. DAMAGED. CAPTURED."

"UNFIT FOR BATTLE," another added. "NOT USEFUL TO OUR KIND."

"How'd you get here, then?" Clara asked. "If you're all broken, how'd you get a ship?"

"THE EMPRESS," their informant told them. "THE GREATEST OF THE DALEKS." Echoes rang around the room as other Daleks added their voices. "THE EMPRESS. GREATEST OF THE DALEKS."

"Empress!" The Doctor rocked back on his heels, astonished. "Empress? Hear that Clara, they've got genders now. Genders in a Dalek, what will they think of next?" He glanced over at his companion. "Feels a bit unnatural, doesn't it?"

"THE EMPRESS IS OUR SAVIOUR," a Dalek volunteered. "SHE HAS BROUGHT US TOGETHER. SHE HAS GIVEN US PURPOSE. SHE HAS GIVEN US WAR."

"War, what war?" Clara stepped forward, pressing for an answer. "You mean the Time War?"

"THE WAR AGAINST YOU, DOCTOORRR!"

Instinctively, Clara closed her eyes, not wanting to see the blast she felt certain was coming. But the room stayed quiet, and she slowly looked up to see the Doctor standing slightly too still, staring the Dalek down.

"Don't know why I'm surprised anymore," he muttered. "I see. So this Empress has been rounding you all up, repairing you, so you can go after me. I mean, it makes sense," he added, sweeping into his usual gregarious self. "Take me out and the battle is yours. I've been through this already, I know how this goes. You get the tools and the tech and the knowledge to get me." He sniffed. "Good deal."

"WE WILL WIN GLORY," a Dalek cried. "WE WILL MAKE THEM REGRET ABANDONING US."

"WE WILL HAVE PURPOSE AGAIN," another added. "WE WILL HAVE USE."

"Oh, that's nice, that's lovely." The Doctor spread his arms wide, beaming bitterly. "The kind and benevolent ruler of the Daleks, gathering up the lost souls of the universe. What do you say, Clara, should we say hello?"

Clara shrugged, not sure exactly where he was leading but willing to go along. "We've already met a king. I figure an empress has to be a step up."

"Right then." The Doctor turned back to the first Dalek, who seemed to lead the group. "You've got us here." He grinned. "Take me to your leader."

A.N: Hello, all. It's my last day in London and I'm upset about it. Be nice and cheer me up? I am ready to go home for a lot of reasons, but man. London, you know?

Anyway, I'm having fun with Daleks. Didn't realize I missed Daleks. I sort of have a love-hate relationship with them. Much like the writers of the show, I think. Ah well. I'm exhausted. Thanks again for reading, my dears. I appreciate it so much.

-Forever the Optimist