XXXI
The fifth star
The Island
Jack Gruntler's residence
Day and a half before the Day of Destruction
April opens the door into the spare bedroom, only to find that Will is still sleeping peacefully. However, he has managed to move since she left him for he is now sleeping on his side rather than his back. His mouth hangs open ever so slightly.
She walks across the dark room to stand by the side of the bed. For a long moment, she looks down at the sleeping Will, loving every single part of him as he sleeps peacefully. She wonders how she could ever push him away like she did.
April sits down on the edge of the bed and starts stroking the side of his face.
"Will." She whispers.
He stirs under her touch yet he remains sleeping. But the brief moment of her strong affection towards him quickly subsides as she hears movement from downstairs. The Doctor keenly awaits for Ellis and Aaron to safely escort Max, Joseph and her parallel father to Jack's residence.
Since she told the Doctor what she wants to do, surprisingly he did not refuse, but simply accepted. Ellis informed the revolution of what is being done and they are going to be on high alert, in case help is needed. Then both him and Aaron went to collect Declan, Max and Joseph.
"Will," April says more firmly as she shakes his warm shoulder. "Will, please wake up."
Will stirs awake and suddenly he panics as he looks up at April.
"What's going on?" Will says sleepily as he sits up. "Where are we? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," April reassures him as she pushes away his hand which reaches for her face. "Jack somehow managed to transport us from the UNIT base to his house."
"Oh." Will suddenly relaxes.
"But I thought I should at least wake you up now instead of you finding out later when I'm gone."
Will raises an eyebrow. "Find out what?"
April looks Will directly in the eye as she speaks. "The Doctor is taking me to the Dalek spaceship."
"He is WHAT?!"
April has to hold Will down, stopping him from jumping to his feet.
"It's fine, I asked him to!" April says almost pleadingly. "I suspected that there must be a Dalek spaceship somewhere around here at least. The Doctor doesn't want me to go, but I've asked him to take me there. I need the support."
"You're going alone with the Doctor?" Will's voice is low.
April shakes her head. "I'm taking Max, my grandfather and Declan."
Will just looks dumbfounded.
"I don't really have much of a plan," April says weakly. "But because the Daleks are the ones to have the power of the Cytracik, I thought it would be a good idea for us to go and visit them."
"Visit them and do what?"
"I don't know. I'll think of something there."
"Think of something there? April, do you not remember what the Dalek's are like? Do you not think they won't kill you on the spot?"
"If they are going to do that, they would have done it the moment I last appeared on their ship. And when they came out of the void in the lighthouse," April replies bluntly. "I don't know. There's something about my myth of the Ice Girl that stops them from killing me. Perhaps they can't until they have the Cytracik."
"April, what's going through your mind?" Will says, his voice breathless with exasperation.
April jumps to her feet in frustration. "I'm not thinking at all!" she snaps. "Truth is since Jason died I think I've just shut my brain off."
"How do you feel though?"
"I feel..." April hesitates. "I just feel numb." April sighs heavily as she covers her face with her hands. She hears Will pulling back the covers and getting out of bed. She then feels his warm hands gently take hold of her wrists and pulls her hands away from her face.
"What do you hope to gain from this?" Will asks softly.
April snorts. "For this battle to end. The thing is I don't know what is going to happen. But the Daleks have created a replica of myself and Max. And Max has to see it."
Will's lips reaches hers before either of them can say anything else. They kiss vigorously like they have never done before, and April feels herself being pushed up against the bedroom wall. Their hands desperately roam each other's bodies and their lips remain connected. April runs her hands up Will's back under his shirt, before pulling out and wrapping her arms around his neck. From this, Will lifts her up and April wraps her legs around his waist. Will hastily closes the bedroom door shut before carrying April over to the bed.
They say nothing to each other as they devour each other's bodies while making love, simply desperate for one another's affection. April gasps at the burning sensation once Will is inside her, begging for more.
No matter what horrors may be happening on the Island right now, April and Will do not care for anything else but each other right this moment.
The Doctor, April, Max, Joseph and Declan stand in the Tardis in silence. The Tardis rumbles occasionally here and there, but the others remain in silence. The Doctor, however is the first to speak.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks softly.
"Yes." April replies sharply.
"Do you know what you want to do when we're there?" The Doctor asks hastily.
April hesitates before looking at the Doctor in the eye. "No," she quickly stops the Doctor when he opens his mouth to say something. "But they can't exterminate me."
"Yes they can." The Doctor says darkly.
"Not when they don't have the Cytracik. If they're going to kill me, it will be during the Day of Destruction." However confident April sounds as she says this, she hopes that her suspicions are true that they cannot kill her till they have the Cytracik.
There is another silence as the Doctor breathes out a loud, shaky sigh. He turns his back on April to look at the Tardis console.
"Are you okay if Rose and Terry comes with us?" He asks absently as he fiddles with the dials.
April's scowl deepens. "I don't want them in trouble."
"They both have some unfinished business on that ship from the last time we were there."
This is something April is completely unaware of. The last time they were on the Dalek spaceship April transported herself to the parallel world. What happened on the ship after she was gone wasn't really discussed. However April does not say anything else.
"Are you sure about this?" The Doctor asks as he turns to look at her again, knowing that it is safe to do so.
"Well we're all here, are we not?" April says, a little harsher than intended.
"No, are you sure you want to do this, April?"
For a long moment April just stares at the Doctor before speaking. "If I wasn't I wouldn't be here."
The Doctor sighs, evident that he strongly wishes to not be doing this. But right now, he knows that he cannot go against April's wishes. Then with difficulty, the Doctor pulls down a leaver on the console and the Tardis shudders. Just from the groaning sound the Tardis makes as it flies, it seems more louder and drawn out than usual, just showing that it is clear that the Tardis is reluctant to fly to the Dalek spaceship.
For the duration of the flight, the Doctor and April continue to stare at each other. But the flight is short and they land far quicker than either of them really want to.
For a short moment, everything is silent, for not even the Tardis lets out its usual rumble. And then the voices from outside the doors start to speak in their, low, robotic and menacing voices.
"The Doctor is here!"
"The Doctor has arrived!"
"Send the alarm!"
"What does he want now?"
"We must exterminate him!"
"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"
The Doctor and April continue to stare at each other as these voices echo outside of the Tardis walls. Ignoring the shiver of fear that runs through her body, April starts to move. She walks across the console room in long strides, passing the Doctor and not even giving a fleeting glance at her brother, grandfather and her parallel father, who have been standing on the other side of the console. When she sees the Doctor making a move to follow her, she raises her hand and looks at him sharply.
"No," she hisses. "You can stay here for a moment," then when she is at the door, she looks back at her family softly. "Just give me five minutes alone, okay?" She glances over to a worried looking Doctor for a second, before turning her back on them and facing the door.
Her hand rests on the door latch for a moment as she momentarily closes her eyes. She inhales deeply before exhaling. And then she turns the latch and holds her breath.
Everything falls silent outside.
The Tardis door creaks loudly as April pulls it open. And then there is the sudden sound of movement as April looks up.
Hundreds of Daleks that surround the Tardis, all move backwards an inch or so in unison. Clearly they are completely surprised to be met with the Ice Girl rather than the Oncoming Strom.
April stares at the black Dalek directly in front of her. She can just about see a disfigurement of her reflection and the reflection of the Tardis upon the shiny surface of its dome. There are four silver Daleks beside the black one; two on each side. Then the rest of the Daleks are gold.
The interior design of the Dalek spaceship looks just as it did before with its bright orange metallic walls and black marble flooring.
April cautiously steps out of the Tardis and closes the door behind her, not breaking eye contact with the black Dalek. She steadies her breathing. She will not let fear take over. She will not be afraid of the Daleks right now because they cannot kill her. She will be brave.
April stands in the opening gap between the Tardis and the Daleks and plants her feet firmly on the ground.
"I suppose you were not expecting to see me, were you?" April says, trying to keep her voice cool.
"Not until the Day of Destruction. We have just over twenty-four hours before this day. Why are you here?" The black Dalek responds, its robotic voice sounding ever so slightly restrained.
"I would like to discuss the matter of the Cytracik." It takes all of April's might to not break eye contact with the black Dalek. She feels as if looking away will come across as a sign of weakness.
"The Cytracik will be ours. We will kill the Doctor and take it from him. We are the ones with the most power."
"Yeah, about that..."
"You too will be exterminated."
"Then do it now!" April holds her arms out to the side. "Go on! I dare you to kill me now! The Doctor and my twin brother is in the Tardis. I'm sure you can find a way inside to kill them too-"
Before April has the chance to finish speaking, all Daleks raise their guns to April.
"EXTERMINATE!" The black Dalek orders and then shoots.
April is surprised she does not flinch when it does so, as hundreds more Daleks around her shoot in her direction. However, they fail to kill her. It is not that they are aiming badly, but it is as if there is an invisible barrier around April that is protecting her, and no Dalek is able to get to her. April's suspicions are true.
When April realises this, she starts to laugh as the Daleks continue to yell out exterminate as they try to kill her. But they are useless. April moves quickly and stands directly in front of the black Dalek, looking straight at it down its eye.
All Daleks fall silent.
"What do you know?" She snaps.
"We know nothing."
"You must do! You know about the Black Lighthouse. You were the ones who came out of the void. You are the shadow that always kills me in my nightmare."
"And we will kill you," the black Dalek replies sternly. "When the bell rings for the start of the Day of Destruction, you will be killed."
April grits her teeth. "Well, isn't that just wonderful. Tell me!"
"The Black Lighthouse has already flashed three times. It will flash for the fourth time at dawn. And for the fifth time when the Day of Destruction begins. It shall flash for the sixth time once you are dead and we have the Cytracik."
Dread runs through April at the thought of the Black Lighthouse having flashed three times already. "Then tell me," April hisses through gritted teeth. "Why is it you? Why are you the ones to kill me?"
"Because we are chosen."
"Is this another excuse to tell yourselves how powerful you are just because you survived the Time War?" The Doctor snaps as he steps out of the Tardis.
April jumps at the sound of the Doctor's voice and she turns around to look at him. She was hoping that her family could come out of the Tardis before him. She also wants more time alone with the Daleks.
"You told me that you survived the Time War because of the Emperor Dalek. But that does not explain as to why you are the supposed ones to behold the Cytracik," the Daleks remain silent as the Doctor strides forward across the clearing, looking at each and every Dalek. "The last time we were here when you transported us to your ship, begging for mercy, my friend found this." the Doctor holds up a thin, glass tube with thick, silver liquid.
All the Daleks jolt backwards another inch at the sight of the Dalek blood Terry discovered the last time there were here.
"The Cyborg took this from us!" One of the gold Daleks declares. "It is now suffering from human pain."
"I thought as much," the Doctor says calmly as he folds his arms. "You see the moment Terry started to feel human emotions, I knew that it was something to do with the blood she found on this ship. You are mutants stripped from all emotions, but one touch from this blood to someone with little to no emotions will be able to develop human feelings. One can only imagine that all human emotion will be stripped from me if I touched this," the Doctor then looks theatrically pensive for a moment. "It sounds rather a lot like the Cybermen who were once humans."
"We are not like the low scum Cybermen!" One of the gold Daleks yells. "We have higher power than them!"
"What, because you came out the void and are apparently the ones to next hold the Cytracik?" The Doctor tries not to laugh as he says this.
"WE ARE!"
The Doctor shrugs. "I don't doubt it. That statement is true. The rest of the universe don't know that though do they?" The Doctor looks from one Dalek to the next. "But the question is what were you doing at that time for my friend to have found your blood?"
"The twin Daleks." April says in a low whisper. The Doctor looks at April but April continues to stare at the black Dalek. "You've created a Dalek version of myself and my brother."
"You will be defeated by your polar opposite." The black Dalek announces.
April nods. "So you've built a Dalek version of me just to kill me."
"A Dalek of the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother is the reason why we will take the Cytracik. Whatever becomes a parallel of its victims will behold the Cytracik itself."
The Doctor frowns.
"Well at least I do have a family to support me." April says, breathing heavily as the Doctor stands, comfortingly close to her.
"We killed your family! The Hollerford's will be exterminated before the Day of Destruction is over."
With that, the Tardis door swings open with a creak. April continues to stare at the black Dalek as the Doctor turns around to look back. However, April can only guess who will be the first the leave the Tardis, and it won't be Max.
"This is impossible!" One of the gold Daleks yells.
"But we exterminated him!"
April cannot help but smirk at the sudden panic amongst the Daleks as Declan steps out of the Tardis.
"Is this a trick?" Another Dalek demands. Then this is followed by yells of exterminate and attempts to kill them all.
Almost like an immediate reaction, the Doctor holds onto April as if to guard her from the Daleks. But to the Doctor's surprise, they cannot kill them. April is correct in telling him this. The Doctor's grip slowly loosens on her when she glances at him sideways. Max is the next to step out of the Tardis, followed by Joseph. Declan, however, looks rather pleased with himself.
"Yes I am sure that you are surprised to see me," Declan announces to the Daleks confidently. "See my parallel self had the power to open the Cytracik and yet you murdered him. But here I am, the exact same man."
"But you are a parallel version. You cannot hold the same power." Another Dalek roars.
"There are only minor differences between each parallel individual," Declan puts his hands in his trouser pockets. "I'm sure you'll find that I am more of the successful Declan Hollerford than the one you murdered. I have more power to tear you apart."
"But Declan was unsuccessful in his inventions!"
"I wasn't," Declan laughs. "Everything my parallel self invented were just ideas on papers. But I have created each and every invention into a physical thing."
There is a horrible silence.
"Now you're scared." The Doctor says, looking around at all the gold Daleks.
"Do you know how the Cytracik came about?" The black Dalek asks slowly after a long pause.
"Rodger Barratt and the rest of the shape shifters created it." April says sullenly as she crosses her arms around her body. The Doctor, Declan, Joseph and Max stand close behind April.
"Not quite." The black Dalek says equally as slowly.
April's scowl becomes harsher. "Go on then."
"What do you know of the fifth star of Andrymia, Doctor?" The black Dalek spits out the Doctor's name like venom.
April clenches her fists as she glances down at the black marble flooring beneath her. Andrymia. Why does this word ring a bell to her?
"It was," the Doctor pauses briefly. "And still is the first star to die from the galaxy Andrymia," he shuffles awkwardly. "It was the star right at the edge of the galaxy. Not too far from the black hole."
Then a memory hits April. She is suddenly reminded of the day about three years ago. She stands in the hallway to the house she grew up in London. The Doctor just managed to disintegrate Bruce Fey into ashes before they set off to send Bruce's ashes into a black hole. The black hole in the galaxy Andrymia. Did the Doctor know that this had any connection to the Cytracik at the time?
"Why did you choose to take Bruce Fey's shape shifter to Andrymia?" The black Dalek pushes on.
The Doctor hesitates. "It was just a lucky guess," he says, his voice faltering. "I wanted to pick a galaxy far from the Milky Way."
"Is that the truth, Doctor?"
The Doctor hesitates again. "Yes."
"The Doctor lies!" One of the gold Daleks retorts.
The Doctor then curses in frustration. "Okay I knew about the galaxy Andrymia!" He shouts.
April turns to the Doctor. "What about it?"
The Doctor looks at April hard for a while before speaking. "The galaxy Andrymia is where the shape shifters originated from. I just thought that taking the dust particles of Bruce Fey back to the black hole to destroy him properly would be a better option than taking him to any other black hole."
"We are on the same level of understanding, Doctor." Says the black Dalek.
The Doctor continues to stare down at April, knowing that it is about time he explains everything that he should have told her before. "The shape shifters all came from Andrymia. Like humans, they evolved and have been evolving for centuries. It has only been the last couple of centuries that they settled into a living routine and the shape shifter that has taken on the form of Rodger Barratt became leader of their galaxy. Shape shifters live for thousands of years and the only way they can die is through disease or murder.
"Years ago, not long after I met Rose, Jack informed me that things were going to change for the worse. He briefly told me that the universe's most powerful source hit Earth in 1774 and that we had to destroy it before anyone takes control of it. The Cytracik came from a fallen rock in the fifth star of Andrymia. As the star was dying, it released pieces of rock from its surface, most of which are still floating in the galaxy. But this one managed to soar through time and space and land in your galaxy. The rock hit Earth in Manchester city 1774, but the city wasn't effected at all," he glances up at Max. "You wouldn't have noticed it at the time, and humans would have passed it on the streets thinking it was just a mere rock. But when the fifth star died, all shape shifters were aware of the loss of this fallen rock and panic arose.
"As soon as they were aware of the rock's whereabouts, they made plans to retrieve it. When they found it in Manchester, they quickly learnt the ways of Earth and started mutating themselves to look like other people they have seen. Rodger Barratt was the first to identify the power of this rock. The other fallen rocks from the fifth star remained floating in the galaxy, but this particular rock was so powerful it was able to fly through time and space. Rodger Barratt did nothing but create what eventually turned out to be the Cytracik. The black box with more power than anyone can imagine. But little did he know at the time that the power of this rock was radiating out of Earth and across the universe. Every single living species in the universe could detect the power coming from the rock, enticing them to it.
"I don't think Rodger Barratt was aware of exactly what he was creating at the time and what it would do. But once created, he kept it as his own for years. Himself and his army of shape shifters growing stronger and stronger each year. The problem was that the shape shifters, although still in hiding in Manchester, were fully aware that the rest of the universe were alerted of this power. And they did everything that they could to keep it safe.
"And that is when Heat Miles was born. The following year that the rock hit the Earth, the shape shifters managed to entice as many human beings as possible to become their soldiers to keep the Cytracik safe. One of them being Lucien," the Doctor sighs heavily. "It didn't take UNIT long to find out. Jack told them what he told me, but it was too late when we made action. The Cytracik was made. The power of that rock being concealed inside that box.
"UNIT tried reasoning with the shape shifters. Trying to banish them from this galaxy and to have the Cytracik destroyed. Obviously the shape shifters were not so easily persuaded. But then this lot turned up," he gestures to the Daleks, "and the Battle of the Cytracik commenced..." the Doctor lets out a shaky breath as memories of that battle flashes across his eyes. "Well you know what happened after that. Your father had the power to open up the Cytracik. Max was sent back in time to a year after the Cytracik came about, and you," he looks at April. "You were left with the Island and the Black Lighthouse. Henceforth the Ice Girl and the Lost Brother became known across the whole universe.
"Rodger Barratt ordered one shape shifter to take on the form of Bruce Fey and stay with you. The plan was to kill you there and then but because of the prophecy of the Cytracik, it said that neither of the twins are to be killed till the battle commences again."
"The Day of Destruction." April says sullenly.
The Doctor nods. "As soon as that battle was over. The shape shifters went over to the parallel world and killed the real Rodger Barratt. Then they tortured Aaron Brimikawood in some kind of hell. They thought that they could use his knowledge about the Battle..."
"Because Aaron is the only one who knew everything about the battle and his parallel self." Declan interrupts.
"Yeah," the Doctor says regretfully. "So then the shape shifters followed the beach in your nightmare. Found out that it circles a cold star and created life on this Island," the Doctor then looks sorrowfully at April. "That is why I took you to Manchester. The aim was to land in 1774 and get to the rock before the shape shifters did, but I guess time stopped us and made me land a year later when it was too late. Like they always say, Time Heals, but that never will," he says sadly. "I had no idea where Max was. I presumed he was dead. That's why I never told you anything because you had no idea of your twin. But I thought that going to Manchester would give us a chance to destroy the Cytracik. I hoped that we would never be here. But of course things got a little complicated with the Devil and the Weeping Angels."
April stares at the Doctor for a long while. All this new information is a surprise to April and for a moment she does not know how to take it all in. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" She asks after a long pause.
The Doctor draws in a shaky breath. "I wasn't so sure myself. Knowing how you suffered while with Bruce, I thought I would tell you once you settled down and got used to me. But it never seemed to be the right time."
"You could have told me when you told me about my parents."
"I thought that was enough information for you to understand at the time. I have made many mistakes with you in the past. You know that."
April continues to stare at the Doctor, the look on her face being quite unreadable. "Why would the shape shifters create something even they don't have any control over?"
"That's the ugly greed for power." Joseph, who stands to April's right says darkly.
"Very clever." The black Dalek then says stonily.
April's scowl deepens as she looks at the black Dalek. "But that does not explain why you came through the void."
"We were chosen." The gold Daleks insist in unison.
April feels a protective hand on her shoulder as they all look at the Daleks surrounding them.
"They lie." Declan says deeply.
"We were chosen." The Daleks chorus once again.
"TELL US THE TRUTH!" The Doctor bellows and all the Daleks remain silent. There is a long pause as the Doctor and the black Dalek stare at each other. The Doctor refusing to say any more, or even make a move until the Daleks explain themselves.
"We want the Cytracik for ourselves." The black Dalek says slowly.
The Doctor snorts as he retreats from the Dalek. "Yeah and so does the rest of the universe."
"But the rest of the universe were not there for the start of the Battle of the Cytracik!" The black Dalek's voice is suddenly shrilly.
The Doctor stares at the Dalek, remembering the way the Daleks spoke like this when they were begging for his help. At that time they were scared and turned to the Doctor to help them. It is as if once again the Daleks are overcome with madness, but only this time for the Cytracik.
"The Daleks fought your people in the Time War and we survived. We have fought you many times, Doctor, and no matter how many times you may think you defeat us, we always come back. Our race is constantly growing and evolving. Skaro still stands and we will always rise again. The Cytracik will make the Daleks invincible.
"We learnt of the Cytracik the same time as UNIT did. We knew that they would want to destroy it. So we destroyed them to keep the Cytracik safe. The shape shifters knew that we were overriding them with power for the Cytracik. It would be us if Declan Hollerford had not got there first. When the Cytracik opened for him everything changed and we lost our power. The Daleks had to fall back and recover."
"What do you mean recover?" The Doctor asks with a sense of mild confusion.
"The Cytracik being opened by Declan Hollerford had an effect on us all. The Daleks were weakened from it, so we returned to Skaro to recover. There we made plans to find the parallel version of the Hollerford family. We wanted to recreate the Battle of the Cytracik. We thought that killing the parallel Hollerford's and the parallel UNIT will remove any threats towards the Cytracik."
The Doctor nods, suddenly understanding. "So that's why you begged for help. You had just recovered from that blow and were desperate for any help you could get," the Doctor sighs in exasperation. "Why didn't I see this before?"
"You destroyed our Dalek King and his army!" The black Dalek yells somewhat hysterically. "You melted them to the ground until they were nothing! But the Dalek race continues to live on without our King and our order. We have survived many years without our master, Davros. I took charge and we did everything we could to own the Cytracik.
"When you burned our army to the ground, the process of creating the twins was taken straight back to Skaro. We worked day and night to create this beast," the black Dalek's voice slows down as it talks about the twin Daleks. "We relived the Ice Girl's nightmare. We watched it from the Black Lighthouse. We watched the twin Daleks fly out of the Black Lighthouse to exterminate her. This nightmare was a prophecy to us. It informed us on what was to be done next in order to have the Cytracik.
"So we manipulated the Ice Girl's nightmare into her half of the twin Daleks. We then took her memory of the Lost Brother to make his part of the Dalek."
"How did you manipulate my nightmare?" April hisses through gritted teeth.
The black Dalek's eye rests upon April. "Through your pain and keeping a Dalek shadow overlooking your every move."
April's breath catches in her throat and she feels someone's hand in hers. So this is the reason why April felt the fiery pain in her chest every time she woke up from her nightmare. She suddenly remembers back in Manchester, young Phillip knew about the shadow behind her back. He said to her that the shadow is not happy with what she has done. All this time the Daleks have been using her nightmare to create a replica of herself into a Dalek. And they have been watching her every move.
"The twin Daleks were completed a year ago."
"But that still doesn't explain why you came through the void." The Doctor interjects sharply.
The black Dalek turns to look at the Doctor again. "We made sure that we would be the ones to hold possession over the Cytracik. It is said that only the powerful will be able to travel through that void. A void created by the Cytracik itself. After you burned our army and our King to the ground, we had to move fast. We found the Genesis Ark, which you sent into a parallel dimension. When we retrieved it, we used it to extract our souls."
"Extract your souls?" The Doctor queries quietly.
"The Genesis Ark was built to generate thousands of Daleks at one time. But this time we have extracted our souls from our bodies and placed it in the Genesis Ark. The Ark is safely back in Skaro and as you know, Doctor, Skaro is invisible and out of your sight."
"Why would you do that? And how would extracting your souls make you powerful?" The Doctor says, his voice breaking.
"It is a step towards our immorality."
Declan steps forward. "How can you extract your soul from your body? Surely that will be painful and leave harsh consequences."
"It was a painful process, but the Daleks will do whatever it takes to have the Cytracik!" The black Dalek yells. "From storing our souls in the Genesis Ark, we are half immortal. We have nearly destroyed ourselves for the Cytracik because once we have it, we will be completely immortal, and you will never destroy us! Even if you destroy our shells here, part of our souls are still in Skaro and we can regenerate again. No other species has done such a thing for the Cytracik."
"So that is why you came through the void, deeming yourselves the next to have the Cytracik. Because you removed your souls to become half immortal. You've mutilated yourselves just for power," a dark shadow flickers across Declan's face. "That is some dark work you have done there. I don't know how you're still alive. You're in a state of limbo."
"We're feeding off the twins. The longer they suffer, the stronger we become."
There is a horrible silence that echoes across the spaceship. April feels Max's hand firmly on her arm. The black Dalek waits for a response from the Doctor, but when there isn't one, it speaks again.
"This Island will be obliterated by the cold star at the end of the Day of Destruction."
The Doctor, April, Max, Declan and Joseph all stare at the black Dalek.
"Go on." The Doctor says through gritted teeth.
"When Heat Miles came to this Island, they knew that it would not last long as it rotates the cold star. Cold stars are impossible and this one is staying still until the prophecy of the twins is fulfilled."
"And what exactly does this prophecy say?" Declan snarls.
"That the twins will be killed by what the Cytracik has given them."
April feels Max's hand on her arm tighten as they both know what it is they are going to die from. April will be exterminated by the Daleks and Max – if not killed by his Dalek self – will die of his disease. April's scowl deepens and can't help but notice that Max's health currently does not seem to be as bad as it was back in Manchester. In fact she has not heard his cough since they arrived at this Island. Is he cleared from the disease? Was he supposed to die in Manchester, and the fact that he is no longer there, he is free from the disease? It does not keep him safe from the Daleks, but April makes a mental note to herself to ask him how his health has been as soon as they leave the Dalek spaceship.
"Once the Battle of the Cytracik is over, this Island has no purpose," the black Dalek continues. "Once the twins have been killed the way they are supposed to, the Black Lighthouse will have completed its purpose. As soon as we have the Cytracik, we will leave as the most powerful species in the universe and everything else will be left to be obliterated on the Island.
"However the shape shifters have other ideas. They believe that they are going to keep the Cytracik after the battle. They have planted a bomb under the ground's surface and they plan to trigger it as soon as they have the Cytracik. They think they can trick all species of the universe to the Island and kill them off. But they don't know that the Daleks know. They don't know that we will win."
"Well you have many of us who oppose you, Daleks," the Doctor hisses. "How will the Island be obliterated?"
There is a brief pause of hesitation and then a holographic screen appears in mid air, just in front of the Tardis. They all turn around to watch the screen as it shows the village on the Island. At first everything seems fine. The roads are completely empty but there is a large crowd in the festival right outside of the woods.
Suddenly there is loud, chilling bang and a flash of white light. This is then followed by horrific screams of terror from the two and a half thousand villages as they try to run to safety. The bombs just below the ground's surface erupts in the village centre at first. And then it is sporadic. There are more bangs and flashes of brilliant white light as the bombs continue go off sporadically.
The cul-de-sac explodes, and then the arena goes off and then the high street. The villagers frantically run away from the festival and the woods as the ground trembles vigorously. There is another loud bang and flash of white light. Then three different meteors fly through the air. Each meteor is a large rock of ice, fallen from the cold star. The meteors soar through the air and hit down to the ground, destroying all land near it. Two more meteors crash land on the Island.
The screams on the Island echo through everyone's ears.
Soon there are continual flashes of white light fading in and out as the whole Island now shakes manically. Then the holographic screen is completely covered in while light as there is a loud rumble and the last of the screams ring out.
And then there is nothing. Only silence.
The Doctor is the first to speak, his voice is weak after the shock of what they have just watched. "So this is what is to become of us as soon as the battle is over?"
"That is what we suspect," the black Dalek replies sternly. "We assume that whatever the outcome is going to be, the shape shifters are going to set off the bombs as soon as it is over."
"And so they'll kill us all. And by the looks of it, nothing can survive this obliteration."
There is a short pause of silence as no one can find the words to say anything. But then there is a sound of something moving in one of the corridors at either side of the landing is which they are standing in. It is the sound of a Dalek moving.
"All hail the twin Daleks." One of the gold Daleks announces.
And then a very large Dalek appears from one of the round corridors, with two heads and two sets of guns attached to its body. The gold Daleks disperse sideways to create a pathway to allow the twin Daleks to glide into the centre of the landing.
The Doctor, Declan and Joseph suddenly stand guard of April and Max, pushing them behind them, as if trying to create a protective barrier. Max still holds onto his sister as he stares directly at his self in a Dalek form. He has never felt so revolted in his life.
The twin Daleks move swiftly through the gap and stops in the clearing, just in front of the Doctor. For a long while, no one knows what to say. The twin Daleks stare blankly and April and Max. April can see the way her parallel father keeps her close behind him and the Doctor. But like always, the Doctor is the first to speak.
"I never thought I would ever see a more unpleasant sight." He says.
"The Daleks will become invincible," the black Dalek says sternly. "And the twin Daleks makes us one step closer. The twins will be exterminated. We will override the shape shifters and the Cytracik will be ours."
April can feel the Doctor pushing her and Max back towards the Tardis.
"I think we have over stayed our welcome." He says darkly, looking at the twin Daleks in disgust.
"We will see you again tomorrow when the Day of Destruction begins."
The Doctor snorts. "I don't look forward to it."
They take one step backwards towards the Tardis and all of a sudden, they are thrown off their feet as the spaceship shudders.
Panic erupts inside the spaceship as the Daleks panic in this sudden shudder. The ship continues to shake, almost like an earthquake. Everything is chaotic.
April finds herself lying on the black marble flooring, her head searing with pain after hitting it hard after falling. But because of the shaking ship, she finds it difficult to regain her balance. The angry yells from the Daleks ring out in her ears. She leans heavily on her elbows, staring down at the black floor. The shakes start to make her feel dizzy and rather sick. Every so often she feels herself being thrown to the side, but she manages to scramble back onto her knees again.
When April stumbles over for the third time, she feels herself being caught by someone. The next thing she notices is Declan holding her by the elbows and pulling her to her feet. Her father drags her over to the Tardis where Max, the Doctor, Joseph, Rose and Terry stand holding onto each other.
She notices the cuts and bruises all over Terry's and Rose's skin, but is interrupted before she can say anything.
The ship eventually stops shaking. And everything is still for a brief second.
They all stand in front of the Tardis, holding onto each other closely. The Doctor holds Rose to him as they all glare at the Daleks who still keep a gap between them.
"How did you know about that control room?" The black Dalek demands.
"We discovered it the last time we were here," Terry snaps, being the only one who can find the words to speak right now. "We did ask you about it. You know that we knew of it."
"That control room has nothing to do with the Daleks!" The black Dalek sounds somewhat hysterical. "We have tried to destroy it many times. But when we do, it is not there. It is only there when we least expect it."
"Yes we know. That is why I went to investigate it," Terry takes a step forward, ignoring the Doctor to reaches out to stop her. "Did you know that there is a shape shifter in that room that has taken on the form of an Imperial Dalek?"
There is a moment of silence.
"You lie." The black Dalek sneers.
Terry shrugs. "The shape shifter has been put under a sleeping curse. Something will be triggered for it to wake up at the right time. However the last time I came here, I not only found your blood in the corridors, I also found it in that control room. That is where I came into contact with your blood, giving me these strange human emotions. The shape shifters have used your blood to bind that human control room to your ship. They made it look like a control room to fool you into believing that it is meant to be part of your ship. But they didn't think that you would outsmart them. So every time you tried to destroy it, the control room purposefully vanished from your sight.
"Although that shape shifter as an Imperial Dalek has been under a sleeping curse, it has also been recording your every move in its unconscious state. So I hate to break it to you, Daleks, but Rodger Barratt and the rest of the shape shifters are fully aware what you have done by making yourself half immortal just for the Cytracik. And all this time they have done everything to try and stop you. The Island for a start," Terry then folds her arms. "You may have come through the void in the Black Lighthouse, but you have many flaws. And we'll stop at nothing bring you and the shape shifters down."
There is a second of silence.
"Bloody hell," Max breathes out heavily. "How did you manage to realise all of that so quickly?"
Terry turns to look at Max with an arrogant smirk slapped across her face. "I'm pretty good, aren't I?"
The Doctor's heart suddenly swells with pride at Terry and he can't help but smiling.
Terry turns back to the Daleks. "Oh and finally, that shape shifter is awake. Just so you know."
There is a brief silence as the Daleks stare at them. Then the black Dalek speaks, its voice lower and more sinister than usual.
"The Cytracik always wins."
Then fire burns.
April can feel it in her chest, rising up to her throat. And before she knows it, she is screaming in agony. And so is Max. The twins are blinded by the pain as they fall to their knees. The Doctor manages to catch April whereas Declan catches Max before they hit the floor, but neither of the twins notice for they are too overcome with pain. They shake vigorously.
The Doctor stares up at Declan. "We need to take them back to Jack Gruntler!"
The effect from the Cytracik is killing them.