There were a lot of things that Rey never expected to see before traveling with the Doctor. A box that was bigger on the inside. A library that spanned an entire world. Agatha Christie chasing after a giant wasp. Traveling with the Doctor was like a crash course in expecting the unexpected. But never, in her wildest nightmares, would she have ever expected to see a Dalek-human hybrid.
Reality, as always, was not so kind as to oblige.
"These… humans will become like me," Dalek Sec said as the Doctor pulled Rey behind some machinery. "Prepare them for hybridization."
The pig slaves closed in on the group of prisoners. "Leave me alone," Martha yelled. "Don't you dare!"
Always one for a grand entrance, the Doctor pulled out the radio from the theatre prop room out of his pocket. Rey wasn't even sure why he'd palmed it in the first place. A chipper song began to play, causing everyone to stop and look around.
"What is that sound," Dalek Sec asked.
The Doctor stepped out and set the radio down. "That would be me. Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."
"The Doctor and his Rey."
"The enemies of the Daleks," Dalek Caan declared.
"Exterminate," Dalek Jast said, raising its gun arm.
The Doctor and Rey both tensed, getting ready to move. They had stepped away from the others, so at least all they had to worry about was dodging and not anyone else getting hit. It proved to be unnecessary, however.
"Wait."
On Dalek Sec's order the other Daleks froze.
"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." The Doctor stepped forward to engage them. "Fascinating and very clever."
"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."
"How did you end up in 1930?"
"Emergency Temporal Shift," Dalek Sec said simply.
"Oh, that must have roasted your power cells, yeah?" The Doctor scoffed at it and walked back to Rey. She gave a pointed look to his extended hand. A confused expression crossed his face until he remembered he still hadn't washed it after touching that green blob. He smiled sheepishly.
"Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world, but instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."
"I am Dalek in human form,"
"What does it feel like," he pressed. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."
"I… feel… humanity."
That was a step in the right direction, Rey supposed. Better than nothing at all. But what part of humanity was he feeling?
"I… feel… everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression, and war. Such… a genius for war."
"That's not what humanity means," she said. There was so much more than that.
"I think it does," Dalek Sec argued. "At heart, this species is so very… Dalek."
"Your Final Experiment has come to nothing if that's what you really think." There was something different about Dalek Sec, and she didn't just mean the obvious. Or maybe she did. But she could see something beyond hatred in him. She saw curiosity. "Humanity does have its negative qualities, but it doesn't boil down to only weapons and war. Just look at the radio."
"What is the purpose of that device," Dalek Caan demanded to know.
"Well, exactly," the Doctor said, taking over the explanation. Rey moved back towards Martha, warning her and Frank to get ready to run. "It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise."
He aimed the sonic at it, causing it to emit a loud, annoying, high-pitched sound. Dalek Sec grabbed his head in pain. Taking the opportunity while their captors were distracted, the prisoners all made a break for it.
Martha led the way back through the tunnels, but soon became unable to tell which path to take. "This way," Rey urged, leading them away from Midtown. They soon came across a lost Tallulah, looking completely turned around.
The Doctor quickly caught up to them at the front. "Come on! Move, move, move, move. Move! And you, Tallulah! Run!"
"What's happened to Lazlo," she asked.
Behind them, the telltale ruckus of heavy footsteps and squealing signaled that they were being perused. Rey rounded the last corner to a ladder, grabbing a rung before ushering the men up and through the opening one by one. They came up on a side street near Central Park, and the Doctor was quick to do something with the sonic, sealing the latch to by them more time. The night air was chilled and the lighting poor, but Rey didn't need to see street signs to know the way back to Hooverville.
Solomon was simultaneously surprised, relieved, and worried to see them. They gathered around a fire to warm up while they caught him up to speed. Martha and Tallulah sat on crates, but Rey thought that if she sat now, there was a chance she wouldn't get back up.
"These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?"
"They're splicing themselves into human bodies," the Doctor explained. "If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out."
"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall," Solomon told him. "There's nowhere else to go."
"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state, just get out of New York."
"There's got to be a way to reason with these things," he argued.
"There's not a chance," Martha said.
"You ain't seen 'em, boss," Frank told him.
"Daleks are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever."
A sharp whistle cut through the air. "They're coming," the sentry warned. "They're coming! They're here! I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!"
"It's started," the Doctor said grimly.
"We're under attack," Solomon announced. "Everyone to arms!" All around them the men picked up and passed around their weapons. There were guns, sticks, rakes—anything that could be used in a fight. Some of the men made to run instead. "Come back," Solomon shouted at their retreating backs. "We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!"
"We need to get out of the park," Martha said.
The pig men were closing in on them, attacking those at the edges first. The ones who ran. The Daleks wouldn't even show those who didn't want to fight mercy.
"We can't," the Doctor pointed out. "They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us."
"We're trapped," Tallulah realized.
"Then we stand together," Solomon decided. "Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together. They can't take all of us."
"If we can just hold them off till daylight," Martha said hopefully.
Gunfire echoed loudly in Rey's ears. She felt a vibration inconsistent with the sound and looked up. "No. These are just the vanguard."
The others followed her gaze skyward. "Oh my God."
A single Dalek—but then again that was all it would take to wipe out Hooverville—floated towards them.
"What in this world—"
"It's the devil," the sentry moaned. "A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation."
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Frank fired at the Dalek, but the bullets didn't even make it to its shell, burning up long before then.
The Doctor pushed his rifle down. "That's not gonna work."
"There's more than one of them." Martha pointed out the second Dalek coming at them from the opposite direction. They fired down, blasts setting off explosions as they hit the ground. Patches of grass caught on fire. Central Park would burn down if they kept up their attack.
"The humans will surrender."
"Leave them alone," the Doctor demanded. "They've done nothing to you!"
"We have located the Doctor!"
Solomon stepped forward, scared out of his wits but still trying to do the right thing. He ignored the Doctor's urge for him to get back. "I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right? From what I hear, you're outcasts too."
"Solomon, don't."
"Doctor, this is my township. You will respect my authority. Just let me try."
He allowed himself to be pushed back, shaking his head sadly. Rey's hand came up to grab the sleeve of his jacket. They both knew where this was headed.
Once again speaking up, Solomon set his gun down. "Daleks… ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin? 'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope… hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I… I beg of you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well… what do you say?"
There was a pause, long enough to give a man like Solomon hope. Then, "Exterminate!"
That was the only warning they got before one of the Dalek's fired on him, killing Solomon where he stood.
"Oh, no!" Frank rushed to his side. Immediately, the other inhabitants of Hooverville began to scream. "No! Solomon!"
"They killed him," Martha said, shocked. "They just shot him on the spot."
"Daleks!" Angry, the Doctor stepped forward, arms out, daring them to shoot him. "Alright, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"
"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy."
"Then do it," he dared the Dalek. "Do it! Just do it! Do it!"
"Extermin—"
Abruptly, it caught off. Rey hurried to the Doctor's side, caught between sharp relief and the urge to berate him for such recklessness. She gave into the latter urge, hands balling into fists at her side. "The next time you get angry, think things through! What would happen to all these people if you died? Do you really think the Daleks would stop with you?"
He winced, arms falling as the rage-fueled adrenaline started wearing off. "Sorry."
The apology did nothing to tamper the anger she was feeling, not one bit. But now wasn't the time for an argument, so she did her best to reign it in. Martha looked at her like something she thought was fact had just been challenged. "What's going on?"
"I don't know."
"You will follow," the Dalek suddenly announced.
"No! You can't go," she protested loudly.
"I've got to." He gave Rey a pleading look. Don't argue, it said. "The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."
"But what about us?"
He looked back at the people of Hooverville before turning around to address the Dalek. "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"
"The humans will be spared," the Dalek agreed after a pause. It was communicating with Dalek Sec, Rey realized. She wondered if volunteering and surviving the hybridization put him in charge, or if the reason he'd volunteered was because he was in charge. Either way, he must've been the one who ordered the Doctor to be spared. "Doctor… follow."
"Then I'm coming with you," Martha decided.
"Martha, stay here," he urged. "Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let me go." Reluctantly, looking hurt and alone, Martha stepped back. Tears pooled in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
"Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much." He gripped her hand tightly and winked, using the action to slip the psychic paper to her.
Rey hesitated. She knew realistically she couldn't follow him, but that didn't stop her from wanting to. "If I don't come back—" he started to say.
"You're coming back," she insisted, refusing to hear it. "Remember the radio."
He nodded and smiled. "I'll see you soon."
The first order of action after the Daleks and pig men left was to round up the wounded and gather supplies to treat them. There was a stark divide between those that had been caught in the crossfire. Most had minor injuries in the form of cuts and burns. Or they were dead. Martha showed off her medic skills, taking charge in the absence of Solomon. To her credit, no one dared to argue. She ordered Tallulah to get clean water and had Rey cutting cloth for bandages.
"Try and keep it clean," she told the man whose arm she'd just finished dressing. He thanked her and left.
"So what about us," Tallulah asked, leaning against the wall. "What do we do now?"
"The Doctor gave me this." She pulled out the psychic paper. "He must have had a reason."
"What's that for?"
"Gets you into places, buildings and things. But where? He must want me to go somewhere, but what am I supposed to do? Rey?"
"Do you ever get the sense that you're seeing something but your brain refuses to process it?" Something had been nagging at her for a while, picking at her brain, refusing to allow her to put the notion away. The Daleks talked about building a new army, but they would need a huge conductor to power the grafting of Dalek DNA onto human beings. Something like that would've been noticeable. Obvious. So where was it?
Martha faltered. "Um…"
"Did the Daleks mention anything else?"
She paced, tapping the psychic paper to her hand. "There was something, this… energy conductor."
"What does that mean," Tallulah asked.
"I don't know. Maybe like a lightning conductor or Dalekanium! They said the Dalekanium was in place."
"That's what their casings are made out of…" Rey stood suddenly and walked out the tent. Martha and Tallulah exchanged curious glances before following quickly. "Frank?" She found him by the fire, still grieving Solomon's death.
"Hm?"
She kneeled beside him. Frank's face was stained with tears. He had looked to Solomon like a father, probably especially so since he'd admitted his own recently passed. His loss must have been devastating. Rey was terrible at comforting people, but at the very least she knew to keep her voice down and not tower over them. "Mr. Diagoras recruited men for jobs, right?"
"Yeah." Frank wiped his face. "He could find a profit anywhere."
"Any sort of work in particular?"
"You name it. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays best."
"Which building?"
"Mainly that." He pointed to the Empire State Building.
When he found out where they were going, Frank insisted on going with. Rey didn't have the time or inclination to argue, so the four of them—him, her, Martha, and Tallulah—all made their way as quickly as they could to the construction site. They took the service lift up to the top level, which was noticeably abandoned.
"I always wanted to go to the Empire State," Martha said. "Never imagined it quite like this, though."
"How come those guys just let us through," Tallulah asked. "How's that thing work?"
"Psychic paper. Shows them whatever I want them to think. According to this, we're three engineers and an architect." She showed it to Frank and Tallulah.
"You said lightning conductor," Rey asked her as they stepped out of the lift. Mr. Diagoras had been using the room as an office. The building plans were still conveniently left out.
"I think so. Why?"
"The lab is right under us."
"Seriously?!" Three pairs of eyes trained on her as she nodded.
"They're probably planning on using the storm. The Dalekanium will act as both the conductor and reagent to introduce the Dalek DNA." Now all they had to figure out was where it was installed.
"Look at this place," Tallulah marveled. "Top of the world."
"Hey, look at the date." Frank pointed out the numbers at the bottom of the paper. "These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute."
"Or the Daleks did," Rey said.
"The ones underneath, they're from before. That means that whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not this one," Martha deduced. "We need to check one against the other."
"The height of this place," Tallulah exclaimed. "This is amazing!"
"Be careful," Rey warned her before turning her attention back on the plans. "We're a hundred stories up." Falling would be unpleasant to say the least.
"I just wanna see," she complained.
"I'll go and keep and eye out, make sure we're safe up here," Frank volunteered. "Don't want nobody buttin' in."
"There's a hell of a storm movin' in," Tallulah noted as she walked back in from the open area.
"I wish the Doctor was here. He'd know what we're looking for," Martha said.
"So tell me, where did you and him first hook up?"
"It was in a hospital, sort of."
Tallulah nodded. "'Course, him bein' a doctor."
"Actually, I'm a doctor," Martha told her. "Well, kind of. I was still in training. Still am, if I ever get back home."
"You could be doctors together." Tallulah gasped dramatically. "What a partnership. Oh, it's such a shame. If only he wasn't so… different. You know what I mean?"
"Oh, you have no idea how different he really is."
"Yeah, he's a man, sweetheart. That's different enough."
Rey didn't have to look up to know that Martha was eyeing her carefully. She wished she knew what she was looking for. In theory, she knew how the hybridization process would work, but none of the specifics. It was time to brush up on bioengineering.
"He had this… companion a while back." Martha's voice was low, probably in a effort to keep her words private. Rey didn't think she was supposed to hear, but she couldn't help it. The wind blew their voices towards her. "This friend. And ever since then it's just been him and Rey. But you know, sometimes I say something or do something and he looks at me, and I just sort of think… that he's not seeing me. He's just remembering."
"Aw, listen sweetheart. You wanna get all sad? You wanna have a contest with me and Lazlo?"
"No, but listen. If the Doctor's with Lazlo now, there's every chance that he could get him out."
"And then what," Tallulah asked. "Don't talk crazy. There's no future for me and him. Those Dalek things took that away. The one good think I had in my life, and they destroyed it." She hugged herself and moved to stand away. Martha looked like she wanted to argue but couldn't think of the right words to say.
"He doesn't just look at you that way," Rey said quietly. She wasn't sure if she should say anything, but it was too late to take it back now. "He was like that with Rose sometimes, and he does it in the future too."
"I never asked—how long have you been with him?"
"Only about a year for me." She wasn't sure how long it had been for him yet. "But about what you were saying—I think that when you're as old as he is you can't help but be reminded of the past because there's so much of it."
Martha stayed quiet, mulling over her words. For a moment Rey panicked, thinking she'd said the wrong thing. But while the other woman looked upset, she didn't appear to be upset at Rey, so maybe she hadn't messed up quite so much. In any case, silence to elapsed between them until she let out a sharp gasp. "I found it."
In hindsight, it made so much sense. Of course the Dalekanium would be on the mast. Rey felt like an idiot for not realizing earlier. Quickly, she ran out onto the open area. The storm was rapidly getting worse; huge gusts threatened to send her over the edge. Lightning sparked through the black clouds.
Martha had run out behind her. "Where is it?"
"There." She pointed to the mast. It was hard to tell, but distinct bumps protruded from the sides, like the hemispheres on the Daleks' lower halves. "See a wrench anywhere?"
"That's…" Martha gulped audibly. "That's a long way up. And down…" They were standing on wood. If someone fell while climbing the mast, it would be easy for them to go through the floor, or even miss it entirely with these winds, and plummet down the side of the building.
"Someone's coming," Franks warned. They rushed back to see the lift rising.
"What do we do," Tallulah asked fearfully.
"Find a weapon." Not that they had much to work with. There were metal bars everywhere, but much too big and heavy to wield around freely. Rey spied a hammer left behind by one of the workers, while Martha and Frank both picked up chairs. Tallulah faltered for a second before grabbing a letter opener the second before the lift dinged upon arrival.
Luckily, it was only the Doctor and a very worn out looking Lazlo. "First floor, perfumery."
Tallulah abandoned her letter opener and rushed over to Lazlo. He met her hallway across the floor and they hugged fiercely. "I never thought I'd see you again."
"No stopping me."
A weight she hadn't realized she was carrying was suddenly lifted from Rey's shoulders. Something loosened in her chest, and the air that had felt too cold became bearable. The Doctor was fine. He'd come back, just like he always did, and he was unhurt. He offered her a smile, equal parts apologetic and relieved.
"We worked it out," Martha told him. "We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by the way."
"Oh, come here." He pulled her into a hug and twirled her for a moment. The bell of the lift ringing as it was called down ruined the happy moment. He quickly set her down and ran back to stop it, but he was too late. "No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug." He tried to sonic the panel to call the lift back up. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it."
"It's going down to the lab? Rey figured it out," Martha added in explanation at the Doctor's probing look. "It's right under us, isn't it?"
"Exactly. And the Daleks aren't going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"
"11:15," Frank supplied.
"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."
"Gammon radiation," Tallulah asked. "What the heck is that?"
"Solar storm," Rey realized. Of course. Any ordinary lightning bolt would hardly have enough power. She felt like kicking herself.
The Doctor nodded grimly as they led him outside. "The biggest solar flare in a millennium is coming out way and— Oh, that's high. That's very— Blimey, that's high."
"And we've got to go even higher," Martha told him, pointing up. "That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off."
"That's no 'we,'" the Doctor corrected. "That's just me." He gave both girls a hard look.
"I won't just stand here and watch you," Martha argued.
"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight."
As the Doctor climbed up, the five of them gathered back inside, facing the lift uneasily. "I shoulda brought that gun," Frank said to himself.
"Tallulah, stay back," Lazlo warned her. "You too Martha, Rey. If they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill."
"The Doctor needs us to fight," Martha told him. "I'm not going anywhere!"
"Neither am I," Rey said firmly.
"They're savages. I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." Lazlo's legs gave out on him, sending him to the floor. He struggled to stand back up, brushing off Tallulah's obvious concern. Leaning against the wall, he gasped for breath.
Tallulah knelt beside him and felt his forehead. "Oh, honey, you're burning up. What's wrong with you? Tell me."
"One man down and we ain't even started yet," Frank anxiously fretted.
The roar of thunder above them reminded Rey that they were running out of time. It set her on edge; where there was thunder, lightning couldn't be far behind. Lately it felt like she couldn't get away electric shocks…
"I have an idea," she told Martha. "It isn't very pleasant."
She had Martha and Frank working together to arrange the metal rods while she got the chairs in place. One end of the winding train would be led outside, and the other she stuck to the side of the lift frame. Unfortunately, they'd run out of chairs to support the beams had had to get creative with the rest of the furniture.
Tallulah stayed by Lazlo's side, trying to comfort him. "Aw, you'll be alright sweetheart. Don't you worry. What the hell are you three clowns doin'?"
"It's like Rey said: even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still gonna get hit" Martha explained quickly. "Great big bolt of lightning, electricity all down this building. Connect this to the lift and they get zapped."
"Oh my God," Tallulah gasped. "That could work."
"Then give us a hand," Frank told her, heaving a metal rod into place.
Reluctantly, she left Lazlo to help them finish. With her assistance, and with less than a minute to go, they finally got everything in place. "You're sure that this'll work?"
"It's got to," Martha said desperately.
"It'll work," Rey assured them.
Frank ran back in. "I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside."
They helped Lazlo away from the wall to the open centre of the room. "Don't touch anything metal," Rey warned as they huddled together. The mental countdown in her head was keeping steady.
Half a second before zero, the lift dinged and the doors open. Lightning struck the mast of the building before they could get out. It coursed down the metal, jumping into the rods they had rigged into place and travelling along them to the lift. The pig men didn't even have time to scream before they were electrocuted. The air was filled with the terrible smell of cooking meat and burning flesh. Their bodies shook like they were all having seizures.
It couldn't have been over fast enough. The momentary silence between the end of the attack and the realization of what they'd done was deafening.
"You did it," Tallulah cheered.
"I killed them," Rey said sadly. A multitude of feelings warred inside of her. There was guilt, of course, for what she'd done. A hollowness, like it had taken something out of her. Sharp relief that they were all alive. And then there was something else, something that simmered deep in her gut. Something like triumph. She felt powerful at having survived.
The guilt churned more viciously.
"No, the Daleks killed them," Lazlo said firmly. "Long ago."
"The Doctor," she remembered, rushing outside.
He was on the platform, lying unconscious on his back. His clothes were smoking slightly, an unmistakable sign that he'd gotten caught up in the lightning. She knelt by his side, feeling for a pulse. A steady, four-beat cadence drummed beneath her fingers.
He groaned. "Oh, my head." Brown eyes blinked up at her. "Hi."
"Hello."
"Look what we found halfway down." Martha suddenly knelt beside them, holding up the sonic. "You're getting careless."
The Doctor pushed himself up. "You survived then."
"So did you. Just about," she said with a relieved smile.
"The Dalekanium is still attached," Rey noted. "Change of plans?"
He nodded. "Right, we've gotta move. The Daleks will have gone straight to war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan."
"How do we stop them," Lazlo asked.
"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping through me first."
Rey paused. "You mixed your DNA with the strike?" That was… she had a lot of words for that and none of them quite fit. Clever. Reckless. Insane. Human-Daleks were a peculiar enough idea, but Dalek-Human-Gallifreyan hybrids were… she suspected the word she was looking for was inconceivable, only it obviously wasn't considering that was their new reality.
Only in New York City.
He nodded, expression serious. "We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way."
"The theatre," she suggested. It was nearby; the Daleks would have a direct line to it using the sewers, and with midnight nearing it would be empty.
"Right. Tallulah!"
She snapped to attention instantly. "That's me. Three Ls and an H."
"Can you get us inside," he asked.
"Don't see why not."
"Is there another lift?"
"We came up in the service elevator," Martha told him.
"That'll do. Allons-y!"
With one final look at the massacre in the lift, Rey followed him. She must have been mistaken; whatever unfamiliar stirring killing the pig men caused inside her, it couldn't have been triumph.
As expected, the theatre was completely dark when they arrived. The Doctor activated the lights with the sonic so they wouldn't have to fumble around blindly. "There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark," Tallulah muttered. "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and a place, hunh?"
Lazlo collapsed into one of the chairs.
"Lazlo, what's wrong?" She was by his side instantly.
"Nothing. It's just so hot." He was sweating fiercely, and panting like he wasn't getting enough air. He was dying, Rey realized. Whatever the Daleks did to him, it must have left his biology unstable. It didn't look like he had much time left, and judging from both his and the Doctor's faces, they both knew.
"But… it's freezing in here," Tallulah pointed out. With no patrons to please, the heating was turned off. "Doctor, what's happening to him?"
"Not now, Tallulah. Sorry." The Doctor held the sonic to his ear, checking the frequency.
"What are you doing," Martha asked.
"He's letting them know where we are," Rey explained quietly.
"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll want to find their number one enemy." He held the sonic up, activating the signal. Then he turned back to the others and partly asked, mostly ordered them back to Hooverville.
Rey levied him a look. "We've already gone over this on Satellite Five. Don't you remember how that turned out?"
"Rey—" he began, but she was done with the argument. Seeing that he couldn't convince her, he turned to Martha.
"I'm telling you, I'm not going either," she said, crossing her arms.
"Martha, that's an order."
"Who are you, then? Some sort of Dalek," she accused. As if on cue, the theatre doors burst open on both sides of them and the Human Daleks marched in.
"Humans with Dalek DNA," Rey murmured. Their faces were blank and expressionless. They looked straight ahead unfalteringly, like picture perfect soldiers. Weapons that looked like the gunsticks attached to ordinary Daleks had were in their arms, primed and ready for fire.
Except they weren't perfect Dalek soldiers. She could see it in the slight downward tilt of the guns, and the way their eyes flitted from side to side so quickly, sneaking glances. It was just like with Dalek Sec back down in the lab. Curiosity.
Human curiosity heightened by the Gallifreyan inclination for knowledge. She suspected it was insatiable.
Martha flinched back reflexively. Tallulah gasped, and Frank moved to attack them only to be held back by the Doctor. "It's alright," he said, trying to keep them from panicking. "Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."
"But what about the Dalek masters," Lazlo asked. "Where are they?"
A small explosion at the front of the room answered his question. The Doctor pulled Rey down as they all ducked behind the seats for cover. She peeked out through the space between chairs. When the smoke had cleared, Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast were on the stage. Dalek Sec, bound in chains, was on all fours on the floor.
"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks."
Rey squeezed his arm once tightly before letting him go. He nodded, then stood slowly, stepping over the chair in front of him and onto backs of the seats until he reached the front row.
"You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age," Dalek Jast declared.
"Planet Earth will become New Skaro," Dalek Thay added.
"Oh, and what a world. With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization."
"My Daleks," Dalek Sec gasped out. "Just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."
"Incorrect," Dalek Jast stated. "We will always survive."
"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor."
"But he can help you," Dalek Sec protested.
"The Doctor must die," Dalek Jast told him.
Dalek Sec crawled in front of him "No, I beg you, don't."
"Exterminate!" With their signature war cry, Dalek Jast fired. Using the last of his strength, Dalek Sec stood just in time to take the blast. He fell back, dead before he even hit the ground.
The scene made Rey feel sick. "Your own leader," the Doctor said, obvious in his disgust. "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him" He turned to address the human-Daleks. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is?" He held his arms out just like he had in Hooverville, daring for a shot. "If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them."
"Dalek-Humans, take aim," Dalek Jast ordered. As one they cocked their weapons, every barrel aimed at the Doctor.
"What are you waiting for? Give the command!"
"Exterminate," Dalek Thay screamed.
Rey didn't dare to blink. She thought if she looked away, the moment might pass and all their hope would be dashed. But although they held their weapons up and had them ready to fire, the Human-Daleks just stood there.
"Exterminate," Dalek Thay repeated, but still nothing happened.
"Obey," Dalek Jast shrieked. "Dalek-Humans will obey."
"They're not firing," Martha said in awe. She turned to Rey. "What did he do?"
"He got in the way."
"You will obey," Dalek Thay said. "Exterminate."
"Why," one of them asked.
"Daleks do not question orders."
"But why," he asked again.
"You will stop this."
"But… why?"
"You must not question," Dalek Jast shrieked.
"But you are not our master. And we… we are not Daleks."
"No, you're not," the Doctor agreed firmly. "And you never will be. Sorry," he said to the Daleks, not meaning it one bit. "I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."
"If they will not obey, then they must die," Dalek Thay commanded, and fired at them.
"Get down," the Doctor warned. Once again they all ducked behind the seats as the two sides opened fire at one another.
"Exterminate! Exterminate! Extermi—"
With a loud, echoing boom, Dalek Thay was blown up. A moment later there was a second explosion as Dalek Jast joined him. The smoking, charred remains of their casings were all that remained. The firing stopped.
Rey quickly checked on the others beside her. They all looked a bit shaken, but thankfully none of them had been hit. She stood to see the Doctor was also alright and joined him by one of the hybrids. Their faces were still as impassive as ever, but there was no mistaking it for a lack of emotions.
"It's alright," the Doctor assured them. "It's alright, it's alright. You did it. You're free."
Suddenly, they all grabbed their heads and screamed.
"No!"
Before anyone could react they crumbled to the floor.
Martha rushed over to join the Doctor and Rey. "What happened? What was that?"
"They killed 'em," the Doctor said, horrified. "Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide."
"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed," Lazlo pointed out. "One of the Dalek masters must still be alive."
"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one."
His words echoed in the empty theatre. Rey wanted to reach out and touch him. Many species, humans included, took comfort in physical touch. It made them feel less isolated, less like lonely stars and more like star systems. She wanted that now, wanted to touch the Doctor, to offer him comfort and tell him that he wasn't alone.
But it wouldn't help. Not in a situation like this, and not from her. Her chest felt like it had been carved out, like someone had reached in and replaced her heart with a rock. The Doctor was right there in front of her, not even an arm's distance away, and she couldn't bring herself to touch him.
They followed him down into the sewers, back to the Dalek laboratory. The last one was still connected to the large computer when they arrived. "Now what," he asked it.
"You will be exterminated," it declared.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek— What was your name?"
"Dalek Caan."
"Dalek Caan," the Doctor repeated, stepping forward. "Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan… let me help you. What do you say?"
But it was no use. Rather than accept help from its enemy, Dalek Caan ran. "Emergency Temporal Shift," it shrieked. The Doctor ran forward to try and stop it, but it was too late. Dalek Caan vanished in a flash of light, leaving only loose wires and an empty space.
"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick," Martha called out, bringing his attention back onto Lazlo. "It's okay," she said, trying to comfort him. "You're alright."
He was being supported up by her and Tallulah and still looked like he was a second away from collapsing. They lowered him carefully onto the floor. Tallulah cradled his head on her lap, crying softly. "It's his heart, it's racing like mad," Martha told him as the Doctor approached. "I've never seen anything like it."
"What is it, Doctor," Tallulah cried. "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?"
"It's time, sweetheart," Lazlo said softly.
"What do you mean 'time?' What are you talking about?"
He coughed weakly. "None of the slaves… survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now… I'm dyin', Tallulah."
She shook her head adamantly. "No you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?"
"Oh Tallulah with three Ls and an H… just you watch me," he said. With a flourish he stood and stripped off his coat. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. What else? Hmm, a lovely assistant with knowledge in advanced bioengineering?" He raised his eyebrows at Rey expectantly.
"As long as you wash your hands first," she joked, joining him in standing.
"Only proper," he agreed, running over to a disinfecting station. "Lazlo, just you hold on. There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling right now, I am not having on more death! Got that? Not one! The Doctor is in."
They worked in a flurry, rushing about the lab to track down the proper materials. Mostly, it was Rey measuring them out and handing it to the Doctor while he set up the equipment. It took the rest of the night, but through sheer determination Lazlo was able to hold on to life for long enough to be helped.
When it was finally over Rey's legs were shaking and her nerves were shot. She felt like the world was humming or buzzing around her, like she was experiencing some heretofore unknown dimension of reality. Helping felt good, but she was honestly ready for bed.
Leaving the Dalek lab helped her calm down a little. The Doctor sealed it shut when they were done so no one would wander in, and he tampered with the machines a bit for safe measure just in case. Well, more like he used the sonic to fry them so they'd never work again. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything that could be done for Lazlo's appearance, not without the risk of destabilizing him again. They found him an overcoat and a large hat from the theatre's prop room before heading to Central Park.
The sun was beginning to rise overhead, signaling the end of a long night.
"Well, I talked to 'em," Frank said, joining them by the bench where they were waiting for him. "And I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em."
"What did they say," the Doctor asked.
"They said yes." Tallulah hugged Lazlo in relief. "They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else."
The return to Liberty Island for the Doctor, Rey, and Martha was one made in a distinctly different atmosphere than the trip from it. The Manhattan skyline was just as beautiful, and the Statue of Liberty was just as impressive, but it was all oddly melancholic.
"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two," Martha asked.
The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too."
"The showgirl and the pig," Rey mused. The Doctor laughed lightly.
"Just proves it, I suppose," Martha said. "There's someone for everyone."
"Maybe." Turning, he led the way back to the TARDIS.
A bit disheartened, Martha signed. "Meant to say… sorry."
"What for?"
"Just 'cause that Dalek got away. I know what it means to you. Think you'll ever see it again?"
He unlocked the TARDIS and held the doors open for them. "Oh yes," he agreed, allowing Martha to duck in first. "One day."
Rey paused in the doorway. Before she could talk herself out of it, she took off her glove and reached for his hand. The skin of his palm was rough and calloused, but also warm. She almost let go on reflex alone. It was weird to touch him when one of them wasn't dying. He was the one who had always initiated contact, not her.
"It'll be okay. You won't be alone." She forced herself to maintain her grip long enough for her to look up and look him in the eye.
The Doctor looked surprised by her bold action, and a bit torn between worry and hopeful. Finally, he settled on fondness the likes of which she usually only saw on his future self. "I know."
"You'd better," she said, then let go and hurried inside. Her face felt hot, her heart felt like it was trying to pound through her chest. But strangely, as she rushed to her room, her body felt as light as a cloud.
Good news: I successfully didn't write for any of the new OCs, meaning I have more brain power to devote to this story.
Bad news: I successfully didn't write.
So, uh... yeah...