Chapter 5
The Problem with Daleks
John made a face as sweat began to roll down her face. She brought an arm up and wiped at her forehead. She made an annoyed sound and looked up at the sky. Her annoyance and irritation starting to show on her face.
She was completely lost.
She had her wand out and was using the charm, correctly at that, but it felt like she was walking in bleeding circles. She stopped walking and rolled her shoulders to let out some of her irritation. She redid the charm and it spun around in her hand before stopping in the same direction it had been pointing. The north, it just had to be further north.
"It's too bloody hot for this," she muttered as she ran a hand across her forehead sweat going down her face and making tracks out of the dirt that had settled there by the hot wind.
It also didn't help that it had been Christmas when she was doing her experiment. She was dressed for the cold, not the heat. She looked down at her clothes and blinked. She let out a short groan at her blatant stupidity.
She stopped her charm and pointed her wand at her pants. With a quick wave, they slowly changed from heavy slacks to a pair of shorts that ended mid-thigh. She even changed her shoes for the terrain. Heeled Victorian boots became combat boots. She contemplated her shirt and changed it to a different material but kept it the white and blue pinstripes.
"That's better," She said in a light tone.
She redid her location charm and started towards the north. She was walking faster as the boots allowed her more traction through the sand. Her stealth charms had faded, and she felt uneasy about being out in the open. It was that part of her that had been tucked away since the war.
The sand on her left exploded and something clicked in her mind and she raised her shields. Her eyes were moving frantically as she attempted to find her attacker. She caught a group of people in dark cloaks with metal skull masks and she made a face. How'd they even get here?
"Unspeakable Armageddon," One of the cloaked people stated, "You are wanted for the magical crime of messing with time and showing yourself to muggles!"
"Mundanes, you divvies," She corrected, "And I was just doing as I was instructed and hired to do."
"Your little muggle friend Holmes said that as well," A female stated, her blue eyes cold and a nasty smirk on your face, "Then again he isn't saying much anymore."
John was silent after that. They most likely wiped his mind completely, or they killed him. The first spell that came from her hit the woman right in the face. She let out a sound of pain as she was thrown from her feet and boils began to sprout on her porcelain skin.
John was merciless in her attack. A blasting charm hit the ground and the cloaked group was surprised when she charged at them. They suddenly realized why the Minister had said to leave her and Holmes be. Those who had fought on the side of the light-or against for that matter- knew better than to mess with Armageddon.
They fell one by one from spells that were normally used in gardening and clothes making. Their atoms had been freshly scrambled and when they went down, they shattered. It was a quick end, but not one they would've wanted. They wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating their opponent again.
John stood victorious. She was looking down towards her feet and she swallowed thickly. She was pushing her guilt down. If she had left her childhood friend alone after the war, he would still be walking around insulting the workers at Scotland Yard.
She picked up her wand and started her search for Sarah back up. She quickly walked through the desert and found herself near an encampment. It was made of buildings, but still enough of a dump to be called an encampment. She looked up at the giant rocket and a dark expression passed over her face.
She found that she was quite sick and tired of war. She knelt and closed her eyes. She needed some form of peace before speaking to Sarah. The brunette was sharper than most thought and would instantly tell if something was wrong. Even if it was just by the tone of her voice.
She took a deep breath before standing back up. She went to take a step when a loud crack filled the air. She made a face as she felt like her body was being pushed through a straw. She kept in a grunt when she landed on solid metal. She could easily say that the Tardis floor was far more comfortable and didn't scuff up her hands.
She looked down at her hand and kept in a hiss, they were bleeding. Heavily, especially for scuffs. She looked down at the floor and frowned. She ran a finger across the grating. She drew it back when the skin was immediately cut into small ribbons while blood began to drip from it. She pulled her hands close to her chest.
She needed to figure out where she was and why she apparated. She looked down towards her legs and made a face. She was going to be cut up, wasn't she? She mentally grumbled before slowly moving her legs across the grating so that she could push herself up to stand.
The soft skin was easily nicked. Gold blood was slowly running down her legs and increased whenever she took a step. She needed her dittany to close the cuts. It was dark in the area that she found herself in. She needed light to fix her legs. She walked up to a metal door and it slowly slid open. Red light filled the room and she looked towards the source with wide eyes.
There was a full moon coloring the sky red. It was red as well and she found herself unable to look away. She knew she had to and looked back down towards her hands. They were shaking as she brought her wand out and opened her pouch. With a summoning charm, she brought a vial out from the depths of the pouch. It was carefully caught in her blood-covered hands and she looked around for a place to lean against. She took a spot against the wall and uncorked the vial. She poured it on her hands first.
The silvery liquid looked menacing in the red light, even more as it connected with her gold blood. She winced as the wounds sizzled before closing. She did the same on her legs and sighed at the sight of the pale scars that had been left behind. It could heal the wounds, but there would always be a scar afterward.
She put the vial away and vanished the blood from her hands and legs. It was with quick steps that she moved through the corridor she found herself in. She was back in the Kaled bunker and she heard something coming towards her. She caught the blue light hitting the floor and she narrowed her eyes.
"Exterminate-!" The Dalek went to shout but was cut off by its top half sliding from its bottom half.
It was an overpowered cutting charm that did the Dalek in. John continued her way and took down any Dalek in her path. She needed to find the Doctor and Sullivan. Her eyes were serious as she ducked below a metal beam that hung in her way.
She was stuck in the war state of mind. She was sweating heavily, the natural heat of Skaro was getting to her and her atoms were overcharged. She looked ready to drop as she fought her way out of the corridors. She ducked when a few bullets headed towards her. She created a shield and moved through the defensive lines with ease. She didn't kill the humans but sent stunners their way. It wasn't like they could reverse the effects and would have to come back naturally.
She knew one thing and one thing only. She was going to be on her own until this ended. She let out a gentle sigh and quickly sidestepped a rushing man. He joined his comrades in their unconscious state. She looked towards the blood moon and the gentle whisperings of her divination teacher crossed her mind. The woman may have been a fraud most of the time, but her real predictions always came true.
The side of herself that she kept under tight control would always find its way out under a blood moon. Everyone used to refer to it as releasing Armageddon-which soon became her nickname and later her unspeakable name- and may God have mercy on whoever was on her enemies' side. She looked down a metal corridor and twirled her wand between her fingers in thought. She didn't really know which way to go and she wasn't too interested in using a locator spell.
She took a left and calmly walked down the hallway. She heard the echoing sound of Sarah's voice and she picked up her pace. She was practically running until she came across the trio. She sent a stunner to the strange creature that was wrapped around the Doctor's throat.
"Oh, John," Sarah stated in surprise, the spell keying her into who had just appeared, "What was that?"
"A stunner," John replied, "I usually use those on biologics."
Harry didn't even bat an eye at that as he threw the unmoving creature back into the room it had come from. They may not be able to see her, but he could hear the tone of her voice. Exhaustion and stress were clear. The way she was speaking was enough to clue him in that not everything was all right.
The Doctor closed the door after tossing a length of wire within the room and the four moved away from it. He was holding the length of two wires and looking at them with hesitation. It dawned on John that he never really contemplated his actions. The Time Lords had given him a task, but he wasn't able to do it. Not with this face. He was too compassionate.
"What are you waiting for?" Sarah questioned him.
"Just touching these two strands together and the Daleks will be finished," The Doctor stated before looking at his companions, "Have I that right?"
"That's the biggest question," John muttered, "I think that when I enter a fight and try to finish things off in a nonlethal manner."
"Does that ever work?" The Doctor asked her in a dry manner.
"Sometimes," She admitted, "It's rare, but nice when it does. Though, those Daleks might cause a bit of a problem in the future."
"Some things could be better with the Daleks," The Doctor informed them, "Yet, many future worlds become allies just because of their fear of the Daleks."
John almost asked him how many were lost because of the Daleks. Just how much war had been brought about by those pepper pots? It would make his decision that much harder. She couldn't do that to him. He was her favorite after all.
"But it isn't like that," Sarah countered.
"The final responsibility is his, and his alone," John commented.
"If someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?" The Doctor asked them.
John's mouth closed slowly at the question.
"We're talking about the Daleks, the foulest creatures ever invented," Sarah said, "You must destroy them. You must complete your mission for the Time Lords."
John couldn't comment on that. Her mind was focusing on what the Doctor asked. She calmed down and gained an adrenaline crash. It was getting a bit hard for her to breathe. Her body began to shake, and her eyes widened. She had completely forgotten what the embryos had looked like. She had killed biologicals without realizing it. A part of her knew it was done in self-defense, but it never felt good to know that one had taken a life. She knew that she wouldn't be able to kill a child, even if they were to grow up evil. Like the man who had started the class wars.
She was getting close to having a panic attack due to the stress.
"Do I have the right?" The Doctor asked once again as he looked at the wires in his hands, "Simply touch one wire against the other and that's it, the Daleks cease to exist, hundreds of millions of people, thousands of generations can live without fear, in peace, and never even know the word of Dalek."
"Then why wait?" Sarah questioned as she reached for his arm, "If it was a disease or some sort of bacteria you were destroying, you wouldn't hesitate."
"Taking a life is a bit harder," John answered and the brunette seemed surprised at that, "Even ones that belong to a species that only know how to kill, it would be like becoming them."
"I'd be no better than the Daleks," The Doctor murmured in agreement.
"Think of all the suffering there'll be if you don't do it," Sarah reminded him, though by the expression on her face she didn't like doing so.
"Doctor!" A shout behind her caused John to tense and grip her wand tighter and spin on her heel to see who was coming towards them, "Doctor, I've been looking everywhere for you, Davros has agreed to our terms."
It had turned out to be one of the older gentlemen that worked in the Kaled Military. She relaxed slightly and simply placed her wand in the holster that was hidden up her sleeve. It was something she had gotten from her old Charms teacher, he believed that she would've made an excellent duelist and was surprised that she hadn't followed those circuits. Yet, he understood her reasons. She really was tired of war.
"He submitted?" Harry questioned in slight disbelief.
"He did, but he asked only one thing," The man replied with a small nod, "That he might be allowed to address a meeting of all the Elite, scientific and military."
"He's going to give his case?" The Doctor inquired as he moved his hands away from one another in thought.
"Yes, but a vote will be taken," The man replied, "It's a foregone conclusion, there'll be a complete landslide against any further development of the Daleks, we've won."
"I'm grateful to you, Gharman," The Doctor informed him with a smile, "More grateful than I can tell you."
"The meeting's about to begin, will you come?" Gharman asked them.
"Yes." The Doctor answered.
He turned towards the incubation room and pulled the wires away from it with a sharp flick of his wrist. He placed them down on the floor and began to follow the man and his companions trudged after him. He could hear the steps their invisible companion was making as she moved behind him. There was a slight skid to her gait like she had somehow injured her leg.
"Did you somehow get hurt?" He murmured out of the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, my magic responded to something and I was pulled into a room in the compound," She replied in an equally quiet voice, "Scratched my legs up, but I must've banged it against something on my way here."
She didn't sound too bothered by that and continued to keep pace with them. She had experience moving with hurt limbs. She had her shoulder sliced open at one point during the war, but she had pushed through it. That was probably why it was heavily scarred to the point where she refused to wear short sleeves due to the pitying looks some of her year mates had sent her.
"I wouldn't trust Davros," She muttered, "Wouldn't trust him as far as I could blast him."
The Doctor found a smile working its way onto his face at those words. Blast? He wondered what kind of blast she could even create. Was her magic that simple? Or was it highly intricate? He wanted to see it in action to get a gauge of what can be done with it.
They walked into the laboratory that was being used for the meeting and John felt a wry smile appear on her face. It was the same one she had been in earlier. In fact, the pile of the Doctor's things was still sitting upon one of the many metal tables. She put her hands into her pockets and felt her smile morph into something a bit more impish. Her fake ring was still sitting upon the table. It was glinting under the fluorescent lights.
"Everybody is here, Davros," Gharman announced.
The four time travelers gained a slight smile to their faces. It was a very true statement. John hadn't been around for a while. Now the group was complete and ready to see if peace could be created. John knew it wasn't going to happen, but she wasn't about to crush the Doctor's dreams. He seemed excited to see everything work out.
"The issues are simple and clear cut," Davros began, "I have given my life's work to the survival of our race, the travel machine I designed, the Dalek, will give the creature into which we will mutate its only possibility of continued existence."
"But you have deviated from that intention," Gharman countered, "You have introduced genetic changed that will alter the mutation into a creature without morals and without ethics."
"I introduced aggression," Davros argued in a calm tone, "Without which no race can survive."
"Aggression without a conscience," Gharman stated and a few of the surrounding scientists muttered amongst themselves in worry.
"History shows that cooperation between different species is impossible," Davros attempted to argue, "One race must survive all others, and to do this it must dominate, ruthlessly."
"Calm down there space Hitler," John mumbled, Sarah had been close enough to hear that and pursed her lips in slight amusement.
Sarah felt something gently brush against her and watched as the Doctor barely moved in surprise but placed his palm facing up. For a few seconds, the skin shifted when something pressed into it. He gave a minute nod and within a second his sonic screwdriver was placed within his hand. His fingers curled around it. She couldn't get the Etheric beam locator since her presence would set it off.
John was slightly amused when his fingers caught her hand when she was attempting to hand him his screwdriver. Her amusement disappeared when her heart sped up and her cheeks burned. She hadn't been expecting that. She slowly moved her hand away from the screwdriver as he pushed it up his sleeve.
"Now, I intend that when all the bickering and battling is over, the supreme victor shall be our race," Davros stated, "The Daleks. At this very moment, the production lines stand ready, totally automated, fully programmed."
"That's not good," Harry muttered.
"The Daleks are no longer dependent on us, the machinery is ready," Davros continued, "They are a power in their own right. If anyone of you would destroy everything that we have ever achieved, then here is a destruct button."
He motioned towards a big red button that sat in a console. It was lit up and all eyes had turned to look at it. A few of the scientists swallowed, it was loud in the silence. John turned away from it and tried to get a read on what Davros was playing at, she bit her lower lip in thought before it came to her. This was a set-up. Every Kaled in this room wouldn't see the dawn of tomorrow.
"Press it, and you will destroy this bunker and everything in it," Davros informed the room, "Only this room will remain, press it and you will wipe out our entire race, destroy the Daleks forever."
It was silent and his eyes slowly moved from face to face. He paused on John and she slowly moved back to hide behind the Doctor. Davros didn't unnerve her when she saw his face on the telly, it was when he was in person that she was fearful. This man was mad, and obviously so. His face had far more expression than simple prosthetic makeup could give.
"Which of you will do it?" He asked.
The silence that followed that as the men looked at one another was deafening. John closed her eyes and for a split second, she thought she could hear Davros yelling. His voice sounded like one of his Daleks, but it was still him. Who was the destroyer of worlds? Part of her wanted to say he had been talking to the Doctor. She looked towards the man in question and noticed that he was watching Davros with a serious expression on his face.
It was one of those times that she could say that he was…there. Sometimes it felt as though the fourth got caught up in his own thoughts. His eyes held a slightly worried glint to them, and she gently pressed a hand on his shoulder blade. He didn't even react, but she saw his expression relax.
She envied him; she really did. As she looked at Davros once again she knew that she would've killed the Daleks. As she had stated before, she was tired of war. She would do anything to prevent it, anything. She didn't really have to think when it came to acts that would prevent a war. She wasn't always like that and as she looked back at the Doctor, she really did feel that envy. He seemed to feel her eyes on him and spared a glance her direction.
"Later…" She muttered, loud enough for only him to hear.
"You are men who have no courage," Davros commented and John reeled back as though she had been slapped surprise evident on her face, "You have lost your right to survive."
She stumbled back as a man walked up to Davros and leaned down to hear what the crazed scientist had to say. Her mind just started to flash images of the war from his words. She hadn't been expecting that. You can watch a show enough to know the dialogue or the basic outline of the plot, but certain things can be forgotten. It was such a small line, insignificant really, but one that set off the memories that had been pushed back for far too long. Witches and Wizards didn't do the whole mental health thing, that was more of a mundane thing. If anyone in the magical community had heard that she had gone to a psychiatrist, then her ability to sell potions or even rune infused objects would be gone.
"I say," Harry said as he looked up when the lights began to frantically flicker.
"Is John still near us?" Sarah muttered.
The Doctor looked around and noticed that the Etheric beam locator was going off. He moved back between his two visible companions and moved to lean against the wall. The locator came to a stop when he got in the way of her energy. He looked to his left to make sure no one noticed that there might be another person in the room with them.
"You need to calm down," He muttered to her.
"I am calm," John replied.
He didn't call her out on her white lie and she barely felt the need to hit him for his raised brow. He was lucky that she couldn't just jab him in the side without bringing attention to the fact that she was in the room. She sent him a dirty look before turning back to Davros. Something touched her hand and she didn't even look to see what it was. It moved up to her wrist and she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Calm, right," The Doctor finally muttered, and he could feel the slight annoyance she was sending his way.
"You have heard Davros' case," Gharman announced, "What he has not made clear that there is another way."
"There is no other way!" Davros exclaimed.
"Production of the Dalek can continue, we can destroy the genetically conditioned creatures and allow the mutation to follow its own course," Gharman continued as if Davros hadn't even spoken, "Our race will survive if it deserves to survive, but let it have all the strengths and weaknesses that we have. Compassion and hate. Let it do good things and evil, but we cannot let it become an unfeeling, heartless machine. That is our choice. Now, we must decide."
"Do you have the time ring?" The Doctor asked John.
She freed her hand and opened the pouch around her neck. She peeked inside of it and found the gold ring. She pulled it out and put it in his hand. He simply pushed it up his arm.
"Now all we need is the tape recording," The Doctor stated.
"You've heard our cases," Davros stated, "I will give you two minutes to decide, then you must answer not only to me but to the future of our race."
The occupants of the room began to speak about how to decide and Davros headed out with the man who had bent down to hear him. It was worrying and the time travelers shared a look. Well, John was excluded from the shared look which was a shame since she was giving a rather impressive scowl. The witch slowly moved from the group and waited at the nearest door. She was eyeing the room with her scowl firmly in place.
Davros wheeled back into the room and fixed everyone with a slight glare. John felt her own appear on her face and briefly glanced at the Doctor. That fight earlier had helped settle her mind and allowed her to think rationally. She still wanted to mess with Davros, but the fact that rationality won out by letting her know that wasn't a good idea. She would get caught and killed.
"You have had ample time to decide," Davros announced, "Those who remain loyal to me and the glorious future of our race, move forward and stand by my side."
Only two scientists joined him. The Doctor rose a brow behind his hair at the two scientists and John joined him in that expression. Those two looked like they were the type of spineless cowards that would want to cause mass genocide of those who didn't agree with them. John walked back to the group and scratched her cheek slightly.
"Now, I wonder where Nyder's going at such a crucial moment," The Doctor muttered as one of the men headed out of the room.
"I think we ought to find out," Harry stated.
"So do I," The Doctor agreed with the slightest of grins, "Let's go."
The four slipped out of the room using a nearby door. Davros was talking and they barely gave him any attention. Harry and Sarah moved around the Doctor and John. They made it to where they would end up in front of Nyder. The man noticed the two humans and backed up, raising the weapon in his hand. A bright streak of white light hit his hand and he dropped it with a hiss of pain.
"What in the blazes?" He hissed.
"Now, where are you going in such a hurry?" The Doctor asked as he picked up the weapon.
"Davros has lost, I am getting away while I can," Nyder lied.
"Oh, somehow that just doesn't ring true," The Doctor commented.
"You could've joined the other side," Sarah said with a slight frown.
"It defiantly would've been easier than attempting to sneak away," John piped up and Nyder looked around the corridor to find where the source of her voice was coming from.
He looked a bit like an owl, and she found a smile making its way on her face. She let out a soft chuckle and the Doctor sent her a look. Sarah wondered if the time lord could see her. John knew that he couldn't, but he could accurately guess where she was. It was a fantastic skill to have and she smiled at the fact that he was somehow including her in this little juncture.
"I suppose you don't even have an answer as to why you wouldn't just change sides," The Doctor commented, "Well then, let's try something else, that tape recording you took, where is it?"
"It was put away in a safe inside Davros' office," Nyder answered.
"Shall we go and see?" The Doctor asked.
"Down here," Nyder pointed.
They headed down the corridor and into the room that Nyder had pointed out. John ghosted across the room and looked at the different panels that decorated the walls. They were lit up, the lights oscillating the different colors. This was different, it wasn't like the show. She shook her head as if she was an idiot, she had to get used to things being different from what she knew. Once it got past the point that the show had ended, she would be seeing things that she had never seen. She reached a hand up and touched one of the lights. It gave her a tiny shock and she shook her hand as a pin and needles feeling began to grow.
"Oh, your quite lovely," A soft voice said to her right.
Her green eyes widened, and she looked towards Sarah. The brunette had seen her, just for a moment. The clothes had been mismatched, but her short raven hair had brought attention to her green eyes. They were dark green, she could akin them to emeralds, yet they seemed to glow with a supernatural property. It had to be her magic.
"Thank you, Sarah," John thanked in a slightly flattered voice, "I think your quite lovely as well, an absolutely killer smile."
Sarah smiled at that. Harry looked over towards the shorter female and wondered what had happened. The Doctor was studying a wall with a slight frown on his face. His features smoothed when he came across the safe. It had been tucked in the wall in the middle of a large Elite corps symbol. He turned to Nyder with a manic grin and the man seemed to shrink under the grin.
"Now be reasonable and open it for us," The Doctor stated.
"Only Davros knows the combination," Nyder stated.
"You can definitely tell a better lie than that," John commented in a dry tone, "Davros is completely tied to his chair, he can't stand up to even get into the safe, not to mention he only has the use of his right hand as shown by the fact that he never moves the left one."
She was getting into her cousin's mindset. The way he could pick out things about people and deduce things. It was easy, having been around him for a very long time. He had even brought her around for some adventures, the drug ring in Baskerville had been something. It was a psychoactive drug that would cause the user to hallucinate large dogs that people have speculated were hell hounds. It was something that had been airborne and had caused her to hallucinate, she would admit that the hell hounds were scarier than the Daleks.
"And Davros never goes anywhere without you, Nyder," The Doctor continued, "So, you must open the safe for him, open it for us."
Nyder hesitated for a moment before reaching up and typing in the passcode. The safe swung open and he pulled the tape out. He handed it to the Doctor and the Doctor quickly put it into his grasp. He looked at the roll of tape with slight dislike.
"Thank you," The Doctor thanked, "Now, let's destroy it."
"Can I?" John asked, "Just put it on the floor."
The Doctor did so and with a quick jab of her wand the roll of tape burst into red and gold flames. That was something she had to work on creating, a fire was easy but changing the color of the flames had been difficult. Sarah and Harry gained surprised faces before questioning the color. It was a bit unnatural, in Harry's opinion. She didn't really care what Harry thought, though she did find his reaction funny.
"Is that destroyed enough for you?" She asked the Doctor in a light tone as the tape turned to ashes, "I could always do more."
"This is fine," The Doctor commented, chuckling just the slightest.
"Makes me miss creating fireworks," She muttered with a sad smile.
The door shut and they all turned towards it. There was a distinct clicking sound as the door was locked. Sarah and Harry began to stress a bit. A hand on Sarah's shoulder helped calm the brunette down.
"We've got the Time Ring, we've destroyed the tape and Davros' power is broken," The Doctor informed them.
"What about the operational Daleks?" Sarah asked.
"I may have taken a few of those down on my way, all self-defense," John stated in a sheepish tone, "I'd rather not see if I can survive a blast from one of their guns."
"I had never thought of that," The Doctor mumbled, "But we can leave Gharman to destroy them."
"That means we can leave," Harry smiled.
"Yes, all we've got to do is touch the time ring," The Doctor nodded as he pushed his sleeve up and they were shown a bare arm.
He stood there for a few seconds before turning to face the door. John couldn't help the slightly fond look that appeared on her face. Of course, he lost it. He wouldn't be the Doctor if he had been able to keep a hold of something that important. Sometimes it felt like the universe liked to mess with him.
"Ah, I must've dropped it during the confrontation in the corridor," The Doctor said.
"Well, now we have to get out of this room," Sarah commented.
Within a few minutes of the Doctor attempting to open it with his sonic screwdriver, he backed away with a frown on his face. John had sat down on the floor and watched the other three. She was waiting to see if they asked her for help. At this point, she wanted to see if they would even contemplate using her magic. She knew that the fact that he had no idea what it could do, was something that made the Doctor consider it dangerous.
"John are you able to blast the doors open," Sarah asked.
"I could try, but I would suggest taking cover since I don't know how the door will react to it," John replied as she quickly sprung to her feet.
The three moved towards the desk and she eyed the wall. She pushed her sleeves away from her hands and flicked her wand. She was good with silent magic, and somewhat able to use wandless, and the doors let out a groan at her first attempt. She huffed quietly and increased the power behind her second attempt. It had been a little too much power and the doors flew off their hinges, taking a chunk of the wall with them.
"Ah, whoops," John weakly chuckled.
A man that was a bit misshapen appeared and she tilted her head slightly as he stared at the fallen doors with wide eyes. She felt a bit sheepish about the fact that she had destroyed them, and a part of the wall. The Doctor moved from behind the desk where the other three had taken their shelter. Sarah and Harry joined, and Sarah's expression lit up at the sight of the man.
"Sevrin!" She exclaimed.
"I haven't much time," Sevrin explained, "The Thals have set the explosives at the entrance, they'll detonate as soon as they're ready."
"What?" Sarah asked in surprise.
"Give me a moment to find the time ring," The Doctor requested.
He was gone for a few seconds before he ran back to the room. Sevrin looked behind him to see a couple of Daleks taking chase. They headed out of Davros' office and began to run down one of the corridors. They came across another and Servin looked up.
"We're not far from the main entrance," Sevrin stated, "If we can get through the next section, we'll be safe."
"Sarah, take this," The Doctor stated as he handed her the time ring.
"What are you going to do?" Sarah questioned him as she placed it around her wrist.
"I'm going back to the incubator room," The Doctor informed her, "This time I'm going to blow it up."
"Let us come with you," Sarah pleaded.
"No, get out of here," The Doctor ordered in a serious tone, "Hurry, now go!"
He moved to the opposite direction of the main entrance and the other's headed outside. John stood there for a few seconds before tearing off after the Doctor. He made a face at the fact that she was following behind him. She rolled his eyes.
"Sexy asked that I keep an eye on you," She stated with a slight smile.
"Sexy?" He questioned.
"That's what the Tardis likes being called," She chuckled, "She is indeed a very sexy ship."
It wasn't the oddest thing that a companion had said to him, though it was in the top ten. They took a turn and easily made it to the corridor that connected to the incubation room. He spotted the wire and moved towards them. John noticed two Daleks and she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him out of the way as they shot at the spot he had previously been. They took cover behind a wall.
"Sorry for the rough yank there," John apologized as the Doctor rubbed at his shoulder with a wince, "I'd rather not watch you get shot."
He simply nodded at that as he moved to reach for the wires. One of the Dalek's fired at him and he pulled his arm back just in the nick of time. John let out a soft sigh at that. The Dalek began to slowly move forward and he found her hand and pulled her to her feet. They began to run away. She didn't like the idea of retreating, but the loud explosion that sounded behind them caused her to make a face. The Doctor tugged on her hand a bit more and increased the pace that they ran at.
"You run fast for an older man," She commented.
"One is only as old as they feel," He quipped with a wink.
She snorted at that and he grinned. There was a light to his eyes that she couldn't help but find joy in. It was one that was filled with mischief and curiosity. It helped her to feel something she hadn't felt since before the war, though she had felt it for a second after she looked through the time vortex she wasn't counting that. It hadn't really been her.
"You move fast for a woman wearing combat boots," He commented.
"Can you actually see me?" She asked him with a slight frown, "You keep giving me mixed signals about it."
He simply tapped his nose and she sent him an annoyed look at that. She rolled her eyes slightly when they came across the bunker exit. They sprinted out of the corridor and through the narrow gap in the doors. They heard something behind them and picked up speed. It had to be Daleks.
"Quickly!" Sarah called to them.
The two headed over to the other two and once they were safe the entire place shook due to the massive explosion. The Doctor moved to watch something on a nearby monitor and dragged John with him. No one said anything about the way that he had his hand behind him clutching air. They were all too preoccupied with watching the dome fall apart.
"The incubator room," Sarah started, "Were you able to do anything?"
"Yes," the Doctor answered as he looked away from the monitor, "With a little help from a Dalek, but I'm afraid I've only delayed them for a short time, a thousand years at the most."
"What?" Sarah asked.
"In the total time scale, no more than that," He answered.
That had been confusing to both Sarah and John. John gave him a look at that as all the farewells were said. She was still being held onto by him. She was amazed at how his hand easily dwarfed hers. She did want her hand back though.
"You have such delicate hands for someone who holds such power," The Doctor commented.
"The Detective Inspector liked to call them baby bitch hands," She shrugged, "I never understood it since I usually kept to my own devices, wasn't like Sherlock who created chaos wherever he went."
"You're one of those who likes solitude," He muttered.
"I lived through a war, Doctor," She defended her voice breaking with some of the pent up grief she had, "I watched people I had known for years be killed in front of me, I took lives as well, that's not something that can easily be overcome."
It was silent between the two and she felt his hold on her hand tighten. It had to be because of her momentary lapse of emotion. Her throat constricted and she felt all the grief she pushed back come rising to the surface. She clenched her jaw and refused to allow the tears to fall. She pushed it back down once again. Sarah came up to the Doctor and handed him the time ring.
"All right, everyone hands on the time ring," He stated.
They all moved and placed their hands on it. John shot him an annoyed expression as he continued to hold onto her hand. It then dawned on her that she could potentially be lost while traveling by time ring. She didn't want to experience that. It didn't sound like it would be pleasant.
"You don't seem too disappointed," Sarah commented, "We've failed, haven't we?"
"Failed? No, not really," The Doctor stated as the time ring began to pull them through space and time, "You see, I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know that out of their evil must come something good."
"That's one hell of a trade-off," John stated, and he smiled at that.