Last of Their Kind

by ThyWanderer

Worn down from years of strife as the last of her kind, Madison once believed happiness was far from reach. Everything begins to change when she meets a man called the Doctor. As secrets and sorrows are shared between them, the pair finds comfort together amidst the stars. Madison can only hope that this time things will be different, even if the universe has other plans for her.

9. Chapter 9

Good to have you all back! Thank you all for such lovely reviews. It was wonderful seeing what everyone had to say. It made me so happy. You all are amazing.

I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter! Please let me know what you think after finishing.

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Chapter 9

"So what is it? What's wrong?" Rose asked the moment they landed and started to walk out of the ship. Madison gazed around as Rose followed the Doctor into the dark room they had arrived in. The alert had been going off all while they travelled through the Time Vortex. Something seemed to be very adamant in gaining their attention. She wondered if it was something trying to call the Doctor perhaps. Could that happen? He had a phone . . . Maybe there were other means of communicating with the Doctor while in the TARDIS?

"Was something trying to call you?" Madison decided to ask him, wanting to know if her thoughts were correct.

"Yep. It was some sort of signal. It was drawing the TARDIS off course," the Doctor said, nodding and smiling at her. Apparently, he was happy for her to have guessed it right. She grinned lightly, glad to please him.

"Where are we?" Rose asked then, drawing both the Doctor and Madison's attention towards their surroundings. It was indeed hard telling where they were. It was pitch black in the room past where the light from the police box shone. From what was closest to them, Madison could only see a couple of display cases. There were things inside the cases, but nothing she quite knew what they were.

"Earth. Utah, North America," the Doctor listed off, going about the coordinates the TARDIS must have shown him. "About half a mile underground."

"Utah? Haven't been there in ages," Madison said, looking around again to make sure it wasn't anything she recognized. No, there had been nothing built that deeply into the Earth back in the day. So she knew it wasn't during the time she had been in the state.

"And . . . when are we?" Rose asked. She then smiled in humour. "Oh, I'll have to get used to asking that. 'When are we' ha!"

"2012," the Doctor muttered as he looked at a nearby display case. There was a curious stare from him as he looked at the object inside. Madison came over closer, frowning as she saw some sort of . . . bug? It wasn't like any creature she had seen before. It had hard, brown plating for skin, rigid all down its back. Its eyes were tiny and its mouth was stuck wide open with very sharp, needle-like teeth. It looked to be a taxidermied figure. She was glad about that. The creature looked to be nothing one wanted to mess with. She glanced at the display tag, reading a date and . . . A price tag? What?

"God, that's so close. I should be twenty-six!" Rose said, clearly shocked by going to a year so close to her own time.

"Oh, that's not so old. I'd be three hundred seven," Madison said lightly in a joke. "Though I guess twenty-six, you would be pretty ancient."

"Oh, ha-ha," Rose replied, rolling her eyes. Madison laughed some more but halted as she let out a loud hiss and grabbed her stomach. A jolt of pain went through her, causing her body to spasm. She fell back against the TARDIS, wincing from the pain. She panted, as her eyes (which had closed from the pain) went wide in horror. Oh . . . Oh no. Not now. Any time later, but not now! Ugh. She should have recognized the signs earlier, her skin growing itchy so soon and feeling restless. Those were all the warning signs for it.

"Maddie, what's wrong?" Rose asked quickly, going over to her and helping her to stand straight.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor questioned, coming over to put a hand around her to help her stay steady. Madison grunted, gripping her stomach and panted a bit. The pain subsided, but she knew that wouldn't last long.

"Yeah. Fine," she grunted, rubbing at her stomach. "I just . . . It's that time of the month for me."

"Oh . . . Do you need, well, you know, visit the loo or something?" Rose asked hesitantly, seeming cautious about how to approach the subject.

"No, it's not like that," Madison sighed, shaking her head as she let go of her stomach. "Mer-kind go through this . . . monthly cycle. A day we have to rest. Twenty-four hours of rest, to be exact." She grunted as she straightened herself, shaking off the residual pain.

"Do you need to go back to the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked her, still giving her a look of concern.

"No, I don't want you two to be on your own with . . . whatever this is," she replied, shaking her head firmly. She gave them both the brightest smile she could muster. "I'll be fine. I'll just rest after we've finished. It shouldn't be too bad until then."

"You sure?" the Doctor asked her again, giving her a sceptical gaze. Seeing her firm nod, he smiled and patted her arm before walking away. "I'll make this quick, then." Madison glanced around as the Doctor had found a switch and turned on all the lights. One by one, the fluorescent lights came on, showing them a much larger room than they had expected. It felt more like a hallway than a room as it was narrow and stretched a long way down. More and more display cases lined the walls, showing them a vast number of things within.

"Blimey. Like a great big museum," Rose said after they took in the place.

"Or someone with a hobby," Madison muttered, nodding her head as another display case tag read a date and a price tag. "Or . . . a place for auction? There's just price tags on all of these things."

"They've spent a fortune. It's all alien. Look at it," said the Doctor as they started walking down the hallway. He looked around at everything with a sharp gaze, frowning in confusion.

As the Doctor and Rose took in the different things that were within the cases, Madison remained a bit behind. Only half-listening to the Doctor listing off the names of the different objects. Outwardly, she kept up a smile, trying her best to appear calm. Inwardly, she was panicking. She couldn't believe she had forgotten it was going to be that time of the month again for her. She usually kept such a good track of when that day would come. But travelling around . . . it had just slipped her mind. But that didn't matter now. The day had arrived and she did not know what she was going to do next. For the one day of the month, for any Mer, was rather . . . annoying. For one reason and one reason alone. It was the day their body decided it did not wish to be human. Rather, the only need the body wanted was to be in Mer-form for a full day. It craved and needed water to the highest level. It was meant to be a day to relax and be themselves, but, over the years, it was more of a nuisance than anything else.

She knew she could fight it for some time. Maybe about four hours or so. Maybe longer if must. But there came a point where the need for water would become too great. The body's need to become Mer-form too much. As the body would force the transformation onto her against her will. First, there would be the itchy and fire feeling all over her skin. Then the scales around her legs would appear. The skin would darken in colour, looking almost bruised. Then her fingers would begin to form webbing, which was a pain to try and hide. It would become harder and harder to breathe air as each hour passed. Finally, the body would simply begin to fuse her legs together, forcing it through any clothing or shoes. She had gone through trousers and shoes only a handful of times. Mostly because she kept a good track of the dates. But also because of just how agonising the transformation was through clothing. Oh, dear. She really hoped that they didn't take too long in this place. If she transformed right in front of them . . . just what would they think of her? Would the Doctor even want to travel with her anymore? Her true form was probably hideous enough to turn anyone away from being around her.

"Ah, look at you!" said the Doctor, earning her attention finally. She looked over, seeing him staring at a smaller display that just a robotic head inside. It reminded her a lot of the robotic bodies the Trilloo had. Though this one was rather . . . sinister in appearance rather than friendly like the Trilloo. The entire robotic head was a very metallic grey. It had the same open eye sockets with mesh over them. Though there were tear-like shapes on both eyes. The mouth was merely a straight thin gap. The earpieces were circular, bulky shapes on either side of the head. Metal tubing connected into each ear, branching up to firmly attach to the top of the head. It appeared as though the head had been ripped off of its body, with wires and tubes sticking out from its neck.

Madison could only gaze at it in wonder, curious about the story behind it. It must be something judging by the distant haunted look in the Doctor's eyes. "Do you know what it is?" she questioned him curiously.

"Yeah. It's an old friend of mine. Well, enemy," he said quietly. He paused, eyes growing distant in recollection. "The stuff of nightmares, reduced to an exhibit." He let out a long breath, shaking his head tiredly. "I'm getting old."

"Don't think of it as 'getting old'. Think of it as 'becoming experienced'," Madison joked lightly, earning herself a sad chuckle from the Doctor. She held his hand then, giving it a soft squeeze. "Sorry. It's hard seeing something from your past on display."

"Do you have things of yours on display at museums?" he questioned her curiously then, glancing back at her in wonderment.

"I do. Old pictures of friends and things . . . I have an old dress undergarment on display in the National Museum of American History. Rather embarrassing, really."

"You have your knickers on display in a museum?" Rose laughed, grinning cheekily at Madison now with her tongue between her teeth.

"N-no. It's just a clothing piece that I wore under my dress," Madison stuttered, blushing brightly at the very mention of such a thing.

"It's so her knickers," the Doctor joked along with Rose, both of them sniggering now. Madison scoffed, hitting them both on the arm.

"So, is that where the signal is coming from?" Rose asked after she settled down in her laughter.

"Nah, it's stone dead. The signal's alive," the Doctor answered, looking back to the robotic head with a thoughtful gaze. "Something's reaching out. Calling for help." Reaching up, the Doctor barely touched the glass when a loud alarm went off. The three backed away from the display case as a swarm of armed men in black combat gear came out of nowhere. They were surrounded in a matter of seconds, making the trio look at all the men in shock.

"If someone's collecting aliens . . . or even nonhuman, then you two are Exhibit A," Rose whispered to them both. Madison felt herself go on red alert, ready for a fight or flight. She tensed as she felt someone grab her hand, but relaxed after she realised it was the Doctor, simply letting her know that he was there for her. Rose touched her other arm, giving her even more comfort. She realised just how lucky she was to have the two. Right away they could tell she was scared and wanted to show her that everything was okay. It made her heart swell with happiness to have them in her life.

They were guided, not so nicely, into a holding room of sorts. The men stayed almost entirely quiet during the whole thing. Only demanding where they had come from and how they had gotten there. The Doctor did the talking, answering very little of anything for the men. It irritated the lot of them. Madison could tell by the harsh stares they were given. Eventually, orders seemed to come from above in telling them they were 'wanted' elsewhere. It was then they were taken down a series of corridors throughout the underground facility. Madison realised it was more of an underground bunker of some kind. There were just so many security features and men protecting the place. It made her wonder what sort of person could possibly own such a facility. Her answer came when they came into a large office area of sorts. There was a man sitting down at a very luxurious desk that she knew instantly was the one in charge of the place. He was a thin-haired man with a moustache and small goatee, wearing a sleek, expensive suit. The expression on his face, the way he stared around at everything as if he were bored, yet his nose stuck out in the air as though he smelled something awful. Already Madison could tell she would not like this man. The arrogance on him was like that of a thick, musky cologne sprayed on too heavily.

Currently, the man sat at his desk, leaned back into his chair, with a massive painting of himself sitting behind him on the wall. A young man, with dark brown hair and eyes, was closest to the boss, talking rapidly with how nervous the young lad appeared. There was also a woman, with curly blonde hair up in a tight ponytail, wearing a business suit, and had an earpiece resting in her right ear, standing behind the boss man. The young man had something in his hand, showing it off. Madison heard a price tag mentioned again, wondering if this was some sort of brag of their boss. See how much money he could spend on things. She glanced at the object in question, seeing it was a handheld, silver device which glowed blue in certain spots on it. There were ridges on the top of the device and, with how it was shaped, it resembled that of a seashell. She felt the Doctor staring at the object with delighted interest. Apparently, it was something he recognised.

"I really wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor spoke up, staring in concern with how the man with the moustache was currently holding the device. It was rather careless, in Madison's opinion. Like it was nothing to him. The woman barked at the Doctor to be quiet, but her boss held up a finger as if to say it was okay. "Really though, that's wrong," the Doctor said again.

"Is it dangerous?" asked the young man who had been showing off the device.

"No, it just looks silly," the Doctor replied, smiling at them to show it meant no harm. He moved to reach for it but stopped when the armed men behind them lifted their guns and cocked the weapons. Their boss waved them off, staring curiously at the Doctor now, handing over the device to watch carefully as the Time Lord held the device flat in his hands. He then began to softly caress the ridges. "You just need to be . . .," he stroked the ridges gently, creating a soft, ethereal hum, "delicate." Madison watched as the Doctor smiled, continuing to caress the device so softly to create a light harmony. It was beautiful to listen to. They were such peaceful notes coming from the device.

"It's a musical instrument," said the boss man. He started to smile in delight, watching the Doctor closely, taking in everything the Time Lord did.

The Doctor nodded, continuing to caress the ridges and keeping the gentle melody going. "And it's a long way from home."

"That's so pretty," she breathed, glancing at the Doctor and smiling at him as he grinned at her.

"Here, let me," said the man, reaching over and taking it from the Doctor. He started to copy what he had seen, though was being a little more aggressive with his strokes. It made the instrument's notes flatter, sounding off and unharmonised. The Doctor corrected the man, reminding him to be delicate with it. Not so rough. The man adjusted what he was doing, now stroking it the same way the Doctor had been and creating a peaceful note or two from the instrument. There was such a spark of awe from the man, that Madison started to rethink her earlier judgement. She mentally scolded herself for judging so quickly. She had a bad habit of that when it came to the gentry. But then her hopes for the man were dashed when he suddenly tossed the small instrument over his shoulder, making it bounce on the floor and break apart like it was nothing. Her heart sank, somewhat sad in seeing such a lovely instrument reduced to nothing.

"Who exactly are you?" the man asked then, his expression back to the one of bored and arrogance again.

"I'm the Doctor. And who are you?" questioned the Doctor, a set frown on his face as he too was disappointed with how the man treated the instrument.

"Like you don't know!" scoffed the man. "We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extraterrestrial artefacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake."

The Doctor chuckled. "Pretty much sums me up, yeah."

The man didn't seem to like this response, frowning in annoyance. "Question is, how did you get in?" He walked around his desk, coming over to stand in front of the Doctor, keeping a cold gaze on the Time Lord. "Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat-burglar accomplices." He glanced jeeringly towards Rose and Madison. Then he leered at them. "Quite a collector yourself, they're rather pretty."

"Keep staring at us like that and you'll find out these cats have claws," Madison snapped back, eyeing him coldly.

"I'm with you on that one," Rose said in agreement, narrowing her eyes at the man.

The man appeared to find this funny, smirking at the two. "They're English, too!" He then half-glanced over his shoulder towards the young man behind him. "Hey, Little Lord Fauntleory, got you two to choose from. Though I'd go for the blonde one if I were you."

As the man chuckled at his own sense of humour, Madison's hands tightened into fists. Yep, she definitely detested this man already. He was exactly as she had thought he would be. A repugnant piece of work and then some.

"This is Mister Henry Van Statten," said the young man in introduction.

"And who's he when he's at home?" Rose asked, frowning as she was clearly not impressed.

"Mister Van Statten owns the internet," the young man told her.

Rose raised a brow, confused. "Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet," she replied.

"And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right, kids?" Van Statten said smugly, grinning away so arrogantly that Madison felt like the expression would become permanent. Though, maybe, it already has.

"So you're just about an expert in everything, except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up," said the Doctor, arching a brow as he stared the man down. Clearly not impressed, either.

Van Statten eyed the Time Lord up and down now, seeming to try and measure what sort of man the Doctor was. "And you claim greater knowledge?" he asked, raising his own brow now.

"I don't need to make claims. I know how good I am," the Doctor replied smoothly, giving a little smirk at the end.

"And yet I captured you right next to the Cage." Van Statten looked the Time Lord up and down again. "What were you doing down there?"

"You tell me." The Doctor's gaze was kept steady, not blinking now as he stared Van Statten down.

"The Cage contains my one living specimen."

Tensing, Madison glanced at the Doctor fretfully. They had a living alien? Here? In a place like this, with how haughty Van Statten was, she could only imagine what they were doing to the poor life-form. Was that where the signal was coming from? If it was . . . then things must be pretty awful here for the poor thing.

"And what's that?" the Doctor asked, growing stiff as well at the mentioning of something living here.

"Like you don't know," retorted Van Statten, clearly growing annoyed now.

"Show me," the Doctor ordered him, obviously having enough of this back and forth by now.

Van Statten raised a sharp brow, growing a small, narrow grin. "You wanna see it?"

"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone," Rose muttered as she had been looking back and forth between each man as they spoke. She frowned heavily, not looking too pleased to be ignored throughout this exchange.

"Goddard!" Van Statten said loudly. His barking word made the woman in the business suit stiffen to attention. "Inform the Cage we're heading down." Then the man was looking towards the young lad who still stood behind the desk. "You, English, look after the two broads. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do."

"I'm not leaving the Doctor," Madison said instantly, narrowing her eyes and grabbing the Doctor's hand in defiance. Since this man was an alien collector, one that had no thought or care for the life behind the extraterrestrial creations, then she knew she couldn't allow the Doctor to be alone. Someone needed to stick with him to make certain they wouldn't dissect him or something.

"I only need him. You're just dead weight," Van Statten said to her, sneering now.

"I'll show you who's 'dead weight' if you think I'm leaving the Doctor alone with the likes of you," Madison retorted, glaring at the man heatedly.

Van Statten stared at her for a moment, then laughed. "You're the feisty one. I like that." He waved a hand in dismissal. "Fine. She can come. You, Doctor with no name. Come and see my pet." Van Statten and the woman, Goddard, went to the back of the office towards a hidden lift.

Madison felt her hand being gently squeezed. She glanced over to the Doctor, seeing him staring at her carefully. She nodded, trying to tell him that she was all right. She wished she could tell him privately that she had a bad feeling about all of this, but . . . again, no connection established between them yet. She glanced back towards Rose, seeing the girl now standing next to the young man and biting her lip nervously.

"Rose, don't let them push you around. If they do, they'll have to answer to me," Madison said to the girl, giving the blonde a reassuring wink. Rose smiled, looking more at ease now. It was clear she was worried about being alone, but, knowing that the Doctor and Madison were not too far away from her, she would be fine. Madison would make certain the girl would be okay in the end.

The Doctor tried asking questions of Van Statten while they took the long lift ride down. Anything that might tell the Doctor about details of this 'Cage' and what would be inside it. But Van Statten seemed to take this as a moment to taunt the Doctor for 'not knowing' and such. Madison could not help but roll her eyes with every pestering taunt the man gave the Time Lord. Again, she was shown just how distasteful this man was. Then again, they had trespassed onto the man's place. It was probably understandable for the man to be somewhat hostile towards them. Eventually, Van Statten began explaining that they did not know much about the life form they have. It was still a mystery to the lot of them.

"We've tried everything. The creature has shielded itself, but there's definite signs of life inside," Van Statten began explaining when they finally stepped out of the lift. They entered the lowest portion of the underground bunker. There were a few guards present, with a man taking off a helmet from an orange hazmat suit.

"Inside?" Madison wondered aloud, a bit confused. Then she realised what he might mean. Was it like the Trilloo, inside of a robotic suit?

"Inside what?" the Doctor wondered as well, hands behind his back as he took in everything everyone was doing. Van Statten didn't answer as the man in the hazmat suit greeted his boss.

"I've had to take the power down, the Metaltron is resting," the man explained to Van Statten.

"Metaltron?" the Doctor questioned, frowning at the name. The name almost seemed . . . fake to Madison. Like someone had made it up.

"Thought of it myself. Good, isn't it?" said Van Statten, grinning away smugly again. Then he had a serious expression again. "Although I'd much prefer to find out its real name."

"Here, you better put these on," said the man in the hazmat suit, handing over some rubber gloves to the Doctor. "The last guy that touched it burst into flames."

"I won't touch it, then," said the Doctor, refusing to take the gloves. The man in the hazmat seemed sceptical but stepped back with the gloves in hand.

"Go ahead, Doctor. Impress me," said Van Statten, giving a haughty smirk again.

The Doctor started to move forward but stopped when Madison went to move with him. He looked back at her, silently shaking his head and letting go of her hand. She merely grabbed it again and held on firm. She shook her head, silently telling him that she would not leave his side. This life-form inside the room they were about to enter, who knew what exactly it was feeling after being put through such hell. She could only guess what these humans have done to it to get it to 'talk' as Van Statten had said. The creature might be hostile toward anyone that came to talk to it. The Doctor seemed to understand what she wanted, nodding and holding her hand firmly as they walked into the room together. They closed the thick metal door behind them almost instantly, sending the two of them into pitch blackness. The only light now came from some monitors over by a large computer system of sorts. The Doctor let go of her hand, walking over to stare at a medical cart. She wondered what he was staring at when she saw the glint of metal in the dim light. She gasped softly, staring at the horrible tools of torture such as sharp saws and drills.

"What have they been doing to the poor thing?" she whispered quietly to the Doctor. He only grunted, shaking his head in disgust.

"Look, I'm sorry about this. Mister Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him," the Doctor said to the room, turning to look towards a faint blue light that Madison just now noticed. She stared over where the Doctor looked, seeing the blue light glow softly. She wondered again if this was a robotic form the creature had.

"I'm so sorry for what's been done to you. But it ends today. I promise, we're here to help you," she said gently, taking a step towards the blue light, hoping to ease the creature from whatever woes it felt.

"I'm the Doctor. This is Madison Baker. What's your name?" the Doctor offered the creature. There was silence for a moment. Then, the blue light moved somewhat.

"Doctor," came a mechanical voice, somewhat high-pitched and grainy as it spoke. Two white lights lit up on the sides of what appeared to be a round head.

"Impossible," Madison heard the Doctor breathe behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the wide eyes of utter disbelief.

"The Doctor?" the robotic voice questioned, this time sounding louder. Lights came on in the room suddenly, allowing her to see what the creature was finally. She stared at it in shock. Of all robotic forms she had been picturing, this was certainly not it. The creature was a cylindrical metal construct, with a round dome for the top of it and a wider base to it. There were round knobs around the base. Some sort of plunger and straight stick for 'arms' in the middle of the creature. Lastly, the blue light came from a moving eyestalk at the top of the metal creation. From what she could put together in words, she would describe the creature as some sort of futuristic tank.

"Exterminate!" the robotic creature all but screamed in its high-pitched voice.

Madison gasped as she felt someone yanking her back roughly. The Doctor grabbed her, spinning them around so his back was facing the creature, blocking her from its view. He held her in a vice grip, keeping her up against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. The creature continued to scream 'exterminate!' at them and the Doctor shouted for Van Statten to open the door. Madison didn't know what was happening, but she felt that creature was going to kill them and the Doctor was trying to protect her. She panicked, immediately trying to get the Doctor to let her go so that she might be able to shield him instead. But the Doctor refused to budge, keeping her in place against him. However, this gave her a chance to stare at the creature more, seeing the metal stick moving around as it shouted, but seeing nothing happen. It made her realise this was its weapon and it could not fire. There were also heavy chains around the creature, keeping it locked in place by all the monitors and lights surrounding it.

"I . . . don't think it can hurt us," Madison breathed after a moment. The creature must have heard her through its screams, going silent as its weapon continued to move and try to shoot them. But it was pointless. Nothing occurred. The Doctor slowly let go of her, turning back to the creature and staring at it. Then . . . he was grinning.

"You are the enemy of the Daleks," the creature shouted at him. "You must be destroyed!" The Doctor chuckled, turning to face the creature. This . . . Dalek, if that was its name, kept trying to move the one stick that must have been its weapon.

"It's not working," he said, still having this grin on his face that appeared . . . manic. Then, he was laughing wildly. "Fantastic! Oh, fantastic!" Madison backed away from the Doctor slightly as he appeared so fanatically excited now. Something wasn't right. Something was wrong. His behaviour worried her.

"Powerless. Look at you," the Doctor said to the Dalek after he finished laughing. His eyes shifted from maniac to dangerous as he stared at the creature. The creature's eyestalk moved around, taking it its powerless weapon and the Doctor before it. "The great space dustbin. How does it feel?" The Doctor took a threatening step forward and the Dalek flinched back, yanking on its chains as it tried to get away.

"Keep back!" yelled the creature, sounding frightful now.

The Doctor ran right up to it, glaring in full fury now. He practically pressed himself right up to it, though remained back enough so he wasn't touching the creature. He sneered in disgust. "What for? What are you gonna do to me?" he yelled in return. He backed away, continuing to glare at it as he stalked around it. "If you can't kill, then what are you good for, Dalek?" As the Doctor said the creature's name, he spat it out in revulsion. "What's the point of you? You're nothing."

"What the hell are you here for?" the Doctor asked the creature as he stood in front of it once more.

By this point, Madison wished she could say something. Question him of the creature's existence and why he appeared to hate it so . . . viciously. But she remained quiet, feeling as though it were not her place to intervene. The Dalek had already called him its enemy. Perhaps it was the same as the robotic head they had seen in the display case earlier. A very old enemy of the Doctor's. No, it most certainly was not her place to get in between the two.

"I am waiting for orders," barked the Dalek.

"What does that mean?" questioned the Doctor.

"I am a soldier. I was bred to receive orders," replied the Dalek. A soldier? She frowned, thinking this over. A soldier. Was . . . was it part of . . . And it said 'bred'. Was it created specifically for war? How terrible of an existence.

"Well, you're never gonna get any. Not ever," spat the Doctor, starting to smile again.

"I demand orders!"

The Doctor had his manic grin again. His face twisted in a mixture of both sinister delight and haunted pain. "They're never gonna come. Your race is dead. You all burnt. All of you. Ten million ships on fire. The entire Dalek race wiped out, in one second."

"You lie!" the Dalek cried angrily.

"I watched it happen. I made it happen!"

"You destroyed us?" the Dalek questioned him in shock.

Madison's eyes went wide. She held in her breath, freezing to the spot. No . . . the Doctor wouldn't have . . . But he did, didn't he? He was telling the truth. He had wiped out an entire race from the universe. Had the Time War been so horrendous that he had to make such an unthinkable, unspeakable, act? The Doctor slowly turned around, his eyes distant, recalling such terrible memories. His face drained of colour as he unsteadily stood in place. He lifted his eyes, staring past Madison as he recalled such haunting nightmares.

"I had no choice," he said, his voice subtle in a mixture of turmoil.

"And what of the Time Lords?" questioned the Dalek.

The Doctor's eyes met Madison's then. He swallowed heavily as she could only stare at him. It was then, the heavy guilt on his face . . . the torn expression and the sorrowful look he gave her . . . She knew. She knew what he had done. She didn't want to believe it. But she knew. She allowed no emotion to be shown from herself as she didn't know what she was feeling. All she could do . . . was gaze at him . . . at a loss. A part of her wished she did not realise it. That she was wrong . . . that her mind was playing tricks. But then . . .

"Dead. They burnt with you," the Doctor said grimly, his face falling as well as his shoulders. Everything seemed to weigh on him then. Everything pushed him down to his darkest depths at that moment. He tore his eyes away from hers, staring at the concrete ground. "The end of the Last Great Time War. Everyone lost."

"And the coward survived," said the Dalek.

Then, the Doctor began smiling again. A twisted smile that told of a broken man. "Oh, and I caught your little signal. 'Help me'. Poor little thing," the Doctor mocked the creature. Then his smile fell. "But there's no one else coming 'cause there's no one else left."

"I am alone in the universe," said the Dalek, its robotic voice sounding heavy with finality. She couldn't tell if there was sadness in its voice or not. It was hard to tell from the mechanical voice. But she felt pity for it as it discovered to be the last of its kind. She knew from experience . . . it was a terrible feeling. The worst feeling to have, knowing to be all alone in the universe.

"Yep," said the Doctor, sounding ever so happy with this notion. Madison blinked, taken back in just how delighted he was in the aspect of his enemy being the last of its kind. But as she stared at him . . . there was no remorse from him. Only hatred.

"So are you," said the Dalek. "We are the same."

The Doctor turned back to the creature, stomping over to it with his eyes wild in rage. "We're not the same! I'm not . . ." Then he stopped, beginning to chuckle and smile again in his enraged, manic way. "No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right! Yeah, okay! You've got a point. 'Cause I know what to do." The Doctor backed away from the Dalek as he spoke. Going closer and closer to the computer system in the corner of the room. "I know what should happen. I know what you deserve." He then gave a large smile. "Exterminate."

"No!" Madison yelled just as she realised what he was about to do. But it was too late as the Doctor yanked down on a lever from the computer system, causing a massive wave of electricity from the tubes connecting to the Dalek. It electrocuted the creature, causing it to scream in agony. "Doctor, stop!" She ran over to stop the Doctor, but he pushed her away as he kept yanking down different levers.

"Have pity!" cried the Dalek.

"Why should I? You never did!" yelled the Doctor. Madison rushed over then, roughly pushing the Doctor aside and stopping the electricity. She turned on him then, holding him back as he tried to yank down the levers around her.

"Doctor, enough! This isn't right! Just stop!" she pleaded to him. "This isn't you!"

"You don't know! You don't know how I am! This is exactly what sort of man I am! I'm ending this war. Now or never!" the Doctor screamed, his face twisted into something beyond rage.

Madison could only hold him back, seeing more than just rage in the storm that brewed in his eyes. For there was such pain, too. She pushed him back away hard, shaking her head as she begged him, "Please . . . just don't do this. Don't become this sort of man. Even if you were like this during the war . . . just don't become that man again. You're better than that. I know you are."

"You don't know anything," the Doctor spat at her, glaring now. "You think you know pain, but you don't know anything! You have no idea what it's like!"

Madison gazed at him. Seeing the hatred. The anger. The anguish. She walked over to him, cupping his face in her hands. "Then help me understand," she whispered. She didn't fight the urge. She brushed her mind gently against his like before. Only this time, he revolted against her. He jerked out of her hold, face twisting again. He pushed her out of the way once more, yanking the lever down. The Dalek began to scream like before. "NO!"

It was then that the door was yanked open and a swarm of guards came into the room. They roughly grabbed the Doctor, pulling him away from the computers and undoing what had been done. The electricity around the Dalek ceased once again. The Doctor shouted for them to destroy the Dalek as they pulled him out of the room. Van Statten yelled at the Dalek to talk. All Madison could do was let out a shaking breath, not knowing what to think. A deep, sharp jab hit her heart at how the Doctor was acting. This . . . was not the man she had come to know. This . . . was not the Doctor. The man who stared back at her only a moment ago . . . was someone she did not recognize. And it hurt in realising just how little of the Doctor she truly knew.

Getting a hold of herself, she turned to Van Statten as the man continued to demand the Dalek to speak. She marched over to him, pushing at him to shut up.

"Just be quiet," she barked at him, pointing a harsh finger at him as she glared. "There are things happening here that are way beyond your comprehension, so stop with your stupid little demands and, for once in your life, just shut up." She didn't bother seeing his reaction, only turning to the Dalek now.

It stared at her with its blue eyestalk, appearing to be taking her in very carefully. She didn't know how to feel about it. Pity, yes, because it was the last of its kind. But other than that . . . it was a soldier of a great war. A product of something terrible. She had no idea what it thought or how it viewed everything. It could harbour nothing but resentment toward the universe, especially in knowing it was the last of its kind. Or it could be wallowing in sorrow and regret. She didn't know. There was no indication from the metal creature.

"I know what it's like being the last of your kind. It's a terrible burden. Something no one should have to go through," she told the creature, staring steadily into the blue light of its eye. "I don't know how to fix this . . . but I promise that I'll try." The Dalek moved its eyestalk, taking her in carefully.

"You will save me?" it asked her hesitantly.

"I'll try. Or at least . . . gain you some closure. Just as I hope to do for the Doctor, too. The Time War . . . it ends today. I can promise you that," she replied, unsure if she could keep such a promise or if what she was saying was the right thing. All she knew was that she wanted to fix this situation somehow. To help the Doctor in any way she can. Even if that meant forcing him to accept the finality of the Time War. He needed to heal from this . . . Or else . . . she feared of what sort of man he would change into.

She turned then, walking out of the room and going where the guards were holding the Doctor. She heard Van Statten giving an order for the man in the hazmat suit to 'make it talk'. She winced, feeling horrible to allow this to continue. Even if it was an enemy of the Doctors, no one deserved to be put through such hell. She looked over to the Doctor, seeing him rigidly standing there, refusing to meet her gaze. She felt a stab at her heart. She looked away, unable to look at him for the moment. She needed time to think about how to talk with him. If they could just talk . . . She felt she was being an idiot in thinking he would want to talk to her after that. But she had to try. After he calmed down . . . she just had to try.

She glanced over when she saw Van Statten give his guards this jerk of his head and a nod. She frowned, knowing that he was giving some sort of hidden message to them but she didn't know what. The Doctor quickly tried telling the man about the Dalek. Of just how dangerous it was to them all. It turned into an argument with Van Statten not listening and ordering them all to go back into the lift. The Doctor followed Van Statten into the lift, still trying to reason with the man somehow. Madison only silently followed along, standing herself behind the Doctor as he spoke. She half-listened to the Doctor explaining more of the Dalek and what it was. Apparently, it was like the Trilloo, though for much worse reasons. A creature inside of battle armour, mutated and created specifically for destruction. For war. Just as she had thought before. To be born for nothing but chaos and death . . . To only feel hatred for a single emotion . . . It was a creature she could only feel sympathy for.

"It's been on Earth for over fifty years," Goddard said then, stepping around to face the lift as they continued up the many floors of the underground facility. "Sold at private auction, moving from one collection to another. Why would it be a threat now?"

"Because I'm here," the Doctor answered gruffly. "How did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?"

"The record says it came from the sky like a meteorite," Goddard explained. "It fell to Earth on the Ascension Islands, burnt in its crater for three days, before anybody could get near it. And all that time, it was screaming. Must have gone insane." Madison frowned as she listened to the story, knowing that something like that could warp a mind. Twist it into something . . . terrible.

"And now you all are torturing it for mere pleasure," Madison spoke up, voice harsh as she shot Van Statten a glare. "It's gone beyond insanity by this point. You're most likely wrapping its mind into something far exceeding comprehension." Van Statten frowned, appearing uneasy by her words. There was no time to reflect as the Doctor was talking again.

"It must have fallen through time. The only survivor," he said quietly. She glanced at him, seeing him staring at the wall in thought.

"You talked about a war?" Goddard asked.

"The Time War. The final battle between my people and the Dalek race," the Doctor explained bleakly.

"But you survived, too," said Van Statten then, now slowly growing his usual smug smile. His eyes glinted as he stared at the Doctor hungrily. "This means the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth, Doctor. There's you. The only one of your kind in existence." The Doctor tensed and Madison's eyes went wide. The lift came to a halt then, opening up to a floor that looked like a medical ward. Though a twisted, sinister one. More guards marched into the open lift, grabbing at the Doctor. He struggled in their grasp, trying to fight them off.

"Let him go!" Madison yelled angrily, running over and jumping at the first man which held the Doctor. Swiftly, before the man could react, she jabbed her hand upwards with her palm facing up. She rammed into the man's nose, hearing it break and making the man cry as he stumbled back. She then swiftly grabbed the other man's hand on the Doctor, twisting it around and holding a pressure point to make him let go and fall to his knees in pain. This upper hand she had only lasted so long before two men rammed into her from behind and made her fall to the ground. They jumped on top of her, keeping her on the ground and struggling under their hold. One pressed their knee onto her arm, pressing it to the ground while her other arm was twisted behind her back. Another knee pressed right into her spine, making her yelp in pain. As they pressed down, it became harder for her to breathe. Not that she wasn't already having some difficulties breathing while going through her monthly cycle.

"Leave her alone!" she heard the Doctor shouting. A scuffle was heard, followed by a groan in pain as something was hit hard.

"No! Stop it! Don't hurt him!" she yelled, struggling harder under the guards' hold on her. Her breaths started to become raspy as she struggled to intake air. She grunted as they pressed down harder on her back.

"You sure know how to pick them, Doctor. So feisty, this one," she heard Van Statten say while laughing. "Cuff her. Throw her into a holding cell. We'll wipe her memories later once she's told us everything she knows." She felt someone grab her hand, placing cold metal around her wrist. When they grabbed her other arm, twisting it around, she felt them stop.

"Sir . . . you might want to take a look at this," said one man that was on her. She tensed, worrying about what they had seen from her. Someone came over to her and then she was being forced to stand up. She struggled, trying to fight them as they forced her to face a grinning Van Statten. Her breath left her shakily as he grabbed her uncuffed hand, yanking it up for everyone to see. Her breath hitched. Her eyes went wide in horror as her hand was webbed and a patch of scales was seen on the back of her hand. No . . . No, she was supposed to still have time before this happened. Why, why was it happening so soon?! She tried hiding it by making a fist, but he had a thumb pressed in the centre of her palm in a painful hold.

"Look at that. Another alien," Van Statten said with a sneer, chuckling under his breath. He gripped her hand tighter, making her wince. "What is it you said to the Dalek? That you understood what it was like 'being the last of your kind'?" His grin widened even more. "Looks like I got myself a whole collection of unique specimens." He let go of her hand and she held it close to her chest, terrified of what was to come next. Van Statten looked at the men holding her arms. "Let's do her first."

She cried as they began yanking her into the room and towards a metal, grated table. She shook from head to toe, knowing what was coming next. It was her greatest nightmare coming to life. They were going to dissect her. Maybe worse. And there was nothing she could do about it.

"NO! Let her go! Don't you dare hurt her!" she heard the Doctor shouting. She looked over, seeing him struggling in the grasp of the two men who held him by the arms. "It's me you want! I'm the unique specimen. I have two hearts. A binary vascular system. IQ like you wouldn't believe. And I'm from the war your Dalek was in. I'm the specimen you've always wanted. Not her!"

They ignored the Time Lord as they forced Madison's wrists into thick, heavy metal cuffs that were connected to chains on the ceiling. They hoisted her arms up and over her head by pulling the chains. They pushed her against the metal bed, making her stay in place before walking away. A whimper escaped her before she could hold it back. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to show any more weakness to them. But her terror was just too much to keep herself from shaking. Through her eyelids, she could see harsh white lights being turned on, pointed at her so all could see her. She could hear machinery being turned on, buzzing away. She decided then and there that, no matter what, she wouldn't scream. She wouldn't give the bastards the satisfaction of her screaming. She opened her eyes, meeting the worried gaze of the Doctor. What he must have seen in her wavering eyes greatly upset him as he fought in the hold the guards kept him in and looked around wildly at everyone.

"Listen to me! That thing downstairs is gonna kill every last one of us!" the Doctor started shouting, looking to Van Statten in desperation. "Just let her go and I can stop it!"

"Nothing can escape the Cage," Van Statten said confidently.

"But it's woken up! It knows I'm here! It's gonna get out!" yelled the Doctor, pleading for the man to listen. "Van Statten, I swear, no one on this base is safe. No one on this planet!"

"You can say all you want to, Doctor, to protect your little friend. But she's all mine no matter what you do." It was then Van Statten reached over to a machine that was centred in the middle of the room. A red beam came out of the machine, projecting onto her body. She withered in pain as it felt like a sharp stab through her entire being. She kept her teeth clenched shut, not allowing herself to scream. But a small groan of pain bubbled in her throat as she hung there limply after the red beam went away. She half-listened to Van Statten going over the different organs and bones in her body while the Doctor shouted at the man to stop. Van Statten was just about to activate the machine again when a voice spoke throughout the facility and a loud alarm began blaring.

"Condition red. Condition red. I repeat, this is not a drill!" shouted the voice. Van Statten and the rest looked around in confusion while the Doctor's face fell to that of severe urgency.

"Release us now if you want to live," he growled strictly. Van Statten seemed to hesitate, then nodded for his men to let the Time Lord go. The moment they did the Doctor rushed over to Madison, whipping out his sonic screwdriver and aiming it at the metal cuffs around her wrists. They opened up, letting her fall to the ground. She let out a quivering breath of relief, tensing as the Doctor crouched down and held her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," he breathed into her ear. He was then helping her up from the floor, holding her with an arm wrapped around her waist and one hand on her elbow. She gripped her lower stomach in pain. Whether it was from the machine Van Statten had used, or from her body wanting to be in water, she could not tell. She didn't allow herself to make a sound in her discomfort. Instead, she walked as steadily as she could with the Doctor over to the lift as others rushed around them to the open doorway. The Doctor held her close the entire ride up, back up to the top of the facility. She could feel how rigid the Doctor was, and, when she glanced up at him, how tight his eyes were. A storm was brewing in his blue irises once again. When the lift doors opened, the Doctor practically pushed his way out of the lift. He let go of Madison as he went over to a video screen that was on the wall of Van Statten's office.

"You've got to keep it in that cell!" the Doctor yelled at whoever was on the other side of the screen. Madison walked over to stand closer to him, shocked to see Rose and the young man from before on the screen.

"Doctor, it's all my fault," Rose said, her face looking stricken and fret with worry.

"I've sealed the compartment. He can't get out. That lock's got a billion combinations," said a guard that was standing close to Rose.

"The Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat," the Doctor explained quickly.

"But what happened? Rose, why did you say it was your fault?" Madison questioned, wanting to understand what had been done.

"I don't know. He was telling me he was dying and that he was the last of his kind . . . I just felt bad for him. All I did was touch him," Rose explained in a rush.

"Cellular reconstruction. Rose, you've travelled in the TARDIS, through time and space. You're teeming with genetic code that it needed to rebuild itself," the Doctor said, his voice strict in tense anger.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know. I just wanted to comfort him," Rose apologised, looking heavy with guilt now. "He was just so sad. He said he welcomed death."

"It's okay, Rose. You didn't know. It's okay to want to comfort people," Madison said, wanting to assure the girl that it was an honest mistake.

"Daleks are master manipulators. They'll say whatever it takes to get what they need. And once they finish and your purpose has ended for them, they exterminate you," said the Doctor, his tone gruff as his hands clenched into fists. Everyone in the office tensed as they heard the door behind Rose begin to make noises.

"You, young man, what's your name?" Madison asked suddenly, trying to rush them along now, pointing to the same young lad as before.

"Adam," answered the young man as he gulped from what they heard coming from the Dalek's cell.

"Adam, I need you to stay by Rose's side until you two get back up here. Got it?" she started to instruct him, hoping to have someone protect the blonde.

There wasn't time for a response from Adam as the door to the Dalek's cell opened. The Dalek came rolling out, facing the two guards, Rose, and Adam. Madison tensed, fearing what it would do to them. Especially as the guards opened fire and began shooting at the creature. But the Dalek merely ignored them, their bullets bouncing off of it as though they were mere flies. One guard left then with Rose and Adam in tow while the other guard kept firing, following the movement of the Dalek as the metal creature grew closer to the screen. With its arm that looked like a plunger, it rammed it into the screen, making it go black with static. It was then that the remaining guard told them he was leaving the Cage over a radio system.

"It's going to absorb power and a lot of it," the Doctor told them, rushing over to Van Statten's desk for a computer. "Quick, bring up your power supply. Maybe I can stop it."

Madison stood away from the crowded desk, watching as Van Statten and the Doctor looked over Goddard's shoulder as she brought up a power grid onto the computer screen. In a matter of moments, the lights around them began to flicker and dim. The base was being drained of power and Goddard announced that this wasn't the only place being affected. The Dalek was draining power to the entire state of Utah.

"It's downloading," the Doctor stated grimly.

"Downloading what?" questioned Van Statten, still watching the screen as the entire west coast of the United States was losing power.

"It's not just energy. That Dalek just absorbed the entire internet," the Doctor told them. "It knows everything." The lights dimmed dramatically now, making it so there was hardly any light in the room.

"The camera's in the vault have gone down," Goddard informed them.

"We've only got emergency power. It's eaten everything else," said the Doctor, turning to Van Statten with a glare. The man had remained staring at the computer screen in disbelief, fear written in his expression. "You've got to kill it now!" Van Statten seemed to snap himself out of it as he glared back at the Doctor in defiance.

"The Metaltron belongs to me. It's my property. I'm not destroying what's mine," he spat at the Doctor as Goddard ordered all the guards in the facility to go down to where the Dalek was.

"Is your property worth the lives of everyone here?" Madison questioned the man, glaring at him in outrage.

"They're dispensable, that Dalek is unique," Van Statten retorted as they heard guards talking over the radio, stating that men were being killed instantly by the Dalek's weapon. Gunfire was heard, continuously trying to stop the creature. Van Statten turned to the radio that was on his desk. "I don't want a scratch on its bodywork! Do you hear me?" No answer came. "Do you hear me?" Soon, the sound of gunshots slowly died out. Only unsettling silence was heard.

"Those men are dead and even more will die due to your arrogance," Madison said lowly, her eyes flashing darkly as she glared at the man.

"The Dalek won't stop until he's killed every last person on this base," the Doctor said, nodding his head at Madison. "Everyone here will die and then it'll move onto the entire planet. If we don't stop it here and now, Earth won't be the last planet to fall today."

Goddard looked at the Doctor, swallowing thickly before she quickly began typing away at the computer in front of her. She brought up a blueprint of the facility, pointing to it to show where the Dalek was compared to where they were at. The Dalek was seen as a blip of light on the screen, moving steadily towards their location. The Doctor asked about weapons and, unfortunately, all alien weapons that could be used against the Dalek were far below them. So, the Doctor ordered for Goddard to give the command for all personnel to grab a weapon and arm themselves against the Dalek. While this was going on, Madison leaned against the wall behind her. She was in pain with her body growing increasingly uncomfortable being still on dry land. But she ignored this as her fears of what was to come outmatched any pain she felt. Her worriment over Rose toiled away greatly. All she could think about was Rose being anywhere near that thing if it truly wished to kill everyone. At first, she thought perhaps it was merely Van Statten and his men. But if what the Doctor said was true . . .

"Is there any way we can talk with it?" Madison asked the Doctor then, needing to know what their options were. "Maybe if we just talk . . ."

"She's right. Why not just reason with this Dalek?" Van Statten agreed swiftly, though Madison knew this agreement of his was only because he wished to find a way to keep his precision property alive. "It must be willing to negotiate."

"Ha! 'Negotiate'. That Dalek only wants one thing from you and that's your death. It's out for revenge of years being tortured by you and your men," Madison spat at the man, glaring at him once again. "It won't want to talk to the likes of you. I was talking about the Doctor speaking with it."

"It won't listen to me. It won't listen to anyone, ever. No Dalek would," the Doctor spoke up, glancing up at her with hard eyes. "All a Dalek needs or wants is to kill every living creature in existence."

"But why?" she questioned, confused why this was the case. "Does it hate all humans?"

The Doctor's hard expression remained as his jaw tightened. "No, it hates everything. Everything but itself. Anything different than a Dalek; human, Time Lord . . . Mer, it honestly believes they should die. Because anything different is wrong. It's the ultimate in racial cleansing."

Madison gazed at him with wide eyes, processing this notion. ". . . And it was programmed to believe this? Why? Why would anyone create a creature to hate so much?"

"Because their creator was a madman, his mind torn apart by war and death."

Shaking her head, Madison could only feel revulsion. Creatures created for the sole purpose to kill and destroy all life? That was . . . beyond sickening. It was unthinkable. Maddening. She could only wonder what sort of man was driven to create such things. In knowing this . . . she still felt sympathy for the Dalek. Even though it was a killing machine and would end everyone and everything in a heartbeat . . . she felt sorry for the poor thing. To be created for such a thing . . . never knowing what else life could bring for it . . . It was simply such a heartbreaking life to live. She swallowed thickly, thinking of any possible way around this. "If it's been programmed to think like that, could we possibly reprogram it? Break it free of such thoughts?"

"Others have tried before but no one has ever been successful. The programming isn't just machinery. It's organic, written into their genetic code. To rewrite a Dalek you need to rewrite its biology."

Madison nodded, understanding. So it was impossible. The creature would always be trapped in its cycle of hatred and violence. Always killing . . . never knowing love or happiness. Thinking on all of this . . . the only thing she could picture that would be fitting was to put the poor thing out of its misery. Nothing in the universe should live a life like that. Nothing.

Madison sat there and listened as another wave of guards was positioned to stop the Dalek. The Doctor tried telling the leader of the guards how to possibly stop the Dalek. Aiming for places like the eyepiece on the Dalek. She grimaced as the guard answering the Doctor confidently stated how he 'knew what he was doing' before ending the call. Those men were going to die. She could feel it. And she was right. As a visual link came back up with the screen on the wall, she watched solemnly as the Dalek slowly hovered up off the floor, shot its weapon with a beam of light at a sprinkler system to get water to rain down on everyone firing at it, and then shot its weapon again at the floor as water puddled around everyone's feet. All of the guards and other employees screamed briefly as their bodies lit up with some sort of energy that resembled electricity. She was shocked to see the energy lit up their bodies so much that they could see their skeletons briefly before all bodies collapsed to the ground. All dead, from a single shot, like they were nothing.

"Perhaps it's time for a new strategy. Maybe we should consider abandoning this place," Van Statten spoke up after a long moment of silence. Everyone in the office was staring at the scene on the screen with wavering eyes. All except the Doctor. Madison saw how he only lowered his head solemnly from the corner of her eye. She looked over to Van Statten after he spoke, narrowing her eyes at the coward.

"Except there's no power to the helipad, sir. We can't get out," Goddard said strictly, also narrowing her eyes at the man. Apparently, just as Madison felt, even Goddard had enough of the man. Van Statten looked alarmed by this news, his face going a bit pale.

"You said we could seal the vault?" the Doctor questioned then, looking at Van Statten. Madison blinked at this question. Seal the vault? What?

"It was designed to be a bunker in the event of nuclear war," Van Statten said as he hurriedly went over to the computer and began typing rapidly. Goddard was worried about the power, but the Doctor pointed out the emergency power which could be used if rerouted properly.

"We'd have to bypass the security codes. That would take a computer genius," said Goddard, shaking her head, not believing it to be possible.

"Good thing you've got me, then," said Van Statten, going back to his usual smug self.

"But you can't close the vault. Rose is still down there," Madison said urgently, going over to the Doctor. "She'll be trapped."

"I'll call her and let her know what's happening. I'll make sure she runs and gets past the bulkheads before they close," he said.

"Can you be sure she'll make it in time?" Seeing the Doctor's hesitant response, she turned and made her way out of the room where she knew the staircase would be. She felt someone grab her arm, stopping her just as she exited the room.

"Stop. You can't go down there. You'll only get yourself killed," she heard the Doctor telling her firmly.

She turned sharply to him. "I'm not going to stand by uselessly while I can at least try to save her."

The Doctor shook his head, gazing at her strictly. "Going down there won't guarantee her safety."

"Staying up here won't, either." She jerked herself out of his grasp, backing away slightly. "I made a vow to Jackie that I'd do whatever it takes to protect her daughter. I intend to keep my promise."

Shaking his head, the Doctor stared at her urgently, appearing anxious. "You can't make a promise like that. Not with this kind of life we live."

"The hell I can't." She narrowed her eyes, growing angry to think the Doctor would give up so easily. "I will never give up on trying to protect her, or even you for that matter. Never."

"I shall speak only to the Doctor!" came the voice of the Dalek from the office behind the Doctor. The Time Lord tensed, gazing quickly back towards the room. Apparently, the Dalek wished to have an audience with the Doctor. Madison started backing away more towards the door leading to the stairs. She didn't want to give him a chance to stop her.

"Go. Do what you have to do to stop it," she said. "Just focus on closing those bulkheads while I'll focus on getting Rose out of there." The Doctor looked back at her after a moment's delay, frowning heavily as the Dalek demanded to speak with him again.

Madison didn't wait to hear what the Dalek and the Doctor had to say to each other. She very much doubted it would be anything pleasant. Instead, she kept her soul goal to be getting down the stairs and towards where Rose would be coming up. Truthfully, she didn't know how she was going to help in going down to where Rose was. But she wanted to be there to at least make certain the girl would make it to the other side of that bulkhead. She would do everything in her power to succeed in the task of getting Rose to safety, her promise to Jackie burning away in her heart. There were so many in her past she had let down. So many promises broken. She just couldn't allow another one down. Not now. Not after Rose just joined them. Not when the girl was so young, still just beginning her life. Madison knew she just had to succeed in this. If she didn't . . .

Madison sped up her pace going down the flight of stairs. Her breath started coming out in wheezes as it grew harder for her to breathe. Such horrible timing for her to be going through this. What a day for her body to pick for today to be stubborn. She ignored the spots that grew in her vision, pushing herself harder to get to Rose. She heard an alarm begin to sound and yellow lights flashing along the hallway as she ran down the corridor. Floor forty-six was where she was at now. She could see a thick steel door beginning to descend down. The bulkhead . . . it was closing. She stopped, starting to panic as Rose was still nowhere in sight. Looking around wildly, she tried searching for something to help her stop the bulkhead. Spotting a crate of tools that someone had left behind, she began searching through it hurriedly. They were massive tools. Built to work on large machinery. She pulled out a very long, very heavy, wrench. The thing was almost longer than her torso. Perfect.

Running over to the bulkhead, she quickly placed the wrench under where the door was coming down. It slowly crept towards the tool before starting to press down on the wrench. The tool began to bend slightly, but soon the door came to a creaking stop. It halted in place, groaning as it still tried to close. There. This was all she needed. She would kick the wrench away the moment Rose came through. This could work. Nodding, glad her plan was working, she heard quick running steps from the other side of the bulkhead. She ducked under the door, going into the corridor where Adam and Rose were running. Adam was in the lead, practically leaving Rose behind as he ran. Rose was seen struggling to keep up, panting greatly in an effort to breathe.

"Come on! I've stopped the door but it won't last!" Madison shouted to them, growing nervous as she heard the groaning from the door behind her. Adam rushed around her, skidding under the door to get to the other side. Madison shifted on her feet as she waited for Rose to catch up, but then . . .

CLANG!

She gasped as the wrench broke in two and the door began closing again.

"Rose!" she shouted, rushing over to grab the girl's hand and yank her forward. With a mighty push, she practically threw the girl under the door just as it slammed closed. Madison stood there numbly, slowly realising that she was trapped. She was trapped on the other side . . . with the Dalek coming right up behind her. Sighing heavily, she shook her head, walking over to the door to press her hand up against it. The steel was cold, biting at her sweaty skin. She let out a small sigh, smiling to herself. Well . . . at least she had saved Rose. That was the most important thing.

Removing her hand, she backed away from the door, wondering now just how long it would take for the Dalek to reach her. It was then that her mobile phone began to go off. Pulling it out, she answered it and held it to her ear.

"Did you do it? Did you get to Rose in time?" the Doctor's urgent voice came from the other end.

"Yes. I saved her," she answered softly, turning around to press her back against the bulkhead door. "She's on the other side and should be coming to you soon."

"Good. Get yourselves back here as quick as you can. It's not over yet. The Dalek can still-," the Doctor began instructing her.

"Doctor . . . I didn't make it," Madison interrupted him, knowing it was pointless to let him think she was fine. Besides, she didn't know how long she had to speak with him now. She wanted to get in her goodbyes before the Dalek showed up.

There was a moment's pause. "What?"

"I had to put a wrench in the door to keep it open long enough for Rose to get through. But it didn't hold. I went on the other side and pushed her under. I'm stuck now. I'm sorry." She received no response. She didn't expect to. She was dumb enough to get herself stuck on the other side, after all. She tensed as she saw the Dalek starting to come down the corridor. Ever so slowly making its way towards her. "I really am sorry. I hope you can forgive me. But, at least I saved her. I saved Rose. She's the real one that matters. Not me."

". . . Madison," breathed the Doctor.

"Ssh. Don't talk. Just listen. Because I've got some things to say," she said softly, smiling as she pressed the phone harder into her ear. "It's not your fault. I know how you are at blaming yourself, so just don't, okay? And . . . promise me that you'll keep travelling with Rose? Because . . . you shouldn't be alone. No one should ever be alone. Especially you, Doctor. You deserve to-to find yourself a family again." Her smile wavered as she felt herself tearing up. One tear slid down her face. "Just know that you were my new family . . . and I'll never regret the time I spent with you. Not one second of it." She glanced over, seeing the Dalek coming right up to her now. "Goodbye, Doctor."

She hung up the phone, not wanting for the Doctor to hear her death. She stood up straight, facing the Dalek head-on as it continued to come closer. It finally stopped a few feet in front of her. Its eye seemed to look her up and down as it just stayed in place. Not saying a word to her. She couldn't help the soft smile given to it. Even with all she knew about it . . . the deaths that had been today . . . she couldn't bring herself to hate the creature. Again, her pity outweighs any other emotion she felt towards it.

"I'm sorry. I suppose I couldn't keep my promise to you," she said softly. "I hope though, with my death, it might give you some peace of mind in knowing you won't have to kill anything again. The war is over. You don't have to be a soldier anymore. You can be free . . . if you want." The weapon stalk on it began to move, pointing at her. She closed her eyes, ready for death.

"Exterminate!" it cried out. She heard the weapon discharge, firing at her. She could not stop herself from flinching knowing the pain would come. But . . . nothing came. She didn't feel a thing. She snapped her eyes open, blinking as she realised the Dalek had merely fired around her. It stared at her, moving the eyepiece slightly as it appeared to take her in carefully. It looked . . . confused. Which was about the same as she felt as she wasn't sure what it had planned next. Didn't the Doctor say the creature only wanted death? Why was it not killing her?

"Are you . . . going to kill me?" she asked it, hesitating as she felt asking such questions was pushing her luck.

"I am armed. I will kill," the Dalek told her, barking with its high-pitched, screaming voice. "It is my purpose."

". . . But if it's your purpose, then why are you hesitating?" she asked it. The Dalek just stared at her, remaining quiet. She moved a bit away from the door behind her, confused by what was happening but finding hope in her yet. "Does it really have to be your purpose? Couldn't you find another one?"

"The only purpose in life is to destroy! A Dalek must end all life! Kill the impure!"

"But why?" She saw again how the Dalek seemed to falter. To stare at her in confusion. "You're the last Dalek in all of existence . . . What's the point in keeping following old orders when you're the last one?" This seemed to befuddle the Dalek as it didn't respond to her. "You have the chance now to make your own purpose. Why don't you? What do you want?"

"I must kill! I must follow the Primary Order! I must exterminate!" The Dalek began to fire wildly around her. Hitting the wall on either side of her.

Madison flinched but remained still as possible. Once it was done firing its weapon, she asked, "You don't want to though, do you? Because what's the point? What's the point of continuing a war that your people have already lost?" Receiving no answer, she went on. "What do you want? Isn't there anything?"

Again, there was hesitation from the Dalek. "I feel . . . your pity. Why do you pity me?"

"The Doctor told me you and your people were created only for war. You've never known a true life for yourself. Only ever following orders to kill. That's . . . a horrible life to live."

"I felt Rose Tyler. I felt her fear. She gave me life. What else has she given me?"

There was alarm in its voice now. Anger and fear. Confused, Madison shook her head as she wasn't sure what it was asking of her. "I don't know."

"I demand answers! I am contaminated! She has corrupted me!"

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"A Dalek must never be corrupt! A Dalek must never change!"

"Then what's the point of living if you never learn to grow up?" Madison flinched as the Dalek fired another shot close by her. She and it both stared at each other. She began to fear what it had planned next, having no idea what to expect. She very much doubted the creature would be content to remain locked down here forever. It moved away from her, looking around the corridor now for something. "If you can't kill me, what are you going to do with me?"

"You will be of use," the Dalek said as it looked back at her before turning its eyestalk towards a CCTV camera on the wall. It then pointed the plunger arm towards the camera. She wondered if this arm was something that allowed it to manipulate its surroundings somehow. The Dalek turned towards her again. "You will stand in front of me. Now!"

She hesitated only for a second before slowly doing as she was told. She stood there in front, with its weapon arm pointed at her back. The light on the side of the camera came on and the Dalek said, "Open the bulkhead or Madison Baker dies."

"You're alive!" came the voice of the Doctor through the camera. The relief she heard in his voice . . .

"I'm sorry to have worried you," she said, her voice quiet as she was afraid to be too loud and make the Dalek upset.

"I thought you were dead," said the Doctor again, sounding upset now. She winced, wondering if he was angry with her.

"Open the bulkhead!" cried the Dalek, obviously annoyed by their talking. "What use are emotions, if you will not save the woman you love?" Madison blinked, taken back by this. What? Where did that come from? Why did the Dalek say that?

"I killed her once. I can't do it again," they heard the Doctor saying over the comm system. There was a clank followed by a whirring of machinery. She glanced over, seeing the bulkhead beginning to rise again, opening for them.

"You will stay in front! Go! Go!" ordered the Dalek. Madison continued to do as she was told, walking down the corridor in front of the Dalek. It was a slow progression down the corridor until they eventually came to the lift. The door opened for them and the Dalek made them both go inside. It used its manipulation arm to set their destination for the top. She then began to watch as the numbers ticked down as they grew closer and closer to the top of the base.

"You don't have to kill them. Just like you didn't kill me. You can change," she spoke up after a moment, hating the silence. She looked at the creature, hoping to plead with it. There was the fear it showed a moment ago. Maybe . . . it was still questioning things.

"But why not?" it asked her, looking at her in question. "Why are you still alive? Why am I changing? My function is to kill. What am I?" It looked away, staring at the lift door. "What am I?"

"I don't know. Isn't changing a good thing?" she questioned, confused by its delma.

"A Dalek must not change! A Dalek must never change! A Dalek must kill! Why can I not kill?" The doors opened then as they reached the top floor. The Dalek wheeled out of the lift without her, going towards Van Statten who stood on the other side. The man was frozen with terror as he stared with wide eyes at the Dalek that was advancing on him. "Van Statten. You tortured me. Why?"

Van Statten, who was backing away slowly from the Dalek, answered, "I wanted to help you, I just . . . I don't know, I was trying to help. I thought if we could get through to you, if we could mend you . . . " The desperation was great in the man's voice as he shook head to toe. His back was now pressed up against the wall behind him. "I wanted you better. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I swear, I just wanted you to talk!"

"Then hear me talk now," the Dalek spoke angrily. "Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

"No! Stop! You don't have to kill him! You don't have to kill anymore!" Madison yelled, running over to the Dalek, standing beside it and pleading to it. She pressed a hand to its dome head, hoping to reach it somehow. It turned to look at her, staring at her as though at a loss. Her eyes were sad as she gazed back. "You don't have to do this anymore. Please . . . just think of what you want. Not your old orders. Not your people. Just you. What do you want of your life?"

The Dalek looked to Van Statten again before backing away and gazing at her. "I want . . . freedom."

"Okay. Okay, that's good." She nodded quickly, relief going through her as she realised she was reaching it. Somehow. "I can do that for you." She looked at Van Statten then. "Where's the exit to this place?"

The man didn't answer, so Goddard, who had been standing by the desk, did. She pointed Madison in the right direction, out of the office and down the corridor. Madison nodded and began leading the Dalek towards the exit. It followed her, going slow. Eventually, when they reached an empty section of a very wide portion of the corridor. The Dalek stopped, making her halt in place. She stared back at it curiously. She watched as it lifted its weapon and fired a powerful shot, blasting a hole in the ceiling. Concrete broke away, leaving an opening to the blue sky and sunlight outside. Madison stared at the light, feeling the warmth it created.

"Sunlight . . . Have you ever felt sunlight before?" she asked it curiously, wondering if a Dalek ever came out of its armour.

"No," it answered sadly.

"Do you want to?" she asked gently.

". . . Yes."

She watched as the middle section of it began opening up, hearing machinery whirl as it moved. Slowly, the armour revealed an internal section of the machine. What she saw was not exactly what she had been expecting. The creature inside, the real Dalek, was so small and fragile in appearance. Its skin was grey and covered in mucous. It was more tentacle than body as there were limp tentacles hanging around the small frame of it. In the centre was one eyeball that was cloudy in appearance. Most likely from its lack of light within the armour. Slowly, one of its tentacles moved up towards the beam of light it had created. It felt at the light, reaching out for the warmth. Madison gently reached out her own hand, touching the tentacle softly.

"Get out of the way!"

Madison jumped, whipping herself around to see the Doctor standing there with a massive gun in his arms. His eyes were fired up in rage as he glared toward her and the Dalek's direction. Rose stood next to him, biting her lip nervously as she shifted on her feet.

"Madison, get out of the way, now!" the Doctor ordered her again.

"No," she said firmly, holding out her arms and placing herself in front of the Dalek. "No, I can't let you do this."

"Doctor . . . please, I don't think this is right," Rose said to the Time Lord, stepping away from him now and shaking her head.

"That thing killed hundreds of people," the Doctor growled.

"Yes . . . it did," Madison nodded slowly. "But as you said, it was only following its programming. It didn't have the freedom of choice." She glanced back at the Dalek, seeing it still reaching for the light. "But it does now. It only wants one thing and that's freedom. I won't let you take that from it."

"I've got to do this. I've got to end it," the Doctor said, ignoring her words entirely.

"But look at it!" Rose yelled, trying to get him to see reason. She waved a hand towards the defenceless Dalek. It was at its weakest state.

"I'm ending this now!" the Doctor yelled, ignoring her.

Madison shook her head, feeling as though this was more than simply the Dalek killing the people here today. No . . . this was more than that. She slowly walked towards him, still staying in his line of fire. "Are you talking about what happened today . . . or are you talking about the Time War?"

The Doctor gritted his teeth, snarling, "The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left."

"I know. And I am sorry. But this isn't right. This isn't a war anymore. You don't have to keep fighting." She stood in front of him now, still blocking his view. "You can change. Just like the Dalek has today. Because if you don't . . . just think of the man you'll be changing into if you choose to kill again." Seeing him wavering, starting to stare at her with unushered tears, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands briefly before slowly wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "It's not your fault. Whatever it is you've done . . . it's not your fault," she whispered in his ear.

"I couldn't . . .," the Doctor breathed, starting to slowly lower the gun. "I wasn't . . ."

She pressed her cheek against his, feeling the coolness of his skin. "Time to put the gun down, soldier. You don't have to fight anymore."

Madison closed her eyes as she brushed her mind gently against the Doctor's. She felt him stiffen for only a second before he suddenly dropped the gun to the ground and squeezed her body up against his. It was then that his mind opened up to hers. It pushed against hers, forcing the connection in desperation. His force came over her like a tidal wave. She almost staggered away from him, but she held on firm, knowing he needed this. Images flashed by so fast. Fire. Burning. Chaos. Death. Screams. Destruction. Anger. Hatred. Sorrow. She felt it all as he clung to her. It was a cascade of anguish unlike anything she had ever experienced. And she took it all in. She held it all, allowing all of this to come onto her. Just so that he might be able to breathe through the waters of horror he was drowning in. It hurt. Oh, did it hurt. Her mind throbbed in pain and her body ached from the strain. But she kept taking it all, wanting to help him feel steady on his feet again. She allowed her own mind to gently hold his, rocking him into a sense of well-being. Though there was still so much she needed to heal. Things that may never be mended. She knew this, yet still, she wished to try. For him. Only for him.

Eventually, sadly, she had to slowly untangle their mind. She felt him sag against her, not wanting to let go just yet. But she needed to. There was only so much she could do for him now. The rest . . . would have to wait for later. But she felt accomplished. There was something she had helped him with. She knew it. Though she wasn't certain what it might be, she felt as if a heavyweight had been lifted at that moment. When she pulled back from him, staring into his tired eyes, she knew that she had helped him. It made her smile, her heart swelling in joy, as she was simply glad to have mended a piece of him. Even if it was nothing more than a small portion of his broken mind, she had still helped.

"Oh, Madison," he sighed, gazing at her in regret. "They're all dead."

"I know," she breathed, wincing from her pounding headache as his grief for his people tore at her heart and soul. She tried her best not to let him or Rose see her pain. She didn't want that at the moment. There was still the Dalek there, after all.

"Why do we survive?" the Dalek spoke up, making them all stare at it now.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered gravely, unable to answer it fully.

"What's it doing?" Rose questioned quietly.

"It wanted to feel sunlight," Madison explained to her. "It never felt sunlight before. It . . . just wants its freedom."

"I am the last of the Daleks," said the Dalek, its mechanical voice full of sadness.

"You're not even that," the Doctor told it. "Rose did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed her DNA. You're mutating."

"Into what?"

"Something new." The Doctor stared at the creature, seeing how the Dalek refused to speak now. "I'm sorry."

"Isn't that better?" Rose asked the Doctor. Madison had to wonder that as well. If it was changing, going away from its programming, wasn't that a good thing?

"Not for a Dalek," the Doctor answered, voice as grave as before.

"I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness," said the Dalek. "Give me orders. Order me to die."

"No, we can't do that," Madison said, shaking her head as she was desperate for the Dalek to live. It was the last of its kind . . . They couldn't let it die. Not when it was finally learning to live outside of war and chaos. Not when it was finally growing for itself. "You're finally learning to be yourself. There's still so much more to life. You can finally have your freedom!"

"This is not life. This is sickness," the Dalek retorted angrily. "I shall not be like you! Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!" Madison looked to the Doctor, unable to say anything more to the creature. She couldn't . . . she just couldn't tell it to die. The Doctor gazed back at her sadly, nodding as he understood what she was feeling. But before he could tell the Dalek an order, Rose spoke up.

"Do it," said the girl, staring sadly at the creature.

They watched as the Dalek closed its eye before the armour around it closed up. The Dalek then slowly rose up into the air. The round balls it had around its base floated away from it, surrounding the entire creature in a circle. There was an electric field of sorts that went around the creature before a bright light shone and it imploded onto itself. It was then gone in an instant, leaving the others there in solemn silence.

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Again, I hope it was good. Don't forget to leave a review! I wanna know what ideas or episodes you all would love to see happen in the story.

See you all again soon hopefully!