With the knowledge of a Dalek AI and a burnt-up chassis, Theodore pondered their options, as he and Lila continued going down the ladder, his teeth gripping his trusty Sonic Screwdriver.
His father hadn't discussed dealing with solely a Dalek AI, much less one repurposed by a human, and if he were in Theodore's shoes, he'd giddily try and discover how this happened.
Very keen, he was, but for Theodore, he didn't want to think much about the Dalek AI, however, since this became his secondary job, suppose it's Theodore's best interest discovering just how a human managed to repurpose a dangerous AI that would've normally been inoperable after what it went through.
Given what the Daleks did, it's possible the AI wasn't tweaked to their standards, as hilarious as it sounds to a sane person describing them, and Richard Simms got lucky with the fragments he managed to program.
What he managed's probably putting the AI into a safe mode and rewrote it that way, making it like a robotic butler, but unfortunately, sometime between then and now, the AI reset itself, and returned to the previous programming, resulting in the disaster that befell Sanctuary.
Likely, when Richard Simms started reproducing the Dalek chassis, did the reset happen, as he would've wanted the AI working seamlessly.
Still doesn't excuse him being an idiot, even if he genuinely didn't think anything was going to happen.
Even the dimmest of aliens knew from the get-go that anything Dalek related's either tossed into an incinerator or calling the Doctor for help ridding it from their planet.
Thankfully for their troubles, Theodore and Lila weren't going to risk seeing more Daleks than the manmade ones, because they wouldn't value retrieving the chassis and AI.
Once a Dalek dies, the others discard it, like that.
Only the strongest survived and for the Daleks, there wasn't any exception to the rule.
Surviving a brush with death wouldn't impress them, kill the Doctor, maybe some recognition, but it's very obtuse in their mechanic society of hatred.
A miracle they even survive Thanksgiving, if they even know what it was, not that Theodore's going to tell them anything different.
That said, they're only dealing with these ones, but they risked the manmade Daleks going topside and making more problems for them.
Obviously, they can't have the Daleks escape from Sanctuary, but with the AI, they'll want to expand their reach, as Daleks did, and they'll just be as terrible as their counterparts.
Pondering about the chassis and how Richard Simms missed the fact that they had weapons, led Theodore thinking that he didn't give them weapons.
No point doing that, it's dangerous open firing in Sanctuary, they risked shooting the glass, plunging everyone into their watery graves.
True there were bullet sprays everywhere, but given how controlled, the people using them were aware of the dangers as much as the Daleks.
When the AI reset and gave the original protocols through a backup, the programmed Daleks did as the originals would've done in their stead, taking up arms, using whatever they found, and going after non-Daleks.
The AI wouldn't answer to a human, then, and would've gone with whatever's in the programming, which involved detaining and or killing.
Which led to the conclusion that the Dalek AI definitely knew about the Doctor and that meant, the moment it's aware of Theodore, if it wasn't already, it'll send everything after him like the biological Dalek.
Difference's the biological Dalek wouldn't stand the sight of an AI and destroy it without hesitation.
Even if it's as hateful as the original, Daleks didn't care, their changing scope of what makes a true Dalek wouldn't allow roaming AIs even if they ruled a world and constructed efficient Daleks.
A miracle they even survived at all, their internal bickering and destruction, but suppose despite this, they all have one thing in common that somehow united them.
Wanting the Doctor dead.
At least that part remains consistent, and Theodore doesn't expect that changing anytime soon.
Coming to the end of the ladder, Theodore looked down, seeing that the lift's at the bottom of the shaft.
Rupert Malone came down, lift didn't go back up, and there's a latch on the top of the lift, making it easy for them getting through the rooftop and into the lift itself.
Darkness in a tube, but fortunately, no dead bodies, and with Theodore's strength, he pried open the doors himself, allowing him and Lila out of the lift, into further darkness.
Taking the Sonic Screwdriver out of his mouth and rubbing it with his free hand, Theodore pointed it outward as he tried seeing where they're at, seeing they're in a long tunnel.
A cold, dark grey, tunnel, because it's never an adventure without long foreboding tunnel leading god only knows where, this time with the end of the tunnel having manmade Daleks taking life of their own.
Well, great for the science fiction writers, bad for the people actually having to deal with them, again.
If Theodore and Lila both had shots every time they had to deal with Daleks on an adventure, they'd be chronically dead from alcohol poisoning of improbable proportions with their blood literary turning into wine with a proof of over 300!
"What do you think?" Lila inquired what their best chances dealing with the revelation without them dying horribly and Theodore said that the best case scenario is causing Sanctuary to implode onto itself without them inside, but something's bothering him.
Namely, Kenna's procedure and what Richard Simms wanted in his inquiry.
There's a pit in his stomach and his mind already coming up with unsightly ideas about what happened.
It'd make sense what Richard Simms did, if he had problems with the AI working correctly. It's barely salvaged, he didn't know what he was doing, and if Theodore knew anything about Daleks, they're particular about their chassis staying with Daleks, even if it had AI or not.
Thankfully, the burnt-up chassis lost the explosives that latent them usually, probably exploded when it made its descent.
Ironic, innit, that Daleks didn't want their enemies stealing their things in fear of using it against them, well, Theodore wouldn't be surprised if the AI still had a protocol dictating that a Dalek must be in the chassis in the event it's damaged beyond repair as a safety guard against thieves.
Couldn't make this up if he tried, believe him.
Oh, Daleks, the devil's spawn, a race of contradicting nepotistic vultures who only survived this long because his father worried about the possibilities of something worse than them coming into the fray.
Let it be known, if Daleks weren't a necessary evil preventing worse things from coming into existence, Theodore would've done the worlds over a favour and kill them all, there's nothing worth saving.
Maybe use their chassis as rubbish bins, perhaps.
"Okay, what are we thinking, find the Daleks, see what the hell's going on, run like hell, ka-boom?" Lila looked up to Theodore as they're carefully moving further down the tunnel, the cold air worsening, they're seeing their own breaths.
Thinking, Theodore says he wanted to know what happened to the people in Sanctuary and how Richard Simms managed to rewrite the barely operating AI.
Then, when he receives satisfactory answers, they'll run like hell, have Al pick them up, destroy Sanctuary.
Oh right, Kershaw, almost forgot about him.
Reaching out, Theodore inquired if Al found anything remotely suggesting Kershaw's a person and if he is, what type of person he is, because there's no way Theodore's allowing a criminal in the TARDIS.
Al came through and said he found at least one record of someone, Alan Kershaw, he worked in the theatre business topside, but left when he said that he took another job elsewhere.
He deduced he worked in the theatre they appeared in as a stage handler when he wasn't performing on stage with the other performers.
Not a criminal that Al found, paid his taxes on time, no trouble with neighbours, and genuinely kept to himself.
However, Al said that he found a low-powered transmission coming from somewhere in Sanctuary, it's enough to blip on his radars, and it's not Daleks, doesn't look like their work.
Must've been operating for weeks, only appeared on the radars because Al expanded his search criteria.
He identified it as a SOS, the message completely garbled, but he's able to clear it up, and it's not looking good.
It's coming from Kershaw; he says that he's trapped in a closet somewhere in Sanctuary between the main area and the entertainment area.
There's gunshots overhead, the operator of the theatre trying to ward off the servants, but they weren't affected by it, and Kershaw says he hadn't heard screaming in a while.
He can't get out of the closet, the door won't open, there's no vents for him to use, and he only managed to send the transmission because he found a transmitter hidden away in the closet.
Trapped in darkness, Kershaw only has light coming from the transmitter, as he's trying to raise anyone who'd hear him in the darkness outside Sanctuary.
"I can't get out. I've been trying… I'm so hungry. So thirsty. No one's coming, are they?" Kershaw sounded defeated as his voice strained in the transmission. "All I wanted's just a chance, do more with my life, not have to perform dirty theatre shows. What was I thinking coming down here, I should've stayed up there, at least… at least I can dream?"
The disheartened tone of voice as Kershaw realized his error and the punishment for it, unable to escape his tomb, how he only had the transmitter as his last attempt at reaching someone outside Sanctuary.
Alas, he couldn't reach anyone, nobody came down here, Rupert Malone wanted no one except the few knowing about Sanctuary.
Naval submarines might've picked up the transmission as nothing but a ghost, no way for anyone knowing where it was coming from, Rupert Malone made sure of everything when he constructed Sanctuary.
Nobody's coming down here and rescuing Kershaw.
Nobody.
His last attempt at reaching someone had him begging for help, he's starving, thirsty, he can't take it anymore.
There's bottles of cleaning agents in the closet.
He can't take it anymore.
In a desperate attempt, he did what anyone would in his situation, grabbing each bottle off the shelves, drinking them, his screams all that the transmission recorded, before silence, and the door finally opening on its own.
It made Theodore reflexively gag, causing Lila to grab him as he dry heaved, rubbing his back gently as he felt the emotions bubbling out of his mouth in the nearby corner.
When he recovered, Lila asked with concern in her chestnut eyes what happened, Theodore wearily told her what happened to Kershaw.
At the end of it, Lila eyed him as she pointed out, "If Kershaw's dead… then who…"
Their answer came when they heard a distinct voice down the hall behind them, it was Kershaw's, and they heard him calling out to Theodore and Lila.
"W-where are you guys going, did you find the key to the submarines?" Kershaw stammered as he called out to them.
On their toes, Theodore and Lila looked up, seeing nothing but darkness, but the closer Kershaw's voice got to them, the more they see movement, and it wasn't a person coming towards them.
Grabbing her hand, Theodore fled with Lila in tow as they gain distance between them and the Dalek calling out to them, telling to wait, begging them not to leave him behind.
"I want to go home," cried out Kershaw.