LIFE ON THE TARDIS was… hectic. Lyla never had any idea on what was going to happen from day to day. One day they would be browsing alien markets thousands of years in the future on a faraway planet, or they would be lounging around the Tardis for a couple of days just reading in the never-ending library, or countless of hours in the movie room, or just exploring the Tardis and all its rooms.
By her count she had been aboard the Tardis for a month before one of her most dreaded adventures was knocking at their door.
The Tardis shook violently as Lyla and Rose were lounging in the library with their own books. Rose shot up and looked at Lyla and asked with a widening smile, "Well, looks like another adventure. We should go see what mess he gets us in today?" She helped Lyla rise from her seat and both girls made their way to the door. "Hope it doesn't get us sent to prison again," she laughed as they made their way toward the console room. Really, I've been in more jail cells and then I care to admit in the last month.
As they entered the console room, the Doctor was rushing around the controls. He stopped in front of the monitor and frowned when Lyla questioned him, "Has she landed?"
"Yep, but somethings wrong," he mused but didn't supply any more information to the two humans and simply made his way to the door at a fast clip. Whelp looks like another adventure. Good thing I put my running shoes on today.
Rose followed behind him as they exited the blue box and questioned curiously, "So, what is it? What's wrong."
"Don't know. Some kind of signal drawing the Tardis off course," he explained as he looked around at their surroundings.
Lyla stepped out of the Tardis behind Rose and froze. Please. No. I was having such a good day. She looked around to see Van Stanton's Museum. Ah hell, I'm going to cry today aren't I. Lyla hesitated before asking, "Where are we?" The room was dark besides the rows of exhibits that were individually light with a soft glow just to showcase the contents that they housed.
The Doctor answered absentmindedly as he looked around and walked towards some of the exhibits, "Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground."
"Great, under thousands of pounds of dirt. That's not suffocating at all," Lyla muttered nervously. She watched the Doctor walk up to a showcase and curiously peer at an exhibit. She finally gave a soft sigh and walked down the row of cases.
"And… When are we?" asked Rose as she walked further into the room and up to some of the exhibits on the opposite side of the darkened hallway.
"2012," the Doctor commented off handedly, still processing some of the artefacts that he was seeing.
"God, that's so close. I should be 26!" Rose remarked in amusement and shock. Lyla just shook her head, and a soft sad smile crossed her face as she thought, I would have been 17 in my universe.
Lyla walked further into the underground museum and finally found the light switch for the room and muttered under her breath with a more characteristically happy smile, "And lumos."
The exhibits became clearer and lined the room in segmented rows. They all just took a moment to look at their surroundings in a mixture of awe and wonder from Rose, curiosity from the Doctor, and slight disgust and apprehension that wiped away her previous smile from Lyla. I don't want to be here. I haven't prepared for today. I forgot this was next. How the hell could I have forgotten this was next.
"Blimey," Rose finally spoke up in realization, "It's a great big museum."
The three walked further down the aisle as the Doctor clarified for his companions, "An alien museum. Someone's got a hobby." He whistled softly as he muttered, "They must have spent a fortune on this." He started pointing out different objects in the cases and named them off to the two girls, "Chunks of meteorite, moon dust. That's the milometer from the Roswell spaceship."
As they walked, Rose pointed out astounded at what she found sitting in one of the nearby cases, "That's a bit of Slitheen!" Her tone turned into slight disgust when she realized what happened to it, "That's a Slitheen's arm. It's been stuffed." She got an even closer look at the case and read the plaque on the bottom as the Doctor followed Lyla, who didn't stop to look at the green arm. Yeah, too close for comfort. That thing ripped open my stomach thanks.
Lyla came to a stop in front of a Cyberman head and frowned. The Doctor stepped up behind her and leaned closer to the glass case to stare in bewilderment at the metal head. Lyla shivered and sighed as a coldness swept through her. "I don't like this one," she whispered tensely.
The Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently and muttered gently to her, "Smart. You shouldn't."
Rose cautiously approached the two companions and asked, "What is it?"
"An old friend of mine. Well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old," the Doctor explained to the two, never taking his eyes off the head.
Lyla snorted and looked up at him with a ridiculously small smile, "Well, you are 900 years old."
The Doctor flicked her ear in admonishment but smiled none-the-less at his brown-haired companion.
"Any chance this is the signal we are looking for," Lyla asked, already knowing the answer but asking anyway.
"No, stone dead," he commented off handedly to her as he leaned forward to get a closer look.
He reached out a hand to touch the glass, but Lyla caught it and admonished him, "You should know better than to touch museum cases."
He smiled a patronizing smile down at her before adding, "The signal's alive. Something's reaching out, calling for help." He touched the glass ignoring Lyla's subtle warning about no touching. Just as his finger skimmed the glass, the alarms started blaring and armed men flooded the room to surround the time travelers.
Lyla snorted and raised her hands cautiously, "I told you. Don't touch the glass. Rule one of going to museums."
"If someone is collecting aliens, that makes you Exhibit A," Rose tacked on following Lyla's lead of raising her hands.
oOoOo
The soldiers and Goddard escorted the three into Van Statten's office where they watched Adam place a small metal-looking trinket on Van Statten's desk, "And this is the last. Paid eight hundred thousand dollars for it."
"What does it do?" Van Statten questioned dismissively.
"Well, you see the tubes on the side. It must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel," Adam guessed as he explained to Van Statten.
"So, you really don't know, do you," Lyla remarked as the three settled in front of the desk.
"I really wouldn't hold it like that," the Doctor commented at the tail end of Lyla's statement.
"Shut it you two," commanded Goddard to Lyla and the Doctor.
Adam asked as he looked up at the Doctor, "Is it dangerous?"
"No, it just looks silly," the Doctor corrected and reached toward the piece of alien tech. The soldiers behind the group racked their guns. Oh, that's scary. Not. The Doctor froze with a fake smile and hand still held out toward Van Statten. The millionaire raised his hand to stay the soldiers movements and handed the alien tech to the Doctor.
The doctor pulled the tech closer to his body, "You just need to be…" he stroked the tubes on the surface of the artefact and the small trinket made a trilling pleasing note. "…delicate," he added softly as he continued to stroke his fingers back and forth across the top to produce different musical notes.
"It's a musical instrument," Van Statten mused. No shit Sherlock.
"And it's a long way from home," the Doctor commented fondly, still playing soft notes across the musical instrument.
"Here let me," Van Statten snatched the instrument right out of the Timelord's hands as he tried to imitate the success of the Doctor with the small instrument.
The first couple of notes were scratchy and rough when the Doctor advised, "I did say delicate. It reacts to the smallest fingerprint. It needs precision." Van Statten finally got the touch exactly right and produced the same trilling sound that the Doctor achieved previously. The Doctor smiled and praised, "Very good. Quite the expert."
Van Statten looked up and commented, "As are you." He casually tossed the instrument away. All eyes followed its trajectory and cringed when it clattered in the corner.
"Really. You paid eight hundred thousand for that and you just tossed it on the floor after you found out its secrets," Lyla sneered with a glare directed towards Van Statten. She felt the tip of a rifle press into the center of her back. She suddenly straightened and froze and took several deep breaths before she broke a man's arm. I swear to every god in the universe if he so much as twitches a muscle, I'll show this whole room the benefits of being raised in the south and by a police officer.
Van Statten ignored Lyla and held the Doctor's eyes as he asked, "Who exactly are you?"
The Doctor answered disdainfully and finally took the current situation seriously, "I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"
"Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake," he gloated and pressed toward the three intruders.
The Doctor chuckled and smiled, "Pretty much sums me up, yeah."
"The question is, how did you get in?" The millionaire questioned. "Fifty-three floors down, with your little cat burglar accomplices." Van Statten walked around his desk until he was standing in front of the time travelers. He leered at Lyla and Rose, "You're quite a collector yourself, they're rather pretty. Was it a two for one special?" Fuck you dude.
"She's going to smack you if you keep calling her 'she'," Rose finally snapped back after being judged.
Van Statten stared the doctor down as he continued to speak, "She's English too!" He addressed Adam over his shoulder, "Hey, little Lord Fauntleroy. Got you a girlfriend." The tension in the air rose by small degrees as the conversation progressed.
Adam piped up to inform the trespassers, "This is Mister Henry Van Statten."
"And who's he when he's at home," Rose questioned Adam.
"Mister Van Statten owns the internet," stated Adam.
Rose snorted and raised an eyebrow at the absurd comment, "Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet."
Van Statten smiled patronizingly at the girls, "And let's just keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids."
"It's impossible to own the internet. You can own bits and pieces, but you don't own all of it. The answer is no one and everyone owns the internet. It was given to society back in 1990," Lyla lectured matter-of-factly. "I get that you may be American but that doesn't give you the right to just boast that you own the entirety of something. You're not a god, sorry to piss on your parade," she then snarled when the man pressed the barrel of his gun further into her back. Her accent deepened and as she warned the millionaire, "Tell your man to get his gun out of my back before I break his arm." Lyla stared down Van Statten, who up to before she spoke kept eye contact with the Doctor but was now staring her down and contemplating her with cold eyes.
The Doctor interjected quickly to get the focus back on him and away from his most volatile companion, "So you're just about an expert in everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock up." The Doctor subtly grabbed Lyla's hand to hold her in place and offer some protection should she need to be pulled out of the way.
Van Statten finally turned back to the Doctor and addressed him with a hint of disdain, "And you claim greater knowledge."
"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am," the Doctor stated plainly. Wow the size of that ego.
"And yet," Van Statten tilted his head and gloated, "I captured you. Right next to the Cage." He took a breath and then questioned, "What were you doing down there?"
"You tell me," the Doctor retorted.
Van Statten boasted, "The cage contains my one living specimen."
The Doctor asked quickly, "And what's that?"
"Like you don't know," Van Statten answered just as fast.
"Show me," the Doctor demanded.
"You want to see it?" Van Statten questioned with a smile.
Rose rolled her eyes and uttered to the room as a whole, "Blimey, you can smell the testosterone."
The millionaire suddenly commanded his assistant, "Goddard, inform the Cage we're heading down." Van Statten turned his head to address the younger male in the room, "You, English. Look after the blonde girl. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do." He looked back at the doctor with a cold smile, "And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet. You can bring your pet with you." The last was directed toward Lyla, who was held in place by the Doctor's hand. But Lyla wasn't moving anywhere, she was just smiling a soft dangerous smile at Van Statten. A smile that made him falter a bit before heading out the door with his soldiers following and surrounding the trespassers he was escorting. Oh, you sweet asshole. I'm going to ruin you. I'm thinking Dallas, Detroit, or maybe even Denver.
oOoOo
As the party entered the monitoring room, Van Statten was explaining his living specimen, "We've tried everything. The creature has shielded itself but there's definite signs of life inside."
"Inside," the Doctor questioned, "Inside what?"
Simmons walked in from the cage and disengaged his hood from the rest of his protective suit. He acknowledged his boss, "Welcome back, sir. I've had to take the power down. The Metaltron is resting." How sweet. His torturers finally letting him have a break.
"Metaltron?" The Doctor inquired with a raised eyebrow.
Van Statten answered with a hint of pride in his voice, "Thought of it myself. Good, isn't it?"
He was interrupted by Lyla when she finally spoke up with a snort and a sneer on her lips, "No, not really." The Doctor squeezed her hand in the slightest of warnings.
Van Statten carried on as if nobody had said anything, "Although I'd much prefer to find out it's real name."
"Here, you'd better put these on," Simmons started taking his protective gloves off to hand to the Doctor. "The last guy that touched…" he shrugged and smirked, "…it burst into flames."
"I won't touch it then," the Doctor mocked with raised hands. Goddard smiled faintly while Van Statten hardened.
"Go ahead, Doctor, impress me," Van Statten taunted.
The Doctor stared Van Statten down for several long seconds before he felt Lyla squeeze his hand gently. He looked around at the assembled people and made up his mind to drag his jeopardy friendly companion with him so he could watch over her. The duo walked through the passageway toward the cage. The doors slammed shut behind them, locking them in with whatever Van Statten had. Why was this a good idea again?
oOoOo
The Doctor dropped Lyla's hand and walked further into the cage to explore his surroundings. He stopped by a table of tools that were used against the unknown creature. Lyla was breathing shallowly as she stayed close to the door. She was slowly rubbing her Gallifreyan-bracelet as she watched and waited for the inevitable. I'm so sorry. But it has to happen. I wish I could shield you from this.
"Look, I'm sorry about this," he apologized to the unknown creature. "Mister Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him," dismissed the Doctor, but he carried on, "I've come to help. I'm the Doctor."
In the darkest part of the cage, a lone blue glow was emanating from the depths. Two white lights lit up with each syllable as the creature finally spoke, "Doc..tor."
"Impossible," the Doctor denied in shock.
"The Doctor?" The Creature questioned, more animated now then it was before.
The lights in the room finally came on and the occupants could see each other fully. The creature was covered in chains. Chains that crossed over its metal pepper pot body. It had two protruding arms. One ending with a plunger and the other looked like a laser. The source of the blue light was the creature's one eyestalk. I hate this. I fucking hate this.
The Doctor rushed Lyla and trapped her against the door as he started beating on it. Behind them the creature yelled, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
Lyla was trapped between the door and the Doctor's body, but she could see just under the Timelords arm as the creature's gun arm twitched and nothing happened. She nudged the frantic Doctor and he finally noticed that they weren't dead yet and turned back to the Dalek. His body was still shielding his companion from the vile creature as much as possible. Oh, now I remember why I am doing this again. Cause the universe needed a willing sacrifice to fix its fuck ups. Great. Just… great.
"You are an enemy of the Daleks! You must be destroyed!" The Dalek tried to exterminate the Doctor but like Lyla saw earlier, nothing was happening with its laser gun. The Doctor finally took notice and turned fully toward the Dalek as he stared in fear.
The Timelord finally put two and two together and huffed out a breath and smiled widely, "It's not working." He laughed, a pained manic sound, "Fantastic! Oh, fantastic!" He lost his smile as he taunted, "Powerless! Look at you. The great space dustbin." The Timelord advanced on the Dalek as he raged hatefully, "How does it feel?"
"Keep back!" The Dalek snapped as it tried to avoid the raging Doctor.
The Doctor was now in the Dalek's face. Staring the vile creature down, he snapped, "What for? What're you going to do to me?" The Doctor started circling the broken Dalek like a cat stalking and taunting prey, he fumed, "If you can't kill, then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you? You're nothing," he spat as he came back around the Dalek's front. "What the hell are you here for?" The Doctor hissed. I was wrong before. This is what the oncoming storm looks like. Good to know the difference.
"I am waiting for orders," the Dalek answered.
"What does that mean?" the Doctor demanded.
"I am a soldier. I was bred to receive orders," the Dalek explained.
The Doctor taunted as he replied, "Well, you're never going to get any. Not ever."
The Dalek yelled at the Doctor, "I demand orders!"
"They're never going to come!" the angry Timelord yelled back. "Your race is dead! You all burnt, all of you," he assured the trapped Dalek. "Ten million ships on fire. The entire Dalek race wiped out in one second," the Timelord smirked at the Dalek.
"You lie!" the Dalek accused.
"I watched it happen," the Doctor promised and snarled in the eyestalk of the Dalek, "I made it happen." Don't ever forget that the Doctor can be extremely scary.
"You destroyed us?" the metal pepper pot accused.
The Doctor paused and raised his head from the Dalek's eyestalk. He turned away and hesitated as he replied softly, "I had no choice." They gave you no choice.
"And what of the Time Lords?" the Dalek asked, rubbing salt into an open wound.
"Dead," he confirmed. "They burnt with you. The end of the last great Time War," he disclosed softly, still with his back to the Dalek. "Everyone lost," he finished.
"And the coward survived," the Dalek taunted.
The Doctor with a wide fake smile sassed, "Oh, and I caught your little signal. 'Help me.' Poor little thing," he mocked the trapped Dalek. "But there's no one else coming 'cause there's no one else left."
"I am alone in the universe," the Dalek said, lowering his eyestalk.
"Yep," agreed the Doctor with a fake grin on his face.
"So are you. We are the same," the Dalek commented.
The Doctor's grin fell and in its place was a scary hard look. A look of a man that was about to beat someone. He spun around and was in front of the Dalek again as he yelled, "We're not the same! I'm not…" he hesitated as a new vindictive thought took root. "No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right. Yeah, okay. You've got a point." He started backing away from the dalek and closer to the bank of monitors and switches against the wall. He went on, "'Cause I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve." He paused as he smiled and tilted his head when he uttered his last word, "Exterminate." The Doctor, now at the bank of equipment, pulled a lever.
Once flipped, electricity flowed through the chains that trapped the Dalek and transferred to the creature. The Doctor stood and watched as his enemy screamed.
The Dalek screamed in pain, "Have pity!"
"Why should I? You never did," the Doctor answered over the noise of pain in the cage and went to flip another switch to increase the voltage of the electricity.
Lyla, still in her corner next to the door, looked away from the sight of the Doctor and the Dalek. She squeezed her eyes shut and a stubborn tear rolled down her cheek. Please. Stop. She was rubbing harshly against the Gallifreyan-bracelet to help get her mind off the tortured screams that rebounded around the cage.
"Help me," the Dalek screamed again.
The doors slid open finally and Lyla slipped unnoticed from the cage and into the monitor room. Her eyes skated across the other occupants. All their focus was on the cage and the Doctor, so she made her way in the hallway without raising suspicion from the others.
oOoOo
Once in the hallway, she quickly back tracked down the hallway a couple of feet to an unlocked door. She peeked in and found it to be a supply closet. Why is it always a supply closet?
She quickly entered the closet and slid down the back of the door once it was closed. I just need a minute. Just give me a damn minute to think. Lyla pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead there as her mind whirled. OK… Breath. You have a couple of minutes to figure out what to do next. Out in the hallway she could hear shuffling feet and the angry tones and shouts of the Doctor pass by her door.
Right… don't think about the torture you just witnessed. The Dalek deserved it. You know it did. The Doctor had every right… Well, enough rights to do what he did. Again, stop thinking about it. Hundreds of people are about to die if I don't get my shit together. Lyla took a deep breath to fortify her thoughts. Ok what happens next. Rose and Adam are flirting in the workshop. They see some footage and Rose comes to the rescue. Rose touches Dalek and then a snowball effect of dead people. Question is… can I save the soldiers?
Lyla sighed deeply as her hand went to the wolf-bracelet. Ok Tardis… or future bad wolf… or whatever controls this thing. Can I save the soldiers? The wolf-bracelet flashed hot and cold over and over again in response to the question. What the fuck does that mean? Lyla raised her head and made a distressed sound in the back of her throat. She wanted to scream and cry in frustration at what the universe was putting her through. Right one person at a time. Can I save Simmons? The wolf-bracelet on Lyla's wrist turned hot quickly at the asked question. Lyla let out a breath and thunked her head against the door as she thought through her next plan. Right… Can't save him. Who was next? Dalek breaks through the coded door. Ah, Soldiers in the hallway. Can I save them? The wolf-bracelet turned cool to the touch again. Lyla smiled a tiny thing. Ok. Good so far. Who was next? De Maggio in the stairway? Again, the wolf-bracelet was cool to the touch. Okay. Then the running. Warehouse with the sprinklers. Them? This time the wolf-bracelet flashed hot and cold against her wrist. Some of them? Depends on the arguments and commands given? What? What the fuck do I have to say and do to save them. Lyla's hands went to her hair and massaged her head as she thought. Right. Be Calm. If I save the soldiers in the hallway, I can save the ones in the warehouse.
Now, how am I going to do that? Assets. Assets. What do I have to work with? Lyla started digging in her pockets for anything that could be useful.
After searching her front pockets, she moved to the back and felt a soft, thin wallet. Sweet fuck yes. She pulled the psychic paper out of her pocket and flipped it open just to kiss the paper and thank the Tardis for packing this in her jeans that morning. OK. Plan. Who would private, contract-based soldiers and employees listen to? And don't forget, American. Government agency? FBI? No, why would they be investigating Van Statten. Too above board and law based. Too many loopholes and lies to fill in. So, someone bigger. Someone that's known to work outside of law and underground sometimes. CIA? The CIA could work. Could be a special division. Everyone knows that the CIA does secret squirrel shit and throws the law book out the window when it suits them.
Right Plan. Be CIA. Save the soldiers and scientists. Save the Doctor from himself. Ok Operation 'Winging It' is a go.
Just as she was checking on Rose's progress, her Gallifreyan-bracelet let off an almost violent vibration through her arm. What the hell? Lyla lifted her arm to peer closer at the mentioned bracelet. Why are you doing that? OK, I'm not looking for him. I know where he is, so why are you doing that? Lyla thought back on events of what exactly the Doctor was doing and where. He left with Goddard and Van Statten to be questioned… Ahh… the scanner device. He is in pain. She lifted the bracelet to her lips and whispered against the shaking metal, "Sorry I forgot. You will be fine. Be calm." Just as she dropped the Gallifreyan-bracelet back to her side the vibrations quieted to just a noticeable shiver against her skin. Everything will work out in the wash.
oOoOo
Lyla finally made her way out of the supply closet and back to the monitor room. She stuck close to the walls and tried to be as small and unassuming as possible as she sneaked around.
She entered the room and slid down the wall next to the entrance to make herself smaller and more unnoticed to the two soldiers in the room. She could hear Simmons and the screams of the Dalek over the speaker of the monitor when she heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. She curled herself a little tighter as she waited for the approaching people.
Adam entered the room first, upon seeing him Lyla quickly jumped up and made her way to Rose who was just behind Adam.
Lyla wrapped her hand around Rose's wrist to grab her attention. With a start Rose said surprised, "Lyla! Where have you been? Where is the Doctor? Do you know what they are doing in there?" Her questions came rapidly at the older woman.
"Hiding. Carted off. And Yes, that's why I'm here," Lyla answered her systemically.
Adam was dealing with the two guards and Simmons as the two girls caught up, "Level three access. Special clearance from Mister Van Statten." He quickly threw his badge up for display and continued to walk toward the cage entrance.
The three of them entered the cage and looked around. Adam cautioned, "Don't get too close."
Rose walked slowly closer toward the Dalek; Lyla attached at the wrist came along with her. "Hello. Are you in pain?" she asked and getting no response she continued on talking, "My name's Rose Tyler and this is Lyla. We've got a friend, he can help. He's called the Doctor. What's your name?"
"Yes," the Dalek answered her. Lyla cringed and tightened her hold on Rose.
"What," Rose questioned, confused.
"I am in pain. They… torture me, but… still they fear… me," his mechanical voice stuttered out. "Do you fear me?" he asked with a raised eyestalk.
"No," Rose answered with a shake of her head.
"I am dying," he admitted.
"No, we can help," Rose replied and reassured quickly.
"I welcome death. But… I am glad that before… I die, I have met… a human who was not afraid," he stuttered out again.
"Isn't there anything I can do?"
"My race is dead, and I shall die alone," he confided to the two girls.
Rose reached her hand out to comfort the dying Dalek, but Lyla quickly grabbed her hand to push it away.
As Lyla was pushing Rose away from the Dalek, her foot caught the edge of a chain and she stumbled into the Dalek. Her arm and shoulder landed against the metal casing. She hissed in pain and quickly righted herself and backed away as the Dalek started yelling in its creepy mechanical voice, "Genetic material extrapolated. Initiate cellular reconstruction!"
The chains around the Dalek started to strain and break apart, just then Simmons entered the cage and demanded, "What the hell have you done?" He started walking toward the Dalek with his drill to subdue the Dalek again when the Dalek raised its plunger arm. "What are you going to do, sucker me to death?" Simmons didn't even get to finish his sassy retort when the Daleks plunger did just that. It attached itself to Simmons face and started sucking the life out of the scientist. I'm so sorry. You were a sadistic person, but you didn't deserve that.
While the Dalek was busy killing Simmons, the remaining humans rushed out of the cage quickly and closed the door behind them. Rose ran up to the guard at the monitors and frantically shouted, "It's killing him! Do something!"
The guard yelled over the intercom, "Condition Red. Condition Red. I repeat, this is not a drill!"
Lyla knew she only had moments to act out her plan, so she stepped in. Alright, time to put Operation Winging it into play. She pulled out the psychic paper and flashed her badge to the guard that was by the monitor and held a commanding tone, "OK everyone, this is my rodeo now. This is all under my jurisdiction and if you don't want to die a very painful death via your torture victim in there that is waiting to get out then you will listen to me."
"Who the hell are you?" A male guard at the doors demanded.
"CIA asshole. And I have seen enough here to put Van Statten away for a couple of lifetimes." She looked him over and sneered, "And maybe some of his employees as well. You want to continue to doubt or question me Sweetheart?" She got closer to his face as she whispered to him, "Please do. It's been a long day already and I am raring to go on a good beat down."
The Guard swallowed shallowly and backed away from the tiny angry woman with a lowered head in compliance.
"Now that I have everyone's attention. You," she pointed to the original guard that called the Code Red, "Name."
"Bywater, Ma'am," he answered immediately with a straight back and hands clasp together behind his back in the classic stand at attention pose. Good, an actual soldier. Could use him.
"Bywater. I do not care how you do it, but you will evac this whole compound," Lyla demanded as she stared him down. "Am I clear soldier? If you don't do this, everyone is dead. So again, I ask, Do I make myself clear."
"Crystal Ma'am," he replied with a salute and was instantly turning to the monitors and intercoms to do what he was commanded to do.
Lyla turned to the others in the room, "De Maggio!" The said soldier straightened and looked toward Lyla. "You are to get these two civilians out," she pointed toward Rose and Adam, "You are not to abandon them. You stick to them like white on rice. Am I understood?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes Ma'am," De Maggio saluted but before she could herd Adam and Rose out of the room and to safety the monitor lit up with the Doctor's face.
"You've got to keep it in that cell," the Doctor was already giving orders to the others.
Lyla quickly rushed to the monitor and informed him on what was going on. "Be quiet and listen," she hissed at the others but continued, "I have everything covered on this side Doctor. Just do what you need to do up there." She lifted her psychic paper to the screens to show off to the Doctor and then demanded to talk to Van Statten, "Henry Van Statten you are under arrest for the cruelty to extraterrestrial life and illegal purchasing of artifacts on a number of black-market sites and auctions." Van Statten started sputtering over the monitor as his eyes widened. "The CIA has taken over this facility. AKA Sweetheart, I'm in charge. This base is being evac-ed as we speak, and you are not to interfere in any further happenings." Lyla addressed Goddard in the room, "Goddard you are now in charge after I leave. And Goddard, make sure he gets dropped off in a place that starts with a 'D'. Dallas. Denver. Detroit," Lyla finished with a sneer toward Van Statten.
The Doctor looked mightily impressed at his companion but quickly got back on track to get his two companions away from the escaping Dalek. "A Dalek's a genius," he warned. "It can calculate any lock that is on that door."
"But I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock has a billion combinations," Bywater informed.
"And I'm telling you, it can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat," the Doctor reiterated.
The people in the monitor room heard the lock combination being cracked and Lyla shouted, "Get out now. All of you RUN!"
The occupants beat a hasty retreat to the hallway. At the other end they can all hear the Dalek screaming as he uploaded the internet and further restored itself.
oOoOo
Lyla was pleased to note that they did not come across any awaiting ambush soldiers in the hallways.
The group kept running until they reached the stairs. Adam and Rose paused as Adam laughed and Rose said breathlessly, "Stairs! That's more like it. It hasn't got legs. It's stuck!"
"It's not. Keep moving," Lyla pushed Rose to run further up the stairs.
Adam interrupted whatever Lyla was going to add, "Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs."
Lyla snarled at the two young people, "It defeated Timelords. Stairs will not stop it so keep running now." Lyla saw the two guards look to each other and turned to face the now visible Dalek and grabbed both by the back of their shirts to haul them along with her and hissed out again, "No fucking heroics. I'll be damned if someone is going to die here."
The group kept running up the flight of stairs and they could all hear below them the Daleks' mechanical voice, "Elevate."
The group finally made their way to the warehouse where they saw the Doctor over one of the monitors but no soldiers in combat gear or scientists pretending to be good little soldiers. Thank fuck! Ok, just the bulkhead now.
"You have to keep running!" the Doctor advised over the monitor.
"Oh yes thanks for that helpful update," Lyla said just loud enough for the Doctor to hear as they passed by.
The group rushed through the warehouse and through the opposite door, but Lyla paused and just had this need to look at the approaching Dalek as it entered the warehouse.
The two made eye contact and just studied each other before Bywater pulled Lyla away and back to running for the stairs.
"This is not a time for sightseeing Ma'am," Bywater admonished as he pushed Lyla to go faster.
Lyla laughed a breathless sound, "Trust me, I know."
oOoOo
Lyla could no longer see the other three humans and just hoped that they made it across the bulkhead before it started closing.
As Lyla and Bywater were running up the stairs, Lyla's phone rang. She pulled it out and held it to her ear just to huff out, "Bit busy Doctor."
"Where are you?" he asked quickly.
"Level 49," she answered as she and Bywater kept up their pace up the stairs.
"You've got to keep moving," he urged. "The vault's being sealed off up at level 46."
"Right. Is Rose out?" Lyla asked.
"Yes, she just crossed over, it's just you now," the Doctor said with the slightest pleading tone.
"Good. Good. I'm guessing that you are the one closing the door?" Lyla strained out.
"Yes. Now stop talking and for God's sake, run," his tone now falling into a full pleading one.
Bywater, who was tugging Lyla behind him, entered a long stretch of hallway that ended with the bulkhead doors. They can see the doors slowly descending and Lyla made a snap decision and propelled Bywater toward the door; a move that any Olympic shot putter would be proud of for sure.
Bywater rolled under the door while Lyla slowed to a stop just as the bulkhead door fully closed. She leaned her head on the door and took several deep cleansing breaths before pulling out her open phone, where the tiny voice of the Doctor could be heard.
She swallowed thickly and ignored anything and everything that the Doctor was now saying over the line, "I was a bit slow. Sorry." She took another deep breath and could hear the approaching Dalek behind her when she softly continued, "It wasn't your fault. And you know what…" she paused and turned to meet the Dalek head on. "It wasn't your fault," she repeated. "And I love you too," she finished in a strong calm voice.
After her last word, the Dalek screamed, "Exterminate."
Lyla jumped and snapped her phone shut, cutting off the call to the Doctor. The Dalek in front of her just stared her down as she investigated it. "Go on then. Do it," she slightly taunted the creature. She noticed that it was hesitating, so she continued to do what she does best, she questioned, "Why. Why are you chasing us? Why are you doing this?"
"I am armed. I will kill. It is my purpose," the Dalek warned her.
"But why?" Lyla wanted to know.
"It is what I was made for," the Dalek informed the human.
"And now what? What're you waiting for?"
"I feel your fear," the Dalek stated plainly.
"I would hope so. I am staring death in the eye," Lyla snarled at the vile creature.
"Daleks do not fear. Must not fear," yelled the Dalek. Lyla cringed further back into the door as the Dalek shot off two rounds around her in agitation. "You gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated."
"I know, and I'm sorry. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have done it," Lyla said softly. "Doesn't it burn though. Emotions. They hurt, don't they?"
The Dalek wheeled its eyestalk around to look at her fully and then commanded, "Stand in front of the monitor." When she hesitated, it shouted, "Do it!"
Lyla slowly made her way to the designated area and slowly turned her back on the Dalek. The screen in front of her lit up with Van Statten's office and all its occupants. "Open the bulkhead or Lyla dies," the Dalek commanded as the gun pushed further into her back.
The Doctor rushed to the monitor and stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "You're alive!"
"You just thought that you were rid of me," Lyla replied with a soft smile.
"I thought you were dead," he said softly as he feasted his eyes on his companion.
The Dalek further jabbed its gun into Lyla's back and interrupted the reunion of the two, "Open the bulkhead!"
"Doctor," Lyla warned, "Don't you dare open that door."
"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" the Dalek taunted.
Lyla turned her head slightly and whistled, "That was a low blow my dude. Low blow indeed."
As she was talking, she missed the interaction that happened in the office and became aware again as the bulkhead opened next to the human and Alien.
oOoOo
Lyla and the Dalek made their way to an elevator and slowly made their way up closer to the surface. She turned and watched as the gun arm twitched like the Dalek was agitated. She finally spoke up, "Don't kill them. You didn't kill me. You don't have to kill them."
The Dalek questioned her, his eyestalk swinging to face her directly, "But why not? Why are you alive? My function is to kill." His eyestalk wheeled forward again, "What am I? What am I?" he finished in confusion and demanded to know the answers.
"I'm sorry," she replied just as the elevator doors slid open on floor 1. "Don't move. Don't do anything. Be still and be quiet," she commanded the occupants of the office. Good only Goddard and Van Statten. Oh, and I see Bywater and DiMaggio here too. Good. Right, that is fantastic.
The Dalek slowly advanced and asked, "Van Statten. You tortured me. Why?"
Van Statten stuttered out as he slowly backed away from the advancing Alien, "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." He pleaded as he continued, "I wanted you better. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" Back fully up against a wall now he yelled in desperation, "I swear, I just wanted you to talk."
"Then hear me talk now. Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"
"Don't do it! Don't kill him!" Lyla begged as the eyestalk swung her way to look at her. "You don't have to do this anymore. What else is there besides this? What do you want?" She asked the Dalek.
The Dalek swung his eyestalk back to Van Statten, who flinched away, then the alien swung it back to Lyla and finally answered her, "I want… Freedom."
She let out a breath and nodded her head as she said, "Right well let's get you some freedom." She softly muttered to herself, "Ain't that the American way and all."
oOoOo
The duo made their way to a parking garage, and Lyla watched and flinched at falling concrete as the Dalek shot out the ceiling. The sun beamed down, and fresh air hit the pair. Lyla spoke up after a minute of just breathing in the dry desert air, "You're out. You made it. I never thought I'd feel the sunlight again."
"How does it feel," the Alien questioned, and then proceeded to open its casing to reveal a one-eyed, slimy mutated creature housed within. It raised a tentacle to softly dance in the sunlight beams as the Doctor rounded the corner behind Lyla.
"Get out of the way," he paused as Lyla turned her head to look at him. She looked at the gun and back at the Doctor as he continued, "Lyla, get out of the way now!"
Lyla turned fully around to face the Doctor and to block his sight of the uncased Dalek, don't make me say this to you. She stared and tilted her head before stating, "No. I won't let you do this."
"That thing has killed hundreds of beings," he forced out, trying to make her see reason.
"It's not the one pointing the gun at me," she stated obviously with a frown.
"I've got to do this. I've got to end it," he said angrily as he shook the alien weapon slightly. "The Daleks destroyed my home, my people. I've got nothing left," he tried to explain to his human.
"But look at it," Lyla asked him as she moved out of the way so the Doctor could finally see the uncased Dalek, who was still waving a tentacle in the air.
The Doctor, confused, asked, "What's it doing?"
"It's the sunlight," Lyla explained. "It couldn't kill Van Statten, it couldn't kill me," she further explained as she turned back to the Doctor. "It's changing. What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?" she questioned with a frown.
"I couldn't… I wasn't…" he stuttered out as the gun fell to his side. "Lyla. They're all dead," he finished remorsefully.
"Why… do we survive?" asked the Dalek.
"I don't know."
"I am the last of the Daleks," it said labored.
"You're not even that," the Doctor explained. "Lyla did more than regenerate you. You've absorbed her DNA. You're mutating," he revealed.
"Into what?" The Dalek questioned the Doctor.
"Something new. I'm sorry," he apologized.
"I can feel so many ideas. You were right, they do burn. So much darkness. Lyla, give me orders," the Dalek commanded the brown-haired human. "Order me to die," it finished softly and slowly as if every word was pained.
"I- I'm sorry," she stuttered out as she slowly backed away from the Dalek.
"This is not life. This is sickness. I shall not be like you," it confessed. "Order my destruction! Obey! Obey! Obey!" It shouted at the human to follow orders.
Lyla nodded her head and whispered, "Ok. Do it."
"Are you frightened, Lyla?" The Dalek questioned the human one last time.
"Yeah, I am," she admitted as she backed further away from the Dalek and closer to the Doctor.
"So am I," the Dalek revealed. "Exterminate." The casing around the Dalek started closing and the Dalek started rising in the air. The metal orbs on its body detached themselves and created a forcefield around the Dalek. It then self-destructed and the orbs collapsed in on themselves, everything vanished into thin air.
Just as the Dalek vanished, the Doctor wrapped his arms around Lyla and buried his face in her hair as he squeezed tightly. She rubbed his neck softly and spoke softly in his ear, "I'm fine. We're fine. Everyone is good and safe."
He tightened his hold for several moments then released her, but not completely out of the circle of his arms. He pointed a finger at her and sternly said, "If you are hiding an injury right now, I will be very cross with you."
Lyla laughed and shook her head, "Like I said, I'm fine. I just did some running and acting today. Nothing too hard."
"We are going to talk about that too. Where the hell did you get Psychic Paper from?
She giggled and shrugged, "Later. I'll tell you the full story." She finally stepped out of the circle of his arms and grabbed his hand just to tug it closer to her and said, "Now, let's go pick up our missing companion and leave this god-awful bunker."
oOoOo
The three travelers walked up to the blue police box and the Doctor gave it a bittersweet pat to its side as he told the two girls, "A little piece of home. Better than nothing."
"Is that the end of it, the Time War?" Rose asked him.
"I'm the only one left," he answered Rose and added sarcastically and with a bit of bite to his tone, "I win. How about that?"
"The Dalek survived. Maybe some of your people did too," Rose said, trying to lift his spirits.
"I'd know. In here," he tapped his temple and looked at the two girls as he explained, "Feels like there's no one."
"Well then, good thing we're not going anywhere," Rose said as she linked her arm with Lyla's and the two girls smiled softly at the saddened Doctor.
Adam came running up behind the two girls and advised the three, "We'd better get out. Van Statten's disappeared. They're closing the base. Goddard says they're going to fill it full of cement, like it never existed."
"About time," uttered Rose.
"I'll have to go back home," Adam added with a slight shrug.
"Better hurry up then. Next flight to Heathrow leaves at fifteen hundred hours," the Doctor answered him with crossed arms and raised eyebrows.
Lyla laughed and asked him, "How could you possibly know what time a plane is leaving?"
She unhooked her arm from Rose and walked around him with a pat to his shoulder as he answered her, "I'm just that impressive."
"Yeah, Yeah. Let's hope Mr. Impressive can still fit through the door with that ego," she laughed as she tugged his arms away from his chest to link their fingers together. She leaned on his shoulder suddenly tired and famished from all the excitement of the day.
"Adam was saying that all his life he wanted to see the stars," Rose added, hoping to persuade the Doctor into letting another on board.
"Tell him to go and stand outside, then," he commented lightly and stared Rose down.
"He's all on his own, Doctor, and he did help," Rose reasoned.
"What're you talking about? We've got to leave," Adam asked obliviously and concerned.
"Plus, he's a bit pretty," the Doctor questioned Rose.
"I hadn't noticed," Rose added with a smile.
Lyla tugged on the Doctor's hand and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Let her make her own mistakes." She dropped back on to flat feet as she addressed her friends, "Can we just go now. Bring him along. Don't bring him along. I don't really give a shit right now." She looked up at the Doctor as she said, "I need food, a shower, and a bed. And in that order."
The Doctor shook his head and turned to unlock the Tardis and pushed Lyla in first before following her inside. Rose was quickly behind and after several long seconds Adam followed Rose. Just as the door closed behind the last human the Tardis dematerialized, jumping into the time stream.
oOoOo