After Alex had calmed down from the incident with the watch and seemingly forgotten it her and Rose had stayed in their rooms to sleep for at least a couple hours before they set off again. Alex had chosen her clothes that morning, evening, whatever, rather slowly. She kept glancing back at the watch, even as she tried to put it behind her. She stood in front of the mirror for a bit, trying to make sure she looked convincingly okay before she let Rose see her. She and the Doctor had agreed the night before to not tell her about it just yet. She looked herself over, her black jeans and Tardis blue top, a black leather jacket the Tardis had provided her with over the top. She managed a smile when she thought about walking out into the console room matching the Doctor.
Satisfied that she looked okay, she shot one last glance at the watch on her nightstand and, ignoring the whispers of another person, closed the door as she left.
She walked quickly, convinced that the sooner she got to the console room and to whatever lay outside the sooner she could forget about the night before. She thought about forcing a smile but when she saw the Doctor running circles around the console, getting ready to go, she didn't have to try.
"Where are we going today?" She asked happily, resting her hands on the console beside where he stood.
"Well" He began, reaching over to pull a lever on the other side of her. The Tardis shook slightly but calmed quickly. Alex glanced at the screen and while it was still indecipherable Gallifreyan she recognised it enough to know they were still in the vortex. "I thought I'd wait for the two of you to decide" He turned to lean back against the console with his arms crossed.
"So, what do you think for today? Space or time?" He asked. Alex hummed in thought, looking over the controls on the console before she thought of something.
"Victorian era!" She cried suddenly. "19th century London! I always loved a little Victorian"
"Are you sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Alex frowned.
"'Course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You'd have to wear a dress" He reminded her, knowing how much she hated doing so. She paused, frowning at the console. "So…?"
"Give me a minute, trying to decide if it's worth it" She told him, not looking up. He laughed just as Rose walked in.
"When are we going today?" She asked, the grin clear in her voice. She always enjoyed saying things that made no sense anywhere but the Tardis. It was something that Alex got to know about her outside the show, and those were the kind of things she liked to learn.
"Alex's trying to decide if 19th century London is worth the dress she'd have to wear" The Doctor told her, amused. Alex swatted at his arm, turning to lean on the console as he was doing.
"You shut up, Martian" She said without thinking. He frowned, glancing down at her.
"Martian?" He asked incredulously. She simply shrugged. "I'm not from Mars" He pointed out, making her laugh.
"All…right then" Rose spoke up as she managed to calm down. "19th century London, yeah? Sounds great, let's go" The Doctor nodded, turning to the console and typing in co-ordinates.
"You can change once we've landed" He told them. "For now, Alex, over there, red lever, yellow button. Rose, hold on" Both did as they were told and they flew themselves off to their destination. Something beeped and Alex glanced at the monitor.
"Oh, Doctor" She began, frowning.
"Hold on" He replied distractedly. "Something's not right" Rose frowned, but said nothing until they landed. Alex checked the monitor again and made a face.
"Doctor, this isn't the 19th century" She complained.
"I thought you couldn't read that stuff?" Rose asked, confused.
"I can't, but I can recognise certain things" She clarified. "Like for one thing, we're on earth. And for another" She pointed out some smaller writing off to the side. "That does not say 1800's" The Doctor moved to check himself and nodded.
"You're right. It's more like…"
"21st century" Alex told them, grinning proudly.
"Yes it is, good job, Lex" The Doctor praised, ruffling her hair.
"Two things" She frowned, batting him away. "One, never call me that again, and B, never touch my hair" He laughed, heading for the door and Alex rolled her eyes as she followed.
"B?" Rose muttered to herself, confused but unsurprised by her friend's antics as she followed. She stepped out into the dark room, glancing around as the Doctor was doing while Alex was stroking the side of the Tardis, muttering things under her breath.
"So what is it? What's wrong?" She asked, looking up at the man next to her.
"Don't know. Some kind of signal drawing the Tardis off course…" He explained vaguely, glancing back at Alex with the ship.
"Where are we?" Rose asked then.
"Earth like Alex said. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground" He answered before turning to Alex again. "Closer to home for you" He pointed out. Alex shrugged.
"I guess. Never been underground America though" She pointed out, moving to stand beside him.
"And… when are we?" Rose asked next.
"2012" The Doctor said simply.
"God, that's so close" Rose pointed out in disbelief. "I should be… 26" Alex laughed.
"I forget sometimes you were born in a different year" She told the other girl, looking over at her. "I should be ten"
"Ten?" Rose asked, bewildered.
"Ten" Alex nodded simply. "Double digits though, at least there's that" She shrugged, grinning as the Doctor laughed. All of a sudden the large room was filled with light and Alex had to blink it away, covering her eyes with her hand a moment before actually looking around. The Doctor joined her again after having wandered off at some point when she hadn't noticed.
"Blimey! It's a great big museum!" Rose exclaimed, looking around in wonder.
"An alien museum" The Doctor pointed out, not sounding impressed. Alex's eyes widened suddenly as she remembered and she found herself suddenly looking around for any sign of security. "Someone's got a hobby. This must have cost a fortune." He continued, not noticing Alex's change in demeanour. He started down a row, pointing out the objects as he named them. "Chunks of meteorite. Moon dust… That's the milometer for the Roswell spaceship"
"That's a bit of Slitheen!" Rose called out suddenly, making Alex turn to see what was in fact a Slitheen arm. "That's Slitheen's arm, and it's been stuffed" The two exchanged disgusted looks.
"Oh! Look at you!" The Doctor said suddenly, turning Alex's attention back. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she moved over to stand beside him.
"Is that…"
"Yeah" He nodded. "It is"
"What is it?" Rose asked, looking at the Cyberman head from behind them.
"An old friend of mine" The Doctor told her before frowning at himself. "Well, enemy. The stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old" Alex snorted, shaking her head.
"Getting?"
"Oh, shut up"
Alex looked around a minute, her gaze stopping on one piece in particular and she felt as if she'd stopped breathing. Was that a piece of wood? A piece of blue wood? A piece of blue wood from a certain spaceship. She glanced back at the Tardis before looking back to the exhibit piece. She went to step forward to have a better look when an alarm rang out and she quickly backed up into the Doctor when they were surrounded by soldiers with guns pointed at them. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and held her close to him.
"You touched the glass?" Alex asked, her voice coming out oddly choked. The Doctor glanced down at her, nodding.
"I touched the glass" He agreed.
"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you exhibit A" Rose pointed out. Alex and the Doctor exchanged a glance. He then returned his attention to the surrounding soldiers and grinned at them.
Alex was walking close to the Doctor as the three of them were led down a hall with some kind of secretary in front of them and soldiers behind them.
"I hate this" She whispered to him.
"What exactly?" He whispered in return, glancing back at the soldiers.
"Being scared, I feel like a goddamn child" She muttered. He grinned down at her.
"That's alright" He assured her. "It's perfectly normal to be afraid of guns"
"Rose is fine on her own"
The Doctor glanced over at Rose, who was walking beside them and hearing what they were saying, and then back at Alex.
"Do you want me to let you go?" He asked, noticing he still had his arm around her shoulders.
"No" She said quickly, one hand grabbing the torn hem of his jacket. He simply nodded in response as they turned into an office.
"What does it do?" The man at the desk asked impatiently, taking the object being handed to him by a younger man.
"Well, you see the tubes at the side must be to channel something. I think maybe fuel" The boy explained.
"I wouldn't hold it like that" Alex spoke up.
"Shut it" The secretary snapped. But Alex had already found her bravery where the guns weren't being pointed at her and she simply raised an eyebrow in return.
"Really, though. That's wrong" The Doctor confirmed.
"Is it dangerous?" Adam asked, seeming equal parts scared and intrigued.
"No. It just looks silly" He laughed. Alex rolled her eyes in amusement. He reached forward to take it, leaving Alex alone for the moment and that was when the guards decided to point their guns at them again. Alex froze, glancing around at them. The older man held up a hand and they lowered their guns as he handed over the piece.
"You just need to be…" The Doctor returned to Alex's side, running his fingers gently over the pipes of the object, creating a small but beautiful sound much like a soft harmonica. Alex watched the object with wonder. "Delicate"
"It's a musical instrument" The man realised, watching, impressed like everyone else.
"And it's a long way from home" The Doctor nodded, sneaking a glance at Alex, who smiled softly, remembering the first day she met him.
"Here, let me" The man requested, standing. Instead of waiting for any kind of answer he snatched it away from the Doctor.
"I did say 'delicate'" He reminded the man. "Reacts to the smallest fingerprint" The man tried at the instrument but it only made a series of beeping noises, like it was complaining.
"It needs precision" The Doctor reiterated. The man changed to stroking his fingers down the item, producing a few notes, although louder than the Doctor had and nowhere near as beautiful.
"Very good, quite the expert" The Doctor praised.
"As are you" The man returned. He promptly threw the instrument over his shoulder and the Doctor and the boy beside him looked shocked but Alex simply glared at the man.
"Who exactly are you?" The man asked. The Doctor shifted, eyeing the man with distain before he answered.
"I'm the Doctor. And who are you?"
"Like you don't know" The man scoffed arrogantly. "We're hidden away with the most valuble collection of extra-terrestrial artefacts in the world and you just stumbled in by mistake"
"Pretty much sums me up, yeah" The Doctor nodded.
"Oh, but seriously it does" Alex agreed.
"The question is, how did you get in?" The man continued, much to Alex's irritation. "53 floors down with your little cat burglar accomplices" He looked over Alex and Rose. "Quite a collector yourself, they're rather pretty"
"They're gonna smack you if you keep calling them 'they'" Rose snapped.
"She's English too!" He realised, looking back at the Doctor before turning to the boy beside him. "Hey little lord flauntelroy, got you a girlfriend"
"This is Mr Henry Van Statten" The boy told them.
"And who is he when he's at home?" Rose asked, purposely acting like he wasn't in the room.
"Mr Van Statten owns the internet"
"Don't be stupid, no one owns the internet" Rose scoffed.
"Well…" Alex trailed off, not saying anything more. Rose blinked at her in surprise.
"And let's keep the whole world thinking that way, right kids?" Van Statten smiled smugly.
"So you're an expert in just about everything except the things in your museum" The Doctor figured out. "Anything you don't understand, you lock up"
"And you claim greater knowledge?" Van Statten asked, suitably annoyed now. Alex scoffed, shaking her head slightly at the man.
"I don't need to make claims, I know how good I am" The Doctor replied calmly.
"And yet, I captured you. Right next to the cage" Van Statten pointed out smugly. "What were you doing down there?"
"You tell me" The Doctor returned.
"The cage contains my one living specimen"
"And what's that?"
"Like you don't know"
"Show me"
"You wanna see it?"
"Blimey, you can smell the testosterone" Rose commented.
"Goddard, inform the cage. We're going down" Van Statten ordered, receiving a nod from the secretary. "You, English" He pointed to the boy beside him. "Look after the girl. Canoodle of spoon or whatever it is you British do. And you Doctor with no name… America. Come and see my pet" He walked over to the elevator, the Doctor and Alex following behind.
"Why am I America?" Alex whispered frowning. The Doctor simply shrugged.
"We tried everything." Van Statten explained, leading them through the halls and down into the cage. "The creature has… shielded itself, but there's definite signs of life inside"
"Inside? Inside what?" The Doctor asked, confused.
"Haven't you ever considered that there's things you don't know for a reason?" Alex asked, staring darkly at Van Statten. He glanced back at her.
"No" He said simply.
"Welcome back Sir" A scientist spoke as they entered. "I've had to take the power down, the Metaltron is resting"
"Metaltron?" The Doctor asked incredulously.
"Thought of it myself" Van Statten told them proudly.
"That explains it" Alex muttered, just loud enough for them to hear. Van Statten glowered and the Doctor grinned.
"Although I'd much prefer to find out its real name" He continued.
"Here, you'd better put these on" The scientist told the two of them, holding two pairs of gloves. "The last guy that touched it… burst into flames"
"We won't touch it then" The two spoke in unison. Goddard smirked in the background as the man looked suddenly uncomfortable.
"Go ahead, you two. Impress me" Van Statten urged, stepping back to watch. Alex and the Doctor shared a glance, both seemingly confused as to why she was being included. Alex realised suddenly that she was, actually, really scared to see the creature she knew was behind those doors. The Doctor seemed to notice too as the door opened and she hesitated. He took her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb as he led her in slowly. They heard Van Statten giving another order as the door closed behind them. Alex jumped slightly, looking at the door behind her with wide eyes.
The Doctor gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he pulled her slightly across the room to inspect the instruments Van Statten had been using on the alien. Alex couldn't help pulling a disgusted face at the sight of them. No matter what the creature was, this was just wrong. She had always been disappointed in the human race. They could be so much, but there was only few to show that. The Doctor turned to the side of the cage where a blue light was shining dully, giving away the position of the alien he was looking for. He still held Alex's hand tightly in his own, letting her stand slightly behind him.
"Look, I'm sorry about this" He started sympathetically. "Mr Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor"
"Doc-tor" The grating metal voice spoke. Alex flinched, feeling her heart racing as she pressed herself into the Doctor's back. His hand tightened on hers and she realised he mightn't have noticed he was doing it.
"Impossible" He whispered, completely shocked.
"The Doctor?" It asked.
The Doctor watched with wide eyes while Alex had hers closed tightly when the lights came on, revealing the Dalek chained up.
"Exterminate!" It cried, repeating the word as the Doctor moved away to the door, pressing Alex into the corner of the doorframe with himself in front of her. He banged frantically on the door.
"Let us out!" He shouted, watching the Dalek with wide eyes.
"You are an enemy of the Daleks, you must be exterminated" The Dalek declared. Alex whimpered in fear, her hand clutching tighter at the Doctor's coat even as no shot came. She tried to calm her breathing and as the Doctor laughed suddenly, she forced herself to slowly open her eyes.
"It's not working!" He realised, laughing again as it moved to look down at its gun. Alex pried her fingers off his coat, moving away from him slightly to step slightly closer. "Fantastic! Oh, fantastic! Powerless. Look at you, the great space dustbin, how does it feel?" Alex actually smiled at that, but it quickly turned into a strange kind of smirk as she moved closer.
"Powerless" She repeated, laughing slightly as the Dalek tried to move away, straining against the chains.
"Keep back!" It ordered, seemingly terrified as the Doctor appeared next to her.
"What for?" He asked, leaning in close to its eyepiece. "What're you going to do to me?" he demanded. There was silence for a minute. "If you can't kill… then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you?" He moved to circle the creature as Alex stepped back. She blinked, surprised at herself as the Doctor continued.
"You're nothing. What the hell are you here for?" He went on, his gaze fixed on the Dalek's eyepiece as it followed him around.
"I am waiting for orders" The Dalek said, sounding almost unsure of itself already.
"What does that mean?" The Doctor asked, questioning but not changing his attitude about the creature in the slightest.
"I am a soldier. I was bred to receive orders"
"You're never gonna get any" Alex spoke up, her voice cold and emotionless. The Dalek moved to look at her. "Not anymore"
"I demand orders!" It cried.
"There's no one to give you any!" She shouted suddenly, making even the Doctor stare at her with wide eyes. "Your race is dead! You burned, all of you. Ten million ships, countless Daleks, all wiped out in a single second!"
"You lie!" It accused.
"I watched it happen" The Doctor took over, standing in front of it again. "I made it happen!"
"You destroyed us?" The Dalek asked. Alex would have said it was distraught if it had any emotions. The Doctor's expression changed and he turned away, taking a couple steps to the other side of the room.
"I had no choice" He told it quietly.
"And what of the Time Lords?" It asked, looking to Alex and back to the Doctor, waiting to see who answered.
"Gone" Alex whispered.
"They burnt with you. The end of the Last Great Time War. Everyone lost" The Doctor spoke solemnly.
"And the coward survived" The Dalek accused.
"Oh, and I caught your little signal, 'help me', poor little thing" The Doctor mocked. "But there's no one else coming 'cos there's no one else left" The Dalek's eyepiece lowered as it spoke again.
"I am alone in the universe"
"Yep" The Doctor smiled.
"So are you" It continued, making his smile fade.
"We are the same"
"We're not the same" The Doctor fumed, turning on the Dalek angrily. "I'm not-" He stopped himself suddenly. "No wait, maybe we are. You're right, yeah, okay. You've got a point. 'Cos I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve" Alex stood beside him, glaring at the Dalek as he looked at it with an almost insane grin. "Exterminate" The line that, coming from the Doctor, always scared Alex the most in this episode, or the series even, didn't even make her flinch. She showed no reaction as he pulled down a lever next to him and the Dalek was engulfed by electricity, screaming again.
"Have pity!" It cried desperately.
"Why should I? You never did" He responded coldly, turning up the voltage.
"Help me!" The Dalek screamed, even as the door was opened. The soldiers grabbed the Doctor quickly but in the moment they missed Alex she lunged at the control panel. She turned the voltage up as far as she could before she was pulled away. The Dalek's screams changed pitch as it sparked and Alex was hopeful she had actually managed to kill it until one of the soldiers switched it off. Van Statten shouted at the Dalek while the Doctor called for them to destroy it but Alex ignored them. She tried to struggle away, taking note of how the men holding her stumbled in surprise.
They held her arms tightly, dragging her out alongside the Doctor even as she screamed at them to let her go and let her kill it. The Doctor focussed his attention on her, watching as she struggled against the men holding her. His gaze was drawn to her eyes as a flash of gold caught his attention. His eyes widened and he was beyond shocked for the second time that day.
"Impossible" He whispered.
He only knew one person who did that.
Well then. Review, if you like. They feed me, munch munch