Asylum of the Daleks
From the beginning, she was impossible. Clara Oswald, my impossible girl. We have been running together for a long time now and she is perfect. She is always brave, makes light of every situation, a total genius and as bossy as she is gorgeous. And yet, I have met her before. Back on Gallifrey when I started running, she was there. She made me choose a different TARDIS, the one I have had for all of my lives. I met her again in the Dalek Asylum. That time people remember but not the face I wore then. That face…my biggest shame and regret, yet Clara gave a light in that darkness, until it became extinguished. That time of darkness was the last day of hell. War had descended for hundreds of years and no matter how hard I fought, no matter how many people I saved, it was never enough. That was the day I decided to end it all. Too long it had gone on, the Time War had to end. No more fighting. No more death. No more suffering. No more.
Plains, Gallifrey
The Last Day of the Time War
An old man, 5ft 8½, with brown eyes and dressed in war-torn clothing looked out upon Gallifrey's vast sand plains, the Citadel standing in the middle, far to the distance. What once was a beautiful stretch of red grass mixed with orange sand was now littered with the bodies of fallen Time Lords and destroyed Daleks. Dalek ships lay torn apart upon various parts of the plains, with tiny pockets of smoke appearing from their remains. The dead and leafless trees on the mountaintops creaked and swayed wearily in the hot, dry wind. Despite this, the old man looked upon the Citadel, with different emotions flickering across his face. The first was guilt: For all the families torn apart, homes burnt and children who died long before their time. The second was self-loathing: That he was foolish enough to think that the war would end any day, whether by his hand or others. Finally, was contemplation: All the forbidden weapons and plans of the Time Lords were exhausted over the course of the Time War to no avail, except for one: "The Moment", also known as "The Galaxy Eater". Now, in the old man's eyes, it was the only way to end the war and save the universe. He began planning to take the Moment from the Omega Arsenal to the barn. The same barn he ran to night after night when he was afraid and alone. There, he would activate the weapon and end the war, knowing full well he would not survive the aftermath, for with him, the Time Lords and the Daleks would pass into history. But before he could move forward with the new plan, he froze at once from a new presence to his right. He turned to see a figure dressed head to toe in red robes, the hood placed upon their head, yet their face remained unseen, shrouded in darkness. The old man recognized the figure at once as a member of the Headless Monks, a religious order allied with the Church of the Papal Mainframe. "The Doctor." The Monk said in a deep voice.
"Don't call me that. I'm not the Doctor, not anymore." The old man snapped.
"The Warrior." The Monk said, taking the comment as a request for a different name.
"What do you want?" He asked in a tired, world-weary voice.
"There is a woman who wants to meet you. Your help is required."
He stood there, deep in contemplation for a few, short and tense moments before he asked, "What is her name?"
"Darla von Karlsen."
"I've never heard of her." He muttered before turning around, then at once stopping his movements in shock. They were no longer on Gallifrey but instead in a dark room with a sickly green light and deeply familiar engravings and markings upon the walls. "A psychic projection?" The Warrior asked through a deduction. "Or a conference call through a soporific?"
"Do you recognize where you are?" The Monk asked, completely ignoring his questions.
The Warrior gave a small, dry snort. "Oh, I recognize it all right. But why would you or this "Darla" need my help?" He asked.
"You are the Warrior, the greatest and most respected fighter in the Time War, it can only be you. Her daughter is in danger." The Monk explained before he waved one of his hands in front of his face in a revealing motion. The movement left behind light blue symbols that arranged themselves before their eyes. "Space-time coordinates. You recognize the planet?" The Monk asked, echoing his earlier question.
"Yes." The Warrior answered, restrained anger bubbling up inside him when he did.
"Name the planet." The Monk demanded.
"No."
"Name the planet."
"No!" The Warrior exclaimed in rage.
"Name the planet." The Monk repeated, unaffected and uncaring about his outburst. The Warrior took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments, as the Monk leaned in towards him. "Name the planet." The Monk whispered imploringly.
"Skaro." He opened his eyes to find himself sitting in his chair in the TARDIS, a soporific candle burned out on the table beside him. He glanced around the console room for a few moments before he gave out a sigh, rose up from his chair and started the TARDIS to follow the given co-ordinates.
Ruined Dalek Temple, Skaro
The TARDIS materialized inside a dark room, covered in filth, strewn wires and a hole in the wall that looked out upon the ruined city of Skaro below. The Warrior stood inside what might have been a Dalek temple, even though the Daleks had no concept of belief, worship or even blasphemy. "I received your message. Few people can do that, send a soporific aboard my ship mid-flight." The Warrior said without turning to the hooded figure in black to his left. The figure however turned to look at him, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see that it was a red headed woman with pale skin. Far too pale. He mused grimly to himself.
"I have a daughter, Hannah. She is in a Dalek prison camp. They say you can help." Darla pleaded.
"Darla, did you know that the universe is in the middle of the greatest and most terrible war it has ever known?" He asked sarcastically. "There are millions upon millions of cries for help across the universe, crying for safety, revenge…" He paused, and turned to look at her, "and for reunion with their lost family. So what story would tell you that your plea would be listened to?" He asked with a bitter sadness in his voice as he remembered all the people he tried and failed to help. "What makes you think that your request will be met with?"
"They said...I'd have to intrigue you." Darla said after an awkward moment, before she attempted to give a slight smile of humor.
The Warrior ignored her attempt to alleviate the tension, and he looked back out of the hole upon the ruined city. "Skaro, planet of the Daleks. Just like the Time Lords, look how far they've fallen from grace." He muttered, pushing away memories of the species in their earlier years aside before turning back to Darla. "Who told you about me?"
"Does it matter?" She asked with a blink of confusion.
"In other situations, no. In this war, yes. You see, if Hannah is in a prison camp, why aren't you?"
She shrugged. "I escaped." If it were anyone else but the Warrior, they would've missed the split second of uncertainty in both her eyes and her voice.
"No one escapes the Dalek camps without being liberated." He retorted before moving towards Darla and gently taking her hand. "You're a Thal, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"One of the last remaining," He paused before adding dryly, "survivors. But the Thal race is nearing extinction, driven off Skaro to find sanctuary with other civilizations. And you are cold. Far too cold to be alive." The Warrior sighed, before he let her hand go and started to pace back to the TARDIS. "This is a trap." He deducted.
"What is?"
"You are, and you don't even know it." Darla's head clicked twice before an eye-stalk appeared from her forehead, and the noise made the Warrior stop in his tracks. He turned around just in time to see her hold up her right hand, letting a Dalek gun emerge from her palm before she fired at the Warrior and knocked him down. No pain, just a blast to render me unconscious.
"The Warrior is acquired." A loud Dalek voice roared through the room before the Warrior drifted off into deep, dreamless sleep.
He awoke later to find himself in a round, white room with a window shaped oddly like prison bars in the wall. As he shook the drowsiness out of his mind, he stood up and moved to the window to see many Dalek ships flying outside in deep space. A door then suddenly opened at the other end of the room to show three Daleks moving inside, their eye-stalks fixed upon the old man. "Elevate." One of the Daleks said and upon its command, the floor began to move upwards as the ceiling opened to reveal a window dome far above and the view of a dull, golden room followed swiftly thereafter. The expanse of the room was monumental, with hundreds of Daleks lined up in rows, all of them staring at the Warrior.
To his left, he gave a brief sigh of relief as he saw the TARDIS, his oldest friend sitting there unharmed. In front of him was both a white console and a small, glass capsule, holding a large organic Dalek inside, its tentacles writhing about in anticipation. On its left was Darla, now dressed in a black leather battle outfit, while on the right was a blood red Dalek. The Dalek Minister and a Dalek Supreme. The Warrior gave a sigh of defeat. It is the Parliament of the Daleks. He waited for a moment but found to his surprise, none of the Daleks were doing anything. Not firing, not speaking, not even moving. So, in courage or foolish boldness, he marched forward. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He called almost tauntingly, his voice echoing through the expansive room. "After all these many years, you have me right where you want me, ready to die in your name. So, let me ask again: What are you waiting for?" The Warrior demanded, staring at the Minister.
"Save us." The Minister said, and a small moment of tense silence followed where the Warrior could only blink at its simple words. "You will save us."
He stared at the Minister, and surprise quickly spread across his face. "I beg your pardon?"
"You will save the Daleks."
Before the Warrior could get another word out, all the Daleks in the chamber began to chant "Save The Daleks" over and over again, making his expression turn from surprise to utter disbelief. After all this time, after all the defeats I made them suffer, they want my help. What for? Only the Time Lords know about the Moment and even then, only very few and they would know by now their failed attempts to beat the Daleks have given them the winning hand. So, what do they need?
"Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks! Save the Daleks!" They continued to chant, and their loud, echoing voices started to create a throbbing and painful ringing in his ears that made him blink, and he was forced to impromptu plug them with his own fingers.
"Legions of Daleks needing my help?" He chuckled lightly at that. "That's new."
Meanwhile, At the Same Time
In a grey, yet neatly maintained room, a young brunette girl, dressed in a red dress that came to her mid-thigh, was continuing to nail planks over the round entrance, whilst she silently hummed a Carmen opera song to herself as the same song played on her music box. As she finished, she quickly equipped a cooking apron and oven gloves before she opened the microwave with a light beeping sound, and she stared at the contents within. Her wide, beaming smile quickly turned into a frown, as she pulled out a horribly burnt soufflé then at once dumped it into the bin, giving a couple, playful pats on said bin's lid. She then took off her cooking gear before going to lie down on a gently swaying hammock. Then, she picked up a tape and clicked the record button, contemplating for a second before speaking, her northern accent flourishing on every word. "Oswin Oswald's log, day 363. The terror continues. Also, made another soufflé…" She paused before adding with a smirk, "very nearly. Checked defenses…" She glanced over to the barred entrance before continuing on with a small sigh. "They came again last night. Still always at night. They could be vampires." She quipped dryly to herself, before blinking for a silent moment, and then she suddenly carried on with a beaming smile again. "Oh, and it's my mum's birthday." She stared into the middle distance for a moment before she added somberly, "Happy birthday mum. I did make you a soufflé, but it was too beautiful to live." She finished with a giggle.
A loud bang was heard at the entrance, startling Oswin from her serene moment as she quickly switched off the recorder, and at least four Dalek voices started to flood through the door. "You will let us in! We will enter! You will let us in! We will enter! You will let us in! We will enter!"
Oswin flinched in fear before she grabbed a remote and switched to a different Carmen song and turned up the volume. For a moment it did nothing to blot out the sound of the Daleks, so she plugged her fingers in her ears in a vain effort to help. After a while however, the Daleks stopped banging and the faint sound of humming started as they moved away, which left Oswin feeling relieved and still utterly terrified.
Parliament of the Daleks
One Hour Later
The Warrior stood still with an ever-growing temptation to pace burning in his nerves. He used to do this when he called himself "The Doctor" but has many a time ignored the feeling as it reminded him of who he no longer is. Yet the slow, bulky ship and the sluggish journey began to eat away at his patience. Right until- "We have arrived." The Dalek Supreme announced.
Thank the heavens. "Where?" He questioned.
"The Prime Minister will speak with you now." Darla said, ignoring his question, and she motioned her hand to the glass capsule.
The Warrior walked to stand beside Darla and without looking at her, he asked dryly, "Do you remember who you were before they emptied you out and turned you into their errand girl?"
"My memories are only activated if they are required to facilitate deep cover or disguise." She said, mirroring his tone before motioning again to the capsule.
"Do you not remember her?" He asked in a different angle. "Your daughter Hannah?"
"No. I just read my file." She said with a sly smirk on her face.
The Warrior just gave her a dull glare before he walked past her and the console and up to the Minister. "Well then, where have we arrived?"
"Warrior, what do you know of the Dalek Asylum?" The Minister asked.
"In the early days of the Time War, one of the very first planets the Daleks conquered was, by order of Davros, to be turned into a dumping ground. This planet is where you lock up every single Dalek that is a failure. Whether they became battle-scarred, driven to insanity or were never pure-blooded Dalek to begin with, you lock them up there. Even after Davros disappeared, you still honor his order. Of course, it's never made any sense to me." The Warrior finished his diagnosis by turning around and walking back to the center of the room.
"Why not?"
"Because any Dalek failure is deemed shameful even though the Daleks should have no concept of it, so you would just kill them."
"We do not lock up hybrid abominations, Warrior, we destroy them. The Daleks in the Asylum are pure-blooded, and it is offensive to us to extinguish such divine hatred."
He stopped and turned to look back at the Minister with a look of surprise and disgust on his face. "Offensive?"
"Does it surprise you to know that the Daleks have a concept of beauty?"
"You think hatred is beautiful? After all these years fighting this war, I thought you ran out of ways to make me sick. Well here I am, proven wrong." The Warrior said, his surprise and disgust quickly turning into tamed rage.
"Perhaps it is why we have never been able to kill you."
The Warrior just stared blankly at the Minister before he turned around as he heard a circular hole open in the center of the room. He stood by it and peered down to see a singular planet, covered in grey clouds, and surrounded by a light that looked like gleaming grey ash, almost indistinguishable against the planet itself. Darla walked up to stand beside him, her heels clicking against the floor as she did. "The Asylum. It occupies the entire planet, right to the core."
"How many Daleks?"
"A count has not been made. Millions, certainly."
"Alive?"
"It has to be assumed."
"Armed?"
Darla gave him an extremely dull look. "Daleks are always armed. The Asylum is fully automated. Supervision is not necessary, but we did receive a signal from the planet. It originates right in the heart of the Asylum."
Upon her finishing, the Dalek Supreme moved to interact with the console. Then a Carmen song started to blare loudly into the room, making the Dalek Supreme move backwards in agitation. "What is that noise?! Explain! Explain!"
The Warrior began to walk up to the console with a nostalgic twinkle in his eyes. "It's a song from Earth. A long time ago I played the triangle in this song, but the rest of the instruments drown it out. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful show. Now someone, be it genuine or trap is transmitting this from the planet. Have any of you considered tracking the signal back to talk to them?" Utter silence followed with Darla looking confused and surprisingly embarrassed at his reasoning. He rolled his eyes then pressed a couple of switches to turn on the audio input. "Hello? Anybody there?"
In the room, Oswin, now with a red rose in her hair, looked at her screen in both surprise and wonder. I have not talked to someone that is not a Dalek since I crashed here. Maybe I can get out! "Hello?" She asked timidly.
"Hello? Anybody there?" The Warrior repeated.
"Hello! Yes, yes, sorry." Oswin raced up to the large computer and flicked a couple of switches to turn the music off. "Do you read me?"
"Yes. Reading you loud and clear. Could you kindly identify yourself and your current situation?"
"Wait a moment, are you real?" She asked in relieved bewilderment. "Are you actually, properly real?"
"Yes, my dear. I am real." He said, trying to hold back the instinctive pity in his voice. How long has she been on her own, without contact from anybody excluding Daleks?
Oswin quickly cleared her throat. "Oswin Oswald. Junior entertainment manager, star ship Alaska. Current status: Crashed and shipwrecked somewhere…"She glanced behind her to the boarded entrance for a moment before continuing, "not nice. Been here for a year, provisions are good but keen to move on."
"A year?" The Warrior muttered in bewilderment. "Are you okay? Are you under attack?"
"Some local life forms. Been keeping them out."
"You do know what those lifeforms are, my dear?"
"Anyone can hear a Dalek for miles, so yeah." She said amusingly.
The Warrior laughed before he stopped himself in surprise. I have not laughed properly for centuries. I really am getting old. He then asked timidly, "What have you been doing on you own against the Daleks for a year?"
"Making soufflés?" Oswin responded hesitantly.
The Warrior could not help himself and he laughed at her words. "Soufflés? Against the Daleks? Wonderful." However, he paused for a moment as he realized that something might be wrong with her words. "Wait, where do you get the milk?"
Before he and Oswin could converse any further, the Dalek Supreme interrupted. "This conversation is irrelevant!"
Back in the room, Oswin heard the connection cut off, replaced by static noise. "No, no, wait! Hello? Hello?" No answer came, and she growled in irritation before she started to flip the switches in an attempt to re-establish the connection.
"No, it isn't!" The Warrior responded in an irritated manner back on the Asylum. "Don't you realize what this is? A star liner has crashed into your Asylum and someone got in. If that happens then someone can get out. Even you don't want an avalanche of insane Daleks to break free."
"The Asylum must be cleansed!"
"Then why is it still here?" The Warrior retorted. "You have enough power to blow the planet to kingdom come yet you have done nothing. Why?"
"The force field is impenetrable." Darla interjected.
"Then turn it off!" The Warrior exclaimed impatiently.
"It can only be turned off from within the Asylum."
The Warrior put the pieces together before an amused twinkle started to shine in his eyes. "Oh, that's why. No matter your numbers or heavy firepower, you are too scared to go down there. That is where I come in. Now if my deduction is true, why on god's Earth would I help you?"
"Because Doctor, you would have no other means of escape!" The Dalek Supreme roared. If he was Human, he would have had a sickening grin plastered across his face.
The Warrior sighed as Darla walked up to him holding a wrist band. "You'll need this. It will protect from the Nano cloud."
"I beg your pardon?"
"The gravity beam will convey you close to the source of the transmission. You must find a way to deactivate the force field from there." Darla said, ignoring his question as she put the wrist band on, then she pressed a small button on the side to activate it.
The Warrior groaned loudly. "Oh, that's the plan then. Fire me at the planet and wait till I fix it." No response came from within the room, and Darla just motioned wordlessly towards the hole. As he moved forward, a beam of white light shone from the ceiling and through the hole. Taking a deep breath before whispering an old Gallifreyan prayer, he stepped through the hole. For what felt like hours, all the Warrior could see was a blinding light, forcing him to shut his eyes. Then he felt himself surrounded by snow and what sounded like Dalek eye-stalks tuning and focusing. He opened his eyes to see a blue sky with clouds above his head and cold snow surrounding him in all directions. This must be the planet's illusion, that it is a peaceful planet protected by a powerful force field from the war. He groaned deeply as he moved to get up, noticing a Dalek eye-stalk sticking out of the snow to his right. If it was not for his current predicament, he would have laughed at its silliness. Then the same Carmen song that played in the Asylum began to blare out before it was at once cut off.
"Sorry! Sorry, I pressed the wrong switch!" Oswin said.
"Soufflé girl?" The Warrior muttered, surprise in his voice at her manipulation of Dalek technology.
"You could always call me Oswin, seeing as that's my name." Oswin said, a degree of sass in her voice that made him smirk.
"Sorry, Oswin. But I must ask, how are you doing this? This is Dalek technology, not even Time Lords have figured out how to manipulate it so easily." The Warrior said, now with awe in his voice.
"Well...it's pretty easy for me. Maybe you're just a big idiot who hasn't figured it out." He did not need to see her to know that she had a cheeky grin on her face.
"Oh, quiet you." The Warrior retorted, yet he could not help the smile. "Where are you?"
"Ship broke up when it hit the planet, now I'm somewhere underground...I think. You coming to get me?" Oswin asked, her voice laced undeniably with hope. Yet just like the connection, it was cut off as static filled the screen. "Damn. Hello?" Oswin called, before sighing and returning to her work...again.
"Oswin, you there?" The Warrior asked. Before he would continue, he noticed coming down a mound of snow towards him from his right was a brown-skinned man in a white fur jacket, panting as he stopped his pace.
"Hello, who are you? Are you okay?" The man rambled. "I'm Harvey. I saw the transport beam on the other side of the hill. Are you the rescue team?"
The Warrior looked at him in puzzlement, and he answered timidly, "I think so. Well Harvey, I'm the Doctor." Wait a moment, since when did I refer to myself as the Doctor? Oh, never mind. "How did you get on this planet?"
"I'm part of maintenance on Star ship Alaska. We crashed here two days ago, but the escape pods launched into the surface before the ship burrowed underground."
Hold on, Oswin said the ship crashed here a year ago and Harvey says it was only a few days. What am I missing? "I'm trying to get to the ship, one of your crew members contacted me." Best not tell him about the Daleks blowing up the planet. Don't need him to panic.
"I can help you, me and the others, we all...somewhat camped in an escape pod." Harvey at once started to move back up the mound, the Doctor looking timidly at his hurried pace. He moved to follow Harvey and before long saw a grey latch in the snow which Harvey began to open. "There's at least twelve other escape pods, I don't know if they also have survivors, or where they are." Harvey said before moving inside the escape pod.
The Doctor followed him and watched as he gathered supplies, seeing three rows of chairs with bodies in them and a door behind him-Wait…bodies? "Aren't you going to introduce me to your crew?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the backs of their heads.
"Oh, sorry. Guys, this is the Doctor." Harvey introduced, but he paused as he noticed the bodies did not even react to either of them. "Guys?"
The Doctor pulled one of the hoods off and saw a rotten skeleton underneath. He moved in front of the others and saw the same thing. "They're all dead." He said dryly.
"No, they can't be. I just spoke to them. Two hours ago, we were doing engine repairs." Harvey said in shock.
"You sure about that? I'd say they've all been dead for an awfully long time." The Doctor turned to look at Harvey who then dulled his eyes in almost mocking realization.
"Oh, of course, stupid me. I died outside, and the cold preserved my body. I forgot about dying." As he finished, a cracking sound came from his neck as a Dalek eye-stalk emerged. The Doctor quickly pressed a nearby button to open the door, then grabbed a fire extinguisher and fired it directly into Harvey's eyes, forcing him through the door then he slammed his hand down on the button.
Now that explains the "Nano cloud". Microscopic machines that convert anything organic into Dalek puppets. It does not even need to be living to become a puppet. Wait, there's bodies in here too. Ok, time to go. The Doctor at once moved to the door on the other side of the room, pressing the button to open it, then doing the same with the button on the other side, closing the door before the corpse puppets could even move. The Doctor then sighed in relief, before jumping slightly as a loud static noise filled the room for a brief second.
"Unauthorized personnel may not enter the cockpit." Oswin quipped.
"Oh, shush you." The Doctor said with a smile, before moving over to the computer in front of him.
Oswin huffed. "Mr. Grumpy today. That is a bad combo, no sense of humor and that mess of an outfit." She continued.
"It's not an outfit, it's just something I wear instead of a military suit." The Doctor retorted incredulously.
"Like I said, mess of an outfit. I'm scanning you, you're in one of the escape pods from the Alaska and it seems your power is on."
"How can you hack into everything? It should be impossible, especially in a crashed ship." More than that, I cannot see her, yet she can see me. Why is that? Is it one way visual or something else?
"Long story. Is there a word for "Total Screaming Genius" that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy?" Oswin flirted.
Well, two can play at this game. "The Doctor. Fits the bill, and that is also my name." The Doctor replied in the same tone. He had to hold his surprise when he heard Oswin giggle. Wait, that worked? Hmm, I've still got it. That is either really good or really bad.
"I see what you did there." Oswin replied but stopped to hear a loud beeping from her computer, making her return to her work. "Check the floor. I am picking up a breach at floor level, could be a way out. See ya later."
The Doctor smiled before turning to survey the room. Nothing much of note except for a used hatch in the floor. Hold on, used? Either nothing is adding up or I am missing something extremely obvious. The Doctor moved to the hatch to open it. The lower part of the pod is buried so this must go straight down to the Asylum. And whoever previously used this hatch tried to block it off behind them. Cannot really blame them for doing that. The Doctor then forced the hatch open to see a sheer drop inside with a ladder attached to the hatch. Someone else got in here, or did they get out? He then began the long climb down the ladder. After what again felt like an eternity, the Doctor reached the bottom of the ladder to see a corridor in front of him then quickly popped his back and suppressed a groan. Dear me, I am too old for this shit. Wait, was that from a film-oh never mind. He then marched down the corridor before coming to a stop, seeing a Dalek eyestalk in the roof acting strangely like a camera. Please let her hear me. "Oswin, are you there? Can you hear me?"
"Hello there, old fella. I have a visual on you."
Again, that same question. "Why don't I have a visual on you?"
"Limited power, bad hair, not enough makeup, horrific dress, take your pick."
"Well if the voice matches you, you would look good no matter what dress you are in."
Oswin paused in surprise for a moment. "Now I can't tell if that was smooth or really cheesy."
"Shush." That made Oswin giggle which in turn made the Doctor smirk.
"There's a door to your left, open it." The Doctor did as she said, seeing a small cupboard with a screen inside. "Going to send you a map to that screen. Can take you to a room containing teleports, those can get us out of here."
The Doctor waited as she stopped talking, noticing left out information. "And the problem is?"
"You have to go through a room of insane Daleks."
That made him nod slowly with a sigh. "Riiight. How many Daleks are ahead of me?"
"Ten? Twenty? It is hard to tell. Some of them are catatonic but they do have firepower, so be careful."
"I'll try to be." The Doctor said solemnly before opening the door and moving into the large room. The room was full of burnt wires, dripping water and Dalek waste along with many stationary Daleks. Asleep, dead, or dormant? Hard to recognize. He started his slow trek to the other side of the large room, moving around columns and Daleks whilst being careful to avoid touching anything on the ground. At least ten more feet before I can get to the door. Before he moved another inch, a loud metallic groaning sound came from right next to him. He turned to see a Dalek's head moving painfully slow towards him, the blue light in its eye-stalk being dim yet noticeable. The Doctor took a few slow steps back before stopping in shock as his foot clumsily bumped a steel rod on the ground, making a loud screeching sound in the process. This caused all the Daleks in the room to come alive. Some of the Daleks at the far side were doing silly gestures like moving close to each other in a form of hug or spinning around on the spot while staring straight upwards. However, the Dalek right beside him finished moving its head to stare straight into his eyes.
"Eh-Eh-Eh-Eh-Eh-Eggs…"
The Doctor blinked before sputtering, "I'm sorry?"
"Egg-Egg-Egg-Egg-Egg-Eggs…"
"Eggs? What do you mean?"
"Ehhhggs…"
"I... don't know what you want."
"Eggs...ter-"
"Okay, don't even bother finishing that." The Doctor spat out quickly before turning to run for the door.
"Mi... nate. Ex-ter-mi-nate." The Doctor reached the door but found it would not open. Quickly fishing out his silver sonic screwdriver, he pointed it at a red sensor at the top of the door to force it open. "Exterminate!" The same Dalek exclaimed before firing yet missing him by at least five feet. This still made him flinch in fear before returning to work. The door then opened, allowing the Doctor to run inside then repeat the same motion with his sonic, right after dodging another shot from the Dalek. The door then shut just in time to block a well-aimed blast from the Dalek, thus saving his life. This made him lean against the wall and breath a deep sigh of relief before returning to walk down the corridor to another door, this one leading into a small circular room filled with electronic devices and strewn wires.
"You have some incredibly good stamina for an old fella. Other people might interpret that differently though."
"Ummm, thank you?" The Doctor asked dumbly.
"No problem. Just flirting to keep you cheerful."
"Well, I'll take flirting over Daleks any day. Actually, I'd take almost anything than facing Daleks."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Oswin admitted.
"Now I have a question Oswin, why hasn't the Dalek Nano cloud converted you?"
That made Oswin snort. "I mentioned the genius thing yeah. Shielded in here."
Again, even the most brilliant genius cannot integrate into Dalek technology so easily. "Not bad." He decided to say, so to not alarm Oswin. "Now, the Daleks said this place was fully automated but look at it. It's a complete mess."
"Well, I've had nearly a year to mess with it and... not much else to do."
Let us get this straight. "A junior entertainment manager hiding out in a wrecked star ship, integrating themselves into the security system of THE most advanced battle race the universe has ever seen. Yet what I find most strange is the soufflés. Where do you get the milk from?" That started to make Oswin look both confused and uncertain at her situation. "How do you fight Daleks for over a year while making soufflés without running out of supplies?"
"So, Doctor, I've been looking you up. You're all over the database, yet why would the Daleks call you names like "Predator" or "Valeyard" or "Warrior"?"
She did not simply ignore those questions, she avoided them in fear. "Because I've been fighting a war for an exceedingly long time. You do not fight wars and simply call yourself "The Doctor" it never works like that. I am still surprised I am using that name right now and not "The Warrior". I have not been the Doctor for so long now, and sometimes I keep forgetting what even made me him in the first place. But the one thing I do remember is that the Doctor is a good man."
"*Sigh* Have you got a plan then?"
"In no order I have to neutralize all the Daleks in this Asylum, rescue you from the wreckage and escape from both this planet and the Dalek Parliament that is in orbit."
"FYI, I picked up that ship on the sensors."
"Thank you Oswin. Now, this whole planet has a force field around it and the Daleks on said ship are waiting for me to turn it off then they will destroy the whole planet and everything on it. And if I think about common Dalek behavior, I shall receive no mercy. My question is, how fast can you turn off the force field?"
"Pretty fast. But why would I? And why would you let me if you know you won't survive?"
"This room I'm in Oswin, it is a teleport room, an internal teleport at that. And thanks to a good ounce of Dalek stupidity, I have an escape ship on the Dalek Parliament that I can just teleport to and get us out of here. And I can boost the power along with the accuracy of said teleport when the force field drops. So, how fast can you drop the force field, Oswin?"
"I can do it from here, as soon as you come and get me."
"Can you send me a map to your location?"
"Hold on, aren't you supposed to say, "Why not just drop the force field and come to me?""
"Because I have been fighting this violent war for far too long. There have been so many times where I have promised someone that I would save them and yet they die, so I will not let that happen again. When we do get out of here, I can take you back home but then I must return to my planet."
"Why? Why would you have to return to a war when you can just go somewhere peaceful?"
"Because I made myself a promise. A promise to end the war and I will see it through, even if I don't survive."
Oswin reluctantly accepted his words despite her sadness for him and his fate. "All right then, I'm sending you a map to my location."
The Doctor then began to hastily move around the room to prepare the teleport before moving back to the computer screen to see the map route then leaving the room and heading down a long corridor. He started to breathe unsteadily as he heard many distant Daleks chanting "We are the Daleks! Prepare to be annihilated!". After a full minute of walking, he let a small breath of relief pass as he saw a door at the end. "Oswin, are you there? I think I'm getting close." The Doctor whispered shakily.
"You are, less than twenty feet away. That's the good news."
He gulped. "And the bad?"
"You're going to pass through Intensive Care."
The door opened to reveal a room bathed in sickly green and brown light, which once again made the Doctor feel uneasy. It did not help that the badly arranged cells held dormant Daleks. "What's so special about this lot then?" The Doctor whispered.
"Don't know, survivors of particular wars: Spiridon, Kembel, Aridius, Vulcan, Exxilon, the Time War." That last one made Oswin pause. Is that the war he is referring to? "Any of them familiar?"
"The last one." He said simply.
"How?"
"These are the Daleks who survived me."
"Doc-tor." One of the Daleks said slowly. Before long all the Daleks in the room began to chant the same word, making him run towards the door at the end and pulling out his sonic to repeat the opening motion on the door. Yet nothing happened.
"Oh dear, it won't open. Oswin, can I have a hand please?"
"Hang on. I think there might be a release code, let me just…"
"Doctor!"
That made him turn around. All the Daleks were still in their cells, moving against the bars fruitlessly, yet one was not in a cell, just wrapped in chains. As it chanted, it moved violently against the chains which snapped away, setting it free to move forward. The Doctor saw that it had nothing attached to it, not even a gun, but the Daleks had other ways of killing their enemies. Just need to stall for Oswin. "Wait! Access your standing orders concerning the Doctor!"
"You must be exterminated!"
"How will you do that?! You do not have a gun! How are you going to destroy me?!" As he finished, he heard two sounds. One was the door behind him opening while the other was an alarm coming from the Dalek in front of him.
"Self-destruct initiated!"
20 seconds. The Doctor then pulled his sonic out and used it to remove part of the Dalek's head, so he could mess around with its own systems.
"Self-destruct cannot be countermanded!"
"I'm not looking for a countermand, child! I'm looking for reverse!" The Doctor taunted. He placed the Dalek's head back on then mocked it by moving backwards through the doorway as said Dalek flew away from him in haste.
"Forwards! Forwards! Forwards! Forwards! Forwards!" The Dalek screamed before it exploded in a blast that destroyed the nearby cells and the Daleks contained within. The same blast knocked the Doctor off his feet leaving him with a dazed head and ringing ears.
"Ow." He grumbled.
"That was pretty clever." Oswin complimented.
"It was, but it could've killed me if it wasn't for you Oswin. Thank you, though I'm surprised you opened the door so quickly."
"Well then Doctor, come meet the genius who saved your life." Oswin said smugly before moving to pack her belongings. The Doctor then stood up and popped his back, letting out a groan as he did. He then focused his attention on his surroundings once his ears stopped ringing loudly. The room was small and circular, with bright white lights coming out of the walls, yet they were not so bright like the transport beam from far earlier. He then turned around and froze in utter horror. He had misheard Oswin's voice due to the aftermath of the explosion, hearing her recognizable northern accent. Yet he saw in one image that not only did he hear her voice wrong, but he found the answer to all his questions related to Oswin. In front of him stood a chained Dalek staring at him.
"Hey, you're right outside. Come on in."
"Oswin, we have a very serious problem." The Doctor said, the horror now turning into utter sadness and guilt. Yet again, no matter how hard I tried, I still did not save her. She will not leave knowing what she is.
"No, we don't. Do not even say that. I joined Alaska to see the universe and ended up shipwrecked on my first adventure. Rescue me Doctor and show me the stars." Oswin said, fear and denial laced in her Dalek voice.
"Does it look real to you?"
"Does what look real?"
"Where you are, right now. Does it seem real?"
"It is real."
The Doctor gave out a sad sigh. "I'm so sorry Oswin, but it's only a dream. A dream you made to hide yourself from the truth because it was too horrific."
That made Oswin pause and her eyestalk began to dart around the room, almost as if she just realized where she was. "Where am I? Where am I? Where am I?"
"Because you have become a Dalek."
"I am not a Dalek!" Oswin cried. "I am not a Dalek! I am Human!"
"You were Human when you crashed. It was you who climbed out of the pod, which was your ladder."
"I am Human!" Oswin continued to protest.
"I am sorry Oswin but you're not. Not anymore. You were right, you are a genius. And the Daleks need genius. They didn't just make you a puppet, they did a full conversion." The Doctor then gave into his age-old tradition and started to pace in front of Oswin. "I asked you before how you made soufflés against the Daleks for a year, but you didn't. You were never making soufflés; it was all part of the dream."
"Eggs, I'm Human. I am Human, I am not a Dalek! I am Human!"
"It wasn't real, it was never real. And I did not save you. I am so deeply sorry." After a moment of silence Oswin started to twitch in agitation, and it made the Doctor gulp in nervousness.
"Eggs...term...i... nate."
"Oswin?"
"Ex-ter-minate. Exterminate. Exterminate!"
"No, Oswin please!" The Doctor cried. "You do not have to do this, please stop Oswin! Please!"
"Exterminaaaate!" On this, Oswin's speech started to become garbled before she stopped moving. Then the Doctor heard the sound that he recognized as…crying. "Why do they hate you so much? They hate you so much, why?" This time, Oswin unlike many other Daleks was not screaming her words but instead just speaking.
"I have fought them so many times over hundreds of years. I guess, like me...they just got tired of it all." The Doctor admitted sadly.
"We have grown stronger in fear of you."
"I know, and it made me a complete idiot. I have wished so many times over the war that someone, somehow would end it all, but nothing ever happened. It just kept going. That is why I made myself that promise to end it all. To stop all this suffering and endless fighting. Even if it kills me for good."
"Then...run."
That made the Doctor look at Oswin in bewilderment, despite the tears in his eyes over his admittance. "What did you say?"
"End the war, but live. Show the universe a better life than what it has seen." After a moment's pause, Oswin continued, "I have taken down the force field. The Daleks up above have begun their attack. Run!"
"Oswin, you don't have to do this. Not for me." The Doctor protested, but Oswin ignored him.
"I am Oswin Oswald. I fought the Daleks and I am Human. Now run. Run, you clever boy. And remember me."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say, until he gave a soft smile of gratitude at her words. "I won't forget this Oswin and thank you."
"Run!" At once, the Doctor ran in haste back to the teleport room, every so often stumbling from the shaking of the Dalek attack. He then picked up the teleport unit and slammed his hand down on the green button.
"The Asylum is destroyed!" The Dalek Supreme roared triumphantly.
"Send orders to all active Dalek units! Divert all forces to Gallifrey! Commence the final assault on the Time Lords! Destroy the entire planet!" The Dalek Minister ordered.
"Incoming teleport from Asylum planet. We are under attack!" A Dalek soldier yelled, making everyone in the expansive room twitch in agitation.
"Prepare to defend!" The Dalek Supreme ordered.
Inside the TARDIS, The Doctor started flicking switches to set his coordinates to Arcadia, before turning on another switch for audio output then setting his hand on the dematerialization lever. "You really should've seen this coming, children, because I happen to be marvelous at using teleports! So long everyone!" The Doctor yelled smugly before pulling the lever, making the TARDIS dematerialize.
"The Doctor is escaping! Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Daleks yelled fruitlessly.
As the TARDIS left the Parliament, the Doctor then stopped and lowered his head for a few moments with a solemn and guilt-ridden expression on his face. "I'm so sorry Oswin, but you're right. This war must end." The TARDIS then materialized at his destination and the Doctor stepped out into a ruined building. He heard by the entrance a soldier in engraved Gallifreyan war armor yelling into his radio.
"Message for the High Council! Priority Omega! Arcadia has fallen! I repeat: Arcadia has fallen!" The soldier however stopped his rambling as he noticed the Doctor suddenly standing there.
"Soldier, I'm going to need your gun."
"Yes sir." The soldier said, recognizing him at once before handing him the rifle. The Doctor took hold and blasted into the wall "No More", knowing the High Council would receive the message. He then gave the gun back to the soldier before returning into the TARDIS. In the distance as he neared the TARDIS, he heard many Dalek voices chanting "Seek, locate, destroy!" As he entered his ship, he piloted the TARDIS to crash through the wall to destroy the Daleks, allowing everyone outside to see the message he left. Setting new coordinates, the TARDIS materialized in the Omega Arsenal, a long dark grey corridor filled with empty holding vaults, except for one. At the end of the corridor was a mechanical box covered in Gallifreyan markings, and the Doctor recognized it at once as the Moment.
"No more." The Doctor muttered before pulling out a large brown bag and inserting the Moment into it before moving into the TARDIS. "No more." He then piloted the TARDIS to land in a deserted sand plain on Gallifrey. Stepping out of the TARDIS he took one sadder look at the environment, knowing this will be the last time he will see it whether he dies or not. Not the burnt orange sand nor the clear blue skies mixed with grey clouds and bathed in the red twin suns. In the far distance he saw the same barn he ran to in his childhood. This shall be my penance. If I shall burn everyone on this planet to end this war, this shall be my atonement. Picking up the Moment, he began the long trek towards the barn. "Time Lords of Gallifrey, Daleks of Skaro, I serve notice on you all. Too long I have stayed my hand, no more. Today, you leave me no choice. Today, this war will end. No more. No more."
AN: That took far longer than I expected, but it was fun to write regardless. Thank you for reading and do leave a review if you wish. :)