AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am so so sorry for not updated in a while! Towards the end of the school year had me insanely busy. I had my musical performance, then a day later my Band and Choir left for New York City. That of course took a week's worth of my time. Once I got back, I had my 18th birthday and senior prom. After prom I had to deal with college stuff, then graduation came. Now I have the entire summer to catch up on my writing before I'm thrown into the whirlwind called College. Please forgive me! As a piece offering these two chapter I put up are really long. :)
Through time and space once more, our extraordinary duo was off to have another adventure. The TARDIS sped through the time vortex.
"Where are we going?" Ross asked.
"The planet Panera. They have fantastic bread," the Doctor grinned at her companion.
The TARDIS suddenly switched course and jolted in the opposite direction. The Doctor examined the screen and tried to figure out what was going on. The ship finally materialized. The Doctor and Ross stepped out. It was a dimly lit area with carpeting and display cases. It looked like a museum.
"So, what is it? What's wrong," Ross instantly began to ask.
"Don't know. Some kind of signal drawing the TARDIS off course," the Doctor spoke as she looked around.
"Where are we?"
"Earth. Utah, North America. About half a mile underground," the Time Lord deduced.
"And when are we?"
"2012," she informed her friend as she began to inspect a case.
"God, that's so close. So I should be 26."
The Doctor found the light switch and flipped it on. The room and cases suddenly lit up.
"Blimey. It's a great big museum."
"An alien museum," she looked at the exhibits as she walked forward. "Someone's got a hobby." She shook her head.
"They must have spent a fortune on this. Chunks of meteorites, moon dust. That's the milometer from Roswell spaceship." She furrowed her eyebrows, confused.
"That's a bit of Slitheen!" Ross pointed to a Slitheen arm in one of the glass cases. "That's a Slitheen's arm. It's been stuffed."
The Doctor stopped in front of one of the cases. "Oh, look at you."
Ross walked behind the Doctor and looked over her shoulder. "What is it?"
'Delete…' she heard an echo in her mind.
"An old friend of mine. Well, enemy. Stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit. I'm getting old." She internally groaned.
"Is that where the signal's coming from," Ross asked.
"No, it's stone dead. The signal's alive, calling out for help."
The Doctor reached out her fingers, and lightly brushed the glass. Alarms suddenly blared from all around. The pair slightly jumped at the sudden noise. The Time Lord mentally kicked herself. She should have been more careful. Before they could make it to the TARDIS they were cut off and surrounded by guards. The guards were armed and aiming at them.
"If someone's collecting aliens, that makes you exhibit A," Ross nervously joked.
The two of them were escorted by the armed guards up many levels, and throughout the complex. The journey was mostly silent. Ross stayed close by her side, however. Finally they were led into their destination. An office full of over confident Americans.
The man sitting at the desk seemed to be the one behind the complex. He was being showed their recent purchase. It was a musical instrument. They did not know it, and looked completely daft whilst holding it.
"You really wouldn't hold it like that," she almost laughed at how stupid he looked.
"Shut it," she was yelled at.
"Really though, it's wrong," she insisted.
"Is it dangerous?" A girl around Ross's age asked.
"No, it just looks silly," the Doctor smirked.
She reached for the item. Firing bolts clicked all around her. She stopped. The man behind the desk curiously looked at her, and handed over the curved palm sized object.
"You just need to be-"she stroked the instrument softly, and out rang a beautiful sound. "Delicate." To prove her point, she played several different notes.
"It's a musical instrument," the man said, fascinated.
"And it's a long way from home," the Doctor commented.
"Here, let me," the man took the instrument from her hands.
She raised her eyebrows. That was rude. The man proceeded to touch it harder, causing no noise to come out.
"I did say delicate. It reacts to the smallest fingerprint. It needs precision," she once again informed him.
Once he finally got the hang of it and produced music, she smiled.
"Very good. Quite the expert," she complimented.
"As are you," he said before tossing the object on the floor.
The Doctor's jaw dropped. That was almost two hundred years old! It was used to entertain kings and queens, and he just threw it away?! Who is this man?!
"Who are you, exactly?"
"I'm the Doctor. And you are?"
"Like you don't know. We're hidden away with the most valuable collection of extra-terrestrial artifacts in the world, and you just stumbled in by mistake?"
The Doctor laughed. "Pretty much sums me up, yeah."
The man slowly walked around his desk, and got closer to the Doctor.
"The question is, how did you get in? Fifty three floors down, with your cat burglar accomplice. You're quite an artifact yourself, being rather pretty."
"The cat burglar accomplice is going to smack you if you don't give the 'artifact' personal space," Ross shot off angrily. It shocked the Doctor a bit. It was the first time he was ever verbally protective of her.
"Oh, he's English too! Hey, little lady Fauntleroy. Got you a boyfriend."
"This is Mister Henry Van Statten," the girl introduced. She was the only English person, besides Ross, at the complex.
"Who is he at home?" Ross snidely remarked.
"Mister Van Statten owns the internet," she added.
"Don't be stupid. No one owns the internet," he jabbed again.
"And let's just keep letting the world think that, right kids," Van Statten remarked, smug.
"So you're just an expert in everything except the things in your museum. Anything you don't understand, you lock it up."
"And you claim greater knowledge?" Van Statten challenged.
"I don't need to make claims. I know how good I am," she shot back.
"And yet, I captured you. Right next to the cage. What were you doing down there?" He asked.
The Doctor placed her hands on her hips. "You tell me," she sassed.
"The cage contains my one living specimen."
"And what's that?"
"Like you don't know," Van Statten scoffed.
"Show me."
"You want to see it?" Van Statten once again challenged the Doctor.
"Blimey, do I need to separate you two?" Ross remarked, annoyed.
"Goddard, inform the cage we're heading down. You, English. Look after the boy. Go and canoodle or spoon or whatever it is you British do. And you, Doctor with no name, come and see my pet."
Van Statten stood in the elevator with a smirk on his face. The Doctor gave Ross a reassuring look before stepping on the lift next to the American. The ride down was quick and silent. Once they stepped out of the lift, the Doctor was led over toward a large metal door. Van Statten spoke as he unlocked and opened the large door.
"We've tried everything. The creature has shielded itself but there's a definite sign of life inside."
"Inside? Inside what?" The Doctor asked, curiously.
A man in an orange hazard suit walked over to Van Statten.
"Welcome back, Sir. I've had to take the power down. The Metaltron is resting."
"Metaltron?"
'What kind of dumb name is that?' She thought.
"I thought of it myself," Van Statten stated proudly.
'Of course.'
"Although I'd much to prefer to find out its real name."
"Here, you'd better put these on," the man in the hazard offered her rubber gloves. "The last guy that touched it burst into flames."
"I won't touch it then," she said like it was most obvious.
"Go on, Doctor. Impress me," Van Statten grinned at her.
The Doctor narrowed her eyes at him before strutting past, into the cage. It was very dark as she looked around. She jumped slightly as the door slammed shut behind her.
The Time Lord continued to investigate. She found a small table with drills, and other torture tools. Her heart instantly went out to the creature. She turned to where she assumed the 'Metaltron' was. She couldn't make it out. The room was too dark.
"Look, I'm sorry about this. Mister Van Statten might think he's clever, but never mind him. I've come to help. I'm the Doctor."
A few seconds of silence passed before a blue light was seen. When the Metaltron spoke, two white lights flashed with its words.
"Doc-tor?"
The Doctor's eyes widened, and her hearts stopped. No! This can't happen. It's-
"Impossible," she managed to breathe out.
"The Doc-tor?" The Metaltron spoke with more confidence this time.
The lights came up to reveal a Dalek. The Doctor's worst enemy. And it was chained to the floor. This didn't stop the Doctor from crying out in fear.
"Ex-ter-min-ate! Ex-ter-min-ate!"
The Time Lord flung herself onto the door and started to pound her fists.
"Let me out," she practically screamed.
"Ex-ter-min-ate!"
The door wouldn't open. The Doctor took a step back and just stared at the monstrosity. Her entire body was quivering. Her hearts were pounding hard into her chest.
"You are an en-e-my of the Da-leks! You must be des-troyed!"
The Doctor closed her eyes and awaited death. This was it. This was how she would finally die after nine hundred years. Maybe it was her time. Suddenly she accepted her fate. She never realized until now that she was ready to go.
After a few seconds without pain, she opened her eyes. She was alive! Yet a small part inside of her was disappointed. That part was overshadowed by the sickening joy she suddenly felt over her enemy.
"It's not working." She started to laugh like she's gone mad. "Fantastic! Oh, Fantastic! Powerless! Look at you. The great space dustbin. How does it feel?"
The Dalek tried to roll backwards, but was stopped by the chains.
"Keep back!" It demanded.
"What for?" She launched herself forward and became face to eyestock with the Dalek. "What're you going to do to me?" She challenged.
The Doctor, bottled with rage, began to circle the creature. Like a lion hunting its prey. She wanted to intimidate it.
"If you can't kill, then what are you good for, Dalek? What's the point of you? You're nothing!"
The Gallifreyan finally stopped back in front of the Dalek.
"What the hell are you here for?"
"I am a-wait-ing or-ders!" It responded to her.
"What does that mean?"
"I am a sold-ier. I was bred to rec-ieve or-ders."
"Well you're never going to get any. Your race is dead!" She yelled at it. "You all burnt, all of you. Ten million ships on fire. The entire race wiped out in one second."
"You lie!"
"I watched it happen. I made it happen," she spoke maliciously.
"You des-troyed us?" It asked, almost sounding heartbroken.
The alien stopped and calmed down a bit. She turned away from the Dalek in guilt. Their race wasn't the only one she destroyed that day.
"I had no choice," she responded quietly.
"And what of the Ti-me Lo-rds?"
"Dead." She managed to choke out. "They burned with you. The end of the last great Time War. Everyone lost."
"And the coward survived."
This fueled her rage once more. However, she managed to keep it under control.
"Oh, and I caught your little signal. Help me. Poor little thing. But there's no one else coming 'cause there's no one else left."
"I am a-lone in the un-i-verse," it almost sounded defeated.
"Yep."
"So are you. We are the same."
The Doctor spun around, no longer able to hold her anger.
"We're not the same! I'm not-"she paused as a cruel thought crossed her mind. "No, wait. Maybe we are. You're right. Yeah, okay. You've got a point. 'Cause I know what to do. I know what should happen. I know what you deserve." She grinned sickeningly.
"Exterminate."
With that the Doctor pulled a lever on a nearby console. The Dalek lit up with electricity. It began to scream, and she just watched.
"Have pity!" It cried out.
"Why should I? You never did." She pulled another lever, and increased the electricity.
"Help me!"
Suddenly the door opened and guards flooded in. She launched herself towards the last lever. No! This was her only chance to kill it! She was suddenly yanked away from the panel and was practically carried out of the cage.
"No! You've got to destroy it!" She yelled.
The Doctor ripped herself away from the guards once outside the cage. She frowned deeply as she waited for Van Statten to leave the cage. She was very cross with the American man. Once he left the cage they were guided towards the lift.
"The metal's just an armor. The real Dalek creature's inside," she explained to Van Statten.
"What's it look like?" he asked.
"A nightmare. It's a mutation. The Dalek race was genetically engineered. Every single emotion was removed except hate," she tried to explain to them. These stupid little apes weren't getting the big picture!
"Genetically engineered," he spoke as if it were Christmas. "By whom?"
"By a genius, Van Statten," she was starting to get stressed out. "By a man who was king of his own little world. You'd like him."
Van Statten's assistant Goddard decided to butt herself in.
"It's been on Earth for over fifty years. Sold at private auction, moving from one collection to another. Why would it be a threat now?" she asked.
"Because I'm here." How many times does she have to explain it? "How did it get to Earth? Does anyone know?"
"The records say it came from the sky like a meteorite. It fell on Earth on the Ascension Islands. Burnt in its crater for three days before anyone could get near it and all that time it was screaming. It must have gone insane," Goddard spoke in a superior tone.
The Doctor stood for a moment and thought. "It must of fallen through time. The only survivor."
"You talked about war," the human female asked.
"The Time War. The final battle between my people and the Dalek race."
"But you survived, too," Van Statten said with a devilish smile on his face.
"Not by choice," The Doctor added grimly.
"This means the Dalek isn't the only alien on Earth. Doctor, there's you. The only one of your kind in existence."
Just as the doors opened, the Doctor was once again grabbed. She struggled against their grip as they led her into her own cage.
"Any type of exposed metal is going to affect the laser scanner," Van Statten smiled.
The Doctor ended up having to shed her boots, jacket, and top. She was able to keep her bra on because Van Statten claimed he was a 'gentleman'. So now that the Doctor was stripped, she got chained spread eagle in front of the scanner.
"Now, smile!" Van Statten said, cheerfully.
The Doctor bit her lip as a painful shock ran through her body from the laser.
"Two hearts! Binary Vascular System. Oh, I am so going to patent this," Van Statten said.
The Doctor glared at the man. "So that's your secret. You don't just collect this stuff, you scavenge it."
She shook her head in anger as Van Statten went on to say how he cured the common cold and was going to sell cures for every disease. The Doctor was getting frustrated.
"Do you know what a Dalek is, Van Statten? A Dalek is honest. That creature in your dungeon is better than you."
"In that case, I'll be true to myself and continue," Van Statten frowned.
"Listen to me! That thing downstairs is going to kill every last one of us!" She tried to get through to him.
"Nothing can escape the cage."
Van Statten turned the laser up a Koch and blasted the Doctor. She bit her lip harder as she tried to endure the pain. Once the laser stopped, she attempted to catch her breath and speak.
"But it's woken up! It knows I'm here. It's going to get out. Van Statten, I swear, no one in this base is safe. No one on this planet!"
He turned the laser to its highest setting. It once again blasted the Doctor. This time around wasn't for informational purposes. He just wanted to hear her scream. And he did.
Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be up tomorrow, and hopefully as long as this one! I hope you enjoyed! REMINDER: You are Fantastic!
XXX ShawtyGoneMad