It's a Hell of a Town
Author's Note: Here we are…Daleks in Manhatten/Evolution of the Daleks. Maybe not the best two-parter in the new series, but it's what matters to our favorite Time Lord. He certainly did not have a fun time…
Made it, Ma! Top of the world!
The Doctor harshly groaned to himself as he thought about that while the red light bulb flickered, his fingers steadily gripping the sonic screwdriver as he began to unloosen a bolt on one of the clamps securing a Dalekanium strip to the legs of a pole, up here at the top of the Empire State Building; the solar flare was coming closer. What should he be afraid of…oh, plenty of things perhaps, but the Doctor wasn't afraid at that moment, not really, it was just work as usual; he just had to keep telling himself that as he moved the sonic screwdriver to deal with another bolt. The lethal mix of heights and possible electrocution, yes, that did worry him a little more right now than even the Daleks would have…his 4th body had faced quite a bit of exposure to both in its time, especially in Logopolis with the final fall, and he did not want to put his 10th body through a combined encounter.
The Doctor grunted, hearing the thunder in the distance, but his eyes were riveted on the bolts as he continued, ripping off one clamp after another; from the depths to the heights of New York, at least he could say that he had gotten the full tourist experience with a little excitement and even a show thrown into the mix. Of course, he doubted that travel agencies would have advertised such a trip like this; running through the sewers chased by pig men, enjoying a pleasant evening at Hooverville on fire, and working alongside none other than the Daleks…that would be just like New New York enticing tourists to come visit their clean Sisters of Plenitude hospital or take a drive along the Motorway. The Doctor wrenched off the first strip of Dalekanium, thinking to himself that this would take forever, as he hoped that Martha, Frank, and Tallulah could find some way of holding off the pig men; he grimaced and tossed it aside. He dashed over to the other leg of the pole, his sonic screwdriver unloosening the first bolt on this other strip as he looked up at the dark sky and the approaching clouds, thinking of how Solomon had faced this same darkness before he had been killed and then of how he had faced it before…he exhaled.
The gamma strike was getting close and the Doctor was finding it harder to concentrate, the sonic screwdriver wasn't working properly or fast enough, the bolt was just too stubborn…he tugged at the clamp, his fingers fumbling, and suddenly the sonic screwdriver slipped away from him. He lunged after it, crying out, but it had fallen, and it was too far too reach; everything had depended on this and it had failed, he had failed again as he panted heavily, thinking back to New New York and how the Face of Boe had been forced to sacrifice his life force when he couldn't get the power back to open the Motorway. The Doctor gritted his teeth and sat up, grasping one of the Dalekanium strips as he uselessly heaved at it, screaming out to the night, but time was draining away and this was futile, he had lost control of the situation again this night. He let go, staring up with the red light flashing, flickering, and then he began to climb up the pole, the wind whipping his coat around…he clung to the pole, hoping against hope that this crazy idea would work.
Is this the end of Rico? He barely had time for that one last thought before the gamma/lightning strike streaked down the pole, the blue sparks flaring and coursing through his body as he screamed, there was not even time for terror when there was only pain…and he had wanted this, because there was no other recourse, not when there might be a chance to redeem what was a hopeless cause now. When the lightning strike had finished its course, the Doctor fell from the pole, the emblem of suffering and shame, unconscious…
That Atlantic breeze…a welcome change from all the smog of New New York; the Doctor had only thought it best, after all, that Martha should get the chance to see a better New York, or at least one that was much better than what New New York had become by the time they got there. What better way to kick things off right than to wind up right at the base of his 'friend', the Statue of Liberty?
"Gateway to the New World …'give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.'"
Well, it was sort of a gateway to a new world for him after the one he had just visited, even if this new world was quite familiar; all in all, the Doctor did feel tired, he usually didn't have any money with him, and he had just come from such a place where those huddled masses were finally able to breathe free because of him…and the Face of Boe. He was very tired and could barely properly introduce New York to Martha.
"Well, there's the genuine article. So good they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice, no wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam."
Yet after that…Martha brought him the paper for November 1st 1930 with the headline 'Hooverville Mystery Deepens' and so they made their way to Central Park, to Hooverville…the Undercity of Depression-era New York, a place he had expected to be full of disheartened and desperate souls. When they arrived in that shanty-town, they spotted enough of that gloom, yet despite such ill luck, they witnessed how these people humans managed to live peacefully with each other…because of Solomon, who had a way with the crowd, calming down explosive situations and reminding them all that they had to survive together, and certainly caught the Doctor's attention as he realized who was in charge here. Still, Solomon was in charge out of necessity, for even with the Depression affecting so many, the poor were ignored and misused for progress had to continue; the landmark of New York was no longer the Statue of Liberty but the Empire State Building, looming over everything and everyone.
When Mr. Diagoras soon showed up, requiring men to work the sewers even when so many had failed to return…well, what else could the Doctor do except volunteer? He would have worked for free, but a dollar was good enough, yet he soon he had company with Martha, Solomon, and Frank…that just made him all the more concerned about what might just happen down there when he was getting so many involved. They were sent down, without much in the way of equipment or even directions, another incentive to make him suspicious about this business; for the Doctor, it was just icing on the cake then when he found not only that lump of alien flesh, but also a half-man, half-pig mutant as confirmation, which might have been encouraging…if they had not lost Frank soon afterwards to a whole pack of those pig mutants.
It was now early in the evening and the Doctor was situated up in the balcony of the theatre where Tallulah performed, patching together the last bits and pieces of the device he would use to learn of the origins for the alien flesh they had found not so long ago. As he worked, he thought about the losses that had been suffered for the attainment of this specimen, not just Frank, but now Solomon as well since he had left them. The man had been troubled, thinking that he had practically abandoned Frank because he had not had the courage to rescue him from his capturers, and despite the Doctor's attempts to reassure him, he had soon left to take care of his own responsibilities to Hooverville and to organize them to face their adversaries.
Well, perhaps it would prove necessary to fight, but the Doctor was still uncertain about the situation and he needed to know just what they were facing, because those pig mutants were just slaves, minions, he had seen the like of them before…there were bound to be larger minds controlling them. After all, he had known a pig in the past that had turned out to be a decoy, even if it had been a little messed around with, with those fat cats on Downing Street in control…at last, as Tallulah sang of angels and devils, all one and the same, the Doctor fixed up the device and was able to analyze the specimen of alien flesh, only with the results of its origin as…Skaro.
That name, that name, by any other name it would still be so foul, for he had lost so much and yet they always came back as relentless as the spin of the universe, as the vacuum of space…the planet of Skaro, of the Daleks…of the Cult of Skaro, of course! Though the Doctor still reeled, he was riled up, but a thought entered his mind that chilled him and sent him running, hurrying to find the one person that he cared about now more than himself; Martha, for all that had been lost and torn apart before by the Daleks, and to try and prevent more of that from happening again. Yet he was too late, as he heard her scream, and so he jumped down into that darkness and filth of the sewers to save her, not even thinking of what courage that must have taken; as before, however, he was unwillingly accompanied by none other than Tallulah, who had lost her Lazlo, only to soon find him again, much changed, a runaway from the Dalek lab. Yet what was the purpose of such a lab?
The casing opened…there was a being there, crouched, and then it stood, complete with the body of a human, but with the head of a Dalek…everything seemed to spin out of control as this thing cried, "I am a Human Dalek! I am your future!"
Human Dalek, what sort of a thing was that? The Doctor didn't know, and that was something, but he still had to try and regain control over the situation, for though the humans were helpless when it came to Depression and Daleks, he had seen too much of the future and it was worth more than all of that, he would not allow himself to become like that thing…even if it meant doing something daring. It might distract the Daleks, or at least that special one, just long enough to save the others so that they wouldn't be changed, but as he sneaked away, he wondered if it would just end badly for him; still, he did find just what he needed, and with a few changes to make it better…anyone want a little bit of music to lighten the mood, make the proper introductions…or reintroductions?
"Ah, well, now, that would be me. Hello, surprise, boo, etcetera…"
It almost did turn out badly for the Doctor, but ah, that Human Dalek stopped them within the instant…maybe he was something different, or at least clever, the result of all that desperate experimenting, which begged the question;
"What does it feel like?"
Probing away, analyzing the situation, asking questions, feeling and thinking, that was the way to get at the heart of the matter, to make Dalek Sec awareof himself, for the first time ever in this new form…though it didn't quite go the way he planned, when Sec could only sense the terrible side of humanity, the side so closely related to Daleks. Oh…it was a failure, this Human Dalek, they had achieved nothing significant except for this thing, so at least he knew that much now and could go ahead and use his distraction, this supposedly pointless radio that did nothing but play music…yet music was very powerful, as the Doctor had learned from Mozart and from the humans on the Motorway.
The humans could see the beauty and be pleased by music, but Daleks could only get disconcerted by the power of the noise, now amplified by that blast of sonic energy to sorely pain…well, just the Human Dalek in truth, but at least it gave them all the chance to escape. Yet as they dashed off through the sewers, heading back to Hooverville, the Doctor had to ask himself what he felt right now…disappointed, perhaps, but he was still wound up by the rush, the never ending rush and adrenaline of this life with so many catastrophes in his path, even if there was bound to be a crash of energy in the end…he would become tired again soon enough.
Still, in Hooverville, he caught up again with Solomon and was glad to have the chance to calm down as he told him about what had happened; the man was also able to understand things and put them into perspective…the Daleks were indeed the stuff of nightmares, but he was the stuff of legends; he could face them. Nevertheless, the Doctor knew that everyone else had to go, but Solomon was too stubborn in his pacifist nature, and by then it was too late; the Daleks and the Pigs had finally caught up with them.
"It's started."
There it was, that tired feeling, that weariness with so much fighting and loss; still, he could not allow it to swallow him up now, not while there was so much to be done, not while they had to prepare themselves for the assault, but most were scattering and it was all just chaos as a few were snatched, here and there, while the rest gathered in a meager circle to stand up against the enemy in the darkness, around…and above. The Doctor knew that it was lost as the Daleks, those devils in the sky, blasted at them and burn, Hooverville, burn and he was powerless below…yet Solomon still stood tall, even as he tried to push him back towards the cowering crowd; the man called out to the Daleks. He tried to warn him, but the man used his authority and even pushed back the Doctor, striding forward as he appealed to the monstrosities, crying out that they were the same, akin as outcasts, and he laid down his gun to speak of the universe and of his fear and yet of his hope as well for a better future, together…for a moment, the Doctor believed.
"So I beg you, now," said Solomon, "If you have any compassion in your hearts, then you will meet with us and stop this fighting…"
Oh, but Solomon, they had no hearts and could not understand your words; so the Doctor was brought rudely back to reality as they exterminated that man and so many cried out in fear and sorrow, yet he felt only blind, reckless anger towards those that had dashed so many of his hopes and beliefs and had destroyed so much;
"Daleks…" The Doctor whispered and then strode forward; the Doctor stood.
The Doctor shouted, "All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you from attacking these people!"
That was what he had wanted then, never doubting, thinking of the countless Time Lords and men who had fallen, but it was not to be…he was bewildered and dismayed, to have lost such control over his own fate, as the Dalek at last told him that he was to be taken away. The Doctor gazed up at the darkness, at the Dalek above, awareness of what had almost happened sinking in as Martha called out to him and came to him…telling him that he couldn't go, yet he had to…how could the Daleks change their minds unless they were being ordered to do so by their Human Dalek, their Dalek Sec? He even made them promise to spare the lives of the others, that was another sign…he was dumbfounded, his dismay disappearing and replaced by curiosity and even a hint of excitement while Martha told him that she was coming.
"Martha, stay here. Do what you do best, people are hurt, you can help them. Let me go. Oh, and…can I just say…thank you very much," he added with a wink, slipping her his wallet with the psychic paper.
The Doctor turned and strode away, slipping his hands into his pockets as the Daleks soared above, guarding their prisoner on the way back to their underground lair; he passed by the burning ruins of Hooverville, but didn't let his eyes linger and didn't allow himself to turn around, for he was being led away to meet the splintered being, stuck between humans and Daleks, and would be too helpless to do anything except his bidding; the Doctor was heading to Hell. Otherwise known as the Empire State Building.
"Doctor!" Martha… "Look what we found, halfway down…you're getting careless!"
"Uh, my head…" the Doctor turned his throbbing head, staring up at Martha's smiling, crying face. "Hi…you've survived, then."
She could only laugh. "So did you. Just about. I can't help but noticing…there's Dalekanium still attached."
The Doctor quickly sat up and turned his head, gazing towards the pole…oh, right, he had nearly forgotten about that. The Daleks…now that they had overthrown Sec as leaders, those Dalek humans would be on the loose in the sewers, but then again…well, there was that one chance, yet they had to draw away those creations to a safe place where they wouldn't be able to cause much harm; Tallulah's theatre, it would be completely empty, and the perfect setting for the confrontation. So allons-y to the theatre and spread the news for a show-stopper, send out the signal, but Martha wouldn't obey when he told her to leave…that Dalek remark was completely uncalled for as well, yet here they came, the willing audience all in a line in the aisle and Daleks on stage; he never would have imagined that before.
Yet Dalek Sec…it was a shame, a sight that made the Doctor rise as he glanced around, looking for any sign that he might be able to take control; the Daleks called him forward and he strode over the backs of the theatre seats, stopping a short distance away with feet spread apart on armrests as he listened to their pronouncement of a 'new age' on Earth, New Skaro…what sort of an existence would that be for those that survived? The Doctor stood.
"Oh, and what a world, with anything just the slightest bit different grounded into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec, do you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look at what you've done to him. Is that your new empire, hmm? Is that the foundation of a whole new civilization?"
"My Daleks," Sec appealed to his kin. "Just understand this…if you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."
Yet the Daleks did not understand and tried to exterminate the Doctor, but instead, Sec sacrificed himself to try and protect the only one who might have been able to help them survive…now there was no hope for them, no way for them to escape the darkness now, even if they did not realize it. So now the Doctor appealed to the Dalek humans, those that stood lined up with glazed eyes, to witness what had happened, and then taunted the Daleks to make their creations destroy him; he stood as he had done before, staring into the darkness, but now he had hope and was not completely lost to anger and despair. He inhaled sharply, stiffened and waiting…nothing happened even as the Daleks told 'their' creations to obey.
"Why?" were the first words and the Doctor thought it good, for they were his creation, just as much as what he had created before on New Earth…they were not Daleks.
"No, you are not…and you never will be." The Doctor turned to the Daleks. "Sorry. I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up, just that little bit of freedom."
So the Daleks attacked his creations and they returned fire, destroying the two Daleks on the stage…some of his creations survived, and he tried to reassure these lost children, but then they were overcome with pain; the last remaining Dalek in existence still found a way to destroy! Thus the Doctor returned to the lab and spoke with Dalek Kahn, yet spoke to him about compassion, about helping him; yet the Dalek could not stand for such words, could not linger, was unwilling to confront the fact that his enemy wanted to aid him, and so he deserted as the Doctor grunted in frustration. Whatever redemption he might have gained, lost; this night had been a hopeless cause for him…yet then they came to him with poor Lazlo, unable to cope with his frail body, and the Doctor bowed his head as he listened to Tallulah's plaintive questions and Lazlo's pained explanation, but still saw the love in their eyes.
Then Tallulah had turned to him for help...and the Doctor stood.
"Oh Tallulah with three l's and an h... just you watch me. What do I need, oh I dunno, how about a great big genetic laboratory-oh, look I've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on! There's been too many deaths today, way too many people have died. Brand new creatures, wise old men, and age old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, I am NOT having ONE more dead. You got that? NO ONE!"
"I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe I might worry about them, but New York…it's what this city's good at. 'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses', and maybe the odd mutant Pig Slave or two…the Pig and the Showgirl.
This has been Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks…a very interesting story in the 3rd series; Now I'm roughly two weeks ahead of the Sci-Fi run of the series! Coming soon: The Lazarus Experiment. Please Read and Review!