I own nothing except for Freya and her family. Hope you enjoy this :)
The Evolution of Darleks
"These...humans will become like me." Darlek Sec gasped out as the doctor slipped unnoticed behind the machinery. "Prepare them for hybridisation."
The pig slaves closed in on them, making Freya, Marta and Franks huddle closer together.
"Leave us alone! Don't you dare!" Martha snapped but they kept walking towards them. They only stopped when music began playing, everyone looked around wondering where it was coming from.
"What is that sound?" Darlek Sec asked and the doctor appeared, a radio in his hand. Freya and Martha let out a sigh of relief, both knowing the doctor will save them.
"That would be me." The doctor said with a smile, setting the radio down on the side. "Hello. Boo. Surprise. Et cetera."
Darlek Sec's eyes widened. "Doctor."
"The enemy of the daleks."
"Exterminate."
"Wait!" Dalek Sec ordered and the daleks turned to him in shock.
"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." The doctor said, studying Dalek Sec carefully. "Fascinating and very clever."
"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."
"How did you end up in 1930?"
"Emergency Temporal Shift."
The doctor scoffed. "Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah? Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting." The doctor took a deep breath. "All of which results in you."
"I am Dalek in human form."
"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."
"I…feel…humanity." Dalek Sec said and the doctor felt a small amount of hope.
"Good. That's good."
"I…feel…everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such…a genius for war."
The doctor sighed, shaking his head firmly. "No, that's not what humanity means."
"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very…Dalek."
"All right, so what have you achieved hen? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." The doctor said, patting the radio. "Simple little radio."
"What is the purpose of that device?" one of daleks asked.
"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's just noise." The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at the radio and a very high pitched wail fills the room. Sec holds his head in pain while the other Daleks back away. The Doctor turns to the prisoners. "Run!"
They didn't need to be told twice, they all ran for the exit and the doctor followed.
"Protect the hybrid!" One of the daleks said.
"Protect. Protect. Protect." The two other said, backing so they were all in front of Dalek Sec.
Martha and Freya led the prisoners down the sewers before stopping unsure of which way to go.
"Do you remember the way?" Martha asked but Freya shook her head.
"Come on! Move, move, move, move!" The doctor said, appearing by their side and rushing down one of the tunnels. They all ran down the tunnel and find Tallulah who looked very confused. "And you, Tallulah! Run!"
"What happened to Lazlo?" she asked, but nobody answered her. Freya grabbed her arm and pulled her with her, ignoring the blonde's protests.
They run upto the ladder. "C'mon! Everyone up!" The doctor yelled, making sure everyone got out before climbing up himself.
...
"These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?" Solomon asked after the doctor explained everything.
"They're splicing themselves into human bodies. If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out." The doctor insisted.
"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go."
"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state, just get out of New York."
"There's got to be a way to reason with these things."
"Solomon, they won't listen." Freya said softly.
"You ain't seen 'em, boss." Franks said quietly.
"Daleks are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever." The doctor said before they heard someone blew a whistle. They turn to look at the noise to see a man running towards them.
"They're coming! They're coming!" He yelled.
"A sentry. Must have seen something." Solomon told them.
"They're here! I seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!"
The doctor sighed. "It's started."
"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Solomon ordered and everyone started to pass out guns and other weapons they had collected while some people started to run off. "Come back! We gotta stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!"
The pig run into the camp, attacking those who were trying to escape.
"We need to get out of the park." Martha muttered.
The doctor shook his head. "We can't! They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us."
"We're trapped!" Tallulah exclaimed.
"Then we stand together. Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together." Solomon ordered as they pig slaves forced everyone into a tight circle. "They can't take all of us." Solomon said, shooting at them.
"Do you think we'll be able to fight them off untill the morning?" Freya asked.
"Oh, Freya, they're just the foot soldiers." The doctor said, his eyes on the sky. Freya took a deep breath as she and everyone else looked up to see a dalek flying, heading straight towards us.
"Oh my god." Martha gasped.
Solomon stared at it in shock. "What in the world." He whispered.
"It's the devil! A devil in the sky! God save us all! It's damnation!" Someone yelled hysterically.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Frank said, shooting at the dalek untill the doctor pushed the rifle down.
"Thats not gonna work." He hissed.
"There's more than one of them." Martha said as another dalek appeared. They started shooting at tents and Freya cringed at the loud screaming around her. After a few minutes the shooting stopped and the daleks hovered in the same spot.
"The humans will surrender." One of them said.
The doctor glared at them darkly. "Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!"
"We have located the Doctor!" The second one said.
Solomon stepped forward. The doctor quickly grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back. "No, Solomon. Stay back." He insisted but Solomon ignored him.
"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" he asked. "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."
"Solomon, please come back here." Freya begged from her place with the crowd.
He sent her an apologetic look. "I have to try." He shook off the doctor's hand and walked forwards even more. The doctor stepped back, shaking his head sadly.
"Daleks…ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" Solomon asked, setting his rifle on the ground. "'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope…hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I…I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well…what do you say?"
There was a moment of silence, everyone holding there breath. "Exterminate!" The second dalek said. It shot Solomon, who screamed in agony before falling to the floor, dead.
The screaming started again while Martha and Freya looked like they were going to be sick and the doctor stared at Solomon's body.
"Solomon!" Frank yelled, rushing to him.
"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot." Martha gasped in shock.
The doctor's eyes darkened. "Daleks!" He roared, stepping forwards with his arm out wide. "All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"
"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy." The first dalek said, sounding gleefull.
"Then do it! Do it! Just do it!" He yelled, beating his chest. "Do it!"
"No!" Freya screamed, about to run to the doctor only to be stopped by Martha.
"Extermin - " the dalek stopped suddenly. "I do not understand. It is the Doctor... The urge to kill is too strong... I…obey."
Freya glanced back at the doctor who looked confused and wary. "What's going on?" he asked.
"You will follow." The dalek said, it's eyepiece turning towards Freya. "And the timelady." Freya's head snapped towards the doctor who looked disappointed, obviously he had been hoping they would never find out that he was no longer the last of his kind.
Martha looked between Freya and the doctor in panic. "No! You can't go!"
"We have to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds." The doctor said firmly.
"But what about us?"
The doctor looked around the people of Hoovervile before turning to face the daleks. "One condition! If we come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"
The dalek paused. "The humans will be spared. Follow."
"Then I'm coming with you." Martha said but the doctor shook his head.
"Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let us go." The doctor said, taking Freya's hand leaving Martha to feel hurt and alone. "Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much." He placed his spare hand in Martha's and winked. Martha watched as the doctor and Freya followed the daleks before looking in her hand to see the psychic paper.
The doctor glanced down at Freya as they were walking and saw that she was extremely pale. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Freya nodded before pausing and shaking her head. "I think, out of all of the monsters that I've seen, the daleks scare me the most."
"We'll be fine." The doctor said softly.
They were lead back to the lab where Dalek Sec and the other dalek were waiting. The doctor's hand immediately clenched around Freya's and he stormed towards them, pulling her with him.
"Those people were defenceless! You only wanted me, but no, that wasn't enough for you! You had to start killing 'cause that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!" The doctor yelled angrily.
"The deaths were wrong." Dalek Sec said and the doctor stared at him.
"I'm sorry?" he sounded like he wasn't sure he had heard right.
"That man, their leader Solomon, he showed courage." Dalek Sec said with a small smile on his face.
"And that's good?"
"That's excellent."
The doctor studied him carefully and Freya was thankfull that he was still refusing to let go of her hand. "Is it me or are you just becoming a little bit more human?"
"You were once the last of your kind and now I am the first of mine."
Freya took a deep breath. "What do you need us for?" she asked quietly and all eyes (and eyepieces) turned to her and she blushed deeply.
"We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos but their flesh was too weak." Dalek Sec explained.
"Yeah, we found one of your experiments. Just left to die out there in the dark." The doctor snarled the last part but he was ignored.
"It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet—its people." Dalek Sec lifted a giant switch on the wall and the ceiling above them lit up to show hundreds of human bodies lying suspended. Dalek Sec lifted another switch and one of the bodies is lowered. It was covered in a white sheet.
"We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose. Look…inside." Dalek Sec said and the doctor let go of Freya's hand to lift the white sheet. It was a man, around the age of thirty. "This…is the extent of the Final Experiment."
Freya bit her lip as she looked down at the body. "Is he dead?"
"Near death with his mind wiped ready to be filled with new ideas." Dalek Sec told her.
"Dalek ideas." The doctor sneered.
"The Human-Dalek race." Dalek Sec corrected and the doctor looked up at the other bodies.
"All of these people. How many?"
"We have caverns beyond this storing more than a thousand."
"Is there any way of putting them back to the way they were." Freya asked, hopefully but Dalek Sec shook his head.
"Everything they were has been lost."
"So they're like shells. You've got empty human beings ready to be converted. That's going to take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn't even split the atom yet. How're you gonna do it?" the doctor asked curiously.
"Open the conductor plan." Dalek Sec said before showing the doctor and Freya an animated graphic of their plan.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Empire State Building. We're right underneath that. I worked that out already, thanks. But what, you hijacked the whole building?"
"We needed an energy conductor." Was all the human-dalek said.
"What for?"
"I…am the genetic template. My altered DNA was to be administered to each human body. A strong enough blast of gamma radiation can splice the Dalek and human genetic codes and wake each body from its sleep."
"Gamma radiation? What are - " The doctor frowned before his eyes lit up with realisation. "Oh, the sun. You're using the sun."
"Soon…the greatest solar flare for a thousand years will hit the Earth. Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor and when it strikes - "
"The army wakes." The doctor mumbled.
"Why do you need me for?" Freya asked. "I can get why you need the doctor but why me?"
"Your genius, not as much as the doctor but more than humans." He said this in an almost kind tone that Freya had not been expecting. "Consider a pure Dalek; intelligent but emotionless."
"Removing the emotions makes you stronger." The doctor pointed out. "That's what your creator thought all those years ago."
"He was wrong." Dalek Sec said. The doctor raised an eyebrow while the daleks turned towards their leader in shock.
"He was what?" the doctor asked.
"It makes us lesser than our enemies. We must return to the flesh." Dalek Sec said and Freya noticed that the daleks seemed concerned about this. "And also…the heart."
"You wouldn't be the supreme beings anymore."
Dalek Sec smiled. "And that is good."
"That is incorrect." One of the daleks said sharply.
"Daleks are supreme." Another said.
"No, not anymore." Dalek Sec snapped while the doctor and Freya watched warily.
"But that is our purpose." One of the daleks said.
"Then our purpose is wrong!" Dalek Sec yelled. "Where has our quest for supremacy led us? To this. Hiding in the sewers on a primitive world. Just four of us left. If we do not change now then we deserve extinction."
"So you want to change everything that makes a Dalek a Dalek." The doctor said, liking this idea.
"If...you two can help me." The doctor and Freya shared a glance. "Your knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than ours. The new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts."
"Aren't they just getting a dose of you?" Freya asked.
"I want to change the gene sequence."
"So, you're going to make them even more human?"
Dalek Sec nodded. "Humans are the great survivors. We need that ability."
"Hold on a minute." The doctor interupted the two. "There's no way this lot are gonna let you do it."
"I am their leader." Dalek Sec said firmly.
The doctor turned to the daleks. "Oh, and that's enough for you, is it?"
"Daleks must follow orders." A dalek said. It had hesitated, just for a second, but long enough to make Freya nervous.
"Dalek Sec commands, we obey." Another said.
"If you don't help me…nothing will change." Dalek Sec said quietly.
The doctor sighed. "There's no room on Earth for another race of people."
"You have your TARDIS. Take us across the stars. Find us a new home and allow the new Daleks to start again."
The doctor was thoughtfull and Freya waited for his answer, knowing she would help if he agreed.
"When's that solar flare?" he asked.
"Eleven minutes."
"Right then. Better get to work."
...
The doctor checked through the equipment and readouts, wearing his glasses which Freya had a feeling that he didn't really need. "There's no point in chromosomal grafting. It's too erratic. You need to split the genome and force the Dalek-human sequence right into the cortex." He said.
"We need more chromatin solution." Dalek Sec said.
"The pig slaves have it." A dalek said just as a group of pig slaves walked in, carrying a large crate.
Freya watched them for a while before turning to Dalek Sec. "Why create pig slaves? What have they got to do with your plan?"
"Nothing. They're just simple beasts. Their lifespan is limited. None survive beyond a few weeks." Dalek Sec said absentmindedly. "Power up the engine feeds." The doctor looked over at the slaves before walking over to them. Freya could feel Dalek Sec's eye on her as she worked but didn't look up. She kept her eyes down untill he finally spoke. "He cares about you very much."
Freya looked over at the doctor to see him talking to a pig slave. "I know."
"I've only seen him look at someone the way he does with you once, complete adoration...but it's different somehow." She had no idea why he was telling her this but she listened anyway. She always got annoyed when someone mistaked her and the doctor for a couple or when Martha insisted there was something going on between them, but she wanted to know what Dalek Sec was talking about. "It's the way a father looks at a daughter."
This hit Freya like a ton of bricks. She had always wanted a dad, having never known her own, but she had never met anyone who came close. After only knowing the doctor a short while she already looked upto him and cared for him a lot. She and Dalek Sec went back to work but Freya's thoughts were still running wild.
...
"The line feeds are ready." A dalek said and the Doctor rushed up to a bunch of tubes and extracts the solution inside with a syringe.
"Then it's all systems go." He said.
"The solar flare is imminent. The radiation…will reach Earth in a matter of minutes." Dalek Sec said.
"We'll be ready for it." The doctor said as he inserts the syringe into one of the main feeding tubes and injects the solution. "That compound will allow the gene bonds to reconfigure in a brand new pattern. Power up!"
One of the pig slaves turned on a power switch. "Start...the line feeds." Dalek Sec said, one of the Daleks starts the machinery and the solution start moving through the tubes.
"Well, there goes the gene solution." Freya said.
"The life blood!" Dalek Sec exclaimed happily as the solution started coursing upto the bodies.
There was suddenly a loud beeping noise and red warning lights started to flash. "What's going on?" Freya asked over the noise.
"What's happening? Is there a malfunction? Answer me!" Dalek Sec ordered.
"No, no, no. The gene feed! They're overriding the gene feed!" The doctor rushed to the controls and attempted to fix it.
Dalek Sec shook his head in disbelief. "Impossible. They cannot disobey orders."
"The Doctor will step away from the controls." A dalek said and the doctor backed away towards Freya. Moving in front of her protectively.
"Stop! You will not fire." Dalek Sec yelled.
"He is an enemy of the Daleks." One of them said.
"And so are you," said another as they aimed their guns at the doctor, Dalek Sec and Freya.
Dalek Sec's eyes widened in alarm. "I am your commander. I am Dalek Sec."
"You have lost your authority!"
"You are no longer a dalek!"
"What have you done with the gene feed?" the doctor asked.
The third dalek turned to face him. "The new bodies will be one hundred percent dalek."
"No. You can't do this!" Dalek Sec yelled.
"Pig slaves, restrain Dalek Sec, the doctor and the timelady." The pig slaves swarmed around them, Lazlo grabbing hold of the doctor quickly while a few grabbed Dalek Sec and tried to grab Freya but the doctor refused to let go so the pig slaves gave up on her.
"Release me. I created you. I am your master." Dalke Sec was struggling but he was being ignored.
"Solar flare approaching."
"Prepare to intercept."
The daleks turned towards the machinery and the life bell rang. "There's a lift." Lazlo said quietly.
"After you." Freya muttered back. There was a pause before the three of them ran for the lift.
"The Doctor is escaping! Stop him! Stop him!" One of the daleks screeched. The pig slaves started to follow but the doors closed when they were only half way across the room.
"We've only got minutes before the gamma radiation reaches the Earth. We need to get to the top of the building." The doctor said, not noticing Lazlo gasping against the wall.
Freya, however, did. "Lazlo, what's wrong?" she asked softly.
Lazlo shrugged her off. "Out of breath. It's nothing. We've escaped them. That's all that matters." He said casually but the doctor and Freya still looked concerned.
The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened to reveal Martha, Tallulah and Frank.
"There you are!" Martha yelled happily.
"First floor, perfumery." The doctor said.
"I never thought I'd see you again." Tallulah said, rushing towards Lazlo and throwing herself into his arms.
"No stopping me." He said, smiling down at her.
Meanwhile, Martha lead the doctor and Freya over to the plans. "We worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you two, by the way."
"Oh, come here." The doctor grabs Martha in to a big hug and twirls her around. He dropped her suddenly when the bell dings and the lift doors close. He runs to try and stop it. "No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug." He used the sonic screwdriver on the panel. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it."
"Is that going back down?" Freya asked nervously.
"Yep and they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?"
"11:15." Frank told him.
"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."
Tallulah frowned in confusion. "Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?"
Martha lead the doctor and Freya outside and the doctor looked out over the city. "Oh, that's high. That's very...blimey, that's high."
Martha sighed. "And we've got to go even higher. That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off."
"That's not "we". That's just me." Martha and Freya stared at him.
"We're not just going to sit back and do nothing!" Freya snapped.
"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry girls, but you've got to fight."
...
"What you you think our chances our?" Freya asked as they waited for the lift to come up with their makeshift weapons in their hands.
"Slim." Martha said grimly. "The lift's coming back up."
Frank sighed. "I shoulda brought that gun."
"Tallulah, stay back. You too, Martha, Freya. IF they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill." Lazlo warned firmly.
"We're not going anywhere." Freya said just as firmly and Martha nodded in agreement.
"The doctor gave us a job!"
"They're savages. I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." Lazlo said before collapsing.
Tallulah rushed to his side instantly while the other three looked around concerned. "Lazlo? What is it?"
"No, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just leave me." Lazlo gasped, leaning against the wall.
Tallulah put her hand to his forehead. "Oh, honey, you're burnin' up. What's wrong with you? Tell me."
"One man down and we ain't even started yet." Frank muttered to the girls. Freya groaned.
"We're doing so well, aren't we?"
"It's not looking good." Martha said as the lift got further and further up.
"Nope."
Thunder boomed through the room, making the two girls from the future freeze and glance at each other. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Freya asked.
"Lightning?" Martha whispered and Freya grinned widely before they ran to the other side of the room.
...
Martha, Freya and Frank arranged the long metal rods from outside across the room and to the lift, making sure they didn't touch the floor, while Tallulah stayed with Lazlo.
"Aw, you'll be all right, sweetheart. Don't you worry." She said to Lazlo sweetly before talking to the other three in a much different tone. "What the hell are you three clowns doin'?"
Martha sighed heavily as she put another rod in place. "Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still gonna get hit. Great big bolt of lightening, electricity all down this building."
"If we connect it to the lift, they'd get zapped." Freya finished.
"Oh my God, that could work." Tallulah said shocked and Frank rolled his eyes.
"Then give us a hand."
...
"Is that gonna work?" Tallulah had to ask as Frank was finishing off.
Freya bit her lip. "Hopefully or we're dead." She said dryly.
"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside." Frank said, walking over to them.
"Come here, Frank and sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal." Martha said and they all huddled together, waiting nervously for the pig slaves to appear. The watched, holding their breath, as the lift got further and further upto the top and closed their eyes tightly as the doors slid open.
They heard a loud crash of lightning and squeals. Once it was all over they opened their eyes to see the pigs lying on the floor, dead.
"You did it!" Tallulah said happily, looking at Martha and Freya impressed.
"They used to be like Lazlo. They were people and I killed 'em." Martha said, not able to take her eyes off the bodies. Freya wrapped her arm around her friend, unable to comfort her as she felt the same way.
"No, the Daleks killed them. Long ago." Lazlo said firmly as a thought hit Freya.
"The doctor!" She exclaimed, running to the window and started climbing up the ladder.
"Freya! He said to wait down here!" Martha protested but followed her up with Frank.
"Actually, he said we had to fight. We're done fighting so there's nothing stopping us from going up, is there?" Freya called back before freezing when they got half way.
"Freya? What's wrong?" Martha asked. Freya couldn't speak so she held up the sonic screwdriver. Martha's eyes widened and she slapped the back of Freya's leg. "Hurry up, then!"
Freya didn't need to be told twice and quickened her pace on the ladder. Her hearts dropped when she saw the doctor, lying unconscious on the floor.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Martha rushed past her friend and over to the doctor. "Look what we found halfway down. You're getting careless."
"Oh my head." The doctor groaned and Freya smiled in relief.
"Hiya." Martha smiled down at him and he smiled back.
"Hi, where's Freya?"
"She's right here." Martha said, nodding in her direction and the doctor peered over at her. She waved a little and he smiled even more.
"You both survived then." He stated as Freya walked over to them.
"So did you. Just about."
"Um...doctor." Freya said carefully. "I can't help notice….there's Dalekanium still attached." The doctor shot up.
...
"The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan." The doctor said, once they were off the roof.
"How do we stop them?" Lazlo asked.
"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first."
"Does that mean what I think that means?" Freya asked while everyone else looked confused.
"Yep." The doctor said, popping the 'p'. "We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. Tallulah!"
Tallulah looked at him. "That's me. Three Ls and an H."
"The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?"
Tallulah shrugged. "Don't see why not."
"Is there another lift?"
"We came up in the service elevator." Martha said.
"That'll do. Allons-y!"
...
"This should do it. Here we go." The doctor said, after they'd arrived at the theatre. He held up the sonic screwdriver and switched it on.
"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark. Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, hunh?" Tallulah asked as Lazlo fell into one of the seats behind them.
"Lazlo, what's the matter?" Tallulah exclaimed, rushing to his side.
"Nothing. It's just so hot." Lazlo gasped out and Tallulah frowned, shivering slightly.
"But…it's freezing in here. Doctor, what's happening to him?" she asked but the doctor was too busy listening to the sonic screwdriver, checking it's frequency.
"Not now, Tallulah. Sorry." He said absently.
"What are you doing?" Martha asked quietly.
"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." The doctor said, holding the sonic screwdriver up higher. "You lot should go."
Freya scoffed. "Don't think so buddy, I ain't letting you out of my sight."
"I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville."
"And we're telling you that we're not going anywhere." Martha said firmly and Freya nodded.
"That's an order!"
Freya's eyes flashed gold dangerously and it made the doctor shiver slightly. "I don't take orders from you and if you ever try to order me about again I'll - "
What she would do, however, went unsaid as the doors burst open and the human daleks walked in carrying guns.
"Oh, my God! Well I guess that's them then, hunh?" Tallulah said nervously, moving closer to Lazlo.
"Humans…with Dalek DNA." Martha whispered, watching them.
Frank went to attack but Freya pulled him back. "Don't, just wait." She whispered.
"Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them." The doctor said firmly.
"But what about the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Lazlo asked as there was an explosion on the stage. The group hid behind the seats as the smoke cleared and two of the daleks appeared, Dalek Sec chained up like a dog.
"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks." One of the daleks said and he stepped over the chair, walking on the back untill he reached the front row. "You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age."
"Planet Earth will become New Skaro." The other one said.
"Oh, and what a world. With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?" the doctor asked.
Dalek Sec knelt up. "My Daleks…just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."
"Incorrect. We will always survive." The first dalek said.
"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor," said the second.
"But he can help you." Dalek Sec tried.
"The Doctor must die." The first one said.
"No, I beg you, don't." Dalek Sec crawled in front of the daleks but they payed no attention to him.
"Exterminate." The second one said and shot the doctor but Dalek Sec knelt up quickly, getting in the way of it's shot.
The doctor stared at the dead body of Dalek Sec. After a while, he looked up at the daleks in disgust. "Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." He turned to the human daleks. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is?"
"Warning. Dalek-Humans show increased levels of seratonin." The second dalek said.
"If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them." The doctor said, holding his arms out to his sides.
"Dalek-Humans, take aim." The first one said and the dalek humans cocked their weapons and aimed at the doctor.
"What are you waiting for? Give the command!"
"Exterminate!"
The doctor closed his eyes while Freya and Martha held onto each other tightly but...nothing happened.
"Exterminate!" The dalek said again but still nothing happened.
"Obey. Dalek-Humans will obey." The first dalek said.
"They're not firing." Martha said. "What have you done?"
"You will obey. Exterminate." The second one said.
"Why?" the foreman asked and the doctor smiled slightly.
"Daleks do not question orders."
"But why?"
"You will stop this."
"But…why?"
"You must not question."
"But you are not our master. And we…we are not Daleks."
"No, you're not and you never will be." The doctor said as everyone watched. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightening strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."
"If they will not obey, then they must die!" One of the daleks said before shooting at the daleks.
"Get down!" The doctor yelled before jumping down as well as the human daleks shot at the two daleks on the stage.
The shooting finally stopped and the group looked up to see what remained of the daleks on the stage and all of the human daleks looking at the doctor curiously.
"It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. You did it. You're free." The doctor said kindly before frowned when they suddenly gripped their heads in pain.
"No!" He yelled as they fell to the floor dead. "They can't! They can't! They can't!"
"What just happened?" Freya asked.
"They killed 'em. Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide."
"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive." Lazlo said grimly and the doctor's eyes hardened.
"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." He said, standing up.
...
"Now what?" the doctor asked, walking over to the last dalek.
"You will be exterminated."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek... What was your name?"
"Dalek Caan."
"Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan…let me help you. What do you say?" the doctor offered and it was silent for a second, the doctor and Caan just staring at each other.
"Emergency Temporal Shift!" Dalek Caan said before disappearing. The doctor sighed before turning around when the rest of the group ran in.
"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick." Freya exclaimed as they lowered Lazlo to the floor while he's breathing heavily.
"It's okay. You're all right." Martha said softly as the doctor knelt down next to them. "It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it."
"What is it, Doctor? What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?" Tallulah cried.
"It's time, sweetheart." Lazlo choked out.
"What do you mean "time"? What are you talking about?"
"None of the slaves …survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now…I'm dyin', Tallulah." Lazlo whispered and Tallulah shook her head firmly.
"No you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?"
"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H…just you watch me." He jumped to his feet and took his coat off. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on." He ran around the lab, mixing up a solution, taking all the while. "There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm tellin' you, I'm tellin' you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way." He took a stephoscope out of his pocket and put it on. "The Doctor is in!"
...
"Well I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em." Frank said, walking over to them.
"What did they say?" Freya asked.
Frank smiled. "They said yes." He told them and Tallulah hugged Lazlo tightly. "They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else."
"Thank you. I—I can't thank you enough." Lazlo said as he hugged Tallulah tightly.
...
"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?" Martha asked as the three of them walked towards the TARDIS.
The doctor shrugged. "I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too."
"The pig and the show girl." Freya laughed.
The doctor smiled. "The pig and the show girl." He repeated.
"Just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone." Martha said, glancing sideways at the doctor and Freya sighed - she'd hoped Martha would be over that but obviously not.
The doctor's smile faded. "Maybe." He whispered.
"I'm sorry." Freya whispered as the doctor unlocked the door and he looked at her confused.
"What for?"
"That he got away."
"Do you think we'll see him again?" Martha asked, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.
"Oh yes." The doctor said, opening the door for them to get through. "One day."
R&R