Chapter Twenty-One: The Crucible

"Come on, Dad! Do it!" The Doctor suddenly stopped spewing golden light. He held out his hand directly at Rose, and a beam of that light shot directly into her.

"Aaah!" she shrieked, doubling over in pain. "Oh my God…"

"What? What is it?" Jack rushed to her side. "Rose, talk to me. What-"

"-I've got two hearts."


"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

Sarah Jane crouched in terror, waiting for the blast of death to come…

Bang! The Dalek's head blew to bits, revealing...

"Mickey?"

"Us Smiths got to stick together!" said Mickey Smith.


"Ready?" Gwen asked.

"Ready," Ianto confirmed.

"Hold on," Owen said. He kissed Tosh, and then said "Ready."

"Exterminate!"

Gwen pushed the button and everything froze.


"What?!" Jack stepped back in shock. "What do you mean, you have two hearts?!"

"She has two hearts," Cassie said softly.

"How the hell did that happen?!" Donna ran to Rose. "Are you alright?"

"Perfect solution," Cassie explained. "Because, see, Mum had Time Lord DNA inside her system. Dad's DNA to be specific. It's been there for at least fifteen… no, seventeen years. Game Station, remember? Genetic transfer. That means she's a bio-matching receptacle and can absorb the regeneration energy. And… the regeneration energy activates the dormant DNA and makes it dominant, turning her into a fully-fledged Time Lord. Rose Tyler… welcome to forever."

"Forever…" Rose whispered. "Oh my God, Cassie, you're brilliant!" She hugged her daughter tightly. "Thank you," she whispered.

Suddenly, the power went out. "They've got us," said the Doctor. "Power's gone. Some kind of chronon loop." The TARDIS tilted with a great big jerk.


Sarah Jane and Mickey watched as the TARDIS was lifted up by a beam of energy. "Put down your guns," said Sarah Jane.

"Do what?" Mickey exclaimed.

"If you're carrying a gun, they'll shoot you dead." She stepped out into the street. "Daleks, I surrender!"

"All humans in this sector will be taken to the Crucible," said the Dalek.

"You're bloody mad!" Mickey whispered. He sighed, kissed his gun, and put it down. "I surrender too."


"Now Jack's explained the base code, I know how this teleport works. I think. But you just stay indoors. There's no Daleks on this street. You should be all right. Just er, keep quiet." Martha pulled on her backpack

"But where are you going?"

"I'm a member of UNIT, and they gave me the Osterhagen Key. I've got to do my job. I'm sorry."

"Martha. What's an Osterhagen Key? Tell me. What does it do?"

"Love you." She pulled her ripcord and vanished.


"The TARDIS is secured," said a Dalek.

"Doctor, you will step forth or die." This Dalek's voice was deeper, different from the others. Probably the guy in charge, Cassie thought.

"We'll have to go out," the Doctor murmured. "Because if we don't, they'll get in."

"You told me nothing could get through those doors," Rose argued.

"You've got extrapolator shielding!" Jack looked at the Doctor confusedly.

"Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids, and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire, at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes, they can do anything. Right now, that wooden door is just wood. Right then. All of us together."

"Surrender, Doctor, and face your Dalek masters," said the deeper-voiced Dalek, whom Cassie had decided to nickname "Alpha."

"Daleks," Rose whispered.

"Oh, God," Jack murmured, remembering his first death.

"It's been good, though, hasn't it? All of us. All of it. Everything we did." The Doctor faced Donna. "You were brilliant." He faced Jack. "You were brilliant." Then Rose. "You were brilliant." He kissed Rose's head gently, and then faced Cassie. "And you, Cassandra Yvonne Tyler, were so very brilliant." He sighed. "Blimey." He led the group out of the TARDIS.

"Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks!" said Alpha.

"Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks! Daleks reign supreme. All hail the Daleks!" the Daleks chanted. The Doctor was reminded of the worshipping Daleks on the Game Station.

"Behold, Doctor," said Alpha. "Behold the might of the true Dalek race."

Suddenly, Rose doubled over in pain, and fell backwards into the TARDIS, just as the doors slammed shut. "Doctor? What have you done?" she asked.

"It wasn't me. I didn't do anything!" The Doctor turned to the Daleks. "What did you do?!"

"This is not of Dalek origin," said Alpha.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed.

"Stop it! She's my friend. Now open the door and let her out." The Doctor faced Alpha with anger. "Let her out!"

"This is Time Lord treachery," Alpha declared. "Nevertheless, the Tardis is a weapon and it will be destroyed." A trapdoor opened underneath the TARDIS and it dropped.

"What are you doing?!" the Doctor shouted. "Bring it back!" He heard Rose scream from the TARDIS and his hearts broke. Still he pushed on with anger. "What have you done? Where's it going?"

"The Crucible has a heart of Z-neutrino energy. The TARDIS will be deposited into the core." Alpha's voice was laced with triumph.

"You can't. You've taken the defences down. It'll be torn apart!" The Doctor nearly began to cry.

"Rose is in there!" Donna protested.

"Let her go!" Jack's voice was full of fire.

"The female and the TARDIS will perish together. Observe. The last child of Gallifrey is powerless." Alpha's voice was still filled with triumph, and the Doctor, Donna, and Jack all felt their faces burn with rage.

"Please. I'm begging you. I'll do anything! Put me in her place. You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get her out of there!" The Doctor now really was crying.

"You are connected to the TARDIS. Now feel it die." Alpha looked directly at Cassie, but she shed no tears. She looked directly at the Dalek, and gave her own smirk of triumph. Come on, Mum, you can do it.

"Total TARDIS destruction in ten rels. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"

"The TARDIS has been destroyed and so has your companion. Now tell me, Doctor. What do you feel? Anger? Sorrow? Despair?

"Yeah," said the Doctor, his eyes filled with pain from losing Rose. Even if she did regenerate, she'd die again. Forget the TARDIS. Rose was a thousand times more important.

"Then if emotions are so important, surely we have enhanced you?"

Jack was clearly not convinced by Alpha's logic. "Yeah? Feel this!" He shot the Dalek with a revolver.

"Exterminate!" Alpha shot Jack square in the chest and he fell.

"Jack!" Donna shouted.

"Escort them to the Vault," said Alpha. "They are the playthings of Davros now."


Hey everyone! So, here's chapter twenty-one of Cassie! Wow, things are really moving with this rewrite! I feel like it's moving faster than Unicorn. Perhaps because I'm sort of inventing my details instead of copying from the show. Well, it works!

As always, love and ducks to Rachel and Jubilee and hugs to my supporters. Also a special shoutout to my friends Eleonora, Noe, Hanul, and Kizzie!

Love,

Ofelia