A/N: I sense another Dalek three-parter in the works.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who, the Daleks and the Emperor – BBC and Terry Nation. Me – nowt but the Knights Tempus. So no suing.
Warning: As before. There are a few additions to some of the dialogue – I'm working from the Scriptbook and DVDs and some of the cut stuff just begs to be used!
Prometheus: Part 2
Paradise was born in six days.
And in every Paradise, there is always…a serpent.
He is known by many designations throughout the universe; indeed, the Humans conceived some of the more eloquent terms.
Satan.
Beelzebub.
The Destroyer.
The Devil.
Lucifer.
With the Passing of the Kaled people, the name of Their own demon, the God of War, was lost to eternity.
But the new name for that demon, the Dalek name for that creature of horror…that serpent still lives on.
The Bringer of Darkness.
The Destroyer of Worlds.
The Ka-Faraq Gatri.
The Doctor.
The serpent now seeks to defy the Will of God.
Let Him try.
I will not be bested so easily.
Not by one of His childish, infidel kind.
I watch, cloaked in shadows, as Dalek Unit 1 turns and advances on Rose Tyler as She slowly retreats towards the computer banks.
'You know the Doctor. You understand him. You will predict his actions.'
Blunt, but effective.
It will be…interesting to observe Her reactions.
The female glares at Unit 1 with a startling intensity.
'I don't know!'
Her voice wavers as She backs away.
'And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you.'
Unit 1 continues to advance.
'Predict! Predict! Predict!'
Unit 2 turns, urgency sharpening Its vocal units.
'TARDIS detected, in flight!'
Unit 1 halts Its movement, the headpiece turning to face the monitor.
'Launch missiles! Exterminate!'
I watch silently as two bolts of dazzling intensity fire from My Ship, screaming into the vacuum towards the pitiful blue ship spinning in the void.
'You can't!'
I redirect My Attention to the Human, flanked by Unit 1, staring in horror at the screen.
'The TARDIS hasn't got any defences, you're gonna kill him!'
Unit 1 spins to focus on Her face.
'You have predicted correctly.'
I permit Myself a brief moment of satisfaction. My Brethren have learned well from My Teachings.
They have learned to anticipate the actions of the inferior alien psyche, and to manipulate Them to Their Advantage. I had learned these lessons in the hatchery, bred into My Being by the technicians, and the will of the Cult of Skaro.
I believe that Dalek Sec would be most intrigued to learn how well his findings have benefited Our Glorious Race.
A flash of brilliant fire brings My Attention back to the monitor. An explosion, fire and sound obscuring the panels of the Devil's Carrier.
No defences.
The Time Lords did not learn Their Lessons from Their battles, unlike My People. Their Pacifism, Their Unwillingness to fight and lack of martial skill cost them so many battles in the War.
Eventually They gained enough sense to build weapons onto all of Their TARDISes, not only the 'battle' fleets. This was of no consequence to the Dalek people.
We grew in might.
We grew in hate.
We did not feel emotions such as compassion and mercy. The Time Lords did.
Their Weakness cost them the battles of Arcadia, Necros, Polymos and the Androzani system; to say nothing to the heat-death of Gallifrey.
And now the last of the Time Lords has committed suicide in the void of space because of His emotions.
Wait…
I see no wreckage, no signs of debris or bodies.
I see no sign of that ship having ever existed.
Anger. Sudden and swift, but tempered by My Wisdom.
Dematerialisation at the point of contact.
An old tactic favoured by The Infidels.
The female and Unit 1 watch the monitor in confusion, the female's heart-rate increasing to disturbing levels.
And then I hear them.
The engines of the TARDIS.
The rotors grind in an endless cycle of noise, echoing throughout My Ship and into the void.
He lives still.
No matter.
But the image of the rematerialising TARDIS brings new concern. The outline of the ship envelops the female and Unit 1, cloaking both of Them.
I am unwilling to admit the thought except within the depths of My Mind, but that kind of manoeuvre requires talent.
Talent I did not believe Him to possess.
I will learn from this. I will not underestimate Him again.
A sudden pain, sharp and swift.
A scream in the depths of My Mind.
Dalek Unit 1 has perished.
I do not know how, but I will make sure the perpetrator suffers the consequences of Their Crime against the Dalek Race.
My Brethren have also sensed the cry of death. They move to surround the TARDIS, firing at every available surface of the exterior, searching for a fault.
Their Actions, although committed with excellent intentions, are futile. They must wait a little longer to exact Their Vengeance.
'Patience, My Brethren.'
They heed My Words, and halt Their Actions.
Now, We wait. The Devil will show Himself soon.
Movement.
The doors…
A tall, dark-haired man in leather and dark non-descript clothing emerges, His bony features set in determination.
It is Him!
My Brethren are quick to respond.
Units 2 and 3 converge on His Position. 'Ex-ter-mi-nate!! EX-TER-MI-NATE!!'
They fire in anger at point-blank range…
…And nothing!
The blasts ricochet away from the skeletal Time Lord in shimmering pulses of light.
A forcefield.
So the Devil has learned from My Race. He cites Our Holy Scripture for His own ends.
He will pay for this hubris.
Units 2 and 3 halt Their Barrage, and stare in confusion at the being before Them.
He stares back, no fear in His stance.
And shrugs.
'Is that it?'
He smirks.
'Useless! Nul points!'
He gestures towards the doors of the TARDIS. 'It's alright, come on out, that forcefield can hold back anything.'
Rose Tyler edges slowly out of the ship, followed by another Human, a dark-haired male clad in military garb, His movements cautious.
So, the Devil still travels with His entourage of fellow daemons. How pathetically…emotional of him.
'Almost anything.' The other male nods in brief amendment.
The Doctor sighs and folds His arms across his thin chest.
'Yeah, but I wasn't gonna tell them that, thanks.'
An apologetic smile from the male. 'Sorry.'
Dissent within the ranks. How…Human.
That kind of insubordination would never be tolerated in the Dalek Fleet.
I watch intently as the Doctor steps forward, His eyes dark with hate and anger.
He studies Units 2 and 3 quietly, as if He wishes to toy with them, to make Them afraid, to make Them suffer.
Units 2 and 3 regard Him with prudence, Their weapon-stalks trained on His every move.
Their eyestalks twitch as He watches.
He stands tall, and composed.
'D'you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek homeworld? The Oncoming Storm.'
Not an exact translation, but satisfyingly close. The Draconians named Him well.
'You might have removed all your emotions, but I reckon, right down deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left. And that's fear. Doesn't it just burn when you're facing me?'
They do not respond.
Excellent.
He continues to stare at Them, watching for any sign of weakness.
'So, tell me. How did you survive the Time War?'
I feel that it is time to add some…illumination to these proceedings.
'They survived through Me.'
The gantries behind My Throne fill with radiance, revealing My Divine Presence to the mongrels before Me.
My Throne shines gold in the harsh glow, while My Supreme Guards hover in silent, defensive formation, flanking My side panels and headpiece.
My Eye narrows as I study the Doctor in the improved light, His companions staring at Me in open-mouthed wonder.
Good.
Let Them see Me as the God that I am.
The Doctor stares at Me with eyes filled not with wonder, but with recognition.
With fear.
And suddenly I see the dark blue eyes of His last incarnation, the Pacifist and the Romantic, who wept in silent agony as He watched the commander of the Gallifreyan militia murdered and reborn ten times over in front of Him.
The Rani…that was Her Name. The commander of the fabled Knights Tempus, and a most striking woman, intelligent and amoral. Had it not been for Her ill-judged alliance with Her people, an arrangement could have been made that might well have suited Our Races.
She had chosen death over the option to permit My Brethren to access Her TARDIS, to unravel Its secrets like so many errant threads.
Her Ship had self-destructed upon Her final death, Her body gathered up in a lifeless bundle by the Doctor and an unknown female Time Lord, and dragged into His TARDIS.
I still recall the scream of grief that echoed as the ship had dematerialised. I recall revelling in the sound.
It had been the female with the Doctor who screamed first.
'Rose…Captain…This is the Emperor of the Daleks.'
I blink once to clear My Thoughts of the memories, and stare down at the motley collection of species.
The hate reaches a crescendo.
'You destroyed Us, Doctor. The Dalek Race died in Your Inferno, but My Ship survived; crippled but alive, falling through time and space.'
He narrows His Eyes.
'Ohh, I get it…'
Dalek Unit 2, Unit 3 and Weapons Unit 4 glide behind Him, shaking with anger.
'Do not interrupt!!'
'Do not interrupt!!'
'Do not interrupt!!'
They fire, the bolts glancing harmlessly away from the forcefield.
The Time Lord does not react. Instead, He smiles cruelly.
'I think you've forgotten. I'm the Doctor, and if there's one thing I can do, it's talk. I've got five billion languages and you haven't got one way of stopping me, so if anyone's gonna shut up…'
He spins around and snarls at My Brethren.
'…it's YOU!'
They retreat slightly at the intensity of His voice.
He turns back, a smaller smile wreathing His face.
'Okey doke. So! Where were we?'
His Impertinence will not go unpunished.
But He deserves His Answer. For I am a Provident God.
'We waited here, in the dark space, damaged but rebuilding. Centuries passed, and We quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth. Harvesting the waste of Humanity.'
The Doctor turns quietly to the female. 'That's what happened to you. All the game contestants – they're not disintegrated, they're sent here.'
I nod My Agreement.
'More than that. The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed, they all came to us. The Human Race was happy to look away.'
Rose moves backwards slightly, towards the Human male. She keeps Her voice low.
'What does he mean, harvesting?'
The male does not take His Eyes off of My Throne.
'Raw stock. They used the people to breed more Daleks.'
Correct in essentials.
'The bodies were filleted. Pulped. Sifted. The Seed of the Human Race is perverted, only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured.'
The expressions of nausea and disgust on the three faces are a joy to behold.
The Doctor is the first to find His Voice.
'You created an army of Daleks out of the dead.'
Rose turns to study My Armies in confusion.
'But that makes them…half-human.'
Anger.
The chill takes control of My Limbs. She knows not of what She speaks! She besmirches the Armies of God, desecrates the Name of The Creator Himself!
My Voice echoes across the chamber.
'Those words are blasphemy!!'
My Brethren are quick to acknowledge this insult.
'Do not blaspheme!!'
'Do not blaspheme!!'
'Do not blaspheme!!'
The Devil does not look properly intimidated by this display of devotion.
He looks…disturbed as He turns to study My Guards.
'Everything Human has been purged. I cultivated pure and blessed Daleks.'
The fear remains etched on His Face as He looks up at Me.
'…Since when do the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?'
'Since I led Them from the Wilderness. I am far more than Emperor. I reached into the dirt and made new life.'
I hold My Limbs high and look to the heavens.
'I am The God of All Daleks!!'
My Brethren watch My Actions with joy.
'Worship Him!!'
'Worship Him!!'
'Worship Him!!'
I close My Eye in bliss.
'The Beginning and End of All Things!!'
The Last Time Lord and the Humans do not share in the revelry of My People.
Instead, He watches Us with…sadness. With pity.
Pity?
What use is His Pity?!
We have no need of it!!
'…They're insane.'
I lower My Limbs and listen, rage swirling within My Body. He dares to attack the mindset of My People?
He walks towards them, His revolting Pity in his eyes.
'Hiding in silence for hundreds of years, that's enough to drive anyone mad. But it's worse than that…driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity.'
We are not Human. All that might once have been called Human has been annihilated. They were useful only for raw stock, genetic material, filler, muscles, sinew.
We would die first before even considering the possibility of being even part Human.
He shakes His Head as He studies Units 2 and 3.
'Oh…you hate your own existence.'
His Posture stiffens.
'And that makes them more deadly than ever.'
He glances at the Humans.
'Come on, we're going.'
My Roar echoes throughout My Ship, making My Throne shake.
'You may not leave My Presence!'
I press My Limbs to the surface of the glass casing, as if I could reach out and grab The Devil, to shake His vulgarity from His very soul.
'Stay where you are!!'
'You will be ex-ter-mi-nated!!'
'Stay where you are!!'
'EX-TER-MIN-ATE!! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!!'
My Brethren cluster around the TARDIS, firing erratically as the Doctor and the Human mongrels step into the ship, the Devil flashing one last defiant smile.
He will suffer for this.
He will see what His actions will do for Earth.
Unit 2 watches Me, the adoration clear in Its gaze.
'Your Orders, Lord Emperor?'
I do not need to think about My next Words.
'Advance. The Fleet will attack Planet Earth. My Vessel will destroy the GameStation.'
I turn to watch the stars and the spinning grey-blue jewel in the distance.
'This will be Our Paradise!'
TBC