(Rose's P.O.V)
"No! Open up, open up!" I roared internally as I continued to lash out against the metal door.
We couldn't just leave her, not now, not when we were so close!
Not when she had been the driving force throughout the whole survival run we had endured.
"Rachael!" I yelled whilst giving the barrier separating me from said person one last thump before giving in and slowly uncurling my balled up hand so I could lean against my open palm which was now spread out on the door.
A hand rested on my shoulder and I jerked away from the touch, only sparing a brief glance at the person who turned out to be Adam.
"It's too late now, there's nothing we can do" was his apologetic response.
"No. No" I said whilst shaking my head and ignoring the tears which made their way to my eyes as I continued, "there has to be some way to open it again. We can…we can breakthrou-…"
"We can't" De Maggio cut me off making me whip my head around to face her rigid form which was still looking at the metal door.
"We can't risk allowing that thing out" De Maggio continued and I felt my temper flare into life.
"You wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for her!" I pointed out before adding, "and now you just want to leave her!" I went to say more but was interrupted.
"Rose I think you shoul-…" Adam started to say but I wouldn't have it.
Switching my eyes to him I hissed, "Don't" before glaring back at the woman in front of me and saying, "You owed her your life and yet you just ran ahead and left her behind, its n-…"
I didn't get any further as my words finally got a reaction from the solider as she spun around at my words and spat, "I didn't see you slowing down to help!" causing me to halt in my accusations.
My mouth dropped open as I took in the woman's stiff posture and noticed that although her eyes were not as teary as mine they were clearly over flowing with emotion. They reminded me of the Doctor's eyes back when he spoke of the Time War only not as severe.
Taken aback I found myself unable to speak as she continued in a more terse tone having quickly regained her composure, "I had one order, to get the civilians out alive. I didn't have time to keep an eye on her as well."
Once more it was if her military training had taken over and anything subjective to her job was discarded.
"This is wrong, this is all wrong!"
"But, it's just…" I once again dodged Adam's touch as I gave a final thump on the door my eyes finally letting slip some of the tears that had been gathering in them.
It was like Gwyneth all over again, the servant girl who saved the world except now it was the prisoner who saved the world. Both of them had gone against expectation, both proving that they were so much more than they appeared…
Adam was saying something, I could see his mouth moving but I wasn't properly paying attention to him. He was trying to comfort me over the fact we were at least still alive, "-and it means you and the Doctor can meet ag-…" but I stopped listening as one word he said hit home.
"The Doctor!"
And suddenly it was like he was all I could focus on. I wanted to see his daft face, hear his rough voice reassure me everything would be okay and feel the leather of his jacket as he embraced me. Comforted me.
Most of all I wanted the feeling of safety he provided.
Abdrubtyly spinning around I started running down the corridor to find him.
I could hear the shouts of "Rose!" behind me as well as the sound of footsteps following shortly after but I blocked them all out, my thoughts focussed on finding the Time Lord with the dazzling grin which I hoped could ward off the dark thoughts currently plaguing my mind.
My heart felt punctured, I needed help, I needed a Doctor…and right now I was running towards one.
My Doctor.
…
(Doctor's P.O.V)
The sound of the Dalek firing caused me to grab the earpiece and slam it violently to the desk, my eyes squeezing shut in a desperate attempt to block out the mental image of the girl I had just been talking to taking her final, painful gasp of air.
I didn't even know who she was. Not really. Not in a way that satisfied my curiosity. Not in a way that counted.
I knew her name and that was it. With the whole of time and space at my disposal something as simple as a name meant nothing, being a needle in an infinite haystack.
It could be false for all I knew. Then again I was certain she was telling the truth, at least on that point.
"Rachael Carter…"
The girl who had saved my companion when I had been unable,
The girl who had somehow known about me,
And now much to my guilt; the girl who had become the final fatality of the time war, a war that was meant to have ended…the last Dalek in existence had claimed its final victim
I was the one to press the button; I was the one to condemn her, just as I had condemned own people.
Unable to let the thought remain just that I unwittingly spoke, "I killed her."
"Hey, at least on the bright side your friend survived" Van Statten commented whilst breathing out a sigh of relief as if everything had been wrapped up nicely.
He just didn't get it did he?
"And I suppose that makes everything okay? I could've prevented all this, killed that Dalek in its cell, but you stopped me" I told him in a voice that was carefully controlled as I took a step towards him my eyes beginning to narrow.
"It was the prize of my collection" he protested back.
"Your collection? But was it worth it? Worth all those men's deaths? Let me tell you something, Van Statten. Mankind goes into space to explore, to be part of something greater" I began to scold him, unable to just let my anger simmer. The events that had unfolded were a little too personal, literally a little too close to home and rubbing at scars that were still far too raw to deal with the pain calmly.
"Exactly! I wanted to touch the stars!" Van Statten exclaimed in a vain attempt to justify his actions.
I didn't bother to hide my scoff as I retorted, "You just want to drag the stars down and stick them underground, underneath tons of sand and dirt, and label them. You're about as far from the stars as you can get" my voice full of contempt for this human with his repulsive delusions of grandeur which had led to such devastating results, looking away from him to try and calm down.
My eyes softened as my mind once more settled on the unexpected sacrifice that had taken place.
"And now look what you've done" my gaze once more flickering to his "My friend almost died because of you and a girl who shouldn't of even been here in the first place has died, her family will probably never even know" he continued his thoughts going to the void stuff that had first caught his attention and the names she had mentioned in the cell. Had they been her family?
His gaze hardened as he finished, "But human life is dispensable to you so you probably don't care, I wonder though, tell me…are you prepared to face the consequences to all those men's deaths. Their blood is on your hands after all" the room falling into a tense silence at his ominous ending.
The Doctor knew what it was like to carry such a burden and a part of him wondered what would happen to the man in the days to come, if he was not uncrowned by force then surely he would fall from his throne by his own hand as the guilt consumed him.
He felt only slight sympathy for the man having to live with such actions yet this was fleeting and mostly overridden by the urge to plant his fist into said man's face.
Before anyone one could attempt to break the heavy atmosphere that had settled since the Doctor's speech it was instead pierced through by the echoing sound of feet hitting the concrete floor at a rapid pace in what seemed to be their direction.
The tension became even thicker at the approaching stranger but much like air being released from a balloon it dispersed just as quickly as it had appeared as the office doors slid open to reveal Rose who rather dramatically burst through them whilst struggling to maintain a steady breathing pattern.
He could tell straight away she had been crying from the redness of her face but he didn't have time to comment as he quickly found himself ambushed by her as she flung herself at him with a cry of "Doctor!" unabashedly burring her head into his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist.
He didn't react at first; instead revelling in the fact she was actually here, in front of him and most importantly alive. His hearts flooding with relief whilst simultaneously tightening at the reminder he had almost lost her.
He didn't know what he would have done if that had happened. He'd already lost so much.
His arms finally wrapped around her, giving her a tight squeeze when he felt her hands grip the back of his leather jacket as she shook in what he knew were suppressed sobs..
"Right trouble magnet you are, did you miss me?" he asked in his usual forced humour as he tried to comfort his distressed companion.
In all honesty he was confused by her emotional state, yes he expected her to be a bit upset but they had been in life and death situations before and she'd never had such a negative reaction to this extreme.
Still his comment had some effect as she gave out a weak chuckle which was quickly followed by a hiccup, her arms loosening their grip on him so that she could look up at him.
He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile muttering softly to her, "Your safe now, I promise your safe" he repeated his message not really good with this sort of thing but wanting to get the point across.
She gave him her own weak smile before stepping back and wiping her eyes, unwittingly smearing some of her mascara which he kindly chose not comment on as she whispered to him, "she didn't make it" looking as if she was going to start crying again.
His eyes briefly went behind Rose to where the boy from earlier and a female solider were now standing, both leaning against the wall in an attempt to catch their breath. They must have arrived not long ago while he'd been distracted.
He ignored them for now instead replying to Rose softly, "I know…are you alright?" despite knowing she wasn't. Sometimes just asking a distressed person if they were okay made them feel better as it showed them you cared.
"Yeah" she answered after inhaling deeply, wiping under her eyes and successfully rubbing off some of the mascara which she'd smeared there earlier before standing straighter and examining her surroundings.
Internally he breathed a sigh of relief. While she was not okay he was now reassured that she was on the right path to getting there, the actions she had just taken supporting this as she began the slow progress of falling back into her usual character.
Now that he was satisfied that Rose would be fine (for the moment at least) he turned his attention towards the solider woman (whose name he was struggling to remember) trying to figure out a more tactful approach to give her the message he had been asked to deliver, it was the least he could do…if only to ease some of his own guilt.
They were all distracted however by a seventh voice speaking up, "well that was anticlimactic" despite there being only six people in the room.
His eyes as well as everyone else's moved to the com device he had previously discarded but never switched off as it had been where the voice had originated from.
He knew for a fact that only one person could be on the other end but that was impossible…they should be dead…
His head turned towards the computer (as did everyone else's) as if to confirm with their own eyes they weren't just hearing things.
Godard had her gaze on the screen as did Van Statten who was looking at it with undisguised interest whilst muttering, "Well I'll be…" Rose gasping at what it showed before looking to him, her eyes wide as she exclaimed, "she's still alive!"
His brow furrowed at the image he was met with, Adam speaking up first as he questioned, "I don't understand. Why hasn't it killed her?"
The solider woman looked just as dumfound as he did except his mind was whirring with both questions and theories regarding why the girl was still alive (not that they were very useful) as he tried to compose himself.
It was unlikely his eyes were deceiving him, not when the whole room confirmed what he was seeing…unless of course they were having a mass hallucination but the probability of that made him discard the thought.
The fact she was alive wasn't actually (to him) the most surprising thing about it, a sentiment Goddard also shared as she pointed out, "she's just…sitting there…?" the silent question hanging in the air.
But he had no answer as it baffled him also, for there on the screen was the flickering image of the blocked off level which showed a perfect view of Rachael who was very much alive and currently sitting on the floor and facing the Dalek, whilst leaning against the metal door which was supposed to have sealed her fate.
"That's not right…" was all he muttered as he moved closer to the screen, his eyes narrowed on the image as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. Rachael appeared very much relaxed at her predicament if not somewhat irritated which caused him to raise an eyebrow.
"No one should be that laid back around a Dalek, perhaps it was just an act though?"
"But this is good right? It means we can still save her?" Rose spoke up her face almost pleading.
He didn't know how to respond to that. The only way to save her would be to open the door but that would mean putting everyone at risk. Could he really do that? Yes he was grateful to her but did it really mean he had the right to endanger everyone for a stranger?
When he didn't reply Rose questioned again, "Doctor?" her voice becoming higher pitched and he noticed her open her mouth to say more only to close it when Rachael once again spoke up.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" her taunting voice making Rose's head snap back to the screen, an unnatural silence falling over the room as they all focussed on the events unfolding.
…...
(Rachael's P.O.V)
"Well that was strange. I'd definitely seen the Dalek prepare to fire and yet I'd felt no pain. Weird."
As a fan of the show Rachael was well aware of how the people who became victim to the Daleks always screamed when fired upon so she had tensed her body in preparation regarding the onslaught…only she had yet to feel anything.
She considered the fact that she could already be dead. Perhaps her death had come so fast that her brain hadn't the time to register the pain and thus she had passed away in ignorance to her untimely end.
But she dismissed this fact when she flinched at the sound of another gunshot which caused her eyes to snap open.
"Nope…definitely not dead."
Her eyes confirmed this as she blinked almost stupidly at the Dalek unable to fully process the fact she was still alive.
"Well that was anticlimactic…" she muttered sardonically as a sort of coping device to expel some of her nervous energy and relax if even a little bit.
Her eyes slid to the wall just inches from her head and she gasped at the charred concrete that was there, the incriminating evidence confirming to her that yes the Dalek had fired its weapon however had missed her (even if it wasn't by much) hence why she was still breathing.
It slowly dawned on her that her continued survival must be due to the same reason as in the show however this knowledge did not make her feel any better, in fact it made her mood drop even lower.
"Well then, what are you waiting for?" she taunted it.
Now while this may have seemed completely stupid to anyone else, to her it was not. You see unlike Rose who had a chance at being rescued she was well aware that she did not. The Doctor did not know her, was not close to her like he was Rose and therefore he had no kind of sentimental bond to cause him to act irrationally and put many lives at risk by releasing her.
This meant that she would remain trapped down here regardless of if the Dalek chose to spare her, meaning it was only a matter of time before she starved to death.
This was why she was so angry at it. She knew the second she was trapped that she had sentenced herself but she had at least thought she could go out in style, quickly and almost heroically but the Dalek had robbed her of this.
Instead she would die slowly by wasting away which was not a scenario she relished in therefore she did not care for how she spoke to the Dalek.
The Dalek itself reacted just like in the show, clearly unsure of its own actions, "I am armed. I will kill. It is my purpose."
Perhaps she could use that to her advantage and provoke it into killing her after all; even if she failed at least she might get some answers, "then why aren't I dead?" she questioned before adding, "why spare me?"
"You are one of the trinity" it replied as if trying to convince itself of the reason she had been spared.
"Trinity? What trinity? I don't know what you're on about" she retorted, a feeling of confusion settling in despite the situation.
"The Time Trinity" it pronounced in a higher pitched voice then added, "It has yet to be complete."
She frowned perplexed at the vague answer which told her nothing and only left her with more questions.
"What sort of answer's that?" she questioned but received no response. Narrowing her eyes she stood and stepped towards it watching how the lens in its eyestalk seemed to centre on her.
"Stop making up excuses. You fired at me so don't go talking garbage; I want to know why you missed. This time the truth, or are you to afraid?" she mocked nastily.
"Daleks do not fear" it instantly retorted directing its gun at her and she thought she had finally gotten her way as it barked out, "must not fear" before once again firing at her.
The shot didn't even come close to hitting her this time as if some instinctual part of the Dalek refused to harm her leaving it to finally face the truth as it panicked out, "you and the Doctor's companion are the ones who gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated."
"It's more than that. You spared me, Daleks don't do that. You're changing" she told it bluntly unable to keep her mouth shut regarding the truth of the matter.
Almost as if in denial it spoke, "my function is to kill."
"And yet here I stand" she quipped whilst gesturing to herself with one hand.
"Your life will ensure my freedom!" it screeched back at her.
"So that's what you think? Well your wrong you know" she argued back with a shake of her head, "I don't need a hero and I most certainly refuse to be a damsel, I'm afraid you got the wrong hostage for that role."
"What does that mean? Explain!" it screeched back at her clearly unhappy with her reply.
"It means that you're too big a threat to simply save one life when it means risking all the others. Unfortunately for you I'm just a no one; my death won't even make a difference here. You haven't a chance of negotiating a way out" she finished leaving just enough of a pause to let it sink in before she added sarcastically, "to bad for you" a wry grin on her face.
"Then you shall die" it darkly intoned.
"Yes. I know, so why don't you get on with it then!" she impatiently huffed out towards the end, clearly irritated at being played with in what she figured were her final moments. If she was going to die she wanted it over with quickly.
"You do not fear me?" The Dalek asked after a pause seemingly intrigued by her acceptance.
Rachael scoffed out loud answering, "no. Well actually that's a lie, I'm terrified right now and rightly so but of you? No. Course I'm scared of dying, who wants that? However I'm more scared of what would happen if you got out so I'm willing to accept my end."
Narrowing her eyes she added, "but actually scared of you? Nah…you're too sad to really fear, see once I'm dead it'll just be you down here, trapped, all on your own…"
She'd trailed off for a moment with every intention of resuming but the Dalek spoke up first, "I shall be alone" it echoed her words in a tone which (had it come from anyone else) Rachael could have sworn to be sadness.
"My race is dead, I am already alone…" it continued, its eyestalk tilting downwards and successfully pulling at Rachael's heart strings.
It was like a jolt through her system to hear a Dalek speak so emotionally, she kept forgetting that this wasn't just any Dalek and that it was a little bit more human than it was willing to admit.
"I know…and I'm sorry…" she began but stopped short unable to say anything else. Just how does one approach a matter as delicate as genocide?
"I am the last Dalek…" it spoke this time it's lights flashing more slowly and more out of sync with its words, as if it was losing the will to keep up even its most basic functions.
She frowned feeling her gut clench but was unable to find it in herself to comfort the creature any further, her conscious reminding her of all those it had killed.
She wasn't a saint with compassion over flowing from her very pores. She couldn't just overlook all it had done just because she felt pity for it. She wasn't Rose.
She knew Natasha might, Joanne she wasn't too sure on (the term mood swing an understatement in regards to her) but there was still a small chance.
Either way it didn't matter as once again the pit in her stomach kept pointing out that they were not here and she was not them so it was all irrelevant. The point was she had to do something so she instead went with her usual blunt method and responded, "You brought it on your selves, you know?"
If the situation had not been so delicate it would have been comical how the Dalek's eyestalk snapped back up to her, its lens narrowing on her form.
"Don't act surprised. You feel pain because your race is gone but just think how many others you have made suffer in the same way" she continued whilst once again crossing her arms.
"Daleks must kill. They are the superior beings!" it retorted, its voice becoming sharper in defence of its race.
She scoffed at the "superior beings" bit but chose not comment on it having no desire to go down that road in regards to their egos. Instead she focused on what it said first and raised a mocking eyebrow at it.
"Must kill? Don't give me that. If that's all there is to your life then why bother living? Just what do you have to look forward to once you achieve it? Surely you must have something else you want other than just killing?" she ranted at it in a manner that would suggest she was looking down on it for it's ridiculous answer.
A silence followed and she wondered if she'd somehow caused the Dalek to snap, maybe she had finally pushed its buttons enough so she could just die now rather than endure the days of suffering she would have to live as she slowly starved to death.
It was this line of thinking which caused her to flinch when the Dalek did speak up as well as become severely confused when she realised what it had said.
"Sunlight…" was the one word to slip out the Dalek's mouth with almost palpable longing.
Her jaw was locked in surprise and she had to blink several times before she snapped out of her bewilderment and tried to think of something (hopefully) intelligent to say.
She remembered in the show it had wanted that but expecting it to have a sudden change of heart was unreliable (in her opinion) considering just how much her own presence had altered events, especially since such a presumption would be based off this world following the show which it might not be as it was also possible for it to just hold a likeness to it but be completely different.
She was just getting her vocals to work again when the sound of the door behind her starting to unlock caused her to spin around in a genuine panic as her heart beat reached a crescendo to her own ears.
"What were they doing?" she thought distressed even as she yelled out loud, "No. No, no, no, no, no, what are you doing?! You can't!"
Her yells went unanswered however as the metal door kept rising to reveal the outline of three people, the one in the centre appearing to hold what looked like some sort of gun.
"It'll kill you! What are you doing?" she angrily demanded at the foolishness that had just taken place, only for her eyes to focus on the centre figure at the sound of what she was sure was a gun being loaded.
She didn't want to see any one die in front of her; she had accepted her death why couldn't they just leave well enough alone. If they fired on it they would fail and then surely die.
"Not interrupting, am I? Anyone seen a phone?" came the distinctly northern accent from the centre of the group.
…
(Doctor's P.O.V during Rachael's time trapped with the Dalek)
He didn't want to watch, didn't want to see the morbid sight as the Dalek killed its last victim and yet…he couldn't look away.
She should have been killed the moment the Dalek came in range of her and yet she wasn't… From her point of view she should consider herself lucky to even be alive and yet she surprised them all when she continued to provoke the Dalek by questioning why she hadn't been killed.
The Dalek was definitely armed (it had confirmed as much itself) but for some reason it had decided to spare her and instead of being grateful about it she had only became suspicious.
It was an interesting turn of events to say the least, so even though he didn't want to his eyes remained firmly locked on the screen.
He leaned forward when she asked it what was on all their minds, eager to know the answer.
"You are one of the trinity" it replied to her, his mind sharpening at the familiar phrase.
"What's the trinity?" he was aware of the boy (Adam if he was correct) asking even as his own mind recalled the Dalek's earlier reference about extrapolating biomass from one of the trinity.
"Don't know, a myth? That Dalek fell through time, even I don't know what that would do to someone's mind" he told them though he couldn't be sure. He'd never heard of a so called trinity that was for sure and neither had Rachael judging from her confused response.
"The Time Trinity. It has yet to be complete" the Dalek replied it's words echoing what he had been told earlier when it had said, "the time Trinity is not yet complete" exactly what did that mean anyways?
"What sort of answer's that?" she questioned it before adding "Stop making up excuses. You fired at me so don't go talking garbage; I want to know why you missed. This time the truth, or are you to afraid?"
"What's she doing that for?" Adam questioned his brow furrowed.
"It's like she's doing it on purpose" the solider woman added with a calculating look.
"Doctor she's gonna get herself killed!" he was aware of Rose crying from his side and he tried his best to ignore her and concentrate on what was going on. He didn't understand it. That sounded like a challenge to him, so it most likely would to the Dalek. Why would she do that?
"Daleks do not fear!" and he sucked in a breath as it moved its gun onto her, "must not fear" it repeated indignantly before firing.
Rose visibly flinched from next to him but he was far too distracted by the fact the Dalek had missed completely to pay her much mind. Daleks don't miss…and yet this one had…
"You and the Doctor's companion are the ones who gave me life. What else have you given me? I am contaminated" the Dalek panicked and his mind started slotting the pieces together.
"Oh, so that's what it is…" he muttered even as Rachael replied on screen, "it's more than that. You spared me, Daleks don't do that. You're changing."
"Wait, if it's changing maybe that's good, we can reason with it yeah?" Rose asked from his side her voice eager and full of hope.
"Daleks aren't meant to change Rose" he said whilst turning to face her and continuing, "if that one's mutating then it's unstable…which makes it deadlier than ever."
Rose shook her head in denial, "you can't know that without trying if you won't help me then I'll find a way myself" she told him in defiance.
He felt his temper flare at her childishness and retorted, "Oh yeah and just how you gonna do that?"
"I don't know, I'll think of something. There has to be weapons-…" Rose began only to be interrupted.
"They're sealed off at the other side remember?" the female solider spoke up causing both of them to glance at her.
Rose's face fell only to perk up at the hesitant voice which spoke, "only the catalogued ones" earning looks of surprise from everyone as well as his own deadpan one.
"Show me" Rose demanded whilst moving over to Adam and grabbing his arm, forcing him to start moving.
"You can't be serious!" he groaned to Rose adding, "it won't work" as he moved to stop her.
She let go of Adam's arm to turn on him yelling, "well at least it's something, the Doctor I knew would never give up…or at least I used to think so" her words causing him to freeze in place.
While this had all been happening he had been aware of the conversation continuing between Rachael and the Dalek, with the Dalek rebutting "my function is to kill" and Rachael retorting "and yet here I stand" just as Rose finished her remark.
Rose's voice became sterner as she all but glared at him saying, "that Dalek may be changing but it isn't the only one. Just what the hell are you turning into Doctor?
The words really hit home and he visibly faltered. Didn't she understand this was different, that he just couldn't save the girl? It wasn't like he didn't want to. Sure he was suspicious of her but it didn't mean he wished her dead.
It was just….
"It's the last one Rose…" he told her, his tone more broken than he intended as he added, "my people they're all gone and it's the last one, I…I have to end it…"
"So do it then" his head snapped back to the solider woman about to retort but stopped when he automatically paused to grab the com's device she had thrown at him.
"It's the only way to end it properly, right? To actually kill it. Find one of his weapons and blast that thing to hell, I'll stay up here to open the door for you when you get there" causing his eyes to widen at her.
"We can at least try, you always try save people Doctor, it's what we do" Rose implored more softly and he looked between the two of them like a deer caught in the head lights.
Could he really take the risk? Did they really have that much faith in him?
While they had been arguing he'd missed the bit about Rachael cottoning onto the Daleks plan of using her as bait but he did catch her reply to the Dalek when it asked her to explain as he considered Rose and the soldier's words.
"It means that you're too big a threat to simply save one life when it means risking all the others. Unfortunately for you I'm just a no one; my death won't even make a difference here. You haven't a chance of negotiating a way out"
His hearts tightened at her words. He'd been considering the risk of it but to hear that the girl herself had acknowledged and accepted her death because she was certain no one would come for her made his hearts clench painfully.
She thought her life didn't matter, that it wouldn't make a difference. It was that fact alone that made him feel like a completely selfish idiot to have even given up on someone so humble and self-sacrificing
If he saved her, he could kill the Dalek and make sure it stayed dead…he could end it properly, just like the solider said.
His fist tightened at his side as he made his choice.
"Okay then" he told Rose with a nod of his head, any insecurities he felt about his decision disappearing when Rose smiled back at him.
"Okay!" Rose replied back before running off after Adam only for him to pause when Van Statten exclaimed, "You can't do this!"
"Your men are dead Van Statten, your orders mean nothing. Just try and stop me" with that he turned his attention to the solider asking her, "You, what's your name?"
"De Maggio, now enough stalling sir your wasting time" she told him making him grin.
"Oh I like you De Maggio, Fantastic!" he told her before gesturing to his com, "keep in touch" and then began running after Rose and Adam.
As he was running to catch up with them he placed the com device in his ear hearing De Maggio whose name he had confirmed for himself say, "I've patched you through to the live audio so you know what's going on."
"Okay, thanks" he told her just as he entered the room where Adam and Rose were stood in front of a box. Quickly brushing them aside he went through the collection of items there.
"Broken. Broken. Hairdryer" he muttered as he tossed each item away fully aware of the conversation he could hear going on in his ears.
"Mister Van Statten tends to dispose of his staff, and when he does he wipes their memory. I kept this stuff in case I needed to fight my way out one day" Adam explained his reasoning behind the secrecy distracting him a little.
"What, you in a fight? I'd like to see that" he scoffed prompting Rose to elbow him.
"Hey, he's trying to help" she scolded him and he didn't miss the grateful look Adam sent her at this.
"Humans" he thought to himself before his whole form froze at the words of the Dalek saying, "then you shall die."
"Doctor? Doctor what's wrong?" he was aware of Rose asking but he was too focused on Rachael's reply, "Yes. I know so why don't you get on with it then!"
Were they too late? His hands kept on searching through the box subconsciously even as he stared off into space, unaware of the twin looks of concern he was getting.
He waited with baited breath for the killing shot to come though it never did…instead the Dalek spoke up, "you do not fear me?" allowing him to breathe out a sigh of relief.
If it was asking her questions it didn't want her dead (at least not yet) which meant they still had time. Speaking up he told them, "We have to get a move on" before his eyes settled on what he knew would be a perfect weapon of choice against a Dalek.
Standing up he adjusted the gun in his hands saying, "oh, yes. Lock and load" whilst shooting a manic grin at Rose which she returned.
Now came his favourite bit.
The three of them ran down the many corridors backtracking the way they came so that they could run in the other direction to where the sealed off door was. Adam and Rose led the way as they knew where they were going though he wasn't far behind, his eyes wide with excitement despite the situation.
The usual adrenaline rush he got from an adventure had finally hit him now that his blood was moving quickly through his veins; his feet pushing him forward even as the gun's weight slowed him down.
All the whilst he had kept one ear on the conversation he was still hooked up to, carefully determining how much time they had left.
It certainly was enlightening in regards to who this Rachael really was as a person as he listened to the girl admit being more afraid of the Dalek getting out than of her own death.
She was brazen in her opinions and the attitude to which she spoke to the Dalek reminded him of the accusing tone she had took with him when she alleged him of only pretending to be himself.
Which was yet another thing about her that didn't make sense; she just didn't act like normal people were supposed to. Who accuses some one of not being who they say they are?
She was a puzzle he supposed, so many secrets some of which she didn't even seem to know, such as what was the time trinity?
Still he was the Doctor and it was his job to save her, or at least try.
He couldn't believe he had almost let someone die because of his own stubbornness, Rose was right that really wasn't him. Once again he found himself contemplating on just how lost he might be without his new companion.
They only had two more corridors left to run by this point, Rachael had briefly apologised to the Dalek for being the last of its kind, a sentiment he wasn't sure on how to deal with.
He didn't like to think of the Daleks as having feelings; it was too much of a grey area that brought him nothing but conflictions. Usually Daleks didn't have them at all but this one was mutating, its head was all over the place.
Rachael surprised him though as she showed him her familiarity with the grey area as she went from expressing her condolences to saying, "You brought it on your selves though you know?"
No sooner had she said it did the audio fizzle out causing him to tap his com as he spoke into it, "hello? De Maggio, the sound's gone is everything alright?" his voice tight as he tried to hide his automatic worry.
There was silence on the other end, his ears straining to hear anything though he was positive he heard the sound of something hitting the floor, frowning he repeated, "De Maggi, hello, are you there?"
By this point he had just reached the end of the corridor meaning he only had one more to run along leaving him anxious encase something had happened on the other end which would somehow hinder them opening the doors.
Just as he was about to ask again De Maggio's voice finally spoke to him through the com and he noticed she sounded a little out of breath as she said, "Sorry about that Sir, Mr Van Statten tried to lock us out of the computer, luckily I got to him in time."
Relief that the plan had not been compromised as well as concern for the female warred across his face as he asked, "Are you okay? What of Van Statten now?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle Sir" was the vague reply before she added, "He's out cold, won't be getting up for a while so we're good to go on your cue Sir."
"Alright then and good job, we're almost there so I'll let you know" he added before paying attention to the metal door which he was fast approaching, coming to a stop just seconds after Rose and Adam did.
Whilst the two human's caught their breath (his respiratory system being much more advanced than the apes) he lifted up the gun to position it steadily in his two hands.
Taking a step forward and making sure the two of them were a little bit behind him on either side he asked them, "you ready?" to which they nodded.
Facing forward he nodded to himself, "alright then" before addressing his com saying, "open it" and the sound of metal slowly grinding open was enough to show him she was successful.
As it opened he could hear muffled shouts coming from behind the door but they were not yet fully audible so instead of focusing on them he checked on the gun making sure it was ready for action.
When he looked back up it was into the blue eyes of Rachael who seemed almost stricken at the sight of them as she shouted out, "it'll kill you! What are you doing?"
He wasn't too surprised by her panic, if it had been any one else he would have said the same thing after all anyone who purposely went after a Dalek was just asking for trouble.
However he wasn't just any one, he was the Doctor, the oncoming storm, last of the Time Lords and if there was one thing more terrifying than that alone it was him when he had a plan...oh and when he was confident obviously.
His plan was simple; end this once and for all.
He would be victorious.
Putting on his cockiest grin he addressed both Rachael and the Dalek just as the door opened completely, "Not interrupting am I? Anyone saw a phone?" his grin widening when Rachael gapped at him.
Oh yes, he felt confident.
…
(Rachael's P.O.V)
I paused in my shouting as my brain registered what the Doctor had asked.
"Hang on a second…did he just release a Dalek for a…for a phone?" I immediately thought.
"A phone…" I couldn't help my deadpan reply, my brain still not believing they were even here never mind what he had said.
"Yeah, my friend left hers behind. You haven't seen it have you?" he questioned, the grin on his face seeming to grow at my incredulity.
My gaze naturally went to my hand where my subconscious reminded me of the device I was still holding, all too aware of the anger which was starting to replace my surprise as his own eyes followed my direction of sight.
"You want this?" I questioned whilst increasing my grip on said item as I willed myself not to shout at him.
"Ah you held onto it, fantastic. There you go Rose, Rachael's kept your phone safe for you" he cheerily informed them whilst tilting his head in Rose's direction.
My gaze flickered to said girl who smiled when our eyes connected saying, "I'm glad you're safe."
It seemed I wasn't the only one who had glanced at Rose at the Doctor's mention of her as a metallic like voice spoke up from behind me, "You are the other one responsible for my mutation, Rose Tyler! Reverse it! Reverse it!"
The Dalek's command caused Rose's eyes to widen and the Doctor to raise a brow even as he did shuffle more in front of Rose's form. I also felt surprised though not by the order; more by the fact was only speaking up just now and had yet to attack any one.
Rose's brow furrowed and she spoke, "I, I don't know how…s-sorry."
It ignored her response beginning to move forward repeating "Reverse it!"
Three things simultaneously happened as a result of this. Both Rose and Adam stepped back, the Doctor commanded "Rachael move" preparing to fire the gun and I span to face the Dalek saying, "whoa, just stop right there, she already said she doesn't know how" whilst holding up my hands in a halt gesture.
Surprisingly the Dalek did stop, its eye stalk turning to stare directly at me and I found my muscles tense, unable to look away under its scrutiny.
"Why won't you die?" it asked in a way that sounded almost like a cry of desperation and it was only as my eyes trailed down it's form that I realised it's gun was shaking up and down whilst being pointed at my body and I became aware of its attempt to once again take my life.
"What have I become?" it continued to question.
My breath hitched in my throat and I simply did not have the words. Fortunately I was able to exhale when the Dalek finally lowered its gun as it directed it's eyestalk on someone behind me.
"My sensors detect a lethal weapon. You plan to exterminate me" the Dalek stated rather than asked.
In the silence that followed I heard what seemed to be fingers tightening their grip on something before the Doctor spoke up, "I-…I have to end it."
"I shall not be killed by you. You shall not have your victory Time Lord" it said almost smugly.
"Oh yeah and how you going to stop me!" the Doctor yelled infuriated and a glance from the corner of my eye showed he had taken two menacing steps forward.
"You shall not be the one to end it, I will not allow you to win…Exterminate!" it spoke out in a clipped voice.
The Dalek did not shoot outwards as everyone had expected. Instead the spheres on its lower body began to spread outwards.
"Oh no."
"Get back!" I cried out whilst retreating as I recognised what it was doing, the others doing likewise as they picked up my panic.
The Doctor stopped moving first turning back to the Dalek even as I tugged on his sleeve eventually leading me to do likewise.
I watched in a mixture of horrified awe as a force field surrounded the Dalek and it imploded in on itself, unable to get over what had happened.
In the episode in my universe the Dalek had been scared of death, it had only done so when it realised just how sick it was. Yet this Dalek had a chance of freedom and yet chose to rob the Doctor of a chance of (some) redemption by choosing to kill itself before the Doctor could beat him to it.
Rose Tyler's DNA had made it merciful and fearful in the episode, could my own DNA have made that much of a difference? Could it really be responsible for the Dalek's more spiteful and rebellious streak? I had accepted my own death; could the Dalek have picked up that trait and used it to get back at the Doctor?
I guess I would never really know…
My head turned slowly towards the Doctor as my focus on reality started up again and I took in the look of shock on his face, clearly he had not expected this outcome.
He had planned to kill the Dalek and become the hero but by killing itself the Dalek had flipped the table and skewed our perceptions a little bit, making it look more like a victim than a monster and as it's "should have been" executioner it made the Doctor look more like the villain.
Judging by the now conflicted look on his face he must have been feeling at least some guilt due to how things had turned out.
Adam on the other hand looked positively ecstatic at the turn of events, letting out a whoop of joy he exclaimed, "We did it, we actually did it! We saved her."
"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed as she picked up on Adam's glee the two sharing a smile before the both of them were distracted by the Doctor thrusting the gun into a bewildered Adam's arm.
Their faces fell at his lack of enthusiasm and Adam awkwardly spoke, "I'll- I'll just put this back then…find out what's going to happen now" before quickly heading back in the direction they had come in, clearly feeling put off by the Doctor's mood swing.
Rose only nodded her head in reply, her confusion evident in the slight narrowing of her eyes. She clearly didn't understand the implications of what the Dalek had done, at least not fully.
A silence followed as the Doctor took the com out of his ear and pocketed it before crossing his arms and I felt awkwardly out of place being unable to leave the situation without passing by the brooding man who stood in between me and the doorway.
"Are you alright Doctor?" Rose was the first to speak up, talking a tentative step towards the rigid Time Lord.
He visibly flinched at this, most likely having been reliving some sort of memory regarding the war.
I didn't like this. I was never sure how to deal with emotional situations, at least not properly and I wasn't sure how to act.
Especially since now the threat was gone it meant actually facing my situation. Just how does someone deal with being in a fictional world?
No one had expected this outcome and so no one knew how to deal with it. There was no real victory and all that had happened from the Doctor's point of view was yet another reminder of a past he tried constantly to run from.
The mood of the room was like a chill I wanted nothing more than to shake and so I decided to speak up, my shoulders relaxing as I adjusted my stance.
"Well...I suppose at least one thing came from this" I commented drawing a confused look from Rose and the Doctor's albeit subdued curiosity.
I tossed the device I was still holding at the Time Lord who grabbed it on reflex, raising an eyebrow as he looked down to see what he had caught.
"The phone made it out in one piece" I added with a smirk.
The Doctor flipped the phone over in his hands before raising his eyes to meet mine, a rueful smile now playing on his lips as he let out a deep lung full of air, his dark mood being let out with it.
"How about that, at least something did" the Doctor spoke his voice indicating the last part was about more than just the mobile.
"Yes quite surprising" I added referring to my own unexpected survival.
"The Dalek survived. Maybe some of your people did too" Rose said having also picked up on the ambiguity to the Doctor's comment.
"I'd know. In here" the Doctor sighed out whilst tapping his head and then adding, "feels like there's no one."
"Well then, good thing I'm not going anywhere" Rose replied in that heart-warming innocent way of hers which was a good balm to the Doctor's injured soul.
Rose's attempt at comforting him was enough to clear the last of the clouds hovering over him as he smiled at her and replied, "Yeah."
Rolling his shoulders the Doctor's posture straightened and he appeared to discard all traces of his previous gloom, his features seeming more relaxed.
"So erm I don't suppose any of you know the way out from here?" I decided to ask after getting tired of just standing around.
I wasn't sure what my next move would be now but getting out of here before they decided to lock me up again was probably a good start.
The Doctor's gaze settled on me and I felt myself stiffen unsure of how he was going to react now that the danger had passed and he was less emotional. I hadn't forgotten his earlier confrontation with me in the cell and I was wary of it repeating itself.
His expression was hard to read at first and he seemed almost wary before a smile finally broke through his mask and he answered with a glance at Rose "yes, I guess it's time we were off" before heading through the metal door and in the direction Adam had previously went.
Rose followed him almost without thought as she walked beside him whilst I remained in place when the Doctor glanced back and yelled, "You gonna stand there all day?"
Surprised at his invitation having thought he had dismissed me I tried my best to refrain from startling too much although I had a sinking feeling the Doctor caught on anyways judging by the way his eyes creased in amusement.
Nodding my head I followed after them as the Doctor faced forward and found myself walking in relative silence along the winding corridors (relative due to the sound of our footsteps). The only thing of real interest being how Rose kept glancing back at me, an almost disbelieving expression on her face as if she still couldn't believe I was actually alive.
I was both touched and amused at her actions but was distracted as we came across Van Statten as he was manhandled by two guards (one of which was De Maggio who sent me a relived look) passed us with a smug looking Goddard trailing behind them.
He seemed not to notice us (being too busy protesting) but I still flinched as he passed by our group, making me glad that I was walking behind the Doctor and Rose as I didn't like being viewed as weak however I did smirk slightly at the black eye said man was sporting.
"Wonder how he got that?"
I didn't speak as we made our way to the room where I supposed the Tardis was which made me slightly uneasy though I tried not to show it.
I wanted to ask for help but my pride made it hard to get the words out. I knew I could occasionally be somewhat manipulative but that wouldn't work on the Time Lord and so I was at a loss. My circumstance also added to my hesitation on how to approach the subject with him given the Doctor's previous actions.
The Doctor was known for his benevolent nature but this Doctor was already suspicious of me and since I knew my story would be hard to believe I was unsure of how to go about this.
Due to stewing over these problems I spent most the walk pondering this only snapping out of my musings at the sight of the Tardis which set off my inner fan girl.
Despite everything that had happened so far I couldn't help the expression of awed disbelief at the sight of the blue box which I had only ever dreamed of seeing in real life. The notion of what it would be like to travel with the Doctor crossed my mind but I quickly squished it as I had more important things to focus on.
Such as the Doctor and Rose who had both stopped in front of the Tardis and had turned to face me.
The Doctor crossed his arms as he leaned against his blue box and Rose slouched slightly as the two of them observed with a spark of mild interest in their eyes.
Feeling the need to speak I rubbed the back of my neck in a nervous habit of mine as I spoke up, "So I suppose I should thank you saving me" my stomach twisting into knots as I fought back a blush at my own awkwardness.
See when I was younger I had been over emotional and so had spent a lot of time in my gap year looking to become more independent and mature meaning I had gotten used to relying on myself thus I was somewhat discomfited at my having to have been saved like some weak damsel.
Still…I was thankful (no matter how begrudgingly) and showing my gratitude seemed as good a conversation starter as any.
The Doctor snorted and Rose cracked a smile as she said "It's what we do" to which her and the Doctor both shared a grin (well the Doctor's was more of a smirk but it was the camaraderie between the two which caught my notice).
Turning his attention back to me the Doctor spoke, "just consider us even" giving a significant glance at Rose before continuing, "I don't know what to make of you Rachael Carter. You possess knowledge you shouldn't and that bothers me" his tone becoming serious.
My hand fell away from my neck and I glanced away from his hard gaze which promised a multitude of bad outcomes should I prove to be a threat.
"That said…" he mused out after a long pause and continuing after a moment's contemplation, "considering your action earlier I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt" and I felt the coil in my stomach ease a bit even as he added, "just this once."
"Jeeze thanks…" I responded sarcastically as my usual persona leaked through now that I was marginally more relaxed though I nodded my head to show I understood.
He narrowed his eyes a bit in irritation but did not comment on what I had said instead he standing up straighter he uncrossed his arms and gestured to the Tardis, "we'll be heading off now, I presume you know what this is" his gaze becoming shrewd as he more stated than questioned my knowledge of his time machine.
I nodded my head stating "your Tardis…" before being interrupted by Rose.
"Hang on, how does she know that" her face scrunching up in confusion.
The Doctor shrugged before saying, "don't know but I intend to find out" giving me a pointed look.
"Oh? How you going to do that? I thought you were leaving?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"I thought it would have been obvious" the Doctor commented before titling his head to the Tardis.
"She's coming with us?" Rose questioned in a way which suggested she had just had an epiphany meaning I couldn't tell what she felt about his idea.
"Not like I could leave her here is it," he stated before adding, "anyways I thought you wouldn't mind, you seemed quite taken with her after all."
Rose seemed to consider this before murmuring, "well, yeah-…"
The Doctor cut her off as he stated, "well there you go, sorted" and I could only feel baffled at the sudden change in events.
I understood the Doctor's reasoning for wanting me to travel with them, "what was that saying? Something about keeping your friends close and your enemies' closer…" The Doctor was wary of me due to my knowledge and unsure if I was a potential threat or not wanted to keep an eye on me.
Despite this I was still taken aback by his "invitation."
"Well you certainly know how to persuade a girl" I stated dryly.
Waving a dismissive hand he commented "please I saw how you looked at the Tardis when you first spotted her" a smug look on his face at my reaction to his time machine.
Unable to deny it and cursing him for reading me like a book yet again I couldn't help but glance at the blue box behind him.
"Yup, he definitely has me here" I couldn't help but think as I looked longingly at the box before diverting my attention back to the Doctor who had a knowing look in his eye.
"Did he have to be so smug about it?"
Not wanting to give in right then I retorted, "still, I was under the impression you didn't trust me" my stubbornness overriding my desire to just go along with his offer and I was reminded of our previous argument in the interrogation room.
His gaze softened minutely and he commented, "It's like I said, benefit of the doubt" and then opening the doors and gesturing inside he spoke, "after you."
Looking from the Doctor to the Tardis door I felt my hand twitch and a glance at Rose who was smiling bemusedly at me had me sighing resignedly despite the feeling of anticipation bubbling in my gut.
"Oh the others would be so jealous" my inner fan girl influenced my thoughts. Yes it was not under the circumstances I would have imagined but still…to travel with the Doctor…
Also maybe this way I could approach him with maybe getting a way home.
For a moment I felt a twinge of guilt as it came to my attention De Maggio would never get her conversation with me but I shrugged it off after a second.
"Not like I could tell her the truth anyways despite my promise…she wouldn't have believed me…"
Stepping towards the Tardis doors I was stopped by the Doctor's arm just as I was about to cross the time machine's thresh hold making me turn my head to face him.
Ignoring the sounds of running footsteps and Adam's voice yelling out to catch our groups attention I instead concentrated on the serious expression on the Doctor's face.
Reluctantly making eye contact with him he eventually spoke, "You get one chance" and I was not stupid enough to miss the subtle warning behind his words and I nodded to indicate I had gathered his intended message.
Withdrawing his arm I was surprised when he graced me with one of his famous and genuine grins as he once again gestured to the Tardis, allowing me to approach it without interruption.
I stopped short just as I had taken two steps inside the time machine, my eyes widening as I took in the sheer expanse of the room that even the TV show had not been able to convey.
A tingling feeling erupted under my skin and it took me a moment to realize that the sensation of raw energy flowing through me was not caused by a sudden adrenaline rush like I had presumed due to my excitement of being in the Tardis.
A sudden flash of light caught me off guard and as I raised an arm to cover my eyes, unable to stop myself from letting out a sharp gasp of surprise, one thought shooting through my mind.
"What the hell?!"
…...
So I finally updated, sorry about the wait, I had a few technical problems with uploading this but it still doesn't excuse my lateness so again I apologize. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter, unfortunately Rachael probably won't show up for another six chapters at most as I'm going to now write up Joanne's first adventure followed by Natasha's. Hopefully you'll enjoy their P.O.V. Anyways thanks for reading I'll try update within a month at most.