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The Witch's Familiar – Part Two

When the Doctor's dangerous pronouncement was cut off with a hiss of static, his daughter and friends down in the catacombs worried, but they could not do much down there. At last they came across what was, to all intents and purposes, a door. "What is that, a lift?" Clara asked in surprise.

"Well, with the Daleks it's hardly going to be a staircase, is it?" the Corsair quipped, pulling out his red tipped sonic screwdriver. He started towards the door, but Missy blocked his way. "Now what?" he demanded.

"Were you planning to just waltz right in, gun blazing? First things first" she said, pointing between them to a metal ring jutting out of the wall, with a blue disc in the centre.

The Corsair glanced at it and grudgingly conceded, "Fair point, better switch off the cameras". He raised his sonic to do just that; and Missy leapt at him without warning, snatching his sonic away and snapping a handcuff around his wrist and the metal ring. She flashed the sonic at the security camera; rather than switch off, it glowed brighter, and a Dalek could be heard shouting "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!"

"What the hell are you doing?" the Corsair hissed vehemently, his free hand shooting out and prising the nicked sonic from Missy's unresisting fingers. He set it to the handcuff, but it wouldn't give.

"Getting us in, of course" she answered as if it were obvious, before uselessly advising, "And don't bother with the handcuffs; they're triple-deadlocked, and unless you want to blast your own hand off…"

"Disturbance detected in lower level!"

"You'd be surprised" he shot back; to be truthful, he didn't much fancy shooting himself out of the handcuff, even if he could replace the missing appendage.

"Save it for the Dalek; oops, here he comes now!"

"Dalek to Lower Level Thirteen"

Flavia pulled out her own sonic and tried to help unlock the handcuffs; Emily joined in as well, leaving Clara to ask Missy, "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you, we can't just go waltzing in. We need a disguise! We need to kill a Dalek, which is where he comes in" she explained, sort of, gesturing to the Corsair.

"What? If your plan was to have me act as bait, you could've just asked!"

"Well, I was going to use the puppy or the kid or your girlfriend again, but you were nearest so I worked with what I had" Missy shrugged, unclipping a brooch from her blouse. "Dark star alloy; goes through armour plating like a knife through people. If you miss, this is my back-up".

"I don't miss" the Corsair asserted, his eyes and voice hard. Missy ignored the implied threat and admired her brooch with something close to fondness. "It's pretty, isn't it? Got it in the olden days on Gallifrey, the Doctor gave it to me when my daughter"-

She was cut off by the sound of the lift arriving, and pressed herself against the wall beside it, putting a finger to her lips. The Corsair quickly waved the others away. "Get back, hide!" he hissed at them; they ran back to the nearest intersection, and he turned back to the lift, resting his free hand casually on his hip. The door slid open and a Dalek emerged, trundling towards the Corsair with its weapon poised. "Humanoid detected. Humanoid unauthorised in restricted area. Remain still. Do not move" it ordered, "Scan in progress".

It scanned the Corsair. "You possess a binary vascular system. You are a Time Lord!"

"Nothing gets past you, does it? By the way, your scan missed something" the Corsair said casually, making sure he didn't glance at Missy, sneaking up behind the Dalek.

"Explain! Explain!"

"This" he answered, pulling out his blaster and shooting the Dalek right in the eyestalk. It recoiled from the force of the blast, forcing Missy to jump aside, and powered down. "Are you sure that did it?" she asked, experimentally slapping the Dalek's dome – the light in its eyestalk glowed dimly and it croaked out "Ex…ter...min"-

The Corsair didn't give it time to finish, and shot it again, point blank. "I'm sure that did it" he replied to Missy, before tugging on the handcuff and demanding, "Now do you mind?"

She rolled her eyes and cut through the cuff around his wrist with her brooch. He winced as a sliver of red appeared on the back of his wrist and glared at her. "What is it with you and drawing blood? You're welcome, by the way".

"Oops" she said uncontritely, "Now help me get this thing opened up". Flavia, Clara and Emily cautiously approached as the Corsair lifted up the dome of the Dalek. Missy reached in and scooped out the creature inside, flinging it aside with a look of disgust – one shared by the others. Although, Emily felt a tiny bit of pity for the mutant, since it apparently couldn't properly die…no organism should have to suffer like that, rotting alive, not even evil ones.

"What did we need a dead Dalek for anyway?" asked Clara.

Missy, once she was satisfied that she'd got all of the mutant gunk out of the shell, grinned maliciously at Clara. "Nice of you to volunteer", she nodded at the travel machine, "Get in".

/

The Doctor regained consciousness, opening bleary eyes and seeing Davros reintegrated with his chair. Davros noticed him waking and remarked, "I hope you are grateful. It wasn't easy to procure, and very nearly unique, of course. You should feel privileged. I regret we could not give the same to your wife - the only other chair on Skaro".

Waking up fully, the Doctor looked down to find himself sitting in an ordinary metal frame chair, Romana on the floor beside him with her head in his lap. She too stirred awake, and looked relieved to see the Doctor. They got to their feet, ignoring Davros for the moment, and shared a hug. Well, that didn't go to plan the Doctor admitted ruefully, I'm sorry, Romana.

I know…I miss her too.

The Doctor gave her one last squeeze and began walking around the room, eyes peeled. Davros anticipated what he was looking for and informed them, "The weapon you repaired has been dismantled, if that is what you seek". He pointed gnarled fingers at the table covered in spare parts, including the remains of a Dalek blaster. "I can easily un-dismantle it" the Doctor threatened, "And when I'm finished, guess who I'm going to use it on first?"

"Not me. I am already dying, Doctor".

"You keep saying that, you keep not dying. Can you give it some welly? Come on" the Doctor said mock-encouragingly.

"It is time for us to conclude our business together".

"We have no business" the Doctor told him, beckoning for Romana to come over and help him fix the gun. As she passed the cables surrounding Davros, she didn't notice one thick cable close a pair of eyes with a soft hiss.

"We have nothing but" Davros retorted, before pointing at the cables, "Look again at the cables, Doctor, Romana. Understand what they are. What they can do. Just step a little closer" he prompted.

Both the Doctor and Romana pointedly kept their distance…but the Doctor was curious now. Go and investigate Romana told him, recognising his expression, Just be careful, and don't get too close to him.

He nodded and cautiously approached Davros' life support unit. "They don't have much respect for you, do they?" he asked rhetorically as he examined it, "Your kids. Have you seen the state of this place? I mean, this is exactly where you dump a smelly old uncle slash family pet slash genius scientist who couldn't even invent legs. Seriously, how do your boys take it when everybody else has got two eyes?"

"You know what it is, of course" Davros remarked, ignoring the Doctor's jibes.

"Oh, yes. It's a hyperspace relay, with some kind of a genetic component".

"I am connected to the life force of every Dalek on this planet" Davros revealed, "It is what has kept me alive. As their hearts beat, so does mine".

"Ooh, nice" the Doctor said, just a bit sarcastically (it was the Daleks he was leeching off, after all), "Vampiring off your own creations, just to eke out your days. I'm surprised the Daleks allow it".

"Oh, they have no choice. My Daleks are afflicted with a genetic defect".

"What defect?"

"Respect. Mercy for their father" Davros replied without a hint of irony, "Design flaws I was unable to eliminate. And now he sees it" he rasped as the Doctor eyed the cables, coming to a realisation, "Now he understands. The cables, Doctor. Touch them. Imagine, to hold in your hand the heartbeat of every Dalek on Skaro. They send me life. Is it beyond the wit of a Time Lord to send them death? And with two of you, a little work and it could be done".

"Err, why would you be telling us this?"

"Genocide in a moment. Such slaughter, not in self-defence. Not as a simple act of war. Genocide as a choice. Are you ready, Doctor? So many backs with a single knife" Davros said temptingly. Disturbed, the Doctor started to draw away, but Davros took his hand and guided it back towards the cables. "Are you ready to be a god?"

"We're not gods" Romana interrupted, "And I refuse to let you turn our daughter's death into part of whatever scheme this is" she insisted, as the Doctor returned to her side. Partly out of solidarity, and partly because he was terrified of what she'd do to him if he didn't; she was scary, angry.

"There is no scheme" Davros lied, before inquiring, "If you hate me so, why did you come here, Doctor? Due to your conscience…or your shame?"

"I don't know if I am the Doctor right now" he commented; he was tempted to destroy all of the Daleks, even if it meant playing into Davros' trap, just to avenge Emily, Clara, Flavia and the Corsair…but he held himself back, because he didn't want the last person he had left to see him resort to genocide. "And I didn't come here because I'm ashamed" he continued, "A bit of shame never hurt anyone. I came because you're sick and you asked…and because sometimes, on a good day, if I try very hard, I'm not some old Time Lord who ran away. I'm the Doctor".

"Compassion, then"

"Always"

"It grows strong and fierce in you, like a cancer".

"I hope so".

"It will kill you in the end".

"I wouldn't die of anything else".

"You may rely on it".

/

"Sorry, what?!" demanded Clara and the others, all of whom stared at Missy in alarm and bewilderment. She rolled her eyes at them and impersonated the Terminator. "Get in the Dalek if you want to live".

Clara raised an eyebrow, and said "Oh no, no, you've got another thing coming if you think I'm gonna fall for that. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice"-

"Are you claustrophobic?" the Corsair asked out of the blue. Clara blinked in surprise and replied, "Err, no…?"

He grimaced slightly, and remarked "I hate to say it, but Missy's right. You do have to go into the Dalek travel unit if you want to live".

"How come?" asked Emily, frowning. The words 'Dalek' and 'live' rarely went in the same sentence, and she could tell Clara was thinking along the same lines.

The Corsair explained, "You're human – no, just, just hear me out" he said hastily, when Clara looked indignant, "Daleks aren't mindless killers – well, they're killers, but they're not mindless. The rest of us would be prisoners of significance – or more likely, bargaining chips. There's more of a chance of them keeping us alive than of keeping you alive; but if you were hidden, disguised as one of them"-

"Then they'd overlook me, cos they'd assume I was on their side" Clara finished for him, but then she frowned, "But I don't know how to act like a Dalek – and I've seen them shoot their own kind before".

"Well, I never said it was a perfect plan" Missy interjected, pressing a control within the Dalek shell. It opened out to reveal a space just large enough for a human Clara's size to fit in. It would be a bit of a squeeze though, and Clara wasn't exactly thrilled with this plan. "In you hop" Missy said cheerfully, ignoring Clara's nervous expression.

"I can take care of one of those problems" the Corsair told Clara, "If you trust me".

"Of course" she agreed without question. He smiled and told her to hold still, before placing his fingers on her temples. "Oh, that's weird" she said when he dropped his hands, "It's like you left something in my head…"

"Rudimentary psychic link" he explained, "It's like the telepathic equivalent of two cans and a string. I can guide you through this, tell you what to say and do. So, are you ready?"

Clara eyed the travel unit apprehensively; but the Doctor and Romana were up there, surrounded by Daleks and in danger, and she'd never forgive herself if she didn't help them. Besides, what was life without a little risk? She took a deep breath and nodded; Emily and Flavia both hugged her, whilst Missy just gagged over all the mushy sentimentality. Clara sat down in the travel unit – it was just as uncomfortable as she'd expected, but she'd manage – and the Corsair knelt in front of her, picking up two electrode wires.

"How am I supposed to make it go? Are there pedals?"

"Daleks don't have feet, Clara" the Corsair reminded her, pressing the electrodes to her temples, "Now, I'd tell you this wasn't going to hurt, but I'd be lying". Before she could figure out what she meant, he pushed the wires into her head.

"OW!"

"Sorry! It's alright, calm down".

"Ow".

"Don't worry, Clara" Missy commented, looking like she was enjoying this far too much, "There's loads of nano-tech repairing any damage as the feed goes in".

"What about when it comes out?"

"No idea" Missy replied unconcernedly, "Nobody knows. Anyway, to control the unit, you just have to think. Novel idea for you, but let's try it. Move forwards" she instructed.

"It helps if you mouth the words or say them aloud at first" Emily advised, recalling that from her lessons on telepathy. She'd come a long way – her dad said he'd not seen someone with barriers as strong as hers since – well, since himself.

"Err, okay…move forwards" Clara repeated, taking care to think the words at the same time. She gasped in surprise as the unit lurched forward about half a foot. "How do I keep it moving?"

"You keep thinking 'moving forwards' – wait, wait, stop!" the Corsair interrupted, as Clara did just that, forcing them all to back up. She thought 'stop' and much to her relief, the unit stopped. "You need to keep your thoughts under control. Just clear your mind, go to a happy place, and only focus on what you need to do and say. Understand?" he asked seriously.

"Yes" Clara nodded. She tried moving the unit a bit more, sliding backwards, then circling left, then circling right…once she was confident, the Corsair pressed a control and sealed the unit, removing Clara from view.

"Are you okay in there?" Flavia asked in concern. She couldn't help but be glad she wasn't the one stuck inside a horrible, cramped, dark Dalek travel unit…it made her shudder just thinking about it.

"Fine, I think" Clara answered; the voice modulator made it come out in the voice of a Dalek, and the Corsair and Flavia were reminded strongly of Oswin. Now another version of Clara was trapped inside a Dalek…at least this one had her right mind. "Okay, that's a bit weird" Clara remarked at the sound of her own altered voice. Emily stifled a giggle – it wasn't the time for laughs, but hearing a Dalek saying such normal things was just funny.

"Just a bit" Missy agreed, "Okay, shh. Say your name".

"Why?"

"Just say it!"

"Clara" she said – but the casing said, "Dalek".

"Say it again" Missy grinned vindictively.

"Clara Oswald" Clara said louder, but once again the casing said "Dalek, Dalek".

"Stop it" the Corsair glared at Missy, "and Clara, you need to calm down. Emotions fire the gun".

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean? Now clear your mind, like I told you" he instructed firmly.

There was a pause, and then Clara – Dalek asked, "Why can't I say my name?"

"It's a failsafe built into later models of Daleks, if a travel unit is stolen and used by the enemy, the casing itself translates phrases that aren't in the Daleks vocabulary – anything to do with identity, love, etc. – into 'Dalek speak'. As for emotions firing the gun – Cybermen suppress emotions, Daleks channel heightened emotions – which in their case is hatred and fear – through their weaponry. That's why they keep yelling 'Exterminate', it's how they reload – oh, and one more tip, don't say 'exterminate'".

"Why not?"

"Take a guess".

"Because it will fire the gun?" guessed Clara.

"Ooh, say, 'I love you'" Missy suddenly suggested. At the others irritated glares, she protested "What? I just want to know what it comes out as. Go on, Clara, I dare you".

"Ignore her, Clara" said Flavia, "You don't have to say anything you don't want to".

"It can't hurt…Exterminate…no, that's not right…Exterminate. Exterminate! How do I stop saying ex"-

Stop! the Corsair cried in her head, arresting her thoughts, Clara, I just told you emotions charge the gun and saying the 'e' word fires it. Pay attention.

I'm sorry…it just freaked me out.

Same here…are you good?

Yeah…yeah, I'm good.

"Good" the Corsair breathed, withdrawing from Clara's mind and wiping his brow, "That was a close one. Okay, here's the plan – we don't get in front of Clara. She's not used to keeping her emotions under control – no offence" he added to Clara-Dalek. "Let's not risk her accidentally shooting one of us…except for you, you step in front of her as much as you like" he told Missy.

She just smirked at him, and remarked "Those boys up there are probably wondering what's taking this one so long…so let's go and kill the neighbours, shall we?"

/

Meanwhile, in Davros' room, the Doctor and Romana were working on repairing the Dalek gunstick and trying to come up with an escape plan…it would be a lot easier without Davros' presence there to distract them. Romana refused to even look at the insane scientist, deliberately sitting in a place she couldn't see him. The Doctor had insisted on her having the only other chair; she'd appreciated the sweet gesture, but only agreed on the condition that he sat down instead when he grew tired. Neither of them were getting any younger, after all.

"There is a question, Doctor" Davros remarked croakily, "One I have longed to ask".

"Yeah, well, if you're going to put your hand on my knee, it isn't going to go well".

"Why did you leave Gallifrey?"

The Doctor paused, and then replied, "Well, because I did".

"You stole a TARDIS, and ran, and ran…why?"

"It's a boring place, Gallifrey. I was going out of my mind".

"Yet you long to return".

"Ah, well, I'm inconsistent".

"But it is always the same lie" Davros mused.

"What lie?"

"You weren't bored. No one runs the way you have run for so small a reason".

"I do".

"No, you don't. Colony Sarff confiscated these items on your arrival" said Davros, wheeling himself over to the table. Romana heard him coming and shifted out of the way quickly – she still didn't want to be anywhere near him. Davros gestured to a simple cardboard box filled with confiscated items, mostly from the Doctor – including the golden, Gallifreyan engraved disc. "A Time Lord confession dial, I believe" he remarked, "Your confession. Tell me. Send me to my grave with this precious knowledge. What is the Doctor's confession?" he asked, reaching for the Dial.

"Don't you dare!" the Doctor glared at him.

"Is it possible I have touched a nerve?"

"The Dial wouldn't do anything for you, anyway" Romana interrupted, "It won't open unless the Doctor was dying, and I assure you I have no intention of letting that happen anytime soon" she said firmly.

The Doctor placed a supportive arm around her shoulders and told his nemesis, "Some things matter to me, Davros. One of them is right here, the other four are dead. You don't touch the rest" he insisted. Then he leaned over and picked up the shades he'd been wearing at the medieval party. "And these better not be scratched. They're my best ones".

"Still, you play the fool" Davros noted with contempt. The Doctor donned his sunglasses and replied, "Well, by now that should make you nervous".