Statement to reviews left by guest: Yes, Freya vomits like every chapter. She is pregnant. And some of the things they see in Doctor Who would set off even the strongest of stomach, let alone one who was pregnant. Also, Lil' Red is not Donna. Lil' Red is the Doctor and Freya's daughter. I thought I made that clear. Sorry if it wasn't. Anyway, here is the next chapter.
Chapter 7: Daleks in Manhattan
Freya had only just woke up when the Doctor peeked his head in their room.
"New adventure. Up for it?" the Doctor asked with a wide grin.
"I don't know," Freya said honestly as she climbed out of bed. She was tired. But the Doctor's face fell with her words. Wherever they were, he was extremely excited about it.
"But you'll want to be here. I picked this place for you," the Doctor said before he could stop himself. His gob certainly did run. Freya smiled at him.
"If you're so certain I'll love it, I can make it. I'll get the TARDIS to pick me an outfit while I clean up," Freya said, making her way into the bathroom.
"Brilliant! Molto bene! Meet us in the console room!" the Doctor said, dashing up to her to give her a quick kiss before running out of the room.
When Freya climbed out of the shower, there was an outfit lying on the counter for her. An outfit that reminded her of the flapper outfits she used to see in schoolbooks, but a bit more modest. Freya's excitement built as she pulled the dress on.
Thankfully, the TARDIS seemed to realize that she couldn't wear a full flapper outfit, not with her large stomach. Freya wrapped the provided jacket around her before dashing into the Console room as fast as she could.
"You took your time," James grumbled.
"Oh hush," Freya said, beaming at the Doctor. He grinned back at her before throwing the TARDIS doors open, striding outside with a flourish of his long coat.
"Where are we?" Martha asked. Freya stepped out after her and James, staring around.
"Ah, smell that Altlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely. Martha, have you met my friend?" the Doctor asked smugly. Martha turned around in time to see the Statue of Liberty behind them.
"You brought me to New York in the 20s," Freya said in disbelief, a grin appearing on her face.
"You did once say you always wished you could visit the 20s. I just wish I'd brought you before now," the Doctor said, pulling her to his side.
"Is that…oh my God. That's the Statue of Liberty," Martha said in disbelief.
"Ten out of ten for observation," James said, rolling his eyes. Martha smacked his shoulder.
"Oi! Watch it, you," Martha said.
"Gateway to the New World. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," the Doctor quoted happily.
"That's so brilliant! I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new new, new, new, new one," Martha said dismissively.
"Well, there's the genuine article, so good they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam," the Doctor rambled as James walked over to a park bench, examining a newspaper.
"I wonder what year it is. Look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet," Martha said.
"Work in progress. Oh. That means we might be later than I thought. Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around," the Doctor was cut off by James.
"The first of November, 1930. Not exactly the roaring twenties," James said drily.
"How did you know that? Give that here," the Doctor said indignantly when he spotted the newspaper in James's hands.
"Eighty years ago. It's funny, because you see all those old newsreels all in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now. Come on then. Where do you want to go first?" Martha asked excitedly, latching onto the Doctor's arm. James set a worried look at Freya. Freya only frowned. It was reminding her of how the Alternate Freya had acted back in James's world.
Freya wasn't sure she was fond of that realization.
"I think our detour just got longer," the Doctor said, shifting his arm out from under Martha and out from around Freya to hold up the newspaper he'd swiped from James.
"Hooverville Mystery Deepens. What's Hooverville?" Martha asked.
"Come on," the Doctor said, pulling them along.
"Hooverville's sort of like the slums. It was in Central Park. It's where all the people who couldn't afford to live crashed at during the Depression," Freya explained to Martha.
"How do you know so much about American history?" Martha asked, her attention narrowing back down to Freya.
"I grew up in America. Spent the first ten years of my life here," Freya said.
"But your what, great-great-grandparents were in Scotland?" James asked, confused.
"Yeah. Their daughter, I believe, moved to America for a fresh start. Now I know why, after our fiasco at the Torchwood Manor," Freya said wryly, shooting a look at the distracted Doctor.
"So you're American?" Martha asked distastefully.
"I'm a bit of everything," Freya responded honestly.
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They arrived at Central Park and Martha's excitement had obviously faded as they watched the poor and homeless stumble by.
"Herbert Hoover, thirty-first president of the USA, came to power a year ago. Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then," the Doctor gesture at the park.
"The Wall Street Crash, yeah. When was that, 1929?" Martha guessed. When the Doctor nodded, Martha shot Freya a superior look. Freya shot a puzzled look at James, who only rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. All of a sudden, the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park," the Doctor explained.
"What, they actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?" Martha asked. Her question seemed to be answered as they entered the park. They were greeted with row after row of tents, cardboard boxes, and decaying cloth that seemed to serve as homes.
The sight was heartbreaking.
"I wonder if my great-grandmother's out here somewhere. I hope she's better off," Freya said sadly.
"If she wasn't too well off, she could have travelled home to Scotland. I'm sure she could live in Torchwood Manor if needed," the Doctor reassured her.
"Unless she didn't have enough money to make it back," Freya countered sadly.
"Ordinary people lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. It's very likely she didn't have the money to get back," James said, looking smug that he had gotten to contribute to the history lesson of the day.
"Hey, if she didn't live in New York, then she could be better off," Martha said, offering Freya up a bit of hope. Freya wasn't sure what to think of Martha's words. One minute, Martha was fine and the next she was acting like she was better than Freya and like she was trying to win the Doctor's affections. Keeping up with it made Freya's head spin.
"There are places like this all over America," the Doctor said.
"And she did live in New York," Freya added.
"No one's helping them?" Martha asked in disbelief.
"No. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go," the Doctor finished, his expression blank.
Freya watched as a fight broke out in front of them. It broke her heart, but there was nothing they could do. They watched as a man broke it by breaking the stolen bread in half. As the two men walked away with their halves of bread, the Doctor pulled everyone towards the man.
"I suppose that makes you the boss around here," the Doctor said.
"And, er, who might you be?" the man asked.
"He's the Doctor. I'm Martha," Martha said.
"And I'm James and this is the Doctor's wife, Freya," James added on, pointedly ignoring Martha's glare.
"A doctor. Huh. Well, we got stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day," the man said.
"How many people live here?" Martha asked.
"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are truly an equal society. Black, white, all the same. All starving. So you're welcome, the lot of you. But tell me. Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me. That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, when we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?" the man demanded.
The Doctor, James, and Martha all followed the man into a tent. Freya started to, but noticed a group of children staring sadly at each other, as if they had nothing better to do.
They didn't have anything better to do, Freya realized. They were all alone, and their parents were desperately trying to work and find a way to get food for them.
Freya made her way over to the children and carefully sat down alongside them.
"Hey. My name's Freya. What's your names?" Freya asked them.
"Mommy said we weren't supposed to talk to strangers," one girl said.
"Well, I just told you my name. I'm no longer a stranger," Freya told them with a grin.
"I'm Lizzie. This is Anna, Jack, and Brandon," the oldest of the girls pointed out.
"Why are you guys just sitting around? There's so much you could be doing," Freya pointed out.
"Like what?" Lizzie asked, bitterness creeping into her voice.
"Like writing in the dirt. Making up stories. Playing games," Freya suggested, her voice growing stronger with her words.
"We don't know how to write. Parents couldn't send us to school," Brandon said with a pout.
"Well, we can't have that. Here. I'll show you how to write," Freya told them, pulling a pencil out of her pocket. She leaned to the side, ignoring the discomfort it caused her. She scratched an A in the dirt.
"Do you guys know your alphabet?" Freya asked them. Lizzie nodded slowly but none of the others did.
"Good. We can start there."
Freya wasn't sure how long she sat there, scratching letters into the dirt along with the children. They made it through the alphabet though before Freya bit them goodbye. She stood carefully, looking around the Doctor.
She couldn't find them.
With a sigh, she stood and wandered about, looking for them. When she couldn't find them nearby, she ended up leaving Hooverville and wandering into the rest of the city. She managed to wander into some sort of nightclub, eyes widening when she saw the name of the main star of the night.
Tallulah.
That was the name of her great-grandmother. It had to be a coincidence. Still, Freya made her way towards the backstage areas, ducking out of sight. She made it to what looked like a dressing room, eyes widening as she ran right into a woman with blonde hair.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my dressing room?" the girl demanded.
"I'm sorry! I was looking for Tallulah," Freya apologized.
"You're looking at her," the blonde said. Freya's eyes widened even more.
"You wouldn't happen to be a MacLeish, would you?" Freya asked. Tallulah's eyes narrowed even more.
"Who told you that?" she demanded.
"No one. See, I'm a cousin. I heard that my cousin was also in the city and I went looking for you," Freya lied effortlessly.
"I didn't know I had any cousins," Tallulah said suspiciously.
"Neither did I!" Freya said. Tallulah gave her a smile finally.
"Well, does my cousin have a name?" Tallulah asked.
"I'm Freya. Sorry," Freya said, feeling embarrassed.
"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I really can't afford to help you out. And I can't find you a job, not with you having a baby on the way," Tallulah said awkwardly.
"No! It's okay. I live with my husband. Actually, I've been looking for him. He wandered off," Freya drifted off.
"Don't they all? I had a boyfriend. I'm pretty sure someone took him. Because he wouldn't have just run off on me," Tallulah said. She sank into a chair and Freya followed suit.
"What's your boyfriend's name?" Freya asked curiously. The newspaper had said something about people going missing. What if it wasn't just the homeless?
"Laszlo. Oh, he's wonderful. And he wouldn't just skip out on me. He asked me to meet his parents. Men just don't run off after asking you to meet their parents," Tallulah complained.
And Freya knew that was the truth.
Because Laszlo was the name of her great-grandfather.
"I believe you," Freya told her.
"You do?" Tallulah asked, half suspicious and half hopeful.
"I heard a lot of people are going missing," Freya added.
"Ain't that the truth. But no one cares," Tallulah said sadly.
"My husband will. Once we find him, he'll find out what's happening," Freya said.
"How do you know he isn't with the others?" Tallulah asked.
"Because I know the Doctor. That's his name. The Doctor. He always finds his way into the middle of trouble and then back out again," Freya explained with a grin.
"Sounds like a man right there," Tallulah said, sharing a laugh with Freya. They were cut off by a yell in a room nearby.
"Stay here. I'll go see who it is," Tallulah said. She glanced around the room, picking up a gun.
"Wait! Why are you taking a gun?" Freya asked in alarm.
"It's not real. It's a prop. It's either this or the spear," Tallulah said, gesturing towards the spear in the other corner of the room.
"I'll hide that. Be careful," Freya warned. Tallulah grinned at her before heading out of the room. Tallulah made her way out of the room. A few minutes later, the Doctor walked in, hands up, followed by the man from Hooverville, Martha, James, and Tallulah, still holding the gun. Freya was on her feet instantly.
"Now, each of you against that wall. Away from my cousin here," Tallulah ordered, shutting the door.
"Tallulah, remember how I said my husband would find his way out of trouble? Meet the Doctor," Freya said, gesturing to the Doctor. He moved closer to Freya but Tallulah pointed the gun at him. He froze once more.
"How do you know? What if he's part of the people that kidnapped Laszlo?" Tallulah demanded.
"He isn't. Put the prop down," Freya said. The Doctor's hands dropped at the words.
"Prop?" the Doctor asked.
"Yeah. Prop. Where did you lot go? Thanks for leaving me in Hooverville," Freya said sarcastically.
"We didn't want to take you into the sewers with us," James said.
"So no one thought to tell me where you were going? How did you end up here from the sewers?' Freya demanded.
"We were being chased by these crazy pig men," Martha said, crossing her arms.
"You said cousin?" the Doctor asked, turning to Tallulah in confusion.
"Yeah. COUSIN. Tallulah MacLeish," Freya said.
"Oh. No way," the Doctor breathed.
"There is a reason behind where we keep ending up, Doctor. And I'm fairly certain it has to do with me," Freya said.
"Full of yourself much?" Martha muttered. Freya did her best to ignore it.
"Hey! What have you got against my cousin?" Tallulah demanded, obviously not having it.
"Nothing," Martha said, but Tallulah just glared at her.
"Wait. Who's Laszlo?" the man asked.
"I'm Freya," Freya introduced herself to him.
"I know. The Doctor wouldn't shut up about you. I'm Solomon," he said with a smile.
"Laszlo's my boyfriend. Or was my boyfriend until he disappeared two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothing. And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs but not my Laszlo. I mean, what kind of guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?" Tallulah asked.
"He didn't," Freya promised.
"What do you think happened to Laszlo?" Martha asked, sitting down near Tallulah.
"I wish I knew. One minute he's here, the next, zip. Vanished," Tallulah said.
"Listen….ah, what was your name again?" the Doctor asked. Freya rolled her eyes. He ought to have known that.
"Tallulah. Three Ls and an H," Tallulah said.
"Right. We can try to find Laszlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night," the Doctor said.
"I know. Freya told me," Tallulah said with a roll of her eyes.
"And there are these creatures. Such creatures," Solomon said.
"What does he mean by creatures?" Freya asked James.
"Look, listen. Just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is. Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting," the Doctor said, holding up what looked like a rotting jellyfish.
"Yuck," Tallulah said, wrinkling up her nose.
"You got that right. Don't worry. We will find Laszlo. I promise," Freya told her earnestly.
"You can't promise her that," the Doctor whispered to Freya as they left the room.
"I can. Because Laszlo is my great grandfather. If we don't find him, I won't exist. So yeah. I can promise it," Freya shot back. The Doctor's eyebrows rose.
"Right. So number one priority is finding Laszlo as soon as we learn what we're up against," the Doctor said.
"I still can't believe you just left me," Freya said in disbelief.
"We really didn't want to take you down there. And Martha suggested you'd be happier up here," the Doctor said.
"Martha doesn't like me. I don't know why, but she doesn't like me," Freya said.
"Are you sure?" the Doctor asked, confused.
"Yeah. I'm sure. I don't understand it. Because she liked me just fine in the future," Freya said.
"Wibbly-wobbly," the Doctor said with a shrug.
"I'll stay with Tallulah while you build whatever it is that you're going to build. She probably has a show soon, and I doubt I'll get to spend time with my great-grandmother again," Freya pointed out.
"You never know. With me, you might," the Doctor pointed out.
"Go figure out what we're up against. And don't go leaving me behind again," Freya threatened him.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said with a wink and a kiss on her cheek before making his way out of the room. James followed him out, but Martha stayed behind, remaining seated in the room.
"Laszlo used to wait for me after the show. Walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose bud," Tallulah said as she slipped out of her outfit and into her show outfit.
"Haven't you reported him missing?" Martha asked.
"With so many people missing, I doubt the authorities are going to do something about every bloke that goes missing," Freya said sadly.
"Yeah. He's just a stagehand. Who cares? The management certainly doesn't," Tallulah said with a sigh.
"Can't you kick up a fuss or something?" Martha asked.
"Okay, so then they fire me," Tallulah pointed out.
"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars," Martha said. Tallulah let out a self- deprecating laugh.
"Oh honey, I got one song in a back street revue and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle. Which had nothing to do with me whatever anybody says. I can't afford to make a fuss. If I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville," Tallulah said sadly.
"Okay, I get it," Martha said, obviously frustrated.
"It's the Depression, sweetie. Your heart might break, but the show goes on. Because if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep going, hoping he's going to come back," Tallulah said sadly.
"He will," Freya promised.
"You're lucky though. You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit," Tallulah said with a wink to Freya.
"And you have a fantastic man too. Laszlo. We will find him. You just have to have hope," Freya reassured Tallulah.
"Hope. It's the only thing that's kept me going. Look. On my dressing table every day. Still," Tallulah said, holding up a single rosebud.
"That's got to be Laszlo," Freya said.
"But if he's still around, why is he being all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?" Tallulah begged for an answer.
"Come on," Tallulah said, standing up. She made her way out of the room, Martha and Freya following her.
"Girls, it's showtime!" Tallulah said loudly, drawing all of the girls' attention.
A couple of the girls were arguing and Tallulah quickly broke them up before glancing back at Martha and Freya.
"Come on, sweetie, honey. Take a look. Ever been on a stage before?" Tallulah asked. Martha shrugged.
"Oh, a little bit. You know, Shakespeare," Martha said. Freya shrugged.
"How dull is that? Come and see a real show," Tallulah bragged as she made her way on stage. Freya stood next to Martha, watching her great-grandmother as she started out her show.
"I wish I could sing like that," Freya said in awe.
"You can't be perfect at everything," Martha muttered.
"Why don't you like me? We got along just fine, before you met the Doctor," Freya said slowly, staring at Martha. Martha refused to look at her.
"Does this have to do with the Doctor?" Freya tried. Martha still didn't answer her. Freya quietly sighed before glancing at the stage.
"What's that?" Martha asked aloud. Freya glanced at the other side of the stage where Martha was glancing. There was a man back there, watching the stage. Martha slowly tried sneaking over there via the stage.
Freya wasn't about to attempt that. She made her way around the back of the stage, walking quickly. She made it to the other side just as Martha drew the stageman's attention. Tallulah screamed at the sight of him. Freya caught sight of him as he took off running. His face was like a pig.
Freya followed quickly, ignoring Martha's shouts behind them.
"Wait! I'm just trying to help you," Freya said as she entered the props room, where it looked like there was a vent to the sewers. It must have been how the Doctor got in earlier, and how the pig man made it in.
The pig man jumped down, making his way down the cellar. Freya started to follow when someone grabbed her from behind. Freya only managed to let out a little shriek before her mouth was covered.
The pig man carried her quickly down ladder and hurried with her through the sewer. Freya's feet brushed the ground painfully as he dragged her along.
The pig man only stopped when he reached an area where other people were. It pushed her in line with a ground of men. Freya stumbled into a young man who steadied her.
"Are you okay?" the man asked her anxiously.
"Fine. Just a bit unsettled," Freya said carefully. The pig man pushed both Freya and the man who had caught her.
"We're moving," the man said shakily.
"Where are they taking us?" Freya asked quietly as she managed to right herself and follow behind the man.
"I don't know. I'm Frank, by the way. You were with that man, the Doctor," the man said.
"Yeah. I'm Freya. He's my husband," Freya said quietly.
"Do you have any idea why they are keeping us here for?" Frank asked.
"I don't know. But I doubt it's anything good," Freya said. The pig men started to freak out, causing Frank to grab Freya's arm tightly.
"What're they doing? What's wrong? What's wrong?" Frank asked frantically.
And Freya's heart stopped.
In rolled a Dalek.
"Silence. Silence," the Dalek ordered. Freya stiffened at the sight of it, gripping onto Frank as tightly as he'd gripped her.
"You will form a line. Move. Move," the Dalek ordered. No one moved.
"Do what is says. Quickly," Freya said quietly, moving into a line with Frank. The Dalek head swiveled to Freya and stopped on her.
"The female is wise. Obey. Wait. Recognition. The female is familiar," the Dalek said, rolling closer to Freya. The others moved into a line, stepping away from Freya. Freya didn't even breath as the Dalek moved until it was less than a foot in front of her.
"Report," another Dalek said as it entered the room.
"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause. This one may pose a problem," the Dalek said, its eyestalk remaining firmly on Freya.
"Explain!" the Dalek shouted.
"She is an associate of the Doctor," the Dalek said.
"Take her to Dalek Sec," the Dalek ordered. The Dalek rolled closer to Freya, its plunger pressing against her.
"Turn and walk," the Dalek ordered. Freya turned slowly and walked as the Dalek pushed her along. As they walked out of the room, Freya's eyes caught sight of the Doctor in a corner, hiding. His eyes were wide in horror as he watched her. He looked like he was about to jump out, but James was holding on to his shoulder tightly, holding him back.
Freya was escorted into a lab where another Dalek was waiting.
"What is the meaning of this human?" the Dalek asked.
"This is the associate of the Doctor," the Dalek said.
"Correction. That is not the associate. That is the Mother," the Dalek said as a group of people were led in. Martha, James, and the Doctor followed Frank into the room, hiding slightly as they did.
"What does that mean?" Freya asked. They had said that before, calling her the Mother. They had not given her an answer then. She was hoping to get one now.
"The question is irrelevant," the Dalek said dismissively.
"The question is not irrelevant! I demand an answer," Freya shouted at them, gripping her hands together to try controlling the shaking of her fingers. The Daleks all stared at her, eyestalks unmoving.
"I have a right to know. And you will tell me," Freya said, trying to make her voice as menacing as possible.
"Your threat is empty. The Mother does no damage," one of the Daleks said.
"How do you know that? I've never been called the Mother before. How do you know that I act like that?" Freya asked angrily.
"Freya, maybe you should calm down," Frank said shakily.
"Tell her," a semi-Dalek voice ordered.
Freya glanced over to see a Dalek shell that was coming apart. Out of it came what looked like what was once a man but with a Dalek head. It sent a chill down her spine. None of the Daleks spoke. The new Dalek stepped forward.
"You are the mother of the Time Lords, the one who created more. You always show mercy. You were deemed worthy of a name," the new Dalek said.
Freya's mind whirled. She must have met them in the past, back before she really had. That meant that they thought there were more Time Lords already.
If they knew she was pregnant for the first time, they would not hesitate to kill her in her spot.
"Who are you? What is going on?" Freya asked.
"This is the final experiment. I am Dalek Sec, and these humans, the others, will become like me. Prepare them for hybridization. Search for the Doctor. He must be nearby. Leave the Mother with me," Dalek Sec ordered.
"Why do they have to become like you? I thought Daleks were to be pure," Freya said, fishing for answers.
"We are the Cult of Skaro, the last four of the Daleks. If our people are to survive, we must move forward," Dalek Sec said as music started to play.
"What is that sound?" Dalek Sec barked, glancing about.
"Ah, well, that would be me," the Doctor said with a grin, stepping out.
"Hello. Surprise. Boo. Guess it's not that big of a surprise. Hello," the Doctor said, waving to Freya.
"Doctor," Dalek Sec said.
"The enemy of the Daleks," one of the Daleks said.
"Exterminate!" another Dalek shouted.
"No! Wait!" Dalek Sec said as Freya surged forward, trying to step in between them.
"Well then. A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever," the Doctor said, stepping forward.
"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter," Dalek Sec said.
"How did you end up in 1930?" the Doctor asked.
"Emergency temporal shift," Dalek Sec said.
"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, huh? Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world, but instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark. Experimenting. All of which results in you," the Doctor said coldly.
"I am Dalek in human form," Dalek Sec said.
"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now," the Doctor said.
"I feel humanity," Dalek Sec said.
"Good. That's good," the Doctor said. Dalek Sec's hand wrapped itself around Freya's arm.
"I feel everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression, and war. Such a genius for war. And we have the Mother. With her, we can find a way to spread," the Dalek said. The Doctor's expression darkened.
"That is not what humanity means, and you will not touch her," the Doctor ordered coldly.
"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very Dalek. And if the Mother could be altered to bring back the Time Lords, why can't she be altered to bring back the Daleks?" Dalek Sec asked. The Doctor's expression was so dark it nearly scared Freya more than the Daleks surrounding her.
"All right, so what have you achieved then, with this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! Because I can show you what you're missing with this thing. A simple little radio," the Doctor said, patting his radio.
"What is the purpose of this device?" one of the Daleks demanded.
"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek, of course. Then it's all just noise," the Doctor said before aiming his sonic screwdriver at the radio. It emitted a shriek that caused Dalek Sec to release Freya and cover his own ears. The Daleks began to shriek at the sound, as did the pigmen.
"Run!" the Doctor said. He grabbed Freya's hand and pulled her along, the others running quickly behind them.
"Protect the hybrid!" the Daleks began shrieking as they made their way to the ladder leading out of the sewer.
"Come on! Move, move, move, move, move!" the Doctor shouted, ordering people along and to the ladder. The other prisoners quickly started climbing. Freya glanced back to see Tallulah standing there, looking lost.
"Come on, Tallulah! Run!" Freya begged.
"What's happened to Laszlo?" she asked pathetically.
"It's okay. Everything will be fine. But we have to get out of here now. He's safe with them. We are not," Freya said, grabbing Tallulah's hand and pushing her up the ladder. Freya finally followed them up.
They made their way back to Hooverville. The Doctor wrapped his jacket around Freya as night descended upon them. James was oddly quiet the entire time. Martha seemed to be shaken and sulking.
Solomon was waiting for them when they got there. Martha and the Doctor immediately followed him into the tent, but Freya grabbed James and held him back.
"Hey. What's wrong?" Freya asked him. James sighed and stared at her before glancing at the tent.
"We need to get in there," James pointed out.
"They're listening at the door. Trust me. Now, tell me, what's wrong?" Freya pressed.
"This whole thing. I don't think I was cut out for life in the TARDIS. I really wasn't cut out to see you and him together all the time," James admitted.
"But if you leave, then Martha will be the third wheel. I'd hate for her to feel like that," Freya said.
"I think Martha will be fine. I don't know. I haven't decided yet whether I'm ready to go home or not. It's been great, but this is crazy. And I'm not as young as you guys are," James said.
"You're not that much older, either," Freya pointed out.
"I'm almost forty," James stated.
"Almost. You've still got plenty of life," Freya said.
"They're coming! They're coming!" Someone shouted from the border of Hooverville. The tent was thrown open and the Doctor was there instantly, the others pouring out behind him.
"It's started!" the Doctor said grimly.
"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Solomon ordered as rifles were passed along. Some people ran away while others stayed to help. It was chaotic. Freya hated it. Pigmen started raiding the camp, grabbing people and dragging them away.
"We need to get out of the park!" Martha said.
"We can't. They're on all sides. They're driving everyone back towards us," the Doctor pointed out.
"We're trapped," Tallulah said bitterly.
"Then we stand together. Gather round! Everybody come to me! You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together," Solomon ordered. Slowly, the ground seemed to form, the men on the outside with the women on the center. Even the Doctor gravitated in front of Freya.
"They can't take all of us," Solomon said. Everyone seemed to start shooting at once. Freya winced at each of the gunshots. She was starting to understand why the Doctor hated guns so much.
"If we can just hold them off till daylight," Martha said, glancing around.
"Martha…the pigmen are the least of our worries," Freya said, pointing upward at the Dalek that was making its way towards them.
"What in the world is that?" Solomon asked in horror.
"It's the devil! A devil in the sky! God save us all. It's damnation!" one of the men shouted in horror.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that," Frank said as he started trying to shoot at the Dalek.
The shots just bounced off.
"That's not going to work," the Doctor pointed out.
"There's more than one of them," Freya said in horror as another swooped in. They started firing at tents, at boxes.
"The humans will surrender," one of the Daleks shrieked. The Doctor took a step forward. Freya tried following him, but the Doctor gave her a light push behind him.
"Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!" the Doctor shouted.
"We have located the Doctor," the Dalek said. Solomon stepped forward as well.
"No, Solomon, stay back," the Doctor said.
"I'm told that I'm addressing the Daleks. Is that right?" Solomon asked.
"From what I hear, you're outcasts too," Solomon started.
"Solomon, don't!" the Doctor shouted to him.
"They won't listen," James warned.
"This is my township. You will respect my authority. Just let me try," Solomon told them sternly.
"Daleks, ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin? Right. See, I've just discovered this past day, God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh yeah, terrifies me right down to the bone. But surely it's got to give me hope. Hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So, I beg you now, if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop with fight. Well? What do you say?" Solomon asked as he dropped his gun to the ground.
"Exterminate!" the Dalek shouted before shooting him. Freya cried out at the sight, as did Martha.
"No! Solomon!" Frank cried.
"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot," Martha said bitterly. The Doctor's gaze turned stony as he took a few steps forward.
"Daleks. All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!" the Doctor shouted, pulling his jacket apart as if to bare his chest to them.
"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy," the Dalek said. Freya pulled away from James and Martha, gripping the Doctor tightly. The Doctor tried shoving her away from him but Freya refused to let go. The Dalek's weapon was aimed on them.
"The Mother will step aside," the Dalek said.
They weren't going to kill her. They didn't want to kill her. They wanted to use her for something else. They wanted her alive. Freya moved more in front of the Doctor.
"The Mother will move or she will be exterminated," the Dalek said, weapon not lowering.
"You want me to help you, right? To help bring about more Daleks? You can't do that if I'm dead, right? Spare them. Spare them all," Freya said, fighting to keep a quiver out of her voice. The Dalek paused, staring at her.
"You will follow," the Dalek said, weapon still trained on them.
"No! She won't follow you anywhere. I'll go, but she'll stay here," the Doctor said.
"The Mother is required. And….and so is the Doctor. Both of you will follow," the Dalek said, pausing as if listening to someone.
"No! You can't go," James said, stepping forward.
"We have to," Freya said.
"What about us?" Martha asked, her eyes wide in terror.
"You will not harm a single one of them. You will spare every one of their lives if we go with you! Do you hear me?" the Doctor shouted at the Daleks.
"Humans will be spared. Doctor, Mother, follow," the Dalek said.
"Martha, stay here. You and James can help the people," the Doctor said before reaching into his pocket. He then grabbed Martha's hand, as if shaking her hand.
"Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much,
he said with a wink before grabbing Freya's arm and tightly pulling her along after the Doctor.
"Why did you do that?" the Doctor demanded, his voice a low murmur.
"I couldn't let you get killed," Freya said.
"How did you know they wouldn't kill you? You couldn't have known," the Doctor hissed back.
"They kept mentioning me. Like they needed me for something. They thought they could use me to bring back the Daleks. So they'd try keeping me alive," Freya said.
"You couldn't have possibly known that," the Doctor scoffed.
"I wanted you safe," Freya informed him. They were led away and after awhile, entered what looked like a laboratory. The Doctor flew forward upon entering, striding towards Dalek Sec.
"Those people were defenseless! You only wanted me, but no, that wasn't enough for you. You had to start killing, because that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!" the Doctor shouted angrily.
"The deaths were wrong," Dalek Sec said.
"I'm sorry?" the Doctor stalled, backtracking.
"That man, their leader, Solomon, he showed courage," Dalek Sec said.
"And that's good?" Freya asked, moving closer.
"That's excellent," Dalek Sec corrected.
"Is it just me or are you becoming a bit more human?" the Doctor asked.
"You do seem to feel more humanity," Freya added.
"You were once the last of your kind, and I am now the first of my kind," Dalek Sec said.
"What do you want us for?" Freya asked.
"We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos, but their flesh was too weak," Dalek Sec said.
"Yeah. I found one of your experiments. Just left to die out there in the dark," the Doctor spat.
"It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet. Its people," Dalek Sec explained. Freya felt sick. Dalek Sec threw a breaker switch and the lab was flooded with light. Hundreds of stretchers littered the air. One of them was lowered and the cover was pulled back, revealing a human. Freya felt her nausea rise.
"We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose. This is the true extent of the Final Experiment," Dalek Sec said proudly.
"Is he dead?" the Doctor asked.
"Near death, with his mind wiped, ready to be filled with new ideas," Dalek Sec said.
"You poor thing," Freya said, stroking the man's face.
"All of these people. How many?" the Doctor asked angriliy.
"We have caverns beyond this storing more than a thousand," Dalek Sec said.
"Is there any way to restore them? Make them human again?" the Doctor wondered.
"Everything they were has been lost," Dalek Sec said dismissively.
"So they're like shells. You've got empty human beings ready to be converted. That's going to take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn't even split the atom yet. How're you going to do it?" the Doctor asked.
"Open the conductor plan," Dalek Sec ordered.
Freya moved away from them as they examined it, staring still at the empty man.
"The Mother will move to the Doctor's side," the Dalek ordered her.
"Why do you call me the Mother? You said I bring the Time Lords back, and that I care a lot, but why give me a Time Lord name? I'm not a Time Lord. I don't become a Time Lord. I'm human. I don't deserve a Time Lord name," Freya pointed out. The Dalek's eyestalk focused intently on her.
It didn't say anything.
"Fine. Why do you want me here?" Freya tried a different approach.
"You can bring back the Daleks like you brought back the Time Lords," the Dalek said.
Freya wasn't about to let them know she had yet to actually give birth to a Time Lord. She doubted that would go over too well.
"I'd love to help. Really, I would. But I think reviving one species at a time is my limit," Freya said, taking a half step back. She glanced over at the Doctor to see him throwing a switch excitedly, liquid pouring through tubes and into the empty humans.
Freya hurried to the Doctor's side as a weird noise began to ring.
"What's that?" the Doctor asked in alarm.
"What's happening? Is there a malfunction? Answer me!" Dalek Sec roared.
"No, no, no. The gene feed! They're overriding the gene feed!" the Doctor shouted.
"Impossible. They cannot disobey orders," Dalek Sec said.
"The Doctor will step away from the controls," one of the Daleks said.
"Stop! You will not fire!" Dalek Sec said, stepping in front of them.
"I can't fix Laszlo. Are you sure he's your great-grandfather?" the Doctor murmured to Freya as he eyes stayed on the Daleks.
"He is an enemy of the Daleks," one of the Daleks said.
"And so are you," another Dalek said. The Daleks then pointed their guns at Dalek Sec.
"Yes. He's my great-grandfather. I'm sure of it," Freya responded.
"I am your commander. I am Dalek Sec!" Dalek Sec protested.
"You have lost your authority," a Dalek said.
"You are no longer a Dalek," the other Dalek said.
"What have you done with the gene feed?" the Doctor interrupted.
"The new bodies will be one hundred percent Dalek," the Dalek said.
"Besides the fact that they are in bodies of which are one hundred percent human," Freya pointed out.
"No! You can't do this!" Dalek Sec roared in frustration.
"Pig slaves, restrain Dalek Sec and the Doctor. Dalek Thay, take the Mother to Dalek Caan," the Dalek said.
Freya noticed that Laszlo was the pig slave to grab the Doctor. His eyes were glued to Freya as one of the Dalek's prodded her forward.
"I'll be fine. Stop them!" Freya shouted. In that second, the Doctor and Laszlo took off running. Dalek Thay pushed Freya along into a room a ways from them before exiting, leaving her in the room.
Alone with the Dalek she presumed was now in charge.
"What do you want with me? I cannot help you revive a species at the moment. It takes a bit of time," Freya pointed out. She hoped the Doctor would fix things. She didn't know how she felt about this situation.
"We need to know how the Doctor managed to create you. To form you to be able to revive his species. How would we go about doing that?" Dalek Caan asked.
"You want to know? He went back a few generations and altered my family line. Without time travel, it would take you about four generations to create Daleks," Freya said.
She didn't know if that was the truth, but something was going on here. Something with Laszlo. The Doctor would fix him. And that, Freya was certain, was when the changes were going to begin in her family line.
"We could just use you," Dalek Caan said.
"I am only compatible for Time Lords. Two hearts and such. Can't help other species. Sorry," Freya said. Dalek Caan rolled closer to her. Freya stiffened the closer he got to her.
"Our reports say that you care about everyone. Do you not care about the Daleks?" Dalek Caan asked her. Freya started to say that no, she didn't, but stopped.
She had cared about the poor Dalek back in that underground museum in Utah. She really and truly had cared. It wasn't that she hated Daleks as a whole. She hated what they did.
"I do not care for what the Daleks are trying to do," Freya said honestly.
"How do the Daleks know about me?" Freya asked.
"Before we entered the Void Ship, we were sitting in on a Dalek Counsel. The goal was to blow up a Prison Planet of reject Daleks. We captured the Doctor, you, and your companions for the job. You came out and immediately hugged the puppet Dalek. You even touched another of us without fear," the Dalek said.
"That hasn't happened for me yet," Freya said.
"Then you must stay alive so you can have your name," Dalek Caan stated.
"Yes. I must. So I am called the Mother because I care about everything? Do you Daleks want to be cared about?" Freya asked. Dalek Caan's eyestalk focused in on her intently as he rolled closer.
He didn't say a word.
He did. Freya didn't know how she could tell, but she just…sensed it. Somewhere inside of her, she felt it. Dalek Caan wanted to be cared about. Despite having no emotions, Freya was certain that deep down, Dalek Caan had longing.
Freya slowly raised her hand and placed it on the Dalek's head. Her hand rested there even as the Dalek's eyestalk moved about for a second, startled.
"What are you doing?" the Dalek asked her.
"I'm touching you. It offers comfort," Freya tried explaining.
"Daleks feel no comfort," Dalek Caan stated.
"Everyone feels comfort every once in awhile. All it takes is someone brave enough to offer it," Freya explained.
"And are you brave?" Dalek Caan asked.
"I'd like to think I was," Freya said softly.
And then a surge of electricity shocked her, knocking her to the ground and into unconsciousness.
When she came to, she felt worse than she had when she fell. Someone was hitting her face, causing her eyes to open. The Doctor was cradling her.
"What happened?" Freya asked.
"Dalek Caan got away. He shifted out of here. The other Daleks are all dead," the Doctor said. Freya started to stand, only to catch sight of Laszlo.
And see him collapse.
Freya fell to her knees just as he did.
"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick!" Martha called out.
"So's Freya, and right now she's more important," the Doctor shot back.
"No. Doctor. I'm not. That's…that's the problem," Freya said, eyes widening.
"What's the problem? What is it? Is Laszlo going to be okay?" Tallulah asked.
"It's time, sweetheart," Laszlo said.
"Doctor, go save him. Save him, or I die too," Freya said. The Doctor's grip on her tightened before loosening. He stood and quickly made his way over to one of the tables covered in chemicals.
"Martha, Tallulah, get Laszlo on that table. James, move Freya next to him. Laszlo, just you hold on. There's been way too many deaths today, and I'm not about to lose my wife now," the Doctor said.
"What does he mean, lose you?" Laszlo asked, his words coming out in between pants as Freya was helped to the table next to his.
"We're from another time. And I'm related…to you," Freya said awkwardly. Her own hearts were racing.
"What do you mean?" Tallulah asked.
"She means that she's your great-granddaughter," James said bluntly.
"Good job," Martha muttered to James.
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He did it. The Doctor fixed Laszlo. He ended up opening him up and doing a bit of operating, but he did it. And he confirmed that he did in fact alter Laszlo in ways that would end up turning into genetic within the next generation. One mystery solved. They made their way back to Hooverville, where Frank managed to get Laszlo a home there despite his piggish features.
Freya managed to explain the basics of her existence to the two of them before giving each of them a hug and wishing them the best of luck.
The four of them made their way back to the TARDIS in silence until they'd made it to the box.
"Do you reckon it's gonna work between the two of them?" Martha asked.
"I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York? That's what the city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig slave Dalek mutant hybrid too," the Doctor said.
"It works. I'm proof of it," Freya said.
"Your nose does sort of look like a pig's nose," James said teasingly before tweaking her nose.
"It does not!" Freya protested with a laugh.
"It sort of does," Martha added, only she didn't seem as good-humored as James had been.
"The pig and the showgirl. Great genealogy," the Doctor said with a laugh
"It just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone," Martha said contently, staring at the Doctor.
"I wouldn't go that far," James said sadly.
"I'm sorry," Martha said, ignoring James.
"What for?" the Doctor asked.
"Just because that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you. Think you'll ever see it again?" Martha asked.
"Oh yes. One day."
Okay, so if you didn't notice, I added both the Eleventh and Twelve Doctors to this as main characters. While I do not know for sure how long this section will go, I can say you will get to meet both of them, and relatively soon. So soon, in fact, that you might say it it next chapter. ;) ;) With that being said, I will let you know that there will not be spoilers for series 8! Don't worry! I was careful to try to avoid spoilers, knowing that some people may not have seen the eighth series yet. But he is there.
On that note, the next chapter is an original chapter. It will replace a few episodes that I did not see the point in including in this fanfiction. Also, Bad Wolf is coming soon! Be prepared! I hope this chapter cleared up a few points. No one ever really mentioned these points, although I assumed I'd be getting questions about them earlier.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Drop me a review with your thoughts or questions and I'll do my best to answer them! You're going to love chapter 8!
Andi