Chapter 9: Remote Control
The suit carried Clara through the ship and into a lab. It moved over and lined itself up with some markings on the floor.
Two Dalek technicians aimed a scanner at her and she braced herself. The beam hit her and she felt a sensation as though she was being electrocuted, right through her casing and her body. It passed downwards from her dome to her base. Fortunately, it did it quickly.
The computer brought up a holographic model of Clara's suit. The Daleks blanked out the outer casing, leaving only the interior workings, with Clara embedded in them.
The Daleks stared at it silently, as Clara's heart beat furiously. Then they went to a communication panel. "WE ARE TRANSFERING THE MODEL OF THE ROGUE MACHINE'S INTERIOR." They said simply.
Rels later, the Leader responded. "IT WILL BE MOVED TO THE BRIDGE."
Clara's suit moved once more, carrying her forward and deeper into the ship.
She got there and was placed in the centre. Before her, the Leader was mid way through reporting their findings to the Dalek Supreme.
"BRING IT TO THE FLAGSHIP." The Supreme said. "I WILL INVESTIGATE IT PERSONALY."
"UNABLE TO COMPLY." Said the leader. "OUR THRUSTERS HAVE PICKED UP A FAULT. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO REPAIR."
"THEN I WILL BRING THE FLAGSHIP TO YOUR LOCATION." Said the Supreme. "REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE."
"I OBEY."
And that was it. It went to tend to other duties, while Clara was just left to sit and sweat. Not once did they ask her any questions, or even look her way. She was just a problem that they would decide among themselves how to deal with. And now she was just left to wait and see what they had in store for her.
After several tense hours, they heard the rumble of the flagship's engines powering down and knew that it had landed close by. The Supreme came on the screen again. "DIRECT IT TO THE RESERCH ROOM ON THIS SHIP."
"I OBEY." Said a Dalek operating a panel. Presumably, it was the one controlling her suit.
Clara was carried once more, out of this ship, across to the flagship and through the endless corridors towards where they needed her. Finally, she entered their research room, where she was placed on a position, surrounded by Daleks looking at consoles.
The Dalek Supreme was also there. It brought up a video link of the bridge. "ASSUME CONTROL OF THE SUIT AND OPEN THE CASING."
The casing came open and the Daleks pointed several pieces of equipment at her. "HER IMAGE AND BIOLOGY MATCH THAT OF ONE OF THE DOCTOR'S ASSOSCIATES." Said one of them.
"THE DOCTOR IS HERE!" Roared another.
"THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTED SIGHTINGS OF HIM. NONTHELESS, AS AN ASSOCIATE OF THE DOCTOR, SHE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO BREAK FREE. SHE MUST BE EXTERMINATED."
"NO. SHE MAY MAKE A USEFUL HOSTAGE."
"BUT PLACING HER HERE MAY BE PART OF THE DOCTOR'S PLAN. WE SHOULD TORTURE HER FOR INFORMATION."
"THERE IS NO CERTAINTY THE DOCTOR IS HERE. TORTURING HER MAY BRING THEM DOWN ON US. WE SHOULD SIMPLY ROBOTISE HER FOR OUR OWN PURPOSES."
"THAT MAY BE A WASTE OF A CASING. HER MIND IS ALREADY PARTIALY ATTACHED TO THE HIVE. IF WE BROADEN THE LINK, WE CAN CONVERT HER MIND TO THAT OF A DALEK."
And so the debate went on. It wasn't often that the Daleks would debate. Usually, they were so single minded. But this was a rare situation for them, and they had no procedures to fall back on.
Clara, once more, wasn't invited to take part. Even to plead for her life. She could only sit still as they discussed what to do with her. Whether to torture her for information, extract her from the suit and robotise her, keep her as a hostage, just exterminate her on the spot, or activate the Dalek conditioning and turn her mind to theirs'. All horrifying prospects. If she could just intercede and plead with them, even if it was a futile gesture, she'd feel more in control, instead of just awaiting her fate.
As she sat, she fought to overcome whatever paralysing effects the Daleks had put on her. Even just to lift a finger, but they were barely twitching. Nevertheless, she kept trying. Convinced she was getting closer.
After a long time, a Dalek came to interrupt. "THE INFORMANT FROM THE NORTHERN GROUP IS REPORTING HERE."
Whatever Dalek was controlling Clara spun her eye stalk around to look at the door. To Clara's surprise, it was Sarah who came in. The woman looked at Clara, with all the Daleks and scanners pointed at her, and said. "Is this her?"
"YES. WHAT IS YOUR REPORT?"
Sarah awkwardly looked at Clara. "Look, the thing is, I'm actually a double agent. I'm sorry."
"REPORT!" The Daleks shouted at her.
"Ok, ok. Well, Mrs Jones has taken control of the Northern Group now. Journey made it to them and she's warned them all about Maddock, so now they're all on watch for him. They're also planning a mission to rescue Clara, and sent me to find out where she is."
"THEN WE WILL ALLOW THEM TO DO SO." Said the Supreme. "THEY WILL BE EXPECTING HER AT THEIR BASE. MADDOCK CAN USE HER AS A MEANS TO ENTER."
"ONE OF US COULD TAKE HER PLACE." Said another Dalek.
"No." Said Sarah. "They'll need to see inside the suit before they rescue her."
"SHE WILL BE KEPT UNDER REMOTE CONTROL UNTIL THE TASK IS COMPLETE." Said the supreme. "SHE WILL PLANT OUR BUG IN THEIR COMUNICATION EQUIPMENT. THEN SHE WILL BE DESTROYED. TELL THE NORTHERN GROUP SHE IS BEING HELD IN THE CELL WE SHOW YOU. TELL THE WLF TO INTERCEPT THEM ON THE WAY BACK TO CAMP."
"Er, yes, of course." Sarah said. She then turned to Clara. "Look, I have a family here. I need to be thinking about them. You understand of course?"
Clara fumed in her suit and thought about how the Daleks just happened to have found the resistance leaders on the moor. Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence. Perhaps they'd been tipped off. Where were all the heroes right now?
"YOUR FAMILY WILL BE WELL CARED FOR." Said the Supreme. "ONCE YOU HAVE AIDED US, THEY WILL BE TRANSPORTED OFF WORLD."
She thanked them as she was led out.
The Supreme turned to Clara. "CAN YOU HEAR THIS FROM YOUR STATION?"
"YES." Clara heard her speakers saying.
"WE WILL HAVE TO TEST YOUR REMOTE ABILITIES. TAKE THIS MACHINE DOWN TO THE HANGER."
"I OBEY."
Clara spent the rest of the day being run through a series of tests, in which she was driven round a precise course they'd laid out on the floor of the hanger, making her feel like a dog from Crufts.
This was followed by tests on a vertical course. Clara continued battling for any sort of effect on where she was going, just to make it veer off a bit, or overshoot its mark. But nothing would happen. They concluded that her controller could control her casing as accurately as its own.
Next, they tested her speech. While they'd already established that they could control it, they needed to practice a list of human-like phrases in order to pass off as normal. She found her casing saying a quick succession of things like, "I AM OK MATE." And "THANK YOU FOR RESCUING ME."
She wondered if she should have stayed on Scaro. Even a lifetime alone seemed preferable to being toyed with by the Daleks.
The next port of call was to test her weapon. Bizarrely, this involved being led down a corridor, with model TARDISes dotted here and there, which she was to move through and shoot. Who'd come up with this idea and where they were getting the models from, were questions she'd dearly like to know. She supposed it was most likely Davaros, or just someone along the line who wanted to install a sense of directed hatred in the Daleks.
Feeling it shoot the models, Clara finally thought she might have found an opening. The gun was still drawing power from her heightened emotions. And they were running high right now. If she could somehow clear her mind, practice a few meditation techniques shed picked up here and there, she might just be able to stop it. But this was only a theory. She had no idea if it would work and certainly couldn't test it now, least the Daleks realise the flaw in their system and work to correct it. She only hoped she could get some idea before the Daleks directed her to shoot at people.
Finally, a time came when a Dalek entered and informed them that the resistance's rescue party was due within 3600 rels. Clara was then driven to a cell where chains were placed around her to look convincing. The door was locked and she was left to sit and wait to be used to destroy the resistance.
This was worse than being robotised. At least the robomen weren't aware of what they were doing. She was now being piloted around and forced to do the Daleks' bidding. Fully concious. Fully aware of everything that was happening to her, but powerless to stop it.
Author's Notes: Thanks again to all the followers and reviewers so far. Keep 'em coming.
I didn't make up the idea of the Daleks using model TARDISes for target practice by the way. It's lifted from Death To The Daleks.