Shareen vs the Universe
Daleks in Manhattan
Thanks to lynn2008 for following this story.
Martha sat on the jump seat watching the Doctor working the controls while Shareen sat on the stairs leading up to the gantry. "So, Martha Jones, that's ya lot." the Doctor said, "As promised, one trip to the past, one trip to the future. Now we're headin' home. I can drop ya off just minutes after ya left."
"And what about you?" Martha asked
"I dunno." the Doctor shrugged, "What about me?"
"Once I've gone, what happens to you? You just travel on?"
"Same as ever." the Doctor shrugged, "Wanderin' about, wherever the time winds take me. It's the perfect life, Martha. No limits, no ties, no responsibilities..."
"And no one to keep you company." Martha remarked
"No." the Doctor replied
"Am I invisible?" Shareen spoke up.
"Sorry, Shareen." Martha apologised. "I mean, I know you and him don't exactly get on... so that's perfect?"
Neither the Doctor nor Shareen answered; they both stayed silent, mulling this over. A somewhat awkward silence ensured.
"I was just thinking..." Martha ventured at last, "Since you've got all the time in the world, then maybe we could... take a detour?"
"Yeah, why not?" Shareen agreed
"Not an actual trip, as such." Martha clarified to the Doctor. "Just... ya know..."
"The long way home." the Doctor said. "The scenic route."
"The B roads." Martha laughed
"Yeah, and admit it, Peacock, you owe us for what ya put Martha through yesterday." Shareen said
"Oh, alright then." the Doctor said begrudgingly. "One detour. Just one."
"And it'd better be somewhere nice." Shareen told him pointedly, "No slums or warzones!"
"Alright, I know just the place." the Doctor said, working the controls.
~8~
The TARDIS materialised in front of a white stone wall and Martha and Shareen stepped out first, followed by the Doctor. "Where are we?" Martha asked
"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze." the Doctor said, taking a deep lungful of the air. "Nice and cold. Lovely. Martha, Shareen, have you two met my friend?"
Martha and Shareen turned round to see that they were right next to the Statue of Liberty. "Is that...? Oh, my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!" Martha stared
"Bloody hell, we're in New York!" Shareen exclaimed in delight.
"The New World." the Doctor said. "'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yeanin' to break free...'"
"Oh, this is brilliant!" Shareen laughed, "Thanks, Peacock!"
"I've always wanted to go to New York." Martha said. "I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new..."
"Now you've picked it up!" Shareen chortled.
"Well, there's the genuine article." the Doctor said as they walked to the edge of the island and saw the Manhattan skyline across the water. "So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. No wonder it didn't catch on. "New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam."
"I wonder what year it is." Martha wandered. "Cos' look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet." She pointed and they could see the said landmark with scaffolding around the top floors.
"Work in progress." the Doctor remarked, "Still a couple of floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around..."
"November 1st, 1930." Shareen said, picking up a discarded newspaper off a bench.
"You're getting good at this." the Doctor muttered
"80 years ago." Martha mused. "It's funny cos' you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now."
"Hey, we should go over there, meet the people." Shareen said. "Maybe we can find out if New Yorkers really talk like Meowth. Or we could go to a speakeasy. Or Broadway"
The Doctor meanwhile was reading the paper Shareen had found. "I think our detour just got longer." he frowned, showing the women the headline.
"'Hooverville mystery deepens.'" Martha read, "What's Hooverville?"
~8~
After a ferry ride across to Manhattan, the trio reached Central Park. "Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the USA, came to power a year ago." the Doctor explained, "Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then..."
"The Wall Street crash, yeah?" Martha nodded, "When was that, 1929?"
"Yeah. Whole economy wiped out overnight." the Doctor replied, "Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly, the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park."
"What, they actually live in the park?" Martha stared, "In the middle of the city?"
"So we're going to another slum?" Shareen grumbled, "Cosmic. Still, at least I'm wearin' trousers this time."
Presently, the trio reached Hooverville; a shanty town made up of tents and shacks occupied by rather ragged people. "Ordinary people, lost their jobs." the Doctor sighed, "Couldn't pay the rent, they lost everything. There're places like this all over America, an' no one's helping 'em. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."
Suddenly they heard a voice yell, "Ya thieving low life!" and they turned to see a man knock another to the ground. "All mornin' I wait in the bread line for a single loaf!" he stormed
"I didn't touch it!" the other man protested, but the first man wasn't listening. He promptly punched the second man again, while two others tried to hold them back.
An older black man came out of a tent. "Cut that out!" he ordered, "Cut it out, right now!" And he managed to stop the brawling men.
"He stole my bread!" the first man fumed
"That's enough!" the older man said firmly, then turned to the second. "Did you take it?" he questioned
"I dunno what happened, he just went crazy!" the second man snarled, causing the first man to try to lunge at him again.
"That's enough!" the older man ordered, then turned back to the second man. "Now think real carefully before ya lie to me."
"I'm starvin', Solomon." the second man sighed.
Solomon held out his hand, and the second man reluctantly handed over a loaf of bread he'd secreted in his coat.
"We all starvin'." Solomon told him, "And we all got family somewhere." He split the loaf in two halves and handed a half each to the two men. "No stealin' and no fightin', you know the rules." he told them firmly, "13 years ago, I fought in the Great War, a lot of us did. And the only reason we got through that was because we all stuck together. No matter how bad things get, we still act like Human beings. It's all we got."
"Come on." the Doctor said to his companions and approached Solomon. "I suppose that makes you the boss around here."
"And, uh, who might you be?" Solomon asked, eyeing the three newcomers suspiciously.
"He's the Doctor, she's Shareen and I'm Martha." Martha introduced
"A doctor." Solomon scoffed, "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we've got a lawyer, but you're the first Doctor. The neighbourhood gets classier by the day."
"How many people're living here?" Shareen asked
"At any one time, hundreds." Solomon replied. "No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville: we a truly equal society. Black, white, all the same, all starvin'." He laughed slightly. "So you're welcome, the three of ya. But I gotta say ya don't exactly look hungry."
"No, we're more... sort of visiting." the Doctor said
"Come to see the freak show, huh?" Solomon scowled
"That's not fair, we came to help." Martha defended
"What, did ya bring money?" Solomon asked sceptically, "Food? Firewood?"
"We wanted to, but we couldn't get it past customs." Shareen lied
"Then what kinda help did you bring?" Solomon asked
None of the trio could answer.
Solomon gave a hollow laugh. "But listen. Doctor, you're a man of learnin', right? Explain this to me." He pointed to the Empire State Building in the distance "That there is gonna be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we've got people starvin' in the heart of Manhattan?"
"Misguided priorites, mate." Shareen said, "It's the same back home. They're always throwin' money into things that no one asked for or needed, instead of putting the money into things which are actually needed.
"Sound about right." Solomon said, then he went over to one of the fires and threw out dregs of coffee.
"So, men going missing, is this true?" the Doctor asked, showing him the paper.
"It's true alright." Solomon replied grimly, taking the paper and going inside his tent, the trio standing by the flap.
"But what does missing mean?" the Doctor asked, "Men must come and go all the time. It's not like anyone's keepin' a register."
"Come on in." Solomon motioned for them to enter and they did so. "This is different."
"In what way?" Martha asked
"Someone takes 'em. At night. We hear something, someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanished into thin air."
"An' you're sure someone's takin' 'em?" the Doctor frowned
"Doctor, when you've got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got." Solomon replied. "A knife, blanket, you take it with you."
"And these people didn't." Shareen nodded
"Yes. Bread uneaten, fires still burnin', but no sign of them."
"Have you gone to the police?" Martha asked
"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missin', big deal." Solomon scoffed
"So, the question is... Who's takin' 'em, and what for?" the Doctor mused
Just then, a young man poked his head in the tent. "Solomon, Mr Diagoras is here." he said.
Solomon grabbed his hat and followed the boy. The time travellers all shared a look, wandering who this Diagoras was, then they went out too.
Mr Diagoras was a rather smarmy-looking man in an expensive pinstripe suit who was standing on a box addressing Hooverville's residents. "I need men, volunteers." he announced "I've got a little work for you. And you sure look like you could use the money."
"Yeah, what is the money?" the boy, Frank, called.
"A dollar a day."
"What's the work?" Solomon asked
"A little trip down the sewers." Diagoras answered "Got a tunnel collapsed, needs clearin' and fixin'. Any takers?"
"A dollar a day is a slave wage." Solomon said, and the others murmured in agreement. "And men don't always come back up, do they?"
"Accidents happen." Diagoras said nonchalantly
"What sort of accidents?" the Doctor questioned
"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" Diagoras asked.
The Doctor put his hand up.
"Enough with the questions."
"Oh, no, no, no. I'm volunteering. I'll go." the Doctor said. He felt that there was a connection between this so-called 'accidents' and the people disappearing, so it would be best for him to investigate by volunteering.
Martha raised her hand and levelled a death glare at the Doctor. "I'll kill you for this." she muttered
"Me too." Shareen grumbled, begrudgingly putting her hand too
"Anybody else?" Diagoras called, and Solomon and Frank put their hands up too.
~8~
The group were soon descending a ladder into a murky sewer beneath the city streets. "Ugh. Talk about workin' in a cess pit." Shareen muttered to herself, tucking her jeans into her boots just in case any rats were scuttling about.
"Turn left, go about half a mile, follow tunnel 273." Diagoras instructed. "The fall's right ahead of you, can't miss it."
"When do we get our dollar?" Frank asked
"When you come back up."
"And if we don't come back up?" the Doctor questioned
"Then I got no one to pay." Diagoras said simply
"Don't worry, we'll be back." Solomon said determinedly
"Let's hope so." Martha shivered as the the group turned and began to head up the tunnel.
"We just gotta stick together." Frank said positively. "It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here."
"Or mutant turtles." Shareen muttered.
~8~
The group were soon making their way through the dank tunnels. "So what about you, Frank?" Martha asked, "You're not from round these parts, are you?"
"Oh, you can talk!" Frank laughed. "No, I'm Tennessee born and bred."
"So how come you're here?"
"Oh, my daddy died, momma couldn't afford to feed us all, so I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself. So I put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lotta runaways in the camp, younger than me, from all over Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas. Solomon keeps a look out for us. So, what about you? You're a long way from home."
"Yeah, I'm just a hitcher too." Martha shrugged
"Same here." Shareen added
"You both stick with me, you'll be alright." Frank encouraged
"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he?" the Doctor asked Solomon
"Couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now, seems like he's runnin' most of Manhattan." Solomon replied
"How'd he manage that, then?"
"These are strange times." Solomon answered, "A man can go from being the king of the hill to the lowest of the low overnight. Guess for some folks it works the over way round."
The Doctor suddenly noticed something on the floor. "Whoa!" he said, pulling Solomon back.
Lying on the floor was a slimy green blob. "Is it radioactive or something?" Martha asked worriedly
"I don't think they've invented radiation yet." Shareen answered, blanching in disgust at the blob. "Ugh! Looks like a brain!"
"It's gone off, whatever it is." Martha said as the Doctor crouched down beside the blob, put his specs on and picked it up. "And you've got to pick it up." Martha squirmed
"Shine ya torch through it." he told Shareen, who did so. "Composite organic matter." he muttered. "Martha, medical opinion?"
"It's not Human, I know that." Martha replied
"Maybe Shredder's been playin' with mutagen again." Shareen joked, causing Frank and Solomon to look at her in confusion. "Comic I read." Shareen told them
The Doctor stood up and shone his torch down the tunnel. "And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr Diagoras send us down here?"
"Where're we now? What's above us?" Martha asked
"Well... we're right underneath Manhattan." the Doctor replied.
~8~
The group explored the tunnel further. "We're way beyond half a mile." Solomon observed "There's no collapse, nothing."
"That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" Martha asked
"Looks like it." the Doctor frowned, getting ever more uneasy the further they went.
"So why'd he want people to come down here?" Frank wandered
"Maybe he was having us on for a laugh." Shareen said, though she doubted it was something so simple.
"Solomon, I think it's time you took these three back." the Doctor said, "I'll be much quicker on my own."
Suddenly, they all heard a squealing echo from further down the tunnel. "What the hell was that?" Solomon asked
"Hello?" Frank called out
"Shh!" Martha hissed at him
"Frank." Solomon scolded
"What if it's one of the folk gone missing?" Frank suggested. "You'd be scared half mad down here on ya own."
"You think they're still alive?" the Doctor asked him
"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost."
More squealing sounded. "I ain't heard nobody make a sound like that." Solomon frowned
"Yeah, it sounded like a pig." Shareen agreed
"Where's it come from?" Frank questioned as more squeals sounded. "Sounds like there's more than one of 'em."
"This way." the Doctor said, flashing his torch down the tunnel.
"No, that way." Solomon said, flashing his torch down another tunnel where a figure was huddled against the wall.
"Doctor..." Martha called, and the Time Lord re-joined them.
"Who are you?" Solomon called to the figure, flashing his torch on it
"Are you lost?" Frank asked, doing the same with his torch, "Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost down here."
He started to walk forward but the Doctor stopped him. "It's alright, Frank. Just stay back." he told him, "Let me have a look." He began to walk towards the figure. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own. We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." He squatted down and shone his torch on the figure, revealing it to have a Human body and the head and hands of a pig. "Oh, but what are you?"
"Is that, uh, some kinda carnival mask?" Solomon asked
"No, it's real." the Doctor replied, then turned back to the pig. "I'm sorry, but listen to me. I promise I can help. Who did this to you?"
"Doctor, I think you'd better get back down here." Martha said urgently, for more pig men were coming from the opposite end of the tunnel.
"Peacock!" Shareen hollered
"Actually... good point." the Doctor said, standing up and backing up towards the other Humans.
"They're following you." Martha said worriedly
"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks." the Doctor said flatly
"Any ideas on how to get outta this?" Shareen prompted
"Yes." the Doctor replied. "Well, Shareen, Martha, Frank, Solomon..."
"What?" Martha breathed
"I think um.. basically, run!" the Doctor hollered, and they all legged it down the tunnel, the pig people in close pursuit.
Soon they reached an intersection. "Where're we going?" Martha hollered
"This way!" the Doctor said, turning right. He led the group down another tunnel to where they found a ladder leading up to a manhole. "There's a ladder!" the Doctor said, and scrambled up the ladder to unlock the manhole with his sonic screwdriver. He scrambled out and the women swiftly followed him.
Solomon hesitated when he saw Frank pick up a metal rod to try and hold the pig people off. "Frank!" Solomon called, and scrambled up the ladder himself.
Frank could see he stood no chance and ran for the ladder.
"C'mon Frank." Solomon urged, holding out a hand for the boy.
"Come on!" the Doctor called, holding a hand out too.
Frank took the hands, but the pig people reached him and grabbed him, pulling him out of the men's grip.
"No!" the Doctor called, and leaned over ready to go after him, but Solomon pulled him aside and slammed the manhole down.
"We can't go after him." Solomon told him
"We've gotta go back after him. We can't leave him!" the Doctor protested
"No! I'm loosin' anybody else!" Solomon told him, "Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself! If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."
Suddenly, a woman's voice called out from behind them, "Alright then, put 'em up!" and they all spun round to see a blonde woman aiming a revolver at them. Martha immediately put her hands up. "Hands in the air, and no funny business." the woman demanded, so the Doctor, Shareen and Solomon complied. "Now tell me, you shmucks. Whatta you done with Laszlo?"
"Who's Laszlo?" Martha asked, confused.
The woman led them all at gunpoint to a dressing room, then sat down, keeping her gun trained on them. "Laszlo's my boyfriend." she told them, "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 kinda guy asks ya to meet his mom before he vamooses?"
"Yeah, it might just help if ya put that down." the Doctor said, gesturing to the gun. The way she was waving it around unnerved him.
"Hunh?" the woman questioned, then remembered that she was still holding the gun. "Oh, sure." And she tossed the gun onto a chair.
"Woah, watch it!" Shareen flinched
"Oh, c'mon, it's not real." the woman snorted, "It's just a prop. It was either this or a spear."
"What do you think happened to Laszlo?" Martha asked, coming forward now that it was safe to do so.
"I wish I knew." the woman replied, "One minute he's there, the next... Zip, vanished."
"Listen, em, what was your name?" the Doctor asked
"Tallulah." the woman answered
"Tallulah." the Doctor nodded
"Three I's and an h."
"Right. Um, we can try an' find him, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearin' every night."
"And there are creatures." Solomon added. "Such creatures..."
"Whaddaya mean, creatures?" Tallulah questioned
"Wish we knew." Shareen said.
"Look. Listen, just trust me." the Doctor said to Tallulah, "Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is." He removed the blob he'd found in the tunnel from his pocket. "Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."
"Yech!" Tallulah squirmed, disgusted at the blob.
~8~
The Doctor was soon busy raiding a storeroom for pieces of equipment he could use. "How about this?" Solomon asked, holding up a wireless radio. "I found it backstage."
"Perfect." the Doctor said, taking the wireless. "It's the capacitors I need. I'm just riggin' up a crude DNA scan for this beastie. If I can get a chromomal reading, I'll find out where it's from." He removed the back off the wireless and used his sonic screwdriver on it's internal mechanics.
"How about you, Doctor? Where're you from?" Solomon questioned, "I've been all over. I've never heard anybody talk like you. Just who exactly who are you?"
"Oh, I'm just sort of passing by." the Doctor waved him off.
"I'm not a fool, Doctor." Solomon grunted
"No. Sorry." the Doctor sighed
Solomon walked over to the manhole they'd arrived through and looked down on it. "I was scared, Doctor." he sighed, "I let 'em take Frank cos'... I was just so scared. I gotta get back to Hooverville. With those creatures on the loose, we gotta protect ourselves. Cos' no one else gonna help us."
"Good luck." the Doctor encouraged
"I hope you find what you're lookin' for. For all our sakes." Solomon said and left the room.
~8~
Meanwhile, Martha and Shareen were with Tallulah in her dressing room. "Lazlo... he'd wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady." Tallulah sighed, "He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose."
"Haven't you reported him missing?" Martha asked
"Sure, but he's just a stage hand, who cares?" Tallulah replied "The management certainly don't."
"Can't ya kick up a fuss or something?"
"Ok, so then they fire me!" Tallulah retorted
"But you're the star of the show." Shareen pointed out, "Surely they'd listen to you!"
"Oh, honey, I got one song in a back street revue, and that's only cos' Heidi Chicane broke her ankle, which had nuthin' to do with me, whatever anyone 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
"Ok, we get it." Martha cut in.
"It's the depression, sweetie." Tallulah sighed "Ya heart might break, but the show goes on, cos' if it stops, ya starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep goin', hopin' he's gonna come back."
She began to sob so Martha gave her a comforting hug. "I'm sorry." she counselled
Tallulah dried her tears up and pulled back. "Hey, you're lucky, though. Ya got yourself a forward-thinkin' guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."
"Uh, he's not, we're not... together." Martha said hastily
"Oh, so he's you..." Tallulah pointed to Shareen
"No, he's not!" Shareen said indignantly, "I wouldn't go out with that arrogant git if he were the last man on Earth!"
"Oh, I shoulda realised." Tallulah said with a laugh. "He's into musical theatre, huh?"
"Ey?" Shareen furrowed a brow.
"I think it's slang for being gay." Martha whispered into her ear, causing Shareen to snigger.
"Still, ya gotta live in hope." Tallulah continued. ""It's the only thing that's kept me goin' cos'..." She tailed off and picked up a white rosebud off a chair and handed it to Martha. "On my dressin' table, every day still."
"You think it's Laszlo?" Martha asked
"I don't know. If he's still around, why's he been secret like he doesn't want me to see him?"
~8~
Meanwhile, the Doctor had finished assembling his makeshift DNA scanner and set it up on a lighting gantry. "That's it. We need to heat you up." he said as he aimed a spotlight onto the blob. He then slipped on his specs and began to examine the blob.
~8~
"Girls, it's showtime!" Tallulah called to her showgirls, and they all began to file onto the stage.
"Lois, you spoil my chasse tonight, I'm gonna punch you." one showgirl said to her mate
"Aw, quit complainin', Myma. Go buy yourself some glasses." Lois retorted
Tallulah turned to Martha and Shareen. "Come on, honeys. Take a look." she encouraged, "Ever been on stage before?"
"Oh, a bit, ya know. Shakespeare." Martha replied nonchalantly
"How dull is that!" Tallulah laughed, "Come an' see a real show."
Shareen's eyes lit up. "What, seriously?" she stared. "You're invitin' us to watch ya? Cosmic!"
~8~
"This is artificial." the Doctor muttered as he continued his scan on the blob. "Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you are clever."
~8~
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Laurenzi Dancing Devils with Heaven and Hell." the compere announced and the curtains opened to reveal the showgirls in red devil dresses, who pulled back their red feather tails to reveal Tallulah dressed as an angel in white.
"Ya loyd me in with ya cold grey eyes, your simple smile an' ya bewitchin' lies." Tallulah sang, "One an' one is three. My bad, bad angel, the Devil and me. You put the devil in me. You put the devil in me."
Martha and Shareen stood in the wings watching the performance. "How cool is this?" Shareen grinned, "We're standin' in the wings, on Broadway!"
"Tell me about it." Martha smiled
"Gonna have to ask Tallulah if she'll gimme the lyrics to that song." Shareen said, "I fancy havin' a go at it myself."
Martha suddenly noticed something on the other side of the stage. "Shareen, look." she whispered.
Shareen turned to see a figure standing in the wings on the other side. It looked like one of the pig men but not as transformed. "What the hell?!" Shareen stared
Martha decided to try and get a closer look at the figure, so she crept on stage and tried to sneak behind the dances.
"Martha, wait! Don't!" Shareen hissed, knowing that it would be better go round the back of the stage, but it was too late.
Martha accidentally grabbed a devil's tail and they both tripped up. "What ya doin'?" the dancer hissed indignantly.
Shareen could only facepalm.
~8~
The Doctor listened to the blob with his stethoscope. "Fundamental DNA type 467-989." he muttered. Something about that rang a bell. "989. Hold on, that means planet of origin... Skaro." His eyes widened in horror.
~8~
"Get off the stage, ya spoilin' it!" Tallulah hissed at Martha as the audience laughed at the chaos.
"But look, over there!" Martha told her, pointing to the pig man.
Tallulah abruptly screamed at the sight, and the pig man scarpered
"Hey!" Martha called, and gave chase.
"Great." Shareen muttered and ran after Martha.
"Wait!" Martha called as the pig man raced into the storeroom, "You're different to the others! Just wait!" She and Shareen ran into the storeroom themselves, only to find that the pig man had disappeared.
"Huh. Must've gone back down the sewer." Shareen realised, "C'mon, let's tell Peacock."
Unfortunately, the women didn't know that they were not alone.
~8~
Backstage, Tallulah and her troupe were discussing the creature they'd just seen. "It was like somefink out of a movie show." Myrna blustered
"Oh, that face. I ain't never gonna sleep." Lois squirmed
Just then, the Doctor came hurrying in. "Where are they? Where're Martha and Shareen?" he asked anxiously
"I dunno, they just ran off the stage." Tallulah replied
Suddenly, two screams sounded from the storeroom. "Martha! Shareen!" the Doctor hollered, running towards the sound. He charged into the storeroom to find no sign of his companions and the sewer manhole was ajar. He grabbed his coat and opened the manhole.
"Where're ya goin'?" Tallulah asked as she joined him.
"They've taken 'em." the Doctor answered grimly
"Who's taken 'em. Whaddya doin'?" Tallulah questioned as the Doctor climbed down the ladder. "I said: what the hell are you doin'? Crazy guy." Tallulah grumbled as she slipped on a fur coat and climbed down after the Doctor.
"No, no, no, no, no way. You're not coming." the Doctor told her
"Tell me what's goin' on." Tallulah demanded
"There's nothing you can do. Go back." the Doctor ordered
"Look, whoever's taken Martha an' Shareen, they could've taken Laszlo, couldn't they?"
"Tallulah, you're not safe down here." the Doctor said seriously
"Then that's my problem." Tallulah said stubbornly. "Come on. Which way?"
"This way." the Doctor said begrudgingly and led the way down the tunnel.
~8~
Meanwhile, Martha and Shareen were being frog-marched by two pig men. "No! Let us go!" Martha squirmed as she tried to get free.
"Get your stinkin' trotters off us, Porky!" Shareen growled as she put up a gallant struggle against her captors, but the pigs were stronger than they looked and it was no use.
The pigs led them to a line of Humans being escorted through the tunnel. "Martha? Shareen?" a familiar voice called, and the women looked up to see that Frank was in the line.
"You're alive!" Martha gasped in relief and hugged the young man. "Oh! We thought we'd lost you."
A pig man pushed Frank. "Alright, we're goin'." Shareen grumbled, she and Martha falling into line in front of Frank. "Keep ya ears on, Porky.
"Where they takin' us?" Frank wandered
"I don't know, but we can find out what's going on down here." Martha replied.
~8~
The Doctor and Tallulah made their way through the dank tunnels. "When ya say, 'they've taken 'em', who's 'they' exactly?" Tallulah questioned. "But who're you, anyway? I never asked."
"I'm the Doctor." the Time Lord waved her off
"A doctor?" Tallulah questioned, "Really? Mum's always said, 'Marry a doctor or a lawyer and ya made for life.' It's just my luck. I finally find a doctor and he's into showtunes."
"Shh!" the Doctor shushed her
"Ok, ok." Tallulah huffed
"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shh, shhh!" the Doctor hissed, seeing a shadow around the corner ahead of them.
"I mean ya handsome an' all..." Tallulah began, but was cut off by the Doctor clamping his hand over her mouth and dragging her into an alcove
The Doctor's hearts nearly stopped as a familiar bronze pepper pot shaped object glided past them. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They survived." he breathed once it was past. "They always survive while I lose everything."
"That metal thing?" Tallulah questioned, "What was it?"
"It's called a Dalek." the Doctor answered, his voice full of terror and hatred. "And it's not just metal, it's alive.
"You're kiddin' me." Tallulah laughed
"Does it look like I'm kidding?" the Doctor snapped, "Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."
"But if it's not a Human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space." Tallulah scoffed, receiving another pointed look from the Doctor. "Yet again that's a no with the kiddin'. Oy. But what's it doin' in New York?"
The Doctor grabbed her arm and escorted her back the way they'd come. "Every second you're down here, you're in danger." he told her, "I'm taking you back right now."
They turned a corner to come face-to-face with the pig man from the theatre. Tallulah screamed and the pig man hid his face.
"Where're Martha and Shareen?" the Doctor demanded, shining his torch on the pig man. "What've you done with them?! What have you done with my friends?!"
"I didn't take them." the pig man answered
"Can you remember your name?" the Doctor asked
"Don't look at me." the pig man quivered
"Do you know where they are?" Tallulah asked, coming forward.
"Stay back! Don't look at me." the pig man insisted
"What happened to you?" the Doctor asked
"They made me a monster." the pig man replied sadly
"Who did?"
"The masters."
"The Daleks." the Doctor realised. "Why?"
"They needed slaves." the pig man answered bitterly. "They needed slaves to steal more people so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late." he finished despairingly
"D'ya know what happened to Martha and Shareen?" the Doctor asked
"They took them. It's my fault. They were following me." the pig man sighed
"Were you in the theatre?" Tallulah asked
"I never... yes."
"Why? Why were you there?" Tallulah probed
"I never wanted you to see me like this."
"Why me? What I gotta do with this? Were you followin' me? Is that why you were there?"
The pig man turned round so that Tallulah could finally see him. "Yes." he admitted
"Who are you?"
"I was lonely."
"Who are you?"
"I needed to see you."
"Who are you?" Tallulah insisted
"I'm sorry." the pig man said and tried to turn away again.
Tallulah grabbed his arm. "No, wait. Let me look at you." She pulled him into the light. "Laszlo?"
The pig man nodded.
"My Laszlo? Oh, what have they done to you?" Tallulah sobbed
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Laszlo sighed
"Laszlo, can you show me where they are?" the Doctor asked
"But they'll kill you." Laszlo pointed out
"If I don't stop them, they'll kill everyone." the Doctor said seriously
"Then follow me." Laszlo conceded, and led them down the tunnel.
~8~
Shareen, Martha, Frank and the other prisoners were all being kept in a chamber in one of the tunnels. "What're they keepin' us here for?" Frank wandered
"Dunno, maybe the next subway train?" Shareen said flatly.
"I've got a nasty feeling we're being kept in a larder." Martha said nervously
The pig men suddenly began grunting in an agitated way.
"What're they doin'?" Frank wandered, "What's wrong?"
"Silence!" a familiar harsh metallic voice demanded from nearby.
Shareen went as white as a sheet. "No." she breathed, "Oh, no!"
"Silence!" the voice ordered again, and a Dalek glided into view.
"Sh*t!" Shareen breathed, cowering against the wall, her eyes wide in terror.
Laszlo, Tallulah and the Doctor were hiding in a tunnel nearby. Upon seeing the Dalek, Laszlo swiftly motioned for them to get flat against the wall out of sight.
"What the hell is that?" Martha stared at the Dalek. "Shareen, what is it?" But Shareen was too terrified to answer.
"You will form a line." the Dalek ordered, "Move. Move."
"Just do what it says, everyone. Ok?" Martha advised everyone as the pig men began pushing them into a line. "Just obey."
"The female is wise. Obey!" the Dalek ordered
Just then, a second Dalek glided in. "Two of them?!" Shareen whimpered, "This isn't happening!"
"Report." the second Dalek ordered
"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause." the first Dalek answered
"Dalek..." Martha muttered, remembering hearing the Doctor and Shareen mention them on New Earth.
"What is the status of the Final Experiment?" the first Dalek questioned
"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete." the second Dalek answered
"Then I will extract prisoners for selection." the first Dalek said and turned to face the prisoners. A pig man grabbed a dock worker and held him in front of the Daleks. "Intelligence scan, initiate." the first Dalek said and held it's plunger arm in front of the worker's face. "Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."
"You callin' me stupid?!" the worker said indignantly
"Silence! This one will become a pig slave." the first Dalek said, "Next."
"No, let go of me. I'm not becomin' one of them. No! No." the worker protested as he was dragged away by the pig men while the Dalek moved on to the next prisoner.
"They're divided into two groups. High intelligence and low intelligence." Laslo explained to the Doctor, "The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves like me."
"That's not fair!" Tallulah shrilled, only to be sternly shushed by the Doctor. "You're the smartest guy I've ever dated." she said more quietly
"And the others?" the Doctor asked Laszlo
"They're taken to the laboratory." Laszlo replied
"But why? What for?" the Doctor frowned
"I don't know." Laszlo answered. "The masters only call it 'the Final Experiment'."
Meanwhile, the first Dalek had finished scanning Frank. "Superior intelligence." it stated, then moved on to Martha. "Intelligence scan, initiate." It held it's plunger arm in front of Martha's face. "Superior intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment."
"Ya can't just experiment on people! It's insane! It's inhuman!" Martha protested
"We are NOT Human!" the Dalek retorted and moved on to Shareen. "Intelligence scan, initiate." It held it's plunger arm in front of Shareen's face. Shareen could only stare at it in wide-eyed terror as she remembered how the Daleks had killed Rajesh Singh with their plunger arms at Torchwood. "Superior intelligence." the Dalek stated. "Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."
"Look out, they're moving." the Doctor warned. He pressed himself flat against the wall and hid as the Daleks moved out, taking their prisoners with then.
Once the coast was clear, Laszlo began to lead Tallulah away but the Doctor stayed put. "Doctor. Doctor, quickly!" Laszlo urged
"I'm not coming." the Doctor told him. "I've got an idea. You go."
"Laszo, c'mon." Tallulah urged, tugging Laszlo's arm.
"Can you remember the way?" Laszlo asked her
"Yeah, I think so."
"Then go, please."
"But Laszlo, you've gotta come with me." Tallulah protested
"Where would I go?" Laszlo pointed out. "Tallulah, I'm beggin' you. Save yourself, just run! Just go!" he urged, and Tallulah complied then Laszlo re-joined the Doctor.
They waited until the Daleks had passed by, then the Doctor slipped into the line of prisoners between Martha and Frank while Laszlo pretended to be one of the guards. "Keep walking." the Doctor whispered to Martha and Shareen.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you." Martha breathed in relief
"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later." the Doctor replied flippantly. "You too, Frank, if you want." He then realised that Shareen hadn't said anything. Normally, she'd have a snarky remark to make, but not this time. "You alright, Shareen?" he asked
At last Shareen managed to find her voice. "How can the Daleks be here?" she asked shakily, "They were all sucked into hell."
"Obviously, these ones escaped." the Doctor replied.
~8~
The Daleks led their prisoners to a secret laboratory where two more Daleks were waiting. One was another bronze Dalek, while the other was a black one. Shareen recognised the black Dalek immediately. "Doctor, that Dalek." she began, "It was at Torchwood."
"The Cult of Skaro." the Doctor realised
"Report." Dalek Caan demanded
"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution." Dalek Jast reported
"Scan him. Prepare for birth." Dalek Caan ordered
"Evolution?" the Doctor frowned
"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha wandered, noticing that Dalek Sec had smoke spewing from it's casing.
"Ask them." the Doctor instructed
"What, me?" Martha gaped. "Don't be daft!"
"I don't exactly wanna get noticed." the Doctor told her. "Ask them what's going on."
Martha took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Daleks, I demand to be told." she said, prompting the three bronze Daleks to turn to her. "What is this Final Experiment? Report!"
"You will bear witness." Dalek Caan answered
"To what?"
"This is the dawn of a new age."
"What does that mean?"
"We are the only four Daleks in existence, so the species must evolve a life outside the shell." Dalek Caan stated. "The Children of Skaro must walk again.
Dalek Sec stopped smoking then, and the light in it's eyestalk went out. It's casing opened to reveal a figure slumped over inside. The Doctor and the Humans could only watch in horror as the figure struggled out and began to stand.
"What is it?" Martha gasped
Shareen nearly threw up as she took in the figure's appearance. It was wearing Mr Diagoras' suit, but it's head and hands were a hideous mutation: resembling an octopus with a huge eye in the centre, slimy purple skin and tentacles sprouting out of the chin.
"I... am... a Human Dalek." the mutant drawled, it's voice sounding like Mr Diagoras. "I am your future."
To be continued...
Author's notes: And that's another chapter done. Once again, Shareen was fun to write in this episode. She gets to snark at people, attend a Broadway show and ends up seeing the Daleks again. Note that Shareen makes several pop culture references which I couldn't resist doing. I felt that it's in character for Shareen to make references like that. Not much else to say so I hope you enjoy the chapter and see ya next time for part 2.