Chapter 35: Evolution of the Daleks
Everyone watches the screen in anticipation. Rose shifts around so that she is sitting in Nine's lap, cuddled against his chest, with her legs stretched over Ten. She keeps hold of Ten's hand.
In the Dalek lab Sec states that the humans will become like him and orders the others to prepare them for hybridisation. The Doctor sneaks away behind some equipment while the pigmen grab the others. Martha protests loudly.
"Get off of her." Mickey and Jack snarl at the screen.
Happy Days are Here Again starts playing.
"What?" Most of the group look confused.
"I'm assuming that's you. Why would you start playing music?" Donna asks Ten.
"Why not." He shrugs.
Sec looks around and asks what the sound is. The Doctor emerges, putting the radio down by the bunsen burner, and saying that would be him.
"Of course it would." Sarah-Jane laughs.
He says 'hello', 'surprise', 'boo' and et cetera. Sec recognises him and one of the Daleks calls him the enemy of the Daleks.
"You'd better believe it." Nine mutters darkly, clutching Rose to him like a lifeline. He really was sick of those things always finding new ways to survive.
"To be fair, Rose kicked their asses pretty good too." Jack smirks over at Rose.
"They shouldn't mess with my Doctor then, should they?" Rose says haughtily. Then her expression breaks into a grin. Jack laughs.
Another one calls Exterminate but Sec orders them to wait.
"What?" Nine looks astonished.
The Doctor looks around at them distastefully before saying a new form of Dalek. He calls it fascinating and clever. Sec tells him the Cult of Skaro escaped his slaughter.
"Yes, I really will have to fix that this time around." Nine glares ferociously at Sec on the screen.
"We will. We'll find a way to beat them together." Rose assures him. He kisses the top of her head and then rests his cheek on her hair.
The Doctor asks how they ended up in 1930 and Sec tells him they used an emergency temporal shift. He laughs as he states it must have roasted up their power cells. He continues that once four Daleks could conquer the world and now they are skulking away in the dark and experimenting. He looks around and then back at Sec.
"He's already stopped them exterminating you once. Must you provoke them?" Donna complains.
"Oh yes." Ten gives her a wicked grin that sends a few shivers down her spine. She recalls exactly why she found him so scary to begin with.
Sec states he is Dalek in human form. The Doctor asks what it feels like. He asks if it's name is Sec and comments that he has a name and mind of his own. Then he asks what he is thinking right now. Sec tells him he feels humanity and then turns away.
"He asked what you were thinking, not feeling." Jack snarks. He has his own dislike of the Daleks given that they, sort of, killed him. Future him at least. It's their fault he ended up living for a ridiculous number of years.
The Doctor says that's good. Sec continues that he feels everything they wanted from mankind, ambition, hatred, aggression and war.
"I'm pretty sure you lot felt all of that already." Rose says.
"The Dalek earlier told Diagoras that his ambition to survive was thinking like a Dalek. They don't need humans for that." Sarah-Jane agrees.
The Doctor tells him that isn't what humanity means and Sec disagrees. He says that at heart the species is so very Dalek.
"Oi!" All of the humans protest loudly.
"We are nothing like you lot." Donna scowls.
"And we don't want to be." Jack adds.
Moving away from Sec, the Doctor asks what they have achieved and then yells nothing. He adds that he can show them what they are missing with the simple little radio. A Dalek asks what the purpose of that device is and the Doctor tells them it plays music. He scornfully asks what the point of that is. Then he tells you can dance to it.
"When you remember how, anyway." Rose grins at Nine.
"I did remember. Eventually." He protests.
Sing to it.
"Please don't. I've heard you sing." Donna tells him.
"I sing beautifully." Ten tells her, looking haughty.
"Keep telling yourself that." Martha mutters. Nine sniggers.
"I don't know what you're laughing at. I thought a cat was dying when I heard you sing." Rose tells him.
"You did not." He laughs, tickling her side. She giggles and squirms violently, trying to get away.
"Stop it." She manages to gasp out through her giggles.
"I don't think so." Nine smirks.
"Help!" She calls to Ten.
"Nope. I'm on his side." He laughs. Eventually Nine stops and Rose sits back up properly, fixing her hair. Then she slaps his arm and nudges Ten with her foot. Both of them look at her indignantly.
View switches to looking through the Dalek eyestalk as the Doctor looks right at it, saying you can fall in love to it. He backs up and says unless you are a Dalek in which case it's all just noise. The Doctor aims his sonic screwdriver at the little radio. It emits a shriek that hurts Sec and the Daleks, and the pigmen.
"Yeesh, that's an interesting noise." Donna winces.
He yells at everyone else to run. The prisoners escape and the Doctor follows them. The Daleks order the others to protect the hybrid. Martha leads the people through the sewers but Laszlo stays with the pigmen.
"Why would he stay behind?" Mickey asks. "I know he can't just wander around New York but anywhere is better than staying there."
A Dalek orders a status report and Sec tells it pain of the flesh like no Dalek has felt for thousands of years.
"Good for you." Jack snaps.
"It's part of being human so you'd better get used to it." Sarah-Jane remarks.
Another Dalek reports that the Doctor has escaped. Sec orders them to find him. The Dalek orders the pigmen to find the Doctor and adds that the prisoners must be recaptured.
"Yeah, I don't think so." Jack says.
"Why does he want the Doctor?" Donna asks. "Sec didn't seem to want to kill him." Everybody shrugs.
They run down the tunnel and Martha pauses at a choice of tunnels. The Doctor runs past her calling for them all to move. They run past Tallulah and he tells her to run as well. She asks what happened to Laszlo but Martha drags her along with them.
"Good thing they aren't very quick." Mickey notes.
"They can be." Rose tells him.
Laszlo hangs back as the pigmen and Daleks search the sewers. The Doctor leads the group to the ladder. He stands to the side and ushers everyone up. In the laboratory, Sec picks up the broken radio and strokes its Bakelite surface. The Dalek stand at the bottom of the ladder and one of them states that they have ascended.
"Oh good. Everyone made it out." Sarah-Jane sighs in relief.
"Laszlo isn't out yet." Rose reminds her.
"True but as one of the pigmen he has a much better chance of getting out than the rest of them." Jack points out.
It orders the pigmen to return to base. The pigmen leave and it then asks what the other Dalek thinks of Sec. It states that they were created to follow him and the first one states it has doubts. They check that they cannot be overheard and it agrees.
"Yeah, it seems like they don't like him becoming part human." Jack nods his head.
"I'm not surprised. Daleks have always thought themselves superior. Even on the verge of extinction they cannot imagine why being part human would be an advantage. Sec is one weird Dalek." Nine says.
The group arrives back in Hooverville. Solomon says that Daleks sound like the stuff of nightmares.
"They are." Ten agrees gravely. He absent-mindedly strokes Rose's ankle with his thumb.
He asks if they want to breed. The Doctor explains they are splicing themselves into human bodies and they have a farm of breeding stock in Hooverville. He tells Solomon to get them out. Solomon tells him that Hooverville is the lowest place a man can fall. There is nowhere else to go.
"Anywhere is better than there." Donna says exasperatedly.
"Did he not hear the part about getting turned into hybrid monsters?" Rose asks, throwing her free hand in the air in frustration.
The Doctor tells him they need to scatter. He suggests going down to the railroad or across the state just get out of New York. Solomon says there must be a way to reason with these things.
"Nope." Jack states firmly.
Martha and Frank both tell him there is not a chance. The Doctor says the Daleks are bad enough at any time but now they are vulnerable which makes them more dangerous then ever.
"That's when we always seem to find them." Rose complains.
"I'd rather we didn't find them at all." Nine mutters.
One of the lookouts hears a grunt. He uses a pair of binoculars and finally spots a pigman looks from behind a tree. He blows his whistle and runs as the pigmen break cover. He yells out that they are coming. Solomon states he must have seen something.
"You don't say." Donna rolls her eyes.
The sentry yells that the monsters are here. There is a flurry of activity and the Doctor states that it has started. Solomon yells that they are under attack and calls everyone to arms. Rifles are handed out and Frank says he is ready. He calls to the others to use anything as a weapon.
"It won't help. Might take out the pigmen but the Daleks won't be hurt by any of that." Jack says mournfully.
"So far only pigmen are on the way." Sarah-Jane says, trying to look on the bright side.
"They are looking for the Doctor. There is no way at least some of the Daleks won't be there." Mickey tells her.
Some people run away.
"That's not a good idea." Rose cringes.
Solomon yells at them to come back as it isn't safe out there. The pigmen get into the camp and start grabbing victims. Martha says they need to get out of the park and the Doctor points out they are on all sides. They are driving everyone back towards them. Tallulah calls out that they are all trapped. Solomon tells her they stand together. He orders everyone to gather around him. The armed men form a circle around the women, by the campfire.
"That's very gentlemanly of them but it will make no difference." Sarah-Jane says sadly.
Solomon declares they can't take all of them.
"Maybe not the pigmen alone. One Dalek could destroy all of you though." Ten sighs.
"Time for some more music?" Suggests Mickey.
"Won't be much help. It won't keep them down for long enough for everyone to escape." Nine tells him.
The shooting starts. Martha desperately hopes they can hold them off until daylight.
"I don't think daylight will do you much good." Jack says.
"But the public will be out and about then." She points out, despite knowing what happens.
"They won't care. Hooverville doesn't exist for them unless they have to live there." He tells her.
The Doctor tells her they are just the foot soldiers as he looks into the sky. She glances up and whispers 'oh my god' as she sees a Dalek flying towards them. Solomon asks what it is and someone replied it is a devil in the sky. Frank says they will see about that and shoots it. The bullet ricochets off and the Doctor tells him that won't work.
"Brave of him to try." Sarah-Jane smiles slightly.
In the lab Sec orders them to establish visual connection. The view from one of the Dalek's eyestalks comes up and he orders them to commence the attack. Martha calls out there is more than one of them and a second Dalek swoops in. They start firing, blowing up tents and other things.
"I thought they wanted to recapture the prisoners, not kill them all!" Jack exclaims.
"I think they are rounding them all up in the middle and trying to scare them." Donna frowns.
One of the Daleks orders them to surrender. The Doctor yells at them to leave the others alone as they have done nothing to them.
"Sadly, they don't need any provocation." Nine mutters, more to himself than anybody else.
The Dalek announces they have found the Doctor. Solomon steps forwards.
"Oh, no." Rose gasps softly.
"You can't reason with them, man." Jack groans.
"To him I guess it's worth a try. The other options really aren't that great anyway." Mickey points out.
The Doctor tells him to stay back. Solomon ignores him as he asks if he is right in thinking that he is addressing the Daleks. In the lab, Sec tells the remaining Dalek to observe. He states that for all their faults, humans have such courage. Solomon says to the Daleks they are outcasts too. The Doctor warns him not to.
"Definitely listen to the Doctor. If there was any way to reason with them, he'd have done it by now." Sarah-Jane winces.
"Where's Rose when ya need her? She's the Dalek charmer." Jack gives Rose a wink. She laughs at him but Nine holds her tighter, glaring at Jack to make sure he knows he didn't find jokes about such things funny.
Solomon tells him it's his township and to respect his authority.
"Your authority is going to get you killed." Donna rolls her eyes.
"Honestly, better dead than Dalek hybrid." Mickey tells her. She nods in agreement.
He asks him to let him try. Then he addresses the Dalek again asking if they ain't all the same.
"Nope. You're nothing alike. Be grateful for that." Nine mutters.
He asks if they ain't all kin underneath.
"Definitely not, thank you very much." Martha wrinkles her nose at such a prospect.
Solomon puts down his rifle.
"Well, it's not like it's any use anyway." Jack sighs.
Solomon continues speaking to them, pleading with them to work together for a better tomorrow. He states that if they have compassion in their hearts they will meet with them and stop the fight. He asks what they say to that.
"They don't have hearts. Not ones that feel compassion anyway." Rose winces, guessing what comes next.
A Dalek calls exterminate.
"Poor Solomon." Donna says sadly.
"He deserved so much better than that." Mickey agrees. Rose hides her face in Nine's chest.
Solomon dies screaming in a burst of green energy. Sec gasps at Solomon's pain, and the Dalek in the lab looks at him. Frank cries out and runs to Solomon's body. Martha cries that they shot him on the spot. The Doctor looks furiously at the body.
"Oh no. That's his 'I'm about to do something stupid' face." Jack cringes.
He mutters the word Daleks. Then he moves out in front of the people and yells at the Daleks to kill him if it will stop them attacking the people.
"Doctor! No!" Rose cries out, despite him being alive and right next to her.
"You know it won't stop them killing everyone else." Jack looks at Ten angrily. "You said it yourself, they won't stop until everyone is dead or a hybrid. Your death just means there is nobody to stop the Daleks." Ten looks at him and the look in his eyes sends chills down Jack's spine.
"They have taken everything from me. Everything!" He rages, voice breaking slightly. Rose's legs in his lap are the only things preventing him from standing up and pacing. As always she keeps him grounded. "They get to just keep coming back and maybe I'm just tired of it." The last few words come out as a whisper, the rage draining out of him as quickly as it came leaving nothing but pain. The pure agony in his voice stuns everyone. Suddenly Ten just broke down sobbing. All of the emotions that Rose had soothed down after watching Torchwood, broke over him again in vicious waves. Not only had they taken his home and his family, now they had taken Rose and they just got to keep on surviving. None of it was fair. A small part of him was embarrassed to have broken down in front of everyone yet again but for the most part he couldn't summon up enough energy to care. The pain was drowning him and he wanted to let it. He didn't want to feel anything anymore. Since coming here to watch all of this, he had been forced to confront all of the emotions he had spent centuries running from. Here, there was nowhere to run to, no place to get away from it all. Not even any adventures to offer a welcome distraction. Running might have been unhealthy but it kept him sane. Being confronted with it all was slowly killing him. Even with two hearts, there wasn't enough space for this many emotions.
Suddenly he felt something beside him moving. The weight in his lap disappeared and then was replaced by something heavier. Struggling to see through the tears that blinded him, he vaguely made out the shape of a person. He realised Rose had moved to sit on his lap and she was hugging him so tightly it was as if she was trying to hold him together with her bare hands. Automatically his arms moved to encircle her in return and he buried his face in her shoulder. He didn't know how long they stayed like that but eventually he managed to match his breathing to hers, listening to her heartbeat calmed him down. He took a last few shuddering breaths and then looked up. Rose was watching him intently, those beautiful eyes swirling with concern and sorrow and love. He swallowed.
"Sorry about that." He murmurs. His voice is low and scratchy.
"You have nothing to apologise for." She tells him, equally quietly. Taking a quick look around, he saw that everyone else had moved over to the food table on which dinner had suddenly appeared. She cupped his face in both hands and tenderly kissed his forehead. The small, intimate gesture filled him with warmth. He gave her a smile, that probably looked more like a grimace, and hugged her again.
"Thank you." He tells her, putting as much sincerity into his voice as he could.
"Of all people, you deserve a melt down or two." She says.
"I'm a Time Lord, I shouldn'..." She cut him off.
"A Time Lord should if he's been through as much as you have. I'm pretty sure one breakdown every few hundred years is allowed." She states firmly. He gave a light chuckle. "Now, any more talk of dying though, or deliberately getting yourself killed and I'll murder you myself regeneration or not." She adds, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Yes, Ma'am." He gives her a salute and she doesn't look impressed. Then her stomach grumbles, ruining her menacing expression and he bursts out laughing. Rose glares even harder and gets up, pulling him with her by the hand. Together they head over to join the others.
Once everyone was done eating, they all look nervously over at Ten.
"Let's keep watching. I'm ok now." He tells them all softly. Some look a bit dubious.
"If he says he's fine then he's fine." Rose snaps. That gets them moving back to the couches. He gives her a grateful look. They settle back into their original places except Sarah-Jane comes to sit beside Ten who has Rose's legs back in his lap.
The Dalek states it will be the destroyer of their greatest enemy. He yells at it to do it.
Rose flinches again at the pain in his voice and how badly he wants it to kill him. Nine whispers soothingly to her. He had watched his counterpart's breakdown with some level of detachment. Of course he was equally furious that the Daleks kept coming back and terrified that he will lose Rose to them eventually just because there are only so many times you can get lucky even when you know the future. Yet, the simple knowledge that he did have Rose and that they did know at least some of the future gave him more hope than he had ever had before. It was that hope that he clung too that stopped him having a similar breakdown himself.
It calls out exterminate but Sec commands it to stop. The Dalek is confused, stating it is the Doctor.
The rest of the room looked confused too. Obviously they knew he had survived but the fact that one Dalek had stopped another from killing him? That was beyond weird.
Sec says he wants the Doctor alive. The Dalek says the urge to kill is too strong. Sec states that he has decided that the Doctor must live. He commands them to obey. The Dalek states that it will obey. The Doctor asks what is going on and Sec demands they bring him to the lab. The Dalek orders him to follow. Martha yells out 'no' and runs forwards. The Doctor tells her he has to. He points out that the Daleks changed their minds and they never do that. Martha asks what about the rest of them. The Doctor turns back to the Dalek and says that he will go with them if they spare the lives of everyone there. Sec agrees. The Dalek states that the humans will be spared and then orders the Doctor to follow. Martha says she will come.
"No!" Mickey yelps. "Bad idea."
"I agree with Ricky. They want him alive, not you. They agreed to spare the humans if I go with them, but there will be nothing stopping them killing you in the lab." Nine says.
"Besides, people are hurt and you're a doctor." Rose reminds her.
The Doctor tells her to stay and help people who are hurt. He says thank you very much. He takes her hand in his, and winks, then leaves with the Daleks. He has given her his psychic paper.
"What did you give her that for?" Sarah-Jane frowns.
"The Dalekanium is still on the Empire State Building. It could get her in there but how did you know about that?" Jack asks.
"We overheard the Daleks in the tunnels say the Dalekanium is in place. Given what they need there was only one place that could be." Nine reminds him when it becomes obvious Ten isn't going to speak.
The Dalek in the lab asks why Sec spared the Doctor. He replied that the Doctor is a genius and that the future of the Daleks might well depend on the Doctor.
"Well that's not a good state to be in." Donna mutters. Seeing the looks she is getting she quickly clarifies. "I mean it would be for pretty much anyone else but I can't see him exactly going out of his way to save them."
"No but I could see him doing it if it saved people." Jack shrugs.
People are throwing water on the remaining burning tents. Martha is wrapping a man's wrist in a bandage as Tallulah enters with a pan of hot water. She says she has some more water on the boil. Martha thanks her and tells the man he will be alright. She suggests he keeps it clean. He thanks her and leaves. Tallulah asks what they do now.
"Hopefully work out you need to be at the Empire State Building. I'm wondering what possible clues could be around now." Mickey frowns.
"They could ask about what other jobs Diagoras hired people for. He probably had people work on the Building at some point." Sarah-Jane suggests.
Martha pulls the paper out of her pocket and says the Doctor must have had a reason for giving it to her. Tallulah asks what it's for and she says it gets you into buildings and things.
Nine lets out a dramatic groan. "It does so much more than that!" He tells her. Martha rolls her eyes realising he is joking.
She realises he wants her to go somewhere but doesn't know where. The Doctor is escorted into the lab. He yells at Sec that the people were defenceless. He continues that they only wanted him but that wasn't good enough, they had to start killing because it's the only thing Daleks are good for. Sec agrees the deaths were wrong.
"What?" Everybody except Ten exclaims loudly.
"Did he just..?" Nine looks at his future self in astonishment.
"He's the one who ordered them to commence the attack." Donna points out in confusion.
The Doctor is confused and Sec says that Solomon showed courage. The Doctor asks if that is good and he says it is excellent.
"Definitely got a bit of human in him then." Jack watches the screen with wide eyes.
The Doctor asks if it is him or if Sec is becoming a little more human.
"The other Daleks will not like that. They barely listen to his command as it is." Sarah-Jane frowns.
Sec points out the Doctor is the last of his kind and he is the first of his. The Doctor asks what he wants him for. Sec tells him they tried everything to survive, originally they tried growing new Dalek embryos.
"Oh, is that what the icky green thing was?" Rose asks. Both Doctors smile in amusement although Ten's smile looks rather more brittle.
"Yep." Nine tells her.
The Doctor scathingly tells them he found one of the experiments left to die in the dark. Sec says it forced them to conclude that the greatest resource on the planet is its people.
"Oi! We ain't resources you ugly octopus head." Donna scowls furiously. Jack tries to hide his snicker of amusement.
Sec throws a breaker switch and lights up the whole place. Floating above them are hundreds of covered bodies on stretchers. Sec brings one down for inspection. He admits they stole human beings for their purpose.
"So not encouraging the Doctor to help you." Mickey mutters.
"No but he's encouraging me to punch him right in the stupid eyeball." Donna mutters back. Jack does laugh this time and she glares at him.
"So many people." Rose gasps, horrified.
The Doctor uncovers a man's face. Sec tells him this is the true extent of the Final Experiment. The Doctor asks if he is dead. Sec says he is near death and his mind has been wiped ready to be filled with new ideas. The Doctor states Dalek ideas. Sec corrects the human Dalek race. He asks how many people. Sec admits they have caverns other than this one holding more than a thousand.
"A thousand?" Sarah-Jane whispers, covering her mouth in horror.
"So many." Nine laments sadly. He hugs Rose tightly, desperately trying to keep hold of his hope.
The Doctor asks if there is any way to restore them but is told that everything they were has been lost.
"So they've killed over a thousand people plus the pig men and nobody cared!" Donna screeches. "I don't care if they are from Hooverville or not, how does nobody care about that many people going missing?" Nobody has an answer for her.
The Doctor says they are like shells, empty human beings ready to be converted. He points out that it will take a hell of a lot of power and asks how they are going to do it. Sec orders them to open the conductor plans.
"The gamma strike. It sounds like they have the plan all ready. What do they need the Doctor for?" Sarah-Jane wonders.
"I'm just glad they need him for anything." Rose mumbles to herself.
In a tent, Martha paces, looking at the psychic paper. Then she remembers the conversation in the sewers about an energy converter. Tallulah asks what that means but Martha isn't sure. She guesses a lightning conductor before recalling the Dalekanium. Tallulah asks where it would be and Martha suggests they ask Frank.
"Nice work." Mickey grins at her.
"I'm impressed you remember what they actually said." Donna agrees.
Frank is in mourning.
"Poor guy." Martha sighs.
They ask him what jobs Diagoras got them and Frank tells them he did anything. Building work paid the best. She asks what sort of building work and he says mainly building that, pointing over his shoulder at the Empire State Building.
"There ya go." Jack smiles happily.
"Now they need a way to find the Dalekanium and get it off." Nine points out. "And quickly."
In the lab, the Doctor is being shown an image of the building. He comments he already worked out they were underneath it. Sec explains they need an energy converter as he is the genetic template. They plan to use gamma radiation from the sun to splice the Dalek and human genetic codes which would wake up the bodies. The Doctor points out he doesn't know what they need him for. Sec states he is a genius.
"Oh boy. Not him too." Donna rolls her eyes. Nine gives her a smirk.
Sec tells him to consider a pure Dalek, intelligent but emotionless. The Doctor points out their creator thought removing emotions made them stronger. Sec states he was wrong.
Nine chokes on air. "He said what? This is the most bizarre couple of hours I've ever lived through and that's saying something."
The Doctor looks at him in amazement asking he said what. Sec says it makes them lesser than their enemies. They must return to the flesh and the heart.
"There is no way the others will stand for this, leader or not." Nine mutters.
"Hopefully they'll kill him and stop the experiment." Jack says.
"I'm never that lucky."
The Doctor points out they wouldn't be supreme beings anymore and Sec replied that is good.
"How did you not fall over from sheer shock?" Nine looks at Ten, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
"It was a close thing." Ten replied in a quiet voice.
A dalek interrupts to say that is incorrect.
"There we go. Something normal." Jack sighs.
Another adds that Daleks are supreme. Sec says not anymore. The Dalek argues that that is their purpose. Sec shouts that their purpose must be wrong. He points out their quest for supremacy has led them to hiding in sewers on a primitive planet. He states that if they do not change now then they deserve extinction.
"Aaaand it's back to the what the heck is going on?" Donna groans.
"They still deserve extinction." Mickey snarls. Nine stares at the screen, completely conflicted. He tried to save as many lives as he could and this Dalek was trying to change for the better. He should encourage that and yet...Daleks. Every fibre of his being told him to eradicate them all before they could take more from him.
"The others won't change. I'm pretty sure the only thing keeping them from killing Sec is their need to obey orders but even that won't last much longer." Sarah-Jane says in agreement.
The Doctor says that Sec wants to change everything that makes a Dalek a Dalek. Sec agrees, if the Doctor can help him.
"That ugly octopus head killed over a thousand humans for this and didn't care one bit! He hasn't changed that much." Donna points out furiously.
In a lift, Martha says she always wanted to go to the Empire State Building but she never imagined it quite like this. Frank asks where they are headed and she tells him they are going to the top where they are still building. Tallulah wants to know how those guys just let them through. Martha explains that the paper shows them whatever she wants, according to the paper they are two engineers and an architect.
"Who's who?" Mickey asks with a grin. Martha just shrugs.
"I didn't bother to check."
In the lab Sec tells the Doctor that his knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than theirs.
"Oh please. Stop boosting that ego." Donna complains dramatically.
"Yeah, Sec really doesn't know what he's doing, does he." Rose plays along.
"He's not the one who has to listen to the whole 'Time Lords are the best' speech every day." Martha puts in.
"Oi! Watch it." Nine mock glares at all of them and then he puts his fingers threateningly near Rose's rib cage. She narrows her eyes at him and he smirks triumphantly.
Sec continues that the new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts. The Doctor says he thought Sec was the genetic template so they should be getting a dose of him. Sec says he wants to change the sequence. The Doctor asks if he wants to make them more human and he agrees. They need the human ability to survive. The Doctor points out the others won't let him do it. Sec states he is their leader.
"Yeah but they listen to Dalek orders. You are no longer pure Dalek." Rose points out.
"The one at Van Statten's listened to your orders." Mickey points out.
"Yeah but that was different, it wanted to and there were no other Daleks to give it orders." She reminds him. "There are still three pure Daleks there."
The Doctor asks the remaining Daleks if that is enough for them. They agree that Daleks must follow orders. Sec tells him that if he doesn't help then nothing will change.
"To be honest, it's not like making them part human will definitely make them good. Look at humans like Cassandra and Hitler." Donna says.
The Doctor says there is no room on Earth for another race of people. Sec tells him to use the TARDIS to take them somewhere the new Daleks can start again. He asks when the solar flare is due. Sec tells him eleven minutes and he says he'd better get to work then.
"You're going to do it?" Sarah-Jane asks although she's not overly surprised. He always tried to save people where he could.
"I had to believe change was possible." Ten tells her with a small smile.
The group arrives in the office and Tallulah exclaims it's the top of the world. Martha goes to the drawing board with the blueprints on it saying this looks good. Frank spots that the designs were issued today so something must have changed last minute. Martha sees that the ones underneath were from before so suggests they compare the two. Tallulah heads off and Martha tells her to be careful. She says she just wants to see. She goes to an open area and looks out over the city.
"That is one hell of a view." Rose murmurs in awe.
"Yes it is." Donna agrees.
Tallulah says that if aliens had to come to Earth it's no wonder they came here.
"I get her point but it was completely accidental." Martha laughs.
In the lab the Doctor says they need to split the genome and force the Dalek human sequence right into the cortex. Sec states they need more chromatin solution and one Dalek informs him the pig slaves have it. Some come in carrying crates. The Doctor asks what happens to them in the grand plan. Sec tells him they are simple beasts with a limited lifespan, none live longer than a few weeks.
"You did that to them!" Donna points out angrily. "You still don't get what it means to be human."
As he orders the Dalek to power up the line feeds, the Doctor goes over to Laszlo. He whispers that he can't undo what's been done to him but he will make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else. Laszlo asks if he trusts him.
"I might possibly trust that one ugly dude but not the others. I wouldn't trust them any more than I could throw them." Jack mutters.
"Definitely not."
The Doctor says that he knows one man can change the course of the universe and he has to believe it's possible. In the office, the blueprints are spread out on the floor. Tallulah comes back in. A storm is brewing. Frank says he will keep an eye out and make sure they are safe. He leaves and Tallulah mentions there is a storm moving in. Martha wishes the Doctor was there as he would know what they were looking for.
"You've been doing pretty damn well so far." Sarah-Jane tells her kindly.
"I'm sure you'll get there eventually." Mickey tells her, giving her a sideways hug.
Tallulah asks where he and Martha first hooked up.
"We didn't 'hook up'." Nine mutters petulantly.
"She meant where did you two first meet, idiot." Donna rolls her eyes.
Martha says it was in a hospital, sort of.
"What's the sort of? You did meet in a hospital. I mean, sure, said hospital ended up on the moon, but it was still a hospital." Jack laughs.
Tallulah says of course as he's a Doctor. Martha says she is a doctor, kind of. Tallulah seems surprised and asks if she is really a physician. Martha says she is still training if she ever gets back home and Tallulah suggests they could be Doctors together.
"Not that kind of a Doctor." Ten sighs.
"No but you are actually very good at being that kind of Doctor so quit complaining." Rose nudges him in the side with her toe.
She continues it's a shame he is so different.
Everyone except the Doctors gives out a laugh.
"You have noooo idea." Jack snickers.
Martha tells her she has no idea how different he really is. Tallulah states he is a man and that's different enough.
All the women snigger at that.
Martha pauses and then says he had this companion a while back, a friend, and since then he's been on his own. She continues that sometimes she says or does something and it's like he's not not seeing her, just remembering.
Nine sighs loudly but Sarah-Jane gives Martha a sympathetic look. Rose kisses Nine to stop him saying anything. At first he's too surprised to react but then kisses her back and forgets whatever he was going to say.
Tallulah has no sympathy, asking if she wants to get all sad and have a contest with her and Laszlo.
Jack coughs to hide a laugh.
"Yeah, I feel very sorry for them, especially if he's only got a few days left to live. He was taken a couple of weeks ago." Donna points out sadly.
Martha tells her that if the Doctor is with Laszlo now there is every chance he could get him out. Tallulah asks and then what. She says there is no future between them. The Daleks took away the one good thing in her life and destroyed it. Tallulah walks off
"Can relate to that." Nine mutters, finally paying attention again.
A Dalek announces the line feeds are ready. The Doctor says it's all systems go and Sec announces that the solar flare is imminent. The Doctor tells him they will be ready for it. The Doctor fills a large syringe with blue liquid and puts it into a brass still. He says the compound will allow the gene bonds to reconfigure in a brand new pattern. A pigman throws up one set of breakers and Laszlo does the other. Sec orders them to start the line feeds. The liquid goes up plastic tubes to all the bodies hanging above them. It has got lots of bubbles in it. The Doctor announces that there goes the gene solution.
"This is going too well. Everything's about to go to hell." Jack frowns at the screen.
In the office Martha finally spots some lines that are new. Tallulah comes over asking what they've added. They look at each other and say Dalekanium at the same time. In the lab a klaxon sounds.
"Oh there we go. You had to jinx it." Donna jabs Jack in the side with her elbow.
"Ow, woman, that hurts!" He complains. "And I didn't jinx it, these always go to hell at the end."
The Doctor asks what that is and Sec asks if there is a malfunction. The Doctor realises they are overriding the gene feed. Sec says they cannot disobey orders but the Dalek aims its guns at the Doctor and tells him to step away from the controls. Sec orders them not to fire but the Dalek states he is an enemy of the Daleks and then declares Sec one too.
"Saw that one coming." Mickey mutters.
Sec states that he is their commander but the Dalek replies that he has lost his authority and the other Dalek states that he is no longer a Dalek. The Doctor asks what they have done to the gene feed and it tells him they will be one hundred percent Dalek. Sec tells them they can't do this.
"I think they are doing it, mate." Donna rolls her eyes. "Considering we can see you do have a brain I suggest using it."
A Dalek orders the pigmen to restrain Sec and the Doctor. Laszlo grabs the Doctor. Sec orders them to release him as he is their master. Another alarm sounds and the lift is coming down. A Dalek announces the solar flare is approaching. Laszlo whispers to the Doctor the lift is there. He replied after him and they make a break for it. The Doctor uses the sonic to open the doors. The Dalek orders the pigmen to stop him but he uses the sonic again and the doors slam in their faces.
"Nice. Good job Laszlo stayed behind then." Rose smiles.
"Yep and now Martha knows where the Dalekanium is so the Doctor can get it down." Jack grins.
In the lift, the Doctor says they need to get to the top of the building and then realises Laszlo is slumped against the wall and panting heavily. He asks what is wrong and Laszlo claims to be out of breath.
"Oh." Sarah-Jane realises. "He's dying."
Laszlo says that they have escaped and that's all that matters. Pigmen push Sec to his knees before the rest of the Cult of Skaro. Sec says they have betrayed him. One Dalek states that he told them to imagine and the other continues that they imagined his irrelevance.
Unable to help himself Jack snorts with laughter. Mickey and Donna quickly follow. Trying to conceal their laughter just makes them laugh harder. Eventually they manage to get themselves back under control
Sec stands up saying he was their leader and orders them to obey him. The lift arrives at the office. Tallulah says she never thought she'd see him again and hugs Laszlo. Martha tells the Doctor they've worked it out and there is Dalekanium on the mast. Then she grins and says it's good to see him too by the way. He sweeps her off her feet in a hug.
"Time limit." Nine reminds them.
"You always have time for a hug." Rose scoffs.
The lift doors shut and the Doctor tries to open them saying never waste time with a hug. Then he states it is a deadlock seal and he can't stop it. Martha asks where it is going and he tells her it's going back to the Daleks and they aren't just going to leave them alone up there.
"Fantastic." Jack groans.
He asks for the time and Frank glances at a clock before telling him. He says there is six minutes to go and he needs to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits. Tallulah asks what that is. They run to the open area and look out. The Doctor comments that it is very high.
"Are you afraid of heights?" Rose asks him curiously.
"Nope, course not." Nine replied unconvincingly.
Martha tells him they have to go even higher. They look up the wooden ladder as she tells him there are three pieces of Dalekanium on the base. He says it's just him. Martha states she isn't going to just stand there and watch. He tells her she'll have her hands full as she needs to fight.
"You've gotta be down to about five minutes now." Sarah-Jane says nervously.
"Yeah but I only have one sonic screwdriver, there would be nothing she could do anyway." Nine points out.
"Is there not a drill around somewhere? That's what they were using before." Rose frowns.
"No time to be searching." Nine shrugs.
Sec has been chained to a wall. One Dalek asks the other to confirm time until solar intercept. The other one says four minutes.
"Even better." Rose groans.
The Doctor makes his way up the scaffolding and ironwork to the mast. He uses his sonic screwdriver to unfasten the Dalek panels from the lightning conductor. The lift arrives downstairs and the Dalek orders the pig slaves to take the lift and kill the Doctor. In the office, the four of them have all grabbed some form of weapon and Frank laments that he didn't bring the gun.
"I don't think Laszlo is going to be in much shape to fight." Donna mutters regretfully.
"Probably not." Jack agrees.
Laszlo tells Tallulah and Martha to stay back as the pig slaves are trained to kill.
"So are Daleks. Even more so in fact." Rose points out.
"You know it's bad when pigmen are the better option to fight." Mickey grimaces.
Martha says the Doctor needs her to fight so she isn't going anywhere. Laszlo reminds her they are savages and they are trained to slit throats with their bare teeth. Then he falls sideways. Tallulah asks what it is and he says it's nothing.
"It's clearly not nothing." Donna rolls her eyes.
Tallulah states he is burning up and asks what's wrong. Frank mutters they are one man down and the fight hasn't started yet. Martha says it isn't looking good and he agrees. She states they are going to get slaughtered.
"Way to stay positive." Mickey gives a strained laugh and pulls Martha tighter to him.
Thunder and lightning over the city. Martha has an idea related to lightning. The Doctor gets the first panel off the mast.
"It's taken you this long to get one off?" Rose asks in horror.
"You'll never finish in time." Jack states worriedly. Ten doesn't reply.
Frank and Martha get sections of metal scaffolding and use chairs to trail them in from outside. Tallulah tries to reassure Laszlo before asking what the other two are doing. Martha explains her idea.
"Brilliant." Jack grins at Martha.
"Definitely better than trying to fight them." Mickey agrees, feeling relieved.
Tallulah exclaims that that could work. Frank tells her to give them a hand then. In the lab the Dalek states the gamma strike is imminent. It starts counting back from forty. The Doctor drops his sonic screwdriver. He reaches for it but can't catch it.
"Oh god!" Rose cries out.
"He was never going to get them off in time anyway. It took him a couple of minutes to do one." Sarah-Jane points out hopelessly.
Martha has set up a line of metal from the lightning conductor to the lift doors. Tallulah asks if it will work and Martha says it has to. Frank reports that he has it all piped up to the scaffolding outside. Martha gathers them all round telling them to sit in the middle and not to touch anything metal.
"That lift has great timing." Jack mutters.
The Doctor yells as he tries to pull the panel off with his bare hands and can't do it. The Dalek counts down from ten. The Doctor gives up trying to pull the Dalek panel off and looks at the top of the mast. The lift reaches floor 90. He climbs onto the mast and holds on.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rose yells at Ten. "It'll kill you."
"Na. It's harder to kill me than that." He tries to keep his tone light.
The lift arrives. The Dalek calls out zero and announces the gamma strike. The lightning hits the top of the mast and lights up the Doctor, who screams.
Everyone flinches and Rose buries her face in Nine's chest, trying to also block out the terrible sound.
The electricity flows down the conductor, along the scaffolding poles and straight into the pigmen in the lift. The rest of it arcs down the outside of the building and into the laboratory. The Dalek states that the army awakens. The stretchers are all lowered and the people push their shrouds aside. In the office, the lightning stops and the pigmen are all dead. Tallulah exclaims that she did it but Martha says they used to be people like Laszlo and she killed them. Laszlo tells her the Daleks killed them. Then she remembers the Doctor and runs off, Frank behind her. The Doctor is lying by the mast, very still.
Rose nudges Ten with her foot to remind herself he is still alive. He squeezes her hand and gives her a smile which she returns with a glare. He has no room to complain about me doing stupid things she thinks to herself.
The people are all lined up in front of the Daleks. The Dalek orders them to identify and the foreman states he is a Dalek. The other Dalek orders them to begin the invasion of Manhattan. It says the population will be converted to Daleks and they will conquer the world. It orders them to assume battle positions and take arms. The people turn left, start marching on the spot then move out to a rack where they each collect a Dalek weapon.
"Oh great. They even get Dalek weapons. That makes it even harder." Jack groans.
Martha and Frank make it up to the mast and find the Doctor still lying there. She tells him she found the screwdriver half way down and tells him he is getting careless.
"He most definitely is." Rose scowls.
Then he groans and mumbles about his head.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure getting electrocuted like that should at least give you a headache." Jack snorts.
Martha laughs and says hi. He states that she survived then. She points out so did he just about. Then she says she notices there is still Dalekanium attached. He sits up quickly. The mutated people march through the sewers. In the lab a Dalek announces that it will be the designated controller. Sec says that was to be his position.
"They've renounced you as a Dalek, they ain't gonna let you be their war controller." Mickey rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, he seems much less intelligent than we first thought." Martha agrees.
The Daleks say he is unfit. The new controller orders them to connect it to the military computer and it will coordinate all units. In the office, the group look out over Manhattan as the Doctor says they will have gone to a war footing. Laszlo asks how they stop them and he replies there is only one chance as he got in the way and the radiation went through him first. Martha asks what that means.
"I'm going to guess that means there is now a bit of Time Lord DNA in them." Jack says, looking over at Ten who nods.
"Sooo, part Dalek, part Time Lord in a human body?" Donna frowns. "And I thought it couldn't get weirder."
The Doctor says they need to draw fire so he can face them. He says they need a safe space and then calls Tallulah's name. She says that's her with three Ls and an H.
Everyone gives a laugh.
He asks if she can get them inside the theatre and she says she doesn't see why not. Then he asks if there is another lift and Martha tells him they came up in the service elevator. He says that'll do. The controller Dalek is linked into the computer by lots of cables. The other one asks for a status report and it says it is ready for full scale war.
"Just perfect." Nine sighs.
The Dalek asks if it has control over Dalek humans which is confirmed. It orders weapons to be primed. The people stop, and lock and load the guns. The group makes it to the theatre and the Doctor says it should do. Tallulah comments there isn't anything more creepy than a theatre in the dark.
"Really? It's not even the creepiest thing you've seen today." Mickey laughs incredulously.
"She has a point though." Rose tells him.
"All those things you've seen and you think a dark theatre is creepy?" Nine asks her in amusement. She nods, daring him to laugh.
Laszlo sits down. She asks what's wrong and he says nothing.
"That's still not convincing." Sarah-Jane sighs.
He continues that it is so hot. Tallulah says it's freezing. She asks the Doctor what is wrong with him but he is busy. Martha asks what he is doing and he explains that if the Daleks are going to war they will want to find him. He's just telling them where he is. He holds his sonic screwdriver in the air, beeping. In the lab the controller Dalek announces that he has detected a sonic device. They order the Dalek humans to find him and kill him.
"I think almost dying once is enough for one day." Rose tells him weakly.
"Anything less than twice is just boring." He grins. She does not smile back.
The Doctor tells Martha to go and that Frank can take her back to Hooverville. She tells him she isn't going. He says it is an order and she asks if he is some sort of Dalek.
"OI!" Nine scowls at her furiously. "Sorry for bloody trying to keep you alive."
The doors are broken down and the people march in from both sides. Tallulah calls out to the Doctor and then says she guesses that is them then. Martha asks if they are humans with Dalek DNA and the Doctor grabs Frank telling them to stay calm and not antagonize them. Laszlo asks where the Daleks are.
"I'm sure they are coming. They wouldn't miss this." Jack says.
In the lab a Dalek locates the Doctor and they advance. There is an explosion on stage. The two Daleks appear, with Sec on a chain and crawling on his hands and knees, like a dog. The Dalek demands the Doctor stand before the Daleks. The Doctor walks forward over the top of the seats. It states he will die and it is the beginning of a new age. Another once states that Earth will become the New Skaro.
"No thank you." Mickey says lightly.
"We'd rather keep Planet Earth thanks." Rose agrees.
The Doctor says what a world with anything different ground into the dirt. He states that he used to be Dalek Sec. The cleverest Dalek ever and look what they did to him.
"I dunno. He didn't seem all that smart in the end." Donna muses.
"The Doctor is supposed to be one of the most intelligent creatures in the universe and he's completely stupid sometimes too." Rose shrugs.
"Hey!" The Doctors complain.
"You were doing so well and then you ruined it." Nine tells her sadly.
"She's not wrong." Jack smirks. Both Doctors turn to mock glare at him.
He asks if that is their new Empire, if that is the foundation for a whole new civilisation. Sec tells the Dalek humans to remember that if they choose death and destruction then death and destruction will choose them. A Dalek states that is incorrect and they always survive.
"Isn't that the bloody truth." Nine mutters darkly.
Another Dalek says that they will now destroy their greatest enemy and Sec tries to tell them that he can help.
"Yeah, I don't see him helping them now. They certainly aren't going to change." Mickey says matter of factly.
The Dalek states that the Doctor must die. Sec begs them not too. The Dalek calls exterminate and Sec stands in front of it just as it fires. Sec dies.
"What the hell? A Dalek just saved the Doctor?" Jack says while everybody else stares at the screen in amazement.
"How in the world does this day just keep getting weirder?" Rose asks nobody in particular.
The Doctor disgustedly tells them that they just destroyed the only creature who might have led them out of the darkness. He turns to the people and asks if they saw what the Daleks did. He asks if they see what a Dalek really is. The controller Dalek warns that the Dalek humans are showing increased serotonin levels. The Doctor says that if he is going to die they should let the new boys have a shot. Give them their first blood and baptise them.
"You really, really need to stop telling them to kill you." Rose growls.
The Dalek orders them to aim which they do. He asks what they are waiting for. The Dalek gives the order.
Everybody except the Doctors and Martha tense up.
The Doctor tenses, but nothing happens. The Daleks tell them to exterminate and obey. Martha points out they aren't firing and asks what he has done. The Daleks keep screaming for them to obey and the foreman asks why. The Dalek states that Daleks do not question orders and he asks why again.
"Of all the parts of your DNA to inherit, it would be the stubborn part." Rose rolls her eyes in amusement.
"At least they didn't get the gob." Donna laughs.
It orders him to stop this. He looks towards the Doctor and asks why. It tells him not to question and he replies that it is not their master and that they are not Daleks. The Doctor agrees, saying they never will be. He turns back to the Daleks on stage and says he got in the way of the lightning strike so Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. He winks and says just that little bit of freedom. The Dalek states that if they will not obey then they will die and he kills the foreman.
"Of course!" Nine cries in frustration. "It's different so it dies."
The Doctor yells for everyone to get down and they take cover behind the seats. The Daleks and hybrids fire at each other. Eventually both Daleks are destroyed. The group stands back up and the Doctor tells the hybrids they did it, they are free. The remaining Dalek states that the Dalek humans are failures and orders them to destruct.
"NO!" Nine cries out again. They were just free.
There is a high-pitched sound. The mutants clutch their heads then die. The Doctor yells that they can't.
Both Doctors bow their heads in sorrow as Nine wonders exactly how many genocides he is going to have to witness.
Martha asks what that was. The Doctor says the Daleks killed them rather than let them live. They killed an entire species. Genocide. Laszlo points out only two of the Daleks were destroyed so the other must be alive.
"Of bloody course." Donna throws her hands in the air in disgust.
The Doctor says yes, in the whole universe there is just one. He goes to the lab and asks now what. It says he will be exterminated. The Doctor dismisses this, asking the Dalek's name. It tells him it is Dalek Caan. He tells Caan his entire species was wiped out and now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated, leaving just that one. He states that he has seen one genocide today and he won't cause another. The Doctor offers to help him.
"Wow, Doctor." Rose breathes out heavily. It really took someone special to offer help after all of that. She squeezed Ten's hand and rested her head on Nine's chest, his head on top of hers.
The Dalek uses an emergency temporal shift. The cables fall off and the Dalek disappears. He growls in frustration.
"Oh fantastic! Now it could have gone anywhere." Nine groans.
Martha calls for the Doctor, saying he is sick. Tallulah and Martha help the wheezing Laszlo. Martha tries to tell him he's alright and then she tells the Doctor his heart is racing like mad and she's never seen anything like it.
"I'm not sure that's the definition of alright." Jack says mildy.
"He'll be alright because the Doctor is there." Sarah-Jane states confidently.
Tallulah asks what it is and Laszlo tells her he is dying. She asks the Doctor if he can do anything and he tells her to watch him. He tells Laszlo to hold on as there have been way too many deaths today and he won't have one more death. He moves around the lab, working with coloured liquids and then tells Tallulah to move out of the way because the Doctor is in as he pulls out a stethoscope.
"I thought you couldn't reverse what the Daleks did to him?" Donna frowns.
"I couldn't but I could make sure he didn't die." Ten tells her.
They stand in the park as Frank comes over and says that he spoke to them, saying what Solomon would have said. He reckoned he shamed one or two of them. The Doctor asks what they said and he replied that they said yes. They will give Laszlo a home. He adds that people will stare and he can't promise he will be at peace in the end, Hooverville is for those who ain't got anywhere else to go.
"Frank really is a good guy." Sarah-Jane smiles.
"He'll make a good leader." Martha agrees.
Laszlo says he can't thank him enough and Tallulah hugs him. Back on the island, Martha asks the Doctor if he thinks those two will work. He says he doesn't know. Anywhere else in the universe he might worry about them but it's what New York is good at.
"True." Jack agrees.
Martha calls them the pig and the showgirl.
Everyone laughs.
The Doctor grins. Martha says it just proves there is someone out there for everyone. His smile fades and he mutters maybe, before heading back to the TARDIS.
"I'm sure there is." Donna smiles, throwing a quick side long look at Jack. She's grateful he doesn't seem to notice.
As he gets the key out of his pocket Martha apologises. He asks what for and she says because the Dalek got away and she knows what that meant to him. She asks if he thinks he will ever see it again and he agrees. They go into the TARDIS and he looks out of the door before saying one day. The screen goes black.
"Maybe we should take a break for today." Sarah-Jane suggests tentatively.
"Yeah, I'm knackered." Rose agrees quickly.
"Cool! Who's up for some games?" Mickey grins and jumps up. Everybody agrees with varying degrees of willingness. As they stand up, Nine pulls Rose in for a kiss. When he pulls back, she wraps her arms around his waist and leans into his chest.
"I kinda wish we could stay here forever." She confesses.
"Me too." He agrees to her surprise. "But it would get boring eventually."
"I'm sure between you two and Jack, you can keep us all entertained." She grins. He gives her a lopsided smile in return.
"Come on you two lovebirds. No getting out of playing." Mickey yells at them from the table where he is setting up what appears to be monopoly. Rose and Nine stare at each other.
"We'd better get over there before he drags us over." Rose laughs. He nods his agreement but as she goes to pull away from him he pulls her back and looks into her eyes. His are such a stunning shade of blue.
"I love you, Rose Tyler." He said quietly. Rose feels like her cheeks will split with the smile those words cause.
"I love you too, my Doctor."
