Having gone through the translated pages of Prospero's family book since that day, Paul's learnt quite a bit that helped him understand the elusive Drekker far better than he did before, but it didn't answer the biggest question he had, still.

It wasn't only Prospero's ancestors becoming the tarry fiends, others in their village were chosen as well, from women to men, they were taken, and not once did they fight against it.

Something happened where they accepted this a part of life, but Paul couldn't figure that part out, it sounded very much a legend rather a fact, and the TARDIS agreed with him, though it can't find much since the village was highly isolated.

Not many families from the village remained, a lot of bloodlines gone cold, taking their stories with them, and like Prospero's father, some chose not to believe in them.

However, despite this, it didn't help understand where these tarry fiends or their womenfolk originated from, and Paul's tried more than once.

Once more, they could only be found on Earth, so potentially they're from a version that the couple haven't found themselves on, yet.

The TARDIS gave its theories as to what resulted in these fiends and while they're plausible, there's no absolute evidence supporting it.

Stranger and stranger, but it didn't deter Paul, only gave him more reasons to keep searching for the truth.

Speaking of searching…

The search for answers regarding the Daleks continues with Paul and Taylor going on different adventures, dealing with a myriad of plots and enemies, ranging from the atypical ones to new variants that Paul never had references for and learning as he went with Taylor helping him at every step.

No adventure was complete finding Daleks or them finding him and Taylor, but they weren't helpful pointing them in the direction of the cabal the dead Daleks came from.

Seemed whatever cabal this was, they didn't like to be found easily, either by them or their brethren.

Keeping his father's words close to his chest, Paul believed him when he said he didn't think this was the work of the Master.

Egomaniacs falling for the Master's ploy wouldn't surprise Paul, the madman was always twirling people around his fingers and getting them to do things he wanted while promising them whatever they wanted.

Which of course resulted in horrible situations for them, blob monsters and exploding heads, name it.

A copycat?

Scared Paul more than anything, the thought someone would willingly copy the Master's appearance for whatever reason, done such a good job that it roused Daleks to chase after him, well it's not hard for him to think the worst.

Taylor kept him from stressing over it, but it continued to weigh on Paul's mind until he received an intercepted message from the TARDIS regarding…

Daleks.

However, there was something off about the intercepted message that Paul mistaken another was accidentally fused together with the intercepted message.

It did refer to Daleks, but not as threats…

Servants.

Servants?

Daleks?

The message wasn't translated, it was always English.

Most peculiar.

Paul took it upon himself to investigate much to Taylor's chagrin, she wasn't able to come with him this time around.

The museum needed her help as it was short-staffed due to a flu passing around.

She promised to keep a sprig of rosemary in her lapel if she stayed late before hugging him tightly as she does whenever she wasn't able to go with him on the adventures.

"You better come back," Taylor warns him.

Smiling, Paul reminds her, "Tell that to the Daleks."

Feeling the jab of her finger, Paul got the hint as he left her on the steps on the museum, not before ensuring he stolen dozens of kisses from Taylor.

Returning to the TARDIS, Paul's on his way to an outpost in a sector of space, where immediately he felt something off, and the TARDIS confirmed this, warning him to tread lightly.

Adjusting his leather messenger bag, Paul exhales sharply before embarking on his solo adventure getting to the bottom of this intercepted message.

Upon leaving the safety of the TARDIS, Paul sees they've appeared somewhere near the entrance of the outpost.

Everything looks fine externally, not a broken glass, strings of vines, or other, but Paul wanted to know what it looked like on the inside, and he goes up to the front doors.

He opened them with ease and a puff of frigid air pushed against him.

Stepping inside, everything looked right as rain.

Didn't ease the uneasiness he felt, however.

As he slowly moved around, Paul's abruptly stopped when he heard a stern woman shouting at him.

"Halt! Who on earth are you?" A loud woman's voice broke the silence as Paul turns his head to see a woman stomping towards him, irritated.

She had a bright purple beehive haircut, fake eyelashes, silver round glasses, and chandeliers for earrings, if not for her pink heels she would have been quite short.

Putting on his facade, Paul's baffled as he sees the woman looking up at him, anger in her olive eyes as she demanded to know his name and reason for coming here.

Digging through his messenger back, feeling for it, Paul brought out the magic paper, showing that he was allowed to be here, and the woman eases up.

"Ugh! Nobody tells me anything!" Paul heard the woman utter in annoyance as apparently nobody in her department told her about his arrival.

It'd seem the department had a habit of doing that, so it gave Paul enough to work with and himself some deniability when needed.

"Well, my name is Lulu McDowell, I'm the assistant in this operation," the woman introduced herself to Paul as she straightened her bright blue bow on her chest.

Curious, Paul asked about the operation and Lulu informed him that it was classified.

She can't tell him anything because she doesn't know anything, such as it is for an assistant in an operation that has been ongoing for years, now.

There's heavy resentment underneath Lulu's candied words, something Paul was quick to use for his own use, though he didn't hesitate showing sympathy to her for being stuck as an assistant for an operation for so long, clearly, she wanted to be promoted to something better, but that day hadn't come for her, yet.

With Lulu's help, Paul followed her around the outpost where Lulu filled him in what she was able to tell him, by explaining the head of the operation.

Cassius.

Already Paul got an idea what type of person he was just by listening to Lulu.

Ill-tempered and the type to get himself into trouble.

Not a good combo, where Daleks are concerned.

Which.

Paul became startled when he saw one of them slowly moving through the hallway, painted green, it stopped when Lulu talked to it.

It replied to her in its usual tone of voice.

"Cassius. Is. In. The. Lab."

Watching this scene happening in front of him, Paul's shocked at the sight of a Dalek seemingly talking to Lulu without a shred of violence underneath that robotic tone.

Lulu shooed it off and when she turned her head, she saw Paul's pale face and his angel eyes squarely on the moving Dalek as it disappeared.

She's initially confused before telling Paul that the Dalek was harmless, it's just one of Cassius's helpers.

Daleks.

Harmless.

Took Paul immense strength not to inform Lulu how wrong she was in that regard.

The worse came when Lulu mentioned there were more of the metal fiends moving among the corridors of the outpost and Paul didn't know what was going on that had Daleks reduced to servitude, but he wanted to know.

While it couldn't happen to a worse species, Paul was still the Doctor, and he had to see this adventure through, regardless how he felt about the Daleks.