Night washed over the area, the only light coming from the outpost.
Low-lit, the outpost stood out in the darkness, but there's something different about it compared to it in the daytime, almost unnerving.
Getting inside the outpost proved too difficult for the TARDIS with the security system being closed circuit, it couldn't materialize within the building, either, else the energy produced would set off the alarms.
Though it didn't mean the TARDIS didn't find a way for Paul to break inside, though it's unconventional, but given the secrecies of the outpost, it wasn't surprising.
Turned out that when he wasn't drinking, Cassius gotten an idea of digging out a hidden tunnel from one end of the planet to the outpost, with the use of his Daleks, with the high metal content in the soil, normal scanners would never notice it, and Cassius could claim ignorance if one did.
Finding the opening took time, Paul had to use his wits and his time outside during camping trips to keep steady going over the blackened stones, the TARDIS whisked itself away to prepare to arrive precisely when it needed, and left Paul with the pinging on his Sonic Screwdriver pointing him to the right direction.
In the cold darkness, Paul's only comfort was the blue hue of the Sonic Screwdriver as it guided him over the stones, towards a circular cut cavern.
The air coming out of it was colder than the air around Paul, the Sonic Screwdriver pointing him this way.
Once he went through the tunnel, he should find the hidden entrance to the underground laboratory.
Keeping track of his movements, the TARDIS believed Cassius would be incapable of movement for the time being, he is currently stationary at his home, likely passed out from drinking.
If the Daleks don't kill him, the alcohol will, terrible thing, addiction.
Still didn't absolve him of this, though.
Had he made an ironclad liver able to withstand his drinking, Cassius wouldn't be viewed in the light that Paul sees him.
Which isn't great.
Low-lit lights dotted the smooth-cut walls, the cavern ground scorched smoothed and shiny from the Daleks' moving over it constantly.
Moving forward, Paul felt the uncomfortable cold hitting him, as if it's trying to push him away from the hidden horrors below the outpost, but he forced himself to push through, despite the cold air's silent pleas.
The only sound he heard came from his two hearts, the low hum coming from his Sonic Screwdriver, and his boots, all-around he heard nothing but that, an uncomfortable silence.
The tunnel stretched roughly 30 meters, wide enough for him to walk comfortably and the Daleks that came through periodically without issue.
However, the insulated rocks started making it difficult for Paul to breath as the cold air had no way to dissipate and no warm air capable of coming through.
Forcing himself, Paul followed the winding tunnel that felt like it went on for an eternity, the darkness enveloping him as the dim lights couldn't light anything but what was closest to them, with only his constant light coming from his Sonic Screwdriver.
At the end, two large gun-grey blast doors.
Doesn't seem like Cassius comes through here, there's no way to get through them from where Paul's standing.
Holding his Sonic Screwdriver outstretched, Paul slowly moved as he tried to find some way through the doors.
If Cassius was drinking when he made these plans, there's a chance he made a mistake somewhere and hadn't noticed.
Someone like that would be too stubborn to admit they were wrong, much more when they're doing something questionable, and can't afford having people finding out.
"Bugger!" Paul muttered under his breath as he began touching the sides of the doors, trying to find something to grip, a fault, something that Cassius overlooked by mistake.
Thankfully he got an idea using the Sonic Screwdriver to mimic one of the Daleks, assuming that these doors are locked to their chassis, that if the doors detected what they think was a Dalek, they'd open.
Fine tuning his Sonic Screwdriver, Paul fumbled until he got it to mimic the chassis of the Dalek that walked him to the phone.
It wasn't perfect, but Paul hoped that Cassius overlooked details such as this, because not many knew that every chassis a Dalek uses has unique codes and IDs that distinguish them from one another.
Something new they added ages ago once they caught on that their own chassis was being used against them by the one and only, Doctor.
Knowing Cassius, he probably didn't think much of it or just overrode the chassis to use a default ID number so he didn't have to keep track, that seemed like him, considering.
The doors creaked open as the internal cogs and belts spun, eureka.
Hurrying through the opened doors, Paul kept pace, and found himself staring at a dock of some sort.
Large enough for a small transport shuttle, ways for the Daleks to come down and up, another set of blast doors keeping anything unwanted out.
Using the same trick, Paul watched at the blast doors slid open, allowing him to enter the underground area.
There's more light this way, enough Paul didn't need to use the light from the Sonic Screwdriver as he followed the pathway up to a large lift.
Stepping in the centre of the lift, Paul reached out to pull on the red lever, sending him upright, at the top he saw another set of blast doors at the end.
Haven't not seen a remnant of a deceased and destroyed Dalek along his trek, Paul suspects that through these doors would be something out of a horror movie, tenfold.
Spent enough time indulging horror movies like his mother to gotten a knack at predicting these tropes.
Putting on a brave face, knowing time wasn't on his side until Cassius makes a return, Paul hurried to the blast doors, they opened with ease, and through the doorway, Paul's greeted by an uncomfortable silence, and a smell that he couldn't describe.
There were no Daleks, as he went through the corridor, that he heard anyway, so used to their shrills, that he actually started to miss hearing them.
It would be comforting compared to the silence Paul's experiencing.
His father gave him insight about this, telling him to keep his mind overactive with ideas and whatever else he felt would keep him focused, it'd be better than being on edge expecting something to happen.
So, Paul began wondering why Lulu and Paz never saw anything odd with the Daleks, why they never asked questions, why Cassius would want assistants when he was doing something illegal such as this.
Scared them into submission, doubted that, from his brief time with her, Paul didn't think Lulu would take Cassius threatening her very well, Paz maybe would back down, but it wouldn't make sense for Cassius risking his operation, even if it's to make it look nice in front of the committee.
Then came the assistant Lulu told Paul about, it's normal to become belligerent when acid ate through the floor due to an assistant not thinking about possible repercussions of bringing loose bags into Cassius's lab, but it's another when there's something underneath the floor that Cassius didn't want anyone seeing.
The peculiar smell grew stronger, metallic, unusual, still disturbing, and Paul tracked it toward the end of the corridor where he found yet another door that opened for him.
His eyes fell to the ground that once was steel, now stained with congealed black, and as he stepped around the black, he noticed sealed bins marked for destruction, hazard seals on every corner.
Going up to one, Paul reached out to touch the pieces of paper stuck to it, denoting it hazard waste and marked for removal and destruction.
So sealed, there'd be no way for Paul to catch a peak, but he already knew what was inside these bins.
Disposed Daleks, dead by either botched surgery, succumbing to the hellish lobotomy, or Cassius couldn't control them the way he wanted, so he destroyed them instead.
No one foolish would risk their lives trying to get inside these bins, so he didn't have to worry about someone discovering his dirty secret.
Turning his head, Paul sees there's several doors ahead of him, and he slowly made his way towards them.
