4. Field of Action.
Simeon and Alyssa are in their lounge when Simeon's pager alerts him to a message from the Doctor.
"Alyssa," Simeon says, "there's a message from the Doc."
Alyssa pauses on her way to the kitchen to make a drink for them both.
"There's an RFH," Simeon says. "We should go."
They haven't been entrusted with a Request For Help before.
"The Doctor must be extremely busy!" Simeon says as they make their way to the bathroom where Chloe's Tardis awaits them.
Their Request For Help takes them to a planet with beautiful rolling hills of green grass.
"It hardly seems possible for there to be anything awry here," Alyssa says. "There's nobody here."
"These are the co-ordinates given," Simeon says.
"Shall we explore?" Alyssa says. She hopes for a pleasant day out with Simeon. .
"We might, but I sense some form of misdirection ... maybe a trap?" Simeon has qualms about enjoying a place where a Request For Help was supposed to have emanated, after all, somebody must need help!
"What, here? In this pleasant place? I'm going out to explore. Coming?"
Alyssa steps to the Tardis door and opens it. A beautiful green field extends as far as the nearest small hilltop, and doubtless beyond.
"We could take a picnic," she says. "I'll ask in the Tardis kitchen." .
Simeon stands at the Tardis door, contemplating the surroundings. It's irresistible and when Alyssa returns from the kitchen a moment later with a picnic. He simply follows her out. .
A short distance away they pause and lay out a blanket to sit on. Their picnic has started.
They don't see the red alarms on the Tardis Console... .
A short while later, they're still lounging on a small embankment eating their picnic.
Alyssa looks up and tenses. She only just avoids screaming.
Simeon immediately notices her tense and looks up.
Daleks are appearing from behind the Tardis; airborne swarms of them. There's no time to run to the Tardis – the first few Daleks are already closer!
"Bother, just as we were enjoying this place!" Alyssa says. . She's irritated that she's wanted to treat Simeon for a while and here's been a great opportunity ... until now!
But that's the least of their worries!
Alyssa's encountered Daleks before and survived their weapons by regenerating, so has Simeon, though not so often.
"Act dead when they kill you!" he says. .
This seems like an obvious self-fulfilment, but Alyssa recognises some sense in following it ... after regeneration!
The first few Daleks arrive near them and set themselves down on the ground.
"Identify yourselves!" the lead Dalek demands.
"Simeon," Simeon replies. "Identify yourself!" He knows they don't have to, but he feels that surely, even in Dalek circles there must be some form of regulated logic. He knows it won't buy them much time, but the Doctor's always insisting that they play for time whenever they can.
"I am Dalek Chase," the lead Dalek answers. "You are to be exterminated!"
Simeon feels the grip of fear running through him; suddenly, he can hardly move!
Alyssa recalls a specific Dalek weakness. She can see they have no options. She feels she has nothing to lose. She stands up boldly and steps towards the nearest Dalek. She trembles as she knows from previous experience the pain of the Dalek weapons while they'll be killing her.
The Dalek knows she cannot match its own fire power, yet Alyssa knows better - she can seriously damage the Dalek!
Alyssa simply touches its cap.
The top of the Dalek has a specific property to meld DNA. Her finger burns where she touches the Dalek but she rapidly reaches for another.
Simeon can't believe his eyes! He wonders about her sanity. They will shortly be annihilated with all of the anger of these Daleks and she appears to be playing tag?
Then the touched Daleks rage and they screech! They're so angry to have been touched and bonded by inferior DNA. Their own DNA will take on-board Alyssa's DNA and make them impure... Impure Daleks are shunned by pure Daleks, so these touched Daleks will be ostracised - cut off from their own species!
Their anger turns their weapons onto Alyssa. She's fried!
Simeon gets his unwelcome turn of their weapons. He dies and lies still, awaiting regeneration.
The Daleks depart before seeing the yellow mists of regeneration flowing around each of the two picnickers. Their orders are to exterminate and return for further duties. They're not expecting any of their targets to regenerate.
Shortly both Simeon and Alyssa regenerate They both regain their consciousness, check there are no Daleks nearby before sitting up and seeing each other.
Alyssa's more interested in resuming their picnic, confidently assuming the Daleks won't come back.
Simeon's puzzled and urgently wants to quiz her about her behaviour with the Daleks!
"What were you doing to the Daleks earlier?" he asks.
"Did you know that touching the top of them binds with their DNA making them impure?" Alyssa says. "I once helped win a sort of war against Daleks just by touching them." (Ref. 43.)
Dalek Spaceship Command chat.
Dalek Axial is furious. "We failed yet again! I can't believe it! Five Daleks defeated in the theatre!"
"I started my other battle in the field at the same time," Dalek Diesel replies, "but somehow they responded with not only a different Tardis, but different people!"
"How did they do that?" Dalek Axial demands to know.
"I don't know," Dalek Diesel says. "We lost eight Daleks in that field battle!"
"What weapons did they have that you lost eight Dalek units?"
"We don't know," Dalek Diesel says, "the Daleks present refused to say, but it seems they had a lot of courage!"
"This must not be permitted to happen again!" Dalek Axial insists.
"I have another test for them!" Dalek Diesel claims.
"What's the point?" Dalek Excel says. "They have a time machine. They can do any number of things at the same time. We cannot!"
It seems as if Dalek Excel is giving up!
"What else can we distract the Doctor and Chloe with?" Dalek Diesel asks. It has its own few ideas.
"Can we separate them?" Dalek Excel foresees another problem.
"We didn't know they would respond with two Tardises at once!" Dalek Diesel says.
"Could we stage the end of the Universe again?" Dalek Axial grasps at an idea.
The Daleks have staged the end of the Universe twice recently (ref. 38 and ref. 43).
"We could only stage it," Dalek Excel concludes. "They destroyed our actual plans. But they might believe it."
"A bluff?" Dalek Diesel says. "But they only have to examine their timelines to know!"
Dalek Axial is still pressing forwards with his duff idea.
"How can we make it look realistic?" Dalek Excel asks. "None of us were there at our previous end-of-universe event. Not one of those Daleks present survived."
"It doesn't have to look like much," Dalek Axial claims. "As long as it occupies one of them for a few moments."
Dalek Axial gives up. "No. We can't do that! We must think of something else."
Axial knows they must fully engage both the Doctor and Chloe to have a chance of winning.
Even Dalek Axial has started to give up! It's catching! .
Older Daleks grow weary!
"We could recall one of our 'Eternal' Daleks," Dalek Excel suggests. It's a difficult thing to suggest.
"But that will delay our 'Eternal' Dalek plan," Dalek Diesel parries, definitely not in favour of interrupting plans that were laid down centuries ago.
"What is our 'Eternal' Dalek plan? Will it actually work?" Dalek Axial asks. Axial knows well what the plan is. "I have no confidence in that plan. It hasn't worked yet!"
Giving several Daleks the task of seeding many small Dalek colonies in the hope of one day defeating the Doctor and owning the entire Universe was never a risky strategy, but many of the regenerations have been polluted by other DNA, somehow. Maybe the Doctor has had a hand in that?
"We could test the DNA of one of the Eternal Daleks to see if it's been corrupted!" Dalek Excel has an idea to use the Eternal Dalek twice over. "Then use the Eternal Dalek against the Doctor while it's here! Ask some Dalek to select one of the Eternal Daleks."
It's not a great plan! Maybe they're clutching at straws?