The Doctor leaned against the hallway of The TARDIS, one foot against the wall as he waited. He banged against the brown wooden door next to him with a roll of eyes. "Zara!" He called through. "You ready yet?"
On the other side of the door Zara stood in The TARDIS wardrobe, standing in front of a mirror, looking at herself. She wore a pair of three quarter lengthed, light blue jeans, a white blouse with a ruffled collar, a black blazer and a pair of black trainers. Her hair had been taken down from its plait and her loose blonde curls hung down to her shoulder blades. She rolled her eyes at The Doctor's shouts and ran down the spiral stair case, yanking open the door and raising an eyebrow at The Doctor.
"Come on," The Doctor continued, grinning and rolling back and forth on his heels. "New York awaits me, you and Miss Jones." Zara smirked, shaking her head, before stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind her. "Martha's waiting in the console room."
"It's not fair you're not taking her." Zara began, walking past him and down the corridor. The Doctor winced, about to speak when she continued, "'One more trip' you say, it's not fair, Doctor."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, walking a step behind her, "Oh great," He muttered aloud. "I let you into my ship and I'm being ordered around!"
Zara laughed, glancing back at him as he gave her a smile, shaking his head, "It's my spaceship now, boy! You've let me in now."
"Oi!" The Doctor pouted.
"Well I can fly her and I know you said only one trip but I'm very persuasive."
"Doesn't mean anything."
Zara looked back with a smirk, "For now. But when I leave you on a distant planet and run off with your TARDIS, you'll be screwed then." She joked, winking at him, before turning back round. "Thank you for these clothes, by the way."
"Ah well, plenty of clothes in here, isn't going to do any harm."
"So, New York City!" Zara cheered.
...
The TARDIS materialized in front of a white wall on Ellis Island and The Doctor, Martha and Zara stepped out.
"Where are we?" Martha asked as Zara grinned, looking around. She was ecstatic, finally out in the universe. Yeah, it was original Earth in a time period 31 centuries before she was raised, but it was brilliant. It was better, brighter, and fresher than the stuffy senate back in New New York.
"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze." The Doctor said cheerfully. "Nice and cold. Lovely." Zara nudged Martha in the side, nodding up next to them at the Statue of Liberty, "Martha, have you met my friend?" The Doctor asked.
"Is that-?" Martha asked, looking up in awe. "Oh my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!"
"Gateway to the New World. 'Give me you tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free…'"
"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new…"
Zara ran forward to the edge of the island, looking over at the Manhattan skyline. "Well, there's the genuine article." Zara said as The Doctor and Martha appeared next to her. "So good, they named it twice." She laughed, linking her arm with Martha, explaining to the woman. "Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam."
"I wonder what year it is 'cause look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet." Martha said, nodding up at the Empire State building.
"Work in progress." The Doctor said as Martha picked up a paper sitting on the bench next to them. "Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around—"
"November 1, 1930." Martha read off the newspaper.
The Doctor frowned, glancing at her, "You're getting good at this."
"Eighty years ago." Martha said as the Doctor took the paper from her. "It's funny 'cause 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." She looked at Zara and the two of them laughed.
"Come on, you." Zara said, nodding the Doctor in the side. "Where do we go first?"
The Doctor held out the paper to the two women, "I think our detour just got longer."
"Hooverville Mystery Deepens." Zara read the headline.
"What's Hooverville?" Martha asked.
...
Zara and Martha, arm in arm, and The Doctor walked peacefully through Central Park.
"Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago." The Doctor said. "Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then…"
"The Wall Street Crash, yeah?" Martha asked. "When was that, 1929?"
"Yeah. Whole economy wiped out overnight. 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? In the middle of the city?" Martha asked, looking between Zara and The Doctor. Zara shrugged, nodding.
...
The three of them strolled into Hooverville, glancing at the shacks, tents and random barrels on fire through the park, formed into a small village.
"Ordinary people. Lost their jobs." Zara sighed when Martha looked at her, confused. "I had a lot of time stuck in the senate. And a lot of books. And the Face of Boe. I know a lot about the universe." She explained before continuing, nodding at the residents of Hooverville walking around. "Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go." She frowned suddenly as the sound of two men shouting filled the air. She turned, running after the sound as The Doctor rolled his eyes and Martha pulled him after her.
Zara ran into a clearing with The Doctor and Martha behind her, watching two ragged, homeless, men fighting.
"You thievin' lowlife!" The first man shouted, punching the second as two other men tried to break up the fight. "That's my loaf!"
"I didn't touch it!" The second man shouted as an older, black man, stepped out of his tent, trying to break off the fight.
"Cut that out!" The older man shouted, only for the two men to ignore him and continue fighting. "Cut that out! Right now!" He shouted louder, pushing the two apart.
The first man stared at the second man breathlessly, "He stole my bread!" He shouted.
"That's enough!" The older man looked to the second man who was fighting. "Did you take it?"
"I don't know what happened." The second man gasped. "He just went crazy." The first man lunged forward, only for the second man to be held back.
"That's enough! Now think real careful before you lie to me."
"I'm starvin', Solomon."
Solomon held out his hand and the second man reached into his coat and pulled out the bread, handing it to Solomon.
"We're all starvin'." Solomon remarked, breaking the bread in half. "We all got families somewhere." He handed each man a half of the bread each. "No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got."
The men turned, going on their way when Zara smiled at Solomon. "I suppose that makes you the boss around here." She said to him.
"And, uh, who might you be?"
"He's the Doctor. She's Zara. I'm Martha." Martha said.
"A doctor." Solomon scoffed. "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighbourhood gets classier by the day." He turned to a barrel, warming his hands on the fire.
"How many people live here?"
"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." He laughed dryly. "So you're welcome. All three of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He turned and pointed up at the Empire State Building. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"
...
"So…men are going missing." Zara said as they watched Solomon throw coffee onto the fire. "Is this true?" She asked softly, giving him a friendly smile as The Doctor held up the newspaper.
Solomon took the newspaper from her, "It's true all right." He turned and went inside his tent.
"But what does missing mean?" The Doctor asked as they moved, standing in the opening of the tent. "Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register."
Solomon sat down, gesturing to them "C'mon in." The three of them walked in, sitting down opposite him. "This is different."
"In what way?" Martha asked.
"Someone takes them. At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."
"And you're sure someone's taking them?" The Doctor asked.
"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."
Martha gave him a sympathetic look, "Have you been to the police?"
"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."
"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" Zara muttered as a young man, Frank, stuck his head inside the tent.
"Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here." He said with a thick, Tennesse accent. Solomon nodded at Frank and gestured to his three guests. The three of them stepped out to find Diagoras in a black suit standing on a box, talking to the men of Hooverville.
"I need men." Diagoras announced. "Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."
"Yeah." Frank called. "What is the money?"
"A dollar a day."
The men grumbled in dissapointmet.
"What's the work?" Solomon asked.
"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"
"A dollar a day? That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?"
"Accidents happen."
"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked. "What sort of accidents?"
"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" Zara grinned in anticipation, raising her hand enthusiastically. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her before raising his hand too. "Enough with the questions."
"Oh, n-n-no. We're volunteering."
Martha nervously raised her hand, glaring between The Doctor and Zara, "I'll kill you for this." She muttered as Solomon and Frank also raised their hands.
...
"Turn left." Diagoras said, pointing down the dingy, black, wet sewer tunnel. "Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it."
"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank asked.
"When you come back up."
"And if we don't come back up?" Zara mumbled, pointing the torch she was carrying above her, staring at the mildew growing on the ceiling.
"Then I got no one to pay."
"We'll be back." Soloman said sternly.
Martha breathed in sharply, "Let's hope so."
Zara linked arms with the woman, giving her a reassuring smile before the group of them took off down the tunnel.
"We just gotta stick together." Frank said, making Zara look back as they continued walking. "It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here."
"So what about you, Frank?" Martha asked. "You're not from around these parts, are you?"
"Oh, you could talk. No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred."
"So how come you're here?"
"Uh, my daddy died." He sighed sadly, looking at the ground. "Mama…couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over; Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas… Solomon keeps a lookout for us." He smiled cheerfully, looking back up at Martha. "So, what about you two? You're a long way from home."
"Yeah, we're just hitchers too." Zara laughed.
"You stick with me, you'll be all right."
"So this Diagoras bloke," The Doctor cut in. "Who is he then?"
"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman." Solomon began. "Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."
"How did he manage that, then?"
"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round."
Zara frowned, looking at the floor in front of her when she saw a green jellyfish like blob on the floor, "What's that then?" She asked casually.
"Whoa!" The Doctor exclaimed.
Martha edged forward to it, "Is it radioactive or something?" She asked as The Doctor set down his torch and the both of them crouched beside it. She covered her mouth and nose in disgust, "It's gone off, whatever it is." The Doctor pulled out his glasses and put them on, carefully picking up the slimy bob. "And you've got to pick it up."
The Doctor sniffed it, "Shine your torch through it." Martha kneeled down next to them, shining her torch under the blob. "Composite organic matter. Martha? Medical opinion?"
"It's not human. I know that." Martha muttered as Solomon and Frank peered over, puzzled.
"No, it's not."
"And I'll tell you something else." Zara said, glancing around. "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 up down here?"
"So where are we now? What's above us?" Martha asked.
"Well…we're right underneath Manhattan." The Doctor whispered, the three of them glancing up.
"We're way beyond half a mile." Solomon said, shaking his head. "There's no collapse, nothing."
"That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" Martha asked.
Zara laughed sarcastically, "Looks like it."
"So why did he want people to come down here?" Frank frowned.
"Solomon, I think it's time you took these three back." The Doctor said. "I'll be much quicker on my own."
A squealing noise echoed through the tunnels, making them jump.
"What the hell was that?" Solomon gasped.
"Hello?!" Frank called.
"Shh." Martha hissed.
"Frank." Solomon said warily.
"What if it's one of the folk gone missing?" Frank asked. "You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own."
"Do you think they're still alive?" Zara asked.
"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost."
More squealing echoed through the tunnel, making Zara stare down the alleyway casually. The Doctor took her hand and she looked back up at him with a confident smile.
"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that." Solomon muttered as The Doctor let go of Zara's hand and walked forward slowly.
"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em."
"This way." The Doctor said.
Solomon turned, pointing his torch down another tunnel, "No, that way." The light of his torch caught on a figure, huddled up on the ground with a face of a pig.
"Doctor…" Zara called softly, reaching out and gently pulling him back by the arm.
"Who are you?" Solomon asked.
"Are you lost?" Frank called. "Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…"
He began to walk forward, only for The Doctor to pull him back.
"It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." The Doctor said, beginning to walk towards the figure. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank." He called. "I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own." The creature suddenly squealed, "We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." He squatted down and shined the torch on the pig man's face. "Oh, but what are you?"
"Wow." Zara whispered, peering over from afar.
"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asked.
"No, it's real." The Doctor muttered, turning back to the pig. "I'm sorry. Now listen to me. I promise I can help." Zara and Martha watched nervously as shadows fell against the wall above, unknown to the Doctor. "Now, who did this to you?"
"Doctor, I think you'd better get back here." Martha called cautiously as more pig men began to fill the opposite end of the of tunnel. "Doctor!"
The Doctor stood up, glancing at the pig men, "Actually…good point." He began to back up towards the others as the pig men made their way towards him.
"They're following you."
"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks." He muttered, stumbling against Zara, who put her hands against his back, stopping him falling. "Well then, Martha, Zara, Frank, Solomon…"
"What?"
"Um, basically…run!" He grabbed Zara's hand and the group of them raced down the tunnel to a cross section where Martha stopped in confusion, looking either side.
"Where are we going?!" She asked.
"This way!" Zara said, running off to the right, with everyone following. They all stopped at the mouth of a joining tunnel when The Doctor noticed a ladder.
"There's a ladder!" He cheered, climbing up it quickly and taking out the sonic screwdriver, using it on the lid. Martha and Zara quickly clamerbered up after him, and got pulled up by The Doctor. The Doctor looked down, pulling up Solomon and the two men looked down at Frank running for the ladder. He began to climb and they tried to grab onto the man.
"C'mon, Frank! C'mon!" Solomon said.
"I've got ya. C'mon!" The Doctor exclaimed.
As The Doctor grabbed Frank, he was yanked out of his grasp by the pigmen back into the sewer.
"Frank!"
"No!"
Solomon shoved The Doctor aside, pulling the lid closed, "We can't go after him."
"We gotta go back down! We can't just leave him!"
"No, I'm not losing anybody else! 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."
Zara looked round the room, realising they were in a dressing room when she noticed a figure behind a shelf. The figure jumped out, a bleach blonde woman all dolled out, which Zara noted she looked like a movie star, wrapped in a silver costume with a dressing gown over her, holding a gun.
"All right then." The woman ordered. "Put 'em up." Martha span round and both she and Zara's hands flew up as the woman cocked the gun. "Hands in the air and no funny business." The Doctor and Solomon looked up, stunned, raising their hands. "Now tell me, you schmucks, what've you done with Lazlo?"
"Uh, who's Lazlo?" Martha asked.
...
"Lazlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago." The woman exclaimed, sitting in the chair in the dressing room, waving the gun about as she spoke. "No letter, no good-bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"
The Doctor eyed the gun as it hovered past Zara and Martha, "It might, might just help if you put that down." He said, nodding at the gun.
"Hunh?" She glanced at the gun. "Oh, sure." She tossed it aside onto another chair. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."
"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" Martha asked.
"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip—vanished."
"What's your name?" Zara asked with a smile, clearly liking the woman's straight up and front attitude.
"Tallulah."
"Tallulah." The Doctor repeated.
"3 Ls and an H."
"Right. Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."
"And there are creatures." Solomon nodded. "Such creatures."
Tallulah eyed them cautiously, "Whaddaya mean "creatures"?" She asked.
"Look. Listen, just trust me." The Doctor said. "Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is," He reached into his pocket, pulling out the blob. "Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."
Tallulah jerked back, "Yech!" She grumbled.
...
Martha and Zara shared a chair, sitting in Tallulah's dressing room as they watched her putting on her makeup for the show.
"Lazlo…He's wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady." Tallulah said fondly. "He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose."
Martha stood up, walking over beside her, "Haven't you reported him missing?"
"Sure. He's just a stagehand. Who cares? The management certainly don't."
"Can't you kick up a fuss or something?" Zara laughed, leaning back into the chair.
"Okay, so then they fire me."
"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars." Zara grinned, stars. She'd gone across the stars to get there. Hmph.
Tallulah looked back at her with an eye roll, "Oh, honey, I got one stone in a back street revue and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle—which had nothin' to do with me whatever anybody 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."
Martha and Zara shared a look, "Okay, we get it." Martha nodded.
Tallulah looked between the two women, "It's the Depression, sweeties. Your heart might break, but the show goes on and if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sign, dance, keep goin'. Hoping he's gonna come back." She began to sob slowly, her face in her hands.
Martha began to hug her as Zara watched sympathetically, "I'm sorry." Zara said softly.
Tallulah pulled out of the hug, wiping her eyes and looking over at Zara, "Hey, you're lucky, though. You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."
Zara looked over at Martha who smirked at her, "Uh, he's not—we're not…together." Zara said quickly.
"Oh, sure you are. I've seen the way you look at him. It's obvious."
"Not to him." Martha added as Zara let out a laugh, rolling back.
"I've only just met him!" Zara laughed.
"Oh, I shoulda realized." Tallulah nodded, clearly not believing her. "He's into musicals, hunh? What a waste." Martha and Zara shook their heads at her. "Still, ya gotta live in hope. It's the only thing that's kept me going 'cause…" She turned back to her dressing table, picking up a white rose. "Look. On my dressing table every day still."
Martha carefully took the rose from her, "You think it's Lazlo?" She asked.
"I don't know. If he's still around, why's he bein' all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?"
The Doctor appeared in the doorway, looking over at Zara, "Oi, genius." He held up bits of tech in his arms. "Need your help." Zara pulled herself up and left the room, following after The Doctor.
...
Zara and The Doctor lay on their stomachs, fiddling with the homemade scanner that was attached to the blob. The Doctor began to turn a knob when Zara whacked his hand away, glaring.
"That dissolves it." She muttered, moving the beam from one of the stage lights above them around.
The Doctor shook his head at her, "Genius."
"Idiot." She muttered, moving the light over the blob. "That's it. Let's warm you up."
The Doctor pulled out his glasses, putting them on as the two of them peered at the blob.
"This is artificial."
"Genetically engineered." Zara nodded in agreement as they both ignored the announcements of the start of the show. "Whoever this is, oh, you're clever." She glanced up at The Doctor. "I don't suppose you've got a stethoscope in your jacket have you, Doctor?" With a smirk he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stethoscope. With a raised eyebrow Zara snatched it, placing it on the blob. She stuck one of the ear pieces in her ear, fiddling with the blob.
"Well?" He asked, only for Zara to whack him in the arm. "Ow. Sorry."
"Fundamental DNA type 467-989." Zara muttered, looking up and over into space. "989. Hold on, that means planet of origin." A look of disbelief crossed her face. "Skaro." The Doctor's eyes widened and Zara scrambled to her feet, pulling The Doctor up and running off.
...
The Doctor and Zara bolted backstage, looking around frantically.
"Where is she?" The Doctor asked Tallulah. "Where's Martha?"
"I don't know." Tallulah said quickly. "She ran off the stage."
"No, no, no." Zara whispered, looking around nervously. "Not Skaro." She looked up at The Doctor. "Why?"
"Take it you're familiar with the Daleks then." The Doctor breathed.
"Oh yes." Zara laughed nervously. "I'm familiar with a lot of things."
Suddenly, a scream filled the air from down the hallway and Zara bolted of in the direction of it, The Doctor and Tallulah following. The three of them bolted into the prop room, only to find it empty.
The Doctor looked down, noticing the crooked sewer lid, "Martha!" He cried, grabbing his coat and putting it on.
"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah asked as Zara ran over to the sewer lid, straining to pull it open.
"They've taken her." The Doctor gulped, walking over to the lid and helping Zara yank it open.
"Who's taken her?" Tallulah asked as Zara dropped down into the sewer, with The Doctor following. "What're y' doin'? I said, what the hell are ya doin'? Crazy guys." She grabbed a long coat of the rack and put it on over her costume, following after them.
"No, no, no, no, no way. You're not coming."
"Tell me what's going on."
"There's nothing you can do. Go back."
"Look, whoever's taken Martha, they could've taken Lazlo, couldn't they?"
"Tallulah, you're not safe down here."
Zara rolled her eyes, looking between the two of them, "Can we just get moving please?" She cried. "We need to find Martha!"
Tallulah glared at The Doctor, "Then that's my problem if I'm not safe. Come on. Which way?" She asked, turning and walking off to her left.
The Doctor sighed, taking Zara's hand and walking off towards the tunnel in front of them, "This way." He muttered, Tallulah following after them.
...
Tallulah stalked along side Zara and The Doctor as they made their way along the dark tunnel.
"When you say "They've taken her", who's they exactly?" Tallulah asked. "And who are you anyway? I never asked."
"Shh." The Doctor hissed.
"Okay. Okay."
"Shh, shh, shh."
Zara stared at the wall in front of them, a weak shadow of a Dalek approaching.
"I mean you're handsome and all—" Tallulah began, when Zara yanked The Doctor and Tallulah back into a small alcove of the tunnel, throwing her hand over Tallulah's mouth as the Dalek glided past, unnoticing to them.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." The Doctor muttered through gritted teeth. "They survived. They always survive while I lose everything."
"This isn't fair." Zara breathed. "They're killing machines... they have no mercy."
"That metal thing?" Tallulah asked, eyes wide. "What was it?"
"It's called a Dalek. And it's not just metal, it's alive."
Tallulah let out a laugh, "You're kidding me."
The Doctor glared at her violently, "Does it look like she's kidding?" He snapped as she stared at him.
"Inside that shell is a creature born to hate," Zara gulped, staring out into the distance. "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 said, only for The Doctor to look back at her. "Yet again, that's a "no" with the kidding. Boy… Well, what's it doin' here, in New York?"
The Doctor grabbed Tallulah by the arm, pulling her back up the tunnel, "Every second you're down here, you're in danger. I'm taking you back right now." He said as they turned a corner. Tallulah let out a scream as they spotted a pig man, trying to hide away.
"Where's Martha?" Zara asked. "What have you done with her? What have you done with Martha?"
"I didn't take her." The pig man replied.
The Doctor stared, stunned, "Can you remember your name?" He asked.
"Don't look at me."
Tallulah edged towards him nervously, "Do you know where she is?" She asked.
"Stay back! Don't look at me!"
"What happened to you?" Zara asked as she peered at the man, realising he was more man than pig.
"They made me a monster."
"Who did?" The Doctor asked.
"The masters."
"The Daleks." Zara corrected. "Why?"
"They needed slaves. 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."
"Do you know what happened to Martha?"
"They took her. It's my fault. She was following me."
"Were you in the theatre?" Tallulah asked.
"Yes." The Pig Man gulped.
"Why? Why were you there?"
"I never wanted you to see me like this."
"Why me? What do I gotta do with this?" She asked nervously. "Were you following me? Is that why you were there?"
The Pig Man turned to face her, "Yes."
"Who are you?"
"I was lonely."
"Who are you?"
"I needed to see you."
"Who are you?"
"I'm sorry." The pig man mumbled, turning away.
"No, wait." Tallulah said, grabbing his arm. "Let me look at you." She gently turned him back round and placed him under the light, staring at him. "Lazlo? My Lazlo?" He nodded at her as her voice began to break. "Oh, what have they done to you?"
"I'm sorry. So sorry."
"Lazlo," Zara said apologetically. "Can you show us where they are?"
Lazlo looked between Zara and The Doctor, "They'll kill you."
"If we don't stop them, they'll kill everyone." The Doctor said sadly.
Lazlo nodded, "Then follow me."
...
Lazlo lead the three of them through the tunnels and peered down one, watching the pig men guard the prisoners including Martha and Frank. They watched as a Dalek glided into the tunnel at the other end, eyeing the prisoners as Lazlo ducked back out of sight.
"Silence. Silence." The Dalek ordered. "You will form a line. Move."
"Just do what it says, everyone, okay?" Martha called to everyone as the pig men began to push them into a line. "Just obey."
"The female is wise. Obey!"
A second Dalek glided up, "Report."
"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause." The first Dalek replied.
Martha whispered to herself, "Dalek?"
"What is the status of the Final Experiment?"
"The Dalekanium is in place." The second Dalek announced. "The energy conductor is now complete."
"Then I will extract prisoners for selection." A pig man grabbed hold of an older black man, dragging him forward as the Dalek extended its plunger out, scanning him. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves." It stopped for a moment. "Low intelligence."
"You calling me stupid?" The man asked.
"This one will become a pig slave."
Two pig men grabbed hold of him, yanking him away, "No, let go of me!" He cried. "I'm not becoming one of them!"
The Dalek moved along to the next person in line, "Intelligence scan. Initiate."
"They're divided into two groups: high intelligence and low intelligence." Lazlo mumbled, peering back round the corner. "The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves like me."
"Well, that's not fair." Tallulah said.
"Shh." The Doctor hissed.
"You're the smartest guy I ever dated." Tallulah whispered to Lazlo.
"And the others?" Zara asked.
"They're taken to the laboratory."
"But why?" The Doctor asked. "What for?"
"I don't know. The masters only call it the Final…Experiment."
The Doctor looked down at Zara nervously, "What do you know about the Daleks?"
"A lot." Zara mumbled. "Last time you saw them was the Cult of Skaro yeah?" She asked. "At Canary Wharf, 2006." The Doctor nodded. "It's their fault you lost Rose." She breathed. "The ba-"
"Look out," The Doctor interrupted. "They're moving!" Zara quickly grabbed his hand and flattened the both of them against the wall. Lazlo turned, taking Tallulah down the tunnel.
"Doctor, Zara!" Lazlo called. "Quickly!"
"We're not going." The Doctor said, glancing at Zara who was watching down the tunnel intently. "I think she's got an idea. You go." He turned to Zara. "You have got an idea I hope?" He asked.
"More a plan." She laughed dryly.
"Which is?"
"Get into the Dalek lab."
"That's it?"
"Yep."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow to the back of her head, "Some plan."
"Have you got any other ideas?" Zara mumbled, whacking him in the stomach without looking around when Lazlo appeared behind them, pushing them forward and in line behind Martha and Frank with the rest of the prisoners.
"Just keep walking." The Doctor muttered to Martha.
"I'm so glad to see you two." Martha breathed in relief.
"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later. You too, Frank, if you want."
...
The prisoners were led into the lab and The Doctor and Zara watched the Daleks intently... and not just any Daleks.
"That's the Cult of Skaro." Zara breathed. "How the hell did they escape Canary Wharf?"
"Report." One Dalek reported as everyone watched Dalek Sec's casing shake, the eye light dimmed out.
"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution." Another replied.
"Scan him. Prepare for birth."
"Evolution?" The Doctor muttered.
"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha asked.
"Ask them."
"What me?" Martha asked, looking up at him. "Don't be daft."
"I don't exactly want to get noticed. Ask them what's going on."
Martha took a deep breath and stepped forward, "Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this Final Experiment? Report!"
"You will bear witness." One of the Daleks replied.
Zara frowned, stepping forward and squeezing Martha's hand, "To what?" She asked calmly.
"This is the dawn of a new age."
"What does that mean?" Martha asked.
"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."
Sec's shell suddenly powered down and its casing opened up. Something crawled out, a human-dalek hybrid dressed in a suit, climbing up. Sec stood up to reveal a head, similar to the Dalek body, with a mouth, one eye and four thick tentacles around its jaw line with claw-like hands.
"What is it?" Martha asked, staring in shock.
"I am a human Dalek." Sec croaked out slowly. "I am your future."