I am a human Dalek. I am your future.
The words rang out in Jay's mind as she stared at the alien before her, her hands shaking with fear. Martha grabbed her arm, just as startled and as frightened as she suddenly found herself, because what the hell did he mean their future? The answer came a moment later when the Dalek ordered, "These humans will become like me. Prepare them for hybridization."
Pig-men appeared from behind them, and Martha began to scream at them to leave her be. She kept a tight grip on Jay's hand when they reached for the blonde, trying to protect her from their clutches.
"Happy days are here again. The skies above are clear again, so let's sing a song of cheer again. Happy days are here again."
Everything stilled as the music filled the air, confusing the puzzled Daleks. One spun around, eye-stalk searching. The human-Dalek-hybrid looked puzzled. "What is that sound?" he demanded.
"Ah, well," the Doctor said cheerfully, holding a hand-held radio as he stepped out from behind some machinery. His brown eyes twinkled as he sent Martha and Jay a wink. They exchanged shocked looks. When had he…? "That would be me." He set the radio down and then sauntered over to the hybrid. "Hello. Surprise. Boo." He smirked a little, rocking onto his heels with his fingers shoved into his pockets.
"Doctor," the hybrid seethed, recognizing him.
Another Dalek screeched, "The enemy of the Daleks."
"Exterminate!" another screamed.
"Wait!" the hybrid ordered, eye never leaving the Doctor. The other Daleks faltered. If they'd had faces, Jay was sure they would have looked surprised.
"Well then," the Doctor hummed. He began to circle the hybrid curiously. "A new form of Dalek...fascinating and very clever."
The hybrid spoke with an icy tone, clearly disliking the Time Lord. "The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."
"How did you end up in 1930?"
"Emergency temporal shift."
"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells," the Doctor said wisely, nodding as if he understood. Then again, Jay was sure he did, and she and Martha were the confused ones. "Thing is, four Daleks could have conquered the world. Instead, you're skulking away, hidden in the dark. Experimenting. All of which results in…you." He gestured to the hybrid.
"What's he doing?" Martha breathed, and Jay gripped her hand tighter.
"Trying to figure out what they're up to, and buy some time, maybe," she murmured.
"I am Dalek in human form," the hybrid said stiffly.
"What does it feel like?" the Doctor challenged. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, right? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own." He was fascinated. He wondered if they could feel, truly feel, like this. "Tell me what you're thinking right now."
"I feel humanity," Dalek Sec answered evenly, not once taking his gaze off of him.
"Good, that's good," the Doctor mused, nodding to himself.
Dalek Sec seemed to grow excited, however. "I feel everything we wanted from mankind. Ambition, hatred, aggression...war. Such a genius for war. Everything this species is...it's so very Dalek."
Not what the Doctor had wanted. "That's not what humanity means." He glanced briefly to the group of humans, scanning them to make sure his companions were okay. They looked terrified. "So what have you achieved then, with this Final Experiment?" He wrapped his fingers lightly around the sonic screwdriver. "Nothing! Because I can show you what you're missing with…" He sauntered past Dalek Sec to tap the radio he'd abandoned, smirking. "This! A simple little radio."
A Dalek moved a little, wary. "What is the purpose of that device?" it demanded.
"Well, exactly," the Doctor said proudly, throwing a firm look over at where Jay and Martha stood, hand in hand. Martha's grip tightened on her, and she inclined her head. She knew that he was about to do something that might be incredibly stupid, but useful. "It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, music. You can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it." He ignored the memories that washed over him. He remembered so much about Rose when it came to music. "Unless, of course, you're a Dalek. Then it's all just noise." He grinned.
And promptly aimed his sonic screwdriver at the radio, which began to emit a screeching sound that had the Daleks, Dalek Sec, and the pig-men screaming and panicking, the sound hurting their ears.
"Run!" the Doctor shouted, not moving.
The humans didn't have to be told twice. Most of them bolted, encouraged along by Frank. Only Martha and Jay faltered, waiting for him, and they began running the second he did, coaxing them along. Jay stumbled a few times, and the Doctor found himself worried that she'd have another fit, but she kept up. He urged them all forwards, quickly taking the lead. When they came across a lost Tallulah, who he wanted to throttle for still being there, the Doctor shouted, "And you, Tallulah, run!"
She faltered. "But what's happened to Laszlo?" Tallulah demanded, then squawked as Martha grabbed her wrist, dragging her along without waiting for her permission.
It didn't take them long to find the ladder that led to the prop room, and when they did, the Doctor ordered them all up, sending Jay up first to make sure she was safe in case another moment of agony struck her. All of the others went up next, followed by Tallulah, then Frank, then Martha, then himself. The Doctor slammed the lid over the top the second they were free, locking it into place with his sonic screwdriver.
Jay and Martha heaved for air. Beside them, Frank hovered, eyes wide. The Doctor caught his breath, exchanging a grim look with his friends. Martha and Jay looked shocked, and Jay trembled as she climbed to her feet. Frank offered her his arm to use to keep her balance. Jay willingly took it. "What do we do?" she breathed, eyes wide.
"We need to go to Hooverville," Frank answered, determined. "Solomon needs to know. It's our people being taken."
"Hooverville," the Doctor agreed.
He regretted leaving the TARDIS such a far distance away immensely.
"These Daleks," Solomon said slowly, "sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they want to breed?"
"They're splicing themselves onto human bodies," the Doctor answered patiently, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Jay and Martha were still where he'd left them. They stood only a step behind with Frank. "If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. You've gotta get them all out. Everyone. Evacuate."
They'd run from where Tallulah's showplace was to Hooverville from the second they'd escaped the tunnels, accompanied by quite a few people that had been trapped with them. They needed to move. The Daleks, knowing the Doctor was around, would be getting to work on killing soon, and he would not let that happen.
"Hooverville's the lowest place for a man to fall. There's nowhere else to go," Solomon said grimly.
Jay stepped forward. Her trembling had stopped since they'd arrived. She'd been given a chance to somewhat recover from whatever her attack had been about. "I'm sorry," she said honestly, "but you can't stay here. Scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, I believe they're called. Just get out of this state."
"There's got to be a way to reason with these things," Solomon protested, looking to Martha and Frank as if they would help him.
But they shook their heads. "There's not a chance," the ever-helpful Frank told him gently. "You ain't seen 'em, boss."
The Doctor cut in again, gratefully glancing at the three. Had he not been content with two companions on the TARDIS, he may have invited Frank along, too. Smart person, with a good heart. "Daleks are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable." His expression darkened. "That makes them even more dangerous."
A sudden shout filled the air, making them all pause. "They're coming!" a man screamed, waving his arms and blowing a whistle. "They're coming! I've seen them! Monsters, they're monsters!"
Solomon swore softly under his breath. "A sentry, must have seen 'em."
"It's started," the Doctor said, turning to face Jay and Martha. "Stay close."
They nodded, exchanging anxious looks. This was not going to end well. In a whisper, Jay asked Martha, "Are...do you think he can ever go look at something without trouble showing up?"
Martha shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest." She bit her lip as Solomon began to shout for everyone to arm themselves. As the chaos overwhelmed the area, Jay grabbed the Doctor's arm to make sure that they weren't shoved away from he and Solomon by the crowds. The Doctor barely noticed. He watched sadly as people began to run - only to be caught by pig-men that emerged from the darkness, grabbing them.
Martha looked firm as she said, "We need to get out of the park."
"We can't," the Doctor said, nodding towards their left, in which there were others coming. "They're on all sides. They're driving everyone back towards us."
From where she was huddling nearby, Tallulah whimpered. "We're trapped!"
"Then we stand together," Solomon declared, eyes blazing. "Gather 'round!" he ordered aloud. "Everybody come to me! You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together! Keep the women and children safe. They can't take us all!"
Martha kept a tight grip on Jay as people began to bustle about, doing as they were told. The Doctor stood amongst the terrified group with a grim expression, and Jay jumped a foot in the air when a gunshot went off, followed by several more. Martha gasped, "If we can just...just hold them off til' daylight-"
"Oh, Martha," the Doctor said, looking up. "They're just the foot soldiers."
Martha's gaze snapped up and her face filled with horror. Jay clutched her hand tightly as a Dalek appeared, flying through the sky. Something told Martha that this was normal for them. "Oh, my God."
"What in the hell-" Solomon began to say.
"It's a devil, a devil in the sky!" another man shrieked, terrified. "God save us all! It's damnation!"
Frank stepped around Solomon, furious and holding a shotgun. He lifted it to his shoulder. "We'll see about that," he snarled, firing the gun. The Doctor shook his head, only watching as the bullet ricocheted. That would never work against the Daleks.
"There's more of them!" Jay cried, pointing as a second appeared, firing something from its metal arm. A tent nearby blew up and Jay found herself crying out in alarm. The Doctor pushed her and Martha's heads down, covering them protectively.
"The humans will surrender," the new Dalek ordered, its voice screechy and monotone. The first began to move its eyestalk around, locking it on the Doctor when he stepped forward.
"Leave them alone," the Doctor snapped, bristling. He pushed Martha and Jay towards Solomon. He knew how these creatures worked, and if it came down to it, he'd put his life on the line for these people. All of them. Not just his friends. "They've done nothing to you!"
"We have located the Doctor," the first Dalek screeched.
Solomon watched this and then stepped forward, expression darkening. "Solomon," Jay protested as he stepped forward, his gaze hardening with determination.
"No, Solomon, stay back," the Doctor warned, but he was ignored.
"I'm told that I'm addressing the Daleks. Is this right?" Solomon studied the Daleks. He held firm, voice not shaking even the slightest, and the Doctor blinked, curiously watching. What was he trying? He still shouldn't have been, but… "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."
"Solomon," the Doctor tried again, this time stepping forward to tug him back.
Solomon shook him off. "Doctor, this is my township. You will respect my authority." He searched the Doctor's gaze. The Doctor looked him in the eyes and then slowly nodded. He would let this man try. "Daleks," Solomon continued, turning back to the Daleks before him, "ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" He said aside his gun, much to the surprise of the people around them. "Right. See, I've just discovered this past day, God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Terrifies me right down to the bone, but surely it's got to give me hope. Hope that maybe together, we can make a better tomorrow. So I beg you now. If you have any compassion in your hearts, then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well? What do you say?"
Jay looked at Solomon in awe. This man, this one man, was such a good person. A man who could likely lead a group of people right to what they needed.
And all of that came crashing down when the Dalek responded, "Exterminate."
The Doctor tensed, and he looked ready to fling himself forward. But it was too late, and something slammed into him. Solomon screamed in agony before crumpling to the ground, dead.
Shaken, Jay gripped Martha's hand as Frank screamed, "Solomon!"
"They killed him," Martha whispered, horrified. "They just shot him on the spot."
"Doctor-" Jay protested when she saw him slowly step up. His face was a mask of rage, and those who had moved to try and see if they could help Solomon stilled as he snarled, "My turn. Kill me if it'll stop you from attacking these people!"
"Exterminate!"
The Doctor braced himself. But when nothing happened, he narrowed his eyes and peered at the Dalek. Martha and Jay crept closer to the Doctor, who looked at them quickly in disapproval. But neither seemed to care or notice, instead peering curiously up at the Daleks.
"I do not understand," the Dalek stated suddenly, head turning slightly. "It is the Doctor." Silence, and then it declared, "The urge to kill is too strong."
"It must be communicating with something," Jay realized. She turned her head towards the Doctor. "The ones in the laboratory?"
"More than likely," he agreed. When the Dalek agreed to obey, he lifted his voice. "What's going on?"
"You will follow," the Dalek told him.
"No!" Martha cried, immediately grabbing his arm. "You can't go."
Jay looked just as distressed by the idea. The Doctor gave them comforting looks, turning to them for a moment. "I've got to go," he said firmly, planting a hand on Martha's shoulder and gently squeezing. "The Daleks just changed their minds, and Daleks never change their minds."
"What about us?" Martha whispered, eyes darting to the Daleks above them.
The Doctor thought it over and then called up to the Daleks, "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"
Jay's heart twisted in panic, aching at the thought. Rubbing her chest, she listened as the Dalek declared that the humans would be spared and the Doctor would follow. "Doctor," she tried, heart racing.
He smiled kindly at her. "Jay, stay here with Martha. Martha, do what you do best. People are hurt and you can help them. Let me go. Oh, and can I just say…" His gaze slid over the two women. "Thank you very much." He took Jay's hand and gave it a squeeze as he'd done with Martha's shoulder. Except this time, Jay realized, he'd done something else. She felt something gripped in her hands, his fingers wrapping her own around it. The Doctor winked at her, and then turned and walked away.
"What?" Jay stammered, effectively distracted. She turned to ask Martha what it was, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She rubbed at her chest desperately, trying to calm it as she tucked the strange piece of paper, which was blank, into her pocket. Martha was gone, all ready determined to help those she could.
Within the next half hour, Martha was in charge. She sent Tallulah for a pan of hot water and Jay to wander the camp, sending people to her as she saw fit. "Here you are," Martha said cheerfully, finishing the wrapping of a man's sprained wrist.
"Here you are," Tallulah said as she put the pan down. "I got some more on the boil."
"Thanks," Martha said. To her patient, she said kindy, "You'll be okay. It's just a sprain. Just don't use that wrist too much, okay?"
"Thanks," he mumbled and then went to help with the clean up.
Martha let out a breath, rocking back. Beside her, Tallulah quietly watched people go this way and that. "So what about us?" Tallulah said suddenly.
"I don't know," Martha admitted. Her head was spinning. Why would the Doctor leave them like he had? And the strange look he'd given Jay just before Martha had turned away… "I'm going to go find Jay, maybe she heard him say something-"
They were interrupted by a shout of surprise followed by several cries of alarm. Martha and Tallulah swiftly exited the tent that they'd been using, meeting a worried and grieving Frank just out front as he came rushing for them. Breath coming heavily, he said grimly, "It's Jay, she just collapsed-"
Martha's gaze hardened. "Lead the way."
They tore off through the camp and within moments, Martha was landing hard on her knees upon finding Jay with a few others around her. She was gasping for air, struggling to suck it down, her fingers digging into her chest. Martha touched her hand to let her know that she was there and felt her pulse. It fluttered painfully fast beneath her touch. "What on earth," she muttered, hating that the Doctor wasn't there. Likely something that had come with the other attack she'd had…
Yet, this wasn't nearly as bad. Within only a few moments, Jay was weakly sucking down air. Her pulse began to slow and settle back into a normal rhythm. Finally, she rasped, "Ow."
"Alright?" Frank asked, squatting next to them.
"No," she answered honestly, voice hoarse.
"Tallulah," Martha muttered, "she needs water."
Tallulah nodded and went to fetch it. When she came back, Jay had managed to sit up and accepted the water gratefully, downing it quickly. Frank ordered the people around to go back to what they were doing. Finally, Jay whispered, "Thanks."
"We'll let the Doctor know when we see him again," Martha said warmly. And they would see the Time Lord again. She refused to think otherwise.
Jay gasped suddenly and grabbed Martha's arm, shoving the water back at Tallulah. "Martha, before he left, he gave me something." She removed something from her pocket and shoved it into Martha's hands, and martha looked down to investigate. "What is it?"
"Psychic paper?" Martha said, thoughtful. Why would he- Inspiration struck her. "Down in the sewers, the Daleks mentioned this energy conductor." Tallulah cocked her head curiously, and Frank furrowed his brow. "Dalekanium. Something about Dalekanium being in place. The question is where. Frank, that Mr. Diagoras...he was like some sort of fixer, yeah? Get you jobs all over town?"
"Yeah," Frank said, confused by Martha's intent. "He could find a profit anywhere. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped he'd pick you for something good. Building work, that pays the best."
"But what sort of building work?" Martha demanded.
Jay tugged on her sleeve and pointed tiredly at the Empire State Building. "I'm assuming that."
It was a tight fit, all four humans shoved into the service lift. Jay, having never been in one and exhausted, clung to Frank's arm. He gave her a sympathetic look. They'd tried to make her stay behind, but she'd been stubborn and threatened to follow anyways. Tallulah had been determined to help, too, although she'd admitted that she wasn't sure what she could do.
"I always wanted to go to the Empire State," Martha said suddenly. "Never imagined it quite like this, though."
"Where are we headed anyway?" Frank asked, peering curiously at her.
"The top," Jay whispered, looking up. "They're still building up there." She suddenly frowned, looking to Martha. "Martha, what was that piece of paper that you showed those people? The one that the Doctor gave me? They just...let us through."
Martha flashed her a smile. "Psychic paper. Shows them whatever we want them to think. According to this, we're three engineers and an architect."
When the lift got to the top, the four spilled out into a lobby. They meandered through it into a working space, a series of half-built offices. Heart pounding at the height as they all paused to look out over the city, Jay shook her head and then focused on a drawing board with blueprints.
"Okay," she said as she approached it, still keeping a tight grip on Frank. He and Martha settled down to study them as Tallulah slid away to look some more. "Now look at the date. The designs, they were issued today." She tapped the date, remembering the date on the newspaper that had first informed them of the disappearances of people from Hooverville. "They must have changed something at the last moment."
"The Daleks?" Martha asked, looking at her quickly.
"Could be," Frank muttered, peering at them. "The ones underneath are from before. Means whatever's been changed must be on top, eh? We need to check one against the other."
"The height of this place," Tallulah cried, peering out over the city some more. Her eyes were full of awe. "This is amazing." Martha warned her to be careful and Tallulah waved her off. "I just want to see. New York City. If aliens had to come to Earth...oh, no wonder they came here."
Shaking her head, Jay ripped the blueprints from the board and spread them out over the floor with the help of Martha and Frank. Tallulah stayed out a little, watching the city below, and Frank decided to go and keep an eye out for anything that might come looking for them. Martha and Jay agreed it was for the best. They didn't want to be interrupted.
"There's a hell of a storm moving in," Tallulah said as she came back in, arms wrapped around herself. Her face was pale.
"I wish the Doctor was here," Martha sighed as they began to scan through the papers. "He'd know what we're looking for."
Jay was murmuring her agreement when Tallulah asked, "Where did you and him first hook up?"
"We're not hooked up," Martha corrected, flushing. "But...we met in a hospital, sort of."
Jay glanced up from the blueprints. She'd not yet heard how Martha had met the Doctor. They both knew how she had. Tallulah nodded wisely, as if predicting that this was how Martha would have met him. "Of course, him being a doctor."
"Actually," Martha said, "I'm a doctor. Well," she paused to think it over and then shrugged. "Kind of."
Tallulah looked stunned. "You're a physician? Really?"
"I was training. Still am, if I ever get back home."
The way Martha said that had Jay reaching out to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. She felt a little envious of Martha. The girl had a family to go home to, one that would likely clutch her to them and never let go if they learned what she'd been through. Jay knew hers would likely roll their eyes and throw her into her room.
"He had this companion a while back," Martha said suddenly, catching Jay's attention. "This...friend. And ever since then, he's been on his own. I showed up...and then Jay, so he's not anymore. He's really not. But sometimes, you know, I say something or do something and he looks at me, and I just sort of thing that he's not seeing me. He's just...remembering." Her voice was laced with pain and Jay's expression softened. She reached out and patted Martha's arm again, and then grunted softly when her heart began to pick up in speed.
"Martha-" she managed to get out before she was on the ground again, shuddering as the pain in her chest returned. Martha gave a cry, leaning over her and Tallulah hurried closer to try and help without knowing how.
Jay didn't understand why, but groaned in relief when this wave only lasted a few seconds. When the pain was gone, she croaked, "I'm going to take the world's longest nap when I get back to the TARDIS."
Martha gave a brief laugh before rushing back to the blueprints, searching for answers as she called, "Rest. I'll find what we need. They're like earthquakes, those attacks. Each aftershock is smaller. I hope it stops soon. Before we're in the middle of something and it comes."
"You think?" Jay rasped in agreement.
After a few more minutes of searching, Martha gave a triumphant laugh. "Gotcha! Look, there on the mast. Those little lines? The're new. They've added something, see?"
"Added what?" Tallulah sputtered.
Jay, still simply resting on her back, grinned and gave the answer. "Dalekanium."
Not an even a moment later, Frank burst back in, grinning. Martha looked at him questioningly. He only moved aside, saying, "Brought some company."
"Doctor!" Martha cried in relief when she saw the Time Lord step out of hiding, beaming at the sight of she and Jay. He furrowed his brow briefly as Jay rose from the floor, climbing to her feet with Martha's help as Tallulah tackled Laszlo, who was also there, in a tight hug.
Laughing, Jay called, "We've worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast."
"And it's good to see you by the way," Martha added as they made their way over to him.
He chuckled. "Oh, come here," he said fondly, sweeping her up in a hug that lifted her off of her feet. Jay was next, and she sputtered when he gave her a crushing hug. She flailed her arms a little, unsure of what to do. She didn't recall the last time she'd been hugged, to be honest. But the Doctor merely grinned and patted her head before suddenly ripping back as he spun around when the sound of a soft ding. "No, no, no," he groaned, "never waste time with a hug. Deadlock seal." He gestured behind Frank, to where the lift they'd all used had closed. "I can't stop it."
Martha grew serious. She let Jay lean on her, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. "Where's it going, Doctor?"
"Right down to the Daleks," he said darkly. "And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?" He snapped this to Frank, whirling about.
"Er, about eleven-fifteen," Frank reported.
"Six minutes to go," the Doctor said, nodding curtly. "I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits." Tallulah furrowed her brow in confusion, but no one questioned what he meant. Instead, they followed him out into the open area she'd been studying while Martha and Jay searched the blueprints. Martha grabbed the blueprints as they did so.
The Doctor made a face. "Oh," he said, looking down at the city, "that's high. That's very...blimey, that's high."
Martha couldn't help herself. She rolled her eyes. "And we've got to go even higher," she said confidently. "That's the mast up there." She showed him the blueprints in her hands, glancing up. "There's three pieces of Dalekanium on the base, like here." She tapped the paper. "We've got to get them off." Both of them stopped, staring at the wooden ladder that would take them up to the mast.
"That's not we," the Doctor told her, gently nudging her back. "That's just me. Jay can't make it up there in this condition, and you're going to have your hands full. I'm sorry, Martha. But you're going to have to fight."
Martha looked horrified by the thought, but Jay spoke up in response, her blue eyes flickering with uncertainty and hesitance. "How?"
"However you can." He reached out and ruffled her hair playfully before slipping out, gripping the ladder. Within moments, the Doctor was climbing up out of view. They watched him go anxiously.
A soft ding caught their attention, and Martha spun around. "The lift's coming up," she said, uneasy.
Frank swore under his breath. "I should have brought that gun," he muttered.
"Tallulah, stay back. You, too, Martha, Jay." Laszlo spoke firmly, his expression full of wary concern. "The're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." He moved to step forward but stumbled. Tallulah gasped, stepping forward and asking what was wrong, and he waved her off. "It's nothing. I'm fine. Leave me."
Tallulah was having none of it. She rested her fingers on his head, and her face filled with horror. "Oh, honey. You're burning up! What's wrong with you, Laszlo? Tell me."
Frank groaned. "Great," he cried. "One man down, and we ain't even started yet."
Swallowing thickly, Jay asked Martha, "It's not looking good, is it?"
"No." Martha took a deep breath. "We're going to be slaughtered." A crash of thunder filled the air, making them all jump. Lightning flashed a moment later, and Martha spun around to stare at the outside world with wide eyes. "Wait a minute...lightning! Frank, Jay, help me!" She dove for a piece of metal, her eyes glittering with excitement.
Frank caught on, as did Jay, and within moments, they were arranging pieces of metal, careful not to touch it as lightning flashed outside. Tallulah watched them, irritated as she cared for Laszlo. "What the hell are you clowns doing?"
Jay flashed her a grin through bleary blue eyes. "Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still going to get hit."
"A great big bolt of lightning," Martha agreed. "Electricity, all down this building. If we connect this to the lift...they get zapped!"
Tallulah gasped. "Oh, my God, that could work!"
Frank rolled his eyes. "Then give us a hand!"
Tallulah leaped to her feet to do just that. Together, the group fixed it up so that a long line of metal pieces ran from outside to the doors of the lift that would soon arrive. Anxious, Tallulah breathed, staring at their finished work, "Is that going to work?"
"It's got to," Martha said. "Jay, don't move. Stay there." She went to help Tallulah move Laszlo to a safe place without metal.
Frank ducked back in from checking on a piece of outside material, swiping his hands. "I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside."
"Good job," Martha praised. Jay blinked when she added, "Come here, Frank, just sit in the middle. And no one touch anything metal, do you hear me?"
Everyone mumbled versions of "yes". There was a moment in which silence fell, with Jay clutching Martha's hand tightly as the lift dinged, signaling its arrival. Her breath hitched when the doors opened and revealed a group of pigmen. And then, just like that, there was a loud crack. Lightning flashed as it struck the Empire State Building, and the three women, Frank, and Laszlo all gave small cries of shock when the electricity slammed into the pigmen. They spasmed before falling limp.
After a few moments of more silence, Tallulah let out a breath. The pigmen were dead. "You did it!"
Martha only looked at the pigmen with a mournful expression, horrified. "They used to be like Laszlo. They were people, and we killed them."
"No," Laszlo said gently, sounding weak. "the Daleks killed them long ago."
Jay gripped Martha's hand so hard, she felt as if the bones would break. "Martha, what about the Doctor?"
Martha bit her lip, eyeing the space behind them. "Stay here," she ordered, and then edged out. She paused just outside, blinking, and scooped up something before disappearing. Frank helped Jay to her feet as they waited for Martha to come back, and Tallulah checked on her lover, making sure he was okay.
It seemed like ages before Martha returned, smiling briefly when Jay gave a cry of relief upon seeing the Doctor staggering along behind her. He looked a little worse for the wear, but alive, and he grimaced as he said, "The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading the soldiers underneath Manhattan."
"What?" Jay said sharply, stunned. "But...didn't you-"
"I didn't get all of it," he admitted.
Laszlo asked, "How do we stop them?"
"There's only one chance," the Doctor said. He looked over the group before him, eyes uneasy. "I didn't get all of the Dalekanium, but I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping through me first. We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them." He furrowed his brow, ignoring the shocked and horrified looks the others were giving him. "Where can I draw them out? Think, think, think… We need some sort of space. Somewhere safe. Somewhere out of the way… Tallulah!" His head snapped up.
"That's me," she chirped, "three l's and an h."
"The theater," he said, eyes lighting up. "It's right above them, and what, it's just past midnight? Can you get us inside?"
"Don't see why not," she responded.
"Is there another lift?" the Doctor asked, eyeing the lift he'd originally taken. It was full of dead pigmen now. That wouldn't do.
"We came up in the service elevator," Jay supplied, and he beamed at her.
"That'll do. Allons-y!"
They were in the theater, the Doctor working furiously on something or another in the middle of the seating area. Martha was keeping close, waiting to see what she could do. In the seating before the space the Doctor worked in, Tallulah fretted over Laszlo, and Jay sat on the edge of the stage, hand pressed over her chest as her heart skipped a beat, bringing a small flicker of pain that didn't do much.
From where she stood, Tallulah announced, "There ain't nothing more creepy than a theatre in the dark." Jay nodded, watching as the young woman turned to look at the Doctor. Her gaze was full of fear. She was worried about him. "Doctor," she said, biting her lip, "what's happening to Laszlo?"
"Not now, Tallulah, sorry," the Doctor said, not looking up. He was playing with his sonic screwdriver now. Jay bristled at him. Could he not answer the question? They all wanted to now at this point.
"What are you doing?" Jay asked, hopping down from the stage. She went to join he and Martha, peering curiously at the sonic screwdriver.
"If the Daleks are going to war," he explained to the two women, "they'll want to find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." He held the sonic screwdriver in the air, smirking as it beeped. When he lowered it, he told Martha and Jay, "I'm telling you two to go. Frank," he gestured to where the said man had vanished, returning to Hooverville, "can take you back to Hooverville."
"And I'm telling you," Martha said stubbornly, "we're not going."
The Doctor glanced at Jay and she leveled a look at him. She wasn't going anywhere.
"That's an order," he warned.
"Order, schmorder," Jay said dismissively. "I think we need to be more focused on-"
The doors burst open, broken down, and she jumped as people stormed in. Their arms held large guns that instinctively put her on edge, and the Doctor stepped before she and Martha with darkened eyes. Tallulah panicked, and Martha breathed, "Humans, with Dalek DNA?"
Soothingly, the Doctor said to them, "It's alright, just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."
Laszlo said warily, "But what of the Dalek masters? Where are they?"
An explosion on the theater stage had them all whirling around. Too late to flee now. Daleks appeared on stage and Jay felt horror and shock fill her as she stared. Before them, crawling on his hands and knees with a chain at his throat, was Dalek Sec. Her hand cupped over her mouth. She knew that the Daleks were horrible, but to do this…
"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks," a Dalek screeched as they stopped. The Doctor said nothing, merely patting Martha's shoulder affectionately as he hopped onto the backs of the seats, striding across the rows with ease. There was a dark expression on his face as he stopped before the Daleks, standing tall and proud. "You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age."
The second Dalek added, "Planet Earth will become New Skaro."
That didn't sound very good, Jay decided, biting the inside of her cheek nervously.
"Oh, and what a world," the Doctor said with enough sarcasm to have sufficed for the rest of Jay's life. She snorted. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec." He jammed his finger in the hybrid's direction and Jay felt a flicker of sympathy for the creature that had been a threat no more than a few hours before. "Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is this your new empire? Hm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"
From where he was on the ground, Dalek Sec spoke, and Jay turned her sharp blue eyes onto him. "My Daleks, just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."
Jay's breath hitched and Martha breathed, "When did he-"
"Incorrect." The first of the pair of Daleks spoke now. "We will always survive. Now we will destroy our greatest enemy: the Doctor."
"But he can help you," Dalek Sec pleaded.
"The Doctor must die."
Jay stiffened as Dalek Sec begged for them to spare the Doctor's life, and she bit her lip so hard it bled as the Dalek's metal arm twitched, preparing to fire. The Doctor showed no fear, dark eyes blazing as he stared the Daleks down.
"Exterminate!"
Martha gasped and Jay cried out just as Dalek Sec shot to his feet, taking the blast meant for the Doctor. He crumpled, dead, and the Doctor looked just as surprised as the rest of them. Yet, he said, voice dark, "Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness...and you destroyed him. Do you see what they did? You see what a Dalek really is?" This was said to the humans standing around them. None of them reacted. Jay watched them warily, shivering a little. "If I'm going to die, let's give the new boys a shot, eh? What do you think, Jay? Martha?" He grinned at them. They looked at him in horror. "The Dalek humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptise them in the blood of your worst enemy."
"Dalek humans," a Dalek ordered, "take aim."
Jay flinched as the guns were cocked, all humans doing as they were told except for those with the Doctor.
"Exterminate!"
The Doctor stiffened, and Martha flinched as Jay had. But nothing happened. They exchanged nervous looks. What was going on? The Dalek repeated its order. When nothing occurred again, a Dalek said, "Obey. Dalek humans will obey."
"They're not firing," Jay said aloud, blinking. She looked up to the Doctor. He merely winked at her as she asked, "What have you done?"
"You will obey. Exterminate," the Dalek tried again. If they'd had any emotion, Jay was sure they'd be furious.
"Why?" Their heads snapped around to look at a Dalek human who'd spoken, looking puzzled.
"Daleks do not question orders," he was told by one of the Daleks.
"But...why?"
"You will stop this."
"But why?"
"You must not question."
Jay nearly burst into giggles. Despite the distress of the situation, it was entirely hilarious to see a Dalek and human Dalek acting like mother and child. She'd done the same thing to her nursemaids growing up. But why? Such an important question that no one wanted to answer.
"But you are not our master," the man said suddenly, lifting his voice. "And we...we are not Daleks."
"No," the Doctor said, speaking up now with an almost smug look in his eyes. Jay wondered if he'd wanted this. "You're not. And you never will be." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."
Jay couldn't help herself; she grinned.
Of course it had.
"If they will not obey," the Dalek decided, "then they must die."
It took one shot to kill the man who had spoken, and the Doctor's face shifted. "Get down!" he ordered, practically throwing himself from the top of the seats. He ducked down among the seats, and Jay and Martha hastily did the same. Jay heard Tallulah shriek as the Daleks declared a phrase that Jay thought to be their signature, "Exterminate! Exterminate!"
One of the Daleks blew up, and Jay shrieked when hot metal burned her, flying everywhere. Martha swore and batted at a spot on her neck. The other Dalek was gone a moment later and with reluctance, the Doctor peered around before standing straight. Martha and Jay crept through the seats to join him, looking fairly unhappy about being burned. "It's all right," the Doctor said reassuringly to the human Daleks. "You did it. You're free."
The words had barely left his mouth before the newly made hybrids started screeching and crying out, clutching their heads. One by one, they watched in horror as they crumpled, dead. "No," the Doctor beathed, and then shouted, "No! They can't!" He repeated this as he ran his hands through his hair, frustrated.
"What happened?" Martha demanded. "What was that?"
"They killed them," the Doctor said blankly. He scowled. "Rather than let them live, they killed an entire species. Genocide."
Laszlo brought an important point to their attention. "Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive."
"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, still angry. "Just one in the whole universe." Without hesitation, he swung around and stormed through the theater, heading for the prop room. The others were right behind him, all nervous to be left alone without the one person who clearly knew what he was doing. Laszlo needed some help, but Tallulah was more than willing to offer it.
It didn't take them long to reach the laboratory now that they knew the way. The Doctor only stopped once when he made sure Martha and Jay had gotten off the ladder down into the tunnels all right. But then they were rushing again.
When they reached the laboratory, the Doctor stormed right on in without looking back, demanding aloud to the Dalek that remained, "Now what?"
It spun a little, attached to some cables. "You will be exterminated," it told him.
"Yeah, yeah," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes. He'd heard it all before. "Just think about it, Dalek...what was your name?"
"Dalek Caan."
"Dalek Caan," the Doctor repeated. "Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated, leaving only...you. Right now, you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion, because I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan, let me help you." Martha and Jay stared at him. This was not where they'd expected the conversation to go. Martha turned away when Tallulah called her name quietly, rushing over to tend to Laszlo with her. Jay merely watched the Dalek. The Doctor ignored them all, eyes locked on the Dalek. "What do you say?"
"Emergency temporal shift!"
Jay jumped when the Dalek vanished, the cables connected to it falling limply to the earth. Jay blinked, stunned. Just like that, the danger was gone. She opened her mouth to ask where it had gone, but was cut off when Martha cried, "Doctor! Doctor, he's sick!" She spun around to discover Tallulah and Martha helping Laszlo to sit down as he wheezed desperately for air. She was reminded distantly of her own problems earlier and quickly strode over to help as the Doctor snapped around.
"It's okay," Martha was whispering to him, "you're alright. It's his heart." This was said to the Doctor when he crouched beside them. "It's racing like mad, I've never seen anything like it. Except for...well, you." She looked at Jay.
"What is it, Doctor?" Tallulah begged. "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe...what is it?"
"None of the slaves survive long," Laszlo said, breathing heavily. "Most of them only live for a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on because I had you, Tallulah, but now...I'm dying."
She gave a soft sob. "No, you're not. Not now, not after all this. Doctor, can't you do something?"
The Doctor's expression hardened and he shot to his feet, whirling around. "Oh, Tallulah with three l's and an h, just watch me. What do I need?" He looked to Jay, who made a small "I don't know!" gesture. He grinned. "I don't know, how about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh, look, I've got one." He threw his arms out to indicate the laboratory around them. "Laszlo, just you hold on. There's been too many deaths today." He strode away, getting too work. As he worked rapidly, desperate to save Laszlo and admitting to himself that maybe something he did here could help Jay, he spoke. "Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age old enemies.
"And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now! I am not having one more death! You got that? Not one!" The Doctor swept Tallulah aside and she looked shocked. Jay found herself smiling brightly as he cried, "Tallulah, out of the way. The Doctor is in!"
"Do you reckon it's going to work?"
Jay paused in staring out at the city from the doorway of the TARDIS. She glanced Martha's way. The other woman was leaning against the outside of the ship, her arms folded and her face turned to Jay. "What do you mean?"
"Tallulah and Frank." Martha gestured to the city around them. "Do you reckon them staying in Hooverville is going to work?"
They'd left the pair there, with Frank promising to help them out as he took over Solomon's role in the shantytown for the people who couldn't afford anything else. Jay remembered the tears rolling down Tallulah's cheeks, the gratitude in her eyes as she'd bid them farewell. And she remembered the concern on Frank's face as he tried to figure out how to make everyone accept them. It was unlikely everyone would, but as they'd left, Jay had seen a child approach Laszlo and offer a smile.
"I don't know," said the Doctor from where he was watching the city with the other two. "Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry. But New York? That's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses-"
"Maybe the odd pig slave Dalek mutant hybrid?" Jay suggested, earning a startled laugh from the Doctor. "It just proves it. That there's someone for everyone in the universe."
"Maybe," the Doctor agreed.
Martha said suddenly, "Meant to say, Doctor...I'm sorry. That the Dalek got away. I know what that means to you."
The Doctor gave an off-handed shrug and turned to the TARDIS. Jay blinked. What did the Dalek have to do with anything? Seeing the confusion on her face, the Doctor offered a kind smile. "Come on, you two. I'll tell Jay the story while we get her checked over in the infirmary. I want to see what that little bout was about."
Jay only grimaced when Martha ratted out the other attacks and the Doctor mused, "Maybe we'll draw blood?"
"Bring needles near me," Jay said, "and I won't be accountable for my actions."
The Doctor grinned and swept them both into the TARDIS.
Some more on Jay's condition (sort of) and the end of the Daleks for now. ;)
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