The gloom of Dargeth loomed heavily over forest floor & a weak mist, curling & drifting like the arm of a wraith, drifted amidst the undergrowth. The Dalek Supreme pushed it's way through a heavy conglomeration of bushes, swivelled it's dome left to right as it looked over the area & emerged out into a small clearing. The undergrowth bustled & shuddered as more Daleks poured out into the area, their domes & eyes turning & twisting this way and that as they examined their surroundings. The towering bulk of what had once been Tarlok Elm remained hidden in the darkness of the trees, the larger of the two Blue NCO's near to him.
The Dalek Supreme lowered it's eye-stalk & examined the ground beneath it. A river bed, long since dry, extended further out into the woods, bending around a nearby rock & disappearing from view.
"Report!" croaked the Supreme
A black domed silver Dalek made it's way over & addressed the Supreme, who did not turn around.
"Tracks lead further west out of the forest." it said. "Particle analysis shows little to no deviation."
To the Supreme's right, the Red Lieutenant glided over, casting a glance in the direction of Tarlok Elm as it spoke.
"The Doctor may have been injured by the explosion he engineered & thus too weak to attempt to deflect us from his trail. We may find his body in the undergrowth."
The Dalek Supreme turned to face it's second in command.
"Negative. The Doctor will have survived & fled, he is too ingenious an enemy to fall victim to his own machinations."
Gesturing to the black domed Dalek, the Red Dalek indicated it's desire to speak alone with the Supreme. The two Daleks moved a little distance away before the crimson one spoke.
"The Abomination is under our control, but it shows signs that it's original personality has not been totally suppressed. Also, the regenerative mutation it is now subject to has increased it's metabolism by 55%."
The Dalek Supreme pondered this. The Abomination had been the only success out of it's experimentation on the villagers of Salith, though "success" had been purely relative to the other villagers. The others had been controllable, but lacked any real use other than as guard dogs. It was sure that the Daleks would remain in control as long as they continued to enforce their dominant will but the increased metabolism was another difficulty. The Abomination had been badly damaged by the explosion. A quick examination had shown that it's arms had been blown off & half it's face ripped apart, but it had been buried under bodies & the barn. Whilst it waited for the Daleks to arrive, it had devoured the corpses of those left & regenerated it's lost limbs & flesh. It would need a relatively steady supply of nourishment to keep it from burning out.
"There is also danger that the increased metabolism may force the creature to eat itself...or turn it's attentions to us." said the Red Dalek, another wary glance shot in the direction of Elm
"Keep a close watch on the creature, we will need to find it food to keep it alive. It will come in use in our pursuit." answered the Supreme
The Dalek Supreme glided forward, gesturing with it's sucker stick as it spoke.
"Advance!"
They continued onward, pushing through bramble & bush, elevating over fallen trees & rivers & stopping only once more to confirm their readings. The Daleks glided through the forest like spirits, silent & smoothly, whilst Tarlok Elm picked his way through the trees quickly & deftly, scarcely making a sound except for the occasional grunt.
The Supreme, leading the group, took this time to think. Their distress signal had been sent before the Tharkep had detonated due to the Dark Matter overload & the likely result of the humans machine failing would be a repetition of the rest of the planet: Rapid freezing, gale force winds & removal of viable elements necessary for the sustaining of life.
The Daleks feared none of this. They could survive in freezing temperatures, even utilise it for the purpose of stasis, as long as the drop was not sudden. Winds could be ignored & whilst the Daleks breathed, they could store oxygen in their bodies for up to 6 months whilst the battle armour itself had reserves for up to a year. A relief vessel would arrive long before they were no longer able to breath.
The Supreme had felt it, not heard it because Daleks do not question orders, but he had felt the questioning glance of his Lieutenant & would consider it an insult if the subordinate NCO's & Drones had not entertained the idea that the pursuit of the Doctor & Tardis was irrelevant. The upper echelons of command, whilst acknowledging the Doctor as a threat, refused to accept the Supreme's assertion that he be classified as an ultimate existential threat to the Daleks & little attention had been paid to his time/space machine & it's possible relevance to the furthering of their own time technology.
"They have not faced him." thought the Supreme. "Too long have they remained safe on Skaro or their command ships."
In a way, a desire for revenge existed within the Supreme. The concept was not alien to Dalek kind, but it was not something expressed openly. The memory of the Time Destructor incident weighed heavily on the Supremes mind, as did it's first sight of the Dalek city in ruins after the Doctor's engineering of a civil war. The searing, white hot rage it had felt when stepping off the command ship & seeing the city aflame was second only to it's shock upon finding the Emperor dead.
There was only one other consideration to make. That the Supreme Council feared the Doctor. That a Dalek could fear anything was an obscene thought in itself, but it was the only other explanation for the seeming indifference the Supreme had faced.
"I will not fear." thought the Supreme contemptuously. "The Doctor will die here on Medway & his time ship will be the gateway towards total supremacy of the Daleks!"
Pushing through a final batch of bushes, the Supreme Dalek emerged from Dargeth into the Shadowlands. Before it stretched wide, rolling hills that extended out into the distance. The light was weak, but visibility was clear. The black domed NCO moved to the Supreme's side.
"Particle tracking no longer efficient, wind & pollen count masking detection." it said.
"Use primitive methods of tracking." replied the Supreme. "If no trail is discernible, spread out all Dalek Drones & survey the area. The Doctor will be found!"
It's orders given the Supreme began to move when the movement of Tarlok Elm distracted it's attention. The Abomination was scenting the air, the slits where it's nose had once been vibrating as it raised it's head. Now in the light, the Abominations eyes were more clearly visible & the Supreme noted a predominantly bestial look in it's beady, dark eyes. There was, however, the faint suggestion of something else. A cunning, sentient intelligence which intrigued the Supreme.
"What are you doing?" It demanded
"I...scent him...masters." he growled. "His smell is in the air..."
Inside the Dalek machine, the Dalek mutant tapped screens & buttons as it examined the Abomination more thoroughly.
"Perhaps it is of greater use after all..."