"Absolutely not!" Thea laughed as she sat crossed legged on her bed, staring down at her phone on video call with the gang.
"Oh, come on!" Clyde moaned, as he, Luke and Rani sat on the steps on the attic before Mr Smith, "why not?"
"There's probably laws against it, Clyde." Rani rolled her eyes at the boy.
"I am not taking a selfie with Winston Churchill." Thea told him, "the phone is staying in my pocket. I'm not going to take a selfie with Winston Churchill. I'm not."
"She is." Luke sighed.
Clyde and Rani nodded their agreement.
Thea opened her mouth to argue only to slap it shut again, pursing her lips, "I'm not sending it to you."
"Ah," Clyde pulled a face, "will you at least show us when you next come round."
"Fine." she huffed.
"And don't take too long with that." Rani added, "I miss having a girl around here to deal with these two idiots."
"Oi!" Clyde frowned at that.
"I'll be round soon, I promise." she swore, "I'll even bring gifts."
"From other planets?" Luke asked, not trying to sound too excited about the idea of a gift from a different alien culture.
"Maybe." she teased, "you need to get your A levels first."
"Oh, like they're hard for him," Rani remarked, "dads worried that once he's gone to Uni early the schools average exam scores will drop significantly without you two there."
"Well, he is right." Clyde admitted, "Smartest people on Earth." he rubbed Luke's head getting an eye roll and shoved away.
Thea looked up at the knock on the doors, hearing Amy on the other side, "Thea?" she called. "The Doctor said you need to hang up the call now or he'll leave you behind and you'll miss meeting Winston Churchill."
"Alright." she nodded, rolling her eyes at the fact the Doctor had sent Amy to be the messenger, "be right there."
"I'm telling you now, get a selfie with Winston Churchill," Clyde told her, "or we are no longer friends."
She gasped, putting her free hand to her chest, "you only put up with me for the aliens, don't you?"
"Absolutely, you know it."
"You wound me, Clyde Langer." she shook her head, heading down the corridors to the console.
"So you'll be round, soon, yeah?" Rani confirmed, knowing if she didn't get them started on ending the call she really would stay and chat for the rest of the day.
"Promise." she nodded. "I'll see you soon."
"I miss you." Luke called.
"Miss you more."
"See you." Rani smiled.
"Bye." they chorused before ending the call as Thea reached the console room.
"Everything good?" the Doctor asked her.
"Excellent!" she grinned.
She had the best, most understanding and ultimately amazing friends ever!
~.~
The TARDIS materialised in a storage room of the Cabinet War Rooms and the Doctor poked his head out only to see a line of soldiers aiming their guns at them.
"Amy. Thea." the Doctor called, stepping out of the TARDIS seeing the soldiers parting and Winston Churchill stepped forwards, a cigar in his mouth, "Winston Churchill." he introduced.
"Oh my stars..." Thea smiled widely as she stepped out to see the man.
"Doctor." Winston stared at him. A very different man to the last time he met the Doctor before, "Is it you?"
"Oh, Winston, my old friend." the Doctor moved to shake the mans hand, but he simply held his out, wanting something, "Ah, every time."
"What's he after?" Amy frowned.
"TARDIS key, of course."
"Hello," Thea bounced forwards to shake the mans hand, "I'm Thea, big fan. Very excited to finally meet you."
"And you as well, my dear." Winston chuckled at her excitement before turning to the Doctor, "Think of what I could achieve with your remarkable machine, Doctor. The lives that could be saved."
"Ah, doesn't work like that." the Doctor shook his head, stepping back to shut the TARDIS doors.
"Must I take it by force?"
"I'd like to see you try." he casted a glance at the soldiers, "mind pointing those guns somewhere else?" he nodded to Thea who seemed completely unbothered by the guns, probably because they knew Churchill wouldn't let them fire, but still, he wasn't a fan of guns.
"At ease." he nodded to his men who lowered their guns.
The Doctor grinned, "you rang?"
Churchill laughed and he turned and gestured for them to follow, able to hear the air raid happening overhead, "So you've changed your face again."
"Yeah, well, had a bit of work done." the Doctor shrugged.
"Got it, got it, got it!" Amy suddenly shouted as she followed behind, "Cabinet War Rooms, right?"
"Yes!" Thea cheered, "Top secret heart of the War Office, right under London."
"You're late, by the way." Churchill remarked.
"Requisitions, sir." a young woman walked up to him, handing him a clipboard and pen.
"Excellent." he handed over his cane to the Doctor as he took the clipboard and pen.
The Doctor frowned at his watch, "Late?"
"I rang you a month ago."
Thea groaned, "you're making a habit of this. First 12 years, then 2 years now a month."
"It's getting better!" the Doctor defended. She raised her eyebrows at him, "fine, you can read the TARDIS manual."
She smiled, "thank you."
She had asked to read the manual to learn how to operate the TARDIS but he refused, insisting he could teach her. He couldn't even follow a call directly. No wonder she was concerned about visiting the gang. She really didn't want to turn up 12 years late.
"Sorry, sorry." he offered Churchill, "It's a Type 40 TARDIS. I'm just running her in."
"And how long exactly have you been running her in now?" Thea crossed her arms, "all the TARDISes in the farms and you chose the oldest one. All because that one was unlocked."
"Oi! Don't knock her or she'll never let you go see Luke."
She gasped, "She wouldn't."
"She would."
"Nah," she shook her head, "I reckon if I ask nicely she'll take me there herself."
He had to nod his agreement at that. The TARDIS really did seemed to adore Thea. Maybe it was because she kept insisting on reading the manual.
"Something the matter, Breen?" Churchill frowned, handing the paperwork back to the woman, "you look a little down in the dumps."
"No, sir." the woman smiled but it didn't reach her eyes as she hugged the clipboard to her chest, "Fine, sir."
"Action this day, Breen. Action this day."
"Yes, sir." she forced and smile before walking away.
"Excuse me, sir." a man approached them, "Got another formation coming in, Prime Minister. Stukas, by the look of them."
"We shall go up top then, Group Captain!" Churchill grinned, "We'll give them what for. Coming, Doctor?"
"Why?" he asked.
He took his cane back, "I have something to show you." he turned and led them off.
The Doctor turned to mouthing 'ooh,' making Amy and Thea laugh as they followed Churchill into a small lift, Amy and Thea squeezing behind the men as Churchill lit a fresh cigar as they went up. The Doctor waved the smoke away.
"We stand at a crossroads, Doctor," Churchill remarked, "quite alone, with our backs to the wall. Invasion is expected daily. So I will grasp with both hands anything that will give us an advantage over the Nazi menace."
"Such as?"
The lift came to a stop of Churchill opened the gate, "Follow me."
They walked out of to the rooftop, where sandbags lined the edge, a men in a white lab coat, stood on a higher part of the roof, watching the skies through binoculars.
"Wow." Amy gaped, staring put at the city of London don to see blimps and balloons.
"I agree." Thea nodded, slipped out her phone and snapping a photo.
"Er, should you be doing that?"
She knew Thea likely knew more of what she was doing than she did, but she was getting out her phone in the middle of World War 2, surely that shouldn't be allowed, but then again, Churchill seemed to know about the TARDIS, so maybe it didn't matter that much.
"Doctor, this is Professor Edwin Bracewell." Churchill introduced the man with the binoculars, "Head of our Ironsides Project."
The Doctor held up a 'V' for victory sign.
"How do you do?" Bracewell waved before going back to watching the sky, spotting a line of German planes heading for them.
"Oh, Doctor." Amy breathed, "its..."
"History." Thea smiled, "right in front of us."
"Ready, Bracewell?" Churchill called.
"Aye aye, sir." he responded, "On my order...fire!"
Thea gasped, horrified as a laser fired out into the sky from behind the sandbags, easily destroying the planes. The Doctor stiffening, pulling her closer because they both recognised those lasers...
But it couldn't it!
"No..." Thea shook her head, terrified at the very possibility, "its cant be..."
"What was that?" Amy asked, impressed.
"That wasn't human." the Doctor muttered, "that was never human technology. That sounded like...show me!" he demanded, running up the ladder to the raised part of the roof, "Show me. Show me what that was!"
Bracewell nodded, "advance."
"Our new secret weapon." Churchill chuckled, as a Daleks rolled out and Thea instantly stepped further back, breathing heavily as she tried to keep calm and not show fear to the Daleks. It was paint army khaki with a utility belt, a small Union flag under its eyestalk, "What do you think? Quite something, eh?"
"Oh, its something." Thea swallowed, something dangerous. She hated Daleks and everyone could see how afraid she was, especially last time with the reality bomb. She had called her friend Maria, to tell the girl to keep out of sight and stay safe, she had instantly known something was wrong just by her voice. Sarah Jane had even locked both the attic doors and windows as she went to find the Doctor, entrusting Mr Smith to keep her and Luke out of harms way. She hadn't let go of him until Sarah Jane returned.
They had died though. The Dalek crucible had blown up! How was it possible that they kept surviving?
"What are you doing here?" the Doctor breathed, staring at the Dalek.
"I am your soldier." the Dalek replied.
"What?"
"I am your soldier."
"Stop this!" the Doctor shouted, glaring at it, "Stop now. Now, you know who I am. You always know."
"Your identity is unknown."
"Perhaps I can clarify things here." Bracewell smiled, moving to the Daleks side, "This is one of my Ironsides."
"Your what?" the Doctor gaped at him.
He turned to the Dalek, "you will help the Allied cause in any way that you can."
"Yes." it replied.
"Until the Germans have been utterly smashed."
"Yes."
"And what is your ultimate aim?"
"To win the war."
The Doctor could only stare at the Dalek, glancing down to where Thea stood near Amy, her eyes locked on the Dalek as she rubbed her arms. He noticed she did that a lot when she was uncomfortable or worried or scared. She rubbed her arms, and held them closer like she was trying to curl in on herself and not be seen. Seeking the comfort and warmth of her arm warmers.
~.~
The plans were scattered across the desk, diagrams, blueprints, photos, everything about these 'Ironsides' Churchill kept calling them.
"They're Daleks!" the Doctor insisted, "They're called Daleks."
"And they're very dangerous!" Thea added, tearing her gaze from one of the propaganda posters over to the prime minister.
"They are Bracewell's Ironsides." Churchill argued, "Look. Blueprints, statistics, field tests, photographs. He invented them."
"Invented them?" the Doctor scoffed, "Oh, no, no, no."
"Yes. He approached one of our brass hats a few months ago. Fellow's a genius."
"A Scottish genius, too." Amy called, far too at ease around the Daleks after all they had done in the past, "Maybe you should listen to..."
"Shush." the Doctor cut her off, "He didn't invent them. They're alien."
"Alien?" Churchill frowned.
The Doctor fell silent as one glided past the open door, its eyestalk on them as it passed.
"And totally hostile." the Doctor hissed once it was out of ear shot.
"Precisely." Churchill nodded, "They will win me the war!" he turned and strode out the room, the Doctor rushing after him.
"Why won't you listen to me?" the Doctor demanded, as Thea rushed to catch up to his side, not wanting to get caught alone with a Dalek, "Why did you call me in if you won't listen to me?"
"When I rang you a month ago, I must admit I had my doubts. The Ironsides seemed too good to be true."
"They are too good to be true..." Thea told him.
"Right." the Doctor agreed, taking her hand in his knowing she was putting on a brave face, and doing brilliantly, "so destroy them! Exterminate them!"
"But imagine what I could do with a hundred." Churchill countered, "A thousand."
"I am imagining..." the Doctor glared as another Dalek passed them. "Amy, tell him."
"Tell him what?" she frowned.
Hr turned to her, "About the Daleks.
She snorted, "What would I know about the Daleks?"
"They've invaded Earth a few times now," Thea told her, eying her, "planets in the sky? The Earth literally moving through space?"
"You don't forget that." the Doctor frowned at her, "Amy, tell me you remember the Daleks."
"No, sorry." Amy shrugged.
"That's not possible..." the Doctor stared as Amy just continued on after Churchill.
"No one forgets that day." Thea murmured.
"So why has Amy?" the Doctor wondered, "are you okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "why?"
He gave her a look, "Daleks."
"Right, yeah. I'm fine," he raised his eyebrows, "really, I...I know you won't let them hurt me."
He managed a small smile at her faith and trust in him, "I promise." he crossed his hearts as they followed into the Map Room where a large table was in the middle of the room, a map across it as people moved figures, others talking into radios.
"So, they're up to something." the Doctor muttered, eying the Dalek warily as one glided past, "But what is it? What are they after?"
"Well, let's just ask, shall we?" Amy reasoned, already making her way to the Dalek.
"Amy...Amelia!"
She tapped on its casing and Thea flinched, expecting the exterminating but it just turned to her.
"Can I be of assistance?" it asked.
"Oh. Yes, yes." she nodded, "see, my friends reckons you're dangerous. That you're an alien. Is it true?"
"I am your soldier."
"Yeah. Got that bit. Love a squaddie. What else, though?"
"Please excuse me. I have duties to perform."
They watched as the Dalek turned and rolled out of the room, once sure it was gone the Doctor stormed over to Churchill and grabbing the mans cigar before he could light it, "Winston. Winston, please."
"We are waging total war, Doctor." Churchill cut him off, "day after day the Luftwaffe pound this great city like an iron fist."
"Wait till the Daleks get started."
"Men, women and children slaughtered. Families torn apart. Wren's churches in flame."
"Yeah. Try the Earth in flames."
"We lost our planet to the Daleks." Thea tried, "you can't let the Earth go the same way."
Churchill sighed, "I weep for my country. I weep for my empire. It is breaking my heart."
"My hearts are breaking too, at the thought of the Earth being destroyed because you're not listening!"
She felt her blood boiling in anger, able to feel her face reddening at the man's stubbornness. Politicians! She hated them all!
"You're resisting, Winston." the Doctor kept arguing even as the man turned away, "The whole world knows you're resisting. You're a beacon of hope."
"But for how long?" Churchill sighed, signing more documents, "Millions of innocent lives will be saved if I use these Ironsides now!"
A Dalek rolled over to them, "Can I be of assistance?
"Shut it!" the Doctor shouted at it.
"Winston please," Thea tried to get through to him, "The Daleks have no conscience, no mercy, no pity. They only want to destroy anything non Dalek. They...they'd destroy their own if they saw they weren't pure Dalek enough."
"They are my oldest and deadliest enemy." the Doctor added "you cannot trust them!"
"If Hitler invaded hell, I would give a favourable reference to the Devil." Churchill told them, "These machines are our salvation." he took a breath, hearing a siren sound, "Oh, the All Clear. We are safe, for now." he turned and left the rom as the Doctor watched him go, shaking his head.
"Doctor, it's the All Clear." Amy remarked, moving to his side, "You okay?"
"What does hate look like, Amy?" he asked her.
"Hate?"
"It looks like a Dalek. And I'm going to prove it." He took Theas hand and headed off to Bracewells lab, Amy hurrying after them. The man leaning over some of his designs as a Dalek rolled out.
"All right, Prof." the Doctor called, "Now, the PM's been filling me in. Amazing things, these Ironsides of yours. Amazing. You must be very proud of them." he flopped in a chair, looking through a file.
"Just doing my bit." Bracewell smiled.
"Not bad for a Paisley boy." Amy winked at him, swinging a spanner around.
"Yes, I thought I detected a familiar cadence, my dear."
"How did you come up the ideas?" Thea asked him, shifting through some files of his inventions, some further along than others.
"How does the muse of invention come to anyone?"
"Are you sure they're you're ideas?" Thea wondered, "not the Daleks, making you believe they're you're own? What if the Daleks had created you to create them?"
"Nonsense, my dear." Bracewell waved her off.
"But you get a lot of these clever notions, do you?" the Doctor eyed him.
"Well, ideas just seem to teem from my head." Bracewell chuckled, "Wonderful things, like. Let me show you." he moved across the desk to show them some more files on his inventions, "Some musings on the potential of hypersonic flight. Gravity bubbles that can sustain life outside of the terrestrial atmosphere. Came to me in the bath."
"I'd be impressed if they were your ideas." Thea commented.
No human could come up with ideas like any of this, especially in this time period. Heck, she wasn't sure if Luke would, even with the help of Mr Smith and K9. It had to be the Dalek, like, she didn't know, maybe they had used the man. He could be working with the Daleks because they had his family or something or simply because he was afraid of them. "are you covering for them?" she narrowed her eyes, not trusting him, "we can help if you help us."
"Oh no, no, no." Bracewell shook his head, "These robots are entirely under my control. They are..." he smiled as a Dalek rolled up with a tray carrying a cup of tea, "Thank you. The perfect servant, and the perfect warrior."
"I don't know what you're up to, Professor," the Doctor leaned closer, "but whatever they've promised, you cannot trust them. Call them what you like, the Daleks are death!"
"Yes, Doctor!" Churchill cheered as he entered, another Dalek following him, "Death to our enemies. Death to the forces of darkness, and death to the Third Reich!"
"And death to the Earth." Thea murmured.
"Would you care for some tea?" a Dalek asked.
The Doctor knocked the tray of the Daleks sucker, "Stop this!" he shouted at it, "What are you doing here? What do you want?"
"We seek only to help you." it stated.
"To do what?"
"To win the war."
"What war?" Thea asked.
It turned its eyestalk to her, "I do not understand."
The Doctor cut her off, not wanting the Daleks attention on her too long. Last time the Daleks didn't seem to know she was alive, but being so close to her, they could easily sense her for what she was, "this war, against the Nazis, or your war?" he glared, "The war against the rest of the Universe? The war against all life forms that are not Dalek?"
"I do not understand. I am your soldier."
"Oh, yeah?" he turned, grabbing a nearby spanner "Okay. Okay, soldier, defend yourself." he proceeded to whack the Daleks casing with the spanner.
"Doctor, what the devil?" Churchill gasped
"You do not require tea?" the Dalek asked as the Doctor continued to bash the spanner against it.
"Stop him!" Bracewell cried, "Prime Minister, please."
"Doctor, what the devil?" Churchill shouted at him, but the Doctor ignored him, "Please, these machines are precious!"
"Come on!" the Doctor glared at the Dalek, "Fight back. You want to, don't you? You know you do."
"I must protest!" Bracewell shouted.
"What are you waiting for? Look, you hate me. You want to kill me. Well, go on. Kill me. Kill me!"
"Doctor!" Thea eyes widened at that, "don't..."
"Doctor, be careful." Amy warned.
"Please desist from striking me." the Dalek said, "I am your soldier."
"You are my enemy!" the Doctor snapped, "And I am yours. You are everything I despise. The worst thing in all creation. I've defeated you time and time again. I've defeated you. I sent you back into the Void. I saved the whole of reality from you."
"Stop." Thea breathed. She couldn't help the feeling of dread of where he anger would take him. The Daleks couldn't keep up pretending for much longer. He still needed to be careful, they were Daleks, they always had a plan, maybe their plan was him, the Daleks greatest enemy.
"I am the Doctor. And you are the Daleks." he kicked the Dalek and it rolled backwards.
"Correct." the Dalek agreed, rolling forwards again, "Review testimony."
"I am the Doctor." the Doctors voice played back, "And you are the Daleks."
"Testimony." the Doctor breathed, "What are you talking about, testimony?"
"Transmitting testimony now." the second Dalek ordered.
"Transmit what, where?"
"Testimony accepted.
"Get back, all of you!" the Doctor warned, spreading his arms as he pulled Thea behind him.
"Marines!" Churchill shouted, sensing a change in the Ironsides, "Marines, get in here."
"No, don't!" Thea cried as two Marines ran in with their guns only to be exterminated instantly.
"Stop it, stop it, please!" Bracewell tried to order them, "What are you doing? You are my Ironsides."
"We are the Daleks." one corrected, turning to him.
"But I created you."
"No." it fired at Bracewell hand leaving a stump of sparking wires and circuits, "We created you."
Everyone stared at the discovery that Bracewell was a robot.
"Victory." the Daleks chanted, "Victory. Victory."
And with that, they teleported away.
"What just happened?" Amy shook her head.
"I wanted to know what they wanted." the Doctor murmured, "What their plan was. I was their plan." The Doctor looked down at that, before snapping his gaze to Thea. She had said about the Daleks creating Bracewell. That was...well, he never would have expected that. He turned and ran from the room.
"Doctor!" Thea ran after him.
"Hey!" Amy hurried after him as well.
"Testimony accepted." he was mumbling as they caught up, "That's what they said. My testimony."
"Well, who would have expected that?" Thea called as she nearly had to jog to keep up with his stride, "no one could have expected the Daleks to need you, like no one expected Bracewell to be a bomb."
The Doctor stopped at that, turning to her at her words, "what did you say?"
"How were we supposed to know Bracewell was a robot? What?" she shook her head as he continued to stare at her.
He shook his head, turning to unlock the TARDIS, "nothing." he said, because she had changed the words the second time. She had said Bracewell was a bomb and didn't even seemed to know it, which was rather concerning in his mind. He didn't know what was worse, she was right and assumed the Daleks had made Bracewell a bomb (which for the Daleks would make a lot of sense) or maybe it was just an honest slip with getting tongue twisted or maybe he just miss heard her.
"Don't beat yourself up because you were right." Amy tried to reassure him, "So, what do we do? Is this what we do now? Chase after them?"
He looked back, "This is what I do. It's dangerous, so you wait here."
"No." Thea refused, "I'm going with you and you can not stop me."
"Thea..." he sighed.
"I have to face my fears at some point, face the Daleks, what better time than when I know I'll be safe with you?"
He closed his eyes at that, he had quickly picked up how stubborn she was.
"What, so you mean I've got to stay safe down here in the middle of the London Blitz?" Amy huffed, crossing her arms.
"Safe as it gets around me. Thea..."
"Nope!" She ducked around him and slipped inside the TARDIS.
"I'm serious!" he told her, following her inside and shutting the doors to keep Amy from sneaking in.
"And so am I!" she countered, "I am old enough to make my own decisions and I need to face the Daleks because...what if history repeats itself?" she asked, "what if the Daleks come to Earth and you're not around but I am, I want to be able to stop them, I need to be able too, like you. Please...I saw how terrified Sarah Jane was, how desperate she was to find you and get you to Earth to stop them. I want my mum to know I can do that too!"
The Doctor huffed, still wanting to argue but eventually sighed, "you stay right by my side and don't draw attention to yourself." he pointed warningly at her as he moved to find the Dalek ship.
She mock-saluted, "sir, yes, sir."
"And don't do that."
She dropped her arm at once, grinning as she rushed to his side, finding the Dalek ship on the scanner, "bingo!"
~.~
"That one!" the Doctor pointed at a switch as they traced the Dalek ship.
"This one?" she asked.
"No, that one!" he wagged a finger.
"Yeah, that one."
"The one below it."
"Below is a button, you said switch by the blue lever, which is this one."
"I meant button." he huffed, growing frustrated, even more so at how calm she was despite they were about to go on a Dalek ship. He moved to pull down a lever landed them.
"You said switch." she muttered, pressing the button.
"I know what I meant." he muttered moving to the doors and quickly shutting them behind him.
"Hey!" Thea looked up hearing the doors locking, running to the doors, trying to open them, "hey, no! That's not fair!" she huffed, crossing her arms and she leaned against the locked doors and looked back to the console, "you're with him on this, aren't you?" she took the low hum to mean yes, the TARDIS wouldn't let her out on the Dalek ship. She rolled her eyes, the old ship was acting like a protective mother.
She stormed up to the console, getting the scanner on to see the Doctor put on the ship, facing the three Daleks. Honestly she was constantly treated like a child all because she looked it.
It was so insulting!
She lowered the scanner to her height for a better look.
"How about that cuppa now, then?" the Doctor asked, rubbing his hands together as the Daleks turned to face him.
"It is the Doctor!" A Dalek shouted, "Exterminate!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" the Doctor said quickly, "I wouldn't if I were you." he pulled out a small yellow object with a red centre and held it out before him, "TARDIS self-destruct, and you know what that means. My ship goes, you all go with it."
"That...is ridiculous." Thea murmured, seeing him holding a Jamie Dodger. Did he just randomly have that in his pocket? Gross.
"You would not use such a device." the second Dalek stated.
"Try me." he threatened. The Dalek rolled forwards, "Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. No scans. No nothing. One move and I'll destroy us all, you got that? TARDIS bang bang, Daleks boom!" the Dalek moved back, "Good boy. This ship's pretty beaten up. Running on empty, I'd say, like you. When we last met, you were at the end of your rope. Finished."
"One ship survived."
"And you fell back through time, yes? Crippled? Dying?"
"We picked up a trace." the second Dalek replied, "One of the Progenitor devices."
"Progenitor? What's that when it's at home?"
"It is our past, and our future."
"Oh? That's deep. That is deep for a Dalek. What does it mean, though?"
"It contains pure Dalek DNA." the third Dalek said, "Thousands were created. All were lost, save one."
Thea closed her eyes, reaching out for the Doctors mind, 'contact.'
'Contact.' His mental voice returned.
'Why did they build Bracewell?'
'Are you watching?'
'Yes. And learning.'
'Never do what I do.'
'Noted. Continue.'
The Doctor nodded, "okay, still one thing I don't get. If you've got the Progenitor, why build Bracewell?"
"It was necessary." the second Dalek said.
"But why?" he asked, only to smile, working it out, "I get it. Oh, I get it. I get it. Oh ho! This is rich. The Progenitor wouldn't recognise you, would it? It saw you as impure. Your DNA is unrecognisable as Dalek."
"A solution was devised."
"Yes, yes, yes. Me. My testimony. So you set a trap. You knew that the Progenitor would recognise me, the Daleks' greatest enemy. It would accept my word. My recognition of you. No. No, no." he held the biscuit out as the second Dalek turned to the control panel behind them, "What are you doing?"
"Withdraw now, Doctor, or the city dies in flames." the third Dalek warned.
"Who are you kidding?" the Doctor scoffed, "this ship is a wreck. You don't have the power to destroy London."
"Watch as the humans destroy themselves."
"No!" Thea gasped as she watched on the scanner, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth and hoping to the ancients the Daleks didn't hear that. The entire reason he locked her in the TARDIS was so they didn't know her, right?
She fiddling with a dial on the scanner, getting an outside view of the ship, seeing a dish lower, sending put a stream of energy down to Earth, the lights out across London all turning on.
She rushed around the console, hoping the TARDIS might be able to do something to turn the lights off again.
"Turn those lights off now!" the Doctor yelled, holding the biscuit out threateningly, "Turn London off or I swear I will use the TARDIS self destruct."
"Stalemate, Doctor." the second Dalek said, "Leave us and return to Earth."
"Oh, that's it. That's your great victory? You leave?"
"Extinction is not an option. We shall return to our own time and begin again."
"No, no, no. I won't let you get away this time." he insisted, "I won't."
There was a whoosh noise and a thumping.
"We have succeeded." the third Dalek announced, "DNA reconstruction is complete. Observe, Doctor, a new Dalek paradigm."
The Daleks glided away from the doors behind them as it glowed red before the doors slid open.
The Doctor could only stare in horror, as 5 new Daleks rolled out before him, large and more deadlier than before, all in different colours, red, orange, yellow, blue and white.
"The Progenitor has fulfilled our new destiny. Behold, the restoration of the Daleks. The resurrection of the master race."
"All hail the new Daleks." the three original Daleks chanted, "all hail the new Daleks. "
The white Dalek turned to the older Daleks, "Yes, you are inferior."
"Yes."
"Then prepare."
"We are ready."
"Cleanse the unclean. Total obliteration. Disintegrate."
The blue Dalek took put two of the older Daleks, as the red one dealt with the third.
"Blimey." the Doctor breathed. Daleks exterminated their own kind because they weren't pure enough. He never thought he would see that. He looked back to the TARDIS knowing Thea would still be watching him, he really hoped the new Daleks would focus on him and not try to get the TARDIS. "What do you do to the ones who mess up?" he asked.
"You are the Doctor." the white Dalek turned to him, "You must be exterminated."
The Doctor held out the biscuit again, "Don't mess with me, sweetheart." he threatened.
"We are the paradigm of a new Dalek race." the white Dalek stated, "Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal, and the Supreme."
"Which would be you, I'm guessing." the Doctor eyed it, "Well, you know, nice paint job. I'd be feeling pretty swish if I looked like you. Pretty supreme."
'Funny.' Thea remarked, holding back a laugh, because laughing while dealing with new even deadlier Dalek didn't seem like a good thing to do, 'they're the new power ranger Daleks. Shame none of them are pink.'
He nearly snorted at that, almost imagining a pink Dalek. Somehow he couldn't see many being afraid of a pink Dalek, "Question is, what do we do now? Either you turn off your clever machine or I'll blow you and your new paradigm into eternity."
"And yourself."
"Occupational hazard." he shrugged.
"Scan reveals nothing." the blue Dalek suddenly announced, "TARDIS self destruct device non-existent."
"All right," The Doctor huffed at being caught put, taking a bite of the biscuit, "it's a Jammy Dodger, but I was promised tea."
Thea looked up at the sudden beep only to smile at the sight on the scanner, "brilliant!" she cheered quietly to herself.
A siren went off on the ship and the blue Dalek turned to a scanner, "Alert. Unidentified projectile approaching. Correction, multiple projectiles."
"What have the humans done?" the white Dalek demanded.
"I don't know." the Doctor shook his head, glancing back to the TARDIS knowing Thea could see what was happening.
"Explain! Explain! Explain!"
"Danny Boy to the Doctor." A mans voice came over the comm, "Danny Boy to the Doctor. Are you receiving me? Over."
"Oh ho!" the Doctor laughed, "Winston, you beauty."
"Brilliant!" Thea cheered, seeing a small group of fighter planes attacking the side of the ship
"Danny Boy to the Doctor. Come in. Over."
"Loud and clear, Danny Boy." the Doctor called back, "Big dish, side of the ship. Blow it up. Over."
"Exterminate the Doctor." the white Dalek ordered.
The Doctor ducked, making it through the TARDIS' shields as the Daleks fired and ran back inside the TARDIS.
"You're welcome." Thea rolled her eyes as the Doctor panted against the doors, "you know, for putting the shields up."
"Don't start." he joined her at the console, tapping her nose and she continued to sulk, "it was part of my plan."
She scoffed, "I doubt it. You just didn't want me facing Daleks."
"That as well."
"Did they really destroy their own kind because they weren't 'pure Dalek' enough?"
"Apparently." he sighed, moving round the console to pull up the transmission from Danny Boy, able to hear the over pilots get shot down, unsuccessful against the ships shields.
"Danny Boy to the Doctor..." the pilot came over the comm. "Only me left now. Anything you can do, sir? Over.
The Doctor picked up a small microphone as he made his way to the console, "The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. I can disrupt the Dalek shields, but not for long. Over."
"Good show, Doctor. Go to it. Over."
The Doctor rushed around the console, lowering the Daleks shields as Thea kept her gaze locked on the scanner, seeing the pilot outside, destroying the dish.
"Direct hit!" the pilot called, "its gone!"
"Yes!" She cheered, jumping up and down in her excitement.
"Danny Boy to the Doctor. Going in for another attack." the pilot called.
"The Doctor to Danny Boy." he responded, "The Doctor to Danny Boy. Destroy this ship. Over."
"What about you, Doctor?"
"We'll be okay."
Thea gasped as the white Supreme Dalek suddenly appeared on screen, "Doctor!"
"Doctor, call off your attack." it ordered.
"Ah ha. What?" the Doctor scoffed, bringing the screen around to him, "and let you scuttle off back to the future? No fear. This is the end for you. The final end."
"Call off the attack, or we will destroy the Earth."
"I'm not stupid, mate. You've just played your last card."
"Bracewell is a bomb."
He tensed at that, recalling Thea had said that before correcting him to be a robot. He still didn't know what to make of that, "You're bluffing." he shook his head, "Deception's second nature to you. There isn't a sincere bone in your body. There isn't a bone in your body..."
"His power is derived from an Oblivion Continuum." the white Dalek stated, "Call off your attack, or we will detonate the android."
"No." he glared, "This is my best chance ever. The last of the Daleks. I can rid the Universe of you, once and for all."
"Then do it. But we will shatter the planet below. The Earth will die screaming."
"No..." Thea breathed.
"Yeah, and if I let you go, you'll be stronger than ever." the Doctor muttered, "A new race of Daleks."
"Then choose, Doctor." the white Dalek said, "Destroy the Daleks or save the Earth. Begin countdown of Oblivion Continuum. Choose, Doctor. Choose. Choose."
The transmission cut on and the Doctor looked over at Thea as she stared eyes wide.
"I can't...we can't let them destroy the Earth." Thea murmured. She wouldn't loose another planet to the Daleks. They'd deal with them again and when they did then they would rid of the universe of them forever.
She couldn't risk it, she would make that decision if the Doctor couldn't and maybe it would be the wrong one, but she would risk the future being rewritten, if the Earth was destroyed now then none of the Doctors future companions would have been born, Luke wouldn't have even been created.
He nodded slowly, picking the microphone back up, "The Doctor to Danny Boy. The Doctor to Danny Boy. Withdraw."
"Say again, sir. Over."
"Withdraw. Return to Earth. Over and out."
"But sir..."
"There's no time. You have to return to Earth now. Over." he set the microphone back down, quickly sending them back to the Cabinet War Rooms.
"They'll still detonate him." Thea whispered.
"I know." he replied grimly, setting them down and they ran back through the corridors to the Map Room.
Thea ran ahead, tackling herself to Bracewell, practically throwing herself on him, knocking him down.
"Thea!" Amy cried.
"What?" she looked back, only to remember she was still on the poor man's chest she knocked down, "oh, sorry!" she scrambled off him, kneeling besides him, "its just...you're kind of a...Dalek bomb!"
"An inconceivably massive Dalek bomb." the Doctor added.
"What?" Bracewell breathed.
"There's an Oblivion Continuum inside you. A captured wormhole that provides perpetual power. Detonate that, and the Earth will bleed through into another dimension. Now keep down." he crouched besides the man, ripping his shirt open, revealing the metal chest with a circular part in the centre, all sections blue, apart from one which turned yellow.
"Well?" Amy shifted.
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. Never seen one up close before."
"So what, they've wired him up to detonate?" Amy frowned.
"He's not wired up," Thea shook her head, "he is the bomb and he will," she threw her arms up, making an exploding noise, "Once the panels all red!"
"There's a blue wire or something you have to cut, isn't there? There's always a blue wire...or a red one."
The Doctor gave her an exasperated look, "You're not helping."
"It's incredible." Churchill remarked, "He talked to us about his memories. The Great War."
"Someone else's stolen thoughts, implanted in a positronic brain. Tell me about it. Bracewell. Tell me about your life."
"Doctor, I really don't think this is the time..." he began.
"Tell us about your life." Thea told him, as the first section turned red, the second quickly turning yellow, "your human life."
"My family ran the Post Office. It's a little place just near the abbey, just by the ash trees. There used to be eight trees but there was a storm."
"And your parents?" the Doctor urged, "Come on, tell me."
"Good people. Kind people. They died. Scarlet fever."
"I'm sorry." Thea whispered, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. She knew how much it hurt to lose a parent.
"What was that like?" the Doctor asked quickly, "How did it feel? How did it make you feel, Edwin? Tell me. Tell me now."
"It hurt." he moaned, "It hurt, Doctor, it hurt so badly. It was like a wound. I though it was worse than a wound. Like I'd been emptied out. There was nothing left."
"Good." the Doctor nodded as the second section turned red, the third going yellow, "Remember it now, Edwin. The ash trees by the Post Office and your mum and dad, and losing them, and men in the trenches you saw die. Remember it. Feel it. You feel it because you're human. You're not like them. You're not like the Daleks."
"It hurts, Doctor. It hurts so much."
"Stop it!" Thea shouted, "this way isn't working."
The Doctor ignored her, too focused on trying to get the bomb to stop, "Good. Good, good, brilliant. Embrace it. That means you're alive. They cannot explode that bomb because you're a human being. You are flesh and blood. They cannot explode that bomb. Believe it. You are Professor Edwin Bracewell, and you, my friend, are a human being." he held his breath...the next section turned red, "It's not working. I can't stop it!"
"You're hurting him!" Thea argued, "He's not going to want to be human if you keep getting him to remember all the pain and misery, no one wants that!"
"Well, you try then if you're got a better idea!"
"Fine!" she snapped, turning back to the man, "have you ever been in love, Edwin?"
"I'm sorry?" he blinked.
The last panel paused.
"Maybe someone you know you shouldn't? You know that feeling in your hearts but then..." her face turned sad, "you lost them...but you still feel it, that love, in your hearts."
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Amy agreed, kneeling down beside her, seeing that Theas words seemed to be working, "But kind of a good hurt."
"I really shouldn't talk about her." Bracewell murmured.
"Ooh, there's a her?" Thea giggled. "What's her name?"
"Dorabella." he smiled softly.
"Dorabella?" the Doctor started to smile himself, seeing the sections slowly turning back to blue, "It's a lovely name. It's a beautiful name."
"What was she like, Edwin?" Amy asked.
"Oh, such a smile..." he said dreamily, "And her eyes." the third section turned blue, "Her eyes were so blue. Almost violet, like the last touch of sunset on the edge of the world." the second section turned back to blue, "Dorabella..." and with that the bomb defused.
"Love wins!" Thea jumped up, throwing her arms wide with a flourish. She hoped one day she might meet someone who would make her feel that way.
"Welcome to the human race!" the Doctor laughed before turning to Churchill, "You're brilliant." and then to Bracewell, "You're brilliant." and to Amy, "And you, I..." he kissed the top of her head and turned to Thea.
"Am I not brilliant?" she pouted.
"You, are absolutely amazing!" he cheered as she bowed deeply, "Now. Got to stop them." he turned to run off, "Stop the Daleks."
"Wait, Doctor," Bracewell called, "Wait, wait. It's too late. Gone. They've gone."
"No. No!" he cried, "They can't. They can't have got away from me again."
"No, I can feel it." he winced, sitting up, "My mind is clear. The Daleks have gone."
"Doctor, it's okay." Amy laughed as he leaned against a pole defeated, "you did it. You stopped the bomb." he hung his head, "Doctor?"
"I had a choice." he sighed, "and they knew I'd choose the Earth. The Daleks have won. They beat me. They've won."
"But the Earths still turning." Thea countered, "I reckon that's a point to us and next time we see the Daleks, we'll turn them to stone."
The Doctor actually snorted at that.
"Not too shabby, is it?" Amy smiled.
"No, it's not too shabby." he agreed.
"It's a brilliant achievement, my dear friend." Churchill cheered, "Here, have a cigar."
"No." he shook his head.
~.~
"Where's the Doctor?" Amy asked as the Time Lords entered the Map Room where Amy was talking to Churchill.
"Tying up loose ends." the Doctor answered, "I've taken out all the alien tech Bracewell put in."
"Won't you reconsider, Doctor?" Churchill sighed, "Those Spitfires would win me the war in 20 hours."
"The exact point as to why you can't have them." Thea stated.
"But why not?" he huffed, "why can't we put an end to all this misery?"
"Oh, it doesn't work like that, Winston," the Doctor shook his head, "and it's going to be tough. There are terrible days to come. The darkest days. But you can do it. You know you can."
"Stay with us, and help us win through. The world needs you."
"The world doesn't need me."
"No?"
"The world's got Winston Spencer Churchill."
He laughed, "It's been a pleasure, Doctor, as always."
"Too right." the Doctor agreed, moving to hug the man.
"Goodbye, Doctor."
"Oh, shall we say adieu?"
"Indeed." Churchill pulled back and turned to Thea, "miss Smith."
"Just one little favour." Thea grinned, holding out her phone as Churchill nodded and she snapped a quick selfie with the man, he held up a 'V' for victory sign, "brilliant! Thank you!"
Churchill chuckled as he turned to Amy, "Goodbye, Miss Pond."
"It's...it's been amazing, meeting you." Amy smiled.
"I'm sure it has." Churchill agreed as Amy kissed him on the cheek before he turned to walk away.
"Oi, Churchill. TARDIS key." she held her hand out, "The one you just took from the Doctor."
The Doctor choked in his tea, patting his pocket to see it wasn't there.
"Way ahead of you." Thea grinned, holding up the key she took back from the man.
"Oh, they're good, Doctor." Churchill laughed, "As sharp as a pin. Almost as sharp as me." He lit his cigar as he walked away, "K B O."
"And Sarah Jane said I was bad with my keys." Thea shook her head as she handed the Doctor back his key.
"Shut up." the Doctor grumbled, slipping the key back in his pocket.
~.~
They'd gone to say goodbye to Bracewell, the man in his lab, solemn and expecting to have to be deactivated what with him being Dalek technology, but there was the issue if they did that and prove he wasn't human, the bomb would go off. So it was safer for everyone to leave him living his human life and letting him go and find his lost love, Dorabella. He didn't seemed to understand at first before finally starting to pack a suitcase.
For a genius he was just as oblivious as a typical bloke.
"So, you have enemies then?" Amy asked as they headed back to the TARDIS.
"Everyone's got enemies." the Doctor replied.
"Yeah, but mine's the woman outside Budgens with the mental Jack Russell. You've got, like, you know, arch-enemies."
"Mine are Bane," Thea remarked, "and Slitheen."
"What?" Amy looked at her, before shaking her head, "never mind. I was here thinking we'd just be running through time, being daft and fixing stuff. But no, it's dangerous."
"Yep. Very. Is that a problem?"
"I'm still here, aren't I?" she smirked before noticing the Doctor looked, "You're worried about the Daleks."
"I'm always worried about the Daleks." he sighed.
"It'll take time though, won't it? I mean, there's still not many of them. They'll need a while to build themselves up."
"It's not that. There's something else. Something we've forgotten. Or rather you have."
"Me?" she scoffed.
"You didn't know them, Amy. You'd never seen them before. And you should have done. You should." he unlocked the doors letting Amy in first.
"Suspicious." Thea narrowed her eyes after Amy before whacking the Doctors arm, "I need a quick visit home." she told him, "not 12 years late please."
"That was one time." he muttered, moving down to the console and sending them off.