No interlude this time, because 1) I haven't written Anna in so long, writing an interlude seemed wrong, and 2) come on, I wanted to get right to Anna.

So, here we go! It's back to New York (the real New York, this time), and old friends return. And I swear, I did not choose Gwen Stacy because Peter Parker is in this episode. I swear I didn't.

Enjoy "Daleks In Manhattan!"

***

Anna looked out the TARDIS when it landed and squealed, jumping out. "Martha! Come look!"

Martha laughed, walking out after her. "Where are we?"

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze," the Doctor tilted his head back as he and Rose exited last. "Nice and cold. Lovely."

"Martha, look!" Anna pointed up, grinning.

Martha shielded her eyes, then gasped when she saw what Anna was looking at. "Is that?" she looked at Anna, only to see her nodding her head so rapidly, it looked like it would fall off. "Oh, my God, that's the Statue of Liberty!"

"Gateway to the New World," the Doctor announced dramatically. "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

"That's so brilliant," Martha gushed. "I've always wanted to go to New York!"

"And that's the real New York, not the fifteen times over New York," Rose giggled.

"Exactly," Martha nodded with a smile.

The Doctor sighed happily. Martha getting along with his girls was much better than nasty looks getting thrown at them. He'd take that any day. "Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on."

"New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam," Anna tried out, then wrinkled her nose. "No."

"I wonder what year it is," Martha mused. "Because look – the Empire State Building's not even finished yet."

"Work in progress," the Doctor nodded. "Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around – "

"November first, 1930."

The Doctor, Anna, and Martha turned around in surprise, but Rose just grinned cheekily and held up the newspaper she'd snatched from a bench nearby. The Doctor just laughed and went over to join her as Rose sat down on the bench, holding the paper so everyone could see. "Eighty years ago," Martha said in disbelief as Anna sat next to Rose, the Doctor and Martha reading over their shoulders. "It's funny, because you see all those old newsreels all in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now."

"So, where are we going first?" Rose looked up.

"I think our detour just got longer," the Doctor frowned, pointing to one of the top headlines.

"Hooverville Mystery Deepens," Rose read, then frowned. "What's Hooverville?"

"Ooo!" Anna jumped off the bench, bouncing in excitement. "I know this! Recent history! I know it!"

"Go on, then," the Doctor grinned, hauling Rose to her feet. "Give us a lesson, then!"

"OK," Anna skipped by them, Martha on her other side. "Herbert Hoover was the thirty-first president of the USA. That means he came to power a year ago. Until then, New York was a boom town. Then there was the Roaring Twenties, and then – "

"The Wall Street Crash," Rose nodded, starting to remember. "When was that, 1929?"

"Mmmhmm," Anna nodded. "The whole economy was wiped out overnight. Thousands of people were unemployed. Huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here, in Central Park."

"What, they actually live in a park?" Martha looked around as they entered the park. "In the middle of the city?"

"Ordinary people lost their jobs," the Doctor took over explaining. "Couldn't pay the rent, and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. No one's helping them. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."

Shouting came from nearby, and Rose frowned. "Sounds like something came up."

"Come on," the Doctor started making his way through the mass of people.

They emerged just in time to see a white man hand over a loaf of bread to another black man. " – got families somewhere," the man was saying as he split the loaf in half and gave one half to the white man, the other half to another black man. "No stealing, and no fighting. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago, I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together. No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got."

"Come on," the Doctor worked his way forward again, the girls behind him. "I suppose that makes you the boss around here," he noted.

"And, er," the black man turned to him. "Who might you be?"

"He's the Doctor, I'm Rose," she started introductions. "That's Martha, and this is the Doctor's daughter, Anna."

"Hi," Anna smiled and gave a wave. "Nice to meet you."

The man chuckled and gave her a small wave back. "I'm Solomon. It's nice to meet you, too. A doctor, you said?" he looked at the Doctor, who nodded. "Huh. Well, we got stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day."

"How many people live here?" Martha looked around.

"At any one time, hundreds," Solomon answered. "No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville: we are a truly equal society. Black, white, all the same. All starving. So you're welcome, all four of you. But tell me . . . Doctor, you're a man of learning, right?" The Doctor nodded again. "Explain this to me." He pointed behind him at the Empire State Building. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, when we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

"I like him," Anna whispered to Rose.

"Yeah, he's pretty good, isn't he?" Rose whispered back, the two of them smiling.

***

"So, men are going missing," the Doctor followed Solomon to a tent nearby. "Is this true?"

"It's true, all right," Solomon nodded.

"But what does missing mean? Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register."

"Come on in," Solomon gestured, and the Doctor held the tent open for Anna, Rose, and Martha to head in before ducking in himself. "This is different."

"In what way?" Martha asked.

"Someone takes them, at night," Solomon answered. "We hear something, someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone like they vanished into thin air."

"You're sure someone's taking them?" Rose asked.

"Rose, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got," Solomon told her. "Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."

"What about the police?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, we tried that," Solomon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."

"So the question is, who's taking them and what for?" the Doctor frowned.

"Solomon!" a voice called from outside the tent, then a lanky young man poked his head in. "Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here."

Whoever that was, Solomon must not have liked him, because he sighed before nodding and standing up.

***

"I need men," the man in a pinstripe-suit announced to all of Hooverville. "Volunteers. I've got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money."

"Yeah?" the young man from the tent, Frank, shouted back. "What is the money?"

"A dollar a day," Diagoras answered.

"What's the work?" Solomon pitched in.

"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel collapsed, needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

"A dollar a day?" Solomon scoffed. "That's slave wage. And men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen," Diagoras shrugged.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor perked up. "What sort of accidents?"

"You don't need the work, that's fine," Diagoras scowled, eye twitching. "Anybody else?" He glared when the Doctor raised his hand. "Enough with the questions!"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm volunteering," the Doctor said cheerfully, making Rose and Martha stare at him, surprised. "I'll go!"

"Me, too!" Anna volunteered next, hand in the air.

Rose sighed, putting her hand up. "Where they go, I go."

"I'll kill you for this," Martha grumbled as she, too, raised her hand.

"Anybody else?" Diagoras smirked, looking around.

That was when Solomon and Frank both put their hands in the air as well.

***

"Turn left, go about a half a mile," Diagoras pointed as everyone went down into the sewers. "Follow tunnel 237. Fall's right ahead of you, you can't miss it."

"And when do we get our dollar?" Frank asked.

"When you come back up."

"What if we don't come back up?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Then I got no one to pay," Diagoras shrugged.

"Don't worry," Solomon smirked. "We'll be back."

"Let's hope so," Martha whispered, walking on with the others.

The Doctor stared at Diagoras for a moment before turning to catch up with them. "We just got to stick together," Frank told Martha. "It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here."

"So, what about you, Frank?" Martha asked. "You're not from around these parts, are you?"

"Oh, you could talk," Frank smirked, but his attitude was good-natured. "No, I'm Tennessee born and bred."

"So how come you're here?"

"Oh, my daddy died. Mama couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself. So I put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in the camp, younger than me, from all over. Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas. Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So, what about you? You're a long way from home."

"Yeah, I'm just a hitcher, too," Martha sighed.

"You stick with me, you'll be all right," Frank smiled at her.

"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he, then?" the Doctor asked, catching up to Solomon.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman," Solomon answered. "Now, it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."

"How did that happen?" Rose asked from behind them, she and Rose sticking together like Frank and Martha were.

"These are strange times," Solomon shrugged. "A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks, it works the other way round."

"Whoa!" the Doctor held up his hands to stop everyone, his torch pointed down.

Anna tilted her head, seeing the green jellyfish-like creature lying on the ground. "Daddy, what's that?"

"Is it radioactive or something?" Martha frowned, seeing it was glowing. "It's gone off, whatever it is . . . and you've got to pick it up," she rolled her eyes.

"Shine your torch through it," the Doctor asked, and Rose crouched down, shining it. "Composite organic matter," the Doctor mused, then looked up at his daughter. "Mara? What do you think?"

"It's not human," she answered.

"No, it's not," he agreed. "And I'll tell you something else . . . we must be at least half a mile in. I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you?"

"So why did Mr. Diagoras send us down here?" Rose frowned.

"Where are we now?" Martha asked. "What's above us?"

"Well," the Doctor stood up, looking around. "We're right underneath Manhattan."

***

"We're way beyond half a mile," Solomon shook his head as they kept walking. "There's no collapse, nothing!"

"So that Diagoras bloke lied," Rose huffed. "Brilliant."

"So why'd he want people to come down here?" Frank asked.

The Doctor frowned. "Solomon, I think it's time you took this lot back. I'll be much quicker on my own."

"The hell you're staying here alone!" Rose protested.

"Wait a minute," Anna held up a finger. "Listen!"

The others stopped, hearing squeals dimly. "What the hell was that?" Solomon frowned.

"Hello?" Frank called.

"Shush!" Martha hissed.

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared and half mad down here on your own!"

"Do you think they're still alive?" the Doctor pointed out.

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost."

Solomon frowned, hearing more of the squeals. "I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that."

"Where's it coming from?" Frank looked around. "Sounds like there's more than one of them."

"This way," the Doctor pointed.

"Doctor," Rose whispered, aiming her torch down another sewer. "That way."

The Doctor turned to see her torch lighting up a figure crouched in the corner. "Mum?" Anna asked quietly.

"Who are you?" Solomon frowned.

"Are you lost?" Frank moved forward. "Can you understand me? I've been thinking about folk lost down – "

"It's all right, Frank, just stay back," the Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me have a look." Frank slowly moved back, and the Doctor walked forward. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank," he said. "I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own. We know the way out. Daylight. If you come with us – " He paused, seeing the figure wasn't just a man. "Oh, but what are you?" he tilted the torch, seeing the man had the appearance of a pig.

"Is that, er . . . some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon frowned.

"I think that's real," Rose whispered.

"It's real," the Doctor agreed sadly. "I'm sorry," he told the pig man. "Now, listen to me. I promise I can help. Who did this to you?"

"Doctor?" Martha said. "I think you'd better get back here."

He looked up when he heard more snorting, and more pigmen entered the tunnel. "Doctor!" Rose shouted.

"Actually, good point," the Doctor stood up and hurried towards them.

"They're following you," Martha pointed.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks," the Doctor turned, walking backwards. "Well, then . . . Mara, Rose, Martha, Frank, Solomon – "

"Run!" Anna whooped, turning tail and taking off.

"That's my line!" the Doctor complained, despite the others running after her.

"Where are we going?" Martha shouted.

Anna skidded to a stop in the middle of a junction, then Rose pointed down another tunnel. "Ladder!"

"Rose!" the Doctor yelled, holding up his sonic screwdriver and tossing it to her.

Rose grabbed it as Anna climbed up the ladder. The blonde climbed after Anna, reaching past her to open the cover at the top. Anna shoved it open and climbed out, followed by Rose. "Come on!" Rose called.

The Doctor was the next up, followed by Martha. Frank grabbed an iron bar, warding off the pigmen as Solomon followed. "Frank!" Solomon shouted. "Frank! Come on, Frank! Come on!"

Frank scrambled up the ladder, only to yelp when the pigmen grabbed his legs. The Doctor and Solomon lunged, grabbing for Frank's hands. "I've got you," the Doctor winced. "Come on! Come on!"

Frank struggled, only to cry out as the pigmen yanked him back down into the tunnel. "Frank!" Solomon shouted.

"No!" the Doctor's eyes widened in shock.

Solomon pulled him back as the pigmen started up the ladder, then he slammed the lid shut. "We can't go after him," he said.

"We can't just leave him!" Rose protested.

"No, I'm not losing anybody else," Solomon shook his head. "Those creatures were from Hell. From Hell itself! If we go after them, they'll take us all. There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

A click from behind them made them turn, and Anna yelped when a blonde in a white leotard with silver beads dangling from it emerged from behind a rack, aiming a revolver at them. "All right, then, put them up," she ordered. "Hands in the air and no funny business!" Anna instantly flung her hands up, and slowly, the others followed. "Now, tell me, you schmucks . . . what have you done with Laszlo?"

Rose blinked. "Who?"

"Who's Laszlo?" Martha asked at the same time.

***

"Laszlo's my boyfriend," the blonde explained back in her dressing room, fiddling with the revolver. "Or was my boyfriend until he disappeared two weeks ago. No letter, no goodbye, no nothing. And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs, but not my Laszlo. I mean, what kind of guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"Yeah," the Doctor cleared his throat, eyeing the revolver. "It might . . . might just help if you put that down."

"Huh?" she blinked, then looked at the revolver. "Oh, sure." She tossed it to the side, then scoffed when everyone started. "Oh, come on, it's not real! It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."

"What do you think happened to Laszlo?" Martha asked.

"I wish I knew," she sighed. "One minute he's there, the next – zip! Vanished."

"What's your name?" Anna asked, tilting her head.

"Tallulah," she answered.

"Tallulah," the Doctor repeated.

"Three Ls and an H."

"Right," he nodded. "We can try to find Laszlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures," Solomon continued. "Such creatures."

"What do you mean, creatures?" Tallulah's eyes widened.

"Look, listen, just trust me," the Doctor held up his hands. "Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is." He pulled the jellyfish creature out of his coat. "Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

Tallulah blinked, then wrinkled her nose. "Yuck."

***

"Thanks for helping me," the Doctor told Martha as they searched the props room.

"Yeah, of course," Martha nodded, picking through various props. "What are we doing again?"

"How about this?" Solomon asked, and the two of them turned to see Solomon hold up a small radio. "I found it backstage."

"Perfect," the Doctor grinned, taking it. "It's the capacitors I need. I'm just rigging up a crude little DNA scan for this beastie," he explained to Martha, gesturing to the jellyfish creature. "If I can get a chromosomal reading, I can find out where it's from."

"Oh," Martha nodded, examining the radio. "Makes sense."

"How about you, Doctor?" Solomon asked. "Where are you from? I've been all over. I never heard anybody talk like you. Just exactly who are you?"

"Oh," the Doctor shrugged. "I'm just sort of passing by."

"I'm not a fool, Doctor."

He sighed. "No. Sorry."

Solomon nodded, then walked back over to the sewer entrance. "I was so scared," he said. "I let them take Frank because I was just so scared. I got to get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we got to protect ourselves. Ain't no one else going to help us."

"Good luck," Martha smiled.

Solomon nodded. "I hope you find what you're looking for, for all our sakes."

He climbed back into the sewer, and Martha turned to the Doctor. "Let's get to work?" she asked.

He grinned back at her.

***

"Laszlo," Tallulah sighed as she prepared for her show, Rose leaning on the dresser to listen to her. Anna was looking through all of Tallulah's costumes, wearing one of Tallulah's spare white feather boas. It looked cute on her. "He'd wait for me after the show. Walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose bud."

"Haven't you reported him missing?" Rose asked.

"Sure," Tallulah scoffed. "He's just a stagehand. Who cares? The management certainly don't."

"Well, why not kick up a fuss?"

"OK, so then they fire me."

"But you're one of the stars. They'd listen to you."

"Oh, honey, I got one song in a back street revue, and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle. Which had nothing to do with me, whatever anybody says."

"Why would anyone say that?" Anna poked her head between two feathery costumes, blinking.

Tallulah blinked, then Rose sighed. "I'll explain later." Anna nodded and went back to perusing, and Rose smiled at Tallulah. "Sorry. Carry on."

"Look, I can't afford to make a fuss," Tallulah told her. "If I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville."

"I'm sorry," Rose smiled sympathetically. "I get it."

"It's the Depression, sweetie," Tallulah sighed. "Your heart might break, but the show goes on, because if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sing, dance, keep going, hoping he's going to come back."

"I hope he does, too," Rose smiled.

"Hey, you're lucky, though," Tallulah grinned. "You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."

Rose choked at the description, and Anna blinked, looking around the rack. "My dad isn't a hot potato!"

"It's a saying, Mara!" Rose coughed, trying to clear her airways again. "It was a compliment!"

"Oh," Anna blinked. "Why's saying my dad's a hot potato a compliment?"

Rose sighed. "I don't know. It's the time."

"Sorry," Tallulah apologized sheepishly.

"Nah, it's fine," Rose shook her head. "Besides, looks like you've got something to keep you going, too." She picked up the white rose bud on her table. "You've still got one."

"On my dressing table every day still," Tallulah confirmed.

"Is it Laszlo?" Anna asked, walking up to look at it.

"I don't know," Tallulah shrugged. "If he's still around, why is he being all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?"

***

"Is it done?" Martha asked as the Doctor set the gizmo down in the lighting gallery.

"I think so," the Doctor nodded, using his sonic screwdriver to power the gizmo on, pinning the jellyfish creature to the gizmo. "Put one of the spotlights on this."

"OK," Martha bit her lip, looking around, then chose one of the spotlights. She turned it on, then followed the Doctor's directions so it was aimed right at the jellyfish.

"That's it," the Doctor rubbed his hands together, then put his briany specs on. "We need to heat you up!"

***

"Girls!" Tallulah announced as she walked out of her dressing room. "It's showtime!"

Rose couldn't help but giggle as Anna watched with wide eyes as girls came from every room, all of them dressed in red. "Never seen anything like this backstage, have you?"

"No," Anna shook her head, then blinked and looked at Rose. "Have you?"

"No," Rose admitted with a grin.

"What, neither of you?" Tallulah asked, and both blondes shook their heads. "Come on, honeys. Take a look. Come and see a real show!"

***

"This is artificial," the Doctor finally announced.

"Is it really?" Martha blinked. "Wow."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed. "Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you're clever."

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Laurenzi dancing devils with Heaven and Hell!"

Rose and Anna stood in the wings, watching the devil chorus line pull back their feather fans, revealing Tallulah, now with a pair of white angel wings on her back. "You lured me in with your cold grey eyes, your simple smile, your bewitching lies," she sang, Rose tilting her head back and forth to the beat. "One and one and one is three. My bad, bad angel, the Devil and me. You put the devil and me, you put the devil in me. You put the devil in me. My bad, bad angel, you put the devil in me."

Rose blinked when Anna suddenly left her side, and she looked around, only to hear one of the devils squeak. She tilted her head to see Anna was trying to work her way behind the chorus line. "Anna!" she hissed, darting after her.

***

Martha was fiddling with one of her rings when the Doctor suddenly straightened from where he was listening to the jellyfish with a stethoscope. "Fundamental DNA type four six seven dash nine eight nine," he rattled off, then blinked. "Nine eight nine . . . "

"D'you know that?" Martha asked, leaning forward.

"Hold on, that means planet of origin . . . " The Doctor's face turned white, and he gulped. "Skaro!"

***

Tallulah yelped when she felt someone crash into her, and she turned to see Anna had tripped over a devil's tail. "Get off the stage! You're spoiling it!"

"Over there!" Anna pointed off to the other side of the stage.

Tallulah blinked and turned, then screamed when she saw one of the pigmen off to the side. His eyes widened, and he took off running. Anna quickly scrambled to her feet and ran after it. "Hey!" she called. "Wait! But you're different than the others! Just wait!"

"Mara!" Rose called, trying to work her way through the devils, a good several feet behind her. "Mara!"

***

The devils were all chattering backstage when the Doctor and Martha ran to find Tallulah. "Where are they?" the Doctor demanded. "Where are Rose and Mara?"

"I don't know," Tallulah stammered. "Anna ran off the stage, and Rose – "

***

Rose was trying to find where Anna had gone when she heard a shrill shriek from the props room. She burst in just in time to see the sewer lid clatter shut. "Oh, my God!" she gasped, running over, fumbling to take the lid off.

"Mara!" the Doctor ran in from the other side, looking around. "Rose!"

"They took her," Rose looked up with wide eyes. "She went right across the stage, I tried to catch up, but I couldn't find her! Doctor, they've got her!"

The Doctor growled and grabbed his coat, putting it back on and helping her move the lid. "Where are you going?" Tallulah demanded as she and Martha caught up.

"They've taken Mara," the Doctor explained shortly, climbing down the ladder, Rose following him closely.

"Who's taken her?" Tallulah asked in confusion as Martha gasped, quickly climbing down after the others. "What're you doing? I said, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Did you find anything out about that thing you found?" Rose asked, dropping down to the ground.

"He said something about the planet of origin being Skaro," Martha answered.

Rose blanched, turning to look at the Doctor with wide eyes. "That Skaro?"

"Yeah, that Skaro," the Doctor nodded grimly, then blinked when Tallulah made her way down the ladder, wearing a black fur coat. "No, no, no, no, no way. You're not coming."

"Tell me what's going on," Tallulah demanded.

"There's nothing you can do. Go back."

"Look, whoever's taken Anna, they could've taken Laszlo, couldn't they?"

"Maybe," Rose admitted.

"Rose!" the Doctor groaned, then looked at Tallulah. "Look, Tallulah, you're not safe down here!"

"Then that's my problem," Tallulah smirked. "Come on. Which way?"

They watched her go down a tunnel, then the Doctor sighed. "This way!"

Tallulah came back as the Doctor took the lead down the tunnel.

***

"No!" Anna thrashed about, nearly biting one of the pigmen, then decided that wouldn't be good for either of them. "Let me go!"

She was pushed into a line of men going past, only to be caught by one of them. "Anna?" a familiar voice asked.

Anna blinked, then grinned. "Frank!" she cheered, giving him a big hug, which made Frank stagger before he laughed slightly and returned it. "We thought we lost you! Well, I didn't, but we had other things to do, so – " She squeaked when a pigman pushed her, then she pouted. "All right, all right, we're moving!" She grumbled as she got in line in front of Frank. "Rude. I bet he wasn't ginger."

"What?" Frank blinked.

"Never mind," Anna shook her head. "Do you know where they're taking us?"

"No," Frank shook his head.

Anna sighed. "Well, hopefully we can find out what's going on down here."

***

Whoever came from Skaro had to be bad, Martha thought, because the Doctor was significantly less chatty and Rose was much more focused as they made their way through the sewers. Tallulah made up for it, though. "When you say 'they've taken her,' who's they exactly?" the showgirl asked. "And who are you anyway? I never asked."

"Shush," the Doctor stopped suddenly.

"OK, OK," she grumbled.

"Shush, shush, shush, shush, shush, shush, shush!"

"I mean, you're handsome and all – "

Rose clapped a hand over Tallulah's mouth and dragged back, the Doctor quickly following. Martha was the last to duck into the service alcove as what she could only describe as a metal pepper pot slid past. "Oh, my God," Rose whispered in disbelief. "They're back. How can they be back?!"

"They survived," the Doctor groaned. "They always survive while I lose everything!"

"That metal thing?" Tallulah asked. "What was it?"

"From Skaro, I'm guessing," Martha looked at them.

"It's called a Dalek," the Doctor nodded. "And it's not just metal – it's alive."

"You're kidding me!" Tallulah gasped.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" the Doctor snapped. "Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek, too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

"But if it's not a human being, that kind of implies it's from outer space," Tallulah frowned, only to swallow when the Doctor glared at her. "Yet again, that's a no with the kidding. Boy."

"What's it doing in New York?" Martha wondered as the four headed back into the sewers.

"Every second you're down here, you're in danger," the Doctor turned to Tallulah. "I'm taking you back right now – "

Tallulah screamed suddenly, and Rose pointed, eyes wide. "He's the one Mara was chasing!"

The Doctor spun around to see a pigman round the corner and try to hide. He narrowed his eyes and stormed over, grabbing the pigman by the collar. "Where's Mara?" he growled. "What have you done with her? What have you done with my daughter?!"

"I didn't take her," the pigman finally said.

The Doctor blinked, relaxing his grip when the pigman sounded much more human than pig. "Can you remember your name?"

"Don't look at me," the pigman ducked his head.

"Do you know where she is?" Tallulah asked.

"Stay back!" the pigman insisted. "Don't look at me!"

"What happened to you?" Martha asked, looking the pigman up and down.

"They made me a monster," he answered.

"Those things, the Daleks?" Rose pointed back down the sewer. When the pigman nodded, she frowned. "Why?"

"They needed slaves. They needed slaves to steal more people, so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late."

"Do you know what happened to Mara?" the Doctor asked with a frown.

"They took her," the pigman said miserably, making Rose close her eyes and the Doctor growl low in his throat. "It's my fault. She was following me."

"Were you in the theatre?" Tallulah frowned.

"I never – " He cut off. "Yes."

"Why? Why were you there?"

"I never wanted you to see me like this."

"Why me?" Tallulah frowned as Rose's eyes widened, thinking she finally knew what had happened to her boyfriend. "What I got to do with this? Were you following me? Is that why you were there?"

The pigman slowly turned to look at her. "Yes," he admitted.

"Who are you?"

"I was lonely."

"Who are you?"

"I needed to see you."

"Who are you?"

"Laszlo?" Rose finally whispered, taking a guess.

Martha gasped, eyes widening. "I'm sorry," the pigman ducked his head, turning back around.

"No, wait," Tallulah leapt forward, her hand on his shoulder. "Let me look at you." The pigman slowly turned back around and looked up at her, and Tallulah whimpered, hand over her mouth. "Laszlo? My Laszlo?" He nodded slowly. "Oh, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "So sorry!"

"Laszlo, can you show me where they are?" the Doctor asked.

"They'll kill you," Laszlo told him.

"If I don't stop them, they'll kill everyone," the Doctor said bluntly. "And they have my daughter."

Laszlo nodded. "Then follow me."

***

"I'm bored," Anna sighed, leaning her head against the sewer wall behind her, then thought better of it and jerked off it, running her hand through her hair.

"What are they keeping us here for?" Frank asked.

"I don't know," Anna shook her head. "But I want to. I hate not knowing."

The pigmen suddenly started snorting, looking about. "What're they doing?" Frank wondered. "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Silence!" a familiar voice shouted, and Anna blanched, eyes widening to the size of saucers when a Dalek slid into the sewer. "Silence!"

"No," she whimpered. "Oh, please, no!"

"Anna?" Frank asked worriedly. "What is it?"

"You will form a line," the Dalek ordered. "Move! Move!"

"Everyone, do as it says!" Anna called, her voice wavering. "Just do what it says."

"The female is wise," the Dalek said as Anna and Frank led the way, shuffling into a line. "Obey!"

"I can't believe I just got complimented by one of those things," Anna mumbled.

"Report," another Dalek slid into view.

"These are strong specimens," the first answered. "They will help the Dalek cause. What is the status of the Final Experiment?"

"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete."

"Then I will extract prisoners for extraction." The Dalek slid up to the first man in line, an older black man, the pigman shoving him closer. "Intelligence scan, initiate." The Dalek put its sucker in the man's face. "Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."

"You calling me stupid?" the man demanded.

"Silence! This one will become a pig slave. Next!"

"No, let go of me!" the man protested, trying to wrench out of the pigmen's grasp. "I'm not becoming one of them! No! No!"

***

"Intelligence scan, initiate."

"What are they doing?" Martha whispered as the group of five looked around the corner.

"They're divided into two groups," Laszlo explained. "High intelligence and low intelligence. The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves like me."

"Well, that's not fair," Tallulah huffed.

"Shush," Rose hissed.

Tallulah frowned. "You're the smartest guy I ever dated," she whispered.

"And the others?" the Doctor asked.

"They're taken to the laboratory," Laszlo answered.

"Laboratory?!" Rose squeaked, eyes wide.

"Why?" the Doctor narrowed his eyes. "What for?"

"I don't know," Laszlo shook his head. "The masters only call it the Final Experiment."

***

"Superior intelligence," the Dalek said after it scanned Frank, then moved on to Anna. "Intelligence scan, initiate."

"Please, please, please," Anna closed her eyes, knowing that if the Dalek found what she thought it might . . .

"Unnatural superior intelligence detected!"

"Oh, no," Anna opened her eyes wide.

"Species scan," the other Dalek ordered.

"Species scan?" Frank repeated.

"Alert!" the Dalek shouted, and both Daleks swerved to aim at Anna. "Time Lord detected!"

"Identify yourself!" the other Dalek ordered as Anna's hands flew up into the air, swallowing hard, feeling her hearts beat miles per minute. "Identify!"

"Tell them the truth, Kara," the Doctor's voice ordered, and Anna gasped. "Just tell them."

Anna swallowed. "Annakamara," she whispered. "My name is Annakamara."

"You are the Doctor's daughter."

"Yes," Anna nodded.

"Step forward." She immediately did. "Pig slaves, restrain." Anna closed her eyes when two pigmen stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her hands behind her back. "The Doctor's daughter shall be at the front of the line. She will witness the Final Experiment. All prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

***

"We've got to get her," Rose whispered as the pigmen forced Anna to the front, Frank watching her worriedly.

"I know," the Doctor nodded, heading for the line. "Come on." Rose followed him, Martha behind her. The three of them got into line behind Frank, Laszlo sending Tallulah off before joining the line of pigmen. "Just keep walking," the Doctor hissed to Frank.

He took a quick look behind him before sighing. "Oh, good, you're here. They called Anna a Time Lord?"

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed. "She is."

***

The line was led into a large laboratory, and they found one other Dalek in front of a smoking black one. "It really is them," Rose whispered in shock.

"Who are they?" Martha asked quietly.

"They're part of the reason my daughter died," the Doctor said grimly.

"Report," one of the Daleks ordered.

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution," the observing Dalek answered.

"Scan him," the second Dalek ordered. "Prepare for birth."

"Evolution?" the Doctor wondered.

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha asked.

"Kara," the Doctor looked at his daughter, who was held at the front by the Daleks. "Ask them what's going on."

Anna took a deep breath. "Daleks!" she called out, and the three Daleks turned to her. She swallowed, then raised her chin. "I demand to be told what this Final Experiment is. Report!"

"The Doctor's daughter will bear witness," the first Dalek said.

"To what?"

"This is the dawn of a new age."

"What new age?"

"We are the only four Daleks in existence, so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

Sec's shell suddenly stopped smoking, and the light in its eyestalk shut off. The casing opened suddenly, and Martha's eyes widened when a biped struggled out of the case. As the Dalek shell shut, the biped slowly straightened. "What is it?" she asked.

"Oh, my God," Rose whispered in horror.

Anna's wide eyes watched as Sec stood straight, blinking its singular eye. He wore Diagoras's suit, and he took a deep breath before speaking in the man's accent. "I am a human Dalek," he said. "I am your future."

***

To be continued some time this week! XD

Oh, it felt so good to write Annakamara again. :) Hope you enjoyed reading her again! Hopefully another update will be out soon. :)