As the Cult of Skaro's plan commences, the Doctor learns that one of them is changing in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Willow and Martha discover why the Daleks are helping to build the Empire State Building.

***

After the fully humanoid Sec emerged, the Doctor and Willow managed to slip to the side of the laboratory without anyone noticing. "These humans will become like me. Prepare them for hybridisation."

The pig slaves grabbed onto the humans, but Martha and Frank tried to fight back. "Leave me alone! Don't you dare!"

Unexpectedly, a song began to play which confused the Daleks. The pig slaves froze as Sec questioned. "What is that sound?"

"Ah, well, now that would be us." The Doctor and Willow poked their heads out from behind some equipment. He had taken a radio from the theatre and managed to start it up again. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."

Willow lightly waved at them. "I'd say it's nice to see you lot again, but I would be lying."

The Daleks backed up slightly whilst Sec squinted at the pair. "Doctor, and the one who killed the Emperor."

"Willow's fine." She responded.

"The enemies of the Daleks." One of the Cult declared.

"Exterminate!"

They attempted to make their move on them, yet Dalek Sec halted them. "Wait!"

Realising that Sec wanted to talk to them, the Doctor stepped closer to him. "Well, then. A new form of Dalek. Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter." He hissed.

"But how did you end up in 1930?" asked Willow.

Sec answered. "Emergency temporal shift."

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, huh?" The Doctor surmised. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world, but instead you're skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form." He announced.

"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now." The Doctor was intrigued, wondering if Dalek Sec's mind had been changed by this transformation.

"I feel... humanity." Sec turned away from them, going deep into thought. 

The Doctor and Willow shared a glance, each hoping that it was a step towards redemption. "Good. That's good."

"I feel everything we wanted from mankind," he mentioned, glaring back at them. "Which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such a genius for war."

"No, you're wrong," stated Willow. "Humanity isn't like that."

"I disagree. At heart, this species is so very Dalek." Sec thought.

Seeing that they had not reached anything with them, the couple decided to pursue their escape plan. "All right, so what have you achieved then, with this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! Because I can show you what you're missing with this thing. A simple little radio."

He pointed at the device, confusing the Daleks. "What is the purpose of that device?"

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it..." The Doctor smiled at Willow, slyly taking her hand. "Fall in love to it." He winked, making her grin a little. "Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then it's all just noise."

Then, he revealed his sonic screwdriver and emitted a deafening shriek that severely affected their enemies. The pig slaves and the hybrid collapsed to the floor in agony as the group made their escape.

"Run!" The prisoners, followed by the Doctor and Willow, exited the laboratory and headed back through the sewers.

They heard the Daleks cry behind them, but they did not care to listen. "Come on! Move, move, move, move, move!"

As they travelled through the tunnels, they soon ran back into a scared Tallulah. "Hey, Tallulah! Time to go!" Willow yelled.

"What's happened to Laszlo?!" Martha took hold of Tallulah and dragged her back with them.

By now, the Daleks were racing towards them, searching the tunnels for the group. However, the Doctor managed to lead them back to the ladder. "Come on! Everyone up! Come on!"

It was only lucky that, by the time the Daleks had found the ladder, they had all escaped. But Willow still had a bone to pick with them. If anything, she wanted the Daleks to die more than the Doctor did. In fact, she was planning to do it herself when she had the chance.

***

They made their way back to Hooverville where Solomon had gathered a small army. The shantytown was ready for war, despite the Doctor's warnings. "These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they want to breed?"

"They're splicing themselves onto human bodies, and if I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. You've got to get everyone out." He told him.

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go."

"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state. Just get out of New York."

He shook his head. "There's got to be a way to reason with these things."

"There's not a chance," Martha said.

Frank stepped forward. "You ain't seen them, boss."

"Just listen to us, Solomon." Willow started. "Daleks are the most dangerous creatures in the universe. As of now, they're capable of anything. Nothing will stop these things, even if you try."

Suddenly, one of the sentries shouted. "They're coming! They're coming!"

They all gazed in the direction the sentry was running from, a gun swinging from his hand. "A sentry. He must have seen something." 

"They're here! I've seen them! Monsters! They're monsters!" The whole of Hooverville prepared their weapons, standing their ground around the fire. 

The Doctor uttered. "It's started."

"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" Solomon handed out more rifles to those who needed them, but not all of Hooverville stuck together.

"I'm ready, boss, but all of you, find a weapon! Use anything." Frank suggested.

People still ran, straying from the crowd which is exactly what the pig slaves wanted. "Come back! We've got to stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!"

They watched as the residents were grabbed and taken away. Martha grabbed onto some piping, using it as a weapon. "We need to get out of the park."

"We can't. They're on all sides. They're driving everyone back towards us." The Doctor said.

"We're trapped!" cried Tallulah.

"Then we stand together. Gather round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together." The armed men formed a circle around the campfire. "They can't take all of us."

The men began to fire, shooting at anything that moved in the shadows. However, Willow knew that it wouldn't be good enough to stop them

Martha rapidly exhaled. "If we can just hold them off till daylight."

Nevertheless, the Doctor's eyes were drawn to the night sky above them. "Oh, Martha, they're just the foot soldiers."

They all looked up, Martha murmuring. "Oh, my God."

Hovering in the sky was a Dalek that came flying towards them. The residents trembled in terror. "What in this world is-?"

"It's the devil. A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." The sentry proclaimed.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Instantly, Frank fired his gun.

Although, the bullet ricocheted off the Dalek's metal casing. The Doctor instinctively forced him back. "That's not going to work."

"There's more than one of them." Martha leaned in, noticeably afraid.

Another Dalek appeared; that's when they started shooting. Tents blew up, and the fields were set on fire. The flames grazed the land they stood on whilst those who were hiding were killed. "The humans will surrender."

The Doctor emerged from the crowd. "Leave them alone. They've done nothing to you!"

"We have located the Doctor." The Dalek stated.

Beside them, Solomon lowered his gun and stepped forwards. "Solomon, don't!" Willow cried, attempting to stop him.

Yet, Hooverville's leader did not back off. "I'm told that I'm addressing the Daleks. Is that right? From what I hear, you're outcasts too."

Willow tried to pull him back. "I'm telling you, don't!"

"Willow, this is my township. You will respect my authority. Just let me try." She reluctantly let go as he marched further away from the group. "Daleks, ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?"

Slowly, Solomon placed his gun on the ground. "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. Oh yeah, 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?"

His words were powerful. Both the Doctor and Willow knew Solomon's words could inspire a nation to rise up and fight. But they also knew that his words would never resonate with a Dalek.

There was a sharp pause until the Dalek finally uttered. "Exterminate."

Without warning or hesitance, the Dalek shot Solomon dead. The residents screamed, watching as their friend and leader collapsed to the ground. "No! Solomon!"

"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot." It was then that Martha truly understood why the Doctor and Willow were afraid of them. Daleks were uncaring and ruthless; they cared for no one.

"Daleks." It was the final straw for the Doctor. He stormed up to them. "All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy." A Dalek proclaimed.

He spat at them, his blood fuelling with rage. "Then do it! Do it! Just do it! Do it!"

Willow observed as her fiancé planned to make the ultimate sacrifice. She was frozen in place, forced to witness the Doctor's execution.

"Exterminate-" Just then, the Dalek stopped. It didn't fire at him or anything. From what it looked like, he was talking to someone. "I do not understand. It is the Doctor." Something was happening back at the laboratory: Willow was sure of it. "The urge to kill is too strong."

Finally, after waiting a few moments, the Dalek spoke again. It lowered its weapon, disheartened. "I obey."

"What's going on?" he queried.

"You will follow." It said.

"No!" Martha broke away from the crowd. "You can't go."

He wanted to stay, but he needed to find out what was going on. "I've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."

"But what about us?"

Martha was right. The Daleks still wanted people for their experiment; no one was safe. "One condition! If I come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

Reluctantly, the Dalek replied. "Humans will be spared. Doctor, follow."

"Well, you're not going alone. I'm coming with you." Willow joined him by his side.

"So am I." Martha chimed in.

"Willow, Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them." Nonetheless, Willow grasped onto his arm to stop him from leaving. She stared into his brown eyes, knowing there was a chance he might not return alive. "Let me go." 

Willow raised her hand, softly caressing his face. "Promise me that you'll come back."

"Don't worry," he started with a smile. "I always do."

It was then that she noticed that he had slipped something into her pocket. The Doctor backed away as she checked what it is. Inside was the psychic paper, but what could she do with this?

***

Later, Willow and Martha were attending to those injured in the fight. Her friend wrapped a bandage around a man's wrist as Tallulah entered the tent they were in. "Here you go. I got some more on the boil." She placed the pan on a small table nearby. 

"Thanks." Martha returned to her patient. "You'll be all right. It's just a cut. Try and keep it clean."

The man nodded. "Thanks."

He quickly left, leaving the women on their own. "So what about us? What do we do now?" asked Tallulah.

"I wish I knew." Willow retrieved the psychic paper from her pocket, inspecting it. "The Doctor gave me this, but I'm not sure why."

"What's that for?" she wondered.

"It gets you into places. Buildings and things." Martha explained. "But where?"

"He must want us to go somewhere, but I don't know where to start." She admitted.

They sat in the tent, trying to theorise what the Doctor wanted them to do. Martha paced across the dirt, thinking hard. "Wait a minute. Down in the sewers, the Daleks mentioned this energy conductor."

Willow straightened up in her seat. "What sort of energy conductor?"

"I don't know. Maybe like a lightning conductor or..." she paused, remembering what the Daleks had said. "Dalekanium! They said the Dalekanium was in place."

"In place where?" asked Tallulah.

"I bet Frank will know." Willow jumped up from her seat and exited the tent. Martha and Tallulah followed her as she approached a solemn Frank. "Frank? Mr Diagoras was the one who got everyone the jobs, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. He could find a profit anywhere."

"But where, though? What sort of things?" questioned Martha.

"You name it. We're all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work, that pays the best." He told them.

"Yeah, but what was the main building work he wanted to be done?" Willow asked.

"Mainly building that." Frank pointed towards the Empire State Building, unfinished yet still shining in the moonlight.

Willow beamed, understanding what the Doctor needed them to do. "Gotcha."

***

The four entered the building, successfully fooling the workers. As they took the service lift, Martha mentioned. "I always wanted to go to the Empire State. Never imagined it quite like this, though."

"Hey, at least you can that you've been now." Willow grinned.

"Where are we headed anyway?" Frank wondered.

"The top, where they're still building," Martha answered.

Tallulah squinted in bewilderment. "How come those guys just let us through? How's that thing work?"

Willow head out the black wallet and opened it up. "It's psychic paper. It shows people what I want them to see. Can't let your mind wander though. I learnt that the hard way."

"What does it say though?" queried Martha.

"According to this, we're three engineers and an architect." She responded as they reached the highest floor.

The lift doors opened and the four stepped out. Tallulah smiled in amazement. "Look at this pace. Top of the world."

Martha pointed at some discarded blueprints on a drawing board. "Okay, now this looks good."

Willow, Frank and Martha stormed over as Tallulah edged closer to the open balcony. They began to search the papers, Frank recognising that something had changed. "Hey, look at the date. These designs were issued today. They must've changed something last minute."

"Well, the Daleks are obviously using Dalekanium somewhere in this building to power the energy conductor." Willow speculated. "But the question is where?"

It was then that Martha noticed something else on the blueprints. "The ones underneath, they're from before. That means that whatever they changed must be on this top sheet but not on this one. We need to check one against the other."

They removed the blueprints from the drawing board and laid them down on the ground. "The height of this place! This is amazing." Tallulah exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, be careful! Try not to fall to your death!" yelled Willow.

"I just want to see." She stepped out into an open area, observing New York from above. It was beautiful; every building glistened like diamonds. "New York City. If aliens had to come to Earth, oh, no wonder they came here."

***

The blueprints were spread out on the floor as they continued to search. Outside, a storm was brewing which made Tallulah come back inside. "I'll go and keep an eye out. Make sure we're safe up here. Don't want nobody butting in." Frank told them, leaving the room.

"There's a hell of a storm moving in," Tallulah commented, kneeling beside the two women.

"I wish the Doctor was here. He'd know what we're looking for." Martha said.

Willow sighed, leaning back slightly. "What do the Daleks want with him? They spare people if they need them, and they've never needed the Doctor until now."

Beside her, Tallulah bit her lip, thinking about something. "So, when did you two hook up?"

"The Doctor and I?" she started. "Well, we met through a... friend. It was a couple of years ago now. That's when everything changed."

"For the better?" asked Tallulah.

"I'm not quite sure." The women noticed Willow rub her engagement ring again, clearly pondering.

Despite that, Tallulah still wanted to keep their spirits high. "Listen, sweetheart. You want to get all sad? You want to have a contest with me and Laszlo?"

"Not really," Willow insisted. "But I bet the Doctor's with him right now. There's every chance that he could get him out."

"And then what? Don't talk crazy." Tallulah shook her head, denying herself happiness. "There's no future for me and him. Those Dalek things took that away. The one good thing I had in my life and they destroyed it."

She stormed off, hiding her sorrow. Willow sighed as Martha continued searching. Tallulah was right; love life is difficult.

"Gotcha," Martha stated, pointing at one of the diagrams. "Look. There, on the mast. Those little lines? They're new. They've added something, see?"

Tallulah joined them, studying the blueprints and realising that she was correct. "Added what?"

The trio peered at each other and grinned. "Dalekanium!"

***

After Frank re-joined the women, they unexpectedly heard the lift ding. The doors opened to reveal the Doctor and Lazlo on the other side. "Doctor!" exclaimed Martha.

"First floor, perfumery." He joked.

"You're all right!" Willow yelled before thrusting herself into his arms. 

Tallulah beamed, seeing the love of her life again. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"No stopping me." The couple embraced. Lazlo tightly clutched onto Tallulah, noticeably weaker.

Then, Willow broke away and punched the Doctor's arm. "Ow!" he winced, rubbing the spot where she hurt him. "What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot!" she uttered with a large grin. Willow grabbed onto his hand, pulling him over to look at the blueprints. "Come on. Martha found them."

"There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by the way." Martha mentioned.

"Oh, come here!" Just as they hugged, the lift dinged again and the doors began to close. The three sprinted over, trying to stop it. "No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug. Deadlock seal. I can't stop it."

"Where's it going?" she asked.

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?" The Doctor questioned, glancing at Frank.

"Er, 11:15." He answered.

Willow furrowed her brows. "And you need to know the time because...?"

"I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits in six minutes." He replied.

Tallulah squinted. "Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?"

The Doctor ignored her, jogging over to the open area of the building. The group followed as he observed the city from above. "Oh, that's high. That's very... Blimey, that's high."

"Well, thank you for stating the obvious," Willow replied with a sarcastic tone. "Now, we've got to go even higher. Right up to the mast."

"There's three pieces of Dalekanium on the base. We've got to get them off." Martha added.

He spun around a wooden ladder, staring back at the group. "That's not we, that's just me."

Willow's eyes widened. "What? You can't go alone!"

"You're going to have your hands full anyway. I'm sorry, Willow, but you've got to fight."

She sighed. "Have I ever told you that you're bloody insane?" 

"All the time." The Doctor began climbing the ladder, leaving the group to fend for themselves. It wasn't going to be an easy job without him.

Whilst they weren't exactly fighters, the group would do anything to survive. Willow peered back at the group. "Right, grab anything that you can use to defend yourself. Come on!"

The four obeyed her command, racing away and snatching whatever was useful. In an instant, Willow selected a large wrench. It weighed somewhat in her hands, but she was still determined to use it.

They lined up in front of the lift, watching as it began to come up again. "The lift's coming up."

"Yeah, we can see that, Martha." She stated, becoming panicked.

"I should have brought that gun." Frank asserted, pointing his weapon at the doors.

Then, Lazlo tried pushing the women back. "Tallulah, stay back. You too, Martha. And you, Willow. If they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill."

Nevertheless, they rebelled. "The Doctor needs me to fight. I'm not going anywhere!"

"They're savages. I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." He stepped forwards, attempting to lift his hammer.

Suddenly, he fell to the ground, extremely weak. Tallulah immediately tended to him. "Lazlo? What is it?"

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just leave me." He insisted as he crawled up against a post.

He seemed feverous, growing sicker by the second. His love comforted him. "Oh, honey, you're burning up. What's wrong with you? Tell me."

Frank firmly gripped the pipe he was holding. "Great. One man down, we ain't even started yet."

"It's not looking good, Frank."

"Nope."

"We're going to get slaughtered." There was a sudden clash of thunder outside. Lightning flickered throughout the sky, attracting the group's attention. Martha's eyes brightened. "Wait a minute. Lightning."

Soon enough, Willow caught on as well. She smiled and uttered. "Benjamin Franklin."

The three sprinted over to the scaffolding, dropping their weapons as they ripped the piping and wood apart. "Aw, you'll be all right, sweetheart. Don't you worry." As she soothed Lazlo, Tallulah couldn't help but be distracted by the others. She raised her voice. "What the hell are you three clowns doing?"

"Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still going to get hit. Great big bolt of lightning, electricity all down this building. Connect this to the lift and they get zapped." Martha explained.

"Martha Jones, you are getting good at this!" exclaimed Willow.

"Oh my God, that could work." Tallulah surprisingly affirmed.

"Then give us a hand!" yelled Frank.

The lift slowly approached them as the trio created a line of metal piping to conduct lightning. It was bound to work. It had to work.

They placed it close to the lift doors, making sure that it could shock the pig slaves when they arrived. "Is that going to work?"

"It's got to." Martha insisted.

Frank retreated inside as lightning struck nearby. "I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside."

"Come here, Frank. Just sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal." The group huddled together, making sure not to go near it.

The lift was nearly at the top. Every time the dial moved, fear rose within the scared humans. Although, Willow was mostly fearful about the Doctor's safety. If he didn't get those panels off in time, then they were in trouble.

At that moment, the lift hit the highest floor of the building; their floor. The doors opened, just as lightning struck the unfinished Empire State Building. The five watched as electricity sparked and travelled through the makeshift conductor, hitting the pig slaves.

They squealed in terror as they were being fried by the lightning. Outside, Willow could have sworn that she heard the Doctor scream too. Either way, she knew that she had to get to him as soon as possible.

Eventually, the horrific squealing stopped, and the pig slaves collapsed into a massive heap of bodies. They were all dead; not a soul left alive.

Tallulah bounced with joy. "You did it, Martha."

However, Martha did not share her enthusiasm. "They used to be like Lazlo. They were people, and I killed them."

Lazlo disagreed. "No, the Daleks killed them. Long ago."

"Lazlo's right," Willow appended. "The Daleks kill anything they touch. The Great Destroyers."

She snarled under her breath as Martha remembered something. "What about the Doctor?"

Instantly, the women ran out to the open area and started to climb the ladder. They ascended, Willow soon discovering his dropped screwdriver. Her panic grew, knowing now that he was in trouble.

Upon reaching the mast, Willow's eyes landed on the Doctor's unconscious body. "Doctor!" She placed a hand under his head whilst revealing the sonic screwdriver. "You dropped this, you idiot."

"You're getting careless," Martha mentioned.

To their shock, he wriggled as he began to awaken. Martha gasped as Willow softly smiled. "Oh, my head."

"Hello there." She responded.

"Hiya." Martha greeted in relief.

Groggily, he spoke. "Hi. You survived, then-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a kiss. He happily embraced it, weakly brushing Willow's hair through his fingers. That is until she broke away and slapped him in the face. The Doctor winced again. "Geez, what was that for?!"

"Because the Dalekanium is still on the mast." She acknowledged. 

The three gazed up at it, realising that the Daleks' experiment had been fulfilled. The Doctor knew that it meant an army would soon be approaching. There was no time to lose.

The women helped him back to their floor, joining the others as they conjured up a plan to fight back. "The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading the soldiers out underneath Manhattan."

"How do we stop them?" questioned Lazlo.

"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping through me first." He informed them.

Willow raised her eyebrows. "So, wait, that means..."

"Yep." He confirmed.

"Oh." She uttered.

"Oh." The Doctor repeated.

Martha crossed her arms, confused. "Yeah, but what does that mean?"

He ignored her question. "We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them. Where can I draw them out? Think, think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space. Somewhere safe. Somewhere out of the way. Tallulah!"

"That's me. Three Ls and an H."

"The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?" he queried.

She shrugged. "Don't see why not."

"Is there another lift?" asked the Doctor.

"We came up in the service elevator," Martha answered.

"That'll do. Allons-y!" 

As the group huddled together, they ran towards the service lift. Willow commented. "Don't know how we're all going to squeeze in though." 

***

They arrived at the theatre, shivering in the cold auditorium as they wandered down the aisle. "This should do it. Here we go."

"There ain't nothing more creepy than a theatre in the dark," Tallulah complained as they strolled through a row of seats. "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for show tunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" Behind her, she noticed Lazlo slump in a nearby chair. "Lazlo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just so hot." He told her.

"But it's freezing in here." Tallulah grew even more concerned for his health. "Doctor, what's happening to him?"

"Not now, Tallulah. Sorry." The Doctor held up his screwdriver, configuring with it.

"What are you doing?" asked Martha.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll want to find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." The device started beeping alerting the Daleks of their current position.

"Like an idiot." This time, however, Willow marvelled at him. "A clever idiot, might I just add."

He returned a smile, admiring her for a moment. Soon enough, his serious demeanour emerged once again. "You all better go. This could be dangerous."

She huffed. "Oi, we're in this together!"

"I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville." He declared.

"Well, tough! We're staying put, no matter what." Willow stated. "Even though you might disagree, we're safer around you."

"Willow, that's an order!" he spat.

"What are you supposed to be then? Some sort of Dalek?" She retorted with a glimmer of darkness in her eye.

Before they could argue further, the doors swung open where the experimented army marched inside. "Doctor! Oh, my God!" Tallulah pulled Lazlo away from them, clutching him tightly. "Well, I guess that's them then, huh?"

"Humans, with Dalek DNA?" Martha checked.

"It's all right, it's all right. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them." The Doctor recommended.

"But what of the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Lazlo questioned.

Just then, the stage exploded. Rubble flew towards them. Luckily, they all ducked, narrowly missing some of the rock and dust. From the mist emerged two Daleks and Sec, who was now chained up as their prisoner.

"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks." One of them commanded. So, the Doctor did what he was told. He climbed onto the seats and walked towards them. There seemed to be a hidden power in those steps, Willow could feel it. "You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro." Another declared.

"Oh, and what a world. With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember?" The Doctor pointed at hybrid. "The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new Empire, hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"

"My Daleks, just understand this." Sec started. "If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."

"Incorrect. We will always survive." The Dalek believed.

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor." The second one stated.

"But he can help you."

"The Doctor must die."

Sec feebly crawled across the stage, pleading with them. "No, I beg you, don't!"

"Exterminate!" The Dalek fired, but the laser did not hit the Doctor. In a twist of events, the hybrid stood in front of the laser and sacrificed himself.

Their old leader collapsed, signalling the end of the Cult. The Doctor snarled with even more fury than before. "Your own leader. The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." He turned to the experiments. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is? If I'm going to die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptise them."

"Dalek humans, take aim." They obeyed, prepping their guns and pointing them towards the group.

The Doctor held out his arms, waiting. "What are you waiting for? Give the command!"

"Exterminate!" The group tensed for a moment, expecting the army to shoot him dead. Although, not a single laser was fired from their guns. "Exterminate!"

Again, they did not follow the command; they simply stood still. "Obey. Dalek humans will obey."

"They're not firing." Martha pointed out. "What have you done?"

"You will obey. Exterminate!" The Daleks ordered a third time.

"Why?" One of the experiments questioned.

"Daleks do not question orders."

"But why?"

"You will stop this."

"But why?"

"You must not question."

"But you are not our master. And we, we are not Daleks." He announced.

"No, you're not. And you never will be." The Doctor turned back to the Daleks. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightning strike. Timelord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."

Willow chuckled. "Which is funny because Timelords weren't exactly the "freedom" types."

"If they will not obey, then they must die." The Dalek decreed, instantly killing the rebellious experiment.

"Get down!" The Doctor yelled.

The group sunk below, narrowly missing more lasers being fired. The army shot the Daleks in defiance, breaking free from their control. The war continued, the Daleks were increasingly outnumbered. Yet, they still managed to kill a few of their soldiers.

Soon enough, one of the Daleks was destroyed. Then the other, leading to the end of the battle. The army lowered their guns, knowing a part of them had finally been destroyed. Some of them appeared frightened, questioning what would come next.

"It's all right, it's all right, it's all right. You did it. You're free." The Doctor insisted, comforting them with his words. Nonetheless, without warning, the experiments screamed out in pain. They grasped their heads, tumbling to their knees. "No! They can't! They can't! They can't! They can't!"

Every single one of them was dead, murdered by the final member of the Cult. "What happened? What was that?"

"They killed them, rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide." He hissed.

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive." Lazlo reasoned.

"Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." The Doctor uttered.

Martha scanned the room for a moment, noticing that something had changed. "Doctor?"

He stared at her, narrowing his eyes. "What is it?"

"Willow's gone."

***

Deep underground, Willow stood in the laboratory. She was face to face with one of the deadliest creatures in all the universe. "Exterminate-!"

"Yeah, I get the point!" she bellowed. "What's your name then?"

"Dalek Caan." It answered.

"Dalek Caan. You're the last one left. The last living Dalek in all the universe." Willow dug her hands into the pockets of her coat, striding towards Caan. "You know, the Doctor would probably show you some mercy. Some compassion maybe? But you're stuck with me. And, right now, I'm not exactly the merciful type." She stared directly into its eyestalk, wickedly smirking. "So, I can either make your death quick or slow. What would you prefer?"

"Emergency temporal shift!" The cables attached to Dalek Caan slipped off as they disappeared.

Willow screamed, trying to grab it. However, she was too late to stop it. "That wasn't an option..." she grumbled.

Abruptly, from out of the shadows, the others appeared. The Doctor sprinted over to her. "Are you all right? Where's the Dalek?"

"It was a coward." She stated nonchalantly. 

"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick." Martha cried, holding Lazlo in her arms. He wheezed as the women laid him onto the ground. Tallulah sobbed, not wanting him to go. "It's okay. You're all right. It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it."

"What is it, Doctor? What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe. What is it?" Tallulah frantically questioned.

"It's time, sweetheart." The reluctant pig slave responded.

"What do you mean, time? What are you talking about?" she asked.

He explained. "None of the slaves survive for long. Most of them only live for a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on because I had you. But now, I'm dying, Tallulah."

She shook her head in denial. "No, you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do something?"

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H, just you watch me." He answered. To their surprise, the Doctor strolled around the laboratory, searching for something. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on. There's been too many deaths today." The Doctor grabbed some liquids and a stethoscope from his pocket. "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. Tallulah, out of the way. The Doctor is in."

***

In the middle of Central Park stood a mutated pig, two Timelords and two humans; one being a showgirl whilst the other was a doctor-in-training. Frank jogged up beside them. "Well, I talked to them, and I told them what Solomon would've said, and I reckon I shamed one or two of them."

"What did they say?" asked the Doctor.

He happily beamed. "They said yes." Tallulah let out a relieved sigh, overjoyed. "They'll give you a home, Laszlo. I mean, er, don't imagine people ain't going to stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for. People who ain't got nowhere else.

"Thank you. I can't thank you enough." As the trio started to celebrate, the other three bid them farewell and went on their merry way.

They approached the TARDIS, having spent a whole night in New York City. "Do you reckon it's going to work, those two?" Martha pondered.

The Doctor shrugged, unsure. "I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York? That's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig slave Dalek mutant hybrid too."

"The pig and the showgirl."

"The pig and the showgirl!" The Doctor repeated.

The three laughed for a few moments, sharing a moment of joy. "It just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone."

"Maybe." The Doctor glimpsed at Willow with a small grin. However, her smile was dimmer than he expected, barely showing her admiration for him.

She was the first to wander back to the TARDIS, growing anxious with herself. The Doctor and Martha soon followed. "Meant to say, I'm sorry."

"What for?" she wondered.

"Just because that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you two. Think you'll ever see it again?"

"One day, I bet." She replied, looking out at the New York skyline. "One day."

***

As you can see, Willow's darker side is starting to emerge. What will this mean for her relationship with the Doctor?

Sorry this came out so late. Hopefully I'll get back into my normal routine since college is finished, so I have a few months to relax and finish this book.

I hope you liked this chapter, even though I feel like I rushed it.

- Alice ❤