Until We Burn | Dr Who

Chapter Fifty-One: Evolution of the Daleks

The creature rasps, raising a taloned finger towards us. "These humans," he declares, struggling under the weight of every word, "will become like me. Prepare them for hybridisation."

The hand joined with mine slips away. I don't say a word, trusting the Doctor to use his stealth well. The Pig Slaves amble over and start to drag Frank away. "Stop! Leave him alone!" Martha and I shout, desperately trying to pull him from their grip.

"Stop."

They freeze.

The creature points again. This time, at me. "Let me see her."

"What? No! No, let her go!"

"Martha," I shout over the group's panic. "It's okay. It's okay, I'll be fine."

I allow myself to be marched along, my arms twisted roughly behind my back. The creature's eye narrows and it tilts its head, regarding me closely. "You are... familiar."

Fear won't get the better of me. It can't. Holding my head up high, I wrack my brain for the memory of the name the Daleks mentioned. "Sec, right?" He nods slowly. "Canary Wharf. Cybermen. I watched all your little friends get sucked into the void, and I helped make it happen. Remember me now?"

"You have silver eyes. You are not human."

I can't help but smirk, using humour to bring back my confidence bit by bit. I can't allow myself to think of Jack or Rose, or any of the people who lost their lives to these monsters. Wrenching one hand out of the pig's grip, I wiggle my fingers to show off the simple, golden band. "Tada! Biodamper ring. Bit embarrassing, really. I'd have thought your superior technology would pick that up. Maybe you're just not—"

All of a sudden, soft jazz starts to blare from all around us. Sec staggers back in alarm. "What is that noise?"

On cue, the Doctor peeks out from around a set of Dalek monitors. "Ah, well, now, that would be me." He sets a radio down on one of the tables, hands immediately finding his pockets. "Hello. Surprise! Boo! Et cetera."

"Doctor?" it gasps, more surprised than scared.

"The enemy of the Daleks!"

"Exterminate!"

It raises its hands in an urgent warning. "Wait!"

He arches an eyebrow and takes a bold step closer. I have to resist the urge to beg him not to, silencing the fearful nagging in my head. "Well, then, a new form of Dalek. Fascinating. And very clever."

Sec glares at him. "The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."

"How did you end up in 1930?"

"Emergency Temporal Shift," it coldly admits.

He laughs, "Oh. That must've roasted up your power cells, yeah? Time was, four Daleks could've conquered the world. But instead, you're skulking away, hidden in the dark... experimenting. All of which results in you."

The creature clenches its fists. With each second that passes, I wait for it to give the kill order, but it never comes. "I am Dalek in human form!"

"But what does it feel like?" It hesitates. Intrigued, he takes another step. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec — it is Dalek Sec, isn't it, that's your name? You've got a name, a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now."

The other Daleks shift uneasily. It grits its teeth, clenches its jaw, and relaxes again. "I... feel... humanity."

Just the word disgusts it. He, however, finds it fascinating. "Good," he hums, "that's good."