"These humans will become like me," Sec ordered. "Prepare them for hybridization!"

The Doctor looked around worriedly as the pig men approached. Martha started actually screaming and trying to wrench herself away, just like Frank, except she was much more violent. "Leave me alone!" she shouted. "Don’t you dare!"

All of a sudden, music started playing, and the Doctor grinned and started bopping his head to the song "Happy Days Are Here Again." Sec looked around in confusion. "What is that sound?"

"Ah, well!" Jessie poked her head around one of the columns and grinned like a mad woman, raising the radio and shaking it. "That would be me!" She set it down and began snapping her fingers, doing some sort of little shuffle on the spot before waving. "Hello! Surprise! Boo! Et cetera."

"Who are you?" Sec demanded.

She grinned. "Oh, I’m the Bad Wolf. Name sound familiar?"

Sec narrowed his eye. "You are the murderer of the Emperor!"

"Surprise!" Jessie whooped.

"And now you’re scared," the Doctor finally interrupted, walking forward as well, still bopping his head to the music. "Mind if I cut in?"

Jessie grinned and bowed with a mock flourish. "You may."

"Doctor!" Sec gasped.

"The enemy of the Daleks!" another Dalek shouted.

"Exterminate!"

"Wait!" Sec ordered.

The Doctor stepped forward, Jessie still shimmying behind him, and he tried to ignore her. "Well, then, a new form of Dalek," he mused. "Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter," Sec informed him.

"How did you end up in 1930?"

"Emergency temporal shift."

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

"I am Dalek in human form," Sec stated.

"What does it feel like?" the Doctor asked. "You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. You can talk to me and the Bad Wolf. 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."

"I feel . . . humanity," Sec breathed, turning away.

"Good," Jessie encouraged, leaning against a column, still swaying. "That’s good."

"I feel everything we wanted from mankind. Which is ambition, hatred, aggression, and war. Such a genius for war."

The Doctor blinked. "That wasn’t what I expected."

"I know," Jessie replied.

"No, that’s not what humanity means," the Doctor told Sec.

"I think it does," Sec retorted. "At heart, this species is so very Dalek."

"Right, then," Jessie said loudly, straightening and walking back to her radio. "Tel me what you achieved, then, because of this ‘Final Experiment?’" She made quotation marks, then shook her head. "Nothing! Because I can show you what you’re missing with . . . " She patted the radio, beaming proudly. "This thing! A simple little radio."

"Be ready to run," she whispered in the Doctor’s head.

"What is the purpose of that device?" one of the Daleks asked.

Jessie grinned. "It plays music," she answered. "What’s the point of it? Because with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it . . . in fact, you could practically do anything with it." She frowned. "Unless you’re Stark after too many drinks . . . then it’s a wailing banshee." She shook her head, then got back on topic. "Or, unless you’re a Dalek, of course." She shrugged, then whipped her sonic screwdriver down her sleeve. "Then it’s all just noise!" She aimed it at the radio, and the sound waves that erupted made the Daleks, the pig men, and Sec double over in pain.

The Doctor took his cue. "RUN!" he roared.

Martha bolted after him, Frank in the middle, helping lead the people out. He heard the sound of gunshots behind him, so he assumed that meant Jessie was in the back, protecting the others. "Come on!" he shouted. "Move, move, move, move, move!" He skidded to a halt when he nearly ran into Tallulah. "And you, Tallulah," he added. "Run!"

"What’s happened to Laszlo?" the show woman demanded.

Martha grabbed Tallulah, and the Doctor found the ladder up out of the sewers. "Come on!" he ordered, Martha and Tallulah going first, Frank helping him guide people up. "Everyone up! Come on!"

Jessie came running around the corner, shoving her gun into the waistband of her jeans, and she took a jump onto the ladder. The Doctor followed up behind her, and together, the two of them shut the manhole to block the pig men. They both took panting breaths, then the Doctor grinned at Jessie. "You," he stated, "are completely insane."

Jessie grinned as wolfish as her name. "Jeopardy friendly, me."

The Doctor swallowed, that title like a sting to the hearts. "Yeah," he agreed softly.

He didn’t miss Jessie’s fading smile as he stood.

***

"These Daleks," Solomon said later that night in Hooverville. "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," the Doctor explained. "You’ve got to get everyone out."

"Hooverville’s the lowest place a man can fall," Solomon argued. "There’s nowhere else to go!"

"He’s right, Solomon," Jessie told him. "You’ve got to scatter. Go anywhere you can. Down to the railroads, travel across state. You just need to get out of New York as fast as you can."

"There’s got to be a way to reason with these things," Solomon muttered.

"There’s not chance," Martha interrupted from where she was with Tallulah.

Frank nodded, standing behind the two women. "You ain’t seen them, boss."

"Daleks are bad enough at any time, but right now, they’re vulnerable," the Doctor explained. "That makes them more dangerous than ever."

"And they’ve got the killer of their Emperor loose in here," Jessie added. "They’ll take any chance they can get to get revenge."

"And who killed their Emperor?" Solomon asked.

Jessie pointed to herself at the same time as the Doctor. "Kind of committed genocide against the entire race," she confessed. "Last minute decision. Wasn’t really in control."

"Saved me, though," the Doctor pointed out. "That’s something."

Jessie made a motion to him. "And then you saved me."

The Doctor winced. "Shame I couldn’t do it again."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Martha asked.

Jessie shook her head and was about to answer when a whistle sounded. "They’re coming!" a man faintly shouted. "They’re coming!"

"A sentry," Solomon explained, looking in that direction. "He must have seen something."

A man came running back, looking frightened. "They’re here! I’ve seen them!" he shouted. "Monsters! They’re monsters!"

Jessie stood, her anger boiling. "It’s starting," she whispered.

"We’re under attack!" Solomon shouted, and the men in Hooverville began to start moving. "Everyone to arms!"

"I’m ready, boss," Frank said, then turned to all of the people. "But all of you, find a weapon! Use anything!"

Jessie pulled her gun out and began picking off pig men when she saw them. She vaguely heard Solomon yelling instructions, then felt the Doctor start pulling her back. "We need to get out of the park!" Martha shouted.

"We can’t," the Doctor explained. "They’re on all sides. They’re driving everyone back towards us."

"We’re trapped," Tallulah summed up.

"Then we stand together," Solomon told her before shouting orders. "Gather round! Everybody come to me! You there! Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together!" Jessie stayed at the Doctor’s side as they all made a circle around Martha and Tallulah. "They can’t take all of us," Solomon finished.

The men all around began firing as well, and pig man after pig man began to fall. "If we can just hold them off till daylight," Martha said worriedly.

Jessie heard a whine, then looked up and swallowed. "Um, Martha?" she squeaked. "Pig men are just the foot soldiers."

The Doctor raised his gaze, followed by Martha. The Doctor’s face turned hard, and Martha’s jaw dropped. "Oh my God," she gasped in horror.

One of the Daleks came flying in, and Solomon stared at it in shock. "What in this world is - ?" he gasped.

"It’s the devil!" the sentry wailed. "A devil in the sky! God save us all, it’s damnation?"

"Oh, yeah?" Frank snorted. "We’ll see about that!"

He took a shot, but the bullet bounced off. Jessie shook his head. "No, that’s not going to work," she told him.

"There’s more than one of them!" Martha warned.

Jessie turned to see another Dalek come flying, and she growled. "Doctor?"

The Doctor turned to her, and he nodded. "Whatever you need to do, protect them!"

Jessie nodded, and when the Daleks started firing, she stopped the energy from hitting any of the tents, fire swirling around her. She could hear the people yelling and screaming behind her, most of all Martha, but she ignored it. She was in her element, doing her job and saving the people she cared about. The Doctor stepped forward out of the circle, shouting up at the Daleks. "Leave them alone! They’ve done nothing to you!"

Solomon stepped forward next. "No, Solomon," the Doctor ordered. "Stay back!"

"I’m told that I’m addressing the Daleks!" Solomon called up. "Is that right? From what I’ve heard, you’re outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don’t!" the Doctor warned, Jessie turning her head as the fire still swirled around her, and she concentrated on letting it die down.

"Doctor, this is my township," Solomon retorted to the Doctor. "You will respect my authority. Just let me try." Solomon then stepped forward to the Daleks. "Daleks! Ain’t we all the same? Underneath, ain’t we all kin?" He put down his rifle slowly, and the Dalek’s eyestalks twitched. "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. It 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." The Daleks didn’t move. "Well?" Solomon called. "What do you say?"

There was a pause. Then - "Exterminate!" one of the Daleks shouted, making his shot.

Jessie didn’t even know what she did. She concentrated on getting to Solomon, and suddenly she was tackling him to the ground, the Dalek’s shot just centimeters from where her head now was. "Solomon!" Frank shouted.

"What the hell was that?" Tallulah screamed.

Jessie panted, looking at Solomon, who was staring at her incredulously. "Idiot," she muttered before standing up and joining the Doctor.

"Daleks!" the Doctor shouted, stepping forward and holding up his arms. "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," the Dalek announced.

"Yeah?" Jessie taunted. "Then take the killer of your Emperor as well!" She tossed her gun to the side before holding up her hands. "Do it! Just do it!"

"Exterminate!" the Dalek shouted, before pausing. Jessie blinked. ‘I do not understand. It is the Doctor and the Bad Wolf." Another pause. "The urge to kill is too strong!" Pause. "I obey."

"What’s going on?" the Doctor asked.

"You will follow," the Dalek ordered. "You and the Bad Wolf will follow."

"No!" Martha shrieked, darting forward and grabbing his arm. "You can’t go!"

"Martha, Daleks don’t just change their minds," Jessie told her. "They never change their minds. We’ve got to."

"But what about us?" Martha asked, waving a hand to where Frank was helping Solomon up, and all of the people of Hooverville."

The Doctor turned back to the Daleks. "One condition!" he shouted. "If we come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

The Dalek paused before replying. "Humans will be spared. Doctor, Bad Wolf, follow."

"Then I’m coming with you," Martha stated.

"Martha, stay here," the Doctor commanded. "Do what you do best. Some people are hurt. You can help them. Let me go." She did reluctantly, then he took her hands and smiled. "Oh. And can I just say . . . thank you very much."

He winked at her and left, and Martha stared at him in shock before staring down at the psychic paper. She looked at Jessie blankly, who shrugged. "And I’ve been trying to understand him for two years now," she joked with a wink before walking backwards after the Doctor. "Good luck, Martha."

Martha nodded slowly. "You, too."

With that, Jessie ran to catch up with the Doctor. "Psychic paper?" she whispered lowly.

"She’ll need it," the Doctor replied before looking at her. "What did you do to get to Solomon?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, I just concentrated on getting there," she replied. "Why? What happened?"

"Gold happened," he replied. "You turned into gold and flew right at him."

Jessie shook her head before swallowing. "What’s happening to me?"

***

"Here you go," Tallulah’s voice said, and Martha looked up from where she was bandaging someone’s wrist. The showgirl was carrying a pan of hot water. "I got some more on the boil."

"Thanks," Martha told her before turning to the man. "You’ll be all right. It’s just a cut. Try and keep it clean."

"Thanks," he told her before leaving.

"So what about us?" Tallulah asked. "What do we do now?"

"The Doctor gave me this," Martha explained, showing her the psychic paper. "He must have had a reason."

"What’s that for?" Tallulah asked.

"It gets you into places. Buildings and things. But where?" Martha looked around. "He must want me to go somewhere, but what am I supposed to do?"

***

"Stark and Banner would love this place," Jessie commented as they arrived in the laboratory. "And FitzSimmons."

"Those people were defenseless!" the Doctor shouted at the Daleks, and Jessie followed him. "You only wanted me, but no, that wasn’t enough! You had to start killing, because that’s the only thing a Dalek’s good for, and you’re lucky the Bad Wolf was able to stop the fires from doing too much damage!"

"The deaths were wrong," Sec stated.

Jessie blinked. "Human-Dalek mutant say what now?"

"I’m sorry?" the Doctor asked, startled.

"That man, their leader, Solomon," Sec explained. "He showed courage."

"And that’s good?"

"That’s excellent."

"Is it just me, or are you just becoming a little bit more human?" the Doctor wondered.

"Nope," Jessie said, popping the ‘p.’ "I get it, too."

"You are the last of your kind, and now I am the first of mine," Sec said.

"What do you want the two of us for?" Jessie asked.

"We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos, but their flesh was too weak."

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. We found one of your experiments. Just left to die out there in the dark!"

"It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet." Sec threw a breaker switch next to him. "Its people."

Jessie inhaled sharply as all of the lights switched on, showing covered bodies on stretchers all above them. "How many?" she whispered.

"Too many," the Doctor replied.

Sec lowered one of the bodies. "We stole them," he explained. "We stole human beings for our purpose. Look inside."

Jessie swallowed and pulled the white cloth to reveal a man who looked like he was sleeping. "Is he dead?" she asked.

"Near death, with his mind wiped," Sec replied. "Ready to be filled with new ideas."

"Dalek ideas," the Doctor corrected.

"The Human Dalek race," Sec announced proudly.

"I’ll ask again," Jessie said, straightening and putting the cloth back in place. "How many?"

"We have caverns beyond this, storing more than a thousand," Sec answered.

"Is there any way to restore them?" the Doctor asked. "Make them human again?"

"Everything they were has been lost."

"So they’re like shells," the Doctor said, folding his arms. "You’ve got empty human beings ready to be converted. That’s going to take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn’t even split the atom yet. How’re you going to do it?"

Sec turned to the Daleks. "Open the conductor plan," he ordered.

***

"Wait a minute," Martha muttered, thinking. "Down in the sewers, the Daleks mentioned this energy conductor."

"What’s that mean?" Tallulah asked.

"I don’t know. Maybe like a lightning conductor or . . . " She stopped, brightening. "Dalekanium!" she blurted.

Talllulah blinked. "Oh."

"They said the Dalekanium was in place!"

"In place where?"

Martha thought. "Frank and Solomon might now." She hurried out of the tent to where Frank was attending to Solomon. "Frank? Solomon?"

"Hmm?" Frank asked.

"That Mr. Diagoras, he was like some sort of fixer, yeah?" she asked. "Get you jobs all over town?"

"Yeah," Solomon agreed. "He could find a profit anywhere."

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

"You name it," Frank replied with a shrug. "We’re all so desperate for work, you just hoped Diagoras would pick you for something good. Building work. That pays the best."

Martha nodded. "But what sort of building work?"

Solomon jerked his head. "Mainly building that."

Martha stared up at the Empire State Building, looming high in the sky.

***

"I’m still getting used to seeing it not fully completed," Jessie muttered as she stared at the blueprint of the Empire State Building down in the Dalek laboratory.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Empire State Building," the Doctor said, waving a hand. "We’re right underneath that. We worked that out already, thanks. But what, you’ve hijacked the whole building?"

"We needed an energy conductor," Sec explained.

"What for?"

"I am the genetic template. My altered DNA was to be administered to each human body. A strong enough blast of gamma radiation can splice the Dalek and human genetic codes, and waken each body from its sleep."

"The sun," Jessie guessed. "Like what Bruce used to try and recreate the Super Soldier serum."

"Soon the greatest solar flare for a thousand years will hit the Earth," Sec told them. "Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor, and when it strikes – "

"The army wakes," the Doctor finished before looking around. "I still don’t see what you need us for."

"Your genius," Sec replied simply. "Consider a pure Dalek: intelligent, but emotionless."

"Removing the emotions makes you stronger," the Doctor said. "That’s what your creator thought, all those years ago."

"He was wrong."

Those three words made two Time Lord jaws drop. "Please tell me you’re recording this, because this is history in the making," Jessie sputtered.

"He was what?" the Doctor yelped.

"It makes us lesser than our enemies," Sec explained. "We must return to the flesh, and also the heart."

"But you won’t be the supreme beings anymore!"

"And that is good."

The Daleks swung towards them. "That is incorrect!"

"Daleks are supreme!"

"No," Sec told them. "Not anymore."

"But that is our purpose!"

"Then our purpose is wrong," Sec retorted, making the Daleks pause. "Where has our quest for supremacy led us? To this. Hiding in the sewers on a primitive world, just four of us left! If we do not change now, then we deserve extinction!"

"So you want to change everything that makes a Dalek a Dalek, basically," Jessie said just to make sure.

Sec nodded. "If you can help me."

Jessie blinked. "Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"This is just wrong. Are we seriously about to help the Daleks?"

"We might be."

"The intergalactic reporters are going to have a field day."

***

"I always wanted to go to the Empire State," Martha said, looking at Tallulah and Frank, Solomon opting to stay behind to watch over Hooverville. "Never imagined it quite like this, though."

"Where are we headed, anyway?" Frank asked.

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

"How come those guys just let us through?" Tallulah asked. "How’s that thing work?"

"Psychic paper," Martha replied, turning it over in her hands. "Shows them whatever I want them to think. According to this, we’re two engineers and an architect."

***

"Your knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than ours," Sec said. "The new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts."

"But you’re the template," the Doctor said, confused. "I thought they were getting a dose of you."

"I want to change the gene sequence."

"To make them even more human?" Jessie squeaked.

"Humans are the great survivors. We need that ability."

The Doctor shook his head. "Hold on a minute." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder "There’s no way this lot are going to let you do it."

"I am their leader," Sec said simply.

"Oh?" He turned to the Daleks. "And that’s enough for you, is it?"

"Daleks must follow orders," one of the Daleks responded.

"Dalek Sec commands. We obey."

"If you don’t help me, nothing will change," Sec told them.

The Doctor shook his head. "There’s no room on Earth for another ace of people."

"You have your TARDIS," Sec said, sounding desperate. "Take us across the stars. Find us a new home and allow the new Daleks to start again."

"I can’t believe we’re about to do this," Jessie groaned, tossing her trench coat over in a corner, rolling her shoulders.

"When’s that solar flare?" the Doctor asked.

"Eleven minutes."

The Doctor blinked. "Right, then. Better get to work!"

***

Tallulah laughed as they made it to the top of the Empire State Building. "Look at this place!" she squealed. "Top of the world!"

Martha headed over to where papers were scattered everywhere, then looked at the drawing board, and at the blueprints on it. "OK, now this looks good."

"Hey, look at the date," Frank told her, pointing. "These designed were issued today. They must’ve changed something last minute."

"You mean the Daleks changed something?" Martha asked.

Frank shrugged. "Yeah. Could be."

"The ones underneath, they’re from before," Martha said, pushing up the current blueprints to see the past ones. "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."

Frank started taking the blueprints down when Tallulah laughed from where she was walking. "The height of this place! This is amazing!"

"Careful!" Martha warned. "We’re a hundred floors up! Don’t go wandering off!"

"I just want to see," Tallulah told her, before heading over to the open area and looking down over New York. She smiled. "New York City." She laughed. "If aliens had to come to Earth, oh, no wonder they came here!"

***

"There’s no point in chromosomal grafting," the Doctor began rattling off as Jessie ran around, checking things here and there, wishing she had worn something other than heeled boots and a violet camisole top. "It’s too erratic. You need to split the genome and force the Dalek human sequence right into the cortex."

Sec turned to the Daleks. "We need more chromatin solution."

"The pig slaves have it."

Jessie looked over to see the pig men carry in a large crate, and her hearts broke when she saw Laszlo with them. "These pig slaves," she told Sec as she walked over, dusting her hands off. "What happens to them in this grand old plan of yours?"

"Nothing," Sec replied. "They’re just simple beasts. Their lifespan is limited. None survive beyond a few weeks." He turned to the Daleks. "Power up the line feeds!"

The Doctor walked over to Laszlo. "Laszlo, I can’t undo what they’ve done to you, but they won’t do it to anyone else," he whispered.

"Do you trust him?" Laszlo whispered back.

"No," Jessie sighed.

The Doctor hesitated. "I know that one man can change the course of history. Right idea in the right place at the right time. That’s all it takes. I’ve got to believe it’s possible."

"We’ll see," Jessie muttered.

***

Frank stood after he had put all the drawings on the floor. "I’ll go and keep an eye out," he said. "Make sure we’re safe up here. Don’t want nobody butting in."

He left, and Tallulah came to join Martha in looking at the blueprints. "There’s a hell of a storm moving in."

"I wish the Doctor or even the Bad Wolf was here," Martha muttered. "They’d know what we’re looking for."

"So, tell me," Tallulah said, sitting on her knees. "Where did you and him first hook up."

Martha smirked. "It was in a hospital. Sort of."

"Of course, him being a doctor."

"Actually, I’m the doctor. Sort of." She grinned. "Well, kind of. The Bad Wolf was playing the best mate."

"You’re a physician?" Tallulah gasped. "Really?"

"I was in training," Martha corrected. "Still am, if I ever get back home."

"You could be doctors together!" Tallulah sighed happily. "Oh, what a partnership! Oh, it’s such a shame. If only he wasn’t so different. You know what I mean?"

"Oh, you have no idea how different he really is," Martha snorted.

"Yeah. He’s a man, sweetheart," Tallulah commented. "That’s different enough."

"He had this companion a while back," Martha said. "This friend. And then she died, and ever since then, he and the Bad Wolf have been on their own. But you know . . . " She sighed. "Sometimes, I say something or do something, and he looks at me, and I just sort of think that he’s not seeing me. He’s just remembering." She shook her head. "If only he didn’t look at the Bad Wolf, maybe I’d have a chance."

"Oh," Tallulah whispered before shaking her head. "Listen, sweetheart, you want to get all sad? You want to have a contest with me and Laszlo?"

"No," Martha replied, "but listen. If the Doctor and the Bad Wolf are with Laszlo now, there’s every chance that they could get him out."

"And then what?" Tallulah asked. "Don’t talk crazy. 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."

Martha looked over the diagrams again, then brightened. "Gotcha!" she laughed. "Look! There, on the mast. Those little lines? They’re new. They’ve added something. See?"

"Added what?" Tallulah asked.

Martha bit her lip, then got it and turned to Tallulah, grinning. Both spoke at the same time, identical grins on their faces. "Dalekanium!"

***

"The line feeds are ready," one of the Daleks reported.

Jessie straightened from her computer terminal. "Then it’s all systems go," she said.

"The solar flare is imminent," Sec told them. "The radiation will reach Earth in a matter of minutes."

"We’ll be ready for it," the Doctor promised as he filled a rather large syringe with blue liquid and put it in one of the brass stills. "That compound will allow the gene bonds to reconfigure in a brand new pattern." He turned to Jessie. "Power up!"

Jessie threw the breaker switch, and Laszlo threw the other.

"Start the line feeds," Sec ordered.

The Daleks did their jobs, and the liquid flew up plastic tubes to all of the bodies hanging. "There goes the gene solution," the Doctor commented.

"The life blood," Sec agreed.

A klaxon began ringing, and Jessie looked up in alarm. "What’s that?" she asked.

"What’s happening?" Sec asked the Daleks, who didn’t answer. "Is there a malfunction? Answer me!"

Lights began flaring red, and the Doctor’s eyes widened. "No, no, no, the gene feed! They’re overriding the gene feed!"

"Impossible!" Sec gasped. "They cannot disobey orders!"

Jessie ran to a terminal, but the Dalek there turned on her. "The Bad Wolf will step away from the controls," it ordered.

Jessie slowly backed up, the Doctor grabbing her arm. "Stop!" Sec ordered. "You will not fire!"

"They are enemies of the Daleks!"

"And so are you!"

The Daleks turned on Sec. "I am your commander!" Sec protested. "I am Dalek Sec!"

"You have lost your authority."

"You are no longer a Dalek."

"What have you done with the gene feed?" Jessie asked.

"The new bodies will be one hundred percent Dalek."

"No!" Sec gasped. "You can’t do this!"

"Pig slaves," the Dalek ordered. "Restrain Dalek Sec, the Doctor, and the Bad Wolf."

Jessie made sure that it was Laszlo that got to both of them. "Release me!" Sec pleaded. "I created you! I am your master!"

The ping of the lift sounded, and Jessie smirked. "Solar flare approaching," one of the Daleks announced.

"Prepare to intercept."

"There’s a lift," Laszlo murmured.

The Doctor nodded. "After you."

Jessie kicked another pig man, and it released her with a wheeze. She grabbed her coat as the Doctor and Laszlo ran for the lift, and she fumbled with her screwdriver to get them open. She ran in after them, her coat over her shoulder. "The Doctor and the Bad Wolf are escaping!" the Daleks called. "Stop them! Stop them!"

Jessie poked her head out. "Love from Asgard, boys!" she called before pulling back as the doors closed.

"We’ve only got minutes before the gamma radiation reaches the Earth," the Doctor told her. "We need to get to the top of the building."

She nodded, then turned to see Laszlo breathing heavily and leaning against the wall. "Laszlo?" she asked. "What’s wrong?"

"Out of breath," Laszlo replied, waving a hand. "It’s nothing. We’ve escaped them. That’s all that matters."

Jessie slowly nodded, and when the lift doors opened, and Martha turned with a grin. "Doctor!"

"First floor, perfumery," the Doctor commented, leaving the elevator.

Martha turned to Jessie, smiling slightly. "Good to know you’re in one piece."

"You too, Miss Jones," Jessie replied with a grin.

"I never thought I’d see you again!" Tallulah squealed, running to Laszlo.

"No stopping me," the man replied, hugging her.

"We’ve worked it out," Martha told them. "We know what they’ve done. There’s Dalekanium on the mast." She grinned at the Doctor. "And it’s good to see you, too, by the way."

The Doctor smirked. "Oh, come here!"

He hugged both of them at the same time, and Jessie laughed at how tight they were being squeezed. "Let us go!" she gasped. "Let us go!"

He did. Right after the lift chimed. "No, no, no!" he shouted, running for the doors as they closed. "See, never waste time with a hug," he told Martha before trying his sonic screwdriver. "Deadlock seal. I can’t stop it."

"Where’s it going?" Martha asked.

"Right back down to the Daleks," Jessie replied.

"And they’re not going to leave us alone up here," the Doctor finished, turning as Frank returned. "What’s the time?"

"Er . . . " Frank checked his watch. "Eleven fifteen."

"That’s six minutes to go," Jessie told the Doctor, panicking a little. "What do we do about the Dalekanium? The gamma radiation’s going to hit it!"

"Gamma radiation?" Tallulah asked as the Doctor and Jessie ran for the open area. "What the heck is that?"

"Not now, Tallulah!" Jessie barked, skidding to a halt when she nearly went over the edge, and her jaw dropped. "Holy crap!"

"Oh, that’s high," the Doctor commented, gulping. "That’s very . . . " He looked up. "Blimey, that’s high."

"Yeah, and we’ve got to go even higher," Jessie muttered. "Lovely."

"That’s the mast up there," Martha told them, pointing. "Look. There’s three pieces of Dalekanium on the base. We’ve got to get them off."

"That’s not we," the Doctor told her. "That’s just me."

"What?" Jessie shrieked. "Doctor - !"

"We won’t just stand here and watch you?"

"No," the Doctor agreed. "You’re going to have your hands full, anyway. I’m sorry, Martha, but you’ve got to fight."

Martha stared at him, jaw hanging open, as the Doctor turned to Jessie. "You, too," he told her. "Did the setting work on your guns?"

"Yeah," she replied, nodding. "What do you need me to do?"

"Stop them from getting to me," he replied simply. "Good luck."

She nodded and watched him run for the ladder, climbing up. She took a deep breath, then turned, clapping her hands. "Right! Just need a plan."

"The lift’s coming up," Martha noted.

Frank sighed. "I should have brought that gun."

"Tallulah, stay back," Laszlo warned. "You, too, Martha, Bad Wolf. If they send pig slaves, they’re trained to kill."

"The Doctor needs me to fight," Martha argued. "I’m not going anywhere!"

"Who’s the federal agent here?" Jessie challenged.

"Then start acting like one!" Martha snapped.

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you want me to act like one? Fine. Why don’t you get your sorry ass out of here if you’re going to act like this, Martha? He needs both of us here!"

Martha stared at her, stung, and Laszlo intervened. "They’re savages. I should know. They’re trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth."

Jessie heard a clang, and she turned as Laszlo slumped, letting his hammer fall. "Laszlo?" Tallulah asked worriedly. "What is it?"

"No," Laszlo wheezed, waving a hand. "I’m fine. Just leave me."

Tallulah put a hand on his forehead. "Oh, honey, you’re burning up," she whispered. "What’s wrong with you? Tell me."

"Great," Frank muttered. "One man down. We ain’t even started yet."

"We’ll figure out something," Jessie promised. "Trust me on that."

"Bad Wolf, forget it," Martha told her. "It’s not looking good. We’re going to get slaughtered."

There was a crack of thunder from outside, and Jessie looked out, and her eyes widened. "Lightning," she whispered, and she laughed. "Oh, thank the gods of Asgard!" she whooped, running outside to look. She ran back inside. "You all, off to the side!"

"What’re you on about?" Tallulah asked.

Jessie grinned. "Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still going to get hit," she explained as fast as she could, concentrating and letting her Asgardian armor form. "Great big bolt of lightning, electricity all down this building. I connect it to the lift, and they get zapped!"

"Oh my God, that could work," the showgirl gasped.

"What do you mean, you connect it?" Martha asked.

Jessie winked, letting her Asgardian armor form completely, now a glittering white gold. "You just watch me, Martha."

"But that can’t work!" Tallulah gasped.

"It’s going to," Jessie assured her. "Just stay out of the way. Don’t touch anything metal, all right?"

They did and curled up by one of the columns, and Jessie watched the elevator, seeing the numbers rise. There was a loud crack of thunder, and she turned to face outside. Lightning struck the building, and Jessie reached out a hand. The lightning arced towards her, and she redirected it towards the lift, just as the doors opened and the pig men began to come out. They squealed in protest, jittering everywhere, but Jessie increased the intensity, hearing their screams ring through her head, but only one thought went through her head. Protect the Doctor. She waited until the last one slumped, then waited a little while longer, and then she finally let go.

Her armor faded, and she ignored the horrified looks she was getting from Martha as she approached. She crouched and nudged one of the pig men with her foot, then nodded and stood. "Dead. All of them."

"They used to be like Laszlo," Martha whispered angrily, standing. "They were people, and you killed them just like that!"

"The Daleks killed them a long time ago, Martha," Jessie interrupted.

"Then what the hell are you?" Martha snapped.

Jessie stared at her, then ran for the ladder. "Doctor!" she shouted. She stopped when she saw something on the platform, and her hearts lurched as she held up his sonic screwdriver. "Oh, no you don’t," she muttered, climbing up the ladder to get to the top of the mast. She found him lying by the mast, and she looked, horrified at the last two pieces of Dalekanium still attached. "Doctor," she whispered. "Oh, don’t you dare make me shock you." She nudged him, then sighed. "Oh, here we go."

She placed her hands, nails nearly digging into his chest, when he groaned and rolled his head. "Oh, my head," he groaned.

Jessie smirked. "Hey there."

"Hi," the Doctor muttered with a grin. "You survived, then."

"So did you, just about," she replied. "And Martha. I think she’s a little angry at me, though. And I can’t help but notice that there’s still some Dalekanium on the mast."

He shot up, looked at the mast, then his eyes widened. "Oh, no," he muttered before looking around.

Jessie smirked and held up his sonic screwdriver. "You’re getting careless."

He stared at her, before shaking his head and ran for the ladder. Jessie followed him down. "The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing," he was saying, but he stopped when he saw the pig men electrocuted in the lift.

He looked around, obviously for piping, and Jessie winced. "Ah, that was me," she said weakly.

He stared at her for a second, and she saw something akin to fury flickering in his eyes, before he took a deep breath and continued. "They’ll be using the sewers, spreading the soldiers out underneath Manhattan."

"How do we stop them?" Laszlo asked.

"There’s only one chance," the Doctor said. "I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping through me first."

"What?" Martha gasped.

"So what does that mean, then?" Jessie asked.

"We need to draw fire," the Doctor explained. "Before they can attack New York, I need to face them." He began pacing, tsking as he went. "Where can I draw them out?" he muttered. "Think, think, think, think, think . . . "

"Space, safe, and out of the way," Jessie rattled off.

He barely even looked at her as he spun to look at Tallulah. "Tallulah!"

"That’s me," she said. "Three Ls and an H."

"The theater! It’s right above them, and . . . what, it’s gone midnight? Can you get us inside?"

She shrugged. "Don’t see why not."

"Is there another lift?" the Doctor asked.

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

The Doctor nodded. "That’ll do. Allons-y!"

Jessie grinned at the word and followed him running, but she nearly stopped when he growled in her head. "You and I are talking if we get out of this."

She was dead.

***

The Doctor looked around the audience seats when they made it into the theater. "This should do it," he said. "Here we go."

"There ain’t nothing more creepy than a theater in the dark," Tallulah commented. "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for show tunes, but there’s a time and place, huh?"

Jessie looked over when Laszlo slumped in a seat. "Laszlo?" she asked. "Laszlo, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Laszlo wheezed. "It’s just so hot."

Tallulah blinked. "But it’s freezing in here!" She turned to the Doctor, who was using the sonic screwdriver. "Doctor, what’s happening to him?"

"Not now, Tallulah," he told her. "Sorry."

"What are you doing?" Martha asked.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they’ll want to find their number one enemy," he explained. "I’m just telling them where I am."

Jessie pulled hers out and activated it, pointing it upwards. "And then they’ll get number two." She turned to Martha. "This isn’t going to be pretty, Martha. Get out of here."

"No way," she denied. "I’m not going.

"Head back to Hooverville, Martha," the Doctor told her. "The Bad Wolf’s right. We’re telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville."

"And I’m telling you I’m not going," Martha retorted.

"Martha, that’s an order," Jessie told her.

Martha glared at her. "Oh, so now you’re not just a monster?" she asked. "Now you’re some sort of Dalek, too?"

Jessie was about to retort when the doors around them were broken in, and she aimed her screwdriver one way while the Doctor held his the other. "Doctor!" Tallulah screeched as the Human Daleks marched in, carrying their weapons. "Oh, my God! Well . . . I guess that’s them, then, huh?"

"Humans with Dalek DNA," Jessie confirmed.

"It’s all right," the Doctor told them. "It’s all right. Just stay calm. Don’t antagonize them."

"But what of the Dalek masters?" Laszlo asked. "Where are they?"

As if on cue, there was an explosion onstage, and two Daleks appeared, and Sec appeared on a chain between them, crawling like a dog. "The Doctor and the Bad Wolf will stand before the Daleks," one of the Daleks ordered. Jessie climbed onto the back of the chairs, and she followed the Doctor behind him. "You will die, Doctor, Bad Wolf. It is the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro."

"Oh, and what a world," the Doctor drawled. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That’s Dalek Sec. Don’t you remember? 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 pleaded. "If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."

"Incorrect. We will always survive."

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemies, the Doctor."

"But he can help you!"

"The Doctor and the Bad Wolf must die."

"No! I beg of you! Don’t!"

"Exterminate!"

Sec somehow managed to extend himself that he caught both blasts meant for the Time Lords. His body lit up green, and Dalek Sec collapsed. Jessie’s eyes widened in horror, and the Doctor glared at the Daleks onstage. "Your own leader," he spat. "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness, and you destroyed him! Do you see what they did? Huh?! You see what a Dalek really is?" He looked around. "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! Baptize them!"

"Dalek humans, take aim," the Dalek ordered.

Jessie straightened as the mutants raised their weapons. "What are you waiting for?" she taunted. "Give the command!"

"Exterminate!"

She closed her eyes, but nothing happened. She blinked, looking around in surprise, then looked at the Doctor, seeing a grim smile on his face. "What did you do?"

"I got in the way."

"Exterminate!"

"Obey! Dalek humans will obey!"

"They’re not firing," Martha whispered. "What have you done?"

"You will obey! Exterminate!"

And one of the Dalek humans turned. "Why?" he asked simply.

"Daleks do not question orders!"

"But why?" he insisted.

"You will stop this!"

"But why?"

"You must not question!"

"But you are not our master. And we . . . we are not Daleks."

"No, you’re not," the Doctor agreed. "And you never will be." He nodded at the Daleks. "Sorry! I got in the way of the lightning strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."

"If they will not obey, then they must die."

The first man was shot instantly, and Jessie’s eyes widened. "Get down!" she shouted, jumping off of her seat and down in between rows.

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

The chorus sounded all around, and Jessie covered her ears, hearing the two species exchange shots. There was a large explosion, followed by a second, and Jessie slowly looked up at the remains of the two Daleks. "They did it," she whispered.

"It’s all right," the Doctor began saying to the Dalek humans. "It’s all right. It’s all right. You did it. You’re free."

There was a high-pitched whine, and the mutants all began clutching at their heads before slumping over and dying. Jessie’s eyes widened. "No!" she shouted, running to check one of them.

"They can’t!" the Doctor shouted as well. "They can’t!"

"What happened?" Martha demanded. "What was that?"

"They killed them," Jessie spat. "Rather than let them live. An entire species! Genocide!"

"What, like you to their Emperor, apparently?" Martha asked. "You to the pig men? What, is this different, then?"

"Martha, just shut up!" she barked.

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed," Laszlo said. "One of the Dalek masters must still be alive."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one."

***

The Doctor’s hate was brimming as he stepped out of the lift and stared at the lone Dalek at the end of the room. "Now what?" he asked bitterly. 

"You will be exterminated!"

He snorted, stepping forward. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek . . . what was your name?"

"Dalek Caan."

So Jast and Thay had been killed. "Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated, leaving only you. Right now, you’re facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. Because I’ve just seen one genocide. I’ve seen another by a dear friend, and then evidence of another the same woman did. Caan, let me help you. What do you say?"

"Emergency temporal shift!"

The Doctor ran forward to try and stop Caan, but the Dalek disappeared. He growled, then heard Jessie call his name. "Doctor!"

"Doctor!" Martha called as well.

He turned, unable to look at Jessie the same way after seeing what she had done to the pig men. Instead, he focused on Martha and Tallulah, both of them half carrying Laszlo. "Frank went back to Hooverville," Jessie explained.

"He’s sick!" Martha explained before encouraging Laszlo. "It’s OK. You’re all right." She turned back to the Doctor. "It’s his heart. It’s racing like mad. I’ve never seen anything like it."

"What is it, Doctor?" Tallulah asked as the Doctor crouched in front of them. What’s the matter with him? He says he can’t breathe. What is it?"

"It’s time, sweetheart," Laszlo whispered.

"What do you mean, time?" Tallulah demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"None of the slaves survive for long," Laszlo explained. "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."

"No, you’re not," Tallulah pleaded. "Not now, after all this. Doctor? Can’t you do something?"

The Doctor looked at her. "Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H . . . " He smiled. "Just you watch me." He jumped up. "What do I need? Oh, I don’t know . . . how about a great big genetic laboratory and a fellow assistant? Oh, look!" He held out his arms. "I’ve got them!" He pointed at Laszlo. "Laszlo, just you hold on. There’s been too many deaths today! Bad Wolf, those vials over there!"

She ran to get them as the Doctor began mixing more liquids. "Way too many people have died," he continued. "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." She obediently moved as the Doctor dropped in front of Laszlo, stethoscope draped around his neck. "The Doctor is in!"

***

Jessie stood with the Doctor, Martha, Tallulah, and Laszlo as Frank and Solomon made their way to them, Laszlo wrapped in a long coat and a hat.. "Well, I talked to them, and Solomon talked to them, too, saying just what I thought he would, and I reckon we shamed one or tow of them," Frank commented.

"What did they say?" the Doctor asked.

"They said yes," Solomon replied, and Tallulah sighed in relief. "We’ll give you a home, Laszlo. I mean, er, don’t imagine people ain’t going to stare. We 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," Laszlo told them, shaking hands. "I can’t thank you enough!"

***

"Do you think it’s going to work, those two?" Martha asked.

"I don’t know," the Doctor replied, walking with the Bad Wolf by his side, and Martha noticed he was firmly trying to avoid looking at the blonde. "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 Bad Wolf chortled.

The Doctor smirked. "The pig and the showgirl," he confirmed.

"It just proves it, I suppose," Martha said carefully. "There’s someone for everyone."

The Doctor didn’t spare either of them a look. "Maybe."

"Meant to say . . . I’m sorry."

"What for?" the Doctor asked.

"Just because that Dalek got away," Martha replied. "I know what that means to you. Think you’ll ever see it again?"

"Those Daleks?" the Bad Wolf asked with a snort. "They’re like boomerangs. They’re always coming back around. Oh, yeah, we’ll see it again. One day." She stepped inside the TARDIS and headed for the console. "So, where are we going next?"

"The Vortex," the Doctor replied, walking right up to her and putting his arms around either side of her, locking her in place, and Martha watched, her jaw dropping when she saw his tense stance. "And you and I are going to talk."

***

So . . . yeah. Not a very happy Doctor. We'll definitely get a confrontation out of the next interlude . . . and poor Martha, having to be there to see it.

Does anyone want me to throw anything specific their way? Anything to bring down Jessie? The Doctor? Should Martha intervene at any point?

And I'm thinking of catch phrase for Jessie. "Love from Asgard" or "Lovely," since she's said both a lot?

Comment and tell me what you think! The interlude will definitely be worth waiting for!