Among The Stars

Daleks in Manhatten (Part 2)

"Laszlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until he disappeared two weeks ago." The blonde with the gun explained as she sat at her vanity. The seemed to have ended up in a dressing room. "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?" The whole time she spoke, she gestured with the gun in her hand.

The Doctor cautiously pointed at it. "Might, might just help if you... put that down."

"Huh?" She looked at the gun. "Oh, sure." She shrugged and carelessly tssed in onto a pile of clothes next to her.

The all flinched back and the Doctor's arm swung around to cover Lorelai who was hiding a bit behind him.

The blonde giggled. "Oh, come on. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."

With the gun no longer a threat, Lorelai stepped out from behind her father. But she still held onto his coat. "What do you think happened to Laszlo?" She asked.

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

The Doctor walked towards her. "Listen, ah... what was your name?"

"Tallulah. Three L's and an H."

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

"And there are creatures." Solomon sighed and shook his head. "Such creatures."

Tallulah looked at him. "What do you mean, creatures?"

"Look, listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger." Doctor said and pulled the jellyfish looking thing out his pocket. "I need to find out exactly what this is. Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting."

Tallulah's face scrunched up in disgust.

~~~

Doctor and Lorelai moved around the dressing looking for parts to build something when Solomon come in with a small Art Nouveau radio. "How about this? I found it backstage."

"Perfect." The Doctor took it, removed the back panel and started using his sonic screwdriver on it. "It's the capacitors I need. I'm just rigging up a crude little DNA scan for this beastie. If I can get a chromosomal reading, I can find out where it's from."

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

The Doctor pulled a capacitor out and blew the dust off it. "Oh, we're just sort of passing by."

"I'm not a fool, Doctor."

He finally looked up from the radio. "No. Sorry."

Solomon walked over to the tunnel hatch and looked at it. "I was so scared, Doctor. I let them take Frank because I was just so scared." He started to leave in a rush. "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." Both Doctor and Lorelai said, making him pause.

He looked back at the two. "I hope you find what you're looking for, for all our sakes." Then he left.

~~~

"Laszlo." Tallulah sighed as she got ready for her next show. Martha sat behind 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?" Martha asked as she stood up and walked closet to the vanity.

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