The Other Tyler - rewrite

Mutation

It wasn't meant to come out, honestly but she couldn't help it.

"I am armed. I will kill. It is my purpose," The Dalek replied, confusing Mei even further.

"Yeah I'm aware," the brunette scoffed, "Just about everyone in this base is dead because of your "purpose". So why didn't you kill me?"

There was a pause, then the Dalek stated, "I feel your fear."

"Congratulations," Mei drawled, sarcasm heavy despite the near-death situation. "Yeah, I'm scared, you're probably about to kill me, but why is my fear stopping you?"

"Daleks do not fear. Must not fear," the Dalek stated as if angry, moving forward slightly as it shot the bulkhead door either side of Mei, making her flinch each time. "Rose Tyler gave me life. What else has she given me? I am contaminated!"

Realisation dawned on Mei, Daleks were creatures of war from what she had managed to work out from the Doctor, perhaps they didn't feel anything at all? And when it healed from Rose's DNA when she touched it, perhaps the Dalek had absorbed human emotions too.

+

Back in Van Statten's office, the Doctor's attention turned from the now softly smiling - but still teary - blonde in his arms to the screen as it flickered on. His eyes widened at the sight of the Mei standing beside the Dalek, unharmed.

"Open the bulkhead or Mei Tyler dies," The Dalek ordered.

"You're alive!" Rose and the Doctor exclaimed together, the blonde stepping toward the screen.

"Oh please, even the Dalek recognises this level of awesomeness," Mei replied with a grin, making her sister laugh.

"I thought you were dead," The Doctor told her, relief filling him.

"Open the Bulkhead," the Dalek ordered again.

"You can't!" Van Statten told him, earning a glare from everyone in the room and he shrank back.

"What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?"

The Doctor's eyes widened at the Dalek's words, while Rose snickered. Even an alien could see what was between her sister and the Doctor, but those two idiots couldn't.

"You know, usually I'd agree with keeping the raging killing machine locked away," Mei spoke up, "But I reckon this one got a bit more of Rose than it bargained for, so mind opening the door?"

The Doctor's lip twitched, realising something was wrong with the Dalek. He reached over and pressed the buttons on the keyboard to release the door.

"What do we do now, you bleeding heart. What the hell do we do?!" Van Statten demanded.

"Kill it when it gets here?" Adam suggested, taking the words right out of Rose's mouth.

"All the guns are useless, and the alien weapons are in the vault," Goddard reminded them, starting to get annoyed with the idiots she was surrounded by.

With a sheepishly innocent look on his face, Adam piped up, "Only the catalogued ones."

+

Mei and the Dalek entered the lift, heading up to Van Statten's office. She glanced at the creature wearily, then back to the buttons as they lit up with each floor they passed.

"What do you plan to do?" she asked, causing the Dalek to turn its eyestalk to her, "Are you going to kill them? You didn't kill me."

"But why not?" the Dalek asked, "Why are you alive? My function is to kill. What am I? What am I?"