Previously:
I wince as I wake up, blinking rapidly as my vision slowly clears. Aren't I meant to be dead? But, if I'm alive, then where am I?
I sit up slowly and look around at the ship I'm in before freezing like a statue. "It can't be..." I whimper as I clutch my head. "You lot are meant to be dead."
The Dalek glides towards me and I scramble back, breathing heavily. "But you're dead... I saw you die!" I shout as it backs me against a wall.
Suddenly, a flash of light shines and a pale woman with white hair that is wearing some kind of green jumpsuit appears. She stands, looking proud. "Oh, my masters..." she smiles as another Dalek glides over to her. "You can kill me for I have brought your destruction!"
I gasp when a Dalek shoots her with its laser, my hand going to my mouth. Her body glows green with her skeleton showing before she slumps to the floor. "You killed her!" I scream, a tear sliding down my cheek.
"That is correct," the one in front of me confirms.
"Alert! Alert!" another Dalek comes in screaming. "We are detected!"
"It is the Doctor!" another shout and my heart rate pick up at his name. "He has located us!"
"Open communications channel!" another order.
"The female will stand!" the one in front of me orders. "Stand!"
"I'm only going to stand because I'm terrified of you lot," I tell the Daleks before standing up and walking forwards with the Daleks pushing me. A holo-screen with the Doctor appears Jack and Rose are there as well. Lynda is there too, along with some people I don't know. The Doctor is sitting in a chair and he rolls his shoulders, levelling a dark look at the Dalek in front of me with its gun aimed at me.
"I will talk to the Doctor," one of the Daleks announces.
"Oh, will you? That's nice!" the Doctor rolls his eyes. "Hello!" he waves at them with fake cheer.
"The Dalek Strategem nears completion! The fleet is almost ready! You will not intervene!"
"Oh, really? Why's that then?"
"We have your associate! You will obey or she will be exterminated!"
"No, you can't!" Rose screams, trying to get out of Jack's hold.
The Dalek that is guarding me moves closer, making me whimper as I step back. Another pain shoots through my head and I hiss, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment as I grab onto my head to help.
"No," the Doctor replies and everyone with him turns to look at him in shock.
"Explain yourself!" the Dalek demands.
"I said no," he shrugs.
"What is the meaning of this negative!?"
"It means no," he rolls his eyes.
"But she will be destroyed!"
"No!" the Doctor slams his hands down on the table, standing. "Cause this is what I'm gonna do! I'm gonna rescue her!" he shouts, making me smile. "I'm gonna save Galaxy Tyler from the middle of the Dalek fleet and then I'm gonna save the Earth and then just to finish it off, I'm gonna wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky!"
"But you have no weapons! No defences! No plan!"
"Yeah? And doesn't that scare you to death?" the Doctor taunts.
"Galaxy?" he looks at me, his face softening.
"Yes, Doctor?" I beam, my heart skipping a beat at the determination.
"I'm coming to get you," he promises, turning off the communication link.
"The Doctor is initiating hostile action!" the Dalek screams.
"The Stratagem must advance! Begin the invasion of Earth!" another scream.
They start to glide around widely, absolutely terrified. I gasp, stepping out of their way as they take no notice of me anymore. Lord, he really does frighten the Daleks.
"The Doctor will be exterminated!" one screams.
"Exterminate!" they all start to scream together, making me gasp, clutching my head in pain.
Now:
The Daleks are still gliding about the place in a full-blown panic. The one that is still guarding me turns sharply. "You know the Doctor! You understand him! You will predict his actions!"
"I- I- I don't k- know!" I stumble back into the wall as the Dalek glides even closer. "I would never tell you if I did!"
"Predict! Predict! Predict!"
"TARDIS detected! In-flight!" one of the Daleks scream.
"Launch missiles! Exterminate!"
"You can't! You'll destroy him!" I shout.
"You have predicted correctly," the one before me replies.
I slump in relief when I hear the TARDIS engines and she begins to materialize around me. I turn to see the Doctor by the console, Rose beside him, and Jack with his huge defabricator gun. "Galaxy! Get down!" the Doctor shouts at the same time Rose screams, "Get down, Galaxy!"
I throw myself to the floor, breathing heavily just as the Dalek screams and shoots its laser. I turn quickly, watching as Jack shoots the Dalek with the defabricator, causing the dome head and the middle section to explode. "Oh, my God..." I get up shakily. "You- you did it!" I beam at the Doctor.
However, the Doctor doesn't say anything, just rushes over and wraps his arms around my waist tightly. I squeak as he lifts me and spins me around. "Feels like I haven't seen you in years," I whisper to the Doctor, resting my head on his should before the Doctor puts me on the floor. "Told you I'd come and get you," the Doctor tells me.
"Never doubted you for a second," I pull him back into a hug, nuzzling his shoulder.
"I did," he admits, rubbing my back as he buries his face in my face. "You alright?"
"Brilliant now... you?" I ask hesitantly.
"Not bad, been better!" he pulls away, smiling as he presses a kiss to my forehead.
I pull away from the Doctor and before I could move, I feel someone knock me back and wrap their arms around me. Rose. "I thought you were dead," Rose cries, muttering it over again.
"I'm right here, Rose. I'm not going anywhere," I tell her, wrapping my arms around me and squeezing her.
"Don't ever do that! It's was supposed to be me!" she tells me, raising her voice slightly.
"Hey," I tell her, moving her backwards and looking her in the eyes. "You're my big sister. I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. Besides, you would've had to be the one to tell mum that I was dead. I'd refuse to tell her if you were dead."
"I guess you're right. But don't ever do that to me again though," she threatens, and I nod my head before she kisses the top of my head.
"Alright, Rosie," I tell her before letting go of her.
"Don't I get a hug, kitten?" Jack whines.
I laugh, walking over to him. "Aw, come here!" I hold out my arms.
"Welcome home!" he beams down at me.
"Oh, I thought I was never going to see any of you again!" I wrap my arms around his waist tightly and squeeze him.
"Well, don't worry about us. We're completely safe," Rose tells me and I nod my head.
"So, that's quite useful," I say, pointing to the defabricator.
"Oh, that... yeah, that was just a one-shot wonder; drained the gun of all its power supply," Jack explains. "Now it's just a piece of junk." He shrugs.
"Well, that's a bit rubbish, we could've used it," I sigh, turning to the Doctor, who s still examining the Dalek.
I walk over to where he is kneeling by it before wrapping my arms around his neck and he tenses slightly before breathing out and relaxing, taking one of my hands and kissing the back of it. Moving my head to lean against his shoulder, I look at the dead Dalek and wince in pain and my head flinches because of it. "You said they were extinct," Rose breaks me out of my thoughts as she comes over to us. "How come they're still alive?"
"One minute they're the greatest threat in the universe and the next they vanished out of time and space," Jack adds in, coming over to us as well.
"They went off to fight a bigger war... the Time War..." the Doctor murmurs, gripping my hand tightly.
"I thought that was just a legend," Jack gapes at him.
"I was there," the Doctor begins, his voice going dark. "The war between the Daleks and the Time Lords with the whole of creation at stake... my people and others were destroyed, but the Time Lords took the Daleks with them," he sighs. "I almost thought it was worth it... now it turns out they died for nothing," he grinds out and I rub his hand with my thumb trying to calm him down.
"There's- Doctor, I'm sorry but there's thousands of them..." I mutter.
"We could barely stop one!" Rose points out. "What're we gonna do?"
The Doctor lets go of my hand and I get off of him so he can stand up. He then turns to us wide a wide fake grin. "No good stood around here chin-wagging! The human race, you gossip all day!" he scoffs. "The Daleks have got the answers! Let's go and meet the neighbours!" he beams, grabbing my hand and starting to drag me to the door.
"No! We can't go out there!" Rose yells at the Doctor.
The Doctor ignores Rose, opening the door and stepping out with me behind him. I clutch onto his leather jacket with my free hand as the Daleks scream and fire at the TARDIS. What's shocking, though, is that there's some sort of force-field around the TARDIS several feet out. Oh... they must've used the extrapolator.
"Is that it?" the Doctor scoffs. "Useless! Nul points!" he taunts, leaning against the TARDIS while squeezing my hands. "It's alright, come on out!" he calls to Rose and Jack. "That force-field can hold back anything!"
"Almo-" Jack's cut off by Rose slapping a hand against his mouth.
"Thanks, Rose," the Doctor smiles.
"Jack, you're an idiot," he rolls her eyes, taking her hand away.
"Sorry..." he rubs the back to his neck.
The Doctor lets go of my hand and steps forwards to address the crowd of Daleks. "Do you know what they call me in the ancient legends of the Dalek Homeworld? The Oncoming Storm!" he smirks and I raise an eyebrow. "You might've removed all your emotions... but I reckon that right down, deep in your DNA, there's one little spark left, and that's fear! Doesn't it just burn when you face me?" he taunts. "So, tell me: how did you survive the Time War?"
"They survived... through me!" a deep robotic voice answers.
I look over when a light comes on, illuminating a giant, golden Dalek that is towering above everything. "Lexy... Rose... Captain..." the Doctor mutters quietly, getting our attention. "This is the Emperor of the Daleks," he introduces, taking a few steps forward.
"You destroyed us, Doctor," the Emperor accuses. "The Dalek race died in your inferno but my ship survived, falling through time; crippled but alive-"
"I get it!" the Doctor cuts in.
"Do not interrupt!" a Dalek screams, the rest repeating it.
"I think you're forgetting something," the Doctor rolls his eyes. "I'm the Doctor and if there's one thing I can do – it's talk! I've got five billion languages and you haven't got one of stopping me! So, if anybody's gonna shut up... it's you!" he shouts the last two words, making all the Daleks right outside the force-field glide back sharply.
I move forward to be beside the Doctor and grab onto his hand. The Doctor sends me a glare but doesn't make me go back over to the TARDIS before entwining our fingers and pulling me a bit closer. "Okey-doke!" he smiles. "So! Where were we?" he asks the Emperor lightly.
"-We waited here, in the dark space! Damaged, but rebuilding!" the Emperor continues as if there was never an interruption. "Centuries passed and we quietly infiltrated the systems of Earth; harvesting the waste of humanity! The prisoners, the refugees, the dispossessed, they all came to us! The bodies were filtered, pulped, sifted!" I put my free hand over my mouth as my stomach churns and the Doctor runs his thumb over my knuckles. "The seed of the Human Race is perverted! Only one cell in a billion was fit to be nurtured!"
"So... you- you created an army of Daleks out of the-the dead?" I ask utterly disgusted.
"That makes them... half-human," Rose realizes, looking like she is going to be sick.
"Those words are blasphemy!" the Emperor screams.
"Do not balspheme!" a Dalek screams and the rest of them joins in.
"Everything human has been purged!" I cultivated pure and blessed Dalek!"
"... since when did the Daleks have a concept of blasphemy?" the Doctor asks, staring around at all the Daleks.
"I reached into the dirt and made a new life! I am the God of all Daleks!" the Emperor answers.
"Worship him! Worship him! Worship him!" the Daleks chant and I scoot closer to the Doctor as fear and horror wash over me.
"They're insane," the Doctor breathes out. "One hundred years in silence, that's enough to drive anyone mad," he stares at the Daleks in disgust as I get a tiny pang of pity. "But it's worse than that: driven mad by your own flesh... the stink of humanity... you hate your own existence," he shakes his head. "And that makes them more deadly than ever," he turns to the Emperor. "We're going!" he announces.
"You may not leave my presence!" the Emperor screams as the Dalek pulls me to the TARDIS.
"Stay where you are!" a Dalek screams.
Jack ushers Rose back inside of the TARDIS and then the Doctor pushes me in after them. He sends the Daleks a wide, mocking grin before shutting the door. "Exterminate!" the Daleks begin to scream over and over again and I can hear the lasers hitting the force-field outside the door. I move over to the Doctor, who is leaning his forehead on the door with his eyes closed. I place a hand on his arm then wrap my other arm around the Doctor and bring his into a hug. "I'm sorry," I whisper, squeezing his tightly before he kisses the top of my head, taking a few deep breathes and letting me go. He runs over to the console and flies us back to the Game Station. I move over to Rose, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug.
*********
The Doctor, Jack, Rose and I head out of the TARDIS into Floor 500 and I look around the room, slightly disturbed. "Turn everything up!" the Doctor calls, pulling me over to a long control panel. "All transmissions! Wide-open! Full Power! Now!" he orders. "Do it!" he shouts when everyone just stares at him.
"What does that do?" a man in a short-sleeved button-up asks.
"Stops the Daleks from transmitting on board," I answer, making him look up at me from his desk. "Hi, I'm Lexy Tyler."
"Davitch Pavale," he smiles, shaking my hand.
"How did you get on?" the Doctor cuts in. "Did you contact Earth?"
"Well... we tried to contact them but all they did was suspend our license because we stopped the programs," he explains, running a hand down his face.
"Of course, all they care about is the fact they can't watch telly," I shake my head.
"And the planet's just sitting there, defenceless," the Doctor sighs. "Lynda!" he exclaims and I look over to see her sitting beside Davitch. "What're you doing onboard?" he demands before rounding on Davitch. "I told you to evacuate everyone!"
"She wouldn't go," Davitch rolls his eyes, seeming very annoyed.
"Didn't want to leave you," Lynda smiles up at him, making me roll my eyes and frown.
I glance at Rose to see her scowl at Lynda, her and Jack whispering to each other. Well... at least I wasn't the only one who doesn't like her much. The Doctor chuckles, pulling me to his side and kissing the top of my head, making me bite my lip as my cheeks burn.
*********
"Oh, my God. The Fleet is moving. They're on their way," one of the programmers exclaims.
*********
The Doctor is frantically ripping armfuls of wires out of desks. We all stare at him, not knowing exactly what he's trying to do.
"Dalek plan, big mistake," the Doctor grins. "Because what have they left me with? Anyone? Anyone?" the Doctor asks. "Oh, come on, it's obvious. A great big transmitter, this station."
I stare at the Doctor with my brows furrowed in concentration, trying to work out what he's on about. "If I can change the signal, fold it back, sequence it, anyone?" he asks.
I stare at the Doctor in confusion before my eyes widen in realisation. "Oh, my God!" I gasp.
"That's my girl!" the Doctor laughs, a small blush slowly creeping on my face.
"You've got to be kidding," Jack tells him.
"Give the man a medal!" the Doctor exclaims in excitement.
"A Delta Wave?" Jack and I ask at the same time.
"A Delta Wave!" he yells excitedly.
"What's a Delta Wave?" Rose asks confused.
"A wave of Van Cassadyne energy. Fries your brain, stand in the way of a Delta Wave and your head gets barbequed!" Jack explains to Rose.
"And this place can transmit a massive wave! Wipe out the Daleks!" he continues for Jack.
Rose opens her mouth to say something but is stopped by Lynda.
"Well, get started and do it then!" she tells the Doctor.
Rose shuts her mouth again and I pull her into a hug whilst we both look at Lynda in disgust. "Trouble is, wave this size, building this big, brain as clever as mine, should take about, ooh, three days? How long till the Fleet arrive?" the Doctor asks one of the programmers.
"Twenty-two minutes," he answers the Doctor.
The Doctor picks up the pace with ripping the wires out of the desks and I let go of Rose before walking over to the Doctor and helping him rip the wires out of the desks.
*********
The Doctor and I are working furiously to get the Delta Wave ready while Jack and the others prepare to fight. I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying as I am so focused on what I was doing. So... I jump and let out an embarrassing squeal when the Doctor calls Rose over to start on stripping the wires, making him laugh. "Oh, Shut up!" I whine, pushing him and not even making him move an inch. "Arse," I huff as he just laughs harder.
"Into the lift! Isolate the lift controls!" Jack orders and Davitch, Nisha, and the other staff members head over.
I sigh when Lynda approaches the Doctor nervously. "I... I just wanted to say, um... thanks, I suppose and... I'll do my best!" she smiles up at him.
"Me too!" the Doctor smiles, dodging her attempt at a kiss/hug and shaking her hand instead, making me smirk to myself slightly.
Rose nudges me, making me look over at her and wiggles her eyebrows teasingly. I roll my eyes, nudging her back and going back to working on the wires with her. That was till Jack comes over. "It's been fun!" he smiles. "But... I guess this is goodbye..." he sighs.
"Don't talk like that!" Rose protests. "The Doctor's gonna do it! You just watch him," she smiles.
"Rose..." Jack cups her face in his hands. "I gained the best partner in crime with you and... your are worth fighting for," he presses a kiss to her lips, making me raise an eyebrow as he pulls away and turns to the Doctor. "Wish I'd never met you, Doctor!" he laughs, cupping his face in his hands. "I was much better of as a coward," he presses a kiss to his lips as well and I snort. "Kitten," he smirks when he pulls away, cupping my face.
"We'll get out of this, yeah?" I ask, tears welling up.
Jack smiles softly. "People can only make you feel as small as you let them, kitten," he strokes my cheek with his thumb. "Don't let them make you believe you're anything short of amazing."
"Jack Harkness," I arm his forearms. "Did you seriously use what could be our last words to each other as a joke on my height?"
"Maybe... but I meant what I said," he presses a kiss to my forehead, making me smile. "See ya in hell," he pulls away with a wink, running from the room.
"He's gonna be alright... isn't he?" Rose asks quietly, not getting an answer.
I sit down to quietly strip the wires, tears falling down my face. I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders and I bury myself into the Doctor's side as we work with Rose sitting across from us.
*********
My hands are really starting to cramp up.
"Suppose..." Rose trails off.
"What?" the Doctor asks.
"Nothing," she shakes her head.
"You said suppose," the Doctor retorts.
"No... I was just thinking," she mutters, not looking up. "I mean, obviously you can't but... you've got a time machine," she looks up. "Why can't you just go back to last week and warn them?"
"Soon as the TARDIS lands – in that second – I become part of events; stuck in the time-line," the Doctor explains.
"Yeah.... Thought it'd be something like that..." Rose mutters,
"There's another thing the TARDIS could do... she could take us away," the Doctor shrugs, making me look up at him. "We could leave, let history take its course; we go to Marbella in 1989," he offers.
"You'd never do that," I point out.
"No, but you could ask," he retorts, making Rose and I frown as he looks between us. "Never occurred to either of you, did it?" he shakes his head with a smile.
"Well... we're just too good," Rose looks down with a smile, making me breathe out a laugh.
The computer whirs. "The Delta Wave's started building!" I smile.
"How long does it need?" the Doctor jumps up, walking over to it with Rose and I following.
The Doctor sits in a chair, Rose and I on either side of him as he presses a few buttons. I look at the monitor, my face falling at what I see. "Is that bad?" she asks, not getting an answer. "Ok, it's bad... how bad is it?"
The Doctor suddenly perks up, leaping to his feet. "Rose Tyler, you're a genius!" he grabs her face, kissing her forehead. "We can do it! If I use the TARDIS to cross my old time-line... yes!" he laughs, pulling me over to the TARDIS while I frown; what's he going on about?
"But... Doctor-" I start as he rushes up to the console.
"Hold that down and keep position!" he orders Rose, pointing to a lever.
"What's it do?" she asks, holding it down.
"Cancels the buffers," the Doctor waves off, going over to the monitor and leaving me by the railing feeling very confused. "If I'm very clever – and I'm more than clever, I'm brilliant!" he throws me a wink. "I might just save the world... or rip it apart!"
"I'd go for the first one," Rose smiles.
"Me too!" the Doctor nods. "Now... I've just got to go and power up the Game Station!" he comes over to me, cups my cheek in his hand, kisses my forehead gently, and lingers for a moment as he runs his thumb along my jaw. "Be right back," he pulls away smiles and I frown. "Hold on!" he runs out, slamming the door shut. I stare at the door and then at Rose back to the door again. I run over to the door and begin banging on it. "Doctor!" I yell. "Doctor, don't you dare! Open this damn door, right now!" I scream. "Open the door!"
"I don't understand... what's he done?" Rose asks, over from the console but I look back at her as the engines start. "Doctor? The engines have started... Doctor!" Rose yells.
"Doctor, let us out! You bloody, self-sacrificing bastard! Don't do this! Please!"
"Let us out! Doctor, what've you done!?" Rose shouts.
"Please don't do this to me..." I whimper, leaning my forehead against the door and wincing when I can feel him anymore.
"This is Emergency Program One," the Doctor's voice makes me turn around to see a hologram of his up by the console. "Girls, now listen, this is important: if this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing... we must be in danger and I mean fatal; I'm dead or about to die any second with no chance of escape."
"No!" Rose and run towards the hologram, Rose from the console and coming to a stop beside me at the ramp. "No, you can't I shake my head, tears rolling down my cheeks.
"And that's ok, hope it's a good death, the holo-Doctor smiles, making my heartache. "But I promised to look after you girls, and that's what I'm doing; the TARDIS is taking you home."
"We won't let you!" Rose screams as I just stare at him.
"And I bet at least one of you is fussing and moaning now, typical," he scoffs lightly. "But hold on and just listen a bit more: the TARDIS can never return for me; Emergency Program One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine, so this is what you should do... let the TARDIS die-"
"What?" I choke out.
"-Just let this old box gather dust; no one can open her and no one will even notice her. Let her become a strange, little thing standing on a street corner and over years, the world will move on and the box will be buried... and if you want to remember me, girls, then you can do one thing... that's all, one thing," he smiles softly. "Have a good life... do that for me girls, have a fantastic life," he grins before he turns to me. "Lexy... I know you'll be angry with me, probably hate me... and that's alright cause you'll be safe, but just remember to move on, to be brave, and let people see just how clever you are... can you do that for me?"
My hand flies to my mouth when he disappears and I choke a sob, falling to my knees. Rose runs up to the console, trying to sly us back desperately. "You can't do this to us! You can't! Take us back! Take us back!"
The engines stop and Rose runs outside, coming back in a second later while I just stay where I am. "Come on, fly! How do you fly!?" Rose slams down several buttons and pulls on multiple levers.
I vaguely hear Mickey shout as I just stare ahead, tears running down my face.
*********
One more chapter left until the next book and The Christmas Invasion Episode. I can't believe that this book has had 5.9K reads. I am shocked. Thank you all for this.