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The Doctor spread his arms, venom practically dripping from his lips as he spoke to the Daleks.

"Dalek-Humans, take aim." They all raises their weapons. The small group of five behind the Doctor suddenly huddling together; Frank and Lazlo huddling the girls towards the center on instinct. "Go on! Give the command!" The Doctor cried as the Dalek-Humans took aim towards him.

"Exterminate!"

Silence fell. Nothing. Not a single shot rang out through the air - much to everyone's surprise. The Dalek repeated its command, and again, not a single shot was taken.

"Obey! Dalek-Humans, obey!"

"They aren't firing. What has he done?" Martha murmured, clutching onto Frank as she half expected a delayed reaction. "Obey!" The Dalek cried again.

"Why." One Dalek-Human asked, head turned away from the Doctor and toward its own maker.

"Do not question orders!" It responded.

"But, why?"

"You will stop this! Do not question!"

"But, why?"

Valarie withheld a laugh; the Dalek-Human reminded her of one of her nephews back home, who was going through a "Why?" phase.

"You are not our master. And we, are not Daleks." His mono-voice responded, much to everyone's shock. "No, you are not. And you never will be." The Doctor told him, head shaking. He shoved his hands into his suits pockets and turned back to the Daleks.

"Sorry. Got in the way of the lightning strike." He revealed, Valarie's memory flashing back to the Doctor's body shaking and screaming against that metal pole. "Time-Lord DNA got all mixed up. Gave them just a little bit of freedom." His voice was confident and proud of what he had done. The Dalek remained silent, soaking in all the information and the truth of its creations. It then gave its next command.

"Then, they must die!" It shot down the defiant one first. The rest of the hybrids immediately began to fire down the Daleks - but their shots did nothing to the outer-shell of the Daleks. Everyone jumped to cover, cowering behind the rows of red theater chairs. Frank and Lazlo threw their arms on instinct over Tallulah, Martha and Valarie, who all cowered together to form a big sandwich of flinching bodies.

In a shower of sparks and metal, a Daleks shell gave out and the creature seemed to explode from the inside out. It was glorious almost to see the sinister tin can explode for Valarie, as she had only grasped at what pain and suffering it had wrought in its path. Soon enough, the second Dalek exploded just as the first.

The firing stopped. The Doctor jumped to his feet, turning to the hybrids who now stood still, guns lowered, satisfied with what they had done.

"It's alright, it's alright." He was out of breath, probably from holding it in fear that one of the people he had came to call a friend behind him would be struck. "You've done it.

A high pitched sound rang throughout the theater, and the dalek-human hybrids began to crumble and succumb to whatever signal the Daleks had ejected into the air. To the band of humans -and timelord - it was simply a high pitched ring. The Doctor began to let a string of "no!"'s pass his lips and he ran to a limb body.

"What was that?" Martha asked, in shock at how quickly they had crumpled. "They killed them. All of them." Valarie's face twisted in horror and panic. "They killed them. An entire species. Genocide." His voice cracked in the final word, his breath sharp and hitched.

"The Dalek Master. He must've killed them. One of them is still alive." Lazlo drew out. He rose to his feet from the body's side. "In the whole of the universe, yes, just one." Valarie noticed the almost angry crack in his voice quickly.

———

The Doctor insisted he went to the Dalek Master alone. Valarie and Martha were obviously against the idea, but after seeing the calmed rage in his eyes knew there was no point in arguing with the man. They let him go.

To Valarie, it felt like ages were passing before anything happened. But what came from the silence was not comforting. Lazlo's breathing became hitched. He sounded like he was being choked, and he leaned against a wall outside the room where the Doctor was confronting the dalek master. He placed a hand towards his chest and throat.

"Lazlo? Lazlo baby, what's the matter?" Tallulah asked, rushing to his side. Martha came to the other, obviously trying to place her medical knowledge to the test. She looked to Valarie with panicked eyes after a brief glance. "I don't know what's going on."

When his breathing became worse, Valarie motioned they go into the room. The two swiftly agreed, and began to aide Lazlo's walking into the room. They didn't make it five steps in when he crumpled. The Doctor spun on his heels - Valarie took notice the Doctor was alone now. The Dalek Master has escaped.

"What's the matter with him Doctor?" Tallulah asked. Lazlo answered for him.

"It's time, sweetheart."

"What do ya mean?" She whimpered.

"None of the skates survived long. I've been this way for a few weeks. I'm lucky. I held on for you. But now, I'm dying too."

"No your not!" Tallulah cried, tears spotting her eyes and threatening to spill. "Doctor, can't you do something?" She looked to him, her big blue eyes glossy.

"Oh, Tallulah," he began, almost as if bad news was to come. He stood suddenly, jerking his coat off. "Just you watch me."

"Oh, now what do I need? Yes! A great but genetic laboratory." He spun around, before turning back. "Oh look, I've got one." He began to work with liquids unknown to them, and he worked like a mad man.

"I've had way too many deaths today Lazlo, so you just hold on! Way too many! Brand new creatures, wise old man and age old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now! I'm not having one more. Tallulah, out of the way." He came to Lazlo's side, and began the work only a miracle worker could preform.

Valarie felt certain was watching yet another miracle unfold, only at the hands of the Doctor.

———

Lazlo survived, thanks to the Doctor. He couldn't reverse the physical effects of the mutations, but Tallulah said she loved him all the same now that was was guaranteed a lot and happy life with her. But life could never be the same, so they took to Frank to see if Lazlo could have a home in Hooverville among those people. Frank returned to them in the park with good news.

"Well, I told them what Solemn would've said and," he paused. Valarie chirped in. "And?"

He looked at Lazlo with joy in his eyes. "They said yes. You have a home with us." A breath of joy escaped Tallulah as she hugged Lazlo tightly. Lazlo looked to them all, Tallulah's hand in his. "Thank you. I can't thank you all enough.

The trio said their quick goodbyes, and departed for the TARDIS, which was still where they had left it, before things got too emotional.

"Reckon things will work out for them?" Valarie questioned, eyes fluttering to the Doctor. He shrugged, watching his feet.

"I don't know. 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." Martha chuckled.

"The pig and the showgirl." The Doctor repeated.

"So, about the Dalek Master, do you reckon you'll ever see him again one day? I know how long it had been since you last saw him."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor replies, more solemn.

"One day."

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