Author's Note: I'm sorry if I've upset anybody by not updating regularly. I've had an anonymous reviewer become annoyed with me and I can't personally reply to them, so this is a message for that person, and everybody else too. I started college in September and I'm doing three different courses so obviously, I have heaps of work to do, and this story isn't my top priority right now. Sorry, again.

Inside the theatre, the Doctor and Rose were sitting close together up in the balcony. They had the green slimy blob hooked up to the Doctor's hand-made scanner, and one of the stage lights were positioned to shine on it. "That's it. Let's warm you up," The Doctor put on his brainy specs and started to examine the blob.

"Doctor, what is it?" Rose frowned, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"This is artificial," He replied grimly as he felt the texture of the blob. "Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you're clever."

"Girls, it's showtime!" Tallulah shouted to her fellow performers, preparing for her show backstage.

Suddenly, an announcer sounded over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen... with Heaven and Hell!" The velvet red curtains parted to reveal the chorus girls wearing beautiful red sequinned dresses, holding large feather tails. They move aside to reveal Tallulah, appearing in her white sparkly leotard with fluffy wings and a tiara. She sashayed up to the microphone and began to sing.

"You lured me in with your cold grey eyes... Your simple smile and your bewitching lies... One and one and one is three... My bad, bad angel, the Devil and me... You put the devil in me... You put the devil in me... You put the devil in me..." Martha was watching with a smile from the wings. "You put the Devil in me!"

As the girls started to dance on stage, Martha spotted a pig slave, who looked a little different from the others, standing in the opposite wing and watching the performance. With a brave face, Martha started to cut across the stage, hiding behind the dancing girls.

"What are you doing?" One chorus girl asked, looking at Martha in horror. She shrugged and tried to move across the stage, but she accidently stepped on one of the girl's feather tails, causing her to fall.

"You're on my tail! Get off my tail!" The second chorus girl flailed as she tried to steady herself.

Tallulah glanced to see what the commotion was all about. She noticed Martha and her eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Meanwhile, Rose and the Doctor hadn't noticed the commotion, the Doctor was busy holding a stethoscope onto the blob. "Fundamental DNA type 467-989. 989. Hold on, that means planet of origin," He mumbled, and a look of pure disbelief crossed his face. "Skaro."

"Wait, like the Cult of Skaro?" Rose gasped, her eyes widening. "...Daleks?" The Doctor simply looked at her grimly, and confirmed her worst nightmare.

"Get off the stage! You're spoilin' it!" Tallulah hissed to Martha, looking quite annoyed.

"But look!" She desperately pointed to the wings. "Over there!" The pig slave realised that he'd been spotted, looking startled. Tallulah let out a scream and he fled, with Martha chasing him. "Hey! Wait! But you're different than the others! Just wait!" She ran into the prop room, and she could hear a clanging noise, but the pig slave had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Tallulah was comforting the girls backstage. "It was like something out of a movie show," One of the chorus girls wept. "Oh, that face. I ain't never gonna sleep."

The Doctor and Rose both arrived, looking distraught. "Where is she? Where's Martha?" The Doctor asked quickly.

"I don't know!" Tallulah replied frightfully. "She ran off the stage."

In the prop room, another pig slave crept up behind Martha and attacked her. She let out a loud scream, and the Doctor turned his head towards the noise. "Come on!" He shouted as he ran off, followed by Rose and Tallulah. They reached the prop room, but she was gone. "Martha!" He noticed the sewer lid was a little crooked, so he grabbed his coat and put it on.

"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They've taken her," He replied as he moved the sewer lid aside.

"I'm coming with you," Rose muttered. "And before you say it's too dangerous, I don't care. I won't be left behind."

The Doctor paused, slowly nodding and holding her hand. "Right. Okay. But stay with me at all times, okay? Don't want to lose you down there.

"Who's taken her?" Tallulah asked as she watched the pair climbing down into the sewer. "What're y' doin'? I said, what the hell are ya doin'? Crazy." She found a long coat and wore it over her costume, climbing down the ladder slowly.

"No, no, no, no, no way. You're not coming!" The Doctor uttered with wide eyes.

"Tell me what's going on." Tallulah demanded with a serious face.

"There's nothing you can do," replied the Doctor, shaking his head. "Go back."

"Look, whoever's taken Martha, they could've taken Lazlo, couldn't they?"

"Tallulah, you're not safe down here."

"Nobody's safe," Rose muttered. "But that doesn't stop us from coming with you."

"Exactly. If I'm in trouble, that's my problem," Tallulah shrugged. "Come on. Which way?"

The Doctor admitted defeat and turned down a tunnel, clutching Rose's hand tightly. "This way."

Meanwhile, Martha struggled in the grip of two vicious pig men. "No! Let me go!" She yelped as they pushed her against a wall. More pig men arrived, shepherding a group of humans along, one of who is Frank.

"Martha!" Frank spotted her, and a wide grin spread across his features.

"You're alive!" Martha gasped and hugged him tightly, feeling so relieved. "I thought we'd lost you." One of the pig men pushed them rudely. "All right! All right, we're moving."

"Wait. Where are they taking us?" Frank glanced around. They seemed to be moving further and further into the tunnels.

"I don't know, but we can find out what's going on down here."

Meanwhile, the Doctor, Rose and Tallulah were exploring a different set of tunnels. "When you say 'They've taken her', who's they exactly?" Tallulah asked, feeling nosy. "And who are you both anyway? I never asked."

"Shh." The Doctor hushed her.

"Okay," Tallulah rolled her eyes and Rose gave her a smile. "Okay. I mean you're handsome and all—"

"Shh, shh, shh!" He was listening out for something. A shadow was approaching them. The shadow of a Dalek. He quickly pulled both girls back into a recess. The Dalek passed by without noticing them.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," The Doctor uttered. His voice was full of anger and resentment. "They survived. They always survive while I lose everything."

"Didn't lose me," Rose murmured softly, and the Doctor calmed as she planted a soft kiss to his cheek. "Remember that."

"That metal thing?" Tallulah gazed at the pair in confusion. "What was it?"

"It's called a Dalek," Rose uttered quietly, her face grim. "And it's the most horrible creature in the universe."

"It's not just metal, it's alive," The Doctor added and held Rose's hand tightly.

Tallulah laughed at the pair of them. They were crazy! "You're kidding me."

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" The Doctor turned to her, his eyes blazing with quiet fury. Tallulah sobered and couldn't keep her gaze. "Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

"But if it's not a human being," Tallulah began. "That kinda implies it's from outer space..." She waited for a reply from either the Doctor or Rose, but they both just stared at her. "Yet again, that's a no with the kidding. Boy… Well, what's it doin' here, in New York?"

"Stop the process! Dalek Sec is failing!" One of the Daleks cried, as they surrounded Dalek Sec in the lab.

"No. The. Experiment. Must. Continue!" Dalek Sec replied with an almost strained drone. Smoke emitted from its casing. "Administer the solution. We must evolve. Evolve! Evolve!"

A second Dalek injected a green liquid solution through Dalek Sec's casing. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Rose and Tallulah turned a corner in the sewer, and came face to face with one of the pig slaves; the one in the theatre. Tallulah let out a wail while the Doctor cornered the pig slave, with Rose by his side. "Where's Martha? What have you done with her? What have you done with Martha?"

"I didn't take her!" The pig slave replied. He seemed different than the others. Less wild.

"Can you remember your name?" Rose asked softly, seeming surprised. The other pig slaves didn't talk.

"Don't look at me," The pig slave mumbled and tried to hide his face.

"Do you know where she is?" Tallulah asked, stepping forward slowly to join the others.

"Stay back!" The pig slave growled. "Don't look at me!"

"What happened to you?" Rose murmured, as they moved closer. They could start to see his facial features. He was more of a human than a pig, but he still had a huge snout. He had tears in his eyes, too.

"They made me a monster."

"Who did?" The Doctor asked, as he examined the pig slave's face.

"The masters."

"The Daleks..." Rose reached forward to place a comforting arm on the pig slave's shoulder, feeling sorry for him. "Why would they do that?"

"They needed slaves," The pig slave explained. "They needed slaves to steal more people so they created us. Part animal, part human. I escaped before they got my mind, but it was still too late."

"Do you know what happened to Martha?" The Doctor asked with a tone of urgency.

"They took her. It's my fault," The pig slave sighed. "She was following me."

"Were you in the theatre?" Tallulah seemed to recognise him from somewhere else... but she wasn't really sure. He just seemed so familiar. The pig slave nodded and she frowned at him. "Why? Why were you there?"

"I never wanted you to see me like this," The pig slave mumbled.

"Why me? What do I gotta do with this?" Tallulah asked with a tone of irritation. "Were you following me? Is that why you were there?"

"Yes," He turned around slowly to face her.

"Who are you?" She snapped, growing impatient.

"I was lonely," The pig slave mumbled. Rose and the Doctor stepped back a little to watch the pair, looking worried.

"Who are you?"

"I needed to see you," He started, but Tallulah interrupted.

"Who are you?"

"I'm sorry." The pig slave turned away, trying to hold back the tears.

"No, wait," Tallulah's voice softened as she took his arm. "Let me look at you..." She turned him around and placed him under the light, studying his face. "Lazlo?" The pig slave nodded slowly. "My Lazlo?" She looked at him in horror. "Oh, what have they done to you?"

"I'm sorry. So... so sorry," Lazlo turned, trying to hide his shame.

"Lazlo, can you show me where they are?" The Doctor murmured slowly. Lazlo was shaking his head, so the Doctor placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If I don't stop them, they'll kill everyone."

Lazlo sighed after a moment. "...Then follow me."

Meanwhile, Martha, Frank and the other prisoners were being held in a section of the tunnel by the pig slaves. Frank nudged Martha and whispered. "What are they keeping us here for?"

"I don't know," Martha frowned, crossing her arms. "I've just got a nasty feeling that we're being kept in the larder."

Lazlo led the Doctor, Rose and Tallulah through a network of tunnels, until they reached Martha and Frank. They hid behind the corner, and listened as suddenly, the pig slaves started to panic and squeal. "What're they doing?" Frank asked in confusion. "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

A Dalek slowly entered the tunnel, the source of the pig slaves' distress. "Silence! Silence!"

"What the hell is that?!" Martha asked in surprise at the sight of the weird metal creature in front of her. The Doctor just watched from around the corner, with a serious look in his eyes.

"You will form a line! Move!" The Dalek ordered, and the pig slaves slowly pushed everyone into a single line.

"Just do what it says, everyone, okay?" Martha frowned as a pig slave pushed her into the line. "Just obey."

"The female is wise. Obey!" The Dalek's eyestalk spun around, as a second Dalek entered the tunnel.

"Report."

"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause."

Martha frowned. She'd heard that name before from somewhere... "Dalek?"

"What is the status of the Final Experiment?" The first Dalek uttered, completely focused on the mission at hand.

"The Dalekanium is in place," The second Dalek replied. "The energy conductor is now complete."

"Then I will extract prisoners for selection!" One of the pig slaves brought an older man forward. The Dalek extended its sucker, towards the man's face. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading brain waves. Low intelligence."

"You calling me stupid?" The old man asked, looking offended.

"This one will become a pig slave!" The Dalek turned to the pig slaves, and they slowly pulled the old man away.

"No, let go of me! I'm not becoming one of them!" He cried, as the pig slaves took him away. The Dalek had started to move up to the next person in line.

"They're divided into two groups," Lazlo muttered to Tallulah, the Doctor and Rose. "High intelligence and low intelligence. The low intelligence are taken to become pig slaves like me."

"Well, that's not fair!" Tallulah scowled at the Dalek and whispered to Lazlo. "You're the smartest guy I ever dated."

"And the others?" Rose asked softly. "What happens to the people with high intelligence?"

"They're taken to the laboratory," Lazlo replied, with fear in his eyes.

"But why?" The Doctor scratched his head, deep in thought. "What for?"

"I don't know. The masters only call it the Final Experiment..." Lazlo explained, while the Dalek scanned Frank.

"Superior intelligence!" The Dalek spun around to Martha. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Superior intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment."

"You can't just experiment on people!" Martha shouted. "It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"We are not human," The Dalek simply uttered in return. "Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

"Look out, they're moving!" The Doctor took Rose by the waist, flattening against the wall, while Lazlo took Tallulah's hand and headed down the tunnel.

"Doctor. Rose!" Lazlo hissed. "Quickly!"

"I'm not going," The Doctor shook his head. "I've got an idea. You go," He glanced at Rose. "It might be dangerous. You should go with them."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere, mister," Rose gripped his arm tightly, and he smiled. "You're stuck with me."

"Can you remember the way?" Lazlo asked as he turned to Tallulah.

"Yeah, I think so," She nodded urgently.

"Then go," He begged. "Please."

"But Lazlo..." Tallulah gazed at him in confusion. "You gotta come with me."

"Where would I go? Tallulah, I'm beggin' you, save yourself. Just run," He planted a soft kiss to the back of her hand. "Just go. Go!" Tallulah nodded tearfully and ran off, while Lazlo rejoined the Doctor and Rose. The Daleks passed by, and the Doctor took the chance to fall in line between Frank and Martha. Rose managed to join the line at the same time, while Lazlo acted as one of the guards.

"I'm so glad to see you," Martha whispered.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later," The Doctor joked. "You too, Frank, if you want," He glanced at Rose and they shared a smirk. "Not sure about you."

"Cheeky," Rose muttered and planted a quick kiss to his lips. They were all eventually brought into the Dalek lab.

"Report!" A Dalek uttered.

Another Dalek turned around. "Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution."

"Scan him," The first Dalek replied. "Prepare for birth."

"Evolution?" The Doctor mused.

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Rose muttered as she glanced at Dalek Sec.

"Ask them," He replied with a shrug.

"Me? Don't be daft, that's your job," She replied with a frown.

"I don't exactly want to get noticed," He explained. "You'll be okay, I promise. Ask them what's going on."

Rose sighed, and took a deep breath. "Daleks! I demand to be told. What is this... Final Experiment? Report!"

"You will bear witness!" The Dalek replied. "This is the dawn of a new age."

"What does that mean?" Rose asked, now looking fearful.

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell," The Dalek stated. "The Children of Skaro must walk again."

Dalek Sec's shell powered down, and the casing opened slowly, to reveal a hideous creature. Half human, half Dalek hybrid. It had scaly, discoloured skin with one eye, and several tentacles. It stood tall, wearing Mr. Diagoras's clothes. "What is it?" Rose asked in terror, and the Doctor held her hand tightly as Dalek Sec hissed at them.

"I am a human Dalek. I am your future."