DISCLAIMER: The character of Jenny and the Whoniverse she inhabits are the property of the BBC. I don't intend to make any money off of using these properties, unless the BBC decides to pick this series up, in which case I damn well better.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Anomalies Episode 01 -
Children of Skaro
By EldritchSandwich
ext.HARBOR -
night
Elliott Bay is dark and silent, the lights of the city of
Seattle shining above it. The sounds of cars and pedestrian traffic can be
heard in the distance, echoing out over the water. All in all, Seattle is
peaceful tonight.
Naturally, the peace and quiet don't last long. The water
rushes up in a violent splash, as if a giant invisible object had crashed into
it, which is of course exactly what happened. The water running down its sides
reveals an oblong, winged ship taxiing toward the nearest available pier. It
comes to a stop with a splash, the water settles, and it becomes completely
invisible again.
That is, before a rectangular door appears out of nowhere
facing the pier. Two women hop out, one trim, blonde and perky wearing a
military surplus undershirt and trousers, the other decidedly less so on all
counts and dressed in a white blazer and skirt. The former, JENNY, smiles.
Jenny
See? There we are. Bit of a rough landing, that's all.
(looking back through the hatchway) Double check the coordinates for me, Colby?
Without warning, a very feline head pops out of the hole,
presumably male and surrounded by orange and white fur.
Colby
Seattle, Washington, USA, Earth. 1:04 AM, Pacific Daylight
Time, 8 April, 2011 AD.
JENNY
There. Told you. Nothing to worry about.
The larger woman, VEL, does not look impressed.
Vel
And what are we doing here? I hate having to wear this bloody
skin. (Runs her hand down her body, letting out a burst of flatulence)
JENNY
(winces)
On the subject of which, Colby...
COLBY
Yeah, yeah. Stay with the ship, giant talking cat, panic in
the streets, government dissection, I've heard it all before. You two go on and
have fun, I'll stay cooped up in the ship and monitor local communications,
how's that?
Jenny
(grins)
And I love you for it, you big stupid fleabag.
COLBY
Eh, get off.
Colby's head disappears back inside, and Jenny and Vel
chuckle and walk up the pier.
JENNY
(yelling back)
Try not to steal the ship!
COLBY
Bring me back something freshwater, and I'll consider it!
The hatch slides closed, and the ship is completely hidden
again.
JENNY
As to what we're doing here, a chronochromatic trail as wide
as the one we picked up means something's fallen out of time that wasn't
supposed to, and that's always worth a look, wouldn't you say?
VEL
Oh, right, because anything with the kind of power needed to
rip a hole in time couldn't possibly be dangerous.
JENNY
If it wasn't dangerous, it wouldn't be any fun, would it?
Shall we?
Jenny runs ahead, Vel just shaking her head before following.
INT.APARTMENT
The sun is up, casting rays of light onto a small, messy room
taken up mostly by a frameless mattress. Between that mattress and a pile of
blankets and clothes sleeps TARA, a slender brunette with curly hair and an arm
over her face. When her alarm clock blares, that arm manages to spring free
fast enough to knock her out of bed.
Tara looks up and groans, then groans again when she regains
enough motor control to grab and stare at the clock.
Tara
Oh. Great. Fantastic.
Tara rolls to her feet, clothes flying around her as she heads for the bathroom in the corner opposite the bed.
Int.Cafe
Tara steps behind the bar, putting on an apron. The owner
glares at her and she throws up her hands.
Tara
I know, I know, I overslept, sorry!
The owner just jerks his thumb toward the empty place by the
espresso machine. As Tara gets to work, Jenny and Vel enter the cafe, taking a
seat at a table by the window. Jenny is trying to conceal a small device with a
holographic screen under the table while still studying it.
JENNY
It's somewhere near here. The trail's cold, but it's there.
Vel
Maybe if you knew how to work that thing properly...
JENNY
Well I came by it second-hand, it didn't exactly come with
instructions. We'll just have to investigate ourselves, won't we?
As they study the screen, Tara appears beside the table.
TARA
Can I get you ladies anything?
JENNY
(trying to hide the device)
What? Oh! Yes. Of course. I'll have a... (peering around Tara
to look at the menu on the opposite wall) ...a short...soy latte.
Both women turn to Vel, who tries to conceal another fart.
VEL
I could use a Vantakian vanilla distillation. (off Tara and
Jenny's looks, the former confused and the latter annoyed) Or...what she said.
Ext.Alley
As Tara takes the two women's orders, someone- or something-
else watches from across the street, an artificial lens snapping between the
faces of the trio. When Tara nods to he customers and looks up at the window
the observer pulls back, a blue-tipped eyestalk disappearing into the shadows
of the alley.
INT.CAFE
When Tara arrives with Jenny and Vel's drinks, they again
attempt to hide the scanning device, this time a little less successfully.
Tara's eyes narrow when she sees it, but she doesn't remark on it.
TARA
Can I get you anything else?
VEL
No, thank you.
JENNY
Actually...and this might seem like a bit of a strange
question...has anything particularly odd or inexplicable happened here recently?
TARA
(blinking in shock)
Uh...no. I don't think so.
JENNY
Are you sure? No sort of...I don't know, new regulars, or
employees, or maybe a new sandwich press that gives you an odd feeling every
time you walk past as if it were staring at you? (off Vel's peeved look) Or
anything?
TARA
(increasingly uncomfortable)
No. Excuse me, I have other customers.
Vel and Jenny both watch her walk away.
VEL
Well, that was subtle.
JENNY
You're one to talk about subtle, those smells you make.
Tara stands at the bar, pretending to work to disguise how
intently she's listening to the two.
VEL
(offended)
It's gas exchange. I can hardly help it, can I?
JENNY
You didn't have to come at all.
VEL
Oh, come off it. This is important work. Besides, you know
how much I love the thrill of the hunt.
This makes Tara drop a mug against the counter. When the two
women look over, she quickly busies herself sweeping it into the garbage as the
owner walks over to glare at her some more.
TARA
It's fine. I've got it. I need to take the trash out anyway...
After a few moments, Jenny and Vel return to their
conversation.
JENNY
Well, I can try to tune the scanner, but we should get out of
the way a bit.
VEL
Back to the ship?
JENNY
No, it'd be easier if we stay as close as possible to the...
There's the creak of a door opening, and Vel follows Jenny's
gaze to watch Tara hauling the bag of trash toward the back door half-hidden
behind the bathrooms.
JENNY
(grins)
There we are. Pay our tab.
VEL
Hm? Oh, of course.
Vel digs through her handbag, producing a variety of
currencies of various sizes, colors, and chemical compositions before landing
on a United States hundred dollar bill, which she
slaps down on the table.
VEL
There, that should do.
EXT.ALLEY
Jenny and Vel come around the corner into the alley behind
the cafe, and Vel retrieves the scanner from her handbag.
JENNY
Right then. If I loop the power feed through the crystals a second time, that should give us more accuracy, at least until it burns out. We'll have to move fast, seeing as we still don't even know what we're looking...
A scraping sound draws their attention, and they share a
look. As the two slowly advance, Tara presses herself against the wall behind
the garbage bins, biting her lip.
Jenny and Vel share a cautious glance.
JENNY
Is someone there?
Tara winces, and before the other women can say anything
more, she sprints around the corner; in her haste to get away, she knocks over
a garbage bin, and when Jenny hears the crash she breaks into a run toward the
far end of the alley. Vel groans before trotting along behind her.
VEL
(into a band on her wrist)
Colby, stay alert, we might have trouble.
As they disappear around the corner, the tinted lens watches
them go, then slowly advances after them.
Int.Garage
The interior of this parking structure is dark and echoing.
Jenny and Vel enter quietly, the former slipping a glowing blue pistol into her
trousers at the small of her back while the latter holds her handbag across her
chest like a weapon.
VEL
(whispering)
It was probably just an animal.
JENNY
(glancing at the scanner)
Well if it is, it's an animal that registers across the whole
chronochromatic spectrum.
The tinted lens watches them from the shadows, sliding
silently along in the distance.
JENNY
The readings here are just as strong as they were back in the
cafe. So if we're not chasing the source, then...
The telltale sound of a hammer snapping into place makes
Jenny and Vel turn, which brings them face to face with Tara, holding a
snub-nosed revolver in her shaking hands.
JENNY
...it's chasing us.
TARA
I know who you are.
VEL
Do you?
TARA
And I know what you work for.
JENNY
(confused)
We don't actually work for anyone. Right? (Vel nods) See?
Freelance.
TARA
(shaking her head)
I don't want to shoot you. All you have to do is let me go.
Just say that you couldn't find me, or...or say that I'm dead. I can pay you,
or...
VEL
Settle down, girl. We're not going to hurt you.
TARA
(hysterical)
Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I believe it's trying
to save me? I know what it is!
JENNY
(hands raised)
Well, then, why don't you tell us, so we can both know?
TARA
Stop! Just stop! I'm not an idiot! Why would you be here if
you weren't working for that monster?
JENNY
We're looking for something. (off the gun swinging toward
her) Something that's not you! Something...
The sound of a motor builds in the background, and Jenny's
focus shifts from Tara to whatever's behind her.
JENNY
Something that very well might be that.
DALEK RO
YOU WILL SUR-REND-ER YOUR WEA-PON!
TARA
(turns and whimpers)
Oh, God...
There rolling from between two parked cars is a flesh and
blood (as it were) Dalek, gunstick twitching between the three women.
DALEK RO
YOU WILL SUR-REND-ER YOUR WEA-PON AND SUB-MIT! SUB-MIT!
TARA
(to Jenny and Vel)
What did he promise you? You can't trust him, you have to
help me!
Jenny steps to the side, out of Tara's increasingly erratic
aim and directly into the Dalek's vision.
JENNY
All right. Now we're all presumably rational beings. How
about we all just take a moment and talk about this?
DALEK RO
YOU ARE ONLY HU-MAN! THIS IS NONE OF YOUR CON-CERN! YOU WILL
BE EX-TER-MIN-ATED!
JENNY
Wrong on all three counts, tin man, so how about we start over? I'm Jenny. This is Vel. Hello!
Jenny waves, her other hand in her back pocket. Vel waves
halfheartedly, sharing the look on Tara's face that says the blonde is
completely mad.
JENNY
Now, don't bother playing dumb because you're obviously
alien. Who are you, and what do you want with this girl?
DALEK RO
I AM DA-LEK RO! THE SUR-VI-VOR WILL COME WITH ME!
Tara whimpers, her grip on the gun faltering.
JENNY
She doesn't seem too keen on that.
DALEK RO
THE SUR-VI-VOR'S DE-SIRES ARE IR-REL-LEV-ANT! SHE WILL COME
WITH ME! SHE WILL COME WITH ME AND YOU WILL BE EX-TER-MIN-ATED!
JENNY
All I needed to hear!
Jenny's hand whips from behind her back, grabbing the sonic
blaster from the waist of her trousers and firing off a ball of blue energy
that impacts a nearby car, sending it spinning and trapping the Dalek between
it and the care next to it.
Tara looks on in shock, gun clattering to the ground, then
jumps when Jenny's hand wraps
around hers.
JENNY
Jenny.
TARA
Tara.
JENNY
Wonderful to meet you. Shall we?
The three women take off for the ramp to the bottom of the
structure, running as fast as they can.
As their footsteps fade into the distance, Dalek Ro fires a
beam from his gunstick, slamming the car against the far wall of the garage.
Then he raises his eyestalk.
DALEK RO
THIS IS DA-LEK RO! I HAVE LO-CA-TED THE SUR-VI-VOR! ALL TROOPS WILL AD-VANCE! AD-VANCE!
EXT.Street
An unkempt homeless man is sitting by a sign at the mouth of
an alley, panhandling, and a few of the shoppers and business types walking
past drop change into his upturned hat. As he sits there, a bronze-colored pin
on his jacket splits open, the center glowing with blue light. Dead-eyed, the
man rises from his seat, trudging jerkily down the street and overturning his
hat in the process, coins spilling on the cement.
INT.GARAGE
Jenny, Vel, and Tara round the ramp that leads to the ground
floor of the garage, only to be met by a crowd coming the other way. These
people are mostly shabbily-dressed, all dead-eyed, and steadily advancing.
There are dozens of them.
JENNY
Help me, I'm new here. Normal?
TARA
No!
JENNY
Right! Shall we?
They turn, running back up the ramp. The mob continues to
advance, slowly but steadily.
As they run up the ramp, Vel raises her wristband to her
mouth again.
VEL
Colby! We've got a problem!
Int.Anomaly
Colby reclines in the cramped, diode-riddled cockpit of the
timeship Anomaly, but springs forward as soon as he hears Vel's voice.
COLBY
What kind of problem?
INT.GARAGE
Jenny, Vel, and Tara turn another corner on their dash to the
top of the parking structure.
VEL
The kind where if you don't lock on to my signal and
come pick us up in the next ten seconds, I'll kick your arse!
INT.ANOMALY
Colby is already working the controls, and the timeship
begins to hum.
COLBY
Oh, my love, but you do say the sweetest things.
EXT.HARBOR
The water ripples as the Anomaly rises, its sleek shape
vaguely outlined by the spray. Then, there is another splash as the timeship
rockets off.
Ext.GARAGE
Jenny, Vel, and Tara have reached the roof of the garage.
Tara is shaking, and Vel is doubled over trying to catch her breath.
VEL
(wheezing)
Whose idea was it...to force a great hunting race...into a
disguise so thick and lumpy...we can barely even run?
JENNY
(watching the ramp)
Some Slitheen, more than likely. (into her wristband)
Colby, we could do with a dashing rescuer just now.
Colby (OS)
On my way. Try not to keep your shirt on.
JENNY
Tart. (to Tara) Get behind me. Vel?
Vel is recovered now and reaches into her handbag, pulling
free a gun so big and shiny it embarrasses the sun over their heads.
VEL
On it!
JENNY
Minimum setting only. They're still human.
VEL
Spoil my fun.
JENNY
Well, if that...pepperpot comes up with them, you can hit it
with everything you've got.
VEL
My pleasure as always.
The crowd crests the top of the ramp. Jenny begins taking pot
shots at their feet, forcing a few to reroute, and Vel's gun lets loose spirals
of green energy that push others back, but they're still advancing.
JENNY
Colby!
As the three are backed to the edge of the roof, a whining
sound rises beneath them, and Jenny grins. Tara's look of fear and shock only
grows more intense when Jenny grabs her hand.
JENNY
Jump!
Tara tries to shake her head, but Jenny is dragging her back
over the edge of the roof with Vel. Tara screams, but her scream is cut short
when they land unharmed about five feet down. As the mind-controlled mob
watches, a hatch opens, and Jenny pulls a hysterical Tara inside the hovering
timeship. Vel follows, and the hatch closes.
INT.ANOMALY
Tara is hyperventilating, eyes trailing around the cramped,
utilitarian interior of the timeship. While Jenny wraps her arms around the
shaking brunette, Vel heads toward the cockpit.
JENNY
It's okay. You're safe. Everything's going to be all right.
VEL
Nice catch, now get us out of here!
EXT.GARAGE
There is a slight shimmer as the timeship rises above the
roof of the garage. As it does, Dalek Ro clears the ramp, eyestalk twitching as
he pinpoints the ship's position. He raises his gunstick and fires.
INT.ANOMALY
Colby and Tara shout as the ship jolts to the side.
COLBY
We're hit! Blasted thing shot us!
VEL
I thought we were in camo?
COLBY
We are! How can that thing...
The ship rocks again, and an alarm blares in the cockpit.
JENNY
Never mind how, just get us out of here!
EXT.GARAGE
Dalek Ro watches as the Anomaly limps away, a trail of white
smoke the only clue to its location. Slowly, the Dalek turns his eyestalk
toward the mind-controlled man standing next to him.
DALEK RO
THE VES-SEL IS DAM-AGED! I WILL SCAN! YOU WILL RE-TURN TO
YOUR PO-SI-TIONS! THE SUR-VI-VOR WILL BE FOUND! THE IN-TER-LO-PERS WILL BE
EX-TER-MIN-ATED! AND THE DA-LEKS WILL REIGN SU-PREME!
Mob
(dead-voiced, as one)
Daleks will reign supreme! Daleks will reign supreme! Daleks
will reign supreme!
Ext.warehouse
A corrugated metal warehouse by the water, abandoned,
rusting, and generally in disrepair. Said water froths up as a telltale whine
rises, then the open doors of the warehouse are suddenly torn inward. The
Anomaly's camouflage fades, the ship crackling into existence as it slides to a
stop.
Int.Warehouse
After the echoes of the crash fade, the inside of the
warehouse is quiet. Then there is a hiss as the hatch on the side of the ship
opens. Vel is the first one out of the smoke-filled interior, followed by
Jenny, with her arms still wrapped around Tara, and finally Colby.
JENNY
How are we? How does she look?
COLBY
(coughing)
Minor damage to the right engine. Camouflage is probably out
too, at least until we recharge.
VEL
Brilliant landing for 'minor damage'.
COLBY
Computer shunted power to the repair nanogenes; kept her
together, but at the expense of engine power. Be glad I got us on land.
JENNY
All right. We should be safe here until the nanogenes do
their work and the power cells recharge.
TARA
No. No, it's never safe. It just keeps coming, no matter
where I go, no matter how far I run...
JENNY
(stroking her face)
Hey, it's all right. I won't let anything happen to you. We
all just need to calm down.
Tara just nods. Colby shoots a glance at Vel, who rolls her
eyes.
JENNY
Right. Since we have some time, introductions. I'm Jenny.
You've met Vel Mogan-Fotch Gargan-Hangle Blathereen of Raxacoricofallapatorius,
my own personal nursemaid.
Vel sneers at Jenny, but waves, and Tara numbly waves back.
JENNY
And this is Colby Jocaste of Parthanon Creche/Civility 5.
Colby grins, and Tara smiles awkwardly.
TARA
Uh, I don't want to be rude...is he a cat?
JENNY
Yes. Don't worry, in five billion years, they all come that
way.
Tara just stares numbly, and Jenny's arm wraps around her
shoulder again.
JENNY
Is this too much for you?
TARA
(takes a deep breath)
No.
JENNY
(gently)
And why not?
Tara closes her eyes and is silent for a while longer. Jenny
just sits with her, and the others wait patiently. Eventually, her eyes open.
TARA
I was born on another planet.
Jenny shares a significant glance with her crew mates, but
doesn't interrupt.
TARA
We were on a ship, me and my parents. There was a war, and we
were trying to...but then something hit the ship, and the next thing I knew I
was here. (sniffs) They picked me up on the street and put me into foster care.
They sent me to therapists and social workers until even I didn't believe
myself anymore. Then when I was sixteen...I saw it.
VEL
The Dalek?
TARA
(nods)
And then I knew. I knew it was all real, because I'd seen one
before.
JENNY
Well I haven't. What are they?
VEL
I've just heard stories. Twisted little creatures in robot
shells, bent on the annihilation of every race but their own. If they're half
as powerful as the legend tells, that one back there could take out this whole
city if he wanted.
TARA
(nods again)
We were running from them. I still remember my father
smuggling us onto the ship while they exterminated entire families. Ten years
old... (blinks, looks up at the sympathetic moiety surrounding her) Who are you
people?
JENNY
We travel through time and space just like you. We're just a
bit more regular about it.
TARA
But you...you're human?
JENNY
Not exactly.
TARA
What exactly?
JENNY
(sighs)
My dad was...a kind of alien called a Time Lord. I'm not
really one, I don't think. I think I'm something new. Unique. (smiles, cuffs
Tara's chin) Like you, eh?
Tara smiles shakily.
VEL
Why would the Dalek follow you all this way? What does it
want with you?
TARA
I don't know. I keep running, I've lived in eleven different
states in the last four years, but it keeps coming after me. It won't tell me
why, it just keeps telling me to...submit. (her face hardens) And I won't. Not
ever.
JENNY
(smiles)
Good. (glances at the others) We can help you.
TARA
Why would you do that?
JENNY
That dad of mine? He didn't have the chance to teach me much,
but what he did teach me was how to help people. That that's the proper thing
to do. (grins) Save worlds, rescue civilizations, defeat terrible creatures.
VEL
Besides which, we can't exactly leave a Dalek with a
brainwashed army in a major city.
Colby nods in agreement, and Jenny releases Tara.
JENNY
Right. Agreed. But the first step has to be repairing the
Anomaly.
COLBY
Nanogenes should take care of that. In time.
VEL
Before the Dalek tracks us down?
Colby just shrugs.
JENNY
All right then. I'll head out, scout the surrounding area.
You two make sure the ship settles right?
VEL
I could come with you.
JENNY
Think you can smell a Dalek coming?
Vel scowls.
JENNY
Then I want you here. Keep our new friend safe?
VEL
(sighs)
Agreed.
COLBY
Walk soft.
JENNY
(grins)
Yeah, always.
The others watch as Jenny slips out of the warehouse.
EXT.WAREHOUSE
Jenny trots away from the warehouse, one hand fingering the
blaster at her back, eyes scanning the surroundings. She takes one last look
back at the warehouse, then she's off.
INT.WAREHOUSE
Tara's eyes are still locked on the place where Jenny was
standing. Vel and Colby share a look, then Colby ducks inside the ship while
Vel reluctantly ambles over toward Tara.
VEL
It'll be all right. She's a big girl, been doing this sort of
thing for years.
TARA
(turns slowly)
You're not human either, are you?
VEL
Afraid not, child. Raxacoricofallapatorian. This is just a
suit, I'm less human than Whiskers over there.
TARA
(shakes her head)
This is crazy. I mean...we thought we were the only
civilization in existence. Then I came here, and everyone looks the same, I
just thought...how many are there?
VEL
Millions, on a billion different worlds. Daleks, cats,
Sontarans, Judoon, Macros, Adipose, Zocci, Vinvocci, Hath...
TARA
Rexa...cora...fallitorians?
Vel grins.
EXT.WAREHOUSE
The familiar tinted lens zooms in on the two women and the
ship from across the water.
VEL
Everything's going to be all right, child. You'll see.
Dalek Ro turns from his position at the end of a pier toward
a shabbily-dressed woman huddled against the nearby wall.
DALEK RO
THE SUR-VI-VOR HAS BEEN LO-CA-TED! ALL TROOPS WILL AD-VANCE!
EXT.ALLEY
Jenny slips between warehouses and cargo containers in this
small shipping yard, eyes peeled for danger. She sweeps her gaze around, past
two shuffling shapes, then quickly pans back to find two people lurching toward
her.
JENNY
Right. (into wristband) Colby, Vel, eyes open. I think
they're coming.
INT.WAREHOUSE
VEL
Jenny, get back here. We can at least take cover in the
Anomaly.
EXT.ALLEY
JENNY
(running)
No. The last thing we want to do is give that thing access to
a timeship. We just have to...
Jenny comes to a halt, blaster hanging limply from her hand.
Vel (OS)
Jenny? Jenny, come in!
Jenny stands still as Dalek Ro rolls toward her.
DALEK RO
YOU HAVE IN-TER-FERED WITH THE RE-TURN OF THE DA-LEKS! YOU
WILL BE EX-TER-MIN-ATED!
JENNY
What do you mean 'return of the Daleks'? What do you want
with her?
DALEK RO
NO TALK! YOU WILL NOT IN-TER-FERE! YOU WILL BE
EX-TER-MIN-ATED!
JENNY
I'm curious. Have you ever seen a sonic disuptor before?
Jenny's hand shoots up, the blaster firing a cloud of blue
enrgy that breaks over the Dalek's head. Unfortunately, his shield glows, and
the energy courses harmlessly around him.
JENNY
("oh crap")
Right.
DALEK RO
PIT-I-FUL HU-MAN WITH YOUR STO-LEN TECH-NO-LO-GY!
EX-TER-MIN-ATE!
Jenny turns to run, a second shot from the blaster sending up
a cloud of scrap from the nearest crate.
DALEK RO
PUR-SUE THE HU-MAN! PUR-SUE! PUR-SUE!
Jenny turns a corner, only to find herself fenced in by an
advancing mob of the Dalek's mind-controlled zombies. She raises the blaster as
she turns, finding her face to face with Dalek Ro.
JENNY
I don't want to have to kill you!
DALEK RO
THAT IS WHAT MAKES YOU IN-FE-RI-OR!
Without warning a beam of energy lashes out; Jenny courses
with blue light, skeleton briefly visible before her body slumps to the ground.
DALEK RO
SUR-ROUND THE SUR-VI-VOR! EX-TER-MIN-ATE THE IN-TER-LO-PERS!
INT.WAREHOUSE
Colby peeks around the now closed door of the warehouse, then
backs toward the ship.
COLBY
We've got a problem! They're here, they've cut off the main
road, and the ship's not nearly ready to get off the ground!
VEL
(into her wristband)
Jenny? Jenny! Where are you?
The first members of the mob appear at the door; with the
damage done by the Anomaly's landing, it's all too easy for them to get it open.
COLBY
(drawing his gun)
Vel, get the kid out of here!
VEL
I'm not leaving you here!
COLBY
Oh, go on, there's nothing less attractive than when a woman
gets all clingy!
Vel wordlessly grabs Tara by the arm and drags her toward the
back of the warehouse. Colby fires a warning shot at the feet of the mob, then
makes a dash for the ship.
COLBY
Go, I'll lock down the ship so it can't...
A beam of energy cuts the air, lighting Colby up before he
drops lifelessly to the ground.
VEL
(screaming)
Colby! (to Tara) Run! Just run!
Vel and Tara climb the scaffold that leads to the warehouse's
rear windows as Dalek Ro and his troops steadily advance.
DALEK RO
THE VES-SEL IS SU-PER-I-OR TECH-NO-LO-GY! IT WILL EN-HANCE
THE MA-CHINE! PRE-PARE TE-LE-PORT!
Six of the brainwashed humans approach the ship, anchoring
metallic clamps to various points. When all are attached, they begin to glow,
and the ship disappears in a glimmer of white light.
EXT.WAREHOUSE
Vel and Tara run across the roof of the warehouse, crossing
the scaffold that leads to the adjacent building just as the roof explodes
behind them. As Dalek Ro rises through the breach, Vel pulls off her wristband
and slaps it on Tara's wrist.
VEL
Take this! And run!
TARA
But...
VEL
Run!
As the mob begin to scale the scaffold, Vel braces herself.
VEL
Come and get me!
Vel reaches for her forehead, where we see a tiny zipper is
suddenly visible. She begins to unzip, a blue glow emanating from the gap, but
before she can finish she is overtaken by the mob. She bats several away, but
there are too many; they shove her en masse until her back is to the street
stories below. Vel tries to retain her footing, but the mob keep pushing. When
her heel slips over the edge of the roof, she flails for a moment in the air
before tumbling over the side, slamming against the asphalt below with a crack.
Tara screams, trying to climb down at the opposite end of the
roof, but the mob is waiting for her, and five of the Dalek's troops restrain
her.
Ro rolls silently across the roof, pausing briefly to turn
his eyestalk down to where Vel lies on the pavement before turning his focus to
a struggling Tara.
DALEK RO
YOU WILL TAKE THE SUR-VI-VOR TO THE MA-CHINE! NO-THING WILL
STOP THE RE-TURN OF THE DA-LEKS! NO-THING WILL STOP THE RE-TURN OF THE DA-LEKS!
MOB
(dead-voiced, as one)
Daleks will reign supreme! Daleks will reign supreme! Daleks
will reign supreme!
EXT.ALLEY
Jenny's body lies on the pavement, still and alone. Suddenly,
her mouth opens, a mist of yellow energy drifting out, her body glowing
faintly. Her eyes snap open.
JENNY
(shaken)
Right. There we are then.
Int.building
This area is large and empty, the upper floor of an office
building under construction. The Anomaly sits to one side of the cleared space,
various cables leading from the side hatch to a bank of machinery of obvious
Dalek design. Dalek Ro is facing the machine, manipulator arm shifting
components and several of his grunts mutely attaching cables and parts. At the
far end of the room sits Tara, shaking and surrounded by the mob.
DALEK RO
THE MA-CHINE HAS AC-CEP-TED THE VES-SEL'S COM-PO-NENTS! THE
NEW DA-LEK RACE WILL BE E-VEN MORE AD-VANCED!
Tara tries to get a look at the machine, but the mob blocks
her view of Dalek Ro completely. She jumps when the wristband Vel gave her
beeps.
Jenny (OS)
Vel? Vel, come in! Colby's dead! Is Tara still with you? Vel?
Tara whips her head around, but the mob give no sign of
having heard her and Dalek Ro is still absorbed in his work.
TARA
(whispering)
It's me! I'm here! I'm so sorry, they killed her, there was
nothing I could do!
JENNY (OS)
It's all right. It's not your fault. Where are you?
TARA
On top of a building! They caught me, and...there's new
construction and some kind of...machine!
JENNY (OS)
I'm tracking the signal from the wristband. Just...stay
alive. Keep it distracted, do whatever you can. (darkly) I'm not losing anyone
else, do you hear me?
Before Tara can respond, the mob parts, and she presses the
button on the wristband again before hiding her arm behind her back. Dalek Ro
slides forward.
DALEK RO
THE MA-CHINE IS REA-DY! YOU WILL STAND!
Tara does, but she also takes a step back.
TARA
What is it? What does the machine do?
DALEK RO
THE MA-CHINE WILL RE-TURN THE DA-LEKS TO SU-PRE-MA-CY!
TARA
So why do you need me?
DALEK RO
YOU ARE KA-LED! THE AN-CES-TORS OF THE DA-LEKS! WITH YOUR
CELLS I WILL BUILD A NEW CULT OF SKA-RO! YOUR BODY WILL BIRTH A NEW DA-LEK
EM-PIRE!
Tara
I'd rather die.
DALEK RO
YOUR LIV-ING CELLS WILL BE STRIPPED A-WAY! BE-FORE YOU DIE
YOU WILL CRE-ATE MILL-IONS OF DA-LEKS!
TARA
You already have millions of Daleks! You murdered our entire
race, wasn't that enough?
DALEK RO
(pauses, almost sad)
THERE ARE NO MORE DA-LEKS. THE EM-PIRE DIED IN BAT-TLE
A-GAINST THE TIME LORDS.
TARA
Time Lord...
DALEK RO
I ES-CAPED! I FLED THE CULT OF SKA-RO! THEY HAVE ALL TRIED TO
RE-VIVE THE DA-LEKS! THEY HAVE ALL FAILED! (lower again) WE ARE THE LAST TWO
CHIL-DREN OF SKA-RO.
TARA
(face hardens)
And whose fault is that? I was there. I saw what you did,
mothers and children 'exterminated' in the streets. I watched the Dome burn
from orbit! If you're the last Dalek? Go ahead and die! Because I will never,
ever, help you.
DALEK RO
(pauses, then sinister again)
YOUR CON-SENT IS NOT NE-CES-SA-RY.
Members of the mob grab Tara's limbs, dragging her screaming
toward the machine.
TARA
No! I'll kill you! I'll make you pay, I swear! I'll...
There is a knock on the half-finished doorframe on the
opposite side of the machine. Tara and Ro turn to find a smiling Jenny.
JENNY
You should think of investing in a proper door, drafty as it
must be up here. Hello!
Tara begins to cry openly, while Ro's eye aperture narrows.
DALEK RO
YOU WERE EX-TER-MIN-ATED! THIS IS IM-POS-SI-BLE!
JENNY
Yeah. Doesn't that just make you so curious you'd rather let
me talk than immediately try to 'exterminate' me again?
DALEK RO
DA-LEKS DO NOT NEED CUR-I-OS-I-TY!
JENNY
Oh, I think you do. Otherwise, how could you have built all
this? All this very impressive equipment and...hold on.
Jenny sidles closer to the machine, Ro's gunstick still
trained on her.
JENNY
Are these power cables? Did you hook my ship into your energy
system? That's brilliant! That must have, what, tripled your power?
DALEK RO
YOU WILL STEP A-WAY FROM THE MA-CHINE!
In response, Jenny simply raises her hands and steps back
toward the door.
JENNY
Aren't you curious how a pathetic little non-human like me
got her hands on a ship like that?
DALEK RO
YOU WILL BE SI-LENT!
JENNY
(face hardens)
No. See you just butchered two people I cared about, so I
think you owe it to me to SHUT UP and LISTEN.
Dalek Ro's aim falters, and Jenny's smile immediately returns.
JENNY
You see that (points at the Anomaly) is a fully-functional
Chula warship. Got it in trade off a young Time Agent in the year 9000. Nice
boy. Bit thick. Anyway, it's got all the standard feature that make it such a
breeze to travel through time and space with: tractor beam, medical and
mechanical repair nanogenes, active camouflage, and of course... (slips her
hand to her wristband and grins) ...remote entry.
Jenny presses a glowing button on her wristband, and Tara and
Dalek Ro pivot around to watch the Anomaly's hatch begint to slide closed.
DALEK RO
NO! PRO-TECT THE CON-NEC-TIONS!
Before the mob can act, the hatch closes, severing the mass
of cables with a shower of sparks.
JENNY
Ooh, that's unfortunate. Because I'm betting that a loss of
that much power all at once can't be good for your systems, can it?
The machine begins to spark as well, components melting, and
the pins attached to all the members of the mob begin to glow.
JENNY
(grinning)
Oh, don't tell me you routed the power for your little neural
dampers through the same system!
A section of the machine explodes outward. One by one, the
pins drop from their human hosts, who look around, confused.
JENNY
Hello! I'm Jenny. That's the genocidal alien that's been
controlling your thoughts. Might do to run.
As one, the terrified mob stampedes for the exit, Tara
ducking between them as they go.
DALEK RO
NO! YOU ARE SER-VANTS OF THE DA-LEKS! RE-TURN! RE-TURN!
JENNY
Except they won't, will they? All that technology, all that
hate, but you're no match for a simple human brain's desire to run away from a
monster.
DALEK RO
THEN I WILL SIM-PLY EX-TER-MIN-ATE!
Dalek Ro's gunstick swivels toward the women, and Jenny makes
a dive for Tara.
JENNY
Down!
The energy beam forks throug the air, and Jenny and Tara take
cover behind a metal support.
DALEK RO
YOU ARE NOT HU-MAN! THIS WORLD IS NOT YOURS! YOU SHOULD HAVE
VA-CA-TED!
JENNY
Yeah, but if there's one thing I learned from dad, it's that
being a Time Lord means there's a time to run, and a time to save civilization.
Just like that, Dalek Ro grinds to a halt.
DALEK RO
TIME LORD?
TARA
(whispering)
He said the Daleks were at war with the Time Lords.
DALEK RO
WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF THE TIME LORDS?
JENNY
Only what the Doctor taught me.
DALEK RO
THE DOC-TOR! THE DOC-TOR IS THE EN-E-MY OF THE DA-LEKS! WHAT
DO YOU KNOW OF THE DOC-TOR? EX-PLAIN! EX-PLAIN!
Jenny steps out from behind the column with a maniacal grin.
JENNY
I'm the Doctor's daughter.
Before Ro can react, one of the few installed windows across
from the Anomaly bursts in, a massive green form slamming against the Dalek,
spinning him into the tangle of cables between the timeship and the machine.
The clawed green behemoth looks over, baby-like eyes blinking, and Jenny's eyes
go wide.
JENNY
Vel?
TARA
That's Vel?
JENNY
Under the skin! You beautiful old bag!
TARA
But I saw her fall!
VEL
(harumphs)
I was already under a compression field. Sixty-foot fall, might as well have hit me with a pie.
Before Jenny can respond, Ro fires wildly, still in the
process of untangling himself from the cables. The beam hits the metal skeleton
of the building above their heads, sending a shower of sparks down on them.
JENNY
My sonic can't even shift him! We need to get past his
defenses. We need...
Her gaze turns toward the machine, still sparking; the
chamber where Tara was to be deposited has turned into a lightning rod.
JENNY
We need to get him into the machine!
TARA
How?
JENNY
(grins)
My favorite setting.
She twists a dial on the side of the blaster, then fires at a
nearly-completed section of wall, leaving a giant, perfectly-square hole.
TARA
(eyes light up)
Squareness gun?
JENNY
Squareness gun. Vel?
Vel lumbers behind the section of wall, slamming her shoulder
against it until it breaks free. Just as Ro rights himself, it falls on top of
him, the hole coming down around his head and the edge of the wall trapping his
arms.
JENNY
Push it, now!
The three women shove against the section of wall, gradually
forcing the shrieking Dalek toward the machine.
DALEK RO
NO! DA-LEKS ARE SU-PER-I-OR!
There is a flash of light as Ro fires his gunstick into the
floor, and the ensuing explosion breaks up the wall around him.
DALEK RO
EX-TER-MIN-ATE! EX-TER-MIN-ATE!
Ro bears down on Jenny and Tara, knocked flat by the blast,
and raises his gunstick.
VEL
No!
Vel slams into Ro again, this time bullrushing him straight
into the machine's chamber. They both scream as the electricity courses through
them.
JENNY
Vel! Vel, no, please!
The lightning flows over them until an explosion of sparks
makes Jenny shield Tara with her body. When they look up, Vel's smoldering body
has been thrown clear and is sliding to the ground. Jenny lurches to her feet
and sprints toward Vel, Tara following behind.
JENNY
Vel, come on...Vel, please...
Jenny cradles Vel's massive head, black eyes blinking up.
VEL
(wheezing)
Ever...the nursemaid. Eh?
JENNY
Vel, why did you have to go and do that?
VEL
(faint)
Hah. Someone's...got to take care...of...
Vel's head dips, and her body goes still.
JENNY
(sobbing)
No, no nono Vel! Vel, please, get up! Get up!
As Jenny cries, the sound of sparks draws her and Tara's
attention. To their horror, Dalek Ro slowly emerges from the dying machine.
His dome has been blown open by the explosion to reveal the
twisted, tentacled abomination inside, but he is still very much alive.
DALEK RO
(faint)
no. this will not end here. i am the last da-lek.
Suddenly, Tara rises, eyes hard and Jenny's dropped sonic
blaster in her hands.
TARA
Yeah? Then join the rest!
Tara fires, a ball of blue energy streaking toward Ro's
exposed body, hitting home with a thundrous shockwave. When Tara picks herself
up off the ground, only the smoldering shell of Dalek Ro remains.
Eyes wide in shock, Tara drops the gun, then falls to her
knees. When she leans toward Jenny, the blonde wordlessly wraps an arm around
her shoulder.
Int.building
- Sunset
Hours later. The machine is truly dead now, and Colby and
Vel's bodies are laid out beside it, Jenny and Tara watching in silent vigil.
TARA
What do we...what are you going to do with all...this?
JENNY
Grab it all with the tractor beam. Drop them into the sun.
(tries to smile) That's how I'd want it, I think.
TARA
Are you sure you're going to be all right?
JENNY
(obviously not)
Of course. I mean, I was made to be a soldier. Be daft if I
couldn't handle...losing people in battle, wouldn't it?
Tara reaches out to gently place a hand on Jenny's shoulder,
and the blonde grabs it gratefully.
JENNY
What about you? It's all over now.
TARA
I guess it is. I've been running for so long...I never
thought of what I'd do with myself if I was ever free.
JENNY
Start over?
TARA
I guess so. I guess with Ro gone, I could start a new life
anywhere I wanted.
Jenny just nods awkwardly, her grip on Tara's hand looseing.
JENNY
Or you could always...well, you know.
TARA
What?
JENNY
Come with me.
TARA
(overwhelmed)
Come with you?
JENNY
I mean, I could take you anywhere, you could start over any
time, any place. I could even take you back to your own planet, or try to find
your people again. Or you could just...come with me.
TARA
(shakes her head)
How do you do it? How do you just...travel the universe with
nothing to tie you down?
JENNY
It's not so different from what you were doing. (pauses while
Tara thinks) You don't have to...stay. I mean, I could just give you a lift,
take you anywhere on Earth. Give you a fresh start.
TARA
Okay.
JENNY
(hiding her disappointment)
Right. Least I can do, really. You just tell me where you
want to go, and I'll have you there in a...
TARA
(smiles)
No. I mean...okay.
JENNY
(stupefied)
You mean...you want to...
Tara just grins, and Jenny can't help smiling slightly in
return.
JENNY
Right. Well then. Do you need...I'm sure you need to get your
things, or..
TARA
(shrugs)
Like you said. Nothing to tie me down.
JENNY
(looks down at the bodies)
No. Nothing.
Jenny looks back up at Tara with an only somewhat forced
smile, then at the Anomaly, now fully recharged. She presses the button on her
wristband again, and the hatch slides open.
JENNY
(sniffs)
Well. No sense waiting around. I still have to introduce you
to the ship.
Jenny starts toward the hatch, but Tara doesn't move.
TARA
Jenny? Is it always like this? What was it you said, rescuing...
Jenny
Saving worlds, rescuing civilizations, defeating terrible
creatures?
TARA
Yeah.
JENNY
Always.
Tara just grins. In spite of herself, an answering grin rises
on Jenny's face, and she reaches out to grab Tara's hand.
JENNY
Shall we?
The End