Winnie Is Not Okay

1.16

The Doctor appeared on the computer screen, "You've got to keep it in that cell."

"Doctor, it's all my fault", Rose admitted.

"I've sealed the compartment. It can't get out, that lock's got a billion combinations", the guard said.

"A Dalek's a genius. It can calculate a thousand billion combinations in one second flat."

Just as he said that the door opened and the Dalek rolled out. The two guards turned around immediately, "Open fire!"

They did exactly that but Van Statten protested, "Don't shoot it! I want it unharmed."

"Winifred, get out of there", the Doctor demanded over him.

The guns weren't working on the Dalek and as they reloaded the male guard turned to his female subordinate, "De Maggio, take the civilians and get them out alive. That is your job, got that?"

She nodded, "You. With me."

Adam, Winnie and Rose ran after her, down a corridor.

"Civillians! Let them through", De Maggio shouted to the guards blocking the way.

They ran past the guards and towards the staircase where Rose cheered in victory, "Stairs! That's more like it. It hasn't got legs. It's stuck!"

"D'you really think stairs are going to stop a murder-alien that even the Doctor's scared of?", Winnie's entire face showed worry and fear. She wasn't scared of dying. She was mostly scared of Rose dying. And of having a plunger stuck to her face as it sucked the air out of her.

"It's coming! Get up", De Maggio instructed them, and so they ran up half a floor.

The Dalek entered through the door they had also come through and looked at the whole staircase with its eyestalk. Adam grinned, "Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs."

De Maggio aimed her gun at it, "Now listen to me. I demand that you return to your cage. If you want to negotiate then I can guarantee that Mister Van Statten will be willing to talk. I accept that we imprisoned you and maybe that was wrong, but people have died, and that stops right now. The killing stops. Have you got that? I demand that you surrender. Is that clear?"

"E-Le-Vate", and so the Dalek floated up the stairs.

"Oh my god", Rose breathed out.

"Run", Winnie whispered, trying to push at Adam who was standing between her and Rose.

"Adam, get them out of here", De Maggio demanded.

"Come with us", Rose said, "You can't stop it."

"Someone's got to try. Now get out! Don't look back. Just run", she started shooting.

Rose grabbed Winnie's hand as Adam ran ahead and they charged up the staircase. More armed guards waited on level 52, "Hold your fire! You three, get the hell out of there!"

They ran past the brigade and stayed behind them as the Dalek rolled in after them. It seemed to zoom in on them for a moment. The guards shot at it and they moved on.

"It was looking at me", Rose said. Winnie comfortingly rubbed her hand.

"Yeah, it wants to slaughter us", Adam told her.

"I know, but it was looking right at me."

"So? It's just a sort of metal eye thing. It's looking all around", he was exasperated with her.

"Shut up, Adam. Have you not been paying attention? There's a living creature inside. Rose brought it back to life. Who knows what the thing inside is thinking?", Winnie glared at him.