The Other Tyler - rewrite

The Dalek

Mei and Rose had managed to get a good distance before Adam and a soldier, who introduced herself as DeMaggio, caught up with them. The two looked down at the heels on Mei's boots in surprise, the soldier giving the brunette and impressed look as she moved on ahead. Mei couldn't be any happier, without DeMaggio, she and Rose probably would have gotten lost, or shot. Probably shot.

"Civilians! Let them through!" DeMaggio yelled, and up ahead a group of men with guns flattened themselves against the walls to make a path.

Rose stumbled slightly as they turned a corner and Mei quickly steadied her, growling at Adam when he tried to help. She didn't want the boy anywhere near Rose, as far as she was concerned, he was partially to blame. He had, after all, been one of Van Statten's people who decided to lock up an alien and allow it to be tortured.

"Stop it, it's not his fault," the blonde murmured, flinching when the sudden screams of the soldiers reached their ears, "Oh my god."

"Keep moving!" DeMaggio ordered.

Doing as they were told, Mei and Rose held tight to each other and continued to run with Adam a few steps behind them. Eventually they came across a stairwell and Rose gave a noise of approval.

"Stairs! That's more like it! It hasn't got legs. It's stuck!"

"If only it could be that easy," Mei sighed, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

"It's coming! Get up!" DeMaggio ordered, and the sisters took the steps two at a time.

Mei would have kept going, if Rose hadn't stopped beside Adam. Both watched with gleeful expressions as the Dalek came to a halt at the bottom step, the brunette however, felt suspicious. An alien that the Doctor had seemed scared of, with such an obvious weakness? Not a chance.

"Great big alien death machine defeated by a flight of stairs," Adam taunted, earning a dirty look from both the soldier and Mei.

"Now listen to me," DeMaggio demanded, aiming her gun at the Dalek, "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?"

There was a long pause, before the Dalek said, "Elevate," and lifted into the air in a sort of hovering motion.

"Yup, thought so," Mei huffed, grabbing her sister's arm, "Let's go."

"She's right, Adam get them out!" DeMaggio ordered.

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

Shaking her off, the soldier focused on the Dalek, "Someone's got to try. Now get out! Don't look back. Just run."

"Thank you," Mei said gently, before dragging her sister up the stairs.

As they took to another hallway, De Maggio's dying screams filled the air and Rose whimpered. Mei tightened her grip on her sister's hand, and gestured for Adam to take the lead.

"If we go through the loading bay, we can get to Van Statten's office," he explained.

However, when they reached said loading bay, they were nearly gunned down by some very jumpy soldiers and technicians.

"Hold your fire!" the commander yelled, just in time. Rose, Mei and Adam all skidded to a stop, unsure of what to do, "You three, get the hell out of there!"

"This way," Adam took off across the room, the two girls following as the Dalek came up behind them.

Mei and Rose paused just before rounding the corner to get a glance at the creature, which seemed to stop and look right back at them. It sent chills down Mei's spine, she hated feeling like she was being watched, and she just KNEW something inside that metal casing was looking right at them.