
DOCTOR WHO

DESTINY OF THE DALEKS
Terrance Dicks




1. The Dead City


Through the vortex, that mysterious region where time and space are one,
sped a police box that was not a police box at all. It was, in fact, a
highly sophisticated space/time ship called the TARDIS, a name taken from
its initials, Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.
Inside its impossibly large control room (for the TARDIS was dimensionally
transcendental) was a many-sided central console. Beside it a very tall man
with a shock of curly hair was making minute adjustments to the larynx of a
robot dog.
The robot dog was called K9, and the man trying to repair it was that
mysterious traveller in time and space known as the Doctor. He wore loose,
comfortable clothing, topped off with a broad-brimmed floppy soft hat, and
an incredibly long multi-coloured scarf. He was muttering crossly as he
worked. 'How can a robot possibly get laryngitis? What do you need it for?'
Naturally enough poor K9 didn't reply. Without looking up the Doctor
yelled, 'Romana!'
A girl came into the room, carrying, with some difficulty, a full-length
mirror on a stand. 'Yes, Doctor?'
The Doctor looked up and blinked in astonishment. The girl who had answered
his call wasn't the girl he expected. Or at least she didn't look like the
girl he expected. 'Sorry, I thought you were Romana. Have you seen her? And
anyway, what are you doing here?'
'Regenerating. Do you like it?'
'Nonsense, only Time Lords regenerate, and you're not a Time Lord. You're
the Princess Astra, and we left you back on Atrios.' The Doctor remembered
his manners. 'It's very nice to see you again, Princess Astra, but how did
you get into the TARDIS? Did you stow away?'
'Doctor, I'm Romana, I tell you.' The girl set up the mirror in a corner
and began studying her reflection thoughtfully.
The Doctor stared at her. The face and the body were Princess Astra's, even
the voice, but there was something else . . . The essence, the personality
was that of Romana. The Doctor realised that he was indeed looking at his
Time Lady companion in the body of Princess Astra, or to be more accurate,
in a body exactly like it.
The explanation was simple enough, at least to the Doctor. Time Lords had
the power of bodily regeneration, the ability to change a damaged or worn
out body for a new one by a unique and complex process of molecular
readjustment. Although they weren't immortal, they went through a
considerable number of reincarnations in the course of their amazingly long
lives.
What surprised the Doctor was not the mere fact of Romana's regeneration,
but the seeming casualness with which she was treating the occasion - not
to mention the degree of regeneration control she seemed able to exercise.
The Doctor's own regenerations had been rather haphazard affairs, usually
in response to some kind of crisis, and the bodies he'd acquired had been
very much a matter of pot luck.
Romana, on the other hand, seemed to be changing bodies as casually as she
might have changed her dress. Except that the body she'd finished up with
was a direct copy of someone else's. The Doctor frowned, remembering that
in a purely academic sense, Romana's qualifications from the Time Lord
Academy were rather higher than his own. No doubt that accounted for her
superior control.
Rather reprovingly he said, 'You can't wear that body!'
'Why not? I thought it looked very nice on the Princess.'
'You can't go around wearing copies!'
'Well, I don't see why not.' Romana gave a twirl in front of the mirror,
studying the effect of the new body and the new dress she'd chosen to go
with it. 'I mean, it would be a bit embarrassing if she and I both turned
up at the same party wearing identical bodies, but as we're not going back
to Atrios again...'
The Doctor shook his head. 'No!' he said firmly. 'It just won't do. Go and
try another one, go on.'
Romana sniffed indignantly, and marched out.
The Doctor went on working. Some time later a very small girl came in, and
posed in front of the mirror. 'I quite like this one, but it's a bit
short.'
The Doctor spoke without looking up. 'Well, go away and lengthen it.'
The small girl went out. For a time the Doctor was able to get on with his
work in peace.
The peace ended when someone else strode heavily into the room.
The Doctor addressed the silent K9. 'Fancy trying to look like someone
else. It's all vanity anyway. People attach too much importance to outside
appearances, it's what's inside that counts.' He looked up to see an
enormously tall girl looming over him. 'No, no, no, far too big,' he said
crossly. The re-transformed Romana went out again.
The Doctor worked on. Soon Romana reappeared in the guise of an exotic
female of some alien race. 'Ughh! Take it away,' said the Doctor. The
apparition retreated hastily.
The Doctor sighed. 'Look,' he called. 'All you want is something warm and
sensible, something that will wear well, with a little style and flair to
it...'
There was no answer from the adjoining room. Soon afterwards yet another
girl appeared. She wore a long coat, high boots, a very long multi-coloured
scarf, and a big floppy hat which almost covered her face. 'Like this,
Doctor?'
The Doctor looked up and beamed approvingly at the outfit, which had
something strangely familiar about it. 'Now that's more like it. Good
heavens, that's absolutely right for you. I never knew you had such a sense
of style.'
He stood up, and the girl spun round before him. 'I thought you said
external appearances weren't important, Doctor.'
'Well, no, but it's nice to get them right though, isn't it? I mean, how
can you go wrong with a look like this!'
The Doctor lifted the brim of the floppy hat, looked underneath and saw an
attractive but very familiar face.
Romana had come almost full circle: she was back in her Princess Astra
body.
'Oh, no!' groaned the Doctor.
'What's the matter, don't you like it? I think it will do very nicely.
Imposing forehead, nice hair, neat little chin. The arms are a bit long,
but I can always take them in a bit.'
'No, the arms are fine,' said the Doctor helplessly. 'It's just that...' He
sighed, realising he'd been outmanoeuvred. 'Oh, all right, have it your own
way.'
'Oh, good! I'll go and get rid of these silly clothes then.'
'But I like that outfit.'
'Never mind,' said Romana demurely. 'Remember, Doctor, it's what's inside
that counts!' She turned to leave. 'Incidentally, where are we going?'
'I don't know. That's up to the randomiser, remember?'
At the end of their last adventure, Romana and the Doctor had almost been
tricked into handing over the all-important Key of Time to the evil Black
Guardian. At the last moment, the Doctor had tricked his adversary,
scattering fragments of the Key to the far corners of the cosmos. To escape
the enraged Black Guardian's revenge the Doctor had built a device called
the randomiser into the directional circuits of the TARDIS. The Black
Guardian could hardly discover where he was going next if he didn't know
himself.
Romana shivered, feeling that they had exchanged the frying pan of the
Black Guardian's revenge for the fire of any number of unknown dangers. She
smiled bravely.
'Well, wherever it is, call me when we get there!'
She went away, and the Doctor continued to work on K9.


The landscape was bleak and harsh, an arid stone plain scattered with
strangely angular rocks. Thunder growled menacingly in a dark and alien
sky, and the very ground seemed to shiver and vibrate.
Beneath a mountain of loose rocks was an overhanging cliff edge. A
wheezing, groaning sound mingled with the noise of the thunder, and the
square blue shape of the TARDIS materialised directly beneath the overhang.
The thunder rumbled, the ground shook, and a scattering of loose stones
began rolling down the mountainside and pattering on the roof of the
TARDIS.


The Doctor was studying his instruments. 'We've arrived, Romana!' he
called.
Romana's voice floated from the next room. 'What's the place like?'
'Breathable atmosphere, but a high degree of seismic activity.'
'What do you mean, psychic activity! Ghosts?'
'Lots of earthquakes.'
'Oh, seismic. I thought you said psychic.'
The Doctor was only half-listening. 'Side-kick?' he mumbled, baffled.
Romana misheard him. 'Like it? How do I know? I haven't seen it yet.'
The conversation didn't seem to be getting very far. 'Romana, if you want
to talk to me, will you please come in here and do it properly.'
Romana came into the control room, still in her Princess Astra body, but
now wearing her new outfit, tailored to fit. 'There, what do you think?'
'Very nice,' said the Doctor perfunctorily, and handed her two pills. 'Take
these, will you?'
'What are they?'
'Anti-radiation capsules. The levels out there are very high.' He handed
her a tiny device rather like an egg-timer. 'Here's a bleeper, it'll go off
when you need the next dose.'
Romana swallowed two pills, then stowed the bleeper away in a belt-pouch,
pleased that the Doctor seemed to be taking sensible precautions for once.
'Let's see where we are.' She switched on the scanner. It showed a bare
rock wall.
'Oh, very promising,' said the Doctor.
'Well, we'd better go and take a look.'
'I suppose so.' The Doctor picked up K9's brain section and inserted it
back in the case. Immediately the little automaton began rushing backwards,
making rasping, whirring sounds. The Doctor dived on K9, made a quick
readjustment, and the robot dog was still.
Romana looked down at him. 'What went wrong?'
'I'm afraid I forgot the most important thing my cybernetics teacher taught
me.'
'What was that?'
'When replacing a robot brain, always make sure arrow A is pointing to
the front.'
The Doctor got to his feet and opened the TARDIS's doors.


They stood outside the TARDIS looking around them. There was little to see,
just an endless bare plain with a scattering of rocks, stretching away into
fast-gathering darkness.
'Not the most inviting of planets, is it, Doctor?'
'You know,' said the Doctor softly, 'I have the most extraordinary feeling
I've been here before!'
The sensation of familiarity, known as dej vu, was a common phenomenon
among time travellers.
'Just an impression, or something you actually recognise?'
'Nothing tangible. I just seem to sense something, a pervading air of...'
'Evil?'
'Yes . . . evil. You feel it too, then?'
'Shall we go back to the TARDIS and try somewhere else?'
The Doctor considered for a moment. Perhaps it would be better to go back.
But his sense of curiosity was too strong for him, that and a strange
feeling of - destiny. Randomiser or no, somehow the Doctor felt he had come
to this planet because he was meant to come here. He gave Romana a look of
mock-indignation. 'Go back? And leave me wondering for the rest of time
where I'd been? I'd never sleep at nights!'
Determinedly the Doctor set off and, a little reluctantly, Romana followed
him.
As they moved away, a few more loose rocks slithered down the mountain and
rattled against the roof of the TARDIS.
They walked for some time across the featureless plain, and soon the TARDIS
was swallowed up by the darkness that gathered around them. All the time
great threatening claps of thunder rolled around the darkening alien sky
and the ground beneath their feet seemed to shudder in response.
The Doctor stopped and picked up a handful of pebbles, studying them
thoughtfully. 'Interesting.'
'Precious stones?'
'Only in the archaeological sense - but in that way, they could be more
valuable than diamonds.' He looked round. 'I need a larger sample to be
certain. Ah, there we are!'
The Doctor pointed to a squarish rock, half buried in the ground. He knelt
beside it and cleared away the surrounding rubble, rubbing the lichen from
the rock's smooth surface. 'Yes, I was right - as usual!'
'How modest, Doctor.'
'See what you can make of it,' challenged the Doctor.
Romana knelt and studied the block. 'Some kind of composite material . . .
gravel in a binding of limestone and clay.'
The Doctor nodded approvingly. 'And limestone and clay make...?'
'Cement.'
'Correct! And if you add gravel you get...?'
'Concrete?'
'Congratulations, Romana, you have all the makings of a first-class navvy!
Yes, concrete, or the closest alternative this planet can produce. The
point is, it was manufactured, Romana. Manufactured.' The Doctor gestured
at the endless rocky plain around them. 'All this rock and stone, all these
fragments, all manufactured. Brick, concrete, plaster, cement, all pounded
and pulverised, reduced to rubble.' He straightened up. 'We're walking
across the remains of what was once a great city. A great city, brought to
dust. But by what?'
The only answer was another roll of thunder.








2. Underground Evil


'What about the people who lived here?' said Romana. 'What happened to
them?' She looked at the grey desolation all around them and then back at
the Doctor. 'Those tremors we felt . . . maybe they destroyed the city?'
The Doctor wasn't listening. He stood, head cocked, trying to pick up some
distant sound. Above the eerie moaning of the wind came a faint, whining,
whirring sound, as if some kind of powerful machinery was in operation some
distance away.
'You hear it?'
Romana pointed. 'It seems to be coming from over there.'
'Then that's the direction we'll take!'


Some time later, after an interminable journey across the grey stone plain,
they were standing amidst a pile of enormous concrete blocks which were
strewn haphazardly across the plain, as though some giant child had knocked
over a pile of building blocks. It was obvious that they were the scattered
and broken remains of some colossal building.
Romana said, 'Buildings this size don't just fall down. Maybe it was
earthquakes after all.'
'It was something pretty devastating. But remember the radioactivity - '
The Doctor broke off as the ground began to quake and shudder beneath their
feet. The whining of machinery had started up again. Romana said nervously,
'Well, whatever it is, it looks as if it's happening again!'
'It's pretty close now,' shouted the Doctor, and indeed it was. The sound
seemed to be coming from directly under their feet. Soon it wasn't just a
whine but a great howling scream, accompanied by a shuddering vibration
that seemed to jar every nerve in their bodies. Loose rocks rattled and
bounced on the stony ground, the concrete blocks groaned and creaked, and
the Doctor and Romana clutched each other for support. The screaming rose
to an unbearable crescendo, then suddenly, mercifully it cut off, leaving a
silence that almost seemed to hurt.
The Doctor shook his head and stuck his finger in his ears. 'Anything
broken?'
'Only my nerve! I feel as if every bone in my body has been disconnected.
That was drilling equipment, wasn't it?'
'Maybe we've struck an underground dentist! Let's get going before it
starts up again.'
They moved on past the scattered concrete blocks. Behind them the whirring
of the great underground drill had started up again, and they moved faster,
hurrying away from the shaking ground and the unbearable, bone-jarring
howl.
Eventually the sound died away behind them. The Doctor led the way round
yet another huge concrete block. Suddenly he ducked back into cover,
motioning Romana not to move.
He peered round the edge of the block, and Romana crept up to join him.
Before them was a strange and eerie sight.
Directly ahead was an open space, a kind of amphitheatre, ringed by jagged
blocks. Across this space, a weird-looking group was moving slowly and
silently towards them. There were six of them, and they were human, or at
least humanoid in form. They wore the tattered and grimy remnants of what
might once have been some kind of uniform. Strangest of all, their hair and
skin were a dead, unearthly white.
Leading the little procession was a woman, a smokily blazing torch held
above her head.
Behind her came four men, carrying a kind of crude stretcher, raised
shoulder high. A body lay on the stretcher.
Behind them came the sixth and last member of the party, another woman. She
too was carrying a blazing torch.
It was quite obvious what was happening. The scene could have been
duplicated on innumerable planets, in countless societies. The man on the
stretcher was dead, and this was his funeral procession.
In the centre of the open area the procession halted. The stretcher was
lowered reverently to the ground. The women with the torches stood
motionless at the head and feet of the corpse, while the four men began
gathering loose pieces of rubble and building a kind of long, low cairn
over the body. They worked with swift urgency, and soon the body was
completely hidden by rocks.
When the work was done, one of the women found a flat piece of stone,
scratched a few symbols on it with a piece of pointed rock, and propped it
against the head of the cairn.
For a while the two women and the four men stood grouped around the funeral
mound, heads bowed in silent communion, mourning their dead. Then they
turned and moved away into the darkness.
'Why do they leave their dead on the surface, covered with stones?'
whispered Romana. 'Why don't they bury them?'
'Adaptation to local conditions. Just you try digging a six-foot hole
through concrete rubble!'
'They were so silent, Doctor. So slow, they moved like the living dead!'
'The living dead,' repeated the Doctor softly. 'Zombies! Perhaps we've
found a planet where zombies rule.'
'Shut up!'
'Coming with me?'
'Where?'
'We want to know more about this planet, don't we? This is a chance to find
out.'
'How?'
'By examining that body.'
'Doctor, you can't...'
'Why not? Apart from one basic difference, the dead are very much like the
living.'
'Your reasoning is very logical, Doctor - but I think I'll stay here and
keep watch, if you don't mind!'
'I'd appreciate that.' The Doctor began creeping away, and then paused. 'By
the way, if you should meet one of them . . . you can always tell a genuine
zombie by its skin. It feels icy cold to the touch!'
The Doctor slipped away. Romana shivered, as if she could already feel an
icy hand upon her shoulder. It was a legend common to many planets and many
cultures, she thought: the walking dead, brought back from the grave,
usually to act as slaves for some evil sorcerer. But of course it was only
a legend - wasn't it?
The Doctor headed towards the burial mound, smiling a little guiltily to
himself. Perhaps it had been unfair to make Romana's flesh creep like that,
but her icy Time Lady composure sometimes got on his nerves. He hadn't been
able to resist the chance of shaking it just a little.
He reached the mound and began pulling away the stones, all thought of
supernatural terrors driven out by scientific curiosity. Very soon he had
uncovered the dead man's face. It was thin and wasted, hair and skin
ghastly white. He cleared more stones and uncovered the upper part of the
body. As he had suspected, the uniform proved to be an astronaut-type
coverall, its breast marked with military insignia. Gently, the Doctor
unsealed a pocket and took out a plastic wallet. He examined the contents
for a moment, and nodded thoughtfully to himself. He pocketed the wallet
and began working his way back towards Romana.
Romana, meanwhile, was sitting huddled against her rock, trying to convince
herself that the faint night sounds all around her were completely natural,
nothing at all to worry about.
She glanced back at the burial mound and saw the Doctor had gone. She
guessed he was moving back towards her, temporarily out of sight behind one
of the chunks of masonry, but his sudden disappearance was somehow
unnerving all the same.
She turned round in a slow circle, peering into the surrounding darkness.
Was that the sound of stealthy movement she could hear? 'Doctor?' she
called, nervously. 'Doctor, is that you out there?'
A white hand reached out and touched her on the shoulder...
She spun round with a gasp of terror - and saw the Doctor, who had just
appeared round the side of the giant block.
'I wish you wouldn't do that,' she said angrily.
'Sorry, did I startle you?'
'Oh no, of course not! Doctor, look at your hands!'
The Doctor looked. His hands were a ghastly white. He brushed them against
his coat, leaving a trail of fine white dust.
'Well, did you discover anything?'
He produced the plastic wallet. 'The deceased was Space Major Dal Garrant,
a combat pilot serving with the Third Galactic Fleet. Home planet, Kantra'
'Kantra? That's a tropical planet, nothing like this place at all.'
'That's right. A trifle humid for my taste, but quite attractive in its
way.'
'What's a Kantrian doing living, or rather dying, here?'
'Odd, isn't it? He died of a combination of malnutrition and exhaustion, by
the way.'
'Hardly surprising in a place like this.'
'Except that he ought to have died of radiation poisoning first,' said the
Doctor slowly. He held up his box of capsules. 'The Kantrians haven't
developed bio-technology to this level yet, so...'
Suddenly, there was a screaming roaring sound, from above not below this
time. A fierce blue light streaked rapidly through the night sky overhead.
'A space ship!' said Romana.
'That's right. And it's landing on the other side of that rise. Come on!'
They reached the top of the rise just in time to see the space ship coming
down to land. It was saucer-shaped, revolving rapidly, so that details were
obscured in a blur of spinning lights.
'Recognise the type, Romana?'
'Hard to tell under these conditions. Judging by the size and general
design, a space cruiser of intergalactic range with time warp capacity.
Possible origin Star System 4X Alpha 4.'
'Well, I haven't got my Janes Book of Space Craft with me,' said the Doctor
gravely, 'but by and large, I think I agree.'
The space ship touched the planetary surface sending up an immense cloud of
fine white dust. When the dust cleared they saw to their surprise that the
ship was still spinning - sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. When
the motion finally stopped, only a small pointed turret was left above
ground, projecting from the surface like the conning tower of a submarine.
'Interesting technique,' said the Doctor thoughtfully. 'Camouflage and
protection rolled into one!'
Romana looked at the inconspicuous mound, all that remained visible of the
huge, gleaming space ship. 'Well, for a place that looked dead to start
with, there's certainly a lot going on here.'
The Doctor grinned. 'We've probably arrived at the beginning of the tourist
season. How far away would you say that ship is?'
'Not more than a mile.'
'Just the right distance for a nice bracing walk!'
'You want to go down there?'
'It would be ungracious not to go and welcome our visitors. We can always
say we're from the Tourist Board!'
They began to descend the Slope.


If it was only a mile to the space ship, it was a very long one, thought
Romana. They plodded across the plain and somehow the ship didn't seem to
be getting any nearer.
Romana's attention was drawn to a group of massive shapes just off to their
left. At first she had thought they were more of the enormous blocks, but
as they came closer she saw that these were actual buildings, ruined and
roofless, but with the original shapes still clearly discernible. For some
reason the devastation which had overtaken the planet seemed slightly less
complete just here. She was about to suggest to the Doctor that they go and
explore them, when there was the sudden crump of an explosion.
'That sounded awfully close,' said Romana uneasily. 'What do you think it
was?'
'Sounded like some kind of land mine, or a bomb.'
There was another explosion, and then another. They were getting closer.
'Look!' screamed Romana. A line of explosions was moving rapidly across the
plain towards them, one after another, as though someone was setting off a
whole series of bombs.
'We'd better get under cover,' yelled the Doctor.
'This way!' shouted Romana, and began running towards the group of ruined
buildings.
The Doctor followed, but the explosions seemed to be chasing after them.
They dashed inside a vast, partly roofless pillared hall, and crouched down
behind a ruined wall.
The line of explosions came closer, closer...
The hall began to shudder and vibrate. Several pillars actually collapsed
and a chunk of wall fell, far too close to them for comfort. The explosions
came closer, closer still - and then passed by, disappearing in the
distance.
Romana gave a sigh of relief. 'What was all that, Doctor? Were they firing
at us from the ship?'
'I don't think so. The explosions are just a by-product. Someone's blasting
away the rubble down there, using high-impact phason drills.'
'On a ruined planet like this?'
'Apparently. And since it can hardly be the natives, that someone must be
importing some pretty powerful technology.'
One of the room's supporting pillars, broken almost in two by the
explosions, chose this precise moment to give way. It cracked, wavered and
began toppling slowly, almost majestically towards them, bringing a section
of roof down with it.
'Look out!' screamed Romana. But she was too late.
The pillar collapsed, burying them under a pile of rubble.








3. The Daleks


Romana struggled desperately to free herself. To her astonishment she found
she could manage it fairly easily. She was bruised and shaken, but she
didn't seem to be much hurt.
The Doctor had been considerably less fortunate. The lower part of the
toppling pillar had fallen across his body, pinning him to the ground. He
lay still as death, his eyes closed.
Romana struggled across to him. 'Doctor, can you hear me?'
The Doctor didn't move or speak.
Romana tried to shift the column, but it was far too heavy. She grabbed his
shoulders, trying to pull him clear. As she heaved and tugged away, the
Doctor opened his eyes and said peevishly, 'Can't a fellow get any sleep
around here?'
'Doctor, are you all right?'
'Hard to tell. I can't see most of me.' He waggled his toes. 'My
extremities seem unimpaired. No pain, but I'm being squashed. Can you take
any of the weight of the column? Maybe I could wriggle out.'
Romana tried once more to shift the column, but she couldn't move it an
inch. She examined the pile of stones around the Doctor. 'I think you're
not so much squashed, as wedged into a gap. The main weight seems to be on
this chunk of concrete here. Lucky for you, or you'd have been flattened.
I'm afraid to interfere too much in case the block shifts and the whole
pile comes down on top of you.'
The Doctor considered. 'It looks as if we're not going to move it without
help. I daresay K9 could blast me free. Do you think you could go and get
him?' The Doctor managed a smile. 'I'd go myself, but I'm detained by some
rather pressing business.'
'Yes, of course. I'll be as quick as I can. Will you be all right?'
'Who can tell?' said the Doctor ruefully. 'Who can tell? I'd appreciate it
if you'd hurry, though.'
'I'll be as quick as I can. Don't go away, will you?'
The Doctor winced. 'I rather hoped you'd resist the temptation to say that!
And remember, arrow A to the front!'
'Shan't be long.' Romana hurried off and the Doctor settled himself to
wait.
Since the upper part of his body was free and he wasn't in actual pain, he
was able to make himself reasonably comfortable. He found a suitable piece
of granite to use as a pillow, fished a copy of The Origins of the Tenth
Galaxy from his pocket and settled back to read. After a page or two, he
put down the book with a scornful laugh. 'The man's a fool. Origins of the
Tenth Galaxy indeed! Why doesn't he ask someone who was there!'


Romana retraced the journey she'd taken with the Doctor, back across the
plain with its huge scattered concrete blocks, past the open space where
they'd seen the corpse being buried - the burial mound made a useful
landmark.
The journey had been spooky enough with the Doctor, but it was doubly so
now that she was on her own. She heard the distant high-pitched whine of
underground drilling, and the distant rumble of more explosions. The night
wind howled eerily. Romana began to get the strangest impression that she
was being followed. Once she spun round and thought she saw a furtive
figure duck back into cover. She waited for a moment but the sinister shape
didn't reappear, and Romana turned and ran on.
Soon she was dashing straight ahead in blind panic, slipping and stumbling,
scrambling to her feet to continue her flight. She staggered on until she
collapsed in near exhaustion. For a moment she just lay there, too tired to
move. Wearily she got to her feet - and saw the TARDIS nestling under its
overhang just a short distance in front of her.
Joyfully she began running towards it - only to be blasted from her feet as
a sudden sequence of explosions erupted across the area between the TARDIS
and where she stood. She hugged the ground and a shower of debris rained
down on her.
At last the explosions stopped and cautiously she lifted her head. To her
relief, the ground between her and the TARDIS, although churned up by the
explosions, was easy enough to cross. But when she reached the TARDIS,
another shock was awaiting her: the explosions had dislodged the overhang,
and the police box was half buried in rubble.
The door was completely blocked.
Romana scrambled over the rock-pile and hammered on the upper part of the
TARDIS. 'K9!' she called. 'K9, can you hear me?'
There was no reply.
Romana tried to clear away the stones, but the chunks of masonry were far
too big to lift.
She scrambled down from the pile and stood wondering what to do next.
Suddenly there was a sharp buzz from inside her belt-pouch - the bleeper
the Doctor had given her. It was time to take another anti-radiation pill.
Romana began searching through the pouch - and remembered that although she
had the bleeper, the Doctor had the pills. Wearily she turned, and began
retracing her steps. She was too tired and depressed to notice the tall,
gaunt figure that was stalking her determinedly across the plain.


The Doctor took his radiation pills, and put the bottle back in his pocket.
He reminded himself that it was also time for Romana to take hers - still,
she should be back with K9 soon, and a brief delay wouldn't do her any real
harm.
Sheer boredom drove the Doctor back to his book. It had been written by a
particularly pompous Time Lord historian, someone the Doctor had never
cared for, and he was getting a certain pleasure from picking out the
book's many errors. He began reading aloud to cheer himself up. 'The
conditions on the planet Magla make it incapable of supporting any kind of
life-form. Ha! The old fool obviously doesn't realise that Magla is a life
form, an eight-thousand-mile-wide amoeba that's grown itself a crusty
shell!'
The Doctor was turning the pages in search of new errors, when he heard
footsteps. 'Welcome back, Romana. What kept you?'
There was no reply.
The Doctor looked up and saw two strangers. One male, one female, both
tall, well-built, and exceptionally handsome. Both wore simple, military-
type space coveralls. Both carried hand-blasters, which were pointing
straight at the Doctor.
The Doctor raised his hat. 'Good evening to you! Forgive me if I don't
rise.'
The two strangers didn't smile. Menacingly, they advanced towards him...


Some time later, Romana ran into the ruined chamber. 'Doctor, I couldn't
get -'
She broke off, in utter astonishment. The pillar that had pinned the Doctor
to the ground was still there, the Doctor's discarded book lay just beside
it.
The Doctor was gone.
Perhaps he had managed to free himself after all, thought Romana. Trust
him, after sending her all that way. Now he'd wandered off somewhere.
Typical!
'Doctor,' she called. 'Doctor, where are you?'
There was no reply.
She heard footsteps approaching the doorway. Her first thought was that it
must be the Doctor coming back and she moved to the doorway to meet him.
Then she hesitated. Those footsteps didn't sound like the Doctor - they
were furtive, stealthy. And if it was the Doctor, why hadn't he answered
her call?
She flattened herself against the broken wall, and waited.
A tall gaunt figure appeared in the doorway. It had white hair and white
skin, like the members of the burial party they'd seen earlier. Its sunken
eyes seemed to burn as they swept round the room.
Romana backed away, moving further and further into the darkness. Suddenly
the ground vanished beneath her feet, and with a scream she vanished into
black nothingness.
The watcher moved slowly forward and stared down the shaft into which
Romana had fallen.


Romana was sliding helplessly down the shaft. It was lined with polished
stone, and she was quite unable to stop herself moving.
At last she shot out of the shaft, fell a few more feet, and landed with a
bone-jarring thud on a hard stone floor.
For a moment she was too shocked to move. Slowly, she struggled to her
feet. She was shaken and bruised, but to her relief nothing seemed to be
broken.
She was in a stone-walled underground chamber, with no way in or out apart
from the shaft down which she had fallen. She could see the opening of the
shaft just above her head and leaped up, trying to get a grip on the edge.
But her fingers slipped on the polished stone and she fell to the ground.


In the hall above, the watcher was unwinding a coil of rope from around his
waist. He fastened one end around the base of a pillar, and began paying
out the rest, moving towards the pit...


Romana made several more attempts to get back into the shaft, but each time
her fingers slipped and she fell back. Too tired to try again, she stood
looking around her prison. There was little enough to see, just four stone
walls and the opening of the shaft, tantalisingly out of reach.
The cell began to vibrate. She could feel the walls shuddering, and hear a
high-pitched whine of machinery moving ever closer.
Cracks began to appear in the wall directly opposite. The cracks formed a
kind of arch-shape, and suddenly the entire centre of the wall seemed to
crumble inwards, leaving a great black hole.
With terrifying speed, two metallic shapes glided through the arch. They
were shaped like huge metal-studded pepper pots, they had projecting metal
arms and an eye-lens on a kind of metal stalk. They swept menacingly down
on Romana, crowding her back against the wall, hemming her in so that there
was no escape. In harsh metallic voices they screeched, 'Do not move! Do
not move or you will be exterminated! You are a prisoner of the Daleks!'








4. The Movellans


Frozen with terror, Romana obeyed the grating metallic commands. One of the
Daleks ordered, 'Scan the prisoner for concealed weapons.'
The second Dalek glided forward and swept a metal arm across Romana's body.
There was a faint buzzing sound. 'The prisoner is unarmed.'
The first Dalek said, 'At my command you will move forward. Any attempt to
escape will be severely punished. No further warning will be given. Is that
understood?'
Romana nodded dumbly.
'Is that understood?' screeched the Dalek angrily. 'Speak! Speak! Speak!'
'Yes,' shouted Romana. 'Yes, I understand!'
'The prisoner will be taken to interrogation. Follow!'
One Dalek glided through the black hole in the wall. The other held back,
waiting for Romana. Obediently she went through the hole and the Dalek
glided after her.
Hanging from his rope inside the shaft, the gaunt stranger watched them go.
When they were clear of the chamber, he began climbing back up the shaft.
The girl stranger had been taken by the Daleks. There was nothing he could
do for her now. There was nothing anyone could do.


The control room of the buried space ship was huge, brightly lit,
impressive in its functional simplicity. Looking around him, the Doctor
realised that the simple elegance of design was the product of a very high
degree of technology indeed.
Men and women were moving about the flight deck. They wore immaculate space
uniforms, they were tall, well-built and extraordinarily good-looking.
Whoever his rescuers were, thought the Doctor, they were a strikingly
attractive people.
His mind went back briefly over recent events. Once the two strangers had
registered that the pinioned, helpless Doctor was hardly a danger to them,
they had holstered their blasters and moved forward. In an astonishing
display of strength and co-ordination, they had seized hold of the pillar
between them, and lifted it sufficiently for him to scramble free.
Ignoring both his thanks and his questions, they had led him out of the
chamber, across the stony plain, and through the entrance hatch of their
buried space ship. And now here he was.
The Doctor noticed that some of the space ship crew were moving in a steady
procession to a kind of computerised dispenser. From it they took slender
silver tubes which they slotted into their belts. Tools, wondered the
Doctor, or supplies? Radiation pills perhaps, like these he was carrying
himself? Dismissing the problem, he looked up as one of the aliens came
over to him. He was tall and handsome like the rest and the insignia on his
uniform seemed to signify superior rank. He spoke in a deep, mellow voice.
'I am Commander Sharrel.' He indicated the Doctor's two rescuers who had
followed him across the control room. 'This is Lan and this is Agella. I am
glad they were able to help you.'
'Charming people, both of them,' said the Doctor politely. 'Strong, too.
They lifted that column off me as though it were a matchstick. I can't
think where they hide their muscles. I'm the Doctor, by the way.'
'All Movellan crew are in peak physical condition,' said Commander Sharrel
solemnly. 'It is an essential qualification.'
The Doctor looked at the busy scene around him. A number of the Movellans
were seated at video-consoles. They wore headphones and seemed to be
studying patterns of flickering lights running across their screens. 'And
what are they doing now? A scanning exercise, perhaps?'
Commander Sharrel smiled politely, but he did not reply.
Undaunted, the Doctor went on, 'I hate to seem inquisitive, but I could do
with a little information. What brings you to...? By the way, what is the
name of this planet?'
'You do not know where you are?'
'Well, not exactly. I had a little problem with my directional equipment.'
'I see. You made a forced landing?'
'Something of the sort.'
'I understand. This planet is listed in our Movellan star charts as D Five
Gamma Z Alpha.'
'I'm afraid that's not much help to me. I'm old-fashioned, I prefer to
stick to names. What brings you here?'
'I am sorry, Doctor. The nature of our mission must remain secret. I am
sure you will understand.'
'Oh, certainly, certainly. I just thought an exchange of information might
be mutually helpful.'
'Perhaps. Have you learned anything, since you landed?'
'Not much,' admitted the Doctor. 'I saw a man being buried though. He was
from Kantria.'
Commander Sharrel was giving nothing away. 'And are you of the opinion that
this planet is Kantria?'
'No, I know Kantria. Besides, there were a few words scratched on his
headstone . . . I understand enough Kantrian to translate them. They read
Far from his native world.'
'What else have you observed?'
'A considerable number of surface explosions. I think they must be recoil
action, from phason drills, being used deep underground.' The Doctor spread
his hands. 'That's all, I'm afraid.'
Commander Sharrel paused, exchanging glances with Lan and Agella. 'I think
there is at least one thing I can tell you without breaking security. Our
mission here is directed against a species known as the Daleks...'
'The Daleks?' The Doctor jumped up in alarm.
'They are a race of evil automatons -'
'You don't have to tell me about the Daleks. I know a great deal about them
already.'
Now it was Commander Sharrel's turn to be astonished. 'You know the
Daleks?'
'Oh, yes,' said the Doctor. 'I know the Daleks. Better than you can
possibly imagine!'


Deep beneath the surface of the ruined planet, the Daleks had set up their
base. Fresh air and daylight meant nothing to them, and an underground
setting was their natural habitat.
Romana was taken into a brightly-lit underground area with complex pieces
of scientific equipment dotted about the floor. The architecture of the
base was harsh and bleakly metallic, and it had the improvised air of the
headquarters of some kind of field expedition. Romana saw that the metal
walls held illuminated blow-ups of charts or maps, rather like
architectural drawings. Daleks bustled to and fro, scanning them, returning
to instrument consoles to study their readings.
Romana was taken to a sinister-looking machine, and directed to stand
against it. It was a skeletal metal framework, connected to a console.
There were armrests at shoulder height, and at the end of the armrests were
two glowing metal orbs.
'You will grasp the orbs,' ordered a Dalek. Apprehensively, Romana did as
she was told. She felt no pain, but a slight, electric tingle spread
through her body.
The Dalek began bombarding her with questions. Who was she? Why had she
come to the planet? Where were her companions? What were they doing now?
There were many other questions, most of which she couldn't even
understand, let alone reply to.
'Answer!' grated the Dalek. 'Answer! Answer! Answer!'
'I don't know the answers,' shouted Romana angrily. 'I don't even
understand the questions. Why don't you leave me alone?'
Her outburst produced an astonished silence. The Dalek at the controls of
the interrogation machine studied the pattern of flashing lights and
symbols on its read-out screen. 'Detector indicates truthful response.'
The Dalek in charge of the interrogation said, 'We will continue.'
Wearily Romana rubbed her hand over her eyes. The Dalek's sucker-arm seized
her wrist, forcing it back onto the globe. 'You will not remove your hands
from the sensor globes.'
The Dalek paused as if considering its approach. 'Statement. Your purpose
here was to sabotage Dalek operations. True or false?'
'I didn't even know there were any Dalek operations here,' began Romana.
'Answer,' shrieked the Dalek. 'Answer true or false. Answer! Answer!
Answer!'
'False!' yelled Romana.
'Detector indicates truthful response.'
'Statement. You are in the employ of hostile space power and have been sent
here to spy on the Daleks. True or false?'
'False, false, false!' shouted Romana. 'Now shut up and leave me alone.'
'Detector indicates truthful response. Standard basic interrogation now
complete.' There were whirrs and clicks and flashing lights from the
console.
'Report analysis of responses.'
'Analysis indicates subject in category nine.'
'Category nine subjects represent no threat to Dalek security. The prisoner
will leave interrogation machine.'
Thankfully, Romana let go of the glowing globes. 'Does that mean I can go?'
'As a humanoid, you are a useful low-grade work unit. You have no other
value. You will be given anti-radiation treatment, and assigned to the
labour force.'
'What are you talking about? I'm not going to be in any labour force.'
'You will obey all Dalek commands instantly. You will complete your daily
work schedule. Do this, and you will be allowed to live. Fail, and you will
be exterminated.'
The Daleks gathered round Romana in a menacing circle.
'Obey all Dalek commands.'
'Obey instantly.'
'Obey without question!'
The harsh metallic voices rose in terrifying chorus. 'Obey! Obey! Obey!
Obey! Obey!'
Romana clapped her hands over her ears, but the grating voices could not be
shut out.
'Obey the Daleks! Obey! Obey! Obey!'


'Commander Sharrel, please, you must believe me. It's vital that you tell
me what you know about the Dalek mission on this planet. I've had
considerable experience of their methods. I'm sure I can help you, but
first I must know why they're here.'
'Doctor, that is exactly what I need to know myself - ' Commander Sharrel
broke off as Agella hurried up to him. 'Yes, what is it?'
'Excuse me, Commander, but the perimeter patrol has picked someone up. He
was wandering about, close to the ship. Do you want to see him?'
'Bring him in at once.'
Two Movellans entered, bringing a strange figure between them. He was tall
and gaunt with white face and white hair, and he wore the tattered remnants
of some kind of space uniform. He looked dazedly around at the
technological neatness of his surroundings, the brightly-lit instrument
panels, the smartly uniformed Movellans with their brisk, disciplined
movements. As his eyes took all this in, some long-buried memory seemed to
stir deep within him.
He came to a halt in front of Commander Sharrel and straightened up in a
pitiful attempt to come to attention.
Commander Sharrel said, 'Report, please. Name, rank, planet of origin and
fleet attachment. What is your purpose on this planet?'
In a hoarse, weary voice, the newcomer said, 'Starship Engineer Tyssan,
sir. Serving with the Deep Space Fleet out of Planet Earth. I was captured
two years ago...' His voice faltered and began to waver. Feebly he went on,
'Since then, I have been a prisoner of the Daleks...'
The effort of making a proper military report had been too much for
Engineer Tyssan. He staggered and toppled to the ground, falling stiffly
like a cut-down tree.
The Doctor sprang forward, catching him and lowering him to the floor. He
knelt to examine the unconscious man.
'What's the matter with him?' demanded Sharrel.
'Oh, nothing much! Malnutrition, exhaustion, a dose of radiation
poisoning.' The Doctor looked up, his face bleak. 'Put more simply he's
been half starved, kept in inhuman conditions, and worked almost to death.
He was telling you the truth, Commander. He's been a prisoner of the
Daleks!'








5. Slaves of the Daleks


Romana was taken to an enormous underground cavern, formed by the meeting
point of a number of tunnels. It was piled high with rubble, produced by
Dalek drilling operations.
Human and humanoid prisoners were piling this rubble into baskets, then
tipping the baskets into huge metal skips and trundling them away. All the
workers were gaunt and ragged, all had clothes, hair and skin covered with
white dust. They looked like a crowd of weary ghosts. Dalek guards glided
constantly to and fro.
A Dalek thrust Romana into the cavern. 'Work!' Its sucker arm indicated a
pile of empty baskets. Romana picked up a basket and joined the others.
She worked in silence for a while, waiting until the Dalek guard had moved
away. Then she edged towards the other prisoners. A man and a girl were
working together quite close to her, and Romana moved over to join them.
'My name's Romana. What's yours?'
The girl said quietly, 'Veldan. This is Jall.'
'How long have the Daleks been holding you prisoner?'
Veldan rubbed a hand across her dust-smeared face. 'It seems like forever.'
'How did they capture you?'
'Raided our colony on Sirrian. Took about fifty of us.'
'What about you, Jall?'
'I was a passenger on a space shuttle. The Daleks attacked and scooped up
the lot of us. Crew, passengers, everybody.'
'You were captured in different places, but you both ended up here?'
'They put us on a prison ship in deep space first. Hundreds of us crammed
into metal cells. Life expectancy's pretty short. Then they picked about
fifty of us and sent us here.' Jail laughed bitterly. 'We thought we were
lucky - thought we might be able to escape. A lot of us have died since
then.'
'Why can't you escape? I saw some kind of burial party earlier - it wasn't
even guarded.'
It was Veldan who answered. 'For a start, there's nowhere to escape to. The
whole planet seems to be in ruins, no food, no water, nothing. Without the
radiation pills the Daleks hand out, you die in a matter of days. And every
time somebody runs off, the Daleks kill some of us. Escape plans aren't
very popular any more.'
Romana looked around the crowd of toiling captives. 'The Daleks brought you
all here just for this? Why don't they just use machines?'
'They've got machines, huge ones to do the drilling,' said Jall. 'But for
this kind of clearing up operation there's nothing as adaptable as a
humanoid.'
'Cheap, expendable, easily replaced,' said Veldan bitterly. 'Whenever they
die off you just go and capture some more.'
'Maybe the Daleks enjoy subjugating humanoid races,' said Romana
thoughtfully. 'After all, they used to be humanoid themselves once...'
'How do you know so much about them?'
Before Romana could reply, a Dalek guard moved closer. 'Silence! You will
remain silent at all times!'
Jail and Veldan began tossing rocks into their basket, and Romana did the
same. She had been working for only a few moments when a wave of giddiness
came over her, and she had to stop.
'Are you all right?' whispered Veldan.
'Still feeling a bit shaky. I got a big dose of radiation before I was
captured, and I don't think it's worn off yet. I'll be all right soon. The
Daleks gave me some pills...'
Rallying herself, Romana went on working. 'Listen you two, I've got to get
away from here. Are you interested?'
'Forget it,' said Jall coldly. 'I've told you what happens if anyone tries
to escape. Do you want to get innocent people killed?'
Before Romana could reply, another wave of giddiness swept over her, and
she slumped forward over her basket.
Veldan and Jall moved to help her, but a Dalek guard drove them off. 'Keep
away!'
'She's ill,' protested Veldan.
'Keep away.' The Dalek glided up to Romana, training its gun-stick on her
body. 'Continue your work. Those unfit for work will be exterminated!'
With a mighty effort Romana struggled to her knees and began throwing
chunks of rock into the metal basket. 'It's all right,' she muttered. 'I'll
be all right.'
The Dalek watched her for a moment longer, and then went away.
Romana worked as slowly as she dared, eyes moving about the cavern,
checking the position of the Dalek guards. If she waited till she felt a
little stronger and then made a run for one of the tunnels...
Veldan edged closer. 'Romana, you've got to forget about escaping. Believe
me, the only way you get out of here is when you're dead.'
Romana stared at her, the girl's words echoing in her mind. 'The only way
you get out of here is when you're dead...'


The escaped prisoner Tyssan had been given medical attention, water and
food. Conscious again, though still very weak, he was talking to Commander
Sharrel and the Doctor, doing his best to answer their questions.
'Do you have any idea what the Daleks are mining for?' asked the Doctor.
'None at all,' said Tyssan wearily. 'They don't take prisoners into their
confidence.'
'How did you manage to escape?' asked Commander Sharrel.
'I was on a work party - I just collapsed. I was in a pretty bad way by
then, they must have thought I was dead. When I woke up there were no Dalek
guards around. They'd just left me. I managed to steal some food and water
and make my way to the surface. Not that it did me much good.'
'Continue.'
Tyssan nodded towards the Doctor. 'Well, I'd been on the run for a couple
of days and I spotted you and the girl.'
'Why didn't you speak to us?'
'I think I must have been a bit delirious by then. I was frightened, I
didn't know who you were, what sort of reception I'd get. I followed you
for a while, lost you, and then picked up the girl again. I tried to speak
to her but she ran away, fell into a kind of shaft in one of the ruins.'
'Was she hurt? Why didn't you help her?'
'I tried . . . I went down the shaft after her, but I was too late, the
Daleks got her.'
The Doctor jumped up. 'What? Are you sure of that?'
'Certain. I saw them take her away.'
Immediately, the Doctor started making plans. 'Presumably they'll want to
interrogate her, find out where she came from. Tyssan, I've got to get into
the Dalek base. Can you show me a way in?'
'I think so,' said Tyssan hesitantly. 'But you'd be taking a tremendous
risk.'
'I'm used to that! Can you do it, Tyssan? Will you help me?'
The Doctor's energy and enthusiasm were infectious, and Tyssan said, 'All
right, I'll try.'
'Splendid! Come on, we must get started right away!'
As the Doctor headed for the door, Commander Sharrel snapped, 'Just a
minute, Doctor.'
The Doctor turned.
Commander Sharrel said, 'You may need some help. We'll go with you. Agella,
go and draw some weapons.'
Moving with the calm deliberation of all the Movellans, Agella headed for
the door, pausing by the computer-rack to take one of the little silver
tubes and slot it into her belt.
'Please, hurry,' said the Doctor impatiently.
Ignoring him, Agella went calmly on her way.


In the cavern everything was quiet. Cowed and weary prisoners worked
silently on their endless tasks. The Dalek guards glided menacingly to and
fro.
Suddenly Romana staggered to her feet, took a few stumbling paces forward,
and then pitched headlong to the ground.
Veldan went to help her, but a Dalek guard chased her away. 'Leave the
prisoner. Return to your work.'
'But she's ill...'
'Return to your work!'
Reluctantly Veldan obeyed. The Dalek glided closer to Romana and moved its
'sucker', in reality a sensitive scanning device, across her body. 'There
is no respiration, no heartbeat. This prisoner is dead.'
The Dalek turned away.
'You can't just leave her there,' shouted Jall. 'At least let us bury her.'
The Dalek swung round, menacing him with its gun. 'The prisoner is dead.
You will be permitted to dispose of her when the work cycle is complete.
Return to your work. You will obey!'
Jall obeyed.


Tyssan climbed cautiously down the rope into the shaft. The chamber was
empty now. In the far wall was the gaping hole drilled by the Daleks.
Tyssan dropped down into the chamber and called up the shaft. 'It's all
clear. Come on!'
The Doctor slid down the rope, followed by Agella, Lan and Commander
Sharrel.
Tyssan pointed. 'The Daleks came through there, so there must be a way
through to their workings.' He shivered at the thought of the hell from
which he had so recently escaped.
The Doctor noticed his reaction. 'You've done enough by showing us the way
in, Tyssan. Believe me, I'm more than grateful. There's no need for you to
take any more chances. Why don't you go back to the Movellan ship? They'll
look after you.'
Tyssan looked tempted, but he shook his head. 'I'll stay, I've got nothing
to lose. Ever since they brought me here, I've had a premonition I was
going to die on Skaro.'
'Skaro? Are you telling me this is Skaro? The planet where the Daleks first
originated?'
'Of course, Doctor. Didn't you know?'
The Doctor looked at Commander Sharrel. 'Is he right?'
'We believe so, Doctor.'
The Doctor shook his head wonderingly. 'So, the Daleks have returned to
Skaro, to the place of their creation. I should have known...'
'If your navigation instruments weren't working, you couldn't know.'
'I'm not talking about instruments. The aura of evil, the feeling that I'd
been here before... I should have trusted my instincts.'
The Doctor rose and stared into the darkness beyond the hole. 'Why? Why are
they burrowing in the ruins of their city. For what?'
He broke off, his eyes widening. 'No,' he whispered. 'No, it couldn't be.
It would be too fantastic, even for the Daleks...'
'What would?' demanded Commander Sharrel.
The Doctor shrugged. 'Just a wild theory. There's probably nothing in it.
Anyway, we'll find the answers we want in Dalek control.' He led them
through the archway.


In the Dalek control area, Dalek technicians were moving about instrument
consoles, working with quiet efficiency. A Dalek engineer glided in through
an archway, and came up to the Dalek leader.
'Vertical drill three is in position.'
'Penetration to lower levels will commence immediately. Order that drilling
is to continue until penetration is complete.'
'I obey.'
There was a sudden bleeping from a nearby control panel, and the Dalek
leader turned to the technician at the controls. 'Report!'
'Security sensors detect unauthorised movement in sector seven.'
'Despatch units four and six to investigate.'
'I obey!'
The technician moved to a communications circuit, and sent a rapid signal.
From the nearby security section, two Daleks set off in search of the
intruders.








6. Escape


The Doctor and his party moved cautiously along a newly-dug tunnel, picking
their way over the chunks of rock that littered the floor.
Tyssan brought them to a halt by a narrow cleft. 'About a thousand yards
along there, that side tunnel connects with the main shaft to the control
area. It's the way I escaped myself.'
Commander Sharrel said, 'Lan, you will stay here and cover this exit. We
may need to leave this place in a hurry.'
'Sir!' Lan stood to one side, and Commander Sharrel, the Doctor, Tyssan and
Agella disappeared into the blackness of the tunnel. Lan was left alone.
Drawing his blaster, he waited, poised and alert. The handsome, regular
features showed not the slightest trace of fear . . . no trace of any
emotion at all.


In the main cavern, a siren shattered the gloomy silence, and the prisoners
collapsed thankfully beside their baskets. Now they would be given
radiation pills, just enough food and drink to keep them alive, and allowed
a few hours' exhausted sleep in the caves that served as dormitories,
before the harsh voices of the Daleks awoke them, and drove them out to
further toil.
'Work schedule now completed,' announced a Dalek guard unnecessarily.
'Prisoners will return to detention area.' It moved over to the crumpled
body of Romana, which had lain motionless and ignored since her collapse.
'Remove the body and dispose of it.  Surface burial will be permitted.'
Two prisoners came forward with a rough wooden stretcher, and rolled
Romana's body on to it.
'Help them.'
Two more prisoners came forward. The four of them hoisted the stretcher on
to their shoulders and carried Romana's body away.


The Dalek leader saw a light flash on his monitoring console. He touched a
control with his sucker-arm. 'Report.'
'Investigation of intruder in section seven so far without result.'
'Proceed with search and widen boundaries of search area. Advise me
immediately of any results.'
'We obey.'
The Dalek moved away. The control area was left empty - but not for long.
The Doctor appeared at one of the entrances, looked round, then beckoned
his companions onward. Commander Sharrel, Agella and Tyssan crept into the
area after him. The little group stood looking about them.
'Well, Doctor, what now?' asked Commander Sharrel.
'Oh, we'll just poke about a bit,' said the Doctor vaguely. 'Never know
what you'll find till you look.'
Commander Sharrel said, 'Agella, you cover the main entrance.'
Agella moved away to stand guard, and the others began their
investigations.
The Doctor wandered around inquisitively, apparently fascinated by
everything he saw. He opened a heavy metal cabinet and found it full of
racks upon which lay stubby metal cylinders with timers set into their
heads. 'Well, well,' said the Doctor. 'What have we here?'
Tyssan came over to him. 'Bombs, Doctor. Explosive charges with timers.
Immensely powerful, too. They use them in the excavations.'
The Doctor nodded, and one of the bombs vanished into his capacious pocket.
He moved on.
His eye was caught by the illuminated charts, and he crossed over to study
them. 'Now this might tell us something. Interesting . . . very interesting
indeed!'
Commander Sharrel came over to him. 'What are they, Doctor?'
'They seem to be plans of the old Kaled City.'
'Kaled?'
'Dalek, in another form. It would take too long to explain.' He pointed to
the chart. 'This is the first underground level, where we are now. And
here's the second. Presumably they've already penetrated at least that
far.' He moved his finger down the chart. 'And here's level three...
presumably this mark here represents their objective.' The Doctor pointed
to a cross enclosed by a little circle.
'If that is their objective, what does the mark represent?'
'I have a very uneasy feeling about that,' said the Doctor, brooding. 'I
wonder why the fourth level isn't marked?'
'The originals of these charts must be very old,' suggested Tyssan.
'Perhaps the plans for the fourth level were lost?'
'Possibly so. That would explain why they're drilling downwards. If only
they knew it, they could reach the point they're after far more easily by
gaining access to the fourth level and drilling upwards.'
The Doctor fished a pencil stub and a scrap of paper from his pocket and
began drawing a rough map. 'Keep watch for me, will you, Tyssan? If this is
the only plan of the city they've got, then there are quite a few things
about this city that they don't know - and I do!'


Lan sensed movement further along the tunnel and ducked into the cleft,
pressing himself against the wall.
A Dalek was moving along the main tunnel. It came closer . . . closer, and
glided past, apparently without seeing him.
Lan waited a moment longer, then stepped into the tunnel, looking along it
in the direction in which the Dalek had disappeared.
He heard a faint sound behind him and whirled round. A second Dalek had
come silently up behind him. Lan raised his blaster, but before he could
fire, the Dalek's gun-stick blazed. Lan writhed and twisted in the bright
glow of the energy-discharge, and crumpled to the ground.
The first Dalek came back along the tunnel, and the two squat metallic
shapes stared down at the motionless body.
The first Dalek said, 'Advise control. Intruder has been located and
exterminated.'


A steady bleep came from the communications console. The Doctor and his
companions looked up in alarm. Surely the noise would summon a Dalek. At
the same moment Agella called, 'Daleks, coming this way.
'We'd better get out of here,' said the Doctor. He ran to the door by which
they'd entered, then skidded to a halt. 'There's one coming this way too!
Get under cover!'
All four ducked down behind a massive bank of equipment.
Two Daleks glided into the room, one through each entrance. The Dalek
leader went over to answer the still bleeping console. 'Report!'
'Intruder located and exterminated. We are returning to control!'
The Doctor whispered, 'The place will be crawling with them in a minute.
Let's make a run for it.'
He signalled to the others, who nodded assent. 'Now!' shouted the Doctor,
and jumping from cover, he sprinted for the exit.
The Daleks reacted instantly, swinging round and opening fire. But by now
the Doctor was already tearing along the corridor, the others at his heels.
From the control area behind them came the roar of Dalek blasters, and the
shriek of angry Dalek voices. 'Alert! Alert! Intruders in control area.
They must be found and exterminated!'
The Doctor and his group pelted down the main shaft and along the side
tunnel, heading for the narrow cleft through which they'd entered. As they
reached it, the Doctor stumbled over a huddled shape on the ground. Agella
looked down. 'It is Lan,' she said emotionlessly.
'Let me have a look at him,' said the Doctor. 'Maybe I can help, I'm a
doctor.'
With surprising strength, Agella held him back. 'No, Doctor. He is dead.'
'How can you be sure? At least let me look at him...'
Now Commander Sharrel moved to block his way. 'We are Movellans, Doctor. It
is not permitted for aliens to see the bodies of our dead. It is against
our code of honour...'
Commander Sharrel looked back down the tunnel. 'We must keep moving. The
Daleks cannot be far behind us.'
The Doctor and Tyssan were politely but firmly urged past Lan's body. Only
when they had both passed it, did the two Movellans follow them.
'What was all that about, Doctor?' muttered Tyssan.
'I don't know. But it would be terribly interesting to find out, wouldn't
it?'
They hurried on their way, stumbling down the rubble-strewn tunnel back to
the underground chamber, where Tyssan's rope still dangled from the shaft.
'Up you go,' said the Doctor. 'Hurry!'
Tyssan began to climb, then hesitated. 'What about the girl, your friend?
We were going to rescue her.'
'Don't worry, we'll find her,' said the Doctor confidently. 'We haven't
finished here yet.'
Tyssan vanished up the shaft, and the Doctor waved to the Movellans to go
next. 'After you.'
'No, Doctor, after you,' said Commander Sharrel evenly.
'How kind!'
The Doctor shinned nimbly up the rope, and the Movellans followed.
Three Daleks glided down the tunnel, past Lan's huddled body and through
the archway into the underground chamber.
Guns blazing, they raked the chamber with a deadly burst of fire. But the
chamber was empty. They moved across the room and directed their fire up
the shaft...
There was a slithering sound and a coil of rope slid down the shaft and
dropped in front of them. The Doctor's voice floated down. 'Think you're
the most superior race in the Universe, don't you? Well, just try climbing
up after us!'
The Dalek patrol leader said, 'Guard this position. We shall report to
control.'
Two of the Daleks moved away. The third stayed at the bottom of the shaft,
eye-stalk peering upwards for the enemies it could no longer reach.
The Doctor, Tyssan and the two surviving Movellans hurried out of the
ruined building and across the plain. As they reached the open space, the
Doctor paused in sudden horror. The burial mound he had investigated was
still there. Now there was a second mound beside it.
A terrible fear came into the Doctor's mind. 'Oh no! Not Romana!'
Feverishly he began pulling rocks away from the mound.








7. The Secret of the Daleks


The Doctor worked frantically, desperate to uncover the body, dreading what
he might find - and realised that there was no body, just a hollow space in
the centre of the mound.
A voice behind him said, 'Looking for somebody, Doctor?'
The Doctor turned. Romana was standing beside him, tired and ill-looking,
covered with the ever-present grey dust, but unmistakably alive.
The Doctor jumped up and gave her a hug of welcome. 'Romana! Do you know,
for a moment I thought...'
' - that it was my burial mound? Well, it was, actually! The only way to
escape from the Daleks was to die, so that's what I did! Luckily they
didn't realise I was from Gallifrey.'
The Doctor patted her on the back. 'Good girl!'
By now the others had come up and the Doctor introduced Romana. 'What's
being from Gallifrey got to do with dying and coming to life again?'
demanded Tyssan.
'I was taught at school how to suspend my breathing and stop my hearts.'
'Hearts? How many have you got then?'
'Two! One for everyday, and one for best!'
The Doctor had taken his map from his pocket and was studying it
absorbedly. Suddenly he dashed towards a ruined building.
'Doctor, where are you going?' called Romana.
'Dalek hunting,' said the Doctor grimly, and disappeared inside the
building.
When the others caught up with him he was heaving at a pile of rubble in
the far corner of the room. 'If I'm right, there should be a shaftway that
the Daleks don't know about leading straight down to the bottom level.'
They helped him to pull away the rocks, and a few minutes' hard work
revealed a rusty iron door. The Doctor grabbed the handle and heaved. With
a protesting, rusty creak the door swung open.
'There,' said the Doctor triumphantly. 'Now, if the Daleks are looking for
what I think they're looking for, we've got a chance to get there first!'
He turned to the two Movellans. 'No need for us all to go. Why don't you
two go back to your ship and wait for us?'
Commander Sharrel considered this with his usual calm deliberation. 'No. I
will go back to the ship - I may be needed. Agella will go with you. We are
just as anxious to find what the Daleks are looking for as you are, Doctor.
Stay in touch, Agella.'
The Movellan girl nodded gravely. 'Of course, Commander.'
Commander Sharrel turned and strode unhurriedly away.
'Wait a moment,' said Tyssan. 'We'll need this.' He produced a resin torch
from a hiding place in the corner, and lit it with a flame-device from his
pouch. 'I brought this with me when I escaped.'
'Come on then,' said the Doctor, and led the way through the door, and down
the steeply descending passageway beyond.
It was a long and tiring journey, down and down into the ruined catacombs
of the deepest level of the city. The flickering light of the torch showed
them long crumbling corridors, littered with rubble and festooned with
cobwebs. They passed gloomy cellars and storage areas, rusting power plants
filled with long-silent machines. Often their way was blocked by rockfalls
and they had to set to work to clear a passage for themselves.
After they had forced their way through the latest of these obstacles, the
Doctor sat down on a chunk of masonry and mopped his brow. 'We're nearly
there now. We can afford to rest for a minute or two.'
Wearily the others all sat down. All except Agella, who seemed as fresh and
untired as when they had set off. Romana noticed enviously that she wasn't
even out of breath.
'Are you sure you know where we're going, Doctor?' asked Tyssan. 'How did
you know how to get down to this level?'
'Call it local knowledge - gained a very long time ago. I made a study of
this city once. Romana, isn't it time you took some more of those pills?'
'I've already had six,' protested Romana. 'I'm all right now, Doctor,
honestly.'
'Well, I hope so. You gave me a nasty turn up there. You and your burial
mound!'
Romana smiled, rather pleased that the Doctor had been so concerned for
her.
Suddenly they heard the familiar sound of drilling. It seemed to come from
somewhere above them, somewhere very close.
'They've started up again,' said the Doctor. 'We may not have much time.'
'What are we looking for?' asked Romana.
'The same thing as the Daleks.'
'And what's that?'
'I'll tell you when I'm sure. Frankly, I almost hope I'm wrong.' The Doctor
sighed. 'Unfortunately, I very seldom am. This way!' Picking up the torch,
he led them into the darkness.


The Dalek leader swung round as a guard came into control. 'Report!'
'Combat units continuing extensive search. No result as yet.'
'Hostiles must be located. Order all patrols. Seek, locate, exterminate!'
'I obey.'
The guard moved away, and a Dalek engineer came forward.
Again the Dalek leader grated, 'Report!'
'Drilling has recommenced. Computer predicts penetration into objective
area now imminent.'
The Dalek leader turned to the communications technician. 'Advise Space
Fleet Command that our mission is almost complete.' The Dalek leader moved
over to the map, focusing its eye-stalk on the sign that marked the
objective - a cross enclosed in a circle.


The Doctor led the way into yet another underground chamber. It was huge
and cavernous, littered with rubble and thick with cobwebs. Time-rusted
instrument banks stood around the room. It looked as if the place might
have been a laboratory, or perhaps some kind of command centre.
The Doctor held up the torch and looked round. 'Unless I'm mistaken, what
we're looking for should be somewhere around here.'
He moved over to a corner which seemed to be walled off by an incredibly
dense curtain of spider's web.
The Doctor parted the web with his hands, tearing aside the clinging folds.
'Yes, just as I thought.'
'What is it, Doctor?' asked Romana.
The Doctor held up the torch.
Romana saw a man, slumped back in a kind of elaborate wheelchair. Or at
least, something that had once been a man. The withered old body was
wrapped in a high-collared plastic coverall, and surrounded by what looked
like an astonishing variety of life-support systems. Only one hand was
visible, a withered claw poised over a set of controls built into the wide
arm of the chair.
The face was the most horrifying thing of all. Parchment-thin skin clung to
a shrivelled skull, the eyes were sunken pits, the mouth a thin, cruel
gash. Wires and plastic tubes formed a helmet-like arrangement suspended
over the head. Even in life, the man could have been only barely alive,
thought Romana. Lungs, heart, speech, hearing, sight - everything must have
been mechanically or electronically aided. The creature was more machine
than man.
The others crowded forward to look.
'Who was it?' whispered Agella.
'Davros. The evil genius who first created the Daleks.'
'He created the Daleks? A humanoid?'
'Yes - and I could have stopped him.'
'You? How could you?' said Tyssan in astonishment. 'This - thing's been
dead for centuries.'
'I know. Curious the tricks that time can play.'
Agella said, 'And that is what the Daleks are looking for? This humanoid,
their creator. But why? What do they need - ?'
There was a rumble, a roaring crash, and Agella vanished beneath a pile of
rubble. A huge chunk of ceiling had caved in directly on top of her. When
the dust cleared Agella had almost completely disappeared. Only one hand
could still be seen, jutting pathetically from a huge pile of rocks.
Coughing and choking, the Doctor hurried over, grasping the hand in a vain
attempt to pull her free.
Suddenly he stopped, examining the hand in astonishment. 'So, that's
why...' he muttered.
There was more rumbling, the hole in the ceiling widened and rocks and
loose rubble rained down upon them.
'It's the Daleks,' shouted Tyssan. 'They're breaking through.'
The Doctor, Romana and Tyssan peered upwards through the dust-filled air.
They failed to notice that something was happening to the figure in the
chair behind them.
The slumped body suddenly became more erect.
The fingers flexed, scrabbling on the arm of the chair.
The head lifted, the mouth writhed and the eyes opened. Davros was coming
to life.








8. The Prisoner


They heard a creak of movement, and turned.
Davros, now fully alive again, was edging towards them in his wheelchair.
He spoke in a voice dry and creaking from long disuse. 'So, the long
darkness has ended, the eternity of waiting has finished. The resurrection
has come as I always knew it would.'
'You must forgive me if I seem less than overjoyed by your revival,' said
the Doctor dryly. 'Frankly, I'd rather hoped that you were dead.'
'Dead?' said Davros scornfully. 'Gods do not die! Mark this moment in your
minds . . . In all the history of the Universe, this instant of time is
unique. Davros lives!'
'I can see your long rest has done nothing to cure your megalomania,' began
the Doctor.
A tremendous rumbling crash from the darkness behind them interrupted him.
There was a roar of falling masonry, and a sudden silence. 'They've stopped
drilling,' whispered Tyssan.
The Doctor said, 'Yes - so they've probably broken through!'


The Dalek leader was waiting impatiently for news. One of his aides glided
forward. 'Entry to level four has now been cleared.'
'Excellent. All units will proceed to area four immediately. Anti-
gravitational discs will be issued.'
'I obey.'


From all over the base, Daleks converged upon level four. Floating down
through the gap from level three on their eerily silent anti-grav discs,
the advance patrol reached the spot they had been seeking for so long -
Davros's underground control room.
It was empty.
The patrol leader said, 'Charts indicate objective located in this precise
position. Scan the area.'
The Daleks began sweeping to and fro, and soon one of them reported,
'Surface disturbance. Humanoid footprints!' The Daleks scanned the floor
with their incredibly sensitive eye-lenses. In the thick dust of the floor,
they registered footprints leading away, beside them the wheel-marks of
Davros's chair.
'Follow!' ordered the patrol leader. 'Follow! Follow! Follow!'
The other Daleks hurried away. The patrol leader signalled, 'All units full
alert. Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!'


The Doctor led the way rapidly along a gloomy corridor, his torch held
high. He seemed to have an unerring sense of direction, and took one
turning after another without hesitation. Tyssan and Romana hurried after
him, pushing Davros's chair between them. Romana realised that the Doctor
was simply taking the corridors that seemed to slope upwards, concerned
only to get them to the surface.
Davros didn't seem to be enjoying the trip. 'You will release me,' he
screeched. 'You will return me to the Daleks.'
'You be quiet or I'll switch you off,' warned the Doctor. They hurried on.
They reached a junction, the Doctor turned left, and suddenly stopped. A
patrol of Daleks was gliding past the other end of the corridor.
'Back this way,' he whispered, and they turned in the other direction.
The nightmare journey went on and on. They roamed through the endless
corridors heading always for the surface. Eventually, they found a long
ramp which wound around and around, in a rapidly ascending spiral. 'Up we
go,' said the Doctor, and leant a hand with Davros's chair.
It was agonising work heaving the chair up the steep incline but they
struggled on, passing first one and then another exit from the ramp. 'That
was the third and second level,' grunted the Doctor. 'The next should be
first.'
The spiral ramp ended at last, opening out into a long corridor. The Doctor
bustled them along it. 'We should be on the surface level by now. All we
need to do is find a way out.'
The corridor led into a hallway and at the end of the hall was a set of
rusting iron doors, partly blocked by rubble. The doors were warped and
twisted with age, and just above the top of them was a gleam of daylight.
'You keep watch behind us, Tyssan. Come on, Romana, let's try to clear that
doorway.'
The Doctor studied the pile of rubble. 'Most of it seems to be supported by
this beam here. If we can shift that...' He shoved hard on the beam which
seemed to shift a little. 'Come on, Romana, give me a hand.'
They put their shoulders to the beam and shoved. 'It's going,' said the
Doctor exultantly. 'It's shifting...'
A final heave and the beam came free. The pile of rubble collapsed in a
cloud of dust. Unfortunately, the vibration disturbed an already weakened
ceiling, and an even bigger pile of rubble thundered down, burying the
remains of the first - and blocking the door completely.
'I'm afraid we didn't do that very well,' said the Doctor sadly.
Tyssan came running back towards them. 'Daleks - at the other end of the
corridor.'
'We seem to be boxed in,' said the Doctor thoughtfully. He looked round.
'It's too exposed here. Let's get under cover.'
The only cover available was a small room, set just to one side of the
blocked gates, and the Doctor led them into it.
The room was small and bare. The buckled metal door had fallen from rusted
hinges and lay just to one side of the doorway. The only useful feature was
a long narrow transom window set high in the far wall. Daylight shone
through shattered panes of glass.
'See if you can prop that door back up,' ordered the Doctor. 'Try and make
some kind of barricade.' He climbed on a pile of rubble and peered through
the window.
Ahead of him stretched the usual Skaro landscape, an endless rubble-strewn
plain, broken up by scattered clumps of ruined buildings.
The Doctor jumped down and went to help Romana and Tyssan. Between them
they managed to heave the door back into place, propping it up with a kind
of rough wall, built from broken masonry.
Davros looked on from his chair with a disdainful sneer.
Romana straightened up, and rubbed her aching back. 'Well, that's the best
we can manage, Doctor - and it wouldn't keep out a determined mouse.'
'It will have to do,' said the Doctor grimly. 'Now listen to me carefully
you two. I want you both to get out through that window and make your way
to the Movellan space ship. Tell them to organise a force and mount an
attack at this point. It's vital that we get Davros away from here before
the Daleks find him.'
'What about you?'
The Doctor looked at the long narrow window. 'Well, I could get out but
we'd never get him through.' He nodded towards Davros. 'I'll just have to
stay here and see the Daleks don't get him.'
'We can't just leave you here,' protested Romana.
'Your loyalty is very touching,' said the Doctor briskly, 'but not very
practical. Just do as I say, please.' Romana opened her mouth to argue and
the Doctor said, 'If there's one thing I hate it's people who use age and
rank to enforce their will - so don't make me do it! No more arguments,
please!'
The Doctor nodded to Tyssan who climbed up the rubble and began squeezing
carefully through the narrow gap.
'All right, Doctor,' said Romana. 'Have it your own way. We'll be as quick
as we can. Don't take unnecessary chances, will you?'
'Only necessary ones,' promised the Doctor solemnly. 'If the Daleks don't
bother me, I won't bother them. Now, off you go!'
He helped Romana up the pile. She squeezed through the window and dropped
to the ground below, where Tyssan was waiting.
With a farewell wave at the window, Tyssan and Romana turned and hurried
away.
The Doctor climbed the pile and watched them vanish into the distance.
He jumped down, and peered through the gap in the barricade. The hall
beyond was silent and deserted.
He turned back to Davros. 'Well, now we have a little time to ourselves, I
can fill you in on some of the more important events that have taken place
during the centuries you've been resting. Now let me see... Earth won the
Intergalactic Olympic Games . . . Betelguese came to a close second. The
economy of Algol is in a terrible state, galloping inflation, you know...'
The harsh rusty voice of Davros cut across the Doctor's flow of chatter.
'Do you really believe your puny efforts can change the course of my
destiny?'
'Let's just say that I hope to tamper with it a little.'
The Doctor fished in his pocket, and produced the stubby explosive
canister. He fished out his sonic screwdriver, and began dismantling the
cylinder, like a man doing some minor task just to pass the time.
Davros launched into a long ranting speech. 'Destiny, Doctor. Destiny!
Irrevocable, predetermined events. Power that fore-ordains more power. My
power. My invincibility. My supreme plan to control the Universe.'
'Yes, yes, I've heard all that before,' said the Doctor patiently. 'Now do
keep quiet, there's a good chap. I've got a tricky little job on here and I
need to concentrate.'
But there was no hope of stopping Davros now. Deprived of an audience for
centuries, he was making the most of this opportunity.
'The errors of the past will be rectified. I will add new design elements
to the Dalek circuitry. Points that are now vulnerable will be made
invulnerable. The Daleks will be armed with new, more powerful weapons, so
devastating that all will succumb to them. I will equip them with computer
circuits that will hold all the knowledge of the Universe. I will -'
The Doctor looked up. 'Why bother? The Daleks can do all that perfectly
well for themselves.'
'I am their creator. The Daleks need me!'
'The Daleks outgrew their need for you centuries ago. You'd already given
them everything they needed, the potential to develop, to grow in evil.
That's why they turned on you, left you for dead.' He looked thoughtfully
at Davros. 'So why have they come back here for you now, eh? What special
circumstances have made the Daleks think they need your help again?'
Davros had nothing to say.


Commander Sharrel sat in his chair, studying a flow of images across a
screen. He saw the tunnels, the pursuing Daleks . . . and he saw Davros.
The last image in the sequence was of an obliterating shower of rubble and
the screen went blank. The images had been transmitted through Agella's
eyes.
Sharrel addressed his crew. 'The Daleks have gained their objective.'
The picture of Davros appeared on the screen. 'Name: Davros. History:
creator of the Dalek species, humanoid, crippled, dependent on
sophisticated life-support system, possibly mutant through massive
overdoses of radiation. These data will now be processed so that future
strategy may be determined.'


A Dalek scout moved cautiously across the hall. The trail was wide,
impossible to lose. Humanoid footprints and the wheel-marks of Davros's
chair.
The tracks led straight to a door, which appeared to be blocked by some
kind of barricade.
The Dalek waited. From beyond the barricade it could hear the low drone of
voices.
Switching its aural circuits to maximum receptivity, the Dalek slid
forward.
It listened for a moment longer, then turned and moved swiftly away.
The objective had been found.


Tyssan and Romana hurried swiftly across the plain. 'How much longer?'
gasped Romana.
Tyssan paused. 'Well, if I've got my bearings correctly, the Movellan ship
should be just on the other side of the rise. Not long now.'
They moved on, to a point where the rough track they were following skirted
the side of a ruined building. Tyssan peered round the corner and came to a
sudden halt. 'Daleks! Two of them guarding the path.'
'What do we do now?'
'Well, we could go back, work our way round the bottom of the rise.'
'How long would it take?'
Tyssan shrugged. 'Hard to say. Put another hour on the journey, maybe
more.'
Romana thought of the Doctor, alone behind the flimsy barricade, trying to
guard his captive from the eagerly searching Daleks. 'We can't afford any
delay. It's only a matter of time before the Daleks find the Doctor. We've
got to get help to him as soon as we can.'
Tyssan said, 'All right. You see those ruins?' He pointed to a half-
destroyed building just to one side of the track. 'You get under cover.
I'll let the Daleks see me, and try to lead them away.'
'I can't let you, Tyssan. It's too dangerous.'
'There's no alternative, is there? As you said yourself, we can't afford
the delay. If I manage to get away from them, I'll follow you to the ship
as soon as I can.'
Romana nodded, accepting Tyssan's logic. 'Good luck,' she said and ran to
the ruins. She watched Tyssan walk boldly around the corner of the building
and stand waiting. Presumably he was now in full view of the Daleks, though
Romana couldn't see them from her hiding place. For a long moment, nothing
happened...
Tyssan stood watching the two Daleks as they patrolled up and down. His
mind was full of his own gloomy prophecy, that he was destined to die on
Skaro.
The nearest Dalek suddenly spotted Tyssan. Its gun-arm came up, and a chunk
of wall close to his head exploded in flames.
Tyssan turned and ran.
With appalling speed, the Daleks glided after him, firing as they came.








9. The Hostages


Tyssan weaved and ducked as he ran. All around him the rocky ground
exploded in great bursts of smoke and flame.
Romana saw him flash past, the two Daleks close behind him, their gun-
sticks blazing.
Tyssan tripped and fell, disappearing behind a boulder. A Dalek scored a
direct hit, and the boulder exploded in smoke and flame. Somehow Tyssan
managed to scramble to his feet and keep on running.
He bounded down the slope in enormous strides, and the Daleks sped after
him.
Romana jumped out of her hiding place and began running frantically for the
Movellan ship.


The Doctor finished his work on the canister, and returned the sonic
screwdriver to his pocket. 'There, that should do nicely.'
Davros's curiosity overcame him. 'What is the purpose of that device,
Doctor?'
'Life insurance! Now, what shall we talk about to pass the time?'
'Your approaching and inevitable destruction?'
'No. We had that conversation the last time we met. I'm more interested in
your survival than my destruction. I saw you destroyed, the Daleks blasted
you from point blank range.'
There was satisfaction in Davros's voice. 'I had suspected the possibility
of treachery for some time, and I had prepared a shielding-device. Its
circuits were burnt out by blaster fire, but it served its purpose. Even
so, there was damage to my primary life-support system. Secondary and back-
up circuits switched on immediately. Synthetic tissue regeneration took
place automatically, while bodily organs were held in suspension.'
The Doctor shook his head, marvelling at the lunatic ingenuity with which
Davros had ensured his own survival. 'You know, I'd say you've really
outstayed your welcome in a big way! Talk about not taking a hint!'
'Until the universal supremacy of the Daleks is fully established, I cannot
permit myself the luxury of death,' said Davros grandly. 'It is, however, a
luxury I shall take the greatest pleasure in bestowing on you, Doctor.'
'What a splendidly generous chap you are!'
An almost wistful note came into Davros's voice. 'Since my entombment, I
have had no knowledge of the advancement of my Daleks. Tell me, Doctor,
they have achieved much?'
'Oh, yes,' said the Doctor grimly. 'They've spread havoc and destruction
throughout the ten galaxies, destroyed countless innocent lives. They're
like the viruses that carry plague and pestilence. Your Daleks are no
better than annoying little bugs, Davros. One day they'll be stamped out
altogether.'
Davros smiled. 'As yet, you have seen only the beginning! Now I have
returned, the Dalek campaign of conquest will begin in earnest. I have
slept, but now I have awakened, and soon the Universe will be sorry.'
'You're misquoting poor old Napoleon,' said the Doctor scornfully. 'Remind
me to tell you what happened to him some time.
Davros went ranting on. 'Armed with new technology, we shall conquer and
destroy...'
The Doctor lost patience. 'Oh, shut up, Davros! Just you sit and do a bit
of silent brooding, there's a good fellow.'
Davros fell silent, a malignant smile on his lips. The Doctor's nerve was
beginning to crack.
The Doctor jumped up to look out of the window. The plain was empty, no
sign of the Movellans, blasters in their hands, dashing to the rescue like
the US Cavalry. Come to think of it, the Doctor was beginning to feel
uncomfortably like General Custer. Impatient chap, Custer, never listened
to his warnings...
The Doctor's rambling reflections were interrupted by a colossal explosion.
The centre of his barricade disintegrated in smoke and flame.
The Daleks had arrived.
The Doctor leaped to one side of the door, flattening himself against the
wall, and peered cautiously through the clouds of smoke.
A line of Daleks was assembled in front of the door. Their leader glided
forward. 'You will move out into the open. If you fail to obey in five
seconds, you will be exterminated.' The Dalek began to count. 'One...
two... three...'
The Doctor shot across the room and crouched down behind Davros's chair.
The Dalek voice came through the doorway. 'Four...'
'I should stop the countdown right there if I were you,' yelled the Doctor.
He shook the chair a little. 'Tell them what I've got here, Davros. Tell
them!'
'He is holding a primed explosive device,' called Davros.
'That's right,' shouted the Doctor. 'One move and it's going off, right
down the back of his chair. It will turn Davros and his life support
systems into so much scrap metal. Now, back away, all of you.'
'Do as he says,' called Davros. 'He seeks only to buy a little time.'
There was a long pause. Then the Dalek leader grated, 'We obey.'
The line of Daleks receded, but not very far.
The Doctor heaved a sigh of relief. 'This, I believe, is what is known on
the planet Earth as a Mexican stand-off.'
'Only for the moment,' said Davros calmly. 'How long do you think you can
sustain your advantage alone and against such odds?'
'Wouldn't you like to know,' said the Doctor mockingly.
He sneaked a quick glance up at the transom and muttered, 'Come to that,
wouldn't I like to know?'
The waiting continued, and the seconds creaked slowly by.


Romana struggled up to the Movellan space ship, slipped past the sentry at
the ramp, hurried into the control room, and promptly collapsed.
Commander Sharrel came hurrying over, and two of his crew lifted Romana on
to a couch.
'What is it? What happened?'
'The Doctor needs help. He's hiding out in a small room in the City...'
Romana broke off as she saw the picture of Davros on the screen. 'Where did
you get that? How can you know about Davros already?'
'We have our methods,' said Commander Sharrel impassively. He turned to a
crewman. 'Get an armed patrol together immediately. Set off as soon as
you're ready to move out.'
Members of the crew began taking blasters from wall-racks and assembling by
the exit ramp.
Romana tried to get up. 'I must go with them.'
Commander Sharrel pressed her back in her chair. 'No, you must rest. You
have done your part. We shall take care of things now.'
'Thank you,' said Romana weakly. She slumped back in her chair. 'You'll
hurry though, won't you? The Doctor is in great danger.'
'Tell my crewmen where to find him,' said Commander Sharrel, and Romana
gave directions to the place where the Doctor was hiding. Commander Sharrel
gave orders, and the patrol moved out.
Romana was fascinated by the picture of Davros. Commander Sharrel caught
the direction of her glance. He leaned forward and switched off the screen.


The Doctor, crouched down behind Davros's chair, was getting cramp. The
Daleks had been silent for some time, though the Doctor had heard a bustle
of movement, shouted orders and strangely enough, what sounded like human
voices.
Suddenly the voice of the Dalek leader blared out. 'Attention! Attention!
The action we are about to take is your responsibility. It will continue
until you agree to total surrender.'
'Action? What action?' thought the Doctor irritably. Did they mean they
were going to open fire again? And in that case, why bother to warn him? He
shifted position, raising his head so that he could see through the gap in
the ruined barricade. A little group of slave workers was huddled just to
one side of the door, guarded by a ring of Daleks.
The Dalek leader pointed. 'You come forward.'
A prisoner was thrust forward to stand in front of the door.
'Exterminate!' Two of the Dalek guards opened fire. The prisoner twisted in
the glow of their weapons, and then fell dead to the ground. Another
prisoner was thrust forward. 'Exterminate!'
The Daleks fired again, and the second man died like the first.
A third prisoner was thrust forward, this time a young girl.
The Doctor jumped up. 'Stop!' he shouted. 'Stop it!'
The Dalek leader moved forward. 'Do you agree to surrender?'
'I'll agree to let you have Davros - but only under my conditions.'
'State them.'
'All slave workers are to be released immediately, and allowed to leave the
city.'
'Continue.'
'Nobody will enter this room until I'm away and clear.'
'Unacceptable. Exterminations will continue.' The guards trained their
weapons on the prisoner.
'Wait,' shouted the Doctor. 'One more killing and I'll detonate the charge.
If you kill another prisoner, then I'll kill Davros.'
The Dalek considered. 'Logic unacceptable. Detonation of device would also
destroy you.'
'I know that - and I don't care. You hadn't foreseen that one, had you?'
'Self-sacrifice - illogical, therefore impossible,' said the Dalek leader.
'Exterminations will continue.'
The Doctor raised the bomb.
'Agree!' shrieked Davros. 'Agree to his terms. He will do what he says. He
is humanoid. Their logic is impaired by irrational sentiment. Agree to his
terms. I, Davros, command it!'
There was another long pause.
Then came the voice of the Dalek leader. 'We obey.'
The Doctor peered over the barricade. He saw the Dalek guards draw back,
and the astonished prisoners urged away. Scarcely able to believe their
luck, they turned and ran.
The Dalek leader called, 'The prisoners have been released.'
The Doctor stood up. 'All right. I still need some time to get clear.' He
wedged the explosive canister down the back of the chair, and then held his
sonic screwdriver in front of Davros. 'I told you that bomb was my life
insurance. I've adapted it so it can be detonated by remote control. All I
have to do is press this switch and - boom!'
'You need not elaborate, Doctor.'
'Just as long as you understand.' The Doctor climbed up to the window. 'I'd
like to say it has been nice to renew old acquaintance, but I'm afraid...'
'We'll meet again, Doctor,' called Davros, 'never doubt it - we'll meet
again.'
The Doctor disappeared through the window.
Davros began scrabbling frantically for the bomb, with his one good arm. He
was unable to reach it. He headed his chair towards the doorway, rushing to
meet the advancing Daleks. 'The explosive! Remove it! Quickly - the Doctor
will detonate! Remove the bomb!'
The Doctor sprinted across the plain, pausing when he was a safe distance
away. He looked back at the building he had left.
He looked at his sonic screwdriver, as if troubled by the action he must
take.
The Doctor sighed. He had hesitated once before, at a time when he could
have destroyed the Daleks before their creation, simply by touching the two
wires that would complete an explosive circuit. Who knows what horrors he
had unleashed upon the Universe? The Daleks were stronger now and more
numerous, and with Davros to help them . . . He must not hesitate again.
The Doctor pressed the switch.








10. The Bait


Davros shot out into the hallway. 'Remove the canister,' he shrieked.
'Remove the canister. It is wedged at the back of my chair!'
Two Daleks came forward. Under Davros's frenzied directions, they managed
to locate the canister with their sucker-arms and remove it.
'Away!' shouted Davros. 'Remove the canister immediately!'
Obediently the two Dalek guards moved to the far end of the long hall, the
canister held between them.
At that moment, the Doctor pressed the switch. There was an intense,
localised explosion. Both Daleks burst into flame.
From the other end of the hall, Davros watched them burn. He turned his
chair towards the Dalek leader. 'Come, there is much to be done. You must
tell me of all the Dalek victories that have been won whilst I have slept .
. . and of all the defeats. I shall learn from your mistakes. The Daleks
shall be made into perfect creatures, they will be invincible. The Daleks
will rule the Universe.'
Followed by his retinue of Daleks, Davros glided away.
No one spared a glance for the two sacrificed Daleks, burning at the end of
the hall.
Davros lived. That was all that mattered.


Romana sat talking to Commander Sharrel, who was showing a flattering
interest in her account of the Doctor's history and accomplishments.
'I don't suppose there's anyone living who knows more about the Daleks than
the Doctor. He's studied them for years, he knows how they work, how they
act, how they think. But then, of course, he's an absolute genius at
robotics...' Romana stopped herself, thinking it was just as well the
Doctor wasn't there. He was quite conceited enough already. 'We can't just
sit here talking. What's happening to that patrol of yours?'
'When they find him they will report. There is no news yet.'
Romana stood up. 'I think I'll go and see if I can help. Perhaps they
haven't been able to find him.'
Commander Sharrel took her arm and pushed her gently back in her seat. 'No.
You will be safer here.'
'I don't care about being safe. I want to know what's happened to the
Doctor.'
'You will stay here.'
There was something menacing in the flat, calm voice, and suddenly Romana
was frightened. 'Get your hands off me! I'm leaving - now!'
She jumped to her feet and managed to pull free of his grip. Two Movellans
appeared behind her, and Commander Sharrel snapped, 'Hold her.'
Romana swung round, looked at the faces of the Movellans, and caught her
breath in horror.
Lan and Agella were standing before her. Lan had been blasted down by the
Daleks, Agella had died under a crushing rock fall. But they were here,
both of them.
Romana backed away. 'You're dead,' she whispered. 'You were killed...'
Agella took Romana's arm, touched the muzzle of her gun to her neck and
fired. There was an electronic buzz, and Romana fell to the ground.
'I used emission level three, Commander,' said Agella calmly.
'Consciousness will not return for some time.'
'Good. Now, listen to me both of you. Up till now, our aim has been simply
to discover the objective of the Daleks in coming to this planet. Whatever
that objective was, our intention was to take it from the Daleks, in the
hope that it would be of equal value to us.' Commander Sharrel paused. 'Now
we know that the objective is Davros - and Davros will never agree to serve
the Movellans. Davros is useless to us, and our aim must simply be to
destroy him.' He turned to Lan. 'You will prepare the Nova Device for
surface testing. We will use it to destroy this planet - as soon as we have
secured our new objective.'
Agella was puzzled. 'But if our objective is not Davros...'
Commander Sharrel switched on the read-out screen. A new picture replaced
Davros on the screen, the picture of a tall man with a long scarf; and a
battered wide-brimmed hat jammed on to a tangle of curly hair.
'There is our new objective,' said Commander Sharrel. 'The Doctor!'


Unaware of this flattering demand for his services, the Doctor was lying
perfectly still in an uncomfortably narrow rocky crevice, hoping two
patrolling Daleks would pass by him.
His position was complicated by the fact that one of Skaro's nastier life-
forms was crawling up his arm. It was a pulsating green blob, a kind of
land-jellyfish, and the Doctor was hoping very hard that it wasn't
carnivorous. As it inched its way along his arm towards his shoulder, the
Doctor wondered how long he was going to be able to keep still if it
reached his face.
The blob surmounted the Doctor's shoulder, and headed for his ear - just as
the two Daleks disappeared from sight behind some ruins. The Doctor leaped
to his feet, scooped the creature from his shoulder, and dropped it gently
back into the crevice.
'There you go, old chap,' murmured the Doctor. 'Some kind of Kaled mutant
species presumably . . . and the Daleks were originally mutated Kaleds
themselves!' He tipped his hat to the blob, which was crawling rapidly back
into its crevice. 'Thank you very much, my dear chap. I think you've just
told me why the Daleks need Davros!'
A shadow fell over the Doctor. Someone had crept quietly up behind him.
The Doctor spun round in alarm - and smiled, as he saw Tyssan looking down
at him. He jumped to his feet and held out his hand. 'Tyssan! What are you
doing here?'
'Looking for you, amongst other things.' Tyssan gave a brief account of his
escape with Romana, and of the way he'd drawn off the Daleks. 'I managed to
get away from them in the end. I've been trying to work my way back to the
space ship. It's dangerous to move around though, there are Dalek patrols
everywhere.'
'So I've noticed,' said the Doctor ruefully. 'We seem to have stirred them
up rather, don't we?'
'I ran into some of the freed prisoners. They told me what you'd done for
them, and they're very grateful.'
'Where are they now?'
'In hiding, most of them. They've managed to steal some supplies. If I
could get hold of some decent weapons, we could turn them into some kind of
fighting force.'
'That could be useful. Maybe you'd better take me to see them -'
A metallic, grating voice interrupted them. 'Stay where you are.'
The Doctor and Tyssan turned.
A Dalek was behind them covering them with its gun-arm at point blank
range.
'You will turn and walk ahead of me. If you attempt to escape you will be
exterminated. Move!'
The Doctor and Tyssan looked at each other, gauging the chances of
resistance.
'Move!' screeched the Dalek. It was obvious that it would blast them at the
slightest excuse.
The Doctor shrugged, and both men started walking towards the Dalek.
Suddenly there was the roar of a heavy blaster from somewhere above them.
The Dalek exploded like a roman candle, sending up a fountain of flame.
The Doctor looked upwards. A Movellan stood on a rock, overlooking the
track, blaster in hand.
The Movellan jumped down, and came towards them. 'That was very decent of
you,' said the Doctor. 'We really are awfully grateful...' The Movellan's
blaster was aimed straight at the Doctor.
'You will accompany me to the space craft.'
'All in good time, old chap. I've some people to see first.'
'That was not a request, Doctor, it was an order. Move.'
'I seem to be in considerable demand today!'
The Doctor walked up to the Movellan, then suddenly stumbled on a piece of
rock. He fell against the Movellan, grabbed at him to steady himself - and
snatched the shining metal tube from the Movellan's belt.
The Movellan staggered and dropped his gun. His movements became slow and
uncoordinated. He flailed helplessly about and then collapsed.
For a moment he lay twitching on the ground, like a beetle on its back,
then lay still.
Tyssan looked on in astonishment. 'What's happening, Doctor? Why have the
Movellans suddenly turned against you?'
'I'm not all that sure they were ever for me. Let's take a look at this
chap. If my theory is correct...'
The Doctor knelt beside the Movellan and opened his tunic. He gave a grunt
of satisfaction. 'Just as I thought. Look!' Tyssan stared in amazement. The
Movellan's chest seemed to be made not of flesh and blood but of metal. The
Doctor slid back a panel to reveal a metal cavity packed with electronic
circuitry. 'A robot race, you see. Not so very different from the Daleks.
You know, there's a way we could find the Movellans very useful.' The
Doctor opened out the silver tube and studied the circuits within. 'Take a
look at this, Tyssan...'


Not far away, a small party of Movellans was setting up a scientific
device. It consisted of a small metal box with controls set into the lid.
The box was being inserted into a transparent container, rather like a
giant test-tube.
Lan checked that the device was properly seated and then fastened the
seals.
He addressed the other crew members. 'Most of you are not yet familiar with
the Nova Device. It is one of the latest triumphs of Movellan technology. I
shall explain its operation. The Device changes the molecular structure of
planetary atmosphere, rendering the very air flammable. The molecules are
ignited by a small but intense explosion, and a chain reaction is set up.'
Lan paused impressively. 'We are about to test the Device within a
protective shield. If we were to detonate without that shield, as we shall
do once we have left this planet, the entire surface atmosphere would burst
into flame, reducing the whole planet to a blazing cinder.'
He flicked a control in the base of the Device. 'Stand back.'
The Movellans withdrew and waited.
A few seconds later, a blinding white flash filled the interior of the
plastic shielding. The container gave out a blaze of white-hot light, too
powerful for the naked eye to look at. Lan nodded in satisfaction. The
Device had functioned perfectly.


Agella looked up from a communications console. 'Lan reports that the Nova
Device is ready.'
'That is excellent news,' said Commander Sharrel. 'Unfortunately, our
patrols have not yet succeeded in finding the Doctor. The patrol sent to
rescue him found that he had already gone. They were forced to fall back
under heavy Dalek attack. In addition, another crewman has vanished. We
need some way to force the Doctor out into the open.' He looked at Romana,
unconscious in her chair. 'And I think I know how that can be done...'


The Doctor decided he would go to the Movellan space ship after all, not as
a prisoner, but of his own free will. Whatever the true nature of the
Movellans, he was still allied to them by mutual opposition to the Daleks.
The Doctor reckoned it ought to be possible to come to some kind of
agreement. After all, he had nothing against robots...
The Doctor and Tyssan came over the rise that led to the Movellan space
ship, and stopped in amazement.
The Nova Device had been set up just in front of them. Romana was inside
the protective casing, the detonating box at her feet.
The Doctor ran up to the Device. He wasn't entirely sure of its purpose,
but it was clear enough that the box was some kind of bomb. He could even
see a timing device ticking away the seconds in the lid. If there was an
explosion in that confined space Romana would be atomised.
The Doctor wrenched at the base of the shield-container, trying to open it,
but it was firmly sealed. 'I can't move it,' he groaned. 'I can't move it!'
Through the casing, he could see the timer continuing its countdown.
There seemed to be less than thirty seconds left.








11. Stalemate


The Doctor fought desperately to free Romana from the Nova Device, his
hands slipping on the smooth transparent material. Something cold touched
his neck, there was an electronic buzz and he fell back unconscious.
Commander Sharrel and Agella stood looking down at him.
There was a whirr and a click from the Nova Device as the timer reached its
limit. But that was all - this time there was no contained explosion.
Commander Sharrel frowned. 'A malfunction, Agella?'
'No, Commander. I did not arm the Device. Since our purpose was simply to
trap the Doctor, it did not appear necessary.'
'Very well. Bring them back to the ship.'
Tyssan watched from hiding as Movellan crewman carried the Doctor, the Nova
Device and the imprisoned Romana back towards their ship.


Davros was installed king-like in the control area, surrounded by his court
of deferential Daleks.
'Advise Dalek central control that I require immediate transportation from
this planet.'
The Dalek leader said, 'That has been done already. A deep space cruiser is
on its way.'
'When will it reach Skaro?'
'Estimated arrival time, six planetary hours.'
'Six hours?' screamed Davros. 'Too long. Every moment we stay on Skaro we
are vulnerable to Movellan attack. How many Daleks remain fully
operational?'
'Seven.'
Davros sighed despairingly. 'Seven! They will remain in a state of full
alert until I am on board the cruiser and safely away in space, is that
understood?'
'It shall be as you command.'
'My safety, my survival, are your primary concern now. You will make any
sacrifice required in order to protect me!'
'We obey.'
'Very well. Now, I need to be briefed on the logistics and status of the
Dalek battle fleet, and on the latest moves in this war with the
Movellans.'
'We have a computersphere containing all available information. It was
prepared for the Supreme Dalek.'
'Supreme Dalek?' sneered Davros. 'That is a title and status that I shall
dispute when the time comes. I created the Daleks! I shall decide their
destiny. I am Supreme Commander, is that clear?'
Tonelessly the Dalek leader said, 'It is understood. You will be obeyed.'
'Excellent! Now, fetch the computersphere and then leave me.'
A Dalek glided forward with a glowing transparent sphere mounted on a
mobile stand. The sphere was brought close to Davros's chair and at an
impatient wave of his hand, the Daleks moved away.
Davros produced an extension lead, and plugged it into the sphere, which
glowed and hummed.
He lay back in his chair, absorbing the flood of data.


Agella marched up to Commander Sharrel. 'Chargers are operating at full
capacity, power-sources now running up. We will have launch capability in
precisely thirty-two minutes.'
'Commence lift-off countdown!'
The Doctor and Romana, both still unconscious, were propped up in chairs
nearby. Exhibiting his usual extraordinary powers of recovery, the Doctor
opened his eyes and groaned.
Commander Sharrel glanced briefly at him, and then turned to Lan. 'Is the
Nova Device now re-set?'
'Yes, Commander.'
'It will be safer if the Device is operated manually. If we rely on the
timing device, we cannot be certain that the Daleks will not find and de-
activate it. The Device must be guarded until the last possible moment.
Unfortunately, the one left behind will be destroyed when he operates the
Device. It is wasteful, but necessary. That will be your function, Lan.'
Lan accepted his death sentence calmly. 'Yes, Commander.'
'Take the Nova Device to the designated location. Report when you are in
position. You will detonate the Device when you receive my signal.'
'Yes, Commander!' Lan lifted the Nova Device, lighter now without its
protective shield, and marched away.
The Doctor sat up and rubbed his neck. 'You know, one would be deeply moved
by such bravery and self-sacrifice - if one didn't know he was programmed
for it and couldn't act any other way.'
'Welcome back, Doctor,' said Commander Sharrel.
'To the land of the living? It's hardly that, is it? A race of robots
fighting a race of semi-robots. I knew the Universe was done for the moment
they invented the washing machine.'
The Doctor leaned over to Romana and slapped her face gently. She twisted
her head to and fro and groaned.
'Have no fear, Doctor, she will soon recover,' said Commander Sharrel
indifferently. 'Tell me, when did you first realise that we were robotic?'
'I suspected it when you wouldn't let me see Lan's body. I was sure when
the roof fell on Agella here. One hand was sticking out of the rubble. I
took a look at it and saw it was regenerating itself. Humans don't mend
that quickly.'
'That is so,' agreed Commander Sharrel. 'Disfunction, what humanoids call
death, only occurs in us as a result of massive circuitry disturbances. We
are infinitely superior to humanoids.'
'Are you now? Well, that depends on your criteria, doesn't it?'
'We function with complete logicality,' said Sharrel proudly.
'Which is why you'll never defeat the Daleks!' said the Doctor
triumphantly. 'Let me demonstrate. Romana, we're going to play a game.'
'We are, Doctor?' said Romana muzzily.
The Doctor moved his chair closer to hers. 'We are. Feeling better?'
'Yes, Doctor.'
'Good. Now you remember that old Earth game I taught you?'


Davros unplugged himself from the computersphere and looked at the Daleks,
who were hovering at a respectful distance. 'At last the Daleks have met a
foe worthy of their powers. The Movellans, a race of robots!'
The Dalek leader moved forward. 'Dalek superiority will ultimately triumph.
The Movellans will be exterminated.'
'Yet according to this report, you have been fighting them for centuries,
and still you are not victorious. Two gigantic computerised battle fleets,
manoeuvring in deep space. Thousands of galactic battle cruisers, vying
with each other for position - for centuries - and scarcely a shot fired.'
'We shall not attack until we reach the moment of maximum advantage.'
Davros laughed sardonically. 'And neither will they! That moment will never
come, for either of you. You have reached a logical impasse.'
'You will re-programme our battle computers. The Movellans will be
exterminated!'
Davros's thin-lipped mouth twitched in the shadow of a smile. 'So - that is
why you have returned to Skaro, to find your creator!'


'Paper,' said the Doctor, and held out an open hand.
At the same moment Romana said, 'Stone,' and held out a fist.
'Paper wraps stone,' said the Doctor triumphantly. 'I win. Again!
Scissors!'
'Stone! Stone blunts scissors!' said Romana. 'I win, Doctor.'
The Doctor turned to the astonished Movellans. 'Supposing we were two
battle computers, each trying to outmanoeuvre the other, like you and the
Daleks. Go on, you try it.'
'I do not see the purpose of this, Doctor.'
'Try it!'
Sharrel and Agella sat down to play the game. Both spoke at once. 'Stone!'
The game was a draw.
'Try again!'
At exactly the same time, both said, 'Scissors.'
They tried a third time. 'Paper!'
'And again!'
This time both snapped, 'Stone!'
'You see,' said the Doctor triumphantly. 'Romana and I have individual
minds. Occasionally there's a draw, but mostly one or other of us wins. But
you two are robots, and your minds follow logical paths - the same paths.
So you get a draw every time. The Daleks are as good as robots too, and the
same thing happens when you try to outguess them.' The Doctor laughed. 'Two
of the greatest battle fleets in the Universe, caught in a logical
stalemate. It sounds to me as if you've discovered the perfect formula for
everlasting peace. Congratulations!'
Commander Sharrel slammed his fist upon a console. 'Our objective is not
peace, Doctor. It is victory! The total destruction of the Dalek fleet!'
Savagely he mimed the action of scissors cutting paper. 'Our battle
computers must have some new element programmed into them, some advantage,
however small, that will tip the balance in our favour.'
'That's what the Daleks want, too. That's why they came back to Skaro - to
reactivate Davros.'
'We suspected something of the sort. When one Dalek scout ship broke away
from the main fleet, we followed it here. It was our good fortune that we
encountered you, Doctor. Romana has told us of your history, your skills.
When we rejoin our fleet, you will re-programme our battle computers.'
'Oh, I will, will I?' said the Doctor indignantly.
'The Dalek fleet will be wiped out. Nothing will stand in the way of the
Movellan conquest of the galaxy.'
'You sound just as bad as the Daleks,' said Romana. 'If not worse!'
The Doctor stood up. 'There's something you seem to have overlooked. Even
if I were willing to help you change the balance of power - which I'm not,
incidentally - then Davros would be attempting to do exactly the same thing
for the Daleks. The man may be raving mad, but he is a fully paid up
genius, and his computer skills are almost as great as mine.'
Romana smiled. 'You're too modest, Doctor.'
'I know. It's always been one of my most endearing features!'
'The problem will not arise,' said Commander Sharrel confidently. 'The
moment we are in space, the Nova Device will be detonated, and this planet
will fry in its own atmosphere. Davros will finally be destroyed!'
The Doctor stared at him in horror. 'But there are still dozens of Dalek
prisoners on that planet. What about them?'
Commander Sharrel turned away. 'I am sorry, Doctor. In war some sacrifices
are unavoidable.'


Lan sat in a rocky hollow, the Nova Device beside him, waiting patiently
for the signal that would destroy a planet and end his own existence. He
heard the rattle of a stone and jumped up. 'Who's there?'
There was no answer. Then he heard a groan.
Blaster in hand, Lan made his way towards the sound. On the other side of
the rocks he saw Tyssan sprawled out across the path. He knelt to examine
him - and another slave worker appeared in the rocks above him.
Lan whirled round, raising his blaster. Tyssan came to life, jumping up and
snatching the silver tube from Lan's belt. Lan staggered about jerkily for
a moment or two, and then collapsed.
Tyssan slipped the cover from the silver tube, revealing a mass of printed
micro-circuits. Before his capture, Tyssan had been a very fine engineer,
and robotics had been one of his specialities. He produced tools from a
tattered pouch at his belt and set to work. 'Here, and here, I think,' he
muttered. 'And if I reverse this circuit here...' He worked for a while
longer, put the tube together again, and advanced on the prostrate Lan.
'Now let's see if the Doctor was right!'


An aide was delivering a report to the Dalek leader. 'Surface scanners
indicate Movellan ship preparing for launch. Estimated lift-off time,
twenty-one minutes. Audio scanners have detected non-Movellan voices inside
space vehicle. Computers identify voice prints as Doctor and companion.'
Davros said agitatedly, 'The Doctor! The Movellans must be prevented from
escaping at all costs. The Doctor could programme Movellan battle computers
as well as I could yours. He would counteract any advantage I could gain
for you. The Movellans must be stopped.'
The Dalek leader said, 'Present strength will not permit open attack. Only
seven Dalek units still operational.'
Davros's withered hand clenched and unclenched. 'The Movellan ship must be
destroyed - at whatever cost!'
'Available fire-power will be ineffective against Movellan hull.'
'Then we must manufacture more fire-power!' Davros began wheeling up and
down the control centre, ranging about restlessly as his mind grappled with
the problem. He reached the rack that held the explosives and halted his
chair. 'Wait! I have it! Unpack the explosives!'








12. Suicide Squad


The Movellan crew were busy with preparations for blast-off - all except
the crewman who had been left to guard the Doctor and Romana, and a second
guard by the door.
The two prisoners were engaged in a desultory game of 'Scissors cut paper'.
'Scissors,' said Romana, triumphantly cutting the Doctor's paper. 'You're
cutting it a bit fine aren't you, Doctor? Isn't it time we got out of
here?'
'Yes,' said the Doctor gloomily. 'Trouble is, I haven't the faintest idea
how to go about it!'
'Well, do something - anything!'
'All right. Be ready to make a dash for it when I give the signal.' The
Doctor rose and took a step towards Commander Sharrel. 'Excuse me,
Commander.'
The guard put the muzzle of his blaster to the Doctor's neck. Hurriedly the
Doctor sat down again.
'What happened to your plan?' whispered Romana.
'It never really got off the ground!'
'Well, we will, if you don't get a move on!'
Romana held out her hand. 'Paper!'
'Jelly baby,' said the Doctor and dropped a jelly baby into her hand.
Romana looked at it in amazement. 'Jelly baby?'
The Doctor grinned. 'Unpredictability! In other words, humanoids catch
robot!'
They saw Agella move across to Commander Sharrel. 'Excuse me, Commander,
I've just checked Lan's communication circuit, and he doesn't answer.'
Commander Sharrel frowned. 'It is vital that we stay in touch with him.
You'd better go and check up.'
'Immediately, Commander.'
Agella moved away, and Commander Sharrel returned his attention to the
flight deck. 'Commence launch programme.'
'Launch programme commencing - now!'


Agella came down the ship's ramp and saw a silver tube lying on the ground.
(Although she didn't know it, this was the tube the Doctor had taken from
the Movellan who had tried to capture him earlier.)
Puzzled, Agella bent to pick it up, but as she straightened up her arms
were pinioned from behind. She struggled wildly, but despite her enormous
robotic strength, her captor held her powerless. Agella opened her mouth to
shout, but a hand came up and clamped over her mouth. With unbelieving
horror, Agella saw that it was a robotic hand like her own. She was being
attacked by another Movellan.
Tyssan darted from behind a rock, and snatched the silver tube from
Agella's belt. Her captor released her, and she staggered a few paces and
collapsed. 'Well done, Lan,' said Tyssan, and patted the Movellan on the
back. He opened Agella's silver tube and began making rapid adjustments to
the circuits.
Lan looked on with calm approval.
A ragged group began to appear from over the rise - Dalek slave workers,
ready to fight for their freedom.
Patiently, they waited for Tyssan to finish his task.


Davros addressed the six Daleks ranged in a semicircle before him. 'Now,
understand me clearly. You will not deviate from your task, no matter what
the provocation.'
He surveyed the group. Each Dalek wore a kind of harness, a belt loaded
with a double row of the canister bombs. Each of the six Daleks was now a
mobile bomb of colossal power.
Davros went on. 'Let no opposition halt you. When you reach the Movellan
ship, position yourself as close as possible to the hull. Then signal your
arrival to me here.'
Davros paused impressively. 'Remember, the sacrifice you make now will
ensure total and overwhelming Dalek victory in the war with the Movellans.
Now go, and carry out your orders.'
The Daleks moved away. Only one Dalek was left in control now: the Dalek
leader had been spared to act as Davros's bodyguard. All the rest were
doomed, willing sacrifices to Davros's plan.
'Overwhelming Dalek victory,' repeated Davros to himself. 'Then I shall
lead them on to still greater conquests. I will lead - and they will
follow!'
Davros's head fell to his chest and he lay slumped in his chair, dreaming
of never-ending Dalek victories.


The door had been left open when Agella went out. The Doctor glanced up and
was delighted to see Tyssan standing in the doorway. Tyssan put a finger to
his lips and pointed to the Movellan who stood close to the ramp on guard.
Luckily he was facing inwards, absorbed in the preparations for the launch.
Suddenly the Doctor jumped to his feet, glaring down at Romana. 'Don't you
dare talk to me like that! Never say it again, do you hear me? Never!'
Romana stood up too, staring at him in astonishment. 'What did I say?'
'Jelly babies!' shouted the Doctor.
'What?'
The guards moved closer as if to separate them and the Doctor shouted, 'You
keep out of this!'
The guard from the door moved over, obviously intending to assist his
fellow. The Doctor turned on him. 'You too! This is a personal matter, so
you mind your own business.'
Guessing the Doctor's plan, Romana joined in. 'That's right, Doctor, you
tell him!'
'Keep out of this, Romana,' yelled the Doctor.
'What?'
The Doctor saw Lan and Agella appear in the doorway, blasters in their
hands. 'Duck,' he yelled and threw himself to the ground dragging Romana
with him.
A fierce battle raged over their heads as Lan and Agella calmly shot down
their former colleagues. Ragged men clutching improvised weapons flooded
into the ship, and one by one the Movellan crewmen were blasted or clubbed
down.
The Doctor struggled to his feet and forced his way through the melee.
Sitting down in Commander Sharrel's empty command chair, he flicked a
series of switches and a jagged high-pitched electronic hum screamed
through the control room, forcing those of the Movellans wearing
headphones, and many of those who were not, to collapse in helpless agony.
The Doctor's intervention proved the turning point, and soon the remaining
Movellans were subdued.
Tyssan ran up to the Doctor and Romana and there was a brief but joyful
reunion.
'I don't understand,' said Romana, puzzled. 'Why were Lan and Agella
helping you?'
The Doctor picked up a silver tube, snatched from a fallen Movellan.
'Because they have robot minds, like this - and a robot mind can be changed
with a screwdriver - eh, Tyssan?'
Romana stared at the tube. 'That's a Movellan mind?'
'Well, not exactly a mind. It's a power pack with a number of main
programming circuits.'
'I see. Orders for the day, and the energy to carry them out!'
'Something like that,' said the Doctor. 'Anyway, well done, Tyssan, old
chap. Any word of Davros?'
'Nothing, Doctor.'
'I imagine the Daleks will be sending a ship to pick him up. They mustn't
be allowed to get him.'
Tyssan looked round the ship. 'Well, you can see my force, Doctor. Two
converted robots and a few half-starved ex-slaves. I don't know how we're
going to stop a Dalek battle cruiser.'
'Neither do I,' said the Doctor. 'I think I'd better go alone.'
'No, Doctor,' protested Tyssan. 'At least let me come with you.'
The Doctor shook his head. 'I'm a dangerous person to be with, Tyssan -
particularly when I don't know what I'm doing. You stay and sort this lot
out. You're going to need this ship to get you home. I'll see you later,
Romana!'
Romana nodded, accepting the Doctor's decision. 'Give my love to Davros!'
The Doctor disappeared down the ramp. He hurried across the rocky plain,
making for the outskirts of the Dalek city. At just about the time he was
climbing down the shaft, an army of bomb-carrying Daleks emerged from
another city exit, heading for the Movellan space ship.


The Doctor saw no one at all on his journey to the control centre. When he
entered it, the place seemed empty of Daleks.
There was only Davros, brooding alone in his wheelchair in the centre of
the room.
He looked up at the sound of the Doctor's footsteps. 'Come in, Doctor, come
in. I've been waiting for you.'
Cautiously the Doctor came forward. 'Thank you. I didn't expect getting in
to see you would be so easy. There seems to be a singular lack of Daleks in
these tunnels.'
'I'm afraid that thanks to your meddling the Dalek force has sustained a
number of losses. Those few that remain are engaged in one final mission.'
'I see. And you're just waiting here till the rescue ship comes?'
'I do have one more small thing to do before I go, Doctor, but it will not
take long.' Davros smiled. 'It seems we have both been very much in demand
on Skaro, Doctor.'
The Doctor perched himself casually on an instrument console, close to
Davros's chair. 'Well, it's always nice to be wanted.'
'Let us put aside our differences for a moment, Doctor, and talk simply as
fellow scientists. The problem is a fascinating one, is it not, don't you
agree?'
'It is indeed. Two vast computers so exactly matched, that neither one can
out-think the other.'
Davros nodded. 'And as a result, two space fleets made completely
powerless. You realise how the stalemate could be broken, of course,
Doctor, how one side or the other could secure almost certain victory?'
'Of course.'
Davros seemed almost pleased. 'I knew you would see the solution. So
simple, so obvious . . . but they will never see it. Would you have told
the Movellans?'
'No.'
'I suspected as much. But I dared not take the risk. I had to stop the
Movellans from taking you.'
'But you didn't stop them,' pointed out the Doctor. 'It was Tyssan and his
escaped prisoners who set me free. They're going to use the Movellan ship
to go back to Earth.'
Davros smiled triumphantly. 'I'm afraid the Movellan ship will never take
off. Soon six Daleks, carrying more than a megaton of explosives between
them, will press against the hull. Once they are in position I shall simply
press this switch, and the bombs will detonate.'
'You can't do that! Romana and all the freed prisoners are on board now.'
'How unfortunate, Doctor,' said Davros mockingly.
The Doctor slid down from his console and took a step forward. 'And what if
I decide to press that detonator-switch now - blowing up your Dalek suicide
squad before it reaches the ship? How would you stop me?'
'I wouldn't,' said Davros, still in that mocking tone.
'I would, Doctor,' said a grating metallic voice. The Dalek leader glided
forward, his gun-stick trained on the Doctor.
'You see?' said Davros softly. 'There is nothing you can do to stop it now.
That ship is doomed.'








13. Blow-up


The bodies of the de-activated Movellans had been laid out in a neat row.
Tyssan and his ragged crew were preparing the space ship for blast-off.
Romana walked along the row of robot bodies, looking at face after face.
Tyssan saw what she was doing and came over to her. 'What's the matter? We
got them all, didn't we?'
'What about Commander Sharrel?'
'Isn't he amongst this lot?'
'I can't find him.'
'Well, it doesn't matter does it?' said Tyssan uneasily. 'I mean, even if
he did get away, he can't do much on his own...'
'I suppose not, but...' Romana stopped, struck by a sudden appalling
thought. 'The Nova Device. He'll try to detonate the Nova Device... and the
Doctor's still out there. Where did you say you saw Lan with it?'
Tyssan gave rapid directions, and Romana dashed out of the ship.


Commander Sharrel had been wounded in the battle, but he was far from de-
activated. He crawled slowly and determinedly across the rocks to the spot
where the Nova Device waited in the niche just as Lan had left it.


Tyssan was making the final preparations for blast-off when a scout came
tearing into the ship. 'Daleks! About half a dozen of them, heading this
way!'
Tyssan raised his voice. 'Listen to me, all of you. The Daleks are coming
to attack the ship. Pick up what weapons you can. We've got to hold them
off. Remember, if any of us is ever going to get home again, we've got to
save this ship!'
Snatching up Movellan blasters, the slaves headed for the ramp.


They encountered the line of advancing Daleks at the bottom of the rise.
Immediately the prisoners started shooting, sending a ragged volley of
blaster fire across the plain.
But the ex-prisoners were weak, half-starved, and many were civilians with
no combat experience. The Daleks held together as a tightly disciplined
force and swept the ranks of their attackers with a withering blast of
concerted fire. Several of the prisoners screamed and fell, killed by that
first terrible volley. For all Tyssan's urgings, the rest began to fall
back.
Delayed rather than halted, the Daleks forged on towards the ship.


Commander Sharrel reached the Nova Device at last, and rested, gathering
his failing energies. As he reached for the detonating switch, Romana
leaped on him from the rocks and pulled his hand away. They fought
desperately. Wounded as he was, Commander Sharrel's robotic strength was
still enormous. He threw Romana to one side, and reached for the switch.
Romana scrambled to her feet and launched a tremendous kick. It connected
with the silver tube in Commander Sharrel's belt. He fell back, flailed
wildly for a moment and then collapsed.
Grabbing the small black box that held the power to destroy a planet,
Romana sat down on a handy rock, exhausted, but triumphant.


'Naturally, Doctor,' said Davros silkily, 'when the Dalek ship arrives, you
will accompany me. I imagine the Daleks will consider your capture as a
most welcome bonus.'
'They will undoubtedly welcome me with open arms,' said the Doctor
solemnly. 'Or at least, they would if they had them. Open suckers, shall we
say...'
Under cover of this nonsense the Doctor was preparing to make his move. He
swept off his hat and skimmed it over the eye-stalk of the watching Dalek.
Blinded, the Dalek swung helplessly to and fro.
'Behind you,' screamed Davros, and the Dalek fired.
But the Doctor had already moved on.
'To your right!' The Dalek fired again, and again it missed. A chunk of
wall close to the Doctor burst into flames.
The Doctor dashed across the room and rooted in the almost empty explosives
cabinet.
Only one canister bomb was left. The Doctor snatched it up. Setting the
detonator switch for an immediate explosion, he triggered the bomb and
lobbed it at the Dalek. It rolled along the floor, came to rest just in
front of the Dalek. The bomb exploded - and the Dalek exploded too, its
casing enveloped in sheets of flame.
The Doctor walked steadily towards Davros, who retreated frantically,
screaming, 'Keep back! Keep back!'
The Doctor reached out and put his hand on the detonating switch. 'My only
regret is that I can't be there to see it!' He pressed the switch.


Scattering their ex-prisoners before them, the six Daleks paused at the
crest of the rise, ready to hurl themselves against the Movellan ship - and
exploded simultaneously in sheets of flame. The prisoners stared
incredulously at the line of blazing Daleks as they blazed like strange
metal beacons on the crest of the rise.


The Movellan ship was ready for take-off at last. The Doctor was saying a
kind of farewell to Davros, who sat on the flight deck, surrounded by a
cube-shaped construction of electronic circuitry.
For some reason the Doctor was trying to show Davros where he had gone
wrong, though it was obvious to Romana at least that he was wasting his
time.
'Listen,' said the Doctor. 'All elephants are pink. Nellie is an elephant.
Therefore Nellie is pink. Logical?'
'Perfectly,' said Davros wearily.
'But don't you see? It's all based on a faulty first premise, so logic
isn't any use to you, it's still nonsense. And do you know what a human
would say to that?'
'What?'
'He'd say don't be silly, elephants aren't pink.'
'Humans do not understand logic,' said Davros scornfully.
'They understand it, but they're not slaves to it,' said the Doctor. 'Not
in the way the Daleks and the Movellans are. That's why the Daleks came
back for you. They remembered they'd once been organic creatures
themselves, capable of intuitive, irrational, emotional thought. They
wanted you to give those qualities back to them, to get them out of their
logical trap.'
'In any event,' said Davros bleakly, 'I have failed. What will happen to
me?'
It was Tyssan who answered him. 'I've already made contact with Earth. A
deep space cruiser is on its way to meet us. You will be taken back to
Earth and put on trial for your crimes against all sentient life-forms.'
'No deep space cruiser will hold me,' sneered Davros.
'This little device will,' said the Doctor, indicating the cubic framework.
'It's a cryogenic restraining unit. Even you can't escape from that.'
He touched a control and the air around Davros shimmered and solidified
into a block of solid ice.
'Good-bye, old chap,' said the Doctor softly. 'Hope you've got your winter
woollies on!'
Tyssan looked with satisfaction at the dim shape of the frozen Davros.
'You'll be needed on Earth as well, Doctor. They want you to testify at
Davros's trial.'
'What?' said the Doctor indignantly. 'Spend ages standing in some stuffy
courtroom?'
'You must go, Doctor. It is your duty.'
'Yes, of course,' agreed the Doctor. 'Come on, Romana, we'd better go and
find our cabins.'
Tyssan was already in position on the flight deck. 'All systems running.
Ready for lift-off.'
He didn't notice the Doctor and Romana slipping quietly away.








14. Departure


The Doctor and Romana were watching the ship blast off. They had shovels in
their hands.
The ship rose higher, higher, until it finally disappeared into the grey
clouds that hung over Skaro.
'What happens when they find out we're not on board?' asked Romana.
The Doctor grinned. 'Who cares? They'll never find us now. Come on, we've
got some digging to do.'
The Doctor and Romana made their way back to the TARDIS and started digging
away the rubble.
'Tell me something, Doctor,' said Romana. 'Could you really have solved the
Movellans' problem and won the war for them - if you'd wanted to?'
'Of course I could.'
'How?'
'My dear girl, the answer is perfectly obvious.'
'Oh, is it?'
'Yes! Both sides were more or less robots, fighting a war directed by
computers, right?'
'Right.'
'So their strategies were always perfectly logical. Each computer could
predict and counter any move made by the other side. Result, stalemate.'
'Yes, I know all that, Doctor,' said Romana patiently. 'But how do you
break that stalemate?'
'Oh, come on, Romana, it's very simple. If each side can predict the
actions of the opposing computer, and those predictions are always based on
logic - then the first side that just switches its computer off and does
something illogical...'
'Wins the battle!'
'Exactly! Make mistakes, and confuse the enemy!'
'Brilliant. Is that why you always win, Doctor?'
'Is what why I always win?'
'Because you make so many mistakes!' said Romana innocently.
The Doctor was highly indignant, and he was still protesting that that
wasn't what he'd meant at all, when the TARDIS's door was finally cleared.
He fumbled for the key. 'Make mistakes! Me?' He paused. 'Well, maybe the
odd one or two, you know. Oh, say every century or so...'
He opened the door and they went inside.
A minute or two later there was a wheezing, groaning sound and the TARDIS
dematerialised.
Almost immediately, it materialised again.
Inside the TARDIS control room Romana was saying patiently, 'No. Not that
switch, Doctor - that one!'
'What?' said the Doctor. 'Oh yes.' He grinned at her. 'You see - that just
proves what I was saying!'
The TARDIS dematerialised again, successfully this time. The Doctor and
Romana were on their way to new adventures.



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