by John Peel
Sara followed his worried gaze back to Steven. The young man was standing, his eyes open and unfocused, breathing gently. There was no sign of intelligence behind the eyes at all.
The activity in the Dalek central control on Kembel was at its height. The magnetic grappling beam that the Daleks were using to drag back their pursuit ship drew a great deal of power from their reserves. This drain was being carefully monitored, while the focus of the beam was being kept tight. Various ranks of Daleks were in constant motion.
‘The pursuit ship has entered the atmosphere,’ the monitor controller reported.
‘Reducing speed,’ added the scanning Dalek. ‘Ten degrees of light speed. Eight. Six...’
‘Landing area has been computed,’ the monitor said. ‘Sector seven.’
The Black Dalek noted these figures, then turned to Movie Chen, who was peering eagerly at the instruments. ‘The Dalek forces are moving into position.’
Chen nodded. ‘It appears that you’ve at last succeeded in getting the Taranium back.’
Again, that arrogance! ‘Of course,’ the Black Dalek stated. ‘And we shall deal with these fugitives as we deal with all who oppose the Daleks.’
Thoughtfully, Chen shook his head. ‘No.’
The Black Dalek didn’t like that at all. ‘Do you challenge us?’ it grated.
‘Oh, no,’ Chen lied, glibly. ‘But might it not be advisable for me to take them back to Earth for a public trial and execution?’
‘Why?’
‘Some people on Earth know that the traitors were transported to Mira,’ Chen explained. ‘If they simply disappear, those people might become curious as to what happened to them. It’s possible that they might then recover some portion of our plans.’
‘It is essential that you do not allow your Earth people to become curious,’ the Black Dalek replied, flatly.
‘Human curiosity is something I can have no control over!’ Chen protested.
‘You must forestall their questions until it is too late.’ The Black Dalek spun about, but its eye-stick remained focused on the human. ‘We shall have conquered the Solar System before our involvement is suspected.’
‘It is possible,’ Chen agreed.
‘Once we have the Taranium, there is nothing to stop us!’ The Black Dalek was convinced of this. ‘The Time Destructor is here, and we shall have the power that we have worked for! The Daleks will be supreme!’
This was the information that Chen had been fishing for. The Time Destructor was already here! Excellent. He nodded. ‘Very well,’ he agreed, condescendingly. ‘I will leave their fate to you.’ He nodded at the tracking station. ‘The Dalek reception committee should be in place now. I think it’s about time we left to join them, don’t you?’
The Black Dalek regarded Chen once again. This human was getting more presumptuous as time went by! He would need to be dealt with shortly. For now, though – patience! Turning, the Dalek Supreme led the way out of the control room. The Taranium was almost recovered. This time, nothing could go wrong!
Sara glanced out of the portal, worried. Kembel filled the entire viewing area, and she could pick out the continents, rivers and lakes without any trouble at all. ‘We’re losing height fast,’ she observed. ‘Just a few minutes to touchdown.’
The Doctor seemed to be paying no attention to this at all. He was still examining Steven, clucking to himself in annoyance. ‘Dear, dear, dear. I have no idea how we can cure this condition of his.’ He glanced over at Sara. ‘He seems conscious, but his mental processes have slowed somewhat. Air is reaching him, and so is light. Possibly sound. Yet his mind seems in the grip of some form of paralysis from this field.’ He looked back at Steven. ‘Raise your left hand, my boy.’ Mechanically, Steven did as he was told, and then lowered it at the Doctor’s command. ‘He’s like an automaton. Everything functions, but his will is not making any connection with his body.’
‘How horrible,’ Sara said. ‘He’s neither alive nor dead. Entombed in a force field.’
The Doctor nodded. ‘But there has to be some solution – there has to be!’
The craft rocked as it entered the buffeting of the atmosphere. The Doctor joined Sara at the controls. ‘We’re slowing,’ he observed. ‘Coming in for a landing. Brace yourself!’
Standing in the clearing, Chen looked into the night sky with a good deal of satisfaction. One of the lights in the sky was growing progressively brighter – the ship was being dragged down precisely on target! In a matter of minutes, the Taranium core would be in his hands again, and he would be on his way to Universal domination...
The ship grew larger in the sky, blanking out the stars. The pressure of the air whipped up a wind that washed over Chen, tugging his clothing and hair. The Daleks, naturally, seemed unaffected by this. Finally, gently, the pursuit ship touched down. Its legs bit into the ground, and it stood there in the burned-out remnants of the forest.
The Black Dalek turned to the patrol leader. ‘Inform the city that the magnetic beam is to be discontinued. They are to drain the ship’s power to prevent it from taking off again.’
‘I obey.’
Chen smiled and rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. ‘It would appear that everything is progressing according to plan,’ he observed.
‘The Taranium core will be recovered,’ the Black Dalek stated. ‘This time, there will be no errors.’
Chen inclined his head slightly. ‘Let or hope that you are right.’
Sara held the fake Taranium core carefully. It glowed and pulsed with life, just like its real counterpart – which was securely nestled in the Doctor’s inside pocket. She looked from the false core to the Doctor. ‘But it won’t – it can’t work!’ She was afraid that the Daleks would somehow sense the substitution that the Doctor had been carefully planning.
He dismissed her fears with a wave of his hand. ‘It’s our only chance, my dear.’ He had improvised another of his brilliant plans in the final moments before landing, and had every confidence it would work perfectly. ‘Now, remember I will do all the talking.’ He turned to the expressionless Steven. ‘Listen carefully, my boy, and do exactly what I tell you, ummm? Now, come along – follow me!’
He led the way to the exit port. The Daleks undoubtedly had some may of getting into the ship, so it was best to forestall their attack by apparent compliance. Steven followed him, stopping when he stopped. Looking very worried, Sara brought up the rear. Nodding, the Doctor hit the sensor plate, and the airlock door hissed open.
The Daleks were waiting, standing in a circle about the ramp. Also there, by the Black Dalek, was the tall, distinguished frame of Mavic Chen. The Dalek guns were all focused on the doorway. The Doctor held his hand out to Sara, and she passed him the fake core. Holding this prominently before himself, the Doctor slowly walked down the ramp. The guns followed him, but none of the Daleks opened fire.
As he reached the bottom of the ramp, Chen stepped forward. ‘Is that the Taranium core?’ he asked, rather unnecessarily. He were merely establishing for the Doctor that he was in command here – not the Daleks.
‘Yes.’
Chen reached out his hand. ‘Then I would suggest that you give it to me.’
The Doctor shook his head, firmly. ‘No.’
Chen’s sweep of an arm took in all of the Dalek forces about them. ‘Come, now, you are beyond help. Be reasonable.’
‘You dare not fire,’ the Doctor replied. ‘You might damage the core.’
‘Possibly,’ Chen conceded. ‘On the other hand, you are not in any secure position from which to bargain.’
‘I will hand over the Taranium,’ the Doctor agreed, slowly. ‘Outside my ship, the TARDIS – or nowhere!’
Chen cocked his head on one side, and considered the point. So that strange, blue box that had survived the burning of the jungle belonged to this old man? Was that how he and it had got here? It seemed to be a fairly innocent request. Even if the Doctor got into it, he could hardly lift off wit
hout the Daleks dragging him back with their magnetic devices. Chen turned to the Black Dalek, and gestured it to follow him out of earshot of the Doctor. ‘You heard his conditions?’
‘Yes,’ the Black Dalek agreed. ‘We do not negotiate.’
‘He seems very determined,’ Chen replied. ‘Does it really matter where we get the core?’
The Black Dalek wondered if Chen had a hand in this somehow after all. The Earth female was one of his agents, and the other two seemed to be human – though there was something familiar about the older man. ‘His extermination is inevitable wherever the hand-over is made.’
Chen spread his hands. ‘Then may I suggest that we humour him and allow him the choice of where he is to die?’
‘Very well,’ the Black Dalek agreed. ‘In front of his ship.’
They moved back to join the Doctor. Chen smiled happily at the Doctor, who was not taken in by him for a second. He was well aware of what the human and Dalek had been planning. Chen gestured for the Doctor to follow. ‘As you wish,’ he said, ‘we will take possession of the Taranium at your ship.’
The Doctor nodded, keeping a firm grip on the fake core. He turned to Steven and Sara. ‘Come along, both of you,’ he said, softly. ‘And stay close to me.’
As they started off, the Daleks keeping their distance, but ever alert. Chen finally caught sight of the girl with the old man. Could it be possible to use her again. he wondered. ‘Kingdom...’ he began.
Sara turned her eyes on him. When he had last seen them, they appeared emotionless, calm and efficient. Now he saw hatred and loathing in them. ‘Traitor!’ she hissed. She had to restrain herself from leaping at him. Chen backed away slightly. Well, she would obviously be of no help to him.
He moved to on the old man. ‘Well,’ he said, pleasantly, ‘you’ve led us a merry chase across half a Galaxy, haven’t you? I should like at least to know your name.’
The Doctor looked at him. He had nothing but contempt for anyone who thought they could ally themselves with the Daleks – especially one who was as trusted as Chen was. ‘I am glad to have caused you so much trouble,’ he said, coldly. ‘And perhaps may discomfort you still. I am known as the Doctor.’
The Black Dalek’s eye-stick spun to focus on him. ‘Doctor?’ it repeated. The Dalek finally realized who this being was. This wandering time traveller had defeated the Daleks several times in the past, but the Black Dalek had never confronted him before – though it had ordered his extermination many times. Now it was apparent why there had been so many problems with securing the core. The Doctor was a master of confusion and planning. This time, however, the Daleks had out-thought their great foe!
The short walk had brought them to the TARDIS. It stood in the midst of the blackened stalks of the trees where the Doctor had left it – just a few days ago, but it seemed like months! The door was slightly ajar, as Katarina must have left it. Now Katarina was dead, and Bret Vyon was dead. Steven was mindless. Only the Doctor was unchanged by all that had happened. He had even gained a new companion, for at least the time being. Sara could not be left here to the Daleks and Mavic Chen. She would undoubtedly be killed.
The Doctor halted in front of the TARDIS, and called Steven to him. Steven obeyed, and held out his hands on command. The Doctor placed the fake core in his hands – actually, floating an inch or so above them – and then faced the Daleks and Chen.
‘Sara, go into the ship,’ he ordered. Though she couldn’t understand why he’d want her inside that small box, she knew him enough to trust him, and did as she was said. ‘Now,’ the Doctor continued, speaking to Chen. ‘The young man will give you the Taranium when I am safely inside my ship.’
Chen smiled, complacently. ‘Making sure of your escape, eh, Doctor?’ He could understand that well enough! It would be a futile hope, because the Dalek firepower would destroy the craft before it could move.
The Doctor didn’t reply. Instead, he spoke urgently to Steven. ‘Do exactly as I say, Steven. When I am inside the TARDIS, you will hand the core to Mavic Chen, then come into the TARDIS. We shall wait for you.’
Glaring at the assembled Daleks and the patiently waiting Chen, the Doctor slipped into the TARDIS. Once he had done so, Steven took a step forward and held out the core. Chen grabbed for it, eagerly. The familiar shock of touching the core went through his arm.
‘The core!’ he gloated. ‘At last!’
As he moved back, Steven turned to enter the TARDIS. The Black Dalek waited for Chen to dash aside, carrying the precious core, then its gun came up.
‘Exterminate!’
The Dalek squad opened fire. Their deadly radiations bathed Steven, but he didn’t fall. Instead, as the light died down, he shook his head, glanced about and dashed into the TARDIS. The door slammed closed behind him.
‘Fire!’ The Black Dalek ordered, and the Daleks all blasted away at the craft. Their weapons had no effect, and the TARDIS began to wheeze and groan. The light on its top started to flash and rotate. Slowly, it faded from sight, until it had totally vanished.
‘Our weapons did not take effect,’ the Black Dalek stated.
‘All were operating at full power,’ the patrol leader reported. There had been no malfunctions, yet...
‘It is not possible that the human could live through that,’ the Black Dalek said.
Mavic Chen wasn’t interested in that. It meant little to him whether the Doctor and his two friends lived or died. ‘What happened is unimportant!’ he exclaimed, studying the core with joy. ‘We have the Taranium core! The invasion can go ahead. The Universe will be ours! ’
Chapter 16
Interlude
Sara was dumbfounded at the size of the room she was in. The TARDIS was so large inside, yet so small from the outside. She was standing by a control panel in the centre of the spacious room, watching the rise and fall of a rotor of some kind. The Doctor straightened up from the controls, and glanced over at Steven, who had collapsed into a stately, tall-backed chair after he had dashed inside.
Crossing to the chair, Sara looked down at the young man some concern. ‘Are you sure that you’re all right?’
Shaking a little after the ordeal, Steven was happy just to be able to experience his body again. ‘Yes. It was so weird... as if I were watching myself move, but without any way to affect it. I could see and hear, but nothing I could do made any difference, until the second that the Daleks fired at me. Then I was back to normal, and inside the ship like a shot!’
The Doctor joined them, chuckling to himself. ‘The Dalek guns must have destroyed that force-field around you completely. Its effects were loosened, and you came to. You’re just lucky that they didn’t fire on you a second time, eh?’
Steven didn’t even want to think about that. He climbed to his feet and walked – somewhat unsteadily – to the mushroom-shaped control panel. ‘We’re on our way, then?’
‘Where to?’ Sara asked. ‘We should try to return to Kembel and find some way to disable their fleet.’
The Doctor shook his head. ‘There’s very little chance of that, my dear. This old ship of mine has its own ideas about where we’re heading, you know. We could never make it back to Kembel in the same time period that you are from.’ He took the real core from his pocket, and held it up. ‘Besides, as long as the Daleks never get hold of this, the Galaxy is safe.’
‘Or,’ Steven amended, ‘they can meet the Daleks in a fair fight, and combat them with all of the vast science at their disposal. They won’t have to worry about the Daleks using a Time Destructor.’
Sara struggled to take in all of this. ‘Then – Mavic Chen will go unpunished for what he has done?’
‘I shouldn’t think so,’ the Doctor said, gently. ‘He’ll discover soon that the Daleks don’t take allies – only victims. He’ll over-reach himself, and they will kill him.’
‘That’s not really our concern any longer,’ Steven said. ‘We’ve beaten them – and the whole of time and space is open to us. Sar
a, you’re in for some real fun!’
She dragged her mind away from thoughts of revenge, and looked carefully about the room. ‘This really is a time and space machine?’ she asked. ‘It can go anywhere – any time?’ She smiled at the thought. ‘It’s so... fantastic.’
‘Yes,’ laughed the Doctor. ‘Isn’t it? Steven, my boy, would you like to show Sara to Vicki’s old room? I’m sure she’ll feel better after a bath and a change of clothing.’
‘A bath!’ Sara said, closing her eyes in anticipation of the treat. ‘That sounds marvellous.’ When she opened her eyes, she caught sight of the Taranium core, perched on the control console. She suddenly sobered up. ‘Doctor,’ she asked, softly, ‘what will the Daleks do when they find out they don’t have the Taranium core?’ She searched his face for an answer. ‘What will they do then?’
The Doctor turned away from her. He stared at the blank monitor screen to avoid looking at his friends. ‘Then,’ he replied, ‘they will try to find it – and us.’
‘Can they do that?’ Sara asked. ‘Can they... follow us?’
‘They did once,’ the Doctor answered. ‘Perhaps they can again – if they have to.’
The three of them turned to stare at the Taranium core. They had escaped the Daleks for now... but as long as it existed, there would always be the terrible possibility that one day they would encounter the Daleks again...