Doctor Who_ The Power of the Daleks Part 25

'She is against the Daleks,' Janley told it. Turning back to Polly, she removed the gag from the girl's mouth. 'Not afraid, are you? Nothing will happen to you if you're smart and behave.'

Kebble untied Polly's wrists. As she ma.s.saged the chafed skin, he fetched her a gla.s.s of water from the bench.

'Here,' he said gently, 'you'll need this.' Polly accepted the gla.s.s gratefully, and quickly downed the cool, refres.h.i.+ng water. Kebble took the gla.s.s back and refilled it. 'Don't be frightened,' he told her as she sipped at this drink.

'Of the Daleks?' Polly asked, eyeing the one still watching her. 'Of course I am, and so should you be.'

Janley laughed with scorn. 'The Daleks are going to help us,' she said.

'Us being the rebels, I suppose?' While they were being talkative, Polly intended to milk them for whatever information she could get. Every little bit would help her.

Janley shrugged. 'If you like to call us that.'

Polly shook her head. 'So you're getting ready to take over, is that it?'

'With the Daleks' help,' Kebble said eagerly. 'We're almost ready to make our move.'

'And when you've won,' Polly replied, 'the Daleks just go back to being servants again? You're bigger fools than I thought.'

'We are your servants,' the Dalek insisted, obviously trying to rea.s.sure Janley and Kebble.

'When it suits you,' Polly snapped. She watched the faces or her fellow humans for any sign of a reaction to her words. Kebble looked a trifle uncertain, but Janley's face possessed the certainty of fanaticism.

'You'll see,' she promised Polly.

'What will you do with the girl?' the Dalek asked. 'You do not aim to harm her?'

'Of course not,' Kebble replied. 'We just need to keep her out of the way for a while'

'There is s.p.a.ce within our capsule,' the Dalek suggested.

'She could be detained there without risk of discovery.'

Janley smiled. 'I was hoping you'd say that.'

'In,' Kebble told Polly, giving her a gentle push in the direction of the capsule. To Janley, he said: 'You want me to stay with her?'

'Yes. You may have to help Valmar. He'll be along soon to finish off the work on the new power cable for the Daleks.'

The Dalek eye-stick moved back to survey her again.

'When will the work be completed?' It ignored Kebble and Polly as they entered the capsule. The important thing to it was clearly the power supply the Daleks needed.

Janley didn't answer directly. 'What is this cable you Daleks are laying anyway?'

The Dalek evaluated its reply. It would not hurt to be truthful with this human: she believed that they were helping her. 'Daleks operate on static electricity,' it explained.

'Static?' The scientist in Janley was intrigued. 'Is that posible?'

'Yes. To create the needed static charge, the Daleks need a completed cable circuit.'

'I see,' Janley said, intrigued. 'You are converting the electricity we supply you with into a form that you can use.'

'That is correct,' the Dalek answered. 'When will the human being complete the work'?'

'He'll be here shortly,' Janley told it. 'It's much easier now. There is no one to interfere with our plans.'

The Dalek hesitated very briefly. 'No,' it agreed. 'We proceed as we antic.i.p.ated. Soon we shall have the power we require.' Then it focused on Janley again. 'Then we can help you to take control of the other humans.'

'Yes,' Janley agreed, a smile playing on her lips. 'Then I I shall have the power that shall have the power that I I require.' She ran her hand along the dome of the Dalek. 'This is such an excellent arrangement for us both.' require.' She ran her hand along the dome of the Dalek. 'This is such an excellent arrangement for us both.'

The Dalek returned to its work. 'Yes,' it grated. 'Soon the need for secrecy in our planning will be over.' As it had expected, Janley a.s.sumed that it was referring to both the Daleks and the rebels and not simply to the Daleks.

23.

I Can't Stop Them The Doctor had eventually discovered what he was looking for: a small gla.s.s stirring rod. Naturally, it was in the last pocket he had tried. Now he was busily stuffing everything back into his pockets that he had earlier removed. Quinn gave a baffled sigh of irritation.

'What are you doing?' he demanded. He was finding the Examiner's behaviour to be more and more peculiar.

'Working on an escape,' the Doctor replied. He picked up a small square of gla.s.s he'd found in another pocket and started to tap it with the gla.s.s rod. It emitted a series of chimes.

'Do you have to do that?' Quinn asked, annoyed.

'I wonder how they're converting the power,' the Doctor mused. He struck the gla.s.s several more times.

'What are you talking about now?' Quinn wished the strange little man could keep his mind centred on a single subject at a time. These dislocations in the conversation were beginning to be quite irritating.

'The Daleks are powered by static electricity,' the Doctor explained, looking about the small cell with an absorbed expression on his face. 'To them it's like the blood in your veins, a constant life-stream.'

'That's nonsense,' Quinn said firmly. He had a background in engineering. 'Static isn't workable.'

'It is to the Daleks,' the Doctor a.s.sured him. 'Their minds and their science don't operate along the same lines as a human's. They've conquered static, just as they've conquered anti-magnetics'

'Anti-magnetics?' Quinn shook his head. 'I can't take any more of this nonsense. You're not making any sense'

'I just can't seem to hit the right note,' the Doctor complained, tapping the gla.s.s again. Then his eyes lit up.

'Aha!' He jumped to his feet and dashed over to the small table his cell was provided with. On it was a tall drinking gla.s.s and a pitcher that was about a third full of water. The Doctor emptied the pitcher into the gla.s.s, which was now just over half full. Using his rod, he tapped the gla.s.s. A clear note rang out. Thoughtfully, the Doctor took a sip, then hit the gla.s.s again. Another note sounded, slightly lower in pitch.

Quinn was watching his performance with an incredulous expression. 'Of all the silly things!' he said.

The Doctor smiled at him. 'Do you have any water?' he asked.

Having finished off his supply with his meal, Quinn shook his head. 'No, I don't.'

'Pity.' The Doctor chewed his lip. 'Do you think the guard will get us some?'

'How should I know?' Quinn sighed. How could he ever have imagined that this idiot could have helped him with anything? Then he glanced into the waiting area outside the cells. Voices were arguing out there, and getting louder.

'You can't go in there!' the unseen guard said firmly.

'It's important, desperately important!' That was Lesterson's voice. What was he he doing here? doing here?

'Bragen gave orders,' the guard responded.

'Get out of my way!' There was a m.u.f.fled thud and the guard cried out. Both the Doctor and Quinn were watching as Lesterson ran into the room outside the cells.

He looked terrible: his hair was a mess, and there was a wild look to his eyes. A nervous tic made his mouth twitch, and both of his hands were shaking. 'Examiner!' he cried.

'The Daleks!'

'What about them?' the Doctor asked gently.

'They're duplicating themselves!' Lesterson glanced over his shoulder. The guard he'd pushed came through the doorway, along with the security man he'd fled from earlier. Both men grabbed his arms. 'I've seen them!' the scientist yelled. 'They've got their own power now. I can't stop them!'

The guards struggled with the writhing man. A third guard arrived, clearly the duty officer. Both men looked at him for instructions.

The officer considered: Lesterson was an important man in the colony, and might get them into trouble. On the other hand, he was clearly not being rational right now.

'Take him to Bragen,' the officer decided. Let him him handle this one. The two guards dragged the kicking and screaming scientist out. The officer glanced at the two prisoners, making certain that their cells had not been tampered with in any way. He was about to leave again when the Doctor gave him a winning smile. handle this one. The two guards dragged the kicking and screaming scientist out. The officer glanced at the two prisoners, making certain that their cells had not been tampered with in any way. He was about to leave again when the Doctor gave him a winning smile.

'I say,' he asked politely. 'Do you think we might have a little more water? Please?'

That was more like it; showing the proper respect. The officer nodded curtly and left.

Quinn stared at the Doctor in disbelief. 'Is that all you can say? Lesterson fights his way down here to try and speak to you and all you can do is ask for more water?' He threw himself on to his bed, disgusted.

'But I need more water,' the Doctor said.

The officer returned a moment later with a fresh decanter, filled almost to the brim. He took the electronic key from his pocket. 'Get away from the door and stand against the far wall,' he ordered. He wasn't going to risk being jumped when he entered the cell, even if the Examiner didn't look the violent type. Neither had Lesterson, and look what he'd just pulled! But the Examiner simply nodded and jumped back as ordered. The guard triggered the key, which sent the musical note that operated the lock. He slid the door slightly ajar and put the decanter just inside on the floor. Then he slammed the door closed and left.

Pulling his recorder from his pocket, the Doctor played the highest note he could. Just a little bit shy of the right one. He shook his head, slipping the instrument back into his pocket. Taking the water, he went back to his original line of thought and filled the gla.s.s. Then he struck it with the gla.s.s rod.

The musical note brought illumination to Quinn. He finally realized what the Doctor was up to: attempting to duplicate the sound that would open their locks. He jumped to his feet and crossed to the part.i.tion between their cells. 'Sorry about my earlier outburst,' he murmured.

The Doctor held up a hand to silence him. Then he rubbed a finger around the rim of the gla.s.s, adding a few more drops of water. Carefully, he tapped it again. 'Nearly there,' he said softly.

Bragen was working on the papers again, seated at Hensell's desk. He liked to work there. The desk was a symbol of power, and Bragen knew that it would soon be his as it should be. Like the uniform he wore, the desk spoke of wealth and power. It let everyone know who was in control. Absorbed in his reflections, Bragen didn't even pay attention to the Dalek in the room with him. It was laying some kind of cable around the perimeter of the office from a reel it held in its single arm.

There was a sharp knock on the door at the far end of the office. 'Come!' Bragen called. This had better be important, or he'd have to discipline those idiotic guards of his. How could he work with these constant interruptions?

He wasn't expecting to see Lesterson being dragged in by two of his men. Nor could he have antic.i.p.ated the gash across the scientist's forehead that dripped blood on to the beautiful clean carpet. 'What's this?' he demanded. His men did have a tendency to be a bit rough with their charges, but even these morons should have known better than to beat up the colony's foremost scientist.

'He tried to break in and talk to the Examiner,' the first guard explained.

'Is that any reason to do this this to him?' Bragen demanded, coming out from behind his desk. to him?' Bragen demanded, coming out from behind his desk.

'He fell down when we apprehended him,' the guard said feebly.

Bragen shot the man a filthy look. 'Don't try that one on me,' he warned the man. 'If Lesterson decides to press charges against you, I'll throw the book at you.' Putting on his most sincere smile, Bragen bent down to the scientist, who was staring across the office. 'Lesterson, how do you feel?'

Lesterson gave a shudder, then turned to Bragen.

'What's the Dalek doing?'

The question threw Bragen for a moment. He'd expected anger, resentment, even threats. 'I thought you knew,' he replied. He shrugged. 'Something to do with the new emergency power supply.'

The Dalek continued laying the cable, apparently oblivious to Lesterson's presence. None of the humans could know that it had amplified its audio receptors and was listening to every word spoken by them.

Lesterson shook his head. 'It's a trick!' he told Bragen, pulling free of the guards. At Bragen's nod, they released their hold on the man. Lesterson almost fell over before he managed to stand more or less upright, wavering slightly.

'I didn't ask for it.'

Bragen frowned. 'I've had reports from your department,' he replied. 'Requisitions, specifications and so forth.' He waved at the stack of papers on the desk. 'I'm sure you must know about them'

'I know nothing.' Lesterson ignored him and stumbled unsteadily across the room to the Dalek. 'What are you doing?' he screamed.

The Dalek turned its eye-stick toward him. 'Laying the new emergency power supply as you ordered, master,' it intoned.

'Liar!' he yelled.

Disturbed by this exchange, Bragen stepped forward.

'I've been receiving reports of your erratic behaviour, Lesterson,' he said gently. 'But I hadn't believed them before now.'

'I can explain everything,' Lesterson replied. 'If you get rid of that!' He pointed a quivering finger at the Dalek.