Doctor Who_ The Power of the Daleks Part 31

'Not now, it isn't,' he replied, smiling slightly. He used the b.u.t.t to clear away the gla.s.s as Ben reached in to unlatch the window and open it. Quinn went through first. As the others clambered into the room, he dodged past the bed and into the outer room. n.o.body was home. He opened the outer door just enough to enable him to scan the corridor.

A hastily built barricade had been shoved aside. A smouldering corpse lay atop it. There were no signs of life at all.

'All clear,' he reported, as the Doctor and his companions joined him.

'Right,' the Doctor said. 'Now, let's head for the lab.

Stay together, everyone.'

'No,' Quinn said. 'Look, I'm no good here' He held up the gun. 'And this is useless against the Daleks. I'm going after Bragen. If I can make him see that this in-fighting is only helping the Daleks, maybe we have a chance'

The Doctor sighed. 'I wouldn't like to bet on your chances of getting Bragen to see reason,' he replied. 'But I understand that you have to try. Good luck'

'He'll see either reason or the business end of a bullet,'

Quinn promised. With a nod, he set off over the barrier.

'A brave man,' the Doctor murmured. 'Right, let's go'

He led Ben and Polly quickly down the stretch of corridor to the laboratory doors. There were bullet holes in the walls, and scorch marks all over the floor, but the room was empty of Daleks.

To their utter astonishment, Lesterson's head popped up behind a stack of crates. He looked very calm, and he beckoned them over to join him.

As they did so, Polly stared at him. 'It's madness to hide in here.'

'Do you fancy your chances in the corridors?' Ben asked. 'The guards are bound to have orders to kill us, and the Daleks are just murdering everyone!'

'Ss.h.!.+' Lesterson insisted. He pointed towards the capsule, which was barely visible through a narrow crack in the stack of supplies.

A Dalek emerged from the portal and glided out of the laboratory door.

'They're still turning out new Daleks,' Lesterson explained. His voice had an unnatural calmness to it. 'You must be absolutely quiet. They know everything that's going on. They even know what you're thinking.'

The Doctor gnawed on his knuckles as he stared at the scientist. Ben and Polly exchanged worried looks. It was quite clear that Lesterson had finally cracked under the strain.

Ben turned his gaze on the cables that snaked across the floor. He gestured at them. 'Where are they drawing their power from?' he asked.

'Oh, I tried to turn the power off,' Lesterson replied dreamily, 'but they were miles ahead of me. Marvellous creatures.' He smiled at the three of them. 'You have to admire them, don't you?'

'Well, I don't!' Ben retorted. 'We've got to stop them.'

Lesterson shook his head. 'It's far too late for that.' He spoke like a person who had undergone a religious conversion and had finally seen the light. 'They're the new species, you see, taking over from h.o.m.o sapiens.

Mankind's had its day.' He smiled again, happily. 'We're finished.' Then he held up a finger to his lips for silence.

Another Dalek came out of the capsule. The previous one returned to the laboratory. 'The static circuit is nearly completed,' this one reported.

'Then we can soon abandon the power source we are currently using,' the Dalek in the capsule stated.

There was a fresh burst of gunfire some distance away.

It was followed by several screams.

'All humans are now being exterminated,' the first Dalek stated. It returned to the capsule, and both of them disappeared inside again.

'Doctor,' Ben whispered in horror. 'Did you hear them?

They're almost ready to use their own power now.'

'The cables they've laid all over the colony,' the Doctor agreed. 'It will allow them to set up a static charge throughout.' He chewed on his lower lip. 'The trick I used on them before won't work now.'

'Don't worry,' Lesterson told him, smiling happily. 'It's far too late. We're all finished. All we can do is to marvel at the creatures taking our place.' He beamed at them all.

Janley led Valmar towards the laboratory. Maybe there was still time to stop the Daleks. They were still drawing their power from the colony's generators, so she and Valmar together might be able to cobble up something to stop that drain. 'Come on,' she called over her shoulder to Valmar.

'No.' He stopped. 'That way's too dangerous.'

'Come on,' she insisted.

Valmar stood uncertainly. He jumped as Quinn suddenly appeared from a side corridor. Quinn grabbed hold of Valmar's arm. 'Let her go,' he said.

'She's out in the open,' Valmar argued. 'Don't be a fool!'

he called to Janley.

She turned to face him.

Behind her, a Dalek moved into killing position.

Hearing it, she twisted to face it. 'No!' she cried. 'I helped you!'

It didn't even bother to reply. Its gun-stick aimed and fired.

In her final split-second of life, Janley realized how futile her quest had been. She had wanted power so badly, and had been willing to work with Lesterson, Valmar, Bragen or anyone else who was willing to help her. But none of them had true power. Only the Daleks did. And they were willing to help no one.

She screamed, a mixture of agony and lost hopes. Her body fell to the ground, smouldering slightly.

Janley's death scream had been clearly audible in the laboratory. Polly shuddered, realizing that it might be her own throat crying out next as the Daleks continued their killing spree. They would not rest as long as any human remained alive on Vulcan.

Ben placed a comforting arm about her. 'Steady on, Pol,'

he said.

'Can't we do anything?' she demanded. 'They're murdering everybody, one by one.' She glowered at Lesterson. 'It's all your fault!' she accused. 'You did this.

Why did you ever give them power in the first place?'

The Doctor shook his head slightly. 'I think he knows that he's to blame, Polly,' he said softly. 'That's why he's retreated into madness. He simply cannot face the guilt.'

'I could control it,' Lesterson said to her, as if trying to justify his actions. 'The Daleks were only allowed what I would give them. But Janley got one of her men, Valmar I think.' He nodded decisively. 'Yes, that's the one. He rigged up a secret cable. It's carrying power directly from the colony supply.'

That caught the Doctor's attention. 'Another cable?' He grabbed Lesterson's arms and shook him roughly. 'Where?

Where is it, Lesterson?'

'You'd have to ask Valmar,' the scientist replied. 'He's the only one who could answer that. Or the Daleks, of course. They know everything. Yes, you know, you should ask the Daleks.'

Ben shook his head. 'We'll have to find Valmar, then,'

he said to the Doctor.

'If he's still alive,' Polly said. 'The Daleks are murdering everyone. Everyone!'

The Doctor came to a quick decision. 'You stay here with him and Polly,' he told Ben. 'I'll see what I can do.'

He popped his head out for a quick look at the capsule. As there was no sign of Dalek activity, he hopped to his feet and dashed out of the door.

The corridor was still empty. He scuttled down it, heading for the source of the scream they had heard. If there was anyone left alive, that was their most likely location. As he ran around the corner, he almost stumbled over Quinn and Valmar.

As soon as the Dalek had killed Janley, it had set off after fresh victims. Valmar had run out of hiding and cradled Janley's dead head in his lap. He stroked her hair gently.

'You've got to leave her,' Quinn urged, looking about for further Daleks.

'You don't understand,' Valmar said softly. 'She wasn't as bad as you think. Really she wasn't.'

The Doctor moved over to join them. At the end of the corridor a guard suddenly ran into view. Before any of them could react, he arched in a death spasm, a soul-wrenching scream tearing from his mouth.

'Get down, both of you!' the Doctor said urgently, falling to the floor himself. He pulled his jacket up over his head.

Around the corner came a Dalek. It moved past the dead guard and towards the clutter of bodies further down. For a moment it paused and scanned the group of four fallen figures. Their body heat seemed to be high. Then it caught sight of the tell tale marking of death on the female human. They had been killed very recently, which explained their heat-retention.

It moved away and down the next side corridor.

The Doctor sat up, letting out a sigh of relief. 'Valmar; he whispered urgently. 'Where is the Daleks' power supply?'

There was no response from the technician. He was staring mutely at Janley's face, which was still beautiful even in death. Quinn grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.

'We've got to stop them, Vahnar. She's dead. We all will be if we don't stop the Daleks. You can't do anything for her, but you can still help the rest of us.'

With an effort, Valmar managed to wrench himself out of the bleakness of spirit in which he had been wallowing.

'The... the main cable's inside the capsule,' he told the Doctor, his voice dead and drained of all emotion. 'But there's nothing you can do.'

'There must be some way to cut the power off,' Quinn urged.

The Doctor looked at him in astonishment. 'What makes you think I want to do that?' Before Quinn could question that outrageous query, the Doctor added, 'We must have more time. A diversion!'

'What?' Quinn was hopelessly baffled.

'You were off to see Bragen, weren't you? Well, he must have more guards. We must use them to keep the Daleks occupied. You've got to get to Bragen now.'

Quinn nodded. 'I'll do what I can.' He patted Valmar encouragingly on the shoulder and then set off as fast as he could.

'Right,' the Doctor said, hauling Valmar to his feet.

'We've got work to do. Come on!' If they only had the time to do it.

27.

The Law of the Daleks is in Force Throughout the corridors, there were dead bodies everywhere. Some were rebels, slain by Bragen's guards.

Some were guards, shot in the fighting. The vast majority of the corpses, though, had been gunned down by the Daleks. As Quinn moved, he constantly had to hide from parties of two, three and even four of the murderous machines. There seemed to be hundreds of them, all over the colony. The sounds of fighting and resistance were growing fainter. Few humans still held out in the Hub.

Even if the Doctor could pull a miracle out of thin air, how many would be left after all this?

Bragen raged about his office, fuming. What had happened to his men? Where were the nice, orderly reports that he demanded? How was he supposed to run a colony if his men wouldn't keep him updated? He stopped at his desk and snapped on the comm unit.

'Section One,' he yelled, 'where is your report? Are you there, Section One?' As before, there was no reply. What the devil were they doing? 'Section Two!' he screamed.

'Why don't you answer me? Three?' There was nothing but static. 'I am the Governor!' he howled. 'Why won't you answer me?'

His face twisted with frustration, Bragen slammed his fists down on the unit. What was going on? Why wouldn't his men reply?

Was it possible that the squad leader was right? Could the Daleks conceivably be working with the rebels? Well, it didn't matter if they were. He knew how to deal with that. He tapped on the controls for a general broadcast.

Then he composed his thoughts and voice. It wouldn't do to sound worried.