Stella and Bowman listened to the sound emanating from the computer speakers. It was a slow, heavy throb, like an electronic heartbeat.
The Doctor's face was ashen. 'It can't be...' he said. 'It just can't be.'
Bowman had drawn his blaster again. 'You'd better believe it,' he said.
And then, with a terrible screech of rending metal, the doorway at the end of the corridor exploded open. Shrapnel sliced through the air and the three of them were already crouching, turning away, as something large and metallic swept through the wreckage.
Stella gaped in shock. There were three of them, filing through the remains of the door, their burnished bronze armour glinting dully, weapons swivelling in their sockets, eyestalks turning to stare at them with glowing blue lenses.
'Daleks!' said the Doctor, horrified.
'EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!'
THREE
Stella cringed as the first Dalek screamed 'EXTERMINATE', knowing the end was about to come.
But just as the Dalek's gun blazed, a hail of automatic gunfire crashed into its head and neck section. The bullets had little effect, intercepted by the Dalek's protective force field before they could strike home, but it was just enough of a distraction to allow the Doctor to shove Stella and Bowman out of the way.
The Dalek blaster beam illuminated the corridor with a terrible blue glare. 'ACQUIRING SECONDARY TARGET!' grated the Dalek, its eyestalk swivelling. 'EXTERMINATE!'
On the stairs above them, Cuttin' Edge was taking aim with his assault rifle. He squeezed off another shot, the gun recoiling heavily, and this time the effect was rather different. The force field sizzled and there was a brilliant explosion.
When the smoke cleared, the Dalek was relatively unharmed, apart from a burning dent in its armour, but even the slightest delay was just enough for the humans to escape, running for their lives up the stairs. Fear is a great motivator.
Cuttin' Edge sprayed the corridor with bullets and then sprinted after his friends. Directly in front of him was the Doctor, urging them all to greater speed as they clattered up the stairs.
'How did you do that?' he demanded. 'Guns don't work on Daleks.'
'This one does,' said Cuttin' Edge with a savage grin. 'We're Dalek bounty hunters.'
Stella caught a sudden glimmer of hope in the Doctor's wide-eyed stare. 'Is that right?'
'ELEVATE!' They all heard the harsh command echoing up from below. They didn't need to look down to know that the Daleks were rising up the stairwell behind them.
'Hurry up!' yelled the Doctor, pushing them all forward. Stella stumbled and he caught her, lifting her, propelling her up the last few steps with remarkable strength. Bowman kicked open the door and they piled out into the dusty street outside. Cuttin' Edge slammed the door shut and spun the lock. Then he aimed his rifle at the mechanism and blasted it into molten slag.
'That won't stop them,' said the Doctor.
'I know, but it makes me feel better.'
'Stop talking and move,' ordered Bowman, leading the way along the passageway at a run. He already had his communicator out again and was calling for Scrum to get the Wayfarer ready to leave.
Stella saw the Doctor turn back as the Daleks blasted their way out of the stairwell building. The first Dalek emerged, the glowing blue eye roving around until it fixed on them. Its body swivelled around and it started to glide after them.
And then stopped.
'WARNING!' grated the Dalek. 'WARNING! OUTER CASING UNDER ATTACK!'
A patch of black was spreading over the bronze dome of the Dalek's head section. Where Cuttin' Edge's last shot had struck, the metal was beginning to dissolve.
'EMERGENCY!' cried the Dalek. 'PROTECTIVE ARMOUR COMPROMISED!'
The other two Daleks examined the damage. 'MOLECULAR DISSOLUTION VIRUS. RETURN TO THE SHIP FOR REPAIRS!'
'I OBEY!' The Dalek rose into the air, its dome fizzing as the virus spread remorselessly, and flew away.
The remaining Daleks turned and glided after their prey.
Stella, Bowman, Cuttin' Edge and the Doctor hared through the base, dodging from building to building and alley to alley.
The Doctor skidded to a halt at one junction, grabbing Stella by the arm. 'This way! I've got my own transport.'
'Where?'
'Follow me! Come on, you lot – allons-y!'
'Let him go, Stella,' said Bowman. 'We're heading for the Wayfarer.'
Stella hesitated. Behind her, Bowman and Cuttin' Edge were glaring at her, urging her to follow them.
'We don't have much time,' Bowman insisted. 'What's the problem?'
The Doctor had stopped and was looking back at her. And there was something in his eyes, a kind of longing, or a bitter hope. He held out his hand. 'You'll be safe in the TARDIS. Come with me!'
In the end the decision was made for her. A Dalek slid into view at the end of the passageway, blocking off the Doctor's retreat.
'HALT – OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!'
Cuttin' Edge opened up with his rifle. Gunfire filled the alley with crackling thunder.
The Dalek blasted at them, but the shots went wild and suddenly they were all running again, tripping over each other, yelling at each other to move faster.
They reached the edge of the spaceport landing bays. And there, right in front of them, was the Wayfarer. Stella had never been so glad to see the old crate.
'That's your ship?' asked the Doctor, surprised.
'Yeah,' growled Bowman. 'Why? Don't you like it?'
'I know it doesn't look like much—' began Stella.
'But it's got it where it counts,' finished the Doctor. 'Don't worry, my ship's just the same.'
Scrum was unhooking a series of heavy cables from the spacecraft's underside. They were connected to a number of squat machines placed around the perimeter of the landing pad.
'She's not full yet, but we're good to go,' he called. 'Koral's already onboard.'
'Get her started!' roared Bowman.
Daleks were gliding into view from the edge of the spaceport. The blue lights of their eyes all turned to face the Wayfarer crew as they ran the last few metres to the ship.
'HALT!'
None of them did. Scrum was already inside the ship and the engines were whining into life, the whole vessel shuddering with compressed power.
Bowman sprinted to the foot of the ramp and turned to give the Doctor and Cuttin' Edge covering fire as they helped Stella onboard. The smell of energy-weapon discharges filled the air.
And then suddenly the ship began to lift off, the landing ramp still extended. Bowman grabbed hold of one of the hydraulic supports, raising a leg to plant his foot firmly on the Doctor's backside, propelling him into the ship. Dalek gunfire screamed all around them, lighting the ramp with electric blue flashes.
The Doctor scrambled to his feet. Ahead of him, Cuttin' Edge was helping Stella as the ship swayed. She was grinning, overjoyed to have made it, giving the Doctor a happy and relieved thumbs up as he came towards her.
'Scrum!' yelled Bowman. 'Get us the hell out of here!'
'Aye aye, captain!' Scrum called back from the flight cabin. 'We're on our way...'
Something exploded behind them, outside the ship, probably one of the refuelling pumps at the side of the landing apron caught in a Dalek blast. The fireball ripped through the air, causing the Wayfarer to stagger slightly, and debris filled the open landing ramp area just before the interior hatch finally hissed shut. The shockwave had already blown Stella backwards and sent the Doctor, Bowman and Cuttin' Edge sprawling.
'Stella!' The Doctor saw immediately that she was injured. There was a lump of metal, part of a fuel tank, sticking out of her thigh.
The Doctor crawled towards her. She was leaning against the bulkhead wall, her face pale, staring at him. The leg wound was deep and serious, with dark arterial blood spreading across her trousers.
'Oh, but that hurts,' she croaked.
'It's all right,' he said hurriedly. 'It's ju
st a flesh wound.
You'll be OK.'
'Hey,' she said, smiling weakly. 'I cross-trained as a medic, y'know. I can tell how bad it is.'
The Doctor squeezed her hand. 'You'll be fine.'
'We've got no more medical supplies onboard. Used the last of them on Scrum.'
Bowman stepped forward. 'Stop talking. You need to get into the med room.'
'Yeah,' agreed Cuttin' Edge. 'Man, that was close, but we're OK. Everything's gonna be fine, babe. We're outta here.'
The Wayfarer had swung away from the spaceport and was climbing, Scrum easing the ship up through the atmosphere as quickly as he could.
Bowman said, 'I'll get the medical computers fired up. Bring her through.'
'Don't waste your time,' said Stella as he left. She was pale and clearly in pain, but she kept on smiling. 'You'll be putting me back together with packing tape.'
'Try not to talk,' advised the Doctor.
'Hey, give a girl a break, I'm pleading for my life here...' Stella smiled grimly, tears filling her eyes. 'And don't let Cuttin' Edge operate, do you hear? He can't even use a knife and fork properly.'
'Are you kidding?' said Cuttin' Edge. 'I ain't goin' near that medical stuff. Never do. Anyway, he's the only doctor around here.' He jerked a thumb at the Doctor.
'I thought you said he was a pirate.' Stella laughed and turned to the Doctor. 'Want my advice? Try one of those emergency cryo-charges. Freeze me and get me somewhere they can operate properly.'
'Good idea,' said the Doctor. 'You keep on coming up with them.'
There was a loud screech of metal from behind them. The interior airlock door buckled and then jerked in its housing, sliding away with a grinding protest. Beyond the door was the studded shape of a Dalek.
'What the hell!' yelled Cuttin' Edge, diving for his rifle.
The Dalek's sucker arm pushed the remains of the airlock door to one side, the metal and plastic crumpling in its grip. Its single blue eye blazed at them and its head lights flashed.
'EXTERMINATE!'
The Doctor had tried to pull Stella away, but it was too late.
The extermination beam struck her full in the small of the back, illuminating her with such powerful radiance that her skeleton and internal organs were clearly visible. The beam was kept trained on her, pinning her against the wall, its shrill whine merging with the horrendous scream of agony that seemed to fill the ship.
Eventually, after what seemed like an age, the beam ceased and her corpse slid to the floor.
FOUR
Cuttin' Edge opened fire at the Dalek with a scream of rage. The shots ricocheted around the airlock passage, sparking off the force field, filling the air with a storm of ammunition. The Dalek's eye turned implacably towards Cuttin' Edge as he stepped forward, rifle jammed against his shoulder, emptying the magazine into its head and neck. The Dalek remained impervious. It waited a second for the rifle to empty and then brought its own gun to bear on the human.
The Doctor lunged forward, hurling something at the Dalek. For the briefest of moments there was a clang as it struck the metal casing and a brilliant blue-white glare filled the airlock. Cuttin' Edge staggered backwards, caught in a sudden blast of incredibly cold air that took his breath away. He fell on top of the Doctor and they collapsed together in a heap of arms and legs.
Silence.
Cautiously, they sat up on the floor and looked at the Dalek.
It was frozen – literally. A chill white mist floated around the familiar domed shape, and the metal casing was covered from top to bottom in a thick white frost. Behind the lens of its eye, the blue light slowly faded, replaced by an icy darkness.
'What...what was that?' gasped Cuttin' Edge. 'What did you do?'
'I used one of the emergency cryo-charges.' The Doctor got up and looked around the airlock, where the Dalek stood in a small blast area covered with ice.
Cuttin' Edge, satisfied that the Dalek was immobilised, ran over to where Stella lay. At that moment Bowman came running too, his boots pounding on the metal floor. He glanced uncertainly at the frozen Dalek and then knelt down by Stella. 'What happened?'
'Dalek chased us, must've got inside the airlock somehow,' Cuttin' Edge said quietly. He didn't need to say any more.
Bowman stared in disbelief at Stella's smoking body, his lips tightening and a muscle trembling in his jaw.
'I'm sorry,' said the Doctor behind him. 'I'm so sorry.'
Bowman took a long, shuddering breath, and then stood up. He straightened his shoulders and lifted his head. His face was an expressionless mask, but the deep-set eyes were smouldering with fury as he turned to look at the Doctor. 'Get that thing off my ship.'
He didn't need to point at the Dalek. Everyone knew what he meant.
'I'm sorry, I can't,' said the Doctor. His voice was barely a whisper. 'The outer airlock door's been damaged – probably in the explosion as we took off. It's jammed. We might be able to—'
Bowman ignored him, turning back to Cuttin' Edge. 'Get it fixed. Get rid of it.'
'Yes, sir.'
The Doctor said nothing. Bowman looked back at the immobile Dalek for a second and then asked, 'Is it dead?'
The Doctor approached the Dalek cautiously. He waved a hand in front of the frost-covered eyestalk, but there was no response. Very carefully, he walked right around the Dalek, inspecting it from every angle. Finally he poked the gun-stick. There was no reaction. 'No vision, no motive power, weaponry offline. I'd say it's as good as dead.'
'As good as?'
'You never can tell with a Dalek. But it's cryogenically frozen – they are sometimes susceptible to a sudden reduction in temperature, particularly if caught off guard. Cuttin' Edge was shooting at it from close range, so there would have been quite a bit of power diverted to the defensive force field. Enough to allow the cryo-charge to do its stuff, at least.'
'That was quick thinking.'
The Doctor shook his head. 'Not quick enough. And anyway, it was Stella's idea.'
They should have been celebrating, thrilled and excited by the fact that they had defeated an unstoppable foe – but instead, all they felt was a sense of utter failure. None of them could bear to look at Stella's body.
'I should have acted faster,' insisted the Doctor. 'She didn't deserve to die like that. No one does.'
'I don't know what the hell you were doing on that planet,' Bowman growled, 'but everything went wrong the moment we found you.'
'It's not my fault,' said the Doctor.
'Just keep telling yourself that.'
Cuttin' Edge stepped up. 'Easy, skip. We need to move Stella.'
'Looks like we're stuck with you,' grumbled Bowman menacingly at the Doctor. 'At least until we get that airlock fixed. Until then, keep out of my way.'
Once the Wayfarer was in deep space and travelling at top speed, Bowman went to his cabin and ordered that no one should disturb him. Scrum was left at the helm while Cuttin' Edge, having helped move Stella's body, went to fix the airlock.
He found the Doctor there, examining the Dalek with his sonic screwdriver. 'The cryo-charge worked better than I thought,' he said. 'This thing seems to be completely defunct. It acts as a life-support system for the creature inside, so I imagine it's dead.'
'You know a bit about the Daleks, then?' asked Cuttin' Edge warily.
'A bit.'
Cuttin' Edge peered at the Dalek, which was still wreathed in a freezing mist and caked with frost. 'Man, we were lucky. I really thought my time was up.'
'It wouldn't have worked if you hadn't been shooting at it.' The Doctor glanced at the rifle slung over Cuttin' Edge's shoulder. 'What kind of ammunition does that thing take? You damaged that Dalek on Hurala – I've never seen that done before with a conventional firearm. Lucky shot at the eye, maybe, but that was something special.'
'MDV,' said Cuttin' Edge. 'Molecular Dissolution Virus. It's something Scrum developed. Bastic-headed bullet to penetrate the force field. Then it infects the arm
our plating and just eats its way through.'
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. 'Ingenious. It'd have to act fast, though. It would take an extremely aggressive MDV to beat the automatic self-repair molecules that make up the bonded polycarbide.'
Cuttin' Edge was peering carefully at the head and neck section of the Dalek. 'What I don't understand is why the thing didn't work this time. I had it point-blank. Should've rusted its damn head clean off.'
'Well, your weapons are smart all right,' said the Doctor, 'but the Daleks are smarter. Their armour learns and adapts. By the time your metal-eating virus was chewing its way through that first Dalek, it was already analysing the damage and transmitting emergency defence protocols so its mates wouldn't get caught out in the same way.'
'Now you're sounding just like Scrum,' Cuttin' Edge muttered. 'He's usually the brains of this operation.'
'Operation?'
'We're bounty hunters employed by Earth Command to kill Daleks. We get a fixed bonus for every eyestalk we collect. Which reminds me...' Cuttin' Edge reached for his belt, unhooking a laser tool.
He moved to grab the Dalek's eyestalk but the Doctor batted his hand away. 'Don't touch it! These things can absorb genetic data from your DNA – all it takes is one touch, and it might be enough for it to start regenerating.'
'I thought you said it was dead.'
'You can never be too careful where Daleks are concerned, believe me.'
Slowly, reluctantly, Cuttin' Edge returned the laser to his belt. 'So what's your story? How come you know so much about the Daleks? You don't look like a soldier.'
'Nor did Stella.'
Cuttin' Edge stiffened. 'She was different.'
'So am I.'
'If you say so.' Cuttin' Edge didn't sound convinced. 'Just what were you doin' on Hurala, anyway?'
The Doctor sighed and scratched the back of his neck. 'I'm not sure, to be honest. My ship was acting up a bit – guidance systems all gone to pot.'
'You're a long way lost to be out here, dude.'
The Doctor looked up with a smile. 'You know, I think that's the first time anyone's ever called me "dude".'
'Don't get carried away. Captain Bowman wants you off the ship, an' I ain't arguin' with him. And besides, it don't alter what I said: your ship must be way off course for you to end up this far from Earth space.'
Prisoner of the Daleks Page 3
