Barbara shielded her eyes from the smoke, dodged the blast of a Dalek gun-stick, and stumbled straight into Jenny. One glance at the disaster and chaos around them had convinced even Jenny that the attack was hopeless. She grabbed Barbara's arm and started dragging her away. "Come on. We're getting out of here."
Barbara pulled away from her. "But Ian's there - I saw him on the ramp. And where's Susan?"
"We got separated. I think she's with David. They'll both have to take their chances. There's a way through the sewers. If you don't come now, you'll get killed."
Without waiting for a reply, Jenny ran off. After a last agonised glance at the spaceship, Barbara ran after her.
In the control room of the Dalek ship, the Black Dalek watched the scene outside the saucer on a scanner. The screen showed a confused picture of blasting Daleks, exploding grenades, and falling freedom fighters. The area around the saucer was littered with the crumpled bodies of those who had failed to escape.
The Black Dalek transmitted orders to those outside. "The enemy are retreating. Recapture as many prisoners as possible. Block all exits from the area. Find the enemy attackers and exterminate them."
Tyler was ushering the last of the survivors down an open manhole cover, in an alley behind a burning building. "Hurry," he shouted. "They'll be here soon."
He was just about to duck down the manhole himself, when he heard pounding footsteps. He hesitated, then yelled, "Come on, over here... Quickly!"
A man tore round the corner of the building, hesitated for a moment then started running towards Tyler. Seconds later a Dalek appeared in pursuit. It fired immediately, and the man screamed once then dropped to the ground. Tyler disappeared down the manhole like a rat into its hole, pulling the cover over his head.
The Black Dalek turned away from the scanner screen. "The attack has been defeated."
His number two came forward eagerly. "Many prisoners have been recaptured. Most of the attacking rebels have been killed or wounded. Only a very few are still at large."
There was cold fury in the voice of the Black Dalek. "Find them. Find all survivors and destroy them. They must be exterminated!"
In a ghastly chorus, the surrounding Daleks took up their leader's chant. "Exterminate them! Exterminate them! Exterminate them!"
6: The Fugitives
The freedom fighters' operations room was almost empty. Jenny was bathing a cut on Barbara's head with a wet cloth, while Dortmun looked on in gloomy silence. "There was no one else. The rest must have been captured or killed, thought Barbara wearily. She. looked up at Jenny. "You're sure you didn't see what happened to Susan? She was with you the last time I saw her."
Jenny's voice was gruff. "I told you. She caught up with David - we were going to look for you. Then there were all those explosions, and I just lost sight of her." Barbara sighed, and Jenny's voice softened at the sight of her unhappy face. "Don't worry, she may still turn up. There, your head's fine now. Just a scratch."
There came the sound of movement from the corridor outside. Barbara looked up hopefully - but it was Tyler who came into the room.
"Your bombs are useless. Dortmun."
The man in the wheelchair looked up. "How many were killed?"
"It was a massacre. We didn't stand a chance."
" How many? "
Tyler sighed. "I don't know. Almost all of them, I think. A few got away before the Daleks sealed the area, one or two got out through the sewers..." He picked up a rucksack and started to fill it with supplies.
Barbara said dully, "The Doctor and Ian were in that saucer. I saw Ian... just for a moment..." her voice faltered, then she regained control. "What about the Doctor? Did you see any sign of him ?
"There was an oldish man," said Tyler slowly. "We found him in the Robotiser Chamber. Baker got him clear of the ship, but after that..." He shrugged, then turned to Dortmun. "We'll have to get out of London."
"Why? The Daleks have never looked for us down here."
"That was before we attacked their precious flying saucer. We've stirred them up now. They'll search every inch - destroy every inch."
"But I must stay here. I need to work on my bomb." He looked up at Tyler appealingly. "It only needs a little more work, the principle is sound..."
"Forget your bomb. It's a waste of time."
"It's the answer. It's the only answer..." There was a mad obsessive determination in Dortmun's voice.
"And who's going to use it for you?" asked Tyler. "Me? These two girls here? Use your intelligence, man."
Jenny joined in. "Tyler's right. London will be too hot for us now."
"If we could just stay a few days longer," persisted Dortmun.
Tyler shook his head decisively. "No. I'm going to see if I can find any more survivors, then I'm heading North."
Barbara got to her feet. "Can I come with you? If Ian and the Doctor did escape, we might find them..."
Tyler shouldered the rucksack. "I'm sorry, but you'd slow me down. I've got to go alone. Good luck."
Barbara called, "If you do see any of my friends..." But Tyler had already gone.
Jenny said, "We must get out of here too."
Dortmun looked at them with sudden eagerness.
"There's the other H.Q. People will be gathering there - your friends too, maybe. I can go on working on my bomb - there's a laboratory there..."
"Dortmun, please - " began Jenny.
Dortmun was beyond reason. "That's it, we'll go to the Transport Museum." He looked hopefully at them. "It means crossing London, going over one of the bridges..."
Barbara sighed. "All right, we'll come with you."
Dortmun spun his wheelchair, and headed for his office. "I'll just get my things together. You'd better pack some supplies."
Jenny moved closer to Barbara, and said in a low voice. "We'd stand a lot more chance on our own."
"Maybe. But he won't stand any chance without us. You needn't come - if you don't want to."
Jenny hesitated, then shrugged. "Might as well. Maybe Dortmun's right... people might start collecting at the other H.Q."
By the time they had loaded two more rucksacks, Dortmun came out of the office, a satchel slung over his shoulder. "We'd better be moving. It's nearly light now."
He headed his chair for the door. As she followed him, Barbara said, "Do you really think my friends might end up at this Museum?"
Dortmun nodded vigorously. "It's possible. Yes, it's distinctly possible."
Possible, but not very probable, thought Barbara wearily. In her heart she feared she would never see her missing friends again.
The Black Dalek was addressing his aides. "Orders from Dalek Supreme Command. Rebels must be totally crushed. An intensive search of London is to be made. If necessary, the city will be totally destroyed."
"Do you intend to remain in the city?" asked the second-in-command.
"No. The ship will now take me to the mine workings in the Central Zone."
"We have recaptured many escaped prisoners."
"They will be put to work in the mine. Feed and water them. They must be strong in order to work."
"I obey."
The second-in-command began issuing orders into a communications network. Dalek and Robomen patrols would cover all central London, seeking out and destroying rebel hiding places.
The Black Dalek swivelled to face the spaceship"s flight operators. "Prepare ship for lift-off!"
Although the Daleks didn't know it, there was at least one escaped prisoner who was still free, and still on the ship. After his dive into the hatch below the ramp, Ian had found himself in a service tunnel somewhere in the bowels of the ship. Wriggling between humming and throbbing Dalek machinery, he had gradually worked his way back to the upper levels. Immediately he headed for the Robotiser room, in the hope of finding the Doctor.
He slipped inside, glancing with a shudder at the central table and sinister electronic apparatus suspended above it. The place was completely empty,
no Doctor, no Daleks.
He heard movement in the corridor outside and ducked behind a bank of instruments. Two men came into the room. One was slight and wiry, with curly black hair. Behind the first man, holding him in a painful armlock, was a tall figure that Ian recognised immediately.
He stepped from his hiding place. "Craddock!"
Releasing his prisoner, Craddock swung round. His face was expressionless, and there was a gleaming metal device on his head. His voice was slurred and dragging. "You are to be Robotised."
Ian backed away. "Craddock - it's me..."
Craddock lurched forward and grabbed Ian's arm, trying to bend it behind his back. Ian struggled desperately. Although his movements were slow and clumsy, the Robotised Craddock seemed abnormally strong, and quite impervious to pain. A savage blow to his ribs produced only a grunt, and there was no slackening in the steady pressure on Ian's arm.
Ian decided to use skill rather than strength. Grabbing Craddock by sleeve and coat, Ian twisted round, bent and sent his opponent hurling over his shoulder in a judo throw. Craddock crashed to the floor, with enough force to stun any normal man. But Craddock was no longer normal. He scrambled immediately to his feet and advanced on Ian, hands outstretched. Despairingly Ian realised he was fighting not a man but a machine - a machine that couldn't be hurt, would never get tired and never give up...
As Craddock's hands closed on Ian's throat, the wiry man joined in the struggle. He threw himself on Craddock, gripped the helmet-device with both hands, and ripped it from Craddock's head. The results were immediate and dramatic. Craddock let out a series of terrifying screams, his hands clutching his head. His body flopped to the floor and thrashed frantically like a stranded fish. His back arched in a final convulsion and he went limp and still.
Ian got up slowly, rubbing his throat. He examined Craddock's body. As he'd expected, the man was quite dead. He looked at the wiry man and held out his hand. "Thank's for the help - my name's Ian."
The other returned the handshake. "Larry. And thank you . I was on my way to ending up like him ." He nodded towards the body on the floor. "He caught me hiding in one of the storerooms. I smuggled myself on board quite a while ago."
"You did what ?"
"This saucer makes periodic trips to the mine workings in Bedfordshire. My brother's one of the slaves there. I'm going to find him and get him out."
"So you're hitching a lift with the Daleks? You don't choose the safest way to travel, do you?"
Larry grinned. "Maybe not. But it's the quickest. What about you? What are you doing here?"
Quickly Ian explained how he'd been captured by the Daleks, freed during the raid, and trapped in the ramp housing straight afterwards. "I'm looking for the friend who was captured with me," he finished. "Though I'm not even sure if he's still on board. There's a chance he got away during the raid."
Larry started dragging Craddock's body towards the wall. "We'd better put this down the disposal chute. They'll start hunting for us if it's found in here."
Ian helped Larry to drag the body to a hatch set in the far corner. Larry slid back the hatch-cover, and immediately they felt a powerful suction dragging them towards the opening.
Between them they wrestled the body into the hatch-way. Immediately the force of the suction snatched it down into the chute. Larry slid the cover back into place. "Right. we'd better get out of here and find somewhere safer to hide."
Suddenly there was a hum of power, and a steady vibration all around them. Ian put a hand on the wall to steady himself. "Looks as if you might get your trip to Bedfordshire after all. I think we're taking off!"
In the Control Room, the Black Dalek ordered, "Maximum repulsion. Set course for mine workings in Central Zone."
The Dalek spacecraft lifted slowly from the Heliport, which was still littered with the bodies of those who had died in the attack. It rose smoothly into the air and began skimming northwards over London, just as dawn was breaking.
From their hiding place, Susan and David watched the saucer disappear from sight. Susan wondered if the Doctor and Ian were still on board, or if they'd managed to get away during the raid. She had only a confused and nightmarish memory of her own escape. Daleks firing into the crowd of freedom fighters and escaping prisoners, the screams of the dying, the roar of explosions, sheets of flame and clouds of smoke. Some-where in all the confusion David had grabbed her hand and pulled her clear. They'd escaped from the area just before the Daleks sealed it off, and they'd been stumbling through the ruins ever since. At last they'd arrived in the cellar of a ruined house, and here they'd stopped to rest. David explained it was one of the freedom fighters" regular hiding places. Although the house above it was in ruins, the cellar itself was warm and dry. It was furnished with battered old beds and chairs, and there were even stores of food, water, weapons and ammunition. A flight of steps led up from the cellar into an alleyway between rows of ruined houses.
From the cellar doorway, Susan saw the flying saucer disappear over the rooftops. "Does that mean the Daleks have gone?"
David shook his head wearily. "The saucer comes and goes regularly, ferrying prisoners to the mines. There are still plenty of Daleks and Robomen on the ground." Suddenly he broke off. "Get down - there's a patrol coming."
They ducked back inside the cellar. Despite David's warning Susan couldn't resist peeping round the door. Two Daleks were gliding along the alleyway above them. Alert and suspicious, their eye-stalks swivelled to and fro, scanning all around them. Susan shrunk back inside the cellar, closing her eyes. After a moment, David touched her gently on the shoulder. "It's all right - they've gone. We'll give them time to get well clear and then move on."
"Move on where?"
"We'll have to try to get out of London, join up with one of the other groups."
From the alleyway came the sound of pounding footsteps. A Dalek voice grated, "Stop! Surrender or you will be exterminated!"
The footsteps faltered then ran on. There was a scream of "No... no..." and the crackle of a Dalek gun-stick. Then silence.
Susan shuddered and threw herself into David's arms. "Why did we ever come here," she said hysterically. "Why, why? If only we could get back in the TARDIS and just go away... I'm sure the Doctor would let you come with us..."
David said sadly, "You get away if you can. But I can't."
"Why not?"
"This is my world. My Earth. I can't just leave it, clear off somewhere else."
Susan looked at him wonderingly. "I've never felt like that about anywhere. I left my own planet when I was very young, and we've been travelling ever since. I've never really belonged anywhere."
David looked seriously at her. "Someday you ought to stop travelling and really arrive somewhere - get down, someone's coming."
"Daleks?"
"Don't think so. Human footsteps. Could be Robomen..."
Pushing Susan down into cover, David crouched in readiness at the bottom of the stairs. He slipped something from his belt, and Susan saw light glinting on the blade of a knife.
They waited as the dragging footsteps came closer...
7: Reunion with the Doctor
Susan cowered back as a monstrous, deformed shape appeared at the top of the steps. The huge misshapen figure began to descend the stairs... As it came nearer, Susan realised she was looking not at one man but two , one carrying the other on his shoulders. And the man being carried was the Doctor!
Joyfully she ran forward calling, "Doctor, it's me, Susan!"
David meanwhile had recognised the other man. He put his knife away, and helped the newcomer to lower the Doctor's body to the ground. "Baker! Are you all right?"
Baker grunted with relief as he lowered the Doctor's body. "I'm O.K. Worried about him, though."
The Doctor was very still. His eyes were wide open but he seemed unable to move or talk. Susan looked anxiously at Baker. "What is it? What's the matter with him?"
"Daleks drugged him. Should be beginning
to wear off by now."
The Doctor stared up at them. Slowly, very slowly, his lips moved and he said, "Susan..." Susan hugged him in happy relief.
Shrugging aside Susan's thanks, Baker told them of the disastrous aftermath of the attack, of how he'd managed to get the Doctor away early on. "We were lucky. I think most of the others were killed or captured."
"What will you do now?" asked David. "Do you want to join up with us?"
Baker, a burly, taciturn character, was clearly some-thing of a loner. "No, the bigger the group, the bigger the risk. I'll make for the Cornish coast. Not so many Daleks down there."
David handed over a flask and a packet of food. "Here, take these. You'll need them."
"What about you?"
"We'll manage. Plenty of food stored here - and not many left alive to eat it."
Baker took the supplies and made for the cellar door. "Thanks. I'm off then. Good luck." He disappeared up the stairs, and they heard his footsteps moving along the cobbles of the alleyway.
Suddenly a metallic voice shouted, "Halt!"
David ran to the top of the steps and peered out. He could see Baker halfway down the alley. A Dalek had appeared at the other end. Baker spun round. A second Dalek was blocking the alleyway behind him.
As both Daleks advanced towards him, Baker dropped his rifle and raised his hands. The second Dalek screeched, "Exterminate!" Both Daleks fired at once. Caught in the double blast, Baker twisted in mid-air and died immediately. His body dropped to the ground. For a long moment the two Daleks scanned the alley with their eye-stalks. Then they glided silently on their way.
Shaken, David crept back to Susan. "The Daleks just shot him down, wouldn't even let him surrender. They must have decided to kill everyone on sight."
Susan was cradling the Doctor in her arms, getting him to drink a little water. "Where can we go, David? "What can we do?"
Doctor Who And The Dalek Invasion of Earth Page 5
