Doctor Who And The Dalek Invasion of Earth

by Terrance Dicks

  Barbara made her voice calm and reassuring. "We're lost. We were looking for shelter."

  "Just the two of you?" The old woman gave a sudden cackle of a laugh. "Tired are you?"

  "Yes... yes, we are."

  Jenny looked at the old woman uneasily, "Barbara, I think we should be moving on."

  The smaller, equally ragged figure of a younger woman appeared beside the first in the doorway. "Dogs'll get you," it piped suddenly.

  "Dogs?" Barbara echoed nervously.

  The old woman took up the chorus. "Terrible beasts. After the plague they formed a pack. They hunt travellers. You'd better come in."

  Reluctantly Barbara and Jenny stepped inside. The cottage was dirty and primitive, like something out of the Middle Ages. A bed, a stove, a ricketty table and some battered wooden chairs were all the furniture of its single room. Barbara looked at the two women who stood nodding and smiling. It was clear from their close resemblance that they were mother and daughter. Barbara told herself that she was wrong to feel repelled by them. They were poor and ignorant that was all, and small wonder in this horrible world the Daleks had made. "Where are you making for?" asked the old woman suddenly.

  Barbara sank into a chair, suddenly realising how tired she was. "The Dalek mines. We have friends there. We're trying to find them."

  The younger woman shook her head dolefully. "Nobody ever gets away from the mines. You'll be caught yourselves."

  The old woman nodded. "You're lucky you got this far - and found us. Patrols pass here all the time."

  Jenny was still suspicious. "Then how is it you're still free. They must know you're here."

  The old woman cackled. "Oh, they know all right. But we can't harm them."

  "We helps "em," piped up the younger one.

  The old woman scowled at her, swiftly changing to a smile as she turned back to Barbara. "We make clothes for the slave workers," she explained. "We're more use to them doing that than we would be in the mines."

  "How do you manage for food?"

  "They give us a bit from time to time, payment you might say. We go hungry most days though."

  Even Jenny was won over by their sad faces. "We've got a little food with us," she said gruffly. "You can share it if you like."

  The old woman gave a toothless grin. "Why thank you, my child. We've little to offer in return, but if you like you can sleep here for the night. We can make up a bed in that corner, you'll be comfy enough."

  There was another rumble of thunder, and rain began lashing down. Barbara realised she couldn't face going out again. "Thank you," she said wearily. "We'll stay the night if we may."

  Jenny unpacked the meagre supplies - apples, a tin of meat, some rather stale biscuits. The old woman put out some plates, four battered tin mugs and a jug of water.

  Barbara noticed that the younger woman was wrap-ping herself in a heavy hooded cloak. "Where are you going?" she demanded.

  "I have to go out to deliver these clothes."

  "In this weather?"

  The old woman sighed. "Daleks don't care about the weather, my dear. We have to keep up our quota - and these are late already."

  "What about those dogs you told us about?" asked Jenny.

  "She follows the patrols," explained the old woman.

  The younger nodded eagerly. "That's right, I follow the patrols."

  "She'll come to no harm," said the old woman soothingly. "She's done it often enough before. Now why don't we sit down and enjoy our meal? The girl will have hers when she gets back."

  Jenny shared out their food with scrupulous fairness, putting aside a portion for the younger woman, and they sat down to eat.

  Barbara and Jenny ate the scanty meal in tired silence, but, the old woman was excited and talkative. She plied Barbara with questions about London. "What's it like now, dearie, still as wonderful?"

  "I'm afraid not. The Daleks have destroyed quite a lot of it."

  "Destroyed? Well I never! When I went it was all so pretty. The shops and the moving pavements... and I went to the Astronauts" Fair..."

  The old woman rambled on about her once-in-a lifetime day trip to London, and all the wonderful things she'd seen. Barbara's head began nodding. It was pathetic really, she thought. she should feel sorry for the poor old thing. But somehow she still felt uneasy. The old woman was nervous too, glancing constantly at an old alarm clock on a shelf, and looking out of the window. Probably worrying about her daughter.

  Suddenly bright light flooded into the room as the clearing outside was lit up with a blazing searchlight. Jenny screamed as the cottage door smashed open. In the doorway stood a Dalek, flanked by Robomen guards. "Both of you will follow me. Do not try to escape or you will be exterminated!"

  Stunned, Barbara and Jenny stood up, and gathered their few possessions. How had the Daleks found them so easily? The thin figure of the daughter dodged round the Dalek and scuttled to her mother's side. She held out a little sack. "Look, ma. There's bread, and oranges and sugar..."

  The old woman chuckled. "Good, good. I knew they'd give us food if we told them."

  Impatiently the Dalek shouted, "Move!" As Barbara and jenny were marched out of the cottage, the other two women were excitedly rummaging through the sack. The older one looked out of the window as the Robomen led their captives away. "Such a pity," she muttered. "Still, they'd have been captured anyway, in the end." Eagerly she sucked the juice from her orange. She hadn't tasted an orange for years and years...

  The giant wastebucket clanked down through the darkness on a seemingly endless journey, taking its human cargo deeper and deeper into the Dalek mine. Ian supposed he shouldn't complain, since he'd wanted to get into the mine anyway. But he hadn't bargained for travelling this way. He heard Larry's nervous voice from the darkness beside him. "How long do you think we've been going down now?"

  "Must be nearly twenty minutes."

  "It's getting warmer, isn't it?"

  "Yes... pressure's increasing too, my ears are pop-ping."

  Larry shuddered. "I'd rather be dead than work down here."

  "I hope we don't have to make the choice!"

  "We're stopping," said Larry excitedly. "We must be nearly at the bottom." He craned his head over the side of the bucket. "Look - lights, just below!"

  Ian saw a huge open space, the junction of several earth-walled tunnels supported by wooden pit props, lit by dim working-lights. Piles of earth and rock were everywhere. "Let's get out of here, before this bucket tips over and chucks us out."

  They clambered on to the rim of the giant bucket. This was by no means an easy job, since the bucket tended to tip with the movement of their weight. Ian wriggled over the edge, hung by his hands and dropped. The fall was a long one, but he landed un-hurt in a pile of soft earth.

  Larry wasn't so lucky. He landed with a thud right beside Ian, but when he tried to get up he groaned and clutched his leg. "It's my knee. I hit it on the bucket coming down."

  Ian looked round. "We must hide for a bit till you can walk. It's too open here. Come on, put your weight on me."

  He helped Larry away from the open area and into one of the side tunnels. They crouched in the semi-darkness, resting thankfully.

  After a few minutes Ian said, "How"s the leg?"

  Larry straightened it, and gave another groan. "Seems to be stiffening up. I don't think I'll be able to walk."

  "Don't worry. We'll stay here for a while." Ian looked out of the tunnel and into the main area. There were lots of tunnels leading off, enormous piles of earth and stones, and that was all. "This mine doesn't make sense to me. All they seem to be digging is rocks. I suppose they could be processing ore somewhere."

  "You remember what my brother Phil said - the Daleks want to tunnel through to the magnetic core of the Earth."

  "But why? What are they up to?"

  Larry shrugged. "You can't tell much from here. This is only a sort of clearance area. Perhaps the important work's going on somewhere else."
<
br />   "You may be right at that." Ian felt a surge of impatience. It was maddening to be so close to the Daleks" secrets without learning more. "Larry, would you be all right if I went to have a look around?"

  "Yes, sure."

  Ian got to his feet and moved out of the tunnel into the main area. He chose the largest of the tunnels leading off, and made his way along it. Soon he heard voices and movement coming towards him, and ducked behind a pit prop for cover. Cautiously he peered out. A procession of gaunt ragged men and women was stumbling along the tunnel, driven by the whips of Robomen guards. "They clutched a variety of containers, and some carried picks and shovels. Ian turned and ran back to Larry.

  "Lay low and keep quiet. There's a crowd of workers and Robomen coming this way."

  Larry and Ian watched from hiding as the workers flooded into the central area. The huge bucket in which they'd travelled down suddenly dropped the rest of the distance to the ground, tipping over on its side. Immediately workers began carrying earth and rocks from the piles and tipping them into the bucket. They worked at a feverish pace and the whips of the Robomen lashed out at anyone who slowed down or stumbled.

  A Roboman spoke briefly to one of the slaves who collected a small group of workers. The Roboman started leading them across the area and into the tunnel in which Ian and Larry were hiding... Gun in hand, he marched straight towards them...

  11: Action Underground

  A few yards from Larry and Ian, the Roboman halted his party, and set them to work on the nearest rock-pile.

  Ian put his lips to Larry's ear and whispered, "We'll have to move back! They're clearing this whole section..."

  Desperation gave Larry the power to overcome the pain in his twisted knee. Ian helped him to his feet and they started edging their way deeper into the tunnel.

  Larry's foot slipped, and he fell back against the tunnel wall with a moan of pain. The Roboman left his workers and ran towards them, covering them with his gun. "Halt!"

  Ian and Larry stood quite still. The Roboman stared intently at them. Ian guessed that the Robotising process reduced the human mind to the lowest level, capable of giving and receiving only the simplest of commands. Finally the Roboman worked things out. "You are not in the working party. Who are you?"

  Larry gripped Ian's arm in a painful grip. "It's Phil," he whispered. "Ian, it's my brother Phil." He moved closer to the Roboman, staring into his face. "Think, Phil. You must remember me. I'm your brother, Larry. Remember me! "

  There was no change in the Roboman's voice or expression. With the same painful slowness, he came to another conclusion. "You are runaways."

  "Angela," said Larry desperately. "Remember your wife, Angela. I can take you to her."

  "You must both be punished. I shall take you to the Daleks. Follow me."

  The Roboman turned, taking obedience for granted - and immediately Ian jumped him. The Roboman fired at once but Ian shoved the gun barrel upwards and the blast hit the ceiling. They wrestled fiercely for possession of the weapon. Once again Ian realised the inhuman strength of the Robomen, their total imperviousness to pain.

  Helplessly Larry watched Ian and the Roboman roll over and over, finishing up almost at his feet. His back to Larry, the Roboman wrenched free of Ian and stood up. He levelled the gun at Ian's still prone body - and with a scream of "No, Phil, no!" Larry launched himself at his brother's back, ripping the Roboman helmet from his head...

  The gun exploded again, missing Ian and bringing rock down from the wall. The Roboman screamed and convulsed, collapsing in his death agony. Sobbing Larry held the body in his arms. He knew he hadn't really killed his brother. The Daleks had done that a long time ago, when they'd taken away his humanity.

  Stunned and shocked, Ian scrambled to his feet. Larry was still clutching Phil's body, tears streaming down his face. Behind them in the main area an alarm signal was ringing out, and there was a confused shouting.

  "Come on, Larry, run!" shouted Ian. "Here, I'll help you..."

  Larry shook his head. "You run, Ian, while you've got the chance. They'd only get both of us..."

  From the tunnel behind them came a voice shouting "Halt!" A Dalek was at the end of the tunnel, a Roboman behind him. Ian flung himself to one side and the Roboman fired a long raking blast. Larry's body jerked convulsively, and he collapsed on top of his dead brother. Ian turned and ran into the darkness of the tunnel. Behind him he could hear the Dalek's blaring voice. "Emergency, emergency in shaft nine. Seal all exits! Emergency! " Ian ran blindly on into the darkness.

  The Doctor stood on a wooded hill overlooking the Dalek mineworkings, his face solemn. He studied the shafts, the machinery, the immense ordered pattern of activity for a moment longer, then turned to his companion. "Thank you, Mr Tyler, I've seen all I need to see." They turned and made their way back through the wood.

  As they walked back to their little camp, the Doctor mused how often there seemed to come a period of tranquillity in the time of greatest danger. After their fight with the Robomen in the sewer, they'd had a surprisingly peaceful journey to Bedfordshire. They'd even travelled by road for a part of the way in an abandoned car that Tyler had managed to get working.

  It was certainly an idyllic scene that met them as they returned to the camp. They'd established themselves by a little stream, and David had produced fishing gear from his pack and started to fish. Clearly he'd been successful, for Susan was frying trout over a small fire, while David himself could be seen coming downstream with another fine fish in his hand.

  The Doctor watched smiling as David crept up behind Susan and suddenly thrust the fish over her shoulder. Susan screamed and jumped up. David caught her in his arms, and kissed her. Astonished, Susan stood quite still. The Doctor cleared his throat very loudly, and made a deliberate crashing noise as he came through the bushes.

  The two young people jumped apart and David babbled, "Ah, yes, there you are, Doctor. We were, that is, I was just..."

  The Doctor looked at the sizzling frying pan. "Yes, I could see something was cooking," he said dryly. He looked closely at Susan. How deeply was she involved with this young man? For some time now the Doctor had been aware that Susan was fast growing up, and that their wandering way of life posed problems that would one day have to be faced... Still, time enough for that later on. First they had to solve the problem of the Daleks. Unless that was dealt with, they'd none of them have a future to worry about.

  The meal was the most enjoyable one they'd had in quite some time, and the Doctor's instincts told him it might be even longer before they got another. The food was simple enough, fish, biscuits, the remains of their tinned fruit. Tyler even produced some long-hoarded coffee from his pack. It was jet black, milkless and sugarless, but still delicious.

  As they sat round sipping it, David asked, "Now you've actually seen the Dalek base, Doctor, what do you think?"

  "Well, young man, it's quite obvious to me that these mine workings are the centre of their entire operations." He gave Tyler a reproving glare. "I really can't think why you didn't focus all your resistance efforts down here."

  Tyler grunted. "That's all very well, Doctor. We've been fighting the Daleks wherever we could. Fighting to stay alive mostly" "

  David came to his support. "We assumed they were just mining for Earth's minerals, looting the planet."

  "No," said the Doctor decisively. "These workings hold the answer to the one question that is of any importance to you. Why are the Daleks here?"

  David looked puzzled. "Why? Surely they're here because they've invaded us? It's as simple as that."

  "Indeed it isn't, young man. It goes much deeper. The Daleks have no interest in Man as such. He's just a work machine, an insignificant specimen of life scarcely worth conquering. It doesn't matter to the Daleks whether you live or die."

  "All right," said David. "Suppose you're right, Doctor. What are the Daleks up to?"

  "I'm not quite sure yet, my boy. There must be something about this pl
anet, something no other planet can offer. It's nothing near the surface, or they'd have collected it and gone. Instead there they are, burrowing like metal moles, deep into the Earth's crust!"

  Tyler scratched his head. "I'm no scientist, Doctor, but surely... if they penetrate the Earth's crust they'll cause an enormous earthquake - something nobody will survive?"

  "That is so - unless they've found some way of con-trolling the flow of living energy." The Doctor looked round the little group. "The Daleks are daring to tamper with the forces of creation - and we must dare to stop them!"

  There was a moment of silence. The Doctor's words had made them all aware of the tremendous issues they were facing.

  Suddenly the Doctor stood up. "Time to pack up camp and be on our way," he ordered. "We have a great deal to do." No one questioned the order. Once again, the Doctor had taken charge.

  Ian ran on through the darkness until he saw a glimmer of light ahead. He slowed down and went more carefully. The tunnel widened ahead, and joined up with several others. Rows of slave workers were filling their buckets and emptying them into wheeled trucks, which others pushed away. Robomen stood on guard and occasionally a Dalek moved past. It all looked very familiar, and suddenly Ian realised why. He'd stumbled upon another clearing area, a point where the endless debris from the Dalek's drilling was collected and hauled to the surface. Ian looked along the line of workers. A tall, dark-haired woman was emptying a bucket of rocks. Ian gave a silent gasp of astonishment. It was Barbara. He started creeping nearer...

  Barbara and Jenny had been toiling for hours now, and Jenny was beginning to crack up. She was carrying yet another basket of rocks to the wastebucket when she stumbled and fell, spilling most of the painfully gathered rocks. She crouched by the overturned basket, almost sobbing with despair. "It's no good, Barbara, we're beaten. We'll never get out of here, never."

  Barbara knelt to help her. "Steady, Jenny, that's no way to talk. We wanted to get to the mine and here we are."

  "But there's nothing we can do ."

  "We can get this bucket filled for a start," said Barbara practically.