Doctor Who And The Dalek Invasion of Earth Read online

  Barbara looked worried. "Can't we all go?"

  Susan tried standing up again, then collapsed with a wince of pain. "My ankle seems to have got worse. It's all swelling up."

  Ian said, "I'm afraid that settles it. We'll be back as soon as we can."

  Unhappily Barbara watched Ian and the Doctor move away. She turned back to Susan, who was rolling down her sock. "That ankle does look swollen, doesn't it? Can you move your toes?"

  Susan gave an experimental wiggle. "Yes, it's fine until I put my whole weight on it. I've just twisted it a bit, that's all."

  Barbara looked towards the river. "Suppose I go and soak my handkerchief with water for a sort of compress? That might relieve it a bit."

  Susan was already struggling to her feet. "You're not leaving me here alone, she said determinedly. "Give me a hand and I can manage to walk." She put her arm round Barbara's shoulders for support, and they started hobbling towards the water.

  By the time they reached the embankment Susan was exhausted. They stopped at the head of some steps leading down to the water and sat on the ground to rest. Barbara looked around. "It's all too quiet. No traffic... this isn't my time, Susan. It can't be."

  Susan managed a smile. "Well, back to the TARDIS and off we go again - as soon as we can get the door open." She saw the sadness in Barbara's face. "I'm sorry you're not home again after all." Then she added honestly. "Sorry for you, but not for me. I suppose I'm selfish, wanting us all to stay together."

  Barbara gave her a consoling hug. "No, of course not.,

  Susan looked at the silently flowing river. "I think this must be long after your time. We can't expect things to stay as they are. They have to change, don't they?"

  "I suppose so," said Barbara sadly. "Maybe London's been abandoned. Or maybe they've just done away with noise altogether! You stay there, I'll go down and get some water."

  Barbara made her way down the steps to the river's edge, and took out her handkerchief. By laying face down and stretching her arm, she was just able to dip her handkerchief in the murky water. As she straightened up, something caught her eye, and she jumped back, shuddering.

  The body of a man was floating face-down in the water. His clothes were tattered and grimy, and his body seemed thin and emaciated inside them. Some unhappy tramp who'd decided to end everything, thought Barbara - then she noticed the gleaming metal helmet clamped to his head. The body drifted slowly away downstream.

  Barbara stood up, half-inclined to drop the water-soaked handkerchief back in the river. But she told herself not to be silly and started climbing the steps.

  She was still wondering whether to tell Susan what she'd seen when she reached the top. But there was no one to tell. Susan had vanished. Barbara gazed round wildly. Susan couldn't have walked off, not with that ankle. She must have been taken . Suddenly she sensed a flicker of movement behind. Before she could react, a large, grimy hand clamped over her mouth, and she felt herself being dragged away...

  The Doctor and Ian had to go round the back of the warehouse before they found an unlocked door. It creaked open to reveal a flight of steps leading upwards into darkness. "I'll go first, Doctor," said Ian firmly. He led the way up the stairs. "Keep close behind me - and be careful."

  He heard the Doctor's cross voice behind him. "I'm not a half-wit, you know, Chesterton." Ian smiled to himself. It would do the Doctor good to be treated like a child - a taste of his own medicine.

  Halfway up the stairs Ian paused and called, "Hallo! Hallo... anybody there?" His voice echoed in the silence and he went on climbing. The staircase led to a long gloomy landing broken up with several doors. The nearest one, on their right, stood invitingly open, and Ian and the Doctor moved inside. (Intent on what was ahead of them, neither noticed when a door further down the corridor was pushed slightly ajar by a cautious hand. Through the crack, someone was watching them.)

  They found themselves in a long high storeroom, empty except for a few scattered crates and boxes, and an old-fashioned roll-top desk in the far corner. Ian looked round. "Well, there's nothing here."

  The Doctor agreed. "I'm afraid the place has been abandoned for some time."

  There were shuttered windows on the far side of the room, and Ian threw them open. As the shutters creaked back, sunlight streamed into the dusty room. Ian looked out of the high window, his eyes widening at the panorama of ruined London before him. Below, the river flowed sluggishly through a desert of half-ruined buildings. "Doctor," he called. "Come over here and look! "

  The Doctor shook his head sadly at the view. " Just as I feared. Some unimaginable catastrophe has overtaken London."

  Ian pointed to a square building just across the river. "Look, there's Battersea Power Station," he said dazedly. "It's only got three chimneys. What's happened to the other one?"

  The Doctor waved at the surrounding desolation. "What's happened to all London, my boy? That's the real question."

  The Doctor moved away from the window and began hunting through the desk in search of clues. Suddenly he said, "Ah," and triumphantly held up a grimy sheet of paper. "Well, at least we know the century. This is the remains of a calendar."

  Ian ran across the room and almost snatched the paper from the Doctor's hand. It was a calendar right enough, the familiar pattern of numbered squares. Ian looked unbelievingly at the bold black figures at its head. They read "2164".

  He stared at the numbers, unable to take in what they meant. Slowly realisation dawned. He'd travelled two hundred years into "his" future.

  The Doctor put a consoling hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, my boy, believe me. We must get back in the TARDIS and try again. I'll get you home."

  Ian nodded, unable to speak. The sounds from across the river came as a sudden distraction. "What's that?"

  The Doctor went over to the window. "Gunfire! This city isn't quite dead after all."

  "Well, we'd better carry on searching. We may find something we can use."

  The Doctor slapped him on the back. "That's the spirit, my boy." They started searching the room, rooting through crates and boxes, most of which were empty or filled with useless junk.

  The Doctor pulled aside an empty crate to get at the one behind - and a figure slumped to the floor at his feet. "Chesterton! Over here," he called.

  Ian knelt. to examine the body, which had fallen face-upwards. It was a middle-aged man, his body as grimy and neglected as his uniform. Clamped to his head was a strange helmet-like device, a gleaming metal affair fitting round the neck and over the head. Ian looked up. "He's quite dead, Doctor. What's this metal thing for?"

  The Doctor bent to take a closer look. "Just what I was asking myself. Not for ornament, we can be sure of that."

  "Could it be some kind of surgical device - support for a fractured skull, or broken neck?"

  "It's too complex for that," said the Doctor thought-fully. "You know what I think, Chesterton - it's an extra ear, a device for picking up ultra high frequency radio waves."

  "A kind of communications system?"

  "That - or some method of radio-control..."

  Ian noticed a couple of objects thrust into the dead man's belt. A truncheon - and a whip. He pulled out the whip, a vicious-looking device with a stubby black handle and long leather thongs, tipped with lead. He passed it over to the Doctor, who examined it with distaste. "Worse and worse. Whoever this chap was, I'm glad we didn't run into him while he was still alive."

  "Any idea what killed him, Doctor?"

  "He doesn't seem to be lying quite flat. If we turn the body over..." They turned the body on its face. The black hilt of a knife was jutting out from under the left shoulder blade. "Just as I thought," said the Doctor grimly. "He was murdered."

  From outside the room came the sound of a creaking floorboard.

  Ian grabbed the truncheon from the dead man's belt and crept stealthily towards the door. He peered out into the corridor. It was empty. The Doctor close behind him, Ian crossed the corridor and
pushed open the door of the room on the opposite side. "Just another storeroom - and it's empty." They went back into the corridor and Ian looked up and down it. "The sounds were coming from somewhere out here." He moved along the corridor and tried another door. It was locked. Ian rammed it with his shoulder, the door burst open, and he found himself shooting into empty space... The Doctor quickly grabbed him by his coat and heaved backwards, and they both landed up in a heap in the corridor. Ian scrambled up and looked cautiously out of the door. Once it had led to a wooden staircase running down the outside of the building. But now the staircase was shattered and the door gave on to a sheer drop. Ian helped the Doctor to his feet. "Well no one could have gone that way," he said grimly.

  The Doctor dusted himself down. "Only someone like you would even try," he replied acidly. "I suggest we abandon this fruitless search and return to the others."

  It was clear that the Doctor had had enough. Ian was inclined to agree with him. It wasn't very likely they'd find a full set of oxy-acetylene tools lying about waiting for them. And maybe hunting for the unseen killer wasn't such a brilliant idea either. "All right, Doctor, come along." Ian turned and led the way back downstairs.

  They'd reached the warehouse door, and were about to step out into the open when the Doctor grabbed Ian's arm. "Chesterton, look !" The Doctor's other hand was pointing upwards. Ian looked, and gave a gasp of sheer incredulity. Drifting low over the ruined buildings, for all the world like a plane coming in to land, was a flying saucer.

  Instinctively Ian ducked back. The Doctor muttering, "Fascinating, fascinating," stepped out into the open to get a better look. Ian grabbed him and pulled him back into cover.

  From the shelter of the doorway they watched the saucer drift slowly downwards. It looked exactly like the classic flying saucer of science-fiction films and drawings, silvery-coloured, oval in shape, and with rows of windows round the exterior. It made a low droning sound as it moved, disappearing behind some buildings.

  Ian shook his head wonderingly. "There were rumours of flying saucers in my time, Doctor. But I never thought I'd see one as close as this."

  The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "Well, it settles one question. Whatever happened to London was not caused by the people of Earth. That was an interplanetary spaceship, my boy. Earth has been invaded by some other world."

  "Which explains the dead man we found," said Ian thoughtfully. "That thing on his head must have been some kind of alien control-device. And that gunfire we heard means somebody's still resisting the invaders." Ian looked at the Doctor in sudden alarm. "Barbara and Susan! We've got to find them and warn them what's going on."

  They ran back to the TARDIS at top speed. Barbara and Susan were nowhere to be found.

  Ian looked angrily round the building site. "Why will they do it?" he demanded. "Why must they always go wandering off?"

  "Perhaps they heard the gunfire from across the river," suggested the Doctor. "Or they might have seen the saucer, and run to hide."

  Ian sighed. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to look for them."

  They searched the building site without success, then started working their way towards the river. At the top of the embankment steps they found their first clue... a grubby, water-soaked handkerchief.

  The Doctor nodded keenly, looking, thought Ian, like a rather elderly Sherlock Holmes. "So far so good, Chesterton, my boy. They came here for water, some-thing frightened them, and they ran off again."

  "Why didn't they run back to find us?"

  The Doctor frowned at the interruption to his fine flow of deduction. "I can't imagine," he snapped. "We shall just have to look further afield."

  They turned to leave - and found four uniformed men barring their way. They were ragged, gaunt, emaciated - and each one wore a shining metal device clamped to his head. They held truncheons in their hands.

  Ian and the Doctor stood quite still. "We won't get past them, Doctor," Ian whispered.

  "Then we must go down the steps."

  "Swim for it?"

  "What else?"

  Ian looked at the Doctor. For all his tetchiness, he was certainly a game old boy. "All right. They don't seem to have guns. I'll try talking first." Ian called out a hearty "Hello!" At the same time he and the Doctor began edging their way down the steps.

  The four men moved steadily after them. One was a little ahead of the rest. Suddenly he bellowed, "Stop!" His voice was slurred and dragging, like a record played at the wrong speed. As he spoke he picked up a jagged chunk of masonry, and the other men did the same.

  Ian and the Doctor continued their steady retreat. As they neared the water Ian whispered. "When I give the word, turn and dive! "

  "Ready when you are, my boy."

  "Right - now!"

  They both turned, and froze in horror. A Dalek was rising from the water and advancing menacingly towards them.

  3: The Freedom Fighters

  When the flying saucer passed overhead, Barbara and Susan were already fleeing through the ruins of London with a man who called himself Tyler. He was a tough looking character, burly and middle aged, and although his manner was curt and brusque he didn't seem to be hostile.

  When he'd grabbed Barbara at the steps, he'd re-leased her almost at once, saying he'd just wanted to make sure she didn't scream. "They" had their patrols everywhere, and he'd already carried Susan to shelter so she wouldn't be spotted.

  He'd taken Barbara to Susan, who was laying under one of the arches of the bridge, confused and frightened. Lifting Susan in his arms, he'd bustled them both on their way, promising to take them to a safe hiding place, and come back later for their friends.

  When the drone of the saucer filled the air, Tyler immediately flung Susan and himself to the ground. "Get down," he whispered fiercely. Barbara obeyed, though she couldn't resist raising her head to watch the gleaming shape of the saucer glide out of sight. Then Tyler was on his feet again, picking Susan up. Ignoring their questions, he said brusquely, "We must keep moving, we can talk later. We shan't be safe till we get underground."

  Still carrying Susan, Tyler led the way to the broken entrance of what had once been an underground railway station. He started carrying Susan down the stairs, but she struggled till he had to put her down. "Wait! What about my grandfather and our friend?"

  Tyler shrugged. "We'll do the best we can for them."

  Susan wasn't satisfied. "That's not what you said before!"

  Barbara joined in. "You promised you'd get the others. We don't want to be separated."

  "There isn't time to argue," said Tyler savagely. "If we stay on the surface we'll all be killed, and then who"ll help your friends? Now come on ." They moved on down the steps, Barbara and Tyler supporting Susan between them.

  Tyler led the way along dusty silent corridors and on to the platform. Strange posters covered the walls, not the usual announcements of films and plays and exhibitions, but severe looking official notices in heavy black type. Barbara paused to read one.

  PUBLIC WARNING. DO NOT DRINK RAINWATER. ALL WATER MUST BE BOILED BEFORE CONSUMPTION.

  In smaller letters beneath were the words, "Issued by the European Emergency Commission."

  Tyler reached out and pressed the letter "o" in "NOT". Part of the wall slid back to reveal a tiny gap. A grim-looking young man appeared, rifle in hand. Tyler said, "O.K. David, it's me." David stood aside and Tyler helped Barbara and Susan through the gap. The door closed silently behind them.

  They were in a small tiled ante-room, furnished with a few battered tables and chairs. Barbara guessed it had originally been accommodation for London Transport staff. Susan collapsed thankfully into a chair, rubbing her ankle.

  The young man called David looked curiously at the two girls. "Hullo, then, what have you got here?" There was a faint Scots burr in his voice.

  "Found "em wandering about down by the river. Sitting targets."

  Barbara was annoyed by his scornful tone. "We've only just got back
to London. We didn't know there was any danger."

  Tyler looked incredulous. "Didn't know? No, I suppose you couldn't have known or you wouldn't have acted so stupidly."

  "Now, listen ..." began Barbara angrily. "You drag us here..."

  David held up his hand. "All right, you two, let's not fight among ourselves. Time for introductions. You already know Jim Tyler. My name's David Campbell."

  His friendly smile transformed the grim young face, and Barbara couldn't help smiling back. "I'm Barbara, and this is Susan."

  "I hope you can cook."

  Barbara gave him a surprised look. "After a fashion."

  "Good. We're short of cooks down here... and my cooking's terrible."

  He turned back to Tyler, his manner serious again. "One of the Robomen jumped me in the warehouse. I had to deal with him. We'd better stop using the place for storage though."

  Tyler nodded. "All right. Tell Dortmun."

  Susan had only been half-listening to this conversation, but the mention of a warehouse made her look up. "Are you talking about the warehouse near that building site - beside the river?"

  David nodded. "That's right. Just opposite the old power station."

  Susan tried to get up, then sank down again, wincing from the pain in her ankle. "Then you must have seen the Doctor and Ian - they went in there."

  "There were two men - but I hid from them. I thought they must be enemies - "

  An inner door opened and a wheelchair shot through it, halting abruptly. In the chair sat a middle-aged man with a strong deeply-lined face. The upper part of his body was muscular and powerful, and he propelled the wheelchair along with big hands grip-ping the wheels. But his legs were wasted, and shrunken, covered by an old army blanket. His voice was deep and commanding, with nothing of the invalid about it. "Where the devil have you been, Tyler?"

  Tyler was obviously used to the newcomer's abrupt manner, and his reply was equally spirited. "I got delayed. Ran into these two. What are you doing up here? You're supposed to stay below in the operations room."