Dr. Who Target 154 The Power of the Daleks # John Peel

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8
Nothing Human, No
Ben was half-dozing on his bed. It was a knack he d
learned at sea to get some rest without actually falling into
a deep sleep. Came in handy on some of the longer night
watches. There was a rap on the door connecting with
Polly s room and she stuck her head inside.
Ben! she hissed.
Blinking, Ben struggled back to alertness. What?
Quiet! Polly insisted. He s in the corridor. Let s follow
him.
Still foggy from lack of rest, Ben stood up. Who is?
The Doctor, you clot! she snapped. Come on!
Fully awake now, Ben let her lead the way into the
corridor. Thane had mentioned something about the
colony having a similar length day to Earth s, because
Vulcan s period of rotation was only an hour or so shorter
than Earth s. It must be about midnight, local time, Ben
guessed. Everyone else had to be in bed. Sensible people.
Everyone but the Doctor, who was vanishing around the
far corner of the corridor, heading back towards the hub.
He s going towards Lesterson s lab, Polly whispered.
Of course he is, Ben agreed. I told you he s after that
capsule. They trailed after him through the deserted city
corridors to the science section. The Doctor never looked
back, so they didn t have to hide. He seemed intent only on
what lay ahead.
The lab was as deserted as the corridors, but there were
lights still focused on the capsule. They were on stands,
like the ones photographers used for wedding pictures. It
was as if Lesterson were afraid the capsule might scarper if
he didn t keep it constantly monitored. Well, for all Ben
knew it just might.
As he approached the open hatchway, the Doctor pulled
something from one of his stuffed pockets. Ben could just
make out that it was Lesterson s triangular piece of metal.
Now what was going on? He and Polly tiptoed quietly into
the lab and over to the entrance to the capsule. The Doctor
was bent over the far wall. As they watched, puzzled, he
took the metal token and slid it into the right-hand edge of
the thin slot Ben had seen him stand in front of earlier.
Holding one point of the triangle, he pressed the flat edge
as deeply into the groove as it would go. Then he slid it to
the left.
With the very faintest of hums, the inner wall slid back.
Ben, Polly, the Doctor called over his shoulder without
looking around, come and meet the Daleks.
Ben sighed and walked over to join the little man. Polly
followed, a little more reluctantly.
Beyond the now-open doorway was a second
compartment. It was considerably larger than the
hatchway, but its walls were almost as bare. There was also
a layer of dust over the room. Not much light filtered in
from the arc lamps outside the capsule, but Ben could
clearly see what the Doctor had to be referring to.
Two machines stood in the room. Both were slightly
smaller than he was. They tapered up from the floor to a
domed top. There was a series of raised half-spheres
arranged about the lower half of each machine. Above this
was a band. Two appendages jutted out from what had to
be the front of the thing, lifelessly pointing at the floor.
Above this section was a grilled area, then the dome. Two
dead bulbs and a third appendage were fitted into the
dome. Both machines were identical in every respect, a
dull grey colour, like the rocks of Vulcan.
You knew they were here, Ben said accusingly.
You could have opened the capsule at any time, Polly
added, eyeing the metal token as the Doctor slipped it back
into his pocket.
I guessed they were here, the Doctor replied to Ben s
question, nodding at the Daleks. To Polly, he added:
Didn t that piece of metal look at all familiar to you?
Think back the TARDIS s wardrobe..
You had one just like it! Polly said, remembering. You
said something about your granddaughter, didn t you?
Yes. Susan took that piece from Skaro He tapped the
closest of the Daleks. That is their home world.
Polly was puzzled. Then why did you keep it a secret?
The Doctor was studying the Daleks carefully. I didn t
know whether they were alive or... not alive.
Ben gave a cheery grin and slapped the metal shell. It
rang quite loudly in the compartment. They don t seem to
be too lively to me.
Never underestimate the power of the Daleks, Ben, the
Doctor told him. He turned back to peer down at the floor
of the room next to the entrance.
Ben snorted in disbelief. Polly frowned. What did you
expect? she asked the Doctor. Two hundred years at least
in the swamp, Lesterson said. Nothing could live through
that
Nothing human, no. The Doctor seemed to be
absorbed in studying the dust on the floor. Ah...
What s the matter? Ben asked. He still wasn t certain
what this odd person was up to, or if he was really the
Doctor or not. But he clearly knew something ahout this
place that he wasn t telling.
The Doctor rubbed his finger in the dust. It left a tiny [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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