was slumped against a lamp-post, sobbing quietly to herself.
‘I’m supposed to be looking after her,’ she told a policewoman. ‘It’s all my fault. She needs to get to a hospital far, far away.’ She was praying for the Doctor to turn up. Even to her ears, her words sounded feeble.
She watched as the police led Kate to the car. There was nothing she could do.
Suddenly there were screams. The sound of crashing cars. Running feet. A distant metallic voice cried, ‘Exterminate!’
The police and shoppers turned their heads towards these weird sounds.
Rose felt her stomach flip over. ‘Oh, no. No, you’re kidding me. . . ’
It was now twenty past twelve. People were starting to come out of the building societies, shoe shops, baker’s shops and butcher’s shops along Twyford high street, crowding on to the narrow pavements.
A column of smoke was rising from the far side of town.
The Dalek appeared through it, its, gun arm waving in all directions, strafing the street with sizzling bolts of deadly radiation.
A middle-aged woman got out of her car to run for cover. The Dalek fired again. Her skeleton glowed green as she was cut down without mercy.
The Dalek saw humans crowded in a window. It fired. The glass shattered and the humans backed away, running into their offices, screaming. The Dalek zoomed over, turned its midsection, thrust its gun through the smashed window frame and blasted them one after another.
49
Then it sped down the high street, chasing the fleeing, panicking humans.
‘Where is the other?’ it called. ‘Where is the one called Kate?’
Crouched behind a bin in the now deserted market square, Rose and Kate heard the voice. Kate instantly leapt to her feet.
‘No!’ shouted Rose, grabbing her, trying to hold her back.
When she looked into Kate’s eyes, she knew the battle for her mind was lost. The tears dried and the life went out of them. Her face took on an expression of twisted pride.
Kate flicked Rose away. ‘There is nothing you can do now,’ she said.
‘The Dalek factor is too powerful.’
Rose got up and pointed towards the high street, towards the smoke and ringing alarms. There were bodies all over the ground.
‘Look at that! Think of your mum, your dad!’
‘Family connections are a genetic weakness,’ Kate said in a flat voice.
‘They are weak and unnecessary.’ She stalked away.
The Dalek appeared through the smoke. It was now shining and gleaming. The casing could have been brand new. Rose guessed it had taken electrical energy from somewhere to repair itself.
Kate and the Dalek moved towards each other. Kate bowed her head.
‘Master, what are my orders?’
The Dalek pointed to Rose. ‘The other humans have fled. Who is this one?’
‘Rose. A companion of the Doctor.’,
‘Yeah,’ shouted Rose proudly. ‘You know, the Doctor, the man you’re so afraid of.’
The Dalek swung its gun to cover her. ‘I am not afraid,’ it said as if it were deeply offended. ‘Daleks do not fear. Must not fear.’ It moved closer and the blue glow in its eye seemed to stare right through her.
‘You have an emotional connection to the Doctor.’
Rose swallowed and stepped back.
‘The Doctor will be weakened by your death,’ the Dalek continued.
‘It is a Dalek directive to weaken the Doctor.’ The gun swivelled in its 50
socket.
Rose closed her eyes.
Then she heard the distant roar of ancient alien engines.
She opened her eyes to see the side of the TARDIS standing right in front of her. She heard the Dalek fire. The bolt bounced off the battered wooden doors. Then the Doctor emerged. He looked wet and scruffy but he was smiling in an angry, dangerous way. He turned to face the Dalek.
‘I see you’ve got your gun back,’ he said quietly. ‘Easy to find you.
Not many people firing high-energy lasers around here today. Something in his voice was different, more emotional than usual. He raised his hands.
‘Come on, then,
‘I’m supposed to be looking after her,’ she told a policewoman. ‘It’s all my fault. She needs to get to a hospital far, far away.’ She was praying for the Doctor to turn up. Even to her ears, her words sounded feeble.
She watched as the police led Kate to the car. There was nothing she could do.
Suddenly there were screams. The sound of crashing cars. Running feet. A distant metallic voice cried, ‘Exterminate!’
The police and shoppers turned their heads towards these weird sounds.
Rose felt her stomach flip over. ‘Oh, no. No, you’re kidding me. . . ’
It was now twenty past twelve. People were starting to come out of the building societies, shoe shops, baker’s shops and butcher’s shops along Twyford high street, crowding on to the narrow pavements.
A column of smoke was rising from the far side of town.
The Dalek appeared through it, its, gun arm waving in all directions, strafing the street with sizzling bolts of deadly radiation.
A middle-aged woman got out of her car to run for cover. The Dalek fired again. Her skeleton glowed green as she was cut down without mercy.
The Dalek saw humans crowded in a window. It fired. The glass shattered and the humans backed away, running into their offices, screaming. The Dalek zoomed over, turned its midsection, thrust its gun through the smashed window frame and blasted them one after another.
49
Then it sped down the high street, chasing the fleeing, panicking humans.
‘Where is the other?’ it called. ‘Where is the one called Kate?’
Crouched behind a bin in the now deserted market square, Rose and Kate heard the voice. Kate instantly leapt to her feet.
‘No!’ shouted Rose, grabbing her, trying to hold her back.
When she looked into Kate’s eyes, she knew the battle for her mind was lost. The tears dried and the life went out of them. Her face took on an expression of twisted pride.
Kate flicked Rose away. ‘There is nothing you can do now,’ she said.
‘The Dalek factor is too powerful.’
Rose got up and pointed towards the high street, towards the smoke and ringing alarms. There were bodies all over the ground.
‘Look at that! Think of your mum, your dad!’
‘Family connections are a genetic weakness,’ Kate said in a flat voice.
‘They are weak and unnecessary.’ She stalked away.
The Dalek appeared through the smoke. It was now shining and gleaming. The casing could have been brand new. Rose guessed it had taken electrical energy from somewhere to repair itself.
Kate and the Dalek moved towards each other. Kate bowed her head.
‘Master, what are my orders?’
The Dalek pointed to Rose. ‘The other humans have fled. Who is this one?’
‘Rose. A companion of the Doctor.’,
‘Yeah,’ shouted Rose proudly. ‘You know, the Doctor, the man you’re so afraid of.’
The Dalek swung its gun to cover her. ‘I am not afraid,’ it said as if it were deeply offended. ‘Daleks do not fear. Must not fear.’ It moved closer and the blue glow in its eye seemed to stare right through her.
‘You have an emotional connection to the Doctor.’
Rose swallowed and stepped back.
‘The Doctor will be weakened by your death,’ the Dalek continued.
‘It is a Dalek directive to weaken the Doctor.’ The gun swivelled in its 50
socket.
Rose closed her eyes.
Then she heard the distant roar of ancient alien engines.
She opened her eyes to see the side of the TARDIS standing right in front of her. She heard the Dalek fire. The bolt bounced off the battered wooden doors. Then the Doctor emerged. He looked wet and scruffy but he was smiling in an angry, dangerous way. He turned to face the Dalek.
‘I see you’ve got your gun back,’ he said quietly. ‘Easy to find you.
Not many people firing high-energy lasers around here today. Something in his voice was different, more emotional than usual. He raised his hands.
‘Come on, then,
Similar Books
