Doctor Who_ The Power of the Daleks Part 33

'Then we'd better check, hadn't we?'

As Quinn entered Lesterson's smoke-filled laboratory, Valmar was beside him. Both carried pads as they were a.s.sessing the damage. People were starting to emerge now that the fighting was over and the Daleks smouldering ruins. Quinn knew he'd have to get on to the comm units and broadcast a plea for unity soon, but he wanted to be able to give out some concrete information on their status when he did so.

Polly and Ben looked up from where they crouched beside the Doctor's still form.

Quinn's heart almost failed him. 'Is he all right?'

'He's okay,' Ben replied, grinning. 'He just took a jolt of power and knocked himself out.'

As they spoke, the Doctor's eyes flickered open. His initial terrified expression calmed into a big, lop-sided grin as he realized that they were all still alive.

Quinn elbowed past the smoking Dalek casing. 'It was a miracle,' he told the Doctor. 'How did you do it?'

The Doctor hated explanations. 'What happened?' he asked, feigning ignorance. That often worked. Clambering to his feet with Ben's help, he stared as if in shock at the wreckage of the Daleks. Smoke was billowing out of the mouth of the capsule, too. He put a finger to his mouth, like a guilty schoolboy. 'Oh dear, what did I do?'

Ben clapped him on the back, grinning wildly. 'You destroyed the Daleks, that's what you did.'

Polly added: 'Don't be so modest!'

With a satisfied smile on his face, the Doctor looked around him. 'Did I do all this?'

'You know you did,' Polly accused him.

Valmar laughed. 'You used the power from the colony's generators and amplified it, then fed it back into their static power lines. It sent ma.s.sive surges through the Daleks and blew them apart.'

'Did I indeed?' The Doctor looked smugly pleased with himself.

Valmar's tone grew a little less congratulatory. 'You may have stopped the Daleks, Doctor, but do you have any idea of the damage you've done to the colony?'

The Doctor blinked hard and his face fell. 'Oh.' He glanced back at the smouldering wreckage of the power generator. 'Bit of a blow back, was there?' he asked, apologetically.

'A blow back blow back?' Valmar couldn't believe it. 'Our power supply has been destroyed destroyed! It'll be months before we can get things back to normal!'

Quinn gave the technician a dig in the ribs. 'Valmar...'

He shook his head.

'Oh dear,' the Doctor murmured uncomfortably. He fidgeted under Valmar's glare. 'This is is unfortunate.' unfortunate.'

'He did save all our lives,' Quinn pointed out.

Valmar gestured at the devastated room. 'But did it have to be this way?'

'Did a lot of damage, did I?' the Doctor asked guiltily.

Valmar threw up his hands, giving up. The Doctor nudged Ben and Polly. 'Come on,' he whispered. 'I think we'd better get out of here before they send us the bill!'

Epilogue.

The surface of Vulcan was unchanged. One day, the Doctor knew, the humans would remake the world. The bleakness would vanish under a canopy of green. The colony would become just the first of many cities. The humans would thrive.

Of course, the next few months would be a bit rough on them. Still, the results should be worth a bit of adversity.

Pulling out his recorder, he started to pipe a cherry jib.

With his hat back on his head, he felt quite a new man once again.

Ben followed behind, still locked in an argument with Polly he'd begun when they had slipped out of the colony.

'I mean, I didn't exactly expect bra.s.s bands to be playing, but I would have thought at least a thank-you would have been in order.'

'Ben,' Polly answered, 'I suspect they're only thinking of all the victims, both of the Daleks and of Bragen. They're in mourning, not a mood for celebration.'

'I know,' Ben agreed, 'but the Doctor saved the whole colony from being completely wiped out!'

The Doctor took his lips from the mouthpiece for a moment. 'Ah! Then you do accept that I'm the Doctor, then?' He didn't look back, so they couldn't make out his expression.

'Yes,' Polly said firmly, and then glared at Ben as if daring him to contradict her.

'You've got to be,' Ben said, with a laugh. 'After all, you've got his way of solving problems, haven't you?'

'It's a knack,' the Doctor admitted, modestly.

'More like a blast,' Ben said. 'And you're just as hard to pin down, too. Still, you did try and warn everyone back there about what was going to happen. But would they listen?'

'Well, I don't know,' Polly put in, defending Quinn again. 'Sometimes he wasn't very convincing. Doctor?' He gave her an innocent look. 'You did know what you were doing all along, didn't you?'

He simply raised his eyebrows and tootled a couple of notes. Then he flashed her a big grin and a wink. He led them through the rocks, careful to avoid the mercury pools The familiar shape of the TARDIS loomed suddenly as they rounded a corner.

Beside it stood one of the shattered Daleks. The Doctor gave a start of surprise.

Ben slapped the broken casing. 'It's all right,' he laughed. 'It's perfectly dead.'

The Doctor fished the TARDIS key from his pocket.

'Don't be too sure,' he cautioned Ben. 'They were dead before.' He sighed. 'Daleks are like c.o.c.kroaches: just when you think you've got rid of them all, they pop back up and you're infested again'

Ben refused to let the Doctor's gloom infect him. 'On which happy note,' he said, 'it's time to go. And try and make it somewhere cheery next, okay?'

They entered the TARDIS. 'Somewhere with a beach and sun,' Polly begged.

'England,' Ben suggested.

'You can't have it both ways,' the Doctor said. 'Make up your minds.' Not that I could get you there, he added to himself.

There was a soft breeze blowing across the barren ground of Vulcan. It stirred the dust, but little more. With a raucous rattle of noises, the TARDIS s.h.i.+mmered and then faded from the surface, its interrupted journey continuing once more.

All was still, except for the vague flurries of dust.

The shattered Dalek stood alone in the rocky ruins. A soft bubble sighed on the surface of the mercury pool close by. The twisted eye-stick of the Dalek s.h.i.+vered, perhaps from the breeze.

Then it inched upwards, as if seeking the warmth and light of Vulcan's immense sun.

Author's Note

Though I have now written several dozen novels, few of them ever give me as much pleasure as novelizing a Doctor Doctor Who Who script. And though it is my name on the cover as the script. And though it is my name on the cover as the 'author' of this book, I'm never the only person who produces the end result. In the case of The Power of the The Power of the Daleks Daleks, more than most, there have been a number of people involved, without whom this book would have been vastly different.

First of all, there is Terry Nation. He not only created the Daleks back in the beginning, but he's also been very supportive and indulgent in letting me work with them.

Next, of course, is David Whitaker. The original story editor and one of the creative forces behind Doctor Who Doctor Who, he also penned the original scripts from which this book was adapted. David has long been one of my favourite Doctor Doctor Who Who writers, and I am immensely happy to have been given the chance to turn his excellent scripts into (I hope!) an excellent book! His own novel the first of this series writers, and I am immensely happy to have been given the chance to turn his excellent scripts into (I hope!) an excellent book! His own novel the first of this series Doctor Who and the Daleks, influenced my own style more than a little.

Thanks are most certainly due to actress June Barry. The The Power of the Daleks Power of the Daleks was commissioned by producer Innes Lloyd and story editor Gerry Davis when they knew that William Hartnell was leaving the show, but before Patrick Troughton was cast in the role. As a result, David's scripts were written without his knowing who would be playing the role, or the direction this actor would take. When Patrick Troughton was cast, the scripts were rewritten to reflect his new character. However, David Whitaker was not able to perform the revisions as he had moved on to a new a.s.signment in Australia. As a result, one-time story editor Dennis Spooner was given the task of reworking the scripts. The end result as filmed was an amalgamation of many people's work, then, from David's basis. was commissioned by producer Innes Lloyd and story editor Gerry Davis when they knew that William Hartnell was leaving the show, but before Patrick Troughton was cast in the role. As a result, David's scripts were written without his knowing who would be playing the role, or the direction this actor would take. When Patrick Troughton was cast, the scripts were rewritten to reflect his new character. However, David Whitaker was not able to perform the revisions as he had moved on to a new a.s.signment in Australia. As a result, one-time story editor Dennis Spooner was given the task of reworking the scripts. The end result as filmed was an amalgamation of many people's work, then, from David's basis.

I met Dennis Spooner in 1981 and he told me about having rewritten the scripts, and that David's originals had contained a lot of material which they had been forced to prune out in order to make room for the character touches for the new Doctor. I was intrigued by the thought that these might still exist somewhere in their original form.

Not only did they survive, but June Barry bravely salvaged them from her attic and kindly made them available so that I could use them for this novel. She was married to David during his time as story editor on Doctor Who Doctor Who and had retained his work. Thanks to her generosity, I have been able to restore a lot of the pa.s.sages from his scripts that had been edited out for the television version. While most readers of the book probably won't know which pa.s.sages these are, most of the show's fans will. I hope they will be as grateful to June as I am. and had retained his work. Thanks to her generosity, I have been able to restore a lot of the pa.s.sages from his scripts that had been edited out for the television version. While most readers of the book probably won't know which pa.s.sages these are, most of the show's fans will. I hope they will be as grateful to June as I am.

Since the filmed version of The Power of the Daleks The Power of the Daleks is one of the stories no longer in the BBC's vaults, I couldn't watch it to get the visual feel for this story. However, I was able to get a great deal of visual help from a photonovel of the story. This was produced by Gary Leigh as a non-profit venture approved by all parties involved. It is an excellent production and I do recommend it to all readers. is one of the stories no longer in the BBC's vaults, I couldn't watch it to get the visual feel for this story. However, I was able to get a great deal of visual help from a photonovel of the story. This was produced by Gary Leigh as a non-profit venture approved by all parties involved. It is an excellent production and I do recommend it to all readers.

My thanks also go to Jeremy and Paula Bentham, who read and offered helpful comments on the opening few chapters of this novel.

A heart-felt thank-you must go to the people behind the scenes: to my agent on this and other Dalek books, Roger Hanc.o.c.k, and to my editors Peter Darvill-Evans and Riona MacNamara. All three helped make this book a pleasure to write. Finally, as always, thanks to my wife, Nan, who has had to put up with my writing and talking about Daleks for weeks on end and still remain cheerful!