'Well, it's happened now,' Ben said. 'We got a note telling us.'

The Doctor was standing by the workbench now. His eyes flickered away from Lesterson long enough to focus on a small handbag that lay open on the table. It was obviously Janley's. His shrewd eyes took in the usual knick-knacks, and then he saw something much more interesting. It was a small writing pad. The paper was identical to that used for the notices on the bulletin board.

And also to that of the kidnap note they had received. Was it merely a coincidence? Did everyone in the colony have one of those pads? Or --Janley had seen where the Doctor was looking.

Smoothly, she reached over and shut her bag. She met the Doctor's even gaze without a flicker of emotion.

'I'm sorry,' Lesterson told Ben, and he sounded sincere.

'If what you say is true '

'Of course it's true,' Ben snapped.

'Well, I don't know anything about it.'

The Doctor turned to stare at the scientist. 'Lesterson,'

he said softly.

'Yes?'

'You haven't built any new Daleks, have you?'

'Built any?' Lesterson looked shocked, then almost amused. 'I wouldn't even know where to begin.'

'You're quite sure?' The Doctor's eyes bored into the scientist's, looking for the slightest hint of prevarication.

'Of course I'm sure! I don't have the faintest idea how to go about it!'

The Doctor nodded, satisfied that Lesterson was being truthful. 'And there were only three of them in the capsule?'

Lesterson looked confused. 'You saw for yourself that there were.'

'Then how would you explain the fact that we have just seen four of them?'

'Impossible!'

'Quite,' the Doctor agreed. 'Then there is really only one alternative, isn't there? The Daleks must be reproducing themselves'

Janley laughed scornfully at the suggestion. Lesterson, however, picked up the metal foil with the list of parts that the Daleks had requested. 'These things are just machines,'

Janley said. 'How could they reproduce?'

'Machines?' The Doctor shook his head firmly. 'What makes you think they're just machines? The Daleks are brilliant engineers and scientists. Nothing is beyond them, given the right materials.'

Lesterson was white. 'What?' he asked.

'I said that nothing is beyond them, given the right materials.' The Doctor peererd down at Lesterson, perched on the stool like a pallid garden gnome, trembling. The sheet of flexible metal in his hands dropped to the floor.

'Are you all right?' He crossed to the thin scientist, who sat and shivered. Janley moved to intercept him, her eyes blazing.

'Leave him alone!' she snarled. 'He's just been overworking, that's all.'

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. 'He needs medical attention. A man doesn't suddenly crack like that for no reason. Ben ' he started to run towards his companion.

'Will you go away?' Janley screeched. 'Guard! Guard!'

Then she whirled around to face the Doctor. 'It's all your fault,' she told him. 'Badgering him with your questions - you've been hounding him ever since you arrived on Vulcan!'

'Don't be absurd!' the Doctor protested.

The guard tumbled into the room. Janley spun around and yelled at him: 'Bragen's orders were that no one no one was to be admitted!' was to be admitted!'

The hapless man looked confused. 'Yes, but I thought the Examiner - '

'You're not paid to think!' Janley howled. 'This man attacked Lesterson. Get him out of here. Both of them!

Out, do you hear me?'

'Now look here,' the Doctor began, but he broke off as the guard stomped over to them. The man had a good six inches over even Ben, and looked as if he outweighed both of them added together. This was clearly one of those times for the better part of valour. Throwing up his hands in disgust, the Doctor allowed the hulking man to march him and Ben out of the laboratory. He could bide his time, for the moment, at any rate.

As soon as the intruders were gone, Janley gave Lesterson a quick examination. He was still on the stool, shaking uncontrollably. Obviously his nerves had cracked under the strain. After a second's thought, she crossed to the comm unit and triggered it. An unfamiliar voice answered her from the Communications Room. 'This is Janley. Tell Valmar to come over to the lab right away.'

She clicked the machine off without waiting for a reply.

Taking Lesterson by the shoulders, she shook him slightly. 'Come on,' she said softly. 'Lie down for a bit.

You've been doing far too much. You need rest.'

Unprotesting, he allowed her to walk him into the small side room that held a day bed. It was useful when experiments had to be monitored constantly to have the small fold-out bed. Now Janley pushed him on to it. 'Put your feet up. Go on.' Lesterson nodded, and lay down.

Returning to the main lab, Janley took a clean beaker and filled it with distilled water. Then she took a small vial from her bag, similar to the one she'd used on Polly. This one she cracked into the water. There was a swirl as the escaping gas dissolved instantly. She poured the liquid into a cup and took this through to Lesterson. 'This will help,'

she promised. Without a word, he took it from her and downed the drugged water. Then he lay down again and closed his eyes.

The main door opened. Janley hurried out into the lab as Valmar entered it. The guard accompanied him, obviously taking her orders seriously this time.

'It's all right,' Janley said. 'Lesterson sent for him.' The guard nodded curtly and returned outside to his post.

Janley washed out the cup she was holding. 'I've had to give Lesterson a mild sleeping draught.' She set about cleaning all traces from the beaker.

'What's the matter with him?' Valmar asked.

'Overwork, I suppose.' Janley finished her work. Her tracks were now covered. 'He suddenly broke down.

Anyway, it'll give you a chance to put in the new power cable the Daleks asked for.'

'You don't miss a trick, do you?' Valmar sounded almost admiring.

Janley favoured him with a smile, then crossed to the Dalek capsule. 'We're going to lay in the cable you wanted.'

Instantly, the door slid open. Janley's soft tones had produced the response Lesterson's hammering had not. A Dalek appeared in the doorway. 'Good,' it grated.

Valmar stared at the thing somewhat uncertainly. It was the first time he'd really been close to one of the things. It gave him the creeps. He turned to Janley. 'You sure this is okay?'

'Get on with it,' she told him impatiently. Then she smiled at the Dalek. 'We help them. They help us. Isn't that correct?'

'Yes,' the Dalek agreed. 'We are your servants.'

Valmar wasn't too certain exactly who was giving the orders here. Still, he couldn't grumble, since the Daleks were supplying the weapons that he and the rebels needed.

'And don't take too long,' Janley added. 'You saw the notice, did you?'

'I saw it,' Valmar told her. He looked from Janley to the waiting Dalek. Then he crossed to where a waiting drum of cable sat. It wouldn't be too long now. The death knell of the old order was about to sound.

If only he didn't feel so disturbed when the Dalek was looking at him, all would be right with his world.

20.

We Want No Accidents Ben felt there was a sense of inevitability about it when the Doctor stopped off again at the bulletin board. He sighed as the Doctor pulled a battered index card and pencil from his pocket and started studying the notices.

'You've got a thing about those notes, haven't you?' he muttered. 'Look, Doctor, we're still no nearer finding Polly. What are we hanging about here for?'

'Because I can never resist a challenge, Ben' the Doctor replied, tapping one of the notes with his pencil. 'It's very ingenious, but not quite clever enough.' He chuckled, then turned to Ben. 'I've discovered a message in code. It's very simple: you just take the last letter of every word. Work it out for yourself.'

Tired of hanging about, Ben shook his head. 'Just tell me, will you?'

A little annoyed that Ben wasn't admiring his brilliance, the Doctor sighed. 'Very well. It says: "Meeting tonight at 2200 hours. Rocket Room P".' He smiled at Ben. 'It's the rebels' way of calling a meeting. I think we should attend, don't you?'

Ben finally caught on. 'Maybe get there a bit early,' he suggested.

The Doctor clapped him on the arm. 'That's the spirit.

Perhaps we're closer to finding Polly than you thought.'

The Rocket Room was one of the storage areas for the supply rockets that were regularly launched back to Earth with the refined metals aboard. It was lined with cheap metal shelving and huge plastic drums for the extracted chemicals. Along one wall was a rack of s.p.a.cesuits, which had clearly not seen use for quite some time. Spare parts for the rocket engines lay on the shelving, a lot of which needed dusting. There were weights and balances on another stack of shelves, and a.s.saying equipment stacked along the floor.

It was the perfect room for the Doctor's needs: plenty of hiding places. He and Ben had taken up spots behind a stack of the plastic drums. They were in a pool of the many shadows that were cast about the room. Only three of the lights were still working. Either the room was hardly ever used, or else the colony was running short of spare lights for non-essential rooms. Either way, it was obvious why the rebels had selected it to meet in. It was out near the landing pads, away from the regular foot-traffic. The chances of being overheard here had to be virtually nil.

Unless someone knew about the meeting in advance.

'I'm getting pins and needles,' Ben grumbled. He shifted a bit to relieve his cramps and sighed. 'What time is it?'

'Five minutes after the last time you asked me.

Honestly, Ben, do keep quiet, there's a good chap.' He peered out between the small gaps in the drums. Close to one of the remaining lights, what looked like the screen for a slide projector had been set up. The only difference was this was made of metal. And under another of the lights was a table with a number of chairs. The far end of the table was lost in the gloom. Behind it, barely visible, was a second door. The main entrance was opposite it. The Doctor hastily shushed Ben as the door opened.

Several people entered the room. Some of them the Doctor recognized, while others were strangers. There appeared to be six of them. One was the medical officer, Thane, and another was the tubby man Kebble. Quietly, they filed over to the table. None of them sat or spoke. It was obvious that they were waiting for other arrivals.

The door opened again and Valmar walked in. Behind him glided a Dalek, with its gun socket empty as ever.

Following it came Janley, holding a bulky case. There was a low murmur of voices as Janley crossed to the table.

Hauling the case on to it, she clicked its catches and let it fall open. The Doctor stiffened as he recognized what lay within.

It was a Dalek gun.

Valmar picked it up, and everyone could see there was a thin cable trailing from it. The cable was attached to the firing mechanism of the gun. It ended in a small box, like a TV remote control. The Dalek stopped beside Valmar, and he began to replace the gun in the housing in the Dalek casing. As he worked, Janley went to the far door and knocked softly. It opened, and a shadowy figure slipped into the room. It took its place at the head of the table. In the poor light, nothing could be seen of the stranger but a right hand that rested on the surface, unmoving.

As soon as the mysterious figure was in place, everyone moved to stand behind a chair. All eyes were on Valmar, as he finished connecting up the Dalek gun. When he was done, Janley rapped on the table to get the meeting's attention.

'We're going to demonstrate something tonight,' she announced. 'You section leaders will pa.s.s on what you see here. So far, we've been concerned only with testing the strength of the Governor with a few acts of sabotage. Now we're ready to take over.'

Kebble gestured at the Dalek. 'What is that thing? I've seen them moving about, but all we've been told is that it's a machine of some sort that Lesterson discovered inside his capsule.'

Janley nodded to her colleague. 'Valmar?'

The technician stepped forward, picking up the control pad attached to the Dalek gun-stick as he did so. 'This machine is known as a Dalek,' he informed them all.

'Lesterson removed the armaments of the Daleks, but I've rearmed this one. I've added a controlling device. We can regulate its fire-power, turning it on and off whenever we choose.'

Janley glanced at the shadowy figure at the head of the table. 'Shall we have the demonstration now?'

The hand waved agreement.

Beside the Doctor, Ben grinned. 'That's the fella we want,' he whispered. 'He must be the gaffer of this outfit.'

The Doctor nodded. Just as softly, he replied: 'Now we know why Polly was kidnapped and we were told not to interfere with the Daleks. These people think they can use the Daleks to help them take over the colony.' Deep in thought, the Doctor pulled out his recorder. He was about to place it to his lips when he caught sight of Ben's look of horror. Trying to pretend he hadn't been about to play it and give them both away, the Doctor polished the end of it on one sleeve and put it away again. Ben's expression showed that he wasn't fooled for a second.

Meanwhile, Janley had crossed to the metal sheet on the stand. 'This screen is made of two-inch thick tungsten steel. You all know how hard it is. All right, Valmar.' She moved to join the group at the table.

The Dalek swivelled around to point at the screen.