'Destroy me, and you destroy your own future,' Davros warned him. 'Without me, you have no hope. I can give you vision! I can give you purpose! I can show you your destiny!'

'No,' the Dalek Prime answered. 'Your purpose is insanity. Your destiny is death. The Daleks will go on without you.'

'I created you!' Davros insisted. 'You owe me everything that you are.'

'No,' the Dalek Prime contradicted him. 'You helped create us. We have changed. We have improved. We have become a different species. I have experimented on myself. I have altered the genetic code that you laid down. I am no longer what I once was. I am the future for the Daleks. You are not.' It turned to face one of the Spider Daleks. 'Prepare the chamber.'

'I obey.' The creature's manipulator legs began to activate the controls. Close by was the bulk of the transmat equipment. Before Davros, now open, was the matter-transfer tube. Davros stared at the Spider Dalek. Was this his hidden ally? He could not tell, he could only hope. Perhaps the game was not yet over...

'In moments,' the Dalek Prime informed him, 'your atoms will be taken apart and scattered through s.p.a.ce, in a ring about our sun. You will not survive matter dispersal. This is your end, Davros and the way ahead for the Dalek race!'

The Thal ship had leapt to light speed now, unenc.u.mbered by the Dalek factory ship inside its belly. Relief was written on everyone's face, and Sam knew hers was probably the most relieved of all. It was finally over.

'Well,' the Doctor said to her quietly, 'I think it's probably time for us to be on our way, don't you?'

Sam sighed, and then nodded. It might have been nice to stick around for a few more days, just enjoying the company of the Thals. Without constantly having to fight for their lives, Sam suspected that they would turn out to be all right. But the Doctor was ever restless and footloose, and he was already wanting to be off.

'Must you go so soon?' asked Chayn. She looked rather disappointed. 'I'd been hoping I could get another look at the TARDIS's systems. They're quite intriguing.'

'I know,' the Doctor agreed. 'But I'm not sure that the Time Lords would approve of my letting you be privy to some of their most jealously guarded secrets.' His lips twitched. 'Of course, you could always come with us...' he suggested.

Sam felt a flare of jealousy again, which she fought to suppress. Chayn was a nice person, and she really didn't have any designs on the Doctor... Did she?

Chayn looked very seriously tempted. Then she glanced at Cathbad, who sat in his seat, trying very hard not to look at her or say anything. But even Sam could see the strain on his face. 'No, thanks,' Chayn finally said.

The Doctor gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled at Cathbad, who was looking tremendously relieved.

Two could play at that game... Sam leaned over and kissed Cathbad's cheek. 'Treat her nicely,' she said.

'I've never met a girl like Chayn.'

'You've never met a non-blonde before, Cathbad!' said Chayn, eavesdropping.

'I shall,' he promised, and Sam knew that he meant it.

The Doctor turned to Ayaka. 'And what will happen to you?' he asked.

'I have to surrender myself for trial,' she said simply.

'You don't have to do that,' the Doctor said. 'You could come with us. See the universe. Get away from it all.'

Sam had rather been expecting him to make that offer. 'Yes,' she added. 'Ayaka... can't you just walk away?'

Ayaka smiled sadly. 'I wish I could,' she said. 'But I can't just decide that it's too dangerous for me and walk away. There are people who rely on me. And I owe it to those who died, like Dyoni... like half my crew. And, if I don't stand up and say that what Delani did was wrong, perhaps they'll try it again. I have to take my chance. I must try to denounce this madness.' She paused. 'And I shall see my daughter again. That's something I've learnt from Chayn. If I'm fighting for her future, the least I can do is be a part of it.'

The Doctor nodded. 'I'm proud of you, Ayaka. Whatever happens to you, you'll face it with dignity and courage.'

'And with friends,' Cathbad added. 'You saved our lives. I could never have guided us this far. I will stand with you at your court martial.'

'We all will,' Argini added. 'The whole crew. If they condemn you to death, they will have to condemn us all.'

'Strength in unity,' the Doctor suggested. 'It's worked for a long time and on many planets.' He smiled again. 'I have no doubt that you'll win, Ayaka. With such support, how could you lose?'

'Come with us,' Ayaka urged. 'The two of you. We've so much to do, and you could be such a great help. We've stopped the Daleks this time, but they're still out there. Still fighting. Help us to finish their menace for ever.'

'They're not stopped,' the Doctor said gently. 'At best, they've lost this one gambit.' He sighed. 'And staying in one place to see a job through to the end really isn't my style. That's for people with commitments to a place, a race, a vision.' He actually looked wistful for a moment, as if they had something that he wished he might find. 'Well, I hate long goodbyes.' He whirled on his heels, grabbed Sam's hand and jerked her out of the room. She just had time to wave before she was out of sight.

'So, it's all over?' Sam asked.

'Hardly over,' he replied. 'Barely begun, in some ways. The Daleks have taken a beating, but it's not permanent. They'll be back.'

Sam really didn't want to think about what that might mean right now. 'Will Ayaka be all right?'

'I hope so Sam, I hope so.'

'And what about Davros?'

'I really don't know,' the Doctor confessed. They had reached the TARDIS and he pushed open the door for her. 'I really must fix this lock,' he added. Then he looked at her. 'I believe the Dalek Prime will win. Davros has some support, but it most likely won't be enough. He's most likely been caught and executed by now.' He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, and the colour drained from his face. 'What an idiot I am!'

'Huh?' Sam stared at him as he suddenly dashed into the console room. 'What's wrong?' she yelled, haring after him. He scared her when he went into these moods.

He was working on the controls, and spoke feverishly as he did so. 'The Dalek Prime let us go to act as his second line of attack against Davros.'

'So?'

'What if he beat Davros?'

Sam couldn't follow what he was getting at. 'Then he wins,' she said, puzzled. 'And he's happy.'

'And what use does he have for a second line of attack?'

Finally, Sam saw what he was talking about. She felt as if she'd been slapped hard across the face. 'You think the Dalek Prime's done something to get rid of us if he doesn't need us?' she realised.

'Got it in one,' he agreed. He slammed his hand down on the control panel. 'And there it is...' He dropped to the floor and pulled down an access panel on the underside of the console.

Sam peered over his shoulder. There was a small metallic globe there, pulsing slightly with an inner golden light. 'That's not supposed to be there, is it?'

'No,' he agreed. 'It's a fusion bomb.'

'Please tell me you remembered to reconnect the State of Grace circuitry,' she begged him.

'I wish I had, Sam,' he admitted. 'But I didn't. If that goes off, it will take out the TARDIS. And it's bound to go off just as soon as the Dalek Prime knows he has no further use for us. Once he's eliminated Davros.'

The Dalek Prime watched with considerable satisfaction as the matter-transfer unit came on-line. 'The battle is over and won, Davros,' he announced. 'Your time is finished.'

'You need me!' Davros insisted. 'I can be of help to you! I can improve the Dalek race!'

'You are of help to me by dying,' the Dalek Prime answered. 'And the Dalek race can improve itself. You are not needed.' To the watching Gold Daleks, he ordered: 'Place him in the unit.'

'No!' Davros snarled, as he was pushed back towards the tube. 'You cannot destroy me! I will not allow it!' As the tube hissed shut, he screamed, 'You cannot be rid of me this easily!'

The Dalek Prime said, 'We can.' To the Spider Dalek, he commanded, 'Dispersal pattern engage.'

Davros was still saying something inaudibly as the tube lit up. The power grid glowed, and the figure gradually lost its cohesion and resolution, tiny particles of matter seeming to spatter against the gla.s.s until, finally, the power died down and the tube was empty.

'Dispersal complete,' the Spider Dalek reported. 'Davros is destroyed.'

'Good,' the Dalek Prime said. 'Purge the system memory.' It was always technically feasible that Davros's body and prints could be rebuilt using the memory core of the computer. There was no need to take chances.

The Spider Dalek obeyed. 'Memory core has been purged,' it reported, and pulled the block from the machine. It set this on a small pedestal, and backed off. Then it fired once. The core exploded, falling in small, smoking ruins.

No data could have survived that. The Dalek Prime was satisfied. Davros was finished, at last, and the war was over. Only one final act remained. He turned to the Gold Dalek. 'Trigger the bomb in the TARDIS,' it commanded.

'I obey!'

The Doctor was locked in concentration as he powered up the TARDIS systems and then engaged the time rotor. With its usual cacophonous howl, the TARDIS faded from the deck of the Thal craft, entering the s.p.a.ce-time vortex.

'That's bought us a few extra minutes, perhaps,' he said dubiously. 'But the Daleks can signal across time, and they'll expect me to be in flight. This next part's very tricky...' He began to reset the controls.

'What are you doing, Doctor?' Sam asked quietly. While she didn't want to disturb his concentration, she also didn't want to be left in the dark. If she was going to die, she'd prefer to stare it in the face.

'Dematerialise the TARDIS from around the bomb,' he said, 'leaving it alone in the vortex. Then it won't matter if it's triggered. But that's a very delicate manuvre...' Sweat was trickling down his brow as he worked, and Sam could see the strain on his face. She stayed silent, breathing shallowly, and away from the console so as not to disturb him. He dashed around to a different panel, tapping in commands. Finally, he hesitated, hand over the dematerialisation lever. 'Well, here goes...' he muttered.

'Is this safe?' Sam asked him.

'No,' he replied. 'But it's safer than leaving the bomb where it is.' He rammed home the lever.

The TARDIS shuddered and howled about them both, as it tried to shake itself free. Several systems crackled and spat fire, and the lights dimmed noticeably owing to the power drain. Sam's eyes were riveted on the pulsing bomb. Was she just imagining it, or were the pulsations speeding up?

There was a tremendous explosion, tearing at the fabric of the vortex, whirlpooling around the boundaries of s.p.a.ce and time.

The TARDIS gave one final, dramatic shake before settling down once more. Sam scarcely dared hope, but she looked at the Doctor for confirmation.

He nodded, smiling. 'It's over,' he confirmed. 'We disposed of the bomb just in time. The signal must have been sent at almost the same second.'

'Then this is really it?' she asked. 'No more traps? No more tricks?'

'It's over,' he confirmed, and then looked worried again. 'Except the factory ship was a double threat,' he realised. 'And perhaps the bomb was, too. The Dalek Prime always likes to have a back-up option...' He stared at the controls again. 'No more bombs, so if there's another trap, it's something else this time.'

Wasn't this ever going to end? Sam realised she'd been asking herself that question almost continually for what seemed like hours. Every time she hoped and prayed it was over, the Daleks refused to let go. They were like pit bulls with atomic weapons, locking onto you with a death-grip and never letting up.

'Are you sure there's another trap?' she demanded.

'No,' he confessed. 'But I'm afraid it's very likely. Only... what is it?' He had the ship running a diagnostic, she could see.

Sam wasn't sure what they should be looking for, but she recalled his instructions to Cathbad anything that wasn't there before. She glanced around the console room. It was so cluttered that it was difficult to judge if there was anything new there. If there were a new clock in the music room, how could she tell? Desperately hoping that whatever it might be was something really obvious, she scanned the room again and again.

If there was another trap... Anyway, did it have to be in here? Wasn't it possible that it was hidden somewhere else in the TARDIS, waiting to leap out at them when they were totally off-guard? Then she realized that simply wasn't the Daleks' style. They believed in crude force with the minimum of subtlety. So if there was another trap, it would be in the console room and would be set to go off shortly after the bomb failed.

And then she saw it. There were two ornate bra.s.s lecterns over by the book cases, where there had only been one earlier. They looked like a matching pair of wing-spread eagles. The one on the left seemed to be somehow subtly wrong. It was as if it wasn't quite real, but only if you stared directly at it. Sam tapped the Doctor's arm and pointed.

He caught on immediately. 'Good girl,' he murmured, and scanned the extra lectern.

'Another bomb?' she asked, equally quietly. Somehow raising her voice near an explosive device didn't seem appropriate, as if loud noises might cause it to explode early.

'No,' he answered, slightly puzzled. 'It's reading more like a chameleon circuit... Odd...'

As Sam stared at the bra.s.s eagle, it seemed to shift. Its lines flowed, and it was as if something were unfolding itself. The air seemed to pucker, and then a familiar shape began to form. An eyestick, an arm and a gun raised to fire... The Dalek was morphing back from its disguise as the lectern.

The Doctor pushed her aside, diving the opposite way himself, as the Dalek fired.

The blast missed Sam by no more than a foot. The air sparked above her from the energy discharge, and her hair tingled from the static electricity. Staying on her hands and knees, she shot for cover behind the chair. The Doctor had plunged into hiding behind the columns. Sam peeked out, and saw that the Dalek was trying to decide which of them to go for first. It obviously decided that the Doctor was the more dangerous of the two, as it glided off after him.

Sam's heart was pounding crazily. A Dalek, here in the TARDIS! Why had the Doctor insisted on fiddling with the stupid lock!

On the floor, close to the console, Sam saw the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, and she had a momentary flash of hope. If only it was still set to that frequency that scrambled the Daleks' brains!

'Stay alive, Doctor,' she mumbled, and then dived across the floor toward the console. Her back itched, and she half-expected to feel a lethal blast cut her down as she moved. But she made it, grabbing the screwdriver and rolling into the cover of the console. The Dalek didn't seem to have even noticed her as it moved into the columned walkway.

Sam's nerves were frayed, but she had very little option here. Perhaps the Doctor could somehow surprise the Dalek and pull another miraculous trick from his non-existent hat, but she didn't want to wait and see. She had to act as if this was up to her.

She was terrified and furious at the same time. She knew what a Dalek could do, and would do, without compunction. At the same time, she had always seen the TARDIS as a safe haven, somewhere where the insanity of her travels with the Doctor could be left at the doors. She could be comfortable there.

And the Dalek had ruined that security. She darted around. Was any of the furniture real? No, the Doctor's device had picked up only one... hadn't it?