The seas frothed and boiled below him. Chunks of metallic debris floated on the surface, and a slick of oil was spreading. The drill platform had vanished beneath the waves, still roiling where it had been.

Faber felt an intense satisfaction at another payback on the Daleks. 'That one was for you, Marc,' he murmured to himself, honouring the memory of his fellow agent and best friend who had fallen to the Daleks not long ago. 'And there's more where that came from. Much more.'

Turning his scout's nose towards the stars, Faber began the voyage home.

PART 2.

PRISONERS OF WHO.

'The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike at him as hard as you can and as often as you can, and keep moving on.' Ulysses S. Grant, On The Art Of War

CHAPTER 4.

MADMEN ALL.

'Doc-tor...'

The voice was more mechanical than human, and Sam hated it instantly. The creature, Davros, was utterly disgusting. There was little human left of him, it seemed, except for some of his emotions. The word had been purred almost affectionately, but Sam could tell that there was no love between the Doctor and this creature.

'It had to be you,' Davros said, reviving more each pa.s.sing second.

'Yes,' the Doctor agreed. 'I suppose it was inevitable, really.'

'Doctor,' Sam asked in a stage whisper. 'Who is this?'

'Excuse me, I've been very remiss.' The Doctor smiled, and gestured towards the figure. 'Genocidal, xenophobic maniacs, number one in a seemingly endless series. Sam, this is Davros; Davros, this is Sam.' He lowered his voice very slightly. 'He doesn't shake hands,' he confided. 'You should just curtsey.'

'I know his name,' Sam said, trying to muster her patience. 'You mentioned him on Tractis. You don't exactly sound like old friends.'

'Quite the opposite,' he replied. 'Davros is the person who created the Daleks. And, like all would be G.o.ds, he created them in his own image. That's why they're twisted creatures, without conscience or mercy.'

'Without weaknesses, Doctor,' Davros stated. The light in his forehead was pulsing softly.

'Without strengths,' the Doctor countered. 'Without a future.' He sneered. 'Without a hope.'

Davros gave an electronic rattle that Sam realised was a laugh. It chilled her, because it sounded both mechanical and insane. It was quite clear that Davros was completely barking.

'Much as I enjoy sparring verbally with you, Doctor, I can see that you are not alone.' Then his voice took on a note of alarm. 'Thals?'

'Thals,' agreed Delani, stepping forward. There was a smile on his face, and Sam could understand it. The Thals must really have it in for Davros for creating their greatest foes. 'And you are in our hands now. Your Daleks will not be able to rescue you.'

'His Daleks are dead,' the Doctor said flatly. 'He destroyed them.'

'Yes, Doctor,' Davros agreed. 'You tricked me into using the Hand of Omega to destroy them.'

'No, Davros,' the Doctor countered. 'You tricked yourself. I told you nothing but the truth. You unleashed its power and destroyed your world and your army. You're powerless now.'

Sam sighed. 'I feel like I've come in at the middle of a film,' she complained. 'None of this is making much sense to me.'

'Nor to me,' Chayn admitted.

'I'll explain it all later,' the Doctor promised. He turned to Delani. 'Are you telling me that your whole mission here was to capture Davros and take him for trial?'

'No, Doctor,' Delani answered, a smug smile still on his face. 'I'm not here to try Davros. I'm here to make him an offer.'

'What?' Sam had rarely seen the Doctor speechless quite the opposite, if anything. But now he stood there, his mind clearly in a turmoil, his mouth slightly open but without a word coming forth.

'An offer?' Davros sounded intrigued. 'I have expected nothing but violence from your kind, Delani. I know you of old.'

'I'm sure you do,' Delani agreed. 'But circ.u.mstances change.'

'And politics make strange bedfellows,' the Doctor finally said. His body was tense, and he seemed almost ready to jump up and down on something or someone. 'Delani, we have to talk.'

The Thal commander eyed the Doctor. Sam felt he should have had the sense to look more worried. Instead he simply nodded slightly. 'Very well.' He turned to Cathbad. 'Monitor Davros, and let me know when he has powered up sufficiently to be transported to our ship.' To Ayaka, he added, 'Watch those two aliens. Don't let them interfere in any way.' Turning back to the Doctor, he said politely, 'Let's get some privacy, shall we? I never imagined that I would ever meet a legend.' The Doctor shot him a dark stare, but followed him out of earshot across the storage bay.

Sam didn't know what to do. There was still so much that she didn't know. Davros was obviously somebody very dangerous, and the Doctor was extremely concerned about him. Still, there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. And these Thals really bothered her. Delani had killed the poor old captain without hesitation. What would it take to trigger a wholesale ma.s.sacre of the Quetzel's Quetzel's crew by the rest of the Thals? She eyed Ayaka nervously. The young woman seemed to be a little different from Delani, lacking some of his fanaticism. And she had promised there would be no more bloodshed. But could Sam believe that? crew by the rest of the Thals? She eyed Ayaka nervously. The young woman seemed to be a little different from Delani, lacking some of his fanaticism. And she had promised there would be no more bloodshed. But could Sam believe that?

'What's it like to kill people for a living?' she asked the Thal. They had moved away from where Cathbad was running some kind of diagnostic on Davros.

Ayaka's eyes hardened. 'I do not kill people,' she replied coldly. 'I kill Daleks.'

'And they're not people?' Sam asked.

'No.' Ayaka stared at her. 'You do not know the Daleks?'

Sam shrugged. 'The Doctor's talked about them, and I've read a bit about them, but I've never met a living one. Can't say I'm dying for the pleasure, either.'

Ayaka nodded. 'A sensible wish. Daleks are are death. There is only one way to avoid being killed by a Dalek, and that's to kill it first. One day, I shall die fighting them. But I will have taken many of them with me.' death. There is only one way to avoid being killed by a Dalek, and that's to kill it first. One day, I shall die fighting them. But I will have taken many of them with me.'

'And that's a fair exchange?' asked Sam. 'Kill until they kill you? That's it? That's the sum total of your life?'

'It is a n.o.ble cause,' Ayaka answered. 'We fight to save our people and other peoples from the Daleks. If we did not fight, the Daleks would overrun the galaxy and slaughter every race they encountered in a matter of years. We have to destroy them.'

'And innocents, like Balatan?' Sam jibed.

Ayaka flushed. 'That was... unfortunate,' she agreed. 'He was stubborn. And Delani had no choice.'

Chayn had obviously picked up on what Sam was doing here. 'Would you have killed him?' she asked the Thal.

For a moment, Ayaka didn't reply. Sam could see from her eyes that she was troubled. Struggling with her conscience, perhaps? Finally, in a whisper, she admitted, 'No.'

Sam sized her up afresh. 'Look, I know I don't have any right to say this. I'm not in the position you're in, fighting a war for my life, and the life of my whole world. But surely, if you let it, this war will take away everything that makes you what you are '

Chayn cut across her, her voice bleak. 'My father was a soldier,' she said. 'He fought the Daleks, along with other races. He hired himself out to kill for money. I only saw him three times in my life. The last time, he was in a medlab, strapped to a bed, dying. His body had been shattered, but he wanted to tell me that he loved me before he died.' Her voice became very quiet. 'He did. And I couldn't believe him. If he'd loved me, he'd have been with me, raising me.' She glared at Ayaka. 'I hate war, not because of what it does to my enemies, but because of what it does to those I love. It took my father away from me and killed him. But before it did that, it made him forget about everything that was important really important in life. He told me that he loved me, but by then he'd forgotten what love is.' She swallowed. 'I've heard it said that the first casualty of war is the truth. That's not so. The first casualty in war is love.' She looked into Ayaka's eyes. 'Perhaps your child will be able to forgive you for not being there for her. Perhaps she'll even grow up thinking you're some kind of a hero. She may even be right. But that doesn't matter. Because war has already killed everything important inside of you. You've lost your love.' She paused, waiting for that to sink in. Ayaka said nothing. 'Your little girl isn't a real person, with needs and hopes and fears. She's simply a symbol of what you're fighting for now, a sacrifice you've made. A part of you you've chopped off. Like your conscience. You know what Delani did was wrong, and yet you said nothing.'

'He's my superior,' Ayaka said quietly.

'He's n.o.body's superior,' Chayn snarled. 'He's just some soulless b.a.s.t.a.r.d who kills innocent people who get in his way. If he weren't in a uniform, he'd be on trial for murder right now. But because he's a soldier, instead he's a hero, and you all obey everything he tells you to do.'

'She's right,' Sam said, beginning to feel a little detached from the conversation. She reminded herself that six months ago her oratory skills had been confined to a poorly attended sixth-form debating club. 'If you let it, this fighting will kill everything that's good in you.'

'It hasn't,' Ayaka insisted. 'And it won't.'

'It has,' Chayn said bitterly. 'When was the last time you fell in love? Allowed yourself to be vulnerable, to '

Ayaka shifted uncomfortably, and interrupted her. 'I am a soldier, and could die any moment. Emotional entanglements are an unnecessary complication.'

'Emotional entanglements are what makes life worth living,' Chayn answered, then she paused. 'It's the answer I expected from you.' She turned away in disgust.

Sam could see that Ayaka was troubled, but was it enough to win the woman over? 'Don't you have any friends?' she asked gently. 'People you are close to, at least?'

The Thal thought about this for a moment. She'd clearly been about to pontificate along the lines that friends are also emotional entanglements a soldier doesn't need, but she thought the better of it. Finally she nodded slightly. 'I have two,' she admitted. 'Dyoni, who commands one of our ships waiting for us. And Cathbad.' She gestured towards the solider with Davros. 'But they are luxuries I cannot afford. They could die any time, and if I stopped to grieve, then I would probably die, too. It is better not to care.'

'b.u.g.g.e.r off,' retorted Sam. 'It's simpler not to care. But better? No way.'

'You are trying to disturb me,' Ayaka answered. 'I don't know why. But it is wrong. A soldier should not be asking these sorts of questions.'

'A soldier shouldn't,' Chayn agreed, turning back. 'But a human being or even a Thal should. You have to decide whether you're a Thal first, or a soldier first. And then learn to live with the decision you make.' She looked over to where Delani and the Doctor were deep in heated discussion. 'Delani is a soldier first. That's obvious. He can even sublimate his hatred if he thinks it necessary.' She glanced at Davros. 'I don't know the history of your people very well, but I would a.s.sume that Davros is not well liked.'

Ayaka clearly felt on safer ground here. 'He is despised, feared, and spat upon. He alone is responsible for the evil of the Daleks.'

Chayn shrugged. 'Then why hasn't Delani ordered him executed?' she asked. 'Delani killed Balatan, who did nothing to your people. Yet he's willing to offer this monster a deal?'

'Right,' Sam agreed. 'Do you agree with this plan?'

'I do not have to agree,' Ayaka snapped. 'I am a soldier. I have to obey.'

Sam rolled her eyes. 'We're back to that again, are we? You have to obey? What if Delani tells you to do something that you know is wrong? Then what do you do?'

Somehow, Sam realised, she'd asked a question deeper than she had known. A tear formed at the edge of Ayaka's eye. She made no move to brush it away. Her beautiful face was frozen in the grip of some deep emotion. Finally, she stood taller. 'I am a soldier,' she replied. 'I do what I must. And I will speak no more about this.'

'What will you do if we we speak more about it?' Sam pressed. 'Kill us?' speak more about it?' Sam pressed. 'Kill us?'

Ayaka turned her back on them and walked to join Cathbad. Sam sighed, and looked at Chayn. She was starting to understand and like the engineer. 'I really pushed her b.u.t.tons somehow,' she said. 'I wish I knew why. It might help us.'

'It's a start,' Chayn said. She glanced over at the Doctor. 'And we seem to have done better than the Doctor has managed.'

Sam followed her gaze, and saw that Delani was yelling at the Doctor, who appeared resolute. Now what had happened?

Delani was feeling very pleased with himself when he led the Doctor aside to talk with him. He had already succeeded in his objective: to locate and recover Davros. That would look very good on his record, especially after the victory on Terakis. He was bound to get his long-deserved promotion for this. And to run into the legendary Doctor, too! Here of all places in the universe. The mysterious traveller who appeared at times of crisis and great significance, here to help him with his plans. It would add the last extra little polish to his record.

'I am so glad to see you, Doctor,' Delani said warmly.

'You may not be so glad soon,' the Doctor answered bluntly. 'What are you doing?'

Delani was puzzled. 'I am taking Davros back to our home world, where he will aid us in our struggle against the Daleks.'

The Doctor stared at him, his eyes troubled. 'Are you a madman or simply a fool?' he asked. 'Davros is far too dangerous to be trusted.'

'I have no intentions of trusting him, Doctor,' Delani answered. 'Rest a.s.sured of that. But he will be compelled to work for us. He already has a motive: his loyal Dalek forces have been annihilated, and he is sought by the rest as a criminal.'

'I know that,' the Doctor said. 'I helped engineer his losses. But you can't count on his hatred of the Imperial Daleks to make him work for you. He's too devious for that. If you give him the opportunity, he will most certainly betray you. It's his nature, he can't help it.'

Delani could see that the Doctor was concerned, and sought to put his mind at ease. 'He will not be given that chance, I promise you. We are going to fit an explosive collar to his life-support chair. At the first hint of a problem, it will be detonated, killing him. He will have to cooperate to stay alive.'

'A bomb?' The Doctor snorted. 'You think that that will keep Davros in line? He's also been exterminated, blown up, frozen and heaven knows how many more fates. And he's escaped each one of them. A bomb isn't going to worry him greatly. He'll find a way around it.' will keep Davros in line? He's also been exterminated, blown up, frozen and heaven knows how many more fates. And he's escaped each one of them. A bomb isn't going to worry him greatly. He'll find a way around it.'

'Are you always such a pessimist, Doctor?' Delani inquired, refusing to be baited. He was in too good a mood for that.

'On this occasion I'm being a realist,' the Time Lord replied. He blinked slowly. 'And what is it that you want Davros to do, exactly?'

'That's a military secret, I'm afraid,' Delani said. He spread his hands and smiled. 'If I could tell you, I would, but...'

'But it's obvious anyway.' The Doctor studied Davros from across the room. 'He's an all-round genius and maniac, but his speciality is genetic warfare. You and your superiors want Davros to help breed a biological deterrent, don't you?' He studied Delani's face, and then shook his head. 'No, nothing that sensible. You want Davros to alter your species, don't you?'

So the Doctor had already guessed. Well, it would do no harm to confirm the man's suspicions now. 'Yes.' He gestured at himself. 'We are flesh and blood, Doctor. Perfect specimens, perhaps, and enhanced by careful breeding. We are faster, stronger, more endurable than most humanoid species. But we are still no match for the Daleks. What we need is a biological edge, and we lack the knowledge. Davros can give it to us.'

'You are insane,' the Doctor decided finally, a look of horror on his face. 'You know what Davros has done to the Daleks, and yet you're willing to allow him to do the same to you!' Agitated now, he exclaimed, 'You can't defeat the Daleks by becoming the Daleks!'

Delani, too, was starting to get irritated. The Doctor, for some reason, didn't seem to be understanding and appreciating the plan. 'We don't intend to become the Daleks,' he growled. 'We will not allow Davros to remove the n.o.bler emotions or drives of our people. But we must become stronger and better.'

'You will not allow allow?' Now the Doctor was getting very excitable. 'Delani, Davros will find a way to pervert whatever mad plan you're thinking up into something even worse!' He pointed to Ayaka. 'Would you turn her her into into that that?' He gestured at Davros.

'If it will help us to finally annihilate the Daleks, yes!' Delani said with pa.s.sion. 'Anything is worth that aim.'

The Doctor was suddenly very still, which bothered Delani more than his pa.s.sion. 'No,' he said softly. 'No, it isn't. Some things are not worth the price.'

'Victory is worth any price,' insisted Delani. 'Would you sooner see us perish?'

'Than become that that?' The Doctor turned worried eyes on to Davros again. 'Yes. I'd sooner see the entire Thal race exterminated than have them become like that. It would be better for them in the end.'