hen this door slides back,' Johnson continued, 'I want all your torches on whatever's on the other side. Understood?'

 

A grumble of ascent went up. The Doctor moved forward, facing the door. Those who were holding torches drew level with him and aimed them forward similarly.

 

Suddenly, the door gave and vanished into the wall. The captain and his crew fell to the floor in a heap, revealing what lay in wait behind. Immediately they caught the light the group fell back. One of the objects was very close and it caught the light in sharp, horrifying contrast to the dark all around. It had no legs, and was set on a rounded base. No human features, but a lens on a flexible shaft acted as an eye and what appeared to be like arms with mechanical grips for hands.

 

Daleks.

 

Instantly, the Doctor threw himself to the floor. 'Get down!' he shouted, 'All of you!'

 

Johnson drew himself to his feet dreamily, staring at the nearest Dalek in horror. He was unsteady on his feet and wavered uncertainly. He couldn't think.

 

'They'll kill you!' The Doctor shouted out.

 

Johnson finally crumbled to the floor, shaking with fear. Everyone was strewn on the floor, eyes glazed, waiting.

 

The Daleks had not moved. They remained in their imposing positions covering the group with their armaments.

 

'Oh, Jeez...' one crew member moaned weakly. They all knew about the Daleks. None of them had been prepared to meet them. It wasn't in their contracts either.

 

The Doctor saw his chance. He had gathered that the Daleks needed them alive for some reason or another. They would not shoot, he guessed, or hey would all be dead by now. He quickly leapt to his feet and ran down the corridor. 'Let's get out of here, quickly!' he called.

 

Johnson still couldn't come to terms with this. He kept staring at the monstrous forms, all hope ebbing away in a thick, fatalist stream. 'They must have seen us,' he muttered in confusion.

 

The other crew members followed the Doctor back down the corridor, rushing to their feet in a haze of confusion. They crashed about aimlessly, all trying to find sanctuary that they desperately wanted.

 

This havoc brought Johnson back to this senses. He gazed incredulously as the frightened mass trampled over one another to escape. Resolve settled over his face in an impenetrable mass. His gun arm became stronger, his conviction almost manacle. 'Running away?' he jeered, 'Cowards!'

 

The Doctor had stopped and turned facing the scene. Any haste to leave had now gone in a pervading calm. He stood rooted to the spot but looking calmly over the scene. Johnson had drawn himself level with the nearest Dalek, moving with clumsy imprecision. Drawing his side arm he flicked the gun and pointed it into the nearest eye-stalk. A cold firmness had taken him over, his blood was coursing hot through his veins.

 

'Die, you son of a ...'

'Wait!' the Doctor called. He walked over behind Johnson. Distracted, Johnson, mouth fused shut, gawped dumbly at him. The Doctor held no trace of emotion, but stepped neatly within range of the Dalek gun. He took a hold of Johnson's gun arm and forced it down so that it was facing the ground, harmless.

 

'They're not going to harm us,' the Doctor mused idly, 'Look at them! Decrepit tin cans with barely the staying power to stop themselves from falling apart.'

 

Johnson looked towards the nearest Dalek and noticed a thin layer of dust which had settled over it. An untouched layer of dust covered the floor around the monsters.

 

The Doctor pointed at the Dalek instructively, 'It's quite safe, I can assure you.' He reached the object and turned so that he was facing Johnson. He smiled smugly, daring comment.

 

'You certainly enjoy panicking my crew.'

 

The Doctor let the comment pass and instead started to inspect the casing. It was scarred with slight patches of black soot.

 

'Who are you really?' Johnson pressed, moving in on him, 'Tell us.'

 

'The Daleks aren't going to harm us, because they're dead,' the Doctor muttered. He stepped away from the casing and indicated widely. 'Watch this.'

 

He gave the Dalek a small shove. It moved across the floor very slowly and settled in place a few metres to the left. It ceased moving and a hush settled over the room. 'Dead as a Dalek,' the Doctor cheered.

 

Renshaw stepped out of the shadows and looked unimpressed. She had studied the Dalek logic at University as a supplementary course. 'They could be faking it.' she said.

 

The shrugged his shoulders, safe in the knowledge of hard experience. 'Daleks can never resist the temptation of shooting a humanoid species. If they were alive, we'd be dead by now.'

 

The crew began to crowd around the doorway, looking inwards at the immobile Daleks. None dared to step inside. Those who could not get a clear view milled about behind those who could. The Doctor continued to study the Dalek he had just moved, oblivious to this. He could see no sign of external tampering, the whole machine seemed to be fine. He could not find any reason why the machines were as they were, but he knew that they were dead.

 

'Bring those torches in here!' Johnson ordered, trying to re-establish what he saw as the correct status quo. 'Don't dawdle, Enson, this isn't a boy scout's picnic!'