nce they had reached the main control room Johnson began to head a meeting with the remaining crew members. He was faced with silence while he mourned the death of their comrades All of his crew had been ordered out of the lower levels and with news that two other members hadn't made it back left Johnson crestfallen.

'That's seven dead now,' he said and pleaded with the Doctor, 'There must be something we can do.'

The Doctor met his eyes and saw his pain. He looked to the floor and thought for a moment. Johnson was depending on him now.

'Where were they killed?' he asked.

'I'll get my men working on it straight away,' Johnson replied, raising himself to his full height with hope in his eyes.It took several minutes for the crew to be organised, and within half an hour all of the co-ordinates were in. The Doctor inscribed each new finding on the map, whilst he was congratulating the Captain and his crew on their stealth and ingenuity. When the search had been completed, and the Dalek positions were then being updated by the ship's navigator, the Doctor began to confer with Johnson.

'We've found Daleks in these four places,' said the Doctor indicating on the map. 'What we have to do is destroy them totally before they become more dangerous, now that we know where they are.'

Johnson nodded and turned to the crew which was still in the room. They stood in silence and listened intently to all that their leader said.

'You're to split into four groups. I want you to use all the training and skill you know to destroy these machines. I don't want a single nut, bolt or eyestalk left in tact.'

'When do we begin?' asked a crew member.

'The minute you are all in position. We have all the equipment we need to destroy them.'

'What will we do with the obelisk?' asked another.

'I'll see to that,' the Doctor interrupted.

'We'll never gonna live through this,' mumbled one of the crew, hoping they weren't heard.

Johnson had heard. 'One more word like that, and I'll kill you myself.'

'It is important that you are sure of yourselves,' the Doctor instructed loudly, 'Don't doubt your inevitable success.' He moved back to the map, exactly as he had done with Johnson.

'As we can see, the Daleks have created a safe zone around the obelisk. They are all at equal distance from it, and by splitting up they have made themselves a weaker force. In effect, we can destroy them two at a time, so to speak.'

The Captain, held his gun up in some kind of salute. 'Remember, they are not real Daleks but are being controlled by an alien intelligence,' he said, clasping the gun more tightly, 'Forget what you were taught about Dalek logic in the Academy because it doesn't apply here. Just be prepared for anything. Is that understood?'

The crew in unison confirmed their instruction. Johnson tried to hide his feelings but a smile and a glazed look gave him away. 'Let's get on with it then!'The Doctor sat cross-legged on the floor. He had no part in the proceedings, so he had taken up a position in the centre of the control room and sat there stoically. He refused to move. No-one had any time for him. They bustled to and fro, giving and receiving orders whilst they tripped over each others feet. Eventually a hush settled over the room when all was ready.

Everyone looked at Johnson. He was tuning his communicator into the emergency frequency which would be picked up by all the communicators. Once it was ready he raised it deliberately to his face and paused for a few seconds.

'Now!'

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ix of the crew, armed with laser pistols, jumped into the sights of two waiting Daleks and opened fire. The Dalek casings returned their fire. Two died but the Daleks were destroyed before they had a chance to do any more damage. The four remaining crewmembers looked over the cracked and blistered metal which oozed across the floor.

Two other unsuspecting Daleks were attacked by three other crewmembers armed with flame throwers. The ruby ray blasters melted into insignificance and the Daleks were left helpless. The flames engulfed them, the casings split and cracked and the creatures within bubbled out in a raging froth of green gore.

The remaining group were now directly above the remaining Daleks. A gash in the concrete floor gave the troopers a bird's eye view of the scene on the level below them. A mega-grenade was released and hurled down at the Daleks below. The explosion that followed caught one of the Daleks and it cracked open like a nut.

All of the machinery, now red hot, spilled out over its companion, scorching it. The remaining Dalek turned and opened fire wildly. Concussion bombs were dropped and the area was filled with thick smoke. Two troopers stepped out of the shadows armed with rocket launchers. They fired. As the Daleks fired back they exploded in a blinding light.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

n the control room Johnson smiled triumphantly at the Doctor. 'Mission accomplished' he boasted, 'the obelisk is now yours.'

A slow rumble began to run through the floor. The Doctor jumped to his feet as the first shockwave hit the control room.

'I don't think it will let me near it,' the Doctor muttered.

'It certainly seems that way,' Johnson agreed, his smile now gone from his face.

Pieces of equipment began to be dislodged from their holdings and they scattered themselves around the room. Those left in the control room were rocked from side to side as the force began to grow in power once more.

'It's getting worse!' shouted the Doctor. 'We should get away from here! Tell your men it's time to leave! Now, Johnson!'

A whirlwind had formed directly above the remains of the base forming a long column high up into the sky making the clouds explode with the turmoil of disaster. All the surrounding clouds were sucked into the elongated form, swallowed up into the unknown. Its base touched the now crumpled spire at the summit of the base and wrenched it free. A strong wind whipped up around the structure and began to tug at the scrawny vegetation in the soil. Thorny bushes, once proud and erect, were bent double and plucked from their dubious moorings. The main bulk of the whirlwind began to move downwards, enveloping the base in a strangling veil.

The materials which composed the upper levels were dragged off their fixings and carried high into the sky. Spinning like demented tops, they flashed upwards; glinting rhythmically in the glancing sunlight, vanishing into the eternal blue. Girders were warped and the wind reached down like a giant hand and crushed the molten mass into metallic fragments.

At the main entrance, the Doctor appeared and pushed Johnson ahead of himself and beckoned to the others to follow. They swarmed out of the building, frightened at what might follow.