Johnson received the report with mounting concern. He warned the three about the Daleks and turned to the Doctor, who was wondering what was going on.
'Back down below,' he ordered, 'They've found something. Some kind of statue.'
'Where are the Daleks?' the Doctor asked, finding an uncomfortable link in the two occurrences.
The communicator beeped into life once more. Johnson held it up for the Doctor to hear as well.
'Captain! This is Rom. The Daleks! They've killed Jones, Waterman and Baker. There were eight of them and they're heading down into the underground chambers. I don't know what they want, sir, but they're not letting anyone stand in their way. It's- '
The voice was cut off with a gasp. There was a second of silence before the sound of a Dalek gun was heard. Rom's scream was coupled with the sound of fire and his body falling to the ground. Then, all was silent. The hiss of static was suddenly cut off. The Doctor grabbed the communicator and shook it vigorously.
'It's completely dead,' he said, 'Whatever this thing is, it's not going to let you save those men down there.'
~~~
Elson was starting to get excited. 'This is it,' he hissed, 'This is the cause of it all.'
'We should get out of here,' Gilbert interceded, pointing towards the door.
Suddenly, the Daleks blocked the entrance. Elson cowered back momentarily before he was cut down by the concentrated firepower of four guns. Showered with red hot fragments, the remaining two crewmembers dived for cover as the Daleks swept into the room.
'Oh my god...' Matthews whispered before a Dalek appeared over him, casting a threatening shadow over his frightened features. He died moments later. Gilbert tried to run for the door, but was exterminated the moment he broke cover. Silently, the Daleks glided into position around the monolith, guarding it with silent obedience. Two Daleks took up position around the door outside and waited.
~~~
The Doctor and Johnson were stopped further down the corridor by a contingent of frightened soldiers. They could see very little from where they were and relied on an eyewitness to tell them what had happened. When he had finished he confided to the Doctor what he had feared.
'The Daleks were killed for finding that thing, now we've found it it'll try and kill us as well!'
Johnson was struggling to get past one of the soldiers. The Doctor reached out and pulled him back.
'We just can't leave them there!' Johnson protested, stricken with grief. Sweat poured from his brow and still tried to escape the Doctor's grip.
'There's nothing we can do,' the Doctor told him. 'We have to get away from here before they find us.'
Reluctantly, Johnson followed in the footsteps of his men, now being led by the Doctor. He hung his head low.
'What now?' he asked.
'I don't know yet,' the Doctor replied quietly.
A shadow was cast over their departing forms. The Dalek glowered threatening for a few moments until the group was gone, disappearing around the nearest corner.
~~~
Once 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 can only give you co-ordinates for that, Doctor' Johnson replied hopelessly.
The Doctor pointed to a map on the far wall. 'We can transfer them all to that. I'll need to know the positions of all the Daleks. However, we know at the moment that the control room is safe, so we'll base our operations here.'
'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!'