Six 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 crew members 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.
~~~
In 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.
Johnson stopped and looked up at the wall of maelstrom which was falling down towards them. He indicated to the Doctor who looked, Johnson began to doubt if he would ever survive. Crewmembers rushed past him knocking him off balance. The wind was like a magnet forcing them all to one side as they struggled to escape.
The Doctor appeared in front of him, bringing his attention back to the immediate situation. The alien's hair was blown to one side of his head, where it flapped violently in the engulfing chaos. He was shouting something, but the wind was too strong in Johnson's ears for him to hear. The Doctor continued to shout the same thing and grabbed the Captain by the arm and began to drag him on. Johnson suddenly realised what it was the Doctor was shouting:
'Run, Captain! Run!'
Together they raced on through the desert of the melee. Their one aim was the hill overlooking the base. Once over that, they would be safe from the destructive power of the life-force.People were falling over themselves, stumbling over the debris that lay around them. Johnson tried to gain order but his voice was lost in the wind and he could do nothing. A dustbowl had blown up and was swaddling their panicking mass. The Doctor and Johnson took up the rear, helping those who had fallen to get up and move on. Some were even on the verge of giving up, the Doctor, however, convinced them which was the right thing to do.
Those with enough energy and determination were already over the brow of the hill to safety, whilst the Doctor and Johnson were beginning to mount the foot of the slope. The group of survivors had now split into correct fractions and spread evenly they made fast progress. All of them were running against the constant tug of the wind which blew sand in their faces, blinding them but still they ran on towards sanctuary.
Eventually the Doctor had reached the summit and turned to view the devastation below him. The sight caught his breath and he yelled: 'Look! Look at it!' No-one heard him, they had fled.The base was totally engulfed in the whirlwind. Large chunks of concrete were forced up high into the air. The destruction was absolute. What remained of the base was torn apart like a wet cardboard box. The walls were gone leaving the skeleton of the floors and supports to slowly be snatched out of the way, layer by layer. A thick column of light exercised itself from the foundations dragging the obelisk with it. All the light concentrated around the black obelisk which could be seen, like that of a dark centre of an iris.
As it grew, the tornado diminished. Then, with a force that seemed impossible, the circular shape of the demon spat fire which sliced into the remains below, blasting it into infinity. The life-force suddenly shot off into the distance over a distant mountain range and out of sight.The winds died. The dustbowl settled and fell into lifelessness. Silence settled over the dead planet and in the minds of the remaining crew.
The Doctor turned to find Johnson standing behind him, stunned. The two looked into each other's eyes. Neither could say anything.
'You'd better let Doctor Renshaw know that you're coming,' the Doctor croaked at last.
Where the base stood there was now only a hole which buried all memory of its existence. Only the scattered pieces of metal were left behind to tell the tale.
~~~
The Doctor picked up his umbrella from the base of the spaceship. Captain Johnson stood at the top of the ramp. The Doctor informed the Captain that he had his own form of transport. Johnson shrugged and said nothing. The crew, of what remained, were inside waiting for the word to be given for lift off.
'Good luck,' the Doctor said holding the umbrella awkwardly in his hands. 'I hope they accept your report.'
'There isn't going to be a report,' Johnson replied shaking his head, 'As far as the fleet is concerned, this planet isn't worth thinking about. The others will be reported as missing- but not forgotten. There's no other way of stopping people from coming here. Once I've dealt with all that I'm going to retire from the service. I've seen more than enough.'
The hatch closed preventing any further discourse between them. The Doctor hung the umbrella on his arm and began to walk away as the engines began to start. When he was clear, they flared into full glory and the massive craft propelled itself higher into the sky. Standing on the crest of a dune the Doctor watched it climb out of sight up into the heavens of space and on towards the Empire.
'Goodbye, Captain,' he said softly.
The Doctor's eye was caught by a glow in the corner of the sky. He turned to see a tiny fireball waiting slightly above him. He looked up into its blinding depths.
'Why?' he called.
'It is not permitted.'
'What?' the Doctor exclaimed incredulously.
'This is our planet. It will not be perverted for war.'
The Doctor shrugged. 'What are you?'
'Not all life is mammalian. This is our planet. We protect it. We do not exist in your terms, alien. We do not interfere in your civilisations. You will do well to leave in peace. Nothing will settle on this planet and disturb us in our ways.'
'Nothing?' the Doctor asked, 'Why?'
The fireball ascended into the sky.
'Nothing will settle on this planet. Nothing will settle on our planet.'
The Doctor watched it disappear over the brow of the next hill. He looked around himself. He knew nothing. He was not meant to know anything. He stood alone for several minutes, pondering. Then, picking up his spirits began to whistle, spinning the umbrella in his hands as he made his way back to the TARDIS.
written by
NEIL HUNTER
copyright 2010
artwork by
COLIN JOHN
copyright 2020