Doctor Who: Target - Novelisations [017] - The Dalek Invasion of Earth by Terrance Dicks

Author:Terrance Dicks
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Science-Fiction - Doctor Who
ISBN: 9780426112440
Publisher: Target Books
Published: 1977-02-12T23:00:00+00:00

8

The Mine of the Daleks

Suddenly the Doctor held up his hand. Susan stared at him. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Listen!’

In the silence the electronic bleep sounded clearly. It was speeding up, and getting louder. The Doctor and his companions ran out of the basement. They stopped in horror at the sight of the gleaming metal canister at the top of the steps. ‘What is it?’ whispered Susan.

David’s face was grim. ‘One of the Dalek blockbuster bombs.’

Susan tugged at his arm. ‘Quick, let’s get clear… run!’

David didn’t move. ‘No use. That thing’s due to go off any moment. There’s no way we could get out clear of the range of the blast.’ He stood staring at the bomb as if paralysed by horror.

‘In that case we’d better dismantle the thing,’ said the Doctor briskly. He ran nimbly up the steps and leaned over the canister, studying the controls set into its top. ‘Now then, this dial with the needle is the time mechanism. The red area at twelve o’clock signifies the detonation point, I imagine.’

David looked over his shoulder. ‘So when the needle reaches the red, that will be it?’

The Doctor nodded. ‘Help me prise the front off this thing, will you, my boy? I must destroy the timing control.’

David produced his knife and thrust it into the join between the main body of the canister and its lid. He heaved with all his strength – and the knife blade broke in two.

‘I need some kind of a lever,’ snapped the Doctor. ‘Look around, both of you. A nail, a piece of metal, anything will do.’

Obediently David and Susan began searching the rubble. The Doctor went on working with the broken blade but without much success. The stub of the blade was too thick to go in the crack. He tossed it aside. Susan found a twisted piece of iron. ‘How about this, Doctor?’

‘Too big. There must be some way we can get in… some tool.’

Suddenly David said, ‘Acid! Those bombs of Dortmun’s – the detonation mechanism is acid-based. Maybe we could burn through the casing.’

The Doctor nodded eagerly. ‘It’s a chance. Let’s have one of them here. Quickly now!’ David ran down into the cellar, reappearing almost immediately with his bomb-satchel. He ran back up the steps and handed the Doctor one of the fragile glass spheres.

The Doctor took it from him, and held it carefully on the top of the canister, just over the point where he estimated the timing mechanism to be. ‘Pass me your piece of iron, Susan. Now, if I can manage to release the acid without detonating this bomb…’ Using the iron as a hammer, the Doctor gave the sphere a carefully measured tap, like a man cracking a boiled egg with a spoon. A crack appeared in the sphere and a colourless liquid started to trickle out. As it ran over the lid of the canister it smoked.

‘Look,’ whispered Susan. ‘It’s starting to burn through…’

A patch of the metal was beginning to crack and crumble. The Doctor jabbed cautiously with the piece of iron, and the metal flaked and crumbled away.

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