walkway!’ bellowed the Doctor. Cinder glanced up. There were three Daleks coming over the gantry above.
She swung the barrel of her gun round and fired three consecutive shots – not at the Daleks themselves, but at the metal gantry on which they stood. The metal twisted and buckled, causing the Daleks to wobble uncontrollably, and a fourth shot split the walkway in two, sending them crashing down on top of the Daleks beneath. At least five of them were sent spinning off across the courtyard, their weapons blasting indiscriminately, whilst two more were incapacitated, sent sprawling, their domed heads caved in by the impact from above.
It wouldn’t stop them for long, but it was enough of a distraction for the Doctor and Cinder to get out of the line of fire.
‘Head for the city wall,’ said the Doctor. ‘I’ll lead them off.’ He started off in the opposite direction.
‘What about the prisoners?’ called Cinder. Surely they couldn’t abandon them now?
The Doctor hesitated, stopping in his tracks. He looked pained, as if trying to decide whether to risk it. ‘Damn it!’ he barked. ‘Hold them off.’
He turned around, charging diagonally across the courtyard towards the ship, where earlier they’d seen the Daleks shepherding the human prisoners.
Cinder ran after him, as he charged up the ramp, but stopped short, turning to face the three remaining Daleks who were rounding on her. ‘Come on, then!’ she screamed. ‘Come and get me, you stupid metal cans!’
Just as she was about to empty the remains of energy pack into the Daleks, there was a terrific explosion from inside one of the saucers. She felt the vibration of it as a rumble beneath her feet, rattling her bones.
A plume of flame and dark, oily smoke erupted from the top of its dome, and the Daleks swivelled in the opposite direction, barking commands. She realised it must have been the hatchery which the Doctor had rigged to overload, finally reaching critical mass.
She took her chance and brought her weapon up, loosing off three shots, blowing the domes off the remaining Daleks while they tried to decide what to do.
Yet more Daleks were arriving on the scene, however, and she knew she only had seconds before she’d be overwhelmed.
‘Doctor!’ she bellowed, just as a swarm of people came hurtling down the ramp behind her, spilling out into the old playground. There were scores of them, and she realised they must have been crammed into cells on board the ship.
She heard the Doctor calling to them from the top of the ramp. ‘Go on! Run for your lives! Fight back! Now’s your chance.’ The freed prisoners responded with gusto, rounding on the Daleks. Even with no weapons they were finding ways to disable them, tipping them over by sheer weight of numbers.
Daleks swarmed in from above, firing indiscriminately into the crowd, but the prisoners were now in full rebellion and not about to be dissuaded.
‘It’s really quite impressive, what a handful of humans can achieve when they put their minds to it.’ Cinder turned to find the Doctor was at her side. In one hand he still held the cannon, while in the other he clutched his sonic screwdriver, which he’d clearly used to open the locks on the cells.
‘Now, Cinder. It’s time to run,’ he said. ‘Make for the main gates. We’ll find a way through.’
Exhilarated to see her people overwhelming the Daleks, Cinder did as the Doctor said and fell back. They ran, side by side, ducking into one of the side streets and braving a dash for the main gates.
With the insurgency raging at the main base, the gates themselves – as clearly the Doctor had anticipated – were unattended. Cinder didn’t bother to find a way to unlock them, however, and blasted at the old wooden doors with the Dalek gun, punching a hole big enough for them to scramble through.
Within moments, the Doctor and Cinder had disappeared once more into the ruins. Behind them, the orange glow of the burning Dalek
She swung the barrel of her gun round and fired three consecutive shots – not at the Daleks themselves, but at the metal gantry on which they stood. The metal twisted and buckled, causing the Daleks to wobble uncontrollably, and a fourth shot split the walkway in two, sending them crashing down on top of the Daleks beneath. At least five of them were sent spinning off across the courtyard, their weapons blasting indiscriminately, whilst two more were incapacitated, sent sprawling, their domed heads caved in by the impact from above.
It wouldn’t stop them for long, but it was enough of a distraction for the Doctor and Cinder to get out of the line of fire.
‘Head for the city wall,’ said the Doctor. ‘I’ll lead them off.’ He started off in the opposite direction.
‘What about the prisoners?’ called Cinder. Surely they couldn’t abandon them now?
The Doctor hesitated, stopping in his tracks. He looked pained, as if trying to decide whether to risk it. ‘Damn it!’ he barked. ‘Hold them off.’
He turned around, charging diagonally across the courtyard towards the ship, where earlier they’d seen the Daleks shepherding the human prisoners.
Cinder ran after him, as he charged up the ramp, but stopped short, turning to face the three remaining Daleks who were rounding on her. ‘Come on, then!’ she screamed. ‘Come and get me, you stupid metal cans!’
Just as she was about to empty the remains of energy pack into the Daleks, there was a terrific explosion from inside one of the saucers. She felt the vibration of it as a rumble beneath her feet, rattling her bones.
A plume of flame and dark, oily smoke erupted from the top of its dome, and the Daleks swivelled in the opposite direction, barking commands. She realised it must have been the hatchery which the Doctor had rigged to overload, finally reaching critical mass.
She took her chance and brought her weapon up, loosing off three shots, blowing the domes off the remaining Daleks while they tried to decide what to do.
Yet more Daleks were arriving on the scene, however, and she knew she only had seconds before she’d be overwhelmed.
‘Doctor!’ she bellowed, just as a swarm of people came hurtling down the ramp behind her, spilling out into the old playground. There were scores of them, and she realised they must have been crammed into cells on board the ship.
She heard the Doctor calling to them from the top of the ramp. ‘Go on! Run for your lives! Fight back! Now’s your chance.’ The freed prisoners responded with gusto, rounding on the Daleks. Even with no weapons they were finding ways to disable them, tipping them over by sheer weight of numbers.
Daleks swarmed in from above, firing indiscriminately into the crowd, but the prisoners were now in full rebellion and not about to be dissuaded.
‘It’s really quite impressive, what a handful of humans can achieve when they put their minds to it.’ Cinder turned to find the Doctor was at her side. In one hand he still held the cannon, while in the other he clutched his sonic screwdriver, which he’d clearly used to open the locks on the cells.
‘Now, Cinder. It’s time to run,’ he said. ‘Make for the main gates. We’ll find a way through.’
Exhilarated to see her people overwhelming the Daleks, Cinder did as the Doctor said and fell back. They ran, side by side, ducking into one of the side streets and braving a dash for the main gates.
With the insurgency raging at the main base, the gates themselves – as clearly the Doctor had anticipated – were unattended. Cinder didn’t bother to find a way to unlock them, however, and blasted at the old wooden doors with the Dalek gun, punching a hole big enough for them to scramble through.
Within moments, the Doctor and Cinder had disappeared once more into the ruins. Behind them, the orange glow of the burning Dalek
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