The Black Dalek glided about the control room, watching the displays and the technicians at work. ‘Report,’ he ordered the duty officer.

‘Transmuter countdown is at point four units,’ it reported. ‘Targeting is complete. Work on the human communications device is proceeding well, and should be completed in less than one time unit.’

‘Acceptable,’ the Black Dalek decided. ’As soon as the work is finished, send more Daleks to the surface. More humans must be located and robotised to aid us in our work.’

‘The power flow from the humans has been cut,’ the Dalek reported. ‘We are now relying on stored power.’

‘It is of no importance,’ the Black Dalek stated. ‘We have sufficient for our current needs. Shortly, we shall re‐establish the link.’ It moved on to one of the technicians. ‘Prepare to send a signal to Skaro,’ it ordered. ‘Inform them that we have been activated and are moving to reactivate further sites. Once this is done, Skaro is to send reinforcements, so that Earth can be retaken. Send the signal as soon as the communications array is converted.’

‘I obey.’

The Black Dalek moved on to study a map of the surrounding area. The humans had begun to regain their world, but this would not last. There were other hidden Dalek factories scattered about the globe. As soon as the human communications array was working, a signal could be transmitted to each factory, preparing them for reawakening. All they would need would be power input, and that could be transferred using the broadcast power from this site.

If the device worked within parameters, then every human on Earth would be eradicated. The centres of habitation were already targeted. All carbon atoms within the target area would be transmuted into uranium. All life within human habitations would be exterminated. The units that resisted transmutation would be killed by the radioactivity. Only the Daleks would survive.

The final end of human rule over Earth would soon be brought about.

‘This must be it,’ the Doctor said, examining the tunnel into the small hillside. ‘Deep and dark. A wonderful combination.’

David took a small but powerful torch from his pocket. ‘I was a boy scout once,’ he said with a grin. ‘This should help.’

Donna looked from one to the other. They were both acting as though this was a jaunt in the park, and not potentially the end of the human race. Still, it was one way of coping with the stress. The thought that if they failed they might be dooming humanity to extinction did nothing to steady her own nerves. She could only pray that the Doctor’s hunch was correct.

The mine was still in surprisingly good shape, considering. It had been abandoned at the turn of the century. There was a door across the entrance that was locked. Barlow had given David a gun, and he simply shot the lock clean off. Inside, Donna could see that the tunnel was still passable. Most of the equipment had been pulled out when the place had been abandoned, but there was still some debris littering the place. Light fixtures hung at regular intervals down the walls, but there was nothing to power them with.

The entrance shaft led to two descending shafts, both of which had been boarded over. The tunnel then split into two a short distance further on. Donna stood at the top of the shafts and sighed. ‘Four possible ways,’ she said. ’And there are no lifts left installed. We’d never get down there, Doctor.’

‘Don’t be such a defeatist,’ he cautioned. ‘Where there’s a will, and all that.’ He cupped a hand to one ear. ‘In any case, there’s no need for us to go down.’ He gestured at the tunnel leading left. ‘That’s our way.’

‘How can you be so sure?’ asked David.

The Doctor smiled, and whispered, ‘I have extremely acute hearing. There’s machinery being operated down that way, and since there are no humans here, that leaves only Daleks as the possible culprits, wouldn’t you say?’

‘I don’t hear a thing,’ Donna protested.

‘You won’t for a few minutes,’ the Doctor informed her. ‘But it’s there, take my word for it. Come on.’ He led the way.

This was not Donna’s idea of fun. The tunnels were dank and claustrophobic, and, despite David’s torch, pretty dark. She was also starting to worry about tunnel collapse, and realised she’d be more than glad to get out of this place – even if it was into a Dalek Artefact.

As the Doctor had promised, she began to hear the faint sound of machinery ahead of them. It was pounding and pulsing, some kind of excavator, no doubt. Once again, the Doctor had been proven correct in his guesses. He was either the luckiest person she’d ever met or else the smartest. Most likely, she decided, a combination of the two.

The Doctor gestured for silence, even though none of them had been talking for a while. No doubt the importance of their mission was occupying their minds, too. They moved on more cautiously, finally coming to a new tunnel. That this had to be a Dalek one was obvious – it was rounded, with a flattened path along the floor, and it cut through the human‐made tunnel at an angle. The Doctor turned and entered the Dalek tunnel without hesitation.

It was as dark as ever in here. ‘Don’t the Daleks believe in lights?’ she whispered.

‘They can see using infrared,’ the Doctor replied as quietly. ‘This place is well lit, as far as they’re concerned.’

Wonderful. Just another minor detail – she was blind, but the Daleks would be able to see her… She moved closer to David and the comforting circle of light he cast.

The sound of working machinery grew louder, and after a few minutes, Donna could see a light ahead. ‘Hallelujah,’ she muttered.

They emerged cautiously into some kind of factory. Huge machines were taking ore and crushing it, feeding it into what looked like an induction furnace. This was where the raw materials were being processed, but luckily it was all automated machinery, and there were no Daleks supervising the process. Beyond this room lay others, where the raw materials were no doubt cast and processed, until Dalek casings emerged at the far end. It was too noisy in here to hear voices, so the Doctor was forced to tug at her arm to get her attention. David turned off his torch and replaced it in his pocket, and the three of them headed for the door. On the way, the Doctor stopped at a control panel and worked there for a couple of noisy minutes. Donna wanted to yell at him to hurry up before she went deaf, but there wasn’t a lot of point in even trying to make herself heard. Finally he was done and they made their way to the door. There was a small pad beside it, and somehow the Doctor used this to get them out of the furnace room and into the corridor. The door slid to a close behind them, shutting out most of the noise.

‘Good insulation,’ the Doctor said approvingly. ‘Whatever else you say about the Daleks, you have to admit that they’re efficient.’

‘I can think of other words for them,’ Donna said drily.

‘So can I,’ the Doctor agreed. There was controlled anger in his voice. ‘Time after time I defeat them, and yet they still come back for more, spreading death and chaos everywhere. I thought these Daleks at least were finished… but I was wrong. Again.’ He looked haunted. ‘Won’t they ever let me rest?’ He glanced around, and then started down the deserted corridor. ‘This way.’

‘Where are we going?’ Donna demanded, falling into step.

‘The hatchery,’ he answered briefly.

‘Why aren’t there any Daleks around?’ David wanted to know.

‘Not needed here,’ the Doctor explained. ‘They didn’t think about the back door being open. They can’t have that many available yet, and they’ll all be on the really important jobs and guarding the front door. But we might run into a few strays.’

They rounded a corner after checking the way was safe, and started off down the corridor again. The Doctor ignored several doors as he approached the one that he had singled out. ‘Hatchery,’ he decided.