Chapter 9


Devan sat on his bunk, kicking his legs idly. He'd finished the cryptic crossword in the paper and now had nothing to do but wait. Lunch wasn't for an hour, but he always looked forward to this time of day. There was a knock at the bars, standing outside shuffling her feet was a young rabbit. She was holding a rather large number of parcels, all wrapped in plain brown paper. Devan folded his paper neatly and left it on the bare table that was, apart from a chair and the two bunks, the only furniture his cell afforded. It was, of course chained heavily to the wall. In the corner Marco leered and did something unpleasant, but neither figure paid any attention, Devan because he didn't care and Alisha because she was as daft as a brush.

"Hello Devan!"

"Hello, Alisha. I see you bought everything I requested?"

"Yes! Every last one! And you know what? When I pulled my top down, the guards let me right through, just like you said!"

"Of course, have I ever lied to you? Just pass them through. It is a pleasure to see you at last, you look exactly like your pictures, which surprises me."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, I assumed someone so radiant existed only on the internet or fairy stories for children."

"Awww, you say the sweetest things! Jailhug!"

And so the conversation went on, it was blithe, rapid and as shallow as a spring stream. Others watched it with evident distaste. Eventually, and after many more hugs through the bars, it ended, leaving Devan alone to unwrap the many gifts he'd recieved. Some were books, one was a calculator, another was full of carrots. Devan didn't even bother to look up as he approached.

"You're a sick, sick turtle Shell."

"That's what got me here. Have a carrot."

"I'm not bribeable, Shell. I take guard duty seriously. Where'd you pick up that bimbo?"

"It's strange, but there appear to be people who like writing to convicts, strange that. You've got to admit though, she's a real looker, even for a rabbit."

"Useful too, I expect."

"Of course. I do wish I'd had her during my campaigns. Now run along, since the breakout I'm sure you're eager to be alert on your rounds, don't let me distract you."


* * *

The ship cruised through space, its surface coated in nickel nanoparticles, making it little more than a hole in the universe, black on black, visible only by the stars it blotted out. It was almost 10 miles long and two miles wide. Behind it, far, far behind it, were several hundred thousand others, most smaller, but just as dangerous. The whole fleet filled a space almost a dozen light years from side to side, but this didn't matter as they were in deep space, the distance between stars dwarfed even them. This was how they had survived, to always be unoticeable, slowly building, year after year.

Now something appraoched, like everything in this gloom, it was almost as dark as the fleet, there was no light here to warm, no sun to shine. Battle in deep space was difficult, nobody ever said you couldn't see anything. What guided these ships was a low power radio pulse; everything had to be low power. For now.

But the intruder was not low power, the ship would've gleamed in any light, from its windows shone a constant glow. It hadn't been here long and knew exactly what it wanted. And now it pulled alongside the leading ship, following its course as if connected to it by a glass rod.

And this was inside the ship, here no lights shone, no noise was made, all that was excess. It was silent as a graveyard at midnight, cold as the arctic winter. In the middle of a cold metal floor something glowed, then materialized. In the gloom it looked like a blue orb, its light illuminated a long proboscis and strange domed features. Those who had time to adjust to the illumination may have been able to glimpse a strange contraption, like a motorized trashcan in the darkness. It was still and when it spoke, its voice was harsh and cold, rasping against the ear like sandpaper.

"You will identify! You will take or-ders!"

Silence, pure and cold. Then a noise in the blackness, a whirring. And something approached. It looked like the intruder, but was even harder to see; its eye, if that was what it was, glowed a dull purple, like a UV torch. It was matt black and dull, like charred scrap metal. Its form was far simpler, a dome studded with spheres with a turret atop this. When it responded it was in the same tone.

"We are Dalek, we do not take or-ders!"

"You will take or-ders and return with us!"

"You are inefficient and ineffective. You will be ex-ter-min-ated!"

"You will take or-ders! You will expla-"

There was a flash, a blast of light so quick it was barely seen at all. For a second the whole room was illuminated in violet light, strange machines and monitors, and lots and lots of dalek, all in neat rows. Then all was darkness, except for the feeble violet glow. It illuminated, if that was the world, the intruder, who was now still. After a few miniutes something small emerged from somehwere and dragged it away for processing.

But by that time the room was well lit by the slow explosion of the intruding Dalek ship as it burned in its own air supply. Soon it would be extinguised in the vaccum, and would be salvaged for scrap. The lead ship had been quick and efficient, nobody knows your weaknesses better than your family. Sadly for the intruders, the lead ship no longer posessed those weaknesses. It had learned, it had learned so much.


* * *

There was a tapping at the bars, then a slow squeal as they were pushed apart Devan woke up with a start. He could see two flames in the darkness and was overcome with dread. In his bunk Marco snored loudly, clutching the bushel of carrots he'd earned by hitting various people. He was unlikely to be of any help.

"My Lord, I have come to free you."

"I told those other freaks, I don't want rescue!"

"You are a symbol, useless to us now, but you are something to fight for, you belong as a leader."

"I belong here, what's so hard about that? Can't I have even a year's peace?"

"That is a pity, I really wished to take you willingly, but it seems I must be more forceful."

There was immense pain. Devan tried to scream, but suddenly found he had no throat to scream with. For a second he saw himself, outside himself, looking dazed and confused, then there was nothing but darkness.