Warning: Daleks in the proximity of children. Draw your own conclusions and consider yourself warned.

Chapter Eleven

Hiding behind a ventilation shaft that led to the mines, the Doctor observed the landscape in front of them. Everything was quiet, and the guards and the single Dalek in front of the barracks looked extremely bored, even if the Doctor was fairly certain that this would change soon.

"So, this is what's gonna happen. The children will be deep in the mines, in an area far from the entrance, but most of them will be near one of the ventilation shafts, if only because the Kaled guards have to breathe, too." His voice dripped with sarcasm on the last part of the sentence.

He paused briefly and looked at Donna. Even if she was exhausted she had made it abundantly clear that she would help him to free the children. "Here's the plan: I go down into the mine and get those children out, you send them into that valley over there. Serra told me that there's a narrow cave at the end of a foot path, that'll give them protection until we end this, then they can hide in the mountains."

Donna looked down the shaft, apparently not entirely convinced that his plan would work. Admittedly he had forgotten, well, chosen not to tell her a few things. The less she knew the more likely he could do what he had to do without her lecturing him about the dangers and the inevitable problems with his plan. At least she didn't give him the odds, like K-9 would have done.

Unfortunately he hadn't taken into account Donna's penchant for pointing out the obvious. "But how are you going to get the children up here? Last time I looked none of them had wings. And it seems the Kaleds conveniently forgot the ladder when they built this shaft."

"Corded ladder," he told her with a triumphant grin and pulled the item in question out of his pocket. A bit of rummaging when he had short-circuited the console in the interrogation room had reminded him of the old corded ladder he had stored there ages ago. He'd completely forgotten that it was there and he certainly wasn't going to tell Donna that he'd already had it when they'd been imprisoned in the Tower. In that case the slap he had received back then would most likely seem like a light summer breeze compared to a tornado.

"How did you fit that in there?" she wanted to know.

He sighed. It seemed he had also forgotten Donna's ability to focus on something mostly unrelated to the task at hand. "Donna, I travel on a ship that's bigger on the inside. You'd think my people would have managed to do that with something as simple as pockets as well."

"But what about the weight? Do you have to carry that, too?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really wanna discuss the laws of transdimensional pockets now, Donna? Rescue mission, remember? Children in danger?"

"Git," she snapped, her eyes suddenly blazing with a mixture of fury and fear she had suppressed far too long. "I was in that camp for a bloody week! I'll never forget what happened there, the children that died, of hunger, of abuse, of sheer home-sickness. That was the worst. So many of them just gave up, like that little boy a few days ago. He wasn't even eight. He didn't even fight it, just faded away. You don't have to remind me that we have to get them out of here."

Donna turned away from him, wiping her eyes with angry movements. After a few seconds she had calmed down, even if there were still tears standing in her eyes. "Right. Even with your corded ladder it'll take the children some time to get up here. What about the guards in the mines? Won't they suspect anything?"

The Doctor winced. The way Donna had changed the topic was worse than any wild accusation would have been. He'd even prefer the slap, and he was fairly certain he deserved one, although he couldn't see what he could have done differently. At the moment his TARDIS was far too unstable to even try an accurate time jump, so he had had no choice but to move in linear time. Which meant that he had left Donna to the Daleks for over a week.

Instead of doing what he should have done – give Donna the comfort she needed after all she had gone through – he did what he always did: He took her opening and changed the topic. "Nah. The guards will be busy elsewhere..."

Donna nodded slowly while he explained the rest of the plan.

~o~o~o~

The loud thud of a heavy boot on tamped soil told the Doctor that he had reached the bottom of the shaft. It had taken him less than two minutes to reach the ground, much to his own surprise. But then the layout of the mines would most likely follow the deposit of Dalekanium that ran through the mountains like veins, sometimes nearer to and sometimes farther away from the surface. In this case, nearer.

This part of the mines was completely dark and seemed to have been abandoned some time ago, probably because the output of ore had been too low. Which meant that he wouldn't find the children here, but it was also quite unlikely that he would run into a guard anytime soon. He was fairly certain that the children would be working at the end of the drift, away from the entrance, while the most of the guards would spend their time in the older, outer parts of the mines, avoiding the dust and the dirt. At least this was what he was counting on.

From a distance the Doctor could hear the constant sounds of rubble on metal, indicating the direction where he would find the children. He followed the tunnel and tried to get an impression of the layout of the mines. The drift mostly followed the deposits of the Dalekanium, building a maze of intersecting tunnels on more than one level. Whenever a tunnel touched a cave situated on a lower level, there were holes in the rock so he could observe what was happening below without being seen. Most of the caves were empty and some served as storage areas, but there was no sign of the children in the first dozen caves. By the looks of it they were working in only one spot, which would make everything much easier. He kept searching the mine systematically, and finally he found what he was looking for.

More than fifty feet below, children of all ages were digging in the dirt for ore, loading wagons, sending them on their way out. It looked like a coal mine at the height of the industrial revolution on Earth, only worse. Two Daleks were directly beneath him, from above almost hidden by a spur of rock. Their sheer presence intimidated the children, and he could see that they avoided the Daleks as much as possible, almost forming a semicircle around them.

Kaled soldiers were everywhere, pushing the children on. When a boy who could not have been older than ten seemed to slow down, a soldier hit him with the butt of his weapon, cursing him loudly and threatening his friends. The boy tried to move faster, but stumbled over an unevenness, scattering the ore he was carrying, barely managing to stay on his feet. The soldier shoved him once more, and the boy fell on the ground, crying out.

"Get up, scum!" the soldier ordered.

The boy tried to follow, but when he put weight on his left arm he couldn't suppress a scream. He repeated the motion, but he still couldn't get up.

"I'm not saying it again, Thal! Get up!" The soldier raised his weapon, the motion alerting one of the Daleks below, and it turned its eyestalk at the scene.

"I can't! I tried. I really, really did, but I can't! It hurts too much!" the boy sobbed, tears running over his face.

"Then you are no longer useful," the Dalek declared, turning its weapon at the child.

The Doctor leant against the corridor and closed his eyes. He knew what was going to happen, and it was making him sick, but there was nothing he could do without endangering the mission.

The boy sobbed louder. Then the sound was suddenly cut off by the unmistakable sound of a Dalek death ray. Deadly silence settled in the room. Apparently the children didn't even dare to move.

"What are you waiting for? Get back to work, or you'll suffer the consequences, too," one of the Kaled soldiers said coldly, interrupting the silence.

After a few seconds the shuffling of small feet told the Doctor that the children were following the order. He clenched his fists. Too late again, at least for the child that had just died. And how many others had it been since the Kaleds and the Daleks had begun to enslave anyone who didn't share the same genetic make-up? Too many, even if he only took into account this planet's linear timeline.

Deep in the darkest parts of his mind a storm began to build, but he couldn't give in. Not yet. There were still things he had to do first. And that meant that the children would have to wait for a few more minutes, too.

He made his preparations and continued his way through the mines. As he came nearer to the entrance he eventually reached a large cave that was lit by mercury vapour lamps. Several tunnels ended here, but this cave was the only way to the main entrance of the mines. A bottleneck. Perfect.

~o~o~o~

"Stop!"

Serra cursed inwardly. How could she have been so stupid and let herself be discovered before she had even reached the barrack? By a lone soldier? She clutched the wooden club she had picked up earlier and thought quickly. If she could knock the soldier out she still had a chance.

"Drop the club, then turn around," the soldier ordered. "Slowly."

She did what he said. Well, partly. Only she moved fast and she didn't drop the wood in her hands. It hit the soldier's head with a thud and he collapsed, dropping his gun. Without hesitation she restrained him with two cords she found in his pocket, gagged him with his handkerchief and dragged him out of sight. Then she picked up his gun.

When she had almost reached her goal, Serra hid in the shadow of the nissen hut that was nearest to the barrack. Observing the barrack in front of her, she wondered if a disguise would buy her more time. If she dressed as a Kaled… Then she decided that it didn't matter. The guards would recognise her as a Thal anyway, even if she was wearing a Kaled uniform. She needed the Doctor's diversion. Now.

She had barely finished the thought when she heard a sound like distant thunder. Turning her head towards the mountain, she could see faint dust lines rising from the entrance of the mines. Unfortunately the guards in front of the barrack doors and the Dalek accompanying them didn't seem to have noticed that something was going on. Then the noise repeated itself, and this time the Kaled soldiers guarding the barrack stopped and stared at the mountain. When she followed their gazes she could see the reason: A part of the mountain side had simply vanished, and it looked like the entrance to the mines had been buried. For a brief moment she closed her eyes, thought about the children in there and desperately hoped that the Doctor knew what he was doing.

Then the loudspeaker system came to life. "To all Kaled soldiers: Gather at the main entrance to the mines. The Dalek forces will remain where they are. This is not an exercise."

Without hesitation the guards left their posts. Serra groaned inwardly. The Doctor's plan – if it had been his plan – had failed. There was still a Dalek guarding the barrack, and it – she refused to think about them as living beings – was more than enough to stop her from freeing the children. But she had to try, even if it might cost her own life. For her daughter.

Serra closed her eyes and gathered her courage. Desperately clutching the gun she waited until the Dalek turned its eyestalk in the opposite direction. She crossed the open space between her hiding spot and the Dalek in less than three seconds.

The Dalek swung his head around, turning his eyestalk at her. Without even thinking about it Serra raised her weapon, aimed at the single eye and pulled the trigger, then jumped aside.

The Dalek turned and fired in the direction where she had been moments before, but missed her. Serra raised the gun once more, this time aiming for what looked like a weld joint between the armour protecting the upper part of the Dalek's body. Somehow (and she suspected she was simply lucky) she managed to break the shell, only to freeze in disgust. Something she could only describe as a slimy mini-kraken wired into the machinery became visible on the inside. That had to be what Doctor Gorran had called their basic form, she thought.

The thing inside the shell wailed briefly, then it raised one of its tentacles to manipulate one of the wires. Before it could move its limb more than a few millimetres Serra fired again, aiming at what seemed to be the head of the life form.

For a second she simply stared at the dead Dalek in its protective shell, then she raced to the barrack door and lifted the heavy bar that locked the doors.

Sunlight fell into the dark room in front of her, revealing dozens of faces staring at the entrance in a mixture of shock and astonishment. Then a voice interrupted the silence. "Mummy!"

"Bettan!" Serra spread her arms and her daughter threw herself at her.

"Serra, is that you?" one of the woman in the room asked, still squinting at the bright light. "What happened?"

Serra explained quickly, still enfolding her daughter in her arms. Murmuring filled the room.

"And what do you think we should do now?" asked an older boy, who had always been one of the leaders among the children.

"We can hide in the mountains. The Daleks are not that manoeuvrable in difficult terrain. They'll never catch all of us," she said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible.

The boy nodded slowly, eyes far older than his age suddenly showing hope. "What's your plan?"

Looking at the people in front of her, Serra could see the emotion mirrored on more than one face. She opened her mouth, but before she could answer another woman objected, "But it's dangerous!"

Suddenly Serra was incredibly furious. "Do you really think you're safe here?" she gave back sarcastically. "What do you think the Daleks will do to you in the end? But it's your decision: Come or stay here." She stared at the door for a second, then straightened herself. "We don't have much time. It's only a matter of minutes until a Kaled or a Dalek see the open doors, but now their attention is on the mines. If we're careful we can hide between the huts until we reach the edge of the camp. There's a path near the northern corner that'll lead us into the mountains." She stared at the prisoners intently. "So, what do you say?"

~o~o~o~

The Doctor stopped for a second to clear dust from his leather jacket. Apparently his leftovers of Nitro Nine were of surprisingly good quality, because it seemed he had, well, slightly overestimated the necessary amount. By the looks of it, he'd not only caused a diversion but also nearly managed to bring down the tunnels in this part of the mines. So he every now and then had to clear the way from rubble, and even if it was only a few hundred metres, it took him almost ten minutes to return to the part of the mines where the children were working.

When he finally reached the bottleneck he had discovered earlier, he turned his sonic screwdriver at the time fuse. Five minutes should be enough, he decided.

Two minutes later he reached the ground level of the cave where the children were working. For a second he stood in the entrance, observing the Dickensian nightmare going on there. Nothing had changed, nothing indicated that a child had died here only minutes ago. And the Daleks were still under the spur of rock from which he had watched the events earlier.

The Doctor hid in a cleft, counting down the seconds, waiting for the order he hoped would come.

"To all Kaled soldiers: Gather at the main entrance to the mines. The Dalek forces will remain where they are. This is not an exercise."

Thirty seconds later, the Kaled guards passed his hiding spot at a run.

Another ninety seconds later the time fuses did exactly what they were supposed to do. The Nitro Nine exploded right on time – as soon as the soldiers had passed the bottleneck.

And now it was time to do what he had come for.

He entered the cave as if he owned the place, hands buried in the pockets of his leather jacket.

Surprisingly, it took the Daleks almost ten seconds to detect him, but then he suddenly became their centre of attention.

"You will identify yourself," the Dalek standing on the right ordered.

"I'm the Doctor." His voice was like ice. He had decided to skip the warning this time. It wouldn't work anyway.

"Doctor! You are an enemy of the Daleks," the Dalek screeched, the lights on his head blinking. It raised its weapon threateningly, the other Dalek copying the motion. "You will be exterminated!"

"Oh, will I?" he replied coldly. "And how exactly are you gonna do that if I do this?" He took the hand that held the sonic out of his pocket, pressed a button and the bomb he had planted on the spur of rock exploded.

In hindsight, a smaller portion of Nitro Nine would have done nicely this time, too, because not only the spur of rock, but also part of the ceiling came down. The explosion buried the Daleks under an avalanche of rocks, turning them into a pile of scrap metal.

When the dust had partly settled, he turned towards the children, a forced, but hopefully convincing smile on his lips.

"Right. Let's get you out of here."

~o~o~o~

It took almost an hour until the last few children began their ascent. Many of them were too weak to climb the corded ladder in less than five minutes, even if the ropes were strong enough to carry five or six children at a time, so they had to go slow. Fortunately the explosions had been strong enough to hold the Kaleds and, even more important, the Daleks back, although they would know by now that they had an intruder.

Every once in a while the Doctor could faintly hear Donna's voice, providing directions for the children that had reached the top of the shaft. Serra had shown up with her own group of fugitives shortly before he had sent the first few children up, which had solved several organisational problems. Including the fact that they only knew the rough direction of the cave.

Serra had explained the exact position to some of the older children and left them behind as group leaders, then she had led a large group of smaller children to the hiding spot. Now Donna was sending the others after them, in small groups of five to eight children.

Finally it was the turn of the last child, a tiny girl of about seven, to climb the ladder. The girl stared upwards anxiously, tugging on one of her pigtails.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Della."

"That's a nice name. So, Della, what do you think about riding on my back?"

The girl looked at him, then nodded, hugging him impulsively.

~o~o~o~

When they had sent the last group of children on their way to the cave, the Doctor turned back to the camp, an indescribable look on his face.

"Come on, Donna. We're not finished yet."

Looking at the Doctor, Donna was fairly certain that he wouldn't give her a chance to rest, even if she asked. "Where are we going?"

"The camp," he replied, in a clipped voice.

"But why?"

"Tying up a couple of loose ends."

"And that are?"

The Doctor was silent.

"Oi, spaceman, I'm talking to you!"

"I'm gonna stop the Daleks. For good."

Donna shivered at the barely disguised hatred in his voice, but she refused to let herself be intimidated. "And how?"

"Donna, what exactly did I say about being quiet when escaping? The same thing applies to sneaking behind enemy lines," the Doctor said scathingly, then paused in an attempt to calm down a bit. "The TARDIS is half a mile that way, if you don't wanna come." He pointed.

"If you think you can just send me away, you've got another think coming!" He was up to something, she was certain. And whatever it was, she didn't think he was in his right mind. She wasn't going to leave him alone while he was in this mood.

"Fine. Then come. But for god's sake, keep quiet," he hissed.

"Fine. But don't think you're off the hook, spaceman!" she hissed back.

They continued their way to the camp in frosty silence, occasionally having to hide from Dalek guards. It seemed the Kaled soldiers were still busy at the mines. After almost ten minutes they finally reached the lab, which was thankfully unguarded, apart from a lone Dalek patrol that vanished around the next corner without noticing them.

The Doctor soniced the door, and they entered the hut, only to find Doctor Gorran inside, playing the role of a nicely wrapped present.

"What are we doing here?" Donna asked.

The Doctor ignored her question and crossed the lab without even looking at the scientist. He opened a door that led to another room filled with electronic equipment and began to adjust settings. Slowly the symbols displayed on the monitors began to change.

"How did you know this was here?" If the Doctor thought he could just ignore her…

"You didn't think I'd walk into a camp full of Daleks without doing some reconnaissance, did you?" he said scathingly.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Her eyes narrowed.

"I really should have locked you in the TARDIS when I had the chance. Would have saved me a lot of trouble," he murmured, without even looking up from the controls.

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

"No, but currently I'm trying to reprogram this machine. One mistake and it could kill us. So would you do me a favour and keep quiet?"

She had been right. He was about to do something dangerous. "No. Not until you've explained to me what this thing will do."

He turned around and looked at her. "Just send this planet back into the stone age."

"And how?"

"This will send an electromagnetic pulse through every electronic system within more than thousand miles."

"What does that mean, Doctor?"

"Every single electronic device on this planet will stop working, including the electronic circuits that keep the Daleks alive. The Dalekanium might protect them to a certain degree, but it's still early enough in their development that they don't have any other shielding, and that'll be enough. The Dalek civilisation ends, here and now." He laid his hand on the controls again.

Did he really mean what he said? Every single electronic device? Because that would mean… "You can't do that, Doctor! You're not just killing the Daleks. You're also killing the Thals and the Kaleds. Oh, not like the Daleks, but do you really think they'll survive long without technology?"

"Do you think I don't know that, Donna? But they are nothing more than walking dead anyway. It won't be long until the Daleks kill them, even their own ancestors."

"But this is wrong!"

"Why?" he replied, sounding almost curious. "Didn't you see what they did?"

Looking into the dark abyss of his eyes scared Donna almost to death, but she held his gaze without wavering. "Yes, Doctor. I was there, remember?" she replied, sounding a lot more calm than she felt. "I've seen those children die. But it's still wrong."

"But I can stop this. Here and now. For good. I could save them, my people. If the Time War never happened…" His eyes conveyed a mixture of plea and madness.

"You can't! You were the one who told me that you couldn't change your past."

He looked at her as if she had just dribbled on her shirt. "That's the point, Donna. I'm a Time Lord. I can. I always could. And there is nothing left to stop me. Nothing. They're all gone. My people, Rose. Gone because of the Daleks. They deserve nothing less."

"Are you listening to yourself? Don't you see what you're doing? This is wrong!"

"No, Donna. This is my chance to end it. And I'm gonna take it. Nothing you can say will change my mind."

Donna looked him straight in the eyes, and when she spoke she emphasised every word. "This is wrong, Doctor, and you know it. You've known all along. Rose would tell you the same."

"Don't you dare bring her into this!" His eyes blazed.

She didn't even wince at the fury in his voice. "I'll do it if I have to, if this is the only way to make you see. You've got to stop. Please, Doctor."

"No."

She shivered under the force of this single word, but she didn't budge. "Then answer me a question, Time Lord. Just one. What would Rose say? And if you can tell her what you're planning, that the universe would be a better place if you did this and she would agree, then I'll step aside and let you do it."