The Time Lord and the three humans were sweeping through the tunnels and running for their lives. Several times they had nearly been trapped but the tunnels were connected with so many pathways that they had been able to escape. This time, however, there was no easy escape that they could find.

        The battle was fierce and they were pinned down from both sides. While David, Ruth, and Tom were firing the Doctor was crawling on his hands and knees studying every square inch of the tunnel that he could safely reach.

        "Give up, Commander. There is no way for us to win," Tom yelled.

        "There's no way for us to win if we give up, no! At least we have a chance by fighting," David retorted angrily.

        "But there's no way for us to win."

        With that the return fire from the Cybermen stopped and silence fell upon them. They heard nothing for a long time as the desperate group sat quiet, nerves taught. Then they heard footsteps moving away.

        "They're retreating?" Ruth whispered unable to believe it.

        "No," Tom whispered. "A trick."

        "Why?" David added. "They had us cornered. They could have overran us."

        The Doctor sushed them. He had heard something too quiet for human ears to perceive. Scuffling.

        "I can think of only one reason for them to recall their warriors," the Doctor said.

        "Lift off?"

        "No, worse. Something that could mean more trouble to us than a firefight. We had better get to the surface, fast!"

        "I may know a way from here," Tom reported. "It's the same way you got out, Commander. We were afraid they may have sealed it but it could still be open."

        "It's our best chance for now," the Doctor said.

        "Let's get moving," David said.

        The Doctor turned to David. "Didn't I say that to you once?"

        "Something like it," David said. "Several times."

        The creature that had once been a pool of pink liquid stood and walked across the planet's surface. It came to rest underneath the cracked, dried trunk of a tree that had fallen during one of the world's frequent storms. It looked out into the sky. For the first time in six centuries there was no fog, no clouds, nothing to obscure the moonlight that touched the crystal clear landscape. The air was cool, crisp.

        Looking directly north, into the stars, it saw the long entry burn that it had been waiting for. To anything else it would have looked like a meteorite making explosive contact with the atmosphere. But the flare did not die. A rumble filled the air as the missile's outer casing was blown away. The creature retreated further under the log when, incredible close, the rocket touched the planet in a tremendous, prearranged, crash.

        Except for the release of steam as the ten foot long cone cooled silence returned to the clearing. Then another rumble filled the air, then a third, then a fourth until exactly north, west, south, and east of the creatures hiding place four steaming cones stood, nose down, towering into the air.

        The first tremor hit the base with full force. On the decks and in the work areas of the base alarms flashed and sirens screamed. In the tunnels the four fugitives were tossed from side to side.

        Tom had led them in a long circle and they were unaware that they were very close to where they had started. Chunks of rock and dust rained down on them as the rumbling passed. As the dust finally settled on top of them no one spoke fearing the slightest noise would bring the rest of the tunnel down. Ruth, holding tightly to the Doctor's scarf, huddled to David for support as the three of them pressed themselves against a wall.

        Finally the Doctor spoke. "Are you all right?"

        Ruth shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever be all right."

        David was flexing his arm, trying to get it to move correctly. "I'll be okay," he said to the Doctor.

        "Tom?" the Doctor called. He received no answer.

        "Tom? Tom, what's happened?" David asked.

        "Can you get over here? Can you walk?" the Doctor questioned.

        After a pause Tom came slowly toward them.

        "We seem to have discovered a minor flaw in their plans," Ruth said. "Quakes."

        "I doubt that," the Doctor said. "They would have made certain this planet was geologically stable before building here." The Doctor looked both ways down the tunnel. "Forward," he said and began walking.

        When the base had been built the Scientific Council of the Daleks had used the topmost portion of the city to build a radar complex. The Cyberman command eventually demanded that the equipment be made available to both sides.

        Usually the two groups were separated, each monitoring the planet and the sky but now, with this sudden, unexpected event, the two groups exchanged information freely.

        Alarms had gone off when the ever cloudy night sky cleared and four meteorites crashed into the ground within an area of 100 square feet. The black Dalek in charge was speaking to the golden Dalek Supreme by the visual communications circuit.

        "This is a highly unusual event. We must investigate."

        "Negative," the Dalek Supreme said. "We have begun the final stage of operation. All land parties have been recalled."

        "My unit will go. We will not be needed in the count down for some time."

        "Negative, conditions do not permit."

        "We will use one patrol vessel."

        The Dalek Supreme considered the situation for a moment. "You have my permission. You will hold until planet dawn."

        "Affirmative."

        The Daleks signaled off and the black Dalek returned to the radar screens. A Cyberman that had been watching the conversation exited the room.

        The four cones sat at angles leaning away from a designated center point. Much of their green bodies were covered with black scorch marks from reentry but they were completely intact. As the metal cooled equipment extended from hatches along the surface of each into the sky. The area was immediately scanned and recorded.

        A laser was fired and the dried tree trunk was removed. The creature was now alone in the exact center of the configuration. The equipment scanned the area again and found nothing unusual. The equipment retraced into the cones and each began to emit a deep, low range homing signal.

        After his battle with the Daleks, K9 had returned to the TARDIS to recharge and wait for the Doctor. After witnessing the missiles streaking through the sky K9 decided this new development may be important so he set off to investigate.

        He had been traveling for several minutes before he picked up the homing signal. As he approached the northern monolith a slight tingling sensation entered his electronic brain. In seconds his entire memory was scanned, recorded, and duplicated within the four machines.

        He rolled forward and sat directly at the north monolith's base. He scanned the area and registered the three other monoliths. Then, for the first time, he noticed the creature. It was changing rapidly now, growing and shrinking and changing color as he watched. The creature suddenly reached up in pain. K9 read this as an attack and fired his laser hitting the creature with full force. It toppled to the ground unconscious. The response from the monoliths was immediate and K9 ground to a halt as lasers fired in unison.

        Tunnels, tunnels, tunnels. Ruth was sick of tunnels. She had seen nothing but tunnels for days. She had eaten, slept, and survived in tunnels and she wanted out.

        "Ssssssssh," the Doctor quieted his companions and came to a halt.

        They listened. They could hear a faint scuffling and clicking that seemed to be coming from behind them.

        "Keep going," the Doctor said and they continued, running away from the sound.

        They ran only a few yards and stopped to listen.

        "Why doesn't it surprise me that it's coming from this direction too?" David asked.

        "What is it?" Ruth asked.

        "It's coming from everywhere," Tom said nervously.

        With a sudden scrape from above a Cybermat dropped from the ceiling to land on Ruth's shoulder. The Doctor grabbed at it with great force, tore it loose, and smashed it against a wall. It landed on the floor unharmed and darted away, it's feet clicking against the carved rock beneath it.

        The sounds of the clicking increased as the party ran on.

        The Doctor saw a tunnel that led off from theirs at a sharp angle. Before he could call a warning Tom sprinted ahead and turned into it and the others followed. They did not see the drop off into the shallow pit until it was too late. The Doctor grabbed for David and Ruth but the momentum of their run carried them over the edge and into the pit of Cybermats.

        Ruth went under and did not come up. David collapsed quickly and Tom fought hard before he too collapsed under the swarm.

        The Doctor held on to consciousness the longest. The Cybermats clamped themselves to every portion of his clothing and their needle 'teeth' injected various toxins into his bloodstream. He had almost climbed back onto the landing before he was overcome by the drugs.