Morrison came into the parlour bearing a huge tray of quivering jelly like substance. “So these are the extra food rations we won?” asked Oni doubtfully. “Semolina pudding?”
“What?” asked Karen, spooning off an experimental mouthful. “Hey, you ought to try some!” she said as tongue absorbed the sweet tasting jelly. “It’s nicer than it looks.”
Oni looked suspiciously at Morrison as the cyborg stood at attention. Her remarks were as much for him as for Karen.
“I wonder what happened to the others? Do you think they're still moping around the tunnels? Hey, this stuff tastes like semolina as well!”
“That’s funny, cause this tastes like chocolate to me,” said Karen.
Oni looked out of their living quarter windows at the slowly setting sun: “Where have those two got to?”
Morrison placed the tray on the circular table at the centre of the room, Karen unable to leave the mound alone on its descent. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said simply and left.
“He didn’t say much,” said Karen through mouthfuls of pudding.
“No, he didn’t,” muttered Oni.
“Hmm, now it tastes of salted peanuts!” exclaimed Karen with pleasure.
“Jane these things over here, La Madre de Dios! I think I know what they are!” Marie’s flashlight continued to probe the fleshy shapes within the crystal tanks, revealing soft pink flesh, vestigial limbs and large puffy faces.
“What?” asked Jane and then turned round to look just in time to see the fine tendrils scraping down the side of the glass next to her. She realised she was being watched, large eyes blinked in the gloom and to her horror began to draw near, examining her coldly. “Marie! This thing!”
Marie turned to look in time to see a bizarre, amphibian creature inside the tank open its mouth and scream in terror. The dodecahedron slipped from her grasp, shattering into thousands of tiny blue fragments on the metallic floor. Inside the tank the creature continued to scream, louder and louder, its tentacles writhing around its disembodied face like a vision of the Gorgon’s severed head. “That noise!” screamed Marie, “make it stop!”
“I can’t!” said Jane. “We have to get out of here!”
They fled the laboratory on foot, since without the dodecahedron any hope of repeating their previous teleportation was out of the question. They ran fifty yards down a darkened corridor before they were stopped.
“Oi! Over here!” they heard somebody call. Turning to look they saw a short middle-aged man with dark brown hair combed over a balding scalp. “This way!” he said. “Before the robomen get you!”
Too scared and flustered to question the stranger’s motives clearly the two of them followed the slave, who introduced himself as Terry. “How did you get here?” he asked as they found themselves ascending a spiral staircase.
“We, don’t really know where we are!” said Marie. “Please, you must stop! I am so tired!” She came to a halt on the stairs as lights began to flash before her eyes, her hand slipped from the banister and she would have fallen backwards had not Jane came up and caught her from behind.
“Whoa!” cried Jane. “Come on, sit down a minute!” She helped Marie position herself on the steps. Their guide came back and glared at them urgently.
“We can’t afford to stop here! They’ll be crawling all over the place soon!”
“My friend is heavily pregnant, can’t you see that!”
 Marie shrieked in pain.    
“Oh my Christ! Christ!” she winced.
“M-Marie, what’s wrong?”
“I- I thought, Christ…My waters were going to…break. It felt like a contraction!”
“Well you can’t give birth on the stairs!” said Jane desperately.
“No, it’s alright, ow! I think it was just a reminder,” said Marie. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be fine.”
They all rested for a while, Terry resigning himself with a series of dark mutterings. Jane decided to pick him up on their early conversation.
“Where the hell are we? And who did you say was going to be after us? And come to that aren’t stairs kind of strange in a Dalek building?”
The little man sighed: “This is only the most closely guarded secret of the Dalek Empire that you’ve stumbled into here.”
“What? And how come you just happened to be around?” asked Jane, her suspicions returning to haunt her now they were not fleeing from immediate danger.
“I work for the resistance,” said the man. “My job was to check this place out, I didn’t bank on running into two escaped slaves in the process.”
“The resistance?” said Marie, evidently puzzled. “First time I’ve heard of such a thing!”
“Well, we don’t seek much publicity, especially from the Daleks,” Terry explained. “But there are a few of us, escapees like yourselves”-
“But we weren’t trying to escape!” said Jane. “We were in the middle of an experiment when something brought us here, talking of which you still haven’t told me where we are!”
“My apologies,” said the man. “But we are at the Dalek Factory in the Industrial Zone, this is the place where they are going to produce the Mark V Daleks.”
“Jane,” Marie rasped. “Those things in the laboratory…”
“I don’t want to think about that at the moment,” said Jane, “not until we’re somewhere safe!”
At that point they were interrupted by a commotion from below, heavy boots on the metal floors and the jangling of bulky equipment convinced them it was time to move. They quietly resumed their ascent of the spiral stairs, Marie crawling up on her hands and knees, the fear upsetting her balance so radically that this was the best she could do. There were occasional blasts of cold air from above as they ascended ever upwards. They made steady if agonising progress and eventually found themselves on a windswept roof.
“You three! Halt and identify yourselves!” came a monotone drawl from the darkness. They froze as a large man dressed in intimidating body armour and carrying an oversized gun stepped into view. His face was half obscured by a network of cybernetic implants that were attached to a transceiver on the back of the neck. With its stilted mechanical movements Jane guessed this must be one of the robomen Terry had referred to; creatures that had undergone a similar process to Morrison, but here followed through to its inevitable conclusion.
“Identify yourselves!” ordered the creature. Before it could get any nearer Terry had made his move, kicking the roboman’s rifle from his hands with surprising accuracy and speed. He then hurled himself at the creature’s legs, upsetting the cyborg's centre of gravity. Jane grabbed hold of the rifle and levelled it at the guard’s chest; closing her eyes as she squeezed the trigger. The kick back was almost nonexistent as this was a light beam weapon, but the crackle of energy was so intense she saw the world glowing red through her eyelids. When she dared open them it was to see the roboman sinking to the ground, the top of its skull blown away. Terry got his feet and shook his head.
“A little high maybe, but not bad for a newbie!” he said, holding out his hand for the weapon. Jane gratefully gave up the unfamiliar object and turned to their guide.
“Now what do we do?” she asked.
“One thing at a time,” said the man. “We’ve gotta dispose of this body first, come and help me throw him down the stairwell.”
After they had completed this grisly task Terry went off to ‘signal his men’ as he put it. He advised them both to stay where they were.

It was night and the sky glowed a murky blood colour where the ever-present vapour cloud reflected back the factory lights. Wafts coming up from the smelting works brought with them a thin metallic smell that pervaded everything.
“I don’t like it,” said Marie. “I don’t care what he said, I don’t believe in any resistance. You shouldn’t have given that gun to him, it was the one advantage we had.”
This last bit riled Jane: “I’m not a soldier!” she snapped. “What else was I suppose to do? It was bad enough killing the roboman, at least that was no longer human!”
“How do we know that our friend Terry is any more human?” asked Marie.
Before Jane could think of a reply Terry returned, looking greatly relieved: “My men have a craft waiting on the other side of the roof!” he explained.
“ A craft?” said Jane. “You mean we’ve got a lift out of here!”
“Yes, but you must hurry! I’ll stay behind and cover your rear!” he said cocking the gun assuredly. Marie rolled her eyes and fell in behind Jane in the darkness.
“I still don’t like it,” she said. “But we have little choice but to go along with it now!”
They could now hear the faint whine of an engine and just see a darker silhouette against the wine coloured sky. “Keep moving!” called Terry. “Almost there now.”
Unexpectedly the ground around them was picked out by a spotlight, looking up Jane saw the silhouette had now solidified into the shape of a small aerial craft of a flattened triangular shape.
“Do not move!”
At the sound of the familiar grating tones Marie shot Jane an accusing stare. Terry came up behind them, keeping the gun levelled at their backs.
“I’ve brought them as requested!” he said to the Dalek.
“The prisoners will now step aboard the hover bout!” came the Dalek’s voice again. Now that they were able to see it properly they saw that the craft was operated by three Daleks in cockpits situated on the outside of a large flying wing. The body of the wing slid open to reveal padded seats inside, equipped with seat belts. “You will move into the cabin area and strap yourselves in,” continued the Dalek. “MOVE!”
As the two women complied with these instructions, Terry turned to his Dalek masters and again sought some acknowledgement of his role.
“I’ve done as you’ve asked me,” he said. “So can I at least see my father now, that is what the Section Leader promised!”
“Your usefulness is at an end!” said the lead Dalek on the hover bout. Turning to its companions it levelled its gun stick at Terry. “Maximum power! We must exterminate him!”
Before he even had time to voice his shock at his inevitable betrayal Terry was hit by three Dalek death rays set to highest intensity. For a brief second he hung there, looking astonished as first as his flesh and then his bones boiled away in the darkness, leaving nothing behind save a patch of highly charged particles and ionised air. Jane and Marie drew no comfort whatsoever from the fate of their betrayer, it just reminded them of how insidious, how all pervading the malign influence of their gaolers was.
The head of Dalek Intelligence was the eyes and ears of the Dalek Empire; from his building deep within the bowels of New Skaro Central, the Red Dalek kept a close eye on developments throughout the length and breadth of the asteroid, wherever the Daleks had placed sensory apparatus and telelink of any kind. This included equipment for measuring disturbances at the quantum level, so he was most intrigued when a small wormhole was shown to have briefly come into existence right in the middle of the Dalek City. His interest was aroused further when he saw that one neck of the wormhole opened up in the Industrial Zone, at the very point where Dalek patrols were not allowed to be. But he was head of Dalek intelligence and no one told him where he could go. He dispatched a stealth-equipped hoverbout and arranged a security lock on all surveillance in that area. He also arranged for the sleeper agent he had managed to install into the factory construction teams to investigate where the nexus of the wormhole was. When this agent had reported back to say that he had located two human females, the Red Dalek had given immediate orders for the stealth craft to pick them up. He was keen to find out how these humans had managed to steal into this forbidden area.

“You will answer the question!”
“I…already…told…you…I…don’t, n-n-n know!”
Jane was being less than co-operative, even with a Psionic laser amplifying her thoughts and projecting them onto a screen. “Who is Si-mon?” asked the Red Dalek.
“None of your business!” grunted Jane.
“He was your lover,” said the Dalek, Jane felt she was going to be sick.
“What’s it to you?”
“He is the father of your baby,” said the Dalek, seemingly savouring the sound of this strange human vocabulary. “What does he look like, this Si-mon?”
“Go to hell!” screamed Jane, but her thoughts betrayed her even as she did.
“I see him now,” continued the Dalek. “You’re worried for him, aren’t you?”
“So?” said Jane. “I’m just a stupid human being, what do you expect?”
The Red Dalek did not answer instead it turned to its subordinate and ordered it to stop the mind-probe. “I must speak to the Section Leader for Humanoid Resources,” it said. “Send a signal to the Black Dalek to report here immediately.”
“I obey!” grated the underling.
A plan was starting to formulate in the Red Dalek’s devious mind.
 The Black Dalek was more cautious however.
“We have no clear idea who constructed this network of hyperspace links,” it said. “Such technology is not beyond Dalek capabilities, but its purpose remains unknown.”
“But that is irrelevant, the technology can be used by us to put a squad of Daleks right inside the Mark V factory!” snapped the Red Dalek.
“Too dangerous!” thundered the other section leader. “We are not ready to move openly against the Emperor. We should adhere to our present plan.”
At this point the Red Dalek told its colleague about a connection between one of the captive women and a slave by the name of Simon. This piqued the other Dalek’s curiosity and it took no time at all to make the connection from Jane to a slave called Stillman.
“This Still-man caused trouble at the initial processing of a group of recently captured humanoids,” said the Black Dalek. “The same ship, which was captained by Forrester.”
“The replicant Forrester is being held in this building,” said the Red Dalek. “We must question him about this Stillman. The replicant should be able to access some of the original Forrester’s memories, he will be able to tell us more of this Still-man.”
“We must keep the female here and use her as a hostage,” said the other Dalek.
“Agreed!”
“The work cycle for the mining slaves is just about to come to an end,” said the Black Dalek. “Stillman will be back in the city when that finishes, I will intercept him there.”
Instead of being granted an audience with the Emperor as he had requested Invidious found himself confronted with the new Supreme Dalek. Floating at his side were two of the new Mark V Daleks, resplendent in their blue and silver livery. Three eyes glared at him malignly as he entered the room.
“What is the meaning of this? Where is the Emperor?” he demanded.
“You will show respect in the presence of the Supreme Dalek!” boomed one of the Mark V Daleks. The Gold and Black Supreme Dalek then activated a holographic display panel in the centre of the room.
“You will answer our questions, Invidious,” said the Supreme Dalek. “At 02:00 rels there was a security breach at the Mark V Production complex. One of the robomen was killed and this object was discovered.”
A small blue triangular shape appeared in the holographic display, Invidious studied it closely. “I don’t recognize that object,” he said.
“Molecular analysis indicates it was produced in your laboratories.”
Invidious shook his head. “Sorry, I still don’t understand what this has got to do with me,” he said. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to speak to the Emperor…”
“The Emperor is not to be disturbed!” roared the Supreme Dalek. “You have still not answered the main question- what is this object and how did it arrive at the Mark V Production Complex?”
The Scientist examined the holographic display more closely: “Was there more than this? Any other fragments or debris?”
“That is correct,” said the Supreme Dalek. “Observe the display,” the image changed to show a three dimensional representation of the blue powdery debris as it spread out in an iridescent bloom on the laboratory floor.
“Interesting,” mused Invidious, who was secretly relaying all of this to Morrison via the implant in his skull. “Now if we were to run all the information we have gathered about the dispersal pattern of these particles and their likely trajectory, we should be able, in theory, to put it all back together.”
“We have,” grated the Dalek. “Observe!” Again the image changed, Invidious jumped in surprise. “You recognize this object, now?”
“The dodecahedron, yes, yes,” said Invidious, barely able to contain his bafflement. “It was part of an experiment I was running with several of my test subjects, but this is impossible!”
“Why?”
“You said this was found at 02:00 rels? My experiment did not begin until 13:00 rels! The only way this could have happened is if someone travelled back in time.” He looked at the Daleks for some indication that they concurred that something impossible had just happened.
“The Daleks have been capable of time-travel for many centuries,” said the Supreme Dalek. “Many other races also have the capacity.”
“Yes, but how!” exclaimed Invidious. “How could two of my test subjects whisk themselves through space and time without access to advanced technology?”
“Two subjects?” asked the Dalek. “So you admit that two humanoids under your control may have breached Dalek security?”
“I-I don’t know,” said Invidious. “None of this makes any sense.”
The Supreme Dalek loomed over Invidious menacingly: “Are two of your subjects missing?”
“I, er, believe that may be so,” muttered Invidious.
“Then you will supply us with data on these individuals.”
“My work is highly classified,” Invidious protested. “It is for the cognisance of the Emperor alone…”
“You will obey your orders Invidious!” growled the Supreme Dalek angrily pushing Invidious backwards with a shove of its sucker arm. The Scientist fell to the floor in an undignified clutter.
“This is outrageous!” he gasped.
“You will provide us with full co-operation!” the Supreme Dalek barked. “You will submit to the new Dalek Hierarchy!”
Sometime later in a hidden chamber within New Skaro Central a mechanical door clunked noisily upwards.
“Enter!” came a booming voice. The Supreme Dalek hovered tendentiously forward.
“Emperor!”
“Report!” thundered the voice, which emanated from the centre of the room. There on a dais sat the open casing of the emperor, its mutant form exposed to the air, pulsating angrily. A multitude of tubes and wires fed from a structure fixed into the ceiling of the room and into the bare buff coloured skin of the Dalek Creature.
“The replicant scientist Invidious has not been able to satisfactorily explain the security breach at the Mark V production line,” said the Supreme Dalek.
“Did he have any information on the object itself?” rumbled the emperor, its skin quivering with every word.
“Only that it was deployed in one of his experiments,” said the Supreme Dalek with distaste. “He is proving difficult to control.”
The emperor seemed to sigh: “An inevitable, if unwanted consequence of his nature,” he declared. “Invidious is still important to us, his help is needed to facilitate my final transformation. He must focus on that task alone, instruct him to discontinue all other experiments.”
“I obey.”
“Meanwhile, we must find out how two of his subjects apparently operated the time corridors,” said the Emperor. “Those corridors were constructed for ease of access to the Factory from New Skaro Central. If two human slaves are capable of operating them then they are no longer secure. They must be closed off immediately.”
“It will be so,” said the Supreme Dalek.
“Then go, time is of the essence now! Our enemies are manoeuvring against us- soon they will strike. And we must be ready to crush them when they do; crush them utterly and for all time!”
Karen woke in terror and pain; her bump had swollen from barely noticeable to navel popping huge in a matter of hours. She tried to move but found she was strapped in place. Then she found she was screaming and her screams were echoed across the room.
“What is happening to me!” she demanded.
Oni was also tied down on a bunk next to her, in the same state as she: “The pain! Please stop the pain!” she cried, tears streaming down her pink face. They were in a different part of the laboratory, in what appeared to be an operating theatre. Invidious and his loathsome sidekick loomed into view.
“I told you before Ms. Yakoshika, I will give you some analgesic when you tell me about your friends’ escape,” he said, his eyes alighted on the still screaming Karen. “So good of you to join us Ms. Witherspoon, as you’re no doubt aware your pregnancies have come to a close sooner than anticipated.”
“What! H-how?” muttered Karen, gritting her teeth between contractions. “What have you done to our babies?”
Invidious nonchalantly adjusted his instrumentation as he answered: “Oh, your children are going to be fine, but I’m afraid I’ve put both of you in a kind of double jeopardy. You see it was the extra food supplies…”
“The jelly!” spluttered Oni, “he poisoned the jelly.”
“No- not poisoned,” said Invidious, genuinely hurt. “Enhanced would be a more accurate description. You see I took the liberty of adding one or two trillion nanobots to the mixture; they’ve been hard at work inside your womb, speeding your foetal development by a factor of thirty times normal. It has been a fascinating process to observe.”
“Why are you doing this?” sobbed Karen.
“Oh, orders from above, that kind of thing,” snarled Invidious. “You are to be reassigned to the mines after all useful genetic material has been removed.”
“The babies?” cried the two women simultaneously.
“Belong to us now,” hissed Invidious. “And if you want to help save yourselves from the unbearable pain of their delivery, you will tell me now: Horowitz and Alvarez, where are they?”
“I don’t know!” screamed Karen, a million needles of fire tearing her apart. “Please! We never saw them again, after, the maze!”
Invidious sighed: “Not good enough Ms. Witherspoon, I’m afraid there is nothing I can do for you at the moment,” he turned to Morrison. “Keep an eye on the foetal monitor; we have to make sure the birthing does not kill them, even if we can’t save the mothers.”
Morrison nodded briefly in acknowledgement.
The Doctor strode from the room then, indifferent to the cries of pity and pain echoing from the walls of his laboratory.