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The screen jumped, different stars again. This time the vectors pointed inwards, towards an orange star at the centre of the screen.

‘The planet Skaro,’ said the Doctor. His voice was suddenly soft. ‘So, the Daleks have returned to their ancestral seat.’

The Dalek was insane. Radiation had altered the structure of its mind and made it mad. The mark of its insanity was, that of all Daleks in the great race of Daleks, it had a name.

It was called the Abomination.

They had given it another name: in the imperial battle roster it was listed as the special weapons Dalek.

The Emperor had decreed its creation.

They had ripped it from its birthing cradle, aware like all Daleks. They had taken it and placed it in its shell and given it functions. But the shell they gave it was wrong, twisted, a single function monstrosity – a vast weapon and the power plant to drive it. They led it to the firing range and had it destroy to order. As it fired the first backwash of radiation sleeted through its fragile body.

It served in many campaigns: Pa Jass-Gutrik, the war of vengeance against the Movellans; Pa Jaski-Thal, the liquidation war against the Thals; and PaJass-Vortan, the time campaign – the war to end all wars.

Every time it fought, the radiation from its pulse gun saturated its life support chamber. Chromosomes altered shape, its vestigial pituitary gland became active and hormones chased unfettered through its bloodstream. It became changed, twisted and insane. It committed the blasphemy of knowing who it was.

The other Daleks feared it for its sense of self and for its name. They would have destroyed it. Only the will of the Emperor kept it alive.

The shuttle commander activated the special command circuit. The Abomination’s mind came alive with data.

The situation map flashed into its forebrain. Designated targets were staked out in yellow.

The power plant ran up to full operation. Slowly the two-tonne bulk of the special weapons Dalek rose off the road surface. Section four formed up behind it. The command net channelled their sensor readings directly into the situation map.

The special weapons Dalek turned the corner and moved on towards the tunnel mouth. Target renegade warriors showed up as pink blobs as sensors homed in on their heat emissions.

At forty metres range, two renegade Daleks broke cover and cut across the far end of the tunnel. The special weapons Dalek’s scopes pinned them in digital crosswires.

A fire was lit in the belly of the Abomination.

At thirty metres range the special weapons Dalek halted.

Its huge gun twisted in its mount. The fire in its belly erupted and was spat out the barrel at the renegade Daleks.

In a single instant the two Daleks boiled away into the atmosphere. The concussion rocked the special weapons Dalek backwards. Then it drove on, seeking new targets.

That is why, thought the special weapons Dalek, they call me the Abomination...

‘We’ve seen enough,’ said the Doctor. ‘Time to leave.’

Amen to that, thought Rachel.

‘Stand back,’ said the Doctor. He did something devious to the manipulator arm. A section of the floor slid away to reveal a shaft. Vapour wafted upwards. Rachel could hear an intermittent hiss coming from somewhere close. The Doctor looked at Allison. ‘Jump,’ he said.

Allison looked down the shaft. ‘What about the massive ground defences?’

‘Oh,’ said the Doctor, ‘I’ve turned those off.’

Allison jumped; there was a thump from below. ‘It’s all right,’ she called up, ‘there’s something soft down here.’

‘After you, Group Captain,’ said Rachel.

Gilmore started to climb cautiously down into the shaft.

‘Thank you, Professor Jensen,’ said Gilmore before he disappeared.

Rachel heard the hissing sound again, then it stopped.

There was a rattle of ball-bearings. Rachel checked the shaft again,

‘Ace,’ said the Doctor, ‘time to go.’ He looked around.

‘Ace?’

‘Coming, Professor,’ said Ace.

Rachel looked up as Ace came over and saw her slipping something into her rucksack. Behind Ace, paint had been sprayed