Doctor Who: The Dominators by Ian Marter Page A

sheet of metal.
    Teel shrugged apologetically and shook his head.
    ‘Fat lot of use!’ snapped Zoe irritably. ‘Listen Kully, once inside, give me time to get the Quarks into your line of fire.’
    ‘Don’t forget to duck,’ Kully joked under his breath, heaving a slab onto his shoulder and bending at the knees.
    ‘Wish me luck.’
    ‘Don’t forget to point the gun the right way,’ Zoe muttered anxiously.
    Kully staggered a few paces with his burden, then he groaned dramatically, stumbled and fell.
    Immediately the two Quarks stomped over to him.
    ‘Specimen has failed,’ one bleated.
    ‘Join the other failed specimens!’ screeched the second.
    With grossly exaggerated effort, Kully dragged himself painfully across to the entrance and lay dawn in the shade beside Balan and Kando. Meanwhile, closely watched by the Quarks, Zoe picked up the slab Kully had dropped and struggled on.
    Balan clutched feebly at Kully’s sleeve. ‘This is mere foolishness. You cannot possibly succeed,’ he croaked.
    But the plucky little Dulcian chose his moment and then crawled swiftly into the ruin. Once inside, he heaved the splintered remains of the door shut as best he could and then scuttled among the showcases, feverishly searching in the semi-darkness for the laser gun Zoe had described. At last he found it where Rago had thrown it down earlier. Holding the unfamiliar device out in front of him with his face averted, Kully cautiously approached the crumbling window, racking his brains to remember the detailed instructions Zoe had given him.
    Outside, Zoe staggered along under the concrete slab, followed at a short distance by the two Quarks monitoring her progress. As she gradually drew level with the window, she glimpsed Kully out of the corner of her eve levelling the laser gun through the ragged hole in the wall. As arranged, she stumbled a few more paces and then sank to her knees with a moan.
    ‘One more specimen has failed,’ screeched a Quark.
    ‘Fire, Kully, fire..’ Zoe muttered between her teeth, anxiously awaiting the whirr and slam of the laser.
    Sweat streamed into Kully’s eyes and his hands shook violently as he forced himself to operate the primer and poised his finger on the trigger, fighting to steady himself to fire.
    Sensing that something was wrong, Teel let out a shuddering cry and crumpled to the ground.
    ‘All specimens have failed,’ the Quarks trumpeted. ‘All specimens stand up!’
    ‘Why don’t you fire?’ Zoe groaned, her eyes tightly closed and the hair on her neck prickling with suspense as she defied the Quarks’ command as long as she dared. Still nothing happened.
     
    Propped against the window frame, Kully had taken aim at the Quark nearest to Zoe’s slumped figure. Just as he was about to press the trigger button, a brawny hand reached over his shoulder and yanked the weapon savagely aside.
    ‘What d’ye think ye’re doing... Zoe’s oot there!’ a shocked voice bleated into his ear.
    Spinning round, Kully came face to face with Jamie. ‘I know that, you fool, I was aiming at the Quarks!’ he hissed.
    Turning back, Kully hurriedly took aim again.
    Outside, Balan, Kando, Teel and Zoe had all obediently got to their feet and were now directly in the line of fire.
    ‘It’s no good. I’ve lost my chance,’ Kully fumed resentfully.
    Jamie looked ashamed. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled.
    The Quarks had herded their captives together.
    ‘Specimens will be returned to Dominator Rago,’ one of them screeched in a voice like a knife-blade on glass.
    Suddenly the other Quark sparked and giggled madly.
    ‘One specimen is missing... the specimen Kully,’ it shrieked, stomping frantically round and round the pathetic huddle.
    ‘Now Balan’s in the way,’ Kully muttered, still squinting hopelessly through the sights.
    Jamie put a restraining hand on his arm. ‘Aye, well maybe it’s no such a guid idea,’ he said doubtfully. ‘I think we should wait till the Doctor gets