"The Ruthless Robots" by Andrew Norris SCENE ONE: IN ORBIT AROUND PLANET NOCTUR 4 The Righteous Indignation floats nearby in wait of something. All that can be seen of Noctur 4 is its' thick, pinkish clouds. As Bucky is falling off to sleep, the intercom flares up as the frail face of Brigadier Greg Martin shows up. BRIGADIER: Brigadier Martin here. We've delivered the bombs over to the Noctur Resistance, over. BUCKY: Roger. There shouldn't be any threat from the Toads now you're clear. BRIGADIER: Roger. We'll set off in a few hours time. BUCKY: Roger, have a safe journey back. As the communications link is severed, The Righteous Indignation heads away back to Genus. Everything seems quiet. Too quiet for the likes of Bucky O' Hare. The Righteous hasn't gone very far, when the intercom buzzes once more. FRITZ: (On Radio) Bucky O' Hare, are you receiving me? Over. BUCKY: Bucky here, what's' the trouble? FRITZ: Genus Control has picked up some weird signals on Junglos. Sector 14. Looks' like she's your baby. BUCKY: Roger. Are there any other ships nearby? FRITZ: There's the Valentine. BUCKY: I mean military vessels. FRITZ: No. But we'll get them on standby of needed. BUCKY: (Sighs) Thanks. Over and out. He severs the link. BUCKY: (To Jenny) How far away is Junglos? JENNY: Not too far away. Why? BUCKY: Look at the Ultrasonic Detector and you'll see. Jenny gazes down at a small oscilloscope built into Buckys side of the cockpit. It is warbling and whirring loudly as it registers readings, which literally go off the chart. JENNY: Oh, my stars! Not even a Telekinetic satellite can do that! Enter WILLY, who has spent the whole time tinkering with machinery in the background. WILLY: What's up? BUCKY: I don't know yet. But I'm determined to find out what. SCENE TWO: JUNGLOS The Righteous Indignation touches down in the midst of a sweltering jungle, much of the planet itself. Bucky, Jenny and Willy disembark, and trek slowly along in the Toad Croaker. A scuffling sound is heard, as a beam of light hits the Croaker vigorously. Bucky pulls out his gun, while Willy pulls out his toy Water Pistol. The scuffling now becomes louder and louder, echoing around the group. BUCKY: Come on! Show yourselves! Or are you too scared of us? From the darkness around them, several metallic creatures with a plunger-like appendage and a menacing laser rifles emerge from the darkness. Their lower bodies are more like skirts, with blue lumps sticking out from around them. The creatures are roughly the same size as Jenny, yet Willy is even taller. The top of the machines are merely domes, with an eyestalk and two lightbulbs, which light up every time these creatures speak. BUCKY: Who are you? And what do you want? ROBOT #1: (Robotic, Staccato) We are the superior race. We are the rulers of the cosmos. We are the Daleks, and you will obey us! WILLY: The Daleks? You're fictional, you're not real. The Dalek turns to Willy, scanning him up and down with its eyestalk. DALEK #1: You know of the Daleks? WILLY: (Stammering) Well…err…no DALEK #1: You lie. Drop your weapons. BUCKY: Why should I? You're just a motorized trashcan. I've no time for you. DALEK #2: You will obey! The Daleks must be obeyed! DALEK #3: If you resist. You shall be exterminated. BUCKY: Meaning? Dalek #2 aims his rifle at one of the palm trees. With a flash of blinding light, the tree is burnt to ashes. Jenny inches slowly towards the Toad Croaker, and sets off its in-built maser cannon. Daleks #2 and #3 are destroyed, giving the trio enough time to get away. They hide in a bush nearby, as Dalek #1 exits into the jungle while Dalek #4 is left to guard the Croaker. BUCKY: (Panting, To Willy) Daleks, what are they? WILLY: Weird Robot things from the Planet Skaro. You could say they're the robot version of the Toads. They'll kill anyone who tries to stand up to them, and humiliate those who give in. JENNY: You said just now they're fictious. What did you mean? WILLY: Because I enjoy Sci-Fi, I knew about the Daleks from some TV show. BUCKY: Well, whatever they are, we've gotta stop them before they do any real damage. DALEK #5: Stay where you are! From behind them, two more Daleks have crept up. With their weapons now too miniscule to stand a chance against the mechanized monstrosities, Bucky decides to unfold their plan and call for more backup. DALEK #5: You will move ahead of me. Any resistance will be annihilated. Move! Move! Move! The two Daleks escort the trio away JENNY: (Whispering, To Bucky) Do you have a plan? BUCKY: (Whispers) Yeah. Don't worry Jen. No tinpot machine is going to boss me around. DALEK #6: Silence! Silence! Silence! Continue forward! SCENE THREE: THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION The ship is too far from Bucky and company to know the events that have happened. Deadeye, Bruiser and Blinky all wait impatiently in the cockpit for a reply on the intercom. DEADEYE: Aye, it be gettin' too quiet, mateys. BRUISER: Yeah. Perhaps we should call. DEADEYE: Yeah. Blinky, try an' call 'em up. Blinky attaches himself to the ships' intercom. BLINKY:(On Radio) AFC Blinky to Captain Bucky O' Hare. Do you read me? At the Toad Croaker, Dalek #4 trundles off to join the two other Daleks escorting Bucky, Jenny and Willy away; who are just visible through a clump of trees in the distance. BLINKY: Captain Bucky O' Hare, are you receiving me? Blinky detaches himself and looks at DEADEYE. BLINKY: No response, Gunner Deadeye Duck. DEADEYE: Aye laddie. I be goin' to look for 'im. The rest stare rather dumbfounded, as though BUCKY and DEADEYE have swapped places. DEADEYE: Bruiser, you stay here in case the Cap'n comes back. Blinky, you call for backup. I'm goin' out. BRUISER: Be careful, Deadeye. DEADEYE: (Turning to exit) Don't worry about me, Bruiser. I'm worried about the cap'n. DEADEYE exits. BRUISER stands by the hatch and watches the duck wander away into the forest. BRUISER: (Thinks) >Sure Hope Willy's OK. < SCENE FOUR: DALEK ASSAULT CRAFT Deep in the forest, roughly at the halfway point between the Toad Croaker and the Righteous Indignation, is the Dalek Assault Shuttle, merely a geometrical version of a Toad Slave Ship. Inside, JENNY and BUCKY have been confined to a rather cramped prison cell. With them is a TOAD, whom was probably captured when on patrol. WILLY has been strapped to a chair, with electrodes attached to his head and arms. Several Daleks hover around him, while the craft gives off an electric humming noise, like a heartbeat. DALEK #1: (Furiously) Answer! Answer! Answer! WILLY: I no nothing of the Daleks! Why won't you listen? DALEK #4: Detector indicates false response. DALEK #1: What do you know of the Daleks? You will answer! ANSWER! ANSWER! ANSWER! As he shrieks, a surge of electricity passes into WILLYS' body, causing him to writhe in pain. WILLY: (Squealing) Alright! Stop! DALEK #1 stops the electrical surge. WILLY: You are alien creatures from the Planet Skaro. That's all I know, honest! DALEK #4: Detector indicates truthful response. DALEK #1: (To Dalek #5) Take the prisoner to the cell. DALEK #5: I obey. Dalek #5 flicks a switch on the wall, and the electrodes release Willy. He is escorted into the cell at gunpoint, collapsing to the floor as the Dalek shoves him in with its probing plunger. Bucky and Jenny kneel to help him, as the Toad looks on at the closing door. JENNY: Willy! Are you alright? WILLY: (Groggily) Yeah…I'm fine TOAD: Filthy mammal scum. That's what you deserve. BUCKY: You keep out of this! TOAD: (Sneering) I do not take orders from you, Bucky O' Hare. I obey only KOMPLEX. He spits at Buckys boot. Bucky reacts by giving him a hard punch over the head. Jenny helps Willy onto the small metal bench, as the Toad and Bucky begin to fight with their bare hands. As they kick and hit and punch, Dalek #5 comes towards the door. DALEK #5: You two! Cease fighting! The Supreme Dalek will interrogate you shortly. You will cease fighting! Now! TOAD: (Pulling out his blaster) Shut up! Tin-pot! He fires a blast at Dalek #5, causing him to explode. The Toad begins to make a run for it, but Daleks #1, #4 and #6 block the way. The Toad attempts more shots, but the Daleks blast the weapon from his hand. DALEK #1: Exterminate him! Exterminate! Exterminate! TOAD: (In Pain) YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAA! In a flare of white light, the Toad collapses to the ground, dead, his hand still writhing as his insides burn furiously. Dalek #1 turns to the prisoners. DALEK #1: You were wise to remain here. However, it does not mean you will live. Your fate lies in the decision of the Supreme Dalek. The three Daleks trundle away, taking with them the remains of Dalek #5 and the Toad. Bucky hangs his head. BUCKY: Dammit! Why did I have to fall for it! JENNY: Fall for what? It wasn't your fault we're trapped. BUCKY: The Ultrasonic waves! Those things aren't high-frequency radios, they're the bait! He bangs his fist on the wall, a reverberating clang echoes across the cell. BUCKY: We're doomed. WILLY: Not quite! BUCKY:(Turns to look at him) What? WILLY: I still have this. He pulls out some kind of communications device. On it is a small label reading: EXPERIMENT NO. 32, INFINITE RANGE RADIO TRANSMITTER. BUCKY: Willy, you genius! WILLY: Yeah. Good job the Daleks didn't find it. All I need is the frequency for Genus. Bucky writes down the frequency onto the wall, which Willy calculates into his invention. Bucky quickly rubs off the frequency, as Willys' brainchild hums into life. SCENE FIVE GENUS CONTROL CENTRE Not far from the UAC Council Building is Genus Control, the Nerve Centre of the UAC Fleet. Several docking bays lie below, harbouring the Fleet. In the Control Tower, several computers bleep and whir softly, with technicians running here and there. A Shrew, wearing the uniform of a Radio Communications Officer, is reading a book, Chuck Bodgers Of The 28th Century: Resurrection, when his headphones begin to pick up something. WILLY: (On Headphones) Calling all Mammal ships, do you read me? Over. SHREW: (Moving the book to one side) What the hell? Enter FRITZ and KADAF, both inspecting the Control Tower. The Shrew calls them over. FRITZ: (To Shrew) Yes, Corporal Nass? NASS: (Handing Fritz the headphones) You'd better hear for yourself, Chairman. Fritz listens in to the headphones. As he hears Willy, his face suddenly turns horrified. He hands back the headphones and glares at Corporal Nass. FRITZ: Try and fix to the signal. Ask them what is happening and where they are. NASS: Yes sir. Nass flicks a few switches and begins to speak. NASS: Genus Control to The Righteous Indignation. Do you read me? BUCKY: (On Radio) Bucky O' Hare here, Nass. We've a huge problem. Those Ultrasonic waves on Junglos are coming from some spaceship belonging to a race of robots calling themselves the Daleks. Fritz takes over the radio, his face like thunder. FRITZ: Bucky, we're sending another ship to rescue you. BUCKY: Tell them to be discreet; those things have virtually taken over the planet! FRITZ: How hostile are they? BUCKY: Does the extermination of a Toad Patrol sound bad enough for you? Fritz remains silent for a time, and then turns back to the radio. FRITZ: Alright. Just sit tight and we'll have a ship there ASAP. Fritz out. He hands the headphones back to Nass. Almost immediately, Nass picks up the signals from Blinky on the Righteous Indignation. As they converse, Fritz turns towards a Vole, and calls him over. The Vole wears a similar suit to Corporal Nass, but is of a lower rank. FRITZ: (To Vole) Private Snoek, which ship is nearest to the Planet Junglos? SNOEK: The Valentine in Sector 27 is the nearest. Shall I call him up, sir? FRITZ: No, we need a warship. SNOEK: I'm sorry sir, but all mammalian frigates are out of range. FRITZ: The XL6? SNOEK: She is currently under a systems check. FRITZ: Our only chance is to use The Fearless. KADAF: Bit out-of-date, isn't it? SNOEK: Yes, and she hasn't been tested out since she was recovered from Rigel II. FRITZ: Old or not, I need to get Bucky out of there and get those Dalek things out of my universe. SNOEK: But what about a pilot? KADAF: Yeah, we can't just ask the XL6 crew to come off leave to fly a lump of scrap metal across space! FRITZ: No need. I know just the person for the job. KADAF and FRITZ stare at SNOEK, whom is gobsmacked. SCENE SIX DALEK ASSAULT CRAFT. Several Daleks trundle back and forth across the control room. BUCKY, JENNY and WILLY are still inside the cell. Several Daleks move back, revealing a large door. DALEK #1: All kneel before…The Supreme Dalek! The door opens with a loud whirring noise, followed by a clang as the door hits the walls. Out of it trundles the Supreme Dalek. The Supreme Dalek has many differences when compared to other Daleks. His lights are elongated, as is the base of his skirt. The dome and skirt-lumps are gold. When the Supreme Dalek speaks, the large eyestalk lights up as well as the lights. Finally, his body is black rather than silver. SUPREME DALEK: Where are the prisoners? DALEK #1: They are detained within the cells. SUPREME DALEK: Have they been interrogated? DALEK #1: Only the humanoid. He knew of the Daleks. SUPREME DALEK: Why have the others not yet been interrogated? DALEK #1: We believed that you wished to interrogate them yourself. SUPREME DALEK: Very well. Where is their craft? DALEK #1: Out in the forest. 1.5 Km away from here. SUPREME DALEK: Is there a guard on it? DALEK #1: No, after the prisoners were captured. The ship was discarded. SUPREME DALEK: (Angry) And you believe there are no other life forms on the planet? DALEK #1: (Slightly Petrified) We saw no other life forms. SUPREME DALEK: (Angrier still) And you left a Craft out for any other beings to use against us? DALEK #1: (Timidly) We detected no other beings in the vicinity. SUPREME DALEK: You have failed! The Daleks will not accept failure! With a flash of white light, Dalek #1 is burnt to a cinder by the wrath of the Supreme Dalek. Jenny looks away, unable to watch any further carnage. SUPREME DALEK: (To Dalek #4) You will be the new Dalek Commander. Bring out the prisoners for interrogation. DALEK #4: I obey. Dalek #4 opens the cell door, and holds the trio at gunpoint. DALEK #4: You will move ahead of me. Any resistance will be exterminated. Move! They move. But as Bucky gets ready to draw his gun, there is a trilling noise from one of the banks of computers. SUPREME DALEK: What is happening? DALEK #6: We have detected two unidentified craft heading towards the Shuttle. DALEK #7: Bearing 2490 Green, South, South West. SUPREME DALEK: Prepare for attack! An alarm bell begins to ring, followed by an electronic klaxon. Bucky pulls out his blaster, and begins to fire frenziedly. Jenny does the same, destroying Daleks #4 and #6. Willy fires his water pistol at the computers, triggering a fire. The three run out and get as far away from the ship as they can. They are confronted by the Righteous Indignation and The Fearless (Still rusted and oily) DEADEYE, BRUISER, BLINKY and SNOEK disembark the ships. DEADEYE: Hiya, matey! What be happenin' here? BRUISER: Yeah, is we havin' a barbecue? BUCKY: No, but our robotic friends are. (Pointing to Dalek Craft) Where's the Croaker? BLINKY: Toad Croaker safely stored within the Righteous Indignation. The Dalek Craft erupts in a ball of fire, setting alight many of the trees. BUCKY: Quick! If the plants catch fire, Junglos will become Flamos! They all start to tackle the fire with Foam Extinguishers and hoses from the two Frigates. After a short while, the fire is out. Bucky gazes at the ashy remains of a bush, when something hits him over the head, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. JENNY: Bucky! BUCKY: (Rubbing his head) By the Great Mother… Glaring down at him is the remains of the Supreme Dalek, partly still active. The fire has torn open much of the armour, revealing machinery and circuits. Several sludgy-green tentacles writhe through several gaps in the dome. A slithery, damp snarling comes from the Dalek creature housed within the charred armour. SUPREME DALEK: (Hissing) Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! Extermi… There is the sound of a Dalek rifle firing. As the Supreme Dalek drops his eyestalk, Bucky gazes over to see SNOEK, clutching a Dalek rifle he stole from another Dalek corpse. SNOEK is shaking all over. BUCKY: Snoek… SNOEK: I…I killed him. BUCKY: And saved my life. SNOEK: But I killed a being. It doesn't feel right. JENNY: It's alright Snoek. You did what you could. They escort Snoek back to the Fearless, and shortly take off for Genus, leaving behind the remains of the Dalek Invasion Force. As their motors fade away, there is a stirring noise inside the Supreme Dalek… THE END