The Secret Struggle (short story): Difference between revisions

[[Unispace Security]] Agent EM8 (Earth Man 8) [[Arthur Lippert]] is assigned to [[United Planet Building]] in [[New London]] on [[Earth]] to provide security for a broadcast by Defence Minister [[Tal Yorke]]. [[Journalist]]s, including some from other [[galaxy|galaxies]], are in attendance to hear Yorke's announcement of the plan to keep the [[Dalek]]s outside of a million mile area surrounding Earth's [[solar system]].   

Lippert's superior, Security Agent EM1 [[Meric Scrivener]] who had been in charge of security arrangements for the address, assassinates Yorke with an [[atogun]]. He Lippert over the head with the gun and escapes.

Lippert and ''[[Global News]]'' journalist [[Tom Lytton]] follow Scrivener and find unconscious Security Agent EW5 (Earth Woman 5) [[Brit]]. After she is revived, she tells them that Scrivener said he was headed towards Yorke's residence. The trio take a [[helicar]] to the mansion and find it in flames with Yorke's family inside. Firemen are unable to save them. A police sergeant tells them Scrivener said he was going to the [[Octagon]], the House of Planetary War and Defence that is under construction.   

At the Octagon, they find the body of a man shot dead with an atogun. The body has an unknown metal band around its wrist. At the end of a corridor, Lytton discovers a switch to open a hidden passageway. They are captured by a number of men wearing the same metal bands, mind-metal wrist controllers that keep them enslaved to a Dalek. The Dalek has Yorke and his family as captives.   

Scrivener appears and shoots the Dalek. Scrivener reveals that the Yorke he shot was actually a humanoid robot, placed there to alter Yorke's address and damage critical alliances. He also reveals that Lytton is also a robot replacement, and that he needed to follow him so the robot could reveal where the Dalek was hidden. The robot is deactivated and the real Lytton is found captive in the Dalek's chamber. Scrivener is awarded the Nine Planet Star Decoration by Unispace Controller [[Bronson Bailey]].

The story is a first person account by Lippert in the form of a report to Controller Bailey.