Timechase (short story)
Timechase (short story) was the final story in the 1976 Terry Nation's Dalek Annual. It was in many ways a retooling of The Chase, but with different protagonists instead of the Doctor and his companions.
Summary
Three Daleks land on earth outside a remote village. They spend several days sneaking around the countryside, alert to discover a particularly well-hidden laboratory. Just as they prepare to infiltrate it, two humans appear out of nowhere.
David and his younger brother Peter have pinched their uncle's keys to the laboratory, allowing them to now hurry towards the lab's prize content: the Time-Conveyors. They had tried to get a glimpse of the machines earlier, when their uncle was hosting a press conference, but it had been far too crowded. They discussed some of what had been said during that meeting, while the lurking Daleks listened.
The Time-Conveyors were not yet perfected. Their uncle had not quite figured out how to make them go precisely where he wanted them to go. And there was no guarantee that the operator could get back home once they departed. That's whey, the boys discussed, there were two of them. Mark Two was really a rescue ship for Mark One. Still, when their uncle demonstrated the machine for the gathered press, it had worked flawlessly — so well, in fact, that the boys now just want to get a better look at the wondrous new technology.
As they circle the machines, they tempt each other with thoughts of using the Time-Conveyors themselves. Of the two, David is the more enthusiastic; Peter must remind his older brother they have come here to look, not touch.
Suddenly the Daleks reveal themselves and block the lab's doorway. They tell the boys to stand aside. Then, announcing that they intend to take the Time-Conveyor back to Skaro so that their scientists can improve upon it, they enter Mark One and dematerialise. Instinctively, the boys rush into the Mark Two, and give chase.
The "rescue" Time-Conveyor naturally hones in on the Mark One. The boys find themselves close to the Daleks, who have landed in a trench in the middle of World War I. The boys notice that the Daleks can't seem to work the calendar control well. They decide then that their man objective is to get close enough to the Daleks so that they can get into the Mark One and try to set it for home.
They try to advance towards the Mark One, but the incoming mortar fire has enshrouded the area in smoke. The boys lose sight of the Daleks and the Mark One. Through the cloud, the boys eventually see that the Daleks are taking direct fire. One takes multiple heavy ordinances simultaneously and explodes — though not before inadvertently helping the British by effectively repulsing the German offensive. The remaining Daleks then make a move to depart. The boys return to the Mark Two and give chase.
The boys escape Flanders just before a massive shell detonates next to them. In an instant they're onboard a sailing vessel. They quickly see that their Dalek enemies are already aboard. The ship's sailors are running scared from one on the deck. They chose to jump overboard, leaving the ship crewless. Noticing that one of the Daleks is itself close to the edge, David rushes forward and gives it a mighty shove. It topples over the side. The one remaining Dalek has little option It retreats to he Mark One and dematerialises. The boys return to the Mark Two to follow, without having the time to notice that they're on the Marie Celeste.
Characters
References
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Notes
Continuity
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Timeline
- This story is very much standalone. It's one of the few stories in all of the 1970s Dalek annuals which doesn't feature the ADF. There's really no clue anywhere in the story about time placement.
