The Menace of the Monstrons (comic story)

The Menace of the Monstrons was a The Daleks comic story published in TV Century 21 in 1965.

Summary
With the Daleks distracted by the aftermath of the rust plague, the Monstrons land on Skaro inside a dormant volcano without meeting any resistance. They are detected, however, and a Dalek is dispatched to investigate on a hoverbout. The Monstrons' Engibrain soldiers freeze it with liquid air. Two more Daleks go to investigate but are killed when they come in contact with the Monstons' force field. They then launch an attack on the Dalek City, beginning with a bombardment before using their Anti-Visibility Thruster to blind the Daleks with thick layers of fog. The Daleks are forced to seal themselves inside their City against the fog. The Engibrains are sent fourth to raze the City. The Dalek Emperor fears the Daleks are powerless to repel the attack, then the roof collapses. The Monstrons seal the City with liquid metal so they may take over Skaro.

Trapped in the City, the Daleks fear they are without a leader but they soon find the Emperor has survived in an old watercourse connecting the City with the Lake of Mutations. The Emperor is threatened by a giant electric eel, but is rescued by some Daleks who sacrifice their casing's power to power their magnet. They stun the eel so they can use it to power their equipment.

As the Monstrons celebrate, their captive Dalek heats its casing to free itself from the ice, believing itself to be the last of its race. It fights its way off the Monstron ship, blasting apart the Engibrain soldiers. A Monstron operates a switch and the ramp slides back, creating a gap into which the Dalek falls. Inside the volcano, the Dalek decides it must avenge its race and, as its last act, fires its weapon at the lava, agitating the volcano. The Emperor and a group of Daleks emerge from a cave leading back to the City in time to witness the volcano erupt and take the Monstrons with it. The Emperor decrees that although they may never know what set the volcano off, the Daleks must now look forward and rebuild the City and protect it from any future invasions.

Characters

 * Engibrains
 * Kenex
 * Yeq
 * Golden Emperor
 * Commander Zero

Worldbuilding

 * The Daleks use a magnetiser to raise the Emperor Dalek from the watercourse.
 * A Dalek is able to raise its internal temperature to melt what it thinks is ice; actually it is liquid air.
 * Commander Zero, Space City Controller, has discounted rumours that space rescue ships will be sent to rescue XL5. He said "If Professor Matic can't mend a fuse, he's got no right to be a spaceman!".
 * The Marineville Press Office reports that contact between Marineville Control Tower and Troy Tempest has been lost.
 * Stingray reports sighting Titan's atomic-powered Terror Fish fleet in position 27, reference 4.
 * A mystery phone call to TV 21 offices reveals that Lady Penelope has received an invisible ray torch. World scientists are excited by the discovery, as is the Hood.
 * Engineers have had to be called in to check the TV 21 Time Machine. A fault seems to have developed in the Fireball XL5 recieving channel, which is reading 1965 instead of 2065.
 * Pacific radar stations report an unidentified object tracked at 7000 m. p. h. World Government agents are investigating.
 * The Annual Saturn Ring Race has been won by Clel Curtis. Curtis powered his automatic powered astro-glyder Icaras II to victory in record time.
 * The first messages from search craft organised to locate Fireball XL5 report no sign of a wreckage. Space City has not ruled out the possibility of an explosion aboard XL5, but the ship's sudden disappearance remains a mystery.

Continuity

 * The Monstrons have landed on Skaro. (COMIC: Plague of Death)
 * The Dalek City is to be rebuilt and the Emperor is aware of alien threats. (COMIC: Eve of War)