Doctor Who_ Atom Bomb Blues - Andrew Cartmel [36]
‘You know exactly what,’ said Butcher. ‘It’s in Private Dobbs’ rucksack there.’
‘No sir. It’s not true, sir,’ said the soldier.
‘Shut up Dobbs,’ said Butcher.
‘Permission to speak sir,’ said Dobbs.
‘Permission denied.’
‘You’ve got this all wrong, baby,’ said Ray. He looked at the Doctor and Ace, as if asking them for help. ‘Just look in the rucksack man.’
‘Shut up and get those cuffs on.’
The Doctor stepped a little closer to the men and Butcher immediately turned his gun on him. ‘Oh come now Major, really. Is there any need to point that thing at me? I’m merely going to pick up this rucksack.’
‘Leave it alone.’
‘But what harm can it do? Let’s just look inside.’
‘I know what’s inside,’ said Butcher. He glared at Ray. ‘It’s the latest recording from Lady Silk. Another copy to replace the one I confiscated.’ He looked at the frightened soldier. ‘I’ve been waiting a long time to find out who was smuggling in this contraband. The source of supply.’
‘You’ve got it all wrong man,’ said Ray, shaking his head mournfully. The Doctor moved forward and, before the Major could stop him, he had picked up the rucksack.
‘Put that down,’ said Butcher.
‘Not until we’ve tested your theory, Major.’ The Doctor calmly opened the rucksack and began to empty it. ‘I’m a scientist and that’s what scientists do.
We test theories.’ He spread the contents of the rucksack on the grass. It consisted of clothing, some magazines with pictures of girls in bathing suits on the covers, and a large brown paper bag. For all his protests, Major Butcher watched the emptying of the rucksack as avidly as everyone else.
63
The Doctor finished taking things out and held the rucksack up to show that it was empty. ‘That’s all, Major. No subversive music.’
‘What’s in the paper bag?’ said Butcher. The Doctor bent down and opened the bag and peered inside. He looked up and grinned. ‘What is it?’
The Doctor reached into the bag and took out a handful of small brown thorns. ‘Cactus needles.’
‘What?’ said Butcher.
‘I tried to tell you, man,’ said Ray. ‘That’s why I was meeting Dobbsy here.
It was a business transaction, baby. He was helping me out. It was nothing to do with Lady Silk.’
‘I don’t buy it,’ said Butcher stubbornly.
‘That’s what he was doing Major,’ said the Doctor. ‘Can’t you see? He was buying cactus needles. He needs them.’
‘He needs needles?’ said Butcher.
‘That is correct. He needs them for his record player.’
‘That’s right, man,’ said Ray.
‘It isn’t a crime, buying cactus needles, is it?’ said Ace.
Butcher looked at her, then he looked at the others. He lowered his gun and reluctantly holstered it. ‘Give me back the handcuffs.’ Ray handed them to him and Butcher returned them to his pocket, then he kicked at the pile of belongings on the ground. ‘Pack these up and get out of here, Private.’
Dobbs instantly fell to his knees and scrabbled on the ground, scooping his possessions back into the rucksack, along with several fistfuls of grass that he uprooted in his haste.
‘Leave the needles, though, man,’ said Ray. Private Dobbs left the bag of cactus needles on the ground, shouldered his rucksack, and turned and fled.
‘I’ll send payment to you, Dobbsy,’ shouted Ray at his retreating back. He turned to Major Butcher and looked at him reproachfully. ‘You scared old Dobbsy off, man. My best cactus-needle connection and you’ve gone and scared him off.’
Butcher squared his shoulders and got ready to offer a blistering response, but before he could say anything Ace heard a strangely familiar cracking sound and felt an odd, humming breeze whisper past her face. Then she felt the Doctor grab her and throw her to the ground. As she registered a sense of déjà vu, Ace realised what was happening.
‘Someone’s shooting!’ yelled the Doctor. ‘Get down!’
‘Shooting, man?’ said Ray. Butcher threw himself on Ray and dragged him to the ground. Ace heard another cracking sound – a gunshot – then another one. She saw a spurt of dirt jet up from the ground just in front of her and realised that the gunshots were aimed at her,