Doctor Who_ Blue Box - Kate Orman [9]
See if we can get a tour of the place.’
‘Not bad,’ said Bob. ‘But they are not going to let reporters near sensitive technical stuff.’
‘I guess you’re right.’
‘If they were a bigger company, we could bluff our way in as employees. We could make up a couple of fake badges.’
Peri said, ‘They’ve basically got just one really big computer, right?’ Bob nodded. ‘Well, where do they keep that? Do they keep all their computer stuff in the same place?’
Bob squinted for a moment, and then broke into a grin. ‘I have a nice idea,’ he said. ‘Let’s buy the lady a present.’
‘Do you do this sort of thing a lot?’ said Peri.
‘You should have seen what we got up to in ’75.’
Peri had made her share of phoney phone calls as a kid. But this was not the same thing. She kept picking up the phone, getting out of breath, and putting it back down again.
‘Remember; they don’t know where the hell you’re calling from,’ said Bob. ‘They can’t see you, they don’t know who you are.’ Easy for him to say. All he’d done was dial up the college computer and spend fifteen minutes messing around before he unplugged his computer and handed her the receiver.
You’ve faced a lot worse than this, Peri told herself. But none of her adventures on the road seemed as real right now as ripping off a computer supplies company.
You ask for what you want, and you get it. She punched in the number. ‘TLA,’ announced a cheerful voice. ‘This is Alice speaking.’
‘Well hello.’ said Peri. ‘I’m calling from Gallifrey Computer Supplies. We’re new in the area, and we were wondering if you’d be interested in trying out some of our new specials.’
‘I’m afraid we already have a contract with a supplier,’
said the receptionist smoothly.
‘Oh – can I ask who that is?’ Peri scribbled down the name: Keyworth Computers. ‘Well, if you’re ever shopping around for great prices, just give us a call.’
She put the phone down, grinning like a teenager on champagne. ‘Piece of cake,’ said Bob.
But now there was a much more difficult call to make. Peri chewed on her bottom lip while Bob flipped through the White Pages. ‘They can’t see you,’ he reminded her.
‘I’m OK,’ said Peri, dialling. ‘Hi,’ she said faintly when a voice answered. She cleared her throat. ‘Hi, Trina. This is Alice calling from TLA. We need a Lisp Machine right away I mean, like five minutes ago.’
She put her hand over the mouthpiece. ‘She’s checking if they have one,’ she hissed. ‘What are we gonna do if they don’t have one?’ Bob just shook his head, waving his hands at the phone. ‘Hello? You’ve got one in stock. Great. Look, can I send one of our technicians over to collect it? It’s super urgent.
The boss is really riding me on this one.’
Peri broke into a relieved smile. ‘Yeah, that’s what she’s like, all right I dunno what they do with all this stuff. They’re probably playing video games up there.’ Bob looked scandalised. ‘OK. OK. You can call Robert Link in Projects to confirm the order.’ She rattled off a number. ‘I’ll send a couple of guys over there as soon as you do. Thanks – I mean it. You’ve saved my life.’
She put the phone down and collapsed in the chair. ‘Oh my God,’ she said. ‘Oh my God oh my God oh my God.’
‘I told you,’ said Bob. ‘If you sound confident and friendly and in a hurry, people will do anything for you.’ He stared at the ceiling as he thought out loud. ‘Our next problem is making you look like a delivery guy.’
Peri looked at him blankly. ‘I need you to help me move that computer,’ said Bob. ‘And once we get into the TLA, building, I’ll set it up while you look around. It’s the perfect cover.’
‘It’s not really stealing, is it?’ said Peri. ‘We’re not gonna keep the thing.’
The phone rang. Bob coolly reached over and picked it up.
‘TLA; he said, his voice suddenly, surprisingly deep. ‘This is Robert Link, can I help you?’
Peri heard Trina’s voice again, this time as a tinny murmur in
Bob’s ear. ‘Yes. Yes, that’s right. Can you expedite that for me? Yes. Yes, good. Thank you.’ He hung up without saying goodbye.
‘What just happened?’ said Peri.
‘The receptionist at Keyworth