Doctor Who_ Cave Monsters - Malcolm Hulke [54]
Jock scrambled out of his car, stood in the road and tried to wave down some oncoming cars. Headlights flashed at him and hooters were sounded in anger. The cars swept by him. He cried out to them, 'Stop! Someone help me!' But none of the cars stopped. He was almost in tears, sweat dripping from his forehead. Then he saw a panda-car approaching with the word 'POLICE' in illuminated letters.
He stood right in front of it to force it to stop. A young police-officer looked out from the driver's window.
'What's the matter?' The young policeman sounded angry.
People in London didn't expect to be stopped, or even to have to speak to someone they didn't know.
'My passenger,' said Jock, 'have a look at him.'
The panda-car pulled into the side, and the young policeman got out. 'You got someone drunk in there?' He produced a torch, and leaned into the back of Jock's car. 'Now then, wakey-wakey,' he shouted. Then he went very quiet and turned to Jock. 'You know who this is?'
'No idea,' said Jock.
'Right Honourable Frederick Masters,' said the young policeman. 'And he's dead.' The policeman crossed back to his panda-car and took up the radio-telephone. Jock watched on, bewildered by all the noise and the traffic. Then, suddenly, he felt very ill.
Sergeant Hawkins put down the 'phone in the conference room, crossed to a map of Britain pinned on the wall. He selected two pin-flags from a box under the map, stuck them in London.
There were already three flags stuck in Derbyshire, one near Peterborough. The Brigadier entered, saw Hawkins putting in the new flags.
'So it's got to London?' said the Brigadier.
'Mr Masters,' said Hawkins, 'and a man with a hire-car. There's also a young policeman very ill in the Royal Free Hospital.'
'What's the one in Peterborough?' said the Brigadier.
'The guard on the train. He died an hour ago in hospital there.'
'We'll have to put the whole country in quarantine,' said the Brigadier. 'At least we can stop the rest of the world being affected.'
The 'phone rang, and Hawkins answered it. 'Research Centre, Wenley Moor,' he said, 'Sergeant Hawkins speaking.' He listened, then frowned. 'Right, thanks.' He put down the 'phone. 'It looks like we're too late, sir. Orly Airport, Paris—two of them gone down with it, from a flight from London.'
'That's impossible,' said the Brigadier. 'What's the connection?'
'Both nurses,' said Sergeant Hawkins, 'from the Royal Free Hospital, London, going away for the weekend.'
Without a word the Brigadier turned on his heel and left the conference room. Sergeant Hawkins unrolled a map of the world. He carefully attached sticky tape to the two top corners, then stuck the map on the wall. Then he selected two pin-flags and stuck them in Paris.
In the laboratory the Doctor was supervising the installation of an electron microscope. The Brigadier entered.
'Doctor,' said the Brigadier, 'this thing is spreading like wildfire. There's two dead in London, now two in Paris.'
'Can't all international flights be stopped?' asked Liz. 'I rather think it's too late,' said the Brigadier. 'Have you made any progress, Doctor?'
'It's a bit like a journey in the dark,' said the Doctor. 'I won't know that I've arrived until I'm there.'
The Brigadier sat down on one of the few available chairs. He touched his forehead, then looked at the glistening sweat on his fingers. 'Perhaps we'd better all have some more antibiotics,' he said.
Liz gave a quick look at the Doctor, and the Doctor nodded.
'Get young Meredith to serve up antibiotics all round,' he said. 'And tell him to be quick about it.'
Morka, K'to, and three other reptile men stood and looked at a section of the metal wall of their shelter.