Doctor Who_ Daemons - Barry Letts [58]
'No, no,' he shrieked. 'Friend! I'm a friend!'
But Bok was unmoved. A flash of fire came from his outstretched claw; a puff of smoke and Bert disappeared, vaporised by the monster's evil power.
12 Into the Cavern
'For Heaven's sake, Sergeant Osgood, let's get going!' The energy exchanger was crackling and humming; sparks flew from it and a thin tream of smoke rose from its innards.
'We're up to the maximum, sir, and it's still no good,' said Sergeant Osgood.
The Brigadier looked at the heat barrier, where the tunnel of flame was wavering on the point of collapse, as it vainly tried to stabilise itself.
'You'll have to use the booster,' said the Brigadier. 'If we do, sir, she'll blow us all sky high.'
'We're going through, Osgood. Booster on.'
'But, sir...'
'Dammit, man, get out of the way...!' The Brigadier stepped forward and slammed home the large booster switch. At once the noise of the machine grew louder, the crackling and the sparks even more alarming. Osgood peered through the smoke at the dials, not daring to believe what they were telling him.
'Look, it's working!' said the Brigadier with all the satisfaction of the man who has completed a long a difficult task.
'Yes, but sir...!' protested Osgood.
'Proof of the pudding, Sergeant,' said the Brigadier briskly and strode to his Land Rover.
The tunnel of fire now stood rock steady, making an obviously safe passage through the heat barrier. And so it proved. The Brigadier's Land Rover roared through at some forty miles an hour, showing no more signs of damage than a slight smell of scorched rubber. He was quickly followed by the rest of the vehicles—all but Osgood's.
'Come on, man,' shouted Lethbridge Stewart.
'Yes, sir, just coming. Disconnecting the power cables, sir. Shan't be a jiff.'
The Brigadier's walkie-talkie crackled. ' Hello, Brigadier, ' said the Doctor's voice. ' What's going on? '
' We're through, Doctor. I say again, we're through. Over. '
' And the machine? '
' Not yet. Over. '
' Lethbridge Stewart, I can't trust you to do the simplest job! The machine should have come through first. I need it desperately. '
' Not to worry, Doctor, ' said the Brigadier impassively, ' it's on its way. Over. '
There followed a strange noise as of distant shouting and cheering. The Doctor came through again, very excited.
' The exchanger's working! It's bleeding off the energy. This gargoyle creature is staggering about as if somebody's puts some knockout drops in its hell-juice. Bring the machine through, Brigadier! '
' Wilco, Doctor. Out ' The Brigadier raised his voice: 'Get a move on, Sergeant!'
'Right, sir,' said Osgood as he climbed into the back of the Land Rover where the spluttering machine was smoking furiously. Its hum had risen to an shriek and it was visibly shaking. In a moment, it was through the tunnel and pulling up safely clear of the heat barrier. The noise was by now quite deafening and Osgood could hardly see machine, let alone the dials, for the thick wreath of smoke enveloping it. Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart beamed with delight. Things were going right at last. He spoke into the walkie-talkie.
' You can stop worrying, Doctor. It's through. Over. '
' And about time, ' the Doctor's voice answered, irascibly. ' Get it over here fast. '
The Brigadier's triumph had a very short life. A shout from Sergeant Osgood killed it.
'Sir! Sir! It's running away!' He could hardly make himself heard above the indescribable noise wining from the machine.
'Switch it off, man.'
'I can't, sir; I can't stop it!'
'Right, out of it, Osgood. Get down, the lot of you.' Osgood and his driver jumped from the truck and sprinted to cover. All the rest of the UNIT troops hit the deck. Battle veterans to a man, they knew an explosion was coming just as well as the Brigadier did. And come it did. With an ear-splitting roar the Doctor's precious energy exchanger blew up, shattering into a thousand