Doctor Who_ Delta and the Bannermen - Malcolm Kohll [26]
Mel grinned and replied, ‘In a while, crocodile.’
Murray climbed aboard and fired up the engines. He turned the bus to face the open road and the afterburners covered Mel in exhaust fumes.
The exhaust noise rose to a shriek as Murray revved up the power and the bus started lumbering away down the road. Murray’s hand appeared through the window, waving at Mel.
‘BYE!’ shouted Mel, relieved that the bus was at last underway. Her smile froze in horror as the bus was engulfed in a massive orange fireball. The force of the blast threw Mel onto the ground, temporarily blinding her.
Moments later the blast debris rained down all around her.
Fifties clothing, memorabilia purchased in the camp shop and pieces of food covered the tarmac for a hundred yards in every direction. There was more food than anything else
– in fact enough to feed a bus-full of hungry Navarinos. A large chunk of the cruiser fell only inches from Mel’s head.
Although some of the letters were missing she could clearly read the words ‘Nostalgia Trips’. In the centre of the debris was a patch of blackened earth, to show where there had once been a bus loaded with holiday-makers.
Mel groaned as she slowly started to recover her senses.
She became aware that something was moving through the heavy pall of smoke hanging over the scene. Straining her eyes to see, Mel started to rise, desperately hoping that someone may have survived. But she sank back to the ground when she recognized the red and black fluttering insignia of the dreaded Bannermen.
A lump rose in her throat. ‘No! No!’ she said as the realization dawned. She tried to rise but a large booted foot kicked her back. She was looking up into the ugly face of Gavrok. Standing behind him was a Bannerman with a smoking bazooka. He did nothing to hide the look of satisfaction on his face.
‘So, one of them escaped,’ Gavrok growled.
‘You... you killed all those innocent people...’ said Mel in a small voice, her face streaked with dirt and tears.
‘Was the Chimeron Queen amongst them?’ said Gavrok, putting his blaster to Mel’s head.
Although terrified and furious, Mel’s wits hadn’t deserted her. ‘Yes. Yes, she’s dead. They’re all dead,’ said Mel.
‘You wouldn’t lie?’ barked Gavrok. ‘You saw what happened to that bus.’
‘No one could have survived that,’ she replied in a trembling voice.
Gavrok nodded and grinned, sniffing the heavy sulphurous fumes of the blast. ‘That’s right. The Chimerons are finished.’ Raising his standard to the sky he shouted, ‘Chumeria is ours.’ Gavrok’s men gathered round him cheering and whooping.
Mel felt totally wretched. It pained her to watch these vile creatures enjoying their victory so, but there was nothing she could do. She felt guilty about the Navarinos.
If Murray hadn’t lingered for so long, in an attempt to talk her into leaving, they would have been safely away by now.
Gavrok turned and started walking back towards his ship. Mel’s face showed her relief. But it wasn’t to last long.
In the distance she could already hear the approaching throb of the Vincent. She scrambled to her feet in time to see the Vincent and Ray’s scooter rush over the rim of the valley, racing towards them. Gavrok turned, his gun ready.
Delta, in the sidecar, suddenly recognized the dark figures standing near the camp gates. ‘Bannermen!’ she yelled. Billy swung the bike into a tight turn, nearly flipping them over. Ray also spun her scooter around, the Doctor clinging on for dear life.
‘Don’t let them get away!’ Gavrok screamed. The Bannermen all opened fire at once. Shells exploded all around the two bikes as they raced for the safety of the valley.
Within seconds the pasture resembled a battlefield as smoke poured from burning craters. Whole trees were uprooted and had their trunks split from top to bottom by powerful energy rays. All signs of wildlife had disappeared except for flocks of terrified birds which covered the sky in a dark mass.
When they were out