Doctor Who_ Delta and the Bannermen - Malcolm Kohll [30]
‘Even Houdini wouldn’t he able to find his way out of this contraption,’ Weismuller grunted.
‘Yeah, well I reckon Houdini would have been too darn clever to get himself in a mess like this in the first place,’
Hawk replied angrily.
‘Okay,’ said Weismuller, ‘let’s try sitting again... one...
two... three!’ Weismuller sat down abruptly, dragging Hawk behind him, They had to move in total unison, otherwise the spikes in the collar would dig into their necks. Hawk was trying to turn his head to glare at Weismuller but the slightest movement made him wince.
They barely heard the scooter stop some distance away, but were instantly alert the moment Ray emerged from the cover of the trees. ‘I thought they’d never go,’ she whispered. ‘You look like something out of a medieval torture chamber.’
‘Thanks a lot, kid. You sure know how to make a guy feel better,’ responded Weismuller.
‘Sorry! Can you move?’
‘Just so long as I don’t have to take my neck along...’
said Hawk trying to speak without moving his jaw. ‘We’d really appreciate it if you could get us out of this,’ he pleaded.
Ray examined the locks on the shackles and tried pulling them apart, but it was futile. ‘It’s no use, ma’am.
They had a special spanner, kinda like a dinky Allen key,’
said Weismuller.
Ray trotted back to her scooter and returned a moment later with her jangling toolbag. ‘Are these "dinky" enough?’
she asked, producing a full set of Allen keys.
‘It’s looking good,’ said Hawk, appearing cheerful for the first time that day.
The sweat dripped from Weismuller’s forehead as Ray tried one key after another. At that moment, Arrex and Callon were nowhere to be seen but they could return at any time. Weismuller felt sure that they would consider this to be an act of provocation and deal with them accordingly. Unfortunately, he had a good imagination and it made him squirm in anticipation of unpleasant things to come. Finally, one key worked and the shackles sprang open. Hawk and Weismuller got to their feet, rubbing their necks.
‘That’s torn it,’ said Hawk. ‘I think my back’s gone again. I’m still paying physio bills from three years ago,’ he moaned.
‘Quit griping, Hawk. Be grateful you’re not still on your knees with that iron necklace round your gullet,’ snapped Weismuller.
‘Get in your car and follow me!’ hissed Ray urgently, already heading for where her scooter was hidden.
Hawk and Weismuller exchanged a puzzled glance but there was no time to argue. They would rather take their chances with Ray than wait around for the two Bannermen thugs to return. They jumped into the Morris and churned the started. ‘Say,’ said Weismuller, ‘who was that?’
‘Beats me,’ muttered Hawk as they puttered after her.
As the Vincent thundered away from the camp, Mel and Burton whooped with joy. ‘We did it, Doctor. Free!’ cried Mel. The Doctor didn’t look quite so jubilant.
‘There’s more to this than meets the eye, Mel,’ he muttered, changing gear as he approached a tight bend in the road.
Mel was too relieved to allow the Doctor to take the wind out of her sails. She turned and smiled broadly at Burton, clinging precariously to the pillion saddle. ‘The Doctor is always suspicious. It’s part of his nature,’ she giggled.
‘I think probably that the Doctor’s past experiences have taught him it’s always better to keep an open mind,’
said Burton.
‘Absolutely, Mr Burton. Remember Mel, things may look simple, but they are always at least twice as complicated as they first appear,’ replied the Doctor.
Arrex parted the gorse bush as he heard the hike approaching. He and Callon shared a glance and pushed small silver-flighted tracker darts into their weapons. The bike was slowing down for the bend as they stepped into the centre of the road, weapons raised.
The Doctor caught sight of the Bannermen. He realized that there wasn’t enough space to squeeze between them and the hedgerows which flanked the road, so he did the next best thing – he