Doctor Who_ Dinosaur Invasion - Malcolm Hulke [10]
The van turned sharply, throwing them sideways. Sarah regained her crouched position on the hard wooden bench. ‘What do we do now?’
‘Someone at the centre will listen to us.’
‘No they won’t,’ she said. ‘No one’s listened to us up to now. I can see us being prisoners for months, probably sewing mail bags or whatever they have to do, and mixing with criminals...’
The van screamed to a stop, hurling them both forward. Suddenly, a thunderous roar made the van vibrate. The Doctor edged forward and slid open the door behind the driver’s cabin. The soldier-driver and his companion were scrambling out, guns in hand. Through the windscreen the Doctor could see the gigantic shape of a tyrannosaurus rex blocking the road.
‘What is it?’ Sarah shouted.
‘Come over here,’ said the Doctor, sliding the door back a few more inches. ‘That’s one of the biggest and deadliest land animals that has ever existed on your planet.’
Sarah looked and gasped. The tyrannosaurus rex was standing upright on its two hind legs, balancing on an enormous tail. Head raised, it was considerably taller than a double-decker bus. Compared with its huge head and six-inch-long teeth, its little two-fingered ‘hands’ looked weak and futile. The two soldiers were crouched against the buildings on either side of the street, firing their automatic guns into the reptile’s neck. The monster roared with pain and anger as dribbles of bright red blood flowed down its leathery green skin.
‘I’ve always wanted to study one of those,’ said the Doctor, observing the scene in his typically scientific manner.
‘Well I haven’t!’ screamed Sarah.
‘During their heyday,’ the Doctor went on, as though oblivious to the danger they were in, ‘they dominated all other living creatures except the pterodactyls, which could fly away. Do you notice the way the serrated teeth curve backwards?’
‘I’ve got my eyes closed,’ Sarah replied, honestly.
‘That was to tear at their victims. Another thing about the tyrannosaurus rex,’ he continued, ‘was that they were much more intelligent than all the other giant reptiles. That still meant they were pretty stupid compared with the smallest mammal. But it gave them a great advantage.’
‘Doctor, do you think we could have the natural history lesson some other time? I’m terrified!’
‘Of course, my dear,’ he said. ‘How inconsiderate of me. With our soldier guards so preoccupied, this is an excellent opportunity to escape. Come along.’
He grabbed her by the hand so that the handcuffs wouldn’t tug at their wrists, and went through the doorway into the driver’s cabin. The soldier-driver had cautiously removed the ignition key before jumping out to fight the monster.
‘We’ll have to run for it,’ said the Doctor, helping Sarah down on to the road. ‘I suggest we go away from our reptile friend.’
‘What a brilliant idea, I’d never have thought of it.’
The Doctor didn’t react to her sarcasm. He started running, Sarah beside him. As they neared the end of the street there was an explosion behind them. They stopped and turned. A cloud of smoke filled the street near the reptile’s tail. One of the soldiers threw another hand-grenade at the reptile. It exploded with a brilliant flash and a ‘boom’ that must have been heard miles away.
‘That,’ said the Doctor, ‘should bring every soldier in this part of London to this street. The sooner we find somewhere to hide, the better.’
They hurried on down the next street. Then the Doctor stopped abruptly.
‘A mews,’ he said.
‘A what?’ asked Sarah.
The Doctor pointed to a small opening off the street they were now in. The opening led to a cobblestone mews, a narrow street lined with garages.
‘In days gone by,’ said the Doctor, ‘London’s mews were for the stables of the gentry. Now they have all been turned into garages. Garages have work benches, vices, and files. Let’s see what we can find.’
As the Doctor had predicted, the entire mews was lined with big garage doors, most of them carrying the words ‘In Constant Use—No Parking’. There wasn’t a car in sight.
‘Won’t they