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‘How?’

‘Relative velocity of molecular reaction,’ replied the Doctor, knowing that Captain Yates would not understand a word.

‘I see.’

‘No you don’t.’ The Doctor paused, looked up, and grinned. ‘The principle hasn’t been developed on Earth yet.’

Captain Yates examined the weapon closely. ‘What exactly will it do ?’

‘It’ll temporarily neutralise the creature’s brain cells,’ answered the Doctor patiently.

Yates frowned. ‘I thought these creatures hadn’t any brains.’

‘All animals have a brain of some sort. Dinosaurs’ brains are particularly small compared with their overall size. In fact, the modern kitten has more brains than the largest dinosaurs ever had.’

‘So what’ll happen to the dinosaur when you switch that thing on?’

‘Its brain will be affected by a directional beam carrying a small power charge.’

‘Then what?’

‘It’ll faint.’

‘What will you do with your monster once it’s fainted?’

The Doctor put down the gun. He realised he wouldn’t be able to get on with any more work while Captain Yates was there. ‘I’ll surround it with an electrical field, and wait for it to disappear into the past.’

‘Is that going to tell us anything?’

‘With any luck I shall discover the source of the power which is moving these creatures through Time.’

‘Will it be accurate enough?’

‘I hope so. It’ll be like the way in which triangulation’s used to detect radio transmitters. I think it’ll be accurate enough for the Brigadier to send a squad of men to round up the guilty parties.’

‘Jolly good,’ said Captain Yates, putting on his cap. ‘Well, if you can spare me, I’ll let you get on with it, Doctor.’

‘That would be most helpful,’ said the Doctor, eager to continue his work.

Yates opened the door to leave and Sarah rushed through it.

‘Doctor,’ she gasped, ‘that General Finch is being impossible—’ She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the Doctor’s weapon. ‘What are you making?’

The Doctor again tried to get on with his work. ‘Ask Captain Yates, my dear. Now will you please leave me in peace!’

Feeling rejected, Sarah turned to the handsome young Captain. ‘That wretched General of yours is trying to have me evacuated out of London.’

‘You’re a civilian, Sarah. You have no official status.’

‘That’s stupid,’ she replied in annoyance. ‘Doctor, I’m your assistant, aren’t I?’

The Doctor was attaching the terminals of the main electrical circuit of the stun-gun, a delicate operation. ‘Yes, yes, my dear,’ he called, without looking Sarah’s way. ‘Anything you like.’

‘There you are,’ Sarah said to Captain Yates. ‘So I have a right to be here.’

Yates gave her a quizzical look. ‘Tell you what, I’ll fix you up with a temporary pass. Just stay out of sight of General Finch.’ He smiled, and hurried away.

Sarah came forward to take a closer look at the Doctor’s work. ‘What did you say that thing is, Doctor?’

‘I didn’t.’

‘Can I help at all?’

‘No.’

‘If I’m supposed to be your assistant, there must be something I can do.’

‘There is,’ said the Doctor. ‘Go away.’

‘You’d really sooner be left alone, wouldn’t you?’

‘How ever did you guess, my dear?’

Sarah said, ‘I can take a hint.’ She tip-toed out of the temporary workshop.

The Doctor sighed with relief, bolted the door, and tried to get on with his work. As he returned to his work bench there was a tap on the door.

‘Go away,’ he called. ‘There’s no one in here.’

The Brigadier spoke through the bolted door. ‘May I see you, please? We have a very important visitor.’

‘ I am a very important visitor,’ the Doctor called back through the door.

‘Very funny,’ said the Brigadier. But standing outside here with me is a member of the Government.’

Reluctantly the Doctor put down the stun-gun and unbolted the door. Standing outside with the Brigadier was a short intelligent-looking man in his fifties wearing an expensively cut lounge suit. His politician’s smile turned on the Doctor.

‘This is the Doctor, sir,’ the Brigadier told the visitor. ‘Doctor, let me introduce Sir Charles Grover, Minister with Special Powers.’

Grover’s smile, seen frequently on millions of television sets, continued.