Doctor Who_ Dinosaur Invasion - Malcolm Hulke [36]
‘It’s very kind,’ said the Doctor. ‘But not just now, thank you.’ He paused. ‘Sir Charles, I have definitely been into an underground place that was humming with life, and it can’t be very far from here.’
Grover smiled at the Doctor, as one might to a madman. ‘I’m sure you believe you’ve been in such a place, Doctor. But since you now admit that you can’t find your way in again...’
A tap on the door. A uniformed chauffeur entered and stood to attention. Grover turned to the man.
‘Where did you take the young lady who was visiting me?’
The man in chauffeur’s uniform answered, ‘Back to UNIT Headquarters, sir.’
‘You’re quite sure of that?’
‘Yes, sir. I saw her go inside.’
‘Right, that will be all, thank you.’
As the chauffeur turned to go, the Doctor noticed a livid scar that ran down the man’s left cheek.
The Reminder Room made Sarah think of the little cell where she had been hypnotised by the flashing lights. Small and windowless, it, too, contained a single chair, but this one was bolted to the middle of the floor. The chair faced a screen that filled the whole of one wall. After she had been locked in the room for a few minutes a film started to play on the screen, obviously specially made to ‘remind’ any doubting members that they had been right to join the group. All the shots were of bad things on Earth: mounds of wrecked cars, factory chimneys belching black smoke, oil on beaches, dead fish in polluted rivers, traffic jams, jet planes roaring over crowded cities. A commentator’s voice boomed from loudspeakers set in the four corners of the little room.
‘ Ever since the Industrial Revolution, Man has polluted his planet, until now his only home. Not only has Man ruined his own environment, he has made life impossible for other living creatures. Seventy-five species of animals were made extinct in the first seventy-five years of this century. Others are threatened. The Giant Lemurs of Madagascar may soon suffer the same fate as the King Kangaroos of Australia —’
The film and the commentary stopped abruptly. The door opened and Mark came in. He was carrying a tray containing a glass of water and a piece of brown bread.
‘I’ve brought you something to eat.’
Sarah looked at the bread and water. ‘No chance of my getting overweight.’
‘The bread is pure. This diet will help cleanse your body of toxic things; and that will help to clear your mind.’
‘Very thoughtful of you. In olden times witches were burnt to death to save their souls.’
‘We’re not like that,’ Mark smiled, not taking Sarah seriously. ‘We only want to help you.’
‘That’s what they always said to the witches.’ She started to eat the bread; it was awful. ‘Why won’t you believe that I was kidnapped and put on this ship?’
‘Because that’s impossible. Now watch the film. It will remind you of the truth.’
Before Sarah could stop him, he left, locking the door behind him. Immediately the film came back on the screen. It showed a traffic policeman in Tokyo.
‘ ... after two hours controlling traffic, this policeman must be given one full hour of oxygen treatment. So much for the pleasure of motoring... ’
The film continued. Sarah munched her piece of bread.
Sir Charles Grover was presiding over the planning meeting in the Cabinet Room of the underground control centre. Portraits of Disraeli, Gladstone, Churchill, and President Kennedy hung from the oak panelled walls of the windowless room. Seated round a huge table covered in expensive red leather were Professor Whitaker, General Finch and Captain Michael Yates.
Whitaker spoke up. ‘Final tests have all been positive. When the power build-up from the reactor is complete we shall be ready for the final countdown.’
‘How much longer to wait?’ growled General Finch.
Whitaker waved his hand. ‘Only a few hours,