Doctor Who_ Dinosaur Invasion - Malcolm Hulke [44]
Butler led Sarah down a corridor and unlocked the door to a store room. It contained a number of empty tea chests and packing cases.
‘Go in. You won’t be in here long.’
She looked around the little room, then back at Butler. ‘You’d be quite handsome without that scar, you know.’
Over the years Butler had learnt to live with his disfigurement. He had got used to people looking away, pretending not to see it. ‘I can’t help the way I look.’
‘Oh yes, you can. Plastic surgery would fix that. But there won’t be any medicine or operating theatres back in this stupid Golden Age you people dream about. Still, maybe you like being ugly. It makes you look more sinister and criminal. How did you get it—in a fight?’
‘Not exactly. I was a London fireman. I tried to save a child that had crawled out of an open window and was stranded on a high ledge. I managed to pass it to safety all right—but I fell thirty feet through a glass roof.’ He started to close the door.
‘Please don’t go,’ she called. ‘I said a terrible thing. I’m sorry!’
But the door closed and she heard the lock turn in it. She tried rattling the door handle, but the door was heavy and wouldn’t budge. Then she caught sight of a small airvent high in the ceiling. She started to pile packing cases, one on top of another.
Corporal Bryson was removing the rest of the flags from the map of London. As he was taking down the map itself, the Brigadier, the Doctor and Sergeant Benton entered.
‘What the blazes are you doing?’ asked the Brigadier.
‘Orders, sir,’ Bryson sprang to attention. ‘General Finch has issued a general order for all Army and UNIT personnel to leave London. I thought you’d know about it, sir.’
‘This is ridiculous,’ said the Brigadier. ‘The whole of London is crawling with monsters. What about the spotting patrols?’
‘All gone, sir. Everybody is out of the zone.’
The Doctor spoke up angrily. ‘Now do you see? General Finch is just as involved as Sir Charles Grover. I’m pretty sure Captain Yates is in it, too.’
The Brigadier slumped down at his desk. ‘Now that’s one thing I cannot believe, not Mike Yates...’ He caught sight of Sarah’s note. He read it quickly and handed it to the Doctor.
‘This confirms everything,’ said the Doctor. ‘The existence of the underground control centre and Grover’s involvement.’
‘But where the blazes is Sarah?’ The Brigadier turned to Corporal Bryson. ‘When was this note left?’
‘Very early this morning, sir. She went off with General Finch.’
The Doctor and the Brigadier looked at each other. ‘There’s no doubt about it,’ said the Doctor. ‘General Finch is in this up to the hilt of his ceremonial sword.’
‘Benton,’ snapped the Brigadier, ‘get me UNIT Headquarters in Geneva!’ Although UNIT was in part under the jurisdiction of the British Army, the Brigadier’s final authority was vested in the Supreme Headquarters of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce at Geneva, Switzerland. The Brigadier turned back to the Doctor. ‘I shall speak to Geneva, and they can talk to the British Government in exile in Harrogate. The Government here will listen to Geneva, whereas I doubt if they’ll listen to me.’
‘There’s no time left for talking. We must attack that underground control centre now,’ said the Doctor.
‘Permission to speak,’ said Corporal Bryson, who was still standing to attention.
‘What is it?’ asked the Brigadier.
‘Well, sir, are we evacuating or not, sir? I mean, should I remove all our things from this classroom?’
‘Definitely not!’
‘In that case, sir, what should I do?’
The Doctor gave the willing corporal a friendly smile. ‘Why not make us all a nice cup of tea?’
‘Yes, sir!’ The corporal grinned and hurried out of the classroom, happy to feel useful.
Sergeant Benton called to the Brigadier from his position at the radio transmitter apparatus in the corner. ‘I have Geneva on the line, sir.’
The Brigadier reached for his desk phone. At the same moment Captain Yates entered from the corridor where he had been listening. ‘Cancel that call