Doctor Who_ Dinosaur Invasion - Malcolm Hulke [46]
‘Polly,’ she said, ‘Polly Anderson. Can we see New Earth yet?’
‘If you go to that port hole,’ Adam pointed to one of the for’ard ports, ‘you can just see it as a disc in the depths of Space. It gets larger every day.’
The young woman staggered away from them towards the port hole. Ruth entered from one of the corridors, a worried look on her intelligent face. ‘That girl’s got out of the Reminder Room,’ she said.
‘Really?’ said Adam. ‘Well, she can’t have gone far. Would you like to welcome our friends who have just revived?’
Ruth shot a glance at the group. ‘I’ll speak to them later. You and I must search the ship for that girl. There’s no knowing what she’ll get up to. Come!’
Ruth swept out of the living area followed by Adam. Mark walked across to Polly Anderson who was having difficulty standing, and caught her arm. ‘Sit down and rest for a while. You’ll soon feel better.’
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sarah signalling to him from the flight deck. Quickly glancing round to make sure no one was watching, Mark hurried across to the flight deck’s glass door and opened it.
‘1 just got back,’ panted Sarah. ‘That door’—she indicated the hatch that supposedly opened into Space —’it leads you straight into the corridor of a control centre under London.’
‘I don’t believe it.’
‘Then how do you think I’m alive?’ She went to the hatch and yanked back the lever. Mark peered out and saw a flight of wooden steps leading down into a corridor. ‘Do you believe me now?’
He looked away. Sarah saw that his eyes were glistening with tears. ‘I honestly believed we were travelling to a new world,’ he said simply. ‘We’ve all been tricked.’ He sniffed. ‘But why? What are the organisers doing this for?’
‘It’s very complicated,’ she explained. ‘We’ve got to explain to the others.’ She flung open the glass door, and went into the main living area. ‘I want everyone to listen to me,’ she announced, raising her voice. ‘This is all a trick. You’re not on a space ship, and you’re not going to another planet.’
The people who had just revived from suspended animation turned to look at Sarah in dazed disbelief. The young woman whom Mark and Adam had just revived didn’t understand at all. ‘I’m Polly Anderson,’ she smiled. ‘Who are you?’
‘It doesn’t matter who I am,’ said Sarah. ‘Please will you all pay attention to me. It’s a big trick. We are on Earth. This space ship is a fake.’
A middle-aged balding man was the first to grasp what she was saying. ‘I find that difficult to believe. They made promises to us. I went into everything very carefully. I resigned my position as bank manager and even sold my house!’
‘I’m afraid she is telling the truth,’ said Mark.
Ruth and Adam entered. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Sarah. ‘How did you escape from the Reminder Room?’ Ruth demanded.
‘It doesn’t matter. I’m trying to tell everyone you’ve all been tricked. I’ve escaped from this so-called space ship, and returned. We are deep under Central London. It’s all fake. I’m going to prove it to you all by opening the hatch inside the flight deck.’
Sarah turned to go back into the flight deck. Ruth grabbed her arm. ‘This poor girl is unbalanced. She should never have been selected. She’s already contaminated one of our number.’ She pointed an accusing finger at Mark.
‘Let me go,’ shouted Sarah. ‘I want to prove that you’re wrong!’
‘Never! Someone help me hold her. If she opens that hatch we’ll all be killed. You, girl, give me a hand! ‘
Polly Anderson obeyed the command by grabbing Sarah’s other arm. ‘I thought everything was going to be peaceful,’ she said, ‘not all this sort of thing.’
‘Two of you grab the boy,’ Ruth commanded. ‘They must be restrained until we have safely landed.’
The ex-bank manager and another man pinioned Mark’s arms behind his back. ‘Where to?’ asked