Doctor Who_ Dinosaur Invasion - Malcolm Hulke [5]
‘Honestly,’ said Sarah, exasperated, ‘that’s just typical! We’re attacked by a monster, and you talk about it like a schoolmaster! That thing could have killed us. And what’s it doing here in London in the Twentieth Century?’
‘That,’ said the Doctor, ‘is something we may soon find out. Look what’s ahead.’
An Army jeep was blocking the road. Two soldiers with guns, and a sergeant with a loudhailer, were standing by it, facing the oncoming lorry. The Doctor drew up close to the jeep, jumped out of the cabin and walked towards the sergeant.
‘My dear fellow,’ said the Doctor, smiling, ‘I’m so glad to meet you—’
The sergeant raised the loudhailer to his lips and spoke into its microphone. His voice was harsh. ‘Stay where you are! If you advance any further you will be shot!’
The Doctor stopped dead in amazement. ‘But I just wanted to ask you—’
The voice from the loudhailer drowned the Doctor’s words. ‘The person in the cabin of the lorry is to dismount immediately, or we shall fire!’
The Doctor turned to Sarah. ‘You’d better do as he says.’
Nervously, Sarah climbed down from the cabin. ‘Neither of you is to budge an inch,’ continued the amplified voice of the sergeant. Dropping the loudhailer, he turned to the two soldiers. ‘Smith, keep them covered—and shoot to maim if they move. Wilkins, hop round the back and see what they’ve got.’ The soldier called Wilkins ran to the back of the lorry while the Doctor and Sarah waited.
‘If you will let me explain,’ said the Doctor, ‘I and my young friend—’
The loudhailer cut in. ‘Be quiet!’ The sergeant turned to the soldier called Smith. ‘Hold that gun steady.’
Smith aimed his gun directly at the Doctor’s head, finger on trigger. Wilkins returned from the back of the lorry carrying one of the fur coats.
‘They’ve got a load of furs in the back like this one, sarge. There must be thousands of quids’ worth! ‘
The sergeant again raised the loudhailer to his lips. Speaking through it gave him great authority. ‘I’m placing both of you under arrest. You know what happens to looters. Now it’s going to happen to you.’
2 ‘Shoot to kill!’
‘With great respect, sir,’ said Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, ‘I cannot and will not order troops under my command to open fire on civilians! ‘
‘These civilians are looters,’ said General Finch, ‘the lowest form of life known to man. You will tell your troops to shoot to kill! ‘
The General and the Brigadier stood facing each other in UNIT’s temporary Headquarters—a school classroom in North London, on the edge of the area that had been evacuated. A huge map of London, with flags to indicate where pterodactyls and dinosaurs had been sighted, had been pinned over the blackboard. A military two-way radio, manned constantly by a UNIT soldier, had been installed in a corner.
The Brigadier tried to control the emotion in his voice. ‘I cannot, sir, order the murder of people who may be innocent.’
The General’s face reddened. His closely cropped moustache twitched. ‘Every man, woman and child in the Central London area has been evacuated by order of the Government. It has become a prohibited area. It follows, therefore, that any civilian now found in Central London is up to no good—and that means they are using this opportunity to rob and steal. There is only one thing to do—to shoot on sight!’
‘I agree that what is happening is deplorable, sir,’ said the Brigadier, ‘but may I remind you that looters are not our main problem, and shortage of observation patrols is . Can’t more troops be brought to London?’
‘Definitely not. They’re needed in the reception areas. You’re forgetting that ten million people have to be fed, sheltered, and cared for. That’s what the Army is doing, Brigadier. Helping all those poor people who have been driven from their city.’
‘I realise that,’ continued the Brigadier, ‘but the front-line is here . I think it’s more important