Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [76]
'Nobody said you could cease working! Get back to your duties this instant. I want that diving bel ready for use within the hour, do you hear me?' The soldiers saluted and returned to their task.
Will there be anything else, general?' Vollmer asked. `Yes, go and check on the prisoners.'
`Prisoners?'
Ì've had the Doctor and Nyssa put in shackles. They as much as admitted being responsible for murdering those two poor souls you discovered in the village. I suspect they may also have had a hand in the killing of Lieutenants Ashe and Kempshall.'
The sergeant was perplexed by this last assertion. 'But both officers died before you arrived here with the Doctor and Lady Nyssa. You accompanied the civilians on the journey from Windsor. How could they be responsible for Ashe and Kempshall's deaths?'
Àre you questioning my judgement, Sergeant?' Doulton demanded.
`No, sir, of course not. But I don't think -'
`The army is not paying you to think, Sergeant. If the army wanted men who could think it would deploy philosophers instead of infantry on the battlefield. Have you seen any philosophers going to war, Sergeant?'
`No sir.' Vollmer felt embarrassed at being browbeaten in front of the lower ranks. He would never dream of subjecting his own troops to such a humiliation.
`No sir,' Doulton replied, mimicking the sergeant's East End accent. 'Now be about your business before I have you put on charges of insubordination and questioning the orders of a superior officer!'
Vollmer snapped to attention, saluted crisply and then marched away. The sooner he got away from bloody General Doulton, the better.
William Clark was enjoying himself. His father and three elder brothers had established a lucrative demolition business a decade ago. Old single-storey buildings were being torn down and replaced with new, taller structures across the north of England to create room for new machines and new methods of production in mills and factories. Clark had grown up amongst brick dust and rubble. While other boys played with toys, William was learning how to cut a fuse to the right length for any situation and how best to frame a detonation so the debris went precisely where you wanted.
But being the youngest of four sons meant he would never be more than a junior partner in the family business, forever under the thumbs of his siblings. Clark had enlisted in the army, hopeful his experience with explosives might win him better opportunities and perhaps promotion. But the Crimean War was long since concluded and there seemed little call for his expertise - until now He had spent the morning assessing the best way of creating a temporary dam above Corra Linn. To plug the valley permanently would require a massive workforce, not to mention the flooding problems it would create further upriver. But the general had only asked for a stopgap, something that would halt the flow of water long enough to gain better access to the portal below the falls.
Once that was found, a tunnel would be dug down to it and this dam could be abandoned.
After much consideration, Clark decided the simplest approach was to set the explosives at the top of the steep rock face overlooking the river from the north. There was a fissure within the sandstone that ran deep into the ground. Crack that apart and half the hillside would tumble down into the narrow gorge, blocking the water's progress in less than a minute.
How long the landslide of rocks and trees and earth could resist the river's insistent waters was another matter.
When it came, the explosion was louder than anything Clark had heard in his life, still ringing in his ears long after the dust had settled. Afterwards, the lance corporal ventured forward to see the results of his work. He soon smiled with satisfaction.
Half the northern slope had displaced itself into the valley,