Doctor Who_ Illegal Alien - Mike Tucker [66]
Wilkins gave him a long suffering look. 'No, Colonel Potter, I have not.' He returned to his blanket. Potter sighed.
Wilkins was meant to be his secondincommand, but the man's heart just wasn't in it. He really would have to try to find that little Scotsman, see if he would take over.
Potter put down his tea, pulled on his tin helmet and straightened his jacket. As a uniform it wasn't much but it was all he had, and people always responded better to authority figures if they had a uniform. He pulled a large torch from inside his bag and shone it into the tunnel. It made little impression on the blackness, but he could make out two figures back in the gloom. What the hell were they doing there? They had been told to stick to the platforms and stairwells. He'd heard that people were beginning to sleep in the tunnels over at Aldwych, but he wasn't having any of that nonsense here. He marched down to the end of the platform and called into the darkness.
'You men! What the devil are you doing in the tunnels?'
To his considerable annoyance, the figures didn't reply.
He clambered unsteadily on to the rails, pulling his notebook from his jacket pocket. He'd have to take the names of these two troublemakers. He called out again, in his best paradeground bellow 'Did you hear me? Come here at once!
At the double!'
He grunted in satisfaction as the two figures began to move down the tunnel towards him. He pulled a pencil out and licked the tip. 'Now, I want to take your names and '
The words died in his throat as the two figures lumbered into the light of the station. The huge figures filled the tunnel mouth, glittering as the light from his torchbeam reflected off the strange metal of their suits. Behind him he could hear screams and shouts as other people on the platform caught sight of the monsters. He began to back away, stumbling over the tracks as one of the creatures towered over him.
'What the devil are you?'
The silver giant reached down and caught hold of Potter's jacket, hoisting him into the air like a rag doll. Potter could see himself, pale and quivering in the polished silver face of the giant. A metal flap dropped away from behind the slitlike mouth and Potter retched as a wave of fetid air, like sour milk, washed over him. A mechanical hum started deep in the chest of the monster and Potter realised it was speaking. The harsh mechanical voice wavered and oscillated. 'WE ARE CYBERMEN>'
'What do you want with us?' Potter whispered. The reply made his blood run cold.
'YOU BELONG TO US>' 'YOU WILL BE LIKE US>'
McBride sat on one of the chairs watching as the Doctor paced round and round the room. It was making him dizzy.
The sound of a key in the lock again brought McBride scrambling out of his chair. 'So soon? I thought we were meant to get a hearty meal, a last cigarette or something.'
'Whatever his personal feelings towards us, Major Lazonby is liable to do everything by the book if nothing else, we can rely on that. There will be a full military trial to humiliate us before the firing squad start polishing their rifles.
Oh, and I suspect that we'll be shot at dawn, not in the evening.'
McBride went pale. 'No, I rather think that this is our knight in shining big brown overcoat.' The door opened and Mullen stepped into the room. McBride let out a sigh of relief.
'Never thought I'd be glad to see you.' The Doctor beamed.
'Chief Inspector, what a pleasant surprise.' The big Irishman's face was grave. 'Don't thank me yet. The two of you are up to your necks in it. It's taken a good deal of favourpuffing at a very high level just to get me in here.' He sat down, pulling a pack of cigarettes from inside his coat. He took one and offered the packet to the Doctor, who shook his head impatiently. McBride took one gratefully, and Mullen lit it.
The chief inspector leaned back in his chair, lighting his own cigarette. 'Lazonby is convinced that the two of you are spies, and he's a very influential young man. The only reason that you aren't in a military court right now is that he's too busy with