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McBride stared at Mullen in panic. The chief inspector was obviously racking his brains for some reason why they had to leave immediately. They could see the big, black police car outside the door for God's sake!

'Excuse me.' The Doctor had slipped in between the two men, pushing the soldier's gun out of the way. He stared up at the hulking guard, his eyes twinkling. 'I really don't think that you need to get any authorisation,' The Doctor's voice was soothing, musical. 'The chief inspector has all the authority he needs: he's an officer of the Crown.' The soldier's eyes were beginning to glaze over. McBride could feel his own eyes going. He shook his head violently, trying to concentrate. He glanced over at the other guard. He, too, was being drawn in by the Doctor's calming tones.

'Surely the two of you are going to be far busier with getting everyone into the shelters... There is an air raid on, after all.'

McBride frowned. No there wasn't. He was just about to open his mouth when the drone of the first siren cut through the foyer of the building.

Suddenly, there was pandemonium. People rushed all around them, and the two guards raced off, trying to keep everybody in some form of order. The Doctor smiled at his two companions. McBride grinned back.

Mullen shook his head. 'You've the luck of the Devil himself. How the hell did you know that there was going to be a raid just then?'

The Doctor tapped the side of his nose. 'Come on, Inspector, your chariot awaits'

The three of them pushed out through the double doors and raced across the car park to the big Rover. McBride winced at the freezing rain. He'd been cooped up inside for too long. He pulled his trench coat tight around him and bundled himself into the back of the car. The Doctor hopped into the driver's side, looking far too small in the worn, leather seat. Mullen tossed him the keys and they roared off into the night.

The Doctor had been on the main road less than a few seconds, when he turned into a small side road, hurling the car around the corner. Mullen looked apprehensively at the speedometer, but said nothing. He clung on to his seat as the Doctor threw the car into a series of tight turns.

'Well then, Doctor, now that I've sprung you from the clutches of Major Lazonby, where exactly are we going?'

The Doctor was peering through the rainsplattered windscreen, his face a mask of concentration, struggling to see over the dashboard of the police car as it raced through the East End. He sped around another corner.

'You, Inspector, are going to go with Mr McBride, round up whatever forces you can muster, and raid the Peddler factory.'

'What?'

'Without doubt the Cybermen will be setting up another processing station. Their forces are weak. They'll be looking to strengthen them. If George Limb is working with Major Lazonby he'll undoubtedly have engineered a truce with Wall.

Which means the Cybermen now have access to the resources of the Peddler factory.'

'And how the Devil do you expect us to get in? Walk up and knock on the front door?'

'You're a policeman conducting a murder inquiry. Get a warrant!'

That's going to be damn near impossible, Doctor. I'm going to '

'I don't care what you have to do! The atrocities that are taking place in the Peddler factory have to be stopped now!'

There was a deathly silence in the speeding vehicle as the two men stared at each other. McBride drew in a sharp breath as a building loomed out of the night. The Doctor snatched his eyes back to the road and the tyres on the Rover squealed on the wet tarmac as he wrenched the wheel round and brought the car skidding to a halt.

They were outside Mullen's police station.

'I'll meet you both outside the Peddler factory in half an hour.'

McBride let out his breath. 'Where are you going, Doc?'

The Doctor was grimfaced. 'To George Limb's house.'

CHAPTER 18

The big Rover pulled up outside the terraced house in Belsize Park and the Doctor clambered out of the driver's seat. The street