Doctor Who_ Illegal Alien - Mike Tucker [83]
The footsteps stopped outside the cell of her invisible companion. 'Quickly,' Ace shouted. 'Tell me your name.' For some reason she had to know. 'What...' 'Your name!' They were opening his door. They were inside the room. 'Napley.
Sid Napley.' 'I'm Ace.' she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. I'm Ace!' 'Ace...' the dreamy voice came again. 'I like that. Goodbye...' She heard the door slam. She heard dragging sounds from outside. The chink of metal buckles, the slap of leather straps. She tried to curl herself into a ball, eyes shut tight, teeth clenched, covering her ears, choking on sobs.
CHAPTER 20
The Doctor, Mullen, and McBride huddled at the top of the stairwell, listening for sounds of Cybermen on the floor below.
Mullen was pale and sweating and McBride was still catching his breath. Only the Doctor seemed calm. He was kneeling on the floor tweaking at controls on the ghetto blaster, the head of the Cyberleader lying beside him.
When the Cybermen had appeared McBride had thought that it was all over, but the Doctor had wrenched a control on his box of tricks and a deafening, electronic screech had filled the corridor. The Cybermen had staggered, disorientated and, in that moment, the three of them had managed to vanish into the gloom of the factory.
Now they were playing a dangerous game of hide and seek in the darkened corridors, the Cybermen tearing the building apart trying to find them, spurred on by the raging Wall. They were beginning to run out of hiding places; McBride was beginning to run out of patience.
Are we just going to sit here until they catch us? If the Cybermen don't get us then those... metal rats will.'
The Doctor shook his head. 'I've set up a jamming field that disguises our biorhythms. We can't be detected by their scanners. We just have to avoid being seen.'
A Cyberman appeared at the foot of the stairs, the light from its head sweeping the corridor. The trio ducked back into the shadows. The Cyberman moved off and Mullen let out a sigh of relief.
'What we need is a bomb to finish the blessed things off.'
said Mullen.
The Doctor stared at him. Mullen shuffled uncomfortably.
'What did I say?'
'Chief Inspector, you're a genius.'
'What are you on about, Doc?' McBride hissed. 'Where the hell are we going to get a bomb?'
The Doctor raised a finger and pointed upward. McBride looked up, puzzled, then, as the distant sound of ackack fire and explosions reached him, he suddenly realised what the Doctor had in mind.
'Oh, no...' The Doctor was a frenzy of activity. He pulled his hat out of his pocket and jammed it on to his head. He tapped maniacally at controls on the ghetto blaster. 'Now, listen to me, both of you. I'm going to set this to give out another disruptive burst. As soon as it goes off, run. Head for the ground floor and start switching on the lights and pulling all the blackout curtains down. As soon as the Germans see this place lit up, it'll make an irresistible target. If any of you see any Cybermen, smash whatever window you're at and get out, head for the police box by Southwark Power Station.'
Mullen scratched his head. 'But there isn't a police box by '
The Doctor shushed him. 'Trust me, Inspector.' He looked at them both, steelyeyed. 'Now, when I say run, run.' He pressed the button on the ghetto blaster. 'Run!'
McBride had never run so fast in his life As the electronic screech filled the factory he had bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Huge figures filled the corridor, reeling drunkenly. McBride dodged past them. Typical he got the corridor with the Cybermen in it.
He sprinted around a corner into a corridor lined with windows, all of them draped with thick, black curtains. He found the light switch, snapped it on and began tearing at the heavy cloth. Outside, in the night sky, he could see searchlights and hear the drone of bombers.
Russian roulette with Hitler.
'I hope you know what you're doing, Doc.'
It took him several minutes to clear all of the windows.
He got to the far end of the corridor