Doctor Who_ Last of the Gaderene - Mark Gatiss [54]
Max shook his head. ‘I think it’ll be good,’ he grinned inanely.
Darnell looked him up and down. ‘Yes, quite.’
One of the great, lumbering Legion lorries pulled up at the side of the green with a hiss of brakes.
‘Ah,’ said Darnell as ten black-uniformed, black-sunglassed men clambered from the back of the lorry. ‘Here they are.’
The Doctor looked around Bliss’s office with something like disdain.
‘Hmm,’ he sniffed. ‘Minimal, isn’t it?’
‘It suits my purposes,’ said Bliss evenly. ‘My name is Bliss,’ she purred, her nose twitching from side to side as though irritated by a particularly nasty odour. ‘I gather you are from...’ She glanced down at the passes, ‘...UNIT.’
‘That’s right, ma’am,’ said the Brigadier crisply.
‘Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. This is Miss Grant and the Doctor.’
Bliss looked at the Doctor with interest. ‘I am not familiar with the organisation.’ The Doctor turned from his examination of the whirling computer spools.
‘Oh you know. It’s one of those dreadful quangos they have so many of these days. United Nations sponsored thing.
We poke our noses in, have a look around.’
Bliss’s smile widened. ‘And today you’ve decided to poke around here?’
‘Precisely.’ The Doctor flashed her a winning smile.
‘Why?’ said Bliss.
The Brigadier shot a look at the Doctor as though the simple question had flummoxed him. ‘Well... we... er...’ he stammered.
‘You’re a new facility,’ said Jo with confidence. ‘On former Ministry of Defence property. It’s standard procedure for UNIT to check how things are going.’
The Doctor nodded appreciatively at Jo.
Bliss looked Jo up and down, her black eyes liquid and inquisitive. ‘I thought we’d been through all that when we...
purchased the property.’
The Doctor thrust his hands into the pockets of his smoking jacket. ‘You know the British, madam. Everything in triplicate.’
Bliss nodded. ‘I see.’
The Doctor cocked his head to one side. ‘Bliss. That’s a lovely name. Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘We...’ Bliss blinked twice, slowly. ‘I... I’m originally from South Africa?
The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Really? Beautiful country isn’t it? Where exactly are you from? The Transvaal?’
Bliss nodded impatiently. ‘Yes.’
‘I’ve always meant to go back to Johannesburg. You must be very proud of your capital.’
Bliss’s dark eyes narrowed. ‘Indeed we are, Doctor. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m rather busy.’
She turned to the Brigadier. ‘I’ll arrange for you to see everything. A full tour. You’ll have to forgive the mess. We’re eager to get going.’
‘Yes,’ persisted the Doctor. ‘You’ve been very busy haven’t you? A lot of traffic. Especially at night.’
Bliss smoothed down her blouse. ‘As I say, we’re keen to get Legion International up and running.’
The Doctor gazed levelly at her. ‘And what about Culverton?’
‘I don’t follow you.’
Are you sure you have the village’s best interests at heart?’
said the Doctor coolly.
Bliss spread her hands. ‘Naturally.’
‘And does your philanthropy extend to threatening people... or frightening young men half to death?’
Bliss didn’t react. The Doctor looked deep into her eyes.
There was scarcely any white in them, just the huge, dark pupils.
‘Order must be maintained,’ said Bliss, smiling and showing her tiny white teeth.
The Doctor gave a low chuckle. ‘Sounds wonderful. A rosy future for Culverton. A state of bliss, you might say.’
The Brigadier cleared his throat and tapped his watch. The Doctor nodded. Bliss swung round.
‘You’re right. We must be getting on. You people don’t have much time left.’ She smiled her wide smile. ‘Do you?’
Whistler straightened up and made boldly for the perimeter fence. Far better to act as though he belonged here than skulk around waiting to be captured. He tried to stay light on his feet, conscious of the crisp ring his shoes made on the tarmac.
There was no sign that he had been spotted. All he had to do now was find the hole that he and Noah had made in the fence.
A hundred yards away