Doctor Who_ The Devil Goblins From Neptune - Keith Topping [40]
'They're out,' she said simply. 'They're out and there's nothing you can do to stop them. They're going to kill you all'
'Who?' asked a terrified Chris.
Fay turned to him, her eyes as black as the pits of hell.
Screaming laughter bubbled from the back of her throat.
'They're everywhere'
'Who are, Fay?'
'The devil goblins from Neptune,' she answered.
PART 3:
I, SPY
CHAPTER 8
Liz stepped down on to the tarmac, nervously pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders. A harsh wind ripped across the runway and surrounding flat grassland. The few buildings that dotted the airfield were indistinct against the watery sky and dimly glowing sun.
Liz turned to see the Doctor joining her under the belly of the Antonov An-26 tactical transport that had brought them to East Germany. She raised her voice against the whining turboprops. 'Not quite what I had in mind when the Brigadier told me to pack for a trip across Europe.'
The Doctor smiled. 'We're not here for the sightseeing, Liz.' He surveyed their surroundings. 'And that's probably just as well'
The airfield seemed almost entirely deserted, the buildings dilapidated and crumbling. Even the tarmac of the runway was cracked, tufts of grass poking up in search of the weak sunlight. There was only one other plane, an enormous Tupolev Tu-126 in silver and red-starred PVO Strany livery.
On the back of the plane, between the sweeping wings and the tail section, towered the enormous rotating saucer shape that housed the radar. The four engines were coughing into life, the eight-bladed contraprops whirling.
'Impressive, no?' Captain Shuskin came alongside them, watching the mechanics making the final pre-flight checks.
'I've never seen one up close,' said the Doctor.
'The basic design dates back almost twenty years. The wingspan of this AWACS version is over fifty metres.'
The Doctor nodded. 'The Soviet Union has never lacked firepower and technology. It makes the disappearance of the soldiers in Siberia all the more disturbing.'
Shuskin nodded. 'Come, let us board.
They walked across to the other runway in silence. The wind, even stronger away from the protection offered by the first aircraft, whistled shrilly despite the bassy drone of the Tupolev's engines.
The Doctor helped Liz up the steps of the plane. One end of the cavernous interior was given over to rows of radar screens and communication equipment; the other had been hastily filled with seats and a projector and now resembled a miniature lecture theatre.
Shuskin indicated that the Doctor and Liz should sit, which they did, grateful to be out of the cold. One or two of the chairs were already occupied.' Shuskin made no attempt to introduce the men, and neither did they seek eye contact with the new arrivals.
The huge door slammed shut. A calm Russian voice crackled over the intercom, and then the engines began screaming. It was clear that the plane was taxiing into position.
Liz turned to the Doctor. 'Shouldn't we strap in or something?' The Doctor shook his head. 'Don't worry, the take-off will be quite smooth'
There were few windows in the plane, and it was difficult to tell at what point the massive craft finally lumbered into the air, but a few minutes later the interior lights dimmed still further and the briefing session began. The slide projector hummed gently, and Shuskin began to speak.
'In early March of this year our spy satellites uncovered evidence of what appeared to be a massive mining complex in Siberia.'
The screen glowed to show the garish colours of an artificially enhanced photograph. Twisting blue rivers arced around a region of green, like the outline of hands holding a precious jewel. Right in the centre was a rust-coloured circle, surrounded by tiny ruler-straight lines of black, like a spider's web of fracture marks.
'This uninhabited region is just to the north of the Central Siberian Plateau,