Doctor Who_ The Devil Goblins From Neptune - Keith Topping [68]
'I want to see it first,' said Decker angrily.
Tut it's Top Secret. Level Seven security. We're not supposed to -'
'I don't care. I've spent the last four hours trying to get into this goddamn file, and if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna know what it says.'
Decker began to scroll down the document. The first twenty or so pages contained detailed eye-witness statements regarding various alien incidents, from the initial setting up of the organisation in the aftermath of the robot Yeti attack, through to recent events, like the Inferno project.
Only a fraction of this information was public knowledge - if this were to fall into the wrong hands...
'What the hell is this doing here?' asked Arthurs, reading a report from a Captain Turner on the Cyber invasion of London in the spring of 1969.
'This is amazing,' said Decker. 'I mean, you could sell this to the newspapers and make a million bucks'
'Don't even think about it,' said Arthurs, leaning over and scrolling down further. He stopped at an insignificant three-line message at the bottom.
THE PROPERTY OF THE CIA. AWAITING COLLECTION.
IF YOU ARE NOT AUTHORISED TO VIEW THIS MESSAGE
YOU HAVE THIRTY MINUTES TO LIVE.
'What the hell does that mean?' asked Decker, not knowing whether to laugh or take the message seriously. As he said it, airtight metal emergency doors began crashing down with resounding clangs all around the access room, entombing the pair.
'I think it means we kiss our sorry asses goodbye,' said Arthurs in resignation.
One by one the lights and the computer terminals flicked off.
PART 5
COME TOGETHER
CHAPTER 14
The Waro swarmed over the Doctor's fallen body, their talons and claws etched with red. The entire attack had taken seconds -even the soldiers hadn't had time to respond - but to Liz it was all in terrible slow motion. She watched, her body as cold as the arctic wind, as more and more of the creatures landed on the Doctor's motionless form. All the while they shrieked like grotesque children. Liz had never heard anything more chilling in her life.
Liz ran forward. She caught sight of a dark, winged figure through the corner of her eye, and ducked just in time. A Waro flew overhead in a blur of claws. Thankfully - from her point of view, at least - most of the creatures were concentrating on the Doctor, a writhing mass from which only a velvet-jacketed arm protruded.
She dived towards the Doctor's outstretched hand. It was holding something tightly, although the fingers, the arm - the whole of his body, as far as she could make out - were motionless. On her hands and knees Liz approached the mass of spitting creatures, and snatched the object from the Doctor's palm.
It was the jamming device.
Liz didn't have time to wonder if it was finished, or whether it would work - she concentrated on switching the thing on, then aimed what she hoped was the business end towards the alien creatures.
Nothing happened. What was worse, some of the creatures het a me aware of her presence, turning their vile, dripping faces m her direction. From all around her there came the sound of gun fire.
Fantastic, she thought. Shoot the Doctor, ;why don't you?
The device seemed not to have had any effect. She glanced down at it. What would the Doctor do in her position?
Hit the thing, probably.
No, Liz wouldn't resort to such unscientific methods. She looked more closely at the device, based on an intercom that the Doctor had ripped from one of the tanks. He'd added all sorts of esoteric components to it, the sonic screwdriver having soldered various incompatible leads and cables together. And then she noticed that some of the wires were still trailing free. But which was supposed to be joined where?
There were two slim yellow wires, a thicker green one, and a brown flex that looked not unlike a telephone cord. Logic dictated that the two yellow ones should be joined together -
but she knew the Doctor too well. It would never be that simple, surely?
No, the answer was to be as obtuse as possible, to connect the