Doctor Who_ The Dying Days - Lance Parkin [73]
'It also means that we are trapped down here.'
Powerful lights snapped on, twin beams fixing them from the other side of the low-vaulted car park.
'Oh, I wouldn't say that, Mrs Summerfield,' a familiar voice cal ed.
Benny squinted past the source of the sound. The Brigadier was sitting in the driver's seat of Bessie. The light came from the car's headlamps.
They hurried over. 'They wouldn't let me go with the assault team, so I stayed down here. This level was designed to withstand a nuclear blast - judging by the tactics of that space rocket the gunnery officer doesn't even know we have a basement.'
'He's covered us with tonnes of rubble, but that just means we're even better shielded,' the Doctor informed her with a grin.
'And buried in,' Benny repeated.
It was the Brigadier's turn to smile. 'Mrs Summerfield, when we built this place twenty-five years ago, we didn't forget to build a door. There's a way down to the Northern Line so wide you can drive a tank through it.'
He glanced over at the pair of Chieftains lurking in the corner, then back at the Doctor.
'In the circumstances, I think that Bessie here might be a better choice. We need speed. '
'Where's everyone else?' the Doctor asked him.
'Those not involved with the assault moved out: they've gone to safe houses. Bambera is heading for Windsor with her staff.'
The Doctor was puzzled. 'They left you behind?'
'I stayed,' the Brigadier said simply. 'For you.'
'But the risk -'
'Doctor, Bambera might not realise it, but you are the only person on this planet that can stop those things. That makes you our most valuable asset. And, of course, you're a friend. The enemy have secured the capital. There’s nothing more that we can do here for the moment. Let's get out of London, to safety and you can work out how to stop this without any more loss of life.'
68
C
hapter Nine
Our Friends From Mars
Wednesday, May 7th 1997
The exact sequence of events of the previous night was still confusing, and the newsrooms were still assimilating what had happened.
Lord Greyhaven and the Home Secretary had gone aboard the Martian ship. Some unconfirmed reports suggested that another two people, a man and a woman, had also been taken aboard. It was around then the attack on the Martian ship had taken place. A group of soldiers had opened fire with mortars, some of these had fallen short and caused panic in the crowd. Al this time the Martian ship had remained immobile, and apparently it hadn't been damaged in the attack. Later, a statement from the Ministry of Defence said that the soldiers firing on the ship had been acting against direct orders, and had not been part of the force sent to the Square to contain the crowd.
Supporting this official line, the main body of soldiers moved in on those firing at the ship. Some civilians - reports varied, but probably only a handful - were caught in the crossfire. This had caused a stampede, limited looting and a couple of power failures. The rebel soldiers had commandeered an assault helicopter. When it was sent against the Martian vessel, it was finally provoked into opening fire. Some sort of energy ray destroyed the helicopter that had locked on to the alien craft, and then the Martian moved a little way into Whitehall to demolish an office building with the same weapon. The soldiers had commandeered the office block to launch their attack on the Martians.
Within half an hour, the spacecraft had returned to its position. The fighting was already over by ten o'clock and the third Martian Proclamation:
'PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. YOUR ASTRONAUTS COMMITTED A TERRIBLE CRIME, THROUGH
THEIR IGNORANCE. THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE WAY OUR RACES FIRST MEET. LET US PUT TODAY
BEHIND US, AND WORK TOGETHER. WE HAVE MUCH TO OFFER ONE ANOTHER. YOUR FELLOW
HUMAN CLANS ABANDONED YOU, YET YOU FOUGHT FOR YOUR BELIEFS. THIS WE RESPECT. WE
HAVE TALKED TO YOUR LORD GREYHAVEN, HE IS A BRAVE, BOLD MAN. LET US LIVE IN PEACE, PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM AND OF MARS. '
Tensions on the