Doctor Who_ The Dying Days - Lance Parkin [77]
'Politicians often promised jam tomorrow if only we'd make sacrifices today. The time has come, if you'll pardon the expression, to feast on Martian jam. I am pleased to announce that thanks to the savings that the simplification of government al ows, my first act as Prime Minister is to cut both VAT and income tax by five percent. We shal be building new factories in the depressed areas of the North East and Wales, with many more to come. We were promised a more prosperous future - well, it's 1997 and high time that we had the future. Welcome to the prosperous today. Thank you.'
The director was beaming. 'Excellent, Lord Greyhaven, excellent.'
Edward stood, unclipping the mike and tucking his speech back into his Wallace and Gromit ringbinder. 'That should calm things down a bit.'
'And we're real y cutting income tax?'
'That was Xznaal's suggestion, yes.'
'But how do we balance public spending and all that sort of thing?' Staines asked, unafraid to hide his past life as a junior treasury spokesman.
'Xznaal said that he could. He says he also knows ways to reduce pol ution and unemployment, traffic congestion and global warming.'
'Crikey. I suppose as well as al those spaceships and holograms and other gadgets, the Martians have also had millions of years to perfect chartered accountancy.'
Greyhaven smiled forgivingly. 'That must be it. What is the state of the nation, Staines?'
71
'Things are a little more subdued than we thought, Teddy. Problems at the ports, of course, but they are logistical ones: thousands of people with nowhere to go. We've promised full compensation to holidaymakers and tour operators. We'll need to do something about repatriating foreigners.'
'Will you indeed?' Eve asked archly. She hadn't known the Home Secretary long, but already had a well-developed sense of hostility towards him.
'Only if they want to go, Eve,' Edward said hurriedly, brushing her cheek with his hand. 'David, I'll need to talk to you later about tracking down the Doctor and Christian - one o'clock?'
The Home Secretary nodded.
'The Doctor?' Eve said. 'Mid-thirties, dresses like he's read too much Dickens?'
Greyhaven turned to her. 'The very fellow.'
'I saw him at the Space Museum, he thought he recognised me. I'll keep an eye out for him. So what's on your agenda, then?' Eve asked.
'I am in meetings with Lord Xznaal for much of the rest of the day, that's why I'm recording my message now.'
'So I won't be seeing much of you?'
He brushed her cheek. 'I promised you the first American interview with the new Prime Minister.'
'You know that everyone wants to see Xznaal, too. Where's the meeting, Downing Street?'
'The Tower of London. Xznaal has taken a shine to it and so the Martians wil be based there. We've called in some refrigeration engineers to adjust the climate for them. A simple process, apparently, and the Tower will be fully converted in three days.'
'Mars is a cold world,' Staines informed her.
'Yes,' she said, trying to match its coolness. She turned to Edward. 'Any chance of a talk to Xznaal?'
'I think that might be counterproductive for the moment. If Staines' reaction is typical then the public might react unfavourably towards our new allies. Let's just wait until things have settled down a little bit.'
Greyhaven had described the Martians as large reptilian creatures. They sounded quite palatable - fifty years of science fiction B-movies and corny TV series had prepared the way. They might look a bit like Klingons, but they didn't act like them - Klingons didn't help cut tax and set up trade agreements.
'I think you might be right - but people want to know all about them. What about their history and their culture?
Never mind al that fuss about the Martian fossil last year. Everyone said that that was the greatest scientific discovery of the century. Guess that'll teach people to wait until the end of the century next time.'
'This