Doctor Who_ The Green Death - Malcolm Hulke [9]
He raced past beds of beautiful blue flowers that turned their gorgeous heads and spat stinging venom. Once more he heard the pounding of hooves, and turned to see at least a hundred blue unicorns charging towards him down a hill. From above came the flapping of the blue eagle’s great wings—it had flown over the forest and was now swooping down with talons outstretched to tear at the Doctor’s head. A violent streak of blue lightning suddenly raced across the sky, followed instantly by torrential blue rain.
All at once the ground beneath the Doctor’s feet turned into wet blue slushy mud. Each step now was a great effort. However, the rain and mud did not slow down the blue unicorns. The leaders of the herd were racing against each other to be the first to drive their ugly twisted horns through the Doctor’s body. Above, the eagle made more determined efforts to grab the Doctor, and a sharp talon split open his soaking wet jacket at the shoulder.
As the Doctor approached the TARDIS he saw squirming blue snakes writhing in the mud around the entrance. Hoping for the best, he took out his key, held it firmly in his hand, and charged straight at the door, aiming the key so that it would go into the lock without fumbling. The key slid in, he turned it, pushed the door open, and fell into the safety of the TARDIS, slamming the door behind him.
‘So much for holidays on Metebelis Three,’ he groaned, panting for breath, his clothes wringing wet. ‘Next time I’ll try Blackpool.’
A few moments later the TARDIS re-materialised in the Doctor’s laboratory at UNIT Headquarters. The door opened and the Doctor tumbled out, his clothes still wet through. He sneezed violently. The telephone started to ring. He lifted the phone.
‘Hello?’
‘Ah, there you are, Doctor.’ It was the Brigadier’s voice. ‘I’m speaking from Llanfairfach. Miss Grant told me that you might be coming down here after all. I’d like you to use the UNIT chopper and get here as quickly as possible.’
‘Are there any unicorns there?’ said the Doctor. He sneezed again.
The Brigadier laughed. ‘I very much doubt it. Is that some little joke of yours, Doctor?’
‘I’m not joking,’ said the Doctor. ‘What about eagles?’
‘Not in Wales,’ replied the Brigadier.
‘What are the flowers like?’
There was a note of reprimand in the Brigadier’s voice. ‘Doctor, the business at hand here is serious. But if you must know about the local flora, I did notice a few wild daffodils.’
‘Good,’ said the Doctor. ‘Then I’ll be there straight away!’
4 Into the Mine
The Brigadier replaced Dr Stevens’s slimline telephone. ‘Well, that’s a start. The Doctor is on his way.’
‘The Doctor?’ asked Mark Elgin.
‘My “scientific chappie”, as you call him,’ said the Brigadier.
‘What was all that about daffodils?’ asked Dr Stevens.
‘The Doctor’s a bit of a botanist,’ said the Brigadier, lying quickly to cover his embarrassment. ‘Now, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll take a look at that mine.’
‘As I understand it, Brigadier,’ said Dr Stevens, rising from his chair, ‘your purpose here is to protect the interests of Panorama Chemicals?’
‘And so it is,’ agreed the Brigadier. ‘There’ll be no rabble breaking in to destroy your plant while UNIT’s here. But I think it is also important for me to know more about that mine. So, if you’ll excuse me... ‘ He smiled and made for the door.
‘Of course,’ said Dr Stevens. ‘Mark, show the Brigadier out.’
Elgin opened the door. ‘This way, sir.’
‘Thank you.’
Dr Stevens watched them leave his office. Then he pressed a button on the inter-communication unit on his desk. ‘Send in Hinks at once,’ he said towards the built-in microphone.
While he waited for Hinks to arrive he stood at the window and looked out towards the mountains. Years ago he had enjoyed climbing mountains. But now his family had all deserted him, leaving a gap in his life that could only be filled by work. He was delighted when he was invited to become Director of the main British plant of Panorama Chemicals because he realised this was a job of such size and complexity