Doctor Who_ War Games - Malcolm Hulke [18]
Zoe and Jamie appeared, behind them a soldier. Lücke waved the soldier away. ‘Young woman, where did you meet this man?’
Zoe looked at the Doctor.
‘I have told the whole truth, Zoe. You do the same:’
‘We met in a space station,’ she said.
‘Really?’ Obviously Lücke thought it was all nonsense.
‘And you, Scotlander, where did you meet this man?’
‘In Scotland.’
‘When?’
‘In 1745. We were fighting the English.’
Lücke seemed about to explode. ‘This ambulance,’ he shouted at the Doctor, ‘it was going to a hospital or a lunatic asylum?’
The Doctor felt in his pockets and produced his sonic screwdriver. ‘Where can I find a screw?’ The crude table had been nailed together as had the simple wooden bed.
‘What are you talking about?’ Lücke demanded, losing his patience.
‘I want to give you proof that I am not of this planet, nor of this time.’ The Doctor noticed the gun. ‘Ah, this will do nicely.’
Lücke’s hand closed more firmly over the gun lying on the table, but the butt remained protruding. ‘Don’t you try to take my gun!’
‘I have no such intention. But watch this.’ The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver a couple of millimetres above one of the screws in the gun’s butt. The screw began to turn and rise up on its own.
‘You’re using magnetism,’ said Lücke, though the Doctor guessed he was curious and impressed.
‘No, sir. I wasn’t even turning the screwdriver. Now I’ll make the screw go back.’
The screw wound itself back into the butt.
‘But you did not touch the screw,’ Lucke said. ‘This is fantastic—’
‘ Leutnant Lücke! ’ A monocled German major had entered the dug-out.
Lücke sprang to attention. ‘Major von Weich!’
Major von Weich looked at the three strangers. ‘ Wer Sind these Leute? Was ist hier los? ’ His voice was cold and menacing. (’Who are these people? What is going on here?’)
Lücke remained at attention. ‘ Das sie die englischen Zivilisten. ’ (‘These are the English civilians.’) Von Weich looked at the Doctor. ‘What are you doing here? Where do you come from?’
Lücke answered for the Doctor. ‘ Er hat mir gesagt, dass er aus einem anderen Zeitalter in etwas namens TARDIS kommt. ’
‘Time travellers?’ said Major von Weich. ‘In something named TARDIS?’
The Doctor began to say, ‘I know this is difficult to believe...’
But Major von Weich was not listening. He had turned back to Leutnant Lücke and had fixed him with a steady stare. ‘ Es sind englische Spione. Wir miissen sie festhalten. Ich werde mit dem General darüber sprechen. ’ (‘They are English spies. We must hold them. I shall go and speak with the General.’)
Lücke responded in a trance-like state. ‘ Jawohl, Major von Weich. Es sind englische Spione. ’
Von Weich stepped out of the dug-out. Jamie couldn’t contain himself. ‘They’re talking to each other just like those two officers were before our court martial! ‘
‘Listen,’ the Doctor implored. ‘We are not spies. We are from another time.’
‘You are spies,’ said Leutnant Lucke icily. ‘In accordance with the rules of war, which Germany strictly observes, you will be shot!’
In another dug-out a few metres further along the trench, Major von Weich stood before a framed photograph of Kaiser Wilhelm, Emperor of Germany. He slid aside the photograph to reveal a telecommunications unit. He activated the ‘on’ control and waited for the video screen to come to life before speaking.
‘Von Weich, 1917 German Front Line to Central Control. We have captured the three people who escaped from the British sector. I await instructions.’
The face of General Smythe looked at him from the screen. ‘Kill them immediately, please.’
5
The War Room
‘Before that major came in,’ Zoe said indignantly, ‘you were ready to believe us.’
‘He hypnotised you,’ Jamie said. ‘That’s what they call it.’
‘Don’t you remember my special screwdriver?’ asked the Doctor.
Lücke was struggling, obviously confused. ‘Please, don’t all talk at once.’ He waited for