Doctor Who_ War Games - Malcolm Hulke [30]
‘Be careful,’ Jamie warned. ‘There could be hundreds of them in there.’
The soldiers took no heed. To them the sidrat looked only large enough to carry two people—and both lay dead on the barn floor. Cautiously they moved forward to inspect the mysterious black box.
‘ Le noir,’ said the French soldier, looking at the Negro’s body, ‘’e is dead but no mark.’
Sergeant Russell picked up one of the stun-guns. ‘A gun without bullets,’ he said, finding no hole at the end of the snout.
‘This thing,’ said Jamie, indicating the sidrat, ‘we’ve got to get into it before the door closes. It’ll take us to the place where all the trouble starts from.’
‘I quite agree,’ said Lady Jennifer. ‘We must take the battle into the enemy’s camp.’ She stood by the open door, ready to step into the sidrat.
The sergeant smiled. ‘I admire your courage, ma’am, but ladies don’t fight.’
‘Why not? I believe in votes for women, so why shouldn’t we fight if necessary?’
‘Because,’ he said, trying to think of a reason, ‘because you’re a nurse. In our camp we have plenty of wounded men. You’re more use to them alive than dead.’
‘I don’t know the way to your camp,’ she protested.
He pointed to the Chinese soldier. ‘He’ll take you.’ He looked at her appealingly. ‘Some of our boys are badly hurt, ma’am. They need you.’
‘Yes, but...’
‘He’s right,’ said Jamie. ‘England will be proud of you, Lady Jennifer.’ Inwardly he bit his lip. As a 1745
Highlander his enemy was England.
‘All right,’ she agreed. ‘I hope we meet again, Jamie.’
‘Vot about him?’ The German soldier aimed his rifle at von Weich.
‘He comes with us,’ said Jamie. ‘He could be useful making this thing work.’
‘On your feet, the sergeant shouted at von Weich. ‘Over here.’
Von Weich obeyed the command submissively.
‘He’s being too good to be true,’ Jamie warned. ‘We’ll have to watch him. Let’s get into this thing before the door closes.’
He led the way, followed by the Frenchman and the German and the two British soldiers from the Boer War.
The door closed the moment they were inside and the barn filled with the sound of the sidrat dematerialising.
The Doctor’s luck had held very well. With Zoe and Lieutenant Carstairs he had retraced his steps to the sidrat bay. No sidrats were present when the trio arrived.
‘What is this place?’ Carstairs asked.
‘Machines like the TARDIS arrive here,’ Zoe explained.
‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘I see.’ He did not understand at all.
But now his mind was overflowing with technical innovations that were beyond him.
‘We should wait here,’ said the Doctor. ‘One of these boxes will materialise and we shall all get into it. Then we can get back to the time zones.’ He had found a suitable vantage point where they were not too obvious but could see the bay.
A loud ding rang through the metal corridors. Carstairs said, ‘They’ve found the man we tied up.’ ‘Or the guard you knocked out,’ added Zoe.
A troop of silver-uniformed guards came running down a corridor, carrying stun-guns. Carstairs reached for his revolver.
‘Wait,’ said the Doctor. The guards had seen them but kept running. ‘They’re not for us, I think.’
The guards stopped within hearing. A senior guard addressed the others. ‘A sidrat’s coming in. It hasn’t given the correct signal. Pirates may be aboard. Take up positions.’
While the Doctor watched helplessly, the guards ran to positions of hiding.
‘Pirates?’ said Zoe. ‘But how?’
‘I don’t know, Zoe,’ said the Doctor. ‘I only hope...’
His words were drowned by the materialisation sound.
A black box appeared in the bay and the sound stopped.
‘By jingo,’ said Carstairs. ‘That’s jolly clever.’
‘Shhh,