Doctor Who_ War Games - Malcolm Hulke [44]
‘Idiot! This one we must save. I think you English have little sense of the discipline, no?’
*
‘I tell you, it’s a clear pattern.’ The Security Chief stood before a row of ‘malfunction’ lights. ‘Attacks in every time zone.’ He addressed his remarks to the War Lord, War Chief, and the Doctor.
‘You have sent guards to deal with every attack on our communications units?’ asked the War Chief.
‘Of course!’
‘So you have left our base open to a mass attack?’ The War Chief smiled at the Security Chief’s expense.
‘Yes, but...’ The Security Chief turned to the War Lord.
‘It’s all happened so quickly. What else could I do?’ A thought crossed his mind. ‘Anyway, if there is to be a mass attack I know where it will come from. The American Civil War Zone. The communication was activated there by someone, but was not destroyed.’
‘Knowing where an attack may come from,’ said the War Lord, ‘is militarily helpful. But how do you propose to deal with it if you have scattered guards all over the time zones?’
‘That’s very simple.’ Before explaining, the Security Chief shot a glance at the Doctor. ‘Why is he privy to our discussion? He’s a prisoner. He should be locked up, or even better—dead.’
‘I believe he is going to help us,’ said the War Chief.
‘What is this simple way whereby we can defend the main base?’
‘The neutron bomb.’
‘You’ll wipe out every living thing,’ said the War Chief.
‘Have you gone mad?’
‘The war games are over. Your experiment has been a total failure.’
‘Because of your failure to provide proper security,’ the War Chief retorted.
‘This stupid rivalry must cease,’ said the War Lord angrily. ‘There is a way to crush the resistance once and for all.’ He looked at the Doctor. ‘If you really want to join us, this will be an opportunity for you to prove your new loyalty.’ He paused. ‘You do want to join us, don’t you?’
‘Do I have any option?’ asked the Doctor.
‘Of course you have,’ replied the War Lord. ‘I am not one to force a man to do something against his nature. If you prefer to remain our enemy I shall simply kill you.’
Lieutenant Carstairs, Sergeant Russell, Zoe and Jamie, and all the resistance leaders they had managed to find, came into the barn.
‘Salud,’ said Arturo Villar by way of welcome. He flicked ash from his cheroot onto the body of the officer from the 3rd South Carolina Regiment. ‘Now we are all together,’ he said. ‘What a target we make, huh?’
‘It’s the plan,’ Jamie reminded him. ‘How many men have you got outside?’
‘Plenty men,’ said Villar. ‘You all got plenty men?’
‘Twenty-five cossacks awaiting my command,’
announced Boris Ivanovich Petrovich of the House of Trebetskoy.
‘I do not disclose to anyone the size of my force,’ said a 1917 German officer in perfect English. ‘But it is considerable.’
‘Altogether we’ve got some hundreds of resistance soldiers waiting in the woods,’ said Carstairs. ‘The sooner we get one of those boxes to appear, the better. Here goes!’
He raised his revolver, aimed point blank at the video screen, and thumbed back the hammer. To his astonishment the Doctor’s face appeared_ on the screen.
‘Don’t shoot,’ said Zoe. ‘He must know we’re here and wants to speak to us.’
‘But if he’s a prisoner...’ Carstairs lowered his gun.
‘Dashed if I can understand it.’
‘Zoe?’ said the Doctor. ‘Jamie? Are you there in the barn?’
‘Yes, Doctor,’ said jamie. ‘Have you escaped?’
The Doctor spoke quietly. ‘I have managed to gain control of their transportation system. Is Sergeant Russell with you?’
‘Right here,’ said Russell.
‘All the resistance leaders are with us,’ Zoe explained.
‘We’ve got an army here, Doctor. Can you send us one of those machines to get us to the base?’
‘Yes, I can.’ They saw the Doctor glance over his shoulder, as though expecting to be interrupted