Doctor Who: The Invasion by Ian Marter Read Free Book Online Page A

Vaughn.'
    Vaughn nodded. 'Two young ladies.'
    'You see,' Jamie exploded. 'He admits they're here.'
    Vaughn shook his head regretfully. 'Correction. They were here. You appear to have been chasing one another's tails. They came here in search of you.'
    'And where are they now?' the Doctor inquired calmly.
    'They departed.'
    'Aye. In one of your tin coffins!' Jamie shouted.
    Vaughn glanced scornfully at the Doctor. 'Really...' he protested.
    'We did hear someone scream,' the Doctor quietly pointed out.
    'And Zoe's boa is sticking out of one of the boxes,' Jamie persisted, wiping the blood from his nose.
    Vaughn threw hack his head and roared with laughter. 'What a fertile imagination you have, young man,' he said tartly.
    The Doctor placed a restraining hand on Jamie's shoulder. 'Mr Vaughn, it would set our minds at rest if you would permit us to examine the boxes in the last wagon... in case there has been an accident,' he ventured tactfully.
    Vaughn spread his arms generously. 'But of course,' he agreed readily. He turned to Packer who was sulking at having the limelight stolen from him. 'No doubt the Doctor is referring to the empty crates in transit back to the factories,' he said, with a significant sideways glance of his hooded eyes.
    'Yes, Mr Vaughn. The train's due out any minute.'
    'Then we must waste no more time,' Vaughn smiled. 'After you, Doctor.'
    As Jamie and the Doctor eagerly set off back towards the marshalling yard, Vaughn signalled secretly to Packer and then caught up with them.
    Packer pulled back his left sleeve, exposing a miniaturised two-way radio no bigger than a wristwatch. Pressing a tiny button, he whispered urgently into it. 'Traffic? Top priority. Get the return transit rolling at once. Do you hear me? Right now.'
    Just as the Doctor, Jamie and Vaughn reached the loading bay there was a sudden clanking of couplings and the freight wagons slowly began to pull out of the siding. Jamie started running after them but he was far too late. He gave up and stood staring at the rapidly accelerating train with a sinking heart.
    'What a pity,' Vaughn said consolingly. 'I am sorry.'
    The Doctor's brow was deeply furrowed with mounting anxiety, but he attempted a wry smile.
    'However, all is not lost,' Vaughn went on brightly. 'I have to visit the factory complex myself this afternoon. Would you two gentlemen care to accompany me? We can meet the train there.'
    Jamie glanced apprehensively at Packer and his security guards hovering at the entrance to the warehouse. The Doctor squeezed his arm reassuringly and turned to Vaughn. 'Most kind.
    We'd be delighted to come.'
    'Splendid,' Vaughn purred and led the way into the main building.
     
    Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was sitting at his desk in the Hercules Operations Room, straining to hear Benton's voice on the radiotelephone above the whine of the mighty turboprops as the massive plane came in to land on a disused RAF
    station.
    'How long ago did they go into the railway yard?' he repeated.
    'About an hour ago, sir. Tracey followed them to the... Just a minute, sir...'
    The Brigadier pressed the handset firmly to his ear and waited impatiently. 'Benton, what the devil's going on?' he demanded in clipped urgent tones.
    'The Doctor and the boy have just come out of the main entrance, sir. Vaughn's with them.'
    'Vaughn!' echoed the Brigadier in surprise.
    'And Packer, sir. They're getting into Vaughn's Rolls.'
    The Brigadier stroked his neat moustache thoughtfully. 'Are they being harrassed, Benton?'
    'Doesn't look like it, sir...'
    The Brigadier was roughly jolted about as the Hercules touched down and coasted along the uneven concrete runway.
    'Benton...' he shouted irritably.
    'All looks quite friendly, sir. They're just being driven off now.
    Shall we follow, sir?'
    'Negative, Benton. Continue surveillance at your location.
    Out.' Unlatching his seat belt, the Brigadier leaped to his. feet.
    'Sergeant Walters, alert aerial patrol Section