Read Online Doctor Who: The Invasion by Ian Marter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ian Marter
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smiled grimly to himself at the epitaph they had left below them in the dust... KILROY WAS HERE.
Vaughn stood by the elevator doors shaking his head incredulously.
'I'll kill them...' spluttered Packer, his hand over the mouthpiece of the service telephone.
'You'll do no such thing,' Vaughn snapped. 'I want them alive.'
'What the hell happened?' Packer yelled down the phone.
'Well, use the emergency circuits, man,' he ordered, slamming the receiver clown. 'The thing's stuck between the fourth and fifth floors.'
'So I gathered, Packer,' murmured Vaughn ominously. 'Our clever Doctor has outwitted you once again.'
Packer's cruel mouth twitched and curled with hatred. 'Well, now he's been a hit too clever. He's trapped,' he sneered.
Vaughn's face darkened. 'I don't understand his motive,' he pondered, 'Unless he's just playing for time.'
Packer seized the receiver and punched a few digits with his gloved knuckle. 'Packer. Cover all lift doors. Two men on each floor.
Now. Move,' he rapped.
Vaughn shaded his eyes, his sensibilities offended by his Deputy's hysterical behaviour. 'Calm clown, Packer, our birds can't fly away,' he protested quietly.
They waited, Vaughn expressionless and unblinking, Packer tense and fidgetting. Eventually the service telephone buzzed. Packer answered.
'Right. Send it down to the basement,' he instructed.
Two armed and visored security guards came clattering down the concrete emergency stairs next to the elevator shaft just as the indicator light lit up. They levelled their machine pistols as the lift doors opened.
Packer stared open-mouthed into the empty car. 'They've vanished... just vanished!' he whined. 'Did it stop anywhere on the way down?' he rapped into the telephone. 'No? You sure?' he demanded shrilly.
'Come here, Packer,' Vaughn called wearily from inside the lift.
Dry-throated and sweating, Packer obeyed. Vaughn was pointing to the trapdoor. Packer's eyes narrowed to slits of glittering malice.
'I'll get them, sir... I'll get them,' Packer vowed, dabbing his cheese-coloured forehead with his sleeve.
'Call me when you do. I'll he in my office,' Vaughn ordered, walking despairingly out of the lift. 'And try not to lose them...'
Smarting from his master's sarcastic taunt in front of the two guards, Packer pulled back his cuff and viciously spat orders into his miniature radio. 'Packer. They're in the shaft. Get men onto the roof immediately.' He hesitated a moment, his nose slowly puckering into a sneer of malicious anticipation. 'And tell the engineer to take the lift right to the top. Now!' he added, beckoning the two guards into the car with him.
Furiously clambering up through the dusty, greasy darkness, Jamie and the Doctor desperately redoubled their efforts when they heard the terrifying clanks and whirrings as the lift became operational again and the cables started whipping and clattering only a few centimetres away from them. Above them the electric motor whined inexorably and below them the grinding of wheels and the shrieking of bearings rose relentlessly towards them.
'Quick, Jamie... Quick...' the Doctor gasped feebly from the rickety ladder beneath him. 'It's catching us up.'
At last Jamie reached the metal gantry supporting the winding gear. 'McCrimmons for ever...' he whooped, wrenching open the steel door in the concrete housing and bursting onto the flat roof. The Doctor struggled out after him and they lay on their backs for a few seconds, gratefully gulping the cool fresh air. Suddenly the harsh whining ceased abruptly and there was a final numbing clang as the lift hit its buffer-stops, sending a red-hot shiver through their exhausted bodies.
Then the Doctor jumped up. 'Come on, Jamie,' he panted, stumbling across to the parapet and looking over the edge at the dizzying drop below.
'Och, just a wee minute...' Jamie pleaded, moaning with fatigue.
'No time to lose,' yelled the Doctor, climbing over the parapet and
Vaughn stood by the elevator doors shaking his head incredulously.
'I'll kill them...' spluttered Packer, his hand over the mouthpiece of the service telephone.
'You'll do no such thing,' Vaughn snapped. 'I want them alive.'
'What the hell happened?' Packer yelled down the phone.
'Well, use the emergency circuits, man,' he ordered, slamming the receiver clown. 'The thing's stuck between the fourth and fifth floors.'
'So I gathered, Packer,' murmured Vaughn ominously. 'Our clever Doctor has outwitted you once again.'
Packer's cruel mouth twitched and curled with hatred. 'Well, now he's been a hit too clever. He's trapped,' he sneered.
Vaughn's face darkened. 'I don't understand his motive,' he pondered, 'Unless he's just playing for time.'
Packer seized the receiver and punched a few digits with his gloved knuckle. 'Packer. Cover all lift doors. Two men on each floor.
Now. Move,' he rapped.
Vaughn shaded his eyes, his sensibilities offended by his Deputy's hysterical behaviour. 'Calm clown, Packer, our birds can't fly away,' he protested quietly.
They waited, Vaughn expressionless and unblinking, Packer tense and fidgetting. Eventually the service telephone buzzed. Packer answered.
'Right. Send it down to the basement,' he instructed.
Two armed and visored security guards came clattering down the concrete emergency stairs next to the elevator shaft just as the indicator light lit up. They levelled their machine pistols as the lift doors opened.
Packer stared open-mouthed into the empty car. 'They've vanished... just vanished!' he whined. 'Did it stop anywhere on the way down?' he rapped into the telephone. 'No? You sure?' he demanded shrilly.
'Come here, Packer,' Vaughn called wearily from inside the lift.
Dry-throated and sweating, Packer obeyed. Vaughn was pointing to the trapdoor. Packer's eyes narrowed to slits of glittering malice.
'I'll get them, sir... I'll get them,' Packer vowed, dabbing his cheese-coloured forehead with his sleeve.
'Call me when you do. I'll he in my office,' Vaughn ordered, walking despairingly out of the lift. 'And try not to lose them...'
Smarting from his master's sarcastic taunt in front of the two guards, Packer pulled back his cuff and viciously spat orders into his miniature radio. 'Packer. They're in the shaft. Get men onto the roof immediately.' He hesitated a moment, his nose slowly puckering into a sneer of malicious anticipation. 'And tell the engineer to take the lift right to the top. Now!' he added, beckoning the two guards into the car with him.
Furiously clambering up through the dusty, greasy darkness, Jamie and the Doctor desperately redoubled their efforts when they heard the terrifying clanks and whirrings as the lift became operational again and the cables started whipping and clattering only a few centimetres away from them. Above them the electric motor whined inexorably and below them the grinding of wheels and the shrieking of bearings rose relentlessly towards them.
'Quick, Jamie... Quick...' the Doctor gasped feebly from the rickety ladder beneath him. 'It's catching us up.'
At last Jamie reached the metal gantry supporting the winding gear. 'McCrimmons for ever...' he whooped, wrenching open the steel door in the concrete housing and bursting onto the flat roof. The Doctor struggled out after him and they lay on their backs for a few seconds, gratefully gulping the cool fresh air. Suddenly the harsh whining ceased abruptly and there was a final numbing clang as the lift hit its buffer-stops, sending a red-hot shiver through their exhausted bodies.
Then the Doctor jumped up. 'Come on, Jamie,' he panted, stumbling across to the parapet and looking over the edge at the dizzying drop below.
'Och, just a wee minute...' Jamie pleaded, moaning with fatigue.
'No time to lose,' yelled the Doctor, climbing over the parapet and
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