Read Online Doctor Who: The Invasion by Ian Marter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ian Marter
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disappearing.
Jamie sat bolt upright, a stifled scream blocking his throat.
Dumb with horror, he limped across the roof, scarcely daring to look down. To his relief he saw that the Doctor was running down a fire-escape fitted in the angle of the L-shaped building.
'Come on, Jamie, they'll be up there any minute.'
Jamie shut his eyes and dragged himself over the parapet. As he started slithering down the metal staircase a blood-curdling chorus of howling sirens broke out all around the complex...
Packer stood dejectedly in front of Vaughn's desk, his uniform torn and his face streaked with dirt. 'They must have gone down the fire escape, sir...' he mumbled, concluding his pathetic report.
Vaughn shook his head very, very slowly, rising to his feet and gazing out over his empire spread before him. Suddenly he punched a fist into his open palm and rounded on his Deputy. 'I want the Doctor and the boy,' he said in an awful, hushed voice.
There was silence. Then Packer swallowed. 'The whole compound's on alert, sir. It's only a matter of time.' Vaughn uttered a short derisive laugh.
Packer's bottled up frustration suddenly erupted. 'You should have let me deal with them properly right at the start,' he snarled accusingly. 'And if you'd only obey our allies' orders...'
'Orders, Packer?' Vaughn echoed, moving up to him. 'I told you before; I don't obey orders, I give them.'
Packer stared at him like a mesmerised animal. 'But you can't fight them !' he spluttered.
Vaughn smiled blandly. 'The invasion will be under my control and when it is successfully accomplished I shall remain supreme,' he declared confidently. 'Why do you suppose I keep that senile old fool Watkins alive?'
'To work on his machine.'
'Our allies are extremely disturbed by the Professor's machine,'
Vaughn revealed. 'They ordered me to destroy the prototype.'
Packer gazed at his Director in astonishment. 'They are afraid of it?'
'Oh, its teaching function doesn't worry them, but when we generated some emotion pulses...' Vaughn paused dramatically, savouring Packer's bewilderment. 'I am convinced that the emotional pulses could be used to destroy our allies,' he concluded.
Packer looked thoroughly rattled. 'That's just a guess,' he muttered.
Vaughn shook his head slyly. 'No, it's a reasonable gamble,' he argued, 'and we're playing for very high stakes, are we not?'
Packer licked his tacky lips. 'You're taking too big a chance,'
he croaked.
Vaughn moved even closer to him, his pale eyes boring like lasers. 'Do you want to be totally converted, Packer?' he whispered hoarsely. 'Do you want to become inhuman? One of them?'
Packer tried to step back but his legs were like jelly.
Vaughn pursued his fear relentlessly. 'That's what will happen to us if they take over. We shall cease to be human. However, we can make use of their force to conquer the world and then discard them at our leisure,' he proposed, as casually as if he were describing a parlour game.
After a pause Packer grinned faintly. 'You're sure Watkins's device can do it?'
Vaughn shrugged indifferently. 'If we obtain the Doctor's travel machine we can escape if necessary.'
'Insurance?'
'Precisely, Packer,' Vaughn grinned, patting his arm. 'And speaking of insurance, have the two girls arrived?'
Packer informed him that they should be on their way over to the Administration Building.
'Excellent,' Vaughn approved. 'When they are safely tucked away we shall flush out our clever Doctor.'
All at once a high-pitched bleeping sounded from Packer's wrist. He held the minute radio to his ear. As he listened, his face quickly twisted with apprehension and anger.
'There's an unidentified helicopter in the area and Perimeter Security report strangers sighted near the compound,' he informed his master, shifting uneasily in anticipation of Vaughn's reaction. 'I think the Doctor may be connected to the UNIT organisation. What are we going to do, sir?'
Vaughn went to the window and
Jamie sat bolt upright, a stifled scream blocking his throat.
Dumb with horror, he limped across the roof, scarcely daring to look down. To his relief he saw that the Doctor was running down a fire-escape fitted in the angle of the L-shaped building.
'Come on, Jamie, they'll be up there any minute.'
Jamie shut his eyes and dragged himself over the parapet. As he started slithering down the metal staircase a blood-curdling chorus of howling sirens broke out all around the complex...
Packer stood dejectedly in front of Vaughn's desk, his uniform torn and his face streaked with dirt. 'They must have gone down the fire escape, sir...' he mumbled, concluding his pathetic report.
Vaughn shook his head very, very slowly, rising to his feet and gazing out over his empire spread before him. Suddenly he punched a fist into his open palm and rounded on his Deputy. 'I want the Doctor and the boy,' he said in an awful, hushed voice.
There was silence. Then Packer swallowed. 'The whole compound's on alert, sir. It's only a matter of time.' Vaughn uttered a short derisive laugh.
Packer's bottled up frustration suddenly erupted. 'You should have let me deal with them properly right at the start,' he snarled accusingly. 'And if you'd only obey our allies' orders...'
'Orders, Packer?' Vaughn echoed, moving up to him. 'I told you before; I don't obey orders, I give them.'
Packer stared at him like a mesmerised animal. 'But you can't fight them !' he spluttered.
Vaughn smiled blandly. 'The invasion will be under my control and when it is successfully accomplished I shall remain supreme,' he declared confidently. 'Why do you suppose I keep that senile old fool Watkins alive?'
'To work on his machine.'
'Our allies are extremely disturbed by the Professor's machine,'
Vaughn revealed. 'They ordered me to destroy the prototype.'
Packer gazed at his Director in astonishment. 'They are afraid of it?'
'Oh, its teaching function doesn't worry them, but when we generated some emotion pulses...' Vaughn paused dramatically, savouring Packer's bewilderment. 'I am convinced that the emotional pulses could be used to destroy our allies,' he concluded.
Packer looked thoroughly rattled. 'That's just a guess,' he muttered.
Vaughn shook his head slyly. 'No, it's a reasonable gamble,' he argued, 'and we're playing for very high stakes, are we not?'
Packer licked his tacky lips. 'You're taking too big a chance,'
he croaked.
Vaughn moved even closer to him, his pale eyes boring like lasers. 'Do you want to be totally converted, Packer?' he whispered hoarsely. 'Do you want to become inhuman? One of them?'
Packer tried to step back but his legs were like jelly.
Vaughn pursued his fear relentlessly. 'That's what will happen to us if they take over. We shall cease to be human. However, we can make use of their force to conquer the world and then discard them at our leisure,' he proposed, as casually as if he were describing a parlour game.
After a pause Packer grinned faintly. 'You're sure Watkins's device can do it?'
Vaughn shrugged indifferently. 'If we obtain the Doctor's travel machine we can escape if necessary.'
'Insurance?'
'Precisely, Packer,' Vaughn grinned, patting his arm. 'And speaking of insurance, have the two girls arrived?'
Packer informed him that they should be on their way over to the Administration Building.
'Excellent,' Vaughn approved. 'When they are safely tucked away we shall flush out our clever Doctor.'
All at once a high-pitched bleeping sounded from Packer's wrist. He held the minute radio to his ear. As he listened, his face quickly twisted with apprehension and anger.
'There's an unidentified helicopter in the area and Perimeter Security report strangers sighted near the compound,' he informed his master, shifting uneasily in anticipation of Vaughn's reaction. 'I think the Doctor may be connected to the UNIT organisation. What are we going to do, sir?'
Vaughn went to the window and
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