Read Online Doctor Who: The Sea-Devils by Malcolm Hulke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Malcolm Hulke
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Master would remain quietly in the background.
Already Trenchard could sec himself receiving a knight-hood for his services to England in detecting and exposing its enemies.
Yet there remained in Trenchard’s mind the lurking suspicion that the Master was going to trick him. This thought haunted him as he halted the landrover outside the front door of the château. He reached behind his driving seat and brought out a large cardboard box, carefully carried it under his arm and gave his own coded knock on the front door. The door was opened immediately by the prison officer on duty. A minute later Trenchard was entering the Master’s basement room. The Master regarded the cardboard box with obvious pleasure.
‘No problems?’ asked the Master.
Trenchard waited until the prison officer had closed the door and they were alone. ‘It isn’t easy getting this sort of thing at a moment’s notice. Had to go over to the mainland to get it, of course. The blighter in the shop knew who I was.’
‘What did you say?’
‘Had to make up a story,’ said Trenchard, ‘said we were going to have some theatricals here.’
‘How very ingenious,’ said the Master, always quick to compliment Trenchard. ‘May I see?’
Trenchard stepped back from the box. ‘Help yourself. Hope it all fits.’
As the Master opened the box, Trenchard felt that he had to say what was uppermost in his mind. ‘You realise I’m committing a crime doing this, old man?’
‘Mr. Trenchard,’ said the Master, turning to him. ‘I am only too aware of the risk you are taking. That is why I don’t intend to let you down.’
‘Just as long as we understand each other,’ remarked Trenchard. ‘Aren’t you going to try it on?’
‘Of course,’ said the Master. He lifted one of the items out of the box, a Naval officer’s cap, and put it on. ‘How do I look?’
Captain Hart had listened with as much patience as possible to the Doctor’s incredible story. He hardly believed a word of it. When the Doctor had finished, Hart got up from his desk and walked over to the window overlooking the Naval Base. It was his favourite place for thinking. Then he turned to the Doctor and Jo.
‘How do you really expect me to believe in... in Sea-Devils?’ he asked.
‘We both saw one,’ said Jo.
‘Now just a minute,’ said Captain Hart, sensing an inconsistency, ‘a little while ago you said you only saw a silhouette, Miss Grant.’
‘It was the silhouette of a Sea-Devil,’ insisted Jo, exasperated by the captain’s disbelief. ‘In any case, you’ve spoken to the man we brought back from the oil-rig. He saw one kill his friend.’
That was true. On their return in the helicopter, Clark had been put straight into the sick-bay, and Captain Hart had spoken to him there. Even so, Hart remained sceptical. But he tried to be fair. ‘I want to put this suggestion to you both,’ he said. ‘The man Clark is obviously in a very poorly condition—mentally, I mean. Let us presume that yesterday, for some reason, he killed his companion—’
The Doctor suddenly interjected: ‘You’re accusing that man of murder!’
‘I’m simply suggesting what might have happened,’ said Captain Hart, and then continued: ‘While mentally unbalanced, he killed his companion. Then you two arrived. As you pointed out, Doctor, he tried to kill you. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful in that attempt, but he may have been successful in communicating his madness to you.’
‘Captain Hart,’ said the Doctor with studied emphasis, ‘I know about communicated madness. I can assure you that none of us are mad. I have seen, and been chased by, a Sea-Devil.’
Captain Hart came back and sat down again at his desk. He was an intelligent man, but he was being asked to believe in something which exceeded all his previous knowledge. ‘All right,’ he said at last. ‘May I, for the sake of my own conscience, hear your story again?’
Jo got angry. ‘We’ve already told
Already Trenchard could sec himself receiving a knight-hood for his services to England in detecting and exposing its enemies.
Yet there remained in Trenchard’s mind the lurking suspicion that the Master was going to trick him. This thought haunted him as he halted the landrover outside the front door of the château. He reached behind his driving seat and brought out a large cardboard box, carefully carried it under his arm and gave his own coded knock on the front door. The door was opened immediately by the prison officer on duty. A minute later Trenchard was entering the Master’s basement room. The Master regarded the cardboard box with obvious pleasure.
‘No problems?’ asked the Master.
Trenchard waited until the prison officer had closed the door and they were alone. ‘It isn’t easy getting this sort of thing at a moment’s notice. Had to go over to the mainland to get it, of course. The blighter in the shop knew who I was.’
‘What did you say?’
‘Had to make up a story,’ said Trenchard, ‘said we were going to have some theatricals here.’
‘How very ingenious,’ said the Master, always quick to compliment Trenchard. ‘May I see?’
Trenchard stepped back from the box. ‘Help yourself. Hope it all fits.’
As the Master opened the box, Trenchard felt that he had to say what was uppermost in his mind. ‘You realise I’m committing a crime doing this, old man?’
‘Mr. Trenchard,’ said the Master, turning to him. ‘I am only too aware of the risk you are taking. That is why I don’t intend to let you down.’
‘Just as long as we understand each other,’ remarked Trenchard. ‘Aren’t you going to try it on?’
‘Of course,’ said the Master. He lifted one of the items out of the box, a Naval officer’s cap, and put it on. ‘How do I look?’
Captain Hart had listened with as much patience as possible to the Doctor’s incredible story. He hardly believed a word of it. When the Doctor had finished, Hart got up from his desk and walked over to the window overlooking the Naval Base. It was his favourite place for thinking. Then he turned to the Doctor and Jo.
‘How do you really expect me to believe in... in Sea-Devils?’ he asked.
‘We both saw one,’ said Jo.
‘Now just a minute,’ said Captain Hart, sensing an inconsistency, ‘a little while ago you said you only saw a silhouette, Miss Grant.’
‘It was the silhouette of a Sea-Devil,’ insisted Jo, exasperated by the captain’s disbelief. ‘In any case, you’ve spoken to the man we brought back from the oil-rig. He saw one kill his friend.’
That was true. On their return in the helicopter, Clark had been put straight into the sick-bay, and Captain Hart had spoken to him there. Even so, Hart remained sceptical. But he tried to be fair. ‘I want to put this suggestion to you both,’ he said. ‘The man Clark is obviously in a very poorly condition—mentally, I mean. Let us presume that yesterday, for some reason, he killed his companion—’
The Doctor suddenly interjected: ‘You’re accusing that man of murder!’
‘I’m simply suggesting what might have happened,’ said Captain Hart, and then continued: ‘While mentally unbalanced, he killed his companion. Then you two arrived. As you pointed out, Doctor, he tried to kill you. Fortunately, he was unsuccessful in that attempt, but he may have been successful in communicating his madness to you.’
‘Captain Hart,’ said the Doctor with studied emphasis, ‘I know about communicated madness. I can assure you that none of us are mad. I have seen, and been chased by, a Sea-Devil.’
Captain Hart came back and sat down again at his desk. He was an intelligent man, but he was being asked to believe in something which exceeded all his previous knowledge. ‘All right,’ he said at last. ‘May I, for the sake of my own conscience, hear your story again?’
Jo got angry. ‘We’ve already told
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