Part 22 (2/2)

The Doctor removed a couple of screws, revealing a simple red light bulb and a more complex box of electronics.

'If a fire breaks out,' said the Doctor, 'all these alarms are triggered. Lights flash, klaxons wail - and the doors automatically unlock themselves. It goes without saying that you can open these exits manually from the inside, but seeing as we're not, and -'

'Get on with it,' snapped Denman.

'So,' said the Doctor, 'what we've got to do is trigger the circuit that will open this door without setting off the actual alarm.' He rummaged through his pockets, and found a small spool of bare electrical cable. He bent a complex shape from the wire, and began gingerly inserting it into the fire sensor.

'And now something that doesn't conduct electricity...' He pressed a small black coat b.u.t.ton against a switch.

There was a loud click from the door.

'Et viola,' said the Doctor, moments before falling to the ground as Denman finally let go. said the Doctor, moments before falling to the ground as Denman finally let go.

'Let's find Shanks,' said the big policeman, pus.h.i.+ng his way through the door.

'No,' said the Doctor, brus.h.i.+ng himself down with as much dignity as he could muster. 'Let's find out what he's up to first.'

'Which is?'

'Well,' said the Doctor. 'I think it will involve water, don't you?' And he swept past Denman and into the building.

They made their way towards the main purification and testing room. It was a functional construction of brick and metal, and contained a large number of circular tanks, connected by a complex array of thick tubing. A feint smell of ozone hung in the air. The place was deserted.

'What are we looking for?' asked Denman.

'Something that doesn't belong,' said the Doctor, scanning the room with expert detachment. 'There,' he announced at last, pointing to a gantry high up in the ceiling. A metal vat had been bolted on to an observation walkway, a twisted black rubber hose leading down into the water.

The Doctor made his way up the wrought-iron steps two at a time, Denman close behind. The walkway, slatted to reveal the tanks and the floor far below, swayed slightly as the two men approached the container. Between the vat and the tube was a small electronic box, a row of LEDs on the front. 'It's releasing a very precise amount of fluid straight into the water supply,' explained the Doctor. 'After this tank, it heads straight to the taps and toilets of Merseyside.'

Denman looked at the cylinder. 'It isn't very big,' he said.

'Surely it can't do much harm?'

'If it were a concentrated poison, it could kill thousands, even if diluted to one part per billion.' The Doctor noticed Denman's horrified expression. 'But I don't think this is poison. Even Shanks has little to gain from wholesale slaughter.'

'That's true,' said a voice, unexpectedly close.

Denman and the Doctor turned, and Shanks emerged from a shadowy area at the far end of the gantry. 'Took your time, lads,' he said as he walked towards them, a pistol held confidently in his right hand.

'You knew we'd come?' the Doctor asked, with a hint of resignation in his voice.

'Oh yeah. I've had someone watching you. And that office you broke into is riddled with sensors. You tripped so many of them the security desk looked like a Christmas tree.' He turned to face Denman. 'I'm sorry to hear about your kid,' he said. 'So unexpected.'

Denman snarled, about to hurl himself at the gangster, but Shanks pointed the gun straight at him.

The Doctor stared at Shanks.

'I'm nothing special.'

'Oh yes you are. You're very important. And that's the most frightening thing in the world.' frightening thing in the world.'

The Doctor shook his head, remembering how the sun had risen, all those years ago, in Hexen Bridge. 'Are you satisfied?' he asked. 'You're important now. You can end a man's life simply by giving orders.' His eyes burnt with disappointment, and Shanks glanced away momentarily. 'I hope you're pleased with yourself.'

'What's in the container?' asked Denman, through gritted teeth.

'Something Hatch's crowd have concocted,' said Shanks. 'It immunises people against CJD. Means they can go on munching burgers in patriotic safety.'

'I've heard no official announcement,' said Denman.

'Of course not, you divvy. This is all hush-hush.' Shanks tapped the canister with his gun. 'People are still so twitchy about BSE, Matt said it would take years to get this stuff pa.s.sed.'

'So you're pumping it straight into the water supply, so that you can try it out on the populace?' queried the Doctor.

'That's obscene,' said Denman.

Shanks shook his head. 'You could say I'm putting something back into the community after all these years.' He smiled. 'I always told you I had a compa.s.sionate side.'

'Don't give me that c.r.a.p,' said Denman.

'Funny you should mention that,' said Shanks. 'I was thinking of dumping you both in the sewage.' His eyes became cold and almost colourless. 'I can't think of a worse way to go.'

'I don't believe a word of it,' said the Doctor suddenly.

'What?' said Shanks.

'This tank doesn't contain a cure for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,' stated the Doctor firmly.

For the first time, Shanks looked ill at ease. 'That's what Matt told me.'

'And you believed him,' mocked Denman. 'I reckon he's been stringing you along all this time, Shanksy.'

'Don't call me that!' snapped Shanks, his expression revealing the shabby child, once scorned and still lonely, beneath the adult veneer.

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