Part 33 (1/2)

Turning her head slightly, the woman whispered, 'Distract them, Brigadier. This is my fault. If I can shut down the mainframe...'

'I'm sure we've met before,' he murmured.

She paused for a moment and then said quickly, 'I doubt it.'

The new bolt of light shot up from the curve of the Earth.

Reaching an alt.i.tude of 67.08 miles, it struck the UNIT NAVSAT 61 in geo-stationary orbit over north-west Europe.

The beam refracted in a dozen new directions across the globe. A dozen new canopies of web began to branch out like giant snowflakes in the upper atmosphere.

The line of Yeti seemed unbreathable, but Crichton's determination had been renewed when Captain Bambera arrived with another platoon. She always kept him on his toes anyway. Given the choice, he thought, he would rather face a herd of stampeding education secretaries than the African officer with battle light in her eyes.

His hopes sank again as he saw fresh Yeti reinforcements striding out of the university buildings.

'Stand by!' he barked at the positioned men.

'I'm not sure about that ATR launcher, sir,' said Bambera.

'You know it has a smart-map facility.'

Crichton glanced across at the open-backed jeep where a corporal had set up the anti-tank rocket-launcher. The squat barrel was embossed with the Bonze steel chrysanthemum logo. A private was standing by, ready to load.

'It also has a manual override,' scowled Crichton. 'Ready when you are, Captain.'

'I'm ready, sir.' Bambera, not long returned from plenty of action on a peacekeeping term in Bosnia, had not lost her appet.i.te for a fight.

'Carry on, Bambera. But not too many heroics, or you're liable to get yourself promoted.'

He thought he heard her say 'Shame' as she ran back to the helicopter. It rose above the field whipping up a storm of dead web strands and circled away from the campus. Across the road, the jacket he had discarded had become a ma.s.s of pulsing web.

From behind him, he heard shouting. The Yeti were advancing again.

'All right. Chaps with fur. Fire at will!'

The soldiers waited.

The ATR operative lined up the barrel. The weapon fired with a ma.s.sive KCRRWMPP KCRRWMPP. The rocket zipped the air apart.

The two front Yeti went down with the first huge explosion.

Gla.s.s cascaded from the university windows beyond. A cannonade of shots erupted from the platoon.

The two floored Yeti did not get up.

31.

World Wide Web hat are we waiting for?' complained the Brigadier 'Wloudly.

No one on the square had moved, but the atmosphere of expectancy was tangible.

'Are we going to stand here all evening?'

The Yeti had not relaxed its grip on his neck. In front of him, the woman slowly shook her head and sighed deeply.

Something was shuffling behind them: Travers walking with a directness and certainty that belied the years of his old body.

'Bring my gaoler here,' commanded the icy voice as he pa.s.sed.

The Brigadier felt a rough push as the Yeti released him.

Two more Chillys stepped in beside him and began to march him forward. He deliberately took his time, pausing like a contemptuous inspecting officer in front of Cavendish, who stared coldly ahead. The Chillys tried to pull him forward, but he resisted for a moment. The students guarding the woman moved forward to a.s.sist their confederates.

Instantly she grabbed her chance and darted away across the square, back into the building.

'Victoria!' commanded Travers.

The Brigadier stared sharply after her.

'Stop her!' bellowed Travers. 'This time, destroy her!' The man in the pullover smiled to himself and moved after her.

Behind him lumbered the Yeti.

The Brigadier, bored with other people's agendas, wrenched himself free of the Chillys and approached Travers.

The old man, eyes staring and white hair tangled, gazed up at the crackling canopy a mile over their heads. 'My strength is growing, gaoler. All your defences are powerless to stop me.'

Lethbridge-Stewart smiled urbanely. It was usually the Doctor who got to play these confrontation scenes. 'I'm amazed at your ingenuity... Travers.'

The cold eyes swivelled towards him. 'The late Professor Travers,' corrected the voice in Travers's body. 'This is my world now.'

'Of course,' the Brigadier a.s.sured him. 'Doubtless you'll make a better job of it than we humans have.'

The power inside Travers's body began to chuckle.

A strand of web drifted against the Brigadier's face. He s.n.a.t.c.hed it away. 'We humans are basically a gregarious race... Great One,' he continued. 'Despite exceptions, like Daniel Hinton.'

'Deleted from my system,' snapped the voice.

The Brigadier nodded grimly. 'I see.' He gave a smile of supplication. 'Resistance is obviously... what's the word?'