Part 14 (2/2)

The Machine s.h.i.+mmered and disappeared.

'What happened, Doctor?' gasped Jo. 'Why did it just go away?'

'I don't think we can have tempted its appet.i.te sufficiently.'

'Why not?'

'I imagine it detected a higher concentration of evil in Mailer. Something to be said for a pure mind after all!'

Jo s.h.i.+vered. 'I think we'd better get out of here before it comes back for us.'

She went out into the corridor, and the Doctor followed.

There was no sign of Mailer or the Keller Machine. Instead they saw Barnham, wandering distractedly towards them in his striped hospital pyjamas and dressing gown.

'Barnham!' exclaimed Jo. 'What are you doing here?'

He gave her his confused, child-like smile. 'I was looking for you. I heard this noise.'

Jo took his arm. 'Well, you come with us. Don't worry we're getting away from here.'

'But I didn't understand.'

The Doctor turned to Jo. 'Come on, we've got to stop the Master from launching that Missile.' He patted Barnham on the shoulder. 'Don't worry, old chap, just you come with us!'

The UNIT helicopter droned over Stangmoor Prison, hanging in the air like a great metal dragonfly.

The Brigadier studied the peaceful scene below.

Occasional blue clad figures strolled across the courtyards, the scattering of parked vehicles looked like toys against the grey stone bulk of the prison...

He spoke into his intercom. 'Windmill 347 to Trap Four. Do you read me?'

A crisp voice came through the headphones. 'Trap Four to Windmill 347 reading you loud and clear.'

The voice belonged to Major Cosgrove, who had been a.s.signed to help the Brigadier on this operation.

Cosgrove was the new academic type of soldier. He was neat, bespectacled, intelligent and quite unbearably efficient. He sat in the UNIT mobile HQ parked a few miles from the prison, listening to the Brigadier's voice.

'Major Cosgrove, reading you loud and clear,' he repeated. 'Any results, sir? Over.'

'I'm over Stangmoor Prison now, Major. No sign of the missile and everything seems quiet and normal.'

'Are you going to land, sir? Over.'

'No, I don't think so. I know I said everything seems normal, but I'm quite sure it's not. I'll continue the recce for the moment. Over and out.'

The Doctor, Jo and Barnham had reached a door that led to the courtyard.

The Doctor opened it cautiously. 'n.o.body about. Come on, Jo, let's take a look outside. Barnham, you'd better stay here.'

They moved cautiously out into the courtyard. Jo leading the way. She heard a droning sound, looked upwards, and immediately began capering up and down, waving her arms. 'Look, Doctor, it's a UNIT helicopter.'

Jo went on waving frantically. Caught up in her enthusiasm, the Doctor started waving, too.

From behind them a harsh voice said, 'All right, you two, back inside!'

Two armed convicts had appeared in the corridor behind them. Reluctantly Jo and the Doctor went back inside the prison.

The bigger of the two convicts, a balding thug called Fuller, jabed them with his rifle to hurry them along. 'I said back inside, come on!'

Suddenly Fuller found the ma.s.sive figure of Barnham looming over him.

'Don't hurt them,' said Barnham in an unhappy voice.

Fuller tried to shove him away with the rifle, but Barnham grabbed the weapon in one enormous hand and shoved it across Fuller's throat. 'I said don't hurt them.'

The Doctor saw that the bemused smaller convict was raising his weapon to fire.

Hurriedly he pulled Barnham away. 'It's all right, old chap. Let's get out of here, shall we?'

Reluctantly Barnham let go of the rifle. 'He was going to hurt you,' he complained.

'It's all right,' said Jo soothingly, and Barnham allowed himself to be led away.

In the Governor's office Mailer, who had somehow managed to elude the Keller Machine, was talking to the Master on the telephone. He was furiously angry. 'What do you mean, we messed things up. You got your missile, didn't you?'

The Master was speaking from a little office, built into one corner of the disused aircraft hangar. Beside him was Mike Yates, unconscious in a chair, his hands tied behind him.

'You left one of the UNIT people alive,' said the Master coldly. 'He followed you here. Fortunately he was caught.'

'Look, mate, I don't care about that,' said Mailer's impatient voice, 'I want you back here at Stangmoor right away.'

'That's quite impossible. I'm busy preparing the missile for launching.'

'I don't care how busy you are,' said Mailer furiously.

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