Part 17 (2/2)

'Now, come on.' He waved his automatic.

They walked through the deserted corridors in a little procession, first the Doctor, then Jo, then Mailer.

'No heroics,' warned Mailer. 'I only need one of you to get me out of here.'

They were descending a short metal staircase when Jo, with more courage than good sense, tried to be heroic after all. She flung herself backwards at Mailer's legs, yelling, 'Now, Doctor!'

But the Doctor had no time to do anything Mailer was too quick. He fell back onto the steps, one arm round Jo's throat, and his automatic still covering the Doctor.

'Too bad, Doctor,' he said softly. 'I warned you I only need one of you...'

The Doctor watched helplessly. He saw Mailer's finger tighten on the trigger.

The Doctor braced himself and heard the roar of an automatic pistol fired at close range...

14.

The Reunion To the Doctor's astonishment he did not however feel the impact of the bullet. Instead it was Mailer who fell, shot down by the Brigadier, who stood at the foot of the steps.

The Doctor drew a deep breath. 'Thank you, Brigadier.

Do you think that just once you could manage to arrive before the nick of time?'

'I'm glad to see you too, Doctor. Are you all right, Miss Grant?'

'Yes, I'm fine.'

The Doctor looked in amus.e.m.e.nt at the Brigadier's overalls and cloth cap. 'I see you've changed your job!'

The Brigadier smiled. 'Rather an effective disguise, don't you think?' Clearly he had enjoyed his brief masquerade.

Sergeant Benton hurried in, beamed at the sight of the Doctor and Jo, wondered if he ought to salute the cloth-capped Brigadier, and decided he'd better play safe.

The Brigadier returned the salute, touching a hand to the rim of his cloth cap. 'Did you get the Master?'

'Sorry, sir, no sign of him. He seems to have got clean away.'

'What about the missile?' asked the Doctor.

'Not a sign of it, Doctor.'

The Brigadier looked aghast. 'Isn't it here?'

'No,' said the Doctor decisively. 'It most certainly is not.'

The Brigadier looked crestfallen. 'Oh! I rather a.s.sumed it was.'

'Well, Brigadier,' said the Doctor caustically, 'apart from losing the missile and the Master, you're doing very well.'

The Master had prepared his own escape route from the prison, and he was well on his way soon after the first shot was fired.

At this precise moment he was stepping out of his limousine outside the hangar.

The rocket, now a.s.sembled on its mobile launch-pad stood outside the hangar doors.

The Master's little team of mercenaries were standing by. At a nod from the Master, they operated the controls.

Slowly the great pointed nose of the rocket pointed skywards. It looked, thought the Master, like a great bird, poised and ready to fly.

The Doctor was pacing up and down the Governor's office.

'I tell you, Brigadier, the Master has got to be found.'

The Brigadier, now back in uniform, was studying a map. 'I happen to be rather more concerned with finding that missile, Doctor.'

'Surely it comes to the same thing '

Sergeant Benton came in and saluted. 'Excuse me, sir, everything in the Prison is pretty well back to normal.

Convicts are back in their cells, prison staff released and back in uniform and we're moving the wounded out now.'

'Very good, Sergeant.'

'We found this chap hiding in the medical wing, sir.' A UNIT soldier shoved Barnham forward. He'd managed to get himself dressed in prison uniform again, but hp still wore the same confused, child-like expression. He 'You may not find the Master all that easy to mop up,'

grumbled the Doctor.

'Oh I don't antic.i.p.ate much trouble, Doctor.'

'He's got that nerve gas missile, remember. He can aim it at London or any city in Europe, come to that.'

'Don't worry, he isn't going to get the chance. Aren't you coming with us?'

'No, not for the moment. I've got to find a way of destroying that Machine of his. If I step up the voltage in those coils...' The Doctor began muttering obstruse calculations to himself.

The Brigadier said, 'Well, I'll leave the Machine to you, Doctor and you can leave the Master to me!'

The throbbing of the box was reaching a crescendo now and the restraining coil was red hot and sending off smoke and flame. An energy-storm whirled through the Process Chamber, sending chairs and tables flying through the air.

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