Part 17 (2/2)

Once again the word seemed to echo like a long-forgotten memory in the Brigadier's head. He looked again at the Doctor, who was straightening up now, and absently began to scratch his chest. When he realised what he was doing, he immediately tried to make it look as though he was brus.h.i.+ng imaginary dirt from the lapel of his uniform. To cover up his awkwardness he said to Pickard, 'Can I leave the clearing-up operation in your hands now, Inspector? I'll leave some of my men behind to help, of course, but the rest of us really ought to try and stop this creature causing any more mayhem.'

Pickard nodded, trying not to look as if he was out of his depth. 'You can leave it to me. I'll keep everything running smoothly here, don't you worry.'

'Good man,' said the Brigadier absently and turned to Benton. 'Any idea where Captain Yates has got to, Benton?'

'He's on his way, sir. I spoke to him a few minutes ago.'

'Right, well bring him up to speed, would you, and tell him to meet us at the fairground. And warn him to be careful.'

'Yes, sir,' said Benton, already raising the RT to his mouth to relay the message.

The Doctor had seen them now and hurried up the beach, his lolloping stride deceptively swift. 'Here at last, are you, Brigadier?' he said briskly. 'We've been waiting for you. How are you feeling?'

'Never better,' the Brigadier said quickly.

'Are you quite sure? You'll have to have your wits about you, you know. Even a lone Xaranti can be extremely dangerous.'

'Don't you worry, Doctor. I doubt it can cope with our firepower.'

The Doctor looked pained. 'We're not going to shoot it, Brigadier. We're going to communicate with it. Or at least I'm going to try.'

Surprised, Turlough said, 'Surely you've already tried that on the Xaranti s.h.i.+p? You just ended up confusing them.'

'That was different,' the Doctor said. 'I think what we're dealing with here is a recently transformed human. In which case it may be vulnerable, its thoughts not yet fully integrated into the communal Xaranti mind.'

'You mean it's not quite absorbed, so it may let something vital slip?' said Tegan.

The Doctor looked almost defensive, as if Tegan was questioning his judgement. 'Or I may be able to use it as a mental conduit to the queen, slip in via the back door, so to speak.' He shrugged. 'I'm not saying it'll work, but I think it's worth a try.'

'In that case, what are we waiting for?' said the Brigadier.

'Come on, Doctor, Turlough, Miss Jovanka, we'll use my car.

Benton, get two dozen of the men together and follow us down.'

They hurried back across the sands and up the steps to the promenade. As they crossed the road to the Lombard Hotel, the Doctor indicated the double yellows on which the Brigadier's car was parked and chided gently, 'Really, Brigadier, I'm shocked. You might have got a ticket.'

The Brigadier 'hmphed', though not without humour, and unlocked the driver's door. Once all his pa.s.sengers were inside, he glanced into his wing mirror and pulled out. The roads were almost clear now, the seafront having effectively been cleared and sealed off. The fairground was a two-minute drive away. From here it looked like a cl.u.s.ter of towers and minarets jabbing up into the summer sky around the curve of the bay, just beyond the harbour. Tegan, sitting in the back behind the pa.s.senger seat, noticed that the traffic lights were red and wondered why the Brigadier was not slowing down.

Then the ambulance cut across them like a white metal wall and a number of events happened in quick succession.

Tegan saw the Brigadier slumping over his wheel as if in a faint, eyes closed. There was noise: the screech of the ambulance's tyres and the blare of its horn, mingled with her own scream of 'Look out!' as the car shot through the lights and bore down on the vehicle. There was a blur of movement from the front seat of the car and suddenly, impossibly, the Doctor was in the driver's position, the Brigadier slumped semi-conscious and muttering in the pa.s.senger seat beside him. Tegan's yell as the Doctor twisted the steering wheel to the left was abruptly cut off as she was slammed against the door, the impact jarring her ribs and knocking the breath out of her. For a split-second the side of the ambulance filled their windscreen, then abruptly it was gone. The Doctor guided the car to the side of the road and cut the engine.

He turned to the Brigadier sitting beside him. 'Brigadier,'

he said urgently. 'Alistair, can you hear me?'

The Brigadier groaned, then his eyelids fluttered open. 'Eh, what? What's going on?'

'You pa.s.sed out, Brigadier,' the Doctor said, regarding him earnestly.

The Brigadier's eyes widened, the outrageousness of the suggestion far more effective than any amount of smelling salts. 'Pa.s.sed out! Don't be ridiculous. I have never heard such... such...' His voice tailed off and he looked around in confusion.

'How are you feeling, Alistair?' the Doctor asked gently.

'Feeling? Well, fine. I told you.'

The Doctor closed his eyes in brief, quiet exasperation. 'I need you to tell me the truth. This is important.'

The Brigadier looked at him for a moment, pride battling with honesty. Then his shoulders slumped a little and he sighed. 'Yes, well, I suppose I have been feeling a bit woozy,'

he mumbled. 'And I've got this... this rash.' He ran a hand across his chest, over his shoulder and down his arm to show the Doctor the extent of it.

'May I see?' asked the Doctor gently.

The Brigadier, clearly embarra.s.sed, said, 'Is it really necessary?'

'You know it is,' the Doctor said.

The Brigadier's sigh was deeper this time. Reluctantly he unb.u.t.toned the jacket of his uniform, loosened his tie and unb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt.

The Doctor eased the s.h.i.+rt apart and his face tightened. At this the Brigadier looked down at himself. 'Good grief!' he said.

All across his chest, the black, tell-tale nubs of Xaranti quills were beginning to poke through his skin.

A UNIT jeep cruised to a stop beside them. As Benton jumped out of the pa.s.senger side, the Brigadier hastily reb.u.t.toned his s.h.i.+rt.

Benton poked his head through the open window beside the Brigadier. 'I thought you were all goners for a moment there,' he said. 'What happened? Is everyone OK?'

'Everyone's perfectly fine, thank you, Benton,' said the Brigadier brusquely.

'A slight miscalculation on my part, I'm afraid,' said the Doctor, giving Benton a meaningful look. 'I overshot the red light. Careless of me.'

'I see,' said Benton hesitantly. 'Well, if you're sure you're all right...'

'Never better,' snapped the Brigadier. 'Now, if there's nothing else, Benton, I suggest we go and tackle this creature before it dies of old age.'

'Yes, sir,' said Benton, jumping almost to attention in response to the Brigadier's tone.

<script>