Part 2 (2/2)

Sergeant Arnold flung open the door, marched across the room and crashed to attention in front of Captain Knight, throwing up a quivering salute. 'Sir!' he bellowed.

Knight returned the salute. 'So there you are, Sergeant.

You've been quite a time. Any trouble?'

'Not what you'd call trouble, sir, but-'

'Is the cable connected?' interrupted Knight. 'Where's the other end?'

'Cable connected as ordered, sir,' roared the Sergeant.

'Lads are bringing it in now-hurry up, you dozy lot, chop chop!'

* See 'Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen'

Weams and Blake walked in paying out cable as they came. They were followed by Chorley, who used their entrance as an opportunity to slip back into the Operations Room. He looked on as the two soldiers began wiring the cable in the control console. 'Isn't all this a little primitive?' he demanded. 'Surely you could use something radio-controlled?'

'We tried that,' said Knight patiently.

'And?'

'No use. Some force in the tunnels prevented the detonating signal from being transmitted. So we've returned to the old-fas.h.i.+oned method. It may be primitive-but it'll work.' Knight turned back to Sergeant Arnold, who was obviously bursting to speak. 'All right, Sergeant, what is it?'

'We found a couple of youngsters, sir, boy and a girl.

Wandering about in the tunnel, refused to give a proper account of themselves. I've got 'em in the Common Room under guard. Thought you'd want to see them, sir.'

'Oh blast,' Knight said irritably. 'Well I can't be bothered with them now. This demolition job's over-due as it is.'

Anne looked up from her work. 'You're sure there were only two of them?'

'Two's all we found, miss. Why?'

'That whole area was supposed to be cleared. I don't like the idea of blowing up the station if there are people wandering around.'

'There's still a few minutes to detonation,' Knight pointed out. 'Better have a word with them, Sergeant, make sure there was no one else with them.'

'Sir!' Arnold saluted and marched out.

Jamie and Victoria were waiting in the Common Room, an armed sentry at the door. It was a largish room with armchairs and tables scattered about. Heaps of old magazines lay on the tables, there was a darts board, a couple of chess sets, even a table tennis table. A trestle table in the corner held a tea urn and some thick, chipped mugs.

Jamie scowled at the sentry and whispered to Victoria, 'The Doctor was right, ye ken. First thing they do is lock us both up.'

Victoria looked round. 'Well at least we're not in a cell.

And they don't seem too unfriendly.'

'I dinna trust them,' Jamie muttered darkly. 'They're just trying to win us over.'

Sergeant Arnold came into the room, his tough, craggy features fixed in a smile. 'Looking after you, are they?' he began heartily. 'How about a cuppa?' He filled two mugs from the tea urn and pa.s.sed them over.

'How long are you keeping us here?' Jamie sounded truculent.

'Till the officer's got time to see you, that's all.'

'What is this place anyway?' Victoria asked. 'And what are you all doing down here?'

Arnold gave her a reproving look. 'Ah now, Miss, everyone knows what's been happening. You shouldn't have come down into these tunnels.' Victoria started to speak but Arnold held up his hand. 'Not so many questions, if you don't mind. You're here to answer questions, not ask 'em. To begin with, were you on your own?'

Jamie looked doubtfully at him. 'Why do you ask?'

'Because I want to know, lad. Now-was there anyone with you?'

Jamie and Victoria glanced at each other. Again Victoria started to speak. This time it was Jamie who interrupted her.

'No,' he said firmly.

'You're sure of that?'

'Aye, I'm sure.' Jamie was determined not to give the Doctor away. If he told these soldiers about him, they'd send men straight out to find him. Then the Doctor would be locked up too, which was just what he didn't want.

Sergeant Arnold looked up as Captain Knight popped his head round the door. 'We're all ready, Sergeant.' He looked enquiringly at Jamie and Victoria. 'On their own, were they?'

'Yessir.'

'Jolly good.' Captain Knight disappeared.

Jamie looked after him. 'What was all that about?'

Arnold,poured himself a mug of tea. 'Lucky for you we found you, my lad. We're just about to blow up some of those tunnels.'

Captain Knight strode into the Operations Room and nodded to Corporal Lane. 'Its all right, apparently, they were on their own. Carry out final checks, fire when ready.'

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