snarled.
Vaughn ignored him, staring impassively at the videophone unit. 'Listen to me, Routledge...' he enunciated slowly. 'You will obey my instructions.'
Routledge shuddered and opened his eyes. 'Obey your instructions...' he repeated dutifully.
'You will leave your office immediately and come here to me.'
'Come to you...'The tortured face seemed to relax a little, but the eyes were pitifully confused.
'Do you understand, Routledge? You will tell no-one.'
'I understand. No-one. I obey. Now.'
The screen dazzled into static and went black.
Packer looked severely shaken. 'What's wrong with him?' he repeated nervously.
Vaughn frowned, clearly somewhat disturbed. 'Our control over him seems to be weakening,' he admitted.
'But that could be fatal,' Packer protested. 'If he doesn't obey you then we...'
Vaughn stood up, quickly regaining his customary bland manner. 'Oh, he will, Packer, he will,' he murmured confidently.
Then he rounded sharply on his Deputy. 'What concerns me far more, Packer, is your bungling ineptitude. That is what has precipitated this whole crisis!'
Packer opened his mouth to object, but then closed it again and his resentment seeped away to collect like poisonous pus in a festering boil.
6
Secret Weapons
There was a tense hush in the Operations Room inside the Hercules while Captain Turner and Sergeant Walters tried to contact the Brigadier at the Ministry. To their dismay they learned that he had already left some time ago and that Major-General Routledge himself was no longer in the building.
'We're too late, Doctor, the Brig's already seen Routledge,'
Turner reported despondently.
The Doctor shrugged. 'If I'm right and Routledge is under Vaughn's control the Brigadier will have had a wasted journey, I'm afraid.'
At that moment, Lethbridge-Stewart's voice surprised them. 'I loathe helicopters,' he boomed from the doorway. 'Utter waste of time, Doctor,' he announced, striding in and throwing his cap, baton and gloves onto his desk. 'The man's totally incompetent.'
The Doctor poured him a mug of strong tea from the vast pot, sat him down and quickly told him of his suspicions concerning Vaughn's real activities.
When he had finished, the Brigadier drank the sugarless tea in one prodigious gulp. 'This is incredible, Doctor,' he cried.
'Cybermen? Are you quite sure?'
'No more incredible than the Yeti,' srniled the Doctor.
'They seem to control some pretty important people,' Zoe remarked.
The Brigadier nodded. 'I wonder who else they have besides poor Billy Routledge. Doesn't give us much of a chance does it, Doctor?'
'Unless we can upset their plans before they invade,' the Doctor speculated. 'But there are so many unknown factors..
'Like where they're hiding all the Cybermen,' Jamie butted in.
'That's obvious,' Zoe told him. 'In Vaughn's London headquarters.'
'Not enough room,' Jamie objected. 'He's probably got an underground store or something.'
Zoe laughed mockingly. 'Oh, really, Jamie...'
The Doctor had been pouring himself some fresh tea. Suddenly he banged the heavy pot down. 'Jamie's quite right,' he exclaimed to everyone's surprise. 'Brigadier, would you by any chance have a map of the London sewerage system?'
At a resigned nod from his commander, Turner jumped up and soon returned with a large plastic sheet.
The Doctor eagerly swept aside the cluttered tray and examined the map. 'Ahal' he cried triumphantly. 'You see? There's a main flood relief channel running right underneath Vaughn's warehouse. Now, isn't that a coincidence!'
The Brigadier looked doubtful. 'What about the ah... the water down there: wouldn't that affect them?'
The Doctor shook his head. 'Anyway, such a tunnel would probably be mostly dry except after heavy rainfall,' he declared.
Isobel giggled. 'So what do we do? Pray for a cloudburst?'
The Brigadier glanced at her witheringly. 'Please, Miss Watkins, the future of the world may be at stake,' he scolded.
'I'm sorry, but it's just
Vaughn ignored him, staring impassively at the videophone unit. 'Listen to me, Routledge...' he enunciated slowly. 'You will obey my instructions.'
Routledge shuddered and opened his eyes. 'Obey your instructions...' he repeated dutifully.
'You will leave your office immediately and come here to me.'
'Come to you...'The tortured face seemed to relax a little, but the eyes were pitifully confused.
'Do you understand, Routledge? You will tell no-one.'
'I understand. No-one. I obey. Now.'
The screen dazzled into static and went black.
Packer looked severely shaken. 'What's wrong with him?' he repeated nervously.
Vaughn frowned, clearly somewhat disturbed. 'Our control over him seems to be weakening,' he admitted.
'But that could be fatal,' Packer protested. 'If he doesn't obey you then we...'
Vaughn stood up, quickly regaining his customary bland manner. 'Oh, he will, Packer, he will,' he murmured confidently.
Then he rounded sharply on his Deputy. 'What concerns me far more, Packer, is your bungling ineptitude. That is what has precipitated this whole crisis!'
Packer opened his mouth to object, but then closed it again and his resentment seeped away to collect like poisonous pus in a festering boil.
6
Secret Weapons
There was a tense hush in the Operations Room inside the Hercules while Captain Turner and Sergeant Walters tried to contact the Brigadier at the Ministry. To their dismay they learned that he had already left some time ago and that Major-General Routledge himself was no longer in the building.
'We're too late, Doctor, the Brig's already seen Routledge,'
Turner reported despondently.
The Doctor shrugged. 'If I'm right and Routledge is under Vaughn's control the Brigadier will have had a wasted journey, I'm afraid.'
At that moment, Lethbridge-Stewart's voice surprised them. 'I loathe helicopters,' he boomed from the doorway. 'Utter waste of time, Doctor,' he announced, striding in and throwing his cap, baton and gloves onto his desk. 'The man's totally incompetent.'
The Doctor poured him a mug of strong tea from the vast pot, sat him down and quickly told him of his suspicions concerning Vaughn's real activities.
When he had finished, the Brigadier drank the sugarless tea in one prodigious gulp. 'This is incredible, Doctor,' he cried.
'Cybermen? Are you quite sure?'
'No more incredible than the Yeti,' srniled the Doctor.
'They seem to control some pretty important people,' Zoe remarked.
The Brigadier nodded. 'I wonder who else they have besides poor Billy Routledge. Doesn't give us much of a chance does it, Doctor?'
'Unless we can upset their plans before they invade,' the Doctor speculated. 'But there are so many unknown factors..
'Like where they're hiding all the Cybermen,' Jamie butted in.
'That's obvious,' Zoe told him. 'In Vaughn's London headquarters.'
'Not enough room,' Jamie objected. 'He's probably got an underground store or something.'
Zoe laughed mockingly. 'Oh, really, Jamie...'
The Doctor had been pouring himself some fresh tea. Suddenly he banged the heavy pot down. 'Jamie's quite right,' he exclaimed to everyone's surprise. 'Brigadier, would you by any chance have a map of the London sewerage system?'
At a resigned nod from his commander, Turner jumped up and soon returned with a large plastic sheet.
The Doctor eagerly swept aside the cluttered tray and examined the map. 'Ahal' he cried triumphantly. 'You see? There's a main flood relief channel running right underneath Vaughn's warehouse. Now, isn't that a coincidence!'
The Brigadier looked doubtful. 'What about the ah... the water down there: wouldn't that affect them?'
The Doctor shook his head. 'Anyway, such a tunnel would probably be mostly dry except after heavy rainfall,' he declared.
Isobel giggled. 'So what do we do? Pray for a cloudburst?'
The Brigadier glanced at her witheringly. 'Please, Miss Watkins, the future of the world may be at stake,' he scolded.
'I'm sorry, but it's just
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