Doctor Who: The Devil Goblins From Neptune (32 page)

'Beautiful?' said Shuskin angrily. 'It is obscene!'

'That too,' noted the Doctor, and returned his attention to the device he was constructing.

'While the rest of the world have been trying to defend themselves against the alien threat,' continued Shuskin, 'the Americans have been collaborating.'

'Stealing,' said the Doctor absentmindedly. It's not quite the same thing.'

'We should be fighting together,' said Yates, finding himself, much to his own surprise, in agreement with Shuskin.

'We pirate technology from aliens all the time. Look at all of the IE stuff we have.' said Liz defensively.

'There's a difference between a videophone and one of those... things,' said Mike angrily as a saucer-like craft skimmed above their position almost silently, hovered, banked, and then turned, firing a steady stream of laser fire at the Waro.

'Agreed,' said the Doctor, looking up from the device he was working on. 'Unfortunately, some of our friends in the United States do not believe in collective security. They want the glory of saving the world all to themselves. I would suggest there are like-minded individuals in every country, Mike.'

'Can they?'

'What, save the world?' The Doctor looked across the desert to the blazing remains of numerous aircraft. 'The alien-derived planes are more manoeuvrable than anything the US

military has come up with for itself,' the Doctor said. 'But I tend to agree with Captain Shuskin. The Waro are too numerous. Now, if you'd be a good chap and shut up for a few minutes and let me finish this,' he continued, pointing at the machine, 'then maybe we can help them. They probably don't want our help, but I think they could use it, don't you?'

The Nedenah turned away from the spacecraft, and walked deeper into the bunker. They seemed peaceful and unhurried, but what little calm the Brigadier had disappeared the moment the CIA security personnel came into the room and started firing.

'Run!' he said, as he used Rose's weapon to return fire.

The black-clad guards ducked behind equipment, but kept advancing.

Somehow they managed to reach another spaceship.

The Brigadier couldn't tell how long it had taken them to get to the deepest bunker, or whether the Nedenah had ever accelerated their unhurried pace at any stage. It seemed that the creatures emanated an aura of dignified calm that was difficult to ignore, even when the bullets were flying.

The spacecraft was shaped like a symmetrical egg, its surface as smooth and polished as a mirror. It was larger than any of the ships the Brigadier had been shown, and it seemed totally untouched. He had a feeling that Control didn't want to admit to having been outwitted by the bug-eyed monsters.

Trainor lowered the steel doors around the chamber while the Nedenah busied themselves with gaining entry to their ship. 'The heuristic security devices resisted all attempts to gain access.' said one of the Nedenah. It wasn't a statement of pride or jingoism, but of simple fact.

Moments later a doglike slit appeared in the base of the vehicle, and a ramp extended down to the floor. The four aliens walked up into their craft just as the metal bunker doors rolled open again. Trainor and the Brigadier ran after the aliens.

Once they were inside, the ramp flowed back into place, moving like animated mercury, sealing the hull. The material that the ship was constructed from felt like warm metal, and it glowed when the 'door' closed, providing illumination.

The first thing the Brigadier noticed was a large chamber that adjoined what seemed to be the cockpit. Within were tanks containing more Nedenah. They were curled up like foetuses, looking more childlike than ever.

'I don't understand,' said the Brigadier.

'After all this time,' said one of the aliens reasonably, 'the food supplies were approaching exhaustion. They elected to wait in suspended animation for our return.'

'No, but...' The Brigadier paused, collecting his thoughts.

'They've been here all this time, locked in this spaceship, and they didn't try to rescue you?'

'We have higher priorities than merely the comfort of the individual,' replied the alien. 'Nedenah are committed to cultural and technological purity. Our visits to your planet are purely observational.' The creature's face fell. 'Unfortunately, we have polluted your race. You have had glimpses of our technology, but you seem incapable of using it wisely.'

'I'm sorry,' stammered the Brigadier, realising how feeble this must sound, as if one man could apologise for humanity's evil. 'But, rest assured, if we get out of here, I'll do my best to ensure that the research programmes are halted. No one country or vested interest is greater than the UN.'

'We shall be leaving in a moment,' said the Nedenah, turning briefly to watch the others powering up the spacecraft.

'Thank you,' said the Brigadier.

'You do not understand,' said the creature. 'You now face a danger much more grave than your own selfishness.'

Viscount Rose came back to reality with the sickening lurch of a man in a free-falling lift. It took him a moment to realise that the bells he heard weren't just in his mind. A klaxon was sounding nearby. Rose could hear shouting, too.

Then someone kicked him in the ribs, and he groaned and tried to turn over and go back to sleep. 'Go away,' he muttered with the simple arrogance of a man used to getting his own way

'Who the hell are you?' asked an American voice.

Rose didn't reply, and found himself being dragged to his feet by two burly men in dark suits.

'I asked you a question!' said the American man, standing impatiently to his left.

'So you did, old man,' replied Rose. Suddenly he became aware of the enormity of the situation. This was, indeed, a fine old kettle of fish he'd found himself in. 'I ... I don't suppose you have an aspirin by any chance, do you? My head is splitting.'

'You're English?' asked the man. 'You with UNIT, boy?'

'Err... No. I'm Viscount Rose. I'm thirty-seventh in line to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.' He gave a charming smile.

What happened next surprised the guards almost as much as it surprised Rose.

'Would you like a cigarette?' asked the leading American.

'Oh, I say, that's frightfully decent of you.' said Rose.

Control had Rose thrown into an interrogation cell, and left him there to sweat. After that, Rose proved to be very cooperative, describing Professor Trainor as the maddest of Britain's mad scientists, a man without a shred of moral decency and courage. 'Roger Cook's going to do a special on him.’ added Rose helpfully. 'They call him "the most evil man in the world". Seems he's in bed with UNIT. That Brigadier chappy, he's in on it. And the government.'

'Roger who?' asked Control, feeling he'd lost the plot somewhere.

'Trainor duped me into coming here.' continued Rose breathlessly, not hearing Control's question. 'I had no idea what this place was, or what - who - it contained. It wasn't until we got into this room that I realised he had plans to kill those aliens.' Rose sobbed momentarily. 'I managed to stop him from killing the others.' Rose pointed to the cells, one of which was being scrubbed clean by white-coated technicians.

'But he knocked me out and ran off.'

'Oh well, no harm done then.' said Control, smiling. He pulled a Colt .45 from his pocket and shot Viscount Rose, thirty-seventh in line to the throne, in the head. 'No harm at all.'

The Doctor continued to work on the jamming device. Every time he glanced up at the sky, there seemed to be fewer and fewer aircraft flying. The Waro were winning.

'It's looking pretty hopeless,' said Yates, as if he'd been reading his thoughts.

'Never say die, Mike,' said the Doctor. 'I'm almost there.'

Suddenly there was a hissing, droning noise from above them. Another, much larger vessel had joined the battle. It was less manoeuvrable than the USAF craft, but appeared to be resistant to the Waro's weapons. Arcs of blue light crackled around the egg-shaped object, and thicker beams of brightness stabbed into the smothering blanket of Waro.

'What's going on?' asked the Doctor.

'It is difficult to tell.' said Shuskin. 'But this plane seems much stronger.'

'So the CIA did have a trump up their sleeve after all.'

said Yates.

'I'm not so sure.' said the Doctor. 'That looks like a twenty-four-carat alien spaceship to me. So the question is.'

who's flying it, and why?'

It had taken the Brigadier some time to become used to the idea of flying through the air on a transparent magic carpet, still less one that was travelling at Mach 4.

Trainor, on the other hand, had rolled into a ball on the invisible floor of the alien spacecraft, his arms over his head and his eyes closed. One of the Nedenah had been particularly concerned by the professor's plight, and had tried to reassure the man. 'It is a purely optical rather than a physical process. You are in no danger.'

The professor merely whimpered.

Now, in the height of battle, even the Brigadier could empathise with Trainor. The ship was surrounded by a dark swarm of grotesque goblin creatures, and the Brigadier felt unusually vulnerable. It was difficult to remind oneself that they couldn't see inside the ship, and that there was a barrier between the saliva-flecked faces and the ship's occupants.

'Whenever a creature landed on the invisible hull, some metres away, there was a spark of what looked like static electricity, and the goblin fell away.

The Brigadier stared down at his feet, watching the devilish creatures spiralling away to the desert floor, and then felt nauseous with vertigo. 'So, these are the Waro?' he said, never afraid to ask the obvious question.

'Yes.' said one of the Nedenah, turning away from a bank of only partly visible controls.

The Brigadier pointed to a dark and smoking shape on the desert floor. 'And that's the air force base where the cobalt-60 is stored?'

'Yes.'

'Which the Waro need to prime their larger bombs?'

'Yes. The bombs destroy entire ecosystems, rendering Earth uninhabitable to all but their own kind.' The Nedenah spoke in a singsong voice that made the words all the more horrifying.

'Thank you.' said the Brigadier, suppressing a shudder as a Waro seemed to career in his direction before vanishing in a flash of static. 'I like to know what's going on, that's all.'

The larger weapons of the Nedenah craft fired again, arcing outwards in myriad directions.

'It's all right, Professor, I think we're winning,' stated Lethbridge-Stewart.

Trainor groaned, and pulled his arms tighter over his head.

When Lethbridge-Stewart looked up again, he felt a hard lump form in his throat. Two of the hideous Waro creatures were flying straight for the ship in close formation. Even from this distance, the Brigadier could see their red eyes, dark with murderous hatred.

Lethbridge-Stewart was about to warn a nearby Nedenah when his attention was caught by the bulky black object that the Waro carried between them. 'That looks suspiciously like... ' The Brigadier paused, aware of Trainor's fragile grip on sanity. 'What do you think?' he asked the Nedenah.

It is an explosive device.' replied the alien, matter-of-factly. 'The Waro are known for such crude weaponry.'

The Waro were now mere feet from the ship's seemingly transparent hull. 'They're going to hit!' the Brigadier said, aghast, as the creatures, using the last of their strength, threw themselves towards him.

'Nearly there.' said the Doctor, loudly enough for the UNIT

soldiers towards the front of the narrow crevasse to hear.

'Good.' said Shuskin. 'I am not used to sitting still while people around me are dying.'

There was a massive explosion from somewhere above them. Shuskin immediately raised her binoculars skyward, although it was obvious that the large alien craft had been hit.

It seems one of the Waro got through, planting explosives that the ship could not destroy,' announced Shuskin.

The silver egg began to list to one side. A few moments later there was another, even larger explosion, a plume of orange smoke burning briefly on the hull.

It began to fall from the sky.

'I suggest you go and investigate.' said the Doctor, returning his attention to the device just as the ship thumped into the desert. The explosion was bright enough to briefly negate the influence of the Waro blanket over the sun. 'I'11

be quite safe here, but whoever is in that ship seems to have some idea of how we go about defeating the Waro.'

Shuskin nodded, and she, Yates, and the UNIT troops began to move in the direction of the towering pillar of acrid smoke some mile or so distant. Liz gave the Doctor a last, sad smile, and hobbled after the soldiers.

'It looks like it's all over,' sighed the Doctor, once they were out of earshot. The last of the USAF experimental craft had long since been destroyed.

Now the Waro, moving as one amorphous creature, began to sweep down towards the air force base.

There had been a strange calm within the Nedenah craft as it plummeted to the ground.

The flames on the outside of the ship had seemed close enough to feel, the Brigadier almost putting out a hand towards them, then flinching back as if terrified that touching the walls of the ship would puncture the illusion and send them all to the ground that much more quickly. But, beneath his feet, the desert had been rushing up pretty fast anyway.

'We're in free fall.' he had said, shaking his head. 'What do we do?' The first response he had was from the professor, still hunched in a ball but animatedly shouting that they were all going to die, and that it was all his fault. Lethbridge-Stewart had turned wearily to the Nedenah.

One of the creatures - its hands were still clamped on the guidance sensors - had turned towards the Brigadier. 'Do not worry,' it said in a childlike voice. 'You will be...' The creature paused, as if searching for the correct word. 'Unharmed.' it said at length. 'Safe' was clearly not a word the Nedenah had had much call for during the previous twenty years.