Doctor Who: War Machine (12 page)

A shelter had been hurriedly put up just beyond the point where the Doctor proposed to spring his trap. Inside crowded a number of technicians, quickly assembling a piece of equipment. It involved dragging heavy cables across the street, forming three sides of a square.

Sir Charles looked on. ‘I don’t see how this is going to work,’ he said gloomily.

‘Simple,’ said the Doctor. ‘We shall setup a magnetic field of great force around the Machine. It will be enclosed as though in a box.’

‘You have only three cables,’ said Sir Charles. ‘We have a fourth standing by.’

‘I can’t see it stepping into your box so conveniently.’ The Doctor nodded. ‘For that reason the cables are hidden at the side of the street, and the fourth cable will not come into play until the creature... the Machine.. has moved into position.’

‘H’mm.’ Sir Charles was not impressed.

‘Then the current will be switched on,’ added the Doctor.

‘How do you close the box?’

‘I shall take the fourth cable and connect it to the others.’

‘With that monster just a few feet away! Impossible.’ ‘It’s a risk,’ the Doctor admitted.

Ben pushed his way forward. ‘Bit past that sort of lark, aren’t you, Doc?’

The Doctor was indignant. ‘I beg your pardon!’ ‘That’s a job for me,’ said Ben. ‘I’m nippy on my feet.’

There was general assent in spite of the Doctor’s protests.

‘Right,’ said Ben. ‘That’s settled.’

‘How’s it going?’ called the Minister.

‘Fitting the third cable, sir,’ called back the Captain. ‘Reports coming in, sir... It’s a block away.’ ‘Stand by. Take up positions... Let me know –’ ‘There it is!’ the Captain cut in.

They peered from the shelter. The sight of the strange machine lurching along the deserted streets brought a shocked silence, then one of the technicians whispered to the Doctor, ‘Final cable in position, sir.’

The Doctor nodded. It had been a close run race, and now he would have to put his theory to the test. Perhaps the watchers read a meaning into the actions of the War Machine – a meaning that was not really there... but it seemed the thing slowed down as it came in sight of the shelter – it began to move with caution. The huge head turned searchingly from side to side. Did it have some way of sensing danger? Was it aware of the cables hidden at the sides of the road? Even the Doctor wondered whether it could guess – could understand– what lay ahead.

But Valk didn’t stop, moving slowly down the street, taking as a line of direction the little shelter with the silent group inside.

A wave of fear went through them as they saw the Machine approaching.

‘Heading for us,’ whispered the Captain.

‘Good.’ The Doctor was very calm. ‘I shall let it come within twenty feet. Don’t be alarmed, my friends. When I give the word, Captain, play out the cable. Ben will carry it to the other side of the road and connect it to the cable there.’

‘Understood,’ whispered the Captain. He couldn’t take his eyes off the Machine. It grew more terrifying as it got closer.

‘Now,’ said the Doctor, ‘let’s see just where it is.’ He peered out through a hole in the tarpaulin that covered the shelter.

Valk was about fifty yards away. The lights from the eye positions beamed on the shelter.

‘Ah,’ said the Doctor. ‘Have you noticed, gentlemen, one curious thing about it which is in our favour? For some reason this War Machine is not armed like the other one. I wonder why? Perhaps it is not a finished job. And if not, why not? Very interesting.’

He was caught up in his speculations as the others looked with alarm at Vale’s approach.

‘It’s very near, Doctor. That must be twenty feet.’ ‘Oh dear me, no. Nothing like. We don’t want to spring the trap too soon. We’ll only get one chance, you know.’

The technicians operating the switches were sweating.

‘Now, sir?’

‘Hold it a moment,’ insisted the Doctor. He kept an eye on the Machine, measuring distance as best he could.

‘It will be too late,’ whispered Sir Charles.

The Doctor raised a finger for silence. The Machine closed in on them, slowed... stopped... appeared to be making a decision.

‘It’s not in the box,’ whispered the Captain.

‘Can it think? Does it know?’

That was a question the Doctor couldn’t answer. Ben gripped his arm. ‘It’s on the move, Doc.’ Valk edged forward.

‘Surely, Doctor... surely –’ Sir Charles was convinced the old man would get them all crushed to death. If it made a sudden rush, what chance...

‘Now!’ The Doctor threw open the door. Ben raced from the shelter, holding one end of a cable. A team of soldiers played it out behind him.

Be ready to switch on when I give the signal,’ said the Doctor.

He saw Valk turn as Ben dragged the cable across the road, and he guessed it was about to follow.

‘Distraction!’ shouted the Doctor. He left the shelter, waving his arms.

Ben struggled to make the connection. It was best not to look round as the War Machine took a couple of heavy steps. Which way was it going? Well, he’d have to risk it... One more effort to drag the two cables together – to slot them into...

‘Right!’ shouted Ben.

The Doctor threw up his hand. ‘Switch on!’ There was a blinding flash.

The War Machine was bearing down on them. It stopped in its tracks.

For a moment it looked as though it were about to break what invisible chains held it... Then the whole thing seemed to suffer a spasm, and baleful eyes were fixed on the Doctor as he approached it.

‘Well done!’ called Sir Charles. He was about to hurry out.

‘Stay where you are, Sir Charles,’ said the Doctor. ‘This shouldn’t take a moment.’

He strolled towards Valk, braving the glare, the look of destructive venom, it gave him.

As he stood alongside, the huge machine did its utmost to bring down its raised arms on his head. In fact, they moved about an inch, then seized up.

‘Temper, temper!’ scolded the Doctor. He was at the back of the Machine, busily locating the centre panel. It was designed exactly like the machine he had taken to pieces, and he was able to unscrew the section.

The watchers looked on in hope and fear, but the Doctor didn’t appear in the least concerned. ‘Well, well... Fancy that... That’s an improvement, but for such an advanced computer... Just as I thought.’ He tinkered with the mechanism. No one could quite see what he was doing, then he called, ‘That’s it, gentlemen. You can switch off now.’

It was a moment of doubt... What would the War Machine do when it was freed from the electronic grip? The hum of the dynamo ceased as the switch was turned. The eyes still beamed with an alarming glow but Valk didn’t move, and the little crowd breathed again.

‘What did you do?’ they wanted to know.

‘To coin a phrase, I neutralised it,’ said the Doctor cheerfully.

They gathered round, looking up at the Machine, still fearsome, still frightening.

‘Quite a friendly fellow when you get to know him,’ added the Doctor.

Ben joined them from the other side of the street. ‘Good-looking chap,’ said Ben admiringly. ‘What’s the next step, Doc?’

‘Just one or two adjustments to his character. After all, there are few of us who couldn’t do with a little improvement.’

The news flashed round London, and from thereto the rest of the watching world. New York had followed the action, step by step on television and radio. ‘News from London confirms the capture of the second War Machine. It has been made safe. But the big question is how many more of these machines are there? Where are they? Is this a threat to the peace of the world? Or is it confined to the United Kingdom?’ This was followed by a warning. The disturbing fact is that each of these machines has given evidence of great improvements. If this development continues there may be no way of coping with later super-models. We watch and wait with great concern.’

It seemed to Sir Charles and the little group that surrounded the Doctor as he busied himself with the internal parts of Valk, that he was allowing scientific interest to blind him to the desperate urgency of the situation. ‘Time is running short, Doctor. You said yourself that the rest of these machines are to be let loose on London by noon.’

‘Yes... yes... quite.’ The Doctor fumbled with the internal workings of his captive.

‘What’s he doing?’ the Minister asked anxiously.

‘I haven’t a clue,’ said Sir Charles, ‘but we’re in his hands.’

‘And how does he propose to resist this attack?’

Sir Charles shook his head. ‘Can’t get a word of sense out of the chap... ’ he began.

The Doctor snapped back the outer section and was screwing Valk together. ‘There he is!’

‘You have finished, Doctor?’

‘Yes, gentlemen. And now I think you will find our friend a changed character.’

‘And how have you done that?’

‘A simple matter,’ smiled the Doctor. ‘A matter of retraining – or, in this case, reprogramming.’

‘And this will solve the problem, will it?’ asked Sir Charles. ‘I mean, you think we will now be able to cope with any further monsters?’

‘There’s only one way of finding out,’ said the Doctor. ‘Stand back, everyone.’

He reached up and tumed a switch on the Machine’s neck.

It came to life with alarming force, as terrifying as before.

‘It’s all right, gentlemen. You’re quite safe, I assure you. If we weren’t, would I be standing here?’

Valk was moving alongside the Doctor as he crossed towards the group.

‘If you say so, Doc.’ Ben took a deep breath and joined him.

Valk followed at their heels. ‘Good dog,’ grinned Ben. ‘Come along, Fido.’

Confidence grew. ‘Extraordinary. Marvellous.’ The old fellow had done the impossible!

‘You must tell us, Doctor. Exactly what did you do?’ ‘Some other time,’ said the Doctor. ‘We have urgent business.’

And as the Doctor strode away Valk lumbered after him. The amazement of the onlookers was undisguised. It was a brief moment of relief. Perhaps the Doctor could be forgiven a slightly smug smile.

Ben hurried after him.

‘Right, Doc,’ he said. ‘You wanted to get hold of this little beauty. You’ve got him... How are you going to use him?’

The Doctor was thoughtful. ‘I don’t think you were around when Dodo and I first came into contact with this problem.’

‘When was that?’

‘When we visited this famous Tower London has built.’

‘The G.P.O. Tower?’

‘Correct. That’s where the trouble began... At least, that’s where we first came across it.’

‘That’s a very respectable landmark,’ said Ben. ‘I can’t see much harm coming out of the good old Post Office. Part of the Establishment, isn’t it?’

The Doctor ignored him. ‘The problem had its origins in Professor Brett’s office. And if I’m not mistaken, it will probably end there.’

Ben wasn’t sure he understood. ‘There’s one other problem,’ he said.

‘What’s that, my boy?’

‘Polly,’ said Ben firmly. ‘What about her?’

‘I’m afraid time is too short to check on her just now,’ the Doctor told him.

‘She could be anywhere,’ protested Ben. ‘She could be in real trouble.’

‘We have a deadline,’ said the Doctor.

‘A deadline?’

‘Which we cannot miss.’

‘What deadline?’

‘Midday today,’ said the Doctor. ‘If my reading of the programming is correct, then the other War Machines are to be activated simultaneously at that hour. If that happens I don’t see how we could be capable of containing ten or eleven such destructive mechanisms once launched against this city.’

‘But Polly..

‘Priorities, you understand,’ said the Doctor. ‘Listen,’ persisted Ben. ‘You say we’ve got till mid-day... Right... Give me till then.’

‘What can you do?’

‘I can try to find her.’

‘But where?’

‘Like you said–probably at the heart of the problem. Where it all started.’

‘No, my boy. I don’t recommend... Ben! Ben! Where are you going?’

‘Don’t start anything till the deadline, Doc,’ called Ben as he hurried away.

‘Wait a moment... You can do nothing... Her best chance..

But Ben had disappeared round a corner at speed. He was clearly heading for the area of the P.O. Tower. The Doctor frowned. This was a complication he could well have done without, but the vagaries of young people were always a hazard... One that constantly surprised him.

‘The foolish boy,’ he muttered.

The loss of the War Machine at Covent Garden was an undeniable setback, but it had served only to spur Wotan to greater activity. The organisation became even more effective and productive. The schedule for completion of the other War Machines was fulfilled step by step, and each step was dead on time. One setback had put pressure on all dedicated to this historic endeavour. They knew it was the last chance to save this universe from the incompetent and illogical way in which humanity was controlling its destiny. Once in the hands of the Machines, with all the advantages that Computers could bring, then the future would be safe, and life – their new type of ‘life’ – would flourish for ever.

But the real shock was with the defection of Valk. That was more than a hiccup, and Wotan had gone into a state of turbulence. It hadn’t lasted. Wotan was no human being with a nervous system that could be overwhelmed by despair or any other emotion. Almost immediately the circuits were producing answers to the problems caused by Valk... Obviously there was a flaw in the composition of the control element that bound Valk to the rest of the War Machines and to Wotan. In some way Valk had failed to come under proper central discipline. It could have been said that he had a mind of his own... That was a fault that had to be repaired immediately... and it was. No other War Machine would be able to make decisions contrary to those imposed by Wotan and the central plan. The problem was solved. The incident was over. The other Machines were on the point of completion. They would all be ready as planned for the moment of general attack.

Wotan could see no other obstacle to the ultimate success of his campaign. And such opinions were expressed through the two human mouthpieces with him in his headquarters, the offices of Professor Brett and Krimpton had got the programme back on course.