Post by Oldmankrondas on Aug 12, 2005 14:51:19 GMT
PERFECTION
EPISODE TWO
By Mark Donaldson
EPISODE TWO
By Mark Donaldson
General Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart had had better mornings. He had to brief UN officials in New York via a videoconference at around midnight. Then, as he was about to leave, his desk phone rang, informing of a body being found near last months crash site. This entailed an hour-long phone call to the Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police to negotiate the handover of the investigation. That ended around 3, which gave him about 4 hours sleep before he had to get ready for a breakfast with his successor. He had decided to spend the night in the office, sleeping on the rather comfortable couch in his office. When the UN had phoned him four years ago offering him the chance to set up a more efficient, better funded UNIT with the remit of combating threats from both those on Earth and from extra-terrestrials, he had jumped at the chance. It was always to be a short posting, an experienced old soldier setting out a new and improved intelligence force. As he straightened his tie in the mirror he thought of the Doctor, and of how helpful he would have been in shaping this new UNIT. He thought over the idea of handing over the device the Doctor had once entrusted to him to the man who would take over the handling of UNIT, but instantly dismissed it, he never knew when he might need to summon the Doctor. He was brought out of his train of thought by the sound of his intercom buzzing. ‘Brigadier Harchester to see you sir.’ Chirped the voice of his secretary. He flicked the switch. ‘Send him in please Karen…’ His door swung open and a tall middle aged man with slicked back greying hair. ‘Brigadier, it’s good to see you. Take a seat, the car’s waiting for us downstairs, I just need to finish off some business so we aren’t disturbed.’ Harchester nodded politely and watched as Lethbridge-Stewart dialled a number on the cordless phone he had lifted from the desk. ‘Hello Captain, General Lethbridge-Stewart here, just checking on your progress….I see…The Chief Constable has been informed yes….Oh really? And what’s that? One of their what is missing? Captain, I want you to secure that, I very much doubt it’s a missing Police Box. I’ll be down in half an hour. No arguments man!’ He cut off the call and turned to Harchester, an apologetic look on his face. ‘I’m afraid we’ll have to grab something on the way. Our little alien crash site is becoming a bit like Piccadilly Circus.’
Harchester grinned broadly. ‘That’s alright Sir, I wasn’t hungry anyway.’
Lethbridge-Stewart beckoned for him to follow him out the office, a grin fixed firmly on his face, it looked as if the Doctor had deemed fit to see him off after all.
*
The Doctor and Todd had been trampling through the woods for several minutes before they reached a large crater. He knelt down beside and peered down, it was empty. ‘No, no, no!’ he exclaimed, dusting himself down and rising to his feet, noticing a tyre trail. ‘Someone’s taken it! What is it with you human beings and your magpie tendencies?’ He turned and began following the trail for a minute or two before there was a pistol shot, sending a bullet crashing into a tree. The Doctor and Todd both spun round on their heels. ‘Hello! I’m the Doctor, and this is Todd. And you must be…’ he glanced at the bullet lodged in the tree trunk. ‘…Shooting at us!’ He smiled nervously.
‘I wont kill you, not unless you give me reason to.’ The man began, lowering the gun slightly.
The Doctor shrugged in response.
‘Good, now, tell me exactly what the two of you are doing in a secured crash site?’ The man asked, edging forward, the bottom of his black trench coat sliding through the dry leaves.
‘You wouldn’t believe us even if we told you.’ Todd replied, cursing himself for the cliché.
‘Try me.’ Replied the man, cursing himself for the clichéd response.
‘Very well, we were tracking an alien distress signal which cut out on its approach to Earth, more specifically when it crash landed in that very crater.’ The Doctor began. ‘Now it appears as if some enterprising soul has taken the ship for their own uses.’
The man dropped the gun down to his side, mouth open, aghast. Forgetting himself, he suddenly raised the gun once more, this time levelling it at the Doctors head. ‘How the hell did you know all that, that’s classified information!’ He roared, reaching for his radio. As he was about to call for back up, the screech of tyres and a deafening crash diverted his attention. The Doctor and Todd took advantage of this and headed for the source of the noises.
*
Anna had managed to fight off Dawsons henchmen long enough to force her way through the sunroof. The limo began swerving as Dawson ordered his driver to try and throw her off. However, as the driver carried out his instructions they swerved into a woodland area, the terrain of which not being favourable to the limo. The driver had tried to swerve round to head back on to the road but ended up hitting the gravel drive of a large country house, and eventually crashing side on into a garage. By this point however, Anna had thrown herself off the top of the limo and was fighting her way through the trees, cursing herself for dropping the gun in the limo and leaving herself defenceless. She had no idea where she was, but she knew that Dawson and his peculiar looking goons wouldn’t hang around long enough to be caught by the police. All she had to do was lie low until the police did arrive. That said though, would they really accept the word of a woman who had just tried to kidnap a household name? She felt something warm and sticky dribble down her forehead, she put a hand to it, and removed it. Her fingertips were now a crimson colour.
‘You really should get that seen to.’ Came a soft, almost reassuring voice from behind her. She spun round, ready for a fight but saw a man in long brown hair in a green frockcoat, white shirt, waistcoat and cravat. He smiled at her, and outstretched a hand. ‘I’m the Doctor.’ He smiled. Emphasising the fact he had outstretched his hand. She shook it. ‘Oh I’m terribly sorry, you’ve obviously been in some sort of accident, why don’t you take a little seat on that tree trunk.’
Anna nodded sheepishly and staggered over to it, whilst the Doctor began fumbling in his pockets, producing a variety of different coloured ties, a small torch, a brown paper bag that Anna assumed (by the sweet smell) contained confectionary, crammed them all back in and eventually produced a bandage. There was rustling in the bushes behind them, Anna shot to her feet. A young man in a short sleeved black shirt came out, a large branch in one hand. ‘All clear Doctor, our one man trench coat mafia appears to have vanished.’
The Doctor nodded, as he placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder and gently pushed her back down. He began tying the bandage around her forehead, tied it off, then stood back and admired his handiwork. ‘Yes, yes, that should do the trick for now.’ He smiled and knelt down in front of Anna. ‘Are you up to answering a question or two?’ the Doctor asked. Claire nodded, managing to convey an extreme sense of bewilderment. ‘Good, why don’t you tell me what you were running from?’
‘Big metal men…’ she whispered in reply.
*
The UNIT Land Rover trundled over the loose twigs and pebbles on its way to the murder scene. General Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart stepped out and surveyed the scene. A white tent was set up further down the woodland path, and a forensic team was getting to work, aided by UNITs scientific advisor Doctor Louise Sturgeon. Captain Baxter had noticed Lethbridge-Stewart and Brigadier Harchester arrive and was already hurrying towards them, his coat tails flowing behind him. ‘Good morning sirs!’ He called, outstretching a hand to Lethbridge-Stewart, a man he had looked up to from the very moment he had stepped inside UNIT H.Q.
‘Morning Captain, this is Brigadier Harchester, the new man in charge once I shuffle off at the end of the week.’ Lethbridge-Stewart replied cheerfully.
‘Well I’m sorry it isn’t looking like a quiet last few days sir!’
Lethbridge-Stewart raised a hand and shook his head. ‘Nonsense man! I’m always happy to be out of the office. So tell me what’s been happening here.’
Baxter nodded and led the two superior officers to the tented area. ‘I’ll let Doctor Sturgeon explain exactly what it is we found.’ The three men pushed through into the tent, causing Sturgeon to look up.
‘Captain Baxter? Come to disturb me again have you?’ She barked, not noticing the presence of the General and the Brigadier. When she did, she became ashen faced. ‘General Sir Lethbridge-Stewart, Brigadier Harchester! I’m so sorry I…’
Lethbridge-Stewart raised a hand, and smiled, the edges of his moustache twitching upward. She reminded him somewhat of the Doctor when he was banished to Earth many years ago. Only she was a young woman with long brown hair and none of that Doctors old young features. ‘Quite alright Doctor, I understand the scientific advisors temperament. Tell us what you’ve found out.’
And so she told them.
*
The Doctor and Todd listened intently to Annas story, of the two heavy set metal men in the back of the limo, of Dawsons description of them as the purest form of perfection. When she was finished the Doctor put a hand to his chin and let out an undecisive sounding ‘Hmm…’
Todd looked to him. ‘What do you mean “Hmm?” No thoughts?’
The Doctors face suddenly became dark. ‘Oh yes, I have thoughts, I just hope they aren’t…’ Before he could finish, heavy sounding footsteps thundered through the woods from the general direction of the car crash. The Doctor beckoned for Todd and Anna to stay where they were as he crept towards the footsteps. He pressed himself against a thick tree trunk a short distance away from them. Peering round the corner, his worst fears were realised. For, not too far away, two heavy set, tall men coated head to foot in metal, a tube attached to either side of their heads marched towards them. ‘Cybermen…’ he muttered.
To Be Continued…
