Doctor Who: The Invasion Read Online Free PDF Page B

of Jamie and the Doctor vanished from the screens. Vaughn glanced up in alarm to see Zoe and Isobel at the reception console.
    Smoke was belching from one of the terminals and snapping tapes were tangling themselves into a froth of brown spaghetti.
    '... Take more than a soldering-iron to sort that out...' Zoe was saying.
    'Great,' cried Isobel admiringly. 'Wish I had my camera with me.'
    Vaughn's face relaxed into a half-smile of ironic amusement.
    He flicked a switch and leaned towards a slim microphone. 'Packer, saboteurs in Reception...' he reported with icy contempt. 'Or are you taking your Bank Holiday already?'
    There was a mush of static and Packer's frantic voice squawked in reply. 'I'm on to them, sir... I'll bring them up to you.'
    Vaughn reclined in his comfortable chair and shook with silent laughter as he watched the tell-tale screens.
     
    Clutching steaming mugs of strong NAAFI tea, the Doctor and Jamie were studying a large selection of photographs on the Brigadier's desk.
    'That one's Gordon McLeod, Lecturer in Physics at Cambridge,' the Brigadier noted, identifying one of the figures frozen in midstride on the steps of the International Electromatix Building.
    'And this is Billy Routledge, chap I knew at Sandhurst. Landed himself a cushy little job at the Ministry of Defence.'
     
    The Doctor peered at the blurred hurrying figure. 'All these people went into the IE Building and never came out again?' he exclaimed sceptically.
    'No, Doctor. Most of them did emerge eventually,' Lethbridge-Stewart corrected him, 'but there was something jolly odd about them afterwards.'
    'Odd?'
    'Yes, Doctor. Take Billy for instance. He'd been extremely helpful with our investigations into Vaughn's activities, but once he'd actually been inside the building he started being difficult...
    obstructive.'
    Suddenly Jamie seized a photo from the pile. 'Look, Doctor, this is the man who gave us a lift in his van this morning.'
    The Brigadier looked disconcerted. 'You know this man?'
    The Doctor nodded.
    'His report is twenty-four hours overdue,' muttered the Brigadier anxiously. 'Whereabouts were you?'
    The Doctor shrugged. 'Somewhere out in the countryside.'
    'Some of Packer's gorillas were on his tail,' added Jamie.
    'Good man, 013. One of our agents,' confided the Brigadier. 'I expect he's onto something.'
    The Doctor blew on his tea. 'Tell me more about this International Electromatix set-up, Brigadier.'
    'They control most of the worldwide computer production, Doctor. They made their breakthrough a few years ago with something called Monolithic Circuit design and stole a march on the entire industry.'
    Jamie flourished his transistor radio. 'Vaughn gave me this.'
    'That's just a commercial sideline, McCrimmon. They've made a fortune out of teenyboppers.'
    The Doctor coughed and nudged Jamie to restrain his temper.
    'What's your interest in Vaughn and Company?' he asked the Brigadier.
    'Well, they got so big I decided to run a routine check. It threw up some odd things.'
     
    'Like the disappearance of Professor Watkins,' remarked the Doctor, sipping the treacly tea and grimacing with watering eyes. 'I don't suppose you have the authority to search Vaughn's premises?'
    'I'm afraid not, Doctor. The man's got too many friends in high places. My hands are tied.'
    The Doctor stared at the varnish-like deposit round the rim of his mug. Then he turned resolutely to Jamie. 'Well, my boy, if we want to find Professor Watkins we'll have to do it on our own,' he concluded.
    Jamie nodded eagerly and gulped his sugary tea with relish.
    Lethbridge-Stewart smiled apologetically. 'I am sorry, Doctor, but I can at least offer you a little back-up support.' He turned to his Sergeant. 'Walters, bring me a polyvox unit if there's one handy.'
    As Walters went forward towards the cockpit section of the Hercules the Brigadier reassured his visitors as best he could. 'We're on constant alert here, Doctor. The polyvox will put you in direct contact with