The Demon Headmaster and The Prime Minister’s Brain Read Online Free PDF Page A

shoulders. ‘I think we should try and go,’ she said stoutly. ‘Dinah wouldn’t have asked us unless she felt really upset. And I bet you could make a plan if you tried, Lloyd. You could say we all want a trip to London too. If Dinah’s getting one. We could go and stay with your Auntie Alice and visit the Science Museum.’
    Lloyd was tempted. He loved organizing things. Especially huge, complicated plans. A SPLAT trip to London! That would really be something. Only—Ingrid and Harvey were still looking rebellious.
    Then, unexpectedly, Ian spoke. Until then, he had been lounging back in his chair, looking slightly superior. But now he jumped to his feet, taking them all by surprise. ‘ I think we should try and go, as well. We’re being pathetic. Not like SPLAT at all. It’s supposed to be a fighting organization. Remember? The Society for the Protection of our Lives Against Them. When we started it, we were strong—the Demon Headmaster couldn’t hypnotize any of us except Dinah, and we defeated his plans. But look at us now! We’ve wasted all this morning, just bickering!’
    He glared round in disgust, and the others looked sheepish. Even Ingrid stopped pulling a sulky face and hung her head. Ian snorted.
    ‘We need something to do. We’ve got feeble ! If the Demon Headmaster came back now, he’d have us all in his power in a couple of seconds.’
    He snatched the heavy, plush cloth off the table and draped it round his shoulders, so that it hung in long folds, like a teacher’s gown. Then his fair, lazy face set into stern lines, like the face of the Demon Headmaster.
    ‘Funny that you should all be so sleepy,’ he crooned. ‘Look into my eyes. Look deep, deep into my eyes.’
    Ingrid giggled. ‘Don’t be thick. You don’t look like him at all. Even you aren’t ugly enough.’
    ‘Quiet!’ snapped Ian. ‘Do not disturb the others. They want to go to sleep.’ His voice slowed, soothingly. ‘They’re so, so sleepy. They can’t lift their arms or their legs.’
    They all began to play up to him. Mandy let her head slump forward. Lloyd and Harvey flopped sideways and Ingrid gave a snore. Even Dinah relaxed.
    ‘That’s better,’ crooned Ian. ‘Much more orderly. Now, close your eyes, all of you. Sleep, sleep, sleep …’
    Obediently, they shut their eyes. Ingrid opened one again and peeped at him, but he glared so fiercely at her that she shut it quickly.
    ‘Now,’ he said, in quite a different voice, sharp and precise, ‘I will give you your instructions. Tomorrow we will plan to take over the world and run it efficiently, but today we have more important things to do. We have to solve Dinah’s problem. Everyone repeat after me—we will do our best to go to London with Dinah.’
    ‘We will do our best to go to London with Dinah,’ chorused the others.
    ‘And we will succeed,’ Ian said firmly.
    ‘And we will succeed .’
    It was not as difficult as they had expected. On the morning of 28 August, all six members of SPLAT climbed off a train in the middle of London. Feeling tired and thirsty in the dry, summer heat, they dragged their cases up the platform. Dinah had the most to carry, because she had brought her S-7 as well, but it was Ingrid who complained the loudest.
    ‘I still don’t see why we’ve got to do this. I don’t want anything to do with the Computer Director. Why can’t we really go to your Auntie Alice’s, Lloyd? And visit the Science Museum?’
    ‘We’ve told you,’ Lloyd said impatiently. ‘Six million times already. We’re SPLAT, and we’re going with Dinah.’ He gripped the back of Grid’s neck and pushed her up the platform and through the ticket barrier.
    ‘I still think it’s mean to trick Auntie Alice,’ muttered Harvey. But he followed the others to the telephones. They all crowded round while Lloyd made the phone call. They could not hear everything he said, but snatches of talk drifted out.
    ‘… terribly sorry, Auntie Alice … enormous