Free Doctor Who: The Invasion by Ian Marter Page A

the tower. Jamie and the Doctor just managed to overhear Packer order the girls to he taken up to the tenth floor. While the Doctor twiddled his thumbs with profound concentration, working out a way to get to the prisoners, Jamie screwed up his eyes and watched a helicopter chattering across the sky some distance away from the complex.
    'Must be some of the Brigadier's mob, Doctor. Let's call him up,' he suggested impatiently.
    But the Doctor said that it was too soon for that. First they must rescue Zoe and Isobel. And as soon as the coast was clear, he led Jamie in a desperate sprint across the open concrete yard and round to the back of the tower. 'Sorry, Jarnie, but I'm afraid I abhor lifts...' he grinned, leading the way hack up the fire-escape in the angle between the tower and the adjoining buildings.
     
    Gritting his teeth, Jarnie scowled and clambered reluctantly up the metal spiral behind him.
     
    Inside the busy, cramped Operations Room, Lethbridge-Stewart stirred a fresh mug of tea as he listened intently to Captain Turner's muffled report from the helicopter.
    'Lot of unusual activity down in the compound, sir. Looks like some kind of alert.'
    'Any sign of the Doctor and the boy?'
    'None, sir.'
    The Brigadier nibbled thoughtfully at a digestive biscuit.
    'Right, Jimmy. Pull out and stand by,' he ordered crisply.
    He swung round in his chair and studied the Situation Map for a few minutes, tugging the ends of his moustache. 'All units please,'
    he requested.
    The Signals Sergeant flicked a bank of switches. 'Go ahead, sir.'
    The Brigadier picked up his handset. 'Lethbridge-Stewart to all Red units. Penetration of Red Sector imminent. Report readiness.'
    He dunked the remains of the biscuit impatiently while he waited for the situation reports. It fell apart and floated on the top.
    'Red Victor One mustering to standby. Ten minutes, sir... Red Victor Two standing by, sir... Red Victor Three...'
    As the brisk responses buzzed in his ear the Brigadier picked up his beret, breathed on the UNIT badge and proudly polished it against his chest. 'Right, Doctor. We're ready when you are,' he murmured.
     
    At that moment, the Doctor was leading Jamie precariously along a narrow ledge leading from one of the landings on the fire-escape to a vertical maintenance ladder which ran up the side of the connecting building, linking the step-like series of flat roofs at the rear of the Administration Building. They shinned recklessly up the shuddering rungs to the first roof and dropped down behind the parapet to rest a moment.
    'That'll be the tenth floor up there,' gasped the Doctor, pointing to the sheer wall of glass rising like a cliff above the next roof.
     
    Jamie craned upwards unenthusiastically. 'Aye, but how do we ken which room they're in?' he objected. 'And how do we get them out?'
    'Stop looking for problems,' the Doctor snapped. 'Let's just get up there first, Jamie.' He scurried across the asphalt and started scrambling up the vertical ladder to the next storey.
    Just as Jamie followed suit, Vaughn's eerily calm voice suddenly blared out from huge tannoy speakers fixed to the corners of the tower building above them:
    'Wherever you are, Doctor, listen carefully. You have just ten minutes to relinquish your freedom. Ten minutes from now your friend Zoe will pay for your foolish lack of cooperation..
    Clinging unsteadily to the creaking ladder, they listened to the cold mechanical threat echoing around the complex.
    'Not much time,' muttered Jamie gloomily, staring up at the inaccessible identical windows.
    'Oh, time enough to effect a simple rescue operation,' replied the Doctor with airy confidence. 'Come on, Jamie.'
    Seconds later they reached the second roof and Jamie suddenly grabbed the Doctor's arm and pointed upwards. 'Somebody's there.
    It's Zoe!' he cried excitedly.
    While Jamie started waving frantically to attract the attention of the vague figure behind the reflective glass ten or so metres above them,