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Detective Inspector Frank Spiggot to Charles and Edward
Nisbett, a familiar voice said from the console.
Who are you? Are you an enemy of Mr Nisbett? came the
voice of Flarkk.
Well, you could say that, said Spiggot.
Charlie Nisbett s dreams were taking him back to the old days.
He and Eddie were standing together under the canopy over
the main doorway of the Imperial Club in West Coppertown.
Their shining black shoes sank deep into the plush red carpet.
The punters were queueing up along the street, all in line, the
lads in their smartest suits and the girls in their prettiest frocks.
It was going to be a good night. One of the best bands from
Capital were inside just striking up. There d be drinks aplenty,
and the finest nosh. And then later, the firm were going to take
a van over to the Cog and Centrifuge and collect some money
that was owing.
The town clock struck ten and the boys stepped forward to
admit the first group of punters into the lobby.
A distant voice said, Mr Charles, sir. A message from the
planet.
Charlie looked around the crowd. Standing right at the front
of the queue was a right ugly. Covered in hair, it looked like
an upright ape. Mr Nisbett, sir, it said. There is a message.
For you.
He jolted upright in his chair and was immediately
transported thirty years forwards in time. Flarkk was tugging
nervously at his sleeve. For a moment, Charlie thought he was
going to shout at the hapless Ogron for waking him up. Then
he realized that the pilot was about the nearest he could now
call to next of kin. There was something oddly familiar and
comforting about that huge, brutish face.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. A message? From
where?
Flarkk pointed to the console. From planet, sir. Comes
from man called Spiggot.
Charlie raised a suspicious eyebrow. Never heard of him.
Patch it through.
I hear you ve been casting about for a chap calling himself
Sentinel, the Doctor heard Spiggot say.
The Doctor tried to put his hands to his head in alarm, but
of course he was still tied to the chair, and he succeeded only
in pulling the muscles of his upper back. No, he cried. The
idiot!
Charlie straightened in his chair. His eyes narrowed. What if I
am?
What if I told you, Mr Nisbett, Spiggot continued, that I
know exactly where you can find this person. You d be
interested, eh?
I d be very interested.
The Doctor hammered frantically at the communicator
controls in the survey room, desperately searching for a way to
block the frequency connecting Spiggot with the Ogron ship.
The control panel before which Pyerpoint was seated bleeped
urgently. He took his eyes from the writhing form of Xais
below, and checked the reading. He frowned. A message
being sent from this base? he asked aloud. That is
impossible.
Concerned that an instrumentation failure might have
occurred, he broke into the transmission frequency to check
the reading. The voices of Spiggot and Charlie Nisbett came
through clearly.
You claim to know the identity of Sentinel? Charlie was
asking.
Oh, better than that, Charlie, my mate, Spiggot replied. I
know where you can find him.
Pyerpoint leapt up.
The sound of the conversation had carried from the gallery
to the room below. Xais looked up, deep frown lines forming
on the forehead of the mask.
And then she smiled.
Where? Charlie barked into his communicator link. Where
can I find him? He shuddered with emotion. You d better not
be messing me around, copper.
Spiggot said confidently, I wouldn t mess your sort about.
No, I ve got Sentinel right here, Charlie. You d know him
better as High Archon Pyerpoint.
Stokes looked on anxiously as Spiggot made his revelation. He
whispered to K9, I m not altogether sure about this.
Something about this message makes me feel extremely
uneasy. He took another look at Spiggot. An uneasiness that
probably has something to do with the fact that the person
sending the message is a total and absolute idiot.
I am not programmed to express critical opinions, said
K9.
Pyerpoint! Charlie clamped his hands on the arm of his
chair, his knuckles whitening. Pyerpoint! But he but he
His mind filled up with an explosive mixture of feelings. The
first raid on the firm s premises. The lads being led away. Him
and Eddie fleeing to Ghelluris. Reading in the papers about the
executions of his oldest mates.
But I ve had him next to me, he spluttered. All this
flaming time. He spat. No wonder that filthy cow Xais
wanted to keep him alive. It wouldn t surprise me if they were
all in it together. Pyerpoint, Xais, the Doctor. He turned back
to the communicator. You say he s with you, Spiggot?
At his secret mine. Why not come and get him? I bet
you ve got plenty to talk about.
Spiggot broke off the call.
There we go, Spiggot said confidently, turning to face his
colleagues. Now we can just pop back into the TARDIS over
there, and wait for the brothers Nisbett to deal with our
problem for us.
Stokes shrugged. I suppose it sounds reasonable enough.
The communicator bleeped. Surprised, Spiggot reopened
the channel. Hello, Mr Nisbett? Any details you want clearing
up?
Spiggot, said the Doctor s voice. You are a total and
absolute idiot!
Xais chuckled. Well, Sentinel ? What is your plan now?
She smirked up through the glass at Pyerpoint, who was
pacing the gallery in agitation.
It doesn t matter, he said. Even if their ship was able to
make a landing here, which I doubt, it doesn t possess the
weapons necessary to break in. This mine is protected by
neutron cannon. I am secure.
Charlie Nisbett s voice crackled over the communicator
link. Pyerpoint, he thundered. This is Nisbett.
I have nothing to say to you, said Pyerpoint.
Scum! Charlie s voice broke with emotion.
You re behind all of this. I wish I was there to bust you
open with my own hands. I want you to suffer like my
family suffered. It s too bad it s going to have to end this
way.
Pyerpoint stiffened. What do you mean? You cannot reach
me here. Go away.
You re wrong on that score. See, the survey base is wired
up to blow when I give the word. There s enough hermite
stored there to crack open the reactor core. He paused. And
when that goes, the planet goes.
I do not believe you, said Pyerpoint.
You know what? Of all the people I ve ever met, I hate
you most of all.
The transmission ceased.
Charlie s warning had been overheard on the open channel by
Spiggot. Oh damn! he said. Can he really blow up the planet
like that? He can t, can he?
I m afraid he can, said the Doctor from the base. And as
I happen to be sitting directly on top of the bomb, I m not too
happy about it. He tutted. Really, Spiggot, I was just about to
win Nisbett over. Couldn t you use just a little intelligence?
How was I to know? the detective protested. He flinched
under the accusing glare of Stokes. Well, at least the galaxy
will be a better place without Xais and Pyerpoint, anyway.
Stokes slapped him and turned his back.
K9 s head dropped and he trundled away.
If the reactor at the McConnochie base blows, you will die,
Xais called up to Pyerpoint. The base is built on the junction
of faultlines that will bring the Jilharro mountains down on
this place. You are finished.
Pyerpoint drummed his fingers on the console before him.
You will die with me.
Xais shook her head. No. The mask will resist the
explosion. And besides, you have gathered the helicon here.
When it is released, I shall activate it and my plan will
succeed. Only you will have failed, a victim of your own
cunning. She waited, and then added, There is an alternative,
of course.
He stood up and stared down at her. What?
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