"But murder is still a hanging offence in 1952," Sarah said.
"Oh, they couldn"t prove murder. She died in a fire, you see."
"You did it!"
Jack clamped a hand over her mouth, his other hand grabbing her through the fabric of her nightie. "Just remember this if anything happens to Tommy, then I"ll be taking over.
Everything that"s his will be mine. And that includes you!"
Sarah thrust her right knee upwards, catching Jack squarely in the groin. He crumpled with a howl of pain, hands clutching at his wounded pride.
"Sorry to disappoint you Jack, but I"m n.o.body"s possession not even Tommy"s. Now get out before I scream rape," Sarah said, fighting to keep her voice calm and even.
"I"ll get you " Jack gasped, staggering from the tiny bedroom. He found Tommy standing outside.
"You"ll get what?" the gangster demanded.
Sarah came to the door and smiled sweetly. "Jack was just offering to get me a cup of tea, but I declined. Thanks all the same. Good night!" She shut the bedroom door and pushed her bed in front of it. n.o.body would be paying her any unexpected visits tonight.
Tommy burst out laughing. "She"s more than a match for you, Jack. I"d pick on someone your own size." He leaned into the face of his second-in-command, his good humour replaced with savage ferocity. "Just remember this. Anything happens to her and you"ll pay for it in blood!"
In the TARDIS, a red light began to flash on the central console.
The Doctor noticed it and set aside his repairs on the handheld tracking device to investigate. There had been a dramatic drop in the air quality outside.
He switched on the TARDIS"s scanner to show an external view of conditions outside. The screen was filled with a swirling mist through which no light could penetrate. Visibility was next to nothing.
The Doctor a.n.a.lysed the results of several further monitoring systems on the central console. A large centre of high pressure had settled over London and the Thames Valley, forming an inversion. It trapped a layer of cool air near ground level, which was causing the fog. That was mixing with the local pollution to create smog.
He switched off the scanner. There was nothing to see outside, thanks to the dense cloud enshrouding the city. He could not believe this was a natural phenomenon, it was too much of a coincidence. The build-up must have been triggered deliberately, almost certainly by the Xhinn. The Doctor realised that if his tracking device could find the aliens, he would probably also find the source of the smog.
He patted the central console affectionately. "Don"t worry, old girl we"ll find a way to solve this, you"ll see!"
The smog was causing chaos across London. Train services in and out of the capital were cancelled because drivers could no longer see the signals at the side of the tracks. Traffic ground to a halt as cars collided in the mist, unable to see each other or the lights changing. Many motorists simply abandoned their vehicles at the side of the road and tried to walk home.
Ambulances continued working but one of the crew had to walk in front, carrying a lit flare to provide guidance for the driver. Healthy, able-bodied people were collapsing in the street suffering from asthma and bronchial complaints. Hospitals were soon overflowing with patients. Policemen stood on street corners, waving flaming torches to alert travellers to danger. Bus services ceased as drivers could not see more than a few feet ahead.
London Airport closed as incoming flights were diverted to Hurn or Blackbushe in Hampshire. The Underground was still running but queues for tickets at some stations stretched around the block with thousands trying to get home from work.
n.o.body could get in or out of the city. London was close to a standstill, cut off from the rest of the country. But the worst was yet to come...
Sat.u.r.day, December 6, 1952 Dawn brought no relief for the smog-choked streets and citizens of London. The winter sun rose above the horizon, but not high enough to burn away the dense cloud of fog and smoke that cloaked the city. The temperature stayed close to freezing, so families kept coal fires burning to warm their homes. But this just contributed to the problem. London was poisoning itself, hour by hour.
Shops stayed closed as staff stayed home, unable to travel in the smog. The weather was getting worse, not better. An eerie silence gripped the city as the stagnant mist absorbed any noise.
Public transport was suspended. Few vehicles ventured on to the roads, except ambulances and hea.r.s.es. The grim task of collecting the dead and dying had begun...
It was eight o"clock when Billy and Charlie were woken by the sound of a key turning. The brothers had spent an awkward night in the cramped back room. Billy sat in the only chair, while Charlie stretched out on the floor. They slept fitfully and were grateful for morning"s arrival.
Brick unlocked the door and opened it, letting Tommy step inside. He glared down at the two teenagers. "They don"t look like much, do they Brick?"
"No, Tommy."
"You two have got sixty seconds to tell me why I shouldn"t just throw you back out on to the street," Tommy announced, looking at the second hand on his wrist watch. "Starting now."
Billy clambered to his feet, brushing his dark hair in place and trying to smooth the creases from his suit. "We made a mistake. We thought Callum was the future. We found out different."
Tommy just raised an eyebrow "Forty-five seconds."
"We want to join your firm, Mr Ramsey. We ain"t scared of n.o.body and we"ll back you to the hilt," Charlie said, joining his brother"s efforts. "We"re loyal to the death."
Tommy smiled at Brick. "Hear that, Brick? They ain"t scared of n.o.body. Didn"t stop them running away yesterday, I noticed."
He consulted his watch again. "Thirty seconds."
Billy was getting desperate. "How many men did you lose yesterday, Mr Ramsey? A dozen? Twenty? You"re going to need all the help you can get to beat that thing Callum turned into."
"True, but you"re just boys. I need men. Fifteen seconds."
"We"re local boys, born and raised in Bethnal Green. We look after our own, Mr Ramsey, and so do you. Let us help please," Charlie pleaded.
"Time"s up!" Tommy dug his cigarettes out of his suit pocket and offered them to the brothers. They nervously declined.
Tommy lit one for himself and sucked hungrily on it. "Alright, you"re in. But one step out of line and you"re history. Be loyal to me and you"ll get your reward. Cross me, and all you"ll get is an unmarked grave. Understand?" The brothers nodded gratefully.
"Good. Now get yourself cleaned up and then go to the kitchen. Me Mum will cook you some breakfast. You two need feeding up!" Tommy whispered something into Brick"s ear before heading for the front door.
Sarah was woken by the silence. All her life she had been a city dweller, moving in time with the metropolis. London in 1952 had been a ma.s.sive culture shock. Traffic levels were as nothing to that of her own time. People dressed differently, had different att.i.tudes. Ethnic minorities were hardly seen. Women wore dresses past the knee. Hair nets and cross-over ap.r.o.ns were like a uniform for wives and mothers. Sarah found herself missing television. She pined for a good cup of coffee. The s.e.xism and racism were startling to Sarah. This world seemed so familiar, yet it was almost as alien to her as Peladon or Exxilon.
Despite all that, London was still a noisy place. The East End streets pulsated with the chatter of women gossiping, men arguing and children playing. But that morning, she could hear none of the usual din outside. She almost wondered if she had gone deaf overnight, until she heard Mrs Ramsey"s footfalls on the landing.
"Would you like a nice cup of tea, love?"
Sarah sighed. The world might be coming to an end, but there was always time for another cup of tea in the Ramsey household. "That would be lovely, Vera be down in a few minutes."
"Alright dear. Mind you don"t let it go cold."
Sarah got up and changed from her nightie into a floral dress and woollen cardigan. The clothes had appeared on her bed the previous day, carefully laid out by Mrs Ramsey. They had belonged to Vera"s sister Rose and were a good fit.
Sarah pushed her bed away from the bedroom door and stepped out on to the landing. Brick was standing outside, looking embarra.s.sed. "I"ve got a message for you from Tommy.
He says it"s best to stay indoors today. The smog is getting worse. He needs you to meet the other bosses when they start arriving. The meeting is set for midday."
"Thank you, Arthur I"ll be here for the meeting. But I have to go out this morning to run an errand."
"But Tommy says "
"Mr Ramsey can say what he wants," Sarah replied brusquely, "but I"m not a slave at his command. And you can tell him I said that!"
In the Xhinn vessel, the triumvirate was monitoring the build-up of smog over London. A three-dimensional hologram of the city and its weather system rotated slowly in the air, keeping time with the movements of the three aliens.
"It has begun."
"Weaponry?"
"The dominant native species" own effluvia."
"Target?"
"Absolute environment control."
"Progress?"
"Achievement imminent."
"Threats."
"Minimal but not inconsequential."
This brought the triumvirate a moment of pause.
"Explain."
"Another alien presence."
"Ident.i.ty?"
"Unknown."
"Significance?"
"Unknown."
"Response?"
"Activate the drones."
"Activated."
"Let these primitives be their own undoing."
Sarah entered the kitchen to find two teenage boys shovelling ma.s.sive fried breakfasts into their mouths. They ate like they hadn"t enjoyed a home cooked meal for weeks. Mrs Ramsey was watching them proudly.
"Does my heart good to see people enjoying their food." Vera noticed Sarah was wearing Rose"s old clothes. Tears brimmed in her eyes at the sight. She pointed at the kitchen table. "Your cuppa"s there love."
"Thank you, Vera." Sarah sat down opposite the two new arrivals, who paused briefly to acknowledge her presence before returning to their meals. "Where is everybody?"
Mrs Ramsey shook her head sadly. "Tommy says some of the boys didn"t come back last night. It"s like they just disappeared into that fog. He"s gone out looking for them in the car." The front doorbell rang. "That"ll be them now, I expect. I"ll go let them in."
But when Mrs Ramsey returned, she was accompanied by a woman. It was Mary Mills from across the street. She was carrying a tiny box painted with the Union Jack symbol. A hole for coins had been crudely sliced in the lid.
"It"s young Mary, she"s come for the collection."
"h.e.l.lo again!" Mary said, recognising Sarah. "Can you believe this smog? I"ve never seen it so bad before, have you Mrs Ramsey?"
"Never, and I"ve lived in this street nearly forty years." She pulled her handbag down from a hook on the back of the kitchen door and extracted a handful of coins. "Will that do you for this week dear? If Tommy were here I could give you more.
You could always wait..."
Mary looked nervous at mention of the gang boss"s name.
"No, that"s alright Mrs Ramsey. That"ll do fine."
Sarah could not help but ask, her journalist"s curiosity getting the better of her. "What are you collecting for?"
Mary and Mrs Ramsey looked at Sarah as if she had grown an extra head overnight.
"For the street party, of course," Mary replied, as if to a child.
"Street party?"
"For the coronation next Summer." Mary and Mrs Ramsey exchanged a look of bemus.e.m.e.nt at this display of ignorance.
"Oh, of course!" Sarah said, embarra.s.sed. "Queen Elizabeth"s coronation. Stupid of me to forget!" She desperately racked her brain for a way of changing the subject away from her blunder.
"How about this fog, eh?"
Mrs Ramsey nodded vigorously. "It"s shocking. I was scrubbing the front doorstep this morning and I only saw three other women scrubbing their steps. Disgraceful, that"s what it is disgraceful!"
"I"ve got to get back," Mary said. "My Bette"s in bed with a terrible cough, the poor mite. She was up all night coughing.
Now I think my Rita"s coming down with it too. It"s the smog, I swear it"s coming in through the windows!"
Sarah grabbed the opportunity to get out of the house. "I"ll walk you back across the road."
"Oh, there"s no need for that "