Immediately suspicious, Alcott leaped to his feet again.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
A strange electronic throbbing was filling the room.
Alcott shook his head to clear it. "I can hear this noise."
He clawed at his collar. "Why is it so hot in here? Hey, what"s happening?"
Senator Alcott had been fighting Communism all his life, particularly the Chinese variety. Intellectually, he knew that somehow America and China must co-operate, but in his heart he still distrusted the Chinese and feared them, too.
He stared hard at the impa.s.sive, motionless figure of Chin Lee. Suddenly her body seemed to shimmer, to distort and change. All at once, instead of the small figure of the Chinese girl, Alcott saw a great Chinese dragon, the terrifying embodiment of all his fears.
He stared in horror at the great teeth, the scaly body and the great bulging eyes, and the fearsome claws.
"Get back," he screamed.
The monster reared up to destroy him.
7.
The Hostage The door to the suite was flung open, revealing the Doctor, the Brigadier and Fu Peng on the threshold.
So powerful was the force from Chin Lee"s mind that all three saw the looming monster just as clearly as did Alcott himself.
The Brigadier drew his revolver and took aim.
"No, Brigadier, don"t!" shouted the Doctor.
As the Brigadier fired, the Doctor knocked his arm up, and the shot went wild.
The Doctor advanced steadily on the dragon. It wasn"t real he knew it couldn"t be real but it took every atom of his will to conquer the illusion.
Suddenly the dragon began to blur, to become transparent...
Straining his eyes, the Brigadier saw the form of Chin Lee standing behind it. He heard the Doctor shout something in Chinese, saw him leap forward and flick his hand lightly at Chin Lee"s neck.
Chin Lee collapsed and the dragon disappeared. The Doctor caught her as she fell and lowered her gently to the ground.
Fu Peng said softly, "That was one of the legendary dragon-demons of my people."
"A collective hallucination, gentlemen," said the Doctor briskly. He knelt beside the body of Alcott. "Who"s this?"
"It"s the American Delegate!" said the Brigadier appalled. "Is he dead?"
"No, but he"s suffering from acute shock."
Chin Lee"s hair was disarranged and Fu Peng spotted the metal disc gleaming on her neck. "What is this, Doctor?"
Gently the Doctor removed it. "A telepathic amplifier!"
The Brigadier looked puzzled. "Is that what caused the hallucinations?"
"Not caused them," said the Doctor slowly. "It picked up the impulses and projected them through Chin Lee"s mind."
"Picked them up from where?"
"Unless I"m very much mistaken, from the Keller Machine at Stangmoor Prison."
Doctor Summers was still protesting as they were pushed along the corridor to the Special Wing by a couple of the freed prisoners. "Can"t you at least let me stay in the infirmary? I"ve got a patient there, Barnham. He"s in a critical condition."
"Shut up," snarled Mailer.
Vosper said worriedly. "The whole wing"s surrounded, Harry. There"s hundreds of them."
"All right, I know."
"Show some sense, Mailer," said Doctor Summers.
"You"ll never get away with it."
"They could rush us any minute," said Vosper.
"They won"t while we"ve got these," said Mailer confidently. "Vosper, you get busy and fix those phones again. I want to talk to the Governor."
Vosper nodded. "What about these two? What are you going to do with them?"
"Put "em in the guest room."
Mailer shoved Jo and Doctor Summers into the condemned cell.
"You"ll never get away with it," said Summers again.
"Shut up," said Mailer. "Go on, get moving. Chuck them inside, you two!"
Taking Mailer at his word, the prisoners threw first Summers then Jo into the condemned cell. Mailer slammed and locked the door behind them.
Jo stumbled and fell across the bed. Summers picked himself up, went across and helped her to rise. "Are you all right?"
She winced. "Yes, more or less."
"Come and sit down." They both sat on the bed. Jo rubbed her bruises. "Now what?"
Summers sighed. "I wish I knew!"
Senator Alcott had been carried off in an ambulance.
Watched by Fu Peng and the Brigadier, the Doctor was examining Chin Lee, who had been lifted on to a sofa.
She moaned and stirred.
"This girl has done great harm," said Fu Peng severely.
"She must be punished."
"She wasn"t really responsible, you know," said the Doctor mildly.
"Doctor, I have understood very little of what you have been saying. Please explain more clearly."
"Well, briefly, Chin Lee was being used by someone who wants to drive the world into war."
"You will find this person and punish him?"
"If I can, Fu Peng."
Fu Peng said gravely. "Then I will leave matters to you.
Now I must go to my Emba.s.sy. May the G.o.ds smile on you, Doctor."
He bowed, the Doctor bowed in return, and Fu Peng left the suite.
The Doctor leaned over Chin Lee. "Can you hear me?
Chin Lee! Can you hear me? Listen to me."
Chin Lee muttered something in Chinese.
The Doctor c.o.c.ked his head. "Ah, Cantonese!" In the same Chinese dialect he said, "Trust me, Chin Lee. Trust me."
Next time Chin Lee spoke it was in English. "Something happened," she said dazedly. "Something terrible."
"It was in your mind," said the Doctor gently. "Only in your mind. Now I must ask you some questions, Chin Lee.
About Emil Keller... and your visit to Stangmoor Prison."
"Well," demanded Mailer. "Did you fix the phones?"
Vosper shook his head. "Sorry, Harry, no luck. I fixed "em too good in the first place!"
"Charming! How are we going to do a deal with the Governor if we can"t talk to him?" Mailer considered, then tossed Vosper the keys. "All right, get that door open."
Vosper opened the door to the condemned cell.
Immediately Summers jumped to his feet and rushed at Vosper, who dodged.
Mailer stepped quickly forwards and knocked Summers down with his pistol. He laughed. "All right, Doc, on your feet. You"re getting out of here."
Jo helped Summers to get up. "Seen some sense at last have you?" She tried to leave the cell, but Mailer shoved her back.
"Not you, darling." He grabbed Summers by the arm, "As for you, mate, you"re taking a message to the Governor."
"What message?" said Summers feebly.
"I want a safe conduct out of here for me and everyone in the Special Wing."
"I"m not leaving without Miss Grant."
"Oh, yes you are, mate!" said Mailer, and dragged him away.
"Don"t worry," called Jo. "I"ll be all right."
Mailer shoved Summers towards Vosper. "All right, get him moving." He turned back to Jo. If I were you, I"d get some sleep." With that, the cell door was slammed shut once again.
Head pillowed on his arms, the Brigadier was dozing at his desk, dreaming of his days as a subaltern, and a young lady called Doris.
He jerked awake as the Doctor strode into the room and drew the curtains. "Rise and shine, Brigadier, I"ve brought someone to see you."
Rubbing his eyes, the Brigadier saw Chin Lee standing beside the Doctor. "Good morning, Captain. Won"t you sit down?"
"Thank you," said Chin Lee. Like the Doctor, she looked appallingly fresh and wide awake.
The Brigadier flicked the intercom. "Corporal Bell.
Organise some coffee, will you?"
"Right away, sir."
"Now then, Brigadier," said the Doctor briskly. "I"ve had a good long talk with Chin Lee. I think you"ll find she can cast quite a bit of light on what"s been happening."
"I"m glad to hear that someone can, Doctor!"
"Well, now, Chin Lee," said the Doctor. "Let"s start "