Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters by Malcolm Hulke

think you mentioned that before,’ she said.
    ‘Because I firmly believe it,’ he said. ‘Have another grape.’
    ‘They’re yours.’
    ‘Then be my guest.’ He continued with his argument. ‘That was a man I shot in the caves, and make no mistake about it. I called on him to surrender and he ignored me. Anyway, you say there is no armed force down there to defend us?’
    ‘Not at the moment,’she said.
    ‘That seems a jolly strange way to run a war to me,’ he said. ‘Jolly peculiar.’
    The door opened and Dr Meredith entered carrying an official-looking envelope. ‘Miss Shaw, I think you ought to be in your own room,’ he said. ‘And you ought be lying down until you really feel better.’
    ‘But I feel fine,’ she answered.
    Dr Meredith smiled, but his voice was firm. ‘That’s an order. Now please, away you go.’
    Liz rose. ‘Thanks for the grapes,’ she said. ‘I’ll come and see you again.’ She went away, and Dr Meredith waited until she was out of earshot. Then he turned to Major Barker with the envelope.
    ‘This just arrived for you, Major. You really shouldn’t be upset by anything, so if you’d rather me keep it until you feel better, I will.’
    Major Barker reached out with his good hand. ‘I’m quite capable of handling my own correspondence,’ he said, ‘but thank you for being so thoughtful.’
    ‘If you need me for any reason,’ said Dr Meredith, ‘just ring.’ Dr Meredith went away, closing the door.
    Major Barker looked at the envelope. On the front it said, ‘If undelivered please return to the Chief Constable of the Derbyshire Constabulary.’ He opened the envelope and read the letter. It said:
    Dear Sir ,
    The recent death of Mr George Roberts, employed as a technician at the Research Centre, Wenley Moor, has been brought to our attention by your director, Dr Lawrence, in the normal course of events. We understand that he was struck a blow on the back of the head, when suffering from a fit. We understand that you are unwell at the moment. However, when you are fit we should be pleased if you will get in touch with us in order to assist us with our enquiries .
    We are ,
    Your Obedient servant ,

    Chief Constable .
    Major Barker held the letter first one way then another to try to read the signature. But it was just a set of three squiggles and could have meant anything. Then he put the letter to one side and started to think what it really meant.
    Of all ridiculous things, he was going to be blamed for killing that idiot technician, Roberts. After all, the man had clearly gone mad and was attacking Miss Shaw. Instead of clubbing the man, he should have shot him outright. Now there was going to be an enquiry, and he would be blamed for hitting the man too hard.
    He sat back in his bed and closed his eyes again. This time instead of seeing soldiers in brilliant red tunics he saw himself, one rainy day in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, leading a group of soldiers who were trying to pin down an IRA sniper. The sniper had already shot two of his men dead, and wounded a third. The Major carefully worked his men into a position so that the sniper was completely surrounded. Then he called upon the sniper to surrender. A rifle was thrown down from a window, and a man appeared with his arms raised. As Major Barker called on his men to break cover and arrest the sniper, shots rang out from a sniper in another building, instantly killing the young soldier next to Major Barker. Without a second’s thought, Barker aimed his revolver at the sniper standing with his hands up in surrender, and shot him dead. For that moment of anger, Major Barker had been asked to resign from the British Army and to find another job.
    Now he could see that it was all going to happen again. For doing his job, for protecting Miss Shaw from the lunatic Roberts, he would be dismissed from the research centre, perhaps even sent to prison this time. Meanwhile, the spies were gathering their numbers in