The Dragon The Brigadier sat at his desk, struggling to absorb the astonishing theory that had just been presented to him. 'A connection? Between what happened at Stangmoor, and what's been happening at the Conference?'

The Doctor was staring abstractedly out of the window.

'Another mysterious corpse with an expression of terror?

There's got to be a connection.'

The Brigadier said, 'But this Keller Machine of yours is miles away.'

The Doctor nodded. 'The power must be relayed in some way...'

He fell silent, lost in thought.

Mike Yates bustled in. 'Excuse me sir, we're just about ready for off. If you'd okay the movement order and the route plans?'

He handed the Brigadier a sheaf of papers.

The Brigadier leafed through them, initialling each page.

'Off on a little jaunt, Captain Yates?' asked the Doctor.

'We're moving the Thunderbolt a nuclear powered missile with a war-head full of nerve gas. Not exactly a jaunt, Doctor.'

'I thought those things had been outlawed?'

'They have. This one's on the way to the Naval dockyard. The Navy are going to dump it in the depths of the ocean.'

'With the Peace Conference going on? Not a very tactful time to be trundling rockets about, is it?'

The Brigadier looked up from the papers. 'I see you're taking Sergeant Benton?'

'If it's okay with you, sir.'

'You're welcome to him. Just be sure he doesn't lose the missile for you. He managed to lose a Chinese girl in broad daylight!'

The Doctor looked up. 'Chinese girl? What Chinese girl?'

The Brigadier handed back the papers. 'All right, Yates.

Carry on, and good luck!'

Mike Yates saluted. 'Thank you, sir. Bye Doctor!' He hurried from the room.

'Brigadier!' thundered the Doctor. ' What Chinese girl? What Chinese girl? ' '

'Captain Chin Lee, the late General's aide. I thought she might be implicated, so I had her followed. Benton lost her.'

The Doctor jumped up. 'That's it. That's the connection. When Emil Keller installed the Machine at Stangmoor, he had a Chinese girl as his a.s.sistant.'

'Could be coincidence.'

'Coincidence, my foot. You'd better put out a general alert for that Chinese girl, Brigadier. Wherever she is, she's got to be found!'

In fact, Captain Chin Lee wasn't very far away. She was walking towards the Master's limousine, which was parked in a nearby back street.

The Master opened the door and patted the seat beside him. 'You are late, Chin Lee.'

Chin Lee entered the car. 'My apologies, Master.'

'You did well at the Conference. Now I have another task for you.'

Chin Lee shrank back, her eyes widening in fear. 'No.

Please, no...'

The Master's hand shot out, seizing her neck like a clamp, his fingers adjusting the little metal disc behind her ear. His voice was deep, soothing, hypnotic. 'You will obey my command, Chin Lee.'

'Yes, Master.'

'Tonight you will kill the American Delegate.'

Tonelessly Chin Lee repeated, 'I will kill the American Delegate...'

'Good,' said the Master gently. 'Now go and obey me.'

Chin Lee got out of the car and moved away Harry Mailer had laid his plans well. Very soon the Special Wing was under his control. The three prison officers were lined up in the corridor, guarded by Mailer and half-a-dozen released prisoners.

Among the captives was Prison Officer Green, still quite unintimidated. 'You'll never get away with this, Mailer,' he growled. 'You've got no chance.'

Mailer gestured threateningly with the pistol. 'Shut up.

One more peep out of you '

He was interrupted by the arrival of Vosper. 'I've fixed the phones Harry, but they've got the Wing surrounded.'

From outside there came the wail of an alarm siren.

'They won't bust in,' said Mailer confidently. 'Not while we've got some of their screws here.'

'Oh, sure,' said Vosper gloomily. 'They can't get in but we can't get out.'

'We'll get out,' snarled Mailer. 'Shut up and let me think.'

'We can't just stay here, Harry. They'll starve us out.'

'We need hostages.'

Vosper nodded towards the three prison officers. 'We've got these.'

'We need more. If we cut round behind the kitchens, we can get to the Hospital, maybe grab ourselves a doctor.' He turned to one of the prisoners. 'You and the others stay here. Lenny, you come with me.'

They hurried out.

When the alarms started going off, Jo Grant had gone to the telephone in an attempt to find out what was going on.

A panicky prison officer had begun giving her a confused account of a breakout in the Special Wing and had suddenly been cut off.

Jo rattled the receiver. 'It's no good, the phone's still dead.'

'I think you'd better make for the Administration Block, Miss Grant.'

'What about you?'

'I'd better stay here. Someone's bound to get hurt before all this is over...'

Suddenly the door was flung open. Two prisoners were standing there one of them had a pistol in his hand.

At a nod from Mailer, Vosper grabbed Summers in a painful arm lock and shoved him out of the room.

With the barrel of the automatic, Mailer motioned Jo towards the door. 'Out! Come on, on your way!'

Reluctantly Jo obeyed.

The Doctor too was having some trouble with the telephone.

'Operator, I've been waiting some time for my call to Stangmoor Prison... I see. Yes, very well, I'll hold.' He looked up at the Brigadier. 'Some trouble with the lines, apparently.'

Before the Brigadier could reply, the phone on his desk rang. He lifted the receiver. 'Lethbridge-Stewart. What?

Where? No, don't arrest her. I'll deal with this myself.' He put down the phone and turned to the Doctor. 'Chin Lee's turned up again. She's just been seen entering the Chinese Delegate's suite. Thing is, the place is deserted. Apparently your friend Fu Peng is out at some Emba.s.sy reception.'

The Brigadier reached for his hat. 'Come along, Doctor, you can call Miss Grant later...'

The Chinese Delegate's suite was silent and empty as Chin Lee came into the room.

She stood in the doorway for a moment, a hand to her temples, her mind filled with a strange electronic pulsing sound.

Then, her face calm and distant, she went over to the telephone. 'Room 411 please... h.e.l.lo, is the American Delegate there? This is Captain Chin Lee of the Chinese People's Delegation. I must speak to Senator Alcott urgently...'

Senator Alcott, the American Delegate was a distinguished looking man in his sixties with a tanned face and snowy white hair. He had pa.s.sed up the Reception for a working dinner in his suite, and he was considerably astonished when his aide told him of Chin Lee's call.

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, he went into the adjoining office and picked up the phone. 'Alcott here.'

'This is Captain Chin Lee.'

'Yes, Captain. What can I do for you?'

'Comrade Fu Peng wishes to speak to you immediately.

He wonders if you could come to our suite.'

'At this time of night?'

'It is a matter of vital importance. He wishes to a.s.sure you that the meeting will be to your country's advantage.'

Alcott played for time. 'This is highly irregular...'

'He asks that you come alone. The subject is most secret.'

Alcott considered. So, the Chinese were anxious to make some kind of secret deal. You couldn't trust them, of course but at least he ought to listen. 'Okay, Captain, I'll be right over..

'Your time will not be wasted, Senator,' said Chin Lee. She put down the phone, and went out into the little hallway of the suite. She unlocked the door, left it a little ajar, concealed herself in an alcove and waited.

Minutes later, there came a tap on the door. An American voice called, 'Anyone home? Mr Fu Peng? Are you there?'

Alcott came cautiously into the little hall.

He looked around, saw the open door to the main suite.

'Mr Fu Peng, are you there?'

He went over to the suite and went inside.

Chin Lee crossed the hall, followed him into the suite and closed the door behind her.

Surprised, Alcott swung round. 'May I ask what this is about, Captain? Where is Mr Fu Peng?'

'He will be here soon, Senator. Please, sit down.'

'Now look, I'm right in the middle of dinner '

'Please, sit down Senator Alcott.' The voice was strangely commanding.

'All right, but let's make it short, shall we?' Sulkily, Alcott sat down.

Chin Lee went to the switch and turned off the lights.