Episode 04: The Professor
(Arizona, America)
Doctor Smith looked up from his crouched down position, to the window of Ariel's room, which was cracked. "No. They can't be."
"What can't be?" asked a Policeman. "Doctor?"
"Someone's taking out these kids one-by-one. Someone obviously wants them, Oh and, has anyone seen Jeff lately?" asked Doctor Smith. "Oh, you're right there. Don't go wandering about, okay?"
"Yes, Doctor," Jeff nodded.
"Same goes for you, Nick," Doctor Smith looked at Nick, and then at me. "And the same goes for you. Max."
"Why me?" I asked. "I mean, I'm not related to any of these guys. I didn't even know that they existed until Ella told me. Wait, Ella said she was going to the playground with her friends. I've got make sure she's alright!"
I took off, ignoring Doctor Smith's pleas of me to stay back. I cycled around the corner, past my house, and saw loads of Army jeeps driving along the road. There were at least thirteen Jeeps, with armed soldiers inside. This must be UNIT.
I passed them, looking at the Jeeps. No. There was more than thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. No, there was Twenty Jeeps driving down my road, presumably UNIT. Presumably heading towards the Orphanage.
I saw the playground ten minutes later. Ella and her friends, Sarah and Jenny, were swinging on the swings. They were all right. I let out a sight of relief, and peddled back towards the Orphanage.
UNIT had already made it there, and I could see someone in a white coat discussing something with Doctor Smith. It must have been the guy that Doctor Smith had phoned. A White Coat… Suddenly my vision was obscured with a flash of light, and a needle was injected into me, and I screamed in pain, snapping out of my trance. Doctor Smith instantly stopped talking to the white-coated man, and dashed over to me. "Are you alright?" asked Doctor Smith. "What happened?"
"Nothing," I lied, still shaken by the event. Doctor Smith looked over at The Scientist, and then said.
"Max, this is Malcolm. Malcolm Taylor, an old friend."
"Pleased to meet you," Malcolm said, and I instantly recognised his welsh accent.
"And the same to you," I replied.
"Well then," replied Doctor Smith. "Let's go over the basics. We had two, no three children disappearing in the space of four hours, either in the Orphanage itself, or around."
"Yes, we know that," said a man, walking up to Doctor Smith. "Oh by the way, my name's Mark Walker, FBI."
"I thought the FBI would tag along," Doctor Smith replied. "Also, tell UNIT to stop the press getting in. I hate the press. Especially the Times. Now, back to business."
"Doctor," a UNIT officer ran up to Doctor Smith, and flashed his ID card. I read the label, and the man was called James Henderson. "We've searched the area and found no trace of finger prints, or anything."
"Impossible. Wait! Have you checked the wall for foot markings?" asked Doctor Smith, as a UNIT chopper flew overhead, causing the trees to tilt backwards because of the wind.
"No, but I'll get some men on it," said James, speaking into his communicator. "I want five men on the wall. Check for boot and finger prints, over."
"Oh, that's it! I've been so stupid!" Doctor Smith smacked his head. "It must be Teleportation. Yes, that's right. Somebody must have got Teleports onto the kids, or near them, and caused them to vanish. But to where?"
"Teleports?" I asked. "Please don't say this is some sort of crappy Science Fiction Movie."
"Well, if this was Science Fiction, there would be a camera over there," Doctor Smith pointed to a bush. "And there'd be a green screen over there, and we'd all know how it played out, so this can't be a Science Fiction movie, no matter how hard we tried."
***
The cloaked figure looked into the screen, surveying his nemesis. The man in the brown coat. "It's time we moved to the final phase. Zet Teleportation Zcanners to Maximum. Ze shall Zeleport Zevery Flock member to Zus… and Zen Ze Doctor Zill have to come… and so will UNIT. Zen… Zey shall watch Ze end of the world!"