小説星のヨッシー オートン軍団の襲来！【英語版】

Act Two: Mystery of the Meteorites

Caroline Frances John was very angry indeed. It didn't help a bit that the tall army officer sitting on the other side of his desk seemed to find her anger mildly amusing.
  'Now see here, General,' she began angrily.
  'Just "Brigadier", Miss Shaw. Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart, at your service.'
  'Since you seem to be in charge of this silly James Bond outfit—'
  Again the Brigadier interrupted, this time sounding rather hurt. 'I take it you're referring to UNIT—the United Nations Intelligence Task force?'
  'I don't care what you call yourselves. I'm just trying to make it clear to you that I'm not interested in playing secret agents with you. I happen to have a very important research programme under way at Cambridge.'
  The Brigadier looked through a file on the desk in front of him. 'I'm well aware of your scientific qualifications, Miss Shaw. An expert in meteorites, degrees in physics, medicine and a dozen other subjects. Just the sort of all-rounder I've been looking for!' The Brigadier sat back, stroking his clipped moustache with an infuriatingly self-satisfied air.
  Liz Shaw took a deep breath, and made a tremendous effort to control herself. 'You scoop me up from my laboratories in Cambridge, whizz me down here in a fast car, and expect me to join some ridiculous spy outfit, just like that! Why me, for Heaven's sake?'
  The Brigadier said, 'We need your help, Miss Shaw. You'll find the laboratory facilities here are really first class.'
   'And what am I supposed to do with them? Invent a better kind of invisible ink?'
  'I think you have rather a mistaken idea of our work here at UNIT. We're not exactly spies, you know. If I could explain?'
  Liz realised that, in spite of her anger, she was really rather curious about what was going on. 'All right,' she said. 'Just what do you do—exactly?'
  The Brigadier paused for a moment, obviously choosing his words with great care. 'We deal with the odd—the unexplained. We're prepared to tackle anything on Earth. Or even from beyond the Earth, if necessary.'
  Liz looked at him in amazement. To her astonishment he seemed quite serious. 'You mean alien invaders?' she said incredulously. 'Little blue men from Mars with three heads?'
  'Early this morning,' said the Brigadier, 'a shower of about fifty meteorites landed in Essex.'
  Liz's scientific curiosity was aroused at once. 'Landed? Most meteorites don't even reach the Earth's surface. They burn up in the atmosphere.'
  The Brigadier nodded. 'Exactly. But these didn't.'
  'Were they exceptionally large?'
  'Rather small if anything. And they came down through a funnel of thin, super-heated air twenty miles in diameter—for which no one has been able to provide an explanation.'
  Liz frowned. 'Some kind of freak heat-wave?'
  'Perhaps. But the temperature in that area was over twenty eight Centigrade. A few miles away there was ground-frost.'
  'There must be an explanation,' said Liz thoughtfully. 'Anatural one, I mean.' She didn't sound very convincing, even to herself.
  'I hope there is. I've cordoned off the area and I've got men searching now. But we didn't find anything last time.' Liz looked up sharply. 'Last time?'
  Grimly the Brigadier nodded. 'Six months ago, a smaller shower of meteorites, five or six of them, landed in the same area.'
  'That's impossible!' said Liz. 'The odds against two lots of meteorites landing in the same place must be enormous.'
  With some satisfaction the Brigadier looked at the girl in front of his desk. At last she was beginning to realise the true seriousness of the situation.
  Liz went on: 'In fact the odds are so high as to be scientifically unacceptable.' She stood up and paced about the office, thinking aloud. 'So if we rule out coincidence, there can be only one other explanation. Those meteorites—both showers—must have been...' Her voice tailed off as she couldn't bring herself to say the finalwords.
  The Brigadier finished the sentence for her. 'That's right. The meteorite swarms must have been directed. Deliberately aimed at this planet.'

~*~*~*~~*~*~*~

In the reception hall of Ashbridge Cottage Hospital Captain Munro, of UNIT, was arguing with an irate casualty officer. Fortunately, Munro, a dark-haired, smoothly handsome young man,was something of a diplomat.
  He was used to smoothing downawkward civilians, and he answered all Doctor Henderson's objections with infuriating politeness. In the background, two soldiers, Regular Army men on attachment to UNIT, waitedpatiently, carrying between them a stretcher on which lay a still, blanket-covered form.
  'Dammit man,' said Doctor Henderson crossly, 'why didn't you take him to a military hospital?'
  Munro sighed. 'For one thing, sir, there isn't one in the area. And for another...' Munro turned to the stretcher and pulled back theblanket. 'As you can see, the chap's obviously a civilian.'
  Henderson looked in amazement at the tall, thin figure on the stretcher. Coat and trousers were both far too small, leaving bony wrists and ankles stretching out in a scarecrow fashion. 'Not a verymilitary figure, I agree,' admitted Doctor Henderson. 'All right, I suppose I'd better take a look at him.' He turned to the soldier scarrying the stretcher. 'Take him through into Casualty, will you? The porter will show you the way.' At a nod from Munro, the soldierscarried the stretcher through the swing-doors into the casualty ward.
  'You've no idea who he is, I suppose?' asked Henderson. Munro shook his head. 'Haven't a clue, sir. There's no identification on him, I'm afraid.'
  Henderson heaved a sigh. 'You don't realise the amount of paper work these cases involve,' he said wearily. 'Reports to the police, memos to the Hospital Committee. All in triplicate.'
  Like any good soldier, Captain Munro knew when it was timeto beat a retreat. 'You really have been awfully good sir,' he said smoothly. 'I'm sure the Brigadier will be most grateful.' Munro looked at his watch. 'Which reminds me, I really ought to 'phone in areport. I wonder if I might...'
  'Over there,' said Henderson, nodding towards a 'phone boothin the corner. 'Mind you, this chap's still your responsibility.'
  Munro didn't commit himself. 'Thanks again, sir,' he said withhis most charming smile. 'Now, if you'll excuse me...'
  Hastily Munro disappeared inside the 'phone booth. Henderson, realising he'd been out-manoeuvred, turned and went through the swing-doors after his new patient.