The dummy has a pewpewpew gun inside its hand, but John Ransome sensibly runs away before he can get pewpewpewed. The dummy gives chase, but has to stop to avoid being seen by General Scobie and George Hibbert.
Mr. Reeder gives the dummy a look as if to say 'just what do you think you're doing?'
and in response the dummy hangs its head in shame like a doggy that has been caught being naughty.
As he says goodbye to them, General Scobie calls Mr. Reeder "Mr Channing" so he is not Mr. Reeder after all! This explains a lot, although I did like the idea of a crossover episode between the two series so it is a shame that this hasn't happened.
Channing saw John escape, and tells George he is going to "send an Auton" to kill him. John runs straight to UNIT and babbles about what he saw like he's been in a Call of Cthulhu adventure. I'm not surprised when Cthulhu says he likes this story.
The Doctor says he needs "a lateral molecular rectifier" from the TARDIS, and Liz doesn't believe he has "an entire laboratory" in there. He explains about how the TARDIS is "dimensionally transcendental" and, while Liz doesn't fully believe everything he says, she does come round to believe that he needs equipment from the TARDIS and so agrees to get the key from the Brigadier.
Sam Seeley comes to UNIT to try and sell them a "thunderball," but it is quickly clear that he is in no position to bargain with them as during the UNIT era the rights were in dispute between Eon Productions and Kevin McClory.
John tells his story to the Brigadier and, while he is distracted with that, Liz manages to sneak off with the TARDIS key. It doesn't take the Brigadier long to notice it gone, and he enters the laboratory just as the Doctor goes into the TARDIS. They hear the TARDIS try to dematerialise, but it can't, and then there is the sound of a clap of thunder, as though the Doctor was trying to watch an episode of The Prisoner in there.
He comes out looking a bit sheepish and says "just testing." Liz is annoyed.
"Doctor, you tricked me!"
"Yes, the temptation was too strong, my dear. It's just that I couldn't bear the thought of being tied to one planet and one time. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."The Brigadier brings them to talk to John, and he tells them about Channing and his hypno-eyesing of George.
Mrs Seeley's curiosity has finally gotten the better of her, and she opens Sam's secret (but not all that secret) box. As soon as she does so the Auton can detect the energy unit again. Channing and George are following its progress back at the control room, with Channing's link to the Auton conveyed to us by the unusual directorial touch of an extreme close up of his face.
The Brigadier, the Doctor, Liz and John arrive where the soldiers and Sam are, so the whole adventuring party is finally assembled in one place, but then they immediately split up by leaving Sam and John behind as the others go to get the unit from Sam's house.
Mrs Seeley hears a doggy barking as she puts the box away again, then there are noises of things being smashed so she gets worried. When she sees it is an Auton, her first response is to run to get a gun. Maybe she is the Player Character, not Sam?
She shoots the Auton, but this doesn't stop it (as all veteran Call of Cthulhu players know). After going to another close up of Channing and George, it cuts back to show Mrs Seeley having sleeps (tired out from all the excitement, no doubt) as the Auton proceeds to smash the house up while searching for the unit.
The Brigadier knocks on the door just as the Auton finds the shed with the box in it. He immediately starts shooting the Auton and calls for reinforcements (but then we already knew that he was a veteran player of the game), so Channing tells the Auton to "recall" i.e. run away.
High Burden is excellent as Channing - despite having no obvious monster make-up to differentiate him from other mannys, he has gradually revealed his alien nature over the course of the episodes purely through his acting.
John is sitting quietly in a UNIT tent when suddenly an Auton comes in and pewpewpews him. Channing orders "total destruction" so John's body vanishes into some smoke. John may be gone but his testimony is what leads the Doctor and UNIT to the factory.
George speaks to them while Channing acts weird. George has a cover story that John was lying to get the factory in trouble with UNIT but, as convincing as he is, unfortunately for him the Brigadier recognised Channing. He wants to get General Scobie's permission to do a legitimate raid on the factory, one with guns and stunts and everything.
General Scobie is on the telephone with the Brigadier, promising he'll "give you all the support you'll need" when there is a knock at the door.
He opens the door and it is himself, or rather his dummy - exactly like him in every detail except for it wearing a hat. Cliffhanger!
It seems there were two generals in this story after all - and both of them General Scobie!
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