Doctor Who: The Zarbi (20 page)

The whole air throbbed and even from a distance they could hear the agitated chirruping. The noise of it burst upon them afresh as they rounded a corner and saw, ahead of them, the figures in the control room at the end of the corridor.

Vicki clung to Doctor Who, trembling all over now, knowing that something was wrong.

‘I’m... I’m... frightened. Please, Doctor, can we—?’

Doctor Who laid a calm hand on her arm. He smiled and marched purposefully forward. As they entered the control room, assuming a trance-like look and pretending to step like sleepwalkers, the agitated figures at the control panel wheeled and saw them.

A furious burst of chirruping rose and three of the Zarbi whirled and came scuttling menacingly towards them, rearing, their forelegs waving, their eyes glaring murderously.

Vicki covered her mouth to stifle a scream of fear and dismay.

‘Doctor — they’ve missed us! Now the plan will never work...!’

The Zarbi pounced on Doctor Who and Vicki and jostled them forward towards the centre of the room.

The Doctor looked up. His expression grew grim as he saw what awaited him. There was a great humming in the room – and the Dome was descending towards them. His hand sought and found Vicki’s. He muttered to her out of the corner of his mouth.

‘Here, child – take the Web Destructor. We don’t want it discovering that – as it did the recorder.’

He nodded ahead and upward at the Dome. Amid the jostling from the Zarbi Vicki took the Destructor and slipped it under her jacket. Angrily Doctor Who attempted to shake off the claws that now gripped him, but the Zarbi thrust him roughly, reeling, towards the spot where the Dome was descending.

The Doctor stood there and it closed about his silvery head. He stood stiffly, hemmed in by Zarbi on all sides, awaiting the verdict of the Voice.

The Zarbi ignored Vicki. She began to edge away towards the
Tardis
’ control table.

Now the Voice boomed and surged around the Doctor inside the glassy Dome.

‘Your escape attempt failed-ed...’

‘Escape attempt? My dear whatever-you-are – we went on a little exploration, that’s all...’

‘You lie-ie!’ the Voice roared.

‘When your creatures found us, we were returning here!

Does that sound like an escape to you? Mmm?’ Doctor Who retorted.

‘The Zarbi you took with you – it is no longer under my control! Why?’

Doctor Who could not repress a chuckle. His face straightened as he realized the gravity of their position and he flung up his head defiantly, bluffing outrageously.

‘Oh – so that’s my fault too, is it? You know, when your systems break down, you really shouldn’t start blaming everybody in sight!’

There was a strange silence. Then the Voice bellowed again, ‘I cannot follow your trickery – but that is what it is!

You will be brought to the centre! To me!’

Doctor Who stared. He hesitated. A note of uncertainty crept into his voice, but he kept his outward calm. ‘And the girl?’ he demanded.

‘She will be brought with you-ou...!’

‘If any harm comes to us, I warn you—’.

‘Enough...!’ the Voice roared. ‘Your threats are of no interest-st...!’

The Dome whisked upward from Doctor Who’s head.

He turned and saw the Zarbi at the control panel reacting busily to a stream of hummed orders from the flashing panel. The Doctor’s guards closed in on him and gripped him. Others turned their attention now to Vicki, hovering at the Doctor’s astral table. They pounced on her too, and jostled the two of them towards an opening near the control wall. Vicki fought and kicked, resisting, gasping with fear.

‘Doctor – what are they going to do...?’

There was no use keeping the truth from her. Doctor Who said gently, ‘Taking us to the centre. Try not to be afraid, my dear...’

The Zarbi shoved them roughly through the door.

Barbara and her Menoptera comrades lay scattered behind the scanty cover of the small rocks outside of the Web Headquarters. Barbara turned and raised a beckoning hand towards Hrostar. He came scrambling forward, darting from cover to cover on the way, until he sprawled beside her. He looked over the rock towards the great glowing web.

Barbara whispered to him, ‘The Doctor must be in the control room by now.’

Hrostar nodded. ‘I’ll tell the others.’ He darted away again.

Now Barbara signalled to Prapillus, crouched under a near-by rock. The old Menoptera came crawling painfully towards her.

Barbara gestured to where the Zarbi under Prapillus’

control hunched motionless on the ground. She pointed towards the web entrance of the great glowing structure.

‘Send our Zarbi in – we’ll try and follow,’ she whispered.

Prapillus nodded. He gestured. The Zarbi rose slowly. It moved like a creature in a dream across the desolate landscape making for the entrance as Prapillus pointed the way commandingly.

The Zarbi nudged and jostled Doctor Who and Vicki deeper down a great glowing tunnel, and, as they lurched and stumbled on, a new noise came to their ears above the humming and chirruping around them.

It was a steady throb-throb, like a gigantic heartbeat. It was so powerful and yet so low-pitched that they felt its beat rather than heard it.

At the end of this corridor a great light pulsed in time with the beat. Doctor Who hesitated as they saw it and nudged Vicki.

‘Try and pass me back the Web Destructor now,’ he muttered. ‘We may not get another chance...’

He stared ahead and his hand furtively sought Vicki’s.

‘Come, come – don’t worry if these creatures see it now,’ he said.

Vicki gulped, ‘I... I haven’t got it,’ she stammered.

‘Of course you have – I gave it to you, remember?’

‘I didn’t know we’d be leaving the control room. I wanted to... keep it safe, and...’

Doctor Who halted and stared. He was jostled on by the Zarbi. He kept looking at Vicki, alarmed now.

‘Where is it now?’

‘On your control table! I hid it there! Oh – Doctor, I’m
sorry
! I didn’t know that—’

Vicki began to sob. Doctor Who masked his grave concern and tried to comfort her. He managed to smile.

‘Well, don’t distress yourself, child. It’s not your fault...’

The Zarbi urged the faltering Vicki harshly onward.

They moved straight on down the straight long corridor which pulsed so strangely, towards the great throbbing glare of light which grew brighter and brighter at the far end.

Barbara, Hrostar and the others rose silently from their rock cover,as they and the Zarbi under Prapillus’ control neared the web entrance to the great building.

As their Zarbi halted, a commotion broke out at the entrance.

This time the Zarbi guard challenged it with an excited humming and chirruping.

The controlled Zarbi ignored it. It stepped purposefully on, pausing only to thrust the challenging guard lurching out of the way.

‘Now!’ Barbara cried. She balanced a stalagmite spear she carried and hurled it.

The spear caught the Zarbi guard and whanged harmlessly away against the creature’s hard, shiny shell.

But it reared, alarmed, and scampered hastily back into the web entrance.

Hlynia came running to join Barbara as they watched the creature retreat.

‘It will bring reinforcements,’ Hlynia murmured.

Barbara turned. ‘That’s what we wanted — isn’t it?’

Prapillus now ventured forward and raised his hand towards the web entrance. Inside, they saw the figure of their Zarbi stop, in complete obedience still.

‘Into the corridors,’ Prapillus cried. ‘The Zarbi will find it more difficult to scatter us there!’

He rushed forward. The others followed the valiant old man, hot on his heels. Hrostar gained on Barbara and reached out to stay her.

‘Barbara — go back! This is not your war! It is not right that you should. risk your life for us!’

Barbara thrust his hand away. ‘I’m doing it for my friends as well! Come on!’

She ran swiftly towards the entrance, racing Hrostar and Hilio to be first to the door.

Inside the great web the alarms were sounding.

Barbara leaped through the web entrance and to the astonishment of the younger Menoptera, old Prapillus came panting in right on their heels.

‘Hrostar!’ he called.

‘I’m ready, Prapillus!’

Prapillus pointed ahead. ‘Be ready to move up to the next junction of the corridors!’ Hrostar nodded and stationed himself ahead of them as Prapillus now gave his attention to controlling their Zarbi captive.

‘What are you doing?’ Barbara called.

‘The Zarbi will have venom-guns,’ the old man muttered. ‘This is the only way we can stop them. Now —

help me with this creature!’

Barbara paused, confused. ‘To do what?’

‘To
hold
him — you, Hilio and Hlynia. I’m taking off the necklet.’

Prapillus had taken complete charge, and there was no time to argue. Together they held the great Zarbi tight as Prapillus reached up and snatched off the treated slave necklet by which they had controlled it.

Immediately it was free, the Zarbi came to vicious life, striking out and struggling to be free.

Prapillus threw the necklet towards Hrostar who caught it and darted away ahead, running off into a side corridor.

A moment later a knot of Zarbi rounded a bend and rushed into sight, urging a venom-gan forward.

‘Look out!’ Prapillus called back. ‘Sting-gun!’

Barbara, Hilio and Hlynia bore their struggling Zarbi back against the tunnel wall, taking cover behind it.

Prapillus backed swiftly to join them, his eye on the evil sting as it leaped forward.

‘Hrostar — now!’ Prapillus yelled.

As the venom grub came level with the side corridor ahead of them Hrostar leaped out from his hiding-place there, the necklet levelled. The Zarbi saw him and with incredible speed one of them reacted, gestured. The sting slithered to a stop, turned, and pointed its wicked snout.

As Hrostar darted towards it, it spat fire.

Hrostar screamed and threw up his hands. He staggered forward, lunged with his last ounce of strength – and clipped the necklet over the snout of the sting creature where it broadened to meet the grub’s body.

Then he fell face down on the floor.

The sting creature stopped. Prapillus darted out and gestured. The venom grub wheeled and turned on its masters – the Zarbi. As Prapillus guided it, it levelled its sting straight at them.

The Zarbi reared wildly and scattered back, melting away into side corridors farther up the tunnel, chirruping with panic.

Barbara, Hilio and Hlynia relaxed their combined grip on their captive Zarbi and it, too, scurried away desperately down the main tunnel to join the retreating Zarbi.

Prapillus, pleased, stared down at the motionless sting grub. Hlynia rushed to the fallen Hrostar. She knelt over him and then looked up.

‘Hrostar is dead,’ she said dully.

At that Hilio moved, snatched up his spar, lashed it savagely across the thick back of the venom grub. The shell cracked. Like a, madman, Hilio lashed again. The evil snout snapped. The venom grub rolled over, twitched, and lay still. Only then did Hilio lower his arm. He stared up the corridor, his face dark.

Barbara protested. ‘Why destroy it, Hilio? Couldn’t we have used it against the Zarbi?’

Prapillus shook his head sadly. He held up the necklet.

‘This wouldn’t work on a sting creature in that way. It would simply cancel its power. The Zarbi would repel its venom – if they had the sense to realize that. All we can hope to do is to stop
them
from using it, and destroy these evil creatures.’

He pointed at the lifeless sting grub. Hilio reached and snatched up the necklet.

‘The next sting is mine!’ he snarled.

‘It will not be so easy – next time, Hilio,’ Prapillus warned him.

Hilio nodded and stared grimly up the corridor.

‘Follow,’ he barked, and moved along it watchfully.

Barbara, Prapillus and Hlynia moved after him. Barbara paused a moment. She looked at the dead Hrostar. His action had saved their lives – for the moment – at the cost of his own.

‘Let’s hope it was not in vain, Hrostar,’ she whispered, and went on up after the others.

Doctor Who and Vicki, surrounded by the jostling escort, had almost reached the end of the huge corridor.

A great webbed gate stretched across it, and through it glared a light of almost hurtful brilliance, pulsing and flashing, at the same time as the low, heavy throbbing almost shook their bodies with its beat.

The Zarbi halted their two captives before the enormous webbed door, and emitted a humming, chirruping call.

Vicki looked up at the door and the searing light beyond and tried to master the sickening fear that welled up within her. She tried bravely to joke.

‘We’ve arrived, Doctor.’

‘Yes, my child,’ the Doctor answered gravely. ‘At least we’ll see now what sort of creature this is...’