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His arm itched. He pulled up the sleeve of his jacket to scratch his arm. He looked at the flesh of his forearm, saw a little cut in the flesh. How had he been cut there? He could not remember. Anyway, it was a very tiny wound, nothing to worry about. But it itched badly, and he scratched at it viciously. Then he looked at the blood on his fingers from the wound. Perhaps best not to scratch it, he thought.

His hands and fingers were filthy with cave dust, and he might infect the wound. He steeled himself not to feel the itch, and to leave his arm alone.

He stood up and looked about himself. So, he thought, he had somehow escaped. The trouble was, he couldn't remember escaping.

Still, the mind can play strange tricks. Obviously he must have escaped or he would not be in this cave now, a free man. Somehow in his escape he must have banged his head against a rock, and that's why he was lying unconscious on the cave floor. All he had to do now was to find his way out of the caves, and obviously the quickest way was to climb up to that little circle of daylight near the roof.

He started to move off when his foot kicked something. For a ghastly moment he expected a man-trap to grab his ankles. But nothing happened. He looked down, saw his rifle lying on the floor.

He picked it up, checked that it still worked. Then he started to climb up the rocks leading to the daylight.

From a dark recess between rocks, the reptile scientist K'to watched Major Barker with considerable interest. Once Major Barker had reached the circle of daylight, K'to moved towards the great rock, pulsated his third eye and opened the rock. He went inside, and the rock closed behind him.

The Doctor was alone in the inner room, where Okdel had left him. The moment Okdel left, the Doctor tried the door, only to find Okdel had locked it. The Doctor interested himself in a screen in the wall. There were a number of dials and buttons set in the wall immediately under the screen, and experimentally the Doctor tried some of these controls. Instantly the screen lit up showing a map of Earth before the Great Continental Drift. He touched the controls again. The map vanished from the screen and was replaced by an aerial view of a domed city. Then the door opened and Okdel entered, carrying a metal canister.

'You must have had a great civilisation,' said the Doctor, indicating the picture of the city on the screen.

Okdel ignored the Doctor's remark. 'I have spoken to the others of your plan,' he said.. 'Some wish to live in peace with the humans, and others do not. But without my knowing, something has happened which may change all our plans. The other prisoner has been released.'

Then the door opened and Okdel entered, carrying a metal canister

'I'm very pleased to hear that,' said the Doctor.

Okdel raised a scaly hand to silence the Doctor. 'No, you will not be pleased. He has been infected with a deadly virus which may destroy all his species.' Okdel paused, and swayed a little from side to side. 'It is not my doing. I am sorry.'

'What will this virus do?' asked the Doctor.

'I saw it used against the apes,' said Okdel. 'It was very cruel.

First it causes a surge of energy which burns up the body's resources.

With some, death follows almost immediately, with great pain. With others, the afflicted ones wander mindlessly over great distances, infecting all others. The disease spreads with incredible speed.'

'Is there an antidote?' said the Doctor, 'any cure?'

'I do not know,' said Okdel. 'Since it only affected the apes, we had no need to develop an antidote. That is why I have brought you this.' He offered the canister to the Doctor. 'Your civilisation has scientists, has it?'

'Yes,' said the Doctor.

'The virus is in this substance. Take it to your scientists, ask them to develop an antidote.'

The Doctor took the canister, holding it very carefully. 'That might take weeks.'

'Of course,' said Okdel. 'I fear many of the human species will die.