Doctor Who_ Cave Monsters - Malcolm Hulke [47]
'What about your friends who have released this virus?' the Doctor said, as he followed Okdel out of the inner room.
'I hope they will understand why I have released you,' Okdel said, leading the Doctor towards the door to another inner room. 'If they do not, they will be very angry.'
Okdel stopped at the door to the other inner room. He looked at the lock, and for a second his third eye glowed red. The lock clicked, and the door opened by itself. 'Go through there,' said Okdel.
'Other doors will open as you go forward. Then you will find yourself outside this shelter and in a great cave. From there you must find your own way.'
'Thank you,' said the Doctor. 'I hope that we shall meet again soon.'
Okdel said nothing. The Doctor entered the inner room, and the door closed soundlessly behind him. Then another door in front of him opened, just as Okdel had promised.
Okdel stood by the door for some minutes after the Doctor had gone. He felt very old. It was still so difficult for him to accept that up on ground-level nothing remained of his civilisation. He thought about these hot arid places which the Doctor had said the humans might set aside for the reptile people to live in—the Sahara, Arabia, Central Australia. None of these names meant anything to Okdel. He felt too old and tired to think of building new domed cities.
Slowly he walked back to the inner room where he had talked with the Doctor. The picture of a domed city was still on the screen.
He went up to the screen and touched a control. A moving picture appeared showing his people's first attempt at flight. The flying-machine was very small and only carried two young reptile men. The picture cut to a crowd waving to the brave young aviators. All this had happened when Okdel was young. Later their flying-machines were developed to carry hundreds of passengers at a time. He turned another control to bring up a picture of more personal memories. It showed himself as a young reptile man winning a race. His limbs were far too old and fragile to race now. The picture changed, and there was an ape in a cage in Okdel's garden. His friends had thought him very strange to keep an ape as a pet, but Okdel had taken a liking to the animal. The ape jumped about the cave, then picked up a slate and a pencil and started to make a crude drawing of animals and reptile men. This had always fascinated Okdel, the fact that an animal could draw pictures. He wished that he had been able to bring his pet ape with him into the shelter.
Suddenly he was aware that he was not alone. He switched off the screen and turned round. Morka and K'to had entered the room and were standing side by side. Okdel knew what was going to happen.
'Where is the other human?' said Morka.
'I have released him,' said Okdel. 'I gave him the substance so that the humans can find an antidote.'
'You want them to destroy us?' said Morka.
'They will not destroy us,' said Okdel, 'and we need not destroy them. There are places on the planet where our species can continue to live.'
'They will not allow us to live,' said K'to. 'The ape Quinn told us how the humans are killing off all other species on the planet.
They are mammals, yet they exterminate other mammals. What chance have we while these humans exist?'
'If we fight them,' said Okdel, 'they will win.'
'Never!' said Morka. 'The lethal substance could kill them all if you had not interfered.'
Okdel sensed that his life was almost at an end. He said what was truly in his mind. 'The planet is cooler, the atmosphere thinner, than in our day. All our civilisation is destroyed. Perhaps it is a mistake even to think of starting again.'
'You propose that vermin shall take our world?' said Morka.
'They have already taken it,' said Okdel. 'We can but hope for the smallest share.'
'You have betrayed us,' said Morka. He turned to K'to. 'Kill him now!'
Okdel saw the two third eyes