Doctor Who_ The Ice Warriors - Brian Hayles [36]
‘Doctor—Leader Clent—Miss Garrett!’ she cried in an urgent whisper, ‘this is Victoria! Please—somebody answer me!’
She wasn’t to know that her every more was being watched by Varga and Zondal on the spaceship’s video system, and that even her whispered call for help was being picked up and relayed dearly to the vigilant warlord. He laughed coldly.
‘The girl has courage,’ he hissed, ‘but she is stupid to think that we would not watch her every move.’
‘She will betray us, Commander!’ declared Zondal. He pointed to the sonic cannon that could operate from the side of the ship at the touch of the button beneath his cruel list.
‘She most be destroyed!’
‘No, Zondal,’ ordered the warlord. ‘Let her talk first.
There are things we need to know.’
Just as Victoria ss about to give up in tearful frustration, a small burst of sound came from the tiny communicator. The familiar face of the Doctor appeared on its screen.
‘Victoria! Where are you?’ he asked frantically. ‘Are you all right? Where’s Jamie—and Arden?’
Gulping back the tears that threatened to overcome her, Victoria briefly described the situation. ‘I don’t know where Jamie is—but Arden is dead!’ She took a deep breath, trying to thrust that terrifying memory from her mind. ‘It was the Ice Warriors. They have a terrible weapon—a sort of ray gun.’
Her voice began to rise hysterically; she tried desperately to control her shaking hands. ‘Doctor they’re from Mars!
They’re vicious—ruthless!’
Clent’s cool voice cut across her panic, and brought her under control once more. ‘Keep calm, girl!’ he rapped. ‘We must have facts! Tell us about the spaceship! Quickly!’
A sudden wave of anger swept over Victoria. She almost shouted at the calm face which stared back at her from the tiny video. ‘Don’t you understand? They’ve killed Arden, and Jamie’s disappeared! Don’t you even care?’
‘Of course we care, Victoria,’ came the Doctor’s gentle reply. ‘But we need to know something about that spaceship’s propulsion unit—it’s vital.’
‘Propulsion unit?’ queried Victoria blankly.
Clent’s face reappeared; his voice was sharp. ‘Engines, girl—engines!’
‘Oh, I see...’ answered Victoria tiredly. ‘I think they’re repairing the engines now.’
‘What kind are they?’ demanded Clent urgently.
‘Reactor turbine—ion jet—anti-gravity? Think, girl!’
Before Victoria could answer, a mighty shudder shook the ground, bringing a flurry of ice down from the excavated ceiling, and knocking Victoria breathless to the floor.
‘Victoria—what’s happening?’ came the Doctor’s voice.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes, I’m all right, Doctor..: she replied. ‘It’s the glacier—we’re right inside it, and it’s moving all the time!’
‘The engines, Victoria—’ broke in Clent’s demanding tones, ‘for heaven’s sake, tell us about the engines!’
‘Give me a chance!’ protested Victoria. ‘I’m trying to think!’
But Varga had beard enough. With a curt gesture, he ordered one of the warriors to the airlock door.
‘She must say no more. Turoc, bring the girl in here—
quickly!’
Zondal turned to his commander. ‘It would be easier—
and quicker—to kill her now.’
‘You do not understand, Zondal,’ breathed Varga harshly. ‘There are questions she must answer! Why are the Earthlings so interested in our engines? Why are they afraid?’
He turned away from the viewing screen for a moment and looked thoughtfully back towards the engine room. ‘We must have these answers. Zondal,’ he hissed—‘and quickly!’
In that brief moment, if he or Zondal had been watching, they would have seen Victoria’s tense reaction to the opening of the door in the ice. She spoke quickly into the communicator, and prepared to make her escape. ‘There’s someone coming from the spaceship. I’m going to have to run for it!’
‘Try to get back to Base. Victoria!’ urged the Doctor—
but Victoria was no longer listening. With a tightening of her throat, she realised that the Ice Warrior now standing in the open airlock was cutting off her escape route out of the cave and down the hillside to the Base.