Doctor Who_ The Zarbi - Bill Strutton [30]
Immediately Vrestin dodged for the shadow of a crag and dived for cover there, watching. The shadows of two Zarbi appeared from behind him and marched past, heading down towards the great headquarters.
After a moment Vrestin rose cautiously from hiding and looked after the moving figures of the Zarbi. Looking all around him for signs of any other movement, he began shadowing them, flitting from crag to crag and making use of whatever cover the ground offered.
As the great writhing shape of the web building appeared before him he turned, noting how its tentacles curled around rocks and crags, the globular tips puffing, bursting and throwing out fresh web patterns as they inched forward over the land. Vrestin halted uncertainly.
Beyond him the two Zarbi stood at a recess in the tangled mass of web.
As he watched, a section of webbing rose before them like a portcullis, revealing a tunnel-like corridor beyond, leading inward. The Zarbi moved in, and the entrance slid down behind them with a whirring sound, blotting them from his view.
Carefully Vrestin began to circle the great structure, looking intently around him.
Inside the Dome Doctor Who was still shouting back defiantly at the Voice while Vicki and Ian watched and wondered. They could hear nothing, and could see only his face, which distorted with every movement through the Dome as he answered his inquisitor. His arms waved and gestured angrily.
The Voice had changed its tone from thunderous anger to a booming menace.
‘You speak of the great secrets in your ship. You will give them to us to use against the invader. In return you will be given...’ the Voice paused... ‘... your... freedom...’
Doctor Who hesitated. ‘What of the fourth member of our party? Where is she?’
A silence answered him.
‘Well?’
‘She has been taken to the Crater of Needles-les. She will be restored to you — after you have helped us... Now
— will your secrets look into the stars?’
The question puzzled the Doctor. He called back, ‘I, er, have an astral map, if that is what you mean...’
‘Will it show where the Menoptera are massing-ing...?
Where they will... land-and...?’
‘You say it is the Menoptera who are invading this planet?’
The answer was partly lost in echoing sounds. Doctor Who cupped a hand to his ear to shield it against the reverberations.
‘... somewhere in space... beyond the range of our locators... they are grouping... scattering false trails to mislead us... their numbers are great-eat... I am aware only of movement... ent...’
‘You — cannot determine their position?’
‘This is what I require you to do-o...’
Doctor Who paused as though considering that. He decided on a bluff, but his voice as he answered was innocent. ‘I shall... need assistance.’
‘Bring your... astral map out of your ship.’ The Voice boomed back.
‘Even to do that, I shall need help...’
Doctor Who waited for the answer, hopefully. His face took on a dismayed expression as no answer came. Instead the Dome rose from his head into the air towards the roof.
He looked anxiously towards Ian and Vicki, and muttered anxiously to himself; ‘What will it do now?’
His answer came in the form of a sudden hum of instructions from the speaker on the control panel. The Zarbi there stiffened attentively to its stream of intermittent humming, chirruping. Doctor Who moved towards Ian and Vicki. One Zarbi remained covering them, the venom grub hovering on the floor with its snout aimed in their direction.
The Zarbi leader moved from the control panel towards the ship Tardis. At the same time it signalled orders to a group of Zarbi, who turned on Doctor Who and Ian and propelled them, too, towards the ship.
The Zarbi leader was at the ship’s doors when suddenly it halted, drew back its foreclaws hastily, as if remembering. It motioned Ian and the Doctor to go in.
The Doctor went in first. Ian followed, looking back