Doctor Who_ The Zarbi - Bill Strutton [36]
‘the answer is... here. The power... the control — whoever it is that speaks to us... all here. But—’
He stroked his chin. Vicki turned, eyeing the Zarbi bustling about their control panel.
‘A leader, I suppose — that voice? One of those creatures?’
‘I hardly think so. Here — put this recorder back.’
Vicki obeyed, and took the recorder to replace it in a drawer of the control table. She paused at the sight of the specimen glass cases ranged in the drawer and drew one out.
‘What did you want with these?’ she asked:
‘Nothing. Put them away.’
A Zarbi moved towards them and hovered, watching. Its approach startled Vicki and she dropped a glass case. It crashed to the floor and broke. From it rolled a preserved earth specimen — a large spider — a tarantula. It rolled and lay motionless on the floor, its hideous furry legs stiff and unmoving, but the effect on the watching Zarbi and its comrades was extraordinary.
The nearest Zarbi chirruped wildly in alarm and backed hurriedly against a wall. Those nearest to it also reared and scuttled back out of the way, chirruping loudly, all eyes focused on the tarantula. Doctor Who turned at the commotion. Vicki was pointing at the spider, at the Zarbi backing away from it.
‘They’re frightened, I’m sure of it! Huge evil creatures like them!... Doctor — they’re frightened!’
Doctor Who’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He nodded.
Ian ran on, dodging from cover to cover among the rocks and crags, listening for sounds of pursuit, of an alert. He paused to catch his breath, debating which way to go.
Suddenly he lifted his head at a sound he had not heard before. It was a fluttering, a whistling, as of something travelling through the air. He stared about him. As he did so, the Menoptera Vrestin planed down swiftly towards him, his brilliant wings spread, from the vantage point of a crag.
The Menoptera landed, the swiftness of his flight carrying him running towards Ian, his outstretched arms grabbing the young earth man and carrying him on with him. Ian gasped as together they rolled and tumbled down into a dip surrounded by low rocks.
It was not a moment too soon. A loud chirruping now throbbed in the still air and within seconds a swarm of Zarbi was scuttling into view over the landscape, pausing to quest this way and that with their huge glaring eyes.
The Zarbi divided and spread out across the landscape, combing it as they went. The chirruping, the scuttling sounds they made over rock and hard grounds, all faded again.
Only then did Vrestin remove the wiry hand he had held firmly clamped over Ian’s mouth. Ian stared back at this strangely handsome creature in wonder. Vrestin’s straight mouth moved.
‘They have gone.’ The voice was high-pitched, the accent stilted.
‘Who... are you?’ Almost before he had blurted out the question, the realization struck Ian who this winged creature was.
‘You’re the... Menoptera!’
Vrestin nodded. ‘And you are... from the planet Earth.’
‘How do you know?’
Vrestin bowed. ‘I have already met one of your party.’
‘Barbara. Where is she?’
Vrestin paused.
‘The Zarbi have her.’
‘At this place they call the Crater of Needles?’
Vrestin nodded, and raised a sudden warning hand for silence. He listened, then climbed to the rocks surrounding their hiding-place and peered out. He ducked down as one of their scouts came close by the hollow where they crouched, still looking about, and passed on.
‘They are widening the search. We can move on shortly.’
‘This Crater of Needles – where is it? How do I get there?’
Vrestin paused. ‘Wait and I shall tell you,’ he said, watching the Zarbi out of sight.
Ian stared at Vrestin. ‘You are the people who are invading this planet?’
Vrestin stiffened. ‘ Invading it?’ he echoed. ‘This is our planet! We come to reclaim it! And those of our race who have survived enslavement.’
‘But these Zarbi control it. Are you saying they are the invaders?’
Vrestin shook his head grimly. ‘No. Many generations ago, both our races lived in peace on Vortis. The Zarbi are not an intelligent species – though they were essential