Doctor Who_ The Zarbi - Bill Strutton [63]
‘What’s it saying, Doctor?’ Vicki whispered above the deep throbbing sound. ‘What does it mean?’
The Doctor paused.
‘It’s a kind... of spider, Vicki — a cosmic spider!’ His face was puckered against the glare. ‘It draws its victims in, and when it feasts, it acquires their knowledge... their skills...’
Vicki started fearfully and turned to look back into the great light, trying to penetrate it. Again the Voice boomed the order.
‘Approach... approach — you cannot resist my power...!’
Vicki suddenly lurched a half-step forward and stood there, wobbling, fighting against a force that drew her inward. Doctor Who flung out a hand, groping in the blazing light to hold her back.
‘Don’t move, child!’ he rapped. ‘Stay where you are!’
‘I can’t help it!’ she breathed, half-sobbing with fear.
‘Doctor... it’s... pulling me...!’
The Voice grated. ‘Do not fight against it... approach...
approach... both of you...!’
‘You mustn’t move, Vicki!’ The Doctor called desperately. ‘Whatever you do, don’t move!’
Vicki struggled to remain where she was, but was pulled another inexorable lurching pace forward. Doctor Who, too, felt himself stumbling as he fought to keep his feet planted firmly where they were. The great blurry radiance which fogged the centre of the chamber with its blazing brilliance slowly cleared as they grew accustomed to looking into its glare — and the Doctor saw, for the first time, the outlines, the shape of the thing which controlled this whole planet.
It was this thing which had spawned and propelled the great web till it reached out across Vortis — this creature alone whose power operated the hordes of Zarbi like an army of puppets. And it was the power of this thing, relayed through its Zarbi slaves, which spat venom through the jets of ordinary living animals and destroyed whatever stood in its way.
The Doctor saw that it was a living thing, all right. It was an enormous oval bladder which seemed composed entirely of light. It stood vertical and revolved on its own axis. As it did so the great light pulsed and throbbed with it. Its blazing elongated shape swelled and shrank in rhythm with the pulses, breathing, like a living lung.
It was towards this weird all-powerful creation, rotating slowly in the centre of the dazzling chamber, that Doctor Who and Vicki were being drawn, fight as they might against it, like tiny pieces of steel towards a colossal magnet.
In the underground caverns beneath the great web, the diggers had struck upward until their spears sank into a soft gluey substance — which, even as they watched, swelled and spat, reaching out and forming new web patterns.
The pigmy-menoptera halted and stared at this substance with slitted eyes. The gluey tentacles glowed and throbbed.
Ian, climbing in their wake, saw the glow pulsing through the darkness and called excitedly to Hetra and Vrestin.
‘The web — look! Its roots reach even down into the earth!’
Vrestin climbed upward, finding footholds on the stair-like ledges which the diggers had chopped out as they went.
‘It’s glowing!’ Vrestin panted. ‘Throbbing with light pulses!’
‘That must mean we’re below the centre itself!’ Ian exclaimed.
He motioned to the diggers to continue their work.
Doubtfully now, afraid, they attacked the earth above them, then paused. The reaching masses of the web grew brighter as they inched upward. ‘That’s it!’ Ian urged them. ‘Dig towards the light!’ Follow the brightest strands!
They will take us into its heart!’
This news halted the diggers. They wavered and paused doubtfully. But they gathered their resolve and resumed their attack on the roof, taking courage from Ian’s confidence. The heavy measured throbbing from above was now pulsing loudly in their ears.
Barbara, Prapillus, Hilio and the girl Menoptera Hlynia turned into a new, larger corridor and came stealthily down it towards the sound of a distant chirruping.
Barbara peered forward and could make out the details of a control panel at the far end of this corridor. Silently she motioned her companions on towards