Doctor Who_ The Zarbi - Bill Strutton [68]
he insisted. ‘All of you! Share in the adventure of a new civilization! We need you!’
Doctor Who shook his head.
‘No — you don’t need us. You are more than a man of science, Prapillus. Yours is the wisdom of a ruler.’
The Doctor strode to the ship. Barbara was waving to the Menoptera grouped in the control room — to Hlynia, Hilio and Prapillus.
‘Good-bye!’ she called. ‘And... thank you.’
She climbed inside. Vicki followed her.
Ian shook Vrestin’s hand. Vrestin looked at him and said, ‘You will come back?’
Ian shrugged. ‘Perhaps,’ he smiled.
‘Come on now, Chesterton,’ the Doctor said. He halted and surveyed Ian, who was rather dishevelled from his adventures underground, his usually immaculate suit stained and crumpled.
‘Hmmph!’ the Doctor grunted. ‘I suppose the least I can do is find you somewhere where they have neckties.’
‘That’s right,’ Ian reminded him, following the Doctor inside. ‘With green and black stripes, for dear old Coal Hill School...’
‘Huh!’ the Doctor snorted, ‘I didn’t know they had colours in a kindergarten!’
He turned into the ship.
The doors closed. A whirring started up — the smooth steady noises of Tardis’ machinery, no longer hampered by the force that had drawn it on to Vortis.
As the Menoptera stood and watched, the police-box outlines of Tardis melted and faded gently until the contours of the control room showed clear through it.
Then it was gone.
The silence among the Menoptera was broken by the lovely Hlynia. ‘It... disappeared...!’ she breathed.
Prapillus nodded. ‘Their deeds have written the greatest page in our history,’ he murmured. Then he became brisk.
He turned to the others.
‘We must welcome the invasion forces. Come!’
The old Menoptra stumped off, leading the way, and paused as the hand of the aged leader of the pygmy-menoptera, Hetra, reached out to stay him.
‘And - my people...?’ Hetra quivered.
Prapillus smiled down at him and his dwarvish squad of comrades.
‘They will be put in their rightful place - join us in rebuilding Vortis.’ He put his arm on Hetra's shoulder.
‘And the Zarbi?’ It was Hilio who spoke. He pointed to a cluster of Zarbi crouching mutely in a corner of the control room - aimless, leaderless, waiting dociley now for someone to command them.
‘They too have a place in the order of things here,’
Prapillus said. He led his small group towards an opening in the control room wall. Here the webbing had already melted and sagged away, and through the gaps in the crumbling remains of the great web they could see the landscape of Vortis.
The old man stood there for a moment, looking out upon his planet.
It seemed to be growing lighter. A radiance shon from behind the crags, gilding their outlines and dispelling thir shadows, like the rising of a sun.
Document Outline
Front cover
Rear cover
Title page
Copyright
Contents
Chapter One - The Web Planet
Chapter Two - The Zarbi
Chapter Three - Escape to Danger
Chapter Four - The Crater of Needles
Chapter Five - Invasion
Chapter Six - Centre of Terror
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX