Free Doctor Who: The Zarbi by Bill Strutton Page A

at the venom grub’s snout which pointed implacably at him. Ian, still struggling, stared horrified.
    ‘Doctor!’ Vicki shrieked. ‘What are they doing? Please
    — no !’ She lapsed into terrified sobbing. Doctor Who put up a trembling hand and summoned a smile for her.
    ‘Try not to be afraid, child,’ he said gently. ‘There’s nothing you can do.’
    The Zarbi leader gave a sudden sharp gesture with its claw. At that, a spark crackled from the snout of the venom grub. Ian flinched.
    Beside the Doctor’s head, the wall discoloured. It singed and then began to smoke.
    Now the Zarbi directed the venom grub slowly. Its snout spat more sparks, and in obedience to the Zarbi’s directions, the smoking the discoloration on the wall moved upward, then across,... and finally downward —
    until it had described a burned circle outlining the Doctor’s head against the wall.
    Now the Zarbi leader paused and directed the venom grub away with a final gesture. It backed and retreated.
    Doctor Who expelled a long breath. He managed an ashen smile.
    Vicki went limp. Ian relaxed and ceased to struggle.
    Doctor Who wagged his head wonderingly.
    ‘Hmm — yes... I must say, I did have my doubts for a moment — but I thought , or, er, at least, I hoped it would turn out to be... a demonstration only.’
    ‘What of, for goodness sake?’
    ‘Of their power,’ Doctor Who said simply. ‘That’s clearly what it was.’
    ‘But why bother?’ Ian protested. ‘They can do anything they like with us!’
    Now the Zarbi leader confronted Doctor Who menacingly. It held up its foreclaw, chirruping harshly —
    and pointed towards Tardis . Another Zarbi gestured again to the motionless venom grub, summoning it with a foreclaw, guiding it till the great armour-backed insect had wheeled to threaten Ian and Vicki; she caught her breath, clung to Ian, and called nervously ‘What do they want, Doctor?’
    Ian said, frowning, ‘It looks as if they want something out of the ship.’
    ‘Yes. They don’t seem keen on going inside themselves.
    Why, I wonder?’
    The Zarbi leader gestured again, impatiently. This time it pointed at the venom grub, at Ian and Vicki, then again directed Doctor Who towards the ship. Doctor Who sighed, inclined his head obediently.
    ‘I must do as they say -- whatever that is. Otherwise.. He grimaced and smiled at them, and walked towards Tardis .
    Ian and Vicki stared after him. Ian muttered, ‘Vicki —
    what happened after we left to explore this place?’
    Vicki put a hand to her head.
    ‘I’m... not sure. I was asleep. Then those noises started up, and the ship began rocking — horribly. I could see on the scanner they were dragging the ship away.’
    Suddenly a thought struck Ian and he gripped Vicki by the arms.
    ‘I completely forgot!’ he said. He stared at Vicki.
    ‘Barbara! Where is she?’ He shook Vicki in a sudden fit of anxiety. ‘ Where’s... Barbara? ’
    In the cave from which Barbara had fled, the Menoptera now held a worried council.
    Vrestin stood up and paced back and forth, his magnificent wings folded.
    ‘I don’t think the earth girl will betray us,’ he declared.
    ‘Keep watch, Challis. We others must get a warning through.’
    He moved to the wall of the cave, bent down and rolled a rock aside. Challis crept towards the mouth of the cave, peered outward and took up a watchful station there.
    The fourth Menoptera, Zota, caught at Vrestin’s arm.
     
    He said anxiously, ‘The Zarbi are all around. If we break communicator silence now, they will find us!’
    Hrostar, Vrestin’s deputy, shook his head.
    ‘That we shall have to risk. Vrestin is right. We are unimportant, remember. We must get a message through.’
    Vrestin was dragging a metal box out from behind the rock. Several dials shone on the face of the box, which was surmounted by an oddly shaped antenna.
    He grunted. ‘Hrostar... help me with this...’
    ‘Use that and we shall be destroyed,’ Zota protested