Free Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters by Malcolm Hulke

hurt him again, perhaps even kill him. With those apples in him, he felt that he now had the strength to walk the moors and find his way back into the caves. It would be better if he could wait until dark, but that was now impossible. He looked at the crouched back of the female creature as it opened the black box. It took out some instruments, then went to where he had been lying in the straw. It knelt down, again with its back to him.
    Slowly, soundlessly, Morka opened the hatch and climbed up the steps and on to the floor of the barn. The creature was so intent on its work that it did not seem to hear him. Then his foot scraped on the floor. The creature started to turn its head. Morka knew it would start that terrible screaming. He attacked swiftly.

9
The Search
    Dr Quinn stopped his car and hurried into his cottage. As soon as he was in the living-room he pulled from his pocket the extraordinary object given to him by Okdel. He touched the controls just as Okdel had shown him, and the device gave off this strange fluting sound. He almost hugged the thing to himself – it was the most important artifact Man had ever known, and it belonged to him, Dr Matthew Quinn. Then he started to hunt through his bookshelves for maps of Wenley Moor. He knew that he had to keep his head and carry out the rescue mission with a methodical search of the countryside. Just in time, he heard the sound of footsteps in the hall and was able to pocket the signalling device. Miss Dawson entered.
    ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ she said. ‘Your front door wasn’t locked.’
    ‘Do come in, Phyllis,’ he said, relieved it was no one else. ‘Would you like some sherry or something?’
    ‘You know I don’t drink,’ she said. ‘I wondered if you were all right?’
    ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Fine. Why?’
    She looked around noticing the maps. ‘Planning a hike over the moors?’
    ‘Possibly,’ he said, wishing she would go away. ‘Won’t you sit down?’
    ‘I was wondering when you’d ask me to,’ she said, and sat in her favourite chair. ‘Dr Lawrence has been asking where you are.’
    Dr Quinn thought for some moments before replying. Then he realised he just had to tell someone his news. ‘I’ve been visiting my friends,’ he said, and noticed how Miss Dawson frowned when he said it. ‘Look, they gave me this.’ He pulled the flat object from his coat pocket, and offered it to Miss Dawson. She only stared at it, and didn’t take it.
    ‘What is it?’
    ‘The product of another civilisation,’ said Dr Quinn. ‘It’s a communication device. That fool Major Barker wounded one of them, and they think it ran away from the caves. They want me to help to find it.’
    ‘You won’t be the only one looking,’ she said very seriously. ‘There are soldiers out on the moors now, and they’ve got a helicopter up. If you go out to find this creature, the soldiers are likely to find you, too.’
    Dr Quinn did his best to smile, although inside he was quaking. ‘I have every right to go walking on the moors if I want to. We could go together. It would look more innocent.’
    Miss Dawson rose. ‘I don’t think that what you are doing is innocent, Matthew,’ she said, ‘but let’s not discuss that. I just wanted to know that you were all right, and to warn you that Dr Lawrence is on the warpath.’
    ‘To hell with Dr Lawrence!’ he said, immediately regretting it.
    Miss Dawson touched his arm. ‘I know how you must feel, Matthew,’ and there was some tenderness in her voice. ‘Your father was a world-famous scientist and overshadowed you. Now you are once again playing second fiddle, as assistant to Dr Lawrence.’
    ‘I am not an ambitious man,’ he said, knowing it was a lie. ‘I only want to push forward the frontiers of science, to do something in my life so that people might remember me.’
    ‘I understand,’ she said. ‘I must get back to the Centre. By the way, there’s been some trouble over at Squire’s