The Ice Warriors

by Brian Hayles

  ‘You’ll appreciate,’ stated Clent, ‘the importance of this mission. I was chosen because I never fail. My record is one hundred per cent success. And I’ve handled some big projects, I assure you, Doctor.’ He paused, and frowned. ‘As always, I hand-picked my team… but for once, I made a vital mistake…’

  ‘This chap Penley?’ suggested the Doctor, knowingly.

  Clent nodded. ‘The best man in Europe for Ionisation studies… but as it turned out, hopelessly temperamental!’

  The Doctor looked at Clent shrewdly. The Leader’s defensive reaction had already revealed what was wrong. ‘Temperamental,’ the Doctor queried gently, ‘or individual? Creative scientists have to be allowed some freedom of thought, you know, otherwise—’

  Clent cut in angrily, stung by the way in which the Doctor had hit the nail on the head. ‘Creative poppycock! When Penley walked out of here, he publicly proclaimed himself to be criminally irresponsible!’

  ‘You don’t think, then, that what he did could have been a simple gesture of protest?’

  ‘He was always protesting! This unit is a team – a team with a mission! If we fail, how can others expect to succeed?’

  ‘And it’ll be your name that suffers, of course,’ replied the Doctor keenly. ‘And that’s important to you, isn’t it?’

  Suddenly Clent was on the defensive. ‘I lead the team, but I depend on the experts that I select. With the exception of Penley, my judgement was sound. But others won’t see it that way. They’ll only mark up the failure!’

  ‘So you really need this chap Penley.’

  ‘No! I do not need Penley!’ Then he added hastily, ‘But I do need an equivalent brain to take over from where that… traitor left off! Normally, it would take months to train up a stranger.’ His face had a look of desperation. ‘There simply isn’t time – that’s the truth of the matter! And that’s why we need you!’

  ‘I’ll do what I can. But I think you ought to understand that personally I prefer trusting human beings rather than computers.’

  Clent’s face grew stern and proud. His hand came to rest on ECCO’s control panel. ‘I trust nobody, Doctor. Human emotions are too unreliable.’ Suddenly, as though at the flick of a switch, he dismissed the whole subject from his mind, and became brisk and purposeful once more. ‘If you require any further data, Miss Garrett will obtain it for you. I’ll go and check that there is a working area cleared ready for you in the medicare centre. Perhaps you’d like to join me there when you’re ready?’ With that he strode off. The Doctor stared after him, and thoughtfully shook his head…

  Varga was becoming more and more furious. Victoria, sensing that his anger was increasing, searched ever more hurriedly for the vital power pack. At the sound of smashing glass, she spun round. With one sweep of his mighty arm, Varga had cleared a nearby bench of its chemical apparatus. He turned to her, his breath coming in fearful gasps.

  ‘Where is this power source!’ he snarled, moving towards her with mighty strides. ‘Do not try to trick me! If it is not here—’

  His threat was lost as he overturned a cupboard in his effort to reach Victoria. As it fell, a jumble of equipment fell out – among it several power packs. Varga stopped, and studied the confusion of gear at his feet. He looked up at Victoria, whose tense face showed her relief. She nodded.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘Those are the ones.’

  She watched as the Ice Warrior picked up a couple by their leads, and began to examine them triumphantly. What would he do now? As though in answer to her unspoken thought, Varga turned his mighty head towards her and spoke.

  ‘You will come with me to the Ice Mountain,’ he hissed, and grabbed her unresisting arm. But Victoria’s eyes were staring past the Ice Warrior to the doorway. Standing there, his face stunned with disbelief, was Clent. Victoria screamed a warning – but too late. In an instant, Varga had turned, seen Clent, and swung into action.

  Fortunately for the scientist, Varga’s weapon arm was holding the precious power packs. Instead of using the sonic destructor, the Ice Warrior swung the power packs by their leads, like a medieval ball and chain. Clent, having no chance to dodge the swift, savage blow, slumped to the floor without even a cry. Victoria stared in horror at his crumpled body.

  ‘You’ve… killed him,’ she whispered.

  ‘Come!’ Varga replied harshly – but Victoria had fainted. Pausing only to sweep up her limp body in the crook of his mighty arm, the Martian strode over the fallen scientist and through the doors leading to the corridor and freedom.

  Penley had seen Clent arrive and enter the medicare centre. Minutes later, the reptilian giant burst out into the corridor, carrying the girl on one arm and a tangled bundle of power packs in the other cruel fist. Once he was out of sight, Penley dashed into the medicare room, to find Clent sprawled and bleeding from a head wound. Crouching by him, Penley felt expertly for a pulse. He nodded with satisfaction and then, moving casually across to a compact automat machine that dispensed pharmaceutical components, dialled the correct formula. Almost immediately, several phials and syringes appeared in the tray beneath. Taking them up, Penley now dialled a fresh formula, a light smile playing on his lips. The mixture duly arrived, and he turned to deal with Clent – only to find the Doctor kneeling by the unconscious body, head to its chest, listening for the tell-tale heartbeat. The Doctor straightened up, but stayed kneeling; Penley moved to his side. For a brief moment, the two bizarrely dressed men solemnly looked at each other without fear or anger. Penley smiled faintly, and handed the phial to the Doctor for his approval.

  ‘He isn’t dead,’ he remarked casually. ‘I was going to give him a whiff of this.’

  The Doctor sniffed at the open phial warily – then pulled a sickened face. ‘Revolting!’ Almost gleefully, he thrust it beneath Clent’s unresisting nose. ‘This should do the trick very nicely,’ he chuckled, then looked from the cut on Clent’s forehead to Penley. ‘Did you do this?’

  Penley shook his head. ‘I’ve come close to it at times. In fact, I’ve never seen him looking so peaceful.’

  ‘He’ll be all right. Did you see anything of what happened?’

  ‘A great monstrous-looking creature – reptilian biped. But not prehistoric – possibly a robot.’

  The Doctor studied Penley keenly; his summary displayed scientific deduction of the highest quality. But there was a more urgent question in the Doctor’s mind. ‘Was there a girl with this creature – captive, or under duress?’

  Penley nodded. ‘Yes,’ he frowned. ‘She was unconscious.’ He saw the glare of accusation in the Doctor’s eyes, and hurriedly explained. ‘I couldn’t have stopped that giant. No one man could.’ He glanced down at Clent. ‘Anyway, I came here to get drugs – to save a man’s life. I don’t intend getting caught.’

  His eyes held the Doctor’s gaze challengingly. Mild though the ragged intruder appeared, the Doctor knew that he would let little stand in the way of his original purpose. It explained something of Clent’s bitter attitude, too.

  ‘Look, Penley,’ the Doctor said hesitatingly.

  Penley looked suddenly wary. ‘You know about me, do you? My dreadful escapades in computer-land…’

  ‘Whatever happened in the past,’ declared the Doctor earnestly, ‘they need you here now. They’re in desperate trouble!’

  ‘Needing isn’t getting. I’m free of their problems for good. And I’ve a friend who’ll die unless I get back quickly.’

  ‘The problems here are yours as well! It’s your world that’s threatened, isn’t it?’

  Penley smiled gently, and tapped the side of his head with one finger. ‘My world’s up here, my friend – strictly private and no admittance. Clent can keep all this!’ He looked keenly at the Doctor, almost daring him to interfere, then spoke quietly. ‘I’m leaving. All right?’

  ‘I’m sure you’ve got good reasons, old chap,’ the Doctor replied soberly. ‘Good luck.’

  Penley reached the door, then turned an
d smiled. ‘Nice to meet someone who hasn’t been got at,’ he said cheerfully, and was gone.

  A quiet groan came from the floor by the Doctor’s feet. He looked down at Clent’s body with an air of pained surprise. ‘Good heavens, Clent, I’d forgotten all about you!’ He crouched, and thrust the evil-smelling phial under the Leader’s nose once more. Coughing and spluttering, Clent struggled to sit upright, and avoid the pungent fumes. The movement brought an awareness of throbbing pain in his head. He looked at the Doctor with a dazed expression, before the full memory of what had happened flooded back.

  ‘The Ice Warrior!’ he exclaimed – then, wincing, spoke more quietly, though still with urgency. ‘Where is he?’

  ‘Gone. And he’s taken Victoria with him.’

  ‘But why?’ asked Clent. ‘Why here? They’d already escaped once!’ His hand went tentatively to his skull, and gently fingered the scalp wound. ‘He hit me with a power pack.’

  The Doctor looked thoughtful. Almost absent-mindedly, he helped Clent to his feet. But his brain was working furiously.

  ‘A power pack…’ he mused aloud. ‘Like the one that Arden used to unfreeze him?’

  Clent nodded – then wished he hadn’t, as the dizzying pain made his head swim again. He steadied himself, then pointed towards the wreckage of the overturned cupboard.

  ‘Those. But why?’ He groaned. ‘What’s that creature up to – and what made it come back here to Base?’

  ‘My dear chap,’ observed the Doctor drily, ‘I think you’ll find it never actually left in the first place.’ He looked thoughtfully about the room. ‘He must’ve stayed hidden while we set up the security search, then waited for his opportunity when the alarm was cancelled.’ He looked hard at Clent. ‘This Ice Warrior isn’t a fool, Clent. He’s clever. And he didn’t intend to leave here empty-handed either!’

  ‘You mean he took the girl as a hostage?’

  Before the Doctor could tell Clent of the fear that was in his mind, the doors burst open and Miss Garrett entered. Her face looked tense. Close behind her came Arden and Jamie, both now dressed for their journey to the ice face. They stopped short at the sight of Clent and the wrecked laboratory.

  ‘Leader Clent, what has happened?’ demanded Jan, hurrying towards him. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I was attacked by that confounded ice-age monster of yours, Arden!’ The pain in his head forced him to control his anger, but his voice was harsh. ‘I want it found – immediately! And captured!’

  Jan looked in dismay towards Arden, then faced Clent bravely. ‘We’ve just had a report from the outer perimeter,’ she said. ‘The… creature has smashed its way out – and it’s got the girl.’

  ‘If we go now we can soon catch up with it!’ exclaimed Jamie. ‘But they won’t let us without your say-so.’

  ‘If you’d got ready when I told you—’ rasped Clent, but Arden quickly cut in to defend the Scots lad.

  ‘We’ve prepared ourselves as quickly as we could, Clent! If we’d been any quicker, we’d have got outside before the creature.’

  ‘It’s heading for the glacier, I’d say,’ said the Doctor, ‘and it’s taken at least one power pack with it – and, of course, Victoria.’

  ‘A power pack?’ asked Jamie. ‘What for?’

  It was Arden who offered the solution that had already crossed the Doctor’s mind. ‘He’s going to try and bring the others back to life!’ His eyes blazed with excitement. ‘There are others like him up there – there must be!’

  ‘Arden,’ interrupted Clent coldly, ‘you were given the task of establishing the presence of an alien energy unit – not a menagerie! And I would prefer positive facts,’ he added cuttingly, ‘not schoolboy speculation!’

  ‘Then what are we waiting for?’ demanded Jamie restlessly. ‘Let’s go!’

  ‘Not until dawn breaks, lad,’ said Arden. ‘It won’t be long,’ he added, seeing the dismay on the boy’s face.

  ‘Stalking the Ice Warrior by night’d be impossible, Jamie,’ the Doctor pointed out. ‘He’s no fool—’

  ‘But he’s got Victoria!’ protested Jamie fiercely.

  ‘As a hostage, lad,’ insisted the Doctor patiently. ‘He wouldn’t hump her all the way to the glacier if she wasn’t going to be useful in some way, would he?’

  ‘Then you reckon she’ll be safe?’ Even when the reassurance came from the Doctor, Jamie wasn’t entirely convinced. But in the circumstances, it looked as though he had no choice.

  ‘Of course,’ replied the Doctor, forcing himself to sound cheerful. ‘Now that all your gear is ready, you can set out at first light. And it isn’t as if we don’t know where he’s going, is it?’

  Clent, now fully recovered, cut in sharply. ‘How many times do I have to remind you, Doctor,’ he snapped, ‘that we are not chasing monsters all over that ice mountain!’

  ‘You really are very dense sometimes, Clent old chap,’ observed the Doctor. ‘With any luck, this creature will do our job for us! If there is a spacecraft, he’ll lead us to it. Don’t you see?’ Seeing the grudging agreement on Clent’s face, he added, ‘And as for digging his chums out of the glacier, it’ll take him ages bare-handed and alone! Isn’t that so, Arden?’

  Arden nodded, remembering how long it had taken Davis, using the best of equipment. But his eyes met the Doctor’s. He was suddenly aware that he wasn’t alone in wondering what other surprises the Ice Warrior might have in store for his human opponents…

  Victoria didn’t regain consciousness until she found herself sprawling and spluttering in the skin-tingling freshness of a moonlit snowdrift. She scrambled to her feet almost automatically, dusted the snow from her clothes, turned to look at her surroundings – and choked on a scream.

  The Ice Warrior was standing massively silhouetted against the night sky. His dark-screened eyes, eerie and menacing, glowed faintly as he turned slowly in a tight arc, scanning the surface of the glacier before him. A tiny circle of light pulsed regularly on his broad chest, and simultaneously a soft electronic ping – like an echo-sounder’s – could be heard. One moment the giant creature stood motionless, the next he strode forward to the ice face, and gouged out a great chunk of ice with his huge clamp-shaped hand.

  Victoria realised that this was her chance. While Varga studied the surface of the glacier, she prepared to make a silent escape – but she hadn’t reckoned with the fragments of loose ice half-buried in the snow. At the first step, her ankle twisted, her foothold gave way, and with a sharp cry, she found herself sprawled helplessly at the feet of the Ice Warrior. She waited for him to show his anger – but he seemed almost preoccupied. Slowly, Victoria got to her feet, and backed away into the shelter of a vertical crevasse, with Varga’s harsh whisper in her ears.

  ‘Do not try to escape,’ he hissed. ‘You are not equipped for survival!’

  He was right, of course. Sheltered from the keening wind, Victoria shivered and realised how small her chances would be out there on the open snow plain which stretched away into a silver whiteness under the cold eye of the moon. Here at least there was a possibility of staying alive – if only as Varga’s prisoner. She stared back at those strangely glowing eyes, and spoke bravely.

  ‘Where are we? At the glacier?’

  ‘Yes,’ Varga whispered, and sounded pleased. ‘I have located the position of my men inside the ice. At last!’

  Victoria was puzzled. Obviously the Ice Warrior had used some sort of detection device. But how had he known where to start in the first place? As though in reply to her question, Varga pointed to the crevasse in which Victoria crouched.

  ‘The place where you stand,’ he whispered, with no sign of misted breath showing on the frosted air, ‘is where your scientists cut me free.’ Wonderingly, Victoria looked all about her. She saw the regular grooves of a boring tool or drill, and frowned. If it had taken that sort of equipment to carve Varga from the living ice, how could he possibly hope to release his buried companions? She shivered again and started t
o stamp her feet and beat her hands together. If she stood still for much longer, she’d end up frozen inside the glacier herself!

  ‘Do not waste energy,’ commanded the Ice Warrior softly, and indicated that Victoria should move away from the ice face and stand by his side. At first, she objected.

  ‘I’ll freeze to death unless I keep my circulation going. At least I’m out of the wind in this cranny!’

  ‘You will maintain your Earthling body temperature by helping me,’ ordered the Martian.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ asked Victoria in surprise. How on earth did he expect her to help?

  ‘I must release my comrades,’ Varga replied. ‘Then, when your friends come after us, we shall have a surprise ready…’

  Irritated, Victoria didn’t notice the quiet threat in Varga’s words. She still couldn’t understand what the Ice Warrior was going to do. ‘But you’ll never break that ice apart with your bare hands!’ she cried petulantly. ‘Arden used a heavy drill to get you out. Any other way is impossible!’

  Without replying, Varga drew her to his side and into a position facing the glacier. Making a surprisingly delicate adjustment to the device on his right forearm with his massive fist, he pointed the device at the ice. The tip of the device pulsed with light – then, as Victoria watched in amazement, the rock-hard ice face began to disintegrate and shatter. Without tools, without even touching the surface of the ice, Varga was freeing his comrades as easily as carving a block of salt with a penknife…

  Breathless from ploughing his way through the deep, soft snowdrifts leading up to the glacier face, Penley paused to take refuge from the vicious sting of the wind. Storr would have battled onwards uncomplainingly, of course – but Penley was honest enough to admit his weaknesses. Besides, it was unwise to travel at night through the near silent landscape of these hills without halting and listening every now and then. The snow buried not only the ground and ice beneath it, but also every sound: wolves and bears moved quietly enough at the best of times, but under cover of the snow blanket they gained an edge of surprise that could be deadly. It paid to keep your ears open and your eyes sharp. It also paid to conserve your energy, thought Penley – especially when one of the team was flat on his back and totally incapable. Still, he thought, Storr’s past the danger stage now; whatever the big man might rave about scientists and their hocus-pocus drugs, it was that very magic that had saved him. Penley had left him sleeping deeply – but with all trace of the burning fever gone. Twenty-four hours more, and the old pirate would be himself again; in time the bone would heal, strongly if not perfect. It was while Storr was out of service, undergoing repair, Penley smiled to himself, that he could tackle what was in his own mind.