DOCTOR WHO AND THE CAVE-MONSTERS

by Malcolm Hulke

  'I'd much rather if you didn't do that,' said the Doctor. 'A full-scale military action could be absolutely disastrous.'

  'I believe you are UNIT's scientific adviser,' said Dr. Lawrence, 'and not a military man. I completely endorse the Brigadier's plan. If, as Major Barker claimed, there are saboteurs in those caves, enemies of this country, they must be routed.'

  'Thank you, sir,' said the Brigadier, rising. He turned to the Doctor. 'I'm sorry, Doctor. It's the only way.' Without waiting for a reply, the Brigadier hurried out.

  Dr. Lawrence also rose. 'The meeting is closed. And now I must get on with trying to run this research centre.' He hurried out after the Brigadier.

  The Doctor turned to Dr. Meredith. 'Do you know how Dr. Quinn was killed?'

  Dr. Meredith shook his head. 'So far as I could see, there wasn't a mark on his body. His heart had just stopped beating. But I'm going back there to make a full report.'

  Liz asked, 'What's happened to Miss Dawson?'

  'I called the ambulance,' said Dr. Meredith. 'She's been taken to the local cottage hospital.' He paused a moment, as though not entirely believing what he was about to say. 'You remember how Spencer drew pictures on the wall? She was doing the same. She was cringing in a corner, sticking her finger into the black ash of what had been the store-room door, and drawing pictures on the wall. The same pictures of animals and men.' He drew a deep breath, then slowly got to his feet. 'Well, since the meeting's over, I'd better get back to the cottage,' he said and went to the door. 'Tell me, Doctor, have you any idea why these people draw pictures on the wall?'

  'I think it's got something to do with race-memory,' said the Doctor. 'There was a time when Man was very weak and always at the mercy of the same terrible enemy, just as mice are always afraid of cats.'

  Dr. Meredith looked rather uncertain about that idea. 'Well,' he said, 'it's something I've never met with in the medical text-books before. Any idea how I should cope?'

  'Tender, loving care,' said the Doctor. 'I believe that's the correct nursing term.'

  Dr. Meredith smiled. 'Yes, indeed,' he said. 'When in doubt, TLC.' He left the office.

  'Well,' said Liz, 'that seems to settle that.'

  'That,' said the Doctor, 'seems to settle what?'

  'The Brigadier is going to call in lots more troops,' said Liz. 'He'll invade the caves and find out what's really there. Then we can all go home.'

  'You can go where you like,' said the Doctor, 'but I'm going to go into those caves before we have a major war on our hands.'

  'What do you hope to do there?'

  'Make peaceful contact with whatever is in there,' the Doctor said, and rose to go.

  Liz also got up. 'All right. Then we go together.'

  'Oh no,' said the Doctor. 'I think this is something I have to do on my own, thank you.'

  'Doctor,' said Liz, stopping him in his tracks with the tone of her voice, 'if the Brigadier knew you were going into those caves he'd stop you.'

  'No one's going to tell him,' said the Doctor.

  'I am,' said Liz, 'unless I'm going with you.'

  'You realise this is blackmail,' he said.

  'That's right,' she said. 'We started this together, so let's finish it together.'

  The Doctor shook his head in despair. 'Since I have no alternative,' he said, and then smiled, 'let's go and find some monsters.'

  The Doctor and Liz went along the main passageway of the caves leading from the entrance. The Doctor paused, pulled from his pocket papers he had taken from Dr. Quinn's office. He opened up a folded paper to reveal a crudely drawn map. Liz shone her torch on it. The Doctor pointed his finger to an X which Dr. Quinn had marked on the map. 'That, presumably, is where we've got to make for,' he said.

  'All right,' said Liz, 'let's go.' She shone her torch back to the route ahead of them, then noticed something on the cave floor glint in the light of the torch. The Doctor also noticed it, went and picked it up and inspected it.

  'A cartridge from an FN.303 rifle,' said the Doctor. He held it close to his nose and sniffed. 'Recently fired.'

  Liz shone her torch around on the floor. 'Look, there's another one, and another! The FN.303 is what UNIT uses.'

  'Yes, I know,' said the Doctor. 'But they haven't been down here for some time. I wonder if it could have been our elusive Major Barker?...'

  'Well, anyway,' said Liz, 'let's find the point marked X on the map.' She took a step forward, but the Doctor suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

  'That sand there,' he said, pointing, 'it's a little too smooth.' He looked around, found a small rock and threw it at the sand. The trellis-like man-trap sprung up from the smoothed sand, crushing the piece of rock. 'He came down here,' said the Doctor, 'got himself trapped in that thing and tried to shoot it out.'

  Liz looked in horror at the man-trap. 'You think we can make peaceful contact with these monsters, Doctor?'

  'I think we have got to,' he said. 'Now come on.'

  They skirted round the man-trap and continued deeper in the cave. For the next thirty minutes they carefully followed the route sketched on Dr. Quinn's map. It brought them into the huge cathedral-like cave where a little daylight came in from a distant opening to the outside world.

  Liz said, 'What do you hope to find? I mean, what does the X mean on the map?'

  But the Doctor pulled Liz sharply into a recess in the cave wall and signalled her to be silent. As they watched a reptile man appeared from one of the passages leading into the great cave. He went up to a huge rock and stood facing it. After a second or two his third eye glowed a brilliant red. The rock opened like a door and the reptile man went inside. The rock closed behind him. The Doctor could feel Liz quaking beside him.

  'It was an upright lizard,' she said, 'a reptile!'

  'It was also a man,' said the Doctor. 'An intelligent being.'

  'But the reptiles were all stupid,' she said, as though she was desperately trying to believe it. 'Brains the size of kittens.'

  'We only know about the reptiles whose fossils we have found,' said the Doctor. 'But what if for some reason the more intelligent reptiles hid themselves away in shelters under the Earth's crust?' As the Doctor talked he crossed over to the huge rock and inspected it. 'You see, there isn't even a crack to show how it opened.'

  'Do we want to open it?' Liz asked.

  'Of course we do,' said the Doctor. 'We must get inside there somehow.' He stood very still for a moment. 'Do you notice a slight breeze down here?'

  'There's that opening up near the roof,' said Liz. 'Maybe it's windy outside now.'

  The Doctor shook his head. 'It's a steady breeze, and it's moving in this direction.' The Doctor hurried off, Liz following. 'There you are,' he said, pleased with himself, 'an air-vent.'

  Set in the wall of the cave was a circular tunnel about three feet high. The Doctor could feel air being sucked into it. He put his hand into the tunnel and felt the wall of the tunnel. It was perfectly smooth. 'I think this has just been made. What's more, it hasn't been drilled—it's been melted.'

  'They've melted through this thickness of rock?' said Liz, hardly believing it possible.

  'They certainly didn't cut their way through with a hammer and chisel,' said the Doctor. 'Now let's see where it takes us. Hold on to my coat tails.'

  The Doctor got on to all fours and started to climb into the tunnel. Liz scrambled along behind him. As they continued along the tunnel they could hear the humming of some electronic apparatus. The tunnel had a wide-angled bend in it, and as they passed the bend they could see a ring of light at the end of the tunnel.

  'I'd rather have gone in by invitation,' said the Doctor, 'but at least this is a good second best.'

  'Don't you think they'll be waiting for us at the other end?' called Liz.

  'If they are,' said the Doctor, 'let me do the talking.'

  Finally they reached the end of the tunnel. They emerged from it in a dark corner of the reptile men's giant shelter. The Doct
or stood up and looked at the scene before him. They were in a huge, almost square cavern. All the walls and ceiling were made of sheet metal bolted together, like the hull of a ship. At one end was a huge pit with prison-like bars across its top, but the Doctor could not see what was kept in the pit. Elsewhere there were work-benches and tables. At one of these two reptile men were busy dismantling and inspecting an FN.303 rifle, clearly trying to understand how it worked. In a corner another two reptile men stood by a third which was lying on its back on a metal slab. Electrodes were attached to its head and feet. One of the reptile men in attendance pulled a big electrical switch set in the wall. The Doctor watched fascinated as the reptile man on the slab started to twitch.

  'That's horrible,' said Liz, 'they're electrocuting it.'

  'No,' the Doctor whispered, 'they are reviving it. Now watch.'

  The reptile man on the slab continued to twitch for a full minute. Then the switch was turned off, and the electrodes were removed. The reptile man lay still for a moment, then slowly got up from the slab.

  'That's what's happening to Dr. Lawrence's current,' said the Doctor. 'I bet you they'll tell us they've just had another power loss when we get back.'

  'If we get back,' Liz said.

  But the Doctor's attention was already elsewhere, and he was quietly creeping away from the opening to the ventilation tunnel. Liz followed him. He was moving to a set of cages quite near to them. Major Barker was in the first cage, gripping the bars. A reptile man came up to the cage carrying a metal jug of water and a metal plate on which were a few dried pieces of some edible green leaf. The reptile man opened a little hatch in the cage and tried to hand in the jug and the plate.

  'How long are you leaving me in here?' said Major Barker. 'They'll be coming after me, you know!'

  The reptile man remained where he was, offering the food. Major Barker snatched the jug of water and threw it at the reptile man. 'I don't want your poison!'

  The reptile man walked away. When he was some distance away, the Doctor went up quietly to the side of the cage. 'Major Barker,' he whispered.

  Barker swung round. 'How did you get in here? Have you brought the troops?'

  'No,' whispered the Doctor, 'we're alone. Is there any way we can get you out of there?'

  'Not a chance,' said Major Barker. 'Some sort of electronic lock. Now listen,' he went on with all the authority of the victor rather than the vanquished, 'what you've got to do is to get yourselves out of here and tell the Brigadier what you've seen. These chaps are dangerous, you know.'

  'Yes,' said the Doctor, 'I imagine they are.'

  'I don't know whose side they're really on,' Major Barker went on, 'but there's something pretty big going on down here. There's one thing I'm certain of—it's not good for England.'

  'Is there any way we can get you out of there?' said the Doctor

  'I quite agree,' said the Doctor.

  'So you and your young lady had better chop-chop back to that Brigadier, and tell him to come down here with everything he's got. Bazookas, rockets, rifles, the lot. Got the idea?'

  'If the Brigadier does that,' said Liz, 'you may get killed.'

  'I'm a soldier, ma'am,' said the Major. 'Soldiers have to accept getting killed.'

  'But you can only do it once,' said Liz.

  'Under the circumstances,' said Major Barker, 'I don't think that's particularly funny.' He turned back to the Doctor. 'Everything understood?'

  'Have they talked to you at all?' asked the Doctor.

  'They keep asking me questions. Population of the Earth. What weapons we use. What foods we eat. Naturally I refused to answer. I tried to explain to them about the Geneva Convention concerning prisoners-of-war, but I don't think they understood.'

  'No, I don't suppose they would,' said the Doctor. 'If they speak to you again, seem to co-operate with them a little, and see what you can find out about them.'

  'I do not co-operate with the enemy,' said Major Barker. 'Still, if I do get a chance to find out anything, I shall bear your remarks in mind.' The Major looked down at himself. His clothes were torn and filthy, his hands grimy with cave dust. 'Sorry to have you see me in this condition, ma'am,' he said to Liz. 'I shall try to brush up a bit before we meet again.' He turned back to the Doctor. 'I really think you ought to get along now. No point in pushing one's luck.'

  'But we can't leave you like this,' said Liz.

  'No alternative, I'm afraid,' said the Major, and again turned to the Doctor. 'Remember now. Bring in the big guns, and let's get this sorted out once and for all.'

  Two reptile men started to approach the cages. The Doctor quickly drew Liz away, and they sank back into the darkness of a corner. The reptile men went up to Major Barker.

  'You have not eaten your food,' one of them said. 'We shall not offer food again, not until you answer our questions:

  'Then I shall starve to death,' shouted the Major.

  The Doctor whispered close to Liz's ear. 'That's a very brave man, Liz. A fool. But a really brave man.'

  The Doctor and Liz crept back to the opening of the air ventilation tunnel. Some minutes later they were back in the great cave and making their way back to the research centre.

  14

  Man from the Ministry

  Dr. Lawrence stood looking at the power dials in the cyclotron room. They all registered zero. At one time he would have been issuing orders to all the technicians and physicists around him, telling them to boost the nuclear reactor to get more power. But now he knew it was hopeless. Whatever force drained off the centre's vast electrical power output, it did it when it wanted to do it, and there was nothing Dr. Lawrence could do to stop it.

  'Reactors closed down safely,' said one of the technicians.

  Dr. Lawrence nodded. 'Just let me know when things get back to normal,' he said.

  He left the cyclotron room and walked along the metal passageway to his office. He tried to remember how long he had been down in the research centre, five hundred feet below fresh air and sunshine. One week? Two? A month? Being a responsible man, he hadn't even taken an afternoon off-duty since the emergency started.

  Once in his office, he closed the door, slumped into his chair behind the desk and put his head in his hands. He remembered how excited he was when he received the letter from the Ministry telling him that he had been appointed as Director of the Wenley Moor Research Centre. It was a job that many other scientists would envy. The pay was very good; but money wasn't the only attraction. He wanted to do something with his life, to be remembered by future generations, like Faraday or Edison. Here, in this research centre, was the golden opportunity to do something that would be remembered, and it was all being ruined by forces he could not understand. His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the door. Miss Travis, one of the young female technicians, entered. 'Excuse me, sir,' she said. 'I've just heard that Mr. Masters is on his way here.'

  'Who?' Dr. Lawrence was so lost in thought that he couldn't remember any Mr. Masters.

  'The Permanent Under Secretary,' said Miss Travis. Dr. Lawrence was still confused. 'You mean he's left London to come here? When will he arrive?'

  'He has arrived,' she said. 'He's coming down in the lift now. The guard at the top 'phoned down and I answered the 'phone.'

  'Thank you for letting me know.' Dr. Lawrence stood up, buttoned his jacket. 'Any chance you could rustle up some coffee for us?'

  'I'll do what I can,' she said and left.

  Dr. Lawrence looked at himself in a wall mirror and straightened his tie. Then he cursed himself for behaving like this. Masters and he were at prep school together, had known each other since they were children. He had nothing to fear from Freddie Masters. On the contrary, perhaps Masters could sort out the whole awful mess. These thoughts were running through his head as the door was opened by a security guard and the Right Honourable Frederick Masters, M.P., entered. As always Masters was smiling, as though he had just won a General Election.

  'Charles,' he sa
id, advancing on Dr. Lawrence with outstretched hand, 'I do hope you'll forgive my arriving unannounced like this.'

  'You're most welcome,' said Dr. Lawrence, remembering to add the friendly, 'Freddie.'

  The smile on Masters's face faded for just a fraction of a second. 'I've rather dropped "Freddie" these days. "Frederick" seems to fit the image more, don't you think?' With this remark Masters made it clear that he was now rather important in the government, and Dr. Lawrence, was not.

  'Yes, of course,' said Dr. Lawrence. 'What can I do for you?'

  Masters looked about the office, and ran a finger along a ledge which hadn't been dusted for some time. Then, as though he owned the place, he sat down in Dr. Lawrence's chair behind the desk.

  'What can you do for me?' he said, 'or isn't it rather what I can do for you?' He produced a perfectly white handkerchief, dusted the desk top before placing his elbows on it. 'I believe you are in terrible trouble.'

  Dr. Lawrence quaked. 'You mean with the government?'

  'With everyone, dear boy,' said Masters. 'When I read your latest report, I just didn't know how I dare pass it on to the Minister.'

  Dr. Lawrence leant over his own desk and spoke earnestly. 'Something very strange is going on here, some-thing outside of science as we know it...'

  'You don't have to tell me,' Masters cut in with a wave of his immaculately manicured right hand. 'A dead potholer, another one gone mad; another technician killed by your own security officer with a blow on the head; and above all else, these extraordinary power losses.' He paused for effect, as though making a speech. 'You see, Charles, all these incidents might be acceptable to the government if at the same time there had been any progress in your work. But there has been no progress at all!' Then he put on the famous smile. 'Am I being beastly?'

  'No,' said Dr. Lawrence. 'Everything you say is true. In fact, since my last report the situation has worsened.'

  'If that is possible,' said Masters. 'Do tell me more?'