by Tucker, Mike
Lizzie listened as the Doctor outlined his plan. As he explained what it was that he wanted her to do, all she wanted to do was to run away in terror. But this was her chance to prove to the Doctor just what she was really made of.
Tucking the Sea Devil communicator into her jacket, she hurried back in through the jagged hole in the refinery wall. The door to the storeroom was still locked. With a shrug, Lizzie raised the Sea Devil gun and fired it at the lock. The door exploded into flaming fragments. Nodding with satisfaction, Lizzie stepped through into the corridor beyond.
The base was in uproar. Between the Myrka attack and the damage caused by the Sea Devil guns, the place was practically falling apart. Technicians and guards rushed past Lizzie, desperate to get to the waiting tractors.
Lizzie turned the other way. She had to find Pelham. He had something she needed. She tucked the gun into her parka and pulled up the hood to disguise her features. Then she set off towards his office.
Far below in the Silurian base, the Doctor made his way from the control room towards the hibernation chamber. He casually tossed the signalling device from hand to hand. He was worried. He had hoped that he would be able to find a better solution than the one he was about to use. Sadly time was against him. The arrival of the Navy troops was hardly unexpected, but it had not helped things. Now it was a race against time.
‘Humans,’ muttered the Doctor to himself. ‘I really don’t know why I like them so much.’
Passing through the hibernation control centre, the Doctor made his way to a wide expanse of rock wall. He raised his sonic screwdriver, sending green light dancing across the rock. With a grinding of stone on stone, the entrance to the secret military part of the base slid open.
The Doctor hurried down a wide passage carved from the rock. The passage led to a narrow walkway overlooking a vast underground chamber. He pressed a control on the metal rail and the chamber was flooded with light.
He stood for a moment, marvelling at the ambition of the Silurian race. To work so hard to ensure that they survived, only to find that others had taken advantage of their absence. To find a race in charge that had been nothing but primitive apes when they had started their long sleep. The previous attempts at getting the two species to work together had ended in disaster. It seemed as though this time wasn’t going to be any different.
The Doctor stood, staring down at the cavern below him. He was aware that what he was about to do was unlikely to help relations between the two species. Then he pressed the button on the signalling device.
The chamber was suddenly filled with shattering roars as the machinery shut down. Far below him, huge creatures stirred in the slowly swirling vapour. Huge creatures that the Earth had not seen for millions of years. An army of Myrkas was waking!
Chapter Twelve
When the Doctor returned to the hibernation control room, he found that Oclar had dragged all of the stunned Silurians there. Now he was placing them back into their hibernation cocoons.
The Doctor watched as Oclar gently laid his daughter back into her own freezer pod. Oclar’s hand hesitated over the controls.
‘She isn’t really evil, you know, Doctor, just… misguided. Angry about the way that fate has treated our people. Eager to put things right’
‘I know,’ said the Doctor gently. ‘It’s a very… human trait.’
Oclar smiled at him, and pressed his hand down on the control panel. A glass screen slid down over Partock’s cocoon, and wisps of icy gas started to flood the inside.
‘Oclar, what I’m about to do…’ The Doctor hesitated. ‘There is no way of knowing when your people will revive again.’
‘I had guessed as much.’ The Silurian gave a deep sigh. ‘The time is not yet right. The humans are not ready for the gift I offered. And we are not ready either. I hope that when I next awake the world will be a different place. And if I don’t awake…’ He shrugged. ‘Then perhaps that is for the best.’
The Doctor held out a steadying arm as the Silurian scientist climbed into his own hibernation cocoon. For a moment, Oclar stared into the Doctor’s eyes.
‘And what about you, Doctor? How long will you keep trying to teach these humans that you regard so highly?’
The Doctor smiled. ‘For as long as it takes.’
The Doctor pressed a button on the console, and the glass screen slid down. As the icy mist flooded the chamber the Doctor turned and walked back to the lift. The doors opened with a soft chime and the Doctor stepped inside. As they closed behind him, he didn’t look back.
Lizzie needn’t have worried about being seen. Everyone on the base was far too concerned with escaping to worry about a random stranger. Reaching Pelham’s office without being stopped was easier than she had thought.
Clutching the Sea Devil gun beneath her jacket, she listened at the door. Pelham’s gruff tones were unmistakable, as was Matt’s nasal whine. Lizzie took a deep breath, pulled the gun from her jacket, and pushed open the door.
Pelham and Matt were bundling papers and CDs into a number of metal cases. Both men looked up in surprise as she burst into the room. Their expressions were almost comical. There was almost admiration in Pelham’s voice as he recovered himself.
‘Miss Davies. It appears that we are unable to find a room capable of holding you!’ His eyes flashed to the gun in her hand. ‘And you seem to have provided me with a superb example of Silurian weaponry. Perhaps I’m wrong in trying to lock you up all the time. I should make you my personal assistant instead!’
Lizzie closed the office door with her foot. She kept the gun pointed at the two men. ‘Not sure I like the company I’d be working for.’
She could see her black case with the bomb inside sitting on a table on the far side of the office. Pelham followed her gaze. ‘Ah… So that’s what you came for. Still trying to save the world?’
Lizzie laughed. ‘That’s more true than you might think. Your miracle fuel? Your Fire Ice that will solve the energy crisis? The Silurians have tampered with it. They’ve added something that changes it somehow. If you try to use what’s in those barrels then you’re going to change the climate for ever.’
‘I don’t believe you!’ snapped Pelham. ‘Oclar would never…’
‘Not Oclar. His daughter, Partock. And after what you did to her, I can hardly say that I blame her.’
‘So she survived. How clever of her.’ Pelham’s face twisted in anger. ‘Damn her. But it’s not too late. If we can get a sample of the fuel, we can analyse what she’s done.’
‘Oh no.’ Lizzie covered him with the gun. ‘It’s over Pelham. Now, pick up the case. We’re going back to the power room.’
‘Don’t be stupid. If we’re quick, we can rescue this.’
‘It’s too late to salvage anything. Now do as I say and pick up the case.’
Pelham hesitated, but it was clear that Lizzie was in no mood to be toyed with. He lifted the case, licking his lips nervously as he eyed the gleaming bomb inside.
‘If you explode this thing…’
‘I’m not going to explode anything,’ said Lizzie innocently. ‘The Doctor has the trigger, and he’s not going to use it until everyone is safely out of here. The only thing that he intends to destroy is the base, the drill head and the barrels.’
‘The Doctor,’ growled Pelham. ‘I should have known that he’d end up siding with you. You’ll never get away with this. Admiral Turner and his men—’
‘Are going to have their hands full.’
Pelham frowned at her. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You’ll see.’ Lizzie waved the gun at him and Matt. ‘Now move.’
The Navy captain was wondering what he was going to do with the bodies of several large, intelligent lizards when the first roar reached him. Screams of panic and the rattle of gunfire followed.
Snatching up his rifle, he raced towards the noise. As he rounded the corner of the base, he stopped and stared in disbelief at the scene in front of him.
> A huge, dinosaur-like monster was hauling itself from a ragged hole in the ice. His men were firing madly, trying to hold the creature back, but with no effect.
Taking aim at the beast, the captain fired several shots. The monster turned its massive head and snarled menacingly at him.
PelCorp personnel were scattering in panic. The captain yelled at his second-in-command. ‘Sergeant! Get those people to the helicopters!’
As the words left his mouth, there was another monstrous bellow from behind him. He spun to see another creature hauling itself from the ice, and another, and another!
Realising that they were rapidly being outnumbered, the captain gave the only order he could.
‘Retreat!’
It didn’t take long to reach the power room. The base was almost deserted. Keeping the gun aimed at Pelham and Matt the whole time, Lizzie made them push the case of explosives back underneath the power cell, then guided them back out into the corridor.
‘Now, stand back,’ said Lizzie.
She raised the Sea Devil gun and aimed it at the lock. There was a buzz of power, and a ray of searing heart melted the lock into molten waste.
Lizzie nodded in satisfaction. ‘That’s just in case you had any ideas about getting back inside to disarm it.’ She fumbled in the pocket of her jacket for the communicator. She had to let the Doctor know that she was ready.
That brief lapse in Lizzie’s focus was all Pelham needed. He lashed out at her, jarring her wrist and sending the heat gun flying. Lizzie made a lunge for it, but she was too late. Matt scooped up the gun and levelled it at her menacingly.
Pelham snatched the communicator from her hand. ‘You little idiot. Did you really think you’d get away with it?’
‘Mr Pelham.’ Matt was eyeing the power room door nervously. ‘We should get away from here, sir. The bomb…’
Pelham smiled. ‘The Doctor’s not going to detonate it until he knows his little friend here is safe. So now I’ve got something to bargain with.’ He grabbed Lizzie by the arm. ‘You’re coming with us. We’ll fly back to the container ship and contact the Doctor from there.’
Pelham and Matt set off for the helicopter pad, pushing the protesting Lizzie in front of them. As they stepped out into the freezing air and made their way towards the waiting helicopter, Pelham gave Lizzie an unpleasant smile.
‘I really have to thank you, my dear. If what you say about the fuel is true, if it really is contaminated, then I might have come away from this with nothing. But that weapon could be a much more valuable source of income. PelCorp Thermal Weapons. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?’
Before Lizzie could even think of a witty reply, there was a terrifying roar. The huge shape of a Myrka lumbered through the snow towards them. It bared its teeth in a savage snarl.
As they turned to run, there was another thunderous roar and a second creature emerged from around the corner of the base.
They were cut off.
Chapter Thirteen
Pelham pushed Matt forward, screaming at him in terror. ‘Use the gun, man, use the gun!’
Matt raised the heat gun with trembling hands, taking aim at the towering monsters.
‘No!’ The shout came spiralling through the wind. ‘Don’t do it!’
The Doctor appeared through the snow, racing towards them. The Myrka nearest to them turned its head towards the noise. Ignoring the Doctor’s shouted warning, Matt pressed the trigger.
The beam of heat seared into the Myrka’s side filling the air with the reek of charred flesh. It reared up, shrieking in pain. Matt fired again and again. This time, the Myrka turned its huge head, looking for the thing that was hurting it.
Matt stared upwards as the Myrka bore down on him. A huge claw lifted into the air.
And slammed down.
The Myrkas started to turn on the injured one. They began to fight amongst themselves, driven into a feeding frenzy by the smell of blood. The Doctor fumbled in his pocket as one of the creatures started to lurch towards them.
‘Don’t move!’ he hissed.
Lizzie’s eyes widened in horror as the Myrka got closer and closer. The Doctor was still mucking about with his sonic screwdriver.
Lizzie closed her eyes. She could almost feel the monster’s hot breath on her face. Suddenly the air was filled with an electronic warbling. At once the roaring of the Myrkas stopped.
Lizzie forced one eye open. The monsters were lumbering away from them. They were heading towards the soldiers again.
‘What did you do?’ she asked.
The Doctor peered after them. ‘I threw a stick for them!’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Well, I created a sonic signal that the Myrkas will follow, so they’ll do pretty much what I tell them…’
He tailed off. Lizzie followed his gaze to where Pelham was kneeling down alongside Matt’s lifeless body.
‘Except they were ordered not to kill anyone,’ the Doctor went on. ‘They were just meant to keep the Navy boys busy. The pain from the heat gun must have driven them mad…’
‘It wasn’t your fault. You tried to warn him.’
The Doctor nodded and crossed to Pelham’s side. ‘I’m sorry.’
Pelham said nothing.
In the distance, the Doctor could hear the rattle of machine guns, and the muffled sound of the soldiers as they retreated from the bellowing monsters.
‘We really do need to get out of here. The Myrkas will drive everyone out of the area. I can finish this here and now.’
Pelham looked up at the Doctor sadly. ‘Matt never questioned me. Never. He really did think that I was right.’
‘He was wrong.’
Pelham stiffened. His hand reached out for the Sea Devil heat gun clutched in Matt’s lifeless fingers.
The Doctor took a step backwards, pulling Lizzie behind him. ‘Mr Pelham. Please. That’s not going to help anyone. We can sort this out. I promise you. We can escape.’
The answer came from behind them: ‘No, human, there is no escape for any of you.’
The Doctor whirled to find General Veldac glaring at them, hatred in his jet-black eyes.
He was still groggy, swaying unsteadily on his feet, but the flat disc of his heat gun was aimed right at them.
‘It’s over, General.’ The Doctor did his best to stay calm. ‘Partock, Oclar and the others are all back in hibernation. The best thing you can do is join them.’
‘You lie!’
‘Look around you, General. This place is nothing but ice and rock. There is nothing for your people here. Lead your troops back into the sea. Hibernation is your only option.’
‘Perhaps you are right, Doctor.’ Veldac lowered his weapon. ‘But if we cannot reclaim this planet, then at least I can take it from you.’
The Sea Devil turned and aimed his weapon at the convoy of tractors loaded with barrels of Fire Ice. ‘If Partock was right, there is enough altered fuel here to make this planet unbearable for humans. We will emerge when the Sun has done its work and made this land green once more.’
There was a harsh buzz and a searing blast of heat as Pelham fired the Sea Devil weapon. The ice beneath General Veldac’s feet vanished in a cloud of hissing steam, and the Sea Devil commander vanished from view.
‘Oh, you beauty!’ The Doctor couldn’t hide the astonishment in his voice. ‘That’s perfect! The heat ray will have scrambled the thermal control on his armour. He’ll be thrown into emergency hibernation mode!’
Pelham tossed the heat gun through the smoking hole in the ice. ‘Can we get out of here now, please?’
The three of them hurried towards the waiting helicopter. As Pelham clambered into the pilot’s seat, he pressed the button on the radio.
‘Admiral Turner,’ he said. ‘Tell your troops to pull out. The base power system is going critical. The explosion will be local, but the shockwave will probably crack the ice sheet. Abandon the barrels. Concentrate on getting the personnel clear.’
/> The helicopter lifted into the air.
Chapter Fourteen
Pelham’s helicopter hovered high over the Antarctic ice. The Doctor watched through the window. He waited until he was certain that the Navy helicopters were also at a safe distance. Then he pressed the trigger button.
The explosion was huge. The centre of the base blew out in a vast ball of flame. Sections of roof and wall were sent spinning high into the cold, grey sky. Seconds later, smaller fireballs started to blow the base apart room by room as the chain reaction speeded up. It was like watching a house of cards topple. Lizzie couldn’t believe how fast the destruction spread. The noise from the explosions was like fireworks on Bonfire Night.
A second huge blast rocked the helicopter as the drill-head building blew into a million pieces. The tall tower started to topple, and in seconds it was nothing but burning wreckage on the ice.
For a moment there was silence, and Lizzie thought that it was all over. But suddenly there was a noise like a giant whip being cracked. A massive crack started to spread out across the surface of the ice. Moments later, another split appeared, then another and another. It was like watching a speeded up film. The web of cracks spread and multiplied, forming a vast pattern on the ice.
With the ice sheet fractured, the weight of the base was too much to support. Half the buildings vanished through the ice into the lake below in a cloud of billowing smoke and steam. More and more of the ice started to collapse, spreading out in an ever-widening circle. The convoy of tractors, loaded with barrels of Fire Ice vanished into the lake. Myrkas roared as the ground collapsed beneath them and they were swallowed up by the freezing water.
It was a vision of hell.
As the last remnant of the PelCorp base vanished from view, a plume of steam and embers was thrown, hissing, into the Antarctic sky. When the cloud cleared, there was no sign that the base had ever existed.
The Doctor gazed sadly down at the vast expanse of grey water that had not seen the light of the Sun for millions of years. In time, the ice would reform, sealing off the Silurian base again. The Myrkas and the Sea Devils could only survive if they returned to their hibernation chambers. To sleep once more.