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The Cloud Exiles .

The Sons of Grekk

Terror on Tiro

Mission for Duh

The Devil-Birds of Corbo

The Playthings of Fo

Justice of the Glacians .

Escape from Planet X

Ten Fathom Pirates

 HE air was warm and fragrant, full of
the gentle sounds of bees and birds.
Dr Who hesitated. This was the peace
and beauty that only Earth—among all the
wonderful planets he had visited—could offer.
... He was loth to leave it. But, steeling himself,
he forced himself to step through the doors of
the blue police telephone-box. For he knew that
he would never be content to vegetate after
having, for so long, experienced the hazardous
but incomparable thrills of travel through Space
and Time.
On reaching the gleaming control-panel of
the ship, he operated the lever that closed the
doors and then switched on the sight-screen.
The centre panel rose and the lights all glit-
tered. He made the settings that would take him
out of the galaxy and many years away from
the year 2067 on Earth. As he touched the
master-switch, the normal humming noise rose
and rose in pitch until he could no longer hear
it. Tardis was off again on another journey in
Space and Time.
The grey nothingness of the trans-dimen-
sional flux began to fade from the screen at last.
What appeared in its place caused him to ex-
claim aloud in astonishment. All he could see
was a green plain and white puffball clouds, a
scene identical to the earthly one he had just
left. What had happened? Had Tardis not
moved? Or had it merely moved in Time, but
remained on Earth?
There was nothing for it but to seek the
answers outside.
Two . . . three steps he took beyond the door.
Then he sank, gasping, to his knees. He fought
for breath like a man in a vacuum. With a des-
perate effort he regained Tardis.
As he lay resting, he chided himself for not
testing the atmosphere of this strange new
planet before he emerged. It was, of course, the
sight of green fields and white clouds which had
disarmed his normal caution.
He made his way to his vast laboratory and
store-room for his Atmospheric Density Jacket.
Then, with the waistcoat-like apparatus strap-
ped over his shoulders, he once more ventured
outside the ship.
What he had presumed to be green fields
proved instead to be expanses of spongy sub-
stance which oozed moisture like moss beneath
his feet. For the most part, the area of the
planet immediately surrounding Tardis was
composed of gentle undulations of this spon-
geous ‘grass’. They were ringed by small hills
of what could have been grey rock, or even
sand dunes.
But what captured his attention and excited
his keen scientific brain even more were the
clouds. Now that he was outside he could see
that they were like no clouds he had seen on
Earth. They seemed to be pulsing with an in-
candescent light—a phenomena all the more
striking against the background of a purple,
almost black sky.
“It’s impossible!” he argued aloud, a trifle
sententiously, as if he were arguing a scientific
point with a colleague. “Quite impossible for
clouds to exist in this rarified atmosphere.
Naturally there must be a simple explanation.
Possibly some sort of gas riding up from cracks
in the surface.”
 It was then that he noticed movement among
the clouds. The astonishing thing was that there
was no breeze to account for it, and in any case
they were shifting in different directions!
One large white cloud appeared to hang
much lower than the others. As he walked
towards it he saw that he was right. It hung a
mere few feet from the green surface. . . . If he
could just take a sample, he thought, then it
would be a simple matter to analyse it back in
his laboratory.
He fumbled in his pocket for the specimen
tubes without which he never went explori
Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he tied
it round his mouth and nose as a precaution.
Now he was close enough to the cloud to dis-
tinguish that its exterior surface was of a silky,
smooth texture completely without signs of
turbulence. It now lay very close to th
Holding the tube before him, he stepped inside
the fringe of the cloud. ...
“Aaagh!” The gasping, choking cry was torn
from his lips. He felt power draining from his
limbs and his senses slipping rapidly away.
“What—what 2” He mouthed futile
words, vaguely aware that he was being
wrapped like a cocoon in the cloud. With each
incandescent pulse he felt sudden warmth all
around him. It was as if the cloud were a living
organism!
His mind vainly trying to grasp the enormity
of that sudden astounding thought, Dr Who
slipped into unconsciousness. . . .
Bright lights beat down upon his face as his
senses struggled to emerge from a whirlpool of
aching blackness.
With an effort he opened his eyes. He tried
to sit up, but found that his limbs were in the
iron control of some paralytic force. He could
still turn and move his head, however, and look-
ing around he saw that he was lying upon a
metal slab in the midst of a scene so fantastic, so
impossible, that his mind—innured, though it
was, to many unbelievable wonders—now
almost refused to accept the evidence of his
eyes.
Hovering around him were the clouds. Puls-
ing with lights, they moved noiselessly, but
purposefully. Sometimes they brushed close to
their captive, and he could detect a strange
pungent odour that seemed to be a blend of
ozone and formaldehyde. . . . He wrinkled his
nose and glanced upwards. A vast, arched dome
tose above the battery of lights which glared
down relentlessly upon him. He appeared to be
in a great hall. Turning his head he saw an
array of electronic machinery against one wall,
and a white cubicle.
Except for the hum of the machinery, there
had been no sound.
But now he became aware of whisperings.
The voices seemed to hang in the air, and he
could make out snatches of what they were
saying: “. . . Still alive ... Good! .. . Humanoid
type... Wonderful! . . . Prepare the epitomiser!”
Dr Who raised his head and shouted angrily.
“Who are you? Release me this instant! D’you
hear? I am not hostile. I am a scientist!”
His voice, the first loud noise to break the
sepulchral silence, went echoing harshly into
the shadowed heights of the hall. The effect was
immediate and startling. The clouds drew back,
huddling together beside the mass of instru-
ments.
When silence reigned once more the clouds
held a sibilant conference. Suddenly one cloud
came forward towards the metal slab.
Astounded, Dr Who heard a whisper coming
from its depths and he saw, within its incan-
descent pulsing, two eyes looking at him!
“We do not like noise! Must we paralyse you
completely?”
Curbing his impatience, and lowering his
voice, Dr Who replied: “Forgive me, please. I’ve
come a very long way, millions of light-years in
fact. It’s—it’s rather unnerving to meet——”
He hesitated.
The whispering voice said: “We are the
Ethereals? But we were not always as nebulous
in form as you see us now.”
Dr Who’s eyes gleamed with interest. “It is
astounding! Never in all my travels——”
“You are a traveller?” whispered the cloud.
“A scientist who travels through Time and
Space. . . 1am not one whom you need to fear.
I wish to be friendly. Will you kindly release
me?”
“No!” The whisper was taken up by the
others, until that place of echoes hissed like a
steam cauldron.
“Why not? Is this any way to treat a visitor
to your planet?” protested Dr Who.
“You are to be the key to our salvation,”
came the reply.
 “What do you mean?” Dr Who spoke boldly,
but a tremor of fear passed through his helpless
body.
“Look at me!” The cloud hovered closer, pul-
sating at a rapid rate. “Once / was a being as
solid as you. So were we all. That was long ago
—five eketrons ago. Then this planet belonged
to us, the Ethereals. We were the masters, and
the Baggolts were our slaves.”
“The Baggolts? What are they?” asked Dr
Who.
“They are robots. We built them, and one of
our greatest scientists gave them an electronic
brain so keen that it led to the downfall of our
race... . For, you see, the Baggolts began to
think for themselves!”
“Great heavens!” murmured the astonished
prisoner.
“They rebelled against us,” went on the
cloud. “The first one they killed was the
scientist who had given them the power to
think.”
“Why did they not kill you, too?”
Within the cloud two eyes glittered. “We
were the victims of one of the Baggolts’s experi-
ments. They thought they could get rid of us by
yaporising us—but the attempt failed. We were be spared. But this is our only chance—and we
transformed into the nebulous cloud-form in dare not let it go. .. . Come, Ethereals, Place
which you now find us. We came to hide in this him in the epitomiser.”
secret base, which is unknown to the robots. For a moment Dr Who was tempted to start
Here we have waited patiently. Time has meant yelling again. It was, after all, his only weapon
nothing to us. We had the epitomiser, which against these cloud-beings, at least for as long
would one day rescue us. All we needed was a as he remained paralysed. Then an idea came
being with a solid form. . . . And then you to him. He lay silent, thinking hard, while two
came!” of them approached. He felt himself enveloped
Dr Who fought against the nightmare fears in their folds and once again his senses slipped
that threatened to engulf him. “What do you away....
mean? What is the epitomiser? And how does He recovered a few moments later to find, as
it concern me?” he expected, that he was inside the cubicle . . .
The cloud-being floated away, settling over and free to move again. Whatever field of force
the white cubicle. “This is the epitomiser. It can they had used to keep him powerless before
de-vaporise us—transform us into solid beings did not operate within the cubicle.
again. But first it must have a mould in which He rose to his feet. Through the transparent
to cast us. You will be that mould!” doors he could see the clouds hovering around
Dr Who raised his head and roared angrily: their instrument panels, . . . There was no time
*This is preposterous! Let me up from this slab! to lose!
You cannot do it! I shall resist!” His escape plan had formed in his brain as he
The echoes thundered angrily and the had lain helpless on the metal slab. For he had
Ethereals shrank together in fear. noticed that the door of the cubicle was secured
When he could be heard, their spokesman with an electronic lock. With the help of his
whispered: “We are sorry, my friend. If there super ring, he should be able to free himself
was another way to regain our form, you would within a few seconds, . . .
 DR WHO ANNUAL

He tore the ring from his finger and held it already! Yes. . . . Now, the point is this. I have
close to the lock. At once the splendid stone in a good idea how your epitomiser works, and I
the ring began to glow. A high-pitched hum told believe that I can supply a programmed reaction
him that the electronic locking-code was already activator which will enable you to become de-
being rapidly broken down. . . . But would it be vaporised without the need of a solid mould!”
done in time? He turned away briskly and went to a work-
Lights began to flicker in the instruments in bench. The Ethereals flocked round him, their
the cubicle, contacts began to click and chatter, pulsations almost feverish as they whispered
and beams began to wink. ... their thanks.
For a moment Dr Who was bathed in an Dr Who frowned impatiently at the equip-
eldritch glow. The epitomiser had already ment around him. “No time to lose!” he de-
begun its deadly work. Its invisible fingers were clared. “This isn’t going to be an easy job. I
already probing and recording every cell and must begin work at once.”
tissue of his body. Within minutes he might be
transformed into a mere mould, from which a
hundred de-vaporised Ethereals would emerge
—each one looking exactly like Dr Who!
Suddenly the super ring twisted in his hand.
The door flew open. With a gasp of relief Dr
Who hurled himself outside the cubicle. Then,
remembering the rest of his plan, he began to
leap and yell like a Whirling Dervish. The
magnified echoes hammered back from the
cathedral-like arches of the roof. It was an
awful din—and it achieved precisely the results
for which he had hoped. Unable to bear the on-
slaught of noise, the Ethereals huddled back in
the farthest corner of their hall.
Dr Who ran to the control panel. It was the
work of a moment to rip wires from the main
terminal boards. .. .
Then, slipping his super ring back on his
finger, Dr Who turned wearily to his captors.
“Ah! Now then, Ethereals!” he panted.
“When I get back my breath, perhaps we can
discuss your little problem in a civilised
manner.”
He heard them begin to whisper together, and
he sank into a chair to wait. Soon the spokes-
man approached. For the next few hours the great hall was
“You said ‘discuss our problem’?” it whis- plunged into silence. Not even the whispers of
pered. the Ethereals were allowed to disturb the lone,
Dr Who nodded impatiently. “Yes, yes. I am white-haired figure stooping over the work-
quite willing to help you. . . . Obviously I can’t bench.
leave this planet with robots ruling it... . Good As for Dr Who, his concentration was so
gracious me! Where would we be if we allowed intense that he was oblivious to his surround-
robots to take over everything? Eh?” ings. He was equally oblivious to the weariness
The incandescent glow grew brighter. “We creeping over him. When finally he could fight
would have killed you, and yet you are willing sleep no longer, a tool slipped from his nerve-
to help us?” less fingers and he would have fallen if one of
Dr Who rose impatiently to his feet, waving the clouds had not caught him. Aware that he
a long white hand. “Come, come! I’ve told you was safe now, Dr Who slept. .. .
 THE CLOUD EXILES

He awoke feeling much refreshed, but rather The whine of the machinery rose to a piercing
annoyed at having lost valuable time “I do wish note. Valves glowed, beams winked, and once
you had wakened me,” he declared, standing up more the inside of the epitomiser was bathed in
and turning to the white clouds. “I was almost a dazzle of unnatural light.
finished my task when I fell asleep. . . . Well, Dr Who shielded his eyes from the glare, but
well. Let me see now. Where was I? Ah yes!” he could see nothing. At last, when his eyes
He bent over the work-bench again. His keen adjusted themselves to the fierce light, he
brain, refreshed and eager, checked over his started forward with a cry. “It works! Look!
previous work. I’ve done it!”
“Good! Very good!” he complimented him- Standing within the cubicle was a bright-
self aloud. “A few more slight adjustments. . . . robed human figure. He wore a deep scarlet
So!” robe, belted, but opening sharply away above

Ten minutes later he straightened himself, and below. The top of the gown was cut back
brushing back his mane of hair with a_self- behind the arms, and at the back it rose into a
satisfied gesture. stiff collar which stood up above the head.
Turning briskly he addressed the silent Dr Who switched off the controls. He watched
watchers. “Well, my friends, all is prepared! with an appropriate sense of awe as the em-
Are you ready to take your places in the bodied Ethereal stepped from the epitomiser
epitomiser?” and stood looking towards his saviour,
The Ethereals held a whispered conference. Dr Who saw now that this man had features
Then the one who had obviously been their which set him apart from a truly human type.
spokesman before, now drifted towards the . .. The eyes were almost too far apart and too
cubicle. The door closed behind the cloud- long. The chin was strong and smooth, the nose
form, and Dr Who began to adjust the intricate large, and the nostrils so high-arched that they
controls. .. . almost resembled those of a horse.
 DR WHO ANNUAL

The Ethereal leader came towards Dr Who. had barred his path and threatened his life,
He bowed and caught the doctor’s hand, press- often before.
ing it to his lips. He did not claim to be a particularly brave
“I—Mitzog—hereby relinquish my role as man, but he believed implicitly that Fate had a
leader of the Ethereals. You are indeed our hand in directing the strange travels of his
saviour—and now you shall be our ruler.” Tardis. So, whenever he was flung into a new
Dr Who pulled his hand away impatiently. sphere and new danger, he believed that he
“Oh, nonsense, my dear Mitzog! My reward must see and experience, fight and conquer all
is in seeing you successfully de-vaporised. . . .I that it had to offer.
presume this is the—er—form you possessed “Ethereals—do you trust me?” he now asked
before?” ina loud voice.
Mitzog glanced down proudly at his scarlet “Yes!” Their cry of assent set the echoing
robe. “Yes. You have achieved complete suc- vaults reverberating.
cess.” He touched the other’s shoulder with a “Then will you let me help you vanquish the
gesture of respect. “How shall we call you— robots?”
Master? Lord? Saviour?” “Yes!” Again they cried aloud, holding up
“Nonsense, my dear fellow. While I acknow- both arms in approval.
ledge your gratitude, and am grateful for it, I Mitzog’s face softened. “You are indeed a
must insist on being treated simply as a doctor great leader,” he said. “We will do whatever
of science, a traveller who was able and glad to you say.”
help you.” “Oh, nonsense, dear fellow!” cried Dr Who.
“Help?” The Ethereal raised his arms, as if “This is your planet. You know the lie of the
in protest at the inadequacy of that word. land, and the strength of your enemy. Any plan
Dr Who waved a brisk hand towards the of attack must be yours! But perhaps I can
clouds. “We are wasting time. The sooner your help in carrying it out.”
companions enter the epitomiser and regain The Ethereal leader motioned the other to
their original forms, the sooner we can do some- follow him. He led the way into a small
thing about ending the robot rule.” chamber hidden away behind one of the hall’s
So, one by one, the clouds entered the cubicle. vast pillars. He touched a button and a section
Each time the miracle recurred; each time a of the wall slid back to reveal a large sight-
brightly-clad Ethereal emerged. And each time, screen.
the fierce exhilaration of scientific success “You shall see our capital—the great crystal
brought a smile to the lips of Dr Who. city of Droog,” said Mitzog, motioning Dr Who
At last his task was complete. The great hall toa chair.
was thronged with vibrant chattering figures, The screen came to life. They were looking
who bowed low with deep respect each time the at the sparkling ramparts of a great walled city.
Master Scientist looked towards them, Two arched gateways gave entrance to it, and
Dr Who turned towards them, rubbing his each was guarded by robot sentinels.
hands and smiling, “Very good! And now I The picture faded and was replaced by one
fancy we might devise some plan to deal with which showed the inside of the city. It was
the Baggolts.” breathtaking. The roads were flanked by
“Tt will be a mission fraught with more smooth green parklands. There were stands of
dangers than you could ever imagine,” warned trees here and there, and these trees were
Mitzog. “It is for us to face these dangers, not plainly tropical: coconut palms and palmettos,
you. .. .You must wait here to see whether we tree-ferns and flowering cacti. The buildings,
succeed. And if we fail, you must be ready to which towered high, perhaps fourteen storeys
flee from our planet in your Time and Space or more, were shaped like inverted dunce-caps.
Machine.” The only building which differed in shape
Inwardly Dr Who chuckled. If only this was plainly not of crystal. Like a grim intruder
Ethereal knew one half of the dangers he had in that place of beauty, it rose like a vast steel
faced during his travels in Tardis! Creatures box in the centre of the city. And instead of the
far more potent and terrifying than mere robots jewel-like groups of pleasantly asymmetrical
 THE CLOUD EXILES

windows of the other buildings, it peered Dr Who jumped to his feet. “Of course! You
around distrustfully through the slitted eyes of can make robot suits within a few hours with
narrow peepholes in the dull steel walls. the equipment you have here. That way we can
“That is the brain-centre of the Baggolts,” enter the gates—and approach the fortress.”
said Mitzog. “It is built with immense cunning. “And then?” asked Mitzog, frowning.
Radar reaches down to within a molecule Dr Who smiled. “All in good time! But don’t
smoothness of its surface, and other radar worry! I have a little plan in mind,” he said.
eo
throws patterns back and forth. In this way “Shall we start to make our disguises?
Nalog, the Chief of the Robots, is able to * + *
remain with safety, keeping the controls of his
master-panel set to ‘Rebellion’. . . You see how The robot guards on the South Gate of
impossible our task is, Doctor?” the Crystal City were menacing masses of
Mitzog snapped off the screen, and rose to machinery. Mounted on bell-shaped feet con-
his feet. verted into air-cushions for rapid pursuit, they
But Dr Who remained seated, staring in front, stood higher than the gate itself. Multi-armed,
his brow furrowed with intense thought. Sud- they were bristling with lethal-looking weapons,
denly he looked up. “Have you considered from heat guns to vaporising units. Their heads
entering the city, and the fortress, disguised as were globes of metal, ringed with what looked
robots?” like portholes.
A startled look came over the other’s face. Ceaselessly their heads turned on their broad
“You mean—you think that if we made steel metal shoulders, as their radar eyes scanned
costumes——?” every approach.
 Across the plain came a body of labouring
robots, shuffling on noisily-jointed feet towards
the city.
Long before they had reached the gate, the
robot guards had discerned their approach,
scanned their make-up and numbers, and
relayed the information to the robot census-
brain within the steel fortress. Having screened
and checked the data, the brain duly flashed
back the message: “Approved to proceed . . .
Number Five Working Party, returning from
mining pretsonium ore . . . Approved to
proceed!”
Peering out through the transparent porthole
of his robot disguise, Dr Who murmured:
“Good! Excellent!” as he saw the robot guards
lower their weapons and open the gate. He
glanced towards the robot marching next to
him, and caught Mitzog nodding to him in a
satisfied manner through the porthole.
“Our luck has been very good so far, eh?”
Dr Who whispered into the intercom speaker in
his helmet.
“Amazingly good!” he heard the Ethereal
say.
They were both thinking of the way in which
they had chanced upon the robot working party
16
 Mitzog gave the sign to Dr Who that meant
the Ethereals were about to split up and sur-
round the stronghold.
Moving as fast as he could within the clumsy
confines of the metal shell, Dr Who followed
down a tree-lined side road. He was panting
with excitement. They came to a halt within a
few paces of the fortress.
“Ready, Doctor?” came the voice of Mitzog.
“The others must be in position now.”
Dr Who opened a panel in the lower part of
his suit. He reached through it and lowered a
piece of equipment to the ground. It was an
egolectascope, a device of his own invention.
He switched it on and shielded his eyes against
the dazzle of brilliant blue flashes which ex-
ploded from the two ring-aerials. The electro-
magnetic field which it generated would be
linked by similar devices carried by the other
Ethereals. In this way the invisible alarm
systems that ringed the fortress would be
neutralised.
“Carry on!” he urged his companion, who
) stood ready with a long, black, jointed pole in
his hands.
mining a rock face. A surprise attack by the Mitzog lumbered forward. The blue flashes
eager Ethereals had left the robots heaped in from the egolectascope reached hungrily for his
a pile of junk metal on the ground. Then, carry- metal legs, and for a moment he was enveloped
ing the mining tools, they had continued to the in a halo of menacing sparks. Then he was
Crystal City, trusting to be mistaken for the through the electro-magnetic field and holding
mining party. out the long pole towards the wall. It was a
They filed past the guards and entered the vibro-beam weapon, and it sliced through the
7 city. Mitzog led the way. As they clanged along metal like a knife through butter.
the main thoroughfare the robot inhabitants As Mitzog worked, an alarm siren began to
paid them scant attention, One or two, ob- shriek somewhere in the city. Dr Who glanced

| viously police, turned their antennae in the

workers’ direction, but paid no further notice.
round. Robot police were speeding towards
them on air-cushion feet. Before they could
“They will expect us to go to the barracks,” reach Dr Who and Mitzog, however, the rest of
murmured Mitzog over the intercom. the Ethereals went into action. Ray guns stut-
“How long will it be before they discover we tering and spitting flame, they brought the
haye not gone there?” asked Dr Who. attackers to a sudden halt. Dr Who saw two of
“They will know within the space of a toplas the police robots explode. Their metal plates
—or less!” was the reply. were flung over the tops of the trees.
Dr Who smiled wryly to himself. What was a “I’m through!” cried Mitzog, and Dr Who
toplas, he wondered! But this was no time to swung round to see his companion clambering
start learning the units of time used by the through a gaping hole in the fortress. He
Ethereals. It was obvious that Mitzog meant scrambled after him.
they had very little time to:carry out their attack A mass of equipment lined the circular walls.
on the steel fortress. In the centre of the building a moying walkway
The dull sheen of the fortress walls was led to the upper floor.
already to be seen among the buildings close Mitzog pointed and went towards it. But Dr
by. Who grasped his arm and wrenched him away.
17
 DR WHO ANNUAL

“No!” he shouted inside his helmet. “That's light of glowing valves and winking bulbs on a
too easy! Wait!” huge circular control table in the centre of the
He fumbled for the clips that held the robot room. They could see a robot bending over the
suit together. It fell from about him with a controls.
crash. He stepped out, dragged the disjointed Mitzog raised a warning hand, motioning his
mass of metal towards the walkway, and thrust companion to be silent. Then quietly he crept
it on to the moying surface. towards the unsuspecting Chief of the Robots.
They watched as it was borne upwards. As it A leap carried him across the last. yard and
touched the platform above there was a blind- he landed on Nalog’s back with a crash. As the
ing flash. robot staggered away from the control board he
Mitzog shed his suit and stepped to Dr Who's clawed behind him to try and reach his
side, “Thank you,” he said. “If I had gone up attacker.
there——” Dr Who acted at once. He ran to the control
Dr Who was too busy to listen. From an board.
inner pocket of his frock-coat, he produced two “The master panel! Where is it?” he mut-
packages. tered, searching frantically.
“Get into this rubber suit—quickly!” he Behind him he could hear gasps, and sicken-
urged, handing one package to Mitzog. ing thuds. Mitzog was holding on grimly to the
The suits covered them from head to toe. robot, hacking at its plates in an effort to reach
Clumsily they shuffled on to the walkway. It the wiring inside. And Nalog, finding himself
bore them aloft, and they emerged on to the unable to reach his attacker, had resorted to
platform without harm. crashing against the walls.
Through an opening ahead of them lay the A button caught Dr Who’s eye. He pressed it.
control room of the Baggolts. It was lit by the There was a whirring as, from an inner recess,
a glowing panel rose.
“The master panel!” gasped Dr Who.
There was another crash, and a cry of pain
from Mitzog. “Hurry! I can’t hold on!” he
cried.
There was a single switch on the master
panel. It was set to ‘Rebellion’. Dr Who
wrenched it violently in the opposite direction.
Now it was pointing to ‘Peace’.
He whirled to help Mitzog. But there was
now no need. The intrepid Ethereal, injured
though he was, had at last penetrated Nalog’s
steel plates. Thrusting his hand into the robot's
breast, he wrenched at the wires which came
loose with a dreadful hissing of short-circuits.
An acrid cloud rose as the robot crashed to the
floor.
Mitzog sank exhausted. Dr Who hurried to
help him. “My dear fellow, you are a hero! The
way you tackled that monster was the bravest
thing I ever saw!”
The Ethereal looked up with a tired smile.
“No, Doctor. The glory of this day is yours!”
he said. “It was you who saved our planet from
the Baggolts. And though you will soon leave
us to continue your travels, the name of Dr
Who will be enshrined for ever in the Annals of
the Ethereals.”
T= pulsating glow from the round
column of glass which rose from the con-
trol panel of Tardis, etched the many
deep lines in Dr Who’s fine face. He was bend-
ing over his controls, concentrating. His hands
darted from switch to button to lever, pressing
some, turning off others.
When the high-pitched noise had died away,
epped back with a sigh of satisfaction.
vitching on the scanner screen, he rubbed his
hands briskly together as he waited for his first
glimpse of the world to which his latest journey
had brought him.
His astonishment at what he saw brought a
startled exclamation from his lips: “Good
gracious me! It’s a pig’s head!”
It certainly looked like a pig’s head at first
glance, cooked and garnished and set on a huge
platter with an apple in its mouth.
The head began to move away from the
Scanner, and now Dr Who could see that the
platter was being carried by—by—a round
metal thing!
 He set off along the corridor, in the direction
It was squat and black. It had wheels and taken by the metal manservant. He moved
several arms. There were portholes in it and, quietly, his eyes wary and watchful. It was quite
from within, lights flashed on and off. In its possible, he knew, that the glowing hiero-
other arms the Thing, the monster, the creature glyphics on the walls were some form of warn-
—if it was a creature—was carrying several ing system, possibly watching his every move.
other dishes that would have fittingly graced An opening between two pillars to his right
the Round Table of King Arthur. made him hesitate. It led on to a small gallery—
Dr Who realised that Tardis had materialised for all the world like a minstrels’ gallery in a
inside a building. He appeared to be looking medieval castle. This gallery looked down into
into a vast corridor, the walls of which were a vast banqueting hall, set with tables, and the
hung with hieroglyphics which glowed from clamour of yoices and laughter told Dr Who
tapestries of metal-strip. A flickering torch was that he had reached the recipients of the pig’s
thrust into a holder on a nearby pillar. head and other savoury dishes.
Dr Who rubbed his chin and chuckled wryly. He was about to step on to the gallery for a
“Well, if it wasn’t for that mechanical man- closer look, when a movement made him pause.
servant I would be inclined to believe that I had Then he saw that the gallery was not deserted,
arrived in some medieval castle on Earth!” as he had presumed. A tall, thin figure, com-
He checked the instruments which sampled pletely clothed in a close-fitting costume of
atmospheric and other conditions outside black, crouched among the shadows in one
Tardis. With a nod of satisfaction he pulled the corner of the gallery. The figure was staring
lever which opened the doors. intently down at the scene below. As one of the
As he stepped into the corridor the smell of diners rose to speak, amid a thunder of shouts
cooking made him wrinkle his nose apprecia- and table-thumping, the watcher drew out a
tively. weapon.
“Mm! I wonder if there is anyone here who A chill of horror ran through Dr Who. . .
would invite me to dinner? Those dishes smell The figure in black was going to assassinate the
as good as they look.” speaker!
 hose and jerkins were made of a strange fabric
which had a metallic sheen. Their weapons, too,
were obviously electronic ray guns, and Dr Who
saw that several were now pointing menacingly
in his direction.
“My friends!” he called. “I am a traveller! 1
come on a peaceful mission!”
One of the men, broad-shouldered and blond-
haired, motioned imperiously. “Do not move,
stranger!”
There was a whirring sound behind him and
Dr Who turned to find the mechanical man-
servant filling the doorway with its squat bulk.
One of its metallic arms snaked out towards
Dr Who.
“Here, put me down!” he shouted as he felt
himself plucked off his feet. The robot’s grip
was firm, but not harmful.
With another arm, the robot picked up the
weapon dropped by the assassin. Then it moved
swiftly along the corridor.
Dr Who realised that it was futile to struggle.
He relaxed as they came to a halt on a strip of
flooring which sank rapidly down to the level
of the banquet hall.
There he felt himself set gently down on his
feet. He dusted his jacket and turned to face the
men. =
“] find it very disagreeable being handled by
this—this mechanical servant of yours,” he said
testily.
“What were you doing in the gallery?” thun-
Dr Who acted swiftly. He stepped on to the dered the blond-haired man.
gallery with a warning cry. “I say! I wouldn’t Dr Who shrugged. “As a matter of fact, I
try that, if I were you! Put it away!” happened to be there just in time to save one of
The assassin whirled. Black eyes glittered you being assassinated,” he said. “The intend-
wildly from a long, pallid face. The weapon in ing assassin was a tall, thin creature dressed in
his long, claw-like hands, swung towards the black. He had some kind of ray gun. I believe
intruder. your robot picked it up.”
Dr Who swung his cane and brought it down A red-haired young giant took the weapon
with a sharp rap on the other’s hands. The from the robot. He examined it and scowled at
weapon fell with a clatter and the black figure the prisoner.
staggered back with a shriek of pain. The next “T know these weapons! You are a spy sent
moment he had brushed past Dr Who and by the Crustians!” he barked.
vanished. “T assure you I am not!” retorted Dr Who
The men in the hall had risen up hastily from indignantly. “I have only just arrived on this
the banquet tables and were staring up at the planet.”
gallery. The men exchanged amused glances, which
Dr Who gave them a reassuring wave. expressed their open disbelief.
They seemed fine, upstanding young men. Dr Who rapped his cane angrily on the floor.
Their garb was in keeping with the medieval “Perhaps you will listen to me a moment, before
atmosphere of the place, save that their tunics, you take this attitude!” he exclaimed. “I am a
 DR WHO ANNUAL

traveller in Time and Space. That is how I come Who saw several Mechanislaves speeding to-
to be inside your—your castle, or whatever it wards him, their several arms carrying weapons
is. My space-ship happens to have landed in and what seemed to be electronic sounding
your upper gallery.” devices. They passed him by with a swift rush
There was such a ring of authority in Dr of hot, oily air, their interior lights blinking
Who’s voice, that the men stared at him in rapidly from the portholes.
silence for a few moments, turning his words Dr Who walked on, thankful that he had
over in their minds. At length the blond-haired locked the door of Tardis with his electronic
one snapped: “This mad story does not deceive key. Whatever the Sons of Grekk or their
the Sons of Grekk. . . . Come, brothers! We Mechanislaves tried to do to Tardis, they could
shall see for ourselves how the spy entered.” not harm the marvellous craft.
When they reached the spot where Tardis Dr Who stopped as they came up against a
stood, a shout of laughter went up from the blank wall. Morag stepped past him and taking
Sons of Grekk. from his cloak a large brooch with a glowing
“Ho ho! This is what he calls a space-ship!” blue stone, he held it against one of the hiero-
“A splendid piece of equipment, brothers!” glyphics in the metal-strip tapestry. The wall
“Behold! The space-ship of the time- sank out of sight. A glistening metal cubicle
traveller!” lay behind it.
Their raucous shouts rang through the vast Morag motioned his prisoner to enter, then
passage. stepped after him. A transparent gate glided
The red-haired brother sprang forward and forward and clicked shut. The cubicle sank
began to pound on the blue doors of the police- swiftly. ...
box, shouting: “Can you imagine this miserable When the downward plunge ended and the
object hurtling through Space? Ha ha!” transparent gate opened, Morag pushed Dr
His blond-haired companion leapt forward Who out on to a rough-hewn platform, along
and dragged him away. “You fool!” he snarled. the edges of which ran a guard rail.
“Tt may be some cunning device to blow us all
up.”
The company fell back in fear.
“Swarf is right!” cried one. “The Crustians
would choose just such a trick to try and
destroy the Sons of Grekk.”
Swarf turned to the red-head. “You Morag,
will take the spy to the Pit. The rest of you
summon the Mechanislaves to stand guard over
this wooden box-trap, until we decide how to
get rid of it.”
Morag jabbed his prisoner roughly with the
muzzle of his ray gun. “March, spy!” he
ordered.
Dr Who glowered. “There is no need to be
quite so rough, young man!” he chided. He
pointed towards Tardis with his stick. “Perhaps
you would allow me to fetch one or two items
of clothing from inside there?” he said.
Morag laughed, a dry humourless sound.
“Oh yes, indeed! Allow you to go in there and
blow us all to pieces? Do you take me for a
fool? March!”
“Oh, very well!” said Dr Who.
As he walked along the corridor, with
Morag’s weapon nudging him in the back, Dr
e8
 THE SONS OF GREKK

Dr Who stepped to the guard rail. He gripped The other gestured in contempt. “Vermin!”
it tightly as excitement and wonder drove all he snarled. “All vermin! We shall exterminate
other feelings from his brain. every one of them. We, the Sons of Grekk, will
“So this is the Pit!” he marvelled to himself. rule this planet.”
“Tt is amazing? Such creatures!” Dr Who shook his head sadly. “That hardly
He was gazing down into what appeared to seems the sensible attitude, my friend,” he
be the huge crater of some extinct volcano. chided. “Is there not room for all on this
Oval in shape, it must have measured three planet?”
miles from rim-to-rim. The walls, smooth and Morag’s eyes blazed for a moment. “No!” he
unscaleable plunged down a dizzying two hun- cried. “You know there is no room for vermin!
dred feet to the floor of the crater. You are a spy for the Crustians! You taunt me
Here, it would seem, the Sons of Grekk cast with these questions, eh?”
their enemies to perish. Many of them were “Indeed I do not!” Dr Who assured him. “I
even now scuttling about in the Pit. None were told you before——”
of humanoid form, but Dr Who could see a “Silence!” shrieked Morag. He pointed a
variety of grotesque life-forms, with bulbous trembling finger. “Get over there!”
bodies and luminous wings which had been Dr Who obeyed.
cruelly clipped. He also made out creatures He found himself stepping on to a lip of rock
which looked like turtles plodding laboriously jutting out over the Pit. When he realised that it
along paths that ran between heaps of rock and had no guard-rail he made as if to turn bac
earth that might have been primitive dwellings. But Morag’s rough hands were already lung
Dr Who noticed that every creature in the Dr Who staggered, lost his balance and fell over
Pit seemed to be scuttling towards the same the edge. .
point, a little way to the right of where he was Down . . . down . . - down. He kept hold of
standing at the guard-rail. his cane. He also kept his eyes open, and he
He turned to meet Morag’s mocking gaze. saw the floor of the crater rushing upwards to
“J gather that these—er—prisoners of yours meet him.
are all examples of intelligent life forms to be
found on this planet?” queried Dr Who.
 Then the fall stopped short. His hurtling
body was arrested by some invisible force which
cushioned him as softly as electrofoam.
As he struggled into a sitting position, strong
feelers, sturdy paws and scaly arms helped him
down to the ground. Even as he stood, gasping the same shape as the Sons of Grekk, and yet
for breath, he saw that the creatures in the Pit you look different.”
had erected a web of glistening threads—spun, “His shell is different,” said the Cockroach
no doubt, by one of the spider-like prisoners. creature, rubbing a jointed leg over Dr Who’s
Dr Who looked around with a grateful smile jacket.
at a powerful-looking cockroach creature whose Dr Who repressed a desire to smile. Instead
whole body was covered with a reddish-brown he stroked his cheek and nodded. “Yes, my—
scale. The creature had approached the doctor er—shell is different. It is not of metal like the
to offer him one of its jointed legs to lean on. It Sons of Grekk. I am, in fact, not of your planet.
now rded him solemnly with its large Tam a traveller.”
shining black compound eye w! close beside “A traveller?” The voice was deep and
him hovered two butterfly creatures with gravelly. Dr Who looked round. A huge crea-
clipped wings. They held their many-jointed ture with a heavy shell on its back was coming
antennae above his head, now and then brush- ponderously towards him. “How then did you
ing his mane of white hair with a feather-touch, come to fall into their hands?”
as if to reassure themselves he had come to no Dr Who leaned on his cane and told his
harm by the fall. rescuers what had happened since his Tardis
“My friends,” said Dr Who. “How can I materialised in the castle. When he described
thank you for saving me?” how he had prevented the black figure with the
One of the butterflies answered in a voice as glittering eyes from assassinating one of the
gentle as the touch of its antennae. “You have Sons, the assembled creatures began to nod.
 THE SONS OF GREKK

“That is Deemon,” clicked the cockroach. The Crustian shook his heavy head, “What
“He is the evil genius left here long ago by good would a transmitter be to us?” he grunted.
Grekk.” Dr Who pointed upwards with his cane:
“But why?” asked Dr Who. “Could we not send a message to your fellow
The turtle creature answered gruffly. “To Crustians? Would they not come and rescue us
make sure that his sons would never make from the Pit?”
peace with the other creatures on this planet.” Shrewd black eyes surveyed him from the
“Ah, now I understand why the Sons of scaly head. “They would come, yes. But they
Grekk are so hostile and suspicious,” said Dr would find us all dead,” said the Crustian
Who. “They accused me of spying for the slowly. “For the message would be intercepted
Crustians.” by the Sons of Grekk. There is nothing more
“Ha!” The turtle’s heavy scaled jaws snapped certain!”
together. “I am a Crustian. Never would we spy A smile spread over Dr Who’s face, and he
on the Sons of Grekk. Peace is all we have ever began to nod with satisfaction. “Good!” he
wanted. But Deemon would have killed one of said. “I am glad to hear you say that. It was
them and thrown the blame on us.” part of my plan, too. . . . Now suppose I start
Dr Who sank down on to a rock, and shook to work on the unit while you all listen to the
his head sadly. “Dear me! This is all so unneces- details of my plan, eh?”
sary!” he sighed. He looked around at the * * *
barren expanse of the Pit. “But how have you
managed to survive after being thrown into this The Sons of Grekk had finished their feast in
dreadful place?” he asked. the banquet hall. They were slumped in their
The Crustian leaned back so that his heavy chairs around the table in a bloated condition.
shell rang hollowly against the wall of the Swarf, lounging at the head of the table,
crater. “Many did not survive,” he intoned. drank deeply from a goblet and slammed it
“But I was the last to be thrown in and, un- down on the table. “The feast is over, brothers!
known to them, I carried under my shell a Back to work! .. . We must decide how to get
portable sustenance unit, which has provided us rid of the wooden box brought by the Crustian
spy.”
all with enough food to survive.”
Dr Who leaned forward, his eyes bright with Morag leaned forward on his elbows. “Our
interest. “How interesting!” he said. “May I instruments show no danger of explosion, so
see your machine?” why not let the Mechanislaves take the box
The Crustian rolled on to his scaly legs and away and smash it up?” he demanded.
moved heavily towards a mound of rocks. There was a murmur of agreement. Swarf
“Come! I will show you.” was about to reply when a Mechanislave
The mound had been cunningly built to dis- appeared from an opening in the wall and
guise a compact room. Ona slab of rock at one glided rapidly forward.
end stood the sustenance unit. It was a delicate “Well?” growled Swarf.
tracery of wires, lit by winking bulbs set along A thin, electronic voice sang out from a
the top of a grey metal box. speaker somewhere inside the robot: “The
Dr Who bent over it. He examined it with creatures in the Pit are sending a radio message
expert eyes, and he felt excitement grow inside to the Crustians, asking for help.”
him. The unit was primitive compared with the The men sprang to their feet, shouting with
equipment he had built into Tardis, but with a anger.
re-arrangement of coils it might be adapted to Swarf hammered on the table, and when he
serve the plan which had sprung into his mind. could be heard again he roared: “Did you not
He turned to face his fellow prisoners, who search the spy before you cast him in the Pit,
were crowding around the entrance to the cave. Morag!”
“Tf you will allow me, my friends, I can turn There was no need for a reply. Morag’s
this sustenance unit into a transmitter.” sullen face flushed, and he bit his lip.
His words roused a murmur of clicking, whis- “Fool!” shouted Swarf. “He must have had
pering voices. some kind of transmitter hidden in his clothing.
 DR WHO ANNUAL

. . . Come, brothers! To the Pit! If the Crus- well, didn’t it, eh?” he said. “Now I think we
tians are coming, they will find nothing but had better collect all the weapons, and climb
carcasses down there!” the ladders out of this awful place.”
The Sons of Grekk roared in agreement. The Crustian poked at the writhing bundle
Drawing their ray guns, they rushed from the in the web. “What about the glorious Sons of
hall shouting: “To the Pit... Wipe them out!” Grekk?” he asked.
When they reached the Pit, the Sons gathered Dr Who smiled. “I suggest we leave them
along the guard-rail. They howled threats down here in the Pit for a while. A taste of their own
at their doomed prisoners, who were strung out medicine should be quite useful in making them
ina long line directly below. change their mind about the need for peace on
Dr Who stood in their midst. He leaned upon this planet.”
his cane with a slight smile on his face, and his When they reached the upper regions of the
coolness seemed to give confidence to his com- castle, Dr Who turned to his companions.
panions. They watched in silence as the men “Some of you must go out to meet the Crustians
lowered ladders and began to descend into the who will be coming in answer to our call for
Pit. help,” he said. “The rest of us must seek out the
Because of the way in which the prisoners control centre from which the Mechanislaves
were lined-up, the Sons of Grekk were forced to are worked. We must make sure they are not
string-out into a line facing them. Their deadly programmed to be hostile to strangers. . . .
weapons were ready to spew death. Come!”
But their leader, Swarf, could not resist a A grim game of hide-and-seek began. As the
cruel sneer. “So you thought to escape from the Insects scurried through the vast rooms and
Pit, eh? Where is the transmitter you brought, passages of the Castle, they were forced to flee
Spy? Do you want to tell us before you die?” or hide whenever they encountered one of the
Dr Who beckoned. “Certainly I will show squat black machines.
you. It is right over here.”
Swarf took a step forward. The others fol-
lowed suit.
Dr Who raised his hand again, but this time
he was holding his pocket handkerchief. At the
signal, the Cockroach and the Crustian, stand-
ing at extreme ends of the line of creatures,
suddenly gave a tremendous heave at ropes
which they held in their hands. At once a net
of the same glistening threads which had saved
Dr Who when he plunged into the Pit was
jerked upwards from the ground beneath the
feet of the unsuspecting men. They were tossed
into struggling heaps. Before they could recover,
the Insects had darted forward to tie the ends
and sides of the web.
The Sons were trapped as neatly as flies in the
larder of a cunning spider.
Then there arose such a triumphant chorus
of chirring, clicking and snapping noises, that
the groans of the hapless Sons were completely
drowned.
Dr Who was encircled by grateful Insects; his
back was slapped by jointed legs and scaly feet,
and his white hair caressed by antennae.
He endured this excess of gratitude, chuck-
ling. “Well, well! My little plan worked quite
 Dr Who found himself trapped in a corridor
by two of the Mechanislaves, as they advanced
on him from different directions. As he stood,
hesitating, the two robots halted. He saw the
lights flashing inside their portholes change to
red, and he realised that they had homed-in on
him with their radar ‘feelers’.
Desperately he flung himself aside towards a
pillar. As he did so, a finger of flame reached
out from one of the Mechanislaves, searing the
ground on which he lad been standing the
moment before.
Fortunately there was enough room behind
the pillar for Dr Who to hide. After a few
seconds the Mechanislaves hurried on their
way.
“Oh dear, oh dear!” he gasped as he emerged
from the niche. He sat down weakly on the edge
of the pillar and mopped his brow with his
handkerchief. One of the Butterfly creatures
came fluttering towards him on clipped wings.
“We have found the control point! Come
quickly!” it cried.
Dr Who jumped to his feet and hurried after
the Butterfly.
Ahead of him he saw the Cockroach crouch-
ing against the wall. The creature made a
motion for silence. Dr Who crept to his side
 ig
Extending one of its jointed legs, the Cock-
belt but they fell away empty as Dr Who
levelled the cane at his chest.
“Throw down your gun!” ordered Dr Who.
roach pulled aside the tapestry. Dr Who craned
forward, He found himself looking into a room The weapon clattered on the floor. The
full of equipment. At a control-board stood a Butterfly darted forward to pick it up.
tall figure manipulating the dials. He was Dr Who lowered his cane. He pointed to-
clothed completely in close-fitting costume of wards the control panel. “The first thing for
black. Dr Who caught a glimpse of his long, you to do, my dear Deemon, is undo the mis-
pallid face, and his fingers closed tightly around chief you have just been doing!”
his cane. ... The other turned sullenly towards the dials.
It was Deemon, the evil genius! At that moment another Insect burst into the
Dr Who drew a deep breath. So this was why room, its antennae quivering with emotion.
the robots had tried to kill him. Still trying to “Come quickly! The Mechanislaves are carry-
stir up enmity, Deemon had taken advantage of ing away your space-ship!”
the absence of the Sons of Grekk to turn the Dr Who leapt for the doorway. “Take care
Mechanislaves into death-dealing monsters. of Deemon!” he cried to the Cockroach.
Quietly Dr Who stepped into the room. The evil genius had already taken advantage
Rais’ is cane, he pressed the end of it into of the interruption to leap for a window. But the
Deemon’s back. “Do not try anything foolish!” Cockroach moved like lightning. With one leg
he warned. through the window, Deemon plucked back
The other whirled, black eyes glittering. His into the room by the strong jointed legs of the
claw-like hands reached for a weapon in his insect.
 fetched-up with a sickening thud against the
central control-panel.
Dazedly he pulled himself upright. With fran-
Dr Who ran along the passage. He tore up a tic haste he set the controls. As he slammed
flight of steps. Panting desperately, he paused home the last lever, the Mechanislaves thrust
at the top. Trundling down the passage towards Tardis out of the castle window.
him came four of the Mechanislaves. Between Dr Who hung on for life as his space-ship
them they were carrying Tardis. began to turn over and over in its downward
Ina flash Dr Who saw what they were intend- plunge. He waited for the awful crash.
ing to do. A huge window occupied one whole But it never came. Like a merciful awakening
section of a nearby wall. . . . The robots were from a dreadful nightmare, the gyrating ceased
going to push Tardis out of the window! and Tardis returned to an even level. The black-
He raced madly towards them. With one ness in his sight-screen faded to the grey of the
hand he tore from around his neck the elec- intra-dimensional flux between the universes
tronic key which opened the door of Tardis! where there is no light, no darkness, no heat or
The monsters were almost upon him when he life, just nothingness.
stopped. For a moment he crouched; then, with Sobbing with relief, he locked the controls
an astonishing leap, he managed to grasp the and turned wearily towards a couch. As he sank
ledge at the bottom of the police-box. For a on to it, he allowed himselfa faint smile.
moment he swung there like a pendulum as the “A pity I had to leave my friends so sud-
Mechanislaves trundled on towards the window. denly,” he murmured. “But on the other hand,
Then he hauled himself up. . . . with the Sons of Grekk all tied up in a neat
The key slid home, The door opened, and Dr bundle, and Deemon safe from doing any more
Who tumbled into Tardis. Unable to stop him- mischief, I think the chances of peace for that
self, he slid across the polished floor, and planet are reasonably good!”
 =, *_ F

ELL, well, well!”

\\ Dr Who rubbed his hands briskly
together as he stared at his scanner
screen.
“Back again on Tiro!”
He spoke the words aloud and with a thrill of
comfort, mingled with a touch of pride. The
space-time computer with which he charted his
journeys in Tardis, had been damaged in the
frantic escape from the Castle of the Sons of
Grekk, and he had worked hard to repair it. He
had decided to test his efforts by a trip to the
planet Tiro.
The success of his work was pictured in the
sight-screen at this moment. For beyond a great
stand of trees—those peculiar metal-bodied and
mobile trees peculiar to Tiro—rose the familiar
mass of the Alloy Mountain, glinting in the
ever-changing glare cast by Tiro’s twelve orbit-
ing stars.
 Dr Who rolled down his shirt-sleeves and
began to put on his frock-coat. He chuckled to
himself, like a small boy nursing a secret.
“T wonder what Argon and his friends will
say when I stroll in on them!” he murmured.
Argon was the leader of the Staggs, a race of
highly-intelligent amphibians with whom Dr
Who had established a close link on his last
visit. For it was only by his help that they had
averted an invasion by the Outerfringe Forces.
“Well, I had better refresh my memory about
the lay of the land,” mused Dr Who.
He turned away from the control panel and
crossed the gleaming floor of his ship to the
library. Here, ranged in endless rows on vast
shelves, were the microfilm files of his past
adventures.
He pressed a button on the selector-band: a
green lamp began to glow, and Dr Who stepped
across to the map table, which lit up from
below as he stepped in front of it. Looking
31
 DR WHO ANNUAL

down, he examined the map of Tiro which the Suddenly relief flowed through his whole
Staggs had helped him to draw. body, like a warming drink.
“Hm!” “But of course!” he exclaimed. “Argon will
Dr Who leaned both elbows on the map table be able to help me! I must find him without any
and searched for the stand of trees showing on delay.”
his scanner. When he found them, he murmured He set about his preparations briskly. He
with vexation: “Oh dear! It appears that Tardis knew well that Tiro was not a very hospitable
has materialised on the wrong side of the Alloy planet, and there would be many dangers to
Mountain.” face in crossing the unknown forest to be seen
He straightened up, rubbing his chin thought- on his scanner-screen.
fully. “Hm! Well, here is another chance to see One of his pocket’s now bulged with con-
if the space-time computer is in perfect working centrated food tablets. He placed the precious
order again,” he said. klister valve in an inside pocket, picked up his
As he walked back to the control panel he ivory-handled cane and stepped out of Tardis.
continued: “I will set the space selector to move After locking the door, he set off towards the
Tardis to the other side of the mountain, but forest. The ground was springy with moss below
keep the time-control tuned to the present.” his feet.
He switched off the scanner-screen. His hands His worst fears about the inhospitable nature
began to run over the dials and switches. of this part of Tiro were realised as he drew
But this time Tardis did not respond. There near the forest. Before his eyes stretched a
was a faint shivering in the floor beneath his nightmarish growth of vine and trees, of mush-
feet, and the lowering decibels of the engine room-headed stalks, of gyrating tentacles sway-
whine faltered and changed to a complaining ing from every branch and limb.
rumble. On the outskirts of this primeval green hell,
Clicking his tongue with vexation, Dr Who Dr Who hesitated. It seemed madness to plunge
stepped quickly to another instrument panel to into it. Yet there was no other way round it,
check his fault locator. He stared down at the according to the microfilm map.
small glass panel and the numbers spinning Steeling himself against the horrors which lay
around inside it. ahead, Dr Who plunged into the forest. His feet
“M Six!” he exclaimed. “One of the klister squelched in mud. The foul stench of rotting
valves.” vegetation made him choke. He took out his
He stepped to another part of the board and handkerchief and tied it around his face.
opened a protective covering. He ran a slender As he pressed on, he was careful to avoid
finger over the glistening valves until he came going too close to the metal-bodied trees. From
across the damaged one. past experience he knew that they could move
As he held the glass-walled valve in his hand, with cunning stealth, though very slowly, once
a sudden chill of fear swept over him. For he they had selected a victim.
saw at once that the trouble lay in the need to Tt became darker and darker. Here under a
replenish the supply of liquid Magnatite that roof of writhing plants and branches, the glare
acted as a conductor. of the twelve stars could not penetrate.
“Oh, what an idiot I am!” he exclaimed From time to time he checked his direction
aloud. “I used the last of the Magnatite for by the electronic compass which he carried in
some experiments about a month ago. ... 1 his pocket.
really meant to replenish the stock at once. Suddenly the harsh chittering of an Auroyell
Dear me!” made him pause and glance upwards. He knew
His mild expression of dismay bore no resem- the trick of these monster birds in diving down
blance to the turmoil inside him. upon any moving creature and carrying it away
He was in a dreadful fix! There was nothing to the filthy eyries on the Alloy Mountain. The
he could use to replace the liquid Magnatite in Auroyell, its scaly body crouched on a high
repairing the valve. And unless he could repair branch, eyed him with malevolent gaze.
it he might be destined to live out the remainder Dr Who raised his cane. “Get away! Go on
of his life on Tiro. —you ugly brute!” he yelled.
 TERROR ON TIRO

The bird spread its armoured wings. As Dr Dr Who knew then where he was. After being
Who turned to spring back, a vice closed over tripped and stunned by one of the creeper vines,
his foot and tripped him. He fell, sprawling, his he had been scooped up by one of the huge car-
mouth and nostrils filling with stinking mud. ... nivorous poppy plants.
He did not remember anything more for a He rapped hard upon the walls of his prison
while. with his cane. He repeated the process as he
His first rational thought when he opened his moved in a circle, and listened each time with
eyes was that he could no longer be on Tiro. great care. Finally he was satisfied.
There was a roof over his head, so he must be “Well, this appears to be the weakest point,”
back in Tardis. .. . he murmured, “so I had better start from here
He struggled to his feet, staring about him, trying to cut my way out.”
wide-eyed. Directly before him curved a yel- Taking his knife from his pocket, he began
lowed transparent wall. It was hard and shiny to hack away on the hard membrane before
and smooth. Through it he could see a veinous him. It was a slow job, but at last he raised a
pattern of amber lines. The lines slowly and long strip of the horn, which he tore away in
evilly, like some weird system of arteries, were triumph.
pumping some kind of life-giving juices. He continued his hacking with redoubled
He turned his head. The yellow wall, which effort. He knew that very soon now the digestive
was cup-shaped, encircled him. He was stand- juices of the carnivorous plant would eat
ing on a pulpy mass of slime and small hard through his shoes, and then gradually he would
bits of unidentifiable material. Above his head be digested, melted down, reduced to the in-
the yellow horn-like substance curved into a dignity of a mid-morning snack.
three-segmented lid. Each segment showed a The plant which had imprisoned him began
long, muscular cluster of fibres joining it to the to dislike the work he was doing on its hide.
main body, for all the world like a long gate The cup-shaped trap began to sway from side to
hinge. side. Dr Who felt his knife go right through the
 In the centre of the clearing he was surprised
to find a large pool of clear water. He sank
down upon its banks and, taking his food tab-
lets from his pocket, he selected a meal of
Simozian Sturgeon, prepared on his last visit
to the planet Roe. It had all the full flavour of
the giant fish, and Dr Who was enjoying him-
self immensely when he chanced to gaze down
into the pool. What he saw there made him
freeze with astonishment.
“What—what. . . !” His voice was a tremb-
ling whisper. He looked closer. There was no
mistake. Far below him, in the depth of the
clear pool, figures were moving slowly across
his line of vision.
Suddenly he spotted the web-like feet, the
fin-like appendages, and the pointed heads with
their long side-gills. He scrambled to his feet
with a glad cry. “Argon! Argon! It’s the
Staggs!”
He began to wave his arms and shout down
into the water. “Hello! Can you hear me? I’m
up here! Argon!”
His hopes sank when he saw that the shim-
mering figures far below in the water could not
hear him. Having crossed the bottom of the
pool, they vanished one by one into the
petal. He widened the hole with his cane and shadows.
peered out. He could make out the ground, Dr Who sank down dejectedly. In bitter
slimy and wet, some ten feet below. silence he munched a tablet of exotic fruits,
He began to wield the knife again. The poppy scarcely appreciating the exquisite flavours
swayed faster than ever. Then Dr Who lurched released in his mouth.
forward as the cup dipped. The three-segmented He was lost in thought when a faint rustle
lid sprang open and he was flung out. from behind warned him of the ever-present
Dr Who rose panting to his feet. He picked dangers. He rolled clear and scrambled to his
up his knife from where it had fallen and put it feet. One of the mobile trees had inched its way
back in his pocket. across the clearing, branches ready to grasp and
“Oh my goodness!” he gasped, as he re- tear him to pieces.
trieved his cane from the undergrowth. “I don’t Dr Who took a deep breath. “Hm! I can see
wonder that Argon and the Staggs prefer to there will be no relaxation for me until I get
spend most of their lives in the water, with such through this dreadful forest,” he pondered.
hungry neighbours as these all around them!” “But what is the use of going on if Argon and
He would dearly liked to have rested, but the Staggs are at the bottom of that pool?”
that would be fatal. All around him the car- He checked his compass, and made a quick
nivorous flower heads were darting and swaying reckoning from the micro-map. There was not
in search of the next meal. Fortunately the far to go before he would be clear of the forest.
Auroyell seemed to have disappeared. . . . Dr Then he might pick up some sign of the Staggs.
Who strode resolutely forward. He decided to press on.
He was almost overcome by weariness when He was utterly weary by the time the night-
he stumbled into a clearing. mare journey was done.
“I must rest here and have some food,” he Staggering from the fringe of the forest, he
told himself. threw himself down on the ground. He could
34
 TERROR ON TIRO

have gone to sleep on the spot. But he knew that place. He had constructed a kind of small tent!
was impossible. Even here in the open there Five minutes later he was asleep.
were dangers. He must find some form of His dreams were deep but disturbed. It
shelter. seemed that he found himself astride one of the
Dr Who looked around. If he were to follow loathsome Auroyells as it winged its way on
his compass direction, he would soon be climb- ponderous wings over jagged peaks. Suddenly
ing the foothills of the towering Alloy from every peak there sprang other Auroyells,
Mountain. and astride each one was a Stagg.
“But I don’t think I have the strength to Dr Who raised his arm and shouted a wel-
climb!” he told himself. come. But a hail of darts fell about him, and the
Dotted about the slopes of the foothills he Staggs only screamed with fury. Then followed
could see large green balls. For a moment he a frantic chase, with Dr Who urging on his bird
was puzzled as to what they could be. Then and the Staggs closing in around him, .. .
he recognised them. “Ah! Now I remember— Suddenly he lost his grip and fell from his
giant cabbage plants,” he mused. perch. He plunged downwards, turning over
The words sank slowly into his tired brain. and over and over... -
Then they crystallised into an idea which He awoke in a sweat of fear. For a few night-
brought new hope surging through him. mare seconds the dream clung to him, for he
“Why yes! Of course! Those are the plants was, in fact, turning over and over.
which open out in the light and then roll into Then he realised what must be happening:
a ball! If I can get inside one, I might snatch the giant cabbage was rolling, or being rolled,
the sleep I need without fear of attack!” down a slope.
He pressed on up the slopes. A glance sky- The resilient walls of his tiny prison ensured
ward told him that of the twelve orbiting stars that he was not hurt by the tumbling motion.
which provided Tiro with its constant glaring Nevertheless he was greatly relieved when at
daylight, six or more had reached a stage in last the cabbage came to rest, and he was able
their ellipses when much of their light was lost to stand upright and dust his clothes.
to this side of the mountain, In short, this was
as close to night as this planet would ever come.
Dr Who broke into a run, He could see that
the giant cabbage nearest to him was already
reacting to the loss of light. The huge leaves,
which had been spread wide to cover hundreds
of square feet of ground, were now beginning to
curl inwards.
He reached the spot and managed to grasp
one edge of a leathery leaf. Hauling himself
over the edge he rolled down into the heart of
the cabbage. ...
It was warm and soft. For a moment Dr Who
was tempted to close his eyes and go straight to
sleep. But his sense of danger would not let him
rest yet.
Already the green leaf was curling over his
head. The little space in which he lay would
soon become more cramped as the leaves
pressed down, He must find some way to pre-
vent himself being stifled and crushed.
“I have it!” He picked up his cane, smiling
to himself. “The very thing!”
He propped the cane upright and held it there
until the leaves had closed tighter, holding it in
 DR WHO ANNUAL
Once again he produced his knife, and began propelled by the powerful legs of a monster ant.
to carve his way out. The leathery leaves were “My goodness!” marvelled Dr Who. “I had
simple compared with the horn-like petals of forgotten how huge these insects are on Tiro.
the carnivorous poppy. Soon Dr Who was able They are every bit as big and fearsome as the
to step cautiously through the hole he had Zarbi on Vortis!”
carved. He dodged out of sight as the ant came
He stared around him. He was in some kind scurrying towards him, its six legs touching each
of cave at the end of a long passage which of the giant cabbages in its larder, as if to make
sloped upwards. Obviously the cabbage had sure by counting that it had not been robbed.
just been rolled down that slope.
All around were other giant cabbages. There
was a rumbling noise from the passage. Trund-
ling down into the cave came another cabbage,

One of the legs fetched Dr Who a blow on the

arm that sent him sprawling. He sat up, rubbing
himself ruefully, But the ant had noticed
nothing, and was now scurrying back up the
passage, which no doubt led to the surface of
the ground.
 A scuffling noise made him halt. A monster
Dr Who grasped his cane and made for the ant had emerged from one of the other pas-
passage. sages only ten paces from him.
“T must get out of here before that insect tries There was no time to hide. The great shining
to roll another giant cabbage down here,” he black compound eyes were already focused
told himself. “No time to waste!” upon him. A jointed leg shot out. Dr Who
He toiled up the slope, noticing that light was ducked, and the leg whistled over his head and
filtered into this underground ‘ant city’ by smacked against the wall, dislodging rocks and
means of shafts sunk vertically from the hill- earth.
slopes. He made a dive for one of the side-passages.
The slope levelled off into a passage. As he As he raced down it, he heard the monster
walked along it Dr Who saw that it scuttering after him. Fortunately the passage
combed with side-passages. began to grow narrower. He could hear the ant’s
37
shell catching against rocks with a metallic ring.
Then Dr Who tripped and went sprawling. . . .
For a moment he lay, half expecting to feel
the crushing blows of those six massive legs,
and the slicing agony of the dreaded mandibles.
But when he looked up, he was relieved to see
that the monstrous insect had become firmly
jammed in its efforts to penetrate the narrow
passage.
Thankfully Dr Who scrambled to his feet.
He ran on. Other passages opened up before
him. But he hesitated as a shrill, unearthly
scream came from one of the passages. It made
his blood run cold with fear. Yet there was such
a note of pathetic agony about it, that Dr Who
could not ignore it. He strode resolutely towards
the scream.
An invisible light source glowed at the end
of the passage. Dazzled after walking in semi-
darkness for so long, Dr Who paused and
shielded his eyes. As he did so, he was seized
from behind by clammy arms. . . . Or were they
arms? For, as he sought to free himself from
the grip, Dr Who discovered he was being
pinioned by fin-like appendages.
A startling thought flashed into his mind as
he went down under the weight of half a dozen tain. ... I had a dreadful time coming through
chill bodies. the forest. But I saw you walking about the
“Wait! Wait!” he managed to gasp. “It’s bottom of a pool there! How can that be?”
Argon, isn’t it? Aren’t you the Staggs?” The Staggs whispered together, pointing to a
His attackers withdrew at once, voicing their passage that led to an upper level.
astonishment in the gurgling whispers which Dr Argon explained: “We were not at the
Who remembered so well. He sat up, gasping bottom of the pool, Doctor. What you saw was
for breath, but he managed a smile at the fish- our reflection as we made our way here through
like creatures standing around him. the water-filled passages that lead from our
One of them, taller than the rest, stepped for- home lake.”
ward with an eager gurgle: “Dr Who!” Dr Who nodded. “I see. . . But what brings
Willing fins helped him to his feet. “I—I you here, Argon? And what was the scream I
can’t believe it!” gurgled Argon. “Is it really heard?”
you, Doctor?” The tall amphibian motioned him to follow.
“Yes, it’s really me, Argon,” said Dr Who. “Crouch low!” he gurgled. “And make no sign.
“And thank goodness I’ve found you.” I will show you'a horror you have never met
“But what are you doing here? When did with in all your travels! Come!”
you return to Tiro? How did you find us? Dr Who obediently crept after him. The floor
How——” of the tunnel sloped up gently for a while, then
Dr Who cut off the flood of questions with a levelled, then turned downwards again. The
wave of his hand. walls were vertical and perfect, with a smooth
“Not so fast, Argon,” he said testily. “Just glazed look. The ceiling curved from wall to
how I came to be down here in the bowels of wall in a perfect arc, and it was aglow with light.
the planet would take too long to explain. But It opened into a high-ceilinged chamber, and it
I was on my way to find you, after Tardis was from the smooth walls of this strange place
materialised on the wrong side of Alloy Moun- that the light was emanating.
38

>)
~
 his gun in his fins, and had apparently died
fighting. .. . Dr Who realised that this was the
reason for the awful scream he had heard.
“What—?” he began. But Argon gestured in
warning.
“Ssh! Watch! It is coming again!”
An eerie glow of greenish light was coming
from the pit. Slowly its source came into sight
—a ball of dazzling brilliance, oval and about
the size of a man’s torso. But as it emerged into
the chamber, it seemed to grow rapidly. It
swelled until its extremities almost touched the
walls.
It looked like incandescent metal, but Dr
Who somehow felt that it wasn’t hot. It seemed
to move at will and to hover without support.
Tn his eagerness to see more, Dr Who moved
without thinking away from the pillar. A
tumble came from the Hovering Mystery. Some-
thing resembling a tentacle lifted, clutching an
object that resembled a flashlight. A blinding
lance of heat shot towards Dr Who. . . .
It hit the rock close to his feet. A sound came
from the rock like ice pressed upon a hot stove.
Smoke puffed upward. A long curved scar
opened up.
Dr Who was almost swept off his feet as
Argon hauled him to safety.
They lay crouched behind the pillar for a few
moments, Then Argon peered out, ready to fire
back. . . . But there was no need. The object
Dr Who saw that Argon had drawn a gun had vanished back into the pit.
from his belt and was holding it in readiness. Dr Who would have lingered but the amphi-
He wriggled towards a pillar, motioning Dr bian pulled him urgently from the chamber.
Who to do likewise. They huddled close, look- “My dear Argon, that was absolutely
ing around them. astounding. . . . What in the great wide galaxy
The chamber bore the stamp of an earlier was it?” asked Dr Who.
civilisation. The rock had been smoothed to Argon holstered his gun and said slowly:
take primitive murals, showing strange crea- “You remember Klarimo?”
tures in various hunting scenes. A part of Dr Dr Who’s brow wrinkled. Then he remem-
Who’s mind admired the basic techniques. Out- bered. “Klarimo! Ah yes! The scientific genius
lines in low relief had been cut into the rock, sent from the Outerfringe Star Cluster. Let me
details delicately etched in and colours brought see, didn’t he come here to—er—subjugate your
up, apparently by altering the composition of planet?”
the rock itself. Argon nodded grimly. “He did! And a great
At the far end of the chamber the wall was deal of damage he did before we could con-
pierced with perfectly circular openings of vince him that he was not wanted.”
various sizes. Below them the rock floor opened Dr Who nodded. “Yes, yes . . . I remember
into some sort of pit, and it was towards this now. . . . But—what has he got to do with that
pit that the Stagg leader now gestured. thing in the cave there?”
Sprawled on the edge of the pit, DrWho now Argon’s side-gills contracted slowly. “That
saw the body of one of the amphibians. He had thing in the cave is Klarimo!”
39
 Cold rage showed in the amphibian’s opaque
green eyes. “But why did he remain to wreak
such vengeance on us?” he stormed. “It was
agreed with the Galactic Arbitrators, and with
the Outerfringe Council, that Klarimo should
be withdrawn.”
Dr Who waved a hand excitedly. “Yes, but
wait a minute, Argon. . . . Let me think a
moment. . . . The Molecular Shaft worked on
the principle of withdrawal, did it not?”
“Of course! An object, or being is disem-
bodied, and the molecules drawn up the shaft.”
“Ah! But that may be the trouble!” Dr Who
spoke excitedly.
“What do you mean?” demanded Argon.
“Well, supposing there was a mistake in
operating the Shaft. Suppose the action was
reversed. ... What would happen then, eh?”
Argon stared at him. “Well .. . 1suppose that
instead of being drawn upwards, the molecules
would be propelled downwards!”
Dr Who rubbed his hands together in satis-
faction. “Exactly! They would be, very pos-
sibly, propelled into that chamber, eh?”
The truth of what he was saying dawned
quickly upon the amphibian leader. “You're
right! That must be the answer to the mystery.
... But what can we do about it?”
Dr Who answered: “Did you notice a hole in
the roof of the chamber?”
The other nodded. “What about it?”
“Well, that is the main conduit left by a form
Dr Who stepped back, astounded. “Oh surely of voleanic eruption long ago,” said Dr Who.
not! Klarimo was withdrawn back to the Outer- “My theory is that it leads to a crater some-
fringe Star Cluster. We saw him disembodied where near the top of Alloy Mountain, but that
and taken home by the Molecular Shaft.” the top of the conduit is sealed off with a plug
“So we all thought.” Argon nodded grimly. of solidified magma and lava.”
“But after you had left us, our lakes began to Argon looked at him with something close to
be poisoned. My people began to grow ill. Some awe in his eyes. “You are perfectly correct,
died... . At last we traced the source of the evil Doctor,” he acknowledged. “I know the crater
to this cave directly under the Alloy Mountain. well.”
. . As you probably noticed, it was carved out The other nodded, well satisfied. “Very good!
by primitive tribes on this planet. . . . But that Then here is my idea: if we could blow that plug
thing living in the pit is Klarimo. And his out and leave the conduit free again: #
presence is contaminating our underwater “Then Klarimo could emerge and return to
homes, through the water-filled passages that his base!” cried Argon. “Of course! It is a bril-
run from here.” liant idea! Come, we must not delay. Let us get
Dr Who ran a brisk hand over his fine mane out of this accursed place, and put the plan into
of white hair, “Klarimo, eh? Amazing! But, yes, operation.”
I see now, the re-arrangement of his molecules It took them two hours to return to the City
would produce just such a grotesque appear- of the Staggs. Then, after a brief meal, they set
ance as that.” out for the mountain top with the explosives. A
40
mining expert from the Stagg University set the
charges—and everyone retired to the shelter of watchers snatched their glasses away and
a neighbouring peak. rubbed their eyes as the oval shape vanished in
When the charges went off it seemed as if a blinding flash.
half the mountain top must have been blown When they could look again there was
away. Rocks were violently ejected from the nothing to be seen.
vent, followed by finer lava dust. The Strom- Argon turned towards Dr Who and touched
bolian-type eruption continued for a full ten him gratefully on the shoulder with his fin.
minutes. When the smoke and dust haze had “My dear friend,” he said. “Is there anything
cleared, the observers examined their work we can do to repay you for solving our problem
through powerful glasses. like this?”
“Good! Very good!” murmured Dr Who. “If Dr Who smiled. He put a hand into his inside
only the explosion hasn’t blocked the lower part pocket and took out the klister valve.
of the conduit.” “Yes, Argon. There is something you can
They kept their glasses trained on the moun- do... 1 need a few drops of liquid Magnatite
tain top, waiting tensely for something to to repair this valve. Without it, my Tardis is
happen. grounded!”
“There!” A gurgling cry left Argon’s lips as Argon’s chuckle bubbled out of him. “A few
he saw the oval shape that was Klarimo emerg- drops? Why, my dear Doctor, you can take as
ing from the crater. much as you want, a shipload, if you like.”
It was no longer glowing, and it lifted fast “No, thank you,” said Dr Who. “Just enough
towards the lip of the crater. They saw it gleam to ensure that my travels won’t be interrupted
for a moment as it cleared the rocks. Then the again!”
41
 ie = ~

DR. WHO HAD RETURNEDTO

THE PLANET BIRR TO FIND.
IT DESERTEDUAND LIFELESS.,.

| CAN'T BELIEVE (T.

EVERY GREEN THING
GONE! WHERE ARE
ALL THE VERDANTS ?

SOMETHING 1S WRONG. AND) =2-

| MEAN TO FIND OUT. 2

ee SEE,LAHK! HERE COMES THE i LE

CREATURE FROM THE BLUE BOX.
 | HAVE HIS WEAPON. HE IS
POWERLESS. BRING HIM
To MY SHIP.

YOu EXPECT ME, LAHK ,LEADER.

OF THE ROSTROWS, TO
BELIEVE YOUR STORY,
STRANGER?

y/ THEN IFYOU KNOW

$0 MUCH TO BE ABLE
ite GUne TREE. TOTRAVEL THROUGH
2 ; TIME AND SPACE CAN
— B&{ You FIND THE FAULT IN OUR SHIP?
Ag DUH LED HIM THROUGH THE
DUH WILL TAKE YOU TO THE
ENERGY COMPARTMENT.
SPACE SHIP, DR. WHO STOPPED IN
AMAZEMENT. WITHIN GLASS-WALLED
TANKS WRITHED GREEN TENDRILS...
HE RECOGNISED THEM AT ONCE.

is AA t. MS
n if .
GOOD GRACIOUS! YOUVE
“TAKEN SOME OF THE YERDANTS PRISONER,
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ? DR.WHO TOLD DUH OF THE STRANGE
WHO ARE THE VERDANTS ? THESE ARE PLANT CREATURES WHO oe
THE PLANET... z

WHERE DID THE REST OF THE )

NERDANTS GO?

AH! THEY HAVE

WITHDRAWN BELOW }\.
THE GROUND. THEY /
THINK YOU ARE
HOSTILE.

WHEN WE LANDED HERE, !T ae A

GREEN PLANET. WE COLLECTED THESE
SPECIMENS. THE NEXT DAN te THEN THAT IS WHY
WE ARE UNABLE To
ye PLANET WAS BARREN. 4

YES. YOU ARE

‘s TRAPPED WITHIN
(WA THEIR FORCE-FIELD
ce . NOUR ONLY
BX HOPE I$ TO MAKE

j iF | CAN REMEMBER
THE WAY. IT'S WORTH A TRY.

44
 ey,
WAIT! THIS LOOKS
FAMILIAR !THAT

ITS MovING!
PULL AGAIN! @

SSS. LISTEN DUH! I'VE JUST

i REMEMBERED THAT TH!
DON'T STRUGGLE!)
eer
|VERDANTS HATE LOUD
NOISES...CAN YOU SHOUT?

> w=

DR-WHO TRIED TO
HE, TOO, WAS SEIZED BY THE GIANT
TENDRILS, AND DRAWN INTO THE CAVE.
 OH! IT'S THEIR CHIEF
EXECUTIONER! NOW—
SHOUT FOR YOUR LIFE!

THE FUGITIVES HAD ees

REACHED A LOWER CAVE
WAN THE VERDANTS RECOVERED
THE ONLY VERDANT
WHO CAN COMMUNICATE!

NO. MY UNIFORM
(¢ PROOF AGAINST
SUCH BARBS.

ARE you Bapti

HURT, DUH?
DUH WAS BADLY WINDED, BUT
HELPED BY DR.WHO HE STAGGER-
—ED ONeS HE LOWER

aA
Quick!iTHEY'RE cominc J
it's PHLEGE! iT
THEIR LEADER!
TER US!

Wy HOW DID THESE

ROSTROW GET IN
HERE ?SEIZE THEM!

SOON DR.WHO AND DUH WERE

EXPLAINING THEIR MISSION.
AND WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED... Ni,
(GOODBYE! AND THANK You ~
FOR, SOLVING OUR PROBLEM!

Y NOW. THAT IS MY. I

REWARD! "eOODBYE!

47
 NE moment the grotesque landscape
()ss empty—devoid of life in the iron
grip of a sub-zero dawn. The next
moment Tardis, still in the shape of a police
telephone box, had materialised.
It stood on one of the islands which rose out
of the mist-wreathed waters of a foetid swamp.
The surface of the island was pitted and uneven
and Tardis had come to rest leaning at an angle,
which gave it a slightly tipsy appearance.
Inside Tardis, Dr Who clambered stiffly back
across the sloping floor to the six-sided control
panel, The sudden lurch which the space-ship
had given as it slid through the trans-dimen-
sional flux and fitted its rearranged atoms into
the new sphere, had flung him into one corner
of the glistening interior.
It was no easy task to regain the controls. The
outside dimensions of Tardis gave no hint of its
immense size within. What looked like a police
telephone box, big enough to hold two or at the
most three standing people, contained, in fact, a
room about twenty feet in height and with the
breadth and width of a restaurant.
With a final grunt Dr Who hauled himself
upright. For a moment he stood there panting
 as he clung to the control panel, He smoothed
back his. fine mane of silver hair and straight-
ened his cravat, which was fastened with a plain
pearl tie-pin.
Then surging through him came the tingling
excitement which he always experienced before
opening the door to some new and awesome
adventure.
Each of the six working tops of the control
panel was covered with different-coloured
handles and switches, dials and buttons. In the
centre of this panel was a round column of glass
from which came a pulsating glow. Dr Who’s
long, sensitive hands darted from switch to lever
to button, pressing some and turning off others.
The whining sound that had filled Tardis began
to die away.
Dr Who chuckled and rubbed his hands in
child-like anticipation: “Now then! Let us find
out where we are—and whether my calculations
have been correct! Shall we? Eh? Hm?”
The habit of talking to himself was one which
gave the doctor a certain amount of comfort,
dispelling the awesome feeling of complete
isolation he sometimes experienced on his lone
trips across the barriers of the fourth and fifth
dimensions: Time and Space. He leant on the
control panel and looked up eagerly at the
scanner screen.
He was looking across a swamp, but ragged
banners of mist made it difficult to see clearly.
He touched a switch, and the picture altered to
show the grotesque landscape beyond the black
waters. It was barren and inhospitable—a
highly irregular plain from which rose great
masses of rock, Here and there yawned gaping
holes, that were almost like craters from a
bombardment. Indeed the comparison to a
battlefield was one that sprang into Dr Who’s
mind as he gazed intently at the picture on his
scanner screen.
His hand moyed to the control switch. “But
what lies beyond the plain?” he murmured.
“Surely there must be mountains! The whole
geology of this kind of terrain suggests moun-
tains! Shall we take a closer look? Eh? Hm?”
The picture that flashed on the screen con-
firmed his belief—except that the mountains
were more like huge cliffs. The entire land-
scape was ringed with them. But it was a ram-
part of rock the like of which he had never
seen before in all his travels in Tardis.
49
 It was a fairly accurate estimate. For the
birds that flapped about the cliff-face with heavy
wings looked as though they could pluck the
largest space-craft from the sky with their huge
talons.
Dr Who found that he had been holding his
breath as he watched, Now he let it out in a
long, shuddering sigh.
“Dear me!” he murmured, fingering the large
ring which he wore on his right hand. “This
does not seem to be the planet I intended to
visit... . Well, well! Never mind!”
The thought of turning his back on this grim,
and apparently hostile planet never entered his
mind. According to the setting of his instru-
ments, Tardis had materialised in a galaxy far
beyond the Milky Way. But into what period of
time he had intruded could only be determined
by exploration, and Dr Who was never deterred
by any fear, even fear of the unknown.
He took the usual precaution of sampling the
atmosphere outside, and making other routine,
remote-control tests. The instruments assured
him that it was safe to venture outside.
“Hm! But since I seem to be on an island, I
The cliffs were tremendous in size. They were had better be prepared for a little sea voyage,
grim and hostile, with beetling overhangs that eh?” he chuckled.
jutted razor-sharp edges over sheer plunging Holding on to the guard-rail he made a
walls, footed by treacherous scree-slopes. slitherly trip to his store-room. He returned with
“Amazing! Simply amazing!” whispered Dr a plastic container in his hand, about the size of
Who. He leaned on the control panel, and his a shopping-bag. It was a deflatable cushion-craft
hand trembled with excitement as he stared at of his own invention.
the screen. The first blinding rays of an instant- He pulled a black switch and the great doors
dawn had obliterated every vestige of mist. Sud- of Tardis swung open. Dr Who picked up his
denly the cliffs seemed to blaze with light. Of ick, an elegant cane with an ivory
what kind of rock they were composed he could xactly the sort that a dignified gentle-
only guess... . man of Victorian tastes would take pride in.
“A compound of igneous rocks,” he mur- But to Dr Who it was not a mere ornament—
mured aloud. “A gneiss, perhaps—except that it might prove useful if, perchance, he was
I have never seen gneisses with such coarse attacked.
crystals, They must be huge!” He stood outside Tardis and the sharp air
It was a fantastic sight. In the fierce rays of made him shiver. For a moment he was tempted
morning light the cliffs constantly changed to go back inside for an Atmospheric Density
colour, passing through a wildly-jumbled Jacket, but a glance upwards showed him that
spectrum. the planet had twin suns, both of which were
All this held wonder and excitement for Dr rising in different arcs at astonishing speed.
Who. But what he spotted next, as he raised Already the deadly zeroid grip of night was
his eyes to the tops of the cliffs, added a chill relaxing under the strident rays.
tremor of fear to his feelings. Locking the door behind him with his elec-
“Birds!” he exclaimed, taking a step back. tronic key, Dr Who moved away from his
“But—but—they must be twice as big as space-ship to explore his immediate surround-
Tardis\” ings.
50
 THE DEVIL-BIRDS OF CORBO

A glance was enough to show that he was the four feet to two. Despite its size, the print
sole occupant of an island in the swamp on reminded Dr Who of a human foot. But,
which Tardis had materialised. moving forward, he saw that whatever monster
His shoes crunched noisily as he walked. He had walked there had been web-footed.
stopped to look down. He had imagined the Fascinated by his find, he lost all interest in
hard white surface of the island to be some form his surroundings. This was the kind of clue that
of rock-crust, argillaceous limestone or creta- his scientific master-mind delighted in. Having
ceous sediment. But as he stooped for a closer absorbed every detail of the footprint, he next
look, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck turned his attention to the metal object. His
grow stiff with horror. He was standing on an amazement knew no bounds when he found
island of bleached bones. .. . that it was the handle of a huge sword. Part of
When he recovered from the first shock he the broken blade was still attached to it. He
picked up one of the bones. It appeared to be a bent to pick it up and, as he did so, his well-
vertebrae. From its size it could well have been developed sense of danger—which had served
part of a human skeleton. him so well in many a peril—cried a warning in
Were these, then, the remains of the victims his brain. But his hand was already on the
of those giant birds he had seen from the ship? sword-handle. It was too late now for with-
The thought made him drop the bone as if it drawal.
was red-hot. He strode on hurriedly to the There was a crackling noise and his brain
water’s edge. Something round rolled away as spun dizzily. Some form of power surged from
his foot kicked against it. He was on the point the sword through his hands and into his body.
of picking it up when he drew back his hand He was transfixed. Something was happening
sharply. The object was a skull! inside his mind. He could hear a thin, high
Dr Who was not sorry to leave the grisly voice, cold and rasping, which commanded with
island. His cushion-craft, powered by a minute a fierce insistence: “Look at me! Look at the
cosmic-energy unit, skimmed across the swamp. sword!”
He could see that the turgid black wake left
behind by the downward shafts of air was not
ordinary water. Otherwise the swamp would
have been a solid sheet of ice in the sub-zero
temperature of that planet’s night.
Leaving the craft on the sandy shore beyond
he began to walk towards the towering cliffs. He
kept a constant look-out for the giant birds, his
keen blue eyes roving the rock-face. Now he
could see that there were great clefts in the rock:
deep, dark fissures in which the birds no doubt
nested. But of the winged menaces themselves
there was no sign. It occurred to Dr Who that
this might indicate that they were night birds.
But he knew he could take no chances.
His foot struck something metallic. The sud-
den clang made him halt. He stood, with walk-
ing-stick raised and heart thumping. Bending
down, he found he had dislodged a gleaming
round object which had been buried in the sand.
He was about to pick it up when he saw the
footprint. .. .
For a few moments his imagination boggled
at the size of the creature which must have left
that print. In length the outline measured little
less than six feet, and its breadth narrowed from
 Dr Who lowered his gaze to the sword. Its
polished bole was now aglow and transparent.
And from its crystal-like depths a face was
looking into his, compelling attention with the
hypnotic force of malevolent eyes.
“Who—who are you?” Dr Who managed to
croak at last. The sound of his own voice gave
him strength. There was an explanation after
all, He recognised now that by picking up the
broken sword he had established some form of
astrobolic communication with a control-point.
“What do you want of me?” he demanded in
a firmer tone. He found himself speaking aloud,
although he knew there was no need, for his
link with the unknown controller was telepathic.
“Where is Lohk?” intoned the vision. “What
has happened to his army?”
Dr Who stirred with interest, but he answered
almost testily: “I’m afraid I don’t understand.
I don’t know who Lohk is, and I know nothing
of any army.”
The face in the sword contorted with rage.
“You lie! You are holding the sword of Lohk.
2
 THE DEVIL-BIRDS OF CORBO

You must be Ulla, who controls the devil birds. under his arms and his cravat almost torn from
Admit it!” his neck. The next thing he knew—it could only
“Certainly not!” snapped Dr Who. It was not have been a split second later—he was lying in
bravado that prompted him; he had taken an the shadow of an overhanging rock with two
intense dislike to the green-hued face before figures huddled in next to him.
him. “My dear sir, 1 am certainly not Ulla— A fountain of earth rose in the air as the bird
whoever he might be. As for the sword, I found hit the ground in the place where Dr Who had
it in the sand just now—broken. | gather that been lying a moment before. He had a spine-
your Lohk—and perhaps the army you speak chilling glimpse of the mountain of black
of, may have fallen foul of those huge birds-of- feathers; he saw the wild eyes searching for its
prey that infest the cliffs. You see, my friend, prey; he heard the wicked snap of the great
the islands that rise in the swamp are made of beak....
—bones!” A few minutes passed, minutes of grey
The eyes in the sword-handle dilated with obscurity during which unconsciousness pulled
tage. “You lie!” The voice sliced into Dr Who’s a merciful blanket across his overwrought mind.
brain, “You shall pay for this!” When he opened his eyes again he imme-
The face vanished. diately doubted what he saw. For two faces
Dr Who fiung down the sword-shaft. He had looked down into his; smooth and round faces,
turned away to resume his exploration when a their dead-white “complexion looking even
shadow above him cut off the light of the twin whiter against the contrast of fiery mops of red
suns. He crouched low, aware in a flash what hair.
had happened. While his attention had been Dr Who closed his eyes; then he opened them
riveted on the sword, one of the giant birds had again quickly. The apparitions were still there.
spotted him and was swooping on him from the He struggled up on to one elbow.
cliffs! “Why—you're children! Earth children!” he
He saw the enormous, barrel-like body of the exclaimed incredulously.
bird. He saw the great black wings folding up- The girl smiled. She had dark serious eyes,
wards for the death-dealing plunge. He saw the but there were tell-tale red rings around them
wicked talons spread like the steel grabs of a that told of tears recently shed. “Are you all
crane. right?” she asked.
The rush of air below the plunging bird “Indeed yes, my child,” said the doctor, sit-
prompted Dr Who’s paralysed senses to action. ting up. He began to adjust his crumpled cravat,
With a wild, despairing effort he flung himself nodding benignly from girl to boy as he did so.
to one side. He hit the ground and rolled over “It seems that I owe you my thanks for saving
and over. Then suddenly the ground opened me from that fearsome bird,” he went on.
under him, and he went plunging and bouncing “Tt was a close thing, wasn’t it, Dot?” said
like a boulder down a slope. He fetched up the boy. “I think the oojah has flown off home
against a wall of rock, with a shock that now, though. Hang on, I'll go and check.”
knocked the breath from his body. He crawled towards the edge of the rock
As he lay there, sprawled out and gasping, under which they were sheltering. “Be careful,
the fierce light of the twin suns above him was Jack!” the girl called after him.
again obscured. The devil-bird was about to The boy came back to them, shrugging his
Strike again... . shoulders nonchalantly. “Not a sign,” he
Helplessly he watched it hover like a hawk declared.
on almost motionless wings. Fierce eyes above Dr Who looked from one to the other. “Am 1
a razor beak glared down. And then the wings correct in supposing that you are brother and
folded and the bird dropped like a stone. . . sister?” he enquired.
down, down, down, towards the helpless “Twins!” declared Jack. “But not identical,”
scientist. he added with a grin.
Of what happened next Dr Who had very Dr Who saw a tear stealing down the girl’s
little recollection later. He heard voices shout- white cheeks. “Oh, please don’t cry, my dear,”
ing. young voices. He felt his jacket tighten he begged anxiously.
53
 DR WHO ANNUAL

She brushed away the tear, and spoke in a terrible battle in progress. An army of green-
small, choked voice. “I was just thinking that skinned creatures, led by a giant with webbed
we're probably orphans as well,” she said. feet, had tried to beat off with their swords the
“Buck up, Dot!” comforted her brother, put- hordes of devil-birds which descended upon
ting an arm round her. “We don’t know for sure them from the heights. Their weapons had been
that Dad and the others are dead.” less than useless. Those who stood their ground
“But what chance had they against those— were crushed by the terrible talons and borne
those dreadful, awful——* She broke off, away: the giant leader being the first to perish.
hiding her red head on Jack’s shoulder and Then the giant birds—“Oh, there were
weeping silently. millions of them!” interrupted Dot, her dark
Dr Who picked up his silver-topped stick and eyes wide at the memory—had spotted the ex-
laid it across his knee. “I think you had better plorers. Too late the party tried to escape. Their
tell me the whole story, my boy.” Commander had hustled them down into the
So Jack told the story. He spoke crisply and crater in which Dr Who and the children were
to the point, as befitted the son of top British now sitting.
space scientist Harroll Strong. Dot and Jack had been thrust for safety
It was a story that went back to the decision under the rock, while the rest of the men
of the Council of Earth and Mars to send out formed a semicircle and fought the devil-birds
an inter-galactic mission. Strong had been put with ray guns, disintegrator missiles and deadly
in charge of the advance party. His decision to heat cannons.
take his two children along with him had not All had been in vain. The birds had snatched
been made without a great deal of deliberation. every single one of the defenders and vanished,
He had long felt it would prove extremely leaving the trembling children clinging to each
important to study the reactions of the new other in horror beneath the rock.
generation to the new planets they would one As Jack finished his grim tale, Dr Who
day be required to explore, and perhaps stretched out his hands and squeezed theirs. “A’
colonise. And Strong had been prompted to dreadful experience,” he murmured. “Dear me,
take his own children because he was a yes.” His eyes grew thoughtful as his skilled
widower, their mother having died when the brain pieced the jig-saw of events together. “It
twins were still babies. would appear that the creatures you saw fight-
The advance party had landed upon the ing the birds were invaders from another planet.
planet Corbo with high hopes of finding great ... Yes, yes. That must be it! And the face in
mineral wealth. Advance robot-rockets had the sword would be that of their controller in a
landed there and flashed back news that the space-ship. . . . Possibly there are more invaders
great rainbow cliffs were one vast mass of rare waiting to see how their companions fared.”
crystalline deposits, as Dr Who had surmised. The children glanced at each other in
But the explorers from Earth—Mars were bewilderment. “What face?” queried Dot.
soon to find they had touched down in the “What sword?” echoed Jack.
middle of a nightmare. Curbing his impatience, Dr Who quickly
As soon as their ship landed it had been sur- related his experience with the broken sword.
rounded by a strange magnetic field which “But I am sure it was no ordinary sword,” he
completely immobilised both reactors and in- added. “It was some form of nuclear weapon.”
struments. Strong had decided to split his party “And yet it couldn’t stop the birds,” said
into two groups: one to collect and bring back Jack. “Why can’t they be killed? And who is
mineral specimens as planned, and the other to Ulla? And how does he control the birds? And
trace the source of the magnetic control with why can’t——”
instruments. The children had gone with the Dr Who held up a protesting hand. “My dear
first group; while their father had headed the boy! One question at a time. But we can’t find
more dangerous mission. the answers by sitting here.”
For the children the exploration had been an He rose to his feet cautiously. “Well, there’s
episode of complete disaster. Their party had no sign of our feathered friends at the moment,”
arrived in the region of the swamp to witness a he said, carefully dusting his frock-coat. “Pass
54
 THE DEVIL-BIRDS OF CORBO

me my walking-stick and let us take a closer memory of a legend he had heard during a visit
look at the cliff.” to Earth, about just such a bird as this, which
It was an odd procession which hurried was said to have lived there once. It was called
across the barren scree-slopes towards the cliffs. the Giant Roc, and it was supposed to have
Dr Who led the way, his eyes scanning the been so big that it fed elephants to its babies. . . .
heights for signs of attack. Behind him came He was recalled from his daydream by Jack
the twins, hampered a little by their space-suits. tugging at his sleeve. “Look, look!” he was hiss-
Jack took his sister’s hand to pull her along ing. “See what they’re doing to the birds!”
faster. Dr Who caught his breath in astonishment
They reached the foot of the cliffs, and now as he looked in the direction at which the boy
Dr Who could see they were exactly as he had was pointing.
surmised; exactly what the Earth-Mars mission Waddling down the lines of birds were squat
had hoped for: a mass of solid mineral wealth. black beings with almost human heads. They
.. . Little wonder that Ulla—whoever he was— were clad in suits of feathers; or was it their
needed invincible guardians, for this treasure natural covering? But it was what they were
would incite the greed of any invader. engaged upon that made Dr Who marvel. With
Absorbed in this scientific phenomena, Dr gun-shaped tools in their hands, they were lift-
Who lifted his stick and poked at the rock-face. ing the plumage of the birds. As they did so,
The next moment Dot gave a cry: “Look! the weird blue light in the cavern glinted quite
Look! It’s opening!” distinctly on metal entrails. . . .
Soundlessly a section of the rock had slid The devil-birds were robots!
back under the pressure of the doctor’s stick. So staggering was the revelation that Dr Who
Beyond lay huge steps, carved in the rock and failed to notice a new scene unfolding. It was a
spiralling upwards into the darkness.
The children hung back as Dr Who stepped
through the opening. He beckoned them im-
patiently. “Well, come along. Come along!” he
urged. “This requires investigation.”
They went upwards into inky blackness. Dot
began to whimper with fear.
Dr Who paused. “Wait a moment,” he said,
fumbling in his pocket. “I have a pencil-torch
here. . . . Now you come up close to me, little
girl, and take hold of my coat-tail.”
The steps seemed to go on for ever. Surely
they must be near the top of the cliff now?
“Ah! I think. . . . Yes, here’s a door!”
whispered Dr Who at last.
They gathered round, panting from the climb.
Cautiously Dr Who tried the door. It slid back
on air-cushion tracks. The blue light that spilled
from the opening made them stand blinking for
amoment....
Then they saw the birds. There were hun-
dreds of them, possibly thousands. They stood,
motionless and silent, in close-packed ranks like
columns of soldiers, on the floor of a vast
cavern.
The children drew back with gasps of horror,
but Dr Who did not notice. He was busy esti-
mating the size of these monstrous birds. As he
did so, there came unbidden into his mind the
 found in the sand. Even as he recognised it as a
captured weapon, the doctor realised what was
about to happen. . . . Strong was to be be-
headed!
Dr Who thrust the children behind him into
the doorway. “Stay here, children!” he ordered.
Then he whirled round and walked towards
the platform shouting: “Now wait a moment,
please! Just one moment!”
There was a stunned silence. The weirdly
assorted group, turning to stare at the intruder,
were frozen into immobility. They gave the im-
pression of actors staging some grotesque
tableau. The executioner lowered the great
sword so that the tip pointed straight at Dr
Who. Completely unconcerned, he mounted the
steps on to the platform.
For a few seconds he stood leaning on his
stick, looking around with a rather tolerant,
even amused expression. Finally his gaze rested
on the menacing sword. Casually he straight-
ened, throwing his head back in a characteristi-
cally arrogant manner.
“Tut tut, my friend!” he chided. “You should
never point a weapon like that at anybody. It
could be dangerous!”
Before the creature could move, Dr Who
trembling cry from Dot which brought him to raised his stick and dealt the sword a ringing
his senses. blow. It was little more than a tap, yet the effect
“Daddy!” was startling. The executioner went reeling back
In the centre of the cavern an aperture had as if from a hammer-blow, and the sword flew
suddenly appeared. Out of it was rising a plat- from his grip and clattered to the ground at the
form of sparkling crystal. Seated in the middle feet of Ulla.
of an ornate throne was a thin huddle of black The bird-king rose from the throne, his
feathers. It was a creature exactly like the ones feathers bristling with rage. “You shall die for
who were tending the robot-birds, and Dr Who that!” he screeched, pointing a trembling claw
knew ina flash that this must be Ulla. at the object of his fury.
The bird-king was glaring with spiteful eyes Dr Who paid scant attention. He moved
at four men who stood bound and guarded across to help the red-haired space explorer to
before his throne. The captives were tall men, his feet. The bird warriors stared at him, as if
but the tallest of them had the same mop of mesmerised.
unruly red hair as the twins. It could be none “Dr Strong? I’m glad to see you are un-
other than Harroll Strong, their father. harmed! Yes indeed!” murmured Dr Who as he
Ulla was pointing a finger at the leader of the raised the other from his knees.
expedition. “See!” he croaked. “Look all Strong found the bonds falling from his
around you and learn the secret of my great wrists. He smiled his thanks to his rescuer:
power. Look upon my devil-birds—and then “Thanks a lot!” he whispered. “But watch out
die!” for trouble now. They're all armed!”
At a signal, the guards thrust Strong roughly Dr Who looked round slowly. The muzzles of
to his knees. Another of the bird-beings stepped the ray guns surrounded him. The bright-beady
forward. He was brandishing over his head a eyes of the bird-king were fixed upon him with
gleaming sword of the kind which Dr Who had glittering intensity.
56
 DR WHO ANNUAL

“You must be Ulla!” said Dr Who. “Could spread his arms and suddenly rose into the air.
we talk things over without all these guns? Hm? Like a black arrow he darted to a control panel
Most annoying to have them pointing at one. in a corner of the cavern. There he began
. . Most annoying!” frenziedly to operate switches. As he did so
Ulla took a step towards him. “No!” he whole sections of the cavern walls slid aside to
screeched. “There shall be no talk! You are a show light beyond. Immediately the columns
spy!” of devil-birds began to move rapidly through
“A spy?” exclaimed Dr Who. He stroked his the openings. Outside they spread their great
long silvery hair, and allowed himself a wry wings and launched into space.
smile. “Now really, Ulla! Who would I be spy- Ulla was so absorbed with marshalling his
ing for?” tobot-birds for the attack that he failed to
“For the green invaders who came before!” notice Dr Who leading the four explorers across
stormed the bird-king. ““You have come to find the cavern to the doorway.
out what befell your army and their leader, Harroll Strong paused there for a moment to
Lohk! Well, they are all dead! Crushed by my embrace his children.
birds! Dead—do you hear! See—here is one of Dr Who was already leading the way down
their swords!” the spiral staircase. “Come along now!” he
Ulla snatched up the fallen sword and called over his shoulder. “No time to waste. We
whirled it over his head so fast that it seemed should be able to slip back to my ship while
to become a solid circle of steel. there’s a battle going on. . . . Follow me!”
Dr Who frowned. “I do wish you wouldn’t do They emerged at the foot of the cliffs to wit-
that!” he said. “I assure you that I am not a ness a grim struggle raging over the .barren
spy. I am a traveller in space and time, and I slopes. As Dr Who had suspected, the green-
come here to the planet Corbo as a friend.” skinned creatures had landed another force. But
Ulla stopped whirling the sword, but he still
kept it held poised over his head. Slowly he
stepped towards Dr Who. “I do not believe you!
They sent you in a different shape to try and
trick me! But I—Ulla—am too clever for you!
And now you shall be the first to die!”
Dr Who glimpsed the sword-blade descend-
ing in a silver arc to split him in two. Des-
perately he flung himself under the blade. As he
hit the platform he thrust his stick between the
other’s feathered legs. Caught off-balance, Ulla
went staggering forward. The sword flew from
his grasp and his clutching talons fastened on
two of the guards. The three went down to-
gether in a flurry of feathers.
At the same moment, Harroll Strong grabbed
one of the others, picked him up bodily and
flung him at the remaining guards, knocking
them down as neatly as a row of ninepins.
Dr Who scrambled to his feet and ran to the
three bound men. He commenced to free them.
Suddenly an electronic warning device began
to intone a deep-voiced warning that filled the
cavern with deafening echoes. . . . “Enemy
attack! Mobilise! Mobilise! Attack!”
There was a scream of rage from Ulla. He
had regained his feet, but he seemed now to
have lost interest in his captives. Instead he
 THE DEVIL-BIRDS OF CORBO

this time, profiting by the fate of their comrades, to stand and stare! Come along! Into my ship!”
they were equipped with weapons which were he cried.
proving more effective against the birds. It was Strong who voiced the disbelief they
Already several of the feathered robots lay in all felt. “Are you serious? Do you call this a
scattered mounds on the battlefield. space-ship? Why, we can’t all fit inside that
Dr Who turned to his companions. “You box.”
must follow me closely—and as fast as you Dr Who spluttered with impatience. His eye
can,” he instructed. “There’s not a moment to had caught sight of a black form, which had
lose.” detached itself from the flock of robot-birds and
He chose a route that skirted the battleground was swooping rapidly towards the island.
at a safe distance. The others followed close. “Hurry! This is no time to argue! Inside—all
Strong had picked up his daughter and was of you!”
carrying her easily on his back. They obeyed him then and they preceded
They reached the edge of the swamp. Some- him into Tardis. And, as the last man passed
how they all managed to cram themselves into through the great doors, Dr Who helped him to
the cushion-craft, A few seconds later they had safety with a thrust. Then he whirled to meet
reached the island of bones. the devil-bird. ...
Dr Who began to hurry towards Tardis. But To his amazement he saw that it was Ulla.
the others stopped, staring with dismay at the The evil genius was armed with a ray gun, from
police telephone-box. which he opened fire as he came screaming
Dr Who turned and waved to them im- down from the brazen skies.
patiently. “Good gracious me! This is no time Dr Who flung himself swiftly to one side.
And, as Ulla swooped close above, he slashed
at the feathered body and felt his stick sink
home with a resounding thwack!
Feeling very pleased with himself, Dr Who
hurried through the doors of Tardis. His new
friends flocked around him.
“Are you all right?” asked Dot anxiously.
“Yes, yes! Of course I’m all right!” said Dr
Who, turning to slip his walking-stick back into
its rack. “And I feel all the better for having
given that bully of a bird-king a taste of my
cane!”
As he moved towards the control panel and
began to operate the levers that would take
them far from the planet Corbo in space and
time, Jack tugged at his frock-coat. “T sz
do look funny with a feather in your h
grinned.
Dr Who lifted his hand and removed the
feather which was lodged in his silvery mane of
hair. It was a long black feather, and it glistened
in the light of the myriad bulbs winking from
the control panels.
With a smile Dr Who handed the feather to
Jack. “You will want to keep this as a memento
of Ulla! I fancy it was loosened by the whack I
gave him! And now”—he continued, busying
himself with the controls again—“I must see
what can be done about returning you all to
your planet Earth. Hm?”
 eo
bate Mi high,

Za NY

SS

AN
A

R WHO could sense the excitement of

D» companions as he made the final all-
important adjustments to the control
panel of Tardis. Without realising it, they had
inched closer and closer to the ig eXx-
panse of dials and levers and ng lights,
until now they were almost nudging the doctor's
elbows.
He stirred a little impatiently. Although he
was a master-mind, capable of spanning all ;
spatial infinity and all temporal eternity with
his incredible knowledge of science and mathe-
matics, yet Dr Who was yery human. Like any
 He shrugged. “Who can tell, my child? Who
can tell?” he said. “As I told you before, our
escape from Corbo was so abrupt that the vibra-
tion upset the space-time locator mechanism.”
Harroll Strong, the space explorer, placed a
powerful hand on Dot’s shoulder and gave it a
comforting squeeze, as he said: “Yes, we all
understand, doctor. You haye not been able to
plot a definite course through . . . through——”
He hesitated, and Dr Who finished the sen-
tence for him: “Through the multi-dimensions
of space and time, my dear fellow. . . . No, no,
I'm afraid there is nothing definite as to where
we shall find ourselves. I have done the best I
can under the circumstances, you understand?
But we must be prepared for anything. .. . Are
you all ready?”
They murmured agreement. Besides Strong,
who was the father of the children, there were
three other men—Shelly, Chertzog and Hill.
Fascinated, they watched Dr Who manipu-
late the switches. . . .
“Oh! What’s happening? Why are we
swaying?”
Dot’s frightened voice put into words the
thought that was in all their minds. For the
smooth motion of flight by which Tardis trans-
ferred its loose pattern of atoms and electrons
through the inter-dimensional flux had ceased.
The ship was now pitching backwards and for-
wards. It was an unpleasant motion.
“Hold on to the rails!” rapped Dr Who. “I'll
switch on the sight-screen.”
The screen glowed with light. But all it
showed was a jungle of what seemed to be
elephant-grass. It filled every inch of the screen,
obviously towering above the space-ship.
absent-minded professor on Earth, he could be “Dear me!” Dr Who rubbed his chin ruefully.
both temperamental and moody. “I'm afraid that doesn’t tell us whether we are
At this moment he was inclined to be irritated on Earth or not.”
by the circle of anxious faces peering over his “Could be darkest Africa,” suggested Chert-
shoulders. Indeed he was on the point of asking zog, a tough, middle-aged Dutchman.
them to move away and stop disturbing him “But why the swaying motion?” added Hill,
when he caught sight of the strained expres- who was taller and grey-haired. “It’s almost as
sions on the faces of the twins. if we were at sea.”
His impatience evaporated. He even forced a Dr Who’s answer was to busy himself with
tired smile. “Well, my dear children, the the controls that would make the preliminary
moment has arrived. I am all ready to make my tests of the atmosphere outside. He ran a prac-
Tardis materialise again.” He patted the girl’s tised eye over the gauges with their flickering
mop of fiery red hair. needles.
“Doctor,” she asked timidly, “will we—do “Hm! Everything seems to be all right for us
you think—shall we be back on Earth?” to step outside,” he announced. Dr Strong, will
61
 DR WHO ANNUAL

you stay here with the children and guard my “A Cyclops, by all that’s wonderful!” gasped
Tardis. The rest of us will take a look round Shelly.
outside. Come along, gentlemen!” Dr Who glanced at him curiously. “Ah yes.
The great doors opened and Dr Who stepped A Cyclops. ... Wasn’t that a legendary creature
outside, wielding his ivory-handled walking- on Earth?”
stick like a machete as he forced a way through The blond explorer nodded. “A one-eyed
the jungle. giant in Greek Mythology. . . . But this one is
The others followed. It was hard going. The no myth!”
spiney columns would yield to the thrust of “Exactly!” mused Dr Who, staring down
their shoulders, but sprang back into place the with eyes which now saw not the danger but the
moment they had passed. wonder of a phenomenon entirely new to him.
At last Dr Who rested, panting with exertion. “A Cyclops. . . Hm! Most interesting!”
“No use, my dear fellows,” he gasped. “I’m The three other men looked at each other
afraid the only way to determine where we are with startled expressions.
is to rise above our circumstances, as it “Look, Doctor,” began Hill, “if this monster
were, hm?” wakes up, it will crush your space-ship at the
“You mean take off again in your ship?” first yawn!”
asked Shelly, a broad, blond young man. Dr Who shook his head. “Oh no! Dear me,
Dr Who smoothed back his mane of white no! Nothing to worry about there, my dear
hair. “Oh no, We shall return to the ship and fellow! No monster is strong enough to crush
fit on contra-gravity suits. They will allow us to or destroy my Tardis. .. . Still, | think it would
proceed upwards, and so gain a bird’s eye view be wise to take precautions.”
of our position.” “You mean we're going to leave this planet?”
Half an hour later they emerged from Tardis queried Shelly.
again, each with a small, round pack strapped Dr Who gave him an irritated look. “Cer-
to his back. Dr Who touched a control button tainly not, young man! I never leave a planet
and rose lightly into the air. The others fol- without exploring it. That is the whole purpose
lowed suit, and together they cleared the tops of my journeying: to add to my store of know-
of the jungle of spines and were able at last to ledge about the Universe .. . about Space. - .
see where they had landed. about Time!”
“Good gracious me!” cried Dr Who. Hill scratched his head. “But—well, I don’t
“Well, now I’ve seen everything!” vowed understand, Doctor! You mean your ship really
Shelly, hovering close beside him. moves through Time and Space?”
Now they could see that the jungle of spines “Quite so!” Dr Who spoke slowly, trying to
was the hair covering a huge forearm which choose words that would express in simple
ended in a three-toed hairy paw. . . .Tardis had language the immensely involved reasoning
landed in the palm of a sleeping monster! behind his marvellous craft. “The name Tardis
Chertzog came flying towards them, a grim comes, you see, from the initials “Time And
look on his face. He and Hill had taken a quick Relative Dimensions In Space’.”
look at the upper part of the giant. “We'd better Shelly said after a pause: “Then you could
get out of this planet—and fast!” he called. leave this planet immediately—if you wanted
“Take a look at this thing’s head!” to, Doctor?”
Dr Who turned the directional switch on his “Of course I could!” said Dr Who. “My
contra-gravity suit and it swung him round in a Tardis can do anything, in fact. But come! We
graceful arc. As he looked down he could not must return now.”
repress a shudder at what he saw. Like the rest He touched the directional control on his
of its body, the monster’s head was covered with contra-gravity suit. As he did so there was a
hair. A great, gaping mouth sagged open, re- warning cry from Chertzog. Dr Who glanced
vealing tusk-like teeth. Above the mouth spread quickly round. Swooping down on them was a
an ugly expanse of snout-like nose, while in the spindle-shaped craft made of some highly
middle of the wide forehead was a single eye, polished metal and studded with glowing oval
now closed in sleep. windows. Without a whisper it descended from

ji
 THE PLAYTHINGS OF FO

the starry expanse of green that was the sky thanks to the automatic mental adjuster in your
over this planet. Tardis.”
As the needle-nosed craft passed over their The gobbling voice spoke again: “You are
heads, the four men felt themselves plucked prisoners. Obey all orders. You will put down
towards it as if by an invisible hand. For a few your arms and offer no resistance.”
moments the craft hovered, motionless. A hatch Dr Who shook his head, aware that invisible
slid open and the captives were drawn gently eyes were watching from the darkness beyond
inside. Then, with the merest sigh from its ultra- the door. “We have no arms, and we mean you
sonic power units, the ship sped on its way. no harm,” he replied. “We are—er—space
Dr Who and his companions looked around explorers, who seem to have landed in a most
them at the steel walls of the air-lock into unfortunate predicament. May we throw our-
which they had been drawn. selves upon your mercy, and ask for help?”
A gobbling voice rapped out an instruction: There was a whispered consultation of
“Remove your flying gear!” gobbledy voices beyond the door. Then the first
Dr Who shrugged and began to obey. The voice spoke again. “Walk inside. But remember
others followed suit. —one false move and you die.”
Chertzog said in a low voice: “Notice the Dr Who stepped forward immediately. Chert-
language? It’s more like a gobble! Any idea Zog put a restraining hand on his arm. “Doctor
what planet it belongs to, Doctor?” —be careful... .”
He shook his head. “Not the least idea. I “My dear fellow, one must place trust in
must have heard thousands of strange tongues providence at a time like this,” smiled Dr Who.
in my travels, but never one like that.” Then his face grew grave: “And remember, Dr
Shelly eased his contra-gravity suit from his Strong and the twins are still in Tardis, unaware
shoulders and lowered it with a grunt of relief. of where it has landed. . . Come! Follow me!”
“Who cares what language it is?” he remarked. As he entered the cabin, Dr Who saw that it
“The important thing is we can understand it— was lit by a dull red radiance. The curving walls
 were crammed with instruments. At the far end
were three figures, two of which held bulbous
weapons in their hands, something like a high-
wayman’s pistol of old. They wore tunics em-
blazoned with an emblem incorporating circling
planets and birdlike crest.
The three figures themselves were remarkably
like birds: red-brown in colour, completely hair-
less, with long necks, almost chinless lower jaws
and red crests, like roosters’ combs, on the tops
of their heads.
The one without a weapon was obviously the
leader. He wore a long red robe. “You will tell
me how you come to be in this galaxy, and
what you were doing hovering above the giant
Fo,” he addressed the visitors.
Dr Who wasted no time. Briefly he detailed
their flight from Corbo, and how his space-time
craft had materialised upon the hand of the
sleeping giant. “My friends are still in the ship,”
he concluded. “Can you help us?”
The hen-like people listened to this with
heads on one side. Another gobbled conference
followed.
Then the leader gave his reply “We shall
return to see if Fo has awakened yet
Leaving his companions on guard, the leader
busied himself at a control panel. In a few
moments he peered through an observation
window. Then he turned and beckoned to Dr
Who and his companions.
“The giant has gone,” he told them.
Sick with dismay, Dr Who stared down upon
a deserted valley. “But—are you sure? Is this
the right spot?” he asked.
For answer the hen-leader pressed a switch
and two viewscreens came into operation, giving
a ten-power modification of the ground below.
Clearly now could be traced the outline left by
the sleeping giant. Trees and bushes upon which
he had lain were even now springing back into
place.
Shelly slapped one fist into another in an
agony of despair. “He must have crushed Tardis
in his paw,” he ground out. “Those poor kids
and Dr Strong——*
Dr Who held up a restraining hand. “My
dear fellow, I have already told you that Tardis
cannot be crushed. The giant must have taken
the ship with him. We must follow and see.”
He turned and put his request urgently to the
hen-leader. But the other held up a claw-like
64
hand in refusal. “I have no authority to go
after Fo. It would be too dangerous. I must
return to base.”
“But look here, this is a matter of utmost
urgency,” began Dr Who.
But he saw that the leader had turned away,
and the crew of the scout-craft were already
busying themselves about their duties.
Hill came close to Dr Who and whispered in
his ear: “Let’s try and jump them? Those con-
trols look simple enough. We can follow the
Cyclops ourselves.”
Dr Who shook his head firmly. “These
people have been fair and friendly towards us.
We need them. We shall try to persuade them
when they land.”
The flight could not have lasted more than
half an hour, but it seemed like an eternity to
the four tense men.
Outwardly Dr Who was the calmest, but his
mind was a turmoil of anxious doubts, To even
consider the temporary loss of his precious
Tardis—filled with unique electronic instru-
ments that made his journeys through Time and
Space possible—made him writhe inwardly. His
agony of mind was increased by the thought of
Harroll Strong and Dot and Jack trapped inside
the ship. ...
“Dr Who! Come here quickly!” An anxious
ery from Chertzog roused him from his grim
thoughts. He joined the other three as they
stood staring at the two viewscreens.
“They're diving straight for that hillside,
Doctor!” gasped Hill. “We've got to stop them.”
The magnified view on the screens was alarm-
ing enough to make even Dr Who step back in
alarm. The scout-craft was apparently diving
headlong towards the barren slopes of a hill. He
whirled around, but seeing the calmness of the
crew, he recovered his own composure.
“H'm ... I rather imagine that our friends
here have no intention of crashing this ship,” he
told the others.
Even as they looked at the screens again, they
could see that a section of the hillside was open-
ing to admit the craft into a secret base. It
slowed to a gentle glide, ghosting into a black
void, and stopped.
The crew leader beckoned his prisoners to
follow him. They emerged on to a platform. The
other two crew members followed behind, and
the party began to descend a flight of steps to
the main street of what was no less than an
underground city.
The buildings were built with vast domes of
what appeared to be heavy plastic blocks over
interlocking steel frameworks. They were lit
from inside, and diffused a soft light all around
them.
The street was full of hen-people, hurrying
about in an industrious way. But at the sight of
the prisoners they halted and began to gobble
in great excitement. Something akin to a traffic
jam would have ensued, had not the leader in
the red robe gobbled a harsh warning and
waved aside the onlookers as he strode to the
door of the largest domed building.
Dr Who and his companions were not sorry
to be hustled indoors away from the excited
crowd. They were taken straight into a chamber
in which another of the hen-people sat behind
a desk. It was obvious that the news of their
capture had been radioed from the craft.
The person behind the desk ran a claw-hand
over his fine red comb, and gazed keenly at each
prisoner in turn. At length he began to gobble
softly: “You were brought here as prisoners.
Now I welcome you as strangers. . . . Please sit
down. .. . Ff’ni, bring them food.”
The leader of the scout-craft bowed and with- Dr Who sprang to his feet and took a step for-
drew. The four men smiled at each other in ward. “Thank you. . . . But—you speak of
relief and turned to find that a comfortable recovering my ship! Have you news about it
couch had risen out of the floor behind them. Kaark Supremo gobbled in reassurance. “Our
They sat down. Scouts have seen Fo returning to his base. . . .
“Thank you. . .. Thank you, my friend,” said In his paw he was carrying—with great care—
Dr Who. “May I ask what planet this is? You blue box-like craft with a flashing light on top.”
see, the controls of my—er—ship. . . .” “That's it! That’s my Tardis!” interrupted Dr
The person at the desk waved him to silence. Who. He hurried forward, leaned across the
“Yes, I understand. . . . This, friend, is the desk and clasped the Supremo by the hand.
planet Rhoos. We are the eighth planet in the “Ah, my friend, if you only knew what good
P’Tuu System.” news that is. For, you see, there are two chil-
Dr Who sat up straight, eyes glowing with dren and their father still in the craft.”
interest. “The P’Tuu System. . . . Ah yes, indeed. The three other men were crowding round
. . One of the places I have always planned to the desk now, beaming with relief. When Ff’ni
visit. Yes indeed. Now, let me see, your planet arrived with a tray of food a moment later, the
must be third of a GO-star, eighty million miles Supremo signalled him to put it on the desk. E
from primary, less axial inclination than Terra. The hungry explorers stood around, eating in
... Ah! That accounts for your organic matter buffet-style, while their hosts told them of the
and temperature being so much like Earth!” terror in which the Kaarks spent their lives.
The other looked at him with open respect. “Fo is not a monster native to the planet
“You are a very learned man, Doctor. I and my Rhoos,” he said. “He is an outcast from a race
people—the Kaarks—will help you to recover of one-eyed giants far off in the Black Galaxy.
your ship .. . I, the Kaark Supremo, have He was set adrift in space, but eventually he
decreed it.” crashed on our planet. Since then our life has
66
 Chertzog leaned forward on the desk, his
face drawn and intense. “But, sir, you will at
least show us to his stronghold? The risk is ours
...and however great, it must be taken.”
The Supremo caressed his chinless lower jaw.
“My friend, you are a brave man. I admire
you.” He turned. “Ffni, you will take our
friends to Fo’s stronghold.”
Ten minutes later the scout-craft rose from
the hidden opening to the underground city,
and sped across the green expanse of sky. Dr
Who and his companions stood around the
viewscreens. Fields and rivers, plains and moun-
tains passed rapidly across the screens, until at
last the landscape became barren and hostile—
a place of vast cliffs and deep ravines.
Suddenly they saw it. The walls of a huge
fortress towered up in the screens. But, even as
they stared in awe, beams of light began to wink
from the rocky ramparts. Ff'ni gobbled in
alarm. His fellow crewmen leapt to the control
panels, but it was too late to correct their
blunder. They had come within range of the
giant’s defensive beams and already the scout-
craft was being drawn downwards.
Panic-stricken, the Kaark crewmen clawed at
been a nightmare. Before we retreated under- the levers which operated their own weapons.
ground, hiding our towns and cities in hillsides Flaming missiles spewed from a dozen tubes.
like this, Fo ravaged the whole of Rhoos. He Seconds later the white, actinic glare of phase-
slaughtered countless numbers of my people. shift explosions lit the landscape. But still the
He has made us his playthings—and we can do scout-craft was drawn down into the fortres:
nothing to stop him. The best of our weapons “Look!” yelled Hill. He was pointing at the
are no more than pin-pricks to him. . . . All we viewscreens. They showed a hairy paw, claws
can do is to spy on his movements constantly.” crooked, swooping straight towards them.
Dr Who finished eating, and wiped the They flung themselves down, grabbing on to
corners of his mouth with a silk handkerchief. the safety-rails. The craft lurched violently.
“My dear Kaark Supremo, it is a dreadful situa- There was a crackling from the control panels,
tion you are in. I will try and think of some wires fused and hissed, the viewscreens went
way in which to help. But, in the meantime, I blank, and the ship was plunged into total
want you to instruct one of your scout-craft to darkness. ...
take my friends and I to the lair of this Fo. We Light came flooding back into the cabin as
must rescue Dr Strong and the twins as speedily the whole top structure of the scout-craft was
as possible.” wrenched off. The occupants had a brief, horri-
The ruler rose to his feet behind the desk. fying glimpse of Fo’s single eye peering down at
With a harassed movement he ran his hand over them. Then the craft was turned upside-down,
his comb. “This is a mission of great danger. and they were thrown out with bone-shaking
Despite his primitive appearance, Fo is well bumps.
versed in scientific matters, and his stronghold Dr Who struggled to his feet, breathless and
bristles with defences. Some of these have been bruised. He saw the Cyclops’s huge hairy face
constructed by Kaark scientists and technicians suspended overhead, and instinctively he shrank
whom Fo has snatched away and holds away. But when the giant showed no further
prisoners.” sign of hostility, Dr Who began to look around
67
 expected to provide some amusement for the
him at his surroundings. To his astonishment, Cyclops. Let us see if we can locate Tardis.”
he found that there were buildings and streets He strode away. Rounding the corner of a
here, too. row of what looked like cages, he stopped short.
“What's the set-up, Doctor?” An angry chorus of snarling greeted his
He turned to find Chertzog beside him, appearance.
nursing a bump on his head. “By thunder, he keeps a model zoo as well!”
“My dear fellow,” said Dr Who slowly, “I said Hill, rounding the corner with his com-
am inclined to think we, too, have become the panions. ;
playthings of Fo. . . . Look around you! We “And what specimens!” muttered Chertzog
appear to have been put down on some kind of with a shudder. “Just look at those teeth! I sup-
table upon which he has built a model town.” pose these must be the leopards of this
Shelly had joined them as they were talking planet. ...”
and he clutched Dr Who’s arm. “You must be “I'm glad they're kept behind bars,” mused
right! Take a look inside those buildings,” he Shelly.
exclaimed. Dr Who shook his head, frowning. “I don’t
Staring at the new arrivals from behind wish to alarm you, gentlemen, but I rather think
barred windows, were rows of faces, the hair- these beasts are kept for another kind of sport.”
less, red-brown faces, topped by red crests, of He pointed. “Yes, I rather fancy that must be
the Kaarks. his arena,” he added.
Ff’ni and his companions rushed forward, They looked at the enclosed area ahead,
and the air was filled with excited gobblings as noticing the red stains on the floor, Dr Who's
the prisoners conversed with them. casual words brought a dawning horror of
Dr Who stroked his chin thoughtfully. realisation.
“Apparently those are the scientists and tech- Shelly swallowed hard and turned pale. “He
nicians that Fo compels to work for him. . . . puts his prisoners in there to fight those—
But come! Apparently as playthings we are those. . . ?” His voice trailed off.
68
 please me more than to dissolve out of this hos-
tile environment,” he said over his shoulder.
“But I’m afraid that is impossible.”
“Just like the martyrs in the Colosseum!” Strong stepped forward, frowning. “You
breathed Hill, half to himself. mean there’s something wrong with the ship,
But something else had caught Dr Who's eye Doctor? Did that monster damage it while
—Tardis!” he cried. “Come on!” carrying us back here?”
He began to run, followed by the others. Dr Who shook his head. “No. Everything
Thankfully he saw that the doors were still appears to be in order, thank goodness. . . .
closed. He fumbled for the electronic key which What I mean is that I could not possibly leave
he wore round his neck on a chain. He slipped the Kaarks to the mercy of Fo. I have promised
it into the lock and flung himself inside, the to try and help them—and help them I will!”
others tumbling after him. They all turned to look at the sight-screen. It
“Doctor!” There was a shrill cry from Dot. showed the arena outside. Dr Who clenched his
She came running across the spacious floor of fists in sudden anger at the sight of Ff’ni, held
the Time-Space ship, and flung herself into his by the hem of his red robe between two of Fo’s
arms. Jack began a triumphant war-dance huge claws.
around the two of them, and Harroll Strong “The monster!” ground out Dr Who. “He is
looked on with a smile. going to let loose one of those wild-cats. .. . I
When the hugging and handshaking had sub- hope to Heaven I shall be in time.”
sided, Shelly turned urgently to Dr Who. The others watched the giant’s grim prepara-
“Quick, Doctor! Let’s get Tardis out of this tions on the sight-screens, while Dr Who ran to
planet before the Cyclops gets any more bright his store-room. He came back with a small
ideas!” he urged. black box under his arm. “I fancy this should
Dr Who turned away and snapped on the take care of Fo!” he told the others as he ran
switches of the sight-screen. “Nothing would towards the door.
69
 The twins ran after him. “But Doctor—what
about the leopard?” cried Dot. “It will kill
you.”
Dr Who calmly took his walking-stick from
the rack by the door. “Don’t worry, my child,”
he said gently. “I think the leopard is in for a
shock, too.”
When he emerged from Tardis, the frantic
gobbling of Ff’ni, mingled with the snarl of the
wild beast, told Dr Who that Fo had already set
his grim game in motion. The Kaark pilot was
in the arena, retreating before the slashing claws
of the leopard.
“Hold on, Ff’ni!” yelled Dr Who, running
towards him. At the sound of his voice, the
savage beast whirled round.
But Dr Who never hesitated. He walked
calmly towards the leopard, twirling his stick
before him, At the same time he uttered a low,
menacing sound in the back of his throat. The
effect was almost instantaneous. The big cat
began to cringe away, snarling. Lower and
lower it crouched, stark fear in its eyes. Closer
and closer came Dr Who. . . . Five feet, four,
three... .
Suddenly Dr Who lunged at the cat with his
cane. With a howl of terror it turned and
streaked away.
Dr Who whipped round. A rumbling like
thunder above his head told him of the giant’s
wrath. He glanced upwards. The hairy paw was
already poised to crush him. Quickly he put the
black box on the ground, flung back the lid,
and threw himself to the ground.
There was an awful blue flash of light from
the box. The smell of ozone filled the air. . . .
For a few moments the ground trembled
alarmingly with the crash of Fo’s lifeless body.
Slowly Dr Who rose to his feet and began to
dust his clothes. Ff’ni ran to him, gobbling his
gratitude.
The doctor smiled wearily and patted his
shoulder. “All right, my friend. No need to
thank me. One good turn deserves another, you
know. . . . And now that Rhoos is free of the
Cyclops, I really must be going. My friends in
there are most anxious to get back to Earth... .
Good-bye, Ff’ni! Give my regards to the
Supremo!”
And, picking up his walking-stick, Dr Who
walked slowly back to Tardis and stepped
inside.
 IHE cold cut through the open doors of
Tardis like a knife.
Dr Who shivered. The instruments
which sampled conditions outside had warned
him of a temperature below 30 degrees Fahren-
heit. He had dressed accordingly, fitting on an
Atmospheric Density Jacket. Even so he could
not suppress a shiver as he stepped from the
warmth of his space-ship.
He took a few steps across the crisp snow;
then stopped to look around. He knew from the
view-screen in Tardis what to expect. A few
yards from the spot where he stood, the snow
slope dipped downwards at an alarming angle.
It plunged to where a gaunt and glittering
expanse of ice marked a mighty glacier.
 DR WHO ANNUAL

Dr Who focused his powerful binoculars and carrying a tubular weapon. He saw one figure
surveyed the glacier. A murmer of admiration take aim down the slope, and once again that
escaped his lips. “Most amazing! Why, it must weird greenish glow dazzled Dr Who.
be twenty miles long at least!” He lowered his glasses and rubbed his smart-
He studied this awe-inspiring natural phe- ing eyes.
nomenon with great excitement. “Dear me! It would seem that I have intruded
He had not expected to find himself on a upon a pursuit of some sort,” he mused. “The
frozen planet when he had charted a course for four with weapons are trying to kill the other
Tardis through the unknown interstellar barrier poor creature—although I fancy he may do
beyond the G-Star in Ambivalence Five. that himself, unless he can stop before he gets
This planet had several moons of various to the crevasse.””
sizes which seemed to float above the needle- He looked again. The fugitive had seen the
sharp peaks of the snow summits. Fantastic ice danger and was vainly trying to stop. Lower
sculptures soared around him. Here were gaunt and lower he crouched, thick arms flailing and
boulders buried by the advancing ice sheet a spray shooting up as he desperately dug in with
million years before and finally thrust to the his feet, But it was no use. He was off the snow
surface by centuries of melting and movement. and on to the solid ice of the glacier now. He
Half a mile to his right, a slender white arch of had no chance of stopping. He must plunge over
windblown snow sprang thirty feet in the air to the crevasse!
span a yawning crevasse. Dr Who wasted no more time. He raced back
Dr Who was about to lower the glasses when to Tardis and emerged a moment later with a
he caught a movement on the slope which rose rope. On his feet he had strapped his Zero
directly opposite to where he stood. Boots, a cunning combination of snow-shoes,
He had trouble in getting the man—if it was crampons and skis, which he had invented for
a man—into vision. For the figure was moving just such inhospitable planets as this.
at breakneck speed, shooting down the slope This time it was he who took a dreadful risk
and sending up a spray of snow particles from in descending the snow slope. But, ten minutes
his skis. . . . Or were they skis? later, panting desperately, Dr Who was on the
For a fleeting second Dr Who managed to glacier. Now his amazing boots began to prove
keep the fast-moving figure in view. It was their worth. As he felt his legs begin to slide
squat, of powerful build and humanoid in away from under him, he touched the control
appearance, clad from head to foot in furs. But button on his belt, which made the crampons
he could see no sign of skis on the other’s feet. bite deep into the ice.
He was apparently skiing down that precipitous Gradually the hair-raising slide slowed to a
slope on his own feet! walking-pace. Dr Who saw the black shadow of
The figure shot out of vision again, and Dr the crevasse yawning at his feet. He dug in hard,
Who lowered his binoculars. and stopped on the edge.
“Good gracious me!” he exclaimed aloud. “Oh dear, dear me!” he gasped. “What an
“Perhaps the poor creature is sliding to his exhausting experience! . . . Now, where is that
doom!” poor fellow... ?”
He raised the glasses again. This time the He glanced down into the twisting fissure
snow-capped peak came into view. And before which plunged to the very depth of the ice pack.
Dr Who could lower his sights to find the fur- On a ledge of ice some ten feet below the lip of
clad figure, a brilliant greenish glow winked the crevasse, lay the figure of the runaway. It
from the distant peak. sprawled like a heap of furs, but made no move.
For a moment Dr Who was dazzled. He “Hm! It looks as if he has had a very narrow
could see nothing. But when his eyes had escape,” said Dr Who. “I should be able to get
re-adjusted themselves, he saw to his amaze- the rope down to him—if I can get across the
ment that four more fur-clad figures were begin- crevasse.”
ning the death-defying slide. . . . He moved quickly towards the slender arch
Then he saw the source of the greenish glow of windblown snow which bridged the crevasse.
that had dazzled him. For each squat figure was Gingerly he began to crawl across on all fours.
 “Must go slowly . . . steadily . . . easy does
it!” he murmured to himself, arms hugging the
snow.
When he was almost on the far side, he heard
a chunk of snow tear loose beneath him. . . .
But the bridge held, Thankfully he stepped on
to solid ice.
A deep-throated howl came from below. Dr
Who saw that the fugitive had regained con-
sciousness and was standing on the ice-ledge,
waving two hairy arms to attract his attention,
“Be patient, my good fellow!” cried Dr Who.
“I must find some way of securing the rope
first.”
He waved his hand in a gesture of encourage-
ment, then turned to see if there was any sign
of the pursuers. The glacier was empty. Appar-
ently the four with weapons had followed a
false trail among the twisting heaves and
hollows.
Dr Who spotted a giant boulder half-buried
in the ice. “The very thing!” he murmured.
Quickly he lashed the end of the rope around
the boulder. Then he began to lower the end of
the rope over the lip of the glacier.
 Dr Who shook his head and smiled. “No. I
am a traveller. I’m a visitor to your world, and
I must say I find it a very cold kind of world.
. .. But you, my friend, what is your name?
And what is the name of this planet?”
The fugitive picked up a lump of ice and
began to rub the cuts and bruises he had suf-
fered in the fall. “I am Grahm,” he said. “This
is the planet Bruhl.”
Dr Who nodded. “And would I be mistaken
in assuming that you were fleeing from those
four who carried weapons, Grahm?”
The other’s smooth face became grim. “They
were from the Planet Police. They were trying
to hunt me down because they say I stole a
thought-cube.”
Dr Who considered the creature carefully.
“And did you steal it, Grahm?”
“No!” It was almost a shout, accompanied
by a vigorous shake of his furry head. “I did
not steal it! I was running away to try and prove
my innocence. . . . But I know it’s no use now.
I may as well give up. The Planet Police will
track me down wherever I go.”
Dr Who put his head to one side and con-
sidered the matter. “But my dear fellow, one
A few moments later, the rope was drawn must appeal to law and order. You will surely
taut. Leaning over the edge, Dr Who saw the get a fair trial, and be able to tell your side of
figure climbing swiftly upwards. the story?”
With a grunt, the fugitive heaved himself on Grahm uttered a discordant growl. “Never!
to the ice. Since Rraprro became the Wise One of the
Anyone less accustomed to meeting the Glacians, we have not known justice. Only
grotesque life-forms that exist on other planets tyranny! It is better to die out here, riddled
might have felt a sense of revulsion at this en- with the rays of their Ultra-Beam guns, than go
counter. But Dr Who merely smiled and back to the City Under the Ice.”
nodded to the creature he had just rescued. Dr Who-came to a sudden decision. “Listen,
Covered from head to foot with a luxuriant Grahm,” he said. “I can offer you sanctuary in
growth of silky fur, the creature had the power- my space-ship, but we must hurry and cross the
ful build of a grizzly bear. But the face was snow-bridge before those four pick up your
hairless and smooth, almost human in appear- tracks.”
ance, although the mouth was too wide and the The Glacian looked bewildered. “What is
eyes set too far back on each side of a flat, ‘sanctuary”? And where is your ship?”
spreading nose. Dr Who turned swiftly. The mountain peaks
The fugitive spoke in a deep guttural tone. were echoing to the howls of the Planet Police.
“You may command me! You have saved my “Quickly! There is no time to explain!” he
life!” exclaimed. “They have apparently found your
Dr Who waved a deprecating hand. “Non- trail. Come! We must cross the bridge at once.”
sense, my friend. | have no wish to command. They began to run. Dr Who found little diffi-
l am very glad I arrived in time to save you.” culty, thanks to his crampons. But for Grahm,
The creature was looking with wonder at the the huge elongated feet which had allowed him
other’s clothes. “You are a creature of this to ski down the snow-slopes, now threatened to
planet?” came the question. become toboggans to carry him over the edge
74
 JUSTICE OF THE GLACIANS

again. Dr Who grabbed his companion, and “TI am a traveller,” said Dr Who airily. “I
with extraordinary strength brought him to a have come from——”
standstill. He broke off, wondering. What should he
“Hold on to me!” he ordered. “We are nearly say? What could he say? His endless wander-
at the bridge.” ings through Time and Space had taken him
They had covered half the distance towards into so many strange places in the universe that
it when Grahm gave a warning howl. “The his origins had long since been forgotten.
police! Get down!” The Glacian’s face was watching him closely
As they flung themselves to the ice, there was and for a moment Dr Who thought he detected
a brilliant flicker of green light behind them. a sudden flash of cunning in that single, glitter-
Dr Who raised his head and saw the ray from ing eye.
the Ultra-Beam Gun strike the centre of the “Ah! You must have had something to do
huge snow-bridge. At once it began to crumble, with the theft of the thought-cube!” growled the
with a rumbling and roaring noise. Thousands Glacian.
of tons of packed snow thundered down into the “T assure you that I had not!” began Dr Who.
fissure. He was waved to silence by a huge hairy paw.
Slowly Dr Who rose to his feet. He cast a “Enough, Stranger! You will return with us
quick glance to where his Tardis was perched; to the City Under the Ice. There you will speak
then he turned to meet the four Glacian police. the truth to Rraprro!”
They advanced with guns trained upon Dr At this, the three other Glacian police threw
Who and the cowering Grahm. back their heads and howled: “The Wise One!”
The leader was a Glacian of tremendous Their leader shifted his gun-sling tighter
girth. He had lost one eye, but with the remain- around his hairy shoulders, and waved a paw
ing one he surveyed Dr Who closely. upwards. “March! Both keep close together!
“What are you, and where did you come And remember, our guns are trained on you.”
from?” he rumbled. In grim silence they crossed the glacier and
began to toil up the steep snow-slope.
 DR WHO ANNUAL

Grahm knew the way. He led Dr Who over creature. I have just arrived on your planet in
the peak and down the other side. In this my—er—space-ship. And as I have already in-
bewildering world of featureless snow, he formed your police officer, I have nothing at all
picked his way without hesitation among the to do with any thought-cube.”
mighty ice-caps and knife-edged arétes. Rraprro looked at him for a few moments
At last Dr Who found himself walking on an in silence. “Where is this space-ship?” he
almost level stretch of snow. They were march- demanded.
ing directly towards a wall of ice. When they Dr Who shrugged. “There was a crevasse in
reached it, Grahm stopped and waited. a glacier—your policemen will explain the loca-
The leader of the Police Patrol shuffled for- tion. And my ship is on top of the peak—on the
ward. Reaching up to a massive icicle which other side of the crevasse.”
hung from the glittering barrier, he twisted it: Rraprro glanced briefly at the bulky police
first to the right, then to the left. Dr Who’s leader. “Go and see if he speaks the truth.”
quick brain made a note of the combination he The other Glacian shifted uneasily on his
used. cumbersome feet. “O Wise One!” he growled,
As the Glacian stepped back there was a “we cannot!”
grating sound and a section of the ice-face slid The figure in the gold robe stiffened.
aside. Beyond blazed the lights of the City “Cannot?”
Under the Ice. “The snow-bridge. . . . We had to destroy it to
As they marched down a ramp into the main stop the prisoners from escaping.”
street Dr Who gazed around with wonder and Rraprro leaned forward, his eyes glittering.
admiration. The buildings were made of a “Then you will return to the glacier, fool! You
metal that glowed in ever-changing hues. They will rebuild the snow-bridge, and bring me news
varied in size, some tall and spherical, others whether this creature’s ship is there—by the
squat and square or cuboid. third sun!”
The streets were full of Glacians, busy about The police leader raised a paw in appeal.
their everyday duties. But the sight of Dr Who “But—but how can we build it in that time, 0
being marched along by the police attracted a Wise One?” he howled.
Jot of attention. Rraprro dismissed him with a bear-like snarl.
“In here!” The leader of the patrol gestured “Go! Do as I command—or pay the penalty!”
to a palatial doorway, which was guarded by When the police party had gone, Rraprro
two giant Glacians. As Dr Who entered, he motioned to his guards. “Take these two away!”
saw that the building was of splendid propor- he ordered.
tions and enriched with strange, but attractive, Dr Who and Grahm were hustled from the
ornaments of a metal that changed its colour great chamber and thrust into a small cell. The
constantly. guards went away, locking the door.
They entered a spacious hall. At one end, on Dr Who made himself comfortable on a low
a raised dais, sat a thin-faced Glacian whose bench covered with furs.
furry body was covered with a golden robe... . “Well, my friend,” he said, “since we are to
This, thought Dr Who, must be Rraprro. He be fellow-prisoners for a while, perhaps you
felt, rather than saw, Grahm stiffen with hatred would explain to me exactly what it is you are
by his side. accused of? What is the missing thought-cube
Rraprro stared down coldly. Dr Who like?”
returned his steady gaze with no trace of fear, Grahm sat down slowly. “The thought-cube?
waiting for the “Wise One’ to speak. It is not large.” He held out a huge paw, palm
At last, in a thin hard tone, Rraprro intoned: upwards. “I could fit one in my hand—so! Each
“For your crime, Grahm, you shall suffer death cube contains not print but a telepathic impres-
by icicles! But first you will tell me what this sion. . . . They are the Zilgors’s equivalent of
weird creature has to do with the theft of the books.”
thought-cube.” Dr Who frowned and waved an impatient
Before Grahm could reply, Dr Who said hand. “Now wait a moment! Not so fast! Who
testily: “If you don’t mind, sir, |am nora weird are the Zilgors?”
76
 Dr Who leaned back against the cell wall,
Grahm looked at his companion with sad drumming his fingers on his knees. “Hm! Most
eyes, “The Zilgors came here to Bruhl a long extraordinary!” he murmured. “But tell me
time ago. There were just six of them—crea- about the thought-cubes. Where are they
tures of a planet far in advance of ours. They kept?”
brought us peace, taught us how to develop our “In a room not far from here there are end-
planet, and heaped upon us the riches of their less rows of them packed on shelves. This room
vast knowledge.” was the library of the Zilgors, who are a tele-
Dr Who nodded. “Where are these Zilgors pathic race,” said Grahm. “We Glacians do not
now?” understand how to use thought-cubes.””
Grahm lifted his heavy shoulders. “They Dr Who sat up, frowning. “Then if you
vanished. . . . One morning we awoke, and cannot use them, why would anyone steal one?”
they had gone. They left no message. . . . Some he demanded.
say they had returned to their own planet—but Grahm nodded. “Why, indeed? . . . But
I do not know! All I know is that Rraprro was Rraprro is afraid of something. I am sure of it.
sitting on the throne, saying that the Zilgors He is suspicious that one day we Glacians will
had installed him as ruler of Bruhl before they rise up and rebel against his tyrannies. . . . That
left.” is why he will put me to death.”
 DR WHO ANNUAL

Dr Who rose to his feet. “You are not dead broke into the palace to rescue you, Doctor.”
yet, that is the main thing, my dear Grahm. . . . The Glacian made a brief, respectful bow in his
now if we could only escape from this place. ...” direction. “We hope you may be able to solve
He broke off, then whirled around to stare at the mystery for us.”
the wall behind the bench. From somewhere The flattery was not lost on Dr Who. He
beyond the wall came a low humming sound. brushed back his mane of silver hair, and
Grahm had heard the noise too, and was smoothed the lapels of his frock-coat with a
backing slowly away towards the door. smug smile. “Possibly, my dear Ffreuf! Yes,
The whirring became louder, and took on a quite possibly I can help! I have had some ex-
grating note. The next moment a section of perience with thought-cubes. Let me see, was it
the metal wall glowed white with heat—then on the planet Augos or the planet Bluttos. . . ?”
melted and ran on to the floor. As he frowned thoughtfully out of the win-
Through the hole in the wall, a round- dow the Glacians exchanged glances in which
shouldered Glacian stepped. He beckoned to wonder mingled with fear. This strange visitor,
the prisoners. “Come! I am here to help you to who spoke so glibly of planets they had never
escape!” heard of, filled them with doubts of the
Dr Who bowed: “You have arrived at a very Unknown.
opportune moment, my friend.” The journey ended in a remote corner of the
He moved towards the jagged hole. Grahm City Under the Ice. The party hurried into a
followed him more hesitantly. Their rescuer building. Inside were other Glacian rebels,
placed a small phial behind the cell door, and manning armed look-out posts.
hurried after them. “This way, please, Doctor!” said Ffreuf.
The escape route had been cut through the He led the way into a laboratory packed with
wall of an adjoining room. There were other humming machinery and gleaming control-
Glacians waiting. panels. The Glacian scientist waved a hairy paw
The round-shouldered Glacian rubbed his about him.’ “This machinery was left by the
paws in a self-satisfied gesture. “I have planted Zilgors when they disappeared,” he said.
our little surprise behind the door,” he growled. “Much of it is a mystery to me. . . . Come! I
“Tt will explode as soon as Rraprro’s guards will show you the thought-cube.”
enter. . Come! We must get clear of the He padded on soft feet to a table in the
palace. centre of the room. There, on a metal plate, lay
They left the building by a rear door and a small green cube which appeared to be made
tumbled into a waiting vehicle, spherical in of an opaque jelloid substance.
shape, which whizzed them away. Dr Who leaned on the table and examined
Dr Who glanced at his rescuer, sitting beside the cube.
him. “And who have I the pleasure to thank “Ah yes! Amazing!” he murmured. “Your
for such a timely rescue?” he enquired. friends the Zilgors must, indeed, be a race of
The Glacian smiled thinly, “I am the scientist highly-advanced intellects. . . . However, we
Ffreuf. 1am the one who has stolen the thought- had better find out what the cube has to tell us,
cube.” eh?”
Grahm leaned forward in his seat, staring. Ffreuf stared in amazement. “You know how
“You? But why?” to use the thought-cube?”
“Because I and my companions are seeking a “I think so,” said Dr Who blandly. He
way in which to overthrow the tyrant Rraprro!” glanced around him. “Did the Zilgors leave
rasped Ffreuf. “I believe that the thought-cube behind anything like a couch?”
contains information which will give us the real Again Ffreuf gaped. “A couch?”
reason why the Zilgors left our planet.” Dr Who waved his hand testily. “Yes, yes!
Grahm grunted eagerly: “Ah! Then you have You know—something to lie on!”
discovered how to use the thought-cube?” The scientist swallowed his bewilderment.
Ffreuf shook his shaggy head. “No. I have “Well . . . now you mention it, there is an old
sought the answer for months in a secret labora- couch which the Zilgors left. We—er—threw
tory. But I am still baffled. . . . That is why we it away somewhere!”
8
 Dr Who smiled indulgently. “Of course it
hasn’t, my friend. It is a telepathic couch and
needs no wires. . . . Now, if you will just set it
down in the centre of the room, I will try and
show you what I mean.”
As the Glacians were setting down the couch
Dr Who went to the table and fetched the
thought-cube, carrying it with great care on
the metal plate. He set it down on a ledge at
the head of the couch.
“Now, my friends, I am going to lie down—
and I shall appear to go to sleep,” he said. “I
shall, in fact, be concentrating deeply so that I
may reach, by telepathy, the message within the
cube. You will all remain still and silent until
I open my eyes again. Is that clear?”
An intense hush had already fallen upon the
Glacians. Now they merely nodded.
Dr Who lay upon the couch of the Zilgors.
He closed his eyes. Intense concentration
ploughed deep furrows across his high forehead.
His lips twitched and appeared to form a word
... then another. ...
For a few moments he appeared to have
stopped breathing. Then his pent-up breath was
released in a long sigh.
Dr Who opened his eyes and sat up. He took
out his handkerchief and mopped his brow.
“Oh dear! I’m afraid I am a little out of prac-
tice at telepathy!” he said. “Very exhausting.
“Threw it away! But my dear fellow, that .-. But very interesting!”
may mean you can never unlock the secret of “You were successful?” whispered Ffreuf
this thought-cube!” exclaimed Dr Who, hoarsely.
Ffreuf shuffled in agitation. “Then we must “Yes, of course. The contents of the cube
find it!” he growled, and rapped out a com- began to flow quite freely after a while.” Dr
mand. Who rose to his feet, tucking his handkerchief
The rest of the rebel Glacians began to scurry into his pocket. “And I have a surprise for you,
around in a near-panic. my dear Ffreuf! Your friends the Zilgors have
Suddenly there was a howl of triumph from not left this planet!”
another part of the building. The noise was Startled gasps burst from every side. The
taken up on all sides, until it became a deafen- Glacians pressed forward to hear more, form-
ing howl. ing a solid ring of furry bodies around their
Dr Who put his hands to his ears, and was visitor.
grimacing with annoyance when Ffreuf re- “The Zilgors are still here?” demanded
entered the laboratory followed by a group of Ffreuf incredulously.
Glacians carrying a couch. It was severely “Oh yes, indeed!” Dr Who pressed the tips
simple in style, and made of a glassy substance. of his long slim fingers together. “They
“Thi the couch left by the Zilgors,” said managed to leave that thought-cube just before
the scientist. “But I still do not understand how Rraprro entombed them in a block of ice.”
it can be used. It has no wires—nothing by A low snarl of rage greeted this news.
which it can be connected to these Zilgor Dr Who held up a hand. “The Zilgors say
machines.” they have gone into a self-induced trance, in
79
order that they may survive the sub-zero tem-
peratures with which Rraprro is trying to kill
them.”
“Then they are still alive?” cried Ffreuf.
Dr Who nodded. “Yes, my friend, And they
heard Rraprro planning to hide the block of ice
containing their bodies in a cavern called Mura
Six.”
The Glacian’s eyes blazed with a fierce light.
“This is wonderful news!” he cried. Whirling,
he raised his arms. “We march to Mura Six to
rescue the Zilgors!” he howled. “Cut down any-
one who would stand in our way. The time to
overthrow Rraprro has come!”
There was a howl of fierce joy from the rebel
Glacians, They surged towards the door.
Ffreuf turned to Dr Who. “How can we
repay you for this great service?” he asked.
“Well, [am rather anxious to get back to my
space-ship,” said Dr Who. “If you will help me
to do that, it is all the thanks I ask.”
Grahm pressed forward to touch Dr Who on
the arm. “Let me lead you back to the glacier,”
he begged.
Dr Who smiled indulgently. “Of course, my
dear Grahm!” he said. “I shall be glad of your
 JUSTICE OF THE GLACIANS

company. . . . But I think we had better have After climbing for a while, he stopped and
some armed support, eh?” pointed. “Ah, there it is! There’s my ship!” he
Ffreuf frowned. “You fear some danger?” panted.
Dr Who nodded. “You see, Rraprro has sent Tardis, still in the shape of a blue police tele-
the Glacian Planet Police to rebuild the snow- phone-box, was a hundred yards away, and
bridge,” he explained. windblown snow had piled up drifts as high as
Ffreuf turned to one of the control panels. the windows.
He touched a switch and spoke into a micro- Dr Who smiled at Grahm and the other
phone. Then turning back to Dr Who he said: Glacians. “Well, my friends! Thank you for
“An armed scout car is waiting outside, Doctor. escorting me here!” he said. “Now I shall say
You must go quickly now. The police may have good-bye—and wish you a more peaceful and
rebuilt the snow bridge and crossed the glacier happy rule with the return of the Zilgors.
to capture your ship.” Good-bye!”
With the thanks of the Glacian scientist ring- He turned and began to climb the last snow
ing in his ears Dr Who hurried from the build- slope. Then, somewhere to the right, he caught
ing. He and Grahm climbed aboard one of the the flicker of greenish light from a ray gun. He
spherical vehicles, which whirled away. They flung himself flat.
left the City Under the Ice by an apparently When he dared to raise his head, it was to
secret exit which immediately closed behind find the sky dancing with the weird lights of
them. those dreadful squat weapons.
From the oval-shaped window beside his seat The Planet Police, apparently returning from
Dr Who looked once more over the grim, a fruitless hunt for Dr Who’s space-ship, had
desolate landscape of the planet Bruhl. The begun to charge down upon him. They paid
craft moved at a steady speed over the snowy dearly for their lack of caution. The Glacian
waste. rebels began to return their fire with deadly
Grahm sat close to the driver, and directed effect.
him without a moment's hesitation. At length Dr Who scrambled on hands and knees up
he tapped the driver on the arm, and said: “We the slope. When he reached the level, he rose
had better go on foot from here. The vehicle to his feet and hurried to Tardis. As he began
would only warn the others of our coming.” to scrape snow away so that he could unlock the
Five minutes later Dr Who was plodding door with his electronic key, a ray tore into a
through the snow, with Grahm at his side, and snow-bank close beside him, exploding the snow
the armed Glacian rebels spread out behind mass into a miniature blizzard.
them. Desperately Dr Who scrabbled away at the
When they came in sight of the glacier, Dr drift. Finally he was able to unlock the door.
Who gave a pleased exclamation. “Look! The He flung himself into Tardis. Panting and
snow-bridge is rebuilt! Ah good! I shall have no almost exhausted, he leaned on the control
trouble returning to my Tardis.” panel and switched on the sight-screen. What
Grahm slowed down. He appeared uneasy. he saw made him smile with satisfaction. For
“Where are the Planet Police?” he growled. Rraprro’s men were in full flight across the
“There is no sign of them. . . . I do not like it. glacier, with the Glacian rebels in pursuit, led
They may be lying in wait for us!” by Grahm.
Dr Who shrugged. “There is only one way to Wearily Dr Who wiped his face with his
find out, eh? We must press on!” He suited his handkerchief and prepared to set in motion the
actions to his words. electronic processes for his departure.
The Glacians followed as he strode briskly “Dear me!” he said aloud as he did so. “One
towards the bridge. But they walked tensely, of these days I really must invent a device that
their fingers crooked around their ray guns. will be able to think ahead and warn me of
In single file they crossed the snow-bridge. strenuous adventures like this.”
Dr Who’s Zero Boots rang on the ice as he He chuckled as he slammed home the levers.
reached the other side and began to climb back “Tt could be a kind of thought-cube,” he mused.
to where he had left Tardis. “Or should I say a ‘forethought-cube’!”
81
* START WITHA
SIX. THE FIRST
PLAYER TO REACH
THE TARDIS AND
ESCAPE FROM PLANET
X (3 THE WINNER

A GAME FOR. TWO OR MORE PLAYERS

NEEDING A DICE AND COUNTERS == ee

6/. Lost
SPACE
SAC KET
pa)ee
 . SHIPS

MOVE FORWARD
10 PLACES

BACK
TO START

rs —s
is PREHISTORIC ~
MONSTER -GO
FORWARD 7
PLACES

SIGHT ENEMY CRAFT

LAY LOW AND MISs 3 TURNS
3 ELL, it had to happen!”
Who as he recovered from the initial
shock of what he had just seen in the
seanner screen of Tardis.
“T seem to have landed ten fathoms deep!”
It was like looking into an aquarium. The
screen was alive with myriads of fish and the
colour outside was that of deep waters, green
as light behind a leaf-shadowed window.
“How tiresome!” grumbled Dr Who.
There was nothing for it but to start all over
again to set the dials and switches for another
journey through time and space. Grudgingly he
had to admit to himself that it was a very rare
stroke of ill-luck which had caused this problem.
Still, in all his strange journeys there was bound
to come one moment in a thousand when his
space-ship would emerge from intra-dimen-
sional non-space into a planetary environment
occupied by water.
 There was a wild flurry among the fish out- he recalled the true fishermen, such as those he
side, and a moment later every single one had had encountered on the planet Kandalinga.
vanished. Those beings had resembled men in some
Mildly intrigued, Dr Who stopped fingering respects, but had been covered with scales, and
the dials on his circular control panel and their lower limbs were webbed.
watched to see the cause of the panic outside. The beings now swimming towards Tardis
An enormous lobster-like creature lumbered were unmistakably men such as Dr Who him-
into view. Its humped shell was quartered in red self. True, they were garishly attired in rubber
and blue, and it carried its fighting claws in suits of multi-colours, but their faces were un-
readiness for attack. covered and he could see the features of hard-
For a few moments Dr Who thought the bitten men of action.
creature was out to attack Tardis. Before he Their leader spotted Tardis and held up a
could move the lobster’s armoured bulk was hand. The others came to an immediate halt,
filling the whole scanner lens. The next moment deploying themselves in a battle position that
Tardis rocked alarmingly as the creature spoke of well-drilled precision.
slithered over it. It was then that Dr Who noticed that each
Dr Who was tumbled to the floor, and he man was bristling with weapons. He recognised
could hear the harsh scraping of the lobster’s vibratory rifles and sonic hand pistols. But there
shell and claws against the outside of Tardis. were other weapons, which looked almost like
He got to his feet and clung to a guard rail, primitive knives or cutlasses, thrust into their
tensely awaiting a fresh assault. But it did not belts.
come. The leader, a powerfully-built man with a
Dr Who’s gaze moved to his view-screen black moustache, twisted round to give an
again—and what he saw made him stare with order to his men. As he did so Dr Who saw,
open-eyed wonder. . . . Swimming towards him crudely emblazoned on the back of his rubber
were a group of men! suit, a skull and cross bones.
For a fleeting moment he wondered if they It was an insignia which did not register
were fishermen. But he rejected the thought as immediately in his brain. He knew that he had
met with it before, on a journey to Earth, But
why did he feel a wave of panic at the sight of
itiaiae
As his mind fumbled towards the answer, his
hands were busy setting the controls for an
immediate getaway. He was working with
frantic haste, one eye on the scanner screen.
The men had fanned out now, obviously sur-
rounding Tardis, and they were behaving in a
manner which puzzled and disturbed Dr Who.
Moving with incredible speed—their frog-like
flippers almost a blur in the water—the men
appeared to be reeling out some sort of net from
black boxes slung high on their shoulders, The
strands of the net—if it was a net—were so fine
as to be invisible to the scanner’s lens.
85
 DR WHO ANNUAL

Dr Who was about to throw the last switch, Dr Who began to realise what must have hap-
the one that would cause the blue police phone- pened. The men outside had indeed caught
box to melt before their eyes, when—like a Tardis in a net, some form of force-barrier net
blinding flash—the meaning of the skull and or one that emitted charged particles.
cross bones leapt to his mind. It was the bold “Well, there seems to be nothing I can do but
insignia of pirates! wait for the pirates to take action,” said Dr
Certain now that he was dealing with lawless Who. “I certainly do not intend to step outside
men who sought to trap him, Dr Who threw the and try breathing under water as they can
switch. apparently do.”
The next moment he staggered back. His The seconds ticked by. He prowled around
gleaming control panel erupted in a fountain of inside the space-ship impatiently. Suddenly
sparks. Acrid smoke billowed out, causing him there was a lurch which almost sent him sprawl-
to cough and choke. The winking light-bulbs ing again. Then he realised from the gentle
which signalled the workings of the many intri- swaying motion that Tardis was moving. ... He
cate parts of Tardis began to blink crazily. was being towed away!
Dr Who covered his mouth with his hand- He switched on the scanner again. This time
kerchief and struggled back to the controls. the screen showed an off-angle view, first of the
With feverish haste he restored the switches to ocean bottom and then of the sea itself. The up-
normal. Immediately the sparks ceased to fly. and-down motion of this picture made Dr Who
He stared up at his scanner screen. It had feel somewhat queasy. But he could catch
gone out of order—showing only a wild zig-zag glimpses of the pirates, swimming in groups
of white lines. above. They appeared to be swimming only
with great effort, straining to pull on ropes that
were invisible to Dr Who's eyes. He guessed
that they must be towing him along in the net
with which they had neutralised his instruments.
Tardis shifted position again, and now he
could see they were approaching a huge
camouflaged dome. It looked at first like a
dormant giant whale, but it loomed larger and
larger and Dr Who could make out the jutting
outlines of radio-masts and electronic under-
water equipment.
Suddenly he saw that a square section of the
dome, close to its base, was sliding to one side.
The swimmers drew together, striking out for
the dark entrance to a tunnel.
Tardis took a roll. Dr Who clung on des-
perately to the guard-rail. There was a series of
sharp movements . . . then all was still.
Dr Who turned panting towards the screen.
Now he could see that Tardis was inside what
must surely be the underwater lair of the
pirates. An electric grab had plucked the ship
from the entrance tank and set it down on a
wide transporter-belt. With a jerk the belt came
to life, moving the time-space ship slowly up-
wards into the upper regions of the dome.
Everything gave the impression of being
stripped-down and ready for immediate action.
Squat scooter-craft were lined up ready for
launching, with mechanics working on some of
 them. Banks of underwater missiles gleamed
with polished menace from their racks.
Dr Who could not repress a chuckle. “As I
remember stories of pirates from the history of
Earth, they were an undisciplined slovenly crew
of rascals,” he smiled. “But these people seem
to be quite the opposite.” His sudden appearance caused some wild
The upward motion of Tardis ceased. The confusion. The three at the table scrambled to
conveyor belt levelled off and moved into a their feet. There were fierce cries, as guards
room which was obviously the nerve-centre of sprang forward from various parts of the room.
the pirate lair. Tardis came to rest before a In a twinkling he was the target for a dozen
wide, low metal desk of horse-shoe design. menacing weapons.
Behind it sat three men. One was small and “I am quite unarmed, gentlemen,” cried Dr
round, with podgy hands that continually flut- Who.
tered to his face as if to hide the awful scar on There was a moment of surprised silence.
one cheek. The second was a thin-faced serpent Then the tall leader said in a thin voice:
of a man, with restless eyes. But the most “How do we know?”
striking of the trio was a magnificent specimen, Dr Who offered him a smile, but it fell on
tall and graceful, dressed in a flamboyant one- stony ground. “Well, since you seem to have—
piece costume of gold-leaf, and with one half of er—netted my ship, I am hardly in any position
his left ear shot away. to offer resistance, am I, eh?”
“The pirate chief himself!” murmured Dr The man in gold came round the table. He
Who. “Well, I had better go out and make his moved with a grace and poise that Dr Who
acquaintance!” could not help admiring, but on closer inspec-
He switched off the screen. A quick check of tion there was a cruel set to his lips and his
his instruments proved satisfactory. Dr Who eyes were like ice-blue chips.
Sepicked up his cane and went out through the This, Dr Who told himself with certainty,
great door. must definitely be the pirate chief.
87
 DR WHO ANNUAL

The man walked slowly around Tardis. grunted Dr Who, putting on a convincing show
Nobody uttered a sound. of pushing at it.
Dr Who was now able to observe that he, The Pirate Chief shoved him roughly aside.
like all his followers, had gilled openings at the Without a word he wrenched at the door.
back of the ears. It explained why these men Frowning, he turned towards the guards: “Give
were able to live and breathe without masks in me an axe!” he snapped.
the water, for they had been adapted—either by Dr Who said mildly: “I say, it’s really no
evolution or by surgery—for life below the sea. use trying to break down the door. You see
Probably, thought Dr Who, they also had salt there is a force-field ——”
water in their veins. “Silence!” The other cut him off swiftly. He
The Pirate Chief had finished his inspection snatched the axe which one of the pirates
of the unusual ‘loot’ which his men had brought handed to him. It carved a silver are over his
back. There was a mirthless smile on his face head’as he brought it down... .
now. The next moment he was dancing around,
“This is your space-ship?” he drawled, stand- nursing his injured hands while the axe was
ing directly in front of his prisoner. spinning into a corner of the room.
Dr Who sighed inwardly. It was his recurring Once more Dr Who was the target for every
problem how to explain that this simple-looking weapon in the room. The situation was prob-
wooden box, with its flashing blue lamp on top, ably the most delicate in his whole fantastic
was in reality a craft which, resolved into a career. His very life hung on the finest of thread
looser pattern of atoms and electrons, could be at this moment.
transferred instantaneously to any point in “Well, I did try to warn you about the force-
space and any moment in time. field!” he pointed out.
Lamely he said: “I am a traveller—in space The other’s ice-blue eyes bored into him in
and time. . .. My Tardis happened to material- cold fury. “I will give you just one minute to
ise at the bottom of the sea, and your men open that door!” he snarled, “One minute—or
apparently mistook it for some sort of treasure- else you die!”
chest.” Dr Who shrugged. “That is impossible!” he
There was a brief silence. Then a low chuckle said. “The lock is electronically operated, and
broke from the lips of the Pirate Chief. It was apparently the tumblers have become dislodged
taken up by his henchmen, and then by the by the shaking your men subjected my ship to
guards, until it had swelled into a roar of when they dragged it here in their net!”
derisive laughter. The Pirate Chief turned and walked back to
“Ho!” spluttered the little fat man. “Treasure his seat at the desk. Everyone relaxed. The
indeed! Well, let’s see what’s in the box, eh?” moment of crisis was receding. The three
Dr Who made a quick decision. If these leaders put their heads together and discussed
ruthless men once discovered the secrets that the situation in whispers.
lay within Tardis, he might count his own life The Chief looked up at last. “You need tools
of little worth. At all costs he must keep them to repair the lock?”
guessing. The words planted a fully formed plan in Dr
He took a brisk step towards his craft. “Very Who’s mind. “Yes. I need one special tool.
well! Let me show you around!” he said. Have you a Renticular Celluprime, Number
The instant his back was towards the pirates, Two?”
he slipped his electronic key into the lock. So Tt sounded splendid, tripping off his tongue
that while he appeared to be struggling to open like that. But he had no more idea what it
the door, he was actually locking it. Inwardly meant than had the pirates. He had made the
he was congratulating himself for his foresight name up on the spur of the moment.
in switching on the force-field which would pro- The Pirate Chief frowned. The others
tect Tardis from rough handling. shrugged, mystified.
“What’s the matter? Why don’t you open the The Chief thumbed a switch on the desk, and
door?” said the thin leader. spoke into an invisible microphone. The answer
“Dear me! I—I can’t seem to get it open,” he received did nothing to improve his temper.
88
 TEN FATHOM PIRATES

He slammed the desk with his fist. “Is this some He punched another button, and the picture
trick? My experts have never heard of such a changed.
tool.” Now Dr Who was looking at an astonishing
Dr Who raised his eyebrows. His face building: needle-shaped, it soared into a deep
mirrored astonishment. violet-hued sky. And on its very tip rose a
“Never heard of a Renticular Celluprime? slender column which supported a glittering
But—but—t is an essential tool for tracing the globe of silver and glass or plastic.
recall memory traits of any of the advanced “Secretariat building,” said the pirate.
type electronic tumbler locks, such as this one “Somewhere up top there they’ve got Vark and
on my ship.” Gramz and half a dozen of our men.”
The frustrated pirates glowered at him. A bell rang. The guard switched off the screen
Another whispered conference followed. Then and grabbed his gun. “March!” he commanded.
the Chief said: “You will come with us when The sea-scooter was in the entrance tank, its
we attack the Shore. We're going into the two-man crew waiting for Dr Who to climb
Secretariat building to rescue some of our aboard. He stepped gingerly down into the
men who have been captured. Up there they've flimsy, pear-shaped craft. As he settled into the
got every kind of tool. We'll find the one you middle seat, a shadow fell across the scooter,
want.” and he saw the Chief looking down. He had
This was a rather alarming development, un- donned a rubber suit to lead his motley crew on
forseen by Dr Who. He began to protest: “But, their foray, but was easily distinguishable as
see here, I don’t want to be involved in one of their leader both by his height and by a close-
your piratical affrays. |won’t——” fitting helmet of gold. The skull and cross bones
“You will do whatever I say!” thundered the on his chest were in gold too.
Chief, on his feet and pounding the table. He Dr Who wondered how the insignia came to
motioned angrily to the guards. “Take him be on this planet. Was it perhaps that they had
away. Give him food. Then get a sea-scooter sent an expedition to Earth, and that this was a
ready.” legend borrowed from the tales they brought
Dr Who was marched away to a long, low back? Or had some swashbuckling Space Age
room which was obviously the mess-hall for the buccaneers from Earth emigrated to this planet
pirate crew. A barrel-chested man with a bald when things became too hot?
head and the skull and cross bones tattoed on He became aware that the Chief was speak-
his arms stood over the prisoner as he ate con- ing to the pirates in the scooter. “Your task is to
centrated sea-food. get to the store-room with the prisoner,” he
Dr Who did not relish the meal, but he forced tapped. “Let him select the tool he needs, then
himself to eat, for he could see that he would return to the scooter and head for base. . . . No
need all his strength to extricate himself from looting, you understand? And no trying to join
his present plight. in the fighting.”
Wiping the corners of his mouth with his The two men nodded sullenly. “Oh, and one
handkerchief, he asked his guard: “Are you more thing,” added the Chief. “If the prisoner
allowed to tell me what the Shore is, and what tries to raise an alarm, or tries to escape—kill
is this Secretariat building we shall be—er— him!”
visiting?” As their chief turned away, the pirates
The other shrugged, and motioned towards a slammed down the domed, transparent top of
view-screen built into the wall. He punched a the scooter. In another moment they were dart-
key and the screen glowed into life. Periscope ing out of the exit-tube. The adventure had
TV cameras showed a bizarre coastline of bold begun... .
red cliffs. Beyond them rose the sharp peaks of Dr Who found the journey exhilarating. The
conical hills, blue and bleak and barren of any restless green of the deep waters changed to a
kind of vegetation. muted azure as they drifted upwards. The end-
“That's the Shore!” grunted the pirate. “And less panorama of marine life darting around
that’s why we prefer to live down here, The the craft was a source of great excitement to
landlubbers are welcome to dry land.” him.
89
 OgQAr
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His keen scientific mind turned to considera-

tion of the pirates’ underwater base. He decided
to try out his guards. He chose the pilot, who
was crammed into a bucket seat with his control
bar and instruments before him and a wide
screen looking forward.
“That base of yours—aren’t you afraid it
might be discovered?” began Dr Who.
The pilot answered without looking over his
shoulder. “You don’t think we stay in one place,
waiting to be discovered, do you?”
“Well—er—I didn’t imagine a huge struc-
ture like that could be moved without a great
deal of trouble,” pondered Dr Who.
The other glanced round sharply then. “Are
you laughing at me?”
 TEN FATHOM PIRATES

“No, no! I assure you I am not!” said Dr Whump of a high-powered shot beneath his
Who. “But I wish you would tell me how it can feet, and he glimpsed a quicksilver shape slip
be moved.” away, and then a second one, travelling in the
The pirate behind chipped in; “Have you opposite direction.
never heard of a drive unit that uses a con- Relieved of some weight, the scooter spiralled
trolled hydrogen fusion process to produce upwards.
steam jets?” “Stand by!” said the pilot.
There was a warning shout from the pilot: The next moment they had emerged into the
“Hold on!” He threw his weight on the control twilight upper world of the planet. Apparently
bar. The craft heeled over, and its occupants they were in some kind of river, close in to the
were flattened against the wall. bank and sheltered by a metal bridge which
When he had pulled out of the swerve, the leapt the stream like a silver dart.
pilot snapped: “They've got sonic feelers out. The two pirates were on the bank in an
Just look at the warning light!” instant, and hauling at Dr Who as he prepared
“Shall I shoot them a helio and mix them up to step ashore.
a bit?” asked his partner. “T am quite capable of alighting by myself!”
“Let them have two—in opposite directions. protested Dr Who.
That will draw them off completely, and give us “Hurry!” snapped the pilot. He was a small
time to sneak in,” said the pilot. man with a chalk-white face. He waved a
Dr Who craned his neck to see what kind of wicked-looking gun under the prisoner’s nose.
decoys they were referring to. He felt the solid Dr Who swallowed his irritation, He followed
the others’ example, bending low and running
cautiously along past the bridge.
 DR WHO ANNUAL

Ahead of him Dr Who saw the soaring the Landlubber’s gun. The two grappled to-
splinter of metallic structure which balanced the gether, swaying about and knocking over
lofty Secretariat building. shelves.
There were Landlubber guards everywhere— Dr Who saw his chance and took it. Bold-
tall ramrod figures in blue toga-like uniforms ness, he decided, was the best course now.
and feathered helmets. With all the nonchalance he could muster, he
But the two pirates were always one move strolled out past the pirates guarding the hi-
ahead of the opposition. The muzzles of their lifter. He stepped outside, expecting to feel the
stun-guns flickered again and again. They ran searing burn of a shot between his shoulder-
on, leaving the tall figures frozen in whatever blades. But he found himself free.
statue-like pose they had been caught. He began to run back the way he had come.
Now the trio were inside the broad base of As he did so he heard the swelling impact of
the tower. sonic explosions behind him. Apparently the
Dr Who saw that the main body of the pirates pirates’ sneak-attack had misfired. Glancing
had already arrived. Frozen guards stood all back he saw the great ball of the Secretariat
around. Two pirates stood guard on the erupting with flash and fire.
entrance to the hi-lifter which provided the link He came to the bridge. He ran past it, hoping
with the building far above. fervently that he would find the sea-scooter
The pilot thrust Dr Who rudely towards a unharmed.
door. “Come on!” he snapped. For a moment he failed to ‘find it. Then he
They slipped through the door, which opened saw it, half hidden by clumps of barren stalks.
automatically at their approach. A room As he climbed aboard and pulled the cover
packed with equipment and shelves lay beyond. down, he was hoping that he could remember
This was the store-room, and Dr Who’s heart how the pilot had handled the craft.
sank as he saw that the second pirate was check- He ran his eye over the controls. His scien-
ing the electro-filing system to locate the tific brain made a rapid assessment of the
imaginary tool he had requested, various switches and dials.
“What was the name of that tool again?” “Ah yes! Nothing very complicated here!” he
demanded the pirate, turning with a frown. murmured,
Dr Who hoped he could remember it cor- He pressed a switch and the motors came to
rectly. “A—er—a Renticular Celluprime, Num- life. At the same moment there was a tre-
ber Two,” he answered. mendous roar and the ground trembled. He
The man from the sea re-checked the file. An stared back at the Secretariat building. It was
ugly look came over his face. “There is no such a mass of searing light. For a few seconds that
tool listed!” he said. enormous globe, so intricately engineered, tot-
“What do you say?” snapped the pilot. He tered on its springing tower. Then it slowly
pushed his companion aside and ran his fingers toppled off, and began to plunge directly to-
over the flickering dials. . . . wards the bridge.
Dr Who edged towards the door. Suddenly With frantic haste Dr Who turned the scooter
he spotted a Landlubber guard creeping to- into mid-stream and pressed the controls to
wards the pirates. Fortunately both men were submerge. ...
too intent on Dr Who to notice the enemy’s The sea-scooter submerged not a moment too
approach. soon. The wreckage of the shattered building
“He’s right! There is no such tool!” said the hit the bridge and sprayed the surface of the
pilot. Both piraies lifted their weapons towards river with flaming wreckage.
Dr Who. Dr Who felt the scooter thrown about by the
“Possibly it is listed under another name,” shock of the vibrations. He clung to the steering
began Dr Who desperately. bar. ...
The pilot opened his mouth to reply. Sud- Then he was in clear water and he knew that
denly he shivered. With his mouth still open, he had reached the sea. He went deeper.
he slid to the floor. The second pirate leapt But now there was another problem: how to
aside, just in time to avoid the next shot from find the pirates’ lair again. He searched the ship
 TEN FATHOM PIRATES

for a map, or some instructions. He found face that fellow. I imagine he must be very
nothing. annoyed.”
He had slumped despondently in the pilot’s His sight-screen proved that he was right. It
seat again, when he spotted a small black instru- showed the pirate almost dancing with fury,
ment tucked under the main panel. It was shaking his fists and voicing his threats as he
stamped with the skull and cross bones. In a found his weapon of no avail against the ‘box
flash Dr Who guessed that it was a homing of treasure’.
device. Then the screen showed only the grey of
He threw the switch. Immediately the scooter the intra-dimensional flux. Dr Who could not
went into a controlled course, veering diagonally repress a cheer.
away from the course which Dr Who had been “Everything is all right again!” he smiled,
following. locking the controls and mopping his brow.
He settled back in his seat with a chuckle of “But this must definitely be a lesson to me. I
relief. should never go anywhere without a Renticular
“A very useful little device!” he murmured. Celluprime, Number Two!”
“Apparently all I have to do is sit here and
wait... . Well, that gives me time to plan how
I can get inside Tardis when we reach the base.”
It was not long before the dark shape of the
seabed citadel loomed up ahead of the scooter.
The craft slipped inside and surfaced in the
tank. Dr Who climbed out, fully expecting to
hear shouts of alarm. But only the hum of
motors sounded in that strange place.
The whole base seemed deserted. Apparently
most of the pirates had gone to the Shore. But
somewhere, Dr Who knew, there must be a
guard or two knocking about.
He found his way to the big room with the
desk in it. Tardis stood as he had left it. Scarcely
able to believe his good luck he hurried to the
door and slipped the electronic key into the
lock.
“Stop!”
A bull-like roar made him glance round. The
tattooed guard was scowling at Dr Who. His
powerful hands held a ray gun.
Dr Who weighed his chances. He felt the
door of Tardis move under his hands. . . .
“Tt is all right, my friend,” he said, forcing a
smile. “We found the right tool... . Ask your
Chief—he’s right behind you.”
It was an old trick; but on this planet, per-
haps, it was a new one. At any rate it worked.
The pirate glanced over his shoulder.
Dr Who flung himself inside Tardis. He
rushed to the control panel, pressed the buttons
that would close the door against the pirate
outside.
“Goodness gracious me!” he gasped as he set
the controls. “I only hope this is going to work.
I should hate to have to step outside again and
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