the black ash of what had been the store-room door, and drawing pictures on the wall. The same pictures of animals and men.’ He drew a deep breath, then slowly got to his feet. ‘Well, since the meeting’s over, I’d better get back to the cottage,’ he said and went to the door. ‘Tell me, Doctor, have you any idea why these people draw pictures on the wall?’
‘I think it’s got something to do with race-memory,’ said the Doctor. ‘There was a time when Man was very weak and always at the mercy of the same terrible enemy, just as mice are always afraid of cats.’
Dr Meredith looked rather uncertain about that idea. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘it’s something I’ve never met with in the medical textbooks before. Any idea how I should cope?’
‘Tender, loving care,’ said the Doctor. ‘I believe that’s the correct nursing term.’
Dr Meredith smiled. ‘Yes, indeed,’ he said. ‘When in doubt, TLC.’ He left the office.
‘Well,’ said Liz, ‘that seems to settle that.’
‘That,’ said the Doctor, ‘seems to settle what?’
‘The Brigadier is going to call in lots more troops,’ said Liz. ‘He’ll invade the caves and find out what’s really there. Then we can all go home.’
‘You can go where you like,’ said the Doctor, ‘but I’m going to go into those caves before we have a major war on our hands.’
‘What do you hope to do there?’
‘Make peaceful contact with whatever is in there,’ the Doctor said, and rose to go.
Liz also got up. ‘All right. Then we go together.’
‘Oh no,’ said the Doctor. ‘I think this is something I have to do on my own, thank you.’
‘Doctor,’ said Liz, stopping him in his tracks with the tone of her voice, ‘if the Brigadier knew you were going into those caves he’d stop you.’
‘No one’s going to tell him,’ said the Doctor.
‘I am,’ said Liz, ‘unless I’m going with you.’
‘You realise this is blackmail,’ he said.
‘That’s right,’ she said. ‘We started this together, so let’s finish it together.’
The Doctor shook his head in despair. ‘Since I have no alternative,’ he said, and then smiled, ‘let’s go and find some monsters.’
*
The Doctor and Liz went along the main passageway of the caves leading from the entrance. The Doctor paused, pulled from his pocket papers he had taken from Dr Quinn’s office. He opened up a folded paper to reveal a crudely drawn map. Liz shone her torch on it. The Doctor pointed his finger to an X which Dr Quinn had marked on the map. ‘That, presumably, is where we’ve got to make for,’ he said.
‘All right,’ said Liz, ‘let’s go.’ She shone her torch back to the route ahead of them, then noticed something on the cave floor glint in the light of the torch. The Doctor also noticed it, went and picked it up and inspected it.
‘A cartridge from an FN .303 rifle,’ said the Doctor. He held it close to his nose and sniffed. ‘Recently fired.’
Liz shone her torch around on the floor. ‘Look, there’s another one, and another! The FN .303 is what UNIT uses.’
‘Yes, I know,’ said the Doctor. ‘But they haven’t been down here for some time. I wonder if it could have been our elusive Major Barker?…’
‘Well, anyway,’ said Liz, ‘let’s find the point marked X on the map.’ She took a step forward, but the Doctor suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
‘That sand there,’ he said, pointing, ‘it’s a little too smooth.’ He looked around, found a small rock and threw it at the sand. The trellis-like man-trap sprung up from the smoothed sand, crushing the piece of rock. ‘He came down here,’ said the Doctor, ‘got himself trapped in that thing and tried to shoot it out.’
Liz looked in horror at the man-trap. ‘You think we can make peaceful contact with these monsters, Doctor?’
‘I think we have got to,’ he said. ‘Now come on.’
They skirted round the man-trap and continued deeper in the cave. For
‘I think it’s got something to do with race-memory,’ said the Doctor. ‘There was a time when Man was very weak and always at the mercy of the same terrible enemy, just as mice are always afraid of cats.’
Dr Meredith looked rather uncertain about that idea. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘it’s something I’ve never met with in the medical textbooks before. Any idea how I should cope?’
‘Tender, loving care,’ said the Doctor. ‘I believe that’s the correct nursing term.’
Dr Meredith smiled. ‘Yes, indeed,’ he said. ‘When in doubt, TLC.’ He left the office.
‘Well,’ said Liz, ‘that seems to settle that.’
‘That,’ said the Doctor, ‘seems to settle what?’
‘The Brigadier is going to call in lots more troops,’ said Liz. ‘He’ll invade the caves and find out what’s really there. Then we can all go home.’
‘You can go where you like,’ said the Doctor, ‘but I’m going to go into those caves before we have a major war on our hands.’
‘What do you hope to do there?’
‘Make peaceful contact with whatever is in there,’ the Doctor said, and rose to go.
Liz also got up. ‘All right. Then we go together.’
‘Oh no,’ said the Doctor. ‘I think this is something I have to do on my own, thank you.’
‘Doctor,’ said Liz, stopping him in his tracks with the tone of her voice, ‘if the Brigadier knew you were going into those caves he’d stop you.’
‘No one’s going to tell him,’ said the Doctor.
‘I am,’ said Liz, ‘unless I’m going with you.’
‘You realise this is blackmail,’ he said.
‘That’s right,’ she said. ‘We started this together, so let’s finish it together.’
The Doctor shook his head in despair. ‘Since I have no alternative,’ he said, and then smiled, ‘let’s go and find some monsters.’
*
The Doctor and Liz went along the main passageway of the caves leading from the entrance. The Doctor paused, pulled from his pocket papers he had taken from Dr Quinn’s office. He opened up a folded paper to reveal a crudely drawn map. Liz shone her torch on it. The Doctor pointed his finger to an X which Dr Quinn had marked on the map. ‘That, presumably, is where we’ve got to make for,’ he said.
‘All right,’ said Liz, ‘let’s go.’ She shone her torch back to the route ahead of them, then noticed something on the cave floor glint in the light of the torch. The Doctor also noticed it, went and picked it up and inspected it.
‘A cartridge from an FN .303 rifle,’ said the Doctor. He held it close to his nose and sniffed. ‘Recently fired.’
Liz shone her torch around on the floor. ‘Look, there’s another one, and another! The FN .303 is what UNIT uses.’
‘Yes, I know,’ said the Doctor. ‘But they haven’t been down here for some time. I wonder if it could have been our elusive Major Barker?…’
‘Well, anyway,’ said Liz, ‘let’s find the point marked X on the map.’ She took a step forward, but the Doctor suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
‘That sand there,’ he said, pointing, ‘it’s a little too smooth.’ He looked around, found a small rock and threw it at the sand. The trellis-like man-trap sprung up from the smoothed sand, crushing the piece of rock. ‘He came down here,’ said the Doctor, ‘got himself trapped in that thing and tried to shoot it out.’
Liz looked in horror at the man-trap. ‘You think we can make peaceful contact with these monsters, Doctor?’
‘I think we have got to,’ he said. ‘Now come on.’
They skirted round the man-trap and continued deeper in the cave. For
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