Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters by Malcolm Hulke Page A

the caves, people out to do harm to England.
    All at once he pulled away the bandages from his head, ripped off the sling holding his battered arm, and got out of bed. They hadn’t taken his clothes away, thank goodness. He found them in a cupboard, and quickly put them on. In fear they had taken his keys, he felt the right-hand pocket of his jacket. But he was in luck: his precious keys were still there. He quietly slipped out of the room, down the sick-bay corridor into one of the main parts of the research centre. A UNIT soldier passed him, but they both nodded to each other, the soldier not realising that this was Major Barker.
    Fortunately, there was no guard on the gun cupboard. Barker undid the lock, opened the cupboard and selected an FN .303 and cartridges to match. Then he went along to the lift. This would be the tricky bit. But again he was in luck. The lift was in the ‘down’ position, its doors wide open. He walked in, pressed the button marked ‘surface’, and within a few seconds stepped out into the clean Derbyshire air above. Here there was a guard, one of the UNIT men. The soldier stepped forward.
    ‘Beg your pardon, sir,’ the soldier said, ‘but where are you taking that rifle?’
    Major Barker didn’t hesitate. ‘I’m chief security officer here,’ he said, telling the absolute truth, then following it with a terrible lie. ‘Your Brigadier has got trouble on his hands at a nearby farmstead. He radio’d in for me to go and help him, and said I should be armed.’
    The soldier looked uncertain. ‘Well, sir, he should have let me know. I’m only new here. Have you got an identity card?’
    ‘Of course I have,’ said Barker, ‘and very correct of you to ask for it. Hold my rifle a moment.’ Barker thrust the rifle into the surprised soldier’s hands, as though he needed both hands free to find his identity card. He patted his pockets, then gave the soldier a big smile. ‘How silly of me. I’ve got it in the pocket of another jacket.’The soldier smiled back, and offered Barker his rifle. Barker seemed about to take it, then quickly hit the soldier on the chin. The soldier fell first to his knees, then collapsed completely. Barker took back his rifle, hurried over to his car, got into it, and drove at break-neck speed down the twisting rough lane to the main road. Once on the main road he swerved off towards the main opening of the cave. He grabbed a torch from the car’s glove pocket, loaded his rifle, and hurried into the cave.
    Once inside the cave he started to call his challenge to the enemy. ‘If you are real men, come out shooting!’ He stopped, and listened. The only sound was the persistent drip-drip of water. Barker plunged on further into the caves, flashing his torch, his rifle always at the ready. He stopped again. ‘I know you hate England. But there are some true patriots around, people who love their country. Surrender now and you will all get a just trial!’ He listened. Again nothing but the drip-drip of distant water.
    ‘I know you’re here!’ he shouted. ‘I got one of you yesterday! He was foolish, didn’t do what I told him. But I’ll give you all a chance if you’ll reveal yourselves!’
    Silence.
    Major Barker took another step forward. ‘All right, then I shall kill every one of you…’ His words ended in a terrible scream. A metal trellis had sprung up from the soft sand, trapping both his ankles. He looked down almost in tears, afraid that his feet would be cut off. Then he heard them coming to get him. He flashed his torch wildly, and saw lizard-like faces advancing towards him.

    ‘It’s no good dressing up in those funny clothes,’ he screamed. ‘Fancy-dress isn’t going to save you.’
    Fumbling with the bolt of the rifle, he raised it and took aim at a lizard face. The third eye of the lizard face suddenly glowed a brilliant red, and Major Barker felt his rifle knocked from his hands.
    ‘All right,’ he screamed as they finally