The Ice Warriors by Brian Hayles Page A

exclaimed – then, wincing, spoke more quietly, though still with urgency. ‘Where is he?’
    ‘Gone. And he’s taken Victoria with him.’
    ‘But why?’ asked Clent. ‘Why here? They’d already escaped once!’ His hand went tentatively to his skull, and gently fingered the scalp wound. ‘He hit me with a power pack.’
    The Doctor looked thoughtful. Almost absent-mindedly, he helped Clent to his feet. But his brain was working furiously.
    ‘A power pack…’ he mused aloud. ‘Like the one that Arden used to unfreeze him?’
    Clent nodded – then wished he hadn’t, as the dizzying pain made his head swim again. He steadied himself, then pointed towards the wreckage of the overturned cupboard.
    ‘Those. But why?’ He groaned. ‘What’s that creature up to – and what made it come back here to Base?’
    ‘My dear chap,’ observed the Doctor drily, ‘I think you’ll find it never actually left in the first place.’ He looked thoughtfully about the room. ‘He must’ve stayed hidden while we set up the security search, then waited for his opportunity when the alarm was cancelled.’ He looked hard at Clent. ‘This Ice Warrior isn’t a fool, Clent. He’s clever. And he didn’t intend to leave here empty-handed either!’
    ‘You mean he took the girl as a hostage?’
    Before the Doctor could tell Clent of the fear that was in his mind, the doors burst open and Miss Garrett entered. Her face looked tense. Close behind her came Arden and Jamie, both now dressed for their journey to the ice face. They stopped short at the sight of Clent and the wrecked laboratory.
    ‘Leader Clent, what has happened?’ demanded Jan, hurrying towards him. ‘Are you all right?’
    ‘I was attacked by that confounded ice-age monster of yours, Arden!’ The pain in his head forced him to control his anger, but his voice was harsh. ‘I want it found – immediately! And captured!’
    Jan looked in dismay towards Arden, then faced Clent bravely. ‘We’ve just had a report from the outer perimeter,’ she said. ‘The… creature has smashed its way out – and it’s got the girl.’
    ‘If we go now we can soon catch up with it!’ exclaimed Jamie. ‘But they won’t let us without your say-so.’
    ‘If you’d got ready when I told you—’ rasped Clent, but Arden quickly cut in to defend the Scots lad.
    ‘We’ve prepared ourselves as quickly as we could, Clent! If we’d been any quicker, we’d have got outside
before
the creature.’
    ‘It’s heading for the glacier, I’d say,’ said the Doctor, ‘and it’s taken at least one power pack with it – and, of course, Victoria.’
    ‘A power pack?’ asked Jamie. ‘What for?’
    It was Arden who offered the solution that had already crossed the Doctor’s mind. ‘He’s going to try and bring the others back to life!’ His eyes blazed with excitement. ‘There are others like him up there – there must be!’
    ‘Arden,’ interrupted Clent coldly, ‘you were given the task of establishing the presence of an alien energy unit – not a menagerie! And I would prefer positive facts,’ he added cuttingly, ‘not schoolboy speculation!’
    ‘Then what are we waiting for?’ demanded Jamie restlessly. ‘Let’s go!’
    ‘Not until dawn breaks, lad,’ said Arden. ‘It won’t be long,’ he added, seeing the dismay on the boy’s face.
    ‘Stalking the Ice Warrior by night’d be impossible, Jamie,’ the Doctor pointed out. ‘He’s no fool—’
    ‘But he’s got Victoria!’ protested Jamie fiercely.
    ‘As a hostage, lad,’ insisted the Doctor patiently. ‘He wouldn’t hump her all the way to the glacier if she wasn’t going to be useful in some way, would he?’
    ‘Then you reckon she’ll be safe?’ Even when the reassurance came from the Doctor, Jamie wasn’t entirely convinced. But in the circumstances, it looked as though he had no choice.
    ‘Of course,’ replied the Doctor, forcing himself to sound cheerful. ‘Now that all your gear