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Tarpok looked up as Scibus approached.
“Are we ready to leave?” came the distortedly pitched tone, sounding in
time with a flashing red eye extending from the top of his scaly head.
“Almost,” came the deeper reply, “We only need to test the Myrka and
then we can leave for the tomb of our Sea Devil brothers.”
Icthar entered the room, and hearing the last of the conversation
crossed steadily to them.
“Where is the Myrka now?” he asked
.
“It is in the testing zone.” replied Tarpok
“And the base will not be able to detect it?” countered the aging
leader.
“No. It is a sufficient distance away.”
“Then activate the weapons. Test the Myrka,” commanded Icthar
“Yes, leader,” came the obedient response.
In the murky depths of the ocean, a huge creature roamed aimlessly. It
had been attracted by a sonic pulse that had now stopped. The creature,
with its gigantic body and terrifying physique, was not to be reckoned
with. The Myrka’s long, almost elegant, barbed tail swept through the
water, propelling it along swiftly. Its body was like that of a large
snake, but with a wide torso and four stumpy protrusions on the
underside. The head was more akin to that of a prehistoric creature than
a modern reptile and it clearly dominated the waters.
There was a hissing. The Myrka looked about, unable to detect the source
of the disturbance. Investigating, it swam over to a pile of rocks,
fangs bared, when suddenly it felt the vibrations of the water change.
Suddenly, it found the source of the hissing and The Myrka’s large,
slanted eyes widened with shock. Racing through the water was a scaled
brown tube and it was heading right for the creature. It impacted upon
the thick, rubbery skin of the sea monster, but no discernible damage
was caused. The Myrka writhed, clearly angered by this attack from the
unknown predator.
In the safety of the Silurians’ base, Icthar watched on a smaller
screen. If it was possible for him to show satisfaction, he was showing
it now.
“Report!” he demanded.
“No damage sustained, leader,” came Tarpok’s response.
“Excellent, Tarpok. Scibus, launch the next experiment.”
“Yes, Icthar,” his red eye flashing menacingly with each syllable.
In the deep, The Myrka looked about, but there was nothing and no-one.
Its eyes narrowed even further, the slits almost shut now. The creature
felt a large shaking as another attack was inevitably launched.
Determined to be prepared this time, its eyes darted furiously about the
surrounding waters, looking for any sign of movement. Still nothing.
The creature’s huge body twisted and turned as it tried to hunt its
hunter, but it was to no avail. Just then, it spotted a bright light
fizzing up from the seabed. A sphere shone like a spark, little
offshoots of energy splintering across the rocks below. The Myrka seemed
to scream, and turned away. It pawed blindly at the sparkler, head still
turned.
“Increase optics.” came Icthar’s voice, and Scibus duly slid an organic
green slider to its maximum.
The brightness grew stronger and with a flash, The Myrka’s arm was
ripped off with a small explosion. It screamed and writhed, now being
forced to face its attacker. But all it saw was the bright white light.
All the water had been consumed by this light, and there was no escape.
The Myrka tried to get out, away from the pain, but there was no relief.
After a few seconds, it became too much for the creature. Inside the
monster’s eye, the retina seemed to burn to ashes. The brain appeared to
shut down, and the once magnificent creature flopped and sank to the
seabed.
“Deactivate optical experiment.”
“Yes, leader.” Scibus slid his control and the sphere disappeared from
view in the murky green.
“Is it... dead?” asked Icthar, a hint of malice in his voice now.
“Yes, leader.” Tarpok delivered the bad news.
“Do we have a substitute?”
“Yes. It has been tested before and is susceptible only to small bursts
of optical energy.”
“It can withstand everything else? It can function on dry land as
requested?”
“Yes.” came the definitive reply of Icthar’s subordinate. “However, it
is a lot smaller and has been misshapen as a result of our
experimentation.”
“As long as it can eradicate humans, it is fit for our purposes. It is
better that the other test subject fail now than when we need it most in
battle.”
“Yes, leader. A very wise observation.” agreed Tarpok
“We will now proceed to the tomb of our Sea Devil brothers.”
“Very good, Icthar. Our craft is waiting.”
Icthar walked over to a jagged rocky port in the wall and proceeded
through.
Tarpok and Scibus looked to each other, exchanged thoughts through their
expressions, and then followed. The port closed, rocks forming across
the gap and the craft set off.
© Copyright Dave Spilsbury, Ian
Nicholson & Doctor Who Online, 2012.
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Written by:
Dave Spilsbury
Artwork by:
Ian Nicholson
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