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     Ghosts

        of

      India

    MARK MORRIS

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2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Published in 2008 by BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing.

Ebury Publishing is a division of the Random House Group Ltd.

© Mark Morris, 2008

Mark Morris has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work inaccordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

Doctor Who is a BBC Wales production for BBC One Executive Producers:Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner Series Producer: Phil Collinson

Original series broadcast on BBC Television. Format © BBC 1963. `DoctorWho', `TARDIS' and the Doctor Who logo are trademarks of the British

Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permissionof the copyright owner.

The Random House Group Ltd Reg. No. 954009. Addresses for companies

within the Random House Group can be found at

www.randomhouse.co.uk.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 846 07559 9

The Random House Group Limited supports the Forest Stewardship Council(FSC), the leading international forest certification organisation. All our titlesthat are printed on Greenpeace approved FSC certified paper carry the FSClogo. Our paper procurement policy can be found at

www.rbooks.co.uk/environment

Series Consultant: Justin Richards Project Editor: Steve Tribe Cover design byLee Binding © BBC 2008

Typeset in Albertina and Deviant Strain Printed and bound in Germany by GGP

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Media GmbH

             For Nel, for everything

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    `Where now?' the Doctor said. He was like a kid at a

    funfair, trying to decide which ride to go on next. He

    stood poised, waggling his fingers, his face glowing green

    in the light from the TARDIS console.

       Donna thought he looked like a string bean in a blue

    suit. A string bean with trainers and sticky-out hair.

       `Dunno about you,' she said, `but I could do with a

    breather.'

       `A breather!' he said, aghast.

       `Yeah, we're not all Martians, you know. Us humans

    need a little sit down and a nice cup of tea every so often.'

    All at once her eyes widened. `You know what I'd really

    like?'

       `Astonish me.'

       `A curry.'

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    `A curry?'

    `Yeah, I could murder a curry. I'm starving.'

    The Doctor looked at her as if she was a prize pupilwho had handed in a sub-standard piece of work. Theninspiration struck him, and he was off again, bouncinground the console, slapping and poking and twiddlingthings.

    `Curry, curry, curry,' he muttered. `If I can just... yep,there we go.' The grinding bellow of the TARDIS'sengines started up and the Doctor straightened with a grin.

    `Donna,' he said, `prepare yourself for a tastesensation.'

    In a narrow alley between two tenement blocks, dustbegan to swirl. The trumpeting groan of ancient enginesrose out of nowhere, and as they built to a crescendo thefaded outline of an old blue London police box began tosolidify. No one saw the box arrive except for a famishedyellow cat, which ran for its life. For a few seconds thebox stood, immobile and impossible, dust settling aroundit. Then the door flew open and the Doctor sprang out, stillin his blue suit and trainers, and now also wearing a redplastic sun visor on a piece of black elastic.

    `Come on, Donna,' he shouted. `You were the one whocouldn't wait to stuff your face.'

    `And you were the one who said I should dress for ahot climate,' she retorted, emerging from the TARDIS in aflowery long-sleeved sundress, sandals and a wide-brimmed hat. She looked around. `Where are we?'

    `Calcutta,' he said, `1937. Brilliant city, full of bustleand colour. Still ruled by the British Raj, but it's the heart

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of India. Centre of education, science, culture, politics--'

    `What's that smell?'

    She was wrinkling her nose. The Doctor sniffed the air.`That,' he said, `is the scent of burning cow dung.Bellisimo. Come on.'

    He strode off, Donna hurrying to catch up. She lookedaround at the shabby tenements with their peeling shuttersand corrugated iron roofs. The ground was hard-packedearth. Flies buzzed around her head.

    `Not exactly salubrious round here,' she said.

    `Well, we don't want to be ostentatious. Don't want tofrighten the goats.'

    He grinned and she smiled back, linking her arm withhis.

    `So where you taking me?'

    `Select little eatery. Belongs to an old mate of mine Kam Bajaj. Helped him out once with an infestation ofJakra worms.'

    `Wouldn't have thought pest control was your kind ofthing,' Donna said.

    The Doctor shot her one of his sidelong, raised-eyebrow looks. `Jakra worms are from the BrissConstellation. They're eight-foot-long carnivores. Imaginea Great White Shark sticking out of a hairy wind sock andyou've pretty much got it. Anyway, old Kam said any timeI fancied a free dinner...'

    `Oh, charming,' said Donna. `Cheap date, am I?'

    `That's one advantage, yeah,' the Doctor said,smirking, `but the food is out of this world. Macher jholthat melts in your mouth, beguni to die for, kati roll,

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phuchka. And the puddings... caramba! Rasagolla,sandesh, mishti doi...' He kissed his fingers like a chef.

   `Chicken korma and a poppadom'll do me,' Donnasaid.

   `I'll pretend I didn't hear that,' he replied.

   They walked for twenty minutes, the Doctor leadingthem through a labyrinth of streets without oncehesitating. Gradually the streets widened as they movedaway from the poorer areas of the city, but even thechange of surroundings didn't help Donna shake off afeeling of unease, a sense that something was not right.

   The Doctor didn't seem to notice the shuttered shopsand burned-out buildings; the debris scattered on theground; the rats crawling around the stinking piles ofuncollected rubbish; the gangs of young men who glaredat them in baleful silence as they strode by. He kept up aconstant jabber about Calcuttan life, one second talkingabout the August monsoons, the next about how he wasonce voted man of the match at the Calcuttan Polo Club.As they passed yet another group of silent men, some ofwhom brandished staffs or simply thick branches strippedof leaves, the Doctor raised a hand and called, `Hellothere!'

   None of the men answered. One spat on the groundclose to the Doctor's feet.

   `Probably just shy,' the Doctor muttered as Donna tookhim by the arm and led him away.

   `Blimey, for the biggest genius in the universe you canbe incredibly thick sometimes,' she said.

   `Oi!' he protested, then asked her more reasonably,

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`What do you mean?'

   `Just look around you. Even a mere earthling can tellthat something's about to kick off here. You can virtuallysmell the testosterone in the air.'

   The Doctor's eyes darted around. `I suppose theatmosphere is a bit tense,' he admitted.

   `Maybe we ought to head back to the TARDIS,' shesaid, `settle for the Taj Mahal on Chiswick High Road.'

   `Kam's place is only a couple of minutes from here. It'sa lot closer than the TARDIS.'

   Two minutes later they were standing outside Kam'splace, looking up at it in dismay. It had been gutted byfire, the interior nothing more than a burnt-out hollow.Face grim, the Doctor placed his hand on a door framethat was now just so much charcoal.

   `No residual heat,' he said. `This happened a whileago.'

   `Two weeks,' said a cracked voice to their left.

   Donna looked down. An old man was squatting on hishaunches in the shaded doorway of the building next door.He wore nothing but a turban and a pair of loose whitecotton trousers. His skin was lined and leathery, and anunkempt grey beard covered the lower half of his face.

   The Doctor darted across and squatted beside him.`What happened?' he asked softly.

   The old man shrugged. `When men fight,' he said,`their judgement becomes clouded. They bombard theirenemies with stones and kerosene bombs and beat themwith clubs. But if they cannot find their enemies, theysimply destroy whatever is close by. They claim they fight

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for a just cause, but when the madness takes them theydon't care who they hurt.'

   `Yeah,' the Doctor murmured, `I know the type. Butwhat about the people who lived here? Kamalnayan Bajajand his family?'

   `They are gone.'

   The Doctor's eyes widened. `You don't mean...?'

   The old man shook his head. `No, no, they are aliveand well. But they have fled Calcutta. I don't think theywill return.'

   `Not to this address anyway,' said the Doctor ruefully.`But this can't be right. I know for a fact that Kam washere in 1941. I came for Navratri. I brought fireworks.'

   `What's Navratri?' Donna asked.

   `Hindu festival. Lots of dancing.' Thoughtfully he said,`So either someone's mucking about with time or...' Heturned back to the old man. `What year is this?'

   `1947,' the old man said.

   `Forty-seven!' the Doctor exclaimed, and jumped to hisfeet. `Well, that explains it.'

   `Does it?' said Donna.

   `Course it does. Think of your history.'

   `Believe it or not, I wasn't born in 1947.'

   `Not your personal history,' said the Doctor. `Earthhistory. Didn't they teach you anything at school?'

   Donna gave him a blank look. `I only liked homeeconomics.'

   The Doctor made an exasperated sound. `Remind me tobuy you a set of encyclopaedias for your next birthday.'

   `Only if you remind me to punch you in the face,'

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Donna said.

    The Doctor carried on as if she hadn't spoken, talkingrapidly, almost in bullet points. `Last year there was afamine in India. The people got desperate and angry.When the British Raj did nothing to help, the populationrioted. Now the Brits are about to give India home rule,but instead of solving the problem it's only making thingsworse. Different religions are fighting amongst themselvesabout how to divide up the pie, and Calcutta is at thecentre of it. At this moment it's one of the most volatileplaces on Earth. Thousands have been killed, many moremade homeless. It's a massive human tragedy, and I'velanded us slap-bang in the middle.'

    He looked so anguished that Donna felt compelled tosay, `Well, nobody's perfect.'

    He smiled sheepishly. `The Taj Mahal on ChiswickHigh Road, you say?'

    She nodded. `There's a pay and display across the road,if you need somewhere to park.'

    They said goodbye to the clearly puzzled old man andheaded off down the street. It was still hot, and flies werestill buzzing around their heads, but the cloudless sky haddeepened, and the shadows were lengthening.

    As the sun crept towards the horizon, more and moremen were gathering in the streets. Almost all of themsilently watched the Doctor and Donna pass by, theirexpressions ranging from bemusement to hostility.

    `Just look confident,' muttered the Doctor. `Usuallyworks for me.'

    `Don't worry, Doctor,' Donna said. `Once you've been

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to a few West Ham/Millwall games, there's nothing muchthat can frighten you.'

   They were walking down a quiet street, past a pile ofstraw and steaming dung, when they heard gunshots fromsomewhere ahead of them.

   `Although in my time,' Donna said, `people don'tusually shoot each other at the football. What shall wedo?'

   The Doctor halted and half-raised a hand. `We couldalways stand here for a minute and hope it'll go away.'

   The gunshots grew louder and were nowaccompanied by the din of an approaching crowd.

   `Any more bright ideas, Einstein?'

   The Doctor pointed at the pile of straw and dung.`Well, we could always hide in there.'

   Donna gave him an incredulous look. `I think I'd ratherget a bullet through the head than cover myself in--'

   `Shift!' yelled the Doctor, grabbing her hand.

   The panicked cries of the crowd had suddenly becomemuch louder. Donna turned to see that soldiers onhorseback had appeared at the end of the street, and weredriving a rampaging mob before them.

   A mob that was heading straight for her and theDoctor!

`Where is that dratted Gopal?'

   Dr Edward Morgan consulted his fob watch with afrown, then dropped it back into the pocket of hiswaistcoat. He looked tired, Adelaide thought, and withgood reason. He worked such long hours at the camp that

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he barely allowed himself time to sleep. He could easilyhave settled for a cushy practice in the `White Town',treating overfed English diplomats with the gout, or oldladies with the vapours. Instead, despite many of hisfellow countrymen scoffing at him for wasting his medicalskills on `coolies', he had decided to ply his trade on thefront line.

   Adelaide had been so inspired by his commitment thatshe had openly defied her father, Sir Edgar Campbell, tohelp him. Sir Edgar continued to assert that tending to theailments of Indians was `a most unsuitable position for anEnglishwoman', but at least he was fair-minded enough toallow his daughter to make her own decisions. The workwas arduous and the rewards minimal, but Adelaide hadthe satisfaction of knowing that she was trying to make adifference.

   `He'll be here, Edward,' she said. `Gopal is reliable anddedicated.'

   Edward used a crumpled handkerchief to wipe a sheenof sweat from his forehead. He was unshaven and hiswhite doctor's coat was stained and dusty. He was in hislate twenties, only five years older than Adelaide herself,but just now he looked closer to forty.

   `I know he is,' he said, his irritation fading. `I do hopenothing has happened to him.'

   `Well... my tonga-wallah did tell me that there hasbeen trouble in the north of the city again today,' Adelaidesaid. `I believe Major Daker and his men are attempting torestore order. It could be that the streets are simplydifficult to negotiate.'

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    `Yes, I'm sure that's what it is,' Edward said wearily,and swayed a little on his feet. Adelaide, who had justarrived at the camp for the night shift, reached out tosteady him. Her touch made him blink in surprise, and thelook he gave her caused her to blush. To cover herembarrassment, she looked around the medical tent withits two cramped rows of beds and asked, `Has it been adifficult day?'

    Edward smiled without humour. `No more than usual.We've had another fifty people in today, most sufferingfrom malnutrition.' He wafted his hand in a gesture thatsomehow carried an air of defeat about it. `The fact is,Adelaide, we simply don't have the resources to cope. Ifeel so helpless, having to stand by and watch childrenstarve in front of my eyes... but what can you do?'

    Again, Adelaide felt an urge to put a hand on hercolleague's shoulder, but this time she resisted.

    `You're doing your best, Edward,' she said. `It's allanyone can reasonably expect.'

    He shrugged and looked around the tent once again.Despite the best efforts of the overburdened medical staff,it was a squalid place. The patients slept beneathunwashed sheets, with swarms of flies hovering abovethem and cockroaches scuttling across the floor. Theinterior of the tent smelled of sickness and sweat and,even with the flaps pinned back, it was as hot as an ovenduring the day and barely cooler at night.

    The tent was one of three, situated side by side on aslight rise at the north end of the camp. The tents housedthe most seriously afflicted of the refugees, who, over the

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past six months, had been arriving here in their hundreds,on this flat, dusty area of scrubland two miles outsideCalcutta.

    `How many deaths today?' Adelaide asked bluntly.

    Edward sighed. `Fifteen.'

    She nodded stoically. `Anything else to report?'

    `We had another one brought in.'

    She knew immediately what he meant and her fiststightened. `The same as the others?'

    Edward nodded wearily. `She was a young girl, perhapseighteen or nineteen. Two men brought her, bound like ananimal. They didn't know who she was, and she was in nofit state to tell them. She has the same protrusions on herface and body as the others. The men say she was like arabid dog, attacking people in the street. They told Narharithey believed the girl was possessed by demons.

    `She had bitten one of the men on the hand. I treatedthe wound and tried to place him in quarantine, but herefused to stay. I only hope she hasn't passed the infectionon to him.'

    `We still don't know that it is an infection,' Adelaidesaid.

    `And we don't know that it isn't either,' repliedEdward, `apart from the fact that none of us has yet beentaken ill.'

    She was silent for a moment, then she asked, `Can I seethe girl?'

    `She isn't a pretty sight, I'm afraid.'

    `All the same...'

    Edward led her out of the tent and towards the one at

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the far end of the row. The sun had slipped below thehorizon now and the sky was a riot of reds and purples,which would soon deepen to black. Out on the plain, thehundreds of people who had fled the fierce infightingbetween different factions of their countrymen werehuddled in shelters made of wood and blankets andcorrugated iron. The area was dotted with the flickeringlights of fires, around which the recently homelesshuddled for comfort and to cook what little food they had.Here and there scrawny goats, bleating piteously, weretethered to posts. Conversation among the people was softand sombre. There was very little laughter, even from thechildren.

   Edward held the flap of the third tent aside for Adelaideand she walked in. The interior of the tent had beendivided in half, the front half partitioned from the back byseveral lengths of grubby muslin. They each donned asurgical mask, and then Edward led Adelaide through theflimsy partition. She braced herself. She was frightened ofthese particular patients, but she wouldn't avoid them. Ifshe wanted to do her job properly, she couldn't afford tobe selective.

   There were twelve beds here, ten of which wereoccupied. It was unusual for even a single bed to bestanding empty, but this area had been designated anisolation zone. All ten patients had arrived in the pastweek, all suffering from the same mysterious symptoms.

   The newest arrival, the girl, was in the fifth bed alongon the left. Adelaide approached, dry-mouthed, eventhough she knew that the patient would be tethered and

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sedated.

    Sure enough, the girl's hands and feet were bound bystrips of strong cloth to the rough wooden bed-frame. Shewas sleeping but restive, her eyes rolling beneath theirlids, her lips drawing back from white teeth as she snarledand muttered. She was small and slim, and Adelaide couldtell that she had been pretty once. Her finely boned facewas the colour of caramel, her hair like black silk. Shewore a simple white sari, which was torn and stained withdirt, and her bare feet were lacerated with wounds that hadbeen washed and disinfected.

    As ever, it was the sight of the strange protrusionswhich horrified Adelaide. This girl had one on herforehead and one on her neck. They were black-purplelumps, which had pulled the flesh around them out ofshape. From experience, Adelaide knew that the lumpswould grow and multiply until the patient died. It hadhappened to three patients already, and two more werecurrently close to death. When the first sufferers hadarrived a week ago, Edward and his colleagues hadthought they were witnessing the start of a new strain ofbubonic plague. But the limited tests they had been able tocarry out seemed to belie that theory. So far they hadfailed to pinpoint any infection which didn't necessarilymean there wasn't one.

    `Does she have the pale eyes?' Adelaide asked, leaningover the girl. In all the cases so far, the victim's eyes hadbecome paler as the illness progressed, as if the pigmentwas draining out of them. It was eerie, watching aperson's eyes change from brown to the insipid yellow of

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weak tea.

   `Not yet,' said Edward and at that moment, as if toprove the fact, the girl's eyes opened wide.

   They may not have been yellow, but they werebloodshot and utterly crazed. The girl glared at Adelaide,and then lunged for her so violently that the restraintsaround her right wrist simply snapped. As Adelaidejumped back, the girl's teeth clacked together, closing onempty air. Edward rushed forward to grab the patient'sflailing arm, but her momentary surge of energy was over,and already she was slumping back, her eyes driftingclosed.

   `That shouldn't have happened,' Edward said, retyingher wrist. `I gave her enough sedative to knock out anelephant.' He looked up at Adelaide. `Are you all right?'

   Adelaide was already composing herself. `I'm fine.'She hesitated a moment, then stepped back towards thebed. `Poor thing. I wish we could find out what's causingthis.'

   Edward said firmly, `I still maintain that it's a chemicalpoison of some kind, perhaps similar to the effects of atombomb radiation.'

   A shiver passed through Adelaide. The American atombomb attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima andNagasaki had occurred just two years previously, and hadsent shock waves across the world.

   `But if a bomb had gone off nearby, we would haveheard of it surely?'

   `It needn't have been a bomb,' said Edward. `It couldbe something in the water.'

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   `Something introduced deliberately, you mean?'

   He shrugged. `It's possible.'

   `Some of the staff here believe that the illness issomething to do with the strange lights seen in the sky aweek ago,' she said.

   Edward snorted. `Superstitious nonsense.'

   She looked at him. Her eyes above the mask gavenothing away. `I'm sure you're right, Edward,' she saidevenly.

The Doctor yanked on Donna's hand. `Come on!' heyelled. `What are you doing? Pacing yourself?'

    Donna stopped just long enough to raise a sandalledfoot. `It's not easy running in these things, y'know.'

    `Well, why did you wear 'em then?' he shouted.

    `Because we were supposed to be going for a quietmeal. You didn't tell me I'd need combat gear.'

    The mob was gaining on them. From the quick glimpseshe'd taken after the Doctor had grabbed her hand, Donnahad been reminded of stampeding cattle, all wild eyes andmindless, headlong flight. But these `cattle' were beingdriven not by cowboys but by British soldiers onhorseback, wearing sand-coloured uniforms. At their head,barking orders and occasionally firing his revolver into theair, was a red-faced major with a bristling moustache anda peaked cap.

    It was her own fault really, Donna thought. Shesupposed she should have known better. Wherever shewent with the Doctor she usually ended up running awayfrom something. He was the sort of man who could find

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danger in a boxful of kittens.

    She was doing her best to put one foot in front of theother as fast as she could, but it wasn't easy; her sandalswere in constant danger of flying off. The Doctor wasvirtually pulling her arm out of its socket as he urged herto run faster, but it was all right for him. He had a snazzyalien metabolism and he was wearing trainers!

    Eventually the inevitable happened she slipped. Asher feet went in opposite directions, she lost her grip onthe Doctor's hand. She managed to stay on her feet, butnext thing she knew someone was barging into the back ofher. Even as she was swept up in the crowd and carriedalong as if by a fast-flowing river, she heard the Doctorshouting her name.

    `Donna!' the Doctor yelled again as the fleeing crowdcaught up with them. He tried to make his way throughthe throng towards her, but the people were too tightlypacked, and too panicked by the galloping horses and thecrack of gunfire to allow him access. For a few secondslonger he glimpsed Donna's distinctive red hair, and thenit became submerged in the mêlée. The Doctor decided thebest thing for now was to go with the flow and pick up thepieces later.

    He was being carried along by the crowd whichreminded him of the time he had become caught up in theshanghorn-running ceremony on Ty when he heard a cryof shock or pain behind him. Next second, somebody fellagainst his back, almost knocking him over. He glancedbehind him to see a young Indian man in white shirt, blacktrousers and black tie sprawl headlong on the dusty

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ground. The man was holding a brown leather doctor'sbag, which was accidentally kicked out of his hand by apanicked member of the passing crowd. Someone elsejumped over the man as he tried to rise and caught him aglancing blow on the forehead. The young man wentdown again, dazed, like a boxer hit by too many punches.People flowed around him, trying not to trample him as helay on the ground. Behind the stragglers, the Doctor sawthat the horse being ridden by the bewhiskered major washeading straight for the stricken man.

   The Doctor knew that if he didn't act quickly the horsewould trample the man, possibly even kill him. Withouthesitation, he darted back through the crowd, slippingbetween oncoming bodies like a two-legged eel. By thetime he reached the man, the horse was no more than adozen feet away, a galloping wall of solid muscle. TheDoctor bent down, grabbed the man under the armpits anddragged him clear just as the massive charger thunderedby in a cloud of dust.

   The Doctor bent double, coughing. The young man letout a groan.

   `What happened?' he muttered.

   `I did,' said the Doctor.

   The man raised his head and looked groggily around.The crowd and the pursuing horses had passed now,leaving nothing but hoofmarks, dust, a few trampledturbans and the brown leather doctor's bag, now verymuch the worse for wear.

   `Did you save my life?' the man said with a kind ofwonder.

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    `Suppose I did, yeah,' said the Doctor. `But you don'thave to go over the top about it. I do it a lot. And onedisplay of undying gratitude is very much like another.'

    The man looked bemused, either still dazed from hisexperience or because he wasn't sure how to respond.

    To move things along, the Doctor thrust out a hand.`I'm the Doctor. What's your name?'

    `Gopal,' said the young man.

    `Nice to meet you, Gopal.' Then the Doctor withdrewthe hand and clapped it to his head. `Oh no!'

    `What is it?' asked Gopal, alarmed.

    `I've lost my sun visor,' the Doctor said. He lookedstricken. `Aw, I really loved that sun visor. Ginger Spicegave me that.'

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    Cameron Campbell was bored. Bored, bored, bored.

    There was nothing to do and no one to do it with. Mother

    and Father would no longer let him out of the house to

    play with his friends, claiming it was too dangerous to

    wander the streets; his sister Adelaide seemed to spend all

    her time over at that stupid camp or asleep in her bed; and

    his brother Ronny was either too busy with his

    engineering projects or talking about dull things with their

    father to ever want to do anything fun.

       Mother had always told Cameron that he was God's

    precious gift, that he had come along at a time when she

    and Father had thought they had done with that sort of

    thing. That was all very well, but there were times, like

    now, when Cameron didn't feel precious. Instead he felt

    like a yapping dog who his parents wished would just be

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quiet and keep out of the way.

   He never thought he would say it, but he was actuallylooking forward to going back to England. Cameron hadbeen born in India and considered it his home, and at firstFather's news that they were packing up and heading backto `Blighty' had filled him with horror. All Cameron knewof England was that it was cold and dreary, that theydidn't have bananas and mangoes, and that the onlyanimals were boring things like cats and dogs and sheep.He had initially thought that having to live there would beawful, but now he was starting to change his mind. Atleast in England he wouldn't be a prisoner in his ownhome, and Mother had told him that they would have theseaside to visit, and London, and that there would bechildren his own age to play with.

   He would miss his friends here, of course, especiallyRanjit... though he hadn't seen Ranjit for a while. Thatwas partly because Mother and Father disapproved ofhim, and partly Cameron guessed because Ranjit hadbeen too busy recently, with his uncle going missing andeverything.

   In the past, he and Ranjit had always met in secret either outside the gates of Cameron's school or at thebazaar. But lately, because of the `troubles', theCampbells' snooty head servant, Becharji, had been takingCameron to and from school every day, and the bazaar,like almost everywhere else, had been labelled strictly outof bounds.

   Sighing, Cameron reached under his bed for his tin ofsoldiers, intending to set them up for a battle. It wasn't

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much fun playing on his own, but at least it would whileaway the half-hour before dinner.

    He was pouring them onto the wooden floor whensomething clattered against his window. He looked up,wondering if it was one of the big flying beetles andwhether he could catch it. Then there was another clatter,and this time Cameron saw a number of small stonesstrike the glass and fall away.

    Curious, he walked over to the window. From it hecould see the top of the porch, which ran along the side ofthe house. Yellow light spilled from the porch,illuminating a stretch of hard-baked earth the width of asingle-lane road. On the far side of this was a thick clumpof bushes, which looked almost black in the encroachingdarkness.

    At first Cameron saw nothing, and then the bushesparted and a face peered briefly up at him. It was Ranjit!No sooner had he started thinking about his friend thanhere he was.

    Ranjit made a beckoning gesture, and Cameron held upa finger to indicate he would be down in one minute.Soldiers forgotten, he ran out of his room and down thestairs. He could hear Mother, Father and Ronny talking inthe drawing room, and crept past the door. Crossing thecorridor, he entered the dining room, in which the lampshad been lit and the table set for dinner. He hurried to theback of the room and opened the floor-length glass doorsand the screen doors beyond just wide enough to squeezethrough.

    `Ranjit,' he hissed, standing on the porch and peering

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into the bushes, `are you there?'

    For a moment he heard nothing but the whirring ofcicadas and the gentle croaking of frogs. Then there was arustle and Ranjit emerged.

    Immediately Cameron saw that there was somethingwrong with his friend. His kurta was grubby and torn andthere were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't sleptproperly in days.

    `What's wrong?' Cameron asked.

    Ranjit glanced around as if wary of being overheard.`I'm very afraid.'

    `Why?' asked Cameron.

    `I believe...' Ranjit raised a hand to his cheek andCameron saw that it was trembling. `I believe the world isending.'

    Cameron might have laughed if his friend hadn'tlooked so serious. `Why do you believe that?'

    `You remember the old temple? The one we play insometimes? With the monkeys?'

    `Yes.'

    `I was there last week. I went there to sleep, because itis too dangerous in my uncle's house in the city...'

    Haltingly Ranjit told Cameron about the light in thesky and what he had seen in the temple.

    For a few moments Cameron simply stared at him.Then he said, `Are you sure you weren't dreaming?'

    `Of course I wasn't,' Ranjit said angrily.

    `Maybe it was someone dressed up then? Someoneplaying a trick.'

    Ranjit shook his head. `It was nothing like that. If you

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had seen it, you would not be saying these things.'

   He seemed to sag a little, and Cameron noticed howthin his friend had become.

   `I believe the gods are angry because we are fightingamongst ourselves,' Ranjit said. `Perhaps Shiva has cometo destroy us and start the world anew.'

   Cameron thought of the big war that had ended twoyears before, the war in which his brother, Ronny, hadfought. A lot of people they knew had died in that war.Cameron thought if Shiva or any other god was going todestroy the world, he would have done it then.

   `I'm sure everything will be fine,' he said. `Why don't Icome to the temple with you tomorrow, and we'll see ifShiva's still there?'

   Ranjit looked more hopeful. `Would you do that?'

   `Of course.'

   `What time shall we meet?'

   Cameron thought about it. Mother had been watchinghim like a hawk lately. `Can you be here at dawn? Say,five o'clock in the morning?'

   Ranjit nodded, and at that moment the screen doorsbehind them flew open.

   Cameron spun round. Becharji was standing there,immaculate as always in his crisp white jacket and turban.His thin face was like thunder, dark eyes blazing.

   `What is going on here?' he demanded.

   `Nothing,' said Cameron. `We were just talking.'

   Becharji looked at Ranjit with disdain, his nostrilsflaring. `This boy is an untouchable. You should not talkto such creatures.'

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   Cameron knew that Becharji was of the Vaisya caste ofIndian society, and that he regarded the lower castes as`untouchables' and not to be fraternised with.

   `I don't care about that!' Cameron retorted. `Ranjit'smy friend!'

   But Becharji strode forward, making shooing motions,as if Ranjit was a stray chicken which had wandered infrom next door. Ranjit backed away, but not quicklyenough for Becharji. To Cameron's horror, the servantstooped and picked up a rock. He drew back his arm.

   `No!' Cameron shouted. `You mustn't!'

   Becharji threw the rock. Ranjit ducked and it sailedpast him, into the bushes. The Indian boy turned and fled.He crashed through the bushes and ran towards the stonewall that encircled the Campbells' property.

   He had scrambled up the wall and was straddling thetop when Becharji threw his second rock. This time it hitRanjit on the side of his head and he disappeared over thewall with a yelp of pain.

   `You've hurt him!' Cameron yelled, his face red withfury. `You might have killed him!'

   Becharji regarded him coldly. `I hope so,' he said. `Itwill prevent him from returning.'

   `I hate you!' Cameron shouted

   Before he could say more a voice behind himdemanded, `What's all this noise?'

   Cameron turned to see his father standing behind him,his face flushed. `Becharji threw a rock at my friend!' hewailed. `It hit him on the head!'

   Sir Edgar scowled. `Becharji did what?'

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   Silkily Becharji said, `A local urchin was trespassingon your property, sahib. I simply threw a rock to drive himaway.'

   `He threw two rocks!' Cameron cried. `And the secondone hit Ranjit on the head!'

   `Well... where's this boy now?' Sir Edgar asked.

   `He has gone, sahib,' said Becharji smoothly.

   `Yes, well,' said Sir Edgar, `no harm done then. I'msure Becharji was only acting for the best.'

   `Just so, sahib,' said Becharji, bowing slightly andpressing his hands together.

   `But Father--' Cameron protested.

   `Let's hear no more about it!' Sir Edgar snapped. `Nowgo and spruce yourself up, boy. Dinner will be ready intwo ticks.'

   Cameron was about to protest further when the jangleof the front door bell resounded through the house.

   `What the devil?' said Sir Edgar irritably. `Visitors atthis hour?'

   Becharji hurried to open the door. With one lastagonised look at the spot where Ranjit had fallen,Cameron hurried after him.

   He hung back sullenly as Becharji pulled the dooropen. Standing outside was a man he recognised, MajorDaker, and a woman he did not.

   Cameron stared at the woman. She was wearing aflowery dress that was covered in dust, and she had atangle of bright red hair that fell about her shoulders. Mostextraordinary of all, she was wearing a pair of army boots.

   `Is your master in?' Major Daker said in his usual

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brusque way.

   Becharji bowed. `I will fetch him for you, sahib. Pleaseenter.'

   Major Daker and the woman stepped into the hall. Thewoman looked around.

   `Where's this then?' she asked.

   Major Daker looked as if he didn't like her much.`This,' he said curtly, `is the home of Sir Edgar Campbell,the City Magistrate.'

   `Oh, brilliant,' the woman said. `So I'm under arrest,am I? What for? Minding my own business?'

   Cameron gaped. He had never heard a woman talk likethis before. The woman saw him and her eyes narrowed.

   `What you gawping at, squirt?' she snapped.

   Cameron fled.

For a few moments, Ranjit couldn't remember what hadhappened. All he knew was that he was lying on theground and that his head hurt. He raised a hand to histemple and it came away wet. Blinking to clear his vision,he saw that his fingertips were red with blood.

   As if the shock of seeing the blood had restored hismemory, he suddenly recalled the Campbells' servant,Becharji, throwing a rock at him. He supposed Becharjimust have thrown a second rock. He hadn't even seen itcoming.

   Ranjit decided to go to the camp and tell Miss Adelaidewhat had happened. Perhaps she would punish Becharji.He climbed to his feet, and instantly felt sick and groggy.The world swayed and dipped, and then it began to settle.

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It was quite a walk to the camp, but he thought he wouldbe all right if he took it slowly.

   He managed to keep going for almost half an hourbefore he collapsed again. He was outside the city limitsby this time, walking in the dark along a dusty road, notfar from the banks of the Hooghly River. All at once thenight-sounds around him seemed to close in, to rise to abooming crescendo inside his head. Ranjit staggered to ahalt, and suddenly had the odd sensation that his energywas draining out of his body. Vaguely, he was aware of hislegs crumpling beneath him, as if they were made ofrotten wood. Then he was lying on the ground, and tellinghimself that he couldn't sleep, because he would be bittenby snakes or eaten by crocodiles.

   Then everything went black.

`Right, better be off,' said the Doctor, grabbing Gopal'shand and shaking it again. `Things to do, people to find.'

   He turned and began to stride away.

   `Wait!' Gopal called after him.

   The Doctor spun round. `I absolve you from yourdebt.'

   `What?' said Gopal, confused.

   `For saving your life. Don't people usually feelindebted to their saviours? As if they have to offersomething in return? But I don't want anything. Oh,unless you've got a chocolate HobNob. Really fancy achocolate HobNob just now.'

   Gopal just stared at him.

   `No HobNob?' said the Doctor, sounding a bit

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disappointed. `Ah well, never mind. Too much to hope for.Tell you what, just have a magnificent life. Do goodthings. Make people happy. That'll do me.'

   He turned and began to walk away, faster this time.Gopal ran and caught up with him.

   `You still here?' said the Doctor, glancing at him.`Don't you have stuff to do? Like finding a clean shirt, forinstance?'

   `Who are you looking for?' asked Gopal.

   `Friend of mine. She got carried away literally, Imean, not emotionally.'

   `I could help you,' Gopal said.

   `Who are you then? Head of the Missing PersonsBureau?'

   `I am a doctor,' said Gopal proudly.

   `Yeah?' said the Doctor. `Well, good for you, feller.Making people better. Taking their pain away. That's agreat thing. But I still think I'll be better on my own.'

   `I know Calcutta,' said Gopal, `and I know that it is notsafe for an English gentleman to walk alone at night.'

   `I'm not--' the Doctor began, then shook his head.`Oh, never mind.' He stopped so abruptly that Gopal wasa few steps ahead of him before he realised. When Gopalturned back, the Doctor said, `All right, Gopal, starter forten. You've got a young... well, youngish English womanon her own in Calcutta at night. Where's the most likelyplace she'll be?'

   Gopal considered the question. `There are severalpossibilities,' he concluded.

   `No time for several,' said the Doctor. `Just give me

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numero uno.'

    Gopal looked flustered. `It depends into whosecompany she has fallen. If she is with your Britishsoldiers, then she will have been taken into protectivecustody. But if she is with my fellow countrymen...perhaps the camp?'

    `What camp's this then?'

    `I was on my way there when I became caught up inthe mob. It is a place where Muslims and Hindus go whodo not wish to fight with one another, but who wantsimply to live in peace. Many of the people there havefled their homes with few possessions. I'm afraid we havelittle to offer them, but we do what we can to help the sickand wounded.'

    The Doctor stared at Gopal without expression, staredat him so intently that Gopal began to look uncomfortable.

    `If Donna's in protective custody,' he said eventually,`she'll be safe until the morning. So go on then. Show methis camp of yours.'

    `It will be my pleasure, Doctor,' Gopal said.

`You honestly think I'm wearing these out of choice?' saidDonna. `Do I look like a div?'

   Everyone stared at her boots. Mary Campbell, who hadmade the remark about Donna's unusual choice offootwear, looked as though she had been slapped. Her son,Ronny, on the other hand, covered his mouth as if tryingto conceal a smile.

   Donna told herself she was coming on a bit strong. Butshe was riled about the way Daker and this Sir Edgar

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bloke were treating her, like she was some criminal. It wasonly natural that she was a bit stroppy though maybe shewas directing it at the wrong person.

   `Sorry,' she said grudgingly, `I'm a bit stressed. It's notevery day you get caught up in a riot and arrested, is it?'

   Mary Campbell dabbed her nose with a lacehandkerchief. `Quite so,' she said.

   `I lost my sandals,' Donna explained, `so Major Dakerlent me these.'

   `It was all I could find, I'm afraid,' Daker said.

   `Yeah, I don't think he's a flip-flops kinda guy,' Donnasaid.

   Sir Edgar, who Donna thought resembled a bewilderedwalrus, said gruffly, `This is getting us nowhere. You stillhaven't explained what you're doing here, young lady.'

   `He brought me,' Donna said, flipping a thumb atDaker.

   Sir Edgar went puce. `I mean, what are you doing inCalcutta?'

   `I'm here with a friend,' Donna said. `We're...travelling.'

   `Travelling?'

   `Yeah, we... we travel. About. From place to place.We're... er... hippies.'

   `You're what?' spluttered Sir Edgar.

   Oops, thought Donna, wrong period.

   `It's... um... a new movement. It started in America.Peace, love and understanding. We're seeking spiritual...thingy. Enlightenment. You're gonna hear a lot moreabout us.'

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   In about twenty years, she thought.

   Sir Edgar closed his eyes briefly. Donna wonderedwhether she ought to tell him to sit down before he had aheart attack.

   `Are you aware, young lady,' he said, `of the politicalsituation in this country?'

   `I am now,' said Donna. `And I promise I'll be careful.'She looked around. `Right, are we done? I'll get out ofyour hair then, shall I?'

   She grabbed the arms of the wicker chair in which shewas sitting and half-made a move to push herself up.However Major Daker, who was all but standing toattention at her side, placed a restraining hand on hershoulder.

   Donna turned her head angrily. `Don't you manhandleme, mush. I'll have you for assault.'

   Ronny laughed. `Yes, stop bullying our guest, Daker.You too, Father. She's done nothing wrong as far as I cansee.'

   He caught Donna's eye and winked. She smiled.

   `It's for her own good,' said Daker. `She can't gowandering the streets at night. Lord knows what thecoolies will do to her.'

   `Coolies?' said Donna. `What hole did you crawl outof? I'll have you know that some of my best mates arefrom round here. My cousin Janice is married to a Sikh.'

   `In Calcutta?' asked Ronny.

   `No, Basildon.'

   `Good Lord!' exclaimed Mary Campbell.

   `That's as may be,' said Sir Edgar, `but the Major's

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right. It's not safe out there. We need to find yousomewhere to stay.'

   `She can stay here, can't she, Father?' said Ronny.`We've got plenty of room.'

   `Well, I...' Sir Edgar blustered, but he got no further.Their discussion was interrupted by a commotion fromoutside, the voices of several men raised in alarm.

   `What the devil's going on now?' Sir Edgar barked. Helooked apoplectic at this further disruption to his evening.

   `Leave this to me, Sir Edgar,' Daker said, stridingacross the room to the screen doors that led onto theporch.

   Ronny placed his glass of pre-dinner sherry on themantelpiece and followed the Major.

   A moment later, Donna jumped to her feet.

   `Where do you think you're going?' Sir Edgardemanded.

   `Outside. You can stand there glugging sherry, but Iwant to know what's going on.'

   She clomped across the room in her army boots andwent out through the screen doors.

   The first thing she saw was Ronny and Major Dakerstanding with their backs to her. Something washappening in front of them, but they were blocking herview and she couldn't tell what. She saw servants runningabout. One of them had a big stick in his hand. Ronnysaid, `What a beast. I've never seen anything like it.'Major Daker unclipped the leather holster at his waist anddrew out his service revolver.

   Donna pushed her way between the two men. Ronny

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glanced at her, surprised. `I really think you ought to goback inside, Miss Noble.'

    `No way,' she said and then she saw what everyonewas looking at. `Oh my God.'

    It was a crocodile. But it was unlike any crocodileDonna had seen before. It was huge for a start, at leasteight metres from nose to tail. It was smeared in darkgreen slime, and its vast scaly bulk was covered in bonyblack growths and protuberances, which had twisted itsbody, making it look more like a gnarled and ancient treebranch than a living creature. It propelled itself with asideways, almost crab-like motion, and as one of theservants darted forward and hit it with a stick, it swung itshuge head round, opened its jaws wide and snapped athim, just missing him as he jumped back.

    Donna shuddered at the sight of its vicious teeth, and aglimpse of more of the horrible growths inside its grey-pink gullet.

    `What's wrong with it?' she said, clutching Ronny'sarm.

    `I hardly think that's our concern,' barked Daker.

    As if the crocodile had heard him, it rolled its oilyyellow eye in their direction and suddenly swung round,its massive jaws opening.

    Daker didn't hesitate. He fired several shots straightinto the creature's gaping mouth. It shuddered as thebullets hit it, but it kept on coming. Donna and Ronnyleaped back, but the Major stood his ground. He fired atthe creature again and again. Each bullet slowed it down alittle more, until finally it crashed down dead on the

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wooden boards, its snout no more than a metre fromDaker's feet.

   For a few moments, as the echoes of the gunshotsfaded into the night, there was a stunned silence.

   Then Donna said, `That kind of thing normal for roundhere, is it?'

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    `I have never seen a man look so angry and so sad

    before,' Gopal said.

       The Doctor's eyes flickered to regard him. For a long

    moment he didn't speak. Then he said, `I've seen more

    suffering in my life than you can possibly imagine. But

    that doesn't mean it ever gets any easier. Sometimes I

    can't help thinking I've lived too long.'

       `But you are just a young man,' Gopal said.

       The Doctor didn't reply.

       They were walking through the camp, through crowds

    of exhausted, emaciated people. Many were sitting around

    fires, talking quietly or muttering in prayer or simply

    staring into the flames. Some were sleeping on the open

    ground, using nothing but their own hands as a pillow. A

    few were eating, taking their time over their small

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portions of food.

   The Doctor felt someone tugging at his jacket. A smallboy was staring up at him with big brown eyes, handoutstretched.

   The Doctor crouched down. `Hello,' he said. `What'syour name?'

   If the boy was surprised to hear the Doctor speaking inhis own language he didn't show it. `Jivraj,' he said shyly.

   `Right then, Jivraj,' the Doctor said, reaching into hisjacket pocket, `let's see what we can find.'

   He produced a satsuma and handed it to the boy. Jivrajgrinned. Then he produced a pair of chattering wind-upteeth and showed Jivraj how they worked. Jivraj laugheddelightfully, and ran off to show the gifts to his family.

   `There are hundreds of boys like Jivraj in this camp,'said Gopal. `If only we had food for all of them.'

   It took several minutes to reach the trio of medical tentsthat had been set up in the centre of the camp. When theyarrived, Gopal asked a young Indian orderly where theycould find Dr Morgan and was informed that he was in theisolation tent.

   `Isolation?' said the Doctor.

   `A number of people have arrived at the camp thisweek with symptoms that are proving most mysterious.'

   `Mysterious in what way?'

   When Gopal told him, the Doctor raised an eyebrowand tilted his chin back. `I think you'd better show me,' hesaid.

   Gopal led the Doctor to the tent at the end of the row,holding open the flap so that he could enter.

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   There was a woman in the tent, tending the sick, awell-dressed English woman in her early twenties, herchestnut hair tied in a bun. She turned to see who hadentered, wafting at the flies above her head. Her eyeswidened when she saw the Doctor.

   `Hello, Gopal,' she said, though her gaze remainedfixed on the Doctor, who was looking around, takingeverything in. `Who's your friend?'

   `This is... the Doctor,' Gopal said.

   `Well, we can never have enough of those,' said thewoman. `Have you come to help us, Dr...?'

   `Just Doctor,' the Doctor said, flashing her a smile.

   `Very mysterious,' said the woman.

   `Like a lot of things round here.' The Doctor nodded atthe muslin partition. `I gather the "special" patients arethrough there? Mind if I take a look?'

   `Well, I... er... perhaps we ought to clear it withEdward first.'

   `Clear what with Edward?' said a voice at the entranceof the tent.

   The Doctor turned and saw a young man in a grubbydoctor's coat, who looked as if he had barely slept oreaten in days.

   He sprang across, hand outstretched. `Dr Morgan!' heexclaimed. `Pleasure to meet you! Brilliant work you'redoing! I was just saying to... er...'

   `Adelaide,' said the young woman.

   `... to Adelaide here that I wouldn't mind taking aquick squiz at the special patients. In fact, that's why I'mhere. Dr John Smith, Royal College of Surgeons, Rare and

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Tropical Diseases Unit.'

   With the hand that wasn't vigorously shaking thebemused Dr Morgan's, the Doctor dipped into the pocketof his jacket and produced his psychic paper, which heflashed to each of them in turn.

   Gopal said, `You are a man of continual surprises, DrSmith.'

   `Aren't I just?' said the Doctor. `Never hurts to keeppeople on their toes, that's my motto.'

   `But... how did you find out about our patients?'Edward asked. `I've only just...'

   `Information superhighway,' said the Doctor quickly,and clapped his hands together. `Right, let's get cracking.Time and tide, and all that.' He crossed to the muslinpartition and reached out for it. Then abruptly he cried,`Ah!' and spun back round, causing Edward, Adelaide andGopal to jump back.

   `First things first. My friend Donna's not here, is she?Long red hair? Shouts a lot?'

   Edward and Adelaide exchanged a glance. Both shooktheir heads.

   `Ah well, never mind,' said the Doctor. `I'm sure she'llturn up. Come on then. Allons-y.'

   He swished through the partition before anyone couldadvise him to wear a face-mask. He walked along the row,looking at each of the patients in turn. Finally he whippedout his sonic screwdriver, pointed it at the nearest patientand turned it on.

   `Whatever is that device?' asked Edward, astonished.

   `Diagnostic wand,' said the Doctor. `It's a new thing.

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Still in the experimental stage. All very hush-hush, sodon't tell anyone.'

   He held the sonic up and appeared to sniff it. Suddenlyhis face went very serious.

   `What is it?' asked Adelaide.

   `Cellular disruption. This is very bad. There's only onething which can have caused this.'

   `Which is?' asked Edward.

   `Zytron energy. But that's impossible. It won't bediscovered on Earth for another three thousand years.'

   Edward, Adelaide and Gopal all looked at each other.Tentatively, Edward said, `How can you possibly--'

   `Shush,' said the Doctor, holding up a hand. `I'mthinking.' He stared into the middle distance, tapping thenow silent sonic against his bottom lip. `So who usesunshielded zytron energy in the twentieth century?Whoever they are, they're not from round here.' His gazescorched across the confused trio standing in front of him.`Anything else happened recently? Any odd occurrences,strange rumours, peculiar lights in the sky?'

   Adelaide said, `Well--' but Edward cut her off with ascowl.

   `Let's stick to facts, shall we, and not muddy the waterwith silly stories.'

   The Doctor glanced at him. `Oh, it's amazing howmany facts you can find hidden in silly stories. Go on,Adelaide.'

   A little self-consciously she said, `About a week ago,there were strange colours in the night sky. We all sawthem you too, Edward.'

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   `Atmospheric disturbance of some kind,' Edward saidgrumpily. `Nothing supernatural about that.'

   `Maybe,' said the Doctor, `but what caused thedisturbance, eh?'

   Gopal, who had been silent for a while, said, `Somepeople say they saw a shooting star fall to earth thatnight.'

   `Do they?' said the Doctor, as if this was significant.`What else?'

   Adelaide felt uncomfortable at the inference that theywere holding back. Still scowling, Edward said, `Whatyou must understand about India, Dr Smith, is that theseare volatile times and, for all the advances that have beenmade in the past few decades, the majority of thepopulation remain poor, uneducated and highlysuperstitious.'

   `Thank you. I'll bear that in mind,' the Doctor saidflatly. `You were saying, Adelaide?'

   Adelaide wasn't aware she had been saying anything,but under the Doctor's scrutiny, she found herself blurting,`A great many people have gone missing recently, DrSmith. Undoubtedly, most of them have fled, or have evenbeen killed by their fellow countrymen--'

   `Their bodies are thrown into the river for thecrocodiles to dispose of,' added Gopal, earning adisapproving glance from Edward.

   `But nevertheless,' Adelaide continued, `the city hasrecently been rife with talk of "half-made men", whocome in the night and steal people away. A lady calledApala, whom I spoke to only yesterday, is adamant that

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her husband was abducted by these creatures. She claimsshe saw them, clear as day.'

   `Does she now?' the Doctor murmured. Edwardsnorted.

   `Wild stories,' he said. `Arrant nonsense.'

   `Oh yeah, bound to be,' said the Doctor airily. `Evenso, I wouldn't mind a quick chinwag with Apala. I mean,without knowing that she knows, she might knowsomething that'll help us, and there's no knowing withoutasking. Right, Gopal?'

   `Er... yes,' Gopal said.

   `Lovely jubbly,' said the Doctor. `So what are we allstanding around jabbering for? Adelaide, you come withme. Edward and Gopal, you go and make people better.'

   He swept out of the tent, Adelaide hurrying after him.She could only remember roughly where Apala had set upher shelter, and it took several minutes of searching beforethey found her.

   She was sitting cross-legged outside her lean-to,feeding a carefully swaddled baby by using her finger toscoop what looked like semolina from a small woodenbowl. Her sari, a shimmering blue edged with gold trim,might once have been grand but was now dull with wear.Apala's face was thinner and more angular than it shouldhave been. Hunger had sharpened her cheekbones.

   The Doctor squatted down and smiled at her. Back inthe tent, his dark gaze had been unsettling, but Adelaidewas now struck by how warm and gentle his smile was.

   `Hi, Apala,' he said, `I'm the Doctor. What's yourdaughter's name?' He stretched out a long index finger

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and the tiny baby curled its fist around it.

   The woman seemed too weary to be surprised that theDoctor was speaking her language. `Manu,' she saidquietly.

   `She's beautiful,' said the Doctor, and Apala's facebroke into a smile. In the same quiet voice he asked, `Willyou tell me about the half-made men, Apala? About howthey took your husband away?'

   The smile slipped from her face, but after a moment'shesitation she nodded. `My husband and I were sleeping,'she said. `I heard him cry out and I came awake at once.In the moonlight shining through the window I saw himstruggling with two men. I called out his name, but beforehe could respond all three of them vanished, like morningmist.'

   `And what did these men look like?'

   Apala raised a hand, bracelets jangling on her bonywrist, and touched her shawled head. `They had no hair.And their skin was completely white, like salt.' Sheshivered. `And where their eyes should have been, therewere only shadows.'

   `Thank you,' the Doctor said gently, `you've been agreat help. And I promise you, Apala, I'll do everything Ican to get your husband back.'

   He stood up.

   `What did she tell you?' asked Adelaide.

   `Enough to make me suspect that my stay will belonger than I thought. I should have brought my jimjams.'

   Just then a ripple seemed to go through the crowd, apalpable wave of excitement. One by one, people began to

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stand up, to crane their necks, to point into the darkness.The murmur rose into a buzz of chatter, which thenbecame a chant. The chant was weak and ragged at first,but it was quickly taken up, until eventually people wereclapping their hands and shouting with gusto.

   `What's happening? What are they saying?' Adelaideasked, looking around in puzzlement.

   A slow grin was spreading across the Doctor's face.`They're saying "Bapu ki jai". It means "Long live theFather". Look.'

   He pointed towards a moving knot of people in thecentre of the crowd. Adelaide narrowed her eyes, trying tofocus through the fire-lit darkness. At the head of thecrowd, walking towards them, was a little, bald,bespectacled man wrapped in a simple white robe andcarrying a gnarled walking stick.

   `My goodness,' Adelaide said, clearly a littleawestruck, `is that who I think it is?'

   `Oh yes,' said the Doctor, his grin widening.`Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi, as I live and breathe.'

`Wee dram, sir?' said Captain McMahon, holding up abottle.

   Major Daker settled back into his favourite chair in theofficers' mess. `Don't mind if I do, McMahon.' He closedhis eyes and sighed deeply.

   `Been a tough one today, sir,' McMahon said.

   Daker grunted, removed his peaked cap and wipedsweat from his brow. `You're telling me.'

   McMahon poured the drinks and brought them across.

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`Your good health, sir.'

    `And yours.'

    They each took a sip, reflecting on the day's events.For a few moments all was silent apart from the lazyswish of the ceiling fan overhead and the soft chorus ofinsect sounds drifting through the wire-mesh screensacross the open windows.

    Eventually Daker stirred and said, `I don't mind tellingyou, McMahon, I've just about had it with this country.The writing's on the wall for the British in India now. Thesooner we can all go home and leave the Indians to it, thebetter.'

    `Couldn't agree more, sir,' McMahon said. He noticedDaker wince and touch a spot behind his left ear. `Are youall right, sir?'

    `Touch of heatstroke,' Daker said. `Either that or I'vebeen bitten by something.' He snorted. `Another reasonfor looking forward to going home, eh, McMahon? Thegood old British weather.'

    `Oh yes, sir,' said McMahon. `Can't tell you how muchI'm looking forward to the Highland rain.'

    The two men chuckled. But no sooner had they raisedtheir glasses to their lips again than the peace of the nightwas disturbed by shouting. Next moment they saw severalmen run past the window, most dressed in the BritishArmy's regulation nightwear of white singlets and shorts.

    Daker jerked to his feet so violently that he spilled hisdrink. `What the devil is happening now?'

    Someone pounded on the door of the mess. McMahonput his drink down and hurried across the room to open it.

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    Bathed in the powerful night-lights that shone acrossthe barrack grounds were a huddle of army privates, mostof whom had evidently just been roused from sleep. Thesquaddies were all in their late teens or early twenties,though at that moment, hair awry and eyes wide, theylooked like a bunch of schoolboys scared witless byspooky stories.

    `What's the meaning of this?' Daker bellowed, his facereddening. `Get back to your beds at once!'

    One of the young privates stepped forward.

    `Begging your pardon, sir, but ... well, it's Tommy Foxand Alfred Swift, sir. They've been taken.'

    `Taken?' Daker repeated in a strangled voice. `What inGod's name are you babbling about, Wilkins?'

    Private Wilkins glanced at his colleagues, who offeredsilent encouragement with nods and raised eyebrows.Wilkins said, `Well, sir, my bed is next to Tommy's, sir. Iheard a noise and woke up to see someone standing by hisbed. I sat up, and that's when I noticed another figure,leaning over Alf's bed. I shouted out, which woke up afew of the other lads, sir. And then there was this... sort offlash. And the next second the two figures had gone, butso had Tommy and Alf. Their beds were just...empty.'

    Behind Wilkins the other soldiers were nodding. Oneof them, a square-set private with pock-marked cheeks,said, `It's true, sir, every word. I saw the figures too. And Ialso saw them disappear, sir. They just vanished into thinair, taking Tommy and Alf with them.'

    `Preposterous!' barked Daker.

    In a calmer voice, McMahon asked, `What did these

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figures look like?'

   Again Wilkins glanced at his colleagues. `Well, sir,they... they looked like ghosts.'

   `Ghosts?' exclaimed Daker.

   `Yes, sir. They were white, sir. Chalky white. And theirfaces were... sort of unfinished, sir.' He shuddered.

   `And you were so frightened that you ran likechildren!' sneered Daker. `A dozen members of HisMajesty's so-called elite fighting force. It's an utterdisgrace. You should be ashamed of yourselves.'

   `Yes, sir,' Wilkins mumbled. `Only...'

   `Only what? Spit it out, private,' ordered McMahon.

   `Well, sir, we... we didn't run when the figuresvanished, sir. We ran when they came back.'

   `What?' Daker snapped. `You mean these damned"ghosts" of yours are still there?'

   `They... they might be, sir.'

   `Well, why didn't you say so in the first place, youstupid boy?' Not for the first time that day Daker drew hisservice revolver. `Come on, McMahon, let's sort this out.You lot wait inside. I'll deal with you later.'

   He stalked off, McMahon in tow. The squaddies'sleeping quarters were behind the main HQ building andadministration offices, in a dozen wooden huts arranged intwin rows of six. Each hut contained sixteen beds, eighton each side, with a narrow central aisle. The hut fromwhich Wilkins and his colleagues had fled was on thesecond row on the far right. It was the hut that was closestto (though still some distance from) the perimeter fence.Behind the huts a carpet of thick undergrowth led to a

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dense screen of bamboo trees.

    As Daker and McMahon bypassed the first row of hutsand approached the second, they saw that the door to thenow-empty hut was gaping open. A light above the doorthrew a pool of illumination onto the ground.

    `I would advise caution, sir,' said McMahon as Dakerstrode brazenly forward, revolver at the ready.

    `Don't tell me you believe this ridiculous ghost story,McMahon,' Daker retorted, making no attempt to lowerhis voice.

    `Not as such, sir, though it seems likely enough thatwe've had intruders of some kind.'

    `If they're made of flesh and blood, then I'd like to seethem try to defy a bullet.'

    `They might be armed themselves, sir,' McMahonpointed out.

    `Hmph,' Daker said, though he changed direction andskirted the pool of light, using the shadows as cover.McMahon approached the door from the opposite side, hisgun also drawn. When the two officers were pressedagainst the wooden wall on either side of the doorway,Daker nodded and pointed at himself, mouthing, `Mefirst.' The instant McMahon nodded, Daker went in, fastand low, gun held out before him.

    The hut was empty, and aside from two rows of bedswhich had evidently been vacated in a hurry, there wasnothing to suggest that anything untoward had occurred.Both officers examined the beds of the men who hadallegedly vanished. The sheets were rumpled, and a pillowfrom one of the beds had fallen to the floor, but there were

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no other signs of a struggle no muddy footprints, nobloodstains, nothing damaged or knocked over.

   Daker frowned. `What do you think, McMahon? Masshysteria?'

   McMahon shrugged. `Could be, sir, but these lads arepretty level-headed. Plus it still doesn't account for thedisappearance of Fox and Swift.'

   `Hmm,' said Daker. `Perhaps we'd better have a quickpoke about outside. You head east, I'll head west. We'llmove inwards and meet in the middle.'

   `Understood, sir.'

   The two men vacated the hut and headed off inopposite directions. Most of the fenced area housing thearmy barracks was well-lit at night, though the sizeablepatch of ground behind the huts was cloaked in shadow.Daker again rubbed at the sore spot behind his ear. Theskin felt raised there, as if some insect had bitten him.Typical if he contracted something nasty less than a monthbefore he was due to head home.

   Aside from the endless racket of frogs and insects, thenight was quiet. None of the sleeping occupants of theother huts seemed to have been bothered by the so-called`ghosts'. In truth, Daker half-expected to stumble acrossthe two missing privates in the thick undergrowth behindthe huts. Perhaps they were playing a prank on theirmates, or maybe one had been sleepwalking and wanderedoff, and the other had gone looking for him. Inexplicableas the soldiers' story seemed, Daker felt sure there wouldbe a reasonable explanation. It could even be that a coupleof coolies had painted themselves white and kidnapped

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the young men with a view to holding them for ransom, orin revenge for what they claimed were the British Army'sheavy-handed tactics during the recent troubles. If so,Daker would find the perpetrators and come down hard onthem. He tightened his grip on his revolver, as if healready had them in his sights.

   He moved methodically through the undergrowthbehind the huts, wary of snakes. He peered hard at everyshadow, trying to remain alert, though the heat seemedgreater back here, as if the thick, fleshy leaves of theplants had soaked it up during the day and were nowreleasing it in waves. As a result, his thoughts felt slowand muzzy; the patch behind his ear itched.

   He snapped back to full attention when he heard a cry,followed by a gunshot.

   `McMahon,' Daker shouted and ran towards the sound.It was hard going through the thick foliage, but less thanten seconds later he rounded a clump of flowering bushesand saw, fifty yards ahead, McMahon grappling with twomen. Shouting the captain's name a second time, Dakerran towards the trio. He was no more than twenty yardsaway when there was a silvery shimmer in the air, like theripple of a heat haze on a summer's day, and suddenlythere was only one man standing where three had been asecond before.

   Daker was so shocked that he stumbled and almost fellto his knees. Recovering himself, he pointed his gun at thelone figure.

   `Hands in the air,' he ordered.

   The figure did not respond.

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   `Hands in the air or I fire.'

   Instead of obeying, the figure began to walkpurposefully towards him. As it emerged from theshadows, Daker saw that it was stripped to the waist,wearing nothing but a pair of loose salwar pants, of a typesimilar to those favoured by many Indians. However, onething was instantly clear to the Major: this was no localman. The closer it got to him, the more he began to doubtthat the creature was even human.

   It was man-shaped, certainly, but its skin was a ghastly,fish-belly white, and perfectly smooth and hairless, likepolished marble. Even more unsettling was its face, whichhad the hideously blank expression of a death-mask. Itwas not until the creature was just a few yards away,however, that Daker became aware of the most horrifyingdetail of all.

   The thing had no eyes. Where its eyes have been therewere nothing but smooth hollows filled with grey shadow.

   `Halt!' He almost screamed the word this time. Thefigure, though, simply kept on coming. In a feverish panicDaker fired. The gun roared and he saw a neat black holeappear in the creature's chest. It staggered back a fewsteps, then straightened up.

   Daker fired again. A second hole appeared a few inchesto the right of the first. Once again the figure staggered,then straightened. It stood for a moment, as ifcontemplating its next move and then Daker becameaware of another strange silvery shimmer. For a momenthe was blinded, as if he had walked out of a darkenedroom into the smeary glare of the sun. When he blinked

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the light from his eyes a moment later, the creature wasgone.

Adelaide stepped forward. `Mr Gandhi,' she said, a tremorin her voice.

    The little man came to a halt and smiled. People werestill crowding around him, but no one was pushing orshoving. They all seemed content to wait their turn totouch his sandalled feet, or his arm, or his simplehomespun robe. Some even seemed happy merely totouch his footprints in the dust.

    Gandhi pressed his palms together in the traditionalHindu greeting and nodded first to Adelaide and then tothe Doctor. They returned the greeting, the Doctor makingno attempt to hide the soppy smile on his face.

    `It's ... a pleasure to meet you, sir,' Adelaidestammered.

    `Oh, and quite definitely an honour,' added the Doctor,stepping forward. `And I know you're not into beingidolised and all that, which, ironically, is one of the mostbrilliant things about you, but can I just say, for the record,cos this might be my only chance, that you, Mr MohandasGandhi, are one of the most amazing human beings whohas ever lived, and who ever will live, and for my moneyyou're right up there with Will Shakespeare, MotherTeresa and Arthur Thorndike, the janitor fromBasingstoke, who... oh, hang on, scratch that, he hasn'tbeen born yet.' He opened his mouth to say more, but thencaught Adelaide's eye and grinned sheepishly. `Whoops,sorry. Babbling a bit. Always get like that when I'm

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overexcited. Ooh, still doing it. Sorry. OK, finished now.'

    He closed his mouth and pulled his fingers across hislips in a zipping motion.

    Gandhi bowed again and said, `Thank you for yourgreeting. Your words greatly honour me but I'm afraid Idon't deserve them.'

    `Course you do,' said the Doctor, `but let's not bang onabout it. I know what fans can be like. Except, can I justsay, the Salt March in 1930... brilliant. Stroke of genius.'

    Gandhi smiled. `Actually, what I did was a veryordinary thing. I simply let the British know that theycould not order me about in my own country.'

    `Yeah, but it was the way you did it,' said the Doctor.`Non-violent,      non-confrontational,     non-cooperation.Amazing.'

    `Forgive me,' said Adelaide, `but what was the SaltMarch?'

    The Doctor boggled at her. `Where have you beenliving? On the moon?'

    Adelaide blushed. `Oh, I'm aware of Mr Gandhi, andof his ongoing campaign. But I was only five years old in1930, Dr Smith. I'm afraid my knowledge of the details ofMr Gandhi's early life are a little rusty.'

    `Sorry,' said the Doctor, realising he had embarrassedAdelaide. `Didn't mean to be rude. The British declared itillegal for Indians to possess salt from anywhere otherthan the government's salt monopoly which was grosslyunfair. After all, salt's an abundant, readily availablemineral. Why should people who have barely got twograins of rice to rub together have to pay for it? So

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Mohandas and a few of his mates... oh, do you mind if Icall you Mohandas?'

   Gandhi laughed delightedly. `Not at all. First names arean indicator of friendship, are they not?'

   `Yes,' said the Doctor, grinning. `Yes, they are.'

   `In which case, we should tell you ours,' said Adelaide.`This is Dr John Smith and I'm Adelaide Campbell.'

   `But all my best friends just call me Doctor,' said theDoctor quickly, and went on without a pause, `so anywayMohandas here walked across India, picking up followersalong the way. He walked two hundred miles in twenty-four days, all the way from Sabarmati to the coast atDandi. By the time he got there, he had thousands ofpeople with him. He went down to the beach and pickedup a handful of salt that had been left by the tide. It was abrilliantly simple act of defiance against a stupid rule, andit riveted the whole of India. Millions followed hisexample. Right across the country, people of all castesstarted to make and sell their own salt. A hundredthousand were arrested and imprisoned. The authoritiescouldn't cope. Within a few weeks of Mohandas pickingup those few grains of salt, the whole of India was inrevolt.'

   The Doctor came to a breathless halt, his eyes shining.Gandhi regarded him like a kindly and indulgent uncle.Quietly he said, `I regret to say that my action caused theneedless deaths of many people.'

   `But that wasn't your fault,' said the Doctor. `And theirdeaths weren't needless surely? They died fighting for acause, for something they believed in.'

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    Gandhi shook his head slowly. `There is an importantdistinction to be made here, Doctor. I will happily die forwhat I believe is a just cause, but I will not die fighting forit. To die in anger and conflict makes a man no better thanhis opponent. It has always been my belief that if anopponent strikes you on your right cheek, you should offerhim your left. This shows him that you are courageousenough to take a blow, but that you will not fight back.This in turn diminishes your attacker. It makes his hatredfor you decrease and his respect increase.'

    The Doctor nodded. `But what happens when youcome up against an opponent who is incapable of respect?What happens when your opponent can only hate? Whathappens if by killing the one you can save the many?'

    Gandhi seemed oddly pleased that this stranger wasquestioning his beliefs. He pondered a moment, taking histime to answer. `Then I suppose you must die in theknowledge that at least you have remained as merciful andpure as it is possible for a flesh-and-blood creature to be.And while your opponent may have triumphed physically,spiritually he will be empty, and that is something he willbe forced to address in the fullness of time.'

    The Doctor's face had become sombre. `I've spent agreat deal of my life fighting for what I believe is a justcause too, Mohandas. I've seen so much injustice, somuch bloodshed, that I sometimes think I'll never washthe stain of it from my hands. I used to be so forgiving,but now...' He shook his head and looked away.

    `And yet I sense that you always do what you think isright, Doctor, that you sail turbulent seas and try your

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utmost to maintain a consistent course?'

    The Doctor stared across the mass of faces in front ofhim, the people who were gathered patiently around thelittle man in the homespun robe. The sudden look ofbrooding intensity in his eyes drew a shudder fromAdelaide. She got the impression that the Doctor wasseeing and yet not seeing the people before him, that hishorizons were more distant than hers would ever be.

    Suddenly he smiled. `It's true what they say about you,Mohandas.'

    Gandhi raised his eyebrows good-humouredly. `Oh?'

    `They say a conversation with you is a voyage ofdiscovery. They say you dare to go anywhere without achart.'

    Gandhi chuckled. `As do you, I think, Doctor.'

    `Oh yeah,' said the Doctor. `Why go somewhereyou've already been when there's a whole universe toexplore?'

    The two men laughed, and the people around themdutifully laughed too. As the laughter faded, the Doctorand Adelaide heard a shout from behind them. `Bapu!Bapu!'

    They turned to see a small figure running through thecamp from the direction of the medical tents. At first, inthe darkness, it appeared the boy was wearing a turban,but as he drew closer, the Doctor realised that his head hadbeen dressed and bandaged.

    `Hello, Ranjit,' said Adelaide as the boy reached them,panting. `What happened to you?'

    `Hurt my head. Some soldiers found me and brought

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me here.' Ranjit turned to Gandhi. `Bapu, please. I mustspeak to you.'

    `Then speak,' Gandhi said, patient as ever.

    Ranjit eyed the crowd uncertainly. `I must speak to youin private, Bapu.'

    Gandhi smiled. `But we are all friends here. Surelyfriends should have no secrets from one another?'

    Ranjit stepped closer to Gandhi, close enough tomurmur into his ear.

    `Bapu, last week I saw a light fall from the sky. It fellinto a temple not far from here. When I entered thetemple...' he shuddered `... I saw him, Bapu.'

    Before Gandhi could reply, the Doctor, who had beenlistening to Ranjit's account, leaned forward.

    `Who did you see?' he asked quietly.

    Ranjit glanced from Gandhi to the Doctor, fear on hisface. `I saw Shiva,' he whispered. `I saw him with myown eyes.'

    There was a moment of silence. The Doctor leanedback, looking thoughtful.

    `I think I'd like to see this temple,' he murmured.

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    By 5.20, there was still no sign of Ranjit. Cameron

    didn't know whether to be annoyed or concerned that his

    friend hadn't turned up. Maybe after yesterday he was too

    frightened to return to the house. Or maybe he had been so

    badly hurt that he was now lying in a coma somewhere, or

    wandering around, unable to remember who he was.

       At least he wasn't still lying on the other side of the

    wall. Cameron had sneaked out of the house after dinner

    last night to check. He was still annoyed that he had

    missed all the excitement with the crocodile. He had come

    running from his bedroom when he had heard the

    gunshots, but Mother had refused to allow him to go

    outside. Ronny had taken him for a sneaky look later,

    though. The servants had moved the crocodile off the

    porch and into the shed, and had put a sheet over it to keep

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the flies off.

   Cameron could see straight away that there had beensomething wrong with it. It was the biggest crocodile hehad ever seen, but it had been twisted and covered withweird black lumps. Cameron had asked Ronny what theywere going to do with it.

   `Becharji says his cousin has a lorry. He's promised tocome by and pick the beast up tomorrow,' Ronny hadreplied.

   `And what will Becharji's cousin do with it?' Cameronhad asked.

   `He'll probably chuck it in the river or burn it,' Ronnytold him. `Just as long as he takes it away, he can make itinto handbags for all I care,'

   Cameron looked again at the big grandfather clockticking away the minutes in the otherwise silent hallway.It was now 5.25 still dark outside, but in half an hour theservants would be getting up to prepare breakfast for thefamily.

   All at once Cameron rose from his perch at the bottomof the stairs. It seemed that Ranjit wasn't coming, whichmeant he had one of two choices: either he could abandonthe expedition, or he could go on alone.

   The prospect of exploring the old temple on his ownwas a pretty scary one (as was the thought of the troublehe would find himself in when his parents found out), butCameron knew there was no way he could go back to bedand forget about it. He hadn't been outside in ages, andhad been looking forward to this morning's adventure somuch that last night he had barely been able to sleep.

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   Before his nerve could fail him, therefore, he padded tothe kitchen and picked up his knapsack of provisions.There was food in there and water, plus his trusty catapult,which he'd spent hours practising with in the back garden,and which he would use to frighten the monkeys away ifthey turned nasty.

   With his knapsack on his back, he crept into thehallway and let himself out of the house. Now all he hadto do was pick up his bicycle from the shed, where thedead crocodile lay waiting for collection, and hisadventure could begin.

`Five more minutes, Mum,' Donna groaned as someoneknocked on the door. Then she remembered where shewas and snapped awake.

    India! She was in India! For a moment she felt a giddysense of excitement, a sense of disbelief that this wasactually her life. It was a feeling she often had nowadays,first thing in the morning, just after she woke up. Sherelished the fact that every day she spent with the Doctorwas an incredible voyage of discovery.

    First things first, though. Out of bed, washed, dressed,breakfast. She looked at the clothes Mary Campbell hadlent her, which apparently belonged to her daughter. Marywas all repressed and buttoned-up, but her daughterAdelaide had obviously made more of an effort tointegrate with the locals. Ten minutes later Donna camedownstairs in a silky plum-coloured dress, which wasn't abad fit, although a tiny bit tight in the hip area.

    The first person she saw was Ronny, suited and booted,

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about to enter the dining room for breakfast.

   `Oi, Ronny,' she hissed to attract his attention.

   He turned and smiled. `Good morning, Donna.'

   `Hiya. Listen, Ronny, be honest,' she said in a lowvoice. `Does my bum look big in this?'

   She gave him a twirl, and when she turned to face himagain saw that he was blushing.

   `You... er... look quite delightful,' he stammered.

   `Really? You're not just saying that? Cos I want you tobe honest. Well... honestish.'

   Ronny laughed. `I can honestly say, Donna, that I'venever met a girl quite like you.'

   `Yeah? You wanna come down the Dog and Trumpeton a Saturday night. They're all like me in there.'

   He tilted an elbow in her direction and said in hisplummiest tones, `Would you do me the honour ofaccompanying me to breakfast, Miss Noble?'

   Donna slipped a hand into the crook of his elbow.`Don't mind if I do, squire.'

   They entered the dining room. Bright sunlight wasfalling across the pristine white tablecloth, flashing off thewhite china plates and silver cutlery. A turbaned servantstepped forward and pulled out a chair for Donna to sitdown, then he shook out a napkin and draped it across herlap.

   Sir Edgar and Mary Campbell were already seated atthe table. Sir Edgar was reading The Times, havingalready polished off a large fried breakfast. When helowered the paper to grunt good morning, Donna noticedthat he had egg yolk in his moustache.

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   `Morning, all,' said Ronny, and glanced around.`Where's Cameron this morning?'

   `Still in bed, I expect,' said Sir Edgar. `Lazy blighter. Ifhe doesn't turn up soon, he'll miss breakfast.'

   Ronny winked at Donna. `Leave him be, Father. It isSaturday. He's probably exhausted after all the excitementlast night.'

   `Did you sleep well, dear?' Mary asked Donna. Shewas picking at a slice of buttered toast like a bird.

   `Yeah, lovely, thanks,' Donna said. `I don't think I'veever slept in a four-poster before.' Then she reconsidered.`No, I tell a lie. There was one in the hotel we stayed inafter my cousin Janice's hen night. Mind you, I wasplastered, so I don't remember much about it.'

   There was a shocked silence. Ronny said quickly,`Doesn't Donna look beautiful in Adelaide's dress,Mother?'

   `Very nice,' said Mary in a tight voice.

   From the hallway came the sound of the front dooropening and a woman's voice called, `Yoo-hoo!'

   `Speak of the devil,' said Ronny. `We're in here,Addie.'

   The dining room door opened and a pretty girl withchestnut hair entered. She looked at Donna in surprise, buther smile was friendly enough.

   `Hello,' she said. `Do you know, I've got a dressexactly like that.'

   `It is yours,' said Donna with a grimace of apology. `Ikind of borrowed it.'

   `Donna arrived last night in rather unusual

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circumstances,' said Ronny. `Sit down and have a cup oftea, Addie, and I'll tell you all about it.'

    A servant stepped forward to pull out a spare chair forAdelaide. She dropped into it with a grateful groan.

    `Tough night?' said Donna.

    Adelaide nodded. `But an eventful one. We've hadsome rather amazing visitors at the refugee camp where Iwork. In fact, I'm still buzzing with excitement. I doubtI'll be able to sleep.' She leaned across and rubbedRonny's hand affectionately. `But I'm being rude. Tell meyour news first, Ronny. I want to hear all about Donna.Pleased to meet you, Donna, by the way.'

    She held out a hand, which Donna shook. Donnadecided that she liked Adelaide immediately. She wascertainly much friendlier than her dried-up old sourpuss ofa mother.

    Adelaide's eyes sparkled as she listened to Ronnyrecount the tale of Donna's arrival and the attack by themonstrous crocodile.

    `My goodness,' she said. `So where is this friend ofyours, Donna?'

    `Yes, we never got to the bottom of that, did we?' saidSir Edgar, with a frown.

    Donna shrugged. `I dunno where he is, but I've got tofind him. I mean, thanks for putting me up, but he's mypassport out of here.'

    `What's his name?' asked Ronny. `With all of Father'scontacts, I'm sure somebody will know where he is.'

    Donna said awkwardly, `Well, he doesn't really use aname. He calls himself the Doctor.'

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   Adelaide jerked upright in her seat. `I don't believe it!He's one of the men I was going to tell you about. Heturned up at the camp last night. He said his name was DrJohn Smith.'

   `Yeah, that's the name he... I mean... yeah, that's him,'said Donna, jumping to her feet.

   Ronny looked at her, perplexed. `Aren't you havingany breakfast?'

   `No time,' Donna said, and turned back to Adelaide.`So how do I get to this camp of yours?'

                             ***`Hello, Mr Doctor.'

   The Doctor looked over his shoulder to see Ranjitstanding at the entrance to the tent, grinning at him.

   `Hiya, Ranjit,' he said. `How's the old noggin?'

   Ranjit touched the bandage around his head. `Thenoggin is fine, Mr Doctor. How are you?'

   `Oh, coping, you know. Been helping out a bit here andthere. Keeping busy.'

   `Have you been making people better with your magictorch?' Ranjit asked.

   The Doctor switched the sonic off and straightened upfrom the patient he had been examining. He slipped thesonic into the inside pocket of his jacket, then took off hisblack-framed spectacles, folded them up, and slippedthem into the opposite inside pocket.

   `Not curing so much as diagnosing,' he said, `whichmeans--'

   `I know,' said Ranjit. `Finding out what's wrong withthem. Correct?'

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   `Correct,' said the Doctor, impressed.

   `Haven't you been to sleep?' Ranjit asked.

   `Nah, what would I wanna do that for? Far too manyinteresting things going on.' He cocked an eyebrow. `I'vebeen talking to Gandhi. Me and him, we're best matesnow.'

   `Mr Gandhi is a great man,' Ranjit said.

   `Oh, he certainly is,' agreed the Doctor, and stretched,making his shoulders pop. Casually he asked, `So you allset for today's little trip?'

   Ranjit nodded determinedly. `As long as you and MrGandhi are by my side, everything will be fine.' Then hisexpression changed, a frown crinkling his brow.

   `Everything all right?' the Doctor asked.

   `I promised my friend that I would meet him thismorning. But with everything that has happened...'Ranjit's voice tailed off and he wafted a hand. `It is nomatter. It will be better this way. I'm sure my friend wouldnot have proceeded without me.' He paused a moment.

   The Doctor stayed silent, sensing that there wassomething else the boy wanted to say. Sure enough, amoment later, Ranjit asked, `We will be... safe, won't we,Mr Doctor?'

   The Doctor smiled and said airily, `Yeah, course wewill. Once you've faced one god of destruction you'vefaced 'em all.'

   Ranjit looked reassured.

   The Doctor said, `So was this just a social call?'

   The boy's eyes widened. `Oh yes. I came to tell youthat Mr Gopal is here with our transport. We can leave

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whenever you are ready.'

   `Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?' said theDoctor, sweeping past Ranjit. `Come on.'

   A minute later he was looking up at the transport Gopalhad provided, grinning all over his face.

   `Elephants!' he exclaimed. `You brought elephants!'

   `Are they to your liking, Doctor?' asked Gopalanxiously.

   The Doctor patted one of the elephants on its roughgrey forehead, and it responded by raising its trunk andsniffing delicately at his hair.

   `Oh yeah,' he said, `brilliant. Better than a smelly oldcar any day.'

   The four elephants had elaborate, multicoloured floraldesigns painted on their heads, trunks and ears. They worebracelets of spherical bells on their feet, which jingledwhen they walked, and each was equipped with a howdah,a boxy, open-sided canopy edged with tassels, containingseating enough for two people.

   Gopal looked pleased at the Doctor's approval. `Whereis Mr Gandhi?' he asked.

   `In his shelter,' said the Doctor. `I'll go and fetch him.'

   He had taken no more than a couple of steps when avoice bellowed, `Oi! Stay right there, buster.'

   `Uh-oh, here comes trouble,' the Doctor murmured toGopal, rolling his eyes. He spun round and opened hisarms. `Donna!'

   One of the small, two-wheeled passenger vehiclesknown as tongas had come to a halt on the slight elevationof dusty road that ran alongside the camp. The wiry

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teenage boy who had been pulling the tonga lowered thehandles carefully to the ground and offered a helping handto its occupant.

   Donna emerged a little ungracefully. She was wearing aplum-coloured dress of some silky material whichshimmered in the sunlight, and a hat with a wide, floppybrim.

   `Um... nice hat,' the Doctor said neutrally.

   `I burn easily,' snapped Donna.

   `You don't have to tell me,' muttered the Doctor. `Oneflash of those eyes is enough to frazzle anyone.'

   `What did you say?' Donna asked, picking her waydown the dusty slope towards him.

   `Nothing complimentary,' he said quickly, and thengrinned again. `Aw, but it's good to see you, looking all...purple and shiny. Come and give us a big hug.'

   He ran towards her and threw his arms around her. Shehugged him back for a moment, then realised what shewas doing and shoved him away.

   `No way. You're not getting round me like that. I'mannoyed with you.'

   `What for?' he exclaimed, all shrill indignation.

   `You were about to go swanning off without me.'

   `No I wasn't.'

   `Yes you were. You're off to some temple or other.'

   He looked like a child caught with his hand in thesweetie jar. `Who told you that?'

   `Adelaide,' she said.

   `Aw, you've met Adelaide? She's lovely, isn't she?'

   `Doctor, don't try and sidetrack me.'

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    He saw the hurt look in her eyes and dropped theflippancy. `Sorry,' he mumbled.

    `Weren't you in the least bit concerned about me?' sheasked.

    `Course I was. That's why I came here. I was lookingfor you.'

    `But you were still about to go off on one of youradventures.'

    He opened his mouth as if to offer an excuse, thenclosed it again and sighed. `I just got caught up in things. Iwas going to come and find you later. Promise. I knewyou'd be all right.'

    `How could you possibly know that?'

    `Well, look at you. You're Donna. Tough as old...' hesaw her face harden and said quickly `... resourceful andresilient. Blimey, you've even got a new wardrobe.' Hepunched her arm lightly. `C'mon, don't be mad. Hey, Iwant you to meet someone.'

    `Who?' she said as he grabbed her hand.

    `It's a surprise, but I promise you're gonna love it.Come on.'

    He led her through the camp, weaving between theshelters and lean-tos. Donna looked around, appalled atthe poverty and suffering.

    `Doctor, all these people--'

    `Yeah, I know,' he said, centuries of sadness seeminglyencapsulated in those three little words.

    Eventually they came to a shabby lean-to, no differentfrom all the others. He nodded at the two young mensitting outside, then leaned towards the tatty sheets of

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cloth draped across its entrance. `Knock, knock. Youdecent in there?'

   There was an answering chuckle and a voice replied,`Come in, Doctor.'

   The Doctor lifted aside one of the sheets, saidsomething to the occupant of the lean-to, and then turnedto Donna, obviously relishing the moment.

   `Donna Noble, may I introduce you to MohandasGandhi.'

   Donna gave him an incredulous look, then steppedinside the shelter, which was dark and hot. A little old manwearing what looked like a white bed sheet was sittingcross-legged on a thin reed mat. He smiled almosttoothlessly up at her.

   `Hello, Donna Noble,' he said, pressing his palmstogether. `I'm very pleased to meet you.'

   `Likewise,' said Donna a little breathlessly. She wasclearly overwhelmed. Then she blurted, `Blimey, you lookjust like you do in the film.'

   Gandhi looked at her quizzically. `Film?'

   `She means the newsreels,' said the Doctor quickly,stepping in front of her. `I've just come to tell you that ourtransport is here, Mohandas. We're ready to roll wheneveryou are.'

   Gandhi thanked him and said he would be there in afew minutes. As soon as they were out of earshot of thelean-to, Donna said, `I can't believe it. Gandhi! The realGandhi!'

   The Doctor grinned delightedly at her enthusiasm. `Iknow,' he said.

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     `Do all historical figures look just how you imagine?'she asked.

     The Doctor pondered a moment. `Well, not all of them.You know what they said about Cleopatra?'

     `Most beautiful woman in the world, wasn't she?'

     He clenched his teeth in a grimace.

     `You mean that was all just hype?' said Donna.

     `Well, let me put it this way if the world had been thesize of her bedchamber and all her handmaidens had hadthe day off, then there might have been a grain of truth init.'

     Donna laughed. Then she said, `Hey, hang on. How doyou know how big her bedchamber was?'

     The Doctor sniffed and shot her a sidelong look. `I'vebeen around a bit, you know.'

     She laughed harder and grabbed his hand. `You olddevil,' she said.

Cameron had a puncture. It had happened not long afterhe had set off, just as the sun was climbing a ladder ofthinning purple clouds into a salmon-pink sky. He hadfished his puncture-repair kit out of his knapsack and triedto mend it, but the heat had made the glue go runny and itwouldn't stick.

   Eventually, hot and dirty, his fingers sticky with glue,he had given up. He had briefly considered turning back,and then had wondered whether it would be all right toleave his useless bike by the side of the road and continueon foot.

   In the end he decided to carry on, but to wheel his bike

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along with him. He couldn't face turning back, and if heleft his bike then someone would probably steal it.

   Not that he had seen anyone, which was strange. True,it was still early morning, and the temple was situated offa quiet farming track out of the city, as opposed to a mainroute, which he had heard were populated by longcaravans of people trying to escape the troubles. But evenso, the wheat farmers and tea plantation workers werenormally out in the fields by now, and whenever he andRanjit had come this way before they had passed kidsleading goats on strings, or the occasional camel-herder,or farmers riding rickety wooden carts pulled by skinnyoxen.

   Today, though, there was nobody, and Cameron couldonly guess that those who hadn't already fled were tooscared by the fighting to stick their noses out of their frontdoors. He had heard Ronny and Father say that gangs ofbandits had moved into the area and were using theviolence as a smokescreen to rob and kill innocent people.Cameron wondered what he would do if a gang of banditssuddenly appeared on the road ahead of him. Would hehide, or run, or simply stand his ground and hope thatbecause he was English, or a child, they would leave himalone?

   All at once he glimpsed movement in the long grass atthe side of the road about thirty metres ahead. Thinking itmight be a bandit crawling along on his belly, gettingready to ambush him, he stopped. Then the `bandit'revealed itself, and he saw it was not a bandit at all. It wasa huge snake at least six metres long and as thick as his

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thigh and it came slithering out on to the road, leaving awinding track, like a series of Ss in the dust.

    Cameron had seen snakes before, and he knew thething to do was stand still and let them go about theirbusiness. In his eleven years in India, this advice hadalways stood him in good stead but not today. ToCameron's horror the snake altered direction and began toslither towards him. When it was about fifteen metresaway, it stopped, rearing up on its tail until it was tallerthan he was.

    Though terrified, Cameron noticed a couple of thingsabout the snake at once. Firstly, he noticed that itsdistinctive yellow and black markings, and its even moredistinctive ability to flatten its upper ribs so that the areabelow its head flared out in a hood shape, identified it as aKing Cobra. And secondly, he noticed that the creaturewas not only huge but oddly misshapen, its body bulgingwith the same strange black carbuncles that he had seenon the crocodile last night.

    The Cobra regarded him with flat eyes, its headweaving from side to side. Its forked purple tongueflickered in and out of its mouth. Moving as slowly as hecould, Cameron placed his rucksack on the ground andopened it. Suddenly the snake hissed, its head dartingforward, its fangs dripping venom.

    Cameron jumped back, heart pounding. He knew that asnake like this could kill him with a single bite. However,this was a feigned attack, a warning. The Cobra's headsnapped back as though on a piece of elastic. SlowlyCameron reached into his rucksack and took out his

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catapult. Then he felt about on the ground until he found asuitable rock.

    The Cobra lunged again, and again Cameron jumpedback. He had no doubt that the snake would keep playingthis game until it either killed him or he managed to driveit away. Mouth dry, he loaded his catapult with the rock,took careful aim and fired.

    All his hours of practice paid off. The rock flewstraight and true and struck the Cobra on its snout. Itcurled in on itself, dipping its head back into its nest ofcoils. Before it could recover, Cameron grabbed anotherrock, half-expecting the snake to come for him again.

    But to his immense relief, the massive, misshapenCobra had obviously decided it had had enough. It turnedand slithered away, disappearing back into the long grassat the side of the road.

The Doctor and Donna were laughing their heads off.

   Donna had started it. At first it had been the rollingmotion of the elephants which had set her off, and thenshe had been suddenly struck by the wonderful absurdityof her situation, and after that there was no stopping her.

   Gopal, Ranjit and the three men from Gandhi'sentourage who had come along with them quiet,studious types, very polite and diffident had looked ather in astonishment, but the Doctor and Gandhi hadseemed to understand. Gandhi smiled away, all avunculargood humour, and the Doctor, after grinning along for abit, had become so caught up in the infectiousness of hermood that he had started to laugh too.

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   `Why do Mr Doctor and Miss Donna laugh so much?'Ranjit asked Gandhi, who he was riding with. `Are theyaffected by the sun?'

   Smiling, Gandhi said, `No, they are affected by life.Sometimes a person feels its worth and joy so keenly thattheir only recourse is to express the emotion throughlaughter.'

   `But aren't they scared of what awaits us in thetemple?' Ranjit asked.

   `No doubt they are. But sometimes fear of the dangerto come makes a person appreciate life all the more.'

   It was the cry for help which finally snapped theDoctor and Donna out of it. As they approached a thicklywooded area of neem trees, they heard someone yell, `Getaway! Help! Heeeeelp!'

   `That's a kid,' Donna said, but the Doctor had alreadyleaped down from his elephant and was sprinting throughthe trees. He dodged between trunks and hurdled bushes,before bursting into a clearing. The abandoned templeloomed on the far side, but this wasn't what claimed hisimmediate attention.

   Directly in front of him, standing with his back to theDoctor, was a boy holding a catapult. Closing in on theboy were at least thirty monkeys, all of which werehideously enlarged, their bodies made monstrous byzytron energy.

   Clearly whatever was responsible for the leakage wasclose by. The physical symptoms were more advanced inthese creatures than in the patients the Doctor had seen atthe hospital. The monkeys were smothered in black

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lumps, some to such an extent that they could move onlywith extreme difficulty. They snarled and bared their teethas they advanced; some were salivating like rabid dogs.

   `Hello,' the Doctor said quietly to the boy. `What'syour name then?'

   He had made plenty of noise crashing through the trees,but the boy's attention must have been focused on thethreat in front of him. He spun round now with a shockedcry, firing his catapult instinctively. The Doctor duckedand the rock flew past his head and took a chunk out of anearby tree.

   `Whoa there, Dennis the Menace,' the Doctor saidmildly. `One thing I definitely don't need is a sideparting.' He glanced at the monkeys, which were stilledging forward. `So what do they call you then?'

   `Cameron Campbell,' replied the boy.

   `Right then, Cameron Campbell, I want you to comeover here and stand behind me. But do it slowly.Understand?'

   Cameron nodded and did as the Doctor asked. A coupleof the bigger monkeys hissed and scuttled forward, theirtwisted, lopsided movement making them look like giantinjured spiders rather than primates.

   The Doctor produced his sonic and clamped it betweenhis teeth. Then he used both hands to delve into his jacketpockets. In a muffled voice he said, `Now where did Iput... aha!'

   He produced a small, brightly coloured pyramid with awick sticking out of the top. He spat his sonic back intohis palm and used it to light the wick.

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   The pyramid fizzed and crackled, shooting outmulticoloured sparks. Almost casually the Doctor tossed itinto the middle of the advancing monkeys.

   `I'd shut your eyes if I were you,' he told Cameron.

   Suddenly there was a fla-thoomp! sound and ripples ofmulticoloured light radiated outwards from the fizzingpyramid. Screaming in alarm, the monkeys scattered in alldirections, disappearing into the trees and bushes.

   `And don't come back!' the Doctor shouted. `There'smore where that came from.' He looked down atCameron. `You can open your eyes now.'

   Cameron did so, blinking up at him. Before he couldspeak there was a rustling noise behind them, and Donna,Gandhi, Gopal, Ranjit and one of Gandhi's attendantsemerged from the bushes.

   `We saw a light,' said Donna.

   `Was it Shiva?' asked Ranjit fearfully.

   `Nah, it was a Maluvian Rainbow Cascade. Fun for allthe family,' said the Doctor.

   Cameron saw Ranjit and his eyes widened. `I waitedfor you!' he said. `Why didn't you come?'

   Ranjit looked shamefaced. `I'm sorry. I met Bapu andtold him what had happened. When he and Mr Doctor saidthey would come to the temple with me...' He shook hishead `I did not think you would come alone.'

   `Well, you thought wrong,' said Cameron, scowling athis friend.

   `Ah well, never mind, no harm done,' said the Doctorbriskly. `Right, I'm off for a quick nosey in the temple.Who's coming with me? Not you two.'

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   This last remark was directed at the boys. Ranjit lookedrelieved, but Cameron pulled a face.

   `I haven't come all this way for nothing,' he protested.

   `Yeah, you have. Sorry,' said the Doctor dismissively.

   `I will take the boys back,' Gopal said. `We will waitfor you by the elephants.'

   `Okey-dokey,' said the Doctor. `See you in a bit.' Hestrode towards the temple's pillared entrance.

   Donna hurried to catch up with him. `You've got a waywith kids,' she said heavily. `You ought to be a teacher.'

   `Been there, done that.' He took a reading of thebuilding with his sonic. `

   `Anything?'

   `Not sure.' He turned to Gandhi and his attendant, whowere bringing up the rear. `How you doing there,Mohandas?'

   `I am ready for anything,' Gandhi said happily.

   `Good man.'

   They entered the temple, which felt refreshingly coolafter the hot sun. It would have been gloomy had it notbeen for the bands of dusty light which spilled through thecracks in the ancient stonework.

   `Doesn't seem to be anyone home,' she said.

   `Certainly there is no sign of Shiva's light,' observedGandhi.

   `That's probably because the zytron engines ofwhatever landed here have powered down,' the Doctorspeculated. `But let's stay alert, people. Stick close to me.I'm the man with the plan.'

   `And what plan's that then?' Donna asked.

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   The Doctor glanced at her and swallowed. `Well, theplan to... um... have a quick look round and... see what'swhat.'

   `Brilliant,' she said.

   `Sometimes the simplest plans are the best ones,' hereplied huffily.

   They moved through the antechamber and into theshrine. Inside was a large open space with an altar at thefar end. Aside from the archetypal Indian designs carvedinto the stonework, the layout wasn't all that differentfrom the churches back home, Donna thought.

   What seemed immediately clear to her was that thetemple was empty and deserted, that whatever might havebeen here a week ago had now gone. She was about to sayas much when she became aware of a strange silveryshimmer in the air. When the shimmer faded, a vastcreature was standing in front of the altar.

   She gasped, recognising the creature instantly. It was amassive, flame-red arachnid, from the front of which,rearing from the abdomen like a figurehead on a ship, wasa vaguely humanoid female torso, encased in a ridged,armour-like exoskeleton. Instead of hands the `spider-woman' had lethal-looking spikes, and her parody of ahuman face was set in a grinning snarl, the slaveringmouth filled with jagged teeth, the eyes black and staring.There were more eyes, a whole row of them, on thecrown-like crest that jutted above the spider-woman'sbrow.

   Donna clutched the Doctor's arm, her legs turning towater. `Oh my God, Doctor, it's the Racnoss,' she said.

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    The Doctor looked at her curiously, but said nothing.On the other side of him, Gandhi's attendant had fallen tohis knees and bowed his head. `Shiva, forgive me, Shiva,forgive me,' he muttered over and over again.

    Gandhi was standing at the Doctor's shoulder, staringup as though mesmerised.

    `What do you see, Mohandas?' the Doctor askedquietly.

    `I see a great darkness, Doctor,' Gandhi said, trying tokeep his voice steady. `A great darkness descending on theworld.'

    The Doctor nodded grimly and held up his sonic. `Well,all I see is a door that needs opening. Cover your ears.'

    The sonic began to shriek, its blue tip glowing sobrightly it was almost white.

    Donna saw the Empress of the Racnoss flicker anddistort, like a bad TV picture. Then the massive creatureshattered into a million silvery fragments, which seemedto be instantly sucked into a central point, like dust intothe nozzle of a powerful vacuum cleaner. A second laterthere was no evidence that the Racnoss had ever beenthere. The temple was empty and silent once more.

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    The central flight deck of the alien craft resembled a

    cave of smooth black rock, filled with a glowing plastic

    web interlaced with silvery-black lumps of metal. Pulsing

    strands and filaments snaked everywhere some lashed

    together in knotted clumps; some trailing across the ridged

    floor like jungle vines; some hanging in fleshy loops from

    the uneven walls and ceiling. The metallic elements fused

    into the web most closely resembled machines, or bits of

    machines, that had melted and reformed many times over.

    They were studded with spines and nodules that glittered

    and flickered with intermittent ripples of milky light.

       The impression was that of an amateurish botch-job, a

    tangled lash-up of random elements that couldn't possibly

    work. And yet it did work, the craft's intricately

    interwoven systems united by one crucial component.

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That component, ensconced in its messy cradle oftechnology, like a hospital patient hooked up to a dozenlife-support machines, was the alien which had piloted theship to Earth.

    Right now the alien was agitated, having been caughtunawares by the sonic attack. Its scans had revealed theinhabitants of this planet to be a level 2 species, yet thesonic attack had been consistent with a level 6 civilisation.If it hadn't been for the presence of its quarry, the pilotmight not even have bothered setting the sensors whichwere linked to the displacement system. Fortunately, thesensors had interpreted the sonic attack as a hostile actionand had automatically issued a relocation directive.

    But the source of the sonic device still bothered thepilot. It didn't think its quarry possessed such aninstrument unless it had stolen technology far inadvance of its own. If so, then its quarry could prove moredangerous than had been anticipated. The pilot decidedthat steps would have to be taken if it didn't want to becaught out a second time.

    It sent out a thought-pulse to initiate a level 6technology scan, and received the results within seconds.Negative. Which meant that the sonic device was nowinactive. It sent out another pulse, priming the scanners todetect any re-occurrence of sonic energy waves.

    Now if the sonic device was activated again it would beready.

`So what was that thing in the temple?' Donna asked.

   They were sitting on the elephants again, heading back

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to camp. Since the Racnoss had disappeared, the Doctorhad been deep in thought, responding to her questionswith little more than grunts. She had been patient up tonow, but if he didn't give her some proper answers soonshe'd explode.

   He blinked at her, as if roused from sleep. `It was aglamour,' he said.

   `And what's one of those when it's at home?'

   `It's a...' He glanced at Gandhi, his attendants, Gopaland the two boys, all of whom were looking at him withinterest. He pulled a face, knowing this wasn't going to beeasy, and then sighed, deciding as ever that the best policywas to plough on regardless.

   `It's a kind of psychic shield,' he said. `It wasdeveloped by the Kladdavoreesh to protect themselvesfrom the squillions of predators on their planet.' Hegrimaced. `Nasty planet, Kladdavor. Once got invited to afeasting ceremony just outside the Toxic Zone. Neveragain. Anyway, once word got about, glamour technologywas copied, developed and adapted by loads of differentspecies, often for military use or criminal gain.'

   `And it... what? Makes you see what you're mostscared of?'

   `In this case, yeah. The intention being that instead ofhanging around you run very fast in the oppositedirection.'

   `So you can't tell, just from looking at this glamourthingy, who's using it?' Donna asked.

   `No, could be any one of... ooh, seventy-threethousand, nine hundred and twenty-four different species,

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give or take.'

    `And how come it disappeared when you zapped it?'

    `Must have had an in-built displacement system, whichmeans that whenever anyone mucks about with it, it alertsthe craft it's shielding, which then hops off somewhereelse.'

    `Could do with one of them for my car,' said Donna.She looked round at Gandhi, who was sitting cross-leggedon the elephant behind them, listening to their exchangewith interest. `Sorry about this, Mr Gandhi,' she said. `Wemust sound like total nutters to you.'

    `On the contrary,' said Gandhi, `your conversation isfascinating.'

    `You mean you believe all this alien planet stuff? Justlike that?' She indicated the Doctor. `First time I met him,I thought he'd escaped from somewhere.'

    Gandhi's eyes sparkled with interest and intelligence.He might be an old bloke, Donna thought, but even in theshort time she'd known him she'd decided he was one ofthe sharpest people she'd ever met. Like the Doctor, hegave the impression that nothing got past him, that hecould adapt to any situation.

    `You have no reason to lie to me,' he said, `and howcan I do anything but accept the evidence of my owneyes?'

    `But none of this... bothers you?' Donna said. `I knowtons of people who'd shut themselves in the wardrobe ifthey found out all this stuff was real.'

    Gandhi smiled his near-toothless smile. `Forgive myimpertinence, Donna, but I believe this highlights the

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cultural difference between the East and the West. Yousee, the bridges of the West are made of concrete and steeland wire, whereas the bridges of the East are made ofspirit. To communicate in the West you move and talk,and everything must have a definite resolution, but in theEast we sit and contemplate and suffer and dream. Thereare no boundaries for us. Everything remains possible.'

   Donna looked at him in admiration. `That's... brilliant,'she said. `Yeah, I totally get that. I've never thought of itlike that before.'

   Perched on his elephant, the Doctor grinned. `That'sMohandas for you,' he said. `The soul of an Easternprophet and the spirit of a Galactic pioneer.'

   Gandhi placed his palms together and gave a little bow.`You are too kind, Doctor.'

   `Nah, not me,' said the Doctor. `Doesn't pay to be tookind. Always be just kind enough and you won't go farwrong.'

   By the time they arrived back at the camp, the sun washigh in the sky. Donna was glad to get her feet on solidground again. The continuous motion had made her feelsick, and even with the umbrella to keep off the worst ofthe sun it had been getting very hot and a bit smelly.

   `Right,' the Doctor said, jumping down from hiselephant, `onwards and upwards. Gopal, Mohandas, seeyou later. If you hear news of Shiva, or any other deity,popping up in any nearby temples, give us a shout. Donna,seeing as the Campbells are mates of yours, will you takeCameron home? I'll join you there in a bit.'

   He turned away, but Donna said, `Hang on, where are

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you going?'

   `Back to the TARDIS. I want to scan the area forhotspots of zytron energy, see if I can find out where thatship's gone.'

   He turned away again. Donna asked, `What is zytronenergy anyway?'

   He turned back, sighed. `It's appallingly dangerous iswhat it is. It's cheap and adaptable, but unstable and hardto contain. It attacks, mutates and eventually destroysliving tissue. Put bluntly, it turns whoever and whatever itinfects into a ravening psychopathic monster.'

   Donna pulled a face. `You'd better go and sort it then.See you later, spaceman.' Before the Doctor could turnaway for the third time, she said sternly, `But don't gogetting into any trouble without me, OK?'

   `As if,' said the Doctor innocently.

`You spoil that boy,' Sir Edgar grunted as his wife left thedining room with a tray of boiled eggs and hot butteredtoast. Two minutes later her panicked cries broughteveryone running.

   `What is it, Mother?' asked Adelaide.

   `It's Cameron. He's gone,' Mary replied in a weakvoice, and promptly swooned in her arms.

   Ten minutes later, after a thorough search of the houseand grounds, it was confirmed that Cameron was nowhereto be found.

   `He's been kidnapped, I know he has,' said Mary, whowas now lying on the chaise-longue in the drawing room,looking white and ill.

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   `Nonsense,' said Sir Edgar, though he too lookedanxious.

   Ronny appeared, having given the grounds anotheronceover. `His bicycle's missing from the shed,' he toldthem.

   `There you are,' said Adelaide, trying to remainpositive. `He's probably gone off on one of hisexpeditions.'

   At that moment, there came an explosive hammeringon the front door. They all looked at each other, frightenedby the urgency of the sound, but unwilling to speculatewhat it might mean. For a few moments they stood insilence, waiting. Eventually there was a tap on thedrawing room door and Becharji entered.

   `Major Daker is here, sahib,' he said to Sir Edgar.

   Sir Edgar glanced at Ronny. `What does he want?'

   `He says that he needs to speak to you, sahib.Urgently.'

   `Better show him in then,' said Sir Edgar.

   Seconds later Major Daker clomped into the room. Helooked even more red-faced than usual and, Adelaidenoted, unusually dishevelled. He glanced round as ifsurprised to see them all there, and then turned hisattention to Sir Edgar.

   `Begging your pardon, Sir Edgar, but I need to speak toyou at once.'

   `Is it about Cameron?' Adelaide blurted.

   Daker blinked at her, surprised. `Cameron? No, why?What's he done?'

   `He's gone missing,' she said.

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   Daker stared at her for so long that she felt unsettled.She noticed how bloodshot his eyes were, the whitesalmost pink.

   `Sedition,' he muttered eventually.

   `I beg your pardon?' said Ronny.

   Daker swung round on him. `Don't you see? They wantus out and this is their way of trying to force our hand.'

   Ronny and Adelaide looked at each other, baffled.`Who do?' Ronny asked.

   `The natives, of course. The Indians. I came to tell youthat three of my men disappeared last night. Taken fromtheir beds two of them, right under the noses of theircolleagues.' His eyes clouded over, as if he had lost histhread, and he rubbed vigorously at what Adelaide noticedwas a darkish lump behind his left ear. Then he said, `It'sall very well these people fighting amongst themselves,but I tell you, they've overstepped the mark this time.'

   A little unnerved, Adelaide said, `I'm sure Cameron'snot been taken by anyone. He's been so cooped uprecently, what with--'

   But, with a terse shake of the head, Daker cut her off.`We have to come down hard on these people, show themwho's boss.' He snapped suddenly to attention. Adelaidealmost expected him to salute. `With your permission, SirEdgar, I would like to instigate a thorough search of thecity. It is my intention to leave no stone unturned.'

   Sir Edgar wafted a hand, too anxious about his son toput up with the Major's bluster.

   `Do whatever you think fit, Major Daker,' he said. `Itrust you'll let us know the instant you hear anything of

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Cameron's whereabouts?'

   `You have my word, sir,' Daker said, and this time hedid salute.

   He turned and exited the room, rubbing at the lumpbehind his ear.

The Doctor was a blur of movement, leaping around theTARDIS console, flicking switches and spinning dials.When the locational calibrator stuck, he whacked it with arubber mallet and it burped into life, like an old manshocked out of an afternoon nap. Every five seconds, hechecked the scanner screen, across which a complicatedmass of data was scrolling. `Come on, come on, get to thepoint,' he said as his eyes flickered across the numbersand symbols. Finally, after another few madcap circuits ofthe console, he shouted, `Aha! There you go, you beauty!'

   He delved into his jacket. Now all he had to do waspinpoint the exact location by configuring the data withthe old sonic and...

   Suddenly he frowned. The sonic wasn't there. He triedthe other pocket. Not there either. Frantically he pattedeach of his pockets in turn, then turned them out,scattering plum stones, a rubber spider, scribbled notes, abook, a tangle of green and yellow wire, sweet wrappers,a yo-yo and all sorts of alien bits and bobs across thefloor.

   `No, no, no, no, no, no, no!' he shouted, trying toremember when he had last used the sonic, and moreimportantly where he had put it afterwards.

   It had been in the temple. He'd used it on the glamour.

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And then, and then...

    He slapped himself so hard on the side of the head thatit sounded like the crack of a whip.

    `Idiot!' he yelled.

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    `Hey!' shouted Ranjit, then wished he'd kept his mouth

    shut. The little kid was still some distance away, and as

    soon as he saw Ranjit coming, he ran.

        It had been the sunlight flashing off its shiny surface

    which had caught Ranjit's attention. He had turned to see

    the little kid showing off the Doctor's magic torch to a

    group of his friends. The kid was waving the torch in the

    air, and all the other kids were oohing and aahing.

        Straight away Ranjit realised that the torch must have

    flown out of the Doctor's pocket when he had jumped

    down from the elephant.

        Maybe the kid had seen it fly out, or maybe he had

    found it later in the dust. Either way, Ranjit knew that the

    magic torch was a very precious piece of equipment and

    that the Doctor would want it back.

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   The kid was running now, up the dusty banking ontothe road, then towards the field beyond. The kid wasyounger than Ranjit, maybe seven or eight, but he had agood lead and the grass in the field was long enough forhim to hide in.

   Ranjit gave chase, his bare feet slapping the sunbakedearth, sending up a trail of dust. People turned to watchhim as he pounded by, but no one challenged him or triedto stop him. He reached the top of the rise just in time tosee the kid plunge into the high grass on the other side ofthe road. The grass came up to the kid's neck. All Ranjitcould see of him now was his head bobbing up and down,like a ball floating on a green sea.

   Ranjit knew he would catch the kid eventually, but hisfear was that the kid would panic and throw the torchaway. If he did, they might never find it in the long grass.

   With this in mind, he halted on the edge of the field andcupped his hands around his mouth.

   `Stop!' he shouted. `I only want to talk to you!'

   But the kid didn't stop. If anything, he ran faster. Ranjitsighed and went after him. It was not easy running in thelong grass. The sun had dried it out, making it hard andspiky. It scratched his legs, drawing stripes of blood hereand there. Ranjit knew that the feld was probably full ofcreatures that could bite and sting: snakes, spiders,scorpions. If one of them bit him, he might think it wasjust the grass scratching him. Venom might race aroundhis body without him even knowing it.

   And if that happened, who would help him? Whowould see him if he collapsed in the long grass? His Uncle

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Mahmoud's next-door neighbour had been stung by ascorpion once, a big one. Uncle Mahmoud had sucked outthe poison. He had told Ranjit that it tasted like goat'smilk, but Ranjit hadn't believed him.

    He was gaining on the kid now. The kid was halfwayacross the field, Ranjit only thirty or forty metres behind.Ranjit's head throbbed where the rock had hit him, butotherwise he felt pretty good. On the way to the templethat morning, Bapu had shared his breakfast with him bread, oranges, grapes, sour lemons and strained butterwith a juice of aloe and so for the first time in days hisbelly felt full and his limbs strong.

    All at once, the kid spun round, pointing the magictorch at Ranjit.

    `Leave me alone or I'll shoot you!'

    Ranjit stopped, his legs stinging, sweat trickling downhis face. He laughed. `That's not a gun.'

    The kid was thin, with dark hollows under his eyes. Heturned the torch on. It glowed blue and made a high-pitched noise, but nothing else happened.

    `You see,' said Ranjit. He held out his hand. `Now giveit to me.'

    The kid shook his head. `It's not yours.'

    `It's not yours either. You stole it.'

    `I didn't steal it,' said the kid indignantly. `I found it.The Englishman dropped it.'

    `If you saw him drop it, why didn't you give it back tohim?'

    The kid looked flustered for a moment. Then he said, `Iwas going to. I hoped he might give me a reward for it, so

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that I could buy food for my family.'

    Ranjit shook his head. `Just because you're hungry, thatdoesn't mean you should become a thief. Mr Doctor is agood man. He's trying to help us.'

    `I'm not a thief,' protested the kid. `Is it my fault if theEnglishman is careless?'

    Ranjit held out his hand again. `Give me the torch. I'llgive it back to Mr Doctor. I'll tell him that you found it.Maybe he'll give you a reward and maybe he won't.'

    But the kid shook his head and tightened his grip on thetorch. `I won't give it back.'

    `Yes you will,' said Ranjit, stepping towards him.

    The kid turned to run and Ranjit jumped on him,wrestling him to the ground. For a few seconds, the twoboys fought furiously. Ranjit tried to grab the torch, butthe kid held on to it for dear life. The younger boy'sthumb pressed down on a row of tiny controls on the sideof the instrument and it began to shriek as though in pain,its tip glowing a brilliant white-blue.

                              ***There! This time the readings came through loud andclear. Not only had the scanners detected the sonic energywaves of the level 6 device, but they had now been able topinpoint its location. Assimilating the information, thealien pilot sent out a thought-pulse.

Ranjit finally succeeded in wrenching the torch out of thekid's hand. However, he pulled so violently that the torchflew end over end, describing an arc in the air.

   Ranjit sat up, grass poking out of his hair and sticking

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to his sweaty skin. He jumped to his feet just in time toregister roughly where it had landed. He waded throughthe grass, trying to keep his eye on the spot.

    Though the kid had fought hard to keep hold of thetorch, he had now given up on it. He sat in the middle ofthe crushed patch of grass where he and Ranjit had beenwrestling, arms folded and mouth down-turned in a sulk.

    Ranjit poked about in the long grass where he had seenthe torch land, tearing clumps of it out in frustration. Atlast he saw a whitish glimmer and snatched it up. Hestraightened just in time to see a strange silvery shimmerin the air.

    Next moment, two men were standing in the long grassabout twenty metres away. Their skin was white, likechalk, but it was their faces which almost stopped thebreath in his throat. They had no eyes; just smooth, palehollows of unbroken flesh. They neither smiled nor spokenor showed any emotion at all. They simply beganstriding, fluidly and remorselessly, in Ranjit's direction.

    Ranjit had never been so terrified. There wassomething awful about these men. He turned and ran, hisfear making him stumble, his breath hitching raggedly inhis throat.

    The kid was still sitting where Ranjit had left him, armsfolded. Ranjit realised the kid couldn't see the terriblemen above the long grass.

    `Run!' he shouted, his voice raw and high-pitched.`Run now!'

    The kid just scowled at him, stuck out his bottom lipand turned away.

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    Ranjit could see the men coming towards him out ofthe corner of his eye. He hated leaving the kid, but hedidn't have time to argue. If he paused for even two moreseconds, the men would get them both. And so, feelingsick, he ran past the kid, deeper into the field, towards thetall trees on the far side.

    He was halfway between the kid and the trees when heheard the kid scream. It was a hot day, but the sound wasso full of terror that it made Ranjit feel cold all over.

    Ranjit looked back and saw the kid trying to scrambleto his feet as the men loomed over him. He managed it,but as he turned to run the men reached out and grabbedhim with their awful white hands.

    `No!' Ranjit shouted, but then there was another silveryshimmer. When his eyes cleared a moment later, Ranjitrealised he was shouting at nothing. The two men and thekid were gone.

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    `Don't      you ever get the urge to do something...

    y'know... naughty?' Donna said.

       Gandhi chuckled. `Naughty?'

       `Yeah, don't you ever just wanna have a day off from

    helping other people, and... I dunno... go on a shopping

    spree or... just bask in the sun and pig out on chocolate?'

       Gandhi was laughing now. He clapped his hands in

    delight. `I do like chocolate,' he admitted.

       `Well, there you go then.'

       `But I deny myself the pleasure of it.'

       `But why?' Donna asked. `I mean, look at all the

    fantastic things you do for people. Surely you, more than

    anyone, deserve a treat now and again?'

       They were sitting in a tonga, heading back towards the

    Campbells' palatial property on the outskirts of the most

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salubrious area of Calcutta. Cameron was perchedbetween Donna and Gandhi, his bicycle strapped to theback of the little carriage.

   Gandhi had an appointment with Sir Edgar to discusspossible solutions to the recent troubles, and had asked ifhe could tag along. Donna had been delighted. She hadalready grown fond of the little man. His selfess goodhumour, open-mindedness and joie de vivre made herthink of an older version of the Doctor.

   `Have you heard of The Gita, Donna?' he asked now.

   She frowned, vaguely recalling a drunken pubconversation she had once had with Amrita, a workcolleague at H.C. Clements, before all the Racnossbusiness had kicked off.

   `It's a holy book, innit? Krishna and all that?'

   Gandhi nodded. `A passage in The Gita describes theideal man. He is desireless. His aim is to reach the higheststate of perfection, to transcend his physical being andbecome one with God to achieve Nirvana.'

   `And that's what you're trying to do, is it?'

   Gandhi inclined his head. `It is a daily struggle.'

   `Well, good luck to you,' Donna said. `If anyone canget there, it's you. Me, I'd have no chance. One whiff of aCadbury's Wispa and I'd slip right off that pedestal.'

   As the tonga came to a halt outside the imposing blackgates of the Campbells' house, Cameron shrank back intohis seat.

   `Time to face the music, mate,' Donna said notunkindly.

   `I'm going to be in so much trouble,' whimpered

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Cameron.

   She pulled a sympathetic face. `Might not be as bad asyou think. I mean, they're hardly gonna bawl you out withHis Lordship in the house, are they?' She flipped a thumbat Gandhi, who was being helped out of the carriage by areverential tonga-wallah. `It'll be all "how do you do?",best china and cucumber sandwiches. It'll have blownover by teatime.'

   The look on Becharji's austere face when he opened thedoor was priceless. Donna had never seen a man do somany goggle-eyed double-takes before. She had to biteher bottom lip to stop herself laughing out loud.

   `Me again,' she said eventually. `And this time I'vebrought a couple of mates along.'

   Becharji looked at her with a glazed expression, andthen with a little shake of the head he recovered hiscomposure.

   `Of course. Um... please come in. I'll inform Sir Edgarthat you're here.'

   They stepped onto the polished wooden floor of theelegant hallway as Becharji hurried away. An aspidistrabloomed in a large ceramic pot in the corner by the door; aceiling fan rotated elegantly overhead.

   `Wait for it,' said Donna.

   No sooner were the words out of her mouth than thedoor to the parlour flew open and Mary Campbellemerged, wet-eyed and red-nosed. She saw Cameron andgave a little scream.

   She was dashing forward, long-limbed and awkward,pearls swinging around her neck, when she registered

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Gandhi, standing there in his homespun robe. She faltered,torn between an unseemly display of emotion and thedecorum she knew she ought to show in suchcircumstances.

   In the end, it was Cameron who rushed forward, armsoutstretched. `I'm sorry, Mother,' he cried, and promptlyburst into tears.

   Mary hugged her son. `It's all right, darling. You'rehome safely. That's all that matters.'

   Next to emerge was Adelaide, red-cheeked andbeaming with relief. She strode forward and ruffled heryounger brother's hair. `Where have you been, you littlescamp?' she said affectionately.

   Just behind her was Ronny, who half-heartedly scoldedCameron for worrying them all to death. Adelaide smiledat Gandhi, palms pressed together in the traditional Hindugreeting.

   `Mr Gandhi, welcome,' she said. `How lovely to seeyou again.' She turned to Donna and took her hands. `AndDonna. What brings you back here so soon?'

   `Oh, you know,' said Donna, nodding at Gandhi,`someone had to keep an eye on these two.'

   A flurry of greetings and questions and gabbledexplanations followed. Sir Edgar huffed and blustered,apologising to Gandhi and stooping to mutter to Cameronthat he would have words with him later. Finally hesuggested that he and Gandhi retreat to the study, leavingeveryone else to take tea in the parlour.

   `I'll just use the telephone in the study, if I may?'Ronny said.

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   Sir Edgar looked exasperated. `Whatever for?'

   `Thought I'd better let old Daker know that Cameron issafe before he turns Calcutta upside down.'

   He hurried away, but was back a few minutes later.

   `Too late, I'm afraid. Daker's already left.'

   Sir Edgar raised an eyebrow. `No doubt he'll be givingthe locals what for by now,' he said, unable to hide theapproval in his voice.

   Donna looked at him with a flinty expression. `Andyou think that's good, do you?' she said curtly.

   Ronny and Adelaide exchanged a look, then Ronnystepped smartly forward, taking Donna's arm and steeringher away from his father.

   `Tea, Donna?' he said, clenching his teeth in adesperate grin.

   The streets were narrow and dirty, the crampeddwellings shabby and run down, patched up with planksof wood and rusty sheets of corrugated iron. Daker and histroops were moving in groups through the poorest areas ofCalcutta, from street to street and door to door, searchingfor what the Major described as `insurgents', enemies ofthe state.

   Private Wilkins and four of his colleagues were in theMajor's group, and Wilkins for one was feeling uneasy. Asthe morning had worn on, and no clue had been found tothe whereabouts of the three missing soldiers, MajorDaker had started to become increasingly angry,increasingly unreasonable and increasingly... well,unstable was not too strong a word in Wilkins' opinion.

   He watched as the Major strode forward and hammered

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on yet another door. Many of the buildings they had triedhad been abandoned, left to the rats and cockroaches. Thisinfuriated the Major. He seemed to think that if a familyhad fled, it was because they had something to hide ratherthan because they were frightened of becoming victims ofthe almost-nightly violence.

   Major Daker used the butt of his revolver to bash onthe door, leaving dents in the wood. `Open up!' he barked.`This is the British Army.'

   After a moment the door opened a crack and a youngIndian man peered out, clearly frightened.

   `What took you so long?' Daker demanded. `What areyou hiding in there?'

   The Indian man shook his head. In broken English hesaid, `Please... this is my house... nothing here for you.'

   `I'll be the judge of that,' Daker said. `Stand aside.'

   He stepped forward, shoving at the door. The man triedto resist, but Daker was too strong for him. The manstaggered back as the door flew open.

   Daker strode in, brandishing his revolver.

   The building was little more than a dingy hovel. Theplace smelled musty and closed in. There was sacking onthe floor and condensation ran down the walls.

   A woman and three small children were huddled in onecorner, the woman gathering the children to her. She wasclearly terrified of the soldiers.

   Stepping into the house behind the Major, Wilkins sawthe children staring at him with big round eyes and tried tosmile reassuringly.

   Daker looked around, contempt on his face. `An

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English boy and three soldiers have gone missing,' hesaid. `I don't suppose you'd know anything about that,eh?'

    The Indian man shook his head vigorously. `No, sahib.We know nothing.'

    `What's through there?' Daker jabbed his revolvertowards an arch in the back wall, across which was hung agrubby piece of material.

    The Indian man mimed resting his head on his hands.`We sleep... yes?' he tried to explain.

    `The bedroom?' Wilkins said, trying to help him out.`Beds?'

    `Beds, yes.'

    Daker turned to one of the men. `Check it out, Barnes.'

    `Yessir.'

    Barnes stomped across the room and yanked aside thesheet of material so violently that it fell off the wall. Oneof the children burst into tears.

    `Please, sahib,' the man protested, raising his hands.`You frighten my...' he gestured towards his wife andchildren. `We know nothing, yes?'

    Daker's eyes were glinting dangerously beneath thebrim of his peaked cap. Wilkins noticed that he wasswaying slightly from side to side.

    `You're a liar,' he muttered. Then suddenly he started toshout, making the other children cry too. `You people areall the same. All liars!'

    Wilkins glanced at his colleagues. They looked back athim, shaking their heads.

    Barnes emerged from the arch. `Nothing there, sir.'

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   A glazed look had come over Daker's face. He turnedhis head stiffly in the Indian man's direction.

   `Where are they?' he said.

   `Please...' The Indian man glanced at Wilkins, as ifbegging him for support.

   Daker took a step forward, raising his revolver.

   His voice was horribly low and silky, but it could stillbe heard above the crying of the children. `Tell me wherethey are.'

   Wilkins swallowed and stepped forward.

   `Sir,' he said.

   Daker appeared not to hear him.

   Wilkins raised his voice. `Sir, I don't think these peopleknow anything.'

   Daker stopped dead. He stood swaying for a moment,and then he slowly turned to face Wilkins.

   `What?' he said quietly.

   Wilkins felt sweat running down his face. `I reallydon't think these people know anything, sir.'

   Daker's face suddenly twisted. `Are you siding with theenemy, Wilkins?' he snarled.

   `They're not the enemy, sir,' said Wilkins. `They're justa poor family, trying to get by in difficult times.'

   `Traitor!' screamed Daker.

   He lunged forward, and suddenly shoved Wilkins outof the door.

   Wilkins staggered backwards into the street. Blinded bythe sun, he toppled over, landing on his back in the dust.He lay for a moment, winded, and then tried to rise.

   All at once a dark shape loomed over him, blotting out

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the sun. Shielding his eyes, Wilkins saw Major Dakerpointing a revolver at his head.

   Staring into the circular black barrel of the gun,Wilkins wondered whether he would hear the explosion ofthe discharged bullet in the split-second before it endedhis life.

                            ***The Doctor emerged from the TARDIS, holding histimey-wimey detector. It looked as if it had been cobbledtogether from an alarm clock, a steam iron, an oldBakelite telephone and a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Ithummed and clicked as he waved it in a wide arc in frontof him.

   `Hnn,' he grunted, clearly unimpressed. He made someminor adjustments to a row of rotating wheels of numbersthat looked as if they had been cannibalised from an oldadding machine, then held the device up again.

   This time the detector began to ping in a steady, high-pitched rhythm. A grin spread across the Doctor's face.

   `Captain Kangaroo, we have lift-off!' he shouted to noone in particular, and ran off up the street.

Wilkins tried to remain calm. He forced his attention awayfrom the barrel of the revolver and up to the flushed faceof his commanding officer. Major Daker's peaked capplunged the top half of his face into shadow, so Wilkinsconcentrated on his mouth his lips stretched tight overclenched teeth gleaming with spittle.

   `You're not going to shoot me, are you, sir?' Wilkinsasked, amazed at the steadiness of his voice.

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   He saw the Major's lips writhe. `Why not? At ElAlamein we executed traitors and cowards.'

   `But I'm neither, sir,' said Wilkins. `I was only offeringan opinion.'

   `Insubordination!' Daker screeched. `You werequestioning my orders.'

   `You didn't actually give any orders, sir,' said a voicefrom behind Daker.

   He whirled round. `What?'

   The speaker was a blond, fresh-faced private called JoeShaw. He looked terrified, but he cleared his throat andsaid, `You didn't actually give any orders. Like Wilkinssaid, sir, he was just offering an opinion.' He hesitated amoment, then swallowed. `And to be fair, sir, I agree withhim... Wilkins, that is. I don't think the family knowanything either.'

   There were mumbles of agreement from the rest of themen, all of whom had now gathered in the street.

   Daker looked furious. He swung from one to the other,waving his revolver about, pointing it at each of them inturn.

   `This is outrageous!' he screamed. `I'll shoot the damnlot of you!'

   `What for, sir?' asked Barnes.

   `For questioning my authority!' Daker screamed, frothflying from his mouth.

   `But you can't shoot us for that, sir,' Wilkins said fromhis sitting position. Oddly, as his superior officer lostcontrol, the more in control he felt. `You could put us on acharge, sir. Even court martial us. But you can't shoot us,

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sir. That would be...'

    `Murder,' said Joe Shaw.

    The rest of the men nodded.

    Daker looked like a cornered animal, his eyes bulgingin the crescent of shadow beneath his cap. He was stillclutching his revolver, and suddenly Wilkins saw hisknuckles whiten as his fingers tightened on the trigger.

    `Look out!' he shouted, and the four standing mendived for cover, two to the left, two to the right. Just as hisfinger pulled the trigger, Daker jerked the gun up and thebullet went high, hitting the upper storey of a buildingacross the road, sending stone splinters flying in alldirections.

    Wilkins wondered whether he should try jumping theMajor, wrestling the gun out of his grasp, but there was noneed. As though pulling the trigger had released all hispent-up fury, Daker suddenly allowed the revolver to slipfrom his nerveless fingers. A moment later he crumpled,dropping forward on to his knees and then slumping backon to his haunches. His men looked at each other,shocked, as he began to wail like a baby.

    Wilkins stood up, not sure what to do or say. `Sir,' hesaid hesitantly, `I...'

    But then Daker's hands rose and began scrabbling athis head, dislodging his cap.

    Immediately the men jumped back, their shockedexpressions changing to horrified gasps.

    As Daker's cap dropped into the dust, they all stared atthe bulging black growths sprouting from his skull likegnarled and poisonous toadstools.

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    The     readings on the timey-wimey detector kept

    changing. Like someone having to constantly retune a car

    radio whilst passing through an area of bad reception, the

    Doctor had to stop and twiddle dials every couple of

    minutes to keep the pinging noise constant.

       He knew what this meant. The sonic was on the move.

    Clearly it was in somebody's possession and they were

    carrying it about with them. He had configured the

    detector to home in on the residual artron energy from the

    Time Vortex that would be clinging to the sonic. Genius

    that he was, he had instructed the machine to phase out the

    larger concentrations of energy that he and Donna would

    be carrying about with them and to focus on the smaller

    stuff. Of course, the detector might ping excitedly away,

    only for the Doctor to discover it had tracked down his

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lost sun visor or Donna's sandals. But sooner or later itwould find the sonic. It was just a matter of ... well, time.

   At the moment the detector was pinging away likebilly-o. The Doctor ran down street after street in pursuitof the signal. He was only peripherally aware of hissurroundings, hardly conscious of the curious stares hewas receiving from locals braving the riot-torn butcurrently quiet streets, and British soldiers on foot patrol,alert for signs of trouble.

   As far as the Doctor was concerned, they could stare allthey liked just as long as they left him alone. He hadentered the Intergalactic Staring Championships once onAcerlago Prime and was used to being gawped at. He hadcome away with bronze, but only because the RallionGestalt had cheated. He was remembering what a fuss hehad kicked up at the time, and how such things hadseemed important to him back then, when he rounded acorner and ran slap-bang into someone.

   He bounced off, rubbing his nose. The man he hadcollided with was at least two metres tall and seemedalmost as wide. Like many of the local men, he waswearing a white cotton kurta over a pair of salwar pants.He had a bushy black beard and a tangled mass of blackhair.

   `Oof, sorry,' said the Doctor, and then he got his firstproper look at the man. He saw how the man's body hadballooned and twisted with zytron energy, how his facehad swollen and blackened, how the pigment had seepedout of his eyes, so that they now looked as yellow as acat's.

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   He saw too that the man was wielding a club whichwas thicker and longer than his own leg. A club which hewas now raising into the air with the clear intention ofsmashing it down on the Doctor's head.

   The man roared and brought the club down in a savagearc. If the Doctor hadn't leaped backwards, the blowwould have shattered his skull. He saved himself, but wasunable to save the timey-wimey detector. It was smashedout of his hand, bits of it flying in all directions. However,it didn't actually stop pinging until it hit the ground andbroke in two.

   `Oh,' said the Doctor, looking down at the machine.`That was a bit--' Then he threw himself backwards asthe man swung the club again. The end swished past theDoctor's face, so close that he felt the breeze of it rufflehis hair.

   `Whoa there, big feller,' he said, raising his hands. Hewondered whether a Venusian lullaby might help. He hadquite a repertoire of those.

   The man snarled, drool spilling from his lips, and camefor him again. Once more the Doctor ducked, and oncemore the club narrowly missed his head.

   `You don't have to do this,' the Doctor said urgently,backing away. `You're ill, but you can fight it and I canhelp you. Because you're not a violent man, are you? I betyou go all gooey at the sight of babies and small fluffyanimals. I'm right, aren't I? Cos underneath all that hair, Ican see you've got a really kind--'

   The man roared and charged. As he raised the club foranother almighty swing, the Doctor's heel came down on

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a loose bit of debris a rock or a chunk of wood whichflew out from under him. His left leg jerked into the air,and suddenly he found himself sprawling on his back inthe dust. He was looking into his assailant's yellow eyesas the man raised the club to deliver the killing blow,when a shot rang out.

   Instantly the man's hands opened, releasing the club. Itfell to the ground, landing on its end before toppling overlike a felled tree. A second later, the man collapsed too,legs crumpling as he fell forward. He would have fallenright on top of the Doctor if the Doctor hadn't rolledaside.

   Springing to his feet, the Doctor saw a young Britishsoldier running towards him, carrying a rifle. The soldierlooked down at the bearded man as though appalled atwhat he had done. `Are you all right, sir?' he asked.

   The Doctor slapped dust from his blue suit. Furiouslyhe said, `What did you shoot him for?'

   The young soldier quailed. `He... he was attackingyou, sir. He might have killed you. I shouted for him tostop, but he ignored me.'

   `He's sick,' retorted the Doctor. `Can't you see he'ssick? Isn't it obvious?'

   Stricken and pale, the young soldier shook his head.`Sorry, sir, I... I didn't know.'

   The Doctor glared at the soldier for a few moreseconds, then his expression softened. `No,' he said, `Idon't suppose you did.' He squatted beside the beardedman, felt for a pulse in his neck, and listened to his chestbefore straightening up. `What's your name, soldier?' he

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asked quietly.

    `Wilkins, sir. Private Wilkins.'

    The Doctor nodded, his face grim. `Well, Wilkins, howdoes it feel to have killed someone?'

    Wilkins looked down at the dead man. All the colourhad drained from his face. `Not good, sir,' he said in asmall voice. `Pretty terrible, in fact.'

    `Glad to hear it,' said the Doctor. He walked over toWilkins and patted him on the shoulder.

    Wilkins seemed unable to stop looking down at theman he had killed. In a small voice, he asked, `What waswrong with him?'

    `His cells are mutating,' the Doctor said, then correctedhimself. `Were mutating.'

    `Is it a disease?'

    `No, there's a sort of... invisible poison in the air.'

    Wilkins looked around fearfully, as if he might catch aglimpse of it, swirling like fog. `Is that going to happen toall of us?' he asked.

    `Not if I can help it,' said the Doctor. `At the momentthe leakage is minimal. Those affected must either havebeen close to the source or are particularly susceptible tozytron waves.'

    `I think this is what's happening to Major Daker,' saidWilkins bleakly.

    `Major Daker?' Donna had mentioned a Major Dakerwhen she'd been filling him in on what had happened toher yesterday.

    `He's my commanding officer. He's not himself. Andhe's got these lumps on his head.'

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   `He needs to be isolated and restrained,' the Doctorsaid. `Zytron waves affect the mind, turn people violent.'Suddenly he was up on his toes, eager to be off. `I'll leaveyou to sort that, shall I?'

   `Where are you going?' Wilkins asked, out of his depth.

   `Packed day ahead. Aliens to track down, disasters toavert. Busy, busy, busy. See ya.' And with that he wasgone.

Donna was taking Tiffin in the garden with Mary,Adelaide and Cameron. It was all very genteel: wickerchairs, a white linen tablecloth, a proper china tea servicelike her gran used to have. There was even a lace doilyover the sugar bowl to keep the flies off, and a three-tieredsilver thingy with cakes on it like you got in posh teashops.

   Adelaide and her mother were sipping tea out of daintycups, but Donna and Cameron had gone for the home-made lemonade, a big jug of which was sitting in thecentre of the table, filled with rapidly melting ice cubesand chunks of real lemon. If it hadn't been for the exoticblooms in the flowerbeds edging the immaculately clippedlawn, Donna could almost have believed she was sitting inan English country garden on a baking summer's day.Before coming out, she had asked Adelaide if she'd gotany factor 40, but Adelaide hadn't known what she wastalking about. Donna had therefore been careful toposition herself in the expansive shadow of the large,tasselled parasol above their table.

   For the last few minutes, Adelaide had been telling

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Donna about her work at the camp. Suddenly she yawned.`Now that the excitement has died down, I really ought toget some sleep,' she said, `otherwise I shall be all fingersand thumbs tonight.'

   Mary Campbell pursed her lips. `I wish you wouldn'tgo to that awful place,' she said. `You'll end up with someghastly disease.'

   Donna could tell from the look on Adelaide's face thatthis was an old argument.

   `The people there need our help, Mother,' she said. `Wecan't simply abandon them.'

   Mary Campbell sniffed. `I don't see why not. Theymanaged perfectly well before we arrived. I mean, it's noteven as if they're grateful.'

   Donna felt her hackles rising. `How do you know?' shesaid.

   Mary blinked at her. `I beg your pardon?'

   `How do you know they're not grateful when you'venever even been there?'

   Mary reddened. Both Adelaide and Cameron looked attheir mother to see how she would respond. When sheplaced her teacup back in its saucer, it chinked and rattled.

   `I've lived in India for twenty years,' she saidhaughtily. `I know perfectly well what the people are like.And I know that when you try to offer them help, theysimply throw it back in your face.'

   `And you offer them help... how?' asked Donna.

   `By attempting to instil them with the correct values, ofcourse. By bringing civilisation and stability to thecountry.'

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   Donna shook her head. `Yeah, well, maybe they don'twant your values. Maybe they've got their own values andtheir own way of doing things.'

   Mary's face was flushed. Her hands were trembling asthey gripped the arms of her chair. `I refuse to beharangued like this in my own home!' she exclaimed.

   Adelaide said softly, `Mother has had rather a tryingmorning, Donna. Perhaps it might be best to drop thesubject.'

   Donna was silent a moment longer, then she said,`Yeah, sorry.'

   Mary gave a stiff nod, and for a moment no one saidanything. The awkward atmosphere was broken by anexcitable voice from the direction of the house.

   `Miss Adelaide! Miss Donna!'

   They turned to see Ranjit running across the lawntowards them, waving something in the air. Behind Ranjit,on the porch, Gopal appeared to be attempting to placate aclearly agitated Becharji. He raised his hands, as if toindicate that he would deal with the situation, and then hehurried across the lawn in Ranjit's wake.

   Donna grinned at the little Indian boy, taking a secretdelight in Mary Campbell's outraged expression as he ranbarefoot towards them. `Hello, Ranjit,' she said, and thenshe noticed what he was holding in his hand. `Blimey,where did you get that from?'

   Ranjit thumped to a stop and stood there, panting. Allat once he seemed to realise that he had broken anynumber of unwritten social rules by bursting in on themlike this. He looked at Mary Campbell's imperious

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expression and hunched his shoulders, as if he expected tobe punished for his insolence.

   `It ... it is Mr Doctor's,' he mumbled, fixing his gazeon the sonic screwdriver in his hand.

   `Yeah, I know that,' said Donna. `I just wondered whatyou were doing with it?'

   `I didn't steal it, Miss Donna,' Ranjit said in alarm.

   `Never thought you did, sweetheart,' she saidsoothingly. `Look, why don't you sit down and have somelemonade?'

   Ranjit looked at her in astonishment.

   `Come on,' she said, reaching for the jug. `Tell us allabout it. Hutch up, Cameron. There's room for both of youon there.'

   With a dazed look on his face, Ranjit came forward toshare Cameron's chair. Cameron grinned at his friend, andAdelaide too looked amused by Ranjit's reaction. OnlyMary Campbell's expression remained frosty.

   `Begging your pardon, ladies,' said Gopal, who hadnow reached the table and was wringing his hands inembarrassment. `I am so terribly sorry to burst in on youlike this.'

   `No problem, Gopal,' Donna said, as if it was herhouse. `Come and have a cup of tea and a bit of cake.'

   She poured him a cup of tea. He looked bemused, butaccepted it gratefully.

   `Right then, Ranjit,' she said, nodding at the sonic, `tellme what you're doing with that.'

In the study, the discussion between Gandhi and Sir Edgar

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was nearing its end. In truth, very little had been achieved.Sir Edgar was standing in front of the fireplace, his meatyhands clasped behind his back. Gandhi was perched on afat leather armchair, looking out of place among the plushfurnishings and the wall-mounted glass cases filled withstuffed birds.

   `I sympathise with your position, of course, MrGandhi,' Sir Edgar said blithely, `but I'm afraid there isvery little that I can do. Frankly, within a month mycolleagues and I will be leaving India for good. How youand your fellow countrymen run things after we've goneis your own concern.'

   Gandhi remained as serene as ever. He nodded sagelyand said, `In that case, Mr Campbell, I see only one courseof action open to me. I must undertake another fast, a fastunto death, in the hope that it will bring my countrymen totheir senses.'

   Sir Edgar raised his bristling eyebrows. `Is that a threat,Mr Gandhi?'

   `Only to myself,' Gandhi said with a smile.

   Sir Edgar scowled, as though the little man wasemploying some underhand tactic that he couldn't quitework out. `But look here, Mr Gandhi, what on Earth doyou hope to achieve by starving yourself?'

   Gandhi was silent for a moment, as though wonderinghow best to explain his actions. Finally he said, `What youmust understand, Mr Campbell, is that my relationshipwith the people of my country is not a political one, butspiritual and emotional. Although I consider myselfunworthy of the honour, I know that to them I am

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"Mahatma" the Great Soul. When I fast, therefore,politics becomes unimportant and disputes become trivial.The only thing that matters to the people is that my life issaved.' He said all this with no trace of smugness or self-satisfaction.

    Sir Edgar said, `That's quite a power you wield there.'

    Gandhi shrugged. `I don't see it as power. I see itmerely as my most effective means of persuasion. And ifit fails, at least I am the only one who truly suffers by it.'

    Their conversation was interrupted by what soundedlike a scuffle in the corridor outside. Sir Edgar heard avoice he didn't recognise say, `Don't you worry about it.You just go and polish the family silver or something.'

    The door opened and a man entered, a skinny man in atight-fitting blue suit. He looked around and said, Niceplace you've got here. Yeah, lovely. Little colonial bolt-hole, away from the hoi polloi. And I see you're abirdwatcher or maybe you just like killing 'em? Don'tagree with it myself, big blokes armed to the teeth, takingit out on small, defenceless creatures which have just asmuch right to breathe the planet's air as they do. But heyho, each to his own. Anyway, I'm the Doctor, and youmust be Sir Edgar. Hello, Mohandas. Always a pleasure tosee you. Hope you've recovered from this morning's littleescapade.'

    All of this was delivered at a rattling pace, the Doctorinterspersing his chatter with grins, winks and waves atthe appropriate moments. What made it difficult for himwas that while he was talking, Becharji was trying toposition his body in front of him, in a bid to prevent him

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from entering the study without resorting to actualphysical contact.

    Outraged, Sir Edgar said, `How dare you, sir! What isthe meaning of this?'

    `Oh yeah, sorry for bursting in,' said the Doctor, as ifthe etiquette of the situation had only just occurred to him,`but we're talking biiiig crisis here, fellers. Nationalemergency. No time to waste. Immediate action required.Look, I'm not gonna snog you and that's final.'

    This last remark was directed at Becharji, who was stillbobbing about in front of the Doctor, trying to block hisprogress.

    `I'll have you know, sir, that Mr Gandhi and I areinvolved in very important talks,' Sir Edgar spluttered. `Ifyou wish to see me, I suggest you make an appointment.Though I don't--'

    `No time for appointments,' the Doctor cut in. `Actionis needed now. Like I say, sorry to butt in, but I really,really need you to use all your contacts to organise athorough search of the area asap.'

    `Oh?' said Sir Edgar dismissively. `To what end?'

    `There's a... an individual who's using a dangerousenergy source that's causing increasingly widespreadgenetic mutation. If we don't stop it well, if I don't stopit, because, to be honest, you lot wouldn't have the firstclue the results will be cataclysmic. No one will remainunaffected. And believe me, Sir Edgar, when I say no one,I mean no one.'

    Suddenly the strange man who called himself theDoctor had become very still. His eyes blazed with such

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dark and terrible intensity that Sir Edgar found he had tolook away. A shadow seemed to pass across his mind, ashadow of awful foreboding. Then he looked out throughthe French windows at the reassuring sight of his familytaking tea on the sunlit lawn, the well-watered grass lushand healthy, the neatly ordered flowerbeds blazing withcolour, and the shadow passed.

   Without meeting the Doctor's gaze, he said, `I have noidea what you're blathering about, sir.'

   `Then let me explain in very simple words,' said theDoctor quietly. `If we don't find the source of the poisonthat is affecting the local population, everyone will die.Everyone. Not just the poor and the sick and the homeless,but you, Sir Edgar, and your wife, and your children. Youwill all die horrible, violent, miserable deaths.'

   For several seconds no one moved or spoke. EvenBecharji had stepped back from the Doctor, as if he hadsuddenly revealed himself to be some terrible avengingangel.

   Finally Sir Edgar shuddered, as if he had stepped fromthe comfort of a fire-warmed room into the icy bleaknessof a winter's night. `How dare you, sir,' he said again.`How dare you enter my home and speak to me in thismanner. Who the blazes are you, anyway? You're nothingbut a... a madman come in off the streets, full of wildstories and ridiculous ideas.'

   The Doctor stared long and hard at Sir Edgar, and thenhe said dismissively, `Oh, you're just an idiot.' He turnedhis attention to Gandhi, who was still sitting quietly in theplump, shiny armchair.

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   `Mohandas,' he said, `will you help me?'

   Gandhi was already nodding, as though for him theDoctor's credentials and the truth of his words had neverbeen in doubt.

   `Of course, Doctor,' he said. `I will call a meeting toaddress the people, and I will ask them to listen to you.'

   `Thank you,' the Doctor said, pressing his palmstogether.

   Sir Edgar snorted. `Mr Gandhi, surely you're not goingto take this nonsense seriously? The man's clearly acharlatan.'

   The Doctor shot him a glance that was both casual andannoyed. `Oh, put a sock in it, Eddie. You're not worthtalking to.' Without even bothering to wait for Sir Edgar'sapoplectic response, he stepped past Becharji and acrossthe room to the French windows. Throwing them open heyelled, `Oi, Donna!' and waved as she turned her head.

   `Doctor!' she exclaimed gleefully, rising to her feet.

   `Two sugars,' he shouted. Next moment he wasstrolling across the lawn, hands in pockets. A small figureraced across the grass to meet him.

   `Mr Doctor! Mr Doctor!'

   `Hiya, Ranjit,' the Doctor said. `What you got there?'Then a big grin spread across his face. `Awww, I've beenlooking for you, you little minx,' he said, taking the sonicfrom Ranjit and waggling it in front of his nose. `Wheredid you get to then?'

   `I found it, Mr Doctor. You dropped it on the groundand a boy took it, but I chased him and got it back foryou.'

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   Breathlessly Ranjit told his story. The Doctor wasalmost at the table when he stopped dead.

   `Say that bit again.'

   `What bit?'

   `The bit about the men coming. The half-made men.'

   Patiently Ranjit repeated his story.

   `I bet he's got a trace on it,' the Doctor said.

   `Who?' asked Donna.

   `Whoever's using Calcutta as a zytron fuel dump.' Hetapped the sonic against his chin. `He's probably tuned into the activation signal ... so if I just turn it on... risky Isuppose, but... it'd be route one... save a lot of muckingabout...' He frowned, then nodded decisively. `Yeah, whynot? He who dares and all that.'

   `What are you prattling on about?' Donna asked.

   Instead of replying, the Doctor turned and ran back tothe centre of the lawn.

   `What are you doing now?' Donna shouted infrustration.

   `Just wanna try something. Stand well back, and keepthe pot warm.'

   `What do you mean? Where are you going?'

   `Let's see, shall we?'

   The Doctor held the sonic above his head and turned iton. Almost immediately there was a silvery shimmer inthe air, and suddenly he was surrounded by a quartet ofchalk-white men with blank features and no eyes.

   Mary Campbell's hand flew to her mouth; Adelaidescreamed; Gopal and the boys goggled in terror. Donnayelled, `Doctor!' and half-rose from her seat.

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   The Doctor stood there calmly, looking around at thecreatures as they closed in on him.

   `Take me to your leader,' he said as the men grabbedhim.

   There was another shimmer, and a second later theDoctor and the four men had disappeared.

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    The journey was almost instantaneous. One second the

    Doctor was standing on a springy green lawn, bathed in

    bright sunshine, the next he was in chilly darkness with a

    stony surface beneath his feet.

       Two of the creatures that had transported him here held

    his arms in a light grip. What this told him was that they

    or rather, whoever was controlling them knew that even

    if he tried to give them the slip he wouldn't get far.

    Although the creatures were holding him, they didn't

    prevent him from switching off his sonic and slipping it

    back into his pocket. With the lightest of nudges, they

    ushered him along what he could only assume was a

    subterranean passage.

       He was angry. And the reason he was angry was

    because the instant the creatures had appeared in the

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garden he had recognised them. Or rather, he hadrecognised the cruel and illegal process by which they hadbeen created.

   Throughout the universe the creatures were known bymany different names, but most commonly as gelemwarriors. They were a construct race, and their shapedepended on whichever species had been harvested toprovide the raw material. Their creation, the Doctor knew,had been outlawed by the Pact of Chib in the equivalent ofEarth's eleventh century. Many of the emergent space-faring races had used gelem warriors as cannon fodder inthe initial skirmishes of what had later become known asthe War of the Five Hundred Worlds. These races wouldharvest the planets of more primitive species and subjecttheir populations to a hideously painful process, in whichtheir basest instincts were siphoned off in extractionmachines and used to create a new race of remorseless,merciless troops. Gelem warriors could survive extremeheat and cold, and needed neither to breathe, eat, drink norsleep. In essence they were machine-creatures made ofpseudo-flesh and powered by a single-minded core ofobedience, hatred and aggression. They were like Dalekswithout the intelligence, efficient but expendable. Perhapsthe most horrifying aspect of all was that it took at leastfive members of a species to create each gelem warrior.Five living creatures had to die horribly to produce oneunthinking monster.

   The Doctor's footsteps echoed hollowly as he wasmarched through a maze of passageways. His guess wasthat he was in a pretty sizeable cave system, not far from

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Calcutta. The caves were narrow and pitch black, thoughthere was a strong flow-through of air, suggesting therehad to be plenty of openings up on the surface. A humanbeing wouldn't have been able to see anything in thedarkness, but the Doctor's superior eyesight was able todiscern the basic layout of the route ahead as a series ofshadowy shapes.

   Eventually the Doctor and his captors came to a halt infront of what appeared to be a section of solid wall. Oneof the gelem warriors stretched out a hand and touched thewall, and instantly it shimmered and disappeared. Thegroup passed through into a small chamber, which lookedlike the glowing guts of some vast machine. The chamberwas oddly shaped, its gleaming black walls composed ofstrange, jagged angles. The Doctor whipped out his black-framed spectacles and peered curiously at the exposedtangle of machinery around him.

   The technology was advanced, but the craft itself wasold, and appeared to have been patched and re-patchedover many years. What was even more interesting wasthat the confused mass of interlinked metal and plasticwas not the product of a single planet. There wasevidence, even in this tiny area, to suggest that defectivesystems had been kept operational by fusing them withostensibly non-compatible components. The Doctorexamined a delicate array of filaments that appeared tohave been welded to a spiky metal starfish, and shook hishead like an electrician faced with a bit of dodgy DIY.

   `Surely that's not ... Oh, blimey, it is. An artificialsynapse modulator's impulse strands are being sieved

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through the clamp mechanism of a Cassian neutron scoop.That's brilliant! But totally bonkers! Doesn't whoever'sdone this realise the neural feedback could causelockdown in the... Oh, hang on, he's draining off theexcess with a suction filter from a Draconian land cruiser.Well... all right, that is impressive, I'll give him that. Butthis old crate would still never pass its MOT.'

    A door opened on the far side of the chamber, fivetriangular spars of shiny black material folding back likethe petals of a flower to create a space through which theycould pass. The Doctor was ushered along a crampedseries of weirdly proportioned corridors, all the whileshaking his head and tut-tutting at the way in whichdifferent alien technologies had been cannibalised to keepthe craft airworthy. At any one time he was able to spotabout a thousand things that were teetering on the brink ofgoing wrong, all of which added up to a countless numberof potential disasters just waiting to happen.

    At last he was pushed into a space about the size of anaverage sitting room. Pulsing strands and filamentsattached to random bits of equipment snaked and loopedeverywhere, though they all seemed to lead to the sameplace a complicated, web-like framework in the centreof the room, which contained the ship's pilot.

    `So you're the nutjob behind this lot,' said the Doctor,glaring up at the alien quivering like a spider at the centreof its web of technology. `I'm disappointed. I thought theJal Karath were supposed to be peace-loving andintelligent.'

    The creature was black, sinuous and weed-like. It was

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composed of dozens of thin, twining limbs, attached to athicker central stalk, which was covered in clusters ofblinking, milky-white eyes. Via its limbs, it was linkedinto the workings of the spacecraft, giving the impressionthat the vessel was an extension of its body, or even thatthe creature itself formed the engine, or perhaps the heart,of its ship.

   `So we are,' the alien said, its voice high and fluting,but oddly machine-like, as though it was being relayedthrough some mechanical device.

   `Well, you coulda fooled me,' said the Doctor. `Withyour gelem warriors and your zytron dumping, you're likea one-organism bio-hazard.'

   `I am not responsible for either of these...misdemeanours,' said the Jal Karath blithely.

   The Doctor pointed an accusatory finger at the alien.`There's no point trying to wriggle out of it, sunshine. I'vegot you bang to rights. And I'll tell you what. I'm gonnaput an end to this, right here, right now. And no amount ofyour ghoulish, gormless gelem warriors will be able tostop me.'

   The Jal Karath seemed unconcerned by the Doctor'sthreat. `Your bio-scan reveals that you are not a native ofthis planet.'

   `So?' said the Doctor. `What's that got to do with theprice of walnuts?'

   `I'm curious. What does the fate of these primitivesmatter to you?'

   `They're living, feeling, intelligent creatures,' said theDoctor angrily, `and living, feeling, intelligent creatures

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have the right not to be terrorised and murdered by otherliving, feeling, intelligent creatures. Just cos they're not asbrainy as you doesn't mean--'

   `I agree,' said the Jal Karath.

   The Doctor stopped, cut off in mid-sentence. `What?'

   `I agree that these primitive creatures have the right tolive their lives in peace, free from interference by otherspecies. That is why I am here.'

   `Right,' said the Doctor heavily. `Well, see, the thing is,I think you're missing the point. It's because you're herethat all this bad stuff is happening.'

   `No it isn't,' said the Jal Karath.

   The Doctor shook his head. `Crikey, you've got someserious denial issues. Look, shall we rewind thisconversation? Start at the beginning? I'll try and air mygrievances in words of one syllable, so you canunderstand.'

   `I understand perfectly well,' said the Jal Karath in itsfluting and infuriatingly reasonable voice. `It is you whodoes not understand; you who is making assumptionsabout my presence on this planet.'

   The Doctor sighed, raised one eyebrow and folded hisarms. `All right, I'll buy that for now. Go on. Surpriseme.'

   The Jal Karath stirred in its pulsing web. Its multipleeyes blinked. `My name is Darac-Poul-Caparrel-Jal-7. Iam a Hive 7 Enforcer. I am here in pursuit of a fugitivefrom my planet, Veec-Elic-Savareen-Jal-9. Veec-9 iswanted for terrorist crimes against all eleven Hives on JalPaloor. He is using stolen glamour technology to live

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among the primitives on this planet. His intention is toharvest enough of these primitives--'

   `Humans,' said the Doctor bluntly. `They're calledhumans.'

   `Enough of these humans,' continued the Jal Karath, `tobuild an army of gelem warriors. He intends to use hisarmy to overthrow the eleven Hives and establish adictatorship. It is my mission to stop him.'

   `What, just you?' said the Doctor. `In a battered oldcrate like this? The eleven Hives a bit strapped for cash,are they?'

   The Jal Karath did not react to the Doctor's mockingtone. Its trilling voice, which reminded the Doctor of thesqueak of fingernails on an icy window, remained calmand constant.

   `There were four of us when we set out on this mission,each one carefully selected by the Hive Council. This"battered old crate", as you call it, was once an A-classpulse flier, the most technologically advanced isomorphiccraft ever produced on Jal Paloor.'

   The Doctor whistled. `You must have been up in the airfor a very long time.'

   `When I left Jal Paloor my civilisation was in theninety-third quadrant.'

   `So that's...' the Doctor did a quick calculation `...overfour hundred years ago. What happened to your mates?'

   `They expired when their craft's systems failed. Theyare in the Drift now.'

   `And meanwhile you keep limping along,' said theDoctor. `Why don't you just do yourself a favour, Darac-

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7? Why don't you give it all up and go home?'

   `We are a long-lived race,' said the Jal Karath, `and onJal Paloor little changes from one quadrant to the next. Aslong as Veec-9 is alive, he is a danger to us.'

   The Doctor regarded the alien pilot, stony-faced. `Thatdoesn't excuse your use of gelem warriors to track downthis fugitive of yours. Extraction machines were outlawedcenturies ago. According to article 29.8 of the ShadowProclamation--'

   `The gelem warriors are not mine,' said the Jal Karath.

   `Blimey, you lot are rude!' the Doctor exclaimedindignantly. `Always butting in.' He nodded at the silentwhite figures behind him. `So what are this lot then?Scotch mist?'

   `These creatures were created by Veec-9. I was able tointercept and reprogram them as search units.'

   `And when you detected my sonic you thought it wasVeec-9 using stolen technology, so you sent them to pickhim up?'

   `Quite so.'

   `But instead you got me. Just an innocent bloke passingthrough.'

   The Jal Karath was silent for a moment. Then it said,`Your bio scan confirms that you are not a native of thisworld, but my scanner is unable to identify your planet oforigin.'

   `Well, I'm not surprised,' said the Doctor glibly. `Imean, look at this mess. I bet half your systems are on theblink.' He leaned forward to examine a dial linked to oneof the pulsing strands of web and gave it a tap. `How are

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your zytron shields?' he asked casually.

   `My zytron shields?'

   `Yeah. Cos the thing is, zytron energy is leaking out ofsomewhere like nobody's business. People are droppinglike flies. And if that's down to you, then galactic lawstates that your vehicle could be impounded. If you'refound negligent, you might even get banged up on one ofthe prison planets. As I'm sure you know, Darac-7, zytronenergy is very nasty stuff. And the authorities come downlike a ton of bricks on pilots who--'

   `My shielding is fine,' said the Jal Karath quickly. `Thesafety of the indigenous population of any planet onwhich I make landfall is of paramount importance to me.If my craft was leaking harmful elements into theatmosphere my pulse sensors would inform me of itimmediately.'

   `Not if your pulse sensors were playing up, theywouldn't.'

   `I assure you...what is your name?'

   `Just call me Doctor.'

   `I assure you, Doctor, that the problem does not lie withmy vessel. Veec-9's vessel is old, decrepit--'

   `What, even compared to this one?' said the Doctorrudely.

   The Jal Karath fell silent. The Doctor looked up at it,eyes narrowed. At last he said, `All right, let's say I acceptwhat you're telling me. How will Veec-9 create andtransport a whole army of gelem warriors? I mean, that's aheck of an undertaking for a single bloke in a one-manship.'

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   `The latest intelligence transmitted from the elevenHives informs me that Veec-9 will not create the majorityof his warriors on this world,' replied the Jal Karath. `Hewill use the small number of warriors he has created hereto harvest his required number of the planet's population.Until he is ready to depart he will imprison these captiveswithin a stasis barrier contained behind a glamour shield.When the time comes he will use funds supplied by hismisguided supporters to employ mercenaries, who willtransport the prisoners to the planet one of the manythousands of dead planets which surround Jal Paloor where he has established his base. That is where theextraction process will take place. Although we know this,what we do not know is on precisely which planet Veec-9is building up his forces. Any one of them would beideally positioned for launching an attack on the homeworld.'

   Grimly the Doctor asked, `And what is his "requirednumber" of humans?'

   `We believe that Veec-9 hopes to yield at least tenthousand gelem warriors from each planet he harvests.'

   `Fifty thousand people,' said the Doctor quietly, hisvoice burning with fury. `Fifty thousand lives snuffed outin those filthy machines. And this is just the place to suckup the raw material, isn't it? The poor of India the sick,the downtrodden, the dispossessed. No one will missthem. They're already non-people, forgotten andunmourned. Fifty thousand terrified human beings endingtheir lives millions of miles from home: snatched up,packed into storage crates, chewed and spat out, like so

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much gristle.' The Doctor's eyes were black, as black asendless night, and yet at the same time somehow blazingwith fire. `Well, that's not gonna happen. Not on mywatch.'

   He drew in a long breath, as though storing his ragedeep inside. Turning to the Jal Karath, he said, `Whyhaven't you traced the zytron leakage from Veec-9's shipback to its source?'

   The alien shivered in its web, perhaps in response tothe Doctor's cold fury, perhaps because it was merelyreceiving data through its interlinked systems. It said,`The glamour is concealing it. I can pick up hot-spots ofzytron energy, but not the ship itself.'

   `Hmm,' said the Doctor. `And just as a matter ofinterest, was that your ship in the temple today?'

   The Jal Karath blinked its many eyes. `No, Doctor. Thecraft must have belonged to Veec-9. I have remained inthis location since I made landfall.'

   `I see. And where are we, exactly?'

   `I don't know. Somewhere beneath the ground.Somewhere safe.'

   `But if Veec-9 is wandering around disguised as ahuman and you're skulking down here, how are yougonna find him?'

   `My reprogrammed warriors are primed, Doctor. I haveinitiated a technology scan. When Veec-9 reveals hisposition, my warriors will be ready.'

   `But what if he doesn't reveal his position?' the Doctorsaid. `What if he keeps all his technology tucked awaybehind that glamour of his which you can't penetrate?'

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    `Then the chase will go on, Doctor. Into the stars.'

    The Doctor rubbed his chin absently. `Yeah, you see,that's all very well, Darac-7, but, according to you, Veec-9won't head off into the wild blue yonder until he's gotfifty thousand humans tucked safely under his belt. Andpersonally I'm not prepared to wait that long. So whydon't you leave this one up to me, eh? I'll sort it.'

    `What will you do, Doctor?' the alien asked warily.

    `Well, I don't wanna boast, but my scanners are a lotbigger than your scanners. And now that I've got my sonicback, I can pinpoint the source of the zytron leakage byinputting the readings from my ship.'

    Again the Jal Karath was silent, as though consideringthe Doctor's proposal.

    Finally it said, `Veec-9 is a dangerous adversary,Doctor. If he finds out you are helping me, he will try tokill you.'

    `Yeah, well, I'm used to that,' said the Doctor airily.`People try to kill me all the time.'

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    Back      at the Campbells' house, the Doctor's

    disappearance had created uproar. Mary Campbell had

    fainted, or at least swooned, and had had to be carried

    indoors by Becharji and several servants; Gopal, clearly

    uncomfortable and out of place, had made his excuses and

    left at the earliest opportunity, taking Ranjit with him;

    Cameron had been sent indoors `for his own safety', even

    though there was no evidence that indoors was any safer

    than outdoors; and now only Donna and Adelaide were

    left in the garden, Donna clinging to the hope that the

    Doctor would reappear in the same place he had vanished,

    and Adelaide despite all the excitement snoozing in

    her chair in the sun, having finally succumbed to fatigue

    after working a full overnight shift at the camp.

       Donna didn't really know what to do. She felt a bit of a

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spare part just sitting and waiting, and was all too awarethat she couldn't mooch around here for ever. She wasannoyed with the Doctor for going off without her yetagain. Even if he was in danger, she would rather be withhim than hanging about not knowing what was going on.

   Several times since she'd started travelling with theDoctor, it had occurred to her to wonder what she'd do ifanything happened to him. She would just have to get onwith things, she supposed. But it frightened her that shehad no identity in this period no family, no friends, noroots. Most of the time, life with the Doctor was arollercoaster ride, but occasionally it struck her how lostand alone she would be without him. He was her tickethome her only ticket home. And, however fantastic itwas to roam time and space in his company, she stillneeded the reassurance that home would be there waitingfor her whenever she decided she wanted to pop back fora visit.

   Her reverie was interrupted by movement in herperipheral vision. She turned to see Gandhi approachingfrom the direction of the house, walking across the grasstowards her.

   She smiled. His was a serene presence, whichimmediately made her feel better.

   `Hiya,' she said when he was close enough.

   He smiled and pressed his palms together. `Do youmind if I join you?'

   `I'd love you to. Pull up a pew.'

   He did so, sitting down with a creak of wicker.

   `Lemonade?' Donna asked.

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    `Thank you, no.'

    She nodded vaguely towards the middle of the lawn.`Did you see what happened?'

    `I only heard about it. Everyone is very excitable. Itsounds as though it was a most extraordinary occurrence.'

    Donna shrugged. `I s'pose so. Stuff like that happens tothe Doctor all the time. It just gets annoying after a while.'

    There was a moment of silence, then Gandhi said, `Youare worried about him.' It was a statement rather than aquestion.

    Donna shrugged. `I'm sure he'll be fine. He's been in alot worse scrapes than this. But... yeah. Yeah I am.'

    `The Doctor is a seeker of truth,' said Gandhi. `AndGod is truth. Therefore he is in good company.'

    Donna looked at his gentle face, his eyes big, almostchildlike, behind his spectacles, and she broke into asmile. `I don't know what you're on about half the time,'she said, `but the way you say things, it just makes me feelbetter. You and the Doctor, you're alike in a lot of ways.'

    Gandhi chuckled. `I will take that as the greatest ofcompliments.'

    Suddenly the large white house at the edge of the lawnseemed to blur, as though in a heat haze. Donna turned herhead, and saw a silvery shimmer in the centre of the lawn,like a scene viewed through a smeared window. She rosefrom her seat as the Doctor reappeared, accompanied bytwo of the chalk-white figures.

    `Cheers, fellers,' he said distractedly, and then he beganstriding across the lawn towards the house, his face grim.

    `Oi, hang on!' Donna shouted, running after him. She

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half-turned to Gandhi. `Sorry about this, Mohandas.'

   He raised a hand, indicating that she had no need toapologise, and that she should go after the Doctor. Sheturned again just in time to see the chalk-men shimmerand disappear. `Wait up, you!' she yelled. `Don't you dareleave me behind again.'

   He stopped abruptly, allowing her to catch up. Heglanced at her, frowning.

   `You've got that face on,' she said.

   `What face?'

   `Like you're gonna slap someone.'

   He was silent for a moment, then he said, `Yeah, well,maybe I am.' He began walking again.

   `I've been worried sick about you. At least tell mewhere you've been?'

   He scowled at her, and then he sighed, his expressionsoftening. `How worried were you? On a scale of one toten? One being couldn't care less, and ten beingcompletely inconsolable?'

   She shrugged. `Dunno. Four maybe.'

   `Four!' he exclaimed, his voice high-pitched withindignation. `That's charming, that is. You do your best tosave someone's planet and they're not even bothered.'

   She slapped his arm. `Oh, all right. Five then.' Abruptlyshe gave him a fierce hug. `You do my head in, you do.'

   He hugged her back, then extracted himself with a grin.`Come on,' he said, `let's walk. I'll tell you about it as wego.'

   `Where we going?' she asked.

   `TARDIS,' he replied.

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   `Oh. We off then?'

   `You might be,' he replied cheekily, `but I'm as fresh asa daisy.'

Adelaide decided that she would just have to lump it.Best-laid plans, and all that. When she had arrived homethat morning she had wanted nothing more than a quickbite to eat and a nice long nap, but the day had not workedout quite as she had envisaged.

    In the end she had managed to grab no more than asnooze in a garden chair, and even then she had no ideahow she had managed to nod off, what with the drama ofthe Doctor turning up and then being whisked away bythose ghastly creatures. Some time later she had wokenwith a start, stiff-necked and achy-backed, to find that herprevious companion, Donna, had now been replaced byMr Gandhi, who had been sitting cross-legged on theground in a state of apparent meditation.

    As soon as she had jerked awake he had opened oneeye, smiled and said hello. It turned out his meeting withher father was over, and he had been waiting patiently forher to wake up in order to invite her to share a tonga withhim back to the camp. Adelaide had hurriedly washed andchanged, and twenty minutes later the two of them weresitting side by side, she feeling a little woozy andwondering how she was going to get through anothergruelling night shift.

    By the time they arrived back, Mr Gandhi had filledher in on what she had missed during her doze. He toldher about the Doctor's reappearance and about his and

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Donna's abrupt departure.

   Now Adelaide was back at work, tending to the sickand wounded and trying not to think about how tired shewas. She was in one of the medical tents, helping Edwarddress a particularly nasty head wound, when they heardshouts and screams from outside.

   They looked at each other in alarm.

   `What on Earth...?' Edward said.

   The camp had been established as a sanctuary, a placewhich catered for all religions and castes, but Edward andAdelaide were not naive enough to think that this meantthey were exempt from attack. They knew there were stillplenty of fanatics who believed that each strata of Indiansociety should remain within its own separate enclave,and who were prepared to go to extreme lengths to maketheir point. Even Gandhi had come in for criticism bythose of his own people who were appalled not only bythe fact that he mixed with `untouchables', but that he hadeven described them as Harijans Children of God.

   `You stay here, my dear,' Edward said, and hurried tothe tent entrance.

   `My eye,' Adelaide muttered, though she left it a fewseconds before going after him.

   It was early evening, but not yet dark, or anywherenear. As Adelaide stepped outside, a harsh white disc ofsun still shone down from a cloudless sky, illuminating theterrible scene before her.

   Like blemishes on her vision, the air was full of silveryshimmers, and chalk-white men, identical to the oneswhich had materialised on her lawn that afternoon, were

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appearing all over the camp. Naturally, their presence wascausing widespread panic. People were shouting andscreaming, fleeing in all directions, trampling over oneanother's shelters and even each other to get away.

   It was immediately evident why the hideous figureswere there. Adelaide saw them grabbing people at random men, women and children and simply vanishing withthem, just as they had with the Doctor. They seemed tohunt in pairs, and their numbers remained constant; as onepair disappeared with a victim, or sometimes two victims,another pair would shimmer into existence. Althoughpeople were running hither and thither, for the chalk-menthe operation was clearly akin to shooting fish in a barrel.Sometimes the air would shimmer and they would appeardirectly in the path of someone who would then be unableto prevent him- or herself running straight into theirclutches. To Adelaide it looked like a battlefield, albeit abloodless one, or one of those dreadful depictions of Hellby the artist Hieronymus Bosch.

   She saw Edward in the crowd, running towards a pairof chalk-men who were bearing down on a small girl ofaround six years old. The girl was standing transfixed, likea bird mesmerised by a snake. Edward was clutching hisold service revolver, its muzzle pointing at the sky.

   He shouted something, but in the general cacophony ofpanic-stricken voices Adelaide couldn't make out hiswords. It was clearly a challenge, however, for a momentlater he lowered his gun and fired at one of the chalk-men.The shot made a loud crack in the early evening air. To herhorror, Adelaide saw the chalk-man stagger as a black

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bullet hole appeared on the left side of his chest, justbeneath his collar bone. More horrifying still was the factthat the shot barely slowed the creature down. Almostimmediately he straightened up and resumed hisremorseless advance.

   Edward loosed off another two shots, hitting the sameman in the chest once again, and then his partner in thestomach. When this too had minimal effect, he raised hisgun butt-first and ran at the men, as though fully intendingto club them unconscious with it.

   He was too late to save the girl. Even as he ranforward, one of the chalk-men reached out and grabbedher arm. An instant later the chalk-man and the girlshimmered and vanished.

   `You filthy...' Edward yelled, his voice carrying abovethe screams and shouts of the crowd. He reached thesecond chalk-man and brought his revolver down in asavage arc towards the creature's hairless skull.

   Adelaide winced, anticipating the impact, but withblinding speed the chalk-man's hand shot up and grabbedEdward's arm before the gun could connect. A look ofhorror, rage and disbelief appeared on Edward's face and then he and the chalk-man also vanished.

   Adelaide's hand flew to her mouth. Desperately shewondered what to do. It was pointless trying to fleethrough the camp, just as it was pointless joining themêlée with the intention of giving aid. In the end shedecided to go back into the tent and take shelter. Once themayhem was over, she would seek out the Doctor andDonna and tell them what had happened.

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   There was something about the Doctor. Somethingauthoritative and reassuring. She felt instinctively that hewould know what to do. Turning, she lifted aside the flapof canvas and re-entered the tent.

   She barely had time to register the eyeless face of thechalk-man looming over her before the creature reachedout and grabbed her arm.

   Adelaide struggled, but it was no use. The chalk-man'sgrip was like iron. She felt a weird kind of wrenchingsensation and then the world dissolved around her.

`So do you believe this Jal Karath thing then?'

   Donna was hot, sweaty and irritable. The Doctor hadkept up a pretty mean pace on the long walk back to theTARDIS, and she had been determined not to be ahindrance by slowing him down. He had that look on hisface that he got when she knew someone was in for it.This was when he was at his rudest, when he was leasttolerant of people being stupid or obstructive or notpulling their weight.

   `I'm operating on the assumption that he was tellingthe truth,' he said, and added after a pause. `But that hemight not have been.'

   `Thanks,' she said heavily, `that makes everythingmuch clearer.' She made an exasperated sound and flappedher hands in front of her face.

   The Doctor glanced at her. `Seen someone you know?'

   `It's these flies,' she said.

   `Can't say I've ever been friends with a fly.' He lookedthoughtful. `Knew some butterflies once. And beetles. I've

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chatted to loads of beetles. Never a good idea to accept adinner invitation from one, though.'

   `I'll bear that in mind,' said Donna.

   They rounded a corner and the Doctor grinnedsuddenly. `Have I got a brilliant sense of direction orwhat?'

   There was the TARDIS, standing where they had left itin the shadows at the end of a quiet, narrow alley.

   `Home from home,' she said. `So what happens next?We get the readings from the TARDIS...'

   `Focus in on them with the sonic, and... spa-twang!'

   `Spa-twang?' she repeated.

   `Technical term. Think of the zytron trail like a longelastic band at full stretch. And think of the TARDIS like astone in the loop of the band. Soon as the sonic convertsthe readings into coordinates and feeds them back into theTARDIS, off we go... spa-twang!'

   `Sounds painful.'

   `Nah, it'll be fun. Long as we're strapped in tightthere's nothing that can go wrong. Well... almostnothing.'

   Now that the TARDIS was in sight, he stretched hislegs, putting on an extra spurt of speed. Donna struggledto keep up, still swiping irritably at the flies buzzingaround her head. He was fumbling in his pocket for thekey when suddenly there was a silvery shimmer in the air.

   Next moment, four gelem warriors were standing infront of the TARDIS, facing them.

   The Doctor stopped, looking warily at the whitefigures. Almost absently he reached out a long arm and

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shielded Donna with it, positioning his body in front ofhers.

   `Do you think they'll attack?' she hissed.

   `Dunno,' he murmured. `Doubt they're here for achinwag. Gelem warriors are rubbish at conversation,probably cos they never watch telly or read Heatmagazine which I know is something you'll find hard tobelieve.'

   `Oi,' she said, jabbing him in the back. `So how do weget past them?'

   `We implement my brilliantly conceived plan,' he said.

   `Which is?'

   `Dunno. Haven't thought of it yet.'

   He looked keenly about him, checking out the availableresources. However, he had barely begun to do so whenthe quartet of gelem warriors turned towards the TARDISand placed their hands on it.

   `No!' the Doctor shouted, rushing forward. `No, no, no,no, no!'

   Donna realised what the gelem warriors were doing asplit-second after the Doctor did.

   `Oh...' she said, but by the time she had completed theexpletive the air had shimmered and the gelem warriorshad gone, taking the TARDIS with them.

As two more of the terrible men suddenly appeared, Ranjitturned and dived through the open doorway of aramshackle lean-to. So far he had escaped capture partlydue to good luck and partly because, as everyone else hadstarted to panic, he had managed to keep his head.

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   Having seen the eyeless men before, he had not been asshocked as everyone else, and so had had the presence ofmind to notice two things about them. One was that theydidn't run there were so many people around that theydidn't need to and the other was that they didn't selecttheir victims, but simply grabbed whoever was closest.

   Ranjit had made it across the camp by keeping low,taking his time and using the shelters for cover. Even so,he had had a couple of near misses when the air hadshimmered and the creatures had appeared in front of him.The first time he had escaped by ducking out of sight asplit second before the men had fully materialised, and thesecond time one of them had actually been shooting out ahand in his direction, when a thin, turbaned man hadblundered into their path, inadvertently barging into Ranjitand knocking him out of the way.

   Now, as Ranjit dived through the doorway of the lean-to, he heard a little scream. He rolled over in the dust andjumped straight to his feet. A girl was huddled in theshadows at the back of the shabby construction, her eyeswide and dark, her knees drawn up to her chin and herclenched fists pressed to her face.

   Ranjit raised a finger to his lips and hoped that the girlwasn't too scared to see sense. He hoped too that theeyeless men had not heard her scream. If they camecrashing in to investigate the sound there would be noescape for either of them.

   He waited for almost a minute, his ears attuned to theslightest movement. However, he could hear nothingabove the screams and pounding footsteps of the camp's

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inhabitants. The eyeless men may have gone or they maysimply have been standing outside, waiting patiently forhim to emerge. It didn't help that they moved almostsilently, like ghosts. He let another thirty seconds slide by,and then he turned to the girl.

   `I am going now,' he whispered. `You stay here. If youwait until all is quiet, I am sure you will be safe.'

   The girl stared at him, too scared to nod or even blink.

   `Goodbye,' Ranjit said, and then he crept to theentrance of the lean-to and peeked out.

   The half-made men were nowhere to be seen. Ranjitbreathed a sigh of relief and ran across to the nextdilapidated shelter. He kept low and alert as he continuedhis zigzag progress, and minutes later he reached hisdestination.

   At least two of Gandhi's attendants were usuallystationed outside the entrance to his modest shelter on thefar edge of the camp, coordinating the large number ofpeople who wished to speak to the Mahatma on a dailybasis. Now, though, the shelter was silent and seeminglydeserted. Ranjit fervently hoped that Gandhi and hisattendants had either fled or that he would find themhuddled inside.

   His greatest fear was that Bapu had been taken by theeyeless men. Young as he was, Ranjit knew that an Indiawithout Gandhi was unthinkable. Peering from right toleft, he slipped across to Gandhi's shelter and pressed hisface against the ragged sheets of cloth draped across theentrance.

   `Bapu,' he hissed urgently. `Bapu.'

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    To his surprise, a calm voice said, `I am here.'

    With another quick glance behind him, Ranjit lifted oneof the sheets of cloth and slipped inside. Gandhi wassitting cross-legged on the floor, having evidently been ina state of prayer or contemplation.

    It was clear that Gandhi was alone, but Ranjit lookedaround anyway. `Where are your attendants?'

    `They have fled in terror,' Gandhi told him.

    `They abandoned you?' Ranjit asked in astonishment.

    Gandhi smiled. `They did not wish to do so, but Iinsisted that they go. I told them I had no right to beresponsible for their fate. I'm afraid, for their own sakes, Iwas very forceful.' He laughed lightly, as though this wasa great joke.

    `Why did you not go with them?' Ranjit asked.

    `It is not my nature to run away,' Gandhi said. `I willnot fight these foes, but neither will I flee from them. Ifthey find me here, then it is God's will and I will accept it.And if they do not find me here, then that is God's willalso.'

    Ranjit thought about this for a moment. Then he said, `Ihave come to rescue you.'

    Gandhi shook his head. `I do not need to be rescued.'

    `What if it is God's will that I rescue you?' Ranjit said.

    There was silence for a moment, then Gandhi chuckled.`How do you propose to rescue me?'

    `I will lead you away from here along the safest route. Iwill defend you if necessary.'

    `I will not allow anyone to raise their hand in anger inmy name,' Gandhi said.

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   `I will not raise my hand,' Ranjit said. `I will shieldyou.' He paused, then added, `We need you, Bapu. Theseenemies we face, they are not living enemies. They arelike men, but they are not men. They are... demons, fromanother world. They are a threat to us all, and I believethat the only way to defeat them is to stand against them.But to do that we need you and the Doctor to find a way.You are both very wise, and together I know that you canhelp us. Please, Bapu, come with me.'

   Gandhi looked long and hard at the boy, his eyesunblinking behind his spectacles. Finally he raised hishands, palms up, as if placing the matter in the lap of thegods.

   `How can I refuse?' he said.

The Doctor was furious. `Take off your hat,' he snapped atDonna.

   `You what?'

   `Just do it. Take it off and turn it upside down.'

   She glared at him. `A "please" wouldn't go amiss,y'know.'

   He gritted his teeth. `Please take off your hat, Donna.'

   `Certainly,' she said, removing her wide-brimmed hatand shaking out her long red hair. She held the hat upsidedown, then her eyes narrowed and she drew it back. `Hangon, you're not gonna throw up in it, are you?'

   He glared at her.

   `Sorry,' she said. `But it wouldn't be the first time that'shappened to me.'

   He opened his mouth, and then shook his head. `No, on

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second thoughts, I don't think I wanna know.'

   He started delving into his jacket pockets, scooping outgreat handfuls of stuff and dumping them in the hat.Among all the alien bits and pieces were dusty sweets, abouncy pink ball with Donald Duck's face on it, a rubberspider with three legs missing, an old creased postcard ofBrighton Pier, a mass of linked paperclips, weird shells,variously coloured chunks of stone, a cocktail umbrella...

   `Is this a general clearout or are you actually lookingfor something?' she said.

   `Tracking device,' he muttered.

   `What, to track the TARDIS with?'

   `Not my tracking device, their tracking device.'

   She shook her head. `Sorry, you've lost me.'

   He pulled a scratched old cassette box out of his pocketand his face brightened. `Aw, I wondered where that hadgone.'

   `What is it?' asked Donna.

   `Recording of me and Elvis singing "How Much IsThat Doggy In The Window?" We were gonna release itas a single, but Colonel Tom wouldn't let us, grumpy oldso and so. Probably just as well, really.' He slipped thecassette into the breast pocket of his jacket and said, `Itwasn't just a coincidence, the gelem warriors appearinglike that and nicking the TARDIS. The only way they canhave found it was by monitoring my movements. Whichmeans someone, somewhere, must've planted a tracker onme. Unless...'

   His head snapped up and he peered intently at Donna.

   Discomfited, she said, `What you staring at me for?'

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   He didn't reply. Instead he whipped out his sonic,pointed it at her face and turned it on.

   Donna flinched, but immediately realised he wasn'tactually pointing the sonic at her he was pointing it atsomething above her head. She looked up, and was just intime to see one of the circling flies shimmer and changeinto a little whizzing metal object. She jumped back as thething fizzed and sparked, then dropped out of the air, likea tiny warplane disabled by enemy fire. The Doctorswitched off the sonic, stretched out his other hand andcaught the thing in his palm. He and Donna leanedforward to have a look at it.

   It was a disc of brushed metal about the size of aSmartie. Donna could see a tiny inset propeller and aminiscule lens on the front, like a black dot of an eye.

   `Beautiful,' he murmured.

   Impressed, Donna said, `That thing was disguised as afly?'

   The Doctor flipped the disc into the air and caught itagain. `Glamour technology,' he said.

   `That's well devious.' She straightened up. `So what dowe do now?'

   `Mohandas was gonna call a meeting, address thepeople. We'll have to use it to spread the word, geteveryone looking for the ship.'

   `That could take ages.'

   A scowl flashed across his face. `Got any better ideas?'

   `No,' she sighed.

   `Come on then.' He spun on his heels, and thenstopped. `Oh,' he said.

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   Donna turned to see what had taken him by surprise,and her eyes widened.

   Gopal was standing at the entrance to the alleyway,pointing a gun at them.

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    There was a moment of silence, then the Doctor said

    conversationally, `That's a Mezon disintegrator 7.5, isn't

    it?'

       Gopal licked his lips. He looked sweaty and nervous.

    Donna saw that his upraised hand was trembling.

       The Doctor shoved his own hands into his pockets and

    said in the same casual tone, `You wanna be careful with

    that. The settings aren't designed for big fat human fingers

    like yours. Ideally you need to be on 13-85 for close work

    like this, but I've seen people stick it on 13-89, thinking it

    won't make a difference. Trouble is, the 89s are the span

    settings. One false move and Calcutta'll become a big

    rubble pancake. Course, you're probably not bothered

    about that, being a ruthless intergalactic warlord and all.'

       `I am not a warlord,' muttered Gopal.

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    `Nah, course you're not,' said the Doctor dismissively.`I'll bet you're just creating all those gelem warriors tohire out as butlers. Butlers R Us dinner served, enemiesannihilated. You can use that in the brochure if you like.Just give me a credit in the small print.'

    Gopal shook his head quickly. `The gelem warriors arenot mine, Doctor. As you well know.'

    `Hang on a minute,' Donna butted in before the Doctorcould respond. `Can I just ask before I get totally confused is Gopal human or alien?'

    The Doctor tilted his head back. Despite having a gunpointed at him, he looked not just relaxed but positivelycocky. `He's a Jal Karath,' he said, `and his name's notGopal, it's Veec-Elic-Savareen-Jal-9.'

    `And he's been using this glamour technology thingy todisguise himself as a human?'

    `Yep.'

    `So... what does he look like really?'

    The Doctor scrunched up his face. `Well, he's a kindof... black weed. With eyes. Lots of eyes.'

    Now it was Donna's turn to pull a face. `No wonderhe's wearing a disguise.' Raising her voice, she shouted,`Think you're clever, do you, killing all those people?Turning 'em into these gelem things.'

    Gopal swung the gun in her direction. The Doctor tooka deliberate sideways step into its path, shielding her.

    `I have killed nobody,' Gopal protested.

    `Course you haven't,' said the Doctor airily. `Wouldn'tharm a fly, you. That's why you're pointing a gun at mynoggin.'

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   `I resort to such measures only because you leave meno choice, Doctor.'

   `Really?' the Doctor replied. `And how do you workthat one out?'

   Gopal licked his lips. He still looked nervous. Donnasaw a line of sweat trickle down his face. `I know you arein league with Darac-Poul-Caparrel-Jal-7.'

   Donna blinked. `Who's he when he's at home?'

   `He's the other Jal Karath I was telling you about,' theDoctor explained.

   `The space policeman, you mean?'

   Gopal laughed. The sound was hard and bitter. `Is thatwhat he told you? That he was a Hive 7 Enforcer?'

   The Doctor glanced at Donna and raised his eyebrows.`Might have done. You inferring he was telling porkies?'

   `Darac-7 is an opportunist, Doctor. He's a bountyhunter, a mercenary, a slave trader, an arms dealer and apirate. He makes money however and wherever he can,and he doesn't care who he hurts in the process.'

   `Is that right?' the Doctor said, as if he didn't believe aword.

   `Is he telling the truth?' Donna hissed.

   The Doctor gave a non-committal shrug.

   Addressing Gopal, she said, `If that's true, then whatmakes you think we'd be involved with a scumbag likethat? I'm a bit insulted, as it goes. Do I look like the sortof person who hangs around with gangsters?'

   `I cannot deny the evidence of my own eyes,' Gopalreplied.

   `What, all seven million of `em?' Donna snapped back.

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    The Doctor gave her a mildly reproving look andasked, `What evidence is that?'

    `At the temple this morning you claimed that Darac-7'sship relocated when you attempted to penetrate itsglamour with your sonic device. But I believe you usedyour sonic device to divert the ship to a location where thehumans would not discover it. And this afternoon, at theCampbells' residence, you used your sonic device tosummon Darac-7's gelem warriors. And now here you are,safely returned from your meeting with Darac-7. Whywould he let you go unless you were in league with him?'

    The Doctor shook his head, a half-smile on his face. `Ican see where you're coming from, Veec-9, me old chum,but you're wrong. First off, Darac-7 told me the ship inthe temple was yours, not his. And second, this lovelylittle sonic of mine is brilliant at opening doors anddetecting energy emissions and putting up shelves, but Ican't relocate great big spaceships with it or whistle upmy own personal posse of gelem warriors. Here, have alook if you don't believe me.'

    The Doctor flicked his arm up and suddenly the sonicwas flipping end over end towards Gopal. Reactinginstinctively, Gopal raised his left hand to catch it - butwas distracted enough to lower his gun arm in order to doso. Immediately something flew out of nowhere andstruck the back of his gun hand. Gopal cried out and hisfingers sprang open. As soon as the gun started to fall, theDoctor was running towards the alien. He had reachedGopal and scooped the gun up from the dusty groundbefore Gopal had time to react.

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   It all happened so fast that Donna just stood there,dazed. She couldn't work out how the Doctor had madeGopal drop the gun until she saw Cameron appear roundthe corner of the wall at the end of the alleyway, holdinghis catapult.

   `Where did you spring from?' she said.

   Cameron looked a little shamefaced. `I was in thehouse when the Doctor came back with those horribleghost-men. I saw it all from an upstairs window. I wantedto know what was going on, so... I followed you.'

   Donna shook her head. `Your mum and dad aren't halfgonna kill you, you know.'

   `I'm sure you're right,' agreed Cameron. `But I savedyou and the Doctor from being shot. I reckon that's wortha beating.'

   `Sorry to burst your bubble, but old Veec-9 herewouldn't have shot us,' said the Doctor airily. `As an evilintergalactic warlord, he's... well, a bit rubbish. Not thatwe're not grateful to you,' he added, winking at Cameron.

   Donna looked at Gopal, who was rubbing the back ofhis hand and looking sorry for himself.

   `Please, Doctor,' he whimpered, `if you have an ounceof decency in your soul, kill me now.'

   He looked so wretched that Donna couldn't helpfeeling sorry for him. `Why do you want us to kill you?'she asked.

   `I don't,' said Gopal, `but a quick death is preferable tothe slow torture that awaits me back on Jal Paloor.'

   `Well, if you will build up an army and try to overthrowthe government,' Donna said, rolling her eyes. `We've got

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a saying here on Earth, chum if you can't do the time,don't do the crime.'

   `Ooh, harsh,' said the Doctor.

   `My only crime was to speak out against the tyrants ofthe Hive Council,' Gopal replied. `I made public mydisapproval of the current regime, as a result of which mynucleus colony was destroyed and the Council placed abounty on my head. I have been running for elevenquadrants. I made landfall here three cycles ago. I thoughtI was safe, I thought I had finally shaken off my pursuers.But once again Darac-7 has found me. After observingyour actions today, I could only conclude that you wereworking in conjunction with him.'

   `Yeah, well, we're not,' said the Doctor, `and if youwant my opinion, which most people do, I'd say we've allbeen hoodwinked. Not that I didn't have my suspicions, ofcourse. Soon as I met Darac-7, I thought his eyes were tooclose together.' He held out his hand. `Pass me my sonic,would you, Veec-9?'

   Gopal looked down at his left hand, and seemedsurprised to find he was still holding the Doctor's sonicscrewdriver. Meekly he handed it over.

   `Ta,' the Doctor said. He pressed the sonic to ahexagonal dial mounted on top of the thin tubular gun inhis other hand and turned it on. After a moment heswitched the sonic off and tossed the gun back to Gopal,who caught it in both hands, a startled expression on hisface.

   `There you go,' the Doctor said. `I've melted theenergy cells. Might as well chuck it away now - though

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it'd probably make a decent paperweight.'

    Gopal looked at the gun in bemusement and then put itin his pocket. `So... does this mean you are going to letme go?' he asked hopefully.

    `Not only that,' said the Doctor, `but we're going to putour heads together and think of a way of getting Darac-7off your back for good. Where do you live, Veec-9? As ahuman, I mean?'

    In something of a daze, Gopal gestured vaguely. `I havean apartment a few streets from here.'

    `Lovely,' said the Doctor. `Nice splash of Darjeelingand a cosy chat, I think.' He was striding away beforeanyone could respond. `Well, come on, you lot,' he calledback over his shoulder, `chop-chop.'

Becharji was observing the preparations for dinner whenhe heard Mrs Campbell scream.

   Snapping at the servants to continue their work, hehurried from the dining room. The scream had come fromthe drawing room directly across the wide hallway. As hestrode across the wooden floor, he glimpsed movement tohis left, and turned to see Ronny hurrying down the stairsin his shirtsleeves, drying his hands on a towel.

   `Was that Mother?' Ronny asked, frowning.

   Becharji bobbed his head. `I believe so, sahib.'

   The words were barely out of his mouth when the twoof them heard Sir Edgar bark, `Get back! Get back I say,or God help me, I'll run you through.'

   Decorum forgotten, Ronny and Becharji made a dashfor the drawing room. Just before they reached the door

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they heard the clatter of furniture falling over,accompanied by the shrill crash of breaking china.

   Ronny reached out and yanked the door open. Thesight that met his eyes stopped him momentarily in histracks. His mother was cowering behind his father, whowas armed with a poker and standing in a classic fencer'sstance. Ronny knew that his rotund and bewhiskeredfather had not fenced since his Oxford University days,and the sight of him standing there in his linen suit andhighly polished shoes would have been comical had it notbeen for the two horrific creatures bearing down on him.

   Ronny had been told all about the `ghost-men' who hadappeared in the garden that afternoon, having apparentlymaterialised out of thin air. However, the second-handaccounts, no matter how vivid, had been unable to preparehim for quite how terrible the creatures were in the flesh.

   They were not merely pale, as he had envisaged, butwhite. There was not even a tracery of veins beneath theirmarble-smooth skin, and neither did they possess wrinklesor hair, birthmarks or moles. Worst of all, the creatureshad no eyes, and yet somehow they could see, or at leastsense, the exact layout of the room and the position ofeveryone within it. They did not move with the blunderinguncertainty of blind men, but with smooth andremorseless purpose.

   The creatures had been advancing on Sir Edgar andMary Campbell with outstretched hands, but as Ronnyand Becharji burst into the room one of them swung backto confront the newcomers. Ronny faltered for a moment,such was the aura of malevolence that clung to the

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creature, and then he raised his fists in readiness for thefray. He had been a keen pugilist in his younger days and,thanks to his recent army experience, was still close to thepeak of physical fitness.

   Not knowing whether the creatures would understandor even hear him, he said loudly, `Unless you gentlemenwish to receive a damn good thumping, I strongly adviseyou to leave this minute.'

   `Hear, hear,' barked Sir Edgar with a warning jab of thepoker.

   But the creatures ignored Ronny's warning. Theycontinued to advance, their hands outstretched likechildren playing blind man's buff.

   Ronny threw his first punch at the same moment thathis father lunged and thrust at his opponent's chest withthe poker. In both instances, the outcome proved the same.Moving like lightning, the `ghost-men' shot out theirhands, one stopping Ronny's fist in mid-air as easily as ifit was catching a ball, the other grabbing the poker andtwisting it from Sir Edgar's grasp before tossing it almostdisdainfully aside.

   Becharji, hovering at Ronny's shoulder, was notentirely sure what happened next. He had not witnessedthe incident in the garden that afternoon, but he had beentold about it, and that was enough to make him realise thatsomething similar was happening now. As he watchedRonny and his father begin to grapple with the intruders,the room suddenly filled with a strange silvery light.Becharji threw up his hand to shield his eyes as the lightflared, and by the time it faded he found himself staring

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not at a knot of men engaged in hand-to-hand combat, butinto the wide, shocked eyes of Lady Mary, who promptlygave a high-pitched sigh and fainted dead away.

`Can we trust him, Doctor?' Donna murmured.

   Gopal was in the kitchen, making tea. The Doctor,Donna and Cameron were sitting in sagging wicker chairsin his modest apartment, a ceiling fan whizzing abovetheir heads. The floor-length wooden shutters that led onto the balcony were standing open, beyond which theycould see that a little of the sun's lustre was beginning toseep from the sky. Despite that it was still hot, almostsultry, like the atmosphere before a storm. The fan wasdoing little more than stir the warm air around.

   The Doctor looked relaxed, long legs stretched out,hands behind his head. `Yeah, I think so.'

   `But how can you tell?' she persisted.

   `His ears didn't turn blue.'

   `What?'

   `When Jal Karaths lie, their ears turn blue.' Then hejerked upright. `No, hang on. That's the Fostarones. Sillyme.'

   `So he could be lying?' Donna said.

   `Nah, course he's not lying. Blimey, you're suspicious.Doubting Donna they ought to call you. Doubting Donnafrom Dagenham.'

   `I'm not from Dagenham,' she said.

   `Yeah, well, you should be. Or Deptford. OrDulwich.Or Doncaster, that'd be a good one. DoubtingDonna from Doncaster. Anyway, it's obvious he's not

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lying. He's got an honest face. And he's making tea. TheDaleks have never made me tea. The Cybermen havenever made me tea. The Sontarans never--'

   `All right,' Donna shouted. She took a deep breath,then said it again, more calmly. `All right, you've madeyour point. But I swear, if this tea's poisoned, I'll swingfor you.'

   The Doctor looked at Cameron, grimaced and raisedhis eyebrows. Cameron smiled back uncertainly.

   They had been in Gopal's apartment comparingnotes, telling their respective stories for over half anhour now.

   Gopal had arrived on Earth three months earlier, andhad been living among the humans ever since. His craft,smaller and sleeker than his pursuer's, and powered not bya leaking zytron core but by a selfgenerating fusion coil,was secreted in the centre of an inhospitable mountainrange to the north of Calcutta, enclosed within a glamourshield that made it invisible to the human eye. In fact,Gopal told them, his glamour technology was far superiorto that used by Darac-7. This was why he had been able toleave his ship and walk among the humans, whereasDarac-7 had had to rely on gelem warriors to do his dirtywork for him.

   When the Doctor called Gopal by his Jal Karath name,Veec-9, Gopal held up a hand.

   `Please,' he said, `I would be grateful if you would callme by my adopted name. In fact...' he hesitated.

   `Go on,' the Doctor said softly, as if he knew what wascoming.

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    `No doubt you'll think I'm foolish, Doctor, but I hadbeen hoping that I might be able to stay here. To start anew life. As a human.'

    `Well, you could do worse,' the Doctor said, glancing atDonna and flashing her a smile. `I'm sure you'd be a greatasset, Gopal.'

    Now Gopal reappeared from his tiny kitchen, bearing atray weighed down with a china teapot, four china cupsand a plate of roughly cut yellow biscuits studded withraisins and cashew nuts.

    `Lovely,' said the Doctor as Gopal put the tray down ona low wooden table. `Shall I be mother?'

    `I can't believe I'm drinking tea with two aliens and alittle kid in India twenty years before I was born,' Donnamuttered.

    `I know,' said the Doctor, grinning all over his face.`Brilliant, isn't it!'

    When they were sat, sipping tea and crunching biscuits,Gopal said, `I still don't understand why Darac-7 let yougo so readily, Doctor.'

    `Two reasons,' said the Doctor, his voice muffledthrough a mouthful of biscuit. `Number one, he wanted toplay the two of us off against one another. He couldn'tfind you, and he knew my technology was tons better thanhis, so he thought that if he filled me full of lies about youI'd rush out, track you down and deliver you into his evilclutches.'

    He paused, holding up his hand. They all waitedpatiently for him to continue. However, he seemed, quiteliterally, to have bitten off more than he could chew.

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Finally Donna got fed up of waiting and said, `And two,he wanted the TARDIS.'

    The Doctor swallowed his biscuit. `Aw, I was gonnasay that.' Instantly he grabbed another biscuit and bit intoit, waving it in the air with upraised eyebrows to expresshis admiration. Spraying crumbs, he continued, `Not thatit'll do him much good. He won't be able to open it. It'lljust sit there in the corner of his ship like a big bluelemon, taking up space and gathering dust.'

    `What--' Donna began, but then they heard the faintsound of chanting from outside. The chanting rapidlygrew loud enough for them to make out the words: `Longlive the Father... long live the Father...'

    The Doctor grinned. `Sounds like the cavalry's arrived.'He jumped up and ran out onto the balcony.

    The street was filled with people. As ever, Gandhi'sappearance in public had attracted an ever-growing bandof dedicated followers. The little man's familiar, white-clad figure was visible at the head of the chanting crowd.Next to Gandhi was Ranjit, who looked up at the Doctor'sshouted greeting and saw him grinning and waving fromthe balcony.

    `Mr Doctor! Mr Doctor!' Ranjit shouted, jumping upand down.

    `Hang on, I'll come down and let you in,' the Doctorcalled. `Don't think we'll have enough biscuits for allyour mates, though.'

    Three minutes later, Gandhi was settled in the chair thatthe Doctor had vacated for him, and Ranjit was sittingcross-legged on the floor, munching biscuits. The crowd

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below were still happily chanting away. The Doctorleaned against the wall, arms folded, one leg crossed infront of the other.

   `How did you know where to find us?' Donna asked.

   `We didn't,' said Ranjit. `I knew Mr Gopal lived herebecause he brought me back earlier to give me some foodbefore I returned to the camp.'

   `The boy looked so thin,' Gopal explained, as ifembarrassed by his generosity.

   `And so I decided to ask him if he knew where MrDoctor was.'

   `And now you've found him,' Donna said.

   `So what's happened?' asked the Doctor quietly.

   `The half-made men came to the camp, Mr Doctor,'said Ranjit. `Many, many of them. The people ran, but thehalf-made men still took them just as they took youearlier. Whoosh, like that.'

   The Doctor frowned, staring into space.

   Donna asked, `Why would they attack the camp,Doctor? Were they looking for Mohandas?'

   The Doctor shook his head. `As far as Darac-7'sconcerned, Mohandas is no different to any other human.No, they're harvesting. You said Darac-7 was anopportunist, Gopal. You're obviously not his only businessinterest probably not even his main one.'

   `What do you mean, "harvesting"?' Donna asked. `Thatdoesn't sound good.'

   `I told you that the leaders of the eleven hives werecorrupt,' said Gopal. `There have been rumours on JalPaloor for some time that the Hive Council has initiated a

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build-up of secret military forces on one of the outlyingplanets. It is said they are planning to spread across thestars, to establish a new and glorious empire. Of course,no one really believed it.'

   `Except that it's true,' said the Doctor grimly, `andthey're going to use gelem warriors to do it.'

   `So as well as looking for Gopal, this Darac bloke iskidnapping humans to sell to the Hive Council to makeinto them gelem things?' said Donna.

   The Doctor nodded.

   `And he's keeping `em... where? You said hisspaceship was pretty poky. So are all those people beingtransported straight to the planet of the weeds or what? Nooffence, Gopal.'

   The Doctor stared at Donna. Then he marched acrossthe room, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him in afierce hug.

   `Brilliant!' he shouted.

   `What did I--' she began, but the Doctor was alreadyoff, running his hands through his hair and talking at ahundred miles an hour.

   `If he's taking this many people, he must have aholding area close to his ship. Somewhere huge and out ofsight an underground cavern, maybe. When he's reapedhis first harvest he'll give his mates on the Hive Council abell and they'll send a prison ship to pick up the firstconsignment. The gelem warriors he's already using mustbe programmed to transmit straight into the holding areawith every new catch and then back out again. So if wecan get those coordinates...' He looked up wildly. `Gopal,

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how do you move to and fro between here and your ship?Transmat pod?'

    Gopal nodded.

    `Mind if I have a look at it?'

    `Certainly, Doctor,' said Gopal. `Would you help memove this table?'

    Gopal and the Doctor lifted aside the low table onwhich the tea things stood and placed it against the wall.Beneath the table was a red and green rug, which Gopalrolled up, revealing a neat, hinged square in the woodenfloor. He produced a key, unlocked the trapdoor and raisedit. In the gap between the joists was a small hidey-hole.

    Donna caught a glimpse of various neatly stacked alienartefacts boys' toys, she thought. There were thingsmade of brushed black metal, studded with dials andswitches and flickering green lights. Gopal extracted adevice like a miniature rugby ball, which he handed to theDoctor.

    `Ooh, nice,' the Doctor said.

    He took a moment to familiarise himself with the arrayof controls set into the top of the device, then produced hissonic and pressed its glowing blue tip to different parts ofthe device, hmming and ahing as he did so.

    Finally he switched the sonic off and grinned at them.He was about to speak when the air shimmered in thecentre of the room.

    Next moment, four gelem warriors were standing therein a diamond formation, their backs to each other, facingoutward. Instantly they raised their hands and began toadvance on the room's six occupants.

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   Donna tried to make a break for the door, but the gelemwarrior closest to it was too quick for her. She changeddirection, and backed towards the open doors leading onto the balcony, wondering whether she'd be able to jumpto the ground below without breaking any bones.

   Out of the corner of her eye she saw everyone elsetaking evasive action everyone except Gandhi. As theDoctor pressed himself up against the wall and the boysdived behind items of furniture, Gandhi simply sat in hischair, refusing either to fight back or run away. Donna sawhim looking up with an expression of serene curiosity as agelem warrior reached out for him.

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    The cavern was vast and stifling, condensation dripping

    from the roof. Aside from a few small fires, the makeshift

    prison was lit only by a red, crackling barrier, which

    encircled the hundreds of people clustered within it.

    Already Adelaide had seen one man stretch out a hand to

    the barrier, only to be blasted unconscious for his trouble.

    She scanned the dirty, sweaty faces of her fellow captives,

    some of whom were weeping in fear, some stunned with

    shock, some simply staring resignedly into space, and

    wondered whether she was in Hell.

       How long she had been here she wasn't sure. It seemed

    like for ever, but was probably no more than a couple of

    hours. At frequent intervals, the air would shimmer and

    the chalk-men would appear with more captives. Together

    with Edward, Adelaide had taken it upon herself to try and

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reassure these often terrified and confused people,acclimatise them to their new surroundings. It wasexhausting work, but by keeping busy she was at leastable to prevent herself from indulging in her own fearfulthoughts.

   She was trying to calm a little girl, who had beenseparated from her parents at the camp and was wailing infear, when a voice called, `Adelaide? Is that you?'

   She looked over her shoulder, and to her joy anddespair, saw Ronny making his way through the throngtowards her. He was dressed for dinner, but his white shirtwas streaked with sweat and grime, and he had a smudgeof dirt on his cheek. His stiff collar and neatly knotted tielooked incongruous, almost comical, in thesesurroundings.

   Adelaide jumped to her feet and flung her arms aroundhim. `Oh, Ronny!' she cried. `Not you too!'

   `Afraid so,' Ronny said. `Can you believe, those awfulcreatures actually came in to the house? The sheer cheekof it!'

   `Who else--' Adelaide began, and then over Ronny'sshoulder she saw her father and mother and a solicitousBecharji trying to struggle their way through the grimymass of humanity.

   `Oh no,' she cried despairingly, `not all of you.'

   `All but Cameron, I'm afraid,' said Ronny. `First theblighters took Father and I, then they had the gall to goback for Mother and Becharji.'

   `My dear Adelaide,' Sir Edgar said, and with anuncharacteristic show of affection gave his daughter a

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hug. `Ronny said he'd spotted you. I told him he wasseeing things.' He mopped his brow with a grubbyhandkerchief. `What is this hellish place?'

   `Not a clue,' Adelaide said. `Are you all right, Mother?'

   Mary Campbell had a lace handkerchief pressed to hernose and a look of distaste on her tearful face.

   `What a silly question,' she said in a shrill, strainedvoice. `Of course I'm not all right. How can I be all right,crammed into this appalling place with all these... thesepeople.'

   Suddenly all the fear, confusion and anxiety of the lastfew hours rose up in Adelaide and came bubbling out ofher.

   `Is that all you can find to worry about, Mother?' shesnapped. `The fact that you've been forced to mix withpeople you consider below your social standing? Because,like it or not, we're all in this together. We're all living,thinking, feeling human beings and we're all scared.'

   There was an uncomfortable silence, and then, quiteunexpectedly, her father nodded.

   `Quite right, my dear,' he said gruffly, and patted hershoulder. `Quite right.'

                            ***As Donna pressed herself back against the wall, she wasvaguely aware of the Doctor stepping forward, the rugbyball device in his upraised hand. He fiddled with it for asecond, and suddenly crackling tendrils of yellow-whitelight erupted out of it.

   Like jittering electric serpents, the tendrils of lightsought out the gelem warriors. Donna watched as one

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tendril latched on to the centre of the chest of the creaturemenacing her and formed the fizzing outline of a circle.Immediately, all four warriors began to jerk and spasm,like a group of men struck by the same bolt of lightning.They twitched grotesquely for a few moments, and thensimply keeled over, as stiff and expressionless asmannequins.

   The Doctor switched the device off. For a second,nobody moved.

   Then Ranjit asked, `Are the half-made men dead?'

   `They were never really alive,' the Doctor replied, andabsently tossed the rugby ball device across to Gopal. Heproduced his sonic screwdriver again and held it up.`Better tweak the frequency on this. It's like a homingbeacon for them.' He fiddled with the controls for amoment. `There we go. That should fool 'em for a bit.' Hedropped to his knees beside one of the lifeless forms,pressed the sonic to its chest and turned it on.

   To everyone's amazement there was a hissing noise anda circle of rubbery white flesh rose and swivelled on a sortof flap. Nestled within a cavity beneath was a flattishsilver disc, shimmering with light, that reminded Donna ofa hockey puck. Another zap of the sonic and a trio ofclaw-like metal catches sprang open, enabling the Doctorto reach in and free the disc from its housing.

   `What's that?' asked Cameron. `Its heart?'

   `Matter relocator,' said the Doctor.

   `Didn't you say the coordinates on that would take usstraight into the holding area?' said Donna.

   The Doctor nodded and turned on his sonic again. `But

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if I make a slight adjustment...' He tinkered for a moment,then sat back. `Job's a good 'un. All aboard who arecoming aboard.'

    They all looked at each other. Donna said, `You're notgoing without me, sunshine,' and grabbed the Doctor'sarm.

    Gopal took Donna's hand. `And I cannot allow you tofight my battles for me.'

    Gandhi too rose from his seat. `Curiosity is a terriblecurse,' he said sadly. `I really should not give in to it.'Then he smiled, and grasped Gopal's other hand.

    `If you're going, Bapu, I am coming too,' cried Ranjit,and attached himself to the human chain.

    Cameron looked terrified, but he grabbed his friend'sarm. `I'm not going to be the only one left behind,' hesaid.

    The Doctor grinned, as if they were about to embark onthe most thrilling funfair ride ever.

    `Stand clear of the doors!' he bellowed. `Here we go!'

Cameron was aware of a sickening sideways lurch as theroom dissolved around him. There was a horriblesensation of his surroundings rushing by at such speedthat it was impossible to focus upon a single detail. Hisstomach rolling with nausea, he closed his eyes and clungtightly to Ranjit's hand. He dreaded to think what wouldhappen if he let go.

   `We're here.'

   The Doctor's voice popped the build-up of pressure inhis ears. Cameron couldn't believe how cheerful the

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Doctor sounded. He opened his eyes to find himselfstanding on a rocky slope leading up to a craggy range ofhills. The sky above was deepening towards dusk, but itwas not yet too dark for Cameron to make out the caveopenings that punctured the forbidding mass of bare andjagged rock above them. Some of the openings were tallerthan a man, whereas others might have proved a tightsqueeze for a rabbit, or even a snake. Beyond each of thecave openings Cameron could see nothing but blackness.

   `That was rough,' Donna said. She was leaningforward, hands on knees. `Dunno about you lot, but Ithink I'm gonna hurl.'

   `Deep breaths,' the Doctor said. He held up the sonicand frowned. `Though on the other hand...'

   `What is it, Doctor?' Gopal asked.

   `This whole area is steeped in zytron energy. Theleakage is getting worse. Though on the plus side, it'llmake Darac-7 easier to find. Come on, let's not hangabout.'

   He strode up the slope as if out for an afternoon yomp.Gopal and the boys hurried after him.

   `You all right, Mohandas?' Donna asked.

   Gandhi was looking around at the barren landscape,eyes gleaming like an excited child's. `Oh yes,' hebreathed. `I am struck with wonder.'

   `You get used to it after a while,' Donna said, and thenrealised that the throwaway remark was not really howshe felt. She linked arms with the little man. `Actually,you don't. You never get used to it. That's why it's soamazing. Before I met the Doctor, I never realised there

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was so much to see.'

    `Come on, you two!'

    The Doctor had already reached the top of the slope.`What you doing?' he called. `Having a picnic?'

    Donna rolled her eyes at Gandhi and together theyhurried up the slope. By the time they reached the Doctor,she was gasping for breath, but Gandhi seemed as fresh asever. Not for the first time, she was struck by how spryand sinewy the little man was.

    `We're not all descended from mountain goats, youknow,' she said, trying not to pant.

    `No, not like on Istervaal,' the Doctor replied absently.`Evolution didn't half take a funny old turn there.'Abruptly he clapped his hands, like a teacher on a fieldtrip. `Right, gang, here's the plan. Once we're inside,we've got four objectives. One, put a stop to Darac-7 but leave that to me, I'm brilliant at that sort of thing; two,find the holding cells and release the prisoners; three, keepan eye out for a big blue box, cos that's my TARDIS and itmight turn out to be our only way out; and four, backhome in time for tea and crumpets. Everybody happy withthat? T'riffic. Off we go.'

    He led the way forward, and marched withouthesitation into one of the larger cave openings. In his righthand he brandished the sonic, which glowed like a tinytorch, bathing the rocky walls in cold blue light.

    For the next fifteen minutes, the motley group movedthrough the narrow tunnels, the Doctor leading the waylike a tour guide. They progressed mostly in silence,though occasionally the Doctor would mutter, `This way,'

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or `Left here.' At one point there was a clunk and theDoctor looked round at them, rubbing his head. `Careful,'he said ruefully, `the roof's a bit low just here.'

   A couple of minutes later he said, `Whoa,' and came toan abrupt halt, spreading his arms.

   Donna was just behind him. She stood on tiptoe to peerover his shoulder. `What is it?'

   Then they heard it a rapid, intermittent scuttling fromthe darkness ahead. Cautiously the Doctor extended thesonic, but the blue light couldn't stretch more than a fewfeet.

   `Hang on,' he said, and next moment he had apenciltorch in his hand. He turned it on and shone it intothe pitch-black tunnel.

   `Oh my God,' breathed Donna.

   In the narrow passage, less than three metres away,were three scorpions. They were each the size of smalldogs, each twisted and deformed and covered in blackishlumps. One was crouched on the ground, legs wide apartas though readying itself to spring, and the other two wereclinging to the right-hand wall.

   As though angered by the light, the scorpion on theground extended its claws and hissed like a snake, raisingitself on its misshapen legs and swaying from side to side.

   `Cover your ears,' the Doctor muttered, and adjustedthe controls on the sonic. Immediately it made a hideousscreeching sound. Donna clapped her hands over her ears,feeling as though someone was drilling into the top of herskull. The walls of the tunnel seemed to shake. Dust siftedfrom the ceiling.

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   The Doctor strode forward, teeth gritted, sonic held atarm's length. The scorpion on the ground reared up on itsback legs, body quivering. It looked for a moment asthough it was being physically repelled by the terriblesound, and then it turned and scuttled into the darkness.

   Moving awkwardly, hampered by their zytron distortedbodies, the other scorpions scrambled away too,disappearing into crevices in the walls.

   The Doctor readjusted the sonic so that it was oncemore warbling at its usual level. He pulled a series offaces, as if testing the elasticity of his skin. `Well, that'sone way of clearing your sinuses,' he said.

   They moved forward again, the group behind theDoctor clustered more closely together now, their headsdarting left and right, as if imagining all kinds of scuttlingmonstrosities in the shadows.

   Abruptly the Doctor came to a halt in front of a blanksection of stone wall.

   `Why have we stopped now?' Donna asked nervously.

   `We're here,' the Doctor said.

   `Where's here?'

   He turned and grinned at the others, his face a deathlyblue mask in the light from the sonic. `You'll like this,' hesaid.

   He touched the sonic to the wall and instantly the rocktransformed into a porthole-like opening, which seemed tobe composed of the spiky, overlapping petals of someexotic flower.

   `What's that?' gasped Cameron.

   `That,' said the Doctor grandly, `is the door to an alien

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spaceship.'

    `Are we going inside?' Ranjit breathed, eyes wide.

    `Some of us are,' the Doctor said.

    It was decided that the Doctor, Gandhi and Ranjitwould enter the ship, whilst Donna, Gopal and Cameronwould try to find and free the prisoners. The Doctorsonicked the now-exposed door of the ship, the boysgasping and Gandhi clapping his hands in wonder as the`petals' folded smoothly back, revealing a gleaming blackchamber full of thick loops of cable and shiny tangles ofmachinery.

    The Doctor fiddled with the sonic until it began tomake a slow but steady beeping sound, then handed it toDonna. `The prisoners will be somewhere in this cavesystem,' he said, `within a stasis barrier contained behinda glamour shield. The sonic has been tuned in to pick upthe energy emissions. It'll beep faster the closer you get,slower if you start moving away. When the beeps becomea continuous noise you'll know you're there.'

    `Then what?' Donna asked.

    `Then you turn it to setting 59-A. That should get youin. Oh, and you'd better have these.' He gave her the torchand the matter relocator he had taken from the gelemwarrior's chest. `You might need an alternative escaperoute. The relocator will take you back out onto the slopewhere we came in.'

    `What about you?' she asked.

    `I'll have the TARDIS. Hopefully. See you in a bit.'

    `Good luck,' she said, giving him a hug.

    He clicked his tongue and winked at her. `You make

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your own luck in this game.'

    `I think this is it,' Donna said.

    The journey through the caves had been tense butuneventful. Once or twice they had heard scufflingmovements in the darkness, but they hadn't seen anything.It had been easy to follow the signal of the sonic. Eachtime they came to a fork they simply took one turn or theother and listened to the beeps. If the beeps sped up, theyknew they were on the right track. If they slowed down,they retraced their steps and took the alternative route.

    It had taken twenty minutes of tramping throughstifling darkness before the beeps turned into what Donnawould have described as a continuous note. She stoppedand looked around. They appeared to be nowhere special.There were rocky walls on either side and a craggy ceilinga couple of metres above their heads. She turned the sonicto setting 59-A, as the Doctor had instructed, and touchedit against the left-hand wall. When nothing happened shewalked across to the right-hand wall and tried again.Instantly the wall shimmered and disappeared.

    In front of them was a wide black tunnel slopingdownwards over jagged rocks.

    `Is it just me or is there a red glow ahead?' she asked.

    Gopal nodded.

    `It looks like a fire,' said Cameron.

    Donna switched off the sonic and turned on the torch.`Everyone OK?' she asked.

    Gopal and Cameron nodded.

    `Come on then.'

    They made their way down over the large, jagged

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rocks, which formed a series of natural shelves andplateaus. Donna felt like a mouse negotiating a giant,crumbling staircase. The red glow grew brighter as theydescended, so much so that Donna turned off the torch andput it back in her pocket. As they drew closer, theyrealised that the red glow was also accompanied by acrackling and humming, like the sound made by the wireslinking electricity pylons on a rainy day.

   Eventually the slope levelled out and the tunnelnarrowed slightly. The three of them moved cautiouslyforward, the crackling red glow now filling the archahead.

   It wasn't until they were standing under the arch itselfthat the view opened out before them. It was like walkingalong a cliff-top and not being able to see the crashingwaves below until you went right up to the edge andpeered over.

   Donna gasped. Below her was a cavern the size of afootball stadium. It was surrounded by a fiercely cracklingred barrier, and it was filled with people hundreds,perhaps thousands of people. Most of them were huddledsilently together in groups. Some were clustered aroundmeagre fires that they had somehow managed to light.Donna looked around at the array of red-lit faces and sawshock, fear, dejection.

   In a bitter voice Gopal said, `When the cave is full,Darac-7 will ship these people to where the Hive Councilare creating their secret army, and then he will use hisgelem warriors to harvest more. As long as the HiveCouncil keep paying him, the harvest will continue.'

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   Donna thought of the way the Ood had been treated onthe Ood-Sphere. This was just as sickening. She was aboutto say so when Cameron cried, `I can see Mother andFather and Becharji! And Ronny and Adelaide! Look!'

   He was pointing to the right, almost jumping up anddown in his excitement. Even amongst all these people,the Campbells were not too difficult to spot. They werestanding in a close-knit group, whereas almost everyoneelse was sitting, added to which they were dresseddifferently to most of the people around them.

   Cameron's high-pitched voice must have carried downto the cavern below, because all at once Donna saw peoplelooking up, pointing at them. The low buzz of chatter,barely discernible before above the crackling hum of thebarrier, now rose in volume as news of their presencespread through the crowd.

   `We've been spotted,' Donna said. `We'd better go andlet 'em all out before they start thinking we're the oneswho trapped 'em here.'

   They picked their way down the final rubbly slope tothe base of the cavern. There was a surge in the crowd aspeople moved forward to meet them.

   Word must have filtered back to the Campbells thatCameron was there because, by the time they reached thebottom of the slope, Ronny was shouldering his way tothe front of the crowd, closely followed by Adelaide, hisparents and Becharji.

   `What in Heaven's name are you doing here?' Ronnyasked in astonishment.

   Cameron grinned. `We're rescuing you.'

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   `Stand back,' Donna said, holding up the sonic. `Thisthing's loaded.'

   Hoping that setting 59-A would work not only on theglamour but on the barrier too, she stepped as close as shedared and pointed the sonic at it. The crowd drew back,murmuring concernedly as the activity of the barrierseemed momentarily to increase. Donna gritted her teethas red sparks flew in all directions, fizzing like angrysprites. Then ragged holes appeared in the barrier, untilsuddenly, with a final furious crackle, it collapsed.

   There was a moment of shocked disbelief as asidefrom a little firelight and the glow of the sonic thecavern was plunged into darkness. Then people began tocheer and whoop and wave their hands in the air. Donnaturned the sonic off as Ronny stepped forward.

   `Miss Donna, I could hug you,' he exclaimed.

   She sized him up. He was a good-looking bloke. `Well,don't let me stop you,' she said.

   Suddenly she was surrounded by people grinning andslapping her on the back. Already some were streaming upthe rocky slope towards the arch above, intent on finding away out. Some were lighting matches to see by, othersgrabbing glowing bits of wood from the fires. Despite thenear-darkness and the fact that most of them probablydidn't have a clue where they were, the mood was one ofjubilation at suddenly finding themselves free.

   Adelaide had lifted Cameron up and was spinning himaround, laughing. Sir Edgar, Mary and Ronny werebombarding Donna with questions.

   Suddenly the air in the cavern shimmered in a dozen

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different places, and people began to panic as gelemwarriors appeared in their midst. All at once there werepeople running in all directions. Many of them slipped andfell, tripping over rocks in the semidarkness, or knockedover in the rush to escape.

   The gelem warriors waded forward, swinging theirarms, ripping and tearing with their hands. Evidently thedisabling of the barrier had been detected.

   `Come on,' Donna said, herding the Campbells beforeher. `Leg it.'

   They joined the throng of people scrambling up therocky slope towards the arch above. Almost immediately,however, it became obvious that Sir Edgar and his wife,unused to physical exertion, were moving too slowly toescape the clutches of the advancing gelem warriors.Much as she loathed the thought of leaving all the freedprisoners to fend for themselves, Donna held up the matterrelocator the Doctor had given her. `We'll have to usethis,' she shouted to Gopal.

   `Not yet,' he said. `I have this.' He produced thetransmat pod which the Doctor had altered with his sonic.He placed it on the ground, twisted something on top ofthe device and crackling threads of yellow-white lightsuddenly leaped from an aperture in the top.Remembering what had happened earlier, Donna hastilyplaced the matter relocator she was holding on a nearbyrock. Although the Doctor had reconfigured the settingson this particular device, she didn't want to risk gettingzapped like the gelem warriors in Gopal's apartment haddone.

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    Just as before, the tendrils of light sought out the matterrelocator discs in the centre of the gelem warriors' chests.As the light hit them, the warriors began to jerk andshudder before crashing lifeless to the floor. AlthoughDonna knew that the creatures were not in any real sensealive, it was still disturbing to watch them keel over anddie.

    Eventually Gopal switched off the device and noddedat the unaffected disc sitting on the rock. `Now we can usethe matter relocator to get out of here,' he said.

    Donna looked down into the cavern. Most people werescrambling up the slope towards the arch now, orstreaming through the tunnels in search of the openingsthat led out on to the hillside, but there were still severaldozen people down below, who had either been batteredunconscious by the gelem warriors or were too badlyinjured to move.

    `I'm not leaving anybody behind,' she said.

    Gopal nodded. `You are right, of course. But we don'tknow how many people the matter relocator will carry.'

    `Then let's find out,' she said.

`What will you do when you find the creature, MrDoctor?' Ranjit whispered. `Will you kill it?'

   The Doctor looked disapproving. `Course not. Youcan't go through life killing things just cos you don'tagree with them. Isn't that right, Mohandas?'

   Gandhi nodded. `Violence solves nothing. Even whenit seems to do good, the benefit is only temporary,whereas the evil it does is permanent.'

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    `There you go,' said the Doctor. `Couldn't have put itbetter myself.'

    `So what will you do, Mr Doctor?' Ranjit asked.

    `Jaw-jaw not war-war.'

    Ranjit shook his head. `I don't understand.'

    `I'll talk to it,' the Doctor said. `We'll have a nice sitdown and a little chat. Always the best way.'

    `And if it does not listen?'

    `I'll make it listen. I'll talk until it does. I'm good attalking. Never stop once I get going. Jabber jabber jabber,that's me. I'll tell you this, Ranjit, by the time I'm done,it'll be begging me to let it put right what it's done, just toshut me up. Here we are.'

    He stopped abruptly in front of another petal-likeopening. He raised a hand to knock, but before he coulddo so the `petals' folded back. `Looks like we'reexpected,' the Doctor said. `Normally I'd say "after you",but you'd better let me go first.'

    He stepped into the opening and strode along the short,throat-like corridor ahead. Ranjit followed, goggling at hissurroundings, still overcome by the sheer wonder of thealien craft. He found it hard to believe that he was actuallyinside the ball of light which had fallen from the sky overa week ago. Although everything was made of strangemetals and some kind of shiny rubber, he was reminded ofboth a thick jungle and the belly of some great fish whichhad swallowed them whole.

    He followed the Doctor into an oddly shaped room, fullof more of the rubbery vines and incredible machinery.His mouth dropped open when he saw that in the centre of

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the room, suspended like a spider in its web, was a hugeblack plant with hundreds of blinking eyes. Unable tospeak, Ranjit looked at Gandhi, and was astonished to seethat he was staring up at the plant with clasped hands, arapt expression on his face. There were even tears glintingin his eyes, as if the horrible creature was the mostbeautiful sight he had ever seen.

    The Doctor didn't even seem to notice the plantcreature at first. He walked over to a blue box on the left-hand side of the room and patted it like a pet dog. `Hello,gorgeous,' he said, and then he spun round, strode up tothe plant and pointed a finger at it.

    `As for you, sunny Jim, you're a sneak and a liar, andyou owe me a big fat apology.' He folded his arms andscowled. Two seconds passed. `Well, come on, I'mwaiting.'

    Ranjit's eyes opened wide as an icy, high-pitched voicefilled the room. `You were foolish to come back here,Doctor.'

    `Yeah, yeah, people are always telling me that,' theDoctor said. `Did you honestly think, Darac-7, that I'd justsit back and let you carry on helping yourself to membersof the human race as if they were sweets on a pick 'n' mixstand? Cos that's so not gonna happen. Instead whatyou're gonna do is power up those nasty little zytronengines of yours and vamoose out of here. And don't thinkabout starting up your filthy little racket elsewhere, cosI'm gonna see to it that the whole base of operations isfound, closed down and the extraction factoriesdismantled. If I were you, I'd find a nice quiet planet

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somewhere and keep your head low for a while. Right, I'llgive you one hour to pack up and go. First and lastchance. See ya.'

   He turned and strode away without waiting for ananswer. However, he had taken no more than half a dozensteps when the air in front of the circular exit shimmeredand a gelem warrior appeared, blocking his path. Almostimmediately the air shimmered again, and four moregelem warriors materialised, two on either side of Gandhiand Ranjit, cutting off every avenue of escape. The Doctorsighed, as if this was no more than a minor irritation. Hespun on his heel and approached the Jal Karath again.

   `You really don't want to mess with me, Darac-7,' hesaid grimly. `If you listen to what your pulse sensors aresaying, you'll know that your plans are already in ruins.Your first consignment of human fodder is halfway backto Calcutta by now. We've penetrated your glamour,dismantled your stasis barrier and disabled half yourprecious workforce. Believe me, your best bet is to leaveand never come back. You win some, you lose some. Whynot just put this one down to experience, eh?'

   Once again the icy voice of the Jal Karath filled the air.`I know that what you're telling me is true, Doctor, butI'm afraid that I don't accept defeat so easily. I'm a Hive-7 Jal Karath. We are the proudest and most patriotic of theeleven Hives. Unfortunately for you, that also makes usthe most unforgiving.'

   As if at some unspoken command, three of the gelemwarriors lurched forward and grabbed the Doctor, Gandhiand Ranjit. Ranjit struggled fiercely, to no avail, but the

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Doctor and Gandhi remained still.

    `Big mistake, Darac-7,' said the Doctor in a low voice.

    `The mistake was yours, Doctor, by coming here. NowI'll have to create more gelem warriors and start theharvest all over again. But you can help me take the firststep.'

    Ranjit was still struggling, but the gelem warrior heldhim in an iron grip. `What is he going to do with us, MrDoctor?' he wailed.

    As if in reply, a panel slid open in the back wall, toreveal an open-fronted cabinet-like device. The cabinetthrummed into life, lights flickering through a tubularsystem of inner workings. The Doctor's face twisted intoan expression of abhorrence.

    `What is that contrivance, Doctor?' Gandhi asked, hisvoice calm and steady.

    `It's a extraction machine,' said the Doctor. He glaredup at the Jal Karath. `You can't do this, Darac-7.'

    There was a peculiar bubbling sound the sound ofalien laughter. `Oh, I think I can, Doctor. As you willimminently find out.'

    `No,' the Doctor said, speaking quickly now, `you don'tunderstand. You really can't do this. Listen to me, Darac-7. You wanted to know what species I was? I'm a TimeLord. The last of the Time Lords. The only survivor of theLast Great Time War. And as a Time Lord I'm telling youthat you can't put Mohandas Gandhi into that filthymachine. If you do, you'll tear the timelines apart. You'llplunge this planet, this whole galaxy, into a new DarkAge.'

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   There was a pause. Ranjit stared at the Doctor wideeyed.

   Finally Darac-7 murmured, `Is that so?'

   `Yes,' said the Doctor firmly, `it is. So here's what I'lldo. I'll make a deal with you. Take me. Take the boy even.But spare Gandhi. For the sake of the planet, let him go.'

   There was a long pause. Then the Jal Karath said, `No.'

   The Doctor's eyes widened. `What do you mean,"no"?'

   `I mean no, Doctor. I will not accept your terms. Whatdo I care if this galaxy is torn apart?'

   `But... you'll be caught up in it,' the Doctor saiddesperately. `You'll die along with everyone else.'

   `I'm not an idiot, Doctor. We both know that the effectsof the time disruption will not be felt immediately. It willspiral slowly down through the causal nexus, unravellinghistory as it goes. By the time it impacts on this axis pointI will be long gone.'

   `But... your harvest. Your precious warrior army.'

   The quivering motion that rippled through the weed-like body of the Jal Karath was the equivalent of a shrug.`There are other worlds, other galaxies. Millions of them.'Raising its voice it said, `Place the old man in themachine.'

   `No!' the Doctor yelled, struggling wildly. `No, Darac-7, you can't!'

   `Don't concern yourself, Doctor,' said Gandhi as hewas led, unresisting, to the cabinet at the back of theroom. `I am not afraid to die. Fear of death makes usdevoid of valour and faith.'

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   `But you're not meant to die now,' said the Doctor, stillstruggling hopelessly.

   Gandhi smiled. `If God says I am, then I am.Everything is in His hands.'

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    Gandhi walked across the room, his back straight and

    his head held high, and stepped into the machine. His face

    remained serene as levered metal arms swung inwards

    from each of the four corners of the cabinet and clamped

    together in the centre, sealing him in. Instantly, with a

    rising whine like an accelerating engine, the machine

    powered up, coloured lights beginning to flow over

    Gandhi's white-clad form. The Doctor slumped in his

    captive's immovable grip, his hair flopping over his face

    as his head drooped forward.

        The high-pitched whine of the extraction machine

    climbed and climbed, building to an ear-splitting

    crescendo... and then suddenly there was a loud bang. A

    huge shower of sparks erupted out of the top of the

    cabinet, followed by a thick black cloud of smoke. The

    machine itself began to judder, the high-pitched whine to

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deepen and die as the power seeped away. Inside themachine, apparently unharmed, Gandhi looked aroundwith an expression of mild interest.

    The Jal Karath started to thrash and writhe in its web oftechnology. `What's happening?' it screamed. `I feel...pain.'

    As though their command link had been cut off, thegelem warriors suddenly released the Doctor and Ranjitand stood motionless, their hands dropping to their sides.

    Slowly the Doctor straightened up and raised his head.There was a grim, knowing look on his face.

    `Thought that might happen,' he said quietly. `I didwarn you, Darac-7.'

    Whatever fault had caused the extraction machine tooverload now seemed to be having a knock-on effect onthe rest of the ship's systems. Things were sparking andburning-out all over the place. Thick black smoke wasfilling the room.

    `What did you do, Mr Doctor?' Ranjit asked, duckingas a shower of sparks burst from what looked like amelting metal box close to his head.

    `Me? Nothing,' said the Doctor. `It was Mohandas.He's just too good.'

    The levered arms which had clamped Gandhi into themachine now sprang apart, releasing him. Stepping out, heoverheard the Doctor's words. `Good in what sense,Doctor?'

    The Doctor was already darting from one of the ship'sfailing systems to another, apparently looking forsomething. Suddenly he exclaimed, `Aha. You know what

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this is?'

   Both Gandhi and Ranjit shook their heads.

   `It's an energy inversion module. And if I just refine thesearch parameters and set it at maximum...' His fingersdanced over an array of complex-looking controls, then hestepped back with a satisfied grin. His head whippedround and he stared at Gandhi. `Sorry, what were yousaying?'

   `You said Bapu was too good, Mr Doctor,' Ranjitreminded him.

   `Oh yeah, he is. Too good, too nice, too pure of heart.You see, the extraction machine works by sucking all thebadness out of people, like the juice from a lemon, andstoring it to be used later. But now and again someonecomes along who hasn't got any badness in them agenetic anomaly, or just someone with such incrediblestrength of mind that they've literally willed it away.When that happens and we're talking... ooh, one out ofevery billion people here the machine can't cope. It'slike trying to boil a kettle with no water in it. Onlyproblem for Darac-7 is that his kettle is linked to everyother kitchen appliance, which in turn are linked tohim...'

   They ducked as an almighty explosion to their rightscattered burning debris across a wide area. The JalKarath screamed in pain.

   `... and I'm afraid that his warranty has just run out,'concluded the Doctor. `Follow me.'

   With the alien craft collapsing in flames around them,the Doctor ran across to the TARDIS. He unlocked the

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door, bundled Gandhi and Ranjit ahead of him, and thenleaped inside, slamming the door.

`Everybody ready?' Donna shouted.

   She was at the centre of a massive human chain.Together with Gopal, Becharji, the Campbells andAdelaide's friend Edward Morgan, she had descendedagain to the cavern, issuing instructions to gather theunconscious and injured together into one area.

   Gopal looked around to make sure everyone was inphysical contact with the person beside them. He himselfwas holding the hand of an unconscious woman, whoseother hand, in turn, was being held by a bewildered-looking man with a gash on his forehead. As far as hecould see there were no breaks in the chain.

   `We are ready here, Donna,' he called back.

   `Here too,' Adelaide confirmed from the other side ofthe chain.

   `Mr C?' Donna shouted, knowing that Sir Edgar's linkof the chain was behind her, stretching from him toCameron, who was clinging to her elbow as if his lifedepended on it.

   `What? Oh yes,' he called in his bluff tones. Hesounded as if he was actually enjoying himself. `Chocksaway!'

   `Please, Edgar,' his wife said stiffly, `can't you just--'

   `Right, hold on tight everybody,' Donna yelled, takingsome satisfaction from drowning out Mary Campbell'swheedling voice. `Here we go!'

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Trapped in its disintegrating web, the Jal Karath wascontorted in agony.

   `Doctor!' it screamed as the TARDIS faded away.`Doctor, come back!' Have pityyyy!'

   Its dying plea blended with the rising screech of itscritically overloading systems, becoming a final drawn-out howl.

Ranjit promptly fell to his knees, an expression of shockon his face. Gandhi, on the other hand, looked around theTARDIS in utter delight.

   `Tell me, Doctor,' he said, `is this box of yours alive?'

   The Doctor was rushing round the console, twiddlingdials, pulling levers and prodding buttons. He haltedabruptly and looked over the console at Gandhi withsomething like admiration. `Why do you ask?'

   `Because it reminds me of the human brain. It appearssmall and unimpressive on the outside, and yet it holdssuch wonders within.'

   The Doctor's face broke into an enormous grin. `You'reincredible, you know that?' he said.

`Private Wilkins, sir.'

   `Yes, Private Wilkins?' said Samuels, the RegimentalMedical Officer. `What can I do for you?'

   `I just wondered how Major Daker was, sir? The ladsare... well, we're worried about him.'

   Samuels nodded curtly, looking up at the young Privatefrom behind his desk. `I'm sure the Major will appreciateyour concern, Private. Naturally we're doing all we can

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for him, but as yet there's been no change in hiscondition.'

   As if on cue, a furious shout suddenly came from thesick bay at the end of the corridor, shattering the earlyevening quiet.

   `What the hell's going on? Why am I tied up like this?'

   Wilkins looked at Samuels. `It sounds to me as if theMajor is back to his old self, sir.'

   Samuels jumped up from his chair, rounded his deskand ran down the corridor. Wilkins hurried after him.

   The sick bay was like a smaller version of the barracksin which the men slept a row of four beds on either sideof the room, separated by a narrow central aisle. Only oneof the beds was presently occupied. As Samuels burst intothe room with Wilkins in tow, the patient raised his head.

   Wilkins saw that the Major was indeed back to his oldself. When they had brought him in earlier he had beencovered in awful black lumps and had been raving andslavering like an animal. Now the lumps had miraculouslydisappeared, and he was looking alert and... well, humanagain.

   The only thing that didn't seem to have improved wasthe Major's notorious temper.

   `Samuels,' he barked, straining at the bonds with whichthe medical staff had been forced to restrain him, `untieme at once. This is an outrage!'

   As Samuels hurried forward to comply, a hideoustrumpeting sound filled the room. Wilkins looked roundwildly, wondering if a herd of crazed elephants was aboutto crash through the wall. A warm breeze suddenly kicked

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up from nowhere, ruffling the men's hair. As all three ofthem looked on in astonishment, Daker straining to raisehimself from the bed to which he was secured, a tall bluebox emblazoned with the word POLICE appeared out ofthin air.

   There was a moment of utter gaping disbelief, and thenthe door of the box opened and a skinny man wearing ablue suit emerged. The man looked around with keeninterest. `Hello, I'm the Doctor,' he said. `Where's thisthen? Sick bay?'

   Both Wilkins and Samuels nodded mutely.

   All at once the Doctor spotted Wilkins and pointed athim. `I know you, don't I? Wilkins, isn't it?'

   `Yes, sir,' said Wilkins in a weak voice, instinctivelystanding to attention.

   `At ease, soldier,' said the Doctor casually. He strolledacross to the bed, peering into Major Daker's ruddy face.

   `And I'm guessing you must be Major Daker?' he said.`I met your horse, briefly.' Before Daker could evencontemplate how to respond to that, the Doctor asked,`How are you feeling now, Major?'

   `I've... never been better,' Daker spluttered.

   `Glad to hear it,' said the Doctor, sounding as if hegenuinely was. `Have you back on the parade ground,terrorising the troops, in no time, eh?' Again, before Dakerhad chance to reply, he continued, `Actually you're justthe sort of reliable, no-nonsense, efficient feller I'mlooking for. Tell me, Major Daker, how quickly do youreckon you'll be able to organise a major rescueoperation?'

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Donna opened her eyes and concentrated on trying not tobe sick. On all sides of her people were staggering about,looking around in disbelief. Some screamed or burst intotears, unable to cope with the sheer impossibility ofinstantaneous travel.

   Adelaide appeared at her shoulder, looking pale. `Am Idreaming?' she said faintly. `Or are we really outside?'

   Donna looked at the pink and purple sky, beneathwhich the hills loomed black and forbidding. People werestreaming from the cave openings like ants from adisturbed nest, many not even stopping when they wereout, but simply running down the rocky slope as ifdemons were after them. It would be impossible even forthe Doctor, Donna thought, to round all these people upand take them home. She wondered what would becomeof them, and consoled herself with the thought that at leasta long walk back to Calcutta was better than a lonely,terrifying death on a planet millions of miles away.

   `Yeah,' she said. `Yeah, we're outside.'

   Adelaide looked at the disc in Donna's hand with anexpression of awe. `What is that device?'

   Before Donna could answer, Sir Edgar appeared, hiswife in tow.

   `I say,' he said, `where the devil are we?'

   Donna shook her head. `I've no idea.'

   `But how do you propose we get back to Calcutta?'Mary demanded querulously.

   Donna scowled. `I dunno, do I? Walk, I suppose.'

   `Walk?' squawked Mary. `It could be miles. And it's

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getting dark. There might be snakes. Perhaps evenrobbers.'

   Donna's temper suddenly flared. `Yeah, well, if theyhad any sense they'd run a mile if they saw you coming. Imean, what do you honestly expect me to do, lady? Call acab? Give you a piggyback? Wave a magic wand?'

   Mary looked as if she had stepped into a sudden gale-force wind.

   `I hardly--' Sir Edgar began, but his voice wasdrowned out by the familiar trumpeting grind of ancientengines.

   Donna whirled round, grinning, as the TARDISmaterialised. The door opened and the Doctor stuck hishead out.

   `Anyone need a lift?' he said.

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    `This vehicle terminates here,' the Doctor announced.

    `Will all passengers please disembark.'

       They had already dropped the Campbells off at home.

    Now they were about to deliver Gandhi, Gopal, Ranjit and

    Edward Morgan back to the camp.

       For the few minutes duration of the short double trip,

    the TARDIS had been busier than Donna had ever seen it.

       The Doctor had spent the journey circling the TARDIS

    console, checking readings and adjusting things and

    generally being a bit aloof from all the astonished

    goggling and incredulous chatter going on below. Donna

    suspected that the Doctor didn't like having so many

    people in the TARDIS, even if it was just for a few

    minutes. She knew that once a job was over he generally

    preferred to slip quietly away, to move on with as little

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fuss as possible.

    When the Campbells had departed moments earlier, hehadn't got involved in all the hugs and handshakes andgoodbyes, but had remained standing at the console, fromwhere he had simply stuck up a hand and shouted acheery, `See ya.'

    Now they had materialised at the camp, and Donnawondered whether his goodbyes here would be just asperfunctory.

    However, as soon as he pulled the lever to open thedoors he leaped down from the console platform and,tilting his head at Donna as an indication that she shouldjoin him, followed his passengers outside.

    The TARDIS had landed between two of the medicaltents, out of sight of the majority of refugees. The groupfrom the TARDIS looked out across the camp, which,despite the devastation caused by the gelem warriors, wasalready returning to normal. With nowhere else to go, thehomeless of Calcutta were slowly filtering back to theirmakeshift shelters. Everywhere Donna looked, she sawrepairs being made to the flimsy dwellings, fires being litagainst the chill of the night.

    Two small children spotted Gandhi and their eyeswidened in wonder. When one of them murmured, `Bapu,'Gandhi gave them one of his familiar, neartoothless grinsand ambled across to talk to them.

    `Just want to double-check something,' the Doctormuttered to Donna and followed Edward and Gopal intothe nearest medical tent. Instantly the few staff that hadremained behind and had managed to evade the clutches

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of the gelem warriors crowded around them.

   `It's a miracle, Dr Morgan!' one of the staff saidexcitedly.

   `They are cured! They are all cured!' exclaimedanother.

   Edward held up his hands, looking flustered. `Please,'he said, `one at a time. Will someone kindly explain whatyou're talking about.'

   The half-dozen auxiliaries looked at one another, andas if at some unspoken agreement a young, bespectacledIndian man stepped forward.

   `The patients in the isolation tent, Dr Morgan,' he said,trying to contain his excitement, `they are all better. Eventhe most advanced cases are no longer displaying anysymptoms of their illness.'

   Edward looked stunned. `But... that's impossible,' hespluttered.

   `Nah,' said the Doctor, `that's energy inversion. Irigged the Jal Karath ship so that it would hoover up andneutralise every zytron particle within a thousand mileradius when it imploded.'

   He looked round at the crescent of blank facesregarding him, and sighed. `Look, all you need to know isthat I did something incredibly clever and now everyone'sbetter.' Abruptly he clapped his hands. `Right, back towork. There are still plenty of sick and hungry people outthere, you know.'

   As everyone got back to work, the Doctor looked atDonna and jerked his head towards the exit flap,indicating that they should leave.

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    Outside the tent they found Gandhi sitting crossleggedon the ground, still talking quietly to the children. As theDoctor and Donna approached, the little man jumpednimbly to his feet.

    `Right, Mohandas, we're off,' the Doctor said briskly.He held out a hand, and then, thinking better of it,abruptly stepped forward and embraced the little man.`It's been a pleasure and a privilege,' he murmured beforestepping back, uncharacteristically lost for words.

    Gandhi beamed. `And for me too, Doctor,' he said.`Where will you go now?'

    `Oh, you know,' said the Doctor vaguely, `other timesand places.'

    `See you, Mohandas,' Donna said. She leaned forwardto kiss his cheek. `You look after yourself.'

    Gandhi winked at the children, who were watching theexchange with interest. `You see,' he said drily, `even atmy advanced age I have not lost my touch with theladies.'

    `You old rascal,' Donna said as the children giggled.`Goodbye. And good luck with... everything.'

    She and the Doctor walked across to the TARDIS,stopping at the door to wave one last time before goinginside.

    As the Doctor busied himself at the console, Donnalooked at the image of the little man on the scannerscreen.

    `What happens to him?' she asked.

    The Doctor looked at her for a moment, sadness on hisface. Softly he said, `On 30 January next year, he'll be

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assassinated. Someone will step out of a crowd of well-wishers and shoot him in the heart.'

   Donna put a hand to her mouth. Tears sparkled in hereyes. In a wavering voice she said, `Who would do that?Why would anyone want to kill someone like him?'

   The Doctor shrugged. `There's always someone whodoesn't agree with what you're trying to do,' he saidsimply.

   Donna continued to stare at the serene face of the littleman on the screen, too upset to speak.

   The Doctor sidled up and slipped an arm around hershoulders. In a quiet voice he said, `His last words as helay on the ground were "Hey Rama", which means "OhGod". Witnesses say that as he died his face wore a serenesmile and his body was surrounded by a halo of divinelight.'

   Donna sniffed. Still tearful, she said, `He reminds me alot of you, you know.'

   The Doctor's face was sombre. He reached out andpulled the lever that would propel the TARDIS into theTime Vortex.

   `Oh, he's far more forgiving than I'll ever be,' he said.

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             Acknowledgements

Thanks to Justin, Steve, Gary, Mark, Simon, David andCatherine, for oiling the wheels. And special thanks to mychildren, David and Polly, for being my encouraging andenthusiastic target audience.

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                         David Tennant reads Pest Control

                               Written by Peter Anghelides

          Launching a new series of audio exclusive stories from BBC Audiobooks

                                  Also available from BBC Audiobooks

    Abridged readings of the Doctor Who novels by cast members from the BBC TV series, with bonus

                                          author interviews

                                   The Feast of the

       The Stone Rose                                           The Resurrection Casket

      by Jacqueline Rayner

                                      Drowned                           by Justin Richards

            Read by                  by Stephen Cole                         Read by

         David Tennant                   Read by                          David Tennant

                                      David Tennant

      The Nightmare of                The Art of

                                                                  The Price of Paradise

        Black Island                  Destruction                         by Colin Brake

         by Mike Tucker              by Stephen Cole                         Read by

            Read by                      Read by                          Shaun Dingwall

         Anthony Head                Don Warrington

     Sting of the Zygons            The Last Dodo                       Wooden Heart

        by Stephen Cole           by Jacqueline Rayner                    by Martin Day

            Read by                     Read by                              Read by

         Reggie Yates               Freema Agyeman                         Adjoa Andoh

           Wetworld                Forever Autumn                         Sick Building

     By Mark Michalowski             By Mark Morris                       By Paul Magrs

           Read by                      Read by                              Read by

       Freema Agyeman                  Will Thorp                           Will Thorp

         Peacemaker                The Pirate Loop                        Wishing Well

       By James Swallow            By Simon Guerrier                   By Trevor Baxendale

            Read by                     Read by                              Read by

           Will Thorp              Freema Agyeman                        Debbie Chazen

                               Available on CD or as a digital download

                                AUDIO BOOKS ON THE GO

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                    Also available from BBC Books

                   featuring the Doctor and Martha

          as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman:

                     The Many Hands

                             by Dale Smith

                         ISBN 978 1 84607 422 6

                     UK £6.99 US $11.99/$14.99 CDN

       The Nor' Loch is being filled in. If you ask the soldiers

      there, they'll tell you it's a stinking cesspool that the city

      can do without. But that doesn't explain why the workers

          won't go near the place without an armed guard.

       That doesn't explain why they whisper stories about the

    loch giving up its dead, about the minister who walked into

                his church twelve years after he died...

     It doesn't explain why, as they work, they whisper about a

                          man called the Doctor.

          And about the many hands of Alexander Monro.

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                   Also available from BBC Books:

             Starships and Spacestations

                           by Justin Richards

                        ISBN 978 1 84607 423 3

                      £7.99 US $12.99/$15.99 CDN

    The Doctor has his TARDIS to get him from place to place

    and time to time, but the rest of the Universe relies on more

          conventional transport... From the British Space

    Programme of the late twentieth century to Earth's Empire

     in the far future, from the terrifying Dalek Fleet to deadly

     Cyber Ships, this book documents the many starships and

       spacestations that the Doctor and his companions have

                     encountered on their travels.

    He has been held prisoner in space, escaped from the moon,

     witnessed the arrival of the Sycorax and the crash landing

      of a space pig... More than anyone else, the Doctor has

      seen the development of space travel between countless

                                worlds.

     This stunningly illustrated book tells the amazing story of

    Earth's ventures into space, examines the many alien fleets

    who have paid Earth a visit, and explores the other starships

      and spacestations that the Doctor has encountered on his

                            many travels...

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                  Also available from BBC Books

                  featuring the Doctor and Donna

          as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate:

                     The Doctor Trap

                        by Simon Messingham

                       ISBN 978 1 846 07558 0

                   UK £6.99 US $11.99/$14.99 CDN

    Sebastiene was perhaps once human. He might look like a

     nineteenth-century nobleman, but in truth he is a ruthless

         hunter. He likes nothing more than luring difficult

     opposition to a planet, then hunting them down for sport.

    And now he's caught them all from Zargregs to Moogs,

                     and even the odd Eternal...

      In fact, Sebastiene is after only one more prize. For this

     trophy, he knows he is going to need help. He's brought

    together the finest hunters in the universe to play the most

        dangerous game for the deadliest quarry of them all.

        They are hunting for the last of the Time Lords the

                                Doctor.

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                   Also available from BBC Books

                   featuring the Doctor and Donna

           as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate:

                     Shining Darkness

                         by Mark Michalowski

                        ISBN 978 1 846 07557 5

                    UK £6.99 US $11.99/$14.99 CDN

     For Donna Noble, the Andromeda galaxy is a long, long

    way from home. But even two and a half million light years

          from Earth, danger lurks around every corner...

      A visit to an art gallery turns into a race across space to

         uncover the secret behind a shadowy organisation.

        From the desert world of Karris to the interplanetary

      scrapyard of Junk, the Doctor and Donna discover that

      appearances can be deceptive, that enemies are lurking

      around every corner and that the centuries-long peace

    between humans and machines may be about to come to an

                                  end.

    Because waiting in the wings to bring chaos to the galaxy is

                    the Cult of Shining Darkness.

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                   Coming soon from BBC Books:

           The Time Traveller's Almanac

                            by Steve Tribe

                        ISBN 978 1 846 07572 8

                               £14.99

         Who are the eminent artists of the 16th, 19th or 21st

      centuries? What are the mysteries of Carrionite science?

      Where do the Daleks come from? Answers to all of these

        questions and more are found in The Time Traveller's

            Almanac, the ultimate intergalactic fact-finder.

      The Almanac draws on resources far and wide, from the

       beginning of time to the end of the universe, to provide

         information on key historical events and great lives,

    important issues in science, technology and the arts, and the

                   stories that have defined each era.

         Fully illustrated with photos and artwork, The Time

     Traveller's Almanac provides an essential biography of the

                         Doctor Who universe.

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