REVENGE OF THE JUDOON

Terrance Dicks was born in East Ham, London.

After university, he began work in the advertising

industry before moving over to television as a

writer. In 1968, he began working on Doctor

Who. He has written more than sixty Doctor

Who novels.

Revenge

of the

Judoon

Terrance Dicks

4 6 8 109 7 5 3

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

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

© Terrance Dicks 2008

Terrance Dicks has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance w i t h the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

Doctor W h o 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.

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Printed and bound in Great Britain by Cox & W y m a n Ltd, Reading, Berkshire Chapter One

A King

at Breakfast

Balmoral Castle lay bathed in autumn sunshine.

The light shone on the white stone of the castle's

ivy-covered walls. It sent golden shafts through

the tall windows.

Captain Harry Carruthers, companion and

aide to King Edward V I I , marched along the

red-carpeted corridors of the castle.

He glanced through the window. It was a

beautiful day.

He sighed. On a day like this, the King would

be sure to insist that he went outside and did

something healthy. Not over-energetic himself,

His Majesty liked to keep his guests busy.

Harry glanced up at the row of mounted stag-

heads that lined the walls. There were so many

that he wondered that there was a live stag left

to shoot in all Scotland.

He climbed a staircase and moved along an

1

upper corridor - more red carpet, more stag-

heads - and knocked on one of the doors.

A footman opened it, bowed respectfully, and

led h i m through the richly furnished dressing

room to the bedroom door on the far side.

Throwing it open, the footman announced,

'Captain Carruthers, Your Majesty' Then he

bowed and withdrew.

Carruthers entered the bedroom. On the far

side of the room, propped up on pillows in a

four-poster bed, was the large figure of the King.

His vast form, draped in a silk dressing gown,

rose beneath the silk sheets.

His Majesty was breakfasting in bed. He chose

from a range of dishes on a side table, served to

h i m by a footman.

Carruthers bowed. 'Good morning, Your

Majesty'

Swallowing a mouthful of eggs and bacon, the

King waved a hand. 'Morning, Harry. Splendid

morning, eh?'

'Yes indeed, sir.'

The King passed his plate to the footman and

wiped his moustache w i t h a napkin. He sat up

higher in bed, ready for business. 'Now then,

what's the form?'

Carruthers produced a list of engagements

for the days ahead and read it out loud. The

2

next day there would be a visit to a new factory

in Edinburgh, followed by a dinner w i t h local

officials the same evening. Then a return to

London and the welcoming of a group of

ambassadors, keen to present themselves to the

new King.

It was a pretty heavy list, but the King accepted

it cheerfully enough. One thing you could say

for the old boy, thought Carruthers, for all his

fondness for good food, fine wine and pretty

ladies, his work never suffered. What's more

he actually enjoyed royal occasions. Perhaps it

was because he'd waited for so long for them.

Now that he was King at last, he was making

the most of it.

'But nothing today, eh?' said the King when

Carruthers had finished.

'Nothing, Your Majesty. As you requested,

today has been left completely free.'

'Excellent! Not often I get a day off! And

that means it's a day off for you too.' The King

considered. 'Tell you what you do. Go down to

the gun room and borrow one of my sporting

rifles. Time you broke your duck, three days and

not a single stag. Go out and get yourself one.

The country round here is full of them. Now

isn't that a good idea?'

'A splendid idea, sir.'

3

Of course it was. After all, it was the King's

idea - and they were all splendid.

'Off you go then,' said the King. 'Nothing

like an early start. Take one of my Purdeys, w h y

don't you? Damn fine guns, been using them

for years, gave them my Royal Warrant back in

1868...'

An hour later, Harry Carruthers was striding

through the woods that bordered Balmoral

Castle. He'd changed his Guards u n i f o r m for

comfortable tweeds, and he had a Purdey deer-

rifle tucked under one arm.

He paused at the top of a little rise to gaze

back at the castle, wondering if the King was up

yet. Despite the sunshine, the morning air was

crisp and chill.

'All very well, sending me out for a nice

healthy tramp through the hills,' thought

Carruthers. 'He'll spend the morning by the fire

w i t h a big cigar, a large brandy and The Times.'

He frowned, looking back at the castle.

Here on the hillside it was still a fine autumn

morning, but there seemed to be a rain cloud

over the castle itself.

Freak Highland weather, thought Carruthers,

as he turned to go on his way.

It was odd though, all the same.

4

Probably just a trick of the light.

Just for a moment he could have sworn it was

raining upwards...

5

Chapter Two

A Golden

Age

Not far away, a blue police box faded into view

on an empty Scottish hillside.

After a moment, the door opened. Two figures

came out, a tall t h i n man and an attractive

young girl.

The man drew in a deep breath of Highland

air and gazed happily around h i m . 'Look at

that,' cried the Doctor. 'Just look at that! Now,

is that a view or is that a view?'

Martha Jones looked. It was certainly an

attractive stretch of countryside. Not far away,

there were pine woods leading down to the

River Dee, the sun gleaming on its rushing

waters. There were low wooded hills all around,

gradually increasing to larger ones in the misty

distance.

'Now that is a view!' said the Doctor, answering

his own question. 'What do you say?'

6

'It's very nice,' said Martha.

'Very nice?' said the Doctor. 'Queen Victoria

loved this bit of countryside. Called it her

Highland paradise. She came to Balmoral Castle

on a visit as a young girl, fell in love w i t h it,

bought the place, knocked the castle down,

built a bigger one. That's the Royals for you -

expense no object.' He shaded his eyes w i t h his

hand, peering into the distance. 'You can see the

castle from here.' He frowned, turning slowly

around, surveying the countryside. 'Well, you

ought to be able to see i t . . . '

'Perhaps they've moved it. Decided it would

look nicer somewhere else.'

'No, no, they wouldn't do that,' said the

Doctor. 'Would they?' He peered round again,

shaking his head. 'Maybe they would. Can't

understand w h y we can't see i t . . . unless we're

not where I think I am.' He licked his finger and

held it up in the air as if that might give h i m a

clue.

'Norway?' suggested Martha. 'China?'

'No,' said the Doctor. He inspected his finger.

'Might be about half a mile out. It can happen

when you're crossing the universe.' He drew a

deep breath. 'Just taste that Highland air. Can't

mistake i t ! '

'Do I have to wear these clothes?' Martha

7

looked down at her long skirt and high-button

boots. She adjusted the lapels of her heavy

tweed jacket. She tugged at the collar of her

high-necked white blouse.

'I searched the TARDIS wardrobe to find those

clothes,' said the Doctor. 'Just what the well-

bred young lady wears for a country stroll. Look

at me, I ' m not complaining.' He looked happily

down at his hairy tweed suit. It was exactly the

same cut as the suit he usually wore.

'All right for you, a suit's a suit,' grumbled

Martha. 'Men's clothes never seem to change.

W h y are we bothering w i t h these outfits?'

The Doctor sighed. 'What did you say to me

in the TARDIS?'

'I said I wanted a bit of peace and quiet, a

touch of gracious living. Somewhere without

hostile aliens and nasty monsters.'

'Exactly. I promised you a visit to a golden

age, a time of peace, prosperity and calm.' He

threw his arms out wide, just missing Martha,

and turned in a full circle on the spot. 'And here

we are!'

'Where? No, I suppose I mean: when?'

'Very beginning of the twentieth century,

early years of the reign of His Majesty King

Edward the Seventh. The Boer War is just ending

and the First World War is still years away. It's

8

a golden age, but a more formal one, and that's

w h y you've got to wear the clothes.'

'So what's the plan?'

'We soak up some healthy Highland air, then

pop d o w n to London to enjoy the high life. I

might even get you presented at Court.'

'That sounds more like i t . '

'Right,' said the Doctor. 'Come on!'

'Where?'

'To enjoy a nice bracing stroll through the

countryside. We can find that missing castle

while we're at i t . '

Captain Harry Carruthers lay hidden behind a

boulder on a nearby hillside, and wrestled w i t h

his conscience.

A few hundred yards away, across a shallow

valley, was another little hill. O n the crest of

that h i l l stood a stag. A n d not just any old stag.

A magnificent old twelve-pointer, well past its

prime. A shootable stag, fair game for the hunter.

It stood quite still, gazing into the distance.

Carruthers lay in the classic firing position, his

rifle lined up on its target. His finger tightened

on the trigger.

A touch more pressure and...

Harry Carruthers had a shameful secret. He

didn't really like hunting. He was a fine shot. He

9

had seen action in the Boer War and had shot

quite a few Boer soldiers out of their saddles -

but then, they'd been trying to shoot h i m .

But killing for sport, shooting at something

that couldn't shoot back... Somehow he had no

taste for it.

In this Edwardian age, such ideas in a young

army officer would be regarded as very strange

indeed. Hunting, shooting and fishing were a

gentleman's natural pursuits.

So Harry Carruthers kept his secret and played

along, missing as often as he decently could.

Now he had a problem. He'd been ordered to

shoot a stag by the King himself. The perfect

stag had appeared. And orders were orders. He

drew a deep breath and steadied his aim...

' M y heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not

here,' sang the Doctor, in a surprisingly good

Scots accent. ' M y heart's in the Highlands

a-hunting the deer.'

'You're not the only one,' said Martha. She

pointed.

Clearly visible on a hillside just ahead, a

young man was training his rifle on a noble

stag, which stood on the crest of a nearby hill.

They saw the young man take aim.

'Oi!' shouted Martha.

10

The stag ran. The young man fired - and

missed.

As the stag vanished over the other side of

the hill, the young man rose. He came towards

them, cradling the rifle in the crook of one

arm.

'You made me miss my shot,' said the young

man mildly. He didn't seem very annoyed.

'Yeah, well, I don't approve of blood sports,'

said Martha firmly.

The young man was slim and fair, and slight

in build. He wasn't much taller than she was

herself. But he was, Martha suddenly realised,

extremely handsome.

He gave her a charming smile. 'Not sure I

approve of blood sports myself. But he was a

very old stag, you know. He'll die soon anyway,

perhaps in pain.'

'So you were doing h i m a favour?' Martha's

tone made it very clear she didn't believe it.

'Well...'

'No point worrying about it now,' said the

Doctor quickly. 'Allow me to introduce Miss

Martha Jones, my ward. Where she comes from

they have no tradition of stag hunting. There

aren't any stags. Tigers, yes, very touchy tigers,

they hate being hunted...'

The young man bowed. 'An honour to meet

11

you, Miss Jones. To be honest, I ' m not too

bothered about missing the stag myself. But

I ' m afraid you've got me in trouble w i t h my

employer.'

Martha gave h i m a puzzled look. 'How

come?'

'He sent me out this morning w i t h orders to

shoot a stag.'

Martha snorted. 'Who does your boss t h i n k

he is, giving orders like that? King of England?'

The young man looked at her and smiled.

'Actually, he does. And, as a matter of fact, he

is!'

Martha stared at h i m . 'What are you on about?

Are you saying you work for the King?'

'I am - and I do. What's more, I think it's your

duty to explain to His Majesty that you made

me miss my shot. My life may depend on i t ! '

Martha looked horrified. 'You're not serious?

Doctor, he's not serious is he?'

'Very serious matter, disobeying the King,'

said the Doctor. 'Could mean the Tower!'

'You're joking.'

Harry Carruthers grinned. 'He's joking. Don't

worry. The most the old boy w i l l do is pull my

leg about being a rotten shot.'

The Doctor smiled. 'I take it you're based at

Balmoral?'

12

Carruthers bowed. 'Captain Harry Carruthers,

aide to His Majesty King Edward the Seventh.'

'Doctor John Smith.'

Carruthers turned to Martha. 'Tell you what,

w h y don't you come back to Balmoral for

lunch? I ' l l introduce you to his Majesty. He

loves meeting new people - especially if they're

attractive and female.' He gave Martha an

admiring look.

'You'd better watch out Martha,' said the

Doctor. 'One of His Majesty's popular nicknames

is "Edward the Caresser".'

Harry Carruthers laughed. 'Your ward w i l l be

safe enough, sir. At the moment Lillie Langtry

and Mrs Keppel are keeping h i m fully occupied.'

He turned to Martha. ' W i l l you accept?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said the Doctor. 'Busy

schedule, tour of the Highlands, trip to London.

We wouldn't want to impose.'

But Martha felt differently. 'Oh come on,

Doctor,' she said. 'How often do you get the

chance to have lunch w i t h a king?'

After a few more polite protests, they accepted

the invitation.

'Right, come along then,' said Carruthers.

'Allow me to lead the way.'

He set off down the path.

As they followed, the Doctor whispered,

13

'Quite often, actually.'

'Quite often what?' asked Martha.

'Quite often I've lunched w i t h a king. Henry

the Eighth always put on a good spread...

James the First was surprisingly mean. And as

for Alfred the Great - the venison stew was all

right, but the cakes were terrible...'

'Sssh!' said Martha.

'Not much further,' said Carruthers over his

shoulder. 'There's a good view of the castle

when we get to the top of this next h i l l . '

He strode ahead, reached the top of the h i l l -

and froze.

'No!' he gasped.

The Doctor and Martha hurried to join h i m .

Below them there should have been the

splendid sight of Balmoral Castle.

But there wasn't.

Instead, there was a vast, oddly shaped area

of bare earth, a shallow crater, surrounded by

gardens, fountains and paths.

The Doctor and Martha looked at each other.

Then, both speaking at once, they said one

word.

'Judoon!'

14

Chapter Three

Hunt for

a Castle

Harry Carruthers gave them a stunned stare.

'What?'

Martha looked at the Doctor. 'Judoon,' she

said again. 'It's got to be, hasn't it, Doctor?'

'The technique does seem familiar,' agreed

the Doctor. 'The Judoon, or a gang of very eager

workmen w i t h a very, very, very large crane.'

The Doctor and Martha had come across the

Judoon before. In fact, it was how they'd met.

The hospital where Martha had been a medical

student had been whisked away to the moon

by the Judoon. They had taken Martha and the

Doctor w i t h it.

In the dangerous events that followed, Martha

had learned that the high-tech Judoon were a

sort of police force for hire. They'd hijacked the

hospital in their h u n t for a murderous shape-

changing Plasmavore, a kind of space vampire.

15

In the end, like the Canadian Mounties, the

Judoon had got their man - or rather old

woman. The Plasmavore had been disguised as

an elderly female patient.

In the process, they'd risked the lives of the

Doctor, Martha and a whole hospital full of

doctors, nurses and patients. The Judoon were

ruthlessly single-minded in their pursuit of

what they saw as justice.

The Doctor was fishing a slender torch-like

device out of his pocket. He adjusted its controls

then waved it towards the gaping crater. The

device buzzed and clicked.

'Plasma coil traces,' said the Doctor. 'It's the

Judoon all right.'

He switched off the device and put it away.

Harry Carruthers, slowly getting over the

shock, looked from one to the other of them.

'Look, w h o are you? What's going on? A n d who

the devil are these Judoon?'

The Doctor sighed. Explaining was always the

difficult bit. ' I ' m the Doctor and this is Martha.

At the moment, I've no idea what's going on.

And the Judoon...' He paused. 'Let's just say

they're an alien race w i t h the ability to cause

what's happened here.'

Carruthers shook his head. 'But it's

impossible...'

16

The Doctor waved towards the crater below.

'But it's happened,' he said gently. 'You don't

have to believe me, but you must believe your

o w n eyes.'

Carruthers was struggling to understand. 'You

said an alien race. You mean from outer space?

Like in the books by that chap Wells? War of the

Worlds and all that?'

'Very like,' agreed the Doctor. 'Except a

Judoon is more like a giant rhino than a giant

octopus.'

'But that's just fantasy,' said Carruthers. 'Just

imagination.'

'Oh, come on,' snapped the Doctor. 'There are

thousands of planets in the galaxy and millions

of galaxies. Do you really imagine your little

Earth is the only one to support intelligent life

forms?' Turning away, he studied the crater. 'To

shift something that size, they'd have needed

some k i n d of plasma beacon to focus the energy.

Somehow they must have smuggled one inside

the castle.' He turned back to Carruthers. 'Think

carefully. Did you see any kind of advanced

alien device inside the castle?'

'I don't think so... What would it look like?

Something very big?'

'Doesn't have to be. A glass sphere probably,

about the size of a cricket ball. There might be

17

some k i n d of spinning energy vortex inside,

like a sort of w h i r l w i n d . '

Carruthers looked stunned. 'I can tell you

exactly where it was, Doctor. It was in my

luggage. I took it into the castle.' He looked

at the crater where the castle had once stood.

He grabbed the Doctor's arm and said wildly,

'Don't you see? I'm responsible! I ' m responsible

for this!'

Gently the Doctor freed his arm. 'Captain

Carruthers, you're not responsible for this - the

Judoon are. The Judoon and whoever's behind

them.'

'What do you mean, behind them?' asked

Martha.

'The Judoon don't act alone,' said the Doctor.

'Somebody's employed them, hired them to do

this.'

'But why?'

'That's one of the things we've got to find

out,' said the Doctor.

'You?' Carruthers said in disbelief.

'Oh yes,' the Doctor told h i m .

'You bet,' Martha added.

'Who else is qualified?' the Doctor asked.

'Anyway, I resent people mucking about w i t h

old buildings. And we have a more selfish

reason...'

18

'Well?' said Carruthers.

'What's happened here puts Martha's entire

future in danger - her friends and family too.'

'How so?'

'Huge interference w i t h the timeline,' said the

Doctor. 'No King Edward the Seventh means no

George the Fifth, so no George the Sixth.'

Carruthers began to splutter, but the Doctor

carried on regardless.

'No Elizabeth the Second, God bless her, and

no King Charles the Third and Queen Camilla,

no King William the Fifth - no, you haven't

got there yet, have you? Anyway you see what

I mean.'

'Not exactly, no,' Martha said. 'And the Royals

affect me and my family because...?'

'Everyone's life w i l l be disrupted,' said the

Doctor. 'All human history changed. This

might only be the start of it. Imagine - castles

going missing all over Britain. A n y t h i n g could

happen. Or not happen. Your m u m might never

meet your dad and you'd never be born. We've

got to sort this out.'

'Nothing to do w i t h a certain person being

completely unable to m i n d his o w n business, I

suppose?'

'Certainly not,' said the Doctor. 'A Time Lord's

got to do what a Time Lord's got to do.' He

19

nudged her shoulder gently. 'And i t ' l l be fun. I

mean, aren't you curious - just a t i n y bit?'

Harry Carruthers was staring wildly at them.

'What the devil are you two talking about?

We've got to do something.'

'Oh yes,' said the Doctor. 'And you can help

us.'

'I can? How?'

'You say you brought the plasma beacon to

the castle. The glass sphere w i t h the spinning

vortex. You didn't just find it lying in the gutter,

did you? So, tell us, where did you get it? W h o

gave it to you?'

'My doctor,' said Carruthers. 'Good grief,

another doctor. This business is full of doctors.

Well actually, he's not my doctor any longer.

Used to be our family doctor, but he gave up

medicine years ago. He's a writer now.'

'Name?' asked the Doctor patiently.

'Arthur. Arthur Conan Doyle.'

'The Sherlock Holmes man?' Martha said.

'That's right.'

'Arthur Conan Doyle?' the Doctor said. 'How

did Arthur Conan Doyle come to give you the

device? W h y did he give you the device? I mean,

where did he get the device?'

Carruthers shrugged. 'He turned up at my

rooms the night before I came up to Balmoral.

20

Seemed very worried. I was surprised to see

h i m . We'd met once or twice since he gave up

medicine, but we weren't close.'

'Go on.' The Doctor waggled his fingers,

teasing out the man's story.

'He produced this glass sphere w i t h a kind

of spinning light inside. Said it was a scientific

breakthrough, a possible energy source of great

power. Begged me to take it to Balmoral, and

show it to the King. He wanted me to persuade

the King to pass it on to the top scientific fellows

in the Royal Society. Said he was writing a report

explaining everything, but he was desperate to

get the device into safe hands.'

'So you agreed?'

'Well not at first. But he went on and on,

seemed so frantic. And, well, the thing looked

harmless enough. Sort of a fancy crystal ball. I

thought it might amuse His Majesty. So I gave

in and took it.'

'What happened then?'

'He swore me to secrecy before he left.'

'Did he say where he'd got this crystal ball

thing?' asked Martha.

'Not a word. To tell the truth I wasn't really

interested enough to ask. Seemed like a parlour

trick - as I said, an amusement. I chucked it into

my bag and forgot about i t . '

21

'Weren't you surprised by all this? asked

Martha.

'Very much so.'

'Well, I ' m not,' said the Doctor. 'I met h i m

once. On the outside, he's a big serious chap

w i t h a big serious moustache. Typical Victorian

gent. But there's a side of h i m that loves his

ghosts and goblins and fairies.'

'And aliens?' suggested Martha.

'Could be,' said the Doctor. 'He'd be a sucker

for a friendly alien w i t h a good story.'

'So what do we do now?' Martha asked.

'Oh, I t h i n k that's pretty obvious.'

'It is?'

'Captain Carruthers, I need your help.'

'Of course, anything I can do,' said

Carruthers.

'Take Martha back to London. Find Conan

Doyle and make h i m tell you where he got the

glass sphere. Then come and tell me what he

says.'

'And what w i l l you be doing?' asked Martha.

'I've got a missing castle to track d o w n , ' the

Doctor told her.

'And then?'

' I ' l l get inside the castle, do the tour. Maybe

pop into the gift shop and get the T-shirt. And

find out just what's going on.'

22

'Now wait a minute,' said Martha. ' I ' m coming

w i t h you. Captain Carruthers can chase Conan

Doyle on his o w n . '

'Martha,' said the Doctor. 'I need your help

too. I can't be in t w o places at once. The

information you're going after is vital. And

you're the only one w h o can get it to me.'

Martha knew what he meant. The Doctor

had soniced her mobile phone so it had a near-

endless battery life and an amazing range.

'You're not just sending me out of danger?'

she asked suspiciously.

' I ' m just worried I ' m sending you into danger,'

said the Doctor. 'At least I know what I ' l l be

facing. You don't!'

23

Chapter Four

The Sherlock

Holmes Man

Captain Carruthers was recovering from his

shock. Still confused, he was determined to get

a grip on the situation.

'Hadn't we better give the alarm about all

this?' He waved at the gaping crater.

'Certainly not,' said the Doctor. 'For one thing,

there's no need. Even in the remote Highlands

of Scotland, someone's going to notice a missing

castle after a while. But w i t h any luck, it may

not happen for a bit. For the moment, the less

fuss the better.'

'If you say so, Doctor,' said Carruthers. 'Well,

if we're going to go back to London, we'd better

get moving. There's a train at—'

'Take far too long,' said the Doctor.

'What then?'

' I ' l l give you a lift,' said the Doctor. 'Get you

there much quicker.'

24

'Quicker than a train?'

'Much quicker,' said Martha.

'I say, you haven't got one of these new-fangled

flying machines? Like those Wright Brothers in

America? There's a French fellow called Bleriot

swears he's going to fly the channel. Pilot are

you, Doctor?'

'After a fashion,' said the Doctor. 'Pioneer,

certainly. Come on, time we got moving.'

As they set off back down the h i l l , Martha

smiled to herself. Captain Harry Carruthers was

in for another shock.

In fact, Carruthers accepted the journey back

to London in a police box that hadn't been

invented yet quite calmly. It was as if his powers

of astonishment were all used up.

Even the fact that the TARDIS was bigger

on the inside than the outside hadn't t h r o w n

h i m too much. He looked round the complex

control room and said drily, 'Most impressive.'

The Doctor busied himself setting controls at

the central console for quite some time.

'Sorry it's taking so long,' he said to them

after a while. 'Believe it or not, these short

trips are trickier than long ones. Pluto would

be easier than Piccadilly. There's the time factor

too - don't want to arrive before we set off.' He

25

stared into space. Then he shook his head. 'No,

definitely not.'

At last, the Doctor was happy, and the central

column began its rise and fall.

A few minutes later, the TARDIS was standing

on the corner of a quiet side street just by

Piccadilly Circus.

The Doctor opened the doors, and Martha

peered out. She always felt a t h r i l l of excitement

at finding out where they were.

Sure enough, there were the familiar London

streets, jammed not w i t h cars but w i t h crowded

horse-drawn buses and hansom cabs. No tube

station - that wouldn't open u n t i l 1906, in a

few more years - and no neon signs. But there

was Eros. It was Piccadilly Circus all right.

'Off you go then,' said the Doctor. 'Good

luck. Don't forget, Martha, get in touch as soon

as you can.'

They left the TARDIS and watched as it faded

away. It had come and gone so quickly that

nobody seemed to notice. Or if they did, they

didn't believe their eyes.

Carruthers raised his hand and hailed a

hansom cab. 'Mount Street please, driver!'

'Where are we going?' asked Martha.

'My rooms.'

'Why?'

26

' M y dear girl, I can't go parading about Town

in country tweeds.'

Despite Martha's protests, Carruthers would

not be swayed. Then, when they reached his

rooms, he tried to make Martha wait outside.

' M y man's on holiday, and you can't possibly

be alone w i t h me in my rooms. What about

your reputation?'

'Yeah, well we're not likely to meet anyone

who knows me.'

Martha waited in Carruthers' little sitting

room u n t i l he appeared in a dark suit, complete

w i t h hat, stick and gloves.

'Very nice,' said Martha. 'Now can we go and

find your friend Doyle? It is urgent, you know.'

'We'll try the Grand in Northumberland

Avenue first. He nearly always stays there.'

The horse-drawn hansom cab drew up outside

the entrance of a large hotel.

'There you are, sir,' called the driver. 'Grand

Hotel.'

Harry Carruthers got out and helped Martha

to climb down. He paid the driver, w h o touched

his hat, cracked his w h i p and drove away.

Carruthers turned to Martha. 'As I said, he

usually stays here when he's in London. But if

not, there are one or two others we could try.'

27

He took her inside.

They were in luck, however - Doyle was

staying at the hotel. Carruthers told them at

the reception desk that he was an old friend of

Doyle's, here on urgent business. He insisted on

being shown up to his room.

At the top of a short staircase they were shown

through the door of a first-floor suite.

They entered a smartly furnished sitting

room. At the same moment, a big man w i t h a

large moustache came in through the bedroom

doors.

He held out his hand. 'Harry! I thought you

were still at Balmoral.'

'I was, u n t i l a very short time ago. Allow me

to introduce my friend Miss Jones, a visitor

from...' He broke off, realising he had no idea

where Martha was actually from. 'Er, Miss

Jones, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - famous creator

of Sherlock Holmes.'

Sir Arthur frowned.

'More importantly, an eminent doctor and a

famous historical novelist,' added Carruthers

quickly.

Sir Arthur beamed and bowed. 'An honour,

Miss Jones. Please, be seated.'

Doyle sat in a huge leather armchair, Martha

and Carruthers on a velvet sofa.

28

'Congratulations on the knighthood, Sir

Arthur,' said Carruthers. 'A Royal nod, you

might say'

'What do you mean?'

'They say His Majesty's a great Sherlock

Holmes fan, wants more stories from you.'

'The honour had nothing to do w i t h Holmes,'

protested Doyle. 'I've killed the fellow off, you

know. He was distracting attention from my

work as a historical novelist. The knighthood

was for writing The War in South Africa: Its Causes

and Conduct. And of course for my medical

work.' He turned to Martha. 'Tried to get into

the fighting but they wouldn't have me! So I

went out as a doctor.'

Martha felt it was time to get d o w n to business.

'We've come to see you on a very urgent matter,

Sir Arthur. We need your help.'

'Of course, my dear. Anything I can do.'

'You remember visiting me in my rooms,

Arthur, just before I set off for Balmoral?' asked

Carruthers. 'You gave me a device - a crystal

sphere w i t h a spinning light inside.'

Doyle looked at Martha. 'This is a very private

matter, Captain Carruthers.'

'Miss Jones has m y full confidence,' said

Carruthers. He had a sudden idea. 'Miss Jones

is assistant to a very noted scientist - a certain

29

Doctor Smith, who is very interested in your

device.'

Carruthers turned to Martha for support.

'The Doctor thinks the device has great

potential as an energy source,' she said solemnly.

'But he wants to know more about it - like where

you got it from.'

'That's right,' said Carruthers. 'Who gave it to

you? Where did it come from?'

Doyle looked worried, and his big frame

shifted uneasily. 'I am not at liberty to say. I

was t o l d — '

'Unless you confide in us, the matter can go

no further,' said Carruthers sternly. 'The benefits

of the device w i l l be lost to humanity.'

Doyle still looked doubtful.

'Just tell us w h o gave it to you,' urged Martha.

'That's all. Then we can go and ask them about

it. It's up to them what they tell us then. Please,

Sir Arthur. You must tell us!'

30

Chapter Five

The Cosmic

Peacemakers

There was a moment's pause, then Conan Doyle

said, 'Very well.'

He rose and strode up and down on the thick

Turkish carpet.

'On my return from South Africa, I was

invited to join a highly secret scientific society

- the Cosmic Peacemakers. I'd heard rumours

about them for some time. Their work lies on

the extreme frontiers of science.' He paused.

'They concern themselves w i t h the spiritual

side of science, as well as the purely mechanical.

They believe that it is possible to contact other

planes, other worlds.'

'Just the sort of t h i n g the Doctor said Doyle

would be a sucker for,' thought Martha. Out

loud she said, 'Sounds fascinating. Go on.'

'After I'd attended several of their meetings,

they produced this device. They said it came

31

from beyond this Earth. I was urged to make

it k n o w n to the highest authorities. They

suggested the King himself.'

'Where are these people based?' asked

Carruthers.

Again Doyle hesitated.

'Please,' said Martha. 'All we need is an

address.'

'They have a laboratory,' said Doyle. 'It is in

Black Dog Lane, an alley behind the wharves

to the east of London Bridge. It's not easy to

find.'

'How do we get there?' asked Carruthers.

'You reach it by a steep flight of steps between

a gin palace and an old clothes shop. It's a sordid

area, but it gives them the privacy they need.'

'I bet,' murmured Martha.

'Thank you,' said Carruthers.

Outside the hotel, Carruthers asked, 'What

now?'

Martha had a strange hollow feeling. Was it

fear? Was a disaster coming? She looked up at

Carruthers.

'What's the matter, Miss Jones?'

'I just realised - I never got that royal lunch

you promised me. I never got any lunch at all.

I ' m starving!'

32

Carruthers looked guilty. ' M y dear young

lady,' he said. 'Don't worry, I know the very

place.'

He waved his stick, and a passing hansom cab

stopped beside them. 'Golden Rose Restaurant,

please, cabbie.'

Half an hour later, they were sitting in a quiet

booth in a little Soho restaurant. There were

flowers and a lighted candle at their table. The

whole place had a warm and intimate feel.

There was even a gypsy violinist.

Soon Martha and Carruthers were tucking into

an excellent meal of steak and chips. Carruthers

washed it down w i t h a bottle of wine.

'You t h i n k we should visit this laboratory?'

Carruthers asked as they ate.

'What do you think?' Martha said. 'No point in

stopping now that we're getting somewhere.'

'Of course,' said Carruthers. 'But shouldn't

you speak to the Doctor first?'

'And tell h i m what? A weird name and a

dodgy address? We've got nothing w o r t h telling

h i m - yet.'

'So what do you suggest?

'A visit to Black Dog Lane, and the laboratory

of the Cosmic Peacemakers.'

Carruthers was looking worried. 'That could

33

be dangerous. I don't t h i n k the Doctor would

approve.'

'Well, he's not here, is he?' said Martha

cheerfully. 'Anyway, he loves danger - you ask

h i m . ' She frowned. 'And I ' m sure he's in it up

to his neck!'

The Doctor was staring at the scanner screen

in the TARDIS control room. It was showing

a view of the planet Earth as seen from space.

This was natural enough, since the TARDIS was

in a parking orbit around the planet.

The Doctor needed to trace the plasma coil

currents to their final destination. He had spent

a lot of time estimating their path. N o w he was

about to see if he was correct.

Flexing long t h i n fingers, he reached out and

pressed the final control.

The image on the screen grew larger and larger

u n t i l it showed what looked like a blank space

w i t h an energy pulse at its centre.

The Doctor rubbed his hands together. 'Still

haven't lost my touch. Eat your heart out,

Google Earth!'

He studied the data flowing across the bottom

of the screen.

'There you go - slap bang in the middle of

the Empty Quarter. Two hundred and fifty

34

thousand square miles of Arabian desert. The

most deserted place on Earth. But not any more,

it seems.'

He touched more controls and the screen

disappeared. The Doctor turned back to the

console.

'Here we go!' He paused. 'I wonder w h y

Martha's taking so long to get in touch...'

'Here you are, lady and gent,' said the cab driver.

'Corner of Black Dog Lane. You're on foot from

now on. Street's too narrow to take the cab

down, even if I wanted to, which I don't. And

don't you ask me to wait, because I ' m not going

to, not round here.'

Carruthers and Martha got out. Carruthers

paid the driver, and the cab rattled away.

Black Dog Lane - it was more of an alley

really - lived up to the promise of its name. It

was dark, dank, dirty, very smelly and probably

visited by lots of dogs. The scents of the nearby

river - muddy water, tar, warehouses full of

tea and coal and spices - mixed w i t h far more

unpleasant smells from the open sewer that ran

down the middle of the street.

The lane itself ran between tall, rickety

buildings that seemed to lean forward as if to

crush it.

35

'Yuk!' said Martha, summing it all up.

'Charming spot,' murmured Carruthers.

'Want to t u r n back?'

'Certainly not. Come on!'

They set off down the alley, avoiding the

worst of the puddles and trying not to step in

anything too unpleasant.

The first of their landmarks, the gin palace,

was easy to find. Its lights blazed halfway down

the gloomy alley. Martha and Carruthers could

hear loud voices and louder music.

As they drew nearer, they saw a number of

huddled bodies lying on the pavement nearby.

They stopped, not wanting to get too close.

Martha was horrified but Carruthers seemed to

take it all for granted.

'Typical gin m i l l , drunk for tuppence, dead

drunk for sixpence.'

Martha looked at the shop they'd stopped

outside. Its grimy windows held piles of old

clothes, so shabby it seemed impossible anyone

would buy them.

'And here's the old clothes shop,' she said. 'So

the steps should be just a little further on.'

And so they were. They led steeply down to a

little area. In the wall on the left, Martha could

just make out a heavy door w i t h a small light

burning above it.

36

Carruthers led the way down the steps, and

they paused outside the door. There was no

bell and no knocker, so Carruthers hammered

loudly on the door w i t h his fist. But nothing

happened.

Martha took off her heavy walking shoe and

used that, banging away at the door as hard as

she could.

This did get a result. A hatch opened in the

upper part of the door and a skull-like face

looked out. A cold, creaking voice said, 'Go

away, you drunken fools, or i t ' l l be the worse

for you.'

'We're here on important business,' shouted

Martha. 'We come from Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle.'

'Official government business,' shouted

Carruthers. 'Open in the name of the King!'

The hatch slammed shut, and Martha thought

that was it.

But, a few moments later, the door creaked

open, and they both stared in astonishment.

A white-haired, white-robed figure w i t h a t h i n

handsome face stood just inside the doorway,

bathed in a golden glow. It spoke in a voice of

mellow sweetness.

'Enter, my children. Welcome to the home of

the Cosmic Peacemakers.'

37

The figure stepped back, beckoning Martha

and Carruthers inside.

They went through into the golden glow. The

heavy door slammed shut behind them.

38

Chapter Six

The Empty

Quarter

For a brief moment, the silence of the desert

was disturbed by a strange wheezing, groaning

sound. A blue police box materialised on top of

a sand dune.

The Doctor came out, reeling a little in the

fierce heat. Feeling that heavy tweeds wouldn't

do for the desert, he'd changed back into one

of his usual pinstripe suits. But even in that he

was far too hot.

He considered going back inside for shorts

and decided he couldn't be bothered. He looked

at the scene around h i m .

All around there was sand, mile upon mile of

it. Weirdly shaped dunes w i t h oddly patterned

sides, like the one he was now standing on. Flat

rolling areas w i t h complex patterns traced in

the sand. Nothing but sand - in every direction

but one.

39

There, directly in front of h i m , at the bottom

of a huge shallow bowl in the desert, was an

enormous building. Or rather, several buildings,

linked by lower wings. There was a massive

square tower on one corner and a smaller round

one close by.

'Balmoral Castle,' murmured the Doctor. 'Oh,

you are such an excellent example of over-the-

top Victorian Gothic! So what on Earth are you

doing here?'

In the distance, just beyond the castle, stood a

cluster of three giant metal columns. They were

as tall as tower blocks, and stood on stubby legs

which extended outwards from the base of the

column. They were Judoon spaceships.

'And w h y here?' he wondered.

Maybe the Judoon, w i t h their usual directness,

had just picked out the biggest blank space on

the planet and plonked d o w n their spaceships

and their stolen castle in the middle of it.

The Doctor noticed that the castle was

covered w i t h an almost invisible transparent

dome. There was a kind of shimmering blur,

quite distinct from the desert heat haze.

W i t h a sudden crack, a bullet whizzed past

his head. The Doctor dropped flat in the sand.

Slowly, he raised his head. White-robed

horsemen were thundering down the sides of

40

the bowl. They were shouting and screaming

and firing their rifles in the air - desert raiders,

carrying out their usual noisy charge to terrify

their enemies. Coming across the castle in the

desert must have seemed a great opportunity

for a spot of looting.

This time, the Doctor suspected, they were

out of luck.

The leading horseman charged towards the

castle and bounced back, repelled by an invisible

wall. The shock of the impact sent h i m flying

from his horse. The horse itself staggered back

and collapsed in the sand.

More and more attackers rode up, only to

suffer the same fate. Soon the area in front of

the castle was a tangle of fallen men and rearing

horses. Shouts and screams and curses floated

up as the angry horsemen struggled to regain

their mounts and their places in the saddle.

They managed it at last, and regrouped. They

milled about for a while, w i t h much swearing

and shouting and shooting. But their bullets

pinged off the force field round the castle.

Finally, frustrated and angry, they disappeared

into the desert, in search, no doubt, of easier

prey.

The Doctor waited u n t i l the last hoof beats

had died away, then got up and made his way

41

down the side of the dune towards the castle. He

had to find some way to get inside. Something

better than charging on horseback, screaming

and firing a rifle.

'Still, it did look pretty,' he thought as he

trudged across the sand. 'A good old-fashioned

cavalry charge. Straight out of Lawrence of Arabia

- or do I mean Carry On Up the Khyber? Possibly

Spamalot...'

Martha and Carruthers were waiting for the

Cosmic Peacemaker w h o had greeted them to

return. He had introduced himself as Professor

Challoner, then excused himself shortly after

the beginning of their meeting.

To Martha it almost felt like she had moved

from the past, the hansom cabs and gin places

of Edwardian London, to the future. The room

they sat in was furnished all in white. The

furniture was spare and simple, and the glass

walls glowed w i t h an inner light.

Professor Challoner came back into the room,

his t h i n face full of concern. Three white-robed

figures followed h i m , all tall and t h i n and

saintly looking.

'These are my colleagues. They are very anxious

to hear what you have to say. Forgive the slight

delay. I had something very important to attend

42

to. Now, the device caused a disaster, you say?

I was assured that it was harmless. Otherwise,

of course, I should never have given it to our

friend Doyle. Please, tell me what happened.'

Carruthers had carefully avoided any mention

of the missing Balmoral Castle, and wasn't

quite sure what to say. He looked hopefully at

Martha.

'We're not quite sure,' said Martha. 'The

reports from Scotland are still a bit confused,

and no one seems to know quite what's going

on. What we need to know, Professor, is what the

device is. What's it for? And more importantly,

where did you get it?'

Challoner sighed. 'I only wish I could be more

helpful. The purpose, as I understand it, is to

act as some kind of energy source. Huge power

stored in a very small space.'

'And where does it come from? Was it

developed here, in these laboratories?' asked

Carruthers.

'No. It came from abroad. It was invented, or

discovered, by one of our foreign colleagues.

The device came f r o m a monastery in Tibet - a

great source of ancient wisdom.'

'Can you contact these colleagues?' asked

Martha. 'Get them to tell us what we need to

know.'

43

'Naturally, I shall do so immediately,' said

Professor Challoner. 'However, it may take some

little while. It is difficult to reach such a remote

part of the world...'

Martha nodded. 'I understand. Please do what

you can. We mustn't take up any more of your

time.'

They rose and Professor Challoner showed

them to the door.

Martha paused. 'I wonder if we could take a

look round your laboratories before we go?'

Challoner shook his head sadly. 'Quite out of

the question, I fear. Our work here is extremely

advanced. It would be baffling, and possibly

dangerous. If you will come this way?'

Minutes later, they were again climbing the

dirty steps that led back up to Black Dog Lane.

'What do you make of that?' asked Carruthers

as they reached the alley.

'He was playing for time,' said Martha.

'Monastery in Tibet, my foot.'

'Well, we didn't learn much, did we?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said Martha. 'As the Doctor

says, know your enemy. At least we got a look at

h i m . And at his HQ. That room we sat i n . . . '

'What about it?'

'Did you ever see lighting like that before?'

'Well, no. But I ' m not an expert at what

44

is possible w i t h the new forms of electric

lighting.'

'That room doesn't belong in this time. And

there was something else...'

'What?'

'You remember that face that appeared in the

hatch and tried to to send us away?'

Carruthers shuddered. 'Regular death's

head.'

'Then the door opened and there was saintly

old Challoner.'

'Well, it couldn't have been the same man,'

said Carruthers. 'They must have an ugly

doorman who went to get h i m . Doorman left,

Challoner appeared.'

Martha shook her head. 'There wasn't time.'

'But what does that mean?'

Martha shrugged. 'I don't know. But it might

mean that Challoner can change his shape.

Hideous to saintly in a second!'

They left Black Dog Lane and walked towards

the place where they'd got out of the cab.

'What now?' asked Carruthers. 'Are you going

to get in touch w i t h the Doctor?'

'Not yet. Let's go back and see your friend Sir

Arthur. He told us he spent some time w i t h this

Cosmic Peacemaker lot. He must have learned

something about them, and I don't t h i n k he

45

was telling us everything he knows.'

They had to walk for some time before they

reached an area where they could find another

cab. W h e n one appeared at last, Carruthers

hailed it.

'Grand Hotel, cabbie.'

They got out of the cab, and Carruthers paid

off the driver. As they turned to enter the

hotel, they saw Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself

coming out.

'Arthur!' called Carruthers. 'Just the man we

need! Glad we caught you.'

Conan Doyle looked at h i m in amazement.

'Harry? I thought you were still in Scotland!

And who's your charming young friend?'

Carruthers stared. 'You know I ' m not in

Scotland. We came to see you just over an hour

ago.'

'Nonsense, dear boy,' said Conan Doyle.

'Don't be silly, now. You know I haven't seen

you for nearly a m o n t h . '

46

Chapter Seven

The

Judoon

Harry Carruthers stared at Conan Doyle in utter

astonishment. 'Steady on, Arthur old chap. I

introduced you to Miss Jones.'

'When? I ' m sure I'd remember.'

'We all had a long conversation, just a few

hours ago.'

'About the Cosmic Peacemakers,' said Martha.

'And the crystal sphere you gave Captain

Carruthers to take to Balmoral.'

'Cosmic who? Never heard of them. And what

crystal ball?'

'Arthur, please, you must remember,' begged

Carruthers. 'This is urgent - really urgent.'

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said crossly, 'Now

listen to me, my boy. The last time we met was

for dinner at your parents' house, just over three

weeks ago. And I've never seen this charming

young lady before in all my life! I am certain

47

I would remember.' He sighed, and went on:

'Looks to me as if you two have been overdoing

it a bit. Spot of lunch in Soho, eh? Bottle of

bubbly - or two? Gone to your head!'

'As it happens we did visit the Golden Rose,'

said Carruthers stiffly. 'But I assure you, no

champagne was drunk. We are both quite

sober!'

A hansom cab came by and Conan Doyle

hailed it. 'Well, it seems we'll have to agree to

differ then. Now, I ' m sorry I can't stop, Harry.

Important meeting. Going to see the editor of

The Strand Magazine. He's after more Holmes

stories. I ' l l be at the Grand for a few more days.

Pop round and see me and we'll have a nice long

chat. Bring your young friend and introduce

her to me properly, w h y don't you?'

He jumped into the cab and it rattled away,

leaving Harry Carruthers staring after it w i t h an

expression of almost comical astonishment.

He turned to Martha. 'I don't understand it.

Arthur's the most honest man I know. What

made h i m lie like that?'

'Maybe that wasn't Arthur Conan Doyle. If

these Cosmic Peacemakers really can change

their shape, that could have been one of them,

just pretending to be Doyle.'

'Nonsense, young lady, nonsense. I know

48

Arthur Conan Doyle, and that most certainly

was Arthur Conan Doyle,' insisted Carruthers.

'Yeah, maybe...' said Martha doubtfully. She

thought for a moment. 'All right, let's say it is

h i m . I don't think he's lying at all - not as far

as he's concerned. He really and truly doesn't

remember meeting us. Or giving you that

sphere.'

'But how...'

'He's been brainwashed,' said Martha. 'Bits of

his memory have been wiped. Remember the

way Challoner left the room for a moment,

just after you mentioned Doyle's name? The

Cosmic Peacemakers are covering their tracks!'

She considered. 'Now that is something worth

telling the Doctor!'

Watched by Carruthers, Martha took a slim

metal device from her pocket. She pressed some

buttons and held it to her ear. It made a high-

pitched whine. She shook it and tried again,

still without success.

'No good, I can't reach h i m . '

'Perhaps he's out of range,' suggested

Carruthers. 'Scotland's a long way away.'

She switched the mobile phone off and

put it away. 'Believe me, this t h i n g w i l l reach

further than that. Besides, I doubt if he's still in

Scotland. He'll be chasing Balmoral.'

49

Carruthers drew a deep breath. 'Now I really

could do w i t h a drink! Come on.'

He led the way back into the Grand. They

found a quiet table in the lounge under a

potted palm. An ancient waiter appeared and

Carruthers ordered a bottle of champagne.

The waiter staggered off, then returned w i t h

surprising speed. He opened the champagne

and poured two glasses. Then he put the bottle

in a silver ice bucket and moved away.

Carruthers gulped d o w n his champagne, and

immediately poured another glass. He looked at

Martha, w h o hadn't touched hers.

'Drink it down. It's good for you. We've been

accused of drinking the bubbly, so we might as

well do it!'

'Thanks,' Martha told h i m , 'but I ' l l stick to

water.'

Carruthers shrugged. 'Suit yourself.' He waved

to a passing waiter. 'Tonic water for the lady, if

you w o u l d . ' He turned to Martha. 'Unless you'd

rather soda?'

'Tonic's fine, thanks.'

'Well,' said Carruthers as Martha's tonic water

arrived, 'Doyle can't tell us anything. We can't

reach the Doctor, and we discovered very little

at the Cosmic Peacemakers. What do we do

now?'

50

'Go back to the Cosmic Peacemakers and find

out some more.'

'How? I don't suppose they'll let us in the

front door.'

'Then we'll use the back door - if we can find

i t . ' Martha sipped at her tonic water. 'Right,' she

said. 'Now, listen carefully. Here's my plan.'

Carruthers listened, becoming more and

more shocked as Martha went on. He put down

his champagne and d i d not refill the glass.

'We can't do that!' he said when she'd finished.

'What w o u l d the Doctor say?'

Martha shrugged. 'Can't ask h i m , can we?

Anyway, knowing the Doctor, he's probably got

enough troubles of his o w n . '

The Doctor was wading through treacle - at

least, that's what it felt like. As soon as he'd

got close to the castle, he had come up against

an invisible wall. A force field, just as he had

expected.

'A very forceful force field,' he muttered.

'Powerful enough to bounce back a charging

horseman. But no match for a determined

Doctor!'

He took out his sonic screwdriver and took a

series of readings. He made some adjustments

to the tool, and its end glowed fiercely.

51

'Aha!' said the Doctor. 'That's sorted i t ! '

The Doctor made the shape of a big arch w i t h

the sonic screwdriver.

'Open Sesame!' he said. He stepped through

the arch into the force field - and stuck halfway

through.

'Temporary setback,' he muttered.

Swinging his arm w i t h great difficulty he

made another arch. He moved a few inches

further forward - and stuck again.

Inch by inch the Doctor carved his way

through the force field. It was a long and

exhausting business. But at long last he popped

out the other side. His clothes were a mess and

he was panting.

'Judoon technology,' he grumbled. 'Just

showing off!'

He ran for the castle.

He reached the walls, apparently unseen. He

went through a stone arch and reached a heavy

metal-studded door. It creaked open, and the

Doctor found himself in a bare stone corridor.

'Tradesman's entrance,' muttered the Doctor.

'Never m i n d . ' He moved carefully forwards. The

corridor led to a staircase. The Doctor climbed

it and found himself in another corridor. This

one was red-carpeted w i t h white and gold pillars

along the walls.

52

That's more like i t ! Lords, Ladies and Doctors

this way.'

He moved along the corridor, his feet silent

on the thick carpeting. Then, suddenly, he

heard a steady thud, thud, thud coming towards

h i m . He ducked into the alcove behind one of

the pillars.

Massive figures appeared at the end of the

corridor, six of them marching in strict military

formation. Peering from behind the pillar, the

Doctor saw gleaming black battle armour, long

metal-studded leather tunics, huge boots, belts

hung w i t h weapons. A n d then there were the

enormous domed helmets. It was the Judoon,

all right, thought the Doctor.

But then, he'd k n o w n that all along. W h o

else stole whole buildings? But what were they

up to? That was the question. A n d w h o was

employing them?

Suddenly the Doctor realised that he wasn't

alone in the alcove. Before he could react, a

cold circle of steel touched h i m behind the ear.

A hoarse voice whispered, 'Don't move or I ' l l

kill you! Now, who are you and what are you

doing here?'

53

Chapter Eight

The

Raid

Of all the strange events of a very strange day,

thought Captain Harry Carruthers, this was

by far the strangest. He was climbing over the

rooftops of London's Docklands, w i t h a girl

dressed as a boy.

Maybe he should never have ordered the

champagne!

As soon as she'd explained her plan, Martha

had insisted on returning to his rooms. There

she'd made h i m use his new telephone to

contact a number of highly placed officials

and civil servants. By making use of his royal

connections, Harry had finally reached the

right department. Soon afterwards, a messenger

had delivered a stack of papers and documents.

They were maps and plans of the streets around

Black Dog Lane. It hadn't taken Martha long to

find what she wanted.

54

There!' she said, jabbing her finger at the

plan. ' A n empty warehouse backing onto the

Cosmic Peacemaker laboratories. Just what we

need! We'll go in over the roofs.'

Carruthers was horrified. 'My dear girl, don't

you realise? I ' m a Guards officer. I ' m not allowed

to carry parcels in the street, let alone commit

burglary.'

Martha ignored h i m . She looked d o w n at her

tweed walking outfit, w h i c h had been bugging

her all day.

'And another thing, I can't go climbing over

roofs in this get-up. What kind of clothes have

you got here?'

Carruthers was outraged. 'I can assure you

that no young ladies are in the habit of keeping

their clothes in my rooms!'

Martha laughed. 'I don't mean girls' clothes,

you t w i t , I mean men's clothes. Your clothes

w i l l do. You're only a bit taller than me.'

'I hardly think there w i l l be anything

suitable.'

'Don't you have any jeans or anything? No,

you wouldn't have, would you. What do you

wear when you're not dressed up?'

' I ' m always dressed up,' said Carruthers

simply. 'Hang on a minute...'

He went into his bedroom and opened his

55

uniform closet. After much searching, he came

back w i t h a set of denim overalls.

'I wear these when training. Even Guards

officers have to get dirty now and then, and one

doesn't want to spoil the bearskin and scarlet

t u n i c '

'Perfect,' said Martha. She took the overalls

from h i m and went into the bedroom.

A few minutes later, she returned in the denim

overalls. The trouser bottoms were rolled up, but

they fitted very well. Perhaps a little too well.

'How do I look?'

'Like Vesta Tilley!'

'Who?'

'Music hall performer. She sings dressed as a

man.'

'Thanks a lot. They're a bit tight, but they'll

do. Now, all I need is an overcoat and hat and

I ' m all set. Come on!'

W i t h Martha wrapped up in a coat and hat,

they'd called a hansom and returned to Black

Dog Lane. Martha found the empty warehouse

in a nearby alley. She took off her coat and hat

and climbed up a drainpipe.

Harry followed. After all, he thought, what

else could he do?

Now he was climbing over the warehouse

rooftop after Martha, clinging on for dear life.

56

He found her crouching by a skylight, her

form outlined against the sky.

'This is it - I hope! If my calculations are OK,

we're directly over the Peacemaker place. Help

me get this skylight open.'

Carruthers sighed. In for a penny... 'Move

over and let me.'

He leaned over the skylight and knocked out

one of the dirty glass panes w i t h his elbow. Glass

tinkled d o w n inside. He listened for a moment,

but nobody seemed to have heard. He reached

inside and slipped the catch. Carefully, he lifted

the skylight open.

'You're quite good at this,' whispered Martha.

'If they chuck you out of the Guards, you can

start a new career as a gentleman burglar!' She

edged past h i m on the roof. ' I ' l l go first.'

Before he could stop her, she turned over

and slid her legs, then her body, through the

open skylight. She hung for a moment at arm's

length, then dropped.

Peering through the skylight, Carruthers heard

a t h u d and some very unladylike language.

Then Martha's voice floated up.

'Come on! It's not much of a drop.'

Carruthers followed Martha's example. He

dropped and landed in a heap on a dusty floor.

Martha helped h i m to get up.

57

'There must be a door somewhere...'

Carruthers peered round the dark room. 'Over

there,' he said. 'Look, there's a line of light.'

They groped their way across the room,

stumbling over all sorts of household objects,

including a mangle, a t i n bath, an armchair and

an old sofa.

Finally, they reached the t h i n line of light

coming faintly under the door. They opened

the door quietly and peered out.

It gave onto a grimy corridor w h i c h ended in

a short steep staircase. Martha and Carruthers

crept along the corridor and down the staircase.

They found themselves in another world.

They were in a long, curved corridor, its

dazzling white walls glowing dimly w i t h soft

inner light. There were doors along the wall to

either side, and a large set of double doors stood

open at the far end. A blaze of light shone out

from behind the doors.

'This is more like i t , ' whispered Martha. She

ran her fingers along the wall - it felt smooth

and warm to the touch. 'Plastic,' she muttered.

'That hasn't even been invented yet.' She

pointed to the double doors. 'Come on. It looks

as if the main attraction is down there.'

Moving along the corridor and through the

lighted doorway, they found themselves in a

58

huge circular chamber. At its centre was a mass

of alien machinery. In a corner of the room was a

giant metal archway, w h i c h led into shadows.

At the centre of the room was an enormous

crystal sphere. There was a fiery vortex at its

centre. It hovered over a huge bowl filled w i t h

a fiery liquid. A control console stood beside

the bowl. Its dials and switches and meters were

covered w i t h alien symbols.

Martha and Carruthers moved closer.

'That crystal sphere,' whispered Carruthers.

'It's exactly like the one Doyle gave me to take

to Balmoral - only a hundred times bigger.

What is this place?'

Vague childhood memories were stirring in

Martha's m i n d . A video she'd been shown in

school one rainy afternoon. It had been about

the wonders of atomic science.

' I ' m not sure,' she said. 'I t h i n k it might be

a nuclear reactor. Some kind of power source

anyway.'

'It is indeed,' said a soft voice behind them.

'Not nuclear but temporal. Power. A force

beyond anything your weak human minds can

imagine.'

They turned and saw Professor Challoner

standing in the glowing archway. He moved

into the room.

59

'Welcome back. It is k i n d of you to pay me

another visit,' said Challoner.

'You don't seem very surprised to see us,'

Martha said.

'I knew you would return.'

'Who are you?' said Carruthers angrily. 'What

do you want?'

'We are the Peacemakers. Would you like to

see our true form?'

Suddenly, the shape of Challoner's face

blurred. It grew longer, lizard-like w i t h slanting

green eyes, long claws and dripping jaws. He

blurred again, and became once more a saintly

looking old man.

Martha shuddered. 'I can see w h y you

changed. You didn't say what you wanted.'

'We want your planet.'

'Just you?' demanded Carruthers. 'Or do you

have an army hidden away?'

'No, but we have allies.'

He turned as the arch began to blaze more

brightly.

A giant figure appeared. It wore black battle

armour and a large domed helmet. It held a

blaster in its gloved fist.

'I knew i t , ' whispered Martha. 'Judoon!'

The Judoon trooper marched into the room

w i t h a t h u d of heavy boots.

60

Then another followed.

'These people are spies,' hissed Challoner.

'They are trespassing and must be punished.

Kill them!'

The Judoon raised their blasters and took

aim.

A deep voice said, 'Stop!'

A third, even larger Judoon warrior had

appeared in the archway.

'It's all right, Captain, we're just executing

some rebels,' Challoner said.

'You do not yet have authority over this

planet. Therefore they cannot be rebels. Native

life forms must not be destroyed without due

process.'

'But, I told you, they're spies.'

'There must be a trial.'

'Not guilty!' Martha said, determined to show

she wasn't afraid of the Judoon.

Carruthers was still staring at the creatures in

wide-eyed astonishment.

'There's no time now,' Challoner sighed.

'Bring them w i t h us. We'll deal w i t h them later.'

He moved towards the arch.

The Judoon followed, herding Martha and

Carruthers before them.

'Where are you taking us?' demanded

Martha.

61

Challoner turned. 'You should be honoured.

You w i l l now see more of the technology of the

Cosmic Peacemakers,' he said. 'You're going to

Balmoral Castle to see the King!'

He passed through the glowing arch and

disappeared.

Martha and Harry and the Judoon followed

and disappeared too.

The huge laboratory was empty.

62

Chapter Nine

The

King

The Doctor reached up and gently pushed the

gun away from his ear. 'Don't do that. You'll

give me earache.'

'Who are you?' repeated the voice.

' I ' m the Doctor, and I've come to help.'

The Doctor turned and found himself facing

a thin-faced man in a dark coat. 'And you are?'

'George Fitzroy. I'm one of the King's private

secretaries.'

'So what's going on?'

'I only wish I knew.'

'Just tell me what happened.'

The young man sighed, 'I just don't know

where to start.'

'Tell you what,' said the Doctor. 'Begin at the

beginning. Go on to the end. Then stop. Works

for me.'

63

Fitzroy nodded. 'Well, it started as a perfectly

ordinary day. The King had breakfast in bed. He

packed poor old Harry Carruthers off to shoot a

stag. Then he got up. I was working in my office,

looked out and saw it was raining. Except the

rain was - this is going to sound so odd - but it

was raining upwards.'

He rubbed his eyes, still unable to believe what

he'd seen. 'Scotland just vanished,' he went on.

'Suddenly there was nothing but sand. Those

huge, well, buildings I suppose they are, arrived

from the sky and these monsters marched out.

You saw one of their patrols just now.'

'Jolly old Judoon,' said the Doctor. 'Go on.'

'There seem to be dozens of them. They've

taken over the castle. They rounded everybody

up and locked them all in the cellars. They

missed me somehow in the rush and confusion.

I grabbed a gun and slipped away. I've been

dodging them ever since.'

'What about the King?'

'They've got h i m shut up under guard in

the old Queen's sitting room. They seem to be

waiting for something.'

'Come on then,' said the Doctor. 'Can't hang

round chatting in corridors all day. We'll never

save the world like that!'

'Come on where?'

64

To see the King.'

'It's too dangerous. We'll be caught.'

'All right. Just show me where the King is,

and you can go and hide again. Come on.'

They set off down the corridor.

'I met his m u m once, you know, but we didn't

really get on,' said the Doctor. 'Wasn't really my

fault, to be fair. But Queen Victoria thought I

was a bad influence...'

Herded through the Peacemakers' archway,

Martha felt an odd sensation. It was as if her

entire body was dissolving. The feeling passed,

and suddenly she was marching along a wide

red-carpeted corridor. It was lined w i t h white

pillars and stag-heads hung on the upper walls.

The party stopped outside a set of doors

guarded by two Judoon sentries. Professor

Challoner pushed them open and they moved

inside. The Judoon Captain and the two troopers

took up positions around the room.

Martha looked around her. The sitting room

they were in was richly furnished. There was a

thick red and white checked carpet and two giant

sofas, one on each side of a large table in the

centre of the room. There were two enormous

stuffed armchairs. Everything was covered in

a bright tartan. The curtains at the windows

65

were tartan as well. There was a white marble

fireplace w i t h a giant mirror over it. Paintings

of the Scottish Highlands hung on the walls.

It was a cosy, luxurious room, thought Martha.

No place for Judoon, or alien lizards disguised

as humans.

Seated on one of the armchairs was a very

large gentleman w i t h a heavy moustache. He

wore a Harris tweed sports jacket and waistcoat,

and a kilt. He was smoking an enormous cigar,

and he looked calm and rather bored.

Professor Challoner stepped forward and

bowed. 'Your Majesty!'

The King glared briefly at the Professor and

then ignored h i m . His eyes moved lazily over

the little group and focused on Carruthers.

'There you are, Harry, my boy. Get your stag

this time?'

'Missed again, I ' m afraid, Your Majesty.'

The royal gaze turned to Martha. 'Who's your

girl friend?' He peered at Martha in her denim

overalls. 'It is a girl, isn't it?'

Despite the circumstances, Carruthers smiled.

The old boy was on good form.

'Very much so, Your Majesty. Allow me to

present Miss Martha Jones. She made me miss

my stag.'

'Don't blame you,' said the King promptly.

66

'Pretty girl like that's w o r t h missing any number

of stags.' He gave Martha a gracious royal nod.

'How do you do, my dear.'

Martha felt she couldn't curtsy in overalls, so

she bowed.

' I ' m good, thank you, Your Majesty. Sorry

about the clothes. I didn't know I was coming,

and there was no time to change. I've had rather

a busy day.'

'Me too, my dear,' said the King. 'Me too!'

Professor Challoner seemed to feel he was

being left out of things. 'Forgive me, Your

Majesty, but I must insist on your attention. I

have come here on a matter of great urgency'

The King looked bored. 'Still here, are you?

Get on w i t h it, then.'

' M y name is Professor Challoner. If you will

kindly pay close attention, Your Majesty, it will

give me great pleasure to explain my Master

Plan.'

There was a noise outside the open door and

a familiar voice called, 'Out of my way, sentry!

Hang on a moment. A Master Plan, eh? Now

that's something I've got to hear! I love a good

Master Plan. They're such fun.' The Doctor

strode confidently into the room.

'Doctor!' cried Martha joyfully.

The Doctor bowed low to the King and gave

67

the others a friendly nod. 'Your Majesty, Martha,

Captain Carruthers.'

'Another friend of yours, Carruthers?' the

King asked. 'You do seem to be keeping the

strangest company these days.'

'I am sorry, Your Majesty. But I can vouch for

the Doctor,' Carruthers said.

'What are you doing here?' Martha asked the

Doctor.

'Later,' the Doctor said. 'We mustn't interrupt

the Professor. Especially not now I've been

vouched for. Carry on, Professor. I do love a good

Master Plan. Heard a few Master Plans in my

time, m i n d you. Genghis Khan had a good one,

and Napoleon. Well, not that good, perhaps.

And the Daleks brought out a new Master Plan

every week. Though they never really worked

out either, now I come to t h i n k of i t . '

'Who the devil are you, sir?' Challoner

demanded.

' I ' m the Doctor. Don't worry about me, just

carry on.'

Challoner gave h i m an angry glare and

prepared to speak.

But, before he could get a word out, the

Doctor said hopefully, 'Have you got a slide

projector? A n d a pie chart? Nothing like a good

pie chart.'

68

'Be silent, whoever you are,' said Challoner

angrily. 'Or I w i l l have you silenced.' He drew

a deep breath and started again. 'Your Majesty,

you are the ruler of the greatest Empire since

the Romans. The Empire upon w h i c h the sun

never sets.'

'Well aware of that,' grunted the King. 'Think

we're ahead of the Romans, actually.' He

smoothed his moustache.

'But I can offer you more,' said Challoner

dramatically. 'I can make you Emperor of the

World!'

69

Chapter Ten

The Master

Plan

There was a moment of silence.

It was the Doctor who spoke first. As usual,

thought Martha, he seemed to have taken

centre stage without even trying.

'Bit of a shock for the German Kaiser,' said

the Doctor. 'Not to mention the President of

France, and the Russian Tsar.'

'Indeed,' agreed the King. He turned to

Challoner. 'You're a fool, sir. Germany, France

and Russia, all raising armies, all building

battleships. If I moved against them, all three

countries w o u l d combine to crush me - and

crush England. What's more, I'm related to

most of 'em. Not that that would stop W i l h e l m

if he thought he could get away w i t h i t . '

'Perhaps so, Your Majesty.' said Challoner.

'But suppose you crush them first?'

'And how w o u l d I do that?'

70

'You wouldn't need to, Your Majesty. I w i l l do

it for you.'

The King snorted. 'Got an Army and a Navy

all ready, have you?'

'They w i l l not be needed, Your Majesty. I shall

destroy them by the use of advanced science.'

'Weapons of mass destruction?' suggested

the Doctor. 'Spot of atomics? Or is it a neutron

bomb? That always goes down well. Goes up

first, of course...'

'Nothing so crude,' snarled Challoner. 'We

have hidden Temporal Reversion devices in all

the major capitals of Europe, Asia and Africa.

They can be set off by remote control from the

Temporal Power source in my laboratory. The

cities, their rulers and their peoples w i l l no

longer exist. Your Majesty w i l l be left w i t h an

easy conquest.'

'Easy but pointless by the sound of it. What

the devil's the fellow talking about?' asked the

King.

But the Doctor knew. 'Ooh - that's terribly

risky you know. Tricky business, Temporal

Reversion. Even the Time Lords left it alone.'

'I am an expert in these matters, Doctor,'

said Challoner. 'I can and w i l l do exactly as I

promise.' He turned to the King. 'Well, Your

Majesty?'

71

'Don't listen,' burst out Martha. 'You'll just be

the puppet emperor of a world under alien rule.

He isn't even human!'

'She's right, Your Majesty,' said Carruthers.

He turned to the Doctor. 'You know that better

than anyone, Doctor. Tell His Majesty.'

The Doctor was silent for a moment. Then

he said, 'I don't know. I t h i n k it's a pretty neat

scheme. Bit risky of course, but well w o r t h a

try.'

Martha and Carruthers stared at h i m in

horror.

Challoner too was astonished. He stared at

the Doctor. 'Who are you?'

'Just a visitor,' said the Doctor. 'Neutral

observer, you might say. Passing through.

Sightseeing. Tourist, really. But I t h i n k you're

onto something. This planet's always been

trouble, needs a bit of discipline. You might be

just the man - well, not man of course. Monster,

alien, whatever.'

Challoner glared at h i m . 'Your friends do not

seem to hold the same opinion.'

'Oh, they're young and impulsive. No sense

of the practical. I ' l l talk them round. Tell you

what, give me ten minutes alone w i t h His

Majesty and my friends. I ' m sure I can convince

them.'

72

' W h y should I trust you?'

'What have you got to lose? If I fail, you can

always go to Master Plan B. You have got a Plan

B, haven't you? You must have a back-up, or do

I mean fall-back?'

After a long pause Challoner said, 'Yes, I do

have a Plan B, as you put i t . '

'Not as good as this one, is it?' said the

Doctor. 'The British Empire is best for you, or

you wouldn't have started here. Others would

be second best.'

'Very well, Doctor, you may have your ten

minutes alone.'

'Completely alone, m i n d you,' said the

Doctor. 'No you, and no Judoon.'

'Agreed.' Challoner turned back to the King. 'I

advise you to listen to the Doctor, Your Majesty.

After all, one puppet is as good as another. As

for you, Doctor, permit me to show you who

you are dealing w i t h . '

Just as he had in the laboratory, Challoner

blurred, and changed back to the lizard-like

shape that was his true form.

The Doctor, no stranger to alien life forms,

seemed unimpressed. Though he'd seen it

before, Carruthers looked on in horror.

Martha turned to the King to see how he was

reacting.

73

Puffing at his cigar, the King said calmly,

'Magic tricks, eh? Damned clever.'

Returning to his human shape, Challoner

turned and left the room, followed by the

Judoon.

Instantly, Martha and Carruthers rounded on

the Doctor.

Martha said, 'Doctor, you can't—'

Carruthers said, 'Sir, I beg of y o u — '

Both were speaking at once. The Doctor put a

finger to his lips, silencing both.

Suddenly the King rose, wheezing a little, and

everyone fell silent. He took up a position before

the fireplace and stood, a curiously imposing

figure, gazing around the room.

'This was my mother's favourite sitting room,

you know,' he said, tossing his cigar stub into

the fire. 'Never allowed to smoke in here then.

Lord, the tickings off I've had in this room!' His

gaze fixed on Carruthers. 'You know how long I

waited to be King, Harry?'

'A very long time, Your Majesty'

'All those years as Prince of Wales. She never

liked me really. Thought I caused my father's

death.'

' I ' m sure that's not so, Your Majesty.'

'I got into a bit of a scrape w i t h a young

actress. He came down to see me in the country

74

on a wet and w i n d y day, caught a cold and died

soon after that. She never forgave me. Said I was

thoughtless, never let me take any part in state

affairs. Thanks to her long and splendid reign,

I was 59 when I came to the throne.' He drew a

deep breath. 'So - when I became King, I made

up my m i n d to be a King. Heaven knows I've

tried. Ain't that so, Harry?'

'Nobody could try harder, Your Majesty'

The King turned back to the Doctor. 'So you

can save your words, Doctor Whoever-you-are.

You'd be wasting your breath. I'm not sure who

or what this fellow Challoner is, but I want no

part of his schemes. My one aim as King is to

prevent a world war, not to start one.'

' I ' m very glad to hear you say so, Your Majesty,'

said the Doctor.

'But you said—' Carruthers began.

'I agree w i t h you both,' said the Doctor

quickly. 'Challoner and his mad scheme must

be stopped. It's not just mad, it's dangerous.

Temporal Reversion Technology is just so

unstable. If these devices of his go wrong, and

believe me they w i l l , he could warp the fabric

of time itself. He could destroy the universe!'

'Then w h y . . . ' began Martha.

The Doctor cut her off. 'The only way to stop

his master plan is to pretend to go along w i t h

75

it. When he comes back, Your Majesty, I want

you to agree.'

The King looked unsure. 'And if I don't?'

'He'll carry out Plan B.'

'Which is?'

'He'll kill us,' said the Doctor calmly. 'All of

us. Your Majesty included.'

76

Chapter Eleven

The Honour

of the Judoon

It was obvious to everyone that the Doctor was

serious.

'Just a minute,' said Carruthers. 'He seems to

be keen on using His Majesty and the British

Empire. If he kills h i m , how w i l l he carry out

his plan?'

'No problem,' said the Doctor. 'Master Plan

B. He'll kill us all and try to recruit some other

crowned head. He'll find one somewhere. Kaiser,

Tsar, whoever.'

The King nodded. 'You're right, dammit.

Cousin W i l l y w o u l d probably j u m p at i t ! '

Martha looked at Carruthers. 'Cousin Willy?'

'The German Kaiser,' he whispered. 'As he

said, all the Royals are related.'

'Very well,' said the King. 'For the moment,

I ' l l pretend to agree.'

'Brilliant,' said the Doctor. 'But don't give in

77

too easily. I want you to demand a few things

first...'

When he'd finished talking to the King,

the Doctor turned to Martha and Carruthers.

'Now, quickly, there's not much time. Tell me

everything you've learned about Challoner.'

'They're calling themselves the Cosmic

Peacemakers,' began Martha. 'They've got this

hidden lab in Docklands, in a place called Black

Dog Lane...'

Challoner returned a few minutes later, w i t h a

squad of Judoon at his heels. He found the King

standing in the centre of the room, the others

grouped behind h i m .

'I have decided to cooperate w i t h your

excellent plan,' said the King grandly. 'The

Doctor has convinced me that it is fitting that

the British Empire should rule the rest of the

world.'

'I am delighted to hear it, Your Majesty.'

'I have two conditions.'

Challoner looked wary. 'Name them.'

'You must return Balmoral Castle to its proper

place immediately'

'It shall be done.'

'The Doctor has agreed to act as my personal

agent in this matter. He must be allowed

78

to return to London by his o w n means and

represent me there.'

Challoner seemed doubtful. It was clear that

he was still not sure about the Doctor.

'Oh, come on,' said the Doctor. 'You've got

the King, the castle, and the Judoon. What

harm can I possibly do you on my own? If I

go to London, I can smooth the way for you.

Do the groundwork. Set things up. Prepare for

His Majesty's return, and the boring speeches

that w i l l have to follow. He still has to sell your

idea to Parliament, you know, if we're going to

avoid all those annoying political arguments.

Lots of lobbying to be done.'

'Very well,' said Challoner at last.

'Then I ' l l be off,' said the Doctor. 'Harry,

Martha, come along.'

Carruthers shook his head. 'My place is here

w i t h the King.'

'Quite right,' said the Doctor. 'Come along

then, Martha.'

'No,' said Challoner.

'Oh, play fair. You agreed,' said the Doctor. 'A

deal's a deal, even for shape-changing planet-

stealers.'

'I agreed only that you could leave, Doctor,'

Challoner told h i m . 'Nothing was said about

the human female.'

79

'Miss Jones is my ward, my valued companion.

I need her w i t h me.'

'She stays here,' said Challoner. 'And

remember, Doctor, your good behaviour

guarantees her good health.'

The Doctor gave Martha a worried look.

'Go on, Doctor,' she said. ' I ' l l stay here and

look after H a r r y '

The Doctor knew that he had no choice. He

needed the TARDIS and his freedom of action.

'Right,' he said. 'Well then, when I ' m finished

in London, I ' l l come to Balmoral and pick you

up. And remember, Professor Challoner, her

good health guarantees your good health.'

Challoner seemed unworried by the threat.

'The Judoon Captain will escort you to the

gates, Doctor,' he said.

The Doctor pulled Martha into a hug, shook

Carruthers' hand and bowed to the King.

'See you all soon,' he said.

Followed by the Judoon Captain, the Doctor

left the room.

At the main door, the Judoon Captain produced

and operated a device that opened a path

through the force field.

The Doctor looked up at the enormous form

beside h i m .

80

'I always believed the Judoon were

honourable,' he said.

From w i t h i n the dark helmet above h i m came

a deep, rumbling voice.

'Judoon honour is without flaw or stain.'

'Come off it,' said the Doctor. 'What are you

doing mixed up in an act of piracy like this?'

'The Judoon always operate w i t h full legal

authority. The path through the force field w i l l

close in three Earth minutes.'

The Captain turned and tramped away down

the corridor.

'Conversation over,' thought the Doctor. He

turned and hurried through the force field.

It took h i m some time to find the TARDIS - he'd

come out of a different exit, and all the dunes

looked very much alike.

He found it at last and stood at the top of the

dune, looking down at the castle in the desert.

He was waiting to see if Challoner would keep

his promise.

The blur of the force field faded, the air

shimmered and the castle faded away.

Minutes later, the tall spaceships of the Judoon

rose slowly into the sky.

The Doctor stood by the TARDIS, lost in

thought. He was alone in the vast desert. Except,

81

he remembered, for some very confused desert

raiders somewhere in the far distance.

By now the Judoon spaceships, together w i t h

Balmoral Castle, should be back in Scotland.

The Doctor decided to go and see.

His original plan had been to go to London

and deal w i t h the machine that Challoner had

built in his laboratory. But Martha was still in

Balmoral. If he succeeded at the laboratory, a

message might reach Challoner, and Martha

would die.

So he could do nothing u n t i l Martha was free

- which meant going to Balmoral and rescuing

her.

Something else was bothering the Doctor -

his brief exchange w i t h the Judoon Captain.

The Judoon were an honourable breed, at least

according to their o w n rather peculiar standards.

A n d they never lied. They saw that as a crime.

Yet the Judoon Captain had insisted that they

were acting legally - which was impossible. The

only way to f i n d out more was to go to the castle

and ask them.

Another good reason to go back to Balmoral.

The Doctor went into the TARDIS. A wheezing,

groaning sound disturbed the peace of the

Empty Quarter, and then faded away.

82

The Doctor left the TARDIS, took a moment to

get his bearings, then set off for Balmoral Castle.

The Highland air was refreshing after the heat

of the desert.

He walked on. It didn't take long to get

there, and this time the castle was where it was

supposed to be.

But, this time, something else was wrong.

The air was full of the crack of rifle fire and

the thudding of artillery.

A full-scale pitched battle was raging around

Balmoral Castle.

83

Chapter Twelve

The

Battle

The Doctor climbed a h i l l overlooking Balmoral

Castle and took in the scene.

The entire castle was ringed w i t h troops.

Some had dug trenches, others had built walls

of sandbags.

Field guns had been set up at various key

points. From behind these defences, the soldiers

were keeping up heavy and continuous fire.

In the castle grounds stood a number of

Judoon. They had not taken shelter, and were

returning their attackers' fire w i t h their hand

blasters. Occasionally, one staggered under the

impact of a rifle bullet, but didn't fall.

A young officer in the advanced trenches

outside the castle leaped to his feet. As the

Doctor watched, he yelled, 'Come on, chaps.

There's only a few of them. Charge!'

The officer dashed forward.

84

Light streaked from a Judoon blaster and the

man exploded in smoke and flame.

Nobody followed h i m .

Moments later, a lucky shot from a field gun

scored a direct hit on one of the Judoon. Its

massive body was b l o w n into fragments.

A l l this had happened in the moments that the

Doctor stood watching, horrified. He hated war,

always had. 'I've got to stop this,' he muttered,

and ran down the h i l l towards the troops.

As he came closer, a sentry spotted h i m and

raised his rifle.

'Halt!'

Ignoring the rifle, the Doctor ran up to h i m .

'I need to see your commanding officer, and I

need to see h i m right now!'

The soldier looked doubtfully at h i m . 'One of

his precious scouts are you?'

'Listen to me,' the Doctor said. It was

surprising how much he sounded like Harry

Carruthers. 'I've got vital information for your

commanding officer. Take me to h i m at once.'

The soldier had been in the Army all his life,

and he recognised the snap of authority in the

Doctor's voice. 'Command tent's this way, sir.'

He led the Doctor to a small tent, pitched in

the shelter of a nearby h i l l . The soldier went to

the open entrance and saluted.

85

'Gentleman w i t h an important message,

General,' the soldier announced. 'Insists on

seeing you.'

'Wheel h i m i n ! '

The Doctor entered the tent and found a

tall, t h i n uniformed figure w i t h an untidy

moustache. He had a map spread out on a

table. The General turned to peer at the Doctor.

'You're not one of my fellows.'

'I am the personal envoy of His Majesty,' said

the Doctor.

'The King? Where is he?'

'In that castle you're attacking. And a pretty

rotten job you're making of it.'

' I ' l l have you know, young fellow, I know a

t h i n g or two about sieges,' said the General.

'Why, when I was in South Africa during the

Boer War, I formed a party of scouts. Just lads

they were, to carry messages—'

The Doctor cut h i m off. 'We haven't got time

for your memoirs. Just tell me what's been

happening here, General. From the beginning,

right to the end.'

Just like the sentry, the General found himself

responding to the authority in the Doctor's

voice.

'We got a message that something was badly

wrong at Balmoral. Odd story about the whole

86

place disappearing. W h e n we arrived, the place

was here all right - and a group of those big

fellows in black were setting up some kind of

machinery outside. We challenged them. They

ignored us. So we opened fire. Scored a lucky

hit on their equipment w i t h a field gun. Then

more troops arrived, on both sides, and we

settled down for a siege.'

The troops had arrived just as the Judoon were

setting up their force field, thought the Doctor.

They had destroyed it by a fluke.

'And how's the battle going?'

'Not too well,' admitted the General. 'Rifle

bullets don't touch them. You need a direct hit

w i t h a field gun, and we don't have enough of

them. More on the way, of course, and more

troops. But u n t i l they get here... They've got

some damn nasty weapons. Some k i n d of heat

ray. W h o are they anyway - foreign troops?'

'Very foreign,' said the Doctor. His m i n d was

racing. 'Now listen to me General, this siege

of yours is madness. You can't hope to defeat

them. A n d if you go on annoying them, they'll

bring up more troops. Do you want to see all

your men killed?'

The General was stunned. 'So what do you

suggest I do?'

'Order a ceasefire and pull back your men.

87

Let me go and talk to them. I may be able to

persuade them to leave peacefully'

The General looked doubtful. 'You want me

to retreat?'

'No, no, no. Well, maybe a tactical retreat if

that makes you feel better about it. At least it'll

give us time for you to get more troops here.'

'Good t h i n k i n g , ' said the General. ' I ' l l do i t . '

He raised his voice and shouted, 'Messenger!'

A soldier ran in and saluted.

The General gave his orders. 'Immediate

ceasefire. Pull all the men back.'

The soldier ran from the tent. Minutes later

the Doctor heard raised voices.

'Cease fire! General ceasefire! Pull back!'

'Thank you, General,' said the Doctor. ' I ' l l be

off, then. Loads to do and not a lot of time. Oh,

and good luck w i t h your Boy Scout movement.

I ' m sure it'll do very well.'

'How did you know? I've only just started

planning i t . . . '

Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell watched in

astonishment as the Doctor hurried from the

tent.

By the time the Doctor reached the castle, the

gunfire had stopped. The soldiers were pulling

back. He walked up to the main entrance and

88

found himself facing two Judoon sentries. They

covered h i m w i t h their blasters.

' I ' m the Doctor,' he said loudly. 'I was here

earlier, remember? I've sent the soldiers away.

Now I want to see your Captain. It concerns the

honour of the Judoon. So hop to it, go on.'

There was a long pause. Then one of the

sentries raised a tube-shaped device and pointed

it at the Doctor. There was a series of beeps and

a light shone, then the Judoon checked the

results of his scan.

'Category: Non-Human,' it announced, before

beckoning the Doctor to follow.

The Judoon trooper led the Doctor to a small

bare room. Once a storeroom, it had clearly

been taken over as a command post.

A massive figure sat w i t h its back to them

bending over a complex unit of alien machinery.

Some k i n d of communications device, thought

the Doctor.

The sentry spoke in a stream of alien words.

Slowly, the Captain turned.

For a moment, the Doctor stared back at the

blank, jutting helmet of the Judoon Captain.

Then the Captain reached up and u n d i d the

locking clamps, pulling the heavy helmet up

and off his head. The Doctor was staring into

the face of the Judoon.

89

It was an impressive sight. The skin on the

enormous head was thick and grey and ridged,

like that of a rhino. There were two horns,

the higher one small, the lower larger, jutting

from the centre of the face. The nostrils were

flared, and the wide lipless m o u t h covered rows

of yellow teeth that looked like tombstones.

Two funny little ears crowned the high, domed

forehead.

Most striking of all were the slanting brown

eyes. They were strangely intelligent and

somehow sad. They stared steadily at the Doctor

for a moment.

Curious creatures, the Judoon, thought the

Doctor. Brutal and savage, yet not w i t h o u t

morals of their o w n . Now everything depended

on how well he had judged them.

Waving the sentry away, the Captain touched

the translation device on his breastplate.

'Earth English,' the deep voice boomed. ' W h y

have you returned, Doctor? The Peacemakers

have decided you are an enemy. They demand

your execution.' The Judoon Captain drew his

blaster and pointed it straight at the Doctor. 'Do

you wish to die?'

90

Chapter Thirteen

Revenge

The Doctor ignored the threat. 'At the gate,

when I left, you said the Judoon were here under

full legal authority. That cannot be true.'

'You say that I lie?' rumbled the deep voice.

'No. I t h i n k someone has lied to you. Take it

from me, this invasion cannot be legal.'

'The operation has been authorised by the

Galactic Council.'

'That's impossible. Such an action is against

Galactic Diplomatic Policy.'

The Judoon Captain produced a scroll. 'This

scroll bears the seal of the Council. It states

that Earth is a hopelessly warlike planet. It has

been handed over to the Cosmic Peacemakers.

My Judoon are fully authorised to assist in this

process.'

'May I?' The Doctor took the document and

studied the massive seal.

91

'The seal is genuine.'

'Oh yes, the seal is genuine,' said the Doctor.

'You're right there. Proper authentic seal, that.

This seal is so genuine that it's got flippers and

eats fish. But the scroll... Well that's as genuine

as a nine bob note. Or a 45p piece. Take your

pick.'

He took out his sonic screwdriver and adjusted

it, then used it to shine a violet light over the

scroll. The lettering on the scroll faded, allowing

other lettering to show through beneath.

'Your Peacemaker friends took a genuine

Council scroll and altered its meaning. You

see the changes here... and here and here... If

I just resonate it a little, you can see what the

document really says.' Letters faded away and

were replaced by others. The Doctor turned off

his sonic screwdriver and let the scroll roll back

up w i t h a snap. He held it out. 'Here you go.'

The Judoon Captain took the scroll and

unrolled it again. He studied it carefully, reading

out loud in his deep rumbling voice.

'Earth must be left alone to work out its o w n

destiny' The Captain threw down the scroll

w i t h a cry of distress. 'We have been betrayed.

Judoon honour is stained.' He turned his massive

face towards the Doctor. 'Tell me - what must

we do?'

92

'Leave,' said the Doctor promptly. 'Clear out

immediately before you do any more harm. I

have friends on the Galactic Council. I ' l l see that

they learn the t r u t h . You'll get off w i t h slapped

wrists. Probably ban you from getting involved

in Earth's affairs f r o m now on. Satellites and

colonies only, that sort of thing.'

The Judoon Captain drew in a deep breath,

then nodded slowly. He spoke into his

communication device. 'Evacuate! All units

evacuate immediately.'

One t h i n g you could say for the Judoon,

thought the Doctor, they knew how to obey

orders. Almost before the Captain's voice had

died away, the castle corridors were echoing

w i t h the tramp of departing Judoon.

The Judoon Captain rose, tucking his helmet

under his arm. 'We leave now, Doctor. But I have

one final task. My honour has been stained. I

must have revenge.' Before the Doctor could

reply, he stamped off.

Fearing the worst, the Doctor hurried after the

Judoon Captain. The huge creature marched

down the castle corridors, cutting through the

squads of Judoon going the other way.

They reached the Queen's Sitting Room and

found Professor Challoner standing in the

doorway. Behind h i m , three of the white-robed

93

Peacemakers were holding Martha, Carruthers

and the King at blaster-point.

Martha and Carruthers were poised and tense,

ready for any chance to escape. Back in his

armchair, the King had just lit another cigar.

As the Judoon Captain strode into the room,

one of the Peacemakers shrieked at h i m . 'What's

happening? W h y are your troops leaving?'

'You lied,' roared the Captain.

The Peacemaker turned his blaster on the

Judoon. But the Captain drew his blaster w i t h

blinding speed.

The Doctor skidded into the room behind the

Judoon Captain.

'Wait!' he shouted as he saw what the Captain

was about to do. 'You can arrest them. There's

no need to—'

But the Captain ignored the Doctor, and fired.

The Peacemaker burst into flame under the

impact of the blaster ray. Changing back for a

moment into his lizard-like shape, he crumbled

into fiery ashes.

The Captain fired again and again, and the

other two Peacemakers exploded in flames.

The Captain swung round to face Challoner.

'And now you, their leader.'

'No!' screamed Challoner. ' I ' m your friend.

We can rule this world together—'

94

'You lied,' said the Captain and raised his

blaster. 'You have stained the honour of the

Judoon. Verdict: guilty. Penalty: death. Execute.'

The Judoon Captain prepared to fire.

'This isn't the way!' the Doctor yelled. He ran

to stop the Captain, but the Judoon swept h i m

aside.

While the Judoon Captain was distracted,

Challoner leaped behind Martha. He w o u n d an

arm around her neck and held her before h i m

as a shield.

'Don't shoot!' shouted the Doctor, as the

Judoon Captain moved towards Challoner.

'I can conquer this world without your help,

you stupid brute,' shrieked Challoner. 'You'll

see, you'll see!'

He produced a compact but complex device

from beneath his robe and touched a control.

There was a flash of purple light, and he and

Martha vanished together.

'He has escaped,' growled the Captain.

'Revenge is incomplete.'

The Doctor looked at the three heaps of ash

on the floor. 'You didn't do too badly.' He shook

his head and sighed. 'Be happy w i t h that. I ' l l

deal w i t h Challoner for you. In my o w n way.'

The Judoon Captain studied h i m for a

moment. 'I trust to your honour, Doctor.

95

Destroy h i m and restore mine. In return, I give

my word of honour that no Judoon w i l l set foot

on this planet again.' He turned and marched

from the room.

'Doctor, what about Martha?' said Harry

Carruthers. 'We must find her.'

'I know where he's taken her,' said the Doctor.

'Don't worry, I ' l l deal w i t h h i m . You look after

the King!'

As the Doctor ran from the room, the King

spoke for the first time. 'Odd fellow, that friend

of yours, Harry. Never still for a moment!'

The Doctor sprinted for the TARDIS, ignoring

shouts from a group of soldiers nearby. As he

reached the door, he heard a roaring in the

sky. He turned and looked back. Three huge

spaceships were rising into the sky

True to their word, the Judoon were leaving.

96

Chapter Fourteen

Blowback

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was studying

the screen again. This time it showed a map of

London's Docklands - Black Horse Lane.

The Doctor's hand moved rapidly over

controls and a pulse of light appeared on the

screen. 'There we are!' muttered the Doctor.

'A Temporal Reversal Generator, if ever I saw

one. Wonder where he nicked that from.

Far too advanced for Challoner.' He moved

quickly round the TARDIS console, adjusting

controls and checking readouts. 'If I lock onto

the pulse... Tricky, m i n d you, very t r i c k y ' The

Doctor paused and grinned. 'Just as well I ' m a

genius...'

His fingers flashed over the controls.

In his laboratory, Challoner too was busy,

working at the console beside the giant crystal

97

sphere. The sphere itself pulsed w i t h light,

growing steadily brighter.

The pool of liquid in the bowl below bubbled

and seethed.

Close beside h i m , propped against the wall,

Martha looked on helplessly.

The instant they'd arrived, Challoner had

gripped her neck w i t h long bony fingers.

He tightened his grip u n t i l Martha was half-

conscious. Then he took a roll of plastic tape

from a drawer and bound her wrists and ankles.

By the time she was fully conscious again, she

was tied so firmly that she couldn't move.

She wondered w h y Challoner hadn't killed

her. Perhaps he needed an audience. Or perhaps

he was afraid the Doctor might find them.

'The power is building up nicely,' Challoner

said. 'When it is at its peak, I w i l l trigger the

Temporal Remote Control devices. Paris, Berlin,

Tokyo, Moscow, all the major cities of the world

will cease to exist.'

'What good w i l l that do you? The Judoon

have gone, and the Doc—'

'I shall recruit other soldiers - warriors from

Schlangi, or Ogrons perhaps. When I am ruler,

I shall hunt down the Doctor and kill h i m . ' He

paused. 'No, I shall kill you in front of h i m , '

Challoner decided. 'And then I shall kill h i m . '

98

Martha decided the shock of defeat had turned

his brain. 'You needn't worry about finding the

Doctor,' she said bravely. 'I'd worry about h i m

finding you.'

As if to prove her words, the TARDIS

materialised, and the Doctor stepped out. He

looked at the pulsing crystal sphere.

'Spot on! Now, that's pretty impressive steering

if I say so myself - and I do say so. Do you say

so?' He looked at Martha. 'Brilliant stuff! Oh -

a bit tied up, are we?' He turned to Challoner.

'Now I think it's time you switched that piece

of junk off before it all goes horribly wrong.'

'Do you really t h i n k so, Doctor?'

'I know so.'

'You're wrong,' said Challoner. 'The power

has almost built up, and in a few moments I

shall trigger the remote controls.'

'Not if it overloads.'

'And what's going to make it overload,

Doctor?' asked Challoner. He picked up an alien

blaster gun and waved it at the Doctor.

'I am!' said the Doctor.

Martha realised that the Doctor had his sonic

screwdriver in his hand. He pointed it at the

console, and its tip glowed w i t h a blue light.

The console burst into smoke and flame. The

giant crystal sphere began to pulse violently.

99

W i t h a scream of rage, Challoner aimed his

blaster at the Doctor.

Although her wrists and ankles were tied,

Martha was only a few feet from Challoner. She

braced herself against the wall, then launched

herself at h i m , h i t t i n g Challoner w i t h her whole

body.

Challoner staggered back. The edge of the

bowl under the enormous sphere caught h i m

behind the knees. He tumbled over it, falling

into the bubbling liquid.

The Doctor peered into the bowl. He caught

a glimpse of a wriggling lizard-like shape. Then

it faded away.

'Look out!' screamed Martha, gazing

upwards.

The crystal sphere glowed fiercely. Then it

exploded, showering fragments of crystal d o w n

into the laboratory.

The Doctor grabbed Martha and dragged her

clear. He fished an ancient penknife from his

pocket, cut her bonds and helped her up.

'I said it w o u l d all go wrong,' he told her.

Martha peeled the rest of the tape from her

wrists and ankles. She looked at the wrecked

machinery. 'Is that stuff safe now?'

Before the Doctor could answer, the console

glowed briefly. Then the console, the pool and

100

the crystal fragments simply disappeared.

'What happened?'

'Temporal blowback,' said the Doctor. 'It's

abolished itself. Not only doesn't it exist now,

but it never did.'

'And Challoner?'

' H i m too. Now come on Martha, looks like

we've got a very busy schedule ahead of us!'

Martha was outraged. 'What? I thought it was

all over. I was looking forward to a bit of that

gracious living you promised me.'

'You can have i t , ' said the Doctor. 'Just not in

London.'

'Where then?'

'Everywhere!'

'What are you on about?'

The Doctor waved an arm around the wrecked

laboratory.

'This may be harmless now. But what about all

the Temporal Reversion Devices it was meant to

trigger? We don't want humans getting crude

time engineering too early. And suppose they

start going off on their own. No, we need to

track them all down.'

'I see.'

'Fancy a lightning tour of the world's capitals,

Martha? Paris, Rome, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow,

Beijing...'

101

He opened the TARDIS door.

'Now let's get this clear, Doctor. You're

offering me a top-speed, if-it's-Wednesday-it-

must-be-China tour of the world. W i t h , as an

added attraction, an unstable alien device to be

discovered and defused in each city?'

'Well, you could put it like that... But five star.

Definitely five star.'

'A sort of bomb-disposal team's working

holiday?'

'In a way...'

Martha didn't answer. She turned away so the

Doctor couldn't see her smile, and strode into

the TARDIS.

The Doctor followed her. 'Come on, Martha,

you'll love Beijing. And as for Moscow...'

The door closed behind them.

The TARDIS wheezed and groaned and went

on its way.

102

Quick Reads

Books in the Quick Reads series

Chickenfeed Minette Walters

Cleanskin Val McDermid

Danny Wallace and the Centre

of the Universe Danny Wallace

Doctor Who: I Am a Dalek Gareth Roberts

Doctor Who: Made of Steel Terrance Dicks

Doctor Who: Revenge of the Judoon Terrance Dicks

Don't Make Me Laugh Patrick Augustus

A Dream Come True Maureen Lee

East End Tales Gilda O'Neill

Girl on the Platform Josephine Cox

The Grey Man Andy McNab

Happy Families Adele Parks

The Hardest Test Scott Quinnell

Hell Island Matthew Reilly

How to Change Your Life in 7 Steps John Bird

Humble Pie Gordon Ramsay

Life's New Hurdles Colin Jackson

Lily Adele Geras

The Name You Once Gave Me Mike Phillips

One Good Turn Chris Ryan

RaW Voices: True Stories of Hardship Edited by

and Hope Vanessa Feltz

Reading My Arse! Ricky Tomlinson

Star Sullivan Maeve Binchy

The Sun Book of Short Stories

Survive the Worst and Aim for the Best Kerry Katona

The 10 Keys to Success John Bird

Twenty Tales from the War Zone John Simpson

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Quick Reads

Doctor Who: I Am a Dalek

by Gareth Roberts

BBC Books

Equipped with space suits, golf clubs and a flag,

the Doctor and Rose are planning to live it up on

the Moon, Apollo-mission style. But the TARDIS has

other plans, landing them instead in a village on the

south coast of England; a picture-postcard sort of

place where nothing much happens...until now.

Archaeologists have dug up a Roman mosaic, dating

from the year 70 AD. It shows scenes from ancient

myths, bunches of grapes - and a Dalek. A few days

later a young woman, rushing to get to work, is

knocked over and killed by a bus. Then she comes

back to life.

It's not long before all hell breaks loose, and the

Doctor and Rose must use all their courage and

cunning against an alien enemy - and a not-quite-

alien accomplice - who are intent on destroying

humanity.

Featuring the Doctor and Rose as played by David

Tennant and Billie Piper in the hit series from BBC

Television.

Quick Reads

Doctor Who: Made of Steel

by Terrance Dicks

BBC Books

A deadly night attack on an army base. Vehicles

are destroyed, soldiers killed. The attackers vanish

as swiftly as they came, taking highly advanced

equipment with them.

Metal figures attack a shopping mall. But why

do they only want a new games console from an

ordinary electronics shop? An obscure government

ministry is blown up - but, in the wreckage, no trace

is found of the secret, state-of-the-art decoding

equipment.

When the TARDIS returns the Doctor and Martha

to Earth from a distant galaxy, they try to piece

together the mystery. But someone - or something

- is waiting for them. An old enemy stalks the night,

men no longer made of flesh...

Featuring the Doctor and Martha as played by David

Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from

BBC Television.