'They're perfect, Doctor. Every time I close my eyes I remember the first time I saw them.' De Sande's voice was quiet, almost a whisper. It was as if he was dreaming out loud, revelling in the perfection of the vision in his mind. It was as if he was on another plane of reality. 'It was when I was in Alaska filming for The Cold Blooded The Cold Blooded.'

Three years previously, Leonard De Sande stood in an ice cave near the airstrip and smiled. He'd found the perfect location to film the movie's finale, though getting a camera all the way in here would be difficult. Perhaps if he took some photographs the cave could be re-created back home.

He was about to leave the cave when something on the edge of his perception caught his eye. A flicker of colour, of gold. He turned to examine what he'd seen. Part of the ground was glowing. A mass of colour. Glowing like fire, alive, yet motionless. Tiny specks of glitter embedded in the ice. Magic made real.

Leonard took out his pick and began to chip away at the ice.

Eventually he removed the layer covering the substance and saw that it was a pool of liquid warm enough to not freeze over, but not hot enough to melt the ice it had been trapped in.

Be at ease. You're safe.

'Curtis!' he called towards the cave entrance, beckoning for his cameraman to see the spectacle. 'Curtis, come here, you have to see this!'.

Leonard stared at the substance and felt drawn to it. It was beautiful, an incredible sight. He reached out and, with caution, dabbed his finger into the liquid. He felt a warm tingling around his finger, like a minor static shock. Felt the liquid surround his finger, caressing it. He lifted the finger up and tasted the liquid, then felt all his troubles tumble away. At that moment he knew he had discovered his destiny.

Several hours later Leonard gathered the rest of his party around a campfire in the centre of their base camp. 'My friends,' he told the rest of the film crew, 'I've made an amazing discovery today.' He held up a cup and passed it around the group. 'Inside this cup are living creatures, creatures that are trapped, unable to reach their true potential. They need our help, and are prepared to give us incredible gifts in return.'

'Leonard,' Curtis said, 'you're looking... different. What's happened? You look amazing.'

Leonard grinned. 'It's the creatures. They can help us in ways we could never imagine. Enhancing our personalities through changing our body gestures, our aromas, skin quality, posture... You name it, they can help. They'll make us perfect.

They've made me perfect.'

'Natural cosmetic surgery, eh?' Curtis said. 'Impressive.'

Leonard continued. 'I believe that nature didn't intend them to stay trapped in the ice for ever. Nature has a purpose for these creatures, and that purpose is to help humanity better itself in exchange for experiencing the life they are denied. We must find a way to thaw them, to transport them back to California.

I'm going to contact every scientist I know and see if we can find a way to help them achieve their destiny. We'll return home tomorrow. The future begins here.'

Leonard felt the creatures inside him warming, pleased at his words. 'Things are going to be very different from now on,' he announced. 'Oh yes, very different.'

'Eventually,' De Sande explained, his attention appearing to return to the present, 'the team of scientists I hired created a way for the creatures to be preserved that allows them to revitalise a human being at any time. The liquid the Initiates were drinking is composed of a raw concentration of living Selyoids working to enhance their partners. When you drink it you'll see what I mean. There really is no feeling quite like it.'

'And what do the Selyoids get in return for their favours?'

the Doctor asked.

'Why, I would have thought that was obvious,' De Sande said. 'They get to see through our eyes. They're as intelligent, maybe more intelligent, than us yet they can do nothing in their natural environment. Nothing to see, nothing to do, no stimulation. They get bored. They want to see life through someone else's eyes.'

'Like when we go to watch a film,' Ben pointed out. 'They want to escape from their problems, escape from their normal existence. Only they don't just want that for a couple of hours, they want it for ever.'

'But why is seeing life through our eyes so important?' the Doctor asked.

'Because they'll be able to see what needs to be done to sort this country out,' a gruff voice said from behind him and Ben.

'Captain Wallis,' the Doctor said. 'How are you?'

'The Doctor was curious about the Selyoids' intentions Charles,' De Sande said.

'You want to know what the Selyoids intend, huh? You want to know what they're going to do?' Wallis moved uncomfortably close to the Doctor and sneered. 'You'd be better asking what they won't do, the changes they'll make.'

'Go on,' said the Doctor.

'If I may?' chipped in De Sande. Wallis shrugged and De Sande continued. 'One of the major benefits of being partnered with the Selyoids is that the general public sees you as a celebrity. The creatures make anyone partnered with them so appealing, so charming, that you won't want to say a word against that person, steal from them or do any damn thing they might find unpleasant. You get enough people like this and, hey, you wake up one morning and there's no more crime. At the end of the day, the Selyoids have a lesson to teach humanity, Doctor. The FOCAL Way of Light is is the way to happiness. the way to happiness.

People won't listen to religious wackos, they won't listen to people like Brother Reinert, but they'll listen to celebrities.

They'll listen to the stars. No one will be forced to partner with the Selyoids, no one will be forced to follow the Way, but no one will need to be forced. They'll want to join through their own free will. The Selyoids will win the hearts and minds of the nation, will charm the pants off anyone remotely interested in Hollywood. We know it can work, we know it will be wonderful, which is why, one by one, we're introducing the stars to the Selyoids. One by one, we're making those already partnered with the Selyoids into stars. Slowly but surely our message will be spread, until the day when all America follows the Way of Light.'

Ben tried to take in everything that De Sande was saying.

How far had the Selyoids got already? How many celebrities were working for them? How deep did this go? The Doctor's investigation had unveiled a conspiracy more frightening than he could ever have predicted.

'So,' the Doctor said, 'why are you involved in all this Selyoid business, Captain?'

'What's the biggest threat to world security today, Doctor?'

Wallis asked. 'Go on, take a guess.'

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. 'Not enough milk in the fridge?'

'Communism, Doctor. A single word that could destroy this country if we're not careful. That's why I support FOCAL, Doctor. The Selyoids create peace by making sure there's always someone better, someone more famous, more attractive. There's always a chain of command, of respect. And while that inequality is there Communism will flounder. The country will see the benefit of a hierarchy, and the reds will be driven out faster than a Bob Feller pitch.'

The Doctor looked grave. 'And would I be right in assuming that members of FOCAL get first pickings at the top positions in the new order?'

Wallis grinned. 'Doctor, thanks to myself, Mr De Sande and the rest of FOCAL, a country as screwed over as ours is going to be transformed into the most perfect nation on the planet. I'll go down in history as being the one who came up with the way to make this dream real. I'll be the man who rid California of Communism, and FOCAL will go down as the creator of world peace.'

'You'll be famous,' the Doctor said quietly.

'So will lots of people,' De Sande said. 'The Selyoids give everyone who agrees to absorb them a presence and a charisma that inspire awe in other people. Everyone will be treated with respect, everyone will be appreciated. In time, there will be peace.'

'But how are you going to tel people about the Selyoids?'

asked the Doctor. 'Is it through the film?'

De Sande nodded. 'And more, as you'll soon see.'

As the director led them through to a small side room the Doctor whispered to Ben, 'I want to get a quick look at the projector, then we'll get out of here as fast as we can.'

'This is where we store the Selyoid essence,' De Sande announced as he lifted a cup of the liquid from a table in the middle of the room.

'Now drink,' he said, handing the cup to the Doctor.

The Doctor looked around and lifted the cup awkwardly to his lips. He let it drop to the ground and it smashed, its contents spilling all over the floor.

'Oh dear!' the Doctor said. 'I'm such a butterfingers!' He glanced around. 'I'll get a mop. Come on, Ben!'

He dragged Ben out of the room and began to run towards the podium end of the auditorium, where he ducked behind a curtain near the movie screen on which the Dying in the Sun Dying in the Sun extract had been shown during the ceremony. extract had been shown during the ceremony.

Ben followed the Doctor behind the curtain and saw him looking inside a series of large wooden crates. 'They've already dismantled it,' the Doctor said, sifting through the projector components in the boxes.

'Doctor!' Ben heard De Sande call from the other side of the curtain. 'Where the hell did you go?'

'Come on, Doctor!' Ben said. 'He'll find us in a minute!'

'Now this is interesting,' the Doctor said, holding a small crystal-like device in his palm. 'I've been reading up on how projectors work and I'm sure they don't use anything like this.'

'Perhaps that's why the film doesn't always have the 3-D stuff?' Ben suggested, pointing to the device. 'Maybe only some projectors have that thing in them.'

The Doctor nodded. 'And if this is the key to making the film stand out, I think it could be the key to stopping it, too.' He slipped the device into his jacket pocket. 'De Sande shouldn't miss this. Come on, let's get out of here!'

They emerged from behind the curtain and slipped past the crowds in the auditorium.

'Hey,' De Sande called, spotting the Doctor. 'Where are you going?'

Ben and the Doctor ran out of the castle as other FOCAL members started to chase after them. They got to their car, jumped inside and the Doctor started it. As they sped away Ben glanced back and saw a crowd of FOCAL members shouting at them, but there didn't seem to be any cars following them.

'Oh dear,' the Doctor said, a cheeky smile on his face. 'De Sande won't be too pleased with me.'

By the time they got back to LA the sun was rising. Ben was struck by the ocean of a million colours that filled the sky as day broke. For the first time since seeing the living corpse, Ben relaxed. Daylight. He was safe.

Chapter Nineteen.

Ben dreamt of monsters. Monsters, guns, dead bodies and movies coming to life. The scream of a maiden on a railway line became shriller and shriller until Ben realised it was the sound of his alarm clock going off. He snapped awake.

Yawning, he got out of bed. He checked the time 10.30 a.m. then drew the curtains and shielded his eyes from the glare of the LA morning sun. He was still pretty tired, but at least he'd had some sleep.

He walked into the bathroom, splashed some water on his face, then threw on some clothes. Before he left the hotel room he noticed a little paper note that had been slipped underneath the door. He picked it up and read it. The note was from the hotel reception. Two messages had been left for him. One from Polly and the other from Detective Fletcher who wanted to speak to the Doctor ASAP.

Ben walked out into the hotel corridor, where he came face to face with the Doctor who was chatting to a cleaning lady who stood behind a trolley full of soaps, shampoos and towels. He appeared to be inspecting the trolley's contents as if looking for the biggest slice of chocolate gateau on a sweet trolley.

'Morning, Doctor.' Ben said.

'Isn't the service in this place wonderful?' the Doctor said with a smile.

'We try,' the cleaner said. She looked at her watch. 'Oh, goodness me, we've been talking for almost an hour. I really must get on. Lovely to meet you. Doctor.'

She waved, then began to push her trolley down the corridor.

'What's that all about?' Ben whispered.

'That, Ben,' the Doctor said, 'was a lady who's been working here for almost ten years. I had a long conversation with her about living in this city. The things that have gone on in this place... Anyway, how are you this morning?'

'I'm OK, Doctor. Listen, I've just got a message from Polly.

She says she's safe and well but isn't coming back for a couple of days. She's got herself tickets to the premiere of Dying in the Dying in the Sun Sun, you know. Sounds like she's doing OK for herself, but I reckon we should go and fetch her. I'm worried, Doctor.'

The Doctor shook his head. 'I'm looking forward to finding out whether she's found Chate, but right now we've got more pressing things to worry about. She says she's safe so there's no cause for concern. I wouldn't mind going to that premiere myself. If we don't find her before then, at least we should be able to see her at that. I wonder how we can get tickets. .'

'But what if this note isn't from her? What if she's in trouble and someone's trying to cover it up?'

'It's a worry,' the Doctor conceded, 'but we both know Polly can take care of herself. The moment we've finished the rest of our business well make an effort to catch up with her, I promise.'

Ben nodded. 'Yeah, hopefully it's genuine anyway. Oh yeah, Doctor. Almost forgot, there was another message. It's Fletcher.

He's trying to get hold of you.'

'Oh dear,' the Doctor said, pouting his bottom lip. 'I wonder what the detective wants now?'

Several minutes later, Ben went down to the hotel lobby where he found the Doctor arguing on the phone.

'I'm sorry, Detective,' he was saying, 'I don't know anything about it.' A pause. 'I'll try, Detective. Keep in touch, won't you?

Goodbye.'

The Doctor hung up the phone and stood up. 'There's been an explosion,' he told Ben. 'De Sande's mansion was severely damaged last night in a bomb blast. No one was injured but the film-production wing was almost destroyed. De Sande had been duplicating the prints of the film there for distribution.

Apparently he had already shipped them out to a secret warehouse, but it seems that whoever planted the bomb was unaware of this and was attempting to destroy all the copies of Dying in the Sun Dying in the Sun before they could be sent to the cinemas.' before they could be sent to the cinemas.'

Ben tried to think whether he'd actually seen the Doctor to his room last night. 'It wasn't '

'No, Ben, it wasn't me. But it seems we're not the only ones in this town who have concerns about the film. Somewhere we have an ally, and I have a strong suspicion about who it could be.'

The midday sun bore down on the MGA studios and today the place was a hive of activity. A wide concrete road ran through the middle of the complex, lined at its edges by an endless stretch of palm trees. Stagehands, press reporters, actors, actresses and scriptwriters hurried through the lot, moving from building to building. The front of the grounds seemed to be composed of rows of offices, while towards the back towered the warehouse sound stages where the latest movies were being shot. In the centre of the complex a water tower was emblazoned with the MGA logo in bright red letters.

The chauffeur driving Ben and the Doctor to the studios pulled up outside the most impressive looking of the offices and stopped the car.