'You all right?'

'I . . . I have a headache. I think the air in here is a bit too thin for me.'

Townsend sniffed. 'Seems okay to me. Let's wait here. He said to meet him in the shuttle bay, but I'd rather he came to us.'

Take me. Take me now. Dispose of these ridiculous dolts. They are slowing me . . . us . . . down.

Sadler again put her hand to her head. Something was there, on the edge of her consciousness. Like a forgotten thought or a nagging doubt.

Something telling her to do something. To think something . . .

Never mind, she'd cope.

The Pel guards were heaving great slabs of granite off the figures lying on the floor. Savaar was the first to haul himself up, a little unsteadily. Lying beside him was Sskeet, the front of his exoskeleton shattered and distorted, green blood splattered around the burns. Bits of the suit had embedded themselves in his soft inner flesh but he was still moving.

The High Lord and two guards slowly helped him up, but his slow, rasping breath told Savaar that his adjutant was more severely injured than he was prepared to admit, especially to his Lord. Savaar merely saluted him and gingerly Sskeet returned the action.

Alpha Centauri had been right at the back of the group and had been totally shielded from flying rocks by the bodies of Kort and Keri. His clothing was ripped and torn and a large cut on his upper right arm was evidence of the concussive force of the explosion. Agitatedly he fl.u.s.tered around the unmoving forms of the Pakhar and Cantryan before him.

The Doctor was uncovered, revealing his umbrella unfurled and up. Now wrecked, it had nevertheless protected his face from flying rock at the moment of the explosion. A few scratches and internal bruises, he decided, but a quick examination proved he was at least fit and alive.

Not so Chancellor Geban. One look at the strange angle of his back and neck proved that he had died instantly. Under him stirred Neal Corry, alive because Geban had presumably used himself instinctively as a shield. One of Corry's arms was crushed by a huge chunk of granite and although he was unconscious, the pain must have been severe because his face was contorted and sweating.

The Doctor crawled over and placed a finger in the centre of his temple.

'Sleep,' he commanded.

Corry's face instantly lost its frown and his head lolled to the side. Gently the Pels pulled him up and away.

A few minutes pa.s.sed before King Tarrol arrived. His reaction showed that he took in instantly what had occurred and he was on the floor beside Geban in a second, cradling the battered head in his arms, crying softly. He then looked up at the Doctor, red-rimmed eyes full of tragedy and bitterness. 'We shall not forget what has happened here today. Ever.'

'Good,' said the Doctor. 'Geban deserves honour.'

'He shall have that. But that is not what I meant.'

The Doctor didn't have time to follow that up as a groan from Kort reminded the Time Lord that he was responsible for the Cantryan's well-being. He crossed to his side.

Is he all right?' burbled Centauri. 'There was nothing I can do.'

'He'll live, but he needs rest.' The Doctor waved a couple of Pels over and they carried the boy away. The Doctor reached out to Keri and s.n.a.t.c.hed his hand away. It was soaked in blood. A cough and dribble of blood from her snout told him that she was alive. Barely.

As more Pels picked her up and carried her to medical attention the Doctor caught Savaar's eye. The Ice Lord was trying to stop Sskeet's bleeding.

'The time has come,' spat the Doctor. 'Time for the final battle.'

Bernice was sitting with the Pakhar holocrew by the Martian shuttle, staring at the headless pilot.

Reece was beside the body. 'Nothing I can do. Someone killed him pretty decisively.'

'Why?' asked Bernice. 'What is in the shuttle that could be worth a life?'

'Oh, don't be soft, Benny. People die all the time. That's life.'

She stared at him. After all that he'd been through with his own family, death ought to have been far more frightening.

A Pakhar audio engineer was poking inside the shuttle. 'Maybe we'll see it in here,' he was saying when Bernice suddenly saw a flash of white and the Pakhar slumped to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been suddenly severed. Screeches from the other Pakhars drew her attention to Nic Reece, a clip blaster in his hand.

Without thinking she stood up angrily. 'What the frag did you do that for?'

Then it all fell into place. It's you! You killed Lianna. And Kort's sister.

You're Alec!' Reece grinned and Bernice saw everything reflected in his eyes. The dark secrets she'd seen, the mystery. It wasn't his dead family - it was his complete insanity. She'd confused tragedy with malice.

'Might be. Alexander Charles Roberts, like Nicholas Reece, is just someone else's ident.i.ty I purchased from them.'

'Did Jina ever know the real Alec?'

'Good G.o.d, no. He was a seventy-year-old frontiersman in the Rho system.

He could never have coped with the energetic night-times that this Alec put up with. You're not as clever as I had imagined. I thought you'd worked all this out when I found you in my room.'

Bernice stared at him. 'No. No, I actually thought you were a genuine nice guy. We all make mistakes. You're a real sicko.'

'Thank you.' Reece smiled. He turned to the Pakhars and waved his blaster at them. 'Get back behind those rocks, you rats.' He turned back to Bernice as the terrified Pakhas complied. Inside the shuttle, please.' He waved the blaster towards the craft.

With a shrug, Bernice clambered aboard. At the last second she realized that stupidly she had her back to him and sure enough, he slammed his fist into the base of her spine and she sagged forward.

However, she turned this to good use, lashing out with her boot at his groin.

It connected with enough force that she expected him to be unconscious with pain. Instead, he laughed.

'Kevlar-8,' he explained. 'Should have gone for the head or hands.

Exposed areas. Your friend who chased my lot on Pakhar would have known that. She was a good soldier apparently. Shame about her little accident in s.p.a.ce.'

A dull explosion could be heard from back towards the Citadel.

'Ah, I guess my little room party has just gone off with a bang.'

A what?"

He produced from within his jacket an egg-shaped silver capsule. One of these. A Sontaran fragmentation grenade. Particularly nasty but b.l.o.o.d.y efficient. Probably took out half the Citadel with any luck.'

'The Doctor. . .' breathed Bernice.

For a second Reece looked surprised and then grinned. He got into the shuttle, covering her with the blaster.

'Yeah. He's still alive, isn't he? I knew that Pakhar b.i.t.c.h had fixed something up with that High Lord. And when I saw Savaar in your room still alive as well . . . yeah, they did it very well. I bet Atissa's in for a shock.' He suddenly laughed. 'Then again, she probably just got her wish. I bet it was the Doctor who tried to get into my room.'

'Why? He couldn't have suspected you?'

'Why not? Because he let you flirt with me? Maybe I sussed him better than you ever had. I doubt you matter that much. He's after the same thing as me. Power.'

'The Diadem? He wants to destroy it.'

'Computer. Summerfield Code-A.'

'Confirmed.'

The safe-seal vanished and Reece grabbed the two items from within. As the safe resealed itself, he jumped backwards out of the shuttle, still aiming his blaster at Bernice. He stripped the dead Pakhar of his belt which had carried audio spares. Throwing them on to the floor, he climbed back in and used the belt to tie the Lance of Aggedor to the casket.

'Time for a little walk, I think.'

'Why?'

'Because the Doctor has proved he has the same number of lives as a cat and Sontaran frag grenade or not, I want a hostage. Just in case.'

Bernice crossed her arms and smiled sweetly. I don't think I'm quite hostage material, actually. You usually find the job spec requires a small blonde screamer who trips and faints at the slightest provocation.'

Reece shook his head and grinned. A hostage is anyone who your opponent is not prepared to sacrifice. If the Doctor's still alive, you fit the bill one hundred per cent. Now move!'

'Here. We were supposed to meet here. Why isn't he here?' Cooper kicked a rock over the precipice. She waited but never heard it land.

Townsend was admiring the Citadel. 'Good bit of architecture, you know.

Well built. Last for ever. Better than most domes and prefabs back in our neck of the woods.'

'Maybe that explosion was him getting killed,' suggested Lambert.

Townsend shook his head and pointed to the side of the Citadel where a gaping hole was clearly visible. 'See? There. That's our bang - half that section must have gone boom. He shouldn't have been anywhere near the Citadel when that went off.'

Sadler looked down at the vacuum case.

How much longer? I need to be free. Open the case and touch me! Sadler found that her hand was moving towards the catch. Surprised, she pulled it away. What on earth was she doing?

'Reece! Reece or whatever your name is!' The Doctor stared at the shuttle.

Huddled by the door way he could see two bodies but neither of them was Benny's. A Martian - the pilot, he presumed - and a Pakhar, one of Corry's team. Two more lives Reece was responsible for wasting.

'Good question, Doctor,' came an amplified shout back.

From the shuttle's communications system. I don't honestly know what my real name is. Ever since the inst.i.tution, I used other people's ident.i.ties.'

A patient. Ah.'

Oh, don't tell me, Doctor. You think that explains everything. Anti-social behaviour? Psychosis?'

'No, Reece. Nothing so simple could explain your evil.,'

'I was examined by the Federation's best shrinks, you know. When I was ten they decided I was already too far gone. Do you think I've gone too far?'

Oh yes. Far too far.'

The side of the shuttle melted away and Benny staggered out, Reece holding her tightly. One false move and. .

And you'll kill her. Yes, I know, I've seen it all before. Done by far better than you as well.'

'But few with so much relish.'

Oh thanks.' That was Bernice.

'You won't do that, Reece. You'd have done it by now otherwise. Any time within the last couple of days.'

'You know, you and Savaar ought to go into entertainment. The people who keep coming back to life. I thought I'd made sure you were both dead.'

'Self-preservation is an art, Reece,' said the Doctor. 'From the moment I realized it was you, I've been watching my back. Or had others do it for me.'

And when was that?'

'I guessed when you made that error in your homework. We'd never met, Nic Reece and I. Then you made your second mistake.'

Lianna?'

'Exactly. She was still alive and told me.'

'Wait a minute,' cried Bernice. 'You knew it was this crukhead and you still let me carry on seeing him?'

'I had to let him carry out his plan, Benny. I had to get nearer to the Diadem. I'm sorry.'

'You b.l.o.o.d.y will be when I get hold of you!' she yelled.

'Listen Doctor, you and your Martian pals can take a step or fifty back. The lady - the Shsurr I think you call her, Savaar - and I have a date back there.'

'Your mercenaries have the Diadem, Reece. Just in case you were wondering.'

'Cheers, old man. A great weight off my mind.'

'What are you planning to do with it?' squeaked Alpha Centauri.

'G.o.d, what a stupid question, Centauri. You know, I had the chance to kill you but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do it. Just a little tap on the head so that I could have the time to dispose of Torg's body. You're weird, Centauri - so d.a.m.n nice to everyone all the time.'

'Thank you, Nic, but you're still a traitor!'

Answer the question, Reece,' rasped Savaar. 'What will you do with the Pakhar Diadem?'

'Rule. It's been my lifelong ambition to find it. You know, I actually studied archaeology. That's how I found out about it. They made me do that at the clinic. I should thank them. Maybe I'll use the Diadem on them as well.'

'More likely that it'll use you, Reece. It is alive.'