For one awful moment he could feel the bones in her wasted He could hear the alarm clock's m.u.f.fled ticking. Lowc.o.c.k arms but then they too shuddered into nothingness beneath and Trevithick appeared behind him. 'Betty?'

his fingers.

His voice was tinged with panic. He put his shoulder to Lowc.o.c.k and Trevithick pulled him off the bed and stared the door and the frame cracked, sending paint flakes to the in revulsion as the sheets stirred before them. There was a floor.

brief, shocking crack and then the body disappeared in a Lowc.o.c.k leant his shoulder against the panels and the two cloud of noxious vapour.

men slammed against the woodwork with all their strength.

Lowc.o.c.k took charge. 'Get him out! Edmund! Out!

The door split from the hinges outwards and they almost Quick!'

fell into the room.

Trevithick dragged Lawrence from the room whilst the Trevithick hovered in the doorway and stumbled as policeman managed to pull shut the remains of the Lowc.o.c.k backed into him, pressing his sleeve to his mouth.

shattered door. Kicking open the door of Robin's room, The room smelled rank. Furniture and clothes lay scattered Trevithick laid the sobbing man on the unmade bed.

and the window was missing entirely, as if punched out Lowc.o.c.k scrambled across the landing, picked up the cleanly by an unseen hand.

phone, dropped it and then clapped the receiver to his ear.

In the centre of the devastation stood the double bed, There was complete silence. He swore loudly and threw the tilted slightly towards the wall. The thick eiderdown was phone aside.

pulled up to the pillows, completely covering the shape 'I'm going to the station. Look after him. I won't be five underneath. A wide green stain like fruit mould was minutes.'

spreading across the embroidery.

Trevithick nodded quickly. 'Righto.' He put a comforting Trevithick held his breath and crossed the threshold. He arm around the weeping man beneath him. Posters of noticed at once that the door had not been locked; rather the unfamiliar footballers and pop stars grinned in innocence at woodwork seemed to have expanded, sealing the door like him from the walls. Trevithick felt his breath coming in the entrance to a tomb.

painful gasps.

154.

155.

What the h.e.l.l was going on? And what should he do now?

The Doctor glanced across at Holly and then walked over Events seemed to slipping out of everyone's control. He to her. He sat down on his hands and smiled. 'How are you looked down at Lawrence and suddenly decided he should feeling now?'

pay a little visit to the Dalesview Home. If he could find the Holly nodded as though shaking a loose thought. 'OK.

fella with the arthritic hands and leave Lawrence in his care I'm OK, thanks.'

for a while...

The Doctor chose his next words carefully. 'Vijay said...

There was something in the top drawer of his dressing Vijay said you'd seen something in your room. What, table which just might prove useful...

exactly?'

Holly looked down and sighed. 'I know it sounds silly, The tracking station control room was silent save for the impossible...'

occasional oath of exasperation as the Doctor attempted to 'Never mind how it sounds.' The Doctor put his hand on repair the radio.

hers. Holly took a deep breath.

Beside him sat Holly, now dressed in ski pants and one of 'I saw my fiance. He died six years ago. I saw his ghost.'

Vijay's crewneck sweaters. Her eyes were wide and red The Doctor considered this. 'How did he appear?'

with crying.

'What do you mean?'

Vijay had tried to persuade her to return to her bed but 'Was he as you remembered him?'

she wouldn't hear of it, preferring to sit awake and aware 'Oh yes! Very much. He was so alive. I could feel it. It was through the long night.

like he was drawing me into him. It would've been so 'Blast!' cried the Doctor, throwing aside a delicate easy...'

arrangement of wires.

The Doctor looked straight at her. 'But you didn't?'

Cooper was blearily contemplating her first coffee of the 'There was something wrong. I felt him beginning to morning. 'What d'you reckon then, Doctor?'

change. I went all sleepy. I could see Vijay coming into the The Doctor sighed and sat down on the end of the bench.

room and I knew I had to get back to him. It was like one of 'It's useless. Blown out.'

those nightmares where you're running through treacle.'

'Then we're cut off,' said Hawthorne flatly as he strode Vijay came in with some freshly made toast and tea. He into the room.

put his arm round Holly.

'Don't be so melodramatic, Tom,' said Cooper. 'Vijay can 'And what did you see?' asked the Doctor.

drive over to York and even if the phones aren't working 'I don't know,' said Vijay. 'Not a person really. A sort of there, we can get through to Cambridge somehow.'

cloud. Colours. Trails in the air. Like I was tripping.'

Hawthorne shrugged.

'Tripping?' The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

Vijay cleared his throat. 'Drugs. You know. Acid. It was like that.'

156.

157.

'I see,' said the Doctor with mock gravity. He smiled delicately took his hand in hers. His gentle breathing warmly and left them together. Vijay lifted up Holly's face sounded closer as he moved his head towards her face.

to kiss her but she pulled away.

'Come along, Ace. We have to be going!' The Doctor's 'Don't,' she said simply. Vijay sighed heavily and looked voice carried down the corridor from the control room. Ace glumly at the floor.

opened her eyes sharply. Robin pulled away.

The Doctor checked the correlation receivers and turned 'Ace!'

to address Hawthorne. 'What's the tolerance of your safety 'All right!' she bellowed.

cutouts?'

She looked fondly into Robin's eyes and then gave him a Hawthorne sniffed. 'That's what's very odd. They light peck on the cheek. 'Come on, sunshine. Plenty of time.

should've cut out way before the levels they reached.

Let's see what the Doctor's got planned for us.'

Luckily, we've sustained no damage so far.'

He smiled contentedly. Ace bounded from beneath her 'Hmm,' the Doctor mused. He looked around the room.

blankets, unconcerned by her seminakedness. Robin 'Where's Ace?'

blushed in spite of himself.

'Oi,' Ace warned, laughing. 'Close your eyes.'

It had been a long night. Ace had finally managed to cool 'If you insist.'

down her excitement sufficiently to get some sleep, although she'd been aware of raised voices in the corridor at 'All I'm saying,' whispered Hawthorne, 'is that the girl is some point. A woman's voice (hysterical) and what obviously unstable.'

sounded like Vijay's (placating). Ace had been awoken by Cooper stared at him. 'What d'you mean, unstable?'

the tuneless squawking of a rook somewhere outside. The 'I need hardly remind you that she has been seeing things.

sound made her think of bleak, frosty Sundays in the park And that wog boyfriend of hers..."

as a child; bare, black trees against a snow-filled sky.

'I've told you before. I won't have that kind of abuse in She became suddenly aware of Robin watching her and my station!' barked Cooper.

inclined her head on the pile of stuff which had served as The Doctor looked across to where the two scientists were her pillow.

sitting and raised his eyebrows. Hawthorne was keen to 'Morning,' she said softly.

keep this conversation quiet.

'Morning.' Robin smiled his cheeky smile.

'All right, all right. I'm sorry. But the boy freely admits to Ace ran her tongue around her mouth and silently wished taking hallucinogenics. You heard him. Whatever Miss Kidd she had a bottle of mouthwash. It tasted like the bottom of a saw was obviously some drug-induced fantasy...'

birdcage in there.

Cooper ruffled her grizzled hair. 'I'm not so sure.'

Robin reached out his hand and softly touched her face.

'Well, whatever the reason, do you really think we should She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, and then have such people working here?'

158.

159.

'Tom!' Cooper slammed her fists down on to a bench. 'If ever any of my staff sufficiently compromise themselves so Outside, the day was fine and cold. The Doctor yawned as to prove unreliable I'll take direct action. Until then, we and strode on, Ace struggling to keep up.

have a bit of an emergency on our hands so can we please 'Doctor! Hang on!'

get on?'

The Doctor didn't stop.

Ace and Robin walked into the room grinning. The Doctor Who rattled his cage? thought Ace.

looked at them almost coldly. 'Ah, there you are. I need to She sighed. He was keeping something from her as usual.

see the Abbot again up at the monastery, if you'd care to Why did she always let him treat her like this? She thought accompany me?'

of the feel of Robin's hand against her face, his lips on her Robin looked at Ace. 'I really should be getting back.'

cheek. He was real, uncomplicated, human. Until then, she 'Oh.' Her face fell.

hadn't realised just how much she'd missed that quality.

'It's my mum.'

Ace nodded. 'They can be a pain in the a.r.s.e, can't they?'

On the radio, The Move were urging everyone to call the 'Look, if you're going to the monastery, I can meet you fire brigade. Medway hummed along tunelessly until static there. I'll only be a couple of hours.'

crackled across the frequency.