'What you going to tell them?' Rose said quietly, feeling empty and defeated.

'Only what they should already know. That this missile's going nowhere. And that whatever they might think, they've been dead for years.'

His foot crunched through something on the concrete floor. Jack glanced down and then swallowed hard. He carefully removed his foot from the dried, withered chest of an emaciated body. His entire world was tinged with blue.

'You guys have a lot to answer for,' he shouted over his shoulder. 'So the Doctor had better be right about this. Can you smell it yet? D'you still need me?'

The first of the creatures was slithering across the threshold and into the corridor. It was glowing brighter now. Maybe it really could sense the power. Maybe it really was heading not for Jack but for a far greater source of energy.

He thought for a moment, then changed direction. Instead of heading for the break in the wall that led into the central laboratory, Jack took a side pa.s.sage. He waited there and watched as the creatures slithered past, one by one. Three of them so far. Maybe others were on their way the more the better.

'Tell you what,' Jack said, stepping back into the main corridor and watching the blue glow fade as the creatures turned the corner at the end. 'Tell you what, I'll just leave you guys to it. I've got a girl to find. Couple of girls, in fact. You do your stuff, I'll do mine.'

It was a long journey back down to the docks, but Jack was running all the way.

Colonel Levin and Lieutenant Krylek stood with Catherine Kornilova. The villagers were gathered behind them, the soldiers fanned out in a defensive formation across the end of the dry dock.

Around them the dark hulks of the submarines hemmed them in. The fires had all but burned out. Black smoke coiled lazily into a charcoal sky, lit blue by the pale glow from the end of the quay.

'Looks like we're on our own this time, sir,' Krylek said.

'Looks like it,' Levin agreed grimly.

'The Doctor has a plan,' Catherine told them. 'He's up to something.'

'Then let's hope it works. And let's hope it works soon.'

The first of the creatures was pushing its way through the drifting smoke. The heat from the fire was making its glowing skin hiss and spit, but still it came.

'Grenades?' Levin asked.

'None left, sir,' Krylek told him.

'Ammunition?'

'Pretty low, sir. For what it's worth.'

'Ideas?'

'There's a life belt over there,' Catherine said.

Both soldiers turned to stare at her. To their surprise she was smiling. 'I can tell you're not local. And you're army not navy.'

'The water is iced over,' Levin pointed out. 'And if it weren't, one life belt would hardly help us all. And if it did we'd freeze to death.'

'Retreat, sir?' Krylek suggested.

'I don't think there's anywhere very much to go. A bit of beach, then cliffs. We might as well stay here.'

They watched as Catherine ran over to a wooden box attached to the railings round the top of the wall surrounding the dock. The hinges were rusted solid, but the wood was old and rotten so she ripped away the front. Levin could see the pale shape of the life belt inside the box what was she up to? She grabbed something and came running back. It wasn't the life belt.

'Here,' Catherine said, breathless. 'You know what to do with this better than me, I expect.' She handed something to Levin.

A flare pistol and three cartridges.

He nodded, impressed. 'It won't hold them back for long,' he warned. 'But it'll give them something to think about.'

'Refuelling 70 per cent complete,' the scientist watching the gauge said.

Klebanov had a pistol and he was pointing it squarely at the Doctor. Rose was pleased he didn't point it at her, but miffed that he obviously didn't think she was a threat. Most of all, though, she was worried he might shoot the Doctor.

'Tell him,' Rose said.

'Tell me what?' Klebanov sounded amused. Maybe he was smiling it was no longer possible to tell.

'Tell him,' Rose said again.

'Right.' The Doctor nodded, pointing at Klebanov. 'I'm telling you,' he said.

'I'm so scared,' the chief scientist replied.

The others cackled and laughed.

'Now 75 per cent complete,' the scientist by the gauge said as the amus.e.m.e.nt died down.

'So what's the plan, then, eh?' the Doctor asked. 'Refuel a missile and then launch, is that it? Big bang somewhere up above us, ma.s.sive airburst energy release. Ship absorbs the energy and powers up fully. But it's not going anywhere, so the energy is all channelled to you lot through the transmitter in your lab. It won't all be useful, but you'll manage to convert enough of it to regenerate yourselves and keep going.'

'That's right,' Klebanov agreed. 'You're very clever, Doctor.'

'We're 80 per cent complete.'

'Oh, I'm a genius. And it doesn't take a genius to work out that a lot of the energy won't be converted and will pretty much flatten this part of the world. We'll be in the eye of the storm here, safe and sound close to the ship as it absorbs the blast. But the radioactive cloud will spread out and maybe get as far as the nearest cities. Kill a few million straight away. A few more million over the next year or two. But what the h.e.l.l, it won't affect you and your supermen you'll be laughing.'

'As you say.'

'Except it isn't going to happen.'

'Now 85 per cent complete.'

'I really don't think you or anyone else can stop us.' Klebanov told him.

Rose was beginning to think he was right. The Doctor was just talking. Valeria wasn't about to do anything simply standing with them and staring into s.p.a.ce. Goodness knows where Jack was or what was happening outside.

'We're 90 per cent complete. Beginning pre*launch checks.'

Which just left Rose. 'In for a penny,' she muttered. The gun was still pointing at the Doctor. All Klebanov's attention was on him. All the other scientists were either busy at the controls or watching the Doctor. Maybe that was it maybe that was his plan: to distract them so Rose could act.

'Refuelling now 95 per cent complete. Pre*launch checks all positive. Primary ignition in ten seconds.' She didn't think about it.

'Nine.'

Just hurled herself at the controls.

'Eight.'

Crashed through the group of scientists.

'Seven.'

Slammed into the control panel.

'Six.'

And stared. What did she do now? Where was the abort b.u.t.ton? Was there an abort b.u.t.ton? Or would it be a switch?

'Five.'

Behind her someone was yelling at Klebanov not to shoot not to risk damaging the controls. Maybe she should just thump every b.u.t.ton and press every switch and twist every dial.

'Four.'

But it was too late. Hard, cold hands grabbed her arms and shoulders.

'Three.'

Dragged her back from the controls. Turned her away.

'Two.'

Her eyes met the Doctor's.

'One.'

'Sorry,' Rose said.

'Good effort,' the Doctor said quietly.

But his words were almost drowned out by the sound. A warning klaxon blaring out.

The scientist watching the gauges was shaking his head, thumping at the controls. 'Systems failure.' His voice was a hollow rasp. 'Complete shutdown.'

Klebanov stared in disbelief, the remains of his face contorted with rage. The gun was shaking as he struggled to hold it steady. 'What's wrong?' he hissed. 'What happened? The missile was fully fuelled.'

The Doctor stood absolutely still, meeting the man's gaze. 'That gauge just tells you it's full, not what it's full of. I'm not an expert,' he said, 'but this is the sort of thing that happens if someone clever like me disconnects your refuelling hose from the main supply and attaches it instead to the torpedo tubes' seawater intake.'

Any reply was lost in the shouts from the doorway, as Captain Jack exploded into the control room and hurtled towards the scientists holding Valeria.

Klebanov was shaking. He needed both hands to hold the gun. Behind him the other scientists were shaking too. But not with anger. Slowly, they sank to their knees, as if the energy was being drained from them. Only Klebanov stayed upright. His finger tightened on the trigger. Fired.

Just as Jack smashed the gun out of the man's hands and sent it spinning across the room.

'What is happening to us?' Klebanov hissed as he too sank to his knees.

'Your time's up,' the Doctor said. 'It's over.'

'But... how?'

'I led the ship's remotes back to the lab,' Jack said. 'To your transmitter.'

The last of the flares impacted on the glutinous hide of the creature. Levin could see it burrowing its way into the jelly*like ma.s.s. A line of fire scorching through the thing the skin and flesh melting and dripping away. The flare exploded deep within and fire burned its way out again, sending chunks of glowing blue spattering across the roadway.

But behind the stricken creature another was moving forwards, pushing its fellow out of the way as it hungrily slithered towards the people at the end of the dock.

'I guess this is it, then,' Catherine said.

'I guess so.' Levin turned to his men. He cleared his throat. He wasn't sure quite what he was going to say, but he was going to say something something about honour and privilege and determination and camaraderie and fallen comrades.

But before he could speak, Lieutenant Krylek was grabbing his shoulder and turning him back. 'Look, sir look!'

The creature at the front of the line had stopped. It seemed to be sinking into the ground collapsing in on itself. Melting away. Viscous blue liquid was running across the roadway and dripping over into the icy harbour. The glow faded, pulsing more weakly with every second. The other creatures were the same melting, fading, dying.

'What's happening?' Catherine said quietly.

Levin could only shake his head. 'I've no idea. But let's not complain.'

'The transmitter is the single greatest power source in the area,' the Doctor told them. 'Has to be. All the power the creatures find and send back to the ship, you fixed to channel to that transmitter and out to you.'

'So now the blobs have got it,' Rose realised, 'they can't get their power any more.'

'That's right. More than that, though. It's a loop. The blobs get the power from the transmitter and send it back to the ship.'

Klebanov was trying to speak. But while his jaw was moving, the only sound was a cracked coughing. He was shaking, on his knees, pitching forwards. All around him the others were crumbling to dust bones disintegrating, bodies collapsing in on themselves.

'Then the ship sends it to the transmitter,' Jack went on. 'And the blobs send it back to the ship.' He was standing with Valeria. The girl's face was wet water from the leaking pipes, or perspiration.

'And with each loop, each cycle,' the Doctor said, 'a little bit of power gets lost. Because it's all happening incredibly fast, it drains away fairly quickly. Pretty soon, the ship will be safely powered down.'

'What will happen then?' Rose asked, unable to look away as Klebanov pitched forwards onto his face. His hands were dry bone, then powder. His lab coat was stained and torn and empty.