'Oh, yes. Well, back under arrest then,' Hewse spluttered.

There's obviously been a bit of a misunderstanding here. I think you'll find this parchment should explain everything.' The Doctor held up his wallet, giving both soldiers plenty of time to stare at the blank sheet within. 'Orders from the King. Look, it's got his official seal and everything.'

Butcher and Hewse glanced at each other, knowing they'd seen nothing of the sort but unable to ignore the fact that they were sure they had.

'Even so, the Captain definitely wants a word with you.'

'Yes, yes, I'm sure he does.' The Doctor made a show of slipping his wallet back inside his jacket pocket. Another wallet, the same wallet in fact, appeared as if by magic in his other hand. He handed it to Butcher. 'Actually, I've already had a little chat with the Captain, and he's given me this signed pardon, so we're all good.'

Butcher looked blankly at the psychic paper. He could definitely see words but they meant nothing to him, so 61.he pa.s.sed it to Hewse, who looked equally nonplussed.

That could be Captain Darke's signature, I suppose.' He shrugged at the imaginary squiggles. It seemed that, once again, they would have to take the Doctor's word for it. 'Everything seems to be in order, sir,' said Hewse, pa.s.sing the wallet back to the Doctor, and both soldiers snapped smartly to attention.

'Excellent. Good men. Right then, we'll need your chain mail, your jerkins and your helmets please.'

Butcher and Hewse stared at the Doctor. 'Er, are you sure, sir? I mean, the weather is a bit inclement to be running about in our under-things, sir,' Butcher stammered.

'Captain's orders. It's that or latrine duty...' The Doctor had a feeling that would convince them. 'Oh, and your pikes.' The Doctor turned to Emily. 'Do you think we'll need the pikes?'

Emily nodded in agreement. 'Definitely need the pikes.' She couldn't believe these fools had fallen for the same trick twice. There was no way this species was ever going to break orbit.

'Definitely need the pikes,' confirmed the Doctor to the bemused men.

In unison, they handed over their weapons and began to strip off their armour.

This isn't going to work,' muttered Emily as they approached the Castle gate. The helmet was too big for her, and she could barely stand under the weight of the 62.chain mail hanging off her shoulders. 'I still don't see why you couldn't use your psychic paper again?'

There'll be dozens of eyes on us in the Castle. If I have to flash my pa.s.s at every single one of them we'll be held up for hours.' The Doctor seemed quite comfortable in his ill-fitting costume. 'Anyway, it'll be fine. You're the very picture of a modern militarian. If anyone stops us, let me do the talking, and if they ask you anything just do your best to look butch and sound gruff.'

Thanks.' Emily rolled her eyes and marched on.

As it turned out, she needn't have worried. They got through the gate and into the Castle grounds without being challenged.

'I don't think much of their security. A herd of Buntocks could have hopped past and I don't think they'd have noticed.' She sniffed, unimpressed.

'You've got to remember these soldiers have probably been doing double shifts for months. They must be exhausted.' The Doctor paused, lost in thought. 'Now all we have to do is find the Sheriff. I don't suppose you know the layout of this place?'

'I never bothered with it, to be honest. I didn't think I'd ever need to come here. Shouldn't we be looking for the Krillitanes first, anyway?'

'Your average Krillitane is utterly devoted to its leader. As a race they're intellectually advanced, but essentially still very much pack animals, slaves to their tribal heritage. If we're going to stop them, then we need to go straight to the big kahuna.'

63.'Can we at least ditch these ridiculous uniforms first? How do they breathe in this get-up, let alone fight?' Emily tugged at the neck of her jerkin, which was irritating her skin.

'I thought I looked quite fetching,' said the Doctor, raising the face shield of his helmet and looking around. 'But I suppose it is a bit clangy for covert investigations. Let's dump them and get inside.'

As she struggled free of the hefty metal garment, Emily took the opportunity to take in her surroundings. The Castle was really a collection of one- and two-storey buildings, surrounded by a high fence and a moat. The Sheriff was most likely to be found in the largest of the buildings, she thought, not far from the stables where they were currently hiding.

At the western end of the complex, towards the River Severn, was a high mound upon which stood a stone tower, providing a perfect vantage point for the soldier stationed upon its ramparts to keep a watchful eye over the countryside to the south of the city.

She noted the number of soldiers manning positions along the defences, but it was clear they were too weary to be an effective fighting force. The sense of fatigue in this place was almost palpable, and she wondered what would happen to the morale of the civilian population outside if they were ever to find that out.

'Oi. Are you coming or not?' hissed the Doctor from a doorway in a small extension at the side of the building opposite, and Emily hurried over to join him.

64.It was a storeroom, though the shelves and barrels inside were desperately in need of restocking. Not only were the soldiers tired, they were hungry too. Pulling the door closed silently, the Doctor put a finger to his lips, warning Emily against speaking, and they moved cautiously towards the sounds of a busy kitchen.

The Doctor peered into the hot, steamy room, the aroma of cooking meat and freshly baked bread a.s.sailed his nostrils, and he watched as two women and a young boy busied themselves preparing breakfast for the garrison. They were too engrossed in the task at hand to notice the Doctor and Emily, who slipped silently through the kitchen and into the room beyond. It was a large hall, filled with long tables and benches. At one end, a fire crackled and popped warmly in a large stone hearth.

The garrison commander would have his quarters on the ground floor, and that's where we'll find our Sheriff,' whispered the Doctor.

This seemed like a reasonable a.s.sumption to Emily, but her main concern right now was that if breakfast was almost ready, then half the troops in the Castle might come marching into this very room at any second.

'Well, let's get on with finding it, then,' she said quietly, moving ahead of the Doctor, through an arched opening at the far end of the hall.

She found herself in a wide, candlelit corridor running the length of the building. To the right stood the main doors, one of which was open just enough to allow the 65.cold night air to blow a chilly breeze along the corridor. On the left she could see another set of double doors. That had to be the place.

There we go. Easy-peasy. Come on.' The Doctor breezed past Emily and headed down the corridor towards the Sheriffs office. 'No guards outside, though. If I was a suspicious man I'd say that was pretty suspicious.'

'Doctor.' Emily's voice was strained, tense, and the Doctor knew immediately that something was wrong.

Turning carefully, the Doctor was dismayed at what he saw.

The shadowy form of a large man gripped Emily tightly, pinning her arms to the sides of her body, pressing the barrel of a phase rifle hard against her temple. Emily's bright eyes were wide with fear.

A gravelly voice rasped out, 'Make one move and she's dead.'

66.

FIVE.

*n guard duty as well, Captain? You must be short __staffed.' The ODoctor spoke quietly, hoping Captain Darke wouldn't do anything stupid.

'I dismissed the guards, Doctor. Otherwise you wouldn't have got this far. In there, please.' Darke nodded towards an open door, and the Doctor entered without question, flashing Emily a rea.s.suring glance as he pa.s.sed by.

Darke closed the door and pushed Emily towards the Doctor.

'I want the truth this time, Doctor. Who are you, and what is your purpose here? Are you for the King or his enemies?'

'I could ask you the same question. Where did you get that rifle from? The Krillitanes?'

67.'From under your own floorboards, Doctor,' Darke said plainly.

The Doctor glanced momentarily at Emily, sensing her discomfort as she sought to avoid his eyes. 'Or perhaps you are not as well acquainted with your wife as you previously claimed?'

I was right about her then, was right about her then, thought the Doctor, neither disappointed nor surprised. However, now wasn't the time to worry about what was really going on with Emily. He raised his hands and directed his attention towards Darke. thought the Doctor, neither disappointed nor surprised. However, now wasn't the time to worry about what was really going on with Emily. He raised his hands and directed his attention towards Darke.

'OK, you're right. Before this evening I didn't know a thing about her, which was probably more than I do now to be honest, but I'm telling you - put down that weapon. You don't know the kind of damage it can do.'

Darke could have laughed. 'Doctor, I've wielded more tools of carnage in my lifetime than you can possibly imagine. All I need to know is that this is the end I point at my target, and this tiny lever is its means of operation.'

The Doctor resisted the urge to throw himself at the soldier and try to wrestle the weapon from Darke's grasp. He had to persuade the Captain that he wasn't a threat, that he was here to help.

'I don't have any answers for you, Captain. None that will make any sense to you, at least not yet. Trust me, what's going on here is far more serious than who controls the throne of England. Put that thing down.'

Despite his reservations, Darke knew this situation was going nowhere unless he allowed himself to afford this oddly attired man a degree of trust. Without another 68.thought, he pushed Emily towards the Doctor, keeping the rifle trained on them both. He was prepared to listen, but there was no point taking silly risks.

'I took this post because I wanted a quiet life. I'm tired of war and fighting. But even here, it seems, in the shire of my birth, I'm unable to escape it. Whether your answers mean anything to me or not, Doctor, I need to know what is happening."

Emily clung to the Doctor, and he could feel her trembling. 'You OK?' he whispered, eyes fixed on Darke.

Emily nodded meekly, and took a deep breath to regain her composure. 'I'm fine,' she replied, moving away from the Doctor, her voice hard and cold.

The Doctor looked at Darke. The Captain was tired, angry, scared, and in possession of an alien weapon that he was as likely to injure himself with as cause harm to anyone else. The only hope the Doctor had to get all three of them through this unharmed would be to tell Darke the truth, whether he believed it or not. He took a deep breath.

'OK. Here goes. There are monsters here, Captain. Monsters from beyond the stars, that will bring death and destruction upon the world unless I can stop them. It's very possible your Sheriff may be in league with them.'

Darke stared at the Doctor. There is nothing beyond the stars save for blackness. No heaven, no monsters. Nothing,' the soldier replied, voice faltering.

Then explain the deaths.' The Doctor raised an D O C T O R WH O D O C T O R WH O eyebrow, and let his words hang in the air for a moment. They weren't caused by human hand, and there isn't a predator in England capable of hunting such large prey on the wing. The creature that's been killing your people is from a race called the Krillitanes. They're from another world, and I'm going to stop them taking any more innocent lives. So put the gun down, and take me to the Sheriff.'

The Doctor held Darke's stare, and he could sense the soldier's mind reeling at the bizarre notions he'd posited, threatening to be overwhelmed by them. At long last, Darke lowered the rifle.

'What has the Sheriff to do with this?' Darke asked. Since the Sheriffs arrival, he had put his superior's volatile demeanour down to paranoia, but perhaps there was more to it?

The Krillitanes can disguise themselves, take on human form, and your Sheriff arrived at the same time as the killings started. I could be wrong, but it's a lot of coincidence to ignore. The Sheriff may be one of them.' The Doctor spoke quickly. They didn't have much time. 'He's just along the corridor. Let me speak to him.'

Darke considered the Doctor's words. There was only one way to find out whether there was any truth in them or not. 'You don't need my permission. The Sheriff gave me orders to bring you to him. He is already keen to speak with you himself. He'll be alone. He always is.'

The room wasn't cold but, where earlier a fire had 70 70 crackled in the hearth, warming the s.p.a.ce, now there were but glowing embers, casting a dim orange light across the walls. The Sheriff stood at the window, back to the door, staring through the tiny crack in the shutters that allowed him to observe the world outside, without ever having to interact with it.

If he'd heard Darke's knock at the door, or chosen to ignore it, the Sheriff didn't seem to notice it creak open. Nor did he move as the Doctor stepped carefully into the room, closely followed by Emily and Darke. In fact, it was difficult to tell if he was even breathing.

'My Lord, I have brought the prisoner, as you commanded.'

No response.

Even for the Sheriff, Darke thought, this behaviour was odd. It seemed quite possible he'd not moved from the window at all, since their conversation in the middle of the night.

'My Lord?' Darke tried again, yet still there was no response.

'Not the chattiest of chaps, is he?' commented the Doctor, watching carefully for any hint of life in the silent figure.

Emily cautiously approached the Sheriff until she was standing beside him. The man's face was expressionless, eyes glazed and vacant. She reached up and brushed his cheek lightly with the back of her fingers.

'He's stone cold,' she said, as the Doctor joined her.

I'll say. He hasn't even offered us a drink,' he joked 71 71 under his breath, frowning. Tapping his tongue against the back of his teeth in thought, the Doctor rolled his eyes towards Emily and fixed a curious and unavoidable gaze upon her. She knew what was coming.

'What would a girl on the run need with a Lokklar-Ri J77 Special a.s.sault sniper rifle with laser-guided optics?' he mused. 'Self defence?'

He raised his eyebrows, and Emily found herself feeling lost and guilty.

'What is wrong with him? Is this your doing, Doctor?' Darke interrupted from the other side of the room, and Emily took the opportunity to duck out of the Doctor's line of sight. The Captain was deeply unsettled by the Sheriffs demeanour, unwilling to come any closer.

'Nothing to do with me. He seems to be in some kind of post-hypnotic trance.' The Doctor dug into his coat pockets, retrieving his stethoscope. Warming the chest piece with a quick breath, he carefully placed it against the Sheriffs temple, listening attentively. 'Hardly a spark of electrical activity in the frontal lobe. His brain is just ticking over, like someone picked up the remote control and switched him to standby.'

'He isn't dead, then?' Emily asked.

'No, no, very much alive, just not very lively. Captain Darke, have you ever seen the Sheriff like this before?'

Darke shifted uneasily on his feet. 'Not like this. The men all think he's an odd one, not the man his predecessor was. He spends a lot of time in here, alone. Thinking about it, I don't think I've ever seen him leave this room. But this...?' His voice trailed away, at a loss 72 72 for words.

Emily tore her attention away from the static figure. 'So, is he a Krillitane or not, Doctor?'

'He's as human as the good Captain here, which rather spoils our little theory. Mind you, he isn't himself either. I think someone's been controlling him.'

The Doctor stuffed the stethoscope away and threw his coat over the Sheriffs unoccupied chair, thinking aloud as he did so. 'Why would the Krillitanes use mind control on a human, when they could just replace him altogether? It's not their style. It just doesn't add up.'

'Can't we wake him up and ask? There's a chance he might know who did this.' The fact was Emily had a fair idea already. A simple interrogation would have made her job easier.

'I shouldn't think he'd remember a thing,' the Doctor pondered.

The level of control seems pretty deep. Besides, if someone is keeping him on standby, then at some point they're going to switch him back on again. If we've woken him up, they'll know and they'll come after us. Best leave sleeping beauty be, for now.'

All this talk of trances and mind control was beyond Darke's experience, but something was bothering him. These monsters you speak of. Did you expect to find more of them at the Castle?'

'Well, they have to be somewhere.' The Doctor shrugged, disappointed that the Castle was looking more like a dead end by the second.

'Doctor, I know this Castle, and every soldier and 73 73 civilian within its defences. If there were a force of devilish invaders hiding here, I would know of it.' Of this, if nothing else, Darke could be quite certain.

The Doctor sighed, and walked disconsolately to the shuttered window, leaning around the Sheriff to peer through the crack that so fascinated him.

Dawn had broken, and a soft light was spreading across the cloudless sky. It was going to be a beautiful morning. The snow glistened as the first rays of sunlight touched upon the white tower of the Cathedral, standing tall above the Castle's defences, directly in line with the crack in the shutter.

Directly in line.

The Doctor slammed his palm against his forehead, berating himself for missing the obvious. 'Stupid Doctor. Stupid, silly old Doctor. Oh, I'm losing my touch.'

'What? What is it?' Emily jumped at this sudden, manic change in the Doctor, as he paced the room in excitement.

The Cathedral. It's been staring us in the face, like a big... Well, like a cathedral. Krillitane or not, that's where the Sheriff is being controlled from. There is a direct line of sight between this room and the Cathedral tower, and I bet if we can get up there we'll find a neural transmitter pointing straight at beardy.'

'Which explains why he never leaves this room.' Emily looked at the Sheriff again. The poor man, his life beyond his own control. It must have been horrible.