Ruth leaned over him. 'He's coming round.'

'Help...' muttered Stuart. 'Help me...'

'It's all right,' said Jo soothingly. 'You're safe now.'

The old man glared wildly at her. 'Safe? No-one's safe. He's here . . . he's here. I I saw him.' saw him.'

Ruth tried to settle him back on his pillows. 'The poor boy's delirious,' she said. 'Don't try to speak, Stu. Just rest.'

'No, wait,' snapped the Doctor. 'Let him talk. What did you see?' He leaned over the terrified old man. 'Answer me!"

'Danger!' muttered Stuart. 'The crystal ... the crystal.' the crystal.'

His body arched and he flung his head from side to side.

Ruth tried to push the Doctor aside. 'You must stop this!'

'The Doctor ignored her, leaning over Stuart 'Speak up, man! What was it you saw?'

'I say, steady on, Doctor,' said the Brigadier.

'Doctor, please please,' pleaded Jo.

But the Doctor was not to be distracted. 'Be quiet all of you.' He leaned over Stuart.

'Stuart, answer me! What was it?' What was it?'

Suddenly Stuart sat bolt upright. 'Kronos! 'Kronos! ' h screamed hoa.r.s.ely. 'It was Kronos!' He fell back unconscious. ' h screamed hoa.r.s.ely. 'It was Kronos!' He fell back unconscious.

'I should have known!' said the Doctor softly. 'Doctor Ingram, I want you to come with me. You must tell me everything you know about Professor Thascalos and about this machine of his.'

'Shall I come too?' asked Jo.

'No, you'd better stay here with this poor fellow. If he starts talking again, call me at once.' The Doctor headed for the door and with a helpless look at the others, Ruth followed him.

'Better lock the door behind us, Miss Grant,' advised the Brigadier.

The Doctor paused. 'Don't hang about, Brigadier, I've got a job for you too, you know!'

In the duty room at UNIT HQ Captain Yates was noting his superior's requirements on a message pad.

'Newton Inst.i.tute, Wootton. Yes sir, got that, sir. Over.'

The Brigadier's voice crackled from the RT. Unfortunately, there was rather more crackle than message. Mike Yates flicked the switch. 'Say again, sir, I didn't quite get that. Over.'

The Brigadier was standing by his land rover which was still parked outside the Newton Inst.i.tute. He raised his voice. 'I said, bring some men down with you, Captain Yates, I feel as naked as a baby in its bath. Light and heavy machine guns ... oh, and shove a couple of anti-tank guns in the boot, will you?'

Mike's voice was puzzled. 'You've got tanks there, sir?'

'You never know,' said the Brigadier ominously. 'Over.' Although the Brigadier didn't really know what he was up against, he did know that the average alien menace seemed distressingly immune to rifle bullets. Maybe something heavier would do the trick.

Mike Yates said, 'Right, sir, I've got all that. And when, sir? I mean how soon?'

'Oh, the usual,' said the Brigadier calmly. 'About ten minutes ago! Oh, and Captain Yates, the Doctor wants you to bring his TARDIS with you. Over.'

'Right, sir. Over and out.'

'Over and out.'

The Brigadier turned as he heard voices behind him. Humphrey Cook and his a.s.sistant Proctor were marching out of the Inst.i.tute, followed by a protesting Director.

'I'm sorry, Charles,' Cook was saying. 'The whole thing smells of bad fish. You'll be well out of it.'

The Director seemed compelled to argue a hopeless case. 'But I would stake my reputation on integrity of Professor Thascalos.'

'You already have, Charles. A foolish gamble at very long odds. It is scarcely surprising that you lost.'

'Humphrey, please. . .'

'I'm sorry, Charles. I see no alternative to a Whitehall enquiry. One can only hope we shan't have to parade our dirty linen at Westminster.; The Brigadier stepped forward. 'Forgive me, Mr Cook.'

'Doctor Cook, actually.'

'I beg your pardon, Doctor Doctor Cook. I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying.' Cook. I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying.'

'Well?'

'This affair is no longer in your hands, sir. It is now a security matter and I have taken over.'

'You have no right, Brigadier.'

'I'm sorry, sir, I have every right. Subsection three of the preamble to the seventh enabling act, Paragraph twenty-four G, if I remember rightly.'

'Oh,' said Cook completely deflated.

'So, bearing in mind the Official Secrets Act, you will please say nothing to anyone about today's events.' He glared fiercely at Proctor. 'Either of you. '

Proctor opened his mouth to protest, but Humphrey Cook snapped. 'Oh, be quiet, Proctor. He turned back to the Brigadier. 'You can't possibly have grounds for such high-handed -'

'This man Thascalos is known to me,' interrupted the Brigadier. 'He is a dangerous criminal and an escaped prisoner. Sufficient grounds, I think?'

Cook rounded on the defenceless Proctor. 'Oh, come along, Proctor. Don't stand about.'

They both got into the car, and Cook leaned out of the window to fire a parting shot at the Director. 'You will be hearing from me, Charles.'

The limousine swept away down the drive and disappeared from view.

The Brigadier watched it go with the satisfaction of one who has thoroughly routed the enemy. He turned back to the Director, who was walking back into the main building with slow, almost stumbling steps. 'Excuse me, sir!'

The Director didn't seem to hear him.

'Doctor Perceval!'

Slowly the Director turned, his expression vague, almost blank. The poor old boy .was still reeling under the shock, thought the Brigadier. 'Are you feeling quite well, sir?'

'What? Yes, of course I am. This whole matter has been a great shock of course . . .

What did you want?'

'I should like this place evacuated of all but essential personnel at once.'

'But that's nonsense,' spluttered Perceval. 'I can hardly think, Brigadier, that you have the remotest idea what you are asking. There are projects in train here which -'

'I'm sorry, sir, but it's absolutely necessary. Sergeant Benton is keeping an eye on that infernal machine of yours until the troops arrive, but I cannot be responsible for the consequences unless you do what I ask.'

The Director attempted a last protest. 'Brigadier, you may enjoy playing soldiers, but -'.

The Brigadier said crisply, 'By three o'clock please, Doctor Perceval.' He turned to go, then paused. 'By the way, if the Master should contact you, don't try to hold him.

Just let me know at once.'

'Who?'

The Brigadier smiled wryly. 'I'm sorry. I meant the Professor of course. Professor Thascalos.'

The Director looked worried. 'But surely he'll be miles away by now?'

'I doubt it. Why should he have any idea that we're on to him? Believe me, he'll be back

5.

The Legend

Sergeant Benton sat in the inner lab, staring unblinkingly at the TOMt.i.t machine.

So far, no-one had tried to run away with it.

There was a tap on the outer door. 'Who is it?'

'Me! Ruth Ingram. The Doctor's with me.'

Benton got up went through the outer lab and opened the door, admitting Ruth Ingram and the Doctor, who looked quizzically at him. 'Any trouble?'

'I've been a bit lonely, that's all.'

'Good, good,' said the Doctor absently. He stared thoughtfully at the TOMt.i.t machine.

'But why why won't you explain, Doctor?' asked Ruth,. obviously continuing an unfinished conversation. won't you explain, Doctor?' asked Ruth,. obviously continuing an unfinished conversation.

'Because I have to be sure that I'm right. Now, where's this crystal?'

'Through here.'

Ruth led the way to the inner lab and lifted off the transparent cover, revealing the crystal socketted into its place in the machine. 'There.'

The Doctor stared at the crystal in fascination. 'The Crystal of Kronos. Then I am right.'

Ruth frowned. 'Kronos? That's what Stuart said. Please Please explain, Doctor - that's if you really do know what it's all about.' explain, Doctor - that's if you really do know what it's all about.'

'You'll find some of it difficult to accept, I warn you. '

'Try me.'

'Well - luckily you're at least familiar with the idea of stepping outside s.p.a.ce-time.'

'I've lived with the concept for months.'

The Doctor said solemnly, 'And I've lived with it for - for many long years. I've been there, and a strange place it is too.'

He paused staring thoughtfully into s.p.a.ce - or perhaps into s.p.a.ce-time. 'A place that is no place, where creatures live, creatures beyond your imagination. Chronivores - time-eaters - who can swallow a life as a boa constrictor can swallow a rabbit, fur and all.'

'And this Kronos is one of these creatures?'

'That's right. The most fearsome of the lot.'

When the Director finally reached his office, he found the Master sitting in the big armchair beside his desk, drinking his brandy and smoking one of his best cigars.

'You!' gasped the Director. 'What are you doing here?'

'Don't panic. Close the door and come here.'

'But they'll find you!'

'Not if you keep your head. Why should they look in here? Now calm down and tell me what's been happening - and don't fidget, please!'

Ruth Ingram said, 'But surely, Doctor, Kronos was just a Greek legend, wasn't he?

He was the t.i.tan who ate his children.'

'Exactly. And what's more, one of the children in the legend was Poseidon, the G.o.d of Atlantis.'

'Are you trying to tell me that the cla.s.sical G.o.ds were real?'