'Nah, she's fine. Thanks for the sympathy.'

The Doctor sighed. 'Next time, I'll bring a bunch of grapes. Anyway, where is she?'

Mickey shrugged. 'Last I knew, she was off out to collect up those games like you asked her.' He became suddenly serious. 'Look, there's something you should see. Might be nothing but... well, it's worrying.' He turned back to the computer, clicked the mouse a couple of times, and pushed back the chair so the Doctor could get close enough to see.

On the screen were the words 'KILL ALIEN'S FOR REAL ONLY 50'.

'Illiterates,' muttered the Doctor, taking over the mouse from Mickey and scrolling down.

There was a picture of a Mantodean, seemingly a screengrab from the game, and more text: 'kill alien's. this game let's you shoot alein's for real. they are giant insect's and EVIL. you can kill them. this is GARANTEED. Email '.

The Doctor thumped a fist on the desk. 'Idiots!' he said. 'If someone starts sending these games all over the country all over the world we'll have no chance of collecting them all. Still, let's hope no one realises this is actually the truth. Knowing humans, they'd be flocking up...'

Mickey cleared his throat. 'I think they do think it's the truth, though. The people who'll be reading this, anyway. I was just sort of browsing, you see...'

The Doctor was already hitting the back b.u.t.ton. 'Alien bondage ring?' he said, incredulously.

'I didn't think there'd really be sites about it!' said Mickey wretchedly. 'Er... anyone you know?'

The Doctor shut down the site with a decisive click. 'Ridiculous humans,' he said. 'I'm going to find Rose. We're stopping this now.'

Dilys's Martin gave Rose a lift home, but by the time she got back, she was exhausted. She'd been so worried about her mum, thinking that she was on some distant planet, going to be killed by aliens. The adrenalin had been pumping something rotten. Now well, she was still worried about her mum, hurt and in hospital, and she was still worried about the whole thing, the aliens and the games and the people being killed but the adrenalin had drained away, leaving her ready for a sit*down and a cup of tea.

She didn't notice the Doctor sitting outside her front door until she was nearly on top of him. 'h.e.l.lo,' she said. 'You got away from the porcupines all right then, did you?'

He gave her a yes, obviously yes, obviously look. 'D'you do it then?' he said. 'D'you get all the games?' look. 'D'you do it then?' he said. 'D'you get all the games?'

She leaned over him and put her key in the lock. 'No. I haven't got any of them.'

'Why not?' he said, following her inside.

She gave a big sigh. 'You'll never believe it. My mum had one of those holiday tickets.'

He looked concerned at that. 'Did you stop her going?'

She shook her head. 'It's all right. Well, it's sort of all right. She didn't go. She got beaten up instead. She's in hospital.' And she explained everything she'd been doing.

To her surprise, the Doctor didn't seem very sympathetic. She hadn't expected a lot, but a bit of 'poor Rose, what you must've been through' would have been nice.

'So you didn't collect up any of the games,' he said. 'You didn't even try, not even when you knew she was OK.'

Her eyes blazed. 'My mum mum was in was in hospital hospital.'

He shrugged. 'Hospital's where they look after people. You knew she was safe. You could've stuck with the plan, maybe saved some lives. But you went to the hospital instead.'

She was so mad she could hardly get the words out. How could he not understand? Her mum was in hospital! To carry on worrying about some abstract threat when your own mum was in hospital! But a bit of her, deep inside, realised she was getting so angry because she knew, in a way, that he was right. 'Sometimes you're just not human!' she yelled. And he raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'D'uh!'

She grabbed her bag. 'I'm off to collect up these games then.' she said, her voice barely less angry than before.

The Doctor stood up. 'Good. I'll come with you.'

Her hand was actually on the door handle when the phone rang. She hesitated.

'Leave it,' said the Doctor.

She might have done, if he hadn't said that. But she was feeling contrary now, and anyway, it might be the hospital which was important.

She weaved past the Doctor, back to the kitchen, and picked up the phone. Behind her, she heard the door slam, and knew he'd gone without her. Let him, she thought, while at the same time being just a bit terrified that she'd never see him again. But a few moments later she was haring down the steps after him, yelling at the top of her voice.

'Doctor! Doctor!' she cried, and before she'd gone two floors down he'd heard her and raced back up. All his disapproval had gone in the face of her distress, and he was the comforting best friend again, ready to take charge.

'What is it?' he asked, gripping her shoulders.

She shook her head, not sure, but as they raced back up to the flat she attempted to explain. 'Thought it was a dirty phone call. Heavy breathing and stuff. 'S not. I... I don't know. See what you think.'

They were back in the kitchen, and she jammed the handset into its holder and pressed the b.u.t.ton for speakerphone.

It sounded like a man, a young man. There was heavy breathing, but it was the deep, ragged breaths of terror. There were gasps and what sounded like sobs catching in the throat. Just those few sounds, but so much fear.

'What is it?' asked Rose, sure she knew the answer now, but unwilling to suggest it.

'Your phone got nicked,' said the Doctor. 'So did a holiday ticket. Stands to reason the same person's got both of 'em still. So they get carried off to this alien planet, forced to play this ' his face hardened and he spat out the word 'game.'

'But phoning here no, don't tell me,' said Rose, 'this was the last place I called, and somehow he's knocked the redial, or the speed dial or something. That's what's happened.'

'Shh,' said the Doctor, pointing at the phone, and Rose hurriedly shut up and listened. Another sound could be heard, a loud chattering, clicking noise. The strangled sobs were getting faster, and there were choked grunts from deep in the throat, as if someone was desperately trying to form words but couldn't. The chattering sound got louder, closer to the phone.

Then there was a schnick schnick noise, like a giant pair of scissors slamming shut. And then there was a soft, heavy thud. noise, like a giant pair of scissors slamming shut. And then there was a soft, heavy thud.

Then the line went dead.

Rose pulled up a kitchen chair, sat down. 'I wanted that to happen,' she said. 'When I heard what he'd done to my mum, I wanted that to happen. I wanted him to be made to play that stupid alien game, I wanted him to be scared, so scared, like my mum was when he was. .h.i.tting her. I wanted him to be killed like that, have his head chopped off by an alien. I wanted all of that.'

The Doctor sat down beside her. 'It's all right,' he said. 'Wanting it to happen didn't cause it. It was the Quevvils who killed Darren Pye, not you. You don't have to feel guilty.'

She turned to him, anguished. 'You don't understand. I don't feel guilty. I don't know what I feel. You know how you say, "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy"? Well, I'm still not sure that I wouldn't. Cos I feel sick inside, but part of me's still glad he suffered.'

'There you go, being human again,' said the Doctor. He put an arm around Rose, and hugged her to him. 'It's not fair, is it, when we're forced into pitying someone we hate. Feels like the world's turned topsy*turvy. But it's all right. You're still allowed to hate them. As long as you don't gloat at their downfall, that's all.'

Her mouth twitched into a lopsided smile. 'If you say so.'

He nodded. 'I do.'

The Doctor sat back, and Rose fished out a hankie and blew her nose hard. She suddenly realised she hadn't told him everything that had happened. 'Mickey got hurt,' she said. 'I should check he's OK.'

'I know, I've seen him,' said the Doctor. 'He'll be fine. Might've been a different story if the beam had hit him full on, but it must've only grazed him as the teleport took you out of there. He'll just be hobbling for a few weeks. And talking of hobbling... time we were doing the rounds, trying to pick up a few of these games.'

Rose took a deep breath, and stood up. 'All right,' she said. 'Let's go.'

ELEVEN.

They decided on a cover story. Not the best cover story in the world, but better than just turning up on someone's doorstep and demanding they give you their games console.

Rose announced she was going to pa.s.s herself off as a trading standards official, come to collect up the dangerous games which had been known to catch fire and burn down people's flats. She would tie back her hair and call herself 'Susan', or 'Pamela', or something equally sensible and trustworthy.

The Doctor pointed out that her face had been on 'Missing' posters around the estate and the surrounding areas for a year, a lot of people either knew her or knew her by sight, and anyway, why would they be less likely to trust an honest*looking, loose*haired nineteen*year*old called Rose than someone who was obviously pretending to be something she wasn't?

Rose conceded the point.

'But,' said the Doctor, 'the fire idea's a good one. We'll tell 'em that.'

And so they began. Rose knocked at the first door, and after a few minutes a young woman opened it. Rose had seen her around occasionally, struggling with a pushchair, but didn't know her name. The woman was carrying a crying toddler, and didn't look particularly happy at being called to the door.

'Sorry to disturb you,' Rose said, 'but we were wondering if you'd won a games console in this Percy Porcupine promotion.'

The woman stared at them. 'Do I look like I've got time for playing games? Oh, shut up, Danny.' The toddler bawled even louder.

'It's just that there's been an accident,' the Doctor interjected. 'So if you did have one...'

'Well, I don't,' said the woman. 'Like I told the last one.'

She slammed the door in their faces. Rose and the Doctor exchanged glances. 'The last one?' they said simultaneously.

They moved on the next flat. An old lady kept the door on a chain and peered through the tiny gap at them. It took some time for them to get her to understand the general idea of what they were after. She turned out not to have a games console, but did still have a set of snakes and ladders from when her children were small, and a pack of ancient playing cards with cigarette advertising on the backs. She possibly still not entirely clear as to why the Doctor and Rose were at her door suggested they came in for a game, and Rose felt quite guilty when the Doctor gently refused.

The third flat brought another young mother to the door. They could see into the sitting room behind her, where two little girls were watching The Tweenies The Tweenies on television. She listened to the Doctor's spiel with her arms crossed, and a hard expression on her face that Rose found rather intimidating. When the Doctor had finished, the woman gave a great snort. 'A fire, you say?' she said, in what would have been a pleasant Scottish accent had she not sounded so scornful. on television. She listened to the Doctor's spiel with her arms crossed, and a hard expression on her face that Rose found rather intimidating. When the Doctor had finished, the woman gave a great snort. 'A fire, you say?' she said, in what would have been a pleasant Scottish accent had she not sounded so scornful.

'Earlier this afternoon,' said the Doctor. 'Did you not hear the fire engines going past?'

'It'll all be in the papers tomorrow,' put in Rose, for added verisimilitude.

'No, I did not hear any fire engines,' the woman replied. 'Which is odd, because I have verra good hearing. Nor did I see any smoke.'

'Well, we're a bit far away for that,' said the Doctor, waving a hand to indicate somewhere over there, but really quite far away indeed.

'I see.' The woman snorted again. 'Well, it's better than the last attempt, I'll give you that. At least you're not threatening to punch my head in. Is it that you're trying to win the prize, and don't want any rivals? Or is it that these games are worth a bit? Is that why everyone's so keen to get hold of them?'

Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm. 'Someone else has been round?' she said. 'Someone was trying to get you to give them your games console?'

'Trying and succeeding,' the woman said. 'I don't like giving in to threats, but when some lout is staring at my girls while threatening violence, some silly computer thing is a small price to pay.'

'Might as well give up,' said Rose as they left, the door not actually having been slammed in their faces, but near enough for them to have got the message. But the Doctor disagreed, and after an hour and a half, they'd managed to collect up eight games. Rose's arms had had trouble coping after the first three, but Mrs Burton, who had known Rose since she was small, and certainly wouldn't give the game she'd won to her grandson if it was dangerous, lent Rose her shopping basket on wheels to carry them in. Rose felt slightly self*conscious, but couldn't deny that it made things easier.

A couple of people refused to give up the consoles, a few dozen had never had a game or had given theirs away, but the majority of game*owners had already handed theirs over in exchange for not being thumped, and it came as little surprise when the would*be thumper was identified by some of Rose's near neighbours as Darren Pye.

'Sort of hoist by his own petard,' said Rose, as they walked down the road towards the next block of flats. 'Nicking all these games, and then getting killed by one of them. In one of them.'

The Doctor suddenly stopped. 'If that's what happened. Come on.' And he was moving back the way they'd come so quickly that Rose's feet were still going onwards. She quickly turned round and hurried after him, but he wouldn't tell her why the plan had changed.

'This Darren Pye,' he said. 'Thick, is he?'

'As a brick,' Rose replied.

'Got to have some sort of reasoning power to beat someone up for their lunch money, though,' said the Doctor. 'Fist plus terrified first year equals cash, sort of thing. Be devious enough not to get caught by the teachers. Shrewd enough not to take things so far that the police get involved.'

'So?' said Rose.

'So perhaps we've got something more to worry about. Come on.'

To Rose's slight surprise, the Doctor didn't head back to her flat, but to Mickey's. He swept in with barely a rap on the front door. Mickey was in the bedroom, concentrating on the computer.

'We wanna have a look at that site again,' said the Doctor.

Mickey seemed to know what he meant. 'It's gone mad,' he said. 'Just this evening. Death to Mantodeans Death to Mantodeans is everywhere. There are message boards and stuff. Price has gone up to 100 quid, and there's one on eBay that's gone up to over 200 already.' is everywhere. There are message boards and stuff. Price has gone up to 100 quid, and there's one on eBay that's gone up to over 200 already.'

'd.a.m.n!' shouted the Doctor, kicking at Mickey's bed. 'This has got to be stopped.'

'People are selling the consoles on the Internet?' asked Rose.

'Dumb humans!' yelled the Doctor.

Mickey looked almost nervous. 'That's not the worst of it.'

The Doctor looked at him. 'You're not telling me someone's done something even more stupid?'

'Er... yeah,' said Mickey. 'Looks like they have.' He started to click through screens on the computer. 'I've been at this since you left. Searching around, seeing what I could find out. This only went live a couple of hours ago, as far as I can tell. It's not easy to find. You go through all these links, pa.s.swords and stuff. But I got there.' He preened slightly.

'Well done, who's a clever boy,' said Rose. 'Now, are you gonna tell us what you found?'

Mickey clicked Return, and sat back.

It started with a message posted on a forum. 'It would be gr8 if game's were real if you shot someone and they were really DEAD!!!' It was signed by alienkiller1984.

'That's the bloke who runs that other site,' said the Doctor.

'But it's only the start,' said Mickey, scrolling down the thread.

'There are so manny people Id like to see DEAD. But not go to prison 4 it!!!! It would be GR8 if you could send them on holiday and they never came home but were KILLED!!!! Do you agree.'

Rose inhaled sharply.