Time and The Doctor
by Andie J. P. Frankham

‘Come on then,’ Ruby said and began to guide the Doctor towards the TARDIS.

Once again the doors of the canteen flew open and this time Ashgotoroth entered. His host body was covered in patches of blood from where the skin had burned and peeled as a result of the chronon energies from Tardis.

‘Your body is perfect!’ Ashgotoroth yelled and launched himself through the air. He knocked Ruby to one side and took the Doctor in his hands. ‘Give it to me!’ With one hand Ashgotoroth forced the Doctor’s mouth open, while the Doctor struggled uselessly in Ashgotoroth’s grip.

Liquid time oozed out of the host’s mouth and dripped towards the Doctor’s own.

There was the crack of a gunshot and Ashgotoroth’s human body was flung aside under the impact of the speeding bullet. He hit the wall next to the doors, and slowly slid to the floor. His hand touched the open wound and a finger probed it. Ashgotoroth looked up from the hole, his eyes wide in surprised shock.

Standing before him, rifle pointed directly at his head, was Ruby.

Episode Two:

‘Human,’ Ashgotoroth whispered. ‘A foolish move.’

‘You might think that,’ Ruby said, the shotgun not moving an inch, ‘but if you make one move I’ll put a hole in your head.’

Ashgotoroth laughed. ‘Be my guest, soon this body won’t much matter to me anyway.’ He pressed the palm of his hands on the floor and slowly lifted himself up.

‘I’m warning you,’ Ruby said, a slight tremble in her voice. Ashgotoroth paid her no heed. She bit her bottom lip. She was no killer, she knew that. Shooting him in the first place was an act of desperation – she could not allow the Doctor to be killed. People needed him. Her own life was not that important, she was just a cook and occasional counsellor, nothing of major import.

With an amazing turn of speed Ashgotoroth leapt at Ruby. Ruby let out a scream and closed her eyes tightly. The rifle fell out of her hands, clattering on to the polished floor.

Ruby expected to be dead in moments, but instead she felt nothing new. Instead she heard the unmistakable sound of multiple gunshots. There was a thud, and Ruby slowly opened her eyes.

Standing by the double doors was Lethbridge-Stewart and a couple of UNIT soldiers. Smoke wafted out of their guns. She looked to where the weapons were pointed. Lying in a heap on the floor was the bullet-riddled body of Ashgotoroth. Blood oozed out of his many wounds. Nothing could survive so many direct hits.

‘Are you okay, Miss Mundy?’

Ruby looked up at Lethbridge-Stewart. She forced a smile and took a deep breath. ‘Quite all right, thank you, General.’

Lethbridge-Stewart turned to Dr Sullivan who had just pushed his way through the troop of soldiers.

‘Good lord,’ he said.

‘Sullivan, check Miss Mundy for shock. That body isn’t going anywhere, so it can wait.’

‘Right you are, sir.’

Ruby looked around the canteen, her brow furrowing. ‘Where’s the Doctor?’ Before anyone could offer up an answer she placed her rifle on a table and rushed into the still open TARDIS.

Dr Sullivan stopped, and looked back at Lethbridge-Stewart. ‘Sir?’

‘Oh, never mind her. She’ll be safe inside that box I expect.’ The lieutenant general pointed down at the body. ‘What about this chap?’

Dr Sullivan shrugged, and with one last look at the TARDIS, he went and knelt by the body. As soon he was on his knees he noticed something very wrong indeed. ‘Sir, this man’s still breathing.’

Bradley lifted himself with one hand into a sitting position and wiped his bloody lip with his other hand. He looked up and smiled. ‘Nice punch.’

‘Bit pissed off right now,’ Alf said. ‘What do you want?’

‘Your help.’

Alf laughed. ‘Oh right, is that all? Tell you what, why don’t you just sod off now and I’ll give you a break?’

Bradley got to his feet. ‘I can not do that. There is a bigger power in this world now, and it needs to be stopped.’

‘And you’re offering to help out of the goodness of your heart?’

Now it was Bradley’s turn to laugh. ‘Hardly. Nicholaus brought forth the power, and it threatens me just as much as you.’

Alf swallowed, and said coldly, ‘Nick’s dead now, so it doesn’t matter. Whatever he was trying to do with that bloke I stopped it.’

‘Not so. You were just that little bit too late. Ashgotoroth lives, and he has been taken by those UNIT people.’ Bradley stepped towards Alf. ‘He wants the Doctor’s body. That host body he has now is but a temporary vessel.’

‘Good. Let it have the Doctor, serves him right.’

‘I thought the Doctor was your friend?’

Alf grabbed Bradley by his collar and pulled him within inches of her face. ‘The Doctor killed Nick!’ she spat. ‘Our friendship ended there.’ She released Bradley.

‘You killed him,’ Bradley said, frowning. ‘I was watching. You chopped off his head.’ He smiled. ‘Very nicely done, by the way.’

‘You bastard!’ Alf swung for him again, but this time Bradley was ready. He sidestepped the punch with ease, and before Alf knew it he was standing behind her with his arm wrapped around her throat.

‘One shot is all you get, girl.’

Alf smiled, grabbed Bradley’s arm and tilted forward. He flew over her back and landed in a heap on the ground. Alf lifted her leg and crashed her foot down on his ribs. ‘Don’t count on it, spike.’

‘Ow, that almost hurt.’

Alf raised her foot again, but Bradley lifted up his hands in surrender.

‘Okay, calm down. We are on the same side here.’

‘Dream on, sunshine.’

‘It is true. If Ashgotoroth gets the Doctor’s body no one will be able to stop him. The Earth will be destroyed first, and then every other planet that exists.’

Alf considered this. She was pissed off; because of the state of her mum, and because Nick was dead. However she looked at it the Doctor was responsible for both of them. If the Doctor had not brought her to Earth before then Ace would not have died and her mum would be okay, and if the Doctor had not brought them to Earth this time Nick would still be alive. Despite that she was not so pissed off that she wanted the whole world to pay.

‘Fair enough. What’ve we got to do?’

Bradley smiled. ‘Oh, something quite simple, really. Kill the Doctor.’

Ruby walked further into the TARDIS. She still remembered seeing the Doctor enter the console room before, from a door that led further into the interior. Amazed as she was by the size of the console room inside such a small box, she had not been prepared for the sheer scale of what lay beyond.

The white walled corridors jarred with the ornate console room and Ruby had to shake the feeling that she had moved into a totally different place. It was like two buildings connected together, one designed by someone with a taste in Victorian architecture and the other by someone with a taste for the futuristic.

In the distance she could hear the soft meow of her cat. ‘Missy!’ Ruby called out, and followed the cat’s call.

She turned a corner and found the small black cat standing outside another white door. Missy was looking up at the door, as if expecting to be let in at any moment. Ruby rubbed her fingers together and called to the cat softly. Missy turned and walked over to Ruby, rubbing herself against the human’s legs. ‘What’s in there, then?’ Ruby asked Missy.

She picked up the cat, now purring softly, and pulled at the door.

It opened into an empty room, bathed in a soft light, an odd mix of purple and pink. The Doctor lay on the floor in the middle of the room. Ruby placed the cat down and walked over to the sleeping form. ‘Doctor?’

‘Ruby, close the door.’

She looked around. It was the Doctor’s voice, but he had opened neither his eyes nor his mouth. To all intents and purposes he still appeared to be sleeping.

‘Please,’ his voice urged.

Ruby shrugged, trusting that the Doctor knew his TARDIS better than she did, and she closed the door. An intense feeling of calm overcame her. She felt like she usually did after a thunderstorm. Relaxed.

‘Same cause and reason,’ the voice of the Doctor said. ‘It is the high bombardment of negative ions,’ another voice continued. Ruby turned to see a ghost-like person standing behind her. She could not really make out his features. He walked around her and over to the Doctor, talking all the while. ‘The Zero Room is cut off from everything, completely free from all outside influence. The perfect place for what is needed now.’

‘And what’s that?’ Ruby felt stupid talking to a ghost.

The ghost did not answer. Instead he carried on walking, not stopping when he came into contact with the Doctor. When he had reached the Doctor’s waist, the ghost-like man began to sink, like he was walking down invisible stairs.

Ruby continued to watch, sparing a quick glance at Missy who had fallen asleep.

A soft golden glow appeared around the Doctor’s body as soon as the ghost was gone. Ruby stepped closer for a better view and her mouth dropped open in amazement. The Doctor was changing. As she watched the beard un-grew, the hair sinking back into the skin. Soon the whole face blurred. The long, thick hair shortened, the brown becoming lighter, flecked with grey. Ruby looked across at the Doctor’s bulk, it was as if someone had put a pin in him and he was deflating. Soon the change had finished. A thinner man now lay where the Doctor once did. His eyes flickered open.

‘Doctor?’ Ruby asked, although she knew the answer.

The man lifted his head and frowned. ‘Erm… Ruby?’

Ruby nodded. ‘Yes, that’s me.’

‘Excellent. The memory is intact.’ The man, the new Doctor, got to his feet. He looked down at the oversized gown he still wore. ‘I seem to have lost a bit of weight.’

Ruby tilted her head sideways. ‘I quite like a large man, something to hug.’

‘Ah, sorry, Ruby, I did not mean to offend you.’

‘That’s okay, pet, I’m not insecure about my size. As I said, huggy is good. And that’s me!’ Ruby grinned at the Doctor, admiring his new physical form. ‘It suits you.’

‘Good.’ The Doctor looked down at his infirmary gown. ‘Although the clothes could do with a change,’ he said and rubbed his earlobe. ‘I seem to have picked up a lisp, too.’

‘It’s nice. You’re voice is a lot softer, too.’ Ruby pointed at his forehead, just above his right eye. ‘And you’ve picked up a bit of a scar.’

‘That reminds me.’ The Doctor opened his gown, oblivious to Ruby’s embarrassment at seeing the Doctor’s naked body beneath, and peeled off the bandage that covered the wound in his chest from the stake. He rubbed his hand over the wound-free skin. ‘Another benefit of regeneration.’

‘Yes, quite handy, that,’ Ruby said, looking anywhere but at the Doctor.

He pursed his small lips together. ‘You do not seem to be too surprised?’

‘Oh, I know about the way you can change your appearance, remember? It was witnessed in 1972.’

The Doctor wrapped the gown back around him and thought about this for a second. ‘Oh yes! That chap in the ambulance. Seems like a life time ago.’

‘Probably was for you.’

The Doctor placed an arm around Ruby’s shoulders, and she snatched a quick glance at him. She let out a small sigh in relief at seeing his body covered once more. ‘Shall we go and find me some new clothes?’ the Doctor suggested, ‘I can not find Alf and help UNIT looking like this.’ He guided Ruby out of the Zero Room and called back; ‘Come on, Missy.’

Obediently the cat followed.

‘Is that all?’ Alf asked, tongue firmly in cheek.

‘Between you and I it should not prove difficult.’

Alf shook her head. ‘I think you’re missing the point, Bradley. Why would I want to kill the Doctor?’

Once Alf had removed her foot from his chest Bradley got back to his feet. It was then that he knew he had her. ‘I saw the look in your eyes when he was lifted out of the rubble. You do not like him.’

‘I don’t like a lot of people, doesn’t mean I want them dead.’ Alf smiled. ‘Except you of course.’

‘That may be, but I see the look in your eyes even now. You hate the Doctor.’ Bradley pointed at her. ‘Yes, there!’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘I see that anger. I can feel it, it is the same anger I have towards Ashgotoroth.’

Alf shook her head. ‘You’re wrong, I’m not like you, mate.’

‘More than you care to admit. Did you not say, “the friendship ended there”?’

Alf nodded her head slowly. ‘Yeah, and…?’

Bradley sighed. ‘Think of it this way, then. If the Doctor does not die and Ashgotoroth lives through him, this planet of yours will be destroyed. Surely the survival of your world is more important than the life of one man?’

‘The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one?’

‘Something like that, yes.’

Alf looked to the ground in thought. Bradley continued to watch her, enjoying the look of determination slowly creeping over her face.

‘What’s going on here?’ a voice asked.

Alf looked up and over Bradley’s shoulders. ‘Simon, we… erm…’

Bradley turned around and Simon’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘Prince Bradley?’

Bradley smiled and bowed. ‘A loyal servant? Excellent.’

‘A loyal…?’ Simon swung his fist, catching Bradley by surprise. The vampire flinched from the contact, but otherwise did not move. Simon pointed a finger at him forcefully. ‘All those people died because of you, you sick bastard.’

Alf interceded and stepped between them. ‘Simon, take it easy.’

‘What?’

‘We need Bradley’s help.’

Simon blinked. ‘And again, what?’

Alf sighed. ‘I said we need Bradley’s help. We have to return to UNIT HQ, the Doctor has been taken back there and so has Ashgotoroth.’

Simon swallowed hard. ‘Ashgotoroth?’ He turned to Bradley. ‘As in Ashgotoroth the God you were trying to raise back in that church?’

‘Yes, quite so.’

Simon shook his head and looked back at Alf. ‘You want us to go back to UNIT HQ to stop a God? And you want Bradley’s help?’

Alf glanced at Bradley, who was smiling. ‘Yeah, that’s about the size of it, Simon. Bradley is a Kuang-Shi, stronger than any human on this planet, and probably the only chance we have against… this God of his.’

Simon let out a defeated sigh. ‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’ He turned and began walking down the path to his cab. ‘Let’s do it, then.’

Bradley watched him walk off. ‘You never told him about killing the Doctor.’

‘Hopefully it won’t come to that.’

‘And if it does?’

‘Then I’ll do what needs to be done.’ Alf nodded firmly and took her first step towards the car. She glanced back at Bradley, who was still watching Simon as he got into his cab. ‘Bradley?’

‘What?’ he asked, eyes still on Simon.

‘Try to take a bite out of him and I’ll kill you myself,’ she said, then turned and continued on her way.

Bradley just smiled in response.

Ruby glanced at the discarded infirmary gown and at Missy who was curling up in it. She smiled at the cat then turned back to the blind behind which the Doctor was standing. She could just make out the top of his head over it.

‘Are you finished yet?’

‘Almost,’ the Doctor answered. ‘First impressions are very important, you know, Ruby, and I intend to make the right one. If you travelled as much as me you would appreciate just how true that old saying is.’

Ruby just nodded, and continued to wait. Finally the Doctor stepped from behind the blind and spread out his arms.

‘What do you think? Stylish?’

Ruby eyed him up and down. Stylish was certainly one word she would have used to describe the Doctor’s new look. There was something a little antique about his choice of clothes, but it only helped to add a certain elegance to the overall effect. He was dressed in black. The only break in the black was the white spats over his shiny shoes and the white shirt under his black frock coat. He even wore a loosely tied black cravat under his shirt collar.

Ruby smiled. ‘Very nice, Doctor.’

The Doctor smiled back. ‘Thank you, Ruby, I am glad you like it.’ He looked around the wardrobe room. ‘Now then… there was something in here that I once received from an old uncle… where is it?’

Ruby watched him as he rummaged through boxes and shelves. ‘What are you looking for?’

‘This!’ he exclaimed as he pulled a black cane from out of an umbrella box. The Doctor turned around, resting his left hand on top of the cane. ‘Perfect.’

‘You don’t need a walking stick, Doctor, not with your new body.’

The Doctor smiled. ‘Very true, Ruby, but this is no walking stick. This cane is made out of a very rare wood found only on Gallifrey.’ He lifted the cane and displayed the silver top for Ruby to see. ‘See that? The Seal of Rassilon, authenticity of the highest level. Only one of its kind in the whole universe.’

‘Very nice, I’m sure, pet.’

‘Yes indeed.’ The Doctor turned and made for the door. ‘Come on, then, Ruby, we have some questions that need answering. Like just why did that young man want to attack me like that.’ He opened the door and turned to wait for Ruby.

She mock curtsied and walked through the door. ‘Thank you.’

The Doctor followed her out, leaving the door open for Missy’s sake. Together they walked down the long corridor back to the console room.

‘What about Alf?’ Ruby asked.

The Doctor glanced at her with a smile. ‘Alf can look after herself.’

Ruby shrugged. ‘Very strange. Before you regenerated you were very concerned about Alf, in particular your sorting things out with her. Why the sudden change, dear?’

‘I think the key to your answer is that word, Ruby. Regeneration.’

‘Not sure I understand.’

The Doctor rubbed his earlobe, and pursed his lips. ‘How can I best explain?’ He clicked his fingers. ‘Aha! Yes, that is it.’ He stopped walking and waited for Ruby to do likewise. She had to backtrack a little to be near him again. The Doctor explained. ‘Think about when you joined UNIT and all the things that have happened to you since then. Would it be true to say that those experiences have informed the person you are now?’

Ruby nodded. ‘Well, of course.’

‘Of course, indeed. Now, imagine you never joined UNIT. You would have had different experiences, and so the person that you would turn into would be different from the person standing before me. Yet, at the same time, the fact is that it would still be you, but with different thoughts on things, different outlooks and perspective.’

‘Yes, I think I understand you, Doctor.’

The Doctor beamed his small smile at her. ‘Splendid! Regeneration does the same thing to a Time Lord, only the results are more immediate and therefore much more noticeable. I am still the same person I was back in that bed, with the same concerns about Alf, but my perspective has changed.’ He nodded and set about on his way back to the console room.

Ruby followed. ‘So you’re still concerned about your relationship with Alf?’

‘Oh, very much so. But I also realise that Alf needs time to deal with things on her own. The poor girl has been through an awful lot of late and the last thing she needs is me in her face as a constant reminder.’

Ruby smiled at this. ‘Much better, Doctor. A lot more thoughtful than the last version of you.’

The Doctor chuckled at that. ‘Yes, I rather think so too.’

Dr Sullivan shook his head, turned from his sleeping patient, and left the small room. Kowlard and Lethbridge-Stewart were both standing outside looking through the small glass window.

‘Quite extraordinary,’ Lethbridge-Stewart said.

Dr Sullivan rubbed his firm chin. ‘You’re telling me, sir. I’ve never seen anyone survive such a shooting.’

‘And those other wounds?’ Brigadier Kowlard asked, referring to the way the patient’s skin was peeling away in small strips, revealing the flesh and bone beneath.

Dr Sullivan shook his head. ‘To be honest, this is beyond me. As if his body is being eaten away by some unknown virus.’ For a moment they stood in silence, looking through the window. Sullivan was the first to turn away. ‘I’m going to run some more tests, to see if I can isolate what’s causing his body to deteriorate like that.’

‘Very well, then,’ Lethbridge-Stewart began, looking from Sullivan to Kowlard. ‘I’m going back to the canteen to see if the Doctor has decided to emerge from his box. Maybe he can shed some light on these extraordinary events. Sullivan, keep a close eye on your patient, and don’t let him rampage through HQ again if you can help it.’

Dr Sullivan nodded sheepishly. ‘Sir.’

‘And Brigadier Kowlard, I want you to gather together the latest reports on the Kuang-Shi. I somehow doubt they will remain in hiding for much longer.’

‘Right away, sir.’

Together the two senior officers left the infirmary, parting ways once outside, leaving Dr Sullivan alone. For a few moments he remained by the window, just watching the steady rise and fall of the bedclothes over his patient. He sighed and turned away, returning to his small office on the opposite side of the ward.

In the private room, Ashgotoroth’s eyes snapped open. For a few moments he lay there, gathering his strength, and then with slow but deliberate movements, he pulled the bedclothes back…

Lethbridge-Stewart entered the canteen just as Ruby and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS. Lethbridge-Stewart stopped dead in his tracks and looked blankly at the Doctor. He glanced at Ruby.

‘Who is this man, and where’s the Doctor gone?’

The Doctor grinned. ‘Here I am,’ he said and gave Lethbridge-Stewart a little wave, and in return he was given a sceptically raised eyebrow.

Ruby stepped forward. ‘It’s true, General, this is the Doctor.’

Lethbridge-Stewart appraised the man before the police box, uncertainty written all over his face. He was as incredulous as he had been back in 1972 when he had first set his eyes upon the regenerated Doctor laying in the bed in Ashbridge Cottage Hospital. Back then he had not believed that the white haired man in the bed had been the same little dark haired man who had helped with the Cybermen invasion, and now he was having trouble reconciling the dignified man before him with the large and bombastic man who he had last seen lying in the infirmary.

The Doctor continued smiling, as if coaxing a response from Lethbridge-Stewart. ‘Alistair, it is me. Promise.’

Ruby sidled back over to the Doctor and placed her arm in his. She looked over at Lethbridge-Stewart, bemused. ‘I saw him regenerate, General. It was incredible.’

Lethbridge-Stewart smiled. He still felt a little dubious, but… ‘So, Doctor, you’ve changed again.’

‘Again?’ The Doctor removed himself from Ruby and approached Lethbridge-Stewart, wearing an affronted expression. ‘My dear Alistair, I have only changed three times since we first met. Believe me, in the life time of a Time Lord that is but a fraction.’

‘And in the life time of a human, Doctor, that is simply unknown.’

The Doctor rubbed his earlobe. ‘Point taken.’

Lethbridge-Stewart straightened his uniform jacket and switched to his official mode. ‘Now, then, Doctor, we are hoping that you can shed some light on all that business with the man in the infirmary. Why would he wish to attack you, and why is he still alive after being shot so many times?’

‘The answer to that, Alistair, is simplicity itself.’

There was a silence in the canteen while Lethbridge-Stewart waited for the Doctor to continue. When it was obvious that such an action was not to be, Lethbridge-Stewart asked; ‘And that is answer is?’

The Doctor shrugged. ‘I do not know, alas. But I suspect I can find out.’ He made to walk passed the Lieutenant General, but Lethbridge-Stewart took hold of the Doctor’s arm and brought him to a stop. The Doctor looked at Lethbridge-Stewart’s raised eyebrow. ‘The answers to such questions are always simple, Alistair, but those giving the answers like to shroud them in grand phrases and explanations. Are you coming?’

‘Coming where?’

The Doctor nodded towards the canteen doors. ‘The infirmary. I am as eager to find out why I was attacked as you are.’

Lethbridge-Stewart released the Doctor’s arm. ‘Very good, Doctor. You remember the way?’

‘Yes, just about.’ The Doctor looked over at Ruby. ‘Are you coming?’

Ruby shook her head. ‘No, I’ll stay here. Got a few things to do.’ She looked down at the apron she still wore. ‘I’m going to get changed for a start; smell like a chip fryer. And then there’s today’s instalment of Clear Waters to watch.’

‘A soap opera?’ The Doctor shook his head, hardly able to believe his ears. ‘All this excitement going on around you and you want to watch a soap opera?’

Ruby smiled playfully. ‘Don’t knock it, pet. There’s meant to be a big story coming up about Ethan Fox, and I intend to follow it all. And anyway, I leave the business end of UNIT to the professionals.’

‘Quite right, too,’ Lethbridge-Stewart said. ‘After all, Doctor, Miss Mundy may be employed by UNIT but she is still a civilian at the end of the day.’

The Doctor smiled at Ruby. ‘Fair enough. I am sure I will be seeing you again, once all this is over.’ He turned back to Lethbridge-Stewart. ‘Right then, onwards we –‘

The ringing of an alarm suddenly sounded in the air.

‘Sullivan!’ Lethbridge-Stewart cursed, and rushed out of the canteen. The Doctor watched him go, winked at Ruby who returned a smile, and dashed out through the doors after his old friend.

The Doctor and Lethbridge-Stewart arrived in the infirmary moments after Lance Corporal Ashton. The young officer swallowed hard at the sight that greeted him. He turned around at the sound of people entering the infirmary, and he raised his gun in warning. Ashton heaved a sigh of relief when he saw it was Lethbridge-Stewart.

‘What’s going on here, corporal?’

Ashton pointed at the scene in the infirmary. ‘Trouble, sir.’

The Doctor pushed his way passed Lethbridge-Stewart and surveyed the hallway. The door to the private room had been torn off its hinges. The room itself was empty, except for the signs of a struggle. Hanging through the smashed window, half in and half out of the room, was Dr Sullivan. The Doctor rushed over, placed his cane on the floor and knelt down. He pressed his fingers on Sullivan’s neck for a pulse.

‘How is he?’ Ashton asked.

The Doctor looked over at the lance corporal, and shook his head. The look of sadness in the Doctor’s eyes was palpable. ‘Dead.’ He lifted Sullivan’s head and pointed at the puncture wounds on the neck, just visible beneath the blood pouring from the wounds caused by the broken glass. ‘One guess at who did that.’

‘The patient?’ Lethbridge-Stewart asked. The Doctor nodded. ‘But that is a vampire bite. That man was not a Kuang-Shi.’

The Doctor released Sullivan’s head and it flopped back down, lifeless. ‘Yes and no.’ He picked up his cane and stood back up. ‘Alf must have interrupted Nick’s plan too late. He was performing the same ritual as Bradley before him.’

‘Doctor, I’m not following you.’

‘The Cult of Ashgotoroth, Alistair, it was all a front for Bradley, and latterly Nick, to bring to Earth the Kuang-Shi god, Ashgotoroth.’ The Doctor slapped himself on the forehead. ‘I should have realised! That man who has been a patient here is a host body for the essence of Ashgotoroth, and if I am not mistaken Ashgotoroth is pure liquid time.’

‘Liquid time?’

‘This is not the time for questions, Alistair!’ the Doctor snapped. He brushed aside the offended look on Lethbridge-Stewart’s face and turned to Ashton. ‘Corporal, get some of your troops together. There is a weakened god roaming this base. He will need a new body soon, and he does not care who he has to kill to get one.’

Lance Corporal Ashton looked at Lethbridge-Stewart for confirmation. ‘Sir?’

‘Do it, Corporal. I want a complete sweep of HQ. Inform Brigadier Kowlard.’ Lethbridge-Stewart pulled out his old service revolver. ‘The Doctor and I will begin our own search.’

Ashton’s eyes roamed over to Sullivan’s body, and he swallowed.

‘Now, Corporal!’ Lieutenant General Lethbridge-Stewart ordered.

Ashton snapped to attention, ‘Sir!’, and headed out of the infirmary.

Lethbridge-Stewart returned his attention to the body of Dr Sullivan. The Doctor observed him silently, watching as a haunted look wandered into Lethbridge-Stewart’s eyes. The Doctor stepped forward and placed a hand on Lethbridge-Stewart’s shoulder. ‘Alistair?’

The old soldier did not remove his look from the dead body. ‘This seems very wrong, Doctor.’

‘Yes,’ the Doctor said softly, ‘loss of life always is.’

Lethbridge-Stewart shook his head and turned to face the Doctor. The muscles in his jaw were constricting and tightening, as the lieutenant general attempted to process his thoughts. ‘That’s not what I meant, Doctor. This is all wrong.’

The Doctor looked away, hiding the dark thoughts expressed in his eyes. ‘I have no idea what you are talking about, General,’ he said shortly.

‘No, neither do I.’ Lethbridge-Stewart let out a sigh and glanced back at Sullivan’s dead form. ‘An intruder in UNIT HQ, this is unthinkable.’

‘Obviously not,’ the Doctor said. He narrowed his eyes as a thought occurred to him. ‘Alistair, when your men brought Ashgotoroth back from the church, what happened to the body of Nick?’

‘The decapitated one?’

The Doctor nodded, pushing aside the dreaded image of Alf slicing Nick’s head off his shoulders. ‘Yes, that one.’

‘It was brought back here. Presently in the mortuary.’ Lethbridge-Stewart’s eyes widened in understanding. ‘Oh. You think this Ashgotoroth will seek out that body?’ The Doctor nodded. ‘But why?’

‘Because, Alistair,’ the Doctor began heading for the door, ‘Nick’s body used to belong to a god-like being. Other than me, it will be Ashgotoroth’s best chance.’ He turned back at the door. ‘Well, are you coming?’

Ashgotoroth lifted his mouth from the neck of the UNIT soldier and wiped away the blood with one hand, while pushing the door open with the other. As the stolen blood mingled with the blood all ready in the host body he could feel some strength returning. He knew the strength was temporary, but it would last long enough for he was moments away from the body of his emissary.

He entered the darkened room and waited for the host body’s eyes to adjust. The room was spartan, furnished only by several metal tables. Upon one, at the far end of the room, lay a body. Ashgotoroth could sense no life in it, but if he concentrated hard enough he could just about detect the briefest trace of liquid time.

It was enough for his purposes.

Ashgotoroth crossed the room, limping as the host body’s strength began to fail once again. He reached the table and pulled back the cover. Revealed was the pale, naked body of Nick. Sitting on the table, inches from the bloody stump of the neck, was the lifeless head. The blond hair was laid out around the head like a lion’s mane.

‘My Emissary,’ he whispered, ‘your usefulness has not yet come to an end.’

‘I really have got to disagree with that.’

Ashgotoroth span around just as the lights came on. The Doctor stood in the doorway, shadowed by the burly figure of Lethbridge-Stewart.

‘Doctor!’ Ashgotoroth hissed. ‘How kind of you. You have prepared a brand new body for me.’

The Doctor shrugged. ‘Well, I do so hate to disappoint. Alas, in this case, I must.’ He stepped into the room and glanced back at Lethbridge-Stewart. ‘Alistair, be a good man and close the door. We do not want this creature to get beyond this room.’

Lethbridge-Stewart was not so sure about locking himself in a room with a crazed god, but upon quick reflection he was surprised to realise that he actually trusted the Doctor. He closed the door, and aimed his revolver at Ashgotoroth.

The Kuang-Shi God eyed the gun and smiled. ‘The strange thing is, little man, that you’re weapon could probably do some damage to my host now.’ His smile got bigger. ‘I can’t allow that.’

Behind him the fleshy stump of Nick’s neck started to squirm, and mercurial liquid began to ooze out. Ashgotoroth stepped to one side and waved a hand towards Lethbridge-Stewart.

‘Alistair, get down!’

The Doctor’s warning came a fraction too late. Liquid time shot out of the neck and flew across the room. It connected directly with Lethbridge-Stewart, immediately winding him. The force of impact was enough to lift the old soldier off his feet and through the closed door. He hit the corridor wall with a crack. The Doctor glanced back, a look of concern on his face, then turned to face Ashgotoroth once more.

He was just in time to see Ashgotoroth charging at him, arms outstretched. Just as the ravaged hands were about to make contact with the Doctor, he held his cane before his chest, like a centurion holding a shield. Instead of touching the Doctor, Ashgotoroth grabbed hold of the cane. The effect was immediate.

Lightning crackled around the cane, surging throughout the host body. Ashgotoroth yelled out in pain, and forced himself to release his hold. He staggered back. The Doctor watched Ashgotoroth stumble away, a look of supreme concentration on the Doctor’s face.

‘You win this round, Doctor. But I will be back!’ So saying Ashgotoroth took hold of Nick’s head and touched his palm on the chest of Nick’s body. Liquid time surged out of the neck and out of Ashgotoroth’s mouth. The silver substance enveloped both bodies, and retracted into nothingness.

The Doctor remained where he was for a moment, and then all the muscles in his face relaxed and his body collapsed to the floor. He let out a breath of air, and glanced weakly at the cane on the floor before him. ‘Good old Rassilon,’ he said, and closed his eyes.

‘Very well,’ Kowlard said into the phone, ‘bring them up but make sure they remain under guard.’ He replaced the receiver and turned to the Doctor, who was sitting on the edge of the bed looking better for his little sleep.

‘Alf and Bradley?’ he asked, having heard that names mentioned during the phone call.

‘Yes. Seems they’ve some important information for you.’

The Doctor pursed his lips. ‘Well, with Ashgotoroth currently out of sight I guess we need all the information we can get. It is a bit risky, though.’

Kowlard agreed. ‘Which is why I am adamant that they remain under guard. Especially the vampire Bradley.’

‘A good idea, Brigadier.’ The Doctor looked around the room, something on his mind. ‘Are you sure you need to go? I would feel much safer with you here, too. Bradley I obviously do not trust, and as for Alf… well, not too sure where she stands.’

‘Would love to stay, Doctor, but General Lethbridge-Stewart and I have an important meeting with the top brass. Essential that we keep them up to date on the current situation. Don’t worry, the private will take the Kuang-Shi out at the first sign of trouble.’

‘How is Alistair?’

‘He’s got a bit of a bump on the head, but otherwise fine.’

The Doctor nodded. ‘Have a good meeting, then.’

‘You too, Doctor.’ With a last nod of his head, Kowlard left the room.

For a short while the Doctor was on his own. In that time he did nothing but remain sitting on the bed looking at the wall. Meeting with Alf was something he needed to do, but he had hoped that any such meeting would be between just the two of them. It made sense she needed time to sort things out in her head, and the Doctor had hoped she would come back ready to work alongside him again. He had not expected her to use that time to team up with the Kuang-Shi responsible for Nick’s death.

The Doctor had a very bad feeling in his stomach.

The door opened and the Doctor forced a welcoming smile. ‘Alf!’ he exclaimed happily. His smile soon dropped as the door was fully opened.

The private who was supposed to be the Doctor’s protection was being held aloft by Bradley, who was biting into the guard’s neck. Alf watched on in disgust.

‘Alf!’ the Doctor shouted, aghast.

Hearing her name, Alf quickly pulled the gun out of the guards holster and walked into the room. She pointed the gun directly at the Doctor’s forehead.

‘Goodbye, Doctor,’ she said as her finger pressed on the trigger.