By Kyron Mallett
Part One
They were an odd pair: the local constable and the groundsman. With some difficulty they trampled through the dense grass at the far end of that estate. The nearby fence had virtually fallen over and the Bobby hesitated about putting his weight on it in order to jump over. The groundsman - fitted out in the obligatory slouch hat and duffle coat - simply pulled up the wire between two posts and stepped under. The constable - a much younger man with a trim moustache - followed suit.
"What the hell were you doing all the way out here?"
"I was checkin' to see if the fence needed repair," the older man replied.
"You were right then..."
They both paused as the figure of a body came into view.
"I was sort of hoping that this was some kind of misunderstanding Harry... but you're right, it's a body!" The Officer exclaimed as he moved to investigate.
"I don't recognise him."
"No, he isn't a local thank God, but these wounds... look Harry stop crossing yourself and come over here!"
The pair proceeded to turn the body over from its side to its back.
"He's been murdered!" The constable declared.
"You sure?"
"Unless he just shot himself in the chest a dozen times, yes."
"I take your meaning. There are quite a lot of holes aren't there..."
The constable shot him a quizzical look: "Didn't you see service during the war Harry?"
"Ah, no. Ear problems you see... and then, there's me leg..." Harry began.
"Right. Well, let's get back to the station shall we... I'll organise a truck to come out and pick him up!"
Harry looked stunned: "We aren't going to leave him here are we?"
"He's not going anywhere Harry and he's as hard as a board and as heavy as a boulder. Does The Colonel know?"
"Oh yes, he told me to fetch you straight away."
"Good. I'll speak to him later. He'll know to keep Claire away from this end of the estate."
Harry shuffled nervously, taking off his hat: "Aren't you going to rope off the area or something?"
"I'll look around but he's been here a few days and it's been raining most of that time. There's not even any blood visible is there?"
"No there isn't."
"I think he's been killed elsewhere and then dumped here. I wouldn't even bother The Colonel but there are procedures to follow."
"Meaning?"
"Well, I know that The Colonel is hardly going to murder someone and then dump them in his back yard so that his groundsman can find the body!"
Harry chortled: "Right you are Constable."
"For God's sake call me Bill. How long do you have to live here before people stop treating you like an outsider!"
What would today be considered a vintage Ford, turned up a narrow laneway and drove straight up to The Manor. A very handsome young man, with brown hair and a chiselled jaw, stepped out of the vehicle. He was wearing a dark suit and an expensive coat.
"Stewart! Stewie! You came!" A young lady cried as she rushed from the front steps, down to join him.
She was a pretty little red head wearing an elegant black dress.
"You should know by now that nothing could keep me away for very long!" Stewart replied giving her a little peck on the cheek.
"Have you heard the news? Harry's found a body at the edge of the estate... it's all very exciting!"
"Body?" Stewart echoed, looking startled.
"Oh yes, Daddy knows more about it than he's willing to tell me. Come on, he's in the drawing room. He's been waiting for you as well!"
The young couple retired inside the building.
At that same moment, a mysterious blue box materialised in a nearby field, amid a heard of cows. The doors of the police box fell inwards and voices began to emanate from inside.
"Doctor," a chirpy young woman laughed, "it doesn't look like the roaring twenties to me!"
Two figures stepped out.
The girl was petite, dark-haired, pixie faced and wore a twenties period dress and hat. The man was much older and sported an eccentric multi-coloured jacket slung over a similarly designed waistcoat and clown like yellow and black striped trousers. With his curly mass of blonde hair he looked like the daft Marx Brother. His entire outfit was accented by a blue and white polka dot tie, and a small cat pendant that hung on the left lapel of his coat. He took a considered sweep of the area before speaking.
"The navigational circuits must be on the blink again!"
They walked a short distance and paused again.
"Are you sure this is the twenties?"
"Absolutely Peri," The Doctor assured her taking a deep breath.
"I don't suppose we could just dash back to the TARDIS and try for London again can we?"
There was the snap of a twig behind them and they both whirled around to see Harry covering them with his rifle: "Now, who would you be then?"
"Ah," The Doctor replied as they both raised their arms in the air, "I'm awfully sorry if we're trespassing."
"That you are... you aren't locals, what are you doing here?"
"We just lost our way," The Doctor insisted, flashing a bright smile.
"I think you'd better come with me," Harry insisted, waving them off with the barrel of his rifle.
"Damn unpleasant business Stewart," The Colonel declared.
He was a mature man with a weak jaw and large nose. He had been sharing a drink with Stewart, poured dutifully by his silent butler.
"I think it's quite exhilarating!" Claire announced.
"Oh really Claire, we shouldn't be discussing such matters in front of you," The Colonel scolded.
"Oh drat, you're always treating me like a child!" Claire sulked.
"I'm well aware that you aren't a child anymore my dear," The Colonel answered, giving Stewart a wry grin.
In doing so he peered straight out the window behind Stewart. His eyes fell on the cottage across the lane.
"That damn woman is watching us again!" The Colonel grumbled.
"Really?" Stewart added, trying to peer out as well.
"Oh just ignore her Daddy. Gladys is harmless. She's just bored, that's all!"
"I should never have let out that cottage," The Colonel mumbled.
"Yes... they're having drinks right now. Yes, it's that same young man again up from London. You don't suppose...? Well, I daresay The Colonel knows what he is doing!" Gladys spoke into her phone.
She became aware that she was herself being watched and sat down in her comfortable armchair. She was a tall, grey haired old lady with a very long face.
"I'll leave it at that then. If I learn anything else I'll get back to you!"
The Doctor and Peri, with arms in the air, lead the way into the local police station, followed closely by Harry and his hunting rifle.
"Harry? What are you doing?" Bill asked.
"I found them sneaking about the site," he explained.
Bill walked over to them, shooting Harry a dark look: "I'm very sorry about this... I'm Constable Bill Smith. The locals can be a little insular you see."
"No harm done," The Doctor replied cheerfully, pulling his hands down, "I'm The Doctor and this is my assistant Peri!"
"The Doctor! Oh, that was very quick. You must have been in the area then. I called for a Coroner as soon as I located the body."
"The body?"
"Yes, the body. We found it at the back of the estate... you obviously went out there to find it. I had some of the local lads go and fetch it or me."
"Oh, I see!" The Doctor lied.
"I'll be going then," Harry commented.
"I'll talk to you later Harry," Bill grumbled.
Harry snorted and wandered out.
"The body's through here," Bill informed them and waved them through to the back.
"We need something to get our minds of this... incident. Why don't you take us for a spin up to the lake Stewart?" The Colonel asked.
"What a marvellous idea," Stewart agreed, putting down his glass.
"Are you sure Daddy? The weather doesn't look very promising out there," Claire queried.
"Oh, it's just a passing fancy Claire. Nothing serious. Collins would you fetch our coats?"
Collins nodded and trundled out.
"He's very quiet isn't he? I don't think I've ever heard him utter more than three words," Stewart thought aloud.
"Didn't you have servants at home?" Claire asked.
"Ah. Stewart is a self-made man. Aren't you my boy! That's nothing to be ashamed of," The Colonel reflected.
"Now that is peculiar!" The Doctor gasped.
"What?" Peri asked, trying not to look too closely at the gruesome sight.
"These wounds have been cauterised - he didn't lose any blood."
"Cauterised?"
"Yes, the signature of some kind of energy weapon," The Doctor explained.
"But this is the nineteen twenties!"
"Yes it is... that's what makes it all the more disturbing," The Doctor agreed.
"How's it going?" Bill called, poking his head around the curtain.
The Doctor looked around before he answered: "Fascinating. I'd like to examine the site where he was found."
"Look we've had a lot of rain lately..."
"Please. I think it might be of some value," The Doctor argued.
"Well alright. I'll take you there in the car if you think it would be useful," Bill agreed, reluctantly.
"Yes, all three of them," Gladys reported, "getting into the young man's car and heading off in the direction of the lake."
There was a pause as Gladys listened to the voice on the other end of her line.
"No. They're both in back. The young man is driving the machine."
Gladys pulled the curtain back into place and sat down.
"I'll let you know when they get back."
With that she hung up.
The police car made some progress through the estate. The Doctor and Peri sat in the back, while Bill drove. Stewart's car passed them on the way.
"Peculiar. Someone is headed up to the lake. I didn't know that The Colonel owned a car," Bill pondered.
"How long have you been here?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, three years. To the locals I'm still an outsider, but I've had no real trouble. They can be a bit funny as you found out today. Harry's harmless enough but he's fairly typical. I think we're getting close now."
Bill pulled the car over to the grass that lined the side of the road.
"Well it certainly is a secluded spot," The Doctor commented.
"Yes. I'll lay money on the fact that he was murdered elsewhere and dumped here. He'd probably never even been to the village before," Bill offered.
"But that's what we're here to find out, isn't it," The Doctor replied.
Peri shot him a concerned look. His gall never ceased to amaze her. They all piled out. Bill lead them over to the fence.
Stewart pulled his car up beside the lake.
"I think it's rather cold out," Stewart observed.
"Listen," The Colonel started, "I'll just have a quick walk around the lake by myself. You young people can stay here and amuse yourselves."
"Are you sure Colonel?" Stewart asked.
"Oh, yes it's much too cold for me and you wouldn't want me to stay here by myself," Claire asked him coyly.
"That's decided then. I'll just go and stretch my legs and be back in short while," The Colonel answered, letting himself out.
"Will he be alright?" Stewart asked Claire.
"Oh yes, he enjoys a good walk. I won't be though!"
"Why ever not?"
"Not until you get in the back with me!"
"Yes, I think that this was definitely the place," Bill assured them.
"Well you were right Bill, there isn't any sign of any recent activity at all!" The Doctor reluctantly agreed as he scoured the area.
"Are you lot okay?" Harry called.
"Harry? You back again?!"
"Just come to fix the fence," he replied, holding up a bag of tools.
"Right you are," Bill called back, "just don't disturb the crime scene like I told you."
Harry walked over and looked around: "That's why I'm here. This isn't it."
"Are you sure?" The Doctor questioned.
"Yes, that's why I came down this way. I found the body over there."
"Would you take us over there?" The Doctor requested.
"Sure," Harry nodded.
Stewart and Claire had been necking for about five minutes. Stewart would look out the back window every minute or so to make sure that The Colonel wasn't on his way back.
"I can't see your father," he told her.
"Oh don't you worry about Daddy, he's just wandered away from the shore a little," she insisted.
"He couldn't have gone that far in such a short time... you don't suppose he's fallen in do you?"
Stewart jumped out of the car and ran down to the lake. He stood at the shoreline and looked about frantically. Then he spotted something emerging from the water. It was a head. Then a head with shoulders. Them a head, shoulders and a torso. It was The Colonel. Stewart could hear Claire's footsteps behind him. The Colonel grinned at Stewart as he walked straight towards them...
Harry dutifully lead the investigating team down to the place where the corpse had originally been discovered.
"I could have sworn that you found it up that way!" Bill protested.
"Well you've only been here a short time constable. It's an understandable mistake!" Harry replied in a chummy way.
"I suppose all these woods look the same!" Peri joked.
The Doctor ignored her attempt at humour and immediately identified the depressed section in the ground where the body had lain.
"This is definitely where the body was," The Doctor agreed.
He then started wandering around the immediate vicinity. Peri joined him while Harry and Bill discussed the topic of local land topography. The Doctor paused near a tree and bent down to study some marks in the bark.
"What is it Doctor?" Peri whispered.
"Evidence of some kind of energy discharge. There was some kind of exchange here. That branch over there was actually blasted off..."
"How are you going?" Bill asked, suddenly coming up behind them.
The Doctor shrugged his shoulders: "Not a thing to be found."
"I wonder if we'll ever know who the poor fellow was, hey?" Bill commented.
"I'd like to interview some locals. Some of them may have seen something recently," The Doctor requested.
Harry stepped forward: "You'll be wanting to speak to Gladys. There's not much that goes on around here that she doesn't see or hear about in the end."
"Sounds ideal," The Doctor beamed.
"Well, I'll introduce you to her. She lives across from The Manor House," Harry offered.
"Are you alright Stewart?" The Colonel enquired.
The Colonel stood before him on the shoreline, his clothes dripping. The wind was blowing, yet Stewart noticed he wasn't shivering at all.
"I should be asking you that question Colonel!" Stewart spluttered.
Claire had come running down to meet them: "Is everything okay Daddy?"
"Of course, I just felt like a little dip," he chuckled.
Stewart thought he could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. Then he collected himself, took off his coat and wrapped it around The Colonel.
"I think we ought to get you home Sir, to the fireplace if possible."
They all made their way back up to the car.
Harry lead The Doctor up the steps of the cottage ad knocked on the door. It soon opened and Gladys smiled when she saw that she had quite a lot of company.
"Harry, how delightful!" She exclaimed.
Harry took his bonnet off and coughed before he introduced his companions: "This is The Doctor and his assistant Peri - they're here about the... body."
"Oh, of course. Well come in. I don't know how much help I can be but come in anyway!"
They all entered the comfortable looking home. It's walls were lined with fine paintings and clocks. The wallpaper was an off dark blue colour which Peri thought gave the cottage an almost claustrophobic feel. Gladys lead them into her living room and set about serving them tea. Her phone was positioned right next to her own personal arm chair, which itself sat before the front window.
"We basically wanted to ask if you had seen anything peculiar lately. Any strange, unexplained lights... that sort of thing," The Doctor asked.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"No... nothing that odd. Young Miss Woolf at The Manor has had her suitor call several times over the last few months but that's the only thing out of the ordinary!"
"The Colonel and his daughter live at The Manor across the lane," Harry explained.
Gladys proceeded to set out her cups. The tea had already been made which indicated to The Doctor and Peri that she had been expecting some kind of company!
"I see, and how long have they lived there?" The Doctor continued.
"About ten years I think. Miss Claire was very young when they arrived," Harry answered this time.
"I arrived soon after," Gladys added.
"Surely you aren't suggesting that The Colonel would have had anything to do with any of this," Harry contested.
"I think The Doctor is just being thorough, trying to understand what's what and who's who," Peri interjected with a sweet tone.
"Your accent is American is it not?" Gladys asked.
"Yes, I'm originally from New England."
"Well, The Woolfs were originally from The States. You should arrange to meet them anyway, they're really a fascinating family."
"In what way?" The Doctor piped.
"Well, they're quite wealthy of course. I believe The Colonel left the military and made his fortune in diamonds. After his wife died they moved here. That's all I know," Gladys revealed.
"What about the young man?"
"His name is Stewart I believe... He's a jeweller of some kind. So his link to the family is quite logical," Gladys answered with a smile.
"And yourself?" The Doctor queried.
"Sorry?"
"He means to ask you how you came to live here," Peri explained.
"Oh! Well... I needed to move to the country... for my health," Gladys returned, a little carefully Peri thought.
"And I'm very glad you did," Harry commented with a grin.
The Doctor took a swig of his tea: "Quite delightful!"
There hadn't been much conversation as Stewart drove The Woolfs back to The Manor. The car pulled up outside and Stewart jumped out, first opening Claire's door and then moving around to help The Colonel as well.
"I'm perfectly fine my boy!" The Colonel explained.
Collins met them in the foyer and took The Colonel up to his room.
"Are you sure he's alright? He could have drowned! As it stands now he might very well catch pneumonia!"
"Oh, I think you'll find that Daddy is made of pretty stern stuff," Claire purred.
The Colonel paused at the top of the stairs. He turned back around.
"Claire, would you pack. We'll be leaving soon!"
"Leaving!" Stewart exclaimed.
"Err, yes... we have to go back to The States. Urgent business... sorry my boy..." The Colonel apologised.
Claire burst into tears and ran off in the direction of her room.
"But I thought I was invited to stay for the weekend!" Stewart objected in a bewildered manner.
"You are welcome to my boy but something has just come up. Sorry again," The Colonel replied and proceeded to his room with Collins. The Maid, Stewart wasn't sure of her name as the servants in the house never spoke, went after Claire. He remained standing at the bottom of the stairs, mystified.
The Doctor and Peri were in the process of returning to the police station.
"Well that was less than useless!" Peri grumbled.
"Not really. I think Gladys was hiding something. Quite a bit," The Doctor contested.
"She did seem open about everything except herself," Peri agreed.
"Quite so."
"What are we trying to achieve here Doctor?"
"I want to find out why someone has had access to a weapon that shouldn't exist in this time zone," The Doctor reminded her.
They walked back into the police station to find Bill groaning on the floor. He was tenderly rubbing the back of his head.
"Are you alright?" Peri gasped.
"Yes... I think so... " Bill responded in a groggy manner.
There was a bang out the back in the direction of the makeshift mortuary. The Doctor ran over to the back window to see a hearse beginning to pull away.
"The body!" The Doctor suddenly realised and he ran through the mortuary and out the back door to see the hearse pulling out of the yard.
Bill staggered out after him despite Peri's advice: "The car... we can take the car!"
"Peri, you stay here!" The Doctor ordered.
"Fine!" She snorted and stomped back inside.
"You're in no state to drive, let me, " The Doctor suggested.
"Okay..." Bill agreed, feeling the back of his head and then wiping the blood on the front of his uniform.
The Doctor and Bill piled into the police car. The Doctor then expertly reversed the car out of the yard and proceeded to follow the hearse.
"They've got quite a good head start... and a larger engine," The Doctor noted.
"Short cut. Through the laneway. We might make up the distance," Bill suggested.
The Doctor obliged. The subsequent bumpy journey seemed to cause Bill a bit of discomfort, so The Doctor reluctantly reduced the speed.
"Don't worry about me. I've got a hard head!" Bill joked.
They made it to the intersection to discover the hearse parked, waiting for them. The Doctor pulled up and jumped out. He rushed over and very carefully opened the front driver side door. The car was empty...
Peri wandered back in to the station. The door to Bill's flat was open. It was a bed sit attached to the side of the building. The room had been tossed through and Peri started pulling a number of books and files from the floor. Someone had been looking for something in a hurry. Peri made a start at tidying up some of the books and papers from the floor. Amongst them she was surprised to find a pristine copy of Mien Kampf. She half laughed as she put it up on his bedside table and wandered back out.
Stewart had returned to the drawing room. Collins had brought him another drink and he seemed to be preoccupied and deciding on his course of action.
"Look I'm terribly sorry about all this my boy but business is business..." The Colonel mentioned as he strode in.
"Not our business?"
"No, no, no, my boy, just relates to property, takeovers, that sort of thing..."
"When will you both be back?"
"Difficult to say," The Colonel answered, not making eye contact.
"Well - I'll stay to see you off. You might need a lift to London anyway..."
"I can't tell you what your friendship has meant to us Stewart. particularly Claire," The Colonel started.
"You make it sound as if you're not coming back," Stewart stuttered.
"Well, it's a dangerous world my boy... you can't count on anything!"
Peri met The Doctor and Bill as they drove back into the yard.
"Any luck?" She asked.
"Vanished. He must have had another vehicle or they went into the forest on foot," Bill explained.
"With that body?" The Doctor considered.
"Well I just don't know how I'm going to write this one up - whatever use is a body to anyone?"
"Unless it betrays something important," The Doctor muttered, giving Peri a knowing glance.
"Well perhaps you ought to go and speak to The Colonel if he's home," Bill suggested, vanishing back into the station.
"What is going on here Doctor?" Peri queried after he had gone.
"I'm not sure. Nothing just vanishes. That body went somewhere... but how? That's the relevant question."
"Are we going to The Manor?"
"Yes, it's about the only option open to us now..."
"They're definitely back... and there's some activity. Almost as if they are packing..." Gladys reported over the phone.
From her front window she could see The Doctor and Peri approaching.
"That Doctor and his assistant are coming up the lane to The Manor... she's American, he's... a mystery..."
As they walked past The Doctor looked over at the cottage and waved.
"I will keep you posted," Gladys promised.
At the same time that she put the phone down, something struck her from behind.
The Doctor rapped on the door. Collins, the stoical butler arrived. He was a thick set man with large greying sideburns.
"Yes?" He asked slowly.
"I'm The Doctor, this is my assistant Peri - we've come about the body on the estate."
"Please come in. The Colonel will be with you in a moment."
Peri shot The Doctor a 'well that wasn't difficult look' and followed him inside. They were lead into the foyer. Collins offered to take The Doctor's coat but he declined. They were shown into a small sitting room and asked to wait.
"What an odd man!" Peri whispered.
"Yes, not very animated is he!" The Doctor agreed, marvelling at some of the pottery on display.
"Doctor, I meant to tell you about something I found at the station, in Bill's flat... he has some very queer tastes in literature..."
The Colonel and Stewart entered without warning.
"Hello, Doctor I presume! This is my business partner Mister Stewart Warren."
The Doctor stepped over and shook their hands: "This is my assistant Miss Perpugilliam Brown. Peri for short. Well Colonel, I've come to ask you a few questions about this business with the corpse."
"Well I'd like to help but I'm afraid I've never even seen it... my groundsman Harry found the body and reported it to me at once. I instructed him to go to the police. Young Bill Smith is the man who must know more about it than anyone... I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help..."
There was a tap on the door and the maid appeared: "Begging your pardon Colonel - I have to tell you that Miss Claire has taken her medication and is feeling quite unwell..."
"Medication?!" Stewart blurted.
"Yes my boy. She didn't want to tell you but sometimes her... insulin injections make her feel a little unwell," The Colonel explained.
"Is she alright?" Stewart demanded.
"She just needs a rest," the maid a rather severe looking woman of indeterminate years, outfitted in a matronly apron, insisted.
"Very well, inform Collins that we'll leave in the morning."
"You're going?" The Doctor questioned.
"Yes. We aren't under suspicion are we my dear boy," The Colonel countered.
'"No, but I am conducting an investigation into the murder and..."
"Do you have anywhere to stay?" The Colonel asked.
"Well, no, now that you mention it..." The Doctor returned.
"Well you must stay here for as long as you like. Claire and I won't be using the home for a while . I'll have Collins make up some rooms..."
"Colonel can I go and see Claire?"
"Of course my boy - as long as Miss Forbes thinks it appropriate," he smiled at him.
Stewart made off for the bedroom.
"Thank you for your hospitality Colonel Woolf," The Doctor commented.
"You must join us for dinner tonight."
The Colonel rang the bell and Collins was immediately at the door.
"Please show The Doctor and Miss Brown to the spare rooms - so they can change for dinner."
"At once Sir," Collins replied emotionlessly and lead them off.
The Colonel stared after The Doctor, lost in thought.
Harry walked up the steps of the cottage and rapped on the door. There was no answer. He waited a minute and then knocked again. There was still no answer. He seemed puzzled by this.
"Gladys? Are you home? It's Harry!" He shouted.
Harry scratched his chin and wandered down to see if she was in her garden. After a moment's hesitation he decided to head around to the back door.
The Doctor and Peri could hear Claire and Stewart talking behind a door as they were lead to their rooms. From the muffled conversation they could hear that Miss Forbes was also present. Collins stopped outside two doors which were obviously reserved as guest rooms.
"The young Lady will find that there are a selection of evening dresses in her room."
"Thank you Collins," The Doctor replied dismissively. He shuffled off.
"Have we got time for this?" Peri asked.
"I've got a feeling that The Colonel knows more than he's letting on. Anyway, aren't you hungry?"
"Well..." She grinned.
"Well then, you'd better get dressed," he ordered playfully.
Harry wandered through the back door of the cottage and through the kitchen and into the living room. The house was spotless.
"Gladys? Are you here? It's Harry!"
There was one odd thing: Harry noticed that the phone next to the arm chair was off the hook and the ear piece was lying on the floor.
The Colonel was sitting at the head of the table, with Stewart to his right, when The Doctor and Peri came down stairs. Peri was dressed in quite a dazzling sequined dress and both men jumped to their feet as she approached.
"How charming you look my dear," The Colonel commented.
Stewart pulled out her chair for her. The Doctor took the seat to The Colonel's left.
Miss Forbes suddenly appeared behind them: "Miss Woolf will not be joining us for dinner tonight."
"Very well Miss Forbes. Tell Claire that I will sit with her tonight."
"Yes Colonel," she replied and retreated.
Collins promptly brought dinner in.
Harry walked into the police station. Bill was struggling to type his report with two fingers.
"Ah Constable!"
"Bill! For Pete's sake Harry. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"Well, the thing is... I may be overreacting but... I can't find Gladys."
Bill almost laughed but then caught sight of the concerned look on Harry's face.
"Well, where could she be? You never see her out of her yard," Bill asked standing up.
"I went on through the back... there was nothing unusual, except that her phone was off the hook."
"Oh, she's just gotten restless and gone for a walk."
Harry stood his ground: "There's been strange things going on. I wondered if she might have seen something she wasn't supposed to."
"I tell you what Harry. Go and look about for her. If you don't find her then I'll search myself and make a few calls. But I'm hardly going to raise the alarm yet, alright?"
Harry nodded and went out.
"That was delicious Colonel," The Doctor declared, using his napkin.
"I'm glad you think so Doctor and now if you excuse me - I'll go and se how Claire is," The Colonel replied.
He got up and walked up the stairs with a determined air.
"So... you're a Doctor?" Stewart began.
"Yes, Stewart, have you seen anything out of the ordinary lately?"
Stewart looked back up the stairs and then back over to The Doctor before he answered: "Well, The Colonel and Claire have both come over all queer today. We went for a drive up to the lake. The Colonel went off by himself and managed to fall in somehow. When I went to investigate, he walked, not swam, walked out of the water and acted as if nothing unusual had happened. Now, all of a sudden they're back off to the states. I haven't heard a phone call or seen a letter arrive in the meantime... most peculiar...:"
"What was he doing in the lake?" Peri pondered.
"What indeed!" The Doctor mused.
"But, hang on, that's the truly weird thing. On top of everything else... when he came out of the lake... his clothes were dripping wet, but his skin... it was dry!"
"But why Daddy... why?"
"The news wasn't good. I checked for new arrivals and there had been some. It's only a matter of time. No, we need a new start," The Colonel told Claire.
"But what about Stewart?" Claire sobbed.
"Yes, I'm terribly sorry Claire but if we stay any longer then his life might also be placed in danger."
"The drug, it always makes me feel so ill..."
"You were very young when we came my dear, I daresay that's the reason. You've acclimatised to the conditions here rather than those at home," The Colonel explained.
Claire closed her eyes and snuggled down in her bed.
"Just try and get a good night's sleep. Don't worry, I'll be here all night."
The Doctor, Peri and Stewart made their way up the stairs as Collins cleared the plates and trays away.
"I'm sorry I can't help anymore. I'm at a loss to understand it all," Stewart declared.
"You've been a great help I'm sure," Peri told him.
"Oh well, good night," Stewart wished them both as he vanished into his room. They could hear Claire snoring in her room and moved on. As they passed the master bedroom they heard a bump.
"I thought The Colonel was with Claire?" Peri commented.
"Maybe it's Miss Forbes, or he's gone to collect his night's reading?" The Doctor pondered as he tapped lightly on the door and turned the door knob. There was only darkness to be seen inside but there was another sound, as if something had been knocked over. The Doctor deftly turned on the light and flew in to be confronted by a horrific sight. At the other side of the room, next to the bed, stood a green scaled and finned humanoid creature. It hissed and flashed it's razor sharp teeth.
"Peri... go and get The Colonel please!" The Doctor whispered.
Peri couldn't resist having a look herself and screamed at the sight of it. With that, the creature leapt across the room at The Doctor...
Part Two
"Colonel!" Peri shouted.
"There's something in the house," she declared, bursting into Claire's room.
The Colonel jumped from his chair and scampered out. Peri thought she saw him grasp some weapon from his coat pocket. The commotion also drew Stewart out of his room. He was now wearing only his shirt and trousers and looked quite dishevelled.
"What's going on Colonel?"
"An intruder my boy!" The Colonel grimaced.
The Doctor had retreated and slammed the door in the alien's face but in response it simply burst through it and into the hallway.
"Collins! Get up here!" The Colonel shouted.
The fact that is was becoming increasingly outnumbered seemed to make the alien hesitate.
"What on Earth is that?!" Stewart cried.
It was at least two metres tall and it appeared to be something approximating a walking fish. The Colonel discharged his weapon, the bolt deflecting off its tough hide - leaving only a smouldering mark.
"Get out!" The Colonel ordered.
Before anyone could stop it, the alien lumbered forward and grabbed Peri.
"No!" The Doctor shouted.
There was an intense flash of light and both the alien and Peri, vanished. The Doctor wandered over to the place where they had last stood.
"I think you ought to tell me what this is all about Colonel and why you appear to have in you possession a laser weapon that will not be invented by the people of this planet for another two centuries!"
The Colonel gave The Doctor a very hard look.
Peri and the fish creature materialised in a dimly lit corridor, in a setting where the floors and walls were all metallic. Her captor punched a sequence into a key pad and shoved her into a small cell. The door closed as soon as she staggered to her feet. The noise of the alien punching digits into the control pad outside could be heard for a few seconds and then Peri listened to it as it trundled away.
"Where am I?" Peri thought aloud.
It was almost totally dark but there were some specks of light emanating from the far wall. Peri then realised the pins of light were stars. She was on some kind of space ship!
"No longer on Earth..." a faint voice could be heard to mumble. Peri recognised it at once: it was Gladys!
"There really is no time to talk my boy. I don't know how many of them there are but we have to go at once!" The Colonel insisted.
"That alien has taken my friend Colonel. I'm responsible for her. I need your help to rescue her, " The Doctor argued.
"I'm afraid there's probably little that could be done..."
"What are you exactly?'
"I could ask the very same of you Doctor!"
"Well, what is at the bottom of that lake?" The Doctor also demanded to know.
Claire wandered out of her room.
"Daddy?"
"Get dressed darling. We're going!" The Colonel declared.
"He... made me talk... I couldn't help it. They know everything..." Gladys mumbled.
Peri was stroking her hair: "Just try to rest."
"Too late... drug is fatal..."
"Shhhhhhhhhh."
"Tell them they have to go. The Woolfs, tell them... to get away from Earth..."
"Get away from Earth! What do you mean?"
Gladys stopped breathing.
Peri wen to close her eyes and then pulled her hand back. Her face, it was rubber.
Bill and Harry walked into Gladys' living room together. Harry switched on the lounge room light.
"Gladys?" Bill called out.
"I've never known her not to be home of an evening," Harry commented.
"She could be at The Manor... we'd better check there before we start panicking," Bill suggested.
As he turned to leave, Bill tripped on the phone cord. The phone table lifted up to reveal a complex system of wires and coils that had been concealed underneath.
"What is all that?" Harry gasped.
"I think there's more to Gladys that we realised," Bill muttered.
The door to the cell opened and Peri had to shield her eyes from the light that although dim, seemed to stream in form the corridor like acid. The alien stepped through into the cell and pulled her to her feet.
"Hey!" Peri yelled.
"Silence!" It rasped.
The fish creature hauled her out of the cell, down the corridor and into an open area. It was obviously some kind of laboratory and there was a large table in the centre of the room. It looked a little too much like a dissection table to Peri. She was forced down and strapped to the table.
"You're just going to let me have a little lie down then and let me go, right?"
The creature ignored her. Instead it collected some kind of cylindrical device from a nearby bench and then walked back over towards her.
"You will tell me everything!"
The Doctor was using a strange piece of equipment he had found in one of his numerous and deep pockets to scan the skies outside The Manor. He quickly put the decide away when he noticed Bill and Harry approaching up the lane.
"Doctor! Have you seen Gladys? Is she inside?" Harry called.
The Doctor went over to meet them: "Gladys? What's happened?"
Harry's shoulders sank: "She's missing!"
"Yes it looks very much that way if she isn't inside with The Colonel," Bill explained.
"How very interesting!" The Doctor pondered.
There was a beep from one of his pockets, so he reached in and turned the device off.
"Ah, I presume you searched the cottage?"
"Yes, there were no signs of a struggle... just something stranger... a transmitter," Bill explained.
"Transmitter?! You'd better show me," The Doctor declared.
"What is your name?"
"Peri. Perpugilliam Brown."
"Where are you from?"
"New England, United States, 1984."
The alien inspected the dosage levels of the serum.
"Who is The Doctor?"
"He is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He travels in a time machine called a TARDIS."
The creature paused before he continued: "Why did you come here?"
"I told The Doctor that I wanted to visit London in the nineteen twenties. We missed London. the Doctor decided to stay when he discovered evidence of an energy weapon having been used on a body that was found."
"Silence, I'm trying to think!" The alien ordered.
"Silence means to avoid making any sound whether verbal or..."
The creature tapped Peri on the side of the neck and she did fall silent.
"So what do you think Doctor? Spies?" Bill asked.
"This was never the product of Earth technology," The Doctor disagreed as he stood up.
The complex array of wires had immediately drawn his attention.
"Over here Doctor!" Harry called.
Both The Doctor and Bill rushed over into the next room. It was Gladys' bedroom and it had obviously been ransacked.
"Didn't you check this before?" Bill asked angrily.
"I'm a bit nervous about visiting a lady's bedroom uninvited... its just that things have gotten desperate now!" Harry defended himself.
There were stains on the carpet and little fragments of glass.
"Some vials have been broken... but what was in them?" The Doctor thought aloud.
"If this isn't all part of some spy network activity for the Communists then what is going on?" Bill demanded.
"A conspiracy no doubt, but probably one that is not connected to The Earth," The Doctor answered in a serious, calm voice that didn't make it sound quite so ridiculous.
The Doctor walked out of the room and over to the transmitter. He replaced the cover and attempted to operate the phone. The unit instantly burst into flames, throwing all three of them back a foot or so.
"I'd be complaining to the phone company," Harry mentioned.
"Whoever they are... and I'm not certain they're all on the same side... they are very cautious," The Doctor observed.
"Well, we aren't likely to learn more here tonight are we?" Bill reflected.
"No. Let's get back to The Manor. I have some more questions for The Colonel and his daughter," The Doctor agreed.
At The Manor, Stewart helped The Colonel place a couple of suitcases in the boot of his car.
"Are you sure about this Colonel?"
"Absolutely my boy - do you want to come with us after all? I think the sooner we're out of here, the safer Claire will be."
"Well, if you put it like that..." Stewart agreed.
It was now late evening and getting quite dark. Stewart leant over to pick up the last case just as Claire arrived.
"Ready?"
"Ready Daddy."
The Colonel then smacked Stewart on the back of the neck. He fell to the ground with a hard thud. The Colonel then helped Claire into the car. Without a further word, The Colonel started the car with the keys Stewart had left hanging in the door. Very slowly they drove down the lane way. As they did so, a mysterious figure stepped out from a nearby hedge. In the darkness his face was not visible but he was clearly holding something long. An energy bolt shot down the lane and exploded on contact with the car. By the time Stewart started to come around, the figure had vanished.
"Where have you been?" Peri stammered, beginning to come back into her right mind.
"Fascinating, I thought the drug would have killed you. You humans are far more hardier than you look," the alien noted.
"You aren't going to leave me tied up to this table are you?" Peri yelled.
"No," he admitted, but then he simply walked out and went about his business.
Stewart staggered to his feet and looked down the laneway.
"No... " he whispered, shaking a great deal.
He moved as close as he dared and the car was still burning well.
"Claire..." he mumbled.
The Doctor, Bill and Harry came trundling up the lane behind him.
"What happened?" Bill shouted.
"I don't know, we were going but something hit me on the back of the head. When I woke up... they're dead, dead..."
They all stared blankly at the fiery wreck...
Peri didn't ever hear the alien enter. He undid her straps and pulled her to her feet. She had been restrained for so long that her body did not seem to respond properly to her thoughts.
"If you are going to kill me - get it over with!" She moaned
"You might still be useful to us," the alien assured her.
He shuffled Peri forwards and pushed her into her cell. Gladys' body was still lying on the bunk. The fish man picked up her body and carried it out.
"Hey! Where are you taking her?"
The alien ignored her and locked the door.
"We'll... confirm everything when the fire burns itself out," Bill told The Doctor.
Stewart was standing with his back to the fire.
"I think we might go to The Manor, get the lad a drink to settle his nerves," The Doctor suggested, patting Stewart on the shoulder.
"Yeah... whatever..." Stewart mumbled.
"After all I think we might have both lost someone tonight," The Doctor confided as they walked off.
"Well Harry... I never thought it would end like this!" Bill mused.
Harry looked over at him as he spoke: "I have a suspicion that this is all far from over!"
The alien operated a mechanism and there was a suction type of sound. He deactivated the machine and then peered out of nearby porthole to see the limp body floating past the satellite. Then the creature sat down before another terminal and operated the controls.
"Nommos Command. This is Sol Station. I have an urgent report to log," he announced.
There was a slight pause before a husky voice answered: "Make your report."
"There is evidence of alien interference in the operation."
"Explain."
"Two strangers have been investigating our presence on Sol 3."
"Planet of origin?"
"One is from Gallifrey, the other is a native who at least believes that she is from the future."
"If the observer discovers the station you will eliminate him."
"Understood."
"The primary targets?"
"They have been eliminated."
"Excellent. You will now both begin the process of withdrawal."
With that the creature broke contact.
"I just don't know what to do..." Stewart admitted, taking a swig of alcohol.
"I'm at a dead end myself. Without The Colonel, I've run out of avenues to pursue. I can't find any trace of Peri. Even if I went back to the TARDIS... I have no idea where to look," The Doctor admitted.
"Um, what?"
"Never mind..."
Stewart plomped his glass down and it made a more distinct sound than it should have.
"What was that?" The Doctor asked.
"I didn't hear anything. Maybe it's Harry back?"
"No... it was from inside the house. Have you seen Collins or Miss Forbes?"
"No Doctor... I haven't seen them at all since... before we went to leave..." Stewart's voice trailed off.
"Stay here Stewart, I'll go and investigate," The Doctor insisted.
Stewart hardly seemed to notice his absence.
The fire had burned itself out and Bill and Harry approached the car.
"Yes. Two bodies," Bill confirmed.
Harry crossed himself.
"How on Earth am I going to write this one up. I wouldn't be surprised if I get my position terminated over this - there could be serious repercussions," Bill agonised.
"Don't worry, I'll speak up for you!" Harry promised.
Bill looked less than relieved.
"Hang on... what's this?!" Harry asked, poking at one of the bodies with the butt of his rifle.
There was a clang.
"These aren't bodies - they're metal!" Harry gasped.
"Metal!" Bill raged.
"Dummy's of some kind. This must be some kind of sick hoax," Harry suggested.
"Then... where are The Colonel and Miss Claire?" Bill pondered.
The Doctor descended down the stair well he found at the rear of the kitchen and followed it down to the basement. There was a shifting sound ahead of him and The Doctor moved cautiously into the darkness. He pulled a pen torch out of his coat and flashed it around. It fell on two figures, huddling in the darkness. It was The Colonel and Claire.
"Doctor!" The Colonel sighed.
"I was wrong... it was a ploy. But why?"
"I'm only trying to protect my daughter Doctor," he explained.
"From who?"
"Perhaps the time has come for explanations Doctor," The Colonel agreed.
He put his hands up to his face and Claire followed his example. Together they pulled off their masks. They looked over at The Doctor with their true faces: scaled, finned, green.
"You're the same species as the intruder!" The Doctor declared.
"This is what we truly are Doctor!" The Colonel rasped, his voice suddenly different.
"Aren't you terrified Doctor?" Claire asked.
"Not at all. You have quite a proud, distinguished aura... I presume you are the product of an aquatic environment. How do you survive in the open atmosphere of Earth?"
"A solution we inject allows us to mutate and become amphibious - but we need regular doses to survive Doctor," The Colonel revealed.
"But why are you here?"
"That is a long and complicated story, suffice to say our lives are in danger. Collins and Forbes were programmed to imitate us and provide a convincing decoy."
"I see. The same beings threatening you have Peri. Your ship is in that lake, isn't it Colonel? I need your help to rescue my friend."
"It's unlikely that she's still alive Doctor," The Colonel informed him.
"We have to try. Time to stop hiding I think and do what they would never expect..." The Doctor suggested.
"And what is that my boy?" The Colonel asked him as he replaced his mask.
"Go on the offensive!"
Bill marched back into the station and sat down at his desk. Turning on the lamp he pulled the sheet of paper from the typewriter and screwed it up. The phone rang.
"Constable Smith here. Yes... delay? But... you'll arrive tomorrow? Well, thanks for that but we no longer have a body. It's been stolen... yes, I think that would be best... I'll speak to you then."
Bill hung up and scratched his chin.
"How interesting. Wait till I get my hands on him!"
"Hello? Collins? Forbes?" Harry shouted from the kitchen.
He always used the back entrance.
"Down here Harry!" The Doctor called.
Harry rushed down the basement stairs to see The Doctor, The Colonel and Claire talking by torch light.
"What in God's name is going on? There are two... metal men in that car out there!"
"That was Collins and Forbes," The Doctor explained.
"Collins? Forbes! I knew he was a bit hard but..."
"We can explain everything Harry," Claire told him.
Pulling himself together, Harry took his hat off and joined the conversation.
"Later perhaps... I think time is of the essence," The Doctor argued.
"But Gladys? Is she still alive?" Harry asked.
"Maybe. We're going to find out, aren't we Colonel?"
There were the sound of more footsteps down into the basement.
"Oh my God, I don't believe it. It isn't possible!" Stewart shouted.
"But it is my boy!" The Colonel assured him.
Stewart rushed over to Claire and hugged her. Harry looked away hoping the darkness would cover his red face.
"What exactly has been going on here?" Stewart demanded, pulling away from Claire.
"We really don't have time for this," The Doctor insisted.
"Who are you people? Is you name really Woolf?"
"I am a Colonel my boy, but you would need three throats to properly pronounce my name! Anyway, there are some things that you just aren't ready to know. But what I do want you to do is to protect my daughter with your life!"
The Colonel passed Stewart his energy weapon. The Doctor raised an eyebrow but then nodded in agreement.
"Don't you worry Colonel. Anyone comes around here looking for trouble I'll blow a hole straight through them!" Harry declared.
"Excellent. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Come on Doctor!"
"Daddy! Please be careful," Claire called after him.
"Back in a jiff," answered as he lead The Doctor up the stairs.
"Bridge anyone?" Stewart suggested.
The Doctor and The Colonel passed through the kitchen, out the back door and into the yard.
"Now, how are we going to get to the lake in a hurry?" The Doctor asked.
"We don't need to," The Colonel explained, pulling up his sleeve and touching a button on the side of his watch.
Within moments a very large saucer shaped ship shot out of the darkness and hung over The Manor...
"I can see why you don't do that during the day!" The Doctor admitted.
"First time it's been out of the lake in years," The Colonel answered, fiddling with the controls on his watch.
"Why does everyone have perfect control over their ships except me!" The Doctor grumbled.
"Hang on Doctor. These Dama beams can be a little... disorientating the first couple of times..." The Colonel warned.
They seemed to shimmer and then they vanished. Soon the ship shot off into the sky and became another roaming star.
There was a knock on The Manor's front door and Stewart opened it carefully.
"Bill! Come in!" Stewart chortled with relief.
"You seem in a... happier mood..."
Bill then noticed Claire standing in the foyer next to Harry.
"Hello Bill!"
"You and your Father have a lot of explaining to do... even if it's just for wasting police time," Bill grumbled.
"When Daddy gets back he'll explain everything. As it is we're enjoying a game of Bridge in the Drawing Room. Care to join us?"
Bill shrugged: "It's one way to round off the strangest day of my life!"
The Colonel's ship attached itself to the side of the much larger satellite. The inner-airlock swung open and The Colonel and The Doctor walked out into the semi-darkness.
The Colonel drew out another gun: "I find what you've been telling me fascinating Doctor... I assure you the first time I used one of my guns in years was on that piece of filth that broke into The Manor. If what you suspect is true, then we need to get back there as soon as possible!"
The fish creature emerged before them with Peri in his grasp: "Lower your weapon!"
"Are you okay?" The Doctor called out.
"My left leg is asleep, I'm thirsty and I need to go to the bathroom..."
The Doctor looked at her strangely: "Very well then!"
"She's been drugged Doctor!" The Colonel explained.
"Do it. Lower you weapon!"
"And if I refuse?"
"I will snap the neck of this inferior mammal," it replied, coldly.
"Certainly then," The Colonel obliged.
"Now I will snap it anyway!" The killer declared.
The Doctor pulled out his pen torch and shone it directly into the eyes of the alien. An involuntary action caused it to pull both hands over its face allowing Peri to stumble away.
"Quickly, over here Peri!" The Doctor ordered.
The Colonel grabbed his gun from the floor and trained it on the killer: "Get back to the ship the both of you!"
"What about Gladys?" The Doctor shouted.
"She's dead Doctor," Peri informed him.
The alien had recovered to an extent and was advancing on them. In response The Colonel fired a volley that struck his enemy in the face, causing him to scream.
"Get out of here, the both of you!" The Colonel cried.
The Doctor and Peri ran back in the direction of the airlock. The Colonel followed them and sealed the door once they were inside.
"I will shred you to pieces!" The unmasked alien screamed.
From the other side of the airlock The Doctor shouted: "What are you doing man?"
"Sorry Doctor! Only enough energy in this gun for one more volley and it's not enough to penetrate his hide. There's only one way to stop him from getting to Claire. Now go Doctor. Hurry!" The Colonel called back.
The Doctor shook his head but proceeded to the control terminal for The Colonel's craft.
"What's happening Doctor?" Peri asked.
"We have to detach. I have a suspicion I know what he's planning to do!" The Doctor explained as he proceeded to start the engines of the ship.
There was a crunch as The Doctor - not too expertly - unlocked the ship from the side of the satellite.
"Doctor?"
"Sorry. I only saw The Colonel fly it once... yes, we're on our way!"
The Colonel stood his ground and grinned at his assailant.
"I will wipe that superior, smug smile off your face!" The fish man warned.
"I seriously doubt that my boy!" The Colonel answered as he pointed his gun at the hull of the satellite and fired.
"No! What are you doing?!"
The hull buckled and blew out
"Doctor, what has been going on?" Peri implored.
"There's no time for explanations now," The Doctor growled as his hands flew over the control panel.
"I'd argue but I have too much of a headache!"
"Be a good girl and go and stand on that platform over there, will you," The Doctor insisted.
Peri did so.
"The ship is on auto-pilot. It's travelling back to the lake and I don't fancy a swim. The co-ordinates for The Manor are programmed into the teleportation machine. I'll see if I can set up a five second delay. There!" The Doctor explained and he rushed over to join her.
The Doctor swiftly climbed up next to Peri and then almost instantly after that, there was a flash of light and the pair vanished.
At The Manor, Bill and Harry were discussing the events of the day with Claire and Stewart in the drawing room. There was a flash of light and The Doctor and Peri materialised in the far corner of the room.
"Back in one piece! I wondered why The Colonel kept this area clear of furniture!" The Doctor announced.
"Daddy?" Claire asked meekly.
"I'm sorry Claire, your Father sacrificed his life to destroy the alien on the satellite. It had obviously received recent orders to kill you both."
Claire buried her face in Stewart's shoulder.
"What on Earth has been going on? Where's Gladys?" Harry thundered.
"I'm sorry Harry but she's dead too... I was there when she passed away..." Peri informed him.
Harry sat down, ashen-faced. There was a long, awkward pause that was finally broken by Bill.
"I received a call tonight Doctor... The Coroner doesn't arrive until tomorrow. So the question is... who are you?"
"Excellent! I see you concussion has long since passed... Constable," The Doctor answered with a haughty air.
Bill backed away a little. A sudden realisation seemed to hit Claire.
"You're one of them aren't you?!"
"Perhaps I should start at the beginning... for Harry and Stewart's benefit?" The Doctor suggested.
"Please do Doctor!" Peri insisted.
"The Colonel was once the ruler of the planet Nommos, an ocean world that orbits Sirius 2. Unfortunately they suffered a political coup. The Colonel's wife was killed and The Colonel and his daughter fled. Thanks to a secret mutagenic drug that allowed them to live outside the ocean, they settled on Earth. After all, a land based civilisation would be the last place any agents of the new regime would think of looking for them. Until of course a well meaning loyalist lead them here..."
"Gladys?" Claire gasped.
"Yes. Apparently the new regime has always been under a lot of pressure and the loyalists wanted to make sure that their royal family was safe," The Doctor revealed.
"Hang on! You told me you were from New Jersey!" Stewart exclaimed.
"Oh, that was Daddy's idea. We have to be careful you see. Humans are afraid of anything... different..." Claire responded gently.
"I'm not. And all the diamonds?"
"The Crown jewels. Daddy managed to bring them with us from Nommos."
"Do you actually believe this nonsense?" Bill asked Harry.
Harry was looking at Claire with a shocked expression.
"I think the regime has been keeping tabs on you. Perhaps they thought they might be able to reinstall The Colonel as a puppet ruler to appease the masses... but then I think they started to panic when the end was in sight and ordered you both destroyed. You see I read a report from Nommos before I transported back here via dama beam, the regime has fallen," The Doctor informed them.
"No! It's not possible!" Bill sneered.
"They don't want their old rulers back though, they seem intent on trying a new form of government... here it's called democracy," The Doctor added looking straight at Claire.
"Daddy would have been pleased. He was never a very strong ruler. That was the problem you see..."
"So Gladys was sent to watch over The Colonel and Miss Claire," Harry thought aloud.
"Yes, Harry, that's exactly right. She died trying to protect her King..." The Doctor answered.
"Well good for her," Harry sighed.
"That's what she watched you so closely, she was sending back hourly reports back to Nommos... she had to be removed so as to give Bill's subordinate a good opportunity to... finish his assignment," The Doctor explained further.
"You were sent to kill us!" Claire cried.
"Only, someone visited the village who knew the real Bill Smith. Oh, no doubt with that mask you look the same but after a conversation, perhaps a little nosing around... he had to be dealt with. Before you could dispose of the body though, Harry found it!" The Doctor accused him.
Bill pulled out his energy weapon and trained it on Claire. Stewart automatically stood in front of her. He paused however when he felt the barrel of Harry's gun at his neck.
"Drop it."
Bill lowered his gun and pressed a device latched onto his belt: "You will suffer the fate of all autocratic scum!"
"No wait!" The Doctor called out.
There was a flash of light and he vanished.
"Where did he go?" Harry asked.
"Back to his satellite," The Doctor replied.
"But you said that it has no atmosphere. The Colonel blew a hole in the side of it..." Peri mused.
"Yes, I didn't have time to explain that to him," The Doctor mentioned, indifferently.
"Isn't anyone human around here?" Stewart implored.
"Only Harry. Peri is of course, but she's from your future. Well, we'd best be going," The Doctor babbled as he shook hands with Stewart and Harry.
"Bye," Peri called as she followed The Doctor out.
"You're going to stay here?" Stewart whispered to Claire
Harry coughed: "I'll see myself out!"
"If you want me... this is the real me!" Claire pulled down her mask.
Stewart just smiled.
Harry lead The Doctor and Peri back to the TARDIS.
"How ever could you navigate your way in the dark?" Peri asked playfully.
"Oh, I know this place better than anyone. Now what do you intend to do in there?"
"We're supposed to be headed for London but we'll probably end up on Nommos for all we really know!"
"And just what is that supposed to mean!" The Doctor chastised her.
"Come on Doctor, you're lucky if you can get the planet right!"
"In!" He ordered.
"You're just going to stay in there all night?"
"I doubt it. Goodbye Harry. Keep a close eye on Claire and Stewart won't you?
The doors closed.
Harry scratched his head and started to wander down the dell. There was a strange noise and when he looked back, the TARDIS was gone.
"Well... if that don't beat all!" Harry exclaimed.
Story set between Revelation of the Daleks & The Trial of a Time Lord