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By Root 296 0

its darkness. The Doctor had slammed the safe immediately, but now the Cybermat was throwing itself continuously at the walls and door of its prison. The safe would hold of that the Doctor was sure but now there was the question of what to do with the little monster. He couldn't leave it in there for ever; neither had he the means to destroy it. He sat back in McBride's chair, staring at the heavy, grey, metal box, playing idly with his hat, pondering the problem.

A sudden sound jerked the Doctor to his feet. Those creaking stairs. Somebody was coming up. The Doctor gauged the sound of the footfalls. Too light to be a Cyberman.

'Hello...' An Irish brogue. The Doctor smiled.

'Come up, Inspector?'

'Chief Inspector.' Mullen's tread on the creaky stairs grew brisker and louder. Doctor... I was hoping to find you here.

About that card '

'Ssshhh...' Gently the Doctor hushed the policeman as he entered the office. 'Listen.'

The policeman paused, eyes suddenly scanning the room, head

slightly cocked. The dull, repeating thud from inside the safe continued. 'What do you think that is, Inspector?' asked the Doctor in a low, conspiratorial voice. 'It's Chief Inspector, Doctor, and I haven't got time to ' 'Time.' The Doctor was suddenly brisk. 'No, you're right. Do you have a gun on you, Inspector?'

'Well, I '

'Off the record, of course.

Somewhat selfconsciously the policeman drew an armyissue Webley from inside his overcoat. 'You haven't seen this, Doctor.'

'Quite, quite. Now, I want you to train it on the door of the safe, and when I open the door I want you to pump every bullet you've got into the thing inside it. Do you understand?'

'I'm not sure I do, Doctor.'

The Doctor flapped his hand impatiently. 'It's simple enough, man. I'll explain everything afterwards. The important thing is that you don't hesitate for even a second.

The thing in there is lethal. Now, do you understand?'

Mullen took a deep breath. 'I understand.'

'All right. Ready...' The Doctor gripped the handle of the safe. 'Now!'

In one motion the Time Lord jerked on the handle and levered the door open. The Cybermat, amid its thrashing and jerking, was facing away from the door. Momentarily disorientated, it spun around and gathered itself to leap. Gun held out in front of him, Mullen seemed transfixed by the writhing metal worm which even now had the policeman in its fatal sights.

It occurred to the Doctor that he had no idea if Mullen was a decent shot.

'Mullen!' yelled the Time Lord as the beast sprang forward with a low electronic warble. Mullen fired. The Cybermat was thrown back into the safe. Mullen fired again, again, again. All six chambers discharged their bullets into the thing, which jerked and buckled under the impact, metal shards ripping from its casing, hydraulic fluids hissing out as it died.

Mullen stood, breathless, gun still levelled at the safe.

'Well done, Inspector. You can relax now it's dead.'

Casually the Doctor picked up the nowlimp Cybermat and tossed it on to the desk. He sank back into McBride's chair.

'Doctor,' Mullen croaked, 'what in the name of Jesus is that thing?'

'Shall I tell you, Inspector? It's our killer.'

'What are you saying man? That's what killed Peddler?'

'That, or another one identical to it. You see, the card left by our friend Mr Wall was a transmitter.' The Doctor crossed to the safe, plucked out the card, and handed it to Mullen. 'It sent out a signal to this thing, which could then home in on the card. Having made contact with the card, the thing was presumably programmed to kill any humans in the vicinity.

Very, very nasty.'

The Doctor was prodding inside the shattered casing of the Cybermat. Mullen caught a glimpse of bloodied flesh among the gleaming metal. The remains of... goodness knew what! A cat? A bird? Pieces of human flesh?

'But what is it, Doctor? Where did it come from?'

'It's a piece of alien technology, Inspector. It's in the wrong place and altogether the wrong time. The chaos could be incalculable.'

'And you say there are more of these things about?'

'Inspector,