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By Root 680 0

comparison we can find in our galaxy is one of the planets in the Voora Marinii group, whose inhabitants were for many years controlled by a ‘conscience’ not entirely unlike one of the Remote’s transmitters; but even that world had its counterculture, a secondary media system which, it’s believed, eventually led to the fall of local civilisation. Indeed, some have suggested that the entire planet may have been an experiment in sociology, engineered by whatever beings were responsible for scattering the Remote throughout known space. One would certainly have to note the fetishistic apparel worn by the followers of Marinus’s counterculture, and the receiver aerials they carried on their foreheads. In many respects, these ‘alien Voord’ might be considered the Remote’s direct ancestors…

The book was called Genetic Politics Beyond the Thirdzone, and Kode wasn’t sure why he’d bothered taking it out of the TARDIS library. Maybe because he’d believed, just for a moment, that some grubby old paperback could tell him what was supposed to happen next.

They’d been on Earth for three days now. The Doctor and Sam had been spending time with some friends in a place called Croydon, and, although they’d offered to take Kode and Compassion back to Anathema, Kode hadn’t felt up to the return journey. Compassion seemed to feel the same way, but she hadn’t said anything. She’d spent her time clearing up the Remote’s loose ends, removing the remaining hardware from the warehouse and tidying up at the hotel. Meanwhile, Kode had been hanging around inside the TARDIS, pretending to be fascinated by the architecture. He’d taken the receiver out of his ear, but he was still picking up the signals, and he felt a lot more comfortable in here than he did outside.

He wondered what Guest would be doing now, back in Anathema. Hatching more plots, or just picking up the pieces? The Doctor had seemed confident that the man wouldn’t cause any more trouble, anyway. The two of them had talked for hours when Guest had been recovering in the TARDIS, although Kode didn’t have a clue what they might have said to each other.

Kode was in the console room when Compassion came back, pacing the floor while he tried to make sense of the Genetic Politics book. Compassion was still dressed in that stupid combat jacket of hers, but now there was a great big pack on her back, presumably full of the leftovers from the hotel room.

‘The Doctor says he’s almost ready to go,’ she said. ‘He’s got a couple of goodbyes to do, then we’ll be off.’

‘We can’t go back,’ said Kode.

‘Don’t start that again.’

‘You don’t get it, do you? We’re not the same. Neither is Guest. Why doesn’t anyone understand that?’

Compassion wrinkled her face at him. ‘Meaning?’

‘We’re changed.’ Kode tapped his ear. ‘You know what the signals from Anathema do. They rewire us. Shift our nerves around. Look, when Guest started putting all that stuff about principles into the media, it… it made us more like our ancestors. We’re crossbreeds now. Right?’

‘So’s everyone else in Anathema.’

‘No!’ Kode considered banging his fist against the console, but decided it might look a bit melodramatic. Or make the whole ship blow up. ‘We were right in the middle of it. The others are just going to go back to normal, after a while. Not us. We were too close. Can’t you see that?’

Compassion shook her head. ‘How do you know all this, Kode?’

‘I just know. That’s all. Listen to the signals. You’ll know it as well.’

‘We don’t have to go back to Anathema. We could ask the Doctor to take us somewhere else. There are other Remote colonies out there, the Faction always said so.’

‘What difference does it make?’ said Kode. ‘We don’t fit in anywhere. Not now.’

Compassion didn’t seem to know what to say to that.

* * *

Sarah Jane Smith:

Paul had phoned four times over the last three days, finding a new excuse every time. And Sarah had come up with four different reasons to stop him coming over. When the Doctor finally announced his intention to leave, she couldn’t help feeling relieved.

She couldn’t let him get any