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‘I said stop!’ The second shot flashed by the Doctor’s face and deactivated another alcove.

Leela cried out as the force field touched her for one agonising fraction of a second before she struggled and managed to make herself smaller.

The Doctor reached what he thought was the right alcove.

He paused.

Sozerdor took careful aim this time.

The Doctor hesitated. Was this the right one? Or was it the next one?

Sozerdor steadied his gun hand with his free hand and lined up the head shot.

Choose one. Choose one now.

Sozerdor squeezed the fire release smoothly and slowly.

With a shared yell of insane rage the two Monlys ran at Sozerdor, arms flailing, faces contorted. Sozerdor shot them both down.

Inside the alcove the Doctor found what looked like a small holographic projection of the central pit and the bright, clearly deflating bubble of the force field. There was no sign of how it was controlled. He looked around urgently. There was nothing else to be seen. There were no doorways into a virtual guidance link. There was no directly slaved image of Leela. Control had to be exercised using the image itself. But how? If he got it wrong he could make things worse.

Terminally worse. He thought of Sozerdor’s theatrical display.

Where had that come from?

Carefully he put his open hand on the top of the bubble and closed it and lifted his fist.

For a long moment nothing happened, and then the force field began to expand and inflate as it followed the movement of his hand.

‘You should resist cheap jokes, Sozerdor,’ he murmured, smiling with relief. ‘They give things away.’ With an upward gesture he opened his fist and watched carefully to see what effect that had. The image of the force field continued to expand. The Doctor wondered whether there was a direct correlation between the speed of the gesture and the rapidity with which the field changed. Perhaps it was possible with a series of identical gestures to pump up the acceleration?

Would a reverse gesture slow it down or change the direction completely? He was about to test a couple of these possibilities when he realised what he was doing and remembered what Sozerdor said that he already knew: And this place will drive you crazy if you’re not paying attention.

He wasn’t paying attention. He shouldn’t be thinking about experimenting with the systems – he had to find out what was happening to Leela.

The Doctor turned back to the front and for the first time he registered that the alcove was closed around him in a complete circle. There was no front. There was no back.

There was no feature by which to orientate himself. More disconcerting still, it appeared there were now no features at all, not even a recognisable wall he could feel his way round.

If the Doctor had been given to panic, the dizzying absence of distance and perspective might well have made him lose his balance. As it was, he checked that the miniature force field was still expanding and then he set off to walk in what he hoped was a straight line.

He emerged from one of the hollowed-out places in the wall. It took a few seconds for his senses to rationalise that he was back in a more familiar landscape. He heard Leela calling out to him.

‘Doctor? It is getting bigger. Does that mean I can get out now?’

Rubbing his eyes, he tried to focus on her. ‘Soon.’ His eyesight clear again he looked around, warily. ‘Where’s Sozerdor?’

‘I do not know. He was gone before I could move enough to see.’

‘A pressing engagement to which we’re a possible threat or no threat at all,’ the Doctor mused.

‘When can I get out?’ Leela demanded.

‘If the light goes dim it’s safe to step out,’ the Doctor said.

‘ If the light goes dim?’

The Doctor walked down to look at the sprawled bodies of Monly. ‘They must have heard what I said. I didn’t think they were listening.’

‘If the light goes dim?’ Leela repeated.

‘I think the field will weaken and dissipate eventually when it’s expanded enough.’ As he said it there was a dip in the brightness.