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'Send down?' The Doctor's voice was suddenly hard.'You've been sending people down to Hirath?'

'Wait your turn, I'm next!' piped up Sam, but the Doctor ignored her and Vasid just carried on laughing.

The Doctor took a step towards him and his voice cut through the smaller man's inane cackling.'Tell me :

Vasid stopped, and shrugged. 'Couldn't - couldn't have her on the base.

She got rid of Vost.'

'I never!' called Sam.

'You did, you liar!'Vasid shouted back, angrily.'You made me get rid of Anstaar.' He turned to the Doctor, imploring him to believe.'She made me get rid of Anstaar.'

'All right, now just calm down. Listen to me. I'm just going to get Sam out of there, and then we can all talk about the extreme danger I believe we're in.'

As he spoke, Vasid could see the newcomer's eyes flickering between the central computer terminal, the flickering monitor screens, the matter-transmission booth and the instrumentation on the far wall.

Vasid sat down heavily in the control chair as the Doctor turned away with a tight smile.

Sam could just discern the Doctor striding towards her, his face full of concern. She smiled, broadly, but he couldn't see with her shoulder in the way. 'Knew I should've taken the sleeping quarters,' she muttered.

She saw the Doctor smile reassuringly as he moved his hand to the glass partition. But as he began to pull, his figure seemed diffuse with yellow light. A soft, gentle light that made her smile, giggle - no, it was like a rugging, as though she was being pulled on from within, and surely the Doctor could see her smiling so widely now, even though he seemed to be fading away, for her shoulder had gone and there was just bone there now, and now even that was gone -

Then her sight went with her reason and it was like drowning in a cold black stream.

***

'What have you done?' The Doctor grabbed hold of Vasid's shuddering bulk, incredulous, and shook him.'You idiot!'

'You know what I've done,' said Vasid, dreamily, turning up his nose at the smell of burnt meat wafting through the control area. 'I sent her down there

, like a probe. Everything will be under control.'

'Snap out of it.'

Vasid giggled again, and the Doctor slapped him lightly across the face.

"There's no time for this. Snap out of it, man! Where did you send Sam?'

Vasid stared at him, then slumped back in his chair. 'Down there. I just need to sleep.'

The Doctor straightened up and began pacing round at almost comic speed. 'I've got to get her back. Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam...' He spun on his heel and pointed at Vasid.'Is there anyone else on this base?'

'Not any more,' giggled Vasid.

The Doctor thumped his fist down on the desk with such force that the empty narcomilk bottles rolled off and smashed on the floor. "Things are very wrong here, and unless I'm very wrong we're running out of time fast.

You're going to help me. Now'

Vasid saw real anger in the newcomer's wide grey-blue eyes, and cowered back in his chair.

He had the feeling he was not going to be allowed to just sleep off this trip.

***

In the chocolaty dark of the alien ship, the Leader sat in his control chair staring at the display of data flickering over the mesh screen before him.

'Signal flare,' came the technician's thick sibilant voice.'We now have exact coordinates.'

'Close in,' rasped the Leader.

***

'Recognise this?' asked the Doctor, holding up the box he'd taken from Vost's office.

'No. Never seen one before.'

'Not standard issue, then, interesting. All right, question two: you saw the light surge, I take it?'

'Yes.' Vasid held his head in his hands, his thick fingers rubbing at his reddened eyes. The Doctor had ordered some water from a drone and forced it down his throat, splashing it over his face, gently cuffing him and coaxing him into a state approaching semi-consciousness. Vasid couldn't understand why this newcomer was actually being civil to him. He was