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'And they were carrying guns - laser guns or whatever. So they must've come from somewhere else.'

'Another ship?' ventured Tanhith, leaning against one of the outbuildings as Sam continued her train of thought.

'Maybe - although if Felbaac's ship was anything to go by, that could cause ageing problems. They didn't look ready to draw their pensions, did they?'

'They seemed unaffected,' concurred Tanhith, less colourfully.

'So maybe they came some other way... Before I left the moon, there was a ship approaching that knew where the control base was. It was coming straight for it!'

'So?'asked Tanhith.

Sam knew he was patronising her a little but didn't want to break off her chain of thought. The Doctor never did that, no matter what the provocation. 'So what if those monsters came here from the moonbase?'

'Why would they?'

'I don't know. Maybe they like easy targets.'

'Could they have come the same way you did?'

'No, it was too small.' Sam looked downcast, but suddenly brightened again. 'But there might be another, bigger transmitter there! No, then the Doctor would've come looking for me. Unless he couldn't 'cause those creatures got him...'

Tanhith looked on somewhat bemused as Sam had the conversation with herself. Then she stared at him, her blue eyes clear, her voice low and urgent.'Tanhith, we've got to get back to the moon. I know how! We can follow those monsters back - they're organised, like soldiers. They must know the way back.'

Tanhith smiled broadly at her. 'I'm impressed,' he said, and Sam guessed that if her face hadn't been so red anyway her blushes would be clearly visible.

A voice spoke:'You've got to take me too.'

Sam froze, and Tanhith's happy face creased into concern in a second.

She spun round to see what he was looking at, and her mouth gaped in disbelief.

Chapter 11

Days Die Out in Dreams

'Fettal!'

The woman was swaying before them. She held her gun, but loosely, pointing it down at the ground. A huge crimson stain had spread over her stomach and her face was red and crispy from the sun, the gossamer threads over her eyes singed black, or broken. She'd discarded the military jacket and in her dishevelled uniform she looked more like a helpless schoolgirl than a Nazi wannabe.'Please help me,' she croaked.

'Didn't expect to see you walking about,' breathed Sam when she found her voice again.

'I don't know what happened,' Fettal groaned.'Everything was swimming around me, then the world just seemed to stop, stop dead.'

'You should've stayed dead,' sneered Tanhith.

'Yeah, why should we help you?' challenged Sam. 'You're evil. An evil little sadist.'

Fettal fired her gun into the ground. The mud spat up from the floor under the impact and Sam kicked the weapon out of her grasp. 'You reckon that's going to make us take you? You sad cow.'

Fettal kept looking at the floor, swaying uncertainly. 'I was just discharging the gun to show you I mean you no harm,' she pleaded.

'Only because you're too hurt to inflict any on us,' said Sam, disbelief in her voice.

'You can't just leave me to die,' wailed Fettal. 'Those creatures will come back. They'll destroy me. They destroyed everyone here. Don't leave me for them. You can't.'

Sam turned away, and looked at Tanhith. A long silent look passed between them, until she kicked a foot against the wall. 'I am so sick of choices.'

***

The Doctor was halfway up the cliff face now. Anstaar watched him make his painfully slow progress, like a bizarre yo-yo inching its way up a string.

She realised she'd been holding her breath.

'Hurry up, Doctor,' she muttered.

***

Suspended from the creaking metal rope against the rocky wall, the Doctor felt the sweat warm on his brow. The Kusk's face was still staring down dispassionately at his struggles. He was close enough now to see the small fingers gripping the cord, the crackling skin hanging down in ragged amber around the thick feet protruding over the edge of the rise.

Every step against the soft rock, every