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'How do you explain God?'Josh asked, putting on his own overshoes and hat and leading the way into the tunnel.

'I'm sorry?'

'If there has to be more than one, how do you explain God?'

The Doctor said, 'You don't explain a god. A god is an excuse not to explain.' Somewhere ahead of them he could hear a rushing sound rising and falling like waves on a shingle beach. Around them he could already feel the crackling static building at the edge of a huge magnetic storm.

A wave of panic crashed over him. He couldn't stop what was happening. It had gone too far. It was already beyond him. This wasn't his fault. If he could just escape If he could turn and run and get back to the TARDIS he could survive. There wasn't anything he could do except run away. He had to run away. He had to get back to the TARDIS. Survival was everything.

He had to survive. Turn and run. Turn. Run.

He took a deep shuddering breath and strode on behind Josh. The field effect was obviously getting stronger. He must remember how susceptible he was to the field effect.

Bill Parnaby peered over the top of his new laptop. 'Have you spoken to the police?' he asked. 'Yeah, right,' Barry said. 'They're going to listen to me.'

Parnaby started to fold the screen, then thought better of it and closed the machine down and turned it off. 'What about security?'

'Excuse me guys, but Professor Finer, rich and powerful Filhrer of this parish, has kidnapped a harmless loony and is holding him captive in his bunker. Please investigate. Signed unemployed and vindictive.'

Parnaby giggled. 'It was that attitude that got you into trouble in the first place if you remember.'

'I do remember,' Barry said. "There was never enough custard round here for the sort of wrestling I had in mind.'

Parnaby put the laptop in his desk drawer. I don't know what you want me to do, Barry?'

'You're a friend of Finer's. Can't you talk to him and find out what's going on?'

Parnaby shook his head. 'It's a bad time.'

'Tell me about it,' Barry said wryly.

Parnaby said, 'He always gets a bit weird about this time of year.'

'You mean weirder'

'I used to think it was the autumn. It depresses some people. But I think it might be something else. Maybe an anniversary. Anyway he won't talk to anybody'

'Not even to you?'

'He locks himself away in his department. Won't pick up the phone, won't answer his mobile, won't respond to e-mails.'

'That is suspicious right there,' Barry said. "The man's like Howard Hughes only with less hair and shorter fingernails.'

'And if you're honest,' Parnaby said, 'you didn't see the Doctor go in to the department did you?'

'Oh come on, Bill. One minute he was there, next minute he was gone,'

Barry said. 'As a vanishing act all it lacked was a puff of smoke and someone yelling shazham!

'You don't know where the Doctor went.'

'I know he's disappeared. I think that's out of character.' Parnaby sighed. I have to admit he didn't strike me as the disappearing type. Quite the contrary in fact. For a while there I thought I'd never get rid of him.' He locked the drawer and got up from behind the desk. 'All right, Barry. Let's wander over and have a quiet chat with security. Maybe they can make some discreet inquiries.'

By the time they emerged from the service tunnel into the low cavern the Doctor was feeling more in control of himself. Stuttering static sparks snapped and sparkled in the air and the surge and resurge of the power pulses vibrated and shocked through his skull.

He closed his eyes and listened to the thick rushing. The pulse rate had increased. Finer must have started the final powering up of his infernal machine. It was already too late. It was over. He felt a pang of guilt. He had failed. He had failed everyone and everything. At the moment it all vanished would the TARDIS feel abandoned? And Leela, what about Leela? He had forgotten her. Where was she? Was she alone and afraid?

He opened his eyes again. Field effect. He must remember the field effect.

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