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By Root 732 0

to be unnecessary. Those students who saw her may have recognised that she did not belong, but they showed no interest in raising the alarm about her or in what she appeared to be doing. They did react, but their reactions were no different now than they had been when she was eating cooked breakfast or when she was trying to find Doctor Ghostbuster Bazzer Hitchins. If anything, she felt they were less aggressive. Fortunately their behaviour did not draw the man's attention to her. Unaware that she was behind him he walked on through the paved spaces, up and down flights of stone stairs and along narrow walkways. He spoke to no one. He did not pause. He did not look back once.

On at least two separate occasions Leela realised that her image and his were showing in the same reflective surface, and she had to drop further back. Since she had been unable to see his face clearly in the dark glass she assumed he had not noticed her careless lapses. She knew it was a risky assumption. If he had seen her then his lack of reaction meant he was leading her into a trap.

Eventually they reached the edge of the main group of buildings and the man took a deserted path out past artificial lakes and ornamental fountains.

In the carefully tended parkland they were crossing there was almost no cover at all and Leela's options narrowed. She walked silently, closing the distance between them and relying on him not to turn round until she was ready to put her new simple plan into operation.

Her new simple plan was to mistake him for someone else, look at his face and then apologise in the charming way she had seen the Doctor do it: I am most terribly sorry or please do forgive me. And then she would go back the way she had come and tell the Doctor where she had been and why.

She got closer to the man. How close should she go? She put her hand on the hilt of her knife. Why was she uncomfortable about confronting this man? It suddenly struck her that she had followed him this far like a timid child when all she needed to do was make him turn and face her. He was a tall man but he was skinny. He was no warrior. She could kill him without breaking sweat. So why was she hesitating? She did not believe he was anything other than a man. He was no threat. Unless unless he was more than he seemed. Unless it was him.

She was within ten paces of him when she called out. Hullo?'

He ignored her and strode on.

She tried again. 'Hullo?' She loped to within touching distance and reached out to tap his shoulder. 'Hullo?'

He stopped abruptly and turned. 'Yes, what can I do for you?'

It was him. The narrow face, the thin-lipped sneering smile and the sharply cruel eyes. For a moment Leela was lost for words. The face was not twisted and wild but it was the same face. It was the face of the striding, cackling man-creature, the face of the ghost she had seen in the wood. It was the face of the demon. She remembered the simple plan. 'I am most terribly sorry,' she said automatically, knowing that she should be smiling and that the words sounded wrong. 'Please do forgive me.'

'It's all right,' he said. He looked her up and down. 'What is it? Some sort of charity stunt?'

'No,' Leela said. 'It is' but then the words failed her again. She could not think what to say it was.

'What do you want?' he asked.

'I thought you were somebody else,' she finally managed.

'Really,' he said. 'Who did you think I was?'

'Somebody who is not you,' Leela said. 'I am most terribly sorry please do forgive me.'

She turned on her heel and walked back along the deserted path towards the main university complex. She could feel the demon's eyes hot on her back. She had to fight the impulse to run. Behind her she imagined the demon capering and leaping and rushing after her.

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor was sitting in the control and monitoring suite surrounded by print-outs and video cassettes. He had started by examining the results of the general screening tests that Barry Hitchins had conducted. The first ones clearly identified the