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By Root 464 0

wash up there. If it did, she would be in very serious trouble. It's bad enough that her friend died. But as I said, the rate of decay for one of her species will be rapid; in fact I wouldn't mind wagering that there isn't much left of him by now. So the organic evidence of their visit will be gone before your pathologists can come anywhere near to solving the mystery. However, to go home and confess that she has left a piece of their technology to be found by a primitive people — sorry, but by their standards that's what humans are — is probably more than she has the courage to face.' He smiled sadly. 'She's very young. Just like you.'

'Thanks!' Nina bridled. 'You make me sound about six years old!'

'I didn't mean it in that way. But you are young. So you probably understand far better than I do how hard it is for Ruth to face up to what she's done. She's frightened, Nina — frightened, and alone among strangers.'

Nina scowled. 'Whose fault's that? She got herself into this; if she suffers for it, she's only got herself to blame. All I care about is making sure that she can't screw up my brother any more than she's already done.'

The Doctor didn't answer, but Nina felt the change in the atmosphere between them. She raised her eyes quickly, warily, and saw him looking back at her with a steady, assessing gaze in which was a hint of sadness. Then he said quietly, 'I'm surprised to hear you say that. And disappointed.'

Nina's waspish bravado wavered. 'I only meant —' she began.

'I know what you meant. But I would have thought that you, of all people, would have some sympathy for Ruth. Don't you break rules? Aren't you rebellious? Or is all that just a pretence?'

His words hit their mark with painful accuracy, and the bravado collapsed altogether as a hot flood of shame washed over Nina. Suddenly she felt about as small and stupid as a caterpillar; a tear dropped from her cheek to the floor, then a second, and she could have kicked herself for being unable to control them.

'I'm sorry.' Her voice was tight, barely more than a whisper. 'I didn't mean it ... I'm just so worried about Steve.'

'Steve's safe, now that he's no longer in contact with the pendant,' the Doctor told her more gently. 'But Ruth isn't. She's in real danger. And we should try to do something about that before it's too late.'

'T-too late?'

'Yes. The rumours that started about her companion being genetically modified were true. When Ruth's people visit other planets, they have genetic adjustments made, to change their outward appearance and to enable them to cope with alien conditions more easily. But the adjustments are only temporary; natural cell renewal gradually lessens their effect and contact with water just speeds up the process. Ruth is reverting back to her true state. And in her true state she can't survive on Earth. She's already becoming ill. If she stays here much longer, then the changes will go too far and, like a fish out of water, she'll die.'

Nina's hostility towards Ruth made a last assault protest, saying, So what? Who cares? But the Doctor's rebuke, though mild compared to what it could have been, had gone sharply home. She had already diminished herself in his eyes. She desperately didn't want him to despise her any further.

Hoping that her feelings had not betrayed themselves too clearly on her face, she blinked several times, then tried to keep her voice casual. 'She – Ruth – looked bad when I saw her earlier.' She glanced sidelong at the Doctor from behind the curtain of her hair. 'If she's ill, then OK, we'd better try and do something. But what?'

'Find her, for a start,' the Doctor replied. 'And that won't be easy. You said she went the same way as before, up the cliff path?'

'Yeah. But it doesn't lead anywhere, except to the holiday chalets.'

'Nonetheless, I think I should take a look.' He got to his feet, moved to the door of the TARDIS and opened it, revealing the disorientating contrast of the small cottage sitting room beyond. Then he paused, looking back at Nina. 'Will you come with