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The creatures crowded closer, the Zygon warriors advancing with ponderous menace, the scientists moving with an almost mincing step.

'Hello,' said the Doctor warmly, raising a hand in greeting. 'May I say what a pleasure it is to encounter your charming species once again.As... er...

Emmeline here will tell you, we've come to have a chat about things, see if we can't come to some mutually beneficial -'

'Silence, human,' the Zygon that had been impersonating Emmeline said in a hissing, gurgling voice.

'I'm sorry, I was only -'

'Where is the sonic device that you used to incapacitate our Skarasen?'

one of the Zygon scientists asked, gliding forward. Its voice, in contrast to that of the warrior that had spoken, was soft, fluting, akin to the voice a songbird might possess if it could speak.

'In my pocket,' said the Doctor.

'Make him produce it,' the Zygon scientist said to the warrior that had been impersonating Emmeline.

Several of the Zygon warriors began to move forward. 'There's no need for that,' the Doctor said hastily. 'I'll happily show it to you.' He slipped his hand into his pocket and produced his sonic screwdriver, which he held up for all to see.

A couple of the Zygon scientists cringed. 'Make him drop it,' one of them squealed.

'Jesus! Doctor!' Sam warned,clutching his free arm.The Zygon warrior nearest to her had extended and opened its hands, unsheathing a number of thorn-like spikes from suckers on its palms.

Calmly the Doctor dropped the sonic screwdriver to the floor. Instantly one of the Zygon scientists darted forward and dropped what looked like a wriggling blob of slug-like flesh on to it. The blob of flesh adhered to the device, immediately extending antenna-like tentacles which it wrapped tightly around the handle .The Zygon scientist moved across the room and delicately tweaked a control that resembled a small green mushroom on the bottom left of the panel.

Immediately the blob of flesh began to glow and to emit a shrill whistling sound, like a note of distress. Barely a second had passed, however, before the sound was silenced by an intense flash of light that caused Sam and Litefoot to throw their arms up in front of their faces. As the light faded, Sam blinked the after-image of the flare away and peered down at the place where the sonic screwdriver had been. There was now nothing left of it but a blackened, twisted lump of smoking metal.

'I hate it when people do that,' said the Doctor ruefully.'It took me long enough to get round to building a new one after the last time.'

'You will come with us,' the Zygon scientist who had destroyed the sonic screwdriver trilled. The creature turned and moved to the door on the far side of the chamber, which slid open to admit it.

As the Zygon warriors began to close in once again, the Doctor said, 'It's all right, you don't have to push,' and began to stride after the Zygon scientist, his coat flying behind him. Sam fell into step behind the Doctor, sticking close to him, while Litefoot, looking somewhat shell-shocked, brought up the rear.

The three of them were escorted through yet more rooms and corridors until they reached an area which contained a number of crystalline alcoves set into the wall. In each alcove was a motionless human body, held upright by an entwining mass of fibrous tentacles. Though the face of each human was partly concealed by a spongy, veinlike cowl of softly pulsing tissue, Sam recognised Emmeline and pointed her out. The Doctor nodded and indicated a tall man in a dark suit. This is her father,' he said, 'Nathaniel Seers. Owner of the factory above us.'

'What hellish treatment have these poor unfortunates been subjected to, Doctor?' Litefoot whispered.

'Their mind and body prints have been extracted by the Zygons,' said the Doctor. 'As long as they're hooked up to that brain-drain thingy there the Zygons can impersonate them at will.'

'Are they dead?' asked Sam.