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The sky over Groom Lake Air Force Base turned black. Wave after wave of Waro swooped into position as with every passing

moment the dark, shimmering cloud grew in size. Several individuals, crazed by the maddening craving to rip the flesh from the feeble humans, circled away from the main group and began attacking each other in a terrible parody of a childish game.

Still more Waro arrived. There were millions of them, filling the sky from horizon to horizon like a black shroud.

They obscured the sun until the entire desert was in pitch darkness.

The first planes to meet them were F-4 Phantom fighters, scrambled from the base at the first sign of a potential attack.

Four of them flew into the heart of the Waro, firing missiles and countless machine gun rounds. Two planes were swallowed by the amorphous mass of Waro, then plummeted downward, belching smoke and fire.

The Doctor and his friends had found themselves a small gully, overshadowed by towering rocks, in which to watch the battle.

'There are so many of them.' said Shuskin, stating the obvious. 'And there is nothing we can do.' She pulled out a pair of binoculars, and saw the second pair of planes punch a hole through the dark cloud, sunlight flooding through the jagged rip in the sky. It was like watching the end of the world.

'That is better,' said Shuskin eagerly, as one of the fighters turned and rammed back through the Waro curtain, scattering thousands of the creatures in its wake, peppered by shot and crushed by the hammer blow of the aircraft's impact. The second fighter crashed through, creating another burst of sunlight in the dark sky.

'They're winning.' said Liz, but even before the words had left her mouth one of the planes was engulfed by the Waro.

Already they were filling the gaps in their canopy.

'There are too many of them.’ said Shuskin again.

'They're using

their heat weapons. And landing on the planes to plant bombs.'

All the while the Doctor said nothing, continuing to work on a complex circuit as the sky filled with the trails of plummeting fighter planes.

'Can we do nothing?' asked Shuskin angrily

'Perhaps,' he muttered.

At last Professor Trainor managed to open the rest of the cells containing the stony-faced Nedenah. His cry of delight was lost beneath the alarm klaxons.

'Oh dear,' said Trainor. hadn't counted on that.'

The Brigadier strode into the nearest cell, knowing that he had to take control of this situation. 'Now, listen here.' he said. know that you can hear me. I have proved that I do not want to see you destroyed, but if you don't help me, we'll all end up dead.'

The creature angled its head to look up at the Brigadier -

the unexpected movement shocked him - and smiled. It was a warm smile, beguiling and alien, but it was impossible to resist. Somehow it told the Brigadier that Everything will be all right and that There is no need to panic. In an instant the Brigadier felt that he could trust the creatures - and that he would travel to the ends of the Earth to see that smile again.

'It is time,' said the creature, in what sounded to the Brigadier to be perfect English, 'for us to leave this place.'

There were different craft in the sky now. Along with numerous F-4s, F-5s, and F-111s were oddly styled machines, triangular and disc-shaped craft that seemed to take off vertically and fly at lightning speed towards the creatures.

'What in the name of God are they?' asked Mike, venturing to the very edge of their crevasse for a closer look.

'Hmmm?' The Doctor looked up briefly, his sonic screwdriver in his mouth as he worked on a clump of complex wiring. 'Experimental aircraft, based on some of the alien designs the Americans have gained access to.' he said with a degree of professional curiosity. "That long triangular one is very like a Dale warship I once saw on Aridius. It's beautiful, don't you think?'

'Beautiful?' said Shuskin angrily. 'It is obscene!'

'That too,' noted the Doctor, and