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As usual, she'd be the one doing the waiting.

***

'Let's start with her,' said Lucy, and Fitz breathed a guilty sigh of relief.

'Hey, Nursie,' said Lucy, poking Maria with her foot. 'Wake up. We've got something for you.'

Maria didn't stir. Lucy bent over her and spoke more loudly. ‘Wake... up!'

She kicked her. 'Wake up!'

Still nothing.

'No!' shouted Lucy. 'It's not fair!'

'What is it?' Russell wanted to know.

'She won't wake up!' Lucy stamped her foot in frustration on Maria's hand.

'She must've done something to herself.'

'Do it anyway,' whispered the thing Fitz told himself wasn't his mother.

Lucy crouched down, stroking Maria's white pudgy cheeks. 'Won't you wake up, Nurse Bulwell?' she cooed, softly.

At first, there was nothing. Then it was as if someone had poured turps over Maria's body and put a match to her; a strange, stunted blue flame licked her skin and crackled, shrouding her, as if the air around her was burning. Her limbs went into spasm. Fitz was glad he couldn't see Maria's face. When she started screaming, he shut his eyes anyway, tightly.

At last the noise stopped, and the crackling body lay still.

'Oh, wow!' said Lucy, and the others happily murmured their approval.

***

Azoth didn't know how he was moving. He felt dissociated from his body, a lump of intelligence trapped in a burnt-out bowl, motivating his shape forward but with no idea why, where to or for how long.

Life signs were registering. Calling.

***

'Try it on him, too,' said the thing like his mother to Lucy. 'Go on.'

'I wonder if it just spreads through the fingers,' Lucy mused, 'or whether I can use any part of my body.'

Fitz couldn't help opening his tear-filled eyes. He saw Lucy was licking her lips.

'Ssessment check... program 'ailure...'

Fitz turned, sniffed, his eyes widening in surprise. He'd know that excuse for a voice anywhere, but the last time he'd seen him... Perhaps the Doctor had fixed him - perhaps the Doctor was here too. At any rate, it might put this lot off their stroke long enough for him to -

There was a terrible clanking and smashing noise as metal slammed into wood again and again. I don't believe it, thought Fitz. The stupid sod's fallen downstairs!

Watson and the others, Fitz's mum included, all began to laugh.

'Who's this?' asked Watson, genially.

'That's him,' said Taylor. "That's the golden angel that spoke to me.'

A fallen angel.' Lucy was spluttering with mirth.

'The founder of our feast,' said Watson, still acting as if he were hosting a dinner party.

Fitz heard Azoth's voice strike up again, a little faster. 'Taylor units A and B

were among those selected for program implementation. You are descended from Taylor unit A. Your program is corrupt.'

Lucy turned to Taylor, smirking. 'It suits you,' she said.

***

The Doctor looked down from the landing. This was not good news. Every time he left this lot sleeping they were awake before he got back. And now he'd allowed the patients to get hold of their only means of being cured -

something that wouldn't be so bad if they'd actually wanted curing in the first place. Now he'd stand as much chance of reclaiming Azoth as a man asking a pyromaniac to part with his matches.

Fitz was down there, and Maria too, like Christians in a den of lions. No Sam to launch into a tried and tested diversion with him, so...

***

Fitz heard someone clearing their throat up on the landing, and risked a look. He'd been right: it was the Doctor, standing as bold as you like on the top stair.

'Please may I have my robot back?' he asked, hopefully.

Watson didn't seem surprised. 'Thought you might be behind this little stunt, Doctor.'

'Is it a gift for us?' Lucy asked, crouching over Azoth, who'd gone silent again. 'Only if it is, you really shouldn't have.' She gestured at Fitz and at Maria's body. 'We already have things to play with.'

'Let them go,' said the Doctor, simply.

'Why?' Lucy asked.

'We don't want to,' said Russell.

'Make us,'