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'Enough talk, Doctor,' came Watson's voice from behind the door. 'Come out and face me, now, or I mean it, I'll kill her.'

'I rather think you'll kill her no matter what I do,' the Doctor said.

Lucy decided to join in. 'We want you to see her die right there in front of you.'

'You're not really selling it to me, I'm afraid,' the Doctor called, casually.

'Why don't you just come and get me?'

Watson again. 'I want you to acknowledge yourself that it's your futile love of life that's brought you to your death. Shamed on your knees, before me.

Now.'

'Oh, but I’ve just opened a rather cheeky little Chablis,' protested the Doctor. 'Tell you what, I'll pour everyone a glass and meet you up there in a moment.' The Doctor turned to Fitz, his voice low. 'I've changed the wavelengths so it will only affect those carrying the leech.'

Fitz stared at him, hurt and confused, his thoughts thick with too much wine. 'You're going to kill my mum,' he said in a small voice.

'Your mother's already dead, Fitz. She's gone. I know it's difficult, but...'

'You were going to help them,' Fitz argued. 'You said you'd make them better.'

'It's too late!' said the Doctor, his eyes grey shadows on his face. 'Critical mass, "boom", remember? The power build-up, it's irreversible.'

'No! Why should I believe you? The image of his mum throttling the life out of him broke its way back into his mind, driving him crazy. 'And what about Sam? The leech is in her, too.'

The Doctor turned back to his work. 'Fitz, please, if we don't stop them now, they'll -'

'What's with this "we" business?' said Fitz, angrily. 'Don't bring me into this, this isn't "we", this is just "you". It's always what you want, like Maria said before she got killed, isn't it?' The Doctor said nothing, and Fitz came to a decision. 'She's still my mum, Doctor!'

'I told you, she isn't. '

'How can you be sure? '

Fitz tried to grab the Doctor by the lapels, knocking him back against the wall, just as the pounding started up again on the cellar's heavy oak door.

Already, the wood was beginning to splinter. The Doctor held the crystal above his head as he tried to push Fitz away, their struggle pulling them down one of the musty aisles.

'There's no time for this,' the Doctor shouted, twisting free abruptly and sending Fitz sprawling into a wine rack that collapsed beneath his weight.

His body crashed heavily to the floor along with several bottles, but the sound couldn't drown out the noise of the banging on the door.

The Doctor checked that Fitz was only unconscious, then studied the crystal again, as shadowy figures began to insinuate themselves from the dark corners of the cellar. Huge, grey monochrome images of Watson and Lucy, looming large with Sam between them, her head bowed, saved from collapse only by Lucy's tight grip on her hair.

'Broadcast live, Doctor,' came Watson's voice from the hallway, though the apparition in front of him mouthed along to the words. 'I wouldn't want you to miss this.'

The Doctor could see Fitz's mother standing behind them, mutely.

Presumably Taylor and Russell were beating down the door. And now Sam had been jolted awake. He looked down at the crystals as she started to scream and the door began to rip off its hinges.

Activating the sonic screwdriver, sending a focused loop of energy into the circuits, he closed his eyes.

***

'We're nearly through!' Russell reported, eagerly. 'We're so strong...'

'Only the beginning, lad,' said Watson. 'You hear that, Doctor?' he called.

'We'll hunt you down like a dog!'

'And let's make this little bitch bark louder,' said Lucy.

***

The Doctor looked up in horror. Nothing had happened. The huge projection of Sam, her eyes wide and tears flowing down her stone-grey face, towered over him. He heard the door cave in, and a shout of triumph.

The lattice was dead, not enough energy even for short range. The Doctor held the crystals to his forehead and the screwdriver to the crystals, concentrating,