‘Lucky for me, I suppose,’ the Doctor agreed.

‘The blast made me revert to my own body, then launched me right across the arena. I stayed out of sight until it was all over. You didn’t need my help any more. You could deal with the Sontarans yourself.’ She smiled at him.

The Doctor didn’t smile back. ‘And now what? We all live happily ever after?’

‘Well, why not?’

‘Because I don’t know if you have changed. You don’t seem sorry that you’ve killed six people here. Emma. Laura. Andy. Joe. Jess. The electrician. Do you still plan to win Earth for the Rutans?’

‘They would kill me if I did not,’ she said.

The Doctor shook his head. ‘Not if I took you away from here in the TARDIS. I could give you a second chance.’

There was a flash of green light. The Doctor flung up his hands to shield his eyes. When he could see again, Emma had gone. In the girl’s place was a large green jelly-like blob, pulsing with white veins. Hairy white fronds floated from its body, like a beard made of seaweed.

‘Showing your true colours?’ the Doctor asked. ‘Mainly green, I see.’

The Rutan spoke. It was no longer using Emma’s voice, the sound it made was low and grating. ‘I could kill you and take your craft,’ it said.

The light bulb hanging from the ceiling

flickered, and energy crackled across the alien’s skin.

‘I think I could learn to fly it,’ the Rutan went on. ‘My mission would be easy with a time ship. My people would reward me for it.’

The Doctor waved a booted foot in the air. ‘Just try it,’ he said. ‘You can’t give me any deadly shocks while I’ve got my special rubber boots on! Now come on. What’s it going to be? This is your last chance to take your last chance.’

He braced himself, not sure that even the boots would protect him if the alien attacked. But the Rutan seemed to be thinking about his words. The green glow within its huge round body went darker, then became lighter again. ‘I . . .’ it said slowly. ‘I . . .’

‘Death to Rutans!’

The shout came from the doorway. The Doctor spun round. Major Stenx staggered into the room. The broken tip of a javelin was still sticking out of his probic vent. The Doctor couldn’t believe the Sontaran was still alive.

‘Sontaran!’ The Rutan was rushing across the room towards its enemy. The lights went out, but the Doctor could still see. Tendrils of power whipped around the Rutan’s body, lighting up the room.

‘I give you a death you do not deserve!’ cried Stenx. ‘You will die in battle, with honour!’

‘It is you who will die!’ the Rutan replied.

Major Stenx pointed his wand-like gun at the Rutan and fired. Beam after beam of red light hit the crackling green Rutan blob.

Power snaked from the Rutan. A line of energy hit the broken piece of metal that had stuck in the Sontaran’s neck. All of BASE’s energy was poured into Stenx’s weak spot.

Green blood began to bubble from the major’s mouth. ‘I . . . die . . . in . . . battle!’ he gasped, as he fell to his knees. A second later, he lay on the floor. Dead.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Sparks began to shoot from Stenx’s body. The Doctor turned to the Rutan. ‘You have to contain the power!’

There was no answer. The Doctor looked closer. Stenx’s laser beams had hit their target too many times. The Rutan – he couldn’t help still thinking of it as ‘Emma’ – was dead too. But, somehow, it was still sucking power from BASE, and pouring it into the Sontaran.

The Doctor needed to get out of there, and fast. He clicked his fingers and the TARDIS doors swung open.

‘Who needs a key?’ he said.

It was the work of a moment to take off. He looked at the scanner as he did so, just in time to see a massive flash of white light. The whole building had exploded. Well, at least that would tie up any loose ends. No alien bodies to be found.

The Doctor thought back to that last body, the green blob slowly folding in on itself.

‘I wish I knew what you’d decided, Emma,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t offer second chances very often. I think . . . I think we might have given each other another chance.’

He turned away from the scanner, and began to set the controls. He had other places to visit. Other lives to save.

With a sad smile, he corrected himself. Other lives to try to save.

All he could do was his best.

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Published in 2009 by BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing. Ebury Publishing is a division of the Random House Group Ltd.

© Jacqueline Rayner, 2009

Jacqueline Rayner has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

Doctor Who is a BBC Wales production for BBC One

Executive Producers: Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner

Original series broadcast on BBC Television. Format © BBC 1963. ‘Doctor Who’, ‘TARDIS’ and the Doctor Who logo are trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence. Sontarans created by Robert Holmes. Rutans created by Terrance Dicks.

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ISBN 9781846076435