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Episode 6
by Kenny Davidson


As the eerie wolf howl from Vaidya died into haunting silence, the Doctor faced the wolfman grim-faced. "I was prepared to offer you sympathy as the victims of a greater crime," he said, his voice clipped and oddly calm in the tense standoff. "But now, you have made an enemy today."

With that he sidestepped into the alcove between two tall shelf units, and by the time Vaidya and Red darted forward he'd vanished into one of the passageways beyond.

"Split up. Find him," instructed the Wolfman, his voice calm, but less controlled than his opponent a moment ago. He flicked at a light switch on the wall with an extended claw, but only the occasional light across the store came on. The few that still worked.

With wolf-like agility, their noses in the air, the two human hunters darted forward, one left, one right, into the shadows of the large deserted store.

The Wolfman took a cigar out from the breast pocket of his heavy black coat, and a match from his side pocket. Striking the match off a nearby brick pillar he balanced the cigar between his right paw and his mouth, and lit up.

***

The store became more furbished as she advanced. Areas of stock yet to be removed, or still being sold, or stolen and being stored. Large soft fabrics hanging from high above on unseen rails. Sheets, curtains, rugs. White, pale and spectre-like in the semi-darkness. She stretched her arms out to either side as she advanced, grabbing the soft fabrics and feeling their railings turn with her. She moved on to the next two on either side. One soft, the other harder. A white silk sheet and a tough woollen white rug. Once more they moved under her pull, remaining on their invisible hangers, but freely moving nonetheless.

A plan came to her mind; hiding potential. The element of surprise. With a smile, she suddenly circled around several times, feeling the silk wrap around her body with each turn, and the white rug wrapping around that. It was a fun action, as well as being warmer and softer than simply wearing her new recruit's jacket. She stretched up her hands to yank down at the fabric above her, but to her shock and surprise, the cuffs of her jacket were caught and the jacket was pulled up into the darkness before her hands had a chance to grab onto either the overhanging fabric or the material of the jacket.

She growled at the darkness above her sensing movement up there, before finally pulling the material around her free of its railings above.

"You sense and respond to moods very well," said a male voice from above. The old mans. The same man she'd seen earlier that evening, who was with the other wolf outside the house, that her benefactor saw as a dangerous opponent, and who'd been outsmarted less than a minute ago. "That's a gift many animals have, the ability to pick up on the instinct of others." The voice was moving. Material swung nearby; someone lowering themselves onto a ... a bed? Soft landing. Seemed to be a store of soft furnishings. "Like the instinct to ambush your foe." The man gingerly lowered himself onto the floor, his movements betraying a seemingly elderly physique, and she observed that he was carrying her jacket - the young man's jacket - in one of his gloved hands before he turned to face her. He was now less than three metres in front of her, but her benefactor didn't underestimate him, and neither would she.

"Well, well," he said softly, looking at her clothed in the white silk and hide-skin. "A wolf in sheep's clothing. How quaint."

Red suddenly smiled, teeth hidden behind scarlet lips as she shimmied sensually in the makeshift shroud, blowing him a kiss. But the Doctor saw the attention-grabber for what it was, and sidestepped just before Vaidya landed from above on the spot the Doctor had been standing.

The Doctor put his fist to his mouth as if to cover a cough. "I'm terribly sorry to use your own wolf deterrent against you Captain, but needs must." With that a piercing high frequency sound assailed the ears of Red and Vaidya and the couple doubled up as the Doctor blew the dog whistle he'd salvaged from Vaidya's jacket.

The Doctor weaved this way and that along the darkened store, between shelves and boxes as if seeking out his physical options, and all the time blowing on the whistle, before he seemed to choose his exit. Suffice to say, he had got some distance away before the sound was sufficiently weak for the young pursuers to follow.

***

A muscular dark car was parked in the wide entrance of the store, probably stolen for a joyride by the kids who had been attacked in the closed store.

"Expensive joyride," muttered the Doctor as he saw the car's Bentley insignia at the front. "A Mulliner Continental sports edition no less. Vaidya would be impressed." The Doctor's ghostly smile died into a grim scowl as he thought of his young comrade's current predicament.

He searched Vaidya's jacket once more, which was one of a few items over his arm now, and found a small palm-sized box, the one his colleague had no doubt used to acquire the police car currently parked at the other end of the building.

Holding up the box to the handle, the car's door automatically unlocked, and the Doctor eased himself into the generous white leather driver's seat and closed the door behind him. He placed the jacket and other items he'd carried from the store onto the passenger seat, removing his bowler hat and placing it on top, before holding the box against the ignition. The box dealt with the lack of keys for both the immobiliser and ignition and the turbocharged engine growled quietly into life. Supremely refined though the car was, it was built for action, and the Doctor was now on the war path, so that vehicle went from standstill to 60mph in six seconds, charging out of the store and onto the deserted road like an angry lion leaving to engage a challenger for his territory.

Not for nothing was this Doctor feared more than any of his many predecessors. His years as leader of Gallifrey's almighty secret service had taught him when to work by his famous scruples, and when not to. And when he put them to one side, his darker side was an extremely dangerous place to be.

***

Cigar smoke billowed around him as the Wolfman came forward to meet his two accomplices who had failed in their attempts to capture his opponent. No matter. He had a backup plan.

"Young man," he said to Vaidya. "You were responsible for rescuing a government minister I was rather hoping would be dispatched tonight so that I might take his place. Go back to the location you left him in. And kill him. Run, and your transformation will hasten."

With a nod, Vaidya disappeared into the darkness, his new mission burning like wildfire in his mind.

As he vanished, new figures came forward out of the darkness. They were still human. Partly. Fur over their bodies, blood still seeping from wounds, but gathering around the Wolfman and Red nonetheless. "Tonight's new children join the pack," observed Red, remembering how they had been so sure of themselves as they had circled her earlier. So cocky. Now they were like her. Well, slightly like her.

"You have done well, young one," the wolfman purred, approvingly. Then he turned to address the newcomers. "The one who has just left; follow his scent. My opponent will guess my move, will know where the Minister is as surely as his scout, and will attempt a rescue of both his scout and the Minister. Red, you are to go with them, you will recognise the Doctor. You are all to remain hidden from the one who has just left, the scout, but must be ready to intercept and kill the Doctor as soon as he arrives. The Scout will remain one of us." And he turned to Red, his voice unusually hard towards her. "And don't fall for the whistle toy a second time."

She bowed her head before once more letting her human faade drop. The sheets around her fell to the floor, discarded.

***

Two massive glass cylinders dominated the room, from the tops of which hung a crown of coiled cables. The cables hung over a large pipe suspended above head height before coiling to the floor where their ends where locked off in metal gun-like jets, thin enough to fill a test tube. Inside each of the cylinders a murky liquid bubbled ominously, each cylinder housing a slightly differing shade of substance.

Between the cylinders were what looked like four dentists chairs. It was all the width would allow for. And in front of them was a long solid table made from wood, the surface of which was covered in chemical analysis equipment, some test tubes, and other measuring and calibration equipment that would not be recognised even by the best scientists of this time.

By contrast, Snide wasn't from the future.

Nor was he a particularly adept scientist, but his function was just to keep the production going, and you didn't need a degree in rocket science to keep this little lot going.

His previous job had been as a bouncer outside a house of ill-repute. His current employer has recruited him for the same function, but the pay was so much better that it didn't matter if he was asked to do additional tasks that he knew little about.

The neon strip-lights were designed to give uniform illumination throughout the laboratory, but such was the size of the vats that the light always ended up being deflected, leaving large areas in shadow.

It didn't bother Snide. Much.

The electrical hum from the cylinders tended to numb his sense of hearing. One didn't realise how loud they were until you left this room, and that, together with the shadows, was probably how Snide was taken so completely unawares. At least that was how he would justify it to himself afterwards.

The first Snide knew anything was wrong was when two shadows came down either side of his vision; cables from the cylinders that yanked into his stomach, pinning his arms to his sides and hauling his plump frame backwards into one of the operating chairs. His arms were perfectly positioned for the chair's buckles to lock his wrists into place on the armrests, and a black-gloved hand pulled the metal collar across his neck to keep his head upright. You didn't get restraining neck and wrist collars in dentist's chairs. But you did here.

Two cables, one blue, one red. One from each cylinder. Only then did Snide's sheer surprise give way to comprehension of what was happening. And that led to fear.

"I do hope you're not colour-blind," said a voice. A cultured Radio 4-type voice. He recognised the speaker. Earlier today when he was at the booth outside, the old man with the girl's photo and diary.

"How'd you get in here?" asked Snide.

"The dimensions of this house clearly indicated a large secret room," came the quiet yet authoritative reply. "It was merely a case of finding the door."

Snide became aware of the volume his breathing was making. He felt the sweat begin running down his arms from the pits. "So what do you want here?"

He felt cold smooth metal rub against the back of his left hand and moved his eyes down to see what it was. He flinched as he saw the gun-like jet. The end of the gun pressed into his skin as his eyes darted to which colour of cable ran from the gun.

"Do you think you can harm me with that?" he giggled nervously as when he saw it was a red cable.

"Ah, so it must be the other one," replied the old man as a pair of scissors appeared from his right hand side and pressed into the blue cable strapped across his chest.

"No!" bellowed Snide as he saw the scissors dent into the weak plastic coating around the coiled blue cable.

The pressure of the scissors on the plastic eased.

"One for the troops and one for your employer, is it?" asked the old man as the red cabled gun vanished round the back and the man came into his line of vision from the right.

The fear in Snide's eyes betrayed the confirmation the Doctor was looking for.

"Do you know what your employer needs this harmless chemical for?" continued the man, waving the red-cabled gun.

"It pays not to ask questions like that," stammered Snide, trying to regain control over his fears. "Do the work, cover up for him and collect the money on Friday, that's my philosophy." Sweat from his brow dropped into his eyes, and Snide blinked several times, the old man blurring in his vision but still constantly there as a dark-clad staring entity. "You're from the future, aren't you? Listen, I'm not like them. I'm from the here and now. I'm innocent of whatever it is they've done!"

"So how long have you worked here then? One moon cycle?"

Snide frowned at the old man. "That's a funny way to put it, but its been about a fortnight, I suppose. He offered me more money so here I came. Same with Mo. Don't know about the others. Mike doesn't talk much."

The Doctor smiled softly. "Of course; you've only seen him in his human guise, haven't you?" He leaned forward a little, waving the red-cabled gun under Snide's wide nose. "And that's why he needs this. To appear human."

"You're lying," Snide challenged.

"It doesn't matter to me what you think," answered the old man with eerie quietness. He tapped at the blue cable around Snide again with the side of the scissors. "Just be grateful that I'm able to resist temptation Mr Snide; and that I'm in rather a hurry."

Snide watched as the old man quickly filled a test tube with liquid from the red cabled gun, stuck a cork stopper in the vial, and grabbed a fresh needle from one of the open boxes on the table. It was still sealed in its transparent wrapper. He put both in his pockets, before picking up a second empty test tube from the table. He then turned to Snide with a none-to-pleasant smile on his face.

"Close your eyes," he instructed. "Count to ten, and slowly."

"One..." started Snide quietly.

"I can't hear you," drilled the man with military authority, this time standing just behind him.

Snide raised his voice, his fear magnified with the sound of his own quivering voice.

As he reached six something glass shattered on the floor within feet of him. He quivered in fright but continued slowly counting. Only later did he realise that the object must have been thrown from the opposite end of the room to create that much noise, but at the time it had the desired effect of maintaining Snide's compliance.

As he finally reached ten he realised that he was no longer so afraid. The fearful charged air in the room had gone, and when he finally plucked up the courage to open his eyes, he found that the neck and wrist restraints were no longer in place. The cables slid off him as he jerked up out of the chair. A broken empty test tube lay on the floor and of the intruder, there was no sign.

***

Powerful beasts ...

The Bentley cruised the lit streets on a set course, its driver not sparing the accelerator pedal anything. The vehicle did not protest.

... with the stamina required for long patrols.

Vaidya ran like the wind along the back streets of the town, his four legs pounding, nose striking forward, tail pointed in his wake. Like an arrow he darted forward, avoiding the lit streets in favour of the protection of the night. His mission, to retrieve and kill the Minister, was burning so bright in his mind that any other thoughts were drowned.

He heard the sound of a car driving fast along a nearby road. A powerful car by the sound of it. But no threat. He continued on his chosen terrain.

***

The wolfman entered his laboratory in the house. Snide was no where to be seen. Just as well; he couldn't let Snide see him like this. Not here, anyway.

He took the red cabled gun jet and put in his large mouth, pulling the trigger and drinking the nanobyte liquid. A few gulps and he stopped, letting the gun drop before heading for the mirror at the darkened side of the room behind one of the large vats.

"Concentrate, concentrate," he told himself. Within less than a minute the nanobytes had done their job, changed his face and body. Changed his metabolism from beast to human. And not just any human. The face that now stared back at him wasn't the usual employer one, but a perfect facsimile of the government minister.

"The hour nears," he said to himself. He smiled. Even the voice was right.

***

Niggle could be drumming up business standing here, except she was a little too long in the tooth nowadays. And as one recent man friend once described her memorably as having a body like Baywatch but a face like Crimewatch, well ... maybe she'd scare off any slowing cars by the kerbside. They'd soon be scared off if they knew her true nature.

She was living in the states now to restart her new life. First attempt had gone a little wrong, but after spending centuries becoming a connoisseur of blood, its different types and qualities ... well it was difficult to break the habit. Luckily for her the same man who had ... what was the phrase? 'Saved her soul'? That was it. Fortunately the man who had saved her soul (oh pah-lease! That phrase sucks!) had been there to pacify her a second time, so here she was, in her second chance new life, paying back her debt by standing distant guard over some foreign minister bod from the home country.

Wasting a perfectly good night for that son of a bitch with the Baywatch metaphor. That was the strange thing about Vaidya though. He never changed from one century to the next either. She'd seen him four times in total now, always looking delicious but always one step ahead of her. Never changed. She wondered idly if she'd see him again tonight.

The Minister jumped slightly on his park bench. He was propped up in the middle of the city's main rail terminal and doped up to the eyes by the looks of him. He went back to sleep after that, or back to whatever his mind was doing. Was this about as exciting as her night was going to get?

A smooth large movement over at the parking lot caught her attention. A big luxury car drew up to a halt and the door opened. She half expected by the very stylish nature of the vehicle to see her late night caller arriving, but it was an old man who exited, stopping momentarily to take his hat from the passenger seat.

She squirmed slightly while watching him. What was this? A Westminster love-in or something? Her eyes flickered from the dozing Minister to the old man from the car and quickly she made a connection. The old man was keeping to the shadows in a manner that could be innocent, but there was something about the way his head was purposely sweeping the whole area, as if he was slowly scanning for someone he might not recognise. He seemed to be increasingly looking at the bench where the Minister was sitting. And that meant trouble.

A dog had entered the terminal also and was sniffing around. Big furry brute but not worth getting distracted about. No, it was the old man that peaked her interest. What was he up to?

Suddenly the old man broke into a run towards the bench. She instantly broke cover and headed to intercept him before he reached her charge.

Niggle passed the bench and was metres away from him when he started speaking. He was still staring fixedly at the Minister, but was clearly addressing her. "Nigella Urwin-Wright, I recall reading Vaidya's case notes on your vampire activity. Now if you'd be so good as to watch that dog for me..."

So surprised was she by this - when had he noticed her presence? And how the hell did he know her original family name? - that she did something she rarely did these days. She let her guard down and looked at the dog. And just as well she did.

The dog - Wolf more like - was at the start of a leap towards her charge, mouth open as if to bite. She dived bodily for the dog and caught it with a punch to the side of the nose as it was a fingers-width within range of the Minister's neck.

The wolf lay dazed on the ground where it had fallen and the old man ran round to it, extracting something from his pockets as he did so.

She scanned the immediate vicinity quickly, but nobody seemed to have noticed the incident. Typical city reaction.

She looked at the man as he stuck a needle into the animal's hide. "Good job you're a vet," she said.

"I'm actually a Doctor," replied the man, "but its true to say I've dealt with all creatures great and small."

"Yeah, well you're putting him down, aren't you?"

"I most certainly am not." He pocketed the drugs again and then proceeded to lift the dog in his arms. "Could you help me with the car doors please?"

"Sorry, I'm on a job."

"Did Vaidya assign you to watch this Minister?"

She paused, unsure of the man once more. "What do you think?"

"I think you can safely open the car door for me so that I might lay this wolf down where he can recover in private."

"Private?! I've heard of animal rights, but you're taking it too far." He stared at her and she looked away witheringly. "All right grandpa, I saw you arrive. Lets get you both to your fancy set of wheels."

They quickly crossed to the Bentley, and the Doctor lay the Wolf down on the backseat of the car, all the time Niggle keeping her eyes never far from the Minister. Niggle was not going to be easily distracted though.

The wolf was moulting badly. Indeed, they'd left a trail of hair in their wake from the bench and the poor animal was probably bald by now. But as the Doctor moved out of her line of sight of the backseat. In that moment she caught a glimpse of the wolf and gasped in surprise.

The physique had all but finished transforming in that few seconds when she saw him, as the bald wolf became humanoid, and that form was recognisable as ... Vaidya! Even though he was curled in the foetal position, it was still more of Vaidya than she'd previously been able to see.

The Doctor took off his big black coat, turned and draped it over the naked Vaidya. He then turned back to Niggle and once more directed her attention to the bench and the Minister.

"That man always did have animal magnetism, but I never realised..." Niggle started, but her flippant tone was lost on the old man who held her firm, pushing the car's door over slightly with his other hand to protect the younger man's privacy.

Vaidya groaned as he came to.

"I managed to stop the process before the final transformation was complete," the Doctor explained, while keeping himself between Niggle and the car door. "I injected you with humanising nanobytes that neutralised and reversed the work of the wolf nanobytes. Your Timelord metabolism will very quickly re-establish itself and eventually eject the alien bodies from your bodily infrastructure."

Niggle frowned at the Doctor. "What? Is that a fancy medical way of telling him he'll need to go to the toilet more often?!"

The Doctor glowered at her, but continued talking to his young colleague. "You'll find a new shirt, suit and shoes on the front passenger seat. I was in something of a hurry at the time but you'll appreciate the thought."

"Ah, mementos from the store, are they?" asked Vaidya, sounding weak. "You haven't got everything though," and there was suddenly a grin in his voice. "I'll just need to go commando."

Niggle wolf-whistled.

The Doctor didn't. "Nice to have you back Captain, but do get on with it. Time is pressing."

In the moment's silence that followed, they all heard the terminals clock quietly strike the hour. A small hour in the middle of the night. But...

***

"The hour has come," purred the wolfman with glee as, with a claw extended, he swiped the activation switch. "Now those who came to this house for service will in turn serve me, as my children."

***

Vaidya was suddenly violently sick outside the car door.

"There go the nanobytes," observed the Doctor.

***

Elsewhere in the city, others were not so lucky. Men who had been to the house in the past fortnight, who had made love with the prostitutes and exchanged bodily fluids; they were the unlucky ones.

One man lay sleeping in his bed next to his wife. He started to shake, jumping awake as he became wracked in pain. He hauled himself up and swung his legs over the edge. A pain sent him spinning around so that he was facing the bed, kneeling down, arms resting on the mattress. His skin tingled. With the defused light from an outside streetlight through the bedroom curtains he could make out long hair on his hands. Fur.

He went to scream, but instead an animal-like howl escaped his body. His wife stirred, still half asleep.

"Bobby, turn that television off, will ya?" she mumbled.

Within minutes he had devoured her; a final end to twenty years of loveless marriage.

On the street outside, a nearly empty bus passed. On board was a man suffering convulsions. He was doubled over on the seat, hugging his body. His jacket burst open on his back, his clothes doing likewise as his body changed shape and became covered in hair. Pity the sleeping drunk at the back of that bus minutes later. And the driver, after that.

The hour had come, and a bloody hour it would be.

***

"More dogs," warned Niggle as she started running towards the Minister. A freshly arrived pack of wolves were slowly advancing across the terminal floor towards the bench.

The Doctor helped the now dressed Vaidya to stand up out of the car, but the younger man quickly brushed off the older one's help.

"I'm all right, Doctor. Let's get to the Minister."

With that, the two men started running after Niggle.

***

Red saw the Doctor, but to her shock she also saw Vaidya in his human guise once more. But she knew it couldn't be a guise. He had been infected, but couldn't naturally transform one to the other. No-one else but her had perfected that art. Unless the Doctor had -

Her benefactor was right. The old man was dangerous.

As the two approached, Vaidya was fishing something out of his pocket. Memories of the dog whistle flashed in her mind and she broke away from the pack, racing ahead and diving from Vaidya's right, head-butting his fingers and sending the whistle sailing across the terminal floor. She ran forward to nose the whistle well away before circling back to re-join the pack.

***

The Minister chose that moment to come round properly. "Where ... where am I?"

"Relax Minister," drawled a shapely woman in front of him. She had her back to him, standing between him and a slowly approaching pack of dogs that were spreading out around them. She turned her head briefly to look at him and flashed a toothy grin, showing natural fangs. "Your life's in danger, but you've got a good killer guarding you!"

"Killer?" squawked the Minister.

"Niggle by name, niggle by nature," murmured a man from behind him.

Suddenly a whining noise filled the air together with a strong smell of something burning. A light began to form on the other side of the dogs in the direction the three were facing. It seemed to distract the wolves from immediate attack but only one of the wolves backed off, the rest looking warily from the crackling light to the four people, as if waiting instruction.

"We need the police," the Minister squeaked in a stage whisper.

"This situation is beyond your local authorities sphere of influence," replied an older man, quietly matter-of-fact, as he stepped forward to stand by the woman. "The police cannot help you. Consider yourself under my jurisdiction."

"You mean protection, surely?"

"No, I mean jurisdiction. This place is under siege from wolf hybrids from a possible future. And worse still, this locality will shortly be swarming with a far more ruthless species; those that breed the hybrids, who the hybrids are currently attempting to escape from."

The other man came forward to stand by the woman's right hand side, looking about him warily.

The Minister jumped up. "He's the man who attacked me!"

"He's the man who saved you," retorted the old man in a quiet voice that struck greater fear into the Minister.

The whining crackling sound increased in intensity, and the mysterious light pulsed strongly once. The Minister stood up on the bench to see more clearly.

The sight astonished him. Materialising out of thin air were three upstanding ... little pigs?! His jaw fell down as he looked at the black clad pigs, each carrying a bulky looking barrelled gun.

***

"First a wolf and now three little pigs?" queried Niggle to the men on either side of her, without taking her eyes off the newcomers. "Are we supposed to take this seriously?"

"Yes," replied the Doctor, curtly. " This is their pathetic attempt at appearing incognito to the local populace. Their only knowledge of this time period comes from nursery rhymes and old children's tales passed on in Chinese whispers. Ironically, the wolfman was more successful in his assumption about the oldest profession."

The Minister laughed at the sight, and as if in response one of the pigs shot him down. Whether it was stun or kill they could not tell, but the Minister fell backwards off the bench and landed on the hard ground with a heavy thump.

In the near distance, somebody screamed and ran out of the terminal building. Others followed.

"So much for their promises to be more responsible about the timelines," muttered the Doctor sourly, raising his hands in the air.

Vaidya reluctantly followed the Doctor's example. "So," he said in a bleak display of humour, "as the children's game asks, what's the time, Mr Wolf?"

The Doctor stared down at the gnashing teeth of the wolves as they suddenly turned on them as one, rapidly closing in for the kill. "Dinner time."




Episode 7
by Steve Lake


The dogs pressed closer and closer, foam dripping from their snarling jaws. The pigs seemed content to watch on, their chubby pink cartoon faces alive with glee while their dark eyes remained impassive, fathomless.

One of the leading dogs sprang suddenly towards the Doctor. The old man flinched, started to duck, but before either beast or Time Lord could complete their actions there was a blur of motion between them and the dog abruptly changed direction in mid air and sailed off some distance to strike the concrete floor of the concourse hard, blood splattering in its wake.

Niggle turned towards the two men, shaking the creature's blood from her hands.

"Don't go Italian on me now, gentleman," she drawled. "Otherwise I might have to think twice about playing protector."

Vaidya shot the Doctor a sheepish look, and lowered his arms - just in time to meet the spring of a second dog. Vaidya pivoted just in time, lashed out and sent the creature spinning to join its wounded fellow.

"I wish I had a gun!" he cried, dropping into a fighting stance.

"And I wish you wouldn't say things like that," muttered the Doctor, not taking his eyes from the pigs. They showed no reaction whatsoever to the violence. Gauging the abilities of the opposing forces, he supposed. Seeing which was stronger. Well, he didn't like that idea much.

Time to take charge.

He lowered his hands and took a step forward towards the pigs. One of the dogs snapped at him, but sidestepped with a dancers grace and wagged a finger at the beast in admonishment. "Temper," he drawled.

The creature merely growled, and snapped out again. And again, the Doctor hopped aside, edging ever closer to the flickering trio.

"I say," he called out towards them, in the manner of a man hailing a taxi cab. One of the pigs grunted slightly in response, but otherwise, they ignored him.

At this feet, the dog launched another attack. The Doctor evaded it with the grace of a martial artist and cleared his throat at Vaidya, who was keeping his eye on the three dogs that were circling him. Niggle, meanwhile, was gleefully wading into which ever member of the rest of the pack dared to come near her. The air rang with the sound of howling and snarling.

"Vaidya, would you mind?" He indicated impatiently to the dog snapping at his heels. Vaidya nodded, sent the dog pressing at him spinning with a well-aimed kick, and leapt to the Doctor's side to engage the beast while the old man continued in his attempt to approach the pigs.

"Now see here," the Doctor began in a school-masterish fashion, "this won't do, you know. Won't do at all!"

The pigs showed a flicker of more interest, but not much. They began grunting softly in unison, the large weapons twitching in their hands'. The Doctor sighed irritably.

"Would you at least do me the courtesy of addressing me properly, instead of in that ridiculous fashion?"

One of them squealed suddenly, and they all began to hop and down in an agitated fashion.

"Oh do stop that!" cried the Doctor. "This charade is pointless!"

"Huff," grunted one of them.

"Puff," grunted a second.

"Blow your house down," giggled the third, raising its weapon to point directly at the Doctor. The Time Lord batted it aside.

"Desist!" he growled.

"Who's afraid..." began the first.

"Of the big bad..." continued the second.

"WOLF!" cried the third, and then they all began singing the lines in unison, mockingly.

"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf... big bad wolf... big bad wolf... who's afraid of the big bad wolf... HA HA HA HA HA-"

"Stop it! STOP IT!"

There was a loud bang suddenly and something seemed to whistle through the air past the Doctor's head. The nearest pig to him shimmered and buzzed suddenly, and as one they all stopped singing and squealed loudly, turning and pointing their weapons at something behind the Doctor.

The old man spun round, and saw two men in the uniforms of the local transit police pointing revolvers at the pigs. Their faces were shocked, terrified by the sight before them. The Doctor wasn't surprised.

As he looked on, one of them fired again, the bullet singing past him again. The Doctor broke from his paralysis and started to run towards the pair, waving his arms frantically. He barely seemed to notice the dog snapping at his legs, just hurdled it with a grace and speed that belied his apparent age.

"Stop!" he yelled again, but for a different reason now. "STOP SHOOTING!"

But the policemen took no notice. They started to fire again, oblivious not only to the old man's shout but also to his presence. Vaidya spun, noticing his senior's predicament, cried out a warning. But the Doctor took no notice, just continued his run towards the two men.

Too late. The pigs returned fire, fat scarlet energy bolts lashing through the air. One of them struck one of the policemen and he burst into flame, becoming a frenzy of screaming and burning limbs. The other one dived to one side and took cover behind a row of benches, from where he kept up his barrage.

Upon seeing the burning man, the pigs squealing raised in crescendo and they began dancing up and down victoriously.

"Oh no," whispered the Doctor, horrified, as the burning man finally collapsed and stopped screaming. "No..."

"Cruk," whispered Vaidya, watching the carnage too. Even the dogs seemed to pause.

But not Niggle. In a flash she was by Vaidya's side, pushing him towards the exit.

"Time to leave, I think!" she cried. "Collect grandpa and let's get the hell out of here!"

Vaidya didn't need telling twice. He sprinted towards the old man and before he could react Vaidya picked him and heaved him across his shoulders and then began running hell for leather towards the car outside. Niggle was already halfway there, and she had picked up the Minister en route.

"Wait!" cried the Doctor, as Vaidya bundled him into the back seat, where he practically fell across the motionless form of the Minister, whom Niggle had flung unceremoniously inside just seconds before.

"No time!" yelled Vaidya back as he flung himself into the driving seat. Niggle had already installed herself in the passenger seat.

"This thing got a CD player?" she asked.

Vaidya spared an instant to give her a reproachful look, then slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator, sending the car flying back into the night.

***

Red watched the escape from her vantage point at the other end of the concourse with dismay. Things were not going as she'd hoped. He would not be pleased; and especially not with the news of the appearance of them.

And she looked over at the pigs. Snuffling and snorting gleefully, they'd mounted a trotting charge on the surviving cop behind the benches, and closed in on the hapless man while he struggled to reload his weapon. His screams rang through the air as the pigs eschewed their guns and laid into the man with their claws and teeth, tearing and snapping. Red felt a shudder of revulsion to shake through her body; not for what was happening to the hapless policeman, as she felt no feeling his kind whatsoever, but rather for the very presence of the apparitions themselves - and the threat they represented to her, her master, and their plans.

She turned her attention to the rest of the pack - or those that were left after the damage meted out by the Captain and that other creature - who were now milling rather aimlessly around the concourse, whining and eying the pigs and their activities warily. Useless lackies! Little better than the human dross from which they'd been spawned. Oh, for worthy pack-mates... like that Captain. Now he had promise. She'd detected something within him, something lurking deep within the darker recesses of his being; something of the jungle; something wild. It grieved her slightly that she would not be able explore that aspect of him more deeply.

As it was, she'd have to make do with what she had; what he'd given her. Red raised her head and uttered a short, high-pitched yelp. As one, the remainder of the pack turned and fell in beside her.

With one last look at the pigs, she led them off at a run into the darkness, and away into the night.

***

The pigs didn't linger either. They trundled out from behind the bench, blood dripping from their trotters and their grinning snouts

"They've all gone," piped one of them.

"Shame," sighed another, hoisting its weapon. "I did so want to play some more!"

Sirens began to fill the air, growing louder. The third pig nodded to its companions.

"Up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, I think!"

"To the land of nod!" laughed one of them.

"Hooray!" cheered the other.

They joined in a circle and began dancing round and round, singing as they went:

"Ring-a-ring-a-roses.... A pocketful of posies... Ah-tishoo! Ah-tishoo! We all... fall... DOWN!"

They all gave one final leap into the air... and vanished.

***

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time, don't you Mr V.?"

Vaidya turned from locking the car door and gave Niggle a withering look. "And like what you usually get up to of an evening is any better?" he asked.

"Well, I don't as a rule get into fights with a wolf pack, nor get shot at by cartoon characters."

"They were not cartoons," muttered the Doctor, who was standing by the side of the car, hands thrust deep into his coat pockets and staring into glumly into the night. "Psychoanapomorphic projections. Like I said."

Niggle folded her arms and gave him a look. "Actually, you didn't say that. You just said something about nursery rhymes and old wives'-"

The Doctor turned abruptly and gave her a look that made her mouth close with a snap. Vaidya came round and took her arm, dragging her gently away.

"Don't," he muttered from the side of his mouth. "He's in one of his moods, I can tell." He also knew what had provoked it; the senseless death of that transit cop, and most likely the other one too. To say nothing all the other unfortunates who had died, or could possibly die, this night. But what could they have done? To have stayed longer would have been suicide.

That didn't make him feel any better about it though.

"I'm Doctor," he'd told him the first time he'd seen him in that mood. "And Doctor's are supposed to save lives... aren't they?"

It had always bothered Vaidya how uncertain he'd made that question sound.

"Um," was all Niggle could say in response. She still looked as though she was slightly reeling from the effect of that look he gave her. He knew how that felt as well.

"Come on," he said, motioning to the building they'd parked outside of. "Let's go inside. I could do with a drink!"

"What about him?" Niggle jerked a thumb back towards the car, and the unconscious form of the Minster draped across the backseat. The pig had only stunned him, though why it did that and not killed him outright puzzled Vaidya deeply.

Like he needed another puzzle at the moment!

"Ahh, he's out for the count. Let sleeping dogs lie, huh?"

The Doctor surprised them both by laughing shortly at that.

***

The helicopter came in low over the rooftop, landing lights winking. It touched down gently in the centre of the large H' painted on the asphalt pad in the centre of the roof and came to a rest. Almost at once a door in the squat concrete blockhouse overlooking the pad opened and a couple of men ran out, ducking to avoid the swinging rotor blades. A door in the side of the helicopter opened and three people climbed out, two more men and a woman. The first two men met the trio, one of them dipping his head towards the older of the two male passengers.

"Mr President! How was your journey?"

The President grinned in response as all five of them hurried from the helicopter to the blockhouse. "Terrific! Major Wade patched us in to the football. The Dolphins won by twelve - much to Warren's dismay!" He shot a glance at the tall young man by his left. The first man grinned as well.

"Have some money on the game, Warren?" he asked.

"Fifty bucks in the agent pool, sir. Guess who won?" He shot a black look at the woman standing to the President's right. She just shrugged.

"I thought you didn't like football, Mabel?" the first man asked.

"I don't sir," she replied dryly. "But I do like money. Especially if it's easy money." She winked at Warren. He pulled a face at her in return.

"Don't we all?" added the President wryly. He nodded at the first man. "So tell me, what's the score here? Everything set up?"

They reached the blockhouse and the man opened the door. He replied as they all filed inside. "Yes sir. Everything is right on schedule. Everyone who's supposed to be here is here... well, except one."

"Oh?" The President glanced curiously at him as they all paused before the entrance to an elevator. Standing beside the doors was a heavily armed US Marine, who saluted the President. He returned the gesture.

"Yeah, the Brit Foreign Minister. Checked into his hotel okay, then went out on personal business' - words of his attach."

The President raised his eyebrows. "Personal business, huh? On the eve of a conference as important as this?"

The man pursed his lips. "This guy does have something of a reputation for going AWOL, sir."

"Brilliant," he remarked sourly. The elevator arrived and they all piled in. "I presume you're out looking for him?"

The man pressed a button and the elevator started to descend. "I got Colly on the case. She'll sniff him out. Ritchie?" He glanced questioningly at the other man in the party.

"No word from her yet, sir. But you know Colly. She always gets her man!"

The President just grunted. "Any reaction from the press?"

The man shook his head. "None. They don't know a thing."

"Good. Let's keep it that way until this is over."

The elevator arrived and the doors opened. They all piled out again, into a broad concrete corridor. This time they were met by two marine guards, and again the President returned their salute before leading his party at quite a pace down the corridor.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, apart from the football result, which you already seem to know, I can report that NASA successfully launched the shuttle from the Cape, despite the threat of hurricane Sandy-"

The President shuddered suddenly. "We are sure that's a natural hurricane this time, right?"

"Of course it is. The last of Kanara's satellites was blown out of orbit last month, remember?"

"Good. We'll sleep easier knowing that, right Warren, Mabel?"

"Sir," the pair replied, exchanging a look. Both had had enough of bad weather for one lifetime - whether caused naturally or unnaturally.

"What else?"

"Ah, also the Yen is down ten cents on the Dow, someone took a shot at the vice president of Venezuela - but missed - and, oh yeah, local PD here have been getting a lot of reports of wild animal attacks."

"Wild animal attacks?"

"Yeah. Oh, probably just some idiot opened the wrong cage doors at the zoo, or something."

"Great. So, plenty to keep the press busy then?"

"I guess," the man shrugged. The President grinned.

"I didn't think Chiefs of Staff were supposed to just guess?"

"I guess I'm the exception," he grinned back.

The President sighed, and gave Warren and Mabel a weary look. "And they wonder why I'm down three points in the polls..."

"Well, after we get this done, we'll be up three points. Maybe more."

"You said that last month when I went to that conference in Stockholm. How many points did I lose then, Ritchie?"

"You didn't lose any sir."

"Well it felt like I did."

The Chief shook his head. "You taking anything for that paranoid streak of yours yet?"

"JD on the rocks. Double. Or I would, if that blasted doctor let me."

"I thought it was your wife who forbade you the booze," remarked the Chief wryly.

"Her, that doctor, and the American Constitution, though I've read the damn thing a million times and nowhere does it say that the President can't get ripped from time to time."

"The voters like your sober disposition."

"I'd rather they liked my fiscal policies."

"They've never liked anyone's fiscal policies. Why should yours be any different?"

"That's cynical, John."

"That's economics, Mr President."

"Economics is cynical? Y'know, I taught that subject for nigh-on ten years before I embarked on my new career as becoming Leader of the Free World, and I don't ever remember saying it was in any of my classes."

The Chief smiled. "Maybe that's why you quit that job and took this one."

The corridor came to an end with a set of wooden double doors, flanked by two more marines. They all stopped. The President looked at the Chief. "You saying I'm a lousy teacher, John?"

The Chief stared back, eyes twinkling. "I'm saying you're a better President... Mr President."

The President chuckled, and glanced at Warren and Mabel again. "He says the nicest things sometimes, doesn't he?"

The two agents managed not to smile.

***

"I figured we'd need to sit down for a spell, talk things over. This seemed as good a place as any."

Vaidya had led them into a bar. Outwardly, it didn't look any different to any of the other drinking establishments in town, but inside, it was decidedly different. It was decorated with leather and chrome, which was what the majority of the people inside were wearing too. In addition to the glowing neon beer signs behind the bar were a variety of motorbike logos - Harley Davidson, BSA and the like - and a variety of lurid badges that Niggle took to be emblems of some kind. The air was thick with the smell of nicotine, beer, sweat and motor oil. From a battered old jukebox in the corner a Black Sabbath record was blasting out at an unfeasibly loud level.

"A biker bar?" she exclaimed. She had to say it twice before Vaidya heard.

"Yup," Vaidya nodded. "Rockatansky's. Meeting point for most the big road chapters on the Eastern seaboard." He glanced at Niggle and smiled. "A neutral venue, I should stress."

That would explain the emblems, then, she realised. Chapter badges. Lots of them. In all, not the sort of place any normal, self-respecting person would venture into.

But then they hardly qualified as that, did they?"

"Neutral to each other, but how about to outsiders?" she asked. Already, several of the other patrons were giving them the eye. And these guys were the very epitome of what the hardened biker was supposed look like. Not pleasant.

"They won't bother us if we don't bother them - right, Doc?"

The old man just shrugged indifferently and shuffled over to a nearby empty booth. He plonked himself down and began rummaging through the ashtray on the booth's tabletop. Vaidya sighed.

"Stay with him. I'll go get us some brews."

Niggle nodded, glad not to have to accompany him to the bar. Some of the patrons were still staring. She paused by one, a mountain of a man in oil-stained denims with a long grimy black beard and a pair of evil looking beady eyes, and asked fearlessly:

"See anything green?"

He grinned, revealing an expanse of rotting teeth. "Nope. But I reckon I might be seeing something red."

With a flourish, he produced a switchblade and thumbed the switch to produce a slim silver blade. Niggle glanced at it, then tossed her hair back from her face and grinned. The man took one look at her fully revealed face - to say nothing her teeth - and his smile vanished. He also backed away - far away - and didn't look at her again.

"Anyone else?" she asked loudly.

Not surprisingly, everyone stopped looking.

Vaidya came back clutching three bottles of beer. "You making friends?" he asked.

"I never play with my food," she chuckled.

"Not here, Niggle," he winced, sliding in beside the old man, who seemed to be busy making something she couldn't identify from the odds and ends he'd pulled from the ashtray.

"Why not?" She cast an approving eye around. "You can't beat a little iron in your blood... or in someone else's. And there's plenty of iron here!"

"More likely you'll get hepatitis, or one of the HIV variants," murmured the Doctor, without looking up from what he was doing. "Hardly nourishing fare for a grown-up vampire."

"Who said I was grown up?" she pouted.

"You look pretty well developed to me," smirked Vaidya, taking a sip from his bottle.

"You'd know," she grinned knowingly.

The Doctor sighed loudly suddenly, and they both looked from each other to him. He finally looked up from his shredding as if to say "who, me?" and blinked at them both.

"What?" he asked.

"You sighed," replied Vaidya, "in that way you always do when you think you're not getting enough attention."

He blinked again. "Me?"

"Yes, you!"

"Oh. Oh. Well." The Doctor carefully held up what he had been making from the rubbish he'd pulled from the ashtray. It was a tiny origami bird, made from bits of cigarette paper. "The bird upon the steeple, sits high among the people..." he murmured.

"Huh?" frowned Vaidya.

The Doctor opened his fingers, and the bird fluttered down to the table top. "All fall down," he murmured, and then gingerly picked up the bottle Vaidya had set before him. He peered at the label, lips moving slightly as he read what was written on it.

"What's he doing?" Niggle asked Vaidya. He just looked baffled.

"I dunno..."

"This is counterfeit," announced the Doctor, setting the beer back down again. "False."

Niggle rolled her eyes, and Vaidya shook his head ruefully.

"I think you'll find, Doc, that pretty much most the stuff here isn't exactly what you'd call kosher, y'know?"

The Doctor stared at Vaidya. "What? You mean you know?"

"Well, I've been to places like this before, and I've seen what they have in their stockrooms. Mainly, they just stick counterfeit labels on bottles of cheaper-"

"No, no, NO."

The Doctor's loud utterance of the last word practically made everyone else in the bar fall silent as well. Then the jukebox cranked into an Aerosmith song and the hubbub began again. The Doctor leaned forward, seemingly oblivious to the effect he'd just had.

"I'm not referring to the beverages on sale, young man. I'm referring to this whole situation!"

"Huh?" said Niggle.

"It's all not what it seems," he stressed heavily. "None of it. Surely you realised that the very moment they appeared in that ridiculous guise?" He started to shake his head. "No, no, no... it's like taking a book of nursery rhymes and treating it like ancient history. It's not right. I'm missing the point. We're missing the point!"

Abruptly he stood up, and started to bustle towards the door. Vaidya and Niggle hastily stood up as well and made to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Vaidya called after him.

"I'll explain on the way!" the Doctor shouted back. "Come on!"

"No rest for the wicked," muttered Niggle, trailing in the Time Lord's wake...

***

Red knelt trembling before her master in his laboratory. She didn't dare look him in the eye.

"I failed you. I am sorry," she whispered.

To her surprise, he simply chuckled, and reached down to pat her head fondly.

"Do not fret, child. While it would have been of immense benefit to have killed our opponent - to say nothing of maintaining control over his subordinate - the failure to do which now will not effect what shall be - what must be.." He turned and stared thoughtfully out through the window, into the darkness. "No, it really matters not. Their kind make most unreliable servants, anyway. Most unreliable. Not like my dear, dear human race..."

"You are not... angry, that he is still at large?"

"No, my dear. I half suspected that my opponent would be able to evade this trap. He is indeed a cunning foe, child. More cunning than perhaps even I had anticipated. But now, yes... now, I am gaining a proper understanding of how he works. And that which I understand..." he stroked her hair and smiled cruelly, though she didn't see that, "I can control. And soon, yes... soon, I shall have complete control. Over him... this domain... everything!"

He flung his arms out towards the window, and the night beyond. Before them, a chorus of howling began to strike up, until it seemed that the whole city rang and trembled to the sound of the wolf...




Episode 8
by Gareth Preston


Fifteen different people had used this limousine in the last six months. Niggle drew in their mixture of scents, too faint for any human senses. Eleven had been men, mature ones. One couple had made love, two had been ill. Her eyes took in little scratches and marks in the passenger section, whilst her psyche gently tested the auras of her fellow travellers. In the case of the unconscious minister who lolled in one corner of the backseat, all she felt was a befuddled haze. The man had started to revive shortly after they have rejoined him in the car but the Doctor had merely placed his hand across the man's shiny face and he had sank back into sleep. It was a sign she was bored when she started concentrating on her abilities. When she had first been turned, her heightened surroundings had come crashing into her and it had taken a few hours to properly master this new level of sensing. Now she relied on them unconsciously, using all her superhuman abilities as naturally as if she had been born a vampire. Yet she was not so foolish as to think herself equal to such an ancient entity. His friend Vaidya may have been a fellow time lord but his mind was easier to sense, at least on the surface. She could feel his frustration and underneath that a lingering feeling of shame at the way he had been reduced to an animal so recently. Typical time lord priggishness she thought. She felt there was much to be said for the baser instincts. She looked across at the Doctor, writing unhurriedly in his pocket notebook. He'd barely changed from the last time they'd met, nearly fifty years ago. Not quite an immortal but as good as. Behind that melancholy old gentleman act, she knew that something inexpressibly alien lurked.

***

Take this night for instance. It had already proved more entertaining than most, but her adventures had only been a part of a larger, more confusing tableaux to horrors and secret plots. Somehow though, out of this blizzard of clues and cryptic remarks, the Doctor had pulled out a pattern, reading messages where she and their moody friend could see only a frantic melee of wolves, bizarre aliens and the unappetising dregs of human society.

Finally, he put away his notebook and pencil and straightened against the expensive leather upholstery. He regarded her thoughtfully.

"One of the little ironies of the universe's new uncertain history is that by rights we could have been dealing with your descendants Niggle, rather than the werewolves' kin."

"Uh-huh?" replied Niggle, knowing that what the Doctor required right now was an audience. Their driver however disliked being passive. Vaidya glanced around.

"You're talking about the far future right? That one where the Earth was covered in poisonous slime and the remaining inhabitants had evolved into blood drinking mutants?" Seeing the expression on Niggle's face he added, "You wouldn't like them, no conversation and no great shakes in the looks department either." He frowned. "But you prevented that future didn't you?"

"Not quite, I helped the last survivor save its own future," the Doctor corrected him. "However now it seems humanity's far future has a new problem."

"They evolve into werewolves? That's ridiculous!" scoffed Niggle. "Apes I could understand but human's don't have lupine traits."

"Who knows what happens in the intervening centuries? Maybe there was outside intervention? Just as there seems to be now."

"Those pig shaped visitors. Who are they really?" wondered Vaidya.

"I can't put a name to them," confessed the Doctor. "They have psychoanapomorphic powers so that they can alter their bodies to match their surroundings. A high level of technology which can create time corridors, alter an entire species' DNA to their own ends and sadly, is accompanied by a belligerent attitude."

Vaidya swung the wheel to turn a corner. "That could cover several races I can think of. So they're ruling the Earth in the future."

"Exactly! And that is the key contradiction!"

"I'm missing something aren't I? Are you going to let me in on your thoughts?" drawled Niggle.

Streetlights alternatively illuminated the car's interior in orange light, contrasting with dark pauses. The Doctor fixed the young woman in his gaze.

"Time travel is a notoriously dangerous activity for any civilisation. The web of time is littered with null points, where emerging species have accidentally eliminated themselves by altering their own history, bringing an evolved plague into the past or preventing life from ever emerging on their home planet. These pigs - let's call them that - rule the Earth in its future. History has worked in their favour. So why would they risk their power by travelling into their past? They wouldn't. Therefore I think it is their victims who have come back to change the future, forcing these pigs to follow them and try to stop them."

Vaidya was growing tired of driving without a clear destination. He wanted a plan. "So which side should we be supporting? As far as I can see these werewolves are just as vicious as the pigs. Neither of them seem to be too worried about the local population."

"A common failing amongst fanatics," agreed the Doctor. "Maybe if I had encountered the leader of these wolves early enough we could have formulated a more effective, less bloodthirsty line of attack. As it is, we must simply stop him and send him and his rivals back to their own future. Prevent the human race mutating thousands of years too early."

Niggle leaned forward eagerly. "So we find their lair and ravage it?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, we meet them at the scene of their crime." And he told Vaidya the destination.

***

"Any word on the missing Foreign Minister yet?" inquired the President as he gave his speech a final look through. He raised his eyes to look at Warren, who had just entered the rather bland anteroom. His Chief of Staff nodded.

"Just as I was expecting to hear something apologetic from his ministry, the man himself drew up outside the building. All smiles and humbly asking for forgiveness apparently. So are you ready to join the other delegates sir?"

The President stood up, smoothing his suit down. "Ready and eager Ritchie. The world's going to be a much safer place after tonight." Just before he reached the door, Warren stopped him.

"I just wanted to tell you sir... how honoured I've been to work with you on this peace treaty. A lot folk said it could never be done."

His superior gave him a little smile. "Thank you, but this has been a team effort. Now let's close the chapter."

They set off down the thickly carpeted corridor toward the auditorium.

***

In another part of the building, a harassed intern, despite having four jobs on at once, couldn't resist stopping to watch the sexy red head as she walked down the corridor toward the British Minister's office. Some deeper wild part of his makeup was responding to the signals her fluid athletic figure gave out. She gave no indication of having seen him, but instead knocked politely on the office door and after a moment entered.

The Foreign Minister stood staring out of the large window overlooking a panorama of the metropolis. He seemed to be listening intently for something. Red waited patiently. She longed to return to the simplicities of her wolf form but her master had promised her temporary return to humanity would not be for long. It was much easier for the Minister to arrive with two aides than a pair of tame wolves. Her other companion, a young male called Roper, was at large in the building, placing tiny but powerful explosives on the fire exits as ordered.

The pack leader breathed out a luxurious sigh of satisfaction. Without turning he announced to Red, "My brothers and sisters are coming my dear, sleek and dark, prowling through the city and carefully recruiting as they go. How gratifying it would have been for them to descend upon this place as a terrifying wave of fur and teeth, tearing through the puny flesh of this time." He tutted with mock frustration. "But we must be clever as well as powerful. Hold back the blow until the perfect moment."

There was still a fear in the back of her mind and he seemed to read it. "Do not worry about your erstwhile friend and his cunning master. I told you, they are now part of my plan. My young males will seek them out and consume them. As for... well this is not their time and their powers are now far too weak, compared to the strength I now control. Their time travel mission is a last desperate gesture."

Now he turned and beckoned her forward. "Are they all here?"

Red nodded, "Every name on this list is accounted for. All the countries you expected are represented."

He grinned evilly. "You've done well little one. When my territory is complete, you will be the first of my mates and all will do you homage. No one will ever have power over you again."

She met his gaze with a challenge. "Except you?" she breathed.

The master's eyes glittered back. "Naturally."

***

Across the city, a handful of policemen and security specialists were beginning to suspect there was some kind of plan in motion. There were too many reports of animal attacks, in too many areas of the metropolis, to be dismissed as uncontrolled dogs and escaped exotic pets. One or two phoned their superiors, who told them to monitor the situation but with an emphasis that they were jumping at shadows. So the growing wolf pack was able to slink through the darkness towards the secret conference virtually unchallenged, forming an invisible tightening ring around the skyscraper.

***

It was part of procedure that the US President's helicopter remained on the heli-pad, just in case it was needed for an emergency evacuation. As part of that a pair of large CIA security agents stayed on the roof, keeping company with the British troops already there. They were all good men, but none of them could have been ready for what happened next. It was Reed who saw them first. He had been idly starring over the glittering cityscape when his eye was caught by a flying formation of three small shapes. He pulled out his binoculars and focused on them - and nearly dropped his glasses in shock. Calling over to his comrades, he gestured wildly in the direction of the incoming visitors. His mate and the two American spooks came in answer. They gaped as the dark shapes drew closer and the light revealed them to be three fat pink pigs, each with a pair of fluffy white wings flapping gracefully through the air. The men stared at each other, each reading the same thought in the others eyes - who was going to report this in?

Now the pigs were circling the heli-pad, oinking furiously to each other. Reed could now see that each of them was carrying something in their front trotters. It looked like...surely not? They looked like guns of some kind. Oversized childlike toy guns. The lead pig suddenly swooped and gave a squeal of excitement as bolts of scarlet light shot from its weapon and charred Reed on the spot. His three companions broke out of their daze and reached for their own guns but it was too late. The two flying pigs bringing up the rear swiftly razed them to the ground with more blasts of crimson. The pilot in the helicopter, who had been a shocked witness to all this, reached forward to ignite his engine but that very sound attracted the lead pig's fatal attention.

With barely a sound, the three pigs landed on the concrete roof. Standing on their hind legs, they scanned for any more humans but then relaxed as they realised they were alone.

"Must be wary," squeaked the leader.

"Don't want to wake up the big bad wolf," agreed the second.

"We must put him in a pot. Keep the lid down firm," added the third.

With their wings folding away and shrinking into their broad backs, the three pigs headed for the blockhouse.

***

As their limo approached the imposing skyscraper, the Doctor leaned forward and handed Vaidya some papers he had fished from the sleeping Minister's form.

"These should allow us in without too much trouble," he explained.

They pulled up in front of the entrance to an underground car park. A grim-faced policeman stepped out of his booth and looked in at them. Four guards stiffened around the entrance. Vaidya handed him the identity papers with a studied air of boredom. The policeman brought out an electronic PDA and consulted it. He frowned.

"According to the sentry log, your party has already entered the building once and has yet to leave. I want you all to step out of the car."

Niggle readied herself for a fight but Vaidya gave her a little shake of his head. He slowly reached into the glove compartment, noticing the two closest guards gripping their rifles harder as they watched him. He brought out a plain white card with the words Security Pass' written on it. Pressing the card into the guard's hand, he looked intently at the policeman's eyes.

"I think you'll find this explains the reasons why," he said, softly and firmly. Niggle felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. The policeman stared at the card for a long moment. Then he nodded and gestured to his partner in the booth. The barrier rose and the limo drove swiftly in.

As they looked for a parking space, Niggle had to admit reluctantly that she was impressed. "I didn't know you could do that, lover."

"It's a time lord skill," he explained, "but it ain't reliable and if you try using it too much, it can do unpleasant things to your psyche. Isn't that right Doctor?" The old man nodded. "We've got about two minutes before that man realises what he's got in his hand," he added as he eased the limo into a bay. An alarm began to sound.

"Maybe less than that! Come on people!" he hissed and flung himself out of the car, swiftly followed by Niggle and the Doctor. They ran toward an exit door. Behind it, a staircase spiralled upwards.

"We have to reach the conference chamber," demanded the Doctor.

Vaidya suddenly stopped. "You two go on, I'll intercept the guards. If they think they've caught the intruder they'll call off the search."

The Doctor looked pained but then nodded in agreement. He and Niggle began their ascent. Once they were out of sight, Vaidya turned back to the door. "Anyway, you're the only one who knows what your plan really is Doctor!"

***

Colly had arrived back at the conference location in a bad mood. She had spent an unproductive few hours searching for some public school lech, during which she'd heard a couple of weird tales of feral dogs from people she wouldn't trust to tell her the colour of the sky. Then she'd been radioed the news that the Minister had just calmly joined the most important peace conference in years without any explanation for his disappearance. Now she was supervising the security on the ground floor and it wasn't helping that the Brits she was supposed to be working with, made little attempt to hide their resentment of her presence. They seemed to have assumed she was some kind of flash know-all with a massive CIA pay-packet behind her, which showed how much they knew.

One of them was now beckoning her over to the main entrance. Walking over she asked what his concern was. He pointed out into the darkness. "Can you see animals moving out there?" he responded.

She looked through the glass, raising her hand to cut out the backlight. For a moment she couldn't seeing any movement in the empty plaza. Then something caught her peripheral vision. She gasped as she saw two large wolves dart between the manicured shrubbery. Scanning the rest of the scene, she could now detect other signs of motion, even a few glinting pairs of eyes.

"How many of them are there out there?" she wondered aloud.

***

The Auditorium was the largest and most impressive room within the tower. Roughly circular, its desks ran around the chamber in ascending tiers. Facing them was a stage with a raised table and a podium, whilst behind hung a large banner in UN colours. All manner of audio-visual technology encrusted the room, exposed cabling in places hinting that this place had only recently been put together, and with haste. The room was filling up swiftly now with delegates and their aides, some greeting old friends as they recognised them, others heading straight for their nameplates and sitting down to gaze sternly ahead into the distance. The British Foreign Minister surprised several old comrades by striding to his chair and barely acknowledging their greetings. His female aide made her own equally direct journey to the viewing gallery at the highest part of the hall. They both kept glancing at the entrances expectantly, finally relaxing when the US President arrived. A few minutes later, the distinguished chairman Sir Reginald Style approached the podium and an expectant silence descended. Sir Reginald opened the conference and briefly welcomed his guests, devoutly wishing for a happy outcome to their months of work. Then he invited the US President to take the stand. With an appearance of confidence that belied his tensions, the most powerful man in the world stepped up.

"Fellow delegates, friends..."

The Pack Leader pressed the single button on a small box in his jacket pocket.

***

The main entrance exploded in a blizzard of glass and light. Colly had moved away from the doors to update Warren, an action that saved her life. She was knocked to the ground and felt the dust and heat blow over her. The agent who had been watching the restless pack was not so lucky, dying instantly in the blast. As she clawed her way up, she heard more muffled explosions coming from elsewhere in the building. Alarms were blaring but then she heard a worse sound, a chorus of screams and howls from outside. She raised her eyes and stared in horror as a grey and black tide of ferocious predators poured into the foyer.

***

Their running footsteps muffled by the deep pile carpet, the Doctor and Niggle hurried through the maze of offices. The vampire suddenly put her hand on the Doctor's arm and whispered "This place is under attack."

A moment later they heard an explosion far beneath their feet and a klaxon filled the air. Heads started appearing at office doors and a couple of security suits ran past ignoring them. The old man swivelled about orientating himself again and then smiled in satisfaction. "At last, the conference chamber is this way. We must hurry, our enemy will want to launch his personal part of the plan before they get a chance to evacuate the hall."

She grinned, "Then lead on, and don't worry about any obstacles in your way. I'll be very persuasive."

***

"Make every shot count!" yelled Warren, just as another grey wolf leapt over the overturned desk, flecks of saliva spraying from its jaws. It jerked back in mid-air as he pumped two shots into it from his heavy calibre pistol. Around him the giant pack was beginning to overwhelm the handful of security guards. Already he'd seen two men torn down whilst some of the wolves had already separated from the main group and run deeper into the building. The reception area was lost. "The reception is lost, we've got to fall back!" he shouted into his radio.

Colly's voice crackled back, "They've already circled around and cut off our exit!"

"Then we head for the nearest fire escape in one push." Warren looked up and saw Colly and the other surviving guard behind their own makeshift barricade. He pushed a fresh clip into his revolver and signalled to them. Together they jumped up and blasted a clear route, sending wolves yelping out of their path. They dashed across the blood-splattered marble floor and headed down a side corridor, all too aware that the predators were regrouping and following after them. Ahead, Warren spotted a fire exit sign and increased his speed. To his horror, the door opened in front of him and two brown, blood matted wolves scrabbled out. He could hear the snarls growing louder behind him. They were surrounded. He and Colly raised their guns to the new arrivals but before they could fire, the backs of both wolves heads suddenly fountained in red and they crumpled to the floor. Behind their bodies, a darkish-haired man appeared in the doorway with a revolver in each hand. He took in the scene and commanded, "Get in here! I'll cover you." As they ran forward he fired a volley of shots into the closing pack of wolves, dropping one dead with each shot. The pack reared back momentarily and that was all the time the four needed to shut the fire door and jam it.

As they began to run back up the stairwell, Warren asked their new benefactor his name.

"Vaidya. I'm with the Doctor and we're here to solve your pest problem."

***

When the alarms interrupted the President's speech the delegates were perturbed. Then when the British Foreign Minister stood and demanded their attention they were confused. As his face began to elongate and his muscular hairy body erupted out of his clothes confusion was engulfed by panic. More screams came from the viewing gallery as an angry wolf suddenly seemed to appear in the midst of the press corp. Several soldiers ran forward, guns raised at the furry monster standing behind the United Kingdom's desk. The black furred werewolf leapt forward, swerving to dodge their bullets and disposed of the nearest two men with a savage swipe of a paw. The third got off a shot, only to hit the Sri Lanken delegate instead as the creature swerved effortlessly. Then it crashed on top of the unlucky soldier and slashed his throat open. By now some of the guests had reached the exits and were tugging futilely at the double doors. But they were all locked, even the fire-doors.

"The doors will remain locked until I am ready," growled the Pack Leader. His gravelly harsh voice came through the microphone on the main podium, distorting even more as it echoed about the chamber. It seemed to work its way into the marrow of each man and woman, freezing them in their tracks. Slowly, a hundred or more heads reluctantly turned towards the giant dark figure, trying to comprehend what they saw.

"Ready for what mister?" drawled an American voice.

The Pack Leader's ears twitched and he turned to see the US President stand warily a little way to his left. The human was scared but he controlled his tone admirably and the wolfman had to admit a little bit of respect for that. His jaws widened into a smile, revealing his yellowed teeth.

"Why for my pack to arrive. Then we can have a - working lunch."

***

It was an elegant device, a web of blue energy wrapped around the lock, sealing the doors as effectively as if they had been welded. The Doctor frowned as he leaned on his stick and examined the futuristic device more closely. Behind him came cries and gunfire as the remaining guard and Niggle fought with an advanced guard of werewolves. He felt in a coat pocket and brought out his spare pair of reading glasses.

The chief wolf radiated a stench of aggression as he bore down on the vampire girl from behind. With perfect timing she spun and drove the blade of her knife into his heart. The creatures momentum brought them both crashing to the carpet. Niggle heaved the still warm body off her and then took a moment to push her fingers into the dark lifeblood spreading from the wound. She licked them and grimaced as she tasted the alien mutagens within the human blood. A triumphant growl broke her contemplation and she saw the wolf's partner was snapping at the guard's throat. She drew back her arm and threw her knife into the beast, hitting it with dull thunk. It didn't dislodge it from the man but it jerked back with a yelp, giving her enough space to follow up with a flying kick that knocked it sprawling across the hall. Before it could gather itself she was on its back, grabbing its neck and twisting till she felt the snap. Grinning she dropped the creature and scampered back to the bleeding guard. He looked up at the blood-splattered girl with fear. She leant forward and smelt the wound. There was a faint aura of the wolf's blood around his wounds.

"If I don't act now, you'll turn into one of those monsters. Do you trust me?"

He nodded dumbly. "Good," she grinned and brought her teeth down on his neck, sucking the poisoned blood out. After about a few long seconds she disengaged with a little reluctance and was disappointed to see that he had fainted. "Just think yourself lucky I'm in polite company," she muttered and glanced towards the Doctor. He was inserting two lenses into the paths of the energy matrix. Slowly he altered their angles until there was a sudden sizzle and the glowing nest vanished. The old man grunted in satisfaction and dropped the lenses back into his pocket. Out of the other one he withdrew a surgical pad and tossed it to Niggle without looking back.

"Just apply it to his neck. That was a noble gesture on your part," he observed.

"I didn't want anyone creeping up behind us," she said contritely as she taped the pad down. "Now what?" she asked, going to his side. She could hear the thundering of a hundred sets of paws approaching and she was sure he could as well.

"Now we try to save as many lives as possible," he stated softly and opened the doors. On the other side a red-brown wolf was sitting behind them expectantly, while a few men and women stood behind it, looking at them with mixture of confusion and hope. A low growl came from the wolf's throat. A voice boomed out from within the room.

"Please join us. It is the Doctor - isn't it?"

***

The open plan offices may have helped inter-department communications but they were hell to defend thought Warren. He, Colly and the man called Vaidya had barricaded themselves at one end of the room and were firing at the small pack of wolves in short bursts. What made Warren angrier was knowing that they were not even fighting the main force. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he knew that the conference chamber was the real target and they were incapable of raising a hand to help defend it. Somehow they had to get rid of these beasts and get up there. But the wolves were getting smarter and seemed to know they could take their time with their prey. Rather than a headlong rush they were stalking slowly between the desks and partitions, dodging the gunfire.

"I'm going try to lead them off," whispered Colly.

"Forget it!" hissed Vaidya. "They're too smart for that. We have to fight it their way. If only the Doctor had let me bring some real hardware on this mission."

They heard a distant howling.

"Not good," snarled Warren.

***

The Pack Leader towered above the Doctor. Nevertheless the elderly figure did not seem cowed by him but merely regarded him with rheumy eyes.

"If all you wanted was to disrupt the peace conference there were much easier ways," the Doctor opinioned. "Perhaps a few well timed terrorist acts? Or just some rude letters in the ambassadors' in-trays?"

The Pack Leader snarled in anger. "Changing the destiny of the world needs strong, violent action. Especially in order to force it to follow the correct future. A true human future."

The Doctor sniffed. "You are hardly a good spokesman for that. Your body has been altered to suit the whims of your alien masters, what's to say your mind hasn't as well?"

Stepping down from the podium, the Pack Leader began to circle the timelord, whilst their confrontation was watched in silence by the assembled dignitaries, soldiers and press. At the side of the chamber stood Niggle, guarded by the reddish female wolf, which had disturbingly expressive eyes. They flickered between hostility and curiosity. The Doctor resisted the urge to twist around to follow him, but allowed the powerful creature to walk behind his back. He continued his train of thought. "If your masters had implanted instructions in you and your comrades, how could you know if your actions were your own? For all you suspect, the massacre of this conference could bring about the alien dominated future you've been fighting against!"

"What do you know of my world? Of me?" roared the Pack Leader.

"I'll admit parts of it are conjecture but I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm far wrong. Your Earth is a wasteland ruled by a powerful alien race. A race which took advantage of humanity's weakened state to conquer it and shape it into a new design. Why werewolves I don't know. Maybe they thought you'd be more loyal that way?"

The Pack Leader brought his savage face level with the Doctor's. "We shall be their slaves, their prey, no longer. They underestimated our intelligence, our will to survive. They were arrogant enough to allow us to steal their technology, learn how it works. All we needed then was access to their time gate just long enough to send me through, carrying the seeds of their destruction."

The Doctor wiped flecks of saliva from his coat lapels. "Quite. But did your fellow resistance fighters intend you to inflict their mutation on the human race a thousand years early? Whose image are you making the future into?"

"You see this form and you see only the beast," leered the Pack Leader. "You cannot know the power it carries, the world of heightened senses it opens up."

Turning to the other wolf in the room, the Doctor asked, "But you do presumably - Red." The wolf made a low sound at the back of her throat. "Yes I know its you. And I'm glad to see that you know who you are as well. Is it everything you wanted?" Red simply stared back at him with her big eyes. "Even the most justified of revenges can pall."

The tension of the moment was abruptly interrupted by the wave of screams and roars that washed up outside the doors. Delegates pulled back from the doors in alarm as they vibrated with blows from a fierce battle outside. Within a few moments there were no more human sounds to be heard, just the howls from a huge maddened pack of wolves as they hurled themselves at the locked exits. The Pack Leader howled in triumph and brandished a slim metal rod. "At last it begins!" He squeezed the rod but his expression changed from anticipation to frustration as the hammering continued but the doors refused to open. He glared at the Doctor, a red mist descending across his eyes. "You did this!"

"Not this time. I think the original owners of your gadgets want them back. I was wondering when they'd turn up. Ahh." The Doctor pointed up. Every pair of eyes followed his gesture and gasps were heard.

A large crimson glowing circle was spreading across the ceiling. It pulsed in increasing bright shades of colour. "Take cover!" shouted the Doctor.

The middle of the ceiling burst apart, showering the chamber in plaster, metal and wood shrapnel. From out of the cloud of dust appeared three squat forms, gently fluttering down on feathery wings.

The Doctor peered from behind a desk at the three pigs as they raised themselves up on their hind legs and covered the seething Pack Leader with their laser rifles.

"Big bad wolf climbed down the chimney!" squealed the pig furthest away from him.

"Right into our hot little pot!" chimed one of his compatriots.

"Kill him," added the third.

"Before there is anymore killing, listen to me!" demanded the Doctor, raising himself up. The swine turned to regard him with disdain. He walked between the Pack Leader and his hunters. "Thanks to all of you, this has been a hellish twenty-four hours. This city is littered with bodies and heartache. Don't you think you've done enough? You have your prisoner, you've reclaimed your technology. Just get back to your own time and leave the humans alone. You'll claim them soon enough!"

Niggle started at this. Wasn't he going to fight these creatures?

The pig that seemed to be leader snorted. "You are a little like us. More than you seem."

"But helpless!" grunted the second.

"Built his house with straw!" giggled the third and levelled his gun at the Doctor. He felt a hot blast of plasma fly past his cheek simultaneously as he was tackled to the ground by fast moving figure. Looking up he found Niggle on top of him. "Guess they're a tough crowd," she smiled but her eyes looked scared.

The three pigs rounded on the Pack Leader and fired. A trio of crimson rays converged on the wolfman but he was already moving. Springing to the air, propelled by his powerful legs, the Pack Leader began bounding up the tiers of desks. Delegates tried to get out of his path but some were hit by stray laser blasts and fell back, their clothes smouldering.

The Doctor glanced over to see what Red was doing. She was crouched under an upturned table, looking at the scene in confusion, torn between following the Pack Leader, attacking the pigs and self-preservation. He smiled grimly as he saw her forelegs and posture had become more humanoid.

"It looks like I might have been right," he said softly.

"What?" asked Niggle in confusion.

"We need to reach that young werewolf. She's the key to turning the tide. We have to move!" he rasped. Niggle understood the immediate problem at least. She helped the Doctor to his knees and they began to crawl across the floor. Around them the laser fire hissed, people screamed and the wolves continued to howl outside.

At the rear of the chamber, the Pack Leader found he had run out of places to run. Despite their looks, the pigs could move with surprising speed and quickly seemed to anticipate his moves. He found himself surrounded and staring down the barrels of three rifles.

"Even if you kill me its too late. I've changed your future. You cannot hope to contain my people. We will spread through this world and by the time you arrive, we will be ready!" he boasted.

The pig leader gave a high pitched giggle.

"You cannot kill us all!" roared the Pack Leader.

"Yes we can," replied the pig.

Their guns fired and the Pack Leader was bathed in deadly light. They kept firing until there was nothing but a shadow on the wall.

The Doctor shut out the death screams of the Pack Leader as he concentrated his mind onto Red's, gazing into her eyes. Niggle stood shielding them, waiting for the pigs to turn their attention back onto them all.

***

"Do you know why I came looking for you?"

"To hurt me."

"No."

"You wanted to save that pervert Minister."

"I didn't know he was there at first. No I didn't understand it properly but I knew that your life was inextricably caught up in this crisis."

"My life is a joke. I'm tired of it. Wanted to lose myself in the animal. Wolves are simple."

"But you're not a wolf really. You're something more. And you can't lose yourself so easily. Not for long."

"He lied to me! Like all the others."

"Yes. But he didn't really understand why the aliens changed him, changed the entire human race. He saw only the myths, the beast."

"Who are you? The other...the younger one like you. He wasn't like me. Strong but strange."

"I'm a friend. I try to mend the world when it fractures. But now I can only guide. You and your brothers and sisters have the power to defeat them."

"What power? What can we do against them? He said they were nearly unstoppable. That's why he came back here."

"Time is strange. Often it works through the seemingly random actions of many, to place the solution to what threatens it in the perfect place. I'm beginning to see the pattern. But that's all it is. The force must come from an individual's actions."

"You're confusing me! I'm scared. Get away from me!"

"Please listen to me Red. You have a power within you, it is within all your kind. They want to harvest it but they also fear it, because that power can destroy them. And you can use it, but only through your humanity. Only as a family."

"Don't understand."

"Yes you do! Look inside now! Before it is too late!"

***

Colly slumped against the cabinet. She could hear the growls getting very near now. She checked her pistol. "That's it. I'm out of ammo."

Warren was trying to flex a table leg out of its socket, hoping to use it as a weapon. "Guess this is it. Well I ain't going out without taking some with me!"

He heard a sharp intake of breath from Vaidya and steeled himself for the worst. Then a chill spread down his spine as he heard a strange, inhuman sound. It was a wet yet leathery sound, accompanied by a cracking and stretching. Underneath it all was a low animal keening. He glanced over at Vaidya and saw that some sight transfixed him. Colly uttered an oath and tugged at his sleeve. Warren finally looked over the barricade and went very cold.

In the half light of the office, three wolf shapes were stretching upwards, becoming tall human-like figures. But figures still covered in fur, their heads those of wolves but with a new gleam of intelligence in their eyes. Panting, the creatures flexed their elongated clawed hands and stretched like gymnasts warming up for an event. For a moment they regarded the clutch of humans behind the desks. Then they turned in unison and hurried back to the office door. Within a few seconds, the room was empty.

Colly broke the stunned silence. "Is this a good thing?"

Vaidya stood up and started after the werewolves. "We got to get to the conference hall now!"

They ran out into the empty corridor.

***

With sickly grins of their faces, the three pigs sauntered down the aisle, lazily pointing their weapons at Niggle. They looked toward the remaining delegates huddled in corners of the room and laughed cheerily.

"Maybe we should build our brick house right here. So it will stand for even longer!" grunted one.

"No," replied the leader, who seemed to be tiring of his nursery rhyme identity. Niggle fancied she could see his face and body rippling, something inside the pig shifting about, trying to expand. She glanced down at the Doctor and saw he was still staring intently at the female wolf. Red was definitely changing, her body becoming more human, though still covered in hair and smelling of warm dog. The vampire wrinkled her nose. The pigs didn't really register on anything except her visual senses. She suspected that was more by their choice.

"The rest of the wolves are trying to get in," observed one pig. The howling had stopped but there was still a scratching at the doors.

"Let them in. We shall exterminate them as they rush in to feed," ordered the leader. All three raised their guns and readied themselves. There were a series of sharp clicks as the remaining locks were deactivated. Niggle braced herself, ready to fight but then felt the Doctor's hand on her arm. He shook his head, his expression unreadable.

Slowly the doors swung open but there was no sudden rush of bodies. In fact there was no movement at all and suddenly Niggle realised there was no sound either. She strained her ears and picked up a faint deep breathing.

The pigs glanced at each other. The leader scowled. "Disobedient to the last! Summon them!"

"No!" A new voice cut harshly across the air. The pigs whirled in the direction of the sound and stared with alarm at the red-furred figure looming behind the Doctor and Niggle. Red stepped forward and seemed to grow at inch taller and broader. "You will never command us again! We know you. We know what you fear."

"Destroy it!" screeched the leader pig. The three swine aimed their guns. Red opened her jaws and a new kind of sound came out of it, a howl, but higher and purer than any Niggle had heard before. It made her blood chill but its effect on the pigs was worse. They squealed in pain and dropped their guns.

There was movement at the doors and a line of figures began to march into the room. Werewolves, all walking on their hind legs and moving in formation. As each creature entered the hall they threw back their heads and emitted the same inhuman ululation. They surrounded the three jerking bodies of the pigs, watching as the aliens rolled around the floor in agony. Red walked over and joined them. Niggle and the Doctor held each other tight, doing their best to withstand the sonic storm. Together they watched as the pig forms of the aliens began to twist and stretch, sickly greens and purples rippling across their hides. The werewolves closed ranks and took their symphony of howls up a key. Suddenly three fountains of glowing matter erupted into the ceiling and swirled away into nothingness with a swift implosion of sound.

An eerie silence descended on the chamber. The werewolves remained in a circle, panting with exertion. The Doctor stepped over to them and looked up at Red.

"Thank you," he said simply.

She nodded in acknowledgement. "You have shown us the way. The rest is up to us. But can you keep your promise?"

"Yes with a little help," promised the Doctor. There was a clattering of booted feet and Vaidya, Warren and Colly appeared at a doorway. They gazed on the scene in astonishment. Then Colly noticed a familiar face amongst the dusty delegates.

"Mr President!" she cried in delight. She and Warren scrambled over to the ragged group of survivors. The US President smiled wearily at them. "I see you've had a pretty interesting time as well," he observed wryly.

Vaidya moved to the Doctor's side. "It seems I missed the last chapter," he stated.

Shaking his head the Doctor gestured to the werewolves. "Oh no, we have one last task to perform. We have to find their erstwhile leader's stolen time travel technology and rewire it for a return trip."

His friend frowned. "Who for? Surely the priority is to cure these - uh - people?"

"That's what I thought at first, but there were many more choices than we guessed. For time travellers, we've both been thinking in too linear a fashion. We nearly missed the greater story," explained the Doctor.

Niggle entwined her arms into theirs. "I hope you two high and mighty time lords are going to bother to explain it to a simple girl?"

"What happened here sir?" asked Warren.

His boss shook his head. "No idea, just a progression of horrors. This gentleman seems to have the answers." Together they walked over to the old man in the black coat. "Before we go any further, may I ask your name sir?" he inquired.

The old man gazed back at him. "You can call me the Doctor, Mr President."

The President's eyes widened in surprise. "The Doctor!" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and took in the man's appearance. "Well I guess that begins to explain things."

***

A faint crackle of walkie-talkie conversations wafted over the dusty scrubland. If Vaidya looked carefully through the gloom he could see armed figures patrolling the borders of the cordoned-off area. He heard an impatient cough and looked down at the Doctor, whose head was buried in the base of a cannon-like device.

"Could you concentrate a little while longer? I need the Magnalock," asked his muffled voice. Vaidya reached into the battered toolkit and passed down the implement. He looked over at Niggle, who was slouched against a police van.

"Are they behaving themselves?" he asked her, jerking his head towards the large army tent across from them. Two soldiers stood guard in front.

She nodded. "Yeah, you'd think they were going to get on an airbus to Brussels, not travel a millenia into the future. They're just a bit impatient. Do you really think this is a good idea Doctor? Who knows what they'll find when they get there?"

The Doctor pulled himself out and closed the grey metal cover with a snap. "They want to do this. Fight the invaders, reclaim their planet and maybe carry on changing. Who knows what path humanity may take in the distant future?"

Niggle grimaced. "The future is furry? Let's hope not. And it won't be that easy."

"Nothing worthwhile ever is," countered Vaidya. He went over to the console and activated it. A hum of power filled the air. The Doctor looked with satisfaction at the readouts on the bank of monitors sitting on a trailer.

"I'd have been one of the people who accepted the serum. I like this place too much. And I like being me. Don't you like me being little me?" she asked Vaidya with mock plaintiveness. Vaidya grunted non-commitedly, concentrating on the space in front of the cannon. "I saw the minister on the news last night. Early retirement they said," sighed Niggle. "Maybe I'll pay him a visit soon."

Vaidya gave her a warning glare. "Just a friendly warning to get another hobby, rather than visiting places like that!" she protested.

"When did you develop a social conscience?" he asked.

She stretched out her arms. "Never mind the social, I just thought it would be fun."

The flaps of the tent parted and Red emerged sniffing the air. The soldiers tensed, ready for action. The Doctor waved towards the captain in charge and he ordered them to stand back. Red padded towards the timelords and the vampire. Behind her thirty or so other werewolves, male and female followed, their ears pricked and alert, their eyes glowing amber in the dark.

A haze was appearing in the air in front of the cannon' and sparks of static began to jump in mid-air. Vaidya kept a careful hand on the controls, making small adjustments here and there. Suddenly a patch of air seemed to become liquid and swirled inside itself. A tunnel of blue-green light formed, almost touching the ground. The Doctor stepped up to the lip of the wormhole and swung his walking stick in invitation. Red walked forward tentatively. She looked at him with her deep amber eyes.

"Will we meet again?" she growled.

"I honestly do not know my child. But it will be an honour for me if we do. They are your pack now, your family, and I know you are equal to whatever you will face there."

Red nodded and turned to the rest of the werewolves. She gave a short howl of challenge, then leapt into the tunnel, vanishing in an explosion of white light. The other wolves howled in assent and followed her, one after another, white light strobing across the surroundings. After the last traveller had departed, Vaidya flipped a bank of switches and the tunnel swallowed itself and disappeared with the faintest sizzle. The Doctor raised his hat in silent salute.

"One more thing to do," said Vaidya but before he could reach forward Niggle stopped him.

"Oh go on let me push the big red button for once. I've never done that!" she grinned.

He stepped back, hands raised. "Be my guest."

Niggle raised herself up as preparing to sing, then slammed the button on the corner of the console with her fist. "Everybody down!" she cried. A few seconds later the console and cannon belched out sparks and smoke.

"Very nice," commented the Doctor drolly. "Well I think we can tell these helpful military men to go home and get out of the way of the backpackers."

"I suppose you'll be off once we get back to the big city," pouted Niggle. "I thought I could show you both a bit of the nightlife."

"I'll leave that to you young people if you don't mind," said the Doctor with a smile. "But I wouldn't say no to a nightcap beforehand."

"Lovely," smiled Niggle. "Then you belong to me for the night Vaidya!"

"We'll see about that," said Vaidya with a rare smile.

They began to walk toward the limousine, as soldiers moved around them cleaning up.

"One more thing," asked Niggle, "you never told me who those aliens were."

"Does a name matter?" wondered the Doctor. "If I called them the Shalacarambas, what does that change?"

"You just made that up!"

"How would you know?"

"I'm a vampire, I know when people are talking rubbish."

"Well then," suggested the Doctor, "let's think up a name on the way back."


The End