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them. The Doctor wasted no time or words, but simply kicked open the factory
door.
And then the dogs bounded out of the gap in the floor. There were three of them,
and in the dim light all Sarah could make out was powerful bodies and rows of
sharp, drooling fangs.
Suddenly there were hands helping her through the doorway. Through the red haze
that had settled over her eyes she could make out several people.
'Get them out of the way!' Sir Edward Fulbright snapped. He had a rifle at his
shoulder, and was poised to fire.
Sarah accepted the help without question, and she was dragged aside by two
people. She fell against one, and realized that it was Alice.
'Thank God we got here in time!' exclaimed the girl.
'Indubitably,' agreed Sarah, as she sucked in the fresh night air. Then there
was a barrage of firing as Fulbright and his men let the three attacking dogs
have the full force of their guns. The animals howled in pain, but went down.
The Doctor dropped to the ground beside Sarah. For once he looked as if he had
been through the wars, too. There was a gash down one cheek, and his deerstalker
was missing. His scarf fluttered in the breeze, and there was a happy gleam in
his eyes. 'Three cheers for the Seventh Cavalry,' he joked.
'Is it over?' Sarah asked. There was a ringing in her ears as Fulbright and his
men fired a second time. All sounds and movements from the dogs ceased.
'No,' the Doctor informed her. 'It's far from over. But the war is done. Now we
have the peace to negotiate. I have to stop Ross from doing anything foolish -
which isn't likely to be very easy.'
Coda
Sarah stood on the stony beach as the sun began to rise. There was a chill in
the air, but less of one in her heart now. It had been a long night, but the
dawn promised to wipe a great deal of the pain and loss away. She glanced around
as Alice came to join her in staring out over the choppy waters.
'Father says that the underground passageways have flooded,' she said softly.
'They found the body of the last dog in the water there.'
'But not Doctor Ross or Breckinridge?'
'No,' Alice sighed. 'But Edmund - Colonel Ross - has finally explained
everything to my father.' She shook her head. 'If only he'd told us some of this
earlier.'
Sarah couldn't resist a smile. 'What did your father say when Ross told him he'd
been the chief suspect for a while?'
Alice laughed. 'He was about ready to challenge him to a duel, I think. Then he
saw the funny side of things, and they're getting along rather well now.'
'He's not such a bad person, is he?'
'Edmund?' Alice shook her head. 'Only he's so secretive, even when it's not
needed.'
'I guess it comes with the job,' Sarah replied. 'He's a little like the Doctor
in some ways, you know. They both keep secrets, sometimes too well.'
'I've been meaning to ask you,' Alice said, 'where is your friend? Nobody's seen
him for a while, and everyone has questions that they want answered.'
Laughing, Sarah said, 'That's why he's not around. He hates explaining things.
Besides, he's gone to fetch the TARDIS.'
'The TARDIS?' Alice frowned. 'Is that your carriage?'
'Something like that,' Sarah agreed. She just hoped that the Doctor was right,
and that he really could make the short hop from Dartmoor to the beach. He'd
probably have to go via Mars to make it, though. She'd had to trust him, because
she had been too worn out from her adventures to accompany him back to the ship.
Another figure stumbled down the path from the town towards them. Sarah winced
as she realized it was Kipling. She couldn't help liking the boy, but sometimes
he could be such a nuisance. 'How are you feeling?' she asked him.
'Like I've got a hangover,' he admitted. 'I missed out on all the fun, I
gather.'
'You were almost a part of it,' she told him. 'Breckinridge had a change in mind
for you. Luckily, it didn't come about.' She smiled at him. 'Do you recall
anything about last night?'
'After the graveyard?' He shrugged. 'All I know is that I dreamed of wolves,
howling all about me.' He shook his head. 'Odd. Oh well.' He looked up at her.
'Will you be going now?'
'Soon,' Sarah admitted.
'Pity.' Kipling suddenly leaned forward and kissed her cheek. 'It's been fun,
though. I won't forget you, Sarah Jane Smith.'
'Nor I you, Rudyard Kipling.' She laughed. 'You're going to make lots of people
proud of you.'
He waved, nodded at Alice and then started back up the path. 'School's going to
be ruddy dull after this,' he muttered. 'Wolves, graveyards, mermaids . . .' He
disappeared, still muttering to himself.
'Not a bad sort, really,' Sarah said. She glanced at Alice. 'You're going to
hear a lot more about him, you know. I'm glad I got to know him.'
Alice stared at her uncertainly. 'Are you . . .' she began. Then she screwed up
her courage: 'Are you really from the future? The others were talking, and . .
.' She gave a quick gesture of uncertainty with her hands.
'Yes,' Sarah admitted. 'I am.'
'Then you know what becomes of us all?' asked Alice.
'Not all,' Sarah admitted. 'Just a few of you, the ones I happen to have heard
about for one reason or another in my time.'
'Oh.' Alice stood quietly beside Sarah, staring out to sea.
It was pleasant, standing here, with nothing much to think about. Sarah felt
happy, just watching the sun rise and hearing the sound of the seagulls wheeling
overhead. In the distance she could see several small boats. 'The fishing
fleet's coming back,' she murmured.
There was a roaring, crashing, grinding sound that slowly began to fill the air.
It appeared to be coming from a spot about ten feet down the beach. Alice went
white and clutched at Sarah's arm.
'It's okay,' Sarah reassured her. 'I think that's my cab arriving.'
The air shimmered as the familiar outlines of the TARDIS formed and then
solidified. There was a final thump and the sound died away, then the door was
flung open and the Doctor stormed out. He was back in his usual costume, his hat
rammed down over his curls, and the scarf trailing free once more instead of
being tucked inside a cape coat.
'Right,' he said briskly. 'Time to finish things. Come along, Sarah, don't
dawdle.'
Pulling a face at his retreating back, Sarah followed him up the pathway and
back to the factory. Alice, fighting down the questions she obviously wanted to
ask, struggled to keep up with them.
The factory had been closed for the time being, until decisions could be made
about its future. There was a small knot of men there, talking in animated
fashion. Sarah recognized most of them: Colonel Ross and Abercrombie, Sir Edward
Fulbright and Roger Bridewell, Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Alexander Cromwell,
Constable Faversham and Doctor Martinson, and the one-armed fisherman, Brackley.
'Ah,' Fulbright growled as they joined the party. 'Glad you're back.'
'So am I.' The Doctor turned to Ross. 'Now, I assume the main problem left is
the children?'
'Yes,' he agreed. 'We've agreed that everything else can be kept quiet. There's
certainly no need for any of this to come out. The salve is destroyed, I hope?'
'I believe so,' the Doctor answered. 'It doesn't mix too well with salt water.
Even if it's not gone, it's so diluted now as to be useless.'
'Splendid.' Ross nodded briskly. It was obvious that he'd taken charge by virtue
of his office as special agent to the Queen. 'But the children are a distinct
problem.'
'Why can't we just leave them alone?' asked Doyle. 'They didn't ask for this,
and they're harmless, surely?'
'No,' replied Ross and the Doctor, almost as one. The Doctor glared at him, and
then amplified his response.
'The human race isn't ready to share this world with another species, Doyle.'
The Doctor looked grim. 'And that's what those children have become. They can't
stay here.' He glanced at Ross. 'There are always people who wouldn't rest until
they were destroyed - or worse. I've a friend called the Brigadier who's a bit
like that. He means well, but sometimes jumps the wrong way.' He stared at Ross.
'One of your failings,' he added candidly.
'Possibly,' agreed Ross. 'But this is a real problem, and unless you have a
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