Rose and George follow Basel to the entrance of the growth chambers. The cave smelt horrible, but it was cool. Basel takes a torch from a hook and flicks it on a low setting: "don't want to disturb the bats, there're thousands of them living up in the ceiling," he explains.

"You take us to all the best places, don't you?" Rose jokes, her foot knocking into something with a dull clang. "What was that?" she asks, stepping back and hitting something else. "Ugh, and that! Give me the torch!" she takes it from Basel, slapping George's arm with her free hand as he snickers. 

Rose shines the torch down on the cavern floor and they see that there are small golden figures scattered all over.

"Oh, God," Basel murmurs. "You know what I said about bats in the ceiling?"

"Looks like they've come down in the world," George nods just as one of the golden bats twitch. "Uh, oh," he mutters.

"Just like the vulture," Basel stares down at it. "They're coming back to life! Let's get out of here!"

"But there're thousands of them, you said," Rose shakes her head. "If they start flying up and dive-bombing everything, Eva, the Doctor, and Fynn won't stand a chance!" she limps further into the cave through the bats. "Eva! Doctor!" she calls. "Can you hear me?"

"Rose!" Basel calls after her, huffing when George starts to follow. "Whatever did this to the bats will do the same to us if we let it!"

"Eva, are you in there?" George calls as an eerie chitter starts through the chamber, feeling the ground under his feet start to squirm and writhe. "Doctor!"

"Yeah!" the Doctor answers happily. "We're in here with Fynn, but we're coming out!"

"Hurry it up; we've got a bat situation here!" Rose calls as the tiny golden bats start flying about, one flying by her head and snagging in her hair. 

"Look out!" Basel calls.

Something had made the bats go absolutely mad as they fly around the cavern. The Doctor comes through and was dragging Fynn along by the sleeve. Eva wasn't too far behind, covering her head with her gloved arms. Being satisfied that her big brother and best mate were alright, Rose starts to hobble to the exit. George, seeing her struggle, lifts her up into his arms bridal-style and she gives a yelp of surprise as he runs for it. 

Rose's ankle was throbbing: "they're just mice with wings," she mutters, her eyes shut tight against the spinning in her head.

"Weird, mutant golden mice with wings, yeah," George laughs quietly in her ear. "Come on, Rosie, don't go to sleep," he squeezes her when her head droops onto his shoulder. 

Everyone was finally outside and Rose blinks rapidly against the bright sun. Fynn was dabbing at a cut on his cheek, Basel was lying on the ground and breathing heavily, and Eva was leaning against the Doctor as she caught her breath. Harry and Ginny come running up, both slightly out of breath. 

"What the bloody hell happened to you lot?" Ginny stares at them while Harry rubs her back. 

"Ran into a little trouble with tiny mutant golden mice with wings," George waves off, snickering when Rose groans in annoyance.

"What were you doing, coming in after us?" the Doctor grins at Rose and George.

"Don't say anything about me being batty," Rose gives him a look as she gets out of George's arms but still holding onto him for support, and the Doctor pouts.

"Where's your shirt?" Harry frowns at the Doctor. 

Eva yelps, having just remembered that the Doctor's chest that she was leaning on was bare. With a bright red face, she jumps away from him so suddenly that she fell on her butt. The Doctor laughs, pulling out his shirt from his bigger on the inside pocket and it was wrapped around something. 

"He... um... had a bit of trouble with Goldfinger and I had to heal up some bruises on his... chest," Eva tells them awkwardly, getting to her feet. 

"You alright?" Rose asks, looking over his torso for any signs of injury. 

"Eva fixed me all up," the Doctor smiles, sending his girlfriend a wink and she smiles. "More interestingly, how did I get this little feller?" he pulls out a small golden bat from his shirt and Eva helps him back into it, her face back to its normal color. "Funny you should ask! Well, when I was younger I was a demon batsman; handy in later life when you meet demon bats," he hands Eva the bat so he could button his shirt back up and he pulls out his 'clever' specs. "Think I'll call him Tolstoy," he beams down at the little creature.

"He does look like a Tolstoy, eh?" Eva smiles, looking at the bat cupped in her hands. 

"Hello, Tolstoy! Who's a pretty little golden boy, then?" the Doctor coos, making Rose and Eva giggle. "Easier to study than the vulture and packs less of a punch than Kanjuchi," he smiles.

"The vulture got away," Basel tells them.

"We know," Fynn shudders.

"And this lump of gold stuff," Rose puts in. "Must be the stuff Adiel was talking about; it attacked us."

"It wanted to convert you," the Doctor nods.

"We trapped it," George tells him.

"If it stayed trapped, it had a good reason," Eva mutters and looks down at the bat still in her hands. "Better get this little guy somewhere secure."

"Fynn, now's your chance to play the good boss," the Doctor turns to him. "Send the staff away for their own protection. Send them home. Nice early night and a cup of Horlicks, ooh, lovely," he smiles, but there was an edge to his tone. "This place has to be shut down."

"I'm not going home!" Basel protests.

"And I can't shut this unit down," Fynn adds. "The work is too important," he sighs, rubbing his face. "But I suppose non-essential personnel can be dismissed for the day..."

"Think this will all be sorted by tomorrow morning, then, do you?" Rose raises her eyebrows at the man.

"Not by standing round here talking about it," Fynn says dryly. "Doctor, that creature-"

"Tolstoy," he cuts him off, making Eva snort quietly.

"-must be analyzed quickly, before it can mutate and enlarge," Fynn continues, rolling his eyes. "We must take it to the laboratory; Adiel can help prepare..." he frowns suddenly. "Is Adiel alright?"

"She was still asleep when we left," Harry tells them.

"Not anymore," George points out.

Adiel comes rushing up to the group with her dreads bouncing around: "what's been happening?" she asks in confusion.

"You're supposed to be sedated, I gave you a p-pill!" Basel stares at her.

"Yeah, in a fruit shot that's half-caffeine, half-taurine, like that's going to to work," she retorts. "I wake up and suddenly everyone's gone, the common room window's shattered, nobody's about..." she trails off and looks at Fynn. "Kanjuchi, is he alright?"

"No," the Doctor shakes his head, sending her a small sympathetic smile. "I could be kind and say Kanjuchi's not himself, but I don't want to patronize you, don't want to give you false hope... and I don't want anyone to think there's the slightest chance of survival if one of those golden blobs touches you," he looks at the group seriously.

"So he's really dead, then... dead and gone," Basel says quietly.

"Not gone," Eva puts in, folding her arms. "Something else is controlling his body now, something with a very particular purpose that's woken up under the volcano... thinking it needs to recruit sentries."

"We need to know more about it and fast," the Doctor says. "Before anyone or anything else leaves this world with a golden handshake," he smiles as Eva walks up to Fynn. 

"Shall we get on?" she smiles sweetly, waving the little golden bat in Fynn's face. 

• • • • • •

In the laboratory, Rose, George, Harry, and Ginny were sat about. Basel and Solomon had gone off to round up the workers they were sending home and to check the unit for any more golden creatures. The Doctor was messing with the data-get with his sonic while Eva fiddles with the wiring. The Doctor was also watching Eva out of the corner of his eye; she'd been absently tapping out a beat as they worked. It had been going on since she had taken the vortex in... was it still affecting her in some way? I took it out, though he shakes his head, deciding to worry about it later. If it were serious, she'd tell me. Fynn was bent over a futuristic microscope and Adiel was mixing solutions in some beakers. Rose was bored, watching them, but she did notice that every time Adiel came near Fynn or the other way around, she'd tense. She also notices that Harry had been oddly protective of Ginny; making sure she was overly comfortable and that she had enough fluids... what was up with him? Was she sick or something?

"Wonder if they had some affair and it ended badly," George whispers in her ear, looking between Adiel and Fynn. 

"Or he passed her up for promotion," Rose murmurs, leaning into George and rolling out her newly healed ankle.

"So this golden stuff-" Harry starts. 

"Magma form," Eva corrects, replacing a wire in the data-get. 

"Alright, this magma form," Harry rolls his eyes with a slight smile. "Will it come after us? Are we gonna be invaded by golden blobs?" 

"Know what I think? I think that it thinks that we are the invaders," the Doctor murmurs.

Ginny moves to look over Eva's shoulder: "can you reverse the effect, turn the bat back to normal?"

"Don't know," the Doctor shrugs, handing the data-get and his sonic to Eva as he leans against the table. "These magma forms must secrete some substance that alters the host DNA entirely, converting the skin into a kind of flexible metal, and when the secondary mutation kicks in..."

Adiel brings up the output from an x-ray that was set on the lead box that the bat was in. Rose shudders against George at the image. Little Tolstoy has mutated like the vulture did. It became an ugly, bloated mass: one wing almost twice the size of the other, it's teeth and claws lengthened, it's eyes glowing like white-hot metal.

"Golem," the Doctor announces, slipping his 'clever' specs off.

"What?" Rose frowns. "The creepy thing from Lord of the Rings?" 

"No, golem," Eva shakes her head with a smile. "A living being created from clay," she explains. 

"A crude, primitive servant," the Doctor nods, folding his arms and watching Tolstoy on the scanner. "Not crude like Eva-"

"Oi, I'm not crude," Eva flicks his ear without looking up from the data-get.

"Yes, you are," the Doctor retorts, pinching her thigh and smirking when she lets out a small yelp. "You've got a very naughty mouth," he teases.

"I'm not going to comment on that," Eva mutters, her cheeks a bit pink and the Doctor bites his lip when he sees her thoughts as they were quite loud and he was standing right next to her. 

"Anyway," he clears his throat, Rose and George making gagging noises while Harry rolls his eyes, all three having a good guess at what had happened if the Doctor's expression was anything to go by. "Crude as in roughly made, unfinished," he rubs his ear, voice a bit off. 

"Once brought to life by mystical incantations, it acts unthinkingly, unswervingly, for its master," Eva nods, finishing whatever she was doing to the data-get and decidedly not looking at the Doctor.

"You think that's what Kanjuchi and the transformed animals have become?" Adiel asks with wide eyes.

"Only remade from magma, not mud," the Doctor nods. 

"And using alien technology instead of spells?" George asks.

"You make it sound as if you deal with things like this every day!" Fynn stares at the group. 

"Yeah," they all answer at the same time.

"Question is: how long has this stuff been cooking up?" the Doctor mutters. "The tektites on Adiel's necklace, legacy of that meteor... we're talking old, really old... really, really, really, really, reallllllllllly old..."

"But what about that space pollution the TARDIS picked up around here? That's recent, isn't it?" Harry asks.

"Really recent... really, really, realllllllllly-" Eva smiles.

"Which means there's been a spaceship in the area!" the Doctor grins, wrapping his arm around Eva and putting a hand over her mouth. "Which could explain why this stuff has started reacting! It doesn't like technology; it hated it when I started sonicing..."

"What are you lot talking about now?" Fynn demands.

Eva moves the Doctor's hand from her mouth, sticking her tongue out at him: "we need to know why this stuff has decided to start shaping the local animal life into golems, right?" 

"So we need to know what's in those uncharted caves," the Doctor smiles, rubbing his hands together. 

"You can't go back in there," Adiel blurts out.

"We barely got out alive the last time," Fynn agrees.

"It's alright, don't get your knickers in a twist, Director Twat," Eva puts in with a sweet smile and Fynn sends her a glare. 

"See, naughty mouth," the Doctor smirks and more images flash in his mind... oh, he was going to have fun with this.  

"Shut up!" she squeaks. "The Doctor and I've fiddled with the scan-sensors on this, increased the range and sensitivity to full capacity," she holds up the data-get, ignoring that the Doctor was eyeing her up... and not really being discreet about it either. "If we can insert some memory wafers, hook it up to an output screen, we should be able to build up a clearer picture of what's sitting underneath that volcano," she explains.

"'Atta girl," the Doctor praises, putting his hand on her hip and pulling her to him. "My naughty little genius," he smirks, rubbing circles into her bare skin where her shirt had ridden up a bit with his thumb. 

"You aren't as funny as you think you are," she huffs, trying to get out of his hold but he just holds her tighter and continues to stroke her skin, his smirk widening when she shivers. 

"You think I'm going to not take advantage of this?" he raises an eyebrow, snorting when she sinks into his side and hides her face with her gloved hands. 

"Those devices are extremely expensive, Eva," Fynn snatches the data-get and she sighs in relief when it snaps the Doctor out of his teasing.  "If your tampering has..." he trails off when he points it to Adiel and a whine of power sounds. "Incredible... even at minimum scan, the volume of data-"

"- will swamp its built-in memory, which is why we need the wafers," the Doctor nods, leaning over a bit while still keeping his hold on Eva, and pressing a few buttons to power it down. "Well, well, according to this... Adiel's a little bit alien," he raises an eyebrow.

"What?" Adiel stares at him, shifting on her feet. "What are you talking about?"

"I'd say it's those tektites round your neck," Eva looks at the data-get. "Yeah... the composition's definitely alien," she mutters. 

"Sure as eggs is eggs," the Doctor smiles, making Eva roll her eyes fondly. "Those stones weren't formed in a meteor impact, they came from the forced landing of an alien spaceship."

"Doctor, Eva, really," Fynn gives them a disapproving look.

"Really, really, really, reallllllly..." the Doctor looks at Adiel. "You say you got those pretty stones from round here?"

"The women at Gouronkah find them and sell them," she nods.

"Gouronkah?" Ginny asks. 

"A backward little settlement nearby," Fynn explains with a shrug. "The locals tend to be... intolerant of staff from the agri-units, see us as violating the land, the old traditions," he frowns, looking at Adiel. "Why would you wish to consort with such people, Adiel?"

"I believe my vacation time is my own, Director," she replies, a coldness in her eyes.

"May I see the stones?" Eva holds out her hand. 

Adiel reluctantly hands them over and as she did, the lead box jumps with a violent scrape across the table, making everyone jump.

"Whatever's underneath the volcano, that thing in there's pretty keen to get back," Rose says shakily, George rubbing her side. 

"Director Fynn, I need to take a rest period," Adiel puts in suddenly.

"30 minutes, no more," Fynn nods distractedly, looking over his improved data-get and fiddling with it. "We need to start imaging that volcano, this will be of untold value to the project," he looks between Eva and the Doctor. "We can accurately survey the entire lava-tube network from the outside, increase user access and harvesting efficiency..."

"Yeah, hello, Director?" Eva makes scissors with her fingers. "Cut," she mimes the action.

Not meeting anyone's gaze, Adiel heads actors the room to the far door and the Doctor let's go of Eva to stand by Rose: "give her a few minutes, then go after her," he whispers.

"Worried George and me might be getting lonely without you and Eva around?" Rose smiles up at him.

"Worried she might be getting up to something," he retorts.

• • • • • •

Rose and George walk into the common room and see that the broken window had been boarded up. Adiel and Basel were leaning forward on separate couches, talking in low voices. When the two time-travelers walk in, they go quiet and look up guiltily. 

"Just fancied a fruit shot," Rose shrugs, moving to the fridge. "Everyone sent home who needs to be?"

"Cept me," Basel nods.

"Everything alright, mate?" George asks, sitting on one of the other sofas.

"Sure," Basel waves off in a tone that said it obviously wasn't. 

"Mind if I drink the fruit shot here?" Rose asks, sitting next to George and leaning into his side as he wraps an arm around her shoulders. 

Adiel looks at Basel meaningfully and then shrugs: "we can speak Kenga," she suggests.

"That's nice for you," Rose rolls her eyes.

"Conversation's sort of personal," Basel explains with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, well, don't mind us," Rose shrugs, kicking her feet up on a coffee table. 

"Pretend we're not here," George agrees and they share a look when Basel and Adiel do just that. 

"I just can't believe you've done this, people are gonna get hurt," Basel mutters. 

"Security will know, they'll be prepared," Adiel waves off.

"That lot are animals! This situation could go belly up in a moment," Basel shakes his head wearily. "What I really can't get my head round is that you'd drop Solomon in it, just like that."

"I have to, it's for the greater good," Adiel says simply.

"Act like an activist, talk like a scientist," he sneers.

"I don't see why you're not happier," she rolls her eyes. "You told me yourself that you were after something that could get you publicity," she reminds him.

"Yeah, the right kind of publicity, like catching a solid-gold vulture," Basel agrees, not even worrying about volume. "Something that'll draw attention to what places like this are doing to the environment, something small enough to smuggle out of the unit before Fynn starts covering everything up."

Rose and George share a look, both shocked. So that's why Basel had changed his mind about going to get the vulture. And he'd been happy to let them risk their lives to help him. Rose couldn't believe that the two of them were talking as if she and George weren't there... as if they weren't worth secrecy.

"Exactly," Adiel mutters. "If this alien golem stuff is really true, the government will put this whole place under wraps, top secret, all of that," she looks at Basel seriously. "But a story like this, this is news... if I'm going to get Fynn investigated-"

"Listen to yourself!" Basel shakes his head in disgust. "Don't pretend you're doing this for Gouronkah, this is about you," he glares.

"What are you two on about?" Rose couldn't help but ask.

"Told you, Rose, it's personal," Basel glances at her before looking back at Adiel. "Whatever happens, State Guards will end up searching the tunnels, find out what Solomon's been up to and pack him off to a labor camp."

"If he's got secret links to this glowing stuff, then maybe he deserves it!"

"What?" George gapes at her.

"He'd never do something like that, he's straight!" Basel doesn't hear him. "You know damn well that without him everyone in Gouronkah would have starved to death. He's risked his whole life for them-"

"They don't need handouts, they need their independence!" Adiel insists. 

"Independence won't fill your belly, whatever your student mates might say," Basel retorts. "And if you think I'm gonna stand by while you sell Solomon down the river-"

"I hadn't realized you were so close," Adiel narrows her eyes, voice going cold. "Well, I'm telling you, he went straight to this golden panel, he knew it was there-"

"You what?" Rose demands, her jaw hanging open. 

"- and then he tried to bring the roof down on it!"

"How come you were even there, spying on him, anyway?" Basel raises his eyebrows. "When we left you, you were sleeping."

"My watch alarm went off, I had to keep my meeting," she shrugs. "I came to, saw those windows all broken. I got worried, wandered out... then I saw Solomon going into the tunnels and I followed him," she explains.

"What meeting's this, then? What've you been up to?" George demands and the two of them finally look over at him and Rose. 

"You understood what we said?" Adiel eyes them both.

"Not exactly hard to get the gist, is it?" Rose folds her arms. "Can't see Fynn making either of you employee of the month when he finds out," she glares.

"They speak Kenga," Basel gapes at them. 

"Some ginger bloke and his teenage white girlfriend are fluent in an African dialect barely spoken outside of northern Chad?" Adiel glares between them. "Just who are you?"

"Um..." Rose falters, realizing that the TARDIS had got her and George in a right mess.

"We're, um, good at languages," George falters, not for that realization but because Adiel had called Rose his girlfriend... he rather liked it... they'd have to talk later.

"They've got to be press," Adiel was still eyeing them and she shakes her head. "No, not press..." she looks at Basel meaningfully. "They're bio-pirates, sent here by another agri-unit, one of Fynn's rivals," she sneers, her voice going sarcastic. "Come to see what they can steal away from Africa for the good of Western society," she scoffs.

"Is that true?" Basel stands and takes a menacing step toward them. "Rose? George?" 

"Come off it!" Rose stands as well. "If we were any sort of journalists or pirates or whatever, would we have given ourselves away as dumbly as that? Don't think so," she rolls her eyes.

"So who are you really, you two and the others? How come you know so much about all this weird stuff?"

"Sounds as if we don't, not yet," George retorts. "So how about you tell us everything that's been going on? Maybe we can help," he offers.

"This isn't your business," Adiel says coldly. 

"Sounds like it's everyone's business," George raises a challenging eyebrow.

"So should we go tell Fynn the stuff we do know? Or do you want to take us straight to this golden panel?" Rose juts her hip out.

"Those tunnels aren't safe for anyone, not now," Adiel argues.

"Eva and the Doctor need to know about this," Rose grabs George's hand, pulling him up, and makes to leave.

"Wait," Adiel calls and they turn back. "I'm sorry... you're right," she sighs. "The golden thing could be important, but what if I did imagine it? I mean, I was suffering from shock and dosed up on p-pills when I saw it. We don't want to delay their imaging of the chambers in the volcano to come with us on a wild-goose chase."

"Changing your tune, aren't you?" Basel notes and Adiel gives an innocent shrug.

"So what're you saying?" George asks.

"Maybe we should check it out by ourselves," Adiel suggests. 

"What're we waiting for? Let's go," Rose smiles and heads to the door, dragging George behind her.

• • • • • •

Fynn had finally finished expanding the data-get's memory wafers when the Doctor and Eva come back in.

"Funny," the Doctor mutters with a frown. "Well, not so much funny as peculiar... funny peculiar."

"What is?" Fynn asks.

"No sign of Rose, George, or Adiel," Eva frowns, sitting beside Harry.

"I told Adiel no more than 30 minutes," Fynn frowns as well. "It's not like her to disobey a directive..."

"She's been through a lot lately," Ginny shrugs.

"Did you analyze that properly?" Fynn asks, seeing the Doctor pick up Adiel's necklace.

"Yes," he nods. "Traces of the creeping magma in some of the tektites, so it definitely came from the same place as our golem-maker," he mutters. 

"But hopefully there's not enough in there to be a threat," Eva puts in.

"Adiel's been wearing it long enough," Fynn says. 

"So she has," the Doctor hums, putting the necklace in his pocket. "You all set with the data-get?"

"I've snapped in five googol wafers and set it to remote output so we can monitor the results on the viewer," Fynn nods, handing it to Eva. "I... I am not used to asking for help, or to giving thanks when it's offered," he clears his throat.

"That's alright, big fella," the Doctor beams, clapping him on the back. "It's the planet we're doing this for, not you and your mushrooms..." he trails off with a thoughtful expression. "Was that rude?"

"Yes," Eva, Harry, and Ginny deadpan.

"Sorry if that was a bit rude," the Doctor rocks on his heels.

"We are both working for the sake of the planet, Doctor," Fynn mutters. "I have to see my dream through. So please, tell me truthful, are you confident you and your friends can put right whatever's gone wrong here?"

"Modesty forbids that I answer that question," he retorts and his girlfriend and two friends all three raise their eyebrows in disbelief. "Oh, alright then, yes," he smiles widely. "Yes! Yes, of course we can!" he checks over the imager in Eva's hand. "Given time... time and space to work, and assuming no one else starts pushing their nose in and Eva doesn't try and distract me with her naughty, naughty thoughts," he smirks, kissing her cheek when she glares up at him. "Oh, and that we're not killed before we've finished," he shrugs. 

"Don't suppose you've launched any spaceships or orbital probes round here lately, have you?" Eva asks.

"Spaceships? Of course not," Fynn frowns. 

"Afraid you'd say that," Eva sighs. "Means we've got visitors..."

"Visitors who've parked outside and are waiting in the car," the Doctor nods, beginning to pace in a circle. "And judging by the ion fumes up in the atmosphere, they've left the engines running... why are they waiting? Waiting for someone to come out?"

"Or for someone to return..." Eva offers.

The Doctor throws his head back and laughs, making Eva and Harry roll their eyes: "this is hopeless, rubbish! Got to find out more," he shakes his head. "Director Fynn, do you have a flash car?"

"I have my own transport," Fynn replies. "Why?"

"I can see you're a driven man and we could do with some driving ourselves," the Doctor grins. 

"Once around the volcano, that's what we need," Eva puts in.

"I am not being your chauffeur," Fynn narrows his eyes. 

"Then be our secretary," the Doctor shrugs.  "Call up Solomon so he can take us instead," he orders. 

"Only do it fast, yeah? We don't know how much time we have left," Eva folds her arms.

"Before what?"

"Before our visitors turn off the engines and come knocking on Mount Tarsus's door," Eva retorts. 

"Whatever they've come for, it has to be inside that volcano," the Doctor nods. 

"But have they come because it's woken up, or has it woken up because they've come?" Harry wonders. 

• • • • • •

Rose, George, and Basel were following Adiel through the field. Rose looks up at the sky, admiring the moon that was shining brightly above them. 

The four of them reach a large metal door that was set into a rocky slope. Adiel keys in a code and the door opens into darkness. She flips a switch and red light shines from the circular lamps in the tunnel walls.

"Can we leave the door unlocked?" Rose asks, a little nervous and George squeezes her hand comfortingly.

"Yes, that's a good idea," Adiel nods, passing each of them a torch. "Come on, it's this way," she heads off.

The other three follow her along. The passage widens and Rose wrinkles her nose at the slippery mess under her feet.

"Great, we're back in bat territory," she mutters, making George snort quietly.

The lights stop and they all flick their torches on, the blood-red shadows growing thicker and shifting around them. Rose moves closer to George as her eyes take in the world and misshapen rocks, finding horrible faces in them that were staring back at her.

"Knows her way around, doesn't she?" George whispers as Adiel walks straight on, not faltering in her step. 

"Yeah," Basel agrees, eyeing her suspiciously. "How many times you been down here, Adiel? There's been no development work in this area for almost a year," he points out.

"That's what we're supposed to believe," Adiel retorts vaguely. "It's through here... the golden panel I told you about, go check it," she points through an arch of sharp stalactites. 

Basel goes first, holding his torch like a weapon, and Rose and George follow close behind him. Rose takes a deep breath, intertwining her fingers with George's and squeezes his hand as they move through.

• • • • • •

Solomon was driving his pick-up around the dirt road that was along the bottom of the volcano, trying his hardest to avoid the biggest potholes. Ginny was sitting in the passenger seat, holding onto the dash and Harry, Eva, and the Doctor were in the bed of the truck. The Doctor was pointing the gadget at the steep slopes of the volcano, laughing and shouting: "Bellissimo! Work with me, baby! Yes, come on, you know you want to!"

"You're an absolute nutter!" Ginny calls back, laughing. 

"Are you seeing inside?" Solomon asks.

"Imaging very nicely, ta," the Doctor grins. 

"What's there?"

"Not sure," Eva shrugs. "So much data... tons of the stuff! But mushrooms apart, I don't think it's organic," she shakes her head.

"Huh?" 

"Not living, not alive," Harry puts in.

"So it's dead, then?" Solomon asks, feeling happier.

Suddenly the sky lit up as if lightning was striking; striking again and again in quick succession. The world around them became stark white. Startled and slightly dazed, Solomon slams down on the brakes. Ginny was extremely grateful she wore a seat belt as she was jolted forward. The Doctor, Eva, and Harry weren't as lucky as they were thrown forward. The Doctor was quick to wrap his arms around Eva's waist so that she lands on top of him. The engine sputters and then dies, the light going quickly from the night.

"What was that!?" Ginny exclaims, taking the seat belt off and no one notices her rubbing her stomach.

The sky was completely clear, no sign of a storm or a plane or a chopper. Harry hops over the back of the truck and opens the passenger door, checking over Ginny. Satisfied she was fine, he pulls her into a hug, kissing her temple and rubbing her back.

The Doctor quickly checks over Eva and then slides her off him: "I don't know," he shakes his head, looking at his readings. "But it gave the volcano a fright..."

"Could you be serious just for once?" Solomon looks back at him angrily.

"The data-get picked up a massive energy surge," Eva talks over the ticking from the engine as it cools. "Not just from the lightning-flash effect but from inside Mount Tarsus."

• • • • • •

Rose was following behind George, their hands still entwined, and she decided that his crimson butt was a better view than the distorted faces on the wall. George was fully aware of where her focus was and couldn't help but wiggle his hips teasingly, making her giggle quietly. They both stop short though when Basel does in front of them.

"What is it?" Rose asks, peering around George but not being able to see Basel as well. 

"Dead end, there's nothing!" Basel replies.

"Adiel, you've got the wrong-" George turns and starts to pull Rose back to the exit. 

Bang!

George runs into something that wasn't there and Rose and Basel bump into his back. A dark shadow came up in the dark, bloody light.

"Adiel, what the hell is this?" Basel glares, hitting his fist against the invisible barrier.

"Roof prop; a simple cushion of charged air between ground and-" she informed him. 

"I know, it's a construction tool," Basel snaps. "Now turn it off so we can get out!"

"I can't let you go yet... it's too important," Adiel whispers, the weird acoustics making it sound low, cold, and inhuman. "George and Rose, you'd tell the Doctor and Eva, who would tell Fynn-"

"They're not like that!" Rose shouts.

"- and Basel, you might try to interfere to keep Solomon out of the firing line," Adiel finishes as if Rose hadn't spoken.

"When that lot get here we're all in the firing line!" Basel protests.

"I can't take any chances," Adiel replies.

"You're taking one hell of a chance," Basel glares. "And everyone's lives are at risk! You'll need the State Guards to take care of that lot!"

"What lot?" George asks, trying different spells on the wall and getting nowhere. "Will someone just tell us what the hell's going on?'

"The attack will come in the next few hours," Adiel continues. "You're well clear of the route they'll take to reach the compound. In any case, they won't be able to get through the barrier. It's set to switch off in eight hours' time or at my override, whichever comes first."

"We might not have enough air for eight hours!" Basel argues.

"Come on, Adiel," Rose tries, keeping her voice as calm as she can. "This is stupid, yeah? We'll keep quiet if that's what you-"

"Yes, I think you should keep quiet and not draw attention to yourselves," Adiel cuts in and then turns, walking away quickly. "I'm sorry, this will all be finished soon," she calls over her shoulder.

"Come back!" Basel kicks the invisible shield. "Let us out!"

"Pack it in, you'll use up our air faster," George rolls his eyes. 

"She can't do this to us!" he kicks the rock wall instead and immediately starts to jump around, holding his foot and cursing. 

"I'm swooning at your manliness," Rose deadpans, rolling her eyes and making George snicker. 

"Just calm down," George claps him on the back. "So, before I use my amazing skills and get us out of here," he sends a wink to Rose and she smiles, shaking her head. "Tell us, what is she on about? What attack? What's going-"

Basel turns to them, trembling with anger and fear: "local villagers, right? Starving to death, and what little they've got is taken off them by bandits, robbers, murderers; organized into rebel groups against central government, and the village is built right over some of these tunnels," he explains. 

"And what, Solomon's been using them to get food out to the villagers?" George asks. "Trying to help?"

"Right," Basel nods. "But the wrong kind of help as far as Adiel and her well-educated mates are concerned," he shakes his head. "They want to get the rebels locked up, out the picture. Standing up to the government is fine, but not when you're killing innocent people to do it."

"So she's an activist!" Rose exclaims, remembering what she and her friends had been accused of being when they arrived.

"This is about more than just politics," Basel mutters. "She's always had it in for Fynn. It's like she blames him for something," he sighs and runs his hand over his hair. "I don't know, she won't let anyone close..."

"Sounds like whoever's attacking's gonna be too close to us," George puts in. "What have we got to look forward to?"

"Adiel told the village leader, Talib, his name is, to make sure those robbers and bandits saw him coming down here, knowing they'd follow him. Knowing they'd find out about this place," Basel shook his head. "They're starving too, so why settle for stealing Solomon's free handouts when they can get into the unit through these tunnels and take all the food they want by force?"

"Only she'll have tipped off security, who'll be ready for them," Rose nods.

"I've heard Solomon talking about those rebels. Some of them, after all that time on the run... they're animals, killers," he slams his palm against the barrier. "They ain't about to come quietly."

"And that's happening tonight?"

"According to Talib's spies," Basel nods. "Adiel came here to meet him like she'd arranged and that's when she saw Solomon."

"Playing with his golden panel," George tilts his head, his arms folded. Rose bit her lip. "At least, that's her story."

"What do you mean?" Basel frowns.

"She was acting sort of strange, wasn't she? And that necklace..." George trials off and gives an airy shrug and smile. "Oh, well; bandits and murderers, that's not so bad, is it?" 

"It's almost a relief," Rose snorts. "Thought she was possessed, but now we know she's just bonkers."

"What are you on about?" Basel frowns between them.

"Well, I was starting to think she came down here to meet..." Rose falters when a misshapen shadow comes around the corner of the narrow passage. "Aliens," she whispers. 

The creature's head was thin and spiked like a cactus; its neck fat like a giant toad's, billowing out and then sucking back in; two spindly arms stick out on either side of the blobby body, each ending in a heavy-duty pincer like a crab's; and its many legs were thin and clacked together like a bundle of dry sticks.

George pulls Rose away from the creature, but Basel just stands there staring at it in shock: "what the hell is that thing?"

"Don't know," Rose shrugs. "But it's alright, George can get us out," she smiles.

"Can't take you both and I'm not leaving either of you with that thing," George shakes his head, making her smile falter. 

"There's Adiel's invisible wall thing, though? We can't get out, but that thing can't get in," she reasons.

The silent figure produces a tubular object, clamped carefully in one of its pincers. It points the tube at the roof prop generator and a green glow appears, a fizzing noise starts up from ground level.

A/N: thanks for reading, hope you enjoy, let me know! :) See ya next week! :*