Adiel watches in frozen terror as Guwe stands over Fynn's body with one finger on the trigger, "you can't trick me," he snarls, his gold teeth glinting.

"He's unconscious, can't you see that?" Adiel demands. "What good will killing him do?"

"Maybe you can explain for him," Guwe turns to her with a murderous glare.

"I can't explain a damn thing!" Adiel shouts, tears prickling her eyes.

Guwe steps toward her, a mean smile forming but then he freezes and jerks his gun up so it was aimed at her head. Before Adiel can even react, there was a loud slamming sound behind her and she whirls around. There was a bat pressed up against the broken window and as she watches, tiny red and white millipedes squirm over it. The insects reduce the bat into a tiny, smoking corpse within seconds. Adiel presses her knuckles against her mouth as the skull stays lodged in the center of the crack while the rest of the body falls away. Guwe stares at the window, holding his gun tightly in his hand before shaking his head and silently storming over to the door.

"Go out there and you're dead," Adiel warns.

"I'm not dying here so he can run his sick experiments on my corpse," Guwe snarls.

"What did you say?" Adiel frowns, staring at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'll find a way out; I always do," Guwe slams the door shut behind him.

Adiel stares down at Fynn, trembling; experiments... corpse... regards from Isako... she gets to her feet and throws the door wide open, "I said: what did you say!" she calls after Guwe. "Wait!" she shouts, throwing the door to the prefab building open, but she could barely hear herself over the worms' cannons and the screeching of the golems as they attack or the whines of the dying ones. "What experiments? Answer me!"

Guwe spares her a glance, "let me put you out of your misery," he raises his gun to shoot her.

"Look out!" a voice screams.

Adiel ducks down behind the door and she hears a loud, sizzling crackle. Then something kicks the door open, knocking her back and dives for cover: it was the Doctor's group, bar Eva and the man himself. "You," Adiel's jaw drops
"Us," George nods, sending a spell at one of the Wurms with Harry and Ginny doing the same as they run for cover.

"Sorry about your friend out there," Rose stands, wiping off her skirt.

"He wasn't my friend," Adiel shakes her head.

"I'm still sorry," Rose retorts.

Adiel scrambles to her feet, looking out the window. Guwe's jaw had dropped just as hers had... except there was no skin to catch it. Millipedes squirm over the bare skull and there were gaps in its grin where the gold teeth had been. Adiel looks away, willing herself not to throw up as her stomach churns.

"There was this mud-gun thing..." Ginny tries to explain, slipping her wand in her hair and trying to calm a shaken Arnold while Harry rubs her shoulders.

Adiel nods and points to where a couple of the red and white millipedes were wriggling under the door, "we'd better get out of here," she chokes out, heading to the back of the dorm building, her mind turning a million miles a second even though she felt oddly calm. "I thought you and Basel would still be safely out of the way of all this in the lava tubes..." she mutters.

"'Safely' didn't come into it much," George replies coldly.

"Solomon's dead; the Doctor, Eva, and Basel are being held by some alien thing with too many of everything who's gonna take them to see these giant Wurms," Harry glares. "Who, by the way, are blasting the hell out of the golems with killer mud so they can pinch their art treasures!"

"We've got to find a way of getting them out and-" George cuts off when Adiel bursts into tears, her fists clenched as she shakes uncontrollably.

"Hey," Rose puts her arms around the girl. "Look, it's alright-"

But Adiel cuts her off as well, "I think Director Fynn has been using dead human bodies as part of his research here," she sobs. "My mum and dad among them!"

"Oh..." Ginny mutters awkwardly as she and her friends share glances. "Ok... maybe it's not alright..."

"This could be my last night on earth," Adiel sniffles as the battle outside grows louder, harsher. "So I need to find out fast, don't I?"

"Um... yeah," George grips the still shaking girl's hand. "Yeah, suppose you do," he nods.

"I'm sorry, Adiel," Fynn's voice makes them all spin around. "Life doesn't always come with neat edges," he looks at the floor, completely ashamed and fearful.

Flanking him, were two of the giant earthworms, rearing up like inflated king cobras. Their tapering, segmented heads peer around blindly beneath silver helmets and the group could tell now just how badly they smelled in their muddy armor. At this range as well, they could see their stubby arms were encased in electronics, enhanced by robotic parts. Their cannons were somehow grafted onto the pale flesh; the combat helmet was almost a part of them.

"Techno-worms... terrific," Rose cringes.

One of the creatures rears up over them and Adiel recoils in horror as the three wizards raise their wands, which were immediately confiscated. "You are prisoners of war," the one that reared up says in a strained monotone, shuffling forward on its tail or... its belly or... whatever it was. "Ambulate ahead of us: now," it orders.

"At least they aren't shooting us on sight," Harry shrugs helplessly, wrapping an arm around Ginny to keep her close.

"Attempt to escape and you will be eaten alive," the other Wurm informs them, wiggling its cannon.

Numb with fear, Adiel keeps her eyes on Fynn, made him her sole focus as she and the others were herded ahead of the Wurms and back outside. Don't let me die, Adiel prays to the God she wished she still believed in. Not yet... not till I know for sure.

• • • • • •

Basel looks out at the mad world below through his fingers as the crusty bubble floats high over the battlefield. This had to be the longest, nastiest night of his life. His senses were spinning from all that he'd seen and done; it was impossible to take in, like stumbling through some nightmare.

"I've never flown by egg sac before," the Doctor puts in cheerfully, sitting down without a care in the world with Eva sat in his lap, his arms around her waist and his chin on her head.

"Me either," Eva grins. "How does it work, then?"

"I don't know," Faltato yawns.

"I reckon it's powered by breaking down bacteria in the lining to create a propulsion jet of gas," she goes on, smiling when the Doctor praises her with a kiss to the top of the head. "What do you reckon, Basel?"

"Solomon is dead," Basel glares at her, massaging his bruised waist from where Faltato had tongue-lashed him. "He had two kids, and they're gonna want to know what happened and I'm gonna have to tell them... what?" he asks and she and the Doctor stay silent, watching the chaos below, Eva tapping out a beat on her thigh. "Neither of you even care, do you?" he demands.

"We care about a lot of things," the Doctor retorts calmly. "And we've got a lot of questions we want answered."

"Like who's in charge round here, Faltato?" Eva looks over at him.
"King Ottak presides over this clew of Wurms with the assistance of his Knight-Major, Korr," Faltato answers tiredly.

The bubble changes course suddenly, dropping sharply from the sky. They were now directly over the Wurm ship. The ship's hull was gently pulsating as if it was breathing. The bubble seems to pass straight through the hull and sink down into a transparent tube, then the skin shrinks back. The tube melts away and Faltato shoves the Doctor, Eva, and Basel forward with his pincers.

The four of them were standing in a wrecked control room. The floor was packed it earth that felt warm through their shoes, quivering gently. Banks of soil were heaped here and there around controls, which look like vast, bristling tree roots. Maggoty things squirm in the piles, wrapping around levers and switches. Instead of sophisticated, posh tech scanners and monitors, there were cobwebbed sacs on mounds of mud here and there; some showing black-and-white images of the battle outside, others showing nothing but interference patterns.

"This thing was really built by aliens?" Basel asks, swallowing hard.

"Nah, adapted from living organisms," the Doctor shakes his head. "A technological powerhouse built using nature's bounty... I've always been able to take or leave Bounties... prefer Double Deckers..." he muses, Eva rolling her eyes. "Do you have Double Deckers in Africa, Basel?"

"Prisoners will be silent," a thin, muffled voice from ground level announces.

Basel jumps and curses under his breath while Eva and the Doctor both stare in fascination at the two huge, white Wurms push up from out of the ground in front of them, coiling and flexing. Clumps of wet, white earth cling to their bodies like uniforms or armor and were crawling with insects. The bigger of the two Wurms was wearing a tangle of thick green creepers on top of his featureless head like some sick version of a crown.

"Flex your ambulatory limbs and point downwards!" the smaller of the Wurms orders.

"Do what?" Basel asks, looking at the creatures in disgust.

"Kneel," Eva translates in a 'duh' tone.

"At once!" the Wurm shouts.

"Do as the Knight-Major orders," Faltato glares and Basel was quick to obey.

"Cor!" the Doctor shouts. "It's Korr! And judging by the niff... that's Korr as in 'rotten to the-"

"Abase yourselves at the belly of King Ottak!" Korr snarls.

"Which bit is the royal belly?" Eva raises an eyebrow while the Doctor slips on his 'clever' specs.

Korr squirts a dark fluid into Eva's face; the liquid was rank and salty and it splashes over Basel and the Doctor's faces as well, burned their eyes. Eva was quick to join Basel in kneeling, the Doctor helping her as she presses her fists into her eyes.

"That is better," the crowned Wurm nods in his booming, bass voice.

"Stick these bipeds in the cages, they are valueless," Korr growls.

"The spirited ones are not of this world, Majesty," Faltato cuts in. "I believe they are rival art scouts, here to make their own assessment of the haul."

"We're not," the Doctor tells them, slipping his glasses into his pocket. "As it is, we're just traveling through... but I'd take very good care of us."

"Very, very, very good care," Eva agrees, standing back up. "Want to know why? Cause you're gonna need us," she smiles, the Doctor standing beside her.

"We need no one and nothing!" King Ottak retorts, writhing in anger. "Faltato, have you located the deactivation plaque?"

"I have, Your Majesty," Faltato replies. "It was well hidden, as ever; but alas, deactivation will not straightforward... it lies beneath a rock-fall."

"You have the coordinates?"

"Naturally, I do, sire."

"Deactivation plaque?" the Doctor asks. "Suppose the Valnaxi would want to get back in some day and pick up their valuables; if they'd won, of course."

"Do not speak such blasphemy in my presence!" King Ottak roars, squirming over at an alarming speed. "The Valnaxi could never win! We are conquerors of space, the destroyer of worlds! And earth will soon rank among them!"

"Oh?" Eva raises an eyebrow, looking at the Wurm coolly.

"We shall wipe out the Valnaxi guardians, seize their artworks, lay waste to their shrines and devastate this entire planet! Every last stinking spore of the Valnaxi must be wiped from the biosphere!"

"And why do you want to do that, then?" the Doctor asks calmly.

"To avenge our dead!" King Ottak shouts, making Eva snort.

"Yeah, right," she nods, folding her arms. "Just a thought... do you think the dead will take much notice?"

Korr rears up and lashes out at Eva with his head, sending her sprawling into one of the control mounds in a shower of mud, "insolent biped!" he snarls.

"That the best insult you can come up with?" Eva glares up at him as the Doctor helps her up, checking her over. "We won't let you do this!"

"Ten-toed scum, you cannot stop us! We shall wring from your world what nutrients we can, then leave it barren and dead, a final monument to the art of destruction!"

• • • • • •

The sun was rising and Rose was wising the light would vanish till she couldn't see anything. We're being marched through hell, she thinks to herself. Outside the main complex, the stench, the heat and sights and sounds of battle made every step horror-filled. Corpses, chewed up and charred, lay scattered all around, yet the golems were still coming; bats and birds, even mutated Wurms and still the dull wet splats of the mud-guns echo on. For just a moment, Rose had been grateful for the stinking smoke that was drifting across the paved lot, hiding the worst from view... that was until she realized it was from the bones.

Rose was gripping George's hand, Adiel's hand clutching his other while Fynn was walking ahead of them. Harry and Ginny were behind them, Harry's arm around her waist. The Wurms were behind all of them and they could hear the nasty squelching noises their bodies made as they bunched up and stretched out to propel them along the ground. There was suddenly a high-pitched humming noise. "Pause," one of the Wurms order and there was a could of golden smoke coming up from the ash.

"Mosquitoes!" Fynn shouts. "More guardians!"

The Wurms curl down behind the humans, and they suddenly realize that they weren't just behind marched ahead of their captors; they were human shields. They stood dead still, but before any of them could even think, the cloud of mosquitoes parts around them and moves on. "How come they didn't attack?" Adiel whispers, clutching George's hand so tight it felt like it might break.

Ginny feels sticky wet flesh slap up against her as one of the Wurms presses up to her, "you ally yourselves with the Valnaxi creatures?" it sneers accusingly.

"Look out!" Harry suddenly shouts as a gold blur beats down the path, snapping at the Wurms.

Fluid jets out over their heads as Ginny's guard's flesh was torn away. The Wurm gives a gurgling roar as it coils around Ginny, contracting against her skin as it writhed upwards, lifting her up kicking and screaming in the path of the golem. It'll rip me apart, she thinks to herself fearfully as Harry tries ripping the Wurm off his fiancé. But the misshapen eagle gives a screech of anger and backs off. The other Wurm grabs Adiel in the same way and holds her up in the air. The eagle-golem gives up after a moment and flies away.

"Continue you ambulation," Adiel's Wurm orders the others.

"Gonna put me down?" Ginny asks casually.

"No," the Wurm replies, a deep gouge in its face. "Hurry, we must report to the king: the guardians do not attack human bipeds," it tells its fellow Wurm.

"Since when?" George frowns as they set off again.

"What's changed?" Harry asks.

• • • • • •

King Ottak was squirming around the control room, peering at each of the crackling mud-monitors in turn and conferring with Korr. Suddenly, Korr rolls over, dropping smelly white soil all around, and the heat went back up, "explain the nature of your people's alliance with the Valnaxi!"

"We haven't got one!" Basel protests.

"But I can see why you might think so," the Doctor gets back on his feet, helping Eva back up as well as they watch one of the monitors; it shows Ginny and Adiel being carried by two Wurms with George, Harry, and Fynn ahead of them.

"They've caught everyone," Basel breathes and then realizes that they were surrounded by golems, matching their pace. "What's that lot doing? Waiting for the moment to strike?"

"Or to step in and try to save them," Eva retorts quietly, then raises her voice as she turns to the king. "Hope you treat your prisoners well," she smiles.

"Afraid for yourself, Eva?" Faltato sneers.

"Ha, yeah, right," she snorts loudly. "Afraid for you all," she narrows her eyes, her voice lowering. "Becuase if either me or the Doctor think that something has happened to one of our friends and that it's your fault..." she trails off darkly.

"I have never observed such behavior in the guardian drones," Korr murmurs, ignoring the Time Witch even as he shivers from the intensity of her gaze and the golden flash in her eyes. "None have acted this way in any of the other warrens."

"It is as if they have been programmed not to attack human bipeds," the king muses. "And yet we have seen converted humans in the ranks of our enemies."

"No doubt the deactivation plaque was damaged in the rock-fall; it is malfunctioning," Faltato puts in.

"Perhaps," Ottak considers.

"It's interesting," the Doctor smiles. "Don't you think it's interesting, Basel? Eva told King Ottak he'd need us! Didn't she tell him!"

Ottak shuffles over toward them, his voice quiet and dangerous, "what assistance can you and your mate offer us?"

"Well, for a start..." Eva trails off, pointing to a static-filled screen. "The Valnaxi know your biotech, yeah? They can detect your scan frequencies and block them; so you can't see the mountain," she holds up the data-get. "We can," she grins, waving it.

"Irrelevant," Korr scoffs even as he strains to get a look. "We have Faltato's intelligence on the warren."

"Limited intelligence," the Doctor winks at Faltato, making Eva snort loudly. "He can give you coordinates for the deactivation panel... well, whoop-de-doo!" he pats the data-get in Eva's hand. "This baby can show you the entire layout of the Valnaxi warren at a glance! Allow you to pinpoint every guardian in the place!"

"You can have a butcher's at their defenses, plan how to strike at the heart of their stronghold," Eva puts in, rocking on her heels.

"Don't trust them, Knight-Major!" Faltato cuts in.

"Oh, shut your slit," Eva rolls her eyes. "Got you going, haven't we? Eh? Touched a nerve or what! Just cause you didn't think to make one," she taunts.

A mechanical probe-arm whirs out of a stump of raw flesh growing on Korr's torso and takes the data-get, which he presents to his king.

"Think they'll buy it?" Basel whispers.

"Think they'll try and take it," the Doctor whispers back.

"Then what?"

"Wait and see; in about, oooh... three... two... one..."

Korr turns to them angrily, "your scanning machine cannot function as you say it can!"

Eva puts her hands behind her back and sends Basel a wink before schooling her features into an innocent expression, "oh, let me guess: you've noticed the data-get's memory's getting clogged by the amount of scan data available, yeah?" she asks and Basel watches as the Doctor drops tiny circuits behind them discreetly, Eva pushing them into the dirt with her heel.

"Memory wafers!" the Doctor grins. "They'll fix it up in three seconds flat-"

"Where can memory wafers be acquired?" Korr demands.

The Doctor looks to Basel, wide-eyed and entirely way too innocent, "oooh, I don't know... lab in the unit's probably our best bet, wouldn't you say, love? Basel? Especially as there'll be other bipeds loitering there; one's the Wurms haven't caught."

"What ones?" Basel frowns.

"The staff," Eva gives him a pointed look, trying hard not to roll her eyes. "The unit offers the only shelter; most likely place they'll go," her and the Doctor walk over to a monitor that showed their group, Adiel and Fynn being shoved into some kind of muddy prison area. "That man," she taps the image of Fynn before it vanishes inside something that looks like a giant walnut. "Is the Director of this complex."

"He is a prisoner of war," Korr retorts. "Like all prisoners, he will be questioned for information on the enemy, then executed to enrich the soil with the gush of his bodily fluids."

"One approach," the Doctor concedes, trying not to laugh at Eva's wrinkled nose. "But think about it... aren't all your prisoners worth more to you alive? These humans seem to be the most powerful defense you've got right now and Director Fynn's staff in the unit will surrender to him if he orders them to; no question! They'll give you no trouble and you'll get yourselves a job lot of living shields!"

"Patrol seven found no further trace of biped activity in the unit grounds," Korr argues.

"But battle analysis supports the theory that the guardian drones are not attacking bipeds..." King Ottak mutters.

Basel looks between the Doctor and Eva and whispers warily, "what happens if they ask Fynn and find out you're lying?"

"Then they'll kill us a little sooner," Eva shrugs.

• • • • • •

Ginny had never been more happy to be locked away in her life. Everything hurt and her clothes were damp and slimy, but at least they weren't crossing the battlefield anymore. She was leaning against Harry, who had given her a potion for morning sickness and he was massaging her lower back. The others were sitting down, Adiel as far from Fynn as she could be in the small space and Rose was lying down with her head in George's lap as he runs his fingers through her hair.

They'd reached the Wurm ship and entered down a steep, winding tunnel of wet earth, lit by green bug scuttling along the walls, and down into some sort of holding area. The cell was dimly lit, hard and knobbly like a walnut shell, and only a little bigger; or at least it felt that way with the six of them cramped in. But, at least it was just them and no Wurms or golems; they had a short break.

"Just tell me it's true, Fynn... tell me why," Adiel breaks the silence, not getting a reply.

"What happened to your parents?" Harry asks quietly.

"There had been fighting in Moundou... didn't think much about it at first, I mean, there's always been fighting, probably always will be," Adiel shrugs. "My parents were driving across the Chad border to help at one of the refugee camps; there was an ambush, witnesses said they were shot."

"Why?" Rose whispers in shock. "Why do that?"

"Different factions, different ethnic groups vying for power and money and good land... so rebels fight the government, rebels fight among themselves, they stage shows of strength and take territory..."

"Sounds familiar," Rose sighs sadly, George reaching down to squeeze her hand with his free one.

"In the end, they're not just fighting the government, they're attacking civilians they were supposed to protect," Adiel picks at the ground. "But this little campaign was different," she looks over at Fynn, whose head was still down in shame. "The rebels didn't just kill and loot from the innocent; they kidnapped people, beat them, bundled them into their trucks and drove off with them."

Fynn sits up a little straighter at that, "I lost my father to scum like that; sacrificed for a ragbag cause for nothing at all."

"They why did you deal with filth like Roba Isako?" Adiel narrows her eyes. "What did Guwe mean when he talked about your experiments-"

"How many people have died in this conflict!?" Fynn shouts suddenly. "Centuries of ethnic violence, of factions set on wiping each other out, on gaining power for themselves! The bloodshed goes on, how can it ever be resolved!? And with the death and disruption comes disease, comes poverty, comes famine; more death!" his whole body was shaking. "Death with no meaning on such a scale! But if the deaths must go on, I can give them meaning! No one should die in vain!"

"What're you on about?" George frowns.

"There is not enough food to go round, not enough land on which to grow it," Fynn replies, a lot more calm and controlled again. "But imagine if I could farm the dead..."

A thick, unsettling silence settles in the cell as everyone stares at Fynn in horror, Ginny with her hand over her mouth in hopes she doesn't get sick in the small enclosed space. "You bought bodies from Isako," Adiel chokes out.

"I had to," Fynn whispers. "I needed preliminary results if I was to get proper funding..."

"You took dead bodies here and you tried to grow your fungus on them?" Harry asks, his face a pale shade of green.

"It was too soon, my work was not yet advanced enough," Fynn mutters bitterly. "Only by making the fungus toxic and useless as a food source could I-"

"You're sick," Rose sits up, remembering the cave of skeletons. "I've seen the evidence, Adiel, me and George have," she turns to her.

"There's bones, just... just lying there," George shakes his head. "No wonder you wanted that side of the tunnels shut off, so no would find out," he rounds on Fynn. "What you did was disgusting!"

"The dead deserve respect," Rose agrees angrily.

"We owe respect to the living!" Fynn argues back just as angrily. "Would you rather these people died in vain? For nothing, like my father? Don't you think they would rather know they helped others to live!?"

"You had no right!" Adiel shouts. "What about my parents? Were they among the dead you used?"

"I never knew the subjects' identities," Fynn protests. "Isako had already taken their belongings, ID, everything!"

"Then... then for all this, I'll never know," Adiel stares at him.

"I wasn't proud of what I did, but I had no choice," Fynn tries to explain. "The soul flees the body after death; I performed my experiments on the empty shell, discarded!"
"It's horrible," Harry glares.

"Don't you see?" Fynn stares at them all imploringly. "Only radical thinking can break the cycle of poverty, famine, disease, and death and bring new hope, new life-"

"And a new form of bio-piracy," a familiar voice cuts in just outside.

"Doctor!" Rose, George, Ginny, and Harry all exclaim hopefully, all four trying to get a look outside.

"Doctor? Where's Eva?"

"I'm here, doll, don't worry," came her amused voice.

"Get us out of here!" George calls.

"Um... slight problem there-"

"Shut it!" a loud voice cuts the Doctor off with a snarl.

With a creaking, sucking noise a hatch springs open. "All bipeds are to leave the cells!" one of the Wurms outside orders; it wasn't wearing a helmet like the other one, but had more electronic gadgets around its neck.
The Doctor, Eva, and Basel stood helplessly in Faltato's grip just behind. "-Rose! -Doll! George! -Georgie! Bambi! -Harry! Gin!" the Doctor and Eva call out happily, and a bit worryingly. "You lot alright?" Eva asks, eyeing them all.

"About as un-alright as it's possible to be," Rose retorts.

"You are the leader of these bipeds?" Korr asks, moving to face Fynn.

"No one's gonna listen to a word he says-"

"-unless you let him speak to them in person," the Doctor cuts Ginny off quickly.

"Very well; prisoners, Doctor, Eva, and Leader, you will accompany me to the complex," Korr orders. "If you try to escape, you will be killed, ingested and excreted in casts," he threatens. "For extra protection, I shall also take the pale creature," he nods to Rose.

"Mum's fake tan was a big success, then," Rose huffs as she was directed to join the Doctor, Eva, and Fynn.

"Why not let everyone come with us, eh?" Eva cuts in brightly. "Extra protection for his Knight-Majorness," she smiles.

"If bipeds may ambulate without fear of attack, we can use them to start emptying the warren of its art treasures," Korr replies.

"Since you've already cracked open the treasure chambers without first deactivating the plaque, Doctor, the least we can do is take advantage of your generosity and help ourselves," Faltato smirks.

"Merlin, mate, don't make that face," Eva wrinkles her nose. "It's bad enough we've got to look at you just as you are," she 'gags', earning a slap in the face with one of Faltato's tongues. "Ew..." she huffs as slime gets on her cheek.

"We shall proceed," Korr interrupts as Eva's friends and the Doctor snicker at her disgust. "Once bipeds in hiding have been located, they will join with these two to form a workforce and start transporting the treasures to the ship."

"I shall be supervising," Faltato puts in. "I am needed in person to ensure that no pieces are overlooked or mishandled during the clearance."

"And to ensure that no Wurms die because you're taking the risks for them!" the Doctor smiles widely, making Eva snort loudly. "Isn't that thoughtful of you? That's so thoughtful!"

"Wurms are the biggest threat to the Valnaxi defenses, which makes them the prime targets," Faltato assures him. "But should it prove necessary, believe you me, Doctor, your friends will form an effective shield for me too," he sneers.

"Don't bet on it," Basel murmurs.

"We leave at once," Korr orders. "King Ottak wishes the campaign concluded with all speed."

"So do we," Eva cuts in. "Let's go, then..."

• • • • • •

Outside on the sticking, ash-covered battleground, Rose, Eva, the Doctor, and Fynn have to hold hands around the Wurm soldier, surrounding and shielding it. Fynn was keeping quiet, but his fingers were clutching Rose's; she didn't look at him. Whatever the Doctor or Eva might say, the things Fynn had done were wrong and she couldn't find it in herself to feel any understanding. He could have done things differently; but he knew how people would have reacted, so he'd gone his own way. Now she couldn't help but wonder if he'd used bits of the bodies or everything in one go, how long each one had lasted, how he'd stored them away in caves, out of sight... his grisly little secret. Rose shakes her head, pushing those thoughts away.

"Lovely stroll," the Doctor smiles. "How about a bit of conversation?"

"Shut it," Korr snarls.

"Or you'll do what?" Eva raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Out here, we're your protection, remember?" a group of bats come swooping down and then change direction as if to emphasize her point. "Without us, you won't get memory wafers or slave labor," she narrows her eyes.

"So, if it's all the same to you, I think we'll talk," the Doctor shrugs. "I think we'll have a right old gas!" the Wurm makes a hissing sound, but the Doctor ignores him. "So, Fynn, tell us more about your experiments!" he smiles brightly. "What went wrong? I remember you saying that fungus could grow on just about anything; feed on the decay of organic matter, doesn't it?"

"Adiel's parents might have been used for mushroom compost and you want to chat about it?" Rose glares at him.

"Could be important," Eva retorts, squeezing Rose's hand in comfort. "Go on, Fynn," she nods to him.

"The genetic structures of human and fungus are incompatible," Fynn mutters quietly, trying not to slip on the wet mud. "Animal cells have semi-porous membranes controlling what passes in and out, maintaining function and integrity of the cellular processes... fungi have cell walls, protecting the insides from physical movement which could prove harmful."

"Of course," the Doctor nods. "That's got to be it..."

"Could be our only chance," Eva sighs.

"So you two are glad he did experiments on dead people, then?" Rose demands.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," the Doctor shrugs.

"I've seen enough of hell lately, thanks," Rose cuts off as weird birds squawk from overhead, scouting out the battlefield... or trying to find a way of reaching the Wurms.

"Tell me, your Knight-Majorness," Eva cuts in. "Have you seen any of the magma-form guardians out on the front line?"

"They cower in fear of us, as do all our enemies," Korr hisses.

"Yeah, yeah," the Doctor rolls his eyes. "Funn, though, isn't it? Hanging back and picking on the likes of Solomon when they're actually the best fighters," he muses.

"Maybe the guardians wanted to get back at Solomon for bringing the roof down on their golden plaque thing," Rose suggests.

"He what now?" Eva frowns.

"Adiel saw him do it," Rose tells her. "He must have found it a while back and decided to bury it."

"Golden plaque, eh? That must be the activation panel Faltato mentioned..." Eva's frown deepens. "I'd like to take a look at that... what about you, sweetie?" she asks and he hums in confirmation, looking deep in thought.

"Perhaps you will," Korr retorts. "When you join your fellows in slavery, clearing the caverns," he sneers.

"I think Eva and me mentioned," the Doctor says sharply. "You should treat us with a bit more respect!"

"While we're here, nothing's gonna attack-"

"Look out!" Rose screams as a glowing ball comes rolling at them.

It was a guardian, and it was headed straight for Rose. She pulls her hands away and staggers back, breaking the circle. The Wurm spits dark juices at the creature, which crackled and hisses over its golden skin. But it ignores him, grew larger, surges out and slops against Rose's feet. Rose shouts out, even though it didn't really hurt... for the first couple seconds anyway. Eva shouts and she and the Doctor grab a hand each, trying to pull her away from it. Rose, though, could already feel a searing heat rising up through her legs, blistering her from the inside. "Babe..." she whimpers, her wide, horrified, and helpless eyes meeting Eva's.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Eva shouts as the Doctor pulls her away from Rose. "Doll!" she screams, trying to claw her way out of his grasp.

Rose's eyes screw up in as pain tears through her, the guardian flowing up her body and drawing her into its form. Her vision burns blood red for a moment, then she was dissolved and gone and knew nothing. "NO!" the Doctor and Eva shout in horror, Eva's voice breaking from the force and volume.

A/N: Hey, sorry for the shortish chapter, been busier this week than I thought I'd be. So, one more chapter for this and then it's finished. I think when I'm done I'll combine them into like four chapters... anywho, hope you like it, let me know! Thanks for reading and see ya next week!! :*