'Get Down!'

The words permeated the air as sharply as the gunshot that had preceded them. They were spoken not by Lange, but by the Doctor, who hurled himself at the ground even before the soldiers about him had reacted, though whom soon followed suit.

'I want answers' came a voice moments later. When no reply was forthcoming, the Doctor raised his head from the mud. 'answer me Lange.' He started belly crawling forwards towards the captain, who was prostrated beside the TARDIS. 'If you don't answer me right now. I'll make you.'

Lange raised himself slowly into a half sitting position, terror etched in every line of his mud spattered face, and turned slowly to face the Doctor, who by now was just feet away.

'Doctor,… I-'

A second noise rang out, an explosion of blood erupting from Lange's neck, as a chunk of the TARDIS' panelling blasted away. When the Doctor finally looked up, Lange was contorted backwards into an obscene U-shape, a large portion of the top of his chest and neck blasted open. Another few moments of silence followed, all those present not daring to move from their face-down, motionless vigils.

'Doctor, Sir.' Sergeant Dietrich's voice rang out. 'Doctor. You're a member of the Kaiser's office; you've got the highest military authority here. What do we do?'

The Doctor had begun shuffling backwards. 'Retreat. Return to the nearest safe trench and standby.'

'But sir, shouldn't we return fire?'

'That's an order Sergeant!' The Doctor roared. 'Ace!'

'Y-Yes Doctor?'

'I'm going to come back and get you. Do exactly as I say.'

Dietrich and his men had begun moving gingerly backwards, leaving Ace lying petrified, and quite alone.

'Doctor, what's going on?' Her voice was shaky, but still composed.

'Sniper. We need to get out of his line of sight. Start coming forwards slowly to meet me. We're going to go back into the TARDIS.'

She moved forwards, drawing level with him. 'I thought they said the smoke would protect us?'

'They did, but the wind's got up. It's blowing it away.' He put his arm around her shoulders for a moment. 'It's going to be fine.'

In the distance somewhere, a whistle blew.

'Okay. That was a lie.'

They slithered through the mire towards the TARDIS, trying their best not to look at Lange's prone figure before them. As they came within a few feet of it, a cacophony of gunfire broke out, seemingly from all directions. The Doctor heaved himself to his feet and thrust the key into the TARDIS door, before roughly grabbing Ace and heaving her through with him. When he set her down, she looked tentative.

'Doctor, what's going on out there? What're they firing at?' The hideous gun barrage was audible even through the TARDIS door.

'The opposing soldiers have just gone over the top.'

'The British ones? Ours?'

'Yes'.

'And that's them…' Ace gulped and wiped her muddy hair from her face. 'That's them being shot'. The sentence had started as a question. It ended as a statement.

'Yes.'

She looked down at herself, her tights laddered and torn, every inch of her front caked in mud. 'Professor, we've got to leave. Can't we just get out of here? I… I don't want to be here anymore.'

'Me neither.' The front of the Doctor's jacket sparkled with Lange's blood. He leaned on the console desk and began fiddling with the instruments. His eyes widened. Ace, who had been watching him intently, balked.

'What? What is it?'

'The controls' he breathed. 'They're dead'.

'They can't be!'

'WELL THEY ARE!' The Doctor bellowed. 'WE'RE STUCK HERE AND WE'VE GOT NO WAY OUT!' He sank to his knees, his head clunking against the desk. 'Ace, I…' his voice was strangled and quiet. 'I'm so sorry for this. Something's going on here. Us landing here, that captain knowing what the TARDIS is called, her controls not responding. Someone or something wants us here. And I'm sorry, but I really don't know what to do.'

Outside, the sounds of the firefight intensified.

'Professor? Why can we hear the gunfire? I've never heard any outside noise in the TARDIS before.'

'The shields are down. We're in a huge amount of danger here.'

'How do you-'

'She might still be bigger on the inside, but on the outside the wooden box is just a wooden box. If anyone comes along they'll be able to crack us open like a boiled egg'.

The Doctor ran his hands over his face, leaning on the console for support.

'I'm going to go back outside.'

Ace looked from the Doctor, to the TARDIS doors. A bang reverberated outside, their flimsy wooden panels juddered, threatening to break away from their hinges. She turned back to him.

'You're not serious'.

He was already striding towards the doors. He stopped next to her, shifting his jacket on his shoulders and hugged her.

'I'm going out there. I'm going to find out what's going on, I'm going to put everything right, and I'm going to take you home.'

He let go, her nose crinkled slightly from the lingering smell of the vile mire and blood on the front of the Doctor's clothes. He smiled at her. 'Wait here, I'll come back for you. I promise.' He opened the TARDIS door once more. The noise level increased at once. From somewhere close by was coming a whimpering, half scream.

'But professor-'

He turned back, looking as if he were going to say something, but stopped himself at the last moment. 'Quite right… Professor.'

He took a deep shuddering breath, and stepped back outside.