If Lucas could keep running, he thought he would be safe.

The giant cockroach scuttled after him, and he knew he was kidding himself for the final time. Was it toying with him? Did it have the brain capacity to do that? Why was he worrying about it, instead of just running?

He thought he could hear jaws snapping, and he tried to find some extra reserve of energy, anything that would keep him ahead.

The big black shadow loomed over him. He stole a glance back, just to remind himself what was causing it.

He fell over.

***

The streets of New Lemusona were bustling with the pre-festival shoppers, and few noticed as a large blue box materialised out of thin air at the junction of Bleeda Street and Puprit Street.

When a door opened inwards, and a young woman stepped out, dressed in a turquoise track-suit, nobody batted an eyelid.

Then a tall, bulky man in a veritable dreamcoat followed her, and some people did stop to stare. Then they carried on walking.

"Looks like we've found somewhere to get you a new coat, Doctor," the young woman smiled.

"Ha ha, Mel. Come on, I said I would take you to the shops, and here we are. This must be one of the most widely visited mall planets in the universe. Even you should be able to find something you like."

She smiled at his teasing, and he smiled back. He closed and locked the door of the blue box.

"We might as well start in here - the Cresca Precinct is the nub of the city, and with 46 floors, there's bound to be plenty to see. Come on."

***

Andrew shook. He shouldn't have come in to work feeling like this, but it was easier to work sick than to make the time up later. Carl had called him a 'mucus trooper', but that was unfair. He sometimes worked better when sick.

"Roll up, roll up! Dare you face the Fear Sphere? All your worst nightmares come true! Only ten credits for one hour! Double your money back if you make it to the end! Roll up!"

Mind, it did seem quieter today. Maybe he should get something for the pain, then he might be more convincing.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Oh, hi, Jean. It's not too hot, today, actually."

She put her hand on his forehead. "No, but you are. You should get a pill for that."

"Yeah, I was going to. Could you get me one? Or cover here whilst I get one?"

"I suppose so. Five minutes, though."

"Cheers, you're a star." He handed her the megaphone, then slipped off through the staff door.

***

Nigel watched as the robot cleaner carried Lucas' body away.

This had been the most lucrative new game in the history of the colony. With an endless supply of tourists, it didn't matter that the locals were effectively boycotting the jewel in his crown.

A giant cockroach, indeed... who in their right mind would think of a thing like that?

***

Mel could hardly believe it. She had only turned her back to look at something for twenty seconds. When she had finished, she realised that the Doctor was nowhere in sight.

Resolving that she would feel more assured once she had found him, she put her shopping plans on hold, and set off.

It reminded her of having taken charge of her little cousins on a trip to Harrods. Such a huge, bustling environment was a source of bewilderment to them, and they had slipped away from her. Though she found them soon enough, the fear and shame had remained with her, and she had never taken them there again.

But even if the Doctor was big enough to look after himself, she still wanted to know exactly where he had wandered off to. Then she could relax and leave him to it.

***

Jean almost jumped when the door opened again, and Andrew returned.

"You don't look much better," she observed, tactlessly.

"Well, these things take time to work, don't they? I'll be right as rain in a few minutes. Thanks for covering." He took the megaphone back, resuming his seat as she stood up.

"Do you fancy coming for a drink when you finish?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Where shall I see you?"

"The Commander Thorn, 20:30 hours?"

He checked his watch. "Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. The traffic tails off well before closing anyway. See you then, then."

"Bye," she said, before slipping back through the door.

Andrew smiled. He was feeling better already.

"Roll up, roll up! Dare you face the Fear Sphere? All your worst nightmares come true! Only ten credits for one hour! Double your money back if you make it to the end! Roll up!"

***

It was his own fault, thought the Doctor. He had dodged out of sight when Mel was distracted. Then he had to watch as she abandoned her plans, presumably to go and look for him.

A childish game, really. But there was something about this place that he didn't like the look of, and he wasn't sure where to start looking for the cause. Mel had a nose for what was wrong, and she might find it in half the time it would take him. Hopefully he would then be able to rescue her in good time.

Keeping at a discreet distance, he set off after her.

***

Nigel was still at his desk when Jean walked straight in.

"Yes?"

"It's about Andrew."

"Andrew? Oh, the fool on the front desk. Well, what about him?"

"I think he could be a liability."

Nigel sighed. "I don't suppose you have proof of this?" She looked shifty at this, and he gave a gentle shake of his head. "I can't waste time pursuing scare stories, especially about my staff-member-of-the-month. If you boxed a few of these shadows yourself, it would save us both more time! Was that all?"

Defeated, she nodded, and walked from the room.

Momentarily, Nigel wondered whether he should give any credence to Jean's complaint. After all, if she was right, and it was possible, then he might regret dismissing it. That wasn't the way to stay in business.

Opting for the minimum effort, he wrote himself a memo on the subject, then returned his attentions to the designs for the new Cybernisation ride.

***

Walking down the street of any metropolis was a good way to see a civilisation's view of itself, thought Mel.

What could she say about New Lemusona? It certainly felt relaxed with itself. There was money here, and no signs of homelessness or vagrancy.

Towards the end of the plaza, she saw the telltale signs of a theme park. It managed to look incongruous in amongst the urban surrounds, and yet it represented an exciting contrast, an escape.

If the Doctor was going to go anywhere, she decided, this looked a likely spot.

***

Andrew found the next few minutes passing much more easily. He had something to look forward to after work, so work itself became that much more palatable.

"Roll up, roll up! Dare you face the Fear Sphere? All your worst nightmares come true! Only ten credits for one hour! Double your money back if you make it to the end! Roll up!"

A slender young woman with frizzy ginger hair honed into view. It was like watching someone stepping out of a crowd. Well, literally.

She stood close, but not that close, as if looking at all the facade above his booth, trying to calculate if she was ready for the fearsome challenge. Or maybe she was wondering if she had enough money. It could be either.

"Can I help you?"

She smiled politely, and his heart rephased as he realised his outside chance of winning her over would be totally pointless. "Possibly. I know this sounds like an odd question, but you haven't seen..." She paused, as if trying to find the words. "You'd probably know him if you saw him."

He frowned. "Unusual, do you mean?"

"Yes, that would be the word for him."

He dithered. Should he lie? Would she spurn the ride if she went to look somewhere else? What would Nigel do if he found out that he was persuading customers to go somewhere else?

How could he be sure there was someone? This could be an act to cover up for her nerves.

"Oh, yeah. He went in here." He thumbed at the entrance to the Fear Sphere.

Her eyes lit up. "Why aren't I surprised? Does it take long?"

For a second, he realised the worst. She was going to wait out here for him. He had to get her inside.

"You could catch him up if you're quick. It takes an hour, I'm sure you could find him in that time."

For the first time, she seemed to look again at the facade, fully contemplating the scale of the ride. The sunny disposition was gone. Just a mask of uncertainty.

"Only ten credits." He gave her his fakest, most winning smile. The smile that had convinced Nigel that he was the man to work the booth at the busiest time of the day. The staff-member-of-the-month smile.

Perhaps almost involuntarily, she began to rummage in a pocket, pulling out a money pouch, of the sort he would associate with an entirely different kind of clientele. She put a coin on the counter.

"Well, I'd better have a ticket, then."

***

Nigel had paused from his work, supping a cold Jenkel Bransky. Jean must have been mistaken. The kid was working like a dream. He had this posh chick eating out of his hand.

He'd be handing over the reigns before he knew it.

***

Roughly five minutes later, Andrew's heart stopped.

He should have been just another customer. But he stepped out of the crowd, dressed like a circus escapee, and Andrew suddenly knew the word he was thinking of was 'unusual'.

Which meant the other woman had been telling the truth.

"Can I help you?" The words were the same, but his voice had lost all its control now.

"Er, yes. I wonder if you've seen a friend of mine. She's rather-"

"She went into the Fear Sphere." The words tumbled out - he couldn't have held them in, even if he'd wanted to.

The man gave him a quizzical look, and for a second, Andrew felt that he was staring right through into his soul.

Then he blinked, looking at the facade. "Ten credits, eh? Sounds a bargain." He fished into a pocket, slapping a coin onto the counter.

Andrew handed him his ticket, and waved him in with a fake, yet worthless, smile. Then he picked up the coin.

It was a 50-credit piece.

Something about it just broke his will, and he fainted to the floor.

***

Mel wasn't impressed.

The Fear Sphere was a somewhat bland cylinder, rather like a huge oil drum on its side. Perhaps the ride hadn't started yet.

Imperceptibly, she found the walls appeared to change. She was in a sitting room, and one she knew all too well. The pictures on the walls, the magazines on the coffee table.

She sat down on the sofa, and watched as her mother walked in, carrying a tea tray. But on the tray were an array of potted plants.

As she watched, one of the plants suddenly bloomed violently, and lurched, for there was no other word for it, at her mother's face.

Mel stood up sharp, but the plant attacked so fast that her mother was lying on the carpet, rigid as the plant swarmed all over her.

***

Jean rushed as fast as she could, finding Andrew sitting glumly on the floor behind his desk. He was endlessly flicking a coin into the air, catching it with a childlike intensity.

"What's happened? Andrew, tell me!"

***

Suddenly, her mother stood up again, now merged with the plant.

She reached out her hands in an affectionate embrace. There were thorns on her fingertips.

Then she seemed to shimmer and fade, and Mel felt herself grabbed by the shoulders.

When she spun around, there was the Doctor.

"Are you alright, Mel?"

"Doctor? Wh- what's happening?"

"Don't worry. Let's get out of here first." He held her hand with a deceptive force, and led her along what was now no longer a suburban sitting room, but was once again a bare cylinder.

***

Nigel stood tense, watching the exit door.

It was pushed open with a determination unusual for contestants who had been inside the Fear Sphere.

The gentleman who emerged was wearing a gaudy coat, with further apparel to match. But there was something fiercely austere about his expression.

Behind him was the posh young woman whom he had seen Andrew sweet-talking into going in.

"Hello there, I am the Doctor. I take it you are the proprietor of this Pleasure Centre?"

"Yes, I have that honour."

"You, Sir, are a dangerous maniac. If what happened in there to my friend is any fair indication of usual practice with this ride, then you deserve to have your licence revoked permanently, and I fully intend to make sure it happens."

Nigel gaped, taken aback by the unexpected force of the Doctor's anger. "I am sorry that your friend had a bad reaction-"

"Had a bad reaction? Had a bad reaction! No, I think what happened is entirely to be expected given the nature of the game. It is a cruel and harsh entertainment, and I would expect you to have had regular cases of fatalities!"

How could he know? How much did he know? "Sir, please accept our apologies, we shall be happy to pay compensation-"

"Don't fool yourself. The only compensation I will accept is the cessation in operation of this death trap, and believe me, it is only a matter of time!"

"Okay, Doctor, cards on the table." He pulled the revolver from his inside pocket, aiming it at the Doctor's chest. "No-one comes between me and my profit margin. No weak-hearted whelp, and no boisterous clown. I would have been happy to buy your acquiescent silence, but since you refuse all avenues of-"

"Freeze!"

Nigel spun around, feeling an unfamiliar sensation.

"NLPD! Put the gun down!"

As Nigel froze, the Doctor pulled the still quaking Mel closer to him.

"I repeat - put the gun down!"

The gun clattered to the ground, and the police officer rushed forward, putting his own gun to Nigel's neck. "On the ground."

Meekly, Nigel sank to his knees, then put out his hands, lying flat. The officer patted his pockets, checking for further concealed weapons. "Nigel Thack, I am arresting you for illegal possession of a firearm, and intent to commit murder. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say could be used as evidence against you."

As he began to weep onto the ground, Nigel heard the Doctor whisper loudly. "Still think fear is worth the price?" Then he heard the sounds of two sets of footsteps slowly walking away.