The damp on the walls wouldn't have quenched a wren's thirst. The Doctor didn't foresee he would last that long.

It was a cramped cell, perhaps five metres by three, and he laid on the floor with his back against a wall, so that he was facing the door. If his idea of time wasn't totally askew, there should be a guard visiting in the next five minutes. He would have to strike then, or else he wouldn't have the muscle tension to try later.

As he passed the time, he reflected on whether Peri would still be awaiting her sentence.

It would have been flattered by the term "kangaroo court", and he could still see the indignant horror on his young friend's face when she had been summarily charged with sedition and lewd behaviour, and sentenced to a year of hard labour.

They made it worse by leaving her in the room whilst he was sentenced to death within ninety-six hours.

He had tried to see where they led her off, but he was clonked on the head by a garrulous clerk of the court, and woke up in this cell.

He had been badly fed, and was suffering initial dehydration. But if he didn't escape, that would be a walk in the park.

***

Peri could scarcely believe it.

They had led her away to the courtyard, where she had been put into the custody of Mrs Slandok.

Mrs Slandok was a bold, tallish woman, rather like her old English teacher, when she thought about it. She soon made it clear that she had made it to the top (as it was), via dogged persistence and attitude. She had towed the line, done her stints, and received her proper reward. As she had told Peri, 'all the other candidates were too young, too stupid, or too dead'.

When it became clear that Peri had a modest education, Mrs Slandok had put her to work in the Artillery Store. Polishing gun barrels.

"Call it probation", Mrs Slandok had said.

Peri called it a liberty!

***

The door opened, and the Doctor leaped up, grabbing the guard's arm, and hitting him with a manoeuvre he vaguely remembered using during a skirmish in a Jovian hostelry. Gratifyingly, the guard was soon face down on the floor of the cell.

Stooping only to grab the customary chunks of bread and cheese, the Doctor dashed out into the corridor, and slinked along, hoping he was heading in the right direction. His joints still ached, but given enough exercise, he would be back to normal.

In the next corridor, he found a body.

***

Peri had cleaned exactly two dozen gun barrels before sneaking a look around.

The Store was a large shed, much the same size as her Uncle's garage. Metal weaponry from floor to ceiling. A testament to the manufacturers of warfare. It sickened her, and she hoped that the Doctor would be able to put a stop to all this, somehow.

Sadly, there was little sign of communications equipment. Somehow she had to send a message, an SOS to other planets, or even other cities. Get help, and get this mess sorted out.

At length, she came to a locked door. No key in the lock, and apparently nobody in the next room, but a table with papers on it. Was that a radio?

***

Thankfully he was soon able to revive the poor chap, and having checked for broken bones, he supported the man as they continued down the corridor.

"What? What's going on?"

"I'm taking you to see a medic. I found you flat out on the floor."

"Are you a prisoner? What a horrible garment!"

"Yes, well, don't worry about that now. Where are your medical facilities?"

"Facilities? Where have you been? We're at war, pal, we haven't got spare capacity for flim-flam facilities!"

"That's a shame, then, because I do believe you're going to die unless I can cure you."

"Good. I can hardly wait."

The Doctor stopped. "You have a disappointing attitude."

"War does that to you."

"No, it merely magnifies the existing qualities of character."

"Same difference."

"Right, well. I'll leave you to make whatever peace you want to."

"That won't take long. Nobody on this planet or elsewhere to make peace with. It's all too late for that."

"Right, that's it. I've had enough of this. You're coming with me, and you are going to live!" With that, he picked the guard up, carrying him in a fireman's lift. "Now, which way will get us out of here?"

***

Sadly, Peri's espionage abilities were pretty poor. The door remained locked. Defeated, she turned away. At least she had an inkling of a plan. She would have to seize whatever opportunity arose.

Then Mrs Slandok walked in.

"Well, well. What a surprise to find you here."

Peri would have thought through her options, but there wasn't time.

"I think you're in for a nasty reception from the Commander." She grabbed Peri's left arm, and dragged her through the Store. Somehow, it seemed eerier than before, probably because she was in deeper trouble now.

The Doctor wouldn't be rescuing her this time. So she'd have to improvise.

***

Commander Jackson sighed as he put the receiver down. Calls from Intelligence were always bad news, and this time, they had excelled themselves.

He had two hours before the castle was attacked. Which meant he had three hours before the defences were completely overwhelmed.

Grabbing a pencil and paper, he redrew from memory the information he had just received about troop movements, and the directions of battle. It soon became clear that there was no means of escape from their position. Only straight up, and straight down. Neither option was worth considering.

Leaving the room, he set off for the council chamber.

***

The castle was curiously cosy, the Doctor thought. He had not visited many through the years, but they were always rich sources of history, and he was keen on that.

He might have felt more relaxed in this one if it weren't for the peculiar lack of habitation. Admittedly as a prison complex it wouldn't be bursting with visible signs of life, but this was ridiculous.

"Excuse me, are you going to put me down?"

"No."

It made a good rule of thumb to work as far along the walls as he could. The living areas would be kept well away from the cells, to avoid possible spread of disease. So, all he needed to do was to find them.

"I'm feeling better."

"You're not fooling me."

Then he thought he heard a sound. He had been boldly striding past the narrow windows as they didn't fit in his theory as relevant. But there was a most unusual sound to be heard, and it seemed to be coming from outside.

One sweeping glance confirmed it. Someone was coming to the castle. Probably not for a party, either.

"Do you know if there is some kind of command room in this castle anywhere?"

"Are you mad?"

Despairing of his companion, the Doctor continued looking for every possible signs of an exit.

***

Peri was struggling, thrashing away at Mrs Slandok's vice-like grip. It seemed futile.

Then, as they stepped into the open air, she went slack.

As Mrs Slandok turned to see what was wrong with her, she heard a noise. Sounded like a hubbub beyond the castle walls.

An arrow thudded into a wall, clipping Mrs Slandok's ear, and in reflex, she moved to touch the bleeding.

Peri sprang to life, running off in any direction she felt was safe from Mrs Slandok. She hadn't run so hard in a long while, but she knew that every yard put her nearer to safety. Even if it was temporary safety.

She needed to find the Doctor. Fast.

***

The council chamber was empty. That was the first alarum for the Commander.

There was a handwritten note on his desk, undersigned by a further eleven of the thirteen members of the council, informing him that they had departed not twenty minutes before.

A glance out of the window told him that the low rumbles he had heard on the way there (but had dismissed from his mind) were the determined roars of the advancing army, come to cement their uprising with the scalp of his castle.

Then, to make matters worse, the chamber door swung open, and a man he vaguely recognised, wearing a ghastly many-coloured cloak, walked in, carrying someone over his shoulder.

"Are you in charge?" the newcomer asked.

"Who the blazes are you?" he counter-queried.

The shape that this stranger had been carrying suddenly became very active, and wriggled out of his grasp. He turned around.

"Jackson! You blind, craven imbecile!"

"Prendergast! I didn't think going down with the ship was your style!"

For his part, the stranger seemed taken aback by Prendergast's sudden revival. "You don't want a medic at all, do you?"

"No! If I must die, I will replace this idiot first!"

"Oh. Very good, that, you had me taken in." The stranger turned his attention to Jackson. "You are in charge, then. I'm the Doctor, I was just passing..."

"I know you now... you're that pompous fool I had sentenced to death."

"Yes, well, too late for that now. I see you two know each other?"

"I am this scoundrel's last remaining ally! Hollister's army is but a stone's throw from the castle, Jackson!"

"Do you expect I will surrender to him? Do you think you could do better?"

"I know I could!"

Prendergast tried to run at his ally, but found the Doctor had caught his arms behind him. "Now, there's no need for this, is there?"

***

Unfortunately, Mrs Slandok compensated for her lack of speed and grace, with exceptional tenacity. Plus, she was just plain angry at the girl's behaviour, and it put her mind off the sounds of attack she could hear coming from beyond the castle.

Peri was also hampered by the fact that she hadn't any idea where she was going, or if she was heading towards safety, or into more trouble.

When she burst into what appeared to be a grand bedroom, she could have burst out crying at her misfortune. It took only a few moments to see that there were no other doors for exits. Just the big four-poster bed dominating the focus of the room. Her only chance was to use it to dodge Mrs Slandok.

As she leapt out of sight, the door burst open with force, and the grotesque old woman stomped in.

"Come here, brat! You've brought doom on this place, haven't you? You're a cheap spy for Hollister's mob!"

Peri tensed, waiting for the chance to slip past. Although she didn't expect she would be able to simply do so, and whilst keeping a glance at her tormentor, she looked for any object she could use for leverage.

***

Prendergast was about three metres away from Jackson. Both were full of hatred for each other, champing at the bit for the opportunity to simply batter each other to bits.

The Doctor stood in between them, arms outstretched.

"Now, gentlemen, think! You are all that remains of this castle's force?"

"Of course! I would rather die knowing this idiot was gone first!"

"There's no way you could hold out until help arrives? Reinforcements?"

Jackson sighed, angrily. "We have no reinforcements!" He waved the farewell letter at him. "The rest of the council have already fled. My castle will be taken in short order, and this usurper here and I will be crucified by Hollister's own hand."

"Nasty. There is no way of warning anyone of your predicament?"

"Who would we tell? We have burnt all our bridges!"

"There must be someone..?"

Prendergast was becoming calmer as Jackson got more inflamed. "Why don't we try Arthur Collins?"

Jackson spat at the name. Clearly he would rather face crucifixion.

"Fine, Collins. How would you get a message to him?"

"There is a Communications room next to the Artillery Store. That should have radio transceiver equipment."

"Right, well, I'll be as quick as I can."

"What do you mean?"

"You're in no fit state to move, and you both need to work on barricades. I might be able to persuade this Collins of giving you some support. I can be quite the diplomat."

"What's the use? Go if you must, Doctor." Prendergast shook his hand, but Jackson was already sat at his desk, brooding on the farewell message.

***

As Mrs Slandok moved into sight, Peri flung the pillow at her, and dashed for freedom. As she felt a tight grip on her arms, she stamped on Slandok's shins, causing her foe to fall back.

Peri didn't look back.

As she pounded back towards the open air, she realised she had no way of getting her bearings, so she would just have to hope she stayed free for the moment.

***

"You're a fool, Prendergast. You always were."

"What now? Collins will come through."

"You think Collins will get any message? That Doctor will flit as soon as he gets outside. Typical middle-rank mistake."

Prendergast looked at Jackson, and the apparent truth of his words sunk in.

"Then why did you let him go?"

"What hope do we have anyway?"

***

As the Doctor turned a corner, he saw Peri shoot past ahead of him.

"Peri!"

She stopped, turning back in surprise. "Doctor!"

"No time, Peri, I need to send an urgent message!" He scooped her up in his arms. "A communications room next to an artillery store."

"I know where that is."

"Excellent! Let's go."

***

Slandok was incandescent with fury. She stormed along the corridors, driven by sheer anger. She was going to rip that girl to pieces when she caught her.

***

Prendergast and Jackson's work on a barricade was slow, as Prendergast was more wounded than he had thought, and Jackson was losing his fight against melancholy. Also they kept pausing to gauge the relative location of Hollister's army. They estimated the attack would start in under half an hour.

***

Peri directed the Doctor to the Artillery Store, and he forced the locked door open by shoulder-barging it. He soon found the transceiver equipment, and a logbook with the relative frequency for Arthur Collins.

Whilst she waited, Peri heard the sounds from beyond the castle. "Doctor, I think we'd best get out of here."

"Certainly, Peri, but this message must go through. Ah-ha! Calling Arthur Collins! Calling Arthur Collins!"

A crackly response confirmed that he was speaking to Collins' base.

"Require reinforcements for, er, the castle of a man named Jackson. Associate named Prendergast."

There followed a stream of expletives about the names of Jackson and Prendergast, and the signal cut out.

"Ah."

"Now what?"

The Doctor seemed rather downcast that his SOS had been so brutally rebuffed.

"Plan B."

***

Jackson and Prendergast worked on, each sure that they were wasting their time, but treating every last minute as precious.

***

The Doctor had led Peri back to the cells to stay out of sight. They finally found that the TARDIS was locked in one of them.

"Hey, Doctor, all these other cells are empty."

"Most odd, Peri. Could you give me a hand, please? Or a shoulder?"

Side by side, and on the count of three, they forced the door open.

"Phew! Let's get out of here!"

"You're going nowhere!"

Peri gasped as she saw a bloody Mrs Slandok bearing down on them.

The Doctor smoothly stepped in front of Peri. "I don't believe we've been introduced..?"

"Get out of my way!" She heaved at the Doctor, pushing him against a wall. "This whelp is going to pay!"

Peri ran to the TARDIS, looking for anything more solid than a pillow. She didn't want to get it wrong a second time.

Mrs Slandok moved fast, grabbing Peri by the throat.

Almost as fast, the Doctor grabbed her in a headlock, and she released her grip. He held tight, squeezing until she lost consciousness, and then he let her slide to the floor.

As the Doctor turned to Peri, they heard a mighty roar. The Doctor ran to the gate, and saw a marauding mob sweep into the castle courtyard. He dashed back to the TARDIS, opening the door in a sweaty panic, ushering his friend inside.

"You know, Peri, I really think it's time we were going."

***

Jackson and Prendergast stood on the battlements, watching as Hollister's army swept into the castle, waiting for the inevitable.