The colony world of Jukkast had barely managed a heyday, and that had passed long ago. Now, it was known as a stopping-off place for the truly desperate, those whose last credits had run out, and/or those who wanted to spend their last days in harsh and unforgiving lands.

As planets went, Jukkast sucked.

Its one saving grace, if you could call it that, was that other planets which had seemed previously unforgiving, suddenly acquired a reflected relief. They might be dumps, but at least they had something more than Jukkast had.

Even its last remaining features, a substation base for the few remaining deadbeats who hadn't seen sense and cleared off beforehand, and a Museum dedicated to the Universe's lesser-known sports, were collectively not worth a postcard.

Not that Jukkast sold postcards. No market.

All things considered, it was an absolute eyesore, especially for those species unlucky enough to visit whilst in possession of more than two eyes.

But to Cletto Smingle, this was what he'd been looking for all his life.

***

"So, we've walked down every corridor."

"Yes."

"And we're the only people here."

"That we've seen."

"And there aren't any signs of anyone in distress."

"No, Doctor."

He paused, just to compose himself before summing up. "We're in trouble, Mel."

***

"Mr Smingle, why in the galaxies would you actually want to come to Jukkast?"

Cletto smiled back at his Captain's bewildered face. This was not the time for honesty. "I've heard a lot about it, and I wanted to come and see it for myself. Who knows, G Central might get around to sorting it out one day. One way, or the other."

Dalta shook her head. "Well, it's your money. How long are you intended to stay for?"

"Just a couple of days, hopefully," he claimed. "After all, if the reports are even 0.01% accurate, then that should be more than enough time." He laughed, as he had been practising. Whether she thought him sincere or not, he didn't know if he cared.

"Fine, well, we'll be landing in half an hour, so if you could return to your seat... I don't suppose there'll be enough landing space, but we can try and get down as smoothly as possible."

"Thank you, Captain. I have faith in you." Relieved, he left the cabin.

***

The Doctor had emptied out his pockets, which had whiled away some merry minutes. His pocket edition of the New Testament had surprised Mel, and she had become engrossed in re-reading it. It gave her a small reminder of the home she had left in the past (millennia ago, relatively speaking).

The half-eaten baking apple didn't appetise either of them, but they took turns with a blackcurrant lollipop. The suggestion that they might need to conserve it was soon bypassed by the sugar hit it provided.

Whilst she continued to read, the Doctor began to tap out an SOS rhythm on his spoons. There could be no way of knowing if someone was likely to be monitoring the vibrations of the floor, so he stood up and paradiddled on the walls, too. The sense of futility was palpable, but by taking such an absurd stance, he felt sure he could hold it off.

He had already considered the possibility that they were, in fact, going to be stuck here forever, in which case, he would have to watch as Mel withered away. Not a pleasant thought... all the moreso for someone so naturally full of life-

"Doctor?" She had stood up. "Did you hear that?"

Shaking off his melancholy, he joined her by the wall. "It's a spaceship!"

***

Cletto looked out of the window in his room, down to the gloomy planetary surface far below (but getting closer now).

His heart throbbed faster, and he prepared himself for touchdown.

When it came, the experience was so bewildering that he instantly blocked it from his mind. He unbuckled himself, and then moved to the porthole window, looking out at the surface of his beloved Jukkast.

There it was. Just as he had been told, just as he had studied. Bleak, yet boldly beautiful.

Sighing, he moved to collect his suitcase, checking momentarily that its contents had remained undamaged by the landing. All was as before, so he grabbed the handle, and left.

***

It was heart-warming, thought Mel, to see how well the Doctor responded. Even though there was only a slim chance of rescue, it had fired his imagination.

"Can you pass me that screwdriver, Mel?" His hands were full with wires, resistors and fuses, which seemed to be jumbling into a small ball.

She passed him the red-handled screwdriver, and he bit hold of the end, whistling through his nose to accompany his working.

"What is it that you're making?"

He mumbled something, then reluctantly spat the screwdriver out, where it landed with a clumsy clatter on the floor. "I seem to recall using something like this once when I was trapped in a cargo hold travelling across the Wapalap System. It's a primitive transmitter, obviously, but then it only needs to do a fairly simple job once - assuming it works." He frowned, as if physical punctuation was what was needed most at this point.

She handed him the screwdriver again, but he shook his head. "No, it should be almost finished." And with that, he cupped together the two separate piles in his hands. To her astonishment, they clicked tight.

He gave her a grin of reassurance, and then turned to point the device at the wall.

***

Dalta looked at her crew, waiting patiently on deck. She secretly suspected that they were glad that they weren't stepping onto Jukkast. Or was it Smingle who was putting them off?

"Right, Captain, let's go." He seemed no different than before - perhaps a slight spring in his step. But that was understandable - this was the triumphant culmination of a life's work. Maybe his usual demeanour was what upset people. She hadn't really given it any thought. Maybe she should have.

But it was too late now.

"Captain, wait!"

She and Cletto paused at the entrance. "What is it?"

"We seem to be picking up a signal. It's a regular rhythm... a distress pattern... very old, though."

"Where from?"

Technician Vandy paused before replying. "It's coming from somewhere on the surface."

***

"How much longer are you going to keep up that racket?!" shouted Mel.

"Another couple of minutes, I think. We don't want them to think it's just an anomaly of the planet!"

So it went on, S O S, over and over.

***

The small buggy sped across the bleak surface of Jukkast, Cletto steering, and Dalta reading the direction from the instruments.

"Perhaps the Jukks did survive after all..." Cletto seemed surprisingly glad at the thought.

Dalta did not recall any of her research mentioning native life on Jukkast. For all she knew, they could be nine-foot-tall psychopaths with an axe fixation. It would be somehow appropriate that she would find the last people in the Universe with a death-drive.

"I think we're nearly there."

She looked up, wondering what he meant. To her amazement, there was a small building around the crook of the hill.

"Vandy, do you read me?"

"Affirmative."

"We have located a dwelling, seemingly the source of the signal. We will proceed with caution. Remain radio contact."

"Affirmative."

She put the comm down. "Well, Mr Smingle, let's meet the folks."

***

"Mel, did you hear that?"

For a moment, she just shook her head, dismayed. But then she realised that the sound the Doctor was making on the walls had stopped, and her hearing was recovering quick. "A machine?"

"There's someone outside! The spaceship must have found us!" He seemed unusually relieved at the thought. "Come on, let's go to the entrance."

"Are you sure? You said it was the most dangerous part of the shop."

"Mel, the sooner we warn them, the more chance we have of all getting away in one piece."

***

"That looks like the entrance."

"Good. We might as well play it cool."

"It's not as if we're going to ram-raid the place anyway."

Dalta frowned at his terminology, making a mental note to look it up later. "Vandy, you have our position. Can you triangulate any further life signs in the area?"

A pause. "Two, in the area you have identified as being a building. They are quite close to you."

"They might have heard us coming."

"Don't worry, Mr Smingle, I'm armed."

***

The Doctor and Mel stood either side of the entrance, out of sight.

"Now, are you ready?"

"Yes."

They watched as the buggy crawled to a halt a few feet away from the entrance. Through the dark mists, Mel thought she could see a man and a woman inside.

The Doctor walked into their view, and nodded to Mel, who walked out, and took his hand. They stood, nervously, and held out their free hands in gestures of peace.

A door opened on the buggy, and the woman got out, though the man was not far behind her. They walked towards the entrance, and when only a metre away, the doors swung apart.

Suddenly, the Doctor and Mel leaped forward, moving to stand between the newcomers and the building.

"Hello there, I'm the Doctor, and this is my friend, Mel. Thank you for rescuing us."

"Rescuing?" The woman frowned. "What's going on here?"

"The Doctor thinks that this building is some kind of sentient honey-trap. We came in response to a distress call, and when we got inside, we found there was nobody here, and we couldn't get out again."

"Mr Smingle, can you explain this?"

The man shrugged, and offered his hand to the Doctor. "My name is Cletto Smingle. THE Cletto Smingle. This is Captain Dalta, of the spaceship Crescendo. We have come here to Jukkast to investigate the last great Lost Planet."

"I see." What the Doctor saw, he didn't say.

"Pleased to meet you Mr Smingle," Mel butted in, shaking the great man's hand.

"Call me Cletto," he told her, shaking her hand vigorously. "So, this is a Jukk settlement." He walked toward the entrance, activating the automatic doors.

"I'd be careful about going in there, Mr Smingle," reproached the Doctor. "Enter by all means, but don't let the doors close behind you."

"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind standing here and waiting for me?" Boldly, he walked into the shop, and was soon out of sight.

"Are you sure there are no other tricks in there?" Dalta could sense her mission falling apart.

"No, we had plenty of time to look. Just electronic hardware of all shapes and sizes..." His voice tailed off, and he seemed to suddenly stare intensely at a drainpipe, and begin clicking his fingers.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"Of course! Jukkast! I knew it rang a bell... Captain, are you in contact with your ship?"

"Well, yes."

"Good, could you ask someone to pinpoint the co-ordinates of our current planetary location?"

Dalta tapped the comm. "Did you get that, Vandy?"

"Affirmative. Just collating the response. Here we are."

The Doctor listened to the numbers, and nodded. "Mel, can you stay here, and keep guard of the door?"

"Well, of course. Are you going after Cletto?"

"I have to! I think he's walking into the most terrible danger!"

"I'll come with you." Dalta unholstered her weapon, silently relishing the chance for some action.

"Er, no, I don't think that would be wise. Please." He hopped through the entrance, but as the doors closed again, he called out, "If we're not back in ten minutes, then we need rescue!" And he walked off out of sight.

***

Cletto was trying to maintain an impartial air, but this whole construction was the culmination of a life's work, and he kept getting excited.

"Mr Smingle! Mr Smingle!"

He paused. So, that Doctor had come in as well. Not so afraid now, eh? Well, there was no way he would be stopped now.

Suddenly, he heard a squeaking sound, like an old door opening.

***

The Doctor couldn't remember the last time he had run so hard. Such a short time limit was not one of his best ideas, but if he was right, every wasted moment would be fatal.

When he heard the squeak, he immediately changed direction, heading straight for it.

***

"Still seven minutes," Dalta told Mel.

"I wish I knew what was going on in there."

"Don't we all?"

***

As he spun what instinct told him was the last corner, the Doctor realised he was too late.

There, in a shaded alcove that he recalled passing so much earlier, was an upright booth. Inside was the pasty figure of Cletto Smingle. He was holding a telephone receiver to his ear. The letters AP were embossed on the glass.

Checking his watch, the Doctor knew what he had to do.

***

"Four minutes. Surely he must have caught up with Smingle by now?"

***

Though he was sure he was running as fast as before, he seemed to be covering far less distance. It was as if he was simultaneously wading through invisible treacle, and trying to guide himself through a maze when the walls kept shifting around.

He checked his watch again. He had to reach the entrance before they came in for him. Mel would be bound to come in with Dalta, and then they would all be lost.

***

"One minute, Mel. Now, you're going to stay put, aren't you?"

"Of course!"

"Because if the Doctor is right about this trap, we could all be lost."

"Yes, don't worry- wait! There he is!"

As Dalta stepped forward, the doors opened, and they could hear him shouting at them. That is, his face was contorted into a shout, but the words sounded slowed down and soft.

"Get back!"

They reacted to shrink back, and he dived through the closing doors. As he did so, he seemed to speed up once more.

"Where's Smingle?"

"Dead. Captain, you must get back to your ship immediately. Does it have any weapons facility?"

"Yes, only standard issue... what's happened?"

"Make sure you get these co-ordinates fixed, and then you must destroy this building. It's already killed Smingle, and who knows how many others. Mel, can you find the way back to the TARDIS?"

"Yes, of course, it's only a short walk. You're saying the building killed Cletto?"

"Oh, yes. Long story. Built on a universal fault line, chap named Arthur found it, when it killed him. It was named after him."

"A universal fault line?"

"Yes, not common, thankfully. But effectively a killing curse. Smingle must have been lured by legends, folk tales."

"Vandy, did you get all that?"

"Yeah. We're going to move in closer."

"No, don't do that! You must keep a distance, or it might take you with it!"

"Very well. Vandy, stay put until I reach you."

"Affirmative."

"Are you sure you two will be safe?"

"Oh, I'm safe with Mel," he smiled. "But you must hurry!"

Dalta got into the buggy, reversing it away from the entrance, then swinging around, and heading away into a cloud of dust.

Mel and the Doctor paused in their walk back to the TARDIS, waving in gratitude.

***

"Doctor?"

"Not much longer, Mel."

As they watched on the scanner, the Crescendo soared close through the atmosphere, dropping a small missile onto the site of Cletto's final resting place.

Suddenly, there came a crackling sound from the console. "Hello, Doctor? Can you read me, over?"

"Hello, Captain. Thank you for saving us. You did an excellent job. Safe journey home."

"Thank you for your help. And... a safe journey."

The Doctor switched the communicator off, and began the launch sequence. Soon, the time rotor began to rise and fall.

"Doctor?"

"Mmm?"

"What exactly happened back there?"

He frowned. "The building was part of a universal death trap. There's not really any other way of putting it."

"Who was Arthur, then?"

He sighed. "Arthur was a very strange man, indeed. A virtuoso chemist, and theoretical metaphysician on a par with the very greatest."

"And he discovered this fault line?"

"Yes, Arthur's Parabola. Hence, AP, on the trap. Jukkast was the 10th planet along its length."

"It's very strange."

"Yes, well that's one of its properties. Now, I think we could do with a change of scenery..."