Prologue
The creature soared through the chill night air and under the full moon that hung high in the sky behind the mountain. The exhilarating silence was disturbed only by the rush of wind beneath its steadily beating wings. The enormous city, with a million bright lights covering its towering skyscrapers, was growing ever closer.
It was time to feed again.
*********************
Haruki ran at full speed down the steps and across the platform, but it was too late. He flinched as the sliding doors shut in his face and the train pulled quickly out of the subway station. A frown crossed his usually passive face as he pushed up his glasses and wiped his black hair from his face. He glanced at the electronic display board above the platform. Haruki sighed – it was his own fault. The Yamanote line was quiet after midnight and the next train to the Bunkyo region - where he had his dormitory – wasn't due for another half an hour. It would teach him a lesson not to stay in the lab four hours after he should have gone home.
Still, he reflected ruefully, the waiting time would give him some more time to study the textbook his professor had loaned him. Exams were approaching and Haruki was aiming for an excellent mark.
He shuffled across the now deserted platform, sat down on one of the cold metal seats and rummaged in his shoulder bag for the medical text. He flicked through the first few chapters until he found where he had left off and settled down to read.
Less than a minute later the overhead strip lighting began to flicker and buzz. Haruki looked up from his book as the lights flickered again and then died, plunging the station into darkness. Haruki groaned – now he couldn't even read!
Suddenly the lights came on again and he let out a breath of relief. He was about to return to his book when he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye. He glanced sideways and saw a figure on the opposite platform. It was a young man – a tall, thin, Westerner, definitely gaikokujin – dressed in jeans and a faded orange hooded top.
Haruki adjusted his glasses and returned to his book, but moments later, the lights flickered and died again. He groaned once more in frustration, but almost immediately they came back to life.
Haruki gave a gasp of shock. The Westerner now stood only a few feet away from the bench where he sat.
The lights buzzed, flickered and went out.
The roar of the subway train that thundered through the underground station a moment later completely masked Haruki's last, blood-curdling scream.
1.
"Fantastic!"
Amy Price turned in a complete circle, her eyes wide and a huge smile on her pretty face. "I've always wanted to come here!"
The Doctor grinned and spread his arms wide. "Welcome to Tokyo 2009, Amy."
The main street bustled with what seemed like thousands of people all hurrying along the pavement. They were mostly Japanese, but mixed in were Westerners and other tourists, all drinking in the incredible city vista around them. Immense buildings of glass and polished metal – ultra modern apartments and offices - reached into the grey sky.
Buses, cars and trucks moved slowly along the congested roads, whilst people on bicycles weaved between the vehicles. Clearly residents of the city, they darted in and out of the spaces on the road like minnows around sharks.
The noise from the traffic and the crowds was almost overpowering, but Amy just let the urban panorama wash over her. She turned back to the Doctor and pointed a finger at him. "Now this makes all the running worthwhile Doctor!" She pointed at the grin on her face. "Seriously impressed again, see?" Amy took a breath. "Do you know how many people I've sent to this city?"
The Doctor frowned, his hands in the pockets of his long brown coat. "Sorry?"
"Ah, something else he doesn't know about me - one point to Price!" She smiled. "I used to, well I suppose I technically still do, work as a travel agent in London. Oh yes, 'Michael's and Butler' couldn't do without me. Best salesgirl October and November 2008 y'know!"
"Really?" replied the Doctor. "Well if you want a tour operator, I'm certainly your best bet."
"Oh yeah," laughed Amy. "If you like the endless danger, bizarre creatures and lots of running."
"I do specialise in 'adventure' holidays," conceded the Doctor with a rueful grin.
"Have you been to Tokyo before?"
The Doctor opened his mouth to reply then scratched the back of his head. "Um, no actually. Feudal Japan, yes – got involved with a pair of samurai; New Tokyo in the thirty second century – you should see the height of those skyscrapers! But Tokyo 2009 – nope."
"Then it's two points to Price!" Amy rubbed her hands together. "Now, where to start?" She thought back to all the brochures she had poured through by herself as she had watched the rain outside the tiny travel agency office. "I know – we head to Ometesando." She glanced around again at the bustling crowds. "If we can find a subway station we need to get on the Yamanote line."
"And what's there exactly?"
"Some friends of mine," said Amy playfully.
"You have friends in Tokyo?" asked the Doctor.
"Oh yes," grinned Amy. "Gucci, Louis Vuitton, LaForet – come on Doctor, we're going shopping!"
2.
The mirrored doors of the lift slid silently open and Teru Osato stepped out, immaculate as ever in an expensive, tailored dark grey suit and burgundy tie. His highly polished, black leather shoes made hardly any impression on the thick carpet of the corridor.
The corridor curved gently towards the left and Osato saw a secretary walking towards him. As soon as she saw him, the secretary stopped and bowed her head in respect of his position before handing him an electronic notepad.
Osato took the pad without looking at it, his lined face totally unreadable. "Thank you."
The secretary bowed her head again before scurrying away down the corridor towards the lift.
Osato paused for a moment and then stepped towards the enormous window that curved along the right hand wall of the corridor. The metropolis that was Tokyo sprawled below him in all directions. The skyline from the fortieth floor of the Osato building was always a thing of beauty for Teru. He gazed towards the silhouette of Mount Fuji in the distance and closed his eyes briefly out of respect to his ancestors.
Teru Osato had inherited his empire from his father, as his father had from his grandfather. Their deeds and wisdom weighed heavily on Teru. He caught sight of his reflection in the window and sighed as he saw the streaks of white that shot through his jet black hair. Teru looked down at his wrinkled hands were framed by the elegant jacket and the shirt with its gold cufflinks. The Gods had not blessed him with a son, and as for his daughter...
How often had he stood here and watched his city wake at dawn? Or marvelled as the city appeared at dusk with its galaxy of lights? The view had made him feel like an Emperor or a God.
But not today.
He glanced down at the notepad the secretary had given him and pressed a button. The small display showed a series of figures and Osato sighed heavily.
Taking a breath, he regained the usual impassive expression on his face before turning and walking towards the large polished mahogany double-doors at the end of the corridor. For a second he paused and considered knocking but then his eyes flashed angrily and his jaw tightened. He pushed open the doors and strode into the large office.
The woman that sat at the end of the immensely long, black and gold marble table raised an eyebrow.
3.
Amy strode through shopping paradise that was Ometesando, the Doctor trailing behind her carrying two large plastic bags and a resigned expression on his face. Amy pushed through the crowds that teemed around her as if she was on a mission - which of course she was. She had to find a pair of shoes that matched the black cocktail dress and handbag she had just bought.
Actually, she reflected, that wasn't quite true - she hadn't bought them at all. She had used the Doctor's 'magic' credit card that they had acquired on 'The Solar Queen'. The Doctor hadn't just let her run wild however, but allowed her to buy a posh dress with matching accessories for a 'special treat' later – though what that actually was, he was keeping a secret – despite her almost constant wheedling.
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at the Doctor. "You okay?"
The Doctor stopped walking and raised a sarcastic eyebrow.
Amy took the hint. "Don't you want me to find a pair I like?" she asked with mock innocence.
"And how many do you have to try on til you find some?"
"Oh...dozens – it's a girl thing," smiled Amy. "I can put Carrie Bradshaw in the shade when it comes to shoes."
"You have," said the Doctor slowly, "one more shop."
Amy nodded. "Fine... but only if you tell me where we're going!"
The Doctor beamed. "I am, Miss Price, taking you to the opera!"
*****************
Demora Naki squinted through the eyepiece of the microscope and sighed - there was simply no reaction. And if her chemical analysis was right, there should be. She leant back in the lab chair and looked at the test tubes on the bench next to her.
She picked out one that contained a yellowish oil and gently shook it. "Why aren't you breaking down?" she muttered irritably. Demora scratched her nose, idly fiddling with the jewel piercing she had done on her eighteenth birthday. Now even after five years, she still played with it when she was thinking.
With another sigh, Demora adjusted her glasses and stared down at her notes that were filled with complex symbols and chemical formulae. "I must need a higher catalyst concentration," she murmured.
There was a sudden noise from outside the shadowy laboratory and Demora jumped as if she had been scalded. She leapt across the desk and switched off the only desk lamp, plunging the room into darkness.
Demora hardly breathed as the silhouette of a guard passed outside the glass door of the laboratory. She swallowed nervously, pushing back a stray hair from her long black ponytail.
She knew that she would be killed if they caught her here.
4.
The Doctor and Amy walked slowly down the impressive stone steps at the front of the modern and magnificent Tokyo New National Theatre. Tall, thin poles mounted with fashionable globe lights illuminated the steps against the night.
The Doctor was now dressed in his tuxedo, although he had as usual neglected to change his red and white trainers. Amy wore a stunning black and silver cocktail dress that left one shoulder bare, and clutched a small matching bag. The black high heels that she had eventually chosen glittered with tiny stones. The Doctor had even allowed her a trip to the hairdressers and her dark brown and red shoulder length hair was elegantly pinned up with a single curl over one eye.
The expressions on their faces couldn't have been more different.
Whereas the Doctor had a beaming smile that went from ear to ear, Amy dabbed gently at her carefully applied mascara. "You could have warned me!" she muttered.
"What do you mean?" he replied innocently. "I thought everyone knew that 'Butterfly' killed herself at the end?"
Amy glared at him through misty eyes. "Well I didn't." She sniffed back a tear. "It was fantastic though!"
"I was there when he wrote it y'know," continued the Doctor. "Brilliant bloke Puccini, knew exactly how to press the right buttons emotionally." He paused. "Well, once I'd given him a few pointers..."
Amy nudged him playfully with her elbow, not quite sure if he was joking or not. "Yeah, right." She sighed and looked up at the full moon that hung in the sky. "I've had a fabulous night – thank you Doctor."
The Doctor just grinned. "Well, our time in Tokyo doesn't have to be over yet. What about tomorrow we visit the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens? Have a walk through the red Japanese maples and check out the bonsai?"
Amy nodded. The Botanical gardens were renowned for their beauty and splendour. "Okay – sounds good."
"And then we could check out Akihabara," he continued after a tiny pause. Amy just laughed and the Doctor was caught off balance. "What?" he asked.
Amy knew all about Akihabara from her days in the travel agency. "The 'electronic city'! You just want to go shopping for high-tech gadgets! Doctor, you can be so...geeky sometimes!"
The Doctor affected a look of mock offence. "I just want to keep an eye on where you humans are technologically- don't want you stepping on my expert toes after all!"
"Come on then tech-geek." Amy linked her arm in his. "Let's get some sushi and get the subway back to where we left the TARDIS." She hopped a little and grimaced. "These heels are killing me..."
As they walked away from the theatre and into the night, a figure in a faded orange hooded top detached itself from where it had been standing in the shadows and began to follow them.
5.
Demora hurried through the dark corridors of Osato Chemicals, clutching the small satchel that was slung over her shoulder. She glanced back nervously as she heard a door slam shut behind her
Had she been discovered?
She increased her pace, trying to balance her speed against any noise her soft shoes made on the cold vinyl and concrete floors. Turning a corner, Demora sighed in relief as she saw the lift in front of her, and dashed across to press the call button.
It took only a fraction of a second for her to realise that it was already on its way down.
Demora's blood suddenly turned to ice. She looked around frantically and spotted a door. Praying silently that it wouldn't be locked, she ran across to it and tried the handle.
She stifled a gasp as the door opened and she threw herself inside, closing the door behind her and crouching on the floor beneath the glass panels that looked out onto the corridor.
It was only a moment later that she heard the soft chime of the lift as the doors opened. A torch beam played about the corridor.
Demora closed her eyes and hoped whoever it was couldn't hear the hammering of her heart in her chest.
"The camera picked up the intruder in this section – search all the offices."
It was a man's voice, but she didn't recognise it. She clapped a hand over her mouth in case she let out a sound. The cameras! She must have forgotten about one of them!
"Yes, sir," said another man. An instant later and there were more voices and the sound of footsteps.
Demora clenched her fist in panic - she was trapped.
The footsteps were coming closer and a torch beam shone through the glass panel above her head. There was nowhere to hide in this small office – even the desk was made from glass and chrome. Then she saw the fire-escape doors on the other side of the room and the panic overwhelmed her.
She launched herself across the room, all attempt at stealth forgotten as she tried to get to the door.
As Demora reached them, the other door opened and a security guard dressed in a tan uniform stepped into the office. "Hey you – stop!" he shouted, but Demora ignored him and thumped on the bar, sending the fire doors flying open as she ran into the cold night.
"She's over here!" shouted the guard before running after the fleeing intruder.
Teru Osato strode along the corridor as he heard the shout, although due to his age and position his tread was never hurried. He met two other guards at the office doorway. "Is it her?" he asked one of them.
The guard nodded with respect. "We think so sir."
Osato frowned, looking towards the open fire-doors. "Then get after Miss Naki and bring her back here!" he ordered as the guards ran off in pursuit.
"Before," he murmured to himself, "she destroys us all!"
6.
Amy slapped the Doctor's hand away, snatched the last piece of sushi from the plastic tray and stuffed it her mouth.
"Oy," he complained, "that was my piece!"
"Who's counting?" replied Amy cheekily, still chewing the delicious seaweed and prawn roll.
"I was!" muttered the Doctor good-naturedly, taking the last swig of his coffee before dropping the paper cup in a nearby bin.
They had bought some sushi and coffee from a late night cafe-bar and were now walking towards the subway station to catch a train back to where the TARDIS had landed. Seeing the sign for the Yamanote line, they crossed the still-busy road and walked down the stone steps to the ticket station.
"Can't that food machine you've got in the TARDIS rustle you up some more?" asked Amy.
The Doctor nodded as he fished their subway tickets from his tuxedo jacket pocket. "Yeah, but it's not the same – nothing like having it made fresh."
They travelled down a long escalator to the correct platform. Amy checked her watch. It was now just past one in the morning and the late night passengers had started to get less and less. The platform for Toshima, a ward located on the outlying north-west of Tokyo and where the TARDIS had landed, was right at the end of a long corridor. Amy's high heels echoed hollowly on the tiles as they walked along it, passing a group of youths that wore dark grey hooded tops and ripped jeans.
Amy glanced nervously over her shoulder as they passed the youths. One of them looked up and caught her eye. He smiled, but it was a smile full of malice, like a predator about to strike.
Amy gulped and grabbed the Doctor's hand as she quickened her pace.
"What's wrong?" he asked, oblivious of any danger.
"Keep walking!" she hissed. Amy could hear soft footsteps as the youths started to follow them, but she didn't dare look back.
To her relief, the tunnel opened up onto the long platform, but she pulled up short as she saw another group of youths, again dressed in the dark hooded tops, standing around one of the tall pillars that went from floor to ceiling. It was if they were waiting for them.
An instant later, another group of youths appeared from a separate tunnel and began advancing towards them. She turned to look behind her, but the first group had blocked their escape.
It was then that Amy realised she couldn't see any other people waiting for a train on the platform.
"Doctor," Amy muttered, squeezing his hand tightly, "I think we're in trouble!"