Prologue
The storm raged outside the castle window. There was another flash of lightning that lit up the dark sky, but curiously no thunder followed it.
The room in the castle was a typical dark and gothic laboratory. Tables and benches were littered with dozens of flasks and vials that contained liquids of all colours that bubbled and frothed. Next to one wall was a machine that had two long metal spikes that reached up to the dark ceiling. Sparks leapt between the two spikes and travelled upwards with a crackle.
A handsome young man with blonde-streaked hair picked up a flask from a bench. He wore dark denim jeans and only a white lab-coat covered his bare chest. With a smile that revealed long pointed teeth like a vampire, he started to walk across the room towards a dark haired pretty girl that wore a silky white nightdress with a plunging neckline. The girl screamed silently, twisting against the ropes that held her wrists to the arms of a large wooden chair.
In the background, and looking completely incongruous, a guitarist strummed away without touching a string and next to him, a drummer bashed noiselessly at his kit.
The handsome man took a swig from the crimson frothing liquid in the flask and then leant over the girl, his fangs bared as he started to bite at her smooth, pale neck.
"And Cut!"
The director, a short, thick-set man with close-cropped fair hair and wearing a baseball cap, bounded onto the set. "That was fantastic guv!" he smiled, waving his hands enthusiastically. "Loads of energy, Ed mate!" He turned back to the rest of the crew. "Ok, let's set up for the next shot."
The camera crew nodded and started to push the camera to a new position whilst a make-up girl ran up to the beautiful young captive in the chair and started to brush her hair back into position. The girl slipped her hands from under her ropes and took a swig from a bottle of water that was hidden behind the chair.
The guitarist and drummer stopped their mimed playing and began to chat to each other.
Eddie Hyde smiled at the director and then reached up, took out his false fangs and rubbed his sore mouth.
He hoped that Anji was right and all this Gothic nonsense would send 'The Jackals' next album to the top.
1.
Katherine took another sip from her coffee, turned the page of her glossy magazine and sat back in the large leather chair. With her light green T-shirt, silk waistcoat and blue denim jeans, the attractive young woman who sat in the coffee shop was totally ignored by every one of the shoppers that bustled past the window next to her. None of them would have thought that Katherine was born over two hundred years ago.
She put down the magazine and looked out of the window at the busy shopping centre, watching the world go by. It was so different to her life in eighteenth century France. But then, she reflected with a smile, she was so different to the young widow that had stepped into the TARDIS a year ago. No-one could've imagined the wonders, the adventures, and the terrors.
Now here she was; all alone in this modern world without the Doctor by her side to protect her.
And it felt wonderful.
She checked her watch. There was another hour before he said he'd meet her, but knowing the Doctor, that probably meant closer to two. Perhaps she'd take a last look around the shops? Katherine finished the last of her coffee, reached down for her coffee cups and got up to go.
"Hey, Kris watch where you're going!"
Katherine stumbled backwards as a small boy cannoned into her legs. Her arms flew up and knocked a tray of coffee cups from the hands of a young woman who gave a cry of alarm. Fortunately, all the hot coffee fell on the chairs and floor rather than scalding either Katherine or the small boy.
"Are you alright? God, I'm really sorry." The young woman held out her hand and helped Katherine to her feet before turning to the freckled young boy who looked as if he was on the verge of tears. "Why don't you look where you're going Kristopher?" she scolded. "Now say sorry to the lady."
Kris looked up at Katherine. "Sorry," he whispered.
Katherine smiled down at him. "That's all right," she said wiping a few splashes of coffee from her jeans, "no harm done." She bent down to pick up her shopping bag and heard a sloshing sound inside. Katherine opened the bag to find that almost a whole cup of coffee had spilt over the clothes she had bought.
The young woman smiled apologetically at her. "Ah."
2.
The Doctor stood beneath the huge bypass bridge as the wind from the traffic above gusted through his hair, his long brown coat flapping around him. The noise of the cars and lorries as they thundered into London was incredibly loud and the Doctor had to strain to hear the faint bleeping of his sonic screwdriver as he swept it in front of him.
It had started to drizzle earlier and now the Doctor's face glistened with water, but he knew hew as close now. He made an adjustment to the screwdriver and kept walking forwards. The signal seemed to be emanating from a pile of black plastic bags that rested against one of the huge concrete supports of the bypass. Wiping the mist from his face and checking that no-one else was in sight, the Doctor strode over to the bags and started pulling them away.
Then he saw the small and clearly alien machine that was fastened to the support.
The Doctor smiled grimly. "There you are." He studied the controls of the machine and the small electronic displays that flashed away. "You're certainly transmitting something aren't you," he muttered, looking up into the grey sky as he adjusted his sonic screwdriver to a new setting. He pointed it at the machine and there was a brief high pitched hum before the alien transmitter exploded in a shower of sparks.
The Doctor grinned. "But not any more!"
The young woman put down another tray of coffee on the table and sat on the couch opposite Katherine. She passed a fruit smoothie to Kris who greedily started sucking at it through the straw.
"There you go," she passed a cup to Katherine. "My name's Claire."
Katherine smiled as she put the coffee down on the table. "I'm Katherine."
"I'm really sorry about your clothes," apologised Claire. "I've got to make it up to you somehow?"
Katherine thought ruefully about the Doctor's 'magic' credit card that she had used to buy the clothes. "It doesn't matter honestly," she started
"No it does, it does," flapped Claire, reaching for her purse. As she opened it, she bit her lip. "Whoops, forgot to go the bank." Then she grinned as she saw a smartly dressed asian woman walking into the coffee shop. "It's Anji – she'll have comps!"
Claire turned to Katherine with a grin. "Fancy free tickets to a 'Jackals' concert?"
3.
A cheerful voice came from someone who came to stand behind the two girls. "Did you say "The 'Jackals'? Oh I love them! Even that difficult second album – 'Down in the Lab' wasn't it? Track 3 was a goodie though."
Katherine turned at the sound of the familiar voice. "Doctor!"
The Doctor grinned at his companion. "Hello. Been having fun?" He smiled at Claire and then bent down and ruffled Kris' hair. "Hi there."
Claire returned the smile. "I'm Claire Julius; this is Kris, my little boy."
"Nice to meet you Kris," said the Doctor with a wink. "Are you a 'Jackals' fan too? What about their lead singer Eddie Hyde? Bet you like him then?"
Kris grinned at the Doctor. "He's my Daddy!"
Claire laughed. "I'm Eddie's girlfriend."
"Really? Fantastic!"
"Hi Claire, sorry I'm late babe." The asian woman that Claire had noticed a minute ago had joined them. She was in her mid thirties, attractive with her dark hair cut into a short bob. She wore a smart pinstripe trouser suit and, Katherine noticed, some very beautiful gold jewellery.
Claire looked up and smiled. "That's okay. Anji, this is Katherine and her boyfriend….."
Katherine laughed as the Doctor interrupted her. "No, we're just friends. Hello, I'm the Doctor."
Anji shook his hand. "Hi there, I'm Anji Dharkar." She was interrupted by a musical ringtone from her jacket pocket and she rolled her eyes as she fished out her mobile phone. "Sorry, sorry." She flipped open the lid and turned away. "Hi, Anji Dharkar……
"Anji is the 'Jackals' publicist and tour manager," hissed Claire with a smile. "She's always on that phone – it never stops ringing!"
"Mummy," said Kris as he finished his drink. "Can we go now?"
Claire nodded. "In a minute sweetheart. Mummy's just got to get some tickets for Katherine and the Doctor." She looked over to Katherine. "You will come? It'll be a blast - 'access all areas' and all that!"
Katherine shrugged. "Alright." She glanced at the Doctor, but he was listening to Anji's phone conversation and frowning.
"Yeah, right, sure," Anji was saying. "There's absolutely nothing to connect any of those poor people with the band. No, you can't have a comment. I don't care what you think. And UK Media publicity will say the same – goodbye!" She flipped the lid of her mobile shut and stuffed it back in her jacket pocket.
"Trouble?" asked the Doctor quietly.
4.
Anji recovered her composure and forced a tight smile. "No, nothing I can't handle."
Claire exchanged a knowing look with Anji. "The papers?"
Anji nodded. "Anyway," she said changing the subject, "you want some free passes for the gig tomorrow?"
"Ye please," Claire sighed. "I owe Katherine a big apology."
"Yeah, sure babe." Anji laughed
"What kind of trouble?" interrupted the Doctor. His tone was light but his face serious.
Anji turned back to him, a slight note of irritation creeping into her voice. "I told you; nothing that need concern you Doctor."
"It's the deaths isn't it?" blurted out Claire in a whisper, then saw Anji's furious face and looked down.
"Deaths?" asked Katherine, shocked.
Anji picked up Claire's coat. "Come on babe, we have to go. Look, I'll leave some passes at the stage-door okay?"
"You work for UK Media don't you?" cut in the Doctor.
"Yes, but what's that got to do…." Anji shrugged.
"Phone Carolyn Williams," the Doctor insisted.
Anji raised her eyebrows. "Pardon me?"
"You do have her number?"
"Yes of course, but I can't just ring –"
"Yes, yes you can," insisted the Doctor.
Katherine hid a smile behind her hand as Anji got her mobile and pressed the keypad. Carolyn Williams was the mother of Megan who had travelled with them for a short time in the TARDIS. They had met her when the TARDIS had last landed in London and Carolyn had been reunited with her daughter.
"Is that Ms Williams?" asked Anji, and then listened as an irritated voice replied on the phone. "I'm really sorry to disturb you," she continued clearly embarrassed, "but I have a problem here." She paused. "Do you know a Doctor and a Katherine?" Another pause as she listened to the reply and Anji eye's widened. She bit her lip. "Yes Ms Williams, yes of course." The Doctor winked at her and Anji could feel herself reddening.
"Send my love to Megan," said Katherine quickly as Anji shut the mobile phone and arched an eyebrow at the Doctor.
"Sorry about that," said the Doctor with a smile.
"Apparently, I have to co-operate totally with you," sighed Anji, pursing her lips.
"Good, good. Well I don't know about you," said the Doctor flopping down on the couch beside Kris and giving the small boy a grin. "But I could really do with a huge mocha latte and then you can tell us everything!"
5.
Eddie shut his mobile phone. "Claire sends her love guys – she's with Anji now," he shouted across to the rest of the band who had broken from their rehearsal for some coffee and doughnuts.
Gary Tanner looked up from where he was tuning his guitar and grinned. "She been spending all your money again then Eddie?" He pushed back the auburn hair that covered his cherubic face - the face that had adorned the posters that were up in the bedrooms of thousands of teenage girls. Gary had been with the 'Jackals' since they had formed and was one of Eddie's oldest friends having grown up in the same South London estate.
Eddie nodded and reached down to pick up a doughnut from the box on the table. "Doesn't she always."
But another hand sneaked in first and got the last one. Phil Goryan stuffed it into his mouth as he went past before sitting behind his drum kit. "I hope she's buying Kris loads of great stuff from Hamleys," he mumbled, his mouth coated with sugar and still full of half-eaten doughnut.
"Have you been in there recently?" another voice asked. It was Greg Goryan, Phil's brother who had just entered the rehearsal room, his usual headphones around his neck and the wire trailing at his waist. Greg was the 'Jackals' sound recordist and techie. Although they weren't exactly twins, anyone could tell that Phil and Greg were brothers. Both had the same midnight black hair, deep blue eyes and pointed chins. Even the piercing they each had in their eyebrow were the same. "They've got some fantastic stuff."
"You need to get out more Greg." Alan Blake, the last member of the group, leant back in his chair with his feet on the table as he took a gulp of his coffee. Alan was the bass guitarist of the 'Jackals' and slightly older than the others, having previously been in another band. He was probably in his mid thirties, although he, and the 'Jackals' publicity machine, were a bit vague about his exact age. His long brown hair that he tied into his trademark ponytail, even had the odd grey hair – much to the other 'Jackals' amusement and constant teasing.
"Lighten up Blako," sighed Eddie. "God you can be a grumpy git sometimes!"
"Difficult," snorted Alan. "Have you seen this morning's papers? Try page five." He threw one across the table to Eddie.
Eddie caught the newspaper and opened it to the fifth page. He winced as he read the headline.
"Does Death follow the Jackals?"
6.
"You mean you've had a death in the audience at every venue?" the Doctor asked.
Anji nodded. "Two in Birmingham last week." She glanced in her rear view mirror as she pulled her large black four by four onto the bypass. "There are some papers in the back – take a look."
The Doctor turned around from his front seat next to Anji to Katherine who was wedged in the back of the car next to Claire. Kris was belted into his own child seat next to his mother and was happily listening to some of his dad's music on his i-pod. "Can you reach them?"
Katherine looked around on the floor of the car where some newspapers lay and nodded. "Just a minute."
"How many concerts have there been on the tour?"
"Five," answered Claire. "Tomorrow night's will be the sixth."
"So that's six people dead altogether?"
Anji blew out a frustrated breath. "Yup, and all the bad publicity that comes with it."
"That's hardly the point," cut in Katherine, handing the newspapers to the Doctor. "Those poor people."
"I know, sorry babe."
The Doctor flicked through the papers as he read the articles on the 'Jackals' tour at amazing speed. "And there's nothing to connect any of these deaths – age, sex, background?"
"Doesn't look like it – only how they died," said Claire
"And that was……"
"Heart failure, but nothing suspicious, they just stopped ticking!" Anji cursed as another car overtook without indicating. "Oh, come on!"
A blue-skinned hand with long pointed nails stabbed at a button on a small device and a red light flashed.
"Tomorrow night's concert is the last one then?" asked Katherine.
Claire nodded. "Final leg of the tour, thank goodness."
"And until a week ago, you couldn't have got a ticket for love nor money," grunted Anji, speeding up to overtake a slower car.
The Doctor looked up from the papers. "People cancelling?"
Anji nodded. "You got it Doctor." Suddenly a look of horror crossed her face. "Oh my God!"
"What is it?" asked the Doctor.
Anji concentrated furiously on the road ahead. "I've got no brakes!"
The Doctor looked at her aghast. "What?"
Anji's foot pumped hard on the brake pedal but nothing happened.
On the lane ahead, a car pulled out in front of them.
"We're going to crash!" screamed Claire. "My God, Kris!" She threw her arms around the little boy.