They'd still been arguing with the wardens when Lenora had to leave to be examined. The examination itself had been relatively painless – a quick scan by the biosensors and a few swabs inside her mouth. The whole ordeal had taken less than five moments, and all too soon, Lenora found herself back in the warehouse.

Part of the problem with being quarantined, Lenora had decided, was the mix of boredom and anxiety that accompanied it. The boredom sprang from the lack of work, the anxiety from the possibility of dropping dead at any moment. The combination left Lenora feeling so jittery that it took her a few moments to realize someone was trying to attract her attention.

"…anyone there?"

"What?"

"Ah, she's returned to us." It was the strange man who'd been arguing with the wardens earlier. Lenora had no idea what he might want with her, but –

"D'you mind if I take a quick look at your boot?" Lenora looked down at her boots. As far as she could see, there was nothing wrong with either of them.

"These boots?" she asked, hoping to get some clarification.

"Those are the ones." Lenora shrugged.

"Sure." She folded her legs easily and settled down on her pallet, tugging off her boots as she went. She held them out to the stranger.

"Just the left one will do nicely, thanks." Lenora handed it over, and watched, fascinated, as the stranger pulled a thin rod out of his pocket and pointed it at her boot.

"What's that?" She wished she could take the words back the second she had spoken them. If this man really was management, she'd live to regret the question.

"It's a sonic screwdriver…ah…"

"Patient 078," Lenora filled in helpfully. The stranger paused in his work.

"Oh come on. That's not a proper name."

"Names are not important," Lenora said, reciting what she'd learned from the wardens. "Numbers are what identify us, and numbers can be classified."

"Of course names are important!" Martha, who was seated on her own pallet, snorted.

"This coming from you. You don't even have a name."

"I do. I don't know what it is with you people – always poking at my name."

"What is your name?" Lenora asked, eager to halt the bickering.

"The Doctor."

"That's not a name," Lenora pointed out. Martha laughed.

"See, she thinks so too."

"Shut up a minute. I'm trying to think. More specifically, I'm trying to think about why you would have liquid phenalphosphate on your boot when we're no where near the Hexate Twelvepropriety."

"What's liquid phenalphosphate?" Lenora was feeling completely out of her depth.

"The Dabragon's use it in all sorts of cosmetics – anti-aging cream, that sort of stuff. It's also a sealent. You might use it in the mines, except that its more than a bit radioactive and would kill you in two seconds flat. So that doesn't explain why its here. These mines of yours – what exactly are you looking for?"

"No one knows," Lenora said, idly twisting a bootlace. "Whenever the sensors tell us we're close to something, the wardens take over."

They both stared at her.

"You're trying to tell me that you don't even know what you're mining for?" Martha's tone was almost insulting in the measure of disbelief it held.

"If it was important, the wardens would tell us."

"But-"

"Time for activism later," the Doctor said, cutting Martha off. "Right now, I've got some questions, and I'll thank you not antagonize our hosts." He got to his feet – just the two of them, Lenora noticed – and strode over to one of the wardens.

Martha let out an irritated sigh.

"He always does that," she muttered. "Every time."

"What's he going to ask them?"

"How should I know? I don't understand half of what he says."

"But aren't you two…"

"What? Oh, no, no, of course not. No, we're just friends."

"Uh-huh," Lenora said, unconvinced.

"It's true!" Martha seemed eager to convince her. "We just travel together. Run about saving the universe."

"So why are you here then? Are you tourists, or something?"

"Tourists?"

"Well you're either tourists or miners, and you're definitely not miners."

"I can't argue with that. But we're not tourists either – not really."

"If you're not tourists-" Lenora paused. She knew the sounds of an argument from years of long practice sensing them. She half-turned, expecting to see a few of the younger miners starting a fight.

It wasn't a miner at all.

It was the Doctor.

"These people are being exposed to radiation everyday they go into those mines! This girl," he yelled, pointing to Lenora, "has it on her boots, for God's sake!"

"Patient 078 and unidentified Management Inspector, you are charged with disturbing the peace," the warden droned. "You will be removed from the House of Quarantine immediately."

Lenora watched, mouth hanging open, as a warden in a full bodysuit approached her. With unnatural calm he gripped her upper arm and levered her to her feet.

"No – wait! I didn't even say anything!" The warden didn't even acknowledge her, simply dragging her across the floor. "Stop it!" Lenora screamed, battering him with her fists.

She might as well have been hitting a rock.

The warden hauled her to a door set in the corrugated steel walls and kicked it open. The Doctor was already there, secured by three wardens.

Lenora found she couldn't look at him. Instead, she concerned herself with the room. It smelled of metal – clean and harsh, much like the immaculate wardens that were about to throw her to her death.

The smell made her want to cough, but she bit back the urge and remained silent.

It was useless to protest now. If the wardens decided you were involved in something, you were involved. Even if it killed you.

Since she was expecting death, Lenora was more that little surprised when the wardens pulled out two surface suits.

"Patient 078, you are not to return to any space owned by or associated with your employers. The same applies to any unidentified parties present."

The following silence was broken by a gasp from Lenora.

They were going to let her live!

Her predicament was still serious, but it was a whole lot better than death. She slipped into the surface suit smiling gratefully at the wardens.

The Doctor was not so relieved.

In fact, he was doing what he'd been doing for the last little while: shouting.

Mostly, he was shouting for Martha, with a few outraged sentences in between.

Lenora ignored him. She walked calmly to the airlock, then watched with mild interest as he was dragged in beside her.

Then, after a process she'd been through a thousand times, they were on the planet's surface.