Thirty whole minutes had passed without the Doctor uttering a single word.

Rose was convinced this had to be some kind of a record for the Time Lord as she watched him examine the creature's huge body. It had been left where it had fallen, the head still oozing out dribbles of blood which continued to add to the growing pool on the muddied grass below.

Sat on a chair with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a steaming mug of hot tea pressed between her hands, she was finally able to feel warm again.

Only Kensington and Hart had stayed behind with them. The private was on guard duty and had loaded another bolt into his crossbow. He was under the strict instruction to use it should another creature make an appearance.

Kensington, however, seemed to be there purely to act as an understudy for his commanding officer.

Watching the Doctor with a critical frown, he did not seem overly impressed by the lack of progress so far and had made several scathing remarks to show his frustrations.

"Is this how you always work?" He questioned. "Do you even know what you're looking for?"

The Doctor had ignored him and continued to scan the alien with the sonic screwdriver.

"This creature is remarkable." He eventually declared. "Quite remarkable."

Setting her cup down on the ground, Rose left the warm embrace of her blanket and ventured over to him.

"What is it?" She asked. "What have you found?"

"This creature... Well, it's much more than a mere beast, now isn't it?" The Doctor stated excitedly. "It's showing all signs of being a metamorphic race."

"What does that mean? A metamorphic race?"

"They're shape-shifters, Miss Tyler. A species with the ability to change their entire outward appearance."

Peter Argent had appeared as silently as he had the last time.

"Full marks, lieutenant." The Doctor commended. "I see you're all ready to go."

Peter's clothing still bore the muddied marks of having been pinned down under the table, but he had finished putting on all of his protective gear, including his vest and guards. Essential equipment such as his radio had been clipped onto his belt, the large black box sitting beside a pair of folded handcuffs and a retractable baton.

Maybe he had the intention of arresting the creature?

Given recent events, it was unsurprising that the lieutenant was now even more heavily armed.

His handgun had proven useless against the creature, but it was still strapped securely to his right thigh. In addition to this, he had attached to his other leg the lethal-looking hunting knife that he had taken from his rucksack earlier.

Meanest of all, however, was the large shotgun he was cradling.

The barrel was much wider than on the rifles Gordon and Hart had been carrying and it was nearly double in length. The handle was as wide as his shoulder and only added to the powerful impression of the weapon.

"Mossberg Five-Nine Zero," Peter told Rose, seeing her staring at it. "Twelve gauges, firing seventy-millimetre shells at the velocity of four hundred and four meters per second."

Rose stared at him blankly.

"Powerful." The Doctor commented. "How are you feeling?"

The question prompted a slither of irritation as the lieutenant glared back at him.

He had been struck across the face with a metal rod but there wasn't a mark to show for it. Neither did he no longer seem to be in any pain from having a five hundred pound alien land on his chest.

But rather than bring it up again, the younger man instead brought the subject back onto the creature.

"What causes the change?" He asked. "How do they transform and what do they become?"

The Doctor shook his head apologetically.

"Sorry, but I would have to get up close with one that's alive to tell you that."

"Yes, and how are you going to do that?" Kensington remarked. "The boss barely got away without a scratch. I doubt you'll do any better."

"Enough, Kensington," Peter remarked. "We haven't got the time for it."

As though to prove his point, the rest of his team except for Gordon and Davidson entered the tent. All of them were fully geared up and as ready to go as their commanding officer.

Rose could sense the change of mood amongst the men.

The recent attack had almost resulted in the deaths of two of their own. If they were not already so, they were all now as deadly serious as the shotguns they were carrying.

Stefan was the last to enter and was carrying bulky rucksacks.

Silently, he went up and placed one at Peter's feet before rejoining the others as they all fell into line in front of their commanding officer.

"Stand up!" Becker suddenly barked. "At attention!"

They were already standing tall, but each man managed to extend by a few more inches as they stood rigidly to attention.

Waiting for a moment as he observed his team, Peter nodded his approval.

"Alright guys, relax." He said. "We all know why we're here."

Relaxing their positions slightly, the assembled soldiers responded in perfect unison.

"Boss."

"This isn't the creature that killed Tom Richardson." Peter continued. "We now also suspect them to be able to change what they look like."

"Yes, now what I think we should do is…"

The Doctor stopped talking the moment the lieutenant's thunderous expression turned his way.

"As I was saying." He continued, glaring at him. "This is a dangerous development, and now that they've resurfaced again it poses a real risk of a containment breach."

"You think they'll come for us again, boss?" Thompson asked. "Attack a second time?"

"Well, we're not going to give them the chance, are we?"

"No, boss." The soldier replied. "We'll stop them."

"Yes, we will," Peter replied. "I know it's been a long night, but we now suspect one or more hostiles are hiding out in a cave less than three klicks east of here. The primary is thought to still be alive. She is our priority. Stopping these things come second unless they pose an external risk."

"In other words, we'll teach them some manners," Becker added. "But this is done by the book. The attack on Davidson does not affect our professionalism in the field nor our ability to get the job done."

"Myself and Becker will be going along with Amell and Hart." Peter continued. "Kensington will hold down the fort here along with you Thompson so that Gordon and Davidson remain guarded."

"It's a pretty thin spread, boss," Stefan commented. "Just four of us going down to meet with these things?"

"We are two men down, yes." The lieutenant agreed. "Which is why the Doctor and Miss Tyler will be coming with us."

No one was more surprised by this than the Time Lord himself. Shock soon gave way to excitement, however, as a large grin split across his face.

"Really?" He asked. "Do you mean it?"

"How hard did that thing hit you?" Rose asked. "Thought you were all ready to toss us out of your tent?"

Peter's expression was fringed on the edges of amusement.

"It's not my first choice, believe me." He told them. "But the Doctor does have somewhat of a reputation for passive diplomacy that I could use tonight."

"Oh, do I? Well… yes, I suppose I do, don't I?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Doctor. It's a poor alternative compared this." Peter told him, indicating his gun. "But UNIT nor I want a bloodbath tonight. So it at least gives me the option of having you there to talk them to death instead."

The rain had finally stopped as the small group headed out into the night.

Above them, the clouds had parted to reveal an inky black sky sparkling with countless stars and a thin crescent sliver of the moon. It was still bitterly cold, however, as they made the unpleasant two-mile trek over to the cave from where the creatures had supposedly emerged from.

The two perfectly serviceable Land Rovers that could have gotten them over the rough terrain in a matter of minutes had been left behind as Peter had announced that they would be getting there on foot.

Rose's decision to question this had almost resulted in another fight.

The lieutenant had made it quite clear to her already that under different circumstances he would have never allowed someone like her to tag along on his operation. But he had wisely sensed that the Doctor wouldn't go without her, and he had not argued it.

But now he was acting as though she wasn't even there at all, and did not even bother to answer her until she asked him about the cars for a second time.

"If we're in a hurry then we should -"

"Miss Tyler, you do not have an opinion here." He snapped as her. "We're putting our boots to the ground and we are going on foot. So suck it up and keep up."

Determined to prove that she was no pushover, Rose had bit back her response. No matter how horrid he was to her, she was determined now to remain firmly in the thick of things.

Soldier or not, she was here to stay.

But now, out in this muddy and icy cold night, she wondered why on earth anyone would choose to do this as a job. The weather conditions were bad enough without the thought lingering over them that deadly aliens who could tear out an entire throat with a single bite might be lurking just feet away from them.

"They could be out there, right now." She said, shivering against the chilly wind. "Watching us."

"You can always go back to the TARDIS, Miss Tyler," Peter called over his shoulder. "It's safer there."

Rose glared at the back of his head as she felt her cheeks flush with anger.

He had such an imperious attitude. Just who did he think he was?

Peter wasn't much older than she was, but for some reason, he seemed compelled to treat her as though she were a little girl who had no business dealing with hostile aliens. But Rose knew that simply wasn't true. The Earth would have been invaded, enslaved and even destroyed ten times over without her and the Doctor protecting it.

More than once, they had been the only line of defence. Succeeding without any assistance at all.

Still, such squabbles were not important right now.

A young woman was trapped in a much more precarious situation. Unlike Rose, she did not have four highly trained soldiers and a Time Lord on her side.

Then again, she might already be dead. Slaughtered just like her boyfriend had been.

"Does his family know?" She asked, turning to Becker. "Have you told them what happened?"

"What do you mean?" He questioned. "Who's family?"

"The man's, the one who..." She couldn't finish her sentence as the sight of his mutilated body flashed across her eyes again. "Have you told them that he's dead?"

Becker looked down at her sympathetically.

Towering over everyone, he was very bulky and had a face worn by the weather that made him look ten years older than he really was.

But despite his outwardly scary demeanour, he was very friendly.

Aside from Gordon and Hart, he was the only one to have spoken to either Rose or the Doctor without giving off the impression that their presence was both a problem and an inconvenience.

"It's not the first time we've dealt with this kind of thing." He replied reassuringly. "All the proper steps will be taken."

Rose nodded and shrank back into the jacket she had been given. Her own clothes were completely unsuitable for this kind of weather and were even more useless for where they were now walking towards.

Hart's spare jacket and trousers may have been two sizes too big, but at least they were keeping her warm and relatively dry. Luckily, he had small feet for a man, and she doubted that she would have been able to come at all had the boots not fitted her.

The cave simply did not look big enough.

It was a small wonder how Peter had even managed to find it in the first place. There was even less chance of the creature who lived down in its depths fitting through the slender gap in the rocks.

"How the hell did that thing pass through there?" She questioned. "Can't possibly of fit."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Rose." The Doctor stated. "I think they can manipulate those slender frames to make themselves small enough. Twisting and unhinging their joints."

"Like a snake does with its jaw." Peter ventured. "They do that to swallow prey bigger than their head."

"Exactly! Not bad, lieutenant."

Peter ignored him as he set his rucksack down onto the wet grass.

"Right, Becker and Hart, stay here with Miss Tyler." He ordered. "Stefan, we'll take the Doctor inside."

"Excellent plan." The Doctor agreed, already stepping forward. "Oh, what?"

Stefan had held out an arm in front of him, preventing him from getting any closer to the cave.

"We'll scout it out first." He told him. "Just in case."

"Unless you'd rather go in ahead of us?" Peter added quizzically. "Of course, one of the creatures could be in there already. Just waiting for some idiot to go blundering in?"

Glancing down at the dark entrance of the cave for a moment, the Doctor looked back at the soldier.

"Right… Yes, I think on reflection maybe not." The Time Lord admitted. "You should go in first."

With a satisfied nod, Peter handed his gun over to Becker and drew out his knife. Stefan did the same, handing his weapon over to Hart.

"Right, Stefan," Peter stated. "On me."

"Boss."

Both soldiers then cautiously moved towards the cave and descended into the darkness, vanishing from sight almost immediately. A few seconds of silence followed, and Rose could see the tension on Becker and Hart's faces.

They relaxed, however, when Stefan emerged back out of the cave a few seconds later.

"All clear?" The Doctor asked. "What's in there?"

"See for yourself, Doctor." He told him, nodding in the direction of the cave. "In you go."

Accepting the torch Stefan was holding out towards him, the Time Lord stooped down and carefully made his way inside.

The size of the cave on the inside had not been understated. There was hardly any room at all, and it was only going to get more claustrophobic when the others joined them. But why Peter was so sure he had found the creature's home was also plain to see.

Claw marks had scarred the walls and ceiling of the small cavern, whilst an almost perfectly round hole dug by the same lethal nails allowed access into the deepest depths of the earth.

Squatting in front of it, Peter had his back to the Doctor but shuffled over slightly as he heard him approach.

"I should have found this place sooner." The soldier muttered. "Hours ago. I knew the woods weren't…"

The Doctor could hear it in his voice that he was genuinely angry with himself.

"Well, we can't get it right every time." He told him good-naturedly. "You still decided to check this place out. That's something."

"It's nothing if she's dead because of that delay."

"We'll find her." He promised. "So, where does this lead to? How far does it go on for?"

There was no way to see into the darkness, even with the aid of the torch he was carrying.

Before he had led them outside, Peter had thrust his own into Rose's hands and trudged off without another word. He had not carried one the whole way over, and even now refused to take the torch from the Doctor in order to catch a glimpse of what lay ahead of them.

Instead, he picked a small rock up from the ground and threw it through the hole.

Nothing but silence followed although he seemed to think otherwise.

"That's unusual." He whispered. "But not entirely a surprise."

"What is it?"

Peter ignored him.

Turning towards the entrance of the cave, he placed his finger and thumb between his lips and let out a low whistle which echoed out all around them.

Stefan came scrambling inside.

"Figured a way in yet?" He asked. "Can we just climb through?"

"No, it's not a tunnel." Peter replied "There's a sheer drop down with a pool of water at the bottom of it. Maybe twenty meters below us. Not too bad, we could even jump it."

"Let's get the harnesses on instead, mate." Stefan countered with a smile as he moved back towards the entrance of the cave. "Hart, bring the packs in."

Because of how narrow it was, Hart only brought in with him one of the rucksacks. The other was half pulled and half dragged inside by Rose.

The sight of her instantly irritated Peter.

"Miss Tyler, I told you to stay outside!" He snapped. "Private, get her back above ground right now."

"It's pouring down out there!" She protested. "Hart couldn't manage both -"

"I don't care if it's a monsoon! Maybe you shouldn't have come at all if you can't handle a little rain."

Crossing her arms defiantly, Rose stayed exactly where she was and made it clear to Peter that she was not leaving. It seemed to work because he did not argue back. But it was very horribly cramped now that there were five of them in the cave.

Frowning as Peter barged past her on his way over to the rucksacks, Rose watched as he pulled out a sturdy-looking climbing rope and harness.

Turning away from the lieutenant as he began to clip himself into his equipment, she crouched down next to the Doctor and peered in through the hole.

"What's down there?" She asked. "Aside from those things?"

"No idea." He replied quietly, glancing over his shoulder at the three soldiers. "But they're right to be cautious."

Trying to get a better look, Rose shuffled forward a little more.

"Don't get too close." Peter's sneering voice called out. "We wouldn't want you falling down the rabbit hole."

Furious as the lieutenant laughed at his own joke, Rose had finally had enough of his belittling attitude towards her. Rounding on him, she was ready for a fight.

"You know what, you really are -"

That was when she fell.