Sarah Jane and Luke looked at the bleeding Cromley, in his true scaly form, poised against the bathroom window, holding a pistol against his head.
'Who...or what are you?' Sarah Jane asked.
'It wasn't supposed to be like this,' he said, quiet but panicked.
Luke stepped forward, careful not to tread in the alien's blood.
'What wasn't?'
Cromley's hand trembled. Sarah Jane glanced between him and Luke.
'She's gonna...she's gonna...'
'What's your name?' Sarah Jane asked.
'C-C-Cromley.'
She turned to Luke.
'Luke, go and get some kitchen roll, just incase.'
Luke nodded and left.
Sarah Jane turned to the bleeding alien.
'She's going to what, Cromley?'
Perhaps he wasn't cut out for this business, Cromley thought, sitting on the edge of the sofa. Dressed only in his now open-necked shirt and grey corduroy trousers, he lounged back.
Harrison must have seen something in him - but not his desperation to be a hitman, merely so he'd have somewhere to live.
Five thirty.
Cromley reached for the bottle of Raspberry brandy, and almost drenched his bowl of coconut balls in it. Not a salad sandwich in sight.
How could Colin be so...nonchalant about his work? Cromley munched.
He'd almost mistaken Wormwood for an innocent passerby, who'd had the misfortune of meeting Colin. Upon realising that it was in fact Wormwood lying before him, was why he'd made zero attempt to save her.
He sighed. Twenty minutes, and a meeting with Harrison. His next assignment, maybe? He could catch up with Boyd afterwards, take a trip to Stanley's.
Beep beep.
He grabbed his com-link.
'Harrison would like to see you now.'
'I'm not due until ten to.'
'It's urgent.'
Cromley sighed.
'On my way,' he said, and hung up.
He peeled himself off the sofa, reaching for his jacket.
Hang on.
Hadn't Colin lied to Harrison about Wormwood? As far as she was aware, Wormwood had bled out in that office - or certainly that's what Colin claimed had happened.
Clutching his jacket, Cromley froze. He should tell Harrison, put things right. But should he? Land Colin in trouble? Yes, Colin did lie, but Wormwood was actually dead now. Just...forget about it, he thought. Erase the images of that rotting, dissolving body in Colin's tub.
Good, they were gone.
Cromley pulled on his jacket, and left.
Or were they?
Three floors up in the lift, though sometimes it felt longer, thought Cromley. He glanced at his frankly piss-poor attire. Perhaps he should've sought to borrow a tie from one of the passing employees. Though, the naturally lit corridor leading to Harrison's office, which shared that same light, could maybe have disguised his dishevelled look.
Cromley buzzed Harrison's door.
A tall male guard greeted him, studied him, and moved aside.
'Good...evening, Cromley,' Harrison said, motioning him to sit. 'All is...well?'
'Y-Yes, ma'am.'
Harrison glanced at his attire, and leaned forward.
'I have a...new assignment for you. But it...will also involve...Colin.
Cromley shuffled in his seat.
'Okay. Ma'am.'
Tell her, he thought. Tell her.
'You'll both...be back on earth. Thirteen Bannerman Road, occupied by...Sarah Jane Smith. Colin...will elaborate.'
Do it. No, don't.
'All right. Ma'am.'
Harrison nodded.
'You'll-'
'Colin lied to you.'
Cromley froze. Christ, it had just come tumbling out.
Harrison raised an eyebrow.
'He-kept-her-in-his-taxi-and-made-me-help-finish-her-off.'
Harrison leaned back.
'And...is she...dead?'
'Unless-dissolving-a-corpse-can-be-undone.'
Harrison nodded.
'Good.'
That was it?
'Colin...will be waiting for you.'
Cromley's eyes darted, but he eventually nodded, and headed for the door.
That was it?'
Perhaps Cromley didn't have anything to worry about. Not even these wretched garments on him. Scanning over the Earth restaurants, he could maybe try and find somewhere to eat - take his mind off all of this.
Still in Harrison's good books, it seemed. Ealing. That appeared to be this place's name. Colin was likely nearby, just waiting to jump out from behind. Cromley continued on, until he reached a new street. Bannerman Road. Just down the road was number thirteen, which was apparently a grand old thing.
'You murdering bastard.'
Cromley turned, to see a tall man with brown slicked back hair.
'You-'
Cromley stumbled, as the man lashed out, slicing his chest.
As Cromley clutched his bloodied shirt, he scrambled for his pistol, and aimed - entirely out of fear, of course.
The man didn't move, but Cromley bolted.
'Wormwood did nothing to you!'
Cromley continued, but the man did not, it seemed.
Luke approached the front door.
'Won't be a minute, Mum.'
As he opened it, Cromley thundered past, and up the stairs.
Luke shut the door and started after him.
'Mum!'
Luke pursued him, eventually reaching the bathroom.
'What is it?' Sarah Jane asked, catching up.
She turned, seeing what Luke saw.
'Don't...Don't go...'
Sarah Jane and Luke looked at the bleeding Cromley, in his true scaly form, poised against the bathroom window, holding a pistol against his head.
'Who...or what are you?' Sarah Jane asked.
'It wasn't supposed to be like this,' he said, quiet but panicked.
Luke stepped forward, careful not to tread in the alien's blood.
'What wasn't?'
Cromley's hand trembled. Sarah Jane glanced between him and Luke.
'She's gonna...she's gonna...'
'What's your name?' Sarah Jane asked.
'C-C-Cromley.'
She turned to Luke.
'Luke, go and get some kitchen roll, just incase.'
Luke nodded and left.
Sarah Jane turned to the bleeding alien.
'She's going to what, Cromley?'
'I-I-I snitched. A-And now she's going to k-kill me.'
'Cromley,' Sarah Jane said. 'Whatever you did...please, just put it down.'
The trembling intensified.
'She's going...'
Sarah Jane crouched down to him.
'Please, Cromley. Please.'
Cromley's eyes darted.
He lowered the pistol, gradually.
Luke tore off the last of the kitchen roll, and exited the kitchen. What did he-
BANG!
He bolted upstairs to the bathroom, when Sarah Jane stumbled out, her face stained with blood.
'We have to go to the forest,' she said, heading down the stairs. 'Now.'
Sarah Jane was already at her car, as Luke followed.
'Come on.'