Warning- ateempted rape scene but nothing graphic

The trail wasn't easy; the path was only as wide as the cart that was being hurried along it.

The men with it kept looking around them, nervously watching the snow. There had been eight of them, now there was only five...something was hunting them.

They'd been ordered by White Coat to take the empty cart and create a diversion.

Another man cried out as he disappeared over the edge of the path, his scream muffled by the snow.

The remaining four ran; they would rather face the wrath of White Coat than what was in the snow.

A figure emerged from the snow; it wasn't a creature or a slavering monster, it was a man.

The man approached the cart and let out a snarl when what he had wanted wasn't there. He sniffed the air...searching for the scent of what he wanted...but what he did catch was another familiar scent.

He growled at the scent and disappeared into the snow...intent on a new purpose.

"More snow," Ianto grumbled as they walked.

Gwen smiled. "Rather snow than those blasted midges."

They kept their voices low, out of respect not for the Master, but for the two younger Time Lords. No-one should lose their mother to murder.

"We'll never find the body," Ianto said.

Gwen sighed. "Maybe, but we have to try, for those kid's sakes."

"Yeah," Ianto replied and they carried on in silence, hurrying to catch up with the others.

Ashena was examining the ground along with Jack and the Master.

"They definitely camped here," she said and moved to another part of the ground. "The ground is clear here, like something..."

She reached out a hand and touched the patch of snowless ground and drew it back sharply.

"It's hot!" she exclaimed.

"Something was forced into the ground," Jack said.

He looked closer and frowned and picked up a handful of what looked like ashes and burnt splinters of wood. "Something was burnt here...no, they didn't..."

The Master let out a growl. "They burnt him alive...reduced him to ashes, without ceremony...no words spoken to the gate. I'll roast them like the pigs they are."

Jack looked away from the site of what was the Doctor's brutal and agonising immolation.

He forced his stomach to stay down and a shout from Gwen helped and the three of them jogged over to where Gwen, Ianto and Seska were standing.

"Looks like they split in two, the cart's carried on up, heading for the mountain and the rest are heading for the pass."

Jack scowled. "We can't split up."

"We follow the cart," the Master said. "Jakaar is too young to walk far."

"But he could be with main group," Ianto said.

"No, too many patrol drones. They all have our bio-signals programmed in, it makes sense to go up, where the drones don't go."

"He's right," Jack said before Ianto could reply. "Like we did at the start. We follow the cart."

White Coat looked at his watch...time was racing and it wouldn't be long before his jailers would find out where he'd escaped to, and he didn't want to be here when they did.

He looked over at the small bundle slung across one of the horses. He'd had to sedate his now deceased property's offspring; it's wailing threatened to attract the attentions of the metal spheres that were starting to appear in the valley below.

Another one of his dead property's inventions; another regret at losing such a valuable asset.

Then an idea began to form in his head...death wasn't necessary final. The cold would keep the body fresh; he could bring him back using the...yes, it would work. If his property thought he'd escaped him, then it was wrong.

He reined in his horse and turned to his commander. "We're going back, I want to retrieve the carcass."

"Sir?"

"I want to retrieve the carcass of my property."

"But sir...the time."

White Coat gave him a sharp look. "Are you questioning my orders?"

The commander, a hardened mercenary shook his head; he knew better than to question White Coat's authority.

"No sir."

"Good, send some of the men ahead and tell my associates to have the chamber ready, and to have the gateway powered up. We will no doubt be in a hurry."

"Yes sir, what about the kid?"

"Take it and make sure you keep it safe."

"Yes sir," he said and grabbed the bag off the horse and trotted away.

Five minutes later White Coat was heading back to retrieve the body of his property; not even death would save it from its rightful owner.

The snow was coming down faster and it was becoming dangerous to go at anything but a walk and night fell early in the mountains.

"We'll have to stop soon...so will they," Jack said to the Master.

He didn't look happy but said. "Okay, there's a cave about half a mile on. No-one but myself and the Doctor know about it. It was our bolt-hole, but I don't suppose it matters now."

They soldiered on following the Master until he stopped by what appeared to be solid rock and then disappeared. They followed and went through a small tunnel and emerged into a large cave.

Jack was surprised to see it wasn't empty, as stacked neatly in one area were medical and food supplies.

"Like I said, bolt hole," the Master said as he handed Jack a sleeping bag and then split open one of the boxes.

A fire soon chased the cold from their bones and they ate in silence, listening to the wind howling.

The silence remained as they retired and each was lost to their own thoughts.

Outside a figure emerged from the snow, sniffing the air and growling when he couldn't find the source of the scent...so close and yet...

He looked up sharply when he heard muffled hoof beats and with a silent snarl he melted back into the snow as a group of riders appeared.

One of the riders was holding a device and was sweeping it back and forth. He stopped and gestured to the others and they dismounted and began examining the rock face.

After a few minutes of searching they froze and there was some animated gesturing; weapons were drawn and they disappeared into the rock face.

A few seconds later he reappeared and this time his snarl wasn't silent...they smelt of death.

The first warning they had was the sound of weapons fire and then a group of men bursting into the cave.

It was only their battle hardened reactions that saved them from a massacre.

Jack was the first to react and without think ploughed into one of the men and they went down in a tangle of limbs, the man's weapon skittering away.

The others were all struggling with their own assailant, but there was still too many and the rest went straight for Ashena and Seska.

Ashena drew her knives and pushed Seska behind her.

"Oh girlie, you'll fetch a nice price, they like them feisty."

"Slavers," she hissed and took a swipe at the man who had spoken.

The man grinned. "A she-wolf, I'll soon tame you."

The men moved as one and they soon overwhelmed Ashena and Seska and the man who had spoken grabbed Seska by her hair and began dragging her.

She tried to fight but he hit her and her head rang with it and he dragged her outside and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew what was going to happen.

Despite the dizziness she tried to dig her heels in but the man was stronger than her and she was dragged outside.

He threw her to the floor and was on her before she could move, ripping her clothes.

The cold air hit her skin and his hands and breath felt like they were burning her.

She cried out in pain when he bit into her shoulder and forced her legs apart. She closed her eyes, so she didn't have to see his face.

She heard him snarl...no the snarl came from somewhere else.

Suddenly the man's weight was gone and she dared to open her eyes and she saw the man being lifted into the air by a spectre.

The sound of a neck being snapped was like a gun-shot to her and the spectre dropped the body.

Ashena blinked in disbelief...it couldn't be a spectre...how could a spectre kill?

The spectre turned to her and smiled but said nothing and disappeared into the snow.

She managed to get to her feet and was going to follow when she heard her name being called.

She looked towards the voices then turned back...but the spectre was gone.

"Mother," she whispered.