A short time later, Rose, the Doctor, and Marlowe were back at the guest house, sitting around a large wooden table. Rose and the Doctor were listening intently as Marlowe explained all that had happened.
"It began with that strange woman. This was about a fortnight ago. We passed each other on the road, and she grabbed my hand. She told me..." He took a deep breath. "She told me I was going to die. That I was going to die in a horrible, painful way. And soon. I was so scared..." He voice broke then.
"It's okay," the Doctor reassured him. "Go on."
"She said she could help me. She was a member of a group I'd never heard of...They called themselves Thagesians. She said that, for the right price, her people could ensure that I survived that injury that was supposed to kill me. Not only that. She said they could make sure that no injury could ever hurt me. I've done some work...some dangerous work...so I was tempted, even if I was still skeptical."
"So what did you do?" Rose asked.
Marlow hung his head. "I agreed to meet with them."
"And what happened when you met with them?"
"I thought they were some sort of satanic group. A part of me honestly didn't believe they could do half of what the psychic had claimed."
"But?" The Doctor prompted.
Marlowe waved a hand. "It's...it seems foolish. You won't believe me."
"Try me."
Marlowe leaned in conspiratorially. "They weren't a satanic group, the Thagesians. I think...I think they were...not of this earth."
"You mean like...aliens?" Rose asked, trying to hide a smile.
Marlowe nodded.
"Aliens!" The corners of the Doctor's mouth twitched as well. "In Deptford! You don't say!"
"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Marlowe protested, rising as though he might storm out of the room once again.
The Doctor's expression sobered. "I believe you."
Rose put a hand on Marlowe's shoulder. "We both do. I promise."
Marlowe looked warily from Rose to the Doctor, and then slowly sat back down. "They were horrible. They were two, maybe three times the size of a man, and their skin was this burnt yellow colour, and their eyes...their eyes..." He paused to collect himself. "They said some words, in a language I didn't understand. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in an alley in town, with that around my neck," he gestured to the medallion, which now rested in the middle of the table, "and the body of a dead men beside me."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "That's the trade? A life for a life?"
Marlowe couldn't meet the Doctor's eyes. "I'm afraid it's much worse than that. It happened two more times, waking up next to a corpse. And...the second time...I had blood on my hands, and I could taste it in my mouth. I don't know how...but I think...I think I am the one killing these people." His eyes were welling up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it! I can't even..."
"Marlowe, listen to me. You were right. Those creatures you saw...they weren't of this earth. They took advantage of your fear. They used you."
"But why? What would they want from me?"
"I don't know...but I am going to find out." The Doctor narrowed his eyes. Rose could tell that, beneath his calm expression, he was furious. "The place where the psychic took you. Do you remember where it is, Marlowe? Could you find it again?"
Marlowe thought about this for a moment, and then nodded an affirmative. "Why?"
"Because I think it's about time I had a talk with these Thagesians." The Doctor's voice was icy, and his expression was one Rose knew all too well. As the Doctor followed Marlowe out of the guest house, she found herself feeling a brief moment of pity for the Thagesians.