All sensation faded away from her as she felt the needle pierce her flesh. A hand that had been stroking her hair seemed to vanish as she closed her eyes and entered sweet oblivion. It seemed safer there in darkness. For those moments of chemically induced sleep she could forget everything. Forget that face frozen in time. Forget those eyes staring lifelessly at her. Forget that face asking her why. Outside of her slumber the rest of the world neither mattered nor existed.

She was oblivious to the movements of those around her. Their voices raised, shouting. She couldn't feel herself being lifted from the floor, carried outside into the silent dance of snowflakes glittering as they fell. In amongst the chaos she floated high above the ground, moved into a safer realm where nothing could harm her.

Nothing of flesh and blood.

It was almost too awful to consider. There wasn't a part of the head he could rest his eyes without feeling disgusted. He'd arrived in the midst of it all. Robyn opening the box, lifting it up as he threw himself across the room and grabbed her. The wet thud as the head hit the floor and rolled towards his subordinate. He'd stopped it with his foot as if it were a football before full realisation of what it was dawned upon him. All around him he'd witnessed people jumping back, falling into chairs or standing frozen by primordial fear. Ripping his eyes from that questioning expression he saw the Doctor move towards Robyn where he held her tightly, her uncle trying to shield her from the vision of what had sent her into a panic. He'd seen the Doctor move away to grab his bag, his hands searching inside it as he pulled out a syringe and a vial, the careful measurement of the vial's contents before he returned to Robyn. A fleeting glimmer of momentary pain tightening her face as the needle entered her neck before her body seemed to shut down and Sportacus carried her away.

Her reaction had been more than that of someone facing a stranger, more than that of experiencing what she had for the first time. It had been that of someone showing a fundamental sign of recognition.

She knew whose head it was in the box.

Skirting around the head, Langford picked up the box that lay empty on the floor. He looked at his leader who still seemed to be trying to catch up with himself. They struggled under the same weight and they exchanged an understanding look before he turned and covered the head with the box. A few smears of blood long dried were visible on its surface as the bottom of the box became the top. With the horror out of sight and out of mind Langford felt a surge of irritation inside him that he could not control the impulse to voice.

"What kind of sick fuck decapitates a priest, gift wraps his head in a box and sends it to his sister?" He shouted with his fists clenched. "And what the bloody hell is the CD for? Some kind of twisted digital Christmas card or an instructional DVD on how to behead people with a complimentary bonce with every order?"

Boris wiped his hand across his forehead as he stood up from where he'd been leaning against the wall by the stairs, "Langford, take a walk. If you're up for it take him with you."

Langford bit his tongue as he knelt down and awkwardly tried to scoop the head up with the box. He wondered if there was any prayer he should offer as he clumsily handled what remained of the holy man but this was an occurrence that he was sure had not befallen many of the priest's kindred. Finally managing to get the head in the box without touching it more than he had to, Langford flipped it right way up and resealed it. Holding it as far away from him as he could he stood up and turned to Boris.

"Orders?"

"Get Peters and Salonen out after the delivery van, they checked his ID. Alert the units in ToothTown, Greentown and Sweet City. Get them to canvass every church in their areas for the rest of our friend. If there's no sign maybe someone knows who he is or where he came from." Boris instructed.

Without hesitation, Langford carried the box out of the house and towards the base. He barked at Peters and Salonen to track the van and bring the driver back to town for questioning. To others standing by he called for them to contact the other units in the area and tell them of their unwanted discovery. Orders passed on he continued on towards the base, an uncomfortable thought reaching him as he wished for their original base and the equipment they'd had.

Especially the evidence fridge.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Kit peeled Robbie from his orange chair where the man had jumped back at the appearance of the head and almost tipped it over with the force of his impact. He too had jumped back, falling against the sofa and was sure he'd have a nasty bruise where his leg had caught that of the coffee table. Making sure Robbie was steady where he stood he walked over to where the CD lay on the floor and carefully picked it up.

"What do we do with this?"

Boris came over to Kit and carefully took the CD from his hand, "Let's test it. I'm sure whatever's on here is for Robyn and Robyn alone but if it's anything nasty I don't want to take any chances. She's had a big enough shock already."

Placing the CD in the CD player they listened, after a moment's silence a song began to play. Robbie faltered as the haunting melody filled the room; Doctor Cole approached him and pushed him gently back into his chair. He placed a placating hand on Robbie's arm as they listened to the words of the song. Its lyrics meant little to them but left them with a haunting feeling of foreboding. Whatever it's meaning to Robyn it gave them a clear message.

Morgan wanted her.