fter declaring bankruptcy, the Laird of Lorne had advertised his title and lands for sale in the "Exchange and Mart". The advert caught the eye ( he only had one ) of Hans Klappen in the Arentine hideout. However, life as a Scottish Laird had not proved the sanctuary Klappen craved. Kilt and sporran aside, the Chaplin moustache, Alpine hat and extended pinky at teatime aroused the suspicions of the gentry and tenants of Lorne alike, not to mention the CIA. FBI, C19, M15, M16, MFI and the Reader's Digest.

Lost in such thoughts, he was startled by a flickering light out at sea. He climbed the grassy knoll to get a better view and his telescope zoomed in on a blue-box bouncing around in the waves, a white light blinking on the top. What was it - a new kind of bouy? - a mine from the war?! Mein Gott. The word 'Police' was written on the top. They'd found him. This box must be some kind of vessel, perhaps even the conning ower of a submarine! They must hurry, those numb-skulls of his.

He almost slipped as he hurried back down, and as he steadied himself he heard a cracking, snapping, crunching sound.

Excellant! They had reached the casket. Howerver, as he was about to slip down onto the beach again, the blood drained from him as the headless remains of one of his men lay convulsing on the ruddy sand. He recognised the fellow's beard and scarred face between the jaws of a giant ant seconds before those features were destroyed forever with one final sickening crunch.

'The Mopp-Topp comet,' said Susie, starring in amazement at the close-range view of the speeding fireball. She was still alive, so they must need her - to fly the TARDIS? So long as she lived, she could help the Doctor, so she decided to play along with them for now.

'Diameter of impactor: two kilometres,' the Cyberman stated. 'Predicted impact energy: one million megatons.'

'The ultimate enviromental disaster,' she chocked. 'Travelling on a focused gravity beam generated by the Zarbi nest?'

'Correct,' said the Cyberleader. 'Estimated impact time: fifty-nine minutes, twenty seconds.'

Susie's blood was chilled by the combination of the creature's dispassionate voice and the sight of the ball of destruction raging forwards, obliterating the monitor-screen...