The Sands of Kharestan

The Sands of Kharestan is the ninth episode of Series 3 of Doctor Who: The Next Doctor.

Prologue
Eight months before the Final Flame

The desert was a lonely place at night. As far as the eye could see, there was only sand, the wind, and the empty sky. The wind blowing through the sand made it sound as if the ground was whispering, but otherwise it was completely silent. Or it would have been, were it not for the soft footsteps that moved across the dunes.

Varas looked around at the sand, and pulled on the reins. The dulla that he rode shook its head, and stopped at its master's command. Varas looked back at Lavinia, who was seated behind him. "Anything?" he asked.

"I don't see any light yet," Lavinia said. She hopped down from the dulla and walked forward a few steps. "If we keep going, though, we should find it eventually."

Varas started shivering. It got cold here at night, despite the sweltering temperatures during the day. "Well, if we don't see it soon we should head back. It'll be bad if we get lost out here," he said.

Lavinia peered down into the slack between dunes. "Hang on," she said. "I think there's something down here."

"What is it?"

"Throw me a coin."

Varas reached into his pocket and tossed a coin to Lavinia. She caught it, and threw it down between the dunes, where Varas heard it bounce with a loud clink. "Rocks, maybe?" he suggested.

"I don't think so," Lavinia said. "Here. Keep an eye out." She started cautiously walking down the dune, and was soon out of sight.

Varas bit his lip. It wasn't his idea to come out here in the first place. He had heard the stories about people wandering into the desert, never being heard from again. Varas and Lavinia were better prepared than those people, but in any case, it was still a bad idea. And he didn't want to be sidetracked.

"What do you see?" Varas shouted.

"It's weird," Lavinia said. "Hard to see without light, but it looks like bits of metal. It's almost like machinery in the sand."

"Well, get back up here, then."

Abruptly, a bright light appeared on the horizon. It flickered like a candle flame, and started growing bigger. It took Varas a moment to realize that the light was moving towards them. Exactly like in the stories.

"Lavinia!" he shouted. "Up here, now!"

"What is it?"

The light moved towards them at a furious pace, and as it glided closer Varas could see that the light came from a menacing fire, shifting and changing in the growing wind, and Varas caught a glimpse of scuttling legs and snapping jaws, and then the wind picked up, blowing sand into Varas's face and knocking him down.

The burst of wind only lasted for a couple seconds, and quickly receded. Varas coughed sand out of his mouth and got to his feet. "Lavinia?" he shouted.

The light was gone; it was dark in the desert once more, and Lavinia did not answer.

"Lavinia? Lavinia!"

But there was only the whispering sand.

The Marketplace
Twenty-one hours before the Final Flame

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. How does it make you feel? Right outside this door - anything and everything can happen. The possibilities are endless. And how might we discover what the possibilities are? There's only one way to find out."

"...And?"

"...Oh."

The TARDIS door was open, and a large pile of sand was now sitting at the Doctor's feet. "Anything and everything, indeed."

"We're in a desert, then," Jane said.

"It would seem so," the Doctor replied, and poked his head outside. "We must have sunk in a little bit when we first landed. That's going to be a bother to clean up."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Well, no sense in worrying about it now. Come on!" he said, and stepped over the sand to the outside.

As far as the Doctor could surmise, there were two things on this planet: one, sand; and two, heat. Both of these things were very plentiful. He could see little but the rolling orange dunes and the sky above them.

"Only one sun," the Doctor noted. "Bit boring."

"Over there!" Jane said, pointing. "There is a town over there. I can see its flags in the wind." Where Jane was pointing, there were colorful buildings and tents among the otherwise uniform sands.

"It's not too far. Should be within walking distance," the Doctor said. "Let's go say hello."

The Doctor and Jane walked through what appeared to be a midway of vendors and dealers camped out in tents in the desert. The town itself seemed quite unusual; though the humanoid inhabitants were dressed in colorful yet simple clothing, complexes of technologically advanced buildings rested a couple rows beyond the tents. The people themselves also carried strange devices. Jane did not fail to notice this fact. "Why are they all outside with these tents and not safe in their houses?" she asked.

"Cultural diversity," the Doctor said, "self-expression and simple merriment. If I didn't have a time machine, I'd probably set up shop in a tent too. Perhaps we should find out where we are."

The Doctor waved to a curiously-dressed man who seemed to be moving down the midway and completely focused on juggling a selection of exotic fruits. "Hello there!" the Doctor said cheerfully. "What is this place?"

"Kharestan," the man replied.

"Is that the name of the town or the planet?" the Doctor asked, but the other man had moved past them without another word. In fact, most of the people in town, even the shopkeepers were making their way in the same direction.

"Where is everyone heading?" Jane asked.

"I'm not sure," the Doctor admitted. "I suppose we'll find out shortly."

The Doctor walked over to one of the few remaining vendors, who wore a simple black hat. His stall appeared to be selling survival equipment and other exotic wares. "Hi there," the Doctor said to the vendor, "I'm the Doctor, this is Jane, and we're doing a bit of sightseeing. What would you recommend for us tourists?"

The vendor looked up at the Doctor. "Well..." the vendor started, "there's a Visitation starting in a few minutes at the town square. Most everybody's going there now. If you follow them, you'll find it."

Jane glanced at the Doctor, who acknowledged her by giving a subtle nod. "Sounds intriguing. You're not going?"

The vendor was visibly uneasy. "No," he simply said. "Most people do, though."

"Thank you," the Doctor smiled, and turned away.

"A 'Visitation'?" Jane asked him.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out when we see it."

They followed the crowds to an open area among the tents. Unlike the rest of the town, a layer of red brick rested atop the sand. There were four tower-like structures, one on each corner of the square, with a fifth, seemingly hastily-constructed fifth tower in the middle.

Suddenly, purple smoke started pouring out from the bottoms of the towers. It was sweet-smelling, Jane noticed, and it reminded her of the flowers that she once collected back in her home time. And after some time, a single point of light appeared on top of each tower. The light dimmed slightly, revealing the forms of five glowing winged figures with arms outspread.

An unearthly voice emanated from the first figure, surprisingly human but with a hollow, artificial, computerized echo. "Be merry, and embrace your plentiful company. You are here for each other, and you must respect your gifts."

The second figure said, "You have no need for your former dwellings. The sky will teach you, if you choose to heed its words."

"Everything you desire lies here with you. Take use of it, and both body and mind will be for the better," the third figure said.

"Do not be afraid of us. Everyone has the right to flourish in life and we are a guiding light," the fourth figure said.

Finally, the fifth figure spread its wings and spoke. "The desert is a wild place. Never stray from your neighbors. The Flames will be there to prey upon the wanderer."

The five figures closed their wings, and the glow blurred out their forms. Then the light disappeared, and they were gone. The purple smoke receded, and the square was back to normal. The various townsfolk started moving back towards the tents, walking in every direction and going about their business as usual.

Jane had never seen anything like that spectacle. "That was beautiful, Doctor," she said. "What were they?"

The Doctor did not answer. He simply stared at the towers, with a grim look on his face. Something was terribly wrong here.

The Doctor strode quickly towards the black-hatted vendor he had spoken with earlier. "You," he said once he had reached the stall, and pointed. "What's your name?"

"Mahatar," the vendor said, slightly confused.

"Tell me about the Visitations."

"I don't really go to Visitations. They make me a bit...I don't know. Uneasy."

The Doctor smiled. "Well, tell me what you know at least."

Mahatar lowered his shoulders, somewhat relieved. "It started a few years ago," he began, "soon after we colonized. The first one just showed up one day. We just call them the Angels, we don't have a better word for them. It told us to build a tower in the town square. Then it started coming there every day, and speaking to the townsfolk. Then another Angel showed up, a few months later, and told us to build another tower. Then another Angel, then another and another. It just sort of happened."

"Did they appear in any pattern?"

"Not really. The fifth one showed up about half a year ago, maybe a little more."

"And the smoke? Why did they tell you to use the smoke?"

"They didn't," Mahatar said. "It just appeared on its own. No idea how or why. The people seem to like it though. Why? What's wrong? What sort of doctor are you anyway?"

"The smoke is a hallucinogen," the Doctor said, "and the people breathe it in during the Visitations. Jane, what did you see?"

"There were five angels that appeared," Jane said. "Out of thin air, like magic. They glowed with a bright light, and spoke, and then they vanished."

"And that's not what really happened," the Doctor said. "The smoke alter's people's perceptions. Hides what the Angels really are."

"Then what are the Angels really, then?" Jane asked.

The Doctor did not answer, but turned to Mahatar. "You said that you don't go to the Visitations?"

"I don't," Mahatar said. "There's something about them that feels wrong."

"Then you're the perfect person to help us," the Doctor said. "Can you do us a favor? Close up shop for a little while. Lead us around, show us some things. To start with, the one Angel said to not go into the houses."

"What do you want to do?" Mahatar asked.

"Go into the houses," the Doctor grinned.

A Casual Robbery
Twenty hours before the Final Flame

"Here," Mahatar said. "This used to be my place, right after the colonization." The Doctor, Jane, and Mahatar were standing at the door of one of the houses. It was box-like in shape, large, and colored an unassuming gray. The walls were featureless, except for the door.

"Alright then," the Doctor said. "After you."

"The trouble is, I can't go in."

"Why not? You said you didn't listen to the Visitations."

"I don't, no. But most everyone else does," Mahatar said, "including the law enforcement. So they took everyone's access codes for the doors. For safekeeping."

"We'll need to get the codes somehow," Jane surmised. "One of us can provide a distraction, and the other two could try and find the codes!"

"Maybe," the Doctor said, and walked towards the door. He tugged on the handle, and the door opened without resistance.

Mahatar stood there, dumbfounded. "It wasn't locked?" he said. "How did you know?"

"I didn't," the Doctor said. "But I've learned from past mistakes." He smiled, and stepped inside.

The inside of Mahatar's house was very clean, and arranged somewhat like the interior of a spaceship. There was a simple bed, a desk, and chairs, but the room primarily contained closets and drawers for storage space. Despite this, there were almost no supplies or appliances in the room.

"Everything's gone!" Mahatar said. "When I left it this room was practically full."

"What did you have in here?" Jane asked.

"Mostly just equipment. People took their personal belongings out before they locked the habitations up. But there was a lot in here, I'll tell you that."

"How did you get to Kharestan in the first place?" the Doctor asked.

"It was getting overcrowded in the Tadpole Galaxy," Mahatar explained. "A couple of the satellite groups met up and decided we should move out. We discovered this planet and decided to set up here."

"So you had advanced technology in here," the Doctor said.

"Yes. Deep space commodities, scientific equipment, that sort of thing."

"Well, someone or something must have taken it all," the Doctor said. "And it's doesn't seem like they expected to be discovered - they left the door unlocked. Exactly how much equipment was in here?"

"A lot," Mahatar said.

"Enough that it would take several trips to haul it all out?"

"Almost certainly."

"Then they probably took it all over time. Grab some, take it home, come back for some more. And they left the door open each time to make it easier for themselves. Sort of like a casual robbery, if there is such a thing. And nobody noticed."

"People tend to follow the Angels' every direction," Mahatar said. "I wouldn't be surprised."

The Doctor hopped out of the house, and looked towards the five standing towers at the other side of town. "What are the Angels trying to do?" he asked himself aloud. "They didn't want people in the houses, so that all the supplies could be taken without anyone noticing. They want people to heed their words without question. But why? And what's this about the Flames?"

There was an awkward silence.

Mahatar finally said, "There's a...myth about the desert. They say at night, if you walk far enough, you can see a single giant plume of fire on the horizon. And if you go towards it, all the riches of the world await you there."

"That doesn't sound so bad," the Doctor said. "So why do the Angels want people to stay away from it?"

"That's not what they're talking about, though," Mahatar said. He was speaking more quietly now. "Almost everyone who has tried searching for it has disappeared. They say...they say that there are other flames out in the desert. And these flames move. And they will consume anyone who wanders too far into the desert."

There was another awkward silence.

"Well," the Doctor finally said, "what a cheerful campfire tale."

Jane cleared her throat. "Doctor, are you suggesting..."

"Of course I am," the Doctor interrupted, "it's what we do. Now, Mahatar, what do you say? We could use the expertise of a local."

Mahatar stood there for a while, the question rolling through his mind, before he finally said. "Alright. I'll go with you."

"Excellent! I don't suppose you own some sort of vehicle? It'll be terribly difficult to travel the dunes on foot."

"I keep two dullas behind my stall, so we can ride those."

"Splendid." The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Let's go kick up some sand."

The Fifth Angel landed softly upon the sand, and bowed her head. "I am here."

"Good Visitation? Everything go as planned?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Yes. Good."

"I will be here for whatever you need."

"Yes, yes. Let's see...we could use a patrol right about now. Go around the South Sector. Report any problems, you know the drill."

"Yes, Father Sikes."

And the Fifth Angel raised her wings and flew.

Ethereal Secrets
Eighteen hours before the Final Flame

Dullas were curious creatures, resembling some type of cross between an Earth camel and an overgrown rabbit. Every so often they made little grumbling noises, and sniffed at the air. Truth be told, though, they weren't the most interesting creatures. But they could bear a sizable load of supplies for desert transport, and carry people on their backs, so that was good enough.

The town slowly grew smaller and smaller on the horizon as the two dullas moved across the desert, one rode by Mahatar and the other rode by the Doctor and Jane. The sun was directly overhead, and the sand shimmered in the sweltering heat. So far, they had found nothing of interest.

"How much farther?" Jane asked Mahatar.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I spent most of my desert travels before the Angels came. I don't know if there's a specific boundary line or what."

"Hold up," the Doctor said, and pulled on the reins of the dulla. It stopped and snorted.

They were sat atop one of the many dunes, faced with a downward slope. "Look down there," the Doctor pointed.

Half buried in the sand, there were some scraps of metal in the slack between dunes. It looked old and worn, and some of it was rusted. "That shouldn't be here," Mahatar said. "Nobody's supposed to dump their trash out in the desert. Especially not this far out."

"Maybe they didn't," the Doctor said.

"Then who did?"

The Doctor did not answer, and instead started to move on again.

Before long, though, a point of light flashed in the sky. The two dullas immediately started to snort and shake their heads. "Doctor," Jane started to say, but did not bother to finish, and instead she stared at the feature in the sky. The light soon faded, and started to descend until a figure was standing on the sand in front of them.

"Oh my God," Mahatar breathed.

The figure turned its head towards the group. "You should not be here," it said, but its lips did not move.

The Doctor stepped off the dulla and stared at the figure, taking in its every detail. It was clearly one of the Angels, and as he had seen it before, without falling prey to the hallucinatory gas. This was no ordinary robot: its perfectly formed humanoid face stared back at the Doctor with perfect clarity; its skin seemed strangely organic, covered in plates of flawless gold and bronze; each feather on each wing was amazingly detailed, mottled in ebony and ivory; and its eyes were as black as pure night.

"The desert is not a safe place. The Flames gather here; you must go back and never return.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor simply said.

The Angel ignored him. "Go now."

"I am, though."

"Go."

"How long ago did it happen?" the Doctor asked. His voice was quieter now.

The Angel looked curiously at him, but with a hint of understanding behind its cold, blackened eyes. "I am the Fifth Angel. I came to you seven months ago to join the Four Others already present."

"It's alright. You can tell me everything," the Doctor said. "I'm not from around here."

The Angel paused before speaking, as if deep in thought. "I cannot stay long," it finally said. "They can track my movements."

"Doctor, what is that thing?" Jane asked, but the Doctor held a hand up to silence her. "Who are 'they'?" he asked.

"I am controlled by the Brotherhood. They will monitor my location, and expect my return shortly."

"A robot, then?" Jane said.

"Far, far worse," the Doctor replied. "The Brotherhood did this, didn't they?"

The Angel ignored his question. "Why are you traveling here?" it asked.

"To look for the Flames," the Doctor said, "because I have a feeling that something very, very wrong is going on around here. And I think you know a lot about it. Your secrets are safe with us. Can you help us?"

"Impossible."

"Are you -"

"Yes," the Angel interrupted, and closed its eyes. "I must leave."

"Right." The Doctor nodded. "You had a name once, didn't you?"

The Angel remained silent.

"What was it?"

After a long pause, the Angel spoke. "Lavinia," it eventually said. With that, it flapped its wings and leaped into the sky, disappearing from sight.

Mahatar had remained motionless throughout this conversation, mouth agape. When the Angel left, he let out a deep breath, and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

The Doctor stared towards the horizon. "We need to keep going," he said, and got back on the dulla.

"Well?" Jane asked. "Aren't you going to explain all this? Are we safe?"

"For now," the Doctor said. "But there are terrible things happening out there," he said, looking over the endless desert sands.

Nightfall
The Fifth Angel landed softly upon the sand, and bowed her head. "The sweep has been completed."

"Everything in order?"

"Yes."

"Good." The man pulled up a computer pad, and briefly consulted it. "Everything in order, yes."

"I will be here for whatever you need."

"Yes, fine." And the man went back to work.

Ten hours before the Final Flame

The journey had taken many hours, and yet still there was nothing but the desert dunes. It had gotten dark, and the trio had to stop for the night. Thankfully, Mahatar was accomplished at setting up tents, and soon a makeshift camp was in order. A pot of boiling water had been set up above the fire for dinner.

"Any idea where we might be?" the Doctor asked Mahatar.

"Not sure," he said. "I've never been out this far. And I don't even know what exactly it is you're looking for..."

"All in due course, Mahatar."

"Just who are you, anyway?"

"A traveler. Nothing more."

"Don't you think it's a bit dangerous to get caught up in this sort of thing? I mean, you've never been here before and - "

"Probably. That's what makes it all so fun."

It had come silently, during their conversation. Neither the Doctor nor Mahatar had seen it, and Jane was alone in one of the tents. Only now did the Doctor notice the speck of light on the horizon that was growing at a curious pace. And it made no noise; only the sounds of the wind whispering in the sand met his finely-tuned ears.

"But dangerous? Definitely yes. Because I think we may have just found something very interesting indeed." The Doctor peered at the approaching light, and Mahatar turned and saw the glow on the horizon.

"That's...I think that's a - "

"Jane," the Doctor warned, "you might want to get out here and - "

The painful blow came suddenly, from behind. The Doctor was thrown to the ground and had just enough time to look and the clattering, hideous form bearing down upon him, lit by its own fire. He rolled out of the way as a jointed metal appendage speared the sand where the Doctor was only moments before. The dullas started to panic, and ran about in circles.

The thing in front of him was unlike anything the Doctor had previously seen: a giant metal centipede, three meters in length, waved its antennae at him menacingly, and snapped at him with a pair of serrated mandibles. And even more worrisome was the blazing green fire roaring on its back, seemingly moving with the robot's every motion. The point of light on the horizon was much closer now, and revealed itself to be another one of the centipedes with a yellow fire, charging towards the camp using fifty pairs of terrible legs.

Mahatar grabbed one of the metal poles holding his tent up, and started thrashing at the yellow centipede. In the meantime, the Doctor was occupied with the green centipede, trying to lead it around the other tent while he figured out what to do and how not to get killed, eaten, or possibly irrepairably maimed.

Striking a lucky blow, Mahatar smashed the metal pole straight through the yellow centipede's head, but it only seemed to anger the thing. It threw Mahatar to the ground and prepared to leap for him, but suddenly Jane was there with the boiling pot of water, splashing its contents onto the creature. With an unearthly scream and a barrage of sparks, it sputtered and collapsed onto the sand. The fire on its back immediately started to die down.

The green centipede lost its patience and charged straight through the tent, knocking the Doctor to the ground, where he tried to start scrambling away. Before he could get anywhere, the centipede was upon him, and opened its terrible jaws. A drop of acid dripped down onto the sand, making it sizzle.

Suddenly there was a great flash and a scream, and the centipede reared up and flipped over, crashing down to the sand in a flurry of smoke. The Doctor waved some of it away and saw the Fifth Angel hovering in the sky. She lowered her arm-equipped laser weapon. "You should run," she said. "There will be more coming soon."

"But - Lavinia - what about - " the Doctor started. "Do not worry for me," the Angel said. "I will face the consequences. Walk in the direction of the rising moon. The Fathers will be there. You must finish this." And she flew away.

Coughing, the Doctor stood up. "Everyone alright?"

"Mahatar is a little shaken," Jane said. "But he should be fine."

"Right." He walked over to one of the fallen centipedes, and scanned it with his sonic screwdriver, speaking his thoughts aloud. "Not used to water, obviously. Not much of a surprise, they're built for the desert. Well-developed AI system. Not specifically controlled by anyone, but I'm sure they follow some certain parameters. Like killing strangers. And the colors of the fire; that's artificially induced. It's all starting to fit together. Anyway."

The Doctor turned towards the moon, which was starting to emerge from behind the horizon. "I think we've been summoned."

"Well, well, well."

The man was looking at the computer screen, and video images, and flashing dots. They were very informative.

"It seems we've been a bit hasty, haven't we?"

The Fathers
One hour before the Final Flame

Once again, it had appeared on the horizon. But this light remained stationary, and was the color of normal fire. Perfectly normal.

When the Doctor, Jane, and Mahatar finally arrived many hours later, the sight that met them was truly amazing. They had arrived at a deep crater within the ground, free of desert sand. A rocky pillar emerged from the center of the crater, spewing a truly immense flame into the night sky. There were ladders and scaffolding around the pillar, and people on the ladders, and people walking around in the crater. Some armored metal structures were tucked away in the cracks, free from harm. And, most worryingly, four Angels resting at the base of the pillar. There was no sign of the Fifth.

"There you are," a voice said. "We've been expecting you."

A man walked up to greet the trio. He was in his early thirties, dressed in a plain white shirt with red detailing. It looked like it had been well washed. "And I am Father Sikes. I gather that you're not from around here."

"I am," Mahatar said.

Sikes narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't talking about you."

"So, 'Father' Sikes, I take it you're the one responsible for all this?" the Doctor said, in a slightly accusing tone.

"Better words could have been used," Sikes said, "but yes. I can assure you everything will be explained fully. Brother Maynard will take your dullas. Come with me."

They descended into the crater, towards the flaming pillar. The people around it were dressed in strange robes, technologically practical but exquisite all the same. "This is why we are here," Sikes said. "It's why we are all here."

"How did you get to Khabestan, though?" Mahatar said. "The other colonists would have noticed you, surely..."

"We were here before you unpunctual sods," Sikes snorted. "We got to the Flame first. You people just sort of...arrived. A curse and a blessing, though." He peered at Mahatar, anticipating his next question. "We are the Purification. Human, yes, or as far as we know. But when we came here, we saw the Flame. And then we knew of its importance."

"And then what?" the Doctor asked.

Sikes smiled. "Why should I tell you?"

"You've told us this much so far, and we're not dead yet. So I assumed you didn't mind."

"I like you. A very clever man. I'll keep you in mind for the future. But the others came, and our work was not so sheltered anymore. We needed it to be secret, you see. So we created illusions. Wonderful stories. Spoonfeed the townsfolk and they'll follow your every command. And that was where I came in." Sikes spread his arms. "You see before yourself a master of engineering. One who does not consider his work machines, but rather art. Technological perfection in its finest form."

Sikes turned to one of the Angels at the base of the pillar. "And these are the best of the best. My magna opera. I see you've been already acquainted."

And all the anger that the Doctor had been holding came rushing out. "But it's not art. It's people! Real, living people as guinea pigs for your dirty work. And they live with the consequences you force upon them."

Sikes only smiled. "And would you like to know exactly how it's done?"

The Angel nearest to them turned its pitch black eyes towards the Doctor, silencing him before he could begin. "I could explain to you in great detail exactly how I engineer these beings, shaping them perfectly, moulding them into the most glorious image possible," Sikes continued.

The he let out a sigh. "But I only have so much time with you. I'll cut it down to the basics. Depending on the person, the enhancements will differ. Some parts will be taken out, some parts will stay in. Hormone inducers, electrical impulses, each component wired directly into their brain. The mind remains intact. Usually the heart, too. Magnificent poetry. And the best part is how the subject is acquired. Someone wanders out into the desert, disobeying the orders of an Angel? Find them, take them in, turn them into an Angel themselves. And then they will have learned, and know exactly how to tell the common folk not to do it. Sheer poetry!"

Sikes was clearly enjoying himself. "And that's where the Patrol Units come in. You people called them 'Wandering Flames', or something of the sort. I am afraid Flame is a title reserved solely for our glorious discovery. But you light them up and send them out, and bang! Instant myth. In the dark of the desert, a strange light means an intelligent presence. And they're rarely friendly. Spread the story, and there's further reason not to wander where you shouldn't.

"And when you have them under this degree of control, why not go further? Coax them, tempt them with promised riches. Lure them out of their own houses, even. With nobody to care for them, we simply take their supplies. No soul will ever need them again, and we have an opportunity to obtain new materials. Extras left over? Nobody will care what you do with them? Dump them in the desert, and nobody will notice. The perfect distraction."

"But why do it at all?" Jane asked. "Why is this 'Flame' of yours so important?"

Sikes turned towards the pillar of fire. "Because it is unlike any other," he breathed. "We did not start it. It was here when the Purification arrived on this silly little planet. Would you expect such a thing to naturally occur? Didn't think so. There is something creating this fire, and we believe it is the fabled Quintessence of lore."

"And that is?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow and turning towards the Doctor for explanation.

"A cosmic myth," the Doctor spat, "no more true than your simple fictions of moving fires. Quintessence, the mystery entity that opens infinite doors to the inner workings of reality. Don't ask me to explain it. It's physically impossible, and the minor abilities are easily explained by other proven means."

"And aren't those fictions, as well? Can you show me dark energy? Hand it to me on a plate? No. But it exists, and it is possible to harness its forces. Is it a fiction then? If that is true, then we are all fictions. All stories in the end."

The Doctor had no answer.

"In any case, that is my story. I am already aware of yours. But, to the point. You have two options at the moment. One is to join us. Help us in our cause. Help us find Quintessence."

"No," the Doctor said.

"The second is to simply leave. That's it. Leave, and never come back. We will continue as per usual, and the common folk will be none the wiser. Each option is equally viable, and these options are the only options."

"And if we refuse them both anyway?" the Doctor enquired.

"Then it seems we will have a bit of a problem." Sikes simply stood there. "So. What do you say?"

An electric explosion hit the pillar, sending scaffolding and a ladder collapsing down to the ground. The Fifth Angel hovered in the air, her arm raised. There was immediate consternation in the crater, and the other workers began to panic, calling for Patrol Units.

Sikes only sighed, and peered at the staring trio. "Go on. Start running. I know you want to," he said, and the trio quickly complied.

"What's the plan?" Jane shouted to the Doctor as they ran.

"I have absolutely no idea!" the Doctor said, and grinned.

Downfall
Thirty minutes before the Final Flame

The Fifth Angel landed softly upon the sand, and looked Sikes in the eye. "I think that we have gone far enough, Father Sikes," she said.

"Oh, dear Lavinia," Sikes sighed, and reached into his pocket. "I know that you remember. But I must remind you. You know that I have leverage, and you know exactly why."

He pulled out a small, unassuming, normal-looking remote. It had one button.

"It wasn't so much a deal as it was...a very clever installation."

And he smiled.

Twenty-seven minutes before the Final Flame

The Doctor, Jane, and Mahatar had hid behind a rock as they planned their next move. "What were you saying about the Angels again?" Jane whispered.

"People who wished they had died a long time ago," the Doctor said. "Sikes is a perfect surgeon, though I'd never admit it to his face. He knows exactly how to form a nightmare. They're not quite robots, not quite cyborgs. Real human beings inside. But they have to listen to him, because he still has the ability to make things much more painful for them. Not just physically, I imagine."

"We convinced Lavinia," Jane noted.

"Yes, but she can't take on the entire Purification alone. There would have to - " Suddenly, the Doctor's eyes lit up. "And that's how we win."

"What?" Mahatar said.

"Jane, run towards the other angels. Try to convince them to help. There are still human beings inside there, yes? And nothing says that they won't do the same thing Lavinia did."

"You got it," Jane smiled, and ran out of sight.

"Mahatar, find the dullas. We're going to need them to make it out of here."

"But what are you going to do?" Mahatar asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Give old Sikes a lesson in geology," he said.

"The thing is, Lavinia, I know you all too well," Sikes said. I learned your name, because you gave it to me. But there were many things that you didn't tell me. And I found them out for myself."

The Fifth Angel was frozen in place. She had heard this before, yet it still made the same impact each time.

"It's quite easy to manipulate someone, this way," Sikes continued. "Find their secrets, and threaten to reveal them. Works every time. Although in your case, it will be much worse than a simple broken promise, now wouldn't it?"

He smiled. "Are you willing to take that chance?"

Twenty minutes before the Final Flame

Jane ran up to the foot of the pillar. Briefly, she thought she could see the Doctor climbing up the scaffolding on the other side, but she was not concerned with that at the moment. The Four Angels were standing there, unfolding their wings.

"Listen to me!" Jane said.

"The Flame must be protected," one of the Angels said.

"That doesn't matter right now! What matters is you!"

The Angel narrowed its eyes, somehow visibly annoyed. "We mean nothing when compared to the greater good. The word of Father Sikes is law."

"Look at this place," Jane tried. "Chaos, yes? Sikes is the least of your worries right now. You people are still in there. Now is your chance to fight back!"

The Angel stared. "...Will it be alright in the end?" it asked.

"Of course!"

"How do you know?"

"Because there's a man called the Doctor here right now," Jane said, "and he makes things better."

Eighteen minutes before the Final Flame

Mahatar crept along the bottom edge of the crater, searching for the dullas. They were bound to be around here somewhere, he thought. Bigger animals couldn't have gone far.

And then he saw it: faint footprints in the dust, one track of a man's and two others of a widely splayed foot. Mahatar followed the prints, and soon came across the two dullas, tied up in the shadows.

He began to untie them when he heard a chattering sound in the darkness. He looked around, but there was nothing.

And then a drop of liquid hit him on the shoulder, burning though his fabric clothes and stinging his skin. Mahatar winced, and looked up.

The hissing shape of a centipede and the light of a deep blue fire looked right back at him.

Seventeen minutes before the Final Flame

Sikes stood before the Fifth Angel, calm and in control. "It's your choice," he said.

"A word, if I may?" a voice asked from behind Sikes. He turned, and saw the Doctor standing atop the scaffolding along the Flame's pillar. "I would appreciate it if you didn't touch that," Sikes said.

"There's nothing strange or mystical about the fire at all, you know," the Doctor said. "It's fed by natural gases deep under the ground. A perfectly natural phenomenon. It's not the first time someone's made this mistake, I'll have you know."

"And that's where you're wrong," Sikes said. "We will find Quintessence, and we shall ascend into glory."

The Doctor held up a somewhat hefty rock. "Believe what you want. If it makes you feel any better, keep working away in the night and devoting your life to this thing. But if you don't stop taking people for your own ends...it'll all come to end. I can plug the hole where the Flame comes through. The heat will build up, and the pillar will collapse within minutes. It's your choice."

"We will keep doing what we have always done, until we find what we're looking for," Sikes said, "and you will either let us do that or die. And we can easily kill you - or send you to a worse fate."

Abruptly, Mahatar came running through the middle of the crater leading the two dullas. Fast behind him, a group of centipedes were snapping their jaws. Mahatar ran straight into Sikes, who was knocked to the ground. Like a flash, Lavinia grabbed Sikes's device, which had escaped from his hand.

In the night sky, the four other Angels rose up and lifted their arms forward. A flurry of energy bolts shot down into the crater at the centipedes, keeping them at bay. The Doctor threw the rock into the top of the pillar, extinguishing the visible part of the Flame. Smoke immediately began seeping out through the rim.

Jane and Mahatar were already sat upon the dullas, and were positioned below the scaffolding. The Doctor jumped down from the top and straight onto one of the dullas, which warbled and started galloping away. The other dulla followed suit.

As they ran, the Doctor caught sight of Sikes, who was getting up off the ground. There was chaos all around him: the four Angels were fighting off the centipedes, the pillar was beginning to rumble, and the subordinate workers were shouting and starting to escape the crater. Sikes stared at the Doctor with a piercing glare.

"You've made a very bad decision," Sikes hissed.

And then the Doctor saw a winged form rising from the flurry of flames and debris. The Angel looked straight at the Doctor and gave a single nod. Then the dullas leapt over the edge of the crater, and it was all out of sight.

There was a great explosion in the crater, sending a shockwave through the desert. The Doctor heard it all, and kept riding into the night.

Endings
Two hours after the Final Flame

The sun was beginning to rise over the desert, casting long shadows and a warm orange glow over the sand. The Doctor, Jane, and Mahatar had rested near a series of canyons cut into the earth, not far from the desolate crater. And now the Doctor thought he could see a distant figure, standing at the edge of the canyons. Before the other two woke up, he started off towards the silhouette.

The being he had known as Lavinia was looking down into the canyon. She said nothing when he approached.

"All over, then," the Doctor said.

He noticed that she was holding the remote-like device that Sikes had held the night before. She glanced at it occasionally, before looking back into the canyon.

Finally, she said "I cannot go back like this. The Purification is over, the Fathers are gone. The Flame is out forever. I have no more purpose."

"Don't feel that way," the Doctor said. "You're not a machine, you're human. You can do so much more yet."

"That will not come to pass," the Fifth Angel said. "The process is irreversible. The people will no longer need Visitations. You observed what happened at the Site of the Flame; and I believe I am the only Angel that survived."

"I know the feeling," the Doctor said. "But you have hope, instead. That's more valuable than anything else."

The Angel turned its head towards the Doctor. "Perhaps. But you have not lived my life. It would be impossible to understand."

Knowing he was bested, the Doctor said nothing.

"It is only for the best. You did what you could. And I am very grateful."

For the first time, she smiled. "Thank you," she said.

And the Fifth Angel folded her wings and fell.

The Doctor rushed to the edge of the canyon, but he was too late to grab her.

Eventually, the Doctor, Jane, and Mahatar made their way back to the town. "It's been quite a ride, but I'm afraid we must depart," the Doctor said to Mahatar. "The people are going to be confused at first. Frightened, even. You know what happened. So you should be there to tell them. And maybe, lead them towards a new way of life."

"I'll do my best," Mahatar said. "Will you be back?"

"Possibly," the Doctor said. "Not sure. Maybe we'll never return here. Or maybe we'll be back tomorrow. Until we know...goodbye." And he smiled.

The Doctor and Jane walked back to the TARDIS. "Doctor, can I ask you something?" Jane asked.

"Of course."

"Next, can we go somewhere where it's a bit cooler outside?"

The Doctor laughed, and opened the door for Jane. He shut it, and then briefly turned to get one last glimpse of the desert.

As he stood there, he considered what had happened out there. The Purification was misguided, naturally. They weren't the first ones to make that mistake. But he never managed to find out what happened to Sikes. Or the rest of the Angels, for that matter. Dead? Probably. It was a good story, in any case. But then again...

...what if they weren't wrong?

The Doctor quickly shook the thought out of his head. And finally he considered the lyrics of a song he had once heard:

''Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealed''

As he remembered them, the Doctor considered how relevant these words were. Perhaps, he thought, he could go and convince someone to write that song right now.

The Doctor entered the TARDIS, and with a grinding of engines, it dematerialized, kicking up a sudden wind that whispered in the sand.