Anguished, terrified, she ran back to the TARDIS doors – and cannoned straight into the Doctor rushing back inside. Both of them went down in a tangle of arms and legs while Squidget was thrown up in the air.

‘Only three seconds left!’ the Doctor yelled. ‘The doors are still …’

As she spoke, the doors slammed shut.

‘Closed,’ said Yaz in a daze. ‘By themselves.’

‘No. By him!’ The Doctor pointed to where Squidget lay in the console, its metal proboscis dipping into the crystal console like a butterfly’s tongue into nectar.

And then the collector blew up.

Yaz yelled as the TARDIS was ejected violently from its landing point, a wave of pressure rattling her teeth. She was sent rolling over and over, crashing against the side of the console as the familiar ferocious gnashing of the ship’s engines filled the air about them.

Then everything was calm.

‘The collector has collapsed in on itself.’ The Doctor knelt up and smiled awkwardly. ‘That was a bit close.’

‘You tricked me,’ said Yaz.

‘No, I didn’t,’ the Doctor answered softly. ‘I told you coming in here would do something really important, something vital, and I meant it – it would keep you safe.’

‘You know me, I don’t need keeping safe,’ Yaz protested. ‘And I suppose the TARDIS was pre-set to take me back to Earth, wasn’t it?’

‘Well, yeah. Emergency protocol.’

‘And I’d never see you again.’

‘No, you would’ve! Cos, the emergency protocol comes with a really cool hologram generator …’ The Doctor seemed to appreciate that this was cutting little ice, and got up and dusted herself down. ‘Anyway, the important thing is, we got the coordinates!’

Yaz nodded. ‘So we can go after Ace.’

‘And Chantelle, and Kim, and all the rest,’ said the Doctor. ‘Remember the Astingir will be heading there too with Graham and Ryan.’

‘You don’t know that,’ said Yaz. ‘Look, these Astingir must have a chain of command, someone they report to. We have to go to them, tell them to let our friends go.’

‘We won’t get far. See, I’m a war criminal in their eyes, Yaz,’ the Doctor said sadly. ‘I hate what the Wraiths did to them as much as they do, but they can’t see that Ace and I were only trying to help them, to stand a chance of stopping the Wraiths if they ever found a way to get free—’

‘They can’t see because you never gave them a chance to,’ Yaz snapped. ‘You did it all in secret! Didn’t let anyone in on what you were up to. Not even Ace knew, did she? And look at the mess we’re all in now.’

The Doctor blinked, stung.