It was a warm sunny day as the three friends took a brief rest on the green hillside.

"It's a nice day." The first man felt the warmth of the sun on his face.

"Looks like there's a storm coming though." The second man looked at the dark grey clouds on the horizon.

"There's an old police box down there. I haven't seen one of those since 1981, the Barnet bypass to be exact." The third man a former police officer looked down at the battered blue box.

"You know Foggy said that he once saw something like it while he was on holiday in North Wales."

"I wonder who's left it there? Maybe we can get something for it at Aunty Wainwright's."

"For some reason I half expect a tall man dressed as a Viking to come bursting out of it waving an axe about."

"The doors opening Clegg. Oh it's a girl."

Clegg looked down at the distant figure of the young woman, she was dressed in a very feminine pink top with matching pink shots and shoes. "Are you sure Truly?" he half teased.

"My memory's not that far gone Clegg, I do remember what young ladies look like."

"Nora Batty was always my first love." Compo smiled as an old memory surfaced.

Clegg pointed towards the police box. "Rather a colourful outfit don't you think?"

They all stopped and stared as a second figure emerged from the police box.

"Would you take a look at that coat?"

"There's not a colour invented that isn't on there somewhere."

"I like it, it's got a bit of class." Compo held up his own tatty coat sleeve.

"Well anything's better than a jacket that smells of ferrets."

"I wonder where they're going to?"

"I'm not sure Truly, but I don't think they do either. They seem to be arguing a lot."

"I think this constitutes a breach of the peace, I'd better go and have a quiet word with them."

"Oh leave them be, we'd better be going if we want to catch the half price teas."

"I am not shouting Peri!" the multi-coloured man shouted.

"Yes you are Doctor," the woman called Peri retorted angrily. "Now so am I. I suggest we lower our voices before we both lose our voices.

"Well I still say it's this way." With a sweeping gesture he pointed north.

"Doctor, I spent two months here before I started college with my folks. It was less than two miles that way that my parents decided to divorce. Not something you forget is it?"

"No Peri, I'm sorry. I usually have such a keen sense of direction. I think it was almost being crushed by that giant magnet that has scrambled my sense of direction."

"Yes well if I hadn't pulled you out in time it wouldn't have been the only thing you lost."

"True, true."

The two time travellers set off towards the nearby village, where their goal was hidden.

Of course things are never that simple, especially for the Doctor. He was currently being watched by a rather unsavoury character called Quilk.

"Soon now Doctor, just lead me to it. Then Quilk shall take this top secret weapon from you and sell it." Shouldering his Findell-Jaap 'Ranger' laser rifle he set off after the two figures.

"When were you here last Doctor?" Peri asked, curious.

"A couple of decades and three lifetimes ago Peri. I had just been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords and the Brigadier had drafted me more or less."

"Don't talk to me about drafting." She lowered her head and tried not to think of all that death and destruction.

"Sorry, well I still had a lot of Time Lord technology and the TARDIS was no longer secure. I'll tell you about that later but I needed somewhere to hide a lot of very advanced equipment so I entrusted it to someone who couldn't use it."

"Who was that then Doctor?" Peri was curious as to why the Doctor could not trust this U.N.I.T. organisation he used to work for.

"Nice chap, his name is Ely. Bit short sighted but very personable."

"What is it?" Eli opened the front door.

Peri wondered why the bespectacled man opened the cupboard door. "Ahem, we're behind you."

"How did you get in here then? Did I leave the back door open?"

"Ah no Ely, never mind. I'm the Doctor."

"The Doctor? You're not the Doctor."

"No, I'm Peri, the Doctor is over there." Peri turned the man round slightly so he was facing the Doctor.

"Ah Doctor, what can I do for you?"

"Remember when I was here last Ely? I left a few personal items in your care."

"Oh yes, some kind of radio device you said. Never could get it to work. I think the batteries must have worn out."

"Do you still have them?"

Eli pottered over to the television set. "Hmmm this drawer's stuck. Could one of you three lend me a hand?"

"There's only two of us here…" Peri began, and then she felt the cold barrel of a gun being pushed into the small of her back. "Two of us and the other one, my mistake."

The Doctor turned to see the newcomer. "Leave Peri out of this, I'm the one you want. If you're going to kill anyone kill me."

"Quilk doesn't kill people Doctor person, Quilk only takes what Quilk needs. Quilk needs the Magnum-6 ionic device, the sonic lock picks and that lamp shade."

"What do you want a lamp shade for?"

"Quiet you Peri person." Quilk pushed the gun further into Peri's back.

"Hey if you ruin this top I'll sue you," Peri retorted angrily.

Quilk thought about this of a second or two. "How do you sue alien being Peri person? Quilk is not of this world. Quilk has diplomatic immunity."

"He's got you there Peri. If you alert the authorities it will be a first contact situation and Earth isn't ready for that yet, despite my best efforts. No they'll probably put him into many, many jars of formaldehyde."

"They would do that to Quilk? What kind of people are you to hurt Quilk?"

"Leave this world now and I'll make sure you never find out." The Doctor moved closer towards the small green and yellow mottled fellow. "Speaking as a fellow alien to this world I've seen just how these people respond to aliens. Autons, Axos even Daleks."

"D...D...Daleks have been here?" Quilk gulped. "Daleks are no friend of Quilk. Quilk leave quite quietly now."

"There's a good chap."

"Not before Quilk has lamp shade though."

"Oh alright. Peri stop standing there with a gun in your back and get the man the lamp shade."

"What do you want a lamp shade for?"

"Quilk needs new lampshade for spaceship. It will add a little colour to the place."

"I can empathise with that." The Doctor smiled.

"You have too much colour Quilk is thinking Doctor person." Quilk snatched the lampshade from Peri and left.

"What a strange fellow."

Eli returned from the other room carrying a small metal box. "I've found the radio."

"Ah here it is." The Doctor inspected it carefully. "The seal of Rassilon is still intact."

"Can we go now Doctor? I hate being threatened by aliens before lunch."

"Yes why not, there's a small café down the way. We can stop there for a spot of lunch if you like. Goodbye Ely."

"Oh goodbye Doctor." Eli returned to watering his sideboard thinking he was outdoors in his small back garden.

The three friends were out for an afternoon stroll when they spotted the strange couple again.

"Ay up, they're arguing again." Compo pointed to the distant figures of the Doctor and Peri.

"Yes, I wonder what it's about this time."

They sat and watched as the couple made their way back to the blue police box and then to their joy it vanished before their eyes.

"I wonder where they're off to this time?"

"No idea Truly, but where ever it is I think they'll still be arguing when they get there."

The first few spots of rain started to fall so they hurried back towards the village. None of them saw the small space ship lift off and fly up and out of the Earth's atmosphere.