“Take your place!” the little girl commands, her voice unnaturally calm.
The boy obeys, stepping into line with the others. As one, the children turn to face the Doctor. Their eyes ignite: red, unblinking, inhuman. The Doctor recoils, squeezing his temples, desperate to shield his thoughts. But the glow intensifies, boring into him, peeling back his defenses.
He’s hiding something. Something they must not see.
The girl’s face flickers, her skin shimmering, then slipping away to reveal the alien beneath: cold, luminous, ancient. The Doctor’s mental wall buckles. He gasps, staggering as their collective will crashes through.
They’re in.
A vision: his suitcase, locked and battered, pulses in the corner. The children’s gaze snaps to it. What’s inside? The clock on the wall ticks louder, faster. Sweat beads on the Doctor’s brow as a searing hole burns through the suitcase’s lid. The girl’s eyes widen. She sees it now.
But it’s too late.
A blinding flash: BOOM!