.......Thinking as fast as her intoxicated mind would allow, she reached into her handbag and took out her mobile phone. Sluggishly, she selected the menu and dialled for a taxi, cursing the fact that she hadn’t done so before leaving the club. Attempting to get her boyfriend up into a sitting position until their taxi arrived, she never saw the large fist that struck out and hit the back of her skull. She slumped next to the man, senseless.

.......The girl’s assailant looked around through piercing eyes, his domed head and pointed ears giving him an almost an almost satanic appearance. Good. No-one had witnessed what had happened.  The industrial estate was deserted and there was not even the sound of a vehicle in the background.

Tonight, Enok had been seized by his thirst for human blood and had left the boarding house to have his fill. Swiftly, he dragged the bodies of the two humans behind one of the buildings. He had known that the industrial estate was often used as a short cut from the town to the houses nearby and tonight, he would profit from the inebriation of these humans and drink deeply.

.......Crouching over the two helpless people, he was seized by conflicting emotions. He wanted blood but also to cease the killing of innocent humans. He wanted to tell his father about his problem, but, if he did, what would his father be able to do to help him? His conscience and his craving for blood were locked in a struggle, a struggle that tonight, would end in the death of another human.

.......Enok couldn’t decide which of the humans to kill. One would be sufficient. Both smelled of alcohol and neither had seen him. All at once, the man stirred and opened his eyes. This made Enok`s decision for him. He struck the man’s head a heavy blow and, kneeling beside him, Enok sank his sharp teeth into his jugular. Enok`s eyes were bright and intense as he feasted. Tomorrow, his actions would revolt him, but tonight the taste of the blood blocked out any compassion for his victim.

An hour later he sat back from the man’s corpse. His thirst was satisfied. The girl hadn’t moved in all that time and this now precluded the need to kill her. Now, Enok must dispose of the body. Unfortunately, his energiser ring was in his father’s possession, Doomlord having needed it to help him defeat a terrorist group. The ring had many strange powers, and it was one of these powers: the ability to make solid matter vanish, that Enok now needed to utilise. He must try and ensure that the man would not be discovered and had a good idea where to hide him.

Leaving the girl, Enok hoisted the lifeless man onto his shoulder and made his way towards the river that ran behind the industrial estate. Standing on the grass verge overlooking the water, he saw what he required. Laying the man on the bank, he lifted the large boulder over to the waters` edge. He then rolled his victim into the river with the boulder quickly following on top. Standing for several minutes to make certain that the body stayed submerged, he began to feel his emotions taking a hold on him. After every kill, he vowed that it would be his last. His need to drink human blood seemed to be cyclical; sometimes he could suppress it, but every two months his will- power didn’t hold. Blood made him stronger and the rush of energy within him during a kill was incomparable with any other sensation he had experienced.

Walking back towards the sanctuary of Mrs. Souster`s boarding house, Enok`s features seemed to melt and flow, into his human identity of Mike Souster, the landlady’s son. Mike Souster had drunk a sample of Enok`s blood fifteen years ago, blood that contained Enok`s life-force, thus Mike Souster had become Enok.

There were no lights on in the boarding house as Enok inserted his key in the front door lock. Quietly, he made his way upstairs, hoping that the creaking steps wouldn’t wake his father or Mrs. Souster. His features reverted back to their true form once more as he edged past his father’s room. On entering his own bedroom he felt a sense of relief; it would be some time before he needed to take such a risk again.

.......Enok lay awake for much of the night, his addled mind finding no peace. Part of him could not accept the killing, but another thrived on it. Now that his father had returned leaving the house was difficult. If he was discovered, how would his father react?

The next morning Mrs. Souster cooked breakfast for herself. Doomlord and Enok didn’t eat human food, but every morning both of them joined her to chat and read the newspaper. Mrs. Souster was not nervous around the two aliens for Doomlord had hypnotised her with his energiser ring to see only the faces of commercial traveller Eric Plumrose and her son, Mike. In the background the local radio station was on: “The police are asking for witnesses that may have seen twenty-eight year old Stephen Johnson and twenty-six year old Shelley Taylor making their way home between the ‘Wild Nite’ night club and the ‘Old Priory’ industrial estate between one and two o’clock this morning. Miss Taylor suffered a head injury and local police are extremely concerned for the welfare of Mr. Johnson, who is wounded and who has been missing since the attack on Miss Taylor.” Enok shifted uncomfortably on his seat, but Doomlord was concentrating on a newspaper report from a small African country. It told of how civil war had contributed heavily to the current plight of many thousands of people. Photographs alongside the report showed the country’s children suffering from malnutrition; their parents looking at the camera with doomed eyes and another photo was of an aid worker administering medical attention to a dying baby. Another image, of the country’s leader, Colonel Mombassa, illustrated the opulent surroundings enjoyed by the ruling elite. The corrupt dictator had just bought a fleet of Rolls Royce cars.

.......Even after all the years that Doomlord had lived on Earth mankind’s capacity for evil as well as good astounded him. Tears fell from his Noxian eyes and he vowed to redress the balance of power in that region. Mrs. Souster laid her plate of bacon and eggs on the table and noticed her lodger’s sorrow. “Dear me Mr. Plumrose, what on Earth’s the matter?”

“I am saddened by the cruelty in this world. Why does no action get taken against the perpetrators?”

“You always were a sensitive soul Mr. P, but it’s a fact of life that some people are rich and some people are poor. The only thing that we can do is to give money to charity in the hope that it reaches the poor devils.” Doomlord could and would do more than give to charity. He looked across the table at Enok, who seemed preoccupied as the telephone rang in the hallway. “Don’t get up Mrs. Souster, I’ll answer it”, said Doomlord, rising as the landlady put a slice of toast to her lips.

.......Doomlord picked up the receiver: “Good morning.”

“Hello, can I speak to a Mr. Eric Plumrose please?”, said the voice on the other end of the line. “Speaking.”

“It’s Sir Marcus Thorpe of the Metropolitan Police. I need to meet with you as soon as possible!” Sir Marcus knew about Doomlord`s secret identity and the alien knew that there must be a very important reason for him to contact him having requested that Enok and himself be left in peace. “Very well, I will join you shortly.” Enok and Mrs. Souster looked up as he re-entered the kitchen. “I have to go and meet a client. Mike, I need to fetch a few things from upstairs, would you mind giving me a hand?” Enok didn’t understand, but played along. Once they were in the hall Doomlord explained: “While I am away continue to maintain surveillance on Councillor Miles. He is due to meet representatives of Briggs’s Construction this morning to accept an illegal payment for allowing a property development to begin on greenbelt land on the outskirts of town.”

“I will be there father.” Doomlord adjusted his energiser ring and uttered the command: “Teleporting!” His molecules began to dissemble before Enok`s eyes: “Farewell for now my son.”

Doomlord appeared in the office of Sir Marcus Thorpe of the Alien Investigation Division. The human was clearly distressed: “Doomlord- Thank heavens!”

“What is it that you wanted to see me about?” Sir Marcus indicated a seat in front of his desk and both of them sat down. “I’m afraid it’s a rather delicate matter. We have reason to believe that your son is responsible for a number of murders!”

“What leads you to such a conclusion?”

“Over the last fifteen years several corpses have been found entirely drained of blood!”

“You cannot believe that Enok has committed these offences? Noxians do not require haemoglobin for sustenance, so why would Enok kill to extract it from a human?”

“D.N.A. testing has been unable to identify the molecules in the wounds of a man found drained of blood in an alley three months ago. Eye witnesses state that your son was seen leaving the scene of the crime. The recent terrorist threats temporarily halted the investigation, but it is now my job to conclude it. We now know that your son has been on Earth during the period of time that the murders have occurred!” Sir Marcus showed Doomlord the stills taken from the C.C.T.V. footage that seemed to give credence to his argument. The photographs were indistinct, but the absence of a face beneath the hood might have proven that a Noxian was present at the incident, for no terran technology could record a Noxian image. “Sir Marcus, these photographs are hardly conclusive evidence, but I am intrigued by the questions poised by the unidentified D.N.A. I will ask Enok to supply a sample of his D.N.A. to allay your concern.” Sir Marcus was more at ease as Doomlord adjusted his energiser ring preparatory to leaving. “Thank you for your co-operation, but I am under pressure to achieve closure on this case. I must insist that there be no delay in Enok presenting his D.N.A!”

“Very well Sir Marcus, I will speak to him about it on my return.”

In a council chamber in Bradfield, Councillor Miles`s secretary had just brought in a tray with three cups of coffee on it. The three men helped themselves. “Thank you Shirley.” Miles waited until she had left before speaking. “I take it that my off-shore account is looking healthy?”, he said to the middle aged man opposite. “I wouldn’t want your application to hit a stumbling block at this stage.” The contractor handed him a file showing that an account had been opened and credited with a substantial sum of money. “Excellent Mr. Briggs. I think that this calls for a celebration. There’s a nice little wine bar just across town. Would you care to join me?” Briggs smiled broadly. The money he had paid to Miles was a sound investment. “Of course Councillor, we can go in our car. My chauffeur will take us there.”

They went out to the car park where the black limousine waited, its bodywork glinting in the sunshine. A young man who had been standing nearby came over to them. “I’m sorry gentlemen, but you must not leave. Return to the Councillor’s office and I will instruct you on what to do next!” Briggs’s colleague, a burly man in his forties snarled: “You loony! Get out of our way or you’re in for a good kicking!” He went to push the younger man but stopped, horrified as the man changed before his eyes, his features seeming to melt and flow until the criminals were face to face with Enok. “My God, Doomlord! What are you doing here? What do you want with us?”

“Do not insult my intelligence Councillor Miles. Now let us go inside.” Desperation showed in the eyes of the men. Briggs’s colleague shouted to the chauffeur: “Roberts!” The chauffeur had barely left the driver’s seat before Enok`s lightening reflexes allowed him to slam the door on the man, splitting his collarbone and shattering his shins. The chauffeur crumpled onto the ground but Briggs’s burly colleague wasn’t about to surrender. He took a powerful swipe at Enok, but the alien side-stepped his lunging fist and grabbed the thug’s collar and left leg, promptly throwing him over the car to land unconscious. Miles and Briggs knew they were beaten and Miles, his hands raised in a placatory gesture, joined the crooked contractor in edging back indoors.

A few minutes later Enok emerged from the council building in his human guise of Mike Souster. Doomlord, also in his human identity, stood waiting. “Hello father!”

“I trust that the councillor and Mr. Briggs have seen the error of their ways.” Enok`s human face smiled. “Councillor Miles will resign and Mr. Briggs has donated the illicit money to charity!” They started to walk away as two ambulances arrived by the car to deal with the injured men.

On the way back to the boarding house, Doomlord and Enok passed through the local park. As they walked, Doomlord told Enok about his meeting with Sir Marcus. “You cannot seriously believe that I am responsible?”

“No Enok, but we must assist the authorities in this matter, as it appears that the criminal they seek is not of the Earth!” Enok knew that if he gave a sample of his D.N.A. to the police his secret would be discovered. “No. I will not let them subject me to such an indignity! I have saved this miserable planet on many occasions and this is how they repay me?” Doomlord was taken aback by his son’s outburst.

“Enok, what do you know about these murders?” Knowing he wouldn’t be able to bluff his father, Enok looked him in the eye and confessed. “I am the murderer! I need human blood! I have tried to stop myself but I am cursed!” Doomlord indicated a bench, and they sat together. Enok, his head in his hands, began to sob. Doomlord put a comforting arm around his son’s shoulder, Enok weeping tears held back for a decade.

In the back yard of a house close to the Old Priory industrial estate, Mrs. Murphy had just finished hanging out her washing on the line. It seemed like a never ending job, what with a husband and three children. Picking the empty basket up, she began walking back towards the kitchen door. She jumped as the garden gate was flung open by her youngest son. He ran to her open-mouthed, his eyes wide and his complexion ashen. “Mark! What’s the matter?” The boy was terrified and his shallow breathing indicated that he had been running. “T-The r-river! There’s a d-dead m-man!” He threw his arms around his mother, burying his face deep into her waist. Mrs. Murphy held her son for several minutes before taking him inside and calling the police.

In the Bradfield park, Enok had ceased crying and just sat still, staring into space. “I have to speak to Sir Marcus. If we are to live with on the Earth we are obligated to be responsible for our actions, but I will not surrender you to the humans. I do not understand why you are so afflicted; together though, we will find a solution.” The alien and his son rose from the bench and, in the gathering dusk, made their way home.

The next morning, Doomlord, in his human guise of Eric Plumrose, answered the loud banging on the front door of the boarding house to see a police sergeant and five of his men. “Mr. Plumrose?” Doomlord nodded. “Is Michael Souster in the building sir?”

“Why do you wish to see him?”

“Just stand aside sir!” The sergeant led his men inside. Two of them went upstairs and Enok, who had thankfully had the opportunity to assume his human disguise, was brought down and out the front door. Not wanting to expose his true identity, Enok allowed the humans to caution him and place him in handcuffs. As he was about to be put into one of the two police cars, Enok looked at his father, who was standing with a tearful Mrs. Souster. “Don’t worry Mike. We’ll get things sorted out!”

“Oh  Mr. Plumrose! Why have the police taken Mike?”

“There has obviously been some mistake. I am certain he will be released very soon”, he said, while holding the distraught woman close to him.

Leading his landlady gently indoors, Doomlord was still shocked by the urgency of Enok`s arrest. Sir Marcus had said that he wanted Enok to give a sample of his D.N.A. as soon as possible. Something must have happened since they had spoken to precipitate such a potentially violent intrusion. They went into the lounge and the woman sat in an armchair. “Try not to worry Mrs. Souster. There has been some kind of mistake. Let me go and telephone a man who will be able to help.” 

.......In the hallway, Doomlord  dialled Sir Marcus’s number. “Good morning, Sir Marcus Thorpe speaking.”

“You had better have a very good reason for your actions!” Doomlord hadn’t needed to introduce himself, the human knew the voice. “Doomlord, please come to my office and..”

“Sir Marcus”, interrupted Doomlord, “ until now our relationship has been cordial. Do not believe that I can be summoned at will. You sent your men to take Enok by force, despite giving me your word that we would be left alone. It was only our desire for anonymity that saved those policemen’s` lives!”

“Please Doomlord, hear me out! I’m sorry about the way your son was arrested but the killings are attracting huge media coverage and someone has leaked the details to the press. Consequently, I’m under pressure from my superiors to take action!”

 “On this occasion you may rest assured that I will join you presently, and , I trust, bring about a satisfactory conclusion to the matter. I only hope that Enok is patient!”

Enok felt humiliated as he was charged by the desk sergeant at the police station. The humans little realised how easy it would be for him to break the bonds in which he had been placed. The female police officer removed the handcuffs and her colleague led him to a cell. The policeman opened the door and Enok walked in. The door slammed shut as he looked around, hearing the keys jangling as the door locked. Enok knew that his father would not let them be parted again, that he would not let his son rot in this pathetic prison. However, there remained the fact that it would be difficult for his father to placate the humans over the killings.

Doomlord had teleported into Sir Marcus’s office and listened intently to the senior policeman. “A man’s body was recovered this morning from the river near the Old Priory industrial estate in Bradfield. He had been beaten and his blood drained. An effort had been made to weigh the body down but somehow it surfaced. Our coroner reports that the same unidentified D.N.A. found on the previous victims was also found on this body. The body had only been submerged for a matter of hours and on being informed, the Home Secretary ordered Enok`s arrest. The connection between Enok and the murders could not have come at a worse time. Legislation has been tabled that will insist that you both follow our laws.”

Doomlord shouted angrily: “The fate of the individual is unimportant when the survival of the species is at stake. I have killed only for the good of mankind. Those that perished at my hands are a minute fraction of those I have saved!”

Shaken by Doomlord`s wrath, Sir Marcus let the air hang silent for several minutes, carefully choosing his next words while being conscious of the alien gazing at him.

“I for one appreciate what you have done for us and the alien attacks that the Earth experienced in the nineteen-eighties has galvanised all nations to support the development of a space defence system. But Doomlord, the arbitrary killings have to stop and, certainly in Enok`s case, action must be seen to be taken!”

“I understand your dilemma, but you have no power over me and my son is incarcerated only as long as he wishes. I do not yet know what has caused Enok to suffer from such an affliction, but I will help him to deal with it. We have lived on this world for two decades and mankind must decide if it still wants our protection.

It is my belief that at this point in time more than at any other my intervention may be all that stands between man and his self-destruction!”

“The Prime Minister also believes that to be the case, but he is deeply concerned about these murders and them being linked to your son.”

“Make the necessary arrangements and I will persuade Enok to take a D.N.A. test. Any subsequent action taken will be mine!”

“I’ll have him brought here immediately!”, said Sir Marcus reaching for the telephone.

That afternoon, Doomlord and his son were the subjects of a debate in the Houses of Parliament, where a crusading female M.P. had taken the floor. “Our party is due to table legislation which involves working towards bringing Doomlord and his son to justice for the many indiscriminate killings they have committed. There is growing support, particularly from their victims` families, for them to be brought before the courts and our party supports them in their quest for justice.” M.P. Stephen Hodges rose to defend Doomlord: “The Right Honourable lady has surely forgotten that without Doomlord and his son we wouldn’t be having this debate. Let me remind her that, at great personal risk, he defeated the Populators of Pollux, their Gemini Plague and the Kangol Warriors to name but some of the aliens we were defenceless against!”

The female M.P. was unmoved. “What about the people who lost loved ones in Prattlewell? Doomlord killed everyone in the whole town just to demonstrate his power. Do we just allow them to get away with taking innocent lives? Who are they to judge us?”

“You seriously propose to put Doomlord through the criminal justice system?”, said Stephen incredulously. “Precisely. If he and his son want to live on Earth, they must abide by our laws. If not, they must leave!” Stephen Hodges shook his head in disbelief. “So, just suppose we ask Doomlord to go and he complies. What happens if we are faced with another powerful alien enemy?”

“Surely you are not sanctioning his murder of innocent people in return for his protection?”

“Not at all. But having Doomlord as our protector is essential in view of the threats the Earth has faced in recent years!”

.......The tension in Sir Marcus’s office was almost palpable, Doomlord, Enok and Sir Marcus all knowing that the D.N.A. test results would prove Enok`s guilt. Doomlord quickly lost his patience. “Let us not prolong this charade! Enok is my responsibility! He will not be subjected to human justice, so my word that I will endeavour to cure him must suffice!” Sir Marcus protested as Doomlord adjusted his ring and uttered the command: “Teleporting!” ; both aliens disappearing before his eyes.

.......Having re-materialised back at Mrs. Souster`s boarding house, Doomlord and Enok were confronted by the anxious landlady. “Mike, are you alright? Is everything settled with the police?”

Enok glanced at Doomlord. “Yes. Don’t worry Mum. It was just a case of mistaken identity. Luckily for me Mr. Plumrose was able to straighten things out!”  A relieved Mrs. Souster went to put the kettle on while Doomlord and Enok sat together in the lounge. “Enok, why did you not ask for my help?”

Enok looked at the floor. “I did not know how you would react to having a son who feeds off the race that you protect!” Inwardly, Doomlord cursed his long absence and the effect it must have had on his son. “I have had many experiences of Noxian reincarnation, but have not encountered another exhibiting your condition. If I am to help cure you then you must tell me everything.”

Enok smiled ruefully. “You do not understand, I need human blood to survive and have begun to derive pleasure from hunting humans. I have tried to suppress my primal instincts but eventually I always kill!”

“My son, your condition is indeed more serious than I feared!” Always objective, Doomlord decided that the best course of action was to search for a factor present at the time of Enok`s resurrection that may account for his son’ problem, knowing that there would be repercussions with Enok having been proved a murderer.

Sir Marcus Thorpe sat deep in thought. He had just received a telephone call from the Home Secretary, who had given him the task of arresting Enok and, learning that the alien had just left his custody, had voiced his displeasure in no uncertain terms. The government now wanted Enok to stand trial for murder. Sir Marcus recognised a knee-jerk reaction when he saw one. To make matters worse, it was rumoured that the Home Secretary was considering putting Superintendent James Roper in charge of apprehending Doomlord and Enok. Roper was not renowned for his subtlety and only friends in high places had kept him in a job following a scandal where he had been accused of using unnecessary force resulting in the death of a suspect. Sir Marcus sighed.  He believed in Doomlord and that mankind had an ally in the alien. Arresting a being with such extraordinary power would be a virtually impossible task and, wanting to avoid the situation getting out of hand, reached once again for the telephone and asked for his car to be brought round to the front of the building.

In his room at the boarding house, Doomlord examined the sample of Enok`s blood under the microscope. After studying it for only a few moments he had identified the subtle mutation. “Look Enok” , he said to his son who stood alongside him. Enok did so and he too could see the difference between the sample of his father’s blood and his own. “I believe that at the time you regenerated there was an unknown factor present that caused this anomaly. If we can ascertain what it was then I will be able to help you. We know that fifteen years ago Pete and Mike Souster drank a sample of your blood in order to resurrect you, but Pete didn’t seem to be similarly affected. That may provide an answer to the problem. Perhaps our landlady can be of assistance.

.......Doomlord and Enok went downstairs into the kitchen, where Mrs. Souster was preparing lunch for herself. Now that “Mike” had returned, she was in high spirits. “Mr. Plumrose, you never cease to amaze me. How you got things sorted out so fast I’ll never know!” Doomlord`s human face appeared to blush slightly to the woman, who could only see the face of Eric Plumrose. They sat together as she ate. “Mum”, asked Enok, “Can you remember when I was about fifteen? I need to know if I was ill.”

“That’s a funny question to ask!  I’ll have to think…” She stopped eating and cast her mind back. “Well, I suppose you had colds, but nothing major. Wait though, didn’t you go to the doctors  because you were run down? Yes. He said you were anaemic.”

Anaemia. Doomlord and Enok looked at one another. “I remember having to remind you to take the iron tablets the doctor prescribed”, continued Mrs. Souster, who was still puzzled when a knock sounded on the front door.

…….Doomlord changed into his human identity and on opening the door was face to face with Sir Marcus Thorpe. “Come in Sir Marcus.” Doomlord showed Sir Marcus into the lounge and went to find Enok. When they returned and sat down opposite the policeman, it was the human who spoke first. “I’ve come to ask you to reconsider your decision.”

.......These words immediately angered Doomlord. “Sir Marcus, I have come to respect you, but do not attempt to use this as a bargaining tool. Enok is my concern and I will give him the help he needs!”

Sir Marcus could feel that he was losing ground. “You don’t realise that the government will not stop until Enok is caught, but I for one don’t want the situation to get out of hand!”

“You are indeed wise, Sir Marcus. The fact remains however, that Enok will not surrender, nor will I surrender him to you!”

“Doomlord, please…”

“Leave!” the peremptory command told Sir Marcus that the meeting was concluded. He rose from his seat, glancing at the alien who ignored him as he left.

.......Enok watched his father, who was pondering  their next move. “We must leave this place. Explain to Mrs. Souster that you are going away to help me with a sales job. We will be able to conceal our true identities in a different location.”

“Where do you suggest we go father?”

“I think London will suit our purposes; a city with a large population, and a place from where we can monitor any further developments.”

Sir Marcus had only just arrived back in Whitehall when he was stopped by his secretary. “Thank heavens you’re back sir! The Home Secretary and Superintendent Roper are waiting in your office. They’ve been here for over an hour!” Sir Marcus went in to be met by an irritable Home Secretary. “At last! So what did Doomlord have to say?”

“I’m afraid that Enok won’t give himself up, but I’m certain that if we use”

“Well Superintendent”, interrupted the Home Secretary addressing the overweight man with thinning dark hair “We’ll just have to ask a bit more forcefully, won’t we?”

“You know the power that Doomlord has. No-one wants any police casualties!”, Sir Marcus protested.

“Come on Sir Marcus! Doomlord isn’t going to kill anyone. It would only make things worse for him. Besides, the Superintendent wants to get as much information on him as he can before we make our move. I’ve authorised him to bring Doomlord`s landlady in for questioning!”   

.......Doomlord and Enok had materialised in London, and, in their human disguises, were in the process of signing in at a hotel. The receptionist smiled politely at Doomlord. “I’ll get the porter to take your luggage up sir.”

.......Once they were upstairs, Doomlord and Enok found their adjoining rooms. After their suitcases were delivered, Enok joined his father in his room. “Make certain that the door is locked before we assume our true identities!”

Downstairs, the weary receptionist had finished her shift and had got into her car to drive home. The car radio burst into life as she turned the ignition key. She pulled out of the car park. “And now the main headlines again. A large scale manhunt is being undertaken across the country by police hunting two men wanted in connection with several murders over the last fifteen years. One of the men is believed to be aged around forty, of medium height, dark haired and well dressed. The second man is in his mid-thirties, tall, and also dark haired. A third person, a woman in her fifties, has been taken to the new maximum security police station in central London and is helping the police with their enquiries. The officer in charge of the investigation states that the two men are extremely dangerous and…”  A crazy thought crossed her mind. Surely the two men who had just checked in couldn’t be the ones that the police were after. The thought nagged away until, with a sigh, she turned her car around.

Doomlord had also been listening to the news on the radio while he unpacked his clothes. When the announcer mentioned the woman in her fifties, he stopped what he was doing and changed into his human identity. He went next door and told Enok. “They are using Mrs. Souster to get to me- we must free her!”

“I agree. However, we must exercise caution!” Their attention was diverted by a knock on the door. Enok opened the door to see the hotel security guard. “Hello sir. Might I have a word with you?”

“What do you want?”, said Enok testily.

“Can I just step in for a moment please sir?” Enok stepped aside and the man walked in. “Sorry to trouble you sir, but I need you both to come down to the office for a minute.”

“What is this about?”, asked Doomlord.

“I’d rather discuss things downstairs sir!”

“I’m sorry”, said Doomlord trying to bluff the guard, “we are very busy and have an appointment to keep!”

“I must insist sir!” Enok moved in front of the door to bar the man’s exit. The man whirled round to see the guest’s human features melt and flow into those of an alien. “My G-God! Doomlord!”, he said reeling back into the other man, whose face was also transforming. “Two D-Doomlords!” With no exit, he trembled before them. Doomlord raised his right hand and his energiser ring began to pulsate. The hypnotic light mesmerised the man, who quickly became transfixed. “What do you want with us?”, commanded Doomlord.

“The receptionist thought that you might be the two men that the police want in connection with some murders. I went to check the hotel C.C.T.V. footage and found that you were invisible. So I came up here to ask you both to come down to explain. If I didn’t believe your story, I would have called the police.”

“As you can see, we are not the men that the police are searching for. The receptionist has a fine imagination. If you look at the images on the surveillance system once again, you will see that you were mistaken!”

At a high security police station close to the hotel where Doomlord and Enok were staying, Superintendent Roper and Inspector Kate Smith were continuing their interrogation of Mrs. Souster. “Come off it, Mrs. Souster, you don’t mean to tell me that you didn’t know what’s been going on under your own roof for all these years?” Distressed, the landlady could only shake her head in disbelief. “Really, I don’t know what you are on about. All this talk of aliens. It’s like some kind of nightmare. If Mr. Plumrose was here he’d set you right and give you a piece of his mind!” Roper glanced at his colleague. “Yes, I’m sure he would!”

.......Roper and Inspector Smith left the interview room. “She’s either a good actress or she really doesn’t know that her lodger and what used to be her youngest son are a couple of aliens!”, said Roper. Kate Smith had another theory.

“What if Doomlord is controlling her in some way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hypnosis, possibly.”

“Well it’s no more far fetched than us trying to arrest an alien for murder!”

The police car was travelling slowly down the quiet side street. The officer on the passenger seat spotted the body at the side of the road near some dustbins “Hey Phil, pull up! There’s someone lying at the side of the road!” The driver reversed the car back to where the man lay and they both got out. “Derek, see if you can do anything for him. I’ll radio in.” The policeman stopped in his tracks as Doomlord stepped from a dark doorway. “Doomlord!” His surprise magnified as the body stood up to be revealed as Enok, who seized the helpless policeman and lifted him into the air and threw him at his colleague, knocking them both senseless.

.......Doomlord and Enok dragged the men into a deserted building and stripped them of their uniforms. After binding the two humans securely, Doomlord and Enok`s features changed…into the exact likenesses of the two hapless policemen. “Without absorbing their minds we are at a disadvantage!”, said Doomlord, checking in the wallet of the man whose identity he had taken, “but their physical form should fool the humans sufficiently!” They got into the police car and headed back to the police station.

At the high security police station in central London, a psychiatrist had been to visit Mrs. Souster. He spoke with Inspector Smith on leaving the interview room. “Your theory about Mrs. Souster being under some form of hypnosis is correct. Doomlord`s influence is very strong and I need to consult my peers about how to attempt to release her from it. She is completely oblivious of her lodger and son’s true identities. She has genuine affection for the man she knows as Eric Plumrose and was outraged by the suggestion that he has ever harmed her or that there has, at any time been a physical relationship between them. I would suggest that you get a G.P. to examine her, just to be sure.”

“Thank you Doctor”, said Kate, who bade farewell to him and went to report to Superintendent Roper in his office. “Sir, do you think that it’s possible that Doomlord may try and remove Mrs. Souster by force? The psychiatrist seemed to think that they are very close.”

“I’ve considered that possibility. Are you armed?”

“Why, yes sir.”

“Good. From now on your job is to stay with the prisoner and no-one is allowed into the interview room. As you know, we can identify Doomlord on security cameras and if he walks in here, we should be able to nail him with tranquilisers. If you are in the least bit suspicious of anyone, hit the panic alarm!”

.......Returning to Mrs. Souster, Kate noticed that some of the police officers were carrying rifles and took them to be the weapons that would fire the tranquilisers that Roper had referred to.

.......In the interview room, Mrs. Souster had been crying. Kate sat facing her and put a comforting hand over that of the landlady, while her other one felt her hip, and the reassurance of a pistol.

At that moment, the sergeant manning the front desk was talking to the two police officers who had been sent to investigate a report of a body in a run down part of the city. “It was a false alarm Sarge. We spent half an hour looking and not a trace!” “Well, now you’re back, report to C.I.D. All available manpower is to assist in the security of the building.” No-one paid any attention to the two policemen in the busy station as they walked in the direction of the interview room where Mrs. Souster was being held. There was an armed guard outside and Doomlord noticed the C.C.T.V. camera at the end of the corridor. The features of the two policemen seemed to melt and flow as they walked, until they became those of Doomlord and Enok! Doomlord raised his hand and commanded: “Energiser to disintegrate!” The security camera vanished in the beam emanating from the ring on the alien’s hand, while Enok knocked the startled guard unconscious. Doomlord entered the room to see Kate Smith rise to her feet, drawing her gun as she stood up. “Mr. Plumrose, I knew you’d come!”, said a delighted Mrs. Souster. Kate’s eyes were fixed on Doomlord`s and she trained her gun on the alien and hit the panic alarm on the wall. A klaxon began to wail. “Doomlord- I’m warning you!”  Doomlord strode towards her and in a panic Kate fired, her shot bouncing off him.  Doomlord`s hand thrust out and Kate flew back, unconscious before she landed.

“Good heavens, Mr. Plumrose. You’ve hit the Inspector!”

“Enok, watch the door!”, said the alien as he lifted his ring, which immediately began to emit a hypnotic pulse. “You will forget all that you have seen in this room! You are to be escorted home after giving a statement about a road traffic accident!” Mrs. Souster stood, now oblivious of the situation. The fast approaching footfalls outside in the corridor ended abruptly, as Roper and three other armed policemen burst in. “Hold your fire- you might hit the woman!” Seeing Kate on the floor, Roper knew that there was no way to stop Doomlord. The Superintendent was a hard, ruthless man, but not short of courage. “Let’s see what you’re made of!”, he snarled, swinging a punch at Doomlord. His fist connected heavily with Doomlord`s chin, but he cursed and tottered back in agony, reacting as if he had hit a brick wall. Doomlord, completely unhurt, lifted Roper by the throat and threw him through the window. In the meantime, the other policemen had ganged up on Enok, but to no avail. One flew through the plasterboard of an interior wall, another was sent sliding across the table and the third was thrown through the open door, and, hitting the corridor wall at speed, slid to the ground. More men were running in their direction as Doomlord adjusted his energiser ring. “Teleporting!”, commanded the alien, and together with Mrs. Souster and Enok, he vanished from the room.

.......The rain beat hard against the windows of No.10, Downing Street as the vociferous female M.P., who was campaigning for Doomlord and Enok`s arrest continued to put her case forward to the Prime Minister. “Sir. It is imperative that these aliens not be allowed to act as vigilantes, killing just when they feel like it! I, and many others want justice for his victims!”

“I quite agree Carol, but let’s not forget that Doomlord is not a human criminal and has in fact saved millions of lives!”

“Surely that doesn’t give him the right to play God?”

“Look Carol, I quite appreciate where you are coming from, but to our knowledge, Doomlord hasn’t taken an innocent human life in years!”

“What about his son?” The Prime Minister, aware that relatives of Doomlord`s victims had instigated this crusade, tried to placate the woman. “We haven’t buried our heads in the sand on this matter. Steps are being taken to…” The Prime Minister’s attention was arrested by a knock on the door. A well- dressed civil servant entered sheepishly. “Sorry to interrupt sir, but we’ve just had an urgent report from the M.E.T. Office.” The Prime Minister frowned. He was never disturbed unless there was a good reason. “I’m sorry Carol, we must end it there for the time being!” He promptly rose and left the room.

Not far away, Doomlord, Enok and Mrs. Souster had re-materialised in Doomlord`s hotel room. In his human identity, Doomlord went to the reception and secured Mrs. Souster a suite of her own. Ensuring she was settled in her room, he was about to take his leave when she stopped him. “I just want to thank you for bringing me to London. I can’t remember the last time I had a holiday.”

“Think nothing of it Mrs. Souster. When I asked Mike for his help on this business trip, I thought that you would enjoy the break!”

Doomlord returned to his room, where Enok was listening to the news bulletin on the radio in his absence. “Downing Street refuses to confirm a report that a rift in the atmosphere is causing the disintegration of the Antarctic ice shelf at a rate much greater than was previously understood! What we can confirm is that Parliament is in emergency session and it is highly likely that this uncorroborated report from the M.E.T. office is the topic under debate!”

“Enok”, said Doomlord gravely, “we must forget our differences with the humans. As mankind’s protector, I cannot standby and watch the planet suffer a catastrophic ecological disaster that I may be able to alleviate!”

In the House of Commons, the Prime Minister had concluded that there was now an official state of emergency. The M.E.T. office report received from scientists in Antarctica, showed conclusively that the ice sheets in the Antarctic had begun melting at a phenomenal speed as a result of damage being done to the atmosphere by man’s chemical emissions. “The entire world is at risk, but at the current rate, the U.K. will have 50% of it’s` land mass underwater in less than three months! Full military assistance will be granted to the police forces throughout the country to help evacuate the areas that will flood and a meeting of the top scientific minds in the world is due to convene later tonight in order to tackle the problem.”

Stephen Hodges spoke first as the cross-party debate began:    “Sir, understanding the time frame involved, surely the only course of action open to us is to contact the alien, Doomlord?” Several M.Ps shouted him down. “Doesn’t the Right Honourable gentleman think we have enough problems without relying on a homicidal alien for help?”, bawled one opponent, who had barely finished speaking, when Doomlord materialised in the centre of the House. Every member stood up and stared in amazement; armed security men with their guns aimed at the intruder. “Doomlord!”, said the Prime Minister, “what is the meaning of this intrusion?”

The alien addressed the house: “I am aware of the predicament that the planet is in, and believe I am able to construct a device that will prevent the situation from becoming a catastrophe!” Gasps sounded around the chamber. Could it be that the fugitive alien was once more all that stood between mankind and disaster?

“Naturally Doomlord”, said the Prime Minister, “despite recent events, the British government has never doubted your integrity. I think that I speak not only for the entire nation but the entire world when I accept your offer of assistance.”

An hour later at 10 Downing Street, Doomlord, the Prime Minister and several top scientists met in the early hours to finalise the plan. “The research facility in Wales will be at your disposal. Sir Marcus Thorpe is in charge of security and the Americans inform me that they are preparing the launch site at Cape Canaveral”, said the Prime Minister. “Very well, I will now join my son who will assist me in constructing the device.” The men watched as Doomlord adjusted his energiser ring and uttered the command: “Teleporting!” before vanishing from the room…

…to re-materialise at the research institute in the Brecon Beacons. Sir Marcus, who was waiting for him, shook Doomlord`s hand and they walked down a corridor and into a laboratory, where Enok had already started work. Sir Marcus took his leave and left Doomlord and Enok to their task, a task that would test Doomlord`s superior intelligence to its` limit as father and son attempted to adapt human technology to house energy similar to that emitted from Doomlord`s energiser ring. In an explosive device launched into the stratosphere above Antarctica, the energy released by the detonation would create a force field to bridge the rift in the atmosphere and slow down the thawing of the ice shelves.

Over the next month, while the two aliens toiled diligently, many regions of the globe were suffering flooding on an unparalleled scale. In the United Kingdom, the Thames flood barrier had been severely breached and The Wash in the North Sea had burst flood defences, leaving all land as far as Peterborough under three feet of water. As the emergency services struggled to cope, a seemingly never ending series of telephone calls passed from Number 10 to Sir Marcus Thorpe’s office. Doomlord, engrossed in his work, would only say that the device would be completed in due course, his eyes never leaving his work when Sir Marcus asked him.

With the flooding around the world entering a new crisis, Doomlord and Enok joined Sir Marcus, who looked at them expectantly. “The device is completed. The Americans have constructed the projectile to my specifications?”, said Doomlord.

“Yes-Yes! I’ll let them know to expect your arrival!” Sir Marcus could hardly contain himself as he reached for the telephone on his desk. Doomlord and Enok returned to the laboratory. While Doomlord adjusted his ring, Enok picked up the strange cuboid that contained the adapted Noxian energy and went to stand against his father. “Teleporting!”

Doomlord and Enok appeared in the control centre at Cape Canaveral to the sound of clapping. One of the smiling men shook Doomlord by the hand. “I’m Chuck Jackson of N.A.S.A.. Are we glad to see you Doomlord? I’ll have the boys install the device in the nose cone immediately!” Two technicians took the large cube from Enok and made their way outside to a lift in the gantry alongside the rocket that would house it. The aliens watched the men work on a monitor in the control room.

.......When the technicians returned, Chuck initiated the countdown. “We are clear to launch. We have green lights on all systems. Countdown in minus ten minutes and counting!”

.......All eyes were fixed on the rocket as it ignited and soared skywards, Chuck Jackson’s expression one of eager anticipation. “Well, we’re safely up! It just needs the detonation timer to fire on schedule and we’ll know if your plan has worked Doomlord!”

They began their wait. Enok studied his father’s face. Unlike the humans, who were visibly tense, he stood impassively, staring at the monitor showing the rocket’s progress. At once the projectile vanished from the radar screen and the men all looked at one another. The sweat poured from Chuck Jackson’s face. Not a word was spoken for several minutes until a voice came from over the tannoy system. “This is outpost twelve in Antarctica! There has been an explosion in the sky and our instrumentation indicates that the atmospheric rift has disappeared!” The control room erupted in a chorus of applause and cheering, Chuck Jackson impulsively embracing Doomlord and Enok. “You’ve done it! My God, you’ve done it!” As the men rejoiced, Doomlord and Enok permitted themselves to share in the festivities.

************************************

Teleporting from the control room in Florida, and the men who were still celebrating, Doomlord and Enok knew that they were still faced with the fact that Enok was still wanted for murder. While they remained at the hotel in London during the weeks that followed, an operation began to combat the flooding around the world. Billions of pounds worth of damage had been caused and it would be some time before any semblance of normality would be achieved. Water was being pumped from the disaster areas and in the international community, it became a period unique in history as all worked to the same end.

At the hotel, Doomlord considered his options for the future. The humans would not stop hunting them, and now Mrs. Souster had become his responsibility. His decision to shield Enok from the authorities had placed her at risk and Doomlord realised that he would have to leave her if it became necessary for Enok and himself to re-locate. He was deeply troubled as Enok knocked on his door.

Letting his son enter he could see that he was excited. “Father- I have just finished listening to the news bulletin- the announcer appealed to us on behalf of the Prime Minister that we should contact him immediately!”

Doomlord inwardly treated the news with disdain. What did the Prime Minister want?

“I will go and see him. If this is some kind of ploy then when I return we will prepare

Doomlord materialised in the Prime Minister’s office, much to the politician’s surprise. The Prime Minister dismissed his secretary and offered Doomlord a seat. The alien remained standing. “I believe that you wanted to speak to me?”