Police Inspector Angus Gilhooey is giving a report on a strange case he had recently solved that had opened his eyes to the reality of their world. He starts by explaining that it all started at a place called Temperance Hall in Piccadilly, where a pair of twins were giving a speech entitled ‘Why The World is Not As It Appears to Be and What You Can Do To Change It’. But more importantly, he was on a mission to capture two enemies of the state who were also in attendance…Henry Gordon Jago and George Litefoot…
Gilhooey situated himself at the back of the hall, where he could keep an eye on the packed crowd in attendance. Two young identical individuals took to the stage who introduced themselves as Master and Mistress Cotterill and proceeded to start their speech. As Miss Cotterill started to talk, Gilhooey observed the crowd and spotted two men who could only be there for illicit reasons. Gilhooey gently pushed his way through the crowd towards the two men as the Cotterills continued talking and started to eavesdrop on them both. One of the gentlemen dressed in theatrical garb was whispering loudly to his companion dressed in scholarly attire – Jago and Litefoot. Jago was not convinced by the Cotterills lecture and assumes it to be a con. Litefoot agreed but decided that they should continue to entertain the Cotterills lecture for more information, even if it did cost them financially as Jago had feared.
Mr. Cotterill begins to recall how he and Miss Cotterill came to realise the truth of the world – they saw several ships floating in the sky above London. The very same sight that Jago and Litefoot had seen. Gilhooey now had the proof he needed that could condemn not only both Jago and Litefoot, but the Cotterills as well. But before he could act, Gilhooey is overcome by what he could only describe as a darkness like he was in a dream but completely aware. By the time he could get his bearings, he was back in the hall surrounded by raucous applause from the crowd as the lecture had ended. Gilhooey spots Jago and Litefoot leaving the hall holding pamphlets and proceeded to follow them to the West End whilst eavesdropping on them. Jago is less than impressed by what he had to listen to at the hall, while Litefoot was still somewhat intrigued. But both felt that they would benefit greatly from the help of four particular strangers:
• A man in a long scarf and big teeth (The Fourth Doctor)• A blonde-haired man in a multi-coloured coat (The Sixth Doctor)• A thin man with brown spiky hair (The Tenth Doctor)• A young man in a fez (The Eleventh Doctor)
Gilhooey takes note of these descriptions, believing all four of them to be possible insurgents in league with the Infernal Investigators. Nonetheless, Litefoot reassures Jago that they will not need help from any of them as they have managed to hold their own against many enemies before and they shall do so again. The two men headed for the familiar Red Tavern to plan their next move.
Gilhooey discreetly follows the Infernal Investigators inside the pub, where he watches them converse with the barmaid Ellie Higson. Noting their friendly familiarly, Gilhooey assumes Ellie to be a co-conspirator. Jago less than discreetly tells Ellie that they plan to lay low for the meanwhile before leaving the bar. But before Gilhooey could continue his pursuit, Ellie approaches him and asks him for his order. Gilhooey fails to maintain his anonymity after poshly ordering a pint of port, to which Ellie quickly deduces that Gilhooey is an undercover Inspector in plain clothes. Gilhooey assumes that Litefoot must have recognised him due to his pathology background and may have told Ellie to trap him. Ellie tells Gilhooey that his presence is unnerving her customers and firmly tells him to leave.
Not far from the Red Tavern, Gilhooey stood waiting until Jago and Litefoot exited the pub. Both men spoke at volume about their next move, to which Gilhooey construed as a terrorist plot. Litefoot tells Jago that he plans to book a hotel room in York to meet with the Cotterills at their home in Cotterill Hall. But before he could listen further, the familiar darkness clouded his mind once more…
Gilhooey awoke face to face with a train ticket inspector asking for his York ticket. Gilhooey confusingly asks if the Inspector has experienced any sort of blackouts like his own. The inspector insistently asks for his train ticket, to which Gilhooey eventually produces even though he has no recollection of buying it. Once the ticket inspector left, the compartment door opened and in walked Jago and Litefoot. After asking Gilhooey that they may join him, Jago lets slip that their previous compartment was brazen with anti-government talk, which intrigues Gilhooey. The Infernal Investigators take a good look at the Inspector and suddenly recognise him as the man Ellie had ejected from the Red Tavern not long ago. With this revelation, Gilhooey hurriedly leaves the compartment, his incognito status once more compromised. Once in the carriageway, Gilhooey has another blackout…
Gilhooey awoke standing in a field surrounded by sheep at night. He notices an austere manor home in the distance, which he assumes is the home of the Cotterills. He walked towards the manor house and the front doors opens to reveal the Cotterill twins standing in the doorway. Miss Cotterill explains that they have been expecting him and calls him by name. Gilhooey assumes that during his blackout, he had spoken with them or that Jago and Litefoot divulged this information beforehand. Miss Cotterill invites him inside to meet with the other pilgrims.
Gilhooey is lead into the front room where he meets with seven other individuals talking amongst themselves, Jago and Litefoot were among them. The Cotterills start by asking the individuals to introduce themselves. One man was a Colonel who had returned from Africa, but Gilhooey notes that his skin is not as red as a man who had returned from a hot continent. A middle-aged woman introduced herself as a widow who had recently returned from America looking for answers whilst casting glances at some of the men present. An elderly woman and her young female caretaker introduced themselves. The next man introduced himself as a businessman who sounded as if he was too busy or important to be here. Before Gilhooey could ask for each person’s names, Miss Cotterill brushes off the request and offers to escort him to his room. But her twin quickly tells the group instead that they shall all head for the library for refreshment, but no alcohol to keep their heads clear, much to Jago’s disappointment. Gilhooey notes how less and less likely it is that the Infernal Investigators are conspiring with the Cotterills and ponders the possibility of two different conspiracies at work. But before he could think about it further, Miss Cotterill interrupts his reverie and offers to escort him to his room. As he was led to his room, Gilhooey notes how different Miss Cotterill acts when not around her brother, plus he notices the rather deteriorated condition of the house as he walked through. Eventually, he was led to his room at the end of a windowless corridor.
Gilhooey found the room to be bare aside from a bed and desk. Miss Cotterill turned to leave but before doing so cryptically states that she hopes the Inspector can save both her and her brother from their waking nightmare. She places her hand on his head and deduces that Gilhooey is not like them, yet she feels a sort of kinship between them. Before Gilhooey could ask for more information, Miss Cotterill cheerfully drops the strange persona and leaves. Gilhooey proceeds to unpack the suitcase that he had no recollection of packing and discovers a silver cigarette case that he did not recognise. He notices a small crack beginning to form in the wall to the ceiling with a faint trail of dust falling. He notices how particular the crack’s pattern was forming, but before he could investigate it further, a knock on the door sounded. Jago calls to him through the door and invites himself inside. He tells Gilhooey that he owes him an explanation.
Jago tells Gilhooey that he is aware of his blackouts, but Gilhooey feigns ignorance to the subject. But Jago tells Gilhooey that he and Litefoot have been monitoring him for some time as far back as the lecture at Temperance Hall and have been aware that Gilhooey had been trying to spy on them in turn. Jago explains that every event had been carefully premeditated so that Gilhooey would leave London and travel to the Cotterill residence so that the Infernal Investigators could meet with him. With this revelation, Gilhooey breaks down believing himself to have failed in his assignment and as an Inspector. Jago reveals that they are trying to help because something has afflicted Gilhooey. Realising that Jago is referring to his blackouts, Gilhooey asks Jago to tell him what has happened to him, but Jago is unsure himself but theorises that it is the result of a failed vague conversion process carried out by the mysterious invaders occupying London. Before Gilhooey could question Jago’s talk of invaders, Litefoot arrives in the room relieved to have left the Cotterills’ latest ongoing lecture. Litefoot instructs Jago to attend the ongoing lecture whilst he brings Gilhooey up to speed.
Gilhooey demands to know from the Professor what exactly is going on. Gilhooey’s head begins to hurt with what could only be described as sharp needles penetrating his mind. Litefoot explains that Gilhooey is being transformed into something less human, but the process is incomplete and is fighting for control over his mind. Furthermore, whatever has done this to Gilhooey has England completely under its control in secrecy. The pain suddenly subsides inside Gilhooey’s head as if threatened by being identified. Litefoot asks Gilhooey to try and remember what he has forgotten, but Gilhooey struggles to do so as the same pain returns in his head trying to block them out. But with Litefoot’s encouragement, he manages to begin recalling everything.
Gilhooey recalls being kidnapped by the robotic policemen and a man with a curly moustache and inhuman glowing eyes in the middle of the night. Gilhooey was to be their bloodhound of sorts that would route out enemies of the state. Before he could elaborate further, both men hear a woman scream far away inside the manor. Both men leave to find the source of the terrible sound. As they rushed through the house, they could hear another scream, this one much louder indicating they were close to the source. Litefoot deduces the sound to be from the library, where the lectures were taking place. Outside the library, Litefoot and Gilhooey find the guests huddled outside. Declaring himself an officer of the law, Gilhooey orders the group to stand aside as he and Litefoot enter the library to see the source of the commotion…Miss Cotterill lay dead on the floor with a pool of blood forming on the floor around her head. What shocked the arrivals more was the figure standing over her corpse…Jago.
Jago explains that after he left Litefoot and Gilhooey, he headed for the library as Litefoot had instructed to meet with the Cotterills. But before arriving at the library, he heard the screams and discovered Miss Cotterill dead on the floor inside. With Jago’s testimony and that he was the first on the scene, Gilhooey reluctantly announces that he must arrest Jago for suspicion of murder.
Litefoot protests the sentence, but Jago is compliant with the Inspector’s decision. Litefoot reminds Jago that Gilhooey is not completely himself and things can get complicated, which slightly falters Jago’s confidence. Mr. Cotterill arrives and sees the horrifying sight for himself, to which he breaks down in shock. Gilhooey resolves to have justice dealt out even if it kills him.
Gilhooey could hear sheep baaing noisily close by. He looked around and saw Litefoot staring in concern at him. Gilhooey had blacked out again and ended up outside. Litefoot recounts the events that had transpired. After resolving to capture the killer, Gilhooey wanted to take in the air and asked Litefoot to join him. Gilhooey had placed all the guests under house arrest as well to make sure nobody left after he had interviewed them – an event that Gilhooey failed to recall even though Litefoot remembered them clearly. Litefoot presses Gilhooey to try and recall the interviews like he did his older memories.
Gilhooey recalls sitting at a desk in the study next to Litefoot. He recalls interviewing the Colonel, who never gave his name. Litefoot mentions how none of the individuals aside from himself, Jago, Gilhooey and the Cotterills have never given their names. It was as if the individuals in question were archetypes than people. The Colonel gives his account of his whereabouts and states that he was in the study with the other guests when he heard the scream. He and the other guests ran to investigate and discovered Jago standing over Miss Cotterill’s dead body. Next to be interviewed was the Businessman, who was indignant about the interview and details. After the Businessman was the Widow. The Widow, rather than giving any useful information tried to seduce the Inspector to no avail. The elderly lady and her caretaker gave one cryptic statement about how the house’s walls were cracking around them. Finally, Jago was interviewed, who implored passionately about how he was an innocent man in the matter, to which Gilhooey reassured him that he did believe him but needed to arrest someone to placate the guests. Gilhooey starts to doubt his capabilities as an officer as he had never done anything of distinction. He recalls how his fellow officers felt the same way about him and dubbed him ‘The Laughing Policeman’.
Outside the house, Gilhooey confirms to Litefoot that his memories are slowly returning. But the presence that is causing the black outs in his mind may be fighting back to try and keep something from him. As they walk back, Gilhooey notices how the house looks as if was rapidly decaying at an accelerated rate before their eyes, like the Widow told him. Litefoot notices this too but before they could ponder it further, a voice calls out from behind them. A man wearing a dog collar rushes up to greet them. Gilhooey asks authoritatively what the man is doing here. The man informs them he has come to visit family, even though he does confess that he is not entire certain how he came to be here in the first place. Gilhooey begins to suspect that he may not be the only one with an altered mind.
Gilhooey asks the man for his name, but the man struggles to do so. Instead, he introduces himself as the Reverend and draws attention to his dog collar being an indicator of this title. Gilhooey notices a small red stain on the dog collar. With the Reverend’s response not satisfying him, Gilhooey reiterates his question of the man’s identity with a much more serious tone. The Reverend still could not answer and is more confused as to how he wound up in this location, even comparing the events to a dream. Gilhooey began to lose patience and asks one last time for the Reverend’s identity. The Reverend relents and answers with great uncertainty of his own answer…Cotterill. With this answer, Gilhooey began to black out once more as Litefoot pleads with him to remain conscious.
Whilst unconscious and surrounded by blackness, Gilhooey began to make sense of everything that was denied by the presence in his mind. The presence had not been trying to attack him or keep secrets from him, but rather was trying to protect him and keep him away from the secrets to keep him from being further conditioned by the invaders. But now he had complete access to the invaders’ repository of knowledge, and he was going to use it to stop this madness.
Gilhooey awakens with Litefoot and the Reverend Cotterill looking at him in concern. Gilhooey springs to his feet and announces confidently that he was able to see the world through the invaders eyes. Furthermore, he now knows the truth behind the mysterious events at Cotterill Hall. He instructs Litefoot to gather the guests in the library.
In the library, strangely no one questioned the identity of the newly arrived Reverend aside from Jago. Gilhooey declares that he has the case solved and is ready to announce his deductions. At this moment, the house begins to creak and shake as if was enduring an earthquake, much to the surprise of the guests. Gilhooey instructs everyone to stay seated despite the groans of the house until he reveals the truth. He explains his connection to the alien knowledge that he had managed to tap into, much to the perturbance of the guests aside from the Widow who seemingly believes him. Gilhooey further explains that he was able to see whole new worlds, dimensions parallel to their own, the abundance of alien life that claim residence in the universe and every possible timeline based on even the most mundane of choices. As the house continues to groan, Gilhooey reveals one damning truth he learned from his alien knowledge…Cotterill House is built upon a fissure between several different worlds…
As if to confirm Gilhooey’s deduction, the house groaned and creaked. Gilhooey explains the fissure is growing wider and it has attracted the same two individuals from other worlds to converge in the house…the assembled guests are not just blank archetypes…they are all Cotterills from other universes. Understandably, the guests dismiss the wild claims, but Litefoot explains that the Reverend was confused as if he was dreaming when they encountered him. He deduces that their close proximity to the fissure has addled their minds and made everything feel dreamlike, hence why they can’t recall their identities. But as one of the Cotterills was killed, it has caused an unstable reaction upon the fissure and the house itself and will eventually collapse upon itself soon. Jago does present one more pressing matter, who killed Miss Cotterill? Gilhooey turns to the Reverend and identifies him as the murderer simply because of the bloodstain on his dog collar he noticed when they first met. Gilhooey deduces that the Reverend arrived in their world via the fissure confused and delirious as when he and Litefoot found him. Beforehand though, the Reverend happened upon Miss Cotterill who was the spitting image of his sister from his reality. Unable to comprehend the logic, the Reverend flew into a temporary state of insanity and murdered her in cold blood. The house responded by forming cracks in the walls and dust crumbling around them. Jago shouts that they all should evacuate before the house collapses on top of them. As Jago and Litefoot rushed to escape, all the Cotterills worked together to aid in evacuating each other to safety as Gilhooey watched on with satisfaction. The Infernal Investigators implore Gilhooey to come with them, but he did not respond and simply stood at the fireplace. Before the house could completely fall upon them, Jago rushes back into the library and drags Gilhooey to safety, who had blacked out once more.
Gilhooey awakened once more to see Jago and Litefoot looking down at him. Where Cotterill Hall once stood was only plain earth and just the sheep grazing. The Infernal Investigators confirm that the house had been sucked into the interdimensional fissure along with all the Cotterills. Litefoot hopes that they all managed to return to their own realities safely. Jago suddenly points out two figures watching them from a distance. A shepherd and a shepherdess – the original Cotterill twins of this reality.
Jago, Litefoot and Gilhooey rode together back to London by train. Litefoot is curious as to the nature of the fissure and glad that they were able to solve the mystery thanks to Gilhooey. Gilhooey unfortunately reveals to the Infernal Investigators that the aliens behind the knowledge databank are now aware of his faulty programming. They will eventually take control of his mind and draw him back to them. But while he is in complete control of his faculties, Gilhooey reveals that he was able to determine their enemy’s weaknesses and how to bring them down. He tells them that they must get onboard their flagship. Next, he passes them the silver cigarette case he discovered in his luggage. He assumes it to be a communicator, but he trusts that Jago and Litefoot will work it out. And with his final bit of information, Gilhooey begins to fade out of existence before their eyes.
Gilhooey finishes recounting his story to his audience – the invaders. Despite his imminent death as his mind begins to shut down from a powerful psychic force, he defiantly tells the invaders that he has told the Infernal Investigators how to defeat them. They will be their downfall! As his mind finally gave out…he let out one last laugh.
