Read Online Doctor Who: Festival of Death: 50th Anniversary Edition by Jonathan Morris - Free Book Online Page A

not…’
    ‘The Doctor? Yes, I am,’ said the Doctor, complete with toothy grin. ‘And this is one of my two best friends, K-9. Say hello, K-9.’ He indicated the computer. K-9 wheeled eagerly towards her.
    ‘Greetings,’ said K-9 brightly.
    ‘No! No!’ At the sight of K-9 the woman began hyperventilating, tripping over her own feet in her haste to leave. She screamed in terror , fainted and slipped inelegantly to the floor.
    The Doctor shrugged, looked at K-9, looked at Romana, looked at the new arrival lying on the floor, and shrugged again.
    ‘Did the universe get out of the wrong side of bed this morning, or is it me?’ he asked.
    The Doctor helped the woman to her feet, walked her out of the cell, and rested her on the guard’s chair. Romana fetched a glass of water, while the Doctor searched through the guard’s desk which was buried under copies of
Guards & Guarding
magazines. He spotted his sonic screwdriver and stowed it in the depths of his coat.
    He wafted some smelling salts under the woman’s nose and she grimaced back to consciousness. She accepted the water and gulped it down. A minute later, she was ready to speak.
    ‘Sorry. Don’t know what happened,’ she began. ‘I think it was the surprise of seeing you again, Doctor.’
    ‘Oh, I often have that effect,’ said the Doctor. Romana coughed sarcastically, but he elected to ignore her. ‘Usually on monsters, though, it must be said. But don’t mention it.’
    ‘I didn’t realise, Romana didn’t tell me.’ The woman grasped the Doctor’s hands and rubbed them. Her eyes watered. ‘I’m so pleased to see you like this.’
    ‘Not at all, not at all.’ The Doctor felt more baffled than flattered. ‘What exactly didn’t Romana tell you?’
    The woman was about to speak when Romana interrupted. ‘Doctor, shouldn’t we be moving away from here?’
    ‘Yes, of course,’ said the Doctor. ‘Escape first, ask questions later.’ He patted the woman on the shoulder. ‘Are you ready to move, um… I’m sorry, I’m hopeless with names.’
    ‘Evadne Baxter,’ said the woman, getting up.
    ‘Evadne, yes, Evadne,’ flustered the Doctor, pretending to have remembered her name. ‘Evadne Baxter, thank you for rescuing us.’
    ‘Can we please go now?’ said Romana impatiently. The guard was groaning back to life, rubbing the nape of his neck.
    ‘Right.’ The Doctor folded up his hat and tucked it in a pocket. ‘K-9 ? K-9?’
    K-9 whirred out of the cell. Immediately, Evadne inhaled and stepped back. ‘Keep that thing away from me,’ she said, near hysterical. ‘Keep it away!’
    ‘I am entirely non-hostile.’ K-9 sounded hurt. ‘You have nothing to fear. I am programmed to use my weaponry only in defence.’
    ‘It’s gonna kill me!’
    ‘K-9, stay away from Evadne,’ said the Doctor. It was hard to understand the woman’s reaction. K-9 did not normally inspire feelings of alarm. Hilarity, yes. Alarm, no. But Evadne had obviously been scared to within an inch of her life.
    ‘Affirmative,’ K-9 said glumly. ‘This unit will maintain a maximum peripheral distance.’
    ‘Right,’ said Romana. ‘Let’s go then.’
    ‘And then this fellow called Executive Metcalf decided to have us arrested,’ said the Doctor.
    Evadne had led them back into the depths of the ship. After several devastated corridors, littered with the corpses of both guards and tourists, they found themselves in more familiar territory: the derelict shopping streets. Above the hiss of the wall-mounted loudspeakers, there was not a single sound. They hadn’t seen a living soul since leaving the prison.
    ‘Metcalf?’ laughed Evadne. ‘Well, I think we both know why that gasket wanted you out of the way, don’t we Romana?’
    ‘We do?’ Romana raised a quizzical eyebrow.
    ‘After what happened, him in his office. You really don’t remember?’
    Romana shook her head. ‘No. As I said, as far as we’re concerned none of this has actually happened