Doctor Who: Festival of Death: 50th Anniversary Edition by Jonathan Morris

piles of discarded equipment.
    ‘Well, best of luck,’ said Romana. ‘I hope the documentary turns out well.’
    ‘With the contributions of my colleague here, it cannot fail. I’m calling it
The Catastrophe of Death
.’ Harken put a proprietorial arm around Jeremy. ‘I… You and the Doctor will be heroes of the hour.’
    Romana shook Harken’s hand, and the grey-coated holovision reporter and his garishly shorted recruit left for the docking bay. One of the medics, the bearded man Romana had seen earlier, pushed past with the final trolley. In it was the eccentric orange lizard with the circular sunglasses. Recognising her, the reptile hoisted itself into a seated position. ‘Romana. You got the groovy medicine? From the
Glow?
’
    Romana shook her head. The drugs had been confiscated by the skullguards. ‘I’m sorry.’ She dug out the hologram ident key and offered it to the lizard.
    ‘Hoopy won’t be needing that,’ slurred the lizard. ‘They’ve lined me up a medicine wagon to Teredekethon Grand General. Totally recovery. Bliss-out. And then back to Gonzos. I have some loaf-bakingly freakish memoirs to publicise.’
    Romana let the medic trundle Hoopy to safety. Evadne shuffled from foot to foot.
    ‘Time I was gone too,’ she said. ‘Um, Romana, you know you said earlier about a ship…’
    ‘Sorry?’
    ‘When we met, when you said you worked for Intergalactic Espionage, you said you’d get me a ship.’
    Romana handed her the key. ‘Have this. Docking bay two, Bay 68. A supernova convertible. It’s in bad shape but should get you wherever you’re going.’
    Evadne gave Romana a hug. ‘Somewhere with no Metcalfs, no necroports and no undead tourists, I think. Harken’s asked me to star in his documentary, I might do that.’
    Romana arched an eyebrow. ‘Really?’
    ‘No, I don’t think so, somehow.’ Evadne beamed cheekily. ‘No, I have a bit of personal unfinished business and then, I don’t know, maybe Lajetee college, if they’ll have me back.’ She leaned forward confidentially. ‘Good luck with you-know-who. Sorry I mentioned about him dying and stuff. You know, he only dies because –’
    Romana shushed her. ‘Please, don’t mention it.’
    ‘Sorry. Say no more.’ A thought occurred to Evadne. ‘Does this mean that you’re going to go back in time and meet me again, then? Except you’ll know me and I won’t know you?’
    ‘Probably. The web of time cannot be altered,’ said Romana darkly.
    ‘Right. Well. See you earlier, then. And thanks for the space hopper.’ Evadne bounded away, leaving Romana alone with K-9.
    The Doctor returned, holding a humming life-detector. ‘Everybody gone?’
    Romana nodded.
    ‘No other life forms within detection range,’ added K-9.
    The Doctor patted the life-detector. ‘Just to make sure.’ He headed for the door. ‘Come on.’
    ‘Back to the TARDIS?’
    ‘Yes,’ said the Doctor. ‘We haven’t much time.’
    Rige locked Metcalf into the hold with a satisfying jangle of keys and clunked himself into the co-pilot’s seat of the Investigation transporter.
    Dunkal took a final gulp of black coffee, wiped his lips, and flipped the plastic cup in the disposal unit. ‘How’s our very important Executive?’
    Rige grinned back. ‘Whimpering, mainly.’
    Dunkal kicked the engines into life. With a grumble, the transporter wavered off the docking pad. The viewscreen was filled with the latticework of the G-Lock rotating around them.
    ‘You know, with this conviction under our belts, we could be in line for good things.’
    ‘Good things? What do you mean, promotion?’
    ‘Even better than that, Rige. Bigger guns.’ Dunkal heaved on the throttle, and the transporter roared away from the G-Lock, out of the hyperspace tunnel and into deep space.
    The Doctor and his companions trudged down the derelict corridor to the airlock. The G-Lock was now rattling constantly. Roof supports clanged to the floor and smoke blustered through the