It was a fairly normal weekend in Bannerman Road. So far.
Of course, normal can mean different things to different people. To Haresh Chandra, “normal” meant it was a good day to go outside, and wash the rather smart car that he drove. Gita, his wife, was inside their home, going through invoices and bills relating to Bloomin’ Lovely. That was the name of the florist business she ran from a small shop on the Parade, up near Park Vale station. Although, Haresh had noted more than once, she seemed to run it from their kitchen table more often than not. The kitchen was Haresh’s domain – he loved cooking and after a hard day being headmaster at Park Vale Comprehensive School, there was nothing he liked more than to come home, turn the oven on and whip up something exceptional for Gita and their seventeen-year-old daughter Rani.
But when Gita was in “bills and invoices” mode, the kitchen was lost to him for the day, so the open air, a hosepipe of water and a soft sponge to shine up his car always seemed the best option. As for Rani, she was where she always was when not studying for her exams. She was over with their neighbour and friend, Sarah Jane Smith. Haresh often wondered why Sarah Jane took such an interest in Rani and her friend Clyde. Haresh was never sure he quite trusted Clyde - he was a bit of a joker at school. Haresh had to acknowledge that Clyde had never actually done anything to upset his daughter, so he opted to keep quiet, but always kept an eye on the boy.
Haresh glanced over at Sarah Jane’s big corner house, number 13. The little green car she drove was in the driveway so he knew they hadn’t gone anywhere, but she had been in there quite some time. Then he remembered it was Saturday afternoon – of course, it was the regular Saturday afternoon call from Sarah Jane’s son, and Haresh’s former star pupil, Luke. He was at Oxford University a year early – yes, he was that brainy – and would soon be home for a long weekend. But in the meantime, he was always the dutiful son and got in touch. Poor Sarah Jane missed him dreadfully, but at least they were in regular contact.
With a smile at Luke’s success, Haresh went back to washing dirt and stuff off the front of his car.
Over the road, in the attic of that big house, Sarah Jane, Rani and Clyde were, as Haresh had guessed, grouped around a laptop, talking to Luke over the webcam. If Haresh had been with them, he might, however, have been alarmed and surprised to see that the attic also played host to a number of alien artefacts and devices Sarah Jane had accumulated over the years that she had spent either travelling in time and space with her old friend the Doctor, or since she had taken up her unofficial role as defender of Earth. From an attic. In Ealing. With Rani, Luke and Clyde. And Mr Smith, the huge, sentient alien supercomputer built into the chimney stack.
Mr Smith had actually been the topic of the initial conversation with Luke. He and his robot dog, K-9, had suggested some new upgrades to Mr Smith’s software, but Mr Smith wasn’t convinced they were necessary. Sarah Jane reckoned this was more because his old sparring partner K-9 had suggested them, but she wasn’t going to press the point. And when the one-liners between Mr Smith and K-9 had got just a little bit beyond witty one-upmanship, she had changed the subject.
‘Well, I hope you’ve finished all your coursework,’ Sarah Jane said to Luke.
Luke clapped delightedly from his small study in Oxford. ‘Ha! Sanjay owes me five quid,’ he laughed. ‘Cos I bet him you’d say that!’
Sarah Jane smiled tightly. ‘I see.’
But Clyde leaned towards the screen. ‘And who is Sanjay?’
Luke paused for a second, as if thinking how best to describe his friend. ‘Well, he’s in a room just down the hall. He’s brilliant, we just clicked right away. He’s studying biology and he’s so clever, he’s like my best mate.’
Rani glanced at Clyde and could see a look of surprise cross his face. For years, Clyde had been Luke’s best mate. They shared so much, and were such very close friends, it had to be hard for him to accept that Luke might have made new friends. Especially so quickly.
Luke carried on. ‘I mean, he’s smart, but so cool too and he makes me laugh. Great jokes and lines. In fact, I think he’s the best mate I’ve ever had in my life.’
Luke paused and stared out of the laptop screen. And then let out a huge whoop of laughter and rocked back in his seat, almost disappearing from view. ‘Oh, that’s brilliant,’ he shrieked, and then reappeared pointing at Clyde. ‘Your face! Gotcha!’
It had been a joke at Clyde’s expense.
‘What?’ Clyde asked. ‘I don’t get…what?’
But Sarah Jane and Rani were laughing too, and Sarah Jane gave Clyde a hug. Even K-9 in Oxford flashed his eyes as if sharing the joke.
‘That’s a classic,’ Rani giggled.
And Clyde realised he’d been had. Luke was teasing him, and he stared hard at his friend in Oxford.
‘No way! Forget next weekend, swot-boy,’ he said, trying to sound cross, but then joined in the laughter. ‘Oh, you are so on your own.’ Clyde smiled as Rani ruffled the top of his head. ‘Right, that’s war, Lukey-boy. I’ll get you for that, when you least expect it.’
Luke just smiled back. ‘Bring it on,’ he said.
The laughter was interrupted by Mr Smith, suddenly making a loud pronouncement.
‘Emergency broadcast!’ he said, instantly silencing everyone. ‘UNIT armed forces are converging on this house, Sarah Jane. Right now.’
Haresh had been joined by an excited Gita when the noise began. Other neighbours were standing by their houses or gathering on the corner. Old Mrs Kuthrapali was there (of course she was, it might be gossip-worthy), so was Mr Lawrence and his fluffy dog. The Frasers were gathered around their car…everyone was staring at Sarah Jane’s house, which was now surrounded by a group of black Landrovers with UNIT insignia emblazoned on their doors and bonnets. Black clad soldiers with red berets, guns slung over their shoulders, were pouring out.
Haresh and Gita had encountered UNIT before in connection with Sarah Jane Smith, so they weren’t quite as surprised as everyone else was, but neither of them was quite sure what UNIT were. Some kind of special military department, Haresh had gathered last time, which Sarah Jane must have encountered through her journalism. But he always got the impression that it wasn’t exactly a very warm connection, and Sarah Jane certainly seemed to share his concern that men with guns near Rani and Clyde wasn’t that good an idea.
‘What do you think Sarah’s done now, my darling?’ Gita asked Haresh, while peering at a tall, well-built soldier stood closest to them. ‘Should we ask him?’
Haresh sighed and eased his wife back towards their house. ‘I’m sure Sarah Jane will deal with it.’
At which point a sleek black car with red military number plates and darkened windows glided up and stopped, its nose just on Sarah Jane’s drive.
A soldier hopped out of the driving seat and opened the rear door and a woman got out. She was tall, young and beautiful, but carried herself with an authority that Haresh immediately related to. She wore a long, dark dress uniform, emblazoned with a UNIT logo on the sleeves and a ribbon of colours across her chest, and a red beret. She was in charge of all these people, no two ways about it.
As she stepped on to the driveway, a voice rang out.
‘And you can stop right there!’
It was Sarah Jane, striding out of her front door, Clyde and Rani sensibly staying back a bit.
‘I’m not having UNIT soldiers on my property.’
Haresh called out. ‘Everything all right Sarah Jane?’
She waved to him. ‘Yes, fine, thank you. They’re just leaving.’
But it was clear that the tall woman from UNIT wasn’t going anywhere. ‘Miss Smith, my name is Colonel Tia Karim, representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. May I have a word in private?’
Sarah Jane indicated the assembled troops, vehicles and neighbours. ‘Oh, I think it’s a bit late for privacy, Colonel,’ she said tightly. ‘So as you are not getting any further on to my drive, just tell me what you want.’
Colonel Karim didn’t react, as far as Haresh could see. ‘I’m sorry, but it is my solemn duty to inform you…’ and then the officious demeanour dropped slightly. ‘I’m afraid, Miss Smith, your friend the Doctor is dead.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ said Clyde, backing up Sarah Jane, along with Rani.
‘He can’t be,’ Rani added.
Colonel Karim sighed loudly. ‘I apologise for just dropping this on you all. I know you all knew him. But last Sunday, at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to Earth. UNIT’s scientific advisors have checked the DNA and it’s definitely him. I’m sorry for your loss.’
Haresh had only caught snatches of the conversation across the road, but he knew the Doctor was an old friend of Sarah Jane’s, someone very special to her. Didn’t know he was a Lord though.
Colonel Karim seemed to glance back towards Haresh and the other neighbours, adding, ‘I’m sorry for the whole wide world. Because he’s gone. The Doctor is dead.’