The Morning After
Part 12 of the K-Nine Tales
By Nigel Daft
“Bing! Bing! Bing!” Once again the loud and irritating sound filled the workshop. K-Nine opened his bleary eyes slowly and ordered the alarm to be quiet, but his voice was so quiet and hoarse that the alarm failed to recognise it and continued with its infuriating tone.
“Stop!” ordered K-Nine, a bit louder this time, but still the alarm went on. The “Bing ! Bing !” noise was bouncing around inside his head like a large marble in an empty biscuit tin and was not the most pleasant of sensations first thing in the morning. When K-Nine realised that the voice recognition system on the alarm was not going to work, he decided on an alternative action. A quick blast from his laser instantly turned the alarm clock into a molten lump of electronic components and plastic. Silence … at last.
The noise had gone, but K-Nine’s head was still feeling a bit ‘fuzzy’. He wandered over to the medicine cabinet in the corner of the workshop and looked inside. There were numerous plasters, bandages, potions and pills but he could not see what he was looking for. K-Nine turned to the computer and asked “Are there any aspirins onboard the ship?”
“Negative,” replied the computer “The parrot’s ate ‘em all!”
K-Nine was puzzled. He couldn’t remember ever seeing any birds in the TARDIS, never mind one as large and conspicuous as a parrot. He asked the computer for clarification “What parrot?”
“It was a joke,” chuckled the computer.
“Maybe,” said K-Nine “But not a very funny one. Any more quips like that and you’ll go the same way as the alarm clock.”
“Sorry,” apologised the computer “May I suggest a strong black coffee and some fresh air."
“That’s not a bad idea,” thought K-Nine. He wandered over to the vending machine in the corridor outside his workshop and ordered a large espresso with two sugars. K-Nine returned to his workshop and slowly sipped his coffee. After about thirty minutes the caffeine started to take effect and his head began to clear. Feeling much improved and alert he made his way to the console room. The control panel in the centre was humming gently.
“Ah - that’s much better,” thought K-Nine. The noise of the control panel was far more soothing than the Mad Toad alarm he had destroyed earlier that morning. K-Nine checked the surveillance cameras to see if anything was happening outside. It was all very quiet. Occasionally he would spot a rabbit or grey squirrel dart across the narrow lane and disappear into the hedgerow opposite, but apart from that there was no sign of life. He opened the main door of the TARDIS and went outside …