The Girl Who Drifted | doctor who (Book 3)

The Runaway Bride (II)

The plot thickens as the Doctor, Willow and Donna gain more clues into what they are facing this Christmas.

***

The Doctor sighed, about to wander back over to the bar when someone caught his eye. A nearby cameraman was looking through what he had recorded earlier in the day, something the Doctor wanted to see.

He waltzed over and asked to see the footage of Donna's disappearance; the cameraman gladly complied. "Oh, I taped the whole thing. They've all had a look. They said sell it to You've Been Framed. I said, more like the News. Here we are."

The replay showed exactly how Donna vanished. For just a few seconds, golden particles emerged from her as she began to scream. Then she vanished, most likely being transported into the TARDIS. "Can't be. Play it again?"

The cameraman rewound it, the Doctor leaning in for a closer look. "Clever, mind. Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping."

"But that looks like Huon Particles." He said.

"What's that then?"

"That's impossible. That's ancient. Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years." He removed his glasses, confused. All of a sudden, he glanced back and over at Donna, finally realising the problem. "So old that it can't be hidden by a bio-damper!"

The Doctor quickly sprinted out of the room, heading down a corridor that led towards the entrance; he found Willow nearby who had clearly been sobbing. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"She's got Huon Particles in her, meaning she can still be traced." He recounted to her as they gazed out a window to find robot Santas approaching fast with their instruments of death.

He grasped Willow's hand, pulling her back into the room filled with all the wedding guests. They ran up to Donna, scared for what the Santas had planned for them. "Donna, they've found you!" She exclaimed.

"But you said I was safe."

"The bio-damper doesn't work. We've got to get everyone out." The Doctor told her.

She glimpsed around the room, fear growing inside her. "My God, it's all my family."

"Out the back door!" They all ran over to back exit of the building, opening the doors, only to find that the robot Santas had anticipated their escape and blocked it off. "Maybe not." Swiftly closing the back doors, they sprinted over to the nearest window, but they were there also. "We're trapped."

In one of the Santas' hands was a remote control, similar to the one they used last year to control the Christmas tree. Both the Doctor and Willow glanced over to the nearby Christmas trees, recognising what they had done to them. "Christmas trees." muttered Willow.

"What about them?" Donna wondered.

"They kill." The Doctor stated. The three quickly sprung over to the guests that were nearby and ordered. "Get away from the tree!"

Willow started to pull the children away, afraid they would get hurt during the crossfire. "Don't touch the trees! Get away from the Christmas trees! Everyone get away from them!"

"Everyone stay away from the trees! Stay away from the trees!" The Doctor commanded.

The panic they were causing allowed the guests to understand that they were in some kind of danger, they just didn't know what. They all backed up slightly. However, Sylvia, Donna's mother, scoffed. "Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot. Why? What harm's a Christmas tree going to... oh!"

The trio turned around to find the baubles had started float off the trees, surrounding them. The guests watched in awe, believing that it was all one big party trick for the Christmas season. For a moment, everything appeared fine and dandy.