Doctor Who Fights Masterplan "Q" (short story)
Doctor Who Fights Masterplan "Q" was an illustrated short story published in fifteen parts through a promotion with Nestlé on the back of chocolate wrappers in 1971.
Summary
The Doctor and Jo arrive on the prehistoric jungle planet Quorus when they're suddenly attacked by a dinosaur-like animal. They notice a figure in the distance who they realise is the Master, who appears to conttol the animal with a gadget. He is then seen collecting something, making his way to his TARDIS and leaving. The Doctor and Jo follow him and track him back to Earth; however, they lose him when they enter the atmosphere.
Meanwhile at the warehouse of Manchester Electronics on the Yorkshire Moors, the Master hands a sack containing gigantic eggs to his laboratory assistant, Jenkins. The Master now begins phase two of his plan, titled Masterplan Q. One of the eggs is put into a reactor and the next day, a creature, identical to the one on Quorus, starts to grow from it and destroys the McMaster Laboratory. The Doctor and Jo, along with law and armed forces arrive at the location to find rubble and two halves of an egg shell. The Doctor realises the Master's plan and after hearing a report of a trail leading to the top-secret weapons research station Darisdale, the Doctor and Jo head there in Bessie. The Master plans to use a transporter beam at Darisdale which can transport detachments of men and machines to anywhere on the globe, so he use it for the giant carnivorous animal.
The Doctor and Jo arrive to Darisdale but are refused entry by a Major. As they turn around and drive away, the Master watches them and sets the giant animal after them. In a quick effort, the Doctor presses a button on Bessie's dashboard which ejects oil, stopping the monster in its tracks.
Back at Darisdale, the Master, referred to as McMaster, goes through the plan with the Major there. He puts the final phase of the plan into action and suddenly transports the giant animal to Trafalgar Square, where he broadcasts a message about his demands. Suddenly in the base, the Doctor jumps out, disguised as a dispatch rider and uses an ultra-sonic whistle to bring the creature out of the Master's control. The monster is stopped and suddenly killed, with the Master escaping through the teleporter and vowing revenge against the Doctor. Jo and reinforcements arrive and all the staff at Darisdale is placed under arrest.
Characters
Notes
Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
- The Doctor is referred to throughout the story as Doctor Who.
- The Master appears under the alias McMaster. However, the warehouse where his plan takes place is referred to once as MacMaster.
Re-release
- All fifteen parts of the story were included as a PDF with behind the scenes information as part of the Terror of the Autons 2011 DVD release.
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