UNIT: Benton and Yates

"Can I help you?" asked the car salesman to the customer.

"Yes, I'd like... wait, Benton?!" the customer exclaimed. The salesmen's eyes widened as he realised who the customer was.

"Mike Yates," John Benton recognised. "Um, how are you?"

"Not bad," said Yates. "I retired a few years ago. I see you haven't had the same privilege."

"I don't actually need to keep working," said Benton. "There's a very healthy retirement fund for those who serve for long enough in the army. Of course, you wouldn't know about that." Yates shuffled his feet.

"Used cars, though? A bit of a dodgy business, isn't it?" he implied.

"Well you'd know all about deception, wouldn't you Mike?" retaliated Benton. This caused Yates to shut his mouth. Benton stood for a moment with a triumphant grin on his face, but then sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mike," he said. "It's just that I've always been a very loyal person. I don't get over these things easily."

"I understand," said Yates. "So anyway, do you keep in touch with other people from UNIT, or am I the first one you've met on the outside?"

"We meet up occasionally," admitted Benton. "Reunions and all that. Apparently they're planning on changing UNIT's name."

"Really?" said Yates inquisitively. "Gosh, it seems like the whole world's moving on."

"Oh, but it isn't," said Benton. "If you look at things in perspective, you'll see that the world really hasn't changed that much." Just then, the two men were disturbed as a UFO flew overhead. Once it was out of sight, they couldn't help grinning at each other.

"Yep," agreed Yates, nodding, "same old world."


For New Whovians – Sergeant Benton and Captain Yates worked for UNIT while the Doctor was scientific adviser there. Yates resigned from UNIT after betraying it in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Benton was mentioned as becoming a used-car salesman in Mawdryn Undead. He was given the name John in the spin-off video Wartime (but I was going to use that name anyway! Freaky!)