Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
"Oh, K-9! Come here, boy!"
Hearing the voice of the Doctor calling his name, K-9 trundled swiftly through the higher level of the building they had taken up residence in. The robotic dog wondered what orders his master had for him to carry out.
He found the Time Lord standing near the top of the building's staircase. An ambitious grin was on the Doctor's face which he directed at his metallic mutt.
"Yes, Doctor-Master?" K-9 chirped. "You requested my presence?"
"I did! Look what I got for you!"
The Doctor raised his hand, revealing he was holding a shiny red ball. Still grinning, he hurled it away from himself. The ball rolled along the floor before beginning to fall down the staircase, bouncing its way down to the lower level of the building.
"Go get it, boy!" The Doctor commanded to his robot dog. "Fetch!"
"Begging your pardon, sir..." K-9 said politely. "But I am not constructed to traverse a descending staircase. Chasing after that ball to the ground floor could be hazardous for me-"
"I have given you an order!" The Doctor burst out. "Do as I say K-9 or pray I don't sell you for scrap!"
"Affirmative!"
Resigned to follow his master's demands, K-9 reluctantly rolled in the direction the ball had gone. He reached the top of the staircase, paused for a moment, then with a twirl of his ears, bravely moved forward.
With no legs to help him climb safely down the stairs, the inevitable happened to the poor pooch.
Loud crashing downs filled the building as K-9 tumbled down the staircase. Parts broke away from him as he rolled violently to the ground floor. He came to a stop at the foot of the staircase, laying on his back like a turtle on its shell, unable to pick himself back up.
Having seen everything, the Doctor ran to the top of the staircase, He looked down at the robot dog who had fallen down it and was laying at the bottom. The Time Lord made his way down the stairs, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"You silly dog!" he muttered. "You should know you can't climb stairs!"
"Pardon me, sir, but I am well aware that I cannot descend staircases." In spite of his predicament, K-9 continued to speak as politely as ever to the trolling Time Lord. "I attempted to warn you. I did-"
"What's that, K-9?" A glare fierce crossed the Doctor's face to match the threatening tone of his voice. "Are you insinuating that what happened to you was my fault? Are you?"
There was a pause before K-9 meekly gave his answer. "Negative."
"Good boy."
The Doctor's smile returned as he reached the bottom to the staircase. He dropped to his knees and leant over the fallen upside down robot dog - before beginning to scratch his undercarriage.
"Who's a good boy? Who's a goooood boooooy?"
"Pardon me, sir?" K-9 bleeped, not the least bit amused by what his master was doing. "Would you mind lifting me up and placing me back into an upright position? I wish to be able to move again.
"Oh c'mon, K-9!" The Doctor chuckled, still running his fingers against the electronic hound's chassis. "Every dog loves to roll over to have his tummy tickled by his master. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I cannot enjoy such a sensation, Doctor-Master," K-9 bleeped. "I am unable to feel this tickling feeling you people are capable to delivering and receiving. I am only able to-"
"EXTERMINATE!"
The Doctor nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden blaring voice which erupted from nearby. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he got to his feet. The Time Lord had absolutely no trouble recognising that word - or the menacing voice which spoke it.
"It-It can't be! Can it?"
"EXTERMINATE!"
Tensing up nervously, the Doctor turned to his left - his face going white upon discovering he and K-9 were not alone.
"It can!"
Sure enough, standing nearby with its eye sensor focused on the doctor, giving off vibes of unspeakable evil - was a Dalek.
"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
"Oh hell no! I'm outta here!"
The Doctor raced off, leaving K-9 laying where he was as he attempted to sprint away from the sinister creature, whose race he had share a long history and mutual hatred with.
"Doctor-Master!" K-9 bleeped out. "What about me? Please don't leave me with his destructive machine!"
"Sorry, K-9! You're a great pal and all that, but when there's a Dalek around, it's every man for himself-WHOA!"
The Doctor had hardly run far - when he had stood on the ball he had thrown down the stairs which had caused K-9's predicament. The Time Lord was thrown through the air, crashing his head against the nearby wall. He lay on the floor, dazed, sore and unable to run away.
Seizing its chance, the Dalek rolled towards where the Doctor had fallen. He positioned himself before his enemy, standing very close to where K-9 was still stuck upside down.
"IT IS THE END FOR YOU, DOCTOR!" The Dalek blared out in its sinister computerized voice. "AT LAST, YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"
The Doctor looked up with eyes full of pain as the Dalek took aim at him with his death ray. He was still too dazed to move or defend himself. For once, there was nothing the Time Lord could do.
"EXTERMINATE!"
BOOM!
A fierce, intense explosion filled the air - as the Doctor's eyes widened over what he saw had just happened, leaving him unharmed, but stumped.
The Dalek had been incinerated to pieces by the large fireball which had just blasted from where K-9 lay - for the little robot dog had just self-destructed. To save his human master, he had destroyed himself. The mechanical mutt was ribbed to pieces as flames erupted from inside him, not managing to reach where the Doctor lay, but flying far enough to consume the deadly Dalek.
As the flames finally died down, the Doctor finally regained his strength. He stood up to find that bits and pieces of K-9 had been thrown all over the place. Ignoring the pounding pain in his head, he glanced around frantically.
"K-9!" he wailed. "Where are you?"
"Over here, Doctor-Master!"
Hearing the computerized voice of his metal lifesaver, the Doctor swung around to find where K-9's decapitated head way laying on the floor. He instantly scooped it up in his arms and gazed down at it. The robot dog's head had completely separated from the rest of his mangled metal body - but the Time Lord's relief, his eye sensors were still glowing red with life.
"K-9!" The Doctor cried happily. "You're alive!"
"Don't be silly, Doctor-Master." K-9 bleeped. "I am not alive. I am but a robot."
The Doctor beamed down at the robot dog's head in his hands. His eyes glowing with gratitude over what his computerized companion had bravely and selflessly had done for him.
"I'm sorry I treated you like rubbish, just now," he apologized sincerely. "I'll never do that again after you saved my life."
"Apology accepted, Doctor Master."
The Time Lord smiled over hearing the one he'd been trolling forgive him. He couldn't help but notice that, for a machine who claimed to be incapable of feeling emotions, K-9 sounded genuinely happy that moment.
"I'll repair you straight away. Let's go get my tools to fix you up."
Still carrying K-9's head in his hands, the Doctor began to climb the stairs to fetch his toolbox from the upper floor. He was halfway up - when he stopped in the middle of the staircase. He gazed down to the bottom floor, a bemused look on his face.
"You know, I just realized; you wouldn't have had to blow yourself up to save me - if I'd simply just run up these stairs! Everybody knows Daleks can't climb stairs!"
The Doctor howled with laughter over what he could have easily done to escape from the Dalek - without K-9 having to self-destruct to protect him.
As he listened to his master roaring and chortling over his own oversight, K-9 rotated his ears as his head remained held in the Doctor's hands, letting off a robotic sigh.
"Affirmative, Doctor-Master."
The end.
