Clare Corbett reads an exciting new adventure for the Doctor and Belinda.

Landing on an unnamed planet, the travellers find themselves besieged by a swarm of drones. They shelter in a cluster of hi-tech buildings, inside which lie living quarters and a control base.
The only thing missing is any sign of life. While the Doctor puzzles over a base without people, Belinda finds herself whisked off by teleport.
Meanwhile, three thousand light years away, project manager Hazzet is puzzled by unusual systems activity on the uninhabited Colony 5.
An automated probe was sent there months ago - so why are there now apparently two bases on the planet, each poised to attack the other?
With the Doctor in one base and Belinda in the other, a race against time begins to avoid mutually assured destruction…
Clare Corbett reads Una McCormack’s cautionary tale of systems error and the perils of automation.

Text © Una McCormack 2025
Cover design by Lee Johnson Cover portraits © BBC
Reading produced by Morrison Ellis. Sound design: Oliver Denman. Project editor: John Ainsworth Executive producer: Michael Stevens

(P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd