Chapter One
Bill would never, ever get used to this: stepping out of a blue box that was bigger-on-the-inside, onto an alien planet, where there lay an infinity of adventures to be had.
Below rolled up jeans, a warm summery wind licked her shins. The air on the planet was thick, like in a rainforest, and as she looked around, she swore she smelled citrus. Her face lit up into a bright smile, which she turned toward the Doctor as he shut the TARDIS doors and came to her side.
"It feels like those bird houses at the zoo." She looked up at the tall trees surrounding them, her eyes wide. "Like an island."
The Doctor followed her gaze to the treetops. "Technically every planet is an island, in some way. A mass of land in the sea of space; ships passing in the night. Lonely, isolated people calling out in hopes that they're not alone."
Bill eyed him for a moment, mystified. How did he come up with such wonderful strings of words? Was it another one of those things you only learned after two thousand years of life?
Before she could ask, the Doctor had his hands in his pockets and was walking down the path, a line of rich soil flanked by tremendous greenery. Bill followed him right out of the forested area and into what looked like an outdoor mall. The soil transformed suddenly into the pale stones of a food court, where stood a tall fountain and numerous alien beings going about their day.
They would've appeared human, if it weren't for their enormous heads and large, lidless eyes.
"Sensorites," the Doctor explained. "Telepaths. That wasn't humidity we felt back there; it was the telepathic field."
Bill smiled, looking at the alien shoppers in a new light. "Telepathic? Seriously?"
The Doctor nodded. "I met them once; a long time ago. They can communicate without saying a word, and can read people's minds without even knowing their name."
A small amount of anxiety touched Bill's lips. "Better watch what we think around them."
The Doctor continued forward into the food court, eyeing the blue of the fountain water admirably. "That's what makes them so amazing, though. They have more power than most of my worst enemies, but they only ever use it for good. My granddaughter saw that before I did."
Bill quieted any possible questions she had and focused on him. It was so rare to hear about his past; especially rare to hear about his family. The Doctor stopped beside the fountain and pulled out a coin, staring at it a bit too long.
"You remind me of her sometimes," he said quietly.
Bill watched his eyes bore into the coin as he turned it over in his fingers. She pondered over whether she should say something, but before she could, he picked his head up and gave her a small smile.
"Do you want to make a wish?"
"Sure," she grinned.
He handed her the coin and she closed her eyes. 'I wish…'
The air suddenly grew thicker, like an invisible blanket covering the mall. Bill quirked an eyebrow, but dismissed it. Then the Sensorites, in unison, all let out a loud gasp. Bill opened her eyes instantly and found them all covering their ears.
Bill turned to the Doctor and found his eyes tightly shut. He had a palm to his tense forehead. She reached a tentative hand out to him, but he seemed to be recovering, shaking his head.
"What happened?" Bill asked, as he opened his eyes.
"Something in the telepathic field. Some kind of energy," the Doctor explained, looking around the space with wild, skeptical eyes.
"Wait; are you telepathic, too?" She asked. The Doctor smiled.
"A bit out of practice, but yeah."
Bill's jaw dropped. "Two hearts and telepathic. Anything else I should know about you?"
"Oh, loads," he said, looking around the space. His smile faded. "But first, let's find out what's living in the telepathic field of the Sense Sphere."
Bill nodded agreeably, and the Doctor dashed into action with a dangerous smile on his face.
The nearby Sensorites seemed to be recovering from the negative telepathic energy, returning to their shopping. As the Doctor and Bill approached the closest alien to them, they noted the shakiness in his hand as he lowered it from his head.
"Excuse me," the Doctor started. He was going for charming again, Bill thought with a smile. "You wouldn't happen to know what's happening with the telepathic field? It's just; I've had these splitting headaches…"
The Sensorite folded his hands together, pausing before speaking. "Have you not been on the Sense Sphere long?"
The Doctor leaned in, licking his lips and tilting his head. Bill smiled. He was onto something; ready to solve the mystery.
"No, we actually just arrived," the Doctor said. "Why? What's happening?"
The Sensorite looked down. He took an even longer pause than before. When he next spoke, his voice was quiet.
"It started just last week. Nobody likes to discuss it, because it frightens them. There's an energy of some sort; living in the telepathic field. Sometimes we have visions. Other times...nightmares."
The Sensorite shuddered. Bill gave the Doctor a worried frown. "Doctor," she said. "How can something live in a telepathic field? Isn't it invisible?"
The Doctor nodded, his eyes boring into the Sensorite's as he thought deeply. "Do you know what it is? Is it a creature? Does it have a body?"
The Sensorite backed up, raising his hands. "I really must be going. These are questions to ask the council; the telepathy department. The elders there will have better answers than I."
The Sensorite dashed off into the food court before they could respond. As he disappeared into the crowd, the Doctor looked to his companion.
"Well; shall we, Miss Potts?"
Bill couldn't help but smile. "This is so weird, though, isn't it? I mean, 'Telepathy Department'? That's straight out of Area 51."
The Doctor shrugged. "I've heard stranger."
"I don't doubt that," Bill replied. Her smile widened, genuine and bright, just reaching her eyes. "I love this. Meeting aliens; helping out. It's better than I ever dreamed I'd be doing."
The Doctor returned her smile with a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe you should dream bigger, Bill. Now that you know you can touch the stars."
He started down the road with a nod of his head, leaving Bill stunned in his wake once again. She seriously had to learn how he came up with lines like that. Maybe he'd met some authors in his travels. Or maybe he was an author himself.
The Doctor cast a quick look back at her, and she jogged forward to catch up with him. An adventurous smile spread across her face.
