Weaving its way through space and time, a seemingly insignificant little blue box was on par for the course. This box happened to be a Type 40 TARDIS, a time (and space) machine of infinite capabilities. The Doctor certainly thought so.
The Doctor, a man of infinite knowledge (he certainly thought so) was currently onboard the vessel, standing at the control panel. In this incarnation (his fourth) he presented himself as a tall figure that was simultaneously lanky and broad. His hair was a tangle of curls that framed his face like a dense brown bush, and his pale eyes bulged from his head and stared intently. If one were lucky (or not so lucky, depending on the context) they'd catch him smiling an alarming, toothy crescent of a grin. He dressed in such a fashion that exuded bohemian energy, what with a white button-down shirt and baggy grey trousers. Overall, he radiated the air of both a clownish child and a brooding elder.
At his feet was a boxy robot with the characteristics of a dog. This was K-9, one of the Doctor's companions. He (the robot) was wagging his rod of a tail eagerly, as he'd just been told the TARDIS's destination.
But where was the Doctor's other companion? Surely he hadn't left her on that nasty planet covered in barbs. It had taken over an hour to get all of them off of his person, and some most likely still remained in his poufy hair.
"Romana!" the Doctor bellowed in his deep, powerful voice. "Where are you?"
"I'm right here, Doctor!" came the reply. A feminine figure bounded out of the TARDIS's corridor.
Romanadvoratrelundar, or Romana for short, was a Time Lord just like the Doctor. She, however, was only in her second incarnation and appeared as an elegant young lady with a pert nose, perky lips, and wispy blond hair that fell to her back. Upon noticing the Doctor, she beamed and spun around, her frilly white sundress billowing about her.
"What do you think?" she asked, smoothing out her dress around her legs.
The Doctor waved his hand. "Oh, many things. I think about the nature of time, whether or whether not to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, if I should—"
"No!" Romana cut in, chuckling. "What do you think of my dress?"
The Doctor gave her a quick once-over. "I suppose it's very pretty."
Romana cocked an eyebrow. "Suppose? And what kind of answer is that?"
"The answer of a man who doesn't wear dresses. That is to say, I've never tried one on before. Wonder if the TARDIS wardrobe carries anything for a long fellow like me." He stared into the distance for a few seconds and shook his head. "No, that would look rather silly, wouldn't it?"
Romana shrugged. "Anything to get you out of that dreadful coat and scarf. Speaking of which, are you wearing anything special for our holiday?"
"My dreadful coat and scarf, of course."
"Oh, come on, Doctor! Can't you have a bit of variety in your life? Besides, it's scorching hot on Rilon! You could suffer from heat stroke!"
"Master?" K-9 cut in in his robotic voice.
The Doctor held up a finger and shushed Romana. "Did you hear that?"
"You mean K-9?"
The Doctor shook his head, his mass of curls bouncing about his face. "No, that bothersome automated gabble. Sounded rather like a voice."
"You mean K-9?" Romana repeated.
"Aha! It's K-9, of course!" The Doctor crouched down to the height of his dog and patted his head with a resonant clang. "Did you know, K-9, that your voice is harsh on the eardrums? No offense, of course."
"None taken," K-9 replied.
"Now what is it you have to say to me?"
"We've landed on Rilon, Master."
The Doctor rubbed his cheek, a wry grin crossing his face. "Mm. So we have. This machine was due for a bump. How come we didn't feel one? Did I really land so well for once?"
"I'll have to check." Romana headed over to the control panel, pressing a few buttons. In response, the TARDIS's viewing window opened, revealing a panorama of palm trees and dense shrubbery. Romana turned to the Doctor and rested her hands upon her hips. "Well, Doctor, you've done it. You've landed smoothly. How does it feel?"
Still grinning, the Doctor stood up. "Exhilarating. Elevating. And something else that begins with 'e'."
"Elephant?" Romana suggested.
The Doctor nodded. "That's right. Very elephant. Now." He clapped his hands together. "Where shall we go first?"
"The beach, Master?" K-9 announced eagerly, or at least enough that a robot could articulate emotion.
"Yes, of course! But not you, K-9."
"Query: why not?"
The Docter tut-tutted. "Why, you could short circuit, you stupid creature! Leave the water to us organic life forms, why don't you?"
K-9 drooped his tail, letting out a noise akin to a whimper.
Romana crouched down and rubbed K-9's back. "Don't worry. You can explore inland with us."
"But not now," the Doctor said, holding up a hand. "Change into your swimming costume, Romana; we've got a beach to explore."
...
"Brilliant! We've made it just in time for the suns' setting."
The Doctor stood at the top of a sand dune, shielding his eyes with his hand. For Romana, it was peculiar seeing him out of his signature ensemble, dressed in a vintage Earth bathing suit that covered both his upper and lower body and was striped red and white. She herself had opted for a red one-piece bathing suit with white ruffles on the side, which just so happened to coordinate with the Doctor's outfit.
"What a happy couple!" a woman cooed from her spot on a beach towel.
"I'm sorry?" Romana called back.
The Doctor patted Romana on the shoulder. "Oh, pay no mind to her. She just said that she wants a taffy truffle. But don't we all?"
"I don't think that's what she said."
"Oh, but look at the sky!" said the Doctor, switching topics. He gestured toward the twin suns, one red and one white, dipping over the horizon. "It reminds me of a scene from this particular Earth film set in space." His large nose gave a great snort. "Terrible representation, I assure you. But this… this is picturesque!"
Romana did think the island they'd landed on was a nice sort of place. It appeared much like Earth, the Doctor's favorite planet, except the sand was a shade pinker and the sky was a touch greener on Rilon. The inhabitants appeared humanoid, as well. The animals, however, were a different story.
"Ah, look! Our first sighting of a green-backed zigdid!" The Doctor pointed to a creature that seemed a fusion between a centipede and a gecko. It scuttled about on the ground like a broken wind-up toy before burrowing its way into the sand. "Isn't it incredible?"
Strange little thing, Romana mused. "Don't you think we'll find more animals out by the ocean?"
"You know, I think you're right." And without a moment's notice, the Doctor sprung off his perch on the sand dune and gallivanted toward the ocean.
"Wait for me!" Romana called after him as she began crossing the beach. Sidestepping various sunbathing locals, she noted that the Doctor was surprisingly agile for such a large man. He hopped over a gaggle of Rilonian teenagers with the grace of an acrobat and dodged a swooping avian creature in a feat of unparalleled reflexes. Romana may have been small and lithe, but she had trouble keeping up with his pace.
Finally, the two of them arrived at the water's edge. Romana gasped: speckled throughout the ocean were patches of light that shone through like candles under a blanket. Mind you, that was a hazardous analogy, but accurate nonetheless.
"These must be untrenes!" Romana exclaimed. She reached a finger out, grazing the surface of one; it felt squishy to the touch. "Feel them, Doctor, they have such a peculiar texture!"
But the Doctor didn't seem to be paying attention. Most of the time, he never did, but now the atmosphere around his self seemed especially volatile. He stared at the sky, which had just begun to wrap itself in a cloak of darkness, with a glare that could pierce through steel.
"Romana," he rumbled in that peculiar low purr of a voice, "do you feel a splitting headache right about now?"
"Now that you mention it…" A light throbbing began in the back of her head, unfolding into a sharp pain throughout her mind. She clutched her head in her hands, almost doubling over.
"I think," she gasped, "it's a psychic signal!"
"And a strong one, to boot." The Doctor wiped his brow and exhaled a heavy breath.
"Maybe we can ask the locals what it is."
The Doctor turned to Romana, frowning. "They're simpler creatures than us, Romana. I doubt they can feel it. Let's not."
But a sudden pulse through her brain sent Romana stumbling. She would've fallen over and gotten a face full of pink sand if the Doctor hadn't caught her in the nick of time. He gazed at her, blinked, rubbed his nose with his free hand, blinked again, and said, "On second thought, let's."
After Romana righted herself, the Doctor scanned the beach for his nearest victim. His perturbing eyes popped in their sockets as he caught sight of a man strolling past. Like a red-and-white striped hawk, he swooped in front of the man, who visibly jolted.
"Hello there. I'm the Doctor. Are you experiencing a headache right now?"
The man sighed. "Listen, you beachside quack. I already had a checkup last week, and if you're gonna try to drug me, I say no!"
"No, no. I'm not going to do anything of the sort. But do you sense something up here?" He tapped his head with a bony finger.
"I sense that you're an absolute loon. Now get out of my face!"
Romana stepped between them. "Wait! I feel it too. And it seems to be coming from the ocean. Almost like a supernatural force."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Supernatural, eh? Maybe it's the work of Tathtikta, but that's all a load of rubbish."
"Who's Tathtikta?"
"Not locals, I take it? Tathtikta is said to be a great spirit who lives out in the ocean. But no one believes in her, anyway."
"Hmm. Tathtikta." The Doctor tasted the word on his tongue. "Rather too many 't's for my liking. Could you tell us more about her?"
"Oh, I'm not the right guy. Go ask someone else." And with a few kicks of sand, he was off.
"Well! That was rude," huffed Romana.
"You know, I think we should do a bit of research on this Tick-Tock deity, don't you think?"
"Tathtikta," Romana corrected. "And why's that?"
"I wouldn't be pleased to collapse like a bowling pin on the beach because an almighty ocean being thought it was deferential to give Time Lords like us head pains!" He cupped his mouth between his hands and shouted to the ocean, "Madam, do you know that you're spoiling our fun?" When no one replied, he shrugged and said, "Ah, well. To the library!"