Rebecca was confused, to say the least. In the space of the last half hour she had been transported to a strange world, held captive by blue lizards-men and rescued by a strange talking man in a waistcoat and a fedora. As if that weren't enough, they were now running through the spaceport and dodging laser fire from the creatures. Good thing she had done her workout this morning.
The pair turned a corner and the man pulled her into a nearby doorway. Pulling the wand-like device out of his pocket, he buzzed it for a few seconds. It closed itself and she could hear the faint click of a lock. The man put the wand away and turned to her, a cheerful and slightly manic grin on his face. "That should do for now. Aoppians are big, ugly and ill-tempered but, fortunately, none too bright. They won't find us for a bit. Now then, let's have a look at you." He began to look her over, checking for signs of injuries.
Rebecca looked at him, as well. He was a strange individual. He looked human, but acted like he was more at home in this alien setting than he would be on Earth in a bookstore or a pub. He had been able to understand the aliens without trouble, meaning he must know their language. She wondered how many languages he knew. And what was that wand device he was using? He had scanned her with it and then used it to lock a door. What else could it do? Most important, however, was the answer to another question. "Who are you?"
Looking up at her, he grinned. "Oh, sorry. I suppose introductions are in order, aren't they? Hello, I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor who?"
"Just the Doctor. And you are?"
She was confused at his introduction. What sort of person only called themselves the Doctor. Did he not have a proper name or did he simply choose not to use it? Ignoring it for the present, she replied "Rebecca. Rebecca Wilson."
"Nice to meet you, Rebecca Rebecca Wilson." She started to correct him until she noticed the playful look on his face.
"Cheeky, aren't you?" she said with a smile.
"I've been called worse," he replied, resuming his examination.
"Like what?"
His face grew dark for a second, so briefly Rebecca wasn't sure she had even seen it. Resuming his friendly demeanor, he said "The school swot who never got kissed."
Rebecca chuckled at his answer. He was handsome and funny. Gentle, as well. He examined her with care and tenderness. He's different from Todd.
Finally, the Doctor finished. "All seems to be in order. Clean bill of health. Can't be too careful when it comes to Aoppians. I guess we should be getting you home. Let me guess. Bristol?"
"How did you know?"
"I saw the logo on your bag when I grabbed you. What are you studying?"
"Physics."
"Really?" he said with a hint of intrigue in his voice. "Maybe we can exchange theories sometime."
"I've just started. I doubt I'd compare to a doctor. Is that your PhD?"
He gave her an amused look. "Among other things. Come on. Lizard lads must have given up by now." He opened the door and peeked around. Just down the corridor, he spotted the Aoppians. "Maybe not."
Rebecca peeked around him at the creatures. "Who are they?"
"Pirates and slave traders, mostly. That device they had was how they transported you here. They were probably going to sell you to some sheik or something. Fortunately for you, they didn't have the sense to use it somewhere they wouldn't be noticed. Doubly fortunate for you, I just happened to be nearby. Mind you, I wasn't looking for trouble. New face and all, I was actually going to take a vacation, but life is strange that way."
Rebecca was confused for a moment. Had he said something about a new face? She was about to ask more, but thought better of it. Every moment they spent together brought more questions than answers. "Can't you stop them?"
"Probably, but I don't want to risk you. I just rescued you, after all."
"But if we can do something, shouldn't we? What's to stop them from grabbing someone else?"
"If you feel that strongly about it, we are. Let's follow them."
Some time later, Rebecca and the Doctor had followed the Aoppians to a dark and isolated corner of the spaceport. They had gathered outside of a large and scary looking ship and Rebecca could see that they were not alone. There were three more of the aliens loading cages full of other strange beings. More slaves, no doubt.
She looked over at the Doctor, whose cheerful look had been replaced by one of anger. "Why am I not surprised? Aoppians only care about making money and they don't care who they hurt." The pair moved closer to the ship, taking refuge behind a stack of crates. They watched as the Aoppians continued to load the slaves into their ship.
Rebecca watched the aliens, looking for any way to get to the slaves and get them loose. The lizards were armed, however, and the only thing either of them had that was close to a weapon was the Doctor's wand device. "Do you have a plan, Doctor?" she asked him. Hearing nothing, she turned to the Doctor only to find him gone. Looking around, she found him a few feet away. He was standing in the open and approaching the ship with an air of confidence.
A moment later, the Aoppians noticed him and leveled their weapons at him. The Doctor reached in his pocket and pulled out a small leather wallet. He opened it and flashed what appeared to Rebecca to be a blank piece of paper. The Doctor spoke "You don't want to be doing that to a customs inspector, gents. Especially with so much contraband lying in plain sight."
The largest of the lizards stepped forward and hissed at the Doctor in his strange language.
"Sure, you could kill me. Wouldn't be the first time today. Except that I have an entire team on standby and we've got you surrounded."
The head lizard hissed again, clearly not believing him. Rebecca suddenly got an idea and reached into her bag. She felt around inside for a few moments and pulled out a laser pointer. She pressed the button and aimed the small red circle at the lizard.
"Looks like my best man has a bead on you, Admiral. Believe me now?"
The lizard hissed angrily at the Doctor but did not move. He stood still for a moment, considering the Doctor. Finally, he turned towards his men and hissed something at them. They reluctantly moved towards the cages and opened them, letting the slaves out. After they had finished with the ones on the ground, they went into the ship's hold and returned a few moments later with the other captives.
"That's right, folks. Keep moving. Right this way. We'll have to take your statements. You're all witnesses."
Rebecca watched as the captives moved past the Doctor and headed out of the hangar. Rebecca kept the beam on the admiral the whole time, helping the Doctor keep up his charade a bit longer.
After all the captives had left the hangar, the Doctor looked back to the admiral and said "Now, I'm gonna let you off with a warning this time. If I catch you at this again, though, I'll have you up on charges. Are we clear?"
At that moment, the battery in the laser pointer went out. The lizard looked down and noticed the beam was gone and roared at the Doctor. "Oh, well," he responded. "It was good while it lasted." He aimed his wand at the ceiling and activated it, killing the lights. "RUN!" he shouted.
Rebecca turned and headed towards the light at the end of the hangar, feeling the Doctor grab her hand as she went. She could almost hear the smile on his face as he said "Plan C!"