Chapter 4

or

Can't Help Falling in Love With You

The Doctor was busy piloting the TARDIS back to where they'd come from. Clara was watching Elvis.

"Do you think you'll be okay?" she asked.

Elvis looked up with a weak smile. "Not sure. I'm dead, aren't I?

"Don't worry," said the Doctor, pausing his steering long enough to chip in. "You'll have completely forgotten it by the time we reach the new planet."

Elvis looked confused.

"When we arrived in Tennessee, you couldn't remember anything that just happened," the Doctor explained. "Somehow, being in the time vortex erased your short-term memory. We're going back now to investigate those bigger humans in spacesuits you told us about before you forgot them, and if I'm right, then your memory will be erased right... now."

Elvis continued to stare at the Doctor.

"Well?" asked Clara.

"No," said Elvis, "I remember... Tennessee."

Clara looked to the Doctor, seeking an explanation.

"Oh," said the Doctor, with understanding. "I was wrong. The time vortex had nothing to do with your memory. It was always going to erase itself at that moment, you just happened to have gone through the time vortex when it happened."

"What does that mean?" asked Clara. "Why did his memory erase?"

"Can't be sure, just yet. But I think..." the Doctor approached Elvis very closely. "I think it erased the most recently stored memories because... it's full."

"It's full?" asked Clara.

"I'm full?" asked Elvis.

"There's not enough capacity to make new memories so it deletes the most recent," said the Doctor, staring very deeply into Elvis's eyes.

"Like computer memory?" asked Clara.

The Doctor said nothing, only stared into Elvis's eyes. "Can't see it," he muttered after a few seconds.

"Doctor?" asked Elvis and Clara.

"Right!" said the Doctor. "Come along, then." He bounded to the doors and thew them open. "Let's go see who was hunting the king of rock and roll on the planet Vega in 2112."

They three of them stepped out of the TARDIS and walked out several paces. "This isn't Nevada?" Elvis asked.

"No," said the Doctor. "We're lightyears away. And I think I've found your fans."

In the distance, they saw a low-flying aircraft flying slowly, as if it were searching.

"Doctor," said Clara. "What are they? What do they want with Elvis?"

"One way to find out..." said the Doctor, holding up his sonic, "... is simply ask them and hope they're friendly." He clicked his screwdriver. "They'll detect that and be here in just a moment.

"That tactic. Hoping they're friendly. That work often?" Elvis asked.

"Not nearly as often as I'd like," the Doctor said cheerfully. "But on occasion, people will surprise you."