Annie Daniels ran as fast as she could, hoping desperately not to die. Behind her, three large creatures, human apart from their long necks, ran, aiming big guns at her. She didn't even know what she had done.
She was sixteen, and had gone down to the old abandoned warehouse in her home city of London to have a fag (always good). That was when these weird people had appeared, wielding massive lasers – they had seen her and she had had to leg it. She ran faster and faster and faster, but even with those guns, they were catching up with her.
Suddenly, she banged headlong into a man. She flew off and landed on her front with a typical 'oof!', and so did he.
"Oh, bugger," she muttered. She tried to get back up but her body decided that getting up was too strenuous. "C'mon…"
"Terribly sorry," the man said, standing over her and holding his hand out to help her up. She grabbed it, and it brought her face to face with him; tall, blonde, pleasant, open face, white cricketing gear, green bands on his cricket jumper, plain white cricket trousers, Adidas sports trainers with the logo painted over inexpertly. Black frock coat.
"You're a weirdo," she told him. He looked hurt and looked down at the ensemble.
"No," he said. "This coat isn't really me though. Tegan just told me I needed to wear different clothes once in a while, so I tried to… I just ended up with this different version of what I usually wear and – sorry, I'm babbling," he finished at the annoyed look on her face.
"Yeah," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm running from-"
"Them," he finished, looking over her shoulder. She spun, and the long necked guys were looking at them.
"Surrender the girl," they said.
"I don't think we've been introduced," the man smiled, ignoring the guns and the threatening tone. "I'm the Doctor."
He held his hand out. They ignored it.
"Surrender the girl," they said again.
"Why?" the Doctor asked.
"She's seen too much," one of the creatures said.
"Too much of what?" the Doctor asked.
"No more questions," the creature said. "Give her to us."
The Doctor raised one eyebrow above the other, and smiled.
"Not before you tell me who you are and what you want," he told them.
"Fine," the creature said. "We're Krillitanes, she saw us doing something she shouldn't have seen. Now give her to us!"
The Doctor grabbed Annie's arm, and grinned.
"Certainly," he began, but then he threw a cricket ball at them. "Duck," he advised Annie.
Then a bright light blinded her, and she felt herself being pulled down. Then when she could see again, the Doctor was brushing his coat off.
"You know," he said, "I really think that was quite well handled."
"What was?" Annie asked.
"Oh, all that," the Doctor said, waving his hand and going 'pfft'. "I teleported the whole Krillitane population to the Judoon ship waiting above the Earth, while their factory just got vaporised. Funny that."
"How.. who are you?" Annie demanded.
"The Doctor," the Doctor smiled. "And now, I'm off. Pleasure meeting you, and one more thing;" he added, before walking off. "These," he said, holding up her pack of cigarettes, "will kill you. Trust me on that."
Then he was gone, coat flapping as he walked. Annie shook her head as if aking from a dream, and headed home. No more cigs. They seriously messed with your head…
--
In the TARDIS, Adric looked up as the Doctor entered.
"Anything interesting?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh, no," the Doctor smiled. "Nothing, just barren wasteland."
"I thought you said it was Earth," Tegan piped up."
"Yes, that's what I said," the Doctor sighed. "Wrong era. Shall I try again? Of course," he added, holding up a hand to stave off another rant from Tegan. "Here we go."
He flipped the dematerialisation switch…