"No, listen, that's what I'm telling you, it was horrifying!" the alien insisted, pounding the wooden bar with one scaly fist. "As soon as I flew overhead, the entire city was screaming. Every single one, because of me!"

His friend crossed three of his tentacles, decidedly unimpressed. "Screaming, huh? That's it?"

"No, you're not hearing me, Grorax. I told you, I had a Chula warship. I burned that entire city." He leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "Teach them to talk about my mum like that."

"Blimey." Grorax flared his gills. "That's not bad. Reckon it'll be enough?"

"For a ticket onto Harmony and Redemption? All they need is a couple murders, much less a city." He glanced around the few other inhabitants of dingy bar, then lowered his voice, whispering conspiratorially to his friend. "I figure this way, I might be able to get a discount."

"You think? Ticket's what, a million credits? Winston, you know you don't have that kind of money."

"A billion," Winston corrected him. "But what's a billion credits, eh? Once they've had a wander through those remains, I'll be able to grab all sorts of loot. And until then-" He picked up his glass and drained the grey sludge inside. "-celebration!" He slammed the drink back on the bar. "Another, on the rocks. And grind the rocks better this time, they're wearing down my teeth."

The waitress shuffled off, and Grorax turned back to his friend. "So what'll you do with it? The ticket, I mean."

"Who knows?" Winston shrugged, muscled shoulders rippling, scales reflecting what little light there was in the room. "That's not the point, you know? Once you're there, you've made it. Who turns you down when you can say you've traveled galaxies on the Harmony? No more stowing away, no more taxis." His eyes flashed, imagining it.

"Yeah." Grorax sipped his drink, then eyed his friend. "You can bring plus-ones, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Maybe." Suddenly avoiding his gaze, Winston glared down the bar. "Where's the drink?"

"Right here," the waitress said with a huff, sliding him another glass. "Mercurian whiskey on the rocks, ground up fine as you please."

"'Bout bloody time," he muttered, grabbing it and taking a swig. Then, to Grorax's embarrassment, he spat it back out on the bar. "You call that ground?"

The waitress lifted her chins defiantly. "Yes," she told him. "We've won awards."

"Hah. This place? Not likely." The woman's face darkened. "Grind it again."

"That's perfectly good quality," she insisted. "Nothing wrong - hey!"

Winston had reached forward and grabbed her wrist, hard. "If I say grind it again, you grind it again, hear me?" he growled.

"Let go of me," she hissed. With a sneer, Winston flexed his hand. Sharp, curved claws slid out of each fingertip, piercing her skin.

"What're you gonna do, spit on me? Who's going to make me let go, eh?" he called, looking around the bar. "Yeah, that's right. Nobody."

"Winston, I really wouldn't do that," Grorax told him, voice quiet but urgent. "Madame Miss is here."

Winston's browridges flew up, and he released the waitress's arm. She glared at him and stalked to the other end of the bar, rubbing her wrist. "Madame Miss?" he whispered. "Where?"

Discretely, Grorax pointed on tentacle towards the back corner. A small figure sat at a table, back to the wall. She wore a heavy black cloak, with a cowl large enough to hide her face completely. Indeed, her figure was so obscured it was difficult to tell that this mysterious stranger was, in fact, female. Under her table was a large sack, containing something square. Winston glanced behind him, then back at his friend. "You're kidding. That's her?"

"I'm almost sure. Wins, she's ruined planets, destroyed entire civilizations. I don't think one city would impress her much."

"No way." Winston's laugh was part cackle, part growl. "She's way too tiny for a reputation that big." He had a point - this strange woman couldn't reach five feet. "If I breathed on her too hard, I'd squash her. She's just-"

Zap! He jerked back as a bolt of deadly light flew right in front of his face, singeing his nose. He froze, hardly daring to look around. Out of the very corner of his slanted eyes, he saw that same stranger holding a ray gun in one small, dark hand.

"She can hear you," the figure said quietly, dangerously. "And she'll thank you not to go about mocking her. Or manhandling the staff." The ray gun slipped back into the folds of the cloak. "I am the Madame. And I hit exactly where I mean to. Next time, you'll have more than a few scorched scales."

Eyes wide, Winston nodded. He stayed stock-still as she gathered her odd parcel and swept out of the bar. When at last the door swung shut behind her, he leaned toward his friend. "Rax, who is she really? What does she want?"

Grorax could only shrug. "No clue, really. She just appeared one day, remember? Out of nowhere, with that ship like nobody'd ever seen. Wasn't anybody going to get in her way."

"What is she, a human?"

"I don't think so." Grorax snuck a look over one shoulder. "She's not right, that's for sure. She just doesn't fit. They say she'll do anything because she hasn't got anyone left to love." He took a long drink, wiping the foam with a tentacle. "I'd feel bad for her if she didn't scare me to death."

"I thought she'd disappeared though," Winston said, rubbing his sore nose gingerly. "Turned into legend. How'd she turn up in some grimy bar at the edge of the galaxy?"

Again, Grorax shrugged. "How does anyone turn up here? Especially someone like her."

"But she's here," Winston repeated, "she's shown up again. Remember what happened last time?"

Both collectively shuddered. Winston raised his glass. "To Madame Miss, then," he said, with a smile that showed his teeth. "May she stay gone."

"Bit late for that," Grorax muttered, but he lifted his drink. After they'd both sipped, he slipped off his stool, leaving a trail of slime behind. "I'd better be going. Same time next week?"

"Course. Say hi to the wife and guppies for me." Winston waved as his friend made his way out of the dingy bar, then stared darkly into his glass. "Gods help us all. She's back."

Author's Note: Hello and welcome, all, to the third and final (probably) installment of the Mystery Girl series! Consider this chapter a prologue, if you like. I'm incredibly excited for this story - the outline is 14 pages long - and I really do think you all are going to like it. If you haven't read the first two stories (Mystery Girl and One Moment) I highly recommend you check them out first, as there are a lot of things that will make much more sense. Also, if it wasn't clear (and I hope it was), this story will feature the 12th Doctor instead of the 11th as in previous stories. This will be the first time I've written for him, and I am enjoying it very much. I can't wait for you all to see it!

If you've enjoyed what you've read so far, do please leave a review, and make sure to follow this story to stay updated! Thank you all so much!

-Forever the Optimist

P.S: I am terribly amused by the thought of this massive, buff lizard alien being named Winston. Welcome to my sense of humor.