The Doctor flew down a corridor in a spaceship as it blew up, flames blasting toward him. Pieces of the ship fell all around him. He swerved around a falling beam and fell to the ground. He glanced at the raging flames behind him and quickly pushed himself to his feet and ran. He jumped and kept flying through the flames. He raised the sonic screwdriver toward a closed door. It opened just as he reached it and he dashed inside, quickly closing the door and sealing it with the sonic screwdriver.
Another explosion outside threw the Doctor away from the door and ripped the whole section off the spaceship, tearing the wall off. The Doctor caught some cables swinging from the ship as the whole room blew off into space. He spotted a space suit that had been knocked onto the floor.
The Doctor pulled himself up with the cables, reaching for the space suit. "Come here, spacesuit. Come to Doctor."
Another explosion knocked the suit out into space. The Doctor watched in horror as it floated away, a familiar, bright, green and blue planet in the background. With a shout, he launched himself after the spacesuit. They both plummeted toward the Earth. He tried to use the air to push himself toward the suit, but there was no air to help him. He could only fly as much as his mind concentrated on, and he didn't have the freedom to stop and meditate on flight. He propelled himself toward the spacesuit, but that was the extent of his ability to fly. Maybe he could slow himself down a little, but it wouldn't be enough to land safely on Earth. The spacesuit was his only hope.
He reached for it as he fell closer. He laughed as he grabbed the boot. "Got it!" He pulled it on as fast as he could, plummeting to his doom.
"Right, then, may I take your cases?" the stranger asked.
"Thank you," Madge said as she set her suitcase down.
Her children, Cyril and Lily, followed suit.
"Lovely. Would you mind carrying them for me? I need to show you 'round," the man said.
With a gentle hop and a slight downward movement of his hands, his feet came off the ground and he floated over the suitcases. Madge watched in shock as he floated to the stairs, gently pushed off the first one, and floated upward. He drifted gently down and had to push off again, almost like a diver underwater.
"No, wait!" she called, "What is that?"
He stopped and faced her, standing a few centimeters off the ground. "What's what?"
"That."
He looked down at his feet and looked up again. "What?"
"That," she said, nodding at him.
"Those are called stairs," he whispered.
"No, but . . . your feet aren't on them."
"Yeah. That's just 'stair' without the 'st'. It's loads easier to go up the air than the stair. Well . . . as long as you have a couple centuries of practice."
"Who are you?!"
"I'm the Caretaker."
"But you're not Mr. Cardew."
"I agree."
"But I don't understand. Are you the new caretaker?"
He felt for the step with his foot and pushed downward, gently floating back down the stairs. "Usually called the Doctor. Or the Caretaker. Or Get Off This Planet. Though, strictly speaking, that probably isn't a name." He landed in front of her and shook her hand. "Hello, Madge Arwell."
"Hello."
"And Cyril Arwell. And Lily Arwell," he said, shaking their hands in turn, "Now, come on, come on, lots to see. Whistle-stop tour. Take notes, there will be questions," he said, hopping and floating up the stairs again.
"Where are the beds?" Cyril asked, staring at the bedroom full of everything a kid could want except a bed.
"I couldn't fit everything in. There had to be sacrifices," the Doctor said, "Anyway, who needs beds when you've got . . ." He ran and pulled a lever by the door. ". . . hammocks?"
Two hammocks fell from the ceiling, suspended on ropes.
"I know!" the Doctor whispered.
Cyril struggled to find a way onto the hammock. "But how do you get on?"
"Watch and learn, kid," the Doctor said, walking toward the hammock. He jumped and pumped his arms, flying above the hammock, then laid back and floated down, perfectly centered.
"How did you do that?" Cyril asked. He ran and leapt at the hammock, trying to imitate the Doctor.
"Woah!" The Doctor leaned over the edge of the hammock to catch him and they both fell to the floor. The Doctor sat up. "Ah. Imitable actions. Probably should keep from doing that around children."