(AN: For the purposes of this story, I've decided to base the physical appearance of The Doctor on Alexander Siddig, who played Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Mo concrete reason why, just sounded like an interesting idea at the time.)
Kel'Zazad always considered it a good sign that after five years of working in the Africa biome, the moment when she opened the door and felt that blast of hot air on he face, saw the piercing blue of the sky, smelled the grass still filled her the same excitement that it did on her very first shift. The fact that the temperature was artificially regulated and the sky was actually a hologram made to simulate the sky of Old Earth didn't matter. There was still a power to this place, an energy that captivated her like nothing ever had before.
Despite their reputation amongst other races, the Vilbrumin were not an species especially interested in spiritualism and mysticism. Logic and rationalism, simple clear thinking, was the preference for a species with empathic abilities. Still, when she was in the biome, she could believe for a moment that magic really existed.
There was a breeze blowing across the grasslands as Kel'Zazad stepped into Africa, whipping across the land and shaking the leaves of a nearby Marula tree. Had there been anyone it might have appeared like she had just appeared out of thin air, but that was again an example of holography at work, masking the metal wall with an illusion of nature. More aesthetically pleasing for the guests and better for the animals, and if any of them got a little too curious, a slight EM field would let them know to stay away.
The Vilbrumin guide turned and regarded her party as they too entered the room (strange to think an area this vast could be considered a room). Sir Caine and his assistant were standing off to the side, muttering amongst themselves. From the way their eyes darted around, it looked like they expected every bush and tuft of grass to hide some secret villain, waiting to pop out and attempt to mug them. Felt like it too, although it was always a bit tough to feel anything from Orlons.
This man known as The Doctor though, he acted like he had just arrived home after a long road trip. Arms outstretched to take in the holographic sun, his face (the color of hot chocolate, Kel thought idly) set in an expression of pure bliss. Even his little robot dog was wagging its long antenna tail as it took in the sights, although what it could actually see through its red viewscreen and sensor probes was difficult to say. Although she couldn't pick up anything from them, she could tell that they really enjoyed being here. A nice change of pace from the type of guests she normally had in the biome, people that appeared uninterested in even being there (like Sir Caine) or those too invested in scientific research to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings.
"Alright gentlemen, and dogs, if I could have your attention please. I'll try to make this quick so we can get started." Kel announced.
"Let me begin by saying: Welcome to Africa! Or at least a reasonable facsimile. Specifically, we are currently standing in a region once known as the Kruger National Park, a game reserve located in the former Republic of South Africa. This particular biome measures in at about 10,000 kilometers by 10,000 kilometers, stretching from Cape Town to Alexandria, Senegal to Somalia, with parts of the surrounding oceans as well as the island of Madagascar. Of course those names are strictly for the purposes of identification, we have our best to present this land in its most natural state, with no traces of civilization."
"If you could call it a civilization." Caine muttered under his breath.
"How exactly are we going to see all these sights, if I might ask?" The Doctor spoke up. "I'm all for a good run, but it seems does seem like a bit of a jog to see some zebra."
"We're getting to that. First we need to go over these" She said, tapping a little metallic emblem on her chest. Seconds later, a gust of wind signified the sudden appearance of a large silver orb, about the size of a Swiss ball with a dark, pupil-like center hovering next to Kel with a constant, almost inaudible hum.
"This is one of our 'eyes in the sky', one of the billions of security & research drones that we employ throughout Vil-duran." She explained. "Mostly we use these to monitor the biomes, observe the wildlife as unobtrusively as possible, and various other command functions. They're also programmed to pacify subjects when needed, sentient or otherwise. Now in a moment it's going to scan you, don't worry, we're just doing a cursory check for any contraband items or weaponry."
"Invading your guests privacy? That's a might paranoid isn't it?" Caine remarked. "I thought you Vilbrums were all about trust and mutual respect?"
"We are, Sir Caine, but that doesn't mean we're stupid." Kel replied. "Vil-duran contains species from many different worlds, many of which don't exist anymore on their native planets. In this biome alone live the only African rhinoceros in the universe, along with the ring-tailed lemur, the giant African swallowtail butterfly, and several others. Some people would and have gone to extraordinary lengths in order to kill rare life forms like these here. Others might end up damaging the environment through laziness or ignorance. Neither option is acceptable to us, and so we must scan our guests. If that is unacceptable to you, then you are free to leave."
"I'd say that's completely acceptable." The Doctor said. "What about you K-9? Do you think it's completely acceptable?"
"Perfectly completely acceptable Master."
"And how about you Caine?" He continued, with a sideways glance. "You don't have anything to hide, do you?"
"Of course not, 'Doctor'." Caine replied. "Frankly, I'm offended at the very notion. If I weren't on vacation right now I'd have my lawyers sue you into oblivion."
"I'm afraid the only thing I have of value are the clothes on my back. Incredibly fashionable clothes mind you, but still…"
"Do not worry Master, I am well-versed in 3,097 different variations of civil and common law, interplanetary or otherwise." K-9 said.
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I had a dog as a lawyer."
"Scan away, madam." Caine said, with a flippant wave of his hand.
"Alright." Kel'Zazad replied, in a tone that strongly implied she was planning on doing it anyway. "Initiate scan, please."
"Confirmed." The drone replied in a soothing, if a little dry, tone. Bobbing like a rubber ball in a pool, the drone floated over to Nom, who regarded it with a cautious eye. The pupil-like center contracted for a second, then launched a bright blue beam, which washed over the entirety of the Orlon.
"Subject: Nom Azure Moon, Orlon. Status: Clear."
The drone moved over, flashed the light over Caine.
"Subject: Tiberius Caine, Human. Status: Clear."
"That's Sir Caine." Caine grumbled.
The drone moved over again, dipping slightly to scan the small robot.
"Subject: K-9, Machine. Status: Clear."
Finally, the drone moved over to The Doctor, who greeted it with a curt wave. It scanned him like the others, then paused. Literally paused, as if it had frozen in space. Then it scanned him again, slowly and more thoroughly.
"Subject: Doctor, Unknown. Status: Clear"
"Unknown?" Kel'Zazad remarked in surprise. "That's odd, that's never happened before."
"It's also a bit rude, if I might say so." The Doctor said. "I'm not unknown, I'm from Gallifrey. K-9, didn't I say that I was from Gallifrey?"
"Affirmative, Master."
"Hmm." Kel'Zazad murmured. If the SRD was right, then this Doctor was an alien on the grandest scale; A complete enigma in a database of thousand of sentient species. An astounding scientific discovery. On the other hand, it could just be a minor glitch in the imaging system. Perhaps this Doctor suffered some sort of genetic disorder that threw the drone off. She made a mental note to send this unit back to maintenance when she had a free moment. "A vehicle, please."
The drone beeped in response, and a large hole appeared in space a short distance away from the hole long enough for a large hovercraft to slowly float out. A modern Terran design, built with the Terran's belief with equating size to power in mind with little reduction in its speed. Kel'Zazad slid into the driver's seat, tapping a few commands onto the viewscreen next to the wheel. Information appeared; weather conditions, migration patterns, and so on. After a moment, satisfied, she turned to the guests.
"Gentlemen, K-9, this is our main source of transportation during your trip to Vil-duran. Based on the SRD scans we just did it has provided appropriate food and clothing to last us all around three days, which should be more than enough to last us the duration of this visit. Hopefully you're not allergic to granola, Doctor."
"Me? No no, can't get enough of the stuff. I think." The Doctor said, looking over the hovercraft with a curious eye. "This is going to get us across the continent in three days?"
"Doctor, this thing can break the sound barrier in about 10 seconds." Kel replied. "Plus our route has been streamlined to include all the major areas of interest, barring any individual diversions. If it's in this biome, we can get to it."
"As long as it moves at all, I'm happy." Caine interjected, as he and Nom climbed in the vehicle. Let's get going."
"Alright then." The Time Lord said, hopping into the vehicle with an agility that belied his actual age. "Need a lift K-9?"
"Assistance is not required, Master." K-9 replied. With a mechanical whir, the robot dog gently rose into the air, floated over the hovercraft and slowly settled into the seat next to The Doctor. "See? Completely fine."
"Yeah, but who installed the hover jets in your chassis?" The Doctor asked haughtily. "You're welcome."
"All systems are green, batteries are fully charged...Ok." Kel muttered. "Time to fly!"
With both feet she slammed down onto the accelerator, and with a sudden jolt the Vilbrumin, the Human, the Orlon, the Time Lord and his robot dog went rocketing into the heart of Africa.
The owner of the voice was only a few minutes into one of their rare naps when a shrill alarm cut through the normally oppressive silence of the monitor room like a photon in a vacuum. After a positively feline stretch, the being rose from their chair and walked over to the command console, tapping a button to kill the alarm.
"Finally." The owner of the voice said, feeling supremely satisfied.
So strong a satisfaction, in fact, that not even the obnoxiously loud stomps of their companion bursting into the room could dampen it. Then again, everything this other one did seemed to be loud and obnoxious, so perhaps necessity had forced the owner of the voice to get used to it. Anything was possible in an infinite universe.
"What was that?" The other voice boomed. "Have these primitives finally discovered us?"
"Hardly. We could be standing right in front of them and they wouldn't know we were there. I made sure of it." The voice replied. "No, that was the main computer. It appears that one of the drones has made a match."
"A match? Then we've found one? A time traveler? The other voice asked.
"Indeed. As I said before, it's basic animal behavior: If you want to catch someone with access to time travel technology, then you pick a spot where a time travelers frequent and build your trap." The voice said. "Believe it or not, this little floating zoo is considered one of the wonders of the galaxy. It was only a matter of time before someone took the bait."
"Yes yes, I'm all too aware of your theories and plans." The other voice bellowed. There was only so much insufferable smugness about theories and plans they could stand before they went absolutely mad. "So why are we standing around talking? Take them and let's be done with this!"
"No need to be impatient, they aren't going anywhere." The voice replied. "Besides, don't you want to see what our future victim looks like?"
The owner of the voice tapped a few buttons, accessing the drone's visual database. Instantly every monitor in the room, which numbered in the hundreds, was plastered with a single grinning face and two words: The Doctor.
"The Doctor? THE DOCTOR?!" The other voice shouted, slamming his fists onto a nearby wall. "By the fire pits of Daigrom, will I ever be free of this thrice-damned simpleton?!"
"Perfect." The owner of the voice said. "I had hoped this over-sized children's toy would attract his attention, but so soon to the culmination of my work? If I believed in fate, it would be smiling on me today."
"You planned for The Doctor to be here?" The other voice questioned, although it sounded more like an accusation.
"Any Time Lord would have been sufficient, but The Doctor was a distinct and preferable possibility, yes." The voice responded testily. "You're not the only one who despises him. If I can accomplish my goals and dispose of him at the same time, then it's more than worth the potential risk."
"Killing The Doctor…" The other voice said dreamily, as if they could taste the words. "Yes, that does have a certain appeal to it."
"I thought it would." The voice said, unable to keep the condescension from creeping into their voice.
"All we have to do is wait."