There was a blue box sitting in the middle of a field. Strangely enough, there was no evidence of how it had gotten there. And then a door opened on the front of the box, and a woman with red hair and a very large voice bounced out onto the tall grass.

"Come on then, Doctor!" Donna Noble called loudly over her shoulder into the box. "You said this was going to be an exciting stop, well worth my time. Although with a time machine, that doesn't mean much. And oi!" she added, turning with one hand on her hip and one pointed accusingly at the skinny man in a blue suit and a long tan coat who had just wandered out of the box, "this is a field. Your stupid box brought us to a field. A boring, grassy, earthy field. There isn't anything to see here. What's your big surprise, eh, Martian Boy?"

The Doctor appeared to be a bit offended, but those who knew him would know he was only teasing. "Don't call the TARDIS stupid, she's actually a brilliant multidimensional spaceship, aren't you," he said, fondly patting the wooden phone box exterior. "And for just about the millionth time, I'm really not from Mars."

"Point understood. Not taken," Donna retorted. "So what's the surprise? Tell me."

The Doctor, with his hands in his pockets, started wandering slowly towards a tall hill rising out of the ground like a tumor. "a) it's a surprise, so I can't tell you. 2)—no, wait, sorry—b) it's not until…" he checked his watch. "Eleven o'clock tonight. Roughly, since this planet doesn't go by the same timey wimey system as Earth."

Donna followed him. "Timey wimey?!" she said incredulously. "What does that even mean?"

"No idea," the Doctor replied distractedly. He wasn't really paying attention.

Suddenly, Donna got excited. She started to run towards the big hill. "Hurry up then! I mean, the whole planet can't be a field! Let's explore!"

The Doctor grinned. That was why he chose her. He let her run ahead. Humans were so curious, but she deserved this one. By the time he had turned around and locked the TARDIS doors, Donna had already reached the base of the hill. There was a cylindrical structure near the hill, maybe some sort of well. Then Donna dropped to her knees next to something lying on the ground and screamed. "Doctor! Doctor, come quickly!" But he was already running. In less than thirty seconds, he had reached her, and pulled her up off the ground and took her place kneeling next to the body of the young woman lying in the brush. The shattered remains of some ceramic vessel were lying around her. Donna had tears in her eyes.

"What d'you suppose happened to her?" Donna said sadly. The Doctor had lifted the woman's wrist and was checking her pulse. He shook his head slightly and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, scanning the woman.

"Ooh," he said curiously. "Oh, that is very odd." He looked up at Donna. "All of her life signs are gone. Her heart's not beating, she isn't breathing, and she's cold."

"But?" Donna asked. She knew him so well.

"But," the Doctor continued. "Her brain is still functioning. Whatever happened to her…she's still conscious."

"You what?" Donna said blankly. "You mean…she's alive?"

The Doctor looked completely bewildered. "I don't know. I have no idea. But her…well, I suppose you'd say soul, her consciousness, is still in her body. In fact," he added, touching the woman's face gently. "I think she can hear us. I think she's fully awake. Is that right?" he said to the woman. "Are you in there?"

"The poor thing must be terrified," Donna sympathized. "We have to help her, Doctor."

"Well, yeah, of course. But the thing is, I don't know how." The Doctor stood up. "Something is going on here. These people are fairly primitive and quite like the ancient human civilizations on Earth. It takes a long time for them to develop technology. But I don't remember learning anything about anything like this." He leaned down and picked up the woman effortlessly. "One thing's for sure, we can't leave her lying around if there's any chance she's actually conscious. It would be awful if she were found and buried alive. Sorry, Donna, exploring will have to wait." And with Donna following him, and the young woman in his arms, the Doctor headed back to the TARDIS.