And so here he was, at the twenty-fifth most popular vacation planet: the intergalactic stone throwing planet. Dust clung to the sky like plastic wrap, obscuring vision. The cliff face he sat on overlooked a sea that seemed to stretch on forever. People in groups competed in skipping stones whilst others placed bets on who would win. Not exactly Planet of the Coffee Shops, but at least there was leg room.
River's words gostled him like endless waves. "Doctor means...great warrior " Is that really me? The Doctor pondered, chucking a stone. It bothered him, more than he realized. you onto the granite outcrops. He hopped up, dusting himself off.
A crowd had gathered- not watching him. He turned to follow their gaze. A bellow, thunderous and indistinct at first, morphed into a very familiar inflection and accent. "...let me down or face the wrath of the Sontaran Empire!"
"Strax!" The Doctor cried. e peered up into the dust belt. A Sontaran with wings hovered above. Well, more like struggled not to be blown by the wind. Just barely. The Doctor peered more closely.
The Doctor addressed no one in particular: "Sontarans don't grown wings, that would be ridiculous. Some sort of fairy-like creature has hold of him, see? Pay attention."
They weren't straying from the dust belt, about 10 feet above ground. Are they hiding or do they require the dust for some reason? The Doctor debated next steps. Strax's right arm was beginning to turn blue, because the fairy's strong grip was cutting off his circulation. Well, then, that settles it. He powered on his sonic and aimed towards the fairies and the dust particles cleared. At once fairies disappeared. Without any hints, he knew, as only a Time Lord could, that they had re-entered the time vortex. Strax hit an outcrop and tumbled downhill until he was very near the gathered crowd.
The Doctor briskly approached, knelt down, and gestured to Strax's bruised arm. "You've got a nasty bruise. By the looks of it, probably a torn–"
"Nonsense. 20 Daleks couldn't take me down in battle. It would take more than a few fleas to beat me," he grumbled, slumping.
An onlooking Silurian grimaced and turned to The Doctor, examining him curiously. "If it weren't for your intervention, the Sontaran probably would have been killed. You seem brave. I've met you somewhere before-"
"I've just got one of those faces."
"I wasn't looking at the the face, just the bow tie."
Perhaps she noticed him blanching, since she pointedly changed the subject. "Are you vacationing, then? Lovely time for it."
"Oh, I just needed a few days away. Time to think."
"You can think with all this ruckus?"
"I work best while multitasking."
"I've noticed," she said wryly, for he had already begun intently tuning his tool and sweeping it back and forth across Strax's elbow. Strax mumbled something about Sontaran's needing some ellbow grease. The Silurian ignored his protests. "What is that?"
"My sonic. It helps me analyze and manage my surroundings," he said without so much as a flicker of his gaze. " But it doubles as a medical device. He'll be fine."
His matter of fact tone reassured her, and she let her mind drift through what he was saying. "Your surroundings- are you looking for something?"
"No. Well, yes. But nothing you could help with. See, River didn't disappear in this century."
Maybe he was a geologist, she surmised. Geologists rivaled tourists in terms of frequency. "River? There is a dried riverbed nearby." She scanned the horizon. "Just 2 miles there-"
She turned back around. He and the Sontaran were gone. She scratched her head, bewildered.
Back on the TARDIS, The Doctor absentmindedly picked up a purple yoyo from the console. Strax was asleep in one of the bedrooms close by. The Doctor had long since learned to let surprised Sontarans wake up alone if he wanted to keep both hearts functioning. The Doctor dangled the yoyo string between his fingers and swung it round and round.
He was growing too big. She hasn't placed him yet, but he never forgot a face. The Doctor recognized her as Matilda, of the Silurians who befriended Lorna Bucket at Gamma Forest. Matilda did not come to Demons Run but was undoubtedly affected by Lorna's recent passing. Once Matilda did, it would only be time before she put two and two together.
The yoyo wrapped around his wrist with a bonk. He danced from the pain: "Yowzah!" He needed to know what they wanted with Strax. He'd just encountered fairies with an unusual interest in time travel. It wasn't a major lead but it was better than what he had so far. He placed the yoyo back and leaned against the console. She hummed beneath his fingers. "Where to next, you sexy thing?" The TARDIS revved in response. He agreed.
"Fairyland it is then. Don't ever grab hold of a pixie head. It may be the last thing you ever do. Rule #3,701."