Starfall ( audio story ) Starfall is the fourth story in the Demon Quest arc , a series of five audio dramas featuring Tom Baker as The Doctor alongside Richard Franklin as Mike Yates . Publisher ' s summary . Two things arrive on the same night in Central Park , New York , 1976 , The first is a fireball from space , bringing with it a new identity for one Alice Trefusis . The second is the TARDIS , carrying the Doctor and his friends on the trail of an unusual comic book cover . The Doctor ' s strength is sapped by something in the New York air – but what could cause such a malaise ? As he and Mike are first mixed up with the police and then taken on an aerial ride over the city , Mrs Wibbsey comes face to face with the legendary Talkies film star Mimsy Loyne . And all the while , long multicoloured scarves and floppy felt hats are climbing the stairs of the Dakota building . . . Plot . New York , July 11 , 1976 : New York City resident Buddy is working a street pretzel stand , as his girlfriend , Alice Trefusis , watches from her office window . Alice ’ s supervisor , the elderly and awful Mimsy Loyne , employs her as a literary secretary , helping with Loyne ’ s memoirs ; Alice hates the job , but needs the money . Nearby , a cult meets to perform bizarre rites . That night , a meteor crashes into Central Park ; Buddy and Alice search for it , but fail to find it . The next day , the Doctor , Mike Yates , and Mrs . Wibbsey arrive in the TARDIS ; the Doctor is almost immediately struck with an ill feeling , which he attributes to something in the atmosphere . He notes the now - empty pretzel stand , and then they go into the park . Buddy , meanwhile , has abandoned his post to take Alice on a walk in the park while Alice vents over her boss . They stumble upon the meteor ; Alice says it is singing to her . She touches it and is knocked back ; Buddy sees her glowing with strange golden light . The Doctor and his companions come upon Buddy and Alice , and offer to help ; but Alice fears him , and tries to get rid of him . Suddenly , energy bolts shoot from her eyes , and she can ’ t control them . Wibbsey points out that this is all in the comic , which says Alice will become a loved superhero called Ms . Starfall — indeed , Alice seems to embrace the idea , before passing out . The Doctor carefully collects the meteor ( wrapped in a coat ) , and Wibbsey helps Buddy take Alice back to Loyne ’ s apartment , with Wibbsey recognising Loyne ’ s name as a once - famous actress . Back in the TARDIS , the Doctor feels better ; while analysing the meteor , it splits open , revealing half a golden heart , which is stamped “ SEPUL ” — short for “ Sepulchre ” , presumably . He realises that Mrs . Wibbsey is in danger , and takes Mike to find her . Along the way , they find the brutally - murdered body of a young man , who has been desiccated like previous victims . At that moment the police arrive , finally alerted to the strange happenings , and — jumping to entirely the wrong conclusion — arrest them both . At Loyne ’ s apartment , Buddy at last meets Loyne , and takes Alice to her own room . Alice awakens , and says that she feels amazing . Loyne sees the police entering the park , and demands to talk to Buddy ; Wibbsey goes to talk to her instead . She accidentally leaves behind the comic , which is dated for today , and includes all of them , as previously described . Alice likes the idea — and suddenly discovers she can fly . She takes an old Hollywood Valkyrie costume from Loyne ’ s collection , and notes it is the same as in the comic ; she puts it on , and starts exultantly using her powers , flying over the city . Buddy looks again at the comic , and sees that the writer ’ s name is the same as his . In the window , Wibbsey sees the Doctor and Mike escorted out of the park by the police . As she prepares to go after them , Loyne orders Buddy to bring back her secretary , then leave . Alice is using her powers to stop petty crimes and avert minor disasters . Meanwhile , the Doctor and Mike are in a squad car ; the Doctor continues to feel worse now that he is away from the TARDIS . They discuss the Demon ; the Doctor says it is “ a potpourri of physiognomy and DNA ” , and could be anyone around them . They witness Alice flying around , and then watch as she lands in front of them and demands their release from the police . When the police refuse , she disarms them , and removes the Doctor and Mike from the car . At the apartment , Loyne gloats over the progress of the situation , shocking Mrs . Wibbsey ; Loyne puts her out , with Buddy . While exiting , they see glimpses of the Doctor , and return to the apartment in search of him — but the glimpses begin to pile up , as if there are multiples of him . Buddy and Wibbsey hide on the stairs to watch as the figures go past , but none of them are the actual Doctor . The figures go into the door at the top of the stairs . Alice brings the Doctor and Mike back to the apartment through a window , landing in Loyne ’ s bedroom . The Doctor feels his worst so far , and thinks he is near the epicentre of the effect . Upstairs at the attic level , Buddy and Wibbsey listen at the door where the figures entered , hearing what sounds like ritual chanting ; they peek in , and see a weird , dancelike ritual in progress . The Doctor - like figures are dancing around the final piece of the spatial geometer , which is glowing . The figures discover they are being watched , but they continue the chant . The Doctor confronts Loyne , and says that he knew her in 1922 , on Sunset Boulevard , when he had a different form . Alice demands to know where Buddy is , and says she will find him ; the Doctor asks her to bring back Mrs . Wibbsey as well . When Alice leaves , Loyne changes demeanour and tries to paint Alice as her captor , and possibly the Demon , as well ; she also admits to remembering the Doctor . He does not believe her claims , though . She claims to have heard Alice consorting with demons . The Doctor expounds his own thoughts briefly , and then sends Mike to make tea . While Mike is out , the Doctor admits that he never had a past acquaintance with Loyne , and therefore she is lying about remembering it — and is the Demon . She admits it , but says that he is too weak to resist — and she needs him . Mike returns and finds the Doctor weakened on the floor , and Loyne absent . The Doctor insists that they must find the true epicentre of the debilitating effect . The cultists in the attic admit to working for a mysterious boss , presumably the Demon ; they say that she has ordered them to complete this ritual as the Doctor dies . Alice arrives and breaks in to rescue Wibbsey and Buddy . She easily overcomes the cultists , knocking them out ; Wibbsey takes the opportunity to go after the spatial geometer component . The cult leader intercepts her . Loyne arrives and claims leadership over the cult . The Doctor and Mike also arrive , and confront Loyne ; the Doctor suddenly appears recovered , which he attributes to the interruption of the ritual . Loyne is not dismayed ; she changes to the form of the Demon , announcing that her preparations are already complete anyway . She admits to having been all the villains of the preceding stories ; she also claims to have been responsible for the meteor which gave Alice her powers . She intends to dispose of the others as irrelevant now that she has the Doctor ; the Doctor points out that they are never irrelevant , as Mike has just reclaimed the geometer component while she was distracted . In retaliation , the Demon grabs Mrs . Wibbsey and drags her into the dematerialisation chamber . The chamber dematerialises , but not before the Demon announces that the Sepulchre is prepared for the Doctor . The group returns to the TARDIS ; the Doctor says they must go after Mrs . Wibbsey . The Doctor tells Buddy and Alice they must stay in New York ; but unfortunately , now that the Demon is gone , Alice ’ s powers will fade in a few hours . Buddy is not dismayed ; he plans to write a comic series about Alice , or rather , Ms . Starfall . References . " to be added " Continuity . " to be added "