A Wing and a Prayer ( comic story ) Publisher ' s summary . When a sandstorm forces the TARDIS down in the Iraq i desert in 1930 , Clara is overjoyed to meet the legendary Amy Johnson , currently engaged in her bid to become the first woman to fly across the world . But something else is hiding in desert sand s . Something small and sinister . . . Summary . Part 1 : A Wing and a Prayer . Amy Johnson is drowning . As she sinks , she remembers that this was how she always thought she would die . . . Years earlier ( presumably ) , Johnson is flying her plane through the Iraq i desert . A sandstorm is causing her to lose control of her plane , and she is forced to make an emergency landing on the sands . Securing her plane to ensure that it doesn ' t blow away , she waits for the storm to end . Two hours later , the storm is fading . Johnson sees someone or something approaching her from the distance , and pulls out a gun . The figure is revealed to be Clara Oswald , who tells Johnson not to shoot . Upon introducing themselves , Clara is overjoyed to be meeting Johnson , who has long been one of her heroes . The Doctor soon appears as well , and offers to help Johnson get her plane up and running again , so she can set off once more for Baghdad , where she needs to be by nightfall if she hopes to continue her journey from England to Australia . Meanwhile , Clara notices a mysterious buzzing noise . . . The TARDIS materialises in Baghdad . The Doctor explains to Clara about some of the city ' s history and culture , but she isn ' t listening — she ' s incredibly excited about talking to Johnson and finding out more about Johnson ' s life . Suddenly , Clara stops talking , having just remembered that she knows how Johnson will die — drowning in the Thames Estuary while transporting supplies during World War II . She asks the Doctor if they can warn her , but the Doctor says no , explaining that " history is a delicate tapestry . Historical figures have to be left alone . If their paths are altered then the patterns they ' ve woven will unravel . " Clara is saddened by this , but the Doctor reminds her that Johnson is still alive and well at the moment . The Doctor soon finds what he and Clara have come to Baghdad for — a fez store run by a man named Omar , who expresses anger at the fact that the Doctor ' s previous fez has been eaten by a slime - frog on the Third Moon of Puggo . Johnson , meanwhile , lands her plane at the Harrington Aerodrome , and is introduced to the staff there — retire d Royal Air Force commander Arnold Bradshaw and mechanics Ted and Kenny . Bradshaw , a stern man with only one arm , displays sexism towards Johnson , who promptly debunks Bradshaw ' s theories that she doesn ' t know how her plane works . Bradshaw , irritated , storms off into the distance . After a brief conversation with the mechanics , Johnson leaves as well . The Doctor is seen at Omar ' s home , playing a game of backgammon . He is worried that Clara will not follow the advice he gave her about changing history . Clara meets up with Johnson at the Crown Hotel , and the two of them head up to the hotel ' s roof for dinner . Back at the aerodrome , Ted and Kenny prepare to conduct repairs on Johnson ' s plane , but both are swiftly killed by something emitting the same buzzing noise Clara noticed back in the desert . Kenny manages to call for help before he dies , and Bradshaw enters . Something speaks to him , telling him that he " rages . " Bradshaw is unable to see the speaker at first , but upon closer inspection , he sees it — the alien insect Koragatta , who tells him that he seeks " a warrior prepared to face a terrible threat . " Bradshaw is initially sceptical that something so small could be so powerful , but Koragatta swiftly proves his power by recreating Bradshaw ' s missing arm out of sand . Clara and Johnson converse on the roof of the Crown , discussing the reasons Johnson decided to make her journey around the world . Suddenly , a sandstorm picks up . They watch in horror as the sand forms copies of the two of them . As the sand - people advance menacingly toward them , Clara repeats something the Doctor said earlier : " Sand : bad . . . " Part 2 : The Power Below . Arnold Bradshaw , impressed with his new arm , decides to help Koragatta harness the power of the earth . Meanwhile , Clara and Amy attempt to run from their sand duplicates , but discover their powers allow them to catch up . Clara manages to stall the duplicates by pushing a trolley cart at them , and the two women borrow a car to reach the Doctor and get help . Back at Omar ' s residence , the Doctor is enjoying a meal when a sand copy of him materialises . Using his sonic screwdriver , the Doctor discovers a tiny organism is inside the sand ; the creature then asks the Doctor where the " traitor " is . Not believing the Doctor ' s denial of knowing who this traitor is , it threatens to kill Omar ; however , his wife Nadia attacks it with a bucket of water , dissolving the sand . The Doctor uses his fez to trap the insectoid which previously occupied the sand . He jams the organism ' s telekinetic frequency , disallowing any further sand creatures from being created , and begins to question it . The creature introduces itself as Vessalak , who is looking for the traitor Koragatta ; the Doctor supposedly aided this traitor in his escape earlier that day . The Doctor realises that the storm from earlier was actually a silicon probe used by Vessalak , and that it mapped the body patterns of anyone it encountered ( explaining the sand duplicates ) . Vessalak also mentions that himself , Takkan and Kratus were close to finding Koragatta , and that the Doctor surely aided his escape ; the Doctor , however , denies this . Meanwhile , Clara and Amy , who appear to have escaped their sand duplicates , begin a conversation . Clara tells Amy of the TARDIS , but does not mention its ability to travel in time . At this point , the sand duplicates have found the two women ; Amy and Clara drive over the not - yet - solid creatures . At this point , the creatures ( Takkan and presumably Kratus ) decide to merely follow rather than attack , in hopes of being led to Koragatta . The Doctor , Omar and Nadia decide to locate Amy and Clara , only to find the two women already arriving at the residence . Clara recalls the buzzing sound she heard while meeting Amy , and the Doctor theorises it was Koragatta hitching a ride on Amy ' s plane . The trio decide to go to the plane and investigate , only to find the hangar apparently deserted at first glance . At further inspection , however , they find the cold , lifeless bodies of Ted and Kenny . Bradshaw arrives on the scene , explaining that he is in league with Koragatta and that they committed the two murders . Bradshaw introduces his ally - who , thanks to the energy he absorbed from the region ' s land , is gigantic . The Doctor realises that they are " going to need a bigger fez . . . " Part 3 : the final flight . The Doctor suggests that Vessalak and his people retreat due to the opponent ' s power , but the small insectoid insists on doing his " duty . " Koragatta responds by freezing Vessalak and his two allies in the air , and Bradshaw uses his sand arm to crush them . Koragatta suddenly senses " an intriguing mind " - the mind of the Doctor . After Koragatta suggests that the Doctor assist him , the Doctor asks why Bradshaw is helping the creature ; Bradshaw claims that Britain is run by the weak , and will not survive another war . He and Koragatta explain their plan to soar through space itself , and thanks to the Doctor ' s knowledge of hyper - dimensional travel , Koragatta wants the Doctor ' s help . To ensure the Doctor ' s cooperation , Koragatta kidnaps Omar as well . Koragatta uses his regained strength to form a hole in space , opening up one of " the tunnels that bind this universe together . " During their journey through this tunnel , Koragatta , at the Doctor ' s request , tells the story of how he came to be viewed as a traitor . Koragatta was once a mere drone of the Prime Mother , whose side was at war with the other hives of the great web . Unusually for his species , however , he began to wonder why exactly he was risking his life simply to help another being . Koragatta chose to desert the swarm in favour of freedom , but the rest of the swarm pursued him for his betrayal . Bradshaw is shocked by this story , realising that his ally is in fact a coward . As the Doctor and Omar escape , Bradshaw repeatedly attacks the insectoid , breaking its concentration ; consequentially , both Bradshaw and Koragatta fall into a q - form , ending their lives . The Doctor and Omar are now falling towards a q - form , when Amy and Clara arrive in Amy ' s plane . The former manages to steer the plane quickly enough to reach the Doctor and Omar , who grab onto the vehicle ' s top wing . Amy manages to steer the plane just as the hole closes , arriving back on Earth . The Doctor suggests that they tell the truth about Ted ' s and Kenny ' s deaths , albeit a simplified version : that they were killed by a poisonous insect , which was now squashed . Just as their work appears to be finished , however , a huge creature - the Prime Mother - arrives with an army of insectoids . The Prime Mother is aware of and pleased by Koragatta ' s death , but has also seen that a man from Earth assisted him ; for this man ' s crime , she threatens to destroy the entire planet . To avert this proposed destruction , the Doctor tells the Prime Mother of " the world ' s dominant life form . " He points out that this species has strong potential , explaining that it has endured wars , ice ages , plagues and famines , always surviving , rebuilding , and growing : " the ant deserves your mercy . " The Prime Mother agrees with this , and departs from Earth . As Amy leaves to finish her flight , Clara cries over the brief remainder of the pilot ' s life . However , she points out to the Doctor that Amy ' s body was never found . . . Drowning in the cold water , Amy hears a wheezing , groaning sound . She finds herself lying on the TARDIS console room floor , where the Doctor asks whether she would like to soar beyond the sky ; the pilot says yes . The story ' s final panel depicts Amy flying a futuristic plane on an alien planet . Notes . " to be added " External links . " to be added "