The Sonomancer (audio story)

 was the fourth and final story in the audio anthology Doom Coalition 2, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Matt Fitton and featured Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, Nicola Walker as Liv Chenka, Hattie Morahan as Helen Sinclair and Alex Kingston as River Song.

Publisher's summary
On the other side of the galaxy a mining company is exploiting the already unstable planet of Syra for every precious mineral it contains. River Song is attempting to save the native people. She needs the Doctor's help, but she also knows he mustn't yet discover her true identity. The final confrontation sees the Doctor once again face his enemy the Eleven in an attempt to prevent the destruction of Syra and the genocide of its inhabitants.

Plot
River pinpoints the spot where she says "everything will begin" and has Mariam blow a horn. With a quake coming, River agrees that Mariam's people should relocate and tells her to have Madam Yeva look after her vortex manipulator and a paper message which should soon teleport to her assistant and, thanks to her sonic screwdriver, relay coordinates.

At the nearby volcano, a mineworker is killed by the Eleven and an alarm sounds. A number of people scream. River encounters Ruslan and tells him that she is the planet's only hope, but he locks her up in a mining capsule. Caleera - now calling herself the Sonomancer - calls out to the Eleven, who she says is enjoying his work too much, and orders him to return to his TARDIS. Trapped as the planet approaches destruction, River threatens Ruslan, telling him to wait until her husband gets home.

The Doctor, Liv and Helen are tracking seismic activity on the planet and spot Mariam and her people, escaping said activity. Mariam tells them that the planet is called Syra and, using her diviner, detects that a quake is about to hit them. The ground splits and the Doctor hurries to the TARDIS with Liv, having an idea.

Ruslan tells Madam Yeva that, whilst Mariam leads people away from the lakeside settlements, Madam Yeva must herself move camps once again due to seismic activity. He asks to inspect River's sonic screwdriver, but Madam Yeva denies him, saying that she has only been gone for two days and may yet return.

River is still in the capsule and has thus far tried 50,000 different codes to get out. She notes that the Doctor should be there already and laments not having a TARDIS of her own, with which she could easily send out a cancelling wave.

The Doctor emerges from the TARDIS and tells Helen that Liv is holding down a button which is creating such a wave as River talked to herself about. He names Helen their ambassador to the natives and tells her to get an audience with their leader whilst he and Liv head to the energy source within the volcano.

The Sonomancer is meditating and detects the Doctor's presence on the planet, which she says is the reason that she brought the Eleven with her.

Mariam gives the Doctor and Liv a Six Legs to ride and assigns Ivo the job of looking after Helen and the TARDIS. The Doctor gives Helen his sonic screwdriver to detect tremors caused by the Gift and tells her to get Madam Yeva to get the Syrans underground whilst he and Liv try to prevent the Gift doing more damage.

Helen meets with Madam Yeva, who is told by Ruslan that they will have to move camp again and leaves to speak with the Elders. Helen agrees to go with Ruslan to an underground bunker which he claims to hope that they can convince the Syrans to retreat to. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Liv climb the volcano and find a cave through which they can enter. Ruslan pulls a laser drill on Helen and, after she denies being from a rival company, locks her in a mining capsule with River.

To be completed.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Paul McGann
 * Liv Chenka - Nicola Walker
 * Helen Sinclair - Hattie Morahan
 * River Song - Alex Kingston
 * The Eleven - Mark Bonnar
 * Caleera - Emma Cunniffe
 * Ruslan - Derek Ezenagu
 * Yeva - Janet Fullerlove
 * Ivo - Derek Ezenagu
 * Mariam - Laura Harding
 * Mineworker / Galactic Heritage Officer / Shopkeeper - John Banks

Continuity

 * River asks Helen if the Doctor has come as "the magician, (TV: The Husbands of River Song) the spiv or the geography teacher." (TV: Let's Kill Hitler onwards)
 * This incarnation would later encounter River in an encoded radio transmission, when she was under the pseudonym of Miss Spritz. (AUDIO: The Rulers of the Universe)
 * River is under the impression that all the Time Lords are dead. (TV: The End of the World, etc.)
 * River calls herself Melody Malone. (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan, PROSE: The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery)
 * The Eleven sees that River has some aspects of a Time Lord. (TV: A Good Man Goes to War)
 * River references her doctorate from Luna University. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler, A Good Man Goes to War)
 * River says, "Just you wait 'til my husband gets home!" (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan)
 * River shows Helen three pictures of the Doctor in her diary to find out which incarnation she is travelling with: the magician, the spiv, or the geography teacher, but Helen says she is not travelling with any of them, then points out the Eighth Doctor's image and says she is travelling with him. River realises she cannot meet the Eighth Doctor or it will interfere with their timelines. (TV: The Time of Angels, The Husbands of River Song)
 * River comments that it would be very unlucky for the Doctor to see her "this many lifetimes before the wedding." (TV: The Wedding of River Song)
 * River uses Venusian martial arts on the Eleven. (TV: The Mind of Evil, etc.)
 * A trace of the Gift is in the Doctor's mind. (AUDIO: The Gift)
 * River contacts Galactic Heritage (PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows, etc.) and tells Helen that they have warships.
 * Liv mentions the Lorelei. (AUDIO: Robophobia)
 * The Doctor awards gold stars to his companions. (TV: Demons of the Punjab)