Silurian city, Court...
"We lived on the surface of the planet, long before you did. Our sole purpose has been to return to our rightful place." Eldane explained to the three women sitting across from him.
"And we've got a planet that can't already sustain the people who live there. And you want to add a whole other species, to drain resources..." Nasreen went on.
"As I sat there that day across the table from the humans, the future of both species and of our beloved planet Earth rested in our hands, but as the discussions went on, I began to despair about whether we would ever find any common ground, as ambassadors for our species we all had too much to lose."
Eldane brought up a projection of the Earth.
Amy stood up. "So, erm, what about the areas that aren't habitable to us? Australian outback, Sahara desert, Nevada plains..." Amy pointed to the various places on the projection.
"She's right. They're all deserted." Lexi agreed.
Nasreen tug Amy down by her arm. She looked at both the twins.
"Yes, fine, but what happens when their population grows and breeds and spreads? And anyway, what benefit does humanity get, and how would we ever sell this to people on the surface?"
"If I could get a word in, maybe I could tell you." Eldane cut in. "You give us space, we can bring new sources of energy, new methods of water supply, new medicines, scientific advances. We were a great civilization. You provide a place for us on the surface, we'll give you knowledge and technology beyond humanity's dreams. We work together, this planet could achieve greatness."
"Ok. Now I'm starting to see it."
"Oh, yeah." The twins said in gratefulness.
Suddenly there was applause. Everyone turned to see The Doctor, followed by Mo and Elliot.
"Not bad for a first session. More similarities than differences."
There then was a whooshing sound.
"The transport has returned. Your fiends are here." Eldane informed.
A couple minutes later...
Rory walked through the doorway.
"Here they are." The Doctor waved at Rory.
Ambrose then entered next.
"Mum!" Elliot ran over to Ambrose.
"Rory!" Amy exclaimed.
Rory moved his mouth like he was trying to find the words to speak.
"Something's wrong..." The Doctor said surely.
Tony entered carrying what looked like a body shrouded in cloth. Lexi squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Maybe her sneaky suspicion from earlier wasn't so crazy after all.
"Doctor, what's he carrying?" Lexi asked very worriedly.
The Doctor stepped forward. "No. Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this."
Tony laid down his burden on the floor. The Doctor squatted down and pulled the cloth away to reveal Alaya's face. Everyone got a good look before he put it back in place. The Doctor glared at Tony. "What did you do?"
"It was me. I did it." Ambrose spoke up.
"Mum?" Elliot asked disbelievingly.
"I just wanted you back."
Elliot walked away from her. Everyone else looked at her with pity and shame. The Doctor walked up to Eldane.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. You have to believe me, they're better than this."
"This is our planet!" Ambrose defended.
"We had a chance here!" Lexi shouted before being pulled back by Amy and Rory.
"Leave us alone."
The Doctor strode over to Ambrose. "In the future, when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity."
Armed soldiers entered the room, then Restac.
"My sister." She saw the body and went and uncovered it. She wailed before gently replacing the shroud. "And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?"
"One woman." The Doctor stated wagging a finger. "She was scared for her family. She's not typical."
Restac faced Ambrose. "I think she is."
The Doctor pleaded with Eldane. "One person let us down. But there's a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there... You were building something, here, come on... an alliance could work."
"It's to late for that, Doctor." Ambrose informed.
The Doctor looked at Ambrose questioningly. Tony ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Why?"
"Our drill is set to start burrowing again in..." She checked the stopwatch she was holding. "15 minutes."
"What?" Nasreen asked shocked.
"What choice did I have? They had Elliot." Tony defended.
"Don't this, don't call their bluff." The Doctor warned.
"Let us go back. And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone." Ambrose tried to reason.
"Execute her!" Restac commanded.
"No!" The Doctor pulled Ambrose to safety just as the soldiers fired. "Everybody back to the lab! Run!"
Everyone ran for the exit. Rory grabbed Amy and Lexi's hands, pulling them along with him.
"Execute all the apes!" Restac shouted.
The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and used it on the guns causing them to explode. "This is a deadly weapon - stay back!"
One of the soldiers approached from the seats and lashed out at The Doctor with her tongue. He backed out of the way and ran out of the room.
Silurian city, Tunnel...
Everyone ran through the tunnel with The Doctor following.
"Take everyone to the lab!" The Doctor called to Rory as he dodged a beam from a gun. "I'll cover you! Go! Go!" The Doctor took a stand as the others ran. Restac and her warriors arrived. The Doctor used the sonic on their guns. "Ah-ah! Stop right there! Or I'll use my very deadly weapon again. One warning, that's all you get. If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All of you. Now. This ends here."
"No. It only ends with our victory!"
"Like I said... one warning." The Doctor disabled the last two remaining guns and ran away. With a growl, Restac gave chase.
Silurian city, Lab...
The Doctor used the sonicscrewdriver on the doors, making them slide shut.
"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen. Let me know if we get company. Lexi and Amy," The Doctor tossed them the stopwatch. "keep reminding me how much time I haven't got."
Mo and Elliot watched the screen showing the tunnel outside.
"Ok, 12 minutes till impact." The twins stated.
Tony was sitting down and Nasreen was standing next to him.
"Tony Mack, sweaty forehead, dilated pupils, what're you hiding?" The Doctor examined questioningly.
Tony opened his shirt to show the infection had spread across his chest.
"Tony! What happened?" Nasreen asked concerned.
The Doctor use the screwdriver as a scanner on the infected area.
"Alaya's sting. She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't i?" Tony asked.
The Doctor moved to the control panel and checked his readings. "You're not dying, you're mutating. How can I stop it? Decontamination program! Might work - don't know. Eldane, can you run the program on Tony?
"Doctor, shedload of those creatures coming our way! We're surrounded in here!" Mo informed looking at the screen.
Eldane helped Tony to the decontamination chamber as the The Doctor spoke.
"So, question is, how do we stop the drill, given we can't get there in time? Plus also, how do we get out, given that we're surrounded? Nasreen, how d'you feel about an energy pulse, channeled up through the base of the drill?"
"To blow up my life's work?"
"Yes. Sorry. No nice way of putting that."
"Right, well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in..."
"11 minutes, 40 seconds..." The twins informed.
"Yes! Squeaky bum time!" The Doctor trying to keep the mood light.
"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels so we have to be on the surface by then." Nasreen explained.
"But we can't get past Restac's troops." Rory pointed out.
"I can help with that..." Eldane explained. "Toxic fumigation - an emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation, by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."
"You could end up killing your own people." Lexi said worriedly.
"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac."
"Eldane, are you sure about this?" The Doctor asked.
"My priority is my race's survival. The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet."
"No."
"10 minutes, Doctor." Amy informed.
"But maybe it should be. So here's the deal. Everybody listening? Eldane, you activate shutdown... I'll amend the system, set your alarm for 1,000 years' time." The Doctor instructed as Eldane went to the controls. "1,000 years, to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophecy, or religion, but somehow, make it known. This planet is meant to be shared."
"Yeah. I get you." Elliot said.
"Nine minutes, seven seconds." The twins informed growing anxious.
The Doctor joined Eldane at the controls. "Yes, fluid controls, my favorite! Energy pulse timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade, need to cancel it out - quickly." He used the sonic on the controls and the barricade came down.
"Fumigation pre-launching." Eldane stated.
"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor!" Rory exclaimed.
"Ah-ha! Super-squeaky bum time! Get ready to run for your lives. Now..." The Doctor was cut off by Eldane.
"But the decontamination program on your friend hasn't started yet."
Everyone looked to Tony in the chamber.
"Well, go. All of you! Go." Tony didn't want everyone to get stuck down there.
"No, we're not leaving you here!" Ambrose protested.
"Grandad!" Elliot ran to Tony and hugged him.
"Right 8 minutes, 10 seconds." The twins informed.
"No you look after your mum." Tony said sweetly to Elliot. "You mustn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right."
"I'm not going to see you again, am I?"
"I'll be here." Tony touched Elliot's heart. "Always. I love you, boy." Tony hugged Elliot tightly and looked at Ambrose. "You be sure he gets home safe!"
Elliot went over to Mo who pulled him close.
"This is my fault." Ambrose said almost in tears.
"No, I can't go back up there. I'd be a freak show. The technology down here's my only hope." Tony hugged Ambrose.
"I love you, Dad."
"Go. Go. Come on... Go on."
Eldane activated the fumigation.
"Toxic fumigation initiated. Return to cryo-chambers." The speaker system sounded.
Lexi went over to the screen. "They're going! We're clear!"
"Ok. Everyone follow Nasreen. Look for a blue box. Get ready to run." The Doctor used the sonic on the door making it slide open. He turned to Eldane. "I'm sorry."
"I thought for a moment, our race, and the humans..."
"Yeah. Me too."
"Doctor! We've got less than six minutes." Amy informed.
"Go! Go! I'm right behind you!"
Everyone rushed from the room, except for Nasreen.
"Let's go."
"I'm not coming either."
"What?"
Silurian city, Tunnel...
Ambrose, Elliot, Mo, Rory, Amy and Lexi ran through the tunnels. Lexi and Amy saw that The Doctor wasn't following.
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" Lexi and Amy ran back the way they came.
Silurian city, Lab...
Nasreen stood by Tony with a hand on his arm. "We're going to hibernate with them, me and Tony."
"Doctor, you must go!" Eldane exclaimed.
Tony looked to Nasreen. "I can be decontaminated when we're woken. All the time in the world."
"But... Nasreen... you..." The Doctor started to protest.
Nasreen walked to The Doctor. "No. This is perfect. I don't want to go. I've got what I was digging for. I can't believe I've only just found it."
Suddenly, Lexi and Amy ran into the room. They saw what looked like a goodbye. It seemed that Nasreen wouldn't be leaving with them, but back to the matter at hand. "Doctor!"
"Thank you, Doctor." Nasreen said appreciatively.
"The pleasure was all mine." The Doctor hugged Nasreen then grabbed Lexi and Amy's hands and headed for the door.
"Come and looked for us."
The doors to the lab slid closed.
"So, The Doctor sent our warriors back to their rest on the promise of future harmony with humans."
Silurian city, Tunnel...
Fumes began to pump through tunnels and larger chambers. In a different tunnel, The Doctor, Lexi and Amy met up with Rory, running towards them.
"Immediate evacuation..."
"Other way, idiot!" Amy called to Rory.
"Toxic fumigation is about to commence."
Silurian city, Large cavern...
Mo, Elliot and Ambrose pause at the sight in front of them. The Doctor, Lexi, Amy and Rory joined them and kept running. The tannoy repeated its announcement.
"Come on!" The Doctor exclaimed.
Silurian city, Tunnel...
Everyone arrived in the tunnel where the TARDIS was.
"No questions, just get in! And yes, I know it's big!" The Doctor unlocked the door and ushered the family inside. "Ambrose, sickbay up the stairs, left, then left again... get yourself fixed up. Come on! Five minutes and counting..."
The Doctor stopped when he saw the crack in the tunnel wall, the same crack from Amy and Lexi's childhood bedroom.
"Not here. Not now. It's getting wider."
"The crack in our bedroom wall." The twins said together.
The Doctor remembered when he first saw the crack and remembered running his fingers along it. "Two parts of space and time that should never have touched right here."
The Doctor walked up the wall and squatted down. "And the Byzantium. All through the universe - rips in the continuum. Some sort of space-time cataclysm. An explosion, maybe. Big enough to put cracks in the universe. But what?" The Doctor studied the crack, fascinated.
Lexi walked over to The Doctor checking the stopwatch. "Four minutes 50... We have to go!"
"The Angels laughed, when I didn't know. Prisoner Zero knew, everybody knows, except me!"
"Doctor, just leave it."
"But where there's an explosion," The Doctor pulled a red hankie from an inside pocket. "there's shrapnel."
"Doctor, you can't put your hand in there!" Rory tried to say.
"Why not?" The Doctor reached in with the hand holding the hankie. He cried in pain as the light got brighter. Lexi, Amy and Rory watched nervously, not knowing what to do.
"I've got something!"
"What is it?" Amy asked.
The Doctor fell to the ground, clutching the item wrapped in the hankie. It sizzled with heat and energy. "I don't know."
"Doctor!" Rory exclaimed.
A dying Restac crawled into the tunnel. The Doctor jumped off the ground.
"She was there, when the gas started... She must've been poisoned." Lexi stated standing next to The Doctor.
"You!"
"Ok, get in the TARDIS, all three of you." The Doctor reached into a jacket pocket.
"You did this." Restac aimed her gun. Since Lexi wasn't moving front The Doctor's side, she was also in the line of fire.
"Doctor! Lexi!" Rory rushed over to them and pushed both of them out of the way and was shot. The push caused Lexi to fall to the ground with The Doctor partly on top of her.
"Rory!" Amy cried out as she rushed over to him.
Rory groaned in pain as Restac died.
The Doctor got up and ran over to Rory. Lexi went over to Rory and cradled his head in her lap.
"Rory, can you hear me?!" The Doctor asked as he used the sonic on him.
"I don't understand." Rory said weakly.
"Ssh-ssh. Don't talk." Lexi said soothingly stroking his head.
Amy stroked Rory's face. "Doctor, is he Ok? We have to get him into the TARDIS."
"We were on a hill. I can't die here." Rory said gazing into Amy's tear filled eyes.
"Don't say that."
Rory glanced up at Lexi who had tears in her eyes. "You look after her." He looked back at Amy. "... You're so beautiful... I'm sorry." Rory breathed one last breath before he slipped into lifelessness.
"Doctor, help him." Amy said.
The Doctor looked towards the crack and saw tendrils of light reaching out, touching Rory's feet. He remembered speaking to Amy and Lexi, guiding them through the forest of Angels on the Byzantium. "If the time energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all."
The Doctor stood up and looked at Lexi. She gazed up at him.
"Lexi... get up." He looked at her for moment. There was something in the way that he was looking at her, that made her do what she was told. She slowly moved Rory's head from her lap and gently laid it on the ground. She wiped a few tears from her face and slowly stood up. She walked over to the TARDIS doors. The Doctor looked at Amy. "Amy, move away from the light, if it touches you you'll be wiped from history. Amy, move away now."
"No.! I'm not leaving him! We have to help him!"
The Doctor gripped Amy gently by the shoulders. "The light's already around him, we can't help him."
"I'm not leaving him!"
"We have to."
"No!"
"Sorry!"
"Get off me!"
"Sorry!" The Doctor lifted her up and dragged her to the TARDIS. Lexi pushed the doors open for them, and then closed them once they were inside. She was softly sobbing to herself.
Inside the TARDIS...
"No!" Amy rushed back to the door to get out, Lexi tried to hold her off while she still was crying. "No! No!"
The Doctor used the sonic on the door to prevent Amy from going outside. Once they were locked Lexi quickly moved out of Amy's way and went up to the console. She leaned on it with her arms crossed.
Amy shouted and pounded on the door. "Let me out, please let me out... I need to get to Rory!"
The Doctor walked determinedly to the console. He wrapped Lexi in a tight hug before going over to the other side of the console. Amy turned around, tears streaming down her cheeks. She saw the monitor.
"The light, if his body's absorbed I'll forget him. He'll never have existed. You can't let that happen."
The Doctor pulled on a lever on the console.
"What are you doing?!" Amy ran up to the console past her sister and to The Doctor. "Doctor! No!"
The TARDIS began to dematerialize. Lexi glanced over at the screen to see Rory's body wrapped in the light. She quickly turned away and said nothing, wiping away tears from her cheeks.
Amy began to beat her hands against The Doctor's chest as hugged her. "No! No! Doctor, we can't just leave him there!"
"Keep him in your mind. Don't forget him. If you forget him, you'll lose him forever. Lexi," The Doctor called over to her. "you do the same."
"On the Byzantium, we still remembered the Clerics because we are time travelers, now you said."
The Doctor gripped Amy's head in his hands. "They weren't part of your world. This is different... this is your own history changing."
"Don't tell me it's going to be ok. You have to make it ok!"
"It's going to be hard, but I know you can do it, Amy, Lexi."
Lexi turned her head and looked at The Doctor kneeling in front of Amy sitting on the jump seat. She looked like she was starting to forget Rory. Lexi wasn't though.
WAIT! WHAT?!... Why was she still remembering Rory? Lexis eyes went wide. She rushed over and next to The Doctor and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Ok, I need you both to tell me about Rory. Fantastic Rory, funny, Rory, gorgeous Rory. "
"Doctor... I'm freaking out. I'm not having any trouble remembering him. What is going on?!" Lexi asked panicking. The Doctor turned to her in surprise. Lexi quickly turned her attention back to her sister. "Amy, listen to me. Do exactly as he says. Amy please. Keep concentrating. You can do this."
"I can't."
"You can. You can do it." The Doctor reassured. "I can't help you unless you do. Come on. We can still save his memory. Come on, Amy. Please..."
"Come on, Amy, come on. Rory's part of my personal history too, and I'm not sure how it's possible, but I don't want to be the only one out of the two of us who can remember him. Amy, please. Don't let anything distract you."
"Remember Rory. Keep remembering, Rory is only alive in your memory. You must keep hold of him. Don't let anything distract you. Rory still lives in your mind."
Suddenly the TARDIS jarred upon materializing, knocking all three of them to the floor. The box containing the engagement ring fell in front of The Doctor and Lexi's faces. They stared at it and then at each other.
"What were you two saying?" Amy asked brightly.
The Doctor and Lexi could only stare at her, knowing that Amy had completely forgotten Rory. Mo and Elliot walked down the stairs.
"I have seen things today, but this is beyond mad." Mo said in shock.
"Doctor!" Amy looked at the stopwatch. "Five seconds till it all goes up!"
Graveyard...
The TARDIS had materialized in the graveyard overlooking the drill sight. Everyone rushed outside just in time to see the sight explode.
Later...
Elliot, Amy and Mo walked through the graveyard as The Doctor and Ambrose stood at the entry to the church.
"All Nasreen's work just erased." Amy stated sadly.
"Good thing she's not here to see it. She's gonna give Tony hell when they wake up." Mo said.
"You could've let those things shoot me. You saved me." Ambrose said to The Doctor.
"An eye for an eye. It's never the way. Now you show your son how wrong you were. How there's another way. You make him the best of humanity... in the way you couldn't be." The Doctor looked at her with a gentle smile before leaving.
Just outside the TARDIS...
"You're very quiet. Oh! Hey! Look! There I am again! Hello, me!" Amy waved to her future self who was alone on the other side of the valley.
"Are you ok?" The Doctor asked Amy looking at her, concerned.
"I thought I saw someone else there for a second. I need a holiday. Didn't we talk about Rio?"
"You go in. Just fixed this lock, keeps jamming." The Doctor unlocked the door for Amy.
"You boys and your locksmithery." Amy entered the TARDIS and closed the door.
The Doctor walked around to the side of the TARDIS to find Lexi leaning against it, staring off into space. "What about you? Are you okay?"
"Rory was like a brother to me."
The Doctor saw tears forming in her eyes. "Hey... hey, come here." The Doctor wrapped her in a hug. Lexi buried her face into his chest.
"I don't understand how she can't remember him, but I can. He was part of my personal history too."
"I don't know how it's possible." The Doctor stated with his chin resting on the top of her head. "It shouldn't be possible. But I'm going to figure it out." The Doctor pulled away and gave Lexi a kiss on the forehead. "Now go on..."
Lexi gave a sad smile and entered the TARDIS.
"Now as my people awaken from their 1,000 year sleep, ready to rise to the surface, my thoughts turn back to The Doctor, the losses he suffered then and the greater losses that were still to come."
The Doctor unwrapped the item he took from within the crack. It was a piece of something with words written on it,... very familiar words. He held it up to the TARDIS sign and it matched...
DUN DUN DUN DUN!
A/N: Haha! I just loved the look on The Doctor's face when he saw that the piece of shrapnel matched the TARDIS sign. Anyway, it's so sad that Rory died. Now all of you know how the loss that I mentioned at the end of 'Amy and Lexi's Choice' would affect the twins in very different ways. Next episode chapter will be Vincent and The Doctor! Which is one of my favorites. :)