2010
The vast pink galaxy drifted across the TARDIS's great scanner screen. Rory was blown away. 75,000 star systems inside it, according to the Doctor, hundreds of planets in each one. It was incredible. The scale of it was –
"Ah! Forgot! I forgot them!"
Rory looked up. "What?"
"I forgot them!" The Doctor stomped around the TARDIS console. "No! No! No!"
"Doctor, what is it?"
"Rory, fetch Amy now!"
"Right, for the last time, what's the matter?" As brilliant as he was, the Doctor could be so irritating at times.
"Unfinished business!"
The Doctor spun away on his heel.
"Hang on! I don't even know where she is!"
The Doctor turned back. "Wardrobe, I think. You know Amy. Don't be long – lot's to do!"
"Wait a minute – where is it again..?" Rory said, frowning. The last time he'd gone to get changed he'd got totally lost.
"Out of here, three lefts, a right and a left. Bingo!" the Doctor yelled, striding out.
Four minutes later
The door opened and the Doctor went in. The Seeding Room was dim, curved, warm. A gentle coral pink washed across the walls and floor and from deep within came a soft tick. The atmosphere was thick with the Artron energy. It pressed down, tingling, fizzing upon his face and hands as the Doctor approached the centre. There, rising up like giant distended mushrooms upon a great stone pedestal, were the beginnings of a console.
The Doctor frowned. "Not nearly ready."
He licked a finger tip and ran it across one of the nodules. "Hmm... Another 100,000 years should do it…"
Magenta, five hours later
Rory and Amy scoured the golden meadow for the teleport pad, the sky above a rich, reddish purple. Each wore a face protector, a film of what looked like plastic found by the Doctor in what he called his bits and bobs cupboard. The protectors were criss-crossed with fine blue filaments which moulded the material to the skin and acted as a respiratory filter.
Rory scowled at Amy's back. They were lost on an alien planet and it was all her fault.
"Amy, I don't know how you can have lost it…"
"Duh, if you hadn't needed help catching a butterfly it wouldn't have fallen out of my pocket."
Rory rolled his eyes and jerked the handle of the net resting on his shoulder. "Hello? A butterfly the size of a badger. Don't blame me 'cos you screwed up."
Amy turned her head. "You were making such a meal of it…!"
"Yeah, OK, I know that this is all business as usual for you but – "
"Blimey! Shut up, will ya?" she snapped, turning back. "Just – chill – out! This sort of thing happens all the time. Give it long enough and he'll find us. He'll put out a trace or something…"
Rory caught up with her. "Find us? Er, excuse me, isn't this the guy who when you first met him said he'd be gone five minutes and didn't turn up for twelve years? And, actually, he wouldn't have to find us if hadn't left your phone in your other jacket."
"Yeah, well, at least mine wasn't confiscated by the police because of its ring-tone."
"How was I to know 'The Crazy Frog' had been outlawed in Kaldor City?"
"I don't blame them. 'The Crazy Frog' should be outlawed everywhere. Kaldor City might have been run by a nut case but at least he got something right."
Before either of them could say another word the sound of the TARDIS echoed across the meadow.
Amy smiled sourly. "Told you so."
Rory loved her more than he could say but, without a doubt, she could be infuriating. The TARDIS appeared before them. One of the doors opened and the Doctor's head popped out. "Afternoon, you two! There you are! I was getting a little worried…"
"Amy lost the teleport... thingy."
"Just leave it, OK?"
"We're all here now," the Doctor went on, raising an eyebrow. "That's the main thing. Well, the lab's all set up so, did you get one?" He loped out of the TARDIS and up to Rory.
"Hey!" Rory said, stepping back. "Mask?"
"The butterfly's gas won't work on Time Lords, only lower life forms."
"Cheers."
Amy turned to Rory, laughing despite herself. "Come on, you know what he means."
"Ah, yes... Sorry, Rory," the Doctor said, as though trying out the sentence for the first time. "Didn't mean it to come out that way. Sometimes forget my friends are lower life forms."
"Thanks, I think."
The Doctor moved round to the net, peering into it, absorbed. The butterfly trembled, trying to hide itself somehow within the mesh.
"Ooh, you are a beauty aren't you?" he whispered. "Oh… Oh..! Steady now, fellah!" He stepped back a little as a jet of gas squirted at him from the net. "It's alright, don't be afraid," he went on, waving the vapour away with his hand. "We won't hurt you, I promise. We just have to collect one of your little gas spores and then you can go… There, there, that's it…"
He looked up. "No problems with the gas..?"
Amy pointed at her face mask. "They were fine, Doctor."
"Good. Right, find that teleport pad – can't leave that lying around. Then, The Big Sleep!"
Three hours later
Rory pulled on the handle and the door opened. "Thank you…" the Doctor whispered, leaning down to the butterfly. He gently let go and the creature floated up from his palms. Wings spreading wide, it gave a little jerk and flew out of the TARDIS.
The Doctor turned away. "Back in a bit!" he called, hurrying back the way he'd come. Rory went to the doors and watched butterfly. It was the most extraordinarily gorgeous thing he had ever seen, a flash of intense natural neon rising and soaring over the meadow, glowing wildly against the magenta sky. Amazing. Beyond belief. The craziness of the last few days hit him again. So many changes. So quickly. Time travel... In ninety-six hours he'd gone from worrying about his wedding to helping save the people of Venice from Rosanna, queen of the fish vampires, been hunted by killer robots through an alien city and chased a giant butterfly across a planet with a colour scheme that needed a decibel rating. He felt a strange moment of dislocation – as though his life had turned into something that wasn't real anymore.
"Rory!"
Amy was at his side, tugging his sleeve. "I called you twice, you didn't hear me."
"Oh – sorry... You guys all done..?"
"Yeah. The Doctor's just finishing up and … Are you OK?
"I don't know – feel a bit weird. The butterfly – everything, you know, what's been happening… I feel... I don't know..."
Amy held his hand, smiling gently. "I do. The things you see here... Sometimes they do that to you, overwhelm you." She looked away and back at him again, her voice a little uneasy. "Look, I'm sorry I was so in your face... I've been at this a lot longer than you and I should have thought... Sorry. You know what I'm like."
"It's OK."
"And you did great catching that thing, you really did." She kissed him on the cheek.
"Amy, it's OK."
"OK."
It hit him again – well, never really left him – why would she want ordinary life when she had all this? Rory knew his stay aboard the TARDIS was only temporary –
after that first time he'd only stayed because Amy had asked him and, as dazzling and exciting as all this was, he knew there would come a point when all he'd want was his old, everyday life back. But he really wasn't sure Amy felt the same way.
And she'd kissed him – the Doctor. Rory felt his jealousy rising.
Once. She'd only kissed him once.
But Rory wasn't sure how far he believed the Doctor's explanation – that she was all messed up at the end of adventure when she'd very nearly died, was in a kind of shock. If that was the case why had the Doctor insisted on whisking him away from his stag-do, insisting he take them both on a date, give them a chance to re-connect? Rory saw the way she was around him, so absorbed, so alive. She loved him, yes – but in that way? And even if Rory was wrong and she didn't, even still, she might never give up this extraordinary new life. Was he enough for her anymore? If it came to it and he gave her the ultimatum would she leave him behind? Questions he daren't ask.
"So!" the Doctor said, clapping his hands, coming down from the lab. "We're on the way. Thank you for your help, Amy. The gas spore from the butterfly is cooking nicely and soon we'll have enough. Didn't want to have to trap him but it was either than or bore the good people of Venice to sleep by bringing Attila the Hun with us."
Rory shut the door and he and Amy joined the Doctor at the console.
"Attila the Hun was boring?
"Dull – as – dishwater! Frankly, his homicidal, shouty crackers-ness is greatly exaggerated. Had to set the sonic to give me a mild electric shock every five minutes just to stay awake."
"So, when we get there," Amy said, "how are you going to spread the gas across the city?"
"Through the roof lantern," the Doctor replied, peering down at the console and flipping a switch. He winked. "Well, it's more than just a lantern. Went down a storm at Dean Martin's 1959 New Year's Eve party – pumped out five tonnes of foam. I didn't even know it could do that! And suddenly there it was, foam everywhere. Anyway, story for another time. So! I've folded back a portion of space-time into a kind of corridor – won't bore you with 'How'… bit timey wimey, bit head scratch-y – and wired the GO! circuits to send me along it 100,000 years into the TARDIS's future. By then the spare will have finished growing."
He studied one of the monitors. "OK... Dimensional Stabiliser at 50/50 – tick! Conditional States pathways locked off – tick! Helmic Regulator cranked up to eleven – tick! and, with the Entropy Wranglers at full stretch they'll maintain tunnel integrity and reduce the risks of time travel without a capsule or vortex manipulator."
"You're sure there's no other way?" Rory said. "Can't we just travel 100,000 years into the future in the TARDIS?"
"That wouldn't mean the TARDIS had aged – just as we don't when we travel forward in time. For this to work the TARDIS has to be older, we have to have gone into her future."
"Fair enough."
"No, no, ten points for effort," the Doctor continued. "Anyway, only another TARDIS has the space to hold 10,000 Saturnynes and, as I said, I certainly don't want them running around this one. Dangers aside, think of the fish stink – we'd never get it out. Well, I say that. Only with one of those car fresheners the size of an actual pine tree, of course. And given that they don't exist we'd have to use a real tree which, if I hung it off the console, the whole thing'd collapse. Artron energy everywhere, all those pine needles to hoover up. Way too messy."
Rory suddenly realised what a lot of this – the wackiness – was about. He was trying to sooth their worries – maybe his own – with jokes.
"Once the city's asleep how are you going to get 10,000 aliens out of the canals?" Amy asked.
"One problem at a time. So, anyway," the Doctor motored on, "100,000 years from now – in about five minutes – I'll pick up TARDIS 2, bring her back to this point and we can take them both to Venice."
"Cool. Good luck," Rory said.
The Doctor beamed. "Won't need it."
"Well, whatever, you just get yourself back here, OK?" Amy said.
"Yes Ma'am," the Doctor replied, saluting. He shot his cuffs and straightened his bow tie. Giving Rory and Amy a thumbs-up, he threw the dematerialization lever and vanished.
Seven minutes later
"Perfect!" the Doctor grinned, his hands on his hips. "TARDIS 2. You know, I impress even myself sometimes which, given that there are currently eleven of me is no mean feat. So, now we've got more than enough gas and all the space we need."
The Doctor had parked TARDIS 2 by the doors. Rory took it all in. Even by the Doctor's standards this was out there: Two TARDISes – the second grown from the one they were in, borrowed by a past version of its future owner. Well, the same owner, of course, he realized, just… Later.
"How long will the gas knock everyone out for?" Amy said.
"Long enough. Then it just floats away into the atmosphere. And... Job done!" the Doctor said, whirling about, setting co-ordinates. "No fuss! No panic! No terrified Venetians going, 'OMG! Giant walking fish!' when Rosanna's little ankle biters come trooping out of the canals."
Three minutes later – The Rialto, Venice, 1580
Rory closed the TARDIS behind him. He could see that it wasn't long since they'd last been here. This particular square's shop keepers and market traders were clearing up after Rosanna Calvierri's attempt to drown the city. Here and there were items scattered by the storm across the flagstones – a soggy loaf of bread, candles, bits of iron mongery, ruined fruit and vegetables. Rory looked up, to the city rising beyond. It was incredible. Every Venetian with murderous aliens literally beneath their feet and not a clue that it was happening.
"How long has it been since we were here the last time?" Amy said.
"One minute after we left," the Doctor replied happily. "One minute! That's precision, sexy time travel."
"Thank God you remembered they were hiding in the canals," Rory said.
The Doctor's face suddenly changed. "Well, yes, but it's just not good enough... I really should..."
He hung his head. "I can't believe I forgot in the first place."
Rory felt for him. Beneath all the craziness, the jokes, here were the responsibilities of the Doctor's unique position. The mistakes that could be made, their potential impact upon the lives of millions. Numbers that couldn't even be counted.
"There was a lot going on... Keeping this place afloat. I... I..."
"Come on, Doctor, don't beat yourself up," Rory said, putting an uncertain hand on his shoulder. They weren't that close but the guy looked so sad he had to do something. "Look, like you say, you had a lot going on... I was there, remember? You'd just saved this place from being drowned by their homicidal alien mum – stopped her turning into... I don't know – Seaworld Orlando for her and her kids. And if this works there's no harm done..."
"Rory's right," Amy said.
He looked up, trying to smile. "Thank you, both. Well, right – "
"Hey!" Rory said suddenly. "Wait a minute. What about the gondoliers?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when we knock every one out they'll fall out of their gondolas. They could drown – and their passengers."
"Oh, I think we'll be fine," the Doctor said. "Place is at a standstill. They'll all be clearing up after Rosanna's storm. And," he said, grinning at Amy, "I think I've just worked out how to get them out of the canals." He pointed at the skyline. High above the roofs and towers a flock of birds dipped as one and swerved away to the west. "Follow the leader…" he murmured. "There's something I need from Rosanna's place..."
Thirty-five minutes later
The Doctor strode into the TARDIS and up to the console.
"What did you get?" Rory asked.
"Glove," he replied, tossing it onto the console. "Contains just enough of her DNA."
Three hours later
The TARDIS and TARDIS 2 sat beside each other. Rory, in his face mask, stood watch between them and waited for the city to sleep, ringed by the fans blowing away the misty gas pumping from the TARDIS. The first people affected by it – the market traders, shop keepers, a city official – were swallowed in the haze where they had fallen and, very slowly, Venice had disappeared in a great bank of fog.
"That's it, thank you Amy!" Rory heard behind him. He glanced back through the open doors. Amy was holding something down on the console while the Doctor raced to the other side, turning things up, turning things down, throwing levers.
"Good! The DNA strands are entering the matrix... So, let's whack up the volume!"
Rory felt another little stab of jealousy. Did she love the Doctor in that way?
The Doctor pulled a crank. The console began to hum. "Bingo!" he said joyfully, grinning at Amy. "Rosanna's boys will lock onto it like a homing beacon."
Rory was suddenly aware that the city's great roar had stopped. It was eerie – just mist and silence. A nowhere world. He came inside, peeling off his mask.
"Doctor, I think Venice is… is… Under."
The Doctor hit a switch and the hum died. "Thank you, Rory. Now, the Saturnynes might be a life form that is affected by the gas so we'll just wait till it dissipates and then transmit this bad boy!"
Eight hours later
"9,997, 9,998, 9,999, 10,000. Got 'em all," Amy counted, reading off one of the monitors. The Doctor turned off the hum. He went outside and closed the doors of TARDIS 2. Locking them, he switched off the fans and brought them back to the TARDIS.
"So," Rory asked, "where's this planet you're taking them to?"
"Rory!" the Doctor beamed, dumping the fans and clapping him on the shoulder. "Brilliant Rory. Change of plan – all thanks to you. What you said about Seaworld reminded there's an aquatic life centre on the far side of Andromeda. It's massive, covers two planets and an artificial moon. Dedicated to the universe's endangered species… Listra II's only surviving Giant Sea Horses! Talking dolphins – all posh, with Radio 4 accents. Oh, my friend Douglas would have loved those! Zygonian Skarasens! Sea Weed creatures, Atlanteans, got all sorts. Head warden owes me a favour. Our Saturnynes will fit right in. So, now the TARDIS does her 'vworp! vworp!' thing around TARDIS 2 and we'll drop them off."
Nine hours later
The Doctor threw the dematerialization lever. TARDIS 2 quivered and vanished along
the time corridor. "Back to Doctor Whenever!" he beamed.
"He'll be pleased to get her back in one piece," Rory said.
"Well, with any luck he'll never know she was gone."
Amy stared at the Doctor. "You told him you'd borrowed her, right?"
"No. To avoid running into him I plotted my course along the time corridor to take me right to the Seeding Room. Crossing one's own time line in either direction is No No Number 1 in the Big Book of Causality – well, not Number 1 but it's certainly up there – but I genuinely couldn't think of another way of safely transporting 10,000 aliens."
"What d'you mean? What's the big deal with meeting yourself?"
The Doctor's eyes narrowed, a pained expression creasing his face. "Well, Rory, think about it. Meeting oneself in the past can be horribly messy – inadvertently changing a time line of established events, etc. And as for meeting one's later self… Well, he knows what the future holds. For me, you two, all of time and space."
He turned away.
It was another of those moments that Rory was coming to recognize, the Doctor's chirpiness clouded by a sudden darkness. Rory understood. He couldn't blame him. People always said they'd be too curious not to know their fate if that chance ever came. Wouldn't it be too frightening, in case that future wasn't a happy one? Somewhere in time was a man who had the answers to all the questions he daren't ask. He was glad they wouldn't get to meet. He suddenly thought of everything he'd been through recently and sighed inwardly. Never say never.
"Well, that's then," the Doctor said, suddenly smiling. "Oh, one more thing..!"
A light was flashing on the console accompanied by a single beep.
"What's that?"
"Nothing to worry about, Amy. Just a signal telling me TARDIS 2 got there safely. And, now I think of it, I really should close down the time corridor..." The Doctor's fingers flashed across the controls. "...There we are. Yes, bit of a weird one: Lot to organise, stressful, timey wimey. So gang, good team effort!" He looked at them both, smiling, rubbing his hands. "And I think we deserve some pure, unadulterated, 'us' time. Go nuts. Kick back for a bit."
He darted to the typewriter, punching in co-ordinates and pinged the bell.
"Yeah, that's the stuff! Dean Martin's New Year's Eve party, 1960. Haven't got an actual invite but he won't mind, not after all the love the TARDIS spread around the last time. Nah, Deano can't refuse the man Frank Sinatra called 'party foam guy'…"
Rory looked at Amy. She was laughing at the Doctor's story, his antics, as he whirled about the console and threw the dematerialization lever. Hanging on his every word.
Rory looked away.
The TARDIS blazed through time and into his future, into unknown territory.