"Ex Memoria"
4. One's Own & the Others
Chicago, Illinois – in the year 2021
Standing in front of the building, no one had been as baffled by what they found as the Doctor. "I must have gotten the dates wrong," he told himself.
"Clearly you must," Amy agreed, as she looked on to the golden arches.
"I don't understand…" the Doctor kept on staring.
"There's a new one," Rory breathed, turning about. Maybe there was somewhere else they could go.
Soon after they were sat around a round table with a pizza box opened before them. Both Amy and Rory ate gladly, but the Doctor only sat in silence, dejected and pondering where he could have gone wrong. Then suddenly, Amy gasped and knocked the slice out of Rory's hands. He startled, looking at the slice, then at Amy, who was still staring at him with a sort of panic in her eyes.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked.
"The mushrooms, you're allergic, what are you thinking?" she asked back, her voice gone shrill.
"I'm not allergic to mushrooms," Rory frowned.
"Yes, you are, I can't believe they didn't keep those off," she tossed down her own slice in revolt. "Are you feeling alright? Should we go to the hospital?"
"Amy, I'm not allergic to mushrooms!" Rory persisted, but it was too late, and Amy had already flagged down a waiter.
"Excuse me, but he's allergic to mushrooms, and this has them," she pointed to the pizza.
"What, him, too?" the teenage boy blanched like he knew he was about to be fired. "I gave that table there yours by accident before and that woman almost bit my head off because her brother's allergic to mushrooms, too."
"I'm not allergic," Rory kept on promising. The boy stared at him, then at Amy. "I had them just the other day, remember? The wedding? I'm fine," he told her, then to the boy, "I'm fine, really, there's been a mistake." The boy wandered off, having no idea whatsoever what had just happened.
"No, but…" Amy was still baffled. "I remember the wedding, of course I do, but I also remember… except it's like you're my… brother," she spoke the word awkwardly, knowing how strange it would sound to Rory.
"Doctor?" Rory instead turned to the man, who was still lost in thought, but different ones now, by the looks of it. Some things were starting to fall into place, and he had to investigate.
The Doctor had sprung from his stool, nearly tripping over himself in the process, before moving back outside. Rory went to follow him, and after only a brief look back to the pizza – it had sort of lost its appeal now, even though it was perfectly fine, and delicious, and not bound to cause an allergic reaction in either of them – Amy did, too.
They had only made it about five seconds before the Doctor turned on his heel, returned into the restaurant, took a slice of the mushroom pizza from the box which the young waiter had been about to take away, then sauntered over to the table where the aforementioned brother and sister were eating their own pizza.
"Are either of you allergic to this?" he asked.
"I am," the man frowned at the strange man's approach.
"You are?" his sister stared at him in consternation.
"Thank you," the Doctor nodded and turned back around, tossing the slice back in the box where he'd taken it, moving to the door again, realizing his hand was greasy now, and returning for a napkin off the table before he could rejoin his companions and nudge them out of the restaurant once more.
"What did you…" Amy started to ask, but she was soon cut off.
"That man there is allergic to mushrooms," the Doctor declared.
"Yes, we know," Rory replied.
"You found out about it," the Doctor agreed. "And I found out about it. But Amy knew."
"And thought I was her brother," Rory nodded.
"I said I was sorry," Amy muttered.
"No, you didn't."
"Apologize later, don't you see what's happening?" the Doctor resumed control of the conversation. "Amy knew. That man's sister found out." Going by the look he was giving them, the Doctor was entirely of a mind that this should be all they needed to know to understand; Amy and Rory only kept staring at him. "We have to go back to the museum now."
As they went along, both Amy and Rory were very much aware that something was happening, though they hadn't entirely figured out what was happening. The Doctor said nothing, which to them meant they would be getting several earfuls once they arrived back at the museum.
Soon they were walking through the exhibit again, zigzagging along in pursuit of the Doctor. He looked as though he already knew where he was supposed to be but, just to be on the safe side, and because he liked looking at the paintings, he would stop every so often. But then they made it to where he'd been intending to be, to the painting, the couple in the rain. They were about to go up to it, never minding the people already standing there, when a voice called up to them.
"Don't get too close." The trio turned to find a man and woman sitting on a nearby bench. They stood as the Doctor, Amy, and Rory came to them.
"Why not?" the Doctor asked.
"Something happens to people when they go to it," the woman said. "This one's almost done, look," she told them, while consulting her watch. "Six, five, four, three, two, one…" All at once, the people standing in front of the painting blinked, looked at one another, then went on their way.
"They've all been doing that, everyone who goes to that painting," the man went on.
"Everyone?" Rory asked.
"Nine minutes, twenty-seven seconds, not one more, not one less," the man confirmed.
"You've just been watching them?" Amy asked.
"Well, we noticed it, and then…" the woman started to say, looking briefly to the man at her side, hesitating, before she would go on. "Something weird happened."
"Weird? Tell me," the Doctor looked from one to the other and back.
"I'm not sure," the woman said, "But I remembered something that never happened to me."
TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)