The Doctor slowly woke up, his eyes fluttering open, before he bolted upright. He sat, staring at the sky – still orange and flashing light – and the now completely burnt weathervane. Or more like, vanished weathervane. The force of the solar lightning had completely eroded it, leaving only a smoking pipe where the cockerel had been connected to the tower.
His eyes snapped immediately to his side as Terry groaned beside him, and he called urgently: "Terry, love? Angel?"
"Ow." She moaned as she slowly sat up, the Doctor reaching down to help her. "Really, I see Rory's point now. For want of a better word, ow!"
"Rory?" The Doctor asked confused, and Terry waved it away as she replied dismissively: "He'll say it. Said it. Whatever, he says it."
"Are you all right?" The Doctor asked in concern, and she nodded.
"But right now, we've got bigger things to worry about." Terry said worriedly, glancing back towards the door.
The Doctor understood, and he helped Terry up before the pair dashed down the steps. The whole monastery was dark now, having lost all power after the storm, and Terry pursed her lips. Things were just beginning.
They spotted a figure in the courtyard as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and the Doctor called in surprise: "Cleaves, you're not in your harness."
"I'm sorry, Doctor, Terry." Cleaves said contritely as the pair screeched to a halt before her. "You were right."
Terry just gave her an even look while the Doctor glanced around at the dark monastery and he pointed out: "You've lost all power to the factory."
"Doctor," Cleaves interjected in a small voice, "I abandoned my team."
"Then let's go get them." The Doctor replied determinedly, grabbing Cleaves's arm and tugging her to follow after him and Terry.
They hurried down the corridors and towards the Harness room, while the Doctor questioned: "How long would you say we were unconscious for, Cleaves?"
"Not long." Cleaves replied with a shrug. "A minute, two minutes?"
"Maybe a little longer." Terry corrected, and Cleaves frowned.
"Well, how long?" Cleaves asked, puzzled, and the Doctor replied bluntly: "An hour."
They stopped for a moment while the Doctor gazed blankly into space as he murmured: "I've seen whole worlds turned inside out in an hour. A lot can go wrong in an hour."
He glanced at Terry, and she nodded at him. The Doctor took her hand, leading them both onwards while Cleaves stared after them, sighed in exasperation, but followed nonetheless.
They hurried into the Harness room, Terry raising a brow as she saw Rory hugging Jennifer in comfort. The man meant nothing by it – it was just how compassionate Rory was and why he made an excellent nurse – but she also knew the dangers that would come from his attachment to this Jennifer. Not only was there what was to come… but Terry could see from Amy's face that the redhead was not happy, even as she tried to act like she didn't care.
The Doctor missed all of that, instead focusing on the room and Amy as the redhead said quickly: "Doctor, Terry these are all real people, so where are their Gangers?"
Cleaves ran up behind them, and she explained: "Don't worry. When the link shuts down the Gangers return to pure Flesh."
The Doctor's eyes narrowed and he slowly turned on the spot to re-examine the room carefully while Cleaves said determinedly: "Now, the storm's left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. They can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time."
She paused, as did they all, when Dusty Springfield suddenly started to play again throughout the room… throughout the factory.
"That's my record." Jimmy said shakily. "Who's playing my record?"
Amy glanced at him, wide-eyed and fearful, while Terry told him bluntly: "The Gangers."
"Your Gangers." The Doctor corrected. "They've gone walkabout."
"No, it's impossible." Cleaves said sharply. "They're not active. Cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves and Gangers don't-"
She broke off as the music screeched before changing to a different song.
"Well, either the record can play itself, or it's the Gangers." Terry said a little dryly, and Cleaves stared at her in dismay.
The group slowly turned and walked towards the sound of the record, Jimmy and Buzzer leading the way as they walked determinedly into the dining hall. They stepped through, only to stop and stare as they looked at the record, now silent in the empty but overturned room.
"No way. " Buzzer breathed, and Cleaves said uncertainly: "I don't, I don't believe this."
The Doctor strode passed, taking the lead with Terry shadowing closely behind him.
The others followed behind, Jimmy pointing out: "They could've escaped through the service door at the back."
"This is just like the Isle of Sheppey." Buzzer noted as he glanced around, and the Doctor paused as he examined the things littering the floor.
He sat down at a table, saying pointedly: "It would seem the storm has animated your Gangers."
"They've ransacked everything." Cleaves murmured, and Terry corrected: "Not ransacked, searched."
"Through our stuff!" Cleaves asked in outrage, but the Doctor corrected: "Their stuff."
"Searching for what?" Jimmy asked slowly, turning to stare at the Doctor.
"Confirmation." The Doctor replied bluntly. "They need to know their memories are real."
"Oh, so they've got flaming memories now." Buzzer said scornfully, but the Doctor replied sharply: "They feel compelled to connect to their lives."
"Their stolen lives." Cleaves interjected just as sharply.
"No, not stolen." Terry disagreed, and the Doctor agreed with her as he told the crew grimly: "Bequeathed. You gave them this."
The crew stared at him as he listed angrily: "You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, memories, secrets, everything. You gave them your lives. Human lives are amazing."
Jimmy bowed his head while the Doctor looked at each of them, asking with raised brows: "Are you surprised they walked off with them?"
There was a beat of silence, before Buzzer said darkly: "I'll say it again. Isle of Sheppey."
The others all looked at him, the Doctor and his group with curiosity, as Buzzer explained harshly: "Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator right there in his harness. I've seen the photos. This bloke's ear was all hanging-"
He motioned to his own ears to emphasize his point, but Jimmy cut him off as he said sharply: "Even if this has actually happened," he glanced at the Doctor, "they can't remain stable without us plumbed in to them, can they, boss?"
They all looked over at Cleaves, who was chewing her lip uncertainly. She glanced around the torn apart dining hall, and then said quietly: "Guess we'll find out."
There was a stunned silence, broken by Jennifer's terrified gasp.
"Are you okay?" Rory asked in concern, leaning over to the woman while Amy fidgeted unhappily. "Do you need some water?"
Amy glanced at the Doctor and Terry, who both watched her and then Jennifer with slight frowns as Jennifer murmured: "I feel funny. I need the washroom."
The woman rushed out, brushing the others off, and Rory glanced around before calling as he hurried to follow her: "I'll, I'll come with you."
Terry watched them go unhappily, before glancing at Amy who was staring at the doorway after Rory. Dicken suddenly sneezed, making Amy jump and bringing her back to the present.
"Sorry." Dicken muttered, while Amy muttered as she drew a sharp breath: "Okay."
The Doctor was examining a card tower on the table before him, and Buzzer piped up as he nodded at the cards: "That's me. It's good to have a hobby. So what," he glanced around in confusion, "my Ganger did that all on its own?"
"Who taught you to do this?" The Doctor questioned quietly, and Buzzer shrugged: "My granddad."
"Well, your Ganger's granddad taught him to do it, too." The Doctor replied.
Buzzer blinked, while the Doctor continued in a soft voice: "You both have the same childhood memories, just as clear, just as real."
Jimmy stared while Buzzer dithered uncertainly, before he said harshly: "No."
He knocked the cards down in stubborn denial, and Terry said sternly: "You're scared."
He looked at her, as though ready to argue, but she went on over him as she leveled a look at him: "Imagine how they're feeling."
Buzzer swallowed while the Doctor added: "Scared, disorientated, struggling to come to terms with an entire life in their heads."
He looked between the crew, who all looked away but confusion and uncertainty crossed their faces as the Time Lords' words troubled them. Terry meanwhile turned her head back to stare at the doorway, worried about Rory.
The Doctor was preparing some of the microwaveable food, acting nonchalant but Terry could see the worry lines on his face. His eyes were looking impossibly old, older than usual, as only happened when he was truly concerned. And Terry knew what was bothering him, more so than even the crew.
She moved over to touch his arm, and he glanced down at her.
"It'll be all right, Theta." She tried to project telepathically, but he continued to just stare at her and she exhaled.
"Trust yourself." Terry said aloud instead, and the Doctor's eyes softened as he nodded.
Meanwhile, behind the pair, the humans had gathered by one of the mess tables, where the crew discussed the current situation while Amy listened silently.
"We need to protect ourselves." Jimmy stated firmly, and the Doctor raised a brow.
The two Times Lords returned their attention to the humans as the Doctor placed their meal in the microwave, and he called without even turning around: "Are you a violent man, Jimmy?"
"No." Jimmy replied promptly, and the Doctor shut the microwave door as he asked pointedly: "Then why would the other Jimmy be?"
"Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this, Doctor." Cleaves said in disbelief as she walked over to the Time Lord, coming to stand beside Terry.
"You told me we were out cold for a few minutes, Cleaves," the Doctor said suddenly as he turned to look at the woman, "when in fact it was an hour."
Cleaves frowned in confusion and she said with a shrug: "Sorry, I just assumed-"
"Well, it's not your fault." The Doctor cut her off. "Like I said, they're disoriented. Amy," he abruptly turned his attention to the redhead, "when you got to the alcoves, who was in harness?"
Cleaves sighed and placed her hands on her hips impatiently, while Terry examined the woman. Cleaves had missed the Doctor's specific word choice, and part of the Time Lady wondered how much of it was on purpose, at least subconsciously.
The microwave dinged as Amy told the Doctor: "Jimmy and Dicken were helping Buzzer out."
Terry opened the microwave while the Doctor checked: "Jennifer?"
"She was standing on her own when we got to her." Amy answered, and the Doctor turned back to Terry, his suspicions growing and focusing on the woman beside him. There was only one more theory to test.
Terry had removed the plate, forcing herself to hold it properly, as she turned and offered it to Cleaves. The woman gave her a look of disbelief, but Terry smiled angelically as she held it out.
Cleaves took the plate with disgust, clearly growing weary of the two Time Lords and their peculiar behaviours.
The Doctor meanwhile had watched the exchange, and he smiled lightly while the smile on Terry's face dropped the instant Cleaves had taken the plate from her.
"It's hot." The Doctor told Cleaves quietly while Terry fanned her hand, silently cursing herself for having taken the plate instead of the Doctor.
Cleaves's eyes widened and she suddenly flinched, jerking her hand away from the plate and dropping it, causing it to fall and shatter on the ground with a loud crash.
Cleaves stared at the plate, her hand, and then slowly at the Doctor and Terry. The pair were looking at her sympathetically, the Doctor holding a cold towel to Terry's hand to calm the light burn as he said to Cleaves softly: "Trans-matter's still a little rubbery. Nerve endings not quite fused properly."
He moved to check Cleaves's hand, but the woman jerked it away sharply as she asked in a tight voice: "What are you talking about?"
"It's okay." The Doctor said firmly, holding out his hands to placate the shaken woman.
Cleaves stared at her hand, which had gone a little red now, and she asked, sounding lost: "Why didn't I feel that?"
"You will." Terry answered softly as she stepped up beside the Doctor. "You will."
"You'll stabilise." The Doctor told her quietly, and Cleaves's brows furrowed in pain and anger as she protested: "No, stop it. You're playing stupid games. Stop it!"
She shouted the last sentence at them, hurling the words at the two as she backed away, holding out her hand and staring at it shakily as she turned away from them. The Doctor approached her instantly, worried, but Terry touched his arm to get his attention.
He glanced at her, and she nodded at the exposed skin on the back of Cleaves's neck. He paused, and then said softly, his voice gently: "You don't have to hide. Please, trust us. I'm the Doctor, and this is my angel."
Cleaves turned around sharply at that, hissing angrily at them. The Doctor blinked, backing away a little while Terry remained calm as they stared at the woman's face, looking more like a Ganger once more with the pale white and rubbery-looking skin, the reddish veins, the almost flat nose, and the colourless eyes.
Buzzer reacted less calmly, instantly reaching forward and grabbing a knife. Jimmy grabbed his arm, holding him back even as he couldn't remove his eyes from the Ganger, while Buzzer shouted: "Where's the real Cleaves, you thing? What have you done with her?"
"Shut up." Terry told him, before turning back to the Ganger as she said in a kinder tone: "You're okay. That's it."
Jimmy moved to roughly hold Buzzer back, while Ganger-Cleaves stared at Terry and then the Doctor, looking lost and frightened, while the Doctor soothed: "That's it. Good, you remember."
Ganger-Cleaves was breathing heavily as the Doctor mused: "This is early Flesh. The early stages of the technology. So much to learn."
He reached forward, as though to touch Ganger-Cleaves's face but the Ganger flinched away while Terry caught his hand and held him back warningly.
"Stop scaring her." She murmured sternly, and he gave a small apologetic smile to both her and the Ganger.
"Doctor, Terry," Amy said shakily, "what's happened to her?"
"She can't stabilise." The Doctor explained. "She's shifting between half-formed and full-formed, for now at least."
Ganger-Cleaves's eyes narrowed and she snarled: "We are living."
She raised her hand, as though to throw a punch or to slap someone, and the Doctor dodged quickly, pulling Terry with him out of the Ganger's way. Ganger-Cleaves ran, screaming furiously, from the room. The whole crew watched, stunned, before slowly turning to the Doctor and Terry as the pair straightened up.
"Let her go." The Doctor advised the crew while Terry commented dryly: "We kinda have to, now."
"Yes, all right, enough lip from you." He countered, when Amy piped up worriedly: "Doctor, Rory."
"Rory?" The Doctor repeated, confused, while Amy called loudly and concernedly: "Rory!"
She looked around wildly, while the Doctor remembered: "Oh, Rory. Rory!"
He gasped, and then complained to Terry: "Always with the Rory!"
"Come on!" She called impatiently, dragging him behind her.
Amy was already heading out the door, and Terry called to the crew: "You lot as well! You want to find your colleagues, don't you?"
The crew blinked, and as Terry suspected Jimmy was the first to move, grabbing a hand-held lamp and following them out the dining hall. Buzzer and Dicken were next, hurrying behind the Time Lords as they went out in search of their lost companions.
They walked out and about the monastery, Jimmy leading the way towards the restrooms while Buzzer and Dicken moved in another direction to look for signs of the real Cleaves. But they were cut short as they reached a passageway filled with drums, which had spilt over, releasing the acidic contents all over the passage and closing off the path.
"Explosion must've ruptured the acid feeds." Jimmy said dejectedly. "We're going to need the acid suits."
"No, no, no." The Doctor answered urgently. "We haven't got time. Back, back, back!"
They ran off in the opposite direction, opting to look for a different path. Terry glanced back once, knowing that Rory would stumble upon a path closed off by acid as well. But she had no idea when that would be, if he'd already been here and left or not, or if this was even the same path.
So she turned, leaving the passage with the others and instead running with them as they took the longer way around to the washrooms.
They hurried into the washroom, Jimmy stopping in horror while the Doctor pursed his lips. The two women came running up behind them, Terry slowing down as she stared at the bathroom stalls while Amy gasped: "Rory."
They all stared at the hole punched straight through one of the doors, and the Doctor muttered: "Of course, Jennifer's a Ganger too."
"Doctor, you said they wouldn't be violent." Amy said shakily, and the Doctor countered: "But I did say they were scared and angry."
He moved to check the shattered glass over the sinks behind them, checking the punch-mark, while Jimmy added, a hint of accusation in his voice: "And early technology, is what you said. You seem to know something about the Flesh."
The Doctor paused while Terry glanced between them warily. Amy stared, asking uncertainly: "Do you? Doctor?"
She glanced at Terry as she added: "Did Terry tell you something? Why didn't you tell me about Rory?"
The Doctor slowly turned around to face them while Terry sighed, disliking how Jimmy fixed his eyes on her at that, and she said quietly: "Amy, I promise Rory'll be fine."
"What do you mean?" Jimmy demanded while Amy nodded, looking a little relieved.
Jimmy stared between her and the Doctor as he said slowly: "You're no weatherman. Who are you two? Why are you really here?"
"It doesn't matter, because we can help." Terry replied firmly.
Jimmy eyed her, while Amy asked quietly: "Doctor?"
He averted his eyes from Amy as he muttered: "I have to talk to them. I can fix this."
He suddenly turned and ran out, Terry running right behind him. Amy blinked before she shot off after them, long used to the Doctor and Terry's abrupt actions. Jimmy stared before he hurried after them belatedly, calling despairingly: "Wait. What's going on? Where's the real Jennifer?"
They dashed out into a different corridor, when suddenly a pipe ruptured right before the Doctor's face.
"Doctor!" Terry cried, reaching out and pulling him back and to safety just before acid splashed onto the ground where he'd been standing just seconds before.
"It is too dangerous out here with acid leaks." The Doctor complained as he turned to the rest of the group, Amy and Jimmy having caught up just in time to see what had happened.
"We have to find Rory." Amy protested, and the Doctor placated: "Yes. I'm going back to the Tardis."
Terry bit her lip, but they didn't notice as the Doctor continued firmly: "Wait for me in the dining hall. I want us to keep together, okay. No more," he pointed sternly at Amy, "wandering off."
"And what about Rory?" Amy demanded as the Doctor started to walk off, and he pointed out: "Well, it would be safer to look for Rory and Jennifer with the Tardis."
"Don't worry, I'll go with him." Terry told the redhead as she followed the Doctor, who had paused just around the corner.
"Exit?" He asked, and she led the way as she walked passed without even bothering to answer back, having anticipated this. He grinned and followed after her without question.
"Have I mentioned that I love you?" He asked admiringly, and she raised a brow.
"Hm, you seemed to have mentioned it before." She said a little slowly, and the Doctor blinked.
"Oh, really?" He asked lightly, turning to keep his face away, when Terry added with a sigh: "And you won't 'love me' in a bit."
"What?" He asked, glancing at her, but Terry just shook her head as she pointed to the side.
"You wanted to check that first right?" She gestured at the church, where Flesh room was.
He raised a brow at her topic change, but didn't comment on it as he reached for her hand and they walked into the Flesh room.
"Anything you can tell me?" He asked, and Terry sighed.
"I don't know what else I can say." She admitted. "No matter how I think about it… there's nothing else you can do, except what you're about to do."
He nodded grimly, turning to face the vat of Flesh. But right before he could sonic it, he grabbed her hand, holding it with his free hand and she squeezed his hand back as he soniced the vat with his screwdriver. The Flesh bubbled as the Doctor eyed it carefully, before he stopped and turned, Terry following swiftly behind him as they left the room once more.
Missing as a pair of lips appeared in the vat, and whispered in a dark voice: "Trust us."
The pair came out into the lawn outside the monastery, and the Doctor sighed: "Oh."
Terry glanced at him guiltily, while he stared at the top of the Tardis, barely visible above the ground as it sank slowly through the grass while the acid ate away at the ground around it.
"What are you doing down there?" The Doctor complained to the Tardis, and Terry said apologetically: "Sorry, I probably should have warned you this would happen when you left her parked here."
"Oh, it's all right." The Doctor answered with a shrug. "Is this what you meant when you said I wouldn't love you later?"
Terry shrugged uncomfortably, while the Doctor scoffed: "As if something so trivial would make me stop lov-"
"Okay, yes." Terry cut him off, glancing at him uneasily while something hissed beneath them. "And you might want to look down."
He glanced down, and then yelped as his shoes started to dissolve in the acid below their feet. Terry hopped away, and the Doctor was quick to follow before the acid could get through and start to eat away at their flesh.
The pair quickly abandoned their shoes, Terry following as the Doctor hurried back into the monastery while wincing at the heat from the acid. She was wincing too, but for a different reason.
"I liked those boots." She complained, and the Doctor sighed: "Of course that would be your biggest concern. You and your heels- and your leather jacket for that matter."
"Oi, watch it, Spaceman." Terry warned as they dashed off down the corridors. "Imagine if someone took your bowtie, or your fez."
"Hm, okay, I see your point." He conceded, before he grinned. "And 'Spaceman', haven't heard that in a while."
"Oh, right…" Terry mused. "I suppose it's been a long time since, well, Donna."
She trailed off a little sheepishly, but the Doctor just smiled.
"Anyway," Terry added as she turned down a different pathway, "it's this way."
"Oh, and you know where I want to go, do you?" He challenged playfully, making Terry grin.
"The acid room." She declared, and the Doctor's eyes gleamed triumphantly. But before he could refute her comment, the short brunette added cheekily: "To meet the Gangers."
He deflated, sighing and shaking his head at her while she laughed at him as they walked on.