Chapter 7: Humans, so naïve, so trusting
"Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides."
André Malraux
"I am going to help your family," River corrected imperiously, smiling at Rob.
"Hang on, what's this 'I' business?!" the Doctor protested.
"You're dead, remember?" River said after grabbing his arm and dragging him out of ear shot. "Madam Kovarian believes their plan to kill you at Lake Silencio worked. She can't see you here – they'll be after you again if she does."
"Damn," he thought grimly, scowling. She was right. As far as the Silence was concerned, their plan to get rid of the Doctor had worked. Their reason for doing so had certainly been a success, despite the fact that he was still alive. They'd silenced him as surely as if they had killed him – he had no intention of ever going to Trenzalore. Which begged the question even more – what did they want with River now, when they should be basking in the glow of their success?
"We need to find out what they want with you," he reminded her. "It's too risky for you to do this alone."
"I didn't say I'd be doing it alone sweetie. You'll be helping me set things up and then I expect you to have the TARDIS warmed up and ready to go when I need you."
"Right, so I'm going to be a glorified taxi service," he grumbled, disgruntled. Things with River never went the way he wanted them to. "Fine, what's your plan, then?"
"The eye drives operate on a specific frequency," River began. "We know they can be altered remotely because that's what the Silence did in Egypt. We can use that to our advantage –"
"– by sending out our own signal," the Doctor concluded.
"We can render every cleric and Madam Kovarian herself unconscious whenever we want," River finished. "What's more they won't expect it because Egypt never happened for them – they'll never have shown the full capabilities of the eye drives to anyone so they'll fully expect them to be invulnerable. It'll work this time but once we've used it, next time they'll probably have some kind of defence against it."
"Well, hopefully there won't be a next time," the Doctor pursed his lips thoughtfully. He didn't like it, River out there at the forefront when they really had no idea what to expect ... but she was right, there really wasn't another way. "Okay," he allowed reluctantly, "that's all well and good but how do you intend to find out what they want with you?"
"Why, by knocking on the front door and asking of course," River replied smugly. "I can pretend I'm simply responding to Coe Senior's enquiries, let them take me by surprise. Once we have what we need you can set off the signal from inside the TARDIS. We'll round them up and contain them and have the Coe family bring in the authorities. It won't keep them away for long but at least they'll know there's no point in holding this family to hostage anymore."
"And if the signal doesn't work?" the Doctor asked.
"You'll make it work," River said confidently. "It's what you do."
"It's what I do," he repeated in a low tone, wishing it could always be true.
It was a simple plan, relatively easy to implement. After the Doctor dropped River back at her parent's house he returned to Coe Hall, cloaking the TARDIS in the back gardens as before. While River 'arrived' home for her usual visit, borrowing the car to visit Smythe et al in a surprising return from the dead, the Doctor researched everything he had on eye drives, testing and retesting until he was sure he could send out a frequency burst encompassing the entire house and grounds that would render all wearers unconscious.
Once he was done all he had to do was wait for River to show up. It took hours, the sun only an hour from setting by the time the Pond family car pulled slowly up the drive. He watched through the external sensors as River got out, straightening her nineteen fifties skirt – borrowed from her mother – and walked with a sexy, high heeled swagger up to the door, bold as brass.
"Oh you bad girl," he murmured, impressed and amused in spite of the situation.
Moving back to the console the Doctor engaged the listening device he'd given River earlier – the only way he'd know when it was time to set off the frequency burst. Undetectable of course, even by Madam Kovarian's standards, assuming the Silence would even think to search River.
It was hell to be the one sitting in the background while she did all the work. Understanding why it was necessary didn't make it any easier, even though he knew if Madam Kovarian caught even just a glimpse of the TARDIS, let alone of him, River would be in mortal danger.
"Mr Coe?" River's voice came through loud and clear.
"Yes, how can I help you?" a man's voice – the unfortunate Robertson Rogers Coe the First presumably.
"My name is Melody Malone," River introduced herself. "I've just come from a meeting with Harvey Symthe. He indicated that you were most anxious to talk with me so I took it upon myself to visit without an appointment. I hope that's okay."
"Ms Malone?" Coe sounded incredulous.
"Yes, that's right," River confirmed.
"Oh, thank God," Coe murmured, his relief palpable. "Please, come in."
The sounds of footsteps and cloth rustling was the only clue the Doctor had that River was proceeding into the house.
"You have a lovely house Mr Coe," River commented. "This room in particular is wonderful. Is that a Hepplewhite period mahogany sideboard, circa 1780?"
"It is," Coe replied. "This room – the reception room we call it – along with the rest of the house is furnished with the original pieces chosen by my father when the house was built. He had a fondness for antiques."
"And excellent taste," River complimented. It was clever, how she let the Doctor know exactly where she was inside the house. Front section, ground floor, according to his copy of the original building plans.
There was a pause filled with more rustling before she spoke again. "Perhaps you could tell me what you wished to speak with me about."
"I am but a messenger myself Ms Malone," Coe began. "Let me ring for a servant to bring to us the person who can explain."
The bell sounded and then Coe instructed someone called Lucy to bring Madam Kovarian.
Coe waited with River in silence, probably too nervous about the outcome, the promised safety of his family, to make idle conversation.
"Well, well," the familiar sneering voice of the front woman for the Silence filled the room and the Doctor imagined he could hear River's pulse quicken. "Melody Pond, in the flesh. You are quite the fugitive, aren't you?"
"Madam Kovarian," River acknowledged, no hint of what she was feeling in her voice.
"You two know each other?" Coe asked.
"Of course we do, you imbecile," Kovarian snapped. "You don't think we'd go to all this trouble for an ordinary woman. This one is special, aren't you Melody?"
"I don't understand," Coe muttered.
"You don't?" Madam Kovarian sounded like she was smirking - the Doctor hated the way she did that. "Then it's lucky for us the progress of the human race didn't depend on you, isn't it Mr Coe."
"What about my family?" Coe demanded, his voice shaking as he abruptly realised the true danger of his situation. "You said you'd free them as soon as I brought Ms Malone to you."
"She lied," River said gently. "It's what she does, using innocents to do her dirty work for her. She'll use and use until nothing's left and then discard you like meaningless trash."
"So bitter," Kovarian seemed pleased at River's assessment.
"I'm sorry," Coe said earnestly. "I'm so sorry Ms Malone. I truly believed her when she said no one would get hurt, including you. I would never have agreed to lure you here otherwise, regardless of her threats."
"It's not your fault Mr Coe," River excused his actions. "I know how persuasive she can be."
"Is that compassion I hear," Kovarian laughed. "How touching. Sergeant, remove Mr Coe, before all this incessant sweetness makes me sick."
"Wait, my family!" Coe protested, his voice shifting away from River's position. "You promised!"
"Earth humans, so naïve, so trusting," Kovarian laughed. "They make it too easy."
"I'm sure you didn't lure me here to talk about the human race," River dismissed. "What do you want?"
"You know, some manners wouldn't kill you," Madam Kovarian sneered.
"What do you want, please," River repeated with exaggerated patience.
"What I've always wanted, to assure the continuation of life as we know it," Kovarian began. "You know of the question, the first question, the one that must never be answered."
The Doctor sat up straight, listening intently.
"I've seen the prophesy," River confirmed. "On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature may speak falsely or fail to give answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered," she quoted. "It never mentions what the question is, nor what will happen if it is answered."
"Silence will fall," Kovarian intoned ominously. "The voice of all living beings will be cut off as if it had never been. For this we contrived the death of the Doctor, because we believed it was he who alone held the answer."
It was what the Doctor had always believed too, that somehow if he went to Trenzalore, what he knew would spell the end of everything. He wasn't sure how, since the answer was harmless, on the surface. He had suspicions of course, but no way of confirming them, not without risking the very ending Kovarian was so worried about.
"And now?" River laughed suddenly. "Surely you don't think I have that information?"
"You are the doctor's wife," Kovarian said. "We believe you do in fact have the answer to the first question - that you might now be the only person alive with that knowledge. He would have placed it somewhere inside your mind, Mrs Doc-tor." She laughed.
"Oohhh," the Doctor breathed out, suddenly understanding. His name.
As a child he'd been referred to as Theta, only taking on the title of The Doctor when he'd left Gallifrey behind. If Dorium was correct and the first question was 'Doctor Who?' - well, no, it didn't really matter if Dorium was right or not because his information came from the Silence and clearly they believed that his name was in fact the answer to the question that must not be answered. So, that being the case, Madam Kovarian was right. The Doctor shouldn't be the only one with the answer. As his true wife, River would know his Gallifreyan name, the one he'd been given at birth that had never been spoken aloud again. It wasn't well known but it wasn't a secret either that Gallifreyan marriage custom included the exchange of true names – Madam Kovarian's group would have sufficient resources to have ferreted out that illuminating detail. What they didn't know was that there was no need to do anything about River's knowledge because within a few weeks she would be gone, all the knowledge in her head going with her.
"Only with your ending will the knowledge be lost forever," Kovarian finished.
"Oh, I think not," River retorted.
That sounded like signal enough for the Doctor. With a flick of a switch he sent out the pulse, waiting impatiently for River to let him know it had worked.
"Come on River," he begged, getting up and making his way to the TARDIS doors. "What's taking so long?"
"All clear Doctor," her voice finally gave him the news he was after. "Come on inside."
Hurrying down the path the Doctor entered the house through the back door, quickly making his way to the reception room where Madam Kovarian and River had talked.
Inside he found the Coe family already busy restraining the unconscious Madam Kovarian and the cleric soldiers. River stood close by watching, her face expressionless in that way the Doctor knew meant she'd have questions for him very soon, the kind he'd never wanted to answer.
"Doctor," Rob hurried to him as soon as he saw the Doctor in the doorway. "You did it," the boy said.
"Melody did it," the Doctor corrected with a small smile.
"Yeah, but you helped," he insisted. "Come over and meet my family," he added, grabbing the Doctor's hand and tugging him forward.
"Mother, father, this is the man I told you about," the boy announced as soon as they were close enough. "This is the Doctor."
"We can't thank you enough for what you've done," the boy's mother gushed. "Robert assures me these people would have killed us all were it not for the intervention of you and your wife."
"They were only here because of me so I hardly think thanks are necessary," the Doctor replied. "Now, I suggest you call the authorities. Tell them everything that's happened up until the point when Melody and I arrived. We'd appreciate it if you come up with a story to explain overpowering your captors, leaving us out of it."
"But surely you should take credit for your actions," the elder Coe protested.
"They won't stay behind bars for long," River joined them to explain. "Once they're out they'll continue to come after us. If we have to take time to make police reports it won't give us sufficient opportunity to get away."
"Oh, I see," Coe nodded reluctantly. "Well, I can't say I'm happy for us to take the credit but I understand why it's necessary. I still feel responsible for drawing you here Ms Malone – if leaving you out of it helps then of course, I'm happy to do so."
"Do you know why they want you?" Mrs Coe asked worriedly.
"They think I know something, but I don't," River told the other woman, carefully keeping from looking at the Doctor. He sighed. Yes, he'd have to reveal most of the story as soon as they were able to take their leave.
"Can't you just tell them that?"
River laughed. "They aren't the kind of people who'll just take my word for it."
"No, I suppose they aren't," Mrs Coe acknowledged sadly. She pulled her daughter closer, the little girl so silent and watchful after her ordeal. River would have been like that under Madam Kovarian's rule … it troubled the Doctor to imagine that time in his wife's life … when she was at her most vulnerable and he was powerless to make any of it better for River.
"We need to go," he told River intently.
"We do," she agreed. Turning to Coe and his family she nodded. "I'm sorry a misunderstanding dragged you into all of this. If any of this looks like its coming back your way, contact Rory Williams of Sunnyside Gardens. He'll know how to get in touch with us. I'll have to send someone to get the car as well – you might get to meet him anyway, if he decides to come for it himself."
"Thank you," Coe replied. "I'm sorry I let myself be used by these people. I wish I'd been stronger."
"I don't," River said bluntly. "Without you I wouldn't know where I truly stand. All knowledge is powerful, even the kind you find out isn't as you thought."
The Doctor winced. He was in for it … the only question was how bad it was going to get and what he'd need to do to fix things.
"Leave it as long as you can before calling the authorities," he advised as they made their way to the door.
If the Coe's thought it strange their unlikely savours disappeared through the back garden instead of down the front drive, they didn't have the chance to comment. River said nothing as they walked but she was apart from the Doctor – it was unmistakable the way she kept a distance between them, the way she was determined that no part of her should brush any part of him.
As soon as the TARDIS door closed behind them, she turned, folding her arms across her chest. "We're not really married, are we?" she asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
