Universal Impact
Chapter 9
A Final Farewell
3rd April 1938
Winter Quay/ Graveyard
We rushed into the building and piled into the lift. Once we reached the second floor, Amy zoomed out of the lift, down the hall and yelled, ''Rory!''
''He's close,'' Mum assured her, still checking her scanner with her newly healed hand. Mum, Dad and I followed her.
''Rory!,'' she yelled again. She found an opened door and entered it.
''Amy,'' Rory said in a relieved tone.
Once I saw that it was him, I ran in and hugged him. He gratefully recieved it. We parted after a few moments and Mum and Dad barged in.
''Don't look at anything! Don't touch anything!'' Dad ordered while Mum shut the door.
''Who's that?'' Amy asked, looking at an elderly man who was lying on the bed.
The man reached out to her and desperately said, ''Amy. Amy. Please.''
He coughed and Amy came towards him. There's only one person it could be. I'm not liking where this is going at all. Amy grabbed his hand.
''Amy... Amy, please,'' he said, coughing some more. She bent down beside the bed.
After a few moments of staring at him closely, she whispered, ''Rory?''
The young Rory looked totally shocked and overwhelmed. His mouth hung open in disbelief.
''Amy...,'' the old man whispered. He breathed a staggering breath, laid his head on the pillow, closed his eyes, and a that moment, he was no more. Amy let go of the man's lifeless hands.
''Could someone please tell me what is going on?,'' Rory asked.
The rest of us stood there immoble with shock on our faces. I wanted to explain, but I was in too much of a shocked state to do so.
''I'm sorry, Rory, but you just died,'' Dad explained simply.
''This place is policed by Angels. Every time you try to escape, you get zapped back in time,'' Dad said.
''So this place belongs to the Angels? They built it?'' Amy asked.
''Displacing someone back in time creates time energy and that is what the Angels feed on. Normally it's a one-off. A hit and run. If they could keep hold of their victims, feed off of their time energy over and over again... This place is a farm. A battery farm. How many Angels are in New York?''
''It's like they've taken over every statue in the city,'' Mum answered.
''The Angels take Manhattan because they can. Because they've never had a food source like this one. They City that Never Sleeps.''
A loud banging noise was heard from above and Rory asked, ''What was that?''
''I don't know, but I think they're coming for you,'' Dad said.
''What does that mean? What is going to happen to me? What is going to physically happen?''
Dad sat in a chair, put his hands in his face for a moment and then said, ''The Angels will come for you, they'll zap you back in time to this very spot- thirty, forty years ago. And you'll live out the rest of your life in this room. Until you die in that bed.''
''And Amy will be there?''
''No.''
''How do you know?'' Amy asked.
''Because he was so pleased to see you again.''
''Okay. Well they haven't taken me yet. What if I just run? What if I just get the hell out of here? Then that never happens.''
''It's already happened, Rory. You just witnessed your own future.''
''Doctor, he's right,'' Mum said.
''No, he isn't.''
''If Rory got out then it would create a paradox.''
The banging noise resumed and Amy asked, ''What is that?''
''This is the Angel's food source. The paradox poisons the well. It could kill them all. This whole place would literally un-happen.''
''It would be almost impossible,'' Dad said.
''I'm loving the almost, '' Mum said.
''But to create a paradox like that would take almost unimaginable power. What have you got, eh? Tell me, come on.''
Amy intertwined her fingers in Rory's hand, then said, ''I won't let them take him. That's what we've got.''
''Rory, even if you got out, you'd have to keep running for the rest of your life. They would be chasing you forever,'' Dad said.
''Well then,'' Amy said, ''Better get started. Husband, run!''
With that, they sprinted out the door. Mum took my hand and I prepared to run.
''River, I'm not sure this can work,'' Dad said.
''Husband, shut up,'' she replied.
We ran for only a second before the lights flickered on and off and an Angel was in front of us, making us take a couple steps back.
''This is beginning to become one of the worst birthdays ever,'' I said with a bit of sarcasm in my voice.
''I can't keep doing this,'' Dad said, trying to get the light fixture to work properly with his sonic.
''Any ideas?'' Mum asked.
''Yeah, the usual. Run.''
The Angel disappeared and we ran down the hall. At least three angels were chasing us. We ran up four flights of stairs and found a fire escape. I climbed up first, then Dad, then Mum. Once I reached the top, I found Rory on the ledge and Amy climbed up beside him. I got off the ladder and when Dad saw what they were doing, he yelled, ''What the hell are you doing?!''
''Changing the future. It's called marriage,'' Amy said and they jumped off.
''Amy! Amy!,'' Dad yelled, looking over the ledge.
Blue sparks caused by the paradox surrounded us and our surroundings.
''Doctor, what's happening?'' Mum asked as he came over.
Mum took hold of my hand and Dad took hold of hers.
''The paradox! It's working! The paradox is working!'' he yelled.
The light from the paradox englufed us and after I blinked, we were back in the graveyard. Dad was to my left and Mum was beside him. The TARDIS was behind us. Amy and Rory sat up in front of two gravestones which were about fifteen feet away from us.
''Where are we?'' Rory asked.
Dad bounded over there excitedly like a ten year old running to the tree on Christmas morning and said, ''Back where we started! The paradox worked! You collapsed the timeline! We all pinged back where we belong!''
''What, in a graveyard?'' he asked.
''That happened last time. Why always here?'' Amy asked with curiosity.
''Does it matter? We got lucky! We could've blown New York off the planet. I can't ever take the TARDIS back there, the timelines are too scrambled. Oh... I could've lost you both,'' he said, hugging them, ''Don't ever do that again.''
''What did we do? We fixed it. We solved the problem,'' Rory said as Dad let them go and kissed the top of their heads.
''It could do with a repaint,'' Mum said as she handed me a sponge from a soap bucket that she found to clean the TARDIS with, as it had become very worn from all of the day's past events. I spent the next few minutes cleaning the exterior of the ship with my parents.
''I've been busy,'' Dad admitted as he cleaned it.
''Does the bulb on top need changing?'' she asked.
''Just changed it,'' he said.
''So... Rory and Amy, then?''
''Yes, I know, I know...''
''Doctor?'' Rory asked him as they walked towards us.
''Ha!'' he exclaimed, still impressed with what they did.
''Look, next time, could we just go to the pub?''
''I want to go to the pub right now. Are there video games there? I love video games,'' he said.
Mum and I put our sponges in the soap bucket and she said as she put her arm around mine, ''Right. Family outing, then.''
We entered the TARDIS and Dad and Amy followed. Rory called her name a few seconds later and she went back out.
A few seconds later, Amy's cry of, ''Doctor!'' echoed.
We ran out and an Angel was a few feet away from Amy. Its arm was stretched out towards her and Rory was nowhere to be found.
''Where the hell did that come from?'' Mum asked Dad.
He soniced it and said, ''It's a survivor. Very weak, but keep your eyes on it.''
''Where's Rory?'' Amy asked him.
''I'm sorry, Amelia. I'm so, so sorry.''
''No. No. We can just go and get him in the TARDIS. One more paradox.''
''Would rip New York apart,'' he said.
''No. That's not true. I don't believe you.''
''Mother, it's true,'' Mum said.
She began to walk towards it and Dad asked, ''Amy, what are you doing?''
''That gravestone, Rory's, there's room for one more name, isn't there?''
''What are you talking about? Back away from the Angel. Come back to the TARDIS. We'll figure something out.''
''The Angel, would it send me back to the same time, to him?''
''I don't know. Nobody knows.''
''But it's my best shot, yeah?''
''No!''
''Doctor! Shut up! Yes, yes it is,'' Mum yelled.
''Amy-''
''Well then, I just have to blink, right?''
''No!''
''It'll be fine. I know it will. I'll be with him like I should be. Me and Rory. Together... Melody,'' she called out to Mum.
She went over, grabbed hold of her hand and kissed the back of it.
''Stop it! Just stop it!'' Dad yelled.
''Emma. You be good girls and you look after him.''
''You are creating fixed time. I will never be able to see you again.''
''I'll be fine. I'll be with him.''
''Amy please. Just come back to the TARDIS. Come along, Pond. Please.''
She turned around, looked at him for the last time and said, ''Raggedy man. Goodbye.''
At that moment, I was officially grandparentless. The only positive thing that came from the experience was that I still got to see the past versions of them, but I couldn't tell them about New York. Not one word.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! I'll give you a few teasers for the next chapter:
1. ''You have a point... but you do get pretty emotional.''
2. There's more than one villian in this story!
3. A stone from a peticular planet makes an apperance.
4. ''Everyone knows your name. Even the spirits.''
5. Never underestimate the Doctor's daughter.
6. Shades of 'Hide'.
7. ''There's no such thing as a 'Dad Rulebook'.''
8. Some major character development.
9. ''There's an enormous amount of rift energy in this house...''
10. They sure do have an interesting form of camoflauge!
