Angels in Eyes

Everyone struggled to stand once the rather bright light faded. "Up!" the Doctor shouted. "Look up!"

River moved to help Amy stand. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"We jumped."

"Jumped where?"

"Up," the Doctor repeated. "Up, look up!"

"Where are we?"

River grinned. "Exactly where we were."

Amy shook her head. "No we're not."

"Move your feet!" the Doctor soniced a circular hatch on the floor.

"Doctor, what am I looking at? Explain."

He sighed. "Oh, come on, Amy, think."

"The ship crashed with the power still on," Adelaide reminded her. "Which means the artificial gravity is still on."

"One good jump, and up we fell. Shot out the grav globe to give us an updraft, and here we are."

"Doctor, the statues," Octavian said, looking down at the Angels below, and even through the bit of darkness they could see them developing more facial features. "They look more like Angels now."

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage, draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves. Within an hour, they'll be an army." The hatch opened just as all the lights around them began to flicker off. "They're taking out the lights. Look at them, look at the Angels. Into the ship, now. Quickly, all of you." He slipped into the hole, Adelaide sliding in the moment after him.

"How?" Amy looked down into the hole. "Doctor!"

"It's just a corridor. The gravity orientates to the floor. Now, in here, all of you. Don't take your eyes off the Angels. Move, move, move!" The Doctor hurried to the control panel.

"Okay, men. Go, go, go!" Octavian appeared down beside them. "The Angels. Presumably they can jump up too?"

The hatch shut behind them.

"They're here, now. In the dark, we're finished." A large door further down the corridor began to close. "Run!" They didn't make it.

"This whole place is a death trap."

The Doctor shrugged. "No, it's a time bomb. Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb. And now it's a dead end." He turned around to face everyone. "Nobody panic." There was a banging on the hatch they'd entered through. The Angels were attempting to get inside. "Oh, just me then. What's through here?" he pointed back at the closed door.

"Secondary flight deck."

Amy nodded. "Okay, so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah? So what if the gravity fails?"

"I've thought about that."

"And?"

"And we'll all plunge to our deaths." Amy's eyes widened. "See? I've thought about it."

Adelaide turned to the door. "The security protocols are still live. Impossible to override."

River glanced at her, working on a panel. "How impossible?"

Adelaide shrugged. "Two minutes."

There was a hum as the lights flickered and the hatch opened again. "The hull is breached and the power's failing."

They could see the arm of an Angel.

"Sir!" a cleric shouted. "Incoming."

"Doctor?" River called. "Lights!" The Doctor ran over, sonicing the lights back on just in time to see an Angel making its way inside, only now there were four Angels and the hatch was closed again.

"Clerics, keep watching them."

"And don't look at their eyes," the Doctor said. "Anywhere else. Not the eyes. I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now."

Octavian nodded. "Good work, Doctor."

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. "Oh, finally, manners."

The Doctor smiled at her for a moment, nodding. "Yes. Good, good, good. Good in many ways. Good you like it so far."

Amy turned to him. "So far?"

The Doctor turned to Adelaide. "There's only one way to open this door. I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

Octavian nodded. "Good. Fine. Do it."

"Including the lights." The Doctor took Adelaide's hand. "All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights."

"How long for?"

He shrugged. "Fraction of a second. Maybe longer. Maybe quite a bit longer."

"Maybe?"

"I'm guessing! We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship. There isn't a manual for this."

"Doctor, we lost the torches," Amy reminded them. "We'll be in total darkness."

"No other way." He turned to Octavian, still holding Adelaide's hand. "Bishop."

"Dr. Song, I've lost good clerics today." Octavian turned to River. "You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him."

"He's not some kind of madman then?"

River paused. "I absolutely trust him."

The Time Lords stepped closer to the door panel, using their combined experience of star liners, as Octavian moved closer to River. "I'm taking your word," he spoke under his breath, "because you're the only one who can manage both of them. But that only works as long as they don't know who you are. You cost me any more men, and I might just tell her. Understood?"

River nodded. "Understood."

Octavian stepped back, turning to the Time Lords. "Okay, Doctor. We've got your back."

Adelaide smiled at him. "Thank you, Bishop." And then she gave him a pointed expression, one that made River laugh just to see. "Good to see your manners have returned."

Octavian ignored her, turning to the clerics. "Combat distance, ten feet. As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles. Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shotgun protocol. We don't have bullets to waste."

"Amy," the Doctor moved Amy close to the door, "when the lights go down, the wheel should release. Spin it clockwise four turns."

"Ten."

The Doctor frowned. "No, four. Four turns."

"Yeah, four. I heard you."

The Time Lords paused, taking a moment to look at each other before turning back to the panel, Adelaide as close to the Doctor as she could possibly get. It was just because he was comforting, that was all. No other reason. And he was only comforting because he was the only other of her species and that meant their minds were a bit psychically linked so just being near each other calmed them both, even if they weren't fully connected.

There was no other reason, none whatsoever.

Not like Adelaide quite liked touching the Doctor.

Not at all.

"Ready!" the Doctor called, and Adelaide placed her sonic into the control unit.

"On my count, then. God be with us all." Octavian swallowed. "Three, two, one!" the lights went out. "Fire!"

"Turn!" the Doctor said to Amy.

"Doctor, it's opening. It's working!" Amy managed to get the door open enough to let her and River slip through.

"Fall back!" the clerics and Octavian followed suit, the Time Lords being the last two in, just as the door began to close again.

They were in what appeared to be a flight deck, though everything looked rather destroyed. Each Time Lord and River ran to a different control panel as the Angels began to bang on the door again.

"Doctor!" Amy shouted as Octavian ran forwards and attached a device to the door, appearing to stop the Angels from being able to turn the wheel. "What are you doing?"

"Magnetized the door. Nothing could turn that wheel now."

The Doctor glanced up. "Yeah?"

The wheel turned.

"Dear God!"

"Ah, now you're getting it. You've bought us time though. That's good. We're good with time."

"Doctor!" another door began to spin.

"Seal that door. Seal it now!" One of the clerics ran to do it.

"We're surrounded."

A third door began to spin. "Seal it. Seal that door! Doctor, how long have we got?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Five minutes, max."

"Nine," Amy said."

"Five."

She nodded. "Five. Right. Yeah."

Adelaide frowned at her. "You said nine."

"I didn't."

"We need to find another way out of here," River said, stepping over.

"There isn't one."

"This is a galaxy class ship," Adelaide corrected. "It can go for years between planet-falls. So what do they need?"

River nodded, grinning. "Of course!"

Amy looked between them. "Of course what? What do they need?"

"Can we get in there?" Octavian asked.

The Time Lords turned to the wall behind them. "Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow. This whole wall should slide up." The Doctor pressed it before spotting something to the side. "There's clamps. Release the clamps!"

"What's through there?" Amy asked as the Time Lords ran to them, using their sonics. "What do they need?"

"They need to breathe."

The wall slid up to reveal the forest, thankfully.

"But that's…that's a…"

River nodded. "It's an oxygen factory."

"It's a forest."

"Yeah, it's a forest. It's an oxygen factory."

"And if we're lucky, an escape route."

"Eight," Amy said suddenly.

River glanced at her. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

The Doctor looked to Octavian. "Is there another exit? Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost in there."

"On it!" Octavian stepped into the forest. "Stay where you are until I've checked the Rad levels."

Amy shook her head. "But trees, on a spaceship."

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, more than trees. Way better than trees." He stepped up to one of the trees, sonicing it. "You're going to love this. Treeborgs." He pulled aside the moss to reveal the circuitry that ran up the trees. "Trees plus technology. Branches become cables become sensors on the hull. A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. This vault is an ecopod running right through the heart of the ship." He laughed. "A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze." He spun, grabbing Adelaide's hand as he did so and not really noticing he'd done it. "Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?"

Amy laughed. "Seven."

"Seven?"

"Sorry, what?"

"You said seven."

"No, I didn't."

River nodded. "Yes, you did."

"Doctor!" Octavian called. "There's an exit, far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck."

Adelaide nodded. "Good, that's where we need to go."

"Plotting a safe path now."

"Quick as you like." Adelaide raised her eyebrows at him. "Thank you!"

"People like it when you thank them," she reminded him quietly.

"Doctor?" Bob called over the comm. "Excuse me? Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir."

The Doctor grabbed it. "Ah. There you are, Angel Bob. How's life?" he grimaced. "Sorry, bad subject."

"The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve."

"Achieve? We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here. Consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"

"The Angels are feasting, sir. Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world, and all the stars and worlds beyond."

The Doctor sat in one of the chairs, leaving Adelaide next to River. "Well, we've got comfy chairs. Did I mention?"

"We have no need of comfy chairs."

The Time Lords laughed. "I made him say comfy chairs!"

"Six."

The Doctor stood sternly, walking closer to the forest. "Okay, Bob, enough chat. Here's what I want to know. What have you done to Amy?"

"There is something in her eye."

"What's in her eye?"

"We are."

Amy frowned. "What's he talking about? Doctor, I'm five." She paused, finally seeming to realize what she'd said. "I mean, five. Fine! I'm fine."

River eyed her carefully. "You're counting."

"Counting?"

The Doctor nodded. "You're counting down from ten. You have been for a couple of minutes."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Well, counting down to what?"

"I don't know."

"We shall take her," Bob informed them. "We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space."

The Doctor snorted. "Get a life, Bob. Oops, sorry again. There's power on this ship, but nowhere near that much."

"With respect, sir, there is more power on this ship than you yet understand."

There was a horrible, high-pitched screeching noise.

"What's that? Dear God, what is it?"

"They're back."

"It's hard to put in your terms, Dr. Song," Bob said, "but as best I understand it, the Angels are laughing."

The Doctor frowned. "Laughing?"

"Because you haven't noticed yet, sir. The Time Lords in the TARDIS haven't noticed."

"Doctor," Adelaide said, looking at the wall behind them. "The crack." The Time Lords ran to it, their fingers hovering just a bit away.

"That's…that's…that's like the crack from my bedroom wall from when I was a little girl."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched."

Octavian stepped back. "Okay, enough. We're moving out."

"Agreed." River turned to the Time Lords. "Adelaide? Doctor?"

He waved a hand behind him. "Yeah, fine."

"What are you doing?"

"Right with you, thank you," Adelaide said, both of them using their sonics on the crack. She did quite like having a sonic now. You didn't need to keep guessing what something was, you just knew.

River shook her head. "We're not leaving without you."

"Oh yes, you are." The Doctor glanced over his shoulder. "Bishop?"

"Miss Pond, Dr. Song, now!" River grabbed Amy's arm to force her to follow.

"So, what are you?" the Doctor mumbled at the crack, looking at both their sonics. "Oh, that's bad. Ah, that's extremely very not good." He leaned his ear to the crack.

Adelaide looked behind them. "Don't blink," she whispered and the Doctor turned, grabbing Adelaide's hand as they stared at the Angels that surrounded them.

Carefully, the Time Lords climbed over the controls, trying to escape while still watching the Angels, when one grabbed the back of the Doctor's jacket, Adelaide a bit too far forward for them to grab.

The Time Lords paused, but nothing happened. "Why am I not dead then?" the Doctor mumbled, glancing over his shoulder. The Angels had their arms raised, almost in worship, towards the crack. "Good, and not so good. Oh, this isn't even a little bit good." He glanced at the Angels around them while Adelaide glanced back at the crack Angels. "I mean, is that it? Is that the power that brought you here? That's pure Time Energy. You can't feed on that. That's the power, that's the fire at the end of the universe. I'll tell you something else…" something rumbled. "Never let me talk!"

Adelaide pulled the Doctor forward and away from his jacket, the pair of them running through the forest towards where the clerics, Amy, and River were waiting. Amy was curled on a rock and River was speaking quietly to Octavian, but all of their backs were to the Time Lords.

"…when the Doctor and Adelaide are in the room, your one and only mission is to keep them alive long enough to get everyone else home," River said. "And trust me, it's not easy. For either of them. Now, if they're dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. And if they're alive, I'll never forgive them. And…the two of you are standing right behind me, aren't you?"

The Doctor grinned. "Oh, yeah."

River spun to glare at them. "I hate you."

"You don't." They jumped off the log. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest."

Octavian turned to a cleric. "We need visual contact on every line of approach."

"How did you get past them?"

He shrugged. "Found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe."

"What was it?" Amy asked.

Adelaide didn't smile. "The end of the universe."

The Doctor bent down closer to Amy and took the med-scanner from River. "Let's have a look, then."

"So, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing," River said. "You're fine."

"Everything. You're dying."

Adelaide glared at him. "Doctor."

"Yes, you're right. If we lie to her, she'll get all better."

"There are better ways to tell someone they're dying." She pointed down at Amy, who was crying.

The Doctor paused. "Right. Amy, Amy, Amy. What's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? Does it mean anything?"

"Doctor…"

"Busy."

"Scared!"

"Course you're scared, you're dying. Shut up."

"Manners."

River sighed, moving next to Amy. "Okay, let him think."

"What happened?" the Doctor began to pace. "She stared at the Angel. She looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long."

"Sir!" a cleric called. "Angel incoming!" An Angel appeared behind a tree.

"And here!" a second shouted.

"Keep visual contact. Do not let it move!"

"Come on, come on, come on," the Doctor hit the side of his head. "Wakey, wakey. She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel and…and…"

Adelaide nodded. "The image of an Angel is an Angel."

"A living mental image in a living human mind. But if we stare at them to stop them getting closer…we don't even blink, and that's exactly what they want. Because as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind."

"Three," Amy said. "It's coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die."

He held a hand towards her. "Please just shut up. We're thinking. Now, counting. What's that about?" The Doctor grabbed the comm.. "Bob, why are they making her count?"

"To make her afraid, sir."

"Okay, but why? What for?"

"For fun, sir."

The Doctor threw the comm. away.

"Doctor, what's happening to me?" Amy watched him move away a bit. "Explain!"

Adelaide was the one who turned to her. "You have an Angel trapped inside the vision centers of your brain. Like another screen that the Angel is climbing out of. And it wants to turn you off."

"Then what do I do?"

Adelaide shrugged. "If it were a real screen again, like before, we'd kill the power."

The Doctor shook his head. "But we can't just knock her out, the Angel would just take over."

"Then what?" River asked them. "Quickly."

"We need to shut down the vision centers of her brain."

"She's got seconds."

Adelaide spun to face Amy. "Amy, close your eyes, now."

Amy shook her head. "No. No, I don't want to."

"That's not you, that's the Angel, because it's afraid, so you need to do it. You need to close your eyes."

Amy did so and the scanner beeped, everything returning to normal. "She's normalizing," River breathed. "You did it! You did it!" The Doctor said nothing, just looked at Adelaide in slight shock.

"Sir?" a cleric called. "Two more incoming."

"Three more over here."

River helped Amy adjust herself. "Still weak. Dangerous to move her."

"So, can I open my eyes now?"

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair, looking at Adelaide desperately before looking down to Amy. "Amy, listen to me. If you open your eyes now for more than a second, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it, we've just sort of paused it. You've used up your countdown. You cannot open your eyes."

"Doctor, Adelaide, we're too exposed here," Octavian called. "We have to move on."

"We're too exposed everywhere."

"Amy can't move," Adelaide reminded him.

The Doctor nodded. "And anyway, that's not the plan."

River raised an eyebrow at him. "There's a plan."

"I don't know yet. I haven't finished talking." He spun. "Right! Father, you and your clerics, you're going to stay here, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, Adelaide and I will hold every single one of you personally responsible, twice. River, you and me and Adelaide, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck which is…" he licked a finger and held it up.

Adelaide pointed in the proper direction, interrupting the Doctor. "A quarter of a mile straight ahead."

He nodded. "And from there we're going to stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Amy."

"How?"

"I'll do a thing."

River raised an eyebrow. "What thing?"

"I don't know. It's a thing in progress. Respect the thing! Moving out!"

Octavian stepped forward. "Doctor, I'm coming with you. My clerics'll look after Miss Pond. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection."

The Doctor grimaced at him. "We don't need you."

"I don't care. Where Dr. Song goes, I go."

"What? You two engaged or something?"

Octavian nodded. "Yes, in a manner of speaking. Marco, you're in charge till I get back."

Marco nodded. "Sir."

"Doctor?" Amy called. "Adelaide? Please, can't I come with you?"

Octavian shook his head. "You'd slow us down, Miss Pond."

"I don't want to sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up."

"You're safer here," Adelaide reminded her. "There's no way to protect you on the move." She moved to follow Octavian and River, leaving the Doctor and Amy for a moment.

"We'll be back for you soon as we can, I promise."

Amy sighed. "You always say that."

"We always come back." He stepped back. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy…later. River, going to need your computer!"

Amy shook her head. "Yeah. Later."

Once Adelaide caught up with River, she took the computer to begin putting in her readings of the crack. River frowned at her. "What's that?"

"Readings from the crack."

"How can a crack in the wall be the end of the universe?"

Adelaide shrugged. "We don't know yet."

"But here's what I think," the Doctor said, coming up beside Adelaide to read the screen as he spoke. "One day there's going to be a very big bang. So big every moment in history, past and future, will crack."

"Is that possible? How?"

The Doctor paused. "How can you be engaged, in a manner of speaking?"

River shrugged. "Well, sucker for a man in uniform."

"Dr. Song's in my personal custody," Octavian said. "I released her from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago and I am legally responsible for her until she's accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. Just so we understand each other."

Adelaide stared at River. "You were in Stormcage?"

The device beeped. "What? What is that?"

Adelaide held up the screen so that the Doctor could read it better. "The date of the explosion."

"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?"

The date shifted. 26/06/2010.

"Amy's time."

A/N: The Doctor and Adelaide can be quite a team when they let themselves be! :)

Notes on reviews:

CatLady101: We'll get more of a hint about what's coming in their future in the next chapter, if you can catch it.