Chapter 11

The Doctor gently placed his companion in the box; the Pandorica. Rory, Harriett and Amy Brookes all kept silent for a while. Amy had always noticed just how sad Rory looked at this point, she took his hand comfortingly and smiled.

'So you've got a plan, then?' He asked nervously breaking the silence.

'Bit of a plan, yeah. Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes took a memory print of her and got a bit more than they bargained for, like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul.' Said the Doctor, readying himself to mind-meld Amy.

He pressed their heads together forcefully. 'I'm leaving her a message for when she wakes up, so she knows what's happening. The girls nodded. The Pandorica sealed.

'Hey!' Harriett snapped before Rory had chance to speak. Amy dug she elbow into Harriett's ribs. That didn't stop her from continuing. 'Why are you locking Amy in the comfy-chair-box-thingie?' She kept her face straight despite her childish sounding comment. Rory nodded stubbornly.

'Oh you pair of numpty's!' Amy Brookes giggled although her voice was hard too. 'Doctor…' She signalled for him to carry on.

'I'm saving her. This box is the ultimate prison.' He said honestly. 'You can't even escape by dying. It forces you to stay alive.'

'But I thought Rory killed her.' Harriett pointed out. Amy shoved her again as Rory looked to the ground shamefully. 'What I meant,' Harriett corrected herself. 'Was: I thought she was already dead?'

'Well, she's mostly dead. The Pandorica can stasis-lock her that way.' Said the Doctor. 'Now, all it needs is a scan of her living DNA and it'll restore her.'

'Where's it going to get that?' Asked Rory for once. Harriett didn't know what to ask this time so she let Rory speak.

Amy Brookes and the Doctor looked at each other knowingly and grinned. 'In about two thousand years.'

Rory was silent for a minute.

'…And cut from exhibition.' Amy whispered to herself. No one much noticed.

'Two thousand years?' Harriett choked and Amy sighed. She like Rory's reaction at this bit.

'Sorry,' Rory shouted. Yay! Amy thought. The Doctor took River's vortex manipulator from her bag and strapped it to his own wrist. Harriett looked at it excitedly. 'She's going to be in that box for two thousand years?'

'Yeah, but we're taking a shortcut. River's vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We'll be fine.'

'So hang on. The future's still there, then. Our world?' Rory asked curiously. Amy knew this would take a while and despite having two thousand year, she was pretty tired of waiting around. This was a lot shorter on TV. Amy sighed.

'Okay, everybody stop speaking.' She demanded and decided to paraphrase. 'Future: version of it. Rory: staying –' the Doctor opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off. 'Don't argue.'

'She'd be safer wouldn't she?' Rory interrupted. Amy nodded. 'Doctor?' He was silent. 'Answer me!'

'Yes. Obviously.' He snapped.

'Then how could I leave her?'

'Why do you have to be so human?' The Doctor demanded but he knew the answer. Amy Brookes thought she might cry even before he said the words.

'Because right now, I'm not.'

'Listen to me.' The Doctor said sadly. 'This is the last bit of advice you're going to get in a very long time. You're living plastic, but you're not immortal. I have no idea how long you'll last. And you're not indestructible.' He pointed out. He didn't know how long Rory would last so he had to tell him this. Amy and Harriett grasped hands, preparing for take-off. Even Harriett knew what was coming. ' Stay away from heat and radio signals when they come along. You can't heal, or repair yourself. Any damage is permanent. So, for God's sake, however bored you get, stay out of –'

'Ooh! Buttons!' she giggled. Harriett, intrigued, flipped a switch on the vortex manipulator. They vanished, disappeared.

For a long, long time they were gone. All of them. As if it was a great honour, Rory put on his helmet, drew his sword and settled down to the longest stint of guard duty in history.

According to legend, wherever the Pandorica was taken, throughout its long history, the Centurion would be there, guarding it.

He appears as an iconic image in the artwork of many cultures, and there are several documented accounts of his appearances, and his warnings to the many who attempted to open the box before its time.

His last recorded appearance was during the London blitz in 1941. The warehouse where the Pandorica was stored was destroyed by incendiary bombs, but the box itself was found the next morning, a safe distance from the blaze.

There are eyewitness accounts from the night of the fire of a figure in Roman dress, carrying the box from the flames.

Since then, there have been no sightings of the Lone Centurion, and many have speculated that if he ever existed, he perished in the fires of that night, performing one last act of devotion to the box he had pledged to protect for nearly two thousand years...

Amy Pond fell from her box. Finally, she had awoken. (Despite the serious stiffness in her legs) She made her way out into the museum. A young girl, with familiar red hair and a fiery temper stood before her with gaping wide eyes.

'…he perished in the fires…' said the machine. 'He perished…'

'Rory…' Amy cried. 'Oh Rory!' She felt her heart breaking. Two thousand years… he'd waited two thousand years…

'Exterminate!' Dalek. It ripped Amy out of her mourning.

'What's that?' the young girl asked. She asked. She could have only been about seven.

'Exterminate!' The Dalek said again. It prepared to fire. The Dalek lifted up its gun. It was going to shoot. Amy was going to die. Twice! (Wow, now she knew how Rory felt…) Rory…

'I'm telling you!' Amy Pond heard from behind the door. It was Harriett and she sounded mad. 'It's this way!'

'There was a sign…' Said another voice. Brookes.

The Doctor appeared and bustled into the room. 'Oh.' He mumbled. He was followed by Harriett and Brookes.

'Trouble.' He said though he was grinning. 'Oh. Ah, two of you.' He pulled a 'oops' face. 'Complicated.'

'Exterminate!' Repeated the Dalek, its voice was stronger this time and they were about to find out why. 'Weapons systems restoring.'

'Come along, Ponds.' The Doctor shouted quickly, dashing off, and then took into account a pouting pair of teenagers. 'Err… Girls!'

'Exterminate!' The Dalek exclaimed. The cluster began to run.

After a few paces, they reached Middle Eastern montage. Smiling to himself while the others panted, the Doctor reached across to a dummy and plucked from its head a fez. Amy Brookes broke into hysterical laughter, once again, despite the circumstances. The Doctor put on the fez.

'What are we doing?' Asked the older Amy Pond.

'Yeah,' Harriett echoed, though she was still gaining breath, just to have said something.

'Well, we are running into a dead end, where I'll have a brilliant plan, that basically involves not being in one.' He rambled typically. A man appeared in the doorway. He was cased in shadow.

'What's going on?' He asked. The Ponds and Harriett stared at him with big eyes but Amy Brookes knew who he was. She took Harriett's hand and winked at her friend.

'Get out of here.' The Doctor yelled, thinking of his safety. 'Go! Just run!' The Dalek appeared again from around the corner. Amy Brookes wondered how the Doctor or Amy Pond couldn't realise who it was. Talk about obvious!

'Drop the device!' Said the Dalek; it's voice chilling and robotic. It was talking about the torch the man was spinning in his hand, Amy knew this.

'It's not a weapon. Scan it. It's not a weapon, and you don't have the power to waste.' Said the Doctor.

'Scans indicate intruder unarmed.'

Rory stepped forwards. Cue the night guard; he was dressed for the occasion. Dropping the torch, Rory looked Amazing. His wives jaws dropped as the torch clunked on the ground.

'Do you think?' His voice icy and dipping with sarcasm. The Auton hand weapon opened and he fired.

'Oh, that is so hot.' Amy Brookes mumbled and then sniggered to herself naughtily. Amy Pond didn't care though (the elder) she thought she might melt! Her Rory was alive!

'Vision impaired! Vision –' the Dalek howled. And then, it stopped. It froze.

'Amy!' He cried.

'Rory.' She coursed. They met in a joyful embrace; in a perfect reunion. It was magical.

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. It just happened.'

'Oh, Shut up.' She kissed him hard on the lips.

'Euch!' Amy Brookes sniggered but smiled happily – she loved the Pond's together.

'Yeah, shut up, because we've got to go.' Said the Doctor rudely but no one took any notice. 'Come on.'

'I waited.' Rory said. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or not but the girls (and the Doctor who by this point had been promoted to 'one of the girls') liked to think he was happy. 'Two thousand years I waited for you.'

'No,' Amy said. 'Still shut up.' And she kissed him again.

'Eww…' Harriett muttered. 'Don't come up for air at all,' she added after a while.

'And break.' Said the Doctor. They continued to ignore him 'And breathe. Well, somebody didn't get out much for two thousand years…'

'I'm thirsty.' Said Amelia Pond, the youngest Amy in the room. 'Can I get a drink?'

'Yeah, us too.' Added Harriett. Amy Brookes nodded.

'Oh, it's all mouths today, isn't it?' Joked the Doctor though he didn't know he was joking. The Dalek shuddered. 'The light.' The Doctor said. 'The light from the Pandorica, it must have hit the Dalek.'

The weapon began to move again. The Dalek prepared for the kill.

'Out! Out! Out!'