As they walked through, peering at the many statues, Amy asked curiously: "Isn't there a chance this lot's just going to collapse? There's a whole ship up there.
"Incredible builders, the Aplans." River replied, somewhat admiringly.
The Doctor added cheerily: "Had dinner with their Chief Architect once."
He paused and then muttered absently: "Two heads are better than one."
Lily looked at him questioningly while Amy asked confusedly: "What, you mean you helped him?"
"No, I mean he had two heads." The Doctor replied, before added in one breath, asking River: "That book, the very end, what did it say?"
"Hang on." River murmured. She began to dig for the book while Lily frowned as something niggled in the back of her mind. Her gut was telling her something was wrong… but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Read it to me." The Doctor was saying to River, and she pulled out the book, opening it to the end and she read: "'What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels'."
Lily stared at the statues confusedly as her gut continued to tell her that something was wrong. They were getting higher and higher, and Octavian had joined them when Amy complained: "Are we there yet? It's a hell of a climb."
"The Maze is on six levels, representing the ascent of the soul." River explained. "Only two levels to go."
"Lovely species, the Aplans." The Doctor piped up. "We should visit them some time."
"I thought they were all dead?" Amy asked confusedly and the Doctor retorted: "So is Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team. Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads, of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."
Lily barely heard him, trying to figure it out. She was surprised as River suddenly said: "Doctor, there's something. I don't know what it is..."
"Yeah," the Doctor agreed, "there's something wrong. Don't know what it is yet, either. Working on it. So's Lily, I bet."
Lily looked at him in surprise while River snorted. The Doctor rambled on: "Of course, then they started having laws against self-marrying. I mean, what was that about? But that's the Church for you. Er, no offence, Bishop."
He added as he caught sight of Octavian's face. But at those words, something clicked in Lily's mind. She remembered what the Bishop had said: "Died four hundred years ago. Two hundred years later, the planet was terrraformed."
Octavian was saying pointedly to the Doctor: "Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor."
They walked further in, Lily running after the Doctor as the group travelled in the path created by the statues lining the walls on either side.
"Doctor," she asked quietly and he glanced at her questioningly, "were there any other life forms here before the Aplans died out?"
"No, there weren't." The Doctor answered in a puzzled voice. "Why?"
"So the humans only colonized after the planet terraformed?" Lily checked again and the Doctor nodded as he asked in confusion: "Lily, love, what is it?"
Lily's heart had sunk and she had paled considerably. Octavian called back from where he was leading: "Lowest point in the wreckage is only about fifty feet up from here. That way."
The Doctor glanced at the man, but his attention snapped back to Lily as she asked quietly and a little desperately: "Then why do all the statues have only one head?"
The Doctor stopped walking immediately as he understood. He stared at the statues as Amy was saying jokingly: "The Church had a point, if you think about it. The divorces must have been messy."
"Oh." The Doctor finally breathed and Lily's face whitened. She was right, she could see it on the horror in the Doctor's face as he examined the statue right in front of them.
Amy turned around, asking confusedly: "What's wrong?"
River also glanced at what the Doctor and Lily were staring at, the former with horror and the latter with terror. She got it too.
"Oh." She gasped as she also pointed her torch at one of the statues. The Doctor and Lily turned to face the blonde woman as she looked at them with wide, terrified eyes.
"Exactly." The Doctor breathed, and River hissed frantically: "How could we not notice that?"
The Doctor was back to looking around desperately as he bit out: "Low level perception filter, or maybe we're thick."
"If it was a perception filter, how'd Lily notice? She didn't even know what the Aplans looked like." River retorted and the Doctor snapped: "Then you and I are just thick."
"Don't be mean, just do something." Lily whimpered, and the Doctor grabbed her as Octavian asked carefully: "What's wrong, sir?"
"Nobody move." The Doctor cut in quickly, holding Lily to him tightly as he said urgently: "Nobody move. Everyone stay exactly where they are."
He looked around at everyone once to show how serious he was, before saying to Octavian directly: "Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger."
"What danger?" Octavian demanded nervously, as Amy glanced around with wide eyes.
"The Aplans." River explained, and Octavian repeated in confusion: "The Aplans?"
"They've got two heads." Lily whimpered and the Doctor clutched her tightly.
"Yes, I get that. So?" Octavian asked agitated, and the Doctor pointed out darkly: "So why don't the statues?"
His torch shone on the statue once more and finally everyone else got it. The Doctor ordered as he pointed to a corner of the cave: "Everyone, over there. Just move. Don't ask questions, don't speak."
The entire group moved quickly, frightened as the Doctor pushed Lily before him. The clerics formed a loose circle formation around the girls as the Doctor gently pushed Lily beside Amy, taking up a protective stance before her. He then ordered the group: "Okay, I want you all to switch off your torches."
The clerics hesitated, and one called Marco asked sceptically: "Sir?"
The Doctor said calmly but firmly: "Just do it."
Lily clicked off her torch, and the rest followed her example until only the Doctor's torch was left on. Lily held onto the back of his jacket nervously as he said slowly: "Okay. I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment."
"Are you sure about this?" River checked, and Lily's grip on the Doctor's jacket tightened.
He took a deep breath, not daring to pull her in closer as he kept both hands on his torch, before he replied to River in a flat voice: "No."
With that, he flicked his torch off, switching it back on almost instantly. But in that brief second, the statues had moved, all of them turning to face the group. The Doctor tore out of Lily's grasp, dashing off to check the passage they'd come from. Lily took a step after him but River pulled her back, keeping a tight grip on the brunette's shoulder as Amy stood frozen in place, saying in a frightened voice: "Oh, my God. They've moved."
They all stared at the statues in fear for a moment longer before Amy dashed after the Doctor. River let Lily go, the whole group following quickly to see the entire passage they'd come from filled with more Angels. One was even frozen in place, half-crawling on the ground with its hand outstretched towards them. The Doctor examined it as he called back in a tight voice: "They're Angels. All of them."
"But they can't be." River retorted and Lily pointed out shakily: "Well, they clearly are."
River's eyes narrowed in fear as the Doctor called back: "Clerics, keep watching them."
The Doctor continued down the path, and Lily followed, unable to stand seeing him disappear out of her sight as fear gripped her heart. The Doctor had paused as he looked out and when Lily stopped next to him he said quietly: "Every statue in this Maze, every single one," River and Amy ran up, "is a Weeping Angel."
His torch shone on the Angels that were frozen, mid-creep towards them.
"They're coming after us."
"But there was only one Angel on the ship." River insisted. "Just the one, I swear."
"Could they have been here already?" Amy asked desperately while the Doctor asked pointedly: "The Aplans. What happened? How did they die out?"
"Nobody knows." River replied and Lily murmured shakily: "Well, now we do."
The group were standing in a loose circle back in the larger cavern again, the girls standing together as the Doctor paced around before the group and between them and the Angels.
"They don't look like Angels." Octavian commented as they all stared at the almost rotten-looking wingless stone statues.
"And they're not fast." Amy pointed out. "You said they were fast. They should have had us by now."
The Doctor interrupted as he stopped, pointing his torch at the Angels: "Look at them. They're dying, losing their form. They must have been down here for centuries, starving."
"Losing their image?" Amy asked and the Doctor replied absently: "And their image is their power."
"Oh." Lily breathed as the Doctor blinked, realizing the same thing as he murmured: "Power. Power!" He shouted, snapping his fingers delightedly as he turned back to the group.
"Doctor?" Amy asked confused while River asked: "Lily, what did you mean?"
The Doctor cried: "Don't you see? Of course not, as usual only one person gets it with me."
"Rude." Lily pointed out, but the Doctor grinned because it reminded him of old times.
He went on regardless: "All that radiation spilling out the drive burn. The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident, it was a rescue mission for the Angels. We're in the middle of an army, and… it's waking up." He added as he paced furiously once more.
"We need to get out of here fast." River said urgently and Lily nodded tightly.
Octavian immediately called on his com: "Bob, Angelo, Christian, come in, please."
Lily's heart sank as there was only silence and she exchanged glances with River as the Doctor also looked over, pausing in his pacing.
"Any of you, come in." Octavian ordered, and Lily breathed in relief as Bob replied immediately: "It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir."
Octavian also took a deep breath in relief before he said quickly: "Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you? All the statues are active. I repeat, all the statues are active."
"I know, sir." Bob replied, and Lily's face fell.
Bob continued in a slightly shaky voice: "Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The statues killed them, sir."
The Doctor immediately grabbed the com from Octavian, speaking into it quickly: "Bob, Sacred Bob, it's me, the Doctor."
"I'm talking to-" Octavian began, but the Doctor ignored him as he asked urgently: "Where are you now?"
"I'm talking to my-" Octavian began again, sounding furious, but the Doctor shushed him with a finger, saying irritably: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, shut up."
Octavian looked outraged but he kept silent. Lily leaned in to River, and the blonde wrapped an arm around the girl, helping calm her nerves as Bob replied: "I'm on my way up to you, sir. I'm homing in on your signal."
The Doctor replied, speaking quickly: "Ah, well done, Bob. Scared keeps you fast. Told you, didn't I. Your friends, Bob." He added urgently. "What did the Angel do to them?"
"Snapped their necks, sir." Bob replied and Lily shuddered.
River however frowned, as did the Doctor who said puzzled: "That's odd. That's not how the Angels kill you. They displace you in time."
His eyes moved to Lily and he murmured thoughtfully: "Unless they needed the bodies for something."
Octavian snatched the com from the Doctor. The Bishop asked firmly: "Bob, did you check their data packs for vital signs? We may be able to initiate a rescue plan."
The Doctor snatched the com back as he snapped in annoyance: "Oh, don't be an idiot. The Angels don't leave you alive."
He added into the com quickly: "Bob, keep running. But tell me, how did you escape?"
Bob replied promptly: "I didn't escape, sir. The Angel killed me, too."
Lily's blood ran cold and she shared a look of horror with River. Amy's eyes had widened, her body reacting immediately even as her mind didn't quite register. The Doctor had paused, before he checked, slowly: "What do you mean, the Angel killed you?"
'Bob' replied calmly: "Snapped my neck, sir. Wasn't as painless as I expected, but it was pretty quick, so that was something."
The Doctor and Octavian shared looks at that, but the Doctor chose to ask in a low voice: "If you're dead, how can I be talking to you?"
"You're not talking to me, sir." 'Bob' replied. "The Angel has no voice. It stripped my cerebral cortex from my body," Lily closed her eyes briefly while Octavian's face became grief-stricken, "and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. Sorry about the confusion."
The Doctor prompted tightly: "So when you say you're on your way up to us…"
"It's the Angel that's coming, sir, yes." 'Bob' confirmed, and the Doctor immediately hung up on the com as he snapped, coming back over to the girls: "No way out."
Octavian countered: "Then we get out through the wreckage. Go!"
"Go, go, go. All of you run." The Doctor urged.
River quickly took one of the girls in each hand, leading them firmly, but Amy said tightly as the Doctor didn't move: "Doctor."
He snapped: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Just go. Go, go, go."
He pushed Amy, and she went with River but Lily wrenched her arm away, joining the Doctor, who was saying to Octavian tiredly: "Yeah. Called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men."
Octavian replied flatly: "I know that, sir. And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families."
He turned to go, but Lily said sharply: "That's not fair on him."
The Doctor glanced over in surprise but Octavian was unperturbed as he said to the girl flatly: "Life isn't fair. Those boys had to find that out the hard way."
Lily's lips folded in anger, but Octavian brushed past. The Doctor paused to stare at Lily as she stared back, before he called into the com: "Angel Bob. Which Angel am I talking to? The one from the ship?" He asked.
Lily walked over, and he wrapped an arm around her as Angel Bob replied: "Yes, sir. And the other Angels are still restoring."
"Ah, so the Angel is not in the wreckage." The Doctor replied grimly. "Thank you."
He hung up again, and took Lily's hand.
The pair broke into a run, as Lily said to him seriously: "It wasn't your fault. If you blame yourself-"
"I know." He replied shortly and Lily snapped: "No, if you blame yourself, we all have a share in that blame. You couldn't have known."
He glanced back, and seemed about to say something but then they ran through a passage to see Amy standing there. The Doctor cried as he rushed past the redheaded girl: "Don't wait for me. Go, run."
"I can't." Amy replied, and both the Doctor and Lily screeched to a halt, turning back.
They rushed over to where Amy was standing frozen by the rocks, both glancing her over to see what was wrong as Amy said shakily: "No, really, I can't."
"Why not?" The Doctor demanded as he looked her in the eye, neither he nor Lily finding anything wrong.
"Look at it." Amy said as though it was obvious. Both the Doctor and Lily stared at her puzzled and Amy said frantically: "Look at my hand."
The pair did as they were told, but Lily was bewildered. There was nothing wrong.
"It's stone." Amy bit out, and Lily's head shot back up to look at her friend.
"Amy?" She asked, puzzled but the Doctor lifted his torch, shining it into the redhead's eyes as he demanded: "You looked into the eyes of an Angel, didn't you?"
"I couldn't stop myself. I tried." Amy replied, her brows starting to knit as she tried to keep her fear at bay.
The Doctor glanced at Lily, ordering: "Lily, go."
She snapped: "Not on your life."
"Lily, just go, I don't want you to die here because of me." Amy insisted.
The Doctor gave up on convincing Lily, knowing there was no way the stubborn girl would leave, and focused on Amy as he said urgently: "Listen to me. It's messing with your head. Your hand is not made of stone."
"It is. Look at it." Amy replied angrily and Lily interjected: "Amy, listen to us, it's not. We promise it's not."
"It's in your mind," The Doctor added, "I promise you. You can move that hand. You can let go."
Amy replied in a voice torn between desperation and terror: "I can't, okay? I've tried and I can't. It's stone."
The Doctor's torch began to flicker and he and Lily glanced at it in alarm.
"Oh, God." Lily whispered as she realized it must be the Angels, and the Doctor confirmed it as he told Amy firmly: "The Angel is going to come and it's going to turn this light off," he nodded at his torch, "and then there's nothing I can do to stop it, so do it."
He stared at the redhead intently as he ordered: "Concentrate. Move your hand."
"I can't." Amy replied flatly, and the Doctor retorted: "Then we're both going to die. Lily, run."
"No." The brunette snapped as Amy said furiously: "You're not going to die."
"Lily, go." The Doctor ordered before he added to Amy: "They'll kill the lights."
"Shut up, I'm not leaving Amy." Lily growled, and Amy said frantically: "You've got to go. Both of you. You know you have. You've got all that stuff with River, she knew you both, and that's all got to happen."
The Doctor replied shortly: "Time can be re-written. It doesn't work like that."
His torch flickered and Lily spotted the statues starting to make their way into the passage. Amy saw the ashen look on Lily's face and turned to see the statues. Her mouth fell open in horror as the Doctor ordered them: "Keep your eyes on it. Don't blink."
"Run!" Amy shouted, and Lily snapped: "Not on your life. Literally!"
The Doctor added: "You see, I'm not going. I'm not leaving you here, although Lily, love, please run, for me." He added, and Lily snapped: "For Amy, no!"
Amy shouted in a mix of anger and fear: "I don't need you two to die for me. Do I look that clingy?"
"Yes!" Lily snapped, near hysterical with fear as she tried to tug on Amy's hand while the Doctor pleaded to the redhead: "You can move your hand."
"It's stone." Amy cried in exasperation and as the Doctor's flashlight flickered more and more frequently, he replied, equally exasperated: "It's not stone."
"You've got to go." Amy begged as the statues got closer. "Those people up there will die without you. If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them."
Lily suddenly piped up: "Amy Pond, you're my best friend, and I'm sorry."
The Doctor dared to glance away from the Angels to send her a bewildered look while Amy replied, trying to sound brave: "It's okay. I understand. You've got to leave me."
"No, I'm not leaving you." Lily retorted. "I'm just sorry about this."
And with that she bit the redhead's hand.
"Ow!" Amy cried, her hand jerking away and the Doctor crowed at Lily's triumph: "See? Not stone. Now run."
"Come on!" Lily shouted as she and the Doctor grabbed Amy.
"You bit me." Amy said in disbelief and Lily countered: "Yeah, and you're alive."
Amy showed the Doctor as he pushed her ahead with Lily: "Look, I've got a mark. Look at my hand."
Lily pulled the redhead, leading the way as the Doctor replied: "Yes, and you're alive. Did Lily mention?"
"Blimey, your teeth." Amy complained and Lily and the Doctor retorted as they all backed away from the Angels: "Yeah. Alive."
As they broke into a run through the tunnel, Lily added: "And you're welcome!"
As they made it into the final tunnel, they could hear one of the clerics saying tightly: "Sir, my torch keeps flickering."
"They all do." Octavian replied as River added: "So does the gravity globe."
Just as the trio made it to where the rest of the group was huddled under the Byzantium, Octavian said: "Clerics, we're down to four men. Expect incoming."
The Doctor called as he walked quickly through the group: "Yeah, it's the Angels. They're coming. And they're draining the power for themselves."
"Which means we won't be able to see them." Octavian pointed out and the Doctor corrected as he looked about: "Which means we can't stay here."
The torches and the gravity globe were flickering rapidly, indicating the Angels were coming faster. One cleric flinched as he stared down a passage, and Octavian called sharply: "Two more incoming."
"Any suggestions?" River asked the Doctor and Lily seriously, and the pair glanced at her, Lily puzzled and the Doctor thoughtful and desperate.
"The statues are advancing on all sides." Octavian reported. "We don't have the climbing equipment to reach the Byzantium."
River added, looking at the Doctor: "There's no way up, no way back, no way out. No pressure, but this is usually when you have a really good idea."
The Doctor had turned inside himself, glancing about frantically as he muttered: "There's always a way out."
Lily flinched as the lights went out again for a moment, coming back on to reveal more Angels approaching. The Doctor repeated as he began to peer about frantically: "There's always a way out."
Just then, Angel Bob called over the com: "Doctor? Can I speak to the Doctor, please?"
"Hello, Angels." The Doctor replied, sounding falsely cheerful. "What's your problem?"
The group all glanced around frantically, Lily and River exchanging desperate looks as Angel Bob replied: "Your power will not last much longer, and the Angels will be with you shortly. Sorry, sir."
"Why are you telling me this?" The Doctor asked and Lily glanced over as Angel Bob replied: "There's something the Angels are very keen you should know before the end."
"Which is?" The Doctor prompted, and Angel Bob replied flatly: "I died in fear."
The Doctor paused for a moment before asking: "I'm sorry?"
He glanced over at the others just as Lily's face fell and Angel Bob replied: "You told me my fear would keep me alive, but I died afraid, in pain and alone. You made me trust you, and when it mattered, you let me down."
The Doctor's face had darkened, becoming grim. Lily stepped closer, her brows furrowing worriedly. Amy whispered to River: "What are they doing?"
"They're trying to make him angry." River explained quietly as Lily reached the Doctor as Angel Bob added: "I'm sorry, sir. The Angels were very keen for you to know that."
Lily touched the Doctor's arm and he glanced at her. She was looking at him determinedly, and as their eyes met, the Doctor's shoulders straightened and he said into his com: "Well then, the Angels have made their second mistake because I'm not going to let that pass."
His eyes had filled with tears of sorrow and anger, and Lily slid her hand down his arm, wrapping his hand in hers tightly. The Doctor kept his eyes on hers as he continued in a stern voice: "I'm sorry you're dead, Bob, but I swear to whatever is left of you, they will be sorrier."
"But you're trapped, sir," Angel Bob pointed out and the Doctor glanced up, "and about to die."
Lily also looked up, trying to see what the Doctor was looking at as he snapped into the com: "Yeah. I'm trapped. And you know what?"
He suddenly looked around, saying triumphantly: "Speaking of traps, this trap has got a great big mistake in it. A great big, whopping mistake."
"What mistake, sir?" Angel Bob asked, but the Doctor ignored him as he looked down at Lily.
"Trust me?" He asked, and she nodded without missing a heartbeat.
"Always." Lily replied determinedly, and he grinned.
The Doctor turned to Amy, asking her as well: "Trust me?"
"Yeah." Amy replied instantly, and the Doctor turned to River.
"Trust me?" He asked and River nodded, saying as she looked at Lily: "Definitely."
"You lot, trust me?" The Doctor asked Octavian.
The man paused, but Marco called at that moment: "Sir, two more incoming."
Octavian straightened his shoulders as he replied: "We have faith, sir."
The Doctor snapped his fingers and then pointed at the man's belt, saying firmly: "Then give me your gun."
Octavian did so without hesitation, and the Doctor handed the com to Lily as he took the gun. The others watched apprehensively as the Doctor cocked it, saying firmly: "I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous. When I do," he mimed his order, "jump!"
Octavian glanced around, puzzled, as he asked: "Jump where?"
Lily meanwhile was staring at the ceiling and her mouth fell open. The Doctor meanwhile replied to Octavian sternly: "Just jump, high as you can. Come on, leap of faith, Bishop. On my signal."
"What signal?" Octavian asked apprehensively, and the Doctor replied promptly: "You won't miss it."
He pointed the loaded gun up at the ceiling and River's eyes lit up in understanding while Lily asked: "Will it work?"
"Yes." He replied firmly as he gripped Lily's hand tightly.
She nodded satisfied, just as Angel Bob called over the com again: "Sorry, can I ask again? You mentioned a mistake we made."
The Doctor was aiming carefully as Lily pressed the com, lifting it to the Doctor's mouth so he could reply: "Oh, big mistake. Huge. Didn't anyone ever tell you there's one thing you never put in a trap?"
He fine-tuned his aim, his grip tightening on both the gun and Lily's hand as he bit out sharply: "If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."
Lily's hand tightened on his as Angel Bob asked: "And what would that be, sir?"
Lily glanced at the Doctor, the others all doing the same. The Doctor didn't look away from his target as he replied darkly: "Me."
And with that, he fired one shot towards the Byzantium.
