Chapter 26. The Rebel Flesh
A/N- Do me the biggest favor ever! lets write the next chapter together! comment and tell me things you want to see happen in the second part of this adventure, The Almost People. I REALLY want to hear your ideas!
Also, I still don't own Doctor Who :(
Also, Also Yowza! :)
"He's not so bad," the Doctor finally answered after the Ed Sheeran song ended. I put my phone away and grinned happily as I awaited his answer. "Fine we can go to his concert, I wouldn't particularly die listening to him for two hours."
"Yes!" I shouted jumping into his arms and squeezing him tightly, "thank you Rude Boy," I said sweetly and he gave me a smile that made his ears wiggle.
"Anything for you," he said stroking my hair, "you know that don't you?"
"I do," I said and then closed my eyes as my head began to throb, "it's been awhile since I've felt this pain." I laid back on the bed and he watched over me, giving me a reassuring smile.
"See you later Mrs?" He asks and I quickly nodded just as my body shook. Warm hands immediately wrapped themselves around me and I relaxed as the throbbing slowly eased. I turned to see Eleven fast asleep, he didn't even noticed I'd just popped next to him. I reached up and it gently pushed his soft brown hair away from his face. He barely stirred and I grinned at the sight of his peaceful sleeping face.
"Don't just stand there Wren, pass me the screwdriver!" He mumbled animatedly in his sleep and I held back my giggling.
"You're just something special aren't you Rude Boy?" I whispered as I snuggled closer to him.
"Geronimo," he mumbled and I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
I quickly showered and got dressed when I woke up. I put my sonic gun in my right boot and threw my hair in a bun. I went into the kitchen and fixed myself a huge sandwich and a nice cup of hot tea. After enjoying my meal I headed to the control room to find Amy and Rory playing darts. A game I would never understand. I walked up to the Doctor to see he was still trying to figure out if Amy was pregnant.
"Do you want me to just tell you?" I asked making him jump a little in surprise.
"For Gods sake Wren, I told you not to excite me like that," he said clearing the screen and pretending he wasn't scared.
"You mean scare you," I corrected and he rolled his before pecking my lips.
"Did you have a sandwich?" He asks licking his lips and I scrunch my face in a frown.
"That-" I trailed off watching him turn the music off, "that is actually the most disgusting thing you've ever done."
"Who wants fish and chips?" The Doctor asks loudly and Rory quickly raises his hand.
"Oh hey Wren," Rory says giving me a smile and I skipped over, giving him a big hug.
"Hello Rory the Roman, I missed you," I said and Amy cleared her throat making me laugh. "Of course I missed you too, group hug!" I squealed and she joined Rory and I's hug.
"Did you just eat a sandwich?" She asks pulling away.
"What, do I have sandwich breath or something?" I complained and they laugh at me which made me pout even more.
"Alright, I'm going to drop you three off. Take your time, don't rush," the Doctor says running around the console.
"Er, and you?" Rory asks.
"Things to do, things involving other things," he lamely explains.
"Well we'll stay with you, we'll do the other things," Amy says as we all walk up to the console.
"I was going to be doing other things with him anyways," I said leaving no argument. If he thought he was going to just drop me off he had another thing coming.
"Nope," he says simply and Amy eyes him suspiciously.
"Whatever you're up to, I'd personally like to be a part of it," she tells him and he slowly backs away, concern writing all over his face, "What?" She asks noticing the way he was looking at her. Just as he's about to speak, a loud horn blares and the Tardis shakes, knocking us around. I grab onto the railing and wrap my legs around it holding on for dear life.
"Solar tsunami, came directly from your sun. A tidal wave of radiation. Big, big, big," the Doctor yells over the horn.
"Oh Doctor, my tummy's going funny," Rory said and I second it. I was really about to be sick, this felt like the worst roller coaster, ever.
"Well the gyrator disconnected, target tracking is out," he says, "assume the position!" He yells and I remain put. Amy and Rory put their heads between their knees and before we know it, everything goes still. I looked up to see a smile on the Doctors face. "Textbook landing," he said.
"Your textbook or the one from the test you failed?" I asked unscrambling my limbs from the railing. My legs felt like jelly but I quickly regained function.
"Ha, ha, ha," he said sarcastically at my joke before running to the door and opening it. "Behold, a cockerel! Love a cockerel," he said, "and underneath, a monastery a thirteenth century," he finished as we all stepped out of the Tardis.
"Oh, we've gone all mediaeval," Amy said.
"I'm not sure about that," Rory said.
"Really? Mediaeval expert are you?"
"No, it's just that I can hear Dusty Springfield," he says and we go quiet til we're able to hear one of her songs playing.
"Love this one," I said slowing dancing with an invisible partner which Amy laughed at.
"Where'd you learn those moves," she asked just a bit impressed.
"I had an amazing teacher."
"Well," the Doctor said smirking thinking he was receiving a compliment.
"Thank goodness for Captain Jack huh Rude Boy?" I joked and he looked dejected and embarrassed for a second. He finally rolled his eyes and bent down checking out a hole in the ground that had a pipe running through it.
"These fissures are new. Solar tsunami sent out a huge wave of gamma particles. This is caused by a magnetic quake that occurs just before the wave hits," the Doctor says as he pulled a snow globe out of his pocket.
"Well, the monastery's standing," Any points out. He starts shaking the snow globe and giving it a very serious look before putting it away.
"Yeah, for now," he said.
"Doctor look," Rory said bending down and gesturing to the pipe in the hole.
"Yeah, It's a supply pipe," he says scanning it with the screwdriver," ceramic inner lining, something corrosive. They're pumping something nasty off this island to the mainland," he said standing up and putting the sonic away.
"My mum's a massive fan of Dusty Springfield," Rory says looking around.
"Who isn't?" The Doctor says before running off, "right, let's go satisfy our rabid curiosity." We all followed him thorough the old castle like building.
"So where are these Dusty Springfield loving monks, then?" Amy asks as the Doctor scams around us.
"I think we're here, this is it," he answers still walking.
"Doctor, what are you talking about? We've never been here before," Rory says.
"Hmm?"
"We came here by accident?" Amy questions and the Doctor turns to face her.
"Accident?" He says before realizing who he was talking to, "yes I know, accident."
"Ow!" Rory says holding his hand after he touched pipes on the side of the building.
"Acid, they're pumping acid off this island. That's old stuff. Fresh acid, you wouldn't have a finger," he says tossing and catching his screwdriver as Amy consoles Rory.
"Intruder alert, Intruder alert," a voice echoes aloud.
"There are people coming, well almost," the Doctor says.
"Almost coming?" Amy questions.
"Almost people," I said and the Doctor frowns.
"You just can never pass up the opportunity to take the words out of my mouth can you?" he complains grabbing my hand and running off.
"You love it," I said and he pouted, "stop pouting you look like a three year old," I mocked channeling my inner Nine and he smiled. He let my hand go as we entered a roomful of machinery and five people suspended on the wall.
"What are all these harnesses for?" Amy asks.
"The almost people?" Rory questions.
"What are they, prisoners, or are they meditating, or what?"
"Well, at the moment they fall into the or what category," the Doctor answers.
"Halt and remain calm," the voice over the loud speaker says.
"Well we've halted, how are we all doing on the calm front?"
"Don't move!" Shouted a mans voice, who I already knew was Jimmy. Three people who were identical to some of the people who are harnessed on the wall.
"Stay back Jen, we don't know who they are," Buzzer, the other man tells the girl.
"So let's ask them," she said, "who the hell are you?"
"Well I'm the Doctor, and this is Wren, Amy and Rory. It's all very nice, isn't it?" He says goofy look on his face.
"Hold up," Amy interrupts, "you're all. What are you all? Like identical twins?" She questions as two more people walk in wearing acid suits. The woman I remembered as Cleaves who was in charge and the guy was Dicken.
"This is an Alpha Grade industrial facility. Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetson, you are in big trouble," she said.
"Actually, you're in big trouble," the Doctor said pulling out and flashing his psychic paper.
"Meteorological Department? Since when?"
"Since you were hit by a solar wave."
"Which we survived."
"Just by the look of it, and there's a bigger one on the way," he tells her.
"Which we'll also survive, Dicken scan for bugs," she orders.
"Backs against the wall now," Buzzer says and we with out objection, obey.
"You're not a monastery, you're a factory. Twenty second century army-owned factory," the Doctor figures out.
"You're army?" Amy asks surprised.
"No love, we're contractors and you're trespassers," Cleaves said.
"It's clear boss," Dicken tells her.
"All right weatherman, your ID checks out. If there's another solar storm, what are you going to do about it? Hand out sunblock?" She says and the Doctor briefly laughs before giving her a serious look.
"I need to see your critical systems."
"Which one?"
"You know which one," I tell her and she eyes me with a raised eyebrow before turning and leaving. We follow along as they take us to another room filled with more machinery and a big round bowl like thing filled with bubbling milky liquid. There's also a bed shaped one connected to it.
"And there you are," the Doctor says in amazement as he closely examined the liquid.
"Meet the government's worst kept secret, the Flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level," Cleaves explains.
"Right. Brilliant. Lost," Amy says and Cleaves looks at her in disbelief.
"Okay. Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything. Replicate a living organism down to the hairs on its chinny chin chin. Even clothes and everything's identical. Eyes, voice-"
"Mind, soul," The Doctor interrupts.
"Don't be fooled Doctor, It acts like life but it still needs to be controlled by us from those harnesses you saw." I saw the look on the Doctors face like he knew something we didn't. I figured it had something to do with Amy actual being one of them.
"Wait, whoa. Hold it. So you're Flesh now?" Rory asks.
"I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber. We all are except Jennifer here, don't be scared. This thing, just like operating a forklift truck," she tell us.
"You said it could grow, only living things grow," the Doctor said.
"Moss grows, It's no more than that. This acid is so dangerous we were losing a worker every week. So now we mine the acid using these doppelgangers, or Gangers. If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid-"
"Then who the hell cares, right Jen?" Buzzer asks and we all look towards her as she flinches a bit.
"Nerve endings automatically cut off like airbags being discharged. We wake up and get a new Ganger," Jen explains.
"It's weird but you get used to it," Jimmy adds.
"Jennifer I want you in your Ganger, get back to the harness," Cleaves orders and with one more look she leaves. The Doctor then begins to scan the Flesh.
"Hang on, what's he up to? What you up to pal?" Buzzer asks as the Doctor struggles to pull his arm back.
"Stop it," he says grabbing his arm and finally pulling it back, "strange, It was like for a moment there it was scanning me."
"Doctor," Cleaves calls as he hovers his hand over the Flesh again, "get back Doctor, leave it alone." His hand touches the Flesh and for a moment looks stick before he finally yanks it back.
"I understand," he says a little out of breath and as though he's figured out something incredible.
"Doctor? Are you all right?" Amy asks.
"Incredible. You have no idea. No idea. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it, and it to me."
"Don't fiddle with the money Doctor," Cleaves says nonchalantly.
"How can you be so blinkered? It's alive. So alive. You're piling your lives, your personalities directly into it," he says trying to make them understand. Just as he pulls out the snow globe again, it begins to thunder and the ground shakes a bit. Light flashes in the room causing me to cover my eyes for a moment.
"It's the solar storm. The first waves come in pairs, pre-shock and fore-shock. It's close," the Doctor says walking away from the Flesh.
"Buzzer, we got anything from the mainland yet?" Cleaves asks.
"No, the comms are still too jammed with radiation," he informs her.
"Okay then, we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop. Now why don't you stand back and let us impress you?" She says to the Doctor whom looks displeased. The smaller tank that was shaped like a bathtub started filling with Flesh. Soon enough a face appears in it and a few moments later a new Jennifer sits up making us jump.
"Well, I can see why you keep it in a church, miracle of life," the Doctor says rubbing his hands about.
"No need to get poncey, It's just gunge," Buzzer said.
"Guys, we need to get to work," Cleaves tells her workers.
"Okay, everybody, let's crack on," Jimmy says helping Jen out of the tub.
"Did I mention the solar storm? You need to get out of here," the Doctor tells them.
"Where do you want us to go? We're on a tiny island."
"Well, I can get you all off it."
"Don't be ridiculous, we've got a job to do," Cleaves said.
"It's coming," the Doctor says holding his snow globe again as an alarm blares.
"That's the alarm," Jen said worriedly.
"How do you get power?" He asks.
"We're solar, we use a solar router. The weathervane?" Cleaves answers.
"Big problem."
"Boss, maybe if the storm's back we should get underground. The factory's seen better days and the acid pipes might not withstand another hit," Jimmy suggests.
"We have two hundred tons of acid to pump out. We fall behind, we stay another rotation. Anyone want that?" She asks and the Doctor forcefully grabs her arm and yanks her away from the others.
"Please, you are making a massive mistake here. You're right at the crossroads of it. Don't turn the wrong way. If you don't, if you don't prepare for this storm, you are all in terrible danger. Understand?" He tells her in his low intimidating voice.
"My factory, my rules," she snapped back, pulling her arm back and walking away from him.
"I need to check the progress of the storm, monitoring station? He asks with a snap of his fingers.
"Three lefts, a right and a left, third door on your left," Jen answers as everyone else silently looks on.
"Thank you," he says giving her a thumbs up and leaving with me, Amy and Rory following closely behind. We run down the halls until we find the monitoring station, the storm is becoming louder with each passing second. "Waves disturbing the Earth's magnetic field, there is going to be the mother and father of all power surges," he says checking the screens, "see this weathervane, the cock-a-doodle-do? It's a solar router feeding the whole factory with solar power. When that wave hits, ka-boom. I've to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose," he says and then a playful smile creeps up on his face as he happily says. "I never thought I'd have to say that again," followed by, "Amy, breathe."
"Yeah I mean, thanks. I'll try," she says as he runs out of the room.
"Probably better not to follow," I tell them, "let's get back to the others." They nod in agreement and we run back to the room with the Flesh only to find it empty.
"Where'd they go?" Amy asks and before I can respond there's a loud crash, lightening and then everything goes black.
When I wake up my head is pounding with pain that was just behind my eyes. I was able to just barely turn my head to see both Amy and Rory on either side of me.
"Oh, for want of a better word, ow!" He says and we all scrambled to get off the floor. Once we manage, Amy finds a light and we go in search of the others, whom we find in the harness room. We rush over as Buzzer is being helped down.
"I feel like I been toasted," he says as he's supported by Jimmy and Dicken.
"What the hell happened?" Jimmy asks.
"The tsunami happened, you hurt?" Amy asks.
"It feels like the National Grid's run through my bones but apart from that-" Jimmy says trailing off.
"I hope the meter's not bust, I still want to get paid," Buzzer said. Jennifer can be heard crying and I leave it up to Rory to check on her. I notice Amy with a not so happy look on her face as she watched the two of them hug.
"Hey," I whispered getting her attention, "you know how our roman nurse is," I said and she laughed it off with a fake smile.
"Of course," she responded just as the Doctor and Cleaves run into the room. He runs straight up to me and quickly looks me over.
"I'm fine," I reassured him squeezing his arms.
"Doctor, these are all real people, so where are their Gangers?" Amy asks.
"Don't worry, when the link shuts down the Gangers return to pure Flesh. Now, the storm's left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. They can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time," Cleaves quickly says but everyone grows silent as Dusty Springfield's song starts up again.
"That's my record, who's playing my record?" Jimmy asks.
"Your Gangers, they've gone walkabout," the Doctor answers.
"No it's impossible, they're not active. Cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves and Gangers don't-" she trailed off as the music got louder. Without another word we headed towards the music until we entered an empty room that had been ransacked.
"No way," Buzzer said looking around.
"I don't, I don't believe this," Cleaves says in disbelief.
"They could've escaped through the service door at the back," Jimmy suggested.
"This is just like the Isle of Sheppey," Buzzer said.
"It would seem the storm has animated your Gangers," the Doctor said.
"They've ransacked everything," Cleaves says.
"Not ransacked, searched."
"Through our stuff!"
"Their stuff," I offered.
"Searching for what?" Jimmy asks.
"Confirmation, they need to know their memories are real," the Doctor said.
"Oh, so they've got flaming memories now," Buzzer says offended.
"They feel compelled to connect to their lives."
"Their stolen lives," Cleaves corrects him.
"No bequeathed, you gave them this. You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, memories, secrets, everything. You gave them your lives, human lives are amazing," he explains to them.
"Are you surprised they walked off with them?" I added and everyone silently looked at me for a moment trying to comprehend.
"I'll say it again, Isle of Sheppey. Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator right there in his harness. I've seen the photos. This bloke's ear was all hanging-"
"Even if this has actually happened, they can't remain stable without us plumbed in to them, can they boss?" Jimmy asks cutting Buzzer off.
"Guess we'll find out," Cleaves says unsure herself. Jen then starts to breath like she's in pain.
"Are you okay? Do you need some water?" Rory asks trying to be helpful.
"I feel funny, I need the washroom," she said walking away.
"I'll come with you," he says following her out. Dicken them sneezes making Amy and I jump.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"Oh! Okay," she says a bit in her feelings, most likely upset with Rory. I watch on as the Doctor examines the card tower on the table.
"That's me It's good to have a hobby," Buzzer says before realizing something, "so what, my Ganger did that all on its own?" He asks.
"Who taught you to do this?" I asked him.
"My granddad."
"Well, your Ganger's granddad taught him to do it too. You both have the same childhood memories, just as clear, just as real," the Doctor explain though he shakes his head in denial.
"No," Buzzer says knocking the cards down.
"Scared, disorientated, struggling to come to terms with an entire life in their heads," the Doctor continues. As everyone tries to get a grip on what's happening the Doctor walks over and pops a meal into the microwave.
"We need to protect ourselves," Jimmy finally says.
"Are you a violent man Jimmy?" The Doctor asked.
"No."
"Then why would the other Jimmy be?"
"Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this Doctor," Cleaves asks walking over to him.
"You told me we were out cold for a few minutes, Cleaves, when in fact it was an hour," the Doctor deduces.
"Sorry, I just assumed-"
"Well, it's not your fault, like I said they're disoriented," he says cutting her off, "Amy, Wren, when you got to the alcoves, who was in harness?"
"Jimmy and Dicken were helping Buzzer out," Amy answers.
"Jennifer?" He asks as the microwave dings. He uses a napkin to pick it up and hisses as it burns him.
"She was standing on her own when we got to her," I told him just as he hands the meal to Cleaves who doesn't seem to notice how hot it is.
"It's hot," he informs her and she hisses as she drops the plate on the ground. "Trans-matter's still a little rubbery, nerve endings not quite fused properly," he said examining her hand.
"What are you talking about?" She asks pulling it back.
"It's okay," he told her reassuringly and she looked at him surprised as she realized she is a Ganger.
"Why didn't I feel that?" She asks.
"You will, you'll stabilize."
"No, stop it. You're playing stupid games, stop it!" She yells upset not wanting to face the truth. She turns away from us still looking at her hand.
"You don't have to hide. Please, trust me. I'm the Doctor." She finally turns around with a Ganger face. Buzzer grabs a knife ready to charge but Jimmy holds him back.
"Where's the real Cleaves you thing? What have you done with her?" Buzzer demands.
"That's it, good you remember," the doctor said gently touching her face, "this is early Flesh, the early stages of the technology. So much to learn."
"Doctor, what's happened to her?" Amy asks.
"She can't stabilize, she's shifting between half-formed and full-formed, for now at least."
"We are living," she says before screaming and running out of the room.
"Let her go," the Doctor suggested.
"Doctor, Rory," I said.
"Rory?" He says confused.
"Rory!" Amy shouts gesturing around the room.
"Oh, Rory. Rory! Always with the Rory!" He says pointing at her and then running out of the room. Jimmy, Amy and I follow after him until we reach broken drums with acid spilling all over the floor.
"Explosion must've ruptured the acid feeds, we're going to need the acid suits," Jimmy said.
"No, no, no. We haven't got time. Back, back, back!" He says pulling us back the same way we had came. We headed to the bathroom where Rory and Jen had originally went.
"Rory," Amy calls as we're met with a hole punched in the wall and a broken mirror.
"Of course, Jennifer's a Ganger too," the Doctor said.
"Doctor, you said they wouldn't be violent," Amy says worriedly.
"But I did say they were scared and angry."
"And early technology, is what you said. You seem to know something about the Flesh," Jimmy suggests.
"Do you? Doctor?" Amy asked, "do you Wren?" She asks me and I innocently shrug while the Doctor just stares at Amy.
"You're no weatherman," Jimmy deduces, "why are you really here?"
"I have to talk to them, I can fix this," he says quickly running out of the bathroom and we follow behind.
"Wait, what's going on? Where's the real Jennifer?" The Doctor doesn't answer just keeps running along until a pipe bursts right in front of us.
"It is too dangerous out here with acid leaks," he said a bit frustrated.
"We have to find Rory," Amy said.
"Yes. I'm going back to the Tardis, wait for me in the dining hall. I want us to keep together, okay. No more wandering off," he says patting my head and walking away.
"And what about Rory?"
"Well, it would be safer to look for Rory and Jennifer with the Tardis," he adds before disappearing down the hall.
"Here we go, distress flares," Jimmy says opening a cabinet and taking out a box only to be surprised by the Doctor popping up again.
"Exit?" He asked and I smiled.
"Keep going straight can't miss it, but you're never going to get your vehicle in here."
"I'm a great parker," he says winking at me and then leaving again. I watch Amy slip around the bursted pipe and I quickly follow suit.
"We really need those acid suits, I've sent Buzzer and Dicken to get them," Jimmy says turning around with a surprised expression to see us on the other side.
"Fine and dandy. I'm just going to find my husband so cheers," Amy says pulling me along.
"Amy, Wren, I wouldn't."
"Nor would we but what can you do, eh?" I said.
"At least wait for an acid suit," he yells after us but we continue down the hall.
"I appreciate you helping me," Amy says wrapping her arm tightly around mine.
"Always, I love you guys you're literally two of my favorite people ever," I said with a smile and she laughed.
"What are his other companions like?" She asked and I hesitated for a moment.
"In my opinion," I began, "anyone that travels with the Doctor is brave amongst most things. Adventurous, loyal, independent, smart, a bit sassy, huge sense of humor and most importantly has a good and honest heart. So take with that what you will and come to your own conclusion," I told her.
"You're perfect for him," she says and I stop walking.
"No ones perfect Amy."
"No, but you're pretty damn close. You're everything you just described and more, you get to be with the Doctor all the time even though it's in different orders. You even regenerated before, who knows you could probably do it again. Then you could really be with him forever," she said excitedly.
"I hope so," I whispered after a moment of silence, "thanks for that," I said hugging her and pulling away.
"Now, should we check out that creepy door behind us?" She suggest.
"Yea, if it doesn't make you scared you're not doing it right," I joked as she opened the door slowly. Suddenly my heart beat picks up and an unusual pain makes its way into my head. I take a step back from Amy as I try to understand what's happening.
"They don't love you," a familiar voice sounded in my head and I gasped in surprise. "They never wanted you," it taunted just like when I was little.
"Stop," I whispered, "stop," I whined.
"They gave you away without a second thought because they wished you were never born!" It yelled and echoed through my head causing me to grab it.
"Stop saying that!" I yelled at no one in particular.
"Wren," Amy said worriedly as she removed my hands to make me look at her, "what's wrong?" My eyes filled up with tears as I stared back at her unsure of what I had just experienced.
"I thought I heard-" I trailed off not wanting to say the words aloud. It sounded like governess' at the orphanage I'd grown up in. I know I heard their familiar voices taunting me like they did everyday of my life until I was eighteen. "I'm not going mad," I told her and she squeezed my shoulders.
"Well if you are then so am I because I keep seeing-"
"Amy! Wren!" Rory's voice called and we both turned to see him standing a bit away from us.
"You're okay," Amy says relieved, "what happened?" Just then Jen's Ganger peeks out from behind Rory's back holding on tightly to his arm.
"She needs protecting," he said just as Buzzer and Dicken come up from behind.
"Jen?" Buzzer calls.
"No it's a Ganger, Rory listen," Amy tries to explain.
"Look, you listen. Nobody touches her!" He warns before giving her a reassuringly look. We decide to head back to the dining hall and wait for the Doctor. Jen is seated on one side of the table with Rory while everyone else stands on the other side. I decide to sit on the counter over by the microwave to have some space to myself to think about what had just happened to me.
"Where's Jen? What have you done with her?" Buzzer interrogates Ganger Jen.
"I haven't seen her I swear, but look, I'm her. I'm just like her, I'm real," she tries to convince them.
"You're a copy," Jimmy says as none of them are convinced, "you're just pretending to be like her." Amy pulls Rory away a little to talk to him privately.
"Rory, we don't really know anything about them yet and-"
"Well I know that she's afraid and she needs our help," he says cutting her off and discussing the conversation as he turns back to Jen.
"Jimmy, Buzzer. Come on you guys. We've worked together for two years," Ganger Jen tries again.
"I worked with Jennifer Lucas, not you," Buzzer said.
"Okay, let's not do anything at all-" Amy started.
"Until the Doctor gets here," the Doctor and Amy finish together.
"Hello," he greets as he enters with all the other Gangers. Both sides stare at each other like they can't believe their eyes.
"This is-" Jimmy trailed off in shock.
"You're telling me," his Ganger said.
"All right Doctor, you've brought us together. Now what?" Cleaves Ganger asked.
"Before we do anything I have one very important question. Has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow? Size ten. Although I should warn you, I have very wide feet," the Doctor said without any exchanged words he acquires some new boots and we get down to business. "The Flesh was never merely moss, these are not copies. The storm has hardwired them, they are becoming people," he explains.
"With souls?" Jimmy asks.
"Rubbish!" Dicken says before sneezing again.
"Bless you," the Doctor said, "we were all jelly once, little jelly eggs sitting in goop."
"Yeah thanks, too much information," Amy informs him.
"We are not talking about an accident that needs to be mopped up. We are talking about sacred life, do you understand? Good. Now, the Tardis is trapped in an acid pool. Once I can reach her, I can get you all off this island, humans and Gangers, eh? How does that sound?"
"Can I make it home for Adam's birthday?" Jimmy asked happily.
"What about me? He's my son too," his Ganger said.
"You? You really think that?"
"Feel it."
"Oh, so you were there when he was born were you?" Jimmy said offended.
"Yeah," his Ganger answered as a far away look crossed his features. "I drank about eight pints of tea, then they told me I had a wee boy and I just burst out laughing," he said chuckling a bit, "no idea why. I miss home, as much as you."
"Look, I'm not going to lie to you, It's a right old mess, this. But as you might say up North, oh well, I'll just go to't foot of stairs. Eee by by gum," the Doctor says with a laugh before realizing no one else is laughing. "Or not. Good. Right. First step is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe. Then, get everyone out of here."
"But we're still missing Jennifer and Cleaves," I tell him.
"I'll go and look for them," Jimmy offers wanting to quickly leave the room.
"I'll give you a hand if you like, cover more ground," his Ganger said and there was a brief pause.
"Yeah okay, thanks."
"This circus has gone on long enough!" Cleaves says jumping out from behind us.
"Oh great. You see, that is just so typically me," her Ganger sarcastically jokes.
"Doctor, tell it to shut up!"
"Cleaves no, no, no," the Doctor says becoming upset as his plan was about to work.
"Circuit probe," she says holding out a weapon that was buzzing, "fires about oh, forty thousand volts? Would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on Gangers just the same."
"It's interesting you refer to them as it, but you call a glorified cattle prod a she," he notices.
"When the real people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you Doctor."
"What are you going to do to them?" Amy asks.
"Sorry. They're monsters, mistakes. They have to be destroyed." The same feeling from earlier instantly came over me and without hesitation, I reached into my boot and pulled out my sonic gun aiming it right at her.
"Now you reveal who's side you're truly on," she said glaring at me.
"Doctor, one shot and she's stunned and we can all go home alive and well," I tell him.
"Not like this Wren, put it away," he tells me.
"No one has to die," I tell him still holding my position.
"Serenity!" He yelled loosing his patience for a moment only to quickly regain it, "you cannot change the future."
"I can," I defended.
"You can't."
"I can and I did!" I yelled at him, "remember Guinea? I saved his life and nothing happened, all is well with the Universe."
"This is bigger than a pig and you know it," he whispered to me, "put it down Wren." I tried to guess what would go wrong in the Universe if all these people could just live today. Then I remembered it was out of my hands and there was nothing I could do. Amy's hand wrapped around my hand that had the gun and she slowly it and back into my boot. Once it was secure I snapped out of the feeling that had lead me to pull my gun anyway. Something weird was happening to me, I'll tell the Doctor when this is over.
"I'm not responsible for whatever happens next," I tell her and she nods pulling me away from the others.
"Now, give me the probe Cleaves, the Doctor insists.
"We always have to take charge don't we Miranda. Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on," Ganger Cleaves says just as Ganger Buzzer tries to rush her. Cleaves zaps him in the chest three times and he falls back to the ground. The Doctor And Amy rush over to check on him.
"He's dead!" The Doctor yells.
"We call it decommissioned," Cleaves says still holding out the prong.
"You stopped his heart. He had a heart. Aorta, valves, a real human heart, and you stopped it."
"Jen?" Rory calls calmly as she and the other Gangers back away to the door.
"What happened to Buzzer will happen to all of us if we trust you," she said.
"Wait, wait, just wait," the Doctor says trying to regain control.
"No!" Rory yells and tackles Cleaves to the ground and disconnects the power from the probe. The Gangers take that opportunity to run away.
"You idiot!" Cleaves shouts at him as the get up from the ground.
"Look at what you have done, Cleaves," the Doctor said disappointed.
"If it's war, then it's war. You don't get it Doctor. How can you? It's us and them now, us and them."
"Us and them," Dicken agrees.
"Us and them," Jimmy sighs and I roll my eyes.
"You're all complete idiots," I said meeting Cleaves eyes, "I should have shot you when I had the chance." I gasped as words I would have never said left my lips and the Doctor looked at me confused.
"Are you alright?" He asks.
"Yeah, sorry, I didn't- I didn't mean that I just got angry," I said walking away from them. I don't know what came over me for the third time, but this was really scary.
"The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery," the Doctor asks but no one answers, "Cleaves, the most fortified and defendable room in the monastery."
"The chapel."
"Thank you."
"Only one way in, stone walls two feet thick."
"You've crossed one hell of a line Cleaves, you've killed one of them. They're coming back in a big way," he mumbled more to himself then anyone else.
"Hey Rude Boy, I'm really sorry about earlier with the gun," I told him and he just looked at me as though he were searching for something, "something weird is happening to me."
"Later I promise," he said taking my hands in his and lightly kissing them, I nod in agreement. "Alright let's go," he orders and we run out of the room and down the hall until we reach our destination.
"What about the flares?" Jimmy asked.
"We'll worry about the flares when we're locked inside. Rory, Wren, Pond," the Doctor calls for us to enter the room. I head in and look over to exactly where I knew he was going to be. The Doctor drags Amy in and over next to me. "Amy, they are not after him, they're after us," he tries to explain.
"Why? Why?" A voice pleads in the dark but I know the Doctor recognized his own voice.
"Show yourself, show yourself!" The Doctor demanded. I followed him slowly into the shadows but I still couldn't see him.
"This is insane, we're fighting ourselves," Jimmy said as they barricaded the door.
"Yes, yes it's insane, and it's about to get even more insanerer. Is that a word? Show yourself, right now!" The Doctor demands again and Amy runs over to us.
"Doctor, we are trapped in here and Rory's out there with them. Hello? We can't get to the Tardis and we can't even leave the island," she tells him.
"Correct in every respect Pond," came the Doctors voice from the shadows and everyone looks completely surprised and shocked as the Doctors Ganger steps out, "It's frightening, unexpected, frankly a total, utter splattering mess on the carpet, but I am certain, one hundred percent certain, that we can work this out. Trust me, I'm the Doctor," he finishes with a smile as he straightens his bow tie.
"Yowza," I said with a smile, "I quite like that word, definitely going to use it all the time now."
"Wren can we focus on one thing at a time please and thank you," Amy said never taking her eyes off the Doctor Ganger.
"Right," I said looking at him again but I still couldn't help but smile, "yowza," I whispered in delight.