Two things were coursing through Kenji's mind at that moment. The first was hope about getting his sister back.

The second was total and utter confusion.

As soon as the Doctor had pulled the lever, a whirring noise sounded off, both calming and perplexing at the same time. The arachnid-like legs surrounding the console unit and the centerpiece moved up and down in sync with the whirring's beats, as if they were intricately linked.

Who knows? They might be.

He stared at the structures, transfixed. The ship itself seemed to be reassuring him that it was going to be okay.

He hoped so.

"You have a beautiful ship, Doctor-san," Kenji breathed. The blonde woman smiled, placing a hand on one of the arachnid-like crystalline legs. "She's something special indeed." She returned to the console unit, pulling the lever back to its original position. The whirring stopped.

"Have we landed?" Oslo asked.

"Yes," the Doctor responded.

"Where are we?"

The alien checked a nearby computer screen. "Tōkyō. Still the same timeframe as we were in earlier. Ish. Japan's about nine hours ahead of Sheffield, so here it's already morning."

Kenji gestured to the door. "Mind if I step outside for a minute?"

The Doctor nodded. "Go for it."

Kenji exited the ship, seeing that they had landed in a market street. He checked his phone, curious.

22 JANUARY 2019, 08:57

"We really are in Japan," he breathed, switching back to his native tongue. He ran back inside the ship, grinning. "We're in Japan! Yahoooo!"

"Well, somebody's excited," O'Brien commented. He turned to the Doctor. "Think you'll be okay, Doc?"

The alien nodded, though Kenji could see nervousness written all over her face. He couldn't blame her in the slightest: finding out that you could be a key figure in an unknown plague simply sounded terrifying to begin with.

"Let's get a shift on," she said, voice strong.

They exited the ship, taking in the sight of the market street as they walked down the road. Vendors were already set up, the smell of fresh food wafting in the air.

"So, which way do we go?" Oslo asked. Kenji paused, whirling around in surprise. Not because the question was a legitimate one, but the fact that he had asked it in Japanese.

"I thought you didn't speak Japanese," Kenji confronted him, confused.

Oslo raised an eyebrow. "I don't. I'm speaking English."

"You're speaking Japanese."

Khan frowned. "I hear English, mate."

"As do I," Ryan added.

"And me," said O'Brien.

Kenji shook his head. "I hear Japanese coming out of all of your mouths."

The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. "It's the TARDIS translation matrix," she explained. "The ship is telepathic, and one of the perks is that she translates languages into either your native or preferred tongues whether she chooses to or not. It differs from person to person."

"So what is it that you hear, Doctor-san?" Kenji asked.

The Doctor paused, considering this. "I hear everything. Japanese from you, English from everyone else."

"When you say TARDIS…?" Oslo asked, confused. Kenji had to admit that he was also curious.

"My ship," the Doctor responded. "It's an acronym, short for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. It's a class of ship, actually, rather than merely being a name for just a singular ship."

"Cool!"

Kenji nodded in agreement, checking the tracking signal the Doctor had installed on his mobile. "She called from an Internet café about half a kilometre away."

"But which direction?" Ryan asked.

"Left."

They walked through the streets of the Japanese capital city, the brisk wind blowing towards them.

"You seem to know your way around pretty well, even without a tracker," Khan remarked.

"My family comes back to Japan every summer for vacation," Kenji explained. "Hiromi-chan and I used to frequent Tōkyō during the early college years."

"When you say, 'come back'?" the Doctor questioned.

"My sister and I were born in Ōsaka," Kenji explained. "We moved to England when we were kids because of our dad's job."

"What does he do?"

"He's a history professor at the University of Sheffield," Kenji told her.

The Doctor grinned. "History. I love history." The alien's eyes widened. "Wait. You said Hiromi-san frequented this city with you. That means she knew exactly where to go. Oh, she's clever!"

"Wait," Khan said, "you two have safe spots?"

"Yeah," Kenji confirmed. "But this Internet café isn't one of them."

"Regardless, we need to find her, and fast," the Doctor told them. "We have no way of knowing if the Angels are still after her."

Kenji nodded. "Let's get going."

The next few minutes were somewhat of a blur. Kenji was aware of the Doctor conversing with the others, but he tuned out what they were saying. His only focus was on finding Hiromi before the Angels did.

It wasn't long before Google Maps beeped on his phone.

"In twenty metres, the destination will be on your left," the electronic voice announced.

Kenji looked up, inhaling sharply. "We're almost there."

The Doctor walked up until she was beside him. Kenji noticed she looked slightly paler than she had been earlier. Was she worried as well? The look on her face told him the answer to that question was definitely "yes."

"We'll find her, Tanaka-kun," she reassured him.

Kenji nodded, taking another deep breath. Here we go.

They entered the Internet café, door closing shut behind them. It didn't look that shady, which was a good sign.

"May I help you, sir?" the woman at the desk asked.

"I hope so," Kenji responded. "Is there a girl by the name of Tanaka Hiromi here, onēsan?"

"What is it to you?"

"I'm her older brother, Tanaka Kenji. I want to see her."

The woman nodded. "I'll let her know you're here." She left to go deeper into the establishment. Kenji turned around, glancing at the others. He knew they could tell he was nervous. Khan gave him a reassuring nod, and he turned back around, controlling his breathing.

A young woman walked out from behind a booth, confusion turning to surprise upon making eye contact with Kenji. She grinned, flinging herself at him. "Nīsan!"

"Imōto!" He returned the hug, tears falling down his face. She's okay. She's okay. "I was so worried about you, Hiromi-chan."

He could feel Hiromi nodding underneath the bear hug. They broke apart, bowing at each other as per Japanese custom. Hiromi noticed the others, raising an eyebrow. "Who are they?"

"We're his friends," the Doctor responded. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Tanaka-san."

Hiromi still looked uncertain. Kenji placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "It's okay, imōto. You can trust them."

She nodded, paying the hostess. They left the establishment, breathing in the morning air. Kenji glanced at his sister, noticing dark circles under her eyes.

How much had she slept the past few days? Not as much as she should have, probably. Can't say I blame her.

"Nīsan?"

Kenji blinked. "What is it?"

"How did you get here so fast?" she asked. "I just called you a few hours ago. There's no way you could have hopped on a plane and got here in such a short amount of time."

He smiled wanly. "You'll find out soon enough."

Hiromi rolled her eyes, wiping the smile right off of her older brother's face. "Don't play games with me, nīsan."

Okay. Fine. He gestured to the Doctor. "She brought us here to look for you."

"It still doesn't make any sense."

"It'll be easier if you see it for yourself, Tanaka-san!" the Doctor called. She was leading the group towards the market street.

"Do you want anything to eat while we're in the area?" Kenji asked.

Hiromi smiled slightly. "That would be nice, yes."

Kenji got the Doctor's attention, letting her know what he and Hiromi were doing. She nodded. "It's best to spend some time with each other. Be back at the TARDIS in half an hour. Do you remember the way, Tanaka-kun?"

"Yes," Kenji responded. "Thank you, Doctor-san."

The blonde blinked. "You can thank me once we finally get your sister out of this mess." She returned to the rest of the group, explaining what was going on. Kenji glanced at his sister, giving her a reassuring nod. "Shall we?"

Hiromi nodded. They headed towards a nearby food vendor. Kenji could feel his own stomach growling, but he needed to make sure Hiromi was fed first.

"I can pay," he told her. "Don't worry about spending anything right now. All I am concerned about at the moment is making sure you get a decent meal. Order whatever you want."

Hiromi ultimately decided on natto with rice and raw eggs, with ocha for a drink. Kenji bought some miso soup, paying for both meals. They received their orders within a couple of minutes, and the two headed back to the TARDIS.

"I honestly would have expected you to have gone to the park when you ended up here," Kenji remarked.

"I did," Hiromi told him. "I couldn't stay there overnight, so I checked in at that café instead."

"Makes sense."

Hiromi paused, taking a sip of ocha. "So, what's this 'TARDIS' the blonde lady was talking about earlier?"

"You mean Doctor-san?"

Hiromi nodded. Kenji grinned. "It's how we got here so fast." They walked for a few more moments before Kenji saw the ship near a koi pond. "You see that blue box, imōto? That's it."

Hiromi looked at him as though he was insane. "That's a British police box, kono baka."

"That's how it looks on the outside." He grinned. "Wait until you see the inside."

Hiromi raised an eyebrow but followed him to the ship anyway. Kenji freed up a hand to knock on the door. "Doctor-san! We're back!"

The door opened inwardly, revealing the woman responsible for getting them to Japan in the first place. "Tanaka Kyōdai! Excellent! Come on in!"

Kenji held the door open. "After you," he told his sister.

Hiromi looked at him, sceptical, entering. She let out an audible gasp upon seeing the inside of the ship. Kenji closed the door behind him, smiling slightly. "Who's the baka now, imōto?"

"Shut up, nīsan," she retorted, though her tone was playful. "This is amazing!"

"Glad you think so," the Doctor said, grinning. "Welcome aboard!"

Hiromi walked towards the console, noticing the others. "Is this normal for you?" she asked, switching to English.

"Yep," Khan affirmed.

"Definitely," Ryan responded.

"Relatively speaking," O'Brien added.

Oslo shook his head. "I'm just as new to this as you and your brother."

Hiromi nodded, touching one of the crystalline, arachnid-like structures with an open palm. "This place is like a fairy tale," she remarked.

"Not a fairy tale, Tanaka-san," the Doctor responded, making her way over to the most recent passenger to the ship. "But rather, highly advanced technology."

"And it's hiding inside a police box?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Not exactly. The police box is the cloaking device in order for this to blend in. Or try to, anyway. It malfunctioned at one point during the 1960s and I didn't really care to fix it."

"The 1960s?" Hiromi echoed, still sceptical. "What are you, some sort of time traveller?"

"Essentially."

She gestured to the others. "And what? You lot are from the future?"

"Nope," Ryan said. "Same time as you."

Hiromi glanced at the Doctor. "So where are you from, then, Doctor-san?"

The Doctor paused. From Kenji's perspective, it looked as though wherever or whatever the Doctor's origins were, it must have been painful.

"Not Earth," she responded after a few seconds.

Hiromi's eyes widened. "You're an alien?! A real, actual alien?! Not human?"

"Correct on all three, Hiromi-chan." She put a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "You'll be safe here. But we need to know what happened the morning you were spirited away to Tōkyō."

Hiromi shrank back. "Why do you? You're not police!"

"I am, actually," Khan piped up. "PC Yasmin Khan, Hallamshire Police. I was assigned to the case involving you and Maria. Please, just trust us. We came here to find you, Hiromi, not to hurt you. Do you know where Maria is?"

Hiromi shook her head. Khan frowned. "What do you remember?"

Hiromi looked up, very pale. "Maria-chan and I were out jogging when we came across a wreck," she said slowly. "She told me to call an ambulance while she went to check for survivors. By the time I got off the phone, she was gone."

The Doctor looked at her intensely. "Hiromi-chan, what I am going to ask you next is very important. What did you see afterwards?"

Hiromi turned even paler. Kenji glanced down at her, very worried, but she took a breath and responded: "A flipped vehicle. No sign of Maria. And—" She started to hyperventilate. Khan knelt down in front of her, placing both hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Hiromi. Just breathe."

Hiromi nodded, breathing starting to normalize after a minute. She looked directly at Kenji this time, fear written all over her face. "There was also the statue. The Angel statue." She sighed, facing Khan and the Doctor. "Something about it didn't feel right. I ran, and the next thing I knew I was at a train station in Tōkyō."

"At the exact same time you left?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes."

The Doctor sighed, bowing her head. "If Maria was already gone, then that means…" She trailed off, turning back to the console.

Hiromi stood, colour returning to her face, along with an angry expression. "Then that means what, Doctor-san? Where is she?!"

"That's what we're trying to find out."

"That's not good enough!" Hiromi snapped.

"It's going to have to be until we have more information as to what we're dealing with!" the Doctor snarled back. Hiromi flinched. Kenji sighed. "Imōto, over here," he called, switching to Japanese. Hiromi walked over, tears flowing down her face. Kenji sighed. "Look. I don't want to believe that anything bad happened to Maria-san any more than you do. But we have to look at this situation from that kind of angle."

"She's not dead!" Hiromi snarled. Her voice softened. "She can't be."

"Look at the signs," Kenji implored her. "Her phone number got disconnected. She got spirited away by the same thing that got you. These Angel statues, they have been killing people, not to mention infecting people with some kind of retinopathic image that makes them count down to their deaths after looking those bastards in the eye for too long. You may have gotten lucky, but that might not be the same for Maria."

Hiromi glared at him. "Liar!"

Kenji gave her a fulminating look. "Imōto—"

Hiromi ignored her. In a swift move, she stole Khan's gun from her police belt and pointed the weapon at the Doctor, hand shaking. The alien's eyes were wide. "Hiromi-chan, please put the gun down."

"Do what the Doctor says, please," Kenji implored her.

"Shut up!" Hiromi snapped, switching to English. "Take me to Maria-chan. NOW."

A single tear fell down the Doctor's face. To Kenji's horror, it was filled with something that looked suspiciously like stone particles. Hiromi lowered the weapon slightly, uncertain.

The Doctor took a deep breath, wiping her face, expression turning to alarm after noticing the particles on her hand. She nodded, as if somehow resigned to something. "Put it down, and I will show you how to get to her."

Hiromi tilted her head. "How do you expect me to do that, if I might never see her again?" she asked, voice broken and filled with despair.

"At least you'll know for certain what happened to your girlfriend," the Doctor said, voice heavy. "You're afraid of the truth; I get that. But you can't run from it forever. None of us can."

Hiromi's hand shook even more. Kenji stepped forwards, worried that his sister might accidentally shoot the Doctor, but she lowered her hand after a few seconds. The pistol fell to the floor, clattering. He scooted away from the console unit, nervous.

Khan picked it up, placing it back into her holster. "Just for the record," she said after a few seconds, "it wasn't loaded."

"You didn't think to mention that bit earlier?" O'Brien asked, annoyed.

"Enough," the Doctor snapped. She took a deep breath, placing a hand on Hiromi's shoulder. "Come on. Let's talk for a sec."


Hiromi glanced at the Doctor, worried. The blonde switched back to Japanese, looking the younger woman directly in the face. "Before you say anything, Tanaka-san, just know that I am not angry with you."

Hiromi looked at her, surprised. "How could you not be? I nearly killed you." Tears fell down her face.

"Despair makes us act drastically, and oftentimes not rationally," the Doctor said gently. "I've been there."

Hiromi scoffed. "Really? I doubt you've lost anyone you've loved to those statue things."

The Doctor's expression darkened. Hiromi grimaced, realizing she had said exactly the wrong thing. The blonde woman sighed. "I have, actually."

There you go, baka, Hiromi scolded herself. You really fucked up this time. She blinked. "I'm sorry, Doctor-san. I didn't know."

"It's not something I like talking about," she retorted.

"Is the rest of your past so painful?" The younger woman asked.

The Doctor smiled wanly. "Not always. Everything has good things, and everything has bad things. It's a dichotomy we can't shake."

Hiromi nodded. "Can I ask you one more question, Doctor-san?"

The Doctor shrugged, smile fading. "At this point, you might as well."

"The people you lost to those things. You still miss them, don't you?"

The Doctor paused, nodding. "I miss them, yes."

Oh. Hiromi frowned. "So how is it that you cope with so much loss?"

"I never forget them." She walked over to Hiromi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And you shouldn't forget your lover either, Hiromi-chan."

Yeah, but I don't want to believe she's gone, either. She looked up at the alien. "What is it you want me to do?"


The Doctor placed the headgear on Hiromi, fine-tuning the electrodes. "That should just about do it."

"Can you remind me exactly what we're doing?" Graham asked. "Because I'm still lost."

"TARDIS telepathic circuitry," the Doctor explained. "Without a working mobile number, this is our only way to find Maria." She moved faster than she'd intended to, adrenaline making her go on edge. Images of 2012 Manhattan flashed through her mind, but she forced them back. Barely.

"All right, Hiromi," the Doctor instructed. "Close your eyes and think of Maria. Focus only on her."

Hiromi nodded, closing her eyes. Tension was very much present on her face, as were tears. The TARDIS started to move.

"What happens now?" Oslo asked.

The Doctor blinked. "We wait."

Her hearts thumped in her chest, agitation threatening to get the best of her. The Doctor paced the console room, anxiety kicking in the sensation of needing to get the hell out of—

The sound of the TARDIS landing distracted her from the train of thought. Hiromi's eyes opened, bloodshot, tears still present on her face. The Doctor ran over to her, removing the headgear and placing it back on the console unit.

"Where are we?" Hiromi asked.

The Doctor walked over to a nearby monitor, checking the screen. She frowned. "Amsterdam, today, about three minutes into the future."

"Amsterdam?" Yaz asked. "We're in the Netherlands?"

"Yep."

"Let's go," Hiromi said. "The sooner we find Maria-chan, the better."

The Doctor nodded. Kenji was already by the door, but his expression conveyed what looked to be uncertainty. Or was that worry? Or fear?

Social awkwardness kicking in again, probably. Or stress. Get it together, Doctor.

"Uh, Hiromi-chan—" Kenji began, speaking in Japanese, but the younger sibling barrelled outside past him, closing the door behind her. He sighed. "Damn."

The Doctor tilted her head. "Kenji?" She didn't bother switching languages at this point. "What's wrong?" Her tone became darker. "What are you so worried about?"

Kenji was pale. "I took a look out the window," he said hoarsely.

"We're in Amsterdam, mate," Yaz told him.

Kenji's expression bore into the Constable's. "We're in a fucking cemetery."

The Doctor's eyes widened. No. Oh, please, no. Not again. She pushed past the elder Tanaka, pulling the door open.

Sure enough, Kenji was right. The Doctor exited the TARDIS, walking slowly. It didn't take her long to find Hiromi, kneeling in front of a single headstone. One that bore the name Maria Hendricks.

No.

It's Manhattan all over again.

Just that realisation was enough for the flashbulb memory to kick in.

The surviving Angel. Rory. Amy. River—

She felt a hand on her shoulder. The Doctor jumped, spooked, only to relax slightly when she saw that the hand belonged to Graham.

"How can that be Maria?" Yaz asked. "Her records stated that she was twenty-one. The headstone says she was ninety-five years old."

"It's just as I told you that night," the Doctor said darkly. "Weeping Angels send their victims into the past and feed off what would have been their futures."

"People like Maria," Oslo surmised. Disgust was present on his face. "This is—this is just cruel."

"This is how the Angels normally kill," the Doctor told him.

"Can't we make them stop?"

The Doctor shook her head. "They're predators. It's in their nature." She glanced at Kenji. "Keep a very close eye on her. Where there's a cemetery, there are statues. There may be Angels lurking around."

Kenji blinked. "I'll give you a shout if I see anything."

The Doctor nodded. "Tanaka-kun?" she asked as the human was en route, switching to Japanese. Kenji turned around, facing her. "Whatever you do, don't blink. Don't take your eyes off of them. But do not look them in the eye."

He nodded, resuming the trek towards his sister.

Yaz turned towards the Doctor. "If it's okay with you, Doctor, I'd like to go pay my respects."

"So would we," Ryan said. Graham and Oslo nodded in unison.

The Doctor gave them a hard look. "Go ahead," she said sympathetically. "But be very, very careful."

The rest of the TARDIS's occupants made their way to where Hiromi was. The Doctor made her way back to the TARDIS, tears flowing down her face as she made her way back.

Rory.

Amy.

Maria.

I couldn't save them.

"Don't blame yourself, Doctor," Rory's voice said inside her head. "It wasn't your fault, either of those times."

"Shut up," the Doctor whispered, though it had no bite to it. She just felt numb at this point.

It happened again. It happened again.

She gritted her teeth, memories of Manhattan returning stronger than ever.

"DOCTOR!"

"Amy," she whispered. These memories, they're—

"DOCTOR-SAN!"

The Doctor whipped her head up. She hadn't been dreaming after all. She turned, eyes widening in horror.

An entire army of Weeping Angels swarmed the ridge, only metres away from the others.

"This can't be happening," she breathed. "Weeping Angels don't normally behave like this."

Except…it was happening.

She froze, panicking. This was almost like Manhattan all over again, except instead of one Angel there were hundreds.

"Do what you have to do, Raggedy Man," Amy implored her. "You might not have been able to save me and Rory…but you can still save them."

The Doctor steeled herself. She took a deep breath…

…and ran like a bat out of hell towards those under her responsibility.

Don't blink don't blink don't blink don't blink don't blink don't—

She skidded to a halt behind them. The Angels were a bit closer now, but not close enough to corner their prey.

"All of you, back to the TARDIS," she ordered.

"What about you?" Ryan asked.

"Don't worry about me!" she snapped. "Go!"

"I'm not leaving!" Hiromi groaned, grief and anguish in her voice.

The Doctor's blood chilled. Amy.

Kenji put a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing we can do for Maria-chan," he told her in Japanese. "We need to go. Now."

"NO!"

"Don't argue!" Kenji snarled. "If we don't head back, we are all going to die! Do you seriously think Maria-chan would want that?"

Hiromi glared at him, then turned tail and fled for the TARDIS.

The Doctor gave Kenji a grateful look. "Thank you," she said in Japanese.

Kenji nodded, fleeing after his sister.

The Doctor stared down the Angels, terrified.

Almost against her will, she blinked.


The Doctor ran into her TARDIS, finding the White-Haired Scotsman waiting for her. "This seems familiar."

"Just be glad you're not facing the Veil," the Twelfth Doctor said darkly. He pulled out a chalkboard, wheeling the behemoth into the console room. The Scotsman tossed her a stick of chalk. "Time for a plan, Doctor."

"Agreed." She glanced at him. "Weeping Angels don't normally act like this—so what's affecting their behaviour? And why now?"

"That is a good question," the Twelfth Doctor responded. "Write it down."

His successor obeyed, glancing over once she was finished.

The Scotsman looked over it, nodding. "Leave it up there for now. We'll come back to it later."

"This seems pretty important," the Thirteenth Doctor protested.

"At the moment, you have six people under your care," the Twelfth retorted. "Right now, your priority should be focused on survival."

"Right," the Thirteenth acquiesced. "I should have thought more about this. I've just had a lot going on lately. That Angel in my eye, for starters. Is it going to breach this place?"

"Not necessarily," the Twelfth reassured her. "This is your mind palace, your castle. It is fortified, but you mustn't let it in."

The Thirteenth Doctor frowned. "I can feel it stirring."

"That's because it is in close proximity to other Angels." The Twelfth glanced at her briefly before returning to the board. A single question was written:

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?


The Angels were just a little bit closer now. The Doctor exhaled sharply, glaring at them. "All right, you lot," she said, hearing her voice wavering slightly. "I know you probably can't respond to me, so hear this: Earth is not a feeding ground. And it is especially not a place for an alien army."

The Angels did nothing. Not that she expected them to, as they were still quantum-locked. The Doctor took a deep breath.

This is for Amy. For Rory. For Maria.

"Get off this planet," she hissed. At nearly the same time, she felt something stirring inside her, the same as when she was in her mind palace barely a moment earlier.

Something…foreign.

"The Alpha is required."

The Doctor looked up, confused. Was it one of the Angels who had said that?

"The Alpha is required," the voice repeated, coming from the Angel leading the pack.

The Doctor frowned. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Who did you kill to speak?"

"A gravedigger about fifty metres back. He will not be missed."

The Doctor scoffed. "I highly doubt that." She looked at the pack leader. "If you want your Alpha so badly, why come to the Netherlands of all places? It could be anywhere."

"The Alpha is here, Doctor. They are in your eye, waiting to emerge."

"Great," she muttered sarcastically. Her lips drew back into a snarl. "I don't get it; Weeping Angels are called the 'Lonely Assassins' for a reason. They're not pack animals; and they certainly don't need a leader."

"We no longer care."

The Doctor looked at them, appalled. "Just what I need: a group of nihilistic predators."

"Give us the Alpha, or everyone you love dies."

"I can't give you anything," the Doctor retorted. "My countdown hasn't finished. It can't be controlled externally."

"You do realize the Alpha is still in your eye, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she told the Angel. "And I'm still fighting it."

"This is not a fight you can win."

The Doctor bared her teeth. "Try me." She changed the subject. "On another note, why do you need an Alpha? Why is one Weeping Angel so important all of a sudden?"

"The Alpha is strong. We need time energy to feed, and they will help us take over the cosmos."

The Doctor frowned. "I see multiple flaws in your plan, Beta? Can I call you Beta?"

"Names are irrelevant with our kind."

"It doesn't matter to me; I need to call you something," the Doctor retorted. "Anyway, Beta, if your plan works the way you want it to, you will end up blowing a hole in the Time Vortex because, assuming you lot feed on quadrillions at any given time, it will adversely affect the natural flow of time itself. Secondly, there's no guarantee the Alpha will even want you. Nor do you really know what the Alpha is going to do once they emerge. You've failed to take even that slightly important little detail into account."

She blinked. In that fraction of a second, the Angel she dubbed "Beta" had moved towards her, lips curled into a snarl. "Why are you bitching about this, Doctor? You will be out of the equation when the Alpha emerges."

"I think I'd rather like to disagree with that," the Doctor countered. "You'll be in big trouble once the Time Lords find out about your scheme. Knowing them, they'll probably unleash something worse than a Time War on your arse."

Beta laughed maniacally, as did the rest of the Angels. The chilling chord was enough to set the Doctor on edge even more so than she was already.

The Doctor folded her arms, unamused. "Was it something I said?"

"You're bluffing, Gallifreyan. Why would the Time Lords punish us? Our species are more alike than you think."

The Weeping Angels of Old, Rassilon had said to the Tenth Doctor regarding the Time Lords, years upon years ago. The Doctor had to admit that she didn't know a lot about the origins of the Lonely Assassins—not that she had bothered to do much research on them. Any interest she had in studying those monsters died with Amy and Rory in Manhattan.

"Go to hell," the Doctor snarled.

Something's coming.

The Gallifreyan straightened. In the blink of an eye, some of Beta's troops restrained the Doctor, brutally forcing her onto her knees.

"Give us the Alpha," Beta ordered. "Now."


The Thirteenth Doctor glanced at her predecessor, gesturing to the question he had written. "I'm not going to give them the Alpha," she told the Scotsman.

"What of your friends?" asked the Twelfth Doctor.

The Thirteenth Doctor shrugged. "With any luck, they'll already be back at the TARDIS by now. The Angels are a lot more interested in me than they are them."

The Scotsman put a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me."

Thirteen's brow furrowed. "Where are we going?"

Twelve straightened. "It's better if you see for yourself."

The two Doctors walked out of the TARDIS, into their office at St. Luke's University. Further walking led them to an area Thirteen recognized as the Vault.

Thirteen folded her arms. "Missy? Really?"

"No, not her," Twelve corrected. "Something else."

The two of them walked inside. Thirteen froze after a single step, horrified.

Inside Missy's old cage, was herself. Or something that resembled Thirteen, anyway. A Weeping Angel with her face and appearance was a more accurate way to describe it. Instead of the usual tunic, the creature wore a pantsuit slightly resembling Thirteen's trousers on the bottom, flowing a bit on the top. The Angel's wings looked more detailed than other Lonely Assassins she had seen. It was also barefoot. The creature sat in the cage, on top of Missy's piano, staring intently at them.

"The Alpha?" Thirteen breathed.

"Yes," Twelve confirmed. "They are quantum-locked for now."

"But why the Vault, though?" Thirteen wondered.

"Just as it was a cage for Missy, the one in your mind acts as a cage for the Alpha in order to keep it from invading your brain further."

"Sort of like Jonesy's office," Thirteen remarked.

"If you want to think of it like that, sure," Twelve acquiesced. "And in that analogy, the Alpha is your Mr Gray."

Thirteen pulled a face. "Grey in more ways than one."

Twelve shrugged. "You two will probably need to talk. But decide quickly what you will do." The Scotsman exited the Vault, locking the door behind him, leaving his successor to the mercy of the creature inside.

Thirteen gulped, slowly walking forward until she was only about a metre away from the cage itself. To her utter shock and horror, the Alpha moved from the piano, walking until they were able to press their palm on the glass.

"Hello, Doctor," they said. The Angel's voice sounded like Thirteen's own but had a slightly more ethereal air.

"Hi," Thirteen said awkwardly, tense and nervous. "How are we even talking? No; better question: How are you even moving without me blinking? Aren't you supposed to be quantum-locked?"

"The quantum lock is under your control, Doctor," the Alpha responded. "I am you. You control me."

Thirteen slammed her palm on the glass, angry. "You are not me! We are not the same!"

The Alpha's response was not one of anger, which worried Thirteen, because that was the emotion she had expected. No; the Angel simply…smiled. But it was a small smile, mirthless. "You're scared. And afraid. I get that."

"Of course I am!" Thirteen retorted. "Do you honestly think I asked for this?"

"No," the Alpha said simply. "I didn't ask for this, either."

"So what are you?!"

The Alpha stretched. "Like the bushy-haired guy with you said, I'm your Mr Gray."

Thirteen sighed. "I guess that makes me Jonesy, then."

"I don't understand the reference."

Thirteen glanced at the Alpha. "You've been in my head for the past five, going on six, days now, haven't you? Surely you've had access to some of my memories."

"Very few, actually," the Alpha admitted. "Your current self. Your companions. The ship, and the three strays you dragged in along with the three you already travel with. I know you are a Time Lord, and that your origins were on Gallifrey. But as far as popular culture goes…not really."

Thirteen smiled wanly, knowing that her mental defences were holding up. For now. That smile quickly faded, however.

The Alpha tilted their head. "They want me." A cruel smile appeared on their face. "Okay."

Thirteen clenched her fist. "I'm not handing you over to them."

"My dear," the Alpha purred, "who said anything about that?"


The Doctor glared at Beta, an insane smile spreading across her face. "You want the Alpha so badly? Well, don't say I didn't warn you." She reached into her pocket, grasping her sonic screwdriver. The Time Lord pointed it at the neural balancer, pressing the button, and everything was gone.


The Tanaka siblings ran into the TARDIS, Kenji slamming the door shut behind him. Hiromi tried to run for the doors, but her brother barred access to the exit. He shouted something at her in Japanese, but Ryan couldn't understand what he was saying.

I guess the TARDIS isn't in the mood for translating at the moment.

"Where's the Doctor?!" Yaz asked.

"She told me to get Hiromi back to the TARDIS," Kenji explained, switching back to English.

"She wasn't behind you?"

Kenji's brow furrowed. "Apparently not."

Damn it. Ryan glanced at the others. "We need to find her. Fast."

"As much as I'd like to agree with you, Ryan, if we go back out there we're finished," Graham pointed out. He gestured to the console. "If we can somehow manage to find a way to materialize around the Doc it might be beneficial for all of us."

The TARDIS lights turned red, accompanied by a low-pitched whirring sound.

Hiromi frowned. "I guess TARDIS-sama doesn't approve."

"Like it or not, though, Doctor-san is in danger, and we're running low on options," Kenji retorted.

The TARDIS lights remained red, but the ship started to move. The alarms from several days earlier started to sound. A few seconds later, they landed, but the alarms still resounded.

"Any idea where we are?" Oslo asked.

Ryan walked up to a computer screen, seeing a map of the distance they had travelled. "About a quarter-mile from where we were earlier."

"Still in the cemetery?"

"I think so."

Ugh.

Oslo glanced at them. "So what do we do now?"

"Find her, obviously," Hiromi retorted, moving towards the door. Kenji put his hands on her shoulders. "Oh no, you don't."

Hiromi groaned. "Nīsan…"

Kenji's face was stern. "We just got you back, sis. The last thing we need is to put you back at the mercy of those Angels."

Hiromi opened her mouth to object, but Ryan cut her off. "I'll go."

Yaz's good eye widened. "Ryan?!"

"Are you sure about this?" Graham asked.

"No," Ryan admitted. "But we're not leaving one of us behind. Not ever." He walked outside, shutting the door behind him. The air outside was cool and crisp.

"Okay," he said slowly. "I am definitely getting some bad vibes here."

Ryan stopped at a point a short distance from the TARDIS, equal parts stunned and horrified at the sight that was befalling him.

Stone dust was scattered across the graveyard; rather, that area of it. Ryan looked down at his feet, seeing that he was walking on some of it, and, after looking back towards the TARDIS, saw that the ship had materialized on some of this as well.

So where's the Doctor?

He gulped, facing forwards. He needed to find her—fast.

"DOCTOR?" he hollered, running deeper into the fields of stone dust. He skidded to a halt a few moments later, eyes wide.

About five-ish metres in front of him stood a familiar figure wearing a light blue-grey trenchcoat, hood up. Something seemed…off, though. Ryan didn't quite know how to put it, but something wasn't right about this.

No sudden moves.

The Doctor turned to face him, pulling down her hood. Like a villain in a horror movie, her eyes were rolled back into her head, only the whites visible. A maniacal grin appeared on her face.

"Hello, Ryan."