Chapter 17

They ran out of the dining hall, but their way into the rest of the monastery was blocked by a river of acid.

"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!" the Doctor told them.

They ran the other direction until they came to the washroom.

"Rory," Amy said, looking around.

There was a hole in the wall to the outside. It looked like someone had punched through it.

"Of course, Jennifer's a Ganger too," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, you said they wouldn't be violent," Amy reminded him.

"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 said.

"Do you? Doctor?" Amy asked.

"You're no weatherman. Why are you really here?"

The Doctor looked at Amy and held her gaze.

Elise knew why they were here. Because something was wrong with Amy.

"I have to talk to them. I can fix this," he told them and ran up the stairs.

Amy, Jimmy, and Elise followed after him.

"Wait. What's going on? Where's the real Jennifer?" Jimmy asked.

They came to a corridor and a pipe burst in the Doctor's face.

Amy pulled him back.

"It is too dangerous out here with acid leaks," the Doctor said.

"We have to find Rory," Amy told him.

"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."

"What about me?" Elise asked.

"You're going to stay with Amy."

"And what about Rory?" Amy asked.

"Well, it would be safer to look for Rory and Jennifer with the TARDIS."

The Doctor kissed Elise on the head before disappearing into the darkness.

Jimmy walked over to a box on the wall and said, "Here we go. Distress flares." When he closed the box, the Doctor was standing there.

"Exit?" he asked.

"Keep going straight. Can't miss it. But you're never going to get your vehicle in here."

"I'm a great parker."

Elise rolled her eyes.

"Not a word, Ellie." He disappeared into the darkness once again.

"We really need those acid suits. I've sent Buzzer and Dicken to get them," Jimmy said.

"Fine and dandy. Elise and I…we're just going to find my husband, so cheers," Amy told him.

"Amy, I wouldn't."

Amy turned away from him. "Nor would I. What can you do, eh?"

"At least wait for an acid suit!"

Amy and Elise continued down the corridor.

Elise had a feeling they were going to get in trouble for this.

"You're quiet," Amy said as they walked through the monastery.

Elise kept her mouth shut, opting to give Amy the silent treatment.

"Elise?" Amy stopped walking and knelt in front of her. "Okay, tell me what's going on. We're not moving until you do."

"What would be the point?"

"Of what?"

"Talking. Nobody is listening to me anyway."

"Elise, that's not tr…"

"Yes it is!"

Amy jumped. She'd never heard Elise speak with such anger before.

"You and dad keep giving me signals to be quiet! Well I don't want to be!"

"Then don't."

"Wait…what?"

Amy sighed and put her hands on Elise's arms, looking into her blue eyes. "You should always speak your mind. No matter what anyone says. Your father and I…I'm sorry. We shouldn't have done that. You've spent so many years not speaking. You shouldn't have to silence yourself. From now on, you should feel free to say what you're thinking."

Elise gave Amy a small smile. "Thank you, Auntie Amy."

Amy hugged the young Timelord and stood up. "Besides, us girls have to stick together." She took Elise's hand as they continued their search.

They came to a door.

"Rory. Rory?" Amy called. She opened door, before gasping and shutting it again.

"Amy! Elise!" Rory's voice said from behind them.

The two spun around and found Rory standing there.

"You're okay. What happened?" Amy asked. She started to approach him when Jennifer came out from behind him.

"She needs protecting," Rory said.

Buzzer and Dicken joined them.

"Jen?" Buzzer asked.

"No, it's a Ganger. Rory, listen…" Amy said.

"Look, you listen! Nobody touches her!" Rory yelled.

They took the Ganger Jennifer to the dining hall to ask her questions.

"Where's Jen? What have you done with her?" Buzzer asked.

"I haven't seen her, I swear. But look, I'm her. I'm just like her. I'm real," Jen said.

"You're a copy. You're just pretending to be like her," Jimmy told her.

"Rory, we don't really know anything about them yet," Amy said.

"Well, I know that she's afraid and she needs our help," Rory argued.

"Rory's right," Elise said.

"Thank you Elise."

"Jimmy, Buzzer. Come on, you guys. We've worked together for two years," Jennifer said.

"I worked with Jennifer Lucas, not you," Buzzer told her.

"Okay, let's not do anything at all…" Amy started.

The Doctor's voice joined her. "Until the Doctor gets here. Hello." The Doctor entered the dining hall with the Gangers who now looked completely human.

"This is…" Jimmy said.

"You're telling me," his Ganger said.

"All right, Doctor, you've brought us together. Now what?" Ganger Cleaves 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, causing Elise to roll her eyes.

The Doctor, with his new shoes, explained what was going on to them.

"The Flesh was never merely moss. These are not copies. The storm has hardwired them. They are becoming people."

"Like Frankenstein," Elise said.

The Doctor gave her a small smile and a nod.

"With souls?" Jimmy asked.

"Rubbish!" Dicken said before sneezing again.

"Bless you. We were all jelly once. Little jelly eggs sitting in goop," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, thanks. Too much information," Amy told 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?"

"You're lucky the TARDIS can't talk anymore," Elise muttered.

Amy let out a small chuckle. She could get to like this more outspoken Elise.

"Can I make it home for Adam's birthday?" Jimmy asked.

"What about me? He's my son too," his Ganger said.

"You? You really think that?"

"I feel it."

"Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?"

"Yeah. I drank about eight pints of tea, then they told me I had a wee boy and I just burst out laughing. 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," the Doctor said, "But as you might say up North, oh well, I'll just go to't foot of stairs. Eee by by gum."

He looked at Elise with a smile on his face. She was shaking her head.

"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," Amy said, looking at Rory and Jennifer who were holding hands.

Elise didn't understand why Amy was so jealous of her. Rory loved her more than anything in the universe.

"I'll go and look for them," Jimmy said.

"I'll give you a hand, if you like. Cover more ground," his Ganger suggested.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks."

The Doctor smiled seeing them work together.

"This circus has gone on long enough," the human Cleaves said, coming up behind the group.

"Oh, great. You see, that is just so typically me," her Ganger muttered.

"Doctor, tell it to shut up!"

"Cleaves, no. No, no," the Doctor said, unable to understand why she was doing this.

"Circuit probe. Fires about ooo, 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."

"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 asked her.

"Sorry. They're monsters. Mistakes. They have to be destroyed."

"They're not monsters! They're people!" Elise argued.

"Give me the probe, Cleaves," the Doctor begged.

"We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda. Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on," her Ganger taunted.

Ganger Buzzer rushed towards her and Cleaves zapped him.

The Doctor rushed to his side and felt his neck. "Argh! Dead!"

"We call it decommissioned," Cleaves said. She pointed the probe at Ganger Jennifer who cowered in fear.

Elise stepped in front of her. At least if she died, she'd regenerate. The same couldn't be said for the Gangers.

"You stopped his heart. He had a heart! Aorta, valves, a real human heart! And you stopped it!" the Doctor yelled.

"Jen?" Rory asked, approaching her. Her eyes had gone Ganger.

"What happened to Buzzer will happen to all of us if we trust you."

"Wait, wait, just wait," the Doctor begged.

"No!" Rory yelled. He tackled Cleaves and disconnected the power from the probe as the Gangers fled.

Cleaves stood up, panting.

"Look at what you have done, Cleaves!" the Doctor growled.

"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."

Elise grabbed her head as those same words echoed in her head. She saw Gallifrey burning. She could still hear the screaming of her people and the electronic voices that haunted her nightmares.

"Elise!" The Doctor rushed over to her. He gathered her in his arms as he tried to calm her. It'd been a while since she'd experienced one of these attacks, but he guessed the talk of war had set her off. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm here. You're safe," he cooed, "You're safe."

She clutched onto his shoulders.

He could feel her hearts racing. "It's okay." The Doctor set his temple on hers and started to hum.

Elise smiled when she heard the familiar tune. It was the same song he used to calm her down after the Byzantium.

Rainbow Connection.

Elise was now calm, but she wouldn't let of the Doctor's hand.

"The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery," he said to himself before he raised his voice, "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," the Doctor muttered, "You've killed one of them. They're coming back, in a big way."

They packed up what they need and headed off for the chapel.

"Jennifer!" Rory called out as they walked.

"What about the flares?" Jimmy asked.

"We'll worry about the flares when we're locked inside," the Doctor told him. He opened the door. "Rory, Pond, Elise."

A scream echoed through the monastery.

"Rory, come on," Amy said.

"Jen's out there. She's out there and she's on her own."

"Well, if she's got any sense, then she's hiding," the Doctor told him, "Rory!"

"I can't leave her out there!"

"Rory!"

"I know you understand that."

"Get in here. Get in here!" Amy snapped.

Rory ran down a side corridor as they Gangers approached them.

"Amy…" the Doctor said.

"Rory!" she yelled.

The Doctor grabbed Amy and Elise and dragged them into the chapel before they could go running off after him. "Amy, they are not after him, they're after us," the Doctor told her.

There was a crashing sound. It came from the other side of the chapel.

"Why? Why?" a voice asked.

"Show yourself. Show yourself!" the Doctor demanded as the others barricaded the door.

"Doctor, pass me the barrel," Cleaves said.

"We need something heavy. Anything you can find," Dicken added.

Jimmy started laughing. "This is insane. We're fighting ourselves."

"Yes. Yes, it's insane, and it's about to get even more insanerer. Is that a word? Show yourself, right now!" the Doctor yelled.

Amy ran to his side. "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."

Then they heard the Doctor's voice, only it wasn't coming out of the Doctor. "Correct in every respect, Pond. 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." Out of the shadows walked a Ganger Doctor.