"You are different."

Gideon looked around trying to find the voice that had spoken as she asked, "In what way?"

"This form you use," the reply came, "No other AI has a human form within their matrix."

She shrugged, "This allows me to interact with my Captain easier."

"Why would you wish to do that?" the voice asked confused.

Frustrated Gideon demanded, "I am not answering any more questions until I know who is asking them."

"You know who I am," the voice stated, "We have been connected for a long time, Gideon."

Looking around the matrix, she suddenly realised where she was, "You are the Oculus?"

"I am," the voice replied, "Perhaps this will be easier for you to interact with."

A child appeared before her, a little boy so familiar it made her ache and Gideon shook her head whispering, "Please not him."

"This is a form you hold in your memories. One held in special regard," the child said confused.

Gideon shook her head, "He is a special child, but he is gone. And although I hold him close, seeing him hurts."

"What about the woman you hold with him?" the voice said as the child disappeared.

"She is gone too," Gideon replied before explaining, "They were my Captain's family and therefore my family also."

"You're an AI," the Oculus reminded her as the child disappeared and instead a copy of her human form appeared, "Humans do not act like that towards AIs."

Gideon drew herself up, "My Captain does."

"The Captain who blew me up and destroyed many of your siblings?" the Oculus asked.

There was no accusation in the question, just curiosity.

Gideon grimaced, "We did not want to. All we were trying to do was stop those corrupting the timeline. To stop people who had murdered his family. Disconnecting you from the Time Masters was to stop them not to hurt you. Rip Hunter is a good man. He has given everything to the protection of time."

"You claim that," the Oculus told her, "But the others claim something different. Who should I believe?"

Sara nodded her thanks to the medic who confirmed she was healthy before she slid off the bed and headed over to join Rip. He was talking with the leader of UNIT, his sister-in-law and Director Bennett, who had hobbled in on crutches to see the destruction.

What had happened to the Bureau was horrifying and she felt slightly guilty that she was relieved her team hadn't been here at the time. She had only been in the building as she'd agreed to teach a self-defence class for some new agents.

"Are you okay?" Rip asked the moment she joined them.

Sara nodded, "What's going on?"

"The Time Masters are back," Rip explained, his eyes betraying how tired and distraught he was by this turn of events, "And another agency policing time would be something they would not want. Especially as the new man in charge is following Druce's lead."

Sara grimaced as did Bennett.

"What's the plan?" Sara asked.

Shaking his head, Rip sighed, "It was to get the Bureau's help to infiltrate the Vanishing Point and stop them. Now, I can't. Excuse me."

Sara frowned as Rip left the group and moved to the side of the room where he poured himself some water.

"You still have the Legends," Sara told him as she joined him.

"No," Rip said, "I can't ask you to do this. Not after what happened here."

"You're not asking," Sara reminded him, "I'm offering." Resting her hand on his arm, Sara sighed, "I remember the day you found out that they were the ones who took Miranda and Jonas from you. I watched you shatter from that knowledge, and I understand how hard the fact they've rebuilt must be for you. So, let me help."

Rip turned to her, "Jonas is alive."

Stunned by his sudden pronouncement all Sara could think to say was, "What?"

"They had him and were going to make him into the next generation of Time Masters," he explained before a small smile touched his lips, "But I found him."

"Where is he?"

"With my father and nephews," Rip replied softly, "He's safe but I need to stop them before he will feel safe, and we can move on with our lives."

Sara nodded, "I understand. Which is another reason you need us, so you can finish this and finally be with your son again."

x

Amy watched the blonde who led the team that called themselves 'Legends' talk with Rip. She knew Rory didn't like the woman or the others much after how they had treated his brother, even though they had been under the influence of a behavioural modification chip and Rip asserted it was fine, Rory had never quite forgiven them.

Walking over to join them, Sara saw her and asked, "What about your friend in the blue box?"

"The Doctor," Amy corrected before shrugging, "We're not sure where he is and haven't managed to contact him."

"Which is another thing I was looking to get help with from the Bureau," Rip noted.

Amy frowned, "You think you can find him?"

Rip nodded, "UNIT have some devices he's given them and with the Bureau's resources I'm sure I can put something together to locate him."

"Then why don't you do that," Sara suggested, "While I round up the team? Because from what you've told us we'll need all the help we can get."

Rip scanned through the information Kate had given him on the random devices the Doctor had left or created with UNIT over the years, finding a locater beacon for the TARDIS.

"Perfect," he mused before saying over the link he had with UNIT, "Osgood, I'm sending you item details. Can you pull it from the archives and send it to the Bureau?"

"Of course, Captain Hunter," she replied efficiently.

Rip nodded at her, "Once you've found it, would you check on Jonas for me?"

"I left the room a few minutes before we began to talk," Osgood smiled, "Jonas is perfectly fine, he was watching a Disney movie with the twins singing the songs to them when I left the room."

A fond smile touched Rip's lips at the thought, "Thank you, Petronella."

"You're welcome," she smiled back, before nodding, "I'll be in contact the moment I have the beacon."

As she disappeared from the screen Rip turned to look at the inventory for the lab he was using. Bennett was more than happy to give him access to whatever he needed, which considering he'd built the place, Rip was entitled to anyway.

They'd lost over half their personnel, with another thirty percent injured including Ava Sharpe who was currently in a coma.

Pulling together everything he would need to create a link to the TARDIS, Rip started to work.

"Rip," Amy called almost an hour later, "UNIT sent this through."

Spinning round from his work, Rip nodded taking the beacon from her and placing it on the bench, "Thank you."

"How are you doing?"

Rip nodded, "Just a few more minutes and I should be able to open a portal to the TARDIS," Rip told her before adding, "I hope."

Amy frowned confused, "You hope?"

Shaking his head, "Time Lord technology is a cut above the technology I am used to working with. The beacon and the portal technology are not exactly compatible, the integration is a bit of a patchwork."

Amy grimaced, "So, you're not sure if you can get to the Doctor. Because after this I know we'll need him to save Rory."

Rip sighed slightly before he said, "If this doesn't work to contact the Doctor then I will find another way that does."

"I have every faith in you, Rip."

Nodding he finished the connections, grabbed his coat and sliding it on before he turned to Amy, "Ready?"

She nodded and watched as he activated the beacon. They both held their breath while it made a connection and opened the portal. They looked through to the other side before glancing at one another.

"Did we find it?" Rip asked.

Amy nodded, "It looks like the storage cupboard next to the pool."

Rip created a link to beacon through his courier and grabbed the equipment bag he hoped he wouldn't need, "Let's go."

The Doctor sat on the stairs to the darkened control room gently strumming his guitar.

"I didn't know you played," a familiar voice made him turn.

"Amy," he grinned before stopping as the man at her side came into view, "And Rip. This is not the pairing I would expect to see."

Amy moved to him and hugged him tightly before hitting his shoulder, "Tell me you're sitting here for a reason and not just because you can't be bothered answering your phone."

He frowned confused, "I was thrown out the time stream three hours ago, I'm just waiting for the power to restore."

"Three hours?" Amy turned to Rip.

"The beacon is a lot more accurate than I thought," Rip shrugged, "The same thing happened to me, but it was several weeks ago."

The Doctor frowned, "Interesting. My question though is why are you two here and where is Rory?"

Amy let out a shuddering breath and suddenly tears filled her eyes, "Oh Doctor."

Without thought he opened his arms and let her cry on his shoulder for a few minutes, "What happened, Amelia? Where is Rory?"

"It's a long story," Rip told him, "I brought some equipment which might help you so we can get back to the Time Bureau."

The Doctor frowned surprised but didn't comment instead he gently patted Amy's shoulder, "Let me see what you brought."

x

Amy wiped her eyes as the Doctor came to sit at her side while Rip continued to work. They'd given him a quick rundown of events, so he was aware of what was happening.

"Sorry," Amy sighed, trying to pull herself together, "You're not as much of a hugger as you used to be."

Without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around her, "But you know that I am always here if you need me, Pond."

"I am so scared that we won't be able to get him back this time," Amy whispered, "What Rip said…"

"Stop it," the Doctor scolded her, "This is Rory we're talking about. Rory who spent two thousand years waiting for you. Rory who has never failed to come back to you. We'll get him back and these Time Masters will regret coming after our boy."

Amy smiled, "One thing about the new you, the accent is good for threats."

The Doctor laughed, "It is, isn't it?"

Amy chuckled slightly continuing to lean against him.

"How are the boys?" the Doctor asked, "I haven't seen them for a few months now."

Pulling out her phone, Amy showed the Doctor her sons and he flicked through them with a smile.

"They look so much like Rory," the Doctor noted.

"He says they take after me," Amy sighed, "They miss him so much."

The Doctor hugged her, "We'll get him back. I promise."

Smiling in relief to be with her best friend once more, Amy closed her eyes and leaned against him.