Episode: Silence in the Catacombs
Chapter: That Which Holds the Image of an Angel [3/6]
Summary: Amy Pond wanted a peaceful outing, just for once. Doctor River Song wanted a lift from her partner in crime. Father Octavian wanted an army to defeat one of the most terrifying monsters in the galaxy. The Master wanted everything to start making sense again. Or the one where legends and statues come to life and the past and the future conspire against Amy and the Master.
Rating: T
Wait in the TARDIS until I tell you it's safe, the Time Lord says.
So, Amy goes to the TARDIS, changes her skirt and low-heeled boots for shorts and trainers, and goes back out again five minutes later. The last time she left her Raggedy Doctor alone, he almost had his hand blown off and was about to destroy a ship with himself still inside.
Amy is not leaving him alone again, even though he's surrounded by people this time. River said to stay with him, and Amy intends to do that no matter what. Besides, the angel thing that has them so worried is in the ship, and there are trained troops setting camp all around. She couldn't be safer.
"Miss! Excuse me, Miss, but is it true you are traveling with the Time Lord?" one of the soldiers asks, approaching Amy with two others, and she straightens self-importantly.
"Yes, it is. Who's asking?"
"Cleric Angelo, Miss. And these are Clerics Bob and Christian."
"Well, nice to meet you, boys. I'm Amy Pond."
"It's an honor, Miss Pond," Christian answers this time, shaking her extended hand, and Amy can't help but smile, satisfied at all the respect she's getting from these soldiers. "Is it true what they are saying, Miss Pond? Is he an actual Time Lord?"
"Is he the Doctor?" Bob asks in a voice barely louder than a whisper, looking around as if afraid the Raggedy Man is going to appear out of nowhere.
"Yes, to both. But don't call him that, call him Time Lord. He's very peculiar about names," she advises, and the three of them nod, wide-eyed in awe and hope. "That good, isn't it?"
"Oh, Miss Pond, how can you not know? All that he has done, all that he is… You travel with him, surely you must know better than any of us the kind of man he is," Angelo answers, still awed but also humbled, as if he truly believes Amy knows but just asks to be polite.
And while that is true, Amy still doesn't know. The Atraxi ran away from the Doctor once they knew who he was. Liz Ten knew him, all of the royal family did. The Daleks feared him, as much as the Doctor feared them.
She knows what she has seen, but she doesn't know what the rest of the universe sees when they look at her Raggedy Man, her silly Doctor with his twisted sense of humor and all his cracks and scars, who still manages to care and smile even when he wants nothing more than to run away and let the world burn, chasing his freedom.
"He has toppled empires with a single word, destroyed universes with the press of a button, rewound time with a smile. Whole races vanished overnight whenever the Doctor appeared, worlds pocketed away like marbles…" Christian whispers, and though there's still awe in his expression, it is also filled with disbelief and mute horror in equal measure.
"The Time Lords could create stars in a second, and destroy them just as fast. They could lock whole systems away and watch them destroy themselves in their attempts to escape. The Guardians of Time, always watching but never interfering, and you were grateful, even when things would go awfully wrong. Because, if the Time Lords interfered, you would wish for death," Angelo adds with the same mystifying tone, and Amy swallows, eyes wide.
"But the Doctor is not like them. The Doctor cares, the stories say, but under the smiling facade there's a darkness that can swallow planets in the blink of an eye. He defeated the Devil itself—"
"Bob, you know that story doesn't go like that," Christian interrupts with a huff, and Amy almost startles as the somber tone is cut with that sentence. "He didn't defeat the Devil, he sent it back to Hell."
"But how can you know that? There are no records of what, exactly, happened there. He could have very well defeated the Beast, or trapped it at the beginning of time," Bob protests, and Amy frowns and turns to Angelo.
"What are they talking about?"
"Almost a millennium ago, the Torchwood Archive discovered a planet orbiting a black hole. They sent a ship to study it and extract resources, but the planet lost its orbit and fell into the black hole. Only three people managed to escape, and they said that the Devil itself had been shackled inside the planet, which was its prison. Since the beginning of time, the Beast had been there, influencing the universe, until the day the planet was swallowed by the black hole. They said a man suddenly appeared in their base, and he went down into the planet to expose the Beast. With the Devil revealed, he then gave hope to the crew, who fought past the monsters the Beast summoned, boarding their rocket and flying away while the mysterious man stayed behind as the planet fell into the black hole. Only, the Devil was aboard, but the Doctor dragged it out and pulled the rocket out of the black hole's gravity field. He returned them a missing crewmate and vanished, leaving only the reassurance that the Beast was gone. Some stories say the Doctor was a woman, or that there was a woman with him, but all agree that it was the Doctor who went down to battle the Beast and somehow managed not only to defeat it, but to bring everyone to safety after despite the lack of spaceship," Angelo explains, and Amy's eyes are wide open once more in surprise.
"But how did he do that? And what was that Beast, was it the actual Devil?"
"There isn't enough information about that, Miss Pond, since the Doctor faced the Beast alone, but the reports say he had gone in completely unarmed, though some mention a gun with a single bullet in it. However, the Doctor never carries guns, so that last one may be wrong. Still, the Doctor appeared after the Beast started killing the crew, and all stories always say that you should never anger the Doctor."
"The last time anyone did, the Doctor destroyed the whole planet," Christian adds, once more back in the conversation, and Amy scrunches her nose because, no matter how much he threatens to do so, she's pretty sure her Raggedy Doctor wouldn't actually destroy a whole planet. "In a sense," he finally admits, sheepish, before going serious once more. "Villengard, the Nightmare of the Seven Galaxies. Their weapon factories were legendary, all thirteen of them. And then, one day, the Doctor shows up. The next day, the factories blow up, completely gone."
"I hear the survivors are growing bananas there," Bob comments out loud, and the other two hum in curiosity. "I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard rumors back at the base."
"Bananas," Amy repeats, not knowing whether to believe it or not.
On the one hand, blowing up weapons factories could be something the Raggedy Doctor would be behind. On the other, bananas? … Yeah, he could be behind that too.
"Time Lord! Father Octavian!" River calls from the door to the drop ship, her hair pulled up and her dress replaced by a military uniform, and Amy quickly says her goodbyes and hurries to catch up to them.
They leave the door open as they go in, approaching River, next to a TV, so Amy doesn't have any trouble joining them.
The image onscreen is black and white, fizzling after a few seconds, and showing only the statue of a crying angel, its back to the camera.
… Isn't the whatever they are here for called a 'Weeping Angel'?
"What part of wait in the TARDIS until I tell you it's safe didn't you understand?" the Time Lord asks with a scowl, and Amy startles, not having noticed he had seen her.
Not that it is hard in such a small space, and with her red sweater, but still.
"I'm your babysitter, remember? I'm not leaving you alone again," she adds with a wave towards his bandaged right hand, which he clenches tightly. "Besides, this Angel creature is in the ship, and there are big and strong soldiers all around. Nothing could happen here."
"Famous last words," he deadpans before letting out a sigh and relaxing, and Amy finally realizes he no longer looks as intimidating or alien as before, just serious and focused.
"Welcome to the team, Amy," River tells her with a smile before gesturing to the screen. "What do you think? It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium vault. I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry about the quality. It's four seconds, I've put it on loop."
"Definitely a Weeping Angel. Which means we are very much in a lot of danger," the Time Lord answers, tense once more, as he steps up to the screen and turns it off. "Delete the recording, any and all copies of it, now," he orders, and River startles but hurries to obey, typing on her device.
"Why? Sir, we need all information we can—"
"We don't need the Angel to know we're here," he cuts with a hiss, before turning to River once she's done. "Where did it come from?"
"The ruins of Razbahan, end of last century. It's been in private hands ever since, dormant. How could it know we're here?" she answers, frowning as she asks her own question, and Amy looks from one to the other, completely lost.
Are they talking about the statue? How can they be that scared of a statue?
"There's a difference between dormant and patient," the Time Lord answers darkly, staring at the screen, before gesturing for River to hand over her mini-computer. "And that's how they do it, how Angels spread. Anything that is made in their image becomes one of them."
"I've read something about that before. I found a book, a definitive work on the Weeping Angels. It was written by a madman, so it's barely readable, but there was something about images, something like… That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel," she quotes, frowning softly before looking at the Time Lord with surprise and dread. "You mean that's literal? Even pictures and recordings? Because that would explain why there are neither pictures nor drawings of the Weeping Angels in the book. I thought it was because the author was nuts, but…"
"Yes, it's literal. The Angels are not creatures like humans or Aplans, they are of the abstract, so to speak."
"You have encountered them before, Sir?" Father Octavian asks, a lot more serious and respectful than he was before, and the Time Lord nods, returning River her computer.
"Once."
"Wait a moment," Amy interrupts, hands up, and focuses on the Time Lord when they all turn to her. "Are you talking about the statue?"
"It's only a statue when you see it. According to legend, they can only move if they're unseen," River explains, and the Time Lord scoffs and glares at the black screen again.
"That is not a legend, they are quantum-locked. In the sight of any living creature, they literally cease to exist, they are just stone. Even Angels can't see other Angels, that's why they 'weep'. It's the ultimate defense mechanism, as well as their own personal curse."
"Then why are all of you so scared of it?" Amy asks softly, looking between the serious Father Octavian, the tight-lipped River Song, and the glowering Time Lord, until the last one turns so their eyes can meet.
"Because, eventually, you're going to turn your back to it. You'll blink. And it will no longer be just a statue."
Amy gulps.
Fortunately, the Time Lord decides to focus on business once more, breaking their stare so he can turn to Father Octavian.
"The Maze of the Dead, the catacombs, our only way in. You better have some gravity globes and lots of torches. Weeping Angels feed on energy, it will drain the power from your lights and get you when all go out. And I don't care how 'dormant' you think it is, all the drive burn radiation from the hyperdrive will have energized it. It is feasting in there, and it will be active. And the last thing you want to do is go up against a Weeping Angel at night, in the dark, through bloody catacombs filled with deadly radiation, and have your lights go out. So, information. These Aplans, the ones who built that place, are they still around?"
"They died out four hundred years ago. Two hundred years later, the planet was terraformed. There are currently six billion human colonists on this world," Father Octavian answers, and the Time Lord scowls.
"Of course there are. Pests, that's what you lot are. You better secure the whole area, quarantine it if necessary. If that Angel gets out of the catacombs, it won't be long before it finds the closest city and starts to feed. Either we stop it here and now, or the planet goes."
"Then we better get to work," Father Octavian answers and, when the Time Lord nods, leaves the room.
"So, how can a video of a statue be dangerous?" Amy asks now that the soldier is gone, feeling more confident asking the kind of things that would have made her look stupid in front of Father Octavian.
All three of them are really serious and focused, knowing enough about this Weeping Angel to be afraid of it, but to Amy, it looked like any other statue of a crying angel in any graveyard. She can think of the statue thing like a disguise, so that it is easier to understand, but the picture?
The Time Lord sighs, deflating almost in defeat, and glares at the ground, arms crossed against his chest.
"It is not… It isn't really a legend, but there is no recorded origin for the Weeping Angels, even in Gallifreyan texts. I did my research, but… Well, not like you can get Gallifreyan texts now," he snorts humorlessly, with a grin that vanishes in a second to be replaced by unease. "In the Dark Times, eons ago, back when the Fledgling Empires first started, this race called the Yssgaroth appeared. They were either from a different universe, one with a structure completely opposite this one, or the result of areas of anti-structure in this universe, given form and sentience by those who came in contact with them. One way or another, they became one of the most important and deadly enemies of the Time Lords at the time. They fed off of energy, and could corrupt biomasses, taint them, into becoming like them, vampires of a sort."
"Vampires are real?" Amy asks, startled, and winces when she realizes she interrupted, and quite rudely.
The Time Lord rolls his eyes with a huff, while River gives her an amused smile.
"Yes and no. Some species are naturally evolved hemophagocytes or equivalent, and, occasionally, some individuals of other species can evolve down a path of parasitism comparable to vampirism. And yet, some chalk it to the Yssgaroth. They were said to be as old as the universe itself, and that their taint ran down the very fabric of it, impossible to separate without collapsing the whole of reality," the Time Lord answers, serious once more, as he rocks on his feet. "I don't know, and there's no way of proving or disproving it now."
"Right, that makes me feel much better," Amy mutters under her breath, going unheard this time.
Vampires are real. Sue her for being startled.
"Not that the topic isn't interesting, but what do the Yssgaroth have to do with the Weeping Angels?" River asks, getting them once more back on track, and the Time Lord stills and scowls at the floor.
"And what about the whole 'images of an Angel are Angels too' thing?" Amy adds, because that was, after all, her original question, and she would very much like an answer to it, thank you.
"The taint, the Yssgaroth taint. The images of the Angels are much like that, 'tainted' with the essence of the Weeping Angels. Eventually, when they become strong enough, absorb enough static or radiation or any other kind of energy they can feed off of, they become fully functional Angels," the Time Lord answers, meeting Amy's eyes with deadly seriousness. "Never stare an Angel in the eyes. If they are strong enough, even the image in your mind can become an Angel."
"What?!" Amy squeaks, jerking in fear, while River looks shocked as well.
"As in a memory?"
"No, as in the imprint in your visual centers. Stare at something for long enough and you can see it even when you look away, blurry and mostly shapeless, don't you? Well, if it has been long enough and the Angel has tainted it, it won't be a mere afterimage," the Time Lord explains, and Amy gulps as she steels herself for the obvious question.
"What happens to those 'tainted' by the Angel?"
And the Time Lord meets Amy's eyes, completely emotionless.
"I don't know. They never find them after that."
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. If Amy didn't think the statue scary before, she's very much convinced now.
"Okay, that's freaky. That's really, really freaky. Statue disguises, infection, what else? Anything else you want to throw at me? I don't think I have enough for a whole week of nightmares yet," Amy asks, partly because she can't shut up when her mind's running on fear, but also because she'd rather have all the creepy facts out before they go into those catacombs to avoid any nasty surprises.
"They feed off of energy," River adds, though it looks more like she's musing something else rather than answering Amy's question. "Quantum-lock, that's temporal or structural, maybe both. The images, the taint, but the image centers are in the brain," she adds, more resolute now, before finally looking up to meet the tense Time Lord's gaze. "Why did you mention the Yssgaroth? Why say anything about them at all when you could have explained it all without ever saying their name?" she asks, and when the Time Lord stays silent for some long seconds, breathing deeply as if to keep himself calm, River opens her mouth again, whispering this time. "What were the Weeping Angels originally?"
Amy holds her breath, eyes wide, and turns to the Raggedy Doctor, the Time Lord, a telepathic alien.
"No one knows. But some think they were tainted Time Lords."
And Amy's breath comes out in a gasp. River looks equally shocked, but the Raggedy Man is standing very still and emotionless, almost solemn, before scowling.
"It doesn't matter. They're Weeping Angels, and there are no Time Lords left besides me. I would know. So, come on, Amy. Time to get ready," he tells her, moving towards the door.
After exchanging one last worried look with River, Amy follows.
"We're seriously going into these catacombs at night, after everything you said? Can't we just blow them up, destroy the Angel with them?" she asks when she catches up, and he gives her a look like she just said the dumbest thing ever.
"Angels have really high regenerative capabilities. It wouldn't work. Besides, destroying the ruins would have to wait until the radiation has been cleansed or decayed, which can't be done with a Weeping Angel in there and which would take too long. One way or another, I have to get in there and figure something out. You, in the meantime, will stay in the TARDIS and wait for me to come back or for the emergency program to take you back to your time if the Angel gets me, whichever it is."
"I am not staying in the TARDIS while you go in there!" Amy shouts just before they enter the blue box, earning some looks from the soldiers around. "I told you, I am not leaving you alone when there's danger around. I want to help!"
"Which is why you'll stay here, so I don't have to look after you. This way, I can focus on the Angel without worrying about keeping you alive on top of all those other idiots," he grumbles loudly, vanishing down one of the corridors, while Amy stands next to the console, hurt and frustrated.
She can take care of herself; she can take care of him. Didn't she prove it back at Starship UK, when she saved the Star Whale? And what about the Cabinet Rooms? She got the information on the Ironsides, and she helped the Doctor when he returned, all dizzy and injured. Amy is not useless, she can help.
But the Doctor doesn't want her to, he thinks she'll just drag him down like everyone else, and so wants to keep her cooped up in the TARDIS while he goes in those dark catacombs without a plan beyond don't die.
Amy drops into the seat, crosses her arms against her chest, and glares at the controls.