Chapter Twenty-Three:
December 24th
Present
Alex felt as though he were falling.
Every other time he had used the compass the only side effects were visual, audial, and lung related. Suddenly it was as if he were falling from the sky. He screamed with flailing limbs in anticipation for hitting the ground but nothing happened.
"Uh…Alex?"
His eyes flashed open to find Luke and Nick at his side.
"LUKE!" he reached his arms up for an embrace.
"Whoa, whoa!" both men stepped back.
He realized then he still had the pocket knife and the blade visible. Alex gasped, "I am so sorry. H-How do I put it away?"
Luke had a series of expressions pass over his features before wrapping his hands over Alex's around the handle. The blade disappeared back inside the hilt immediately, "I can't believe you had to use it."
"It helped me," Alex smiled softly.
When the blade was gone Luke wrapped his arms around Alex into the tightest embrace he had ever felt. It was literally impossible to breathe but it was welcome. He rested his head on the man's chest and shut his eyes to feel the pleasure of the man's strength.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but where's Alexys?" Nick had a quiver in his voice.
Alex pulled back and shook his head. The past few moments replayed in his mind and he realized that Alexys remained at the grips of danger, "She…she's stuck back in 1971."
"1971?" both men furrowed their brows, "What is she doing there?"
"We got stuck in 1941 and found Daleks putting a large metal coil under the ground of this building. We were able to use it to get ahead a few decades but were left in 1971. We met Alexys' father and he helped get this to work but then we were attacked. She…she threw the compass at me," he looked at the broken golden watch in his hands.
There was no way for him to get back to her.
Nick let out a shaking breath as he lifted his head to the sky. Alex stepped toward him, "I am so sorry. I don't…I didn't have time. I didn't know what she was doing."
"You were being attacked?" he looked at him, "By what?"
"The Church of Stillhet. Zelda and Hilda brought them to the house and Edward tried to fight them off but it was too late. They grabbed me and were pulling me away and then she threw this at me and now I'm…" Alex realized Luke was touching him the entire time. A brief smile fell upon his lips as he looked to the man that brought him comfort, "I don't know what happened to her."
His knuckles were white from how tight he squeezed his fists.
Luke turned Alex toward him pressed deep kisses all over his face, "I was so terrified for you. You were gone for so long. I thought…I didn't know what could have happened. Alex, I love you so much. Look at your glasses."
"My…" Alex suddenly focused on them and saw that they were broken. He pulled them off and placed them into his pocket which he quickly checked. He found he had his phone, Alexys' phone, the velvet sack that had the fob watches, and the pocket knife.
"I told her to stay out of it," Nick muttered to himself as he looked upward. The light of the moon casted enough of a glow on his face to show tears that he knew would capture Alexys' heart.
Alex was not sold by it but kept his reservations to himself because Nick treated her so well. He looked around and realized he had no clue where they were. It appeared they were in some sort of dungeon. As he looked to the door it suddenly became clear it was in fact a dungeon and seemed to be the exact one from the Academy of Unseen Arts.
"We're under the Greendale Air Conditioning Repair School," Luke answered Alex's unasked question.
"Where are River and Clara?"
"We don't know. They separated us after you and Alexys disappeared," Luke continued to caress Alex's face.
Alex looked at him with softness but realized how…lived in he looked. He stepped back to see both Luke and Nick wore the same clothes but they were clearly messier, dirtier, ripped in many places. There was soot and dirt over their features. Alex felt fear as he looked between them, "What day is it? How long have we been away?"
"It's the 24th…you've been away for two weeks."
He felt overcome with sadness as he wrapped his arms around Luke with all of his strength. They had been trapped for two weeks at the hands of Daleks and Silents. To make things worse, he had returned empty handed.
Luke sunk into the hold and returned it with the fierceness Alex had faced when he had first arrived. When he finally pulled back he looked at Luke, "Who is out there keeping guard?"
"No one is out there," Nick finally looked back to the couple, "They're in here."
Alex finally looked to the corner of the dungeon he had been purposefully ignoring. He jumped at the sight of the Silent but suddenly anger burned through him as he recalled what one of them had done to his best friend. The anger burned brighter at the understanding the Silent kept the love of his life and Nick trapped in a dungeon for two weeks. The anger burned even brighter when he looked upon the creature that stole River Song's life away in an attempt to kill the Doctor.
"YOU," Alex was smoldering.
"Alex," Luke was at his side, "What are you doing?"
Alex stepped toward the Silent, "What is your purpose here?"
The Silent lifted its hand as if in a threat.
"I'm not afraid of you," Alex snapped, "Tell me. What is your purpose here and I will help you to complete it."
"Our purpose is to ensure that silence will fall when the question is asked."
"To stop what happens at Trenzalore."
The lifeless eyes of the creature had a spark of surprise to the name.
"Are you the Silents that blew up the Tardis? Or the ones who kidnapped River Song?"
"What knowledge do you have of these events?"
"Knowledge that they failed," Alex felt as if he were on fire, "Your mission is to destroy the Doctor so that silence will fall when the question is asked. Why?"
"To ensure the safety of the universe."
"Then why are you teaming up with Daleks?"
The Silent said nothing.
"I understand what the Daleks offer to this situation. We went back in time and saw the Daleks build the school. We know Father Blackwood established the Church. We know the watches lured the Doctor here. What do you have to do with any of this?"
"Suggestion," it answered.
"But you are not the Church of Suggestion. You are the Church of Silence. Why go through this to destroy the Doctor unless you are not only here to destroy the Doctor. Are you here to unleash the Beast?"
"We have tried all possibility to destroy the Doctor. He will be the end of the Universe. The Beast shall seal the cracks so that Gallifrey will be lost forever."
"You think the Beast will save the universe?"
It said nothing.
"That is fine but don't you know…? The Daleks plan to destroy the Beast."
The Silent was still as a stone.
"I have proof!" Alex pulled forward Alexys' phone and pulled up the voice memo.
"WE ARE LYING IN WAIT WHILE WE CARRY OUT OUR OWN AGENDA."
"Is it to release the Beast so that it can swallow the void and become the universe?"
"IT IS TO DESTROY THE BEAST SO THAT WE MAY CONQUER THE UNIVERSE AS THE SUPERIOR RACE ONCE AND FOR ALL."
The Silent looked to Alex as if it would attack but then disappeared.
Alex let out a breath before looking to the two men with him. Luke furrowed his brows, "Where did you get that?"
"That's Alexys' voice," Nick whispered as he reached for the phone, "May I?"
Alex played the voice memo over for him so that he could hear her again. He watched Luke's face as he listened to the words, "You Spellmans sure know how to talk your way into danger. What was that with the Silent there?"
"I'm fed up, Luke. I want this to end and I want it to end now."
"YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED."
Alex truly jumped at the sound of the Dalek outside of the dungeon door. Immediately he felt Luke's arms around him. Nick stepped toward the door, "We can't open the door. The Silent that was here to watch us left."
"WHERE HAS IT GONE?"
"We don't know."
The door opened to reveal the lone Dalek. Alex felt the eye of the warrior upon him and shivered under the pressure despite Luke's strong hold. He wondered how he had stood in front of the Daleks seventy-nine years ago. It was because Alexys was there to challenge them under the blue eye but with her absence it was clear he was the forefront. Even with Nick and Luke standing strong it was clear the eye was on him.
"I know where it went," Alex suddenly spit the words out despite feeling that signature family stomach trouble.
"WHERE HAS IT GONE?"
"It said it was a far superior race to the Daleks and needed to prepare for the arrival of the Beast," Alex spat the answer out before his bile could suffocate him.
The Dalek paused as if sending the information along the pathweb that connected all the Daleks. It looked Alex up and down before moving backward to create space in the door, "YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED."
Alex, Luke, and Nick shuffled out of the dungeon into the hallway before the Dalek. Luke kept his arm protectively around Alex while Nick kept his head hung low in a disheveled manner. Alex felt his heart beating with each step but he knew he had to do something.
"The Silents know about your plan to defeat the Beast," Alex forced himself to have strength in his voice despite his fear.
"Alex," Luke warned.
"HOW WOULD THE SILENTS KNOW SUCH DETAILS?"
Alex paused to look behind it, "Because I told them."
The Dalek made a sound of distaste but continued forward, "SILENCE."
Alex opened his mouth but Luke kept a firm grip on his arm to keep him quiet. He let the breath out of his nose and sunk into Luke's hold. He had done his best to plant seeds of discord but it was left to the creatures involved to take a stance. They took their steps forward in the silence the Dalek desired. Alex wondered where they were going but the answer came sooner than he anticipated.
They were lead up ramps and hallways until they found themselves stepping out onto the checkered floor they had first been brought to. The checkered floor, the stage with the table and the boxes, the sign that read Dårlig Ulvkammer still remained. The only difference was that Father Blackwood was front and center.
"The Watchers," Father Blackwood boomed as he motioned toward Alex, "Oh…has Alexys not made it back from your little trip through time? I have word she made quite an impression in the life of your Aunts."
"What did you do with her?" Nick snapped angrily.
"Oh, Alexys is trapped in the past. Whatever happens to the poor girl is beyond my hold," he smirked as he made a show of spirit fingers to them. "But I digress. I've brought you here for a reason."
He made a circular motion with his hand and as he did the sound of struggling bodies came forward. They looked upward to see people wearing black bringing forward Clara and River. The two looked in better shape than Nick and Luke which lead Alex to believe that the two men put up some fight in order to be guarded by the Silent while the two women played nice to only be guarded by the Church members. Alex found it strange to see them being moved when he imagined Clara and River as a team would take over the world. Clara scanned the room and the balconies but River's eyes landed on him immediately.
"Welcome, ladies. I have heard glowing reviews about your patience," Father Blackwood did a show of giving a bow to them. "I have news for all of you that I believe you will appreciate."
"What is that?" Clara asked.
"We have found your Doctors."
It felt as if the air from the room had vanished. More sounds of struggling arrived until suddenly five bodies were pushed forward onto a balcony opposite of Clara and River. It was clear as day: Professor Smith, Professor Schmidt, Professor Smythe, and James Robert McCrimmon. A shorter blonde popped up between them as Rose Tyler. They all looked human and terrified.
"I wish only that Alexys were here so that I could thank her for her help. If it weren't for her diligent note taking we would have never uncovered your true identities," he smirked.
"What are you talking about? Have you all gone off the acid?" Professor Smith snapped, snatching his arm away from one of the Church of Stillhet members.
"I believe we are in the midst of a performance art piece," Professor Schmidt spoke with terrified puppy eyes until they landed on Clara, "Why is she here? She's got nothing to do with this! Unless…Clarissa? Are you an actor?"
"No, you moron! We're kidnapped. Let the ladies go. Whatever you need from us get them out of here. I don't know what they did to connect them to us but at least let Briar out!" James Robert McCrimmon snapped in his American accent, "All she did was show me around the town!"
"Well, we know that's not all she's done," Father Blackwood smirked, "I'm afraid these women have been your handlers. I believe they, down there, are the Watchers. I believe that gentleman and the missing woman have been the keepers of your essence. And now I believe it is time to admit you are defeated."
"What are you talking about?" the four men spoke in various degrees of shock.
"Where is Alexys?" Professor Smythe looked down to Alex.
"You don't have to worry about where my girlfriend is," Nick snapped angrily.
"Would you look at the tension here," Father Blackwood was delighted, "You could cut it with a knife. Such a shame the poor girl will never return. We have people narrowing down her body now. In a few short moments we'll have secured a safe place for the fob watches to stay through the years and one of my trusted members will retrieve it…Probably your Aunt."
"I don't understand what is happening?" Professor Smith shook his head as he looked around with the confusion of an older man.
"Professor Smith," the voice belonged to River, "Just calm down. I will find a way to get you out of this."
"Oh, I know you," he smiled warmly, "You work at the library, don't you?"
"I do," she looked to him with soft eyes.
"What is happening here? Why are we all surrounded? Is this really performance art?"
She shook her head sadly, "We are in danger."
"Oh…how unfortunate."
"Why are they here?" Alex asked, "You said you need the essence of the Doctor. They don't have it. They're only human!"
"It is necessary for the Doctor to be present when the Beast emerges. It is part of the prophecy. It is time for the prophecy to come to fruition!" Father Blackwood stepped backward to the curtain and threw it back to reveal a massive crack along the wall.
"The time is never."
In front of the stage Father Blackwood stood upon appeared rows and rows of Silents. The Professors, the weather man, and Rose Tyler gasped in horror at the creatures that appeared. River and Clara jumped back against the members that stood behind them. Luke's grip on Alex tightened as he and Nick pulled him back toward the furthest wall. No one there had ever seen so many together in one instance except for Alex.
Together the Silents stood with their arms outstretched as a current of electricity filtered from one to the other. It seemed to grow stronger as they looked to Father Blackwood but Alex could see nothing but their backs. He looked specifically to River Song for reaction. He knew of all the people in the room she was the only person to have firsthand experience with them. Her face remained calm but her widening eyes betrayed her. The only thing Alex could do was be thankful Alexys was not present.
"What is the meaning of this, gentlemen?" Father Blackwood kept his grip on the curtain as the crack pulsed.
"The Daleks wish to destroy the Beast and the Universe with it. Our mission is to stop the Doctor to save the Universe. You are allies with the enemies."
"We have no understanding of this. Our mission has been and will always be to serve the Beast. We are no friend to enemies of the Beast," Father Blackwood shook his head as he stepped forward.
"AND WE ARE NO ALLIES TO ANY ONE BUT DALEKS."
A procession of Daleks filed in behind the Silents.
The Silents turned around to look at them.
Alex looked to all the faces and found they shared the same expression of terror. Rose Tyler shook violently. Alex felt an immediate desire to run and protect her but Luke held him back yet again. They locked eyes and shared the same sentiment.
"WE MADE OUR DEALINGS WITH THE SOURCE FOR THE COMMON GOAL TO DESTROY THE DOCTOR AND BECOME THE MASTER RACE ONCE AND FOR ALL."
"You shall not destroy the universe in the process."
"HOW DO YOU PLAN TO STOP US?"
"With force."
December 24th, 1994
Alexys opened her eyes to find herself alone.
A yawn escaped her as she lifted herself up. She had been sleeping on a hard wood floor she knew left an imprint on her face. Her stiff arms loosened as she stretched and catalogued her surroundings. Alexys was surprised to see she was in a round room with no doors and only one window. She stood up on wobbly knees to check her pockets.
She still had the blue velvet bag with the fob watches that contained the Doctors essence. In her hand was the compass. What was missing was her cell phone but she imagined it was back in 1971. Wherever it was she knew it would be in good hands. She imagined Edward Spellman having a field day with it.
Alexys walked to the window with a sense of dread. She had no clue what had happened to the man that was meant to be her father. He had been so kind, so trusting, so helpful. He made sure she was safe while he remained in peril. She wondered if he had made it out in time or if he had succumbed to the Church of Stillhet.
The sound of a flag hitting a pole brought her attention back to where she was.
She could see it was night time and outside the flag carried the signature Greendale Community College flag. E Plurbis Anus flapped in the breeze while a street light casted a harsh glow over the parking lot. Alexys couldn't tell where she was but she knew it was on familiar ground. All she needed to do was find a way out.
BANG BANG. BANG. BANG.
Alexys looked to the ceiling in surprise and suddenly found a square that looked much like an attic door with no hanging string.
BANG BANG. BANG. BANG.
"Are you awake yet, dear?"
It was unmistakably Zelda's voice.
"You have been sleeping for far too long."
"I'm awake, Auntie!" Alexys called out. Her eyes remained upward on the square in search of a way to get it open. The biggest problem was that the room she stood in was completely bare and the only exit was far too high for her to reach.
"We have much to discuss. You have been missing in time for a while. We did not expect for you to return alive."
"Thanks for the uh…confidence, Aunt Zelda," Alexys looked back to the window and tried to push it up.
"What was it like lost in the time vortex?" the ceiling above Alexys began to creek which meant Zelda had begun walking around.
"What do you mean? I was with Edward and then I was here. I don't really remember being lost," Alexys answered honestly, trying to pry open the locks over the window that had been painted closed.
"It was not that simple. The process of time travel was explained to me through the powerful source. The device you have been using allows one to enter back into their own time stream. This allows the individual to remain tethered to the Earth. You and your cousin went beyond your time stream. Edward was able to assist Alexander back to his present yet you, dear child, remained…untethered."
Alexys noticed that Zelda was walking in clockwise circles as she spoke. The compass in her hand began to vibrate a near imperceptible tremor as she did. Alexys thought back to Father Blackwood and the dance and the motion of bodies in circles and realized such motions must call upon the compass. It seemed to her that whatever suggestion the Silents put upon the members of Stillhet made them act on a compulsion to act out the language of the Doctor. She realized she could use it to her advantage.
"It took us quite some time to get you back to this realm. We used Edward to build a room that would draw upon the innate magnetism in your compass. He finished it years ago and yet you arrive this evening. I wonder the significance," she mused.
"What is the date?" Alexys began walking in the same direction as she heard Zelda walking but found the vibration to grow lighter.
"It is Christmas Eve of 1994," Zelda answered.
"It's about to be my first Christmas. Why aren't you with me and Edward and my mother? What are you doing here? Trapping your only niece?" Alexys began to walk counterclockwise.
"I have relinquished such attachments," she sighed, "They are quite useless in comparison to what the Beast shall offer us."
"Oh, right. The Beast. And what will the Beast do again?"
Alexys mouthed the words as Zelda spoke them, "The Beast will follow the fissures, come through the cracks, swallow the void, and become the Universe."
"And that is…a good thing?" Alexys wondered. She hid her delight at the increasing motion from the compass in her left hand.
"That is the only thing. The Beast will right all that has been wrong with the Universe since its inception. The Beast will create order where there is chaos and will be the ultimate savior," she answered.
"And why isn't the Beast here already?"
"The Beast requires sacrifice, of course," Zelda seemed to pause and then turn around to walk counterclockwise.
Alexys reversed her own movement, "The essence of the Doctor."
"Yes, exactly."
"And who told you all this? How did Father Blackwood come to be so powerful?" it was a genuine question Alexys had.
"Powerful?" she let out a laugh, "Father Blackwood is merely an instrument."
"An instrument of the Beast?"
"An instrument of the source."
Alexys had heard that word before, "The source? Of what?"
"The source of the prophecy," Zelda let out a sigh as if she were discussing a lover.
"So this isn't an ancient prophecy from thousands of years ago. This is a new one?" Alexys had become genuinely curious.
"Not new…just…unparalleled."
"Okay, you've got my interest…" a jump in the compass caused Alexys to look up and she realized it occurred when she and Zelda passed each other on the same step.
"The source is from another universe and has created a link with a member of our community. Father Blackwood has been carrying out every order of the source so that we may pass the source into our universe," Zelda seemed to thoroughly enjoy speaking about what she learned.
"And the source is not the Beast?"
"No, she is the only one that knows how to release the Beast," there seemed to be a shiver that fell through each word. Alexys made a note that Zelda said "she."
"I still don't get what me, Alex, and the Doctor have to do with it?"
"The essence of the Doctor is needed for the Beast. The Watchers are said to be the only thing able to stop the Beast. Therefore we must destroy you all," there was a smile in Zelda's voice that frightened Alexys.
"And how do you mean to destroy me and Alex?" the compass was vibrating stronger and stronger.
"Exactly as we have it here. Separating the both of you drastically weakens your abilities. We intend to leave you here in deprivation until you have expired. Then we will retrieve the essence of the Doctor from you and store it in a safe location for our future selves. It is rather quite simple."
The two passed each other in sync again.
Click.
"Zelda, I don't know about that."
WAP.
Alexys had pushed the dial backward a five minutes and when she did she found herself in the astronomy room that she had kissed Professor Smythe in. It was different, of course, but it was out of the round room and it was away from Zelda. From out in the hall she heard screaming and so she dropped down behind the door. Someone pushed the door open to check the room but all they saw was emptiness. The door closed and footsteps rushed further down the way.
She let out a breath as she looked to the compass. It was open yet it could not move any further than where it was. Alexys did not want to go backward in time. She knew she needed to go forward so that she could give the new information she gathered to Clara and River and Rose Tyler. She twisted the dial as hard as she possibly could and yet nothing happened.
Her mind raced with images of Alex and Nick and Luke and the Doctors and Rose and Clara and River and her family at home so far away from the situation. She knew she had to return to them. Memories of beautiful things played across her vision as if in there she might find an answer to her problem. The only thing she found was a reminder of all she had to lose.
"Watcher."
Alexys heard the voice at her right but did nothing to identify it. Her eyes remained fixed on the spot between the floor and the wall she had focused on when thinking. She felt it strongly in her bones that if she did not move, did not speak, did not make any motion of recognition then the sound would disappear. Her limbs seemed to petrify in their solid stance so that she had no temptation to move. Not even a fly could force her to even if it landed right on her eyelash.
"Watcher."
The hairs on her arms stood on all ends as if something were merely centimeters away. The center of her chest began to throb as the air shifted with static being pulled from between atoms. She felt her heart constrict in that familiar way that made tears fall from her eyes. A bright purple light began to form and as it did she lifted her arm to shield herself—
The ring.
The very ring that had been given to her at the Sapphire Waterfalls of Midnight.
The Doctor had pulled it from his pocket, she recalled, wiped off some lint and then placed it around her finger. Her mind drifted back to the memory of herself and Professor Smythe in the Dean's office. He had said: "This kind of ring just might come in handy more than you think."
Her thoughts flashed in the blink of an eye. She thought back to every incident that had occurred since her very first meeting with the Doctor. Everything that could be done she did on the left side. Every time she held the compass it was with her left hand and she spun it with her right. She had never put any thought in the ring the Doctor gave her. She had never held the compass in her right hand as a base. She had never let the two touch.
Alexys dropped to the ground just as a burst of electricity coursed to the place where her chest had been and in the same instance she threw the compass to her right hand. The compass and the ring clinked together with a force that made her arm tremor. She could feel the power surging from the ring into the device and as it did she watched a cloud of invisibility climb up her arm and up her body. She screamed in terror as her body shook and when she looked up she watched the Silent prepare for another stri—
Present
December 24th, 2020
Alexys materialized in the face of a sea of Silents.
She opened her mouth to scream but strong arms grasped her in an embrace so tight it smothered the air in her lungs. When she pulled back it was Nick's face that greeted her as he spoke devotionals against her ear. Another hand began tapping her and she turned behind to see Alex. She immediately opened her arms for him but he pointed forward.
Again she saw the sea of Silents but when she looked lower they were before a line of Daleks.
"HOW DO YOU PLAN TO STOP US?"
"With force."
Nick held Alexys just as Luke held Alex and they watched with horror as the Silents began to swell with the power they consumed from the ai—
WOOOSH. WOOSH. WOOSH.
The Silents collapsed without a sound.
Every person in the room stared in horror at the effortless way the Daleks destroyed them. Alexys let out a breath, "On the bright side…I am no longer terrified of Silents. On the dark side…I think we should run!"
The four turned to the nearest exit and sprinted out the door.
"Where were you!" Alex shouted at Alexys as they ran with all their might.
"I took the long way 'round!" Alexys made the joke but in the heat of the moment knew it wouldn't land.
She felt herself tiring but Nick's grip on her palm pulled her forward, "Come on! I think I know a—"
"Hey! Stop right there!"
They looked to see members of the Church of Stillhet running after them.
Nick looked let go of Alexys' hand as he shouted, "Keep going! I'll distract them!"
"No!" she slowed down to reach for him.
He grabbed a trashcan and swung it in time to smack into one of the men, sending him backward into the other. Nick looked at her with a grin, "I'll be fine! I swear!"
Luke grabbed Alexys by the shoulder and pulled her with him, "Come on! He'll be fine!"
Alexys felt tears sting her eyes but she believed in Nick. She followed Luke threw the hallways at a full sprint. He held onto Alex's hand who held onto Alexys' arm in an effort to keep them all moving. Alex felt his legs going weak and Alexys felt her lungs giving up but they pushed through until they saw, "A door!"
The exit was on the side of the building with two double doors that had to be pressed in to open. Such things had never looked so beautiful. Luke ran ahead to test that they were unlocked. He gave a light push and they swung briefly outward. Alex looked to Alexys, unable to verbalize his guilt for leaving everyone else behind as they made their escape. She tried her best to give him an expression that clarified based on recent news she understood it was safer to leave with the fob watches than stay.
To Alex it simply looked like she was on the verge of…using the bathroom.
When Alex and Alexys reached Luke they worked together to push the doors ope—
"YOU HAVE BEEN SUMMONED."
A scream came from Alex and Alexys that nearly made the Dalek jump.
The Dalek pointed its gunstick at the three of them and they lifted their hands in defeat.
It was a slow stumble back to the room with the checkered floor. When they entered, the Daleks and Father Blackwood seemed to be in the midst of a parley. In the face of the Daleks he looked calm thanks to the large crack behind him. Professor Wardwell had suddenly arrived but she was held by one of the black-clad members of the Church. She looked to be entirely bored.
Alex looked upward to see the Doctors and Rose Tyler being held by members of the Church of Stillhet with increased force. River and Clara still only had the same two guards but their hold on them had tightened. The Dalek guided the three to the center of the room just behind the line of Daleks and the dead Silents on the ground. Luke kept a firm grip on Alex's arm, standing slightly in front of him as if he could make a difference between the rows of the warrior race.
Alexys for the first time made a note of her surroundings. Her eyes locked onto Professor Smythe who offered a gentle smile despite the distressing circumstance. It filled her with a gentle warmth.
"Despite what has occurred I believe we are still on the same side. You have spoken with the source and have aided her in acquiring what she needs to release the Beast. I believe you fear her too much to deny her just as I do. We maintain our common goal. The Doctors are yours to do with what you like. I only wish to hold onto the Watchers."
The Daleks were silent as if speaking to one another. Finally the leader spoke, "WE WILL EXTERMINATE THE WATCHERS AND THE DOCTOR ALL THE SAME."
Father Blackwood seemed to be weighing his options. He let out a sigh, "Fine. Alex, Alexys, empty your pockets and step forwa—"
"NO!"
All eyes jumped to one of the open balconies. Alexys gasped to see Nick standing with a gunstick that looked as though it had just been ripped from a Dalek. It appeared as though he had fought off many beings to get to where he was and held his weapon pointed at Father Blackwood.
"I will not let you—"
"ENOUGH."
Nick froze in his action as if he had been zapped by something painful. The weapon fell from his hands and clattered to the checkered floor. Across his features thundered the expression of absolute agony.
Alexys leapt forward, "Nick!"
Alex grabbed her and kept her in place.
They watched in horror as Nick began to spasm until his hands lashed out to grab hold of the railing on the balcony. He lurched forward, mouth agape, as if he were about to purge. His whole body shook as WHHHHHHRRRRRR from his forehead emerged a blue eyestalk.
Alexys screamed in absolute horror, "NOOO!"
