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When it was over, she wore the now-familiar form of River Song. Though Zuri knew she had no idea at this point who that was.
The woman panted as she settled in to become familiar with her new body. Zuri fell to the ground. So much pain.
"Right, let's see then." Melody began. "Ooh, it's all going on down there, isn't it? The hair!" Her hands traced her hips before flying to her head. She found a mirror off to the side of the desk. "Oh, the hair! It just doesn't stop, does it? Look at that, everything changes. Oh, but I love it, I love it!"
She turned back to face the others. "I'm all sort of... Mature. Hello, Benjamin! Oh, but what's wrong with Zuri?"
The Doctor finally notice Zuri, bent over her stomach on the floor as Melody ranted about her teeth. He stepped to help her up but was interrupted by Melody forcing her new mouth on his. "Watch out, that bow tie. Excuse me, I need to go weigh myself." And she darted from the room.
"Zuri? Zuri what's wrong?" The Doctor took the free moment, pulling her from the ground and into a hug.
"Pain," Zuri managed. "She was in such pain, and you were worried and sad, and Rory and Amy are so confused! What's happening?" She gasped at the new wave of emotions rolling over her.
Realizing what was happening, the Doctor reached for her face. "I need to put up a block for a bit, is that alright?"
"Just make it stop..." Zuri nodded.
He placed his hands on either side of her head and closed his eyes. There was a long pause as he felt around her mind before he pulled back with a sigh. "Better?"
"Much." Zuri relaxed in his arms, and Amy took the pause.
"That's Melody?"
"That's River Song," Rory stated like they hadn't noticed.
Melody appeared in the doorway. "Who's River Song?"
They all turned to look at her, and the Doctor was the one who answered. "Spoilers."
"Spoilers? What's spoilers? Hang on, just something I have to check." She ran back out of the room.
"Is anybody else finding today just a bit difficult?" Rory asked. "I'm getting a sort of banging in my head."
Amy nodded. "Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard."
"That's not helping." Rory shook his head.
"That is not the River Song you know." Zuri tried to explain. "She doesn't even know her own name. The only water in the forest is a River."
"This is her at the very start." The Doctor added.
Melody cried out in joy from down the hall. "Ah, that's magnificent!" She leaned her head around the doorjamb. "I'm going to wear lots of jodhpurs!"
Then she pulled a gun. "Well now, enough of that. Down to business."
"Oh hello," said the Doctor. "I thought we were getting married."
"I told you, I'm not a wedding person," Melody smirked.
Zuri smirked back. "Oh no, my dear Melody. New body, new rules."
Melody looked at her sharply but chose not to comment. Rory however, had questions.
"Doctor, Zuri, what is she doing?"
"What she's programmed to." Was all the Doctor said.
"Where'd she get the gun?"
"Hello, Benjamin."
She turned back to face the others. "I'm all sort of... Mature. Hello, Benjamin! Oh, but what's wrong with Zuri?" Reaching behind the chair as she posed, Melody picked up a gun.
"You noticed!" Melody acted thrilled, then fired. The chambers were empty.
"Of course I noticed."
Mels gave in to the regeneration then, the golden light bursting forth from her head and hands. She screamed, and the light faded. The Doctor stumbled back into a chair, noticed the gun, and removed the bullets. No one else was to get shot today.
"As soon as I knew you were coming, I tidied up a bit." The Doctor continued.
"I know you did." Melody tossed the gun aside and reached down her vest.
The Doctor finally notice Zuri, bent over her stomach on the floor as Melody ranted about her teeth. He stepped to help her up but was interrupted by Melody forcing her new mouth on his. "Watch out, that bow tie. Excuse me, I need to go weigh myself." She reached behind him and pulled the gun from the fruit bowl, and she darted from the room.
"I know you know." He said.
"Watch out, that bow tie. Excuse me, I need to go weigh myself." She reached behind him to pull the gun from the fruit bowl, but he spun the bowl around, causing her to grab a banana.
Melody whipped out a banana. "Goodness, is killing you going to take all day?"
"Why?" The Doctor took the banana back. "Are you busy?"
"Oh, I'm not complaining."
Melody snatched a letter opener from Hitler's desk and swiped at the Doctor. He merely raised the Sonic. Causing her to drop it.
"If you were really in a hurry, you could have just killed me in the cornfield." He pointed out.
"We'd only just met, I'm a psychopath, I'm not rude." Melody pulled the gun from the fruit bowl and fired. The Doctor held up the clip and blew imaginary smoke from it. Zuri realized where this was leading, and prepared herself.
"You were not a psychopath!" Amy protested. "Why would she be a psychopath?"
"Oh, Mummy, Mummy. Pay attention. I was trained and conditioned for one purpose. I was born, to kill the Doctor." Melody circled the Doctor with a smirk and predatory gaze.
"Demon's Run," Zuri stated.
"Yes." The Doctor pointed in her direction. "Demon's Run, remember? That is what they were building, my bespoke psychopath."
Melody stopped circling, putting her and the Doctor face to face. "I'm all yours, Sweetie."
She leaned up to kiss him, but Zuri stepped into his place, and she ended up being kissed. Melody frowned, but Zuri shook her head.
"Only River Song gets to call me that." The Doctor interrupted with a scowl.
"And who is River Song?" said Melody.
"An old friend of mine." He answered.
"Stupid name." Melody shrugged, and Zuri let out a snort. She waved off the looks from the others as she bent over, trying to maintain the illusion of normalcy. She could already feel the lipstick working.
Melody turned to the window, ignoring them for a moment. "Oh, look at that!" She stepped onto the sill. "Berlin on the eve of war. A whole world about to tear itself apart. Now that's my kind of town."
She turned back to face them. "Mum and Dad, don't follow me. And yes, that is a warning."
"No warning for me then?" Said the Doctor.
"No need, my love. You will be otherwise distracted. The deed was almost done, but now..."
Zuri's legs took that as their cue and collapsed beneath her. The Doctor was instantly holding her, shouting, "What did you do?! River, what have you done?!"
"Oh, River, River, River. More than a friend I think. It was never going to be a gun for you, Doctor, the man of peace who understands every kind of warfare. Except, perhaps the cruelest. But Zuri knew. She stepped in your place. Kiss, kiss." Melody blew a kiss and jumped out of the window.
"What did she do?" Rory was frantically checking Zuri for obvious injury.
"Poison." Zuri gasped. "I'm dying, it's fine."
"It's not fine!" The Doctor lay her gently on his lap. He frantically pulled his Sonic out and scanned Zuri. "Here, take this and follow her, the TARDIS can home in on it." He thrust the screwdriver at the couple, already shifting Zuri into his arms. Zuri let out a small moan of pain, and he glanced softly at her face as he stood up.
"You said the smoke was deadly." Amy reminded.
"Not as deadly as this poison. Hurry up!"
"But I don't understand, one minute she wants to marry you, then she tries to kill you?"
"She's been brainwashed, and she's a woman. Shut up, she's dying, go."
He carried Zuri into the TARDIS, shouting, "Extractor fans on!" The fans sucked the smoke from the console room. "Oh, that works."
He lay Zuri, who was choking on her own breath, on the jump seat. "Voice interface! What's in her system?"
Her system has been contaminated by the poison of the Judas tree. She will be dead in thirty-two minutes.
"Can she regenerate? She's got plenty of Artron energy, right?"
Regeneration disabled. She will be dead in thirty-two minutes.
"No! I refuse to let her die now!" He seemed to get an idea, but Zuri was in too much pain to pay attention. She could tell the walls the Doctor had put up were slipping. His anger and panic were leaking through. She heard the time rotor let out a horrible wheeze and then they landed. She was scooped up again, and her vision slid across the ceiling of the TARDIS and then out into a restaurant of some sort.
The Doctor gently set her on the ground, and her hearing began to fade. She watched the Doctor talking to the Teselecta, and her brain filled in a bunch of the blanks. He was asking why they tortured Melody.
The Teselecta was explaining the supposed responsibility they held to punish criminals throughout history that escaped punishment otherwise. They take people at the end of their established timelines, and "Give them Hell."
The Doctor asked to see his own biography, they said no. Amy figured out she has family privileges. "Access personal records, the Doctor."
"Who wants me dead?"
"The Silence."
"What is the Silence?"
"The Silence is not a species. It is a religious order or movement. Their core belief is that silence will fall when the question is asked."
"What question?"
"The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight."
"Yes, but what question?"
"Unknown."
"Well fat lot of good you are, you big ginge!"
The Teselecta decided they had seen enough, and proceed to torture Melody. Zuri gasps out a soft, No. But no one seems to hear her. The Doctor told Amy that she must make them stop. Zuri sees it in her mind. Amy uses the Sonic to set the ANTIBODIES on the staff, causing chaos. The Doctor convincing Melody to save her parents. Melody flying the TARDIS into the Teselecta. The Doctor whispering in Melody's ear.
Then it all goes dark for a moment, before a burst of golden light trails across her closed eyes. A pressure on her lips, a whisper. "Hello, Sweetie." And then a rush of energy filled her.
Zuri opened her eyes with a gasp. The Doctor was cradling her head in his lap, and Amy and Rory sat beside them. Melody was laying beside her, eyes closed peacefully. "Did she?"
"She gave up all her regenerations for you." Said the Doctor.
"Foolish woman," Zuri muttered. "Will I be okay?"
"You're going to be just fine. We need to get you to bed, you need rest, and I'll get River to a hospital. It's been a long day for all of us."
Both women were carried, Zuri by the Doctor, River by Rory. Once Zuri was tucked in bed she was left alone for a while. She heard and felt them take off, then land, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep. The Doctor was okay, she was okay, and River would be fine.
Up next... Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS