A/N: So, we're going to continue with Day of the Moon here and let's see what happens.
Warnings: Language. Angst. Fluff. Sexual Content (you know me, I'm cautious).
The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday
Chapter 80
Day of the Moon: White House Down
"What are you doing!" the Doctor snapped, eyes flickering with panic between Amy, the gun and the little girl.
"Saving your life!" Amy said, fiercely.
"Amy, don't you dare," Rhea growled.
"No!" the Doctor shouted.
Amy swung around and fired the gun with not even a second's hesitation, not realising, not allowing herself to see that it was the girl, who screamed as the bullet struck.
Three months later, Amy found herself running through the Valley of the Gods in Utah, with two cars hot on her heels. She finally stopped at the edge of a small ledge, reeling forwards, as she looked around desperately, knowing there was no way of escape. The two cars converged behind her and a number of agents stepped out, Canton in front.
"Canton," Amy said, roughly.
"Miss Pond." Canton nodded his head in her direction.
He motioned to one of the agents who spread out a large black film sack onto the ground.
Amy eyed it, nervously. "Is that a body bag?"
"Yes, it is."
"It's empty," Amy pointed out.
"How about that," Canton said, dryly.
Amy took a defiant step forward, her fists tightening at her side. "Do you even know why you're doing this, eh? Can you even remember? The warehouse?" she asked, fiercely.
"Amy, you fucking idiot," Rhea snapped.
Amy, on the other hand, flew to Canton's side, while staring at the girl in the spacesuit, with two new bullet holes. She looked up and found the Doctor and Rhea taking a hesitant step forward in her direction.
"Amy!" Rhea called out, warningly, reaching out a hand as if to pull her back.
Rory and River climbed up from the tunnels and they all rushed for the TARDIS.
"What the hell's going on?" Canton asked, confused.
The Doctor stared at him, blankly. "Look behind you."
"There's nothing behind me!" Canton snapped.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Look! Canton, look!" he urged.
Canton turned around and saw a disfigured alien walking towards him.
Canton's gun fired and Amy collapsed to the ground.
Inside a large hanger, there were armed guards stationed around an open area in the middle. Canton walked up to it, past signs that read: Do Not Approach the Prisoner. The Doctor was clothed in a straightjacket, chained to a chair in the middle of a circle that was outlined in yellow paint. His hair was long and shaggy with a beard to match.
"All visitors to remain behind the yellow line. All visitors to remain behind the yellow line."
Canton approached the Doctor. "We found Amy Pond. She had strange markings on her arm." He held up the photo of Amy's body. "Do you know what they are?" He threw Amy's file closer to the circle so that the Doctor could see it.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you ask her?" he offered.
When Canton refused to answer, the Doctor's lips thinned, realising what had happened.
River walked, nervously, through an abandoned office in a skyscraper that was being constructed and she gasped when she heard a pipe fall, her heart jumping into her throat. A group of the disfigured aliens appeared in her vision.
"I see you!" she called out and took out a pen, marking her arm, which had numerous tally marks etched on her skin. "I see you!"
She heard the sound of footsteps and her attention was diverted, seeing Canton storm in with a few of his agents.
"Doctor Song."
River swung around.
"Doctor Song?" Canton called out again.
River turned back around and the disfigured aliens were no longer then. This prompted her to run like hell.
"Go, go, go!" Canton urged the other agents.
River finally stopped when she reached the ledge of the floor.
"Don't move! It's over!" Canton warned.
"They're here, Canton. They're everywhere," River breathed.
Canton rolled his eyes. "I know. America's being invaded."
River narrowed her eyes. "You were invaded a long time ago. America is occupied."
"You're coming with us, Dr Song. There's no way out, this time," Canton said, coldly.
River's mouth curled into a smug smile. "There's always a way out," she hummed.
With her arms outstretched, River tipped backwards, off the ledge, and out into the night.
The Doctor watched with interest as men began to build a box made of black stone around him.
"We found Dr Song," Canton informed him, approaching.
The Doctor couldn't take his eyes off the builders. "These bricks, what are they made of? Where is she?"
"She ran. Off the 50th floor," Canton said, pointedly.
The Doctor frowned. "I'd say zero balanced dwarf star alloy. The densest material in the universe. Nothing gets through that. You're building me the perfect prison." His eyes jutted in Canton's direction. "And it still won't be enough," he said, warningly.
Rory burst out of a door onto the road across the dam, only to find both sides barred by agents. His face, arms and neck were covered with numerous tally marks. He looked over the side of the railing, contemplating a jump, before his shoulders slumped and he put his hands in the air, turning to face Canton in resignation.
He stared at them, plainly. "What are you waiting for?"
Canton shrugged. "I'm waiting for you to run." Rory lowered his arms. "It'll look better if I shot you while you were running," he explained. "Then again, looks aren't everything."
Canton raised his gun as Rory shut his eyes, not willing to look. A gunshot rang in the air and Rory fell to the ground.
Rhea ran, dodging tree roots, thickets of foliage and piles of sharp branches. She knew if she looked at her legs, they'd be littered with red scratches, amidst the myriad of black tally marks painted on her skin. The agents were hot on her heels, but she managed to evade them until she landed on the bank of a river. She gritted her teeth and turned around, watching as the agents finally caught up to her.
"There's nowhere left to run, Dr Adwani." Canton approached, hesitantly, gun in his hands.
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Aren't you sick of all those overused, cliché movie dialogues?" she asked, dryly.
Canton frowned, cocking his head. "I don't understand."
"Don't worry, you will." Rhea waved off.
"I suggest you surrender, Dr Adwani," Canton cautioned.
Rhea snorted. "Yeah, like surrender's a real option here."
Canton pulled back the hammer of his gun and aimed directly for her heart. "I guess you're right."
Rhea clucked her tongue. "Well, now you've hurt my feelings." She pouted.
"Yeah, I see that," Canton said, dryly.
Rhea sighed. "See, the thing is, I don't like being backed into a corner."
With that, she jumped straight into the river and let the current drag her away.
Canton walked into the hanger, two soldiers dragging body bags after them. He approached the Doctor's now-finished cell, the soldiers hauling the bags inside.
"Is there a reason you're doing this?" the Doctor asked, curiously.
"I want you to know where you stand," Canton said, simply.
"In a cell."
"In the perfect cell," Canton reminded him, once the soldiers had left. "Nothing can penetrate these walls. Not a sound, not a radio wave." He inserted his fingers into holes in the wall and the door slid shut. "Not the tiniest particle of anything. In here, you are literally cut off from the rest of the universe. So I guess they can't hear us, right?"
The Doctor smiled. "Good work, Canton. Door sealed?"
"You bet."
The Doctor jumped to his feet, shaking off the chains, and removed the straightjacket, just as the body bags sat up. The Doctor reached down and unzipped Rory's bag.
"You okay?" he asked, worriedly.
Canton helped free Amy.
"Finally," Amy sighed in relief.
"These things could really do with air holes," Rory commented.
"Never had a complaint before," Canton said, sarcastically.
The Doctor stretched his arms, as Amy climbed out of the bag.
"Isn't it going to look odd that you're staying in here with us?" she asked Canton.
"Odd, but not alarming. They know there's no way out of this place," Canton reasoned.
"Exactly. Whatever they might think we're doing in here, they know we're not going anywhere." The Doctor grinned.
He snapped his suspenders and the Doctor leaned to the side, onto the TARDIS. He clicked his fingers and the doors swung open.
"Shall we?" he asked, smugly.
With a smile, Amy followed Rory into the TARDIS, Canton coming in after them.
"What about Dr Adwani and Dr Song?" Canton asked, worriedly. "Dr Adwani jumped into a river and Dr Song dove off a rooftop!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Drama queen, my girl. She'll be fine." He waved off.
"And Dr Song?"
The Doctor grimaced but hid it well. "Don't worry. She does that." He shut the TARDIS doors and went to the console. "Amy, Rory, open all the doors to the swimming pool."
Amy and Rory did as they told.
River managed to spin around in mid-air, turning her fall into a dive, and went straight through the open doors of the TARDIS, water splashing out of the vessel.
"And Rhea." The Doctor paused, looking at the others. "Don't tell her I came for her last; she'll never let me hear the end of it."
The Doctor pulled down a lever and rushed for the doors, throwing it open. He looked out, seeing Rhea drifting down the river in his direction. Unable to fight against the currents, the river carried Rhea down towards the TARDIS. Finally, she reached the TARDIS, smack-dab in the middle of the river, and grabbed onto the threshold before she hit her forehead on the police box.
"Nice of you to float by," the Doctor joked.
"Oh, fuck off," Rhea grumbled. "Help me up, would you?"
The Doctor grabbed her hands and hauled her up into the TARDIS, catching her as she stumbled.
She shook out her hair, drenching the floor with water.
"Oi!" the Doctor protested. He gestured in the direction of the interior of the TARDIS. "Please go and get changed," he urged.
Rhea rolled her eyes and tossed her wet hair in the Doctor's face, making him splutter in outrage. She stormed out of the console room and headed for her room, tossing the wet clothes into a laundry shoot, drying her glistening skin, and changing into a plain khaki-coloured tank top and black short-shorts. She shook out her hair, sluicing the water, and tied the damp locks back into a tight French braid. She holstered her guns around her thighs and waist, and laced up her black combat boots, before running back to the console room.
"Happy?" she glowered as she climbed up the stairs.
"Much, thank you," the Doctor crooned and kissed her sweetly on her temple, making her smile briefly before the emotion waned from her face.
The Doctor broke away from her and walked around the console, using the controls.
"So, we know they're everywhere. Not just a landing party, an occupying force. And they've been here a very, very long time. But nobody knows that, 'cause no one can remember them." He shook his head.
River arrived in the console room, drying her curly hair with a towel.
"What happened to you?" Rhea frowned.
"Jumped off a building, landed in the swimming pool," River said, casually. "What about you?"
"Fell into a river," Rhea replied. "The Doctor caught me." Her lips twisted as if she didn't want to admit to it.
"So what are they up to?" Canton asked, curiously.
"No idea," the Doctor said, sheepishly. "But the good news is... we've got a secret weapon." He said, excitedly, racing to the door.
The Doctor steps out onto the wetlands followed by the others, and all looked out to see a giant rocket standing in front of them.
Rhea cocked her head. "Apollo 11's your secret weapon?" she asked, sceptically.
"No, no, it's not Apollo 11, that would be silly." The Doctor bumped his hip with hers. "It's Neil Armstrong's foot."
"Oh, yeah, that makes more sense. What was I thinking?" Rhea asked, sarcastically.
A black sedan pulled up in front of a large building that must have seen better days in the middle of a thunderstorm.
"In just a few days, mankind will set foot on the moon for the first time. Today the President reaffirmed America's commitment..."
Canton turned off the radio and looked to Amy in the passenger seat, dressed in a sharp black suit, much like one of the FBI agents.
"Ready. Check?"
Amy looked down at the palm of her left hand, deliberately. "Clear."
Canton looked at his own palm. "Clear."
As Amy slid out of the car, Canton rubbed his left palm with his right index finger.
The Doctor injected something into Canton's hand, nonchalantly.
"Ow!" he snapped in pain.
"So, three months, what have we found out?"
"Well, they are everywhere. Every state in America," Rory pointed out, as the Doctor injected his hand, as well. "Ow!"
"Not just America, the entire world," the Doctor corrected.
"Yeah, but there are way more here." Rhea nudged.
The Doctor injected Amy.
"Ow!" she cursed.
The Doctor looked at her, worriedly. "You okay?"
Amy smiled at him, soothingly. "All better."
"Better?" Rhea raised an eyebrow.
"Turns out I was wrong. I'm not pregnant," Amy explained, quietly.
Rhea pursed her lips. "How do you know?" she asked, curiously. "Did you start bleeding?"
"Rhea!" Amy gasped.
"What?" Rhea shrugged. "Women bleed. It's a fact of life." She glowered at the Doctor. "Anyone who finds the topic of menstruation uncomfortable can kindly go jump in a well."
"Why are you looking at me?" the Doctor protested. "I didn't even say anything."
"Oh, you were thinking it." Rhea waved off.
"I was not." The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll have you know that the TARDIS is stocked up on any supplies you may need. Contrary to popular belief, human women aren't the only ones that experience menstruation," he said, importantly.
"So, you hoard pads and tampons?" Rhea raised a satisfied eyebrow.
The Doctor sniffed. "I consider myself to be a modern man."
Rhea snorted. "You're a modern something alright."
"Rhea," The Doctor growled, warningly, tugging on her braid and making her squeak like before.
"Okay, okay," Rhea grinned. "Maybe you're not one of those guys that shies away from anything to do with a woman's reproductive system that doesn't involve sex." She turned back to Amy, who was busy face-palming at their conversation. "How do you know you're not pregnant, Amy?" she asked, gently.
"I don't know." Amy frowned. "I just got a feeling."
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Well, if we all went off our feelings, a lot of women would be dropping babies everywhere, honey," she said, dryly, and paused, her face pointedly understanding. "If you want, I'll come with you to a drugstore and we can get you a test. Or we can go and see a gynaecologist and get it confirmed." She offered.
Amy's smile was kind and grateful. "Thanks, Rhea, but I'm pretty sure I'm not pregnant, but if I have any more doubts, I'll go and see a doctor."
Rhea nodded, pursing her lips. She disapproved, but she couldn't force Amy to do anything, and she knew Amy would come to her if she needed help.
"You really are the woman whisperer," the Doctor muttered to her once Amy rejoined Rory and Canton.
Rhea rounded on him. "What exactly were you planning on doing if I weren't here and she told you she might be pregnant?" she asked, curiously.
"The TARDIS can conduct a pregnancy test," the Doctor informed her.
"Really?" Rhea's eyebrows shot up. "Interesting," she mused. "And Amy?" She gestured in the redhead's direction.
"Is it unethical to conduct a pregnancy test without her knowledge?" the Doctor asked.
Rhea grimaced. "Yes, very much, but she's being way too casual about this. She can't possibly know she's not pregnant with just a 'feeling'." She bit her lip. "She won't go and find out of her own accord and she should know if she's really pregnant or not, so do it under the table and we'll see what the results are. If she's pregnant, we tell her. If she's not, well, there's no reason for her to find out." She shrugged.
"Unethical?" the Doctor said, pointedly.
Rhea waved his concerns off. "We do unethical things all the time." She rolled her eyes. "And who ever said I was ethical?"
Rory walked over to a thoughtful Amy.
"What's up?" he asked, worriedly, his voice hushed.
Amy smiled at him, reassuringly. "Nothing. Really, nothing, seriously." She placed a hand on his arm.
"So you've seen them, but you don't remember them," Canton said, slowly.
River sighed. "You've seen them too. That night at the warehouse, remember? While you were pretending to hunt us down we saw hundreds of those things. We still don't know what they look like," she muttered.
"It's like they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away. The exact second you're not looking at them, you can't remember anything," Rory explained.
"Sometimes you feel a bit sick though, but not always," Amy said, lightly.
Rhea snorted. "That's the morning sickness talking," she muttered to the Doctor.
Canton frowned. "So that's why you marked your skin?"
Amy nodded. "Only way we'd know if we'd had an encounter."
"How long have they been here?" Canton asked, curiously.
"That's what we've spent three months trying to find out," Amy explained.
"Not easy, if you can't remember anything you discover," Rory murmured.
"But how long do you think?" Canton stressed.
Rhea cocked her head, thoughtfully. "Imagine if every scary thing, creepy noise you ever thought existed actually did but you just couldn't remember what it was," she taunted.
The Doctor stepped forwards. "As long as there's been something in the corner of your eye, or creaking in your house, or breathing under your bed, or voices through a wall. They've been running your lives for a very long time now, so keep this straight in your head. We are not fighting an alien invasion; we're leading a revolution. And today the battle begins."
Canton narrowed his eyes. "How?"
"Like this," the Doctor said, simply, reaching back and injected River.
"Ow!" she screeched.
The Doctor waved the gun in Rhea's face. "Your turn," he said, teasingly.
Rhea scoffed and held out her hand. He looked her in the eye as he pressed the gun to her palm and injected her, watching for any sign of pain, but Rhea remained silent, her face devoid of emotion.
"You didn't saw 'ow'." the Doctor pouted, disappointed.
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "You wanted me to?" she challenged. She held a hand to her heart. "I'm hurt, babe." She fluttered her eyelashes. "But I guess, not in the way you wanted me to hurt," she teased back.
The Doctor grimaced and snatched her wrist up, kissing the warm spot where her hand met her arm, two-three times, and then dropped it, swinging their hands between them.
"Nano recorder," the Doctor explained to the others who were staring at their palms, confused. "Fuses with the cartilage in your hand." He injected himself. "Ow!" Rhea smiled, smugly. "Then it tunes itself directly to the speech centres in your brain. It'll pick up your voice, no matter what. Telepathic connection. So the moment you see one of the creatures, you activate it." His palm glowed a pale red. "And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing."
He pressed his palm again and the playback began.
"And describe aloud exactly what you're seeing," the Doctor's distorted voice repeated.
"Because the moment you break contact, you're going to forget it happened. The light will flash if you've left yourself a message. You keep checking your hand. If you've had an encounter, that's the first you'll know about it," the Doctor finished.
Canton glowered. "Why didn't you tell me this before we started?"
"I did. But even information about these creatures erases itself over time." The Doctor pressed a few buttons on the console. "I couldn't refresh it, 'cause I couldn't talk to you."
Canton glanced over his shoulder and then out of nowhere, he straightened the Doctor's bow-tie, while the others watched him.
"What? What are you staring at?" Canton asked, confused.
"Look at your hand," Rhea said, pointedly.
Canton looked at his palm, which was flashing red.
"Why's it doing that?" Canton's brow furrowed.
"What does it mean if the light's flashing? What did I just tell you?" the Doctor asked, urgently.
"I haven't..." Canton trailed off.
"Play it," Rhea ordered.
Canton pressed down on his palm.
"My God, how did it get in here?" Canton's distorted, alarmed voice rang.
"Keep eye contact with the creature and when I say, turn back, and when you do, straighten my bow tie," the Doctor instructed in the recording.
Past-Canton slowly turned around.
"What? What are you staring at?" Past-Canton asked, confused.
"Look at your hand," Rhea ordered once more.
Standing in the TARDIS was one of the disfigured aliens.
The Doctor clucked his tongue. "It's a hologram, extrapolated from a photo on Amy's phone. Take a good long look." The hologram dissipated. "You just saw an image of one of the creatures we're fighting. Describe it to me." He snapped his fingers in Canton's face.
"I can't," Canton struggled visibly.
"No. Neither can I. You straightened my bow tie because I planted the idea in your head while you were looking at the creature," the Doctor explained.
"So they could do that to people. You could be doing stuff and not really knowing why you're doing it," Amy breathed.
"Post-hypnotic suggestion," Rhea hummed.
"Ruling the world with post hypnotic suggestion." Amy made a face.
"Now then, a little girl in a space suit. They got the suit from NASA, but where did they get the girl?" The Doctor leaned back against the console.
"Could be anywhere," Canton pointed out.
"Except they probably stayed close to that warehouse, cos why bother doing anything else? And they take her from somewhere to cause the least amount of attention. But you'll have to find her. We're off to NASA," the Doctor said, blithely, using the scanner to zoom in on possible coordinates in Florida.
"Find her?" Canton frowned. "Where do we look?"
"Children's homes."
Amy and Canton knocked on the door of the orphanage and after a few minutes, the door swung open to reveal a man.
"Hello." The man stared at them.
Canton held up his badge. "FBI. You must be Dr Renfrew. Can we come in?" he asked, casually.
Dr Renfrew frowned. "The children are asleep."
Amy smiled, sweetly. "We'll be very quiet."
"Is there a problem?" Dr Renfrew asked, worriedly.
"It's about a missing child," Canton informed him.
"What are you...?" Dr Renfrew's face cleared. "Yes, yes, come in, please."
Amy pushed the door open and they followed Dr Renfrew inside. The interior was dilapidated with paint chipping from the walls as well as signs of mould growing in the corners. Painted on the walls in large red letters were worrisome demands such as 'GET OUT' and 'LEAVE NOW'.
"Nice wallpaper," Amy commented, dryly.
"This way." Dr Renfrew led them upstairs. "Please excuse the writing. It keeps happening. I try to clean it up."
"It's the kids, yeah? They do that?" Amy clarified.
Dr Renfrew paused. "Yes. The children. It must be, yes."
He reached out to wipe the wall and Amy and Canton could see the words 'GET OUT" written on his wrist.
"Anyway, my office is this way," Dr Renfrew murmured.
"We nearly didn't come to this place. I understood Graystark Hall was closed in '67," Canton said, casually.
"That's the plan, yes." Dr Renfrew nodded.
Amy frowned in confusion. "The plan?" she repeated.
"Not long now," Dr Renfrew agreed.
"It's 1969," Canton said, slowly.
Dr Renfrew shook his head. "No, no. We close in '67. That's the plan, yes."
"You misunderstood me, sir. It's 1969 now."
Dr Renfrew glowered. "Why are you saying that? Of course, it isn't."
"July."
"My office is this way, this way." Dr Renfrew veered off in the direction of a smaller stairway.
"I'll check upstairs," Amy muttered to Canton.
"Be careful," Canton said, warningly.
Canton followed Dr Renfrew, while Amy continued upstairs.
Amy pushed the door open to a dorm room, where a number of bed frames were lined on either side of the room. Painted on the wall was the message 'LEAVE ME ALONE'.
The Doctor was working on a myriad of wires when his phone began to ring. He slid on the hands-free so that he could keep working when he answered the call.
"Amy?" the Doctor replied.
"I think we've found the place she was taken from," Amy told him.
The Doctor held out the wires for Rhea to hold to put the phone on speaker, so that Rhea could hear as well. Once he had pressed the button, he took the wires from Rhea so that he could resume working.
"How do you know?" the Doctor asked, curiously.
"Cause those things have been here. But the whole place is deserted," Amy answered. "There's just one guy here and I think he's lost it."
"Repeated memory wipes fry your head eventually," The Doctor explained.
Rhea pursed her lips. "Find out what you can, but don't hang around," she warned.
"Where are you?" They could read the frown in Amy's voice.
The door swung open.
"Shit," Rhea muttered. "Oh, we are so going to get arrested."
"Gotta go! Got company!" the Doctor said, sheepishly, and ended the call, sitting up.
Men were staring at them from the doorway, while Rhea pinched the bridge of her nose and the Doctor looked innocent inside the Apollo 11 module.
"Don't worry," the Doctor said, cheerfully. "I put everything back the way I found it." He held out a lone piece, ruefully. "Except this. There's always a bit left over, isn't there?" he mused, rubbing the back of his neck.
Amy put her phone away and continued to walk into the room. The door slammed shut behind her and she whirled around, wondering if she was alone, if someone had actually closed the door on her to trap her inside. She ran for the door, the hairs on the back of her hand rising, and, as she tried the doorknob, she spotted the black tally marks on her hand. She turned her hand around and she saw red flashing deep in her palm. Her heart clenched and she pressed her palm with the other thumb.
"I can see them, but I think they're asleep. Get out! Just get out!" Amy's recorded voice cried out.
Amy cursed under her breath and tried the door again, but to no avail. She made for the window but she had no luck there. She could see more markings on her hands and her reflection in the window showed her the markings on her face as well. She turned around and slowly looked up, her throat going dry with dread. She jumped, seeing a mass of the creatures hanging upside-down from the ceiling like bats. She walked towards the door, not taking her eyes off them, and kicked a pail there to catch water, making one of the creatures hiss at the noise. Amy reached her hand to her mouth to leave a message when the door opened. She looked away, her attention diverted, and all thoughts of the aliens hanging above her disappeared. As she left the room, one of the aliens stood in the room.
The Doctor and Rhea sat in chairs, their hands cuffed in front of them. An MP stood behind them as two men question them.
"One more time, you two. How the hell did you get into the command module?"
The Doctor sighed. "I told you! We're on a top secret mission for the President," he said, urgently, biting the chain of the cuffs.
One of them stared at them, sceptically. "Well, maybe if you just get President Nixon to assure us of that, sir, that would be swell."
The Doctor shrugged. "I sent him a message."
The man scoffed.
Rhea leaned over. "Do I have to stay in these things?" she asked, quietly, shaking the handcuffs for emphasis. "You know it'll take me like under a minute, right?"
The Doctor patted her on the hand, knowing how hard it was for her to remain bound. "It makes them feel safe, lovely. And it's just until the President gets here." He grimaced. "At least this is better than being chained up to a chair for three months for the purposes of hiding from the Silence. Canton's plan wasn't exactly inspired."
Rhea snorted. "I think they put you in chains 'cause you're one tinfoil hat short of a rubber room, honey," she teased.
"Naughty, naughty," the Doctor growled.
Rhea raised a coy eyebrow. "What are you going to do about it?" she asked, provocatively.
"I have in mind some handcuffs of my own."
Rhea hummed. "Promises, promises," she purred.
Suddenly, the double doors ahead of them swung open and President Nixon walked into the room, accompanied by Rory and River in outfits from the Sixties, acting as his aids. Behind them, the TARDIS stood.
"Hello, I believe it's Mr Gardner, is that correct? Head of security?" President Nixon shook the hand of the man who was interrogating them.
"Ah, yes, sir. Yes, Mr President," Mr Gardner stammered.
President Nixon turned to the other man. "Mr Grant, is it?"
"Yes, Mr President." The man nodded, shaking his hand as well.
"The hopes and dreams of millions of Americans stand here today, at Cape Kennedy, and you are the men who guard those dreams. On behalf of the American people, I thank you," President Nixon said, imperiously.
"You're welcome, Mr President." Mr Gardner flushed from the praise.
"I understand you have a baby on the way, Mr Grant?"
Mr Grant's eyes widened. "Yes, Mr President."
"What are you hoping for, a boy or a girl?" President Nixon asked, curiously.
"Just a healthy American, sir," Mr Grant answered.
Rhea snorted.
"A healthy American will do just nicely." President Nixon gave Mr Grant a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Now, fellas, listen. These two here – codenames, The Doctor and Mrs Lannister – are doing some work for me, personally. Could you cut him a little slack?"
Rhea glowered at the Doctor, who smiled at her, innocently.
Mrs Lannister. Oh, you so die for this.
"Er, Mr President, they did break into Apollo 11," Mr Grant pointed out.
Behind him, the Doctor mouthed 'sorry' at the President.
President Nixon sighed. "Well, I'm sure they had a very good reason for that. But I need you to release them now, so they can get on with some very important work for the American people. Could you do that for me?" he asked in a way that gave them no other choice.
"Well..." Mr Grant trailed off.
"Son, I am your Commander-in-Chief," President Nixon reminded him, sternly.
"Then I guess that would be fine, Mr President," Mr Grant said, hurriedly.
President Nixon looked pleased. "Glad to hear it."
The MP unlocked the handcuffs and Rhea and the Doctor stood.
"Thank you!" the Doctor gushed, shaking Mr Grant's hand. "Bye-bye." He shook Mr Garnder's hand and he and Rhea headed for the TARDIS.
"Carry on, gentlemen," President Nixon told the men and followed after the Doctor, Rhea and River.
Rory, on the other hand, accidentally broke off a piece of the model lunar module sitting on the desk. When he wasn't able to fit it back on, he slipped the piece on the desk.
He cleared his throat to hide the flush of shame in his cheeks. "America salutes you."
Rory saluted them with his palm facing outwards, instead of his palm facing his shoulder, before joining the others and closing the doors.
Amy continued to search the halls upstairs, shining her torch. She heard a metal clink and looked ahead, suspiciously. A woman with an eyepatch peered through a hatchway in the door.
"Hello. Who are you?" she asked, curiously.
The woman replied, as if she were speaking to someone inside. "No, I think she's just dreaming."
The hatch slid shut. After a bemused pause, Amy went over to the door and opened it to find a small nursery that looked as if it had been occupied recently.
"Hello? I saw you, looking through the hatch..." Amy called out.
She looked back at the door, but there was no sign of any hatch. She rubbed her hand against the wood and checked the back of it. She frowned to herself and walked inside the nursey, to find stuffed animals lying on the bed, a mobile hanging from the light and framed photographs on the bureau. They were all of the same little girl at various ages. But one hidden in the back was the one that caught Amy's eye, which she picked up curiously. It was one of her holding a baby.
"How? How can that be me?" Amy breathed, confused.
She put the picture down with trembling hands and turned just as the astronaut-suited figure padded into the room.
"Who are you? I don't understand, so just tell me who you are!" Amy snapped, her panic warring with her fear and anger.
The astronaut lifted the visor, which was cracked from where the bullet that Amy shot pierced the glass, to reveal the little girl.
"I'm sorry." Amy's voice wavered. "I didn't mean to shoot you. I'm glad I missed. But you killed The Doctor. You're going to kill him," she said, fiercely, remembering how her heart had broken seeing him lie on that beach, with none of that profound emotion he was famous for. "But who are you? Just please tell me, because I don't understand!" Her voice cracked.
"Please help me. Help me, please," the girl cried out, desperately.
Two of the creatures entered the room, causing Amy's eyes to widen in fear. She screamed and the door slammed shut.
Nixon was sitting at his desk, while the Doctor and Rhea returned to the TARDIS.
"You have to tape everything that happens in this office, every word, or we won't know if you're under the influence," the Doctor ordered.
President Nixon frowned and leaned forward. "Doctor, you have to give me more than this. What were you doing to Apollo 11?" he asked, annoyed.
"A thing. A clever thing. No more questions. You have to trust me and nobody else," the Doctor said, fiercely.
River swung open the TARDIS door.
"Doctor, Rhea, it's Canton! Quick, he needs us!" she said, urgently.
The two ran into the TARDIS and it dematerialised.
Canton arrived in the upstairs hallway after hearing Amy's desperate plea for help.
"Help me! Please, I can't, I can't see! Somebody help me!" Amy sobbed from inside a room.
Canton tried to break down the door with his body weight.
"Amy!" he shouted, pounding on the door with his fists. "Amy, can you hear me? Amy, I'm going to try to blow the lock. I need you to stand back," he called out, warningly.
Just as Canton raised his gun, the Doctor, Rhea, Rory and River stormed in.
"OK, gun down, I've got it!" the Doctor pushed at Canton's wrist, before turning to the door. "Amy, we're here. Are you okay?" He flashed the sonic screwdriver at the lock.
"I can't see!" Amy cried out.
The Doctor unlocked the door and they all rushed inside.
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon are some of my favourite episodes in the show and I was really excited to write them with Rhea, so hopefully you guys liked this. But I have a feeling you'll like the next chapter even more! This one was a little more light-hearted than the previous two, with the Doctor and Rhea flirting, but the next one will probably be at the very least a little angsty, because Rhea's definitely not over seeing the Doctor die in front of her.
Anyway, again, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!
Reviews:
deathb4beauty: Thank you so much!
Guest: I'm so glad you liked it!
Grapejuice101: Well, it really helps that I've actually written the chapter already. Thank you so much!
djmegamouth: I'm glad you liked it, but bear in mind that River can't really have the same actions and lines if she's not playing the Doctor's love interest here.
NicoleR85: Honestly, I've written some scenes for it already, so if you'd like to see it, I'll be happy to share it with you!
RandomFandoming: Thank you, and I wish you all the luck!
The bunny always dies first: There's an episode coming up!
HeartbrokenGirl14: Unfortunately, it isn't a joke and I won't be able to continue this fic once I've posted all the chapters I've written already. And to answer your question, Rhea was there right from Gallifrey, before the Doctor left, until present.
PrincessMagic: Wanting to write a POC protagonist was my main motivation for the beginning of this series, so I'm glad you enjoyed it!