They left the white room and emerged into a corridor. The Doctor ran ahead of them. He somehow knew that there was only one place they would be. He found the control room quickly and discovered he was right. Madame Korvarian glared at them as they burst through the door.
Out of nowhere, the Doctor, River, Rory and Amy found themselves being held tightly by arms of stone. They each looked over their shoulders to find themselves being restrained by a Weeping Angel. Each Angel smiled eerily at them. Luckily, these Angels weren't powerful enough to send them back in time, but they were strong enough to hold them in a vice like grip.
"Well, well, well. Doctor, we meet again. Ah and Amy Pond. I would apologise for our last encounters but I'm not even slightly sorry." Madame Korvarian smiled at them.
"Where's Aderyn? What have you done with her?" The Doctor barked.
"Oh don't worry. She is perfectly fine," Madame Korvarian pointed behind them and they craned their necks to see. "But I can't say you will be for much longer."
Aderyn was sat in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms thrown over her head. She rocked back and forth ever so slightly.
"That's not fine!" River shouted.
"She will be. It's going to take time to adjust to the amount of hate she's feeling right now." Madame Korvarian said "All I had to do was remove her faith in you, stop her believing you actually cared. That was easier then I'd expected." She walked over to a control panel and flipped a switch. Aderyn slumped onto her side, clutching her head. They could hear muffled sobs.
"What are you doing to her?" Amy asked.
"I'm having a bit of fun." Madame Korvarian replied. She paid no further attention to Aderyn until it was too late. Aderyn had managed to get to her feet and dove towards Madame Korvarian, knocking her away from the control panel. She flipped a switch, turning the panel off. Madame Korvarian stood and drew a gun. Aderyn stood her ground. The force of the first shot sent her crashing backwards. But she was soon on her feet again. The Doctor, River, Amy and Rory watched in horror as Aderyn kept standing, only to be shot down again. Every time she stood she counted allowed, counting backwards from six. When she reached one she laughed. Led on the floor, blood pouring from several bullet wounds, she laughed. Still laughing she stood up again.
"You've got one shot left Korvarian. You better make it worth while."
And it was. The bullet pierced Aderyn's chest close to her heart. She doubled over and sank to the floor.
"No!" The Doctor shouted. He struggled against his captor but it was no good. Beside him, River kicked out pointlessly.
Aderyn attempted to stand. But Madame Korvarian activated the control panel again. Aderyn collapsed. She clutched her head, her face contorted in a silent scream of pain.
Madame Korvarian strolled leisurely over to the Doctor. She looked from the Doctor to River "How nice for me to have both of you here to witness this." She smiled. She then walked back to the console and turned on a large screen. She started to quickly tap commands into the console and a barrage of images flooded the screen.
"Doctor, what's happening?" Amy asked.
The Doctor took a deep, shuddering breath "That console is somehow psychically linked to Aderyn. Those images are Aderyn's memories."
"But why?" River snapped, renewing her attempts to get free.
"As Aderyn would say," Madame Korvarian said, turning back to them with an evil smile "Spoilers."
The images that flooded the screen slowed. The Doctor running around the TARDIS console, Amy and Rory happy and laughing on their wedding day, climbing through the Catacombs with River. But they rapidly changed. Where there was River, Amy and Rory there was no one.
"Why are you taking them from her memories?" The Doctor demanded.
"She will be more powerful then you could imagine. She will be the perfect weapon. Fuelled by hatred and anger." Madame Korvarian sneered.
"Anger makes demons of us all," Rory muttered "That's what Oswin said."
"And didn't she just turn out perfect. Aderyn as you know her will cease to exist."
"But why take them from her memories?" The Doctor demanded.
"Because they will hold her back. They will stop her reaching her full potential. Why should they be around when they would be a hindrance?"
The Doctor looked over at Aderyn "Oswin told me to make sure she remembers. I thought she just meant Amy. But she didn't," He raised his voice to a shout "Aderyn, you have to remember them. Remember who you are." Aderyn rolled onto her back and they only just heard her strained whisper "Remember."
More memories flashed across the screen. The Doctor and Amy waving at Aderyn from the TARDIS door. But that too changed. Amy was gone and the Doctor was turning his back. The Doctor looked to Rory, Amy and River for help.
"You were late to my wedding Beastie. I still haven't forgiven you for that. Don't think I'll forgive you for this either." Amy shouted.
"And trust me," Rory added "You don't want to incur the wrath of an angry Scot."
Aderyn didn't move or speak. "Oz," River said "You were the one the Dalek begged for mercy. Don't let that go to waste."
"Your efforts are applauded but futile," Madame Korvarian laughed "We're too far into the process."
The screen went black but a voice rang out in the chamber. It was a voice the Doctor knew all too well.
"Listen," the voice said "Listen and remember. You know who you are. And who you are will save you. Now remember and all will be clear."
"You have to remember." The Doctor said.
Aderyn laughed "I will not forget them, Spaceman. I remember the only water in the forest, the Girl Who Waited and the Last Centurion." She struggled to her feet, lurching forward unsteadily. She walked towards a stunned Madame Korvarian and delivered a blow to her face that sent her reeling backwards. She switched off the console. She took from her pocket a small black eye patch. She put in over her eye and snatched a communicator from the console. After a few moments pause she spoke into it. Her voice suddenly clear and confident, the pain she was clearly feeling was hidden well. "Am I addressing the Silence?" There was no reply "Oh come now," she continued "You don't have to live up to your name. I know you're out there in your silly little spaceship keeping an eye on everything down here."
A single voice rasped through the communicator "You have failed us Korvarian."
"You should choose your allies wisely." Aderyn barked. She clung helplessly to the console in an attempt to stay upright.
"Doctor, she's dying." Rory said. He knew that she had lost far too much blood to really stand a chance of surviving.
"I know," The Doctor whispered "And there's nothing I can do about it."
As the Silence began to talk all at once, Aderyn cut across them.
"There will be quiet," She shouted into the communicator "Because I. Am. Talking," When there was quiet she spoke again "Thank you. Now, you will all learn a few valuable lessons today. You might want to take notes because there will be a quiz at the end." She dropped the communicator back onto the console and took several shaky breaths.
Madame Korvarian climbed to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose.
"How are you still alive? Who are you really?" She stammered.
Aderyn winced as she turned to face her. "Who am I? I wondered that myself until recently. Iam Aderyn Oswin Tyler. Sometimes known as Addy, or Little Bird, or Beastie, or Oz. And there's a few other names but they're not for the public domain," As she spoke she turned to face River and winked "I am the wife of River Song, I am a child of the TARDIS, daughter of Rose Tyler and the Doctor," The Doctor, Amy and Rory stared at her, not sure whether to believe what was being said. Aderyn had paused again, this time doubled over. The pain was getting worse. As she stood up straight she spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Golden time energy began to swirl around her fingers and she raised her hand. She smiled broadly. "And this is the first time I've done this, so you might want to step back." And then the energy took over. Through the near blinding light, the Doctor watched as she changed. Her hair lengthened, her face thinned, her arms and legs became longer, her jawline and cheekbones more defined and angular. When the light faded, Amy, Rory and River dared to look back at her.
Aderyn sneezed, expelling residual time energy. "Well, that was new," she said cheerfully. She ran her hands through her hair "Ooo, curly hair. I always wanted curly hair. Am I at least ginger?" River shook her head. "That's a shame. I wanted to be ginger," She looked down at her feet, walked over to River, stood on tiptoes for a brief second then walked back to where she had been stood "Two inches taller!" she declared "Oh, that is strange. I believe I have two hearts," She ran her fingers lightly over her face "Okay, good cheekbones and jaw line. Is my jaw line let down by my chin?" River shook her head again. "Thank God for that," Aderyn smiled at the Doctor "At least that's one thing I didn't inherit from you."
Momentarily forgetting about his shook, the Doctor frowned at her "What's wrong with my chin?"
"Nothing, Chinboy. Well nothing really. Just don't get to close to anyone. You might take someone's eye out."
"You are the Following Dark." Madame Korvarian breathed.
Aderyn walked over to Madame Korvarian "I'm much more then that. I'm very pissed off. Now, I'm going to teach you a lesson. Well," she scratched the back of her head, frowning. It was a small gesture that the Doctor recognised. It was something he used to do. Well, a previous regeneration had done. The regeneration that Aderyn had first met. "A couple of lessons actually." She rummaged in her coat pockets pulling out an odd assortment of objects. An apple, paper, pens, a ring on a chain, a diary. And then she found it. As she dug around, her arm elbow deep in the inside pocket, she felt the warm, smooth metal of the sonic screwdriver. She pulled it out with a flourish, threw it into the air and caught it "Firstly, never trust a girl with pockets," she fiddled with the settings for a few moments "And secondly," She raised the screwdriver, holding it level with the console "Never trust a psychic link."
Madame Korvarian smiled at her "What exactly are you going to do?"
"This!" Aderyn activated the screwdriver. For a brief moment there was nothing, nothing but intense sadness and overwhelming anger. She lowered the screwdriver. "I am linked to this console and to this room. Now, here's what we're going to do," Aderyn began to pace "You're going to tell me what your plan is and then we're going to leave. Simple."
Madame Korvarian laughed a high, shrill laugh "Kill me then leave don't you mean?"
Aderyn shook her head fiercely "Why would I do that when I have a much more powerful weapon?" She waved her hand to indicate the console "So tell me what is all this in aid of?" Madame Korvarian didn't reply. Aderyn raised the screwdriver again, this time the misery went on for longer. Through her own, sudden tears, Amy could see Aderyn's hand shaking as she held out the screwdriver. She lowered it again. She walked over to Madame Korvarian, grabbing her by the front of her jacket and slamming her against the wall "Tell me what you were doing?" Aderyn snarled.
Without hesitation Madame Korvarian started to speak "River didn't kill the Doctor. We knew you could do it. But we had to make sure you would be able to."
"So you made sure I got to the hotel and got rid of any hope and belief in them to get me here. Then what? Delete people from my memories. Why?" Aderyn slammed her against the wall again in annoyance.
"Because they would have stopped you. They wouldn't have let you reach your full potential. You could be so much more without them. So much more powerful then you think, then you could imagine. Why would you want to remember them when you could have so much without them?" Korvarian gasped as her back connected with the wall again.
"You're a monster." Aderyn dropped Madame Korvarian and ran angrily to the console, once again aiming the sonic screwdriver at it. The whir of the screwdriver was drowned out by Aderyn's shout "This is why I could never be without them. This is everything I've ever felt without them."
The force of the emotions was too much. The Angels that had been holding Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor dropped them, once again covering their faces. Amy didn't care that she had landed awkwardly on her leg, or that there was now a weird throbbing sensation in her ankle. She didn't really care about anything anymore. She cried uncontrollably. River was sat up, she too was crying. She was hugging her knees. Rory was curled in the foetal position with his arms thrown over his head. He felt so angry, with no idea why. He curled himself into a tighter ball, trying to over come the urge to get up and punch someone. The Doctor was struggling to his feet. His own face was tear streaked and a picture of anger and confusion. With some effort he managed to wrap one arm around Aderyn and pull the screwdriver from her hand. "That's enough now." he said to her. She ignored him and marched furiously towards Madame Korvarian, towering over her "Consider this a friendly warning," she growled "If you ever, and I mean ever, try anything like this again it will be the very last thing you do. And there will be no glitch in time to save you either. If you really think it's a good idea to try and get to me by taking away the people I love then you are very sadly mistaken."
Aderyn picked up the apple from where she'd left it on the console and took a bite.
"Oh, that's really disappointing," she said, chewing slowly "I still really don't like apples." She flicked a switch on the console and the TARDIS materialized. She strode happily towards it "Come on then you lot. I think we all deserve a proper explanation." She walked into the TARDIS but no one else moved. They were staring at the TARDIS is shock. The Doctor, Amy and Rory turned slowly to River.
"Talk about doing something with style." She said before following Aderyn.
"Doctor?" Amy said slowly.
"Yes, Amy."
"What is the Following Dark?"
"A Time Lord human hybrid with a broken time stream and unimaginable power. Said to be the darkness after a storm."
"I think that makes sense." Amy said quietly.
"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.
"The Daleks call you the Oncoming Storm. And she is the darkness after the storm. Is she really your daughter?"
The Doctor opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again "She lied to me," he said quietly "She told me it was her mum that was pregnant. Rose Tyler lied to me." And stormed angrily towards the TARDIS. Amy and Rory had to run to catch up.
Aderyn was busy at the console, pacing a circle around and muttering to herself.
"There was something I was meant to do. Why can't I remember now? Think." she said as she walked. She stopped pacing suddenly and exclaimed "The protocol." She ran to the TARDIS keyboard and started to hurriedly press buttons.
"Um, what protocol?" the Doctor asked.
"The Little Bird protocol." Aderyn said.
"There is no such protocol on my TARDIS," The Doctor said, following Aderyn as she started pacing again. "And what the hell is going on?"
Aderyn pressed a couple of switches as she walked passed them "There is such a protocol. That protocol will explain everything," She pressed one last button and a hologram appeared "At least it should." Aderyn sat opposite the hologram, watching it carefully. Rose Tyler stood before them. The Doctor couldn't bring himself to move or speak. He wanted to believe this was some kind of trick or joke. But deep down he knew it wasn't.
"My Little Bird, if you're seeing this then you've run the protocol. You need to know that I'm sorry. They were after you and I had no other choice," the hologram said "I had to do whatever I could to keep you safe. I knew your future. I knew that one day, when you needed him the most, a man will take your hand and tell you to run. And you will. He won't be just any man. He'll be a crazy spaceman with a blue box. I knew he'd adore you and do anything to keep you safe. That man will be the Doctor. He'll act like a parent to you just because you need one. Neither of you will know it at the time but the Doctor is your father. And you'll meet someone. Someone that will move in the opposite direction to you. But that won't stop you falling in love. Something else you should know, the most important thing, you were wanted and you were loved. You'll know where to find me, but that door can only be opened once and not for very long."
The hologram vanished and a stunned silence filled the TARDIS. Both Aderyn and the Doctor stared at the spot where the hologram had been stood.
The silence seemed to last for hours until Aderyn broke it. She went to the console and lovingly placed a hand on it "Tell her I'm on my way." The TARDIS hummed softly and Aderyn smiled at it. The engines whooshed and they arrived at their destination seconds later. Aderyn walked to the door, pulling out her sonic screwdriver as she went. She stopped, her hand on the door handle "come with me," she said. She turned to face the Doctor "Please come with me. You need an explanation as much as I do. You heard her, the door can only be opened once," The Doctor didn't move. He didn't even look at her. He was still staring at the same spot "Fine then. But I can't do this alone. River?"
River nodded and followed her. When they opened the door, River was surprised to find they were in Amy's back garden.
Before the door could close, the Doctor launched forward to follow them. He stopped and looked at Amy and Rory "Are you coming?" He asked.
Amy shook her head.
"No. This is something that you really don't need us for. We'll leave you to it." Rory said.
"We're at your house." the Doctor said.
"Then we'll wait for you in there. We'll make tea." Amy followed him to the door. Aderyn and River frowned questioningly.
"Don't worry," Amy said quickly "We're not coming. We're just gonna wait inside."
"And make tea." Rory added.
Aderyn held up her screwdriver, sporadically pressing the button, listening for the changes in tone. She followed the beeps and whirrs. They ended up in Amy's bedroom. The crack in the wall was still there. But the line was broken and disjointed.