Bob had finally reached his destination, the outskirts of London. As he walked the deserted streets amongst the abandoned buildings, the young priest was saddened to see the destruction, the devastation around him that had been caused by the German air raids during the Blitz, which began in 1940 and ended in 1941. Even the sky looked dark and dreary; it matched the blackened and ruined structures. But Bob had a light within him and it was called, faith. He had faith that he would find the warehouse soon and get the answers he was searching for. He was desperate to find out what had happened to Father Octavian and the rest of the clerics. Seven militarized priests from the 51st Century Church had been sent back in time to the year 1942 to protect the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill against an assassination attempt by a band of android soldiers.
Bob remembered materializing in an abandoned warehouse on the outer edge of London along with Father Octavian, David, Angelo, Christian, Joshua and Caleb, and that was the last thing he remembered. He knew in his heart his memories had been wiped away in that warehouse. He wasn't sure if he was missing a day or days. Bob couldn't recollect what had happened to him from the time he arrived inside the building to the time he woke up in the field strewn with dead bodies. Unfortunately, he had not been able to determine whether Father Octavian or his fellow priests were amongst the dead in the field. He was going to find out exactly what had happened to his unit if it was the last thing he did.
Bob walked on for several blocks amid the rubble, the sense of familiarity becoming stronger. The warehouse had to be close by. As he rounded a corner and came to a junction, Bob heard the screams of a woman. The young cleric ran toward the sound and came across a large man trying to force a woman into the back of an army truck parked in front of an abandoned building – the warehouse!
"Get your filthy hands off of me!" River shouted at the soldier.
"Shut up!" the soldier exclaimed, forcing River into the back of the truck. The android slapped River across the face with the back of his hand. "You want more of that, just keep talking!"
Bob aimed his rifle at the soldier. "Let her go!" Bob shouted.
The soldier turned to face the priest, recognition crossing his face. "It's you. You survived," the soldier said with disgust.
"What? Do you know me?" Bob asked, hope filling his heart.
"I don't have time for you right now. Get out of here, if you know what's good for you," the tall soldier said threateningly.
"I said let her go!" Bob demanded.
Without warning the soldier raced toward Bob and snatched the rifle out of the cleric's hands. He then slammed his fist into the priest's face. Bob went down like a sack of potatoes.
River saw her chance to escape and jumped out of the bed of the army truck. Before she could flee the soldier was standing beside her, aiming the rifle at her head. "Get back in the truck or I'll blow your head off right here!"
Bob sat up slowly, shaking his head to clear his head. He searched the area and found a broken pipe about three feet in length. He came up behind the soldier and brought the metal tube down hard upon the man's head. He had expected to render the soldier unconscious with the blow. CLANG! Bob stood frozen in shock; his arms painfully throbbed as if he had struck a head made out of steel. Bob's eyes widened in fear as the soldier, strangely unharmed, turned and glared down at him.
"Hit him again!" River shouted. "He's not human! Hit him again!"
Without giving it a second thought, Bob obeyed River's orders and smashed the pipe across the soldier's face. The android soldier staggered back. The skin from its cheekbone was torn away exposing polished steel. The soldier grabbed Bob by the throat, lifting him off his feet. The android smiled as it attempted to choke the life out of the priest. Bob couldn't breathe! He was losing consciousness! He kicked as hard as he could at the robot's torso but the android only sneered as its grip tightened around Bob's throat.
Suddenly, Bob found himself falling to the ground. He gasped, coughed and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with air. He wondered what had caused the android to release its grip and to his surprise the android had the metal pipe protruding out of its chest. The robot soldier dropped to its knees revealing River standing behind it. She thrust the pipe deeper into the soldier's chest with her foot. The android's body shook violently and dropped to the ground but it was still active. The bionic soldier grabbed Bob by the ankle and pulled the priest forward; going for Bob's throat once again. River found another broken pipe and smashed it across the android's head with as much force as she could muster. The steel head broke away from the metal vertebrae and soared through the air, landing several feet away. The android's body convulsed and a moment later finally lay lifeless on the ground.
"Are you all right?" River asked as she helped Bob remove the android's hand from his ankle.
"What?"
"Are you hurt?" River asked the dazed man.
"Yes, I believe so. He was an android and he knew me!" Bob said excitedly.
"It seems so," River said.
"I don't remember him, but he remembered me! Extraordinary! How many others are inside the building?" Bob asked, thrilled that he had finally found the warehouse.
"How do you know about them?"
"I came with…I'm on a special mission…"
"Are you one of Father Octavian's clerics?" River asked, delighted that she had finally found one of the missing priests.
"Yes!" Bob exclaimed. "Do you know where the Bishop is?"
River shook her head sadly. "Sorry, no. I was hoping you could tell me where he was. My name's River Song, and you are?"
"Bob."
River smiled. She remembered the priest from their mission on the starship Byzantium, the operation with the Weeping Angels. Father Octavian had reprimanded the young priest for carelessly firing at a statue, but later they were to learn the statue had actually been a Weeping Angel. Bob would not remember her now since that was to happen in his future.
"Miss Song, have you come to find Father Octavian?" Bob asked.
"Yes, but first I need you to help me with something else. There are five other androids in that warehouse and they are holding someone hostage. They plan to do something terrible to him and we need to get him out of there before they harm him. Will you help me?"
"Yes, of course!" Bob said. "Just tell me what I must do!"
"Follow me," River said.
"Where are we going?" Bob asked.
"We must first go to the TARDIS."
