A/N I don't own DW or the BBC

Amy rubbed at her eye, trying to get rid of that weird itchy feeling. Probably an eyelash.

"You alright?" River asked, coming up behind Amy with a concerned look on her face.

Amy shrugged, pulling her hand down. "Yeah, just got an eyelash in my eye. So what's this, uh…Maze of the Dead?"

"Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds. Basically just a big underground labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls," the archaeologist replied nonchalantly.

Amy swallowed. "O-kay..."

"Can I see your arm?"

Amy held out her arm without a second thought, and River pulled a big needle out of her pocket. "Now, this won't hurt a bit."

"Ow!"

"I lied. Evy! Come on, sweetie, you need one too!" River called to Evy, who walked back to River and Amy. The Doctor followed her.

"What's that?" he asked, cautious, "What're you injecting them with?" he sounded almost accusatory, but River just rolled her eyes and administered the shot to Evy, who barely even flinched.

"It's a viro-stabiliser. Stabilizes your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything," she added to Amy and Evy, who nodded.

The Doctor looked sheepish. "Ah. Yes, sorry. Nice idea, thank you, River."

He sort of hovered awkwardly in front of the woman, finally clapping his hands together and spinning around, marching forward, Evy following him with a torch and secretly rolling her eyes, earning a giggle from Amy.

"Are they like that? In the future?"

River's own smile fell slightly, and she had to think for a moment.

"Yes. They're the Doctor and Evy; they'll always be like that. Just not exactly…like that. It's hard to talk about, spoilers and all," she finished, waving her hand around. "But I can tell you –" she was cut off by the bang of a gunshot ringing out.

The Doctor stiffened and then ran off toward the sound, River and the Ponds on their heels. They ran down a flight of dilapidated stairs and soon found the source, which was in fact a boy - probably no older than 18 - who looked pretty scared and ashamed. Father Octavian was giving him an angry lecture when they burst in,

"…don't have time for this idiocy! You know what the Angel looks like. Did that look like the Angel?"

The boy bowed his head. "No, sir. But I thought it looked at me, sir."

"Well man up! We haven't got time for cowards," Father Octavian growled and something in Evy snapped.

She handed River the torch before coming up to Father Octavian with her arms crossed.

"With respect, sir, you're talking to an 18 year old boy and not a fully trained NAVY officer. So don't go talking to him like he is one," she demanded in calm but serious tone, glaring daggers at the bishop.

"He's going to be scared and it's probably the only thing keeping him alive. So if you want this mission to go any faster, I suggest that you get yourself on your feet, sir," she snapped.

Then she turned to the boy - making sure her expression was enlightened - before held out her hand. "The name's Evy. What's yours, lad?"

The boy smiled slightly and shook her hand. "Bob, miss."

"Just Evy, if you will. Bob – I like that. Good name."

"We'll be moving into the maze in a few minutes," Father Octavian announced, obviously not happy with her.

"You stay here," he told Bob, "with Christian and Angelo. Keep watch."

And then the Bishop marched onward, torch held in front of him. He was barely out of earshot when Amy chuckled quietly, slapping her sister's arms playfully.

"Oh that was rich. Did you see his face when you called him an idiot?" she asked, a huge grin on her face. "Shut him up like a clam."

Evy just bit her lip and the Doctor laughed, coming up and putting his arm over her shoulders.

"You two…." He trailed off, as if he wasn't quite sure what 'the two of them' were. He laughed again.

"Come on, you lot! We're going into the maze!" River called over her shoulder, already heading into the maze behind the bishop and his clerics. Evy turned and followed immediately; something just made her trust this woman without even questioning. Maybe they were best mates in the future and it just sort of fell back through the timeline, she thought with a shrug as she went into the maze.

The Doctor followed, but only after noticing that the Ponds had already gone ahead. The Doctor was a bit reluctant – he did hate not knowing something, and River Song was just one big unknown – but the ginger sisters seemed to think she was alright, so he submitted, picking up his pace to catch up.

"This thing isn't going to cave in on us, is it?" Amy asked, only a bit nervously.

River waved it off. "Incredible builders, the Aplans. We're fine."

"I had dinner with the Chief Architect once," the Doctor told them, shining his electric torch up above them, making Any gasp at the height of the ceilings.

"Two heads are better than one," Evy mumbled after a moment, still looking at the ceiling. There were statues everywhere.

"You helped him?" Amy asked, shocked. "Isn't that a bit like cheating?"

"No! I meant that he had two heads. River, darling, that book, at the end – what did it say?"

She smiled at the thought of Evy calling her 'darling' before rummaging in her pocket. "Umm, hang on just a moment."

"Read it to me."

There was the sound of shuffling pages and she must've found it, because she began to read:

"What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels."

The words sent shivers down Amy's spine, and she wrapped her arms around herself to make them disappear, looking around them at the walls with apprehension. She couldn't quite figure out what the words meant, but they were definitely unnerving, regardless of their meaning. After a few minutes of silence, Evy spoke,

"How big is this place?"

"Six stories. The Aplans thought it represented the ascension of the soul," River informed her with a little smile. "But we've only got two more levels to go!"

The Doctor shined his torch around, grinning at the frankly brilliant architecture. "Lovely species, the Aplans. We should go and visit them sometime. Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads, of course."

He blew the air out through his lips, thinking it over. Just imagine. If you feel lonely you've always got the other head. You'll never be short of a snog."

"Doctor," River interrupted, "There's something. I don't know what it is, but it's not….it's not right."

He brushed it aside. "Yes, yes, I know. Working on it. Course, then they passed laws against self-marriage. What's that all about? But I suppose that's the church for you. No offense, Bishop," he added before Evy nudged him on the arm.

"Doctor…the statues," she frowned, "Why are there so many of them?"

"Art? Interior decorating? Time-wasting? How should I know? Honestly, you all act like I know everything," he said with a fake exasperated sigh.

"No, but, Doctor, don't artists usually make stuff that looks like them?"

He shrugged, not really listening. "Yeah, I suppose so."

She paused for a moment. "Then how come the statues only have one head?"

Silence. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Nobody blink. Nobody move. I'm sorry, but I've made a terrible mistake," the Doctor said quietly, looking at the statues with wide eyes. "We're in terrible danger."

"Aren't we always?" River asked, sighing dramatically, though Evy could tell that she was afraid as well.

The Doctor took a slow step back, ignoring River. "Could everybody back up for me? All together – yes, that's it. Alright. Now, I want you all to switch off your torches."

One by one, the lights go out until there's only one left.

"I'm going to turn mine off," he began, "but only for a moment. Keep your eyes open."

Darkness for a fraction of a second, but it was enough. And surely enough, the statues had moved.

"Oh my god," River breathed. The statues had moved.

"They're all Angels," Evy said, speaking what they were all thinking but no one had dared to say. "Every last one of these statues is an Angel."

The Doctor walked forward, shining his torch and keeping his eyes on everything. On every Angel.

"But…there was only one Angel, I swear!" Amy cried in distress.

"Maybe they didn't show up 'cause they don't really look like Angels?" Evy suggested, still keeping her gaze locked into the stone statues.

"Yeah. Their image is power," the Doctor mumbled absentmindedly, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Then something hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"Power….power! Power! Oh, they've been absorbing all that radiation from the drive burn! The crash of the Byzantium wasn't an accident – it was a rescue mission! A rescue mission for the Angels, who're now….waking up."

"We should get out then, yeah?" Amy asked, a bit nervously, "Like now?"

"Yes," River agreed. "Think that might be a good idea. Doctor?"

He faltered and Father Octavian stole the moment, saying into his comm, "Angelo, Bob, Christian, come in please. I repeat, come in."

Silence.

And then a man's voice spoke. "It's Bob, sir. Sorry, sir." And everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Father Octavian finally showed a smile before turning serious. "Bob! Are Angelo and Christian with you? The statues are active. I repeat, all of the statues are active."

"I know, sir. Angelo and Christian are dead, sir. The Angels killed them."

The Doctor rudely snatched the device and brought it up to his mouth, saying, "Hello, Bob! It's the Doctor. Where are you?"

The Bishop looked indignant. "Excuse me, I was talking to my –"

"Not now, Father," Evy said, not even looking at him. He shut up.

"Just coming up now, sir. Is that Miss Evy? May I please speak with her?"

Evy smiled and took the comm. "Yes, hello. You alright, Bob?"

There was a pause. "I…I'm not sure. I think so. I think I'm alright."

Her expression grew serious. "What's that mean? You've got to tell us."

He didn't respond.

"Bob…your friends, what did the Angel do to them?" she asked quietly, mistaking his silence for sorrow.

"Snapped their necks," he replied in a bright voice, one that could almost be described as chipper.

The Doctor frowned. "But that's not right. The Angels kill you kindly, by displacing you in time. They wouldn't just snap your neck….unless they needed…."

"Did you check for vital signs? We might be able to organize a rescue if there's any chance they're still alive," the bishop tried, though it was obviously futile.

Evy's head dropped as she gave a loud sigh.

"I'm sorry," she told him sincerely. "Bob, if you don't mind me asking, how did you escape them?"

"Oh, I didn't."

"But you're…"

"The Angels killed me. Snapped my neck as well. Wasn't painless, but it doesn't hurt now. Suppose that's good."

Evy swallowed thickly as she raised the comm to her mouth again. "How are you talking to me?"

"You're not talking to me. The Angel stripped my cerebral cortex from my body and re-animated a version of my consciousness to communicate with you. I'm sorry."

There was a loud thud that echoed throughout the cave as she hit a nearby stone statue with her bare fists, making Amy and River jump. Evy's hands gripped tightly to the radio as she stared at the ground beneath her with a blank expression. She was shaking.

"Miss Evy?"

She shook her head, refusing to look up. The Doctor slowly approached her, holding out his hand.

"Evy, you don't have to do this," he tried, "Give me the comm."

Regaining her senses, she suddenly stood up straight, looking up at them blankly. Slowly, she brought the radio back to her mouth.

"Bob?"

"Here, miss."

"It was a pleasure to work with you. And... I'm sorry," she shook her head in guilt, "But can you do one last thing for us?"

"And what's that, ma'm?"

"Could you just... help us. Please. Other people are here also risking their lives and I don't to lose them too," she admitted, glancing at all the clerics and soldiers before her that had families and friends to come home to.

There was a pause. "I'll to my best, ma'm."

"Good boy, Bob. You will be receiving instructions from the Doctor. He'll ask questions and you answer them, okay, Bob?" After hearing a 'yes' from the boy, she handed the comm to the Doctor.

"Hello again, Bob! I'll need to confirm some things if it's all the same to you," He said, bringing back the cheerful vibes. "When you said that you were coming up…?"

"The Angel, sir. Sorry for the confusion."

"Right," the Doctor said, wandering around again. He looked at the others. Evy removed her fingerless gloves as she started wrapping her right hand with bandages River had handed over. Probably injured from punching stone, the Doctor guessed.

Amy, the Bishop and his clerics only kept quiet and wore a gloomy expression on their faces as thy grieved for their co-workers and friends.

"And ah, which Angel am I talking to? The one from the ship?"

"Yes, sir. And the other Angels are still restoring."

"Ah, so the Angel is not in the wreckage. Thank you." He turned to hand the comm to the Bishop, but he'd just left, River leaving behind him.

The Doctor frowned and clipped it to his belt unhappily as he approached the Ponds, who were now alone with the clerics.

"Evy," he said, looking at her with concern, "Let me see."

She quickly put her injured hand behind her back. "Yeah. Yeah, 'm fine. Just shook me up a bit," she said, but the Doctor was not convinced.

"Evy, show me. Please."

He looked up at her gave his adorable puppy-dog-eyes that she could not bear to say no to. So with a groan, she removed her glove as well as the bandages covering it.

Some of the skin on her knuckles had peeled off, revealing the pink flesh underneath. There was a bit of blood, but luckily it wasn't broken. He briefly scanned it with his sonic before putting back the bandages, as well as her glove.

"Nothing that serious. But that doesn't save you from a trip I the med-bay, young lady," he pointed out and Evy gave a loud sigh.

"Doctor?" Amy interrupted, sounding scared. His blood ran cold – were the Angels here already? But no. Amy was standing with her hand on the metal railing, and she wasn't moving.

"Doctor, I'm stuck."

"What?" he asked, confused. "No you're not. Come on."

"I can't."

"Amy! You're being ridiculous!" he exclaimed, grabbing her other hand. "We've got to go – come on!"

"Look at it. Look at my hand. It's stone!" she hissed, gesturing to her - perfectly normal - hand.

Evy frowned. "What's wrong with your hand? It's fine."

The Doctor's flashlight was starting to flicker, and the Angels were surely the cause of it.

"Look at it! It's stone!" she insisted, looking at her arm – which was entirely flesh – in a disgusted sort of panic.

The Doctor flashed the torch into her eyes and groaned. "You looked into the eyes of the Angel, didn't you?"

She fidgeted nervously and he grimaced. "No, it's just an illusion – your hand is not actually stone," he tried to explain, but she would have none of it.

"It is! Look at it!" She screeched, quieting when he hushed her, looking around them for Angels popping around corners. Nothing yet.

"Amy, there's nothing wrong with your hand. It's just skin, like normal," Evy told her. "Listen to me, if we don't get out of here, we're gonna die."

Another flicker. A hand reached out from behind a crumbling wall.

"Amelia, we've got to go!"

"Go on," Amy said, her voice shaking slightly. "Everyone up there's gonna die without you, Doctor. So go on, get out of here."

The entire Angel was around the wall now. Stop blinking, stop blinking.

"Oh, Amy, no," the Doctor groaned, twisting his hands in his hair. "The Angels have gotten into your head – they're messing with what you see! It's only an illusion!"

"Those people up there will die without you. If you stay here with me, you'll have as good as killed them."

The Doctor's voice was sad. "Oh, Amy Pond. I am so sorry."

Evy paled, looking at the Angels that were now barely two meters away. "What! We can't leave her!"

He blinked. "Oh, I'm not leaving you, Amy! I'm sorry about this." He bent down and put his mouth right by her hand, opening his jaw and…

"Ow!" she shrieked, jumping away from him, clutching her hand to her chest. "What the hell?!"

"See? Not stone."

"You bit me!" Amy cried, incredulous. "I've got a mark! Look at my hand!"

"And you're alive, he failed to mention," Evy sighed and pulled Amy behind her, keeping her gaze on the Angels behind them. "We need to get out!"

"Ah, right," the Doctor said. He reached down and took her hand, looking up into her eyes with a smile. "Run."

They ran back down the way they came, following where the Bishop, River, and the clerics had gone. They safely reached the tunnel in just moments, quick enough to hear the beginnings of a conversation:

"Clerics, we're down to four men. Expect incoming."

"Yeah, that would be the Angels," the Doctor said, coming to rest just beside them. "They're coming. And they're draining all our power for themselves."

"We won't be able to see them," River pointed out and he smirked.

"Yes, that's why we've got to leave. Now, angels coming at us from all sides, no climbing gear to reach the Byzantium…."

"No pressure," Evy said, coming to stand by the Doctor, "But this is usually when you come up with a really great idea."

The lights went completely out for a moment, and when they came back on, the Angels were so close that Amy could've reached out to touch one if she tried.

"There's always a way out," the Doctor told them, closing his eyes to think. His words echoed out all around the cavern. There's always a way out. Always a way out. Always a way out. Always a-

"Sir?"

His eyes snapped open and he snatched up the comm. "Angels. How may I help you?"

"Is Miss Evy there, sir? The Angels would like to tell her something."

The Doctor paused before hesitantly passing the comm to Evy.

"Evy, here," she spoke up, "What is it, Bob?"

"With respect ma'm," Bob's voice came through. Except it wasn't Bob. "I died in fear."

"I'm... sorry?"

"You told me that my fear would keep me alive. But you wrong. I died alone, afraid, and in pain. The Angels were very keen for you to know that. You made me trust you when it mattered the most and you let me down, ma'm."

The Doctor's jaw clenched as he heard Bob's message and he looked at Evy, who looked as though she'd just been stabbed in the shoulder. Her eyes were wide as she froze where she stood.

"I am so sorry you're dead, Bob," she said weakly, "I'm sorry, but I can't change anything. It's all my fault."

The Doctor came up to her and opened his mouth to speak. "Evy, none of this is your-"

But she held a hand out and shot him a glare, shutting him up. Amy shared a look with River as they watched nervously.

"What are they doing?" Amy asked quietly.

River just kept her gaze locked on Evy when she answered, "Trying make her angry."

Through Evy's wide eyes, she could see the golden light spark. If Angel Bob were to go any further, she was sure that spark would soon turn into a fire. Just like the Angels would have wanted.

Thankfully, her breathing and her actions seemed controlled. It seemed she was aware of the Angels's intentions.

"Bob, I assure you, I will make them sorry," she said and without question, handed the comm to the Doctor, who quickly spoke into it.

"The Angels have made their second mistake because I'm not going to let this pass."

"Sir? You're trapped and running out of power."

"Yeah. I'm trapped. But the Angels made a mistake, Bob."

"Sir?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked the small group of surviving people behind him. Amy nodded immediately, Evy just after her. Then River. Then several of the clerics.

"What are you going to do?" Father Octavian asked, eyeing the Doctor warily.

"Something stupid and incredibly dangerous," he replied, "When I do, I need you all to jump."

"Jump where?"

"Just jump." The Doctor pulled out Evy's gun from the holster on her leg and held it up in the air with one hand, the comm in the other. "On my signal."

"What signal?" Evy asked, and he looked at her for a brief moment. But in that moment, their thoughts were like one and she trusted him wholeheartedly.

"You won't miss it," he promised.

"Sir? What mistake did the Angels make?"

"And you as well, sir."

A pause.

"Would you like me to take a message to the Angels? Their mistake?"

" Oh, big mistake. Huge. There's one thing you never put in a trap," he said into the comm, raising the gun again with a steady arm. "If you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap."

"And what's that, sir?"

"Me."

~~~~~CHAPTER 2 END~~~~~