The Pandorica Opens pt. 1
"Where's Amy?" the Doctor questions entering the room. I point down below the console. He lies down and sticks his head over the side. "Vavoom!"
"Va-what?" The Doctor sits back up and Amy comes running up the stairs.
"I can't believe I've never thought of this before, it's genius. Right!" He flips a few switches and the TARDIS shakes. "Landed, come on."
"Where are we?" Amy questions.
"Planet One. The oldest planet in the universe and there's a cliff of pure diamond and, according to legend, on the cliff there's writing. Letters 50 feet high, a message from the dawn of time, and no one knows what it says, cos no one's ever translated it. Till today."
"What happens today?" I ask curiously.
"Us. The TARDIS can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history." He offers Amy and hand and we follow him to the doors. We step outside to see the cliff face as it reads, "Hello Sweetie."
"Vavoom!" Amy comments in awe. The Doctor rushes back in to the TARDIS and we take off.
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Once we've landed the Doctor rushes for the door.
"Right place?" Amy questions as he steps outside.
"Just followed the co-ordinates on the cliff face. Earth. Britain." In the distance is a Roman legion. The Doctor is too busy looking at his watch to notice. "1:02 a.m. No, p.m."
"No, AD," I say as I direct the Doctor's attention on the legion.
"That's a Roman legion," Amy comments.
"Well, yeah. The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."
"Oh, I know. My favorite topic at school, 'Invasion of the Hot Italians.'" The Doctor gives her a look.
"Yeah, but she did get marked down for the title," I inform as Amy nudges my arm. A roman soldier runs up to us.
"Hail, Caesar!" he salutes before bowing.
"Hi."
"Welcome to Britain. We are honored by your presence."
"Well, you're only human. Arise…Roman person."
"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Amy questions suspiciously.
"Cleopatra will see you now." We follow the soldier through the camp and in to a tent.
"Hello, sweetie," River comments.
"River!" Amy says taking a look around. "Hi."
"You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe," the Doctor says with hushed tones.
"You wouldn't answer your phone." River claps her hands and we are left alone. She holds out a rolled up parchment.
"What's this?"
"It's a painting. Your friend Vincent." The Doctor snatches it from her hands. "One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he?" The Doctor opens the painting and we look at it. "I thought you ought to know about this one." The painting is of the TARDIS exploding.
"Doctor? Doctor, what is this?" Amy questions.
"Why's it exploding?" Amy questions.
"I assume it's some kind of warning," River guesses.
"What? Something's going to happen to the TARDIS?" I turn to look at the Doctor and we share a look.
"It might not be that literal. Anyway this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign. See."
"Does it have a title?" the Doctor questions.
"'The Pandorica Opens.'"
"The Pandorica? What is it?" Amy questions.
"A box. A cage. A prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe."
"And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real." The Doctor paces.
"If it is real, it's here and it's opening. And it's got something to do with your TARDIS exploding." The Doctor brings several maps over to the table. "Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map."
"No. But if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it."
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We ride on horseback across the land. After a day of riding we finally reach our destination, Stonehenge. The Doctor and River immediately start scanning the area.
"How come it's not new?" Amy questions.
"Because it's already old. Been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long," River relays.
"Ok, this Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."
"Spoilers!" River says putting a finger to her lips.
"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens."
"Maybe I did. But I haven't yet. But I will have. Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site."
"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history. Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it." The Doctor puts his head on one of the rocks lying on the ground. "We need to get down there."
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River sets the last piece of equipment.
"Right then…ready." The rock slides to the side revealing stairs that lead down. River takes out a flashlight and points it down.
"The underhenge," the Doctor says before making his way down. At the bottom of the stairs we enter a room with a large wooden door. The Doctor and River light a couple torches as the Doctor moves the plank holding the door closed. Together, River and the Doctor open the large doors. In the center of the room sits a large cube.
"It's a Pandorica," the Doctor states.
"More than just a fairy tale," River comments. We slowly make our way over to the box.
"There was a goblin or a trickster or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos and nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world."
"How did it end up in there?" Amy questions.
"You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it."
"I hate good wizards in fairy tales," River says handing her torch to Amy. "They always turn out to be him."
"So it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name," Amy comments swinging the torch around.
"Sorry, what?" the Doctor questions.
"The story. Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favorite book when I was a kid." The Doctor turns to look at her.
"What's wrong?" I question.
"Your favorite school topic and your favorite story. Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence."
"So can you open it?" River questions.
"Easily. Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first." River's computer beeps.
"You won't have long to wait. It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled, one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside." She puts her ear to the box.
"How long do we have?"
"Hours at the most."
"What kind of security?"
"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines."
"What could need all that?"
"What could get past all that?"
"Think of the fear that went into making this box. What could inspire that level of fear? Hello, you…Have we met?"
"So why would it start to open now?" I question him.
"No idea."
"And how could Vincent have known about it? He won't even be born for centuries," Amy adds. The Doctor takes his sonic and points it at the pillars.
"The stones! These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening!"
"Doctor-everyone, everywhere?" River questions fearfully.
"Even poor Vincent heard it in his dreams. But what's in there, what could justify all this?"
"Doctor, everyone?"
"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it. Why don't I know?"
"Doctor, you said everyone could hear it. So who else is coming?"
"Oh," the Doctor states in realization.
"Oh? Oh, what?" Amy questions.
"Ok, if it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal." River states as she puts her computer up against a pillar.
"Doing it," the Doctor says pointing his sonic at the pillars.
"Doing what?" I question as I demand an answer.
"Stonehenge is transmitting, it's been transmitting for a while…so who heard?" River finally informs us.
"Ok, should be feeding back to you now. River, what's out there? Getting anything?"
"Give me a moment."
"River, quickly, anything?"
"Around this planet, there are at least 10,000 starships."
"At least?" Amy says scoffing.
"10,000, 100,000, 1 million, I don't know. There's too many readings."
"What kind of starships?" the Doctor questions intently.
"Maintaining orbit."
"I obey."
"Shield cover compromised on ion sectors."
"Daleks. Those are Daleks," Amy comments solemnly.
"Daleks, Doctor," River states fearfully.
"Yes, ok. Ok, ok, ok. Dalek fleet. Minimum, 12,000 battleships, armed to the teeth. Ahhh! But we've got surprise on our side! They'll never expect four people to attack 12,000 Dalek battleships. Cos we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise. Forget surprise." Amy and I watch wide eyed as the Doctor frantically paces.
"Doctor, Cyber ships," River comments looking at her scanner again.
"No, Dalek ships, listen to them, those are Dalek ships."
"Yes. Dalek ships and Cyber ships."
"Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other. That's easy. It's the Daleks, they're so cross…" As River continues to scan, different voices can be heard.
"Sontaran. Four battle fleets."
"Sontarans! Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?"
"Terileptil. Slitheen. Chelonian. Nestene. Drahvin. Sycorax. Haemo-goth. Zygon. Atraxi. Draconaian." As River names off the different groups, the Doctor backs up toward the Pandorica. "They're all here. For the Pandorica."
"What are you? What could you possibly be?" the Doctor questions out loud looking at the box. The room starts to vibrate as the swooshing sound of ships flying can be heard. We all race up the stairs and out in the open.
"What do we do?" Amy asks fearfully as we watch the ships fly overhead.
"Doctor, listen to me! Everything that has ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run," River pleads.
"Run where?"
"Fight how?" she demands.
"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe," the Doctor says as he looks through his binoculars.
"What is?" I question.
"The Daleks?" Amy guesses.
"No, no, no, no. The Romans!" The Doctor looks back at us and smiles.
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The Doctor continues to try and figure out the box as Amy lights more torches.
"So what's this got to do with the TARDIS?" Amy questions.
"Nothing, as far as I know," the Doctor comments.
"But Vincent's painting, the TARDIS was exploding, is that going to happen?"
"One problem at a time. There's force field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour."
"What good is half an hour?" I ask placing my hands on my hips.
"There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom 6 that live for 20 minutes and they don't even mate for life. There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you."
"So…are you proposing to someone?" Amy questions.
"I'm sorry?"
"I found this in your pocket." We both look up to see Amy holding Rory's ring box. We share a look.
"No. No, no, that's, er…a memory. A friend of mine, someone I lost. Do you…" he tries to take it but she pulls it back, "mind?"
"It's weird. I feel…I don't know. Something."
"People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals…rings…Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And…if something can be remembered, it can come back." Amy snaps the lid closed.
"So, was she nice, your friend?" she questions as she hands him the box.
"Remember that night you flew away with me?"
"Of course we do."
"And you asked me why I was taking you and I told you there wasn't a reason. I was lying."
"What, so you did have a reason?"
"Your house."
"Our house," I say scoffing.
It was too big, too many empty rooms. Does it ever bother you that your life doesn't make any sense?" Before either of us can answer a laser hits the box just above our heads. We duck for cover as more lasers are fired.
"What was that?" Amy questions breathlessly.
"Ok, I need a proper look. Got to draw its fire, give it a target."
"How?" I question.
"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?"
"Yes…" Amy and I say at the same time.
"Sorry!" He jumps out into the open. "Look at me, I'm a target!" He then runs for cover.
"What is that?" Amy questions.
"Cyber arm. Arm of a Cyberman."
"And what's a Cyberman?"
"Oh, sort of part man, part robot. The organic part must have died off years ago, now the robot part is looking for, well…fresh meat."
"What, us?" I question with concern.
"Yeah, it's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of…screaming. I need to get behind it, could you draw its fire?"
"What, like you did?" Amy questions sarcastically.
"You'll be fine if you're quick, it's only got one arm, literally." He gives us thumbs up. Amy returns it before turning to me.
"Stay here." She turns and runs as she screams, "Aah!" I peak around the corner and see the Doctor holding on to the arm. "Doctor?" Amy questions from her position.
"Scrambled its circuits, but stay where you are. It could be bluffing."
"Bluffing? It's an arm!" Amy says walking toward him.
"I said, 'Stay where you are!'" Amy complies and slowly starts walking backward. We watch him mess with the arm.
"Doctor?" I hear Amy say and look over to see her pulled to the ground.
"Amy!" the Doctor yells before the arm emits an electric shock.
"Doctor!" Amy yells. I turn to see a cyberman's head trying to attack her.
"Amy," I say running up behind her.
"Stay back!" she warns. The head opens up to reveal a human skull. We both scream. Amy bangs the helmet against the wall and is finally able to throw it to the ground. Something shoots out of it and hits Amy in the neck.
"Amy?" I question as she pulls out a small dart.
"You will be assimilated!" the head informs.
"Yeah? You and whose body?" Amy questions sarcastically. A one armed and headless cyber body comes walking out and toward us. It picks up the head and puts it on the body. Amy picks up a torch and starts waving it wildly as we back up.
"Argh!" we both cry out as we fall through a doorway. The door thuds closed.
"Doctor?!" Amy calls out. We listen as there is more thudding and the door rattles. The thudding stops and Amy moves to put her ear to the door. "Doctor?" She screams and backs away when the tip of a sword pokes through the door. The door opens to reveal the cyberman has been run through. "Who…? Who are you…?" Amy questions as the Roman soldier enters.
"Hello, Amy," he says taking off his helmet. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he states as he catches Amy as the sedative finally takes hold. He lays her on the slab of stone carefully.
"Rory?!" I question in shock once I get a good look at the soldier in front of me. He just smiles at me.