Slowly he opened his eyes again, and he couldn't believe what he saw; the statue was still there, hunched over the control panel in exactly the same position as when he closed them. He wasn't dreaming. So what on earth was going on?
As if in answer to that thought, Al heard the Doctor's voice behind him. "Don't move. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead!"
Totally ignoring that advice, Al whirled around to see the man whose arm was on his shoulder. "Doctor? What the hell is going on?"
"I said don't turn around!" the Doctor exclaimed irritably, whirling the other man around to face the statue again.
Al decided to play along for the moment. After what he'd seen this day, he felt he really didn't have a choice. For some reason he kept his voice to a whisper, perhaps because he didn't want to wake the statue. "How the hell did you get out of the Waiting Room?"
From behind him, the Doctor held a screwed up piece of paper. "Makeshift lockpick".
"But the Waiting Room doesn't even have a keyhole!"
"It has a seam though".
"So you're telling me you got through the door with a piece of paper?"
"Venusian origami. Swear by it".
The Doctor threw the crumpled piece of paper onto the floor in front of Al, who then turned his mind to more pressing matters. "So what is that thing? Looks like just a statue to me".
"That's exactly what it is. Although it isn't that at all".
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It's a Weeping Angel. It's a statue when you see it. But when you turn your head, when you blink, it becomes something else entirely".
Straining to keep facing forward, Al went on questioning the Doctor. "Like what?"
"Something fast. Something terrible. Something beyond your imagination. Al Calavicci, welcome to my world".
Al resisted the urge to turn around again as the Doctor went on. "This is why that unknown force you mentioned sent me here. If it gets its hands on Doctor Beckett's time machine, there's no telling what it could do".
Getting over the initial shock, Al was irritated. "So the force sent you here? Just to get the 'Weeping Angel'? And where Sam went was totally inconsequential?"
"Quite, quite".
"Then that's great. He's about to get blown to kingdom come by an atom bomb, and it doesn't even matter!"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"That Sam, and your friends, have just found the people Ziggy sent them to save; two drunks in the desert. And the vehicle? A small dirt bike that can carry two at the most! And that isn't important?"
"Of course it's important!" the Doctor countered. "But what's happening here could change the world. If this force you told me about is cognizant, it must have realised it needed me here, now".
"And why would that be?"
"Because I've dealt with them before. If it hadn't been for me, you'd be – "
"- back in time?" interrupted Al.
"What?"
"Back in time. Like Gushie. I've just found him in 1959 with Sam. And he's about to be blown up with the rest of them! What the hell is going on?"
Al didn't get the reply he'd wanted. Instead, there was only silence. But somehow, he was aware it was a silence filled with the Doctor's thought. He had fought these creatures before. And what's more, he'd won. Before Al had the chance to speak again, he saw the Doctor's finger pointing to a door. "That's the acceleration chamber, right?"
"How on earth – ?" Al cut himself off, knowing he had no time to argue. "Yes".
"Right. I'm going to need your help. I can save everyone, but you must do exactly as I say".
Al knew time was short. "Okay. What do you need?"
"Help me push the statue into the accelerator. Just keep your eyes open".
Al didn't bother questioning anymore. The two men simply walked up to the statue, and pushed with all their might. At first nothing happened. But then, Al became aware that they'd made some headway. Faster and faster they pushed, until they finally managed to fling the statue into the empty room. Al pressed a button and the door closed in front of them.
Almost immediately the two men heard a series of excruciatingly loud bangs. Al looked quizzically at the Doctor.
"It's trying to get out", said the Timelord.
"So what now?" asked Al.
"You said there was a dirt bike in the desert".
"Yeah, maybe enough to carry two people".
"Then it needs to be Doctor Beckett and Amy. No one else".
"What, so they can just be blown apart by the bomb?"
"No, because I need Doctor Beckett in the TARDIS, and Amy's faced the Weeping Angels before. Just this once I need to use people's ignorance against them".
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"That this time, the Weeping Angel could be their salvation".
Al turned around to face his companion, still distracted by the constant banging sounds coming from the acceleration chamber. "What are you talking about?"
The Doctor touched Al on the shoulders. "Look, this may be difficult to explain, but I can still save them all. Just go and tell Amy that's my plan. She'll understand".
"Look. Six people are about to die in 1959 –".
Now the Doctor cut him off. "- and you could only ever save two. Look, you have to trust me now. Ask Sam and Amy to get back to the TARDIS. I'll do the rest".
Al took a deep breath. For all his inhumanity, this Doctor had a point. "Anything else you need?"
"Yes, I need to know the exact moment Gushie arrived in the past".
Somehow knowing better than to argue, and amid the terrible banging sound, Al headed back to the Imaging Chamber.