Chapter 8

"Ok, I think I preferred the lift." Jill gasped. The group had just been deposited none too gently in the bubble of Nightmare Children.

"Or the tube," Rory muttered, dusting himself off as they staggered to their feet. "Even a crowded train underground could NOT be as claustrophobic as that!"

"I've had worse," The Doctor said cheerfully, the only one of them who had landed on his feet with not a hair – or bow tie – out of place. "I've been stuck down a mine in Chile – nice blokes actually; I went jogging with one of them."

"DOCTOR!" Amy called from the centre of the bubble. "OVER HERE

"Oh, call for him then!" Rory grumbled as the Doctor ran over, sonic screwdriver at the ready. "Don't call for me!"

"To be fair, he does have that thing." Hoffman pointed out as the Doctor freed Amy and then started on Amanda.

"Fair enough," Rory admitted. "But I'm the one she's getting married to, not him!"

Hoffman gave him a hard look. "What did I say about low self-esteem?"

"Oh yeah, right."

A Nightmare Child drifted slowly down in front of the Doctor. "DoCtOr. We MeEt AgAiN."

"Hello," The Doctor looked directly into its blood red eyes, keeping his tone deliberately light. "Nice to see you again, although of course I was quite surprised to find out you were still alive."

"We DeVeLoPeD DoCtOr – SoMeThInG tHaT yOuR rAcE cOuLd NeVeR dO."

The Doctor's eyes flashed. "Let's not go there. So, why the ambush? I know you want us for something, but you could've just asked!"

"They want you for memory lane!" Amy blurted out.

The Doctor facepalmed. "Ohhh, I should've seen this coming..."

"Doctor, what is memory lane?" Jenny asked.

"It's controlled by Hazma particles and – " He looked at the nonplussed faces. "Point being, it causes a lot of pain and me and Hoffman would be stuck in our worst memories for the rest of time."

"What fun." Hoffman commented dryly. He looked round as Amanda appeared behind him. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," She said, not meeting his eyes. "But I think you should be concentrating more on this situation right now." Hoffman raised his eyebrows, but before he could pursue the matter the Nightmare Child started talking again.

"YoU aNd ThE cHoSeN hUmAn MaLe WiLl Be TaKeN tO mEmOrY lAnE nOw."

The Doctor shook his head. "And allow your race to leech on other people's despair and send the whole universe into basic depression so you can live? I don't think so. But I can help you."

"HoW?"

"There must be another way for you to survive – positive emotions, have you tried living off that?"

"ThAt Is NoT aN oPtIoN."

"Oh, and why not?"

"It DoEsN't TaStE aS gOoD."

The Doctor became eerily calm, and even Amy couldn't look him in the eyes. "So, you're rejecting my offer because it's not gourmet enough for you? Well, I'm glad that's settled, because the only way I'm letting this happen is OVER MY DEAD BODY." The group flinched as the Doctor bellowed the last four words at the Nightmare Child. It regarded him quietly.

"YoU hAvE nO cHoIcE iN tHiS mAtTer." It said coldly.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think that?"

"BeCaUsE iF yOu DoN't, We WiLl KiLl YoUr FrIeNdS."

"You'll kill them anyway."

"NeVeRtHeLeSs, YoU wIlL dO wHaT wE sAy."

The Doctor chewed the inside of his cheek. "Fine. But I want your word that you'll let them go."

"YoU jUsT mAdE iT cLeAr ThAt YoU dOn'T tRuSt Us."

"Nevertheless, you will do what I say."

The Nightmare Child considered, its head tilted almost childishly to the side. "VeRy WelL. YoU wIlL cOmE wItH uS nOw."

"Ok then," The Doctor said grudgingly, then turned sadly to the group. "Sorry, I think we can say this rescue mission is rather badly in tatters right now."

xXx

Amy dropped to the back of the group to walk next to Hoffman. They were being frogmarched – or was it frogfloated – down through the twisting tunnels by Nightmare Children. It was difficult to say how many of them there were because they and the shadows merged into one, so it was impossible to tell which was which. She shuddered at the very thought of this 'memory lane'; if what the Doctor said was true, then they were all in very deep trouble, universe included.

"What did she say?" Hoffman broke her out of her reverie and for a moment she just stared at him blankly. "You know, Amanda. What did she say?"

Amy caught on. "Oh, she said she – " And then she remembered her promise and her heart sank like a stone right into her stomach.

Hoffman looked at her expectantly. "Come on then, what did she say?"

Amy faced forward so that she couldn't see his face. "She doesn't like you like that."

"Ah." The single sound made her cringe.

"I mean," She hurried on, trying to lessen the blow. "She does like you, as a friend I mean, just not...that."

"Yeah, ok. That's fine." Amy had a bad feeling she'd made things worse.

"Are you ok with this?"

"'Course, why wouldn't I be?"

Amy bit her lip but said nothing. They went the rest of the way in silence.

xXx

"Well, memory lane isn't really the tourist destination you hyped it up to be is it?" The Doctor remarked as they made their way into a small space practically clawed from the rock. "Just two chairs with hyperfibre restraints and a pretty massive Hazma energy converter...well, maybe it is just slightly pretty impressive..."

"YoU wIlL sIt." The Nightmare Child said.

"God, I can't tell whether this is the same one we were talking to before or if it's a totally different one." Lawrence remarked to John.

John nodded. "I find it disconcerting that they're using my voice...but you know, imitation is the lowest form of flattery."

"Shut up." Muttered Hoffman.

"I wasn't talking to or about you, I was merely saying – "

"YoU wIlL bE sIlEnT nOw." The Nightmare Child turned to the Doctor and Hoffman. "YoU wIlL sIt."

"Yeah, alright," The Doctor made as if to sit, but then stopped. "But there's one slight problem with that."

"AnD tHaT iS?"

"Well, you know I said the rescue mission was in tatters right then?"

"YeS, aNd ThE rElEvAnCe Is?"

"Well, it isn't now."

"WhY dO yOu AsSuMe ThAt?"

The Doctor smiled brightly. "Because Mr Nightmare Child Man...Thing...whatever...while you've been focussing on me you haven't been noticing what my darling daughter's been up to."

"All done Dad!" Jenny said cheerfully, snapping a panel shut on the Hazma energy converter and putting away what appeared to be a very small spanner. She pushed a button and immediately it began to hum. Sparks of electricity crackled through the air, setting everyone's teeth on edge. The device began to hum and a woman's voice started speaking in precise, clipped tones.

"Hazma energy converter will detonate in approximately five minutes."

The Nightmare Child rounded on the Doctor. "WhAt DiD yOu Do?"

"Weeell..." The Doctor said slowly. "By tinkering with a couple of important components – and implacing your species' genetic code from her brilliant researching of your race – the Hazma energy converter will now, instead of opening the void, tear you apart." The Doctor smiled grimly. "A change from gourmet doesn't sound so bad now, does it?"

"ChAnGe It bAcK – wE wIlL bE pRePaReD tO rEcOnSiDeR yOuR oFfEr."

"No way – you've made your choice, now deal with it. Sorry, but...game over."

The Nightmare Child screamed with rage. "YoU wIlL pAy FoR tHiS!"

"Doctor!" Jenny called a warning as the remaining Nightmare Children stopped circling and hurled themselves at the Doctor, but suddenly a burst of Hazma energy crackled in their path. Instantly they disintegrated, their anguished howls ringing through the air long after they had gone.

"Hazma energy converter will detonate in approximately four minutes."

"Run!" The Doctor threw his sonic screwdriver to Jenny, who deftly caught it. "The detonation probably won't cause cave-ins, but those Nightmare Children aren't exactly going to be happy at their imminent destruction!" Almost to prove his point there was a wail – or rather wails – of rage in the distance. "Use setting 536: it's like a sat nav for giant open spaces; it'll get you to the lift and out of here in no time!"

"But what about you?" Lawrence frowned.

The Doctor paused. "You still need the negative emotions to truly get it working. You're all human so you wouldn't stand a chance; however I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate so I have a good chance of surviving this."

Rory gave him a look. "That's a lie, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, I don't actually have a clue...the odds aren't really in my favour...but hey, you know me." The Doctor winked. "Always look on the bright side of life, do do, do do do do do do..."

"Doctor, you can't do this!" Amy cried suddenly.

"Oh yes he can," Jenny said grimly. "He's the Doctor; it's what he does.

Amy felt like she might start crying. "I know damn well what he does! Doctor, please..."

The Doctor gave her a small hug. "Run along Amy Pond, I've got some work to do." Amy nodded and stepped away.

"Hazma energy converter will detonate in approximately three minutes."

"Now RUN!" The Doctor roared, and they ran. Smiling sadly to himself he turned back to the chairs...and then turned slowly back round again as he realised that not everyone had left."

"Hoffman, I said leave. NOW."

Hoffman strolled over, his hands in his pockets. "So you only need one person for this, right?" His voice was calm. The Doctor understood what he was thinking.

"No, Hoffman; I need to do this."

"Whoever said you had to do this?"

"I have nothing left to live for!"

"Well neither do I! 'Sides, you appear to have a daughter and Ponds plural to look after."

"Well I..." The Doctor floundered. "I have more of a chance at surviving than you, I'm – "

"A Time Lord, I know. But you and I both know there's practically the same chance of you getting out of this alive as I would."

The two men regarded each other in silence.

"What about Amanda?" The Doctor asked quietly.

"She sees me as a friend, that's it." Hoffman nodded to the chairs. "Now do I just sit in these or what?"

The Doctor paused, then nodded. "Take a chair, any chair."

"God, you sound like you're about to do some twisted magic trick or something." Hoffman joked, sitting.

"Yeah, that's right!" The Doctor let out a bark of false laughter as he helped restrain him. "Ha! I will now wipe out a whole species with nothing but a ray gun and what looks like a rollercoaster seat!" He stepped back and nodded. "It's a good thing that you're doing, you know."

Hoffman's mouth twitched. "Guess I'm making up for some stuff. Now, run!"

"Hazma energy converter will detonate in approximately two minutes."

And the Doctor ran.

xXx

"Nearly there!" Called Jenny as they raced down the twisted tunnels.

"Just keep moving!" The Doctor yelled as he materialised behind them. They screeched to a halt.

"Where's Hoffman?" Amanda asked urgently.

The Doctor met her gaze. "He stayed behind."

"Oh my God..." Amy whispered.

"Come on, we've got to keep going!" Jenny called, and reluctantly they kept going round the corner and eventually came to the lift shaft.

"I do feel like I misjudged Mark," Commented John. "Maybe I judged him too soon..."

"You've judged nearly everyone damn too soon." Snorted Lawrence.

"Not everyone!"

"Oh come ON! Amanda, back me up here..." Lawrence looked round as the lift came into view. "Where's Amanda."

Through the darkness, they couldn't see the Doctor and Amy smiling.

xXx

"Hazma energy converter will detonate in approximately one minute."

Hoffman hissed as a burst of Hazma energy grazed his fingertips. For a few seconds it felt like he was drowning as it unlocked some of his most painful memories, but then everything was normal again. He winced as the same thing happened again, unable to choke back a sob as Angelina's face floated before him. Distinctly he felt something heavy curl up in his lap, and when he looked again Amanda was there.

"Amanda, get out of here!"

Amanda smiled. "A bit late for that – they've already gone up."

"Hazma energy converter will detonate in approximately thirty seconds."

He swore. "You idiot!" The Hazma energy struck again and he moaned. He felt her hands on either side of his face and with effort opened his eyes. "Amanda..."

Amanda shook her head. "I think you'll find you're the idiot, actually – you're the one who was holding my plans upside down!"

Hoffman smirked. "It still wasn't decipherable, and besides you – "

"Oh, shut up." He never got to finish because at that moment she kissed him and it was a bit difficult to talk after that.

And also at that same moment, the Hazma energy converter detonated.

xXx

The vibrations from the detonation shook the concrete floor of the warehouse before subsiding. There was an awkward silence as no-one knew what to say next.

Rory cleared his throat. "Well...looks like we saved the world. Again."

"Hell yeah we did!" Lawrence whooped, then frowned. "Hang on...did you just say 'again'?"

"Yup."

"Awesome!" Lawrence high fived him.

"Thank God that's over." Jill sighed. "I was starting to think that I'd never get back to normality again...well, as normal as you can get with him around!"

"Thanks," John said darkly. "Thanks very much. Doctor, would my – "

"Your cancer shouldn't be coming back any time soon," The Doctor answered him unfinished question. "But normality won't be returning any time soon I'm afraid, as I'll explain when I get back upstairs again."

"Back upstairs...what are you going back for?" Amy frowned as the Doctor moved in the direction of the lift.

"Weeell...if a positive emotion paradoxes the negative emotion, then each cancels each other's effects out whilst still producing enough power to destroy the Nightmare Children."

A smile spread slowly over Amy's face. "So you mean...?"

"Exactly." The Doctor grinned.

xXx

Amanda coughed violently and sat up, rubbing her head. Dust swirled from the ceiling and there was an alarmingly big crack in the wall. The Hazma energy converter had died and it was darker than before, so when she touched something soft and fleshy she nearly jumped a mile before realising it was Hoffman's hand. Reaching over she managed to locate his neck, fearing the worst; but before she could locate a pulse he coughed violently and his eyes snapped open. He smirked and she scrambled backwards so that she wasn't leaning over him anymore. "Just 'cos you're alive doesn't mean you can stare at my tits all you want, pervert!"

Hoffman laughed. "No I wasn't – it's not my fault you left them on display!" He sat up and groaned, massaging his head. "Ok, that. Hurt."

"Good." Amanda muttered, then relented and hugged him. "Good to know you're still here though, despite said pervertism."

"Same to you too," He kissed her on the cheek. "Especially now."

Amanda pulled back. "So you're saying that if I hadn't just kissed you you wouldn't have cared if I was dead?" She hit him. "Jerk!"

"That's not what I meant; you're deliberately misinterpreting what I was saying!"

"Well that's not what I heard!"

"Oh my God..."

The Doctor chuckled to himself in the shadows as they continued bickering. "Ahh, don't you love relationships?"

I'm privately thanking God that those Nightmare Children are dead now...do you know how tiring it is to have to go *caps on, type letter, caps off, type letter* EVERY SINGLE TIME? *ahem* So anyway, I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore...

We're nearly at the end now; just one more thing to sort out – why won't normality be returning any time soon...?