-Chapter Six-

Melody ran, bounded, and ran again, awash with new feelings. Was it true? Were her parents alive somewhere in time?

It seemed the height of foolishness, a thought she had stopped herself from even considering a long, long time ago. And yet. She shook it out of her head as she neared Simon's spot. If it was true, she would be happy, if not, she wouldn't be surprised. Melody would not let herself get invested. Not yet. No matter what this mad Doctor had to say.

Stay aware. Stay strong. Never hesitate. Never hope when you can assure. That is how you move in for the kill, a voice reassured her in the back of her head. But it wasn't Melody's voice. It was a voice from a long time ago. From the white room. She shuddered and pushed it back.

But still. Amy Pond. Why was that name familiar?

It was dark when she touched down to the rooftop where Simon's fort had once stood. She grimaced to herself. She wouldn't have time to build him a new one. Walking towards the wreckage, she saw the semi-charred remains of the pigeon she had been eating earlier. She picked it up, sniffed it, shrugged, and let it dangle from her left hand as she looked for Simon. She would want a snack later, when the glowing wore off.

Simon did not seem to be home.

She looked around at the wreckage, the charred remains of comics and, she realized, a note. It was on a napkin. Simon didn't have napkins. It was uncharred too, a lone white pigeon amongst a dark flock. Melody's stomach growled.

Melody picked up the napkin. It was dark but Melody was still glowing. That's odd, she thought to herself. This usually doesn't last so long after I die. Nevertheless, Melody could read the note by the glow of her right hand.

Dear Doctor Song,

It is I, Agent Lee. I have your friend, the small boy. Come at once to the place where I am keeping him.

Best,

Agent Lee

PS.

Behind you.

Melody looked behind her. There were two men. And Simon, hands tied, quietly sobbing through a gag. The tall one was holding a lunch box in one hand and a gun in the other. The shorter man looked reluctant. And familiar.

"Sorry about that, Doctor Song," The tall man began, smiling eagerly, "I was going to do the whole hostage thing. You know. I take your friend. Go to some warehouse. Have a stakeout. Lure you in. Murder you in a strategically sound environment. The high-ground." He waved his gun to mime 'etcetera etcetera'.

"But you know what? I'm new in town. New to the whole century to be exact. Sent here to get you back home," He frowned at that, "But I think you and I both know that that was never an option. Not after what you did. Well, what you'll do."

He paused, then took off his glasses. His eyes were red and glowed in the night.

"What you're never going to get the chance to do," the man - Agent Lee, Melody's brain shouted distantly, through the shock - finished.

Melody said nothing. Suddenly, Agent Lee made a move. Melody jumped away, but it was not his gun the man went for. It was the lunchbox. It came on with a whhhhhr and a ping.

The pigeon in Melody's left hand exploded.

"Gah!" Melody yelped as the concussive force burned her left side and threw her into the ground.

She skidded over the edge of the rooftop. For a moment, she panicked, but she caught the edge of the roof with her right hand. Her stomach reeled in pain and vertigo as she looked down to the street far, far below.

Melody tried, at first, to grab on with her left hand, but the sight of what remained of it almost caused her to let go. She closed her eyes and fought back the pain now erupting all along her left side.

Pigeons, she thought, bleakly. And then, Stay Strong. She didn't push back the voice this time.

"See? No escape. No half measures. No Doctor Song," Agent Lee's voice and face were cold. His eyes shone in the dark. He turned to his companion, "Didn't I tell you this thing did some spectacular things to birds? What luck, right?"

Melody looked up. Agent Lee was standing over her, gun in hand. Beside him sat the lunchbox of death. Pinging.

"My name isn't Doctor Song," Melody said, fighting back the pain, getting angry, trying to tap into the edge that had let her survive on her own for so long. It was hard. Her left ear was ringing and the pain from her ruined hand was blinding. But she fought it and gave a good effort towards looking intimidating.

"I know," she heard Agent Lee say through the ringing, "and now it never will be. Everybody wins."

"Except me," Melody growled through gritted teeth.

"Especially you," Agent Lee cocked his firearm, "If you knew what you were going to be become, Doctor Song, you'd thank me. You'd beg me to end it all right here right -"

Another gun cocked.

"Did you really think I only had one gun?" a voice said in the darkness. Melody couldn't see but assumed it was the other man. Where did she know him from?

"Well, what with the economy…" Agent Lee began, turning slowly away from Melody.

Canton was amazed that Agent Lee had turned his back on him.

Finally.

The whole hour waiting had been nothing but line-of-sight observation of Canton coupled with knowing looks, bizarre anecdotes, and manic smiles of anticipation from Lee. No moment to grab the gun out of his ankle holster.

So he waited and waded through the swamp of weirdness that was Agent Lee.

Did Canton know any good warehouses in the vicinity? Did he himself own a warehouse? Where might one buy a warehouse and could they do so after seven on a Sunday?

Had Canton heard the good news? The twelve guiding principles of the neo-reformed, fundamentalist Anglican Host?

Was Canton aware that there was a spray in the future that would clear that male-pattern baldness right up? The homosexuality too, if he was so inclined. If not, that was fine. Did he know there was also a spray with the desired effect of gaining homosexuality? Lee had been to a party once where -

Finally, the girl had arrived. And Canton told himself that, after listening to Lee talk crazy, half-incinerate a thirteen year old girl, and express a desire to put a bullet into her skull, he would have no problem shooting this man in the back of the head.

No warning. Just end it.

But, as it turned out, Canton still wasn't that kind of man.

So here they were.

"Hey," Lee began, "no hard feelings. I didn't mean to hog her. Do you want a go?"

Canton didn't dignify this with a response. Just continued to point his gun at Agent Lee's forehead and tried his very best to avoid looking into his creepy red eyes. Unsuccessfully.

"Hah," Lee chuckled, "fine. Tell you what. I'll kill the girl. The time/space continuum will have a complete and utter meltdown, like really, a veritable tantrum. Probably a crack in the fabric of the universe will open up. I'll use that to charge my time corridor and we'll abscond to," Lee paused and looked at Canton with a face Canton could only guess was an attempt at 'smoldering', "some-time more... intimate." There was a pause as Lee continued his smolder face.

"Gee," Canton said, finally, "I didn't take you for a queer." It turned out Canton still had some hard feelings there.

"I'm a 52nd Century man, Canton," Lee winked. Canton didn't.

"I'm not."

Canton shot Lee in the throat.

"I know I just asked," The Doctor was frantic, exasperated, "But-"

The wheezing of the Tardis cut him off. It sounded… hurried? That was unusual.

Then again, it was bound to be a short trip. Just a few rooftops. Hardly the proper use of the Tardis. Next he'd be using the old girl to pick up milk and then… well, he'd done that. Well, lot's of times to be sure. Wasn't he out of milk? And tea for that matter? Maybe a quick trip for - no - Melody. That seemed to be important.

Time was not the boss of The Doctor - naturally - but he couldn't let Melody/River slip out of his fingers again. Or into anyone else's. Again.

The wheezing stopped.

"You're amazing, Sexy," The Doctor called as he rushed out of the door into chaos.