He was going around the Tardis happily flipping switches and pressing buttons.
I can't believe I've never thought of this before. It's genius. Right. Landed. Come on." He grabbed Rose's hand and started dragging her to the door.
"Where are we?"
"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 fifty feet high. A message from the dawn of time And no one knows what it says, because no one's ever translated it. Until today." He said happily
"What happens today?" Rose asked curious.
"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 throws the doors open and stands there disappointed. Across the cliff reads the words. Hello Sweetie ΘΣ ΦΓΥΔζ.
He inputs the co-ordinates and lands the Tardis in front of a forest on a hill.
"Right place?" Rose asked stepping out of the Tardis with Kiam in tow.
"Just followed the co-ordinates on the cliff face. Earth. Britain. one oh two AD." They walk forward and look down at a Roman Camp.
"That's a Roman Legion."
"Well, yeah. The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period."
"Oh, I know. My favorite topic at school. Invasion of the hot Italians." He looks at her and she smiles at him and sticks out her tongue.
A soldier runs up and salutes them. "Hail, Caesar!"
"Hail."
"Welcome to Britain. We are honored by your presence." He bows deeply.
"Why does he think you're Caesar?" Rose asked.
"Arise," He says and when he does, he notices lipstick smeared on the soldier's face.
"Cleopatra will see you now." The solider says and they follow the man down the hill and into the Roman camp. He leads them to a tent and they follow him in.
He sees River laying on a low couch at the back of the tent. "Hello, sweetie." She says with a smile.
"River." Rose says.
"Hi," Kiam says.
"You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe." He scolds her.
"You wouldn't answer your phone." She tells him. She dismisses the people in the room and then pulls out a rolled up painting and hands it to him.
"What's this?" He asks and unrolls it.
"It's a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one."
He unrolled the painting and opened it. "What is it," Rose ask.
The painting is similar to Starry Night, but in the middle is an exploding Tardis.
"Doctor? Doctor, what is this?" Rose asks concerned. "Why is it exploding?"
"I assume it's some kind of warning." River responds.
"What, something's going to happen to the Tardis?" Rose Asks.
"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?" He asks finally taking his eyes off the map.
"The Pandorica Opens."
"The Pandorica? What is it?" Rose asks River.
"A box, a cage, a prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe." She tells Rose.
"And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real." He leaves the tent and heads to where their are horses tied up.
"If it is real, it's here and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your Tardis exploding. Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map." River says.
"No, but if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it."
They get three horses and he helps Rose on to one and then River on to the second. He puts Kiam up on the third and then sits Behind him. They race to the second set of co-ordinates in silence.
-DW-
The Co-ordinates come out at Stonehenge. They get off the horses and head into the the circle. He leaves Kiam with Rose and him and River start scanning the stones.
"How come it's not new?" Rose asks
"Because it's already old. It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long." River answers her.
"Okay, this Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium."
"Spoilers." River responds.
"No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens." Rose tells her.
"Maybe I did, but I haven't yet. But I will have." She smiles at the confused look on Rose's face. "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. We need to get down there." He says.
Night falls and River places a device on each corner of the Altar stone. "Right then. Ready." She presses a button on her vortex manipulator and the stone moves aside to reveal a staircase into the ground.
He heads down the stairs with the rest following behind him. When he reaches the bottom he sees torches in the walls. He takes one of them down and he lights it with his sonic screwdriver. He lights another for River and they unbar a big door, then enter.
In the middle of the room sits a big stone square with a circular design on each face. "It's a Pandorica." he says in awe.
"More than just a fairy tale." River smirks. He glares at her and continues to move closer 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." He says.
"How did it end up in there?" Rose asks him.
"You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it."
"I hate good wizards in fairy tales. They always turn out to be him." River says.
"So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name." Rose says examining it.
"Sorry, what?" Rose asks him.
"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." She sees his eyes narrow at her. "What's wrong?"
"Your favorite school topic. Your favorite story. Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy." He turns away from her as he finishes his sentence. "In which case, always ignore a coincidence."
"So can you open it?" River ask him.
"Easily. Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first." He tells River as he continues to examine it.
"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 shows him the scans.
"How long do we have?" He asks her.
"Hours at the most." She answers.
"What kind of security?"
"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines."
"What could need all that?" He wonders aloud.
"What could get past all that?" River asks him.
"Think of the fear that went into making this box. What could inspire that level of fear?"
"So why would it start to open now?" River asks him
"No idea." He runs his hand through his hair and puts his glasses on as he leans closer to the box.
"Ahem, And how could Vincent have known about it? He won't even be born for centuries." Rose speaks up.
"The stones. These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening." He Tells her.
"Doctor, everyone everywhere?" River asks him.
"No, just on Earth, all though," He goes silent and puts his ear on the box as he taps it. He listens for a moment and then continues his sentence. "It is through all time. Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams. But what's in there? What could justify all this?"
"Doctor, everyone?" River asks him.
"Anything that powerful, I'd know about it. Why don't I know?" He didn't like not knowing things.
"Doctor, you said...," River begins, but he cuts her off. "Hush now, I need to think."
"So what's this got to do with the Tardis?' Rose asks him, ignoring his request.
"Nothing, as far as I know." He tells her.
"But Vincent's painting. The Tardis was exploding. Is that going to happen?"
"One problem at a time." He says not taking his eyes off the box.
As though the universe is putting that to the test an energy weapon fires at them. He grabs Kiam and the four of them rush around the side of the box.
"What was that?" Rose asks.
"Okay, I need a proper look. Got to draw its fire, give it a target." He says.
"How?" River asks him.
"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" He asks Rose.
"Yes." She answers.
He kisses her head. "Sorry." he says as he runs out and waves his arms. "Come on ye old Beasty." He yells. He gets shot and he ducks behind another statue.
"What is" Rose calls out.
"Cyberarm. Arm of Cyberman." He replies.
"What's a Cyberman doing here."
"No idea."
"River, I need to get round behind it. Could you draw its fire?"
"What, like you did?" she teases him.
"You'll be fine if you're quick." River comes out from behind the Pandorica and shoots the arm. He looks at her and then grabs it and sonics it.
"Doctor?"
"Scrambled its circuits, but stay where you are, it could be bluffing." He says.
"Bluffing? It's an arm." She says amused and starts to move out of her hiding place.
I said stay where you are!" He says seeing the movement.
"Doctor?" Rose says as she is pulled to the floor.
"Rose," he screams as the arm shocks him and the world goes black.
-DW-
He wakes up on his back still with Kiam sitting on his chest smiling at him. He groggily moves Kiam off of him and sits up. Rose is laying on the ground nearby with River looking after her.
"Rose," He crawls over to her and sits down pulling out his sonic. He scans her and finds she is just unconscious. Relieved he gently lifts her head and lays it on his lap, stroking her hair.
"She'll be fine." He tells River. The ground shakes and Kiam runs to him and he pulls him to him tightly. He looks at the Pandorica and the designs are glowing green and moving like a cog wheel.
"What is it? What's happening?" River asks him.
"The final phase. It's opening." He tells her.
Rose opens her eyes. "Oh, my head." She says.
"Just your basic knock-out drops. Get some fresh air, you'll be fine." He says. "Take Kiam, it's not good for him to be cooped up down her."
"You'll be okay." She asks concerned as he helps her up.
"I'll be fine." He says. He watches her grab Kiam's hand and head up the stairs. When Rose is out of sight he turns to River. "What do you think?"
"It's a trap. It has to be." River says and he heads over to the wall and sits against it. He looks up at her. "They used Rose to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you." She tells him.
"Why? Who'd do that? What for?" He asks but she doesn't answer him as the Pandorica starts to open and he hears a familiar noise.
Da da da dum
Da da da Dum