A/N: This adventure is from the BBC New Adventures book, Apollo 23, by Justin Richards. Lines of dialogue and description have been copied out just as they are in the book for authenticity's sake, but I took liberties with some descriptive parts and 'he said, she said' parts. I do not own Apollo 23 by Justin Richards.

The sound of the door crashing open was unmistakable. The Doctor spun around on the spot, slapping his forehead repeatedly with the heel of his hand. "Think, think, think!" he snapped to himself. "Ah!" He stopped his rapid revolutions. "They don't know we're down here."

"Yes, they do," Carlisle argued. "Gregman knew we were heading this way."

"And the door was locked and sabotaged. But they don't know, not for sure. They just think they do."

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Makes sense. But they'll be down those stairs in a minute, and then they'll know they know."

The Doctor leaned forward. "No, they won't. Because I've got a plan."

"Quick plan?" They could hear feet on the metal stairway.

"Very quick."

"So what do we do?"

"We keep Amy safe." The Doctor pushed the phial of liquid that was Amy's personality and memories into his top pocket, above the one where he put Alex's, and patted it gently.

"Is that it?" Carlisle asked.

"No, no, no. The clever bit is. . ."

"Yes?"

". . .we hide."

Carlisle stared at him. "Is that it? The great plan? We hide?!"

The Doctor shrugged and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Unless you've got a better plan. One that doesn't involve shooting anyone. I want everyone's body intact so we can put their brains back where they're supposed to be."

Carlisle glanced back towards the stairs. "We hide."

The Doctor and Major Carlisle hurried quietly down the aisle. The cavern was vast and it would take Jackson and whoever else was with him a while to search it.

"Stay close to me," the Doctor whispered to Amy. "Maybe not quite that close," he added as she stepped right up next to him, shoulder to shoulder. "There's close and there's close-close. Just close will do. Within reach and out of sight."

The Doctor ducked behind the end of the line of storage banks. Carlisle was right with him, and Amy mirrored his actions a moment later. Peering out, they could just see the vague silhouettes of several figures at the other end of the cavern. The constant drip-drip of water made it difficult to hear what they were saying, but Carlisle was sure one of them was Jackson, and Reeve was with him as well. There were about half a dozen in all.

"He's brought some help," she whispered to the Doctor.

"Pity. But never mind." The Doctor reached his index finger and thumb into his top pocket and carefully pulled out the phial of liquid. He held it out to Amy. "You take this," he told her. "If one of us can get you to the Process Chamber, it'll be better if you've got it with you. Otherwise we'll spend forever trying to get mind and body together in the same place."

"You sure she can keep it safe?" Carlisle asked.

"Can you?" the Doctor asked Amy.

"Yes," she said, her expression not changing in the slightest.

"Good. And from now on, whisper, okay?"

"Did they hear?" Carlisle wondered. "Someone's coming this way."

"Not sure," the Doctor admitted. "Let's keep moving, try to stay ahead of them, and maybe sneak past to the stairs."

As they hurried across the next aisle and ducked into shadows, the Doctor said to Amy, "That phial is important. Or rather, the water inside it is. I want you to keep it with you. Don't care where you keep it, so long as it stays safe and it isn't separated from you. We need to combine the data in that water with your physical embodiment at some point, okay?"

"Okay," Amy whispered back. She held the phial up to inspect it, expression still blank.

"Good. So, remember that." The Doctor looked out, checking to see if any of Jackson's people were close by. "Or remember as much as you can. It's a lot to swallow, I know."

Carlisle was checking too. "We can get to that next bay, I think."

The Doctor nodded. "Closer to the stairs. Come on."

Someone was talking in the connecting aisle as they ran for the next area of cover, against the glistening, wet wall of the cavern. The searchers were closing in.

"So far, so good," the Doctor whispered.

"Way to go yet," Carlisle pointed out.

Beside her, the Doctor gave a sudden gasp. His mouth opened in surprise, eyes wide. "What is it?" Carlisle asked urgently.

"Drip of water went down the back of my neck."

"Oh, thanks for that," Carlisle retorted, rolling her eyes.

They both quieted as something dropped to the floor beside them. The glass phial clattered and rolled, stopping at the Doctor's feet. He scooped it up quickly. "I told you to keep this safe!" he hissed at Amy.

"Doctor, the stopper's come off," Carlisle noticed. "It's empty."

The Doctor held up the phial. She was right. "Where's it gone? Where's the water?" He looked around, close to panic. There were small puddles of water all across the floor, from dripping condensation. "Any one of these puddles could actually be Amy."

"Shh!" Carlisle warned. "Too late to worry about that now."

"But how do we get her back?"

"Let's worry about it later, okay?" Carlisle told him. "Right now, we have to get out of here."

"It's all clear now," Amy whispered.

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "Come on then, next bay, right?"

"Right," Carlisle agreed.

They ran as quickly and quietly as they could to the next pool of shadow. The stairway was only about fifteen meters away now. But there was a soldier standing there.

"You think he knows you've switched sides?" the Doctor asked. "Or rather, that you haven't?"

"Probably," Carlisle admitted. "But it might be worth a try. I can distract him while you and Amy get past."

"I don't think that will work," Amy disagreed.

The Doctor and Carlisle both turned towards her. "A glimmer of self-will?" the Doctor wondered. "Or is her programming taking hold again?"

"That's a thought," Amy said. Suddenly, she reached out and pulled Carlisle's pistol from its holster. She aimed it at the Doctor and Carlisle.

Captain Reeve stepped out from the shadows behind Amy. He smiled with satisfaction and called over his shoulder, "Over here! We got them!"

"I have to trick the Doctor," Amy said slowly. "I have to take him to the Process Chamber."

"Yeah, we did that bit earlier," the Doctor told her. "She's somehow reverted to her previous programming." He fixed Reeve with a piercing stare. "Maybe your process isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"The circumstances changed and her previous programming became relevant again, that's all."

Jackson hurried up from behind, two more soldiers with him. "Your little excursion has saved you the ordeal of time in the hub, Doctor. Nothing more. We're ready to process you now." He nodded to Amy. "I'll allow Miss Pond to show you the way."

In response, Amy jabbed the gun forwards. "Move. Up the stairs."

Jackson's laughter echoed around the cavern. "We're going to the Process Chamber, Doctor. And once we get there, you will become an empty Blank, ready to be imprinted with a Talerian mind."

Hands raised, the Doctor and Carlisle walked to the dimly lit metal stairway. The soldier guarding the bottom stepped aside to allow them past. Amy was close behind them, Jackson and the others walking slowly across the cavern.

"Doctor! Major Carlisle!" Amy called to them as they started up the stairs.

They both turned to see what she wanted. The gun was steady in her hand.

"You wanted to know where the water in the phial went," Amy said quietly. "Well, I did what you said. I kept it close to me, I kept it safe. I drank it."

The Doctor froze. "You did what?!"

"Least of our problems," Carlisle hissed.

"But she drank it! I can't just stick my finger down her throat. . ." The Doctor hesitated, inspecting his fingers as he considered. "No, no, I can't."

"Can't what, Doctor?" Jackson demanded as he reached the bottom of the stairs and stood close behind Amy. "Do enlighten us."

As she was standing in front of him, Jackson couldn't see Amy's expressionless face relax into a smile. Then she winked. "Whatever you do," she said to the Doctor and Carlisle, "don't try to. . . Run!" On 'Run', she turned and fired the gun at the nearest light. The fluorescent tube exploded, sparks showering down.

Reeve gave a cry of surprise and anger. Jackson dashed forwards.

Amy was backing away up the stairs after the Doctor and Carlisle, aiming the gun back at the soldiers. "You running yet?" she demanded. "I don't hear you running!" She turned to race after them.

The Doctor and Carlisle ran, with Amy close behind. But not close enough. A hand grabbed her ankle, pulling her leg away from under her. She crashed painfully down on the metal stairs. The Doctor turned and started back to where Reeve was dragging Amy down the steps.

But Carlisle grabbed his arm. "We can't help her if we're all caught! With us free, she has a chance. Come on!"

They took the rest of the stairs two at a time, hearing the booted feet of the soldiers echoing after them. The door at the top had been smashed open. The Doctor pulled it shut again behind them, heaving and jamming it in place.

"They got Amy," he said. But he was grinning like a maniac. "She's okay! She got her mind back."

"Seems so. Because she drank the water?"

"Must be," the Doctor said. He scratched his head, exciting his hair into spikes. "They must be using a holographic storage model. The complete dataset is repeated in every tiny drop of water. Like if you break a hologram, each broken piece doesn't just show a broken part of the whole like a jigsaw puzzle. They each hold a smaller version of the complete picture. How diluted must that data have been by the time it hit her bloodstream? But her brain managed to get the information out and rebuild her mind. Filled in the blanks." He shook his head in awe. "You humans are wonderful."

The door trembled and shook as someone tried to wrench it open from the other side.

"Doctor," Carslile said with exaggerated patience, "I'm very happy for Amy, and I'm glad you know all about holograms. But she's a prisoner. They'll just blank her again and this time, they might not keep a copy. Plus we're trapped on a base on the dark side of the moon that's been taken over by invading aliens. Maybe we should get away from here before they open that door?"

Right on cue, there was a wrenching, scraping sound from the door. It opened a centimeter, then jammed again.

"I suppose," the Doctor agreed. "But we're not going far. As soon as they're out, I need to go back down there."

"But we just escaped from back down there!"

The Doctor strode off down the corridor. "Yes, but that was before I had a plan."

Carlisle hurried after him. "And now you do?"

The Doctor spun around and grabbed Carlisle's shoulders, looking her right in the face. "Oh boy, do I have a plan," he said.

~Living the Life of Ally~

They waited in a storeroom off the main corridor. Carlisle assured the Doctor that Jackson and the others would have to pass this way en route from the cavern housing the computer facility to the Process Chamber.

The Doctor held the door open just a fraction. He sat cross-legged on the floor, looking out. Carlisle stood beside him, also watching.

They didn't have to wait very long before Jackson strode angrily past, followed by Reeve. Several soldiers escorted Amy after them. She looked glum, but defiant. "See you soon, Pond," the Doctor murmured.

"I was afraid you were about to mount a daring but foolhardy rescue attempt," Carlisle said after they'd gone.

The Doctor eased the door open. "I am. But not in the way they expect."

"So what do we do?"

The Doctor checked both ways along the corridor before stepping out of the room. "I assume you know where the controls are for the fire-fighting systems."

Carlisle nodded. "Main control room. Why?"

"Because that's where I need you to be."

"You want me to make sure the fire control systems don't work?"

"No, no, no. That's the last thing I want." The Doctor took a deep breath, sucking air through his teeth. "I want you to make sure no one can override the system and turn it off."

"And where will you be? Starting a fire?"

"Only a metaphorical one."

Carlisle frowned. "Do you ever explain anything properly?"

"All right, you want an explanation? I'll keep it simple. If you take a glass of water, right? And you throw it into the ocean, okay?"

"The glass?"

"Just the water in the glass. Well, doesn't matter for the explanation, but throwing stuff other than water into the sea isn't generally good. Now, you mix up the ocean, let's just pretend you can do that, so that the glass of water you just threw in is mixed in with all the other water, millions of billions of liters of water."

"With the water from my glass in there somewhere all mixed up. So what?"

"So now comes the clever part. You take the glass you didn't throw in as well, and you scoop out another glassful of water from the same ocean. Doesn't matter where from. What have you got?"

Carlisle blinked, then shrugged. "A glass of salty water, I guess."

"Exactly. But in that water, mixed in somewhere, is just a tiny part, a few molecules, of the same glass of water you started with. Guaranteed."

Major Carlisle thought about that. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Have you, like, done it?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"Liar."

"Okay, so no, I haven't actually done it as such. But there are so many molecules of water in that one glass that you'd get some of them back again no matter where you scooped out your second glass."

"And this somehow relates to your plan?"

"It does."

Carlisle nodded. "Well, I hope you know what you're doing, because I still don't have a clue."

Ally would understand, the Doctor thought. But, rather than saying that and risk offending Carlisle, he said confidently, "I know what I'm doing. I'm just not sure if it will work."

~Living the Life of Ally~

There was no point in fighting. Amy had tried that last time and it did no good. She needed to slow them down to give the Doctor as much time as possible to rescue her. She knew he would, somehow. She walked as slowly as she dared. She took her time getting into the chair on the Process Chamber. She clenched her muscles, hoping that would leave some slack after they tied the straps.

Nurse Phillips watched her. Judging by her smile, she was obviously enjoying Amy's predicament. "There will be some pain," she said. "I'm sure you'll remember."

"I'll remember all right," Amy told her. "And you've been through it too, you know."

"Not me. This body, but not me."

"That's enough!" Jackson snapped. "Start setting things up. Full transmission will start soon, and I want her blanked before that and ready to receive the next available Talerian."

Jackson took over from Nurse Phillips, strapping Amy's ankles first. Amy just smiled. "He'll stop you," she said quietly, surprised at how confident she sounded. "Him and Alex. They always do."

Jackson didn't answer. But he hesitated just long enough for Amy to know he was worried. He flinched as the phone on the wall buzzed.

"Probably him now," Amy said. "Don't keep him waiting."

"Quiet!" Jackson snarled. He crossed the room and picked up the phone. "Yes?" Amy watched Jackson frown. "He's what? But that makes no sense at all, what's he doing there?" Jackson listened for a while before answering. "I have no idea, but you'd better get down there and stop him. We don't need his body, we'll soon have plenty of those. It's a pity, because the Doctor's body would make a good receptacle. But he has become more trouble than his body is worth. So kill him." Jackson slammed the phone back on its cradle.

Amy was at once full of excitement and trepidation. Did the Doctor know they'd discovered whatever he was up to? Knowing him, that could be part of his plan. But then again, knowing the Doctor, it might not have occurred to him at all. . .

"It's started," she said calmly. "I told you, you've no chance."

Jackson yanked the straps tight around her wrists.

~Living the Life of Ally~

"Step away from the controls, Doctor!" Reeve's shout echoed around the cavern. "Now! Or I'll shoot you dead where you stand!"

The Doctor punched a final key, nodded with satisfaction, and stepped aside. Reeve and several soldiers came running up.

"What have you been doing?" Reeve demanded.

"Not much. Just changed some routings."

One of the soldiers was typing rapidly, watching the display screen as he displayed a log of recent actions.

"Well?" Reeve asked.

"He's changed the flow, opened some valves, accessed computer storage." The soldier shook his head. "Doesn't make any sense. It looks from this like he's vented the inert gas from the fire systems and filled the tank with. . ." The solider checked the readings in a smaller window on the screen. "With water from the reservoir, and also from data storage."

"What data did he use?" Reeve held his gun close to the Doctor's face. "I hope you think it was worth it."

"I think it was worth it," the Doctor smiled.

The soldier looked up at Reeve. "He used the back-ups. The water storing all the human mind imprints."

The Doctor was looking distinctly pleased with himself. "That's right. You're all in there, I'm pleased to say. All mixed up together in the fire suppression tank. Molecules swirling round. The tiniest part of your data in every drip and drop of water in there."

Reeve laughed. "I don't know what you thought you were doing, but you've destroyed them! You've killed all those people you were so desperate to save!"

"You think so?" the Doctor murmured challengingly.

Reeve glanced away, just for a second, sharing the joke with the other soldiers. Just for a second, but it was all the Doctor needed. He whipped out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the nearest fire alarm – on the opposite wall.

The small glass panel on the alarm point shattered. A siren cut in immediately. The display screen the soldier was using flashed up a message: Fire Alert – Inert Gas Sprinklers Activated.

"It'll take a little while for the water to get along the pipes to the sprinklers," the Doctor said. He almost had to shout to be heard above the alarm. "Major Carlisle should have locked open all the internal doors and bulkheads, and rigged it so all the sprinklers will go off, not just the ones in this area. I also opened a constant flow from the main reservoir so there'll be plenty of water."

"You're mad," Reeve exclaimed. "If Jackson had wiped your mind, he'd have done you a favor. As it is, he won't need to."

Reeve took a step back. He gripped his gun in both hands, aiming straight at the Doctor. On the far side of the cavern, water burst from a roof-mounted sprinkler. Then from another, and another. All across the vast space, water fell like rain.

"I might have known you didn't really have a plan at all," Reeve said. His finger tightened on the trigger.

"I have a brilliant plan. The only downside. . ." the Doctor told Reeve as a sprinkler directly above showered water down around them ". . .is that we all get wet."

"The only downside," Reeve retorted, "is that you die." He pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot echoed off the rock walls.

~Living the Life of Ally~

"I am so glad to see you!" Amy cried as Major Carlisle entered the Process Chamber and raced over to begin undoing the straps holding her into the chair. "How did the Doctor do it? No, forget that. First tell me what he's done."

The last strap came free and Carlisle stepped back to let Amy out of the process chair. Nearby, a soldier stood lazily as if he was asleep. His head was nodded forward on his chest and his eyes were closed. Water from the sprinklers ran down his face and dripped from his hair.

"Don't ask me," Carlisle said. "Everyone's like this. Nurse Phillips is the same in the observation room, just like the guards outside."

"Everyone except Jackson," Amy told her. "He legged it when the guard there got the slumps. It's like. . ." She rubbed furiously at her wrist to try to get some circulation back. "It's like that soldier was when he blanked out after sabotaging the systems."

"Is that what the Doctor's done? Blanked them all again somehow?"

"Let's ask him. And he needs to know it didn't work on Jackson, so come on."

"Let's hope we can turn these sprinklers off soon."

They passed several soldiers on the way. All of them were slumped forward, as if sleeping. By the time they reached the cavern, Amy and Carlisle were both completely drenched. "I'll never be dry again!" Amy complained.

"I suppose it is just water," Carlisle said as they started down the steps. Water ran and dripped through the metal mesh of the treads under their feet.

"Oh, thanks for that," Amy said. "Goodness knows how much of it I've swallowed."

"But it hasn't affected us."

"Apart from making us wet. Still. . ." Amy said as they reached the bottom of the step and saw the Doctor. Despite the situation, she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the sight. "Could be worse."

He was holding up Captain Reeve's slumped body from behind, standing directly under a sprinkler head. The water splashed and cascaded off the two of them. The Doctor's hair was plastered down the side of his face, covering one eye. He glared at Amy. "It's not that funny!"

"What are you doing?" Amy shouted above the sound of the water.

"If I let him go, he'll fall."

"You shouldn't have moved him," Carlisle said. "The others are balanced all right."

Several soldiers were standing close by, heads bowed and shoulders slumped. Another was sprawled forwards over a keyboard and display screen.

"I was just doing a little experiment. Here, help me put him down. Yes, here, under the sprinkler. I want him to get a really good dose. Let's see if it speeds things up."

Carlisle carefully removed the pistol from Reeve's hand. "Bit late for that," the Doctor informed her. "He's already taken his shot."

"What? Where?" Amy exclaimed. "Are you hurt?"

"No, he missed. It was just as the effect of the water got to him. Lucky for me. He slumped forward and the shot bounced off the floor somewhere."

"So don't keep us in suspense!" Amy begged. "What is it with this water? Why are they all blanked out?"

"Their minds are trying desperately to adapt."

On the floor between them, Reeve groaned and moved, curling into a protective ball.

"Looks like it's working," the Doctor went on.

"What did you do?" Carlisle asked. "What's in the water?"

"They are. Their minds, at least. Remember what I said about a glass of water in the ocean? I mixed all the water containing the backed-up minds into the tank that's feeding the sprinklers. Just like Amy's own brain managed to latch on to her mind imprint when she drank her back-up, Captain Reeve is absorbing the tiniest part of his own mind through his skin."

"In the water from the sprinklers," Carlisle realized. "Holograms."

"You what?" Amy said. "Look, am I the only person here who speaks human?"

"The whole of the mind-print encoded in every molecule," the Doctor explained. "Every drop of water that touches us contains the diluted mind-prints of everyone Jackson wiped. The first effect is to purge the brain of the alien influence, it's rejected as the human brain struggles to reabsorb its own pattern from the water."

Reeve was uncurling now and trying to sit up. He looked around in confusion.

"The more water that hits the skin, the quicker the process," the Doctor finished triumphantly.

"Um, one obvious question," Amy said. "If everyone's mind is in every drop of water, how does Reeve's brain know which data to absorb? Won't he get a bit of everyone's mind? Won't that make him one crazy, mixed-up person?"

The Doctor smiled and clasped his hands together behind his back. "No, that's the clever thing. Because the brain should be able to identify its own mind-print and just take the data that belongs to it. Like recognizing your own car in amongst hundreds in the supermarket car park."

"I often get the wrong car," Carlisle told him.

Amy walked slowly around the Doctor. He turned to keep facing towards her. "You've got your fingers crossed behind your back, haven't you?" she accused.

The Doctor's smile became slightly fixed. "Might have."

"You have no idea if this is going to work or not?"

"The theory's sound," he protested. "Mostly."

Carlisle gestured to Captain Reeve, now getting groggily to his feet. "I think we're about to find out."

Reeve was looking around, confused.

"He'll be fine," the Doctor assured them. "Really, fine."

"Who in blazes are you?" Reeve demanded. "What am I doing down here?"

"He's confused," Amy said, pointing out the obvious. "Maybe it hasn't worked."

"No, it's just that the real Captain Reeve never met us," the Doctor explained. "We didn't arrive until after he'd been blanked."

"Major?" Reeve asked. "What's going on?"

"It's a bit tricky to explain," Carlisle admitted. "But it's good to have you back, Captain Reeve."

"What's the last thing you remember?" the Doctor inquired, shining his sonic screwdriver in Reeve's startled face.

"I was with Professor Jackson and Nurse Phillips, in the Process Chamber. They wanted me to look at something. Then. . ." He shook his head. "Then this. What's happening?"

"Alien invasion," the Doctor said casually. "Don't worry about it. But we'll need your help."

Reeve looked at the three of them: the Doctor grinning manically; Amy smiling in relief and amusement; the usually ice-calm Carlisle as drenched as the rest of them as the water continued to shower down. "And you wondered if I was mad," he said.

Amy was starting to shiver. She was soaked through. "Can't we turn the sprinklers off now?"

"Seems so," the Doctor said. "Now that everyone's blanked out." He turned and headed for the stairs, splashing through the deepening puddles.

"Except Jackson," Carlisle pointed out.

The Doctor froze in mid step. "What?"

"It didn't seem to affect Jackson," Amy confirmed. "He did a runner. Probably hiding out somewhere, or having a calm cup of that tea of his while he plots his next fiendish move. I mean, there's not much he can do on his own, is there?"

"Why didn't it affect Jackson?" the Doctor demanded. He stared accusingly at Reeve.

"Don't ask me," he protested. "You're the expert. I just got here, remember?"

The Doctor was running again, but this time towards the aisles of data storage. His foot slapped down in a puddle close to Amy, splashing her legs. "Oh, cheers."

The Doctor ignored her, frantically pulling open drawers in the huge cabinets. The others hurried to join him. Amy was in time to see him pause as he opened one drawer. They were full of phials and colorless liquid.

"The phials are all connected to the main systems. I pumped all the water out and into the tank for the sprinklers. Then they get refilled from main storage. . . If Jackson's phial was in here, he must have been mixed in with the others."

The Doctor barely glanced at the contents of the drawer before slamming it shut again. He pulled open the next drawer down, and they all saw that one of the phials was missing. "It's okay, that's you, Amy." The Doctor turned and grinned at her. "I did a pond water joke. Probably not worth repeating though." He pushed the drawer shut again. The next drawer down was full, and the next.

It was then that Amy noticed that someone was missing. "Oh my God, Alex!" she shrieked. She looked at the Doctor, her eyes wide and alarmed. "Where is she?! In all the excitement, I forgot! She was processed before me and . . . and. . ." She turned to give Reeve a sharp look. "You knocked me out!"

"Not me!" Reeve protested.

"His alien counterpart, Amy," the Doctor corrected. "And don't worry, she's fine. Still in a coma though."

"A coma?!"

"Calm down," the Doctor drilled. "She's perfectly safe. I have her back-up right here." He patted his jacket pocket. "Didn't get much of her, thankfully. All we have to do is give this to her and she'll be back."

After easing Amy, the Doctor moved down to the next cabinet. Three drawers down, another phial was missing. The Doctor tapped the empty slot with his finger. "Want to bet that's the real Professor Jackson?"

~Living the Life of Ally~

The Control Room was the best place to start looking for Jackson, Major Carlisle suggested. They could also turn off the sprinklers before the base flooded. The Doctor sent Captain Reeve to check on the prisoners in the hub and to give Alex her back-up.

"She's a cute brunette, can't miss her," the Doctor directed. "Purple tank-top, white shorts, brown boots, large earrings. She'll be the one still unconscious. And don't drop that." Once the Doctor had handed the phial off to Reeve, he added, "The prisoners were all blanked by Jackson in the last few days. I'm hoping the sprinkler systems work over in the cells too and it isn't a separate system."

"Should do," Reeve said. "But I'll go take a look."

It didn't take Reeve long to find Alex. Hers was the only cell that didn't have shouting coming from it. Reeve quickly unlocked it and ducked inside, holding the phial like it was a lifeline, which it kind of was. The Doctor would kill him if he dropped it and it spilled.

Reeve whistled a little as he got his first look at Alex. The Doctor had been wrong about her being cute; she was hot. Hesitantly, Reeve undid the phial and poured the liquid into Alex's mouth. He then pressed her throat to get her to swallow.

Inside Alex's mind, Alex was staring at the puzzle in her lap. She didn't know how long she'd been in here – being in a coma, it was a little hard to keep track of time – but she guessed it had been quite a while. Where was the Doctor? What was he doing? Did he get captured? She groaned. God, it sucked being so useless!

Suddenly, Alex felt something happening. The banging from the Talerian's prison was decreasing dramatically. Alex looked down at the puzzle. To her shock, several new pieces had appeared on the board. All she had to do was arrange them.

Alex wasted no time in arranging the puzzle pieces. Upon clicking the final piece into place, Alex heard a loud roar come from the steel box and then what sounded like something exploding. The steel box then dissolved, revealing nothing in the area where it had stood.

Alex grinned, unplugged her IV, and jumped out of the hospital bed, leaving the puzzle there. She then ran over to the library doors and threw them open. She was free.

Alex opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a small area, staring up at a gray ceiling, and she was lying on something hard, cold, and . . . wet.

"Ah!" she shrieked, jumping up. Sure enough, she was completely drenched. "Ugh!" She used her hands to try and get the water off her body but only succeeded in spreading the water even more. "I'm going to kill him!" she shrieked, tugging the sweater away from her waist and pulling it on.

"Um, hello?" a familiar voice said hesitantly.

Alex whirled around to see none other than Captain Reeve. "Hello!" she greeted. She could tell that this was the real Captain; his eyes were a nice emerald green. "You must be the real Captain Reeve. Nice to meet you. I'm Alex. Now, as much as I would love to stay and chat, I've got a certain Doctor to yell at. Where is he?"

"Control Room," Reeve directed.

"Thanks," Alex beamed before racing off.

She grimaced as she ran through puddles of water, thanking God she had decided to wear mid-calf length boots today. She tried to ignore the tingly feeling her body was getting from being in all this water, and simply concentrated on getting to the Control Room.

~Living the Life of Ally~

Only certain parts of the base were covered by security cameras. Once she'd turned off the sprinklers, Carlisle checked each camera's image in turn. Most showed soldiers and staff standing slumped from the effects of water. There was no sign of Jackson.

"How long before they start to recover properly?" Amy wondered, looking at a soldier collapsed across the end of the main control console.

"Shouldn't be too long," the Doctor answered. "The ones closest to sprinklers should start to wake up first, like Reeve. Though he drank quite a lot too, I think. His mouth was open because he was threatening me when he blanked out."

"I thought he was shooting you," Carlisle said.

"That too. He was multi-tasking."

Suddenly, the sound of someone running through the hall rang out and a minute later, a figure appeared in the doorway. "Doctor!" Alex cried, rushing forwards and throwing herself into the Doctor's arms.

The Doctor gripped her tightly and lifted her off the ground, Alex's legs latching around his waist. Amy watched the exchange with a smile on her face. Carlisle just looked shocked.

"Ally! Good to see you in the flesh!" the Doctor cried, spinning her around a little.

Alex laughed. "Doctor! Put me down!" Once he did, her smile turned into a frown. "WATER?!" she screeched. "Really?!"

The Doctor winced, bracing himself for a slap. "I'm sorry, but there was no other way!"

Alex let out a long huff of air. "Well, you're off the hook. This time."

"Yes, Ally," the Doctor smiled at her.

"So what did I miss? What's with all the unconscious soldiers I passed?"

"The Doctor's going to revive everyone and put their minds back to normal with some glass-of-water-in-the-ocean theory," Amy babbled. "I don't really get it but it works. And can I just say that it's great to see you?"

Alex laughed and pulled Amy into a hug. "Don't worry, I'll ask him later. And it is fantastic to see you as well."

Their conversation was interrupted by an insistent bleeping from one of the consoles. "Local radio signal," Carlisle explained, having recovered from her shock of seeing the Doctor and Alex acting so couple-like. "Who can that be?" She worked the controls and a voice echoed out of nearby speakers.

". . .repeat, this is Lieutenant Ashton passing over Base Diana. Can anyone hear me? Come in, please, Base Diana."

The Doctor took the microphone. "Oh, hi, this is the Doctor. Good to know you're okay. We seem to have things pretty much under control down here. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Ashton replied. "Good to know you're all sorted. Just one thing. . ."

"You want to know when you can head home?" the Doctor guessed.

"Apart from that. There's like, lightning up here. I don't know how else to describe it."

"Lightning?" Alex frowned. "That's impossible."

The Doctor rubbed his wet hair vigorously. "Not really. Not lightning-lightning. What's it look like?"

"A streak of light," Ashton answered. "Like someone's turned on a huge searchlight. I can see it shining across space. Brilliant white light, I can barely look it's so bright."

"And where's it shining?" Carlisle asked.

"That's just it. It's shining right at Base Diana. Right at you."

There was silence for several moments. The Doctor's frown deepened and he and Alex exchanged identical looks of worry.

Finally, Ashton spoke again. "Hey, look, I'm going to be passing round the other side of the moon in a couple of minutes, so we'll lose contact. But I thought you should know. I'll leave that with you guys, okay?"

Carlisle told him to call in again on his next orbit, and cut the connection.

"What is it?" Amy asked the Doctor. "Something Jackson's done?"

"Their Plan B," the Doctor said gravely. "Should have guessed they'd have one. Jackson's sent them a message and told them to forget thought pattern transference now that we've un-blanked their people here."

"But that's good, isn't it?" Carlisle asked.

"Not good," Alex replied, seeing where the Doctor was going with this.

"Not if I'm right about that light beam," the Doctor added.

"Why, what is it?" the Major asked.

"I think it's a concentrated stream of data. They're not just transferring consciousness and brain wave patterns this time."

The main screen was still displaying the view from one of the security cameras. It showed an intersection of several corridors. Two soldiers were slumped by a doorway. In the middle of the intersection, the air seemed to shimmer. A vague shape was forming within the trembling air. Shadows darkened and became more substantial. The shimmer faded, and in its place stood a figure.

The creature was about the same height as a man. But the limbs were swollen and smooth. Its head was joined directly to the body with no neck, poking out of the plates of metallic body armor that hung around the creature's torso. A single, huge oval-shaped eye stared out from a bulbous head that was breaking out into glutinous pustules. Stubby clawed fingers clutched a brutal-looking gun made of gray metal.

Slime dripped from the creature's pale green skin as it walked slowly towards the camera. It paused for a moment, as if staring into the Control Room. A hole opened beneath its eye – a wide slash of a mouth, filled with ragged teeth. It raised its glutinous, clawed hands, aiming the gun at the camera. The end of the weapon glowed a livid red, and the scream blackened out.

"I thought it was just increased bandwidth to send through more Talerian minds. But actually it's a matter transmission beam. Looks like the Talerians are here in force," the Doctor said quietly. "And in person."

"Doctor, you couldn't know," Alex soothed.

But her words were interrupted as the door to the Control Room slammed open. In the doorway stood another of the bulbous, slimy creatures. Its mouth split into what might have been a smile, and it raised its gun.

A/N: Another evil cliffhanger! But at least we got Alex and Amy back in this chapter!

Some notes on reviews. . .

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - Glad you liked the part where the Doctor was in Alex's mind! We needed some fluff after the huge lack of it in the previous chapters. :) Yep, Alex and Jack will get along great. They'll have a great friendship and, further along, it'll be a bit brother-sister like between them . . . won't stop Jack from flirting with her though! Glad you liked the chapter!

Gwilwillith - Glad you liked the chapter! Yes, they need to kiss! :)

SopherGopherroxursox - Yeah, the pond water joke is pretty good. :) I thought about doing a 'locke' joke, like Loch Ness, but it didn't fit in anywhere. Glad you liked the fluffy bit in Alex's head! We really needed one after the withdrawal in the last several chapters. :) I'm glad you like this adventure! :)

TheGirlWhoWaited - They made it out in this chapter...only for the alien to arrive. :{ But Alex is back, so I think that makes up for the cliffhanger ending. :)

ElysiumPhoenix - Yep, a lot of confusing bits in the last chapter. But Amy's back permanently now and so is Alex! Yes, they need to get past their issues soon . . . when is the real question though. :) Glad you liked the chapter!

Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - No, I haven't seen 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' or read it, but I've read about it. We did read 'Of Mice and Men' in my 10th grade English class, and that has a really sad ending. :( Don't worry, there will be plenty of epic moments in the Pandorica episodes! :) Oh yes, how will the Doctor react to Alex and Jack in the same room. . . :) Ooh, those are some good ones! When I read your review in art class today, the name 'Brain Storm' came to mind, but I have a feeling that's going to the proverbial drawing board. :)