A little while later, the Doctor's communicator beeped. He snatched it up. "The TARDIS, where is it?" he demanded, not even bothering for a normal greeting. "Hurry up!"
"Don't raise your voice, don't look alarmed," River instructed. It sounded like she was trying to stay calm herself. "Get Alex and keep her to your side. Then, both of you listen."
The Doctor looked up and quickly found Alex. She was leaning against a wall next to the soldiers that had come down here just a few moments ago. He managed to catch her eye and subtly nodded her over. Seeing that his eyes looked slightly worried, Alex pushed off the wall and went over to him.
"What's going on?" she asked quietly, sensing that she had to do that for some reason.
"They're not real," River blurted. "They can't be. They're all right here in the story book. Those actual Romans. The ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's picture book."
Alex remembered that book. It was one of Amy's favorites. She remembered lounging on Amy's bed eating pieces of burnt peanut brittle she had attempted to make while Amy read aloud passages from it.
"What are you even doing there?" the Doctor questioned.
"It doesn't matter," River dismissed. "The TARDIS went wrong. Doctor, how is this possible?"
"Something's using her memories," Alex said. It all made sense. The Pandorica, Pandora's Box, the Romans, Amy's favorite topic in school. . . It was all too much of a coincidence to ignore. "Amy's own memories."
"But how?" River wondered.
"You said something had been there," the Doctor reminded her.
"Yes. There's burn marks on the grass outside, landing patterns."
"If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts. They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories."
"Question is, why?" Alex asked. "Why go to so much trouble?"
"Doctor, who are those Romans?" River abruptly asked.
The Doctor and Alex looked over their shoulders and eyed the Roman soldiers. They seemed pretty normal. "Projections, or duplicates," the Doctor guessed.
"But they were helping us! My lipstick even worked!"
"They might think they're real," the Doctor said, still keeping an eye on the soldiers. "The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated."
Beside him, Alex stiffened. If these Romans were just duplicates, that meant that Rory was most likely one too. How else could he have come back after going through a crack that was supposed to erase him from existence?
"Doctor, that Centurion," River said, unknowingly echoing Alex's thoughts. "It's a trap. It has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you and Alex would believe, to get close to you!"
"Why?" the Doctor wondered. "Who'd do that? It doesn't make sense."
Suddenly, there was a bang from the communicator, followed by a small shout. "River? River?" the Doctor called into the communicator.
"River, what's happening?" Alex asked. As much as she didn't like the woman, she didn't want anything horrible to happen to her.
"I don't know!" River shouted back. "It's the engines! Doctor, there's something wrong with the TARDIS, like something else is controlling it!"
"You're flying it wrong," the Doctor retorted.
"I'm flying it perfectly!" River shot back. "YOU taught me!"
And that helped you how? Alex sarcastically thought in spite of herself.
"Where are you?" the Doctor asked. "What's the date reading?"
"It's the 26th of June, 2010," River recited.
The Doctor's face fell. He actually looked scared. "You need to get out of there now!" he shouted. "Any other time zone, just go!"
"I can't break free!" River cried.
"Well, then shut down the TARDIS! Shut down everything!"
"I can't!"
But then, a new voice rang out. It was creepy and ominous, reminding Alex of the possessed little girl in The Exorcist. "Silence will fall," it ominously warned. "Silence will fall."
"Someone else is flying it!" River cried, having also heard this. "An external force. I've lost control!"
"But how?" Alex wondered. As far as she knew, nothing could control the TARDIS. The TARDIS was a living, sentient being. Nothing could take her over . . . right?
"Why?" the Doctor picked up. He was at a loss for what to think as well.
But before he could try and think of anything, a high-pitched whine sounded out of nowhere, ringing throughout the room. The Doctor and Alex clutched their ears. "What the hell was that?" Alex gasped once the noise stopped, as sudden as it had begun.
"Listen to me," the Doctor ordered, "just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time. I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The TARDIS exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her."
"It's not safe," River argued.
But before either the Doctor or Alex could retort, light suddenly filled the room. The Pandorica was opening. The light was coming from two slides sliding away from the corner facing the entrance. The Doctor and Alex backed away from it, shielding their eyes a little.
"Well, now," the Doctor commented. "Ready to come out, are we?"
"Doctor? Alex?" River called out. "I'm down! I've landed."
"Okay, just walk out the doors," the Doctor instructed. "If there's no one inside, the TARDIS engines shut down automatically. Just get out of there."
"I'm going."
"Run!" the Doctor and Alex cried.
"Doctor! Alex! Doctor, I can't open the doors!"
The duo only ignored her as they whirled around to look at the soldiers again. Much to Alex's shock and horror, the soldiers' fingers had dropped away, revealing guns tucked into their hands. "Amy!" the Doctor gasped, remembering that Rory was also a duplicate now.
"Doctor!" River shouted from the communicator. "I can't open the doors! Doctor, please, I've got seconds!"
"Plastic Romans," the Doctor said, ignoring her. "Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?"
"The Pandorica is ready," one of the Roman soldiers . . . er, duplicates, said.
"What, do you mean it's open?"
In answer to that question, a large, white Dalek rolled forward. Alex's eyes widened as she recognized the Supreme Dalek from their adventure with Winston Churchill. She immediately dove behind the Doctor before the latter could force her to do it himself. She inched up on her tiptoes to look at it.
"You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Doctor and Alex." The Doctor stiffened as he heard Alex's name included in a sentence with his own by a Dalek. Behind him, Alex tried to keep herself calm, but she found herself clutching the Doctor's jacket tightly, a grip that grew stronger as a red Dalek and a yellow Dalek beamed in behind the Supreme.
"Scanned?" the Doctor retorted, trying to keep himself, and by extension, Alex, calm. "Scanned by what, a box?"
"Both of your limits and capacities have been extrapolated," the Supreme stated as a bunch of Cybermen, Judoon, and Sontaran beamed in behind it.
"The Pandorica is ready," one of the Sontarans proclaimed. Alex felt the odd urge to giggle at the alien who very much resembled a baked potato. She bit her tongue to keep from doing this. Giggling like a lunatic right now would not help matters.
"Ready for what?" the Doctor warily asked.
Right then, the Pandorica fully opened up. The Doctor and Alex turned to see what was inside it. Inside, a bunch of machinery lined the walls. But the biggest concern was in the middle of the structure. There were two chairs, back-to-back, equipped with various kinds of straps for keeping the occupants restrained.
Alex felt a tremor of horror go through her. Even before the Supreme Dalek told them, she knew who the Pandorica was meant for. "Ready for you."
Suddenly, Alex felt herself being lifted up in the air. Her first thought was that it was the Doctor, grabbing her so they could try to make a quick getaway. However, she quickly saw otherwise. One of the Roman duplicates had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, the position painful. Nevertheless, that didn't stop Alex from screaming and kicking wildly.
"Doctor!" she screamed as she kicked at parts of the Roman that should have caused physical pain. But nothing seemed to hurt the Roman. He easily avoided her attempts to bite him and managed to get her in the back seat. Alex attempted to lunge herself away, but the Roman caught her and quickly restrained her arms and legs.
"Let her go!" the Doctor cried as two Roman duplicates forced him towards the Pandorica. "It's me you want!" But no one could be swayed. Ultimately, the Doctor was forced into the other seat, his arms, legs, and head restrained. Apparently, he was considered the bigger threat than Alex.
"You lot," the Doctor began as the aliens surrounded the Pandorica. Alex craned her head sideways to try and see. "Working together. An alliance. How is that possible?"
"The cracks in the skin of the universe," the Supreme Dalek stated.
"All reality is threatened!" a gun wielding Sontaran exclaimed.
"All universes will be deleted," a Cyberman added.
"What? And you've come to me for help?"
Alex would have slapped him if her arms hadn't been clamped down. "Does it look like they're trying to help us?!" she snapped.
"No," the Sontaran corrected, proving Alex's point. "We will save the universe from you!"
"From me?" the Doctor gasped.
"Why the hell am I in here?" Alex wanted to know. "I'm human! He's the alien!"
"Thank you for the help, Ally!" the Doctor shot back.
"All projections correlate," the Cyberman explained. "All evidence concurs. The Doctor and his Ally will destroy the universe."
"No, no, no," the Doctor argued, shaking his head wildly. "You've got it wrong!"
"Completely wrong!" Alex agreed.
"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the Alliance," the Cyberman continued, as though Alex and the Doctor hadn't interrupted.
"A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion," the Supreme Dalek correlated.
"A trap the Doctor and his Ally could not resist," the Sontaran crowed.
"The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor and Alex Locke," the Supreme Dalek declared. "It is confirmed."
"No, no, no, not me, not Alex, the TARDIS!" the Doctor tried. "And we're not in the TARDIS, are we?"
"Only the Doctor and his Ally can fly the TARDIS," the Supreme Dalek retorted.
"No, I can't!" Alex argued. What was wrong with these aliens?! Weren't they supposed to be intelligent? "He refuses to teach me!"
But the aliens didn't say anything. "Please, listen to me!" the Doctor begged. Alex's lower lip started quivering at hearing the hopelessness in his voice.
"You will be prevented," the Dalek continued.
"Total event collapse!" the Doctor interrupted. He needed to get them to understand. Their plan would only have horrible effects instead of the good outcome they all expected. "Every sun will supernova at every moment in history! The whole universe will never have existed! Please, listen to me!"
"Seal the Pandorica!" the Cyberman ordered.
"No!" Alex shrieked. She launched herself forward, trying to escape her restraints, but to no avail. "Please! Listen to him!"
"The TARDIS is exploding right now and we're the only ones that can stop it!" But the Doctor knew the aliens were never going to listen to him. He was, after all, their biggest enemy, Alex as well, apparently. "Listen to me!"
But his pleads fell on deaf ears as the Pandorica sealed closed, leaving the Doctor and Alex trapped inside as outside, the TARDIS exploded and every star in the universe went out.
A/N: GASP! Alex is in the Pandorica with the Doctor! What will happen next?!
Notes on reviews. . .
ElysiumPhoenix - Lol, I love that line! I give Alex all the good ones. :) No, it's not wrong to love an argument. I quite love it too. You can really see the concern and devotion they have for each-other there. Yep, we are progressing, slowly but surely! :)
SopherGopherroxursox - I don't think anyone can top 'slutty poodle' but I'd love to see someone try! :) River is kind of mean in here, but I try to give her some good moments too. She and Alex are supposed to have a frenemy relationship here; they're not all that nice to each-other, but they will step in for the other when one really needs it. :) For you and your sister, I put up TWO chapters today! Hope you enjoy! :)
SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - I'm sorry for your Alex withdrawal! Here's two chapters to make up for it. :) Yep, there's fluff, more so, I think, in 'The Big Bang'. You'll see why when we get there. :) Congratulations! I'll try to check it out, but I can't make any promises (school, internet issues, upcoming play rehearsal, homework, the usual) but I'll try. :)
dream lighting - I can't say when! I want it to be a surprise and have you all jumping up and down with excitement because you didn't know it would be happening then. :) As we saw, Alex was thrilled to have Rory back. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapters!
mayfire21 - That is weird that her name is so similar to Alex's name. I never even thought of it! :)
ShadowTeir - Well, Alex got stuck with the Doctor in the Pandorica, so that does reveal some about her future and how aliens view her with the Doctor. :) Glad you loved the arguing and the Doctor/River talk. Lol, I had to add that. This River is aware of her relationship with Alex and reluctantly acknowledges it. :)
rycbar15 - Glad you're back! I was wondering where you went. :) Glad you liked the chapters!
JackSpicer2311 - Ooh . . . that IS a good idea! I'm not sure whether or not that'll happen, but it's definitely something to keep in mind, so thanks! :)
Barrydennen12 - Alex already knows what regeneration is, or at least knows the Doctor goes through a process called regeneration that changes his physical features. She doesn't know about the 'new man' and personality traits. There is, after all, a difference between knowing about regeneration and actually seeing it, something Alex will confront, but not for a long while. Not until 11 regenerates into 12, I think. So, no, no interlude explaining what regeneration is to her. But she'll experience and confront it one day. :)
Tardis dreamer2 - Thank you! I'm so glad you love it and Alex! And don't worry, I'll certainly try! :)
MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon - Don't worry, she'll be in Season 7, just not as in many episodes as you'd expect. I know for a fact that Alex will be in 'The Crimson Horror', 'Nightmare in Silver', and 'The Name of the Doctor (we have to have her in that one). I can't say why she isn't in 'The Snowmen', just that you'll find out eventually. :)
TheGirlWhoWaited - Once again, internet, not sick. As a certain Doctor said to a certain Alex 'it takes a lot to kill me'. :) Glad you loved that chapter! :)
Gwilwillith - Thank you! And I love her too. :)
TheUltimateGuest - Yeah, they get pretty intense when they're fighting. Ooh, the Doctor's point of view of the fight would probably involve a lot of thinking about Alex being a 'bloody annoying, frustrating, insufferable human' and then immediately taking all that back when Alex revealed why she didn't want to leave him. :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Oh, River is SO jealous! No, Alex isn't in 'Silence in the Library' or 'Forest of the Dead'. That would cause a mega paradox. She was mentioned in them though, and I can hint we'll see something River said in reference to Alex popping up in a later chapter. :) Hmm. . . I've got a way worked out for how River knows his name. It doesn't involve Alex telling her though. I don't think Alex would ever tell her, if she could help it. :) Lol, she IS awesome! I want my own so badly. I know I would kill for the library I invented for the TARDIS in this story. :) I haven't thought much about what's in the files, but they do hold information about Alex that she and the Doctor are not aware of yet. They'll pop up again one day though. :) Lol, don't worry! I seem to be taking my time getting them together already! Other OC stories I write in the future won't have the relationship be this drawn out, so that's something. And don't worry; the fluff will continue! I love writing it and I know people love reading it. :)
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed/favored this story. Again, so sorry about the long updates (stupid internet), but I'm hoping it'll be fixed soon. Since the problem is counties-wide, the internet people should be on it pretty soon. So, please review and I'll hopefully see you tomorrow!
