AN: Good news is that I have a job, bad news; it is extremely time consuming so updates are probably going to be even slower in coming until everything is settled out. Apologies and thanks for sticking with me. :P
-0-
'This is the story of our planet, Earth. Of the day a thousand years past when we came to share it with a race know as Humanity. It is the story of the Doctor, who helped our races find common ground, and the terrible losses he suffered. It is the story of our past and must never be forgotten.'
"This place is enormous and deserted. The majority of the race are probably still asleep." The Doctor informed Nasreen as that walked along dangling sidewalks as rivers of lava flowed below them. The city was carved out of the cave like space they were in and all sorts of tropical plants grew around them. "We need to find Stella and Amy. Looking for heat signature anomalies."
"But Doctor, how can all this be here? I mean, these plants." Nasreen asked.
"Must be getting closer to the center of the city." The Doctor replied.
"You're sure this is the best way to enter?" Nasreen asked as they made their way into some tunnels.
"Front door approach. Definitely. Always the best way." The Doctor said and alarms sounded, blaring loudly throughout the underground city.
'Hostile life forms detected area seventeen.'
"Apart from the back door approach. That's also good." The Doctor winced as he turned around walking back the way they had come a bit. "Sometimes better."
'Hostile life forms detected area seventeen.'
"Doctor." Nasreen said as the door she was facing slid open allowing Silurian warriors in and another group approached them from behind weapons raised.
'Hostile life forms detected area seventeen.'
"We're not hostile. We're not armed. We're here in peace." The Doctor said quickly as he raised his hands up, also pulling up Nasreen's. A warrior stepped forward and gassed them with its weapon sending both of them coughing to the ground until they passed out completely.
-0-
Amy struggled violently against the restraints of the upright bed she was strapped to, but it was no use, no matter how she struggled she couldn't get free.
"Don't you come near me with that." Amy ordered fearfully as Malohkeh approached with the strange scalpel. He paused before her taking off his medical mask then reached over to a small device mounted on the wall and pressed the button activating it.
"From the clothing, the human females appear to be more resistant to the cold than the male." He made the audio note into the device.
"I dressed for Rio!" Amy snapped then realized what he had said. "Wait, females? As in there's another down here? Who's the other?"
"Leave her alone. You've got me. You've already dissected the other, that's enough!" Mo called out as Malohkeh pressed another button on a small controller and Amy's wrists were clamped tighter causing her to call out in pain though her eyes flickered to where Malohkeh placed the controller into the pocket of his lab coat.
"Decontamination complete. Commencing dissection." Malohkeh raised his scalpel and was about to bring it down when they were interrupted.
"Area Seventeen incursion. Species diagnostic requested. Area Seventeen incursion. Species diagnostic requested." The system called out over the comm. and Malohkeh ran out.
"Yeah. And stay out." Amy called out after him while fingering the restraints control she had picked from Malohkeh and freed herself.
"How did you get that?" Mo asked in amazement as Amy laughed running over to him.
"You never picked a lizard man's pocket?" Amy released him with a bit of a grin. "Was there another person down here with you? He said females and you mentioned a "her" a couple of times."
"It was woman with long light ginger hair." Mo replied, then shook his head. "The real strange thing though was her blood."
"What about it?" Amy asked as her stomach tightened.
"It was blue." Mo said and Amy's stomach dropped.
"Stella, they have Stella…" Amy gasped as they blood drained from her face, her hand covering her mouth in shock.
"You know her?" Mo asked.
"She's one of my best friends. What happened to her?" Amy questioned urgently.
"She reacted…badly to what he was doing to her. It was like she went wild, some sort of PTSD or something." Mo said as he recalled the horrific screams, the pain and anguish of them still ringing in his ears. "He could barely keep her restrained while he dissected her, they started to buckle, but then she started convulsing, like a seizure so he used something to put her to sleep and took her away, said he had to stabilize her he said."
"They have no idea what they've brought down on themselves." Amy mumbled with a dark glare as well as a small tremble at the thought of the Doctor on the war path. "Come on, before he gets back."
They made their way down the various Silurian tunnels trying to find a way out or a way to contact the others.
"That creature, do you think it was an alien? Any more of them, do you think? Do you think the Earth's been invaded?" Mo questioned Amy as they stepped through a doorway.
"Don't know. But I know someone who could have some answers." Amy replied. "We need to get back to the surface and find him." Amy stopped in front of another door, but it was different from all of the others, it was metal. "I wonder where this leads." Amy glanced over to Mo. "Maybe it's a way out of here."
Amy pressed a button on a wall panel and a screen lit up flickering through various images until it stopped at a human form. The window in the door lit up and Mo peered in to see his son Elliot inside.
"Oh, my God, no." Mo breathed out hard.
"What is it?" Amy asked as Mo tried to get the door open.
"It's my son. It's Elliot. What've they done to him? He's in there." Mo stepped back and Amy peered in at the young bow. "We have to get him out. Elliot?" Mo tried to access the panel. "Elliot, it's Dad."
"Access denied. Unauthorized genetic imprint."
"Stop. Seriously, we can't get in." Amy stopped him, gently pushing him away from the alcove.
"That's my boy in there." Mo grieved.
"These screens, they're monitoring something. I think they're vital signs." Amy told him. "Heartbeats, pulses. Why else would he be wired up? He's still alive."
"All right." Mo said reluctantly. "We find weapons, get that creature from the lab and force it to release Elliot, yeah?"
"Yeah. Trust me. We'll get him out." Amy said as they backed away from Elliot, the chamber going dark again, the something caught Amy's eye. It was a blue glow in another of the pods and the cybertronic pattern was very familiar. She quickly pressed the controls lighting it up to reveal Stella, but unlike Elliot her eyes were not serene, but filled with terrifying desperate fear, tears streaming from them though she was just as unconscious as Elliot. "Stella."
"That's the other woman they brought down here, she was part machine." Mo said to Amy, feeling slightly guilty for not being able to help her. Her lines were pulsing erratically as her systems tried to repair the damage Malohkeh had done to her systems when he was dissecting her.
"She's also the Doctor's fiancé." Amy said placing her hand on the glass, deeply worried for her friend.
"Is that important?" Mo asked softly.
"Let's just say I wouldn't want to be a lizard man when he finds her or when she wakes up." Amy said just thinking of the sleeping giants that were about to wake up. "We better go before someone catches us."
-0-
The Doctor was being scanned by a green cross light which moved over his body, and it hurt as he yelled out in pain, writhing against the upright bed. His head shook from side to side as the scan progressed along with the pain.
"How can they have escaped? This proves all prisoners should remain under military guard." Restac said angrily as she walked up to Malohkeh.
"I'm sure you'd prefer to be in charge of everything and everyone, Restac, but we rank the same." Malohkeh said as he looked up from the medical device he was using. "Is there any word from Alaya?"
"No." Restac said stiffly. The scan stopped giving the Doctor a brief moment escape from the pain and his eyes moved about the room until they stopped at the cuffs incasing his wrists. He couldn't help but to notice the scant trace of blue blood stains on them making his hearts go cold.
"It's fine to show concern, you know. She's part of your gene-chain." Malohkeh commented as he moved over to the controls inserting one of his tools into it. "I'm decontaminating now."
"Decontamination? No, no, no." The Doctor screamed as a new wave of pain hit him causing his whole body to shake painfully. "No! Argh!"
"It's all right, it won't harm you. I'm only neutralizing all your ape bacteria." Malohkeh assured him noticing the similar reaction he was having to the robotic woman, but she had come out of it fine.
"I'm not an ape. Look at the scans. Two hearts. Totally different. Totally not ape!" The Doctor screamed. "Remove all human germs, you remove half the things keeping me alive."
Malohkeh ran a scan and saw that he was telling the truth as soon as it came up on his screen. He quickly turned off the decontamination machine realizing that the woman had survived due to her inorganic parts and that the male had none to keep him alive.
"No, complete the process." Restac ordered, but Malohkeh payed her no heed.
"Oh, that's much better, thanks." The Doctor breathed out in relief, his face pale. "Not got any celery, have you? No. No, not really the climate. Tomatoes, though. You'd do a roaring trade in those. I'm the Doctor." Malohkeh walked over to Nasreen and used a device to wake her up while Restec approached the Doctor. "Oh, and there's Nasreen. Good. "
"Oh, a green man." Nasreen said groggily.
"Hello. Who are you?" The Doctor asked as he eyed the lizard woman in front of him.
"Restac, Military commander." Restac raised her chin.
"Oh dear, really? There's always a military, isn't there?" The Doctor grimaced.
"Your weapon was attacking the oxygen pockets above our city." Malohkeh told him, still next to Nasreen.
"Oxygen pockets, lovely." The Doctor smiled then his face lit up in realization. "Ooo, but not so good with an impending drill. Now it makes sense."
"Where is the rest of your invasion force?" Restac asked.
"Invasion force. Me and lovely Nasreen? No. We came for the humans you took and my fiancé Stella." The Doctor said, his eyes flashing with restrained anger. "And to offer the safe return of Alaya." Restac reacted minutely to the mentioning of Alaya, the Doctor spotting it right away. "Oh wait, you and she, what is it, same genetic source? Of course you're worried, but don't be, she's safe."
"You claim to come in peace, but you hold one of us hostage." Restac snarled as she walked away and the guards took position on either side of the Doctor and Nasreen.
"Wait, wait, we all want the same thing here." The Doctor tried to reason.
"I don't negotiate with apes." Restac spat out as she and Malohkeh walked back out into the main part of the lab. "I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface."
"What's that?" The Doctor asked.
"Your execution." Restac said in satisfaction.
"Yes." The Doctor said slowly.
-0-
Amy and Mo made their way through the tunnels past another set of sliding doors when they came to a tunnel that was lined with glass cases. This was not the first tunnel they had encountered that was set up like this, but this one had one slight difference.
"These chambers are all over the city." Amy said as she pressed the control on the side of one of the cases and lit up two of them, both containing Silurians unlike the others which had been empty.
"Urgh. Turn it off, quick." Mo said as he stumbled back away from the case and Amy turned the light back off. They were still for a breath then realized something. "They're not moving."
"Maybe they're asleep. Let's have another look." Amy said lighting the and opening a set of the chambers.
"No, Amy, don't. Don't." Mo tried to stop her, but she went inside, the Silurian remaining still. "Amy, what are you doing? Get out of there."
"Some sort of suspended animation." Amy commented as Mo slowly moved closer. "I wonder what these are?" Amy looked down at the discs the Silurians were standing on. "The Doctor and Stella would know. They always knows."
"Hey, look." Mo looked above the two Silurians where tunnels headed straight up.
"Wait. I've got it. It's how they came up to the surface." Amy said in realization. "Some sort of powered transport discs. It's our way out of here."
"Even better. Weapons." Mo took the weapon from the soldier. "Come on, now we can fight back."
Amy hesitantly took one of the other weapons before they stepped out of the chambers and switched the light back off allowing the doors to slide down.
"Which way now?" Mo asked.
"Door at the end." Amy replied making her way down the tunnel.
"Are you sure?" Mo asked.
"No." Amy said as they moved through the door which led to a balcony overlooking a vast chamber, containing warriors as far as the eye could see.
"Wow." Mo said.
"Yeah." Amy replied.
"We don't stand a chance." Mo said in shock at how many there were.
"We have to find the Doctor." Amy said leading him away.
-0-
The Doctor and Nasreen were under escort through the vast underground tropical city of the Silurians. They walked past a small waterfall and there were all sorts of plants from the bi-gone era of the dinosaurs that had never been seen by human eyes outside of a fossil.
"These must be the only ones awake." The Doctor commented to Nasreen as they were led along. "The others must still be in hibernation."
"So, why did they go into hibernation in the first place?" Nasreen asked.
"Their astronomers predicted the planet heading to Earth on a crash course." The Doctor explained to her as they ducked under various plants. "They a built life underground and put themselves to sleep for millennia in order to avert what they thought was the apocalypse, when in reality it was the moon coming into alignment with the Earth."
"How can you know that?" Malohkeh asked as they all came to a stop.
"Long time ago, I met another tribe of Homo Reptilia." The Doctor replied somewhat reluctantly. "Similar, but not identical."
"Others of our species have survived?" Restac questioned hopefully.
"The humans attacked them." The Doctor replied with deep regret, the hope Restac had dying away and her eyes going cold again. "They died. I'm sorry."
"A vermin race." Restac hissed before forcing them on their way.
-0-
They came to a large light golden room with a high ceiling, a large window overlooking the Silurian city, and a long table in the middle with ranks of black marble benches along the walls like gym room risers.
"You're not authorized to do this." Malohkeh told Restac as her soldiers took up positions keeping the prisoners covered.
"I am authorized to protect the safety of our species while they sleep." Restac replied.
"Oh, lovely place. Very gleaming." The Doctor commented looking around the room.
"This is our court and our place of execution." Restac said raising her chin.
"Let them go." Amy came into the room walking straight over to Restac with her weapon drawn while Mo came in the way Restac had led them into the room.
"Amy Pond. There's a girl to rely on." The Doctor grinned, his eyes glancing around for a sign of Stella, but saw none making his hearts give a fearful leap in his chest.
"You're covered both ways, so don't try anything clever, buster." Amy informed the lizard people.
"Mo." Nasreen said in relief.
"Now let them go, or I shoot." Amy ordered as Restac moved towards her, calculating the young red head. Amy made no move to actually fire, but still wanted Restac to think she would. "I'm warning you.
Restac scoffed then easily disarmed Amy pulling the gun from her hands and pointing it at her.
"Don't you touch her!" The Doctor called out.
"And you." Restac looked to Mo with a challenging glare. He reluctantly relinquished his gun.
"All right, Restac, you've made your point." Malohkeh tried.
"This is now a military tribunal. Go back to your laboratory, Malohkeh." Restac replied with a hiss as one of her soldiers jabbed the scientist in the back.
"This isn't the way." Malohkeh said with a shake of his head before he walked away.
"Prepare them for execution." Restac ordered and the soldiers pushed them all along.
"Okay, sorry. As rescues go, didn't live up to its potential." Amy said as the four of them were shacked to rings on a pair of columns.
"I'm glad you're okay." The Doctor told her with a smile.
"Me too." Amy nodded wide eyed. "Lizard men, though."
"Homo Reptilia. They occupied the planet before humans." The Doctor explained. "Now they want it back."
"After they've wiped out the human race." Nasreen added on.
"Right. Preferred it when I didn't know, to be honest." Amy winced as the soldier lined up in front of them with their weapons raised.
"Do you know where Stella is?" The Doctor asked Amy, his eyes shining with concern.
"They have her in some sort of stasis pod, but Doctor…." Amy trailed off uncomfortably, worried about what she was about to say would affect him.
"What? What is it?" The Doctor demanded getting angry and fearful at Amy's hesitancy. "Amy!"
"They…they experimented on her, they dissected her and from what Mo said it sounded like she had a PTSD attack, a really bad one." Amy said and the Doctor's face went pale as a sheet at the same time his eyes harden, the storm starting to brew.
"Why are they waiting? What do you think they're going to do with us?" Nasreen asked as the reptilians worked on some controls then Rory appeared on a large holographic screen in front of them.
"I speak for the humans. Some of us, anyway." Roy said hesitantly as he approached the computer screen that the Silurians were using to broadcast with.
"Do you understand who we are?" Restac questioned.
"Sort of. A bit. Not really." Rory replied truthfully as he shook his head.
"We have ape hostages." Restac threatened.
"Doctor! Amy!" Rory called out as he, Tony, and Ambrose ran to the screen.
"Mo! Mo, are you okay?" Ambrose cried.
"I'm fine, love. I've found Elliot. I'm bringing him home." Mo told her causing her to start to sob.
"Amy, I thought I'd lost you." Rory said in relief.
"What, cause I was sucked into the ground? You're so clingy." Amy teased with a playful roll of her eyes.
"Tony Mack!" Nasreen called out.
"Having fun down there?" Mack smiled.
"Where's Stella?" Rory asked.
"In a stasis…thing." Amy replied.
"Not to interrupt, but just a quick reminder to stay calm." The Doctor said pointedly.
"Show me Alaya. Show me, and release her immediately unharmed, or we kill your friends one by one." Restac hissed out through gritted teeth.
"No." Ambrose snapped.
"Ambrose." Rory tried to stop her.
"Steady now, everyone." The Doctor tried.
"Ambrose, stop it." Tony attempted to pull her back.
"Get off me, Dad." Ambrose shook out of his grasp. "We didn't start this."
"Let Rory deal with this, Ambrose, eh?" The Doctor said nervously.
"We are not doing what you say any more. Now, give me back my family." Ambrose demanded and all was quiet as they eyed each other.
"No." Restac said with dark relish in her voice. "Execute the girl."
"No! No, wait!" Rory called out pushing Ambrose aside to get to the screen as the guards pointed their guns at Amy.
"Rory!" Amy yelled.
"She's not speaking for us." Rory said.
"There's no need for this." The Doctor reasoned as they unchained Amy and pushed her in front of the firing squad.
"Listen, listen. Whatever you want, we'll do it." Rory became desperate.
"Aim." Restac called out and the soldiers raised their guns.
"Amy!" Rory yelled.
"Rory!" Amy screamed.
"Don't do this!" The Doctor shouted as he struggled against his chains.
"No!" Rory called out as the screen went blank for him Ambrose and Mack leaving them in panicked fear. Amy closed her eyes turning her face away waiting for the end.
"Fire!" Restac ordered.
"Stop!" Eldaine called out as he came into the room, his voice echoing off of the walls. The soldiers obeyed lowering their weapons as they all turned to face their leader. "You want to start a war while the rest of us sleep, Restac?"
"The apes are attacking us." Restac snapped in anger.
"You're our protector, not our commander, Restac. Unchain them." Eldaine ordered.
"I do not recognize your authority at this time, Eldane." Restac hissed darkly.
"Well then, you must shoot me." Eldaine said simply. Restac grit her teeth as she moved around the table, Malohkeh meeting her halfway.
"You woke him to undermine me." Restac hissed at Malohkeh.
"We're not monsters. And neither are they." Malohkeh replied.
"What is it about apes you love so much, hmm?" Restac questioned.
"While you slept, they've evolved. I've seen it for myself." Malohkeh told her.
"We used to hunt apes for sport." Restac spat in disgust at his empathy for the human race. "When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet."
"Shush now, Restac. Go and play soldiers." Eldaine ordered with a nod of his head. "I'll let you know if I need you."
"You'll need me, then we'll see." Restac eyed him before turning on her heel and leaving the room.
The instant the Doctor was free he went over to the controls bringing them back up, the screen flicking to life showing the anxious faces of Rory, Ambrose, and Tony.
"Rory. Hello." The Doctor grinned.
"Where's Amy?" Was Rory's first question.
"She's fine. Look, here, she is." The Doctor said pointed to Amy and the screen extended to show her much to Rory's relief. Ambrose and Tony were both relieved to note that Nasreen and Mo were safe as well, all of them freed from their chains.
"Oh, thank God." Rory breathed out.
"Keeping you on your toes." Amy smiled.
"No time to chat. Listen, you need to get down here." The Doctor informed them quickly. "Go to the drill storeroom. There's a large patch of earth in the middle of the floor. The Silurians are going to send up transport discs to bring you back down using geothermal energy and gravity bubble technology. It's how they travel and frankly, it's pretty cool." The Doctor grinned. "Bring Alaya. We hand her over, we can land this after all. All going to work, promise. Got to dash. Hurry up." He ended the transmission, not seeing the stricken faces of those still on the surface. The Doctor then turned on his heel to face the humans and Silurians who had taken seats along the table, Amy and Nasreen on one side and Eldaine on the other. Malohkeh and Mo stood off to the side. "I'd say you've got a fair bit to talk about."
"How so?" Eldaine asked as the Doctor braced himself against the table, anxious to get things going so he could go find Stella.
"You both want the planet. You both have a genuine claim to it." The Doctor replied.
"Are you authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity?" Eldaine asked as he eyed the gangly man.
"Me? No. But they are." The Doctor gestured to Nasreen and Amy.
"What?" Nasreen's eyes went wide.
"No, we're not." Amy shook her head.
"Course you are. Amy Pond and Nasreen Chaudhry, speaking for the planet? Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors. Come on, who has more fun than us?" The Doctor smiled as he moved over behind them patting them on their shoulders.
"Is this what happens, in the future? The planet gets shared? Is that what we need to do?" Amy asked as she got up moving over to the Doctor.
"Er, what are you talking about?" Nasreen questioned in confusion, sliding closer to them.
"Oh Nasreen, sorry. Probably worth mentioning at this stage, Amy, Stella, and I travel in time a bit." The Doctor explained.
"Anything else?" Nasreen asked.
"There are fixed points through time where things must always stay the way they are. This is not one of them. This is an opportunity." The Doctor explained as he started to move about and gesture with his hands as he talked. "A temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today, will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality." The Doctor said in excitement. "The future pivots around you, here, now. So do good, for humanity, and for Earth."
"Right. No pressure there, then." Amy breathed out as she retook her seat.
"We can't share the planet. Nobody on the surface is going to go for this idea. It is just too big a leap." Nasreen argued in a sotto voice.
"Come on." The Doctor smiled down at her. "Be extraordinary."
"Oh." Nasreen grinned as she caved in giving him a look and took her seat.
"Okay." The Doctor slapped his hand on the table three times in place of a gavel. "Bringing things to order. The first meeting of representatives of the human race and Homo Reptilia is now in session." The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "Ha! Never said that before. That's fab." The Doctor grinned with a laugh. "Carry on. Now, Mo." The Doctor pointed at him as he started walking toward the door. "Let's go and get your son and my fiancé." The Doctor turned on his heel looking back at the others. "Oh, you know, humans, and their predecessors shooting the breeze. Never thought I'd see it."
The Doctor left the room with Malohkeh and Mo while the others starred awkwardly at each other for a moment before the meeting got underway.
-0-
Malohkeh swiftly led them down the tunnels to where he had left Elliot and Stella, the Doctor and Mo right on his heels. Soon they were amongst the medical pods where their loved ones were stored.
"Elliot. There you are." The Doctor said as they stopped in front of the pod holding the young boy, his eyes glancing around for Stella.
"If you've harmed him in any way…" Mo threatened as Malohkeh worked the controls bringing Elliot out of stasis
"Of course not. I only store the young." Malohkeh replied, a bit offended.
"But why?" The Doctor asked eyeing the reptilian man.
"I took samples of the young, slowed their lifecycles to a millionth of their normal rate so I could study how they grew, what they needed, how they lived on the surface." Malohkeh explained as he looked up, his eyes alight with interest.
"You've been down here working by yourself, all alone?" The Doctor asked, his face still neutral.
"My family, through the millennia, and for the last three hundred years, just me. I never meant to harm your child." Malohkeh said to Mo who made to motion to forgive or condemn him.
"Malohkeh, I think I'd rather love you if it wasn't for the fact you experimented and cut open my fiancé." The Doctor said as his face wen dark, his eyes becoming sharp. "Who knows what damage you've caused, what nightmare you've thrown her back into." The Doctor said as his fists clenched and unclenched, barely able to keep them from Malohkeh's neck. "Now where is she?"
"Right across from the boy." Malohkeh said quickly, the dark look in the Doctor's eyes unsettling him deeply. The Doctor spun around quickly to Stella's pod, Malohkeh opening it for him.
"It's safe. We can wake them." Malohkeh turned back to the boy leaving Stella to the Doctor not wanting to be too close to the angry Time Lord. They unhooked Stella and Elliot from the wires that had been studying them allowing them to slowly start to come to. Mo and the Doctor quickly rushed to their loved ones. "Come."
"Elliot? Ell, it's Dad." Mo said waking the young boy.
"Dad." Elliot said groggily the two quickly hugged each other in relief.
"You're safe now." Mo said tightening his arms around his son before they pulled apart.
"Where are we?" Elliot asked looking around.
"Well, I've got to be honest with you, son. We're in the center of the Earth, and there are lizard men." Mo said and Elliot looked over to Malohkeh.
"Hi." The lizard man said with a smile and a small wave.
"Wow." Elliot breathed out then looked worried. "Where's Stella?"
"Over here, she is fine as well." Malokeh said turning to the Doctor and Stella, the Doctor gently trying to wake her up.
"Stella, love, come on." The Doctor cupped her face, his thumbs rubbing circles on her cheeks.
Stella blinked as her systems rebooted then let out a horrifying scream. She kept screaming as she stumbled back against the wall of the pod, the Doctor quickly rushing to her side placing comforting hands on her shoulders. She slid down the wall to the ground her screams turning into hyperventilating breaths coupled with deep sobs, the Doctor calling out to her trying to break through her nightmare. Slowly as talked her down her gaze became more focused on the Doctor, tears of relief immediately coming to her eyes when she realized he was with her.
"Theta?" Stella sobbed out, her hands shooting up to his.
"There's my Starlight." The Doctor smiled as he helped her slowly to her feet, her legs shaking, barely able to support her. As soon as she was up Stella launched herself into his arm as she sobbed holding onto him as tight as she could.
"Theta, you're here." Stella sobbed into his shoulder. "You're really here."
"It's ok, I've got you. You're safe now." The Doctor held her close kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry; I never should have taken my eye off you and let you go out there on your own."
"I thought I'd never see you again, I thought…I thought I was back there, that I was…the screaming and the blood….." Stella tightened her hold on him as her breathing quickened. "Elliot! Where's Elliot?"
"Right here love." The Doctor gestured the young boy over. Elliot ran up to her wrapping his arms around her, Stella instantly hugging him back as the Doctor kept his arm around her.
"Are you ok?" Stella checked him over shakily, Elliot nodding smiling comfortingly up at her. "I'm s-s-sorry I couldn't s-s-s-save you."
"It's ok, I'm fine, plus it's really cool down here, there's even lizard people." Elliot beamed looking over to Malohkeh not knowing what a bad idea it was to draw attention to the reptilian scientist. Elliot looked back up at Stella to see that she had gone tense, her eyes wild with anger and fear. "Stella?"
Before the Doctor could react Stella pushed him and Elliot behind herself and punched Malohkeh straight across his jaw sending him into a wall.
"Stella, stop." The Doctor tried to grab her, but she was already on Malohkeh and her strength was too much for him to be able to pull her back. She grabbed him by the collar of his clothes slamming him up against the wall, his feet dangling above the ground as he gripped her arms to stop his collar from choking him.
"You! What gives you the right? The right to cut me open? I should rip you apart! I should cut you up, see how you like it! Let's see what makes a lizard tick." Stella screamed as she shook with tortured fury. Mo grabbed hold of Elliot pulling him back as they watched in shock and pity, the little boys eyes wide at what was happening.
Stella slammed Malohkeh hard into the wall three times as she yelled at him before the Doctor managed to pull her back, making her release the lizard man knowing that in the state of mind she was in she very well may have killed him. Malohkeh coughed leaning against the wall for support while rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the wall.
"I'm a scientist, I had never seen anything like you, I was just…" Malohkeh tried, regret and guilt churning in his stomach violently.
"You're a butcher, a monster! You are disgusting filth!" Stella started breath hard, her body shaking violently while tears streamed down from her eyes and her breath came in labored pants. The Doctor pulled her back into his arms and she buried her face against his chest, gripping the lapels of his jacket.
"I think it best we split up." The Doctor said with a grim look as he rubbed Stella's back trying to comfort her.
"I think you're right Doctor." Malohkeh nodded looking to Stella then back to the Doctor, his eyes remorseful. "And I know it means nothing to you, and I have no excuse, but I am sorry." Malohkeh looked over to Mo. "To both of you."
The Doctor nodded tightly acknowledging his apology, but neither rejecting nor accepting it, Mo looking away completely, before they went their separate ways.
'Storage facility nineteen operational.'
-0-
Back in the main hall Nasreen, Amy, and Eldane discussed the future of both species and the fate of their beloved planet Earth which rested in their hands. But as the discussions went on, both sides began to despair about whether they would ever find any common ground. As ambassadors for their respective species they all had too much to lose.
"We lived on the surface of the planet long before you did. Our sole purpose has been to return to our rightful place." Eldane tried to explain.
"And we've got a planet that can't already sustain the people who live there." Nasreen pointed out as Amy let her forehead rest against her folded arms on the table. This had been going back and forth for a while making her feel drained. "And you want to add a whole other species to drain resources."
"So, what about the areas that aren't habitable to us?" Amy asked looking up and Eldane brought up a projection of the earth in 3D. Amy stood up and pointed out the areas on the Earth that humans did not live in. "Australian outback, Sahara desert, Nevada plains. They're all deserted."
"Yes, fine, but what happens when their population grows and breeds and spreads?" Nasreen questioned pulling Amy back down into her seat. "And anyway, what benefit does humanity get, and how will we ever sell this to people on the surface?"
"If I could get a word in, maybe I could tell you." Eldane gained their attention. "You give us space, we can bring new sources of energy, new methods of water supply, new medicines, scientific advances." He listed off, both of the girls eyes lighting up as he went on. "We were a great civilization. You provide a place for us on the surface, we'll give you knowledge and technology beyond humanity's dreams. If we work together, this planet could achieve greatness."
"Okay. Now I'm starting to see it." Nasreen said with a nod.
"Oh yeah." Amy grinned then it turned into a full blown smile when the Doctor's clapping brought her attention to the doorway. Mo and Elliot entered with the Doctor who had Stella wrapped in his arms.
Stella had the Doctor's jacket wrapped around her as well giving her comfort, but not much judging by the way she was casting her eyes around fearfully at any lizard people nearby. Tears silently ran down her face, unable to stop them from coming as strong shutters that wracked her body. Stella was terrified, something Amy had never seen to this degree.
"Not bad for a first session." The Doctor smiled though Amy could see how his worried glances kept flitting to Stella. "More similarities than differences."
"The transport has returned. Your friends are here." Eldane informed them when a strange sound filled the room. Not soon after Rory appeared in the doorway, followed by Ambrose, then Mack carrying something wrapped in a blanket.
"Here they are." The Doctor smiled.
"Mum!" Elliot called out as he ran over to Ambrose, right into a tight hug.
"Rory!" Amy looked to her husband.
"Something's wrong." The Doctor eyed their faces and what Mack was carrying.
"Doctor, what's he carrying?" Amy asked stiffly.
"No. Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this." The Doctor begged with a mixture of anger and despair as Mack laid Alaya on the floor. The Doctor gently released Stella making to move toward the others, but she reached out gripping his hand.
"Don't…" She looked up at him fearfully and he leaned down pressing a reassuring kiss onto her hairline.
"It's ok, I promise." The Doctor said gently. Stella nodded and reluctantly released her hold on his hand. He gave her one last reassuring smile before he went over to Rory and the others, his face becoming grim. Stella watched him go, her eyes only leaving his form to glance fearfully at the surrounding lizards. She was tense, hunched over, and her arms wrapped tightly around herself looking like a cornered animal, pulling the Doctor's jacket tighter around herself like a barrier against everything around her. The Doctor kneeled down pulling the blanket back revealing the dead Alaya. "What did you do?"
The Doctor looked to Tony who's eyes fell to the ground unable to meet the time lords as he got to his feet. Stella starred down at the body of Alaya, her whole being numb. She wanted to feel regret or even sadness for the loss of life, but she couldn't, she couldn't feel anything for one of them and she didn't like that. It was what she felt when she took her revenge on the Lacerta, when she…
"It was me. I did it." Ambrose spoke up gaining their attention and breaking Stella out of her dark memories.
"Mum?" Elliot pulled away from her, looking at her in confused shock.
"I just wanted you back." Ambrose tried, but Elliot pushed her hands away from himself and walked away from her standing close to Mo. Everyone's eyes were on her, accusing and judging causing her to shrink back a bit.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. You have to believe me, they're better than this." The Doctor said making his way quickly over to Eldane, but his face was strained and grim.
"This is our planet!" Ambrose snapped.
"We had a chance here." The Doctor bit out as he turned back to her charging over.
"Leave us alone." Ambrose ordered.
"In future, when you talk about this, you tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity." The Doctor ground out towering over Ambrose who had tears in her eyes. To make matter worse Restac and her troops marched in through the doors, all armed and ready for a fight.
"My sister." Restac demanded before her eyes fell on Alaya wrapped up in the blanket, her face filling with horror. She slowly walked over to Alaya kneeling down next to her not wanting it to be true, but the moment she moved the blanket back her heart shattered at the same time it hardened. "Oh." Restac mourned before glaring up at the Doctor. "And you want us to trust these apes, Doctor?"
"One woman." The Doctor tried. "She was scared for her family. She is not typical."
"I think she is." Restac hissed.
"One person let us down, but there is a whole race of dazzling, peaceful human beings up there." The Doctor argued as he paced around in short steps. "You were building something here. Come on. An alliance could work."
"It's too late for that, Doctor." Ambrose spoke up again.
"Why?" The Doctor asked, his eyes snapping to her.
"Our drill is set to start burrowing again in fifteen minutes." Ambrose raised her chin defiantly while Tony look ashamed of both himself and his daughter.
"What?" Nasreen looked to Mack.
"What choice did I have? They had Elliot." Mack said in guilt.
"Don't do this. Don't call their bluff." The Doctor pleaded.
"Let us go back. And you promise to never come to the surface ever again. We'll walk away, leave you alone." Ambrose ordered ignoring the Doctor while she had a stare down with Restac who started to hiss.
"Execute her." Restac called out to her troops who opened fire immediately.
"No!" The Doctor grabbed Ambrose running away from the weapon fire. "Everybody, back to the lab. Run."
"Execute all the apes." Restac yelled as they fired all weapons trained on the humans. Stella, pushing aside her fear for herself in light of her fear for the Doctor sprinted in front of him, the tips of her fingers glowing bright blue as her eyes narrowed, but the shaking of her hands told the Doctor how afraid she really was. The sonic waves she was emitting caused the Silurian weapons to violently blow up allowing the others to get away.
"Stay back, all of you, stay back or I will…I'll…" Stella tried to be brave, but was unable to finish her threat as her fear spiked once again with the Silurian's advancing on them. She backed up as they came closer. The Doctor took hold of her hand pulling her away from a lashing tongue which Stella grabbed the end of pulling it hard causing the warrior to fall from the raisers forcing her to hit the ground hard and allowing them a chance to make a run for it to catch up with the others.
"Take everyone to the lab. I'll cover you." The Doctor ordered as they came upon the others waiting in the tunnel as he took out his sonic. "Stella, go with them."
"But…I don't want to leave you…" Stella started shakily as she clung to his hand.
"Stella, please go." The Doctor said softly as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear cupping the side of her face lovingly. "I can tell you're scared and I need you safe."
"Ok." Stella nodded reluctantly, the fact she gave in further proving how scarred she was.
"I'll stay with her." Rory said placing a comforting hand on Stella's shoulder as the Doctor nodded in thanks. Rory gently took hold of Stella who gripped his hand back glad for the comfort of one of her dear friend. "Go. Go."
The Silurian's ran down the tunnel coming upon the Doctor just as the others got away. The Doctor turned to face them, the lizards stopping short pointing their guns at himm.
"Ah, ah, stop right there or I'll use my very deadly weapon." The Doctor held up his sonic setting it to the same frequency that Stella had used causing more weapons burst and the Silurian's to stop. "One warning, that's all you get. If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All of you, now. This ends here."
"No." Restac round out. "It only ends with our victory."
"Like I said, one warning." The Doctor said darkly before taking out the rest of their weapons then made his getaway racing through the tunnels as the Silurian's gave chase. The Doctor ran into the lab where the others were waiting and sealed the door behind him with the sonic.
"Elliot, you and your dad keep your eyes on that screen. Let me know if we get company. Amy, keep reminding me how much time I haven't got." The Doctor ordered sending the son and father over to a monitor while tossing a watch to Amy.
"Okay" Amy fumbled with the watch till she could see the small screen while father and son turned on the monitor to an empty tunnel just outside the lab. "Um, er, twelve minutes till drill impact."
The Doctor went over to Stella who was checking over Tony Mack, her shaking fingers glowing blue as she worked. The moment they had come into the lab she had taken note of his sweaty pale parlor. She had pulled her arms through the Doctor's jacket so that she was now wearing it fully and made him sit down so she could check him over while Nasreen hovered around them.
"How are you holding up?" The Doctor pressed a kiss to Stella's forehead.
"Fine." Stella said stiffly, he could tell she was trying to remain calm, but wasn't having much luck. "Tony Mack is sick though."
"Tony Mack. Sweaty forehead, dilated pupils. What are you hiding?" The Doctor asked and Stella pulled aside his shirt to reveal thick green veins that spread across his chest.
"Tony, what happened?" Nasreen gasped.
"Alaya's sting." Mack gasped out. "She said there's no cure. I'm dying, aren't I?"
"You're not dying, you're mutating." Stella corrected him as she held out her hand projecting a holographic image of his body and the changes occurring within. "It's progressing at a steady pace, using your blood stream to spread."
"How can I stop it?" Mack asked as he eyed the shaking hologram, Stella unable to keep her hand still.
"The decontamination program." Stella said right away turning off the hologram.
"Eldane, can you run the program on Tony?" The Doctor nodded agreeing with Stella who backed away as Eldane came closer in order to help Tony over to the decontamination chamber. The Doctor reached out taking her hand in his giving her some sort of comfort.
"Doctor, shedload of those creatures coming our way." Mo said looking up from the screen he and Elliot were at that was now depicting Silurian warriors. "We're surrounded in here."
"So, question is, how do we stop the drill given we can't get there in time? Plus, also, how do we get out, given that we're surrounded?" The Doctor questioned walking over to Nasreen leaving Stella next to the console. "Nasreen, how do you feel about an energy pulse channeled up through the tunnels to the base of the drill?"
"To blow up my life's work?" Nasreen asked with her eyebrows raised.
"Yes. Sorry. No nice way of putting that." The Doctor said with a wince.
"Right, well, you're going to have to do it before the drill hits the city, in er…" Nasreen looked to Amy.
"Eleven minutes forty seconds." Amy informed them.
"Yes. Squeaky bum time." The Doctor rubbed his hands together as he ran over to the console grinning to the others.
"Yes, but the explosion is going to cave in all the surrounding tunnels, so we have to be out and on the surface by then." Nasreen pointed out.
"But we can't get past Restac's troops." Rory told them.
"I can help with that." Eldane spoke up, finished setting up Tony. "Toxic Fumigation. An emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection." Eldane explained. "A warning signal to occupy cryo-chambers. After that, citywide fumigation by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."
"You could end up killing your own people." Amy said wide eyed.
"Only those foolish enough to follow Restac." Eldane replied as the Doctor paced away from the console before looking back to Eldane.
"Eldane, are you sure about this?" The Doctor asked in concern.
"My priority is my race's survival. The Earth isn't ready for us to return yet." Eldane told him.
"No." The Doctor agreed.
"Ten minutes, Doctor." Amy called out.
"But maybe it should be." The Doctor turned around to the others as he spoke. "So, here's a deal. Everybody listening. Eldane, you activate shutdown." The Doctor clapped Eldane on his shoulder allowing him behind the console as he moved away. "I'll amend the system, set your alarm for a thousand years' time. A thousand years to sort the planet out. To be ready. Pass it on. As legend, or prophesy, or religion, but somehow make it known." The Doctor looked to Elliot. "This planet is to be shared."
"Yeah. I get you." Elliot nodded and the Doctor snapped pointing his finger at him with a grin.
"Nine minutes, seven seconds." Amy told them and the Doctor went back to the console.
"Yes. Fluid controls, my favorite." The Doctor smiled down at the controls as he started to work them. "Energy pulse. Timed, primed and set. Before we go, energy barricade." The Doctor used his sonic to cancel out the shield. "Need to cancel it out quickly."
"Fumigation pre-launching." Eldane informed them.
"There's not much time for us to get from here to the surface, Doctor." Rory commented nervously.
"Ah ha, super-squeaky bum time. Get ready to run for your lives. Now." The Doctor said as he worked, but paused when Stella placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But the decontamination program on Tony hasn't started yet." Stella said in concern, all of them looking to Mack in one of the chambers looking worse for the wear, his family the most torn.
"Well, go. All of you, go." Mack urged them as he stumbled to the opening of the chamber.
"No, we're not leaving you here." Ambrose said.
"Granddad." Elliot ran over to him meeting in a hug.
"Eight minutes ten seconds." Amy reminded them.
"Now you look after your mum. You mustn't blame her. She only did what she thought was right." Mack said to Elliot as he leaned down to eye level.
"I'm not going to see you again, am I?" Elliot asked with sad eyes.
"I'll be here, always." Mack put a hand to Elliot's heart. "I love you, boy." Mack told him lovingly. "You be sure he gets home safe."
"This is my fault." Ambrose sobbed.
"No, I can't go back up there. I'd be a freak show." Mack shook his head. "The technology down here's my only hope."
"I love you, Dad." Ambrose said as they hugged each other tightly.
"Go. Go." Mack urged them on as he let go of her. "Go on."
"Come on." Mo pulled Ambrose into his arms then Eldane activated the fumigation, the sirens going off as the light went dark with green replacing them.
'Toxic fumigation initiated.'
'Toxic fumigation initiated.'
"They're going. We're clear." Amy told them as she watched the monitor, the warrior running back to their tubes.
"Okay, everyone follow Nasreen. Look for a blue box." The Doctor bounded over to the door and soniced it open, the others gathering around it. "Get ready to run."
'Return to cryo-chambers.'
"I'm sorry." The Doctor said going over to Eldane.
"I thought for a moment, our race and the humans…" Eldane sighed in regret.
"Yeah, me too." The Doctor nodded.
"Doctor, We've got less than six minutes." Amy told him.
"Go. Go! I'm right behind you." The Doctor said and Amy ran out after the others. The Doctor looked to Eldane gripping hands with him before Eldane moved past him. He took Stella's hand in his and started to move toward the ecit looking over to Nasreen. "Let's go."
"I'm not coming either." Nasreen said stopping the time travelers short.
"What?" The Doctor questioned.
"We're going to hibernate with them, me and Tony." Nasreen said smiling lovingly to Mack.
"Doctor, you and your mate must go." Eldane urged them.
"I can be decontaminated when we're woken." Mack smiled down at Nasreen with just as much love. "All the time in the world."
"But, Nasreen, you…" The Doctor started.
"No, this is perfect. I don't want to go." Nasreen cut him off. "I've got what I was digging for. I can't leave when I've only just found it."
"Doctor! Stella!" Amy snapped as she came back for them.
"Thank you, Doctor, Stella." Nasreen beamed at them both before they all three hugged each other tightly.
"The pleasure was all ours." The Doctor said as Stella managed a small smile and nod when they separated.
"Come and look for us." Nasreen said before the Doctor, Stella, and Amy took off down the tunnels. The warriors went back to their rest, on the promise of future harmony with humans while the humans and time lords made a run for the Tardis in order to make their escape.
'Immediate evacuation.'
"Other way, idiot." Amy called out as Rory came barreling up to them in search of them and almost passing them. He turned around quickly following after Amy and the others soon catching up with the small family.
'Toxic fumigation is about to commence. Immediate evacuation.'
"Come on." The Doctor called out.
'Toxic fumigation is about to commence.'
"No questions, just get in." The Doctor said opening the Tardis for them all. "And yes, I know, it's big. Ambrose, sickbay up the stairs, left, then left again, get yourself fixed up." The Doctor listed off the directions as the family filed in. "Come on. Five minutes and counting." Then he saw it, his eyes growing wide at the sight of the crack, the others gaping at it as well. "Not here, not now."
"Doctor, the split." Stella eyed the crack.
"I know, it's getting wider." The Doctor said, knowing what she was seeing. "Anything?"
"Nothing, I can't get a reading from it other than that it is time." Stella shook her head, glancing over at the Tardis wanting nothing more than to run inside, but not wanting to leave the Doctor's side at the same time.
"The crack on my bedroom wall." Amy said fearfully.
'Two parts of space and time that should never have touched, right here.'
"And the Byzantium. All through the universe, rips in the continuum." The Doctor said as he walked over crouching down in front of it with Stella timidly following him.
'How can it be following me?'
"Some sort of space-time cataclysm. An explosion, maybe. Big enough to put cracks in the universe. But what?" The Doctor questioned.
"Four minutes fifty." Amy glanced at the watch. "We have to go."
"The Angels laughed when I didn't know. Prisoner Zero knew. Everybody knows except me." The Doctor said in annoyance.
"Doctor, just leave it." Amy pleaded.
"But where there's an explosion, there's shrapnel." The Doctor reasoned.
"Doctor, you can't put your hand in there." Rory said as the Doctor put a red handkerchief over his hand then began to reach for the crack.
"Why not?" The Doctor asked as he reached into the crack then let out a scream of pure pain, the glow growing brighter. Stella rushed forward gripping his free hand in hers so he wasn't sucked in. The pull of the energy from the crack was so immense that Stella was having trouble holding on. "Argh. I've got something."
"What is it?" Amy asked as he started to pull his arm back out, Stella letting out a yell as she had to pull with all her might to get him out sending them both to the ground once he was free.
"I don't know." The Doctor gasped out eyeing the object wrapped in his handkerchief.
"Doctor?" Rory said as Restac crawled in with a crazed vengeful look in her eyes.
"She was there when the gas started. She must have been poisoned." Amy said as the time travelers snapped back up to their feet.
"You." Restac spat.
"Okay, get in the Tardis, all of you." The Doctor ordered going for his sonic, but wasn't fast enough.
"You did this." Restac raised her weapon, but instead of pointing at the Doctor she pointed it at Stella with a vicious smile. Stella's eyes went wide, her whole body seizing up in fear.
"Stella!" Rory pushed Stella out of the way and taking the full force of the blast.
"Rory!" Amy screamed.
"No, no, no, no…." Stella shook her head as she backed away, her hand pressed against either side of her head, her back against the Tardis.
"Rory, can you hear me?" The Doctor and Amy kneeled down on either side of Rory.
"I don't understand." Rory gasped out, his face covered in seat and pain.
"Shush. Don't talk." Amy looked from Rory to the Doctor. "Doctor, is he okay? We have to get him onto the Tardis."
"We were on the hill. I can't die here." Rory said.
"Don't say that." Amy begged.
"You're so beautiful." Rory smiled up at her as he slipped away with one last breath. "I'm sorry."
"Doctor, help him." Amy said pleadingly as the light from the crack reached Rory's feet.
'If the time energy catches up with you, you'll never have been born. It will erase every moment of your existence. You will never have lived at all.'
"Amy, move away from the light. If it touches you, you'll be wiped from history." The Doctor ordered as he stood to his feet moving around Rory, but Amy clung to Rory. "Amy, move away now."
"No. I am not leaving him. We have to help him." Amy yelled and the Doctor was forced to grab her pulling her away from him.
"The light's already around him. We can't help him. Stella get into the TARDIS, hurry." The Doctor called out struggling with Amy, but Stella was frozen in shock, not moving. "STELLA!" The Doctor yelled snapping Stella out of it. "Into the Tardis now!"
"I am not leaving him." Amy tried to get away from the Doctor as Stella fumblingly opened the Tardis.
"We have to." The Doctor told her.
"No!" Amy yelled as she kicked.
"I'm sorry." The Doctor told her.
"Get off me!" Amy ordered as the Doctor dragged Amy the rest of the way into the Tardis.
"I'm sorry." The Doctor said again holding her back away from the door.
"Get off me. No." Amy sobbed as Stella sonicked the Tardis door shut then moved up to the console with the Doctor, unable to even look at Amy as she beat against the door.
"No! No! No! No! Let me out. Please let me out." Amy banged on the doors of the Tardis, crying out. "I need to get to Rory. That light." Amy rushed up to the Doctor and Stella. "If his body's absorbed, I'll forget him. He'll never have existed. You can't let that happen." Amy took notice of what they were doing as they moved around the controls. "What are you doing?" The Tardis started up. "Doctor, no! No! No! No!" Amy tried to stop them as Rory was absorbed by the light from the crack and the Tardis dematerialized. "Doctor, we can't just leave him there." The Doctor pulled her away from the console to keep her from messing with the controls. She looked desperately over to Stella who was gripping the edge of the console, her eyes staring straight ahead, a pained vacant look to them. "Stella please, stop him."
"I'm sorry." Stella whispered.
"Keep him in your mind. Don't forget him. If you forget him, you'll lose him forever." The Doctor ordered holding onto Amy who was sobbing violently.
"When we were on the Byzantium, I still remembered the Clerics because I am a time traveler now, you said." Amy said trying to hold onto hope.
"They weren't part of your world. This is different." The Doctor explained cupping her face. "This is your own history changing."
"Don't tell me it's going to be okay. You have to make it okay." Amy cried gripping his lapels tightly.
"It's going to be hard, but you can do it, Amy." The Doctor kissed her forehead before leading her over to one of the chairs. "Tell me about Rory, eh?" The Doctor urged her as he set her down. "Fantastic Rory. Funny Rory. Gorgeous Rory. Amy, listen to me. Do exactly as I say. Amy, please. Keep concentrating. You can do this."
"I can't." Amy shook her head stating to look sickly pale.
"You can. You can do it. I can't help you unless you do. Come on. We can still save his memory. Come on, Amy. Please. Come on, Amy, come on. Amy, please. Don't let anything distract you." The Doctor pressed hard as Stella hesitantly walked closer, her arms wrapped around herself and her eyes filled with guilt. "Remember Rory. Keep remembering. Rory's only alive in your memory. You must keep hold of him. Don't let anything distract you. Rory still lives in your mind."
The Tardis came to a sudden jolting halt throwing them all to the floor, the ring box between the Doctor and Stella, both of them starring down at it.
"What were you saying?" Amy asked as they all set up, the Doctor eyeing her as Stella slowly reached out toward the box, but pulled back unable to bring herself to touch it.
"I have seen some things today, but this is beyond mad." Mo commented as he and his family came back into the console room, the Doctor and Stella slowly getting to their feet while Amy snapped to hers.
"Stella, Doctor. Five seconds till it all goes up." Amy said before they all dashed outside with the exception of Stella.
The Doctor stopped short seeing her with her arms wrapped around herself standing close to the console, her body hunched over as she slowly brought her eyes up from the ring box. She waved the Doctor on with a nod of her head and he reluctantly went outside with the others just in time to see the drilling derrick explode.
The Doctor glanced back into the Tardis to see Stella disappearing down one of the halls. She walked away back to her toward her room, she was done with this adventure and knew she couldn't hold back her tormented emotions much longer, she was dangerous to be around in this condition, unpredictable and dangerous.
-0-
"All Nasreen's work just erased." Amy said as she, Mo , and Elliot walked through the graveyard.
"Good thing she's not here to see it. She's going to give Tony hell when they wake up." Mo commented then glanced around. "Where's Stella?"
"The Doctor said she's gone for a bit of a lay down." Amy replied as they walked past the Doctor and Ambrose.
"You could've let those things shoot me." Ambrose commented as she and the Doctor stood in a small alcove. "You saved me."
"An eye for an eye. It's never the way. Now you show your son how wrong you were, how there's another way." The Doctor told Ambrose, clearly still disappointed in her. "You make him the best of humanity, in the way you couldn't be."
He moved away, but stopped looking back at her with a small smile showing that he still had hope for her. She smiled back ducking her head a bit before he walked away. Later, after saying farewell to the family, Amy and the Doctor returned to the Tardis.
"You're very quiet." Amy said before her attention was taken by a waving figure not too far off. "Oh. Hey, look. There I am again." Amy waved over to herself standing by herself on the far hill. "Hello, me."
"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked when he saw her smile drop a bit.
"I thought I saw someone else there for a second." Amy said and the Doctor frowned. "I need a holiday. Didn't we talk about Rio?"
"You go in. Just fix this lock. Keeps jamming." The Doctor gestured to the door of the Tardis.
"You boys and your locksmithery." Amy smiled as she made her way inside. "I'll go find Stella and then we can all get a bite in Rio."
"Sounds good." The Doctor nodded. Then as soon as the door was closed the Doctor held up the shrapnel he had pulled from the crack holding it up to the sign plate at the front of the Tardis revealing a perfect match, it was a charred piece of the Tardis. His eyes widened then glanced fearfully around himself.
-0-
Stella stood in front of the full length mirror of her room her shirt unbuttoned, but still wearing the Doctor's jacket as she reached up to the scar that now ran vertically down the middle of her chest with trembling fingers. Her breathing quickened and a fever broke out over her skin as her legs buckled under her sending her to the floor.
The experiments at the hands of lizards, what were the chances of that happening to her again, was it some sort of sick joke on the universes part, to keep torturing her like this, seeing how much she could take before she broke completely apart?
Then there was the greatest pain of all, the loss of a dear friend who gave his life to save hers. Rory was so much, her first personal companion, a great listener, a giant caring heart, and Amy's love. Now Amy couldn't even remember him and there was no way to fix it.
Stella felt anger blast through her white hot as she screamed pulling back her fists and smashing them both into her mirror sending shards everywhere as her fist went straight through it. She repeatedly hit it then slammed her fists on the floor as she yelled.
She snapped up to her feet, fear pumping through her veins as her eyes darted around. The room felt like it was closing in, the air was too hot, something was wrong, something was coming. She backed into a wall, her hands clenched into tight fists, her nails drawing blood. Raising her hands to the level of her eyes she looked in horror at the blue blood dripping from the glass and her nail wounds.
Her eyes snapped to her closet and she darted forward throwing anything that was in there out and flung herself into the back corner wrapping her arms around her legs which she brought up to her chest as she rocked back and forth, crying hysterically. She buried her face in her arms muffling the sound as she saw the scalpel in her mind's eye descending toward her chest and slicing her open.
"Stella?" Amy knocked on the door before opening it a bit. "You in here?" Hearing the muffled sobs Amy made her way toward them and saw Stella's glowing lines in the back of the closet, the Doctor's jacket wrapped tightly around herself. As she got closer, Stella pressed herself further back away, Amy likening her to a frightened cornered animal. "Stella, you ok?"
"Stay away." Stella nearly hissed and Amy slowly backed off, her hands raised, startled by the intensity in Stella's glowing eyes, an almost feral look. "GET OUT!"
"Ok, I'm backing up, I'm going." Amy said, her eyes concerned, but Stella's gaze didn't waver nor lose its intensity. "I'm leaving, give you some space." Amy quickly left the room and raced to find the Doctor who was in the console room looking troubled already. "Doctor, it's Stella."
"What's wrong?!" The Doctor was in front of her in an instant and Amy told him what had happened sending him running down the halls, telling her not to follow.
When he came into the room he took in the shattered mirror and the contents of the closet flung across the room. He slowly walked over to the closet making sure not to step on anything then kneeled down in front of the open door peering in easily spotting Stella's glowing marks and fear filled eyes with strong flashes of anger.
"Love?" The Doctor called out gently, his hearts lurching painfully when she flinched back further into the closet. "Starlight, please."
"I'm…I….I don't…" Stella stuttered, her shaking almost violent. "Just stay back."
"Stella…" The Doctor breathed out.
"Get away from me, just stay away!" Stella snapped, yelling out in her fear fueled anger.
"Starlight…" The Doctor tried again.
"I'm not safe Theta." Stella said hoarsely, her hands clutching her head on either side, her blood staining her hair. "I'm so angry, so sad, and scared and…I can feel it all inside of me, like a hurricane just waiting to strike. I want to attack and hide all at the same time." Her shaking became violent. "I can hear them, their screaming, they're all screaming and the pain, I can still feel it, it's ripping me apart. And Rory, Rory's gone, it's all my fault, if I had moved faster he wouldn't have…and Amy doesn't even remember him, it's all too much, I can't…." Stella's eyes shot up meeting the Doctors. "What if I lose control? What if I hurt you?"
"You won't." The Doctor assured her, his hearts straining in pain.
"How do you know?!" Stella cried out. "How do you know?! I am on the edge of something, something dark and consuming trying to rip me to shreds, I feel like at any moment it'll take over and I won't be able to stop it. I'll be that machine again, killing over and over again, so much blood. How do you know I won't revert back into that? That monster!"
The Doctor slowly made his way into the closet, Stella tensing the closer he got, but made no movement to stop him. Her eyes were wide and her body shaking with every movement he made toward her.
"I know, because I love you and you love me." The Doctor took her hands in his taking note of the wounds upon them, but one thing at a time. "You are stronger than this fear Starlight, you are so much stronger." Stella broke down into a sobbing mess as she flung herself into the Doctor's arms who instantly pulled her close so that she was cradled under his chin. "It's ok, I've got you."
"I thought…I thought they had captured me again, that I was back in that horrible place." Stella cried as she clung to him. "Theta, I'm scared, I'm so scared."
"Stella, my Starlight, I will never let them have you and you will never go back. I promise I'll protect you." The Doctor assured her pressing a kiss onto the top of her head as he tightened his arms around her, but the tears would not stop. "Oh my Starlight, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry."
The Doctor had managed to calm Stella down to where they were now sitting in the closet neither one of them speaking. The Doctor had taken out a med kit form his pocket and took care of Stella's injuries before pulling her back into his arms. The Doctor held her on his lap running his fingers through her hair as she starred off into space.
"Rory's gone, he's gone and Amy can't even remember him." Stella broke the silence, her tears still falling down her cheeks. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know." The Doctor replied, his own eyes filled with tears. "I don't know."
