This is the penultimate episode, so, as expected, theirs quite a bit of drama. River Song joins the team in this action orientated story. Unlike this other episodes, this one focuses a lot more on the fear and action side of Doctor Who, but there are some touching moments. I hope you enjoy it! and please, please review :)
Sasha yawned. Pink slipper footed, she stumbled through the TARDIS, her hair wiry and askew. With a slight dizziness, she slumped against a railing, watching the Doctor at work by the console. "What are you doing?" she groaned.
"Searching," the Doctor replied, too busy to give a full answer.
"Explain a bit more," Sasha requested, shaking out her frizzy hair so it looked a little less shambolic.
"I was just . . ." the Doctor trailed off, too immersed by his work.
"Pay attention, Doctor!" Sasha cried, throwing one of her slippers at the Doctor, hitting him in the face. "What's going on?"
The Doctor threw the slipper back at Sasha, then slouched back in a chair. "The TARDIS is a different form of being from any human or robot or machine. The TARDIS exists in every part of time and space, so events don't always follow the right order. It knows things from the past, present and future all at once."
"And?" Sasha shrugged. "Get to the point. I'm trying to sleep."
"I don't sleep."
"What? Really? How can you not?" Sasha cried. "Anyway, back on topic – why does this matter now?"
"I was just thinking, if the TARDIS existed throughout time and space, then what about messages? Some people are able to contact the TARDIS. If the TARDIS exists in the past, future and present, then surely it'll have every message that is ever sent, or will be sent, to the console," he answered, grinning a little.
Sasha smiled, "So you've basically got an answer phone with every message it'll ever have?"
"Exactly," the Doctor confirmed, jumping out of his seat in excitement. "It's great! I can search through the TARDIS data, find an interesting message, and reply before I've received it, but after it's been sent, or before, or whenever, when you travel through time."
"But what if you see a message, meant for the future, telling you that you're in danger? You said to me, the first time that we met, that you can't edit you're timeline. This completely contradicts what you said!" Sasha argued, standing by the Doctor at the console.
"Then I'll be careful," the Doctor replied. "I can use a filter to get only messages from the past or close future – nothing too dangerous."
"Ok then," Sasha grinned. "What've you found?"
The Doctor scrolled through the messages on the monitor, quickly skipping through the titles, looking for something interesting but not dangerous. Suddenly the Doctor stopped on a message. Sasha watched as his jaw hung open, and his eyes grew a little red.
"What's going on?" Alec asked, stumbling into the console room in his pyjamas.
"The Doctor's got a message," Sasha replied.
"And? Can we get this over with – I'm shattered," Alec insisted.
"So, Doctor, what does it say?" Sasha inquired.
There was a moment silence where the Doctor refused to speak. A smile split across his face, then he eventually answered: "Hello, Sweetie."
Chester Cathedral – 1344. It was a quiet night, moonlit and silent, illuminated by the burning orange light of the candles. Two monks shrouded themselves in dark cloaks, hidden in the darkness in the library, turned over scrolls and documents.
"And this?" a monk asked. "Here it is again, the same image. How is this possible?" the monk gasped, pointing a finger at a page in a thick book.
"I do not know. Such art is blasphemy! Wings, I say, on the backs of such Godly beings. And thou shalt not speak the name of . . ."
"Their gender?" the first monk interrupted. "But that's not the problem. Look at this," the monk insisted, thrusting the book at the other monk.
"What is it that I must look upon?"
"Look! There in the clouds!" the monk instructed. The illustration was of heavenly beings descending from a patch of sky.
"I do not understand."
"You must be able to see it; a group of stars in the sky that the angels are pointing to. That constellation keeps appearing in every painting this century. How? Why that same constellation, over and over?"
"I agree. It is perplexing," the monk groaned. "The man who drew this drawing, Augustus Hoarthorne. He was sent to us a month ago, possessed with demons."
"Yes. A mental illness."
"A week after he arrived at the cathedral, he drew this, followed by ten others. Other monks that saw it were inspired, and painted the same designs."
"Did the original have a title?" the monk asked.
"Alimatia," the other monk replied, a tone of fear creeping into his breath.
"Fascinating."
"You are like no monk I've ever met," the other monk stuttered. "What is it about these drawings that inspire you so? Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm not monk," grinned River Song, throwing back the hood of her cloak.
"A woman!" the monk gasped. "You must leave the cathedral at once! Blasphemy! Go! Leave!"
"Yes, when I'm done," River silenced him.
"Women cannot be in the cathedral!" the monk cried. "You must go to the monastery."
"Give me a moment," River insisted.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking a picture," River replied, pulling out a device from her cloak and capturing an image of the constellation.
"What was that? What did you do?" the monk asked.
"Nothing much," River replied.
The monk gasped. "Get out! Now! Do you have no shame?"
"A lot less than you would hope," River grinned.
"Leave! I will not have any more of this. You violate the house of God! I will send for you to be removed."
"But, Father Morgan, I have my own transport arranged for," River teased. There was a bright light, slowly growing in the library, along with a mechanic wheezing and groaning. Before the monk, a blue box appeared, engulfing River as the TARDIS landed.
"Oh my!" Father Morgan gasped, watching again as the blue box disappeared before his eyes, taking River with it. He rubbed his eyes several times, checking that what he saw was true, yet he still couldn't believe it.
River appeared inside the TARDIS. A gleaming smile lit up her face when she saw her husband. "Ah, so I see you answered my call," she smiled. "Hello Sasha, hello Alec!"
Sasha's jaw dropped. "You know me?"
"Yes, of course. But I take it that you haven't met me yet."
"Ah, time travel," Alec realised.
"What?" Sasha asked.
"Hello Doctor!" River laughed, hugging him.
"Professor Song!" the Doctor smiled. "Long time, no see."
"Maybe for you, but not for me," she teased.
"Shall we sync?" the Doctor suggested, pulling a notebook out of his pocket.
"Yes. That would be a good idea, sweetie," River agreed, pulling a blue notebook out of her pocket. "Are we married?"
"Of course."
"Crash of the Byzantium?"
"So long ago."
"Of course. Twelfth Doctor, if I'm correct. That narrows it down. We've done Manhattan, haven't we?"
The Doctor looked deep into the River's eyes, suddenly stunned and shocked. "The last time we met in person."
"In person? On the brink of a spoiler there. I'll look forward to the non in person date. Let's see," River thought, flicking through her notebook.
"You must be ahead of me," the Doctor decided, closing his notebook.
"Ok. I think I've got it," River concluded. "And then of course, this means . . ." she paused as she turned a page.
"This means what?" the Doctor asked, worried.
"Nothing," River replied, snapping her notebook shut. "Spoilers."
The Doctor thought her behaviour was odd, but chose to overlook it.
"What's going on?" Sasha asked, a little confused.
"They both travel in time," Alec explained. "Let me guess, you meet in the wrong order?"
"Exactly," the Doctor agreed. "Time's not linear for us; we can meet in any order we like, even if it does result in some issues."
"You always were very clever," River smiled to Alec.
"Am I? I'm glad to hear it," Alec grinned.
"And me?" Sasha asked.
River paused to think. "You had the occasional moment of brilliance. A little kickass every now and again."
Sasha grinned smugly, clearly happy. "Like a superhero, you could say," she laughed. "Oh, you don't have to flatter me," she grinned, playful slapping River on the arm.
"Not at all!" River cried.
"So," the Doctor interrupted. "This message, what's it for?" the Doctor asked, gesturing to the monitor.
"Our latest adventure, I thought. Are you aware of a man called Augustus Hoarthorne? After a traumatic experience, no-one quite knows what, he drew a series of illustrations for chapters of the Bible, all containing the same pattern of stars in the sky."
"And?" the Doctor shrugged.
"The constellation is real," River grinned, plugging her device into the TARDIS console, showing the others the drawing. "It's the Etrine Nebula. The first illustration was named Alimatia, which happens to be the sixth planet in this star system."
"And what are you trying to say?" the Doctor asked.
"Well, it's impossible, isn't it? How can the exact image of a distant nebula appear in the drawings of a delusion, medieval monk? I don't have your skill of understanding everything, but I'd say the chances of this being a coincidence are incredibly slim."
"So we should take a look?" the Doctor suggested.
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" River smiled. "Go on, press the button."
Alec groaned. "Now . . . All I wanted was some quiet," he grumbled, staggering off to get changed out of his pyjamas.
Sasha stayed behind a moment. "Is this how it usually works? You send one message and the Doctor comes running?"
River looked at the Doctor and grinned. "Yes, in short. Almost as obedient as a well-trained dog, I imagine," River joked, making Sasha laugh.
"I don't just come running!" the Doctor snapped. "Where would you be if I wasn't there every time you decided to jump off a building or out of an airlock?"
"Having much more fun somewhere else," River replied. "I don't rely on you for everything. If you remember right, I dealt with Boris Johnson just fine."
"Yes, but you left him with half the brain cells that came in the original packaging!"
"Ooh!" Sasha gasped, "I'm sensing I should probably just . . ."
"Not at all!" River cried.
"Go!" the Doctor ordered.
"Alright then," Sasha agreed, skipping away to get a shower.
The TARDIS landed on a cold, stone planet. Alimatia. A blanket of jagged grey rocks, pillaring into mountains, and hollowed into deep, darkened caves. The sun shined weakly, lighting the planet with a blurred grey and orange glimmer. Spotted with clumps of tall, bony trees, and deep black lake of near frozen water. Bleak and grey, cold and depressing.
"Here we are!" River announced, stepping out of the TARDIS in a thick woollen coat. "Earth-like atmosphere, non-toxic gases in the air and short daylight hours. We've got about four hours' worth of light left."
"A bit cold," Alec groaned, jumping up and down on the rocky surface, "but hey, new planet! A bit like Wales." Sasha took one step out of the TARDIS, then disappeared back inside within a moment. "Sasha?" Alec called.
Sasha reappeared, holding two coats. She thrust a thick black one into Alec's arms and wrapped herself in a green, wool lined one. "I don't want you getting frost-bite out here. It's freezing!"
"Ah, it's not too bad," the Doctor argued, picking up rocks to examine them.
"But you're a Time King, you probably don't need any clothes to stay warm," Sasha considered, ignoring the Doctor's correcting glare.
"Don't encourage him," River joked.
"Active?" Alec asked, pointing out into the distance, where a large volcano loomed, a little of steam leaking out of its mouth.
River scanned it with her device. "Yes. It'll probably blow at dark - four hours."
"We should come back later," the Doctor suggested.
"Well, we've landed. Might as well make the most of the time we've got," River disagreed.
"What do we do for four hours then?" Sasha asked, zipping her coat up to her lips.
"Look about, I guess," River concluded. "If anything catches our eyes we investigate. Come on!" she said, leading the others down a rocky hill.
"So, you and the Doctor," Sasha began, "when did that start?"
"Long story," the Doctor recalled, watching his feet as he manoeuvred between lumps of wood and boulders that littered the path they took.
"I've got four hours," Sasha insisted.
"Something doesn't feel right," the Doctor frowned, watching everything around him a little closer.
"Well, you must be scared," Alec decided.
"No," the Doctor sighed. "It's different to that."
"How come?" Sasha asked.
"Like something's wrong," the Doctor replied.
There was a crunching sound, booming across the rocky terrain.
"What was that?" Sasha gasped. There was a loud boom.
"And that?" Alec asked.
"I don't know," River stuttered. "Doctor?" There was a seconded boom, this time closer. "Doctor, it's getting closer. What is it?"
"Why do you expect me to know? I don't have a clue," the Doctor moaned, growing both curious and nervous.
A small rock spiralled through the air, hitting Alec on the back of his head. He spun around, looking to where it had come from, which seemed to be from the forest by the side of him. He couldn't see anything in the forest, just trees and darkness. There was a louder boom, and the sound of crunching, like bones. "It's coming from the woods," Alec gasped.
The Doctor stepped towards the edge of the trees, pushing past Alec as he was pulled back by his sister. Silently, the Doctor listened, hearing the oncoming crunching and thudding, like scattering of rocks and pounding.
"Doctor," River cautioned, "step back. Be careful."
"It sounds like . . ." Alec began.
"LANDSLIDE!" the Doctor cried.
A mound of rock, the size of a car, scattered through the trees, crashing into the ground as it creating a deep schism in the terrain. The Doctor pulled River away from the forest, running with his companions away from the rocks that were thrown down the mountain. Rocks hit into trees, splitting them open and tearing them from the ground. The rubble and ash grew around their feet, shards of glass-like rock were flung at them from all directions as they ran from the landslide.
"DOCTOR!" Sasha screamed, silenced as a tree fell between the Doctor and River, and her and Alec.
"SASHA!" the Doctor screamed.
Alec pulled Sasha back from the tree, reminding her that they were still in fatal danger. The two of them ran as fast as they could, still avoiding the oncoming assault, having to leap over rocks and rubble, dancing from the danger.
At last, the two of them were safe – the rocks still sliding down the mountain in the distance. The top of a mountain had collapsed, creating a tall barrier between the Parkers and the Doctor and River. "Doctor?!" Sasha called, shaken and shivering a little. There was no reply.
"What do we do know?" Alec asked.
"I don't know . . ." Sasha stuttered.
"The TARDIS? I recon we go back to the TARDIS and wait for the Doctor."
"But what if he can't get back to us. In four hours that volcano's going to blow, and if he and River aren't over that rock wall by then, they'll die, and we'll die because we won't be able to leave."
"Nevertheless, we should go to the TARDIS," Alec insisted. "It's our best chance."
"SASHA!" the Doctor cried.
"She won't be able to hear you," River silenced him, "they're too far away."
The Doctor covered his mouth, wiping the sweat from his face. "Ok. We need to find Sasha and Alec and get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor watched as River pulled up the bottom of her trousers and inspected her leg. "What is it? What's up?"
"Nothing," River sighed, even though a long scar along her leg had reddened.
"A rock hit you?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes. But this was an old scar; a rock must have ruptured it," River replied.
"How did that happen?"
"You were there. Will be there."
"Is there something you're not telling me? Before, you stopped yourself from saying something and . . ."
"I'm always not telling yourself something," River interrupted, pulling down the bottom of her trousers and getting back to her feet. "So – that weird feeling, what is it? I swear something's up – I just can't tell what."
"I know. It's infuriating!" the Doctor sighed in frustration, going to sit down on a rock. Immediately, he jumped off the rock, stepping back towards River with his eyes bright in fear. "What is that?" he gasped, looking back at the rock where he had said, than there, a hand like shape in the rock.
Sasha and Alec scrambled along the rocky landscape, heading towards the TARDIS. Suddenly Alec stopped. "What is it?" Sasha asked.
"Look," Alec said in wonder, stepping away from his sister, "this rock looks like a face."
Sasha stepped closer, peering at the rock Alec had found, which looked exactly like a woman's face.
River gripped the Doctor's hand. "It was so obvious . . ." River gasped, staggering away from the hand.
"I know. I knew I should've realised. It was staring us both in the face – just like the Byzantium," the Doctor frowned.
"Religious figures in drawings. I was focused on the stars, but Father Morgan was focused on the figures. Angels weren't women they were men in the Bible, so how come they were women in the drawings. This is the planet of the Weeping Angels," River gasped.
"Don't blink!" the Doctor instructed, keeping his eyes fixed on the fingers.
"How many are there, Doctor? If this is the Angel's planet, how many?" River panicked.
"Let's hope it's not many."
"Oh my God!" River suddenly gasped.
"What is it?" the Doctor asked.
"This planet, the planet of the Angels. It really has been in our faces all the time. And under of feet . . . This planet is made from stone!" River realised. She spun around, and there, crawling out of the stone face of the planet, a half-assembled Angel.
"Did that face just move?" Alec wondered, a frown on his face.
Sasha frowned. "No . . . How could it? It's made from stone."
"I suppose. Just my imagination," Alec sighed, turning his back on the face and following his sister. He turned his head to the side and gasped. "Stop. Look over there."
Sasha turned to look. Amongst the rocks stood an army of body parts – legs and arms and faces, all crawling out of the ground, covering their faces, and fangs in their mouths. "What the hell are they?!" Sasha gasped.
Alec turned around. The face he had seen earlier had grown a body – the body of an angel – crawling out of the rock with an arm over its eyes. "What are they?" Alec gasped.
He blinked.