Calcon smiled wickedly at 11, who had stood up over Clara's body as Calcon threatened to take another life. Sarah Jane kept Maria behind her; she was afraid if either of them moved, Calcon would fire.
The room was in silence. The twenty or so other Silurians didn't move. Their guns still lay at their feet from when 10 deactivated them, some of them still smoking. It would occur to them later that the Silurians could have called for more backup, but there weren't all that many of them awake.
In the background, Eldane slowly got to his feet, his eyes fixed on Calcon. His mouth opened and closed, like he wanted to say something, but nothing he could think of would help.
Amy and Rory clung to each other. Rory held onto Amy tightly, not wanting to give her a chance to do something reckless in an attempt to help Sarah Jane and Maria.
Rose shifted her weight back and forth, her breathing uneven as she tried to think of something to do. 9 had a stern look on his face, 'the Oncoming Storm' seeping into his eyes.
Martha and Mickey held hands, both of them feeling guilty for not saying or doing anything.
10 was the closest Doctor to Calcon, but Calcon's warning still hung in the air. He was not going to risk his companion's life, not for anything. Donna stood behind him, as still and silent as a statue.
River was the only one who didn't have a heavy weight on her heart, because she was the only one who didn't feel helpless. It was true that she didn't have an exact plan at that moment, but that wasn't going to be the case for much longer.
River's eyes slid from person to person, analyzing their movements. She could tell that nobody knew what to do. She also knew that Calcon thought she had won. Who could possibly do anything when she had a gun pointed at one of their friends?
River's eyes scanned the rest of the room, taking in every nuance of their surroundings. She knew the other Silurian guards weren't going to do anything presently. She scanned the smashed columns; rocks and pieces of them were scattered amongst the room. They were of no use.
At last, River's eyes fell on the wall behind Eldane, which was cracked and splintered from Calcon's shot. She followed the cracks, which (even though they got thinner as they got higher) nearly reached to the ceiling. A small smile appeared on River's face, but she made it slip off. Nobody must know that she wasn't without hope; she had to keep a good poker face.
Slowly and carefully, River inched to the side. She had to be facing the splintered wall directly or her idea wouldn't work. It was slow progress. The tension was building as Calcon waited for someone to make a move. Whenever Calcon looked River's way, River was forced to freeze, praying Calcon wouldn't notice her position had changed.
11 must have moved, because Calcon spat, "Don't you dare, Doctor, or I will kill them." River glanced 11's way and saw a hard look coming over his face.
"Leave them alone," he said. "Don't you dare hurt them."
"Why shouldn't I?" Calcon spat. "You killed my sisters, so why should I spare your little friends?" There was slight rush of movement as Sarah Jane attempted to get Maria completely behind her while Maria tried to do the opposite. Calcon narrowed her eyes at them, as if saying, 'you'd better not try anything.'
10 took a wary step forward (to Donna and Martha's dismay), his hands in the air.
"Please don't hurt them," he said, his voice beginning to tip into a begging tone.
"Why not?" Calcon repeated. "I might just do so."
"Don't!" 9 cried out as Calcon pointed the gun at Sarah Jane and Maria again.
There wasn't any time to waste anymore. In one swift movement, River reached into her jacket. Her fingers closing on the gun (which she had stolen in the confusion of the first TARDIS landing), she pulled it out and aimed it at the weak wall.
"Eldane, Amy, Rory, duck!" she shouted. The people in the way instinctively did as they were told, diving to the side. Calcon spun around in surprise, but before she had a chance to realize what she was doing, River pulled the trigger.
The shot hit the wall. There was a big bang, which rattled River's eardrums, but she ignored it. The humans in the room covered their heads and got down to the floor, but, to Calcon's dismay, the Silurian guards fled fearfully from the room like wild mice. Calcon hissed at the other Silurians angrily, losing her gun's target in the madness.
River stumbled over to the rubble of what used to be the wall.
"Come on!" she cried to the gang. After a moment of confusion, they started climbing over the rocks. River hurried them, praying the mad rush of the Silurians would last long enough to make their escape. After the last person (Maria) climbed into the corridor on the other side of the rubble, River pulled herself over. With one last sat glance at Clara's body, lying in the middle of the room, she hurried into the hallway.
The three Doctors immediately assumed command, directing their friends down the corridor and around the corner. River hurried to 11, and said, "Doctor, what are we going to do?"
"We need to get to the laboratory to gas the city, force the Silurians back into hibernation," he informed her. "It's just down this way."
River nodded and ducked down the corridor just as the last of the humans (including Eldane) passed. She heard the angered cry of Calcon, and immediately started praying that the Doctor's plan would work.

A shout out to Lindsay the Narwhal for being the 100th reviewer. Thanks for reviewing!
And I must now inform you that there are just a few chapters of Companion Pains left. I don't know the exact number, but I will know when there is one more chapter to go.
We are nearing the end of the slow path. BUT IT HAS BEEN FUN!

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