There was a cry of anger as Calcon fingered the trigger. It didn't come from any of the people in the cage. The Doctors all remained silent. Rose was too busy biting her tongue to scream, and Calcon didn't do it.
No, it came from someone else.
Before Calcon knew what happened, she collapsed to the floor. There was a growing lump on the back of her head from being hit so many times. And there, standing over Calcon's unconscious form, was Maria.
Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open, like she couldn't believe what she had just done. The people in the cage were too stunned by what happened to do anything, and the Doctor's were too surprised to react. Rose gasped in surprise and gaped at her for a moment before running forward and hugging her.
"Maria, you did it!" Rose cried. The other companions began to cheer ("MARIA, YOU'RE A GENIOUS!" Sarah Jane shouted). The Doctors whooped and hollered as Rose nearly squeezed the life out of her.
Rose let her go with a huge grin. Then she noticed for the first time what was in Maria's hand. She clutched a long contraption with several strange dips and curves in the metal. There were strange spikes coming out of one end and a button on the other end.
"What the hell is that thing?"
Maria glanced at it. "It's a bledofalfix hammaker." Her eyebrows knitted together. "I think."
"Bandsicslavian Holdmatrix," 10 grumbled, pulling a bit on his bonds. "Maria, Rose, do you think you could get us out of here?"
"And us out of here?" called Donna.
Rose took the barrier penetrating glove off Calcon's hand and slipped it onto her own. She walked over to the barrier, and hesitantly, pressed her hand on the force field. Her hand easily slid through, like a knife through a stick of butter, and she reached for the nearest person. She grasped Sarah Jane's hand with the glove, and a strange coated her skin. She seemed to glow with a strange blue light. Sarah Jane attempted to step through, grasping Rose's hand, and sure enough, made it through the barrier.
With instructions (which 9 gave in an irritated tone), Maria managed to free the Doctors. 10 and 11 jumped down with ease, but Maria had to help keep 9 steady until he got a good balance. As soon as a Doctor was free, Rose stopped using the glove to get the others out. 11 was quick to jump to the force field and shut it down with his screwdriver, which Sarah Jane had gotten off Calcon's belt.
As soon as Sarah Jane tossed the screwdrivers to their particular Doctor, they set straight to work. When the barrier came down, Eldane joined them. River retrieved her gun from the corner, and had it locked and loaded, pointed at Calcon, should she have another one of her little ideas. Martha took Calcon's belt, and with the help of Mickey, Donna, and Amy, Rory dragged her into the area behind where the force field used to be.
"Doctor?" Rose called. As if he knew what she was thinking, 9 tossed his screwdriver to Rose.
"Setting 23B," he instructed, getting back to work with the wires. Rose instructed everyone to step back, and reactivated the force field. There was a small flash coming from the area in front of them, and Rose knocked 'shave and a haircut' on it to make sure it was activated. Rose smiled at the sight of the unarmed lizard woman in the cage.
They all grinned. "We did it!" Amy exclaimed. Mickey and Donna high fived, and then Mickey stumbled back and Martha threw herself into him. Maria and Sarah Jane hugged.
"You're brilliant," Sarah Jane repeated. Then she paused. "How come you weren't behind the force field with us?"
"The gas knocked me out, too, but I was in the storage room. Calcon didn't find me, and I think there were too many of us to keep track of. I woke up, peeked out the door and saw Calcon, and-well, you saw the rest."
Maria broke the hug when 10 called her name. "I need the Bandsicslavian Holdmatrix!" he said.
"Coming right up." Maria handed it to him, and the Doctor finished with the controls.
"It's ready," Eldane announced. "You will have to be really quick. I made sure that the gas moves quicker in case there are any more Silurian guards around."
The group nodded in understanding.
"What about me?" The group spun around in surprise to see Calcon standing up straight, her hands pressed against the barrier.
"I will deal with you after the humans are safely out of here," Eldane said, his voice turning dangerous. "You must pay for your crimes."
"What crimes?" Calcon hissed. "If anyone has committed a crime here, it's you, Eldane. I was fighting for our beloved planet. You've been committing treason with these apes and plan to gas our city. Which one of us is the bad guy here?"
Nobody responded. Calcon hissed.
Eldane turned away from her to face the group.
"You must go now," he told them. "I must turn on the gas. As soon as the alarm sounds, you must leave." They nodded.
"Thank you, Eldane," Martha said.
"We owe you our lives," said Donna.
11 patted Eldane on the back. "Goodbye, old friend."
"Goodbye." Eldane reached to the console and pulled the switch. An alarm sounded, and the ceiling flashed with light. "Go, quickly!"
The group rushed to the door, passing Calcon, who banged on the barrier. "Someone will get you, apes!" she screamed. "You'll get yours in the end!"
They ignored her. It was almost over.
They were almost free.

This, my friends, is regrettably, the second to last chapter. It's been a long journey and it has finally come to end. In the wise words of whoever said this quote, "All good things must come to an end."
The last chapter of Companion Pains will be posted soon. Thank you so much for your company on this long journey.
PS I applaud any of you who were able to say 'Bandsicslavian Holdmatrix' the first time you read it. I made up the word, but I still had trouble saying it.
I LIVE FOR REVIEWS! SERIOUSLY, PLEASE REVIEW!