Chapter 17: The Rebel Flesh
Disclaimer: I don't own
Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" played over the speakers as Amy and Rory played darts. The Vixen was at the console showing the Doctor something on the screen. Rory aimed, threw and watched as his dart came in under the wire.
Amy said to him, "46. Rubbishy rubbishy rubbish."
Rory held his arms out. "Hello, it's a double top."
Amy replied, "Wrong side of the wire, mister." She and Rory playfully teased each other as the Vixen showed the confused pregnancy scan to an open mouthed Doctor.
He looked to the Vixen, who put a finger to her lips and whispered something in his ear. He nodded then switched off the music and the monitor. The Vixen asked, "Right. Who wants fish 'n' chips?" Rory raised his hand. "The Doctor and I'll drop you both off. Take your time. There's no rush."
Rory asked, "Uh, and you?"
The Vixen started to reply but the Doctor cut her off. "We have a date."
Amy shrugged, "Well, we'll stay with you. We'll go on a double date." She and Rory joined the two Time Lords at the console.
"Nope."
Amy said pointedly, "Whatever you're up to, I, personally, would like to be a part of it." The Doctor and the Vixen shared a look then stared at Amy, both remembering the pregnancy scan. Amy scoffed. "What?"
A klaxon suddenly blared to life and the TARDIS began to shake. Rory grabbed the rail as Amy clung to the console, all of them crying out in surprise as the Doctor and the Vixen tried to get the TARDIS stable again.
The Vixen asked, clinging to the console with Amy, "Doctor, what's the report?"
The Doctor swung the monitor over. "Solar Tsunami. Came directly from Amy's sun. A tidal wave of radiation. Big, big, big!"
Rory groaned, clutching his abdomen and the railing. "Ohh, my tummy's going funny."
The Vixen was thrown to the floor. "Well, the gyrator is probably disconnected. Target-tracking is out." With a grunt, she pulled herself to the console and threw a lever that had absolutely no effect on the rocking of the TARDIS.
The Doctor saw the monitor and yelled, "Assume the position."
With a yelp, Amy sat in one of the chairs, hands over her head. Rory knelt on the floor, covering his head. The Vixen and the Doctor clutched onto the console. The TARDIS stopped suddenly. Amy and Rory looked up, panting as the two Time Lords stood there, looking around. The Doctor explained, "Textbook landing."
The TARDIS materialized on an island and the Vixen stepped out and looked up at the weathervane at the top of the spire. "Look at that."
The Doctor stepped out after her. "Behold!" He followed the Vixen's line of vision. "Oh! A cockerel. Love a cockerel, don't we, Vixen?"
The Vixen said, "And, underneath, a monastery, 12th-century." She crouched down to the ground and plucked a blade of grass. "Nope, 13th-century."
Amy stepped out with her husband and sighed, looking around, "Oh, we've gone all medieval."
Rory said, cocking his head, "I'm not sure about that."
Amy asked playfully, "Really? Medieval expert, are you?"
Rory replied, "No, it's just that I can hear Dusty Springfield." The four listened and in the background they could hear You Don't Have to Say You Love Me.
They walked towards a stairway and saw a hole in the ground with an exposed pipe. The Vixen examined the ground. "Doctor, these fissures are new. The solar Tsunami sent out a huge wave of gamma particles. Must've been caused by a magnetic quake that happened just before the wave hit."
Amy pointed out, "Well, the monastery's standing."
The Doctor took a snow globe from his pocket and shook it. "Yeah, for now." He studied the globe then put it away.
Rory knelt down. "Doctor, look." On the pipe were the words 'DANGER Corrosive'.
The Vixen said, "Yeah, it's a supply pipe." She took out her sonic and scanned the pipe. "Hmm. Ceramic inner lining. Something eroding. They're pumping something horrid off this island, to the mainland." The Doctor knelt next to her, examining the pipe.
Rory said, "My mum's a massive fan of Dusty Springfield."
The Doctor asked, "Who isn't?" He and the Vixen got up. "Right, let's go. Satisfy our rabid curiosity." They climbed the wooden stairs leading inside.
Some of the buildings were in ruins but a large portion was inhabitable. Amy asked as they walked, "So, where are these Dusty Springfield-loving monks, then?"
The Vixen scanned the area with her vortex manipulator. She showed the Doctor her readings and said, "Doctor, look, I think we're here. This is it."
Rory asked, "Vixen, what are you talking about? We've never been here before."
The Doctor climbed another set of steps, the Vixen behind him. Amy said, "We came here by accident."
The Doctor asked, "'Accident'? Yes, I know. Accident."
Rory touched one of the pipes running alongside the stairs and pulled his hand away. "Ah! Ow!"
The Vixen checked his finger. "Acid. They're pumping acid off this island." She pointed to the pipes. "You're lucky. That's old stuff. One drop of fresh acid and you wouldn't have a finger anymore." She and the Doctor continued on as Amy looked at Rory's hand.
An alarm blared through the building. "Intruder alert. Intruder alert."
The Time Lords came back and the Doctor said, "There are people coming. Well, almost."
Amy asked, "Almost coming?"
The Vixen nodded, "Almost people. Now, come on." They ran off and Amy followed.
Rory said, "I think we should probably go."
Amy called, "Come on!"
Rory protested, "I'm telling you, when something runs towards you, it's never for a nice reason." Amy came back and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him along.
The Vixen, the Doctor, Amy and Rory rushed into a room where the window alcoves held three human shaped harnesses, all occupied by people in orange jumpsuits. Amy asked, "What are all these harnesses for?"
Rory guessed, "Uh, the almost people?"
Amy ignored him and asked, "What are they, prisoners? Or are they meditating, or what?"
The Vixen said, looking around, "Well, at the moment, in my opinion, they probably fall into the "or what" category."
"Halt and remain calm."
The Doctor said to particularly no one, "Well, we've halted. How are we all doing on the "calm" front?" At that moment, three people entered the room.
The men had lances pointed at them as one of them ordered, "Don't. Move."
The other said, "Stay back, Jen. We don't know who they are."
The woman, Jennifer, said, "So let's ask them." She turned to the four time travellers. "Who the hell are you?"
The Vixen introduced themselves, one hand on her sword in case of any hostility. "Well, I'm the Vixen, this is my boyfriend, the Doctor and this is Amy and Rory and it's really very nice to meet you." She turned to the other three behind her. "Right now, I am really hoping for the sake of us they say 'likewise'."
Amy realized that the people talking with them were duplicates of those in the harnesses. "Hold up. You're all — what are you all, like, identical twins?"
Another man and woman in acid suits entered from behind them. The woman said, "This is an Alpha-grade industrial facility. Unless you work for the military or for Morpeth Jetson, you are in big trouble."
The Vixen relaxed as the Doctor took out his psychic paper. "Actually, you're in big trouble." He flashed the paper.
The woman peered at it then scoffed. "Meteorological department, since when?"
The Doctor replied, "Since you were hit by a solar wave."
The woman retorted, "Which we survived."
The Vixen snapped, "Just, by the look of it. And there's a bigger one on the way."
The woman said, "Which we'll also survive. Dicken, scan for bugs."
The man next to her, Dicken, held up a scanner. "Backs against the wall. Now."
The Vixen, the Doctor, Amy and Rory backed up to the wall. The Vixen gave a half smile. "You're not a monastery, are you?" The workers shared a look. "Ohhh. I get it. You're a factory. A 22nd-century, army-owned factory. Oh, I do love how this day is progressing."
Amy asked, "You're army?"
The woman replied, "No, love, we're contractors and you're trespassers."
Dicken finished scanning them and reported, "It's okay, boss."
The woman said, "All right, weathermen, your I.D. checks out. If there's another solar storm, what are you going to do about it, hand out sunblock?"
The Doctor gave a fake laugh. "Ha ha ha ha." He turned serious. "We need to see your critical systems."
The woman asked, "Which one?"
The Vixen came up and said quietly, "You know which one." The boss woman blanched.
Near one end of a room was a vat on a raised platform. In front of it on the floor were two open tubs the size of a person. The Vixen and the Doctor walked around to the opposite side of the vat and looked at the white liquid inside.
The Vixen murmured, "There you are."
The woman said, "Meet the government's worst-kept secret — the flesh. It's fully programmable matter. In fact, it's even learning to replicate itself at the cellular level."
Amy nodded. "Right. Brilliant. Lost."
The woman explained, "Okay. Once a reading's been taken, we can manipulate its molecular structure into anything, replicate a living organism, down to the hairs on its chinny-chin-chin. Even clothes, and everything's identical — eyes, voice."
The Doctor muttered, "Mind, soul."
The woman said, "Don't be fooled, Doctor. It acts like life, but it still needs to be controlled by us from those harnesses you saw."
Rory asked, "Wait, whoa-oa-oa, hold it. So... You're flesh now?"
The woman replied, "I'm lying in a harness back in that chamber. We all are, except Jennifer, here." Rory and Amy looked at her uneasily. "Don't be scared. This thing? Just like operating a forklift truck."
The Vixen said, "You said it could grow. Only living things grow."
The woman said, "Moss grows. It's no more than that. This acid is so dangerous, we were losing a worker every week. So now, we mine the acid, using these doppelgangers, or "gangers." If these bodies get burnt or fall in the acid..."
One of the male gangers finished, "Then who the hell cares? Right, Jen?"
Jennifer explained, "Well, the nerve endings automatically cut off, like airbags being discharged, except we wake up and get a new ganger."
The other male ganger, Jimmy, said, "It's weird. But you get used to it."
The woman ordered, "Jennifer, I want you in your ganger. Get back to the harness."
The Vixen used her sonic to scan the Flesh and compare it with some readings from her manipulator. She whispered, "Doctor, take a look at this." The two shared a look as the Vixen went to touch the liquid with her sonic.
The first male ganger, Buzzer his name was, asked, "Hang on. What's she up to? What are you up to?"
The Vixen seemed to struggle in order to move her arm. She grunted, "Stop it. Ahh!" The Doctor helped her pull her arm back.
The Doctor asked, "Vixen, what happened?"
The Vixen breathed, "Odd. It was like, for a second, it was scanning me." She put her sonic back in her pocket and then reached her hand out to touch the top of the liquid with her palm.
The woman warned, "Vixen." The Vixen groaned as her hand shook, finding out she couldn't pull away. "Get back, Vixen. Leave it alone!"
The Vixen grunted and pulled her hand away. She panted and looked to the Doctor. "I understand."
Amy asked, concerned, "Vixen, are you all right?"
The Doctor asked, "Do you feel anything?"
The Vixen grinned, suddenly. "Incredible. You have no idea. No idea. I mean, I felt it in my mind. I reached out to it and it reached back out to me."
The woman snapped, "Don't fiddle with the money, Vixen."
The Vixen asked, "How can you be so thick? It's alive, so very, very alive. And you're shoving your lives, your personalities, yourselves, right into it."
Lightning crashed as the Doctor took out the snow globe again. The ground shook. The Doctor said, "It's the solar storm. The first waves come in pairs — pre-shock and full shock — it's close."
The woman asked, "Buzz, have we got anything from the mainland yet?"
Buzzer's ganger replied, "No, the comms are still too jammed with radiation."
The woman set her jaw. "Okay, then we'll keep pumping acid until the mainland says stop. Now, why don't you stand back and let us impress you." She pulled a lever.
One of the tubs started filling with a white liquid. The gangers and time travellers watched the tub and soon a face began to form. The mouth first and then the eyes. The Flesh then formed itself into Jennifer except the face wasn't fully defined. She sat up with a gasp, now fully formed.
The Doctor said, "Well, I can see why you keep it in a church. The miracle of life." The Vixen grinned.
Buzzer's ganger said, "No need to get poncey. It's just gunge."
The woman ordered, "Guys, we need to get to work."
Jimmy's ganger nodded. "Okay, everybody. Let's crack on." He helped the newly formed Jennifer's ganger get out.
The Vixen snapped, "Did we mention the solar storm? You need to get out of here."
Ganger Jimmy asked, "Well, where do you want us to go? We're on a tiny island."
The Doctor replied, "Well, we can get you all off it."
The woman scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. We've got a job to do."
The Doctor murmured, "It's coming."
An alarm blared through the building as Ganger Jennifer said, "That's the alarm."
The Vixen asked, grabbing the boss' arm. "How do you get power?"
The boss replied, "We're solar and we use a solar router. The weather vane."
The Doctor swallowed as he and the Vixen shared a look. "Big problem."
Ganger Jimmy said, "Boss, maybe if the storm comes back, we should get underground. The factory's seen better days. The acid pipes might not withstand another hit."
The boss said, "We have 200 tons of acid to pump out. We fall behind, we stay another rotation. Anyone want that?"
The Vixen gritted her teeth. "Please." She grabbed the woman by the arm and pulled her aside. "You are about to cross the line. If you don't — if you don't — prepare for this storm, you are all in terrible danger, understand?"
The boss, Cleaves, snapped, "My factory, my rules." She walked away.
The Doctor shared a look with the Vixen and called after Cleaves. "We'll need to check the progress of the storm." He snapped his fingers towards Ganger Jennifer. "Monitoring station."
Ganger Jennifer hesitated and the Vixen raised her eyebrow and said, "You heard him. Monitoring station!"
Ganger Jennifer gave in. "Three lefts, a right, and a left. Third door on your left."
The Doctor nodded, "Thank you." He and the Vixen left followed by Amy and Rory.
The Vixen, the Doctor, Amy and Rory entered the monitoring station as the building shook from the storm. In the center was a circular bank of instruments. The Doctor said, "The wave's disturbing the earth's magnetic field. There is going to be the mother and father of all power surges. You see this weather vane, the cock-a-doodle-doo?"
The Vixen finished, "It's a solar router, feeding the whole factory with solar power. When that wave hits, boom-boom. Doctor, you and I've got to get to that cockerel before all hell breaks loose." She stopped in the doorway and chuckled. "I never thought I'd have to say that again. Ah. Amy, breathe." They ran out as Amy looked after them.
"Yeah! I mean, thanks, I'll try."
The Vixen and the Doctor ran across to the tower upon which the solar router rested. The Vixen asked, looking at the power box, "How in hell are we going unlock that power box?"
The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a lock pick kit. "Aha." They ran to the ladder. "Ladies first."
The Vixen rolled her eyes and held the kit in her mouth as she climbed the ladder outside the tower, the Doctor right behind her. She stopped beside the power box, curling her arm around the ladder and opening the tiny box. She pulled out a small tool and started to unlock the power box when the tool fell from her fingers. "No, no, no!" The two Time Lords watched as it fell to the ground. "Damn it."
The Doctor shouted over the wind. "Just try and wrench it open."
The Vixen nodded and started to pull the handle when lightning struck the tower and the two fell to the battlement.
The Doctor came to with a gasp and sat up. "OK. Arms. Legs." He looked up to see the top of the vane gone. Then he turned to his side to see the Vixen sprawled next to him, bleeding slightly from her head. He stood and started to pick her up. "Ok. Here we go." He stumbled backwards, the Vixen in his arms. "God, Nixei! How much do you weigh?!"
The Vixen came to and slapped his forehead. "I'd prefer you not ask that question right now. Now, let me go!" The Doctor dropped her instantly. "Ow. Not like that!"
"Sorry."
The Vixen and the Doctor ran down the stairs and saw Cleaves standing there, bewildered. The Doctor said, "Cleaves, you're not in your harness!"
Cleaves apologized. "I'm sorry, Vixen, Doctor. You were right."
The Vixen said, "You've lost all power to the factory."
"Vixen, I abandoned my team."
The Vixen retorted, "Then let's go get them." She ran off as the Doctor took Cleaves by the hand and ran after her.
The three of them walked through the tunnels as the Doctor asked, "How long would you say we were unconscious for, Cleaves?"
Cleaves replied, "Not long. A minute, two minutes."
The Vixen winced. "I'd say we've been out a little bit longer." She could feel how much time had gone by. Approximately 59 minutes and 13 seconds.
"Well, how long?"
The Doctor replied, "An hour."
The Vixen muttered, "Never good. I've seen whole worlds going to hell in an hour. More than a lot can go wrong in an hour."
Cleaves just sighed and followed the two Time Lords.
Amy and Rory entered the harness room as the humans get out of the harnesses. Buzzer groaned. "I feel like I've been toasted."
Jimmy asked, "What the hell happened?"
Amy replied, "The Tsunami happened. You're hurt."
Jimmy retorted, "Well, it feels like the national grid's running through my bones, but, apart from that..."
Buzzer muttered, "I hope the meter's not bust. I still want to get paid."
A frail voice from the side whimpered, "Why-y-y?"
Rory turned around to see Jennifer by herself and went over to comfort her. "Jennifer! Jennifer? Hi."
Jennifer whimpered, "It hurt so much."
Rory hugged her gently. "Hey, hey, it's okay, it's over."
Jennifer said, "I couldn't get out of my harness."
"Shh-shh-shh."
Jennifer clutched at his shirt. "I thought I was going to die."
Rory shrugged. "Welcome to my world." He looked at Amy over Jennifer's head as the Vixen, the Doctor and Cleaves entered the room.
Amy reported, "Doctor, look, these are all real people. So where are their gangers?"
Cleaves assured her, "Don't worry, when the link shuts down, the gangers return to pure flesh. Now, the storm's left us with acid leaks all over, so we need to contact the mainland. They can have a rescue shuttle out here in no time."
She was cut off as Dusty Springfield was heard once again. Jimmy murmured, "That's my record. Who's playing my record?"
The Doctor replied, "Your gangers. They've gone walkabout."
Cleaves argued. "No, it's impossible. They're not active — cars don't fly themselves, cranes don't lift themselves, and gangers don't…" She trailed off as they turned to the sound of the music.
A record was playing on the turntable as they entered the room through the thick plastic strips. Buzzer breathed. "No way."
Cleaves stammered, "I don't — I don't believe this."
Jimmy said, "They could've escaped through the service door in the back."
Buzzer said, "This is just like the Isle of Sheppey."
The Vixen sat down at the table and eyed a house of cards. She murmured, "It looks like the storm has triggered your gangers. Wouldn't you say so, Doctor?" The Doctor hummed in agreement.
Cleaves grumbled, "They've ransacked everything."
The Doctor corrected, "Not ransacked, searched."
Cleaves asked, "Through our stuff?"
"Their stuff."
Jimmy asked, "Searching for what?"
The Vixen replied, "Confirmation. They need to know their memories are real."
Buzzer scoffed, "Oh, so they've got flaming memories now."
The Vixen snapped, "They feel obliged to connect to their own lives, so yeah, sue them, they've got memories."
Cleaves muttered. "Their stolen lives."
The Vixen snapped her head around and hissed. "No, bequeathed. You gave them this. You poured in your personalities, emotions, traits, memories, secrets — everything. You gave them your lives." She sighed. "Human lives are amazing. Are you really that surprised they walked off with them?"
Buzzer murmured, "I'll say it again — Isle of Sheppey. Ganger got an electric shock, toddled off, killed his operator, right there in his harness. I've seen the photos. This bloke's ear was-"
Jimmy cut him off. "Even if this has actually happened, they can't remain stable without us plumbed into them — can they, boss?"
Cleaves sighed, "I guess we'll find out."
Jennifer gasped and Rory was instantly at her side. "Are you okay? Do you need some water?"
Jennifer murmured, "I feel funny. I need the washroom." She left the room hurriedly.
Rory said, "I'll come with you." He grabbed a torch and followed after her.
The Doctor leant forward and studied the cards as Buzzer explained, "That's me. It's good to have a hobby. So, what, my ganger did that, all on its own?"
The Doctor asked, "Who taught you to do this?"
Buzzer replied, "Me granddad."
The Vixen shrugged, "Well, your ganger's granddad taught him to do it, as well. You both have the exact same childhood memories, just as clear, just as just as real."
Buzzer shook his head petulantly. "No." He knocked down the cards.
The Vixen stood up and sighed. "They're scared, disorientated, struggling to come to terms with an entire life in their heads. Trust me, I know what they're feeling." The Doctor put a hand on her shoulder sympathetically.
The Doctor was at the microwave while the others were gathered around the table. Jimmy said, "We need to protect ourselves."
The Doctor put a container of food into the microwave as the Vixen asked, "Are you a violent man, Jimmy?"
"No."
The Doctor looked at him and asked, "Then why would the other Jimmy be?"
Cleaves scoffed, "Don't tell me you can eat at a time like this, Doctor."
The Vixen got up from her seat and stood next to the Doctor. She said, "You told us that we were out cold for a few minutes, Cleaves, when, in fact, it was an hour."
Cleaves stammered, "Sorry, I just assumed-"
The Vixen said gently, "Well, it's not your fault. Like I said, they're disorientated." She turned to Amy. "Amelia, when you got to the alcoves, who was in harness?" Amy started to answer when the timer on the microwave went off. The Vixen nodded and the Doctor took out the plate using a towel. "Well, who was in the harness?"
Amy replied, trying to remember, "Um, Jimmy and Dicken were helping Buzzer out."
"And Jennifer?"
"She was standing on her own when we got to her."
The Doctor handed the plate to Cleaves and she held it in her bare hand. The Doctor said, sharing a look with the Vixen. "It's hot."
Cleaves hissed and dropped the plate which shattered on the floor. "Argh."
The Vixen said, "The transmitter's still a little rubbery." She examined Cleaves' hand. "The nerve endings are not quite fused properly."
Ganger Cleaves snatched her hand away. "What the hell are you talking about?"
The Doctor said, "It's okay."
Ganger Cleaves asked fearfully, "Why didn't I feel that?"
The Doctor replied quietly, "You will. You'll stabilize."
"No, stop it. You're playing stupid games. Stop it!" She turned her back on the Doctor.
The Doctor started to approach Ganger Cleaves when the Vixen put a hand on his arm and said with her eyes, 'I know what she's feeling, let me handle this.'
The Doctor nodded as the Vixen walked forward and said, "You don't have to hide. Please, trust us. I'm the Vixen and this is the Doctor. Trust us."
Ganger Cleaves turned on the Time Lords with a hiss, her face in its half-formed state. Buzzer grabbed a knife from the table and headed towards her but Jimmy held him back. Buzzer growled, "Where's the real Cleaves, you thing?! What have you done with her?!"
The Vixen said softly, "That's it, good. You remember. This is early flesh, the early stages of the technology. So much..." She reached out a hand to touch her and the ganger shuddered. "…to learn."
Amy asked, moving closer to them, "Vixen, Doctor, what's happened to her?"
The Doctor explained, "She can't stabilize - she's shifting between half-formed and full-formed. For now, at least."
Ganger Cleaves roared, "We are living!" She lunged at the Doctor with a growl then ran from the room screaming.
The Vixen said, "Let her go. She needs to know herself."
Amy said suddenly, "Vixen, Rory."
"'Rory'?"
Amy turned around in exasperation with her arms up. "Rory!" She ran out of the room.
The Vixen grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulled him after Amy. "Rory. Rory! Always with Rory!"
The Vixen, the Doctor, Amy and Jimmy exited one of the buildings to find their way blocked by acid on the ground. Jimmy said, "The explosion must've ruptured the acid feeds. We're going to need the acid suits."
The Vixen pushed them backwards. "No, no, no, we haven't got time. Back, back, back." They went in the opposite direction.
Jimmy, the Vixen, the Doctor and Amy ran into the washroom and the Doctor saw the hole in the stall door. Amy called, "Rory!"
The Vixen smacked her head. "Of course. Jennifer's a ganger, too."
Amy said, "Vixen, you said they wouldn't be violent."
The Vixen replied, grasping Amy's hand, "But I did say they were scared, and angry."
Jimmy spoke up, "And early technology, is what you said. You seem to know something about the flesh."
Amy turned to the Time Lords, "Do you? Vixen? Doctor?"
The Vixen and the Doctor looked down guiltily and Jimmy snapped, "You're no weathermen. Why are you really here?"
The Vixen said, "I have to talk to them. Come on, Doctor, we can fix this." She and the Doctor ran from the room as Amy followed.
Jimmy called, running after them, "Wait! What's going on? Where's the real Jennifer?!"
Jimmy, the Vixen, the Doctor and Amy reached the top of a set of stairs and as they headed down the tunnel, steam burst from a pipe. There was also acid on the ground. The Doctor said, "It is too dangerous out here with acid leaks!"
Amy said, "We have to find Rory."
The Vixen rubbed her face with her hands. She took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, alright. Doctor, you and I are going back to the TARDIS." The Doctor nodded as she turned to Amy. "Amy, wait for us in the dining hall. I want you to keep together, okay? No more wandering off."
Amy asked, "And what about Rory?"
The Doctor said, "Well, it would be safer to look for Rory and Jennifer with the TARDIS." The Vixen smiled at Amy comfortingly.
Jimmy spotted a box on the wall. "Here we go." He opened the box and pulled out a large container. "Distress flares." He chuckled and closed the box to be startled by the Doctor.
The Vixen shook her head and put her hands on Amy's shoulders, "We will find him, Amy, I promise." Amy nodded and the Vixen kissed her forehead before turning to Jimmy. "Exit?"
Jimmy replied, "Keep going straight, can't miss it." The Time Lords turned to leave. "But you're never going to get your vehicle in here."
The Doctor grinned at the Vixen knowingly. "I'm a great parker." They ran down the corridor.
The Vixen and the Doctor ran through the corridor, passing the flesh room. The Vixen stopped and backtracked. "Doctor, we need to make a pit stop." She ran inside the room, the Doctor right behind her.
They made their way to the vat of Flesh. The Vixen took out her sonic, nodding at the Doctor for him to do the same. They, in unison, used them on the Flesh. The liquid in the vat began to bubble and fill the two tubs. The Vixen, said, "It's done. Let's go." The two ran from the room, leaving the tubs filled and bubbling.
The Doctor and the Vixen stopped and looked at each other and then down. The Vixen asked, "Oh. What are you doing down there?"
The TARDIS had nearly completely sunk into the acid-saturated ground. The Doctor scoffed, "Really!" He began to reach into his pocket but stopped when he felt a burning in his feet.
The Vixen closed her eyes and sighed, "We're standing in a puddle of acid, aren't we?" The Doctor nodded and they looked down to see the substance eating away at their shoes. "Out of the puddle! Out of the puddle!" The two jumped back in pain and hurriedly removed the shoes from their feet, then leaving their shoes and heading back up the stairs into the courtyard.
The Doctor entered, followed by the Vixen, looking around. They saw the acid suits and looked at each other and then the floor, spotting the legs of the Gangers. They slowly looked up to see the Gangers half-formed and the Doctor smiled, "Hello. How are we all getting on?"
Ganger Cleaves snapped, "Why don't you tell us?"
The Vixen pursed her lips. "Well, we have two choices. The first is to tear each other apart - not my favourite, I'll be honest - the second is to knuckle down and work together. Try to work out how best we can help you." Ganger Cleaves looked hesitant.
The Vixen and the Doctor walked with the Gangers who were now in their full-form. The Vixen said gently, "Now, I know it's hard for you to hold your fully human form, that's why you keep shifting between the flesh stages, but please do try - it'll make the others less scared of you."
The Doctor added, "And less likely to try and kill you." The Vixen rolled her eyes and gave him a look.
Ganger Jennifer was sitting on one side of the table, Rory stood beside her. Across from her were Buzzer, Jimmy and Dicken as Amy stood across from Rory. Buzzer growled, "Where's Jen? What have you done with her?"
Ganger Jennifer said pleadingly, "I haven't seen her. I swear. But, look, I'm her. I'm just like her. I'm real."
Jimmy snapped, "You're a copy. You're just pretending to be like her."
Amy whispered, "Rory, um, we don't really know anything about them yet…"
Rory started, "Well-"
"…and-"
Rory said, "Amy, I know that she's afraid and she needs our help."
Amy sighed. "Rory…"
Ganger Jennifer said, "Jimmy, Buzzer, come on, you guys. We've worked together for two years."
Buzzer replied harshly, "I work with Jennifer Lucas, not you."
Amy said, trying to calm everyone down, "Okay, let's not do anything at all-" The Vixen and the Doctor entered the room and the Vixen and Amy finished, "Until the Vixen and the Doctor get here."
The Doctor waved, "Hello." The four other Gangers entered behind him.
Jimmy gaped at his own self. "This is…"
Ganger Jimmy agreed, "You're telling me."
Ganger Cleaves sighed, "All right, Doctor, you've brought us together - now what?"
The Doctor said, "Before we do anything, Vixen and I have one very important question…"
The Vixen asked, finishing her fiancé's sentence, "Has anybody got a pair of shoes we could borrow? He's a size 10 and I'm a 7. Although I should warn you," She put her hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "This boy here has very wide feet." The Doctor gaped at her, feeling betrayed.
The Doctor was sitting on the edge of the table and now wearing brown boots, while the Vixen stood next to him, wearing black knee high boots, very different from her chucks. Amy stood behind the two of them. To one side were the Originals and on the other, the Gangers. Ganger Jennifer clung to Rory nervously.
The Vixen clapped her hands and walked over to stand between the Gangers and the Originals. She took a deep breath and explained, "The flesh was never just moss. These are not copies. The storm has," She searched for the right word. "…hardwired them. They are becoming people."
Jimmy asked, "With souls?"
"Rubbish." Dicken scoffed before sneezing.
Ganger Dicken said, "Bless you." Ganger Cleaves glared at him. "What?"
The Doctor said, "We were all jelly, once. Little jelly eggs, sitting in goop."
The Vixen rolled her eyes as Amy said awkwardly, "Yeah, thanks. Too much information."
"We are not talking about an accident that needs to be mopped up." The Vixen said. "We are talking about sacred life, beautiful life. Do you understand?" The people in the room eventually one-by-one nodded.
The Doctor clapped his hands and stood up. "Good. Now, the TARDIS is trapped in an acid pool. Once I can reach her, I can get you all off this island, humans and gangers, how does that sound?"
Jimmy asked hopefully, "Can we get home for Adam's birthday?" The Vixen smiled and nodded.
Ganger Jimmy asked, "What about me? He's my son, too."
"You? You really think that?"
Ganger Jimmy replied, "I feel it."
Jimmy snapped, "Oh, so you were there when he was born, were you?"
Ganger Jimmy nodded, "Yeah. I drank about 8 pints of tea and they told me I had a wee boy and I just burst out laughing." He chuckled. "No idea why. I miss home. As much as you." The two Jimmys stared at each other.
The Doctor said, "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. It's a right odd mess, this. But, as you might say up north, 'oh, well, I'll just go to t' foot of the stairs.' Ha ha ha." The Vixen rolled her eyes. "Eh, bye-bye, gone. Or not. Good. Right."
The Vixen sighed and explained, "The first step is we get everyone together, then get everyone safe, then get everyone out of here."
Amy said, "But we're still missing Jennifer and Cleaves."
Jimmy said, "I'll go and look for them." He headed for the door.
Ganger Jimmy offered, "I'll give you a hand, if you like." He joined his counterpart. "Cover more ground."
Jimmy nodded, "Yeah. Okay. Thanks."
With everyone watching both Jimmys, they didn't see Cleaves enter behind them. She snapped, "This circus has gone on long enough!" There was a crackle of electricity from the device in her hand.
Ganger Cleaves grumbled. "Oh, great. You see, that is just so typically me."
Cleaves snapped, "Doctor, tell it to shut up."
The Doctor said pleadingly, "Please, no. No! No!"
Cleaves ignored him and explained the device in her hand, "Circuit probe. Fires about, oh, 40,000 volts. It would kill any one of us, so I guess she'll work on gangers, just the same."
The Vixen growled, "It's interesting you refer to them as 'it', but you call a glorified cattle prod a 'she.'"
Cleaves retorted, "When the real people are safely off this island, then I'll happily talk philosophy over a pint with you, Vixen."
Amy asked, "What are you going to do to them?"
"Sorry, they're monsters, mistakes. They have to be destroyed."
The Vixen set her jaw. "Give me the probe, Cleaves." When Cleaves didn't react, the Vixen glared at her. "Now."
Ganger Cleaves snapped, interrupting the exchange, "We always have to take charge, don't we, Miranda?" Cleaves faltered. "Even when we don't really know what the hell is going on."
Ganger Buzzer charged at Cleaves and she fired at him three times. He fell to the ground, dead. The Doctor ran over to him and knelt while the Vixen forced Cleaves' arm behind her back. The Doctor checked Ganger Buzzer and growled, "Oh! Ah! He's dead!"
Cleaves spat, "We call it 'decommissioned'." She slipped out of the Vixen's grip and moved the probe around in the air as Jennifer gasped and ducked when it was aimed in her direction.
The Vixen knelt next to the Doctor and checked the dead ganger's pulse. She got up and glared at Cleaves, grabbing her collar and shoving her against the wall. "You stopped his heart. He had a heart!" She spat. "Aorta, valves - a real, human heart! And you stopped it."
Rory asked gently, seeing Ganger Jennifer's face, "Jen?"
Ganger Jennifer shouted, "What happened to Buzz will happen to us all, if we trust you!"
The Doctor stood up as the Vixen let go of Cleaves. The Doctor said, "Wait, wait. Just wait."
Rory snapped, "No!" He rushed at Cleaves and knocked her to the ground, taking the probe away from her.
The Gangers took advantage of the situation and ran from the room. Cleaves spat, "You idiot!"
The Vixen ran to the door and called pleadingly after the Gangers, "Wait! Please, we can work this out!"
Rory got up as did Cleaves. The Doctor glared at her, "Look at what you've done, Cleaves."
Cleaves said grimly, "If it's war, then it's war." Amy and the Vixen stared at her. "You four don't get it. How can you? It's us and them now." She turned to Jimmy, Dicken and Buzzer. "Us... And them."
Dicken nodded. "Us and them."
Jimmy hesitated then sighed reluctantly. "Us and them."
The Doctor and the Vixen glared at Cleaves as she, Buzzer, Jimmy and Dicken made plans against the Gangers. The two then looked at each other and sighed, unhappy at the turn things had taken.
Amy and Rory were kneeling on the floor having a whispered discussion as they covered up Ganger Buzzer. Buzzer, Jimmy and Cleaves are also having their own conversation. The same was for the two Time Lords in the room.
The Doctor whispered, loud enough for only the Vixen to hear, "What now? Cleaves killing that Ganger, I'm guessing that wasn't part of the plan." The Vixen shook her head.
"No, but I do have a plan." She looked to the humans in the room to make sure they weren't listening. "Theta, I need you to form a psychic link with me."
The Doctor dragged her over to a corner and hissed, "A psychic link? To share our thoughts?" The other Time Lord nodded. "Vixen, the weight of my mind alone would be too heavy, not to mention the weight of yours combined with mine. It would melt our brains."
The Vixen pulled up a scientific hologram in Gallifreyan on her Vortex Manipulator and said, "But, look. See, the elders of Galifrey, they had these scrolls that spoke of a perfect mind meld." She looked to the Doctor. "Half of your mind in my head and half of mine in yours. It's just a legend, but it's worth a shot." The Doctor sighed, hesitant. "Theta, please. I'm not having any more deaths and this is the only way to move the plan forwards."
The Doctor sighed again then chuckled dryly. "Where do you find stuff like this?"
The Vixen replied tentatively, "I may or may not have infiltrated the Citadel of Time Lords with my sister." The Doctor laughed softly as she joined in. "I know. Now, psychic link." She put her fingers on the Doctor's temples, as he did the same. "Remember, project exactly half of your mind into my head and I'll do the same. We have to do it at the same time, okay?"
The Doctor nodded, "Count of three?"
"Yep." The Vixen asked, "Ready? Alright, one, two… three." She inhaled sharply, feeling the Doctor's mind strands brush hers and eventually intertwine.
The Doctor took his fingers off and asked, "Did that work?"
The Vixen replied, "Well, the universe didn't implode and we're still sane, so… I'd say yeah, it actually worked!" The Doctor laughed in relief. The Vixen grinned as well before turning to Cleaves. "What's the most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?" Cleaves didn't answer. "Cleaves! The most fortified and defendable room in the monastery?"
Cleaves finally turned to the Vixen, "The Chapel."
"Thank you."
Cleaves went on, "Only one way in, stone walls, 2 feet thick."
The Vixen glared at her. "You've crossed one hell of a line, Cleaves. You've killed one of them. They're coming back. In a big way."
'Go easy on her, love.' The Doctor thought, trying out the psychic link. 'She may have killed one of them, but she knows this place inside and out. She's an asset to us. One that we don't want in a jar as gold dust.'
The Vixen thought back, still surprised that the process had actually worked. 'That doesn't mean I'm not going to chew her out.' The Doctor chuckled.
In another section of the tunnels, the group rushed towards the chapel. Jimmy asked, "What about the flares?"
The Vixen replied, "We'll worry about the flares when we're locked inside." The three humans and the Doctor rushed through leaving the Vixen, Amy and Rory. "Rory Pond."
Rory heard Jennifer scream and hesitated as Amy said, "Rory? Come on."
Rory said, "Jen's out there. She's out there and she's on her own." He headed down the tunnel.
The Vixen called after him, "Well, if she's got any sense, then she's hiding. Rory!"
Rory looked back and said, "I can't leave her out there! I know you understand that."
Amy said pleadingly, "Rory, get in here, please. Get in here!"
The Gangers arrived through the other end of the hallway and Rory dashed off through a side corridor. Ganger Cleaves said, "There they are!" The Gangers ran towards the three.
"Amy. Come on!" The Vixen grabbed Amy by the arms and pulled her through the doorway.
Amy shouted, "Rory!" The Vixen reluctantly slammed the door.
The Vixen pulled Amy into her arms as the others blocked the door with what they could find. Amy beat the blonde's chest as the Vixen kept her arms around her. The Vixen put her hands on Amy's cheeks and said comfortingly, "Amy, Amy, they are not after him, they're after us. He's going to be fine." She wiped the tears on Amy's cheeks.
From one of the dark corners came a male voice. "Why? Why?"
The Doctor ordered as everyone looked to the corner, "Show yourself. Show yourself!"
Another, feminine voice chuckled. "Ha!"
The Vixen thought, 'I think it worked.'
The Doctor heard her and asked in his mind, 'What worked? Vixen? Tell me.' The Vixen didn't answer as the group started building a blockade against the door. The Vixen let go of Amy and with the Doctor cautiously approached the corner.
Cleaves said, "Pass me the barrel."
Dicken said, "We need something heavy. Anything you can find." Amy watched the two Galifreyans approach the corner.
Jimmy laughed, "This is insane. We're fighting ourselves."
The Vixen said, "Yes, it's insane and it's about to get even more insane." She turned back to the corner and unsheathed her sword. "Show yourself! Right now!"
Amy called to them, "Vixen! Doctor! We are trapped in here and Rory is out there, with them." She moved a bit forward when neither answered. "Hello! We can't get to the TARDIS and we can't even leave the island."
The Vixen spoke but her lips didn't move. She seemed just as stunned as the others.
The feminine voice in the corner said, "Correct, Pond. It's frightening, unexpected, frankly, a total, utter, splattering mess, but I'm sure, 100% sure, that we can work this out."
From the shadows emerged a Ganger Doctor and a Ganger Vixen with a half-formed face each. The Ganger Doctor said, smiling, "Trust us. I'm the Doctor and this is the Vixen." The two grinned at the group, who looked at them shocked.