Chapter 18: The Almost People
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who
I know I haven't updated in like a year. I'm sorry. But I was going through some stuff. Anyway, I'm back now.
The Flesh Doctor screamed and twisted as he absorbed all the Doctor's memories and channelled past incarnations. Meanwhile, the Vixen's ganger sat cross-legged in a corner, tracing Gallifreyan in the dirt, something protecting her from whatever was happening to her Ganger companion. The humans in the room were huddled together, the Vixen in front of them, her sword sheathed. Amy stood next to her, holding the lamp.
"What's happening?" The Doctor asked, approaching his ganger.
The Doctor Ganger groaned with his hands over his ears. "One day we'll get back." He said. "Yes, one day..." He convulsed suddenly and screamed. The Vixen Ganger looked up and tilted her head to the side as the Doctor Ganger started spouting nonsense. "I've reversed the neutron of the polarity flow."
The Doctor said, "The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations." He reassured his Ganger. "Hold on!"
"Why is your Ganger alright?" Amy asked the Vixen quietly, looking to said Ganger, who was still sitting calmly, her hands in her lap.
The Vixen answered, "I'm protecting her. We have the same mind. It's taking all my power to hold the memories back." Upon closer inspection, Amy noticed the sweat on her brow and her slightly quivering fists.
The Doctor Ganger asked in his 4th incarnation's voice, holding his hand out, "Would you like a jelly-baby?" His voice went back to normal as he screamed in desperation, "Why? Why!?"
The Doctor asked, confused, "'Why'? 'Why' what?"
"Hello." The Doctor Ganger said in Ten's voice, "I'm the Doctor." He slapped himself as his voice changed back. "No, let it go, we've moved on!"
The Doctor said, "Hold on, hold on, you can stabilise!"
Amy started to walk to the Doctor but stopped when she heard the Vixen let out a cry of anguish. She turned around to see the Time Lady collapse in Buzzer's arms out of exhaustion, the Scot then heard a whimper from the corner the Vixen Ganger was sitting in. She turned to look at her to see the Ganger rocking back and forth, her hands over her ears. With the barrier the Vixen was building up gone, all the memories flooded into her mind at once, putting a huge weight on her. The redhead started to move towards her but Jimmy and Cleaves held her back.
Meanwhile, the Doctor Ganger gripped his counterpart's jacket and murmured, "I've reversed the jelly-baby of the neutron flow. Would you like a..." He gasped, "Doctor...Doctor... I'm... I'm the... I can't."
The Doctor said, holding his Ganger up, "No, listen, hold on. Hold on!" The Doctor Ganger shoved to Doctor away and fell to his knees. He let out a series of pants as his face morphed to a half-formed state.
Amy finally broke free from the two people holding her back as the Vixen Ganger let out a heart-breaking scream.
DW?DW?
The Doctor Ganger gripped his head as the team members barricaded the door. Buzzer muttered, "I think I liked it best when they were being noisy." In the corner, the Vixen, by now back on her feet, was consoling her Ganger counterpart, who was feeling much more stable now that the Vixen had put up the barrier again.
Amy went over to the Doctor and said, "Doctor, we need you. Get over here." The Doctor looked to her as the Doctor Ganger gasped and looked up, finally stable.
"Hello!"
The Vixen pulled her Ganger over so the four were looking at each other. "Cybermats." The Doctor said shortly.
The Doctor Ganger asked, putting an arm around the Vixen Ganger's shoulders, "Do we have time for this?"
The Vixen answered, "We make time. I'd like more proof that you're us." She stepped forward. "Now, Cybermats?"
"Created by the Cybermen." The Vixen Ganger replied, stepping forward so the two women were eye to eye. "They kill by feeding off brainwaves."
Oh no, the Doctor thought, shortly forgetting he had a psychic link with the Vixen, there's two of them.
"I heard that!" said the Vixen, turning towards him. The Doctor winced. Amy groaned in frustration and ran back to the door, helping the others keep it shut.
The two Doctors and Vixens stood side-by-side as the Vixen Ganger said, "Rory and Amy may not trust all four of us."
The Doctor asked, looking to the other three, "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yeah, course." The trio answered together.
The Doctor Ganger said, "I'm glad we're on the same..."
"Wavelength." The Vixen Ganger answered. "You see, great minds."
The Vixen shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged. "That and a psychic link."
"Exactly. So, what's the plan?"
The Doctor Ganger answered his counterpart's question, "Save them all, humans and gangers."
The Vixen Ganger nodded, "Nice plan."
The Doctor Ganger looked to the real Doctor and asked, "Is that what you were thinking?"
The two Vixens made eye contact, rolled their eyes and walked away before their partners started praising themselves. The Doctor sighed agreeably. "It's just so inspiring to hear me say it."
The Doctor Ganger laughed. "I know!"
The Vixen groaned and called back, "Boys, come on!" The Vixen Ganger gave a slight laugh.
The Doctor Ganger asked, "So, what now, Doctor?"
"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor."
They both walked towards the others as the Vixens joined them. They all spoke together, confusing the hell out of the humans. "Hello! Sorry…"
"But we had to establish a few..."
"Ground rules."
As the four spoke, Amy noticed a way to distinguish the Time Lords from their Gangers: The Doctor Ganger and the Vixen Ganger were wearing the shoes their counterparts lost in the puddle of acid while the Vixen and the Doctor were wearing the spare shoes loaned to them.
"Had to formulate a..."
"Protocol."
"Protocol." The Vixen Ganger commented. "Very posh."
"A protocol between us. Otherwise..."
The Vixen sighed, "It gets horribly embarrassing."
"And potentially confusing."
Amy, starting to get a headache, muttered, "I'm glad you've solved the problem of confusing."
The four grouped into a huddle as the Doctor Ganger whispered, "That's sarcasm."
The Vixen shrugged, "She's very good at sarcasm."
Then suddenly, all of them turned to Amy and spoke in unison, "Breathe!"
Amy raised an eyebrow, taken aback. "What?" The four then turned back to each other as if nothing happened.
The Doctor Ganger said to the humans, "We have to get you off this island."
"And the gangers too." The Doctor added, ever the peacekeeper.
Cleaves scoffed. "Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting?" She asked. "They're trying to kill us!"
"You can talk." The Vixen Ganger barked at her, full of rage. "They're just scared."
Amy sighed, "Vixen, we're trapped in here."
The Vixen chuckled as she pretty much bounced towards the wall near the door. "See, I don't think so." She turned around and waved her hands as if teaching a lesson. "Now, The Flesh Bowl is fed by cabling from above. But where are the earthing conduits?"
The Doctor Ganger shrugged. "All this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft or something."
The Vixen grinned and pointed towards him. "Bingo." She turned, removed some panelling and found a grate as everyone crowded around her.
The Doctor patted her shoulder and grinned. "Yowza!" Amy mouthed 'Yowza' at the Vixen questioningly. "An escape route."
The Vixen Ganger crossed her arms, smirking proudly. "You know, I'm starting to get a sense of just how impressive it is to hang out with me."
The Doctor Ganger asked his counterpart, "Do we tend to say 'Yowza'?"
"That's enough, let it go, OK?" The Doctor said, as the Gangers started banging on the door again. "We're under stress."
The Vixen clapped her hands. "Okay, enough with the pride." She opened the grating with her sonic and ushered everyone in, climbing in herself after. She soniced the screws back just as the Gangers broke into the room, finding it empty.
In another section of tunnel, Amy, the Vixen and the Doctor were with the Originals after crawling out of the shaft. Buzzer said, "The army will send a recon team."
"We need to contact the mainland." Cleaves said, heading down a corridor.
Amy asked, "What about Rory and Jen? They are both out there."
"Takes a long time to find someone in a maze." The Doctor said, holding a lamp in front of him. "I bet you lot have got a computer map."
Cleaves replied, "If we can get power running, we can scan for them."
They all started coughing abruptly as Amy put a hand on a gasping Vixen's shoulder and said between coughs, "Vixen, earlier, you said to breathe."
"Very important, Amelia." The Vixen choked out, tears clouding her eyes. "Breathe."
"Yeah, I'm struggling to." Amy muttered in a raspy voice. Her throat felt like it was on fire. She could barely hear the Vixen – or was it her ganger? – speak.
"The Vixen Ganger spoke, examining the walls, "It's the acid interacting with the stone, creating an asphyxiant miasma."
"A what?"
"Chokey gas." The Doctor Ganger answered, clutching at his throat. "Extra heavy. If we can get above it..."
Cleaves' face lit up. "The evac tower." She said, taking her lantern and leading the way. "This way!"
DW? DW?
The Vixen was the first to enter the room coughing, her hand on Amy's elbow pulling her along. The others followed and headed straight for the control panels to try and get the power up.
Amy panted in relief and groaned. "I think I coughed so hard, I pulled a muscle or something."
The Vixen chuckled. "I think I left a lung back there." She said as Amy smiled. "It's OK, it's easing off." She nodded before joining the others by the control panel. The Vixen and the Doctor Ganger ducked behind it as the other two checked the front.
Somewhere in the monastery, a bell chimed, signalling midnight. Jimmy sighed. "It's midnight. It's Adam's birthday." He chuckled. "My son's five. Happy birthday, bud." Little to their knowledge, in another part of the monastery, his Ganger was doing the same.
Cleaves stood behind the console with the Ganger Vixen while the other three worked on the floor beside her. "Can you really get the power back?" She asked, not quite believing it.
The Vixen popped up, some wires around her neck. "There's always some power floating around." She said, as her Ganger ducked down behind the console and the Doctor Ganger stood up. "Sticking to the wires, like bits of lint." Cleaves walked away to help Jimmy with some wires.
Amy looked between the two of them, intensely freaking out. "Can you stop finishing each other's..."
The Doctor jumped up and interrupted her, "Sentences? No probs."
The Vixen grinned at the Scot. "Already done." They both ducked back down again.
Amy realised something and spoke, "Hang on. You said that the TARDIS was stuck in acid, so won't she be damaged?"
The Vixen Ganger looked up and winked. "Nah. Mum's a tough old thing. Probably turn my shower cold again for calling her old though."
The Doctor crossed his arms on top of the console, looking deep in thought. "Tough, old, sexy."
His Ganger mimicked his position before correcting him, "No, tough, dependable, sexy."
The Vixen moved between them and put one of her arms around each of their shoulders. "Actually she's tough, dependable, and your soon to be mother-in-law." The two boys' faces went white. "Keep forgetting that, don't you?"
Amy, who was looking between the four of them until now, scoffed. "Come on." She started, as all four of them stood up and faced her. "OK, how can...how can all four of you be real?"
The Doctor shrugged, putting his arm around the Vixen's waist. "Well, because...we are. I'm the Doctor and this is my fiancée, the Vixen."
"So are we." The Vixen Ganger added. "We all know and have the experience of over 900 years of time and space travel."
The Doctor Ganger flipped a wrench in the air gleefully before pointing at his counterpart and himself. "Also, we both wear the same bowtie, which is cool."
The Vixen chuckled. "Not to mention the same leather jacket." She said, gesturing to her signature black jacket. "Which is also cool."
The Vixen Ganger grinned. "Because leather jackets from the future are..."
"And always will be."
"As will bow ties." The Doctor put in.
Amy walked up to the console as they all ducked down again. "But neither of you were linked up to the Flesh."
The Vixen put a box-like thing on the top of the console and popped up. "It must've happened after I examined it, yeah? I guess, a new, genuine Vixen was created."
Her Ganger called up from behind the unit. "Ta-da!"
Amy scrunched up her face and asked, "Then how come there's a Doctor Ganger? The Doctor didn't examine it."
The Doctor moved up and took a breath as the other Time Ladies ducked down, knowing there was a deep scientific lecture that wasn't true coming. "Well, we know the Flesh is telepathic, and the storm must have increased its capabilities." He spoke without pausing for breath. "Thus, my beautiful darling's mind was… read, and my counterpart came to be."
The Vixen popped up and shook her head. "You can suck up to me all you want, I'm still not forgiving you for taking apart my guitar for parts."
"No. There's no escaping it." Amy argued determinately. "Two of you were here first." The four Time Lords looked between them. "So, tell me, which ones?"
The Vixen looked down, before answering. "Well, after the Flesh scanned me, the Doctor and I had an accident with a puddle of acid." She said, poking her foot out which had one of the base's custom black boots on it instead of her black, worn out Chucks. "Now new shoes," she pointed between her and the Doctor, "for each of us."
The Doctor grinned. "A situation which did not confront our counterparts here."
The Doctor Ganger smiled innocently. "That satisfy you, Pond?"
Amy gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Don't call me 'Pond', please." She regretted it as soon as it left her lips, because all of a sudden, she could feel all four's eyes on her. "What?" She asked, wondering what was going through their heads.
The Vixen Ganger scratched her temple. "Interesting." She said, cocking her head. "You definitely feel more affection for them than us." She nodded to the Time Lords and the Gangers respectively.
Amy backtracked, her Scottish accent slipping through a little more. "No, I..." She sighed. "Look, you're fine and everything, but these two? They're the Doctor and the Vixen." She shrugged as the Time Lords looked at each other and ducked down, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. "No offence. Being almost the Vixen and the Doctor is pretty damn impressive." Amy said, in an attempt to reassure them.
The Doctor Ganger scoffed, offended. "Being almost the Doctor and the Vixen's like being no Doctor and Vixen at all."
"Don't overreact." Amy said, wanting to kick herself for letting that slip out of her mouth.
The Vixen Ganger scoffed, running a hand through her hair. "You might as well call us... Smith and Tyler."
"Smith and Tyler?!"
"Rose Tyler." The Doctor Ganger confirmed, pointing to his Ganger love. "John Smith."
At that moment, the console lights lit up. The Doctor laughed and jumped up with the Vixen. "Communication a go-go!" He patted the top of the console in a beat. They all ran to the console to get it keyed up as the Gangers joined them as well.
Amy pulled Cleaves over aggressively and pushed her in the chair. "Find Rory!" She ordered. "Show me the scanny, tracky screen." Cleaves scanned the rooms of the monastery as Amy muttered to herself. "Come on, Rory, let's be having you."
Cleaves pulled up the screen and widened the boundaries. "There's no sign of him anywhere." She said, glancing at Amy before checking the signal.
"Let's go, Rory." Amy murmured pleadingly. "Come on, baby, show yourself."
The Doctor Ganger, now John, looked to Cleaves as she spoke into the transmitter. "St John's calling. Emergency Alpha." No answer. "St John's calling the mainland. Are you receiving me, Captain? Come in." She swore under her breath, looking up to the ceiling. "We'll never get a signal through this storm." The captain sighed and tried again. "St John's calling the mainland. Come in, this is urgent."
To all of their relief, there was a voice on the other line. "We're just about reading you, St John's. How are you doing? We've had all kinds of trouble here."
Cleaves ordered, "Request immediate evacuation. We're under attack. The storm's affected our gangers. They're running amok." She said, speaking loudly and clearly and trying not to shake too much, hoping to God she didn't sound as crazy as she thought she did.
"Your gangers?"
Cleaves answered, "Yes, our gangers are attacking us. We need you to take us off the island immediately and wipe them out." The Time Lords exchanged a look with each other and their Gangers, a single thought running through all of their minds.
The man on the radio gave the affirmative. "Copy that, St John's. Shuttle's dispatched. Hang on."
"Also," Cleaves said, getting an idea in her head. "You'll need to airlift us off the roof of the evac tower." She hesitated before continuing. "And Captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following code word. I'm typing it, in case they're listening in." She typed something on the keyboard, which was a good idea, because as predicted, the Gangers were in fact listening in.
"Got it." Said the Captain, receiving the message. "We'll swing in, get you out and decommission the Flesh."
The Vixen licked her bottom lip. 'Not on my watch.' She thought, the musing going through the others brains as well, but it wasn't like they weren't already thinking it.
The Originals were preparing for the evacuation, the Doctor helping them and Rose and John standing in the far corner. Buzzer packed a couple things and spoke. "We've got to get out of here."
Amy protested from her spot next to the Vixen in front of the console. "We're not leaving without them."
Buzzer sighed, "Look, I want 'em found too, but it's about casualties, innit?" He asked, before continuing with the packing. "Can't be helped."
Amy scoffed and turned to the Vixen. She put her hand on her elbow and asked, "What are you doing?"
The Vixen grinned at her. "Making a phone call."
"Who to?" Amy asked, curious as to who was so important for a phone call at this instant.
The Vixen chuckled mischievously. "No one yet." Amy gave her a confused look as the blonde explained. "It's on delay."
"Riiiiight, still not getting it." Amy said. "Why exactly are you making a phone call?" She asked.
John, Rose, and the Doctor watched this exchange as the Vixen typed something into the computer. "Because, Amelia, I am forevermore the optimist, the hoper of hopes and the dreamer of dreams, only succeeded by my beautiful fiancé here." She pointed to the Doctor before spinning in her chair joyfully, her plan in motion. She came to a stop and spun Amy's chair, who laughed before settling next to the blonde again but facing the Gangers.
Amy sighed, keeping an eye on the Gangers. "You know, really, there can be only one of each."
The Vixen looked up, seemingly not having heard Amy. "Hmm?"
Amy smiled, patting the other woman's thigh. "Nothing. Carry on. Be amazing." The Vixen grinned at her before turning to the computer again. Amy then heard a strange breathing noise and slowly got up and walked towards it, stopping and looking at the stone wall. A small window slid open and Amy jumped back, seeing a woman with an eye-patch, the same one she saw in America. She turned to look at the Vixen, but when she turned back, the window was gone.
The Doctor looked up, "Amy? What happened?" He asked worriedly, attracting the others' attention.
The Vixen got up and walked towards her slowly. "Ames? You okay?"
Amy moved to her with wide eyes, genuinely scared. "It's her again."
Rose and John exchanged a glance and looked to the same spot on the wall while the conversation went on behind them. The Vixen shushed her. "Amy, calm down. It's who again?" She asked.
Amy explained, stammering. "There's a woman I-I keep seeing, a woman wi-with an eye-patch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me." The Vixen went silent, staring at her. She exchanged a look with the Doctor, making Amy worry more. "Vixen? Doctor?"
The Doctor paused before answering. "It's nothing." He went back to work.
Amy scoffed. "Doesn't seem like nothing." She said, before going back to sit down again.
The Vixen joined her, taking her own seat. "It's called a time memory. Imagine a mirage." She slapped the Scot's back comfortingly. "Nothing to worry about." She spun back to work on the console.
Rose, at that moment, closed her eyes in pain. John put his hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" He asked in concern.
She ran her fingers through her hair. "It's in my head..." She pulled away from the Doctor Ganger before heading out of the room.
The workers all protested as Amy stood up to go after her. "Leave it to me." She walked outside to see Rose facing the wall, breathing heavily, her face covered by a curtain of blonde hair. Amy cautiously approached her. "I'm sorry." She said. "What I said about you being almost the Vixen, it's just really hard, because I've been through so much with them, especially her. I've even seen..." She hesitated, remembering Lake Silencio, where the astronaut murdered the other woman. She took a deep breath, deciding to keep speaking. "I've even seen the moment of her..." Rose kept looking at the wall, clinging to it as if her life depended on it. "Can you die? If you really are the same, then you can die. You can be killed, and... I might have seen that happen."
"Why?" She rasped out. It sounded to Amy as though she was crying.
"Why?" The redhead repeated. "Because you invited us to see it. Your death!"
Rose finally turned on Amy, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her against the wall. "Why?" She asked, gritting her teeth.
"You're hurting me." Amy said in protest.
"It's all the eyes say! Why?!" Rose growled, her eyes blazing as they hadn't done in years. "I can feel them work every single day, and they know that sooner or later the time was coming for them to be thrown away again. And then they're destroyed and they feel death, and all they can say is, 'Why?'" She finished her rant, and let go of Amy, her eyes clearing as Amy ran away, back to the safety of the Time Lords. She dropped to her knees, putting her head in her hands.
Inside, the Vixen, the Doctor, and John all looked as if they were thinking hard as one word ran through all of their minds. "Why?"
Amy entered the room clearly shaken up. The Vixen noticed this and stood up, concerned. Before she could ask what was wrong, Amy snapped. "Keep her away from me!"
John started to move toward the door to go outside and check on his partner but was almost hit in the face by the opening door as Rose barged in, walking up to the Vixen and the Doctor. "Did you sense it?" She asked them.
The Vixen nodded. "Briefly. Not as strong as you."
"Apparently, you gave Amy a shock when you tuned in to Flesh Radio." John spoke.
Rose looked to said redhead. "Amy." She breathed, noticing how shaken up she was. "I'm sorry." She moved forward to comfort her.
Amy flinched away from her. "No, you keep away! We can't trust you."
"It would appear Rose and you can connect to the Flesh." The Doctor said to John. "Rose more than you, for some reason."
Amy scoffed, still guarded. "Well, they are Flesh."
"I think I'm beginning to understand what it's going through, more importantly, I'm starting to understand what it needs." Rose said to the others.
"What you want. You are it."
Rose ignored her and went on. "It's much more powerful than we thought. The Flesh can grow, yeah?"
"Its cells can divide." Cleaves answered in a corrective tone.
Rose scoffed and approached Cleaves. "Well, now it wants to do that at will." She said, an I-told-you-so grin on her face. "It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It. Wants. Revenge." The others in the room watched this exchange, slightly scared now of the blonde ganger.
"I knew it." Amy sneered. "I was right, you're not the Vixen and the Doctor." She said, looking between the Gangers. "You can't ever be. You're just a copy."
Rose looked to her and smirked. "Thanks, sweetheart. You just gave the worst pep talk in history."
Cleaves looked between the two women before speaking. "Vixen."
"It's Rose." Rose corrected her. "Since the lovely Amelia Pond has been so generous to clearly establish the fact that I'm not the Vixen." She said, looking at Amy meaningfully.
Cleaves sighed. "Nonetheless, it might be best if you and John stayed over there for now, hmm?"
The Doctor spoke up. "Now, wait. Hold on a minute. Hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. We're them, they're us."
Buzzer walked closer to use force if necessary before Cleaves stopped him, still staring the Vixen down. "Doctor, we have no issue with you and the Vixen. But when it comes to your gangers..."
The Vixen scoffed. "Don't be stupid."
Cleaves nodded to Buzzer, who nodded back. "Sure, boss." John made a point of straightening his tie as Buzzer took two empty oil drums and moved it to the centre of the room. "Take a seat."
John sat down. "Nice barrel, very comfy. Why not?" He gave Rose a look, who sighed exasperatedly and sat down.
The Vixen tried to reason with them. "Is this really what you want?" Amy crossed her arms and looked coldly at Rose.
The radio crackling broke the silence. "This is the shuttle. We're right above you, but we can't get low enough. Gamma static could fry our nav-controls. Sit tight. We'll get to you. Just..." They got cut off. Jimmy tried to get the radio back online.
The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned Cleaves. Jimmy spoke into the comms. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
"I have to find Rory." Amy said. "I'm going out there." She grabbed a lamp.
The Doctor stopped her, giving the Vixen a look. "We could use the sonic to track him."
The Vixen caught on to what he was saying and agreed. "Of course, humans and gangers give off slightly different signals." She leant up and gave him a kiss. "You genius! The sonic can tell the difference."
Amy snapped, "Oh, so the sonic knows gangers are different." She glared at the gangers. "So Rose and John are different."
The Vixen stood in front of her so they were nose to nose. "They are the Doctor and the Vixen." She said calmly.
Amy shook her head, not backing down. "Not to me. I can tell."
The Doctor moved between them, breaking the tension and asked, "Sure you're not prejudiced?"
Amy broke her gaze from the Vixen and scoffed. "Nice try, but I know, OK?" She retorted. "We've been through too much. You're my Doctor," she turned to the Vixen, "and you're my Vixen. End of."
Buzzer called over, "Hey, there's a camera up. We've got a visual."
Amy rushed over to look at the screen. "That's Rory and Jennifer." She said, pointing to the two figures on the screen.
Cleaves joined her at the monitor. "They're heading for the thermostatic room."
Amy looked at her. "Then let's go get them." The Vixen glanced at Amy once before pulling her sonic out of her jacket and tossing in to her counterpart as the redhead watched. "Hang on."
Cleaves had also noticed what she was doing and she spoke up in protest. "We can't let her go. Are you crazy?" John and Rose shared a glance.
The Vixen shrugged, "Am I crazy, Doctor?"
The Doctor answered, "Well, you did once infiltrate the Citadel of the High Council just to win a bet." He remembered that very clearly.
"She can't go rescue them." Amy said in objection. "I'm going."
The Vixen stood and looked Amy in the face again. "Do you know, I want her to go. Just her, not John." She said with a small grin. "And, as you know, I'm quite stubborn about what I want." She nodded to Rose and winked at her before the other blonde stood.
Buzzer walked up to her. "Well, then, she'll need company, right, boss?" Cleaves started to speak up. "It's fine. I'll handle it."
Rose smiled at him. "Thank you, Buzzer." She turned to Amy. "It'll be all right. I'll find him." She walked out and Buzzer followed, holding the lamp.
The Vixen looked back to Amy. "I can't explain it to you now, but I need you to trust them." She murmured. "Can you do that for me, Amelia?"
Amy asked, looking into her eyes. "And what if you're wrong?" The Vixen looked away.
Cleaves checked the stats of the building, sweating profusely. "These temperature gauges are rising. Jennifer and Rory must have shut off the underground cooling vents."
Dicken asked, "Why do that? They'll kill us."
"There's a million gallons of boiling acid under our feet..." Cleaves murmured.
The Doctor finished her sentence. "And now it's heating up the whole island. How long till it blows?" He asked, and then there was an explosion that rocked the island, answering his question.
Dicken wiped his forehead. "Gangers or no gangers, we need to get the hell out of here."
Cleaves spoke into the mic, "Shuttle! We need evac." No answer. "Where are you? Can you hear me? Can you...?" She suddenly winced in pain and put a hand to her forehead.
The Vixen noticed and went to her, helping her sit. "Cleaves? You okay?" She asked.
Cleaves brushed it away with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine. I'm waiting for results, so let it go." She said sternly.
"It's a very deep parietal clot." The Vixen said, after a pause.
"Inoperable?"
The blonde chuckled. "On Earth, yes."
Cleaves shrugged. "Well, seeing as Earth is all that's on..." The Vixen looked at her meaningfully, "offer...hmm." The other woman grinned at her. "I'm no healthy spring chicken, and you're no weatherwoman. Right?" The Vixen winked at her as another quake shook the building.
Amy walked up to them. "Something just cracked. I heard it."
"Yeah." The Doctor agreed. "We can't stay here, let's go."
Jimmy started to huddle everyone out. "Let's shift!"
Cleaves walked over to the comms, "Cleaves to Shuttle. We need to move, and we can't be collected from the evac tower.
There was finally a voice on the radio. "Give us the codeword."
Cleaves started to speak. "The codeword is..." Just then, another quake rocked the building, sending Cleaves back and the console up in sparks. The brunette ran back to the console to give the codeword, but it was dead.
Cleaves desperately tried to bring it back online. The Doctor grabbed her and started to pull her back. "Cleaves? Cleaves, it's dead, it's dead." He took her arm and turned her to face him. "We need to get out of here. We need to get back downstairs and get those vents back on, come on." Cleaves nodded and they walked out.
Rose scanned around with her sonic. Buzzer followed. She spoke up for the first time in a while. "I'm getting something."
"Is it human?" Buzzer asked, holding up the lamp and looking around.
Rose nodded, "Yeah, it's human, but it's fading." Her voice lowered to a murmur. "It's fading. This is bad. Fading is very... bad." They looked ahead to find Jennifer lying on the ground. The sonic beeped and Rose cursed. "The signal's gone." She ran up to the girl and felt around for her pulse. "She's... dead." The blonde said remorsefully. "She was hanging onto the edge of life and she just... just slipped away. Oh, Jennifer, I'm so sorry." Rose looked up at Buzzer. "She's been out here for hours."
Buzzer looked confused. "But if the real Jen's been lying out here..."
Rose's eyes widened. "Rory's in trouble." Then the world went black.
Sometime later, Rose woke with a horrible headache. She looked up as her vision cleared to see the Gangers standing above her. "Don't suppose you've got anything for a sore head?"
Ganger Cleaves scoffed. "This is how they'll always treat us." She said to her fellow gangers, before turning to Rose. "Do you see now? After all, you're one of us... Vixen."
Rose put the sonic in her inside jacket pocket. She stood up slowly to look Ganger Cleaves right in the eye, her face stoic. "The name's Tyler. Rose Tyler."
The group entered a hallway, led by the Vixen closely followed by the Doctor and the others. In the wall were eyes watching their every move. The Vixen looked at them, lifting the lamp. "The eyes have it." She murmured.
Amy asked, "Why are they here?"
John replied, "To accuse... us." He looked at Amy blankly, sending a shiver down the redhead's spine.
Cleaves started walking again, pushing past the Vixen. "Ignore them. It's not far."
The Doctor, the Vixen and John worked together to try and change the settings. John gave in and ran a hand through his hair. "It's a chemical chain reaction now." He said. "We can't stop it. This place is going to blow sky high."
Cleaves asked, holding up the lamp. "Exactly how long have we got?"
The Vixen groaned. "An hour? Five seconds?" She buried her face in her hands. "Somewhere in between." They heard an explosion, the klaxon sounded and the machinery began to hiss. The Vixen ordered, "Out!" They all ran from the room.
Amy was the first to exit the room and head down the tunnel. As they moved, they ran into Rory. "You all right?" He asked.
Amy gasped in relief. She hugged him tightly. "Rory! Oh, Rory."
Rory pulled away from her and informed the others. "There's a way out. Jennifer found it. A secret tunnel under the crypt."
Cleaves looked at him in confusion. "From the crypt? It's not on the schematics."
Rory explained, "It runs right out of the monastery." He looked to the Vixen and the Doctor. "Maybe even under the TARDIS. Follow me." Rory headed off and the others followed. John hesitated before joining them.
Cleaves led the way but was stopped by Jimmy once they were in the crypt. "We can't leave without Buzzer." He said.
John chimed in. "Or Rose."
Cleaves nodded. "I'll go back for them."
Rory hesitated before turning to the Vixen. "Vixen, look...I'd better tell you, I haven't been quite straight with you..." Ganger Jennifer reached out in front of Rory before he could explain, closing the door and locking the others in.
John, who came in last, slammed his fists on the door. The Vixen and the Doctor joined him. "Rory!" They tried to open the door, even trying the sonics.
Rory tried to reason with Ganger Jennifer. "C'mon, Jennifer, we don't need to lock them up. We should just show them what we've found."
Ganger Jennifer chuckled. "I don't think so."
"Rory Pond, Roranicus Pondicus!" The Doctor yelled at him.
Amy pushed them aside and looked through the glass. "Rory! What the hell are you playing at?"
Rory explained, "They've been throwing away old Flesh and leaving it to rot, alive! I think the world should see that."
"Are you insane?!" The Vixen snapped, "Rory, there is no time. This factory's about to explode!"
Rory asked Ganger Jennifer, "Are you sure about this?" He gave her a look. "Cos I'm not. Let them out."
Ganger Jennifer murmured, "The little girl got strong."
"What?"
Ganger Jennifer looked at him innocently, "The little girl lost on the moors in her red wellies? Looking for a way home? Well, she got strong, Rory. I told you, remember?" She said with a glint in her eyes.
"But that wasn't..." Rory started, confused, "it was the other Jennifer that told me about being a little girl."
"Oh? What other Jennifer?" Ganger Jennifer asked coyly, her eyes glowing.
Rory stammered, understanding only just now. "Well, the... the... wait, you tricked me" He asked, bewildered. Ganger Jennifer grabbed him by his arm. "Let me go, I'll open the door." Ganger Jennifer tightened her grip as Rory struggled in protest while looking at Amy. "Let me... I'm sorry!" As Amy pounded her fists on the window in disgust, Ganger Jennifer dragged Rory away.
Ganger Cleaves came into view, looking through at Cleaves. "We have to be free."
Cleaves scoffed. "I'm sorry too, Miranda." She tapped her temple. "Of all the humans in the world, you had to pick the one with the clot." Ganger Cleaves growled. "But hey, them's the breaks. Welcome to the human race." Her counterpart walked away after glaring at her.
The Vixen turned and took readings of the acid with the sonic. She sighed. "This thing is going to overheat and fill the room with acid."
Cleaves asked, "And we can't stop it?" The Vixen shook her head regretfully.
Rory was yelling at Ganger Jennifer. "You created another ganger just to trick me. You tricked me. When I found you, you were both Flesh and you tricked me into trusting you!" Ganger Jennifer just looked at him, actually seeming proud of herself. "Jen's dead, isn't she?"
Rose was sitting on the table. "She's gone, Rory." She said, without any remorse. "Gone."
The comms came online. "Shuttle, we're dropping down on our approach. Stand by for evac."
Ganger Jennifer spoke up. "The humans will be melted, as they deserve. Then the factory will be destroyed." She turned to the others. "Once we get to the mainland, the real battle begins. The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Vixen." Rose raised an eyebrow at her, and the ganger reconsidered her words. "Rose. Join the revolution."
"I've got to go and get them out." Rory said determinedly. He started to move but Rose pushed him back and stood by Ganger Jennifer. Rory looked at her, betrayed. "We can't just let them die."
Rose grinned at him heartlessly. She glanced at her watch. "Ring, ring!" She barked. Rory tried to say something to persuade her, but she cut him off and pushed him backwards again. "Ring, ring!"
The building shook then. Rory tried to take advantage of the quake and get past the Gangers but Rose grabbed him by his collar and shoved him against the wall, giving him a stern look. "Stay." Her eyes flashed with wrath.
Rory stopped and put his hands up, relenting. "OK." He said, terrified. Rose let go of him and patted his shoulder, smirking.
The phone rang and everyone looked towards it. "Great," Rose said, her persona changing completely, "that'll be the phone. Somebody get the phone." She looked to Ganger Jimmy. "Jimmy, be a dear and grab the phone." Ganger Jimmy just looked at her. "No? Fine, I'll get the phone." Rose picked up the phone and used her sonic. A hologram appeared of a young boy.
A voice, the operator, spoke. "Thank you for booking your holo-call with Morpeth Jet..."
Rose laughed happily. "Hello, Adam, I'm the Vixen." She backtracked. "Well, Other Vixen." Ganger Jimmy stood slowly. "Rose Tyler, actually. It's complicated and boring." She clapped her hands. "Anyway, who cares, it's your birthday!"
Adam cheered. "Yay!" Rose cheered with him as everyone looked to them. Rory couldn't believe how someone could change their entire character in a matter of seconds.
"Now, have you been getting up very early and jumping on the bed?" Rose asked, crouching down to Adam's level.
"Yes, really high."
Rose chuckled. "Chocolate for breakfast. If you don't feel sick by mid-morning, you're doing it wrong." She stood up and turned to Ganger Jimmy. "Now, I expect you want to speak to Dad."
As the two Gangers exchanged a look, Adam cheered in the background. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Ganger Jimmy looked heartbroken. "Daddy?"
Rose walked up to Ganger Jimmy. "You'll do, Jimmy." She leant down to his ear and whispered. "What does the other Jimmy matter now?" She moved back. "You're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting.
Adam fiddled with his shirt and called out, "Daddy?" There was another quake. "Daddy, what's that rumbly noise? What's going on, Daddy? Daddy?" It was finally too much. Ganger Jimmy ran out from the room.
Ganger Jennifer looked after him and snarled. "You've tricked him into an act of weakness, Rose."
Rose looked to her and grinned. "Nope, I've helped him into an act of humanity."
There was a pause before Ganger Cleaves ordered, "Dicken, drain the acid well in crypt one." Ganger Dicken left to follow orders.
Ganger Jennifer snapped, "Don't you dare!"
The two women stood toe-to-toe, arguing. "I've had it with this!" Ganger Cleaves retorted. "What's the point in this ridiculous war?" She calmed down a little. "Look at you, Jen. You were a sweet kid." Ganger Cleaves shook her head in shame. "Look at you now. Stuff of nightmares. I don't want my world populated by monsters."
"You can't stop the factory from melting down, 'boss'." Ganger Jennifer spat. "I'll take revenge on humanity with or without you."
Rose moved to her, talking calmly. "It doesn't have to be about revenge." She said. "It can be so much better than that." Ganger Jennifer stormed out of the room, leaving everyone behind.
Jimmy was struggling to keep the lid on the vat as Gangers Jimmy and Dicken ran through the halls to the acid room. Ganger Jimmy typed in the code and opened the door just as acid splashed on Jimmy's chest. He fell back to the floor, everyone surrounding him and the Doctor kneeling next to him. Ganger Jimmy ran in. "Let me through!" He yelled and made his way to Jimmy lying on the ground.
The Doctor spoke reluctantly. "There's nothing we can do. The acid's reached his heart." The Vixen and John shared a look.
Ganger Jimmy took Jimmy's hand and held on to it. "Hang in there, mate."
"I'm quite handsome from this angle." Jimmy joked.
Ganger Jimmy was close to tears. "I'm... sorry." He said. "I'm the fake. Adam deserves his real dad."
"Shut up.
Ganger Jimmy sniffed. "What do you want me to do? Anything, just say." He vowed to carry out his counterpart's wishes, whatever they were.
"The way things are, mate..." Jimmy rasped out, "it's up to you now." He pulled on the cord around his neck and pressed it into Ganger Jimmy's hand. He coughed. "Be a dad. You remember how." With that, he took his last breath. Ganger Jimmy let go of his hand and held up Jimmy's wedding band.
John spoke up. "Jimmy Wicks... you're a dad." He said regretfully, but with a hopeful smile on his face.
Rory, Rose, and Ganger Cleaves were the only ones in the room. Adam's hologram flickered, and the boy's voice flooded through the room. "Daddy? Where's my daddy?"
At that moment, Ganger Jimmy entered followed by the others. Rory's face lit up as he went right to Amy and embraced her, kissing her deeply.
Cleaves moved to her ganger as Ganger Jimmy approached the hologram of 'his' son. "Daddy, it's me!"
Ganger Jimmy laughed nervously. "Hey, sunshine!" He said, kneeling down. "What are you up to?"
Adam fiddled with his shirt, smiling happily. "Opening all my presents." He said, making his 'father' laugh.
"Haha, good lad." Ganger Jimmy said, remembering Jimmy's death and choking up. "You have fun today. And remember, your dad... he loves you very, very much." The others watched this exchange, knowing exactly what was going through Ganger Jimmy's mind.
Adam asked innocently, "When are you coming home?" The poor boy couldn't be more oblivious to the fact his real father was gone. And the man in front of him was going to keep it that way.
Rose spoke up. "Daddy's coming home today, Adam." She smiled at him.
"Yay!" Adam cheered, doing his 'excited dance' and Ganger Jimmy smiled, tearing up.
The hologram flickered out. "Now we need to move." The Doctor said determinedly.
The Vixen lead the way as they ran, her counterpart running behind the group. They stopped abruptly when they came across a misshapen, elongated Ganger Jennifer. One that had obviously lost control and become a monster.
"Run. Run. Run!" The Vixen ordered, everyone turning back the way they came, putting the Time Lady in the rear and her Ganger in the front, as Ganger Jennifer moved on all fours. They ran through a narrow hallway and into another room.
As Dicken and his Ganger closed the heavy metal door, the roof groaned. "Ooh, roof's going to give." The Doctor said, smiling brightly.
Ganger Dicken said, "We have to stop her. This door doesn't lock."
Dicken's face fell as he got an idea. "No, but the far one does." He murmured, and before his counterpart could stop him, he was running down the hall and locking the door from the other side, as his scream carried down all the way the others.
"No!" Ganger Dicken looked down the corridor helplessly before moving out of the way as Ganger Cleaves, the Vixen, and the Doctor slammed the door shut.
John looked up at the roof as it started to crumble. "Here she comes." At that moment, the TARDIS fell through the roof.
Rose laughed. "Well, she does like to make an entrance!" She said, never feeling so elated to see her home.
John opened the TARDIS doors and held them, trying to usher everyone in. "Move! Go, go, go, go!" Ganger Dicken ran to the TARDIS.
Ganger Cleaves said to Cleaves, "Get on board! Go!"
"I'm not leaving."
Ganger Cleaves nodded to her counterpart. "Go." Cleaves nodded back and ran to the TARDIS.
Amy tried to usher the others in. "Come on. Now's our chance."
The Vixen replied, "We have to stay. Try to hold this door closed. You'll need time to dematerialise." The door banged and she turned to get a better grip.
Amy scoffed. "Oh, don't be crazy." John raised an eyebrow. "OK, what happens to you?"
The Vixen said, "Well, this place is just about to explode. But we can stop her."
"All four of you can survive this, OK?" Amy insisted.
Rose spoke from behind Amy. "Or perhaps you think we should stay instead... Rose?"
Amy turned to her and tried to convince them desperately, "No, of course not. But look, this pair, I've flown with them, you know? And you are amazing and yeah, I misjudged you, but you're not them. I'm sorry."
As the four exchanged looks, all thinking the same thing, John said from behind the redhead, "Amy, we swapped shoes. I'm the Doctor."
"And I'm the Vixen." Said the original Vixen from beside him.
The now determined Rose said from her spot at the door. "And we're the Flesh."
Amy whispered, "You can't be." She turned to the Gangers. "You're the real them."
John chuckled, "No, we're not, and we haven't been all along."
Amy looked between them in shock. "What?"
"We're the original Vixen and Doctor, Amy." The Doctor said from his spot in front of the TARDIS.
The Vixen explained, "We had to know if we were truly the same. It was a necessity that we learn about The Flesh." She gave her a kind smile. "And we could only do that through your eyes."
Amy looked at the Ganger Time Lords and then ran to hug them both tightly. She murmured, "I never thought it possible."
The Doctor Ganger chuckled softly. "What?"
Amy murmured into their shoulders. "You're more than the people I thought you were.
Rose whispered into the redhead's ear, "Push, Amy. But only when she tells you to." Amy pulled back and looked at her in confusion.
Ganger Jennifer banged at the door again as Rory called, "Amy, come on!" Amy rushed past the Doctor in tears and feeling guilty for not knowing, not accepting. The Doctor headed after her to get the coordinates in the computer as the Vixen moved forward.
Rose sighed. "Well, my death arrives, I suppose." She and her counterpart shook hands.
"But this one, we're not invited to." The Vixen nodded sombrely, her eyes steely.
"Pardon?" Rose asked, confused. The Vixen moved back and put a finger to her lips.
The Doctor came out and tossed John his sonic screwdriver. "Your molecular memory can survive this, you know." He said. "It may not be the end."
John said sarcastically, "If I turn up to nick all your biscuits, you'll know you were right."
The Doctor chuckled before he sobered and exchanged a nod with his ganger. Amy shrieked, "Doctor! No, please..." Rory guided her back to the TARDIS as she tried to fight back.
Rose looked to Ganger Cleaves. "You too, Cleaves, off you pop."
"I'm staying." Ganger Cleaves refused.
John scoffed. "This is not the time for grand gestures."
"Says the king of grand gestures!" Ganger Cleaves retorted. "This is my factory! I'm not going anywhere."
The other two Gangers laughed as John kissed her head. "Foreman Miranda Cleaves, marvellous! Beware of imitations."
Ganger Cleaves demanded, "Clear off out of here, the lot of you!" The Vixen, the Doctor, Amy and Rory ran to the TARDIS, closing the door behind them
John held up the sonic and grinned, "This will dissolve her."
"And us too." Ganger Cleaves added as the TARDIS dematerialized.
Rose closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath before opening them again. "There may be a way back from this, you know."
Ganger Cleaves scoffed, "From being vaporised? How?"
John shrugged, "Don't know. Let's find out, eh?"
The Vixen pulled him into a kiss by his lapels. A promise, an assurance. "I love you." They both murmured together before they opened the door and all three grasped the sonic.
John and Rose grinned at each other and said in unison, "Geronimo!" They activated the sonic, Ganger Jennifer burst, and the other gangers melted.
Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and the Vixen were leaning against the console. Amy walked over, wedged herself between them, and put her arms around each of their shoulders. The Vixen grinned at her, "The energy from the TARDIS will stabilise the gangers for good. They're human now."
Cleaves asked, "And what happens to me?" She tapped her forehead. "I still have this."
The Doctor waved his hand. "Ah, that's not a problem." He snapped his fingers. "I have something for that. It's small and red and tastes like burnt onions, ha!" He bounced and pulled a vial from under the console. "But it'll get rid of your blood clot." He tossed the vial to Cleaves and grabbed a red balloon.
The Vixen smiled. "Happy endings, eh?"
The Doctor nodded and smiled back. "Happy endings."
Adam was standing on the shore bundled in a winter coat. A red balloon drifted by and the boy looked around to see Ganger Jimmy – no, Jimmy – who was smiling happily. "Hey! Hello, bud."
Adam ran to his father, squealing. "Daddy, you're back!"
Jimmy lifted Adam and twirled him around, an expression of pure joy on both their faces. Jimmy laughed, "Hello, my boy! How are you doing?"
The Doctor and the Vixen watched from a distance with smiles on their faces and their arms around each other.
The TARDIS was in the lobby of Headquarters. The Vixen, the Doctor, Cleaves and the-now-Dicken walked slowly towards the main door followed by Amy and Rory. Cleaves asked, "You really want us to do this?"
"Your company's telling the world that the situation is over." The Vixen said. "Your job is to get in there and tell them that the situation's only begun. Make them understand what they're doing to the Flesh. Make them stop." She turned to Dicken. "Dicken, remember, people are good. In their bones, truly good. Don't hate them, will you?"
Dicken asked rhetorically, "How can I hate them? I'm one of them now."
The Doctor clapped his shoulder. "Yeah, and just remember, people died. Don't let that be in vain. Make what you say in that room count."
Cleaves asked, "Ready?" She walked to the door and grasped the handle. "Side by side."
Dicken smirked, "You got it, boss." Cleaves opened the door and the roar of press conference happening could be heard from inside.
Amy nudged the Vixen who had her arms crossed and a stoic expression on her face. "Oi." The Time Lady looked up. "You OK?"
The Vixen gave a small smile. "I said breathe, Amelia, remember? Well, breathe."
"Why?"
The Vixen whispered. "Breathe."
Amy doubled over and gasped as Rory caught her. "What's wrong with her?" Rory asked, grasping his wife. Desperately wanting, needing, to know what was troubling her, what he had to do to make her better again.
The Vixen sighed. "Help me get her into the TARDIS. Doctor, open the doors." The Doctor opened both the doors wide as he strode back to the TARDIS while Rory and the Vixen followed, helping Amy, who was between them with one of her arms around each of them.
The Doctor walked up to the console platform as the others entered. Rory insisted. "Doctor! What is happening to her?"
The Vixen answered, letting go of Amy gently and moving to the steps, "Contractions."
"Contractions?" Rory asked in bewilderment.
The Doctor answered, "She's going into labour."
Amy asked, confused, "Did he say...?" She shook her head. "No, of course he didn't. Rory, I don't like this." She shrieked and gripped her stomach as she doubled over.
Rory moved forward. "You'll have to start explaining this to me." He demanded.
The Doctor spoke for the first time in minutes. "What, the birds and the bees?" He burst out. "She's having a baby." Rory seemed taken aback.
The Vixen explained. "We needed to see the Flesh in its early days. That's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. We were going to drop you off for fish and chips first, but things happened and stuff got in the way."
Amy groaned in pain. "It hurts!"
The Vixen reassured her gently, "Breathe. I needed enough information to block the signal to the Flesh."
Amy ground out, "What signal?"
"The signal to you." The Doctor said, not meeting their eyes.
"Doctor?"
"Stand away from her, Rory." The Vixen commanded, gripping the railing so hard her knuckles turned white.
Rory scoffed, lost for words. "Why?" He refused. "No! And why?"
The Vixen replied shortly, the sadness and regret flashing in her eyes. "Given what we've learned, I'll be as humane as I can, but I need to do this and you need to stand away from her!"
Rory looked to Amy who shook her head in confusion. Rory looked back at the Vixen and then slowly backed away from Amy. "No. No!" Amy turned her gaze from Rory to the Vixen and whimpered. "Vixen, please, what is going on? I am frightened. I'm properly, properly scared."
The Vixen put her hand to Amy's cheek and rested their foreheads together. "Don't be." She whispered. "Hold on, Amelia Pond. We're coming for you, I swear to God. Whatever happens, however hard it is, however far we have to go, we will find you."
Amy begged, putting her hand on the Vixen's arm, "I'm right here!"
The Doctor sighed from his post at the console. "No, you're not." He said. "You haven't been here for a long, long time."
The Vixen reluctantly pulled away from Amy and held up her sonic screwdriver as Rory gasped. She activated her sonic and Amy melted into Flesh as the other three watched on.