The Doctor could only watch as his ganger screamed and twisted in pain, all of his memories hitting him all at once. Everything he had seen and done, in all of his regenerations, all the pain and loss, hitting him all at once.
Theas ganger seemed better, though still uncomfortable as she twisted, scrunching her face from the pain, thankfully she hadn't seen as much as he had.
"What's happening?" The Ganger Doctor moaned, clutching his head, "I wonder if we'll get back. Yes, one day. I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow."
"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations." The Doctor warned, "Hold on."
"Oh, but its hurts!" Ganger Thea cried, squeezing her eyes shut to try and block out the pain.
"I know." The Doctors hearts pinged. He always hated seeing children in pain. Especially his own, "I know, it'll be all over soon."
"Would you like a jelly baby?" The Doctors Ganger thrust his arm out, like he was offering them something, sounding very much like his 4th self before wincing, "Why? Why? Why?"
"Why what?" The Doctor asked.
"Why does it hurt so much!" Ganger Thea moaned.
"Hello." The Ganger Doctor popped up, speaking like his last self, "I'm the Doctor. No!" He stumbled back, "let it go, we've moved on."
"Hold on," The Doctor rushed forwards as Ganger Thea started sobbing uncontrollably, "hold on, you can stabilise."
"Am I not enough?"
"Yes, you are," he soothed, "more than. You're brilliant."
"I've reversed the jelly baby of the neutron flow." The Ganger Doctor said breathlessly, reaching out to grab the Doctors jacket, "Would you like a... Doctor...Doctor...I'm...I'm the...I can't..."
"No, listen, hold on." The Doctor urged, "Hold on."
Ganger Thea pushed herself away from the Doctor, crossing her arms, "Oh, my head."
Thea could only stare, wide eyes, unable to say anything that might help sooth the Gangers. This really surprised her, she really had not seen this coming.
The Doctor winced as his Ganger cried out, "No! Argh."
Ganger Thea scoffed as she turned to the Ganger Doctor and buried her face in his coat as he instinctively wrapped an arm around her, "Ow."
"Doctor, we need you and Thea." Amy called hurrying to their side, while the others kept trying to barricade the doors, seeing the Gangers outside seemed to have calmed a bit, "Get over here."
The Ganger Doctor looked up at her. "Hello."
"Doctor." Amy ignored his Ganger.
"Cybermats." The Doctor eyed his Ganger.
"Do we have time for this?" His ganger asked.
"No." Thea stated.
"We can make a bit of time." Ganger Thea shrugged.
"I'd like more proof that you're me." The Doctor said.
Thea snorted, draping her arm over her Gangers shoulder, "we are fine with it."
"So fine." Her ganger agreed.
The Doctor ignored them, "so, Cybermats?"
"Created by the Cybermen." His Ganger answered, "They kill by feeding off brainwaves."
Amy looked back at the humans at the door, "Are you sure there aren't any weapons to can get to, like big guns with bits on?"
"Yeah, big guns would be good right now." Buzzer agreed.
"Why would we have guns?" Jimmy scoffed, "We're a factory. We mine..." he trailed off as the door began to sizzle.
"Acid." Amy realised.
"You know I've never actually realised just how pretty this body was." Thea remarked, eying her ganger up and down.
"Looking in a mirror just isn't quite the same." Her ganger agreed.
"Why would we have guns?" Jimmy scoffed, "We're a factory. We mine..." he trailed off as the door began to sizzle.
Both Theas crossed their arms, smirking at the other, speaking in unison, "I like it."
The Doctor groaned, "can you two not."
"The only person good enough for you, is yourself." The Doctors ganger shook his head.
Both Thea looked at them, ready to argue before nodding, excepting that.
"Rory and Amy, they may not trust all of us." The Doctor commented to his ganger as both Theas moved to stand in front of their respective Doctors.
"Amy more than Rory." Thea remarked, eying the red head.
Rory had already shown that he trusted the Gangers. He had protected Ganger Jen after all and after his time being plastic, he probably understood what it felt like.
"Amy definitely going to treat you better than me." Her ganger nodded.
They both gasped suddenly, turning to each other and squealing at the same thought, "Oh, we need to send a selfie!" Thea quickly pulled out her phone, both of them ginning and snapping a photo.
"Just to traumatise Clyde." Ganger Thea remarked.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctors ganger asked.
"Inevitably." The Doctor nodded.
"I'm glad we're on the same..."
"Wavelength. You see, great minds."
"Exactly."
"Interesting," Ganger Thea began glancing between the Doctors, more so at their feet, the Ganger with black boots and the original with his borrowed brown boots.
"What is?" The Doctor asked her.
"You've got different boots."
"Yeah, he stepped in a muddle of acid." Thea told her.
"May come in handy."
"Is that a 'feeling?'" The Ganger Doctor asked her.
"Can Flesh have 'feelings?'" She wondered.
"I suppose we'll find out." Thea remarked.
"And it'll be easier to trick Amy."
"We're not tricking anyone." The Doctor shook his head.
"Fool her then." Thea shrugged.
"So what's the plan?" The Ganger Doctor asked.
"Save them all, humans and gangers." The Doctor said.
"Tall order. Sounds wonderful."
"Is that what you were thinking?"
"It's just so inspiring to hear me say it." The doctor smiled.
"I know."
"Doctor, come on!" Amy snapped at him.
"So, what now, Doctor?" The Ganger Doctor asked.
"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor." The original Doctor beamed.
"Hello." Both Doctors spoke in unison, "Sorry."
"But we had to establish a few..." The ganger began.
"Ground rules." The original continued.
Thea frowned, seeing Amy looking down, seeing the Ganger Doctor in the black boots and the original in his replacement brown.
"Formulate a..."
"Protocol."
"Protocol? Very posh."
"A protocol between us. Otherwise..."
"It gets horribly embarrassing."
"And potentially confusing."
"I'm glad you've solved the problem of confusing." Amy deadpanned.
"Ooh, sarcasm." Thea smirked, moved to Amy's left side.
"You know I think she's annoyed." Theas Ganger said, moving to Amy's right side.
Amy nearly jumped out of her skin as all four Time Lords suddenly turned and shouted, "Breathe!" At her.
"What?" She blinked, startled.
"We have to get you off this island." The Ganger Doctor stated.
"And the Gangers too." The original agreed.
"Ooh, and then go to Bannerman Road and scare the daylights out of Clyde." Thea grinned, only imagining his face at seeing two of them.
"Ooh, think of the possibilities." Ganger Thea laughed.
Both Doctor shook their heads, not even wanting to think of the trouble they could cause together.
"Sorry, would you like a memo from the last meeting?" Cleaves snapped, "They are trying to kill us!"
Ganger Thea tilted her head at her, "who started it?"
"She killed Buzzers Ganger." Thea informed her.
"Did she?" Her ganger crossed her arms, "rude."
"They're scared." The Ganger Doctor defended.
"Doctor, we're trapped in here." Amy reminded them.
"Are we though?" Thea linked her arm through Amy's.
"Cause I don't think so." Her ganger added, linking her arm though Amy's other arm.
"I don't think so." The Doctor shook his head, "The Flesh Bowl is fed by cabling from above."
"But where are the earthing conduits?" The Ganger Doctor wondered.
"All this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft or something, yes?" He moved to the wall, "With us?" He removed a panel revealing some grating, "Yowza. An escape route." He chuckled, "You know, I'm starting to get a sense of just how impressive it is to hang out with me."
"Do we tend to say yowza?" His ganger asked.
"That's enough, let it go, okay? We're under stress."
"Lets move it." Ganger Thea urged as the Doctors quickly pulled the grating apart, ushering the humans through, the Ganger Doctor following, both Theas after him and the original Doctor at the back, quickly sonicking the grating back on as the Gangers burst in the room, seeing them escaping.
~.~
The small group of humans, two Time Lords and two Time Lord gangers, ran down the corridors after escaping from the chapel, wanting to get as far away from the Gangers as possible.
"The army will send a recon team out." Buzzer was saying.
"We need to find a way to contact the mainland." Cleaves reminded him.
"What about Rory and Jen?" Amy asked, "They are both out there."
"No, this place is a maze." The original Doctor said, "Takes a long time to find someone in a maze. I bet you lot have got a computer map, haven't you?"
"If we can get power running, we can scan for them." Cleave agreed before coughing as the other did the same.
"Doctor," Amy choked, "you said earlier to breathe."
"Very important, Pond." He nodded, "Breathe."
"Yeah, well, I'm struggling to."
"Acid interacting with the stone." Ganger Thea remarked.
"Creating an asphyxiant miasma." The Ganger Doctor added.
"A what?" Cleaves shook her head.
"Choking gas." The original Thea simplified.
"Extra heavy." The Ganger Doctor said, "If we can get above it."
"The evac tower. It's this way." Cleaves hurried to lead the way, wanting to get somewhere to breathe quickly, leading them up the stairs to the evac tower, all of them running in and breathing deeply now they could breathe easily.
"Oh." Amy groaned, "I think I coughed so hard, I pulled a muscle or something."
"You'll be fine." Ganger Thea rubbed her back.
"Its easing off now." The original Thea nodded, moving to the controls with the Doctors.
Jimmy looked up as a bell stroke the hour, "its midnight. it's Adam's birthday. He's five. Happy Birthday bud."
Cleaves looked at the Time Lords as the four of them moved behind the controls, the two Doctors ducking down to assess the damage, "Can you really get the power back?"
"Oh, there's always some power floating around." One Doctor popped up on the right.
"Sticking to the wires, like bits of lint." The Doctor on the left popped up.
"Can you stop finishing each other's..." Amy began.
"Sentences? No probs."
"Yes." The other Doctor agreed, both of them ducking down again.
"Its just so great to have someone..." One Thea started.
"On the exact same wavelength." The second Thea finished.
They didn't need to keep ducking and jumping back up again. There was nothing that the humans could use to tell which was which. They were absolutely identical, unlike the Doctors who were currently swapping shoes to fool Amy.
"No, hang on." Amy frowned, "You said that the TARDIS was stuck in acid, so won't she be damaged?"
"The TARDIS?" Thea laughed.
"Done in by acid?" Ganger Thea scoffed.
"She may look like a wooden box."
"But she's so much better."
"She's a tough old thing." One of the Doctors jumped up, "Tough, old, sexy."
"Tough, dependable, sexy." The other Doctor popped up besides him.
"Come on." Amy rolled her eyes, growing even more irritated dealing with four Time Lords, "Okay, how can how can you all be real?"
"Do you really want to go there?" Ganger Thea frowned.
"Because we can make you question your very existence." Thea added, serious.
"We can get real deep."
"Because we are." One Doctor spoke seeing Amy just staring at the two Theas, "I'm the doctor. Both of them are my daughter." He nodded to the Thea.
"Yeah and I am also the Doctor and they are both my daughter," The other one nodded, "We both contain the knowledge of over 900 years of memory and experience."
"We both wear the same bow tie, which is cool."
"Because bow ties are..."
"And always will be."
"But how did the Flesh read you?" Amy continued, "Because you weren't linked up to the it."
"But we did touch it." Thea reasoned.
One of the Doctor snapped his fingers, pointing at her, "it must've been after we examined it. Thus, a new, genuine Doctor and Thea was created."
"Ta-da." The Ganger Doctor and Thea cheered, the latter bowing deeply.
"But one of you was here first." Amy argued.
The Time Lords all looked at each over as one of the Doctors sighed, "After the Flesh scanned us, I had an accident with a puddle of acid. Now, new shoes. A situation which did not confront me learned self here."
"That satisfy you, Pond?" The other Doctor smirked.
"Don't call me Pond, please." Amy said stiffly, earning looked from the four of them, "What?"
"Interesting." The Doctor, implied to be the Ganger, though he was the original Doctor, just now in his Gangers boots, eyed her, "You definitely feel more affection for him than me."
"No, no, I..." Amy sighed, "Look, you're fine and everything, but he's the Doctor. No offence. Being almost the Doctor is pretty damn impressive."
"Being almost the Doctor's like being no Doctor at all."
"Don't overreact."
"You might as well call me Smith."
"Smith?"
"John Smith." He nodded.
"Thea Smith!" Both Thea cheered, only to look at each other.
"I'm Thea Smith." One told the other.
"No, I'm Thea Smith." The other argued.
"You can't both be Thea Smith." The Doctor cut in.
"We know." They both turned to glare at him. Both Doctors stepped back, holding their hands up in innocence, leaving them to sort it out themselves.
"Well," The first Thea began, moving a hand to her chest, "as the 'real' Thea, I should get the name."
"Er, you're Flesh." The second one countered.
"No, you're Flesh. I'm 'real.'"
"Nuh huh."
"Yuh huh."
"This is what I mean when I tell Clyde cloning is bad." She huffed, "you're trying to steal my life, aren't you?"
"No, you're stealing my life!" The other one glared.
They both pointed at each other, "She's the Ganger, destroy her before its too late."
"Girls." One of the Doctors cut in with a groan, "please."
"Amy." Amy startled as they both turned to her, "you seem to know which is which. Which of us is the ganger."
Amy blinked, looking at them as they stood in front of her, standing still for the first time in minutes. With the Doctor constantly ducking and jumping up the Theas had just been wandering to and fro, crossing each other. "I don't know." She admitted.
"Can't cheat and use our shoes." The first Thea teased, moving to lean against the Doctor in the black boots chest.
"So let's keep it simple." The second Thea mimicked her, leaning on the Doctor in the brown boots. Both of them crossed their arms.
"I'll be Thea 1." The first one grinned.
"And I'll be Thea 2." The other one sulked.
"Yes!" The Doctor going by John Smith called, "Communication a go-go." Both Doctors moved out from behind the controls as they started to power up.
"Find Rory!" Amy demanded, "Show me the scanning tracking screen. Come on, Rory, let's be having you."
Cleaves pulled up the screen, "There's no sign of him anywhere."
"Come on. Come on, baby, show yourself."
"He's alright." Thea 1 comforted Amy.
Amy could only nod. She wanted to believe Thea, but she honestly couldn't tell which was which but...did the Flesh have her psychic abilities? Surely it couldn't so for Thea 1 to be so sure Rory was fine, that meant she was the real Thea, right?
Cleaves pulled up a radio transmission, hoping to reach the mainland, "Saint John's calling. Emergency Alpha. Saint John's calling the mainland. Are you receiving me, Captain? Come in." she paused, hoping to hear a reply, but there was nothing, "We'll never get a signal through this storm. Saint John's calling the mainland. Come in, this is urgent."
"We're just about reading you, Saint John's." A man replied, "How are you doing? We've had all kinds of trouble here."
"Request immediate evacuation. We're under attack. The storm's affected our Gangers. They're running amok."
"Your Gangers?"
"Yes, our Gangers are attacking us. We need you to take us off the island immediately and wipe them out."
The two Doctors and two Theas, all shared a look at that.
"Copy that, Saint John's." the rescue team replied, "Shuttle's despatched. Hang on."
"You'll need to airlift us off the roof of the evac tower. And Captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following codeword. I'm typing it, in case they're listening in."
The Theas looked at each, both fully aware that the Gangers were listening all, and Ganger Cleaves also knew the password.
"Got it. We'll swing in, get you out and decommission the Flesh."
~.~
The two Theas sat on the floor before the control panel, the Doctor in a chair between them as Amy sat besides him in another chair. John Smith standing to the side, watching as the humans prepared to evacuate.
"We've got to get out of here." Buzzer remarked.
"We're not leaving without them." Amy determined, refusing to leave her husband here, especially with the Gangers lurking around.
"I want them found too, but it's about casualties, innit? Can't be helped."
Amy turned to the Doctor, "What are you doing?"
"Making a phone call."
"Who to?"
"No one yet." Thea 1 said.
"It's on delay." Thea 2 added.
"Right." Amy frowned, "Not getting it. Why exactly are you making a phone call?"
"Because, Amy, I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams." The Doctor spun Amy's chair making her laugh, "The wheels are in motion. Done!"
Amy eyed the Theas trying to see any hint that would show who was real and who was the Ganger, but there was none. She glanced over to John Smith, "You know really there can be only one."
"At one point Rory didn't even exist." Thea 1 stated.
"So?" Amy shook her head.
"And then he came back as plastic." Thea 2 added.
"Living Flesh, living Plastic," Thea 1 shrugged, "not much different."
"So, what you saying is Rory wasn't real when the Pandorica was opening."
"Point!" The Theas high fived seeing Amy silent.
Amy scowled, "never mind." She stood and walked away from them all.
"She's so going to be annoyed when she realises, we tricked her." Thea 1 remarked.
"I can't wait." Thea 2 beamed, "even better when we tell her she's Flesh herself."
"Shh." Thea 1 put a finger against Thea 2s lips.
The Doctor opened his mouth to make a comment when Amy suddenly gasped, jumping back from the wall she'd been staring at. "Amy?" he looked over, "What happened?"
"It's her again." Amy sat back down besides him.
"It's who again?" Thea 2 frowned.
"There's a woman I keep seeing. A woman with an eyepatch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me. Doctor?"
"It's nothing." He waved her off as John Smith frowned at the wall Amy had been staring it.
"Doesn't seem like nothing." Amy muttered.
"It's a time memory. Like a mirage. It's nothing to worry about."
"Not yet anyway." Thea mumbled, only to get nudged in the ribs by Thea 2.
"Oi!" She huffed, nudging her right back.
"Girls!" The Doctor cut in before they started to get into a proper fight. He had had enough of sisters fighting to last a life time, he didn't even want to think of what would happen if the same person fought themselves, "stop it."
They both pulled back, muttering, "sorry, dad."
The Doctor smiled to himself as he turned and fiddled with the controls.
"It's in my head..." John Smith whispered, closing his eyes from the pain before running out the room. Thea 1 quickly chasing after him.
"Hey, hold on!" Jimmy shouted.
"Don't let him go." Cleaves ordered.
Amy nodded her agreement. They couldnt tell which Thea was real and ganger, for all they knew Thea 1 was also the Ganger going with him, "leave it to me." She told the humans, going after the Gangers.
The Doctor fiddled with the controls, slowly taking Thea 2s hand and squeezing it seeing her face scrunch from the same pain from John Smith.
~.~
Thea 1 joined John Smith facing the wall in the darkness, "is this how you dealt with time out?" She wondered, "staring at a boring wall? Because I have the patience to look at it for hours. Even though it is terribly dull."
"I'm sorry." Amy offered a she stepped into the room, keeping her distance, "What I said about you being almost the Doctor, it's just really hard, because I've been through so much with him and Thea I've even seen...I've even seen the moment of his..."
Thea stiffened, knowing what Amy was thinking about. The one thing she could not tell the Doctor.
Amy swallowed, "Can you die? If you really are the same, then you can die. You can be killed, and I might have seen that happen."
"Amy!" Thea 1 gasped, spinning to her. She had said multiple times to never mention what happened at the lake to the Doctor. She was dealing with it.
"Why?" John Smith breathed.
"Why?" Amy scoffed, "Because you invited us to see it. Your death."
"Amy!" Thea 1 snapped.
The Doctor spun to Amy, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her against the wall, "Why?"
Amy struggled, "You're hurting me."
"It's all the eyes say. Why? I can feel them as they work each day, knowing the time was coming for them to be thrown away again. 'Not again, please.' And then they are destroyed and they feel death, and all they can say is, 'why?'"
Amy pulled herself free from his grip, running back to the evac tower.
"You wanted to convince her you were a ganger." Thea remarked. "I'm sorry you feel it. Being a Time Lord must telepathically link you to the flesh and so you feel it though us. I'm sorry," She reached to place the palm of her hand against his cheek, "no one should have to feel that." She kissed his other cheek.
The Doctor gave a small smile at that, "when did you get so wise."
"Learnt from the best." She winked.
"Sarah Jane." He smiled, proud.
She rolled her eyes, nudging him, "and a bit from you."
~.~
"Why?" The Doctor murmured in the chair, getting a feel of what John Smith and Thea 2 had.
Amy burst through the doors, "Keep him away from me!" she shouted, running over to them.
John Smith and Thea 1 strolled back into the room, "Did you sense it?"
"Briefly." The Doctor nodded, "Not as strong as you two."
"Amy, I'm sorry." John Smith turned to her.
"No, you keep away." Amy back away, glaring, "We can't trust you. Either of you." She turned to glare between the two Theas.
"No one should trust me, ever." Thea 2 stated.
"Flesh or not, we're trouble." Thea 1 added.
"No one should trust the sweet little girl act."
"It makes it very easy to manipulate people."
"It would appear I can connect to the Flesh." John Smith spoke.
"You are Flesh." Amy muttered.
"I'm beginning to understand what it's been through, what it needs."
"What you want. You are it."
"Keep talking like that and you'll get dropped back at Leadworth." Thea 2 remarked.
"We'll keep Rory though." Thea 1 added, moving to her side.
Thea 2 dropped her arm over Thea 1, "we like Rory."
"We prefer Rory."
"It's much more powerful than we thought." John Smith continued, "The Flesh can grow, correct?"
"Its cells can divide." Cleaves answered.
"Well, now it wants to do that at will. It wants revenge."
"It's in pain, angry." Thea 1 breathed, "It wants revenge."
"I was right." Amy glared, "You're not the Doctor. You can't ever be. You're just a copy."
"Doctor," Cleaves spoke, "it might be best if you stayed over there for now, hmm?"
"Hold on a minute," The Doctor stood, "hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. I'm him, he's me."
"She is me and I am she." Both Theas called in unison.
"Both of you, too." Cleaves turned to them.
"Seriously?" Thea 1 eyed them.
"Because you can't tell which of us is which?" Thea 2 raised her eyebrows.
"So, we both get treated dirty like gangers."
"Because the point we're making is going over your head."
Thea 1 dropped her head against the others shoulder, "so rude."
"You wouldn't really treat me like a ganger, though, Amy." Thea 2 looked at Amy. "Would you?"
Thea 1 scoffed, "she thinks you're the Ganger."
"How can she tell?" Thea 2 wondered, "we have the same shoes."
"If we stole both dads' boots and made them wander around barefoot, do you think she would still be able to tell."
"Absolutely not."
Cleaves rolled her eyes at them, gesturing to Buzzer who pulled out two empty oil drums as moved them against the wall.
"Take a seat, mate." He glared.
John Smith straightened his bowtie as he sat on one of the drums, "Nice barrel, very comfy."
"Is this really what you want?" The Doctor looked around at them.
Amy crossed her arms, looking coldly at the three in the corner.
"This is the shuttle." A voice came over the comm a little while later, "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..."
The Doctor, pulled out the sonic, scanning Cleaves seeing the woman rubbing her head, clearly in pain.
"Hello?" Jimmy called into the comm, "Can you hear me?"
"I can't find Rory." Amy looked from the computers where she had been searching for her husband, "I'm going out there."
"We could use the sonic to track him." Yhe Doctor offered, "Humans and Gangers give off slightly different signals. The sonic needs to tell the difference."
"Oh, so the sonic knows Gangers are different. The other Doctor is different."
"He is the Doctor."
"And I am Thea!" Thea 2 cheered as she sat on the barrel, braiding Thea 1 hair as she sat on the floor before her. Her own hair already in a braid.
"So am I!" Thea 1 grinned.
"I am the Doctor." John Smith nodded.
"Not to me." Amy argued, "I can tell."
Both Theas snorted, bursting into laughter, "oh my stars!" Thea 1 sniggered.
"You think you can tell?" Thea 2 scoffed.
"That's hilarious!"
"What they're trying to say," The Doctor began, "is are you sure you're not prejudiced."
"Oh, absolutely." Thea nodded, serious.
"Nice try," Amy rolled her eyes, "but I know, ok? We've been through too much. You're my Doctor. End of."
"I've been there from the start." Thea 1 pointed out.
"But you can't tell us apart?" Thea 2 frowned.
"Oh, I wonder why?"
"Oh, that's right..."
"They have different shoes."
"Bet that makes it easier."
"What if they swapped shoes?" Thea 1 wondered.
Thea 2 tilted her head in agreement, "she might be having the wrong Doctor."
"Oh, that would be hilarious." Thea 1 sighed heavily, "if only someone could have seen this coming."
"They might have been able to plan ahead."
"Hey, there's a camera up." Buzzer called, seeing static clearly on the computer, "We've got a visual."
John Smith looked away, hiding his chuckle at how the Theas had just admitted their plan and Amy remained oblivious.
Amy ran over, seeing two figures walking the corridors, "That's Rory and Jennifer."
"They're heading for the thermostatic room." Cleaves remarked.
"Let's go get them!" Amy cheered, only to frown as the Doctor tossed the sonic to John Smith, "hang on."
"We can't let him go. Are you crazy?"
"Am I crazy, Doctor?" The Doctor asked him.
John Smith quickly but a hand over each of the Theas mouth, knowing they both would eagerly agree to tell the humans how mad he could be. "Well, you did want to plug your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet."
Thea 1 stared at him as he lowered his hand from both their mouths, "seriously?"
"Bet that's the only time you've ever won a bet." Thea 2 muttered.
"Oi!" Both Doctors cried.
"He can't go rescue them." Amy argued, "I'm going."
"Do you know, I want him to go." The Doctor stood and looked at Amy, "And I'm rather adamant."
"Well then, he'll need company." Buzzer offered, "Right, boss?"
Cleaves rubbed her head but nodded, "take one of them with you." She pointed to the Theas.
"It's fine. I'll handle it."
"But which one." Thea 1 smirked. "Should the ganger go with the ganger or should the real one go with you?"
"But how can you tell which of us in the ganger to send?" Thea 2 wondered.
"You." Amy pointed at Thea 2, "you go with him."
"Don't know if that's random or because you think I'm the ganger." Thea 2 muttered, following Buzzer to the door.
"It'll be all right." John Smith assured Amy, "we'll find him."
"Watch her." the Doctor told him.
"Watch her." He returned before following them out.
"Don't need watching." Both Theas rolled their eyes.
"Can't explain it to you now," the Doctor turned to Amy as Thea 1 headed over to them, "but I need you to trust them. Can you do that for me, Amy?"
"And what if you're wrong?" She asked.
"He's not." Thea 1 stated.
"What if he hurts that Thea."
"He won't."
The Doctor snapped his fingers, pointing at her, "Thea will see it coming."
"So, you're the ganger?" Amy narrowed her eyes at Thea 1.
"What makes you say that?" She demanded.
"Thea 2 can sense things. She's the psychic, not you."
"She is me and I am she. We're both psychic. The feelings she gets, I also get. And I know she's going to knock out Buzzer." She glanced at Cleaves, as the woman stood by the computers, "he had it coming."
"These temperature gauges are rising." Cleaves called, "Jennifer and Rory must have shut off the underground cooling vents."
"Why do that?" Dicken frowned, "They'll kill us."
"There's a million gallons of boiling acid under our feet."
"And now it's heating up the whole island." The Doctor realised.
"How long till it blows?" Thea 1 asked when an explosion went off, sending them stumbling as the ground shook, "that long."
"Gangers or no Gangers, we need to get the hell out of here." Dicken shouted.
"Shuttle," Cleaves ran to the comm, "we need evac. Where are you? Can you hear me? Can you..." She winced in pain, grabbing her head.
"Cleaves?" The Doctor moved to her side, "Cleaves? Cleaves, sit down."
"I'm fine." She waved him off as he helped her sit, "I'm waiting for results, so let it go."
"It's a very deep parietal clot." The Doctor told her.
"Inoperable?"
"On Earth," Thea 1 nodded, "yes."
"Well, seeing as Earth's all that's on offer...Hmm...I'm no healthy spring chicken, and you're no weatherman." She looked at the Doctor, "right?"
Another quake struck.
"Something just cracked." Amy gasped, "I heard it."
"Yeah, we can't stay here. Let's go." The Doctor grabbed Thea 1s hand moving to the door.
"He's right." Jimmy nodded, "Let's shift."
"Cleaves to Shuttle." Cleaves tried again, "Respond. We need to move, and we can't be collected from the Evac tower."
"Give us the codeword." A man replied.
"The codeword is..."
Another quake struck, causing the console to spark.
"Cleaves?" The Doctor pulled her back as she tried to reach the rescue team, "Cleaves, it's dead. It's dead. We need to get out of here. We need to get back downstairs and get those vents back on. Come on."
~.~
Thea 2 led the way down the corridor, her pace increasing the more they walked as the Doctor hurried after her, Buzzer following behind.
"Shouldn't you be using that?" Buzzer frowned, nodding to the sonic in John Smiths hand. He didn't know what it was exactly, he could guess that it would be useful, some sort of science equipment and for the Doctor, the real Doctor to give to his ganger, he assumed it was important.
"Nah," He flipped it and put it in his pocket, "no need with Thea leading the way. Thea?" He frowned, seeing her stiffened a moment, letting out breath, "what is it? What's wrong?"
She didn't answer, running further down the corridor and round the corner to see Jennifer lying on the floor. She ran to her side checking for a pulse.
"Is she human?" Buzzer asked.
"Yeah," John Smith swallowed at how little he cared if it was a ganger, "she's human."
"And dead." Thea 2 stated, "she's been out here for hours but just...slipped away..."
That had been what she had felt just then, she had felt Jennifer die, she had been too late. She had been rushing, for a reason unknown to her and that had been it. Trying to get to the woman before it was too late.
She stood and stepped back, hugging her arms around herself.
"Oh Jennifer," John Smith crouched besides her, "I'm so sorry. She's been out here for hours."
"But if the real Jen's been lying out here?" Buzzer frowned.
John Smith sighed, "Rory's in trouble."
He stiffened a moment later hearing a struggle, then a grunt before a thump. He looked back to see Buzzer on the ground, Thea 2 standing over him, Buzzers torch now twirling in her hand.
"Did you just knock him out!" He jumped to his feet.
"He was going to knock you out." She countered, "as far as he knows we're both Flesh. Out of them all, he hates us the most. He didn't even care that his co-worker and friend was dead," she sniffled glancing down at Jennifer. Maybe if the other Thea came, they could have made it on time, "all he cared about was if she was human. If she was real!" She sneered, "because being flesh makes you less real than anyone else!"
"Thea." John Smith murmured, putting his hands on her shoulders, "breathe. Inhale then exhale. Its alright. You're my daughter, Ganger or not. I love you." He wiped her eyes, "give us a smile." He smiled, seeing her brightening, "that's my girl."
~.~
Thea 1 shivered, rubbing her arms, as they ran down the corridors to the thermostatic chamber, she swallowed, knowing Jennifer was dead, Thea 2 hadn't managed to find her in time.
They turned a corner to see eyes made of Flesh watching as they walked.
"The eyes have it." The Doctor remarked.
"Why are they here?" Amy grimaced.
"To accuse us." Thea 1 murmured
"Ignore them." Cleave ordered, continuing on, "It's not far."
They continued on until they reached the chamber, the Doctor quickly sonicking the controls.
"It's a chemical chain reaction now." The Doctor sighed, seeing the results, at how there was no way to stop it, "I can't stop it. This place is going to blow sky high."
"Exactly how long have we got?" Cleaves questioned.
"An hour? Five seconds?"
"Anytime in between." Thea 1 answered.
"You can't sense an accurate time?" Amy narrowed her eyes at that.
Thea 1 ignored her as another explosion went off, causing a klaxon to sound as machinery hissed.
"Out!" The Doctor shouted, pushing them back out. Amy in the lead, leading them down the corridors, round and corner and into Rory! "Thank God." He breathed in relief, "All right?"
"Oh, Rory." Amy lunged at him, "Oh, Rory."
"There's a way out. Jennifer found it. A secret tunnel under the crypt."
"From the crypt?" Cleaves frowned, "It's not on the schematics."
"It runs right out of the monastery. Maybe even under the TARDIS." He looked at the Time Lords, "Follow me."
The Doctor glanced at Thea 1 as the humans rushed off after Rory, "what do you think?"
"She's a ganger." She sighed, "the original Jennifer is dead." She looked up at him, "they found her."
He sighed at that, taking her hand and squeezing it in comfort as they followed after the humans. They couldnt leave them.
~.~
John Smith put his arm around Thea 2 as they came to a pile of abandoned Flesh, left on the floor like garbage. They had left Buzzer unconscious near Jennifer, he was fine besides being knocked out, but Rory was with Jennifer's ganger and they knew that meant he was in trouble and needed to find him.
He knew seeing the flesh like this, dumped and abandoned like it was nothing, was hurting her, she felt it a lot more than he did. She had led them right to it. The dumping ground of decommissioned Flesh, still alive and screaming.
"This is how they'll always treat us." Cleaves spoke behind them and the Doctor turned to see her ganger in an acid suit, standing behind them with Dicken and Jimmys gangers, "Do you see now? After all, you're one of us..." She eyed Thea 2, "aren't you?"
John Smith tugged her closer, "they sent her with me." He answered. Neither denying she was Flesh or not. It was more likely for them to believe that the gangers would be sent together rather than having a ganger with the humans.
~.~
Cleaves lead the way to the Acid room as Jimmy shook his head, "We can't leave without Buzzer."
"I'll go back for him." Cleaves offered.
"Er, Doctor, look." Rory began, hesitant, "I'd better tell you. I haven't been quite straight with you..."
He was suddenly cut off and pulled back as the door slammed shut, locking. The Doctor ran to the small round window to see Ganger Jen standing with Rory. "Rory!" He shouted, "Rory Pond, Roranicus Pondicus!"
"Rory!" Amy joined them at the door, "What the hell are you playing at?"
"They've been throwing away old Flesh and leaving it to rot." Rory told them, "Alive. I think the world should see that."
"Rory, there is no time." The Doctor told him.
"The factory's about to explode!" Thea 1 called.
They saw Rory looking alarmed but Ganger Jen pulled him away.
"Let me go..." Rory struggled but even though she was small, she was quite strong, "I'm sorry!" He yelled as he was dragged away.
"No!"
Ganger Cleaves appeared in the window, "We have to be free."
The original Cleaves stepped up, "I'm sorry too, Miranda. Of all the humans in the world, you had to pick the one with the clot." she tapped her head, "But hey, them's the breaks. Welcome to the human race."
Ganger Cleaves eyed her as she walked away.
The Doctor moved over to the acid vat, scanning it, "This is going to overheat and fill the room with acid, just as a point of interest."
"And we can't stop it?"
"Just as a point of interest? No."
~.~
John Smith and Thea 2 sat in silence in the Dining hall with all of the Gangers and Rory, the man furious with Ganger Jen, "You created another Ganger just to trick me." He shouted, "you tricked me. When I found you, you were both Flesh and you tricked me into trusting you."
"I told you not to let her trick you." Thea 2 remarked.
Rory swallowed, knowing that. He had tried really hard not to fall for any tricks, but she had limped, she had a burn on her leg. He didn't know Flesh could do that. "Jen's dead, isn't she?"
"She's gone, Rory." The Doctor murmured, "Gone."
"Shuttle." the man on the radio called, "We're dropping down on our approach. Stand by for evac."
"The humans will be melted, as they deserve," Ganger Jen announced, "and then the factory will be destroyed. Once we get to the mainland, the real battle begins. The humans won't stand a chance. You're one of us, Doctor. Thea. Join the revolution."
"I've got to go and get them out." Rory moved to leave but John Smith stood and pushed him back.
"Ring ring." Thea 2 said as Rory looked at them, betrayed.
~.~
Dicken struggled to lower the cap over the acid, trying to buy them a little more time, "It'll never hold her." Jimmy warned.
"You got a better plan?" Thea 1 huffed.
"If you do, I'm all ears." The Doctor turned to him, "In fact, if you have a better plan, I'll take you to a planet where everyone is all ears."
~.~
"We can't just let them die." Rory shouted.
"You locked them in with all the acid," Thea 2 reminded him.
"That...I didn't...I was tricked."
"I told you not to let her."
Cleaves watched the acid vat, "The acid's eating through." She warned a moment before the building shook again.
"Is someone going to get the phone?" Thea 2 rolled her eyes, seeing them all standing around.
John Smith stood up as the phone began to ring, the Gangers looking at her curious to how she knew that as he went to answer it, "I'll get the phone. Stay put." He sonicked the phone as a hologram of a young boy in his pyjamas appeared before them.
"Thank you for booking your holo-call with Morpeth Jetsan..." The operator began.
"Ha! Hello, Adam, I'm the Doctor. Well, other Doctor. Or Smith. It's complicated and boring. Anyway, who cares. It's your birthday."
"Yay." Adam beamed.
"Yay. Now, have you been getting up very early and jumping on the bed?"
"Yes, really high."
"Have you touched the ceiling yet?" Thea moved to stand besides John Smith.
"No."
"Ah, maybe next year."
"I expect chocolate for breakfast." John Smith told the boy, "if you don't feel sick by mid-morning, you're not doing it right. Now, I think you want to speak to Dad." He turned to Ganger Jimmy.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." Adam jumped up and down, "Daddy?"
"Jimmy," Thea 2 walked over to him, "your son wants to see you on his birthday."
"What does the other Jimmy matter now?" John Smith agreed, "You're both the same dad, aren't you? Come on, Adam's waiting."
"Daddy?" Adam frowned as another quake struck, "Daddy, what's that rumbly noise? What's going on, Daddy? Daddy?"
Ganger Jimmy ran from the room.
"You've tricked him into an act of weakness." Ganger Jen sneered at them.
"No," John Smith shook his head, "I've helped him into an act of humanity. Anyone else like the sound of that? Act of humanity."
"Dicken, drain the acid well in Crypt One." Ganger Cleaves ordered.
"Don't you dare." Ganger Jen hissed as the man did as told.
"I've had it with this. What's the point in this ridiculous war?" Cleaves sighed, "Look at you, Jen. You were a sweet kid. Look at you now. The stuff of nightmares. I don't want my world populated by monsters."
"You can't stop the factory from melting down, boss. I'll take revenge on humanity with or without you."
"It doesn't have to be about revenge." The Doctor told her, "It can be so much better than that."
~.~
Jimmy struggled to keep the lid on the acid, some acid splashing on him sending him to the ground with a gasp as his ganger ran in. "Let me through!" He shouted, pushing his way through.
"There's nothing we can do." The Doctor murmured, "the acid's reached his heart."
"Hang in there, mate." Ganger Jimmy pleaded.
Jimmy looked up at him, "I'm quite handsome from this angle."
"I'm sorry. I'm the fake. Adam deserves his real dad."
"Shut up."
"What do you want me to do? Anything. Just say."
"The way things are, mate, it's up to you now." he pulled at a cord around his neck, pressing it into his gangs hands, "Be a dad. You remember how." He headed rolled to the side, his ganger staring at the wedding bands as he died.
"Jimmy Wicks...you're a dad." the Doctor said softly.
~.~
"Ooh, that sounds amazing." Thea smiled as she spoke to Adam, keeping him entertained as they waited for Jimmy to return and no birthday boy ever could resist the chance to talk about the presents they'd opened, "oh, and look who's back..." She glanced back as Ganger Jimmy entered, along with the original copies, Amy, the Doctor and Thea 1. Rory ran straight to Amy, hugging her tightly.
"Daddy, it's me!" Adam beamed, spotting his dad.
"Hey, sunshine." Ganger Jimmy smiled, "What are you up to?"
"Opening all my presents."
"Ha ha, good lad. You have fun today. And remember your dad, he loves you very, very much."
"When are you coming home?"
The Doctor walked over, clasping Jimmys shoulder, "Daddy's coming home today, Adam."
"Yay!" Adam did a small jig, a little happy dance, excited his dad would be home for his birthday.
"Now we need to move." The Doctor called, leading them out down the halls only to run into a misshapen and out of control Ganger Jen.
Thea 1 whistled, "did not see that coming."
"Run!" The Doctor shouted, giving her a shove to run back down the corridor "Run. Run!"
Both Theas took the lead, running down the corridor as Ganger Jen chased them on all fours as they ran into another room.
"Roofs going to give in." Thea 1 looked up hearing the ceiling creaking.
"Brilliant!" Thea 2 cheered.
Dickens and his ganger shut the door as he ganger realised something, "We have to stop her. This door doesn't lock."
"No, but the far one does." Dicken ran out back down to the other end.
"No, don't!" Thea 2 warned but it was too late, the door slammed shut with Dicken on the wrong side as he screamed.
"No!" Ganger Dicken lunged forwards to try and help but Thea 2 slammed that door shut, leaning against it, the Doctor and Ganger Cleaves moving to help as it was their own defence against Ganger Jen.
"Here she comes." John Smith called in warning, stepping back as the TARDIS fell through the ceiling and into the room.
"Oh, she does like to make an entrance." The Doctor agreed.
"Mum always comes eventually." Thea 1 grinned.
"Everyone move." John Smith opened the doors and ushered the humans inside.
"Go. Go, go, go."
"Yes, its bigger on the inside." Thea 1 rolled her eyes.
"One day someone's going to say something different." Thea 2 muttered as she ushered Ganger Cleaves inside after the others, leaving the Doctor and herself as a barricade.
"Now's our chance." Amy called over to them.
"We let go of this door she's gonna barge through and kill us all." Thea 2 huffed.
"We have to stay." the Doctor agreed, "Hold this door closed. Give you time to dematerialise."
"Oh, don't be crazy." Amy frowned, "Ok, what happens to you?"
"Blown to bits," Thea 2 shrugged, "or turn to gloop, depends."
"But we can stop her." The Doctor added.
"Both of you can survive this, okay." Amy insisted, "There has to be a way."
"Or perhaps you think I should stay instead?" John Smith stepped up, "Mr Smith."
"Or me." Thea 1 remarked, "if I am the ganger, that is?"
"No, of course not." Amy argued, "But look, this man, I've flown with him, you know? And you are amazing and yeah, I misjudged you, but you're not him. I'm sorry."
"So, you still can't tell which of us..."
"Is which?"
"No." Amy huffed to admit, "I don't know. I can't...I can't tell, alright."
"You really are prejudiced." Thea 1 remarked.
"Amy, they did tell you we swapped shoes." The Doctor told her.
"I'm the Doctor." 'John Smith' said behind her.
"And I'm the Flesh." The Doctor at the door nodded.
"You can't be." Amy shook her head, looking between the two before staring at the ganger at the door, "you're the real him."
"No, I'm not, and I haven't been all along."
"What?" She breathed.
"I'm the original Doctor, Amy." The Doctor before the TARDIS stated, "We had to know if we were truly the same. It was important, vital we learn about The Flesh, and we could only do that through your eyes."
Amy blinked, shaking her head as she looked at Thea 1, "so you're the ganger, too?"
"Nope, still me!" Thea 2 waved as she stood against the door.
"We did worry a bit when you sent her off..." Thea 1 shrugged.
"We thought we'd keep it simple with the original as number 1."
Amy ran and hugged the Ganger Doctor, "I never thought it possible."
"What?" he frowned.
"You're twice the man I thought you were."
"Push, Amy." He whispered, "But only when she tells you to."
"And breathe," Thea 2 murmured as Amy hugged her too, "remember to breathe."
"Amy," Rory shouted from inside the TARDIS, "Come on!"
Amy looked at the pair once more before rushing into the TARDIS.
"Well, my death arrives, I suppose." The Ganger Doctor mused.
"And I didn't do it." Thea 2 joked.
"But this one, we're not invited to." The Doctor muttered.
"Pardon?" The ganger Doctor frowned.
Both Theas made eye contact, looking away as they realised what Amy had said to him about his death. He had figured it out.
"Its possible you could survive." Thea 1 remarked, "your molecular memory can survive this."
"It may not be the end." The Doctor agreed, tossing it to his ganger.
"Yeah, well, if I turn up to nick all your biscuits, then you'll know you were right, won't you." The Ganger Doctor joked.
"Hold my hand." Thea 2 murmured as the ganger quickly did so, squeezing it, "time to go out with a bang!"
Thea 1 winked at her, "see you on the other side."
"Looking forwards to it."
"Please don't let the last thing you say be you flirting with yourself." The Doctor groaned.
"As you said, dad, the only person good enough for us." Thea 2 laughed.
The Doctor shook his head, giving Thea 1 a nudging to leave them, the girl winking once more at her ganger as they headed inside, the Doctor quickly locking the doors.
The ganger Doctor flicked the sonic onto the correct setting, "This will dissolve her."
"And possibly us." Thea 2 countered.
"There may be a way back from this."
"I don't see that happening." She pursed her lips, "but i'd like to be proven wrong."
The Doctor grinned, they both jumped back, throwing the door open, both shouting 'geronimo!' as he flicked the sonic on, dissolving themselves and Jennifer with them.
~.~
They'd dropped Jimmy off to celebrating his sons birthday, sending him off with a red balloon. The TARDIS having stabilised the gangers for good. They'd even sorted out both the Cleaves blood clot with a little bit of off world medicine, perfectly safe and dissolved it easily enough and it wouldn't come back.
The group stood outside the Morpeth-Jetson Headquarters where a meeting was happening.
"You really want us to do this?" The original Cleaves asked.
"Your company's telling the world that the situation is over." The Doctor replied, "You need to get in there and tell them that the situation's only just begun. Make them understand what they're doing to the Flesh. Make them stop. Dicken, Cleaves," he looked at the gangers, "remember, people are good. In their bones, truly good. Don't hate them, will you?"
"How can I hate them?" He shook his head as ganger Cleaves nodded besides him, "I'm one of them now."
"People died." Thea reminded them, "good people. Don't let that be in vain."
"Make what you say in that room count." The Doctor agreed.
The humans and gangers glanced at each other, "Ready?" She took a breath, "side by side."
Dickens nodded opening the door and instantly the heard the reporters questioning them, gasping at the sight of two Cleaves as the doors shut blocking their shocks.
Amy eyed the Time Lords a moment, seeing them making no move to head back to the TARDIS, "You okay?"
"I said breathe, Pond." The Doctor sighed, "Remember? Well, breathe."
"Why?"
"Just breathe." Thea repeated and a moment later Amy doubled over, clutching her stomach in pain.
Rory rushed to her side, "What's wrong with her?"
"Not out here," Thea glanced around, holding the doors and gesturing them inside as the
Doctor brought up the rear, shutting the doors, striding to the console.
"What is happening to her?" Rory demanded.
"Contractions." the Doctor said simply.
"Contractions?"
"She's going into labour."
"Did he say?" Amy shook her head, "No. No, no. Of course he didn't." Moaning as another pain hit her, "Rory, I don't like this. Ow."
"You're going to have to explained this too me!" Rory exclaimed.
"You're a nurse, they taught you this in med school." Thea sighed, "she's pregnant, and has been for 9 months."
"We needed to see the Flesh in its early days." The Doctor explained, "That's why I scanned it. That's why we were there in the first place. I was going to drop you off for fish and chips first, but things happened and there was stuff and shenanigans."
"Beautiful word," Thea murmured, "shenanigans."
"It hurts." Amy whimpered.
"You're having a baby." Thea stated bluntly, "a living thing is getting pushed out of you. Its gonna hurt."
"Breathe." The Doctor instructed, "I needed enough information to block the signal to the Flesh."
"What signal?" Amy gasped.
"The signal to you."
"Doctor. Thea..."
"I'm sorry, Rory." Thea moved over to gently you him back, "you need to move away."
"Why?" He demanded, "No. And why?"
"Given what we've learned, I'll be as humane as I can," The Doctor remarked, "but I need to do this and you need to stand away!"
Rory looked from Amy to the Doctor as he allowed Thea to pull him away.
"No," Amy breathed, "No. Doctor, I am frightened." She swallowed as she looked up at him, "I'm properly, properly scared."
"We will find you." Thea swore, "no matter how long or how far. We will find you and your baby. There's no power that can stop me."
"I'm right here." Amy insisted.
"No, you're not." The Doctor sighed, "you haven't been here for a long, long time."
The Doctor held up the sonic and a moment later Amy turned to gloop, leaving Rory staring at the puddle that had been in wife in horror.
"No time to waste!" Thea announced, quickly rushing to the console to start their search for Amy.