Home, the long way round [1]

Chapter 14 - The Pandorica Opens

Amy was studying the engagement ring that she found in the Doctor's jacket pocket as Maddie sat down on the ground, drawing something. Amy was so focused on the ring she didn’t even hear the TARDIS wheezing as the Doctor came to them and cried loudly. “Vavoom!”

Amy quickly put the ring away as then she looked up at him. “Va-what?” as Maddie stopped with drawing and at the Doctor as well.

He ignored her as then he quickly walked up the stairs to the console as the girls followed him. “I can't believe I've never thought of this before. It's genius.” They had landed. “Right. Landed. Come on.”

“Where are we?” Maddie asked to him.

“Planet One.” The Doctor replied to her. “The oldest planet in the universe. And there's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing. Letters fifty feet high. A message from the dawn of time And no one knows what it says, because no one's ever translated it. Till today.”

“What happens today?” Amy asked to him.

“Us. The Tardis can translate anything.” The Doctor replied to her. “All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history.” Then he opened the TARDIS doors and they walked outside of it, then they saw the first words in history. ‘Hello Sweetie ΘΣ ΦΓΥΔζ’ 

“Vavoom.” Amy comment.

~00~

The Tardis materialized at the edge of a wood, on a hill. They stepped out of the TARDIS. “Right place?” Amy asked looking around her.

“Just followed the co-ordinates on the cliff face.” The Doctor replied to her. “Earth. Britain. one oh two am. No, pm. No, AD.”

Then they were looking down on a Roman camp as Amy comment. “That's a Roman Legion.”

“Well, yeah.” The Doctor told her. “The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period.”

“Well, that’s nice.” Maddie comment. “Correction, it’s not nice.”

“Oh, I know. My favorite topic at school. Invasion of the hot Italians.” Amy told them, then the Doctor gave her a look. “Yeah, I did get marked down for the title.”

Just then a soldier runs up and saluted them. “Hail, Caesar!”

“Hi.” The Doctor greeted.

“Welcome to Britain.” The soldier greeted him. “We are honored by your presence.”

“Well, you're only human.” The Doctor told him, then he gestured with hand that the soldier could stand up again. “Arise, Roman person.” The soldier stood up again.

Maddie frowned. “Roman person?”

The Doctor looked at her. “Don’t start, please.”

“Why does he think you're Caesar?” Amy asked to him.

The soldier has a smear of lipstick on his face, the Doctor didn’t answer. Then the soldier told to them. “Cleopatra will see you now.”

~00~

They were led to Cleopatra’s tent as then they walked inside of it and they were greeted by River. “Hello, sweetie.”

“River. Hi.” Amy comment.

“Hi.” Maddie greeted River. “How’s TJ?”

River looked at her. “He’s good.”

Then the Doctor looked at River. “You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe.”

“You wouldn't answer your phone.” River comment, her slaves leave and she offered the Doctor the rolled up painting.

The Doctor looked at it. “What's this?”

“It's a painting.” River replied to him. “Your friend Vincent. One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he? I thought you ought to know about this one.”

“Doctor? Doctor, what is this?” Amy asked to him as they looked at a version of Starry Night, with an exploding Tardis in the middle. “Why is it exploding?”

“I assume it's some kind of warning.” River replied to her.

Maddie looked at River. “Something's going to happen to the Tardis?”

“It might not be that literal.” River glanced at the door sign, from the TARDIS. “Anyway, this is where he wanted you. Date and map reference on the door sign, see?”

“Does it have a title?” The Doctor glanced at River.

“The Pandorica Opens.” River replied, flatly.

“The Pandorica? What is it?” Amy looked at her.

“A box, a cage, a prison.” River replied to her. “It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe.”

“And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real.” The Doctor told them.

“If it is real, it's here and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your Tardis exploding.” River told them. “Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map.”

“No, but if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it.” The Doctor told them.

~00~

They went to Stonehenge, since Mwente couldn’t horse riding, she sat behind the Doctor. When they arrived, the Doctor and River started to scan the stones. “How come it's not new?” Amy asked as she looked around.

“Because it's already old.” River replied as she was running the scans. “It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long.”

“Okay, this Pandorica thing.” Amy comment. “Last time we saw you, you warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium.”

Maddie looked at Amy. “We don’t know, if she knows that.”

“Spoilers.” River comment.

“No, but you told the Doctor you'd see him again when the Pandorica opens.” Amy argued.

Maddie looked at her friend. “Amy.”

“Maybe I did, but I haven't yet. But I will have.” River told her, mysterious. Then she looked at the Doctor. “Doctor, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site.”

“If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history.” The Doctor told them. “Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it. We need to get down there.”

Night had fallen, River was finally finished with placing machines around the stone. “Right then. Ready.” River comment as then there is a sound of machinery moving, then the Altar stone moved aside to reveal a staircase down into the ground.

“The Underhenge.” The Doctor comment to them all as they go down, a nearby severed Cyberman head twitches.

~00~

Not much later, they went down as the Doctor light a handy torch with his sonic screwdriver. He light another for River and they unbar a big door, then enter. “It's a Pandorica.” He comment as it was a big square monument with a circular design on each face.

“More than just a fairy tale.” River comment.

The Doctor's foot touched a Cyberman's severed arm that was lying in the dust of the floor, then he walked further to the box. “There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world.”

“How did it end up in there?” Maddie asked to him.

“You know fairy tales. A good wizard tricked it.” The Doctor replied to her.

“I hate good wizards in fairy tales. They always turn out to be him.” River basically pointed at the Doctor.

“So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then?” Amy comment, holding a torch. “Almost the same name.”

The Doctor looked at her, confused. “Sorry, what?”

“The story.” Amy explained it to him. “Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favorite book when I was a kid. What's wrong?”

“Your favorite school topic.” The Doctor replied. “Your favorite story. Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence.”

“So can you open it?” River asked to him, holding her device on the box.

“Easily.” The Doctor replied to her. “Anyone can break into a prison. But I'd rather know what I'm going to find first.”

“You won't have long to wait.” River’s face went grim as she looked her computer. “It's already opening. There are layers and layers of security protocols in there, and they're being disabled one by one. Like it's being unlocked from the inside.”

“How long do we have?” The Doctor asked to River.

River looked at her device. “Hours at the most.”

Maddie stood by the Doctor. “What kind of security?”

River still looked at her device. “Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines.”

The Doctor looked at her. “What could need all that?”

“What could get past all that?” River asked back.

“Think of the fear that went into making this box.” Maddie comment, she looked at the Doctor. She’s didn’t understand that someone wanted to even make a box like that.

“What could inspire that level of fear?” The Doctor touched the box. “Hello, you. Have we met?”

“So why would it start to open now?” River asked to him.

“No idea.” The Doctor replied to her.

“Ahem, And how could Vincent have known about it? He won't even be born for centuries.” Amy comment to them.

“The stones.” The Doctor realized as she flashed with his sonic screwdriver. “These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening.”

River went to the stones and started to scan. “Doctor, everyone everywhere?”

“Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams.” The Doctor thought out loud. “But what's in there? What could justify all this?”

“Doctor, everyone?” River asked, focusing on her device.

“Anything that powerful, I'd know about it.” The Doctor looked at her. “Why don't I know?”

“Doctor, you said everyone could hear it.” River looked up from her device. “So who else is coming?”

The Doctor realized something. “Oh.” Then he glanced at Maddie.

She looked at the Doctor, nodding. “Uhu.”

“Oh? Oh, what?” Amy demanded, looking at the Doctor.

“Okay.” River put her device om the stones. “If it is basically a transmitter, we should be able to fold back the signal.”

“Doing it.” The Doctor went around the bases of the stones with his sonic screwdriver.

“Doing what?” Amy asked to them.

“Stonehenge is transmitting.” River replied to her, she scanned the stones. “It's been transmitting for a while, so who heard?”

“Okay, should be feeding back to you now.” The Doctor looked at her. “River, what's out there?”

“Give me a moment.” She demanded.

“River, quickly. Anything?” The Doctor urged.

“Around this planet there are at least ten thousand starships.” River replied to him.

“At least?” Amy asked to her.

“Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, I don't know.” River read the readings. “There's too many readings.”

“What kind of starships?” Maddie asked to her.

Then they heard Daleks talking. “Maintaining orbit.”

“I obey. Shield cover compromised on ion sectors.”

“Daleks. Those are Daleks.” Amy said, clearly afraid of them.

“Scan detects no temporal activity.”

“Soft grid scan commencing.”

“Reverse thrust for compensatory stabilization.”

“Daleks, Doctor.” River warned him.

“Launch preliminary armaments protocol.”

“Yes. Okay, okay, okay, okay.” The Doctor started rambling as Maddie and Amy looked very afraid of them. River checked some more readings. “Dalek fleet, minimum twelve thousand battleships, armed to the teeth. Ah! But we've got surprise on our side. They'll never expect three people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships. Because we'd be killed instantly. So it would be a fairly short surprise. Forget surprise.” Then the Doctor walked towards Maddie and hugged her.

“Course correction proceeding.”

“Doctor, Cyber ships.” River told to the Doctor as she glanced at him and Maddie. 

“No, Dalek ships. Listen to them. Those are Dalek ships.” The Doctor corrected her.

“Yes.” River shook her head. “Dalek ships and Cyber ships.”

The Doctor let go of Maddie as then he started pacing. “Well, we need to start a fight, turn them on each other. I mean, that's easy. It's the Daleks. They're so cross.”

“Sontaran. Four battle fleets.” River informed him.

“Sontarans!” The Doctor comment. “Talk about cross, who stole all their handbags?”

“Terileptil. Slitheen, Chelonian, Nestene, Drahvin.” River told some more readings. “Sycorax, Haemogoth, Zygon, Atraxi, Draconian. They're all here for the Pandorica.”

The Doctor walked to the box. “What are you? What could you possibly be?”

Then they all buzzing as they went up again to see a lot of spaceships in the sky. “What do we do?” Amy asked as she looked up. Maddie was quiet as she the starships around in the sky.

“Doctor, listen to me.” River told to him. “Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to run.”

“Run where?” The Doctor asked confused.

“Fight how?” River asked back.

The Doctor pulled out a binoculars, he looked into it. “The greatest military machine in the history of the universe.”

“What is? The Daleks?” Amy asked confused.

“No. No, no, no, no, no.” The Doctor replied to her. “The Romans.”

~00~

Amy walked around, lighting more torches. Maddie stood by the Doctor, who was scanning the box. “So what's this got to do with the Tardis?” Amy asked to the Doctor.

“Nothing, as far as I know.” The Doctor replied to her.

“But Vincent's painting.” Amy frowned. “The Tardis was exploding. Is that going to happen?”

“One problem at a time.” The Doctor replied to her. “There's force field technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour.”

“What good is half an hour?” Amy asked confused.

“There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life.” The Doctor replied to her. “There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you.”

Amy took out the ring box from her pocket. “So, are you proposing to Maddie?”

“I'm sorry?” The Doctor looked confused. Maddie’s face went red and shifted awkwardly.

“I found this in your pocket.” She held up the box.

“No.” The Doctor shook his head. “No, no, that's er, a memory. A friend of mine. Someone I lost. Do you mind?” Then he held out his hand.

Amy stared at the box. “It's weird. I feel, I don't know, something.”

“People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for.” The Doctor explained it to her. “Faces in photographs, luggage, half eaten meals, rings. Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back.”

Amy stopped staring at the box and gave it the Doctor. He put it away in his pocket as she asked to him. “So, was she nice, your friend?”

The Doctor ignored her, but asked something else. “Remember that night you flew away with me?”

Amy nodded. “Of course I do.”

“And you asked me why I was taking you and I told you there wasn't a reason. I was lying.” The Doctor told her.

“What, so you did have a reason?” Amy asked confused.

“Your house.” He replied to her.

“My house.” She said confused.

“It was too big.” The Doctor explained. “Too many empty rooms. Does it ever bother you, Amy, that your life doesn't make any sense?”

Suddenly an energy weapon fired past them, it was the severed Cyberman arm. Then they run and hide behind the Pandorica. “What was that?” Maddie asked confused.

‘Cyberman’ He told her telepathic as she nodded to him, then he told out loud. “Okay, I need a proper look. Got to draw its fire, give it a target.”

“How?” Amy asked confused.

“You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?” The Doctor asked to them.

“No.” Maddie shook her head.

“Yes.” Amy rolled her eyes.

“Sorry.” Then the Doctor runs out as then he shouted. “Look at me, I'm a target!” He gets shot at and hides behind the stones.

“What is that?” Amy asked to him.

“Cyber arm.” The Doctor replied to her. “Arm of Cyberman.”

“I don’t like it at all.” Maddie muttered, afraid.

“And what's a Cyberman?” Amy asked confused.

“Oh, sort of part man, part robot.” The Doctor replied, explaining. “The organic part must have died out years ago. Now the robot part is looking for, well, fresh meat.”

Amy looked at him. “What, us?”

“It's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of screaming.” The Doctor replied to her.

“Well, that’s scary.” Maddie said as she walked over by Amy.

“I need to get round behind it.” He looked at the girls. “Could you draw its fire?”

“No, I’m staying here.” Maddie replied stubbornly.

“What, like you did?” Amy frowned.

“You'll be fine if you're quick. It's only got one arm, literally.” The Doctor replied as then Amy runs, screaming as then the Doctor pounced on the arm. “Come here!” Then he pulled out his sonic and soniced the arm.

“Doctor?” Amy called.

“Scrambled its circuits, but stay where you are, it could be bluffing.” The Doctor warned as Maddie still stood behind the box, looking at the Doctor.

“Bluffing? It's an arm.” Amy scoffed.

“It was shooting on its own, Amy.” Maddie called to her.

Then Amy walked forwards, the Doctor warned her. “I said stay where you are!”

Suddenly something creeps up behind Amy and something grabbed her ankle. “Doctor?” She called, then she was pulled to the floor.

“Amy!” The Doctor shouted as then the Cyber arm gave the Doctor an electric shock, knocking him out.

“Doctor.” Maddie shouted, rushing to his side. Then she tried to wake him up, but she had no luck.

“Doctor!” Amy called.

“He’s knocked out.” Maddie called to her.

Then Amy was being attacked by the Cyber head as she grabbed it by the ears. Then it fizzled as the mask popped open to reveal a skull, which fell out. Just then Amy screamed as the mask kept snapping open and shut. Without a thought she hit it against a stone until it lets her go, then throws it to the floor. It crawled away. “Doctor?” Amy called again, the Cyber head fires a little dart into Amy's neck.

Maddie looked at Amy. “He still out.” Then she looked at the Cyber head, that laying on the ground. “A Cyber head.” Then she searched into the Doctor pockets for the sonic screwdriver.

“You will be assimilated.” The Cyber head exclaimed to her.

“Yeah? You and whose body?” Amy snapped.

Then a headless and armless Cyber man entered as then it put its head back on then went after the woozy Amy. She backed out through the big doors as then Maddie had found the sonic screwdriver, but she saw that the Cyberman standing by the door and Amy was behind the door. Then she saw someone familiar, it was Rory. “Rory?!” She asked confused.

Then Amy shouted. “Doctor? Doctor?” Just then a Roman short sword pierces the door, which swings open to reveal the Cyberman skewered to the wood. “Who, who are you?” She asked to the Roman as Maddie stood confused, still holding the sonic in her hand.

The Roman removed his helmet. “Hello, Amy.” Rory told her, then Amy passed out. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He catches her in his arms and laid her gently on a stone as Maddie rushed towards them.

“Rory?” She asked to him.

He nodded to her. “Yeah.”

“What happened?” She asked to him, then a another Roman came towards them. “Sir, the man's coming round.” He told to Rory.

The Doctor strode towards them as Maddie was relieved that he was okay. “Amy? Maddie? Where's Amy and Maddie?”

“I’m fine, Doctor.” Maddie replied to him. Then he hugged her, also relieved.

Then Rory answered, stroking Amy’s head. “She's fine, Doctor. Just unconscious.”

The Doctor searched for his sonic as then Maddie felt embarrassed, she gave the sonic back. The Doctor looked confused at her, but then scanned Amy, anyway. “Okay. Yes, she's sedated, that's all. Half an hour, she'll be fine.” Then he looked at Rory. “Okay, Romans. Good. I was just wishing for Romans. Good old River. How many?”

“Fifty men up top, volunteers.” Rory replied to him as then he nodded the other Roman. Then he walked away from there, then Rory pointed at the Cyberman. “What about that thing?”

“Fifty?” The Doctor exclaimed. “You're not exactly a legion.”

“Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell.” Rory told him.

“Yes, I know that, Rory.” The Doctor looked at the weapons. “I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious. But we need everything we can get. Okay, Cyber weapons. This is basically a sentry box, so headless wonder here was a sentry. Probably got himself duffed up by the locals. Never underestimate a Celt.”

“Doctor?” Rory asked confused.

“Hush, Rory. Thinking.” The Doctor rambled. “Why leave a Cyberman on guard, unless it's a Cyber thing in the box. But why would they lock up one of their own? Okay, no, not a Cyber thing, but what? What?” Then he turned to look at Rory. “No, I'm missing something obvious, Rory. Something big. Something right slap in front of me. I can feel it.”

“Yeah, I think you probably are.” Rory comment sarcastically.

“I'll get it in a minute.” The Doctor leaves with the weapons, then let the them fall on the ground, shattering.

“He finally noticed.” Maddie comment to Rory, who nodded to her. 

Then the Doctor returned, walking slowly into room and prodded Rory on the chest as Maddie laughed. Then he said to him awkwardly. “Hello again.”

Rory stared at him. “Hello.”

“How've you been?”

“Good. Yeah. Good. I mean, Roman.”

“Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you died.”

“Still rude.” Maddie comment to him.

“Yeah, I know. I was there.” Rory comment.

“You died and then you were erased from time.” The Doctor explained. “You didn't just die, you were never born at all. You never existed.”

“Erased? What does that mean?” Rory asked confused.

“You were never born, Rory.” Maddie replied to him.

The Doctor looked at him. “How can you be here?”

“I don't know. It's kind of fuzzy.” Rory replied to him, shrugged.

“Fuzzy?” Maddie asked confused, glancing at the Doctor.

“Well, I died and turned into a Roman.” Rory replied to her as then he looked at Amy, who was still out. “It's very distracting. Did she miss me?” Just then the ground shook as they rushed back to the box. It was glowing green and moving like cog wheels. Then Rory asked confused, the Doctor scanned it. “What is it? What's happening?”

The Doctor looked at the box. “The final phase. It's opening.” Then there was another shook, which make Rory run upstairs, leaving the Doctor and Maddison.

~00~

“You're surrounded. Have you got a plan?” River asked to the Doctor, using her device.

“Yes. Now hurry up and get the Tardis here. I need equipment.” Then the Doctor hang up, then he looked at the box. “What are you? They're all here, all of them, all for you. What could you possibly be?”

“Still very rude.” Maddie comment under her breath, the Doctor didn’t hear her.

Then there was whizzing around them, then they went up. The Doctor spoke up. “Sorry, sorry, dropped it. Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica, takes the universe. But bad news, everyone.” The Doctor appeared on the stone, there was light on him. “Because guess who? Ha! Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about. It's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I am talking!” The ships stopped whizzing about. “The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question. Who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me. No plan, no back up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else. I don't have anything to lose! So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then, do the smart thing. Let somebody else try first.” The spaceships retreat as Doctor hopped of the stone and went to Maddison and Rory, who stood with other Romans. “That'll keep them squabbling for half an hour.” He comment. “Romans.”

Then he walked back down to the box, Maddie followed him. “Are we going to wait?”

“Till the box opened.” The Doctor replied to her.

Maddie looked at him. “I have a weird feeling, like it’s a trap.”

Just then Rory came to them. “They're still out there. What do we do now?”

“If I can stop whatever's in this box getting out, then they'll go home.” The Doctor replied calmly. Maddie placed her arm on him, letting him feel what she felt, being afraid. The Doctor looked at her and hugged her.

Rory looked at them. “Right, but uh...”

The Doctor interrupted him. “Rory, I'm sorry.” He let go of Maddie as then he saw Amy coming their way. “You're going to have to be very brave now.”

Amy walked past Rory. “Oh, my head.” She groaned.

“Ah.” The Doctor widened with mouth to her see how.

“Ah.” Amy mimicked him.

The Doctor checked her. “Just your basic knock-out drops. Get some fresh air, you'll be fine.”

“Is it safe up there?” Amy asked to him.

“Not remotely, but it's fresh.” The Doctor replied to her.

“Fine.” Amy told him as then she turned around. She almost bumped into Rory. “Oh, you're the guy, yeah?” She motion sword movements. “The one who did the swordy thing.”

Rory nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, thanks for the swording. Nice swording.” Amy thanked him, she walked away from him.

Before she headed out, Rory called to her. “No problem. My men are up there. They'll look after you.”

“Good. Love a Roman.” Amy comment, then she walked away and headed upstairs.

Rory turned to look at the Doctor and Maddie. “She doesn't remember me. How can she not remember me?”

“Because you never existed.” Maddie replied to him.

“There are cracks. Cracks in time.” The Doctor started to explain. “There's going to be a huge explosion in the future, on one particular day. And every other moment in history is cracking around it.”

“So how does that work?” Rory asked to him, confused. “What kind of explosion? What exploded?”

The Doctor was lost in thought. “Doesn't matter. The cracks are everywhere now. Get too close to them and you can fall right out of the universe.”

Rory understand a little bit. “So I fell through a crack and now I was never born?”

“Basically.” He nodded to him.

“That’s about it, Rory.” Maddie comment.

“Well, how did I end up here?” Rory asked confused.

“I don't know, you shouldn't have. What happened?” The Doctor looked at him. “From your point of view, what physically happened?”

“I was in the cave, with you and Amy. I was dying, and then I was just here, a Roman soldier. A proper Roman. Head full of Roman stuff.” Rory pointed on his head. “A whole other life, just here like I'd woken up from a dream. I started to think it was a dream, you and Amy and Leadworth. And then today, in the camp, the men were talking about the visitors. The girl with the red hair. I thought you'd come back for me. But she can't even remember me.”

“Oh, shut up.” The Doctor comment.

“Rude.” Maddie old him.

“And not ginger.” He comment to her, she to her tongue out.

“What?” Rory looked at them confused.

The Doctor throws the ring box to Rory as he grabbed it. “Go get her.”

“But I don't understand. Why am I here?” Rory comment to him.

The Doctor started to explain. “Because you are. The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles, and that's the theory. Nine hundred years, never seen one yet, but this would do me. Now get upstairs. She's Amy and she's surrounded by Romans. I'm not sure history can take it.” Then Rory walked away from them, heading upstairs to Amy.

~00~

The device beeped up as then the Doctor grabbed it. “The Tardis, where is it? Hurry up.” He told to River.

“Don't raise your voice, don't look alarmed, just listen.” River warned him. “They're not real. They can't be. They're all right here in the story book. Those actual Romans. The ones I sent you, the ones you're with right now. They're all in a book in Amy's house. A children's picture book.”

“What are you even doing there?” The Doctor exclaimed.

“It doesn't matter. The Tardis went wrong.” River sighed. “Doctor, how is this possible?”

“Something's using her memories.” The Doctor told her as then he glanced at Maddie, motion to her to come over. She came next to him as she held her head close to the device to hear the conversation as well. “Amy's memories.”

“But how?” River asked to him.

“You said something had been there.” The Doctor pointed it out.

“Yes.” River told him. “There's burn marks on the grass outside. Landing patterns.”

“If they've been to her house, they could have used her psychic residue. Structures can hold memories, that's why houses have ghosts.” The Doctor guessed. “They could've taken a snapshot of Amy's memories. But why?”

“Doctor, who are those Romans?” River asked suspicions.

“Projections, or duplicates.”

“But they were helping us. My lipstick even worked.”

“They might think they're real. The perfect disguise. They actually believe their own cover story, right until they're activated.”

“Doctor, that Centurion. It's a trap. It has to be. They used Amy to construct a scenario you'd believe, to get close to you.”

“Why? Who'd do that? What for? It doesn't make sense.” Then something went kaboom. “River? River?”

“River, what's happening?” Maddie asked worried.

“I don't know. It's the engines.” River shouted into the device. “Doctor, Maddie, there's something wrong with the Tardis, like something else is controlling it.”

“You're flying it wrong.”

“I'm flying it perfectly. You taught me.”

“Where are you? What's the date reading?”

“It's the 26th of June, 2010.”

“You need to get out of there now. Any other time zone. Just go.”

“I can't break free.”

“Well, then shut down the Tardis. Shut down everything!”

“I can't!”

Just then a voice echoed through the device. “Silence will fall. Silence will fall.”

“Someone else is flying it.” River exclaimed. “An external force. I've lost control.”

“But how? Why? The Doctor asked confused, then a high pitched noise fills the chamber and the Romans slump over for a moment, then reactivated. “Listen to me, just land her anywhere. Emergency landing, now. There are cracks in time. I've seen them everywhere, and they're getting wider. The Tardis exploding is what causes them, but we can stop the cracks ever happening if you just land her.”

“It's not safe.” River shouted into the device.

The Pandorica started to open as then a brilliant white light floods out. “Well, now. Ready to come out, are we?” The Doctor looked at the box in wonder.

“Doctor? I'm down. I've landed.”

“Okay, just walk out of the doors. If there's no one inside, the Tardis engines shut down automatically. Just get out of there.”

“I'm going.”

“Run!” The Roman's fingers drop away from their hands to reveal weapons. They were Autons as the Doctor had guessed it.

“Doctor! Doctor, I can't open the doors!” River shouted to him.

The Doctor saw the Autons as then he shouted. “Amy!” Then he pulled Maddie closer to him.

“Doctor, I can't open the doors!” River shouted again. “Doctor, please, I've got seconds!”

Then the soldier grabbed them, pulling them closer to the box as the Doctor began to talk. “Plastic Romans. Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness, eh? Deep cover, but what for? What are you doing? What's in there, eh? What's coming out?”

“The Pandorica is ready.” One of the soldiers said.

“What, do you mean it's open?” Maddie asked to them as she very afraid.

The White Dalek Supreme beamed and went forward a bit. “You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Doctor.” Then a Red and Yellow beam in behind it.

“Scanned? Scanned by what, a box?” The Doctor asked confused.

“Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated.” The white Dalek replied to him.

Cybermen, Judoon and Sontarans beamed down as well. “The Pandorica is ready.” The Sontaran leader told to the Doctor.

“Ready for what?” The Doctor asked confused.

“Ready for you.” The white Dalek announced.

The Doctor struggled against the grip of two Romans. Maddie was held in place as the Doctor was dragged closer and closer to the Pandorica, then fastened into the seat inside it. His arms, torso and head were clamped in place and all his old enemies stared at him.

“You lot, working together. An alliance. How is that possible?” The Doctor asked as he glanced Maddie who was very afraid at the moment, he could feel it as well as his own fear.

“The cracks in the skin of the universe.” The white Dalek began.

“All reality is threatened.” The Sontaran leader agreed.

“All universes will be deleted.” The Cyberman announced.

The Doctor stared at them. “What? And you've come to me for help?”

“No. We will save the universe from you!” The Sontaran leader replied to him.

“From me?” The Doctor asked confused.

“All projections correlate.” The Cyberman replied to him. “All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe.”

The Doctor shook his head. “No, no, no. You've got it wrong.”

“The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the Alliance.” The Cyberman explained.

“A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion.” The white Dalek continued further.

“A trap the Doctor could not resist.” The Sontaran leader agreed.

“The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor. It is confirmed.” The white Dalek told him.

The Doctor looked at his old enemies. “No. no, no, not me, the Tardis. And I'm not in the Tardis, am I?”

“Only the Doctor can pilot the Tardis.” The white Dalek stated.

“Please, listen to me!” The Doctor shouted.

“You will be prevented.” The white Dalek told him.

“Total event collapse!” The Doctor shouted again. “Every sun will supernova at every moment in history. The whole universe will never have existed. Please, listen to me!”

“Seal the Pandorica.” The Cyberman ordered.

“No! Please, listen to me!” The Doctor shouted angry. “The Tardis is exploding right now and I'm the only one who can stop it! Listen to me!” Then the Pandorica closed as then the whole reality clasped.