"That's...that's...that's like the crack from my bedroom wall from when I was a little girl", Amy told the Doctor.

"Yes", he said as the room started to shake.

"Okay, enough. We're moving out", Octavian told them.

"Agreed. Doctor?" River asked.

"Yeah, fine". The Doctor stood on top of a box as he soniced the crack.

"What are you doing?"

"Right with you".

"We're not leaving without you".

"Oh yes, you are. Bishop?"

"Miss Pond, Doctor Song, now!" Octavian yelled.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"Come on!" River told her.

Amy followed River, who was still holding Elise, into the forest. As they ventured further, she started to feel sick.

"Amy? Amy, what's wrong?" River asked, noticing something was off with the ginger girl.

"Four", Amy answered. She swayed on her feet and sat down.

River set Elise down as Amy laid down on a moss covered tree trunk. "Med scanner, now", River ordered.

Elise, due to her size, was face to face with Amy. She reached out a hand to touch her.

"Elise, don't", River told her as a cleric handed her the med scanner.

"Doctor Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving", Octavian told her.

"We wait for the Doctor".

"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralize the Angels. Until that is achieved..."

"Father Octavian, when the Doctor's in the room, your one and only mission is to keep him alive long enough to get everyone else home. Or give Elise enough time to come up with a plan. And trust me, it's not easy. Now, if he's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. And if he's alive, I'll never forgive him. And, Doctor, you're standing right behind me, aren't you?"

Elise looked behind River and saw her father.

"Oh, yeah", he said.

"I hate you", River told him.

"You don't. Bishop, the Angels are in the forest".

"We need visual contact on every line of approach", Octavian said.

"How did you get past them?" River asked.

"I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe", the Doctor answered.

"What was it?" Amy asked, on the verge of tears.

"The end of the universe. Let's have a look, then". The Doctor grabbed the med scanner from River.

"So, what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing. You're fine", River told her.

"Everything. You're dying", the Doctor said.

"Doctor!"

"Yes, you're right. If we lie to her, she'll get all better. Right. Amy, Amy, Amy. What's the matter with Amelia? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? Does it mean anything?"

"Doctor", Amy said.

"Busy".

"Scared".

"Course you're scared. You're dying. Shut up".

"Okay, let him think", River told Amy.

The Doctor continued to think out loud. "What happened? She stared at the Angel. She looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long".

"Sir! Angel incoming", a cleric called out.

"And here", another one said.

"Keep visual contact. Do not let it move", Octavian ordered.

"Come on, come on, come on", the Doctor muttered to himself, "Wakey, wakey. She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel and...and..."

"The image of an Angel is an Angel", Amy recited.

"A living mental image in a living human mind. But we stare at them to stop them getting closer. We don't even blink, and that is exactly what they want. Because as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside. There's an Angel in her mind". The Doctor clapped his hands over his mouth.

"Three. Doctor, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die", Amy told him.

"Please just shut up. I'm thinking. Now, counting. What's that about?" The Doctor pulled out the communicator. "Bob, why are they making her count?"

"To make her afraid, sir".

"Okay, but why? What for?"

"For fun, sir".

The Doctor groaned in frustration and threw the communicator into the forest.

"Doctor, what's happening to me?" Amy asked, "Explain".

"Inside your head, in the vision centers of your brain, there's an Angel. It's like there's a screen, a virtual screen inside your mind and the Angel is climbing out of it, and it's coming to shut you off".

"Then what I do?"

"If it was a real screen, what would we do? We'd pull the plug. We'd kill the power. But we can't just knock her out, the Angel would just take over".

"Then what? Quickly", River told him.

"We've got to shut down the vision centers of her brain. We've got to pull the plug. Starve the Angel".

River looked at the med scanner. "Doctor, she's got seconds".

"How would you starve your lungs?"

"I'd stop breathing".

"Amy, close your eyes".

Amy shook her head. "No. No, I don't want to".

"Good, because that's not you, that's the Angel inside you. It's afraid. Do it. Close your eyes".

Amy shut her eyes and the med scanner turned from red to green.

"She's normalizing", River gasped with relief, "Oh, you did it. You did it".

"Sir? Two more incoming", a cleric called out.

"Three more over here", another one said.

"Still weak. Dangerous to move her", River told the Doctor.

"So, can I open my eyes now?" Amy asked.

"Amy, listen to me", the Doctor said, "If you open your eyes now for more than a second, you will die. The Angel is still inside you. We haven't stopped it, we've just sort of paused it. You've used up your countdown. You cannot open your eyes".

"Doctor, we're too exposed here. We have to move on", Octavian told him.

"We're too exposed everywhere. And Amy can't move. And anyway, that's not the plan".

"There's a plan?" River asked.

"I don't know yet. I haven't finished talking. Right! Father, you and your Clerics, you're going to stay here, look after Amy. If anything happens to her, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible, twice. River, you and me and Elise, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck which is..." The Doctor stuck a finger in his mouth before pulling it out and holding it up. "A quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're going to stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Amy".

"How?"

"I'll do a thing".

"What thing?"

"I don't know. It's a thing in progress. Respect the thing. Moving out!" He clapped his hands together and picked up Elise, setting her on his shoulders. He'd lost the harness when the Angels grabbed him, so they'd have to do the rest of this adventure the old fashioned way.

"Doctor, I'm coming with you", Octavian told him, "My Clerics will look after Miss Pond. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection".

"I don't need you".

"I don't care. Where Doctor Song goes, I go".

"What? You two engaged or something?"

The Doctor looked between the two.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking", Octavian said, "Marco, you're in charge till I get back".

"Sir".

"Doctor? Please, can't I come with you?" Amy asked.

"You'd slow us down, Miss Pond", Octavian told her.

"I don't want to sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up".

The Doctor sat down next to Amy on the log and said, "You'll be safer here. We can't protect you on the move. I'll be back for you soon as I can, I promise".

"You always say that".

"I always come back".

Elise reached over and patted Amy on the head, trying her best to comfort her. "A...A...A..." she squeaked.

"Thanks Elise", Amy said.

The Doctor stood up. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing. Amy, later. River, going to need your computer!" He bounded into the forest, following River and Father Octavian.

River handed him the mini-computer and transferred the readings from the crack into it. "What's that?" River asked, taking Elise from his shoulders.

"Er, readings from a crack in the wall".

"How can a crack in the wall be the end of the universe?"

"Don't know, but here's what I think. One day there's going to be a very big bang. So big every moment in history, past and future, will crack".

"Is that possible? How?"

"How can you be engaged, in a manner of speaking?"

"Well, sucker for a man in uniform".

"Doctor Song's in my personal custody. I released her from the Stormcage Containment Facility four days ago and I am legally responsible for her until she's accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. Just so we understand each other", Octavian told him.

"You were in Stormcage?" the Doctor asked the computer chirped.

"What? What is that?" River asked, looking at the numbers.

"The date. The date of the explosion, where the crack begins".

"And for those of us who can't read the base code of the universe?"

The screen read 26 06 2010.

"Amy's time", the Doctor breathed.

They finally made it to the primary flight deck.

River stood with Elise on her hip with a gun pointed at the forest.

"Do you mind not holding my daughter while holding a gun?" the Doctor asked.

River rolled her eyes and set Elise down. Elise stood behind River, staring out at the forest.

"It doesn't open it from here, but it's the Primary Flight Deck. This has got to be a service hatch or something", Octavian said.

"Hurry up and open it. Time's running out", River told him.

"What? What did you say? Time's running out, is that what you said?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah. I just meant..."

"I know what you meant. Hush". It suddenly hit him. "But what if it could?"

"What if what could?"

"Time. What if time could run out?"

"Got it", Octavian said, opening the service hatch.

"Cracks. Cracks in time. Time running out. No, couldn't be. Couldn't be. But how is a duck pond a duck pond if there aren't any ducks? And she didn't recognize the Daleks. Okay, time can shift. Time can change. Time can be rewritten. Ah. Oh!"

"Doctor Song, get through, now", Octavian told her.

River ushered Elise in front of her. "I need you to crawl through, sweetie. I'm right behind you", she said.

Elise shook her head and pointed at her father.

"He'll be right behind us. I promise. Now crawl", River told her.

Elise climbed into the service hatch and started crawling towards the opening to the primary flight deck.

The Doctor followed after them a few minutes later and closed the service hatch.

River was messing with a bunch of wires. "There's a teleport. If I can get it to work. We can beam the others here. Where's Octavian?" River asked him.

"Octavian's dead. So is that teleport. You're wasting your time". He grabbed River's communicator. "I'm going to need your communicator".

Elise looked at River. The woman looked like she wanted to cry, so Elise grabbed her hand.

River smiled down at the little Timelord.