It's been a while but I have a new chapter! I'm so sorry it's taken so long to get this out, I lost my motive for a short while but it's back!!

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THE BYZANTIUM
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"Up." The Doctor ordered as he quickly stood up from lying on the ground, helping the blonde girl next to him as he did so. "Look up."

"Are you okay?" River asked Amy, helping her stand up while Father Octavian and the rest of the men stood.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"We jumped." River stated.

"How did we-"

"Jumped where?" Amy asked, cutting her friend off.

"Up." The Doctor repeated. "Up. Look up."

"Where are we?" Amy frowned.

"Exactly where we were." River replied.

"No, we're not." Amy shook her head.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic. "Move your feet." He ordered Amy, making her step back.

"Doctor, what am I looking at?" Amy watched the Time Lord as he scanned a hatch on the ground. "Explain."

"Oh, come on, Amy, think." The Doctor looked around at her. "The ship crashed with the power still on, yeah? So what else is still on?" He stood up and made a small hop. "The artificial gravity. One good jump, and up we fell. Shot out the grav globe to give us an updraft, and here we are."

"Doctor, the statues. They look more like Angels now." Father Octavian informed, looking up at the angels.

"They're feeding on the radiation from the wreckage, draining all the power from the ship, restoring themselves. Within an hour, they'll be an army."

"They're taking out the lights. Look at them." He ordered as he pulled the hatch open. "Look at the Angels. Into the ship, now. Quickly, all of you."

"Won't we fall?" Hollie asked, her eyes widened as the Doctor dropped into the small hatch. "But-" Hollie blinked looking at the Doctor who looked like he was standing on the wall.

"It's alright." The Doctor informed, holding his hand out. "I got you, Holls." The blonde cautiously raised a foot over the open hatch and closed her eyes before jumping and feeling the Doctor take her hand making her open her eyes. "See?" He looked up at Amy. "It's just a corridor. The gravity orientates to the floor." He looked at Hollie and winked before looking back up at Amy. "Amy you're next then everyone else. "Don't take your eyes off the Angels. Move, move, move."

Amy jumped into the corridor next followed by River. "Okay, men. Go, go, go!" Father Octavian ordered, one by one the men jumped in while the Doctor worked on the controls.

"The Angels." Father Octavian began. "Presumably they can jump up too?"

The hatch suddenly closed. "They're here, now." The Doctor said, confirming Father Octavians question. "In the dark, we're finished." They all turned as a large bulkhead door began to close. "Run!" The Doctor shouted heading to it. The door closed just as he, Hollie and Amy got to it. "

This whole place is a death trap." Father Octavian muttered.

"No, it's a time bomb. Well, it's a death trap and a time bomb. And now it's a dead end." He looked around. "Nobody panic." Hollie swallowed hard. "Oh, just me then." He pointed behind his head with his sonic. "What's through here?"

"Secondary flight deck." River answered.

"Okay. so we've basically run up the inside of a chimney, yeah?" So what if the gravity fails?

"I've thought about that." The Doctor nodded.

"And?" Hollie crossed her arms.

"And we'll all plunge to our deaths. See?" He raised a brow at her. "I've thought about it. The security protocols are still live." He worked on the nearby controls. "There's no way to override them. It's impossible."

"How impossible?" River dared to ask.

"Two minutes." He stated, looking back for a moment as the hatch on the outside opened.

"The hull is breached and the power's failing." Father Octavian told them.

"Sir, incoming." One of the men said as they saw a silhouette of one of the angels arms.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned as the lights flickered. "Lights." The lights flickered again and four of the angels got into the entrance, standing under the hatch. The lights flickered again and the hatch closed.

"Clerics, keep watching them." Father Octavian ordered.

"And don't look at their eyes." The Doctor added. "Anywhere else. Not the eyes." He looked at Father Octavian. "I've isolated the lighting grid. They can't drain the power now."

"Good work, Doctor." Father Octavian nodded.

"Yes. Good, good, good." The Doctor rambled on. "Good in many ways. Good, you like it so far."

"So far?" Hollie and Amy both asked.

"Well, there's only one way to open this door." The Doctor glanced at them. "I guess I'll need to route all the power in this section through the door control."

"Good." Father Octavian nodded. "Fine. Do it."

"Including the lights." He slowly added glancing at the man. "All of them. I'll need to turn out the lights."

"How long for?"

"Fraction of a second. Maybe longer. Maybe quite a bit longer." He rambled on.

"Maybe?" Hollie nervously looked at him.

"I'm guessing." He shot her a slightly annoyed look. "We're being attacked by statues in a crashed ship. There isn't a manual for this."

"Doctor, we lost the torches." Amy protested. "We'll be in total darkness."

"No other way." The Time Lord replied. "Bishop."

"Doctor Song," Father Octavian looked over at Ricer. "I've lost good Clerics today. You trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust Hollie and I know she trusts him."

Father Octavian frowned. "Fine, he's not some kind of madman, then?"

River looked at the man without blinking. "As I said, Hollie trusts him."

"Excuse me." The Doctor narrowed his eyes at River for a moment before looking back at the wires in front of him.

"I'm taking your word," He led River away from the other, "because you're the only one who can manage this guy." Father Octavian whispered. "But that only works so long as he doesn't know who you are. You cost me any more men, and I might just tell him. Understood?"

River swallowed hard. "I'm not the one who can manage him." She glanced at Hollie then Amy who watched the Doctor work on the door. "But understood."

Octavian watched her before looking at the Doctor. "Okay, Doctor. We've got your back."

"Bless you. Bishop." The Time Lord replied.

"Combat distance, ten feet." Father Octavian stated. "As soon as the lights go down, continuous fire. Full spread over the hostiles." He ordered. "Do not stop firing while the lights are out. Shotgun protocol. We don't have bullets to waste."

"Hollie, when the lights go down, the wheel should release." The Doctor said. "Spin it clockwise four turns."

Hollie nodded while Amy blurted out: "Ten."

"No, four." He looked at Amy and frowned. "Four turns."

"Yeah, four." She frowned. "Sorry."

"Ready!" The Doctor shouted before plugging his screwdriver into the control unit.

"On my count, then." Father Octavian said. "God be with us all. Three, two, one, fire!"

The Doctor transferred all the power, the lights went out and the Clerics started to shoot at the angels. "Turn!" The Doctor shouted to Hollie.

The blonde gritted her teeth, using every bit of strength she had to turn the large wheel in the middle of the door. "Doctor, it's opening." Amy shouted, now helping Hollie turn the wheel. "It's working."

The bulkhead door opened just enough for everyone to get through. "Fall back!" The Time Lord ordered.

The Clerics went after Amy and River, Father Octavian was then next, the Doctor grabbed Hollies hand, pulling her through, the two slipped through a second before it shut again.

With the Clerics watching the door they had just come through the Doctor ran to the next door, dragging Hollie with him, he quickly plugged his sonic into the control panel next to the door. Father Octavian headed through first, gun in arms ready to fire. The rest of the Clerics went next followed by Amy, River and then Hollie. "Doctor, quickly." River said.

"Doctor!" Hollie and Amy both added as the Time Lord leaned as close to the door as possible before he pulled his screwdriver out of the control panel and slipped through just as the door shut.

Without thinking the Time Lord headed straight to the controls of the flight deck. The group all looked around as the wheel on the bulk door suddenly began to turn.

Octavian placed a device on the door. "Magnetized the door." He looked at the Doctor. "Nothing could turn that wheel now."

"Yeah?" The Doctor questioned with a smile.

The wheel began to turn and Octavians eyes widened. "Dear God!"

"Ah, now you're getting it." He nodded. "You've bought us time though. That's good. I am good with time."

"Doctor." Amy spoke up.

"Seal that door." Octavian ordered as the wheel began to turn on the door to the left. "Seal it now."

The man nearest to the door nodded, placing a device just above the door.

"We're surrounded." River said just as the wheel on the door on the right began to spin.

"Seal it. Seal that door." Father Octavian ordered. "Doctor, how long have we got?"

"Five minutes, max."

"Nine." Amy cut in.

"Five." The Doctor corrected as he, Hollie and River frowned.

"Five. Right." She nodded. "Yeah."
"Amy, you just said nine?" Her friend added.

"I didn't."

The Doctor glanced at the blonde for a moment before he looked at River who spoke up:

"We need another way out of here."

"There isn't one."

"Yeah, there is." The Doctor corrected. "Course there is. This is a galaxy-class ship. Goes for years between planet falls. So, what do they need?"

"Of course." Rivers eyes widened.

"Of course what?" Amy asked. "What do they need?"

"Can we get in there?"

"Well, it's a sealed unit, but they must have installed it somehow. This whole wall should slide up." He moved a large wheelable desk out of the way. "There's clamps. Release the clamps."

"I'm confused." Hollie raised her hand making the Doctor spin around to her while the men released the clamps on the wall. "What's through there? What do they need?"

"They need to breathe." River supplied.

Hollie's eyes widened while the Doctor grinned and moved over to her, standing behind the young woman.

"But that's." Amy stared. "That's a."

"It's an oxygen factory." River added.

"It's a forest." Amy replied.

"It's beautiful." Hollie whispered.

The Doctor grinned and leaned over her shoulder. "Hollie Aria, are you impressed yet?"

River glanced between them and shook her head before cutting in, making the Doctor blink before moving away and back towards the computer. "Yeah, it's beautiful and it's forest but it is also an oxygen factory."

"And if we're lucky, an escape route." The Doctor nodded.

"Eight. " Amy added.

Hollie frowned and River looked at the ginger. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Amy shook her head.

"Is there another exit?" The Doctor asked Father Octavian. "Scan the architecture, we don't have time to get lost in there."

"On it." Father Octavian nodded. "Stay where you are until I've checked the Rad levels." He pulled a device out of his pocket.

"But trees, on a space ship?"

"Oh, more than trees." The Doctor replied as he guided Hollie over to one of the trees by the entrance. "Way better than trees. You're going to love this." He pulled part of the bark away from the tree to reveal its wires. "Treeborgs. Trees plus technology. Branches become cables become sensors on the hull. A forest sucking in starlight, breathing out air. It even rains. There's a whole mini-climate. This vault is an eco pod running right through the heart of the ship. A forest in a bottle on a space ship in a maze." He grinned. "Now I've clearly impressed Hollie by the look on her face," he grinned. "What about you Amy Pond?"

"Seven."

"Seven?" The Doctor and Hollie repeated.

"Sorry, what?" The Doctor frowned

"You said seven." Hollie added.

"No. I didn't."

"Yes. you did." River nodded.

"Doctor, there's an exit, far end of the ship, into the Primary Flight Deck." Father Octavian returned.

"Oh, good." He nodded. "That's where we need to go."

"Plotting a safe path now."

"Quick as you like."

"Doctor?" The voice of Angel bob called. "Excuse me? Hello, Doctor? Angel Bob here, sir."

"Ah." The Doctor pulled the radio out of his pocket, "There you are, Angel Bob." He spoke into it. "How's life?" He winced as he sat in a spinny chair by the controls. ". "Sorry, bad subject."

"The Angels are wondering what you hope to achieve." Angel Bob replied.

"Achieve?" He repeated, glancing at Hollie who was still looking at Amy frowning, the Doctor's eyes flickered to the ginger for a moment before he spun around in his chair. "We're not achieving anything. We're just hanging. It's nice in here. Consoles, comfy chairs, a forest. How's things with you?"

"The Angels are feasting, sir." Angel Bob answered. "Soon we will be able to absorb enough power to consume this vessel, this world. and all the stars and worlds beyond."

"Well, we've got comfy chairs. Did I mention?"

"We have no need of comfy chairs."

"I made him say comfy chairs." The Doctor grinned looking at Hollie who chuckled slightly, she suddenly looked at Amy at the same time as the Doctor and River as the ginger said a number again:

"Six."

"Okay, Bob, enough chat." He grew serious. "Here's what I want to know. What have you done to Amy?"

"There is something in her eye."

"What's in her eye?"

"We are."

"What's he talking about?" Amy asked. "Doctor, I'm five. I mean, five." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Fine! I'm fine."

"You're counting," River replied.

"Counting?"

"You're counting down from ten. You have been for a couple of minutes."

"Why is she counting?" Hollie asked.

"I don't know." He replied.

"Well, counting down to what?" Amy added.

"I don't know."

"We shall take her." Angel Bob spoke through the radio. "We shall take all of you. We shall have dominion over all time and space."

"Get a life, Bob. Oops, sorry again." He smirked. "There's power on this ship, but nowhere near that much."

"With respect, sir, there's more power on this ship than you yet understand."

Hollie looked around while River spoke up as a screeching echoed around them: "What's that? Dear God, what is it?"

"They're back." Father Octavian

"It's hard to put in your terms, Doctor Song," Angel Bon spoke through the radio, "but as best I understand it, the Angels are laughing."

"Laughing?" The Doctor repeated.

"Because you haven't noticed yet, sir." He replied. "The Doctor in the TARDIS hasn't noticed."

"Doctor." Father Octavian called.

"No." He frowned. "Wait. There's something I've missed."

The room began to slightly shake and the group turned around. "That's," Amy began as the Doctor moved towards the crack in the wall above the entrance the group had come in, "that's, like the crack from my bedroom wall from when I was a little girl."

"Yes." The Doctor nodded.

"Okay, enough. We're moving out." Father Octavian stated.

"Agreed." River nodded. "Doctor?"

"Yeah, fine." He stood on one of the crates he moved out of the way earlier.

"What are you doing?"

"Right with you." He replied as he scanned the crack.

"We're not leaving without you."

"Oh yes, you are." He replied. "Bishop?"

"Miss Pond, Miss Aria, Doctor Song, now!"

River shook her head and gave the other blonde a knowing look. "Holliekins."

Hollie chuckled before nodding. "I'll stay with him."

"What?" The Doctor snapped his head over towards her. "No way."

"You can't stop me."

The Doctor opened his mouth and the blonde crossed her arms. "Ugh, fine!" He turned back to the crack and scanned it again. "So, what are you?" He looked at his sonic. "Oh, that's bad. Ah, that's extremely very not good."

"That isn't a sentence," Hollie spoke up.

"Anything is a sentence if-" He stopped as he turned to look at the blonde. "Hollie... turn around."

Hollie did so and the Doctor carefully stepped down off the crate and took her hand. "Do not blink." He instructed, his eyes darting from one angel to another.

The Doctor and Hollie moved forward, looking at the angels on their own sides. The Doctor turned around to face all the angels as Hollie backed away slightly and turned around a second after an angel grabbed onto the back of the Doctors jacket making the Time Lord cry out.

The Doctor blinked. "Why am I not dead then?" He asked.

"Don't complain!" Hollie argued.

"Not now Holls." He replied and glanced around to see that the Angels were not interested in him but rather interested in the crack on the wall.

"Good, and not so good." He commented. "Oh, this isn't even a little bit good. I mean, is that it? Is that the power that brought you here?" He frowned. "That's pure Time Energy. You can't feed on that. That's not power, that's the fire at the end of the universe." He then chuckled. "I'll tell you something else." He slipped his jacket off and grabbed Hollie's hand, the two of them running into the forest. "Never let me talk!"

×××

"Amy, what's wrong?" River asked seeing the ginger was swaying ever so slightly. "Four." Amy stated, continuing to sway before lying down on a mossy tree trunk.

"Med scanner, now." River ordered.

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

"We wait for the Doctor and Hollie."

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

"Father Octavian, when Hollie in the room, your one and only mission is to keep her alive long enough to keep the Doctors concentration so he can focus on getting everyone else home. And trust me, it's not easy to do that. Now, if Hollie's dead back there, I'll never forgive myself. And if he's alive, I'll never forgive him for leaving her. And, Doctor, Hollie, the two of you are standing right behind me, aren't you?"

"Hello!" Hollie laughed.

"Oh, yeah." The Doctor smirked.

"I hate you two."

"You don't!" Both the Doctor and Hollie replied.

"Bishop, the Angels are in the forest." The Doctor informed.

"We need visual contact on every line of approach."

"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."

Hollie snorted. "No, you didn't. You lost your jacket to them."

"Ah but I'm alive aren't I?" He spun around. "And so are you Holls."

Hollie giggled shaking her head. "You're right."

Any frowned. "What was it you found?"

"The crack in the wall." The Doctor answered. "Keep up Pond."

"And what is the crack in the wall?"

"The end of the universe." The Doctor replied as if it was nothing before he took the device from River. "Let's have a look, then."

"So, what's wrong with me?" Amy asked as Hollie sat beside her best friend, looking up at the Doctor, a worried expression now on her face.

"Nothing. You're fine." River replied.

"Everything." The Doctor corrected, his eyes flickering from the med scanner. "You're dying."

"Doctor!" River exclaimed.

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

"Doctor." Amy whimpered.

"Busy."He replied.

"Scared." She shot back.

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

"Doctor that isn't helping." Hollie warned.

"Okay," River nodded, "let him think."

"What happened?" The Doctor questioned with a frown. "She stared at the Angel. She looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long..."

"Sir!" Marco, one of the clerics called to Father Octavian. "Angel incoming."

"And here." Another one, Phillip called.

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

"Come on, come on, come on." He hit himself on the forehead. "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 recalled from the book.

"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." He suddenly covered his mouth with his hands in shock.

"Oh my god!" Hollie exclaimed, looking right at Amy as her friend whimpered again.

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

"Please just shut up. I'm thinking. Now, counting." he frowned. "What's that about?" He turned on the radio. "Bob, why are they making her count?"

"To make her afraid, sir." He explained.

"Okay, but why?" He questioned. What for?"

"For fun, sir." The Doctor let out a noise of anger and threw the communicator away.

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

"Inside your head, in the vision centres of your brain, there's an Angel." He began to explain. "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?" Amy questioned.

"If it was a real screen, what would we do?" The Doctor questioned. "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?" River asked as Hollie spoke up:

"Quickly!"

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

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

"How would you starve your lungs?" The Doctor asked.

"I'd stop breathing."

"Amy, close your eyes." He ordered. Amy shook her head, whimpering:

"No. No, I don't want to."

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

Amy squeezed her eyes shut and the scanner suddenly changed from red to green. Hollie let out a held breath as River smiled. "She's normalising. Oh, you did it. You did it."

"Sir? Two more incoming." Phillip called.

"Three more over here." Pedro added.

"Still weak. Dangerous to move her." River explained.

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

"Amy, listen to me." The Doctor knelt down. "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 stated.

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

"There's a plan?" River frowned.

"I don't know yet." The Doctor answered. "I haven't finished talking." He then clapped his hands together. "Right! Father, you and your Clerics, you're going to stay here, look after Amy and Hollie. If anything happens to either of them, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible, twice." He spun around to look at River. "River, you and me, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck which is..." He licked his finger before holding it up in the air. "A quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're going to stabilise the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Amy."

"Wait I got to stay here?" Hollie looked at him.

The Doctor nodded. "You have to make sure Amy keeps her eyes closed." He told her. "I'll come get you both when it's safe. I promise."

Hollie sighed giving in and River frowned.

"How are we going to stop the Angels?"

"I'll do a thing." He shrugged.

"What thing?"

"I don't know. It's a thing in progress. Respect the thing. Moving out!"

"Doctor, I'm coming with you." Father Octavian walked up to the Doctor. "My Clerics'll look after Miss Pond and Aria. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection."

The Doctor turned to him, putting it bluntly: "I don't need you." He turned back around, walking away.

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

"What?" The Doctor stopped walking and turned around. "You two engaged or something?" He looked at River.

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

"Sir."

"Doctor?" Amy turned her head towards where she heard him speaking a few moments ago "Please, can't I come with you?"

"You'd slow us down, Miss Pond."

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

"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." She frowned.

"I always come back." He countered. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing." He railed off. "Hollie, Amy, later. River, going to need your computer!"

"Yeah. Later." Amy muttered, Hollie sighed and shook her head watching the Doctor head off... Only for a hand to lightly rest on her shoulder a minute later, making her jump and spin around to see... The Doctor?

"Doctor?" Hollie frowned. "Do you keep another jacket in your pockets?" She giggled. "I know you said about them being 'bigger on the inside' but I thought you were joking."

The Time Lord softly smiled. "My Holliaet." He whispered tightly hugging her.

"What the—" Hollie frowned, not expecting it Amy frowned at

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." The Doctor replied. "Not yet but that isn't the point Amy, you need to start trusting me." He looked at Hollie. "Both of you, it's never been more important."

"But you don't always tell me the truth." Amy answered.

"If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me."

"Doctor, the crack in my wall. How can it be here?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm working it out. Now, listen. Remember what I told you both when you were seven?"

"What did you tell us?" Hollie asked.

"Now that would be telling." The Doctor smiled before he sucked in a breath and closed his eyes before he suddenly kissed the blonde right on the lips, the Doctor gripped her tightly as Hollies eyes widened in shock. The Doctor softly smiled as Hollie felt her cheeks warming up in the realisation of what had just happened. "I know you'll figure it out, Holls... You're clever like that."

"What?" Hollie frowned at him, puzzled by what he had done and what he was saying. She swallowed hard, struggling slightly to form a normal sentence in her head. "What was that?"

"Something River likes to call a spoiler." He whispered. "But we can't talk about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh Hollie..." He whispered. "You'll figure it out. You're smart, smarter than you think." He replied before heading off.

Hollie looked at Amy, biting her lip in thought before she shook her head. "Amy I'm going-"

"What?" Amy turned to where the sound of her voice was. "No."

Hollie had already made up her mind and headed in the direction of the Doctor, the same direction he and River headed in before. "Hollie?" Amy called as her friend went. "Hollie!"

×××

The Doctor used his sonic to input data into Rivers device. "What's that?"

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

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

"Don't know," He shrugged, "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?" He countered.

"Well, sucker for a man in uniform." River smirked ever so slightly.

"Doctor Song's in my personal custody." Father Octavian cut in. "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."

"You were in Stormcage?" The Doctor questioned.

"What's Stormcage?" Hollie called as she suddenly appeared from behind a tree."

"What are you doing here?" The Doctors head snapped over to her before he marched towards the blonde. "Go back."

"No." Hollie shook her head. "The Clerics can look after Amy."

"Hollie, go back."

"Nope." She shook her head. "Doctor, I'm staying with you."

River smirked. "Never change Holliekins."

"Don't encourage her!" The Doctor snapped his head over to River.

River raised a brow. "We all know she isn't going to go back."

The Doctor huffed and pointed at Hollie. "Fine." He then looked at the device in his hands that beeped.

"What?" River asked.

"The date." He looked at it as the code on the small computer slowly turned into numbers. "The date of the explosion, where the crack begins."

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

The Doctor held up the computer which read: "26 06 2010."

"Hollie and Amy's time."

"What?" Hollie blinked.

×××

"So, what's happening?" Amy asked, as she moved her head around, her eyes shut. "Anything happening out there?"

"The Angels are still grouping," Crispin replied, spotting one pulling on the bark on the trees as the lights began to flicker ever so slightly. "Are you getting this too?"

"The trees?" Phillip replied. "Yeah."

"What's wrong with the trees?" Amy asked.

"Here too, sir." Pedro shone his light at one of the angels that were frozen in place, ripping wires out of a tree. "They're ripping the Treeborgs apart."

"And here." Phillip nodded as the lights flickered. "They're taking out the lights."

"What is it?" Amy questioned. "What's happening? Tell me." She then demanded, moving her head around to try and make sense of where the men were. "I can't see."

"It's the trees. ma'am." Crispin began to explain. "The trees are going out."

×××

"It doesn't open it from here," Octavian explained as the Doctor checked Rivers device, the woman pointing her gun into the opening with her back to the wall, "but it's the Primary Flight Deck. This has got to be a service hatch or something."

"Hurry up and open it." River ordered. "Time's running out."

"What?" The Doctor looked up, frowning at her. "What did you say? Time's running out, is that what you said?"

"Yeah. I just meant-"

"I know what you meant." He cut in. "Hush. But what if it could?"

"What if what could?" Hollie frowned.

"Time." He replied, looking at her. "What if time could run out?"

"Got it." Father Octavian spoke up, looking at the three for a brief moment.

×××

"Angels advancing, sir," Phillip stated as the lights flickered out yet again, allowing the angels to move forward once more.

"Over here again," Pedro added.

"Weapons primed. Combat distance five feet." Marco ordered. "Wait for it."

"What is it? What's happening?" Amy huffed in annoyance. "Just tell me!"
"Keep your position and, ma'am, keep your eyes shut. Wait."

The three men squinted their eyes as a bright light shone from the side of the forest they had come from. "The ship's not on fire, is it?" Marco questioned Phillip and Pedro.

"It can't be." Pedro shook his head. "The compressors would have taken care of it. Marco, the Angels have gone. Where'd they go?"

"What, the Angels?" Marco frowned.

"This side's clear too, sir."

"The Angels have gone?" Marco frowned.

"There's still movement out there, but away from us now," Phillip replied. "It's like they're running."

"Running from what?" Amy asked.

"Phillip, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that."

"What are you all looking at?" Amy asked. "What's there?"

─── ｡ﾟ☆･*.☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ───