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locker_monsterTitle: Echoes (7/10)
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Amy, Rory, Amy/Rory
Timeline: Post-"Death of the Doctor" and post-"A Christmas Carol" and pre-"An Impossible Astronaut"
Summary: The Doctor runs into an old enemy, and an old friend, when the TARDIS lands in 18th century Scotland.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Once again, a big thank you to my beta
punch_kicker15. You rock!
Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six.
Rory wasn’t dead. Amy couldn’t stop believing that, not for one second. If they could survive space vampires, psychic spore, lizard people, and a crack in space and time, then what were a few metal men? A part of Rory remembered surviving nearly twenty centuries. He could make it through twenty minutes until she and the Doctor found the Cybership.
A half moon pushed through the clouds, bathing the land in a ghostly white. It wasn’t enough light to see by though, and Amy kept her gaze fixed on the lantern the Doctor held. The mountains were an ominous dark bulk rising above them, the craggy peaks looking like razor sharp teeth trying to devour the sky.
Why was it that the Doctor was only forthcoming in the middle of a crisis? Amy was dying to bug him about the Time Lords and why they would want to punish one of their own. She knew the Doctor had stolen the TARDIS, but nicking a motor was more a “slap on the wrist” offence in her mind. Wiping the memories of the offender’s friend was just a cruel afterthought.
It was probably heartbreaking for the Doctor, to see a friend alive and well but not seeing any recognition in those eyes. Amy could remember the look of anguish on Rory’s face when they met again at Stonehenge and she had barely acknowledged him. It hurt all right.
Jamie remembered some things, but not enough. Maybe there was a way to fix that.
The horses’ hooves scraped against rock as they started to climb the mountain range. Amy looked back but she couldn’t see Glen Beagan; all the lights were out.
Their progress slowed as the ascent slowly grew steeper. Amy’s horse seemed to have a better idea of the terrain and it forged on without any guidance from her. She remained focused on the lantern instead. It gave off a halo of light barely big enough to engulf the two of them. Her gaze kept darting to the shadows just beyond, her eyes peeled for a flash of silver. Amy wanted to urge her horse to go faster, but running up a mountain in the dark was perilous no matter how many legs you had.
The Doctor’s horse suddenly reared up on its back legs and it let out a mighty whinny. With only one hand on the reins, the Doctor lost his grip and he was tossed out of the saddle.
Amy’s horse cried out as well and it took all of Amy’s strength to keep herself from being bucked off like a cowboy at a rodeo. She yanked hard on the reins, the muscles in her arms straining, and the horse finally quieted enough that she was able to dismount. The second she left the horse’s back, it ran off into the night, back down the mountain. The Doctor’s horse, knowing a good idea when it saw one, quickly followed suit.
“Thanks for nothing!” Amy shouted at the horses. She suppressed a shiver at the thought of being stuck on the mountain and went to help the Doctor instead.
Impressively, he had saved the lantern from being smashed against the ground. It rested on his chest, bobbing up and down with each breath the Doctor took. The Time Lord himself was laid out flat on his back, his gangly arms and legs spread out like he was making a snow angel.
“We must be close.” He lifted the lantern off his chest and sat up.
“How can you tell?” Amy looked around but she had no clue if they were halfway up the mountain or down near the base still.
“Animal instinct.” The Doctor rose to his feet. Picking up the lantern, he continued their ascent.
“That animal instinct just left us stranded,” muttered Amy. She fell into step next to him, succumbing to the overwhelming need to stay in the protective aura of the lamp.
“We’ll climb back down in the morning at first light.” The Doctor’s conviction that they would see the morning bolstered Amy’s belief that Rory was fine. These Cybermen were different from the one she met in the Underhenge, after all. They probably weren’t that tough.
They climbed upwards for a few minutes, the Doctor helping Amy over rocks she couldn’t quite see. After scrambling over one particularly large boulder, she paused to catch her breath. The Doctor held the lantern aloft, squinting into the darkness. He probably could have scaled the mountain faster without her, and she would have suggested so, but they needed to talk.
“If the Time Lords made Jamie forget, why can’t you make him remember?” The Doctor kept up the pretence that he was searching the crags ahead of them, but Amy knew he had heard her. “The Time Lords aren’t around anymore; they won’t care if Jamie gets his memories back.”
The lantern dipped slightly as the Doctor glanced over his shoulder. “I can’t, Amy,” he said firmly.
“Come on, I’ve seen you do your Vulcan Mind Meld routine before.”
“I don’t have the right!” The Doctor’s voice echoed across the mountain range. His shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath. “What if Jamie doesn’t want to remember? He could be happier not remembering me,” the Doctor added in a low voice.
Amy clambered up the slope, her feet slipping over loose rocks, but she managed to make it over to the Doctor. His arm must have been getting tired from holding the lantern up, but he hid the strain well. “You told me once you’d love to forget all the bad things that ever happened to you, but you don’t. Not ever. No one is happier not remembering you.”
She thought she caught a smile from the Doctor but he abruptly turned away from her, frowning at the shadows. In a flash, the sonic screwdriver was in his hand and with a quick buzz the light in the lantern went out. With the moon behind the clouds, Amy was suddenly blind.
The Doctor grabbed her hand, reassuring her he was still there. He guided her through the darkness as her eyes slowly adjusted and after a couple of steps, he was urging her to duck down behind a large boulder.
Amy could make out the outlines of the crags around them, but little else. She didn’t need to see, though, to know what they were hiding from. Heavy footsteps pulverized the loose shale. The Cyberman shambled along like a zombie, covering ground at a snail’s pace. Amy tried to peek over the boulder but the Doctor pushed her head back down and when she tried to protest, he clamped his hand over her mouth.
The footsteps stopped on the other side of the boulder.
Amy drew in a sharp breath through her nose, thankful the Doctor’s hand covered her mouth. She probably would have let out an audible gasp without it. The seconds ticked by, her heart hammering against her ribcage. The Doctor was pressed against her so close she could feel his double heartbeat where her hand touched his chest. Had the Cyberman seen them?
The footsteps resumed their slow shuffle. The Doctor lowered his hand, allowing Amy to take a deep breath through her mouth. The cold mountain air was crisp on her tongue and it helped to settle her rapid heartbeat.
The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and used it to do a scan. The green light at its tip was far too bright and Amy cringed.
“You want to send up a flare while you’re at it?” she hissed.
He flicked his wrist and the light went out. “It’s not far. Minimal energy output though. The ship’s barely functioning. No wonder I couldn’t find it.”
The Doctor could have told Amy the Cybership was made out of puppy dogs and ice cream and she still wouldn’t have cared. She just wanted to get Rory back and then send the Cybermen packing for the stars. She would have promptly stomped after the Cyberman but as much as her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she still couldn’t see very well. One false step and she might end up with a broken neck.
The Doctor grabbed her hand again. She could barely make out his face in the gloom, but she was sure he was smiling at her. It was his “Trust me, I know what I’m doing” smile, the same smile he had given her when she was seven years old and there had been a crack in her bedroom wall. Whether that moment had happened for real or was just a memory, Amy had trusted him then. She would trust him now, as always.
She squeezed his hand. Time was ticking by. They had to get moving again.
The Doctor led the way through the night. His night vision seemed better than hers and he was as surefooted as a mountain goat as they stalked the Cyberman. Amy did her best to follow in the Doctor’s footsteps but she was far from stealthy. She sent loose rocks skittering and she was sure she was on the verge of causing an avalanche. But as noisy as she thought she was, the Cyberman never turned around or tried to shoot them.
A light suddenly blazed out of nowhere, practically searing Amy’s eyes. She blinked and realized the light wasn’t coming from nowhere. It was coming from the Cybership.
The ship rested in a hollow on the mountain. It was protected on three sides by rock walls and with its grey colour helped it to blend in with the terrain. The light emanated from within the ship and Amy saw the Cyberman make its way inside, its solid form a silhouette framed in the hatchway. The metal man crossed the threshold of the ship and the hatch closed behind it, submerging the mountain range into darkness again.
The Doctor and Amy took cover on a nearby outcropping. The Cybership looked a little worst for wear with dents in its hull, like it had been caught in a bad meteor storm. It wasn’t that big though. Amy thought it would be bigger but it was probably the size of a short haul airplane.
“What now?” she asked the Doctor.
“A ship of that size, it’s probably just a scout ship. A dozen Cybermen, maybe less if they have causalities.” Going off the optimistic smile on the Doctor’s face, Amy figured that was good odds.
He got out the sonic screwdriver and tapped it thoughtfully against his chin. “Any cyber-conversion units will be to the rear.” He handed her the sonic screwdriver. “Find Rory and then free the rest of the townsfolk.”
The screwdriver felt ungainly in Amy’s hand. “What about you?” She hated it when the Doctor was a million steps ahead of her.
He got an eager gleam in his eye. “I’ll be the distraction. The Cybermen and I are going to have a little chat.”
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Eleven, Amy, Rory, Amy/Rory
Timeline: Post-"Death of the Doctor" and post-"A Christmas Carol" and pre-"An Impossible Astronaut"
Summary: The Doctor runs into an old enemy, and an old friend, when the TARDIS lands in 18th century Scotland.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Once again, a big thank you to my beta
punch_kicker15. You rock!Chapter One. Chapter Two. Chapter Three. Chapter Four. Chapter Five. Chapter Six.
Rory wasn’t dead. Amy couldn’t stop believing that, not for one second. If they could survive space vampires, psychic spore, lizard people, and a crack in space and time, then what were a few metal men? A part of Rory remembered surviving nearly twenty centuries. He could make it through twenty minutes until she and the Doctor found the Cybership.
A half moon pushed through the clouds, bathing the land in a ghostly white. It wasn’t enough light to see by though, and Amy kept her gaze fixed on the lantern the Doctor held. The mountains were an ominous dark bulk rising above them, the craggy peaks looking like razor sharp teeth trying to devour the sky.
Why was it that the Doctor was only forthcoming in the middle of a crisis? Amy was dying to bug him about the Time Lords and why they would want to punish one of their own. She knew the Doctor had stolen the TARDIS, but nicking a motor was more a “slap on the wrist” offence in her mind. Wiping the memories of the offender’s friend was just a cruel afterthought.
It was probably heartbreaking for the Doctor, to see a friend alive and well but not seeing any recognition in those eyes. Amy could remember the look of anguish on Rory’s face when they met again at Stonehenge and she had barely acknowledged him. It hurt all right.
Jamie remembered some things, but not enough. Maybe there was a way to fix that.
The horses’ hooves scraped against rock as they started to climb the mountain range. Amy looked back but she couldn’t see Glen Beagan; all the lights were out.
Their progress slowed as the ascent slowly grew steeper. Amy’s horse seemed to have a better idea of the terrain and it forged on without any guidance from her. She remained focused on the lantern instead. It gave off a halo of light barely big enough to engulf the two of them. Her gaze kept darting to the shadows just beyond, her eyes peeled for a flash of silver. Amy wanted to urge her horse to go faster, but running up a mountain in the dark was perilous no matter how many legs you had.
The Doctor’s horse suddenly reared up on its back legs and it let out a mighty whinny. With only one hand on the reins, the Doctor lost his grip and he was tossed out of the saddle.
Amy’s horse cried out as well and it took all of Amy’s strength to keep herself from being bucked off like a cowboy at a rodeo. She yanked hard on the reins, the muscles in her arms straining, and the horse finally quieted enough that she was able to dismount. The second she left the horse’s back, it ran off into the night, back down the mountain. The Doctor’s horse, knowing a good idea when it saw one, quickly followed suit.
“Thanks for nothing!” Amy shouted at the horses. She suppressed a shiver at the thought of being stuck on the mountain and went to help the Doctor instead.
Impressively, he had saved the lantern from being smashed against the ground. It rested on his chest, bobbing up and down with each breath the Doctor took. The Time Lord himself was laid out flat on his back, his gangly arms and legs spread out like he was making a snow angel.
“We must be close.” He lifted the lantern off his chest and sat up.
“How can you tell?” Amy looked around but she had no clue if they were halfway up the mountain or down near the base still.
“Animal instinct.” The Doctor rose to his feet. Picking up the lantern, he continued their ascent.
“That animal instinct just left us stranded,” muttered Amy. She fell into step next to him, succumbing to the overwhelming need to stay in the protective aura of the lamp.
“We’ll climb back down in the morning at first light.” The Doctor’s conviction that they would see the morning bolstered Amy’s belief that Rory was fine. These Cybermen were different from the one she met in the Underhenge, after all. They probably weren’t that tough.
They climbed upwards for a few minutes, the Doctor helping Amy over rocks she couldn’t quite see. After scrambling over one particularly large boulder, she paused to catch her breath. The Doctor held the lantern aloft, squinting into the darkness. He probably could have scaled the mountain faster without her, and she would have suggested so, but they needed to talk.
“If the Time Lords made Jamie forget, why can’t you make him remember?” The Doctor kept up the pretence that he was searching the crags ahead of them, but Amy knew he had heard her. “The Time Lords aren’t around anymore; they won’t care if Jamie gets his memories back.”
The lantern dipped slightly as the Doctor glanced over his shoulder. “I can’t, Amy,” he said firmly.
“Come on, I’ve seen you do your Vulcan Mind Meld routine before.”
“I don’t have the right!” The Doctor’s voice echoed across the mountain range. His shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath. “What if Jamie doesn’t want to remember? He could be happier not remembering me,” the Doctor added in a low voice.
Amy clambered up the slope, her feet slipping over loose rocks, but she managed to make it over to the Doctor. His arm must have been getting tired from holding the lantern up, but he hid the strain well. “You told me once you’d love to forget all the bad things that ever happened to you, but you don’t. Not ever. No one is happier not remembering you.”
She thought she caught a smile from the Doctor but he abruptly turned away from her, frowning at the shadows. In a flash, the sonic screwdriver was in his hand and with a quick buzz the light in the lantern went out. With the moon behind the clouds, Amy was suddenly blind.
The Doctor grabbed her hand, reassuring her he was still there. He guided her through the darkness as her eyes slowly adjusted and after a couple of steps, he was urging her to duck down behind a large boulder.
Amy could make out the outlines of the crags around them, but little else. She didn’t need to see, though, to know what they were hiding from. Heavy footsteps pulverized the loose shale. The Cyberman shambled along like a zombie, covering ground at a snail’s pace. Amy tried to peek over the boulder but the Doctor pushed her head back down and when she tried to protest, he clamped his hand over her mouth.
The footsteps stopped on the other side of the boulder.
Amy drew in a sharp breath through her nose, thankful the Doctor’s hand covered her mouth. She probably would have let out an audible gasp without it. The seconds ticked by, her heart hammering against her ribcage. The Doctor was pressed against her so close she could feel his double heartbeat where her hand touched his chest. Had the Cyberman seen them?
The footsteps resumed their slow shuffle. The Doctor lowered his hand, allowing Amy to take a deep breath through her mouth. The cold mountain air was crisp on her tongue and it helped to settle her rapid heartbeat.
The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and used it to do a scan. The green light at its tip was far too bright and Amy cringed.
“You want to send up a flare while you’re at it?” she hissed.
He flicked his wrist and the light went out. “It’s not far. Minimal energy output though. The ship’s barely functioning. No wonder I couldn’t find it.”
The Doctor could have told Amy the Cybership was made out of puppy dogs and ice cream and she still wouldn’t have cared. She just wanted to get Rory back and then send the Cybermen packing for the stars. She would have promptly stomped after the Cyberman but as much as her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she still couldn’t see very well. One false step and she might end up with a broken neck.
The Doctor grabbed her hand again. She could barely make out his face in the gloom, but she was sure he was smiling at her. It was his “Trust me, I know what I’m doing” smile, the same smile he had given her when she was seven years old and there had been a crack in her bedroom wall. Whether that moment had happened for real or was just a memory, Amy had trusted him then. She would trust him now, as always.
She squeezed his hand. Time was ticking by. They had to get moving again.
The Doctor led the way through the night. His night vision seemed better than hers and he was as surefooted as a mountain goat as they stalked the Cyberman. Amy did her best to follow in the Doctor’s footsteps but she was far from stealthy. She sent loose rocks skittering and she was sure she was on the verge of causing an avalanche. But as noisy as she thought she was, the Cyberman never turned around or tried to shoot them.
A light suddenly blazed out of nowhere, practically searing Amy’s eyes. She blinked and realized the light wasn’t coming from nowhere. It was coming from the Cybership.
The ship rested in a hollow on the mountain. It was protected on three sides by rock walls and with its grey colour helped it to blend in with the terrain. The light emanated from within the ship and Amy saw the Cyberman make its way inside, its solid form a silhouette framed in the hatchway. The metal man crossed the threshold of the ship and the hatch closed behind it, submerging the mountain range into darkness again.
The Doctor and Amy took cover on a nearby outcropping. The Cybership looked a little worst for wear with dents in its hull, like it had been caught in a bad meteor storm. It wasn’t that big though. Amy thought it would be bigger but it was probably the size of a short haul airplane.
“What now?” she asked the Doctor.
“A ship of that size, it’s probably just a scout ship. A dozen Cybermen, maybe less if they have causalities.” Going off the optimistic smile on the Doctor’s face, Amy figured that was good odds.
He got out the sonic screwdriver and tapped it thoughtfully against his chin. “Any cyber-conversion units will be to the rear.” He handed her the sonic screwdriver. “Find Rory and then free the rest of the townsfolk.”
The screwdriver felt ungainly in Amy’s hand. “What about you?” She hated it when the Doctor was a million steps ahead of her.
He got an eager gleam in his eye. “I’ll be the distraction. The Cybermen and I are going to have a little chat.”
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no subject
Date: 2013-07-01 11:40 pm (UTC)*Adores him*
*Waits happily for next part*
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Date: 2013-07-03 02:06 am (UTC)