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☆» 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴
☆» 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬
THERE'S NO RESISTING A giant hole in the wall, the tugging in their stomachs urging them to climb into the unknown and fight for their lives. And so, following their base instincts and desires concerning that of the unknown, everyone climbs down a rope ladder into a very large underground space. Scratch that, a very dark and large underground space that makes Violet's skin crawl and makes her feel as though all the walls are pressing in on her scarred skin.
Being in the dark with the Doctor and River is bringing back memories of The Library, and she knows that, without a doubt, that thought has speared through her husband's mind at least once since descending into this insanity. River doesn't know what lies ahead for her — but then again she might, with her being a Time Lord for all intents and purposes. She may well be able to see the turn of the universe and know the future's endless possibilities. But something tells Violet that, even if River could, the woman would shut it out — out of necessity, not out of fear.
"Do we have a gravity globe?" the Doctor calls out in the darkness.
"Grav globe," Octavian orders.
A Cleric hands a globe to the Doctor.
"Where are we?" Amy asks, turning in circles, trying to capture everything at once despite the pressing darkness. "What is this?"
"It's an Aplan Mortarium," River explains, her torchlight hardly lighting up anything beyond a few metres away. "Sometimes called a Maze of the Dead."
"What's that?"
"Well, if you happen to be a creature of living stone..." The Doctor kicks the globe into the air, where it illuminates a vast array of mausoleums and statuary. "The perfect hiding place."
"I guess this makes it a bit trickier," Octavian tries.
"A bit, yeah."
"A stone Angel on the loose amongst stone statues. A lot harder than I'd prayed for."
"A needle in a haystack," River muses.
"A needle that looks like hay. A hay-like needle of death. A hay-alike needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues. No, yours was fine."
"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber. You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection," Octavian orders his Clerics before turning back to Amy and the odd Time Lord trio. "One question. How do we fight it?"
"We find it, and hope."
✩
OCTAVIAN STOPS RIVER FROM following the Time Lord. "He doesn't know yet, does he? Who and what you are? But she does."
"It's too early in his time stream," River admits, concerned eyes flicking to the Doctor and then back to Octavian. "As for Violet, she's always known who and what I am, ever since the day we first met."
"Well, make sure he doesn't work it out, or he's not going to help us."
"I won't let you down. Believe you me, I have no intention of going back to prison."
"Sir?" one of the Clerics calls, walking over to the Father. "Side chamber. One visible exit."
"Check it out," Octavian orders. "Angelo, go with him."
✩
THE DOCTOR AND AMY start up the terraces. She pauses to rub her eye, and stone dust falls out between her fingers.
"You all right?" River asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy dismisses. "So, what's a Maze of the Dead?"
"Oh, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's just a labyrinth with dead people buried in the walls."
The Scottish woman gives the blonde a horrified look.
"Okay, that was fairly bad. Right give me your arm. This won't hurt a bit." River injects Amy.
"Ow!"
"There, you see. I lied. It's a viro-stabiliser. Stabilises your metabolism against radiation, drive burn, anything. You're going to need it when we get up to that ship."
Amy is quick to change the subject, wanting to know more about her childhood imaginary friend. "So what's he like? In the future, I mean. Because you know him in the future, don't you?"
"The Doctor? Well, the Doctor's the Doctor."
"Oh. Well, that's very helpful. Mind if I write that down?"
River shines her torch over at the Doctor. "Yes, we are."
"Sorry, what?" the Time Lord asks, pretending to be consumed in the readings on River's portable computer slash communicator.
"Talking about you."
"I wasn't listening. I'm busy."
"Ah. The other way up, my love," Violet teases.
The Doctor turns River's portable computer around. "Yeah."
"You're so his wife," Amy teases.
"Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy," River tutts. "This is the Doctor we're talking about. Do you really think it could be anything that simple?"
"Yep."
River is silent for a moment as she assesses Amy, and then she turns away with a faint smile, torchlight illuminating another part of the mortarium. "You're good. I'm not saying you're right, but you are very good."
To shatter the silence surrounding them is the chilling sound of gunfire. Violet, the Doctor, River and Amy run back to the main group, only to discover that, out of pure fear, a young Cleric has shot up a statue. Although, it's not as though Violet can blame the young man: fear makes people do the most radical and inhumane things that they would not normally do on any given day.
"Sorry, sorry," a young Cleric apologises, looking completely petrified and embarrassed. "I thought... I thought it looked at me."
"We know what the Angel looks like," Octavian growls at his subordinate, in no way caring about the younger man's fears. "Is that the Angel?
"No, sir."
"No, sir, it is not. According to the Doctor, we are facing an enemy of unknowable power and infinite evil, so it would be good, it would be very good, if we could all remain calm in the presence of décor."
"What's your name?" the Doctor asks.
"Bob, sir," the young Cleric replies.
"Ah, that's a great name. I love Bob."
"It's a Sacred Name," Octavian explains, but none too kindly. "We all have Sacred Names. They're given to us in the service of the Church."
"Sacred Bob," the Doctor muses, slightly amused. "More like Scared Bob now, eh?"
The young Cleric doesn't even bother to deny it. "Yes, sir."
"Ah, good. Scared keeps you fast. Anyone in this room who isn't scared is a moron." The Doctor looks pointedly at Octavian. "Carry on."
"We'll be moving into the maze in two minutes. You stay with Christian and Angelo," Octavian orders. "Guard the approach."
✩
"ISN'T THERE A CHANCE this lot's just going to collapse?" Amy asks, slightly worried. "There's a whole ship up there."
"Incredible builders, the Aplans," River says in a way of dismissing Amy's worries.
"Had dinner with their Chief Architect once," the Doctor adds. "Two heads are better than one."
Violet's stomach drops as she realises what's been bugging her this whole time they've been inside the Maze, and she reaches for the blaster strapped to her right thigh. Pulling it free, she fuses her torch to the top and spins in a slow circle, going unnoticed by everyone accompanying her.
"What, you mean you helped him?" Amy asks, confused.
"No, I mean he had two heads." The Doctor pauses and turns back to face River and Violet, a strange look in his hazel eyes that's only amplified when he sees that the wife he knows is prepared for a bloodbath; to fight her way out by tooth and nail if needs be. "That book, the very end, what did it say?"
"Hang on," River says, fishing through her pocket to pull out the worn journal and flicking to the end.
"Read it to me."
"'What if we had ideas that could think for themselves? What if one day our dreams no longer needed us? When these things occur and are held to be true, the time will be upon us. The time of Angels.'"
✩
"ARE WE THERE YET?" Amy complains. "It's a hell of a climb."
"The Maze is on six levels, representing the ascent of the soul," River explains. "Only two levels to go."
"Lovely species, the Aplans," the Doctor says with a smile. "We should visit them some time."
"I thought they were all dead?" Amy retorts, confused.
"So is Virginia Woolf. I'm on her bowling team," the Time Lord sasses back. "Very relaxed, sort of cheerful. Well, that's having two heads, of course. You're never short of a snog with an extra head."
"Doctor, there's something," River tries, her face twisted into a confounded frown as her brain tries to make the link. "I don't know what it is."
"Yeah, there's something wrong. Don't know what it is yet, either. Working on it," the Doctor says, sounding confused himself. "Of course, then they started having laws against self-marrying. I mean, what was that about? But that's the Church for you. Er, no offence, Bishop."
"Quite a lot taken, if that's all right, Doctor," the man in question growls back. "Lowest point in the wreckage is only about fifty feet up from here. That way."
"The Church had a point, if you think about it," Amy admits. "The divorces must have been messy."
"Oh," the Doctor says, turning to look at River and Violet.
"What's wrong?"
River's eyes widen. "Oh."
The collective penny has finally dropped.
"Exactly," the Doctor says.
"How could we have not noticed that?" River breathes.
"Low level perception filter, or maybe we're thick."
"What's wrong, sir?" Octavian asks.
"Nobody move. Nobody move," the Doctor orders, pointing his torchlight at Amy as she goes to walk towards him, making her stumble slightly on the uneven ground. "Everyone stay exactly where they are. Bishop, I am truly sorry. I've made a mistake and we are all in terrible danger."
"What danger?"
"The Aplans," River says.
"The Aplans?"
"They've got two heads."
"Yes, I get that. So?"
"So why don't the statues?" the Doctor asks with a faint smile. He directs his torchlight to a small alcove that shows no way of anything attacking them from behind. "Everyone, over there. Just move. Don't ask questions, don't speak.
They all move into the alcove away from the statues without question, submitting to the Time Lord's orders despite them not knowing the man, and Violet would find it amusing if she had any place for such an emotion alongside her unease of being surrounded by Weeping Angels.
"Okay, I want you all to switch off your torches."
"Sir?" one of the Clerics asks, about to start arguing with the Time Lord.
"Just do it."
One by one, everyone switches off their torches, the Gravity Globe fading itself, leaving only Violet and the Doctor with lights. The latter looks back at his wife, a grim expression at war with curiosity and delight on his youthful face. Reluctantly she switches her own torch off, but keeps her blaster pointing at the statue closest to them, knowing exactly what's about to happen when all the lights go out.
"Okay," the Doctor turns back to face the statues, the bean of light from his torch trained on the face of the closest statue. "I'm going to turn off this one too, just for a moment."
"Are you sure about this?" River asks.
"No."
He turns the light out then back on in an instant, but it's enough time for the Angels to move.
"Oh, my God," Amy breathes, her eyes wide with horror. "They've moved."
The Doctor runs down the passage, and it is filled with statues coming towards them. "They're Angels. All of them."
"But they can't be," River says in disbelief.
"Clerics, keep watching them." He runs back to a vantage point of the main cavern. All the statues are climbing up towards them. "Every statue in this Maze, every single one, is a Weeping Angel. They're coming after us."
Somehow those words don't make sense to Violet, but she pushes them to the side for now, too busy with the fact of there being Weeping Angels all around them, ready to kill them at any given moment.