I began to feel dizzy. "Juno? Juno, what's wrong?" River and Amy rushed to my side. "Juno, what's wrong?" Amy asked.
"Four."
I swayed and sat down, laying on a nearby tree trunk. "Med scanner, now." River demanded. "Doctor Song, we can't stay here. We've got to keep moving."
"We wait for the Doctor."
"Our mission is to make this wreckage safe and neutralise the Angels. Until that is achieved-" River interrupted, "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. 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?" I heard River say. "Oh, yeah." the Doctor responded. "I hate you."
"You don't." the Doctor said to River. "Bishop, the Angels are in the forest." he informed Octavian. "We need visual contact on every line of approach." Octavian ordered his clerics. "How did you get past them?" River asked. I saw someone couch down in front of me. It was the Doctor. "I found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe." he said. "What was it?" I asked. "The end of the universe. Let's have a look, then." he grabbed the med scanner from River. "So, what's wrong with me?" I questioned. "Nothing. You're fine." River gave a reassuring smile. "Everything. You're dying." the Doctor said.
"Doctor!" River scolded. I looked up, "Yes, you're right. If we lie to her, she'll get all better." the Doctor looked down to me, Right. Juno, Juno, Juno. What's the matter with Juno? Something's in her eye. What does that mean? Does it mean anything?" he leaned in closer to my face, looking in my eyes. "Doctor." I said. "Busy." he mumbled. "Scared." I shot back. "Course you're scared. You're dying. Shut up."
"Okay, let him think." River rubbed my shoulder. "What happened? She stared at the Angel. She looked into the eyes of an Angel for too long-" a cleric yelled, "Sir! Angel incoming." Another cleric informed, "And here."
"Keep visual contact. Do not let it move."
"Come on, come on, come on. Wakey, wakey. She watched an Angel climb out of the screen. She stared at the Angel and, and..." I spoke up, "The image of an Angel is an Angel."
"A living mental image in a living human mind. But we stare at them to stop them getting closer." he turned away. "We don't even blink, and that is exactly what they want. Because as long as our eyes are open, they can climb inside." the Doctor looked back at me, "There's an Angel in her mind."
"Three." I said. "Doctor, it's coming. I can feel it. I'm going to die." I tensed up. "Please just shut up. I'm thinking. Now, counting. What's that about?" he picked up his walkie-talkie. "Bob, why are they making her count?" he asked. "To make her afraid, sir." Angel Bob replied. "Okay, but why? What for?" the Doctor quizzed. "For fun, sir." The Doctor threw the communicator away. "Doctor, what's happening to me? Explain." I demanded. "Inside your head, in the vision centres 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." he explained. "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." he thought out loud. "Then what? Quickly." River said. "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 warned. "How would you starve your lungs?" he asked Amy. "I'd stop breathing." she replied. "Juno, close your eyes." he crouched down in-front of me. "No. No, I don't want to." I shook my head. "Good, because that's not you, that's the Angel inside you. It's afraid. Do it. Close your eyes." he held my hand. I squeezed my eyes shut. "She's normalising. Oh, you did it. You did it." I heard River exclaim.
"Sir? Two more incoming." a distant voice said. "Three more over here." another informed. "Still weak. Dangerous to move her." I looked up, "So, can I open my eyes now?" I asked. "Juno, listen to me. 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." he explained. "Doctor, we're too exposed here. We have to move on." Octavian said. "We're too exposed everywhere. And Juno can't move. And anyway, that's not the plan." the Doctor removed his hand from mine. "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 Juno. If anything happens to her, I'll hold every single one of you personally responsible, twice- maybe three times. River, Amy, you two and me, we're going to find the Primary Flight Deck which is-" he paused. "A quarter of a mile straight ahead, and from there we're going to stabilise the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Juno."
"How?" Amy asked.
"I'll do a thing." he replied.
"What thing?"
"I don't know. It's a thing in progress. Respect the thing. Moving out!" he ordered. "Doctor, I'm coming with you. My Clerics'll look after Miss Juno. These are my best men. They'd lay down their lives in her protection." Octavian bargained. "I don't need you." the Doctor said, a bit harshly. "I don't care. Where Doctor Song goes, I go."
"What? You two engaged or something?" I asked. "Yes, in a manner of speaking. Marco, you're in charge till I get back." Octavian said. "Sir."
"Doctor? Please, can't I come with you?" I pleaded. I felt someone grab my hand, holding it in theirs. "You'd slow us down, Miss Juno." Octavian said. "I don't want to sound selfish, but you'd really speed me up." I furrowed my eyebrows. "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." the Doctor kissed the back of my hand. "You always say that." I mumbled. "I always come back." he let go of my hand. "Good luck, everyone. Behave. Do not let that girl open her eyes. And keep watching the forest. Stop those Angels advancing." he kissed my forehead. "Juno, later. Amy, come on. River, going to need your computer!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah. Later." I mumbled.
After about thirty seconds, I felt someone grab my hands. "Juno, you need to start trusting me. It's never been more important." the Doctor said. "But you don't always tell me the truth." I raised an eyebrow. "If I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me." he responded. "Doctor, the crack in Amy's wall. How can it be here?" I asked. "I don't know yet, but I'm working it out. Now, listen. Remember what I told Amy when she was seven?"
"What did you tell her? I don't remember. Doctor?" I questioned. "No. No, that's not the point. You have to remember." he kissed my forehead before letting go of my hands. "Remember what? Doctor? Doctor!" He was gone.
"So, what's happening? Anything happening out there?" I yelled out. It had been about 15 minutes since the Doctor left me. "The Angels are still grouping. Are you getting this too?" I heard Marco ask. "The trees? Yeah." Phillip replied. "What's wrong with the trees?" I questioned. "Here too, sir. They're ripping the Treeborgs apart."
"And here. They're taking out the lights."
"What is it? What's happening? Tell me. I can't see." I called out. "It's the trees. ma'am. The trees are going out." Marco informed.
"Angels advancing, sir." Phillip said. "Over here again." Pedro called out. "Weapons primed. Combat distance five feet. Wait for it." I heard Marco hold up his gun. "What is it? What's happening? Just tell me!" I tried to stand up. "Keep your position and, ma'am, keep your eyes shut. Wait." Marco ordered.
"The ship's not on fire. is it?" Marco asked. "It can't be. the compressors would have taken care of it. Marco, the Angels have gone. Where'd they go?" Pedro questioned. "What, the Angels?" I asked. "This side's clear too, sir." Phillip said. "The Angels have gone?"
"There's still movement out there, but away from us now. It's like they're running." Phillip explained. "Running from what?" I asked. "Phillip, Crispin, need to get a closer look at that." I heard Marco say. Footsteps followed Marco's order. "What are you all looking at? What's there?" I asked. "It's like, I don't know, a curtain of energy, sort of shifting. Makes you feel weird. Sick." Marco explained. "And you think it scared the Angels?" I quizzed. "What could scare those things?" Pedro muttered. I stood up. "What are you doing?" Marco asked me. "Point me at the light." I said. "You can't open your eyes." Marco responded. "I can't open them for more than a second, that's what the Doctor said. Still got a bit of countdown left." I smiled. "Ma'am. you can't." Marco argued. "I need to see it. Am I looking the right way? I have to be quick." Marco gave up, "Very quick."
Marco pointed me at the light. "Okay." I opened my eyes. "It's the same shape. It's the crack in Amy's wall."
"Close your eyes, now." Marco said. "It's following us! How can it be following us?" I fell to my knees, Marco put his hands over my eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked me. "Yeah. It was the same shape." I said. "Marco, you want me to get a closer look at that?" Pedro asked. "Go for it. Don't get too close." Marco replied. "Hang on. What about the other two? Why not just wait until they're back?" I questioned. "What other two?" Marco questioned. "The ones you sent before." I said. "I didn't send anyone before." Marco replied. "You did, I heard you. Crispin and Phillip."
"Crispin and who?"