*UNIT HQ*
"Secret base beneath the Tower. Hope we're not here because we know too much" Amy says.
"Yes, I've got officers trained in beheading. Also ravens of death" Kate says.
"I like her," Amy says, we enter an area with lots of individual armoured cubicles, each containing a cube.
"There are fifty being monitored, and more coming in all the time. I don't know how useful it is. Every cube is behaving individually. There's no meaningful pattern. Some respond to proximity. Some create mood swings" Kate explains, Amy touches one cubicle and the cube produces a flame. In another, a woman weeps.
"Er, what's this one?" Amy asks.
"Try the door" Amy opens the door and the Chicken Dance Song starts playing, the Doctor puts his fingers in his ears, I make a face "on a loop!" Amy shuts the door again quickly "this is the latest."
"Oh dear. Systems breach at the Pentagon, China, every African nation, the Middle East" I say.
"I've got governments screaming for explanations and no idea what to tell them. I'm lost, Seer, Doctor. We all are" Kate says.
"Don't despair, Kate. Your dad never did. Kate Stewart, heading up UNIT, changing the way they work. How could you not be? Why did you drop Lethbridge?" the Doctor asks.
"I didn't want any favours. Though he guided me, even to the end. Science leads, he always told me. Said he'd learned that from an old friend."
"We don't let him down. We don't let this planet down" I say.
"They've stopped. The cubes, across the world, they just shut down."
"Active for forty-seven minutes, and then they just die?" Kate asks.
"Not dead. Dormant, maybe" the Doctor says.
"Then why shut down?" Amy asks.
"We don't know. We don't know. We need to think. We need some air. Who has an underground base? Terrible ventilation" the Doctor says.
*By the Thames*
"The moment they arrived, we should have made sure they were collected and burned. That is what we should have done" I say.
"How? Nobody would have listened" Amy says.
"You're thinking of stopping, aren't you? You and Rory" the Doctor says.
"No. I mean, we haven't made a decision" Amy says.
"But you're considering it" I say.
"Maybe. I don't know. We don't know. Well, our lives have changed so much. But there was a time, there were years when I couldn't live without you two. When just the whole everyday thing would drive me crazy. But since you both dropped us back here, since you both gave us this house, you know, we've built a life. I don't know if I can have both."
"Why?" I ask.
"Because they pull at each other. Because they pull at me, and because the travelling is starting to feel like running away."
"That's not what it is" the Doctor says.
"Oh, come on. Look at you, four days in a lounge and you go crazy" Amy says.
"We're not running away. But this is one corner of one country in one continent on one planet that's a corner of a galaxy that's a corner of a universe that is forever growing and shrinking and creating and destroying and never remaining the same for a single millisecond. And there is so much, so much to see, Amy. Because it goes so fast. We're not running away from things, we are running to them before they flare and fade forever. And it's all right. Our lives won't run the same. They can't. One day, soon maybe, you'll stop. We've known for a while" I say.the
"Then why do you both keep coming back for us?"
"Because you were the first. The first face our face saw. And you're seared onto my hearts both our hearts, Amelia Pond. You always will be. We're running to you, and Rory, before you fade from us" the Doctor says.
"Don't be nice to me. I don't want you to be nice to me."
"Yeah, you do, Pond, and you always get what you want. They got what they wanted" I say.
"What? Who did?"
"The cubes. That's why they stopped. Come on" I say.
*UNIT HQ*
"Kate? Before they shut down, they scanned everything, from your medical limits to your military response patterns" the power cuts off "they made a complete assessment of Planet Earth and its inhabitants. That's what the surge of activity was. Problem with the power?" the Doctor asks.
"Not possible. We've got back-ups" Kate says.
"Hmm."
"Alex? Doctor? Look" Amy says.
"What?"
"Why do they all say seven?" Kate asks every cube is showing the same number.
"Seven. Seven, what's important about seven? Seven wonders of the world, seven streams of the River Ota, seven sides of a cube" I say.
"A cube has six sides," Amy says.
"Not if you count the inside" the number changes to six.
"It has to be a countdown," the Doctor says.
"Not in minutes," Kate says.
"Why would it be minutes? Kate, we have to get humanity away from those cubes. God knows what they'll do if they hit zero. Get the information out any way you can. News channels, websites, radio, text messages. People have to know that the cubes are dangerous" I say.
"Ok, but why is this starting now? I mean, the cubes arrived months ago. Why wait this long?" Amy asks.
"Because they're clever. Allow people enough time to collect them, take them into their homes, their lives. Humans, the great early adopters. And then, wham! Profile every inch of Earth's existence" the Doctor says.
"Discover how best to attack us," Kate says.
"Get that information out any way you can. Go!" I say.
Right" the Doctor and I walk over to the computers which are still working "every cube was activated. There must be signals, energy fluctuations on a colossal scale, there must be some trace. There can't not be. We need to think of all the variables, all the possibilities, ok? Go, go, go, go, go!"
"This is a national security alert. The Government advises that members of the public dispose of all cubes. If there are cubes inside your house, remove them immediately" the number drops from five to four.
*Hospital*
"Get them out of the building. Away from here, as far as you can, and get back here before it hits zero. Dad, could you go and get me a box of tape for dressings? It's just the cupboard round the corner" Rory says.
"Yes, boss" Brian replies walking off, in the corridor Brian is nearly knocked over by the twin orderlies pushing a trolley "sorry. Er, excuse me? I'm looking for the supplies cupboard. I said, I'm looking for the supplies cupboard" the orderlies turn and advance towards Brian, the number turns to three.
"Have you seen my dad?" Rory asks.
"No, sorry" in the corridor, Rory sees the orderlies at the far end, with Brian on the trolley.
"Hey. Dad! Hey! Hey!" the orderlies run into a lift with Do Not Use tape all over it. Rory presses the button the doors open again but it is empty. He goes in and tries the floor buttons. The doors close. Rory touches the wall opposite and it wibbles. He walks through and onto a spaceship in orbit above Earth.
*UNIT HQ*
"Alex, please. You don't have to do this" Amy says.
"She's right. You don't have to be in there. We can do this remotely" Kate says, I pat the Doctor's cheek.
"Remotely isn't our style. See you after" I enter the cubicle as the number on the cube changes to two. Then it goes to one rather quickly, and finally zero. Then it switches off and opens its lid "Geronimo."
"What's happening?" Kate asks.
"Well? What's in there?" Amy asks.
"There is nothing in here" I say.
"Er, well, that's good. It's not, it's not bombs, it's not aliens."
"Why? Why is there nothing inside? Why? It doesn't make any sense" the Doctor says as I come out of the cubicle
"Glasses, is it the same? Is it the same all around the world?"
"They're empty. We're safe, right?" Kate asks.
"Ah, no, no, no, we are very far from safe. All along, every action has been deliberate. Why draw attention to the cubes if they don't contain anything?" the Doctor asks.
"Alex, Doctor, look," Amy says, on the monitors, people are clutching at their chests in pain as they walk near cubes on the ground.
"They're CCTV feeds from across the world. They're showing the same."
"People are dying," Kate says.
"What? They can't be dying. How? How are they dying?" I ask.
"I want information on how people are being affected," Kate says.
"The cubes brought people close together. They opened and then argh!" I clutch my chest.
"Alex, what's the matter?" Amy asks, I stumble back into a chair.
"Argh. Ah, I don't know!" I shout.
"Hospitals are logging a global surge in heart failures. Cardiac arrests."
"That's it. Oh! Oh! Oh! Only one heart. Other ones not working" I say "haven't had this problem in a while actually..."
"Ok, I'm going to get you to the hospital!" Amy says.
"Oh, no, no, no, no. Just a short circuit. Turn around, turn around. Tell me, show me. Ten seconds after the cubes opened, show me the patterns in their electrical currents."
"See?" the Doctor says.
"No!" Kate replies.
"Yes, the power cut. They zapped the power and then argh!" I cut myself off with a groan.
"They're signal boxes. People leaning in, wham. Pure electrical surge out of the cube targeted at the nearest human heart. The heart, an organ powered by electrical currents, short-circuited. How to destroy a human? Go for the heart" the Doctor says.
"Ow. Crikey Moses" I mutter.
"Seer, Doctor, the scan you set running. The transmitter locations. It's found them" Kate says.
"And look at them all, pulsing bold as brass. Seven of them, all across the world. Ow!" I say hitting my chest repeatedly
"Seven stations, seven minutes. Why is that important?" the Doctor asks.
"Argh! Ow, ow. How do you people manage? One heart, it is pitiful" I say.
"A wormhole, bridging two dimensions. Seven of them hitched onto this planet, but where's the closest one? Glasses, zoom in" the Doctor says.
"It's the hospital where Rory works," Amy says.
*Spaceship*
Rory spots his father amongst the people lying on slabs.
"Dad. Dad!" the alien orderlies are there
"Just get away from him" the orderlies draw hypodermics and advance.
*Hospital*
"How many deaths have been recorded?" the Doctor asks.
"We don't know. We think it could be a third of the population" Kate replies.
"Kate, we have to find the wormhole, but the attacks could still happen. Tell the world. Tell them how to deal with this. The world needs your leadership right now" the Doctor says.
"I'll do my best."
"Of course, you will. Good luck, Kate. Argh! Argh!" I groan, the Doctor steadies me.
"Ok, how long are you going to last with only one heart?" Amy asks.
"Not much longer. We need to locate the wormhole portal" the Doctor says, pulling his sonic screwdriver out, it buzzes "hello. Hello!" he finds a little girl "you are giving off some very strange signals" the girl's face glows blue.
"Oh, my God" Amy says.
"Outlier droid, monitoring everything. If I shut her down, I can..." he does the little girl starts to fall, he catches her "ah. It's all right, it's all right" I stagger again.
"I can't, Amy, Doctor. I can't do it. I need both hearts!" I groan falling to the floor, Amy grabs a portable defibrillator.
"All right. Desperate measures" Amy says.
"What? No. No, no, no. That won't work. I'm a Time Lord" I say, Amy rips opens my shirt.
"Hey!" I say.
"All right, clear!" I bolt up and turn in a circle.
"Whoo! Ooo. Ooo! Welcome back, lefty! Whoa-ho! Two hearts! Woo! Back in the game. Ah. Never do that to me again" I say. A while later we make it to a lift and it dings.
"Ah, portal to another dimension in a goods lift?" Amy asks.
"The energy signals converge here. Does seem a bit cramped, though" the Doctor says, we find the wibbly wall.
"Through the looking glass, Amelia?" I ask, we all hold hands and walk through the wall.
*Spaceship*
"Where are we?" Amy asks.
"We're in orbit. One dimension to the left" the Doctor says.
"Rory!" Amy shouts, Rory is laid out on a slab next to Brian. I produce a small vial.
"Ah. Saborian smelling salts. Outlawed in seven galaxies" I say throwing Amy the vial, Amy waves it under Rory's nose and he sits up quickly. Someone shoots at them "whoa! Whoa! What kind of a welcome do you call that? Get them out of here. You too. Now!" I say.
"What are you two going to do?" Amy asks.
"Absolutely no idea. Get him to the portal" the Doctor says, Brian wakes as soon as they move his trolley. The alien shoots again "whoa!"
"So many of them crawling the planet, seeping into every corner" Amy, Rory and Brian leave. The alien vanishes then reappears in front of a bank of monitors.
"It's not possible. We thought the Shakri were a myth. A myth to keep the young of Gallifrey in their place" I say.
"The Shakri exist in all of time, and none. We travel alone and together. The Seven."
"The Shakri craft, connected to Earth, through seven portals and seven minutes. Ah, but why?" the Doctor asks.
"Serving the word of the Tally."
"Why the cubes? Why Earth?"
"Not Earth, humanity. The Shakri will halt the human plague before the spread."
"Erase humanity before it colonises space. We thought the cubes were an invasion. The start of war" I say.
"The human contagion only must be eliminated" Rory and Amy return.
"Who are you calling a contagion?" Amy asks.
"Oi! Didn't we tell you two to go?" the Doctor asks.
"You should have learned by now" Rory replies.
"Yeah, and what is this Tally anyway?" Amy asks.
"Some people call it Judgment Day, or the Reckoning" I say.
"Don't you two know?" Amy asks.
"We've never wanted to find out."
"Before the Closure, there is the Tally. The Shakri serves the Tally."
"The pest controllers of the universe, that's how the tales went, isn't it?" the Doctor asks.
"Wow. That's some seriously weird bedtime story" Amy says.
"You can talk. Wolf in your grandmother's nightdress? So, here you are, depositing slug pellets all over the Earth, made attractive so humans will collect them, hoping to find something beautiful inside. Because that's what they are. Not pests or plague, creatures of hope, forever building and reaching. Making mistakes, of course, every life form does. But, but they learn. And they strive for greater, and they achieve it. You want a tally. Put their achievements against their failings through the whole of time, we will back humanity against the Shakri every time" I say.
"The Tally must be met. The second wave will be released."
"What does that mean?" Amy asks.
"It's going to release more cubes to kill more people," the Doctor says.
"The human plague breeding and fighting. And when cornered, their rage to destroy. You're too late, Doctor and Seer. The Tally shall be met" the alien vanishes.
"He's gone?" Amy asks.
"He was never really here. Just the ship's automated interface, like a talking propaganda poster. We can stop the second wave. We can disconnect all the Shakri craft from their portals, leave them drifting in the dark space. Ah, but all those people who were near the cubes, so many of them will have died" I say.
"I restarted one of your hearts," Amy says.
"You'd need mass defibrillation," Rory says.
"Of course. Ah, beautiful. But, Ponds, Ponds. We are going to go one better than that. The Shakri used the cubes to turn people's hearts off. Bingo! We're going to use them to turn them back on again" the Doctor says.
"Will that work?" Amy asks.
"Well, creatures of hope. Has to" the Doctor finishes sonicing the alien computer.
"Thirty seconds. Don't let us down, cubes, you're working for us now. Oh dear. All these cubes. There's going to be a terrible wave of energy ricocheting around here any second. Run!" I say.
"I'm going to miss this" Rory says, the spaceship explodes. The Doctor, Amy, Rory and I land in the corridor. All around the world, people start to get up off the ground.
"Emergency hospitals and field units are working at full capacity around the world, as millions of survivors of cardiac arrests are nursed back to health after an unprecedented night across the globe."
*Time skip*
"You both, er, the two of you really are as remarkable as Dad said," Kate says, she kisses us both on the cheek "thank you."
"My! A kiss from a Lethbridge Stewart. That is new. Oh dear, we're late for dinner" the Doctor says, he salutes Kate before he and I get into the UNIT Range Rover.
*Time skip*
"Dear me. We'd better get going. Things to do, worlds to save, swings to swing on. Look, I know, you both have lives here. Beautiful, messy lives. That is what makes you so fabulously human. You don't want to give them up. We understand" I say.
"Actually, it's you two they can't give up. And I don't think they should. Go with them. Go save every world you can find. Who else has that chance? Life will still be here" Brian says.
"You could come, Brian," the Doctor says.
"Somebody's got to water the plants. Just bring them back safe."
"So that was the year of the slow invasion when the Earth got cubed, and the Doctor and Alex came to stay. It was also when we realised something the Shakri never understood. What cubed actually means. The power of three"