The Time of Change

Confrontation, Affliction, and Arrival

In the crypt of the church, Alaya stares condescendingly at Hunter and Ambrose. They approach her tentatively but without visible fear, Hunter very nearly having to push Ambrose forward to get her to move at all. He watches the reptile-woman through weary eyes, his mind on Annalise. He flinches involuntarily as Alaya's mouth opens to speak to them. "You had to come and see me," she states.

"We are going to keep you safe," says Hunter at once, defending himself and Elliot's mother.

"Your tribe is going to give us back our people in exchange for you," adds Ambrose. Hunter glances at her, imperceptibly shaking his head.

"No," Alaya fiercely tells them. "Shall I tell you what's really going to happen, apes? One of you is going to kill me. My death will ignite a war, and every stinking ape will be wiped from the surface of my beloved planet." The ferocity and sureness in her tone are off-putting to the pair. She does not appear the slightest upset that she has seemingly been prophesized to die.

"We won't allow that to happen," Hunter replies in a strong voice.

Alaya laughs cruelly. "I know apes," she says, "better than you know yourselves. I know which one of you will kill me. Do you?" She raises her scaly eyebrows at them, both stunning yellow, cat-like irises glinting with pure malice.

Ambrose and Hunter exchange a look of commingling disbelief and fright.

On the floor above, Tony stands at a mirror, his fingers shaking with old age and terror. His breathing is shallow, uneven. The whitening hair on his hands and arms stand at attention atop goosebumps that cover his skin. With trembling movements, he touches the left side of his neck where Alaya struck him. Very slowly he peels the collar of his shirt away from it, resisting the urge to clamp his eyes shut. His eyes widen, horror filling his insides, at the sight of the throbbing, painful wound.

All around the slit entry wound, extending down to his chest, are thick, sickly, leaf-green veins that have become distended and deformed. They pulse, allowing the venom from the bite to course through his body at a startling pace.

He can feel it inside. He can feel the change.

The Doctor and Nasreen slam to the floor within the TARDIS as it impacts something hard. Both groan slightly, but the first to move is Nasreen. She shakes her head, almost like a dog with water in its ears, and looks around suspiciously. Now she sees the Doctor lying still, his arm draped over his face. Without another thought, she lifts the right side of his jacket up and snaps his suspender onto his chest.

"Hey!" he exclaims, jolting.

She gives him a look. "Where are we?" she asks.

The Doctor's eyes drop to his hands, one of which he absentmindedly runs through his messy brown hair. He jumps to his feet, pulls Nasreen to hers, and straightens his bowtie. She walks to the doors of the TARDIS and waitsfor him to push them open, still heeding his rule not to touch anything. He turns the handle on the left door and steps out, narrowly avoiding some dripping liquid from the ceiling. He glances up at it only to see the hole through which they seem to have been sucked down, water slowly falling from its mouth. He furrows his brows and motions for Nasreen to follow him as they start down the long, muddy tunnel stretching before them.

"Looks like we fell through the bottom of their tunnel system," he says, more to himself than to her. "Don't suppose it was designed for handling something like this."

"How far down are we?"

"Oh, a lot more than twenty-one kilometers."

Nasreen stiffens, but he does not see. "So... why aren't we burning alive?" she inquires.

"Don't know. Interesting, isn't it?" he adds, smiling to himself excitedly.

She looks at him from behind like he is mad. "It's like this is every day to you."

"Not every day. Every other day."