Tales of a Time Lady (A Doctor Who Fanfiction)

3: Chapter 5: The Angels of Notre Dame

"This is it." Axe swallowed and waited in front of the closed doors of the TARDIS. Lady finished fitting the settings on the console.

"Yeah, it is." She smiled and picked up a thin cord and carried with her as she walked to stand beside Axe. "Ready?"

"Never in a million years. But, I cannot wait that long." Lady smiled and opened the door.

The wind instantly chilled them to the bone. It was afternoon but the sun had not set yet. It felt like it had. Lady slowly breathed in and out.

"Okay, see the highest point, there?" She gestured to the tallest spot of Notre Dame. "That's where I need to go." Axe's mouth was wide open.

"That's ridiculous, what if you fall?"

Lady shook her head and touched the cable that was fastened to her belt. "Not a chance, the cable will be connected to the TARDIS, then me, then the tower. So, if I fall off, it'll catch me." Axe nodded.

"Not completely convinced. But okay."

While under the anxious eyes of Axe, Lady tied the cable around her waist and started climbing. Platforms and little ledges, not doubt used by the workers who built it, surrounded the tower.

"You okay?!" Axe called out. Lady waved back. She continued and finally reached the top. Tying the cable around the stone she sighed in relief.

"Done." She smiled and gave it a tug. But, a yell was heard. Lady looked down in panic, spotting Axe surrounded by a group of statues. She panicked and called down. While the wind blew hair in her face, the statues moved towards her before she had a chance to clear her eyes. Ignoring the statues, she tried to spot the TARDIS. Thankfully, it had camouflaged itself as a giant pillar of stone. The statues clawed their way up, moving now even with Lady's eyes fixed on them. Energy they had stolen must be making them stronger. However, they were slow. The wind blew harder and the air turned freezing, then Lady saw the sky turn red. The cries of crows surrounded her, many of them trying to claw at her face. She hit one, and noticed it was made of stone. However, the stone had caused her left wrist to break, and she cried out in pain and cradled it.

"Lady!" Axe had seen it. She saw in horror that Axe was starting to climb.

"No! Go! Get into the TAR-" Another bird had attacked, the stone claws cutting a jagged line in her forehead. "Turn it on!" She cried down. To her relief, Axe immediately left. Lady breathed heavily and her vision began to turn fuzzy. "No, concentrate…"

St Mark's hand latched onto Lady's ankle and pierced his fingers into her skin. Lady cried out and kicked her leg. Mark dissolved his feet into the stone tower, making it impossible for Lady to make him fall.

Axe scrambled to the stone, trying to figure a way in. It simmered and melted into the telephone booth shape. Axe hurried inside and the TARDIS turned back into the stone. He raced to the console and hit the red button that Lady had pointed out earlier.

Lady instantly felt it. A 1000 volts shot through the cable, into her. She cried out and her eyes glowed gold. The volts became like pure white electricity and travelled through Lady and into every statue that was connected. It then travelled through the skeleton of Notre Dame; everything that touched it was consumed with the energy. Lady was oblivious to the statues crackling and crumbling away, turning to rumble and dust on the rooftops. Inside the church, all the other Assassins collapsed as well. Axe ran back out and suddenly found his shoes covered in dust. The roof was coated with rocks, pebbles and debris. He quickly looked up, and saw Lady dangling from the tower, the cable the only thing keeping her there. Even from the height, Axe could see the blood staining her snow-white hair.

He rushed to the tower and climbed, not noticing that he himself had no cable to support him if he fell. Getting to lady was the only thing on his mind. Thankfully, he arrived soon and clung to her. At first, he was driven. Now, he had no idea what to do.

"Right. Um…" He stared at his position then Lady's. He was clinging to the stone for dear life. He couldn't unite Lady or she would fall. Finally deciding, he began untying Lady (while holding onto her) in the hopes of tying up them booth. Suddenly, his foot slipped and a hand missed the stone. The cable snapped and Lady and Axe fell through the air.

He screamed and grabbed onto Lady's wrist, not the one that was broken. The fall would be enough to break their backs, let alone their necks. His eyes refused to close.

But, soon the sky was beginning to become narrow and a familiar sight was seen. He saw the online of a door with the tower in the middle of it. He suddenly landed on suddenly and felt the softness of the console couch. He scrambled up and Lady had missed the couch and was slumped over the controls. He saw her broken wrist, swallow and purple. Axe was in utter bewilderment.

"How on earth…" He stared at the door, the tip of the tower still visible. He looked at the couch, then the console. "What did you do?" He heard a faint laugh.

"He saved us." Lady laughed again and slipped off the console, laughing on the floor with her face down. As her wrist hit the floor, she took a sharp inhale of breath and mumbled a swear under the breath. Axe picked her up and placed her on the couch. He quickly ran to the kitchen and returned with a tea towel filled with ice. "We are currently horizontal." Axe shook his head, but a look from Lady stopped him. "Don't question. The TARDIS attached itself to the side of the TARDIS, scoping us up when you let us fall." Axe objected. "Nah-ah. Just accept it." Lady sighed and dropped back her head. "We did good. Did we?" Lady lifted an eyebrow to Axe, who smiled.

"We did awesome." Lady laughed.

"Oh, brilliant. Tell me, what happened?" Axe explained, Lady listening intently.

"Thank goodness." She sighed again in relief and closed her eyes. Axe suddenly thought of something.

"Um, Lady. What about all those bodies in the church." She opened one eye.

"History has a way of making things up. It will be covered. Or forgotten." Axe nodded.

"But, they must be remembered, respected."

"Mourned?" Lady closed her eyes again. Axe smiled.

"Yes." An hour later, a metal plague was made, with the help of the TARDIS and Lady's welding knife. It read: 'Dedicated the innocent 87 victims of the Lonely Assassins. May they find rest and be remembered forever. May 15, 1758'.

"Are you sure it was 87 people?" Lady asked again. Axe nodded. "Some memory. Okay, where should we put it?" They decided to place it inside the church on the left wall above a space engraved in the stone, where a small pot of flowers was placed. Lady thought of something then welded out a symbol made of circles and lines.

"What does that say?"

"That's Galifreyan. It means 'honour'." Axe touched the now cool surface, the lines easily felt under his fingers.

"It's beautiful."

The pair hid when soldiers returned to the church to collect the bodies and give them a proper burial. They went back up to the rooftop where the red telephone booth waited for them. Lady and Axe raced to touch it first. When Axe outran her, he went to push against the door, but it opened instantly and he tumbled head over heels. Lady didn't stop laughing for a minute. A tightly wound bandage later and Lady's wrist started to heal. She wrapped ice among the cloth. She was surprised when she found Scraps sitting on the couch, tail wagging and purring contently. Lady remarked again of the cat's strangeness.

Finally, she pulled out the handbrake and disappeared from the rooftops, the sun finally setting on the extraordinary day.