Until Forever Ends •| Doctor Who |•

Chapter Nine: I'm not leaving you. Not ever

Chapter Nine: I'm not leaving you. Not ever

[Camp]

"Last one positive."

"Doctor?" Father Octavian called. "We're through."

[Drop ship]

"Okay, now it starts."

Amy, the Doctor and River left the drop ship. Emily took a few seconds longer.

"Coming?"

"Yeah, coming." She said. "There's just something in my eye."

[Entrance chamber]

Everyone climbs down a rope ladder into a very large underground space.

"Do we have a gravity globe?"

"Grav globe."

A Cleric hands a globe to the Doctor.

"Where are we?" Emily asked. "What is this?"

"It's an Aplan Mortarium, 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.

"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 remarks.

"A needle that looks like hay. A hay-like needle of death. A hay-like needle of death in a haystack of, er, statues." Emily raised her eyebrows at the Doctor. "No, yours was fine."

"Right. Check every single statue in this chamber." Octavian ordered. "You know what you're looking for. Complete visual inspection. One question. How do we fight it?"

"We find it, and hope."

Octavian stops River.

"He doesn't know yet, does he? Who and what you are."

"It's too early in his time stream."

"What about Her?"

River looks over sadly at Emily. "I highly doubt it. Though it wouldn't take her long to figure it out."

"Well, make sure they don'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?" A cleric called. "Side chamber. One visible exit."

"Check it out. Angelo, go with him."

[Maze]

The Doctor, Amy and Emily 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."

"Is the Angel still in the ship?" She asks, leaning in to speak.

Emily looks at her in confusion. "What? How would I know?"

River became slightly deflated. "Oh, it's still so early for you, isn't it? Just ignore what I said."