The Littlest Timelord: Cracks in Time

Chapter 23

"How can something be coming up when there's only the Earth's crust down there?" Tony asked as they lugged the equipment down the road.

"You saw the readings", the Doctor said.

"Who are you, anyway? How can you know all this?" Nasreen asked.

Red lightning appeared in the sky.

"Whoa, did you see that?" she asked.

"No, no, no", the Doctor said, pulling out a slingshot. He picked up a stone and fired it into the air. It hit a barrier and disappeared. The Doctor soniced the barrier, making it more pronounced. "Energy signal originating from under the Earth. We're trapped".

Rory ran up to them. "Doctor, something weird's going on here, the graves are eating people".

"Not now, Rory. Energy barricade, invisible to the naked eye. We can't get out and no one from the outside world can get in".

"What? Okay, what about the TARIDS?"

"The what?" Nasreen asked.

"Er, no. Those energy patterns would play havoc with the circuits. With a bit of time, maybe, but we've only got nine and a half minutes", the Doctor said.

"Nine and a half minutes to what?" Rory asked.

"We're trapped, and something's burrowing towards the surface", Nasreen told him.

Rory noticed that a certain red-haired woman was missing. "Where's Amy?"

"Get everyone inside the church".

Everyone hurried towards the church as the Doctor looked at Rory. "Rory, I'll get her back".

"What do you mean, get her back? Where's she gone?"

"She was taken. Into the Earth".

"How? Why didn't you stop it?"

"I tried. I promise, I tried".

"Well, you should've tried harder!"

"I'll find Amy. I'll keep you all safe, I promise. Come on, please. I need you alongside me". The Doctor walked off and grabbed the equipment.

Elise walked up to Rory and took his hand in hers and they made their way to the church.

They entered the church and stood off to the side as Tony, Nasreen, and the Doctor set up the equipment.

"So we can't get out, we can't contact anyone, and something, the something that took my husband, is coming up through the Earth", Ambrose, Tony's daughter, said.

"Yes. If we move quickly enough, we can be ready", the Doctor told her.

"No, stop. This has gone far enough. What is this?"

"He's telling the truth, love", Tony said, trying to calm his daughter.

"Come on. It's not the first time we've had no mobile or phone signals. Reception's always rubbish".

"Look, Ambrose. We saw the Doctor's friend get taken, okay? You saw the lightning in the sky. I have seen the impossible today, and the only person who's made any sense of it for me, is the Doctor", Nasreen said.

"Him?"

The Doctor popped up. "Me!"

"Can you get my dad back?" Elliot, Ambrose's son, asked.