Midnight ⋆ Doctor Who²

22. The Others

AURORA AND AMY ARE WALKING IN THE CORRIDORS, SCREAMING FOR RORY. "Rory!"

"Rory?" But nobody answers.

Amy notices Aurora looking down at her feet, her face hidden by the dark. "Ro, are you okay?"

She raises her head. "Hmm? Oh yeah, sure."

Amy knows it's a lie, and decides to push a little. "You know, I may not be exactly like the Doctor, but I trust you."

It makes Aurora smile. "I know Ames. You're my best girl."

She snorts. "Of course I am."

They arrive at a door that Amy opens slowly. She freezes, looking at the far wall, and slams the door shut. Aurora looks at her with wide eyes. "Amy?"

"Amy!" The girls gasp and turn around quickly, to face Rory.

"You're okay," Amy sighs out. "What happened?"

G-Jennifer peeks out from behind Rory's back. Aurora feels Amy stiffen. "She needs protecting," Rory explains.

Buzzer and Dicken come up from behind. "Jen?"

"No, it's a Ganger," Amy quickly retorts.

Aurora purses her lips. "Amy—"

"Rory, listen..."

"Look, you listen," he stops her. "Nobody touches her!"

Aurora looks at him with raised eyebrows, before smiling a bit. This was so very Rory.

They make their way to the dining hall, in dead silence. "Where's Jen?" Buzzer finally asks when they arrive. "What have you done with her?"

"I haven't seen her, I swear," G-Jen answers. "But look, I'm her. I'm just like her. I'm real."

"You're a copy," Jimmy counters. "You're just pretending to be like her."

Aurora sighs loudly through her nose. "Jimmy, shut up." She doesn't have a lot of patience, right this moment.

"Rory, we don't really know anything about them yet," Amy tries.

"Well, I know that she's afraid and she needs our help," Rory says, and Aurora nods.

"Jimmy, Buzzer," G-Jen tries again. "Come on, you guys. We've worked together for two years."

"I worked with Jennifer Lucas, not you." They really don't get it.

Aurora shakes her head. "You know, this is how all genocides started." They stare at her blankly. "Okay, you know what? Let's not do anything at all—"

"Until the Doctor gets here," the Doctor says at the same time as her, stepping forward. "Hello."

The Gangers are behind him, walking slowly, still confused. They look fully human. Which, this time, is going to confuse everyone.

"This is..." Jimmy begins.

"You're telling me," his Ganger answers.

"All right, Doctor, you've brought us together," G-Cleaves says, irritated. "Now what?"

"Before we do anything, I have one very important question. Has anybody got a pair of shoes I could borrow?" Aurora sighs loudly again. "Size ten. Although I should warn you, I have very wide feet." Once he has acquired shoes, he starts talking. "The Flesh was never merely moss. These are not copies. The storm has hardwired them. They are becoming people."

"With souls?" Jimmy asks.

"Rubbish!" Dickens cries out before sneezing.

"Bless you," Aurora says through her teeth. "We were all jelly once. You know, little jelly eggs sitting in goop, before evolving."