The Impossible Astronaut

In memory of Elisabeth Sladen 1948 - 2011 [Palace]

(The restored Monarch and his guards charge through the building.) CHARLES: Out of my way! (His way is blocked by a locked door. Inside the room, a large unfinished painting shows the naked Doctor as Neptune about to be crowned by a cherub.) CHARLES [OC]: Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! Doctor! (The irate king bursts in, sword drawn, and confronts the lady artist, who is possibly one of his many illegitimate children.) CHARLES: Where's the Doctor? MATILDA: Doctor who? DOCTOR [OC]: Achoo! (The Doctor is hiding underneath Matilda's voluminous skirts.) DOCTOR: You know, this isn't nearly as bad as it looks.

[Kitchen]

(Amy is reading from a history book while Rory unpacks the shopping.) AMY: At the personal intervention of the King, the unnamed Doctor was incarcerated without trial in the Tower of London. RORY: Okay, but it doesn't have to be him. AMY: According to contemporary accounts, two nights later, a magical sphere some twenty feet across, was seen floating away from the tower, bearing the mysterious Doctor aloft. RORY: Okay. It's him. AMY: There's more.

[Tunnel]

(A classic World War 2 escape is in progress.) SIMMONS: Doctor. Doctor, what can you see? (The Doctor's head appears from the top of the tunnel.) DOCTOR: Is the commandant's office painted a sort of green colour with a big flag on the wall? (A siren sounds and dogs start barking.) DOCTOR: I think the answer's probably yes.

[Living room]

AMY: It's like he's being deliberately ridiculous, trying to attract our attention. Are you watching this again? (A Laurel and Hardy film, most likely the Flying Deuces.) RORY: Yeah. I've explained the jokes. (The doorbell rings and Amy answers it. The postman hands over some letters.) RORY: So what are you saying? Do you really think he's back there, trying to wave to us, out of history books? (Completely missing the Doctor in a fez waving to the viewer before joining in Stan and Ollie's dance.) AMY: Hey, it's the sort of thing he'd do. Thanks. RORY: Yeah, but why? AMY: Well, he said he'd be in touch. RORY: Two months ago. AMY: Two months is nothing. He's up to something. I know he is. I know him. (She opens an envelope with the number 3 on the back.) RORY: What is it? Amy? AMY: A date, a time, a map reference. I think it's an invitation. RORY: From who? AMY: It's not signed. Look, Tardis blue.

[Stormcage]

(Prisoner River Song also gets mail.) GUARD: You'd better get down here, sir. She's doing it again. Doctor Song, sir. She's packing. Says she's going to some planet called America.

[Highway]

(The San Juan School District bus lets Rory and Amy off, with their backpacks.) AMY: Thanks! DRIVER [OC]: You're very welcome. AMY: This is it, yeah? The right place? RORY: Nowhere, middle of? Yeah, this it. DOCTOR: Howdy. (They turn to see the Doctor lying on the hood of a big American car.) AMY: Doctor! DOCTOR: Ha, ha! It's the Pond. AMY: Hey! (Joyous reunion.) DOCTOR: Hello, Pond. Come here. AMY: So, someone's been a busy boy then, eh? DOCTOR: Did you see me? AMY: Of course. DOCTOR: Stalker. AMY: Flirt. RORY: Husband. DOCTOR: Rory the Roman! Ooo, come here. RORY: Hey, nice hat. DOCTOR: I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool. (Then someone shoots it off him.) RIVER: Hello, sweetie.

[Diner]

(Comparing diaries.) RIVER: Right then, where are we? Have we done Easter Island yet? DOCTOR: Er, yes! I've got Easter Island. RIVER: They worshipped you there. Have you seen the statues? DOCTOR: Jim the fish. RIVER: Oh! Jim the fish. How is he? DOCTOR: Still building his dam. RORY: Sorry, what are you two doing? AMY: They're both time travellers, so they never meet in the right order. They're syncing their diaries. So, what's happening, then? Because you've been up to something. DOCTOR: I've been running, faster than I've ever run. And I've been running my whole life. Now, it's time for me to stop. And tonight, I'm going to need you all with me. AMY: Okay. We're here. What's up? DOCTOR: A picnic. And then a trip. Somewhere different, somewhere brand new. AMY: Where? DOCTOR: Space, 1969.

[Lakeside]

(The picnic.) DOCTOR: Salud! ALL: Salud. RORY: So, when are going to 1969? AMY: And since when do you drink wine? DOCTOR: I'm eleven hundred and three. I must've drunk it sometime. (He takes a swig from the bottle and spits it out.) DOCTOR: Oh, why it's horrid. I thought it would taste more like the gums. AMY: Eleven hundred and three? You were nine hundred and eight the last time we saw you. DOCTOR: And you've put on a couple of pounds. I wasn't going to mention it. (A strange figure is silhouetted on the skyline.) AMY: Who's that? RORY: Hmm? Who's who? AMY: Sorry, what? RORY: What did you see? You said you saw something. AMY: No, I didn't. DOCTOR: Ah, the moon. Look at it. Of course, you lot did a lot more than look, didn't you? Big, silvery thing in the sky. You couldn't resist it. Quite right. RORY: The moon landing was in 69. Is that where we're going? DOCTOR: No. A lot more happens in 69 than anyone remembers. Human beings. I thought I'd never get done saving you. (A truck pulls up nearby and W Morgan Sheppard gets out. The Doctor waves to him.) AMY: Who's he? RIVER: Oh, my God. (A figure in a NASA spacesuit is standing up to its knees in the lake.) DOCTOR: You all need to stay back. Whatever happens now, you do not interfere. Clear? (The Doctor goes to meet the figure, who has stepped out of the water.) RORY: That's an astronaut. That's an Apollo astronaut in a lake. AMY: Yeah. DOCTOR: Hello. It's okay. I know it's you. (The astronaut raises its gold plated visor.) DOCTOR: Well then. (They watch as the Doctor says something, then bows his head.) AMY: What's he doing? (The astronaut shoots the Doctor.) AMY: Doctor! RIVER: Amy, stay back! (And again.) RIVER: The Doctor said stay back! You have to stay back! AMY: No! No! Doctor! (Regeneration energy starts to flow from the Doctor's hands.) DOCTOR: I'm sorry. (The astronaut shoots again just as the regeneration starts properly.) RIVER: No! Doctor! AMY: Doctor, please! (They run to the Doctor. River scans him with her tricorder.) AMY: River. River! River? No. (River empties her six-shooter at the retreating astronaut.) RIVER: Of course not. AMY: River, he can't be dead. This isn't possible. RIVER: Whatever that was, it killed him in the middle of his regeneration cycle. His body was already dead. He didn't make it to the next one. AMY: Maybe he's a clone or a duplicate or something. (The old man approaches, with a petrol can.) DELAWARE: I believe I can save you some time. That most certainly is the Doctor. And he is most certainly dead. He said you'd need this. RORY: Gasoline? RIVER: A Time Lord's body is a miracle. Even a dead one. There are whole empires out there who'd rip this world apart for just one cell. We can't leave him here. Or anywhere. AMY: Wake up. Come on, wake up, you stupid, bloody idiot. What do we do, Rory? RIVER: We're his friends. We do what the Doctor's friends always do. As we're told. RORY: There's a boat. If we're going to do this, let's do it properly. (So, as the sun sets, the Doctor gets a Viking funeral.) RIVER: Who are you? Why did you come? DELAWARE: The same reason as you. (He holds out his blue invitation.) DELAWARE: Doctor Song, Amy, Rory. I'm Canton Everett Delaware the third. I won't be seeing you again, but you'll be seeing me. (Delaware leaves.) RIVER: Four. RORY: Sorry, what? RIVER: The Doctor numbered the envelopes.

[Diner]

RIVER: You got 3, I was 2, Mister Delaware was 4. RORY: So? RIVER: So, where's 1? RORY: What, you think he invited someone else? RIVER: Well, he must have. He planned all of this, to the last detail. AMY: Will you two shut up? It doesn't matter. RIVER: He was up to something. AMY: He's dead. RIVER: Space, 1969. What did he mean? AMY: You're still talking, but it doesn't matter. RORY: Hey, it mattered to him. RIVER: So it matters to us. AMY: He's dead. RIVER: But he still needs us. I know. Amy, I know. But right now we have to focus. RORY: Look. (Another blue envelope on a table near the back.) RORY: Excuse me, who was sitting over there? BUSBOY: Some guy. RIVER: The Doctor knew he was going to his death, so he sent out messages. When you know it's the end, who do you call? RORY: Er, your friends. People you trust. RIVER: Number 1. Who did The Doctor trust the most? (The person who comes out of the restroom, that's Who.) RIVER: This is cold. Even by your standards, this is cold. DOCTOR: Or hello, as people used to say. AMY: Doctor? DOCTOR: I just popped out to get my special straw. It adds more fizz. AMY: You're okay. How can you be okay? DOCTOR: Hey, of course I'm okay. I'm always okay. I'm the King of Okay. Oh, that's a rubbish title. Forget that title. Rory the Roman! That's a good title. Hello, Rory. And Doctor River Song. Oh, you bad, bad girl. What trouble have you got for me this time? (River slaps the Doctor, hard.) DOCTOR: Okay. I'm assuming that's for something I haven't done yet. RIVER: Yes, it is. DOCTOR: Good. Looking forward to it. RORY: I don't understand. How can you be here? DOCTOR: I was invited. Date, map reference. Same as you lot, I assume, otherwise it's a hell of a coincidence. AMY: River, what's going on? RIVER: Amy, ask him what age he is. DOCTOR: That's a bit personal. RIVER: Tell her. Tell her what age you are. DOCTOR: Nine hundred and nine. RIVER: Yeah, but you said you were RIVER: So where does that leave us, huh? Jim the fish? Have we done Jim the fish yet? DOCTOR: Who's Jim the fish? AMY: I don't understand. RORY: Yeah, you do. DOCTOR: I don't! What are we all doing here? RIVER: We've been recruited. Something to do with space 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware the third. DOCTOR: Recruited by who? RIVER: Someone who trusts you more than anybody else in the universe. DOCTOR: And who's that? RIVER: Spoilers.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: 1969, that's an easy one! Funny, how some years are easy. Now, 1482, full of glitches. Now then, Canton Everett Delaware the third. That was his name, yeah? How many of those can there be? Well, three, I suppose. Rory, is everybody cross with me for some reason? RORY: I'll find out.

[Tardis lower level]

AMY: Explain it again. RIVER: The Doctor we saw on the beach is a future version, two hundred years older than the one up there. AMY: But all that's still going to happen. He's still going to die. RIVER: We're all going to do that, Amy. RORY: We're not all going to arrange our own wake and invite ourselves. So, the Doctor, in the future, knowing he's going to die, recruits his younger self and all of us to, to what, exactly? Avenge him? RIVER: Uh huh. Avenging's not his style. AMY: Save him. RORY: Yeah, that's not really his style either. AMY: We have to tell him. RIVER: We've told him all we can. We can't even tell him we've seen his future self. He's interacted with his own past. It could rip a hole in the universe. AMY: Yes, but he's done it before. RORY: And in fairness, the universe did blow up. AMY: But he'd want to know. RIVER: Would he? Would anyone? DOCTOR: I'm being extremely clever up here, and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all? RIVER: Couldn't you just slap him sometimes? AMY: River, we can't just let him die. We have to stop it. How can you be okay with this? RIVER: The Doctor's death doesn't frighten me. Nor does my own. There's a far worse day coming for me.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Time isn't a straight line. It's all bumpy wumpy. There's loads of boring stuff like Sundays and Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. But now and then there are Saturdays. Big temporal tipping points when anything's possible. The Tardis can't resist them, like a moth to a flame. She loves a party, so I give her 1969 and NASA, because that's space in the sixties, and Canton Everett Delaware the third, and this is where she's pointing. AMY: Washington D.C., April the eighth, 1969. So why haven't we landed? DOCTOR: Because that's not where we're going. RORY: Oh. Where are we going? DOCTOR: Home. Well, you two are. Off you pop and make babies. And you, Doctor Song, back to prison. And me? I'm late for a biplane lesson in 1911. Or it could be knitting. Knitting or biplanes. One or the other. What? A mysterious summons. You think I'm just going to go? Who sent those messages? I know you know. I can see it in your faces. Don't play games with me. Don't ever, ever think you're capable of that. RIVER: You're going to have to trust us this time. DOCTOR: Trust you? Sure. But, first of all, Doctor Song, just one thing. Who are you? You're someone from my future. Getting that. But who? Okay. Why are you in prison? Who did you kill, hmm? Now, I love a bad girl, me, but trust you? Seriously. AMY: Trust me. DOCTOR: Okay. AMY: You have to do this, and you can't ask why. DOCTOR: Are you being threatened? Is someone making you say that? AMY: No. DOCTOR: You're lying. AMY: I'm not lying. DOCTOR: Swear to me. Swear to me on something that matters. AMY: Fish fingers and custard. DOCTOR: My life in your hands, Amelia Pond. RIVER: Thank you. DOCTOR: So! Canton Everett Delaware the third. Who's he?

[Bar]

(W Morgan Sheppard's son, Mark.) CANTON: Who wants to know? CARL: Your boss. CANTON: I don't have a boss anymore. CARL: Maybe you want to tell that to the President of the United States.

[Tardis]

RIVER: Ex FBI. Got kicked out. DOCTOR: Why?

[Car]

NIXON [on telephone]: I understand that you have a problem with authority. CANTON: Thank you. NIXON [on telephone]: That's not a compliment, son.

[Tardis]

RIVER: Six weeks after he left the Bureau, the President contacted him for a private meeting. DOCTOR: Yeah, 1969. Who's President?

[Oval office]

NIXON: This is a personal matter. I need someone on the outside, someone with FBI training

[Car]

NIXON [on telephone]: But who's not in contact with them. CANTON: I'm flattered.

[Oval office]

NIXON: You were my second choice for this, Mister Delaware. CANTON [OC]: That's okay.

[Car]

CANTON: You were my second choice for President, Mister Nixon.

[Tardis]

RIVER: Richard Milhous Nixon. Vietnam, Watergate. There's some good stuff, too. DOCTOR: Not enough. RIVER: Hippie! DOCTOR: Archaeologist.

[Oval office]

NIXON: Every day, wherever I am, I get a phone call. CANTON: People can't just call you, Mister President. NIXON: It's a direct call every time. Every day for the last two weeks, usually late at night. CANTON: Man or woman? NIXON: Neither. Listen. (Well, he did like recording everything.)

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Okay, since I don't know what I'm getting into this time, for once I'm being discreet. I'm putting the engines on silent. (He pulls a lever and there is a wail. River throws a different switch and it goes quiet.) DOCTOR: Did you do something? RIVER: No, just watching. DOCTOR: Putting the outer shield on invisible. I haven't done this in a while. Big drain on the power. RORY: You can turn the Tardis invisible? DOCTOR: Ha! RIVER: Very nearly. (And she moves another lever.) DOCTOR: Er, did you touch something? RIVER: Just admiring your skills, sweetie. DOCTOR: Good. You might learn something. Okay. Now I can't check the scanner. It doesn't work when we're cloaked. Just give us a mo. Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa. You lot, wait a moment. We're in the middle of the most powerful city in the most powerful country on Earth. Let's take it slow. (The Doctor steps out of the Tardis.)

[Oval office]

(As Nixon and Canton are listening to the recording.) NIXON [OC]: Hello? Who is this? This is President Nixon. Who's calling? Is this you again? GIRL [OC]: Mister President? CANTON: A child. NIXON [OC]: This is the President, yes. GIRL [OC]: I'm scared, Mister President. I'm scared of the spaceman. CANTON: A little girl? NIXON: Boy. CANTON: How can you be sure? NIXON [OC]: What spaceman? Where are you phoning from? Where are you right now? Who are you? (The Doctor quietly gets out a notebook and starts writing.) GIRL [OC]: Jefferson Adams Hamilton. NIXON [OC]: Jefferson, listen to me. (The child rings off.) CANTON: Surely this is something the Bureau could handle, sir. NIXON: These calls happen wherever I am. How do I know the Bureau isn't involved? I can't trust anyone (Nixon turns around and sees the Doctor. Canton stands and turns, too. The Doctor keeps writing.) DOCTOR: Oh. Hello. Bad moment. Oh look, this is the Oval Office. I was looking for the er, oblong room. I'll just be off, then, shall I? (And walks smack into the cloaked Tardis, causing a big jolt inside.)

[Tardis]

RIVER: Every time.

[Oval office]

DOCTOR: Don't worry! It always does that when its cloaked. (Canton wrestles the Doctor to the floor.) DOCTOR: Ah, no. Stop that.

[Tardis]

RORY: He said the scanner wouldn't work. RIVER: I know. Bless.

[Oval office]

(The Secret Service run in.) CARL: Lockdown! Lockdown!

[Tardis]

DOCTOR [on scanner]: Stop that! Argh! Oh!

[Oval office]

DOCTOR: River, have you got my scanner

[Tardis]

DOCTOR [on scanner]: Working yet? RIVER: Oh, I hate him.

[Oval office]

DOCTOR: No, you don't! CARL: Get the President out of here. Sir, you have to go with them, now. DOCTOR: River, make her blue again! (The Tardis shimmers into the visible spectrum.) NIXON: What the hell is that? (While they were distracted, the Doctor has slipped out of their grasp and into Nixon's chair.) DOCTOR: Mister President, that child just told you everything you need to know, but you weren't listening. Never mind, though, because the answer's yes. I'll take the case. Fellows, the guns, really? I just walked into the highest security office in the United States and parked a big blue box on the rug. Do you think you can just shoot me? RIVER: They're Americans! DOCTOR: Don't shoot. Definitely no shooting. RORY: Nobody shoot us either. Very much not in need of getting shot. Look, we've got our hands up. NIXON: Who the hell are you? CANTON: Sir, you need to stay back. NIXON: But who are they and what is that box? DOCTOR: It's a police box. Can't you read? I'm your new undercover agent on loan from Scotland Yard. Code name the Doctor. These are my top operatives, the Legs, the Nose, and Mrs Robinson. RIVER: I hate you. DOCTOR: No, you don't. NIXON: Who are you? DOCTOR: Nah, boring question. Who's phoning you? That's interesting. Because Canton Three is right. That was definitely a girl's voice, which means there's only one place in America she can be phoning from. CANTON: Where? CARL: Do not engage with the intruder, Mister Delaware. You heard everything I heard. It's simple enough. Give me five minutes, I'll explain. On the other hand, lay a finger on me or my friends, and you'll never, ever know. CANTON: How did you get it in here? I mean, you didn't carry it in. DOCTOR: Clever, eh? CANTON: Love it. CARL: Do not compliment the intruder. CANTON: Five minutes? DOCTOR: Five. CARL: Mister President, that man is a clear and present danger to CANTON: Mister President, that man walked in here with a big blue box and three of his friends, and that's the man he walked past. One of them's worth listening to. I say we give him five minutes. See if he delivers. DOCTOR: Thanks, Canton. CANTON: If he doesn't, I'll shoot him myself. DOCTOR: Not so thanks. CARL: Sir, I cannot recommend NIXON: Shut up, Peterson! All right, five minutes. DOCTOR: I'm going to need a SWAT team, ready to mobilise. Street level maps covering all of Florida. A pot of coffee, twelve Jammie Dodgers and a fez. CANTON: Get him his maps. (Later.) CANTON: Why Florida? DOCTOR: There's where NASA is. She mentioned a spaceman. NASA's where the spacemen live. Also, there's another lead I'm following. AMY: A spaceman, like the one we saw at the lake. RIVER: Maybe. Probably. (Amy sees a figure in a suit at the open door. It has a large head with sunken eyes and no mouth, and very long fingers. She recalls the sighting at the lake.) AMY [memory]: Who's that? AMY: I remember. RORY: Amy? What do you remember? (The figure is gone.) AMY: I don't know. I just RORY: Amy, what's wrong? RIVER: Amy? DOCTOR: Are you all right? AMY: Yeah. No, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little sick. Excuse me, is there a toilet or something? CARL: Sorry, ma'am, while this procedure's ongoing, you must remain within the Oval office. CANTON: Shut up and take her to the restroom. PHIL: This way, ma'am. AMY: Thanks. (Amy leaves. Carl stops Rory from following.) CANTON: Your five minutes are up. DOCTOR; Yeah, and where's my fez?

[Outside the Rest room]

AMY: Actually, I can usually manage this alone. (Phil reluctantly stands guard.)

[Rest room]

(Amy enters to see the weird alien there.) AMY: Argh! I saw you before, at the lake. And here. But then I forgot. How did I forget? What are you? (A woman comes out of a stall and goes to wash her hands.) AMY: Get back. Stay back from it. (The woman turns to see the alien.) JOY: Eek! Oh, my God. What is that? Is that a mask? Is that a Star Trek thing? Ben, is that you? AMY: Get back from it now! (Joy turns around.) JOY: Back from what, honey? AMY: That. (Joy turns back again.) JOY: Eek! Oh, my God! Look at that. Is that a Star Trek mask? Ben, that's got to be you. Hang on, did I just say all that? AMY: No. Please, you've got to stay back. JOY: Back, honey? Back from what? (The lights flicker.) JOY: Oh, those lights. They never fix them. AMY: Look behind you. JOY: Honey, there is nothing. Argh! (The alien uses the electricity from the lights to give Joy a prolonged zap, until she explodes in a shower of ashes.) AMY: You didn't have to kill her. She couldn't even remember you. How does that work? We can only remember you while we're seeing you, is that it? (Amy takes a photograph with her mobile phone.) AMY: Why did you have to kill her? SILENCE: Joy. Her name was Joy. Your name is Amelia. You will tell the Doctor. AMY: Tell him what? SILENCE: What he must know and what he must never know. AMY: How do you know about that? SILENCE: Tell him.

[Outside the Rest room]

(Amy runs out.) PHIL: Are you okay? AMY: I'm fine. Much better, thanks. PHIL: What's that? AMY: It's my phone. PHIL: Your phone? AMY: I have to tell the Doctor. PHIL: Tell him what, ma'am? AMY: Sorry, I don't know why I said that. PHIL: This way, ma'am.

[Oval office]

(The telephone rings.) CANTON: The kid? NIXON: Should I answer it? DOCTOR: Here! The only place in the United States that call could be coming from. See? Obvious, when you think about it. (Amy and Phil return.) CANTON: You, sir, are a genius. DOCTOR: It's a hobby. CANTON: Mister President, answer the phone. NIXON: Hello. This is President Nixon. GIRL [on telephone}: It's here! The spaceman's here! It's going to get me! It's going to eat me! DOCTOR: There's no time for a SWAT team. Let's go. Mister President, tell her help's on the way. Canton, on no account follow me into this box and close the door behind you. CANTON: What the hell are you doing? (Canton runs into the Tardis behind Rory, Amy, River and the Doctor. It dematerialises.) GIRL [on telephone]: Mister President, please help. Please help me! NIXON: Jefferson, it's all right. I'm sending my best people.

[Tardis]

DOCTOR: Jefferson isn't a girl's name. It's not her name either. Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton. River. RIVER: Surnames of three of America's founding fathers. DOCTOR: Lovely fellows. Two of them fancied me. RORY: Are you okay? Coping? DOCTOR: You see, the President asked the child two questions. Where are you and who are you? She was answering where. CANTON: It's bigger on the inside. RORY: Yeah, you get used to it. DOCTOR: Now, where would you find three big, historical names in a row like that? AMY: Where? DOCTOR: Here. Come on. CANTON: It's er DOCTOR: Are you taking care of this? RORY: Why is it always my turn? AMY: Because you're the newest.

[Warehouse office]

(A dingy, cluttered place.) AMY: Where are we? DOCTOR: About five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Centre. It's 1969, the year of the moon. Interesting, don't you think? AMY: But why would a little girl be here? DOCTOR: I don't know. Lost me a bit. The President asked the girl where she was, and she did what any lost little girl would do. She looked out of the window. (Where the street sign points to Hamilton Av, Jefferson St and Adams St.) AMY: Streets. Of course, street names. DOCTOR: The only place in Florida, probably all of America, with those three street names on the same junction. And Doctor Song, you've got that face on again. RIVER: What face? DOCTOR: The he's hot when he's clever face. RIVER: This is my normal face. DOCTOR: Yes, it is. RIVER: Oh, shut up. DOCTOR: Not a chance. (Rory finally gets Canton out of the Tardis.) CANTON: We've moved. How, how can we have moved? DOCTOR: You haven't even got to space travel yet? RORY: I was going to cover it with time travel. CANTON: Time travel. DOCTOR: Brave heart, Canton. Come on. CANTON: So we're in a box that's bigger on the inside, and it travels through time and space. RORY: Yeah, basically. CANTON: How long have Scotland Yard had this?

[Warehouse]

RIVER: It's a warehouse of some kind. Disused. DOCTOR: You realise this is almost certainly a trap, of course? RIVER: I noticed the phone, yes. AMY: What about it? RIVER: It was cut off. So how did the child phone from here? AMY: Okay, but why would anyone want to trap us? DOCTOR: Let's see if anyone tries to kill us and work backwards. (The astronaut watches from the shadows.) RIVER: Now, why would a little girl be here? DOCTOR: I don't know. Let's find her and ask her. (They come across some technology.) RIVER: It's nonterrestrial. Definitely alien. Probably not even from this time zone. DOCTOR: Which is odd, because look at this! (A crate of spacesuits.) RIVER: It's earth tech. It's contemporary. DOCTOR: It's very contemporary. Cutting edge. This is from the space program. RIVER: Stolen? AMY: What, by aliens? DOCTOR: Apparently. AMY: But why? I mean, if you can make it all the way to Earth, why steal technology that can barely make it to the moon? DOCTOR: Maybe because it's cooler? Look how cool this stuff is. AMY: Cool aliens? DOCTOR: Well, what would you call me? AMY: An alien. DOCTOR: Oi! RORY: I, er, I think he's okay now. DOCTOR: Ah! Back with us, Canton. CANTON: I like your wheels. DOCTOR: That's my boy. So, come on. Little girl. Let's find her. (Amy and River examine the alien tech, which has a lot of gunk and slime associated with it.) AMY: River. RIVER: I know what you're thinking. AMY: No, you don't. RIVER: You're thinking if we can find the spaceman in 1969 and neutralise it, then it won't be around in 2011 to kill the Doctor. AMY: Okay, lucky guess. RIVER: It's only because I was thinking it too. AMY: So let's do it. RIVER: It doesn't work like that. We came here because of what we saw in the future. If we try and prevent the future from happening, we create a paradox. AMY: Time can be rewritten. RIVER: Not all of it. AMY: Says who? RIVER: Who do you think? What's this? (A manhole cover.) AMY: We can still save him. RIVER: Doctor? Look at this. DOCTOR: So where does that go? RIVER: There's a network of tunnels running under here. DOCTOR: Life signs? RIVER: No, nothing that's showing up. DOCTOR: Those are the worst kind. (River prepares to go down.) DOCTOR: Be careful. RIVER: Careful? I tried that once. Ever so dull. DOCTOR: Shout if you get in trouble. RIVER: Don't worry, I'm quite the screamer. Now there's a spoiler for you. CANTON: Tell me what's going on here. DOCTOR: Er, nothing. She's just a friend. RORY: I think he's talking about the possible alien incursion. DOCTOR: Okay. (River discovers power lines, and more aliens.) CANTON: So, I was in a bar having a drink. Tell me, honestly, Am I still there? AMY: Afraid not. (River returns in a hurry.) RIVER: All clear. Just tunnels. Nothing down there I can see. Er, give me five minutes. I want to take another look around. DOCTOR: Stupidly dangerous! RIVER: Yeah, I like it too. Amy, look after him. (River goes back down.) DOCTOR: Rory, would you mind going with her? RORY: Yeah, a bit. DOCTOR: Then I'd appreciate it all the more. RORY: Hang on, River. I'm coming too.

[Tunnel]

RORY: Are you okay? RIVER: Ah. Yes, yes. I just felt a bit sick. It's the prison food, probably. Okay, this way? What do you think? RORY: I keep thinking I hear things. RIVER: That's interesting. These tunnels are old. Really old. How can they be really old and nobody notice them? (They come across a metal door.) RORY: It's a maintenance hatch. RIVER: It's locked. Oh, why do people always lock things? RORY: What's through there? RIVER: I've no idea. RORY: Something bad? RIVER: Almost definitely. RORY: You're going to open it, aren't you? RIVER: Well, it's locked. How's a girl supposed to resist? RORY: Is this sensible? RIVER: God, I hope not. RORY: Oh, you and the Doctor. I can kind of picture it. RIVER: Keep a look out. RORY: What did you mean? What you said to Amy. There's a worst day coming for you. RIVER: When I first met the Doctor, a long, long time ago, he knew all about me. Think about that. An impressionable young girl and, suddenly this man just drops out of the sky and he's clever and mad and wonderful, and knows every last thing about her. Imagine what that does to a girl. RORY: I don't really have to. RIVER: The trouble is, it's all back to front. My past is his future. We're travelling in opposite directions. Every time we meet, I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days when I see him, but I know that every time I do, he'll be one step further away. And the day is coming when I'll look into that man's eyes, my Doctor, and he won't have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it's going to kill me. (She gets the door unlocked.)

[Chamber]

(Dry ice wafting across the floor. A hum of machinery and what looks suspiciously like the time ship that was pretending to the the first floor of 79 Aickman Road, Colchester.) RORY: What is this place? RIVER: That's an alarm. Check if anything's coming. (Rory looks outside and sees the aliens, but when he turns back - ) RORY: There's nothing out there. RIVER: These tunnels, they're not just here, they're everywhere. They're running under the surface of the entire planet. They've been here for centuries. (The lights start flickering.) RIVER: Rory!

[Warehouse]

AMY: So, you were kicked out of the FBI because you had attitude problems? CANTON: No, I just wanted to get married. AMY: Is that a crime? CANTON: Yes. Doctor who, exactly? AMY: Ah. That's classified. CANTON: Classified by who? AMY: God knows. CANTON: Do you work for him? AMY: He's my friend, if friend is the right word. I haven't seen him in a while. I had something I wanted to tell him, but stuff always gets in the way. CANTON: Stuff does that. GIRL [OC]: Help me! Help! Help me! CANTON: That's her. (Amy suddenly doubles over.) DOCTOR: Amy? GIRL [OC]: Help me! Please! DOCTOR: What's wrong? AMY: I need to tell you something. It's important. CANTON [OC]: Doctor! AMY: It's really, really important. CANTON [OC]: Doctor, quickly! DOCTOR: What, now? (They run through the warehouse to find Canton on the floor.) DOCTOR: Canton! Canton, are you okay? AMY: Is he all right? DOCTOR: Just unconscious. Got a proper whack. AMY: Doctor, I need to tell you something. I have to tell you it now. DOCTOR: Not a great moment. AMY: No, it's important. It has to be now. GIRL [OC]: Help! Help me! Help me! AMY: Doctor, I'm pregnant. (Heavy footsteps behind them.) AMY: That's it. The astronaut. (The astronaut points at the Doctor. Amy reaches for Canton's gun. The astronaut raises its visor - it is the little girl.) GIRL: Help me! AMY: Get down! DOCTOR: What are you doing? AMY: Saving your life! DOCTOR: No! (Amy shoots at the astronaut, and screams.)