"What was that?" asked Val.
"It's just the metal," Hobbes said. "We're cooling down, it must be settling."
Melody tuned out the words she'd heard three times before. That is, until it tapped again. It was closer to her, right next to her, outside the shuttle. She jumped, not expecting it, and backed away from that wall.
Tap tap.
Two, harder, louder. On the wall behind Melody now. It's following me! Why?
"Knock knock," said the Doctor quietly.
"Who's there?" Jethro chuckled.
"Jethro, don't," Melody whispered.
Sky was beginning to lose it. Melody went over to her and hushed her.
"Please," she said quietly. "Sky, you need to try and stay calm. I'm trying to help you."
Sky's voice was rising in hysterics. "What is that? What's going on? Is there someone out there?"
"Excuse me!" said Hobbes. "I must insist. I'm sorry, but the light out there isX-tonic, that means it would destroy any living thing, in a split-second, I mean any sort of lifeform—carbon based, hydrogen-based, silicates, gaseous, every form of life in the known universe, it's impossible, literally impossible, for someone to be outside."
Melody rolled her eyes. "Professor, now is really not the time—"
TAP TAP!
Everyone looked around, searching for its origin. The Doctor went around the shuttle, his ear to the wall. Biff got up, and went to the door.
"Biff, don't," Val said.
The Doctor stood up from the wall. "Mr. Cane, you'd better not..."
"Cast iron, that door." Biff knocked three times at the door. Tap tap tap.
A few seconds later, the answer came. Tap tap tap.
Melody looked all around. How to stop this, how to change it...
"Three times!" cried Val. "Did you hear that, three times!"
"It answered!" Jethro said. He glanced over at Melody, but his expression changed as he saw hers. "Melody, what's wrong?"
She tangled her fingers in her hair. What to do, what to say, how to change it... "I need to change it, or it's going to end badly. Oh, Jethro." She ran to him, clutching at his arm. "Please don't think I'm crazy. I need your help. I need you to believe me."
The urgency in her voice removed the playfulness from his eyes. He nodded, his hand covering hers. "Alright, Melody. What do you need help with?"
"We need to keep everyone calm and, more importantly, quiet." She turned. "Doctor!"
He turned to her, frowning.
"Doctor, keep everyone quiet. It's very, very important that we try to refrain from talking as much as possible."
"Why?" he asked curiously.
She smiled thinly. "Spoilers."
"Spoilers? What an odd phrase..."
Melody shrugged. "A woman I met on Florana said that often. She said she knew you."
Sky, however, was yelling over her voice. She was completely losing it. Melody went over to her and covered her mouth, looking into her eyes.
"Sky, please," Melody said. "If you aren't quiet, everyone on this shuttle will be in danger."
"What's that girl saying to her?" said Val rather loudly.
"She's trying to keep Sky calm," said Jethro.
"Oh, so she thinks she's so important and mighty—"
"Mom, shut up."
"Don't talk to her like that," Biff snapped. "Ungrateful—all you do is mope around—"
"Must you do this now!" shouted Melody, spinning around to them.
Sky was whimpering, scared half out of her mind. "It's coming for me," she said, backing up. Indeed, the tapping was growing closer, toward where Melody and Sky were standing. "It's coming for me!"
"Sky, don't!" said Melody, trying to get the woman out of a corner.
The Doctor ran forward from the back. "Get out of there—"
"Melody—" began Jethro.
As the tapping was right above them, a thought occurred to Melody. I'm not supposed to be here. Maybe I can—
She pushed Sky aside just as the wall above her buckled. Sky collapsed against the other wall, having hit her head. Melody screamed as the shuttle was plunged into darkness. Sparks flew from the wall panels, and then the shuttle began to shift, lurch from side to side.
Then it stopped, and the Doctor was the first to stand.
"Arms. Legs. Neck. Head. Nose. I'm fine, everyone else?"
The broken screen near him flickered on, then died, and as he turned away, a blonde woman appeared on the screen. Mute, she mouthed 'Doctor' to no avail. It disappeared before he could see it.
But Melody didn't see any of this. Instead of Sky sitting in the corner, curled in on herself, it was Melody. They would find her like that, soon, when the hostess handed out torches. In the meanwhile, in Melody's mind, she was fighting an unfair battle.
"Who's there?" she called out, spinning in a circle. There was blackness all around her.
"Who's there?" came the echo.
"You can't steal my voice, I won't let you!"
"You can't steal my voice, I won't let you."
"I know what you are."
"I know what you are."
Melody sank to her knees, covering her eyes. I have to fight this. I can't let this thing get to the other passengers. I have to hold it in.
Let it out, let it out, let it out, let me through...
No.
Pain enveloped her mind, squeezing, constricting.
No, no, no, no.
"Melody?" said the Doctor, approaching her slowly. "Melody, are you alright?"
Jethro rushed past him, trying to lift her head. "Melody? Melody!"
She was curled tightly inside herself, arms wrapped around her knees, head down. Sky sat in the corner where Melody had shoved her, staring at the girl.
"She...Is she alright?" asked Sky.
"This should've been you," said Jethro angrily. "She saved you!"
"Jethro," the Doctor said, not taking his eyes off Melody.
"You should be the one sitting here like this, not her!"
"Jethro."
"What?" He whirled on the Doctor.
"You're upsetting her." Indeed, as the Doctor moved a piece of hair away from Melody's face, Jethro could see the tears falling from the corner of Melody's closed eyes.
Then, suddenly, Melody's eyes flashed open. "You're upsetting her," she said in a monotone.
"Melody?" Jethro knelt by her. The Doctor moved aside for him. "Are you alright?"
"Melody?" she repeated. "Are you alright?"
Jethro frowned. "Melody, what are you doing?"
Melody's eyes were wide, and she cocked her head. "Melody, what are you doing?"
"That's really starting to freak me out—"
"That's really starting to freak me out—"
"What's she doing?" asked Val. "That's creepy, make her stop."
Melody turned her gaze to Val. "What's she doing? That's creepy, make her stop."
The Doctor searched Melody's empty eyes and found only traces of emotion. Fear and desperation behind the blankness. Whatever was happening, Melody was scared of it.
"Oh, Melody," he whispered. "Is this what you were trying to warn me about?"
She turned her head to him. "Oh, Melody," she said, and he could swear that the voice—not Melody's voice, it didn't sound like Melody's voice—was mocking him. "Is this what you were trying to warn me about?"