A/N: I feel the need to point out one small thing. Someone said that Jenny's a bit young to be around death and murder. But… Jenny's a child because she chose to be a child. She was born as an adult, fully trained soldier into the middle of a war that was supposed to be resolved by genocide. I think she can handle a dead body or a few. Besides, that's the life of her parents. Am I supposed to change everything to make it happy family picnic time? You all know that all of us would find that sooooo boring. But speaking of changes... well, I'm going to be making some changes to this story, and to my other story Be Kind, Please Rewind to include the changes brought to us by the 50th special.
Season 04
Episode 08: Silence in the Library
The Library was silent, which unnerved Rose to no end. She'd studied here for years and it had been busy, full of people, and lively. She couldn't understand where the people were.
"Books! People never really stop loving books," the Doctor said, gesturing to the tomes which were literally everywhere once they'd left the TARDIS. "51st century. By now you've got holovids, direct to brain downloads, fiction mist, but you need the smell. The smell of books, Donna. Deep breath." He guided them through to a balcony. "The Library. So big it doesn't need a name. Just a great big 'the'."
"It's like a city," Donna smiled.
"It's a world," Rose said softly. "I got my degrees here… And Doctor, I really don't think we landed in the 51st century this time."
The Doctor nodded. "You might be right… And yes, literally a world. The whole core of the planet is the index computer, biggest hard drive ever. And up here, every book ever written. Whole continents of Jeffrey Archer, Bridget Jones, Monty Python's Big Red Book. Brand new editions, specially printed. We're near the equator, so..." he paused and licked his finger then lifted it up to feel the wind, "this must be Biographies! I love biographies!"
"Yeah, very you. Always a death at the end," Donna teased.
"You need a good death. Without death, there'd only be comedies. Dying gives us size," he replied glibly.
Jenny picked up a book and opened it.
Her father snatched it from her and snapped it closed. "Oi! Spoilers!"
"Doesn't really count for me, does it, Daddy?" Jenny asked. "I'm like you and Mum, I live outside of time."
"But we don't want to tease Donna," he said reasonably. "These books are from her future. You don't wanna read ahead, spoil all the surprises. Like peeking at the end."
"Isn't travelling with you one big spoiler?" the woman in question laughed.
"I... try to keep you away from major plot developments. Which, to be honest, I seem to be very bad at, cos you know what? This is the biggest Library in the universe. So where is everyone? It's silent."
"I've been trying to figure that out since we arrived," Rose said, moving to a terminal, tapping in her information.
"The Library?"
"The planet. The whole planet."
"Maybe it's a Sunday," Donna tried.
"No, I never land on Sundays. Sundays are boring."
"Liar," Rose said glibly. "When I lived here, you arrived nearly every Sunday."
"That's different, I had you."
She smiled for a moment, then frowned. "Weird. No one's showing on the systems. Doctor, the message on the psychic paper called us here, right? So who called? We're the only people in the whole of The Library."
He moved closer and made a few adjustments. "Now, that's interesting."
"What?" Jenny asked, trying to see.
"Scanning for life forms. If I do a scan looking for your basic humanoids - you know, your book readers, few limbs and a face - apart from us, I get nothing. Zippo, nada, see? Nobody home. But if I widen the parameters to any kind of life... A million million. Gives up after that. A million million."
Jenny frowned. "But there's nothing here. There's no-one."
"And not a sound. A million million life forms, and silence in the Library," Rose breathed, feeling very nervous.
"But there's no-one here," Donna said, looking at them. "There's just books. I mean, it's not the books, is it? I mean, it can't be the books, can it? I mean, books can't be alive?"
The Doctor reached for a book cautiously, and just before he touched the spine, they heard a voice.
"Welcome!"
"That came from in there," Donna pointed.
"Yeah!" Jenny said, starting to go, but remembering and stopping dead. "Can we go see?"
Rose held out a hand, wanting the girl close. Jenny took it immediately. Holding hands meant probably running. Running meant exciting things would happen!
They went back to reception where a node, a modern-esque statue with a human face, greeted them. "I am Courtesy Node 710/aqua. Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of all your fellow readers regardless of species or hygiene taboo."
"That face, it looks real," Donna said, mildly disgusted.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," Rose said, waving dismissively.
"But a statue with a real face, though! It's a hologram or something, isn't it?"
The Doctor shook his head. "No, but really, it's... fine."
The node spoke again. "Additional. There follows a brief message from the head librarian for your urgent attention. It has been edited for tone and content by Felman Lux Automated Decency Filter. Message follows. 'Run. For God's sake, run. No way is safe. The Library has sealed itself, we can't... Oh, they're here. Arg. Slarg. Snick.' Message ends. Please switch off your mobile comm units for the comfort of other readers."
Rose exchanged alarmed looks with the Doctor then turned to the node, familiar and comfortable with interacting with them. "So that's why we're here... Any other messages, same date stamp?"
"One additional message. This message carries a Felman Lux coherency warning of 5, 0, 11..."
"Yeah, yeah, fine, fine, fine, just play it," the Doctor interrupted.
"Message follows. 'Count the shadows. For God's sake, remember... if you want to live, count the shadows.' Message ends."
"Donna..." the Doctor said, reaching out to pick up his daughter.
"Yeah?"
"Stay out of the shadows," he said, his hearts suddenly heavy in his chest. He could think of a few things that would be found in shadows, and none were good options.
"Why, what's in the shadows?" Jenny asked.
"What was that message, anyway?" Donna asked.
He fished out the paper and showed it to her. The Library. Come as soon as you can. x
"What do you think? Cry for help?" he asked her as they moved through the stacks.
"Cry for help - with a kiss?" the redhead asked skeptically.
Rose laughed. "Oh, we've all done that."
"Who's it from?" their companion asked.
"No idea," the Doctor answered truthfully. "Rose?"
The blonde licked her lips. "Well… I have some ideas, but none that are likely."
Donna shook her head. "So why did we come here, why did you..."
"Look out!" the Doctor shouted as the lights began to go out and an inky darkness began to move toward them.
"What's happening?" Donna asked.
"Run!" Rose screamed, pushing them into movement.
They ran like mad until they reached a door that was jammed.
"Come on!" the Doctor growled.
"What, is it locked?" Rose asked.
"Jammed! The wood's warped!" he replied in a panic, hugging Jenny tightly.
"Sonic it," Donna shouted, "use the thingy!"
"I can't, it's wood!"
The redhead shook her head. "What, it doesn't do wood?!"
"Hang on, hang on, if I can vibrate the molecules, fry the bindings, I can shatterline the interface..."
Rose pushed him. "Love, get out of the way!"
She gave a rough kick, and the door burst open. They rushed in and slammed the door behind them, Donna ramming a book into the handles to keep it shut. The Doctor let Jenny slide to the floor as he looked around.
He noted the sphere in the center of the room and walked toward it. "Oh! Hello! Sorry to burst on you like this. OK if we stop here for a bit?"
The sphere fell to the ground.
"What is it?" Donna asked curiously.
"Security camera," Rose answered curiously.
The Doctor picked up the camera and examined it. "Switched itself off." He used the sonic screwdriver on it, remarking casually. "Nice door skills, love."
"Yeah, you burst in on a few exes too?" Donna grinned at her.
Rose laughed. "Not exactly. Had one bust in on me a few times, but that was something I picked up with this one."
The Doctor frowned to himself at the idea of anyone kicking in a door to get to his Rose, but said nothing.
"What was that, what was after us? I mean, did we just run away from a power cut?" Donna questioned, changing the subject.
"Possibly."
"Are we safe here?"
The Doctor looked at her indignantly. "Course we're safe. There's a little shop."
"Love a little shop," Rose grinned to Jenny as though it were family gospel.
"Gotcha!" he crowed as the lens on the security camera opened.
The cover on the security camera's lens opens.
No, stop it, no, no!
He jumped and set the sphere down. "Ooh, I'm sorry. I really am, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's alive."
"You said it was a security camera," Jenny frowned.
"It is. It's an alive one," her father replied.
The camera began to display more words. The Library has been breached. Others are coming.
"Others? What's it mean, others?" Donna demanded.
The Doctor shook his head.
Donna turned to a node in the room. "Excuse me, what does it mean, 'others'?"
"That's barely more than a speak your weight machine, it can't help you," Rose told her.
The redhead glanced at her. "So why's it got a face?"
The node spoke, "This flesh aspect was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death."
Donna stepped back in horror. "It's a real face?!"
"It has been actualised individually for you from the many facial aspects saved to our extensive flesh banks. Please enjoy."
She shook her head slowly. "It chose me a dead face it thought I'd like? That statue's got a real dead person's face on it..."
The Doctor shrugged. "It's the 51st century, that's... basically like donating a park bench."
The 21st century woman laughed, though she wasn't amused. "It's donating a face!"
The Doctor reached out and snatched her away from a shadow. "No, wait, no!"
"Oi! Hands!" she snapped, slapping at him.
"The shadow, look!" Rose said, pulling Jenny toward her.
"What about it?" she asked.
"Count the shadows," he repeated.
She rolled her eyes. "One. There, I counted it, one shadow."
"Yeah..." Rose said softly."But what's casting it?"
They all looked around, but they couldn't find the source.
The Doctor groaned, slapping himself in the head. "Oh! I'm thick! Look at me, I'm old and thick! Head's too full of stuff, I need a bigger head!"
"I like that head," Rose said in a falsely light tone.
"Power must be going," Donna said, finally feeling nervous.
Rose shook her head, remembering this from her time studying there. "This place runs on fission cells. They'll outburn the sun."
"Then why is it dark?" she asked.
The Doctor sighed. "It's not dark."
"Daddy, the shadow is gone."
Rose shivered. "Doctor?"
He nodded. "We need to get back to the TARDIS."
Donna shook her head. "Why?"
The Doctor reached for Rose's hand. "Because that shadow hasn't gone. It's moved."
The node began repeating the warning. "Reminder: the Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder: the Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder: the Library has been breached..."
The four of them jumped and huddled as the door on the far side of the room burst and seven people in spacesuits entered. Two people moved close to the small group and switched their visors to transparent. A man and woman grinned at them brightly.
"Hello sweeties," the woman greeted.
"Get out!" the Doctor ordered.
"Doctor," Rose tried.
"All of you, turn around, get back in your rocket and fly away! Tell your grandchildren you came to the Library and lived, they won't believe you," he snapped at the people in the suits.
"Pop your helmets, everyone. We've got breathers," the man announced , taking off his helmet and winking at Rose.
The Doctor scowled. He was already feeling protective over the passing mention of someone kicking in a door to get to the woman he loved, having a strange man now winking at her was not helping.
"How do you know they're not androids?" another woman asked curiously.
"Cos I've dated androids," the woman shrugged easily. "They're rubbish."
"When did you date an android?" the man asked, raising a brow.
She grinned. "We'll reminisce later."
"Who is this? You said we were the only expedition, I paid for exclusives," an older, wealthy looking man asked angrily.
"I lied, I'm always lying. Bound to be others," the woman told him.
"It's a public world, Mr. Lux," her partner added.
Glaring at the two, the man known as Mr. Lux turned to a very pretty young woman and snapped, "Miss Evangelista, I want to see the contracts."
The woman hurriedly began looking through a bag, searching for the contracts.
Smirking, the woman turned to them. "You came through the north door, yeah? How was that, much damage?"
The Doctor shook his head. "Please, just leave. I'm asking you seriously and properly, just lea... Hang on. Did you say expedition?"
Mr. Lux raised his chin. "My expedition, I funded it."
The Doctor groaned, a sound of long suffering. "Oh, you're not, are you? Tell me you're not archaeologists."
Rose shot her husband a glare. "Doctor, you're being rude!"
"Got a problem with archaeologists?" the man asked, obviously amused.
The Doctor sneered slightly. "I'm a time traveller. I point and laugh at archaeologists."
"Ah. Professor River Song, archaeologist," the curly haired woman nearly laughed, holding out a hand with a bright grin. "My partner, the Alchemist."
The man shook Rose's hand, who shot him an amused look. "The Alchemist, really?"
"I like it," he shrugged. "What, you don't?"
"No, no," Rose assured him. "I think it's very clever."
The Doctor hurriedly shook River's hand. "River Song, lovely name. As you're leaving, and you're leaving now... you need to set up a quarantine beacon. Code-wall the planet, the whole planet. Nobody comes here, not ever again... not one living thing, not here, not ever. Stop right there! What's your name?"
A woman who'd been stepping toward a shadow froze and looked at him. "Anita."
He shook his head. "Anita, stay out of the shadows. Not a foot, not a finger in the shadows till you're safely back in your ship. Goes for all of you. Stay in the light. Find a nice, bright spot and just stand. If you understand me, look very, very scared."
The whole party stared at him blankly, except a smiling River and a still amused Alchemist.
"He always like this?" the man asked.
"You tell me," Rose muttered before speaking louder. "Doctor, I don't think they're taking you seriously."
Miss Evangelista managed to look somewhat scared, but the rest didn't even make an attempt. Jenny shook her head.
"Daddy said scared, not dumb."
"Jenny!" Rose chided. "Just because your father likes to be rude, doesn't mean I'm going to let you do it."
The Alchemist snickered and Rose elbowed him before stepping closer to her daughter.
The Doctor sighed. "OK, do for now. You, who are you?"
"Uh, Dave," one of the men stammered.
"OK, Dave..."
"Oh, well Other Dave, because that's Proper Dave the pilot, he was the first Dave, so when we..."
The Doctor held up a hand and grabbed the man's arm, propelling him toward the door they just entered through. "Other Dave, the way you came, does it look the same as before?"
The man nodded, shrugging. "Yeah. Oh, it's a bit darker."
"How much darker?" the Doctor pressed.
"Oh, like I could see where we came through just like a moment ago. I can't now."
The Doctor hissed. "Seal up this door. We'll find another way out."
He turned and walked back to Rose, giving her a grim look. She took his hand and nodded, offering silent support and faith.
"We're not looking for a way out," Mr. Lux snorted dismissively. "Miss Evangelista?"
The young woman immediately stepped toward them with papers. "I'm Mr. Lux's personal... everything. You need to sign these contracts agreeing that your individual experience inside the Library are the intellectual property of the Felman Lux Corporation."
"Right, give it here," Rose said pleasantly, taking the papers and glancing at Donna who'd stepped forward, smirking.
"Yeah, lovely. Thanks."
The two women tore the contracts into pieces and Jenny gaped.
"Mum, now you're being rude!"
"My family built this Library. I have rights," the man spluttered.
River shook her head. "You have a mouth that won't stop."
The Alchemist frowned at the Doctor. "You think there's danger here?"
The Time Lord made a face, answering in an extremely sarcastic tone, "Something came to this Library and killed everything in it, killed a whole world. Danger? Could be."
River shook her head, hands on her hips in a way that reminded him of Rose. "That was 100 years ago. The Library's been silent for 100 years. Whatever came here is long dead."
He glared darkly. "Bet your life?"
There was no hesitation, no thought before both River and the Alchemist grinned and spoke as one, "Always."
"Quit baiting him," Rose said sternly. "This is not a time for jokes or games."
"Come on, Rose. We're only-"
"I know what you're doing," the Doctor's wife interrupted River. "And this isn't the time. There is something out there, and it will get in here, and we are in real danger unless we figure out a way out."
The two looked properly chastised, which rather confused the Doctor. How did Rose know these two, and if she did, why didn't he? Time to question that later, however.
"What are you doing?" Mr. Lux demanded of Other Dave as he worked at sealing the door the Doctor had instructed him to.
Other Dave hesitated. "He said seal the door."
"Torch!" the Doctor shouted, snatching the torch from the rich man's hand.
"You're taking orders from him?"
"Spooky, isn't it?" the Doctor said, waggling his eyebrows before he moved to the other side of the room and began illuminating the nooks and crannies. "Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark. But they're wrong. Cos it's not irrational. It's Vashta Nerada."
Jenny skipped happily toward him and took his hand. "What's Vashta Nerada, Daddy?"
He gave her small hand a squeeze. "It's what's in the dark. It's what's always in the dark."
Rose rubbed her neck. "Lights! That's what we need, lights. You got lights?"
The Alchemist shook his head. "What for?"
"Form a circle, safe area, big as you can, lights pointing out," she reasoned. "Unless you want whatever's in the dark comin' in here?"
River turned. "Oi! Do as she says."
Mr. Lux appeared to be having a mild coronary. "You're not listening to these people?!"
"Apparently, I am. Anita, unpack the lights. Other Dave, make sure the door's secure, then help Anita. Mr. Lux, put your helmet back on, block the visor. Proper Dave, find an active terminal. I want you to access the Library database, see what you can find about what happened here a hundred years ago. Pretty Boy, you're with me. Step into my office. Love, you've got our favorite blonde," River barked, heading for a desk with an information terminal.
"Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing my helmet?"
"She doesn't fancy you," the Alchemist said, laughing slightly.
The Doctor had moved over to Proper Dave. "Probably I can help you."
"Pretty Boy, with me I said," River called from across the room.
He blinked. "Oh, I'm Pretty Boy? Rose, did you hear that?"
She smiled indulgently, leading Jenny to Donna, who had been speaking with Miss Evangelista.
"Ooh, that came out a bit quick!" Donna joked.
Rose laughed a bit. "Donna, I think the Doctor and I are going to be a bit busy for a while. I need you to keep an eye on Jenny. You're the only one I can trust."
"Pretty?!" the Doctor spluttered.
"Mum and I think you're very pretty, Daddy," the little girl assured him.
"Meh," Donna shrugged.
The Doctor shrugged and moved over to River, while Rose moved to the Alchemist.
"You look the same as ever, but I haven't seen that him in a long time," he said, nodding to the Doctor.
She shivered. "Then it won't be long… You're so tall!"
He laughed and hugged her. "I know."
She hugged him back for a moment before there was a tap on her shoulder. "Mind telling me why you're hugging my wife so happily?"
River groaned next to him, holding a TARDIS-shaped book. "Really?"
"What?" the Doctor asked, rather angrily, tugging Rose to his side and out of the stranger's arms.
"You're doing a very good job, acting like you don't know us. I'm assuming there's a reason," the curly haired woman smirked.
"A fairly good one, actually," he nodded, frowning at both River and the Alchemist.
The woman smirked. "OK, shall we do diaries, then? Where are we this time? Uh, going by your face, I'd say it's early days for you. Impossible to tell from Rose's, you know. Yes? So, um..." She flipped pages in the book, humming thoughtfully. "Crash of the Byzantium, have we done that yet? I barely remember that, you know…"
The Doctor exchanged a confused look with Rose, who shook her head. While she knew who they were and couldn't tell her husband, she didn't know anything about a diary, or the Byzantium.
"Obviously ringing no bells." River flipped through several pages. "Right, um, oh. Picnic at Asgard. Have we done Asgard yet, Rose?"
The blonde shook her head sadly while the Doctor simply stared at her.
"Obviously not. Blimey, very early days, then. Huh, life with time travellers, never knew it could be such hard work."
The Alchemist was thinking carefully and suddenly thumped himself in the forehead. "Oh, stupid me… River, love, look at them. All of them…"
She looked up, first at him, then at Rose, and the Doctor, and finally at Jenny, her eyes growing wider with each passing second.
"Look at you!" she whispered, eyes going back to the Doctor's. "You're young."
He blinked a few times. "I'm really not, you know."
River laughed, but it seemed hollow, and forlorn. "Nah, but you are. Your eyes. You're younger than I've ever seen you."
"You've seen us before, then?"
The Alchemist put an arm around the archaeologist and pulled her close. "We have. Many times. But you've not seen us. Well, Rose has, but she's not allowed to ruin anything. You know the rules, Doctor."
"Who are you?" the Doctor asked, ignoring all his own rules regarding knowing one's own future.
There was a blaring odd alarm, startling the four out of the serious conversation to stare at Proper Dave who was holding up his hands.
"Sorry, that was me," the pilot copped. "Trying to get through into the security protocols, I seem to have set something off. What is that? Is that an alarm?"
"Mum, Daddy? Doesn't that sound like…?" Jenny asked, pulling at Donna's hand as she tried to move them closer to her parents.
"It is. It's a phone!" the Doctor shouted, avoiding the tense situation by bouncing away, dragging Rose with him toward the terminal.
"I'm trying to call up the data core, but it's not responding. Just that noise," Proper Dave explained as they all got closer.
"But it's a phone!" Donna said wonderingly.
The Doctor gestured to the terminal. "Let me try something."
The other man moved out of the way and let him work. The terminal's screen showed the symbol they had seen on the security camera, with 'ACCESS DENIED' written over it.
"OK, doesn't like that, let's try something else," he muttered, going to work again. After a few moments, a picture of a simple living room appeared, with a little girl sitting in it. "OK, here it comes. Hello?"
The image of the little girl turned. "Hello. Are you in my television?"
He glanced at Rose, who gave him a look that clearly told him to talk to the girl. "Well, no, I'm, I'm... sort of in space. I, I was trying to call up the data core of a triple-grid security processor."
She frowned. "Would you like to speak to my dad?"
He nodded. "Dad or your mum, that'd be lovely."
The girl pointed at him. "I know you! You were in my Library."
"Your Library?" the Doctor asked, surprised.
"The Library's never been on the television before. What have you done?" she asked accusingly.
He floundered for an answer. "Ah, I... I just rerouted the interface..."
The screen went black, before the Library logo and the ACCESS DENIED signal appeared again.
"What happened?" River asked. "Who was that?"
He didn't answer, punching numbers furiously. When nothing worked, he ran across to the terminal River had been working at and began working there.
"Keep working on those lights, we need those lights!" Rose ordered, following him.
"You heard her, people, let there be light," the Alchemist barked.
Working away at the terminal, the Doctor shot several glances at the diary that River had left sitting on the desk. After a few glances, he surreptitiously reached for it but Rose beat him to it.
"No," she said softly.
"You know them," he said, his voice tight.
She nodded. "I do. And no, I'm not going to tell you who they are."
He looked up, angry with her for the first time in quite a while. "You get to decide what I know and don't know, now?"
Rose felt her heart clench. She hated when he was upset, but this wasn't something she could fix. He was the one who told her that people should never know their own futures because it could cause irreparable damage when they tried to change things or make sure certain things did happen. "When I have to, yeah. Just like you get to choose to protect me when I try to do something that's gonna hurt me."
"I'm a Time Lord-" he began, the old argument immediately rising to the fore.
She shook her head. "And I'm essentially Time, or so you say."
The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "Rose, I don't want to fight with you."
"Yes you do," she said easily. "You want to yell at me because you're mad. You want me to tell you what you want to know, and I ain't gonna. You want me to give up and let you make all the decisions like I used to, like your companions all do. But I ain't just a companion now. I'm your wife. Your partner."
He turned back to the computer sullenly.
Rose sighed and looked at River's diary. "Well. I thought I was your partner, at least."
She walked away, determined not to cave. If she told him this time, she was going to tell him every time this situation arose. She had to be strong. For both of them. Behind her, she heard his angry huff, and she heard him hit the computer.
Then the books began flying off the shelves.
"What's that? I didn't do that, did you do that?" the Doctor asked, startled.
"Not me," Proper Dave promised, holding his hands up.
"What's CAL?" the Doctor asked, looking back at the screen that now had the word across the top.
Rose glanced at him, but didn't move closer. She handed the diary to its owner, taking a bracing breath. It was so hard not to be right beside him, but he'd hurt her by his lack of trust. The Alchemist caught her eye curiously, but she shook her head warningly. This wasn't his fight, it was theirs.
"What's causing that? Is it the little girl?" River asked nervously, looking around at the books that rained down on them.
"But who is the little girl? What's she got to do with this place?" the Doctor queried, shooting a glance at his wife. He knew he was being a bit unreasonable, but he didn't like when people knew things he didn't. He had gotten used to being the one with all the answers, and being on this side of it felt awkward and wrong. Still… he'd been the one that taught Rose that having too much knowledge of your own future could be a dangerous thing. He shoved the thoughts aside to be dealt with later. "How does the data core work? What's the principle? What's CAL?"
"Ask Mr. Lux," the Alchemist answered a bit sullenly.
He turned to the man. "CAL, what is it?"
Mr. Lux shook his head stubbornly. "Sorry. You didn't sign your personal experience contracts."
Rose raised a brow, bristling. "Mr. Lux, right now, you're in more danger than you've ever been in your whole life. And you're protecting a patent?"
The Doctor smiled a bit at her, deflating somewhat when she didn't return it.
"I'm protecting my family's pride," the man replied archly.
"Well, funny thing, Mr. Lux, I don't want to see everyone in this room dead because some idiot thinks his pride is more important," the Doctor snapped, taking his frustration out on Lux.
"Then why don't you sign his contract?" the Alchemist smirked. "We didn't either. We're getting worse than you."
Rose muttered something that made River titter in belatedly controlled giggles.
"Okay, okay, okay," the Doctor said loudly, shooting a quelling look at the two women. "Let's start at the beginning. What happened here? On the actual day, a hundred years ago, what physically happened?"
River immediately began pulling up the information on her datapad. "There was a message from the Library. Just one. 'The lights are going out'. Then the computer sealed the planet, and there was nothing for a hundred years."
"Has it really been that long?" Rose asked her in amusement.
"Oh yes," she replied cheekily. "But we're carrying it well, don't you think?"
"It's taken three generations of my family just to decode the seals and get back in," Mr. Lux spoke over them, shooting a glare at River.
"Um... excuse me..." Miss Evangelista mumbled.
"Not just now," her employer waved her off.
"There was one other thing in the last message..." the Alchemist offered.
Mr. Lux cut him off, "That's confidential."
The man drew himself to his full height, appearing rather intimidating. "I trust this man. With my life, with River, with everything."
"You've only just met him!" Lux spluttered.
The Doctor looked at him in shock. He really wished he knew who these people were.
"No," River corrected gently, "he's only just met us."
"Um. This might be important actually..." Miss Evangelista said shyly.
"In a moment!" Lux snapped.
River handed Rose the datapad. "This is a data extract that came with the message."
The blonde hissed and looked up, showing the message to the Doctor with wide eyes.
He read it aloud. "4022 saved. No survivors."
"4022, that's the exact number of people who were in the Library when the planet was sealed," River said.
"But how can 4022 people have been saved if there were no survivors?" Jenny piped, reminding the adults she was still in the room.
"Good question," Donna said with a frown.
"That's what we're here to find out," the Alchemist said grimly.
Mr. Lux shook his head. "And so far, what we haven't found are any bodies."
Jenny's small hand tapped on Rose's ribs, having pulled Donna over. "Mum, Miss Evangelista went off to investigate."
There was no time to respond as a scream ripped through the air from a hole in the wall, causing everyone to run madly toward the sound. They arrived in a whole new room to find a skeleton, clothed in tatters, sitting in a chair.
Jenny jerked, surprised, and hid her face in Rose's stomach. Rose pulled her daughter closer, picking her up and holding her, looking at the Doctor.
"Everyone careful," he warned, moving to her side at once, their brief argument shoved aside for the time as he slipped an arm around his wife. "Stay in the light. Do you want me to hold her?"
Rose shook her head. "I have her for now."
"You keep saying that. I don't see the point!" Proper Dave exclaimed.
"Who screamed?" the Alchemist asked him, as though the answer should be obvious to all of them.
"Miss Evangelista," the pilot answered warily.
"Right," Rose answered in a withering tone. "And where's she?"
River paused, the answer now occurring to her as well, and lifted her communicator, speaking into it, "Miss Evangelista, please state your current..."
The crew turned, shocked, as River's voice echoed from the skeleton in the chair.
She sighed and repeated, "Please state your current..."
The Alchemist moved forward, pulling a bit of the spacesuit's collar around, exposing a row of green blinking lights that indicated her communicator relay before pulling it off and handing it to River. "It's her. It's Miss Evangelista," he confirmed.
Anita shook her head, looking around for answers that she wasn't going to like. "We heard her scream a few seconds ago. What could do that to a person in a few seconds?"
"Weren't you listening to my daddy at all?" Jenny asked, raising her head to glare at the woman.
"Be nice," Rose chided. "Anita, it took a lot less than a few seconds."
The Doctor tightened his hold on them, looking around at the shadows in the room. His head swam, fear of losing them both flooding his senses. Jenny wouldn't be able to regenerate from this, and Rose wouldn't have any chance to use the TARDIS-given healing abilities that she'd been granted. These things could take his family… the family he never thought he'd be lucky enough to have…
"What did?" Anita asked, terror lacing every syllable.
"Hello?" Miss Evangelista's voice came from the communicator stunning them all.
River winced. "Um, I'm sorry everyone, um, this isn't going to be pleasant. She's ghosting."
Donna shook her head, unfamiliar with the term. "She's what?"
"Hello, excuse me? I - I'm sorry, hello? Excuse me?"
The redhead gasped. "That's... That's her, that's Miss Evangelista!"
Other Dave shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to sound horrible, but couldn't we just... you know?"
River stared at him in horror at the suggestion. "This is her last moment... no, we can't."
"A little respect, thank you," the Alchemist said forcefully, stepping between River and the others and crossing his arms, almost daring them to try something.
"Alchemist," Rose said gently. "She's safe. No one is going to hurt her."
The man relaxed marginally, and the Doctor shook his head.
"Sorry," Miss Evangelista's voice said, "where am I? Excuse me?"
"But that's Miss Evangelista," Donna said, looking around with a silent plea for someone to explain.
"It's a data ghost, she'll be gone in a moment," River said softly, before addressing her communicator. "Miss Evangelista, you're fine, just relax. We'll be with you presently."
"What's a data ghost?" Jenny asked, the new information prompting her ever-present curiosity to the point that she wriggled out of her mother 's grasp to stand at her side.
The Doctor laid a hand on her shoulder, ensuring she stayed near. "There's a neural relay in the communicator, lets you send thought mails. That's it there, those green lights. Sometimes it can hold an impression of a living consciousness for a short time after death. Like an after image."
"My grandfather lasted a day," Anita said shyly. "Kept talking about his shoelaces."
Donna looked around, blinking at them all. "She's in there!"
"I can't see, I can't... Where am I?"
"She's just brain waves now. The pattern won't hold for long," Proper Dave said, clinically detatched.
"She's conscious! She's thinking," the former temp spat.
The voice came again. "I can't see, I can't... I don't know what I'm thinking."
"She's a footprint on the beach," the Doctor said sadly.
Rose sighed and leaned against him. "And the tide's coming in."
"Where's that woman? The nice woman... is she there?"
Mr. Lux scowled. "What woman?"
Jenny stepped forward, to be pulled back again by both parents. "She means my Aunt Donna! Aunt Donna was nice to her when you lot were all mean and judgy."
"Judgy isn't a word, love," Rose corrected.
"Should be," her daughter shot back.
"Is she there? The nice woman?"
"Yeah, she's here, hang on," River turned to Donna and held out a hand. "Go ahead. She can hear you."
"Hello? Are you there?"
Donna shook her head, too horrified by the woman's fate to move.
"Aunt Donna," Jenny whispered. "Help her."
"She's dead," the redhead said in hushed tones.
"Yeah," Rose agreed. "But you can still help her."
"Hello? Is that the nice woman?"
Shaking herself, Donna took a deep breath. "Yeah. Hello. Yeah, I'm, I'm... I'm here. You OK?"
Miss Evangelista spoke. "What I said before, about being stupid. Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."
The crew shifted uncomfortably, looking at each other in clear embarrassment.
"Course I won't. Course I won't tell them," she promised.
"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh..."
"I won't tell them. I said I won't," Donna swore fervently.
"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh…"
Donna shook her head. "I'm not going to tell them."
The lights were only blinking, about to go out, and the mood in the room turned chilled and somber.
"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh…"
"She's looping now. The pattern's degrading," River apologized.
"I can't think, I...don't know, I... I... I... Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream," Miss Evangelista's voice said, falling into a repeating pattern.
The Alchemist moved to River's side, cover her hand with his and gently taking the relay out of her hand. "Does anybody mind if I...?"
No one made any move to stop him, and so he turned the relay off, bowing his head respectfully for a moment before he put it back on the skeleton's lap.
"That was... that was horrible. That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen," Donna shuddered, her tears pouring down her cheeks.
Rose moved to hug her friend, murmuring soothingly.
"No. It's just a freak of technology. But whatever did this to her, whatever killed her... I'd like a word with that," River said darkly.
"We'll introduce you," the Doctor replied in a tone just as dark. "Rose?"
He turned and headed back to the other room, tugging Jenny along. Rose pulled Donna after him, glancing back to make sure the others were following. He looked around, obviously thinking hard.
"I'm gonna need a packed lunch."
"Hang on," River said, bending with the Alchemist to search her bag. He pulled out the TARDIS book while they looked.
"What's in that book?" the Doctor asked, looking at it intently.
River quipped, "Spoilers."
He scowled, glancing at all of them. He really didn't like having his own words used against him. "Who are you?"
She held out a hand as though they were just being introduced. "Professor River Song, University of..."
"To me. To us. Who are you to us?"
The Alchemist sighed, tucking the book away and holding out a lunchbox. "Again... spoilers. Chicken, and a bit of salad. Knock yourself out."
The Doctor made no move to accept it.
"Doctor… the rules are yours, are you really going to turn this into a stand-off just because you don't like the answers?" Rose sighed, sounding worn.
The Doctor snatched the lunch, forcing himself to be calm. He didn't really want to fight with Rose, but the whole situation just made him angry. "Right, you lot. Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada!"
Jenny looked up at her mother as the Doctor moved away to examine the shadows. "Is Daddy mad at us?"
Rose shook her head. "No, Jenny. He's just mad at me because it's easier than facing what really bothers him."
She missed the way her husband flinched as she stated that so matter-of-fact-ly and made him ashamed of his reaction. He didn't know how to apologize to her, or how to let go of centuries of being right.
"Oh," the little girl said, looking at the Time Lord. "Is it because you got secrets that you won't share with him?"
The blonde woman nodded. "I think that's part of it. But he isn't mad at you, so you don't worry about it, okay? We still love you, and we still love each other."
"Can I watch Daddy work, then?"
Rose glanced up at the Doctor. "Yes, but stay behind him, and away from the shadows."
He didn't look up as Jenny joined him on the floor while he examined the shadows with the sonic screwdriver.
River stepped over to Donna. "You travel with them, don't you? The Doctor and Rose, you travel with them."
The redhead cocked her head to the side. "What of it?"
Rose listened to them while she watched her husband and daughter crawling around, arriving at Proper Dave's feet.
"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?"
"Why?" the pilot asked.
"Over there by the water cooler. Thanks," the Doctor answered absently. "Jenny, stay just behind me."
"Of course, Daddy."
Proper Dave moved over to join the rest of his crew and Donna looked appraisingly at the archaeologist.
"You know them, don't you?"
River grinned at her. "Oh, God, do I know those people. We go way back, that family and me. Just not this far back."
Donna shook her head, clearly missing what she was saying. "I'm sorry, what?"
River looked at her pointedly. "He hasn't met the Alchemist or me yet. We sent them a message but it went wrong, it arrived too early. This is the Doctor and Rose in the days before they knew us. And he looks at me, he looks right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does. And the Alchemist… oh this is really hurting him... but Rose can't even tell him, because it would ruin everything."
The redhead gave her a withering look. "What are you talking about? Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know them or don't you?"
"Donna! Quiet! I'm working."
"Sorry!"
The Alchemist jumped and moved over to her. "I knew it! Donna! You're Donna Noble! I haven't seen you…"
"Watch it!" Rose snapped, earning a frustrated glare from the Doctor.
He stood up and forced a grin. "OK, we've got a live one! That's not darkness down those tunnels, this is not a shadow. It's a swarm. A man-eating swarm."
He handed the chicken leg to Jenny and pointed at the shadow. Immediately picking up on his intent, the girl threw the leg under the table, and by the time it hit the floor, the bone had been stripped bare.
"Just like Miss Evangelista!" the little girl gasped.
"The piranhas of the air, the Vashta Nerada," her father nodded. "Literally 'the shadows that melt the flesh'. Most planets have them, but usually in small clusters. I've never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive."
"What d'you mean, most planets? Not Earth?" Donna demanded, eyes wide.
He shrugged. "Mmmm, Earth, and a billion other worlds. Where there's meat, there's Vashta Nerada. You can see them sometimes, if you look. The dust in sunbeams."
She shook her head, refusing to believe it. "If they were on Earth, we'd know."
"Like we knew the Slitheen were there, and the Nestene Consciousness, the Krillitanes…" Rose began listing quietly.
Smothering an amused smirk, the Doctor focused on their companion. "Nah, normally they live on road kill. But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark."
"Every shadow?" the Alchemist asked curiously.
"No. But any shadow," Rose replied. "Right Doctor?"
He nodded, wondering how to begin making things right between them.
"So what do we do, Daddy?" Jenny asked, tugging on the Doctor's hand.
He picked her up and gave her a brief hug, his eyes raising to meet Rose's. "Daleks - aim for the eyestalk. Sontarans - back of the neck. Vashta Nerada... Run! Just run."
River frowned at him. "Run? Run where?"
Rose was willing to work with him until they were safe. She could argue with him then. "This is an index point. There must be an exit teleport somewhere. Problem is, it's been too long since I was here last to remember."
They all turned to the estimable Mr. Lux who floundered under their attention.
"Don't look at me, I haven't memorised the schematics!"
Donna jumped. "Doctor, Rose, the little shop! They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff."
He whirled and caught Donna in a hug while she floundered. "You're right! Brilliant! That's why I like the little shop!"
"OK, let's move it!" Proper Dave said enthusiastically taking a few steps toward the shop.
The Doctor hesitated. "Actually, Proper Dave, could you stay where you are for a moment?"
The pilot looked around in confusion. "Why?"
Rose stepped closer, knowing he would blame himself, and took his hand. The words she chose were deliberate to reestablish them as a team. "We're sorry; so, so sorry. But you've got two shadows."
The rest of the team turned slowly and stared at him in horror, seeing the two clear shadows stretching from his feet.
"It's how they hunt," the Time Lord explained sadly, squeezing Rose's hand, "they latch on to a food source and keep it fresh."
The man trembled. "What do I do?"
The Alchemist was running a scanner over him, "You stay absolutely still. Like there's a wasp in the room, like there's a million wasps. Doctor, M-Rose, back up a step, please."
"We're not leaving you, Dave," River promised, though it sounded hollow to those in the room.
"Course we're not leaving," Rose scoffed, looking to the Doctor.
He nodded to her, suddenly grateful that she was willing to overlook his stubborn pride for the moment. "Where's your helmet, Proper Dave? Don't point, just tell me."
He bit his lip. "On the floor, by my bag."
Anita moved to retrieve the helmet and the Doctor held up a hand to warn her.
"Don't cross his shadow!" he exclaimed, taking the helmet from Anita. "Thanks. Now, the rest of you, helmets back on and sealed up. We'll need everything we've got."
Rose bit her lip and watched with the others as the Doctor put the helmet on Proper Dave and stepped back. His misery with the situation was almost palpable to her, and she hated that she couldn't fix it for him.
"But, Doctor," Donna said in a very quiet, unusually meek voice, "we haven't got any helmets."
He deliberately avoided all eye contact. "Yeah, but we're safe anyway."
"How are we safe, Daddy?" Jenny asked immediately. "That doesn't make any sense."
Her mother smirked. "We're not, sweetheart. Daddy just said that to keep us all quiet."
Mr. Lux waved his arms angrily. "What good are the damn suits? Miss Evangelista was wearing her suit, there was nothing left."
Rose shot the man a glare. "You flaming idiot. Would you mind watching what you say in front of my daughter?"
The Alchemist patted her shoulder absently before turning to the Doctor. "We can increase the mesh-density, dial it up 400%. Make it a tougher meal."
"OK," the Doctor nodded, turning the sonic to Proper Dave's suit. "800%! Pass it on."
He started to hand the device to River, but she held up a similar, yet advanced, sonic screwdriver.
"Gotcha!" she grinned.
He blinked. "What's that?"
"It's a screwdriver," the Alchemist answered tightly. There was a dark look in his eyes as they connected to Rose's.
She had a feeling about what had happened, why River had a sonic screwdriver, when only the Doctor carried one. She still had that sonic pen somewhere in her pockets, but the sonic screwdriver was something her husband liked to think was unique.
"It's sonic," the Doctor said flatly.
"Yeah, I know. Snap!" River dismissed as she moved around, sealing the suits of the rest of the team.
The Doctor watched her with suspicion for a moment before turning to Rose. "How?"
She shook her head. "No idea, and before you ask, that's the truth."
He sighed and nodded. He'd promised her that he'd always trust her, but when put to the test, he still managed to forget it. He was very lucky she had such a forgiving spirit, especially toward him. He hugged her tightly for a moment, sighing slightly when he felt some of the tension melt from her shoulders.
Jenny smiled, seeing her parents hug. That was how things were supposed to be.
"With me, come on!" he said to Donna, bringing his somewhat strange family close as he ran toward the little shop.
"What are we doing, we're shopping? Is it a good time to shop?" Donna gasped, stumbling a bit as she followed the long-legged man.
"No talking, just moving! Try it! Right, stand there in the middle. It's a teleport. Stand in the middle. Can't send the others, TARDIS won't recognise them," he rambled.
"What are you doing?" Rose asked, eyes wide.
"You don't have a suit, you're not safe!" he said quickly, turning her to face him, hands on her cheeks. "I'm not sending you away, love, I swear. But we have to protect Donna and Jenny. You know that."
"You don't have a suit, so you're in just as much danger as I am and I'm not leaving..." Donna began.
"Donna, we'll go to the TARDIS and bring her back here," Rose said, tearing her eyes from the Doctor, feeling the hum of approval from him. "Then we can get everyone out before anything worse happens."
She moved onto the pad with the red haired woman and her daughter. "I'll see you soon," she said softly.
"Not if I see you first," he nodded.
As he pressed the lever, Jenny rushed toward him. "I wanna wait with you, Daddy!"
The two woman were teleported away as River called, "Doctor!"
"You're going to follow your mother, in just a moment," he said, grabbing the girl's hand as they rushed to see what was happening.
Proper Dave looked horrified, as did the rest of the team as they stared at the floor. The pilot only had one shadow. "Where did it go?"
His voice was shaking as he answered, "It's just gone. I... I looked round, one shadow. See."
The Alchemist sounded both hopeful and doubtful as he asked, "Does that mean we can leave? We don't want to hang around here."
Mr. Lux shrugged, looking decidedly self-centered as he spoke. "I don't know why we're still here. We can leave him, can't we? I mean, no offence..."
River shot him a menacing look. "Shut up, Mr. Lux."
The Doctor walked around him carefully, being sure to avoid his shadow and keep Jenny from touching the man or the darkness that touched him. "Did you feel anything? Like an energy transfer? Anything at all?"
Proper Dave shook his head, trying to turn in place. "No, no, but, look, it's, it's gone."
The Doctor stepped back and dragged Jenny to his side. "Stop there, stop, stop, stop there, stop moving! They're never just gone. And they never give up."
The Alchemist took the sonic screwdriver from River and knelt, investigating the shadows. "This one is benign, D-Doctor."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Proper Dave suddenly shouted.
The Doctor looked around, "No-one, they're fine."
"No, seriously, turn them back on!" the pilot pleaded, his tone terrified.
"They are on," River said, taking a hesitant step toward him, though the Alchemist pulled her roughly back to his chest.
Proper Dave snorted, "I can't see a ruddy thing."
"Dave, turn round," the Doctor said, the words heavy in his throat.
The man turned back to face the group, showing a completely blackened helmet. They all took an involuntary step backward.
"What's going on? Why can't I see? Is the power gone, are we safe here?" the doomed man asked, his voice shaking.
"Dave, I want you stay still, absolutely still," the Doctor began as the pilot suddenly stiffened. "Dave, Dave? Dave, can you hear me, are you all right? Talk to me, Dave."
The man's reply was staccato, and stuttering. "I'm fine, I'm OK, I'm... I'm fine."
"Daddy," Jenny whispered, clinging to the Time Lord's hand.
"I want you to stay still, absolutely still," he said, bending down to his daughter. "What is it?"
The little girl pointed at the neural relay on the suit. It was blinking, just as the one on Miss Evangelista's suit had wavered before the woman faded. "I think they got him, Daddy. I think he was doing the ghost thing like the other lady did."
The pilot's voice began repeating, "I'm fine, I'm OK, I'm, I'm fine. I can't... Why can't I? I... I can't... Why can't I? I... I can't... Why can't I? I..."
"You're right," River said. "He's gone. He's ghosting."
"Then why is he still standing?" Mr. Lux asked, confused.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights?" the voice of Proper Dave began shouting.
The Doctor placed firm hands on Jenny, moving her behind him. "Stay here." He cautiously moved closer to Proper Dave.
"Doctor, don't!" the Alchemist said, sounding slightly panicked as his hand reached out and grabbed Jenny's hand.
The Doctor waved, a gesture meant to comfort and dismiss. "Dave, can you hear me?"
The suit responded, "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" He suddenly reached out and grabbed the Doctor and started choking him. The movement momentarily cleared the helmet, revealing the skeletal remains within. "Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"Excuse me!" River exclaimed, grabbing her sonic from the Alchemist and jumping forward. She stunned the suit and yanked the Doctor free.
"Back from it, get back, right back!" he cried, hugging Jenny to him as everyone backed away in fear.
The suit stayed still for a moment, then took a stiff step, followed by a second. Awkwardly, it began to advance.
"Doesn't move very fast does it?" the Alchemist noted.
"It's a swarm in a suit," the Doctor said quietly, frowning with a look of growing concern. "But it's learning."
The shadows from the suit began to stretch out toward them.
"What do we do? Where do we go?"Mr. Lux panicked.
"See that wall behind you? Duck!" River snapped, firing a blaster just above his head and leaving a perfectly square hole.
"Squareness gun!" the Doctor exclaimed.
"I borrowed it from my sister-in-law," the archaeologist explained with a small grin. "Now, everybody out. Go, go, go! Move it, move, move! Move it, move, move!"
The piled out the hole and found themselves standing before a shadowy aisle between shelves.
"You said not every shadow," Jenny said. "Right, Daddy?"
He nodded. "But any shadow!"
They heard from behind them, "Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"Run!" the Alchemist exclaimed, ushering them forward.
They all ran like mad, trying to get away from the swarm. Gaining some distance, the Doctor tried sonicking a lamp while everyone caught their breath.
"Trying to boost the power. Light doesn't stop them, but it slows them down," he muttered, obviously distracted.
"So, what's the plan? Do we have a plan?" River asked, nervously pacing.
The Alchemist pointed their sonic screwdriver at the same light as the Doctor and it grew instantly brighter, causing the Doctor to look at him suspiciously again.
"Your screwdriver... looks exactly like mine," he said, inwardly wincing at the accusatory tone.
"Well, yeah," the other man said, a slight pinched look in his face. "You gave it to us, you and Rose."
"I don't give my screwdriver to anyone," the Doctor scowled. "I might loan it, but never give. Not even to my Rose."
"We aren't anyone," River said, stopping next to the Alchemist.
"Who are you?" he asked them.
"What's the plan?" River shot back.
"I sent Donna and Rose to the TARDIS, and if I know my wife – and I do – she'll be tracking us to pick us up somewhere safe…" he frowned again, his distraction worse.
"We need to get a shift on," the Alchemist nodded. "She doesn't like to wait."
The Doctor blinked and whipped his sonic from his pocket, staring at it in alarm. "No, no, no… She's not there. I should've received a signal, the console signals me if there's a teleport breach."
"Well, maybe the co-ordinates have slipped. The equipment here's ancient," River suggested. "We used to laugh about it all the time…"
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before sprinting toward a nearby Node.
"Rose Tyler or Donna Noble. They're somewhere in this Library. Do you have the software to locate their position?" he asked it in a desperate tone.
The Node turned, wearing Donna's face. "Donna Noble has left the Library. Donna Noble has been saved."
"Donna!" he breathed in horror.
"Rose Tyler has left the Library. Rose Tyler has been saved."
"Mummy!" Jenny gasped, beginning to cry.
"How can it be Donna? How's that possible?" River asked, hand covering her mouth as the Alchemist picked up the little blonde girl and hugged her.
"Donna Noble has left the Library. Donna Noble has been saved. Rose Tyler has left the Library. Rose Tyler has been saved."
"What have I done?" the Doctor whispered in horror, wondering if he would ever see his beloved Rose again.
"Donna Noble has left the Library…"
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
The suit appeared but the Doctor made no effort to move.
"Doctor!" the Alchemist shouted.
"Rose Tyler has left the Library…"
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"Doctor, we've got to go, now!" River snapped, grabbing the devastated man's hand and pulling him along with the rest of them.
"Rose Tyler has been saved…"
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
The Node and the suit repeated themselves almost endlessly, their voices echoing in the Doctor's head. The group ran until they found themselves cornered. From one side, the swarm in the suit was steadily approaching, and from the other the shadows were slowly growing longer and darker. The survivors huddled around the Doctor, still lost in his grief and despair.
Jenny, clasped firmly in the arms of the Alchemist, whimpered softly. "Daddy, what are we gonna do?"
A/N: Please review. This whole season is really hard to write! I need to know you're still there and wanting me to go on.
