The air warmed uncomfortably as the flames consumed the shelves and the books crackling as they're breaking down from the intense heat. Smoke bellowed from behind, thickened plumes, hot ash rained from above, and the smell of burning wood filled the air.
Their skins draped with sweat as the heated air made it hard for them to breathe while they're fleeing through the aisles of the library. Embers fluttering in the breeze as books spark into flames, the reaction causing some books to fly out of the shelves, some almost pelting the trio as they're running for their lives.
They decided whichever TARDIS they reach first, they're taking and sending for the other, safer than the alternative.
A task until itself, with the winding aisles, and the fire chasing them from behind, enveloping everything in its path.
Unable to stop for a moment, the trio forced to make difficult choices, looking for any indication they're going the right way, and Lila's able to spot something that they left as a marker amid the smoke.
They hurried down the aisle, following the visual clues left behind by Lila and Theodore, allowing them to find their way back.
Smoke thickened and the fire roared as it consumed the aisles the trio ran down, slowly closing in, as they're hurrying towards a familiar sight.
For once, Lila's happy to see it.
Running up to it, Theodore unlocked it and opened it, allowing Lila and the Doctor to flee inside as he rushed inside.
Hurrying to the controls, Theodore's able to start the TARDIS, and it disappeared just as the fire circled where it landed.
The TARDIS reappeared somewhere else and the Doctor used the controls locating his TARDIS. He found it and with a push of a button sent for it.
Lila asked if it's possible the TARDIS suffered damage from the fire, the Doctor replied that it shouldn't. He changed the paint so he wouldn't have that problem.
"Pity about the Vashta Nerada," Theodore felt sorry about them, they weren't a threat to them, and they ended up burnt alive by the intense heat.
The Doctor held an impish look on his face as he told Theodore that they lived in forests, some of those occasionally catch fire, so if he knew them best, they'll be fine once the fire burns out.
Lila inquired what'd happen if the fire doesn't go out and instead continue for almost two-hundred fifty years or so, but the Doctor stated that the intense fire won't have much oxygen left.
"How the hell did it catch fire?" Lila wondered how the library suddenly caught fire, it didn't make any sense for it to combust. The lights above them couldn't cause the spark and Basil surely knew the importance of good wiring.
The Doctor agreed with her points as he replied he doesn't know how, but it couldn't be coincidental. The fact the fire didn't start until he arrived to contact Basil, didn't make sense.
"Sorry about Basil, I'm sure he wasn't as terrifying as he looked," Lila gave her condolences for Basil's death.
It's weird that a man befriended an alien with long rickety arms, but the Doctor held him to some regard, so there's that.
Nodding, the Doctor said that Basil looked intimidating based on his appearance, but he usually minded his business, never muddled, and always busied with writing books. He couldn't bother to actively hurt anyone unless they're in his library uninvited. Since that's never happened, he usually just wrote his biographies in peace.
Didn't make any sense why anyone targeted him, he never shared his books with anyone, he didn't even know contexts of aliens.
This dealt a heavy blow in the Doctor's quest for answers as he mournfully said that because of this, he couldn't find anything about his father.
"Why didn't you ask your mum?" Theodore asked him as he shuffled in place.
The Doctor mournfully replied, sadness in his dark brown eyes, "She never said much about him. I've tried to ask her, multiple times, but she never gave me an answer. It's almost like she didn't even know him."
His mother, bless her heart, raised him to the full extent as a single mother, but the curious Doctor wanted to know about his absent father. However, he came into problems, as despite his attempts broaching the subject with his mother, she often couldn't come up with an answer. He's sure it wasn't traumas, a lapse in judgement, something to that effect, but something else that's blocking her from telling him.
When his telepathy began, the first thing he did, look into her mind, hoping to catch a glimpse of his father in some fashion, only for cloudiness to great him. Unable to find answers from his mother, the Doctor looked elsewhere, but found little details about his father, hence him searching out Basil.
Without his mother's biography, he feared he'll never find anything about his father, and worried that he'll either search until he's grey in the head or dead. Not something he wanted to think about, but he didn't have anywhere else to look, and his TARDIS couldn't do everything.
"Aside from wanting to know about him, why go the lengths?" Theodore asked for the Doctor's motives on finding anything about his father.
Mournfully, the Doctor replied that his mum died not too long ago and he figured it's a good starter as any for him to finally get the answers he wanted. He didn't expect it to go in the way of cheesy movies, but at least he wanted to know if his father's even still alive. If he has other siblings he doesn't know about, something.
"Some major setback," Lila summed their whole experience.
Nodding, the Doctor said that he doesn't know where to look, now. He wondered if his father's a full-blooded Time Lord like Theodore said he is, maybe he's on the home planet.
Theodore cautioned the Doctor to temper his expectations. There's a chance his father isn't there and because of his origins, the Time Lords might not want to help him, out of a twisted sense of pride.
"Like you said, you don't know if he's even alive," Lila echoed what the Doctor said as she wiped the soot off her face with a wet rag.
Acknowledging it, the Doctor said whether it's true, he'll find out, and when he does, he'll go from there.
He doesn't know why his mother never told him anything and acted surprised that he had two hearts. He assumed there's a reason for it and she'd probably shut him out if she found out about his telepathy.
"Where are you going after this?" Theodore asked him as he patted off the soot from his pinstripe coat.
Shrugging his wide shoulders, the Doctor said he doesn't know, he expected to try and find his mother's biography, and go from there, but since this happened, it threw a wrench in his plans.
Guess there's nothing to do now except have the TARDIS take him where he's needed.
"By the way, what's your name?" Lila asked for the Doctor's name.
He seemed surprise she'd ask him and she pointed out that she already knew Theodore's name.
What, they're both the Doctor, only fair that they exchange pleasantries and names. Never know when it might come up.
Lila's well-aware that they have to keep mum about their real names, but it's confusing when she has to go between Theodore and the Doctor, considering she refers to Theodore as the Doctor when they're on adventures.
"Fine, it's David," the Doctor thoughtfully gave his name as Theodore then gave his afterwards.
"Theodore," Theodore gave his and it caused David to have a giddy smile as he made a small joke about Theodore's name, only to receive an eye roll from Theodore in return.
Lila asked if they'll see him again and he adamantly replied that with their luck, they might, don't know when that'll happen, but they'll see each other again. Hopefully on better terms and not running for their lives again, but David felt confidant.
Carefully stepping out of the TARDIS, David headed for his TARDIS, to which it caught Theodore off-guard, how different it looked compared to his, and David said that he wanted to change things up.
Theodore's aghast at the changes, but Lila snapped him out of it by reminding him that he couldn't exactly speak himself, on account that he altered the TARDIS to fit his ideal aesthetics.
Conceding, Theodore watched with Lila as David left in his TARDIS, and they returned inside of theirs where Theodore returned them to the safety of London.
"You have to admit, it's weird, all the sudden, the whole damn library catches fire?" Lila crossed her arms as the two discussed the mishap of an adventure while the ferrets scurried around the flat.
Theodore agreed with her, too coincidental that it'd happen after the death of Basil, and Lila wondered if the culprit stuck around somewhere in the library. Heard them and panicked, decided to try to kill them too, and escaped however they used to get inside the library in the first place.
They didn't know conclusively and likely won't know for sure, all they know's the trillions of books in the library couldn't survive the intense heat. Burnt up, the uncensored life of trillions, written by an alien who liked humans.
Now that he's dead, one less alien that didn't immediately want to end humans. Pity, indeed.
Don't know how he died for sure and who killed him, but they know for certain it had to do something with a person called River. Whoever they are, they don't know if they're even alive at this point.
"So, what time tomorrow?" Lila asked Theodore.
Thinking to himself as he sat on his chair with Bam Bam and Panda scurrying up the legs and sitting on his lap, Theodore suggested, "Around nine?"
Nodding, Lila agreed and she bid him farewell as she left his flat while Theodore relaxed from running for his life.
The End