Bump in the Night

The Doctor grabbed Caroline's hand, pulling her out of the TARDIS as he spoke. "Books," he cheered. "People never really stop loving books." They walked out into some sort of reception area, Donna beside both of them. "Fifty-first century. By now you've got holovids, direct to brain downloads, fiction mist, but you need the smell. The smell of books. Deep breath." He did so, and Caroline laughed at the slightly exaggerated expression on his face.

They walked down a staircase which gave them quite a nice view of the planet, and Caroline couldn't help but stare. The entire city, perhaps even the entire planet, filled completely with books.

"The Library. So big it doesn't need a name. Just a great big 'The'."

"It's like a city." Donna stared, wide eyed, just like Caroline.

"It's a world." The companions turned to him. "Literally, a world. The whole core of the planet is an index computer. Biggest hard drive ever." He gestured to the shelves below them. "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 licked his finger and held it up to the wind. "This must be biographies. I love biographies."

Donna laughed. "Yeah, very you. Always a death at the end."

The Doctor grinned, shrugging. "You need a good death. Without death, there'd only be comedies. Dying gives us size." Donna reached over and picked up a book as he spoke, but the Doctor almost instantly grabbed it from her hand, holding it away from both companions. "Spoilers!"

Donna frowned. "What?"

Caroline noticed the Doctor's eyes flickering to her. "Most of these books are from our future. We may spoil something important."

He nodded. "Like peeking at the end."

"Isn't travelling with you one big spoiler?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I try to keep you both away from major plot developments. Which, to be honest," he grimaced, "I seem to be very bad at, because you know what?" He looked around them. "This is the biggest library in the universe. So where is everyone?"

He stepped away from her, hand drifting out of Caroline's hold, as she spoke. "It's silent."

"The library?" Donna asked as the Doctor soniced a nearby information screen, both companions coming up to either side.

"The planet. The whole planet."

Donna shrugged. "Maybe it's a Sunday."

"No, I never land on Sundays. Sundays are boring."

"Everyone could be quiet," Caroline shrugged, though as she said it she stared at the screen the Doctor was frowning at. "But they'd still show up on the system." The Doctor nodded.

"Doctor, why are we here?" Donna asked, sighing. "Really, why?"

"Oh, you know, just passing." He shrugged.

Donna turned to face him. "No, seriously. It was all, 'let's hit the beach', and then suddenly we're in a library. Why?"

The Doctor frowned at the screen. Caroline was wondering about the same thing, what had drawn the Doctor to the Library, but she was also concerned about no one being in the Library. "Now that's interesting."

"What?"

"Scanning for life forms. If I do a scan for your basic humanoids. You know, your book readers, few limbs and a face…" he pressed a few buttons and the screen made it very clear the computer system only registered three life forms, "apart from us, I get nothing. Zippo, nada. See? Nobody home. But if I widen the parameters to any kind of life…" he reset the computer and it errored, since the life form number had reached the maximum. "A million, million. Gives up after that."

Caroline frowned, leaning a bit closer. "A million, million."

Donna shook her head. "But there's nothing here. There's no one."

"And not a sound. A million, million life forms, and silence in the library."

"But there's no one here. 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."

All three of them turned to look at the book that Donna had originally grabbed, slowly reaching out to touch it, before they were all interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Welcome!"

Donna spun back the way they had originally come. "That came from there."

They returned slowly to the nearly empty room they had arrived in, though now all of them took note of the large sculpture standing by the curved desk…with a human face. Caroline glanced at the Doctor, but he didn't seem as shocked as Donna, which meant this would be normal in the future. He didn't have a problem with it, and Caroline had learned very quickly that the Doctor's opinion was one to trust when it came to aliens and the future.

"I am Courtesy Node 710/Aqua," the face, sounding female, said. "Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of all your fellow readers, regardless of species or hygiene taboo."

"That face," Donna said, "it looks real."

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it."

"A statue with a real face, though? It's a hologram or something, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "No, but really, it's fine."

"Additionally," the face continued, "there follows a brief message from the Head Librarian for your urgent attention. It has been edited for tone and content by a 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. Argh. Slarg. Snick.' Message ends. Please switch off your mobile comm. units for the comfort of other readers."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "So that's why we're here. Any other messages, same damp stamp?"

"One additional message. This message carries a Felman Lux coherency warning of 5011-"

The Doctor waved a hand at it. "Yeah, yeah, fine, fine, fine. Just play it."

"Message follows. 'Count the shadows. For God's sake, remember, if you want to live, count the shadows.' Message ends."

This time Caroline knew she was taking the Doctor's hand; she was gripping it with all of her possible strength, and he didn't comment. Because if there was something in the shadows…

"Donna? Caroline?" the Doctor said, all of them turning around slowly.

Caroline said nothing, but Donna looked at him. "Yeah?"

"Stay out of the shadows."

"Why, what's in the shadows?"

The Doctor said nothing, simply leading them to a row of bookcases, not questioning Caroline's grip on his hand, though they both knew that Donna was looking at it curiously. Normally, when they would touch, it would be light, a simple comfort to remind Caroline that he was there, that he was listening.

Now it was to calm her racing heart.

"So…we weren't just in the neighborhood," Donna said.

He shrugged. "Yeah, I kind of, sort of lied a bit. I got a message on the psychic paper." He pulled it out to show to both of them. 'The Library. Come as soon as you can. X.' "What do you think? Cry for help?"

Donna scoffed. "Cry for help with a kiss?"

"Oh, we've all done that."

Caroline swallowed. "Who's it from?"

"No idea."

"So why did we come here? Why did you-"

"Doctor…" Caroline's voice was quiet, but the other two heard it instantly, all turning to look at the lights beginning to go out at the other end of the corridor, traveling towards them. Plunging them into darkness.

"What's happening?"

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, doing just that, dragging Caroline along with him. Once they came to a door he tried to force it open, shoving his shoulder against it. "Come on!"

Donna frowned. "What, is it locked?"

"Jammed. The wood's warped."

"Well, sonic it. Use the thingy."

He grimaced. "I can't, it's wood."

"What, it doesn't do wood?"

Caroline just fixed her gaze on the approaching darkness.

The Doctor stared at the door. "Hang on, hang on. I can vibrate the molecules, fry the bindings. I can shatterline the interface."

Donna sighed. "Oh, get out of the way!" she kicked the door open and all three of them ran in, slamming the door after them. The Doctor jammed a nearby book into the handles to bolt it while Caroline walked closer to the center of the room, frowning at the strange little camera hovering in the center.

The Doctor turned when he saw she wasn't there. "Oh. Hello." He walked up beside Caroline. "Sorry to burst in on you like this. Okay if we stop here for a bit?"

Instead of answering, the globe camera just fell to the ground. Caroline crouched next to it, extremely thankful for something that could calm her down after just running away from shadows. She needed computers, technology, basic alien and scientific problems she could deal with.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

Caroline touched it carefully. "Security camera," she guessed. "It seems to have switched itself off." She picked it up gingerly and passed it to the Doctor to examine.

"Nice door skills, Donna."

Donna shrugged. "Yeah, well, you know, boyfriends. Sometimes you need the element of surprise." She glanced back at the door. "What was that? What was after us? I mean, did we just run away from a power cut?"

"Possibly."

"Are we safe here?"

The Doctor grinned. "Of course we're safe. There's a little shop." He pointed towards it just as the camera popped open, Caroline leaning closer to look. "Gotcha!"

But there wasn't wires. Instead, there was a screen flashing a message. 'No, stop it. No. No.'

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Ooo, I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He looked up at Caroline. "It's alive."

"You said it was a security camera."

The Doctor nodded. "It is. It's an alive one."

"Others are coming," Caroline read, the message on the screen shifting.

"Others? What's it mean, others?" Donna turned to another one of the faces, this time a male. "Excuse me. What does it mean, others?"

He glanced at her. "That's barely more than a speak your weight machine, it can't help you."

"So why's it got a face?"

"Tis flesh aspect was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death," the face said.

Donna's eyes widened. "It's a real face?"

"It has been actualized individually for you from the many facial aspects saved to our extensive flesh banks. Please enjoy."

She stepped back. "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 fifty first century. That's basically like donating a park bench."

"It's donating a face!"

The Doctor turned and grabbed Donna, pulling her away. "No, wait, no!"

"Oi. Hands." Donna slapped his hands away.

"The shadow." He nodded towards it. "Look."

Donna frowned. "What about it?"

"Count the shadows," Caroline said, quoting the message from before, beginning to feel sick to her stomach.

"One. There, counted it. One shadow."

"What's casting it?"

There was nothing.

The Doctor hit himself on the head. "Oh, I'm thick! Look at me, I'm old and thick. Head's too full of stuff." He frowned. "I need a bigger head."

They all turned to look at the far end of another corridor, watching the lights go out. Caroline grabbed the Doctor's hand again.

"The power must be going," Donna said.

"This place runs on fission cells. They'll outburn the sun."

Donna swallowed. "Then why is it dark?"

"It's not dark."

She glanced back. "That shadow. It's gone."

"We need to get back to the TARDIS."

"Why?"

"Because that shadow hasn't gone. It's moved."

"Reminder. The Library has been breached," the face said. "Others are coming. Reminder. The Library has been breached. Others are coming. Reminder. The Library has been breached-"

It was cut off by the door bursting open in a cloud of bright light, six people in spacesuits entering. One of them, seeming to be their leader just given their stance, walked straight up to the Doctor, who had let go of Caroline's hand in shock. The figure adjusted her transparency on her filter to reveal her face; it was a woman. "Hello sweetie."

"Get out!" the Doctor shouted at them.

"Doctor," Donna said quietly, but the Doctor didn't listen.

"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."

The woman didn't listen. "Pop your helmets, everyone. We've got breathers."

"How do you know they're not androids?" another woman said as the entire crew began to remove their helmets.

"Because I've dated androids. They're rubbish."

"Who is this?" an older man said, glaring at the three time travelers. "You said we were the only expedition. I paid for exclusives."

The woman shrugged. "I lied, I'm always lying. Bound to be others."

"Miss Evangelista, I want to see the contracts," the man said to a younger woman, who scrambled to find them.

"You came through the north door, yeah?" the first woman asked the Doctor. "How was that, much damage?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Please, just leave. I'm asking you seriously and properly, just leave." He frowned. "Hang on. Did you say expedition?"

The older man nodded. "My expedition. I funded it."

The Doctor groaned, stepping back. "Oh, you're not, are you? Tell me you're not archaeologists."

The first woman smirked. "Got a problem with archaeologists?"

"I'm a time traveler. I point and laugh at archaeologists."

She held out her hand. "Ah. Professor River Song, archaeologist."

He didn't take it. "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." He pointed at the second woman who'd spoken, who'd started walking a bit too close to the shadows. "Stop right there. What's your name?"

The woman paused. "Anita."

"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." No one looked that scared, and River Song was actually smiling at him. "No, bit more scared than that." No one changed. "Okay, do for now." He pointed to one of the men. "You. Who are you?"

"Er…Dave."

"Okay, Dave."

"Oh, well, Other Dave, because that's Proper Dave the pilot, he was the first Dave, so when we…"

"Other Dave, the way you came, does it look the same as before?"

Other Dave shrugged, glancing back. "Yeah. Oh, it's a bit darker."

"How much darker?"

"Oh, like I could see where we came through just like a moment ago. I can't now."

The Doctor nodded towards the door. "Seal up this door. We'll find another way out."

"Would you-"

"We're not looking for a way out," the older man said, crossing his arms. "Miss Evangelista?"

The young woman stepped forward, three groups of paper in her hands. "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," the Doctor grabbed it.

"Yeah, lovely."

"Thank you.'

After a moment, all three of them tore the forms in half. Caroline may have been quite terrified at the moment, but she already didn't like Mr. Lux.

"My family built this Library! I have rights."

"You have a mouth that won't stop," River cut in, looking at the Doctor. "You think there's danger here?"

The Doctor nodded. "Something came to this library and killed everything in it. Killed a whole world. Danger? Could be."

"That was a hundred years ago. The Library's been silent for a hundred years. Whatever came here's long dead."

He raised an eyebrow. "Bet your life?"

"Always."

The Doctor took a step back at that.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Lux asked Other Dave.

"He said seal the door."

"Torch!" the Doctor grabbed it from Mr. Lux's hand.

"You're taking orders from him?"

The Doctor grinned. "Spooky, isn't it?" He walked to the edge of the room and began looking around with the torch. "Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark. But they're wrong, because it's not irrational. It's Vashta Nerada."

Caroline wished the Doctor was beside her in that moment, because she quite needed someone's hand to hold. She didn't notice River staring at her with a frown, with confusion, though Donna did. "What's Vashta Nerda?" she managed to ask.

"It's what's in the dark. It's what's always in the dark." The Doctor turned around. "Lights! That's what we need, lights. You got lights?"

River frowned. "What for?"

"Form a circle. Safe area. Big as you can, lights pointing out."

"Oi. Do as he says."

"You're not listening to this man?" Mr. Lux scoffed.

River shrugged. "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 out about what happened here a hundred years ago. Pretty boy, you're with me. Step into my office."

Everyone began to do as River had instructed. "Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing my helmet?"

"I don't fancy you."

The Doctor went over to Proper Dave at the terminal, and Caroline followed. "Probably I can help you," he said, but River snapped at him.

"Pretty boy. With me, I said."

The Doctor leaned back, pointing at himself. "Oh, I'm pretty boy?"

Donna nodded. "Yes. Ooo, that came out a bit quick."

"Pretty?"

Donna shrugged. "Meh."

He left Caroline with Proper Dave, calling to the crew as he walked. "Don't let your shadows cross. Seriously, don't even let them touch. Any of them could be infected."

Proper Dave glanced at Caroline. "What's your name?"

She swallowed. "Caroline. Caroline Attwater, twenty first century."

"Then you're really time travelers?"

Caroline smiled. "Really time travelers." She studied the screen. "We found a conscious security drone. I'd recommend you treed carefully."

He frowned, typing. "Conscious security drones?"

They managed to reach the security protocols, only to be interrupted by a loud alarm, which Caroline swore sounded like a twenty first century phone.

Everyone turned to look at the pair of them. "Sorry, that was us," Proper Dave said. "Trying to get through into the security protocols. We seem to have set something off. What is that? Is that an alarm?"

"It sounds like a phone," Caroline said, the Doctor walking over almost instantly.

"I'm trying to call up the data core, but it's not responding. Just that noise."

Caroline looked back at the Doctor. "Doctor, that's a phone."

He pushed Proper Dave aside, letting the man join the rest of his crew as they gathered around the screen. "Let me try something." He typed a few things before the screen flashed 'Access Denied'. "Okay, doesn't like that. Let's try something else." A few more keystrokes and an image began to fade into view. "Okay, here it comes. Hello?"

There was a girl. A little human girl sitting at a low table with colored pencils. "Hello," the girl said, turning to face them. "Are you in my television?"

"Well, no…I'm…I'm sort of in space. Er…I was trying to call up the data core of a triple grid security processor."

The girl blinked. "Would you like to speak to my Dad?"

The Doctor nodded. "Dad or your Mum. That'd be lovely."

Her eyes widened and she seemed to remember them. "I know you. You're in my Library."

He frowned. "Your Library?"

"The Library's never been on the television before. What have you done?"

"Er…well, I just rerouted the interface." But then it seemed like they lost connection, since the screen just flashed 'access denied' again.

"What happened?" River asked. "Who was that?"

The Doctor stepped back. "I need another terminal." He ran towards the terminal on the other side of the room. "Keep working on those lights. We need those lights!"

River nodded, following the Doctor, essentially taking Caroline's place. "You heard him, people. Let there be light."

A/N: Time for River and the Library! Why was River staring at Caroline so oddly? What will happen as the Doctor tries to save his companions?