A Different World Chapter 24: Silence in the Library, a doctor who fanfic

"Books!" Rose said zipping up her leather jacket. "People never stop loving books"

"What even you?" Donna asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose asked as the pair walked out of the TARDIS.

"You always whinge when the TARDIS presents you a nice big textbook for your studies" Donna pointed out as she stared at the dark, dusty room looking unimpressed.

"Yeah but that's like homework, I mean stuff like Charles Dickens and Agatha Christie" Rose said leading Donna out of the dusty room and into a lighter, airier room where her voice echoed. "The Library, so big that it doesn't need a name."

"It's like a city" Donna said looking more impressed.

"It's a world, literally a whole planet" Rose said. "This place has the biggest hard drive in the whole universe. Every single book written in the universe can be found here." The walked to a balcony and peered over it. "We're near the equator so...I dunno biographies? I like biographies"

"Yeah very you, always a death at the end" Donna said.

"I like a good death. I hope I die a good death I don't want it to be some lame die in my sleep. Dying to save the world will do me" Rose said cheerfully. Donna picked up a book and was about to open it up for a read. "Oi!" Rose pulled it out of Donna's hands. "Spoilers"

"What?"

"These books are from your future. It's like peeking at the end, spoilers" Rose said throwing the book onto another pile.

"Isn't travelling with you just one big spoiler" Donna asked looking peeved.

"I try to keep you away from major plot developments" Rose muttered looking a bit sheepish. "Which I'll admit I must be bad at because you know what this is the biggest library in the universe. So where is everyone?"

They looked round seeing no one nor hearing anyone.

"It's silent" Rose whispered pulling out her sonic screwdriver and started to use it on some sort of futuristic computer.

"The library?" Donna asked walking up behind her.

"The planet. The whole planet"

"Maybe it's a Sunday"

"No they never close on Sundays, Sundays are boring" Rose said.

"Well maybe it's really, really quiet" Donna whispered sarcastically.

"Maybe but they should have showed up on the system" Rose said frowning.

"Rose why are we here?" Donna asked. "Really why?"

"Oh you know, just passing" Rose said shrugging.

"No seriously, it was all lets hit a beach and then suddenly we're in a library and you hate books that aren't fiction" Donna said building up her case. The computer beeped. "Why?"

"Well that's interesting" Rose murmured obviously ignoring Donna.

"What?"

"Scanning for life forms" Rose explained. "If I did a scan for the basic humanoids that want to read, you know like us. I get nothing but us. Just you and me." She pointed to the screen that had a big red 2 in the middle of a blue sphere. "But if I widened to scan to any form of life, like this" she typed in a code and the computer began to work quickly finishing up with the number 1, 000, 000, 000, 000 and began to blink error. "A million, million" Rose murmured.

"But there's no one here" Donna said. "There's no one"

"And no sound" Rose whispered. "A million, million life forms and silence in the library."

"But there's no one here" Donna cried out. "There are just books. I mean it's not the books is it? It can't be the books can it? I mean books can't be alive"

The two exchanged anxious glances at each other before staring at a book near them. They reached out to touch one and both jumped back gasping.

"That way?" Donna murmured pointing to the door they walked through.

"Yeah" Rose said her cheeks red with embarrassment as the two walked quickly back up the stairs.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They wandered back into the dusty dark room where white marble statue slowly rotated its head to reveal a smooth dark skinned human face.

"I am courtesy NODE 710/aqua. Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of your fellow readers regardless of species and hygiene taboo"

"That face looks real" Donna exclaimed looking shocked.

"Yeah don't worry about that" Rose said shrugging.

"A statue with a real face though" Donna said pointing at it. "It's a hologram isn't it?"

"Yeah just don't worry about it" Rose said.

"Additional information from the Head Librarian. For you're urgent attention. Message follows, run for God's sake run. No where is safe...the Library has sealed itself off, we can't – oh they're here. Message ends. Please turn of your mobile communes in respect of other readers." the NODE said in a monotone, robotic like voice.

"So that's why we're here" Rose murmured. "Any other additional messages with the same date stamp?" she asked louder.

"One more additional message, the message follows: count the shadows, for God sake if you want to live count the shadows. Message ends"

Rose looked round and shuddered. "Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay out of the shadows"

"Why what's in the shadows?"

Rose didn't reply, she simply held her hand out for Donna and the pair took off slowly to a corridor surrounded by shelves filled with books.

"So" Donna said glaring. "We weren't just in the neighbourhood"

"Yeah, all right I lied" Rose said pulling out the psychic paper. "I got a message, last time that happened it was the Face of Boe so I had to check it out. What do you think?"

Donna took it and smirked. "Cry for help with a kiss?" she said in a mocking tone, pulling a kissy face.

Rose blushed. "Wouldn't be the first time" she muttered snatching the paper up while remembering a time some teenage telepathic aliens sent some rude messages to her.

"Who is it from?" Donna asked.

"No idea."

"So why did you come here, why did yo-"

"Donna" Rose interrupted looking down the corridor as the light bulbs started to go out.

"What's happening?"

"RUN!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Donna kicked the door open and slammed it shut as Rose used a large hardback to barricade the door.

"You had experience with kicking doors open" Rose accused her. "Mum used to be able to open a barricaded door with a swift kick because she practised on my poor bedroom door, please tell me you don't practise on the TARDIS"

"Of course not!" Donna panted. "I'm not stupid!"

Rose turned round to see a bronze camera ball floating in the air, it reminded her too much of the Tolcafane but she still smiled politely at it. "Ah hello, my name is Rose Tyler. Do you mind if we hide out here for a bit?"

Suddenly it collapsed onto the floor.

"What is it?"

"Security camera" Rose said walking up to it, staring down in wonder. She kicked it and it didn't respond. "Switched itself off" she said picking it up and rolling it round in her hands. She then used the sonic screwdriver on it. "So you're going to tell me about your door skills, Donna?"

"Well with boyfriends you need the element of surprise" Donna said. "What was that? What was after us...did we just runaway from a power cut?"

"Possibly" Rose muttered.

"Are we safe here?" Donna asked.

"Course we are..." Rose murmured. "Got it!"

The bronze sphere opened up the camera and across the top of it in red electronic letters read: no stop it! Please stop it!

"Oh I'm sorry sweetheart" Rose said placing the sphere down. "It's alive"

"But you said it was a security camera!" Donna exclaimed.

"I did and it is" Rose said putting the sonic screwdriver away. "It's just an alive one"

The bronze sphere started showing more red letters: the Library has been breached, others are coming.

"What does it mean by others?" Donna asked. She strolled up to the NODE. "Excuse me what does it mean by others?"

"Donna, that's just a computer it can't help"

"Then why has it got a face?"

"This face was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death" the NODE said.

"It's a real face!" Donna shrieked.

"It had been actualised especially for you. It has been saved from our database of many facial characteristics. Pleas enjoy"

"It chose me a dead face it thought I would like" Donna said looking nauseated. "That statue has a real dead face on it!"

"It's the fifty first century....they do loads of strange stuff" Rose said.

"It donated a face" Donna backed away and Rose reached out and pulled her back. "Hands off Blondie!" Donna snarled slapping Rose's hands away.

"No look at the shadows Donna" Rose said.

"What about it?"

"Count the shadows"

"One, just there"

"Yeah...but what's casting it?"

A lamp started to slowly blink. "Power must be going out" Donna muttered.

"Can't be, the planet runs of fission cells…they'll out burn the sun." Rose said.

"Then why is it dark?" Donna asked keeping a hand firmly on Rose's arm.

"It's not dark"

"That shadow" Donna said letting go of Rose. "Is gone"

"We need to get back to the TARDIS" Rose said.

"Why?"

"Because that shadow isn't gone...it moved"

"Reminder" the NODE said. "The Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder, the Library has been breached, others are coming."

There was a blinding flash of light as the doors opened and smoke floated through. Someone in an astronaut suit walked in slowly. Breathing loudly and more astronaut suited people followed in holding torches and large kits.

The leader took the dark tint of helmet off and smiled at Rose. "Hello sweetie" she said.

"Get out" Rose whispered.

"Rose" the woman whispered but Rose walked off.

"All of you get out, back into your rocket and fly away" she snapped. "Tell your grandchildren that you got out of the Library alive and they probably won't believe you."

"Take your helmets everyone, we got breathers" the woman shouted.

"How do we know they're not androids?" another female asked.

"Because I dated an android" the first woman said taking her helmet off and shaking her curly hair loose. "They're rubbish"

"Who is this?" a middle aged brown haired man asked. "You said we were the only expedition, I paid for exclusives"

"I lied" the woman said calmly. "They're always lying, there's bound to be other expeditionists"

"Miss Evangelista I want to see the contract" the man snapped to a young pretty woman.

"You came from the north pole yeah? How much damage?" the first woman asked Rose.

"Please just leave, I'm asking you nicely" Rose said. "It's not safe here...hang on did you say expedition?"

"My expedition" the first man said pompously. "I funded it"

Rose groaned. "Tell me you're not archaeologists"

"You got a problem with that...Blondie?" the first woman demanded, hands on her hips.

"I'm a time traveller. Archaeologists are too slow and always get in the way" Rose said.

"Ah, Professor River Song" the woman said holding hand out to Rose. "Archaeologist"

Rose shook it. "Lovely to meet you, lovely name but you have to go now. Tell everyone to avoid this place." She said pushing River Song away. "No one can ever come here. No living creature – stop right there!" she ran off and dragged a woman away from the shadows. "What's your name?"

"Anita" the woman answered looking bewildered.

"Anita, please stay out of the shadows. Don't even put a toe in there, got it?" Rose said looking rather stressed. "That goes for all of you. Find a nice bright spot and just stand." Everyone stared at her, River Song looked amused. "Right then, who are you?" she asked a man with a perm.

"Dave"

"Nice to meet you Dave"

"Well actually I'm the Other Dave, that's Proper Dave over there" he pointed to a brown haired man. "Because he joined the crew first. He's the pilot."

"Ok then Other Dave. The way you came in...Does it look the same as before?"

"Yeah...well actually it looks darker"

"How much darker?"

"Well I could see where we were going before now I can't"

"Right then seal off this door" Rose said turning the others. "I'll find you another way out"

"We're not looking for a way out" the man that funded the expedition snapped. "Muss Evangelista!"

Miss Evangelista walked up holding a contract. "I'm Mr Lux's personal everything. I need you to sign here to agree that all intellectual properties here belong to the Lux Cooperation"

"Right give it here" Rose said taking one and passing the other to Donna. The pair then ripped the contracts up together.

"My family built this Library, I have rights" Mr Lux snarled.

"You have a mouth that won't stop" River Song said rolling her eyes. "You think there's danger here?" she asked Rose.

"Something came in here and killed every living being in it" Rose said darkly. "Killed the whole world. Danger could be" she added sarcastically.

"That was a hundred years ago. Whatever did that is long gone dead" River Song said firmly.

"Ready to bet your life on that?" Rose asked.

"Always sweetie, always" River Song said winking.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Rose declared what was in the dark to be Vashta Nerada, microscopic carnivorous creatures that disguise themselves as shadows to hunt and latch onto their prey. However she had never heard of them to hunt in such large packs nor to be so aggressive. Both Rose and River Song ordered the archeologists to put up lights, to seal the doors up and to search the database. River Song also ordered Lux to keep his helmet on. River Song then pulled Rose away.

"Come along Blondie step into my office" she said. Rose began to follow the woman when Lux called out.

"Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing a helmet?"

"I don't fancy you" she replied grinning as she pulled Rose away from the others. She went through her bag looking for something. "Your bloke isn't here. Couldn't get off of his lazy arse to help? Or was it the slaps I gave him that put him off?"

"Bloke?" Rose asked feeling confused.

"Thanks anyway" she said pulling out a book and flipping through the pages.

"For what?" Rose asked.

"For coming, like you always do"

"Oh that was you?"

"You're also pretending that you don't know me. I assume there is a good reason. Ok then let's do diaries, always a pain if you ask me but I guess that's what I get for wanting to go on my own. Crash of the Byzantium, have we done that one yet?" Rose looked confused. "Obviously not ringing any bells, right then...erm...oh picnic at Asgard, with bloody Harkness" the look on her face suggested that she actually enjoyed Jack's company. "Have we done Asgard yet? Obviously not, blimey very early days then. Life on your own can be such hard work." She looked up and paused. "Look at you" she whispered awed. "Your hair and your eyes"

"What about them?" Rose asked.

"Your hair is completely blonde and your eyes are so young" she reached out and tucked a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear. "Sweetie please tell me this is just a dye job"

"This isn't a dye job" Rose said with a frown.

River Song pulled away. "Bugger" she mumbled. "I done it again"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Proper Dave couldn't get into the system and every time the words 'access denied' came up an alarm that sounded like a phone ringing would come. Rose managed to hack into find a little girl staring at them through the screen, she claimed that the Library was hers but it had never been on telly before. Before Rose could talk to the child's father the screen had turned off. Rose ran to another computer and as she worked on it her eyes kept flickering to the blue book River Song kept, she couldn't help but notice how much it reminded her of the TARDIS. She reached out and picked it up giving into the temptation only to have it snatched out of her hands by River Song.

"Sorry you're not allowed to see inside the book" she said. "It's against the rules"

"What rules?"

"Your rules" she said sadly, walking away.

Suddenly books were starting to throw themselves off of the shelves. "What's that?" Rose asked. "Proper Dave did you do that?"

"Not me! Proper Dave said.

Rose turned back to see CAL written on the op of the access denied. "What's CAL?" she asked. The books flew off faster before stopping completely. Rose watched Donna talk to Miss Evangelista for a while when the books started throwing themselves again.

"What is that?" River Song asked. "Is it the little girl?"

"But who is the little girl?" Rose asked. "What has she got to do with this place? How does this data call thing work? What is CAL?"

"Ask Mr Lux" River Song said.

Rose looked at the man. "What is CAL?"

"Sorry but you didn't sign your personal experience contracts" the man said snobbly.

Rose glared at the man. "Mr Lux right now you're in more danger than you have ever been in your whole life and you're protecting a patent?"

"I'm protecting my family's pride" the man said.

"Well funny enough Mr Lux I don't want to find anyone in this room dead because some idiot finds his pride more important" Rose snarled.

"Then why don't you sign his contract?" River Song asked "I didn't either but I never really change. I could say that's your fault but I've always been like that"

"Okay, so let's start from the beginning, what happened here…a hundred years ago, what physically happened?" Rose asked changing the subject.

"There was a message from the Library. Just one, the lights were going out. Then the computer sealed it off and nothing happened for a hundred years" River Song said calmly.

"It's taken three generations of my family just to decode the seals to get back in" Mr Lux continued.

"There is one other thing in the message" River Song said.

"That's confidential!" Mr Lux snapped.

"I trust this woman with my life. With my everything" River Song said gently.

"But you only just met her!" Mr Lux cried out.

"No she only just met me" River Song said she held out a small hand like computer to Rose. "This was the data extract from the message."

"4022 people saved no survivors" Rose read out. She frowned.

"4022 people was the exact number of people who was in the Library before it got sealed" River Song continued.

"But how can there be 4022 people saved if there were no survivors?" Donna asked.

"That's what we're here to find out" River Song said but from one look Rose knew that River Song knew something, River Song was hiding many things and it was probably all kept in that book.

"But what we haven't found is the bodies" Mr Lux said breaking into Rose's thoughts about River Song.

A scream could be heard and they turned to see Miss Evangelista missing. They ran to find her skeleton in a dark room; she began a ghosting and begged to speak to Donna who she called 'the nice woman'. The people that had teased her looked ashamed with themselves when she begged Donna not to tell the others because they'll only laugh.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"I'm going to need a packed lunch" Rose said.

"Hold on" River Song said getting onto her knees and going through her bag, she pulled out the blue TARDIS like book out.

"What's in that book?" Rose asked.

"Spoilers" River Song replied going through her bag.

"Who are you?" Rose asked.

"Professor River Song from the university of-"

"To me" Rose interrupted. "Who are you to me?"

River Song sighed. "Again, spoilers" she opened a tin box and held it to Rose. "Chicken on a bone and a bit of salad, knock yourself out"

Rose snatched up the box and got off of her knees. "Right everyone" she shouted. "Let's go and meet the Vashta Nerada"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

River Song and Donna were watching Rose kneeling on the floor using the sonic screwdriver on the shadows.

"I know this is hard for you" River Song murmured. "How long has it been since you started travelling with her? Two months? A bit longer"

"Proper Dave shift a bit please" Rose said to the man who walked away towards the others as Rose continued sonicking the shadows.

"You know her" Donna said.

"I know you." River Song said. "You think this adventure is hard, that seeing poor Miss Evangelista like that. Try doing it twice"

"What you done this before?" Donna asked. "What are you trapped in some sort of loop?"

"I can't tell you Donna, spoilers and all that. I'm only telling you this because-" she cut herself off and looked away. "I sent the message too early and I sort of knew I did but I hoped an older version of her would come instead. I had hoped she'll change things. This is a version of Rose Tyler who doesn't know this me"

"What are you talking about?" Donna snapped. "Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know her and me or don't you?"

"Donna be quiet!" Rose shouted from under the table.

"Donna Noble" River Song said. "One day you'll understand. One day"

"All right I got alive one!" Rose said jumping up. She threw a chicken bone into the shadow and the meat immediately disappeared, she described the Vashta Nerada as piranhas in the air. As Rose explained the Vashta Nerada to Donna the shadows began to close in on them, they began to plot an escape plan when Rose spotted that Proper Dave had two shadows.

"I'm so sorry but it's how they hunt. To keep the food fresh" Rose said softly.

"What do I do?" Proper Dave asked looking tearful.

"Just stay still, like there's a wasp in the room"

"We're not going to leave you Dave" River Song promised.

"Of course we're not" Rose said calmly. "Dave where is your helmet? Don't move just tell me?"

"On the floor by my bag"

Anita went to get it. "Don't cross he's shadow" Rose warned her. "Everyone put your helmets on and seal them off." She said putting the helmet on Proper Dave.

"Rose we haven't got any helmets" Donna said.

"I know but we're safe"

"How?"

"We're not I just had to do something to reassure you" Rose said looking stressed and frustrated. "Professor any special protection on the suit?"

"Forget the suit it didn't help Miss Evangelista!" Mr Lux snapped.

"We can increase the mesh-density…dial it up to 400, make it a tougher meal."

"Ok then we dial it up to 800" Rose said using the sonic screwdriver on Proper Dave she then held it up to River Song. "Pass it on"

"Gotcha" River Song said holding up a copy of the sonic screwdriver.

"What?" Rose said looking rather shocked.

"It's a screwdriver" River Song said.

"It's sonic!"

"I know, snap!"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

They couldn't save Proper Dave; the Vashta Nerada managed to get to him. Rose sent Donna to the TARDIS as she and the other archaeologists ran from the skeleton of Proper Dave that the Vashta Nerada was using to chase them. River Song used a sonic blaster to open up a door for them to use.

As they ran River took Rose's hand and for some strange reason it felt like Rose had held the woman's hand before. They ended up in an abandoned corridor and Rose was using the sonic screwdriver to turn the lights up more, River Song helped her making it go along quicker.

"You're sonic screwdriver" Rose murmured. "Looks a lot like mine"

"Yeah you gave it to me" River Song said.

"But I don't give them away" Rose said quietly. "Too much hassle to build another, especially since I keep burning myself"

"You get better at making them" River Song shrugged.

"Who are you?" Rose whispered.

"What's the plan?" River Song said evading the question.

"I sent Donna to the TARDIS-"

"But she's not there" River Song said interrupting Rose. "Don't ask how I know, spoilers."

Rose looked alarmed and ran to a NODE. "Donna Noble" she said. "Do you have a Donna Noble in the Library?"

The NODE turned round to reveal Donna's face. "Donna Noble has left the Library, Donna Noble has been saved."

"Donna" Rose whispered, feeling tears build up in her eyes.