Forest of the dead part 1
They had no where to go. The Vashta Nevada had cornered them down a huge aisle of book shelves. The shadows had moved blocking the way while Proper Dave was gaining on them again at the other end of the corridor. The group was starting to panic, the Doctor could see this but his hearts and mind were fogged with emotion over the loss of Donna. He needed to find her, to save her. But he also needed to protect Rose, to help her with her insecurities, to make right the argument they had just got themselves into.
The Doctor turned to look over at her. Bits of her hair and fallen from her pony tail and it was framing her face. She really was beautiful. But she was at the edge of the group, pushing Other Dave and Mr Lux behind her as she watched as Proper Dave gained on them, still chanting the last words of the man. The Doctor watched as her chest heaved as she prepared herself for a fight, as her nerves and fear started to settle as she realised they were trapped. She was protecting the others, willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the group.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights?" Dave voiced causing the Doctor to look over at River who had her eyes wide with terror, and the Doctor's eyebrows were in a frown. River then moved to his side before pointing the squareness gun again at the wall. She shielded her eyes as she created a large hole in the wall.
"This way, quickly, move!"She instructed meaning Rose and the Doctor began to heard people through the door
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
Donna had no idea where she was. Her hair was tied up; her mouth was hanging open as she took in the sight in front of her. She was in a hospital room; pinstriped blue pyjamas were on her form as she continued so sit their confused. She was pulled from her thoughts when a man walked into the room. This was Dr Moon. She sudden snapped to her feet as she turned to look at the man who was smiling at her gently, his hands clasped together
"Hello, Donna." He smiled to her gently
"Who are you?" Donna asked, her confusion starting to get the better of her.
"I'm Dr Moon. I've been treating you since you came here, two years ago." He said, his eyebrows rising causing his forehead to crease behind his circular spectacles. But suddenly Donna recognised him
"Oh, God, Dr Moon, I'm so sorry! What's wrong with me? I didn't know you for a moment." She said breathing a laugh, her hands going to her head as she tried to place her confused memories and emotions.
"And then you remembered." He smiled, his eyebrows moving with him "Shall we go for a walk?" he asked when he took in Donna's smile.
But before Donna's knew what was happening both herself and Doctor Moon had large winter coats on and were strolling in the front garden of the hospital. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyebrows rose as she realised she had no idea how she had got there. Doctor Moon however was always talking to her.
"No more dreams, then? The Doctor and his wife with the blue box, time and space." He asked as he looked down at her
"How did we get here?" Donna asked as she looked around at her surroundings, her frown deepening as she pulled her hands from her pockets and looked up at Doctor Moon who was looking down at her.
"We came down the stairs, out the front door. We passed Mrs Ali on the way out." He said to her while Donna was looking at the building. A nurse was helping an old man into the building and Donna frowned when she noticed the single board outside of the building. CAL. Now why did she recognise that word?
"Yeah. Yeah, we did. I forgot that." She smiled suddenly remembering
"And then you remembered. Shall we go down to the river?" Doctor Moon asked with a smile and once again Donna was unexpectedly by the river
"You said "river" and suddenly we're feeding ducks." Donna stated confused as Doctor Moon was smiling at her with his hand in the packet of bread as the ducks were quacking on the river, begging for food. But a man was walking towards the pair of them with large amounts of fishing equipment.
"Dr Moon! Morning." He smiled as he walked over to them. The pair of them moving to face him
"Donna Noble, Lee McAvoy."Doctor Moon said as he cocked his hand in the direction of the man before moving out of their way as they spoke
"Hello, Lee." Donna smiled causing Lee to smile down at her
"Hi, D... D... D..." he stammered
"Oh, you've got bit of a stammer there... Bless!" Donna said smiling as she turned to Doctor Moon who half smiled as he watched the pair of them. Lee sucked in a huge lungful of air as he attempted to say Donna's name again
"D... D..."
"Oh, skip to a vowel, they're easy!" Donna joked causing Doctor Moon to smile and the pair of them laughing at each other. But suddenly Donna and Doctor Moon were back in the hospital garden.
"How did we leave it, him and me?" Donna asked up to the Doctor, the wind blowing her fringe from her face
"I got the impression he was inviting you fishing tomorrow." The Doctor smiled as she looked up at him with an open mouth.
Donna was stepping into Lee's room in a rather sexy, glittery dress while a pair of leggings and heels were on her feet.
"So... Fishing!" She smiled from the door, causing Lee to turn around and smile at her. Again there was a sudden change of scenery and they were sitting by the River under a huge umbrella. It was raining heavily and Donna looks totally out of place in her pretty dress but neither one of them seemed to mind.
"D... D..." Lee tried to say again, making Donna turn to face him with a elegant smile on her face
"Gorgeous and can't speak a word. What am I gonna do with you?" She smiled for the scene to change once again. Lee was carrying Donna into their new house as she was now wearing a wedding dress carrying her over the threshold while Donna could hear bells ringing in the background
"Welcome home, M-Mrs McAvoy." Lee stammered causing the both of them to smile and Donna leant in placing a delicate kiss to his lips.
Doctor moon was now sitting in Donna's living room with a cup of tea in his hand and a photo album in his lap. He flicked the page to see a picture with Donna and Lee in the hospital as Donna held her two kids. Doctor Moon was smiling as he watched Joshua and Ella running around the house screaming.
"Stop it! Stop it now, we've got a visitor." Donna ordered when she caught the two of them at the door before smiling and walking to sit next to Doctor Moon
"You've done so much in seven years, Donna." Doctor Moon smiled.
"Ah, sometimes it feels more like 70." Donna laughed before frowning confused "Mind you, sometimes it feels like no time at all." But Doctor Moon suddenly got to his feet and grasped his suitcase.
"Can I just say what a pleasure it is to see you fully integrated?" he smiled causing Donna to return it as they stared at each other. But suddenly, Doctor Moon became fuzzy and then disappeared completely. Donna had her mouth open as she took in the fuzzy picture changing into Rose. She was holding the screwdriver to a terminal of sorts and had a huge frown on her face as she spoke to someone. Her eyes were still downcast like she was in Donna's dreams but she was too concerned with the information in front of her to notice Donna.
"No, the signal's definitely coming from the moon. I'm blocking it, but it's trying to break through." She voiced but she suddenly looked around and spotted Donna "Donna!" She cried, a huge smile engulfing her face as she pointed what looked like the Sonic Screwdriver at her. But the image of Rose vanished and Doctor Moon was back in her place looking as solid and real as ever.
"Oops, sorry. Mrs Angelo's rhubarb surprise. Will I never learn?" Moon smiled but frowned when he noticed Donna backing away in shock
"Rose! I saw Rose!" Donna breathed as she sat on the arm of the chair, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.
"Yes, you did, Donna. And then, you forgot." Moon smiled and suddenly all concern had fallen from Donna's face and she smiled at him if only he's just arrived
"Dr Moon! Oh, hello! Shall I make you a cup of tea?"
Sun set was falling over the Library planet. A huge moon shining in the sunset sky casting an orange glow around the buildings and rooms. But a particular room was disturbed when the sound of tampering was heard. River used her sonic blaster to swiftly blast her way through the wall and into the other room.
"OK, we've got a clear spot. In, in, in! Right in the centre, in the middle of the light, quickly! Don't let your shadows cross. Doctor..." River ordered as they rushed into the middle light. Rose was sweeping her fringe across her head while she shone her torch into the shadows. The group taking off their helmets as the Doctor crouched by the shadows and bleeping his screwdriver to detect the swarm of aliens
"I'm doing it." He instructed as he got to work with his screwdriver
"There's no lights here. Sunset's coming, we can't stay long." River muttered as she looked up to the sky and its orange colour "Have you found a live one?" River finished as she looked over at the Doctor.
"Maybe, it's getting harder to tell." He complained as the others started to sit down on the ground, all the while Rose was keeping to herself as she to shone the torch into the shadows and moved her eyes to the Doctor when he heard him thrashing at the sonic "What's wrong with you?" He complained with a frown
"We're gonna need a chicken leg. Who's got a chicken leg?" River enquired as she turned to the rest of the group, her hands going to her side and she pulled off the silver foil when other Dave past her one "Thanks, Dave." She smiled before stepping over to the Doctor and throwing the leg into the shadow the Doctor was examining and it was stripped to the bone before it hit the floor.
"OK... OK, we've got a hot one. Watch your feet." River stated her panic rising as she went to sit with the others. But Rose simply sighed as she looked down at the ground
"They won't attack until there's enough of them, but they've got our scent now, they're coming." She said, everyone looking at her in shock considering these were the first words she had spoken since the argument with the Doctor. Her husband turned to face her from his crouch and he smiled at her gently. She only smiled a very faint one of her own. The Doctor pulled in his sadness and walked across the room again while Rose went in the other direction and shone her torch into the shadows.
"Who are they? You haven't even told us. You just expect us to trust him." Other Dave whispered over to River who was watching the Doctor.
"He's the Doctor."
"And who is the Doctor?"Lux complained as he waved his hands out in front of him as he looked over at the Doctor who was bleeping the screwdriver into the shadows.
"The only story you'll ever tell - if you survive him." River breathed as the others looked down at the ground
"You say he's your friend, but he doesn't even know who you are." Anita argued making River look over to her
"Listen, all you need to know is this... I'd trust that man to the end of the universe. And actually, we've been." She stated matter of factly to her group. The Doctor and Rose had been listening to the conversation. The Doctor got to his feet and frowned over at her before he went back to his work while Rose looked over at her with sadness etched in her features before turning away and looking up at the moon.
"He doesn't act like he trusts you." Anita said to her comfortingly as her eyes fell from the Doctor over to Anita.
"Yeah, there's a tiny problem. He hasn't met me yet." River said shaking her head and then snapping over to Anita as she got up and walked over to the Doctor who was fiddling with his sonic
"What's wrong with it?" River enquired as she leant over the Doctors form who had the screwdriver to his ear as it beeped at him
"There's a signal coming from somewhere, interfering with it." He frowned
"Then use the red settings." River voiced as she pulled off her gloves, the Doctor just turned his attention to her, his eyebrows in a frown and his teeth pushed together
"It doesn't have a red setting." The Doctor said over to her
"Well, use the dampers." River said again nodding over to her
"It doesn't have dampers."
"It will do one day." River smiled over at him causing Rose to roll her eyes over at the two of them and walk over to the terminal in the room while River pulled out her own sonic screwdriver meaning the Doctor snapped it from her hand and got to his feet, towering over the woman.
"So some time in the future, I just give you my screwdriver." He asked sceptically with one of his eyebrows raised.
"Yeah." She smiled over at him.
"Why would I do that?" He asked, staring right at her
"I didn't pluck it from your cold dead hands, if that's what you're worried about." River informed, her smile falling slightly as she continued to look up at the man
"And I know that because...?" The Doctor said again, his eyebrows now risen as his forehead creased, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open
"Listen to me. You've lost your friend, you're angry, I understand. But you need to be less emotional, Doctor. Right now..." River snapped over at him, causing the Doctor to lean down to her, his eyebrows frowning again as he shook his head at her
"Less em... I'm not emotional!" He defended
"There are six people in this room still alive, focus on that. Dear God, you're hard work young!" She shouted to him again, her own eyebrows raised, her emotions building as she spoke to him
"Young? Who are you?" The Doctor shouted, the whispering gone, his eyebrows still raised, but before River could reply Mr Lux had cut in before their argument could continue.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Look at the pair of you! We're all gonna die right here, and you're just squabbling like an old married couple." Lux bellowed as he got to his feet and took a few steps towards them. Rose was looking at them at the same time but with that statement Rose looked back to the terminal, sniffed slightly to remove the water from her eyes as she continued to work at the terminal. All the while The Doctor looked down at River who was looking up at him.
"Doctor... one day I'm going to be someone that you trust completely, but I can't wait for you to find that out. So I'm going to prove it to you. And I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry." River said to him, her emotions getting the better of her as she tried to stop her voice from quivering, watching as the Doctor's face moved from a frown to one of sympathy and allowed her to whisper something in his ear. Something that stunned him completely, making Rose frown as she took in his frozen posture.
"Are we good?" River asked him as she took in his frowned face, watching as he just stared at her "Doctor... are we good?" She said again, visibly shaking. The Doctor nodded his head again
"Yeah... Yeah, we're good." He said lost in thoughts, his eyes moving from River over to Rose, thoughts swimming around his head before his eyes fall onto River again.
"Good." She said nodding before going back to the rest of the group. After a few seconds the Doctor finally returns back to reality.
"Know what's interesting about my screwdriver? Very hard to interfere with, practically nothing's strong enough... Well, some hairdryers, but I'm working on that. So there is a very strong signal coming from somewhere, and it wasn't there before, so what's new, what's changed?" The Doctor ranted as he held his device in his hands and circled the group, Rose coming over to stand with them, having all the information she needed as she looked from the others to her husband
"Come on! What's new? What's different?" The Doctor yelled at them with a frown on his face
"I dunno, nothing. It's getting dark." Dave defended nervously as he looked at the Doctor who was looking at him with one of his eyebrows raised
"It's a screwdriver, it works in the dark." HE said as he shook his head towards him, but with that statement that caused Rose to look up at the darkening sky over the doom and looked at the large moon.
"The moon" She whispered causing every one of them to look at her, the Doctor smiling as he realised she had worked it out on her own "The moon, tell me about it "She said as she moved her face from the ceiling and looking over to Mr Lux.
"It's not real, it was built as part of the Library. It's just a doctor moon." Lux dismissed as he moved his eyes from the moon to the floor, shaking his head slightly, the Doctor still holding his screwdriver to his shoulder
"What's a doctor moon?" The Doctor queried with a frown on his face.
"A virus checker. It supports and maintains the main computer at the core of the planet." Lux informed and Rose just frowned before striding back to the terminal the Doctor watching her and he caught her eye, he threw her over the sonic and she caught it easily before pointing it at the terminal, the others turning to watch as the Doctor and River went to her side.
"Well, still active, it's signalling, look. Someone somewhere in this Library is alive and communicating with the moon, or, possibly alive and drying their hair. No, the signal's definitely coming from the moon. I'm blocking it, but it's trying to break through..." Rose said, the part about the hair dryer she smiles to herself shaking her head to the left but she once again angles the screwdriver to the screen better as the reading began to change as she recognised and determine the information given to her. But a fuzzy image of Donna appeared in the middle of the room.
"Doctor!" River snapped when something caught her eye, Rose had managed to call up an image
"Donna!" Rose shouted as she took in the image before it faded
"Doctor, that was your friend! Can you get her back? What was that?" River said as she pointed towards the place Donna had only just been standing in.
"Hold on, hold on, hold on. I'm trying to find the wavelength. Ah, I'm being blocked." The Doctor complained as he placed the screwdriver to his ear but Rose had noticed something and she turned her body to face Anita
"Anita I want you to stand completely still" Rose said comfortingly but with authority, her hands held up in front of her, the group turning to face her as she spoke and they took in her posture and her facial expression
"Why?" Anita quivered in fear
"Its very important that you stay still, you have two shadows... I'm sorry" Rose said to her as she came to stand in front of her "I need to get your helmet" She voiced and the Doctor went to grab it for her
"It didn't do Proper Dave any good." Anita quivered as she turned to look at Rose
"Just keep it together, OK?" Rose said soothingly, a smile of kindness shining on her face
"Keeping it together, I'm only crying. I'm about to die, it's not an overreaction." Anita sighed defeated, still smiling over at Rose.
"Rose" The Doctor said gently as he passed over the helmet
"Thanks" She replied before taking the helmet and reaching up and placing it over Anita's head and protecting her. The Doctor still standing in front of her with his eyebrows in a frown, his lips pursed as he had the screwdriver in his hands
"Hang on." The Doctor muttered before he moved the screwdriver across her face and made the helmet visor go dark
"Oh, God, they've got inside." River whispered from behind the Doctor's shoulder
"No, no, no, I just tinted her visor. Maybe they'll think they're already in there, leave her alone." The Doctor said as he turned to look at her and then back to Anita who was talking to Rose.
"D'you think they can be fooled like that?" She questioned
"Maybe. I don't know. It's a swarm, it's not like we chat." The Doctor said swinging his body towards her showing his raised eyebrows expression before turning back towards Anita
"Can you still see in there?" Other Dave asked as he walked towards his friend.
"Just about." Anita chimed causing the Doctor to turn around and notice the group surrounding them
"Just, just, just... stay back." He chimed quickly before waving the Professor closer to him "Professor, a quick word, please."
"What?" River asked as she knelt down next to him
"Like you said, there are six people still alive in this room." HE said to her gently as he whispered in her ear
"Yeah, so?" She asked as she looked over at him
"So... why are there seven?" He asked. Just as the pair of them got to their feet and turned around to see another figure in a spacesuit standing in the background
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"Run!" The Doctor yelled watching as the others ran out of the room. The Doctor grasped hold of Rose around the middle, pulling her from her feet and pushing her in the right direction as Proper Dave started chasing them.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
Donna was entering the living room with two cups of tea in her hands while her children were playing with play dough on the table.
"Here we are, Dr Moon." She said with a smile but a frown moved onto her face when she realised Doctor Moon was no where to be seen.
"Mummy, I made you!" Ella cried with a smile on her face as she ran to her mother's side and showing her the clay figure
"Oh, that's nice, Ella. Where's the face?" Donna asked with a smile as she looked at the figure
"I don't know." Ella said as she watched Donna out the cups on the table and looking around confused
"Did you see Dr Moon? Did he leave?" She asked them, but suddenly Lee entered the room as he placed his suitcase to the floor, his children gasped as they dropped what they were doing and ran to hug him.
"Daddy!"
"Hey! Hello, you two, come here! Big hugs, big Daddy hugs!" He cried happily as he engulfed them in large hugs as Donna smiled and watched them.
"Look what I made!" Ella voiced from her position on his lap
"Oh, it's Mummy?" Lee enquired as he looked down at her
"Erm, it hasn't got a face." Donna chimed with a smile again, waving her arms slightly. "Did you see Dr Moon?" Donna asked as she looked down at him, the kids finally getting off his lap
"No, why, was he here?" Lee asked up at her as he slowly got to his feet.
"Yeah, just a second ago. You must have passed him."Donna complained bemused as she walked to the window. But instead of seeing Doctor Moon, she saw a woman in a black Victorian dress passing by, making her even more confused
"You all right?" Lee asked as he walked over to her, a frown on his face
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, it's just..." she said trailing off
"Just?" HE said dragging the word out as he looked at her
"Nothing." She said shaking it away before hugging her husband "It's been a long day, that's all. I'm just tired." She smiled into him. But Donna was frowning when she suddenly found herself in pyjamas and is in the bedroom with Lee.
"You OK?" lee asked her as he pressed his hands to her waist
"I said I was tired, and..." She said confused, but her mind slowly remembering "and we put the kids to bed, and we watched television." She smiled, Lee smiling wither her before they heard a noise from the front door
"Was that a letter?" Donna asked, looking from the door over to Lee
"It's midnight." He complained, looking down at her
"Go and see what it is." She said, pushing him in the right direction making him leave while Donna walked to the window. Donna frowned when she recognised the same woman wearing the black dress.
""The world is wrong."" Lee stated as he walked into the room
"What?" Donna chimed as she turned back to see he had returned into the room with the letter in his hand
"For you. Weird, though. "Dear Donna, the world is wrong. Meet me at your usual playpark, two o'clock tomorrow."" He read as he walked over to her. She took the letter from him and walked back to the window. Lee walked behind her and placed his hands to her waist and lent his head on her shoulder as they watched the mysterious woman walking away
"Nutter." Donna muttered causing the both of them to laugh
***
Donna was holding the hands of her kids who were wrapped up warm in wolly hats and coats as they arrived at the playground with her children. She immediately saw the woman dressed in black sitting on the bench with her face hidden behind a veil
"All right, you two, off you go, no fighting." She said down to them with a smile on her face watching as they ran off and Donna walked over to the woman and sat beside her.
"I got your note last night. "The world is wrong", what's that mean?"Donna asked as she looked at the woman who was sitting next to her
"No, you didn't." The woman said causing Donna to frown over at her
"I'm sorry, what?" Donna asked shaking her head over to her
"You didn't get my note last night. You got it a few seconds ago. Having decided to come, you suddenly found yourself arriving. That is how time progresses here, in the manner of a dream. You've suspected that before, haven't you, Donna Noble?"
"How do you know me?" Donna asked confused, her eyes snapped to her when she spoke her name
"We met before, in the Library. Rose was kind to me while you smiled at me. I hope now to return that kindness."
"Your voice... I recognise it." Donna said as she began to stare off to space, her memories falling back to her
"Yes, you do. I am what is left of Miss Evangelista."
***
The group were rushing through the library, trying to out run the swarm which had taken over Proper Dave's suit. But he skidded to a stop when he reached the corridor connecting two high buildings. The old wooden floor creaking under his feet. He took a few cautious steps onto the wood and grimaced when it creaked underneath him. The others finally having joined him, meaning he beckoned them forward
"Professor, go ahead, find a safe spot. But be careful the floor could give way any moment." He shouted to her as he turned to see if he could see the suit
"It's a carnivorous swarm in a suit, you can't reason with it." River argued, shaking her hands down to the ground as she looked to the Doctor
"Five minutes." HE shouted as he waved his palm towards her "Rose I want you staying with me" He said when she went to stand next to him, a frown present on her face
"Other Dave, stay with him, pull him out when he's too stupid to live. Two minutes, Doctor." She shouted, talking over to Other Dave and running after Anita and Mr Lux, just as Skeleton Dave walked into the corridor
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?" The suit spoke causing the Doctor to move closer to it. He moved his hand to the bottom of Rose's back, both of them still weary with each other but the Doctor continued to urge her forward, she just looked up at her confused. But the Doctor smiled down at her. After all she was the most compassionate one out of the two of them, and she had become friends with Dave before the swarm had killed him. She just took in a large breath before taking a cautious step forward, the wood creaking loudly and dangerously under her feet.
"You hear that? Those words? That is the very last thought of the man who wore that suit before you climbed inside it and stripped his flesh." Rose said over to him, her body shaking with terror as she watched him awkwardly walk along, her eyes staring right at it as she spoke "That's a man's soul trapped inside a neural relay, going round and round forever." She said to him, her voice gently as she thought back to Dave and the pain he must have been in
"Now, if you don't have the decency to let him go, how about this? Use him. Talk to me. It's easy, neural relay. Just point and think. Use him, talk to me." The Doctor started to talk, his eyebrows raised, his lips moving in large movements as he grasped hold of Rose hand and the pair of them began to walk away from him, their feet causing the wood to creak, the wood groaning dangerously when the skeleton started to walk over to it
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"The Vashta Nerada live on all the worlds in this system, but you hunt in forests. What are you doing in a library?"The Doctor said shaking his head towards them, his eyes still wide as his frown deepened, the Doctor's hand still present in Rose's
"We should go. Doctor!" Other Dave instructed as he leant towards them
"In a minute." Rose said as she waved her hand towards Dave " You came to the Library to hunt, why? Just tell us why?" Rose said to them gently, a small encouraging smile on her face as she tried to get the swarm to talk to her. The suit man then suddenly stopped walking and the old wood creaked under his feet.
"We...did not."
"Oh, hello." The Doctor said as he spoke to them. His eyebrows now raised as his mouth moved into an O shape, Rose frowning over at them as she could see them struggling
"We did not."
"Take it easy, you'll get the hang of it. Did not what?" She smiled her hands going up in front of her, the Doctor watching as she spoke and watched as her face moved into a frown as she questioned the creature
"We... did not... come... here."
"Well, of course you did, of course you came here." The Doctor complained in a high pitched voice, his head shaking towards them
"We come from here."
"From here?" The Doctor whispered with a frown, causing both Other Dave and Rose to look at him.
"We hatched here."
"But you hatch from trees, from spores in trees." Rose said confused, her own face moving into a frown as her mouth began to hang open slightly
"These are our forests."
"You're nowhere near a forest, look around you." The Doctor said with his eyebrows raised, his hands going to his pockets and his shoulders lifting to his ears as he stepped right up to them. Other Dave beginning to get restless, the wood under Rose's feet groaning painfully.
"These are our forests."
"You're not in a forest, you're in a library. There are no trees in a..."The Doctor argued again before realisation was dawning both on his and Rose's faces "library."
"We should go. Doctor!" Other Dave voiced
"Books. You came in the books. Microspores in a million million books." Rose said quietly and slowly. Her eyebrows raised as she looked around her
"We should go. Doctor!"
"Oh, look at that." The Doctor breathed as he pulled his hand over his hair and looked out at the endless city of bookshelves via the window the Doctor walking over to get a better look "The forests of the Vashta Nerada, pulped and printed and bound. A million million books, hatching shadows."
"We should go. Doctor!"
But suddenly Rose and the Doctor frowned, finally realising that he had been repeating the same thing for a while. Rose took a few steps towards him, with a sad smile on her face and in her eyes.
"Oh Dave! Oh, Dave, I'm so sorry." She said quietly as she looked at the blinking lights on his neural relay and behind his helmet was a simply skull. Both the Dave's were now converging on both Rose and the Doctor. The Doctor slowly moved towards Rose who was moving over to him at the same time. Their breathing hitching, the wood creaking as they moved back to back.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"
"We should go. Doctor!"
"Never thought I would get killed by skeletons" Rose voiced from her position behind the Doctor's back, moving her head so she could try and look at him
"I always thought I would get killed by Daleks but Vashta Nerada... I suppose it's a good way to go" He muttered causing Rose to smile
"Doctor..." Rose started to say but before either of them knew what was happening the floor gave way under Rose's feet causing both her and Proper Dave to fall thousands of floors down.
"ROSE!" The Doctor yelled as he suddenly jumped towards the place she had been standing. She was yelling his name as she crashed through wooden bridges and floors. Her back causing her to fall, not one of them able to stop her falling, her arms and legs failing as she tried to get a grip. But the Doctor could do nothing but watch as her body was taken by the darkness. He watched as her back arched as she hit termite infested wood, watched as she bumped her head, as she tried to grasp at the wood to stop her decent, but she was travelling with too much momentum to be able to cling on to anything. He watched as she cried out his name, calling out to him before she would grunt or groan as she tried to right herself. But the Doctor could do nothing more that reach down the hole, nothing but cling onto the broken wooden edge as he watched her body fly and disappear down the darkness.
He had lost her. Lost her again and this time she was in more danger than ever. Proper Dave had fallen with her meaning where ever they land he would follow her. If she wasn't killed from the fall she would be groggy possibly injured so her chances of running and surviving the Vashta Nerada were slim, but what if she didn't? What if the Doctor arrives too late and finds Rose's cloths covering her skeleton? If she died down their, in the dark and all alone he would never be able to forgive himself. He had promised to look after her, to protect her and comfort her when things got rough. Saying that he would always be at her side. Their wedding vows say that. But The Doctor was trying not to think about her dying down in the dark on her own. But she was a time lady... would she be able to regenerate? Would her body recognise that she was dying and regenerate? Would the Rose he know change with the regeneration? Or would she die immediately after she hit the ground and not give the regeneration time to start. These thoughts and images were causing the Doctor's heart to break. His throat had constricted and he was unable to breath properly. His grief, his sorrow of loosing her, of potentially being pulled away from her for the rest of his long existence was too hard to bare.
But his mind took a terrifying turn for the worst. Rose had been angry at him. So angry at him that she refused him to touch her. She had pulled away from him and walked away. She was hurting. Her hearts had completely shattered and he could nothing to help her. She had become so withdrawn, so caught up in her pain and suffering... she had tried to tell him but he had blew her off. Said there were more important things. He had said that River was more important than she was. He knew then what he had done and it broke his hearts that he may never be able to tell her, tell her exactly what was going on, that he had no feelings for River... tell her of his suspicions about the woman. But he knew that River had caused all of Rose's insecurities to bubble to the surface. River was threatening her existence with him, and knowing that Rose didn't seem to be in his future intimidated and made her worry about what is going to happen to her.
But the Doctor was pulled from his thoughts when he saw a white boot in his eye of vision. Other Dave had gained on him and he flung himself to his feet. He was about to go behind him but he noticed the darkness of the corridor. He was trapped. He looked down at his feet and smiled slightly before he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver before turning to face Other Dave's skeleton.
"Thing about me, I'm stupid, I talk too much, always babbling on, this gob doesn't stop for anything. Wanna know the only reason I'm still alive? Always stay near the door." He chimed with a cheeky smile before activating the sonic screwdriver and he fell from the ground. The skeleton looked down, not able to see him and walked to find the others. But the Doctor was hanging from the metal structures which held the corridor to the two buildings. His suit was clinging onto him as he pulled the screwdriver into his mouth and began to swing his body like he was doing the monkey bars as he travelled to the rest of the group.
***
"I suggested we meet here because a playground is the easiest place to see it, to see the lie." Miss Evangelista stated, both her and Donna had began to walk forward. The young woman was still covering her face as she spoke to the woman who had only known her briefly.
"What lie?"Donna asked with a frown on her face as she continued to look from the woman to her children playing
"The children, look at the children."
"Why do you wear that veil? If I had a face like yours, I wouldn't hide it." Donna said looking over to her, her memories falling back to her mind
"You remember my face, then?" The woman asked slightly relieved "The memories are all still there - the Library, the Doctor, me. You've just been programmed not to look."
"Sorry, but... you're dead." Donna said to her when she was clouded with images, the image of watching Rose talk to the body, looking at her skeleton form. The pair of them had stopped walking. Donna had her hand held out in front of her as she pointed towards the girl who had her hands clung in front of her, the veil still firmly placed in front of her
"In a way, we're all dead here, Donna. We are the dead of the Library."
"Well, what about the children? The children aren't dead. My children aren't dead."Donna said getting slightly angry at the woman. Her eyes kept flicking towards the girl and her kids, her maternal instincts kicking in
"Your children were never alive."
"Don't you say that. Don't you dare say that about my children!"Donna snapped, her face moving into a frown, her teeth bared as she argued with the woman who was leaning towards her, waving her hand at the children running around, her own frustration rising
"Look at your children. Look at all of them, really look." She voiced causing Donna to look at them. All the children who were playing in the playground were all wearing identical cloths, all looking the same, all looking exactly like Donna's children "They're not real. Do you see it now? They're all the same. All the children of this world, the same boy and the same girl, over and over again."
"Stop it. Just stop it! Why are you doing this?" Donna snapped, her emotions boiling as her tears began to water "Why are you wearing that veil?" She snapped again as she pulled off the veil to reveal a terribly contorted face. Her eyes were bulging from her face, her mouth hanging open and moving down to her chin causing both Donna and the children to scream in horror.
Her head was throbbing, her arms and legs stung and ached when she moved them, and a large painful stabbing sensation filled the left part of her chest. She had fallen, she can remember falling so many stories, her body trying to grasp hold of anything but one after another her back fell through the wooden beams and stairs. She was slowly coming to, her eyes showing her darkness and she moved her head so it was looking upwards. Her eyes remaining closed as she brought in a huge lungful of air, grimacing as her chest answered with a stabbing pain. Her eyes flicked open once and then again until she was able to open them properly.
The whole place was dark; no light was shining through the walls so Rose knew she didn't have the option of scaling the walls back up to where she had fallen. She slowly sat up and placed her hand to her ribs when she moved. She felt the bone moving under her hand and she immediately knew it was broken. She took in her scratched arms, her purple top was dusty and dirty, a hole present in the left corner, her leather jacket had a rip in the sleeve and she could feel a scratch on her cheek. She sighed in disappointment before getting to her feet. But she collapsed back to the wall when she went very lightheaded, her body crashing to the wall as she closed her eyes breathing heavily. She placed her hand to her head and winced. Her head really had been hit when she fell.
When the dizzy spell had pasted her she slowly tried to gain her bearings but the whole place was so dark she couldn't see anything. Rose lifted her right arm and pulled her hand into her leather jacket's pocket. She grimaced as she placed her hand to her rib once again and breathed painfully as she pulled out the torch from her pocket. She then realised just how cold it was in the place. Her hands were frozen cold and she could faintly feel the condensation from her breathing. The cold air irritating her lungs. She turned the torch on and a solid beam of light shone on the muddy floor. She shone it on the stone cobbled walls reminding her off Earth's medieval time period before she pointed it up above her. The light penetrating the darkness but showing her no way out.
"I guess I should have expected that" Rose mumbled to herself before walking over to the walls and rubbing her hands across it trying to find some sort of latch. But while she was walking around the small circular room her light shone on something that made her body run cold. The light had shown her the foot prints of a large spacesuit shape. Proper Dave had survived. She ducked to the print and towards the direction they went in. No body was found and it seemed he went straight into the wall. Why he hadn't killed her was beyond her, but she was just thankful he hadn't. She got to her feet again and walked over to the section where the footprints seemed to end. She ran her hands across the stone and before she knew what was happening she fell forward, her feet taken from the floor as the wall collapsed in front of her, opening out in front of her causing her to painfully crash to the ground, as the wall sprung back to its original placing.
She turned herself over painfully and breathed heavily as she took in her new setting. She slowly and painfully got to her feet and shone her torch in the room she was standing in. It was a very dark and dusty room, the walls a dark wooden structure, bookcases and old parchment littering the book cases and desks that were surrounding the walls. The smell of dirt and damp lifted to her nose, causing her sense to over power her but the smell of old paper and books enhanced the smell of damp. She was cautiously aware of how dark the room was and immediately went about trying to find a light switch as she worried about the where abouts of Proper Dave. She was trailing her arms across the wall until she felt a lamp underneath her hand. She felt the device and flicked on the switch and the room was suddenly dimly lit.
The room was pretty much how she expected it to be. Dark, damp and dusty. Every surface was covered in a thick layer of the stuff, the cold getting to her body as she walked over to the desk which was covered with papers.
"Typical" She voiced. This just had to happen to her didn't it. She had to be separated from the rest of the group. She had to try and find out where she was, where she had to go, and what was going on here. Her hearts were still heavy and her mind was still fogged with sadness and grief as the memoires of the events from earlier today fogged her mind. Shouting up at the Doctor, listening as River forced herself on the Doctor, showing off about how she knew everything about him. Proving Rose's statement right that no matter what, no matter how much she knew, how much she had done and gone through she would always have to fight for the Doctor's affections, for his attention and just thinking about it made Rose tired. Staying with the Doctor was going to be physically and emotionally tiring and such hard work. Maybe that was the reason she wasn't in his future, because she left for those very reasons. But Rose shook her mind from the thoughts, They wouldn't just leave each other, not after having to search for him for 10 years, she knew she would never leave him without a fight.
But Rose was still rather upset and nervous. She was all alone down here. She had no idea where she was or where her husband could be. Proper Dave was out their somewhere probably searching for her and she had no idea or way of determined if the shadows were dangerous or how to stop them. She was so distraught that she could quite possible become the next meal to the Vashta Nevada and she hadn't told the Doctor that she had forgiven him, that she loved him. Upset that her last hours with her husband were ones where they were distant and they barely said anything to each other. Having to leave this world and not made up with the Doctor.
She walked over to it and started to see if she could understand some of the writings and was surprised when she found it to be all the technical systems blue prints, all the blue prints for the library, the moon the computer and most importantly CAL. She stared as the brown tinged paper with her mouth hanging open as she sat down. She moved the paper to show the newspaper cuttings of a young girl with her family. Mr Lux's family. She read the article for realisation to hit her features, for her then to move the paper back to the description of CAL.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me" She muttered as she figured out what was going on here. Why Mr Lux was so protective, why they were here to figure out what was wrong. She folded up both the paper and the article when her eyes feel on something. She had found a map of the library. She couldn't believe how her luck was holding out and that it was a coincidence that she had managed to find a map but she took it anyway and folded it into her extended pockets. She got to her feet and suddenly snapped her head and her torch in the direction of the shadowy corridor when she heard the scuttling of something. She continued to stare down the dark corridor until she took slow steps from the room and into the impending doom of the Vashta Nevada infested planet.
River was examining the shadows with her own sonic screwdriver while the others were standing a little way from her. She was sitting on her knees and she was looking down sadly as she looked at the screwdriver in her hand
"You know... it's funny, I keep wishing the Doctor was here." She said sadly
"The Doctor is here, isn't he? He's coming back, right?" Anita said through her tinted visor, her voice sounded robotic from the visor, the threat of the Vashta Nevada still surrounding her,
"You know when you see a photograph of someone you know, but it's from years before you knew them? It's like they're not quite... finished, they're not done yet. Well... yes, the Doctor's here. He came when I called, just like he always does. But not my Doctor. Now my Doctor... I've seen whole armies turn and run away. And he'd just swagger off back to his TARDIS and open the doors with a snap of his fingers. The Doctor... in the TARDIS... next stop: everywhere." River said as she spoke to Anita, her eyes wide as she shook her head, her emotions getting the most of her but the Doctor suddenly appeared. His eyes dark, his emotions showing signs of anger and grief as he tried to shake the loss of his wife.
"Spoilers!" He stated as he stood by the steps, his hands in his pocket, his eyes staring down darkly at the others "Nobody can open a TARDIS by snapping their fingers. It doesn't work like that." The Doctor said to her as he jogged down the steps and towards River who was walking over to him
"It does for the Doctor." River simply stated as she turned to follow him as he walked away
"I am the Doctor." He said darkly as he looked at her, his eyebrows in a frown, his eyes dark as he looked over at her
"Yeah. Some day." She said as she watched him walking over to Anita. She moved her eyes back to the stairs as she waited to see Rose but she frowned when she turned back to the Doctor
"Where's Rose?" She asked and suddenly regretted it when she took in the glare that the Doctor was giving her. His anger showing, his grief and despair powering his actions as he became the on coming storm
"She fell." He said to her quietly as he looked to the ground, having to push pasted the hurt, the loss and the pain from his hearts
"Oh my god."
"Now don't you dare tell me to not get emotional! I have every reason to be emotional because I may never see her again. I may never be able to apologise for what I have been putting her though. But the Vashta Nevada made a mistake of taking her from me. Because now they have no way of stopping me." He said to her as he walked right up at her before spinning from her shocked expressions and over to Anita.
"How are you doing?" HE asked her gently as he looked down at her
"Where's Other Dave?" She said suddenly very concerned
"Not coming, sorry." The Doctor said, not even bothering to turn around, his eyebrows still in a frown as he took in the tinted visor of Anita
"Well, if they've taken him, why haven't they gotten me yet?"
"I don't know." The Doctor muttered as he frowned down to the ground to see that Anita still had her two shadows "Maybe tinting your visor's making a difference."
"It's making a difference all right. No-one's ever going to see my face again."
"Can I get you anything?" The Doctor asked as he looked at her, all sense of comfort and kindness voided from his face as he tried to figure out what was going on, how to help these people and how to save Rose and Donna, both of his companions now lost to him
"An old age would be nice. Anything you can do?" Anita said laughing to herself slightly
"I'm all over it." He said, raising one of his eyebrows as he shook his head and turning from her a little
"Doctor..." Anita stated causing the man to turn back around to look at her "When we first met you, you didn't trust Professor Song. And then she whispered a word in your ear, and you did. My life so far... I could do with a word like that. What did she say?" Anita asked him, unknown to her that the word River had said would not help her. It would maybe help Rose but not her. She paused to herself before she continued, trying to force a smile into her voice "Give a dead girl a break. Your secrets are saved with me."
"Safe..." The Doctor whispered, one of his eyebrows raised while his mouth was hanging open as the word made him think
"What?" Anita said to him confused, her robotic voice causing the others to look at the two of them/
"Safe. You don't say saved, nobody says saved, you say safe. The data fragment! What did it say?" The Doctor ranted suddenly before flinging and snapping his body in the direction of Mr Lux with a huge frown on his face
""4,022 people saved. No survivors."" Lux said, his eyes wide as he spoke over to the Doctor
"Doctor?" River asked as she stood to stand next to him
"Nobody says saved, nutters say saved, you say safe. But you see, it didn't mean safe, it meant... it literally meant... saved!" the Doctor shouted, stepping away from the group, placing his hand in his hair as he shouted over at them
Donna and Miss Evangelista had finally stopped screaming and were talking with each other again. Donna still very uncomfortable and nervous about her, shocked at the state of her face
"What happened to your face?" Donna asked her nervously
"Transcription errors. Destroyed my face, did wonders for my intellect. I'm a very poor copy of myself" The woman said with a smile in her voice
Rose had once again come to a dead end. The map was in her hands, the torch shining her way through the dark corridors. Her hearts were beating in her chest. She had very little time. Looking at the information she had been given they were on a schedule, the computer was ready to shut down causing the deaths of 4,022 and Donna's life. She spun around and jogged down the corridor once again
"Oh, come on! I don't have time for this. The computer's going to fry" She bellowed before snapping her body in the direction of a huge screech which caused her body to run cold with terror.
TO BE CONTINUED...