Chapter 7

"Why is it always the creepy abandoned warehouses?" Owen got out of the car and looked up at the building. "Just once, I'd like to hunt one of these guys down in a parking lot." Jack opened up his vortex manipulator and ran a scan of the building. He looked back at Owen questioningly.
"A parking lot?" his voice was dubious. Owen nodded as if it was obvious.
"It's well lit, makes it easy to see, add a couple cars for cover. Less obstruction and no aura of foreboding." he explained.
"He's got a point." Donna nodded.
"But where's the fun in that?" River stepped out of the doorway, her familiar cheeky grin on her face.
"Professor River Song, you've returned." Jack stepped forward, smirking back at her. She let out a delighted 'oh' and shook her finger playfully at him.
"How marvelous, I'm going to be a professor!" she laughed at Jack's look of confusion. "Spoilers, Jack!" she sashayed toward the rest of the group. "Doctor," she paused and smiled at Rose, nodding slightly. "Rose." she turned to Gwen and Owen, gasping. "You're so young! This must be the first time you've met me, fantastic!"

"Sorry, who are you?" Gwen spoke up, slightly put off by this woman's confident familiarity. River turned to her, realization dawning on her face.
"River Song, Professor apparently." she held out a perfectly manicured hand. Owen shoved his hands in his pockets.
"And how is it that you know who we are?" he asked suspiciously. The Doctor rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Don't you think this can wait, Martha's at the base waiting for us to call." he asked impatiently. River shot him a glare and he snapped his mouth shut. Rose leaned into him and giggled, still amazed at the control that River had over him.
"I'm a time traveler, I never really meeting anyone in the right order. I know who you are, but this is the first time you've met me!" she looked absolutely thrilled with the idea. "I must be far back, you've only just returned haven't you Rose?" she asked, a mischievous look coming over her face. There were days when she particularly loved knowing the Doctor's future, and this was one of them. "Alright what've we got?"
"Telepathic signals seem to be coming from this building and they're through the roof." the Doctor responded. River looked up at the building, pulling out her own device.
"That's odd, you shouldn't have another telepathic species for another four galaxies." she typing away at her scanner, thick hair swinging behind her.

"So we've heard." Owen followed her, sounding annoyed. She looked back at him, eyebrow raised.

"I forgot how much of a prick you could be." she stated. Gwen and Jack burst into laughter behind him. She turned back to the Doctor, showing him her scanner.

"Besides you two, you've got a telepathic field that could encompass the planet. Not to mention the zeta radiation is off the charts." River explained. The Doctor's eyes widened.

"Us two? What do you mean us two?" he started to grab the scanner out of her hands and she bit her lip.

"Ooh, you don't know yet. Pretend like I never said that." she pulled the scanner back and adjusted the settings. "The zeta radiation levels here are fantastic, whatever this is has been messing with the Vortex." River said, glaring at the Doctor. He wasn't going to let it go, but she was going to do her darndest to distract him.. Jack peered over her shoulder.

"Now that is nifty, what is that? 54th century by the looks of it." she smirked back at him.

"Nicked it off a lovely man who tried to have me arrested."

"Oi!" the Doctor cleared his throat. "Business please." River rolled her eyes at him.

"Now you know how we feel." she waved to the building. "Come on, let's see what we've got!"

"What did River mean by zeta radiation?" Rose asked as the group trooped inside. The Doctor didn't respond as he stepped inside. The building felt perverse and sickening and he stopped at the door unwilling to go any further. River had already ascended the stairs and turned out of sight, following the loud humming that came from the other side of the building. The entire group paused as they heard her shout.

"Doctor!"