Silence in the Library- Part 3
I do not own Doctor Who and I am not making a profit off of this. I only own my OC.
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I flinched, knowing what happened. Jack noticed it and held my hand, suspecting what happened. The Doctor lead the way to investigate. We found a skeleton in rags.
"Everybody, careful. Stay in the light." The Doctor said.
"You keep saying that. I don't see the point." Dave said.
"Who screamed?" The Doctor asked the group.
"Miss Evangelista." Other Dave said.
"Where is she?" The Doctor asked.
"Miss Evangelista, please state your current-" River stopped when she heard it eco from close by. "Please state your current position." River takes a lit comm. unit from the remains of the skeleton's collar. "It's her. It's Miss Evangelista."
"We heard her scream a few seconds ago. What could do that to a person in a few seconds?" Anita asked, shock written across her face.
"It took a lot less than a few seconds." Jack told us.
"What did?" Anita asked.
"Hello?" Evangelista asked. I grabbed Jack's hand and leaned against him, knowing what was coming.
"Er, I'm sorry, everyone. Er, this isn't going to be pleasant. She's ghosting." River said.
"She's what?" Donna asked.
"Hello? Excuse me. I'm sorry. Hello? Excuse me."
"That's, that's her, that's Miss Evangelista." Donna said.
"I don't want to sound horrible, but couldn't we just, you know?" Dave asked.
"This is her last moment. No, we can't. A little respect, thank you." River told him/.
"Sorry, where am I? Excuse me?"
"But that's Miss Evangelista." Donna said.
"It's a data ghost. She'll be gone in a moment. Miss Evangelista, you're fine. Just relax. We'll be with you presently."
"What's a data ghost?" Donna asked.
"There's a neural relay in the communicator. Lets you send thought mail. That's it there. Those green lights. Sometimes it can hold an impression of a living consciousness for a short time after death. Like an afterimage." Jack told everyone.
"My grandfather lasted a day. Kept talking about his shoelaces." Anita said.
"She's in there." Donna said, still shocked.
"I can't see. I can't. Where am I?"
"She's just brain waves now. The pattern won't hold for long." Dave said.
"But, she's conscious. She's thinking."
"I can't see, I can't. I don't know what I'm thinking."
"She's a footprint on the beach. And the tide's coming in." The Doctor said.
"Where's that woman? The nice woman. Is she there?"
"What woman?" Mr. Lux asked.
"She means. I think she means me." Donna said.
"Is she there? The nice woman."
"Yes, she's here. Hang on. Go ahead. She can hear you." River said.
"Hello? Are you there?"
"Help her." The Doctor said.
Donna stared at her skeletal remains. "She's dead."
"Yeah. Help her." The Doctor said.
"Hello? Is that the nice woman?"
"Yeah. Hello. Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm here. You okay?" Donna finally said.
"What I said before, about being stupid. Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."
"Course I won't. Course I won't tell them." Donna said, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."
"I won't tell them. I said I won't."
"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh." Evangelista said.
"I'm not going to tell them." The green light starts blinking.
"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."
"She's looping now. The pattern's degrading." River said.
"I can't think. I don't know, I, I, I, I scream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream."
"Does anybody mind if I?" River asked. Everyone shook their head.
"Ice cream. Ice cream." River turns off the comm. unit.
"That was, that was horrible. That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen." Donna said. I let go of Jack to slowly walk up to Donna and hug her.
"No. It's just a freak of technology. But whatever did this to her, whatever killed her, I'd like a word with that." River said.
"I'll introduce you."
Back in the rotunda everyone had gone off in one or twos, staying in the light. I left Jack with Donna and walked over by River Song and The Doctor. "I'm going to need a packed lunch." The Doctor said.
"Hang on." River said, rummaging through her bag.
"What's in that book?"
"Spoilers."
"Susan says that all the time. Who are you?" The Doctor asked.
"Professor River Song, University of-"
"To me. Who are you to me?"
"Again, spoilers. Chicken and a bit of salad. Knock yourself out."
"Right, you lot. Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada."
The Doctor is scanning the floor with his sonic screwdriver.
"You travel with him, don't you? The Doctor, you travel with him." River tells Donna.
"What of it?" Donna asked.
"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?" The Doctor asked Dave.
"Why?"
"Over there by the water cooler. Thanks." Dave moves over, uncertain to why.
"You know him, don't you?" Donna said.
River smiled, remembering. "Oh God, do I know that man. We go way back, that man and me. Just not this far back."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"He hasn't met me yet. I sent him a message, but it went wrong. It arrived too early. This is the Doctor in the days before he knew me. And he looks at me, he looks right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does."
"What are you talking about? Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know him or don't you?"
"Donna! Quiet, I'm working." The Doctor snapped.
"Sorry." Donna muttered.
"Donna. You're Donna. Donna Noble." River said, shocked.
"Yeah. Why?" Donna asked.
"I do know the Doctor, but in the future. His personal future."
"So why don't you know me? Where am I in the future?" Donna asked. I walked away, my head down and stared off into the shelves.
"Okay, got a live one. That's not darkness down those tunnels. This is not a shadow. It's a swarm. A man eating swarm." The Doctor throws a chicken leg into the shadow. It is only bone by the time it hits the floor. "The piranhas of the air. The Vashta Nerada. Literally, the shadows that melt the flesh. Most planets have them, but usually in small clusters. I've never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive."
"What do you mean, most planets? Not Earth?" Donna asked, hopefully.
"Mmm. Earth, and a billion other worlds. Where there's meat, there's Vashta Nerada. You can see them sometimes, if you look. The dust in sunbeams." Jack said.
"If they were on Earth, we'd know." Donna said.
"Nah. Normally they live on road kill. But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark."
"Every shadow?" Donna asked, scared now.
"No. But any shadow." I said.
River walked up to The Doctor. "So what do we do?"
"Daleks, aim for the eyestalk. Sontarans, back of the neck. Vashta Nerada? Run. Just run." I recited.
"Run? Run where?" River asked me.
"This is an index point. There must be an exit teleport somewhere." The Doctor said, looking at Mr. Lux.
"Don't look at me, I haven't memorised the schematics."
"Doctor, the little shop. They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff." Donna said.
The Doctor smiled at Donna and pointed at her, "You're right. Brilliant! That's why I like the little shop."
"Okay, let's move it." Dave said. He heads towards the shop but the Doctor spots something.
"Actually, Proper Dave? Could you stay where you are for a moment?" The Doctor asked Dave. I put my hands together to keep them from shaking. I could have prevented this. I thought. I looked down.
"Why?"
"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. But you've got two shadows." The Doctor said. He has, at right angles to each other. "It's how they hunt. They latch on to a food source and keep it fresh."
"What do I do?" Dave asked, scared.
"You stay absolutely still, like there's a wasp in the room. Like there's a million wasps." The Doctor said.
"We're not leaving you, Dave." River said.
"Course we're not leaving him. Where's your helmet? Don't point, just tell me." The Doctor said.
"On the floor, by my bag." Anita goes to get it.
"Don't cross his shadow. Thanks. Now, the rest of you, helmets back on and sealed up. We'll need everything we've got." The Doctor puts Dave's helmet on him.
"But, Doctor, we haven't got any helmets." Donna said.
"Yeah, but we're safe anyway."
"How are we safe?" Donna asked
The Doctor looked at Donna. "We're not. That was a clever lie to shut you up. Professor, anything I can do with the suit?"
"What good are the damn suits? Miss Evangelista was wearing her suit. There was nothing left." Mr. Lux said.
"We can increase the mesh density. Dial it up four hundred percent. Make it a tougher meal." River suggested.
"Okay." The Doctor agreed. The Doctor uses his screwdriver to adjust Dave's suit. "Eight hundred percent. Pass it on."
"Gotcha." River holds up a sonic screwdriver of her own.
"What's that?" The Doctor asked.
"It's a screwdriver." River told him. The Doctor seemed frozen.
"It's sonic."
"Yeah, I know. Snap." River upgrades everyone's spacesuit. The Doctor grabs Donna. Jack and I follow close behind.
"With me. Come on." The Doctor said.
"What are we doing? We shopping? Is it a good time to shop?" Donna asked, annoyed with The Doctor. There is a lectern by a small dais with three roundels in it.
"No talking, just moving. Try it. Right, stand there in the middle. It's a teleport. Stand in the middle. Can't send the others, Tardis won't recognise them." Donna stood in the middle. Then The Doctor tried to put me next to Donna. I clung to Jack.
"What are you doing?" Donna asked.
"You don't have a suit. You're not safe." Jack explained, trying to get me to go with Donna.
"You don't have a suit, so you're in just as much danger as I am and I'm not leaving you."
"Donna, let me explain." The Doctor said. Donna teleports away. "Oh, that's how you do it."
"Susan, your turn." Jack said.
"No." I said. "I'm staying here."
"Doctor." River yells.
The Doctor gives up and Jack and I walk back to the rotunda. "Where did it go?" Jack asked, talking about the other shadow attached to Dave.
"It's just gone. I looked round, one shadow, see."
"Does that mean we can leave? I don't want to hang around here." River asked.
"I don't know why we're still here. We can leave him, can't we? I mean, no offence." Mr. Lux said.
"Shut up, Mister Lux." I told him.
"Did you feel anything, like an energy transfer? Anything at all?" The Doctor said.
"No, no, but look, it's gone." Dave turns around.
"Stop there. Stop, stop, stop there. Stop moving. They're never just gone and they never give up." He sonics the floor by Dave. "Well, this one's benign."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave asked.
"No one, they're fine." Jack told him.
"No seriously, turn them back on." Dave said.
"They are on." River said, taking a step closer to Dave.
"I can't see a ruddy thing."
"Dave, turn around." The Doctor said. Dave turns back to the Doctor, his visor completely dark.
"What's going on? Why can't I see? Is the power gone? Are we safe here?" Dave asked.
"Dave, I want you stay still. Absolutely still." Dave jerks. "Dave? Dave? Dave, can you hear me? Are you all right? Talk to me, Dave."
"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm fine." Dave said.
"I want you to stay still. Absolutely still." The Doctor said to him.
"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm fine. I can't. Why can't I? I, I can't. Why can't I? I, I can't. Why can't I? I-" Dave's comm. unit lights blink.
"He's gone. He's ghosting." River said.
"Then why is he still standing?" Mr. Lux asked.
"Hey, who turned out the lights? Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave repeated. The Doctor moved closer. I grabbed his arm, trying to keep him back. He shrugged it off.
"Doctor, don't." River said.
"Dave, can you hear me?" The Doctor asked.
"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave grabs the Doctor by the throat. A skull is now visible in his helmet. I tried to pull The Doctor back. "Who turned out the lights? Hey, who turned out the lights?"
River walks up to Dave. "Excuse me." River zaps the zombie with her sonic screwdriver, freeing the Doctor.
"Back from it! Get back. Right back." The Doctor said. Jack and I began to step back. Zombie Dave lurches a step towards them.
"Doesn't move very fast, does it?" Jack put in.
"It's a swarm in a suit. But it's learning." the Doctor said. Zombie Dave has four shadows, and they are growing.
"What do we do? Where do we go?" Mr. Lux.
"See that wall behind you? Duck." River said. River fires a gun at the wall and makes a square hole in it.
"Squareness gun!" The Doctor yelled.
"Everybody out. Go, go, go. Move it. Move, move. Move it. Move, move." We ran. Mr. Lux first, the people that was left of the expedition. Then Jack pushed me in front of him while we ran in the stacks. River and The Doctor pulled up the rear.
"You said not every shadow." River said.
"But any shadow." I told her.
Dave suddenly appeared at the end of the hall we just came from."Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Run!" I yelled.
Somewhere amongst the massive shelves of books, the Doctor is trying to sonic a light fitting. "Trying to boost the power. Light doesn't stop them, but it slows them down."
"So, what's the plan? Do we have a plan?" River asked.
"Your screwdriver looks exactly like mine." The Doctor stated.
"Yeah. You gave it to me."
"I don't give my screwdriver to anyone."
"I'm not anyone."
"Who is she?" Jack whispered to me.
I looked at him. "Someone very important in the future."
"Who are you?" The Doctor asked.
"What's the plan?" River asked, ignoring his question.
"I teleported Donna back to the Tardis. If we don't get back there in under five hours, emergency program one will activate."
"Take her home, yeah. We need to get a shift on." River said.
"She's not there. I should have received a signal. The console signals me if there's a teleport breach." The Doctor said.
"Well, maybe the coordinates have slipped. The equipment here's ancient." River said. The Doctor goes to a nearby Node.
"Donna Noble. There's a Donna Noble somewhere in this library. Do you have the software to locate her position?" The node turns its head. It has Donna's face. I jumped back into Jack who caught me.
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved." Donna Node said.
"Donna." The Doctor breathed.
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
"How can it be Donna? How's that possible?" River asked.
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
"Donna." The Doctor said again.
"Donna Noble has left the library."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Doctor!" River said, pointing to Dave. The Doctor whirled around to look at Dave.
"Donna Noble has been saved."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Donna Noble has left the library."
"Doctor, we've got to go now!" Jack yelled.
"Donna Noble has been saved."
"Hey, Who turned out the lights?"
River and the Doctor run, followed by Jack and I then Lux, the other Dave and Anita. I
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Donna Noble has left the library." We stopped short. I looked forward and backward. We are trapped between shadows.
"Doctor, what are we going to do?" River asked.
"Hey, who turned out the lights?"
"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."
A/N: On Saturdays, since there is no school, I will be updating this around 8:30 am or 9:00 am EST, or when ever I wake up. It's just when I update during the week I update this around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm EST.
Some notes on reviews:
Copperdragon 2: Yeah, I didn't like how they killed off Evangelina either. Well, that's how the show goes, we start off with a group of people trying to save the world or a planet and either all or half gets killed, but sometimes The Doctor manages to save every one but not all the time.