chapter 25
"Way-a! Spoilers".
"What?"
I hear the Doctor's and Donna's voices from around the corner, and there they are, at the end of the stairs, at the ledge. The Doctor I just left didn't really say much - he checked his log on the monitor, sighed deeply, hugged me and gave me the coordinates to the Library.
So now I can add the Time Ring to the list of devices I can telephatically communicate with.
I appeared in a hall full of books. The Library.
"These books are from your future. You don't want to read ahead. Spoil all the surprises. Like peeking at the end".
"Isn't travelling with you one big spoiler?". Donna asks.
"I try to keep you away from... major... plot developments", he answers, apologetically.
"Well you kinda seem to be very bad at, because you know what? This is the biggest library in the universe. So where is everyone? It's silent". I cut in. They both turn around.
"Zoe!", Donna smiles. "Welcome back!". She looks at me from a step back, like you do when you run into someone you haven't seen in a while.
"There you are", the Doctor looks at me warily. "Everything okay?".
"As you were saying, spoilers", I shrug. He studies my face. "Everything's all right, Doctor", I nod, as if that was ever a guarantee. I don't convince him, but he's already thinking about something else, pointing his screwdriver on a nearby information screen, to bring it online. "What did I miss?".
"You sure you're okay?", he turns suddenly to pat my shoulders , as if to check I'm really there.
The way he looks at me makes me shiver. I don't say a word. He stares at me.
"The library is silent?" Donna repeats, breaking the tension.
"The planet. The whole planet", I explain, following the Doctor's gaze on the screen.
"Maybe it's a Sunday", Donna shrugs.
"Naah, I never land on Sundays. Sundays are boring", the Doctor replies.
"Well, maybe everyone's really, really quiet", Donna insists, lowering her voice theatrically.
"Yeah, maybe. But they'd still show up on the system", I say. "Doctor, why are we here? Really, why?".
He turns to me, his eyes piercing right through me. Mentally, I pull the curtain over the whole lab. As if stung by a bee, he tilts his head back. "Oh, you know, just passing", he says nonchalantly.
"No, seriously", Donna points out, sarcastic. "It was all let's hit the beach, then suddenly we're in a library. Why?"
He's looking at the screen again. "Now that's interesting".
"What?".
"Scanning for life forms. If I do a scan looking for your basic humanoids. You know, your book readers, few limbs and a face, apart from us, I get nothing. Zippo, nada. See? Nobody home". I look.
"But if I widen the parameters to any kind of life..." The screen numbers grow from three to 1,000,000,000,000 lifeform number capped at maximum record, the number blinking with an error message.
"A million, million. Gives up after that". He spins from the screen, looking around, genuinely surprised. "A million million", he repeats, puzzled.
"But there's nothing here. There's no one", Donna wonders.
"And not a sound. A million. million life forms", I look around too, puzzled. "...and silence in the library".
"But there's no one here. There's just books. I mean, it's not the books, is it? I mean, it can't be the books, can it?" Donna is freaking out. "I mean, books can't be alive", she says, shivering.
They both reach slowly for a book. It's pretty clear there's something very wrong with this place.
"Welcome". A voice makes us all jump.
"That came from here", I say, as we all point back at the top of the stairs.
"Yeeah", Donna and the Doctor agree, and we walk back.
"I am Courtesy Node 710/aqua. Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of all your fellow readers, regardless of species or hygiene taboo". it's a vaguely humanoid sculpture by a round desk in the middle of the hall where they parked the Tardis. I look around and realize at the end of the message that the female voice comes from a small face on the surface of the droid.
"That face", Donna says, disgusted. "...it looks real".
"Yeah, don't worry about it", the Doctor says.
"A statue with a real face, though? It's a hologram or something, isn't it?", she's actually so freaked out that I don't want to add to her dread.
"No, but really, it's fine". I say, my hand on her shoulder.
The courtesy node speaks again. "Additional. There follows a brief message from the Head Librarian for your urgent attention. It has been edited for tone and content by a Felman Lux Automated Decency Filter. Message follows. Run. For God's sake, run. No way is safe. The library has sealed itself, we can't. Oh, they're here. Argh. Slarg. Snick. Message ends. Please switch off your mobile comm. units for the comfort of other readers".
We exchange worried glances at each other while the message plays.
"So that's why we're here", the Doctor whispers, looking at me, then turns to the courtesy node. "Any other messages, same date stamp?".
"One additional message. This message carries a Felman Lux coherency warning of five zero eleven..."
"Yeah, yeah, fine, fine, fine. Just play it", I cut her off.
"Message follows. Count the shadows. For God's sake, remember, if you want to live, count the shadows. Message ends". We all look very cautiously at the floors around us.
"Donna? Zoe?", The Doctor whispers, worried.
"Yeah?", I say, absentmindedly, still looking at the floor.
"Stay out of the shadows", he warns, giving a last look at the node and turning away.
"Why?", Donna asks, as lost in fear as I am. "What's in the shadows?".
He doesn't reply, and we follow him outside the room. Donna stops a few steps between the tall stacks of shelves. This Library, it's impressive, it looks bigger than the Tardis library.
"...So", Donna starts. "We weren't just in the neighbourhood".
The Doctor shrugs, apologetically. "Yeah... I kind of, sort of... lied a bit. I got a message on the psychic paper". He pulls the wallet out of his coat to let us see the message, which reads
The library
come as soon as you can.
x
"What do you think? Cry for help?", he asks, as Donna snatches the thing from his hands.
"Cry for help... with a kiss?", she mocks him.
"Oh, we've all done that", he shrugs again.
"Who's it from?", I ask.
"No idea. Thought it was from you".
"Not my style", I shake my head.
"Clearly", he says, looking up, annoyed. "You just... well. Show up. Whenever you want".
"So why did we come here? Why did you-".
"Hey, you guys-" I interrupt Donna.
All the lights behind us are going out.
"What's happening?", Donna cries.
"Run!", we both reply, and we make our way to the nearest door, which is locked. While we all argue and Donna insults us both about our screwdrivers not being able to work on wood, the lamps go out one by one over our heads.
"I can vibrate the molecules, fry the bindings", the Doctor says, still pointing the screwdriver at the door.
"Shatterline the interface!", I yell.
"Oh, get out of the way!", Donna cries, annoyed, and pushing us away, she kicks the door open.
As soon as we're inside, I toss a book at the Doctor and he jams the door handles locked.
"Oh. Hello. Sorry to burst on you like this. Okay if we stop here for a bit?", the Doctor says, as we all catch our breath leaning on the door.
A small metal globe suspended in the air suddenly falls to the ground.
"What is it?", Donna asks.
I walk closer, the sound of my boots the only noise on the planet. "Security camera. Switched itself off".
The Doctor starts sonicking the globe. "Nice door skills, Donna".
"Yeah, well, you know, boyfriends. Sometimes you need the element of surprise. What was that? What was after us? I mean, did we just run away from a power cut?".
"Possibly", I say, looking around, pointing the laser screwdriver to the corners of the room. The silence is creeping me out.
"Are we safe here?", Donna asks.
"Of course we're safe, there's a little shop", the Doctor says, turning his head to the sign on the wall. The Shop. I follow it with the light to see another sign that says Entrance This Way. I sigh, hoping that the Doctor's love for the little gift shops in museums all over the universe is a good sign, when the camera opens under the Doctor's work.
"Gotcha!", he says, as I return to him, watching the globe from behind his shoulders.
The words no stop it no no scroll on a little led panel above the camera.
Understanding, the Doctor carefully lowers the camera globe to the ground. "Ooo, I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry", he apologizes, cautiously removing his hands from it. "It's alive".
"You said it was a security camera", Donna looks at me.
He glances at me, standing up, then turns at the globe again. "It is. It's an alive one".
The words keep scrolling. The library is breached. Others are coming.
"What does it mean, others?", Donna says, her voice a little more frantic everytime she speaks. "Excuse me. What does it mean, others?", she asks to another courtesy node in the room.
"That's barely more than a speak your weight machine, it can't help you", the Doctor shrugs.
"So why's it got a face?", Donna insists, looking back as the head of the statue turns around.
"This flesh aspect was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death", the node replies.
Donna glares, turning back at us. "It's a real face?"
"It has been actualised individually for you from the many facial aspects saved to our extensive flesh banks. Please enjoy", the node continues. I walk towards Donna, taking a deep breath.
"It chose me a dead face it thought I'd like?", Donna gasps, her eyes unable to get away from the face. She raises her voice, panicking. "That statue's got a real dead person's face on it".
"It's the fifty first century. That's basically like donating a park bench", I tell her, although I am aware it sounds a lot colder than what I imagined.
"It's donating a face!", she insists, walking back in shock.
"No! wait, no!", the Doctor warns Donna, grabbing her as she backs away.
"Oi. Hands", she protests, slamming her hands on the Doctor's arms to let herself free.
He's very calm, considering. "The shadow. Look".
"What about it?", she says, turning around.
"Count the shadows", I quote, walking towards them. There's a big weird triangular shadow going from the wall towards the globe, still at the center of the room.
"One", Donna states, tentatively. "There, counted it. One shadow".
"Yeah", I say, as we all look around again. "But what's casting it?". There's only a big skywindow, and it's circular. Nothing in the room seems to cast that shadow.
We all look warily in silence around, until the Doctor screams, almost stopping both my hearts. "Oh!". We all gasp stepping back from the shadow. "I'm thick! Look at me, I'm old and thick. Head's too full of stuff. I need a bigger head!", he complains, slapping himself.
The light in the adjoining corridor is going out.
"The power must be going", Donna says.
.
"This place runs on fission cells. They'll outburn the sun", I whisper, looking in the direction of the light that just went out. The Doctor is short of breath - not a good sign.
"Then why is it dark?", Donna insists.
"It's not dark", he whispers.
Donna nudges on my elbow, and I turn around to see the floor lit again. "That shadow. It's gone".
"We need to get back to the Tardis", the Doctor instructs, quickly. See that freaks me out a bit too. I've heard stories, and legends, and myths about the fear of the dark, but the Doctor suggesting we run? Now that's scary.
"Why?", Donna says, on the edge of screaming.
"Because that shadow hasn't gone. It's moved", he explains, his voice again low, as if the quieter we are, the easier it would be to get away unnoticed.
The node makes us jump again. "Reminder. The Library has been breached. Others are coming".
He keeps repeating that, and finally a door blows open in a flash of bright light, and six spacesuited figures enter. The Doctor, Donna and I stay still as they approach us.
As the leader adjusts her polarising filter, I recognize her broad smile, and her signature words.
"Hello, sweetie", River Song says.
"Get out", the Doctor says immediately, looking at her, whitout moving.
"Doctor", I try to calm him down before he enters what I know will be his get-out-and-don't-look-back speech. Also, it annoys me when someone appears and he's so rude he doesn't even acknowledge their arrival with a hello how are you. I mean at least I got a there you are is everything okay.
"All of you", he insists, shrugging me off, walking past River and glaring around at them. "Turn around, get back in your rocket and fly away. Tell your grandchildren you came to the library and lived. They won't believe you".
River unlocks her spacesuit helmet, ignoring him. "Pop your helmets, everyone. We've got breathers", she instructs her team.
"How do you know they're not androids?", one of the women asks.
"Because I've dated androids", she flirts, shaking her curls out of the helmet. "They're rubbish".
A man walks closer to her, looking very annoyed. "Who is this? You said we were the only expedition. I paid for exclusives". He sounds very pissed. I'm curious about how everyone is ignoring the Doctor's warning.
"I lied, I'm always lying", she shrugs. "Bound to be others".
"Miss Evangelista, I want to see the contracts", the man calls, and a pretty girl with long black hair puts her helmet down to open her backpack.
River turns to me. "You came through the north door, yeah? How was that, much damage?".
I don't have time to reply because the Doctor pushes me away, standing between River and me. "Please, just leave. I'm asking you seriously and properly, just leave- hang on, did you say expedition?", he repeats, hands on his hips, looking around at River's team.
"My expedition. I funded it", the annoyed man points out.
"Oh, you're not, are you? Tell me you're not archaeologists", the Doctor groans. He didn't look at me once, so I can't understand why he's acting like he doesn't know River.
"Got a problem with archaeologists?", she says, smiling.
He cringes, his index finger waving in the air between the two of us. "We're time travellers. We point and laugh at archaeologists".
"Ah", River smiles, glancing at me as she extends her hand to the Doctor. "Professor River Song, archaeologist".
"River Song", he repeats, shaking her hand, "Lovely name. As you're leaving, and you're leaving now-", he says, placing an arm around her shoulders to push her towards the breach they came from "you need to set up a quarantine beacon. Code wall the planet, the whole planet. Nobody comes here, not ever again. Not one living thing, not here, not ever", he warns, then catches sight of the woman stepping towards the dark. "Stop right there. What's your name?".
"Anita", she replies, while he pulls her back to the middle of the room.
"Anita, stay out of the shadows. Not a foot, not a finger in the shadows till you're safely back in your ship. Goes for all of you", he insists, raising his voice. "Stay in the light. Find a nice, bright spot and just stand. If you understand me, look very, very scared".
Their faces don't change. River's smile becomes puzzled, and she squints a little. She glances at me. The Doctor glances at me too, then insists. "No, bit more scared than that. Okay, do for now". He walks to a curly man walking to the breach. "You. Who are you?".
"Er, Dave", he answers, a bit confused.
"Okay, Dave-".
"Oh, well, Other Dave", he corrects him, "because that's Proper Dave, the pilot, he was the first Dave, so when we-" the Doctor couldn't care less.
"Other Dave, the way you came, does it look the same as before?".
"Yeah". he steps back, puzzled. "Oh, it's a bit darker".
Donna looks at me. Part of her, I'm sure, is wondering why we're not going back to the Tardis as planned.
"How much darker?", the Doctor asks.
"Oh, like I could see where we came through just like a moment ago. I can't now", Other Dave says, confused.
"Seal up this door. We'll find another way out", he pats him on his back, and turns around as the man is still speaking "Would you-", Other Dave doesn't finish his sentence.
"We're not looking for a way out. Miss Evangelista?", the funder repeats.
The pretty girl stands in our way with paper forms in a binder. "Er, I'm... Mister Lux's personal everything. You need to sign these contracts agreeing that your, individual experience inside the library are the intellectual property of the Felman Lux Corporation", the way she says that, she's reharsed it a thousand times and yet can't grasp some of the words.
"Right, give it here", the Doctor says, pulling a form.
"Yeah, lovely. Thanks", Donna says, giving one to me and taking another for her.
I hold it in my hands, without even looking, while the Doctor and Donna tear up their contracts.
"My family built this library. I have rights!", Mr. Lux protests. I keep looking at River, who's now starting to look worried too.
"You have a mouth that won't stop", she interrupts him, then turns to the Doctor. "You think there's danger here?".
"Something came to this library and killed everything in it. Killed a whole world. Danger? Could be", he answers, sarcastically.
"That was a hundred years ago. The Library's been silent for a hundred years. Whatever came here's long dead", River insists.
"Bet your life?", the Doctor glares at her.
"Always", she smiles, trustingly, and he- well, he just gives her this curious look head to toes. I study his face.
"What are you doing?", Mr. Lux asks Other Dave, who's screwing the door.
"He said seal the door".
"Torch", the Doctor calls, walking to Lux.
"You're taking orders from him?", he asks, puzzled, as the Doctor snatches the torch from his hands.
"Spooky, isn't it?", he comments, shining the light into the far recesses of the round room.
Donna walks by his side as he explains, whispering. "Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark. But they're wrong, because it's not irrational. It's Vashta Nerada".
"What's Vashta Nerada?", Donna asks.
"It's what's in the dark. It's what's always in the dark". His voice is so low and ominous that if we make it out of here alive, this is going to be my top-horror-campfire story.
The Doctor steps back, tossing the torch back at Lux. "Lights! That's what we need, lights. You got lights?", he asks River's team.
"What for?", she says.
"Form a circle. Safe area. Big as you can, lights pointing out", he instructs, standing in the middle of the circle.
"Oi. Do as he says", River insists.
"You're not listening to this man?", Lux protests, outraged.
"Why is there always someone who doesn't get it?", I groan.
"Oh, apparently I am", River replies to Lux, and instructs her team while the Doctor takes off his coat and throws it to the desk. "Anita, unpack the lights. Other Dave, make sure the door's secure, then help Anita. Mister Lux, put your helmet back on, block the visor. Proper Dave, find an active terminal. I want you to access the library database. See what you can find about what happened here a hundred years ago. Pretty boy, you're with me. Step into my office".
"Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing my helmet?", Lux asks.
"I don't fancy you", River jokes. I have to say, I missed her.
River sits at the big desk. I walk over to proper Dave at the nearest computer, pulling my laser screwdriver from the inner pocket of my black denim jacket.
"Probably I can help you", I tell him. The Doctor stands at my back, almost surprised that I anticipated him. I mean, he is putting his glasses on.
"Pretty boy. With me, I said", River repeats.
The Doctor spikes up, confused, looking around the room. "Oh, I'm pretty boy?". He looks at me, then at Donna.
"Yes", Donna replies, smiling, then frowns. "Ooo, that came out a bit quick".
He turns to me, dumbfounded. "Pretty?".
"Meh", Donna repeats. I shrug, giggling at him. I wink and think I'd rather go with handsome, and judging by his suddenly surprised face I'm almost sure he heard it through the psychic link. This is going to be fun.
"Don't let your shadows cross. Seriously, don't even let them touch. Any of them could be infected", the Doctor says to the team as he turns to River, across the room from us.
I keep trying to hack the terminal, entering quick commands to the keyboard, trying to silence the rude conversation at my back to focus on what River and the Doctor are saying.
"Thanks", she says.
"For what?". His voice is quite anonymous. I have the feeling this is not going to be easy for River.
"The usual. For coming when I call".
"Oh, that was you?".
"At least Zoe gave me a sign of recognition". She groans. "You're doing a very good job, acting like you don't know me. I'm assuming there's a reason".
"A fairly good one, actually. Wait, how does Zoe know you?".
"Okay, shall we do diaries, then? Where are we this time? Er, going by your faces, I'd say it's early days for you, yeah? So, er, crash of the Byzantium. Have we done that yet? Obviously ringing no bells. Right", she says, taking breaks to wait for answers that don't come. "Oh, picnic at Asgard. Have we done Asgard yet? Obviously not. Blimey, very early days, then. Whoo, life with a time traveller. Never knew it could be such hard work". I turn around to look at him, even if I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping. Although, I'm pretty worried about spoilers too.
He's just, basically, staring at River with the coldest eyes.
She drops the smile and softens. "Look at you. Oh, you're young".
He smiles for the first time since I've gotten back, but it's his smug oh-you-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about smile. "I'm really not, you know".
"No, but you are", she smiles, stroking his cheek, gently. "Your eyes. You're younger than I've ever seen you".
"You've seen me before, then?", he replies, clearly uncomfortable about her hand in his hair.
River takes a deep breath. "Zoe?", she calls worried, without breaking eye contact with him. "Doctor", she pleads, "please tell me you know who I am".
He blinks, looking quickly at me before casting his gaze on River's hand, which moved to his shoulder. "Who are you?".
River looks at me, taking her hand off him, as a buzzing sound startles us from the terminal we were hacking.
The Doctor spins around and flies across the room to us. It's like he couldn't wait to get out of River's questions.
"Sorry, that was me", I say. "Trying to get through into the security protocols. I seem to have set something off. What is that? Is that an alarm?".
Donna cuts in. "Doctor? Doctor, that sounds like-"
"It is", he nods. "It's a phone".
River is visibly shaken. I've never seen her like this before. She follows the Doctor as he pushes me away from the terminal to work on it himself, and I keep looking at the screen just to avoid eye contact with her.
"We tried to call up the data core, but it's not responding. Just that noise". Dave explains.
"But it's a phone". Donna insists.
"Let me try something", the Doctor says, typing fast. As the sound stops, the screen blinks with an access denied message. e changes his commands. "Okay, doesn't like that. Let's try something else".
"Okay, here it comes", he asks when the screen suddenly turns to the image of a girl sitting and drawing in her living room.
"That's odd", River and I say in unison.
He glances quickly at us, then speaks to the girl. "Hello?".
"Hello. Are you in my television?", she says, confused.
"Well, no, I'm, I'm sort of in space. Er, I was trying to call up the data core of a triple grid security processor".
"Would you like to speak to my Dad?" she asks politely.
"Dad, or your Mum. That'd be lovely". Sure her parents know about how to access the data core.
"I know you. You're in my library", she replies, confused.
"Your library?".
"The library's never been on the television before. What have you done?"
The Doctor glares, apologetically. "Er, well, I just rerouted the interface", while the screen returns to white noise, until the message reads access denied again.
"What happened? Who was that?", River asks.
"I need another terminal. You too, Zoe. Keep working on those lights. We need those lights!".
"You heard him, people. Let there be light".
We get to another terminal, the Doctor at my back looking over my shoulders as I type. With the corner of my eye, I can see River's Tardis shaped diary on the table. When I see the Doctor's hand slowly reaching for it, I anticipate him and I snatch it just before he can pick it up.
I sigh and turn to him. "You're not allowed to see inside her book. It's against the rules".
"What rules?". He looks disappointed. He's still deciding wheter he likes River or not, and the fact that I already know her must make him uncomfortable. Like he's not sure wheter he can trust me as well.
"Your rules", I say.
"Ah", he gives me his wary look, "So you do know her".
Suddenly books start flying randomly off the shelves all over the room. "What's that?", he asks.
"I didn't do that. Did you do that?", I ask Dave, who's working at another terminale.
"Not me".
The message on my screen now reads Cal Access Denied.
"What's Cal?", the Doctor asks, while the book bombing finally slows down and stop.
As I try hacking again through the security protocols, I hear Donna try to comfort the nice assistant who everybody was making fun of before, who's scared and confused.
"Zoe, talk to me", the Doctor says, still scanning the room with his eyes.
"Doctor, later", I say, stretching the words like he does when I bother him with petty questions in the middle of something more important. I try to give him a mental nudge on the elbow, buddy-style, telephatically. Again, curiously, it works. He tilts his head back, then sideways, pondering it.
"Hm", he says, submissively. More books shoot off their shelves, so we duck down again.
"What's causing that? Is it the little girl?", River asks.
The Doctor leaves me at the terminal and sits on the large table, taking his glasses off.
"But who is the little girl? What's she got to do with this place?" he asks. "How does the data core work? What's the principle? What's Cal?".
"Ask Mister Lux", River points. I drop the useless hacking and turn around, leaning over the table beside the Doctor.
"Cal, what is it?", he says, turning to Lux.
"Sorry", he shrugs. "You didn't sign your personal experience contracts".
"Mister Lux", the Doctor addresses him, very seriously, walking over to him. Right now, you're in more danger than you've ever been in your whole life. And you're protecting a patent?". He's almost hissing.
"I'm protecting my family's pride".
"Well, funny thing, Mister Lux. I don't want to see everyone in this room dead because some idiot thinks his pride is more important". He's right, but gosh he sounds so patronizing.
"Then why don't you sign his contract?" River cuts in. The Doctor turns to her unbelievingly. "I didn't either. I'm getting worse than you", she adds.
He looks like he wants to slap her. Or snog her? I jump over the table and move to the middle of the room, trying to break the tension.
"Okay, everybody, okay. Why don't we start at the beginning?" I smile. "What happened here? On the actual day, a hundred years ago, what physically happened?".
River explains. "There was a message from the Library. Just one. The lights are going out. Then the computer sealed the planet, and there was nothing for a hundred years". I pretend I don't notice the look the Doctor gives me everytime River talks to me.
"It's taken three generations of my family just to decode the seals and get back in", Lux adds.
"Er, excuse me?", Miss Evangelista, the assistant, calls.
"Not just now", Lux ignores her.
"There was one other thing in the last message". River adds, picking up something from her backpack.
"That's confidential", Lux protests.
"I trust this man. And her", she says, sternly. "With my life, with everything".
"You've only just met them", Lux insists.
"No", River corrects him, not even looking at him. "He's only just met me".
The Doctor glares at Donna. He's upset and I'm not going to see the end of it. But. Me and River, we never established a system - and I've always met her with the Doctor, so we never really saw a point in aligning my timeline with hers. But what she said, long time ago, about her life going backwards, I'm assuming if the Doctor doesn't know her yet, this must mean, on the other hand, that me and this woman have already been in battle together. And I know that because I think I recognize my blaster gun at her hip.
"Er, this might be important, actually", Miss Evangelista insists from behind us, only to be ignored by everyone again.
River shows us the message on her tablet. "This is a data extract that came with the message".
"Four thousand and twenty two saved. No survivors", the Doctor reads.
Donna looks at me.
"Four thousand and twenty two", River repeats. "That's the exact number of people who were in the library when the planet was sealed".
"But how can four thousand and twenty two people have been saved if there were no survivors?", Donna asks.
"That's what we're here to find out", River says.
"And so far, what we haven't found are any bodies", Lux adds.
I turn to try working at the terminal again when a scream cuts the air in the room. I pick up the laser screwdriver and follow everyone across the room, through a wooden panel that was lifted. Probably miss Evangelista was trying to get us to notice it. I feel guilty for not listening to her.
The Doctor runs to the center of a study room, between the desks, then slows down when he sees a skeleton in rags, laying in a chair. I'm by his side, with an arm across Donna's stomach to stop her from moving further to the skeleton.
"Everybody careful", he instructs, resignedly. "Stay in the light".
"You keep saying that. I don't see the point", Dave states.
The Doctor sighs, a hand in his pocket. "Who screamed?", he interrogates.
"Miss Evangelista", Dave answers.
"Where is she?", the Doctor insists.
"Miss Evangelista, please state your current-", River starts saying in her communicator device. She stops when I touch her elbow, noticing how near her echo sounds.
She shivers, then repeats, as the Doctor's flashlight turns to the skeleton, "Please state your current... position".
I slowly reach for the skeleton's collar and pull out a lit communication unit, the green light flashing, River's voice coming from it.
"It's her. It's Miss Evangelista", River explains.
"We heard her scream a few seconds ago. What could do that to a person in a few seconds?", Anita asks.
"It took a lot less than a few seconds", the Doctor sighs.
"What did?", I ask.
"Hello?", the communication unit on Miss Evangelista's collar speaks.
River looks sorry. "Er, I'm sorry, everyone. Er, this isn't going to be pleasant. She's ghosting".
"She's what?", Donna asks, while the girl's voice keeps coming.
"Hello? Excuse me. I'm sorry. Hello? Excuse me".
"That's, that's her, that's Miss Evangelista". Donna states, shivering.
"I don't want to sound horrible, but couldn't we just, you know?", Dave asks.
"This is her last moment. No, we can't. A little respect, thank you", River instructs.
"Sorry, where am I? Excuse me?", the girl continues.
"But that's Miss Evangelista", Donna repeats, looking at me.
"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", River says, gently.
"What's a data ghost?", Donna asks.
"There's a neural relay in the communicator. Lets you send thought mail. That's it there. Those green lights", I explain.
"Sometimes it can hold an impression of a living consciousness for a short time after death", the Doctor adds, "like an afterimage".
"My grandfather lasted a day. Kept talking about his shoelaces", Anita remembers.
"She's in there", Donna repeats, horrified.
"I can't see. I can't. Where am I?", Miss Evangelista repeats.
"She's just brain waves now. The pattern won't hold for long", I say to Donna.
"But, she's conscious. She's thinking", Donna insists.
"I can't see, I can't. I don't know what I'm thinking", the electronic voice repeats, more scared.
"She's a footprint on the beach. And the tide's coming in", the Doctor explains.
We all listen in silence as Miss Evangelista asks for Donna, who was the only one to treat her with kindness. River lets her through. They exchange a few words. Donna is such a good person that despite the horror running through her veins she stays calm and quiet and talks to the girl.
The light goes blinking as the voice gets stuck on a sentence. "Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh", the receiver repeats for the third time.
"She's looping now. The pattern's degrading", I explain, moving my hand on Donna's shoulder.
"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 asks out of respect.
"Ice cream. Ice cream", we hear again until River turns off the communication unit.
"That was, that was horrible. That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen", Donna cries, shocked.
"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 says, turning to me and the Doctor.
"I'll introduce you", he says, while Donna wipes away her tears.
We run back to the room we were before, that leads to the shop. the Doctor up front. "I'm going to need a packed lunch", the Doctor commands.
"Hang on", River says, crouching to her backpack. She pulls the Tardis diary out to retrieve the tin box from under it.
"What's in that book?", he asks, crouching down beside her.
"Spoilers", she states.
"Who are you?", he asks.
"Professor River Song", she groans, "University of-".
"To me", he insists. "Who are you to me?".
River sighs, her eyes darting the room to find me, as if I could give her the right answer. But, she's River Song, and she knows best. "Again, spoilers", she repeats, taking the lid off her tin box. "Chicken and a bit of salad. Knock yourself out", she states, offering it to the Doctor. He stares into her eyes, then gives up.
"Right, you lot", he jumps up, as I watch River lower her eyes in sadness. "Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada", he says menacingly tumbling the flashlight in the air.
"Your screwdriver, Zoe", the Doctor asks me.
"What about it?", I say, pulling it up against his.
"I'm transferring the settings so we can both scan the shadows. It'll be faster".
"Doctor", I start, but I don't really know what to say.
"No, no, you're right. Later".
I glance at River before crouching down to crawl at the edges of the lit area to scan the shadows, going in the opposite direction from the Doctor. This Doctor, he never mentioned River once. So, okay, I kinda guessed he hadn't met her yet. I just... I didn't expect to be present when he would.
"You travel with them, don't you? The Doctor, and Zoe, you travel with them", River asks Donna as she feels her gaze upon her.
"What of it?".
"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?", I ask him as I see his legs dangling above my head as I scan the shadow under a desk.
"Why?".
"Over there by the water cooler. Thanks". He groans and moves.
"You know them, don't you?", Donna asks River.
"Oh God, do I know that man. We go way back, that man and me. Just not this far back".
"I'm sorry, what?", Donna insists.
"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".
I stop scanning and rest on my knees. I slowly turn to look at River's face. I heard her talk about this moment before. I wish I could tell her she has my support. Without spoiling anything.
"Zoe, on the other hand, she's as scrambled as I am", she offers, looking at me.
"What are you talking about? Are you just talking rubbish?", Donna banters, annoyed. "Do you know them or don't you?"
"Donnaaaa!", the Doctor blurts. "Quiet, we're working".
"Sorry", she apologizes.
"Donna. You're Donna", River realizes, in recognition. "Donna Noble".
"Yeah. Why?".
"I do know the Doctor, but in the future. His personal future", River explains.
And then I realize. I feel a sting of guilt as I notice that at some point, in the future, Donna doesn't travel with the Doctor anymore. He barely mentions her, the future Doctor. And I know how people come and go from his life, but Donna? She's always so enthusiastic and excited about being with us that I can't just picture her leaving willingly. And since she's not stupid, she understands as well.
"So why don't you know me? Where am I in the future?".
An image of the Doctor alone and sad dancing with me at Cinderella's ball flashes through my mind. I'm pretty sure River is about to say spoilers when the Doctor breaks the tension, jumping up.
"Okay, got a live one", he says, moving back from the shady corner. "That's not darkness down those tunnels. This is not a shadow", he explains. I stand up and walk beside him. I'd much rather understand what's going on as well. He waves at me to pass him the packed lunch.
"It's a swarm. A man eating swarm", he says, crouching down again.
He tosses the chicken leg into the corner and it lands as a bone, not a single piece of meat on it. Eaten as it flew, in an instant.
"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 asks.
"Earth", he nods, "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", he explains.
"If they were on Earth, we'd know", Donna insists, trying to keep composure and not to panic.
"Nah", he says dismissively. "Normally they live on road kill. But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark".
"Every shadow?", I ask, pointing my laser screwdriver to the darkest corners of the room.
"Noo. But any shadow", he says, looking around.
"So what do we do?", River asks.
"Daleks, aim for the eyestalk. Sontarans, back of the neck", he lists "Vashta Nerada?", he says ominously, turning to us again. He looks at me, as if apologizing for not having another solution. One thing we share, the Doctor, River, and me - we don't like to run away from trouble. "Run. Just run".
Longish, but I assume all of you has seen the episode. So much dialogue.
Thanks for following and reviewing, and, making me know somebody is still out there rooting for my girl. She needs that.
I'll keep up the facts-for-reviews thing going, so here we are:
-Zoe is a hadcore Star Wars fan. The Doctor brought her to see Episode VIII and IX too. As you can imagine, she developed a crush on Kylo Ren during Episode VII.
-As a kid, Zoe really liked telling horror bedtime stories with very graphic details, often getting other kids terrified and getting herself into trouble.
Thanks!