the hourglass (doctor who fan fiction)

Silence in the library pt. 2

"Stop right there. What's your name?" he asked. "Anita." She stepped back. "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. Stay in the light. Find a nice, bright spot and just stand. If you understand me, look very, very scared." the Doctor said. "No, bit more scared than that. Okay, that'll do for now." he turned around. "You. Who are you?"

"Er, Dave." he responded.

"Okay, Dave." the Doctor turned back around.

"Oh, well, Other Dave, because that's Proper Dave the pilot, he was the first Dave, so when we-" the Doctor interrupted. "Other Dave, the way you came, does it look the same as before?" Other Dave looked back. "Yeah. Oh, it's a bit darker." The atmosphere grew eerie. "How much darker?" the Doctor asked. "Oh, like I could see where we came through just like a moment ago. I can't now." Other Dave responded. "Seal up this door. We'll find another way out." he walked away. "We're not looking for a way out. Miss Evangelista?"

"Um- 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." she said to us. She held three contracts. "Right, give it here." I said. "Yeah, lovely. Thanks." Donna said as she took her contract. We tore the contracts.

"My family built this library. I have rights." Lux whined. "You have a mouth that won't stop." River snapped. She turned to the Doctor. "You think there's danger here?" The Doctor walked up to her. "Something came to this library and killed everything in it. Killed a whole world. Danger? Could be." he said sarcastically. "That was a hundred years ago. The Library's been silent for a hundred years. Whatever came here's long dead." she looked over to me and Donna. "Bet your life?" the Doctor asked. River gave him a smirk. "Always."

  Other Dave began to use a drill. "What are you doing?" Lux asked. Other Dave looked over to him. "He said seal the door." The Doctor walked over to Lux "Torch." he grabbed the torch out of Lux's hand. "You're taking orders from him?" he pointed back at the Doctor. "Spooky, isn't it?" the Doctor said walking away. The Doctor flashed the torch into the far recesses of the round room. "Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark. But they're wrong, because it's not irrational. It's the Vashta Nerada." he said. "What's Vashta Nerada?" Donna whispered. "It's what's in the dark. It's what's always in the dark." I responded. "Lights! That's what we need, lights. You got lights?" the Doctor exclaimed.

   "What for?" River asked. "Form a circle. Safe area. Big as you can, lights pointing out." he motioned. "Oi. Do as he says." River ordered. "You're not listening to this man?" Lux scoffed. "Apparently I am." River said to Lux. She turned. "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. The pretty boy and girl, you're with me. Step into my office." Lux put his helmet on and asked, "Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing my helmet?" River smiled, "I don't fancy you."

   The Doctor went over to Dave at the terminal. Lux took off his helmet. I sat down on the ground in the light. "Probably I can help you." he swiped the side of the monitor. "The pretty boy and girl. With me, I said." River said making us turn. Donna looked at us her mouth open. "Oh, I'm pretty boy?" he asked pointing to himself. "Yes- Ooo, that came out a bit quick." she turned to me. "Pretty?" I asked standing up. "Meh." Donna shrugged. "Don't let your shadows cross. Seriously, don't even let them touch. Any of them could be infected." the Doctor warned as we walked over to River.

  River took out a worn blue book from her backpack. "Thanks." she looked up at me and the Doctor. "For what?" he asked. "The usual. For coming when I call." she responded. "Oh, that was you?" I nudged the Doctors shoulder. "You're doing a very good job, acting like you don't know me. I'm assuming there's a reason." she looked up. "A fairly good one, actually." River began to flip through her diary. "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 two, yeah? So, er, crash of the Byzantium. Have we done that yet?" she looked up at us. "Obviously ringing no bells. Right. Oh, picnic at Asgard. Have we done Asgard yet?" she looked up at us again, confusion on our faces. "Obviously not. Blimey, very early days, then. Whoo, life with time travellers. Never knew it could be such hard work."

  She looked deep into my eyes. "Look at you two. Oh, you're young." She put her hand on my cheek. "I'm really not, you know- and what are you doing?" the Doctor asked seeing what she was doing. "No, but you are." she said looking over at the Doctor before turning back to me. "Your eyes. You're younger than I've ever seen you." My eyes widened as she looked at the Doctor. "You've seen me before?" the Doctor asked. "Doctor, please tell me you know who I am." she took her hand off my cheek and turned to the Doctor. "Who are you?"

A beeping noise turned our attention away. "Sorry, that was me. Trying to get through into the security protocols. I seem to have set something off. What is that? Is that an alarm?" Dave said. "Doctor? Doctor, that sounds like-"

"It is. It's a phone."