Silence In The Library Pt. 4

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"Hello? Are you there?"

"Help her" the Doctor says.

"She's dead" Donna says.

"Yeah. Help her" {Y/N} says.

"Hello? Is that the nice woman?"

"Yeah. Hello. Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm here. You okay?"

"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."

"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."

"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 says.

"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.

"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 says a few tears rolling down her face.

"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.

"We'll introduce you" the Doctor says, they walk back into the main room.

"I'm going to need a packed lunch" {Y/N} says.

"Hang on" River says.

"What's in that book?" the Doctor asks.

"Spoilers."

"Who are you?" the Doctor asks.

"Professor River Song, University of..."

"To us. Who are you to us?" the Doctor asks pointing to himself and {Y/N}.

"Again, spoilers" she says "chicken and a bit of salad. Knock yourself out" River says handing {Y/N} the lunch.

"Right, you lot. Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada" a while later both {Y/N} and the Doctor are scanning the floor with their sonic screwdrivers.

"You travel with them, don't you? The Doctor and {Y/N}, you travel with them" River says looking at Donna.

"What of it?"

"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?" {Y/N} asks.

"Why?"

"Over there by the water cooler. Thanks" {Y/N} smiles.

"You know them, don't you?" Donna says.

"Oh God, do I know those two. We go way back, those two and me. Just not this far back" River says.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"They haven't met me yet. I sent him a message, but it went wrong. It arrived too early. This is the Doctor and {Y/N} in the days before they knew me. And they look at me, they look right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does" River says sadly.

"What are you talking about? Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know them, or don't you?"

"Donna! Quiet, we're working" the Doctor says.

"Sorry."

"Donna. You're Donna. Donna Noble" River says.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I do know them, but in the future. Their personal future."

"So why don't you know me? Where am I in the future?"

"Ok, got a live one. That's not darkness down those tunnels. This is not a shadow. It's a swarm. A man-eating swarm" {Y/N} says as 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. We've never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive" the Doctor says.

"What do you mean, most planets? Not Earth?"

"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" {Y/N} says.

"If they were on Earth, we'd know" Donna says.

"Nah. Normally they live on road kill. But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark" {Y/N} replies.

"Every shadow?" River asks.

"No. But any shadow" the Doctor says.

"So, what do we do?"

"Daleks, aim for the eyestalk. Sontarans, back of the neck. Vashta Nerada? Run. Just run" {Y/N} says.

"Run? Run where?"

"This is an index point. There must be an exit teleport somewhere."

"Don't look at me, I haven't memorised the schematics" Lux says.

"Doctor, {Y/N}, the little shop. They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff" Donna says.

"You're right. Brilliant! That's why I like the little shop" the Doctor says.

"Ok, let's move it" Dave heads towards the shop but {Y/N} spots something.

"Actually, Proper Dave? Could you stay where you are for a moment?" she asks.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry. But you've got two shadows" 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?"

"You stay absolutely still, like there's a wasp in the room. Like there's a million wasps" {Y/N} says slowly moving towards him.

"We're not leaving you, Dave" River says.

"Course we're not leaving him. Where's your helmet? Don't point, just tell me" {Y/N} says.

"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" {Y/N} says putting Dave's helmet on him.

"But, {Y/N}, we haven't got any helmets" Donna says.

"Yeah, but we're safe anyway" the Doctor says.

"How are we safe?"

"We're not. That was a clever lie to shut you up" the Doctor says.

"Professor, anything I can do with the suit?" {Y/N} asks.

"What good are the damn suits? Miss Evangelista was wearing her suit. There was nothing left" Lux says.

"We can increase the mesh density. Dial it up four hundred percent. Make it a tougher meal" River says.

"Ok" {Y/N} uses her 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?" {Y/N} asks.

"It's a screwdriver."

"It's sonic."

"Yeah, I know. Snap" River upgrades everyone's spacesuit. The Doctor grabs Donna, {Y/N} follows.

"With us. Come on" the Doctor says, heading towards the shop.

"What are we doing? We shopping? Is it a good time to shop?" Donna asks, 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" the Doctor says.

"What are you doing?"

"You don't have a suit. You're not safe" {Y/N} says.

"You two 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 says just as Donna teleports away "oh, that's how you do it."

"Doctor, {Y/N}" River calls.

---

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