This book now has 500 reads! I'm literally buzzing from having noticed that the first TPS book has 2K reads and the second has 1.7K. I really love this series and I really hope everyone else is. Share your love and enjoyment for this book if you can and possibly give me some feedback or criticism. It always helps ;) <3

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The Doctor and Stone worked on the terminal before his eyes shifted down at Rivers diary. "Sweetheart." The Stone looked at him sadly shaking her head. "I would like to know just as much as you but we can't." She whispered her eyes looked into his sadly. "We know what the consciences could be."

"She's right." They turned around, River walking up to them taking the book. "Sorry, you're not allowed to see inside the book." She looked at them apologetically. "It's against the rules."

"What rules?" The Doctor frowned.

"Your rules." She shifted her gaze between the both if them. "Mostly the Stones but you listen to her." She then walked off.

"Even in the future your bossing me about." He smirking at her.

"Lovely to know we have a future." She chuckled resting her head on his shoulder.

"Why wouldn't we?" He glanced down at her.

"Doctor our lives aren't exactly the safest are they?"

"No they're not." He looked at her. "But you know I would never let anything hurt you." He kissed her forehead.

"Now we both know that you can't promise me that." She looked at him.

"But I can try my hardest." He smiled. They turned back to the terminal again and continued to press the keys, books then started to fly off the shelves. The two frowned slightly.

"What's that?" The Doctor said then glanced at the blonde beside him.

"Sweetheart do I look like Harry Potter?" She asked shaking her head. "It wasn't me."

"Well I didn't do that." He replied then glanced over his shoulder at Dave while the others tried to dodge and stay out of the way of the flying books. "Did you do that?"

"Not me." He shook his head. The Stone frowned at the terminal. The Doctor noticed and followed her gaze then spoke over his shoulder as the books continued to fly off the shelfs. "What's Cal?"

Not getting a reply the two turned back to the screen trying to get the terminal working again. The Stone flashed her sonic at the screen then sighed it not doing anything to help fix it.
The book then stopped and the Time Lords glanced at each other shaking their heads the both of them telling the other that it wasn't them. "What's causing that?" River asked. "Is it the little girl?"

"But who is the little girl?" The Doctor asked.

"What's she got to do with this place?" The Stone questioned.

"How does the data core work? What's the principle? What's Cal?" The Doctor questioned.

"Ask Mister Lux." River looked over at him. The Doctor looked over at the man. "Cal, what is it?"

"Sorry, you didn't sign your personal experience contracts."

The Stone shook her head stepping forward. "Mister Lux now is not the time for you to cry about your contract, if you haven't noticed already then open your eyes because right now your in the most danger you will ever most likely be in your entire life." She stepped nose to nose with him. "So are you going to tell us or are you too busy protecting a patent?"

"I'm protecting my family's pride." He protested stepping back.

"Well, funny thing, Mister Lux." The Doctor stepped forward standing beside the Time Lady. "I don't want to see everyone in this room dead because some idiot thinks his pride is more important."

"Then why don't you sign his contract?" River spoke up. The Doctor and Stone looked at her as if to say 'never in a million years'. "I didn't either." She grinned. "I'm getting worse than the both of you."

"Okay, okay, okay." The Doctor nodded as the Stone gave River an odd look. "Let's start at the beginning. What happened here? On the actual day, a hundred years ago, what physically happened?"

"There was a message from the Library." River explained. "Just one. The lights are going out. Then the computer sealed the planet, and there was nothing for a hundred years."

"It's taken three generations of my family just to decode the seals and get back in."

"Er, excuse me?" Miss Evangelista spoke up.

"Not just now." Mister Lux said not looking at the woman.

"There was one other thing in the last message."

"That's confidential." Lux quickly cut in.

"I trust this man and woman with my life, with everything." The Time Lords glanced at each other not believing what they were hearing.

"You've only just met them." Mister Lux protested.

"No, they've only just met me."

"Er, this might be important, actually." Miss Evangelista cut in again.

"In a moment." Mister Lux hissed not looking away.

"This is a data extract that came with the message." River brought out a small device showing them.

"Four thousand and twenty two saved." The Doctor read.

"No survivors." The Stone finished.

"Four thousand and twenty two. That's the exact number of people who were in the library when the planet was sealed." Said River

"But how can four thousand and twenty two people have been saved if there were no survivors?" The Doctor wondered.

"That's what we're here to find out."

"And so far, what we haven't found are any bodies."

"I'm hoping it stays that way." The Time Lady muttered crossing her arms. The Doctor gave a slight nod before there was a toe curling scream. The Doctor grabbed the Stones hand as well as the torch and ran in the direction of the scream Donna, River and the rest of the group behind them. They ran into a lecture hall dimly lit with a skeleton and rags in the middle resting against a book case. "Everybody, careful. Stay in the light." The Doctor warned keeping the Stone as close to him as possible wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You keep saying that. I don't see the point." Dave said.

"You don't have to just listen to us." The Stone said over her shoulder.

"Who screamed?" The Doctor asked.

"Miss Evangelista."

"Where is she?" He looked around frowning slightly.

"Miss Evangelista, please state your current..." River said in her comm then stopped hearing a slight echo. "Please state your current position." She said again before moving forward.

"Carful." The Stone warned her as the other blonde knelt down at the skeleton reached over and brought out the comm unit that remained and was still connected to the skeleton's collar.

"It's her." River swallowed hard. "It's Miss Evangelista."

"We heard her scream a few seconds ago." Anita frowned. "What could do that to a person in a few seconds?"

"It took a lot less than a few seconds." The Doctor quietly answered her question.

"What did?"

"Hello?" They heart the faint voice of Miss Evangelista.

"Er, I'm sorry, everyone." River looked at the people around the room. "Er, this isn't going to be pleasant. She's ghosting."

"She's what?" Donna frowned.

"Hello? Excuse me." She said. "I'm sorry. Hello? Excuse me."

"That's... that's her," Donna swallowed finding the situation hard to handle, "that's Miss Evangelista."

"I don't want to sound horrible, but couldn't we just, you know?" Dave quietly askes.

"This is her last moment." River shook her head. "No, we can't. A little respect, thank you."

"Sorry, where am I?" Miss Evangelista asked sounding slightly worried. "Excuse me?"

"But that's Miss Evangelista."

"It's a data ghost." River explained. "She'll be gone in a moment." She then raised her comm. "Miss Evangelista, you're fine. Just relax. We'll be with you presently."

"What's a data ghost?"

"There's a neural relay in the communicator." The Doctor softly replied. "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."

"My grandfather lasted a day." Anita blinks back tears. "Kept talking about his shoelaces."

"She's in there."

"I can't see... I can't...Where am I?"

"She's just brain waves now. The pattern won't hold for long." Dave explained.

"But, she's conscious." Donna protested. "She's thinking."

"I can't see, I can't." The woman sounded like she was begging. "I don't know what I'm thinking."

The Doctor held onto the Stones waist tighter than before then softly explained it to Donna. "She's a footprint on the beach. And the tide's coming in."

"Where's that woman?" Miss Evangelista asked. "The nice woman. Is she there?"

"What woman?" Mister Lux frowned.

"She means..." Donna looked around swallowing thickly. "I think she means me."

"Is she there?" She asked. "The nice woman."

"Yes, she's here." River replied into the comm. "Hang on. Go ahead." She nodded at Donna. "She can hear you."

"Hello?" She said. "Are you there?"

"Help her." The Doctor looked over at Donna whose eyes were slightly wetter than normal as she held back tears.

"She's dead."

"Yeah." He slowly nodded. "Help her."

"Donna we're right here." The Stone rested a hand on the woman's shoulder before glancing at the Doctor who slowly nodded resting his hand on top of the Stones

"Hello?" Miss Evangelista said again. "Is that the nice woman?"

Swallowing and looking back at the Time Lords who gave her a comforting nod the redhead started to speak. "Yeah. Hello. Yeah, I'm... I'm... I'm here." She blinked back the tears. You okay?"

"What I said before, about being stupid. Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh." The Stone glanced around the room seeing the heads of most of the spacesuit crew look down at the floor guiltily.

"Course I won't." Donna forced a smile. "Course I won't tell them."

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh." She repeated.

"I won't tell them." Donna shook her head. "I said I won't."

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"I'm not going to tell them."

Looking at the light they noticed it was now blinking, struggling to stay powered on. "Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"She's looping now." River sadly spoke up breaking the silence of the group, everyone except Miss Evangelista. "The pattern's degrading."

"I can't think. I don't know, I... I... I... I scream." She stuttered. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream..."

"Does anybody mind if I..?" River looked around the room before stepping over to the skeleton, all that remained of the poor woman.

"Ice cream. Ice cream." River then pressed a button switching the comm unit off then taking it.

"That was, that was horrible. That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen."

"No." River looked at the comm unit then placed it in her pocket. "It's just a freak of technology. But whatever did this to her, whatever killed her, I'd like a word with that."

"The Stone and I will introduce you." The Doctor ran back into the main area keeping a tight hold on the Stones hand. "We're going to need a packed lunch." The Doctor announced holding the torch.

"Preferably meat." The Stone added.

"Hang on." River followed moving to her back. The Doctor and Stone crouched down next to her. The Doctor glancing at her diary. "What's in that book?"

"Spoilers."

"I'm hating that word already."

"Oh you do." River grinned at her.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked her.

"Professor River Song, University of..."

"To us." He cut her off. "Who are you to us?"

"Again, spoilers." She then brought out a box. "Chicken and a bit of salad. Knock yourself out."

"Right, you lot." The Doctor and Stone then jumped up. "Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada."

The Doctor and Stone then crouched to the floor both scanning the darkness trying to find the Vashta Nerada.

"You travel with them, don't you?" River look at Donna. "The Doctor and his Stone, you travel with them."

"What of it?" Donna looked at her.

"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?" The Doctor asked him.

"Why?"

"Over there by the water cooler." He nodded. The man moved over without arguing. "Thanks."

"Since when has the Doctor apparently owned me?" The Stone spoke aloud busy in what she was doing. "No one owns me."

"He does." River spoke up then added. "Spoilers."

"You know them, don't you." Donna looked at River watching the two Time Lords work.

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

"I'm sorry, what?" Donna frowned not understanding. The Doctor and Stone sharing a glance faintly listening to the twos conversation.

"They haven't met me yet." River explained to her. "I sent them a message, but it went wrong. It arrived too early. This is the Doctor and the Stone in the days before they knew me. And they look at me, they both look right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does."

"What are you talking about?" Donna asked snapping. "Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know them or don't you?"

"Donna!" The Doctor raised his voice. "Quiet, we're working."

"Sorry." Donna muttered apologetically.

"Rude." The Time Lady looked over at him.

"And not ginger." He winked at her then went back to what he was doing.

River fondly smiled for a moment watching them both "Donna." She looked at the red head. "You're Donna. Donna Noble."

"Yeah. Why?" She frowned.

"I do know the Doctor and Stone but in the future. Their personal future." She said glancing at the Time Lords on the floor.

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

There was a pause before the Doctor jumped up the Stone jumped up a moment after he did. "Okay, got a live one."

"That's not darkness down those tunnels. This is not a shadow." The Stone said flashing her sonic at it.

"It's a swarm." They both said. "A man eating swarm." The Doctor then took the chicken leg and threw it into the shadow. As soon as it hit the darkness the meat then disappeared clean off showing no remains.

"The piranhas of the air. The Vashta Nerada. Literally, the shadows that melt the flesh. Most planets have them, but usually in small clusters." He said.

"The Doctor and I have never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive."

"What do you mean, most planets?" Donna looked at the Doctor. "Not Earth?"

"Mmm." The Time Lords hummed slightly nodding. "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." He said.

"If they were on Earth, we'd know." She protestedz

"Nah. Normally they live on road kill. But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark."

"Every shadow?" River looked at them.

"No." The Stone shook her head. "But the my can be in any shadow."

"So what do we do?" River asked them.

"Daleks, aim for the eyestalk." The Doctor said in thought.

"Sontarans, back of the neck."

"Vashta Nerada?" The Doctor said before the Stone said with him at the same time.

"Run. Just run."

"Run?" She looked between them. "Run where?"

"This is an index point. There must be an exit teleport somewhere." The Doctor looked around the room.

"Don't look at me, I haven't memorised the schematics." Mister Lux held up his hands.

"Doctor, the little shop." Donna said pointing at it. "They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff."

"You're right. Brilliant! That's why I like the little shop." He said running towards the shoo pulling the Stone and Donna with him.

"Okay, let's move it." Dave said.

"Freeze!" The Stone stopped spinning around. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

"Proper Dave could you stay where you are for a moment." She looked at the Doctor sadly who looked over at the man glancing down and seeing what the Stone had spotted.

"Why?" He frowned.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor looked at him sympathetically. "I am so, so sorry. But you've got two shadows. It's how they hunt." He explained. "They latch on to a food source and keep it fresh."

"What do I do?" He asked slightly shaking.

"You stay absolutely still, like there's a wasp in the room."

"Like there's a million wasps."

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

"Course we're not leaving him." The Doctor nodded. "Where's your helmet? Don't point, just tell me."

"On the floor, by my bag." He said Anita then went to move around to get it. "Don't cross his shadow!" The Doctor warned. "Thanks." He placed the helmet on Daves head carefully. "Now, the rest of you, helmets back on and sealed up. We'll need everything we've got."

"But, Doctor, we haven't got any helmets." Donna said.

"Yeah, but we're safe anyway." He lied.

"How are we safe?"

"We're not." The Stone said. "He tried to make a lie to keep you quiet, it obviously wasn't very clever. Professor, anything we can do with the suit?"

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

"We can increase the mesh density." River replied ignoring Mister Lux. "Dial it up four hundred percent. Make it a tougher meal."

"Okay." The Doctor nodded then used his sonic screwdriver to adjust Dave's suit.

"Eight hundred percent. Pass it on." He went to give her his sonic before she then held up. Her own?

"Gotcha." She grinned.

"What's that?" The two Time Lords both started at what looked like a very old battered sonic..

"It's a screwdriver."

"It's sonic." He stared at it.

"Yeah, I know." I know she grinned. "Snap."

"Doctor..."

"I know. I know." He swallowed hard then took her hand as well as Donnas and moved over to the shop. "With us." He told Donna. "Come on."

"What are we doing?" She frowned looking at all the items on the shop. "We shopping? Is it a good time to shop?"

"No talking, just moving." He said. "Try it. Right, stand there in the middle." He instructed. "It's a teleport. Stand in the middle. Can't send the others, TARDIS won't recognise them, Stone." He forced her on.

"Doctor." She stepped off. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing." She sent him a scolding look. "I'm not leaving you here surrounded with Vashta Narada."

"What are you doing?" Donna asked.

"You don't have a suit." He said. "You're not safe." He shot the Stone a look.

"You two don't have suits, so you're in just as much danger as I am and I'm not leaving you."

"Donna, let us explain." He then pulled the lever teleporting her away.

"Oh, that's how you do it." He shrugged then turned to the Time Lady looking up at him. "Stone."

"You wish." She rolled her eyes. "Leave you here to run around all on your own?" She raised a brow. "I don't think so sweetheart."

Sighing and not wanting to start an argument that he knew he couldn't possibly win he turned around before hearing River calling them. "Doctor, Stone."

"Where did it go?" He asked walking into the room noticing Dave had started to spin around trying to find the two shadows.

"It's just gone." He shrugged at them both. "I looked round, one shadow, see."

"Does that mean we can leave?" River questioned. "I don't want to hang around here."

"I don't know why we're still here." Mister Lux snapped. "We can leave him, can't we? I mean, no offence."

River hissed at the man as the Stone shot him a glare. "Shut up, Mister Lux."

"Did you feel anything, like an energy transfer?" The Doctor asked. "Anything at all?"

"No, no, but look, it's gone." He went to turn around fully as the Time Lords held out a hand. "Stop!" The Stone shouted making him slightly jump as well as the Doctor who looked at her raising a brow. "Don't even think about it Doctor." She warned lightly rubbing the back of her head.

"I wouldn't dare, you know I wouldn't even think about doing that to you." He looked at her not believing what he was hearing.

"I know you wouldn't, just in case though." She flashed him a grin. "Anyways." She looked back at Dave and brought out her sonic moving to the floor as the Doctor did the same. "They're never just gone and they never give up."

"Well, this one's benign." The Doctor muttered.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave asked.

"No one, they're fine."

"No seriously, turn them back on."

"They are on." River backed the Doctor up.

"I can't see a ruddy thing."

The Doctor and Stone stood up the Doctor stepping in front of her gently pushing her back as he warily spoke. "Dave, turn around." He did as he was told, slowly he turned around facing them, his visor pitch black not abling them to see him inside the suit.

"What's going on?" Dave worryingly asked them. "Why can't I see? Is the power gone? Are we safe here?" He threw questions at them.

"Dave, I want you stay still." The Doctor stepped forward slightly. "Absolutely still."

The Doctor jumped back slightly as Daves body jerked in pain. "Dave?" He questioned. "Dave? Dave, can you hear me? Are you all right? Talk to me, Dave."

"I'm fine. I'm okay." He reassured them. "I'm fine."

"I want you to stay still. Absolutely still."

"I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm fine. I can't. Why can't I? I, I can't." He stuttered. "Why can't I? I, I can't. Why can't I? I..." They all looked at the comm unit which began to flash.

"He's gone." River told them. "He's ghosting."

"Then why is he still standing?" Mister Lux asked.

"Hey, who turned out the lights? Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave continuously repeated.

"Doctor, don't." The Stone and River both warned.

"Dave, can you hear me?" He causiously stepped forward before Dave grabbed the Doctors throat trying to force him to the floor.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" He repeated again as the Doctor struggled to break free. Both the Time Lady and River moved forward the Stone going to help the Doctor while River used her sonic on the suit stopping it for a moment allowing the Doctor to be freed. The Stone pulled him back into a tight hug then lightly hit his arm. "Don't do that!" She pointed at him.

"Back from it!" The Doctor shouted at the others. "Get back. Right back." The zombie Dave then lurched a step forward before making another.

"Doesn't move very fast, does it?" River commented.

"It's a swarm in a suit." The Time Lords looked at her.

"But it's learning." The Doctor stepped back again tightly taking the Stones hand as three shadows started to grow out from Dave.

"What do we do?" Mister Lux asked shaking and stepping backwards until he was against a bookcase. "Where do we go?"

"See that wall behind you?" River said. "Duck!" The group did as they were told as River brought out a gun that caused a square hole to be made in the wall.

"Squareness gun!" The Time Lords beamed.

"Everybody out!" River shouted. "Go, go, go. Move it. Move, move." They all sprinted for the gap, zombie Dave did just as the Doctor said and quickened his pace slightly. "Move it. Move, move."

"You said not every shadow." River looked between the Doctor and the Stone as they stood in a long corridor like area surrounded by book cases.

"But any shadow."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" They heard Dave behind them.

"Run!" River shouted, the group took off again.

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They had stopped somewhere, the Doctor and the Stone were both reaching up at the light fitting sonicing it and trying to help the power.

"Trying to boost the power." The Doctor explained. "Light doesn't stop them, but it slows them down."

"So, what's the plan?" River asked sonicing the light the Doctor was under then moving over to help the Stone. "Do we have a plan?"

"Your screwdriver looks exactly like one the Stone and I drafted centries ago." The Doctor glanced at the sonic in her hand.

"Yeah. You two made one for me."

"We don't make screwdrivers for anyone, especially I don't." The Stone spoke up.

"I'm not anyone."

"Who are you?" They both asked.

"What's the plan?" River said trying to change the subject.

"Since when have we ever had plans?" The Stone raised a brow. "Takes too long to think of a plan."

"We teleported Donna back to the TARDIS." If we don't get back there in under five hours, emergency program one will activate." The Doctor said.

"Take her home, yeah." River nodded."We need to get a shift on."

The Stone frowned listening to her sonic. "Doctor." She looked over to him. "She's not there, Donna isn't at the TARDIS."

"What?" He frowned himself listening to his own sonic. "We should have received a signal." He said the blonde nodding in agreement.

"The console signals us if there's a teleport breach." The Stone added.

"Well, maybe the coordinates have slipped." River shrugged. "The equipment here's ancient."

The Doctor and the Stone spot a Node nearby and moved over to it quickly worried about their friend. "Donna Noble." The Doctor said getting it's attention and talking as the head slowly turned around. "There's a Donna Noble somewhere in this library. Do you have the software to locate her position?"

The Time Lords swallowed thickly seeing the face on the Node, the Doctor tightly gripped the Time Ladys hand. "Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Donna." They both whispered heartbroken raising a hand and resting it softly on a cheek.

"Donna Noble has left the library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"How can it be Donna?" River asked looking at them. "How's that possible?"

"Donna Noble has left the library." The Node repeated. "Donna Noble has been saved."

"Donna."

"Donna Noble has left the library."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" They heard zombie Dave coming from down the corridor.

"Doctor! Stone!" River shouted for them.

"Donna Noble has been saved."

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Zombie Dave then appeared from the shadows moving towards them..

"Donna Noble has left the library."

"Doctor, Stone, we've got to go now!" River shouted pulling them out of their trance they tightly gripped each others hands River running ahead.

"Donna Noble has been saved."

"Hey, Who turned out the lights?"

They ran down a corridor Mister Lux following behind with Anita, zombie Dave followed behind moving faster than he did before.

"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? Hey, who turned out the lights?" He repeated

The five were backed up with the shadows behind them. "Doctor, Stone what are we going to do?" River asked as Dave moved closer.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"