Stormhold Sweetie

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"Right, you lot. Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada." The Doctor ran into the room and began scanning with his sonic.

"You don't need to lure them. They're already here, just give them something to snack on."

He sat up, "How do you know?"

"I can feel their energies. I am an anthropologist because my gifts allow me to feel the emotions of a planet."

"They aren't a planet though."

"No, but they are killing this one."

He looked me dead in the eye before turning to Dave, "Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?"

"Why?"

"Over there by the water cooler. Thanks."

He began sonicing again, "Donna! Quiet, I'm working."

"Sorry."

I shook my head and took out some bacon chunks, as if they could smell it, a shadow swarmed, "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."

I dropped the bacon and it was shredded until nothing was left, "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."

"I've seen worse." Melody looked at me, I shrugged, "I go places when you're not home."

"What do you mean, most planets? Not Earth?" Thanks Donna, I'll have to talk to my wife about that later.

The Doctor hummed, "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."

I nodded, "Had to save my mother-in-law once." Melody made a face at me again, "What? I saved her."

The Doctor and Donna continued to argue for a bit back and forth, but important things were getting explained so I didn't stop it.

"Run where?"

I smiled, "That's another thing I was doing earlier. There should be a teleport around here, but it might not be safe. The library was shut down for a long period of time, it could have developed glitches." I leaned over to the Doctor, "I wouldn't teleport people to the Tardis either, your Tardis never appreciates it. Ginger told me."

"Ginger?"

I shrugged, "You'll meet her later. Maybe... The timeline gets funky."

"Doctor, the little shop. They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff." Good job, Donna!

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

"Okay, let's move it."

He heads towards the shop but I spot something, as does the Doctor, "Actually, Proper Dave? Could you stay where you are for a moment?"

"Why?"

"Too many shadows." One was a blob, while the other was more human like, "It's how they hunt. They latch on to a food source and keep it fresh."

"What do I do?" He was terrified.

"You stay absolutely still, let me try something." I walk around the shadow, and lean down. Pressing my face against the floor.

"We're not leaving you, Dave."

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

I whisper, "You guys are a good friend of my species, we helped you for years and let you feast when need be and hide from the War. My planet is gone now, and you are trying to eat my friend. Please don't eat him, the last people that threatened my friends were destroyed." The Pandorica, where I smashed the statues of the enemies of my friends is just one example.

"We can increase the mesh density. Dial it up four hundred percent. Make it a tougher meal." Hopefully, it won't resort to that.

I noticed the second shadow begin to fade, "You get one friend, are you sure about it being this one?"

I looked to Melody, the Doctor, Donna. But, they were the safest of us all, "I am sure."

The shadow fades, no one notices, "800% pass it on."

"Gotcha." River used her sonic, leaving the Doctor confused.

Before they could get into it I interrupted, "Pass it on, Everyone put helmets on. Dave is safe for now."

"How?"

I smiled, "Maybe you will figure it out one day." I felt my head begin to spin. Something changed the timeline. It's probably a good thing I am only trying to save one.

"With me. Come on." he pulled Donna aside.

I felt as if I was being tasered, I heard a scream... that wasn't the little girl?

Once the Doctor came back, Donna-less, He looked around, "We need to get out of here. We can head to my ship, get you home before-"

"HEy, Who turned out the lights?" Mr. Lux?

"No one. Mr. Lux, are you alright?"

"No seriously, turn them back on." No! You back stabbing traitors!

"I can't see a ruddy thing."

"Mr. Lux, turn around."

When he 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?"

He begins to jerk, "Doctor, Sweetie, Please get back. If you value your life, run!"

I grab Rivers squareness gun and shoot the wall, "Off we go." I grab their hands and push everyone to move forward.

"What happened?" Dave shouted.

"I asked the creature to spare you, it went back on its promise and now we have to run or Mr. Lux's suit will swallow us!"

"How is it moving?"

The Doctor caught on, "It's learning. A swarm in a suit, a swarm controlling the suit!"

Donna Noble has been saved.

I slapped the Doctor, "I told you not to teleport people!"

"What other plan have we got?"

"Oh! You got a plan? What is it then?"

"I teleported Donna back to the Tardis. If we don't get back there in under five hours, emergency program one will activate." Makes sense.

"Take her home, yeah. We need to get a shift on." River hurried him along as Mr. Lux likely wasn't far behind us.

"She's not there. I should have received a signal. The console signals me if there's a teleport breach."

"This is what I warned you about, the equipment is old." I quipped.

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

"How can it be Donna? How's that possible?"

Donna repeated, just as Mr. Lux did.

"Doctor, we've got to go now!" River gripped his hand and we pulled him away. The rest of the group following behind.

In the background I could hear them both echoing, "Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has been saved."

***