Ending of the Hours (Book Four of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Silence in the Library

Yes, that is a photoshopped photo from "Silence in the Library" where I tried to integrate the Second Bad Wolf in as best as I could. It's definitely not my best, but I don't think it's my worst, either. I've made worse covers for these books. Do you think I should attempt more of these for future chapters? Let me know in the comments!

***

The Doctor finished his piloting and smiled, looking at the two women. "Books," he sighed appreciatively. "People never really stop loving books." He headed out the door, and Jessie looked around at the bookcases around them. "Fifty first century," he lectured as he led them through the room to a staircase. "By now, you'e got holovids, direct to brain downloads, fiction mist, but you need the smell. The smell of books, Bad Wolf, Donna. Deep breath."

Jessie sighed in appreciation. "I love books," she said, and she gasped in delight when they went down a staircase to a balcony. "Whoa!"

"The Library," the Doctor told her. "So big, it doesn't need a name. Just a great big The."

"And it deserves said The," Jessie agreed.

"It's like a city," Donna marveled.

"It's a world," the Doctor told her. "Literally, a world. The whole core of the planet is the index computer. Biggest hard drive ever. And up here, every book ever written. Whole continents of Jeffrey Archer, Bridget Jones, Monty Python's Big Red Book. Brand new editions, specially printed." He looked over the railing to the buildings below. "We're near the equator, so this must be biographies." He smiled at Jessie. "I love biographies."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, very you," Donna snorted. "Always a death at the end."

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. "You need a good death. Without death, there'd only be comedies. Dying gives us size."

"Mmm," Jessie agreed, absently flipping through one said biography and making a face. "Ooh . . . well, now, that's . . . intriguing."

Donna peered over her shoulder as if to read, and Jessie squeaked and slapped her hand away playfully. "Way-a!" she told her in a whine before looking at her. "Spoilers."

"What?" Donna asked.

"Fifty first century," Jessie reminded her. "These books are from your future. You don't want to read ahead. Spoil all the surprises. It's like peeking at the end."

"And you get to read them?"

Jessie shrugged. "I'll be with this guy the rest of my life, literally." She patted the Doctor's arm, who looked pleased with the statement. "And I've still got a lot of stuff my head needs to have in it."

Donna shook her head. "Isn't traveling with the two of you one big spoiler?"

"I try to keep away from major plot developments," the Doctor said airily.

"Which he's very bad at," Jessie sniggered.

"Jezebel!" the Doctor whined in her head.

"Well, it's true!" she defended. "Seriously, pay attention! This is the biggest library in the universe. So where is everyone? It's silent!"

The Doctor looked around, then blinked. "So it is," he remarked before heading to an information screen, using his sonic screwdriver on it.

"The library?" Donna asked as the Doctor scanned everything.

"The planet," the Doctor replied. "The whole planet!"

"Maybe it's a Sunday," she suggested.

"No, I never land on Sundays." The Doctor made a face. "Sundays are boring."