#flirtingwithdanger

He looks around.  He ignores what would be a perfect hiding spot under a ventilation pipe.

“No, that’s a bit dark.  What else is there?”

He frantically searches the roof for a place to hide.  There are lots of nooks and crannies on the roof, but none of them are brightly lit.

He comes upon a rotunda, with raised window.  He hauls himself on top of it, and lays flat on the window pane, just above the view of the approaching Sontarans.

Three shapes approached his position, wearing full Sontaran battle gear and helmets, and carrying what appear to be laser pulse rifles.

“Halt, human scum.  We do not know how you and your ship survived the Omega Wave, but you are too feeble to escape our superior battle skills.”

They shoot at the first decoy.  It statics out of existence as the energy bolt passes through it. It reappears several feet away.

“Your Osmic Generator was a great help.  You thought it was completely irreparable, didn’t you? 20 minutes into the future, and all the way to the planet while you were busy chattering on,” says one of the figures.

Snahh fires at that decoy, which also statics out before reappearing.

“You knew we would come to the planet.”

“I guessed. Big planet, a serious shield and a sentry moon. How could you ever resist?” says another decoy.

Snahp looks at his twin, then fires at a different decoy which did not speak.  Snahp is disappointed, and his twin delighted as this one also statics out.

The commander speaks, “We will not make that error again.  But this is fortuitous!  We may now take the working Osmic Generator back to Sontar, and subjugate this planet as well.  Such glory is to be had!”

“Sorry, lads.  Bad news for you.  The inhabitants of this planet will kill you.  You ignored the warning beacons, didn’t you?  I’ll give you the abridged version – abridged version – get it? Library – books – abridged version?  Yeah, I didn’t expect you would get it.”

He continues, more seriously, “This is one of the most dangerous planets in the universe.”

“No foe can defeat Sontarans.”

“The Doctor has.  Multiple times.  Sarah Jane Smith has.  I’ve seen it firsthand.”

A shadow approaches Clyde’s hiding spot.  It is a Library Maintenance Drone.  Clyde sees it, and whispers, “Go away!”

The drone instead approaches Clyde closer.

He shoos it, as if it were a stray cat, “Leave me along. You’re going to give me away!”

The drone scans Clyde’s e-suit.  

Ignoring the recent insult, the Commanders says, “First, we will find you, then we will destroy you. Your armour is no match for our laser weapons.”

A voice comes from the drone, “Maybe because it’s an environmental suit, not battle gear…”

“Don’t tell them that.  They really don’t need to know.”

“Oh, they’ll know the minute they shoot.”

“Yeah, I know and you know.  So go away, so they won’t know.”

“Oh, I don’t think you want me to go away.  It looks like they’ve finally triangulated your position.  I’m your only hope.”

“I was hoping the Vashta Nerada might find them first.”

“Tsk, tsk.  Rather bloodthirsty for a friend of Sarah Jane Smith.  I kind of like that.  There may be hope for you after all.  Do you think you’re safe from the Vashta Nerada?”

“You know Sarah Jane?  Who are you?”

“I’m just a girl who’s looking for a little distraction. This will do.”

The drone lifts off from where it was hovering.

“Hello, boys.  What’s the Sontaran Seventh Technology brigade doing at the Library? Need to do some research?   Or are you here to fix up the place?  It’s becoming a bit run down, after all.”

Clyde speaks up, “I think you may want to step away from that shadow. . .”  He realizes that maybe he’s being a bit more helpful than he ought to be.

One of the Sontarans advances out of the shadow, but only as a flanking maneuver.

“You really should have listened to the boy.  He’s surprisingly brave for someone in his predicament.  I may even help him out.”

“We are not afraid of shadows like human half forms. Who are you, who hides behind a mechanical device rather than braving the field of battle?”

“You know the Doctor, of course.”

“You are one of his companions?”

“Oh, so much more.  Scan your databases for the Battle of Jenjin Reef.  I bested your 5th Sontaran Artillery Brigade.”

The Sontarans take one step back, before retaking their territory.

Clyde’s eyes widen for a moment.  Who could inspire such fear in Sontarans?

“We do not need to scan the databases.  We do not forget.  If you are Her, then you are a worthy opponent!  Sontar-ha!”

“Oh, now this is fun!  Too bad it won’t last.”  

The maintenance drone shoots its laser, inflicting minor damage on her enemy.  She seems to be toying with them.

The Sontarans continue fire their weapons.  Clyde’s perch is hit by a stray energy beam. The structure is damaged, and he can feel the glass separating from the structure.

“I’ve missed this.  I must get out more often!”

The laser cuts down one of the Sontarans, before being hit by a rifle blast.

“No, you don’t.  Now you’ve made me angry.  You will not damage my best ride!”

Another round takes out the Sontaran who hit the drone.

Clyde recovers his weapon.

“My turn!” he says, aiming at the remaining Sontaran who was aiming at the drone.

“I think you may be too late.  The Vashta Nerada are so hungry.”

The Sontarans, one by one, begin to shake in their suits. The commanders voice echoes from his comm, “We are not afraid of shadows.  We are not afraid of shadows.”

Clyde tries to rise to survey the damage.

“Not anymore you aren’t.  Argh!”

The movement separates the glass from the frame, and he falls into the structure below.

“It’s the least of our worries right now.  There are no thieves at the Library.  No living ones, anyway.  The Vashta Nerada will guard the ship.  Besides, it won’t be flying any time soon.”  

“True,” he agreed, “We have no choice but to abandon it. It would be suicide to get it airborne again.  But Corporate’s not going to like another write-off from this Library.”

They settle into an uneasy silence, but pick up their pace.

“I wish you hadn’t insisted on coming with me.”

“You shouldn’t be alone on your first trip back to the Library.”

“I’m not going to try to return to the Dream World like Hendran and Bolonski.  I realize that I’ve been displaced in time.  Everyone I knew. . . before . . . is dead.  Or old.  Or pining after the Dream.  I don’t want to relive my days in the Dream.  I want to continue my work.  The Library should be a library again.”

Silence falls again.

Charles breaks the uneasy silence, “That’s not going to happen as long as the Vashta Nerada rule this world.”

Dominique agrees, “How I wish that weren’t so.”

They work their way to the nearest Library entry portal. Sparkling dust poofs in the blue glow surrounding their suits as they walk, but quickly settles back to the ground.

Charles manhandles the door, hauling it open with a screech of door fasteners neglected for a century.  After they pass, he tries to close it, but does not have the strength.

“Ignore the door.  We can’t waste time.   The ship’s Emergency beacon is set, but unless we’re particularly lucky, there will be no one to rescue us for several days.  We have to hope the Vashta Nerada don’t notice us.”

“If the hull hadn’t been so badly breached, we would have been safer in the ship.”

“Our only hope is to transmat to Doctor Moon and wait for rescue.”

“You know the library better than anyone.  Where’s the nearest transmat?”

“There’s a shop by Terran Greek Mythology.”

“Hopefully, it’s still functional.  The Song Party had to materialize in Biology because it was the only transmat in the region accepting connection requests.”

“Maybe outbound is still working.”

“Hmm,” he grunts.

In their way is a pile of books, still waiting for shelving. The antigrav had failed on the pallet jack, and the remains of the books lie on the floor, untouched for more than a century.

He walks around the books gingerly.  

“What’s the matter, Charlie, you don’t want to disturb the books?” asks Dominique.

“They give me the creeps.  The stories say that the Vashta Nerada came in the books.”

“That’s what the Doctor said.  But that was speculation.  As brilliant as I’m sure the Doctor is, we’ve only got Strackman’s word to go on.”

“Which he repeats ad nauseum to anyone who will listen. Weren’t you there as well?”

“I was.  I was in the Flesh Bank when the Vashta Nerada hatched, so that’s where I actualized. I ran to check on the Data Core, and ran into Strackman on the way.  We found him handcuffed to the wall.  We had to use his ‘sonic- screwdriver’ thing to unlock him.”

“That can’t have been pleasant.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that level of sadness in a man’s eyes before,” she stopped, and turned to her companion for a moment. “Such loneliness and sadness. . .”

She stops briefly, affected by her memories.   She refocuses, and changes the subject.

“To this day I wonder – how could the Vashta Nerada of the Library be so extraordinarily vicious? They exist in every backyard and alleyway in every city and town of every planet in this system, but they’ve never been known to attack the living.  There are so many aggressive species, especially on Prime, but the Vashta Nerada here are leagues ahead of the meek fellows we’re used to seeing.”

They pass into the stacks, past the index point, their way lit by the overhead lights.

“They feed off the waste of all living creatures, breaking down dead matter into an elemental state, maintaining the natural balance. They’re not inherently evil.”

She stops briefly to adjust her suit, then turns to look at Charles, “But the Vashta Nerada here at the Library are different. Instead of cleaning up after others, they attack living organisms, and will strip living flesh right off the bones. They hunt, rather than scavenge. They’ve developed an unsettling intelligence, and we know at minimum that they can use the comms.  

“We should avoid using the comms, then, if we want to avoid their attention.”

“I’ve set the comms to tight beam.  We can only talk if we’re in line-of-site.  That should reduce comm bleed.”

The lights flicker to life ahead of them as they walk. Charles flinches.

“Lights going on, not going off.” states Dominique.

“Papa gave me the Randin version of “4022 Saved” right after I got my rig permit.  I played it over and over again. Entertainment was very limited at HQ.  My instructors used it to illustrate how important how not to mix personal desires with the goals of the Company.  My young mind saw Vashta Nerada in every shadow. It became a bit of an obsession of mine for a while, before I sat exams.”

“I wish I could have been there for you.  I’m sorry.  Well, some good news - my life sign detector shows only you and me in this section.  No one outside the Library needs to worry about this aggressive subspecies of Vashta Nerada unless they manage to escape. . .”

“Do you have any theory about how could a passive scavenger like the Vashta Nerada become so vicious?”

“I’m sure you found a few theories in your research. The conspiracy nuts have gone wild with theirs.  But most of the true experts generally agree that natural selection can’t account for the sudden change.”

“You think someone intentionally made them dangerous?”

“I do. But why?  Not just why are they dangerous, but why are they in the Library?  If we can find the answer to this, maybe we can find a way to remove them and make the Library a library again.”

They enter an open area, with a bright windowed dome illuminating the room with natural light.  They approach the Librarian’s desk.

The Courtesy Node awakens.  A face appears and begins its greeting spiel.  

“Welcome to the Library.  I am Courtesy Node 65/Teal.  For the comfort of your fellow readers, please consider turning off your personal safety fields when not needed.  Your personal shield is transmitting a light wavelength that will cause burns for Buranians. There are currently no Buranians in the Library. Your comm code has been noted, and you will be informed if there are any Buranians in your area.”

Charles attends to the index point to get information.

A short silence follows, as Charles tried to interface with the Library computer systems.  Dominique scans the room with her device.

Charles looks at Dominique, “I can’t access the Main Computer to find the nearest transmat.”

Dominique approaches the computer interface.  “Well, that doesn’t help.”

“It looks like the Main Computer was damaged by that blast that hit us.  I’m surprised the courtesy node is working.  They disabled all connection to the Main computer from surface systems, likely to prevent the possibility of the Vashta Nerada getting off planet.  I can re-enable a transmat, but only if I present my credentials at the Main Computer.”

“So we have to go to the Main Computer, at the core of the planet.”

“It’s the only way off planet. Again, I’m sorry.  I thought you would be safe in orbit, not down here with me.”

“So, where’s the nearest Gravity Lift?”

Dominique leads the way to the center of the brightly lit floor.  She keys a code on her arm computer, and waits for the results.

A small gap appears on the floor where the gravity lift is located.

It does not open any wider.

She tries closing, then opening it again.  It opens a smaller amount this time.

“It’s wedged.  It looks like we’re going to have to take the goods lift.”

“That’s going to take a lot longer.”

“Yes, unfortunately.  And we will be sitting ducks, but it is the only other way to the core.”

“Then lead the way.  The sooner we start, the sooner we can get to the Transmat platform.”

As they reach the edge of the light circle, the lights outside the circle start to flicker.

“We’ve got incoming life signs. Millions.”

“Which direction?”

“Back by the Courtesy Node.”

They turn to look at the courtesy node.  They have a side-on view.  Nasty noises come from the device as the actualized flesh face on the Courtesy Node is consumed.

“So now we know how they have survived.  They’re eating the actualized faces on the Courtesy Nodes, like snacks from a vending machine.”

“Can we run now?” asks Charles.