The Oncoming Darkness

It was a bit of a struggle, standing still and not chewing her fingernails as she stood with several other officers. It was hard not to fidget, either, but she managed to stand at attention properly and looked nice in her uniform. She was, of course, in her dress uniform; a dark blue, freshly pressed skirt and blazer and a button up shirt, bearing Imperial Galactic Forces insignia on the blazer, and a hat that went with the uniform as well. She didn't hear much of the speeches going on, but she knew that some of them were about her, and couldn't help blushing a little in embarrassment as they talked about how the Destiny was shot down, and how she acted bravely and things. She had tried to tell them that she'd had help, and that the Doctor had a lot to do with rescuing the people, but they insisted that she did a lot of brave things too so here she was, waiting to accept a medal for it.

Looking out at the crowd seated in the large auditorium, she was pleased to see that her mother and brothers had come, along with Daniel's wife and kids, and Felicia.. was sitting right beside Josh who had apparently asked her to a few dances and things. It would seem that the two were going together now, which didn't surprise her that much considering how Josh had been pretty stricken with her from the moment he met Felicia. Charity wished Keith could have come but he was busy with his navy duties and had only been able to call and congratulate her. Then, to her surprise, as she scanned the crowd, she saw another person that was there for her. Her smile brightened a bit when she saw the Doctor there, and she had to fight to keep from raising her hand to wave at him.

Almost missing her cue, she quickly snapped her attention back to her superior and stepped forward to receive her medal. She was still embarrassed but it was also an honor, and she couldn't help feeling a bit proud and excited too. The rest was a bit of a blur, and she didn't really catch much of what was said. Before too long, the ceremony was over and Charity lost sight of the Doctor as she went to join her family, but she figured he would find his way through the crowd to join them shortly.

The Doctor waved at Charity as she looked over to him from the stage, his grin shinning from ear to ear until someone accidentally bumped into him and shifted his attention away from Charity. "Sometimes i hate crowds" He mumbled, arching his eyebrow as he glanced around the vast formal award ceremony. Various men and women went on stage throughout the ceremony, giving their record of Charity's bravery that ultimately saved their lives, some of which The Doctor had recognized and others not. Noticeably Charity's family were on the right hand side of the auditorium, the enthusiasm and group size alone pointed them out among the masses. The Doctor was positioned at the edge of one of the door ways, having been unable to secure a seat with his late arrival. Had it not been for the issue with transporting The Collector to a safe world, The Doctor would have arrived on time.

Luckily, The Doctor arrived just in time before the ceremony had begun; parking the TARDIS off to the side of one of the nearby hallways inside of the auditorium and out of view. The Doctor watched as Charity finally went on stage, receiving her medal and executing a well thought out acceptance speech. The crowds slowly began to evaporate after the speech had stopped, giving way to The Doctor locating the snack bar to the left hand side of the auditorium floor. The Doctor's eyes grew wide with joy as he walked over to the table, "Nibbles! They've got nibbles! I love nibbles!" he proclaimed.

A man on the opposite end of the table watched in horror as The Doctor gobbled down various snacks before beginning to build a pyramid of them in both his arms. The Doctor looked up at the man, "Sorry..gotta pack for the road" he mumbled before scurrying away from the snack table, "Yeah.." the man said confused. Glancing around the auditorium, The Doctor began to look for Charity as he popped in another snack. Maneuvering through the crowd, his eyes laid on his friend and her family and he quickly approved them, "Sorry..they had nibbles and i couldn't resist" he explained, mouth half full with cracker, "Want some?".

Charity was pretty sure her speech was horrible, that she'd been too visibly nervous and uncomfortable about having to give it, but she hoped that no one would say so. She hugged her mother and brothers and Felicia, and picked up her toddler niece Emily while glancing around to spot the Doctor. Rolling her eyes slightly to see him loading up a plate at the snack table, she turned and began talking with Josh and Felicia for a bit while, figuring the Doctor would eventually show up once he'd got enough snacks.

Finally he was there, and she grinned as she turned to him.
"I was wondering what was taking you so long.. you know they've got plates, right?" She laughed at the sight of him carrying all that in his arms, and shook her head a bit at his offer of snacks. "No, thanks though." She smiled and moved Emily a little away from him when she tried to grab something from his plate of snacks. "Doctor, this is my brother Daniel, his wife Helen, and their little girl Emily. And the baby is David." She smiled and set the kid down. "This is my friend the Doctor." She introduced them, since Daniel and his family weren't there when the Doctor met the others. While her family greeted him with friendly and polite things like 'nice to meet you' and 'Oh it's nice to see you again Doctor', she couldn't help wondering if the Doctor was here to visit or if he had some exciting adventure planned, and if so, how to get away from her family without just abruptly leaving.

The Doctor grinned, shaking the hand of her brother Daniels hand as it was offered, "Hello! Nice to meet you all. Lovely family you have here, must be proud of Charity, she's got a big heart..bigger than mine for sure". Glancing over to Charity, The Doctor winked as he tossed in another cracker into his mouth, "Oh! Speaking of ceremony's, i almost forgot my present!". Brushing his clothes off, The Doctor began searching through his pockets; coming up short on most of his pockets The Doctor finally yanked out a small box wrapped in TARDIS blue paper. With a smile, The Doctor handed it over to her, "Go on, you deserve it. But that's only part of your gift, I've got something else as well...can't exactly give it out here, i'd need more...space".

As he awaited for Charity, The Doctor thought back to the first moment he had met her and all the adventures they had together since. Remembering her aid in the release of the Star Whale, The Doctor couldn't think of a better candidate for an owner of a TARDIS key. Over time his trust in the young lady had grown, along with a fondness of her ever present excitement and joy. Inside he was glad to add her to the list of companions whom he had given a key to his TARDIS; his excitement grew as he thought of the special place he had planned to take her. First family that didn't give me a slap soon after meeting me...must be getting better

((Not much to say with this one, didn't want to talk for your characters))

Charity smiled as the Doctor greeted her brother. She wished Keith had been there but she also understood that he couldn't abandon his duties. Daniel thanked the Doctor for the compliment, and then almost right after that, he excused himself because he had to take baby David away to be changed. Charity observed that Josh and Felicia had wandered over to the snack table, while Helen, after the introduction to the Doctor was over, had sat down with Emily trying to keep her entertained. Charity smiled slightly before turning back to the Doctor upon hearing that he had a gift for her.
"Oh, a gift?" She said in surprise. "You didn't have to.." She smiled anyway and took the blue-wrapped box curiously. She grinned a bit. "I like the color." She commented, noticing that it was Tardis blue, but didn't comment out loud. She opened the box and looked curiously at the key, then smiled as she figured out what it went to. She smiled as she took it out of the box.

"I can't wait to see what the rest is." She said with a small grin. Her mother, standing nearby, appeared to be curious.
"What could that be for?" Charity hesitated a bit.
"Well.. I'll just go and see." She smiled at her mom. "Don't worry, I don't think I'll be gone too long, but.. I might meet you at home later, ok?" She gave her mom a quick hug and then smiled to the Doctor. "Alright, lead the way then." She said a bit excitedly, pretending to have no idea what the key might go to.
"Be careful, Charity." Her mother said, concerned that this might be some sort of vehicle or something that could be driven, and worried since she wasn't sure if Charity knew how to drive anything of that nature.
"I will. Love you, mom." She smiled back at her before going along wherever the Doctor would lead her.

The Doctor waved back at Charity's mom as she watched them walk away, a face of concern plastered across her face. Placing his hands, nonchalantly, into his pockets The Doctor lead the way to the TARDIS; exiting through one of the tunnels and turning right into the corresponding hallway. Towards the back of the hallway, the TARDIS stood; the light atop the blue box called to them and the lights from behind the two windows shined bright, lighting up the hallway. Once the two had approached the infamous time machine, The Doctor stepped to the side and motioned to the door with his head, "Wanna give it a try?" he asked her as he leaned up against the side of the door.

"It'd be best if she got used to you seeing that your not just a casual flyer anymore" The Doctor added, glancing up at his time machine, "The key is connected to the TARDIS mainframe. It's a part of the TARDIS itself, it will help secure the bond with you two" The TARDIS released a groaning sound from the engines; the sound echoing out from the between the double doors. The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh stop it, you know you like her" he replied to the TARDIS with a smirk, "Just for that i'll let her fly you, i've already got our destination preset into the TARDIS so all you have to do is pull down that lever, you think you're up to it?" he asked Charity.

Watching her, The Doctor began to think back to the first time Charity and himself had met back on the Destiny crash and subsequent battle to save innocent souls. Since then so much had happened, a trust between himself and Charity had formed and a slight fondness. She helped him see the excitement in traveling again; he hoped to be able to return the favor by providing her with an adventure that won't nearly kill her, Hopefully i picked the right place The Doctor thought.

Charity eagerly followed the Doctor, while admiring the key in her hands. She just knew it was for the Tardis, and she was really excited about that, even though she couldn't tell her family such a thing. She wondered where he had the Tardis parked, but before long they had found it. She smiled as she saw the ship down the hall, and wondered, if anyone saw it, would they think it odd? Most likely. Hopefully no one had seen it there. At the Doctor's question, she grinned and nodded.
"I'd love to." She bounced forward a bit with the key in hand, pausing to listen as the Doctor explained that the key was actually a part of the Tardis. That was really interesting! She smiled and put the key in, opening the door for them both.

Once inside, she looked around at the inside of the ship with a smile, sliding her blazer off because it was actually quite hot to wear it. She couldn't imagine how the Doctor could wear a suit and a trenchcoat all the time. He might not get as hot as humans, or something. After tucking the medal into the pocket of her blazer, she laid it aside on a chair, carefully. Then she turned to stare wide eyed at the Doctor when he said something about her flying the Tardis.
"What? No, but I don't know how to..." She started to protest, but trailed off when he said all she had to do was pull a lever. "Oh.. well, if that's all.. then sure." She grinned, excited at the idea of doing that. Where would they be going? She was so curious! But all she had to do was pull a lever down and they'd be on their way.. so what was she waiting for? She walked over to the console. "This one?" She questioned, glancing at the Doctor for verification before she gripped the correct lever and, while full of nervousness and excitement, she pulled it down to send them off to wherever they were going.

The Doctor grin as he watched her take over the controls and thrust the main lever down; his excitement growing as the TARDIS engines churned to life and roared with power. Grabbing onto the side of the console, The Doctor balanced and prepared himself for the inevitable thud that marked the successful landing of his time machine. With a light bounce, the TARDIS landed; softer than The Doctor had expected, "Well then...maybe i should have you fly more often" he joked as he straightened up and looked over to the doors.

Elegant music could now be heard playing, along with faint voices and footsteps from outside of the wooden doors. Quickly moving the scanner away from Charity, so she couldn't see where they were, The Doctor turned attention towards the door. "Once in a life time experience!" He proclaimed, "Not usually my cup of tea but i figured you might like it...and besides, i sort of owe you for every stop we make it ends up life threatening" he elaborated.

Raising his hand, The Doctor snapped his fingers which resulted in the double doors flying open revealing the outside scenery. The immediate outside of the doors only showed a nicely lit hallway, metal covered the floors and ceiling and card readers hugged the wall next to each room door. Looking back, The Doctor sighed, "Sorry..looks like we're in a hallway.." he mumbled, "Oh well, should just be around the corner! Ms. Charity would you care to accompany me on board the Grantham maiden voyage?". Extending his arm out, The Doctor looked back to Charity with an emerging grin, "I made sure to bring a banana this time".

Charity was really kind of surprised by the soft landing, wondering how she would have managed to do that when she doesn't have any idea how to fly a ship. She still remembered her attempts at flying the crashing Destiny, but that was of course extenuating circumstances.. that ship had been crashing already and apparently, her efforts to pilot it despite not knowing how had saved a lot of lives. She grinned at the Doctor saying she should fly more often.
"Sure, but you'd have to tell me what to do and when." She smiled and looked toward the doors curiously. They had landed now. What could be beyond the doors? She could hear music, and voices. Who was there? Where had they just landed? She was dying to know!

Grinning at the Doctor, she still wondered where he could have brought her.
"Once in a lifetime?" She asked teasingly. "You mean we couldn't just return anytime we want to.. considering it's a time machine?" She pointed out, mostly just teasing about that. "You don't owe me though." She smiled. "That stuff just makes it even more exciting." She laughed, heading toward the doors, eager to see what lay beyond them.

She couldn't help a bit of amusement to hear that they were in a hallway. But, smiling anyway, she responded,
"The hallway is probably best anyway, isn't it? That way there isn't as many people to witness the ship appearing out of thin air, and drawing attention to us and everything." She pointed out. After hearing where they were, her eyes widened slightly in wonder and a bit of excitement. Whatever that was, it just sounded really awesome and exciting. She grinned as she went to join him and took his offered arm, but paused at the doors, glancing at him. "Is this a formal sort of place? Should I change or anything?" She asked, since she was still wearing her uniform. It was nice enough, being her dress uniform, but she could dress up more if needed.. She'd even worn an actual dress a couple of times before.

The Doctor glanced over her attire, mentally going over what others would be wearing, before answering her, "Nah! You should be fine. Just walk around like you own the place..works out for me". Placing his hands nonchalantly into his pockets, The Doctor began to walk down the hallway, his eyes dancing over the decorations as he did so, "Well..technically we could come back anytime we wanted but this ship is special. Unlike your usual run of the mill ships, the Grantham has a special difference, the first of it's kind!".

Upon turning left, the duo was met with a solid grey metal door, which slid automatically open at their presence. The door opened way to the view of the surrounding sea; unlike other ships, however, the view came from all around. The Doctor peered around at the sight around him, looking over his head to follow a brightly colored fish as it swam by, "The first ship to travel under water.." he mumbled. The model of the ship was nearly the same of those on Earth, apart from a wavering outer shell that kept the water from entering. The outer shell moved like the water around it, conforming as marine life past by it and waves rolled.

"Mon Cala! Beautiful ocean planet..unfortunately not much to see from the top so the indigenous species built ships to travel under water. This is the first of those ships..amazing, brilliant technology at work here!" The Doctor proclaimed, "Plus the sights aren't that bad-". His train of thought was suddenly stopped by a smell that slithered into his nostrils from up ahead, "Nibbles! They've got nibbles!". Like a child, The Doctor bolted forwards grabbing Charity's hand and grinning from ear to ear as he followed the smell of food. From side of the ship, The Doctor followed the scent until arriving at the bow of the ship where a large party was set. Various food stands lined the edges, equally different species intermingled in conversation, sipping drinks and partaking in the festivities. Elegant music played, barely able to mask the sound of the various conversations and sounds of food cooking. In the background the sounds of the surrounding marine life could be heard along with the visuals of them passing by and overhead.

Charity grinned to hear the Doctor's answer to her question. Walk around like she owns the place. Well, she wasn't sure how well she could do that but she could try. She continued smiling as she walked with him down the hall, eager to see what else there was to see in this place. She followed him, listening to his explanation about how this place was not quite an ordinary ship.

She widened her eyes excitedly as the door slid open and she saw the incredible scene before her eyes.
"Oh! It's so beautiful!" She exclaimed softly. She looked around trying to see everything, but she couldn't figure out how they had done the outer shell thing. She grinned, watching some brightly colored fish swim past. "It's amazing!" She wanted to run over to the edge of the deck to see the sea life better, but she restrained herself and stayed near the Doctor, although her eyes continued to look around, widened.

"Mon Cala.." She repeated, thoughtful. "There aren't dangerous.. fish things, are there?" She asked curiously, thinking of Aquoshillon, which was also an all-water planet. She'd heard horror stories  about the phantom sharks there, and she didn't want to have any kind of encounters with anything like that.

Suddenly he was dragging her off toward the food. She laughed as she hurried to keep up, seeing as he had her by the hand, and couldn't help being amused by him.
"Doctor! You just had a bunch of snacks back at the ceremony thing.." She reminded him with a laugh. "You're still hungry?" She grinned, going along with him. As they came to where there was a party going on, she looked around in surprise at all of the people. It was like some sort of cruise ship or something. She'd never been on one of those! This was really exciting!

The Doctor looked over at Charity, a small cookie shaped cracker hanging out, "Oi!" he mumbled as he chewed, "I don't comment on your species food consumption! Besides, it's not like i'm going to let the TARDIS cook me food..last time i did that it had scorch marks from the time vortex..ooh!". Before The Doctor could continue his eyes caught sight of a nearby chef stretching out a long strand of dough, his hands moving incredibly quick as he flipped and tossed the dough. Flopping the dough down, the chef sprinkled over some spices before grabbing a nearby knife and chopping up the dough into square pieces before handing them out. Eagerly, The Doctor grabbed two plates and offered one to Charity as he began to dig in to his, "You've got to try this" he mumbled with a full mouth.

The sweet taste of the dough danced across his taste buds as he chewed it, his eyes glancing around for the next possible treat. Guests danced to the music that flowed down from overhead speakers; the lights around the edges of the outer shelling to a green hue as the music changed. Inside The Doctor was surprised, Alright..nothing bad has happened..good he thought; he wasn't used to normal but it was a nice change of pace. Looking over to Charity, The Doctor offered his hand, "Care to join me?" he asked her as he nudged his head over to the open floor where others were dancing.

In the back of his mind, The Doctor started picking up on a faint noise. Stubbornly, The Doctor tried to shake off the noise but to no avail. Where is that coming from? Sounds...sounds like a bell.. The bell sound was of a low pitch, deep and low as it passed through The Doctor's ears and grabbing his mental attention. Choosing to not alert Charity, The Doctor kept to himself on the presence of the sound, Because of this music i can barely hear it...what is it? he thought. Maybe he was overreacting, maybe he was paranoid, Probably nothing..best try to enjoy the one time nothing goes wrong on a trip

Charity couldn't help a soft laugh at his reply. Shaking her head a little, she watched in slight amusement as he enjoyed the buffet. Though, when he insisted she had to try some sort of dough thing, she raised an eyebrow curiously and went to investigate this. She wasn't opposed to trying new dishes, especially from new places that she'd never been before! She took the plate he offered to her and tried a bit of the dough, her eyes seeming to light up at the sweet taste. Having a bit of a weakness for sweets, she couldn't help finishing what was on her plate.
"Mmm, what is that?" She asked him curiously. She half expected it to be something with some horribly disgusting sounding name, but it was bread, so it couldn't be too icky. Still, it'd probably be just her luck it was like.. tongue of a Gwaptio or something like that.

Suddenly surprised by the Doctor asking her to dance, she blinked and looked at him for a second before it registered that he was serious.
"Oh.." She blushed a bit. "I.. I don't really know how to dance or anything." She explained, a bit embarrassed but she'd never really had any reason to learn things like that. "I mean, if you really want to get your toes all trampled I'm sure I could oblige you." She added with a teasing laugh. "But don't say I didn't warn you.." She was fully aware that her face would be pink from blushing, but figured maybe it couldn't hurt to try and learn a bit at least, so she would let the Doctor lead her to the dance floor if he wasn't scared off by the thought of having his toes stepped on.

The Doctor escorted Charity out to the dance floor, returning a smile as he noticed the red color flourishing to her cheeks. "Well..if we're being honest i have no idea how to dance either" The Doctor admitted, "Just sort of copied what i saw from time period to time period. Not much time to take classes". Looking over his shoulder, The Doctor looked around to the nearby dancers and tried his best to mimic them; he flailed when they flailed and slid forward when they slid. Chuckling, The Doctor couldn't help but laugh as he noticed how bad he looked.

As the mood of the song died down, The Doctor moved slower and closer to Charity in more of a formal dance as he continued to mimic those around him. "So, like your celebratory adventure so far?" He asked Charity, turning his attention more to her and away from the dancers around them. Placing his hand lightly around Charity's waist, The Doctor entered a more formal slow dance as he adjusted to the new music that engulfed the scene.

Suddenly the bell went off again...this time louder

This time The Doctor could no longer ignore the ringing of the bell, one word blasting into his mind and shivering into his core. Cloister. Backing away from Charity, The Doctor turned more serious; exiting from the dance with Charity, The Doctor entered panic and protective mode. "It's the TARDIS alarm, can you hear it?" He asked Charity, his eyes wide as he looked around, "Have you seen anything off?".

Charity couldn't help but laugh a little at the Doctor's reply.
"Well I guess that works too." She grinned, relaxing a bit now that he said he didn't really know either. She wasn't sure if that was true or if he was just saying that to make her feel better, but she went along with him as he tried to mimic what the other people were doing. She did, unintentionally, step on his toes now and thing, followed quickly by an apology, but otherwise managed alright.

She was a little unsure how to go about the slower dancing, but did remember some stuff like this at her brother's wedding. She'd mostly hung off to the side nibbling on cookies at the time, though. She was saved from having to stumble through a slow dance, however, when the Doctor suddenly stopped and asked if she heard the Tardis. She tilted her head, listening a bit.
"What, you mean that sort of.. bong-like noise?" She questioned, hearing it.. barely.

Did she notice anything off? She hesitated, glancing around as she noticed that the Doctor seemed alarmed, or worried. That didn't seem good.
"Doctor.. what is it?" She asked in concern. She surveyed the ballroom, trying to see if there was anything unusual that she should have noticed before now. "I don't see anything unusual." She frowned. "Should we go back to the Tardis?" She asked, glancing back at him, worried by the fact he seemed worried.

"It's the TARDIS alarm sort of speak, it rings when something big is about to happen" The Doctor explained as he frantically looked around. Suddenly towards the back of the ballroom, a clear swirling vortex burst into existence, causing flimsy chairs to fly back and stands to blow in the wind. Dashing over to it, The Doctor climbed up and stood on a table so he could get a closer look; his glasses now slapped onto his face, "It's a time fissure in the fabric of reality..anything could happen!".

The lights that ran the hull of the ship began to flicker off, one by one along with all lights on the ship just before a large dark mass fell from the fissure. The mass scurried into the darkness as the lights shut off and the fissure fell in on itself and closed. The Doctor jumped down from the table and called out to Charity, "Charity where are you?!"; suddenly screams broke out from around him. Flipping out his sonic screwdriver, The Doctor used his trusty device for light as he shined it over the nearby stands and cowering passengers, "Is everyone alright?" he asked as he walked forward.

The Doctors eyes shot across the light in search of the dark mass, his extra hand held back for Charity to make sure he knew where she was. The sound of sobbing began to become more prominent as The Doctor approached a cowering couple near a food stand, "Are you alright?" he asked the crying woman and her husband, who held her. "The lights..they went out and next thing we knew...he was gone..just..bone" Replied the husband as The Doctor looked up to the food stand vendor; his skeleton hung over the stand, his clothes still on his body as if he never took them off. The Doctor frowned as he gazed upon the skeleton, "Vashta Narada...." he hissed.

Charity frowned, concerned to hear the alarm, now that she knew what it was about. Before she could ask what he thought might happen, there was a strange thing that appeared and she blinked in confusion as she stared at it. A second later, she realized the Doctor had run to it. She glanced around, then quickly followed, full of questions but she didn't have a chance to ask any of them. Fortunately, the Doctor was already explaining somewhat.

She frowned as she stared up at it, but she didn't climb up with the Doctor. She didn't think it necessary to get that close to it, after all. She jumped and spun around, watching the lights begin to shut off, and frowned in concern at what might cause that to happen. She didn't see the mass that popped out of the portally thing, as it happened just as all the lights were shutting off.

And then, just as fast as it began, it was over. Except, it wasn't over. She had an unsettling feeling that this was the beginning of something. They were left in complete darkness, and she widened her eyes instinctively to try and see something.
"I'm right here." She answered the Doctor, hurrying to stay close to him. Seeing his outstretched hand she grabbed it, figuring that would help keep them from getting separated.

Mind racing with concern and questions, she followed him to the source of the sobbing, and then, stared in shock at the sight of the skeleton. What could do that? It was.. horrifying. She shivered a bit and swallowed hard, then looked at the couple. She reached out to lay a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. She hoped that it was only the shock of seeing this that had upset her, and that it wasn't someone she was close to.
"It'll be alright." She told them, her voice warm and comforting. She withdrew, and looked curiously at the Doctor, glad for his light to help them see, at least. She hoped that he was going to explain, without her having to ask, what vashta nerada were...

His eyes danced around the ballroom, following the line of light that his sonic screwdriver gave, "Nearly every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark...it's not irrational it's them. Some call them the Parana's of the air..thousands form together in a swarm forming a shadow. Usually they're not this aggressive but..could be because of the time fissure. We need to get out of here..somewhere with light". The man and his wife, beside concession stand, stood up and approached The Doctor, "There's a hallway near here, it leads to a central lobby. Should be plenty of light there..maybe even a backup generator".

The Doctor acknowledged their suggestion with a nod of his head, "Right then...everyone let's Allons-y!" he responded. Turning back to where Charity, and where he believed other people were, The Doctor proclaimed, "Everyone follow the light! Stick close to one another, no wondering off!". Looking down and over to Charity, The Doctor tightened his grip on her hand slightly to try and reassure her despite worry starting to creep into his own mind. How am i supposed to stop Vashta Nerada on a ship..talk about getting myself in a tight spot

With his sonic screwdriver shinning brightly, The Doctor lead the group to the nearest door and opened it quickly to allow them to enter. As he held open the door, The Doctor looked out to the perpetual darkness, silence fell as he awaited Charity to enter before going in himself and closing it behind him. The group quickly made their way through the dimly lit hallway, the light on the ceiling flickering as it tried its best to stay on, "How far away is the lobby?" The Doctor asked, "Not far, it's just up ahead. Should be through the next door" the man replied from in front of the line.

The line consisted of approximately eight people, each varying in species, color and height. Each visibly scared out of their minds, their eyes darting around the hallway and through every open door they passed by. The sound of the automatic door opening echoed down the hallway as the man and his wife passed through it. They were immediately met by a skeleton falling down on the woman; their shrieks and screams hurling through the air, "AAAhhhh!!!". The Doctor bolted to the front of the line, quickly brushing past the people in front of him, "What's wrong?! What is-".

The Doctor's question stopped short as his eyes fell on a dark circle laying in front of the door way. The light above the circle flicking on and off but the circle holding its dark intensity through the light variation, "Don't..move.." The Doctor hissed, holding one hand back to protect those behind him. Suddenly the shadowed circle shot across the hall into another room and out of sight, "I'm not going through there! No way! It's suicidal!" the man proclaimed. The Doctor turned back to the couple, his eyes filled with intensity as he replied, "Want to take your chances outside? At least in here you can see where it is. Stay close and don't wonder off! And we'll all get through this..promise".

Charity was glad that the Doctor seemed to know exactly what they were up against, and what to do. She exhaled slowly and tried to keep herself calm, thinking of the positive side of things. They still had plenty of people who were alright, and that was the best news. They were surrounded by some sort of shadow piranha, but they were alive and there was still a place they could go to that had light in it. She thought that was really good news, and even though the situation was really frightening, she attempted to smile to reassure the Doctor.. if he could even see her in the dark. She gave his hand a squeeze back.

"I'm going to take up the rear; make sure no one wanders off." She informed him, standing by to let the others in the group move past her. Once she had made sure everyone was with them, she brought up the rear of the group. As they walked she offered quiet words of reassurance to the frightened people, trying her best to help them not be so frightened. She was careful not to show her fear, despite how frightened she was about all this.

Hearing a scream, she tensed and fought the instinct to rush to see what was going on. She had volunteered for the rear of the line for a reason, and the reason proved to be a good one right now. Upon hearing the scream, a couple of the people panicked a bit and started trying to back up, and one tried to run, thinking it would be safer to hide somewhere. She quickly blocked them and prevented them from leaving the group.
"We need to stay together," She reminded them firmly. "This is the safest place for you, I promise you." She gently guided the woman who had tried to run back to the group and glanced ahead, wondering what had initiated the scream.

"Come on, let's get in there where there's light." She encouraged them. "One at a time, go on, you'll be a lot safer in there." She counted to make sure that everyone got through, bringing up the rear. She paused as she reached where the Doctor was, her eyes taking in the skeleton. She swallowed nervously and glanced at the Doctor. "There might be others throughout the ship.." She realized there were probably a lot more skeletons, but there were also very likely a lot of survivors. "What should we do?" She asked him, knowing they couldn't just go off searching but she thought they should try and find out how many other survivors there might be. Glancing around, she had a vague idea. "Is there an intercom system, maybe?" She wasn't really sure how well that would work, but it might be something.

The Doctor looked back at Charity and nodded, "Alright everyone, let's keep moving! Standing still isn't going to do anything. We need to get somewhere with light, find out how many are still on the ship and go from there!" he tried to encourage the group. Many were still scared to the bone, their lips quivering and bodies shaking in terror as they stood huddled together. The Doctor looked over the petrified people before him, his twin hearts racing I don't know how many i'd be able to save he thought to himself before looking over to Charity, I'm sorry i put you in this mess.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, The Doctor turned on his heel and began sauntering down the dimly lit hallway, his sonic screwdriver out in front of him providing light. "Everyone stay behind me!" he called back to them, "Don't go to any doors, stay in the hallway". The hallway curved to the right as it led the group towards another door; this one leading towards the central lobby. As he approached the door, The Doctor lowered his sonic and peered through the port hole. In the lobby stood light posts scattered around the center, the once neatly decorated room now rampaged through in the panic of the guests. It was an eerie sight to behold but inside The Doctor knew it was their only chance as he activated the automatic door and entered.

Immediately, The Doctor bolted towards the nearest light and positioned it facing outwards, "Everyone grab a light! And point it outwards from the center! And whatever you do, don't go into the dark!".

Charity felt a bit like a person shepherd, guiding the frightened people into the room. She was scared too, of course, but she had training on how to remain calm in a situation where others were panicking, and she was good at hiding her fear. Offering words of encouragement to the people, she tried to keep them moving.
"I know you're scared," She told them. "But you'll all have the best chances of surviving this if you do what he says." She assured them.

As they got to the place with the lights, she quickly followed the Doctor's example and aimed a light outward. Glancing at the Doctor, she spoke quietly to try and keep any of the other people from overhearing,
"How do you defeat these things, Doctor? Does the light kill them? What about a blaster shot? And what are they, exactly?" She was full of questions but tried to keep it only to the most relevant ones, trying to figure out how to defeat something that seemed to be made of shadows.

The Doctor eyed his surroundings, careful and diligent to any signs of movement because he knew that one wrong move could spell death for everyone around him. He glanced at Charity was she approached him; his body in a squatting position next to a lamp post , "The light acts more like a deterrent than anything else..". Inhaling then exhaling deeply, The Doctor continued his response, "Cybermen go for the emotional inhibitor..daleks eyestock...sontarons back of the neck. But Nerada..run, just run". Looking over to Charity, The Doctor eyed her for moment before glancing around at the nearby people that remained, "piranha's of the air they're called..strip flesh from bone in the matter of seconds. It wouldn't take but a minute to devour every one of us here".

Standing up, The Doctor visually made sure all the lights were in position as his mind began to ponder possible ways out of the sticky situation. Flipping out his sonic screwdriver, The Doctor held it over each light, "Might be able to amplify the light..give us a bit more space and time" he mumbled as he bolted from one light to the next. Once done he turned to the remaining passengers of the ship, "Alright then! Who knows where the bridge is?" he asked, "First we need to try and get as many people as we can here..next we should try to get some sort of S.O.S out. Simple enough".

Charity listened as the Doctor explained what they were, thinking about that for a bit. She chewed on a nail lightly as she glanced around thoughtfully.
"Are they sentient? Can they be reasoned with? How'd they get here, anyway?" She wondered out loud, then looked around at the group. "Shouldn't we have at least one light pointing inward?" She asked. If all the lights were aimed outward, then there would be more shadow in the middle of the circle, right? She wasn't totally sure about that but thought she'd ask the Doctor.

At his question she glanced around to those gathered. Surely, one of them would know the way to the bridge? Though she couldn't help asking in a low voice intended only for the Doctor to hear,
"Will that work? We won't risk bringing any of these.. Nerada things onto another ship, would we?" She'd hate for that to happen. It might be better to quarantine the ship rather than spread the danger to others, but as she didn't know how they worked, she just thought she'd see what he said. On the bright side, at least they were all still alive!

The Doctor looked over to Charity, making sure the people around them had looked away from them before answering her question, "I'm not sure.." he whispered, "The one thing we have over them is what is all around us...last time i checked they can't swim or breathe under water". Moving away from Charity, The Doctor grabbed a free light and placed it facing the middle and turned it on to cover the possibility of the Nerada slipping through. Looking across the faces of those that had survived, The Doctor began to ponder deeply about the possible options he had available, I could drown them..find a way to lower the shields. But there's no way to tell when the rescue would get here...i could freeze them..not sure how far i'd get with running up to the bridge or engine room.

With the fate of not only Charity, but the remaining passengers, lives on his hands The Doctor had to think carefully about what he was going to do. Rubbing the back of his head with his head, The Doctor looked over to Charity and signaled her over with a slight motion of his head. Once she was near he whispered, "I might be able to tamper with the temperature controls..freeze them out or even shut down the shields and drown them but not sure how far i'll get to the engine room or bridge. Our biggest focus though is keeping these people alive in hope..people who believe they will survive are much more likely to not go get themselves killed".

Charity nodded in reply to what the Doctor said, though she wondered, if they drowned the Vashta Nerada, how would the people avoid getting drowned as well? She chewed on her nails a little, thinking about this and wondering how she could help the Doctor accomplish keeping people safe.

"If only there was a way of containing them.. we could maybe expel them from the ship.." She commented thoughtfully. "Or, if we could talk to them.. if they were sentient, we might be able to convince them not to attack us." She sighed, unsure of the possibilities of these suggestions. She liked to believe that there was good in everyone, but if these Nerada things were just creatures acting on their nature, that wouldn't really do much good.

After thinking for a moment, she turned to the Doctor.
"Just tell me what you need me to do." She told him, meaning she'd do whatever necessary to help these people survive. "I think I saw a map on the wall over there as we were coming in, it should tell us where the bridge is." She added, pointing to where she thought the map was. Only problem was, it would mean leaving the safety of the light circle.