Unto the Universe

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Seekers of Truth: Silent Village

By Lumendea

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any spinoff material, and I gain no income from this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

….

Rose and the Doctor stood in silence for a long moment, studying the monument ahead of them and saying a silent goodbye to hopes of a quiet day. Rose moved first, reaching over to take the Doctor's hand and shift closer to him. She noted with no small amount of satisfaction that the Doctor relaxed a little at her touch. That was something.

"What do you think the odds are that the pyramid is…" Rose trailed off and shook her head. "That's probably silly, right? Pyramids are everywhere on Earth. I bet there's a lot of them out in the universe."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. But he agreed a little too quickly and was still staring at the pyramid. "Very common."

"Except that, I'm feeling pressure on my shields," Rose continued.

"So am I." The Doctor sighed, sounding resigned. "It may be time to learn about the origins of these pyramids. Honestly, who builds a place where you can't lie?"

"No idea." Rose shook her head. "Probably doesn't say anything good about me that I'm used to lying. Especially to poor Mum."

"Will, given what I know of Jackie, that was probably a wise course of action regarding all of your adventures."

"Yeah, so… TARDIS or are we going to check this out." The Doctor grinned and Rose returned a smile of her own. "Silly question."

"A bit, yeah." The Doctor started walking, keeping a tight hold of Rose's hand. "Those pillars are new. At least they weren't part of the pyramid on Earth, though that pyramid was overgrown."

"I could call Jo and see if any additional excavation was done on that pyramid. It's possible that the pillars were buried."

"No, I don't think so," the Doctor said. "But those could be transmitters. The telepathic pressure of that pyramid was when you were inside, this one is external." He stopped walking and turned to Rose. "Try to lie to me."

"Uh…" Rose blinked and struggled to find a lie. I don't love you was an obvious choice, but Rose hated to even think those words much less try to say them. "I think Jack would look good as a…" A sick feeling churned in her stomach. "Blonde." She spat out the last word and shuddered. "Blimey, that was hard to say."

"You, okay?" the Doctor raised his free hand to touch her face.

"I started feeling very sick when trying to lie," Rose said. "I don't think Jack could pull off blond and that last word was hard to get out." She frowned. "I felt it in my head, but… I don't know, it seemed like more than that."

"Rose, I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," Rose interrupted. "We needed to try and check. My shields are weaker than yours so I'm a better baseline." She nodded to the right of the TARDIS towards the thick foliage. "Though… is there anyone on the planet?"

"A very good and somewhat worrying question," the Doctor said. "Best check that." The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver, adjusted the settings and moved it slowly. It beeped a moment later. "Not a strong signal," the Doctor said. "But there's signs of a large amount of refined metal in the jungle." He gestured into the dense foliage. "Closest one is that way. Less than a kilometre."

"Did you just scan technology for me?" Rose fluttered her eyelashes. "Embracing the Spock?"

The Doctor snorted and kissed Rose quickly. "Just for you."

She grinned at him and relaxed her shoulders. There was no point getting worried just yet. The pyramid looked very familiar, but it wasn't behaving in the same way. Besides, the biggest threat about the pyramid on Earth was that it locked you in and suffocated you. If you told the truth then it would release you. This was different.

"I can hear your mind spinning," the Doctor teased. "Don't need telepathy for that."

"Just not sure how worried I should be." Rose chuckled softly and squeezed his hand. "The one on Earth… I don't know. Not all the memories are bad."

"I prefer telling you that I love you without a pyramid suffocating you."

She couldn't help but smile. Both at the gruffness in his voice at the reminder of her being in danger and the knowledge that he was finding it easier to say now. Maybe it was a bit childish and petty, but Rose liked being the person that the Doctor said those words to. It was probably unbecoming of a Guardian, but Rose didn't care. She knew enough of his history to know that she was justified in being giddy.

They weren't able to hold hands very long. As the growth thickened, Rose released the Doctor's hand and summoned her sword. He chuckled as she stepped forward and used her sword and clear some of the worst of the undergrowth. Rose just hoped that it wouldn't be too bad for too long.

"That way," the Doctor said, touching her shoulders and pointing. "Think there's a road."

Nodding, Rose adjusted their course and noted with relief that it did quickly ease up. While there were still plenty of trees in the way, Rose caught sight of structures through the gaps. There appeared to be some sort of village built on top of a large metallic slab. The buildings she could see all appeared to be made of wood and vegetation rather than more metal. Rose frowned and studied the odd blend with an uneasy feeling. It reminded her of a situation one of her counterparts had lived in. Worlds without the Doctor rarely managed against alien invaders without far more devastation.

They pressed on a little further before finding the road that the Doctor had speculated was there. It looked worn out and ancient, made of metal that had begun to crack and fall apart. Discoloured patches dotted the ground at the edge of the road. The Doctor knelt down and studied the residue for a moment.

"Centuries-old at least," he declared. "This road would need at least five hundred years to reach this state. Over a thousand if it was treated with Chardinlen." Pulling out the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor scanned it quickly and made a thoughtful sound. "It was. Over a thousand years since its last treatment."

"A thousand years is a long time," Rose said softly. "Lots of time to rebuild." She glanced towards the village. "And there seem to be people here."

"Exactly." The Doctor slipped the sonic back into his coat. "Looks like we might be dealing with a civilization collapse. The question is, did the pyramid plan a role in that?"

The Doctor took Rose's hand again as they stepped onto the road. With each step, Rose could feel the road crumbling a little more under their weight. But they kept moving. The ruins were visible through the trees and Rose could tell that this area was cut back much more frequently. The locals, while unable to repair the road seemed to make use of it.

Civilization collapse. The two words sent a chill down Rose's spine. She had some familiarity with what that was like. Major systems fell apart and a community turned inward and focused on what skills they had. One of her counterparts had lived through that. Old everyday items became luxuries that couldn't be replaced. England had shifted back to subsistence farming with the cities being all but abandoned. The most impressive construction project she'd seen after the fall of the government had been the elevated garden towers, built using the hollowed-out remains of old flat buildings. That version of Rose had survived working as a farmhand and helping make clothing thanks to her knowledge of knitting and hemming. Rose's last memories of her, she'd been learning to spin and weave to build a more valuable skill set in hopes of escaping the fields.

"Rose?"

"I'm fine," Rose said. "Just some memories." She gave him a small smile. "Nothing important to this situation."

She watched the Doctor struggle as to if he should ask or not before nodding. Sounds from the jungle in the direction of the village drew their attention to the present and Rose firmly told herself not to worry about her counterpart right now. Ferns shuddered nearby and she and Doctor shared a look. Whoever they were, the locals had spotted them, but no one stepped out or attacked. Walking slowly, Rose and the Doctor didn't try to be quiet and the people moved with them, just out of sight.

The village was built on the remains of a massive foundation with wooden platforms and wooden stairs connecting it to the jungle floor. It was a decent size with dozen of the huts built out of wood, vegetation and scavenged pieces of metal. There were no walls beyond the ruined foundations of the old city. Much of the rubble had been cleared away, creating a large open space. Long cracks were visible in the foundation with no signs of attempted repairs.

Climbing the stairs, Rose listened for anything from the village. She could hear people moving and the sounds of a baby crying, but no voices and no words. When they reached the top, the Doctor and Rose found themselves being watched by curious villagers who had paused their tasks. They were humanoid with warm deep brown skin. Most of them had small tattoos on their faces and hands that were blue in colour. They were all bald, lacking any signs of body hair though Rose wasn't sure if that was natural or the result of grooming.

"Hello," the Doctor said, raising his free hand and waving to them. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose. We're curious about your pyramid." He nodded towards the pyramid in question and offered the group his disarming grin.

They gasped and drew back. One of them, who possessed very fine features and large brown eyes shook their head frantically and covered their mouth.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked. He lowered his voice and softened his tone. "We aren't here to hurt you."

More of them drew back and covered their mouths. There were no whispers, no muttering. Only silence from the locals and the sounds of the wind in the trees. Rose waited and looked at the assembled villages. Several had broken off and hurried into their homes and many had drawn back.

"I don't think they talk," the Doctor whispered in surprise. There was a moment of hesitation before he started moving his hands in a fashion similar to sign language.

Their audience was still tense but relaxed a little. One of them stepped forward and touched the Doctor's hands, stopping them from moving. They shook their head slowly and firmly. The Doctor nodded and dropped his hands. He looked back at Rose, but she could only shrug. It seemed to be more than not talking.

She watched the Doctor struggle as he watched the villagers. They quietly and peacefully went back to what they had been doing, but there was no mistaking the way that several of them kept an eye on her and the Doctor. Stepping forward, Rose took the Doctor's hand and pulled him back. He nodded and went with her, but pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

He pointed the sonic at a nearby wall and slowly moved it in a semi-circle. A nearby villager flinched at the noise while the children grinned. Rose smiled at the child, admiring the blue lines painted or tattooed on their head. Raising her hand, she waved. Her smile widened when the child waved back.

The sonic beeped and the Doctor checked the readings. He sighed and nodded back the way they had come. Rose nodded in return and waved one more time to the children before following him. Down at the ground level, Rose could see a few of the villagers hurry into the jungle. Likely the same ones that had been shadowing them. Not far away, the pyramid loomed and the Doctor glared at it as they hurried away from the village.

Once they were away from the village, Rose glanced back to make sure that they weren't being followed. There was no sign of the villagers. Even the sounds of the people in the jungle around them had faded away.

"They don't talk," Rose said softly. "No talking and no sign language. That was the sense that I got."

"Agreed." The Doctor was keeping his voice low. "Something happened here. Something that shattered the civilization."

"Well…"

"Well?"

"If everyone was suddenly compelled to speak the truth then that might lead to chaos and create a culture that doesn't trust traditional forms of communication," Rose suggested. "They must have some form of communication, like nodding and shaking heads, but nothing too complex. It would also explain the lack of rebuilding. If you can't speak and maybe even can't write due to a cultural trauma then knowledge is lost."

"Maybe," the Doctor allowed. "But total destruction of the cities? Couldn't they turn it off before that happened?" He sighed and started walking faster.

"It depends on if this is the world of the builders or another civilization that they dropped a pyramid on. The Mesoamerican civilizations were impressive, but they certainly didn't build the pyramid on Earth."

The Doctor chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. But whatever the reason for it, the locals aren't going to be very helpful. At least not yet."

"So, pyramid?"

"If you're sure," the Doctor said. "Even with our shields, we're both feeling it, Rose."

"You aren't just going to leave a mystery like this," Rose pointed out. "And I'm not staying behind."

He grinned and grabbed her hand. "Looks like its just you and me."

"Good."

They took a moment to look at each other. Then with a laugh, they turned towards the pyramid and started to walk through the jungle. It wasn't long before the growth was so thick that they had to switch hands so Rose could summon and use her sword to clear their way.

"Does the sword feel different here?" the Doctor asked. "Is it being impacted by the telepathic field?"

"I don't feel anything." Rose paused after slicing through some thick vines and studied the blade. "And I didn't in the last pyramid until I tried to cut through the walls."

The Doctor nodded and was about to start moving again when he noticed the odd expression on Rose's face. It was thoughtful, but there was also an overwhelmed hint to it that worried him. Stepping closer, he caressed her cheek and drew her attention to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Do you feel something?"

"Oh, no, it isn't that." Rose chuckled weakly. "I hadn't thought about my sword since… well I took up the mantle. It was made by White…" A long exhale escaped Rose. She smiled a little and shook her head. "Hits me sometimes."

"It's a big thing," the Doctor whispered. "You were right about that. But… but I'm here. As long as you want me to be."

"Forever then."

Her answer was immediate and her gaze was soft as she stared up at him. A lump formed in his throat. He was so tempted to try and believe her. Instead, he settled for leaning down and pressing a warm kiss to her lips.

"So, what's the plan?" Rose asked. The Doctor was grateful to her for directing them back to the issue on hand. "Anything particular I need to keep my eyes open for?"

"Living under that kind of telepathic pressure… it's not good, Rose. Their refusal to speak may help in theory, but it's been a thousand years."

"We should probably be worried that it is still transmitting too."

"That too," the Doctor agreed. "Rose, it may be best to go back to the TARDIS. If you're compelled to speak the truth, that could make things complicated regarding the timelines."

He was pleased when Rose did seem to stop and consider his words. It was no secret that things were complicated in his future with her past. Now that he knew she was the Gold Guardian and would outlive him, he wasn't sure to make of that. He'd been sure that all of those events had been him stealing a bit more time with her.

"I hear what you're saying," Rose said carefully.

"And you reject it." The Doctor was smiling a little and shook his head. "Well, it isn't ideal, but I can modify my memory if needed. Doubt I'll convince you to go back to the TARDIS."

"I'm not leaving you alone."

The Doctor let it drop at that. As worried as he was about the pyramid's telepathic pressure, he knew that he wouldn't win this fight. The pyramid loomed over the tall trees and made it easy to know which direction to go. The closer they got, the more signs of ruins that were apparent under thick vines and layers of growth, but less sign there was of the locals.

"I wonder why they haven't moved further away," Rose said. "Looks like there used to be more of a city here."

"Not sure. There could be remnants of a culture that keep them here. Or the pyramid may have some other effects that keep them from running too far."

"Too many questions," Rose murmured. "One thousand years and they haven't tried to rebuild and don't speak. I can't wrap my head around it."

"Different species, Rose." The Doctor reminded her. "Hard to say without testing what sort of effect this constant telepathic assault may be having on them. We may be looking at those who are rebuilding after near devastation."

Rose's stomach turned as both understanding and anger warred within her. Part of her wanted to rally against the unfairness of that while another part of her understood it. Rose couldn't even be sure if that was Guardian in her or the result of everything she'd experienced through the eyes of her other-selves.

Dense jungle formed a protective barrier to the pyramid, but even that was broken up by collapsed metal buildings, piles of rubble, and dents in the landscape that hinted at old basements or maybe sewers. Rose hated all of it. Maybe the Guardian of Life in her should have been happy at the evidence of nature reclaiming a city, but she worried how many lives had been lost in whatever befell the people.

They didn't speak. The pressure was building as they drew nearer and Rose's shields were taking a battering. Still, she used her sword to cut a path when needed and held the Doctor's hand when it wasn't. But at last, they reached the base of the pyramid. The jungle opened to a smooth tiled flat area that formed a promenade straight to a doorway into the pyramid. It was only clear on the front side with the jungle growing almost to the base of the pyramid of the sides. Up close it was a massive structure and the size started Rose.

"Over 1000 feet high," the Doctor said. "Far larger than any of the ancient pyramids on Earth." He paused. "Larger than any of the modern skyscraper pyramids as well."

"That's a lot of volume to potentially search. Even if it's mostly stone." Rose turned around and searched the open square. "This is… well maintained," Rose said softly.

The Doctor studied everything and then chuckled. He squeezed Rose's hand to draw her attention and pointed to small structures that lined the pathway.

"Repair drone charging stations," the Doctor explained. "Looks like most of them have broken down, but a few are still active. Must be programmed to keep this area in front of the pyramid clear." He gestured to the first of the large steps that held the pillars. "Probably more up there as well. I'd guess that this was a public open area back in the day and there were probably buildings around the pyramids on the other side."

"How can the drones still be functional?"

"The pyramid on Earth was still working, despite being overgrown. Whatever this civilization was, they knew how to build to last."

He was beaming in amusement and manic excitement. Rose shook her head and followed him to the entrance. Thankfully, getting close to the pyramid hadn't made the telepathic pressure worse. It didn't seem to matter where you went and that answered the question regarding why the villagers were still living close. It didn't matter.

"Last chance to turn back," the Doctor said.

"Nope," Rose replied, popping the p. "Not without you."

Smiling, the Doctor was about to say something. Maybe thank her, maybe huff at her stubbornness, but it was lost when another figure came stumbling out of the jungle far to the right side of the square.

The new arrival was a blonde woman, about Rose's height with a bright smile and warm brown eyes. Her short hair that just reached her shoulders was tucked behind one ear, revealing a series of earrings. A long grey coat with a blue lining covered a rainbow shirt with suspenders and pants that were a bit too short. The woman wore practical boots and Rose held back a chuckle at the wardrobe before she noticed the gleam in the woman's eyes. She knew that gleam, plus the fashion sense was a bit of a giveaway too. Rose stared into the woman's eyes as the suspicion crept over her. The woman met her gaze and grinned, confirming it for Rose in an instant.

"You're… oh," Rose breathed, and the woman's grin widened. "Hello, Doctor."

"Hello, Darling," the woman replied. Her grin impossibly wider with unrestrained glee. "Fancy meeting you and myself here."