A\N: For those who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving!
The Doctor's Journey: Chapter 5
The large ironwork door slid ponderously open with a dismal clang as the others stood, the dim light from the glyph markers barely highlighting their faces.
"So there was a war." Rose said quietly.
The Doctor nodded. "Their civilization grew so big that the cloth or power they were harnessing became scarcer until their supplies finally dwindled." He said soberly. "Eventually they started fighting over the last scraps of it until it became a massive civil war."
Seeker was markedly silent for several moments before it spoke. ~My [ancestors/progenitors/Rythulians] have done terrible things. It [saddens/grieves] me to [learn/know] that such [great/powerful/wise] as they could become so [corrupt/dark/twisted].~
The Doctor rested a comforting hand on Seeker's back. "Yours isn't the first world to fall prey to pride and arrogance." He murmured. "I've seen it on a million worlds and the story is always the same. Even the Time Lords, one of the most powerful and ancient civilizations in the universe, couldn't stave it off. It took them having near absolute power for over 10 million years before the corruption really started to take hold but by the end of it…they were twisted shadows of their former selves."
~Are your [words/thoughts/commune] meant to [comfort/reassure/calm] me?~ Seeker asked with a bitter chirp.
The Doctor shook his head slowly. "No." He murmured. "But I know exactly how you feel at this moment because I've lived it. So has Rose. We're here for you Seeker, just like you were there for Rose a few minutes ago."
Rose moved to Seeker and wrapped her arms around the traveler comfortingly with her lips close to the points on its cowl as she whispered "You held me when I cried; let me hold you now."
Seeker let out a series of long, mournful tones as Rose slowly rubbed Seeker's back with her hand, the Doctor standing next to the cloaked figure in silent comfort. Finally Seeker looked up at her, its expressionless mask radiating a sad resolve.
~Thank you.~ Seeker chirped wearily.
Rose nodded, planting a gentle kiss on Seeker's forehead, just under the golden band. Seeker looked up at her before gently brushing the edge of its cloak along Rose's cheek in response.
"Shall we?" The Doctor asked quietly.
Seeker turned to the sober Time Lord and nodded briefly.
"What about Sir Wilgums and Frederick?" Rose asked, looking back towards the ceiling.
"I think they'll be fine." The Doctor stated, watching the carpets fly about the city. "Let them have their fun. I don't think we'll be doing any more sand surfing for a bit."
Walking along either side of Seeker supportively they walked through the iron door. The underground tunnel in which they found themselves was dark and starkly lit with cold blue and white light from small holes and openings in the ceiling, making the previously gold and orange sand white as snow. As they walked, small sand falls came into view along with more large pieces of partially buried masonry.
"Even underground they built big." The Doctor mused as they passed under a tall multi-story series of archways. "When it was fully active this place must have been a sight to see, not to mention the city above."
"Do you think we could go back and see it?" Rose asked.
The Doctor shrugged. "Can't see why not. How about it Seeker, would you like to see what your ancestors were like before all this happened?"
~I would [prefer/desire] not.~ Seeker replied sadly. ~It would only cause me [more/greater] [pain/discomfort/unease] [knowing/understanding/remembering] their [fall/decay/corruption].~
"We could help them though; show them what we saw." Rose suggested to the Doctor. "Make sure that the civil war never happens. You said it yourself, the Time Lords didn't know about this planet."
"That's only because they destroyed themselves before they came onto the galactic scene or started to muck about with time travel." The Doctor replied seriously. "Had they continue to progress something tells me they would have become a people to take notice of. Still," the Doctor smiled slyly, "I suppose it couldn't hurt to go back and gather some information about a long lost civilization. I might get another doctorate out of it if I write a thesis about it."
Passing another sand fall they came to a long rectangular stone tube with interspaced grillwork along the sides and top.
"Wonder what this was for?" Rose wondered as they walked inside it.
"Possibly a maintenance shaft or ductwork." The Doctor replied as he looked about. "Rather small compared to the rest of their building designs so it was probably tucked out of the way somewhere if you needed to get to the central air or something. " He smiled.
They quickly passed through several such tunnels with small flocks of cloth flitting about like fish before coming to one that sat at an angle, resting against another such shaft.
The Doctor nodded. "What did I say? Underground passageways like in the basement of office buildings. Little maintenance ducts and walkways to get to places quickly."
~There [seems/appears] to be a [soul/Glyph/identity] here.~ Seeker stating, staring into the grillwork of the tilted passage.
"Lovely!" The Doctor said. "Let's say 'hi'!"
Taking hold of Seeker's shoulders, the figure leaped nimbly onto the top of the flat tunnel, the mouth of the leaning tube before them. At the bottom sat the glowing form of a soul orb. Climbing into it, Rose and the others slid down inside it. Though Rose and Seeker attempted to communicate with it, the orb paid them no mind. Shrugging its cloak Seeker stepped forward, prompting the glyph to imprint upon them. Soul light swirled around them, the backs and palms of the Doctor's and Rose's hands now covered in glyph markings. Climbing back out of the tube they walked to the end of the shaft before dropping down onto the sand. Walking a bit further up a small incline they came to a massive chamber several stories high and just as deep. The rays of the sun filtered down from various openings as tall strands of cloth, at least 50 feet tall slowly waved back and forth amidst a collection of connected, elevated tubes.
"Wow!" Rose murmured as she looked around. "It's like being under the ocean."
"The illusion is quite good given the color and lighting." The Doctor acknowledged, looking out over the scene.
~What is this [idea/concept] you [said/mentioned]?~ Seeker asked. ~I could [feel/sense] [vastness/depth] and [power/strength] within it but that was all.~
"The ocean?" Rose asked. "It's a great big body of water."
Seeker merely let out a confused chirp.
"You don't even know what water is, do you?" The Doctor asked. "Have you ever seen any form of liquid?"
Seeker merely shook its head. "I [know/understand] not."
Rose frowned in confusion. "Surely there must be some liquid around here. The planet can't be completely dry can it?" She asked the Doctor.
"It just might." The Doctor replied. "But even if it's not, Seeker hasn't traveled far enough to encounter it. Such an idea is completely outside its frame of reference."
"Well…it's like those sand falls, but…wetter." Rose floundered.
Seeker just looked at her, cocking its head.
The Doctor gazed at Seeker speculatively for a moment before refocusing on the long drop in front of them. "Going down I suppose."
Nodding, Seeker allowed them to take hold of its cloak before slowly gliding down to the sandy bottom of the enormous space. The three of them walked over to a large clump of tall ribbons connected to a partially buried tunnel. Stepping amidst the cloth, the Doctor's glyphs began to glow bright white along with the ribbons before his feet slowly lifted off the ground. Grinning like a child loose in a toy store he began to float higher and higher until he floated near the tips of the ribbons. Looking to his right he saw a similar collection of them approximately 10 feet away atop one of the elevated tunnels. On a hunch, he leaped towards them, the runes on his hands and feet extinguishing briefly before he became entangled in the new set of tapestries, their power allowing him to float once again. Disentangling himself he slowly floated down onto the roof of the tunnel. A moment later he saw Seeker and a furious Rose fly up to him.
"That was an incredibly stupid thing to do!" She announced angrily as her feet touched the slab. "What did you think you were doing? What if you'd miscalculated the jump?!"
The Doctor gave her a slightly disparaging look. "Really Rose, if I can calculate hyper-dimensional and temporal coordinates for flying the TARDIS in my head, do you think I can manage a simple arc distance calculation? That's like me asking you if you know what two plus two is."
Rose rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Yeah, yeah, I know, super-advanced alien with a brain the size of a planet, I get it. Just warn me next time you want to do something like that!"
~I had [full/complete] [confidence/assurance] he would be [fine/unharmed].~ Seeker stated.
Rose snidely stuck her tongue out at the traveler, making Seeker warble in confusion.
"Nice view from up here." The Doctor stated, looking around before his eye caught a glowing glyph nearby. "Looks like there's another one here." He said.
Taking hold of Seeker again, the Rythulian leaped across the gap separating the pair of tunnels before activating its glyph power, allowing them to float carefully into the short T-shaped tunnel where the glyph sat. Once again more glyphs were added to Seeker's scarf, the length of it now longer than it was tall with the Doctor's and Rose's feet now covered with glyphs. Moving out of the tunnel they came to several more lengths of cloth waving slightly in the gentle breeze like seaweed. Taking Rose's hand, her and the Doctor moved amongst the tall ribbons, floating gently into the air. Rose grinned, feeling herself being supported by the ribbon's energy in harmony with her own glyphs.
"This could make for some fun dancing." She commented.
The Doctor smiled. "I know a brilliant anti-gravity ballroom on Caligula 4. The parties there never stop. Maybe we'll visit one day."
"Love it!" She laughed gently in response.
Seeker watched them laugh and play from below with a hint of regret before it flew up to join them, the glyphs on its cloak allowing it to float next to the tapestries.
"Come on, still lots to see!" The Doctor grinned, grabbing hold of Seeker as Rose did the same.
They quickly leaped through the air into another cluster of ribbons before jumping once more, landing onto a large platform under a massive archway. The next room was just as large as the first with massive grilled windows along the walls and vertical ribbons bobbing back and forth like beds of kelp down the center. Amidst the connected pieces of ribbon were smaller bunches of cloth that floated seemingly of their own accord. Unlike the small cloth pieces, however, these floated vertically in place like platforms. Leaping off the edge, the connected trio landed among the first cluster of ribbons, quickly floating upwards until they were able to leap to yet another batch. Upon reaching the new cloth form, Rose peered at it curiously. The figure was made up of several wide cloth pieces curled in on each other to form a bulb-like head with a single long ribbon trailing down from the center of it.
"Funny thing, it kinda reminds me of a jellyfish." Rose said.
"Or a mushroom maybe." The Doctor replied. "Given the underwater theme going on here, though, jelly-cloth seems appropriate." He said, smiling at his little joke.
"Jelly-cloth it is then." Rose decided before they leaped at it, making it light up. Upon reaching the top of it, the entire top spun in place as the cloths let out a simple warble.
"Ooh! Are they alive too?" Rose wondered. "Like Sir Wilgums and Frederick?"
"Possibly." The Doctor mused, examining it with a critical eye.
Rose carefully knelt down and rubbed her hand along one of the ribbons. "Good jelly!" She murmured. The cloth chirped softly for a moment but did not offer any further response.
"Just barely sentient then." The Doctor said.
"Or it just might find us boring." Rose suggested with a smile. "Who knows what a jelly-cloth finds interesting."
The Doctor snorted in amusement before they took their leave of the jelly, leaping across to more tall strands of ribbon. More jelly-cloths floated before them and they quickly bounced between each one, making their hands and feet light up with brilliant actinic light. More seaweed-like cloths followed until they came to another large portal at the other end of the massive room.
"I wonder what these rooms were for." Rose said idly. "Lots of open space but hardly anything there, except ribbon."
The Doctor shrugged. "Possibly some kind of warehouse or storage area given the large size. The ribbons and jellies might be their version of walkways or elevators, especially if they wrapped everything in cloth."
Walking to the other side they found the floor partially caved in with the area ahead blocked by rubble.
Looking down to the lower floor beyond, he shrugged. "I guess we're going down."
~It [seems/appears] that way.~ Seeker stated.
Helping them down to the ground they began to make their way through the corridor until they came upon the buried remains of one of the constructs they had seen in the desert. The structure's tear-drop face and third eye were lit up and flashing with bright blue light at irregular intervals. The Doctor ran his screwdriver over the construct, examining it carefully.
"Power source…using glyph energy most likely, maybe a collection of ribbons throughout its structure to animate it and give it flight." The Doctor murmured to himself as he moved to the rear of the head. "Seems to be a seam here…" Fiddling with the settings on the screwdriver the hatch at the rear suddenly popped open.
"Got it!" He exclaimed quietly before he began to dig around inside of the construct's inner workings. "Miniature ribbons connecting each component…probably used for power conduction and data transmission." He said distractedly. "Some kind of search beam function and it has a primitive kind of mouth…Central processing hub looks pretty well fried, I don't think I'll be able to get anything useful out of it." He grumbled before sitting back on his heels, glaring at it.
"So no new ideas on what this thing did then?" Rose asked.
The Doctor shrugged as he stood up. "Well, obviously it's some kind of collection machine, given the mechanisms I saw. What it was supposed to gobble up, though, I'm not sure."
"Trash machine maybe?" She asked.
"Could be." The Doctor admitted, scratching his wild hair. "Come on. Nothing more to learn from this thing."
As the continued down the corridor they began to see large statues of serpentine figures along the walls like cobras preparing to strike.
"Creepy." Rose muttered, shivering as she looked around at them. "It's almost like they don't want us here."
The Doctor looks at the statues blandly. "Just rock Rose. Nothing to fear."
~I too [sense/feel] [darkness/evil/unease] about this place.~ Seeker chirped quietly.
The corridor suddenly widened into a massive room several stories high with a large statue in the center, depicting a serpentine figure similar to the ones against the wall. The statue's boxy segmented body was curled at the top and each segment sported a pair of simple fan blade shaped wings that were folded back against it. Its head was square and in place of a face mask was a massive stylized eye. Stopping for a moment the trio looked up at the large, menacing figure.
"Is that what those things in the desert really look like?" Rose asked.
"I do believe you're right Rose." The Doctor said, peering up at the statue. "Well, now I know how it looks when it uses its search beam anyway. The mouth is located just under the eye there."
"Those flaps don't really allow it to fly do they?" She asked.
"Well it's certainly not aerodynamic." The Doctor admitted. "But neither is the TARDIS and she flies just fine. Probably some kind of anti-gravity technology built into the wings to keep it aloft."
"Oh look!" Rose exclaimed suddenly, pointing into the air. "Isn't that Sir Wilgums?"
The others looked to see the carpet slowly wending its way towards them from the ceiling, moving past the statue as it chirped happily. Suddenly with a rumble that shook the room and a loud roar that echoed off the walls, one of the machines burst from under the sand, aiming towards the carpet.
"Wilgums!" Rose cried in dismay as the machine's jaw closed around it with a splattering of golden light, the force of its lunge shattering the stone statue next to it, causing it to collapse.
"Everyone back!" The Doctor shouted as they hid behind one of the walls.
Peering around the entryway they saw the machine spread its wings wide, its eye glowing a baleful blue as it curled up before launching itself into the air, exiting the room via the open ceiling with a loud mechanical roar.
"This place just got a lot scarier!" Rose stated worriedly. "Poor Wilgums!"
~I [sensed/felt] there was [darkness/evil] here.~ Seeker chirped in dismay.
"Now we know why those things were strewn about all over the place." The Doctor stated soberly. "We just encountered a Rythulian war machine. That vision made it pretty clear what they looked like but this clinches it."
"Why didn't it use its energy beams then?" Rose asked softly. "The vision showed that they had them."
The Doctor shrugged. "Probably no need, it was just a carpet after all. No real threat to it."
~I [desire/hope] to never [see/experience] that again.~ Seeker stated quietly.
The Doctor sighed. "Somehow I doubt that's the last we'll see of it. Come on."
They carefully made their way through the room, sticking to the side of the wall in case there were more waiting under the sand. Moving slowly through an S-shaped corridor lined with more statues and grilled windows they came upon a much wider corridor where the floor angled concavely towards the center. At the end of the corridor they could see a flock of cloths floating about. Suddenly the machine from before glided silently into view from the right, its blue spotlight fixed on the ground as it passed through the center of the room from one side to the other, making them halt in tense silence. As it passed through a large opening on the left side of the room they slowly made their way into the room itself.
"Come on." The Doctor murmured to them. "I want to see where that leads."
Sticking close to the left hand wall they soon came to the large doorway the machine had gone through. Looking inside carefully, they noted another mural against the back wall. Moving to it Seeker activated it with a brush of its cloak, unwilling to sing and inadvertently draw the creature's attention. The mural blazed to life revealing a pair of tall buildings. At the base of one of them was a shroud from which emerged the head of one of the machines, in front of which others like it proceeded in a straight line.
"Looks like a production line." Rose muttered.
The Doctor nodded. "So they did mass produce these things in factories. No equipment here to do that so they probably built them elsewhere, unless it all got moved elsewhere towards the end."
"They might have built them here." Rose suggested. "The rooms are big enough to hold a bunch of equipment as well as them."
The Doctor nodded. "True enough I suppose."
~More and more I [regret/shame] what [ancestors/progenitors/Rythulians] have [done/created].~ Seeker chirped sadly.
"Just like everyone else they did great things and terrible ones." Rose commiserated. "My people aren't any better. It doesn't seem like anyone is, really."
"There's good and evil in all of us, even me." The Doctor stated quietly. "All we can do is more of one than the other."
The trio slowly made their way down the long, high corridor. Suddenly the flying machine appeared at the end of it from the left, highlighting the cloths in its search beam. The light immediately went from calm blue to angry red as the machine let out a menacing rumble. A second later it dived at the cloths, engulfing them before speeding off, leaving behind sad trails of golden light. The group made their way through the dimly lit expanse, passing from one section to another as more inactive machines in striking poses appeared along the sides of the room like dark sentinels.
"I sure hope these things don't come alive and eat us." Rose murmured fretfully, looking around at the still guardians.
"I think the only reason that one started up was because it detected Sir Wilgums nearby." The Doctor mused quietly. "There are no carpets here."
"Except for—" Rose began before she was interrupted.
On the opposite side of the room, another machine roared to life, its' eyebeam blazing blue and its wings spanning wide before it shot towards the ceiling, exiting through a large hole.
"…Seeker's scarf." She finished timidly.
Seeker looked at its scarf ponderously before it turned to the others. ~Then would it not be [better/efficient/safe] if I [continued/made] my [journey/pilgrimage] alone?~ It asked quietly.
"Don't be silly!" Rose replied with a hint of steel in her voice. "Just because things got a little scary doesn't mean we'll abandon you!"
"Sorry mate." The Doctor grinned. "You're stuck with us."
Seeker inclined its head, chirping happily. ~Thank you!~
The pair made their way to the end of the segmented room, passing by a highlighted tube in the middle of the walkway before moving to the next area. The large room was lined with pillars and frozen machines as it gently inclined downward. At the end of the room they could see one of the flying machines ponderously moving toward them up the center, its search beam scanning the ground before it.
"Quick, off to the side!" The Doctor hissed, motioning for them to move.
Hiding behind one of the pillars, the silent creature passed them by, floating into the room they had just vacated. A few seconds later the second creature that had awoken followed after it.
"It looks like they're on some kind of patrol pattern." The Doctor mused quietly. "Well, assuming they stick to that we should be okay. Come on."
Moving along the side of the great corridor they came to a wall comprised of archways. Slipping around it, another soul orb glowed brightly in the dismal light.
"I didn't expect to find you here." The Doctor murmured to it as they came closer. "Sadly we don't have time to chat right now."
Soul light engulfed them as motes swirled about them, this time a glyph imprinted itself on their foreheads, between their eyes while Seekers scarf grew a few more inches. Slinking along, they came to a long and deep incline, the walls of the room much more closed in than before.
"No choice but to go down the middle." The Doctor muttered with a frown.
As they began making their way down the steep incline they suddenly heard an angry roar from above as they were suddenly blinded by a bright light. Looking up, they saw one of the flying machines hovering several yards above them, previously cloaked in darkness. Suddenly the light switching from blue to red as the machine roared again.
~[Hold/grab] onto me!~ Seeker shouted urgently.
Grabbing onto its cloak, making their glyphs glow, the Rythulian quickly shot forward, dragging them along. With an angry roar the machine's head smashed into the sand bare feet from where they had stood before it coiled back around, staring at them hatefully with its single eye. At the far end of the massive room the second machine soared towards them, its own eye becoming a malevolent red. Seeker began to slid about, zig-zagging back and forth across the sand as the machines flew after them, uttering angry bellows. Up ahead at the bottom of the room, clusters of glyphs began to light up against the far wall. Markers flew by as Seeker slipped between them with expert skill, the Doctor and Rose barely holding on. Seconds later they reached the bottom, sliding onto a smooth stone courtyard covered with glowing glyphs, the monsters seconds behind him. Suddenly the entire structure flared with golden light from a thousand glyphs, creating a massive shield of light. The creatures impacted the light with the sound of a giant gong being struck before wheeling away, fleeing towards openings in the ceiling, allowing the light to fade though the glyphs continued to glow brightly, illuminating the entire area.
Rose and the Doctor slowly caught their breath as Seeker stood there silently.
"That was brilliant Seeker!" Rose exclaimed.
~It was not my [actions/will] that caused the [machines/guardians] to [retreat/flee].~ Seeker stated.
"No, it was the building." The Doctor said, looking around.
The massive face of the building was covered in various designs, every point of light a glyph that had been inscribed into the stonework, including the wide courtyard in which they stood. Before them, between two raised globes that glowed with glyph light, sat a raised platform into which was set a statue with markers.
"This place is beautiful." Rose breathed, taking it all in, the soul light shining on her face. "It's like a temple to a god."
"It might very well be." The Doctor agreed quietly, looking around. "All these glyphs, all this power… where did it come from?"
~Perhaps the [ancestor/progenitor/Rythulian] [connected/attached] to the [statue/idol/figure] can [tell/inform/enlighten] us.~ Seeker suggested.
Nodding they walked up the single stair to the statue where three fanned markers sat on either side of it. Singing to the statue to activate it, they sat down in the circle of light that formed.
FLASH
The white void appeared to them once again with the split mountain in the foggy distance. Next to them, gazing at the mountain stood another of the Remnant.
Welcome. It intoned gently. Welcome to the shrine.
"A shrine to what?" Rose asked.
Remembrance for the dead and the hope we held onto. It stated somberly.
"Hope for what?" The Doctor asked.
An end to the terrible conflict you have witnessed through our power and memory, the figure stated sadly, and the possibility of redemption through those who would come after.
"Come after?" Rose asked tentatively. "You mean…"
Observe. The figure stated as it sung.
Once again they beheld the terrible violence that consumed the city as the guardians they had encountered flew through the air, destroying everything in their path. Below the city, rows upon rows of white robed figures lay buried beneath the sand. As the scene moved, the rows of bodies continued. Slowly the sand began to cover the buildings until they were lost to the desert, the desolate wind blowing over a series of graves until the scene stopped at a small prominent hill. From the glyph and star-filled sky a few points of light descended until a figure in a red cloak appeared.
Rose barely had time to gasp in shock before the vision faded, leaving them in front of the statue.
"That was…" She murmured, staring at Seeker.
~I, yes.~ Seeker agreed quietly. ~It [seems/appears] I am to be a [redeemer/savior/restorer].~
"How?" Rose asked.
Seeker simply shook its head.
A\N: A short chapter but a proper place to end it. As always, please review!