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Quiet Remembrance: Part 3

“Who sent you?” the Doctor barked at the Silence.

“That is not of your concern,” it replied in a bone-chilling whisper, mouth remaining an unmoving circle. The way it spoke made you want to take its suggestion, to agree wholeheartedly with it.

It was a good thing that both Jack and the Doctor were strong of mind and will.

“Ah, so someone other than the Silence is behind this!”

The Silence only stood wordlessly before them. The Doctor took a couple of steps towards it, Jack slowly taking on a more offensive stance with his staff.

“Why do they not want us going in there?” the Doctor asked.

“The knowledge you seek,” it began, “is not to be known. It would bring danger and destruction to the universe.”

“Oh, I suppose more so than collaborating with the Cybermen?”

The Silence simply pointed its longest finger at them.

“Turn around and never come back.” The hair on the back of Jack’s neck stood on end. He could feel the static electricity surge in the hallway. Here and there, thin bolts of blue lightning crackled behind the Silence, ready for its deathly command.

The two stood firmly in their places. Jack saw that the Doctor had his hands in his pockets, scowling at the Silence. This time, they weren’t going to run. This time, they would fight.
They charged forward, sonic screwdriver and staff in hand.

Jack pushed the door open, its rusted hinges creaking in protest. It revealed a small room, reminding him of the back storerooms of hole-in-the-wall shops back on Earth. The shelves were old and eaten away by termites. The aging, tattered books were anything but neat, with random yellowed pages strewn across the floor here and there. The room itself was mildly mazelike, with no two shelves more than a couple feet apart. Random bins and carts of books still to be re-shelved stood patiently here and there. The walls and floor were made of cold stone. The lighting was dim, with no more than three bulbs to lift away darkness.

The Doctor took a deep breath and smiled, eyes shining. “Nothing quite like the smell of old books. That, my friend, is the scent of knowledge.”

‘Friend?’ Jack raised an eyebrow, but shrugged off the use of the terminology. He was still a little wary of the Doctor and would hesitate in calling him a friend so soon, but the mysterious man had gotten them this far and was helping him discover more about himself, so he figured he’d let it slide. “Have you read a lot of books, Doctor?”

The Doctor stared forward but raised his eyebrows, putting his hands into his pants pockets. He exhaled, letting his cheeks puff out. “Some would say too many.”

As if that was some kind of signal, the Doctor started forward and began to rummage through the shelves. Jack followed after him, taking the next bookshelf.

He soon found himself bored, feeling a bit trapped in this small, windowless space. He wandered from shelf to shelf, his free hand in his hoodie pocket, scanning the books instead of taking the time to pause and read.

He found a little reading nook in the far back corner of the room. It was quaint enough, with a small cushioned chair and end table sitting beneath one of the few lights. He figured he had earned a few moments of rest and happily took that seat. He let out an involuntary sigh. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he had used his powers to his full extent, but the tally marks on his hands told him it was recent enough, and his subconscious gave him a probable cause. In any case, he felt a little worse for wear.

He let his eyes wander around from shelf to book, book to ceiling, ceiling to wall, and back again. That’s when he noticed it. A small rune, no larger than a quarter, on the corner of a bottom stone in the wall inside the reading nook, right next to the leg of his chair.

He knew what it said.

Jack.

Description
Quiet Remembrance: Part 3

“Who sent you?” the Doctor barked at the Silence.

“That is not of your concern,” it replied in a bone-chilling whisper, mouth remaining an unmoving circle. The way it spoke made you want to take its suggestion, to agree wholeheartedly with it.

It was a good thing that both Jack and the Doctor were strong of mind and will.

“Ah, so someone other than the Silence is behind this!”

The Silence only stood wordlessly before them. The Doctor took a couple of steps towards it, Jack slowly taking on a more offensive stance with his staff.

“Why do they not want us going in there?” the Doctor asked.

“The knowledge you seek,” it began, “is not to be known. It would bring danger and destruction to the universe.”

“Oh, I suppose more so than collaborating with the Cybermen?”

The Silence simply pointed its longest finger at them.

“Turn around and never come back.” The hair on the back of Jack’s neck stood on end. He could feel the static electricity surge in the hallway. Here and there, thin bolts of blue lightning crackled behind the Silence, ready for its deathly command.

The two stood firmly in their places. Jack saw that the Doctor had his hands in his pockets, scowling at the Silence. This time, they weren’t going to run. This time, they would fight.
They charged forward, sonic screwdriver and staff in hand.

Jack pushed the door open, its rusted hinges creaking in protest. It revealed a small room, reminding him of the back storerooms of hole-in-the-wall shops back on Earth. The shelves were old and eaten away by termites. The aging, tattered books were anything but neat, with random yellowed pages strewn across the floor here and there. The room itself was mildly mazelike, with no two shelves more than a couple feet apart. Random bins and carts of books still to be re-shelved stood patiently here and there. The walls and floor were made of cold stone. The lighting was dim, with no more than three bulbs to lift away darkness.

The Doctor took a deep breath and smiled, eyes shining. “Nothing quite like the smell of old books. That, my friend, is the scent of knowledge.”

‘Friend?’ Jack raised an eyebrow, but shrugged off the use of the terminology. He was still a little wary of the Doctor and would hesitate in calling him a friend so soon, but the mysterious man had gotten them this far and was helping him discover more about himself, so he figured he’d let it slide. “Have you read a lot of books, Doctor?”

The Doctor stared forward but raised his eyebrows, putting his hands into his pants pockets. He exhaled, letting his cheeks puff out. “Some would say too many.”

As if that was some kind of signal, the Doctor started forward and began to rummage through the shelves. Jack followed after him, taking the next bookshelf.

He soon found himself bored, feeling a bit trapped in this small, windowless space. He wandered from shelf to shelf, his free hand in his hoodie pocket, scanning the books instead of taking the time to pause and read.

He found a little reading nook in the far back corner of the room. It was quaint enough, with a small cushioned chair and end table sitting beneath one of the few lights. He figured he had earned a few moments of rest and happily took that seat. He let out an involuntary sigh. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he had used his powers to his full extent, but the tally marks on his hands told him it was recent enough, and his subconscious gave him a probable cause. In any case, he felt a little worse for wear.

He let his eyes wander around from shelf to book, book to ceiling, ceiling to wall, and back again. That’s when he noticed it. A small rune, no larger than a quarter, on the corner of a bottom stone in the wall inside the reading nook, right next to the leg of his chair.

He knew what it said.

Jack.