the forgotten child of gallifrey | doctor whoniverse

xvi: the great pyramids of giza

"Outside of Cairo, Egypt. 2486 B.C. The bu--" the Doctor begins, before I cut him off.

"--ilding of The Great Pyramids of Giza. Oldest of the seven wonders of the world, and the only one to remain largely intact. Was the world's tallest man-made structure for thousands of years. About fifteen years into construction is where we seem to be. Took nearly a century to complete. Many believe that aliens helped build it since the largest of them incorporates around 2.3 million stone blocks, weighting between 2.5 and 15 tons each. They think that that's humanly impossible. Not even a pack of the strongest men of those ages could lift and carry one block. Hell, the strongest man now can't even lift one ton, much less fifteen," I rattle off.

They just stand there for a minute in stunned silence, until River breaks it by saying, "Well, he's definitely your son."

I can't help but smile. Normally when I do that I get called a nerd, not impressive.

"Yep, that's my boy," the Doctor says as he puts his arm around my shoulders. "Where did you learn all that?"

"Oh, in fourth grade we spend a lot of time learning about Egypt. I got really into it," I reply nonchalantly.

"Hello!" says a perky young women. Her hair is long, straight, and jet black; it's probably a wig since all the Egyptians shaved their heads to avoid lice. She's a bit shorter than me and is wearing a white dress.

"Hey," I say, offering a small wave.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, suspicion rising in her voice.

"Here you go," the Doctor says, pulling something out of his jacket pocket and showing it to her.

"Oh, terribly sorry I didn't recognize you. This way."

"Physic paper," the Doctor whispers as an explanation. "Shows them what they want to see, gets me into pretty much anywhere I need to go."

I nod as we follow the girl across the hot sand. Something seems weird about the place. Everyone looks at us strangely, as if they're hiding something. Weird looks and nervousness, noted.

"Here we are. Everything is in order. Just yell if you need anything. My name's Mesta," she says with a smile and then walks away.

"Wait, don't they speak Arabic in Egypt?" I ask, confused.

"The TARDIS translates any foreign languages so its travelers can understand."

"Oh, okay."

Mesta's taken us to the work site for one of the first pyramids. They've gotten a few layers of brick down. It's a lot bigger in person, even with just a bit completed.

I slip away quietly while the Doctor waves his sonic screwdriver around and River gripes at him.

The hot sun beats down on me, making me actually miss the rainy weather back in the UK. Off in the distance, I see these two guys carrying a brick. One of them slips, causing half of it to fall on him. He should be dead. Slamming something on his arm, he turns to a gaseous state and then reappears in front of the brick where was before. He simply picks the brick back up and carries on.

Well, that's not normal.

I decide I should go back and tell the Doctor. He didn't seem to be doing anything important last time I checked.

Once I get back, I notice something shiny poking out of the sand. I reach down and pick it up. Holding it towards the light of the sun, I see that it's a beautiful necklace with a small gold chain and a single emerald hanging off. This would be perfect for Echo.

Speaking of Echo, I decide to check my phone to see if she ever responded.

You have one new message from Echo Emerson <3 at 3:47 a.m.

Guess my phone is still set at our time back in modern Cardiff. I slide my finger across the screen to read it.

Hey, it's me. Sorry this took so long. I was asleep. Good new is, Ianto's alive. Seems to be doing okay. Hbu?

I crouch behind a pile of bricks so I can wait for the Doctor and River, text Echo, and not be seen. God knows what would happen if someone got a hold of a mobile phone this early in time.

We're in ancient Egypt. Doing good. It's been a few hours for me. How long for you?

I decide to leave out the possible alien part.

A day or so, I think. 4:00 a.m. my time. And wait. Did you say ancient Egypt?

Sliding down the brick, I sit down. It's slightly cooler closer to the ground.

Haha, yeah. The building of the...*deep dramatic voice* Great Pyramids of Giza.

Ah, lucky! I had to fight weeping angels in Alcatraz for my big adventure. Tell the Doctor I want a do-over.

Angels in Alcatraz? Whatever those are, that doesn't sound too bad.

Lol, okay. I've got a surprise for you later. Oh shit, someone's coming. Gtg. Call me later gorgeous.

The footsteps I heard earlier come closer and closer. Standing up, I drop my phone and the present for Echo into my pocket and brace myself, just in case.

I hear the familiar sound of bickering and let my guard down a bit. River and the Doctor emerge from around the corner.

"Ah, there you are. We were looking for you. I think we found something," the Doctor says, examining something on the side of his sonic screwdriver. Sliding it shut, he places it in the interior pocket of his jacket. "Alright. What did you do when you wandered off?"

"Um, well. I saw these two guys carrying one of those blocks. The block fell on one of them. He turned to gas, reformed on the other side, and was back to carrying it," I say, hoping he'll know something.

River's eyes widen. "Doctor," she says quietly. "Is it what I think it is?"

"What? What is it?" I ask, a bit intrigued by the possible danger.

He pulls us into a huddle. "Zorlak. From the planet Reenz. Very dangerous. They take on the physical appearance of a planet's indigenous species. In their natural state, they are very strong. And very murderous. Even when they look like someone else, they still retain those characteristics. One moment they could be a little grandmother crossing the street, the next, throwing a car." He quickly looks around, making sure no one has seen us. "River and I noticed somethings didn't seem right, but you confirmed our suspicions. Now, the best way to go about this is--"

"That's him!" someone yells. "The little half ginger boy stole the Amulet of Ankh belonging to the great Pharoh Khufu. Get him!"