Chapter 10:

Augusta's POV

Stepping out of the TARDIS unto the silver grass, I looked up at the sky and gasped.

Littering the dark night sky was hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights. Some were dark blue, other purple or pink or yellow or red. Some of them shone brightly and others were dimmed. Some of them were in clusters and others stood alone. Some had a purple hue around them that made it shine even brighter. I couldn't even describe the sight as I stared at it with big round hazel eyes.

"What do ya think?" The Doctor asked, placing a hand on my shoulders.

"I... It's... I..." I took a deep, calming breath. "It's beautiful."

The Doctor grinned, and ran back inside the TARDIS, coming out with a blue blanket. Rose giggled and ran out onto the grass with him. He set the blanket down on the grass and sat on top of it, Rose following him. I sat beside Rose, but on the grass instead, and looked at the beautiful stars in front of me.

I heard the Doctor begin talking about different constellations in the Castiellion galaxy. "What's a con-stall-nation?" I asked, interrupting him.

"Constellation," he corrected, "People called astrologists on earth used to make pictures with the stars. It isn't a very uncommon habit, seeing that most species did it, even the Time Lords. It was a way to provide comfort for the younger ones, and a fun way to learn about the universe."

"Oh... Okay..." I nodded.

"Even some constellations are similar to the ones of earth," he stated. "Like that one," he pointed to a star. "That one is looks like Cancer the Crab. And if you look at that one, it's almost like Orion's belt."

"Who's Orion?" I asked.

"He was a Greek warrior," he explained. "Never liked Orion. He was always so full of himself."

"You've met him?" Rose asked.

"'Course I've met him!" He exclaimed. "He wasn't very self-less, and if it was up to me, he wasn't the handsomest of them all. If anything, Hephaestus was handsomest."

Rose scrunched up her nose. "Isn't Hephaestus the ugly one?"

"No, that's was just a lie spread by Zeus and Apollo. Hephaestus was the handsomest one out of all of them, but since nobody would accept him for it, he was disowned for it," he explained. "Nobody opposed this since Zeus and Hera were the leaders of them all."

"Are you saying you've met the Greek gods?!"

"Yeah, pretty much," he nodded. "Just a bunch of arrogant mind leeches making the human race believing they were being ruled by gods."

I smiled, as I listened quietly to his stories. I looked down, I wish that it could be like this forever. So no one would get hurt. "Hey Auggie look, a shooting star! Make a wish!"

"A shooting star?" I asked, watching the flying piece of light in the air, that left a dusty trail behind it.

"It's just a rock that's crumbling up in the atmosphere," the Doctor explained.

"Then why would you make a wish?" I asked.

"Human custom," he said. "They think that if they wish on a star, their dreams would come true."

"Why? How would it come true?"

"It doesn't actually come true," he said. "It just makes them feel better about themselves."

"Oh... Humans are weird..." Rose laughed and we all looked up at the stars. For at least twenty minutes, we sat there, looking at the stars, a comfortable silence had fallen between us. Suddenly, something grabbed my hand.

I looked down, to see the bright silver grass rooted around it. "Wha--" before I could finish, my hand was dragged into the ground. My eyes widened, "What!?"

Rose and the Doctor turned around as whole arm was sinking in the ground. "Augusta!" The yelled, as my foot was tied and began to fall too. I tried to pull on my arm, but it barely budged.

I clenched my teeth and tried to control the ground around me to loosen. "Move," I commanded and the ground wavered. I began to panic, as the Doctor sonicked the ground, as half my body sank into it.

"Doctor!" I cried, trying to move.

"I know," he replied, pulling on my arm, painfully.

"Doctor!" Rose called, he whipped his head around to see Rose, her arm sinking as well. My eyes widened, and I held my free arm out to her, forcing the ground around her to loosen her grip. I didn't want her dying as well.

Rose pulled against the ground, her arm loosening a small bit. I grimaced, "Let her go!" I yelled at the earth, the forcefulness of my voice made the ground split, and Rose pull her arm out and fall back on the grass.

Just as it did that, my head sank into the ground. I took a deep breath as I submerged into the earth. I heard the muffled voices of the Doctor and Rose calling my name, before everything went black.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Doctor's POV

He watched as her petite fingers sank into the earth along with the rest of her body in horror. "She... She saved me," Rose muttered. "Doctor, where did she go?! How do we find her!?"

"I don't know," he said, a angry scowl on his face. "But I bet the natives do."

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

They entered the village seeing young children running around. They had bright pinkish hair and blue skin,that reflected the sunlight brightly. They were playing with a fruit that was native to their land, laughing. Some of them were brushing each others hair, or even weaving baskets

When they saw the duo they stopped what they were doing, and stared at them. "Why did they stop?" Rose asked, him.

Before he could answer, one of the kids came up to him, "Who are you, mister?" He asked. "How did you get here?"

He went into his jacket and pulled out his physic paper. The boy gasped, and ran away, the children followed him. "Uh... What just happened?" Rose asked as he looked at his psychic paper. It had stated that he was a 'High Official'.

He frowned, but walked into the village. There were a few buildings that looked like teepees and longhouses. It almost resembled Native American homes. He found the children again, standing behind adults, who had their arms crossed and eyes set into a hefty glare.

"What are your people doing here?" The one in the center, said. He wore brigher colors and some kind of honorary hat, so he was most likely the leader.

"I'm the Doctor--"

"I know who you are!" The man interrupted. "What is your kind doing here again, I thought we told you that we did not want your help!"

He blinked, "'Help'?"

"Sir, please," Rose spoke up. "Our friend was taken, she just disappeared into the ground. We just want to know if you know anything about it."

The man's face completely changed from anger to pity, then back to anger. "Did you not know that this ground is cursed!?" He exclaimed.

Cursed? "We're... New here," he stated. "We mean no harm to you or your people. We are just asking for information about your... Cursed land, so we could get our friend back."

"You're friend is not coming back," he spat, but soon controlled his anger, and sighed. "You must speak to our leader if you wish to find information."

He was not the leader? "Okay, then," he grinned. "Take us to your leader!"

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Augusta's POV

My eyes peeled open, showing the bright lights of the room I was in. I squinted until my eyes adjusted. I heard someone's shoes clanking on the cold flooring. "Ah, it's awake," a man's voice said. I felt a pair of cold fingers touch my chin, lifting my head.

I groaned and forced my eyes open. I saw a man, wearing a white coat, was grinning. He had light pink skin and blue hair. "You may begin," he stated, moving away, and making my head hang limply.

I felt my arms clamped to some type of metal, and spread apart. I looked down to see myself completely naked. My eyes widened and I shot my head up, seeing the man in the white coat holding a shot and a grin plastered on his face.

I opened my mouth to scream, but found myself gagged tightly. My body shook in fear as he got closer, and my breath hitched when he injected the needle into my body. I gave him a muffled scream, that faded when everything went black.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Doctor's POV

He and Rose were sitting in a one of the longhouses, in front of a woman. She had on a lot of make up, and wore a dress that was inscribed with writings and designs. Her eyes were gray, just like everyone else's, but they held something of a authority. Her lips pressed in a steady line, and she looked as though she was analyzing them.

Beside her was the man from earlier, who was apparently her advisor and a child. "What do you want?" She asked finally.

"Information. Why are people sinking into the ground?" He replied. "I also wish to save my friend." She looked to the child, who had been studying him, and she nodded.

"Your friend is gone. Along with all the other children who have been taken," she replied.

"'Children'?" He repeated.

She sighed, "There are children disappearing from our village. Just sinking into the ground, much like your friend. We believe it is the doings of the Trixitans but we do not have any evidence. With tensions being as high as they are between our empires, I cannot risk a war sparking."

"Why would they want the children?"

"We are not sure," she sighed. "We believe that they want the children for their abilities to sense the truth, but we are not certain."

"I thought that all ages can 'sense the truth'," Rose spoke up. "Why only take the children?"

"I see you are informed in our abilities," the woman stated, her eyes narrowed.

"Not very much," Rose admitted, sheepishly. She looked back at the child, who had nodded again. So she was using her as a lie detector. That's interesting.

"The children of our village senses are more advanced than the adults since they begin to fade in during their adulthood," the woman explained. "We believe that since their abilities' are so ripe during childhood, they would want it more than the adults', whose abilities are dulled."

He nodded, "But what about them sinking into the ground?" He asked.

"We do not understand that either," the woman admitted. "The technology of the Trixitan empire is so advanced. We wish to stay the way we are, opposed to being like them."

He frowned, if the Trixitans were so technological advanced, then they would be at the disadvantage during war. She was wise to not engage war on them when they first suspected the other empire.

"Queen Geltaina," the man beside her said. "We must confront the Trixitans on this matter in order to save the children."

"No, we shall not," the woman -- Queen -- said. "I do not want war between us."

"And how many lives of innocent children would you sacrifice in order to maintain that," the man hissed, anger and the want for revenge shining in his eyes.

"Hush, Dantattili," she said, raising her voice. "You dare speak in such a tone to your superior!"

The man frowned, narrowing his eyes at his Queen, before standing up, and silently leaving the room. His eyes trailed him, as the man walked away stiffly.

"I apologize for his behavior," she said, with a small sigh. "Dantattili lost his daughter to the cursed grounds. He is hell-bent on waging war on the Trixitans, but I just cannot allow it. I cannot risk the safety of my people over a unevenly matched war."

"What about the children?" He asked. "You're just going to let them keep taking your people?"

"There would be no children to worry about after a war that would exterminate our civilization," she replied. "I have decided that we should grow in power before taking on their empire and returning the children."

He gave her a hard look, "What if they are gone by then? What if they are sold into slavery?" He questioned. "The children are the future to your society. Your next generation. If there is no children then--"

"I know that!" She exclaimed, making him raise an eyebrow. She clenched her fists on the table, her eyes set into a far off glare. "My youngest sister was taken, Doctor," she admitted, her steely eyes full of sadness. "I want to find her, but we have no way to do so. Believe me, I know that if we do not find these children, then it would be the downfall of our society, but we cannot simply wage war on the Trixitans. The bloodshed would be horrific."

He looked at the woman, her eyes willed with so much emotion and stress. It was not hard to tell that she's been through so much, to find her sister. She was conflicted with protecting her people and protecting her family.

He stood up, and she look at him, "Then its settled," be said firmly. "I will help you bring the children back."

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Augusta's POV

They had quickly found out that I was not from this world, and found out that I wasn't even exactly human faster.

I had been tied to this table for what seemed like hours. At first, they would put so much chemicals into my system, I couldn't even see straight, but since my body burned through them quickly, they had to use much more than usual. Soon, they decided that they didn't have the supplies to keep me sleeping, so they just stopped giving them to me.

"Do you see this?" One of them said, looking at a paper. "Its system will break down and get rid of chemicals 5x faster than the average human would...!"

"Imagine how much money we'll make off the black market off it!" Another said, feeling my bare body, and sending shivers down my spine. I growled at the man, and he smirked. "Ooo, and it's feisty! I might take it off your hands for a while," he grinned, and I scrunched up my nose in disgust.

He trailed his finger down my cheek, and I snapped my jaw at it, getting scarily close. He frowned, and raised his hand to hit me, but the other man held him back.

"Don't harm the merchandise!" He exclaimed, as the man pulled his arm away. The man narrowed his eyes at me, and I hissed at him, baring my teeth, threateningly.

"Let's just lock it up for now. We can finish examinations tomorrow," the main one said, unclamping me from the metal table. Before I could jump and run away, they had tied my hand behind my back, and hit something on my head to knock me out cold.

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

I woke up in a different room, still bare. I groaned and moved off the ground, a heavy headache settling in my head. I felt the chains that strapped my legs and arms together rattle loudly, behind me, as well as a round of hushed whispers.

In the darkness, I saw the silhouette of a few small-ish bodies that I couldn't completely make out in the darkness. I shakily sat up. "Hello there," I greeted, as calmly as I could.

"W-What are you?" One of them asked. It sounded like a child.

"Human," I replied easily. "Ish."

"'Ish'?" Another voice asked, this one sounded like a girl's whereas the first sounded like a small boy's. The pitch of the voice was much higher, so it wasn't hard to distinguish.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I don't know exactly what I am."

"Who are you?" The boyish one asked.

"My name's Augusta, but sometimes people call me Auggie," I replied.

"'A-Auggie'?" The girl asked, hesitantly.

"Yes little one?"

"Are you h-here to save us?"

I smiled, "Who needs saving?"

"We do."

"Who is we?"

There was a short pause. Then, a large group of children, all ranging from 5-10. Some had blue hair and bare pink bodies, while others had pink hair and bare blue bodies, but each one of them had glittering gray eyes that was filled with something that I hadn't seen in a long time. The desperate need of hope.

There had to be at least 30 of 40 of them, at least, maybe even more were hiding in the background or... Dead. In front was the girl from earlier, and the boy, they looked like the oldest, probably 12 or 13. Then stood the small children, hanging onto their legs, protectively.

"We are," the girl-that-looked-oldest said. "We need saving."

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Doctor's POV

He and Rose were standing outside the entrance of the Trixitan city. Two bulky Trixitan guards greeted him. "Who are you? And what is your problem with the Trixitans?"

He flashed his psychic paper at him, and their eyes widened. "Oh, I apologize sir," one said, moving out of the way. "We were not aware of your title, sir."

He nodded to them, grinning at Rose, who merely rolled her eyes. They entered the city, peacefully, but his eyes fractioned at the condition of the city.

There were children lying around, looking half-starved, others sat weakly against the metal walls, staring into space. He even found a few dead bodies, of people who were just lying there to rot.

"Oh my," Rose gasped, looking at everything as he was.

"Overpopulation," he grimaced. "They probably aren't able to feed all these people."

"This is horrible," Rose whispered. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Nothing!?"

"For now," he added, before she could protest, he continued. "These people are dying, and we're going to help fix it, although we cannot really have a decisive say on their overall decision. It's their country, their planet. Their problem."

"You can't just leave them," Rose said, shockingly. "I mean, just look!"

"I did just look, Rose," he said, a slight growl in his voice. "I can't save everyone."

"So you just save who you can, and leave the rest? What are they, expendable?!"

He turned around so quick, he would've gotten whiplash, "I did not say that!" He argued. "I didn't say we were just going to leave them! I said we were going to let the leaders give their overall decision."

"Which is?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Like I said, it's their decision, not the decision that I made them choose."

Rose paused, then sighed, "Fine, I understand."

"You do?" He asked, confused.

"Yeah... You can't save everyone, so you save who you can, and who's left. I-I guess its better than nothing." He watched her for a moment, then nodded.

"Good. Good. You understand. You learn," he nodded approvingly. "Just like you apes, you learn quickly." Before she could respond, they had made it to the gate, where two guards were standing there, just like the outer one.

"Who are you?" One asked, and he showed him his physic paper. Once again, their silver eyes became saucers. "Oh, I'm sorry sir, please continue." He nodded, and he and Rise continued to the other side.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir," one of them said, and he turned around. "What is a high lord like you doing in this area?"

"I just like a change of scenery," he said causally. "Why is this city like this? Why is it in such a state? The Trixitan empire is a strong empire, what happened."

"You don't know?" The first one asked.

"We're not from this area," Rose lied for him.

"It's like this in every area," the other one argued. "This empire is facing its darkest times. The government cannot feed all the people, so they just... Gave up on them. They rose the taxes so they could have more money."

"So you're jus' gonna leave 'em!" Rose exclaimed.

The man held his hands up nervously. "I didn't say I was," he defended himself. "The government is. Trust me. I don't want them to. I used to live on that side, for half my life. It was horrible. Getting the chance to be a guard and move my rank up was amazing. Now I can have the chance to feed my family. It truly is a blessing..." The man trailed off, just as they entered the other side.

He had noticed the wall had been much thick separating the rich from the poor than from the poor and the outside world, but that wasn't the only thing he noticed.

The whole scenery changed. There were more advanced, cleaner, housing with gardens fully equipped with fountains and archways. He saw a park, with a few children scattered here and there, playing around. A large building was in the center of the city, which is he guess was where all the important conversations would take place.

He hurried over to the main building. "This is insane," Rose muttered. "It's like its rainy on one side, sunny on the other!"

"Aristocrats," he said. "They have money and don't worry about the people who don't. Some civilization have their own versions of the French Revolution."

"You mean the one with the rich and the poor," Rose asked, probably recalling her history class on this. "The poor revolted--"

"And both sides lost," he finished. "The unnecessary bloodshed was horrible," he frowned. "You apes were so tied up in trying to desperately get rid of all the rich, that you didn't even realize that you would destroy your own country trying to do so. You even invented a machine to kill them easier and more efficiently."

"Were you there...?" Rose asked.

"Not in this life, but in one of my previous," he replied, as he opened the door to a grand building entrance. There was a woman sitting at a reception-like table.

"Hello, how may I help you?" She asked cheerfully. Her hair was slicked into a tight bun, and she wore a standard white blouse and skirt. A forced, fake smile was plastered unto her face that was caked with make-up.

"We would like to speak with the leader," he said.

"I'm sorry, but Lord Geltalini is all full today with meetings," she said. "The next time he would be open is in..." She checked her small notebook. "Six years!"

"Six years?!?!" Rose exclaimed. "I'm not waitin' six years to talk to whoever's in charge!"

"I apologize ma'am," the woman said meekly. "But that is all we can do. Maybe if the matters were more urgent then--"

"It's alright," he said, making Rose loom at him.

"It is?"

"Yes, we understand, right Rose?" He gave he a forced smile, motioning her to follow his lead.

"Oh, yeah. It's-it's all good," Rose said. "You can't change that, we get it."

"T-thank you for understanding," she said, looking at the holographic screening, a slight blush apparent on her cheeks.

"I do have one question," He said, making the young woman look up at him. "Do you know anything about the children sinking into the ground?"

Her eyes slowly widened, "Wha-What are you talking about?! Children sinking into the ground, that's preposterous! That would never, ever happen in the Inner Layer!" She looked around, as if she was looking out for someone and sighed. "I must get ready for other consumers, so would you please excuse me."

She pushed a button, and a few seconds later, they were surrounded by large, burly blue skinned men and was 'kindly escorted out of the estate'.

Rose huffed at the men when they were kicked out. "What are we going to do now Doctor!?" Rose asked, frustrated.

"Were going to break in," he said, a grin on his face. He watches as a few guards were heading into the building through a side door. "And I've got just the idea."

>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<

Augusta's POV

Apparently, these kids had also been taken by the earth and experimented on as well. "But, why send the little one to ask me stuff?" I asked as we sat huddled by the side of the room, as close as we could get.

"They are the youngest," the girl stated. "Their ability to identify truth from lie is the strongest."

"Who are you anyway?"

"I am Dentelani, daughter of the Advisor of the Bellains Village, Dantattili," she introduced herself.

"How did you get here?"

Her eyes hardened, "I was the first to be taken... By my father."

I ruffled my eyebrows, "Wait, what?"

She sighed, "I think it would be better for Freyne to explain," she said, motioning to the boy beside her. He, unlike the girl, had blue skin and pink hair.

"We were taken by a group of people who decided that they were neither Bellain nor Trixitan. They call themselves the Nuetrals," the boy began, as he caressed the hair of the small girl beside him that lied on his lap. "The Neutrals were peaceful people at first, didn't affiliate themselves with government matters. Nobody would bother them, and they wouldn't bother back. Until, they became corrupt.

"It is believed that they stated going 'bad' when Dantattili joined them. He wanted to spark a war between the Bellians and the Trixitans, but the head counsel wouldn't allow it, seeing that they were neutral in all political matters. They stayed this way, until one day, the entire counsel died. Every last member.

"This created a panic between the people. Without a leader, they did not know what to do. Dantattili stepped in charge. He told everyone that if they sparked a war between the two groups, then they could let both races destroy each other, and then they would be the superior race. The people of the village believed his words, and foolishly followed him.

"He decided that it would be best to cleanse them of their filth of just being a Bellian or a Trixitan. He wanted to be both.

"He devised a team of researchers and scholars to study the body of the two races and how they could join them together, but apparently their body types just don't mix. They've created hybrids, failures, experimenting on children in order to make the better, supreme race of Bellixitans!" The boy finished, and my eyes were wide. They were experimenting on children. Just like with them. They wanted to make a more advanced race of humans, just like them. They were killing children to do so. They were evil.

I took a deep breath, "What do we do then?" I asked.

"We escape. We leave. We make sure that war is avoided at all cost," Dentelani said. "And we make sure to destroy this place before we do."