realityshifted | 11; I told you I was trouble [Yeah, you know that I'm no good]

Because nothing ever goes right when you're involved! Because you ruin everything. [and she shakes, glaring angrily, before the lights suddenly flash back on, startling her. Lucy jumps and her hand hits the button he directed her toward -- she snaps it away from the console, terrified she's done something wrong] Just make it stop, please.

Just wait one minute, see what the Fault Locator says!

[moves towards the console again, moving around Lucy, but hesitates before looking at the reading, scared he might break something at this point if he touches it, so he looks over at the Doctor]

Maybe you should check it.

Working on it, Lucy. You've just got to trust me. [desperately] This is probably just a fault. Some reaction to the outside.

[rushes over to the fault location panel and narrows his eyes]

It can't be right. Probably broken. I'll...check outside.

[shakes her head, laughing hollowly, staring at her hands and the sonic screwdriver still in her lap] Trust you. I trust you, Doctor. So please...

[looks up at him, then toward Handy, before looking at the door] Don't leave me, please.

[musters up some sympathy for Lucy and puts on a fake annoyed tone]

Can't leave you alone in here anyway. You're liable to make the situation even worse, left to your own devices, I'm sure.

[still holding the twine, he finally crouches down to check out the fault locator]

What? That's... [stands back up and looks towards the Doctor] Feet still on the ground and we all seem to be breathing, it's got to be wrong right there, doesn't it?

Maybe the fault's in the fault locator. Or maybe...

[maybe not? The facts are these. There are three occupants in the TARDIS, two human, one Time Lord. All three have adrenaline pumping through their veins due to fear. The fear is induced by a lack of control of their current situation, perhaps a fear of the dark, or fear of abandonment. All of these fears are being perpetuated by the current situation. A situation that the Doctor is being asked to remedy. However, he can't figure out what's broken in the TARDIS, not when everything seems to be malfunctioning at once.]

Won't be a mo'.

[Gets to the door and nods back to Lucy to open it up]

I...

[looks at him pleadingly, obviously afraid, her hand shaking on the control to open the door. she can't quite do it. her whole world is currently falling apart because of this man but he still means something to her and his presence is the only thing keeping her from completely breaking down and if he leaves she really will be alone -- no Harry, no Doctor -- and so she can't quite open the door, her eyes seeking out Handy's, either because she needs him to help her do it or needs him to stop the Doctor, either or at this point]

[Handy sees Lucy looking at him, and locks eyes. He wraps the twine around his one hand, because there's no way he's letting the Doctor disappear again. He moves over to the console. He stands beside Lucy, hoping to at least get her to push the button herself, to avoid even further panic once the Doctor does step outside]

Lucy, He'll be right on the other end of this. [holds up the twine and realizes just how stupid this is, and how easily the Doctor could just let go if He wanted to, but still clings to it either way] I'm not letting Him leave, He's just poking His head out there to see what's happened.

[raises an eyebrow and gives her a small smile] Like hell I'm letting myself get stuck here alone with you, yeah?

But we can't get back to where we belong unless He can get outside and see what's happening. We need you to push that button. You can do that much, can't you?

[right, now, figure out how to not go flying out if there's some sort of shielding error. The Doctor locks an arm around the railing, and takes in a long, deep breath.]

Watch the fault locator when it opens! Only the door should register!

[Handy's words help a bit and Lucy giggles, her stress momentarily broken by the human Doctor's cheek] That would be horrible, wouldn't it? That would certainly be a proper sort of torture, being stuck with you. [her hand still shakes, but she nods and pulls the lever to open the door, not looking at the Proper Doctor as she does so, focusing on Handy instead] Don't let him go. Please.

[grins] Torture would be putting it mildly.

[and he really doesn't want the Doctor going out there either at this point, but he remembers those Fault Locator readings at the Doctor's words, and just holds onto that twine a little tighter]

If we're ever going to get out of here, He has to. He'll only be a moment. Probably be back before we even notice He's gone.

Edited 2009-02-01 05:58 (UTC)

[the door opens and white light shines into the room, along with a sudden gust of wind. The Doctor curls himself around and looks back and forth]

There's nothing out there!

[giggles a little at Handy's remarks and is about to respond to him, but the Doctor's exclamation rather catches her off-guard and she looks up at him, raising one slender eyebrow in an attempt to mask her fear of 'nothing']

What do you mean? We can't be nowhere. We have to be somewhere! We have to be able to go back! I have to be able to go home!

[he blinds his eyes from the light, even he can see that, regardless of mergers it seems. he quickly leans over Lucy, shutting the doors, before rushing over to where the Doctor is]

Are you sure?

It's not the same nothing as the end of the universe nothing. It's like the Void. White and empty. But solid. It's why we've landed.

[considers this] I've seen something like this before. [but where?]

[steps over to Lucy] We're going to get back. You're safe, see? Told you you'd be safe.

Safe isn't home. [sets her jaw, meeting his gaze, then turns away] So we've landed but there's nothing. What does it mean, exactly? Where are we and how do we get out of it? You've dealt with this before, right? You said you've seen it. So what are we supposed to do?

[he stares at the door. part of him wants to open it up, just to see what's out there. he presses a hand to the door, almost ready to push it open, before moving away. if he did that it would all fall apart, the console room, everything wouldn't it. not that everything hasn't fallen apart enough as is. instead he turns around facing Lucy and the Doctor]

But it's not the Void, right?

We've got to think. Figure out what we do know and what it could be.

We've got nothing outside. Raw energy being drained from the TARDIS to the point in which it's killing her. Hence, the light fluctuation and the Cloister Bell.

[to Handy] Coordinates weren't set to the Void.

Dying? [looks between both men, then the TARDIS column] What do you mean it's dying? It can't die! We have to be able to leave!

[okay, so she's on the verge of panic now, thanks a lot boys. Lucy stands, staring at the console] If we just move it, it can't be drained, right? Can't you just make it hop or something? [reaches out, ready to just hit random buttons] Harry does that sometimes when he doesn't need to go far. Why can't we just do that?

[lying to Lucy now, because panic isn't what they need, even though he might be panicking a huge amount right now] It's not dying. He's just being overdramatic, you know how He is.

[moves towards the console again, moving around the Doctor and Lucy to look at the Fault Locator]

The readings, they're all over the place now.

Lucy, the TARDIS isn't an it, she's like a person, and you can't just thrust her around. That's how the Master nearly killed her. What we're going to do is just calm down and figure this out rationally.

[calmer] Please, Lucy. I need your help. The TARDIS needs your help.

[pushes a few controls, then to Handy] Are any of the lights on the control panel on? I can't set the coordinates, they seem to be jammed.

Harry also never got me trapped in nothingness, Doctor. I do rather think his track record is currently better than yours.

[sniffs angrily, but finally sighs, twisting the sonic screwdriver between her fingers] What do you need me to do, then? I don't... [a beat, looking at Handy] I'm not one of you. I don't know what to do.

[he looked at the control panel then pushed out from where he was and came to a stand next to the Doctor]

They keep going on and then blinking off just as quickly. It's fluctuating too quickly to - [he hesitated] - for me to be able to know anything one way or another. You can take a look if you want.

[to Lucy] Those wires the Doctor told you to reconnect, the green wires to the yellow port. He said you know how to do that?

[he forced himself to swallow any bitterness he felt knowing that. there'd be plenty of time for that after they were out of here]

You're not going to be trapped into nothingness, Lucy! We're not trapped!

[drops down where Handy had just been] It's flashing too fast for me, too. Some of the lights are staying on. Just...not the control panel. But that's all that isn't working. I didn't set coordinates before!

Well we aren't moving, either! [glares, then swallows back anything else she's about to say and nods in Handy's direction] I do. He showed me how a short while ago. I'll do that while you two fiddle about uselessly up here.

[frowns, crouching down beside the console, before winnowing her way underneath to where she helped the Doctor before with the rewiring. at least when she's under the console, she doesn't have to worry about keeping her expression steady or keeping up appearances in front of Handy]

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