realityshifted | θ 12 - Coup of the Zygons

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doctor who (d6) the tenth doctor

θ 12 - Coup of the Zygons

[This is it. The Doctor's recruited his friends and allies and currently, is fast at work running around the central console while he sets coordinates for the first of many locations. The ride is particularly bumpy, but thankfully for those unaccustomed to TARDIS travel, there are railings to hold onto, as well as a grated floor to cling to should anyone find themselves on the ground. (Hopefully not--but at least they'd be prepared in case things shift and the console room is perpendicular to it's original position.) All the while, the Doctor is shouting instructions as he has a lot to get through before he can let anyone out to their locations.]

Now, this batch of Zygons learnt from their predecessors and hid their ships much closer to populated areas so they could slip in and assimilate faster, thus speeding up their time-frame for the conversion of Earth to a more Zygon-friendly environment. So! They blocked off a few tunnels here and there after kidnapping a few key people who could help them hide their actions better, grew their semi-organic ship structure into the tunnels and whammo, a shelter for the many captive humans. [He pulls a face and wrenches down on a lever.] All right, never saying "whammo" again.

Anyway! [The TARDIS jerks again, but the Doctor is sure-footed as a mountain goat and only vaguely fumbles as he switches on yet another stabiliser which really doesn't do anything, but it's the thought that counts, right?] I'm going to try to get you all as close to the body-print machine tunnels as I can without setting off their sensors. Once you're in, make doubly sure you do not get caught. If any of you do and they take away your communications devices, then I won't have a way to know or help until it's too late. And don't let them touch you either; they could very well sting you if they're feeling up to it and, well, since you're in their ship, chances are very high that they will!

You'll know the body-print machines when you see people standing up with their hands up like they're about to be robbed. Each machine has four valve controllers, and to release each person--and yes, you've got to do it individually for every single person there or else you'll kill both the person and the Zygon linked to it--you need to gently massage and squeeze the ends of the two bottom levers. You'll see the person start to wake up, but they'll be a bit weak and disorientated for a couple minutes. Tell them you're there to help and that you need their help to get the others out. Then--well, you get the idea. The quicker you do so, the easier it'll be on you all. If you hear anyone coming, get them to hide back in their pods, and hide in one yourself. They don't exactly check to make sure they have too many extra.

Now that's the easy part. [The Doctor pauses to run to the opposite side of the console, and fiddles with a few other switches and dials. A moment later, the rocking in the TARDIS slows, the central column churning slower and slower but it doesn't stop yet. This gives him a chance to walk around freely now he's put the old girl into a holding pattern.] The harder part is getting the Zygons to leave their ship, make sure everyone gets out safely, and self-destruct their ship without getting yourselves hurt or drowned in the process. Thankfully, there are only so many Zygons per ship and they usually leave a couple behind to maintain the body-print machines and other systems, so you'll likely only have to lure them out of the control rooms. And since they don't exactly vary their ship designs, the control room should be near those machines in some way or another. Remember those four valve controllers? Hold up something hot like a match or lighter to it to induce a fire alarm. The Zygons should come out and leave it open for you lot to run in and lock the doors behind you. Just destroy the door controls of the door you just came through and that ought to do it. Once you're there, call me and I'll walk you through the next steps. Just be prepared to run when you do.

[And conveniently, that's when the TARDIS engines slow to a stop. He glances at it briefly, and then runs around to make sure everything is off and safe for disembarkation.]

All right, if any of you get in any kind of trouble or can't find what you're looking for, get a hold of me as soon as possible. And... [He trails off, putting on a small smile.] Good luck, and thank you.

[ooc: Time to stop the invasion! Information about Ten's plot can be found here if you missed it. Have any questions, drop me a line there!

For those already involved in the plot: I have four cities (NYC, Paris, Washington DC, and Tokyo, in addition to Birmingham for Oliver and Jamie) that the Doctor's going to drop people off to, and each city will have a comment to start that leg of the adventure. Tag into the city you want to visit! I strongly suggest no more than two people per city (and I'll be interacting with each thread as you need me as the Doctor or as any kind of narration you guys will need to get further along. If we get more people, I'll add more cities, but so far, it works out that everyone on the list will fit into these five, with one of you teaming up physically with the Doctor. (So if you want him, please say so! He'll just come back to that city if he's already left to drop others off.) Other than that, have fun! The Zygons sure will <3]

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[Narvin waits silently for the humans to leave, glad to see them go. He has to contain the impulse to mindwipe the whole lot. But there are too many of them, and he knows that the Doctor would object. Still, he doesn't like the idea of so many aliens just wandering off, memories intact, after getting a close up look at Time Lord technology, even antiquated Time Lord technology.

Once they leave, he paces the console room while the Doctor confers with his compatriot and stops only once the Doctor speaks to him. Narvin clasps his hands behind his back.]

Indeed. I've already seen one alternative Gallifrey there. It was more than enough.

[He says is quietly. And afterwards he has to follow that up with a snark to try to hide his discomfort at talking about the place the took his regenerations away.]

You were in the Axis once, weren't you. The incarnation who decorated himself with plant life, I believe. Rumour has it that you left the place in a highly disorganized state, as you generally do after you've been somewhere.

[He slowly makes his way up the central console, ready to bat away Narvin's hands if he tries anything again.]

If you already know what happened, then why ask? [He folds his arms in front of him.] More to the point, why are you there? Why is anyone there, especially anyone from the CIA?

You can blame Braxiatel for that. He schemed to steal the biodata archive banks, time scooped the whole lot of them. Unfortunately for us both, I was in the biodata archive at the time.

[Narvin leans back against one of the curving coral pillars.]

Now I'm stuck there, along with Braxiatel, Leela, Romana, her tin dog, the biodata archives and no TARDIS. And what's more the time scoop broke as well. So we're stuck there. All of us. All thanks to Braxiatel's brilliant plan.

[His eyes light up hearing that K9's still with Romana, but it's gone by the time the Doctor sweeps a hand through his hair.]

Ohhhh, he's really gone and done it now. And you lot complain about me! [He folds his hands in front of him.] Certainly explains why you've been so interested in my TARDIS. But the question is: where do we go from here?

Oh, I would be hard pressed to decide who was the greater troublemaker between you and Braxiatel.

Where I would like to go from here is back to Gallifrey. Except it seems to be missing. [He fixes the Doctor with a pointed look, hoping for a full explanation.]

[He can't help smirking.] Oh, Brax, clearly! [Though his own reputation has preceded him on far, far more occasions but, well, that happens when you're more travelled than your older brother...]

Tea! That's what's missing here. What we need is some...tea... [His expression falls when he glances in Narvin's direction. He realises that he...has no other excuses (and tea certainly isn't going to distract the other Time Lord). He isn't due to pick up Oliver, Jamie, and their wayward Zygon friend, though he very would could do, but something tells him Narvin will pitch a fit if he puts it off any longer, even if the strong to run and avoid the query longer is so very strong. But he stays put, steeling himself.]

There was a war. The Last Great Time War. [His arms wind around his body.] I won't tell you who we fought, but... I'm the only one left in this reality. I'm the last. [It still hurts to admit it no matter how many times he says it out loud.] All of them are gone--even you. [He steps forward toward Narvin.] You were one of the lucky ones. You didn't have to see what the Time Lords became in the end! You didn't have to see the whole of Gallifrey burn.

[Narvin steps back, subconsciously fleeing the Doctor's approach, or his words. He hits the rails around the edge of the console area and braces himself against them. It's the only way he can keep himself upright. His hearts are racing. He wants to deny it, to accuse the Doctor of lying, but he knows what a lie sounds like, and this isn't one. His throat is dry when he speaks and his voice is weaker than he would like.]

Do I ever return to Gallifrey? Can you answer me that? Do I fight and die in the war or am I just lost in the Axis forever? Stuck between realities?

[He isn't sure which answer would be worse.]

[It takes the sound of Narvin hitting the railing to almost snap him out of his anger and keep him from teetering over the edge into rage. He's made peace with much of what he's done, but he hasn't had to talk about this with any Time Lord on the Plane in a very long time. All of those emotions are stirred up again... And if it weren't for the Plane? He'd never have one to confess this to, full stop.]

All I remember is seeing your name listed as one of the thousands of dead before the final battles of the war. How or when... [He turns and moves a few steps away to lean against another bit of railing. His chest deflates as he releases a long sigh.] Maybe you're better off in the Axis. At least there you've got a chance to survive there.

[Narvin runs a hand through his thinning hair, unsure how to process this. He should never had asked about his future. He of all people should know better. But what's done is done, what's said is said.

He snorts.]

Survive? And spend my years wandering empty corridors, knowing that Gallifrey's destruction is creeping ever nearer and being wholly helpless to do anything to stop it? I don't say this lightly, but dying might actually be better.

[He shouldn't ask anything else. He really shouldn't.]

And Leela? Romana?

It would be better than dying there. And in some other universe, perhaps Gallifrey still lives and thrives, and never was burnt. There's got to be one that never got dragged into such a war. Find it, and bring Leela and Romana with you.

[That should be answer enough about what happens to them in the end.]

We've been trying, but so far the other Gallifreys we've encountered haven't been the sort of place one can settle down and live out lives in peace and prosperity. If their general moral reprehensibility weren't bad enough, they all seem to be doomed, too, each in their own unique way.

[So many Gallifreys, so many ways to fall.]

[The Doctor's expression falls when he hears that.] There's got to be one. Probability alone, right? [It's a rather desperate question, all things considered.]

What's happened to the other Gallifreys?

Perhaps. That doesn't mean we'll ever find it, especially not in the Axis. Failed timelines created by temporal experiments aren't the best place to look for peace and stability. [Narvin is forever a pessimist.]

Some of the Gallifreys were on the brink of war, others were temporal disasters waiting to happen...

[He starts pacing, a hand worming its way through his hair as he thinks.]

You've got to keep trying, temporal disasters or no. There's got to be one. [His pacing keeps up for a moment longer before he rounds on Narvin again, a desperate look in his eye.] Promise me you'll try and keep on trying. It's all for your reality--for Romana and Leela.

Romana would never give up on Gallifrey, Doctor, and neither will I.

[What he isn't sure is whether that means that their duty is to survive, even if it means abandoning their universe, so a few more pieces of Gallifrey's legacy continues, or to return to their Gallifrey and try to stop its destruction and probably die in the process.]

Oh Rassilon, Romana. She doesn't know yet. [His hand presses against his forehead as he wonders whether it would be better to tell her when he returns to the Axis and leave the decision to her, or to keep her blissfully in the dark, like he now almost wishes he still was.]

I know. [He cracks a smile.] Between the three of you, you'd make the stubbornest of bulls look agreeable.

Well... [He trails off, scratching the back of his neck.] At one point in time here, she--or a version of her from a different reality, anyway--did know about it. Or so I heard. Never did get to see her myself...

[If he sounds a bit sad about that, it's because he is. He misses her, despite everything that's happened.]

Romana? Here? Well, if she was from my universe, she never told me about it.

[Which didn't exclude the possibility. He knows that he's still not entirely trustworthy in her eyes.]

She may not remember. When people leave for good--or more to the point, when the Machine is done with them, they're sent home and will not remember anything about the Plane or anything that happened to them here.

[He looks down for a second, thinking about those he's met and never seen again--and then he's past that moment. He's got the future to think about, as well as those who need him now. He dashes back to the central console and starts inputting coordinates.] On that note, I need to pick up a wayward Zygon. Would you like to stay to welcome him after I've picked up Haygoth?

[Narvin smiles thinly.]

It would be my pleasure.

[Narvin would enjoy giving a CIA welcome to a hostile alien. (He wonders if the Doctor might have a mind probe stashed away in this mess of a TARDIS. Alas, probably not. The Doctor is almost as bad as Romana about such things. Still, he can hope.)]

[The Doctor makes a slight face. Maybe he ought not have told him that but at least it'll distract the other Time Lord from everything he's learned.] Then you might want to hold on to something.

[He cranks back on a lever, the TARDIS engines wheezing to life. (Poor Narvin will be very disappointed to learn that the Doctor doesn't have anything of the sort stored on the TARDIS. Nor does he have any intention of letting the Time Lord interrogate the Zygon. With Haygoth's help, they'll be able to convince this Zygon that letting him help relocate the Zygons to a new home is the best thing for them all.]

[Narvin reacts to the Doctor's warning a nanospan too late and ends up stumbling and sprawling on the floor again. He swears under his breath in Gallifreyan and crawls back to his feet, firmly holding on to one of the coral-like columns as the TARDIS rocked in flight.]

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θ 12 - Coup of the Zygons

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