realityshifted

Entry tags:

[017]

[Menzies appears in the middle of the Plane clearly arriving straight from work. she's in a suit, as well as wearing an ID card hanging from her neck and a belt of police gear around her waist. however, her hair is disheveled and she looks very concerned about something. ignoring her surroundings, she pulls her right arm against her, twisting the fabric of her shirt so see can see the underside of it. she frowns down at a small round scortch mark on her shirt for a moment before she presses against it, still frowning, but showing no sign of pain as she prods at the area]

[after a moment, she lets her arm go and now stares down at her own hands in confusion--as though she expects to find some sort of answer there. she considers silently for a bit, chewing her lip. but eventually she sighs before mumbling to herself:] I wish I had a knife...

[ooc: Menzies' wish has had the accidental side effect of making her invulnerable for a month! Just a warning that if you give her something sharp, she's going to do a little (ultimately harmless) test with it.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He scoffs.]

Don't be ridiculous. Ice is useless against a staser stun. It will simply have to wear off.

[At least it's just his arm and not full body unconsciousness.]

And since this is your fault, if a deadly alien should pop up in the next hour and try to kill us, I expect you to protect me while I'm incapacitated. It shouldn't be too hard, considering you're now apparently unkillable.

[dryly] Oh, obviously.

Is it really? [now it's her turn to scoff. but considering that staying with Narvin could be a good opportunity to learn more about him--and protecting others is part of her calling in life--she relents. not that she's exactly making a concession, of course]

All right, then. So how about we find somewhere more...defensible. And while I'm guarding you, you can tell me what you meant about being a refugee. [she smiles mock-sweetly, wondering how he'll react to the request]

[Narvin is starting to wonder if perhaps he miscalculated here, by giving her an excuse to stick close and question him.]

Are you always this nosy or am I just the lucky recipient of your curiosity?

[Narvin's life philosophy: When in doubt or trying to chance the topic, snark.]

[with mock surprise] Oh, did you not know I'm a Detective Inspector? Pity.

So...refugee? [her smile is definitely a smirk now]

How could I forget. [He grumbles.]

My world has been struck by a pandemic. I was taken away against my will, but now I'm unable to return. I'm stuck between the Plane and the Axis, one dimensional nexus or another. And even if I could go home, without a cure to the virus, returning means watching my people fall to infection with nothing I can do to stop it.

[that was both remarkably forthcoming and terrible enough to wipe the smirk from her face] Gallifrey!? Really? [for once, her tone isn't skeptical--just shocked. because that seems like the sort of thing the Doctor should have mentioned--unless it's after his time, but that would have to be after even the Doctor she's met here, which surprises her] I'm sorry.

[but this also brings another question to her mind. she gives Narvin an uncertain look] Wait. If you are stranded, how exactly did you think going to my Manchester would be able to help you?

The Axis is completely cut off from normal time and space, out of synch with the universe. From your world, even as far away as it is, there would be some possibility of contacting Gallifrey.

[And since he's said all that, he might as well add:]

My name is Narvin.

[though the Doctor already told her his name, she knows the concession he thinks he's making, so she acknowledges it with a nod] Well, Narvin, my name 'asn't changed. And our universes might not be the same, but... [she sighs. she might not be so apt to allow him to come her world, especially since she still doesn't really trust him, but the Doctor did vouch for him as well--that far, at least. and she does want to help if she can] I'll bring you to Manchester.

[in a more business-like tone, she adds:] But I've gotta finish my shift first--not to mention you might want to 'ave two working arms. So, since I've got about an hour left, either you guard yourself from aliens 'ere for an hour and I go back to Manchester, or we wait 'ere and then I finish my shift. What's your pleasure?

Really? [The word blurted out of him. After lying to her he hadn't expected her to offer to help willingly. His luck is almost never that good.

On the other hand, his right arm is completely numb from a foolish accident, so perhaps he's owed a little bit of luck.]

What about a third option? We both go to Manchester now and I lay low until the stun blast wears off while you spend the hour finishing your duty shift.

[After being attacked by that red-eyed maniac on his very first arrival on the Plane, he's been a little suspicious of it. But Manchester should be perfectly safe. What could go wrong?]

[it would probably be a surprise to Narvin to learn that, at least in part, he has the Doctor to thank for this "luck"--though it's also due to Menzies' nature and the fact that she assumes she would be harder to double-cross while invincible]

No, I made it up. [the statement is clearly sarcastic. but at his new option, she shakes her head. there are limits to how far she's willing to trust him--not that she's going to say it like that if she doesn't have to, of course] Ah, no. I'd rather not bring a Time Lord into the middle of a crime scene if it's all the same to you. So...? [she waits expectantly for his decision]

So the Doctor has never been involved in any of your cases? I find that hard to believe. [If only because the Doctor likes to stick his nose in everything.

But it's Menzies' world and so he has to follow her rules.]

Very well. Finish your shift. If I should die in your absence, I'll blame you.

[But even Narvin has to admit to himself that it isn't likely. If something attacks him on the Plane he can always jump back to the Axis.]

[she snorts] I didn't say I hadn't. Just that I'd rather not do it again. Which comes as a shock, I'm sure. [she leaves why her experiences with the Doctor would have led her to that conclusion up to his imagination]

[airily] I'll, ah, keep it in mind. See you back 'ere in an hour.

[and with that she disappears from the Plane--but she does come back to the same spot just over an hour later. she looks around to see if Narvin's there as agreed, though she'd be surprised if he weren't]

[Narvin wasn't attacked by any aliens, vampires, or monsters while Menzies was away. Although he still looks a little put out at having to wait.]

Finally. That was more than an hour. [Not by much, but Narvin's going point it out anyway.]

'ow observant of you! [by which she means she doesn't feel the need to justify the discrepancy. she probably wouldn't under any circumstances, but at the moment she mostly just doesn't see any need to tell him that she found what appears to be a bulletproof vest of no making she can identify--but in exactly her size--waiting for her at her desk. by this point, she's really starting to wonder what in the world is making the Plane so generous today]

I take it your arm's recovered? [she offers him a hand] Anyway, I'm ready if you are. I'm on a side street, so you shouldn't be making too much of an entrance. [thoughtfully, she adds:] What sort of equipment are you gonna need to contact your planet, anyway? I might be able to call in a favour--since you'll owe me one anyway.

[she thinks nothing of how odd this might sound. after all, for her it's a constant relief to be able to talk openly about her alien contacts with people from the Plane. but of course, if Narvin was only assuming that she'd met the Doctor, he might be in for a surprise]

As it happens, the name "Time Lord" isn't just a fancy title. [And Narvin is uptight enough to notice every microspan as it passes in his time senses, when it suits him to do so.]

[He gives her his right hand, just to show that he can move it again.]

A molenski univarius would come in handy, but I doubt Earth is sophisticated enough to have anything even comparable.

[she chuckles at that rather condescending remark, but she closes her eyes and brings them to Manchester before she replies]

[they appear on an empty street, which is really no more than an alley between several stores opening onto another street at each end of the buildings. since they're in the city, it's exactly what one might expect--dirty, with clear sounds of traffic coming from the streets nearby. for now, Menzies stays where she is, planning to get some information before they go anywhere]

[she lets go of Narvin's hand, still visibly amused. she'd been expecting that an alien would know about the situation on Earth, but she realises that either Narvin doesn't or he's just assuming that she's not privy to it]

Actually, I didn't mean the natives. What races--other than yours--would 'ave that technology? I might know one. And if not, I know a couple aliens around town who seem to 'ave a lot of technology access. One of them might be able to 'elp. So...? [and she waits for a clearer explanation--and to see how he reacts to this revelation. she's smirking rather smugly now]

[Narvin glances around at the dirty alleyway when they arrive. 21st century Earth really isn't much to look at from what he can observe, and he wonders what the Doctor sees in the place.

He eyebrows go up as Menzies speaks.]

You might know--? [His voice is shrill with disbelief.] How would you be on friendly terms with aliens? You're just an ordinary police detective. [So he'd assumed. But now he's reassessing.]

[she gives a short laugh at that, amused by his rather insistent denial] You know, I don't think that description's applied in at least five years now. [she's still smirking, probably enjoying this a bit too much]

[but since, based on the look on his face, he's now expecting an explanation from her, she continues] I'm, ah, what you might call the police liaison for the aliens living in Manchester. If they've got a problem related to the law, they come to me. And in return, I get favours from them. Which in this case means you might be able to get one, as long as we can get in touch with the right person. Unless you'd rather rely on native Earth technology? But somehow I doubt my mobile's got the range you're looking for.

Indeed not.

[Well then. That changes things.]

A hypercube would be ideal. Failing that, a light-speed overdrive, a Vaspan space-time stamp, or any sort of sub- hyper- or vortex-space communications array would suffice.

What does UNIT think of your liaison efforts? Do they know about it?

Right. Fleming's it is, then. Come on. [she ushers him after her as she heads along the alley] I'm in the carpark up the block.

[at the question, she glances curiously in his direction. she still doesn't entirely trust him, so she has to wonder if that's curiosity of his own or if he's trying to gather some sort of ammunition. still, she thinks he would be hard-pressed to do any damage with the answer, so after a pause, she says:] They know. The Doctor put me in touch. Basically, they're counting on me to let 'em know about any big stuff going on. I suppose it's a bit easier getting that sort of information from me instead of expecting the aliens around town to expose each other.

[and she has a feeling the Doctor influenced their decision, though she doesn't know what he said to them]

[In Narvin, curiosity is always both inherent and an attempt to acquire leverage through knowledge. He's been in the CIA so long now that the motives were inseparable.][He sniffs at her answer.] The Doctor. With the messes he makes I'm surprised the local authorities don't lock him up.

[His scorn vanishes when they leave the alley, however. The last time he was on Earth it was over seventy years ago, local time, and a lot has changed since then. He freezes as the sudden, unexpected alien hustle and bustle and noise of a 21st century city hits him fully.]

[she chuckles, amused at how he put that] Trust me, we have. More than once. [and that's just her personally, at that]

[for a second, she doesn't realise that Narvin has stopped, so she's already a few steps ahead of him when she stops herself and turns around] You all right? [she frowns, trying to follow his line of sight in case there's something to be concerned about out there]

I'm perfectly fine. [He bites out. He doesn't want to show weakness to an outsider, a human whom he doesn't know well. But despite his words, he's still frozen to the spot.]

It's simply very...alien. [And Narvin is having a bit of culture shock. He starts as a lorry rumbles by, far louder than the ground transports on Gallifrey.]

[she looks at him, considering. she's seen some adverse alien reactions to situations that seem perfectly natural to her before, so it only takes her a moment to decide how to react. in this case, she takes the hard approach, based on the sort of man she thinks Narvin is] Right. Well, I'm going to my car. Follow if you like, or you can 'ead back to the Plane and I'll get you when I get to Fleming's.

[and she turns and continues forward--at a natural but leisurely pace. she wants him to have a chance to catch up if he does decide to go after her]

[He hesitates for only a moment, then pulls himself together, twists his mouth into a determined frown, and strides off after her.]

After all the trouble it took to get here, I'm hardly going to leave now.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject