InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "frosty the snowman"

The Doctor (not_your_tardis) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2012-06-16 20:28:00

Entry tags:

jack harkness, jonathan crane, rose tyler, the doctor (10)

Who: The Doctor and Open
What: Having given his temper several days to decide, The Doctor visits a lake, sees Jack, and ends up getting in a fight with a very strange thing and....RUNNING!
Where: The Lake, and surrounding grounds, possibly spilling out into the city.
When: Saturday, June 16th, late evening
Rating: Likely PG - now updated to R, for language.
Notes: Random Scenes make me happy!

It had been one of his worst days ever, and since, he'd not run, but walked. He'd walked, and walked, being careful to stay away from any would be passerby, from anyone who might have spoke to him, from anyone who might have talked to him at all. The Doctor knew, understood, what his temper could do. He knew, better than anyone could have imagined, because he'd been there. He'd been the one to think it, to see it unfold in front of him, to make it happen. He'd been the catalyst for the greatest undoing, the greatest legends, across time and space - and he knew better than to risk subjecting anyone else to that.

His message had been heard, of that he was certain, but The Doctor gave no reply as he wandered the streets of this new city with a downcast gaze and tattered suit. He now understood just what was in front of him. Rose was here, Martha was here, even River Song was here. There was, of course, The Master as well, and several other voices he did not recognize. Everyone though, save three, and the voice of a child, were all reminders of how he'd failed and he wasn't entirely convinced the others weren't part of some strange time stream of his either, given how non-nonchalantly they'd responded.

At least now he knew that Molly had been telling the truth, and that meant there were others out there, another Doctor, at the very least - and that was never a good thing. The Doctor had struggled to find his bearings, wandering the city, trying to think. Did he trust The Master, was Wilfred really going to be fine? How could he even have known who he was talking about unless..

The Doctor didn't even finish the thought. There was no need. If it was The Master, somehow making his way back from the other side of the Time Lock, this place wouldn't look like this at all. There would be no park, no lake, no buildings, no city, no people. The Time Lords would have erased it all, and it simply never would have been. There was at least a small comfort in that, as he approached the edge of the lake, dropping down to his haunches to run his fingers through the blades of grass. He sighed, softly, whispering to himself the one question he always seemed to be asking himself.

"What do I do now?"

His dark eyes drifted skyward, as if the stars themselves might have an answer or, at the very least, a TARDIS.

That would have been nice.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

timeaftertime
2012-06-17 07:57 am UTC (link)

"It was the Blitz! There were bombs aplenty! What are you gonna do, throw a yo-yo at it?!"

He didn't chance throwing off his balance to look back at the monster, but he had to wonder at the sounds he was hearing. Was the thing getting tired? Was it really a human transformed or something else? The swipe came close enough for the air to throw his coat about and he was very glad it didn't tear the fabric.

"Doc!" He threw out an arm to point at the lake.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 08:03 am UTC (link)

"Better than you!" He shouted. "Trying to use a Banana as a gun! Mind you - I much prefer Bananas!"

The swipe and stumble was enough for The Doctor to stumble a step, the arm of his coat flapping away from his mouth for a moment before he tucked it back up against his face.

Was it..wheezing? Was it running out of Breath?

When Jack pointed at the lake The Doctor looked at him, quite serious. "Now is no time for a swim!"

Then it occurred to him and The Doctor started changing course, running straight at the lake.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

andintheendfear
2012-06-17 08:06 am UTC (link)

"Wrong...screaming..." Scarebreast yelled, stumbling after them.

Unfortunately, even for a creature for enhanced endurance, he could only use the reserves Jonathan had in the first place.

And Jonathan, for all his brilliance and medical training...didn't eat.

Scarebeast stumbled over his feet, collapsing to his hands, panting. A screaming growl was torn from his throat as his body shuddered and collapsed in on itself, shifting and mutating, leaving behind a naked Jonathan Crane who was clutching at the grass, as if trying to hold onto the ground.

The man was crying, soundless, but with large tears rolling down his cheeks, body shaking from strain and stress, bruises on his flesh from where the bones had shifted and mutated.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

timeaftertime
2012-06-17 08:11 am UTC (link)

"Because you tricked me! And it was sonic!"

He almost retorted when the Doctor caught on and veered towards the lake, Jack close with him.

Then the sounds behind them got very strange. Jack chanced a look both to see what they were and if the creature was following their changed course. The chase had abruptly ended, and Jack watched in confusion as the monster morphed into... well, a really pathetic sight.

"What in the..."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	not_your_tardis 2012-06-17 08:20 am UTC (link)
	"It was still a gun!" The Doctor shouted back, only to follow suit moments later when the chase ended. He paused for a moment, before his brows knitted in confusion and the screwdriver was turned, in a semi-threatening manner..or as much as one could threaten with a sonic screwdriver anyway..toward the man. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	andintheendfear 2012-06-17 08:27 am UTC (link)
	Jonathan coughed, blood specking his lips and he fell over onto his side, rocking in pain. He started crying in earnest, begging and appolagizing and praying, all done in a frantic, confusion filled jumble. Foggy, tea filled eyes focused on them, expression filled with pain that they were going to hurt him again. That he was going to hurt him again. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	timeaftertime 2012-06-17 08:31 am UTC (link)
	"Didn't see your banana getting us to safety, did I?" He kept his arm up as he was catching his breath, in case the gas hadn't quite dissipated yet. "... Huh. Okay... what?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 08:36 am UTC (link)

"It could have - very handy in a chase a banana." The Doctor defended, his chest rising and falling with the rapid intake of air through his coat.

He stared at the collapsed sight, the coughing and sputtering man, for a moment before he passed the screwdriver through the air in his vague direction and, very slowly, lowered his arm. He wasn't quite ready to jump in and try and save the man, not yet, too many variables, and he'd not had the best of day. Still, some instincts were hard to fight.

After a moment, The Doctor jogged up to the man. "Jack." He spoke sharply. "Help me get him near the lake. He needs water." Why? Because everyone needed water, almost always. That and if he did suddenly revert into a twelve foot tall monstrosity of straw that looked like something out of a farmers nightmare, they'd be a lot closer to water.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	andintheendfear 2012-06-17 08:41 am UTC (link)
	Jonathan coughed again, more blood staining the grass, groaning in pain, and fear, wanting nothing more then to curl up in a ball and die to escape the pain. He started struggling when the doctor mentioned water, whimpering in terror. They were going to drown him! "Let go of me!" he started screaming. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

timeaftertime
2012-06-17 08:45 am UTC (link)

"What, throw the banana and hope it's distracting?"

Although he had the natural instinct to think of the naked, frail, crying thing as with a certain level of sympathy, he couldn't help also considering the possibility that this was a way of luring in prey when chasing them didn't work. He approached cautiously, ready to pick the man up if the Doctor needed him to, but-- yeah, that wasn't going to happen easily, was it?

"Hey! Settle! Okay, why is he coughing up blood? What is he?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 08:51 am UTC (link)

"Banana's are slippery - well, I say bananas, I mean the peels." The Doctor commented, ignoring any protests to the contrary Jonathan might have made, and passed the screwdriver over his naked body.

"Human. Mostly Human. At least, basically human." The Doctor explained. "Some kind of altered genetics. I'd need the TARDIS to know more. The blood is likely from the massive energy recombination in the alternation phase of his metamorphosis - not unlike that of your vesperforms, but, mind you, they're physiology is built for that kind of things - humans are, well, not - well, I say not, but what I mean is that their genetic makeup is ill suited withstand prolonged or excessive reductions and expansions of it's base genetic code."

The Doctor dashed away, only to return with his hands cupped full of water, and held it out to the mans mouth.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

andintheendfear
2012-06-17 08:56 am UTC (link)

Jonathan refused the water for a long moment before accepting the drink, realizing the Doctor was trying to help him and not kill him.

A few sips in, when it was between licking the Doctor's hand and stopping, he laid back in Jack's arms, resting against the larger man's chest. "Toxin," he gasped out, throat raw.

"My lungs can't handle the toxin production, it explodes the bronchial sacs." He coughed again, gagging on the blood for a moment, before weakly collapsing against Jack again.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

timeaftertime
2012-06-17 09:02 am UTC (link)

He shifted the weight in his arms-- all too slight, did this guy even eat-- and listened to the Doctor. He grimaced as he imagined what was going on in those lungs. "So is that assuming he's been changed by something or was born as something else but didn't quite get the genes to accomodate this?"

"Toxin, huh? Are you coughing it up on me?" He really didn't want blood or anything else on the coat, for his own sake and for what Ianto would think of that. "Did somebody poison you?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 09:09 am UTC (link)

The Doctor waved the screwdriver over him again.

"Changed. This makeup is decidedly not human." The Doctor explained while he pondered what to do next. "Something about his genetic makeup and the chemicals produced when he's under stress - mind you, just a theory." The Doctor puzzled over him for a moment, before gently stroking Jonathan's hair, trying to help calm him. "He's had some real cowboys in there, and they've made an awful mess of him." The Doctor, at that moment, actually had a very real sense of pity for the man and...

...All of the sudden his eyes went wide.

"Cowboys!" The Doctor shouted, before jamming his mouth against Jonathan's and giving a deep inhale, doing his absolute best to draw the toxin out of the man, and literally spit it onto the ground next to them.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

andintheendfear
2012-06-17 09:12 am UTC (link)

Jonathan's eyes widened as warm, wet lips sealed over his and he almost paniced again, not used to being so close to someone.

Not since...

Well, it wasn't important.

An adorable, child-like pout crossed his lips as the doctor pulled away, spitting on the ground. "It wasn't that bad," he rasped. "You caught me by surprise,"

Yes, he knew what the Doctor was doing but still...

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	timeaftertime 2012-06-17 09:16 am UTC (link)
	This was definitely turning out to be a very bizarre day. "Wow, Doctor. Making me hold someone else while you kiss them. Y'know, if you wanted to make me jealous... ew." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 09:21 am UTC (link)

The Doctor was just about to repeat the gesture when he heard the man speak and he stopped, hovering just an inch or so above Jonathan's face.

"Humans. Here I am, saving your life, after you transformed into an awful straw monster that tried to kill me, and all you can think about is snogging." He looked genuinely appalled at the simplicity of their thinking for a moment, before brushing himself off and getting to his feet.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	andintheendfear 2012-06-17 09:23 am UTC (link)
	Jonathan opened his mouth to speak, and promptly expelled a cloud of toxin, gagging on it. As the toxin settled over him...he started to scream, fighting against Jack's hold, reacting as if something was attacking him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Grandmother!" he screamed. "I'm won't do it again.." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	timeaftertime 2012-06-17 09:28 am UTC (link)
	"Hey, we're human. Life-or-death circumstances, reminders of mortality, adrenaline kicks in, and wham-- we're jumping someone. You're just lucky I have as much self-restraint as I do." He leaned his head away, unnecessarily but instinctively, then shifted his grip. "Speaking of restraining...! Do I let him go?!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 08:02 pm UTC (link)

"Yes. Exactly. You're Human."

Of course, so was this man in front of them. Sure, he was a bit off from your average human but, well, so was Jack. Jack, however, didn't turn into an over sized monster, had never once tried to kill him, at least not directly, and had never once spewed a cloud of smoke from his lungs that had reduced himself, or anyone else, into a state of babbling panic.

"I think.." The Doctor said, after jumping back himself. "That might be a very wise idea."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

andintheendfear
2012-06-18 12:47 am UTC (link)

"Please, no grandmother, I'll be good...please.." Jonathan then screamed, loud and harsh considering his torn up throat, body arching backwards, spine bowed almost the the breaking point.

"Please," he whimpered as his body relaxed. "I won't..."

His heart rate had doubled, breathing sharp and fast, eyes wildly rolling, tracking things the others couldn't see. "NO!" he screamed again, and instead of Jack setting him down, he threw himself bodily from the man's body. "Don't hurt them, hurt me!"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

timeaftertime
2012-06-18 12:50 am UTC (link)

Before he could release his hold on the freaking out man, the man did it for him. Jack backed up and watched him warily. He wasn't about to let the Doctor get punched again, but then, it seemed like there were other things in mind than punching. Like some sort of paranoid hallucination.

"Doctor. I have cuffs. He needs help. There's a medical clinic, and-- well, one of the doctors there is Martha. And one of my old team, too."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

not_your_tardis
2012-06-18 01:34 am UTC (link)

The Doctor stood, puzzling in heartbreak over the insanity that he was witnessing. He couldn't even fathom where to begin and, again, he passed the screwdriver over the man, scrambling for answers. There was clearly a battle going on, and the human man, naked and scared, seemed caught in the middle. The Doctor stared at him for a moment, his hearts reaching out to the man.

"Use them." He spoke softly, his eyes settling over the man who'd just chased them with an expression that could only be described as pity, as he stepped up to the man.

"Listen to me." He spoke softly, dropping to his haunches, but still keeping his distance. "We're not going to hurt you - I promise - I won't let anyone hurt you, not now, not ever again, but you've got to trust me, right now." Whether or not the man would listen, was anyone's guess.

"And the handcuffs he's talking about, they're for our protection - but you know that, don't you? You don't want to hurt us, and we're really not in the business of getting hurt - had enough of that for one day, thank you."

"Please, I'm asking you nicely, come with us.." He looked to Jack, and back at the man.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

andintheendfear
2012-06-18 01:42 am UTC (link)

"Not...the clinic..." Jonathan managed to pant out, eyes focusing in on the Doctor. "It'll pass, it was.." he was cut off, forcing him to shut his eyes tightly against the crows trying to attack him before he was able to speak again. "Low dosage. Please, I work there, I don't...they don't need to see this,"

He didn't need another cast of co-workers to wonder if he was fit for his job, having to deal with that already at Gotham University and later Arkham Asylum.

"I have..." he glanced around, realizing he had no idea where his shredded clothes had gone, nor where the vial of antidote, probably broken, had vanished to. "Had an antidote," he gave a whimper, realizing that was his only vial.

And in his distress, the hallucinations doubled, forcing him to scream again.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

timeaftertime
2012-06-18 02:44 am UTC (link)

Jack took the cuffs out of his coat and said, mostly to himself, "Strong enough for a man, pH-balanced for a weevil..." Not pH-balanced, no, but they were very strong indeed to handle what needed cuffing around Cardiff.

"Luckily for you, this man is the Doctor. If you can tell him what makes up the antidote, he might well be able to whip it up from whatever's on hand." He had to stop with the cuffs to wince at the close quarters screaming. "Sounds like this is something recurring if he goes carrying around an antidote to it. He didn't just get attacked and changed."