trans_9 | Distractions [Open]

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Distractions [Open]

After helping Kaylee while her arm was hurt, Jamie was curious as to exactly what it would take to try and learn enough about simple repair to try and do the same with the Engineering department. The work in the city wouldn't take forever, after all, and while there were other things he agreed to do, he didn't think they would take a lot of his time. He could volunteer for security, but he wasn't sure if that was something he really wanted to do. And since there wasn't really a 'creeping along corridors' department, maybe this would be some other way he could help.

He had managed to get the information onto one of the data pads and settled down for a good read. Some time later, however, he found himself staring at the screen in dismay. There was a lot more to it than he had expected. Sure, he could push buttons and throw levers when directed - and he had helped fix that one frayed wire. But everything else...

"Och," he muttered, pushing the pad aside in frustration. Maybe later, he'd look at it again. Right now, he needed to do something, anything other than just sit there and stare at a wee little screen and try and figure out what it all meant. Maybe a walk was in order. After some aimless wandering, Jamie found himself in the vehicle bay. It was as good a place as any, he supposed. He'd just have a quick peek around, then get back to work.

It was when he was nosing about that he heard the sound. He was being very careful not to actually touch anything - you never knew when someone would show up and get all upset over some imagined scrape and blame you for it. That meant it wasn't anything he had done...so it was likely someone else was there with him.

Raising his voice so it would carry a bit, he called out, "Hey, anyone there?"

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"Well, if ye say so..." Jamie says uncertainly, but Billy does seem to have recovered quickly enough. As long as his friend doesn't suddenly pass out, he figures it probably is just a bump.

There's a shrug, and although he tries to keep it non-committal, there's a bit of residual frustration that Billy might be able to pick up on. "I was in the Media Library, and I was trying to learn some things, and...I decided it would be better to go for a walk."

He just wound up wandering in, really.

Ah, the old 'walk and think' quest, one Billy was very familiar with. He nods understandingly at Jamie. "Sometimes the brain isn't ready to process things when you first try to memorize them. Walking and returning later usually helps me---but maybe you're not in the mood to return," he supposes, glancing at Jamie's face curiously. Billy's slowly learning to understand his friend.

Carefully running his hand over the bump and trying to suppress the twitch that produces, Billy tries to work through Jamie's problem. "Do you need a distraction?"

"If there wasn't so much to learn...och, I don't know." Jamie's still got to sort through what he wants to do with that. And Billy's right. He's not really in the mood to return - not at the moment.

Something to take his mind off his problem seems to be just about right. "Aye," he says slowly. "A distraction. That sounds like a fine idea." He's looking over the Radbug curiously. He's not completely unfamiliar with the concept of the automobile - and this particular model actually looks a little bit like ones he's seen before. But he wouldn't think too much of it, if it wasn't for that strange contraption on the back.

"What is this, anyway?" he asks, gesturing in the general direction of the back of the car.

"Right. It's easy to get overwhelmed---that happened to me when I was trying to learn about technological developments that came after my era. I've only worked through communications technology in all this time." Billy shrugs, thinking that shaking his head wouldn't be a wise move. There was so much to learn, far more than any human could absorb in an average lifetime.

But he isn't here to talk about that, he's here with his car and Jamie. When he opens his mouth again, there's a sharp note of pride in his voice. "This is my Radbug, a car I modified some time ago to be capable of flight and advanced speed. I can't believe it survived!"

One of his hands glides happily over the hood, curling around to the apparatus at the back and patting it fondly. "That's the high-powered fuel accelerator that produces the energy needed for flight---when I activate it from inside the car, a force is generated that pushes down hard on the ground at an angle, pushing the car into the air."

Jamie knew that Billy was quite smart, but never realized he was capable of being able to create a flying car - well, modify one to fly, anyway. Whichever way you put it, he's impressed. He walks around to the back to get a better look at the apparatus.

"So, ye are saying that that fuel accelerator-thing allows ye to actually lets the car go in the air and fly like ye would in those cars on that one Earth we visited?"

There's a speculative glance upward at that. "I wonder...would ye have enough room in here to test it out?"

"Affirmative---wait, you've been to an Earth with flying cars before? Mine was the only functioning one I knew of on my world. Most people didn't believe such a thing could exist." Billy smiles, imagining that so-often pursued sci-fi fantasy of the flying car. He'd made it a reality in his own garage, and surely that meant it would come into common use later, but their invention sure was later than writers of the 50s had expected.

Jamie's last comment gets a conspiratorial grin from Billy. "It might be a little tight," he decides. "And I would be irresponsible as a driver if I failed to secure permission first. But it's a strangely tempting idea." He'll have to think some more about that.

"Well, aye," Jamie replies, looking puzzled. "When we helped the Holiday Spirit. Jono and I went to London in one." Maybe Billy took another means of transportation when he was down there? He shrugs.

"I'm just glad he drove. I'm no sure I wouldna have been able to fly one." Jamie...can ride a horse. Cars are a bit beyond him, at least in terms of steering. He doesn't mind being a passenger, however. And he wouldn't mind getting to ride in a flying car again. Especially since Billy apparently knows what he's doing with the Radbug.

"Aye, I suppose making sure it's okay first would be a good idea." Although not quite as much fun as spontaneously going for a ride. And the tight quarters might be a problem. Unless... "Hey! It drives like a regular automobile, right?" Goliath moved Elisa's car elsewhere, so Jamie thinks the corridors would fit this car as well. "Maybe there'd be room in the City to fly it?"

Billy takes this moment to slap his forehead, eliciting one more tiny yelp for bonus effect. "Oh, of course! I piloted that car, how did I forget? Maybe I bumped my head harder than I thought," he tries to joke. "Anyway, I thought you were referring to a place you visited with the Doctor. Sorry about that."

Grinning awkwardly, he considers the logistics of flight. "It's possible, but I'm not sure I have a safe place in the City to park it. I haven't noticed any familiar landmarks down there. I'd need to install a security system first, and there are people as smart as or smarter than me on board who could work around it."

Oh, what a conundrum. He was strongly considering tossing the rules out the window and hopping into the car now. "Well...maybe I can ask Stacy? If Goliath could drive a car out of here without too much trouble, flying one can't be too different as long as I'm cautious." A weak attempt at justification, but the best he could think of right now. Goshdarnit Jamie, why do you make him want to do things he probably shouldn't?

There's a rather concerned look sent Billy's way. "Are ye sure you're okay?" If he's forgetting about piloting one of the flying cars...maybe he did hit his head harder than he thought. Jamie resolves to keep a bit of a closer eye on him. Just in case.

"Well," he says thoughtfully, "There was that travel capsule on Dulkis, but that was a wee bit different. The Doctor had to take it to pieces to get it to land before it was supposed to." There's a faint disparaging noise from him at the memory. "Ye would think the fact we were traveling at heaven knows what speed at the time would have made him think twice about it, aye?"

In retrospect, it really was the only way for the Doctor to get the capsule to land. Better that than the Quarks that were waiting at the pre-determined stopping point.

Dragging his thoughts away from their time on Dulkis, Jamie turns his attention back to the flying car issue. "I suppose it would make more sense to have some place down there to put it rather than moving it back and forth, but I bet we could find some place to keep it that's not being used. I don't know why ye would worry about security systems, though." He really doesn't think that anyone would make off it with it. If they really wanted to, they could do that here just as easily as down in the city. He decides not to point that out, however.

Instead, he asks hopefully, "Could ye maybe ask, then? It'd be...verra distracting." Sometimes just going ahead and doing things you probably shouldn't is fun, Billy.

"I think so. My memories had gaps in them before the bump. This one just completely slipped my mind." Billy tries to smile reassuringly at Jamie.

He flashes a smile at the story of the Doctor's antics, imagining what sort of trouble the odd Time Lord must have gotten Jamie into. "Sometimes there isn't time to think in a crisis. Though I agree, it sounds dangerous."

Now, though? The ideas churning in Billy's mind are all about what he can do with the car. He feels that it's safer here because Stacy isn't as able to deter thieves in the City, but perhaps he can park somewhere well-hidden. And there /was/ that name recognition tech he'd installed to prevent a flying car being unleashed on Angel Grove with unskilled hands. Hmm.

A split second later, Billy's throwing open the door. He'd checked over the Radbug's condition before Jamie's arrival, and it seems to be road/air-ready, but there is only one way to find out. "I may regret this shortly, but hop in. We're going to the City for a distraction---if you're still interested."

Jamie doesn't seem entirely reassured by that smile, and his expression reflects that. However, he decides not to press the issue for the moment.

"Aye, well. That's not unusual, with the Doctor," he says with a shrug. Danger does seem to lurk around every corner when you travel with him. It's part of the excitement.

Speaking of which, Jamie is climbing in through the door practically before Billy gets a chance to get it fully open. Settling into the seat, he turns to investigate the window. He likes propping his elbow up when it's possible, and doesn't see any issues with doing so while they're flying. He's not really thinking that the car might be able to go fast enough that it'd be a problem.

"Hey, can I open this?"

"Go ahead! I don't believe we can go high or fast enough in the confines of the City for air to be an issue." Billy buckles up responsibly, imagining for a split second how Trini would wail on him if he didn't. Once Jamie is settled, they're on their way.

He gently beeps the horn as they travel slowly along the hallways, ensuring that no one is in danger of being hit before they have a chance to take off. "It seems to be running smoothly so far, but the true test is in the air."

Oh, right. Jamie glances over as Billy buckles himself in and stops fiddling with the window long enough to make sure he's strapped in as well. Then, of course, it's right back to getting the window rolled down. "Aye, but I'm sure ye were able to get everything working," he says agreeably.

He's happy for a few minutes while they move down the hallways, enjoying the drive. All too soon, however, he finds himself getting a little bored with the slow speed. And while he understands that it's not a good idea to go too fast - running over the crew would be bad - surely they can go a little bit faster?

"Could ye not hurry it up a bit?", he says, a touch impatiently. Jamie would like to get to the flying part now, thank you very much.

"Oh, all right. Though I wish I had a scanner to detect other life forms in the vicinity." That's a problem, but he leans on the accelerator anyway. After another minute or two, they're in the City on an abandoned road.

"I think this is sufficient space for taking off. Are you ready?"

"I'm sure ye won't hit anyone, if that's what ye are worrying about," Jamie says, pleased enough that Billy's willing to move things along that he's not really giving it much thought. After all, it's a car - it's not quiet. People'll notice long before it gets close enough to be a problem.

Since the rest of the trip goes uneventually, he's more then ready to take off once they reach the abandoned road. He nods enthusiastically. "Aye!"

"All right! Accelerator engaged!" With a happy toss of a few levers, Billy activates the systems, launching them into the air above the buildings. He knows he has to focus on driving, but it's a fascinating sight. He'd never seen their city from above before, and he wants to savor it.

"What do you think, Jamie?"

Craning his head out the window, Jamie takes in the the expanse of the city below. It's so different from up here than down there - bigger, somehow, even though he knows it's really the same size.

He closes his eyes, letting himself enjoy the feeling of air against his face briefly. There's a moment where he considers trying to downplay his reaction, but there's a smile that keeps threatening to break through. He decides to let it.

"Och, it's grand!"

And a perfect distraction to boot. Pulling his head back in, he turns towards Billy and asks curiously, "Which way do ye want to go?"

Billy's glad to hear it, he really is. His smile matches Jamie's, bright and free.

"You know...I've just realized that I've never actually driven the Radbug for mere enjoyment before. It's always been used during emergencies only. I really was too responsible for my own good, wasn't I?" he jokes.

As for where they should go...Billy has ideas. "How about over there, toward the castle and the park? I've always wondered about their full size."

"If ye were anything back home like ye are here, then aye, maybe ye were." Jamie's tone is dry, but there's a hint of humor underlying it. He prefers to tease girls, but that doesn't mean he won't poke good natured fun at his other friends when the opportunity arises. He grins after a moment, though, just to let Billy know he's not serious.

More seriously, he is all for the plan to go towards the castle and the park. "Let's go, then." His head pops back out of the window so he can get a better view as they travel. And sure enough, once they get closer to the castle, there is one of his typical reactions to very large objects.

"Hey, would ye look at the size of that thing!"

Edited 2010-04-17 21:47 (UTC)

At that, Billy bobs his head and chuckles. "True. My friends would think I've lost my mind!"

With that, he veers over to the castle (but not too close, he doesn't want to cause Goliath to feel threatened) and listens for Jamie's reaction.

"The size of what? The castle? A Gargoyle? Or is there something that can't be seen from the ground?"

"Hey?" Jamie sounds confused and turns back, giving Billy a rather puzzled look. He doesn't even see Goliath down there at the moment, and wasn't really looking elsewhere.

"Och, I meant the castle. It's just I've not seen it from up here before. Ye don't really notice the size of something the same way from the ground, aye?"

Billy can't really see it the same way, though, not if he's driving. He eyes the steering wheel thoughtfully. "Do ye have some way of getting the RadBug to just...stay where it is? Ye should really see how this looks."

Edited 2010-04-18 07:37 (UTC)

"Right," he agrees. "It's valuable to gain a new perspective. And---I think I can, actually. Here, let me activate the hover mode." A few flips and twists of the knobs and switches later, and a steady stream of hover energy is directed at the ground.

"That should do it," he decides, rolling down his window and poking his head out. "Wow! It really is something special."

He'll just admire the view for a few moments if Jamie doesn't mind.

The distraction of the view is momentarily changed by the distraction of Billy flipping various knobs and switches, and Jamie winds up watching that briefly. Once the hover mode is achieved, however, it's back to looking outside the window. It's definitely a different perspective, up here.

Jamie's quiet for a bit, allowing Billy to take in the view as well. And he seems happy...until he catches a glimpse of some of the city that hasn't been cleaned up yet. Unfortunately, that brings back the whole situation he had been trying to distract himself from, and he lets out a rather disgruntled sounding sigh.

"Billy? Can I ask ye about something?"

It's beautiful indeed. Though his eyes don't quite catch the same rubble Jamie stares at, Billy notes his friend's tone and turns to face him solemnly.

"Of course, anything. What is it?"

There's a few questions that Jamie could ask here, and he hesitates for a moment before deciding on one.

"How did ye get interested in this mechanical stuff ye do? Inventions and fixing things and such?"

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