trans_9 | Empty Hallowed Halls [Open]

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Empty Hallowed Halls [Open]

How could Billy have missed this heart-wrenchingly familiar structure on all his prior trips to the City?

On a test flight of the RADBUG's improved engine, he'd happened to turn his head just the right way and spot the unmistakable scroll-like tops of a building that had been his second home for so long. The second it was spotted in the distance, he changed course and brought the car into a descent. Moments later he parked just outside the ground-level entrance.

So the only confirmed remnants of my world are myself, my Zord, the RADBUG, and the Command Center. Perhaps Tenaya as well, but her world seems to be radically altered. I highly doubt that Zordon and Alpha are inside waiting for me, but I need to investigate.

It pained him to admit it, but he was afraid of what he would (or wouldn't) find. But a Ranger never backed away from a potentially tricky situation. Even if they had to call for backup, which Billy decided would be wise when entering an abandoned building. In seconds, a quick note was typed out on his omnicom and posted.

As Billy studied the exterior he hadn't seen in what he guessed must have been almost a year, he turned his Power Coin in his palm. It seemed to feel more charged than usual. Likely to be a low-key reaction to its location, he thought.

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"Och, don't worry about it. If I'd not found it on my own, I would have contacted ye." Jamie certainly doesn't seem bothered by any confusion that may have taken place in the search for the Command Center, although Billy does have a point about one thing.

"Aye, well, I suppose teleportation would be faster, now that ye mention it."

There's a brief nod of agreement to the question, and he's quick enough to follow Billy over to the entrance. Already he's craning his head to try and get a look inside - even before the door properly opens.

"I wish I could bring a teleportation system online. Unfortunately, we lack a power source comparable to the one we once used and it would take a considerably larger amount of power to sort through the frequencies of three hundred people than six." There's an apologetic shake of his head. Oh, how he misses teleporting.

After a beat, though, he smiles and leads the way. There's not much to see in the gently curving hallway as they circle the base of the structure, but soon enough they reach the main room. A blank globe mounted on a stand waits near the entrance, with a path behind it leading to an ovular blue platform surrounded by consoles and four silver pillars. On the far wall is an empty glass tube, and all the walls feature star-like lights.

Color-wise, it's dim with tinges of blue everywhere. Ordinarily it would feature the other colors as well, but the base is running on power from Billy's coin.

"This was the main chamber. We met here to observe and discuss the monsters and plan our battles."

Billy has a point about that, as well, but Jamie isn't quite grasping what he means by 'frequencies'. "Hey?" Cue the confused look for a few seconds until he decides to fake it. "Oh, aye, of course."

Besides, there's exploring to be had. And while he doesn't tend to go into these types of situations with the large amount of exposition that one would get from say, The Doctor, he still is quite intrigued. He moves through the main room, peering at this or pointing at that, occasionally making small noises of interest along the way.

He stops by the blank globe and reaches out a hand to touch it, but stops himself just short and looks over at Billy with an inquisitive glance.

"Is this where ye did that?"

Billy catches that---hey, Jamie's a good friend. He explains in an apologetic voice on their way in. "The system only had to track six people when my friends used it. Here, it would have to track three hundred people. With numbers that large, it would be easy for something to go wrong."

Once that's out of the way, they've arrived. Billy watches Jamie explore with a slight smile, then moves to join him at the globe.

"Right. This was the viewing globe. When the base was active, it could show us images of what our enemies were up to. We'd see what their attack patterns were like and discuss strategies for countering them. I've tried to reactivate it, but my Power Coin alone can't sufficiently power it."

He would make a face at you, Billy, but Jamie's secretly grateful for the explanation. Not that he's going to show it, mind you.

"Is that why everything looks a wee bit blue? Because of your coin?" He saw that Billy showed the coin to get in here, so he's got an idea that maybe it's tied into the base somehow. Although, again, he's not completely understanding how that works.

He looks back and forth between Billy and the globe as he works through it. "If your coin isn't enough to make it work, then...ye would need the other coins. So, when your friends wake up, it should work fine."

"Right. It was all a faint grey when I arrived, but I gave the power supply in the basement a boost with my coin. If the others ever awaken I'll bring them here, but I still believe we'll need an external power source to bring it back to its original status." Not that he thinks that will happen, but it's nice to dream.

He shrugs off the doubt from that sentiment and tries to press on to other matters. "So what did you want to tell me about the Doctor? I've met both of them and they're fine people. I can see why you compared me to them---especially the tall brown-haired one. I never thought I'd see someone more excited about science than me."

That brings a smile to Billy's face. They'd both been agreeable men. The tall one had more energy, but the gentleman blond would likely be easier to work with. Oh, how little Billy knew.

Jamie reaches over to rest a hand on Billy's shoulder, attempting to provide some sort of comfort. He knows that it's hard on his friend that they haven't woken up yet. "They'll wake up, Billy." With the Doctor awake - even if neither of them are his Doctor - he's confident that sometime Billy's friends will come join him, too.

He can't help but look pleased that Billy thinks that highly about the Doctors - although if he had known what Billy was thinking about Five being easier to work with, he would have attempted to dissuade him of that notion.
"I'm glad ye like them. But it wasn't so much about the Doctor that I wanted to talk to ye about. It was the TARDIS. Did ye want to help us try and find it?"

"At least they're safe." Assuming no more zombie infections occur. It's taken a lot of dreams and persuading, but he's decided to take Stacy on her word that they're alive. He'll be a less miserable person that way. Billy offers a smile, appreciating the comfort.

His smile brightens even further when the TARDIS is brought up. "I'd be honored to. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can be of some use. But are you sure that's all right with the Doctors? When we first met, you told me that he's very private about its existence."

"Aye, that's true. They are." Jamie isn't even thinking about that possibility of another zombie infection - he doesn't know about the samples in the contagion lab, which is probably for the best.

He lets out his breath in a sigh, then. "And...he used to be. I'd not have thought that he'd be willing to let me bring you and Kaylee along, but the blond one said to let ye know."

There's a brief pause, then he admits, "He also figured I had already mentioned it. I may have brought up the TARDIS a few times when I wasn't supposed to when I traveled with him, aye?"

Billy's quite happy now. This is beginning to sound like a grand adventure.

"Kaylee's coming too? Wow, this is great! I'll definitely be there whenever you all need me."

That confession draws a chuckle. "He didn't trust you to keep a secret?" Then, just as quickly, his mood shifts into something serious and sincere. "Don't worry. I failed to keep my secret too---when you're stranded alone for as long as we were and you're unable to share a large part of your life with the new people you bond with, you feel isolated. And if I recall correctly, I'm the one who barged into the TARDIS and asked too many questions. If they blame anyone, it should be me."

Jamie shakes his head. He doesn't want Billy to think that the Doctor doesn't trust him. It never was about that, with the TARDIS - more that the Doctor was well aware of Jamie's foibles. "It's not that. We traveled together for a long time. Ye get to know someone that way."

It's certainly not anything Jamie's worried about. A little surprised, maybe, that the Doctor seemed less secretive than he used to be. "Could be he figures if I trust ye that he can trust ye, too. He didn't even seem worried. I don't think he blames anyone."

"Oh---of course. I'm sorry. I know you're very close, and a bond like that can't exist without trust."

He briefly fusses with one of the control panels, then nods. "All right. I just hope I live up to whatever their expectations are. They're...intimidating."

Intimidatingly clever, especially to Billy.

"Och, they're not so intimidating," Jamie says dismissively. "Ye just ask them questions on what ye don't understand and they'll tell ye." He taps a finger on his lips, thinking about that for a moment, then decides to amend the statement. "Well, sometimes, anyway."

Hmm. How can he convince Billy that the he'll do just fine with the Doctors? "Not like I don't think ye would have to do that much, anyway. I did say ye are one of the smartest people I know, did I not? I know ye can hold your own in conversations with them. Besides, they like me. Think about that, aye?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Billy says.

And he's left to smile again, gazing down at his feet for a moment. "You're intelligent in ways that are more practical than my tinkering in the lab, and now you're learning that skill set as well. I'm sure they're happy about that. And you're a great friend---who wouldn't like that?"

Right now, Billy is thankful that the Doctor Jamie met was wise enough to let his friend stick around.

"Anyway, I can't wait to get started. Who's all going on this mission?"

Jamie isn't entirely convinced happy would be the right word, but since he hasn't really discussed the matter with either of the Doctors just yet, he's also not entirely sure what the right word would be. There's been so much else to talk about, and focus on - like looking for the TARDIS.

"Aye, well, the four of us, and the Doctors, and...did ye meet Rose? Or his daughter?"

He doesn't know if either of them happened to run into Billy while they were looking for the Doctor or not.

"I may have seen them in the crowd, but it's been difficult to talk to everyone. Were they his traveling companions as well?"

Billy's still smiling, but this is beginning to feel somewhat awkward. The Doctors didn't seem to have a problem with Billy, but he's a relative stranger intruding on something private to all of them.

"Rose was." He's not at all sure about Jenny. It never really came up, what with the surprise at finding out she was his daughter and her need to find the Time Lord.

Jamie's of the opinion that there isn't really any problem with helping. Besides, Billy is one of his best friends on the ship, and Jamie wants him to come along. But maybe Billy would feel better if some of the other crew besides Kaylee came too.

"Hey, do ye think Renne might be able to help, too? He might be able to...smell the TARDIS or something, aye?"

"All right. I'll meet up with them as soon as I can." He intends to make this process as smooth as possible. But when Renne is mentioned, he can't suppress a smile.

"I believe so. He knows its scent and can track it down. If it happened to be stuck behind a small space, he could reach places that we couldn't."

"I'll see if he can come along as well, then." Privately, he's not at all sure that Renne might not just show up anyway - either because he's curious as to what the Doctors are up to or due to picking up some of Billy's excitement. And he's a little curious to see if either of the Doctors are the ones Renne mentioned knowing. Asking would take care of a lot of different details.

"I can let ye know when we're going over the Omnicoms, if I don't run into ye sooner?"

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Empty Hallowed Halls [Open]

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