Archaeology, Natural Disasters and You [Closed]

[hi_there_aliens]

The trip down revealed that Taleen was going to be of several things, none of which were pleasant. Arid, pale with a light dusting of red from the rocks, and yellow-white grass that extended in plains all the way towards far off mountains . There was a giant gash in the land near the orb landing area, which resolved itself into a massive canyon as the party drew closer. Spider webbing out across the top of the canyon were signs that a civilization had once flourished here. Traces of broken pillars and half submerged buildings, as well as what looked like a downed ship that had embedded itself in a massive building. There was no movement visible amongst the ruins now. As the dry wind blew through the stonework, it would became clear that they were walking into a mass graveyard.

Not somewhere you'd want to spend your vacation.

For some people, this was going to be a field day.

According to the scans and what little records they had, there hasn't been a sentient being around for hundreds of years. The majority of native wildlife had moved out of the area, seeking refuge. The land looked dead already. In the sky above, several specks of light twinkled in the sky, growing bigger with each passing hour. In a few days, it will be raining fire.


[Closed to Daniel, Eleventh Doctor, Sofia, Jamie, Hoshi, Howard, Billy, the Master, River Song, Cassie, Tom]

Comments

o-0

[syncopath]

The Master didn't even properly hear the question. His mind was occupied with something far, far more salient than Daniel's curiosity: that drumbeat. That drumbeat, outside his own head. It shouldn't have been possible. That it was, and that a human had managed to hear them as well... it was maddeningly unfair.

He watched Daniel's fingers tapping for a few seconds before realizing the man was waiting for him to respond. The Master's eyes slid up slowly to meet Daniel's. There was a cold fury in them, barely contained.

The library. Was that where it had happened?

"Well," he smiled tightly. "No time like the present. Perhaps we should find someplace to have a nice chat." Some conveniently secluded place.

Re: o-0

[hi_there_aliens]

{Daniel will be in some ruins by himself on Day 2. I just can't think of a good reason for him to go off just right now, sorry!}

Daniel met his eyes, an eyebrow cocking. He almost thought John's look had turned glacial. What was his problem? Daniel could understand worrying about the impending disaster, but now it was something else. He didn't want a fight on his hands, and it helped to know what they'd be fighting over in the first place, but he also didn't want to have to worry about what Smith was doing the next few days.

He thought about putting Doctor Song on him, if not the Doctor, but decided against it. He was the team lead, and any trouble cropping up was his responsibility.

Daniel didn't quite sigh but he did fold his arms impatiently. "Mr. Smith, I have a lot to do right now. Here's as good as any."

It wasn't like this was a paradise either. To an archaeologist, everywhere was good, something to discover and learn, but he wouldn't put any location around here as good for a "nice chat". The air was arid, stale, with a yellow-blue sky and grass that looked like the color had been bleached out, and probably not a living soul this side of the planet.

[syncopath]

[No worries, the Master will catch him on Day 2 then?]

For the Master, 'here' really wasn't 'as good as any'. The Doctor was nearby, though he was still arguing with those insectoids. Who had invited them on this trip, anyhow? They were far too close to the Ohm for his liking, and the last thing the Master needed to recall right now was how he'd electrocuted himself for the Doctor's 'greater good'.

"Yes, I can see you're frightfully busy," he drawled. "Perhaps you should get back to your responsibilities. Ooh--" and the Master shaded his eyes with his hand, looking off into the distance behind Daniel. "Looks like someone's not using that trowel quite right. Duty calls, hmm?"

[hi_there_aliens]

[Yeah! I'll see about doing a Daniel subthread for Day 2, maybe Wednesday]

Daniel tried hard not to judge people without completely getting to know them, but even his patience only went so far. Contrary to what Jack apparently believed, Daniel didn't have the patience of a saint. Something about John said that he wasn't a team player. That alone wasn't a bad quality, being part of the team was more hyped up in the Air Force, but something rubbed him the wrong way when it came to John. It was like everything he said was dripping in patronization and sarcasm, and Daniel couldn't see a single reason why that might be, other than the bad attitude to end all bad attitudes. Why the hell did John volunteer for the dig in the first place?

The archaeologist swiveled to look, and sure enough, John was right. One of Eneesh's crew was using a trowel like a monkey trying to open a coconut with a rock and with about half the finesse. Then the alien tilted his head, stared at it, flipped it in his hands, and tried to use it as a dagger in the ground. The archaeologist cringed. He hoped to God that the alien was hitting dirt and nothing actually valuable in the next few seconds. But he could easily destroy something priceless if he was left unchecked. As much as he hated to admit that John was onto something, he did need to go over there soon.

A few seconds couldn't hurt. Maybe. Daniel looked back towards John.

"Is there any reason you're avoiding the question?" Daniel asked stubbornly.

[syncopath]

'John' had an amused grin on his face as he, too, watched the bug make a mockery out of the simple act of digging. There were definitely a great many things to be said for reproductive control of certain species. But when Daniel turned back to him, he fashioned a look of innocent protest.

"Avoiding? So far," the Master pointed out, "You haven't really asked any questions."

[hi_there_aliens]

"You know perfectly well what I meant," Daniel grit his teeth. He fought to maintain his composure. John seemed like a smart enough guy, he couldn't have misunderstood what he'd wanted to talk about, or the implied question. Which left a few other options, namely that John was trying to rile him up. Daniel barely even knew the man, and he didn't think he'd give enough of an impression for John to dislike yet. It wasn't like he didn't piss off people he met, or have them dislike him for something: it happened quite a bit, especially in college, but usually there was some reason, even if it was a petty one.

He was, he decided, going to be the mature one, since only one of them was going to.

"Something happened to me in the library and I was hoping you had more of an idea. Seeing as how you were there too," he added snippily. So much for taking the higher ground.

[syncopath]

"Oh," the Master fashioned a look of surprise. "You mean your little fainting spell. Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Though I'm afraid I don't have many answers for you. I'm not a mind reader, after all."

He sized up Daniel again, speculatively. It was great fun trying Daniel's patience, but there was the very pressing issue of how much he knew already. The drum beat meant that the human had somehow tapped into the Master's own head in the process, and that was troubling.

"What do you remember?"

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel sputtered. "I didn't faint!" he blurted out, indignant. He'd passed out, cause unknown, not... not swooned like an inexperienced hand on a dig getting heat delirium because they didn't have the sense to take care of themselves!

He closed his eyes, counted, and reminded himself to try and remain patient. The only person who'd been in the library with him was this man here, and he was trying to get answers out of him. It helped if he was cooperative.

"Look, you were there. The last thing I remember is you talking about the Doctor and then I was on the floor. You didn't see anything?" Like who was making that drumming sound when he'd come to, to start with. It went away a few minutes after he'd come around, but until then, they'd sounded so real that Daniel, once he'd gotten his wind back, had looked around to make sure the Doctor had secreted a band in the library. If the Doctor could have his wardrobe turn into a bog, Daniel was starting to accept that heck, why not have drums in the library too?

The search hadn't turned up anything. It also hadn't turned up John. Why had he apparently left Daniel on the floor if he'd seen another person just drop in front of them?

[syncopath]

The Master allowed himself another grin while Daniel wasn't looking, dropping it as soon as the other man opened his eyes again.

"Other than your... collapse?" he raised his brows, appearing for all the world as if he was honestly trying not to offend. "I'm afraid not. I did try to get help, but," and the Master leaned forward conspiratorially, "You know how the TARDIS was behaving. It was impossible to find my way back."

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel would be less inclined to believe John if it weren't for the fact that the TARDIS had been acting strange. Although he had to admit, it might have something to do with the attitude, rather than any real reason. Daniel found it hard to like the man, and he generally tried to give everyone a chance. While John might not be the easiest person to get along with, Daniel didn't have any reason to think he wouldn't have gone for help. You could be an ass but not a complete prick at heart.

He had to concede John had a point. "I'm surprised you managed to find your way out."

[syncopath]

Or so Daniel thought. Sooner or later he'd find that the Master, in fact, didn't care a whit for most humans. The only reason he had an interest in Daniel now was what, through dumb luck, he'd happened to absorb into his head.

The Master shrugged. "Why not?" he said. "You did."