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

DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

The Master hung back from the mostly-enthusiastic archaeology group, his brow furrowed and his body language screaming discomfort even if he'd taken the time to change into suitable clothing for the task. Well, more obnoxiously cliche than completely suitable-- he'd managed to find a near-replica of the Indiana Jones costume in the TARDIS wardrobe, even down to the hat. That it was missing the whip disappointed him a little.

That wasn't what had him upset at the moment, though. It wasn't even entirely that he had signed himself up for what was likely to be a very dull, stupid venture for a Time Lord who wasn't obsessed with humanity. It was hot here, and dusty, and it didn't help the residual throbbing in his head any. He couldn't help looking up at the sky, which clearly threatened another meteoric event any day now.

"Oh, perfect timing, as always," he muttered to himself. Still, he was hoping he could get what he'd come for-- any useful technology to smuggle back aboard Stacy... and another crack at this Daniel Jackson's head.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel was so preoccupied overseeing the setup of the tents and eyeballing the largest ruins several yards away that he didn't hear someone behind him. Not until they muttered something under the breath. It sounded rebellious, irate, which was something he shouldn't ignore this early into the dig. They had limited time. They couldn't afford to let the heat or everyone get on each other's nerves. If someone was already unhappy now, it could mean trouble, and they needed to work as a team. He should crack down on whatever it was before it grew.

He turned. Then he paused. For one long, pained second, Daniel took in what the other man (John wasn't it? From the library?) was wearing. A frown crossed the archaeologist's face. He hoped this wasn't John's idea of a joke, because it wasn't funny. How many times had first years admitted to him that they'd really gotten into archaeology because of Indiana Jones, of all people. It wasn't even like the movies were right, in fact, it portrayed the complete opposite of what archaeology was. Archaeology wasn't destroying temples just to get to one artifact. Not to mention that temple had not only been untouched for years, it, amazingly enough, had perfectly preserved traps! It wasn't getting into car chases or grabbing artifacts out of the country without talking with the authorities, and it certainly wasn't skipping out on classes you taught to essentially go bounty hunting for a black market. Indiana Jones was a one-man walking disaster, capable of destroying archaeological sites and artifacts everywhere he went.

And who the hell carried a whip anyway?

Adjusting the boonie, and squinting against the sun, Daniel looked down at the dig list he had. He didn't remember John showing interest, but there, sure enough, was his name.

"John. Can I help you with something?" Daniel asked politely. He had to find out what John was annoyed about in case it affected the dig.

Actually, what Daniel really wanted to do was ask him what happened in the library. Daniel had woken up on the floor, alone. He'd had a splitting headache that dwarfed the canyon over there too. Everything was kind of fuzzy: at best, he could bring himself to remember some of the rush of memories. Not everything, but enough to know something had happened in that room. He hadn't fainted or something. There were a lot of questions. Number one being what even happened. Then what happened to John? The only thing Daniel could recall was that he'd been complaining about the Doctor earlier like a jilted boyfriend.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

Nope, archaeology was none of those things, usually-- though the Master would have argued that if it hadbeen, it would have made it much more interesting.

He noticed Daniel's eyes looking him up and down, and gave him a wide smile that was not completely forced. Ah, someone truly 'appreciated' the outfit he'd gone to such lengths to procure.

"Not at all... Daniel, was it? I'm happy to be here," the Master said through his teeth. "Just a little worried about the weather, if you know what I mean." He peered at the other man with shrewd eyes even as he spoke affably, wondering just how much Daniel remembered of their previous encounter besides the alias he'd given.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[hi_there_aliens]

"Doctor Jackson," Daniel corrected a little stiffly.

It wasn't like he was extremely particular about the title, but there was something about John that rubbed Daniel the wrong way. Maybe the sense of arrogance he got off the man the last time they talked. It probably had everything to do with the way he'd talked down to Daniel about not knowing about the works of Sha'kk-sper, like someone from 90's Earth was ignorant for apparently not being either extremely well traveled in the universe or able to go to the 45th century. Stargate or not, they hadn't found a way to jump time just yet. He glanced up at the sky, namely at the specks of light that, if you didn't know what they were, or the danger, would have looked like especially bright stars. "We should be fine. Captain Eneesh is monitoring their approach. We'll be out of here before they hit."

If that was all there was to John's problem, then they should be okay. It was probably too late to have some words with him about what was appropriate to wear to a dig though. Sending him back to Stacy to change would just eat up valuable time. Now Daniel just had to assign him somewhere for the first day, and hope John could follow directions. But first...

"Actually, I was looking for you."

My word, Daniel, you are an anal little thing <3<3

[syncopath]

"Were you, Doctor?" the Master looked back at him innocently, though his tone almost made the title seem like an insult. "Well. Here I am."

Inwardly he wondered if Captain Eneesh was one of the tall insectoids arguing with the Doctor earlier, or one of Daniel's imaginary friends. It was hard to tell.

He's been known to whip it out on occassion.

[hi_there_aliens]

Trouble. 'John' wasn't his name. His name was Trouble with a capital T. Daniel was reasonably adept at spotting massive egos amongst fellow academics. Egos and arrogance the size of Jupiter, and John's innocent look wasn't fooling anyone. Well, usually. Granted, he hadn't quite sniffed out trouble when he'd walked into his very last lecture as a respected name in the academic community. He'd known he was going to say some controversial stuff, of course, but he hadn't expected it to go downhill the way it did, much less how quickly. Or that he'd lose everything the same hour.

He should have seen it coming. He'd been warned not to give the lecture even, and he'd ignored it anyway. Maybe his "trouble sense" was rusty.

Daniel's fingers absently tapped the side of the clipboard, a quiet one-two three-four, one-two three-four, as he studied the other man. He'd figure out how to deal with John's ego in relation to the dig later. If he couldn't work well with others on the more sensitive jobs, Daniel would just have to pair him up with someone who would monitor him. Maybe the Doctor.

Right now he had something else in mind. "Yes, I wanted to talk to you," Daniel said. "I wanted to ask you what happened in the library."

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?"

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Given that nothing's gone catastrophically wrong on this mission yet, Howard's just at his usual high-strung anxiety instead of the shrieking paranoia and doom-prophesizing that he commonly feels on missions. Usually right before the bottom falls out.

He notices a guy he hasn't met before, wearing...is that an Indiana Jones costume?

"You look about as happy to be here as I feel. Did Stacy dress you up in that?"

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

The Master turns and gives the newcomer a look. As if he'd let that filthy ship's tentacles come anywhere near him ever again.

"I usually prefer to dress myself," he replies dryly. "Besides, isn't this what all archaeologists wear?" His question would almost be innocent if he weren't smirking, just a teeny tiny bit.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard wouldn't blame the Master on that count. The tentacles freaked him out enough the first and second times - he's not looking for a third.

"I don't know. I didn't even know what an archaeologist was until today," he says, deciding that it can't hurt to play just a little dumb. He actually didn't know the difference between archaeology and paleontology until he met Daniel a few weeks back, but he made note of it as soon as it was mentioned. "I'm Howard."

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

"Not too surprising. It's not as if it's a real science anyhow," the Master sniffs, and then extends his hand. "John Smith."

The Doctor's far enough out of earshot, probably, that his little lie won't be corrected right away. Though he's not even sure the Doctor would, really-- he seems to want to keep the Master his own dirty little secret these days, which suits him just fine.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Maybe not. Useful, though. When all the power goes out and stuff, dead civilizations usually have some good ideas how to get food and stuff. After we blew up the power plant back home we had to hit the history books to figure out how to make stills and everything."

Howard snorts. He raises an eyebrow at the Master's hand, but does not take it. Physical contact isn't something he's a fan of, especially not with strangers. It took him weeks before he'd let Rory touch him. "That's got to be the first normal name I've heard on this ship so far."

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

That suits the Master just fine. Touching humans was never something he loved to do, and he had to do quite enough of it as a politician. What he wouldn't do for his old leather gloves in times like those. He drops his hand quickly.

"Useful, perhaps, if archaeologists ever got it right," the Master counters. "Is that why you're here, then? To learn from the dead?" What a waste of time that would be. The dead are the ones who didn't make it, especially in this desolate pit.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Sure. Watching other people do stuff is a great way to figure out what to do yourself, if you end up in similar circumstances. Or not do. Whatever." He shrugs. "Let other people do all the messing up and discovering first. Besides, there might be some nice loot, and these guys sure as hell aren't going to miss it."

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

"You do have a point there," the Master admitted. He supposed he tended to operate in a similar fashion-- only usually with the soon-to-be-dead.

"What are you hoping to find?" He doubted it was anything he'd be particularly interested in, but perhaps they could work out some sort of partnership. As in, Howard would do the digging, and the Master would reap the technological benefits.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[makeherblue]

Color the Doctor very not surprised the Master somehow found his way back to the Wardrobe and one of the very few bits of clothing not soaked through.

He ought to thank him for putting a fashionable bog right where his Wardrobe was. He still hadn't quite gotten that cleaned up and thanks to whatever it was the Master did to the TARDIS control console during the Ohm attack, it looked the Wardrobe would be soggy and smell like a litter of wet cats for a while longer..and by "a while longer", he really meant he had no idea how long.

Between that, the man-eating library and the Everything Forest turned into a shadow of itself, the Doctor considered himself offended.

Still, it was Eneesh or the Master and the Doctor went with the lesser of the two evils. Or make that at least one that he knew, because Eneesh kept giving him those looks and pointed comments about how maybe, just maybe, he was too tall to fit properly in those module units her crew was setting up and he'd had enough. The Doctor joined the Master, his hands shading his eyes as he stepped into the sunlight. Compared to Stacy, it was incredibly hot and dry -- the dryness surprised him after spending all that time inside with the humidity and recycled air and actually, it seemed to be doing loads for his leftover allergies to that slime.

He wasn't even sniffling!

The Doctor planted himself in front of the Master's path. "That's my hat, you know."

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

It had been a labor, for sure. A labor of... well, not quite 'love' so much as dedication toward driving the Doctor absolutely mad. Of course he hadn't lifted a finger to help to restore the TARDIS back to her usual state of disarray, even with the conditional access he'd been granted. It was much more fun to imagine the Doctor flailing helplessly. Perhaps with a mop and bucket.

The Master should have known, though, that it would only be a matter of time before the Doctor sought out the company of another Time Lord. It was inevitable, if annoying. But two could play at that game. He tipped the hat at a rakish angle and smiled back at the Doctor cheekily.

"Is it? Well, Doctor, you're into Earthling culture, so I'm sure you're familiar with the idea of 'finders keepers'."

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[makeherblue]

"Of course that would be the one thing you and the humans can agree on."

It was difficult not to just reach out and take back his hat. The annoying thing -- and this was really just not helping -- was the hat had the nerve to go and look good on the Master's head like that. The Doctor managed to keep his hands to himself, frowning at the hat and there would be words said later and pretended very poorly that he didn't care at all that Master was, once again, helping himself to whatever he wanted. He turned on the spot (kept an eye on that traitor of a hat) and gazed out over the expanse of desert and scrub out there. Three days and there probably wouldn't even be that much then.

"Did you have a look around?" The Doctor assumed the Master must've sniffed around himself. He still wasn't sure what the other Time Lord was doing here. Actually, he would've expected him to be snooping about the TARDIS or the hanger for anything, not dogging on the heels of a dig like this.

So what did he expect to get out of this?

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

The Doctor couldn't stop staring at his hat, the Master noted. He had worn it with the express purpose of irritating the other Time Lord, but even he hadn't expected quite this much of a reaction. Perhaps the Doctor was suffering from a bit of hat envy, which would just serve him right after what had become of the Master's first suit.

"Oh, yes," the Master drawled. "I've had the grand tour. The dust, the featureless lumps of rock, the half-rusted junk, the meteors in the sky about to kill us all... Quite lovely." Of course, he'd explored much more than that already, but why should he reveal any of his finds to the Doctor?

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[makeherblue]

The Doctor blew out a big breath that was part exasperated, part...well, he wouldn't say "fond", but it was something. "That's so you to focus on all the minuses."

He supposed he ought to be happy at least the Master so far hadn't managed to find anything like a cache of missiles or something. It was a bit odd to see the other Time Lord behaving and while he would like to feel like this was a permanent thing, there was simply too much history. Too many second-second-second chances, until he lost count entirely. The Doctor frowned at the Master, almost as if he was puzzled at him just being there at all and being relatively civil.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

"Is it?" the Master mused. "I like to think I make the best of any situation." At least from his perspective-- from anyone else's, it could very easily be the worst.

The Doctor simply staring and frowning at him wasn't entirely new, but it was a bit grating. The Master cocked his head and stared back.

"Suppose you're here to further your quest to become even more boring than usual," he sniffed. "Archaeology, Doctor? Really? These are new depths, even for you."

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[makeherblue]

The Doctor made a face at that. "Best" of any situation, of course, meant best for him and it was incidental -- or even accidental - if anyone but the Master came out on top.

"Right, well, thought I'd try something...else," the Doctor stared down his nose at the Master. Okay, not his best lie. Or even his second best lie. But he was here, there were interesting things here and he was going to try to make the best of it. Soldier on, that sort of thing. "Besides, you know humans. They'd blow themselves up tripping on something."

He had to admit, he was concerned about what the Master could get up to here. From his initial couple of lurks and sniffs around, it did look like there were energy cores and partial ship remains with enough weapons parts intact that the Master could get into all sorts of trouble. It wasn't as if the man wasn't brilliant enough to figure something out. After all, he'd fixed the unfixable laser screwdriver.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[syncopath]

Oh, the things the Master could unearth here. Especially if he teamed up with his new best mate, Howard. While the human did all the digging, the Master could do his own. Daniel's mind, he knew, was the real treasure trove. The Doctor's secrets were what he'd really come for.

He wondered if the Doctor even realized it, looking down on the only other true Time Lord in existence. Did he really think he was here merely for a pile of discarded junk?

"All the more reason not to tag along," the Master observed. "Not that the death of a few humans was ever all that tragic to me in the first place."