Day 9 Onward and away

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

After a breakfast of pop-tarts (all the toaster would make) and coffee, the assembled guests stuffed what goods they could into packs and such. Rose produced an extra backpack that was filled with rice and pasta.

The two bags of flour were left behind because of weight. But nutrition bars were packed. As were the Oscial mender and the spare dermal regenerator.

Once outside the TARDIS, they all traverled together to the beach, where the Tranmitter team helped Faith and Mara pack. They carried a map to Camp Crash and a note writen in Ancient.

'Daniel,

This is Faith and Mara. Faith is an old aquiantance of Tara's. They will tell you their story. They have not lied in my presence, and seem genuine enough. Hope to see you in two days with good news. By the way, introduce Faith to Ripley. They seem to have a bit in common.

Doctor'

P.S. Rose said if Sawyer goes anywhere near her kit, please break his fingers.'

Faith and Mara couldn't read it, but were told the gist of it.

They parted good naturedly, and each set off in the oposite direction. One set towards realitive safety, the other towards the unknown.

Comments

[Faith] On the Road again (open tag)

[fikgirl.livejournal.com]

Truthfully, Faith itched to go with the group deeper into the jungle, but she had to concede The Doctor's point that it was safer for her and Mara, most definitely for Mara, to head back towards their camp where they could reunite with the other survivors. Still, she couldn't help but sidle up to Ash as the groups geared up to part ways and give him a lascivious wink, her voice pitched low, "I might be ready for that back wash when you get back. And then some."

She didn't look back at him as she strolled away, hips swaying, to take some of the load that Mara was trying to shoulder. "C'mon M, you know I can handle it, and I need something to give me a good workout."

[Ash] On the Road again (open tag)

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

"Awww," Ash said, "you say the sweetest things. I'll be sure to hurry back," he added. But he wasn't sure she'd heard him. Faith was already walking away with a swivel-hipped gait that said she knew he'd be watching her ass. So he made a point of doing so--far be it from him to disappoint a lady.

When Faith had disappeared from sight, Ash turned away and found Jon watching him with an amused expression. "You about done, there, Sparky?" Jon asked. "We're burning daylight."

Ash just grinned at him. "Keep yer shirt on, kid. It's all about priorities. You'll understand when you're older," he said and was rewarded with a scowl.

"Wipe your chin, old man," the kid shot back. "You're drooling."

[Mara] On the Road again (tag Faith, open)

[scarred-muse.livejournal.com]

Mara waved to everyone with fair cheerfulness...including the Tardis. She looked very thoughtful as she turned to follow Faith down the path. "I wonder how long it will take him to solve it," she said after several yards, apropos of nothing.

"Solve what?" Faith asked, half-curious.

"The painting. The painting I made him was a puzzle. A visual puzzle."

"Sounds kind of cool."

"I hope so. I hope he likes it." /And gets the message./

"Oh yeah! He's a geek, geeks love that sort of shit. Besides, if not, Rose'll like it 'cause it's pretty."

"Yeah, I guess." The jungle during the day was a different creature; almost like someone had flipped a switch. It was simply natural now, and...wonderful. "You know I'm doing your walls when we're out of here and you get a place, right?"

Faith grinned. "Oh shit, girlfriend, that'd be cool! Any idea what?"

"I don't know." Mara threw Orrie's ball again, making him run up the path ahead of them a little. Nothing to keep the little goober in line like a lure. "You like variety. Probably something different in each room." And no sunflowers anywhere.

"So, what do you think of the scenery so far?" Faith asked a little while longer.

"It's beautiful, but too hot for me, and I need about a truckload of art supplies."

"No, no no, not /that/ scenery. The guys! Sayid and all them."

"O-oh." Mara blushed. "I-um...I...well...."

Faith laughed. "God, you're hopeless. You're not a virgin, right?"

Mara looked embarrassed. /Might as well be./ "No, I had a boyfriend...before...what happened. But I know I'm high maintenance, so I don't really...you know...look, in that way, much?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Oh please. No wonder guys don't hit on you, honey. They're afraid you'll run away screaming."

Mara blinked, tried on being hurt, and then caught the thread of Faith's humor and giggled. "Yeah, I g-guess."

As they broke out onto the beach and headed toward their camp, Mara said softly, "Faith, take the tent. You'll need privacy, and I'm already making my own."

[Faith] On the Road again (tag Mara, open)

[fikgirl.livejournal.com]

If it hadn't been for the seven, now eight days, that she spent in Mara's company, Faith would have been a bit unsettled or confused by her statement. As it was, Faith just shrugged it off with a, "Yeah, sure, whatever you say."

(Need my own tent, eh? Yeah, we'll have to see 'bout that.)

"So, I was thinking," Faith said with a sly smile, "Ash might be cool. I could have fun with him. Maybe he wouldn't take it all too seriously and end up getting all mired down in my shitload of crap and baggage. Sayid," Faith let out an appreciative whistle at the mention of Sayid, "Talk 'bout your wet panties. But he's a bit much on the wearing down the walls bit. He really didn't know what to make of me, and seems like the type who'd start makin' romantic overtures and saying 'I love you,' and going all hatred and blind love vengeance if I got killed or something.

"Way more'n I can deal with right now."

She pulled out the note and studied it, not expecting that she could read it. "I knew I shulda took a foreign language in high school. Maybe I shulda just stayed in high school, heh."

[Mara] On the Road again (tag Faith, open)

[scarred-muse.livejournal.com]

"Ash is a Scooby all grown up, but stuck alone, or thought he was. He might sneak up on you, like too many Strawberry Daiquiris. Be friendly about it with him, okay? He's really a pretty cool guy to hang out with. He doesn't mind me." She ducked her head. Only the last half of that had made any sense to her at all.

The description of Sayid made Mara stumble a little and do that nervous thing she did when she pushed her hair out of her eyes a lot. /What's so horribly wrong with any of that? I really wish somebody would feel that fiercely about me--well, except for the hatred and vengeance and people d--/

She stopped short with her hand over her chest, frozen, reminded of the premonition that had sent her fleeing /from/ Alex instead of /to/ him. Faith, used to this, sighed a little and stopped a minute, knowing these little spells didn't last very long.

Mara caught her breath, her eyes wet. /That's what's getting to me...another deeply religious stoic with too many ethics who's...like that...underneath. Sayid reminds me a little of Alex, and Faith just pointed out why./

"You thinking about Priest-guy again?"

Mara smiled thinly and wiped her eyes, then scooped up Orrie for a slobberhug. "I was trying to run to him when the plane went down...I was supposed to stay away, but I heard him screaming...all the way in Sydney...I know I have to let him go, now. I can't even hear him anymore. That's probably good...I don't think I could stand it." She started walking again.

Faith sighed relief and did as well. "So you're really stuck on this guy, huh?"

"...no. I mean...it isn't appropriate, I know that, and nothing ever came of it. I just...he was the first and only guy since...what happened...to take an interest in me. I was vulnerable."

"...and he was hot."

Mara giggled a little in spite of herself. "Well, yeah."

"See, girlfriend, you gotta get over this shyness trip. Most guys are kinda clueless. You gotta get in their faces."

Mara shrugged her shoulder and set Orrie down to run after her ball again. "Some things I have a talent for. That's never going to be one of them."

[McKay] Day 9: Onward and away

[lost-mckay.livejournal.com]

See, Pop-Tarts were fine, as was multiple cups of coffee. Once McKay figured he'd had enough to last him at least the morning, the consideration was there to ask to see if there was a large travel mug. After all, the next time he'd have coffee would be back at the campsite, and he'd have a hard time getting more than one cup. He filled his pockets with nutrition bars, including the one identified by Rose as 'lasting all day'. Perhaps he'll get a couple of hours out of it, tops, but it was worth a try.

Packing his laptop and slinging it over his shoulder, McKay pulls up the second bag, this one filled with not only the bits that he'd put together back at the campsite, but the things that he'd put together overnight in the safety and security of the TARDIS... while conferring with the Doctor.

The walk back to the beach wasn't anywhere near as painful as the trudge to the stricken TARDIS, but nonetheless, Rodney kept to the center of the group, shielded by those walking point, and those bringing up the rear. Habit, really, and there was no way he could even consider making a contribution to the whole 'fighting' thing. He's a scientist, and until a year ago, a theoretical scientist.

He did help with the Ancient note, pointing out grammatical errors such as spelling, declination, though if anything isn't quite right, it'd probably be his fault. After all, he's only fluent in the technical aspects of the language while Dr. Jackson is not. He isn't conversant in the conversational end while, yes, Dr. Jackson is.

"Right. Off we go then?"

[Doctor] Day 9: Onward and away

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

"It might comfort you to know that acording to that map, we've only got about half a day's journey before we get to the site. The bad news is, half of that's gonna be through the forest."

Sayid had taken point again. He'd been mostly silent about the TARDIS, although he had apparently looked over every nut and bolt he could find. But he was looking at The Doctor with more respect now. No longer suspecting him of madness aparently. Unless he was suspecting himself of madness as well.

Rose and the Doctor both had backpacks now. One with clothing, water and toiletries, the other full of bags of rice and pasta, bless Jack's supersize buying heart, wherever he may be now. She moved to walk beside the Doctor, as the pace was more familiar. He had reched for her hand without thought as they fell into their old rythem.

Rose had talked to Tara the night before. After dinner, before getting a good night's sleep on her own comfy bed. Tara had been busy, spending time with Faith and Mara as well. She looked like she had gotten a good night's sleep, anyways. Rose looked over her shoulder to check on Tara, who was fast becoming a friend almost as good as Ami. The nice, can tell them anything, type. Ages ago she had worried about never being able to tell anyone all the's experienced and seen. Now there were two she could tell, and who seemed to have just as interesting stories of their own.

The group held to the shade as much as possible , but the angle of the sun wasn't always cooperating. She felt her skin starting to bake, specially her upper arms. She was starting to regret the sleeveless shirt already. Luckily, everywhere else she had a descent base tan worked up to avoid that stinging burny feeling.

((OOC: Tara and Rose can have that conversation on the Nightowl post if you want.;) ))

[McKay] Day 9: Onward and away (tag transmitter team)

[lost-mckay.livejournal.com]

"Have you ever heard the phrase that begins with 'Only mad dogs and Englishmen' in regards to actually being out while the sun is the hottest? I didn't bring my sunscreen, and-and-and..." Just because Dr. McKay actually felt better doesn't mean he won't put up some bit of complaint in the travel. "...I've got very delicate skin. I burn easily."

Half through the forest, however, didn't help clear much up in the way of comfortable travel, however, and shifting the weight carried, his hand reached up to rub at a spot before he groaned, his tones lowered. "Chafing. I'm chafing. This is going to be really painful before long." McKay probably didn't notice earlier thanks to the broken ribs, but now? "Oh, and look at that. I'm burning already. Very nice."

Still, he remained in the center of the group, walking none to quietly, his footfalls comparatively loud. He'd never been a stealth walker and now certainly was no different. "At least it's only a half day. That's, what? We're not talking 12 hours, right? Right?"

Re: [McKay] Day 9: Onward and away (tag transmitter team)

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

“It’s more like three hours beach, three hours jungle, before we get to the site. Looks like we’ll smell the way first. It’s a geothermal active area, geysers, hot springs, steam vents. But then you were the one to say she had likely tapped geothermal energy sources before it was confirmed.” The Doctor looked down, they had reached a point where the sandy beach gave way to volcanic rocks, tide pools, and a seagrass.

“Looks like we’re getting closer.” He grinned. Rose grinned back.

“Geothermal means volcanoes, right? And springs and geysers mean it’s active. So we aren’t gonna go all ‘Joe and the Volcano’ while we’re here, are we?” She accepted his help picking their way across the less even terrain.

“Possible, but improbable. It’s more like your Yellowstone. All energy under the surface, but it’s finding escape routes other than eruption. I wouldn’t doubt that whoever orchestrated this party is also tapping into the free battery power. Won’t be enough to generate the temporal bubble but it would help.”

The Doctor looked back at Rodney. “Best make sure that sunburn doesn’t get bad enough to crack. You know how rampant infection is in the tropics. Insects might be attracted as well. Lay eggs.”

Rose pressed her lips together and bit down. He could be so bad sometimes.

[Jon] Onward and away (tag transmitter team)

[sophiedb.livejournal.com]

Sniggering at Rodney's gaping expression, Jon nudged Ash and winked before calling out to the scientist.

"Hey McKay, find yourself some eucalyptus leaves - it's a natural insect repellent. The branches are kinda handy for swatting flies too." He caught some funny looks and shrugged. "What? I spent the last 6 months in the outback. It's hard to get extra DEET when the nearest store is a day's drive away. Coupla leaves in your hat, front pocket, wherever - it was better than nothing and didn't sting half as much."

Jon decided to just leave it and dropped back down the line, behind Sayid so he could study the guy a little more carefully. Not that the Iraqi had said or done anything to suggest he was a danger to the group, more the fact that his presence set Jon on edge - especially when his back was to him. Having his six watched by someone who had to have done national service in a country he had less than fond memories of was not something that gave Jon warm fuzzy feelings. Not in the slightest. The fact that he'd occasionally described himself as a "communications expert" didn't help either. That job description had so many possible translations, whether in English or Arabic.

"You do not trust me, do you?"

He looked up from the path to see Sayid watching him carefully and plastered on a casual smirk. "What makes you say that, man?"

"Many things," the object of his observation replied, his expression sincere. "You like to keep us all in sight, but myself most of all. You reserve your humor for others, never me. Also, you carry that gun hidden, yet check it most frequently when we have made eye contact." Sayid pursed his lips in a frown, though his body language was open. "These actions do not speak of trust in one's teammates."

"You're not my team."

The words were out of his mouth before he realized it, causing Jon to clamp his jaw shut while he figured out how to reply. He was also pretty pissed that he'd been obvious enough for Sayid to notice, but a few days close proximity - particularly yesterday's hike - were probably enough for everyone to get a feel for each other's personalities. Sayid, a Middle Eastern survivor in the midst of Westerners, had already been on the sharp end of Sawyer's tongue, so it was safe to assume he had a healthy dose of paranoia by now.

Settling for something close to the truth, Jon maintained his position and refused to walk alongside the Iraqi, though that was clearly what the other man hoped to encourage.

"My uncle spent 4 months as a POW in Iraq." The words came out clipped, bare of any emotion. "That good enough for you?"

Sayid's head dipped in what? Shame? It was hard to tell without seeing the man's eyes, but that body language had gotten awfully stiff for someone with nothing to hide. This guy knew what he was implying, not just in abstract but in fact, and that made Jon's blood boil because he couldn't do a fucking thing about it.

"Ana Asif." Sorry.

Jon shook his head, sneering. It was the only way he could keep himself from hurling back all that gutter Arabic rolling round his head. "Oh yeah, because that makes so much difference. Real balm for my soul. Just keep your eyes front and walk, ok? Don't tempt me."

[Doctor/Rose] Across the open expanse. (Tag all)

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

Rose felt the eyes at her back and tried to convince herself it was the rest of her party. But fooling herself wasn't that easy. The further they got from the treeline, the more she relaxed. Eventually they'd be out of the range of distance weapons.

The grass slowly petered out to rough rock. It was an uneven landscape. The ground was a very dark grey and black. But as they walked she noticed white areas gathering around raised lips, steam swirling gently up.

"Just our luck, we find a hot spring and can't enjoy it." She muttered as much to herself as to the others.

They passed some small steam vents. And the ground started to become more colorful still. Pale greens, rusty reds, almost like a mad impressionistic painting.

About an hour across the almost unearthly landscape she relaxed totally, no longer worried about getting shot, anyway.

"The map says the transmitter shouls be near here." The Doctor had memorized it, of course. But he was frowning. Ahead of them was a sizable cravasse It seemed at least fifteem meters across.

He paused as they neared the edge. Looking down it was only ten meters deep. It seemed to stretch a good way to either side. He also spotted a cavelike opening at the bottom, on their side of the gouge in the earth.

"I think we found it." He said.

Rose followed his gaze. "You've got to be kidding me."

That was quite a climb down, when you didn't have any rope, and your backs were laden with gear.

[McKay] Across the open expanse. (Tag all)

[lost-mckay.livejournal.com]

McKay smelled the distinct odour of the sulfur as well, and nodded as yet another glance is taken around, checking, at the same time, where everyone is in the group before looking for a good place to hide. Not all that much in the way of cover even as they come out into the clearing. McKay's shoulders slump as he began to follow the rest of the group, his gaze shifting from the map to the ground before him and back. The crevasse is most decidedly not a welcome sight, particularly after an hour walk across a field that looked vaguely prehistoric, which prompted a quick look around for that T-Rex before he pulled his attention back to the matter at hand.

"I knew we should have gone looking for the generator first." McKay didn't sound all that happy about all the possibilities that now opened before them as his tones were most decidedly in the form of a groan. He wasn't good on climbing, and who knew how stable the outcroppings would be below? He straightened now, slowly turned towards the rest of the group, but really only talking specifically to the Doctor and Jon. "Right. That is, of course, assuming our friends didn't destroy it, it's down there. If it's down there, and it was up here, then it would have taken a fall and who knows how much damage it took, and that's not to mention the amount of heat that it's been under for who knows how long..."

[Doctor] Across the open expanse. (Tag all)

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

"But it was working just fine a week ago. It kept up a solid signal for 16 years. That power supply will help us push our better, stronger signal, right through the temporal bubble and attract some attention. Hopefully it'l keep running for a while and can be traced." The Doctor pointed out.

"Alright, we leave everything but the tools, weapons and the equipment we'll need to transmit right here. Then we climb. Anyone here have climbing experience besides me and Rose?"

[Jon] Across the open expanse (tag all)

[sophiedb.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I do," Jon replied. Not much recently bar a climbing wall, but less mass and better knees could only be a good thing. Blaise's nylon rope would have been handy about now, but then there was only one length in the whole camp and hindsight always was a bitch.

"I don't mind going first, check out a route down," he continued, squatting by the edge to get a better view of the wall. It looked safe enough, but there was no telling how solid the handholds would be till he put some weight on them.

Jon looked over towards McKay, then Sayid, wishing that the Iraqi wasn't the least nervous-looking of the two. Rodney could undoubtedly hold his own by now - he was still alive wasn't he? - but the guy was still a civilian at heart, damn it. The babbling made that clear.

"Might be an idea for someone else to take the gun for a while if I did though. Y'up for it, bud?"

[Jon] The View From Below (tag all)

[sophiedb.livejournal.com]

The cliff face was steep, but not impossible. The blocky structure of the rock leant itself to basic climbing - something that should make getting out again simple enough (with McKay along for the ride? hah!) - although the occasional trickle of water made some surfaces a little slippery. Calling out that information to the Doctor, a couple of yards above him, Jon spotted a decent route below and completed his descent with a short jump.

After a quick look around the area - it looked more like a dried river bed than anything else, more grass than trees and plenty of sand under his feet - Jon dug out Pierson's makeshift antiseptic solution (which smelled suspiciously like Skaara's moonshine) and put himself into a good spot to observe the others as they climbed, wiping his cuts with as few winces as possible.

Movement on the clifftop caught his eye then, causing him to panic - then gape. A woman with long red hair was standing there looking down at something to one side, probably the items they'd left behind. It wasn't like they'd had a great deal of choice when it came to hiding them, but still. Jon stepped back a little further, hoping for a better view, but all he could make out was the fact that her shoulders were shaking - was she laughing? At them?

A footstep alerted him someone else's presence, so Jon quickly raised a finger to his lips in case the newcomer spoke. The others were chatting quietly at the base of the cliff he saw, all safe on terra firma once more, but they were hidden as far as she was concerned. Here was another matter: talking within view of this.. Other? It didn't seem like a good idea.

The redhead turned in their direction then, approaching the edge of the cliff.. thereby presenting him with a really good target, if he still had the damned gun. He didn't though, and that woman seemed to know it. Damn it all to hell! She waved cheekily, something suspiciously like Rose's spare top in her right hand, then disappeared onto the plain. Or so he hoped. Either way, the Others knew exactly where they were and Jon was no clearer on why they hadn't attacked yet.

[Doctor/Rose] The View From Below (tag all)

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

The Doctor watched Jon descend, and made note of his warning about water. Once the young man maneuvered his way into the cave opening, some twelve feet from the bottom of the ravine, he started down, himself. He had a pack full of equipment as well, including the medical devices he had brought from the TARDIS. If anyone fell, he wanted to be ready.

The rock bit into his fingers as he went, slowly, finding the hand and foot holds Jon had used. At least this time rock climbing he wasn’t being chased by anything or shot at. Amazing how much easier it was without worrying about a laser to the back.

By the time he made it to the cave mouth his fingers were cramping a bit, and he clenched and unclenched his hands to counteract it. Inside, the cave was dark, but he could hear, towards the back, a mechanical hum. The transmitter was here, and running.
He Took off his pack and brought out a torch, they’d need it in the loom of the deeper cave. But the sunlight was bright enough here.

He looked back out and up. Rose had just cleared the top and was working her way down. The weight of the toolbox and laptop didn’t seem to bother her.

“At leas no one’s shooting at us.” She called down, causing him to bark out a laugh.

“Was thinking the same thing.” He called up. “Tell McKay I can here a mechanical hum down here. The transmitter is most likely still broadcasting.”

Rose called up the message as she worked her way slowly down.

The Doctor caught his breath when her foot slipped, sending a small landslide of pebbles down to the floor of the crevasse.

But she finally was within reach and he reached out to steady her and assure himself she was alright. Hooking an arm about her waist he pulled her in.

They both looked up to see Sayid starting his journey down

[McKay] The View From Below (tag all)

[lost-mckay.livejournal.com]

Rodney shifted his weight noncommittally, though he knew for a fact that just because something worked last week, it didn't mean that it would continue to do so now. Earth technology was funny that way. Out in the elements, damage, a whole host of things could serve to make it unusable. Still, they'd had enough parts to potentially almost build a completely new one, minus, of course, the power source.

He nodded to Jon, holding out his hand to take the pistol. Not something he was unfamiliar with, certainly, though it felt awkward in his hand. "I'll get it." He was too used to having a hold-out pistol when he'd been anywhere /but/ the Lost City, and not having one now bothered him. Particularly with all that going on out there. That Sayid got it did make him a little nervous.

Rodney watched the beginnings of the descent, his expression a touch on the nervous side. Last time he'd gone down a rope, a psychotic madman ended up showing at the top, their escape, with a distinct desire to kill him and his friends.

The tools were handed over to Rose upon request, and as preparations were made, Rodney offered, "I'll take up the end." The attempt was obviously made for the brave, 'I'll bring up the rear, protect the last woman down' bit, his shoulders having squared. There was something, of course, that didn't quite make it to his tones, and as a result was probably less than convincing, but he still meant what he said. He'll go down last. Softly comes, "Wish I had the pistol..."

"Transmitter? Right." So many things that, in his mind, should have been done first. Could the field's strength be measured, even? Perhaps with the TARDIS sensors? That way, perhaps they might have been able to determine if any signal was getting out at all, or they'd know the strength required to get something out. Then there are the geostationary communication satellites that they still have to shoot for to potentially bounce a signal...

[Ash] The View From Below (tag all)

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

Ash managed his descent with little trouble. His prosthetic hand was a wash. Not much sensitivity in it. It surprised Ash that he had any, no matter what the docs said about the brain adapting and adjusting and learning to reinterpret muscle and nerve sensation in the arm as signals from the hand. But there it was. On the other hand, the prosthetic hand had a hell of a grip; he could hang from that hand all day if he had to.

It wasn't much of a climb either, really. Only about a story. He made it down easily enough, joining Jon, Sayid, Rose and The Doctor at the bottom. "Piece of cake," Ash said.

Tara should be next, and then Rodney bringing up the rear. Ash waited, ready to give advice or encouragement, or--in the worst case--try break a fall if someone slipped. Admiring the view as Tara backed down the cliffside? That was just a nice little bonus that didn't need mentioning.

[Doctor] Oh... crap... (Tag all)

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

The Doctor was about to take hold of the case to unscrew it when he caught sight of something shoved behind the radiotelephone's casing box.

"Oh... that's not good."

Rose moved closer, adding more light. "What's not good?"

"Sixteen year old dynamite with a detonator hooked to a pressure plate directly behind the unit. If the unit is moved it’s set to go off. But sixteen years in this heat… it’s been cooking. It’s sweating more than Rodney.” The Doctor’s eyes flicked to McKay.

“Dynamite sweats?” Rose tried to move closer for a look but the doctor held out his arm, barring her approach.

“Dynamite is fairly unstable stuff left to age a bit. It sweats alright. Nitoglycerine. Rose, go to the opening of the cave, leave the torch. Take the rope and grapple you found, and the lot of you climb down if Jon, Ash and Sayid think it’s safe enough.” The Doctor looked to Rodney. “You can go with if you like. I’m gonna see if I can diffuse this, and then lift the workings out of the casement. The case has to be sitting in a small puddle of nitroglycerine, and still relaying Danielle’s message. It’s a miracle it hasn’t gone off already.”

[Jon] What?! (tag all)

[sophiedb.livejournal.com]

"Oh for crying out loud," Jon muttered, bracing one arm against the cave wall so he could bang his head against something without causing too much damage. What Rose was saying made sense, but still! Alien or not, he really didn't like the idea of leaving the Doctor behind with a puddle of explosives. "Nothing's gonna come easy, is it?"

He turned back to Rose and Rodney with a forced grin on his face. The scientist looked a little hot and sweaty. "Warm down there?"

"Hm. Does the phrase geothermal ring a bell?" McKay sniped, probably irritated about being yoinked from his new toy.

"Yadda."

Jon turned his attention to the rope that Rose was ably fixing around a boulder, pleasantly surprised at her competence but still having to clamp down the urge to double-check it. He had a feeling she wouldn't take it too well. Instead he looked out of the cave's mouth to Sayid below, waving to get the man's attention.

"Some of us are coming down - is it safe?"

A sharp nod settled that question. On with the next.

Grabbing the other end of the rope he began tying the knots for a basic harness - not for lowering climbers, just enough to keep hold of someone if their grip failed. "Ok then, who's first? Let's get out of here."

[Rose/Doctor] What?! (tag all)

[purplerhino.livejournal.com]

Rose looked worridly to the back of the cave. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew she would be a distraction he didn't need.

"Good news is, he's good with explosives. Ever tell you how we met?" She lowered herself down rthe rope, she tied it, so she'd test it. "He blew up my old job. Boom, lots of fire and flying debris. Something called Nitro nine. He'll get that all safe, and most likely save the stuff to use as a weapon. You'll see."

She didn't know if she was trying to convince them, or herself.

In the back of the cave, the Doctor examined the set up carefully. It'd be batter if he removed the detonator and left the mess back there. The case looked like it had gone a bit soft, and it was likely the consistancy of mud. Hightly explosive mud. Getting blown to itty bitty bits was really hard on the whole regeneration thing. Most likely it was very permanant. Made it all the more exciting.

He looked to the cave mouth. He had no intention of doing anything untill the lot of them were clear.

Re: [Rose/Doctor] What?! (tag all)

[lost-mckay.livejournal.com]

Geothermal. Heat. Heck, move something wrong and there's a problem.

Rodney shut his laptop down quickly to conserve what little battery power he had, disentangled his wires, and stood up slowly, the sweat still evident on his face, beads shining. "Right. I... um... I'm not bad with bombs, but the simple stuff like that? Not so much." Self preservation had kicked in and he wasn't feeling very heroic at that very moment.

"I'll just..." And here, he gestured towards a likely looking outcropping of rock that might hold some semblance of cover, if only in the scientist's mind. "...wait over here." He'll be closer when it's cleared up and back to work, and his tones made the attempt to be positive and upbeat. "It'll be fine. After all, all these years. Geothermal heat. Had to have been a couple shifts if it's tectonically active, so..." His voice trailed off before he twisted around to find the rest of the team, more precisely Jon. "I'll wait here."