Grounded
What: Phone conversation between Jack and the Fifth Doctor
When: Day after the return from their little walk
Rating: PG13 for swearing
Status: Complete
The clock on the wall was mocking Jack's state of mind by not moving. He'd counted, though, and his own sense of time said it'd been roughly eight hours since he'd tried to leave his room and found he couldn't. He'd tried the door, banged on it, even tried to remove the hinges somehow, but couldn't budge it. Likewise, the window wouldn't open, not that it ever did. He didn't want to break it yet, but if it came to that he would.
He was getting truly bored. Feeling a little silly, he picked up the phone and dialled the Doctor's room. At least he wasn't entirely isolated.
It was a rare occasion that the Doctor was actually in his room. It was either that or be down at the bar, and he really didn't want to throw away the hard work he'd done to stay sober simply to throw it all away. So here he was, in his room. Fighting the urge to go downstairs and completely oblivious to the fact that even if he wanted to he couldn't.
He actually jumped when his phone rang, he'd never been in when it rang before. "Hello, this is the Doctor..."
"Doc? It's me." Jack took a deep breath to calm the panicky note in his voice. "Can you do me a favor?"
On his end of the phone, the Doctor's brow furrowed, something was wrong. What it was? He had no idea. "Jack? Of course I can. What's the problem?"
"I'm, uh...This is pathetic, but I think I'm stuck in my room. The damn door won't open, or the window either." Jack lay back and rested the phone beween his shoulder and head so he could cross his arms. "I'm guessuing it's a message."
The Doctor sat down on the bed, "stuck in your room? A message?" The Doctor paused for a moment, "Who from? The Hotel itself?" No, there was no concern in the Doctor's voice. Not at all.
"That's what I figure, yeah. That or somebody else found a way to lock my door from the outside." Which would get someone really seriously messed with if he ever found them. "How're you, anyway?"
"Surely if it's locked from the outside there's a failsafe to make sure occupants aren't trapped inside...one would think anyway." The Doctor sat on his bed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm alright, I'm not downstairs." A small note of pride at that achievement.
"That's good, Doc. Really good." Jack smiled. "I'd come visit, but...Hell, this is ridiculous. Fucking building trying to drive me insane."
"It...I'm getting there." The Doctor could hear the smile in Jack's words. Until he began cursing the Hotel. "I does that to everyone. It drove me to drink remember." He sighed a little.
"I know.Given that I'm on mini-bar food until the door decides to open, I might be heading there too." Nah, there was always tapwater. "I haven't been grounded in...well, ever, actually. God."
"I'm sure it won't try to kill you from starvation. What would it...what would it gain by doing that?" Even so, there was a note of concern in the Doctor's voice.
"Not sure." Jack shrugged. "I've died of starvation before. Wasn't much fun, I'd rather not repeat it."
"Ahhh," A small pause. "I don't want you to either."
"Thanks." Right. Less talk of death. "I'll be out eventually."
There was a pause on the end of the line as the Doctor thought for a moment, "Is anyone else locked in?
Jack frowned. "Not as far as I know, but how would I know? They're not locked in here."
"Hmmm...let me have a look." The Doctor put the phone on the bed and crossed over to the door, attempting to open it. To no avail. He tried harder until he gave it up as a bad joke. "Ahhh...you're not the only one locked in..."
"Really?" Jack sat up. "Damn. Sorry." He looked up at the ceiling. "Hey! You! That wasn't his fault, I made him do it. Let him go." More quietly, he added "Bitch."
The Doctor settled himself on his bed, "Don't be. It was my choice to join in, you didn't make me do anything I didn't want to." He sighed and lay down shutting his eyes.
"I hope the others don't get screwed like this." They didn't deserve it either. "Well...I can get caught up on sleep, I guess? And I have a book."
"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it until we're out of here. I'm sure you could find enough to amuse yourself with Jack," a slight teasing note in the Doctor's voice. "And I'm only a phone call away."
(OOC: As far as we know, only Jack and Five are locked in. All else, up to you.)
When: Day after the return from their little walk
Rating: PG13 for swearing
Status: Complete
The clock on the wall was mocking Jack's state of mind by not moving. He'd counted, though, and his own sense of time said it'd been roughly eight hours since he'd tried to leave his room and found he couldn't. He'd tried the door, banged on it, even tried to remove the hinges somehow, but couldn't budge it. Likewise, the window wouldn't open, not that it ever did. He didn't want to break it yet, but if it came to that he would.
He was getting truly bored. Feeling a little silly, he picked up the phone and dialled the Doctor's room. At least he wasn't entirely isolated.
It was a rare occasion that the Doctor was actually in his room. It was either that or be down at the bar, and he really didn't want to throw away the hard work he'd done to stay sober simply to throw it all away. So here he was, in his room. Fighting the urge to go downstairs and completely oblivious to the fact that even if he wanted to he couldn't.
He actually jumped when his phone rang, he'd never been in when it rang before. "Hello, this is the Doctor..."
"Doc? It's me." Jack took a deep breath to calm the panicky note in his voice. "Can you do me a favor?"
On his end of the phone, the Doctor's brow furrowed, something was wrong. What it was? He had no idea. "Jack? Of course I can. What's the problem?"
"I'm, uh...This is pathetic, but I think I'm stuck in my room. The damn door won't open, or the window either." Jack lay back and rested the phone beween his shoulder and head so he could cross his arms. "I'm guessuing it's a message."
The Doctor sat down on the bed, "stuck in your room? A message?" The Doctor paused for a moment, "Who from? The Hotel itself?" No, there was no concern in the Doctor's voice. Not at all.
"That's what I figure, yeah. That or somebody else found a way to lock my door from the outside." Which would get someone really seriously messed with if he ever found them. "How're you, anyway?"
"Surely if it's locked from the outside there's a failsafe to make sure occupants aren't trapped inside...one would think anyway." The Doctor sat on his bed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm alright, I'm not downstairs." A small note of pride at that achievement.
"That's good, Doc. Really good." Jack smiled. "I'd come visit, but...Hell, this is ridiculous. Fucking building trying to drive me insane."
"It...I'm getting there." The Doctor could hear the smile in Jack's words. Until he began cursing the Hotel. "I does that to everyone. It drove me to drink remember." He sighed a little.
"I know.Given that I'm on mini-bar food until the door decides to open, I might be heading there too." Nah, there was always tapwater. "I haven't been grounded in...well, ever, actually. God."
"I'm sure it won't try to kill you from starvation. What would it...what would it gain by doing that?" Even so, there was a note of concern in the Doctor's voice.
"Not sure." Jack shrugged. "I've died of starvation before. Wasn't much fun, I'd rather not repeat it."
"Ahhh," A small pause. "I don't want you to either."
"Thanks." Right. Less talk of death. "I'll be out eventually."
There was a pause on the end of the line as the Doctor thought for a moment, "Is anyone else locked in?
Jack frowned. "Not as far as I know, but how would I know? They're not locked in here."
"Hmmm...let me have a look." The Doctor put the phone on the bed and crossed over to the door, attempting to open it. To no avail. He tried harder until he gave it up as a bad joke. "Ahhh...you're not the only one locked in..."
"Really?" Jack sat up. "Damn. Sorry." He looked up at the ceiling. "Hey! You! That wasn't his fault, I made him do it. Let him go." More quietly, he added "Bitch."
The Doctor settled himself on his bed, "Don't be. It was my choice to join in, you didn't make me do anything I didn't want to." He sighed and lay down shutting his eyes.
"I hope the others don't get screwed like this." They didn't deserve it either. "Well...I can get caught up on sleep, I guess? And I have a book."
"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it until we're out of here. I'm sure you could find enough to amuse yourself with Jack," a slight teasing note in the Doctor's voice. "And I'm only a phone call away."
(OOC: As far as we know, only Jack and Five are locked in. All else, up to you.)