[She shoved a clip into one of the guns, slid a it into the back waistband on her jeans, and tugged her jacket down over it. Threw a rifle over her shoulder by the strap. Laced up her boots.
No more stalling. She moved to stand beside the doors, and hesitated. They might, quite possibly, die. She should probably say something reassuring and compassionate.]
Ooh, now we've moved up to the sexy talk. Ms. Tyler, you're going to make me blush.
[He bared his teeth at her in something of a smile, a manic gleam in his eyes.
Then, certain there were not any of the creatures near, he opened the doors with his left hand, gun out and sweeping the area with his right. He nodded once it was clear.]
We're going up to the roof. I want to get a look at things before we head out. [He had climbing equipment rigged up there already from their last trip out. They'd been too careless and going the same way twice had let them on to their scent. It had taken several weeks for them to wander away, seeming to find something else to eat or, and this was the scary bit, being called away by something else.
Once she was clear, he let himself step out, lowered the steel door, and secured it. He didn't pull out a flashlight, he didn't honestly need it yet, senses being far more acute than a human's.]
[The look she shot him was one of disgusted exasperation, but the smile that twitched at her lips showed she was otherwise amused. Banter. She could live with banter. Even if it was of... questionable taste.]
Really ought to figure out an alternative means of escape. Just in case. Considering... last time. A plan B. [Those were very hungry weeks. It simply wasn't safe enough to go for supplies, and while they usually stayed well stocked, weeks were a long time, especially with no prospect of relief. Then again, making the place too homey meant resigning themselves to staying there permanently. That might be alright with him, but the only way she could deal with it was by thinking it was on a short-term basis.
She followed him in the darkness, close enough to feel him through it so she could keep up in the overwhelming blackness that her eyes refused to adjust to. Light attracted them. It was habit, by now, to use it as little as possible, not while he had the ability to see for the pair of them.
I've been working on that already. [He didn't need as much sleep as she did, and so it left him with hours on his own while she rested.]
Well, I wasn't the one that picked out that last shade for the curtains, sweetums.
[The Master kept his steps slower than his usual, being sure not to outdistance her while they moved through the area. The once living humans were not the worst thing they could run into. There were wild dogs, some feral and starved, but others were infected. They were damned difficult to kill.
He stopped at the door to the stairs, listening again to be sure they weren't going to get any nasty surprises. They had barricades all along the stairwell, not easily navigable, but they usually only used these for emergencies.]
Brilliant. [She'd ask about the ideas, but she probably wouldn't understand half of them. She was more focused on the darkness, keeping up without bumping into him.
The stairwell door seemed quiet at first, and she nearly nodded him on. A soft sound stopped her, and reflexively, a hand shot out to wrap around his wrist in the dark. The sound of aluminum, a can bouncing gently down a flight of stairs, echoed by the acoustics of the stairwell. Well. that certainly wasn't good.
It was always advisable to use means alternative to shooting, the sound attracted more of them, and that would be a bad idea, so close to home. If it was a walker, they could figure out something else. A dog, though... especially a dog carrying infection, it would have to be shot.]
Naturally. [Because humility, what's that? The only problem with the plans he did have, is that they required them moving elsewhere, somewhere with access to the dwindling power grid, and the sewers under the city. Sewers were a very bad idea. There didn't seem to be many of them down there, but close quarters was not a place to be with the creatures.
He didn't tense or pull away at the contact, much like he would have a few weeks ago. He'd more or less become used to her small habits of that sort. He did carefully extricate his wrist from her grip so he could find a pipe which he'd kept near the door, but stopped... He thought he heard the scuffing of claws against the floor.]
Damn. [It seemed to have heard them, and there was a sudden crash of a body against the door. No barking, but the typical sounds of a creature infected with the virus. He discarded the pipe, and produced a flashlight for Rose, offering it to her.}
Take this and watch the area behind us. I'll take care of our four-legged friend here. It's only one. [He
( ... )
[She heartily protested another trip to the sewers. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea- who on Earth was going to be in the sewers?- but it hadn't been fun. Miles and miles of darkness and narrow corridors, twists and turns and alcoves, the sound of water and rats muffling the scuffling off feet and things reaching out of the murky sewer water. And the smell.
She didn't hear the claws, hearing far less acute than his. The crash and snapping jaws, however, were all but audible. Dogs. Faster, more agile, with stronger mouths. She shifted, taking the flashlight, flicking it on with no small amount of relief. No point in trying to stay subtle, not with the racket that thing was putting out.
For once, miraculously, she didn't fight him. Just gave him a tiny nod.]
Be careful.
[Sincerity. That one probably was because she cared. Gross. Of all of the sentimental humans to get stuck with, he got Rose, the clingy teddy-bear wrapped in a fix-it complex.]After this one, we're switching to cats, I don't care what the children think
( ... )
[Smell and all the things lurking about underneath the murky water aside, it was safer than wandering about topside in broad daylight. He didn't much care for getting run into an alley and barely escaping with their lives again.]
You'll make me think you care about my well being at this rate, Ms. Tyler. [He waiting until it seemed to back up off the door in order to attack again, and when he heard it lunge, he pushed open the door with all of his weight (and strength) behind it. There was the sound of the impact, followed by its body hitting the floor. He stepped in, gun out, and quickly shut the door behind him. His steps could be heard, dodging the snapping jaws of the dog, and then a gunshot followed quickly by silence.]
[Call her crazy for choosing the option in which she could see. It was all well and good following him around, but that required a certain level of trust that she sometimes felt like an idiot for placing in him. Not that he's steered her wrong so far, what with the whole 'still being alive' thing, but still, it was a bit harder to completely and totally pin the Doctor's death on him when she almost liked him. Which she didn't.]
Don't get a big head.
[She glanced over her shoulder at him as he stepped in, and turned quickly away again and down the hall as the door shut. Tried forcefully not to let herself turn and watch the door. She couldn't see through it, and it would only distract her if one of the walkers managed to wander through thanks to a bisecting tunnel or spillway
( ... )
[He didn't need anyone to put the blame on him for the Doctor's death. He already blamed himself. He should have stepped in when he'd seen it beginning to fall apart instead of trying to help the Doctor save the day. He should have told him it was time to go, that they couldn't do anything about this.
But he didn't. Now he wondered why. Why hadn't he halted their progress when he knew where it was going to lead? It didn't matter now. What mattered was finding a way to reverse the mutation.
After making sure that the stairwell was free of any others, he rapped his knuckles on the door.]
And here I'd brought crisps for the guests you invited over. I'm going to be cross if I went out of my way, and they don't show up with anything at all.
[Really, if she knew he felt that way, or if she knew he knew she felt that way, she'd probably be overrun with guilt. It didn't help, blaming him, and what had she done? Blindly followed, like an idiot. Trusted him until the end, under the naive assumption that everything would turn out alright, like it always did. Another close call to have a shaky laugh about.
It wasn't.
She pushed the door open, followed him in, and closed it behind her. A frown of distaste curled around her lips at the sight of the dog, feral and patchy, sprawled and bleeding on the ground. That was just... it was a sight she'd have been happier not seeing. Then again, considering the way the world was, these days...
She started up the stairs after him.]
Don't be mean to the dinner guests, love, I hear we're in a bit of a recession. [Her voice sounded wobbly even to her. Pathetic. She bit down on her tongue.]
[A universe without the Doctor was wrong. There would never be anything right about that. He kept his silence though, he didn't want her to pity him, and he would never accept it if she did. It happened, all that was left was try to get through the mess of what was left.
It also wouldn't have been the first time he considered traveling back along his own personal timeline in order to change something that had happened. Only he was certain that the TARDIS, even now, would not react well to his trying to pilot her. She held a grudge very well, that ship.
The Master didn't cast a glance to the fallen animal as he made his way up ahead of her.]
I'm sure they won't mind my being less than hospitable. [He stopped then, turning back to her, and then canting his head to listen more carefully to their surroundings.]
No, I think only the one managed to get inside. I don't hear anything else. [Yet, at least.]
It doesn't mean we should take our time though. I'll feel more at ease once we're on the roof.
[She wholeheartedly agreed. Having spent some time in a universe without the Doctor, she'd had the opportunity to compare. At least then, though, she had the reassurance that he was still alive, living on and being a supernova. Now, though... things seemed bleak. It was hard to see through the darkness, and this time, although applicable, she meant metaphorically.
She kept the flashlight on, though it was a bit lighter in the stairwell, following him with a bit more distance than she'd done a minute ago. Maybe it was because she could see, maybe it was because she was stamping down on those stupid, niggling fears.]
I think they'll find you hospitable enough when they try and eat your face off. [She panted, jogging up the fourth flight, and then the fifth.] What d'you expect to find in this facility, anyway? A cure?
How rude of them. Last time I agree to a housewarming in this neighborhood. [He kept a few steps ahead, taking the steps two at a time.]
Information. I think they were working on a cure before it all went downhill, but they weren't able to finish. By the time they realized how fast it spread, it was too late. [He stopped a few steps before the door leading out onto the roof, and turned to her.]
You've seen the clusters. You've seen the dogs. You haven't been to this level of the facility yet, I had to bypass a number of security protocols to get access to it.
[It was a testament to how close, despite their general dislike for the other, they had become that he was taking the time to prepare her.]
It's not pleasant. [And the Master had seen just as much, if not more, than the Doctor. He'd done a great many terrible things. And this unsettled him.]
I'm afraid the whole place has gone downhill lately. Just a different class of citizen all the way around. We might just be the only civilized pair left.
[She puffs. Stupid jerk and his superior alien whatever. She finally managed to catch her breath when they arrived on the correct floor, a hand braced against the wall for support.]
I didn't expect it would be. Pleasant doesn't exist, anymore. And you'll be able to finish it, then? This cure? [It wasn't doubt. She knew how clever he was. It was almost stupid of her to ask. He could probably do it backwards and in his sleep, if he just had the right information.
After a moment of breathing, she gave him an appreciative nod indicating she was ready. She could handle it.
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[She shoved a clip into one of the guns, slid a it into the back waistband on her jeans, and tugged her jacket down over it. Threw a rifle over her shoulder by the strap. Laced up her boots.
No more stalling. She moved to stand beside the doors, and hesitated. They might, quite possibly, die. She should probably say something reassuring and compassionate.]
If you die, I'll kill you.
[Good enough.]
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[He bared his teeth at her in something of a smile, a manic gleam in his eyes.
Then, certain there were not any of the creatures near, he opened the doors with his left hand, gun out and sweeping the area with his right. He nodded once it was clear.]
We're going up to the roof. I want to get a look at things before we head out. [He had climbing equipment rigged up there already from their last trip out. They'd been too careless and going the same way twice had let them on to their scent. It had taken several weeks for them to wander away, seeming to find something else to eat or, and this was the scary bit, being called away by something else.
Once she was clear, he let himself step out, lowered the steel door, and secured it. He didn't pull out a flashlight, he didn't honestly need it yet, senses being far more acute than a human's.]
Come along.
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Really ought to figure out an alternative means of escape. Just in case. Considering... last time. A plan B. [Those were very hungry weeks. It simply wasn't safe enough to go for supplies, and while they usually stayed well stocked, weeks were a long time, especially with no prospect of relief. Then again, making the place too homey meant resigning themselves to staying there permanently. That might be alright with him, but the only way she could deal with it was by thinking it was on a short-term basis.
She followed him in the darkness, close enough to feel him through it so she could keep up in the overwhelming blackness that her eyes refused to adjust to. Light attracted them. It was habit, by now, to use it as little as possible, not while he had the ability to see for the pair of them.
Which didn't particularly mean she ( ... )
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Well, I wasn't the one that picked out that last shade for the curtains, sweetums.
[The Master kept his steps slower than his usual, being sure not to outdistance her while they moved through the area. The once living humans were not the worst thing they could run into. There were wild dogs, some feral and starved, but others were infected. They were damned difficult to kill.
He stopped at the door to the stairs, listening again to be sure they weren't going to get any nasty surprises. They had barricades all along the stairwell, not easily navigable, but they usually only used these for emergencies.]
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The stairwell door seemed quiet at first, and she nearly nodded him on. A soft sound stopped her, and reflexively, a hand shot out to wrap around his wrist in the dark. The sound of aluminum, a can bouncing gently down a flight of stairs, echoed by the acoustics of the stairwell. Well. that certainly wasn't good.
It was always advisable to use means alternative to shooting, the sound attracted more of them, and that would be a bad idea, so close to home. If it was a walker, they could figure out something else. A dog, though... especially a dog carrying infection, it would have to be shot.]
What d'you think?
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He didn't tense or pull away at the contact, much like he would have a few weeks ago. He'd more or less become used to her small habits of that sort. He did carefully extricate his wrist from her grip so he could find a pipe which he'd kept near the door, but stopped... He thought he heard the scuffing of claws against the floor.]
Damn. [It seemed to have heard them, and there was a sudden crash of a body against the door. No barking, but the typical sounds of a creature infected with the virus. He discarded the pipe, and produced a flashlight for Rose, offering it to her.}
Take this and watch the area behind us. I'll take care of our four-legged friend here. It's only one. [He ( ... )
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She didn't hear the claws, hearing far less acute than his. The crash and snapping jaws, however, were all but audible. Dogs. Faster, more agile, with stronger mouths. She shifted, taking the flashlight, flicking it on with no small amount of relief. No point in trying to stay subtle, not with the racket that thing was putting out.
For once, miraculously, she didn't fight him. Just gave him a tiny nod.]
Be careful.
[Sincerity. That one probably was because she cared. Gross. Of all of the sentimental humans to get stuck with, he got Rose, the clingy teddy-bear wrapped in a fix-it complex.]After this one, we're switching to cats, I don't care what the children think ( ... )
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You'll make me think you care about my well being at this rate, Ms. Tyler. [He waiting until it seemed to back up off the door in order to attack again, and when he heard it lunge, he pushed open the door with all of his weight (and strength) behind it. There was the sound of the impact, followed by its body hitting the floor. He stepped in, gun out, and quickly shut the door behind him. His steps could be heard, dodging the snapping jaws of the dog, and then a gunshot followed quickly by silence.]
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Don't get a big head.
[She glanced over her shoulder at him as he stepped in, and turned quickly away again and down the hall as the door shut. Tried forcefully not to let herself turn and watch the door. She couldn't see through it, and it would only distract her if one of the walkers managed to wander through thanks to a bisecting tunnel or spillway ( ... )
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But he didn't. Now he wondered why. Why hadn't he halted their progress when he knew where it was going to lead? It didn't matter now. What mattered was finding a way to reverse the mutation.
After making sure that the stairwell was free of any others, he rapped his knuckles on the door.]
And here I'd brought crisps for the guests you invited over. I'm going to be cross if I went out of my way, and they don't show up with anything at all.
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It wasn't.
She pushed the door open, followed him in, and closed it behind her. A frown of distaste curled around her lips at the sight of the dog, feral and patchy, sprawled and bleeding on the ground. That was just... it was a sight she'd have been happier not seeing. Then again, considering the way the world was, these days...
She started up the stairs after him.]
Don't be mean to the dinner guests, love, I hear we're in a bit of a recession. [Her voice sounded wobbly even to her. Pathetic. She bit down on her tongue.]
D'you think the noise...?
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It also wouldn't have been the first time he considered traveling back along his own personal timeline in order to change something that had happened. Only he was certain that the TARDIS, even now, would not react well to his trying to pilot her. She held a grudge very well, that ship.
The Master didn't cast a glance to the fallen animal as he made his way up ahead of her.]
I'm sure they won't mind my being less than hospitable. [He stopped then, turning back to her, and then canting his head to listen more carefully to their surroundings.]
No, I think only the one managed to get inside. I don't hear anything else. [Yet, at least.]
It doesn't mean we should take our time though. I'll feel more at ease once we're on the roof.
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She kept the flashlight on, though it was a bit lighter in the stairwell, following him with a bit more distance than she'd done a minute ago. Maybe it was because she could see, maybe it was because she was stamping down on those stupid, niggling fears.]
I think they'll find you hospitable enough when they try and eat your face off. [She panted, jogging up the fourth flight, and then the fifth.] What d'you expect to find in this facility, anyway? A cure?
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Information. I think they were working on a cure before it all went downhill, but they weren't able to finish. By the time they realized how fast it spread, it was too late. [He stopped a few steps before the door leading out onto the roof, and turned to her.]
You've seen the clusters. You've seen the dogs. You haven't been to this level of the facility yet, I had to bypass a number of security protocols to get access to it.
[It was a testament to how close, despite their general dislike for the other, they had become that he was taking the time to prepare her.]
It's not pleasant. [And the Master had seen just as much, if not more, than the Doctor. He'd done a great many terrible things. And this unsettled him.]
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[She puffs. Stupid jerk and his superior alien whatever. She finally managed to catch her breath when they arrived on the correct floor, a hand braced against the wall for support.]
I didn't expect it would be. Pleasant doesn't exist, anymore. And you'll be able to finish it, then? This cure? [It wasn't doubt. She knew how clever he was. It was almost stupid of her to ask. He could probably do it backwards and in his sleep, if he just had the right information.
After a moment of breathing, she gave him an appreciative nod indicating she was ready. She could handle it.
She hoped.]
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