HANDYSPLOSION [open to multiple]

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew is snooping, but he's not getting very far with it. The trouble with absurdly powerful, government-sanctioned entities is that getting inside the base of such an organization tends to be a bit more complicated than showing up with a forged Health and Safety ID card. Of course, he could probably get inside very easily if he simply went up to the front doors and announced himself, but somehow he doubts he'd be likely to come back out without making a grand production of escaping, and he doesn't want to be too late coming home and make James worry.

The other trouble with Romac is that they're too smart to have anything interesting going on outside. After quite a bit of loitering -- more loitering than is probably wise -- all Andrew's seen is fairly ordinary people going in and out of the building. Disgruntled at their failure to be even the least bit interesting, Andrew finally gives up in disgust and decides to walk to the rebel base in order to say hello to a few people and use their private library.

He makes it less than halfway to the park before disaster strikes. Later, Handrew will be mortally embarrassed that the crisis didn't come about because some Romac agent spotted him and decided to make trouble, or because he had to run to intercept an alien, or even because someone got it in their head to mug him. No, this disaster occurs simply because neither Andrew nor a certain speeding taxi driver happens to be looking in the right direction at the right time. As the meta-crisis steps out into the intersection of Lexington and 59th (against right of way, if he'd bothered to notice), there's a deafening screech, an impact, and Andrew quite unexpectedly shatters.

The reflex to use his power when surprised likely saves his life. Twelve tiny Andrews are scattered across the road a moment later, all of them stunned to one degree or another. As they recover and realize what's happened -- and hear the yells of a few people who saw -- they all take the same course of action:

Run.

Unfortunately, very few of them run in the same direction. There's no plan or pattern to it, and very quickly the Andrews scatter to the four winds -- or at least to the four corners of the intersection. There are a few shouts (even New Yorkers tend to notice when someone explodes next to them) and one person even stoops and tries to grab one of the four-inch-tall Andrews, but he has quite a bit of experience in running for cover.


[OOC: Let me know where you want to encounter one or more Andrews, and I will write up an explanation of how he got there. The accident occurred at E. 59th St. and Lexington Ave. (the game map might help you here), and the Andrews have gone in every direction. Some Andrews will take advantage of the nearby subway entrances; depending where he enters he could do as he intends and go northwest, or he could get on the wrong train and go northeast, which would take him past Romac housing. Really, anything is possible -- though he's trying to get to either the Rebels or the TARDIS, he could get lost in any direction, or stay stranded near the intersection. Just write a tag indicating where your character encounters an Andrew and I'll work it out (or you can PM me or ping me on AIM if you want to hammer it out together). He'll be staying in twelfths, since merging into sixths would make him a foot and a half high, meaning he'd be still too small to get around without trouble but too big to go unnoticed. There might be multiple Andrews traveling together, so let me know if you want two of them.]

UPDATE, November 14: Nine Andrews are accounted for so far. One Andrew each currently reserved for Lucy, Spike, and Topher, meaning no more Andrews are available.

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[wildmage_daine]

Secret hesitates again, withdrawing its little arm. "Can't say," it says before reshaping itself into a necklace, the little head vanishing.

Daine's tail twitches, and she lifts a paw. "We should probably keep moving," she says, mindful of how near they still are to the bustle of the sidewalk. She hardly dares to hope Andrew is going to just let the matter of the darking drop entirely, but maybe she can put him off until he gets distracted by something else.

[bluesuit_handy]

"Oh, don't --" Andrew frowns at the abrupt end to the conversation, stepping closer to try to see where its head's gone. Into the rest of it, apparently, and he invades Daine's space without thinking about it to part her fur and look at the necklace-shaped darking.

Looking up, he remembers belatedly that they're still in a public place. "Probably," he agrees reluctantly. "Was it something I said?"

[wildmage_daine]

Excuse you, Andrew. Daine clears her throat and leans back a little, giving him a disapproving look that is only a little less impressive for being on a human face instead of a feline one. "He's called Secret for a reason," she says simply. Then, to forestall any more questions, she shapes her head back to a cat's and crouches once more.

No hard feelings from the darking, though, and a little black arm pokes up out of her fur in case Andrew wants the extra handhold.

[bluesuit_handy]

Frooooown. "But --"

And she's gone and changed her head back. How's he supposed to get answers now? Huffing in annoyance, Andrew starts to climb, notices the handhold, and takes advantage of it. Soon enough he's perched once more atop Mount Daine.

"You remember where the TARDIS is?" he asks belatedly, experimenting with sitting upright.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine rises to her feet and lets out a chirp of confirmation. She knows the Ramble better than most other areas of the park. It's still a bit of a hike, of course, but now she has more cover to take advantage of... not to mention more friends about. It's no coincidence that when any two-leggers get too close to Daine and her passenger (or passengers, counting Secret), they soon find themselves distracted by the scolding of a squirrel or a sparrow darting past their heads.

Even with the help, and with Daine moving at a good little clip, it takes the better part of an hour for them to actually reach the TARDIS. By that point, Daine's tired enough to not feel like shifting her head again, so she presses a paw against the wooden door and lets out a strident meow by way of greeting.

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew, meanwhile, is finally starting to think about where all the other Andrews will have got to while he's traveling to the TARDIS. Even at this size, he never expected it to take this long -- perhaps one of the others will have got there first? He doesn't see how, though.

Riding a cat for an hour is more taxing than he would have thought, too, even when he shifts position a few times to relieve the ache in his legs and back. When he sees the TARDIS up ahead he lets out a groan of relief, and only just resists the urge to slide off Daine's back when she comes to a halt. Instead he pushes himself upright again and lifts an arm to wave at the TARDIS's sensors. "It's me, Andrew! Let us in!" he calls.

[theoldgirl]

The TARDIS completely disregards the approaching stray cat, being quite used to the more intrepid of the local wildlife using her as perches or sometimes a source of warmth. She wouldn't even deign the animal with attention when it meows at her, except that's when she picks up the tiny life sign that is Andrew. A very small Andrew riding a cat. She definitely wasn't expecting that.

But thankfully the Doctor is home, so she won't have to deal with this confusing turn of events herself. Quickly getting over her initial bafflement, she opens the door to bring Andrew to safety and then gives the Doctor a rather alarmed mental nudge to draw his attention away from the recalibrations he's been doing. She throws in a few rapidly blinking lights on the console for good measure, just to express how startling she finds this.

[wildmage_daine]

It doesn't occur to Daine that the TARDIS hasn't recognized her yet (how else could Andrew have roped a cat into acting as his personal taxi service?), so she walks right in once the door is opened, not wanting to seem as twitchy as she was the first time. Being in cat shape makes things a bit interesting, and she swivels her ears to catch little noises she hadn't heard the first time around - and resolutely tries not to get too distracted by the blinking console lights.

She heads for the chair, figuring it'll be more comfortable for both of them and get Andrew a bit closer to head height. It's no great leap for a cat, but she expects it will unseat Andrew if the darking doesn't help. Reshaping her mouth for a moment, she orders, "Hold on, both of you." Secret stirs around her neck, and Daine gives him a moment to grab onto Andrew before jumping up onto the chair.

There we are. Much better than the floor. Daine stretches along the seat, giving herself a breather and making it easier for Andrew to get down.

[alwaysalright]

What? Huh? Every time he's really getting in the groove, there's always something. ...Not that he actually minds. As much as he likes working on the TARDIS systems, it's not as enjoyable when it's the status quo rather than a welcome break from running around and getting in trouble. ...Not that he doesn't get into plenty of trouble still, it's just not as exciting trouble as when traveling.

"Uh. Hello," he greets when he sees the cat walking inside. Why is the TARDIS letting in a cat? Why does a cat want to enter in the first place? "Yes, yes, alright," he adds, flipping a few switches to indicate he gets the point, she can stop flashing those lights now.

It's not until the cat is almost up by the console that the Doctor notices Andrew on her back. And then -- wait. "What." Did that cat just.. what?

He crouches next to the chair to look more closely at them, frowning in confusion and surprise. "Hello there."

[bluesuit_handy]

Well, this is embarrassing. Andrew slides off of Daine with a grunt of relief, his legs folding up under him as he hits the seat of the chair so that he ends up leaning against her side. Patting her absently, he catches his breath while the Doctor goes through his initial surprise.

He manages a smile and a little wave of a hand. "Hello, Doctor. I need you to run a scan for the rest of me. I maaaay have been hit by a car about, ooh, an hour ago. Give or take."

[wildmage_daine]

... Did she never tell the Doctor or the TARDIS about her shape-shifting? Whoops. Reshaping her mouth again, she says, "Hullo, Doctor. And TARDIS," she adds in the console's general direction.

Then, giving Andrew a sharp look with her still feline eyes, she says, "You never said you were hit by a car." She punctuates that with a reproachful flick of her tail, giving him a brief face-full of fur.

[alwaysalright]

"Daine?" the Doctor asks, suddenly recognising the voice. Okay, Daine can shapeshift, and Andrew's tiny. Well, at least it's an interesting visit.

"Right," he answers, straightening up and turning back to the console, pulling down the monitor and flipping switches. And while they're searching for the other Andrew(s?), he also has the TARDIS scan him to make sure he's alright, car accident and all.

"I didn't know you could split into smaller then halves." Just like he didn't know Daine can shapeshift. No one tells him anything! It's becoming a trend.

[bluesuit_handy]

Did the Doctor not know that was Daine? Andrew is about to comment, but then gets bopped by a giant tail and has to spend a few seconds spitting out cat hair. Not that he isn't already covered.

Upon recovering, he considers lying and saying that he didn't know, either, but remembers that Daine helped him figure out that he could and will probably call him out on it. He'd never got this small, though. "There's a lower threshold, but I don't know what it is, exactly," he admits. "I've probably hit it today -- I sort of...well." He tugs an ear in embarrassment. "Exploded."

As for his health, the scan should show that he's in surprisingly good condition. There are scrapes and bruises here and there, but nothing like what he should have from being hit by a car. What may be of interest, too, is the cloud of energy buzzing around him, both within his body and extending outward.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine might be more sheepish about startling the Doctor - there are easier ways to demonstrate her ability than just showing up in a different shape - but she's too busy being distracted by Andrew's very belated explanation of what happened. Her surprise and indignation are great enough that she shifts her entire head back just so she can glare at him properly.

"You mean there are dozens of you still out there and you didn't mention it until just now?" she snaps, tail lashing.

[alwaysalright]

The Doctor takes a moment to facepalm at the news Andrew, well, exploded. When he looks back up, hello, well, that's definitely Daine. Or at least part of her, as he knows her. It's been a good long while since he's seen a shapeshifter (or at least one that didn't shift by using perception filter or similar, which it doesn't seem like Daine's doing), so he's not used to it. Blimey, he's becoming all native, surprised by anything uncommon to humans. It's like back when he was young.

He shakes his head a bit and looks back at the screen, frowning. The TARDIS can't seem to locate the rest of him, though. Not even when he focuses the scan to include similar energy signatures from what he assumes must be excess of his power, keeping him tiny. He touches his tongue to the roof of his mouth, playing with dials.

[bluesuit_handy]

It's not every day you get scolded by a cat with a human head, but Andrew's not likely to savor it. He frowns at the implication that he's done anything wrong. "I needed to get here as quickly as I could," he explains impatiently. "I could spend all day hunting for myself, or I could come here and find out from the TARDIS where every...me...is in five minutes. Anyway, they'll be fine -- I'll be fine. I'm good at this sort of thing."

Speaking of which: "Found them yet, Doctor? Ought to be a few around Lexington...ish."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine isn't feeling very placated. "Or I could have left you safe under a bush somewhere and looked myself - and had the People help, too. Odd's bobs, they've all had an hour's head start, now."

All right, she's willing to concede that the TARDIS might be faster than the People would be... but regardless of how quickly the TARDIS works, the other Andrews have doubtless scattered all over the place. It'll take ages to gather them all back up, even if they know exactly where each one is.

[alwaysalright]

"No.." the Doctor answers slowly. Even when he narrows the search to that side of the city, there's no trace. Or, more accurately, there's far too many traces to determine which might be Andrews and which might be other things entirely.

He looks away from the screen, down at the both of them. "Sorry, she's not exactly able to work at full capacity here, thanks to the rift. It might be possible, with some calibrations, but it'll take a while. I think it'd be a good idea for you to ask the People, Daine. You'll probably need to go outside."

The TARDIS does block off telepathic communication with the outside world, and they doesn't know enough about Daine's powers to give her an opening.

[bluesuit_handy]

"And they'll all be coming here --" starts Andrew, annoyed that she thinks he doesn't have a plan. Then what the Doctor's just said hits him and he falls silent, staring up at the Time Lord with wide eyes.

"No?" he repeats, gobsmacked and finally feeling a knot of worry in his gut. "But she knows me; she'll have isolated my biometric signal ages ago!"

[wildmage_daine]

Daine is silent for a few moments, then lets out a long-suffering sigh. Of course it couldn't be easy - where's the fun in that?

She nods at the Doctor's suggestion. She'd already figured on going outside, though not because she has any inkling of the TARDIS blocking her. It's just that if she sends her magic out inside the TARDIS, she suspects she'll end up reaching the library bats and the menagerie. But going outside means she's going to need cover. It's much easier to talk to everyone in her normal shape.

"Do you have a blanket I could borrow?" she asks the Doctor. That'll do for now; she won't be in her human shape for long at the rate things are going.

[alwaysalright]

"I think you're too small," he answers. If Andrew wasn't actually inside the TARDIS, it probably would've been hard to get a proper read on him even if he was relatively close. Not that they haven't searched for smaller, but there's a lot of rift interference, particularly with his power involved.

"Why'd you need a bl-- Ohh," he answers, realising that Daine intends to turn back. He doubts she'd have much use of a blanket in cat form, anyhow. "Just a mo'," he answers, heading up some stairs, and digging into a chest. Of course the TARDIS provides, and the Doctor returns with not a blanket, but a robe and some slippers. It's not snowy anymore, but it's still cold. "Are you, uhh.." He trails off, not sure what he's asking. He's unsure how this works.

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew stands up, anticipating that Daine will need to move away and not wanting to get knocked over in the process. He's troubled, to say the least; he was absolutely confident in the TARDIS's ability to help him piece himself back together, and the news that she can't makes him feel suddenly helpless. It's daft; he was already relying on the help of others, but it still feels like he's failed to save himself.

"I think they'll all come here," he says to himself, perturbed.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine's a bit surprised by the robe and slippers, which look to be in her size. It's a nice gesture, though she can't help but think a blanket would have been more straightforward. You can duck under a blanket, after all, which makes shifting back a bit less awkward. And public.

Well, needs must. "Just throw the robe on top of me, please," she says, hopping off of the chair to give herself more room to work with. "And turn around."

[alwaysalright]

The Doctor drapes the robe over her the right way, so it'll be as easy for her to slip into it as possible, and turns away, fiddling with the console. "There are other places you might think to go. I'll send James a message, tell him what's happened, so he can look out for you. If you couldn't come here, where else would you have gone?" he asks, so they can narrow down their search a lot. Hopefully the other Andrews haven't gotten themselves into trouble. He wonders morbidly for a second what would happen if one of them got themselves killed. Maybe Andrew would just stay smaller than normal.

[bluesuit_handy]

Andrew looks away as well when it occurs to him to do so a moment later. His breath catches at the mention of James -- of course James should know, and he'll want to help, but he feels suddenly rather more aware that his husband boyfriend partner will not only worry, but probably have good reason to do so.

Mulling it over, he tries to think what Plan B would have been. "The rebel base, perhaps," he replies, sneaking a glance to see how Daine's doing in the transformation department, then quickly looking away again in case she's gone naked and hairless. "Home's too far. I could take the subway, but I'd want to keep it short."