fragmentation: (Serious - Contemplative)
James Wood ([personal profile] fragmentation) wrote in [community profile] bigapplesauce2013-02-03 04:12 am

[open x3] I'm not big enough to house this crowd

James is having a pretty regular day. They're planetside, on a lovely little world called Hedenex. He's taking an exploratory stroll, dressed in one of his three-pieces suits, walking through the complex cityscape they're visiting, enjoying the unfamiliar sky.

He's spent most of the day running around with Andrew, seeing sights, meeting people, testing the cuisine, and letting the dogs stretch their legs a bit too. But Andrew and the dogs only have so much energy, so James has left them to get some rest. James doesn't really need to worry about those things, so he's been getting some exploring done on his own. It's a very welcoming area.

He's just about to head back to ship, when he stumbles. This in itself is unusual, given how surefooted he normally is. But it only gets weirder from there. His systems go haywire, his vision and most of his senses cut out completely. There's a moment of panic, but he doesn't have long to dwell on it before he wakes up in an entirely different place. That is, places.

--

James, or rather the Ambrose part of him, comes to on a streetcorner on the Upper East Side, near Harlem. He's breathing, which is most unconventional. When did he start breathing? Up until a moment (or however long it's been) ago, he was completely robotic.

It's not the first time he's been put in a flesh body, however, so he manages to adjust fairly quickly, getting slowly to his feet. He doesn't much care for the cold, though. Perhaps this is just another Time Scoop, but it's usually less unpleasant.

But no... Because there's something missing. Great chunks of his mind are gone, and he feels strangely empty. Oh, not his memories. Those are still there. Not as organised and reliable now he's got a biological body, but there. His two imported personalities. The Doctor and the Master. They're gone. Yet somehow he can still sense them. As if they're here, but not part of him anymore. He's not sure what this means.

It doesn't occur to him how strange he must look, standing here in the cold, looking confused and lost.

--

Across town, the Doctor wakes up. He's in a café in the East Village, down on 10th street - though he himself doesn't know much more than that it's a café, and that he's currently slumped against the wall in a booth.

He goes through much the same thought process as Ambrose. They have the same memories of course, more or less the same mental capacities; the only difference is how they react to it. And the Doctor is worried. Deeply worried. If he's split free, that means the Master is probably also wandering around somewhere. He can feel that much. A presence in his mind, but far too distant and vague for him to pinpoint it.

First of all, where is he? His surroundings aren't much help. Back in his old body, he could've smelled it. He's not sure how reliable this new nose is, but he hasn't the memories to recall which place smells like what anymore in any case. It definitely doesn't look much like Hedenex, though.

He prods the shoulder of a random patron. "Pardon me, but could you tell me where I am?"

--

Meanwhile, approximately right between the two others, in the back of a dark McDonalds on 42nd street, right off Times Square, the Master version of James wakes up.

He, unlike the two others, is not quite so worried, once he's realised what's happened. In fact, he's rather delighted. His personality is often kept quite buried, at least compared to the other two. He's not so keen on finding them, though he feels that they're here somewhere, now he's finally got a body of his own.

He grins to himself, and pushes out the backdoor of the restaurant, out onto 41st street. It's not particularly crowded, but there are a few walking around. "You, human, where am I?" he asks one of them.
lukesmith: Luke's mixed reaction to his first kiss (misc | first kiss)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-06 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Is it something to do with the rift?" Because that's an odd sort of way to approach crossing the city. "I could take you to the center of it; I know where it is."
lukesmith: (curious | blank)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-06 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Luke blinks at him in surprise. "How can you tell?" he asks. "People normally come through the rift alone -- that's what I've heard. Who is it?"
lukesmith: Luke giving a faint smile in a blue-lit image (smile | little blue smile)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-06 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Really?" Luke's practically getting bouncy now. "Has that ever happened before?"

Yeah, sorry, not so much sympathy as thinking that's really very cool.
lukesmith: (serious | sneaking)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-07 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
"So they're not actually copies," Luke decides. "More like parts, that's what you said. Does that mean you're sort of...I dunno, split up right now?"

Because fascinating!
lukesmith: Luke giving a faint smile in a blue-lit image (smile | little blue smile)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-07 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
"What are you going to do when you find them?" asks Luke. It doesn't occur to him to doubt that Ambrose will, or that this is all perfectly real.
lukesmith: Luke giving a faint smile in a blue-lit image (smile | little blue smile)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-08 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Do you think you'll be able to go back together?" Luke's trying to imagine what this would look like. He'd rather like to watch this.
lukesmith: Luke giving a faint smile in a blue-lit image (smile | little blue smile)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-12 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
"You need a metrocard," explains Luke, seeing the look he gives the machine. Reaching into his pocket, he produces his own card...only to frown when an attempt to use it reveals that he doesn't have enough funds. "You can get them over there..." he says, pointing.
lukesmith: Luke smiling in a red-lit image (smile | red)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-18 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Luke loiters behind Ambrose, not particularly interested in what he's doing, since he assumes that Ambrose not making a fuss and the machine working mean that he has the right kind of money. He smiles when his new friend pays his way. "Thanks! There's a map up ahead; you can see which train to take."
lukesmith: (curious | innocent)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-20 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Luke nods. "Do you think you'll be able to tell when we get close to one of your other selves, or do you think you'll just know when we go past them and they're in the other direction?"

Questions...for science! Or entertainment, same thing.
lukesmith: Luke smiling in a red-lit image (smile | red)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-21 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Luke grins. "I wish I had a power from the rift." Because apparently having a super-brain isn't enough for him.
lukesmith: Luke's mixed reaction to his first kiss (misc | first kiss)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-23 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"I dunno." Luke shrugs, looking thoughtful. "One of my flatmates can walk on the ceiling -- that seems sort of cool."
lukesmith: (serious | questioning)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-28 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Really?" Luke's just excited about the idea of laser eyes, though. "Couldn't you use it for welding plastic?"

Because to Luke, that is a practical application.