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.
wildmage_daine: (crow curious)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
Daine is gliding overhead in crow shape when she overhears someone referring to the other two-leggers as 'human.' It's enough to catch her interest, as not many two-leggers use that term, so she circles back to land on a nearby fire escape. She tilts her head and peers down, trying to figure out which of the two-leggers below her had spoken.
Edited 2013-02-03 03:43 (UTC)
wildmage_daine: (crow caw)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
Something about him seems familiar, though she's sure she's never met him before. He's probably come through the rift, too, going by how confused he is, which means she almost definitely hasn't met him.

Still, at least she can answer his question. She doesn't reshape her mouth, but takes advantage of a crow's ability to mimic and offers, "New York." The "New" is a bit drawn out, and the "York" comes out as a sort of gulp with a heavy click at the end, but it's probably understandable. "Nyeeeew," she tries again, enjoying the challenge, "YORR-CK!"
wildmage_daine: (crow curious)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
She chirrups to herself, trying to work out how to make a 'D' sound. Odd's bobs, this is difficult. Vowels aren't too bad, and neither are hard consonants, but the softer ones are tricky. "Tk-aaaaaaaing." No. "Chk-aaai--" No, curse it. Daine ruffles her feathers, frustrated, and blinks down at the man.
wildmage_daine: (crow caw)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 05:11 am (UTC)(link)
James. He's tall, blonde, and his name is James! He even has the grey suit. Daine lets out an excited squawk and hops along the railing, resisting the urge to fly down to him. After all, it still might not be Andrew's James. And even if it is, he has no way of knowing she knows Andrew.

Unless she can tell him. "Aaaaaaang-kt-ew," she tries. "Aaaang-kt!-krrrew."

She hopes it's the right James. If he ended up here, then someone she knows could show up, too.
Edited 2013-02-03 05:29 (UTC)
lukesmith: (serious | sneaking)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-03 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Luke has been advised against talking to strangers, particularly in New York, and particularly ones who are behaving oddly. That's why he's hesitant to say anything to the blond man, even though he looks like he could use some help. Instead, Luke lurks maybe fifteen feet down the sidewalk, trying to look like he's not watching the man. He's really not at all good at it.
wildmage_daine: (crow perch)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 05:43 am (UTC)(link)
It is the right James! Daine doesn't think she'll have much luck if she tries for a 'yes,' so she gives a vigorous nod, instead.
beastisbeauty: (thinks)

[personal profile] beastisbeauty 2013-02-03 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
This is part of what Bruce does for the rebellion. He keeps his eyes and ears open, in case he comes across a new riftie. Hearing someone ask where they are isn't conclusive, but it's worth checking out. He approaches cautiously.

"You're on tenth street, in the East Village," he tells the man softly, not letting his voice carry very far.
wildmage_daine: (crow perch)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 06:21 am (UTC)(link)
Daine's not entirely sure where Andrew is, but there are only so many places she imagines he could be. She nods again, deciding to take James to the park. If Andrew isn't there, it'll be a nice enough place for James to wait while she finds him.

It's a pity she's still worn out from yesterday, otherwise she'd feel better about shifting a bit so she could talk to him with more ease. As it is, she doesn't fancy doing anything more complicated than a full shift into another animal, and only one of those. Best not to push it.
wildmage_daine: (crow flight)

[personal profile] wildmage_daine 2013-02-03 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
Daine flies towards the square, lighting wherever she can every few yards or so to make sure James is keeping up. Once they reach 7th and turn towards the park, she flies a bit farther ahead, making sure to land in conspicuous places so he doesn't lose sight of her.

When she's a bit closer to the park, she reaches out with her magic to ask the pigeons if Andrew is there, doing her best to describe Andrew as a pigeon would see him. It's a bit tricky to hold the crow shape while talking to pigeons, but she manages.
lukesmith: (curious | innocent)

[personal profile] lukesmith 2013-02-03 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
"East 105th Street," replies Luke, who has a head for these sort of things. He hesitates, though, wondering if that's quite what the man meant. "Does that help?" he asks, trying to hint that it would make sense to him if it didn't.
beastisbeauty: (grins)

[personal profile] beastisbeauty 2013-02-03 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
Bruce smiles sympathetically, nodding.

"It's January 12, 2013," he replies, casually, not making a big deal of it. "May I sit down with you?"

Page 1 of 13