for magicalskeptic: A trip to the ocean

[rude_not_ginger]

"You wanted an ocean, have I got an ocean for you."

The Doctor darted around the console and scooped his jacket up from where it hung on one of the TARDIS pillars. He absolutely loved this bit. The first trip to an alien world with someone who didn't even believe in other worlds until now. Very little was more exciting.

"Now! We've got breathable atmosphere, low radiation, and a beautiful summer day. The waters of the Greeio Malgoon are purple in the summer, which is when they're the warmest and the safest. I'd have taken you to them in the winter when they're blue, but the water's acid content gets a bit high and ends up spewing out strange creatures with eyes that shoot lasers. Green lasers, they disintegrate you without much warning. Very technicolor world, the Greeo Malgoon."

He shrugged. "Still! In the summer, peak of tourist season, it's the most brilliant place for a visit."

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[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

The heat radiating from the steam causes Morgana to pull him back towards her. She's worried he'll get burned. Once a good few feet back, she gives a quick once over to make sure it hasn't happened already.

To cover the concern,"Obviously, whatever is doing this does not want us there."

And then she notices something remarkable about the steam -- something that is so not remarkable, it is worth noting.

"Why is that not purple?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

When she pulls on him, he very nearly stumbles into her, which could be less awkward, he supposes. Still, he gives her a quick nod of thanks before turning back to the steam.

"It isn't purple," he says. "That's odd. It should be purple, or giving off some sort of purple light. Steam is just evaporated water. And the water here is always technicolor, always."

He takes another step back and pulls his sonic out of his pocket, giving it a zap in the direction of the blast.

"Oh, now, that is interesting."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"What did you just do?"

Whatever it is her might-be-a-screwdriver does not do that.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Checked the localized polarity of the area," he explains, simply. "Basically, I just checked the makeup of the water."

He holds the sonic out to her and points to a series of lights on the corner.

"Non-acidic. Your equivalent of Earth well water."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

The lights mean nothing, and or does she nod pretending they do. Instead, Morgana only looks confused.

"But you said we were on Greeio Malgoon." Those words do not trip trippingly off the tongue. "How does water from, home get here?"

You'll have to excuse her, but this is all extremely new to someone who, six months previously, didn't know the universe had more than four elements.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Oh, we are on Greeio Malgoon," the Doctor says. "But this water isn't from here. This whole steam cloud, it isn't from this place at all. Some sort of imported wall."

He steps around the wall slowly, holding his hand out to judge the heat.

"Definitely real, but why put this hear? What could they possibly want it for?"

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"Why would anyone import water? There is plenty of it."

And, there goes the Doctor, standing far too close to the steam for Morgana's liking. Where she's from burns are easily deadly, so excuse her for worrying.

"Doctor, would you please come away from there."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Maybe the water on this planet doesn't steam hot enough," he theorizes, refusing to move from where he stands. "Maybe it isn't as impressive a lightshow. But what for? And where are all the people? Why isn't anyone putting this out?"

There's a sudden wail of a siren, and the Doctor takes a step away from the steam.

"Air raid sirens," he says. "Something else imported from Earth."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Someone says air raid, and no matter what era one is from, the automatic response is to look up, which is exactly what Morgana does.

She also covers her ears.

"Doctor," She hopes he can hear her over whatever unearthly noise that is, "please, move away!"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He doesn't now what's about to attack them, but he has a feeling it isn't going to be pleasant.

"Inside, quickly!" the Doctor calls. He reaches up and grabs one of her wrists, pulling her towards the nearest crystal building. The walls are smooth and dark, and once inside there's only the barest hint of light from the sparkling floors.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana is not one to flake out in a crisis, and she doesn't here either.

Once inside the building, she pulls away from the Doctor, and heads back to the door.

It's fumbling, as she's still not used to it, and can't be certain that what she has will work, but tries her might-be-a-screwdriver to try and lock the door.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor grins at her reaction, and grins even wider when he hears the lock click into place.

"Brilliant," he says. He offers her his hand again. "Come on, let's get downstairs. If there's an actual air raid, I don't want to be on the upper level of a glass building, do you?"

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Despite everything else, Morgana's willing to give him lenience here, and takes it. Any implication she might be justifying, would be unwise.

And, of course, a question that is perfectly rational to her. "How can we be attacked from the sky." Although, the logic, if such a thing were possible, to be out of the way of any falling glass, is unimpeachable.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Well, variety of ways. But here, I don't know. All the light on this planet comes from the ground, they'd need incredible power to move past the Dark Star," the Doctor says. He leads her down a dark corridor to what appears, to the Doctor, to be a set of stairs.

"Down here. Least until the sirens die out."

A few steps down, however, and he finds himself waist-deep in what feels like very thick water.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

She's following, as she has no better ideas, at the moment. That moment of not having any better ideas changes as soon as her feet hit water. Morgana's managed to say a step or two behind the Doctor.

"Doctor?" She picks up her foot, and it is like the water, but not water is sticking to her foot. She looks down and says, very slowly. "Doctor, the water here is supposed to be purple."

Whatever she's looking at is either black, or really dark red, and she does not want to know which.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, and it's not supposed to feel like this, either," the Doctor agrees. He reaches one hand down to the water and raises it up, the water sticks to his skin and stains it.

"Whatever this is---"

He goes rigid and his eyes go wide.

"Morgana, stay away from the water."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

"Doctor, my feet are already in the water." It's not an admonishment, it's an acknowledgement of whatever situation they are in, they are both in it.

And Morgana still has his hand. "I think you need to come back towards me."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"I can't," the Doctor says, and his voice shakes just the slightest bit as he tells her this.

"Because something has hold of my leg."

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana has to hold back the immediate urge to ask him what he means by that, even though it is a ridiculous, and superfluous question. Instead she takes a breath and asks something that could be more useful.

"Which leg?" She may not sound overly calm, but she's trying.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"The right one," the Doctor says. "And I think it's wrapping itself around---"

He lets go of her hand to reach for his sonic, but the moment he does, he lets out a startled yelp and proceeds to splash into the sludgy water.

"It's pulling!"

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Instead of going back up the stairs, she takes another step down. The ocean did not ruin her dress, but this will, not that it matters, at the moment. She's now knee-deep in whatever this is.

Morgana grabs a hold what she can reach -- in this case, his left arm. It takes a lot of her strength to keep the grip.

"I have you. Where is your -- sonic?" It will always be a might-be-a-screwdriver to her.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

He grips onto her arm, though part of him is worried he'll end up dragging her under, too. The tentacle creature is strong, and even with his might and Morgana's might, he still feels himself losing grip.

"Right breast pocket!" he cries. He slips again, and he winds up on his knees with one leg being pulled through the muck. He struggles to keep his head above the water.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

She tightens her fingers into the material of the Doctor's coat with one hand, while Morgana used the other to fish into the the pocket of the the Doctor's coat. She nearly loses her balance while doing so but --

"I have it. How do I make this," she does not know the correct vocabulary, "dangerous?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor goes under the water, then pulls himself back up.

"Setting 8.56B!" he cries. "And aim for the middle of the water!"

It's not a small creature, the Doctor can tell, and he doesn't want her to hit him.

[magicalskeptic.livejournal.com]

Morgana had to let go of his coat, just for a second, to change the setting, when he's pulled under, inducing her first moment of true panic throughout this whole misadventure.

When the Doctor resurfaces, she reaches out and grabs him with her left hand, and points his might-be-a-screwdriver with his right.

She wants to close her eyes, but her training -- with fencing and a bow and arrow (the latter of which she is nowhere near as talented with as the former) stops her. When she presses the button, the whine is similar to the first time she saw it -- and the exploding rock which was terrifying at the time, but nowhere near as frightening as right now, if this does not work.