Paranoia, Paranoia, Everybody's Out to Get Me

[nevermindtherunning]

Who: The Doctor, everyone!
Where:Around the science center
What: Ghosts!
When: Day 127



It had been a couple days since it started, but the Doctor had been noticing with their new home came new friends. Or really, old friends. Friends he recalled being dead, and it only reminded him he wasn't able to do anything about it.

It brought back a panic he hadn't felt since being returned from the scientists with an unstable mind. At first, he thought those wounds were reopened as he woke the first day hearing voices from Time Lords past he hadn't heard in a long, long time, only as the day turned into the next, he saw others' minds were just as unsettled and saw what seemed like projections from their own pasts.

Crouched down under a cabinet attempting to fix an annoying leaking faucet, a young Adric chirped happily away next to him about theories of a problem the Doctor had once presented to him. The Doctor was thankful to have his face hidden as an ache in his throat lingered and ridiculous amount of guilt ate away at his hearts.

"Adric," The Doctor finally spoke, "Go find Tegan for me, will you?" He waited a while after the sink was fixed before popping out and glad to find the boy missing.

Washing his hands and splashing cold water on his face, the Doctor took it upon himself to go for a walk.

Comments

[noblexcompanion]

Donna was well and truly fed up with this whole ghost nonsense. She thought she was going flippin' crazy at first, but apparently she wasn't the only one affected. So either everyone was going crazy, this place was up to it's usual tricks or the ghosts had decided it was time for a mass seance - only not, because the ghosts weren't actually ghosts.

She actually missed being able to go watch the sea or sit in the park. It would definitely take her mind off the ghosts - although knowing her luck the ghosts would've followed her any way.

Not paying attention to where she was going, she almost collided with the Doctor, letting out a panicked shriek.

[nevermindtherunning]

"Oi!" He grabs her shoulders, steadying her. "What's the panic for?" But he was nearly just as startled, if the Doctor was honest with himself.

She must have been out of sorts just as he was from all of this, and now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her since the tunnel mishap. Vaguely he wondered what did she see projected here?

[noblexcompanion]

"You came out of flippin' nowhere! That's what!" Even if Donna had been the one not looking where she was going. It was still his fault. Always his fault! Well, she would blame him and say it was his fault even if it wasn't.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to try and steady her frazzled nerves. "You're lucky I didn't smack you one, creeping up on me like that!"

[nevermindtherunning]

"Always going around smacking others. It's a wonder how you don't have arms like that hulk beast that used to be here." He says that in jest, of course as he grinned.

"Enjoying the new place? At least food is a tad easier to find. Although the tea is a bit bitter." How British of him to make such a comment, but he didn't want to tell Donna right off he's seeing dead Time Lords and companions of his past.

[noblexcompanion]

"Oi! Well with all the tea and biscuits you have you should be the size of a house!" She huffed out the comment, though really it wasn't in all seriousness.

She looked around to make sure her 'delightful' ghosts weren't following her. "I preferred the other place, if I'm honest. I mean, the park was lovely and the view of the sea was brilliant - the sea monster not so much. This place just feels so clinical. And the flippin' rooms move."

[nevermindtherunning]

"Yeeeeah, I haven't figured that one out yet." He absent-mindedly tugged at an earlobe to that comment. It was something he was trying to figure out himself. This place didn't operate like the TARDIS, which could do that too, but at least that made sense. Well, to him, at least.

With no further questions, there was a laugh behind him, causing him to close his eyes. The Doctor was trying all his might to will whoever it was away.

"Can't we go running, Doctor? That's always fun!" A beaming Jenny stood bouncing on her feet at the end of the hall looking towards them.

[noblexcompanion]

Hear that? That was the sound of Donna's heart breaking a little. She took it all back. She'd gladly deal with the ghost of Lance than have to face the ghost of Jenny. It still hurt a little too much.

Donna swallowed hard, trying to look anywhere but at Jenny. She settled for staring at her feet. As far as ways of dealing with the problem went it wasn't the best solution.

"..." Oh God. Someone call an ambulance, Donna was actually speechless.

[hung_garian]

Perhaps it was the sterility of the science centre, perhaps it was having so many of his siblings (especially Michael and Lucifer) in such close proximity, but Gabriel was, to put it simply, stressed. And the best way to relieve some of that stress without destroying anything, he'd decided, was probably to do some exploration - the human way, rather than by flying. It wasn't as if he had much else to do, after all, and it couldn't hurt to kill some time. And if he were to bump into someone, well, so much the better... for him, if perhaps not for them.

"Howdy, partner!" And, alright, maybe he'd kind of been seeking out someone to run into. He could do with someone to chat to (and, depending on his whim, maybe wind up) who wasn't related to him. Much as he loved his family, most of them were shitty conversationalists. "How's it hanging? Liking the new digs?"

[nevermindtherunning]

"It's a bit... sterile or as sterile as you can get say from the 1950s." It was the time he guessed roughly was the date.

And then the hallways changed on you, sometimes in mid-stride. The Doctor recalled moving down a corridor and exploring some of the rooms when the lights cut out only to turn back on and there was then only 3 rooms instead of the 8 he originally saw. A Time Lord's vision doesn't simply become fuzzy.

"I don't like it." He says it as a simple statement, but in meaning, it had much more depth to it.

[hung_garian]

"Can't say I'm a fan either. Sure isn't very homely."

Admittedly, 'homely' wasn't something Gabriel had much of a concept of, and his idea of tasteful decor would probably be more objectionable to most people than the current blandness.

"But it does beat living in a heap of rubble or in some labyrinth of caves, so... guess I'll take what I can get."

[nevermindtherunning]

"True, very true..." There was laughter heard down the hallway, cutting off the Doctor's response.

With a raised eyebrow, he looked to Gabriel, "There's been projections of the deceased." But this one, the laugh was unfamiliar, begging him to wonder who's projection it was.

[hung_garian]

"I know."

Gabriel didn't have a whole lot of dead loved ones, or at least, not a whole lot who stuck out. There were, however, rather a lot of people whose deaths he'd caused. It had been disturbing at first, having them haunt him, but for the most part, he stood by his decisions. They'd deserved it, even the ones who insisted they didn't. Even the ones who'd died just because he didn't like them. He didn't regret it -- only, given that the attitude of the ghosts was (unknown to him) determined by the hauntee's own feelings about their deaths, perhaps that wasn't the entire truth.

"Pretty disappointing, huh? I was hoping for some interesting ones. Shakespeare, Marie Antoinette, Marilyn Monroe... but alas, no, mine have been pedestrian at best. So far, anyway." He glanced down the hallway; he couldn't say that he was particularly perturbed by the projections, since they seemed incapable of hurting anyone, but he couldn't help being curious about what (or rather whom) other people were seeing. "How about you? Any good 'uns?"

[nevermindtherunning]

"No." Because there wasn't a death upon his hands that he didn't regret. Very few, actually.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed and he looked around, not seeing anything. The laughing echoed around them and then came from another side. "I don't like the sound of this one..." He had to admit as he backed away and rejoined Gabriel. "Unfortunately, I have to admit I have a few deaths than I care to admit about on my hands... This doesn't bode well."

[hung_garian]

"Ah, see, what you've done is you've gone and had a conscience. Tried it once - wouldn't recommend it."

The problem, really, was that he (despite his rather impressive archangelic powers) was for the most part unable to see or hear other people's hauntings. It limited his ability to sympathise somewhat - not that his ability to sympathise had ever been his forte, but it was at least sometimes better than this.

"They can't actually hurt you, right?" It was, despite how it sounded, a sincere question. He didn't know what they could do, if their attitude was right. "So long as they can't, you oughtta be fine. Just stick some cotton wool in your ears and get yourself a sleep mask, if they're bothering you."

[notrosesshadow]

Martha had assumed Adeola was a hallucination. Even with the forced sleep Raphael put her under, it just made sense. But then she realized things weren't quite that simple.

"Look, Adeola, I believe you. Aliens are real. I've seen them," she was saying as she turned a corner and stopped short.

"Doctor!"

Martha hadn't talked to him since well before the tunnel escapade. In fact, she had made an effort to avoid him whenever possible. Even so, she had to admit it was a relief seeing him. Martha herself looked better than she had in... a long time. It was clear she had gotten some sleep. Not enough to make her back to Martha, but plenty to keep her from being too paranoid and jumpy.

"I see you made it here through the tunnels OK."

[nevermindtherunning]

"Martha!" He was glad to see a familiar face and closed the distance between them in a few short steps. "How are you doing?" Because knowing her past, he could only imagine what she was seeing with these hallucinations or whatever you'd like to call them. He had figured out one connection - everyone he was seeing was dead.

"And you, I'm glad you're relatively safe." He speaks that last portion as his eyes roamed the hallway, trying to place where exactly they were.

[notrosesshadow]

"I'm fine," she says a little too quickly. She remembered how they had last parted.

Oh yeah. Real fine Adeola muttered in her ear. Martha batted at an area around her shoulder as if telling the other woman to go away. It didn't help, the projection of Adeola shimmered into view just in time to tell her, So fine that you had to have an angel put you to sleep for a few hours.

Martha had no idea Adeola was visible and audible to the Doctor. She was ignoring it.

"And you? How are you? And how's Mina?"

[nevermindtherunning]

His eyes narrow, seeing the reflection of Adeola behind Martha's shoulder. It was eerie, to say the least, how she leaned in and whispered to Martha.

"F-Fine..." He broke his gaze to meet Martha's eyes, "Have you noticed anything strange lately? Visions of the dead, perhaps...?" He gives the smallest upward tilt of his chin in the direction of the projection behind her, knowing she's get his meaning.

[notrosesshadow]

Martha would have been happy to continue the conversation that ignored Adeola, but the Doctor had to go and bring her up. And not only bring her up, but nod to the ghost in question.

"You can see her?" Martha asks a little confused.

And I bet he can hear me too. Should I tell him all about it? How little you're cop...

"SHUT IT Adi" Martha interrupted. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

Adeola, who could have been Martha's twin for all intents and purposes, merely snorted and shook her head no.

"And you Doctor? You can't be immune to this new form of torment."

[nevermindtherunning]

"No," There was a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, "No, I'm afraid not." He'd prefer not to elaborate on that if he didn't have to. Luckily, none of them seemed too ill-intent, but rather pointedly trying to carry on like nothing had happened. At least thus far.

Martha's, on the other hand, didn't seem quite pleased to be ignored. He wondered if these projections could see others.

[monticora]

He tries to ignore Rachel when he can. She's just there. Always. Loud and blaming him. It's a comfort when she goes and Biggs shows up. Biggs doesn't look like Biggs though. His face is bruises and battered. He looks like he's injured badly. Alec isn't really phased by how bad he looks. If anything he's more pissed off about what he's saying. He's talking about how humans aren't going to accept him. How humans are just going to string him up like they did to Biggs. Alec's stomach turns and twists as he tries to walk and ignore the man. He's not loud, but he's not quiet either. He's acting as if they're having a regular conversation. Not like a man who died.

Alec finally turns as he's walking and looks at Biggs. "Just shut up. Contrary to popular belief no one finds your big mouth that amusing, man." He's trying not to buy into what Biggs and Rachel are saying, but it's harder and harder. He doesn't have time to stop before he's ramming right into the Doctor. He probably would have had better reflexes if he didn't have to worry about Biggs and his big mouth. "Sorry, man."

[nevermindtherunning]

The Doctor isn't as startled as Alec, but then again, everyone was being affected by these projects or whatever they were. "Ah, no worries!" He looks him over and brushes off a sleeve, "This lot bothering you?"

He nods over his shoulder to the projections behind him, "Don't seem like a friendly bunch with those scowls, eh?" He sympathized, knowing that everyone was having a rough go at trying to navigate a new 'home' and faces from their pasts.

[monticora]

Alec didn't even bother to look back at Rachel and Biggs. Both dead. Both equally pissed at Alec. He should have found Biggs. Should have kept a closer eye on him. They knew humans were big trouble. Why didn't Biggs just fight back? He coulda killed all of them and he would still be alive. Killing is what a Manticore soldier is bred for. They're made to kill people. Why didn't he just listen to his goddamn instincts?

"They're annoying, but I deserve it." Annoying isn't even the right word. Volatile probably works best. "Had a hand in how they died. We're just hashing out the details." His smile is painful. "You got any dead friends?"

[nevermindtherunning]

Details was something the Doctor wasn't sure about and he manages to hide his frown. It somehow rubbed him the wrong way. For a Time Lord, his memory expanded a long time frame and unfortunately the details were always there at the forefront of his memories. The Doctor remember and knew all too well the details of the blood on his hands.

"Yes." And sadly so many weren't considered 'friends' so much as the entire population of Gallifrey that had been chattering away incessantly.

The Doctor rubs his nose and inhales, "But I can often trick them into going away... I rather not be reminded of the details."

[monticora]

Some would argue that what happened with Rachel wasn't his fault. They'd argue that Manticore had been the one to push the button. They had blown up her father's car and they were responsible for that. Alec placed the bomb though. He did all the dirty work. He got close and he put himself in that situation. He had a crisis of conscious though because he loved Rachel. He was trained to shoot first, but he didn't want to that day. Still she cast the blame on him even now and Alec did too. He had for years.

"You trick 'em into going away? That's a neat trick. Mine don't leave that often. Unless I'm talking with people. But if I'm talking on the phone thing they hang around and stare. I don't think they like the stares of live people that much. Don't know why."