Nightshift 35: West Wing, North Hall 1-A

[scarletspeedstr]

[from here]Wally took a quick look around the hallway before looking back at Tony. "Maintenance closet, nurses' station and maybe a doctor's office? I'm guessing most of that stuff'll be on the second floor, right?" He hadn't seen much of the institute last night, as this was when he'd kicked into superspeed on his way out. Things were mostly a

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[lost_turkey]

[from here]

John turned his flashlight on, sweeping it back and forth before continuing on. His guard was still up though he didn't stop to wait for anything to attack him. He was on a mission now. It was important to crack into that harddrive. Perhaps it had a key to what was going on here at the hospital.

[timedork]

[From here]

The Doctor hurried into the hall. He'd turned left here yesterday, and found Rose in the field outside... But the general idea was to explore more of the hospital, to investigate and to look for the TARDIS. Besides, it was unlikely he'd find Rose there again.

He turned immediately to the right, but he had been shining his torch towards the left to look down that end of the hall. He almost ran into a boy in the midst of the movement because of it, but caught himself just in the nick of time to prevent a major collision. "Sorry," he apologized, grinding to a halt. "Didn't mean to run you over. Well- Nearly. Sort of."

[lost_turkey]

The man who nearly, sort of, almost ran him over caught John by surprise and he startled, nearly, almost, sort of dropping his flashlight on the ground. "Shit," he said, his heart thumping. "Hey, no, it's ok. I just... I'm a bit jumpy. If you're in a hurry don't let me stop you. I haven't seen any monsters about just yet."

[timedork]

"Oh, no, I'm not- I'm not in a hurry," the Doctor said. He could make out the boy's face easily enough from the light of the torches; he looked young... Of course, looks always could be deceiving, but all humans were young. He was just younger.

"I wasn't looking where I was going properly," he continued in explanation. "I- Well... I was distracted. Sorry again. I'm the-"

He stopped talking suddenly. Ed had recommended that he not introduce himself by his name because of the hospital nature of this place, and now was as good a time as any to stop for the time being. After a long pause, he finished, "John Smith, by the way."

He'd heard about the "monsters," but he'd yet to see any himself. He didn't like the idea of a child (or an adult, or anyone, really) on his own if there would be any prowling about. "Are you alone?"

[lost_turkey]

"I've been this way before," John said, as if it gave him an excuse to be wandering around alone. "Whenever I see a monster I go running in the opposite direction. It works. I'm John."

He offered his hand to the man, watching him carefully. John Smith was such a generic name that it made him a little suspicious. Terminators could always be around the next corner and he didn't want to be caught off guard.

[timedork]

The Doctor grinned when John indicated he was a runner. That was good. Running was good. He himself had never stopped running; not really.

He took John's hand, shaking it firmly. "Nice to meet you, John!" he said cheerfully. "It's always good to meet someone who realizes the value of running."

[lost_turkey]

"Yes, it's saved my neck more times then I can count," he agreed, biting back a laugh. The man was certainly odd, that was for sure. But when had he met anyone normal in his entire life? They were all odd, human or machine. It was the one thing they all had in common.

"So, which way are you headed?"

[timedork]

"And mine," the Doctor agreed. His grin faded into a comfortable smile.

He brought his free hand up to rub at his neck. "I'm headed- Well.... I'm not sure where I'm headed, really. See, I'm looking for something: a box. A... big, blue box. It could be... well, anywhere."

[lost_turkey]

"A box," John said slowly, still giving the man a confused and bewildered look. "Well, there was a room full of boxes that I ran into my first night here. I was actually headed that way. I need a screwdriver, not to mention some other tools. I can't say that any of the boxes were blue but I didn't really pay attention to the colors."

[timedork]

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, a box." It was the best way to describe the ship, really. He could have been a bit more specific, called it a police box, but that would require that John know what a police box was. Most people didn't. He could, however, provide a few more details. "Big box. Very large; taller than I am."

He slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "I'd be interesting in seeing where you're headed, if you don't mind the company," the Doctor said. John's mention of a screwdriver was particularly tempting; it wouldn't be sonic, but regular screwdrivers were useful. "I might find what I'm looking for there."

[lost_turkey]

John gave the man a long look, weighing his options. He didn't seem as though he'd be dangerous but his luck could be running out. Still, pairing up with someone was always safer then going it alone.

"Alright," John shrugged. "But stay close. Monsters tend to surprise you around every corner. Do you have a weapon?"

[timedork]

"Weapon? No... No weapon," the Doctor replied, shaking his head. He frowned. "I- When it comes to 'fight or flight,' I favour flight. Heavily."

That wasn't to say he didn't know how to fight, because he did. He'd known how even before the war, but fighting was such a bleak option...

"But... I'm very good at running, so no worries there, John!"

[lost_turkey]

John had to laugh at that, finding that they had more in common then just their first name. "Running is the best way to get away from an unwanted conflict," he agreed. Rummaging in his bag, John pulled out the belt and handed it to the other man.

"Still, it's better to be prepared. You're pick, John. Do you want the shoe or the belt?"

[timedork]

"Always," he agreed. The Doctor gave John a lopsided smile, looking between the two articles of clothing. Either item had the potential to be useful-both as a makeshift weapon (hopefully unnecessary) and not. After a moment's deliberation, he decided upon the belt, taking it from John.

"Thanks," he said, carefully rolling it up into a large loop to make it easier to carry. "Hopefully we won't need to be armed, but- You're right; it's better to be prepared. It's always easier to find a way out when properly prepared. And belts are useful- shoes, too."

[lost_turkey]

"They'll do until I can find a gun," John shrugged, hefting the pillow case back over his shoulder. He glanced down the hall and was comforted by the fact that no one was coming for them - yet.

"If we're going to head to the storage room we better move fast. Who knows how long we have before the evening ends. Keep close and if there's something blocking the way... we'll run and meet up later."

[timedork]

The mention of guns gave him pause, and he frowned. He didn't like the idea of the weapon in general, but for a boy to be using one, or even just wanting one...

He definitely liked belts and shoes better.

The storage room was more important at the moment, however. "Well, allons-y. Lead the way," the Doctor said. "I'm afraid I'm not exactly sure where the storage is. Well- Actually, I have no idea where it is... That... could be a problem if we get separated, but I'll try to find it if we do."