The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS coughing, covered in a thick white dust. He sniffed, before letting out a loud sneeze--it sent him back against the ship, a loud knock alerting Helen that he was probably going to get a headache. He groaned and darted back into the TARDIS, coming out moments later. He was less covered in what looked to be very thick pollen--or glitter--when he caught sight of Helen.
"Ah. Hello. Pollen, on your floor, my fault. I'll clean it up." He looked up as the lights flickered again, eyebrows furrowing.
"Oh, something's wrong. Something's very wrong. Systems down?"
She winced at the loud crack. Her eyes went down to the pollen before she shook her head and rolled her eyes. She didn't pay attention to the second flickering. It was going to be happening until Henry got everything stabilized.
"We were attacked by a remote hack a few days ago. All of the patients that needed special habitats have been placed on a back up generator." Helen said. "Henry is working on returning the main systems to full capacity."
"Oh, nasty," he remarked, making a face. "I'll go help, if you don't need me otherwise." The Doctor dug through his pockets, then paused and looked at his inner coat. Where was his sonic?
Helen rolled her eyes. Apparently he was becoming senile in his old age, or the space pollen was much too distracting for him. She reached up and pulled the sonic from behind his ear and handed it to him. Why was it there, of all places? She wasn't entirely sure she wanted the answer to that.
When he realized Helen had pulled his sonic from behind his ear, he placed a hand over said ear and plucked his sonic right back. He gave her a smile before he leaned in--and leaned back out, shaking his hair free of pollen. The Doctor made a face at his pollen-covered hand before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Lab, then."
He ducked back in to look at her. "By the way, you're looking lovely, if stressed."
The sequence made her knit her eyebrows together and eye him. Admittedly he was fairly touchy, but usually when they were in private, not when a crisis was on hand. She tilted her head slightly before waving her hand in front of her face to get the pollen out of the way.
"Thank you," she said, "dust yourself off before you get space pollen all over Henry's equipment."
"Knowing Henry, he'd like the space pollen." He remarked, but did as she said, dusting most of the pollen off of him by the time he'd gotten to Henry's lab.
The Doctor did a double take. "River?"
The blonde woman looked up. "Oh, hello. You're late, I've been helping."
"Dude, what's all that white stuff?" Henry asked, sniffling into a tissue. The Doctor raised his eyebrows, and dusted a bit more pollen off of his sleeve. "Are you allergic to pollen, Henry?"
"No, why?"
"Space pollen is about five times more of an allergen."
River gave him a look. "And an aphrodisiac for some humans. Why did you come here with that on?"
"Some humans, and there aren't many in the Sanctuary," The Doctor stated defensively. "I also chucked the TARDIS bathtub out, so I don't have a shower."
Henry raised his eyebrows. "O-kay, smelly alien. Showers're working."
The Doctor went to Henry's lab, and Helen rushed back to meet up with Will in the lower levels of the Sanctuary. He was standing by with the radio in his hand, waiting for instructions from Henry. The last time he was down in the bowels of the Sanctuary was when the elemental tried to kill them all. Thankfully, it wasn't that.
"Any word from Henry?"
"No, not yet."
"The Doctor just arrived." Helen said with a sigh. "Between the three of them we should have things fully operational."
"Then it's time to play corall." Will muttered. "I knew I left my lasso back in Greece."
Helen grinned playfully at him. "We hardly need lassos, Will, this is the 21st Century."
"I don't smell--but if you're not allergic to pollen, then--"
"Focus," River glanced from the Doctor to Henry. "We do have an actual task at hand." She pulled off the Doctor's coat, and when he went to protest, she just gave him a look that said he shouldn't argue. He sighed and just went over to Henry. "Alright, what're we working on, what all's offline?"
After a few more minutes, Helen sighed impatiently. She took the radio from Will and nodded to him. He crossed his arms and waited. It had been a few days and they were already looking at several Abnormals being in shock. He could see why Helen was so stressed.
"Henry, tell us when we're ready cut the power for a reboot."
"Workin' on it, Doc," Henry called, frowning. "It's this last part. Almost got it--" He leaned in to look at the screen, double-checking, before pressing enter. "Alright, we're all set. Should work now." He sneezed to the side, trying not to groan and distract the two on the lower levels.
She nodded to Will and he grabbed onto the power switch, throwing it down. The sound of electricity stopped and if possible, the entire building sounded as if it were groaning. Helen glanced up at the ceiling as she counted in her head before nodding to Will again. This time he threw the power switch up and quickly backed away as the box hummed loudly.
"Rebooted." Helen said into the radio. She heard the groan and would look into it as soon as she reached the lab again.
"Okay, and I'm putting the system on manual for now just in case something goes wrong." Henry said, River passing him the box of tissues as she came back, pushing the Doctor's jacket back into his chest. He frowned at her, as she pressed her scanner against the wall.
Nothing seemed to be out of place as she ran the diagnostic. "Clean on my end, mechanically."
"This must be what Amy feels like," The Doctor remarked, looking down at his feet, and then back up at the two.
The Doctor shrugged his jacket back on, as Henry turned and looked back at them. Alright, crazy space lady from the future and an alien. He could live with that, he'd lived with... okay, no, he hadn't lived with weirder. Just the fact that the Doctor came back was weird enough--not that it wasn't good! He thought it as very good, actually.
River sighed; she shouldn't have tried to clean his coat, now it was starting to infect her. She could tell the signs and feel the changes; and she blamed it on him. Of course he wouldn't feel it.
Helen arrived in a few minutes, Will right behind her. She nodded to River and the Doctor, taking note that the jacket had been cleaned. Space pollen and the Doctor's utter recklessness put aside, there was still some matters that needed to be attended to. Helen turned her attention to Henry as Will glanced over at River, eyebrows raised slightly.
"Henry, I need you and Will and Kate to begin going to the individual habitats that are located further from the main hub and see if they are all fine. I want a head count of everything and everyone." Helen said, still very much in her 'in charge.' Then she turned to River and the Doctor. "Doctor Song, you are free to do whatever you wish as you are technically not my employee. Doctor, you have a mess to clean up in my lab."
"Ah. Hello. Pollen, on your floor, my fault. I'll clean it up." He looked up as the lights flickered again, eyebrows furrowing.
"Oh, something's wrong. Something's very wrong. Systems down?"
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"We were attacked by a remote hack a few days ago. All of the patients that needed special habitats have been placed on a back up generator." Helen said. "Henry is working on returning the main systems to full capacity."
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"Oh--oh no."
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"Henry is in his lab."
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He ducked back in to look at her. "By the way, you're looking lovely, if stressed."
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"Thank you," she said, "dust yourself off before you get space pollen all over Henry's equipment."
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The Doctor did a double take. "River?"
The blonde woman looked up. "Oh, hello. You're late, I've been helping."
"Dude, what's all that white stuff?" Henry asked, sniffling into a tissue. The Doctor raised his eyebrows, and dusted a bit more pollen off of his sleeve. "Are you allergic to pollen, Henry?"
"No, why?"
"Space pollen is about five times more of an allergen."
River gave him a look. "And an aphrodisiac for some humans. Why did you come here with that on?"
"Some humans, and there aren't many in the Sanctuary," The Doctor stated defensively. "I also chucked the TARDIS bathtub out, so I don't have a shower."
Henry raised his eyebrows. "O-kay, smelly alien. Showers're working."
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"Any word from Henry?"
"No, not yet."
"The Doctor just arrived." Helen said with a sigh. "Between the three of them we should have things fully operational."
"Then it's time to play corall." Will muttered. "I knew I left my lasso back in Greece."
Helen grinned playfully at him. "We hardly need lassos, Will, this is the 21st Century."
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"Focus," River glanced from the Doctor to Henry. "We do have an actual task at hand." She pulled off the Doctor's coat, and when he went to protest, she just gave him a look that said he shouldn't argue. He sighed and just went over to Henry. "Alright, what're we working on, what all's offline?"
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"Henry, tell us when we're ready cut the power for a reboot."
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"Rebooted." Helen said into the radio. She heard the groan and would look into it as soon as she reached the lab again.
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Nothing seemed to be out of place as she ran the diagnostic. "Clean on my end, mechanically."
"This must be what Amy feels like," The Doctor remarked, looking down at his feet, and then back up at the two.
River smiled at him, shaking her head.
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"We're on our way back up."
Helen and Will turned, running back towards the stairs.
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River sighed; she shouldn't have tried to clean his coat, now it was starting to infect her. She could tell the signs and feel the changes; and she blamed it on him. Of course he wouldn't feel it.
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"Henry, I need you and Will and Kate to begin going to the individual habitats that are located further from the main hub and see if they are all fine. I want a head count of everything and everyone." Helen said, still very much in her 'in charge.' Then she turned to River and the Doctor. "Doctor Song, you are free to do whatever you wish as you are technically not my employee. Doctor, you have a mess to clean up in my lab."
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