Engineering Core

[makeherblue]

The Engineering Core is a work of art.

And not just by Earth standards: the Doctor goes so far as to say it can be classified as art by several planetary societies. There’s just something simply gorgeous about Engineering, something he doesn’t think you need to travel all of time and space to appreciate. Not that it doesn’t help. The Doctor’s face

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[makeherblue]

The Doctor weaves around the console, looking for an area to input commands or -- or anything because he would love to know what they all do. Gooey controls, blinking globule things, things that look like a string of beads lit up from the inside, a screen with diagrams he doesn't know what they mean. The Doctor has worked his way behind a huge flesh conduit. After a while, his head pops up over the conduit as he motions Kaylee over.

"So, I followed this around and it's linking to several banks," the Doctor says, crouching down squished between the conduit and a gently pulsing wall. He turns to lay both hands on the conduit and press his ear against it. The buzzing sounds a lot closer. And -- yes, there it is, he can feel a constant thrum of some kind of energy transfer. "What's through here? It sounds like it's being pumped up from somewhere."

Fuel, maybe, or some other fluid. Maybe it was Stacy's blood. The Doctor seems content to keep his ear pressed against it, his lanky body folded up in the cramped space. He doesn't mind. The Doctor gestures earnestly for Kaylee to copy him with the conduit.

...we're making things up now yessss.

[voiceofserenity]

It's almost entertaining, the way he interacts with Stacy. Kaylee had been in a similar fit of kid-in-the-toy-store when she first woke, having to explore everything she could. She had explored the vents once, with someone. Who... The moment she's beckoned Kaylee is over at the conduit, leaning over to see just what the Doctor is trying to show her. She rests a hand on the line, mind sifting through the blueprints she's made of the ship.

"If I remember right, think this one's a fuel line...so're those ones." She motions to the other fuel lines in question. "Other ones over there're coolant, 'n those over there...well." Kaylee motions above them to what appears to be a giant organ, and the conduit coming from it. That, sir, would be a bodily-fluid type line.

The mechanic shifts just enough that she's able to lie down near the Doctor, eyes closed and hands and ears carefully pressed into the side of the conduit. A smile creeps onto her face at the familiar humming, and Kaylee relaxes some. It isn't often that she gets to just sit with the ship anymore. Things have been far too busy.

Re: ...we're making things up now yessss.

[makeherblue]

The Doctor shifts his weight, leg falling asleep. "Coolant going that way, fuel line here, a 'well' over there (love a good 'well', nice and open-ended) and a big scary pit in the middle."

He sounds actually happy, even with that worry about Amy and Rory, nevermind the rest of his friends throughout time and space, at the back of his mind. Learning what he can about Stacy is a way to help them, he thinks, and he's been nodding as Kaylee talked, their heads still both pressed to the conduit. It's refreshing to meet a human who has the same interest in these sorts of things as he does. The Doctor finally pulls his head away from the conduit, peering over it at the pit in the center of Engineering. It has one of those could be bottomless looks, except he highly doubts it's one of those. They're actually not as common as you would think, although they certainly exist. But most dungeons and prisons can hardly afford a somewhat bottomless pit, much less a real one. Although...if it was similar technology as Gallifrey, then maybe it could be the next closest thing to bottomless, so...yes. Might or might not be a bottomless pit. Still, a pit in a living ship? He'd say it has to go somewhere, even if it's a pocket dimension.

The Doctor bounces to his feet without any warning. He vaults over the conduit; by some sheer miracle he doesn't trip over it, instead clearing it and walking right up to pit's edge, bending over the railing.

"Now that," he says, face cast in that green glow, "is interesting. Bio-waste valve? Or circulatory tract? You could fit a freighter down it!"

Actually, that's not true. Three or four would be more accurate. Depends on the freighter. An Earth freighter is rather insignificant compared to a Jafax one, after all. What he means to say is it's amazing, astounding and gorgeous, all at the same time. He'd love to get a look further down, the Doctor eyeing one of those tentacle tethers with the same look a cat gets when it's preparing to make a jump.

[bonnypiperlad]

Meanwhile, after being thoroughly poked, prodded and annoyed to within an inch of his life, Jamie had more or less gotten across the point that yes, he had been treated for the smoke inhalation and no, he had not been burned. After making arrangements for additional therapy, he had been released - under the provision that if he felt worse at any time he was to go back immediately.

He made a quick detour to his quarters to change, opting to replace the plantsuit with the black shirt with the lacing up the front he had gotten on Zokez II. Even with still dealing the after-effects from the mission, he felt more normal than he had in some time, and it was with some slight relief he headed to Engineering.

Seeing Kaylee and the Doctor engrossed in listening to the conduits, he lingered by the door, thinking it was good - very good - to see them both again. Even though he couldn't remember them down on the planet, there was a part of him that had felt incomplete, and now...well, now it didn't. It was only when the Doctor bounded to his feet and looked as if he wanted to bodily hurl himself down the pit that he spoke up.

"Aye, that figures. I leave ye alone for half an hour and already you're planning to go down to who knows where."

[voiceofserenity]

Pit, pit, he's moving toward the pit. Kaylee jumps up almost as quickly as the Doctor, eager to explain protocols and all those good rules and things before he tries jumping down. At least he has a mind to glance at the tethers.

Once the initial panic of his dash for the pit is over, the mechanic calms somewhat and settles against the railing nearby. Engineering is quiet, and no one's down working at the moment, so there isn't much in the way of extra lighting to see just where this several-freighter-sized pit leads.

"Energy core down there," she explains. She's about to explain more, but Jamie's voice from the doorway catches her attention. "'Bout time you got down here. Was startin' to wonder if we'd ever see them legs again." Not that she's sure at all how long they've been in Engineering to begin with, but it never hurts to give Jamie (and his kilt) a good razzing.

[makeherblue]

A smile tugs at the corner of the Doctor's mouth. "It's not a 'who knows where' if you find out where it leads. Easily fixed!"

It seems so simple to him. The Doctor doesn't have a chance to stretch out and try pulling one of the tethers to him, wheeling around as Kayle joins them. Energy core? It must be truly massive to be at the end of a pit that size, the Doctor casting an almost longing look down it. Tempting. Very tempting. Big scary pit with a big, possibly deadly energy core at the bottom that he's never seen before. The Doctor exercises some measure of self-control as he leans up against the railing, resting his elbows on it as he glances from Jamie to Kaylee.

The Doctor nods at Jamie and seems to busy himself looking at his sonic screwdriver. It might be he's giving Jamie and Kaylee space or he's really that involved with the sonic's readings. With him, it's hard to tell just where that line is.

It was less noticeable with Kaylee, what with the grease and grime he had met her in, but he hadn't detected that same not-quite-smoke smell on her. It's possible she hadn't gone on this mystery mission with Jamie. The other explanation is she's loads better at washing up than Jamie, even if she rolled around in the engine grease immediately after. Knowing Jamie, it's not entirely out of the picture.

The Doctor continues to twiddle with his sonic. Behind him, the walls of the pit glow a slowly flickering green. Amazingly enough, he can't even see the energy core from here: it must be very, very far down.

[bonnypiperlad]

Hey, Jamie's perfectly capable of cleaning up when necessary. Okay, so the plantsuit usually helps with that - which might be why he's so fond of wearing it even though he has other clothes - but he can do so. And apparently has, since the not-quite-smoke smell is gone now.

"Oh, so ye missed my legs, then?" he says to Kaylee, a teasing note in his voice. Turnabout is fair play, after all. "I'd not known ye were so fond of them. I'll have to remember that."

Walking over to join them, he adds off-handedly, "Ye know how it is with Med Bay, though. If there's an extra test they can come up with to keep ye there longer, they will."

His attention, which had been mostly focused on Kaylee, shifts to the Doctor as he catches a glimpse of the sonic screwdriver out of the corner of his eye. It's still close enough to the ones he's used to that it's recognizable, but it's also different enough that he wanders a little bit closer to the Doctor to take a better look at it, careful to mind the edges of the pit.

"Hey, Doctor, when did ye get a green one?"

[voiceofserenity]

She hadn't gone on the mission, and it's probably clear from the way she's looking over Jamie that she's more than a bit concerned. But, if medical's had a look at him and they let him go alright, he must be okay. Physically, at least. There may or may not be some mental...whatevers going on in there. Especially if he had as hard of a time of it as Kang seemed to.

Kaylee gets nice and mock-serious, nodding at Jamie. "Oh yeah, missed 'em somethin' terrible. Was startin' to wonder if my eyesight'd go back to normal without seein' them white things."

On the other hand, Kaylee is more than happy to let the Doctor and Jamie have their own moment with the screwdriver. Instead, she falls back to check over the nearest console, though she does keep an eye out on Jamie's movements and mannerisms, just in case he isn't as alright as he's making himself out to be.

[makeherblue]

The Doctor keeps right on fiddling with the sonic. Right, yeah: Jamie hasn't seen the new ones. Or the new new one that he's not sure might be more shark proof this time around. Oddly enough, it's one of those things he wouldn't know until he actually tested it, preferably on a real shark.

He holds out the sonic, letting Jamie take it if he wants. "The other day. Other day relative, actually, can't say for sure how long I was in the pod." Kaylee, of course, is also welcome to have a look.

The Doctor turns to watch Kaylee with the console, interested in what she's doing even if he doesn't know what it's for. He has to say, it's downright refreshing to encounter something so new he has barely any idea what it does. The Doctor watches as part of the cables near the console pulse with some kind of living energy, reluctantly tearing his eyes away to turn his attention back to the sonic screwdriver in Jamie's hand. He dips his head at it, nodding.

"Been through quite a few of those since we last met. Had a blue one last time," the Doctor says, sounding slightly nostalgic.

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie reaches a tentative finger out to poke at the sonic, completely expecting it to be slapped away or the item to be rapidly moved out of his his reach. The fact that neither of those things happen is rare enough, but to actually get to hold the device is practically unheard of, and a broad smile breaks out across his face as he turns it over in his hand.

It's a bit like handing a small child a large bag, pushing him into a candy store and telling him he can keep whatever fits in the container. He's completely enthralled with it until the Doctor speaks, then glances up. He nods, even as he holds out the sonic so Kaylee can have her look as well, if she so desires.

"Aye. I know," he says. Other Doctors, remember? "Ye didn't let me have a look last time." Jamie has to wonder a little why he got to do so this go around - although, really, he's not complaining too much. He turns to Kaylee, and asks curiously, "Hey, you've not mentioned the training part to him while I was gone, have ye?"

[voiceofserenity]

Kaylee feels a slight pang of guilt at Jamie's comment toward the previous Doctor's screwdriver. She had helped him fix it, and in turn had gotten to inspect it some. Jamie, though, had traveled with the man (sort of), and he hadn't gotten a chance to look...

Keeping on with the console, she shifts enough that the Doctor can see what she's doing. Boring stuff, really, just a check of the energy core and engines to make sure everything is alright. It's mindless, really, but it makes it look like she's semi-preoccupied and not looking Jamie over. When Jamie hands her the sonic she takes it gingerly, turning it over in her fingers for inspection. It's different than before, in several ways, but the basic structure is still the same, and still something that she doesn't quite understand.

Leave it to the Doctor to throw her for a loop.

"Ain't mentioned anything t'weren't in the room," she promises Jamie. "All been engines 'n energy cores, nothin' 'bout trainin'."

[makeherblue]

Call it a small distraction for Jamie.

Or maybe the Doctor has changed that much. He lets them take it however they want, although he does keep a slightly possessive eye on that sonic swapping hands. As the new new sonic screwdriver, he'd rather not have to fish it out from the energy core.

Although that would give him a perfectly good excuse to have to go down there in the first place. Yes. Anyway --

"Thought you'd want to see this one. More moving parts," The Doctor holds out his hand to take the sonic back. He trusts Jamie, and to some extent, Kaylee, but he has a special place in his heart for that sonic, no matter how many changes it went through. Or how it still refuses to do wood. He's been meaning to fix that someday, except "someday" kept getting pushed back. It's on his list. But generally there's a lot more interesting, pressing things at the top of the list and he hasn't been so colossally bored recently that he needs to fix the sonic.

The mention of training is interesting enough to tear the Doctor away from glancing around at the Engineering Core, eyes settling on Kaylee. Oh, he believes that she's probably easily capable of training someone. That someone being Jamie, though, he didn't expect. Somehow he hasn't pinned him as a bio-technological ex-prison ship engineer-in-training. The Doctor swings toward Jamie expectantly.

Jamie, you have his full, unblinking attention. No pressure.

[bonnypiperlad]

None whatsoever. Which is, of course, why Jamie opens his mouth and fails to say anything at all for the second or two it actually remains open. He grimaces slightly, rubs at the back of his head briefly and tries again.

"Aye, well, after the fight with the Nightmare King, Kaylee needed some help with a few wee things, and showed me how to fix some frayed wires. Ye weren't awake at the time, and I'd not had much else to do. So I asked Billy if he'd not mind my helping with that."

There's a little more to it then he's letting on. When he thinks Kaylee's not looking, he flicks a glance her way. It's not that he's worried she's going to call him out on what he's said, since it is more or less how the whole thing started. Rather, it's very similar to looks he used to give Victoria when he thought she wasn't looking...and Jamie was very fond of Victoria.

"I don't understand all of it, but you've had me hand ye parts and push buttons for ye before. I'd not say it's too different, except now I can put some things together as well."

[voiceofserenity]

It doesn't take much of an eye to see how the Doctor all but hovers over the screwdriver. Kaylee's the same with anybody trying to do anything in Serenity. You grow a fondness for things, when they've been with you for so long. From what she's seen of the last Doctors on board, he'll probably be much the same when they hunt down the TARDIS again.

After one last look Kaylee hands it back over to him and turns her attention to Jamie with a small roll of the eyes. 'Kaylee needed some help with a few wee things,' is a bit of an understatement, in her opinion. She'd been down to one arm and hadn't been able to do half of what she needed to, and Jamie pulled more than his share during that time.

"He's gotten real good," she promises the Doctor, not without a smug smirk intended for Jamie. "One of the quickest and most patient learners I seen on the ship to date."

[makeherblue]

Jamie makes it sound so simple. So simple, in fact, that the Doctor wishes he had been awake to see this. It does come down to pushing buttons, even some you shouldn't, at the right time and knowing that blinking red lights might actually be a good sign on certain vehicles. He hasn't told Jamie that, has he? That sometimes green's the new red? Well, old red. Depends on the when and where and what's flashing green, and are those alarms soothing alarms? He mentioned that the soothing alarms were the ones you had to watch out for, right? Or had he told that to Martha? Or was it Susan? Definitely Susan, so...

Actually, maybe it's for the best right now that Jamie's learning from Kaylee, seeing as she's a linear human being. Jumping Jamie right into non-linear mechanics might be a bad idea.

The Doctor moves to drop his sonic screwdriver into his jacket pocket, taking the time to adjust the tweed while he's at it. "What have you had him putting together?" the Doctor asks. His eyes dart from Kaylee to Jamie and back to Kaylee again. "It's not so bad, is it, Jamie?"

The way Kaylee looks at Jamie, though. He can't quite place his finger on it. It's not exactly the way she looks at the ship. Obviously she's quite proud of being a teacher, especially with her love of the work. Well, either way, the Doctor is glad to see Jamie picking up some new skills while he's here.

Who said formerly dead men couldn't pick up new tricks?

All right, maybe it wasn't exactly like that, but the point still stands.

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie, king of understatements. Catching a glimpse of that eyeroll from Kaylee, he gives her a rather baffled look in return. It's very much a 'What? What did I say?' sort of expression, just without the words. Does she really want the Doctor to know how badly she was hurt then? Honestly, women.

He shakes his head for a moment, then turns his attention back to the Doctor just in time to catch his question to Kaylee. She should be the one to answer that, not him, but he impulsively pipes up anyway. "I've not really done anything on my own, yet. Most of it's working with fixing the wires, or holding pieces for people, and a wee bit of welding practice. Billy's had me help with building a couple of guns, though."

If he seems a little bit more enthusiastic about building guns than fixing wires, well, it's perhaps understandable. Jamie's always been a bit curious how they work - especially the more advanced types like laser guns. At least he's gotten a bit better about waving those around without actually knowing what they do first.

It occurs to him after he says that, however, that the Doctor might not be thrilled with the idea of Billy having Jamie help make lethal weaponry. Fortunately, they haven't been, but the Doctor doesn't know that. He continues on, rather hastily.

"Er, ones that aren't meant to kill, that is. You're right, though. It's not been so bad."