Archaeology, Natural Disasters and You [Closed]

[hi_there_aliens]

The trip down revealed that Taleen was going to be of several things, none of which were pleasant. Arid, pale with a light dusting of red from the rocks, and yellow-white grass that extended in plains all the way towards far off mountains . There was a giant gash in the land near the orb landing area, which resolved itself into a massive canyon as

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DAY 1 || The Master

[controlparadox]

The Master hung back from the mostly-enthusiastic archaeology group, his brow furrowed and his body language screaming discomfort even if he'd taken the time to change into suitable clothing for the task. Well, more obnoxiously cliche than completely suitable-- he'd managed to find a near-replica of the Indiana Jones costume in the TARDIS wardrobe, even down to the hat. That it was missing the whip disappointed him a little.

That wasn't what had him upset at the moment, though. It wasn't even entirely that he had signed himself up for what was likely to be a very dull, stupid venture for a Time Lord who wasn't obsessed with humanity. It was hot here, and dusty, and it didn't help the residual throbbing in his head any. He couldn't help looking up at the sky, which clearly threatened another meteoric event any day now.

"Oh, perfect timing, as always," he muttered to himself. Still, he was hoping he could get what he'd come for-- any useful technology to smuggle back aboard Stacy... and another crack at this Daniel Jackson's head.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel was so preoccupied overseeing the setup of the tents and eyeballing the largest ruins several yards away that he didn't hear someone behind him. Not until they muttered something under the breath. It sounded rebellious, irate, which was something he shouldn't ignore this early into the dig. They had limited time. They couldn't afford to let the heat or everyone get on each other's nerves. If someone was already unhappy now, it could mean trouble, and they needed to work as a team. He should crack down on whatever it was before it grew.

He turned. Then he paused. For one long, pained second, Daniel took in what the other man (John wasn't it? From the library?) was wearing. A frown crossed the archaeologist's face. He hoped this wasn't John's idea of a joke, because it wasn't funny. How many times had first years admitted to him that they'd really gotten into archaeology because of Indiana Jones, of all people. It wasn't even like the movies were right, in fact, it portrayed the complete opposite of what archaeology was.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[controlparadox]

Nope, archaeology was none of those things, usually-- though the Master would have argued that if it hadbeen, it would have made it much more interesting.

He noticed Daniel's eyes looking him up and down, and gave him a wide smile that was not completely forced. Ah, someone truly 'appreciated' the outfit he'd gone to such lengths to procure.

"Not at all... Daniel, was it? I'm happy to be here," the Master said through his teeth. "Just a little worried about the weather, if you know what I mean." He peered at the other man with shrewd eyes even as he spoke affably, wondering just how much Daniel remembered of their previous encounter besides the alias he'd given.

Re: DAY 1 || The Master

[hi_there_aliens]

"Doctor Jackson," Daniel corrected a little stiffly.

It wasn't like he was extremely particular about the title, but there was something about John that rubbed Daniel the wrong way. Maybe the sense of arrogance he got off the man the last time they talked. It probably had everything to do with the way he'd talked down to Daniel about not knowing about the works of Sha'kk-sper, like someone from 90's Earth was ignorant for apparently not being either extremely well traveled in the universe or able to go to the 45th century. Stargate or not, they hadn't found a way to jump time just yet. He glanced up at the sky, namely at the specks of light that, if you didn't know what they were, or the danger, would have looked like especially bright stars. "We should be fine. Captain Eneesh is monitoring their approach. We'll be out of here before they hit

My word, Daniel, you are an anal little thing <3<3

[controlparadox]

"Were you, Doctor?" the Master looked back at him innocently, though his tone almost made the title seem like an insult. "Well. Here I am."

Inwardly he wondered if Captain Eneesh was one of the tall insectoids arguing with the Doctor earlier, or one of Daniel's imaginary friends. It was hard to tell.

He's been known to whip it out on occassion.

[hi_there_aliens]

Trouble. 'John' wasn't his name. His name was Trouble with a capital T. Daniel was reasonably adept at spotting massive egos amongst fellow academics. Egos and arrogance the size of Jupiter, and John's innocent look wasn't fooling anyone. Well, usually. Granted, he hadn't quite sniffed out trouble when he'd walked into his very last lecture as a respected name in the academic community. He'd known he was going to say some controversial stuff, of course, but he hadn't expected it to go downhill the way it did, much less how quickly. Or that he'd lose everything the same hour

o-0

[controlparadox]

The Master didn't even properly hear the question. His mind was occupied with something far, far more salient than Daniel's curiosity: that drumbeat. That drumbeat, outside his own head. It shouldn't have been possible. That it was, and that a human had managed to hear them as well... it was maddeningly unfair.

He watched Daniel's fingers tapping for a few seconds before realizing the man was waiting for him to respond. The Master's eyes slid up slowly to meet Daniel's. There was a cold fury in them, barely contained.

The library. Was that where it had happened?

"Well," he smiled tightly. "No time like the present. Perhaps we should find someplace to have a nice chat." Some conveniently secluded place.

Re: o-0

[hi_there_aliens]

{Daniel will be in some ruins by himself on Day 2. I just can't think of a good reason for him to go off just right now, sorry!}

Daniel met his eyes, an eyebrow cocking. He almost thought John's look had turned glacial. What was his problem? Daniel could understand worrying about the impending disaster, but now it was something else. He didn't want a fight on his hands, and it helped to know what they'd be fighting over in the first place, but he also didn't want to have to worry about what Smith was doing the next few days

[controlparadox]

[No worries, the Master will catch him on Day 2 then?]

For the Master, 'here' really wasn't 'as good as any'. The Doctor was nearby, though he was still arguing with those insectoids. Who had invited them on this trip, anyhow? They were far too close to the Ohm for his liking, and the last thing the Master needed to recall right now was how he'd electrocuted himself for the Doctor's 'greater good'.

"Yes, I can see you're frightfully busy," he drawled. "Perhaps you should get back to your responsibilities. Ooh--" and the Master shaded his eyes with his hand, looking off into the distance behind Daniel. "Looks like someone's not using that trowel quite right. Duty calls, hmm?"

[hi_there_aliens]

[Yeah! I'll see about doing a Daniel subthread for Day 2, maybe Wednesday]Daniel tried hard not to judge people without completely getting to know them, but even his patience only went so far. Contrary to what Jack apparently believed, Daniel didn't have the patience of a saint. Something about John said that he wasn't a team player. That alone wasn't a bad quality, being part of the team was more hyped up in the Air Force, but something rubbed him the wrong way when it came to John. It was like everything he said was dripping in patronization and sarcasm, and Daniel couldn't see a single reason why that might be, other than the bad attitude to end all bad attitudes. Why the hell did John volunteer for the dig in the first place

[controlparadox]

'John' had an amused grin on his face as he, too, watched the bug make a mockery out of the simple act of digging. There were definitely a great many things to be said for reproductive control of certain species. But when Daniel turned back to him, he fashioned a look of innocent protest.

"Avoiding? So far," the Master pointed out, "You haven't really asked any questions."

[hi_there_aliens]

"You know perfectly well what I meant," Daniel grit his teeth. He fought to maintain his composure. John seemed like a smart enough guy, he couldn't have misunderstood what he'd wanted to talk about, or the implied question. Which left a few other options, namely that John was trying to rile him up. Daniel barely even knew the man, and he didn't think he'd give enough of an impression for John to dislike yet. It wasn't like he didn't piss off people he met, or have them dislike him for something: it happened quite a bit, especially in college, but usually there was some reason, even if it was a petty one.

He was, he decided, going to be the mature one, since only one of them was going to.

"Something happened to me in the library and I was hoping you had more of an idea. Seeing as how you were there too," he added snippily. So much for taking the higher ground.

[controlparadox]

"Oh," the Master fashioned a look of surprise. "You mean your little fainting spell. Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Though I'm afraid I don't have many answers for you. I'm not a mind reader, after all."

He sized up Daniel again, speculatively. It was great fun trying Daniel's patience, but there was the very pressing issue of how much he knew already. The drum beat meant that the human had somehow tapped into the Master's own head in the process, and that was troubling.

"What do you remember?"

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel sputtered. "I didn't faint!" he blurted out, indignant. He'd passed out, cause unknown, not... not swooned like an inexperienced hand on a dig getting heat delirium because they didn't have the sense to take care of themselves!

He closed his eyes, counted, and reminded himself to try and remain patient. The only person who'd been in the library with him was this man here, and he was trying to get answers out of him. It helped if he was cooperative.

"Look, you were there. The last thing I remember is you talking about the Doctor and then I was on the floor. You didn't see anything?" Like who was making that drumming sound when he'd come to, to start with. It went away a few minutes after he'd come around, but until then, they'd sounded so real that Daniel, once he'd gotten his wind back, had looked around to make sure the Doctor had secreted a band in the library. If the Doctor could have his wardrobe turn into a bog, Daniel was starting to accept that heck, why not have drums in the library too

[controlparadox]

The Master allowed himself another grin while Daniel wasn't looking, dropping it as soon as the other man opened his eyes again.

"Other than your... collapse?" he raised his brows, appearing for all the world as if he was honestly trying not to offend. "I'm afraid not. I did try to get help, but," and the Master leaned forward conspiratorially, "You know how the TARDIS was behaving. It was impossible to find my way back."

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel would be less inclined to believe John if it weren't for the fact that the TARDIS had been acting strange. Although he had to admit, it might have something to do with the attitude, rather than any real reason. Daniel found it hard to like the man, and he generally tried to give everyone a chance. While John might not be the easiest person to get along with, Daniel didn't have any reason to think he wouldn't have gone for help. You could be an ass but not a complete prick at heart.

He had to concede John had a point. "I'm surprised you managed to find your way out."