Don&#39;t go where the path may lead you

Great. Of course there is.

What problem is that?

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deadly_ned

None of the pets fell asleep. They were left to fend for themselves.

Some of these rooms smell...really, really bad.

I may or may not be leading a pack of formally trained dogs around.

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Oh crap. I thought Brownie was asleep in Nathan's room. Do you have a medium-sized mutt with unfairly big eyes there?

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deadly_ned

Auhm.

Possibly.

No. Yes. Yes, I see her.

Her or him?

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Her. Thank you. Can you feed them? I'll try to see if I can find another way in here or something to cut through the door.

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deadly_ned

I can feed them. I think that's why they started following me. I look like the sort of person who feeds people.

Maybe there's something in the lab.

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Good idea, I'll check there first.

Any ideas on how to wake the others up?

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deadly_ned

Shaking? Loud noises? Shock therapy?

I'm usually not the sort of person who wakes other people up.

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And unfortunately my normal method involves bacon and waffles.

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deadly_ned

Do you think I should go make bacon and waffles?

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It couldn't hurt, but there's probably something more effective we should be focusing on.

Don't ask me what it is.

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deadly_ned

I don't know either. I don't even know where to start fixing this. I'm not much of a ship....person.

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wedonot

Conventional methods generally don't work. I can't get a good read on if there's anyone inside either.

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What unconventional methods might work, then?

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wedonot

That depends entirely on how deeply dug in to the Barge's main systems what or whoever is, and it's not really my area of expertise. The last time something like this happened, I was more focused on trying to help those that got caught in the crossfire. This time, I'm not sure I'll even be able to do that much.

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Fuck piss bugger arseholes, this is Tosh over again. Without the torture, which is a nice change.

There's shafts but none of 'em went near the engine room last time. They shift, anyway. We might 'ave to blow the door off. Anyone seen Babs?

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Who or what is Tosh?

Fine. Where do we find plastic explosives?

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Before your time. Babs' cabin or the lab'd be a good start. Bet you anything the lab's sealed, though. I've only got me staser and corkscrew on 'and.

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I can blow things up with a staser.

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Good, but we'll need a controlled explosion. Iris, can you get into her room?

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What, overload it? Let's see if we can't find some placky first, I'm rather attached to it.

Ta though.

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I have my own. I'm sure the Admiral can replace it, if we get things back to normal.

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It looks less like a malfunction than a deliberate act.

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So you think someone sabotaged the engine?

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Doors don't usually seal themselves. Particularly vital systems.

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Then they're probably still inside.

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It's certainly the first place I'd look.

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Charles said he can't sense if someone's in there. Is there someone on board who can block off their mind like that?

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I could. Iris. I've not been here long enough to know too many. All you really need is a powerful will.

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Engine room's shielded, same like the cabins, we couldn't anyway. I'd've materialised in there last time this 'appened otherwise.

I think it might 'ave to be explosives.

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It occurred to me that that might be the case, but I know so little of the technology of this place. And I haven't really tested the cabins. [Which is possibly a testament of the damage Pandora's done to him. Most Time Lords would have at least sensed that much.]

The only other alternative I can think of is find out who's in there and use their communicator to contact them. But that depends on them be a) sensible and conscious and b) having their communicator.

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There's filters for the cabins; you 'ave to whitelist anyone you don't want blocked out. You'll 'ave noticed you can't 'ear me with me door shut and vice versa? Engine room, labs and library are shielded fulltime.

Considering where we've just been, I've got a good guess who's in there. But 'e might not be in any state 'e can talk to us in, never mind willing to listen.

I should've known.

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The library? [Huh.]

Who are you thinking of?

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The Emperor. That's 'is homeworld we crashed on. And I... I didn't know, exactly. But we're close, 'im and me. I knew 'e was hiding summat.

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Hm. 'Summat' could have been anything. I doubt I would have leapt to the 'kidnapping of everyone, including psychopaths, to my home world' conclusion myself.

Recriminations can come later, if at all. This was clearly an act of desperation and you would have stopped him.

Right now we need to get to him.

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It could 'ave. But I know my Emperor. No one spends that long as a god without picking up some bad 'abits.

[She sighs.]

Of course I would, that's why 'e didn't let me find out. This could get nasty, Wynter love.

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