[Nexus LOL] Technomagic was Never meant to work like this

[chocolatechipbadass]

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood Nexus. A really beautiful day.

Six-winged birds singing, flowers blooming everywhere one looks. From far off in the distance on the other side of the Nexus people wandering the Plaza will hear a sudden loud noise and feel a very minor shake but there's no invading force. No colossal calamity to be bested. Now for the poor sod who used to own the internet cafe that's just been blown to smithereens in a cascade of firework trails raining down it's a very bad day. Tina's still swearing about Aimbots and cheaters while waving around a game controller that isn't plugged into anything while the fire burns. She's not going to stop when the potions shop next door catches flame either.

But alllll the way back in the plaza? There's no sign of trouble. Maybe the faintest glimpse of fireworks. The smell of gunpowder mingling with a bitter herb and a touch of...ozone? Honestly with all the pollen in the air it's difficult to tell. Precisely Because it's the Nexus the fallout from this ill conceived haze may not be easily noticed at first.

A flicker of a little symbol over someone's head while they're reading a book. People cutting off mid conversation to glance at their conversation partners. Or rather, over their heads. So many little 😮 popping up over heads as confusion starts to spread only to rapidly dissipate into a myriad of other little pictures when people seem to realize that whatever the flavor of the day weirdness is, it's not seemingly dangerous. Is there a rhyme or a reason to them? What could it mean? Are you affected?


[Please refer to THIS POST in the OOC comm for an explanation of what's going on. The TL;DR to this Nexus LOL is that a character's innermost thoughts will be visible to anyone who is observing them whether they're speaking or not, but they will exclusively be communicated via Emojis. The OOC post has some guidelines for using these emojis in tags and some rules so please check there before posting in. Threadhopping and mingling are required for this post as there is no real Question Asker so Have fun!]

Comments

[readvondaniken]

"You're right. And at least there's a chance for peace now, even if they hate humans so much."

Palmer nods. He had tried, and he's not ashamed that he did, even if it didn't work out.

"I've got friends back home," he says. "They're still in danger. They're alone with the creature that attacked me."

A load of 😨 faces appeared. Palmer's afraid for his crewmates, and guilty for hiding in the Nexus while they could be being eaten.

[not_the_question]

The Doctor rests a hand on Palmer's shoulder, if the man lets him. "Time passes differently here. Years here is but a few moments there."

At least that seems to be the way it's worked for him. "It's why you can't necessarily avoid going home."

At least according to a Time-Travelling alien.

[readvondaniken]

Palmer nods. "My friends are still alive back there. I'm going to save them and myself...even if it means changing history."

The mechanic smiles, appreciating the hand on his shoulder.

"One of these days, Doctor, I'm going to go back to my world and fight the Thing. I have to. And I'm going to help kill it."

[not_the_question]

The Doctor raises an eyebrow at the 'changing history' part. "Don't change history. That's really not a good idea."

And it will make them enemies. He doesn't want to be enemies. But Timelines must be preserved. It's the only aspect of Time Lords that the Doctor actually respected. And even the times he didn't, he wishes he had. The results were horrible.

The rest of it, though, he agrees with.

[readvondaniken]

"I know." Palmer nods. "Messing with history is dangerous. Have you read A Sound of Thunder?"

Palmer's been thinking about that story lately. He wants to save his team, but if he would change the way things are meant to be he might cause more harm than good.

"I don't know what's supposed to happen in my world. Maybe it hasn't been decided yet. But if I was supposed to die back there, if that alien was meant to kill me..." He shivers. "I didn't want to die. Especially like that. Not just dying, becoming a monster myself and attacking my friends."

[not_the_question]

"A Sound of Thunder." Statement, not a question. "Didn't have to. I was there."

Because, well, why not be a little impressive? "Knowing the future is a heavy burden. Which is why we usually prevent you lot from knowing it."

[readvondaniken]

"It's better not to know the future," the mechanic says. "There's about half a dozen science fiction stories out there about why that ain't exactly a good thing."

"You were in the Bradbury story?" Palmer's jaw drops when he imagines the implications of what was said. "You've seen a Tyrannosaurus rex? I mean, there's dinosaurs here, but...a Tyrannosaurus rex!"

[not_the_question]

He rolls his eyes. "Many. Even dragged one with me to 19th Century London once. That was an accident. My time ship got stuck in her throat."

He's not going to go into details about the story. Nope, not worth it.

[readvondaniken]

"A time ship?" Palmer's eyes widen. The mechanic's amazed - this is even more exciting than the idea of living dinosaurs for him. "If you ever need an extra hand with repairs, Doctor, I'm happy to help if I can. Seeing one would be enough payment for me."

Several 😲 emojis appear as Palmer's excited. He can only imagine what a time ship looks like and how it works.

[not_the_question]

"Yeah. How do you think 'time-travellers' travel? Honestly, you just proved why I call you lot 'pudding brains'."

Slow, slow, slow. But that doesn't mean he won't take the proffered help.

"I'll think about it. Time travel is a safely guarded secret."

Well, sort of.

[readvondaniken]

Palmer isn't insulted. Honestly, he's been called worse than "puding brain".

"Well, I guessed there would be a time machine of some sort. I've read about those in science fiction stories, but I've never heard of a real one before. But a lot of these things are new to me outside of pulp magazines and movies."

Palmer calms down a little. He still thinks a time machine sounds very exciting.

"That's fair. I guess it must be pretty complicated, too. Don't want anything being messed up. But let me know if you ever do want my help. You'll find me here at my shop."

[not_the_question]

The Doctor shrugs. "That's because you all think your imaginations are so good. But they're pitiful. All that time wasted wondering what you'll do when the planet dies, or you get invaded, or whatever. You never dare to dream about what happens if you actually make it. What if you survive."

Which is about the most annoying thing about humans ever.

"I'll keep in mind where to find you. Good mechanics are hard to find."

[readvondaniken]

"Well," Palmer says, "I imagine what's real is bigger than anything we could ever imagine ourselves. That makes sense. Maybe we'll get better at seeing the good in the universe, but there's a lot to be frightened of, too."

Palmer's seen the best and the worst of what the worlds beyond his universe can bring. It gave him new friends, like Kinner and Cricket, and frightening new enemies, like the Fallen.

"I'm one of the best mechanics in the Nexus, at least out of the humans. I was just an assistant mechanic back home, but I've learned using my time here. I might need a little help with machines that are from outside my unierse, though." Palmer rummages in his vest pocket, offering his business card. It has his address and PINpoint number.

[not_the_question]

The Doctor takes the card and reads it. He frowns. "What's this here?"

He's pointing to the PINpoint number. He doesn't have one of those so has no idea what it is.

[readvondaniken]

Palmer notices and decides to try and explain.

"Oh. That's my PINpoint number. I'm guessing they're new? They've been here for longer than I have. Pretty useful. Kind of like a phone and a teleporter rolled up into one. Most people here have one, just because they're convenient."

[not_the_question]

"Oh, those device thingys. I've no use for them."

He's got his sonic, his phone, and his TARDIS, he really didn't need anything else.

"Where did they come from? Who developed them? Why does everyone have one?"

Not that he's into conspiracies, but well, good questions to ask anyway.

[readvondaniken]

"I don't know where they came from, no, or who invented them. I got one mostly because everybody else has one."

Palmer smiles sheepishly. He has a rebellious streak, but he's also no stranger to following trends.

"My PINpoint stopped working in the winter, though, so I couldn't call for help. So like the Anti-Violence Field, it's useful but can't always be counted on in a pinch."

He can't really think of anything else to use as an alternative, though.

[not_the_question]

"So, it's tied to the Nexus somehow."

The Doctor nods more to himself than to Palmer.

"I'd argue that it can't be trusted now. For a variety of reasons."

Technology is how they get you in the end. That's what he had learned in that alternate universe he aptly named 'Pete's World'. Oh give everyone 'ear pods' and then take them all to Cybus Industries and convert them into Cybermen. People might call the Doctor paranoid - no. He just has lots and lots of experience. Most of it bad.

[readvondaniken]

"Getting too reliant on 'em is probably a bad idea. You know about what happened when the Anti-Violence Field went down. I kinda worry if the Field and the PINpoints make us kinda, well, complacent. There's always next winter, and I'm not sure if I trust the Fallen to play nice if things turn in their favor again."

Palmer's concerned, and that's why he's been wondering about what the people here can do to protect themselves in case something like this happens again.

"The Anti-Violence Field is always unreliable in the Wilds, though. That's why going out there is dangerous. It isn't worth the risk for me, but you sound a lot more experienced about tricky situations."

The skinny mechanic is willing to leave dealing with the Fallen to the professionals while he tries to get his life back in shape. He's through with being a soldier.

[not_the_question]

The Doctor shrugs. "I do what I can, trying to leave things better than I found them."

That's it, really. There's no plan, no super-hero abilities. Just a guy travelling.

[readvondaniken]

Palmer smiles. "Y'know, that's something I can get behind. Making the world a better place where you can."

He's not a time traveller, and Palmer's certainly no hero, but he wants to do what he can to make the Nexus a little brighter.

"But yeah, I'm pretty sure we've got nothing to worry about from these, uh, emojis. They're not those Vardy you were worried about, anyway. Hopefully those stay outta the Nexus. We've got enough problems right now."

[not_the_question]

"The only way they'd get here is if any humans brought them along."

The two are linked, after all. But with that the Doctor gives a nod of his head.

"It was nice to meet you, Palmer. Have a good rest of your day."

And he turns to leave. There's more exploring yet to do.