[Nexus/Self-Cest] There's Been A Malfunction. . . .

[clockwork_doc]

*beep* "Damn."

*beep* "Damn!"

*beep* "DAMN DAMN!"

Doc glares at his PINpoint, staring at the error message on the screen. "Why are you giving me an error about returning to Chicago?" he demands of it. "I've gone there after LOLs plenty of times! I even gave this one some time to wear off! What's going on here?!"

The PINpoint, naturally, doesn't answer. Doc stares at it angrily for a moment. Then, slowly, his expression turns to -- almost fright. "Great Scott, am I stuck here?"

He'd thought being trapped in an alternate Chicago was bad. Being stuck in the multiversal Nexus, however. . .that's a whole different kettle of fish.

(OOC: In essence, this is just a write-up of why Doc and Victor are now just Nexusites, as I've left their original game. I've been meaning to do this for a while, so. . . .)

Comments

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

Victor stares at Doc with wide eyes. "Oh no," he whispers. "You mean -- we're stuck in this little pocket of -- of time and space?" he whispers. "Forever?"

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

"We just might be," Doc says, letting out a deep sigh. "Great Scott, I never thought. . . ." He leans heavily on one hand. He never really liked Chicago -- he lived through enough disasters to become rather cynical about the town. But it was the closest thing he had to home for about a year and a half. And while he lost a couple of his closest friends, he still had pals there -- Gladys, JD, Dan. . . . The only consolation is that he hasn't lost Farley, who knows about the Nexus. "I don't know what I'm going to do." He looks over at Victor. "Have -- have you seen anyone around here?"

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

Oh man. Victor joins Doc in letting out a deep sigh. He had less time to get attached to Chicago, but it was his home too, for a while. And he has people he'll miss as well -- Piper, Elizabeth, and Babel, mostly. They were the closest things to friends he had in the new universe, besides Doc. At least he's still here.

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, no," he admits. "Though I haven't gone beyond the confines of the Gauche, so. . . ." It's hope? Of a sort?

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Doc shakes his own head. "No. If there's no one at the Gauche, I think the odds are good there's no one in the rest of this particular pocket of subspace either. It's just you and me." He looks away, toward the wall, steam hissing out his back. "I suppose I could go back to the hotel, if it exists." Though he doesn't relish having to live in a totally empty building. Even if it means finally giving up his basement room once and for all.

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

Victor nods slowly. "I believe you're right." He notes Doc's tone immediately. He can tell Doc doesn't want to stay all alone. And Doc's his friend, and helped him out so much with his nightmares. . . . "You -- you could stay here with me," he offers, a bit shyly. "I don't think the room next to mine was ever taken, in proper reality or otherwise. It would be nice to have a neighbor."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Doc looks back at him, surprised. Then, slowly, a smile spreads across his face. "You know, I'd like that," he says. "Thank you, Victor. I'm glad we're in this together, at least." It means he hasn't lost all of his friends.

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

Victor smiles back. He feels much the same. "So am I, Doc." Then, suddenly, he decides to screw his Victorian upbringing and gives Doc a hug. Mostly because they probably both need one.

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Doc's rather surprised at the hug, but accepts it and returns it warmly. "You're a good kid, Victor." And, in Doc's mind, you've probably just been adopted as one of his kids. Woe betide whoever tries to hurt you.

He pulls away after a moment. "All right then -- let me just see if the Conrad still exists, and, if so, if it's possible for me to get my things. I'll be back in a little while." He exits Victor's room by the other door, heading to the garden to fly off (it's faster that way).

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

While this sad yet somewhat heartwarming scene is going on inside the room, Marty's waiting outside, hoping to hear from Doc. Instead, he gets someone else calling his name:

"Master McFly! Marty!"

And here comes Alice, looking quite glad to see him.

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

Marty blinks a few times at the "Master McFly," but then turns around and sees Alice jogging up to him. "Oh, hey Alice!" he says, smiling back. Yes, despite the awkwardness at Captain John's party, Marty still thinks it's cool to know Alice from Wonderland. "Didn't think I'd see you again for a while. How are you?"

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

"All right, I suppose," Alice says, catching her breath. "How are you? I'm very glad to see you again -- I was hoping you could help me."

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

"I'm good, I guess," Marty says. "Whatcha need?"

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

Alice blushes a little, unable to help herself. "Well -- I'd actually like you to pass a message onto Victor, if you could," she admits. "I know we had a rather awkward moment at Captain John's housewarming, but I really would like to see him again."

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

Marty blinks, surprised. "You would? The way you two were acting, I was thinking. . . . Well, yeah, I can talk to him when I see him again." He grins a little. "You just missed him, actually -- he and Doc are doing something together in Chicago, or not-Chicago, or wherever it is they are."

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

Alice blushes harder. "I know -- it's all my fault, I never should have kissed him," she says. "But the fact of the matter is, he really made an impression on me as a child, and -- I'd like a second chance at striking up a friendship."

Alice blinks now, shocked. "What -- really?" Then it turns to puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

Marty smiles at that. "Hey, nothing wrong with that. He's a nice guy."

"Yeah. And I don't know, something went wrong with Doc's PINpoint and he can't get back to Chicago," Marty attempts to explain. "So Victor took him through the portal he uses to get back to his room, only Doc came storming out of here a little while ago demanding to find a Place-Me-Quick. So I'm guessing something's gone screwy, but I have no idea what."

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

Alice smiles back. "Yes, he is."

She tilts her head, attempting to take all that in. "So -- Dr. Brown and Victor are -- stuck here?" she says slowly. She thinks that's what Marty's getting at anyway.

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

"Like I said, I don't know," Marty shrugs. He glances back over to the door he's standing by, which is ajar. "They're -- actually right in there, so -- maybe we could go ask them?" He's not entirely sure they can get in -- Chicago seems stingy about letting foreign entities in that don't come through the Rift -- but it's worth a shot.

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

"Why don't we?" Alice says immediately. Portal into an entirely different universe? That's just up her alley. She knocks at the door -- only polite -- then opens it a little and pokes her head in to see -- well, it looks like a flat of sorts. Rather small, but cozy enough. And there's Victor, sitting on the bed nearby. "Hello?"

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

Victor starts, almost but not quite falling off the bed. He turns to see -- "Al -- Miss Liddell?" he says, shocked. What's she doing here? How'd she find his door? Is this going to be another horribly awkward moment between them? (He really hopes not, one was enough.)

[save-us-alice.livejournal.com]

Alice feels herself turning pink again. "You can call me Alice, if you want," she says gently, opening the door a bit further. "May we come in?" She tilts her head to indicate Marty, standing beside her.

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

Victor nods -- he honestly wasn't sure what to call her. On the one hand, she's an old acquaintance, on the other, she's also from the 1800s, like him. At least now he's pretty much used to using first names. And ah, there's Marty, which might explain her sudden appearance. "Oh -- yes, you may," he says, standing up like a good host. "Please do."

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

Alice walks straight in without preamble. Marty, however, hesitates briefly on the threshold. He sticks a hand in first and wiggles it. Nothing happens. He tries stepping inside, and gets the same result. He grins at the rather confused Victor and Alice. "First time I tried to get to Chicago with Doc, the PINpoint kept giving me an error," he explains. "I didn't know if I'd actually be able to get in." He looks around the little apartment. "So this is where you live, huh? Not bad. Kind of like my place at home -- only I don't have the little kitchen." Of course, Marty lives in a club/restaurant, so he doesn't really need one.

[deadgirlsliekme.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Victor says. "That's peculiar." He'd have thought Chicago would have loved to get another person stuck in it. (When DID he start thinking of a city like a person?) He smiles slightly at the praise. "It's small, but it serves my purposes fine," he nods. "Er -- if you're looking for Doc -- Dr. Brown, I should say -- he stepped out for a little bit. He'll be back shortly."

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

"Everything that's happened to us is peculiar," is Marty's opinion. "But yeah, don't know what happened between then and now. Maybe the door portals are easier to use or something." He glances over at Victor. "Where'd he go?"