Max had been browsing the armory. He found out that he had a key that opened the door, but why would his kidnappers (who he was still pretty sure were KAOS) give him a key to all the weapons?

Unless, of course, they weren't weapons like he'd expected, and it was all some kind of setup to make him think he was in a museum. But, hey, there could have been some kind of bomb and who else was going to diffuse it? The only thing he would need to do was find something that seemed slightly out of place and -

Could books be bombs? Especially a classic kids book? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, really? Max didn't want to take any chances, and he reached out to grab the book -

And then something completely different happened. As in, he was pretty sure he hadn't been hanging on a pole in a field.

That loud ~totally manly scream? That would be Max. First from disorientation, then from fright, and then from pain because ow that was doing a number on his back and oh god splinters.

"HELLO?!" Max cried. He waited for a response, and then yelled, "HELP? ANYONE? IT'LL BE GREAT! HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLP!!!"

He looked to the left and the right and - were those patches on his suit?

"Really? Patches on my new suit? Seriously, guys it's -" Max frowned. He couldn't actually remember the brand of the suit, and he couldn't very well check the tag in his current state. "Okay, I don't actually know what it is, but it was expensive. This is so not cool."

Brooke had been wandering the pathway near the field, trying to decide which way to go when she heard his voice. She froze in place, her eyes going a little wide as she slowly glanced around. After listening for a few moments and figuring out which direction his voice came from, she slowly started making her way into the field.

"Hello?" she called out, a little tentatively. "Is there someone there?" Dumb question, since she heard him almost perfectly, but it felt better than just running over to find him.

She hadn't caught sight of the title of the book before she touched it, nor had she actually read it, but Brooke had seen the movie enough times to guess where they were. Which didn't really help anything, considering she had no idea how they were even here.

"Where are you?"

"IN THE FIELD," Max yelled, but then he winced, realizing that the woman must be pretty close in order for them to have heard each other. He repeated, "In the field," in a more normal tone.

"This is awesome," he mumbled, squirming on the pole. His arms were starting to go numb, and it felt like pins and needles were attacking his feet. He ended up knocking his head on the back of the pole. "Okay, no, seriously, this is a problem."

"Obviously," she muttered as she moved through the field. "Any idea what part?" she asked a little louder so he could hear her. It was a big field, and Brooke didn't really feel like running around the entire thing hoping to find him.

"Uhm, no. Not really, no," Max said. He tried to listen a little bit harder for the direction that the voice was coming from. "I think you're on my right, actually.

I'm also stuck on this piece of wood, if that's any help at all."

"You're stuck on a piece of--" Brooke's foot caught on something and she stumbled into the area that he was in. After regaining her balance, and noticing what she was wearing, she looked up towards him. "Oh."

She stared up at him, her eyebrows pulling together. "How did you wind up on that?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Max looked down at the woman. "Oh. Hi. I was -" and then he cut off, frowning. "That's a really good question, actually, but I'm assuming whoever did it also put the patches on my suit, and I need to have a little chat with them. So yeah." He nodded, still frowning.

"Do you - uhm - do you think you can help me down? Maybe?" Max asked. "Please?"

"I can try," she said as she looked him over, trying to figure out how he was held up. Eventually she walked around him and, after seeing how he was attached, hoisted herself onto the back of the wood. It took her a few moments, but she was able to release one of his arms before moving onto the other.

He wasn't quite expecting it when his arm came free, so he didn't manage to grab hold of anything. He started to swing down to the side of the arm that was still attached, but Max scrambled to hold onto the pole to stop himself.

"This is only slightly terrifying," he said lightly.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry." She reached to help him, one hand holding onto the back of his patched suit as she works on the other arm. "Okay, it's coming down now," Brooke said, figuring it might be a good idea to give him some kind of warning this time so she doesn't fall flat on his face.

Well, the falling part still happened, because - well - it's Max. But after a quick, "ow," he jumped right back up, dusting his suit off and looking around.

"Thank you very much," he said. "You don't... have any idea where we are, now, do you?"

Brooke jumped a little when he just jumped back up, then glanced around them. "No, not really." She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked back at him. "It's familiar, but it feels mostly like deja vu."

"Hm..." Max started looking around the area, walking around the pole he'd just fallen from and examining it for anything, well, suspicious. It took a few moments, but he came to the conclusion that it was just an ordinary pole in an ordinary field, and he'd been taking the place of an ordinary... scarecrow?

"Weird. We're not the only ones here, are we? Because that would just be kind of creepy." He extended a hand. "I'm Max, by the way." And then he winced. He was pretty sure he should've followed protocol given an alias. Real cool.

Since the moment she'd been taken from her home, Rose had kept track of her days spent in confinement. She never mentioned this to anyone else; it was easier pretending not to know. However, Rose was always counting. On this particular morning, she opened up her journal to write something grave.

"FIVE MONTHS."

The words were logged with bitterness. Rose was losing hope. She'd stopped trying to escape after The Doctor's arrival. Now, the Time Lord was missing, yet she remained inactive. There was also the matter of Sam. The girl wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was developing some sort of attachment toward the younger Winchester. It was stupid, and cruel, too, as she knew who and what she wanted: The Doctor, and to go home.

Frustration guided Rose's feet to the fifth floor. The labyrinth of hallways presented no challenge. She knew exactly where The Doctor slept... or had. The room was found abandoned. It was more than empty; it was as if nobody had ever lived there. Rose's gaze moved from the perfectly-made bed and quilts to the undisturbed candles. He had left her. Or he'd been taken. Or he'd never been there at all.

The last, guarded bits of patience in Rose were obliterated. Fists clenched at her sides, she brazenly addressed the invisible. "Ya got me!" she yelled at the stone ceiling. Tears burned in her dark eyes. "Wha'ever ya are, ya win, all righ'?!" Monsters, nightmares- nothing could compare to losing The Doctor once more. The ancient traveler had built the modern Rose. He kept her sane, made her brave. He was everything. "Wha' else d'ya want?" she demanded. The house had gone for the kill. "Wha' else can ya take??"

Rose manically searched for something heavy. She wanted to hurt the house right back. She was going to smash the room to pieces- dismantle the shutters, break the table in half. All she spotted was a lone book on the ground. Strange... had it been there a second ago? Too filled with anger to question it, Rose advanced on the novel. She had every intention of throwing it through the window. As her fingers met its aged cover, though, the Companion found herself somewhere entirely new.

Rose stood in a lush forest. It was dark, and filled with noise. Was that the sound of... monkeys?? "Oh God, not more o' this!" she lamented aloud. Her voice echoed off of the trees. In response, the blonde grimaced. She didn't want anymore mysteries or weird adventures. She wasn't going to play this time.

Maybe it made her a coward, but Rose Tyler hid amongst the brush, with no intention of coming out.

Edited 2010-08-15 02:52 am (UTC)

Stuck in a forest and in the midst of another game being played by the house they were all stuck in. There was the sound of monkeys and other forest wildlife around, but.. there was also something that didn't sound like any of that.

"Mmmph!"

That didn't sound like a monkey, or a bird, or a bear.

"Mmph. Mmmph!"

Through the trees Rose might make out a very strange sight. There was a man in a trenchcoat who appeared to be.. shackled in place. They fixed him to the ground and the chains wound around him. One flat piece even covered his mouth and clasped behind his head. He looked like a metal wreck. Luckily, the shackles didn't need keys. They were only closed clasps. Unluckily, the clasps all appeared to be rusted shut, and he couldn't do a thing because his arms were similarly bound.

Someone had enough thought to leave an oil can a few meters away, just so long as someone came along to use it for him.

For some reason, Rose's hearing was unusually sharp. She was able to separate the muffled noises from din of the wild. She cautiously peeked from behind the foliage. The chained figure of Castiel in the distance was familiar, remembered from the nightmares. ...Rose's eyesight was apparently having a champion day, too.

The female Companion stood to her full height. When she called out "Hello," flocks of blackbirds were frightened into flight from the trees. Odd. Her voice wasn't that loud, was it? Rose took a few steps. Her entire body just felt... heavier. She shook her head and broke into a faster-than-usual trot. What was going on??

Rose arrived at Castiel's side. Dumbfounded at the sight, she cupped a hand over her mouth. Bloody hell. Wherever they were didn't seem to be a friendly place. "Who did this t'ya?" she asked. Immediately realizing he couldn't answer, Rose blushed. "Sorry. Let me 'elp."

She walked a quick circle around the man, assessing the situation. His bonds didn't appear locked, which was lucky. However, when she tugged at the clasp on his left leg, it refused to budge. It didn't make sense. Castiel could not have been here for very long. The degree of rusty corrosion that bound him would have needed years to develop! She pulled again at the same clasp, harder. Her hands slipped, and Rose tumbled backward, landing on her rear.

"Any suggestions?" she asked jokingly, not noticing the oil can.

At first he was worried to see someone approaching when he was in such a captive situation, but when he recognized the face of the woman, he relaxed a little and counted himself lucky. Perhaps she would help him.

Castiel tried to move a little but the clasps had him effectively stuck in place. Watching Rose tumble earned a muffled groan. Great. This was just great. His blue eyes rolled upward. He was growing tired of his confinement.

As for suggestions, he did have one.

"Mmph! Mmmmph. O-mph Ca-mph." Talking wasn't any easier than moving, apparently.

His critical expression didn't go unnoticed. Rose pouted. Castiel was Dean's friend, so she supposed she couldn't be surprised. "I'm doin' my best, mate," the blonde argued, pulling herself to her feet. "'s not like I'm gonna jus' leave ya."

Though bound, the man was clearly trying to tell her something. Rose attempted to make out the words. Unfortunately, the rusted metal across his lips made it nearly impossible. O-something... C-something... she decided to follow his gaze, instead. The path of her dark eyes matched his, and then- "Ah!" There, sticking out of the untamed grass, was a metal spout. She ran to investigate.

"Oil can!" Rose exclaimed, picking up the precious tool. She turned to show Castiel, but it was clear that he'd seen the thing there the whole time. Another frown. "...Ya mean they left this 'ere, righ' in front o' ya t' look at?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Bloody torture, tha' is."

Ever the Companion, Rose briskly returned to Castiel's side. She supposed that his mouth was the best place to start. Standing on her tiptoes, she found the heavy clasp behind his head. "Don' struggle or anythin'," she requested gently. "This'll be easier if ya ain't rattlin' around." She tilted the can forward. Its contents seeped into the mobile parts of the clasp, as well as over the super-rusty spots. If the mechanism was stuck, extra moisture could maybe allow her to break it with force. Rose listened to the forest around them while working. Whoever had done this to Castiel could still be around. She had no idea where they were or what they were dealing with.

When satisfied, she struck the clasp a few times with the bottom of her palm. The metal protested for a moment, before finally swinging open with a crack. "There!" she smiled broadly. Castiel was free to speak- or, more likely, just breathe properly for a few moments.

Castiel calmed down a little when Rose assured him that she wasn't going to leave him stuck there like that. It was bad enough being held where he was, but the oil can sitting right in front of him was some sort of torture.

As she approached to help him, he took her advice and stood as still as possible. There was a soft grunt of discomfort as she worked the clasp, and once it was open and the first piece was removed he gasped for breath and sighed deeply.

"Thank you."

"Anytime- Castiel, righ'?" she smiled. She stepped back to look him in the eyes. It would take a bit of time, but Rose could free him... as long as the oil didn't run out.

"Arms next," she nodded. Given that the poor guy was stuck trusting her, Rose thought it helpful to narrate her actions. Besides, she always felt more comfortable when dentists and the like did the same for her. "Jus' gonna take a look." She crouched down to inspect Castiel's left wrist. "'ey, good! Th' rust 'ere ain't so bad." The blonde went to work. Trying to be conservative with the oil, she sighed. There was so much metal. Hopefully, the captive was patient.

As she poured, Rose's mind drifted. She pictured The Doctor's barren room. Maybe he'd been dragged to this place, too, but- no, no. The room had been lifeless. Rose bit her bottom lip, forcing herself to focus. Castiel needed her optimism.

The clasp opened, and Rose clapped triumphantly. "Rotate your wrist a li'l," she encouraged. "You're probably cramped up, yea?"

Castiel looked down, watching her work on the wrist clasp. If he did have a quality to his name, it was patience. He could wait if necessary and do so without uttering a word. Sometimes that silence could make others feel nervous though, but he could never quite figure out when things went from just quiet to uncomfortable. Humans were not easy to read, even when the answers were written on their faces.

His wrist was moved at the instruction and he did find the limb to be sore. A slight wince and once he was free enough, he raised his arm slightly to have a look. Yeah, this has not been a pleasant experience at all. And since he was now stuck in a new strange place, he needed to be at his best, just in case.

Some rusty chain fell to the ground as Castiel shifted. A crouched Rose gathered it out of the way, grateful to see progress. She paused to consider her next move. The man before her was being oddly quiet, and she couldn't understand why. Had Rose's own mouth been locked up- even for a short period- there would be no shutting her up.

Giving the oil can a shake, the girl stood. Her free hand tugged at some loosened links near Castiel's shoulder. "Sorry," she said quietly, unsure if she was hurting him.

The silence was weird. "Soooo, mate," Rose managed, "D'ya know 'ow this 'appened, or didja arrive this way?"

Brooke and Max had been following the yellow brick road - literally - for a little ways now. She hadn't really been feeling up to chatting, so the conversation was pretty lacking, but it helped her hear Rose's voice. "I think I hear someone," she said to Max, glancing around briefly.

"Hello?" she called out, just like she had done before. The voice sounded familiar, especially with that accent, but she didn't want to be calling out Rose's name on the off chance that it wasn't her. "Is there someone there?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, I hear it too," he muttered. He scanned the area to make sure there weren't any ninjas or the like around, like he had assumed earlier. It took a moment, but he was quick and satisfied that there weren't any.

"We're here to rescue you!" he called. Then, he paused. "Kind of." Another pause. "Okay, not really, but misery loves company, right?"

Rose heard people approaching just as Castiel's other arm became free. Worried, she spun around to face whatever was there. The words "rescue you" were clear, though, and the female sounded like Brooke. Rose let out a relieved sigh. "Oi!" she cried, waving an arm, "Over 'ere!"

The blonde quickly turned to Castiel. She had really wanted to talk to him more in private. Without much warning, she leaned in close to his face. If she was lucky, she could clear up a thing or two before the others arrived. Whispering so only he could hear, she explained rapidly, "Listen. I know abou' the Winchesters. Sam tol' me wha' they are, wha' they do for a livin', an' I know you know 'em, so I, I mean ya don' 'ave t-" She could hear footsteps, and quickly silenced herself.

Rose stepped a few paces toward the voices. They had to be nearby, but the thick trees made it hard to tell. "Whatcha!" she yelled. "Tha' you, Brooke??"


Edited 2010-08-17 11:38 am (UTC)