Lunch concluded and the two disembarked from the cafeteria, walking side by side, they strolled around the base, having no instructions otherwise, and Commander Ryan would've found them if they're needed.
It wasn't like they're getting far with everything patrolled and guarded.
While walking, Lila felt a tickling sensation in her nose, and rubbed it with her left hand, before a loud sneeze came roaring out.
"Gesundheit," Theodore lightly patted on Lila's back as she sniffled. She let out a few more sneezes, Theodore repeatedly telling her each time she sneezed, "Gesundheit."
Once the sneezing episode subsided, Lila blinked while she winced. She knew it instantly and Theodore smelled it too, the one thing that sends her into a sneezing fit.
Fresh rosemary.
The more they smelled, they smelled other plants, not just the rosemary. It's just prominent the more they walked.
A hodgepodge of different plants that easily set off Lila's allergies, since she's unable to pinpoint what one set them off. Her nose certainly knows what one, it recoiled as they walked.
"Why are on earth would UNIT want with plants?" Theodore wondered as he tilted his head in confusion as they identified the source.
Reaching into his deep pocket, Theodore brought out a packet of tissues and handed them to Lila. She thanked him as she used one tissue on their way to the source.
Rubbing her nose with the tissue, Lila shrugged as she said they don't have anywhere else to go, so they might as well go and investigate. Why not, it's their job to get into places they're not allowed.
Seeing her point, Theodore nodded and he walked with her to the source of the plants while Lila held a firm hand over her nose with the tissue, breathing through her mouth, and they reached a lab filled with plants.
Upon entering, they're immediately greeted by a bright red headed woman who asked what their business is in her lab and Theodore explained that they smelled the fresh rosemary further down the hallway and they wanted to know where the smell came from.
Calming down, the scientist, Isley, explained that she's researching plants for the betterment of UNIT. The regulatory body persistently kept her from using conventional means, so she's working within the parameter they set during her preliminary research.
"Oh, so basically, you're trying to help them not rely exclusively on restricted medication," Lila nasally summed Isley's plan for the plants and she affirmed that she's trying to develop ways for them to deal with pain without overly relying on painkillers and things of that nature.
With the way the regulatory body worked, the powerful painkillers remained restricted and medication prescribed heavily monitored by the medical doctors on base, Isley wanted UNIT having options to deal with pain without breaking any guidelines and risking addiction.
Maybe smelling a rub made of three different herbs won't help with migraines, but they'll help with relative soreness from standing around all day without only relying on leg braces if they can't get the over-the-counter gels easily.
Isley only wanted to help them in the only way she knows, through plants, and some officers liked the balms she made for them that kept mosquitos and whatever irritating insect from bothering them, made in-house, and approved for their uses.
"What's the rosemary for?" Theodore asked Isley what she planned to use the rosemary growing in a planter nearby for in her research and she replied that she's using it for vitamins in RAT packs.
Lots of UNIT officers go into territories where there's less sunlight, she wanted to make sure they don't have any deficiencies caused by the lack of sunlight. She's figuring out the proper blends, but Isley hoped it'll taste better than blood sausages and iron cakes. Another advantage's that with some rosemary, it'll help with digestion of those RAT packs.
"It's all about the nutritional guidelines and making sure they don't expire in a few years," Isley summed the difficulties in creating the perfect blend of the vitamins. Having to make sure they fit the rigid standards and stable shelf life while remaining potent in that time. On top of ensuring that soldiers and officers on patrols elsewhere won't suffer any side effects caused by them. Another struggle's the taste, sugar makes the medicine go down, but sugar's inapplicable to the vitamins per guidelines.
As Theodore talked with Isley, Lila's chestnut eyes moved until she saw the culprit sending her into a sneezing fit, blooming flowers with pollen in the air.
Nothing dangerous, every spring, it sends Lila's allergies soaring when everything blooms, dandelions one of the culprits. Isley had them in a separate planner for something she's studying.
"Oh, I didn't mean to cause you to have allergy problems," Isley noticed Lila covering her nose as she's trying to breath without going into another sneezing fit.
Waving her hand, Lila assured her that it's nothing serious, just as long as Lila took some allergy pills and have tissues on hand, which now she's kicking herself for not carrying around a bottle in the event she's dealing with spring from hell.
Isley asked if she's allergic to anything in particular, medicine wise, and Lila told her that she's not allergic to anything that she knows of, and Isley disappeared into the forest growing in her lab before returning with a bottle of allergy medicine and a small disposable cup of water.
Isley popped two white pills into Lila's free hand and she thanked her before she swallowed them, chasing them down with the provided water.
Turning her head, Isley asked if Theodore needed any and he declined, he wasn't affected by the barrage of plants like Lila.
It caused Lila to comment, "Lucky!"
Won't gain weight with everything that he eats, even when they're not adventuring, and not deal with anything allergic come spring.
Couldn't help being envious of him, he won't have to worry about going into a sneezing fit at the worse time.
"Is there anything else?" Isley asked if they needed something else from her and Theodore shook his head as he thanked her for his time before departing the lab with Lila as they returned to wandering the UNIT base, working off their lunches.
On their walk, Lila nearly kept in the air when a loud thunder cracked and Theodore grabbed her as she felt the panicking jolt go through her body.
Somehow, Theodore didn't at all react, and Lila's not surprised that he didn't, man's a giant, a little thunder's not going to send him running. Unless it comes with a fleet of Daleks.
"One of these days, spaceman, I'll figure you out," Lila sighed as she recovered from the jolt. In one of the large windows, they passed by, she sees the bright flashes of lighting in the distance ripple through the thickening clouds.
Another storm's coming and Theodore remarked they're lucky the TARDIS wasn't outside; he'd recently washed his stitched coat.
Shaking her head, Lila sighs as she wondered to herself, "Lord, who let this spaceman into my life?"
At one point, Lila led a boring life, once this spaceman broke inside her 'flat' it's all been an odd day since.
They resumed their walk around the base as far as they're allowed and when they came to the end of their walk, they headed back to the beginning of their walk, where they'll reconvene with Commander Ryan and see if he had anything else to say.
Bright flashes flickered in and out of the windows as lighting danced across the blackened skies, the loud thunder roaring after, and a woman coming over the intercom informing everyone that a storm's on approach in a few hours.
While walking, they overheard a conversation going on between two officers.
"I hope he isn't out there; it looks like another bad one," commented an officer as he speaks with another. The other officer replied, "Don't worry, remember the last time we had a bad storm, he wouldn't come out from under the table for hours."
Theodore and Lila stopped and Theodore being nosy asked who the officers referred to and they told him that Isaac hadn't turned up in a few hours.
"Is it uncommon for him to leave the base?" Lila asks one of the officers and he replied that sometimes Isaac takes walks around the base, but since he's been dealing with congestion caused by a cold, he's known to take trips to get medicine.
Theodore inquired why he didn't get medicine at the base and he's told that nobody wanted paperwork just to administrate decongestant.
"He doesn't like storms?" Lila asked about the comment the officer made about him hiding under a table and he affirmed Isaac's sheepish around storms. The area's prone to getting strong ones since they're close to the seas and the constant cold and warm air overlapping made storms common.
Majority of them weren't bad, minor washouts, but the last storm did a number and the way the scanners looked, this one looks to be similar.
"That unusual?" Lila inquired and the officer shook his head, they're no strangers to severe weather in the area. Something they had to work to deal with when they constructed the base decades ago.
He said that while the storm knocked out the power before, they hope the revisions made kept it from happening again.
However, he couldn't deny that things happen.
"If we see him, we'll let him know his absence caused concerns," Theodore offered the officers to pass along a message to Isaac if they bump into him.
Nodding, the officers said that one of the scientists was looking for him, but couldn't find him. So, they passed the message around, hoping to catch him on his way back.
Heading off, the two continued until they ran into Commander Ryan as he walked back from talking to the captain.
"We'll have to reconvene tomorrow," he tells them that the next meeting's scheduled tomorrow morning. Whether anything changes, he doesn't know, but he knows that if it's anything like today, they'll be arguing all week.
As he nods, Theodore replied that they're willing to stay around until a conclusion's met and the commander exhaled sharply as he dreaded tomorrow's meeting.
"Hope you have a game plan," Lila looks towards Commander Ryan as she tells him. He nodded and said that he hopes so, too, because it's heavily polarized to the point there's no chance, they'll get everyone to side.
Theodore asked if it's possible that he and Lila bring the Plague Doctor somewhere else for them, that way, no one has to worry about it, and it's out of their hair.
Lila showed disapproval about the idea, but Commander Ryan thanked Theodore for the thought, but he isn't sure it'll be cut and dry this time around. Lieutenant Commander Hoyts wants the Plague Doctor euthanized for the crimes committed and thus far, the commander hadn't been able to convince him otherwise.
The captain wasn't onboard either, she didn't want the Plague Doctor anywhere near them any longer than needed.
"Why do you think you're having bad feelings about killing it, commander?" Theodore pressed for answers regarding Commander Ryan's hesitation at euthanizing the Plague Doctor.
Heavily sighing, Commander Ryan described that it's too coincidental that the Plague Doctor showed up right after the storms rolled through that day. The way it seemingly showed up without anyone knowing, if that's not an omen, then Commander Ryan doesn't know what is, and Lila opted to agree with him on the fact that it's not everyday something like that showed up after a storm.
"You haven't seen any more like it roaming, have you?" Theodore brought up that the commander hadn't saw more showing up and he acknowledged that they didn't, but he fretted the chances of there being more, and he's certain they're as smart as the Plague Doctor.
Rather not take a chance if he's right.
Lila winced as she hoped he's not.
The loud thunder rattled the walls as it rolled through the area, Lila instinctively grabbed Theodore's arm as it slowly dissipated, and she released it once she realized it.
"I'll arrange rooming for you two," Commander Ryan moved past them as he told them that once the arrangement's done, he'll have officers fetch them, he needs a drink from the long day.
With that, the two wandered around the base until two officers came and led them to their rooms. The officers told them that they'll be brought to the conference room tomorrow at 0800 hours and they departed for their evening duties.
"Well, home away from home," Lila glimpsed inside her room as she stood near the opened doorway with Theodore near his.
Sighing, Theodore told her to get some sleep if she can, they'll need it for tomorrow. Lila pointed out they're usually up early for Hammond's morning meetings and Theodore exhaled as he responded that while that's true, at least there's plenty of coffee.
"Hm, maybe we can grab a pot before we go into the conference room tomorrow," Lila yawned as she caused Theodore to chuckle at her comment on bringing a large coffee pot filled with freshly brewed coffee with them into the conference room.
Would help get people on their side once they're sufficiently caffeinated enough to forget it's morning and make things go by quick than they did today.
Lila asks if Theodore wanted the key back and he told her to keep it with her, just in case. As she nodded, Theodore pointed at her as he reminded her not to lose the key. Playfully, Lila saluted as she said, "Aye aye, captain!"
Shaking his head, Theodore exhaled, and they splintered off into their separate rooms. Outside, rain's pouring heavily, and began lulling them to sleep.
The beds weren't the most comfortable, but the two managed to fall asleep to the tune of the muffled rainfall.
In a deep slumber, Theodore snored with his face buried in the pillow, outside the thunder echoed, and he murmured as he shifted in his spot.
There's a loud crack of thunder, causing him to sluggishly open his crusty eyes, to see a red light near the ceiling turning on in his room.
Groaning, Theodore closed his eyes again, attempting to drift back to that peaceful island he's dreaming about, not a Dalek or Hammond in sight.
As he tries to sleep, Theodore heard knocking on his door, and he buried himself under the comforter and sheets topped with his stitched clothes, but the knocking persisted enough to rouse him from his slumber.
Agitatedly, he got up from the bed, stretched out his limbs, yawned loudly, before heading towards the door, running his hand through his wild hair.
Upon opening the door, Theodore sees Lila and Commander Ryan standing outside, he asked what was wrong, and Commander Ryan told him that the power went out and nobody's able to locate Isaac.
"I thought you fixed that," Theodore blinked as he went to fetch his shoes and coat.
He heard Commander Ryan reply that they did, but something bizarre happened, and they can't figure it out.
They're unable to get the power back on and there's a warning in effect, meaning crews aren't able to leave to fix the power until the storm passes.
"You sure Isaac hadn't left for somewhere?" Theodore tugged on his stitched coat and the commander told him that they checked the sheets and cameras.
Isaac hadn't turned up anywhere.
Theodore asked if the commander sent officers looking and he affirmed he did, but they're not having any luck.
"Stranger and stranger," Theodore frowns.