Beyond the Roundels

Janey and the creature saw new things. Its mode of experiencing the universe was different to hers and both saw their own worlds as if for the first time.

It scared her how solid, dark and heavy their surroundings were; how very loud and crudely real everything was around them, but she saw for an instant before it left an indistinct world of light and thought, too alien to quite fit into her already crowded head, but the glimpse she had took her breath away.

Her visitor left her, dispersing as it passed out through her, and she could for one instant see even more: this world, shapes beyond it and the thoughts that were running through everyone’s mind.

The Doctor was full of plans and calculations for the signal, bright, gleaming curiosity at the creature and its way of life, theories formulating about how such a life-form had come into being. Jo’s thoughts matched her expression of alarm so exactly that Janey wanted to laugh in the middle of it all. And the Brigadier -. He was angry; frustration running through him as he thought darkly, He’s killed her. Liz sent her here and he’s gone and killed her.

It surprised her, enough to make her sit up.

“I’m not dead,” she said, almost before she was sure it was true.

The Doctor hurried to her side. “Careful now.”

“It’ll be all right now, won’t it?” asked Jo hopefully. “Now that it’s gone, I mean. It has, hasn’t it?”

He gently helped Janey to her feet. “Yes, it’s gone.”

“So that’s all right, then?” she persisted. Janey wished she wouldn't.

“I’m sorry,” said the Doctor and Janey had to wonder which of them he was apologising to. "My dear, I'm so sorry."

ETA: Oops! Forgot to say this is from 'Only Visiting This Planet' (but you knew that, didn't you!)

* * * *

I really felt that a LOT of people had lost interest in the CoT Awards by the time of this character-centric round - mainly because they'd overdone it in the first half of the year...

Edited Date: 2009-11-11 07:56 pm (UTC)

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Janey and the creature saw new things. Its mode of experiencing the universe was different to hers and both saw their own worlds as if for the first time.

It scared her how solid, dark and heavy their surroundings were; how very loud and crudely real everything was around them, but she saw for an instant before it left an indistinct world of light and thought, too alien to quite fit into her already crowded head, but the glimpse she had took her breath away.

I'm glad you chose this bit. I'm really bad at doing aliens - I have so little interest in them, by and large! This once, if only for this passage, I tried to imagine and convey an alien existence and it was interesting to try and do.

Her visitor left her, dispersing as it passed out through her, and she could for one instant see even more: this world, shapes beyond it and the thoughts that were running through everyone’s mind.

The Doctor was full of plans and calculations for the signal, bright, gleaming curiosity at the creature and its way of life, theories formulating about how such a life-form had come into being. Jo’s thoughts matched her expression of alarm so exactly that Janey wanted to laugh in the middle of it all. And the Brigadier -. He was angry; frustration running through him as he thought darkly, He’s killed her. Liz sent her here and he’s gone and killed her.

Also, the brief overhearing of thoughts - I hope I got them right. And my little bit of Brig/Liz that sneaks into this more Doctor-centric story lies here.

It surprised her, enough to make her sit up.

“I’m not dead,” she said, almost before she was sure it was true.

The Doctor hurried to her side. “Careful now.”

“It’ll be all right now, won’t it?” asked Jo hopefully. “Now that it’s gone, I mean. It has, hasn’t it?”

He gently helped Janey to her feet. “Yes, it’s gone.”

“So that’s all right, then?” she persisted. Janey wished she wouldn't.

“I’m sorry,” said the Doctor and Janey had to wonder which of them he was apologising to. "My dear, I'm so sorry."

Heh, that sounds like Ten. No one had pointed out that habit to me at the time. And hereby, I turn evil. But, short though it was, I liked trying to put something a bit different into words.

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I'm glad you chose this bit. I'm really bad at doing aliens - I have so little interest in them, by and large! This once, if only for this passage, I tried to imagine and convey an alien existence and it was interesting to try and do.

To me it was the most interesting bit of a very interesting fic!

Also, the brief overhearing of thoughts - I hope I got them right. And my little bit of Brig/Liz that sneaks into this more Doctor-centric story lies here.

Oh you did! I was very impressed...

Heh, that sounds like Ten. No one had pointed out that habit to me at the time. And hereby, I turn evil. But, short though it was, I liked trying to put something a bit different into words.

It worked nicely...

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Aw. Thank you.

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john_amend_all

The Children of Time website seems to be somewhat chaotic, but after rummaging around I believe I should be congratulating you for the success of Five Times Liz Shaw and the Brigadier Saved the World.

Hope you feel less down/distressed soon. For the commentary meme, I'll pick:

The young man in question, John Smith, was ambling alongside the lake, whistling to himself. Even taking into account the wildly differing views upheld on the subject of whistling by the various inhabitants of the castle, the aforesaid casual observer would be quick to question the mental stability of the earl. What’s this? the casual observer would cry. Can this innocent specimen of humanity be the source of all that nervousness and worry? Surely not!

Which goes to show how much the casual observer knows.

Despite Smith’s current cheerful demeanour, he was in fact, contemplating weightier matters than the Earl, and if the stories from the Emsworth Arms were to be believed (where on one memorable occasion he had regaled the regulars with the tallest tales yet heard in that respected establishment), he was in fact a 900 year old Time Lord on a desperately important mission. A trifle unlikely, one feels, but George Cyril Wellbeloved, expert on all matters porcine, swears this was the young fellow’s story.

“It’s got to be here somewhere,” he muttered to himself now, tapping an odd metal gadget in his hand and receiving some excited squeaks in return. He clutched at his hair in a manner that caused it to stand on end. (It was exactly such lack of attention to his appearance and his duties that so distressed Lady Constance).

Galahad Threepwood, the Earl’s brother, who was passing with his niece Celia and her friend Elizabeth, uttered the penetrating observation that the young fellow was turning out to be as batty as the last secretary.

Celia Underwood, daughter of his sister Lady Florence Moresby and her late first husband, was of the more sentimental opinion that the said Smith was merely a tortured, lonely soul in need of the attentions of a ministering angel.

Her friend, (who, though rejoicing in the regal name of Elizabeth, chose to be referred to by the short childhood moniker of Bets) added rather quashingly that he seemed to be aiming at a successful impersonation of a starved hedgehog.

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This one was a lot of fun to do. The only way to aprproach aping PG Wodehouse, I found was to read all the Blandings books solidly, plot this out, then sit and write it pretty much all one Saturday.

The young man in question, John Smith, was ambling alongside the lake, whistling to himself. Even taking into account the wildly differing views upheld on the subject of whistling by the various inhabitants of the castle, the aforesaid casual observer would be quick to question the mental stability of the earl. What’s this? the casual observer would cry. Can this innocent specimen of humanity be the source of all that nervousness and worry? Surely not!

Which goes to show how much the casual observer knows.

There were some sections where once I'd got the idea of the 'voice' it was just great fun to write. Oh my.

Despite Smith’s current cheerful demeanour, he was in fact, contemplating weightier matters than the Earl, and if the stories from the Emsworth Arms were to be believed (where on one memorable occasion he had regaled the regulars with the tallest tales yet heard in that respected establishment), he was in fact a 900 year old Time Lord on a desperately important mission. A trifle unlikely, one feels, but George Cyril Wellbeloved, expert on all matters porcine, swears this was the young fellow’s story.

Sadly, this is Wellbeloved's only appearance in the story, but then he isn't an attractive fellow and one can't have everything. But I was amused to imagine this scene. Somehow, Ten just might.

“It’s got to be here somewhere,” he muttered to himself now, tapping an odd metal gadget in his hand and receiving some excited squeaks in return. He clutched at his hair in a manner that caused it to stand on end. (It was exactly such lack of attention to his appearance and his duties that so distressed Lady Constance).

A plot device!

Galahad Threepwood, the Earl’s brother, who was passing with his niece Celia and her friend Elizabeth, uttered the penetrating observation that the young fellow was turning out to be as batty as the last secretary.

Being obviously, Rupert Baxter, who threw flower pots at the Earl, as everyone knows.

Celia Underwood, daughter of his sister Lady Florence Moresby and her late first husband, was of the more sentimental opinion that the said Smith was merely a tortured, lonely soul in need of the attentions of a ministering angel.

Through a couple of websites, the books themselves and Wikipedia, I studies the Threepwood family tree to find another sister who could possibly provide a spare niece. Lady Florence seemed to answer. Celia is rather like one of Gally's existing nieces, but they'd probably be cousins, so that's understandable.

Her friend, (who, though rejoicing in the regal name of Elizabeth, chose to be referred to by the short childhood moniker of Bets) added rather quashingly that he seemed to be aiming at a successful impersonation of a starved hedgehog.

I was a bit unsure about the Bets (Five Find-Outers and Dog, anyone?) but it seemed right. This story is something I find myself surprised that I wrote, although I did. Sort of, Gosh. That didn't work out too badly. I like that 'starved hedgehog' bit. Where did that come from? *coughs* But it was me - I remember plotting the thing out.

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john_amend_all

I'm glad it was fun to write. It was great fun to read.

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Thank you! :-D

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primsong.livejournal.com

Congrats to the winners! To be honest, I'm afraid I kind of...well, forgot about CoT. I found their site difficult to navigate and understand and the slant to NuWho a bit discouraging, I think, and wandered off. A shame, really - though I *did* remember to put in votes! (and I *did* vote for JJ too) ;-)

I love "With a Little Illumination", not only because it was from one of my prompts, which makes me snuggle it, but because it's just a darn good UNIT-Three-Delgado!Master fic and that's always a win.

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I was about the same, but I still have the comm on my f-list, so I saw and went off to check, knowing that you and jj and

st_aurafina and myself were all nominated. But I got so confused over whether or not the time rule was in abeyance I couldn't nominate anything. And there's loads of lovely Brigadier fic out there. :-(

And, I'm not sure I didn't vote for that in the UNIT family section - I can't remember which in the other, but I suspect Ground Rules, so how JJ didn't even manage to be runner up I know not. 'Tis a mystery to me. There were obviously more than the two of us left voting at least...

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Yes, I was robbed, wasn't I? (only kidding - I think!)

Sorry, lost_spook; I did have some questions for you, but I think I might have replied to my own post rather than to your comment, which is maybe why you weren't alerted to them; here they are though:

"1. Which author would you like to write the fictionalised book of your life?

2. Which planet featured in Doctor Who (other than Earth!) would you most like to live on (okay, most of them were just corridors and quarries, but...)?

3. Do you have any unpleasant habits (within reason!)?

4. If you could meet one fictional character (from any medium), who would you pick?

5. And I'll throw that one right back at you, because I'm interested to know; favourite children's book?"

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Heh. I should pay more attention. That's not the first time you've done that. You know waht they say about people who talk to themselves... :loL:

Erm... You want to know what unpleasant habits I have?! 8-o Why? *backs away slowly and nervously*

Thanks! ;-)

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Oh you know, for my files... ;D

My, that sounded a little worrying, didn't it?

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Oh, it's all beginning to add up now...

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And regarding the commentary meme, can you advise me on this?

"“Colonel,” said his next visitor, the balding man in the grey suit, who still hadn’t introduced himself. “It would be simpler if you returned our property to us.”

He looked up. “We don’t have anything that belongs to you. I’m warning you again: if you don’t stop making these demands, I have a weapon that I am prepared to use against you.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the man. He looked amused. “And what is this weapon?”

The Colonel said, “You’ll find out if you carry on like this.”

“We left an operation unfinished. We need to close it down,” he said. “You know precisely what I’m talking about, Colonel. Do you want to destroy UNIT over someone who shouldn’t even be here?”

He said, “Firstly, you called her your ‘property’. That doesn’t make me inclined to hand anyone over to you, let alone that girl.”

“We’ll send her back,” he said. “Close it all down and send her home. You can’t offer her that, can you?”

Crichton looked at him. “I thought you lot were supposed to be clever. Send her back? If I thought you meant that, I’d be even more concerned than I am already. It’s years too late for that.”

“Colonel -.”

He rose from the desk. “We’re finished. I have a pressing engagement concerning our current investigation.”

“Oh, yes. You are failing to remove the alien substance from St James’s Park,” he said with a smile. “Good luck, Colonel.”

He said, “Yes, and I’d rather deal with it than with you. Don’t forget what I said. One more attempt and that’s it. You’ll find your movements a little more curtailed than they’ve been of late years.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said.

The Colonel frowned. Damned man probably didn’t. That, he thought, might prove the fatal flaw in the whole operation.

*

“Kennedy,” he said, before leaving. “The first sign of anything that might be our friends in grey and I need to know. And don’t let Miss Holmes out of sight of an armed guard. Understood?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”"

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I'm not sure what I can add to this, but here goes:

"Colonel,” said his next visitor, the balding man in the grey suit, who still hadn’t introduced himself. “It would be simpler if you returned our property to us.”

Faceless Smith, the Torchwood guy who wants Tilly. Clue: we're not supposed to like him - he just called her 'property'. That's never a good thing.

He looked up. “We don’t have anything that belongs to you. I’m warning you again: if you don’t stop making these demands, I have a weapon that I am prepared to use against you.”

“I beg your pardon?” said the man. He looked amused. “And what is this weapon?”

The Colonel said, “You’ll find out if you carry on like this.”

*nods* The Colonel - although we don't know what he (and Kennedy) know at this point in the story, is referring to the plot he hatched with Sarah Jane in the previous story. Since Strange Weapons was supposed to conclude my UNIT 'trilogy' (yes, I never did write Part the First...!) with the Colonel retiring and releasing this bombshell on TW with the help of Sarah, and Dr Webber getting killed, when that altered (I introduced Tilly), it left an awful lot of loose ends hanging about and the Colonel had to wait a bit to put his plan into practice, which is the one thing that really did look a bit odd in Strange Weapons.

“We left an operation unfinished. We need to close it down,” he said. “You know precisely what I’m talking about, Colonel. Do you want to destroy UNIT over someone who shouldn’t even be here?”

He said, “Firstly, you called her your ‘property’. That doesn’t make me inclined to hand anyone over to you, let alone that girl.”

What did I say?

“We’ll send her back,” he said. “Close it all down and send her home. You can’t offer her that, can you?”

Crichton looked at him. “I thought you lot were supposed to be clever. Send her back? If I thought you meant that, I’d be even more concerned than I am already. It’s years too late for that.”

The Colonel has more sense than the Doctor! (One of my missing scenes had the Col. explaining why he understands Tilly better than the rest. "Didn't anyone else have Victorian great-aunts?") This story had quite a few missing scenes, in the end.

“Colonel -.”

He rose from the desk. “We’re finished. I have a pressing engagement concerning our current investigation.”

“Oh, yes. You are failing to remove the alien substance from St James’s Park,” he said with a smile. “Good luck, Colonel.”

TW are causing this, which the Colonel knows, but TW don't necessarily know he knows, although they probably do. Okay?

He said, “Yes, and I’d rather deal with it than with you. Don’t forget what I said. One more attempt and that’s it. You’ll find your movements a little more curtailed than they’ve been of late years.”

“I don’t believe you,” he said.

The Colonel frowned. Damned man probably didn’t. That, he thought, might prove the fatal flaw in the whole operation.

Well, yep. Poor Colonel.

*

“Kennedy,” he said, before leaving. “The first sign of anything that might be our friends in grey and I need to know. And don’t let Miss Holmes out of sight of an armed guard. Understood?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Kennedy and the Colonel are in a sort of little conspiracy here and, yes, Crichton should have acted more quickly, but he wanted them to back down without having to. And maybe more people at UNIT should have known, but, I'm sure it'll all work out somehow...

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I think you should write/post the missing scenes...

Please??

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:lol:

Oh, I will. One or two of them anyway. They won't stop existing in my head and it's getting irritating. ;-)

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Yay!

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Yes, I think that if the Colonel was guilty of anything, it was of underestimating the arrogance and complacency of the Institute (which 100-odd years of unrestrained shenanigans at the behest of the Crown might do to you). Well, he gave them every chance, and it served them right that they didn't take them.

I like your portrayal of Crichton, this restrained, businesslike character who knew the score and knew how to take action, but didn't feel the need to go making threats and shouting the odds in order to prove it. If anything, I would have liked to see more of him centre-stage in the later stories, but the story became about Nat, Tilly etc. And the then the Doctor showed up. Not that I'm complaining about any of that, mind you! ;D

So, yes; missing scenes! Get on it right away! ;D

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Thanks. I like Crichton, too, but the trouble with restrained characters, who take a back seat and observe before taking action is that when there are a lot of other characters around, they do just that. Especially when I added in Six and the Ainley Master on top of everything. But, yes, I like him, too. There's a lot of years unaccounted for (and now I know the desk sergeant in The Five Doctors can be Doherty, which was what I hoped), maybe one day I'll write them another adventure. I've no plans, but I like the option being there. Oh, and there is the Christmas one anyway, although that has too many people in it again. But no Nat and Tilly - just Crichton, Bambera, Sarah Jane, K9, Kennedy, Corporal Leonards, Professor Arnolds, Miss Lonsdale and Angela Morris. (Not at all crowded, honest...)

*salutes* Yes, sir!! :lol:

(I can claim it's by popular demand now, can't I? Heh.)

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st-aurafina.livejournal.com

Oh, really? I didn't know! *goes to look* Wow!

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