On 8/21/06, StudioPC <studiopc@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the creation of J.K. Rowling, and Doctor
who is the property of BBC1. No money is being made from this and no
such intent should be inferred.
Arcadia
Deep Space . . .
Gallifreyan Year 58712345
Romanadvoratrelundar (Romana for short) of the House of Senschear,
first to gain the triple score on the Chronos Academy entrance exam
and current Lady President of Gallifrey swore as the Presidential
TARDIS (Really her own personal TARDIS, but she was Lady President
and so . . .)
That doesn't seem to be a very Romona-like thought process. It just
fits very odd. Perhaps if you had her think of it as what the Doctor
would say?
lurched and heaved like like a wounded near-whale. Its
crew numbered five hundred, who were scattered throughout it's
massive interior like confetti. On the bridge were only three people;
Romana, and her two assistants.
Hmm.
"What in the name of Rassilon was that?" Romana demanded, grabbing
the console for balance.
"Photonic wave," Teneer snapped, fingers jabbing at the controls for
both the temporal circuit and the field controls.
"The emperor has come up with some new tricks," Gandhof muttered from
his place at the weapons array.
Perhaps "Their emperor..." or rather "The Emperor of the Daleks...".
Romana huffed and shoved the drive controls into full power as she
unleashed x-ray gamma beams at the Dalek fleet. On the screen, Dalek
ships exploded or spun wildly away, venting plasma as they lost control.
But for every Dalek ship lost, several more Time Lords went with them.
On her ship? Other TARDIS's? I was under the impression that the ratio
was about 1 TARDIS per grundle of Dalek ships, but the Daleks
typically brought about twice as many as they could deal with. A bit
of clarity.
"What's that phrase those Terrans use?" Teneer asked wryly. "Ring the
bell, we are being given an education."
"The phrase is "I hear a bell ringing, someone is getting schooled,"
said a voice from the screen. "There are variations, of course."
"Doctor," Romana said, relieved. "So glad you could join us."
"The invitation was exquisite. How could I say no?"
Romana's lips quirked in an unwilling smile. "Doctor, the Daleks are
slaughtering us, there's indications of a temporal wave buildup
and . . ."
"Yes?"
Romana took a deep breath. "The human Ace died two minutes into the
attack, taking a Dalek ship with her and blunting their first strike.
I'm sorry."
Perhaps "Your human companion, Ace, died..."
The Doctor inhaled through clenched teeth and a momentary look of
pain crossed his face and just as quickly vanished. "She died as she
lived." He shook his head to banish memories. "We said goodbye a long
time ago." He glanced at something on his console that she couldn't
see "The Dalek fleet, time running out, and impossible odds," he
mused.
"So ten Terran minutes?" Romana asked lightly.
"Don't be daft," he replied. "Five." The screen went back to the
tactical display and a moment later, the Doctor's TARDIS vanished.
The TARDIS heaved again and Romana returned her attention to her
console. Five minutes . . .
* * * *
In fact, it was five hours before the Doctor's TARDIS reappeared and
he hailed them. By then, the tide of the battle had turned decisively
in favor of the Daleks.
"Well?" Romana snapped. She'd long since lost any appetite for
banter. Half her crew was dead and there were far too few TARDIS' on
the tactical display.
Romana," he said, his face grave. "I'm sorry, I . . ."
No, no, he could not have failed. He's the Doctor. The savior. The
one Time Lord that even the Daleks feared.
"I'm invoking the Immasol. It took me a while to track one down."
I haven't watched the new Doctor Who (or I can't remember this) so a
bit of information, even if it isn't them exactly explaining it would
be appreciated.
The room lurched and it had nothing to do with the war.
Caused by the device he brought? Shock at the thought?
"Are you insane?" Gandhof shouted. "You can't--"
Romana gestured him to silence with a sharp motion of her hand.
"Doctor, are you sure?"
"It's the Daleks or us," he said with dry humor. "I'd rather it was
the Daleks."
Romana closed her eyes. "All right, Doctor, get it set up and I'll
open the com links for activation."
"No need."
"What do you mean, you--" she suddenly realized what he had planned.
"Doctor, you can't!"
"I can, and I must," he replied.
"I'm giving you an order!"
"Then you can arrest me afterwards. Two minutes." he said brusquely
and cut the connection.
Romana screeched out a curse and then slapped her hand on the com
array. "All TARDIS' fall back. Repeat, fall back to the safe zones."
She flipped back to the internal com. "This is the Lady President.
Abandon ship. All crew to their TARDIS' immediately. Head for the
safe zones and may the Gods keep you." she flipped off the com and
looked up at her assistants. "You were ordered to abandon ship."
Doh. That makes sense now. It just didn't click in me why only she
survived on her TARDIS.
They looked at each other. "You can arrest us, afterwards, Lady
President. We will not leave you," Teneer stated flatly.
Romana smiled at them. "Your loyalty honors me," she said softly.
"It is duty," Gandolf replied. "He means to activate it himself,
doesn't he?"
Romana nodded. "To save anyone else the burden of guilt. It's part of
who he is."
"Maybe that should be his name," Teneer said lightly, "Doctor Who has
a nice ring to it."
"It already is," Romana said as she opened a com line to the Dalek
command ship. The Doctor needed time, the Daleks had to be distracted
so they wouldn't notice what he was up to, and negotiating a
surrender was the best way to do both.
Hmm. You might want to add a transition so we can realize we are going
from Flashback to Present Time of the story.
* * * *
When they got home, there was no sign that Herbert had returned, or
at least, not come back and packed a bag.
You might want to be a bit more descriptive. This is telling, not showing! ;)
Hermione had scampered off to her room with her new books and Janet
went into the clock. Navigating the halls, she entered the equipment
room.
Er? They ended up in the TARDIS suddenly?
It was like a library or small shop. A few aisles of racks and
shelves, holding supplies and tools, some for whatever repairs might
be needed in her travels, some for situations she might encounter,
and some for both. Lining the walls were cabinets and drawers,
holding small tools and smaller parts. A door led to the materials
room and main cargo bay.
I actually thought you were referring to tools in the house or garage
for just a second.
Selecting a small tool box from the shelf, Janet began making her
selections, choosing with care and as much foresight as she could. A
sonic screwdriver was a given, as was a tachyon emitter. She also
selected a Mandorian ommni tool and an Obernan plasma battery.
Rounding out the kit was an assortment of cables, a few odds and
ends, and a protein data storage module with a universal connector.
Then I went, "DOH!"
Then she closed the case with a snap and stared at it. Hermione
didn't really need a tool kit, she couldn't even leave London in
this. She'd lost most of the repair supplies in the crash and
couldn't do much with what she'd had left. The comlink was
broadcasting an intermittent short range distress beacon, but that
was an automatic action and even though Janet knew it was futile, her
people were gone, she'd never been able to bring herself to shut it off.
Hmm. I don't know that I'd trust to transmit a distress signal when
I'm not in any real danger (immediate) and if you hang tight for a
hundred years you will be able to repair the TARDIS.
Who knows who is listening?
She shook her head and left the room. The human race would be using
the microprocessor for at least another thirty years and it would be
twenty years after that before the materials she needed would even be
theorized, much less manufactured.
Still, she had thought she could manage it. An entire science devoted
to the care of teeth was a truly unique idea, and challenging enough
to hold her interest. Herbert, and then Hermione had provided an
emotional attachment and Janet had been, if not perfectly happy,
content enough that the pain of losing her entire people was held at
bay.
O.o
Perhaps she's trying to improve dental technology a bit (and make some
money so she can afford her super-tech to repair the TARDIS?) I just
find the thought of Romana *thinking* that dental care as
"fulfilling".
But now . . . she slumped against the wall and stared at the ceiling.
Had it been her, it would have been simple to fake a disappearance
and take back the clock, starting a new life elsewhere. It would have
hurt, but she would have been leaving, not the other way around. It
was easier to abandon than be abandoned.
But Janet would also have known what and what not to do. Hermione,
operating on instinct, had come home, and however unintentionally,
cost her mother the life she had built for herself. More to the
point, Janet had her duty, both as a parent and a mentor. Hermione
needed instruction and whatever her pain, Janet would not abandon
that sacred tenet.
But it didn't make it hurt any less. Herbert would not, could not
understand what Janet was. Who she had been, and what she may become.
If the Gods were benevolent, he would let her disappear without fuss.
Janet would sign over her share of the practice and teach Hermione
what she needed to know. Albus would help her disappear, Janet
Granger would be dead.
When she could make full repairs, she would find a nice black hole
somewhere and end everything.
Covering her eyes with one hand, Janet grieved anew, her tears
causing the gold wedding band to glisten in the light.
Very nice emotional moment.
* * * *
Tegan Javonka watched Herbert leave Companion House and sighed. She
knew all to well his frustration. She'd known it many times for
O.o That was neat, but very, very different. Nice tie-in.
I do think you might want to put the Tegan section as the first part
though. That way it is;
Tegan tie-in.
1st Time War Flashback that seques into,
At home.
2nd Flashback.
final scene at home.
That way you can tie in the flashback to Romana a bit better. IMNSHO! ;)
* * * *
Kalill Park
Cardiff, England
Terran Year 1975
Nice little scene with Romana adjusting to her crash on Earth.
----------------------
Herbert let himself in quietly. He noticed Jan's purse on the coffee
table and he'd seen a light in Hermione's room. He opened his mouth
to call for his family, when Janet emerged from the grandfather clock
carrying a small case.
She looked up, saw him, and froze, the case falling from her fingers
to land on the carpet with a soft thud.
"Gallifrey," Herbert said into the silence.
Janet stared at him. "What?" she gasped.
"Gallifrey. Tegan over at Companion House told me to say that, and I
have no idea what Gallifrey is, but she seems to know, and it's just
one more thing that I have no idea about."
"Herbert . . ."
"Don't Herbert me, Jan. This morning, everything was fine and then in
space of a few bloody hours, my entire world has gone bonkers. My
daughter has apparently switched bodies, the barkeep seems to know
more about my wife than I do, who, by the way, I've just seen doing a
physical impossibility!"
"You promised . . ." Janet whispered.
It was as though those two words flipped some kind of switch inside
Herbert and twenty years of pent up curiosity and frustration came
boiling out.
"I promised, I promised!" he shouted. "You've held me at bay with
that stupid bloody promise for over twenty years! You never let me
in, you never tell me anything, you have all these bloody secrets and
I'm sick and tired of it! The truth, Janet, I want the truth and I
want it now or I swear to God, I am taking Hermione and we are leaving!"
He might as well have killed a puppy from the expression on her face
and all his anger vanished as he watched his wife utter a soft cry
and slump to her knees, her eyes empty of all emotion except for pain.
In an instant, he was kneeling next to her and holding her against him.
"I'm sorry," he said, lips against her ear. "I'm so sorry, I didn't
mean that, Janet, please. I'm sorry."
"You'll leave," she said in an empty voice. "You'll leave and then
I'll be alone again." Raw emotion seeped back into her voice. "You
won't understand and I don't want to be alone again, I don't want to
be the last and you're all I have. I can't tell you, I don't want to
be alone again." She began to cry. "Don't want to be alone."
Herbert gently stroked her hair. "Shhhh, Janet, calm down, it's okay.
Whatever it is, I won't leave, Hermione won't leave. You're not alone."
"I will be," Janet babbled. "I tell you, you'll hate me and then
you'll leave and take Hermione and it will just be like before and
I'll be alone the last one and I can't do that again."
As she spoke, Herbert suddenly realized that whatever secrets Janet
had, she had placed her heart, even her sanity in his hands, trusting
that he was the one person who would never, ever, hurt her.
'And you did,' accused his inner voice. 'You hurt her. Look at what
you've done. LOOK!'
Herbert did look, and then he kissed her. Into that kiss, he poured
in all of his love for her, everything a man could feel for the one
woman in the universe who meant everything to him, even more than
life itself.
After a moment, she kissed him back just as deeply and they fell over
in a tangle of arms and legs.
After several minutes, Janet broke away and stared him and then
sighed in that way that meant she'd made a decision. "Get your bag,
Herbert."
"Jan, I told you I'm not--"
"Your medical bag, Herbert," Janet interrupted his protest. Herbert
was an oral surgeon. "Get your stethoscope."
You might want to put the explanation after the part about the stetheoscope.
"Oh." Herbert scurried off to their room and Janet sighed and stood
up so she could re-lock the doors on the clock. Then she placed the
tool case on the coffee table and sat on the couch.
Herbert returned a few moments later, stethoscope in hand. Janet
unbuttoned her blouse and then nodded. "Listen to my heart."
Herbert was puzzled, but he did as she said and nodded as he listened
to her heart pulse with a steady rhythm. "It sounds fine to me," he
said.
She grabbed his wrist and moved it to the right side of her chest.
Herbert started to ask what she was doing, but the question died on
his lips as he heard a second heartbeat.
He checked the left side of her chest again. There was a heartbeat.
The right side, another heartbeat. He slid the scope over her chest.
The sound of one faded out and the other faded in.
"You have two hearts?" He asked, astonished.
"As well as the ability to hold my breath for up to three hours,
survive outer space without a suit for up to ten minutes, and some
telepathic ability," she said matter of factly. "There is also no
separation of my brain hemispheres and I see farther into the light
spectrum than you do. I'm not human, Herbert."
Then she told him a story. It was about a woman named Romana, a
wondrous planet called Gallifrey, and the war that destroyed them both.
Very cool! Hope to see more about this.